Year End Review-2015 for the Ministry of Food Processing Industries

Year End Review-2015 for the Ministry of Food Processing Industries

YEAR END REVIEW

The food processing sector has emerged as an important segment of the Indian economy in terms of its contribution to GDP, employment and investment. During 2014-15, the sector constituted as much as 9.0 per cent and 10.1 per cent of GDP in Manufacturing and Agriculture sector, respectively.  Food Processing Industries sector has grown at 7.1 per cent during this period.  The Ministry of Food Processing Industries is implementing various schemes for providing impetus to the development of food processing sector. 

2.         The Ministry has been implementing schemes for infrastructure development having components of Mega Food Parks; Cold Chain and Abattoirs. The milestones achieved in implementation of the schemes during 2015 are as under:

MEGA FOOD PARKS

·         The Scheme of Mega Food Park was launched to provide modern infrastructure for food processing units in the country on pre-identified cluster basis.

·         The scheme envisages financial assistance in the form of grant-in-aid @ 50% of the eligible project cost in general areas and @ 75% in difficult areas, subject to a maximum of Rs.50.00 crore per project.

·         Presently, 39 Mega Food Parks have been granted approval. Out of these, 5 Mega Food Parks have become operational and remaining are under implementation.

·         During the current year, 16 Mega Food Park projects have been given in-principle approval, 9 Mega Food Parks have accorded final approval and 1 project at Nalbari (Assam) has been made operational. 3 projects at Jangipur (West Bengal), Khargon (Madhya Pradesh) and Ranchi (Jharkhand) are likely to be operationalized by 31^st March, 2016.

·         It is expected that on an average, each project will have around 30-35 food processing units with a collective investment of Rs. 250 crores that would eventually lead to annual turnover of about Rs. 450-500 crores and creation of direct and indirect employment to the extent of about 30,000 persons.

Food Processing Fund at NABARD

·         To support the Mega Food Parks and the food processing units to be set up in such food parks by making available affordable credit, a Special Fund of Rs.2000 crore has been set up in National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in 2014-15. This fund called ‘Food Processing Fund’ was operationalized with effect from 11.11.2014.  Loan at concessional rate of interest may be availed from this fund for establishing food parks and food processing units in the Designated Food parks.

·         So far, the Ministry has notified 148 food parks in which concessional credit can be availed by food processing units. A loan of Rs. 519.20 crore has been sanctioned to 12 Mega Food Projects.

Cold Chain Scheme

·         The Cold Chain Scheme was launched to provide integrated cold chain and preservation infrastructure facilities without any break, from the farm gate to the consumer.

·         The scheme envisages financial assistance in the form of grant-in-aid @ 50% of the total cost of plant and machinery and technical civil works in general areas and 75% for difficult areas subject to a maximum of Rs.10.00 crore.

·         Government has approved 138 cold chain projects during 2009-2015 which will create a capacity of 118 lakh LPD of milk processing, 4.76 lakh MT of cold storage, 119 MT/ hour of IQF and 810 number of reefer van. These include 30 new cold chain projects approved by this Ministry in May, 2015.

·         70 projects have become operational till December, 2015 and 68 projects are under implementation. The capacity created by 70 completed projects is 93.8395 lakh LPD of milk processing, 295933.1 MT of cold storage, 75.038 MT/ hour of IQF and 440 number of reefer vans. 

·         Of this, 19 cold chain projects have been completed during 2015 creating capacity of 10 lakh LPD of milk processing, 55820 MT of cold storage, 9.25 MT/ hour of IQF and 80 number of reefer vans. 

Modernisation/ Setting up of Abattoirs

·         Under the Scheme for Setting-up/Modernisation of Abattoirs, grant-in-aid is given to Local Bodies/Public Sector Undertakings etc. for establishment of modern abattoirs and modernisation of existing abattoirs.

·         The scheme envisaged grant-in-aid @50% of the project cost in general areas and 75% for North Eastern Region and difficult areas subject to a maximum of Rs.15.00 crore per abattoir.

·         Out of 40 approved projects, 5 Abattoirs have become operational which includes 1 (one) Abattoir project in Hyderabad completed this year. 1 project at Vishakhapatnam is likely to be completed shortly.

·         The Scheme has since been subsumed under NMFP w.e.f. 01/04/2014. NMFP has been delinked from Central Government support w.e.f. 2015-16 except for UTs.

Food Testing Laboratories

·         The Ministry is implementing a Scheme for Quality Assurance for setting up of Food Testing Laboratories.

·         The scheme envisages 100% grant-in-aid to Government agencies and 50% to Private Organisations / Universities for the cost of equipment and @25% of cost of Technical Civil Work and Furniture & Fixtures in general areas and higher grant @ 33% in difficult areas.

·         So far, 42 Food Testing Labs have been completed.

·         Presently, 40 Food Testing Labs are under implementation.

·         5 Food Testing Labs have been completed during current year.

Technology Up gradation Scheme

·         The Ministry is also processing the proposals of committed liabilities of 11^th Plan of Scheme of Technology Up gradation/ Modernization/ Establishment of Food Processing Industries.

