• 26 Apr 2025

Centre Emergency Evacuation Measures for Pahalgam Tourists

Why in News? 

After the Pahalgam terror attack, the Union Civil Aviation Minister began monitoring the situation to ensure quick help for affected tourists. Four special flights have been arranged from Srinagar, with more on standby for evacuations. 

 Key Points 

• Urgent Meeting with Airlines: 
  • The Union Minister held an emergency meeting with all airline operators. 
  • He firmly directed airlines to avoid surge pricing and maintain standard fares, ensuring passengers are not burdened during the crisis. 
  • He also directed all airlines to ensure dignified and timely transportation of deceased victims to their home states. 
• IndiGo Offers Relief Measures: 
  • IndiGo announced waivers on rescheduling and cancellation fees for bookings made on or before 22 April, valid until 30 April. 
  • The airline also introduced two special flights to support evacuation and travel needs. 

Terrorism   

• It is the deliberate and unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, to instill fear and achieve political, religious, or ideological goals.   
  • It seeks to influence governments or societies by creating a climate of fear, disruption, and uncertainty.  
  • India maintains a strong stance against terrorism with a "zero tolerance" policy.  
  • However, there are no universally accepted definitions of terrorism, making it difficult to classify specific activities as terrorist acts.   
• This ambiguity gives terrorists an advantage and enables some countries to remain silent and veto actions in global institutions. 

First Swap Kidney Transplant in Raipur

Why in News? 

AIIMS Raipur has successfully performed its first Swap Kidney Transplant, or Kidney Paired Donation (KPD), becoming the first among the newer AIIMS and the first government hospital in Chhattisgarh to carry out this advanced, life-saving procedure. 

 Key Points 

• Milestone in Advanced Renal Care: 
  • AIIMS Raipur conducted its first Swap Kidney Transplant under the guidance of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. 
  • The Ministry highlighted this as a major step toward expanding access to advanced treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). 
  • In a Swap Kidney Transplant (Kidney Paired Donation), two patient-donor pairs exchange kidneys when direct donation isn’t possible due to blood group incompatibility. 
• AIIMS Raipur as a Regional Leader: 
  • AIIMS Raipur has emerged as a pioneer in organ transplantation in central India. 
  • It was the first among newer AIIMS to initiate Deceased Donor Organ Donation and Paediatric Kidney Transplants. 
  • The hospital has performed 54 kidney transplants so far, achieving a 95% graft survival rate and a 97% patient survival rate. 
• Boosting National Organ Transplant Capacity: 
  • Swap transplants can increase overall kidney transplants by up to 15%, as per the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). 
  • NOTTO has advised all states and Union Territories to implement swap transplant programmes. 
  • It also plans to launch a "One Nation, One Swap Transplant" policy to streamline and expand these life-saving surgeries across India. 

Development Package for Haryana Panchayats

Why in News? 

On National Panchayati Raj Day, Haryana Chief Minister announced a Rs 368 crore development package for panchayats across the state. 

• At the state-level Gram Utthan Samaroh in Panchkula, he inaugurated 923 development projects worth Rs 233 crore and laid foundation stones for 413 more works worth Rs 135 crore. 

