Why in News?

• Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called for a “Team Agriculture” approach at the Rabi Campaign 2026 conference.
• The Centre sanctioned ₹1,200+ crore to 10 States under PM-RKVY and announced Khet Bachao Abhiyan from 22 October–30 November 2026.

Key Facts

Agriculture Linkages

• Agriculture is a State subject (Entry 14, State List), so the Centre works through Centrally Sponsored Schemes and coordination platforms.
• Rabi crops (wheat, barley, mustard, gram, peas) are sown in October-November and harvested in March-April.
• MSP is recommended by the CACP and approved by the CCEA.
• Soil Health Card scheme was launched in 2015, PMFBY in 2016 and KCC in 1998.

Why in News?

• Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav awarded India’s first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest & Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS).
• The certificates were given to APFDC (33,000 hectares) and an Odisha bamboo farmer; IIFM, Bhopal is the scheme’s operating agency.

About PRAMAAN

• PRAMAAN stands for Programme for Recognition and Accreditation of Sustainable Management practices for Agroforestry And Natural forestry resources.
• It is a national certification framework for forests, wood and non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and it links certified produce to domestic and international markets.
• It covers Forest Management, Tree Outside Forest (TOF) Management and Chain of Custody certification.
• Forest Management certification is assessed against the Indian Forest Management Standard, which is part of the National Working Plan Code (NWPC) 2023.
• Certification is done by independent third-party audit by certification bodies accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), which works under the Quality Council of India (QCI). It does not rest on self-declaration alone.
• The scheme aims to help Indian exporters meet due-diligence and deforestation-free sourcing norms of major markets, and to bring women SHGs, tribal communities and small farmers into certified value chains.

Forestry Linkages

• Chain of Custody certification tracks certified wood from the forest through processing to the final product.
• Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) include items such as bamboo, honey, lac, tendu leaves and medicinal plants.
• Bamboo grown on non-forest land was removed from the definition of “tree” by the Indian Forest (Amendment) Act, 2017, so it needs no felling or transit permit.

Why in News?

• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) signed an MoU on 28 September 2026 to preserve and digitise India’s tribal cultural heritage.
• The MoU brings together Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) and IGNCA’s archival and research expertise.

Heritage Focus

• The MoU covers tribal arts, music, musical instruments, languages, oral traditions, folklore, crafts, cuisines, customary practices and traditional knowledge.
• It supports the identification and protection of endangered tribal languages and oral traditions.
• It will help set up digital archives, dedicated galleries and digital museums on tribal arts and artefacts.
• It supports youth camps in educational institutions to spread awareness of tribal culture and sustainable conservation practices.

Constitutional & Institutional Linkages

• IGNCA was established in 1987 in memory of Indira Gandhi, and it is an autonomous trust under the Ministry of Culture, headquartered in New Delhi.
• MoTA was created in 1999 after being carved out of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Article 342 allows the President to specify Scheduled Tribes, and Article 366(25) defines them.
• The Fifth Schedule covers administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in most States, and the Sixth Schedule covers tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• Article 29 protects the distinct language, script or culture of any section of citizens, and Article 51A(f) makes it a Fundamental Duty to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.
• PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) number 75 and are identified for special protection.

Why in News?

• 10 States/UTs declared themselves fully literate between 2024–2026, including Ladakh, Mizoram, Goa, Sikkim and Jammu & Kashmir, with programmes like ULLAS and NIPUN Bharat supporting literacy efforts.

Literacy Framework

• Literacy is now defined as the ability to read, write and compute with comprehension, along with digital and financial literacy.
• A State or UT counts as fully literate at 95% literacy.
• ULLAS (New India Literacy Programme) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for adults aged 15 and above who missed schooling.
• It aims to cover 5 crore learners in 2022-27, with an outlay of ₹1,037.90 crore.
• It runs on volunteers through the ULLAS App (27 languages), and learners take the FLNAT for certification.
• NIPUN Bharat (July 2021, under Samagra Shiksha) aims for universal foundational literacy and numeracy by 2026-27, so that every child gets these skills by Grade 2 (ages 3-8).
• NEP 2020 targets a 50% higher education GER by 2035.

Important Data

Constitutional & Global Linkages

• Article 21A makes free and compulsory education a Fundamental Right for children aged 6-14 years, through the Right to Education Act, 2009, which came into force on 1 April 2010.
• The 86th Constitutional Amendment (2002) inserted Article 21A.
• Census and PLFS measure literacy for people aged 7 years and above, and a person is literate if they can read and write with understanding in any language.
• International Literacy Day is observed on 8 September.
• SDG 4 aims for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning.