Prelims Factoids
Gosikhurd project

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Gosikhurd National Irrigation Project.)
What's the NEWS

• The Maharashtra government has made a provision of Rs 1,000 crore in the 2021-22 Budget for the Gosikhurd National Irrigation Project.
• The project in Pauni taluka in Bhandara district of Vidarbha still requires around Rs 4,500 crore before it can become fully operational.
• The state's second-largest dam project, which was given the national status in 2009, is still facing financial ordeal even after 37 years.
• The project is crucial to the Vidarbha region, which has the highest farmers' suicide.
• The project, which started in 1984 at Rs 372 crore, failed to meet the completion deadline at least six times. Lack of funds and administrative apathy led to its delay.

Gosikhurd National Irrigation Project, Maharashtra

• The Gosikhurd Project is a major multipurpose project in Eastern Vidarbha and is situated in Bhandara District of Maharashtra State.
• The Project envisages construction of an earthen dam 11.35 km. long with radial gated spillway across Wainganga River near village Gosikhurd in Pauni Taluka, Bhandara District.
• It also known as Indira Sagar Irrigation Project is one of the major irrigation projects in Godavari basin in Indian state Maharashtra in the Bhandara district on the river Wainganga.
• The project was launched in 7th Five Year Plan by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during 1984.
• It has been declared as National Irrigation Project by Government of India.
• The project involved, Gose Khurd Dam along with the network of water canals including 99 km long right bank canal
• The project also included renovation of Asolamendha dam on river Pathari. The project is aimed to irrigate 2.5 lakh hectares of land.

National Projects

• Government of India has approved a scheme of National Projects to be implemented during XI Plan with a view to expedite completion of identified National Projects for the benefit of the people.
• Such projects will be provided financial assistance by the Government of India in the form of Central grant which will be 90% of the estimated cost of such projects for their completion in a time bound manner.

The criteria for selection of National Project will be as under:

• International projects where usage of water in India is required by a treaty or where planning and early completion of the project is necessary in the interest of the country.
• Inter-State projects which are dragging on due to non- resolution of Inter-State issues relating to sharing of costs, rehabilitation, aspects of power production etc., including river interlinking projects.
• Intra-State projects with additional potential of more than 2,00,000 hectare (ha) and with no dispute regarding sharing of water and where hydrology is established

Prelims Factoids
Tchaai Gaad

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Tchaai Gaad Shadow Fishing)
What's the NEWS

• The traditional form of fishing in Kashmir known as "Tchaai Gaad" (Shadow Fishing) is a local technique of Kashmiri fisherman to catch fishes in the waters of Kashmir especially in Anchar Lake in the South area of Srinagar city.

Tchaai Gaad" (Shadow Fishing)

• It is a technique where we hide under a thick blanket on the nook of a wooden boat, which helps us in creating a shadow on the part of the water and attracts fishes towards that shadow and later on catch them
• This old technique of catching fish from the water bodies like Anchar lake comes very handily for the fish catchers especially during the winters when most of the locals prefer to cook fish in the severe harsh winter.
• The old techniques are still in the currency in the water bodies of Kashmir as the modern methods do not fetch them bulk fish from these waters especially during winters.
• During winters in the water bodies like Anchar lake, fish remain beneath the water surface and does not come for any feeding to the upper surface due to cold.
• This hundred-year-old technique of shadow fishing helps us to make our earning by catching them by this old trick

Education
Linking of OTPRMS certificates with DigiLocker
Relevance IN - Prelims (about OTPRMS Certificates + about NCTE + about Digi locker)
What's the NEWS

• Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced that in order to ensure hassle free access to verified Online Teacher Pupil Registration Management System (OTPRMS) Certificates, the Ministry of Education has decided to link the certificates with DigiLocker.
• The Online Teacher Pupil Registration Management System (OTPRMS) Certificates will be available through DigiLocker.
• This has been done to "ensure hassle free access".
• The certificates can be traced on the website of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
• The issued certificates will automatically be transferred to DigiLocker and the same may be traced at the website of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and DigiLocke
• The Minister also informed that the registration fee of Rs. 200/-, payable for obtaining OTPRMS Certificates, issued by NCTE has been waived off.
• This will enable all stakeholders across India to be digitally empowered facilitating ease of doing busines.