 Key Points 

• Strengthening Financial Support to Panchayats: 
  • Chief Minister transferred Rs 573 crore in stamp duty revenue to: 
    • 22 Zila Parishads 
    • 142 Panchayat Samitis 
    • 5,388 Gram Panchayats 
  • He released Rs 18.28 crore for constructing Mahila Chaupals in 511 Gram Panchayats, promoting women’s participation in community activities. 
  • The government disbursed Rs 1.45 crore as honorarium to: 
    • 411 Zila Parishad members 
    • 3,081 Panchayat Samiti members 
• Jagrit Gram Puraskar Yojana: 
  • He launched the Mukhyamantri Jagrit Gram Puraskar Yojana, a performance-based incentive scheme for Gram Panchayats. 
  • Panchayats will be evaluated on: 
    • Education, healthcare, sanitation 
    • Women’s empowerment, agricultural output 
    • Digital access, sustainable infrastructure 
    • Cash prizes: 
      • Rs 51 lakh for first place 
      • Rs 31 lakh for second place 
      • Rs 21 lakh for third place 
  • The winning Panchayats must use the prize money for local development activities. 
• Capacity Building of Elected Representatives: 
  • The CM also launched training kit distribution under the National Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. 
  • The government will provide refresher training to all 71,000 elected PRI representatives in Haryana. 
• Expansion of Social Security Coverage: 
  • The state credited Rs 12.59 crore into the bank accounts of 41,591 new beneficiaries under various social security pension schemes. 

 Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) 

• Background: The scheme was first approved by the Cabinet in 2018 for implementation from 2018-19 to 2021-22. 
• Implementing Agency: Ministry of Panchayati Raj. 
• Components: The main Central Components were Incentivisation of Panchayats and Mission Mode Project on e-Panchayat including other activities at Central level. 
  • The State component primarily includes Capacity Building & Training (CB&T) activities, institutional mechanisms for CB&T along with other activities at a limited scale. 

BBAU Gets Patent Bioplastic

Why in News? 

A scientist from Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow has been granted a patent by the Government of India for the technology of making bio-plastic. 

Key Points 

•  This technology uses cow dung and a special type of bacteria to produce biodegradable plastic. 
• Bottles, polybags and other useful items can be made from this bio-plastic . 
• This plastic is based on polyhydroxy butyrate (PHB), a naturally degradable bio-plastic. 
• Earlier, PHB was produced mainly from biomass such as sugarcane, maize, wheat, rice and banana peels, but its commercial use was limited due to high cost and expensive raw materials . 
• But BBAU scientists have developed a modified cow-dung-based medium, which reduces the cost of PHB production by 200 times . 
• Traditional plastic takes thousands of years to decompose, whereas the bio-plastic developed by BBAU scientists decomposes in just 40-50 years and does not cause any harm to the environment . 
• In the backdrop of global warming and impact of plastic pollution on biodiversity, this research paves a new path towards environmental protection. 

 Bio-Plastic  

• Bio-plastics are derived from renewable organic sources such as sugarcane, corn, etc, while traditional plastics are made from petroleum. They are not always biodegradable or compostable. 
• Bio-plastics are produced by extracting sugar from plants such as corn and sugar cane and converting it into polylactic acid (PLA). Alternatively, they can be made from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from microorganisms that are then polymerised into bio-plastics . 
• The production of bio-plastics absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) and contributes to a neutral or potentially negative carbon balance, helping to reduce the carbon footprint compared to fossil-based plastics. 
• Unlike conventional plastics, bio-plastics do not contain harmful chemicals like phthalates, which are considered hazardous to human health. 
• Bio-plastics are as strong and durable as traditional plastics, making them ideal for use in a variety of applications such as food packaging, agriculture and medical supplies. 

Chief Minister's Mass Marriage Scheme

Why in News? 

  The Uttar Pradesh government has made changes in the Chief Minister Mass Marriage Scheme to provide relief to poor and needy families who are unable to bear the expenses of the marriage of their daughters.  

Key Points 

• About the Scheme:  
  • Under the Chief Minister Mass Marriage Scheme, now assistance of Rs 1 lakh will be given which will be distributed in three parts: 
    • Rs 75,000 will be transferred directly to the girl's bank account . 
    • Rs 10,000 will be given for clothes, gifts and essential items . 
    • Rs 15,000 will be given to spend on organizing the wedding . 
  • In order to promote religious harmony and social respect, the State Government has been running the Chief Minister Mass Marriage Scheme since October 2017. 
  • Under the scheme, marriage ceremonies are conducted according to the customs and traditions of different religions and communities . 
    • It also aims to eliminate unnecessary display and wastage in marriage functions 
  • This scheme is for the poor, Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and minority communities. 
    • Arrangements for marriage of widows, abandoned and divorced women have also been made under this scheme. 
  • There is a provision for registration at the level of municipal bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions. 
  • Registration of minimum 10 couples is necessary for organizing mass marriage . 
• Eligibility: 
  • The age of the girl should be 18 years and the age of the boy should be 21 years or more. 
  • Both the bride and groom should be permanent residents of Uttar Pradesh . 
  • The annual income of the family should be within the limit set by the government. 

