30 June 2016

RM Hands Over Varunastra Torpedo to Indian Navy

RM Hands Over Varunastra Torpedo to Indian Navy
The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar today handed over “Varunastra – a Ship Launched Heavy Weight Torpedo”, also known as underwater missile to the Indian Navy in a befitting ceremony here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Manohar Parrikar congratulated DRDO for the achievement and appreciated the efforts made in this regard. He asked the DRDO to ensure its participation in the production process and to keep adequate quality control of their products so that it can meet the international standards. The Minister also stated that in these high technology areas, DRDO’s contribution with 95 per cent of indigenous content is an apt example of Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) category.
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba termed the occasion as momentous and described it as yet another feather in the DRDO’s cap. He applauded DRDO and Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) for rendering yeomen service to the nation in achieving self-reliance in defence and underwater technologies. He said the Navy’s partnership with DRDO laboratories has strengthened and matured over the years. ‘The fact that three of the premier DRDO labs NPOL, NMRL and NSTL carry the prefix ‘Naval’ in their names highlights the close relationship between the Indian Navy and the DRDO in our joint efforts’, Admiral Lanba stated.
Secretary, DD R&D and DG DRDO Dr. S Christopher in his address described the induction ceremony of Varunastra as a proud moment for the nation as India has joined in the elite group of only a handful of countries. He commented that the development of submarine launched heavy weight torpedo is in advanced stage for user trials. Dr. Christopher mentioned that Varunastra, the shipborne anti-submarine torpedo has got the goodwill of Navy as a user which has decided to produce 73 of them, immediately. He briefly mentioned that last year Mareech – Advance Torpedo Defence System was handed over to Indian Navy. He also highlighted the DRDO developed LCA – Tejas, the first Squadron of which is being raised by IAF on July 01, 2016. The AEW&C is also striding towards induction into IAF this year. Recently, another milestone has been achieved by BrahMos, a Joint Venture of DRDO which successfully demonstrated captive trials with Su30 aircraft, he stated.
Varunastra has been developed by NSTL, a premier DRDO laboratory based at Visakhapatnam. M/s Bharat Dynamics Ltd has been associated as a production partner in concurrent engineering mode.
Varunastra, a versatile naval weapon which can be fired from the Rajput class destroyers, Delhi class and all future Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) ships capable of firing heavy weight torpedoes and is capable of targeting quiet and stealthy submarines both in deep and littoral waters even in intense countermeasure atmosphere.
The function was also attended by Defence Secretary Shri G Mohan Kumar, Secretary, (Defence Production) Shri AK Gupta, Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri Dr. G Sateesh Reddy and senior functionaries of Ministry of Defence, Indian Navy, DRDO, Production & Industry partners.

