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This Edition of magazine is contribution and hard work of our team who gave their best efforts in all

perspective. We express our gratitude to all our team members and thankful to all the advisors for making

first step in publishing a small magazine.

▪ Editor-in-Chief Sandeep Sajwan ▪ Advisory Board Dr. M.K Laxman, Prof. Vinod Jain, Shri Vijay Pal, IPS, Manish Singh

(EG Classes), Mayank Dwivedi, Deepanshu Singh, Atal Tiwari, A. K. Tripathi

▪ Editorial Team Suraj P Modi, Abhijeet Singh, Pradeep Kumar

▪ The Information, news and facts published in the magazine have been

duly verified and cross-checked from original source before publishing. Even,

if any information or fact is misinterpreted or found to have been published

incorrectly, the publisher, editor or printer cannot be held responsible for any

loss or damages accruing to any specific person or institution.

▪ We believe that the articles published in this magazine have been

written originally by the writers to whom they have been attributed. If any

matter of Copyright violation occurs then the writer would be responsible.

▪ © Copyright: Current Affairs Only, all rights Reserved. No part of

this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

▪ All Disputes would be subject to Delhi Jurisdiction Only.

For suggestions / feedback, Contact:-

Executive Editor: Current Affairs Only©

Phone: +917004505095

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://currentaffairsonly.com

Sale/Distribution: [email protected] +918682007120

Social Media Link: fb.com/CurrentAffairsOnlyOfficial |http://t.me/CSE_CurrentAffairs]

For Advertisement Contact: 7004505095

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INDEX

YOJANA .......................................................................................... 2

Public Grievance Redressal ................................................................................................ 2

1. Introduction........................................................................................................................................ 2

2. e-Governance: Grievance Redressal for a new India 2022 ................................................................ 5

3. Transparency & Accountability .......................................................................................................... 8

4. PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation)....................................................... 9

5. Grievance Redressal mechanism for women ................................................................................... 11

6. Citizen charter in India ..................................................................................................................... 11

7. Addressing Grievance in healthcare in India .................................................................................... 15

KURUKSHETRA ............................................................................. 17

A Journal on Rural Development ..................................................................................... 17

8. Evergreen Revolution ....................................................................................................................... 20

9. PM Fasal Beema Yojana: Ensuring Farmers Prosperity ................................................................... 21

10. Preserving Soil health for sustainable production ........................................................................... 22

11. Integrated Farming Approach .......................................................................................................... 25

12. Technological Innovation for agriculture ......................................................................................... 26

13. IRRI-South Asia Regional Center at National Seed Research Training Center ................................. 28

14. Role of women in Agro-Economy ..................................................................................................... 28

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YOJANA

Public Grievance Redressal

Introduction

Imagine a situation where you are going to a government organization for a specific work. But employees are not

helping to pass your file without bribe. Now you are helpless and don’t know to whom you should complaint. In this

article, information about online complaint filing process against government organizations is provided. The

Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances operates an online platform i.e PG portal (Public

Grievance portal) to enable the citizens to file complaints in a hassle-free manner.

Grievance Redressal is a management- and governance-related process used commonly in India. While the

term "Grievance Redressal" primarily covers the receipt and processing of complaints from citizens and

consumers, a wider definition includes actions taken on any issue raised by them to avail services more

effectively.

The traditional approach to Grievance Redressal, which is handled through letters and complaint forms, has very little appeal and its usage rarely reflects the actual state of customer satisfaction or lack thereof.

Grievance Redressal typically covers the following types of complaints

Service Unavailability

Non-Delivery against Commitment

Excessive Delays

Injustice concerns (such as over race, caste, sex)

Staff Misbehaviour

Malpractice

Wider definition of grievance redressal covers

Malfunctions under Warranty coverage Product Support issues Citizen Vigilance reports Employee Disputes

Process to file complaints

1. Visit pgportal.gov.in

2. Visit the “CITIZEN CORNER” box in the portal. You will find the following three options made available.

LODGE YOUR GRIEVANCE HERE

REMINDER/CLARIFICATION ON PAST GRIEVANCE and

VIEW STATUS OF YOUR GRIEVANCE

Click “LODGE YOUR GRIEVANCE HERE” for filing a fresh complaint. Webpage will redirect to grievance

registration form.

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In grievance registration form, user needs to select whether the organisation is “Central or State

government”. Then select the department from drop down box. If you are not sure about the department or

if the name of the department is not available in drop down options, you can select “NOT KNOWN/NOT

LISTED”. If you select “NOT KNOWN/NOT LISTED” then The Department of Administrative Reforms and

Public Grievances will forward the complaint to the respective department after reviewing the complaint.

Apart from above, user needs to write few personal details like name, address, contact details etc.

In the area provided for writing the complaint, the user needs to enter his/her complaint. Users can also

upload the supporting document and any other details by clicking on YES option in “Do you want to upload

PDF Attachment”.

Finally, user needs to enter the CAPTCHA code and click on submit. After successful registration, user will get registration number by which user can trace the status of the

complaint. User can get status of complaint by clicking on “VIEW STATUS OF YOUR GRIEVANCE” in home page of PG portal. User can also send reminder or clarification by clicking on “REMINDER/CLARIFICATION ON PAST GRIEVANCE”.

Redress Process Flow

The time limit for redress of grievance is Sixty (60) days. In case of delay an interim reply with reasons for delay is required to be given. In case of non-redress of a grievance within the prescribed time, the citizen may take up the matter with the Director of Public Grievances of the Ministry/Department concerned whose details are available on the pgportal.gov.in.

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Challenges

Traditional Grievance Redressal mechanisms tend to fail, or are very ineffective, on account of some of these causes

Unavailability or Difficulty to access means to report grievances, at times done so purposefully, or due to lack of priority

Lack of authority of PRO over relevant departments and executives in Government organizations Disconnect of senior decision-maker executives with end customers Non-motivation of front-end managers to forward negative feedback to higher-ups Fear of citizens / consumers to report malpractice about officers with substantial authority Inability of smaller private organizations to set up computerized mechanisms Inaccuracy and spamming of feedback forms, driving false impressions Delayed feedback acceptance, as feedback is taken after service has been provided, while corrective action

may be taken typically during the delivery of service

Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)

Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) is an online web-enabled system over NICNET developed by NIC, in association with Directorate of Public Grievances (DPG) and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). CPGRAMS is the platform based on web technology which primarily aims to enable submission of grievances by the aggrieved citizens from anywhere and anytime (24x7) basis to Ministries/Departments/Organisations who scrutinize and take action for speedy and favorable redress of these grievances. Tracking grievances is also facilitated on this portal through the system generated unique registration number.

