PIB Summary- 7th April, 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Mahavir Jayanti

Why in News?
Mahavir Jayanti which marks the birth of Lord Mahavir was recently celebrated.

About Lord Mahavir

• Lord Mahavir was the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara of the Jain religion.
• He was born in 599 B.C. as a prince in Bihar, India.
• At the age of 30, he renounced his family and royal life, gave up his material possessions, including clothing, and became a monk.
• He organized his followers into a fourfold order, consisting of monks (Sadhus), nuns (Sadhvis), laymen (Shravaks), and laywomen (Shravikas), who are now known as Jains.
• The ultimate goal of his teachings was to attain complete liberation from the cycle of birth, life, pain, misery, and death, and achieve a permanent state of bliss, known as liberation, nirvana, absolute freedom, or Moksha.
• Lord Mahavir taught that every living being (soul) is in bondage to karmic atoms that accumulate through one’s own good or bad deeds.
• He preached that the attainment of liberation requires a combination of right faith (samyak-darshana), right knowledge (samyak-jnana), and right conduct (samyak-charitra).

Kisan Credit Card

Why in News?
The Prime Minister has said that Kisan Credit Card is making life easier for our hardworking farmers and that is its main purpose as well.

About Kisan Credit Card (KCC)

• The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme is a credit scheme introduced in August 1998 by Indian banks.
• This model scheme was prepared by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on the recommendations of R. V. Gupta committee to provide term loans for agricultural needs.
• Its objective is to meet the comprehensive credit requirements of the agriculture sector and by 2019 for fisheries and animal husbandry by giving financial support to farmers.
• Participating institutions include all commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks, and state co-operative banks.

Provision of the KCC Scheme

• KCC covers post-harvest expenses, produce marketing loan, consumption requirements of farmer household, working capital for maintenance of farm assets and activities allied to agriculture, investment credit requirement for agriculture and allied activities.
• The scheme comes with an ATM-enabled RuPay debit card with facilities for one-time documentation, built-in cost escalation in the limit, and any number of withdrawals within the limit.
• The scheme has short term credit limits for crops, and term loans.
• Individuals involved in farming and agricultural activities can apply for the KCC. Farmers who cultivate on the land of other people are also eligible to apply for the Card.
• Farmers get the loan of up to Rs 3 Lakh at reduced Interest Rate of 7%. If a farmer manages to repay the loan amount on due date then another 3% rebate can be availed, making the effective Interest Rate as just 4%.
• Farmers can use the KCC card for purchasing seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, for doing payment to labourers, for withdrawal of cash and for purchasing agriculture related products and equipment.
• KCC credit holders are covered under personal accident insurance up to ₹50,000 for death and permanent disability, and up to ₹25,000 for other risk.

MISHTI scheme

Why in News
MISHTI scheme promotes development of 540 Sq. Kms Mangroves across 11 States and 2 Union Territories.

MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes)

• MISHTI is a new programme that will facilitate mangrove plantation along India’s coastline and on salt pan lands.
• The programme will operate through “convergence between MGNREGS, Campa Fund and other sources.
• This new programme will aim at intensive afforestation of coastal mangrove forests.
• India has such forests on both its Eastern and Western coasts with the Sundarbans in Bengal being one of the largest mangrove forests on the planet.

Importance of Mangroves

• Mangroves are not just some of the most bio-diverse locations in India, they also protect the coastlines from the vagaries of inclement weather.
• As climate change increases the incidence of extreme weather events across the world, mangrove plantations have shown to make coastal lands resilient, preventing flooding, land erosion and acting as a buffer for cyclones.
• Furthermore, they are also excellent carbon sinks. Mangrove trees can grow in saline waters, and can sequester up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests.