The Department of Fisheries intends to speed up the pace of implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) as it enters its fourth year of operation.

The Department of Fisheries, which is a part of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy, created the "Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)" programme to expand India's fisheries industry in a way that is ecologically sound, commercially viable, and socially inclusive.

About Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana

It is a flagship programme for the country's fisheries industry, with a projected investment of 20,050 crore for its implementation from 2020–2021 to 2024–2025 as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package.

Through the responsible and sustainable development of India's fisheries industry, PMMSY will bring about the Blue Revolution.

A new sub-scheme under the PMMSY has been announced in the Union Budget for 2023–24, with an investment of Rs. 6,000 crore, to support the operations of fish vendors, fishermen, and micro and small businesses for enhancing value chain efficiencies and growing the market.

Fishermen are given insurance protection, financial aid, and the option of a Kisan Credit Card (KCC) in order to make access to institutional credit easier.

Objective of the PMMSY

1. Make use of the fishing industry's potential in a way that is equitable, accountable, inclusive, and sustainable.

2. Increase fish output and productivity through increasing land and water use, as well as their intensity, variety, and productive use.

3. Improve quality and modernise all aspects of the value chain, including post-harvest management.

4. Increase the incomes of fishermen and fish growers by twofold and create worthwhile jobs.

5. Increase the fisheries sector's contribution to agricultural GVA and exports.

6. Make sure that fishers and fish farmers have economic, physical, and social security.

7. Establish a strong regulatory and management framework for fisheries.

Potential benefit of the scheme

Financial support for the development of fishing infrastructure: The programme offers financial support for the construction of fishing harbours, fish landing stations, fish markets, fish feed factories, fish seed farms, and fish processing facilities.

Credit-linked subsidy for fish farmers: To encourage fish farmers to start fish farming as a company, the programme offers a credit-linked incentive for them.

Support for fish product marketing and export: The programme offers help for the establishment of cold chains, fish processing facilities, and packaging facilities to support the export of fish products.

For a sizable percentage of the economically underprivileged people of the nation, it represents a significant source of income.

Integrating fish farming and diversifying fish production are crucial for improving fish output.

Implementation body

It is carried out as an umbrella system with two distinct parts, namely

the Central Sector system:

The Central government is responsible for covering the project's costs. The Government of India (GoI) will provide 100% of the project's or unit's funding.

Centrally Sponsored Scheme:

The States/UTs will carry out each sub-component and activity, and the Centre and States will split the costs.

90% of the region is in the Central States, and 10% is in the North Eastern and Himalayan States.

40% of other States are state-owned, and 60% are centralised.

In order to plan and implement PMMSY effectively, a well-structured framework would be established.

In order to achieve the best results, a "Cluster or area-based approach" would be used, along with the necessary forward and backward connections and end-to-end solutions.

Fact about fisheries sector

The country's socioeconomic development places a significant emphasis on the fishing industry.

After China, India is the world's second-largest producer of fish and aquaculture.

The Blue Revolution in India showed how crucial the fishing and aquaculture industries are.

The industry is seen as a sunrise sector and is set to contribute significantly to the Indian economy in the coming future.

Major challanges

Fish farmers and fishermen are more vulnerable to risks and dangers including natural catastrophes, infections, market changes, etc. when they don't have timely access to loans and insurance.

Adoption of best practises, innovations, and standards in the industry is hampered by a lack of qualified and trained labour as well as extension services for fish farmers and fishermen.

The regulatory and legal framework for fisheries management, including fishing rights, licences, quotas, conservation measures, quality control, traceability, etc., is not well understood by the fisheries sector, and it is not being followed. The industry's ability to compete and be sustainable is impacted by this.

The fisheries industry struggles with inadequate infrastructure and technology for fish production, processing, storage, transportation, and marketing.

Achievements:

The Fisheries sector experienced an amazing 14.3% growth from 2019–20 to 2021–2022.

From 141.64 lakh tonnes in 2019–20 to 161.87 lakh tonnes (provisional) in 2021–2022, fish production has increased.

Shrimp exports led the industry to record-breaking exports of 13.64 lakh tonnes, totaling Rs 57,587 crores (USD 7.76 billion).

India understands the importance of the fisheries and aquaculture industries as the world's third-largest fish producer and second-largest producer of aquaculture products.

National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB)

The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, formed the NFDB as an independent organisation in 2006.

It was created to increase the nation's fish production and productivity and to organise fishery development in a comprehensive and integrated way.

New, inexpensive method that significantly decreases textile effluent pollution has been developed by NIT Warangal.

