Kalanamak rice is now small, strong

• Kalanamak, a traditional variety of paddy with black husk and strong fragrance, which is considered a gift from Lord Buddha to the people of Sravasti when he visited the region after enlightenment, is all set to get a new look and name.
• Grown in 11 districts of the Terai region of northeastern Uttar Pradesh and in Nepal, the traditional variety has been prone to ‘lodging’, a reason for its low yield. Lodging is a condition in which the top of the plant becomes heavy because of grain formation, the stem becomes weak, and the plant falls on the ground.
• Addressing the problem, the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has successfully developed two dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice.
• They have been named Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652.
• The IARI says the new name is in recognition of its association with the Acharya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology in Ayodhya, for testing the two varieties.
• The yield of the new varieties is double that of the traditional variety. The IARI and the Uttar Pradesh Council of Agriculture are working together to make the seeds available to farmers at the earliest.

About Kalanamak rice

• One of the finest quality scented rices of Nepal and India.
• Kalanamak rice has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag
• It derives its name from black husk (kala = black; the suffix ‘namak’ means salt).
• This variety has been in cultivation since the Buddhist period (600 BC).
• It is quite popular in Himalayan Tarai of Nepal i.e., Kapilvastu, and eastern Uttar Pradesh of India, and is also known as the scented black pearl of Uttar Pradesh.
• It was also featured in the book ‘Speciality rices of the world’ by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
• Rich in micro-nutrients such as Iron and Zinc. Therefore, having this rice is said to prevent diseases borne out of Iron and Zinc deficiencies.
• is said that regular intake of Kalanamak rice can prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
• It has 11% protein which is almost double of common rice varieties. Besides it has low Glycemic Index (49% to 52%) making it “Sugar Free” and suitable for even diabetic people.
• Have critical micro nutrients to fight malnutrition and improve nutrition status of the vulnerable section of society

Vande Bharat train hits cattle in Gujarat again, 3rd incident this month

• The Mumbai Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Superfast Express rammed cattle near Atul railway station in Gujarat on Saturday morning which damaged its front panel, an official said.
• This was the third such incident since the train service started on this route on September 30.
• The train halted for 15 minutes after hitting a bull but all the passengers were safe

About Vande Bharat Trains

• It is an indigenously designed and manufactured semi high speed, self-propelled train that is touted as the next major leap for the Indian Railways in terms of speed and passenger convenience since the introduction of Rajdhani trains.
• The first Vande Bharat was manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, as part of the ‘Make in India’ programme, at a cost of about Rs. 100 crore.
• The Vande Bharat was India’s first attempt at adaptation of the train set technology compared with conventional systems of passenger coaches hauled by separate locomotives.
  • The train set configuration, though complex,is faster, easier to maintain, consumes less energy, and has greater flexibility in train operation.
• Currently, two Vande Bharat Expresses are operational—one between New Delhi and Varanasi and the other from New Delhi to Katra.
• The 400 new trains will have “better efficiency”and railways are looking at making several of these trainsets with aluminium instead of steel.
  • An aluminium body will make each trainset around 40-80 tonnes lighter than a current Vande Bharat and this will mean lower consumption of energy as well as better speed potential.

Features of the Vande Bharat Trains

• These trains, dubbed as Train 18during the development phase, operate without a locomotive and are based on a propulsion system called distributed traction power technology, by which each car of the train set is powered.
• Its coaches incorporate passenger amenities including on-board WiFi entertainment, GPS-based passenger information system, CCTVs, automatic doors in all coaches, rotating chairs and bio-vacuum type toilets like in aircraft.
• It can achieve a maximum speed of 160 kmph due to faster acceleration and deceleration, reducing journey time by 25% to 45%.
• It also has an intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it cost, energy and environment efficient.

