PIB Summary- 28th July, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Swadesh Darshan Scheme

Why in News?
Recently, the Ministry of Tourism has revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with an aim to develop sustainable and responsible infrastructure at destinations.

About Swadesh Darshan scheme

Objective

• To develop theme-based tourist circuits in the country.
• These tourist circuits  will be developed on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and  sustainability in an integrated manner.
• To develop quality infrastructure in the country with the objective of providing better experience and facilities to the visitors on one hand and on other hand fostering the economic growth.

Features of Swadesh Darshan Scheme

• Swadesh Darshan scheme is one of the flagship scheme of the Ministry of tourism for the development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised manner
• 100% funding from Centre for the project components undertaken for public funding.
• To leverage the voluntary funding available for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central Public Sector Undertakings and corporate sector.
• Funding of individual project will vary from state to state and will be finalised on the basis of detailed project reports prepared by PMC (Programme Management Consultant). PMC will be a national level consultant to be appointed by the Mission Directorate.
• A National Steering Committee (NSC) will be constituted with Minister in charge of M/O Tourism as Chairman, to steer the mission objectives and vision of the scheme.
• A Mission Directorate headed by the Member Secretary, NSC as a nodal officer will help in identification of projects in consultation with the States/ UTs governments and other stake holders.

Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0

• The revamped programme, Swadesh Darshan 2.0, aims to achieve “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” by fulfilling India’s full potential as a tourist destination under the motto “vocal for local.”
• In order to transform the Swadesh Darshan Scheme into a comprehensive mission to create sustainable and responsible tourism destinations, Swadesh Darshan 2.0 represents a generational transition rather than an incremental adjustment.
• The creation of benchmarks and standards for both general and theme-specific tourism destination development will be encouraged, and the States will use these benchmarks and standards when organising and implementing their projects.

Following major themes have been identified for tourism under the Scheme.

• Culture and Heritage
• Adventure Tourism
• Eco-Tourism
• Wellness Tourism
• MICE Tourism
• Rural Tourism
• Beach Tourism
• Cruises – Ocean & Inland.

Fortified Rice

Why in News?
The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution informed that the Government has approved supply of fortified rice across Government Schemes like Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) throughout the country by 2024.

What is rice fortification?

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) defines fortification as “deliberately increasing the content of essential micronutrients in a food so as to improve the nutritional quality of food and to provide public health benefit with minimal risk to health”.
• The cooking of fortified rice does not require any special procedure.
• After cooking, fortified rice retains the same physical properties and micronutrient levels as it had before cooking.
• Fortified rice will be packed in jute bags with the logo (‘+F’) and the line “Fortified with Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12”.
• Various technologies are available to add micronutrients to regular rice, such as coating, dusting, and ‘extrusion’.
• The last mentioned involves the production of fortified rice kernels (FRKs) from a mixture using an ‘extruder’ machine.
• It is considered to be the best technology for India.
• The fortified rice kernels are blended with regular rice to produce fortified rice.

Need of rice fortification

• India has very high levels of malnutrition among women and children.
• According to the Food Ministry, every second woman in the country is anaemic and every third child is stunted.
• Fortification of food is considered to be one of the most suitable methods to combat malnutrition.
• Rice is one of India’s staple foods, consumed by about two-thirds of the population.
• Per capita rice consumption in India is 6.8 kg per month.
• Therefore, fortifying rice with micronutrients is an option to supplement the diet of the poor.

What are the standards for fortification?

• Under the Ministry’s guidelines, 10 g of FRK must be blended with 1 kg of regular rice.
• According to FSSAI norms, 1 kg of fortified rice will contain the following: iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid (75-125 microgram), and vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25 microgram).
• Rice may also be fortified with zinc (10 mg-15 mg), vitamin A (500-750 microgram RE), vitamin B-1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), vitamin B-2 (1.25 mg-1.75 mg), vitamin B-3 (12.5 mg-20 mg) and vitamin B-6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per kg.