·         During current year, 540 cases were approved amounting to Rs.95.33 crore.  Out of this, 173 cases are of 1^st installment amounting to Rs.32.87 crore and 367 cases are of 2^nd installment amounting to Rs.63.57 crore.

NIFTEM

·         National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) located at Kundli, Haryana is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. It has been accorded a deemed to be University under de-novo category on 08.05.2012.

·         NIFTEM imparts B.Tech, M.Tech, Ph.D courses and research work in food technology and engineering.

·         NIFTEM is also conducting Skill Development trainings and outreach programmes for the benefit of students, farmers and entrepreneurs. It has conducted 104 such programmes skilling 8469 persons. NIFTEM has trained 44 persons under the PMKVY scheme.

·         Their M. Tech. students are getting 100% placements in leading food processing industries and also doing commendable research.

·         NIFTEM has also initiated a unique initiative “Village adoption program” for linking rural entrepreneurs and farmers. In this programme students of B. Tech (Food Technology & Management) and M. Tech students are divided into groups of 10 to 12 students under the guidance of Faculty (Mentor) and adopt a village and nurse it during the entire programme of study. The groups go and stay in the village twice a year for about 10-12 days each time in each semester. This is a two way learning process where while villagers gain scientific and technical knowledge through students who promote future possibilities of food processing among them, students obtain firsthand experience of Indian rural scenario and understand traditional processing technologies adopted by the villagers.

·         So far, 9 visits have been accomplished under this programme covering 39 villages across 18 States.

·         Recognizing the efforts of Village Adoption Porgramme, NIFTEM was awarded the  Agriculture Leadership Award for the year 2015 in the area of promoting rural entrepreneurship in rural sector. The efforts of NIFTEM were assessed by a Committee headed by Dr M.S. Swaminathan, father of Indian Green Revolution. The Award ceremony was organized by Agriculture Today Group on 18.9.2015 in New Delhi. Dr Ajit Kumar, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, received the award from the hands of Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Home Minister of India in the presence of Shri Kaptan Singh  Solanki, Hon’ble Governor of Haryana.

IICPT

·         The Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT) is a pioneer Research and Development and Educational Institution under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India. The Institute was upgraded as a national institute and called as Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology. IICPT has now state of art facilities including NABL accredited Food Safety and Quality Testing Laboratory; ISO 9000, 14000 and 22000 Certified Food Processing Business Incubation cum- Training Centre; AICTE approved Teaching Laboratories and Research Laboratories.

·               IICPT’s Academic programmes are affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). Current year intake: 46, 10, and 4 in B.Tech., M.Tech. and Ph.D. in Food Process Engineering, respectively and 10 in M.Tech. in Food Science and Technology.

·               At present, IICPT has developed and commercialized 28 technologies (eg. idli dry mix to Supreme Power Food Products, SSR Products and others).

·               25 gadgets and 6 technologies are ready for commercialization.

·                The Institute has filed for 15 patents.

·         IICPT has conducted over 293 skill development programmes during the past year, for over 4122 beneficiaries. Out of these, 17 have established their own industries and 51 have secured industry-based jobs (especially after the programme).

·         The institute is affiliated to Food Industry Capacity and Skill Initiative (FICSI) as a Training Provider under PMKVY.

·         Training on modern techniques for rice quality analysis for 400 QC officers of Tamil Nadu Civil Supply Corporation (TNCSC), at Food Safety and Quality Testing Laboratory.

·            IICPT has a FSSAI referral laboratory for food sample testing and analysis.

·            Food testing services utilized and benefited by 921 beneficiaries.

·            Mobile Food Testing Laboratory inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of State, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and has been taken to the field (across different parts of the state) for demonstrations and popularization.

·         IICPT is doing consultancy services for nutritional labeling, shelf-life studies and food quality analysis for 2 industries, technical guidelines for establishment of Modern Rice Mills for 3 beneficiaries, guidelines for improvements in rice milling systems for > 10 beneficiaries, and has provided technical solutions to existing problems in various other food industries.

·         A Regional Center of IICPT has been established at Guwahati, Assam. During the current year 2015, 36 skill training programmes for 482 beneficiaries were organized there.  

Skill Development

·         The Ministry is associating with the Sector Skill Council i.e., Food Industry Capacity & Skill Initiatives (FICSI) in taking forward skill development in Food Processing Sector.

·         So far, FICSI has developed 52 draft Qualification Packs (QPs) for food processing industry out of which 27 QPs are approved by QRC (Qualification Review Committee).

·         Skill development programme has been launched in 30 Centres across 11 States of the country on 4^th September, 2015.  So far, 12182 persons have been enrolled for training and 124 training centres have been affiliated in 25 States.

·          On Ministry’s initiative a module on entrepreneurship has been added in all trainings to make them more meaningful and result oriented.  Course curriculum for these QPs is being developed by NIFTEM to ensure quality and standardized content which is also being shared with all States and Universities.

Research and Development

·      List of R&D research projects/ findings have been uploaded on the Ministry’s website for better dissemination, commercial adoption and use by the farmer & entrepreneur.

·      An R&D portal is in the process of being set up at NIFTEM to disseminate the outcome of the R&D projects assisted by the Ministry and catalogue all research in the food processing sector in the country.

