Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon): PIB Notes
In News: NRAA-Funded Wild Rice Conservation Project Achieves Major Milestone
- The Borjuli Site in Assam has been notified as a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
- The recognition follows the wild rice conservation project funded by the National Rainfed Area Authority.
About Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon)
- Oryza rufipogon is a wild rice species possessing valuable genetic resources for crop improvement.
- Wild rice provides valuable genes for developing climate-resilient, high-yielding and nutritionally superior rice varieties.
- The conservation project focuses on in-situ conservation and management of wild rice genetic resources.
- The project has been implemented since 2022 in Sonitpur district of Assam.
Wild Rice Conservation Project
- The project is funded by the National Rainfed Area Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- The project is implemented by ICAR-NBPGR in collaboration with the Assam State Biodiversity Board.
Borjuli Biodiversity Heritage Site
- The Borjuli Site is located in Sonitpur district of Assam.
- The site has been notified as a Biodiversity Heritage Site by the National Biodiversity Authority.
- The recognition strengthens conservation of wild rice diversity and climate-resilient agriculture.
Significance of Wild Rice Conservation
- Wild rice genetic resources strengthen climate resilience and long-term sustainability of Indian agriculture.
- Conserving crop wild relatives supports future food security through improved crop breeding programmes.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY): PIB Notes
In News: Government Approves Improved-Quality Rice under PMGKAY
- The Cabinet Committee approved improved-quality rice distribution under PMGKAY and other welfare schemes.
- More than 80 crore beneficiaries will receive better-quality rice through a phased rollout.
About Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)
- PMGKAY was launched in April 2020 to support vulnerable sections affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The scheme forms part of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package for social protection.
- Eligible beneficiaries receive 5 kg of free food grains every month.
- Free food grains are distributed in addition to subsidised ration under the National Food Security Act.
- The scheme covers Antyodaya Anna Yojana families and Priority Households identified by States and Union Territories.
Key Features of PMGKAY
- Improved Rice Quality
- Raw rice will contain up to 10 percent broken grains instead of the earlier 25 percent.
- Parboiled rice will contain up to 5 percent broken grains instead of the earlier 16 percent.
- Beneficiaries will continue receiving existing entitlements without any reduction in food grain allocation.
- Transparency and Efficiency
- QR-code tagging will enable end-to-end traceability across the Public Distribution System.
- The initiative strengthens transparency and accountability while reducing leakages across the supply chain.
Eligibility under PMGKAY
- Priority Households are identified by State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.
- Antyodaya Anna Yojana families are identified by States using Central Government guidelines.
- Vulnerable groups include widows, elderly, disabled persons and households lacking assured means of subsistence.
- Primitive tribal households, landless labourers and informal sector workers are also eligible.
Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana (KSVY): PIB Notes
About Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana (KSVY)
- Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana promotes, preserves and develops India’s rich cultural heritage.
- The scheme supports artists, NGOs and cultural institutions through financial assistance.
- The scheme encourages cultural programmes across different regions of the country.
Objectives of Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana
- Art Promotion: Supports cultural programmes, festivals, exhibitions and performances across India.
- Heritage Conservation: Preserves tangible and intangible cultural heritage throughout the country.
- Financial Assistance: Provides grants to artists, NGOs and cultural institutions.
- Infrastructure Development: Supports construction and modernisation of auditoriums, museums and cultural centres.
- UNESCO Heritage: Safeguards intangible cultural traditions recognised by UNESCO.
- Inclusive Participation: Encourages participation of rural, tribal and marginalised communities.
- Capacity Building: Supports training, workshops and skill development for artists.
- Cultural Exchange: Promotes national and international cultural collaborations.
- Cultural Tourism: Encourages culture-based tourism and strengthens local economies.
- Digitisation: Promotes digital documentation and preservation of cultural assets.
Key Features of Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana
- Grant Support: Provides financial assistance to artists, NGOs and cultural organisations for approved activities.
- Cultural Activities: Supports festivals, exhibitions, seminars, workshops and cultural performances.
- Infrastructure Support: Funds development and upgradation of cultural infrastructure across India.
- Intangible Heritage: Protects music, dance, crafts and traditional rituals of cultural importance.
- Inclusive Approach: Promotes participation from rural, tribal and underrepresented communities.
- Pan-India Coverage: Ensures cultural outreach across all States and regions.
- Flexible Implementation: Supports diverse cultural activities based on regional and institutional requirements.
- Institutional Strengthening: Encourages cultural bodies and academies to preserve India’s heritage.
- Cultural Awareness: Promotes awareness of India’s cultural diversity among citizens and global audiences.
BHASHINI: PIB Notes
In News: BHASHINI Showcases Multilingual AI Innovations at NCeG 2026
- BHASHINI showcased multilingual Artificial Intelligence solutions during the National Conference on e-Governance 2026.
- The platform launched the Rajasthan Language Model Training Hackathon for regional language datasets.
- The initiative covers Marwari, Mewari, Dhundhari, Hadoti, Mewati and Bagri languages.
About BHASHINI
- BHASHINI is India’s national initiative for AI-driven multilingual digital inclusion and language technology.
- It is implemented by the Digital India BHASHINI Division under the Digital India Corporation.
- The initiative functions under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- The National Hub for Language Technology enables BHASHINI’s multilingual AI ecosystem.
Objectives of BHASHINI
- Digital Inclusion: Enables governance services in citizens’ preferred languages across India.
- Language AI: Provides scalable speech and text-based Artificial Intelligence services.
- Citizen Services: Supports multilingual access to government digital platforms and institutions.
- Digital Governance: Strengthens language-first innovation for inclusive public service delivery.
Key Features of BHASHINI
- Speech Translation: Provides real-time speech and text translation across multiple Indian languages.
- Voice Services: Delivers AI-powered multilingual voice-based digital services.
- ShrutLekh: Enables real-time speech-to-text transcription and translation during public events.
- BhashaDaan: Supports crowdsourced creation and validation of Indian language datasets.
- Suno Sutra: India’s first handheld multilingual edge Artificial Intelligence device.
- Governance Integration: Powers CPGRAMS, Nyaya Setu, Arogya Vani, SabhaSaar and Yuva Saarthi.
Language Coverage and Capacity
- 36 Indian text languages are supported through the BHASHINI platform.
- 23 Indian voice languages are supported for multilingual communication.
- The platform also supports 35 international languages for wider language accessibility.
- BHASHINI offers more than 20 specialised Natural Language Processing services.
- The platform processes over 20 million Artificial Intelligence inferences every day.
- BHASHINI has enabled more than 8 billion cumulative Artificial Intelligence inferences.
- More than 800 government websites are powered by the BHASHINI platform.