Issues which are not taken up for redress Subjudice cases or any matter concerning judgment given by any court.

Personal and family disputes.

RTI matters.

Anything that impacts upon territorial integrity of the country orfriendly relations with other countries.

Suggestions.

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First PIO Parliamentary Conference

The first-ever Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference was held in the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra

(PBK) in New Delhi on the occasion of Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas (PBD).

It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The conference was way of reaching out to Indian community

overseas by Central government.

Key Facts

The PIO Parliamentary Conference was organised by Ministry of External Affairs to forge stronger ties with PIO. 124

Members of Parliament (MP) and 17 mayors from 23 countries including UK, USA, South Africa, Canada, Fiji, Kenya,

Mauritius, New Zealand, Sri Lanka among others participated in this

The biggest delegation was from Guyana with 20 members of parliament and three mayors.

The event had two Thematic Plenary Sessions – ‘PIO Parliamentarians: A Journey from Struggle

to Parliament’ and ‘Resurgent India: Role of PIO Parliamentarians’.

Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)

A person is deemed to be Indian origin if he/she is foreign citizen (other than of Pakistan or Bangladesh) and had

held an Indian passport any time. He may be either person whose parents or grandparents were citizens of India by

virtue of the Constitution of India or the Citizenship Act, 1955.

He may be also person who is spouse of an Indian citizen or of PIO (other than of Pakistan or Bangladesh)

e-Governance: Grievance Redressal for a new India 2022

Sevottam Sevottam is an assessment - improvement model that has been developed with the objective of improving the quality of public service delivery in the country. The model was conceived by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in 2006. The word "Sevottam" is a combination of two Hindi words: Seva (Service) and Uttam (Excellent). It means “Service Excellence”, emphasizing the idea of “Service”. It symbolizes the change in mindset within the Government, from administration and control to service and enablement.

Objectives The key components of Sevottam are captured with the following objectives

Successful implementation of Citizen’s Charters: It requires opening up a channel for receiving citizens' inputs

into the way in which organizations determine service delivery requirements. Citizens' Charter publicly declare

the information on citizens' entitlements; making citizens better informed and hence empowering them to

demand better services.

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Service Delivery Preparedness and achievement of Results: An organization can have an excellent performance

in service delivery only if it is managing the key inputs for good service delivery well, and building its own

capacity to continuously improve delivery. This shall include identification of services rendered, the service

delivery process, its control and delivery requirements.

Sound Public Grievance Redress Mechanism: This requires a good grievance redress system operating in a

manner that leaves the citizen more satisfied with how the organization responds to complaints/grievances,

irrespective of the final decision.

Benefits of the Sevottam model The framework enables implementing organizations to undertake a systematic, credible and authenticated self-assessment (or ‘gap analysis’) for citizen-centric service delivery. Using this analysis, practical solutions are gradually and systematically incorporated into the organization’s day-to-day routine thereby ensuring sustainable results.

There are four broad ways in which the Sevottam model can be used

As a self - assessment tool by organizations already motivated to improve service delivery

As a requirement standard

As a benchmark assessment process to be established

As a rating model to recognize and reward organizations that are doing commendable work in service delivery

Implementation of Sevottam

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Initially, Sevottam framework was undertaken from April 2009 to June 2010 in ten Departments of the Government having large public interface.

These are, Department of Post, CBEC, CBDT, Railways, Passport office, Pensions, Food Processing, Corporate

Affairs, Kendriya Vidyalaya Schools and EPFO.

Later, Sevottam has been launched as a certification scheme which provides for the award of the Sevottam symbol of excellence to public service organizations that implement and are able to show compliance to a set of management system requirements that have been specified in a specially created standard document.

Sevottam assessment process In order to apply for Sevottam certification, an organization must initially undertake a self-assessment to ensure that it has complied with the requirements detailed in the IS 15700 standard. The standard specifies requirements to be met in terms of several dimensions including documentation requirements, management responsibilities, resource management, citizens' charter, service provision, complaint handling, monitoring, and continuous improvement. Once the required processes have been introduced, the organization can approach, if it so desires the certifying authority for assessment. If unsuccessful, the organization will have to re-assess its service standards and processes and repeat the above process to apply for certification. If successful, it will attain Sevottam certification, which will be valid for a period of three years, after which it has to renew the license after reassessment. The framework has a total of 3 modules with 3 criteria and 11 elements in each. The first module is the Citizen‟s Charter that specifies the standards for service delivery, the second is the Grievance Redress Mechanism to get redress if service is not provided as per standards, and the third is the Capability Building for building the capability and capacity of the organization to deliver its services as per standards included in its Charter.

UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance)

It is envisaged to make e-governance . It is developed by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

and National e-Governance Division (NeGD) to drive Mobile Governance in India.

• UMANG provides a single platform for all Indian Citizens to access pan India e-Gov services ranging from

Central to Local Government bodies and other citizen centric services.

UMANG intends to provide major services offered by Central and State Government departments, Local

bodies and other utility services from private organizations.

• It provides a unified approach where citizens can install one application to avail multiple government

services.

UMANG service has been made available on multiple channels like mobile application, web, IVR and SMS

which can be accessed through smartphones, feature phones, tablets and desktops. UMANG has been

created with a thought to add convenience to your lifestyle.

• UMANG will revolutionize the way how an Indian citizen avails government services today, because it

leverages the current accelerated internet and smartphone penetration in our country.

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Transparency & Accountability

Transparency and accountability are the main constituents of good governance, while good governance is a pre-condition to achieving human development which is the main concern or mission and the ultimate goal for all states' programmes and activities.

Transparency and accountability are interrelated concepts and mutually reinforcing. Without transparency there couldn't be any accountability. Unless there is accountability, transparency would be of no value. The existence of both conditions contributes to an effective, efficient and equitable management in public and private institutions.