Cabinet approves National Mineral Exploration Policy

Cabinet approves National Mineral Exploration Policy
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP).
The NMEP primarily aims at accelerating the exploration activity in the country through enhanced participation of the private sector. There is a need for comprehensive mineral exploration of the country to uncover its full mineral potential so as to put the nation's mineral resources (non-fuel and non-coal) to best use and thereby maximize sectoral contribution to the Indian economy.
The policy emphasizes on making available baseline geoscientific data of world standards in the public domain, quality research in a public-private partnership, special initiatives for search of deep-seated and concealed deposits, quick aerogeophysical surveys of the country, and creation of a dedicated geoscience database etc.
NMEP has the following main features for facilitating exploration in the country:-
i. The Ministry of Mines will carry out auctioning of identified exploration blocks for exploration by private sector on revenue sharing basis in case their exploration leads to auctionable resources. The revenue will be borne by the successful bidder of those auctionable blocks.
ii. If the explorer agencies do not discover any auctionable resources, their exploration expenditure will be reimbursed on normative cost basis.
iii. Creation of baseline geoscientific data as a public good for open dissemination free of charge.
iv. Government will carry out a National Aerogeophysical Program for acquiring state-of-the-art baseline data for targeting concealed mineral deposits.
v. A National Geoscientific Data Repository is proposed to be set up to collate all baseline and mineral exploration information generated by various central & state government agencies and also mineral concession holders and to maintain these on geospatial database.
vi. Government proposes to establish a not-for-profit autonomous institution that will be known as the National Centre for Mineral Targeting (NCMT) in collaboration with scientific and research bodies, universities and industry for scientific and technological research to address the mineral exploration challenges in the country.
vii. Provisions for inviting private investment in exploration through attractive revenue sharing models.
viii. On the lines of UNCOVER project of Australia, the government intends to launch a special initiative to probe deep-seated/ concealed minerals deposits in the country in collaboration with National Geophysical Research Institute and the proposed NCMT and Geoscience Australia.
In order to implement the recommendations of the NMEP, initially an amount of about Rs.2116 crore over 5 years would be required over and above the annual plan budget of the Geological Survey of India under the Ministry of Mines. The NMEP will benefit the entire mineral sector across the country.
The major impact of NMEP are:-
1) The pre-competitive baseline geoscientific data will be created as a public good and will be fully available for open dissemination free of charge. This is expected to benefit public and private exploration agencies.
2) The collaboration with scientific and research bodies, universities and industry for the scientific and technological development necessary for exploration in public- private partnership.
3) Government will launch a special initiative to probe deep-seated/concealed mineral deposits in the country. Characterizing India's geological cover, investigating India's lithospheric architecture, resolving 4D geodynamic and metallogenic evolution, and detecting and characterizing the distal footprints of ore deposits, would be the main components of this initiative.
4) A National Aerogeophysical Mapping program will be launched to map the entire country with low altitude and close space flight to delineate the deep-seated and concealed mineral deposits.
5) Government will engage private agencies for carrying out exploration in identified blocks / areas with the right to certain share in the revenue accruing to the State government through auction.
6) Public expenditure on regional and detailed exploration will be prioritized and subject to periodical review based on assessment of criticality and strategic interests.
Background:
The Ministry of Mines has, in the recent past, taken a series of measures for the growth of the mineral sector, including allowing 100% FDI. However, these initiatives have fetched only limited success. Further, over the years the dynamics of the mineral sector have undergone sea change thereby creating new demands and imperatives. There is a compelling need to provide an impetus to exploration activity in the country. This has prompted the Government to carry out a comprehensive review of its exploration policy and strategy. The amendments brought in to the MMDR Act in 2015 is a step in this direction. The most important feature of this amendment is that mining leases (ML) and prospecting license-cum-mining lease (PL-cum-ML) will be granted only through an auction process. This is expected to bring in transparency, expeditiousness and simplification in procedures in grant of mineral concessions. Against this background, the NMEP has been framed so as to provide a new set of objectives, sense of purpose and direction to exploration within the amended legal framework.

Cabinet approves Implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission

Cabinet approves Implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) on pay and pensionary benefits. It will come into effect from 01.01.2016.
In the past, the employees had to wait for 19 months for the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations at the time of 5th CPC, and for 32 months at the time of implementation of 6th CPC. However, this time, 7th CPC recommendations are being implemented within 6 months from the due date.
The Cabinet has also decided that arrears of pay and pensionary benefits will be paid during the current financial year (2016-17) itself, unlike in the past when parts of arrears were paid in the next financial year.
The recommendations will benefit over 1 crore employees. This includes over 47 lakh central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners, of which 14 lakh employees and 18 lakh pensioners are from the defence forces.
Highlights:
1. The present system of Pay Bands and Grade Pay has been dispensed with and a new Pay Matrix as recommended by the Commission has been approved. The status of the employee, hitherto determined by grade pay, will now be determined by the level in the Pay Matrix. Separate Pay Matrices have been drawn up for Civilians, Defence Personnel and for Military Nursing Service. The principle and rationale behind these matrices are the same.
2. All existing levels have been subsumed in the new structure; no new levels have been introduced nor has any level been dispensed with. Index of Rationalisation has been approved for arriving at minimum pay in each Level of the Pay Matrix depending upon the increasing role, responsibility and accountability at each step in the hierarchy.
3. The minimum pay has been increased from Rs. 7000 to 18000 p.m. Starting salary of a newly recruited employee at lowest level will now be Rs. 18000 whereas for a freshly recruited Class I officer, it will be Rs. 56100. This reflects a compression ratio of 1:3.12 signifying that pay of a Class I officer on direct recruitment will be three times the pay of an entrant at lowest level.
4. For the purpose of revision of pay and pension, a fitment factor of 2.57 will be applied across all Levels in the Pay Matrices.

