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<keyword id="22976106" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indoor" source="keywords">Indoor</keyword> <keyword id="19900550" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="air-pollution" source="keywords">air pollution</keyword> is a bigger <keyword id="21117961" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="health-risk" source="keywords">health risk</keyword> than <keyword id="20543591" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="outdoor" source="keywords">outdoor</keyword> air pollution in India, and sometimes cities are cleaner than nearby villages where <keyword id="22976772" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="household-pollution" source="keywords">household pollution</keyword> is higher, according to the country's two top policy experts. Addressing the India <keyword id="20445293" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="clean-air" source="keywords">Clean Air</keyword> Summit (ICAS) 2024, Principal Advisor, <keyword id="19904190" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Health-and-Family-Welfare" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Ministry of Health and Family Welfare" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Ministry of Health and Family Welfare">Ministry of Health and Family Welfare</keyword>, Soumya Swaminathan said, "Studies done in Delhi have shown that women's average exposure to high levels of <keyword id="20827287" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-carbon" source="keywords">black carbon</keyword> (women <keyword id="19895006" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WHO" source="keywords">who</keyword> are mostly at home) is as much as auto-rickshaw passengers going around outdoor exposed to the ambient air pollution in Delhi, resulting in high systolic blood pressure." "Cities contribute less than 20 per cent to the overall state emissions, wherever they have been assessed, but household emissions predominate, ranging between 20 per cent and 40 per cent. Across the country, we are seeing is that sometimes cities are cleaner than the surrounding villages where household air pollution predominates," she said at the summit organised by think-tank Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy. This builds a strong case for expanding the scope of India's National Clean Air Programme (<keyword id="20133150" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NCAP" source="keywords">NCAP</keyword>), which currently focuses on non-attainment cities. Air pollution is a major threat to public health and contributes to a significant amount of morbidity as well as mortality. Apart from PM2.5 and PM10, short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon, methane, ozone, and hydrocarbons have the potential to harm the environment and warm the atmosphere even more than CO2. Black carbon can cause chronic respiratory illnesses, lung cancer, emphysema, pneumonia, asthma, heart disease, and low birthweight. "In terms of reducing our life expectancy, globally, PM2.5 is contributing to about 2.3 years of life lost. Just below that is tobacco. In fact, there's so much attention on tobacco and global frameworks for control, but not the same level of attention has been paid to PM2.5 and certainly not the same level of commitments," Swaminathan said. The impact of air pollution is not limited to public health but has a significant economic cost as well. Recently, the World Bank published a study highlighting that air pollution has resulted in a loss of around USD 8.1 trillion in 2019, which is 6.1 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP). "We are always talking about air pollution as a problem but studies also show a strong economic case for action on clean air. There are significant positive consequences to investing in cleaning up the air in terms of the return on investments. We know air pollution is not just bad for our health, but it's also bad for agriculture, because it reduces the sunlight that's reaching the crops and it's bad for our economy or any country's economy as it deters people from coming and living or visiting those places," Swaminathan added. Kalpana Balakrishnan, Director, WHO Collaborating Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, said that the main barrier to shifting to clean cooking fuels that can help reduce household air pollution levels is finance. "If we give free LPG to women for two years, they are unlikely to shift back to biomass cooking even if you remove the subsidies," she said. Through Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) launched in May 2016, more than 100 million households in India received LPG cylinders by the end of March 2023. Studies shows over 50 per cent of the households that received new LPG cylinders under PMUY did not choose to refill it even once. Around a third of the world's population - 2.4 billion people globally (including 500 million people in India) - still lack access to clean cooking solutions. Although the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG) claims that the country's household LPG "coverage" stands at 99.8 per cent, the National Family Health Survey conducted in 2019-21 (NFHS-5) shows that 41 per cent of the population still cooks on biomass.