National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)

• National Council for Teacher Education came in existing in 1993 with NCTE Act 1993 as a Statutory Body of Government of India.
• Earlier, NCTE was a part of NCERT as an advisory body to state and central for the matters related to Teacher Education.
• This council functions for the central as well as state governments on all matter with regard to the Teacher Education and its secretariat is located in the Department of Teacher Education and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

Objectives

• To achieve planned and coordinated development of teacher education system throughout the country.
• To regulate and properly maintain the Norms and Standards in the teacher education system and for matters connected therewith.
• It aims at training individuals for equipping them to teach pre-primary, primary, secondary and senior secondary stages in schools, non-formal and part-time education, adult education (correspondence) and distance education courses.

NCTE OTPRMS System

• At OTPRMS System (Teacher-pupil Registration), the candidates who have passed or undergoing any of the Courses under NCTE can register themselves.
• It is mandatory to register by every individual at NCTE OTPRMS to stand eligible for the recruitments as a Teacher in India.

Digi Locker

• Digi Locker is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) under the Digital India initiative.
• It aims for digital empowerment of citizens by providing authentic documents to citizens' digital document wallets.

Defence
Mobile Integrated Network Terminal (MINT) systems
Relevance IN - Prelims (about MINT system)
What's the NEWS

• In a big boost to the government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, the Indian Army is set to procure 'Made in India' Mobile Integrated Network Terminal (MINT) systems to enhance its operational communication capability
• The Indian Army is in the process of procuring Mobile Integrated Network Terminal (MINT) systems under Make II Category of DAP 2020

Mobile Integrated Network Terminal (MINT) systems

• The system is envisaged as a lightweight, portable, state of art integrated communication solution with satellite backhaul and wireless access system to support voice, video and data.
• The projects under industry-funded 'Make-II' category involve prototype development of equipment, system, platform or their upgrades or their sub-systems/ sub-assembly/assemblies/ components, with a focus on import substitution and innovative solutions, for which no government funding is provided for prototype development purposes.
• "Post evaluation of response submitted by the Indian Industry, a total of 11 (eleven) firms have been issued with the Project Sanction Order for development of prototype
• The Contract will subsequently be placed with one of the firms on successful development of prototype as per provisions of Buy (Indian-IDDM) of DAP 2020.
• The ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)' category refers to the acquisition of products from an Indian vendor that have been indigenously designed, developed and manufactured with a minimum of 50 per cent Indigenous Content (IC) on cost basis of the base contract price i.e. total contract price less taxes and duties.
• The development of MINT systems will enhance the operational communication capability of the field army in consonance to the self-reliance vision

Miscellaneous
National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (NIREH)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NIREH)
What's the NEWS

• Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the new green campus of the Indian Council of Medical Research's National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (NIREH), in Bhopal.

National Institute for Research in Environmental Health

• National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (NIREH), Bhopal, is one of the permanent institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a Government of India's apex autonomous organization for bio-medical research in the country.
• Indian Council of Medical Research, an apex national body in biomedical research in India, after the Methyl Isocynate (MIC) gas/toxic gas disaster in the night of 2^nd and 3^rd December, 1984 in Bhopal set up, a Coordinating Unit in 1985 and initiated several research programmes.
• ICMR also took initiative to compile the studies into three technical reports e.g. 1. Technical Report on Long term Epidemiological Studies, 2. Technical Report on Clinical Studies, and 3. Technical Report on Pathology and Toxicology.
• Relief and Rehabilitation Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal. Studies on Bhopal gas victims were also undertaken by Bhopal Memorial Health Research Centre (BMHRC) and several Non Governmental Organizations. However, the demand for longitudinal studies was repeatedly made by several sections of the society at various fora.
• The Government of India took cognizance of the long standing demand of the people and directed ICMR in June 2010 to establish a permanent research centre at Bhopal.
• The ICMR set up its 31st permanent Research Centre " National Institute for Research in Environmental Health" at Bhopal on 11th October 2010 to focus on the issues of environmental health research aimed at becoming a Centre of excellence in capacity building for research and health interventions to meet challenges in environmental disasters in the country.

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving
TEAM CL IAS