5. Rate of increment has been retained at 3 %. This will benefit the employees in future on account of higher basic pay as the annual increments that they earn in future will be 2.57 times than at present.
6. The Cabinet approved further improvements in the Defence Pay Matrix by enhancing Index of Rationalisation for Level 13A (Brigadier) and providing for additional stages in Level 12A (Lieutenant Colonel), 13 (Colonel) and 13A (Brigadier) in order to bring parity with Combined Armed Police Forces (CAPF) counterparts at the maximum of the respective Levels.
7. Some other decisions impacting the employees including Defence & Combined Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel include :
· Gratuity ceiling enhanced from Rs. 10 to 20 lakh. The ceiling on gratuity will increase by 25 % whenever DA rises by 50 %.
· A common regime for payment of Ex-gratia lump sum compensation for civil and defence forces personnel payable to Next of Kin with the existing rates enhanced from Rs. 10-20 lakh to 25-45 lakh for different categories.
· Rates of Military Service Pay revised from Rs. 1000, 2000, 4200 & 6000 to 3600, 5200, 10800 & 15500 respectively for various categories of Defence Forces personnel.
· Terminal gratuity equivalent of 10.5 months of reckonable emoluments for Short Service Commissioned Officers who will be allowed to exit Armed Forces any time between 7 and 10 years of service.
· Hospital Leave, Special Disability Leave and Sick Leave subsumed into a composite new Leave named ‘Work Related Illness and Injury Leave’ (WRIIL). Full pay and allowances will be granted to all employees during the entire period of hospitalization on account of WRIIL.
8. The Cabinet also approved the recommendation of the Commission to enhance the ceiling of House Building Advance from Rs. 7.50 lakh to 25 lakh. In order to ensure that no hardship is caused to employees, four interest free advances namely Advances for Medical Treatment, TA on tour/transfer, TA for family of deceased employees and LTC have been retained. All other interest free advances have been abolished.
9. The Cabinet also decided not to accept the steep hike in monthly contribution towards Central Government Employees Group Insurance Scheme (CGEGIS) recommended by the Commission. The existing rates of monthly contribution will continue. This will increase the take home salary of employees at lower levels by Rs. 1470. However, considering the need for social security of employees, the Cabinet has asked Ministry of Finance to work out a customized group insurance scheme for Central Government Employees with low premium and high risk cover.
10. The general recommendations of the Commission on pension and related benefits have been approved by the Cabinet. Both the options recommended by the Commission as regards pension revision have been accepted subject to feasibility of their implementation. Revision of pension using the second option based on fitment factor of 2.57 shall be implemented immediately. A Committee is being constituted to address the implementation issues anticipated in the first formulation. The first formulation may be made applicable if its implementation is found feasible after examination by proposed Committee which is to submit its Report within 4 months.
11. The Commission examined a total of 196 existing Allowances and, by way of rationalization, recommended abolition of 51 Allowances and subsuming of 37 Allowances. Given the significant changes in the existing provisions for Allowances which may have wide ranging implications, the Cabinet decided to constitute a Committee headed by Finance Secretary for further examination of the recommendations of 7th CPC on Allowances. The Committee will complete its work in a time bound manner and submit its reports within a period of 4 months. Till a final decision, all existing Allowances will continue to be paid at the existing rates.
12. The Cabinet also decided to constitute two separate Committees (i) to suggest measures for streamlining the implementation of National Pension System (NPS) and (ii) to look into anomalies likely to arise out of implementation of the Commission’s Report.
13. Apart from the pay, pension and other recommendations approved by the Cabinet, it was decided that the concerned Ministries may examine the issues that are administrative in nature, individual post/ cadre specific and issues in which the Commission has not been able to arrive at a consensus.
14. As estimated by the 7th CPC, the additional financial impact on account of implementation of all its recommendations in 2016-17 will be Rs. 1,02,100 crore. There will be an additional implication of Rs. 12,133 crore on account of payments of arrears of pay and pension for two months of 2015-16.

