State PCS

• 06 Jun 2024

3rd Indian Analytical Congress (IAC) in Dehradun

Why in News?

Recently, the 3rd Indian Analytical Congress (IAC) was inaugurated at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

• It is a three-day International Conference cum Exhibition IAC-2024 being jointly organised by CSIR-IIP and the Indian Society of Analytical Scientists (ISAS-Delhi Chapter).

Key Points

• The theme of the conference is: "Role of Science and Technology in Green Transitions".
• The conference will provide a platform for industries, academia, scientists, and technologists in the Analytical Sciences to present the prevalent and upcoming solutions in this area.
  • The conference shall witness five technical sessions comprising invited talks by eminent speakers, presentations by researchers, and special and plenary sessions.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

• About: CSIR is the largest research and development (R&D) organisation in India. CSIR has a pan-India presence and has a dynamic network of 37 national laboratories, 39 outreach centres, 3 Innovation Complexes and 5 units.
  • CSIR is funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology and it operates as an autonomous body through the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
  • CSIR covers a wide spectrum of streams – from radio and space physics, oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology to mining, aeronautics, instrumentation, environmental engineering and information technology.
    • It provides significant technological intervention in many areas with regard to societal efforts which include the environment, health, drinking water, food, housing, energy, and farm and non-farm sectors.
• Established: September 1942
• Headquarters: New Delhi

World Environment Day

Why in News?

World Environment Day is celebrated on 5^th June every year to encourage awareness and environmental protection.

Key Points

• Recently, in a remarkable initiative to combat deforestation two environmentalists, Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana created India's first biosphere in a tiger reserve, called the Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB) within the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand.
• The biosphere is a 35-acre private forest initiative aimed at identifying and reviving rare and endangered species of native trees while protecting the area from poachers and mining.
  • The land earmarked for RRB was previously barren and in a state of degradation.
• They are also developing a second biosphere above the Koyna River in the buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve near Pune, Maharashtra, along the Western Ghats.

World Environment Day

• About:
  • The United Nations Assembly established World Environment Day in 1972, which was the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the human environment.
  • World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year with a specific theme and slogan that focuses on the major environmental issues of that time.
    • WED 2024 is hosted by Saudi Arabia.
    • India hosted the 45th celebration of World Environment Day in 2018 under the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.
  • WED celebration in 2021 kicked off the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) which is a global mission to revive billions of hectares, from forests to farmlands, from the top of mountains to the depth of the seas.
• The Theme for 2024:
  • Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience
  • Year 2024 also marks the 30^th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

GST Bhawan in Haryana

Why in News?

Recently, the Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), inaugurated the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bhawan, an official complex of Central Goods & Services Tax (CGST) at Rohtak, Haryana.

Key Points

• Located at one of the most preferred locations in Rohtak, the project sits at the hub of connectivity to major districts of Haryana and has easy and quick access to facilitate GST Taxpayers.
  • The inauguration of project in Amrit Kaal showcases the strength of New India.
• CBIC is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.
  • The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) was renamed as the CBIC in 2018 after the roll out of the GST.
  • It deals with the tasks of formulation of policy concerning levy and collection of Customs, Central Excise duties, Central Goods & Services Tax and IGST, prevention of smuggling and administration of matters relating to Customs, Central Excise, Central Goods & Services Tax (CGST), Integrated GST and Narcotics to the extent under CBIC's purview.

Goods & Services Tax (GST)

• About: ST is a value-added tax system that is levied on the supply of goods and services in India.
  • It is a comprehensive indirect tax that was introduced in India on 1^st July 2017, through the 101st Constitution Amendment Act, 2016, with the slogan of ‘One Nation One Tax’.
• GST Council: It is a constitutional body responsible for making recommendations on issues related to the implementation of the GST in India.
  • As per Article 279A (1) of the amended Constitution, the GST Council was constituted by the President.
• CGST: Under GST, CGST is a tax levied on intrastate supplies of both goods and services by the Central Government and collected by the Central Government and contributes to its funds.
• IGST: It is a tax levied on all interstate supplies of goods and/or services or across two or more states/Union Territories.
• SGST: An equivalent amount of SGST is a tax levied on intrastate supplies of both goods and services by the particular state government where the product sold is consumed.

Project Cheetah

Why in News?

Recently, a Kenyan delegation visited India to discuss collaboration on wildlife conservation efforts, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing Cheetah Reintroduction Project (Project Cheetah).

Key Points

• The delegation presented a draft MoU to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) proposing collaboration.
  • It along with capacity building and knowledge sharing, also included provisions for supplying equipment to Kenyan forest rangers to enhance field patrolling and wildlife preservation efforts.
• Project Cheetah:
  • The Phase-1 of the project started in 2022, to restore the population of cheetahs, which were declared extinct in the country in 1952.
    • It involves the translocation of cheetahs from South Africa and Namibia to Kuno National Park.
    • The project is implemented by the NTCA in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
  • Under Phase-2 of the Project India is considering sourcing cheetahs from Kenya due to similar habitats.
    • Cheetahs will be translocated to Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh).

World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan

Why in News?

Recently, the National Level Coordination Committee (NLCC) for the World’s largest grain storage plan held its maiden meeting in New Delhi.

• The plan envisages transforming Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) into Multi-Service Societies.

Key Points

• The Pilot project has been implemented by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) with the support of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS) in coordination with States/ UTs concerned.
  • NCDC was established by an Act of Parliament in 1963 as a statutory Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
    • NCDC functions through its Head Office at New Delhi and multiple Regional Offices.
• The committee reviewed the status of implementation of its pilot project in 11 States, which was initiated in 2023.
  • States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Telangana have implemented its pilot project.
• The Plan envisages creation of various agricultural infrastructure at PACS level, including warehouses, custom hiring center, processing units, Fair Price Shops, etc. through convergence of various existing schemes:
  • Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI), Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME) etc.