PM Mitra Textile Park in MP

Why in News? 

India's first integrated textile park will be established in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh under PM MITRA Yojana. 

Key Points  

• About Textile Park: 
  • The total cost of the park is Rs. 2100 crore and it will be developed at Bhainsola village in Dhar district . 
  • The park will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities like a 20 MLD water plant based on Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology, a solar energy-based power plant, “plug and play” factory units , and residential complex for workers . 
  • It aims to create an integrated textile system with all the activities like spinning, weaving, processing, dyeing, garmenting etc. taking place within the same premises. 
  • All construction work is targeted to be completed in 14 months , making it the fastest developing textile park in India. 
  • So far, investment proposals worth Rs 10,000 crore have been received under this project . 
  • This will create employment opportunities for lakhs of youth and strengthen the economy of the state . 
  • This will give impetus to Make in India, Vocal for Local and Self-reliant India campaigns. 
    

PM Mitra Yojana 

• Introduction: 
  • The PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Park (MITRA) scheme was launched by the Ministry of Textiles in the year 2021 to strengthen the Indian textile industry . 
  • 'PM Mitra' Park will be developed in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) owned by the Central and State Governments. 
  • Each 'Mitra' park will have an incubation centre, common processing house and a common effluent treatment plant and other textile related facilities like design centre and testing centre. 
  • An incubation centre is an organisation that helps entrepreneurs develop their businesses and solve problems, especially in the early stages, by providing a range of business and technical services, initial seed funding, laboratory facilities, mentors, networks and linkages. 
  • This 'Special Purpose Vehicle'/Master Developer will not only develop the industrial park but also maintain it during the concession period. 
• Financing: 
  • Under the scheme, the Central Government will provide development capital support of Rs 500 crore for each Greenfield 'Mitra' park and Rs 200 crore for each Brownfield park for development of common infrastructure . 
  • Greenfield refers to a completely new project that is to be started from scratch, while a brownfield project is one on which work has already been started. 

National Food Security Act

Why in News? 

The 'Give Up' campaign has been launched  by the Food and Civil Supplies Department of Rajasthan to voluntarily remove ineligible beneficiaries from the list under the National Food Security Scheme (NFSA). 

• Under which, at the state level, more than 17 lakh 63 thousand ineligible persons have given themselves up from the scheme . 

Key Points 

• About GiveUp Campaign: 
  • The 'GiveUp Abhiyan' was launched by the Rajasthan government in November 2024, with the aim of motivating  capable and ineligible people to voluntarily give up the benefits of the food security scheme. 
  • This campaign targets people who have risen above the poverty line and are no longer eligible for this scheme. 
• National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013: 
  • This marks a paradigm shift in the approach towards food security from a welfare-based approach to a rights-based approach. 
    • The NFSA covers 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population through the following means: 
      • Antyodaya Anna Yojana : It covers the poorest population who are entitled to receive 35 kg of food grains per family per month. 
      • Priority Households (PHH): Families included under the PHH category are entitled to receive 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month. 
  • The NFSA covers 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population through the following means: 
    • In case of issuing ration card, it has been made mandatory for the eldest woman of the family aged 18 years or above to be the head of the household. 
    • Further, the Act makes special provision for children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years, where they are provided with nutritious food free of cost through a wide network of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres (also known as Anganwadi centres).