Scientists discover ‘game-changer’ Helium deposits in Tanzania

Scientists discover ‘game-changer’ Helium deposits in Tanzania
Until now, helium has never been found intentionally and is usually discovered accidentally in small quantities during oil and gas drilling
Scientists have discovered helium reserves in Tanzania that are a “game-changer” in addressing a critical shortage of the vital-yet-rare gas, Oxford University said.
A research group from Oxford and Durham universities in England, working with a Norway-based helium-exploration company, discovered as much as 54 billion cubic feet, or BCf, of the gas in Tanzania’s Rift Valley. The find was the result of a new exploration method that can be applied to other parts of the world with similar geology to find new resources, according to Pete Barry of the Department of Earth Sciences at University of Oxford.
“This is a game changer for the future security of society’s helium needs and similar finds in the future may not be far away,” Professor Chris Ballentine of the Department of Earth Sciences at University of Oxford said in the statement published on its website.
Global helium consumption is about 8 BCf per year and the US Federal Helium Reserve, which is the world’s largest supplier, has just 24.2 BCf. Total known reserves in the US are about 153 BCf, according to the statement.
Helium is critical to many things including medical MRI scanners, welding, industrial-leak detection and nuclear energy and known reserves are quickly running out. Until now, helium has never been found intentionally and is usually discovered accidentally in small quantities during oil and gas drilling, according to the statement