In an effort to treat wastewater in the textile and apparel industry located in the Hanumakonda area of Telangana in an environmentally responsible manner, NIT Warangal, Prime Textiles, and IMPRINT have created a pilot-scale textile effluent treatment facility.

About Textile effluent

Pollutants include hazardous metals, dissolved solids, suspended particles, and colours are substantially present in textile effluent.

Total dissolved solids (TDS) should be the primary consideration in textile effluent.

Common salt and Glauber salt usage causes an increase in TDS in textile wastewater.

The direct discharge of textile effluents may raise the TDS concentration in both surface and ground water.

Water with TDS (high or low concentration) may change in flavour and cause aquatic creatures to swell or become dehydrated by disrupting the osmotic balance.

The salt content affects the irrigation water's quality. The water becomes contaminated and unfit for use in agriculture, industry, or home settings when the salt content rises.

About Research

In addition to providing a sustainable alternative to current treatment techniques, this ground-breaking technology has the enormous potential to turn hazardous wastewater into a beneficial source of irrigation for nearby agricultural areas.

A pilot-scale textile effluent treatment facility has been created by NIT Warangal employing biosurfactants (BS), cavitation (a process in which pressure changes in a liquid can quickly cause a great number of tiny cavities to form and subsequently implode-C), and membrane (M) technology.

The system effectively removes contaminants from the effluent by combining biosurfactants, cavitation, and membrane processes.

Coagulation is used to reduce the turbidity of suspended solids, biofilm development in MBBR reduces heavy metals and breaks down biodegradable pollutants, cavitation creates energy, and surface-modified membranes are used to effectively separate pollutants.

The pilot plant successfully processes the effluent for cleaning and agricultural use, with a capacity of 200 litres per day.

About IMPRINT (Impacting Research Innovation and Technology) India

It is a cooperative effort of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), which was started in 2015.

Its objective is to advance research and innovation in ten technology-related fields that are important to India, including manufacturing, energy, and healthcare. Additionally, it seeks to lessen reliance on imported technology and gauge how research activities affect people's lives.

Process: The programme offers money and assistance for research initiatives that aim to solve significant engineering and technological problems.

The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Egypt demonstrates the expanding cooperation between the two nations and their attempts to deepen their bilateral ties.

Highlight of visit

For the first time since 1997, the prime minister of India visited Egypt to discuss their bilateral ties.

An important development in the bilateral relationship between India and Egypt was the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement during the visit.

To further their cooperation, India and the Egypt inked three Memorandums of Understanding in the areas of agriculture, archaeology and antiquities, and competition law.

Over 4,300 Indian soldiers who died in Egypt and Aden during World War I were honoured in the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery by the Indian PM.

Egypt was chosen to be a "guest country" at the upcoming G-20 meeting, which will take place in September, further solidifying bilateral ties between the two countries.

India’s Interest in Egypt:

India intends to increase its investments in Egypt, particularly in significant infrastructure initiatives around the Suez Canal and in Alexandria and Cairo's special economic zones. India intends to provide radars, the DRDO's Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon, the LCA Tejas, and missiles like the Akash.

Egypt is a sizable nation with a 378 billion USD economy and 105 million inhabitants. Its socioeconomic conditions are very comparable to those in India, and it has a stable political system.

The world's greatest importer of wheat, automobiles, maize, and pharmaceuticals, as well as refined petroleum, are Egypt's top imports. India has the capacity to provide all of these items.

Historical prespective

India and Egypt, two of the oldest civilizations in the world, have a long history of close engagement.

The edicts of the Ashoka speak about his interactions with Egypt under Ptolemy II.

In the contemporary era, Saad Zaghloul and Mahatma Gandhi had similar aspirations for the freedom of their nations.

This connection would later develop into a very close friendship between the President Nasser and Prime Minister Nehru, which resulted in the signing of a Friendship Treaty between the two nations in 1955.

During the 1956 Suez Crisis, India denounced the attack on Egypt and attempted to intervene.

Both nations contributed to the Non-Aligned Movement's (NAM) establishment in 1961.

Political Relation

Based on a long history of contacts and collaboration on bilateral, regional, and international problems, India and Egypt have a strong political knowledge of one another. On August 18, 1947, the creation of diplomatic ties at the ambassadorial level was jointly announced. Both nations were founders of the Non-Aligned Movement and have worked closely together in multilateral fora. Since 2022 would commemorate the 75th anniversary of India and Egypt's diplomatic relations, it bears special significance.

