South African Gandhian Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, a true Gandhian adopted democratic methods for achieving Human Rights, freedom and emancipation of Blacks from the South African apartheid regime. As a leader, Nelson Mandela can be compared to radical reformers like Mahatma Gandhi, Garibaldi of Italy and Lenin of Soviet Union who waged life-long struggles for freedom and human dignity. He led the struggle against apartheid- the inhuman practice of racial discrimination followed by rulers in South Africa. Mandela’s relentless crusade fructified in getting equal rights for Black people who were denied the basic rights to equality, freedom, human dignity and right to life. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life in the prisons of oppressive white rulers. Eventually, the Pretoria government had to release him in the autumn of 1990. The Indian Government honored Mandela with Nehru Peace Prize in 1980 and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna conferred on him in 1990.  Bharat Ratna was conferred on him, the award so far given to only two foreign nationals and the other one being Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan- Frontier Gandhi, a freedom fighter during Indian Freedom Struggle. The Entire world hailed him as a great leader, who launched constructive revolt for the liberation of the coloured nationals in association with the African National Congress. The world recognized his struggle for freedom and awarded Noble Peace Prize to him. Mandela was a symbol of courage and crusader for human dignity and liberty. Mandela helped for smooth transition of power in South Africa and avoided bloodshed and hatred. The UNO celebrates 18th July as Mandela Day. CHILDHOOD Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela popularly known as Madiba in his homeland was born on 18th July 1918. His father was chief of Tembu Tribe. As a young law student, he became involved in political opposition to the white minority regime. As a boxer, Mandela loved the sport and in his younger years, he was classed as a heavy-weight. The boy would later be given the English name Nelson by his school teacher; Mandela was name of his grandfather. POLITICAL STRUGGLE Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1942 and co-founded its more dynamic Youth League in 1944. His father was the chief of the Thembu tribe and counselor of Thembu king. Mandela has had a first-hand experience of the atrocities unleashed by the white rulers on the coloured people. He came to Johannesburg at the age of 22. There, he met an active revolutionary named Walter Sisulu. He started studying Law. Mandela in association with Sisulu and Oliver Tambo started an agitation against the white rule which was crushed by the Pretorian authorities. The 1948 election victory of the Afrikaner-dominated National Party led to apartheid system of racial segregation becoming law. Mandela rose to prominence in the ANC's 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People, whose adoption of the Freedom Charter provided the fundamental programme of the anti-apartheid cause. Initially committed to non-violent mass struggle and acquitted in the marathon Treason Trial of 1956-1961, Mandela and his colleagues accepted the case for armed action after the shooting of unarmed protesters at Sharpeville in March 1960 and the banning of anti-apartheid groups. In 1961, he became the commander of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe. In August of the following year, he was arrested and jailed for five years. In June 1964, he was sentenced again, this time to life imprisonment, for his involvement in planning armed action. He started his prison years in the infamous Robben Island Prison, a maximum security facility on a small island off the coast of Cape Town. In April 1984, he was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town and in December 1988 he was moved to the Victor Verster Prison near Paarl from where he was eventually released. IMPRISONMENT FOR 27 YEARS During his incarceration Mandela taught himself to speak Afrikaans and learned about Afrikaner history. While in prison, Mandela rejected offers made by his jailers for remission of sentence in exchange for accepting the Bantustan policy by recognising the independence of the Transkei region and agreeing to settle there. Amongst opponents of apartheid in South Africa and internationally, he became a cultural symbol of freedom and equality. Mandela remained in prison until February 1990, when sustained ANC campaigning and international pressure led to his release. On 2 February 1990, South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and other anti-apartheid organisations. Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison on 11 February 1990. He and President de Klerk - who did much to dismantle the institutions of apartheid - shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. In Mandela's 1994 autobiography, 'Long Walk to Freedom', he did not reveal anything about the alleged complicity of de Klerk in the violence of the 1980s and 90s, or the role of his ex-wife Winnie Mandela in that bloodshed. However, he later discussed those issues in 'Mandela: The Authorised Biography'. While he was in prison and was invited to negotiate with White regime in February 1985, he stated that “only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated”. LIFE AFTER PRISON After his release, Mandela returned to the leadership of the ANC and, between 1990 and 1994, led the party in the multi-party negotiations that resulted in the country's first multi-racial elections. As the first black president of South Africa (1994 - 1999) he presided over the transition from minority rule and apartheid. He won praise for his leadership during this time, even from his former white opponents in South Africa. Following his retirement as president in 1999, Mandela went on to become an advocate for a variety of social and human-rights organizations. He used his status as a respected elder statesman to give weight to pertinent issues. The fight against Aids was one of Mandela's primary concerns and he used his gravitas to raise awareness about the issue on the global stage. Having backed the 46664 Aids fundraising campaign, which was named after his prison number, he went on to call for more openness in discussing the condition. In 2007, he brought together elder statesmen, peace activists and human rights advocates including Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland and Li Zhaoxing under a non-governmental organization dubbed The Elders. The aim of the organization was to combine the elders' collective wisdom and use it to solve some of the world's problems. Although he spoke out less about issues affecting neighboring country Zimbabwe in his retirement. His last public outing was during the closing ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg. He started Nelson Mandela foundation and served the poorest of the poor and needy. AWARDS In November 2009, Mandela's contributions to world freedom were rewarded with a unique gesture by the United Nations General Assembly. In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly announced that Mandela’s birthday, 18 July, is to be known as ‘Mandela Day’ marking his contribution to world freedom. On 18 July 2012, Mandela's 94th birthday, 12 million schoolchildren across South Africa honored him with a specially composed song to mark the day. Mandela has won international acclaim for his sacrifices for the cause of human rights and freedom. In 1980, he was given the Nehru Peace Prize by India. In 1990, India conferred its highest award the ‘Bharat Ratna’ on him. Nelson Mandela has come to symbolize human struggle against racial discrimination. East Germany honored him with the ‘Star of International Friendship’ and Venezuela conferred the ‘Simon Boliver Award’ on him. He has also been honored with the ‘Sakharov Award’ and the ‘Human Rights Award’. Nelson Mandela was a protestor, prisoner and peacemaker. His death on 5th December 2013 has become a celebration of life of fellow human beings on the Earth. Nelson Mandela changed South Africa and the world. He became a father of a nation, an international icon, and a legend. He showed that heroes may leave but their wisdom remains. His compassion, humility, genuine caring, listening and talk leave an indelible impression on human history. Nelson Mandela admired Gandhi who started his own freedom struggle in South Africa in 1890s but he regarded non-violence as a tactic. By the time he stepped down as the country’s first black President in 1999 in the age of 80, he was, almost without rival, the most admired person on Earth- seen as a secular saint, an embodiment of human greatness and an icon of peace and wisdom. He became the rarest thing in African history, a one term President who chose not to run for again. Like George Washington, he understood that every step he made would be template for others to follow. He could have been President for life, but he knows that democracy, he could not. Two democratic elections have followed his presidency, and if the men who have succeeded him have not been his equal, well, that too is democracy. He was a large man in every way. His legacy is that he expanded human freedom. He was tolerant of everything but intolerance. Nelson Mandela believed in justice throughout his life. The UNO celebrates 18th July as Mandela Day.