26 June 2016

UTTARAKHAND (UK) RO/ARO PRE SOLUTION,26TH JUNE2016 SAMVEG IAS

UTTARAKHAND (UK) RO/ARO PRE SOLUTION,26TH JUNE2016 SAMVEG IAS

Dear candidates
ukpsc conducted RO/ARO exam today.they followed the PCS EXAM pattern.we are providing tentative solutions of all questions .There may be error of 2%. if you find any question answer wrong ,please correct us to make it useful.
Cutoff: it seems paper was good and those who are getting 100 correct(net) question can start preparing for mains. cutoff range may be 90-96 for general category and 75-80 for women category. 
Answer booklet C
Q1 movements of mahatma gandhi in right order----A
Q2  sangam in india---A
Q3Khajuraho temples--c
Q4SABARMATI ASHRAM --B
Q5 md Ali jinnah----c
Q6 Periodicals of DR Ambedkar---D
Q7 FULL SELF GOVERNMENT BY BRITISH --D
Q8 Translation from hindi to persian--D
Q9gold coin of highest value during akbar--c
Q10 Silk route started by --A
Q11Prive purse --B
Q12NOMINATION TO RAJYA SABHA-C
Q13 Residuary power belong to-B
Q14 TRANSFER of education in concurrent list-C
Q15 Doesnt have legislative assembly -D
Q16 PIL-C,USA
Q17  India is -union of states-C
Q18 Dispute of election of president--A
Q19 economic drain--C
Q20 FIRST LOKPAL IN PARLIAMENT--D
Q21 first book by gandhiji-- B
Q22 OBJECTIVE OF BUDGET-D
Q23 parliamentary form of govenment--C
Q24 ZERO HOUR-C
Q25 citizenship belongs -A
Q262.39+1.61---B
Q27 VALUE OF X--B
Q28AVG age of 22 student is 21,,age of teacher---D,44 YEARS
Q29COW AND HENS ---C,26
Q30 B% OF 20 --A
Q31 MAHESH SELL 18 EGG-D
Q32 NO OF SQUARES--C,15
Q33 WHEN DO WE SLEEP-A
Q34 TOTAL NO OF MALES  IN FAMILY--D
Q35K IS BROTHER OF NAND X-C
Q36NO OF URVASHI IN ROW OF 30 GIRLS-b
Q37 MISSING FIGURE -B
Q38 RAMAN BORROW RS 12000---D
Q39 MEAN AGE OF FATHER AND SON-A
Q40NEXT TERM IN SERIES-D,J58Q
Q41 BHUVAN,MADHU--B
Q42MISSING NO IN THIRD TRIANGLE -D
Q43FILL IN BLANK --D,60
Q44 A IS TWICE GOOD AS B-C
Q45 RATIO BETWEEN SPEEDS OF TWO TRAIN : D
Q46ANIL TRAVELING 6KM TOWARDS  EAST-C,10KM
Q47 MISSING NO IN TABLE -B
Q48DISTRIBUTION OF FREENOTE BOOK AMONG CHILDREN-c
Q49 DISTRIBUTION--B
Q50A MAN FACING TOWARDS WEST : C
Q51 IN MIXTURE OF 60 LITRE,MILK AND WATER :B
Q52 3/4TH OF NUMBER --D
Q53CLOCK AT 12 O CLOCK--C
Q54   39 PERSON CAN REPAIR A ROAD -B
Q55WHAT IS DIFFERENCE B/T TWO DIGIT NO-A
Q56 MAJOR SOMNATH SHARMA--D
Q57 LAKHU CAVE --D
Q58-COURT LANGUAGE OF KATYURI-C
Q59PASS B/W DHARMA AND BYAS VALLEY-A
Q60 PRAJA MANDAL-D
