Relevance IN - Prelims (about NISHTHA) + Mains (GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
What's the NEWS

• NISHTHA National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) was launched in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
• The event was attended by around 300 teachers, Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and Chief Education Officers, DIET Principals and Educational Administrators.

• NISHTHA which is a National Mission aimed at improving learning outcomes at Elementary level through integrated Teacher Trainings.
• NISHTHA is a pioneer scheme being launched across the country, with a total of 86000 Elementary teachers of Government Schools being trained in J&K under the programme
• This Mission aims to build the capacities of 42 lakh participants covering all teachers and Heads of Schools at elementary level in all Government Schools across the country

Science & Technology
Global Cooling Prize

Relevance IN - Prelims (about global cooling prize) + Mains ( GS III environment conservation - steps taken by the government to mitigate the menaces of climate change
Global cooling prize

• For developing innovative cooling solutions which are energy efficient. and climate friendly

Know! more about the global cooling prize

• A global coalition led by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)- a leading global research institute; and Mission Innovation - a global initiative of 24 countries and the European Union to accelerate global clean energy innovation - launched the Global Cooling Prize in November, 2018 with the aim of spurring the development of a radically more efficient, climate-friendly residential cooling solution.
• Since its launch, the Prize has received overwhelming international participation - over 2,100 participant registrations were received from innovators, start-ups, research institute, universities, and key Air Conditioning industry manufacturers in over 95 countries.
• The winner of the Global Cooling Prize will be announced in November, 2020 and awarded more than US$1 million in prize money.

Know! about Mission Innovation

• Mission Innovation is a global initiative to accelerate public and private clean energy innovation to address climate change, make clean energy affordable to consumers, and create green jobs and commercial opportunities.
• It was announced by Bill Gates at COP21 on 30 November 2015, on stage with President Obama, President Hollande and Prime Minister Modi.
• At the launch, 24 countries committed to double their respective clean energy research and development over the five years to 2020.

Agriculture Sector
India to host the 8th International Conference on Agricultural Statistic
Relevance IN - Prelims (about ICAS) + Mains (GS III issues related to agriculture sector)
What's the NEWS

• The 8^th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS-VIII) will be organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in New Delhi from 18^th to 21^st November 2019.
• The conference will be organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, ISI-CAS, FAO, the USDA, ADB, World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Eurostat, AfDB and various other organizations.
• The theme of this year's ICAS is ‘Statistics for Transformation of Agriculture to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)'.
• This will be a learning opportunity for the statisticians, young scientists and decision makers in India to adopt modern practises in agriculture such as Big Data analysis, AI, precision farming etc.

What's the need

• Discussions are not happening in the field of statistics in the country today even if a large amount of data is available.
• The available data should be utilised effectively in agriculture sector with help of modern methods and practises taking inputs from the conference.

Know! about ICAS

• ICAS is a series of conferences that started in 1998 based on overarching need for agricultural data worldwide.
• The conference is conducted every three years based on overarching need for agricultural data worldwide and the last conference was held in Rome in 2016.
• The agenda for this conference covers domains of food and agricultural statistics, related methodologies, technologies and processes.

Economic Development/State Specific
First ever International Buyer- Seller Meet in Arunachal Pradesh
Relevance IN - Prelims (about APEDA and about the buyer seller meet) + Mains (GS III Economic development)
What's the NEWS

• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, held the first ever international buyer seller meet on Agriculture & Horticulture produce in Arunachal Pradesh on 14^th November 2019.

Know! more about the meet and its benefits

• Ten International buyers from seven countries of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, UAE, Sultanate of Oman and Greece participated in the meet and interacted with exporters.
• Growers and exporters showcased the products of Arunachal Pradesh like Mandarin oranges, kiwi, pineapple, king chilly, large cardamom, organic products, other fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices.
• To promote export of agricultural products and to facilitate market linkages for agri- exports from the North Eastern Region (NER) especially Arunachal Pradesh, APEDA and Department of Agriculture & Horticulture, Government of Arunachal Pradesh organised the Conference cum International Buyer- Seller Meet in Itanagar.
• This conference was held to provide a platform for B2B and B2G meetings of international buyers with the importers and exporters and the progressive farmers and growers from the North East Region (NER) particularly from Arunachal Pradesh to explore the opportunities and prospects of agriculture and horticulture exports.

Know! about the steps taken by APEDA

• APEDA has organised International Buyer Seller Meet in the NER to introduce the products of the North East States to the international market.
• BSM has been organized in Guwahati, Assam in March this year, followed by a Conference cum International Buyer-Seller Meet at Imphal, Manipur in June 2019 and followed by another in September 2019 at Agartala, Tripura.
• APEDA is holding promotional activities in the areas of agriculture exports, like providing support to exporters to set up infrastructure facilities like pack houses and cold storages.
• APEDA also helps exporters to exhibit their products in several national and international exhibitions. This event at Itanagar is part of the initiative of APEDA to bring the North-Eastern states of India on the export map.

Know! about APEDA

• The APEDA was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in December 1985.
• APEDA replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).
• APEDA is mandated with the responsibility of promotion and development of the export of agricultural and its allied products.

Defence
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates Sisseri River bridge connecting Dibang Valley and Siang in Arunachal Pradesh

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the bridge and its strategic location + about BADP and its projects) + Mains ( GS III Security challenges and their management in border areas)
What's the NEWS

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates the Sisseri River bridge at Lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

Know! about the bridge

• The 200-metre long bridge between Jonai-Pasighat-Ranaghat-Roing road will provide connectivity between Dibang Valley and Siang to meet the long-pending demand of the people of Arunachal Pradesh as it would cut down the travel time from Pasighat to Roing by about five hours.
• The Sisseri River bridge would help the development of Lower Dibang Valley and East Siang, the strong infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh would also act as bridge between India and South-East Asian countries.
• The Sisseri River bridge provides connectivity to Tinsukia via Dhola-Sadia bridge.
• It was constructed by Project Brahmank of Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

Border Area Development Programme (BADP)

• The Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs has been implementing the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) through the State Governments as part of a comprehensive approach to Border Management.
• The programme aims to meet the special development needs of the people living in remote and inaccessible areas situated near the international border and to saturate the border areas with the essential infrastructure through convergence of Central/State/BADP/Local schemes and participatory approach.
• The programme now covers 394 border blocks of 111 border districts in 17 States, which includes 167 border blocks in 55 districts of 8 North East, States (including Sikkim), located along the international land border.
• The State covered are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Under this programme priority is given to the areas closer to the border.
• The Government has initiated numerous infrastructure projects in the states for e.g the proposed Bhalukpong - Tenga - Tawang railway line, operationalisation of Pasighat airport, nod to Hollongi airport and approval to construct Sela Pass tunnel
• These initiatives reaffirms the Government's commitment to establish a strong and efficient roadways, railways, airways, waterways and digital network in the region.

Projects of BRO

• There are four projects of BRO in the state namely Vartak, Arunank, Brahmank and Udayak working relentlessly to meet the strategic requirement of the nation and also immensely contributing in the socio-economic development of the region.
  
  

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