Civil Services' Surgicals

FEATURE Agriculture Sant Bahadur*                  Dairy sector in  India   has acquired substantial growth momentum from 9th Plan onwards, producing 121.8 million tonne milk during 2010-11.  Per capita availability of milk reached 269 grams per day in 2010-11. This has not only placed the country on top of milk producing countries in the world, but also demonstrated sustained growth in the availability of milk and milk products for the burgeoning population.

The Union Cabinet today approved setting up of an Autonomous Organization named `North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach` (NECTAR) at Shillong, Meghalaya as a Society under the Societies Registration Act 1860, under the Department of Science & Technology w.e.f 2012-13. The total expenditure involved will be Rs.292 crore during the 12lh Plan period. The Ministry of Science and Technology proposes to establish a nodal centre in the North Eastern Region in the form NECTAR as a society under the Societies Registration ACT 1860. NECTAR would promote deployment of carefully selected technologies, emanating from the public funded research institutions under Government of India and State Governments, in consultation with the respective state governments, after assessing their application potentials. Source  : Press Information Bureau

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today gave the nod for more than doubling the amount for construction of individual household latrines from the existing Rs.4600 to nearly 10,000 rupees and also scrapped the distinction of BPL/APL families to achieve the total sanitation target in the country in the next 10 years. The Total Sanitation Campaign will now be known as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. Briefing the media about the CCEA decision here, Union Rural Development Minister and the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Jairam Ramesh said, Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab have demanded fair allocation for achieving the sanitation goals. At present out of Rs.3400 allocated for individual toilets, Centre gives Rs. 2100, State’s share is Rs.1000 and Rs. 300 comes from the beneficiaries, while Rs.1200 is leveraged through MGNREGA works as was approved last year. But now after the Cabinet approval, Centre has to dole ou