Q61ORIGIN OF KHATLING GLACIER-B
Q62NOT A FOOTHILL TOWN-C
Q63 KAILASH MANSAROVAR YATRA PASSES-B
Q64 NOT RAIL TERMINUS POINT-D
Q65 NANDHAUR DUN-B
Q66 MAIN CENTRAL THRUST-D
Q67NAME OF UTTAR KASHI-D
Q68COLONIAL CONFLICT START-B
Q69 KUBJAMARK-A
Q70  PANDUKESHWAR COPPER PLATE--A
Q71 DANCE WITHOUT SONG -D
Q72DHAWAJ TEMPLE-C
Q73BHUMSEN-A
Q75 38TH NATIONAL GAMES IN UK-C
Q76 61ST CLEAN CITY-A
Q77 PRESIDENT RULE IN UK-C
Q78DOMINANT IN HEREDITY-B
Q79 DRUG FOR CANCER -A
Q80LOBES IS HUMAN LUNGS-D
Q81- BIRD THAT CAN MOVE UPPER JAW-B
Q82-IMMUNE SYSTEM IN BODY--B
Q83-CAUSE OF SWINE FLU-A
Q84- MAIN ELEMENT OF PROETIN-B
Q85 FIRST LAW OF THERMODYANAMICS- C
Q86 INSECTICIDES -B
Q87 PETROL FIRE EXTINGUISHER- C
Q88 FRUIT RIPENING -- ETHYLENE
Q89 SEEDS OF SUN FLOWER - B
Q90  PARSEC-A
Q91   1ST MECHANICAL COMPUTER-B
Q92  NON VOLATILE MEMORY-C
Q93 DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTER-A
Q94 MOST POWERFUL COMPUTER-B
Q95 MANAGE DATA BASE-C
Q96WORD PENTIUM-C
Q97 SMALLER FILE ON INTERNET- A
Q98 ALU-D
Q99 NOT AN INPUT DEVICE -D
Q100 TRANSISTER USED- B
Q101 RIVER CROSSES EQUATOR TWICE- A
Q102 COUNTRY AND CAPITAL- D
Q103 STATES ON MYANMAR BORDER- A
Q104 LAND OF THOUSAND LAKES- D
Q105 LIVESTOCK RANCHINGC
Q106LONGEST BORDER-C
Q107 HIGHEST LITERACY -A
Q108 MOUNTAIN PEAK IN UK-D
Q109-POPULATION IN 2030-B
Q110AVERAGE SEA LEVEL-B
Q111-STATEMENT ABOUT RIVERS-D
Q112STATE FORMATION-A
Q113 LARGEST PRODUCER OF PULSE-A
Q114-LARGEST RESERVE OF BAUXITE-D
Q115 LARGEST FOREST COVER-C
Q116 NATIONAL POPULATION POLICY-B
Q117 WORLD POPULATION DAY-C
Q118MOBILITY TRANSITION MODEL-D
Q119-NOT MATCHED TRIBALS-C
Q120 HIGHEST SEX RATIO-B
Q121 HEART OF CITY -A
Q122 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF INDIAN CITIES- C
Q123 NATIONAL AWARD FOR CHILD WELFARE-B
Q124 ECOSYSTEM WORD- C
Q125 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FIRST TIME-A
Q126 OZONE DEPLETION-D
Q127LAND DEGRADATION IN RAJSTHAN-C
Q128 BIO DIVERSITY-A
Q129 ACID RAIN-C
Q130MEGATHERM,MESOTHERM- -C
Q131 STAND UP SCHEME -B
Q132 BULLET TRAIN-C
Q133 1ST ORGANIC STATE- B
Q134 FASTEST TEST CENTURY- C
Q135 TAPI-A
Q136 2016-17 SAARC YEAR-C
Q137 AUNG SAN SUU KYI-D
Q138 OUTBREAK OF VIRUS- A
Q139 IS TERRORIST ATTACK- B
Q140-OLYMPIC GAMES- A
Q141 PERCAPITA INCOME-B
Q142 VICE CHAIRMAN OF NITI AYOG-C
Q143- MAODAYA KAVYA-A
Q144 HDI RANK- C
Q145 CLOSED ECONOMY- D
Q146 NIRD- B
Q147 VAT-C
Q148-SUPER 301-D
Q149 WHITE REVOLUTION-C
Q150-TAX COLLECTED BY PANCHAYAT -D