It is commonly recognized that corruption, which has become a universal phenomenon, unless kept in check, can

undermine the finest of systems. It eats into the very vitals of the civic society and directly vitiates the relationship

between the citizen and the state, which in modern times must conform to the status of a welfare state.

The Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Improving Transparency and Accountability in Government through Effective

Implementation of the Right to Information Act” was launched in August 2010. The Goal of the Scheme was to

contribute towards more accountable and transparent government. The Purpose of the Scheme was effective

implementation of the RTI Act.

RTI means that citizens can request for information from state or central government departments and offices. And such request should be processed in a timely way as mandated by the RTI Act.

But there is a bit more to the Meaning of RTI. So we are, clearing all your doubts and queries and explaining what is RTI in simple terms.

Right to Information Right to Information Act has been implemented by the Government of India to provide a right to its citizens to ask the relevant questions to the Government and various public utility service providers, in a practical manner. This was done to replace the earlier Freedom of information Act of 2002.

Objective To help citizens get faster service from government agencies, as they can now ask why is a certain application or a process being delayed; and mainly to fulfill the aim of a corruption free India.

Under the RTI Act, any citizen can seek information from any public or government authority (however, it should not pertain to national security and defense or some personal information) and the authority is liable to respond within a period of 30 days to the application.

RTI requests are filed by public with ease

Awareness Generation through Mass media campaign; organisation of workshops, Publication of Guide books etc and innovative awareness generation programmes

Simplification of processes for filing of RTI Requests and Appeals to central Government Authorities which included setting up of a call centre and portal for filing of RTI requests in GOI offices.

Setting up of an institutional mechanism for collaborative working with CSOs and Media and included consultation meetings of the National RTI Committee, RTI Fellowships, etc.

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Improvement in quality and speed of disposal of RTI requests and appeals

Capacity building of PIOs and AAs through training of CPIOs, SPIOs and AAs, online certificate course on RTI, Knowledge management, etc

Streamlined Processes for receipt, disposal and Monitoring of RTI Requests/Appeals by setting up of RTI Cells in Central Public Authorities.

Improved Record Management.

Effective Information Commissions to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Act through capacity

building of Central/State Information Commissioners

PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation)

PRAGATI is a unique integrating and interactive platform. The platform is aimed at addressing common man’s grievances, and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the whole world is now observing India keenly. It is imperative that governance in India becomes more efficient and responsive. He said the PRAGATI platform was a step in this direction.

Some of the issues discussed included

Two sets of public grievances of more than 20 people relating to (a) payment of Employees Provident Fund of private sector and (b) Income Tax refunds; It was noted that all the grievances had been redressed. Also, the intervention through PRAGATI is leading to system improvement so that such grievances do not arise.

Two issues flagged by States of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, regarding National Highways and clearance for Navi Mumbai airport, respectively.

Six Central Government projects involving more than a dozen Union Government Ministries and thirteen States. It was noted that various actions and permissions relating to projects were pending for several years. Due to PRAGATI, on several issues there was definite progress. In fact, some of the issues were almost finally resolved.

Progress of School Toilet Programme, and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

PM gave suitable directions for redressal of grievances and compliance on the projects and programmes and motivated all officers to work in coordinated manner for outcome.

Key Highlights of the Consumer Protection Bill, 2018

Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)

The Bill provides for the establishment of an executive agency to be known as the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers, make interventions when necessary to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices and to initiate class action including enforcing recall, refund and return of products, etc.

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This fills an institutional void in the regulatory regime extant. Currently, the task of prevention of or acting against unfair trade practices is not vested in any authority. This has been provided for in a manner that the role envisaged for the CCPA complements that of the sector regulators and duplication, overlap or potential conflict is avoided.

Filing of Consumer Complaints Electronically

Section 35 of the Bill also enumerates the manner in which a consumer complaint can be filed electronically. It states that a complaint, in relation to any goods sold or delivered or any service provided, may be filed with a District Commission electronically in such manner as may be prescribed.

Product Liability Action

The Bill also envisages provisions for product liability action on account of harm caused to consumers due to a defective product or by deficiency in services. Under this a product liability action may be brought by a complainant against a product manufacturer or seller for any harm caused to him on account of a defective product. Under the Bill, a product service provider is rendered liable if the service provided by him was faulty or imperfect or deficient in quality or manner of performance or if there was an act of omission or commission or negligence or conscious withholding any information which caused harm to the consumer.

Reference to Mediation

Chapter V of the Bill renders exclusive provisions for reference of a dispute to Mediation as an Alternate Dispute Resolution Mechanism. The Bill states that if it appears to the District Commission that there exists elements of a settlement which may be acceptable to the parties it may direct the parties to give in writing consent to have their dispute settled by mediation in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

The Bill further provides for the establishment of Consumer Mediation Cell and also enumerates the procedure for mediation.

Measures to Prevent Unfair Trade Practices in E-commerce

The Bill in the wake of rapid technological advancement and augmentation of e-commerce transactions in India renders an exclusive definition of “e-commerce” and state that it means buying or selling of goods or services including digital products over digital or electronic network.

In order to prevent unfair trade practices in E-commerce the Bill empowers the Central Government to take such measures in the manner as may be prescribed to protect the interest and rights of consumers.

Enhancing of Pecuniary Jurisdiction The Bill also seeks to enhance the pecuniary jurisdiction of the Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies. The pecuniary jurisdiction for filing complaint in:

District Commission shall be for value of goods or services not exceeding one crore rupees. State Commission shall be for value of goods or services exceeds rupees one core but does not exceed

rupees ten crore. National Commission shall be for value of goods and services exceeding ten crore rupees.

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Grievance Redressal mechanism for women

For gender equality and gender justice in all its intervention and practices Woman Grievance Redressal Cell was established. The Cell is responsible for looking into any complaints filed by students & staff about Women’s Grievances at MHSSP. According to the Hon. Supreme Court of India definition of sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexually determined behavior as

Physical contact and advances Demand or request for sexual favours Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature

Objectives

To resolve issues pertaining to girl’s/women’s sexual harassment. To equip the female students, faculty and staff members with knowledge of their legal rights. To safeguard the rights of female students, faculty and staff members. To provide a platform for listening to complaints and redressal of grievances. To incorporate hygiene habits and ensure a healthy atmosphere in and around the college.

Citizen charter in India

Citizen charter is a document that an organization publishes for public reference, and which provides details about

the nature, working, and functions of the organization. At the same time, it also incorporates the service quality, and

the time period for provision of various services, that the citizens can expect from the organization.

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Its importance in public administration can be highlighted through the following points

It ushers in a regime of transparency and openness.

It promotes good governance.

It incentivizes accountability in administration.

It is citizen-centric in nature, keeping in mind the needs of citizens.

Most importantly, it ensures better service quality, and grievance redressal.

Citizen charters are used in India too, where the public bodies have been able to improve their functioning over the

years by referring to the principles and timelines enshrined through these charters, thus promoting good

governance, and greater satisfaction of the citizens in general.

Benefits of citizen charter

It enhances accountability by providing citizens with a clear understanding of service delivery standards,

including timetables, user fees for services, and options for grievance redress.

It increases organizational effectiveness and performance by making a public commitment to adhere to

measurable service delivery standards.

It creates a way for both internal and external actors to objectively monitor service delivery performance.

It creates a more professional and client-responsive environment for service delivery.

It fosters improvements in staff morale.

It decreases opportunities for corruption and graft by increasing transparency and educating citizens about

their rights.

It increases government revenues by ensuring that the money citizens pay for services goes into the

government’s coffers (and not into employees’ pockets).

Problems faced in implementing these charters

As pointed out, the Citizens’ Charters initiative in India had started in 1997 and the Charters formulated are in a

nascent stage of implementation. Introduction of a new concept is always difficult in any organisation. Introduction

and implementation of the concept of Citizens’ Charter in the Government of India was much more difficult due to

the old bureaucratic set up/procedures and the rigid attitudes of the work force.

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The major obstacles encountered in this initiative were

The general perception of organisations which formulated Citizens’ Charters was that the exercise was to be

carried out because there was a direction from the top. The consultation process was minimal or largely absent.

It thus became one of the routine activities of the organisation and had no focus.

For any Charter to succeed, the employees responsible for its implementation should have proper training and

orientation, as commitments of the Charter cannot be expected to be delivered by a work force that is unaware

of the spirit and content of the Charter. However, in many cases, the concerned staff were not adequately

trained and sensitised.

Sometimes, transfers and reshuffles of concerned officers at the crucial stages of formulation/implementation

of a Citizens’ Charter in an organisation severely undermined the strategic processes which were put in place

and hampered the progress of the initiative.

Awareness campaigns to educate clients about the Charter were not conducted systematically.

In some cases, the standards/time norms of services mentioned in Citizens’ Charter were either too lax or too

tight and were, therefore, unrealistic and created an unfavourable impression on the clients of the Charter.

The concept behind the Citizens’ Charter was not properly understood. Information brochures, publicity

materials, pamphlets produced earlier by the organisations were mistaken for Citizens’ Charters.

Steps to improve citizen charter

Internal restructuring should precede Charter formulation: As a meaningful Charter seeks to improve the

quality of service, mere stipulation to that effect in the Charter will not suffice. There has to be a complete analysis

of the existing systems and processes within the organization and, if need be, these should to be recast and new

initiatives adopted.

One size does not fit all: This huge challenge becomes even more complex as the capabilities and resources that

governments and departments need to implement Citizens’ Charters vary significantly across the country. Added to

these are differing local conditions. The highly uneven distribution of Citizens’ Charters across States is clear

evidence of this ground reality.

Involve customers in the creation of guarantees, standards, redress policies, complaint systems, and

customer service agreements: This is necessary to know what is important to the customer. It is prudent not to

assume what the customer wants. Customer surveys are useful here, but face-to-face contact with customers is even

more important. Customer councils and different types of customer voice tools can be used for this.

Educate customers about the services that an organisation provides, so they will have realistic notions of

what is possible and will understand their own responsibilities: Often services won’t work unless customers

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uphold their end of the deal. e.g., tax agencies can’t send speedy refunds if taxpayers don’t fill out their returns

completely and accurately.

Firm commitments to be made: Citizens’ Charters must be precise and make firm commitments of service

delivery standards to the citizens/consumers in quantifiable terms wherever possible.

Redressal mechanism in case of default: Citizens’ Charter should clearly lay down the relief which the

organization is bound to provide if it has defaulted on the promised standards of delivery.

Periodic evaluation of Citizens’ Charters: Every organization must conduct periodic evaluation of its Citizens’

Charter preferably through an external agency. This agency while evaluating the Charter of the organisation should

also make an objective analysis of whether the promises made therein are being delivered within the defined

parameters.

Benchmark using end-user feedback: Systematic monitoring and review of Citizens’ Charters is necessary even

after they are approved and placed in the public domain. Performance and accountability tend to suffer when

officials are not held responsible for the quality of a Charter’s design and implementation.

Hold officers accountable for results: All of the above point to the need to make the heads of agencies or other

designated senior officials accountable for their respective Citizens’ Charters. The monitoring mechanism should fix

specific responsibility in all cases where there is a default in adhering to the Citizens’ Charter.

Include Civil Society in the process: Organizations need to recognize and support the efforts of civil society

groups in preparation of the Charters, their dissemination and also facilitating information disclosures.

Way Forward / Suggestions

Despite these issues, the role of RTI is significant. Specially, the culture of transparency brought about by the RTI Act

in the past decade has now made it easier for citizens to access parliamentary proceedings online, and track

proceedings of various State legislatures etc.

It needs to be developed further e.g. the legislatures in the Northeast and lower courts are yet to put up documents

regarding their proceedings proactively.

Besides it, the recent proposed amendment i.e. Whistle-blowers Protection (Amendment), Bill, 2015, passed by

the Lok Sabha has renewed concerns regarding the vulnerability of information seekers making disclosures in the

public interest. The amendments do not provide immunity to whistle-blowers, making them liable for prosecution

under the Official Secrets Act. The Bill completely dilutes the provisions of the earlier law removing

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Addressing Grievance in healthcare in India

The Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 has been enacted by the Central Government to

provide for registration and regulation of all clinical establishments in the country with a view to prescribe the

minimum standards of facilities and services provided by them.

