e-Pashu Haat portal
- It is launched under the National Mission on Bovine Productivity for connecting breeders and farmers of indigenous breeds.
- This portal helps farmers to be aware about breed wise information on indigenous breeds.
- Farmers/breeders can sale animals of indigenous breeds through this portal.
- Through the portal, farmers can obtain information on location of quality indigenous germplasm in the form live animals, semen doses and embryos.
- It plays a crucial role in development and conservation of indigenous breeds.
Vidyalakshmi Portal
- Vidya Lakshmi Portal was launched by the Government in 2015 to ensure that students can avail education loans easily through single window system of banks.
- It has been developed under the guidance of Ministry of Finance, Human Resource Development and Indian Bank Association.
- Through this portal, students can vew, applay and track the education loan applications to banks anytime, anywhere.
- The portal also provides linkages to National Scholarship Portal.
North East Venture Fund
- The fund was set up by the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi) under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
- The capital commitment to the fund is Rs.100.00 crore.
- The initial contribution of Rs. 75 crore is from DoNER and NEDFi. The balance (Rs.25 crore) has been committed by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
- It is the first dedicated venture capital fund for the North Eastern Region.
- Its primary objective is to promote investments in enterprises on various sectors like food processing, healthcare, tourism etc.
- It will provide resources for entrepreneurs from the region to expand throughout the country.
- Investments from this fund will be monitored by NEDFi.
State Investment Potential Index
- National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Delhi based non-profit think tank on economics has launched this index in 2016.
- It ranks 20 states and 1 UT (Delhi) based on six parameters.
- They are land, labour, infrastructure, economic climate, governance and political stability and business perceptions.
- Delhi has topped followed by Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra.
- Gujarat had topped both the previous editions of the ranking.
- Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar are ranked among the least favourable states for investment.
Portuguese man-of-wars
- Portuguese man-of-war is a jelly-like marine organism, commonly known as ‘bluebottle’ or ‘floating terror’.
- It was recently spotted on the popular beach in North Goa.
- While most jellyfish stings are harmless to humans and cause only a mild irritation, species like the bluebottle are venomous and can cause harm on contact.
- Goa Tourism’s beach safety agency has issued an advisory for tourists as well as residents to refrain from venturing into the sea.
Source: PIB, The Hindu