23 June 2016

Cow urine kills farm pests in Sikkim

Cow urine kills farm pests in Sikkim
It’s the main way pests are repelled on the farms in the Himalayan foothills and across the northeastern state of Sikkim, the first in India to go fully organic
Nimtshreng Lepcha seeps medicinal leaves in cow urine and sprays the brew over his tomatoes. It’s the main way pests are repelled on his farm in the Himalayan foothills and across the northeastern state of Sikkim, the first in India to go fully organic.
For more than a decade, Sikkim’s 66,000 farmers have shunned chemical weed killers, synthetic fertilisers and gene-altered seeds. Their return to traditional farming methods has made the tiny state, sandwiched between China, Nepal and Bhutan, a testing ground for a counter movement to the Green Revolution, the half-century-old system that relied on modern seeds, chemicals and irrigation to boost crop yields and stave off hunger.
Now, faced with health and environmental problems ranging from poisoned waterways and degraded farmland, to antibiotic-resistant bacteria and diet-linked disease, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is backing Sikkim’s approach as a safer, more sustainable way to produce food, support farm jobs and reduce the nation’s fertiliser bill.
“Other states can take a lead from Sikkim,” Modi told political leaders in the nearby state of Meghalaya last month. “The North East can become the organic food basket for this country. Organic products are going to be increasingly used widely,” he continued, and the practice “will contribute immensely to the income of the people and the region.”
Employment boost
India already has some 650,000 organic producers—more than any other country. Expanding the industry could boost employment by 30% through recycling resources, and certifying, marketing and packaging products, a parliamentary committee said in a report in August, without giving a time frame. Farmers in more than a dozen states, including Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Modi’s home state of Gujarat, are embracing organic farming.
India isn’t the only country looking for alternative ways to nourish its people. The United Nations’ (UN) new development agenda, which began in January, calls for more sustainable food production systems and the implementation of resilient agricultural practices that increase production, help maintain ecosystems and progressively improve land and soil quality.
“Poor farmers who cannot afford the inputs for intensive agriculture can benefit most from adoption of organic methods,” said Anil Markandya, a British environmental economist, who has advised international development banks, the UN, European Union (EU) and the governments of India and the UK.
Farmer Lepcha, who also grows maize, cardamom, cauliflowers, carrots, radishes and pumpkins on 2 hectares in Lower Nandok, abandoned his father’s farming practices 20 years ago, returning instead to the natural cultivation methods of his grandfather. The rewards from organic farming aren’t just monetary, he said.
“This field has given us enough of the best-quality food for my family and enabled me to provide higher education for three of my children,” said Lepcha, 56. “We all are in good health and stamina. I don’t remember when we last purchased medicines.”
Soils are nourished with composted cow manure and other organic matter, while pests are managed with the cow-urine spray brewed for three months, he said. In the colder months, Lepcha grows vegetables under clear plastic domes that trap heat and moisture, and are fitted with sprinklers for irrigation.
Yields rebound
Crop yields fell in the first few seasons after he stopped using conventional fertilisers and chemicals, but then increased as the fertility of his soil improved, he recalled. These days, Lepcha earns more than Rs.400,000 a year.
“I am getting profit with low input costs and higher margins,” he said.
Benefits of organic farming include less pesticide-related illness, improved household nutrition and gender equality, said Markandya, who is the former scientific director of the Basque Centre for Climate Change in Spain. Last year, he edited a 415-page report on organic agriculture for the Asian Development Bank.
“I don’t see organic agriculture replacing conventional, intensive agriculture, but as an important complement to it,” Markandya said. “There are many places where producers can benefit from adoption of such methods, and the demand for organic products is growing—not only in the rich countries, but also inside India.”
Growing health consciousness among India’s middle-class consumers is fueling demand, TechSci Research said in a report last August. It predicts the organic market will expand more than 25% annually to cross $1 billion by 2020.
“Consumers want it even though there is a premium attached to it,” said Renzino S. Lepcha, chief operating officer of Mevedir, a non-government organization in the Sikkim capital, Gangtok, that helps farmers to grow, certify and sell their organic produce.
Organic goods typically fetch about 20% more than conventionally grown products, according to Lepcha, who is not related to farmer Nimtshreng Lepcha.
“This is creating jobs, an avenue and a market. This is favouring farmers and India.”
Sikkim achieved organic certification of 74,190 hectares (183,000 acres) of agricultural land last year, the culmination of a movement that began in 2003.
“The start was not smooth,” said S. Anbalagan, executive director of the Sikkim Organic Mission, in an interview in his office in Gangtok. “We struggled to provide farmers required knowledge and infrastructure.”
Birds and the bees
With those problems behind them, farmers are now expanding into poultry, bee-keeping and other areas of livestock production, while the state focuses on improving services, including marketing, cold storage and transportation, he said. “Whatever Sikkim has achieved, it has done it mostly on its own,” Anbalagan said.
Organic exports will be bolstered by an airport in Sikkim, Modi said in January at an organic festival and conference. Discussion at the meeting “set the tone for a new holistic vision for the country’s agriculture,” he said. “The winds of this organic effort would now spread across the country.”
Modi’s government has earmarked Rs.412 crore for spending on organic farming in the year ending March 2017. It’s promoting organic fertiliser and says the use of natural nutrients could defray part of the Rs.70,000 crore India spends each year on fertiliser subsidies.
With the second-highest number of undernourished people in the world and an annual food requirement set to increase by almost 20% to 300 million tons by 2025, India’s needs won’t be met with organic farming, according to Shanthu Shantharam, a scientist who helped formulate the country’s agricultural biotechnology regulations in the 1990s.
‘Romantic idea’
“In many ways, organic farming is a romantic idea that won’t work,” said Shantharam, who teaches plant biotechnology at Iowa State University. He argues that organic production is impractical on a mass scale because of inadequate supplies of organic fertiliser and the lower crop yields resulting from organic farming. “India cannot meet its food security obligations if the entire nation goes organic. Organic is good as a kitchen garden.”
Product integrity is also a challenge for India’s organic industry, he said. “Whether organic rules are strictly followed or not, they slap an organic label on it and sell it a premium price,” Shantharam said. “Their niche market is urban elites who have lots of cash jingling in their pockets, and who want to buy organic just to feel good.”
Prohibitive prices
At the Sikkim Organic Market in Gangtok, vendor Birbal Rai says it’s mostly the health-conscious who are aware of the advantages of organic products and are buying from his stall.
“Others turn away when they see the price difference,” Rai said. Still, “the demand for the organic foods is gradually picking up.”
About 40 kilometres away, Vivek Cintury has set up a business to process ginger and turmeric, and dreams of becoming one of his country’s biggest organic exporters.
“After overcoming some difficulties, like a lack of cold storage and residue-testing laboratories in Sikkim, we have started making a profit,” Cintury, 29, said. “This inspires me to expand the business.”
Environmental activist Vandana Shiva says organic farming provides a solution to conventional ‘chemical farming’ promoted since the late 1960s Green Revolution, which she says, leads to $1.2 trillion a year in environmental and social costs in India.
“Organic farming is also the only solution to climate change,” said Shiva, a former atomic physicist and the managing trustee of Navdanya, a movement that promotes organic farming, biodiversity and conservation