  

·      All the Vice Chancellors of State Agricultural Universities, State governments have been requested to take up R&D projects which are farmer centric so that the findings are available with the stakeholders.  They have also been requested to disseminate the information available in MoFPI website and also to submit their research findings for uploading on Ministry’s website and R&D portal.

Investors’ Portal

·         An Investors’ Portal has been developed by the Ministry with the intention to disseminate information on the state-specific resource potential, policy support and fiscal incentives offered to investors in food processing sector.  The investors, both domestic & foreign, can also seek guidance on specific issues by using information available on the portal.

Food Maps

·         Surplus and deficient areas of various agricultural and horticultural produce in the country have been identified. It will help in planning processing clusters by means of setting up suitable facilities in different parts of the country. The map is available on the website of the Ministry.

            Exemption From Service Tax

·         At the behest of the Ministry the services of pre-conditioning, pre-cooling, ripening, waxing, retail packing, labeling of fruits & vegetables have been exempted from Service Tax w.e.f. 01/04/2015.

Priority Sector Lending

·         At the behest of the Ministry Reserve Bank of India has issued  guidelines dated 23.04.2015,for bank loans to food and agro processing units to form part of Agriculture for Priority Sector Lending (PSL) subject to aggregate sanction limit of Rs. 100 crore per borrower. It will ensure greater flow of credit to entrepreneurs for setting up of food processing units and attract investment in the sector.

YEAR-END REVIEW 2015:AYUSH

1st INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA celebrated, Two Guinness World Records achieved

Agreements signed with several countries for promoting Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy

Seven National Level Arogya Fairs organised this year to promote awareness & showcase developments in AYUSH Systems

Ministry of AYUSH receives ISO 9001:2008 Certificate for Quality Management System

       YEAR-END REVIEW 2015

The Ministry of AYUSH, in its 1^st year of inception, made long strides in the direction of providing reliable and economic alternative healthcare facilities to the Indian masses.

The Department of AYUSH under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was upgraded to a full-fledged Ministry of AYUSH on 9^th November, 2014 with an aim of stepping up education and research in Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy and expanding the reach of these medical systems in public. 

In a little more than one year, the Ministry has taken up a large number of programs to popularise AYUSH medical systems. During 2015, the first ever State Health/ AYUSH Ministers Meeting was organised. Memorandums of Understanding for international cooperation in the field of AYUSH were signed with many countries. Ministry of AYUSH through Ministry of Culture filed nomination to inscribe Yoga as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under UNESCO. But the most glittering event of the year was the 1^st International Day of Yoga Celebrations in which two Guinness World Records were achieved.

Following are the significant achievements and details of the important activities of ministry of AYUSH during the year 2015:

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CELEBRATION OF 1^st INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA

The Ministry of AYUSH successfully celebrated 1^st International Day of Yoga on 21st June, 2015 at Rajpath, New Delhi. Two Guinness World Records were achieved- the Largest Yoga Lesson involving 35,985 participants and Maximum number of Nationalities (84) participated in a single yoga lesson.

Two days’ International Conference on “Yoga for Holistic Health” was organised on 21^st and 22^nd June, 2015 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, wherein, about 1300 delegates from India and abroad participated.

Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) extended financial assistance of Rs. 1.00 Lakh each to Government Organizations/NGOs in all the Districts of the country to conduct one month Yoga Camp as also for celebrations of International Day of Yoga on 21st June, 2015. For celebration of 1st International Day of Yoga in Delhi & NCR, free Yoga Camps were organized from 21.05.2015 to 21.06.2015 at 100 places by engaging Yoga Instructors. As per the information received from institutions, approx. 10 lakh people attended these Yoga programmes.

Outside India, the 1st International Day of Yoga was celebrated in all the Countries of the world (except war torn Yemen) by the Ministry of External Affairs in association with Ministry of AYUSH and various Yoga organizations.

v     OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS IN YOGA

Ø      Ministry of AYUSH through Ministry of Culture has filed nomination to inscribe Yoga as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under UNESCO.

Ø      For imparting Yoga Training to Uniformed Service Personnel, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), an autonomous body under this Ministry had started from 1st January, 2015 at its premises, a three and half  months duration course titled as ‘Certificate Course in Yoga Science’ for Para-Military Personnel.

Ø      A Central Sector Scheme titled as “Yoga Training for Police Personnel” formulated by the Ministry of AYUSH has been launched w.e.f. 1st April, 2015 in all the Districts of the Country.

Ø      Ministry of AYUSH has supported DoPT to start Yoga training programme for Central Government Employees and their family members in 40 Griha Kalyana Kendras across the Country. MDNIY has provided the Yoga instruction and technical support.

Ø      A Samarpan Dhyan Yoga Shivir was organized at the premises of MDNIY in association with Yoga Prabha Bharti (Sewa Sanstha) Trust, Mumbai from 27^th April, 2015 to 04^th May, 2015 exclusively for the Parliamentarians and their families. The Shivir was inaugurated by Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha. The camp was attended by many Parliamentarians & their families, VIPs and Senior Officers of Government of India.

Ø      Quality Control of India, at the behest of Ministry of AYUSH, has developed a Scheme for Voluntary Certification of Yoga Professionals. The focus of the scheme is to certify the competence of Yoga professionals providing Yoga lessons/classes as Teachers or by any other nomenclature. Scope of Certification has been categorized as-

a) Level-1 – Yoga Teacher Certification

b) Level -2 – Yoga Master Certification

c) Level- 3 – Yoga Guru Certification.

