Corona Issues, tap water supply, costly Corn, French wheat, canola plant

23 April 2021

• Oxygen Express to deliver LMO to Maharashtra

  Oxygen Express trains, are to deliver LMO (Liquid Medical Oxygen) to the needy states like Maharashtra. These trains will carry LMO filled in tankers which have been selected for this purpose. Indian government's fight with Corona Continues as PM checked the status of Oxygen availability in the country, which states need it and how their requirements will be met.

• Will drones be able to deliver vaccines?

  Indian government has approved the request of ICMR to test if drones can deliver COVID vaccines. These trials have been allowed but with strict conditions over the use of the drones.

• Maharashtra's "Har Ghar Jal" plan

  At the moment Maharashtra has been able to connect 64% of its rural population with tap water supply. This year they are aiming to provide 27 Lac new tap connections to the rural areas. At the moment only 1 district has succeeded in "Har Ghar Jal" plan and the government aims at providing 13 of its district's with 100% tap water connections as soon as it can.

• Cost of corn worldwide goes up

  With increasing demand for corn especially in China and with production issues in Brazil, the cost of Corn is expected to stay on the higher side worldwide. There is huge demand but there is not enough corn to go around.

• China the biggest importer of French wheat

  China has already booked almost 500,000 tonnes of wheat from France in the next harvest. China has to spend their hard-earned foreign currencies on grains and corn due to shortage in supply in the country.

• Cargill to build canola plant in Regina, Canada

  With increasing demand for vegetable oil, animal feed and cleaner fuel, Cargill the US based food corporation will be building a canola plant in Regina city of Canada. The plant will operational by 2024.

• Prime minister tells states to watch out for hoarding and black marketing

  Prime minister said that Central government is making every effort to support the suffering states by not only supplying Oxygen but also 15 Crore vaccines have been given to them for free. He said the states must make sure that criminals are not able to make profit out of the problematic situation the country is in.

• Area for farming crops increases this summer

  More than 21 percent extra area is being used for farming summer crops than in last year. 73 lakh hectares area is under cultivation this year compared to 60 lakh hectares last year. Area for growing pulses has almost doubled.

• Rs 260 billion to be distributed as food grants to the poor this summer

  Under the National Food security act government has been assisting poor with their food requirements. Indian government will invest Rs 260 billion to provide 5 Kg extra food packets of necessary items, this summer, to the 80 crore poor covered by this act.

• Australia follows NZ and UK in banning flights from India

  Australia has ordered to reduce 30 percent of flights from India to Australia. Since there are no direct flights from India to Australia, how this 30 percent will be calculated is difficult to figure out. The Australians are claiming that travelers coming to Australia, having resided in India were more likely to be tested positive for corona than travelers from any other country.

• Protesting farmers now speaking about more than their original goals

  The protesting farmers started protesting about the three farm laws which they felt were anti-farmer. But as now they have whole day to sit idly, they have started commenting on government's other affairs also. However, they are trying to relate their protests to other happening or past incidents in the country.

• European researchers claim growing Legumes will help recover soil fertility

  European researchers have claimed that if you grow pulses, chick peas or beans your soil fertility and your environment will improve automatically. These legume plants produce nitrogen which stays in the soil and can be used by other crops that will grow on the field. These legumes are also nutrient rich and form a very important part of the human diet.