19-May-2023: Shri Bhupender Yadav inaugurates Pashmina Certification Centre set up in Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav inaugurated Pashmina Certification Centre(PCC) set up in Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand with tagging the first unique ID barcode and issuing the PCC certificate. Shri Yadav said in a boost for Atmanirbhar Bharat the PCC will provide certification for purity of Pashmina products and absence of prohibited fibre for hassle-free movement of the products from India.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun had signed an ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), New Delhi, for setting up a ‘Pashmina Testing Facility’ in WII on 05th January 2023. Through this MoU, the EPCH collaborated with WII to establish a Pashmina Certification Center (PCC) for its associated members involved in Pashmina Trade.
The purpose of setting up this PCC is to streamline the Pashmina Trade and to provide a one-stop testing facility to certify genuine Pashmina Product free from any prohibited fibers to the associated manufacturers, exporters, and traders. All the tested products will be labeled with a traceable unique id tag with individual e-certificates, enabling a seamless trade of such products in national and international markets. In the absence of such a facility in the country, commercial woolen products get under scrutiny to rule out the presence of prohibited fibers at the country's exit points, which causes delays in clearance and associated demurrage charges and financial/business loss to the exporters and traders. The PCC at WII, Dehradun, will assist honest exporters and traders involved in the trade of genuine Pashmina products. Setting up such a facility in India will be a game changer for the seamless trade of genuine Pashmina products with authentic certification.
In concurrence with the Central Government’s policy, it is a kind of facility based on the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) model for assisting the Pashmina traders in obtaining authenticity certificates for selling certified and genuine Pashmina products. Under this MoU, the advanced technologies have been housed in a single facility supporting Pashmina test procedures. It is an example of a self-sustaining and revenue-generating facility in a government organization supporting associated exporters and traders on a payment basis. This facility has also generated employment opportunities for budding professionals on the PPP model. This certification will help buyer to procure authenticated and certified Pashmina products. The PCC certification will have national and international importance with the availability of authenticated certification.
PCC in WII will be one focal center to obtain a certificate for seamless trade of Pashmina products, thereby will assist in revenue generation for the country through artisans and traders. Pashmina is a major source of livelihood for the artisan and weaver community of Jammu & Kashmir; hence, this center will also help them to speed up their industry, which was under scrutiny due to the unavailability of such facility and frequent confiscation at the exit point of the country by the Customs due to suspect of potential mixing of prohibited fiber and export a mixed lot of banned wool along with the Pashmina under misleading name and labels. Further, this will discourage the use of prohibited fiber, resulting in Chiru conservation in their habitat.
15-May-2023: Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Inaugurates Integrated Biological Control Laboratory in Hyderabad
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Government of India, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the Integrated Biological Control Laboratory at National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) Hyderabad today, Telangana.
After inaugurating the lab, he emphasized that the use of biocontrol for pests is necessary to overcome the adverse effects of excessive pesticide use in different crops as well as to reduce the cost of cultivation and to increase farmer’s income. He underlined the need that the technologies developed in the laboratory should be taken to the farmers who have least access to information so that they can be convinced about the benefits of these technologies. He emphasized that there should not be any pesticide residue in organically produced agricultural commodities which are being exported to foreign market to keep up with the brand image of the Country. He congratulated all the staff and officials of NIPHM on the new Integrated Biocontrol Laboratory building and expressed hope that they will rededicate themselves for the cause of taking the technology to the farmers.
On this occasion Shri Manoj Ahuja IAS, Secretary Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Shri Raghunandan Rao IAS, Secretary Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Telangana, Dr Pramod Kumar Meharda IAS, Additional Secretary DA&FW, Dr Sagar Hanuman Singh, Director General of NIPHM, Senior Officers from Central and State Government, ICAR institutes, trainee officers and students were also present.
The new Integrated Bio Control Laboratory (BC Lab) is a state of art laboratory in NIPHM, have facilities for giving hands on experience on production methodologies for Biopesticides, Biocontrol agents like predators and parasitoids, Entomopathogenic fungi, Bio fertilizers, NPV, Pheromone and Botanicals. The use of bio-control agents, bio-pesticides, and bio-fertilizers will help in reducing the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, consequently reduce the adverse effects on the environment and human health and contribute to improved Soil and Plant Health. The BC Lab will also have an Insect Museum, weed museum, exhibition hall, Natural Farming Cell etc. to showcase the specimens of agriculturally important insects and weeds in the best preserved or live forms.
The new Integrated Biocontrol Laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, and the labs are staffed with highly qualified faculty members. NIPHM promotes sustainable agricultural practices such as Agro Ecosystem Analysis (AESA) and Ecological Engineering (EE) for pest management with enhanced use of different biological agents, bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers. NIPHM is conducting regular training programs on various aspects of insect pests and diseases management in different crops. The training programmes are attended by officers working in different states, scientists / academicians from Agricultural Universities, KVKs, ICAR institutes, students, farmers, DPPQ&S and private organizations.
Earlier, Sh. Narendra Singh Tomar along with Agriculture Minister of Telangana, Shri Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, Secretary, A&FW, Sh. Manoj Ahuja, APC Telangana, Sh. Raghunandan Rao IAS, Cyberabad Police Commissioner, Sh. Stephen Raveendra and other senior officials of both GoI and Govt. of Telangana reviewed the preparations for upcoming G20 Agri Ministers Meeting at Novotel Hyderabad on 15th May 2023.
Amongst several capacity building programs offered by the NIPHM, important ones pertaining to Plant Health Management are: Post Graduate Diploma in Plant Health Management (PGDPHM), Certificate Course on Plant Health Management in Organic Farming, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for various crops, Field Diagnosis & Management of Plant Parasitic Nematodes, On-Farm production of Bio-inputs, Production protocol for Biofertilizers & Biopesticides, Production protocol for Predators &Parasitoids (natural enemies of insect pests), Production protocol of Entomopathogenic Nematodes, Locust Pest Management, Advances in Weed Management, Quality control of microbial biopesticides., etc.
The inauguration of this facility is a significant milestone in the development of chemical free sustainable agriculture in India. The facility will help the extension functionaries to promote non-chemical options of pest management in agricultural and horticultural crops. The trained officers shall further train farmers in respective areas to adopt sustainable agricultural practices and promote the use of eco-friendly practices for pest management. This facility will also help in enhancing the knowledge and skills of agriculture officers, extension officers and farmers in the field of soil health management, organic farming and natural farming in the country.
11-May-2023: National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE) organises awareness programs on high-altitude remotely located villages of Uttarakhand on Mission LiFE
World Environment Day (June 5) is an occasion which brings together millions of people across the country for awareness and action for the environment. This year, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India envisages to celebrate the World Environment Day 2023 with a thrust on the Mission LiFE. The concept of LiFE, i.e., Lifestyle for Environment was introduced by the Hon'ble Prime Minister, at the World Leaders' Summit in Glasgow at the 2021 UNFCCC COP26, when he gave a clarion call to rekindle a global pursuit to adopt sustainable lifestyle and practices. Mass mobilisation across the country on LiFE are being organized in the run-up to the celebrations.