The Level-1 Certification programme has been launched on 22nd June, 2015 on the occasion of International Day of Yoga.

STATE HEALTH/AYUSH MINISTERS’ MEETING

The Ministry of AYUSH convened the first ever State Health/AYUSH Ministers Meeting on 20^th February 2015 for one full day at New Delhi, specifically focusing on various issues related to AYUSH sector including National AYUSH Mission. Ministers in charge of AYUSH/ Health from 10 State Govts./UTs took part in the meeting. 

Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, in his address emphasized upon the need to strengthen the quality of ASU & H drugs. He said that a focused thrust on growth, development and monitoring of AYUSH and improvement in quality of education is the need of the hour.

NATIONAL AYUSH MISSION

The National AYUSH Mission (NAM) is a turning point as it envisages better access to AYUSH services through increase in number of AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries, mainstreaming of AYUSH through co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs), ensure availability of AYUSH drugs and trained manpower. It also aims at Improvement in quality of AYUSH Education through enhancement in the number of upgraded educational Institutions, sustained availability of Quality Raw materials and improved availability of quality Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASU &H) drugs through increase in number of Pharmacies, setting up of Drug Laboratories in the States which are responsible for enforcement mechanism of ASU &H drugs.

Under the NAM, there is a sub-component of AYUSH Gram wherein one village per block is selected for adoption of method and practice of AYUSH way of life and interventions of health care. In AYUSH village, AYUSH based lifestyles are promoted.

After the Ministry of AYUSH was formed, Rs. 183.77 Crores has been released to 25 States/UTs against their submitted State Annual Action Plan (SAAP) under National AYUSH Mission for the year 2014-15. Further, expanding the National AYUSH Mission to more States/UTs during the year 2015-16, State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs) from 33 States/UTs has been approved by the Mission Directorate and Rs.165.27 Crores has been released to 18 States/UTs up to November, 2015.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Ø   For global promotion and popularization of AYUSH systems of Medicine and Yoga, several steps have been taken by the Ministry. In the 8th Ministerial Meeting of India-US Trade Policy Forum held on 25th November, 2014, the Joint statement on the Trade policy forum was issued, wherein the United States agreed to facilitate further engagement in this field between the experts of both countries. As a result of this, bilateral dialogue with US Embassy Officials was initiated in a structured manner.

The  Joint Statement was issued during the visit of President of USA to India from 25-27 January, 2015 ‘sanjha prayas- sabka vikas’, Shared Effort- Progress for All  addressed the issue of Traditional Medicine stating that the Prime Minister and the President agreed to expand the India-U.S. Health Initiative into a Healthcare Dialogue with relevant stakeholders to further strengthen bilateral collaboration in health sectors including through capacity building initiatives and by exploring new areas, including complementary and traditional medicine. The President and the Prime Minister pledged to encourage dialogue between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Indian counterparts on traditional medicine. The Leaders also pledged to strengthen collaboration, dialogue, and cooperation between the regulatory authorities of the two countries to ensure safety, efficacy, and quality of pharmaceuticals, including generic medicines.

An India-US Health Dialogue held in September, 2015 had a separate working group on AYUSH where it was agreed to collaborate in the area of Traditional medicine in a structured manner.

Ø   An India-Canada Joint Statement: “New Vigour, New Steps” was issued on 15th April, 2015 in which mentions that “In the interest of public health and recognizing the need to strengthen bilateral engagement and exchange information in the areas of safety, efficacy, and quality of therapeutic products, including cellular therapy products, as well as on traditional medicines, the Prime Ministers agreed to establish a dialogue between relevant federal departments of the two countries in order to facilitate cooperation”. 

Ø   Unani Academic Chair established at the University of Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa was extended for one year on the recommendation of University and Indian Mission at South Africa.

Ø   A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy was signed on 11thMarch, 2015 between the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, Government of Mauritius.

Ø   A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy was signed on 17th May, 2015 between the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and the Government of Mongolia.

Ø   A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Yoga and Traditional Medicine was signed on 11th July 2015 between the Government India and the Government of Turkmenistan.

Ø   A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Research and Education in Homoeopathic Medicine was signed on 11th November, 2015 between the Central Council of Research in Homoeopathy, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM).

Ø   A Letter of Intent for cooperation in the field of Ayurveda was signed on 9th April, 2015 between Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and University of Strasbourg, France.

Ø   A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of Academic Chair in Ayurveda was signed on 29thJune, 2015 between the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and Rangsit University, Thailand.

Ø   A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of Academic Chair in Ayurveda was signed on 4th November, 2015 between the Central Council for Research in AyurvedicSciences (CCRAS), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and UdayanaUniversity, Bali, Indonesia.

Ø   A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the visiting professor of Ayurveda was signed in November 2015 between the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and University of Primorska, the Government of Slovenia.

Ø   The Ministry of AYUSH has set up an AYUSH Information Cell to disseminate authentic information about AYUSH Systems of Medicine in the premises of Indian Consulate at Dubai. It was inaugurated on 21st June, 2015 on the occasion of celebration of International Day of Yoga.

