Daily Current Capsules - 18^th April 2020

Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Kisan Rath"Mobile App

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the app and its objective ) + Mains ( GS III storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers Food processing and related industries in India +scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
What's the NEWS

• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, launched a farmer friendly mobile application developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to facilitate farmers & traders in searching transport vehicles for Primary and Secondary transportation for movement of Agriculture & Horticulture produce
• Primary transportation would include movement from Farm to Mandis, FPO Collection Centre and Warehouses etc.
• Secondary Transportation would include movement from Mandis to Intra-state & Inter-state mandis, Processing units, Railway station, Warehouses and Wholesalers etc.

Know! more about the app

• This ‘Kisan Rath' App will greatly facilitate farmers, FPOs and Cooperatives in the country to have the choice to find a suitable transport facility to transfer their agriculture produce from farm gate to markets.
• The Mobile Application named "Kisan Rath" facilitates Farmers and Traders in identifying right mode of transportation for movement of farm produce ranging from foodgrain (cereal, coarse cereal, pulses etc), Fruits & Vegetables, oil seeds, spices, fiber crops, flowers, bamboo, log & minor forest produce, coconuts etc.
• This App also facilitates traders in transportation of perishable commodities by Reefer (Refrigerated) vehicles.
• "Kisan Rath" will ensure smooth and seamless supply linkages between farmers, warehouses, FPOs, APMC mandis and intra-State & inter-State buyers and help in reduction of food wastage by providing timely services. All these will contribute in better prices for perishable commodities.

All India Agri Transport Call Centre
Relevance IN - Prelims (about the objective of Call Centre) + Mains (GS III storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
What's the NEWS

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has launched the All India Agri Transport Call Centre to facilitate the inter-state movement of perishables in the current situation of lockdown due to the COVID-19 threat.

Know! about the call centre

• The Call Centre numbers are 18001804200 and 14488. These numbers can be called from any mobile or landline phone any time of the day or night.
• The 24x7 service All India Agri Transport Call Centre is an initiative of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), Government of India for coordination between States for inter-state movement of perishables - Vegetables & Fruits, Agri Inputs like seeds, pesticides, and fertilizer, etc.
• The call centre has been operated by the IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL) from their offices in Faridabad, Haryana

Science & Technology
Inactivated virus vaccine in focus for novel coronavirus

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the concept of inactivated virus vaccine) + Mains ( GS III Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
What's the NEWS

• Researchers from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) have embarked upon developing an inactivated virus vaccine for the dreaded novel coronavirus.

Know! about inactivated vaccine

• Inactivated vaccines are known for their safety and easy production.
• Vaccination is thought to be the most effective and sure way to arrest the progress and deadly effect of this virus.
• Active virus is cultured in large numbers and then killed either by a chemical or heat.
• When this dead microbe is introduced, the immune system is tricked to respond by producing antibodies against specific antigens still left intact, without knowing that the pathogen is dud.
• Inactivated polio vaccine and the rabies vaccines are made this way.
• As the pathogen is dead, it cannot reproduce nor cause even a mild disease. Thus, it is safe to administer to even people with lesser immunity, like the old and those who have co-morbidity.
• If we grow a large amount of virus and we can inactivate it, that will be material for candidate vaccine to be injected. Now the virus will not be active but the human body will recognise the proteins of the virus and start making antibodies against it.

Challenges

• The important technological challenge is to artificially culture and harvest the deadly virus outside of the human host.
• locating the right source of the cell line to culture the virus outside of the human body is key to this technology.

International Organisations
Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about ITEC programme + about SAARC) + Mains ( GS II India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India'sinterests
What's the NEWS

• The External Affairs Ministry announced rolling out of a training programme on management of coronavirus pandemic for healthcare professionals from SAARC countries

Know! more about the training and other initiatives proposed by India

• The training will be imparted by the ministry under its prestigious Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.
• At an India-initiated video conference of SAARC leaders on March 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that healthcare professionals of the SAARC nations could come together to jointly fight the coronavirus pandemic.
• India has already proposed setting up of a common electronic platform for all SAARC nations to share expertise and best practices to jointly combat the pandemic.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.
• SAARC comprises of eight Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on 17 January 1987.
• All the SAARC member nations are reeling under adverse social and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme

• The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme was instituted by a decision of the Indian Cabinet on 15 September 1964 as a bilateral programme of assistance of the Government of India.
• Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, who also served as the External Affairs Minister, was the main architect of the ITEC programme.
• The ITEC Programme under the nodal Ministry of External affairs is fully-funded by the Government of India: The expenses on training under ITEC Programme, i.e. tuition fees, living allowances, study tours, emergency medical assistance as well as return international air fares are borne by the Government of India.

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