Financial Relations

One of India's most significant trading partners on the continent of Africa historically has been Egypt. The Most Favoured Nation Clause underlies the India-Egypt Bilateral commerce Agreement, which has been in effect since March 1978. In the past ten years, the bilateral commerce has expanded by more than five times. The value of the two-way trade in 2018–19 was $4.55 billion USD. Despite the Pandemic, trade volume only slightly decreased, from US$4.5 billion in 2019–20 to US$4.15 billion in 2020–21.

In 2022–23, India's trade with Egypt reached USD 6,061 million, a 17% decrease from the previous year.

In 2022–2023, Egypt was India's 38th largest trading partner while India was Egypt's sixth.

Over 50 Indian companies have already made investments in Egypt, and Egypt is looking for Indian capital for infrastructural projects.

Military Relations

Egypt and India have friendly defence ties. In the 1960s, the Air Forces worked closely together to jointly develop a fighter aircraft. From the 1960s to 1984, IAF pilots also trained Egyptian pilots. Defence delegations have made many high-level exchange visits since 2015

a similar understanding of terrorism. They have worked together on developing and training fighter aircraft. Both nations use French Rafale fighter aircraft. Recently, the Indian and Egyptian armies participated in their first-ever drill, drill Cyclone-I, which was held near Jaisalmer.

Cultural Relations

Through monthly events like Hindi, Urdu, and yoga courses, seminars, film screenings, exhibitions, and involvement in regional cultural activities, the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) has been fostering cross-cultural interaction. As part of its outreach initiatives, MACIC frequently hosts India Days in universities and governorates throughout Egypt.

An MoU was recently inked between Prasar Bharati and the National Media Authority of Egypt to facilitate content exchange and co-productions.

Challenges

Both nations deal with the threat of terrorism and extremism; at the moment, China and Egypt have more bilateral trade than India does.

The regional stability in the Middle East and North Africa is a worry for both Egypt and India.

The massive financial commitments of the Egyptian economy have occurred at the same time as a stagnant economy, epidemic, global downturn, and the conflict in Ukraine.

On significant international topics, there have been disagreements. For instance, Egypt has not always agreed with India's attitude regarding UNSC reforms.

Other international and regional powers, such as the United States, members of the European Union, Russia, and the Gulf States, are actively interacting with Egypt in addition to China. India may have diplomatic difficulties in managing its relationship with Egypt in the face of rivalry from these nations.

Conclusion

The goal for both countries should be to boost investment and trade. India ought to take into account negotiating an FTA with Egypt. Egypt might benefit from India's knowledge in industries like IT, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. Opportunities for Indian investments in Egypt should also be looked into at the same time.

Three firms with headquarters in India have inked sub-licence agreements with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a United Nations-backed organisation, to make some cancer medications more affordable and available to patients.

These agreements permit the manufacturing of generic versions of the cancer medication Nilotinib, which is primarily used to treat Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML), in a number of nations.

The licence permits the supply of generic versions of nilotinib in India, seven middle-income countries, and 44 territories, subject to local regulatory approval.

About medicines patent pool

The MPP is a group supported by the UN that works to improve low- and middle-income nations' access to life-saving medications.

The MPP strives to remove obstacles brought about by patents and intellectual property rights that restrict access to and the cost of important medications.

To enable the creation of generic versions of proprietary medications, the MPP bargains voluntary licencing agreements with pharmaceutical firms.

The MPP grants licences to qualifying manufacturers, allowing them to create and distribute low-cost generic medications in low- and middle-income nations.

Need

The MPP's collaborative approach is required in order to solve global health issues and advance access to medications. The MPP works in partnership with governments, nonprofit organisations, civil society organisations, and pharmaceutical firms.

Priority Diseases: The MPP focuses on diseases like HIV/AIDS, TB, hepatitis C, and other priority areas where access to cheap pharmaceuticals is essential.

Sustainable Supply of Generic Drugs: By entering into licencing agreements, the MPP maintains a steady supply of generic drugs with high quality standards, fostering market competition and increasing the range of available therapies.

Enhancing Access to Life-Saving Treatments and Lowering the Burden of High medication Costs: The MPP's work improves health outcomes and saves lives by lowering the burden of high medication costs.

How do you define chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)?

It belongs to the category of leukaemia, a blood-cell malignancy that affects both the bone marrow and the blood. Other varieties include Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL), Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).

Myeloid cells, aberrant white blood cells, which are its defining feature, develop out of control.

CML usually advances slowly, and the chronic stage is when it is frequently identified.

Blood tests and a bone marrow analysis are frequently used to make the diagnosis of CML.