Genetic Blueprint of Bread Wheat Genome Unveiled- Last Step Before Full Genome Sequence

The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) to which India is a partner published today in the international journal Science a draft sequence of the bread wheat genome. Ten years back wheat was considered as toughest crop to decode because of the genome being 17000 million bases and each chromosome is represented three times with very high similarity to each other. Technological advances made in recent years and development of specialized wheat lines   in 1950s made it possible to isolate individual chromosomes of wheat for sequencing. The chromosome-based draft sequence provides new insight into the structure, organization, and evolution of the large, complex genome of the world’s most widely grown cereal crop. Country’s three leading institutes, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, and South Campus Delhi University, New Delhi, with financial support from Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, were entrusted with the responsibility of decoding one chromosome, designated as 2A, which is about 900 million bases in size and is about one third the size of the human genome or 2.5 times the size of rice genome. The genetic blueprint is an invaluable resource to plant science researchers and breeders. For the first time, they have at their disposal a set of tools enabling them to rapidly locate specific genes on individual wheat chromosomes throughout the genome, said Dr Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, DBT. This genomics resource has made thousands of markers available to wheat researchers which will facilitate mapping and cloning of genes of agronomic importance in much lesser time and cheaper cost than was available earlier. Dr Swapan Datta, Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences) at Indian Council of Agricultural Research said decoding wheat genome will facilitate our understanding of gene function which will enable develop new genetic gains of wheat. Taking forward with molecular breeding and genetic engineering we would be able to develop climate smart wheat (drought/terminal heat tolerance) with higher yield. 22,000 wheat germplasm has been evaluated by NBPGR/ICAR. We would be able to use our germplasm better now with this science- discovery. The draft sequence is a major landmark towards obtaining a complete reference sequence of the hexaploid bread wheat genome, the ultimate goal of the IWGSC. In the same issue of Science, another article presents the first reference sequence for the largest chromosome, 3B. This establishes a proof of concept and a template for sequencing the remaining chromosomes. “With the draft gene sequence for each of the bread wheat chromosomes and the first reference sequence of chromosome 3B, we have achieved a milestone in our roadmap,” said Catherine Feuillet, IWGSC Co-chair. As of today, researchers in the IWGSC estimate that the full genome sequence will be available within three years, said Dr Kuldeep Singh, Project Coordinator in India. With a chromosome-based full sequence in hand, plant breeders will have high quality tools at their disposal to accelerate breeding programs and to identify how genes control complex traits such as yield, grain quality, disease, pest resistance, or abiotic stress tolerance and for mobilizing genes of interest from wild species said Dr B S Dhillon, Vice Chancellor Punjab Agricultural University. They will be able to produce a new generation of wheat varieties with higher yields and improved sustainability to meet the demands of a growing world population in a changing environment. Prof Akhilesh Tyagi, Director, NIPGR stated that the achievement reflects the strength of plant genomics research in India in global context. It is time to launch major efforts, by utilising resources generated, to create varieties which tolerate heat, utilise less water and show resistance to major disease by gene modification and genetic enhancement. Wheat is a major dietary component for many countrues across the world. Grown on more land than any other crop, more than 215 million hectares of wheat are harvested annually to generate a world production of almost 700 million tons, making it the third most produced cereal after maize and rice. It is the leading source of vegetable protein in human food, having higher protein content than either maize or rice. The wheat plant is highly versatile due to its ability to grow in a wide range of environments.  Also, wheat grain can easily be stored and can be converted readily into flour for making numerous varieties of high quality edible food. The goal of the IWGSC is to make a high quality genome sequence of bread wheat publicly available, in order to lay a foundation for basic research that will enable breeders to develop improved varieties. Summary  of the Publication In nature, bread wheat evolved after cross hybridization of three different but closely related species (see figure). This evolutionary feature made it to accumulate largest content of DNA among all the food crops, making wheat genetics more complex than other food crops. Ten years back wheat was considered one of the toughest crops to decode due to its huge genome size of 17000 million base pairs, and presence of three sets of highly similar chromosomes in the genome and a very large proportion of repetitive DNA (ranging from 80-90%). Technological advances in DNA sequencing made in recent years and availability of specialized wheat lines, each having one chromosome arm added in duplicate to the normal chromosomes complement, developed during 1950s in wheat variety ‘Chinese Spring’ made it possible to isolate individual chromosomes for sequencing. The chromosome-based draft sequence provides new insight into the structure, organization, and evolution of the large, complex genome of the world’s most widely grown cereal crop. The decoding of wheat genome has helped in identifying more than 125,000 genes and almost 50 per cent of these assigned these to the individual wheat chromosomes. This has opened gates for understanding the biological function of each of these genes. The current draft sequence has generated thousands of DNA markers which could be used as ‘tag’ for identification of any gene in wheat and its subsequent transfer to any variety through cross hybridization much precisely and rapidly. The blue print assembles only about 60 per cent of the genome and we expect to assemble complete genome in next three years. Completion of the wheat genome reference sequence is essential to accelerate breeding and the rapid identification of genes underlying complex traits such as yield, disease and pest resistance, or abiotic stress tolerance. The genome sequence will aid breeders by enabling new strains to be developed, including new “stacked” trait combinations, and by allowing the development of accelerated and smarter breeding schemes. This in turn will decrease the time from discovery to commercialisation of new varieties for farmers. The genome reference sequence will act as a benchmark point for understanding the differences between varieties that are associated with different traits, and provide breeders and plant scientists with a molecular toolkit for marker-based selection, high throughput screening, and the association of traits with specific genes and proteins. It holds the key to the production of a new generation of wheat varieties that will enable higher yields and improved sustainability of wheat production systems. For each gene in wheat there are three copies, one from each of the three genomes, and in most cases only one copy expresses. How the plant decides which copy of the gene to express is most intriguing question in wheat biology. Availability of chromosome based sequence has open new horizons for researching this issue.