Ø   The Ministry of AYUSH has set up an AYUSH Information Cell in the premises of Embassy of Indian Zagreb, Croatia in August, 2015 to disseminate authentic information about AYUSH Systems.

Ø   A request was received from US Embassy Charge‘d Affaires, Ambassador Embassy in New Delhi for arranging a visit for Kathleen Stephens and her team to faculty of Ayurveda in Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. On 26th December, 2014 the US team along with Ministry representative visited the facilities relating to Ksharsutra and Drayaguna at BHU which helped to push forward further cooperation. This was followed by visit of US Embassy officials to explore collaboration in the area of Ksharasutra.

INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION

The Ministry produced and telecast 10 episodes of an interactive TV Programme “AYUSHMAN BHARAT” through Doordarshan in Hindi (one) and its 9 Regional Kendras in regional languages from April to June, 2015. The programme was repeat telecast from 26 Regional Kendras of Doordarshan all over the Country.

A tableau was presented by the Ministry in the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath on 26th January 2015 on the theme “ÄYUSH for Holistic Health.”

The Ministry organized Seven National Level Arogya Fairs at Bangalore, Guwahati, Raipur, Jaipur, Bhubneshwar,  Thiruvananthpuram & Varanasi and Six State Level Arogya Fairs at Gandhinagar, Panchkula, Chandigarh, Goa, Manipur & Mizoram in collaboration with the State Governments and the collaborative partners like FICCI, ICC, CII, & World Ayurveda Foundation. The fairs aim to create awareness among the members of the public about the efficiency of the AYUSH System, their cost effectiveness and the availability of herbs and plants used for prevention and treatment of common ailments at their door steps through various mass media channels to achieve the objective of health for all

A Seminar on role of AYUSH in Cancer Care was organized on World Cancer Day on 4th February, 2015.

The e-book of the Ministry was launched on 5th January,2015.

v     ACHIEVEMENT IN RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

A pilot project on ‘Homoeopathy for Healthy Child’ for health promotion and treatment of common diseases among children has been launched in six districts, viz., Gautam Buddha Nagar (UP), Gorakhpur (UP), Palgarh (Maharashtra), Delhi, Kamrup (Assam) and Cuttack (Odisha).

Integration of Homoeopathy, Ayurveda and Unani in National Program for Prevention and Control of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke (NPCDCS) program in 6 selected districts approved by Directorate General of Health Services. Besides this    Central Research Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy has been made functional at Delhi with OPD activities.

The Ministry has launched Swasthya Rakshan Programme through Research Councils, National Institutes and ASU&H Colleges (through CCIM and CCH) to start OPDs in five nearby villages or urban localities and link it with Swachh Bharat Mission.

Dr. D. P. Rastogi Central Research Institute of Homoeopathy, Noida was inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent charge), Ministry of AYUSH on 7th October, 2015.

An Occupational therapy and Rehabilitation Center has been inaugurated on 10^th January 2015 at Central Research Institute (H), Project on Ayurgenomics has been initiated by CCRAS and CCRUM has successfully organized a National Seminar on Non-communicable diseases on 14th – 15th January, 2015 in New Delhi.

A literary Research Institute of Unani Medicine has been made operational at Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi with OPD activities.  Foundation stone of new Hospital block was also laid and Biomedical Laboratory with Guest House facility was inaugurated at Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine, Hyderabad.

Foundation stone has been laid for the construction of Research Institute of Homoeopathy and Unani under the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) and Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) respectively at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra.

EDUCATION

As against 334 Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) Colleges in 2014-15, there are 352 ASU Colleges as on November, 2015 and as against 191 Homoeopathic Colleges in 2014-15, there are 197 Homoeopathic Colleges as on November, 2015. The Indian Medicine Central Council, Post-graduate Diploma Course in Siddha and Post-graduate Diploma Course in Unani Medicine have been notified. Besides this the Homeopathy (Degree Course) Amendment Regulations, 2015 has also been notified.

The Government has approved setting up of (i) All India Institute Ayurveda at SaritaVihar, New Delhi to conduct Post-graduate and Ph.D. courses in Ayurveda and (ii) North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy at Shillong in Meghalaya to conduct Under-graduate, Post-graduate, Doctoral and Post-doctoral courses both in Ayurveda and Homoeopathy.

  

OTHER ACTIVITIES/ACHIEVEMENTS

Pharmacopoeial monographs on single drugs and compound formulations of Ayurvedic System of Medicine-Ayurveda (33), Unani (29), Siddha (19) and Homoeopathy (15) have been developed. In addition to that Hormonisation of 20 monographs has been completed.  

Revised Scheme on “Central Sector Scheme for Conservation Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants” involving total outlay of Rs. 450.00 crore has been approved for the current Plan.

A detailed study-cum-survey to assess the Demand & Supply of Medicinal Plants in India- in the National Perspective as well as in respect of the International Market has been commissioned by the Ministry.