The Act has taken effect in the four States namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, and all

Union Territories except the NCT of Delhi since 1st March, 2012 vide Gazette notification dated 28th February, 2012.

Plus, Points of the Act

In spite of the lacunae mentioned above, the Act is a positive development, the need for which was being felt since long. If it is implemented in all the states in the form, broadly in line with the Central Act and Rules,

It would act as the first ever factual census of the number, category, speciality and location of all the physicians and all the medical establishments of all the systems of medicine in the country. That would be a great achievement as it would be a great help in the countrywide planning and posting of physicians as well as healthcare establishments. Up to now the authorities do not know exactly how many of what category are available in which area.

Registration without any inquiry or inspection, on the basis of the documents submitted by the establishment, should be encouraging for many nursing homes / private clinics to come forward and get registered. This may be the biggest plus point of the Act.

It will also help isolate and identify the hundreds of thousands of quacks that are playing havoc with the lives of millions of people all over the country.

Once in place, the system of registration will necessarily help in improving the standards of healthcare establishments within a couple of years. It will also bring about some uniformity in the standards of care across the country.

Criticism

The new Central Act is a blanket legislation making it mandatory for all establishments — hospitals, nursing homes, private clinics, laboratories, blood banks, imaging centres etc, of all systems of medicine (including Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha) public or private, to get registered by a common single Registering Authority called the District Registering Authority.

It, however, exempts the establishments run by the Defence services from registration, for reasons not known.

The Central and State Councils include the members from non-allopathic systems also (for dealing with non-allopathic establishments) but representation of non-allopathic systems is not mentioned in the District Registering Authority.

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Conformity to the Standards

It will take time to lay down the standards for so many different types of establishments pertaining to different systems of medicine.

West Bengal introduced and passed its own legislation called the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Act, 2017.

According to the newly enacted Bill, doctors or healthcare facilities may face criminal proceedings under Indian Penal Code, including a cancellation of their medical license, if found guilty of medical negligence.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has raised strong objections to this clause. The IMA wants a single-window accountability for doctors to reduce the scope of harassment and no differentiation in treatment between the private sector and government-appointed doctors.

The implementation of the Act and its outcomes may qualify as a subject of greater scrutiny in the coming months. However, on a more systemic level, the very nature of regulating healthcare service raises two key issues, currently marring the healthcare delivery system in India (previously highlighted in this article). This pertains to the mandate and legality of government agencies – their capabilities and the feasibility of carrying out identified outlays or health goals.

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KURUKSHETRA

A Journal on Rural Development

PM dedicates to iCreates to Nation

The International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology is taking shape on a sprawling 34 acres

campus on the outskirts of Ahmedabad that will be home to imaginative & innovative brains with "do it"

spirit. The building will house 100 incubates concurrently working on 40 -50 projects.

The Centre will house fully furnished office rooms, classrooms, a 500-seat auditorium and two seminar

halls with a capacity of 100 each, conference rooms for board meeting and other meetings with 40 seat

capacities, meeting rooms for brainstorming sessions, laboratories with state-of-the-art equipments,

Student Idea Lab and project rooms. The Centre will also have residential facilities for employees and

incubates - single and married. In addition, an executive guest house will also be constructed on campus to

host invited guest speakers.

Mission

Facilitate new age entrepreneurial pursuits of youth that focus on innovative applications for wealth generation, employment creation and global competition.

icreate is an independent centre and facilitates "Next Generation Entrepreneurship" that blends creativity, innovation, engineering, product design and leverages emerging technologies to evolve out-of-the-box applications.

The primary goal of the Centre is to create a large quantity of quality entrepreneurs . Towards this objective, it aims to seed a new ethos wherein people will understand and encourage entrepreneurship as a preferred career option. The Centre also engages with the government to help evolve enabling policies.

Vision

Be an ecosystem devoted to promote growth of entrepreneurial capital which leverages innovations and technology.

Such enterprises will not only create rapid growth resulting into wealth generation for self and society but also contribute to employment generation.

The incubated projects are encouraged to set up their companies in Gujarat, which would create clusters of high-tech companies and contribute to the growth of Gujarat's overall economy.

The Centre also plans to tie-up with similar institutions/ incubators around the globe and network with their resources, mentors and educators.

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Doubling Farmers Income

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Doubling real income of farmers till 2022-23 over the base year of 2015-

16, requires annual growth of 10.41 per cent in farmers income. This implies that the on-going and previously achieved rate of growth in farm income has to be sharply accelerated. Therefore, strong measures will be needed to harness all possible sources of growth in farmers' income within as well as outside agriculture sector.

The major sources of growth operating within agriculture sector are

Improvement in productivity

Resource use efficiency or saving in cost of production

Increase in cropping intensity

Diversification towards high value crops

The sources outside agriculture include

Shifting cultivators from farm to non-farm occupations, and

Improvement in terms of trade for farmers or real prices received by farmers.

Strategy for Improving Farmers' Income The sources of growth in output and income can be put in four categories.

Development initiatives including infrastructure

Technology

Policies and

Institutional mechanisms

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Roadmap and Action Plan

The quantitative framework for doubling farmers income has identified seven sources of growth. These are:

Increase in productivity of crops

Increase in production of livestock

Improvement in efficiency of input use (cost saving)

Increase in crop intensity

Diversification towards high value crops

Improved price realization by farmers

Shift of cultivators to non-farm jobs

Evergreen Revolution

Integrating ecology and technology is the way forward towards an evergreen revolution. Renowned agriculture

scientist M.S. Swaminathan on Friday said that organic agriculture could help us move from green revolution to ever-

green revolution.

There is need for moving from the concept of ’food security’ to ‘nutrition security’

The conceptual framework of second green revolution is based the below premises

Attaining food security and sustainable farm profitability by embracing the entire agro-economy from the farmer to

consumer. Harness the bouquet of new technologies such as Information Technology, Nanotechnology,

Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering, water efficient irrigation systems; environment friendly pesticides, precision

agriculture/farming organic farming, biodynamic farming.

It will focus not only on traditional farming but also on commercial farming and would promote horticulture,

sericulture, aquaculture, plantation crops, medicinal crops, aromatic crops, spices, etc.