Janani Suraksha Yojana

JananiSurakshaYojana (JSY) is a centrally sponsored scheme which is being implemented with the objective of reducing maternal and infant mortality by promoting institutional delivery among pregnant women. Under the JSY, eligible pregnant women are entitled for cash assistance irrespective of the age of mother and number of children for giving birth in a government or accredited private health facility. The scheme focuses on poor pregnant woman with a special dispensation for states that have low institutional delivery rates, namely, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan, Orissa, and Jammu and Kashmir. While these states have been named Low Performing States (LPS) under the scheme, the remaining states have been named High Performing states (HPS). The scheme also provides performance based incentives to women health volunteers known as ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) for promoting institutional delivery among pregnant women. Cash Assistance for Institutional Delivery Cash entitlement for different categories of mothers is as follows: In Rupees Category     Rural area     Urban area Mother’s package ASHA’s package* Mother’s package ASHA’s package** LPS 1400  600 1000 400 HPS   700  600   600 400 *ASHA package of Rs. 600 in rural areas include Rs. 300 for ANC component and Rs. 300 for facilitating institutional delivery. **ASHA package of Rs. 400 in urban areas include Rs. 200 for ANC component and Rs. 200 for facilitating institutional delivery. Cash assistance for home delivery BPL pregnant women, who prefer to deliver at home, are entitled to a cash assistance of Rs 500 per delivery regardless of the age of pregnant and number of children. Direct Benefits Transfer under JSY Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode of payments has been rolled out in 43 districts w.e.f. 1.1.2013 and in 78 districts from 1.7.2013. Under this initiative, eligible pregnant women are entitled to get JSY benefit directly into their bank accounts.

No Proposal for Legalisation of Black Money ,way to control black money

No Proposal for Legalisation of Black Money

The Government is not contemplating a proposal to legalise black money. Drive against tax evasion is an on-going process. Appropriate action under the direct tax laws including assessment of income, raising tax demand, levy of penalty and launching of prosecution in appropriate cases is taken whenever tax evasion is detected. Searches and surveys conducted under the Income-tax Act have led to detection of valuable evidence of large scale tax evasion which has been brought into tax.             The Government has taken various steps under a multi-pronged strategy to deal with the issue of black money which includes the following: Taking appropriate legislative measures such as reporting of assets (including bank accounts) kept outside the country. Setting up institutional mechanism to deal with money generated through unlawful acts. Setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to unearth black money stashed abroad. Jointing the global efforts to combat cross-border global tax evasion and tax fraud and to promote international tax compliance, including supporting the implementation of al uniform global standard on automatic exchange of information. Renegotiation of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) with other countries to bring the Article on Exchange of Information to International Standards, and expanding out treaty network by signing new DTAAs and by entering into Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) with many tax jurisdictions to facilitate the exchange of information and to bring transparency. Joining the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. Effectively utilizing the information received from treaty partners to combat tax evasion and avoidance.