Indoor air pollution poses greater health risk than outdoor: Experts

Ahead of the union <keyword id="19936553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget" source="keywords">budget</keyword> 2024, which is set to be presented on the 22nd July, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman kicked off pre-budget consultations on 19th June. In their pre-budget memorandum to the <keyword id="19900485" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="finance-ministry" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="finance ministry" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="finance ministry">finance ministry</keyword>, the <keyword id="20366533" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PHD-Chamber-of-Commerce-and-Industry" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry">PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry</keyword> proposed 10 reforms it deemed essential for <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword>’s journey towards <keyword id="19916816" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Viksit-Bharat" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Viksit Bharat" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Viksit Bharat">Viksit Bharat</keyword>. Amongst the proposals submitted were introducing reforms to enhance the share of the manufacturing sector in India’s <keyword id="19904293" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GDP" source="keywords">GDP</keyword> to 25% by 2030, and the expansion of the <keyword id="19981334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PLI-scheme" source="keywords">PLI scheme</keyword> beyond its existing scope of 14 sectors. In addition to this, <keyword id="20366532" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="PHDCCI" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="PHDCCI" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="PHDCCI">PHDCCI</keyword> also emphasised on rationalising direct taxes for the middle class, infrastructure enhancement and smart village development, with special focus on tier-2 and 3 cities. As per Sanjeev Agrawal, President, PHDCCI, “In order to strengthen the share of the manufacturing sector in the country's GDP, we recommend the status quo on the corporate tax rate at 22% for existing companies and 15% for new manufacturing companies incorporated after October 1, 2019. The middle class must be spared from the 30% tax rate and this rate must be applicable only to those with taxable income above Rs. 40 lakh, this will support consumption demand in this country”. In addition to this, PHDCCI also emphasised on strengthening linkages between universities and industries for bettering research and development activities in the country, and also appealed for reducing cost of doing business. Here’s a snapshot of some prominent demands placed forth by the PHDCCI ahead of the budget : <ol><li>Change in NPA classification limit from the present 90 days to 180 days</li><li>Fostering AI education, skill development and competitiveness in the service sector</li><li>Increase agricultural exports to US$100 billion in the next 3 years via increased public investments in infrastructure,</li><li>Ensure the presence of schools within a radius of 1 km, colleges within a 10 km radius and universities within a 25 km radius in the next five years.</li><li>Make health centres available within the radius of 1 km and hospitals within the radius of 10 km.</li><li>Propose a Voluntary Disclosure Scheme (VDS) for legal cases older than 10 years, offering settlement opportunities at a nominal 15% penalty. </li></ol>

