PIB Summary- 15th December, 2021 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Mou For Cooperation in Live Stock Sector

Why in news?

An MoU was signed between the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) recently, to collaborate in furtherance of their mutual objectives of sustainably improving the livestock sector to support India’s food security and economic development agendas.

Key points:

• The collaboration would provide technical assistance for the design and delivery of new technologies and implementation of best practices that are relevant in the local context.
• It would jointly support programmes to improve sector productivity in support of small-scale producers:
  (i) to improve livestock health, production, and animal nutrition
  (ii) to identify scientific and technological solutions for major infectious diseases
  (iii) to strengthen translation capacity in India and as appropriate to collaborate to apply this capacity
  (iv) to identify projects that will create scientific and technological advances related to livestock, food and nutrition through improvements in livestock sector
  (v) to identify opportunities for scientific and technological collaboration to benefit small-scale producers in India and other developing countries in the region
  (vi) to strengthen the One Health framework along key aspects
  (vii) to strengthen technical capabilities around traceability of livestock and livestock products, value addition of livestock products, marketing solutions (like e-platforms), and disease reporting

Other Government Initiatives:

• National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD): It aims to create and strengthen dairy infrastructure for procurement, processing and marketing of milk and milk products by the State Implementing Agencies (SIAs).
• Dairy processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF): Under this scheme, milk cooperatives will be provided financial assistance of Rs 8004 crore in the form of a loan at 6.5% interest, which will be reimbursed over a period of 10 years.
• Supporting Dairy Cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organizations engaged in dairy activities (SDCFPO): It aims to provide working capital loan to State Cooperatives and Federations to tide over the crisis on account severely adverse market conditions or natural calamities.

Gram Ujala Scheme

Why in news?

Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) team achieved the massive target of 10 lakh LED distribution in a single day under Gram UJALA.

Key points:

• Under this initiative, a total of 10 lacs LED bulbs are distributed in a single day across 2579 villages in five states – Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
• In this program, 7-Watt & 12-Watt LED bulbs against replacement of working incandescent bulbs for price of INR 10 each, which comes with a guarantee period of three years from the date of purchase.
• The achievement proves India’s commitment towards achieving the target set by India at UNFCCC COP26 Summit.

About Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme:

• It was launched in 2015 with a target of replacing 77 crore incandescent lamps with LED bulbs and to nullify the high-cost of LEDs that acted as a barrier previously in the adoption of energy-efficient systems. 
• Implementing agency: Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a government company under the administrative control of Ministry of Power, has been designated as the implementing agency for this programme.
• LED provides better light output than conventional light and are 88% energy efficient as compared to incandescent bulbs.
• Further LED lights are 50% energy efficient as compared to CFLs.
• Objectives:
  (i) Reduce energy consumption in lighting, which helps DISCOMs to manage peak demand
  (ii) Promote the use of the most efficient lighting technology at affordable rates to domestic consumers
  (iii) Enhance the awareness of consumers about the efficacy of using efficient appliances
  (iv) It can change their buying preferences from low first cost based purchases to lifecycle cost.
  (v) Provide an impetus to domestic lighting industry through economies of size.
  (vi) Encourage and support domestic manufacturing of LED bulbs by sustaining demand, making it consistent with the ‘Make in India’ policy of the Government.
  (vii) Create an enabling environment for private sector investments in the lighting sector.