current affairs

Capsispray Developed by DRDO

Defence Research Laboratory (DRL), Tejpur, a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a chilli spray i.e. CAPSISPRAY. It is an eco-friendly non-lethal chilli spray for personal protection and self-defence. It contains Oleoresin Capsicum extracted from the world’s hottest chilli, the Bhut Jolokia (Capsicum Assamicum), largely cultivated in Assam and other parts of North Eastern States of India. The prototype of chilli spray is ready and the product is required to be tested for several toxicology parameters. DRDO will take further steps to popularise the product once trials are over. Creation of ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ has been created to ensure dignity and safety of girl children and women. The Fund has been created as a corpus in public account in Department of Economic Affairs (DEA). Rs. 2000/- crore has been credited in the Fund. As and when the schemes from Ministries/Departments are approved to be funded from ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ suitable allocations are done in their respective Demands and the corpus in DEA is reduced by that amount. Allocation from Nirbhaya Fund has been made for the following schemes: i) ‘Scheme on Women Safety on Public Road Transport’ administered by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways – Rs. 50,00 crore; ii) ‘Schemes on Backend Integration of Distress Signal from Victims with Mobile Vans and Control Rooms’ administered by Ministry of Home Affairs – Rs. 150.00 crore.

Proposals for Foreign Direct Investment

The Year-wise details of the proposals received during the last three years and the current year are as under:  Year No. of fresh approvals received 2011 222 2012 218 2013 219 2014 (till date) 86 The Year-wise details of the proposals approved/ rejected during the last three years and the current year are as under: Year No. of proposals approved# No. of proposals rejected 2011 189 71 2012 199 80 2013 198 33 2014 (till date)  63 15    (# refers to recommendation made during the year including for proposals carried    forward from earlier year(s). Therefore, table in (i) and (ii) will not match.) The Sector-wise and State/UT-wise details of the proposals for Foreign Direct Investment received and approved/ rejected by Foreign Investment Promotion Board are not centrally maintained. As on 15.07.2014, total 91 proposals are pending with Foreign Investment Promotion Board and efforts are being made to clear all the proposals at the earliest. Review of the FDI policy of the country is an ongoing process and Government has taken a number of steps in the recent past to make India an attractive investment destination. However currently there is no proposal under consideration to review the existing policy in Pharmaceutical, agricultural multi-layered marketing, direct selling industry and manufacturing of solar cells. As regards proposal to increase the cap in some sectors, Finance Minister, in his Budget Speech, given on 10.7.2014, has made following statement: “The policy of the NDA Government is to promote Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) selectively in sectors where it helps the larger interest of the Indian Economy. FDI in several sectors is an additionality of resource which helps in promoting domestic manufacture and job creation. India today needs a boost for job creation. Our manufacturing sector in particular needs a push for job creation. India today is the largest buyer of Defence equipment in the world. Our domestic manufacturing capacities are still at a nascent stage. We are buying substantial part of our Defence requirements directly from foreign players. Companies controlled by foreign governments and foreign private sector are supplying our Defence requirements to us at a considerable outflow of foreign exchange. Currently we permit 26 per cent FDI in Defence manufacturing. The composite cap of foreign exchange is being raised to 49 per cent with full Indian management and control through the FIPB route. The Insurance sector is investment starved. Several segments of the Insurance sector need an expansion. The composite cap in the Insurance sector is proposed to be increased up to 49 per cent from the current level of 26 per cent, with full Indian management and control, through the FIPB route. To encourage development of Smart Cities, which will also provide habitation for the neo-middle class, requirement of the built up area and capital conditions for FDI is being reduced from 50,000 square metres to 20,000 square metres and from USD 10 million to USD 5 million respectively with a three year post completion lock in. To further encourage this, projects which commit at least 30 per cent of the total project cost for low cost affordable housing will be exempted from minimum built up area and capitalisation requirements, with the condition of three year lock-in. FDI in the manufacturing sector is today on the automatic route. The manufacturing units will be allowed to sell its products through retail including E-commerce platforms without any additional approval.” Government has put in place an investor-friendly policy on FDI, under which FDI, up to 100%, is permitted, under the automatic route, in most sectors/activities. Government plays an active role in investment promotion, through dissemination of information on the investment climate and opportunities in India and by advising prospective investors about investment policies and procedures and opportunities. International Cooperation for industrial partnerships is solicited both through bilateral and multilateral arrangements. It also coordinates with apex industry associations, such as FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM, in their activities relating to promotion of industrial cooperation, both through bilateral and multilateral initiatives intended to stimulate inflow of foreign direct investment into India. The Government has also set up ‘Invest India’, a joint venture company between the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and FICCI, as a not-for-profit, single window facilitator, for prospective overseas investors and to act as a structured mechanism to attract investment.