PSLV-C34 Successfully Launches 20 Satellites in a Single Flight

PSLV-C34 Successfully Launches 20 Satellites in a Single Flight
In its thirty sixth flight (PSLV-C34), ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launched the 727.5 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 19 co-passenger satellites today morning from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. This is the thirty fifth consecutively successful mission of PSLV and the fourteenth in its 'XL' configuration. The total weight of all the 20 satellites carried on-board PSLV-C34 was 1288 kg.
After PSLV-C34 lift-off at 0926 hrs (9:26 am) IST from the Second Launch Pad with the ignition of the first stage, the subsequent important flight events, namely, strap-on ignitions and separations, first stage separation, second stage ignition, heat-shield separation, second stage separation, third stage ignition and separation, fourth stage ignition and cut-off, took place as planned. After a flight of 16 minutes 30 seconds, the satellites achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 508 km inclined at an angle of 97.5 degree to the equator (very close to the intended orbit) and in the succeeding 10 minutes, all the 20 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV fourth stage in a predetermined sequence.
After separation, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide remote sensing services using its panchromatic (black and white) and multispectral (colour) cameras.
The imagery sent by the Cartosat-2 series satellite will be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, precision study, change detection to bring out geographical and manmade features and various other Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) applications.
Of the 19 co-passenger satellites carried by PSLV-C34, two – SATHYABAMASAT weighing 1.5 kg and SWAYAM weighing 1 kg – are University/Academic institute satellites and were built with the involvement of students from Sathyabama University, Chennai and College Of Engineering, Pune, respectively.
The remaining 17 co-passenger satellites were international customer satellites from Canada (2), Germany (1), Indonesia (1) and the United States (13).
With today’s successful launch, the total number of satellites launched by India’s workhorse launch vehicle PSLV has reached 113, of which 39 are Indian and the remaining 74 from abroad.

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