It keeps into view the local geographical and climatic position, soil fertility and productivity and nature,

water, human resource and infrastructure availability and cost of production.

It is expected to be careful towards prospective yields of supply price or cost of production of these crops so

that productivity and production is fastly increased on minimum costs of production and minimum water as

‘more crop with per drop’ and fanners whether big or small or marginal can take benefit from this.

Massive crop diversification and multiple cropping is one of the key features of second green revolution. It

aims for achieving self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds and doubling horticulture would be doubled in five

years. It also results in the forward and backward linkages and embraces an ecosystem of food production,

food processing and marketing

Why is it required?

The world would require 50 per cent more rice in 2030 than what was in 2004, with approximately 30 per cent less

arable land of today. Hence, the need for a sustainable development goal set towards providing food security and

nutrition.

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PM Fasal Beema Yojana: Ensuring Farmers Prosperity

The new Crop Insurance Scheme is in line with One Nation – One Scheme theme. It incorporates the best features of

all previous schemes and at the same time, all previous shortcomings / weaknesses have been removed. The PMFBY

will replace the existing two schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme as well as the Modified NAIS.

Objectives

To provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the

notified crop as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases.

To stabilise the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.

To encourage farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices.

To ensure flow of credit to the agriculture sector.

Highlights of the scheme

There will be a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi

crops. In case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, the premium to be paid by farmers will be only

5%. The premium rates to be paid by farmers are very low and balance premium will be paid by the

Government to provide full insured amount to the farmers against crop loss on account of natural calamities.

There is no upper limit on Government subsidy. Even if balance premium is 90%, it will be borne by the

Government.

Earlier, there was a provision of capping the premium rate which resulted in low claims being paid to

farmers. This capping was done to limit Government outgo on the premium subsidy. This capping has now

been removed and farmers will get claim against full sum insured without any reduction.

The use of technology will be encouraged to a great extent. Smart phones will be used to capture and upload

data of crop cutting to reduce the delays in claim payment to farmers. Remote sensing will be used to

reduce the number of crop cutting experiments.

PMFBY is a replacement scheme of NAIS / MNAIS, there will be exemption from Service Tax liability of all the

services involved in the implementation of the scheme. It is estimated that the new scheme will ensure

about 75-80 per cent of subsidy for the farmers in insurance premium.

Farmers to be covered All farmers growing notified crops in a notified area during the season who have insurable interest in the crop are eligible. Compulsory coverage: The enrolment under the scheme, subject to possession of insurable interest on the cultivation of the notified crop in the notified area, shall be compulsory for following categories of farmers:

Farmers in the notified area who possess a Crop Loan account/KCC account (called as Loanee Farmers) to

whom credit limit is sanctioned/renewed for the notified crop during the crop season. and

Such other farmers whom the Government may decide to include from time to time.

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Preserving Soil health for sustainable production

Soils are one of the world’s most precious commodities. It is probably safe to say that without soils there would be

no support for life on this planet.

For the past few decades there has often been a lack of appreciation of why we need to preserve soils. During this

period there have been numerous examples of damage to world soils, some of which are now irreparable.

Importance of soil

▪ Growing crops. Soil delivers nutrients and water and gives plants structural support. Could your soil cycle nutrients more efficiently so you save on input costs and your crops are healthier? Could your soil store more water so crops do better during dry spells?

▪ Controlling water flow. Soil helps control how water moves over and through the earth’s surface. Does rainfall quickly fill waterways rather than moving slowly through your soil? Could you reduce the amount of organic matter, nutrients, and soil you are losing to erosion?

▪ Filtering water. Healthy soil can filter and decompose organic substances such as manure, agricultural chemicals, and other compounds that can pollute air and water.

▪ Storing carbon. Soil is a storehouse of carbon. As concern grows about increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, farmers may receive financial benefits for increasing the amount of carbon (organic matter) stored in their soil.

Problems that face soils include

Soil erosion and desertification

This is a major problem in many countries in the world, particularly, but not solely, in the drier, warmer parts

of the world. Desertification currently affects about one-sixth of the world’s population and a quarter of the

world’s land.

Six to seven million acres are lost annually to soil erosion and both these processes continue to increase

despite the many attempts made to introduce measures to stop or reduce erosion. It is a major threat to

world soils and because of this there have been major initiatives to reduce desertification and erosion,

including those by UNESCO, FAO, and the European and US Conservation bodies.

However factors such as the need to increase food production and the likely impacts of global climate

change are likely to make the fight against erosion and desertification increasingly difficult.

Salinisation and alkalisation

It is estimated that over 20 million hectares of land is affected by salinisation and alkalisation, again mainly

the drier more arid areas of the world.

Salts may be deposited in a number of ways; by winds coming in from the oceans, by use of irrigation with

salt-containing water, and by salt accumulation in low-lying spots in the landscape as the climate varies.

Like erosion and desertification, it is only in recent years that the problem has been recognised as a serious

one and steps taken to reduce its spread. However, once accumulated in the soil it is a difficult and long-

term problem to get rid of it.

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Impact of intensive agriculture

The last four decades has seen a major increase in intensive agriculture in the bid to feed the world population more

efficiently than ever before. In many countries, particularly the more developed countries, this intensification of

agriculture has led to the use of more and heavier machinery, deforestation and clearing of land for use in

cultivation.

This has led to several problems including loss of organic matter, soil compaction and damage to soil physical

properties generally, over-application of many nutrients in the form of fertilisers and pesticides, leading to problems

with contamination of water supplies, potential loss of soil fauna and flora, such an essential part of a healthy soil,

amongst others.

Urbanisation and land contamination

Urbanisation and the sealing of soils by infrastructures (i.e. building structures on top of soil) represents a significant

loss of soil, particularly because the loss becomes more or less permanent. In developed countries there is a loss of

about 1 per cent of land to urbanisation each decade.

Practices that improve soil performance

Improving soil performance requires different actions on each farm. Most soil-friendly farm practices fall into one of six groups. Each of these practices is further explained in other publications in the series.

Adding organic matter

Regular additions of organic material may be the most important way to enhance soil quality. Organic matter improves soil structure, enhances water and nutrient holding capacity, protects soil from erosion and compaction, and supports a healthy community of soil organisms. Organic matter includes residue and roots from the previous crop, animal manure, cover crops, or amendments from off the farm.