The Ministry of AYUSH has been conferred with the ISO 9001:2008 Certificate for applying Quality Management System for “Provision of Policy Formulation, Development and Implementation of Programmes for the Propagation & Growth  of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathy” The Certificate has been issued by TUV India Pvt. Ltd. Indian operations of a German Firm, TUV Nord Group, appointed by the Quality Council of India, which is the nodal organization for ISO 9001:2008 Certification. This Certification has placed Ministry of AYUSH in a unique position enjoyed by only a few Ministries/Departments of Government of India, which are ISO 9001:2008 certified. The ISO 9001:2008 certification is an international standard that defines good   management practices. The certification aims at providing a global standard that spells out quality and tru

A BIG BOOST FOR SOLAR ROOFTOPS IN INDIA

A BIG BOOST FOR SOLAR ROOFTOPS IN INDIA

Cabinet approves Rs.5000 crore for promotion of Solar Rooftops in the country

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the scaling up of budget from Rs, 600 crore to Rs. 5,000 crore for implementation of Grid Connected Rooftops systems over a period of five years upto 2019-20 under National Solar Mission (NSM). This will support Installation of 4200 MW Solar Rooftop systems in the country in next five years.

The capital subsidy of 30% will be provided for general category States/UTs and 70% for special category States i.e., North-Eastern States including Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, There will be no subsidy for commercial and industrial establishments In the private sector since they are eligible for other benefits such as accelerated depreciation, custom duty concessions, excise duty exemptions and tax holiday etc,

This capacity of 4200 MWp will come up through the residential, Government, Social and institutional sector (hospitals, educational institutions etc.). Industrial & commercial sector will be encouraged for installations without subsidy. This will create the market, build the confidence of the consumers and will enable the balance capacity through market mode to achieve the target of 40,000 MWp by 2022.

The Government has revised the target of National Solar Mission (NSM) from 20,000 MWp to 1,00,000 MWp by 2022. Out of the 40,000 MWp is to come through grid connected solar rooftop systems. This approval will boost the installations in a big way and will act as a catalyst to achieve the goal of 40,000 MWp.

Background:

A large potential is available for generating solar power using unutilized space on rooftops in buildings. Solar power generated by each individual household, industrial, Institutional, commercial or any other type of buildings can be used to partly fulfil the requirement of the building occupants and surplus, if any, can be fed into the grid. So Tar, 26 States have notified their regulations to provide Net Metering/Gross metering facilities to support solar rooftops installations.

Today it is possible to generate solar power from the solar rooftop systems at about Rs.6.50/kWh. This is cheaper than the diesel gen-sets based electricity generation. It is also cheaper than the cost at which most DISCOMs would make power available to the industrial, commercial and high-end domestic consumers.

With the new initiative, India will emerge as a major country utilizing the roof space for solar rooftop systems on such a. large scale: This 40 GW will result in abatement of about 60 million tonnes of CO2 per year and will help to fulfil the commitment of India towards its contribution in mitigating the effect of Climate Change.

Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia

Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to sign Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia, also called the 'Raptor MOU' with the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS). With the signing of this MOU, India will become the 54th signatory to the MOU.

Background:

Raptor MOU was concluded on 22nd October 2008 and came into effect on 1st November 2008. The Raptor MOU is an agreement under Article IV paragraph 4 of the CMS and is not legally binding. The MOU seeks willingness of the signatory Range States for working for conservation of the raptor species and their habitats. An action plan has been formulated which primarily envisages the conservation action for Raptor species. The Raptors MoU extends its coverage to 76 species of birds of prey out of which 46 species including vultures, falcons, eagles, owls, hawks, kites, harriers, etc. also occur in India.

Considering that the Raptor MOU is also in conformity with the provisions of the existing Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, wherein the birds have been accorded protection, India would gain domain knowledge which would be helpful in effectively managing the habitats of these Raptors, including concerted trans-boundary efforts for conservation through interaction with other range countries by signing of the MOU with the CMS. Pakistan and Nepal are the other neighbours who are signatories to this MOU.

The CMS or Bonn Convention, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), aims to conserve migratory species throughout their range. India had become a party to the CMS since 1st November 1983.

Construction of 69 Bridges including Approach Roads on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa road section of the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar

Construction of 69 Bridges including Approach Roads on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa road section of the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the construction of 69 Bridges including Approach Roads on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road section of the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar at a cost of Rs.371.58 crore.

This will impart all weather usability to the TKK road section, which is also part of the route for the proposed Imphal-Mandalay bus service. It will improve connectivity between India and Myanmar and facilitate movement of goods and traffic.

Background:

During the visit of Prime Minister to Myanmar in May 2012, it was agreed, at the request of Government of Myanmar, to undertake construction of 71 bridges in the Tamu - Kyigone - Kalewa (TKK) road section of the Trilateral Highway. The Government of Myanmar has started work on constructing two bridges, on its own, as these bridges needed urgent attention. As a result, construction of the balance 69 bridges will be undertaken under Government of India's assistance.