Terror activities up in J&K since 2021, India tells UN panel

• India informed the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) that there has been a steep rise in cross-border terror activities in Jammu & Kashmir since the end of 2021, around the time when severe financial strictures by global terror-financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), were eased on a “troublesome jurisdiction”.
• Earlier this month, the FATF removed Pakistan from the “grey list” of countries under “increased monitoring”. India informed the panel that terror activities had seen a slump from 2018 to the end of 2021, during which time Pakistan was placed on the grey list.
• Safi Rizvi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), on the first day of the UNSC committee’s meeting in Mumbai on October 28, informed that in mid-2018, there had been close to 600 terror camps across the J&K border.
• This was the time when Pakistan was first placed on the grey list. “The cross-border terror bases went down by 75% during the FATF listing.
• The Counter Terrorism Committee should notice how effective the U.N. designations and listings by the FATF are.
• The moment the talk started that the grey listing is about to end, the bases have gone up by 50% and we are expecting more scalable and more attacks on hard targets [security installations] and much more trouble,” Mr. Rizvi said.

UP CM announced cyber police station for every district in UP very soon

• The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to establish a cyber police station in each of the 75 districts of the State.
• Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday asked the State Home Department to prepare and submit a detailed action plan on it as soon as possible. “Cyber security is a must in today’s era.
• There is a need to establish a cyber police station in every district of the State,” Mr. Adityanath said.
• The CM also stressed the need to intensify the campaign against illegal manufacturing, sales and trafficking of drugs in the State.

Rise in demand for India-trained nurses after pandemic

• Following a lull over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, government data now indicates a continued sharp rise in the demand for nurses trained in India from several countries, including Ireland, Malta, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, the U.K. (Wales), and Belgium.
• Currently, there’s a growing demand for nurses, especially in the ambulance services, critical care, mental health, and geriatric care sectors.
• There’s also a demand for medical technicians,
• Overall, only 300 nurses were recruited abroad through the ODEPC in 2019-20. But in the period between August 2020 and February 2021, the organisation has sent over 420 nurses to the U.A.E., Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the U.K. “And this number is on the rise
• India ranks second after the Philippines in the number of nurses working overseas for better employment opportunities, higher salaries, and other benefits.
• According to the Indian Nursing Council’s 2021 annual report, India has 5,162 nursing institutes, of which 87% are privately managed and 13% are government-run institutes.
• The country has the annual capacity to train 1,92,679 diploma-holding nurses (auxiliary nursing midwifery or ANM, and general nursing and midwifery or GNM); 1,33,299 graduate nurses (B.Sc. and Post Basic B.Sc.), and 17,141 postgraduate nurses (M.Sc and Post Basic M.Sc.).
• In India, more than 60% of doctors and 50% of nurses/midwives are employed in the private sector

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced that India will contribute $500,000 to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism.

• India will contribute half a million dollars to the United Nations’ efforts to counter global terrorism as new and emerging technologies used by terror groups pose fresh threats to governments around the world, the foreign minister said Saturday.
• The money will go toward the U.N. Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism and will further strengthen the organization’s fight against terrorism

G7 countries have invited India to join Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP)

• G7 countries have asked India to join a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) that will help finance rapid deployment of clean energy projects in India and possibly reduce the country’s dependence on coal.
• India has not responded to the partnership offer as yet, officials aware of the matter said, adding that the external affairs ministry is now co-ordinating interministerial consultations on the matter.
• If India accepts, the JETP will likely be announced at the upcoming UN Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November.
• The contentious issue is whether India should concede to any clauses on reducing coal consumption as part of the partnership, the officials added, asking not to be named

About Group of Seven (G7)

• It is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in 1975.
• The bloc meets annually to discuss issues of common interest like global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
• The G7 countries are the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.
• All the G7 countries and India are a part of G20.
• The G7 does not have a formal charter or a secretariat.The presidency, which rotates among member countries each year, is in charge of setting the agenda. Sherpas, ministers and envoys hammer out policy initiatives before the summit.
• As of 2022,G7 countries make up 10% of the world’s population, 31% of global GDP, and 21% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Summit website. China and India, the two most populous countries with among the largest GDP figures in the world, are not part of the grouping.
• In all G7 countries, annual public sector expenditure exceeded revenue in 2021. Most G7 countries also had a high level of gross debt, especially Japan (263% of GDP), Italy (151%) and the US (133%).
• The G7 countries are important players in global trade. The US and Germany in particular are major export nations. Both sold goods worth well over a trillion US dollars abroad in 2021.

Goa will be hosting Global Expo India Summit from 8th November

Source : THE HINDU