1.RAJASTHAN FIXES MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION FOR COOPERATIVE BODY ELECTIONS
- Rajasthan has become the first State in the country to lay down the minimum educational qualifications for contesting elections to village cooperative societies and various other cooperative bodies.
- The required educational qualifications will range from Class V to Class VIII for election as members of governing boards of various cooperative societies.
- Rajasthan will be also the first state in the country to establish Recruitment Board by the Cooperative Committees, which will recruit personnel for the cooperative committees.
2. NGT IMPOSES BAN ON SYNTHETIC KITE STRINGS
- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed ban on the use of kite strings made of nylon or any synthetic material on the grounds that it poses a threat to animals and humans.
- Kite strings ‘manja’ poses a grave threat to humans and animals as a number of deaths are caused by it every year.
- Minor children are engaged by the cottage industry for the manufacture of ‘manja’, which causes respiratory problems.
NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL
- The National Green Tribunal has been established on 18.10.2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
- It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.
- The Tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice.
- The Tribunal’s dedicated jurisdiction in environmental matters shall provide speedy environmental justice and help reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts.
- The Tribunal is mandated to make and endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
- Initially, the NGT is proposed to be set up at five places of sittings and will follow circuit procedure for making itself more accessible. New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai shall be the other four place of sitting of the Tribunal.
3.INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE SOUTH ASIA REGIONAL CENTRE
- The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) South Asia Regional Centre.
- It will be set up at campus of National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
- Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA) will be also established in Varanasi.
INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- The International Rice Research Institute(IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with headquarters in Los Banos ,Manila in Philippines.
- IRRI is known for its work in developing rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution in the 1960s.
- The Institute, established in 1960 aims to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability of rice farming.
- The varieties developed at IRRI, known as IR varieties, are well accepted in many Asian countries.
- IRRI’s semi-dwarf varieties, including the famous IR8 saved India from famine in the 1960s.