The project will be implemented in Engineering Procuring and Construction (EPC) mode through Project Management Consultant (PMC). It will be closely monitored by the Indian Embassy in Yangon, PMC and the Ministry of External Affairs. The project is envisaged to be completed by mid-2019.

earth science yearly review

Cyclone Forecast:  There has been a remarkable improvement in the prediction of cyclone, and extreme events as demonstrated in the recent   events    such as landslides in Uttarakhand and floods in Jammu-Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat due to intense precipitations and cyclones Ashobaa & Komen (2015). Two very severe cyclones, HudHud and Nilopher, were predicted well in advance and sufficient time was available to respond. All aspects of cyclone genesis, intensity, track, landfall as well as associated rainfall, gale wind and storm surge were predicted accurately. The forecast for the HudHud was appreciated by the Prime Minister. The cyclone track, landfall point and intensity forecast errors have improved to 107 km, 60 km and 11 knots during 2010-14 against 140 km, 110 km and 13 knots during 2005-09 respectively for 24 hours lead period. Extreme heavy precipitations in the Kashmir valley were predicted 3 days in advance and state administration was alerted. This has been accomplished by virtue of augmentation of observation system networks, enhancement of the computing capability and increase of data availability and implementation of high-resolution global models. Probabilistic forecasts of rainfall/snowfall and the strike probability of tropical cyclone have been introduced in the operational forecast products of NCMRWF.

Monsoon Prediction: For the first time, dynamic models were employed on real-time basis to predict quantitative precipitation during the southwest monsoon season.  The long range forecast revised in August 2014 for the season (June-September) rainfall for the country as a whole was 87% against forecasted rainfall of (88 ±4) % of LPA for the year 2014 and 86% against the forecasted rainfall in June 2015 of (88 ±4) % of LPA for the year 2015 .  The onset of Monsoon over Kerala as well All India Monthly forecast for July and August was predicted accurately.

Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa:   Agromet Advisory Services Programme of the Ministry has a direct impact on agricultural production. Weather information based advisories before various stages of farming provided to 11.34 million farmers in the country covering 633 Districts of 23 States through Kisan Portal and PPP mode. Farmers’Awareness Programmes conducted to popularize the service also benefit from the advisories. In addition, in collaboration with Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), around 25 Panchayats have also been identified to distribute agromet advisories and rain gauges for rainfall monitoring on pilot basis.

Infrastructure Facilities: A High Altitude Cloud Physics Lab (HACPL) at Mahabaleshwar to study micro physical characteristics of aerosols and clouds and associated environmental conditions. A large scale Campaign including aircraft and ground based measurements was organized over the Ganga Basin and Maharashtra to study cloud-aerosol interactions . Towards this, high performance computation facilities have been substantially augmented by upgrading the existing 170 Teraflop to storage archival capacity of 1000 Teraflop, which is ranked at 36th position in the world’s top 500 and first in the country.  350 TF Bhaskara HPC was dedicated to the nation by Minister for Earth Sciences on 2^nd June, 2015. For the first time in India an indigenous climate model has been developed for studying variability and predictability of monsoon on seasonal, inter-annual and decadal time scale.

A first version of the IITM Earth System Model was developed indigenously for studies on climate change and making regional climate change scenarios. Additional research work to further improve fidelity of the model is going on.   A paradigm shift in numerical modelling activity for operational weather forecast has been achieved. The atmospheric Model of Global Forecasting System (GFS) with a special resolution of 18 km was set up which is considerable improvement from 50 km to 18 km resolution. The resolution of global unified model was increased to 17 km and the regional model to 4 km, which have resulted in forecast improvements. An advanced Ensemble Prediction System (~33 km/L70; 44 members) for quantitatively assessing the uncertainty in the deterministic forecasts and generating probabilistic forecasts was also implemented. The upgraded data assimilation scheme using the flow-dependent statistics calculated from an ensemble of short-range forecasts and ingestion of new Indian satellite data have shown forecast improvements.

A Seafront Facility of 150 acres along the Nellore Coast has been acquired for carrying out Ocean Technology testing and demonstration activities which include establishment of an offshore numerical tank, ballast water treatment facility etc.

Capacity Development:  A set of four international and four national workshops/training programs were organized by International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography established at INCOIS, Hyderabad   for promotion of capacity building in the countries of the Indian Ocean region. Two Similar regional workshops were conducted in the field of atmospheric science and services for BIMSTEC countries. IITM, Pune in collaboration with ICTP, Trieste, Italy has organized a Targeted Training Activity on Monsoon Modelling during February 2015 at Pune. The third batch of CAT Students has completed the 18-month training program and became eligible for appointment as Scientist-B/C at different MoES Institutions.

Polar Research: -   The 34th Expedition to Maitri and Bharati, Antarctica and 8th expedition to the Himadri, Svalbard were launched for glaciological and atmospheric investigations.  The President of India interacted with the Indian Scientists based in Himandri through video-conferencing. First Ocean moored observatory IndArc for time series measurement of ocean parameters in the Kongsforden, Svalbard, Norway, deployed in July 2014 was successfully retrieved on 15^th July 2015. This data recorded continuously for one year is a major achievement in the area of in-situ observation. New Arctic Observatory (IndArc II) with additional biogeochemical sensors & acoustic sensors was deployed successfully on 19^th July, 2015 in Arctic. India successfully commenced operations at 3^rd Indian Permanent Station Bharati, in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica which would give a major thrust to study in the field of glaciology, atmosphere, paleoclimate and Polar biology.  India has been accorded observed status in the Arctic Council in recognition of India’s scientific contribution and endeavour in Polar research. Polar ROV “PROve” was deployed on 10^th of February 2015 at Priyadarshini Lake, Antarctica. System functionality was successfully tested and it recorded the lake bed videography which shows the abundance of algal mats clearly. Also PROve was successfully tested at site near ice shelf in Antarctica. The Ice Shelf is clearly seen from the Scanning SONAR and scientific data is collected using the sensors.