New initiative in agriculture field

In Principle Approval Given for Making Rajendra Agriculture University Bihar into Central University

The conversion of Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), Bihar into a Central Agricultural University has been agreed to in-principle. This will become operational after various modalities in this regard are agreed between the State Government and Government of India. There are two Central Agricultural Universities in the country so far: 1. Central Agricultural University, Imphal (1993) 2. Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi (2014) GIS Based Soil Fertility Maps Prepared for 19 States Indian Institute of Soil Science has developed GIS based soil fertility maps of 19 states using data of different soil testing laboratories in the country. The assessment revealed that about 59, 49 and 9% soils are low in available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium respectively. The extent of micronutrient deficiency in soil (state-wise) was studied under the All India Coordinated Research Project on ‘Micro and Secondary Nutrients and Pollutant Elements in Soils and Plants’. The Government through the National Project on Management of Soil Health & Fertility and National Project on Organic Farming promotes soil test based balanced and integrated nutrient management and use of organics (manure/composts, biofertilizers etc.) to prevent decline in fertility of agricultural land and to improve soil fertility. The Government uses science and technology, namely, Geo-referenced soil sampling technique, GIS based software for soil fertility mapping, prescription equations for soil test based fertilizer recommendation, liquid biofertilizer formulations, soil genomics, bio-enriched composting/vermicomposting, fertigation and Resource Conservation Technologies (RCTs) for improving fertility of soils. Besides, nano technology application is also being explored. Measures to Address Post Harvest Losses Government has taken several measures to address the issue of post harvest losses which include (i) incentivization of post-harvest infrastructures including construction/renovation of cold storages through credit linked back ended subsidy scheme of Mission on integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), (ii) provision of subsidy for construction of cold storages as part of Integrated Value Chain (IVC) under Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) sub-scheme of Integrated Scheme of Agricultural Marketing (ISAM), (iii) Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) also sanctions projects for cold storage units under its scheme of Venture Capital Assistance (VCA) and Project Development Facility (PDF) and has sanctioned VCA to 234 units across the country, (iv) Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is also implementing a scheme of cold chain, value addition and preservation infrastructure to provide integrated cold chain and processing facilities from farm gate to consumers, (v) Ministry of Commerce through APEDA provides assistance to private companies for setting up infrastructure including specialized cold stores, (vi) CIPHET has established tomato pilot plant facility for providing hands on training to farmers/entrepreneurs/youth to take up value addition at rural catchment area as food processing venture and also provides trainees with incubation facility to start their own ventures. CIPHET has also been instrumental in design and development of ventilated train wagons for transportation, safe handling and storage of potatoes and in development of evaporatively cooled chambers which can be established at production catchment for short duration storage of these commodities. And (vii) Government has established the National Centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD) which provides cold-chain technical guidance, conducts knowledge dissemination activities and addresses industry concerns on development matters. Measures to Address any Situation Arising due to Deficient Rainfall As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) second stage operational long range forecast, South West Monsoon (June-September) rainfall during 2014 is likely to be 93% +4% of country`s Long Period Average (LPA) of 890 mm. Cumulative rainfall till 14.07.2014 was 170.4 mm which is 41% less than normal (LPA) rainfall of 289.2 mm. So far, all States except Sikkim, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar & Tamil Nadu have received sub normal rainfall. Government has taken several measures to address any situation arising due to deficiency in monsoon rainfall. Central Research Institute of Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities has prepared contingency plans for 520 districts