Bolster manufacturing sector, consumption this budget: PHDCCI to FinMin

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> has embraced technology in every field of activity. It is adopting smart farming methods through technology and innovation in the agriculture sector and this may prove to be a game changer in the days to come by substantially raising farmers income. How is this method beneficial? Smart farming involves the application of sensors and automated irrigation practices. It can help monitor agricultural land, temperature and soil moisture. This would enable farmers to monitor crops from anywhere. Moreover, smart farming can help integrate digital and physical infrastructures, which would benefit small farmers. Agri-based startups can reach out to the farmers and help them gain access to such viable and cost-effective solutions. Agri-based, tech-driven startups have been very innovative in assisting farmers and revolutionising farming techniques. They have also addressed one of the most powerful headwinds (climate change) through climate-smart farming. In a unique move, the Indian government is implementing a <keyword id="12166469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-Agriculture-Mission" source="Orion">Digital Agriculture Mission</keyword> (DAM), which includes India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA), Farmers' Database, Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI), funding to the states on the new technology (NeGPA), revamping <keyword id="3182679" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahalanobis-National-Crop-Forecast-Centre" source="Orion">Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre</keyword> (MNCFC), Soil Health, Fertility and profile mapping. According to a report published by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in 2019, there were more than 450 argi-based tech-driven startups in India as of 2019. This number has skyrocketed in the last two years as the sector witnessed a surge in investments and funding. Agri-based tech-driven startups have been very innovative in assisting farmers and revolutionising farming techniques. They have also addressed one of the most powerful headwinds (climate change) through climate-smart farming. Under the NeGPA programme funding is given to the governments in various Indian states for Digital Agriculture projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Internet of Things (IOT), Block chain etc. Adoption of drone technologies is being done too. To promote smart farming, the government promotes startups in the agriculture sector and nurtures agri-entrepreneurs. The 'Per Drop More Crop' component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through micro irrigation technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. PMKSY is a scheme initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The <keyword id="87560" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Council-of-Agricultural-Research" source="Orion">Indian Council of Agricultural Research</keyword> (ICAR) promotes innovation, extension and education in agriculture. A total of 1,575 field crop varieties were released for different agricultural crops during 2014-21. During 2014-21, 91.43 crore agri-advisories were provided to farmers through mobiles. ICAR developed 187 mobile apps on different farm and farmer related services during 2014-21. The agriculture sector plays a vital role in enriching India's economy. Agriculture accounted for almost 17.8 per cent of India's Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019- 20. According to the World Bank's collection of development indicators, employment rate in the Indian agriculture sector stood at 41.5 per cent in 2020. From a socio-economic standpoint, agriculture is a vital sector which requires focus and awareness at all levels. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, the rising population and changing diets have created a huge pressure on land in India. Farmers are struggling to keep up as crop yields level off, soil degradation rises, water shortage increases, biodiversity declines, and natural calamities become more frequent. Furthermore, agriculture accounts for almost 14 per cent of India's total greenhouse gas emissions. In the meantime, the NITI Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission of India) conducted a study entitled "Efficacy of Minimum Support Prices on farmers", in 2016, which found, among other things, that MSP declared by the government has encouraged 78 per cent of the farmers covered under the study for adopting improved methods of farming such as high yielding varieties of seeds, organic manure, chemical fertilizer, pesticides and improved methods of harvesting etc. Additionally, oilseeds, pulses and copra of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) are procured from registered farmers under Price Support Scheme of the umbrella scheme of Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), as per its prescribed guidelines. The Indian national Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to keep Minimum Support Price or MSP at levels of one-and-half times of the cost of production. Accordingly, government has increased the MSPs for all mandated Kharif (including wheat), Rabi and other commercial crops with a return of at least 50 per cent over all India weighted average cost of production from the agricultural year 2018-19. Moreover, India's National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) is the only source of enrolment for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), on which farmer applications from various designated sources including banks/financial institutions are entered. Specific cut-off dates have been prescribed for enrolment of farmers, debit of premium, remittance of farmers' premium to concerned insurance company and uploading of data of farmers on NCIP. The <keyword id="603825" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Food-Processing-Industries" source="Orion">Ministry of Food Processing Industries</keyword> (MoFPI) has been incentivising setting of food processing industries through central sector umbrella scheme �Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and centrally sponsored scheme �PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme across all the country. Under scheme of creation of infrastructure for agro processing clusters, a component scheme of PMKSY, the scheme is aimed at development of modern infrastructure and common facilities to encourage entrepreneurs to set up food processing units based on cluster approach and also to create modern infrastructure for food processing closer to production areas and to provide integrated and complete preservation infrastructure facilitates from the farm gate to the consumer. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/india-must-pitch-for-rupee-as-dollar-distancing-might-be-finally-happening-sbi-ecowrap/articleshow/93513940.cms">India must pitch for Rupee as dollar distancing might be finally happening: SBI Ecowrap</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/snapchat-comes-to-india-with-exclusive-features-heres-how-much-it-costs-and-how-to-sign-up/articleshow/93513880.cms">Snapchat+ comes to India with exclusive features — here's how much it costs and how to sign up</a>

Smart farming can prove to be a game changer in the coming days

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> is set to deploy drones to gather atmospheric data that is currently collated by sending sensors through weather balloons released from at least 55 locations across the country twice every day. The sensors embedded in a radiosonde, which is a telemetry instrument carried by a weather balloon, record atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind direction and speed as the hydrogen-filled weather balloon soars up to 12 km height and transmit data to the ground receiver through radio signals. However, weather balloons and radiosondes are unretrievable as they drift afar from weather stations that release them in the atmosphere. We are now exploring the possibility of using drones to gather this atmospheric data which is crucial for weather forecasting, M Ravichandran, Secretary, <keyword id="158211" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ministry-of-earth-sciences" source="Orion">Ministry of Earth Sciences</keyword>, told PTI. Various studies have suggested that specialised drones equipped with sensors to gather weather data could be an efficient successor to the traditional weather balloons. The <keyword id="6355166" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india-meteorological-department" source="Orion">India Meteorological Department</keyword> (<keyword id="6366970" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="imd" source="Orion">IMD</keyword>) gathers weather data from 550 locations across the country through weather stations and uses radiosonde observations which are then fed into forecasting models to issue weather forecasts. The drones have a key advantage over weather balloons as they can be controlled and guided to fly at low as well as high altitudes. The IMD plans to use drones to gather data from up to five km altitude and compare it with data gathered using the traditional weather balloons. It has invited industry and academia to join the demonstration of the capability of drone technology for weather observations. It is expected that drones should be capable, economically feasible, easily deployable and recoverable and should be technically comparable or superior to currently deployed radiosondes for upper air observations up to the boundary layer of upper air atmosphere, the weather office said. While the flight of a weather balloon usually lasts for up to two hours, the IMD expects to gather data using drones during a 40-minute flight. If successful, a key benefit would be reducing the wastage of radiosondes as the IMD loses more than 100 such instruments every day as weather balloons cannot be retrieved after their flight. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/2-out-3-indians-are-facing-digital-payment-issues-due-to-poor-network-connectivity/articleshow/92076595.cms">A survey suggests that 2 out 3 Indians are facing digital payment issues due to poor network connectivity</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/galaxy-z-fold-4-is-expected-to-come-with-1tb-internal-storage-and-snapdragon-8-gen1-chipset/articleshow/92074564.cms">Galaxy Z Fold 4 might be Samsung's most expensive foldable phone — here’s everything you need to know</a>

