APRACA
- The Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) aims to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of rural finance and access to sustainable financial services for small farmers in its member countries.
- Currently, APRACA has members in over 23 countries, and it acts to promote the exchange of information and expertise on rural finance between them.
- It also provides rural finance-related training, consultancy, and research publications to assist them.
- They were established to provide financial services to small farmers and rural people in general.
- The two other regional agricultural credit associations are
- NENARACA (Near East - North Africa Agricultural Credit Association).
- AFRACA (African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association)
- All the three credit associations were established, with the help of FAO, following the 1975 World Conference on Agricultural Credit.
- Recently APRACA co-hosted 6th World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance along with NABARD in New Delhi.
Suranga Bawadi
- Suranga Bawadi which is situated in Bijapur Karnataka has entered the World Monuments Watch List under “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” of the World Monument Funds.
- It is an integral part of the ancient Karez System of supplying water through subterranean tunnels.
- It was built by Adil Shah-I of Adilshahi dynasty of Bijapur in the 16th century to supply water to Vijaypura in Karnataka.
Karez System
- Karez is a water harnessing technology in which groundwater is brought to the surface by a tunnel.
- In this system, no mechanical pump or lift is used, Gravity alone brings the water from the underground source.
- The technology originated in Persia/Iran and was widely used during the medieval period.
World Monument Watch
- The World Monuments Watch is a biennial selection program of ‘at-risk cultural heritage sites’ that combine great historical significance with contemporary social impact.
- It is a nomination-based program uses cultural heritage conservation to empower communities and improve human well-being.
- It was launched in 1995 on the 30th anniversary of World Monuments Fund to identify imperilled cultural heritage sites and provide direct financial and technical support for their preservation.
- The program also seeks to improve the resilience of communities, enhance social inclusion, and build new capacities in the heritage conservation field and beyond.
- Anyone can nominate a site to the World Monuments Watch, including private individuals and representatives of civil society organizations, community groups, government agencies, educational institutions, or other entities.
World Monument Fund
- World Monuments Fund is a private nonprofit organization.
- It was founded in 1965 by individuals concerned about the accelerating destruction of important artistic treasures throughout the world.
Geochemical Baseline Atlas of India
- Geochemical Baseline Atlas of India is developed by CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI).
- The atlas consists of 45 maps of metals, oxides and elements present in top and bottom soils across India.
- These maps help in finding out future contamination caused by industries or other bodies, which cause pollution on the earth surface.
- For instance, tanneries release chromium, by going through the map of chromium, policymakers will get to know regions with a high concentration of it.
- Earlier, there was no way to prove if polluters denied causing damage to the environment.
Ex- Tiger Triumph
- It is the maiden India US joint Tri services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise.
- Indian Naval ships Jalashwa, Airavat and Sandhayak, would be participating in the exercise.
- The US would be represented by US Navy Ship Germantown.
- The Exercise is aimed at developing interoperability for conducting HADR operations.
CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH)
- The Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) based in Chandigarh, India, was established in 1984.
- It is one of the constituent establishments of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
- The institute is engaged in research in many areas of modern biological sciences and microbe-related biotechnology.
Source: The Hindu, PIB