Ocean Survey and Exploration:  India’s application for site allotment of about 10000 sq.km in the Indian Ocean with exclusive rights for exploration was approved in the 20^th Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) held during 14-25 July, 2014 at Kingston, Jamaica. ISBA is a body established under the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea responsible for exploration and exploitation of resources in the seabed lying in international water. Polymetallic Sulphides in the Ocean Ridges containing Copper, Zinc, Silver, Gold, Platinum and rare earth elements, constitute significant and important future mineral resources. The Indian Site located near the Rodriguez Triple Junction of the Indian Ocean Ridge in the South West Indian Ocean was identified based on earlier investigations and research work.

Geoscience:    Completion of the Preparatory phase of scientific deep drilling in Koyna and identified sites for pilot boreholes, 4.5 km deep. Finalization of Science Plan and team selection for deep drilling in the Arabian Sea to study evolution of Himalayas and origin of monsoon was done. Action was initiated for setting up of National Centre for Seismology for addressing all the seismological aspect in an integrated way.  Operationalized the Integrated Seismic and GNSS Network and Data Centre for online access to data from 200 remote seismic and GNNS stations.

International Cooperation: Five agreements have been signed with international agencies and agencies of countries such as Japan, USA, Kuwait, Norway, and UNESCO for cooperation in various fields of earth sciences. A LoI was signed between Ministry of Earth Sciences and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, USA for cooperation in research.

Initiation of New Programs:

Himalayan Meteorology program will be launched to improve observations, both meteorological as well as snow and ice related, in the region including on glaciers and snow-clad regions. The capabilities for nowcasting for expeditions, pilgrimage, tourism, etc. also to be developed. 

Severe Weather Warning System: Severe weather such as dust storms, extremely heavy rainfall, cloud burst, fog, cyclones, etc. affect different parts of the country regularly. A high resolution (1.5 km) convective scale regional model has set up for generating forecasts of severe/extreme weather events and trial runs are being carried out. (iii) Offshore numerical tank will be established with a hydrodynamic simulation facility with virtual reality for testing of offshore structures/systems.

Marine Living Resources:  Annual trawl-ban being implemented as part of sustainable management of fishery resources available in the Indian Coasts has been observed to have significant effect on the recovery of macro benthic organisms particularly polychaetes and crustaceans in the inner shelf region where demersal trawling is intense. The observed values of biomass during the pre and post-ban period indicate an increase of total biomass almost double as that of initial values in the depth range between 30 to 50 m. The study exemplifies the importance of the trawl ban imposed during the monsoon to maintain resilience of coastal ecosystems and its socio-economic services. A new biodiversity hot spot “Terrace off Trivandrum” has been identified along the depth contours of 1200 m at South West Coast of India with an unusually high abundance of deep sea fishery resources as high as 1.2 tonne catch per unit effort.

Ocean Science Technology and Services: Two Indo-US joint expeditions were accomplished in the Bay of Bengal for studying ocean mixing and Monsoon experiments. Forecast on potential fishing zones and ocean state for India and Indian Ocean countries. Maps for long-term shoreline changes for Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were also accomplished.  Ocean Information and Advisory services are now extended for Tuna Fisheries (daily) and Coral Bleach Alerts (once in 3 days). Online Oil Spill Advisories, Ocean State Forecasts along shipping routes as well as for Maldives, Seychelles and Sri Lanka are now provided on regular basis. Indigenously designed and developed Polar Research Vehicle was deployed at Antarctica successfully for scientific observations. Completed (i) preparation of Atlas for the Indian Coast and development (ii) deployment of indigenous drifters to measure sea surface temperature, pressure and currents having INSAT communication and (iii) design of the Offshore Reef with beach nourishment for coastal protection at Puducherry. (iv)  teams of scientists retrieved a lost heavy weight torpedo “Varunastra” of Indian Navy from the sea bed at a depth of 168 metres with the support of ORV Sagar Nidhi. This is the first time in the country that the torpedo is recovered from such depths. (v)  Autonomous Coring System (ACS) qualified at 1000m water depth in the KG Basin and drilling done upto ~24m below the sea floor.  (vi) Open sea cage culturing was successfully demonstrated at Olaikuda and fishermen self-help group successfully cultured and harvested 7.0 tonnes of cobia in the open sea cage. A societal training programme on open sea cage culture was conducted on 4^th November 2014 at Rameshwaram and 85 participants including fishermen, self-help group and entrepreneurs participated.

A National Centre for Seismology (NCS) has been established as an attached office of the Ministry by consolidating all seismological related activities of IMD and MoES and reorganizing them under NCS.

NCS has since been disseminating earthquake information to various designated authorities associated with disaster management, relief and rescue operations including media. At present the network is upgraded and augmented and information is provided within 10 minutes of occurrence of the earthquake. Work is on for establishing early warning system for the same.  Seismic microzonation of NCT Delhi on 1:10K scale has been completed.