Avoiding excessive tillage and soil compaction

Tillage is valuable for loosening surface soil, preparing the seedbed, and controlling weeds and pests. But tillage can also break up soil structure, speed the decomposition and loss of organic matter, increase the threat of erosion, destroy the habitat of helpful organisms, and cause compaction. Reducing tillage minimizes the loss of organic matter and increases the residue protecting the soil surface. Compaction reduces the amount of air, water, and space available to roots and soil organisms. Compaction is caused by traveling on wet soil or by heavy equipment.

Managing pests and nutrients efficiently

In this century, pesticides and chemical fertilizers have revolutionized U.S. agriculture. In addition to their desired effects, they can harm non-target organisms and pollute water and air if they are mismanaged. Nutrients from organic sources also can become pollutants when misapplied or over-applied. Efficient pest and nutrient management means applying only the necessary chemicals, at the right time and place to get the job done; testing and monitoring soil and pests; and adding non-chemical approaches to your management toolbox (such as crop rotations, cover crops, and manure management).

Keeping the ground covered

Bare soil is susceptible to wind and water erosion, and to drying and crusting. Groundcover protects soil, provides habitats for larger soil organisms (such as insects and earthworms), and can improve water availability. Farmers often leave crop residue on the surface to cover the ground between growing seasons.

Living cover crops create new organic matter and help feed soil organisms. Groundcover must be managed to prevent problems with delayed soil warming in spring, diseases, and excessive build-up of phosphorus at the surface.

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Increasing diversity

Diversity is beneficial for several reasons. Each crop contributes a unique root structure and type of residue to the soil. A diversity of soil organisms helps control pest populations, and a diversity of cultural practices reduces weed and disease pressures. Diversity across the landscape can be increased by using buffer strips, small fields, or contour strip cropping. Diversity over time can be increased by adding crops to the crop rotation or by varying tillage practices. Changing vegetation across the landscape or over time not only increases plant diversity, but also the types of insects, microorganisms, and wildlife that live on your farm.

Monitoring soil performance

Nothing can replace the value of "casual" observations of how your land is changing from day to day and year to year. Yet, to fine-tune management practices and promptly determine whether changes in soil or crops are significant, you also need to make systematic observations of the soil.

Soil Health Card

The Government has introduced Soil Health Card Scheme in all States/UTs with an aim to assist all State

Governments to evaluate fertility in all farm holdings across the country and issue soil health cards to farmers

regularly in a cycle of 2 years. Soil Health Cards provide information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil along

with recommendations on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

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SHC is a printed report that a farmer will be handed over for each of his holdings. It will contain the status of his soil

with respect to 12 parameters, namely N,P,K (Macro-nutrients) ; S (Secondary- nutrient) ; Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micro -

nutrients) ; and pH, EC, OC (Physical parameters). Based on this, the SHC will also indicate fertilizer

recommendations and soil amendment required for the farm.

Integrated Farming Approach

Sustainable agriculture means an integrated approach to increasing farm yield and managing resources in order to address all three critical aspects of sustainability: economic, environmental and social.

ISAP has adopted the Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) approach to stabilise income streams through natural resource management and livelihood diversification.

The IFS approach has multiple objectives of sustainability, food security, farmer security and poverty reduction. It involves use of outputs of one enterprise component as inputs for other related enterprises wherever feasible, for example, cattle dung mixed with crop residues and farm waste can be converted in to nutrient-rich vermi-compost.

The salient features of IFS include

Innovation in farming for maximising production through optimal use of local resources, effective recycling of farm waste for productive purposes, community-led local systems for water conservation, organic farming, and developing a judicious mix of income-generating activities such as dairy, poultry, fishery, goat-rearing, vermicomposting and others.

ISAP builds farmer capacities for adoption of productive, remunerative, eco-friendly and self-sustaining integrated farming systems.

Agricultural nurseries and vermicomposting

Agricultural nurseries are an important aspect of sustainable agriculture, especially where farmers have poor access to quality planting material at reasonable price. With the right kind of training and support, these local nurseries can facilitate better use of soil nutrients, moisture and sunlight, resulting in healthier plant growth and enhanced yield performance.

The four primary goals of IFS are

Maximization of yield of all component enterprises to provide steady and stable income.

Rejuvenation / amelioration of system's productivity and achieve agro-ecological equilibrium.

Avoid build-up of insect-pests, diseases and weed population through natural cropping system management and keep them at low level of intensity.

Reducing the use of chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) to provide chemical free healthy produce and environment to the society.

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Advantages of Integrated Farming System

Increased productivity through increased economic yield per unit area per time by virtue of intensification of

crop and allied enterprises.

Improved profitability achieved mainly by way of reduced costs due to recycling of wastes of one enterprise as energy inputs for other systems.

Greater sustainability in production on farm due to integration of diverse enterprises of different economic importance. Recycling of wastes being in built in the system, this helps to reduce dependence on external high-energy inputs thus conserving natural and scarce resources.

Integration of different production systems provides an opportunity to solve malnutrition problem due to production of variety of food products.

The recycling of wastes for production helps to avoid piling of wastes and consequent pollution.

Components in IFS

Agriculture

Fish farming

Horticulture

Duck rearing

Forestry

Pigeon rearing

Apiary

Mushroom cultivation

Sericulture

Azolla farming

Dairy

Kitchen gardening

Poultry

Fodder production

Goat rearing

Nursery

Sheep rearing

Seed Production

Piggery

Vermiculture

Rabbitory

Value addition

Technological Innovation for agriculture

CA is a set of soil management practices that minimize the disruption of the soil's structure, composition and natural biodiversity. Despite high variability in the types of crops grown and specific management regimes, all forms of conservation agriculture share three core principles. These include:

Maintenance of permanent or semi-permanent soil cover (using either a previous crop residue or specifically growing a cover crop for this purpose);

Minimum soil disturbance through tillage (just enough to get the seed into the ground) ; Regular crop rotations to help combat the various biotic constraints;

CA also uses or promotes where possible or needed various management practices listed below:

Utilization of green manures/cover crops (GMCC's) to produce the residue cover; No burning of crop residues; Integrated disease and pest management;

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Controlled/limited human and mechanical traffic over agricultural soils.

