Short News Article

International Relations (GS-II)

Operation Ajay

As the Israel-Hamas war escalated, many countries including India are trying to safeguard native people trapped in the fighting. India has announced to launch ‘Operation Ajay’ to repatriate its citizens from Israel and Palestine.

About the Operation:

• Under the mission, the Indian government will facilitate the return of Indian citizens through special chartered flights.
• Indian Navy ships will also be pressed into service should the need arise.

Polity and Governance (GS-II)

District Mineral Foundation (DMF)

The Government launched Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojna (PMKKKY) to be implemented by the DMFs of the respective fields to ameliorate the condition of mining affected persons and create a win-win situation for the stakeholders.

About:

• District Mineral Foundation (DMF) is a trust set up as a non-profit body, in those districts affected by the mining works, to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining related operations.
• It is funded through the contributions from miners.
• Its manner of operation comes under the jurisdiction of the relevant State Government.
• The objective of the DMF is to work for the interest and benefit of the persons and areas affected by mining related activities in such manner as may be prescribed by the state government.

Art and Culture (GS-I)

Udangudi Panangkarupatti

The Intellectual Property of India (IPI) has conferred a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the famous 'Udangudi Panangkarupatti', a product widely associated with the Tirunelveli District Palmyrah Products Cooperative Federation Limited.

About:

• 'Udangudi Panangkarupatti' is primarily associated with the state of Tamil Nadu in India.
• It is a product that has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its unique characteristics, including sucrose concentration, sap collection method, traditional preparation, and packaging methods.
• The 'Udangudi Panangkarupatti' is also referred to as palm jaggery, which is prepared using the palm sap collected from the inflorescence of palmyra trees that grow on the red sand dunes in and around the Tiruchendur region, such as Srivaikuntam, Thoothukudi, Eral, Sathankulam, and Tiruchendur taluks.

Art and Culture (GS-I)

GI Tag to cashew of Goa

Recently, the Goan cashew (kernel) got the geographical indication (GI) tag.

About:

• The application for the GI tag for the Goan cashew — derived from the Portuguese name ‘caju’ or ‘kaju’ in Konkani — was filed by the Goa Cashew Manufacturers’ Association (GCMA), with the Department of Science, Technology and Waste Management, Government of Goa, acting as facilitator.
• Particularly, the larger size cashew nuts are unique to Goa.
• Zantye’s cashews are harvested in the farms of Sanquelim, implementing the organic method of cultivation that is responsible for the production of high-quality cashew nuts.
• Cashews are native to North-eastern Brazil and South-eastern Venezuela – they were distributed around the world in the 1500s by the Portuguese.
• The cashew finally reached the coastal state of Goa, India, around the 16th century.
• From here, it spread throughout Southeast Asia and eventually Africa.

Concerns for Cashew growers:

• The influx of cheaper cashews has meant that several processing units and manufacturers in Goa have been unable to sell all their produce within the state, and have had to find markets outside, curtail production, or shut factories
• Higher minimum wages and compliance norms than in states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have also contributed to the decline in sales for traditional Goan cashew processors.