Mahamastakabhisheka

• In Venur, Karnataka, the nine-day Mahamastakabhisheka celebrations get underway.

Context:

• Rituals at Venur, in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, marked the beginning of the Mahamastakabhisheka Mahotsava of Bhagavan Shri Bahubali Swami, the first Mokshagami and son of the first Theerthankara of Jainism.

About Mahamastakabhisheka

• The term “Mahamastakabhisheka” describes the large-scale anointing of the Jain pictures, or abhiṣheka.
• The anointing of the in Karnataka, India’s Hassan district at Shravanabelagola is the most well-known of these consecrations.
• One major Jain festival takes place every twelve years. It is an essential component of the complex and old Jain tradition.
• There are numerous significant Jain temples, pilgrimage sites, and monuments in Karnataka.
• The enormous and extensive Jain history of Shravanabelagola, Dharmasthala, Karkala, Moodbidri, Venur, Humcha, and Narasimharajapura is sure to astound the tourists.

About Bahubali

• As per the Jain beliefs, Bahubali is the son of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara.
• The Jains believe that after Bahubali defeated his half-brother in a duel for the kingdom, he gave up on the world and recognized how fleeting life is.
• Then, as per legend, he remained still in the Yogic posture of kayotsarga (literally, “dismissing the body”) for a full year, with his arms at his sides and his feet facing front. He was so unaware of his surroundings that anthills sprouted around his feet and vines climbed unchecked up his arms and legs.
• According to the doctrines of the Digambara sect of Jainism, his meditation led him to a true victory over human passion and made him the first human of this kalpa (world age) to achieve nirvana.

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)

• An elevated road that crosses nine animal corridors used by the animals of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve—often during significant floods—has been approved by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).

Context:

• National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, among other protected places across the nation, are governed by the Forest Land Diversion Regulation Body (NBWL). The organization oversees significant policy choices pertaining to wildlife protection in addition to controlling land diversion.

About National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)

• The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) was established on September 22, 2003, as a statutory board in accordance with Section 5 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972.
• The Honorable Prime Minister serves as the NBWL’s chair.
• Nineteen of its forty-seven members are ex-officio members.
• According to the WLPA, every new administration appoints a new board, with the new PM serving as chair.
• It is in charge of directing government decisions regarding the preservation of wildlife and approving projects in protected areas. Practically speaking, a standing committee is assigned many of its responsibilities.
• The Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change serves as the chair of the NBWL standing committee.

OPERATION ASPIDES

Mission Aspides, a Red Sea mission, was just established by the European Union.

Context:

• Numerous Houthi attacks have targeted vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Gulf of Aden since October 2023. Such attacks violate the freedom of the high seas and the right of transit passage in straits utilized for international navigation, which are guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. They also endanger the lives of civilians on merchant and commercial vessels.

About Mission Aspides:

• The European Union Council initiated Mission Aspides, a new defensive maritime security mission, on February 19, 2024.
• Restoring and defending the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf is the aim of this operation.
• The operation will guarantee the presence of European Union naval forces in the region, offer maritime situational awareness, monitor and defend ships from potential multi-domain attacks at sea, and closely cooperate with other EU operations and like-minded international partners.
• Greek city of Larissa serves as the operation’s headquarters.

FAIR AND REMUNERATIVE PRICE (FRP)

The fair and remunerative price (FRP), which millers must pay to cane growers for the fiscal year 2024–2025, was recently authorized by the Union Cabinet.

Context:

• A FRP of ₹ 340 per quintal of sugarcane was approved by the cabinet of ministers for the sugar year that would start on October 1, 2024. Since 2014, this is the highest sugarcane FRP that has been declared. The cost of production is 107% less than the new FRP.

About FAIR AND REMUNERATIVE PRICE (FRP)

• Sugar mills must pay farmers a minimum price for their sugarcane, which is known as the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP).
• In 2009, the government replaced the Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) with the Fair and Reasonable Price (FRP).
• It makes sure that farmers get paid on schedule, regardless of how much sugar mills make or lose.
• Based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), the Union government, specifically the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), sets the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP).

Sugar Cane production in India

• In India, sugarcane is cultivated as a Kharif crop.
• The following geographic circumstances are ideal for sugarcane growth:
• Temperature: A hot, humid climate with an average temperature between 21°C and 27°C is necessary for sugarcane cultivation.
• Rainfall: A range of 75 to 150 cm is ideal for growing sugarcane.

NATIONAL LIVESTOCK MISSION (NLM)

The extra initiatives were accepted by the Union Cabinet as a further adjustment to the National Livestock Mission.

Context:

• Rashtriya Pashudhan Vikas Yojana, popularly known as the National Livestock Mission (NLM), was created in the fiscal year 2014–15 and updated in 2021–2022.

About NATIONAL LIVESTOCK MISSION (NLM)

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare is the one behind the program.
• The purpose is to develop the livestock industry in a sustainable manner.

Objectives

• to improve the standard of living and nourishment for farmers and livestock keepers—particularly small holders—by means of equitable, safe, and sustainable livestock development.
• to create jobs by fostering entrepreneurship in the small-scale ruminant, poultry, piggery, and feed industries.
• to enhance breeds in order to raise production per animal.
• to boost the output of goat milk, meat, eggs, wool, and fodder.

The mission is implemented with the following three Sub-Missions:

• Sub-Mission on Breed Development of Livestock & Poultry: This sub-mission is concerned with the development of entrepreneurship and the improvement of breeds in livestock, sheep, goats, and pigs. It does this by offering incentives for entrepreneurship development to individuals, FPOs, SHGs, Section 8 companies, and the State Government in order to improve the infrastructure for breed improvement.
• Sub-Mission on Feed and Fodder Development: Through incentives, this sub-mission seeks to encourage entrepreneurs to establish fodder blocks, Hey Bailing, or Silage Making Units by fortifying the fodder seed chain and enhancing the availability of certified fodder seed needed for fodder production.
• The purpose of the sub-mission on research and development, livestock insurance, extension, and innovation is to provide incentives to institutes, universities, and organizations that conduct research and development in the fields of pig, sheep, goat, and feed and fodder as well as extension, innovation, and livestock insurance.