Some concepts related to CA are

• No tillage

No tillage (NT) is a CA agronomic practice for annual crops, and is defined as a way to farm without disturbing

the soil through tillage. NT must leave at least 30% of area covered by plant residues right after crop

establishment, and crops are sown using a machinery which is able to place seeds through plant residues from

previous crops. The agronomic practice that best characterizes CA for annual crops is NT, which has the highest

degree of soil conservation in annual crops, since the mechanical tillage of the ground is completely suppressed.

• Groundcovers

Groundcovers (GC) is the most widely used CA agronomic practice for perennial crops, whereby the soil surface

between rows of trees remains protected against erosion. With this technique, at least 30% of the soil not

covered by the canopy is protected either by sown cover crops, spontaneous vegetation or inert covers, such as

pruning residues or tree leaves. For the establishment of sown cover crops and the spread of inert covers,

farmers must use methods in coherence with CA principle of minimum soil disturbance.

What is organic farming?

Organic farming system in India is not new and is being followed from ancient time. It is a method of farming system which primarily aimed at cultivating the land and raising crops in such a way, as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials along with beneficial microbes (biofertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in an eco-friendly pollution free environment.

As per the definition of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) study team on organic farming “organic farming is a system which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic inputs (such as fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, feed additives etc) and to the maximum extent feasible rely upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm organic waste, mineral grade rock additives and biological system of nutrient mobilization and plant protection”.

Need of organic farming

With the increase in population our compulsion would be not only to stabilize agricultural production but to increase it further in sustainable manner.

The scientists have realized that the ‘Green Revolution’ with high input use has reached a plateau and is now sustained with diminishing return of falling dividends. Thus, a natural balance needs to be maintained at all cost for existence of life and property.

The obvious choice for that would be more relevant in the present era, when these agrochemicals which are produced from fossil fuel and are not renewable and are diminishing in availability. It may also cost heavily on our foreign exchange in future.

The key characteristics of organic farming include

Protecting the long-term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter levels, encouraging soil biological activity, and careful mechanical intervention

Providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble nutrient sources which are made available to the plant by the action of soil micro-organisms

Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock manures

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Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties and limited (preferably minimal) thermal, biological and chemical intervention

The extensive management of livestock, paying full regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioural needs and animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing, health, breeding and rearing

Careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the wider environment and the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats.

IRRI-South Asia Regional Center at National Seed Research Training Center

This Center will be the first international Center in the eastern India and it will play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region. It is expected to be a boon for food production and skill development in the eastern India and similar ecologies in other South Asian and African countries.

Benefits from ISARC

The Centre will help in utilizing the rich biodiversity of India to develop special rice varieties. This will help India to achieve higher per hectare yields and improved nutritional contents. India's food and nutritional security issues will also be addressed.

The Centre will support in adopting value chain-based production system in the country. This will reduce wastage, add value and generate higher income for the farmers. The farmers in Eastern India will benefit in particular, besides those in South Asian and African countries.

Management of ISARC

ISARC will operate under the governance of the IRRI Board of Trustees who will appoint an appropriate IRRI staff member as Director.

A Coordination Committee will be headed by Director General, IRRI as Chair and Secretary, Government of India, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DACFW) as Co-Chair. The other members of Coordination Committee are Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), ICAR; Director, NSRTC; IRRI representative in India, representative of Government of UP and representatives of Governments of Nepal & Bangladesh and Private Sector. For setting up of the Centre, A Memorandum of Agreement, will be signed between DAC&FW and IRRI, Philippines. The Department of DAC&FW will provide physical space for laboratories, offices, training classes, etc. with associated infrastructure and land at NSRTC, Varanasi. The Centre will be commissioned within six months.

Role of women in Agro-Economy

Agricultural Economics, as its title implies is that branch of economics which deals with all aspects of problems related to agriculture. According to Snodgrass and Wallace, “Agricultural economics is an applied phase of the social science of economics in which attention is given to all aspects of problems related to agriculture.”

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Women play a significant and crucial role in agricultural development and allied fields. The nature and extent of

women's involvement in agriculture varies greatly from region to region. But regardless of these variations, women

are actively involved in various agricultural activities.

Role of women in agriculture and its allied fields

1. Agriculture

2. Livestock

3. Poultry

4. Feminisation of Agriculture

Women play a significant and crucial role in agricultural development and allied fields. The nature and extent

of women's involvement in agriculture varies greatly from region to region. But regardless of these

variations, women are actively involved in various agricultural activities.

As per Census 2011, out of total female main workers, 55 per cent were agricultural labourers and 24 per

cent were cultivators. However, only 12.8 per cent of the operational holdings were owned by women,

which reflect the gender disparity in ownership of landholdings in agriculture. Moreover, there is

concentration of operational holdings (25.7 per cent) by women in the marginal and small holdings

categories.

Rural women perform numerous labour intensive jobs such as weeding, hoeing, grass cutting, picking, cotton

stick collection, separation of seeds from fibre, keeping of livestock and its other associated activities like

milking, milk processing, preparation of ghee, etc. Details of activities taken up by women in Agriculture and

its allied activities are as follows.

Agriculture

Mainly rural women are engaged in agricultural activities in three different ways depending on the socio-economic

status of their family and regional factors. They work as

Paid Labourers.

Cultivator doing labour on their own land.

Managers of certain aspects of agricultural production by way of labour supervision and the participation in post

harvest operations.

The types of agricultural activities taken up by women include the following

Sowing

Nursery management

Transplanting

Weeding

Irrigation

Fertilizer application

Plant protection

Harvesting, winnowing, storing etc.

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Multi-Dimensional Role of Women

Agricultural Activities:Sowing, transplanting, weeding, irrigation, fertilizer application, plant protection, harvesting, winnowing, storing etc.

Domestic Activities:Cooking, child rearing, water collection, fuel wood gathering, household maintenance etc.

Allied Activities:Cattle management, fodder collection, milking etc.

CAO GIST Yojana & Kurukshetra February 2018

https://currentaffairsonly.com EG Classes (Mukherjee Nagar)

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CAO Monthly Magazine’shttps://currentaffairsonly.com/

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