PIB Snippets
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UPSC Prelims & Mains
PIB Snippets — August 19, 2026
Today’s official releases — ICAR’s 97th AGM achievements, NCC’s Aparajita girls’ trek, strong RRB credit growth, and the Miyawaki forest transformation at Raichur
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ICAR 97th AGM & Indian Council of Agricultural Research
News Context
- The 97th AGM of ICAR Society was held in New Delhi, chaired by the Union Agriculture Minister, who stressed farmer- and market-focused research, stronger ICAR–industry partnerships, and faster “lab to field” technology transfer. The ICAR Annual Report 2025–26 was also presented.
About ICAR — Key Facts
- Full form: Indian Council of Agricultural Research — an autonomous organisation (registered society).
- Established: 16 July 1929, as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, on the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Agriculture; registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- Parent body: Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. President (ex-officio): Union Minister of Agriculture.
Foodgrain Growth
Production rose by about 19 million tonnes; growth also in horticulture, milk, and fisheries.
New Crop Varieties
386 new varieties released — 94% climate-resilient, 29 biofortified.
ASF Vaccine
Indigenous African Swine Fever vaccine — a major breakthrough for pig health.
IP & Gender Push
~805 IP applications filed; National Gender Platform now connects 9,000+ establishments.
Revolutions in Indian Agriculture: Green Revolution (foodgrains) → White Revolution (milk — India is the world’s largest producer) → Blue Revolution (fisheries), plus allied growth in poultry, meat and eggs. ICAR played a pioneering Green Revolution role, winning the King Baudouin Award (1989).
Source: PIB
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Aparajita – Parang La 2026 (NCC Girls’ Trek)
News Context
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the All India Girls High Altitude Long Trek ‘Aparajita – Parang La 2026’, a flagship NCC adventure activity. 28 girl cadets, led by three women officers of the three Services, will undertake a ~250-km, 30-day trek across Parang La Pass, showcasing ‘Nari Shakti’.
About the Expedition
- Organised by: National Cadet Corps (NCC). Named: ‘Aparajita’ (meaning “undefeated / invincible”).
- Aims: Nari Shakti, leadership, self-confidence, teamwork, endurance, and national integration (“Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”).
Parang La Pass — Key Facts
- A mountain pass in the Trans-Himalayan region. Altitude: 5,578 metres (18,300 feet).
- Connects the Spiti Valley (Himachal Pradesh) with the Changthang region (Ladakh) — one of India’s most challenging high-altitude trekking routes.
About NCC — Concepts for Prelims
- NCC — youth wing of the Armed Forces, established 1948 under the National Cadet Corps Act, 1948. Functions under the Ministry of Defence.
- Headed by the Director-General, NCC. Motto: “Unity and Discipline.” A tri-services organisation (Army, Navy, Air Force wings); voluntary for students.
Source: PIB
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Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)
News Context
- Per a PIB release (August 2026), Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) recorded strong credit growth in FY 2025–26 — gross loans up 10.3% to ₹5.78 lakh crore. Priority Sector Lending reached 91.7% of ANBC, well above the 75% target; credit to weaker sections reached ₹3.49 lakh crore.
About RRBs — Key Facts
- Established: First set up 2 October 1975 (via Ordinance); formalised by the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976, based on the Narasimham Committee on Rural Credit (1975).
- First RRB: Prathama Bank, Moradabad (UP), sponsored by Syndicate Bank.
- Nature: Scheduled Commercial Banks combining cooperative local feel with commercial-bank professionalism.
Ownership Structure
Central Govt 50%, Sponsor Bank 35%, State Govt 15%.
Regulation & Supervision
Regulated by RBI (Banking Regulation Act, 1949); supervised by NABARD.
Priority Sector Lending
Must lend 75% of ANBC to priority sectors — higher than the 40% target for other commercial banks.
Sponsor Bank Nuggets
Almost all PSBs (except Punjab & Sind Bank) sponsor RRBs; J&K Bank is the only private sponsor.
Also handle: RRBs disburse MGNREGA wages and pension payments in rural areas, and are treated as cooperative societies for tax purposes under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Source: PIB
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Miyawaki Forest & Raichur Dumpsite Transformation
News Context
- Raichur (Karnataka) transformed the 35-acre Yakalaspura dumpsite into a green asset under Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0. About 62,252 MT of legacy waste was scientifically processed, ~22 acres reclaimed, and a Miyawaki forest (~60,000 saplings) developed. Inaugurated on World Environment Day (5 June 2026) by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Miyawaki Method — Key Facts
- A technique to grow dense, native “mini forests” in small urban spaces, developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s, inspired by Japan’s sacred shrine forests (“chinju no mori”).
- Method: plant many native species very close together — about 3–5 saplings per square metre — forcing competition for sunlight, driving roughly 10x faster vertical growth.
Benefits
Carbon sequestration, better air quality, biodiversity enhancement, soil restoration.
Limitations
Expensive and labour-intensive to set up; suited only to small urban patches, not a substitute for natural forests.
SBM-U 2.0 — Concepts for Prelims
- Launched: 1 October 2021 (Budget 2021-22). Ministry: Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Vision: “Garbage-Free Cities.”
- Key focus: scientific solid waste management, source segregation, single-use plastic reduction, and bio-remediation of all legacy dumpsites.
- Legacy waste = old accumulated municipal solid waste; bio-remediation/bio-mining = scientifically processing it to reclaim land; leachate = toxic liquid seeping from waste heaps.
Source: PIB