India is all set to replace weather balloons with drones

<ul><li>Currently, various departments of the government have separate apps for reporting hailstorms, providing market price information and more. </li><li>The new <keyword id="13490890" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="super-app-for-farmers" source="Orion">super app for farmers</keyword> will combine everything that farmers need in a single place. </li><li>Apart from this, the app will also provide access to new research and development, technologies, best practices for harvesting, and more, in a single place. </li></ul>The Indian government is reportedly looking to build a super app for farmers in the country, bringing several critical features like weather and market updates, advisories for different zones, government schemes and everything else under one single umbrella. According to a report by the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/now-government-plans-to-launch-super-app-for-farmers/articleshow/90504378.cms">Economic Times</a>, this super app will combine several apps launched by various government departments under the <keyword id="2290680" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ministry-of-agriculture-and-farmers-welfare" source="Orion">Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare</keyword>. Some of these apps include AgriMarket which lets farmers get the market price of crops within 50KM of their current location. The Bhuvan Hailstorm app lets agriculture officers catalogue crop loss due to hailstorms. The Kisan Suvidha app lets farmers access weather information, dealer details, market prices, advisories and more. Other apps currently offered by the government include <keyword id="3294108" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="pusa-krishi" source="Orion">Pusa Krishi</keyword>, MKisan, <keyword id="13490889" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shetkari-masik" source="Orion">Shetkari Masik</keyword>, Farm-o-pedia, among others. “The compilation of different apps under a super app at one place will help the farmers in choosing from a bouquet of services as per their requirements. The focus will be to aggregate these apps to further ease the process of searching a relevant app,” the ET report stated, quoting an unnamed ministry official. Combining all the services under a single umbrella would make it easier for farmers to access the relevant information with a single click. Apart from this, the new super app for farmers will also include access to research and development, information about new technologies in farming, harvesting, and more. It is not clear when the government will launch the new super app, but we should know more in the coming weeks. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/electric-scooters-are-catching-fire-in-india-should-users-be-worried/articleshow/90496840.cms">Electric scooters are catching fire in India – should users be worried?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-is-testing-increasing-file-size-limit-from-100mb-to-2gb/articleshow/90487646.cms">You might soon be able to send up to 2GB of files on WhatsApp</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/international-flights-from-india-may-see-a-drop-in-prices-in-the-coming-days/articleshow/90497379.cms">International flights from India may see a drop in prices in the coming days</a>

India might be building a super app for its farmers, combining weather, market updates, advisories and more in one app