for implementing location specific interventions to sustain agriculture production in the eventuality of weak monsoon/deficient rainfall. States have been advised to ensure availability of short duration and drought tolerant varieties of seeds so as to be in a position to supply them to farmers in case such a need arises. States have also been advised to keep asides 10% of funds available under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and other schemes for undertaking appropriate interventions to mitigate any situation arising out of deficient rainfall. States have also been requested to construct water harvesting structures, restore irrigation infrastructure by desilting canals; energising tubewells, replacing/repairing faulty pumps and arranging power to meet irrigation needs. Farmers have also been advised to adopt techniques such as in-situ moisture conservation, on farm water conservation, ridge furrow sowing, promoting suitable agronomic practices including mulching, inter cropping, mixed cropping, sowing of less water consuming crops etc. In the eventuality of drought, State Governments are empowered to initiate necessary relief measures from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) which is readily available with them. Additional financial assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) on receipt of memoranda from State Governments and in accordance with extant norms and procedures. Production of Biofertilizers Increases to 46836 MT Production of biofertilizer in 2008-09 was 25065 mt which has increased to 46836 mt in 2012-13 in the country. Government is promoting production of biofertilizers in the country through various programmes under National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) and Network Project on Organic Farming under ICAR. (ii)        Under Soil Health Management (SHM) component of NMSA, financial assistance upto 50% of cost subject to a limit of Rs.5,000/- per hectare and Rs.10,000/- per beneficiary is provided for promotion of organic /chemical free inputs on farmers field. (iii)       Under Soil Health Management component of NMSA, financial assistance upto 33% of financial outlay upto a ceiling of Rs.63.00 lakhs is provided as back-ended subsidy through NABARD for establishment of agro / vegetable waste compost production units.  Assistance has been provided for 56 nos.of Bio-Fertilisers production units and 17 nos. of fruits/ vegetables agro waste compost units have been established under the scheme. Details of Biofertilizer Production in the country during last five years are at annexure I. (iv)       Under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), financial assistance for establishing vermi compost units and HDPE Vermi beds is @ 50% of cost subject to a maximum of Rs.50,000/- per beneficiary for a unit having size of 30’x8’x2.5’, for smaller units, assistance is on prorate basis.  For HDPE Vermi bed of 96 cft size (12’x4’x2’), the assistance is Rs.8,000/- per bed.  (v)        Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed technology for preparation of enriched / vermi compost from various organic wastes. (b):       All India Coordinated Research Project on Soil Test Crop Response (AICRP-STCR) under the aegis of ICAR has developed a soil test based fertilizer prescription model to achieve a desired yield target taking due consideration of crop nutrient requirement, contribution from soil and fertilizer Promoting Organic Farming Government is promoting organic farming in the country through various programmes, namely, Soil Health Management component under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) and Network Project on Organic Farming under ICAR. (ii) Under Soil Health Management (SHM) component of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), financial assistance upto 50% of cost subject to a limit of Rs.5,000/- per hectare and Rs.10,000/- per beneficiary is provided for promotion of organic inputs on farmers field. (iii) Under Soil Health Management component of NMSA, financial assistance upto 33% of financial outlay upto a ceiling of Rs.63.00 lakhs is provided as back-ended subsidy through NABARD for establishment of agro/vegetable waste compost production units. (iv) Under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), financial assistance for establishing vermi compost units and HDPE Vermi beds is @ 50% of cost subject to a maximum of Rs.50,000/- per beneficiary for a unit having size of 30’x8’x2.5’, for smaller units, assistance is on prorata basis. For HDPE Vermi bed of 96 cft size (12’x4’x2’), the assistance is Rs.8,000/- per bed. (v) Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed technology for preparation of enriched/vermi compost from various organic wastes.