MADHYA PRADESH
- Rs 20,000 crore defence corridor will transform Bundelkhand
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a defence industrial corridor in Bundelkhand has raised hopes in Madhya Pradesh of transforming this parched region into a land of opportunity.
- Geographically, MP has the larger share of Bundelkhand. If it gets a fair share of the Rs 20,000 crore investment and 2.5 lakh jobs, the defence corridor will prove to be a lifeline in one of the most underdeveloped regions of the country, with the highest migration rate.
- Of the 13 districts that make up Bundelkhand, six and-a-half lie in Madhya Pradesh — Datia, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Panna, Damoh, Sagar and part of Chitrakoot (the other part is in Uttar Pradesh). Agriculture is the predominant occupation in Bundelkhand with low industrialisation and low urbanisation. The majority of rural households rely on income from seasonal migration for work.
- Though agriculture is the mainstay of Bundelkhand’s economy, conditions are unfavourable for growth of cash crops like sugarcane and cotton, which is one of the reasons for its backwardness.
- Productivity is affected by poor water retention ability of the soil, weather fluctuations and large amount of wasteland.
- Rising input costs and frequent droughts are pushing agricultural labourers and small farmers out of farming.
INTERNATIONAL
- CSIR signs MoU with IORA: CSIR-CIMAP to host coordinating center on medicinal plants
- Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has entered into a MoU with the Regional Center for Science and Technology Transfer (RCSTT) of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for designating Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow (CSIR-CIMAP) as Coordinating Center on Medicinal Plants.
- The MoU was signed by Prof. Anil Kumar Tripathi, Director CSIR-CIMAP and Dr. A. Sedrpousan, Director, IORA-RCSTT.
- The Indian delegation was led by Dr. Girish Sahni, DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR.
- The delegation also attended the 31st Khwarizmi International Award Ceremony which was addressed by H.E. Dr. Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- The IORA Center at CSIR-CIMAP will establish a database on the important medicinal plants, their value added products, related experts and industries of the IORA member states and organize meetings and training programmes to promote trade, commerce and scientific exchanges to complement the strength and limitation of the member states.
· China home to 241 million old people: report
- China is fast turning into an aging society as the number of people aged 60 and above has reached 241 million, accounting for 17.3 per cent of the total population, according to an officials.
- A society with 10 per cent of its population aged 60 or older can be referred to as an “aging society,”
- Since China first became an aging society in 1999, the number of people aged 60 or above has seen a net increase of 110 million. It is estimated that the number of seniors will peak around 2050 to reach 487 million, 34.9 per cent of the total population, Mr. Wu said.
- As the old age population grew, which was largely attributed to the three decades old one child policy, China has permitted couples to have two children since 2016.
- China has stepped up nationwide education on ageing with the aim to raise citizens’ awareness and called on the public to care for the elderly.
NATIONAL
- ‘SRIJAN’ has been launched at MyGov portal
- Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) is taking up redevelopment of around 600 major Railway stations across the country.
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