In a bid to address the worries of the farmers, who are on the streets since last week to oppose the newly passed farm laws, the <keyword id="6357307" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Government">Central government</keyword> on Tuesday sought their objections as well as suggestions in writing, even as the talks between the leaders of the farmers' groups and the government held earlier in the day ended inconclusively. The government has asked the farmers to submit the written document on Wednesday, so that it could be taken up for discussion on Thursday. The government suggested the farmers' groups to make themselves properly acquainted with the new laws and thereafter point out their areas of concerns. On Tuesday, leaders and representatives of farmers' groups held a meeting with <keyword id="3801769" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-agriculture-ministry">the Agriculture Ministry</keyword> officials at the Vigyan Bhawan in which several Union Ministers, including Agriculture Minister <keyword id="6382481" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-singh-tomar">Narendra Singh Tomar</keyword>, were present. A fourth round of talks between the agitating farmers and the government is now expected to be held on Thursday (December 3). Besides Tomar, <keyword id="10364855" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="railway-and-commerce-and-industry">Railway and Commerce and Industry</keyword> Minister <keyword id="6355222" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="piyush-goyal">Piyush Goyal</keyword>, and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash along with representatives of farmers' organisations from Punjab and Haryana sat together for talks on Tuesday noon. During the meeting, the Union Ministers conveyed to the farmers the benefits of the Acts brought to improve the agricultural sector. The farmers' representatives, however, termed the laws as contrary to their interests. Meanwhile, Tomar has proposed to set up an expert committee to discuss the issues of farmers further, so that they can be resolved by mutual consent. The farmers' representatives, however, rejected the government's proposal to constitute a committee, maintaining that all the delegates will go through further discussions to resolve the matter. "It has been suggested by the government to the representatives of farmers' union to identify the specific issues related to farm reform acts and share with the government on December 2, 2020 for consideration. These issues will be discussed during the fourth round of meeting to be held on December 3, 2020," an Agriculture Ministry statement said. The government has assured that it is always committed to protect the interest of farmers and is always open for discussions for farmers' welfare. "Various issues related to farm reform acts were discussed at length and talks were held in a cordial atmosphere," the statement said. The over three-hour-long dialogue between a group of more than 32 farmer union leaders and the government remained inconclusive. The farmers declared that they will continue their protest and the agitation will be strengthened day by day until the government agrees to their demand. Farmer leaders, however, said the meeting was peaceful but the government was not ready to repeal its three farm laws, and proposed to form a committee to study and clarify law-related misconceptions to resolve the ongoing deadlock SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/heres-what-to-expect-from-maruti-mm-hero-bajaj-auto-in-november-car-bike-sales/articleshow/79489474.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"> November auto sales estimates — Here’s what to expect from Maruti, M&amp;M, Hero, Bajaj Auto, and other automakers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/centre-invites-agitating-farmer-unions-for-talks-on-december-1-two-days-ahead-of-a-scheduled-meeting/articleshow/79502391.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Centre invites agitating farmer unions for talks on December 1, two days ahead of a scheduled meeting</a>

Delhi Chalo: No breakthrough in talks, government seeks farmers' objections, suggestions on farm laws

<keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>'s agriculture exports (including marine and plantation products) have beaten the pandemic registering a growth of 17.34 per cent to $ 41.25 billion in 2020-21, a top <keyword id="6365809" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="commerce-ministry">commerce ministry</keyword> official said on Thursday. Speaking to the media, commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan said that excellent growth of Agri exports in FY21 has come after it remained stagnant for the past three years (USD 38.43 billion in 2017-18, USD 38.74 billion in 2018-19 and USD 35.16 billion 2019-20). In rupee terms, the increase is 22.62 per cent with exports during 2020-21 amounting to Rs 3.05 lakh crore as compared to ₹2.49 lakh crore during 2019-20. India's agricultural and allied imports during 2019-20 were USD 20.64 billion, and the corresponding figures for 2020-21 are USD 20.67 billion. Despite COVID-19, the balance of trade in agriculture has improved by 42.16% from USD 14.51 billion to USD 20.58 billion. For <keyword id="594180" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture-products">agriculture products</keyword> (excluding marine and plantation products), the growth is 28.36% with exports of USD 29.81 billion in 2020-21 as compared to USD 23.23 billion in 2019-20. India has been able to take advantage of the increased demand for staples during the COVID-19 period. Huge growth has been seen in export of cereals with export of non-basmati rice growing by 136.04% to USD 4794.54 million; wheat by 774.17% to USD 549.16 million; and other cereals (millets, maize and other coarse gains) by 238.28% to USD 694.14 million. Other agricultural products, which registered a significant increase in exports as compared to 2019-20, were oil meals (USD 1575.34 million -growth of 90.28%), sugar (USD 2789.97 million - growth 41.88%), raw cotton (USD 1897.20 million - growth 79.43%), fresh vegetables (USD 721.47 million - growth 10.71%) and vegetable oils (USD 602.77 million- growth 254.39%) etc. The largest markets for India's agriculture products are the USA, <keyword id="1334" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>, <keyword id="6354759" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bangladesh">Bangladesh</keyword>, UAE, Vietnam, <keyword id="50996" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saudi-Arabia">Saudi Arabia</keyword>, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran and Malaysia. Exports to most of these destinations have registered growth, with the highest growth being recorded for Indonesia (102.42%), Bangladesh (95.93%) and Nepal (50.49%). Export of spices like ginger, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, saffron etc., which have known therapeutic qualities, has also grown substantially. During 2020-21, export of pepper increased by 28.72% to USD 1269.38 million; cinnamon by 64.47% to USD 11.25 million; nutmeg, mace and cardamom by 132.03% (USD 189.34 million vs USD 81.60 million); and ginger, saffron, turmeric, thyme, bay leaves etc. by 35.44% to USD 570.63 million. Export of spices touched the highest ever level of around USD 4 billion during 2020-21. The organic exports during 2020-21 were USD 1040 million as against USD 689 million in 2019-20, registering a growth of 50.94%. Organic exports include oil cake/meals, oil seeds, cereals and millets, spices and condiments, tea, medicinal plant products, dry fruits, sugar, pulses, coffee etc. Exports have also taken place from several clusters for the first time. For instance, export of fresh vegetables and mangoes from Varanasi and black rice from Chandauli has taken place for the first time, directly benefitting farmers of the area. Exports have also taken place from other clusters viz. oranges from Nagpur, bananas from Theni and Ananthpur, mangoes from Lucknow etc. Despite the pandemic, export of fresh horticulture produce took place by multimodal mode and consignments were shipped by air and sea to Dubai, London and other destinations from these areas. Handholding by the Department for market linkages, post-harvest value chain development and the institutional structure such as FPOs, enabled North East farmers to send their value-added products beyond the Indian borders. Cereal exports have done well during 2020-21. The country has been able to export to several countries for the first time. For example rice has been exported to countries like Timor-Leste, Puerto Rico, Brazil, for the first time. Similarly wheat has been exported to countries like Yemen, Indonesia, Bhutan and other cereals have been exported to Sudan, Poland Bolivia. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/realme-is-expected-to-launch-the-realme-book-and-realme-pad-on-june-15/articleshow/83398969.cms">Realme Book leaked ahead of launch, expected to debut with Realme Pad on June 15</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/iran-is-planning-to-introduce-a-legal-framework-for-crypto-even-as-bitcoin-mining-activity-remains-restricted/articleshow/83396588.cms">Iran is planning to introduce a legal framework for crypto even as bitcoin mining activity remains restricted</a>

India's agriculture exports jump to $41 billion in 2020-21 despite pandemic disruptions, say commerce ministry officials

Delhi, Two days after the <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword>' unions expressed that they are ready to hold <keyword id="7337" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Talks">talks</keyword> with the <keyword id="6400599" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="goverment">goverment</keyword> over the three <keyword id="9971420" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agricultural-laws">agricultural laws</keyword>, the <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword>, while accepting their proposal, has fixed December 30 to hold fresh talks. In a letter signed by the Secretary, <keyword id="107414" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-agriculture">Ministry of Agriculture</keyword>, the government said that the meeting between the farmer leaders and the council of ministers would take place at Vigyan Bhawan on December 30 at 2 pm. This would be the <keyword id="9973225" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sixth-round">sixth round</keyword> of talks between the farmers and the goverment. The earlier rounds of talks remained inconclusive. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/jack-ma-ant-group-asked-to-overhaul-its-business-model-by-china-central-bank/articleshow/79987683.cms">China's central bank wants Jack Ma's Ant Group to overhaul its business model</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/indian-space-startup-skyroot-aerospace-successfully-test-fires-first-solid-rocket-propulsion-stage-demonstrator-called-kalam-5/articleshow/79988975.cms">India’s first-ever privately designed and developed rocket is a step closer to becoming a reality in 2021</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/checkout-upcoming-new-smartphone-in-2021-in-india/articleshow/79988945.cms">Top upcoming smartphones to look out for in 2021</a>

Government calls for a sixth round of talks with protesting farmers organisations on December 30

New Delhi, The government has paid ₹1,364 crore to 20.48 lakh undeserving beneficiaries under its ambitious <keyword id="7292387" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="pm-kisan">PM-KISAN</keyword> scheme, a reply to a Right to Information (<keyword id="6356198" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="RTI">RTI</keyword>) query by the <keyword id="166166" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-agriculture-ministry">Union Agriculture Ministry</keyword> reveals. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sammann Nidhi (PM-KISAN) was launched by the <keyword id="6356303" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Centre">Centre</keyword> in 2019 and under the scheme, an income support of ₹6,000 per year in three equal installments is paid to small and marginal farmer families having combined land holding or ownership of up to 2 hectares. The Union Agriculture Ministry, in response to the RTI application, identified two categories of undeserving beneficiaries who received PM-KISAN payouts as "ineligible farmers" and "<keyword id="10572807" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="income-tax-payee-farmers">income tax payee farmers</keyword> . RTI applicant Venkatesh Nayak of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) who received the data from the government said, "More than half (55.58%) of these undeserving persons belong to the income tax payee category'." "The remaining 44.41% belong to the ineligible farmers' category'," he added. Nayak said according to media reports, proceedings have been initiated to recover these funds transferred to undeserving persons. He said data obtained under RTI Act, 2005, indicated that since the commencement of the PM-KISAN Yojana in 2019, ₹1,364.13 crore (USD 186.59 million) has been paid to ineligible persons' and income tax payee farmers' till July 31, 2020. "Government's own data indicates money went into the wrong hands," he added. A major chunk of these ineligible beneficiaries belongs to five states -- Punjab, Assam, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, as per the data. "Punjab tops the list accounting for 23.16% (4.74 lakh) of the total number of undeserving persons across the country who received payouts, followed by Assam with 16.87% (3.45 lakh beneficiaries) and Maharashtra with 13.99% (2.86 lakh beneficiaries). These three states account for more than half (54.03%) of the number of undeserving persons who received payouts," Nayak said Gujarat is at the fourth position with 8.05% (1.64 lakh beneficiaries), followed by Uttar Pradesh at fifth position with 8.01% (1.64 lakh beneficiaries), he said. Sikkim with just one undeserving beneficiary reported the lowest figure, Nayak said. "The total amount of ₹1,364.13 crore was paid to recipients across the states in 68.20 lakh installments (where each installment of ₹2,000 paid out per recipient is counted separately). Out of this, 49.25 lakh installments were paid to IT payee farmers' while 18.95 lakh installments were paid to ineligible farmers' across the country," he said quoting the RTI data. Under the scheme, an amount of ₹6,000 per year is transferred in three installments of ₹2,000 every four months directly into the bank accounts of the farmers, subject to certain exclusion criteria relating to higher income status, a PIB statement had said. The scheme was formally launched on February 24, 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a grand function in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Several categories of farmers are excluded from the scheme like institutional landholders; farmer families in which one or more members is among beneficiaries -- former and present holders of constitutional posts; former and present ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, mayors and chairmen of district panchayat; serving and retired government employees; pensioners receiving over ₹10,000 monthly pension; income tax payees and professionals such as doctors, engineers, chartered accountants and architects etc. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-delivers-yet-another-strong-quarter-with-16-growth-in-profit-as-covid-drives-tech-spending/articleshow/80173561.cms">TCS delivers yet another strong quarter with 16% growth in profit as COVID drives tech spending</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/dmart-the-nearly-two-trillion-dollar-indian-retailer-may-post-strong-earnings-watch-out-for-the-progress-on-e-commerce/articleshow/80172629.cms">DMart, the nearly two trillion dollar Indian retailer, may post strong earnings ⁠— watch out for the progress on e-commerce</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/oyo-bags-a-7-4-million-cheque-as-pandemic-forces-ritesh-agarwal-to-reimagine-the-business/articleshow/80170847.cms">OYO bags a $7.4 million cheque as pandemic forces Ritesh Agarwal to reimagine the business</a>

You Searched For "agriculture ministry" and got 9 results

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India's agriculture exports jump to $41 billion in 2020-21 despite pandemic disruptions, say commerce ministry officials

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Government pays ₹1,364 crore to over 20 lakh undeserving beneficiaries under PM-KISAN, reveals RTI data

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