India to send Tri-Service contingent participation, The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE)
1. India to send Tri-Service contingent to participate in 75th Victory Day Parade of World War II in Moscow
- Defence Minister of Russia has invited an Indian contingent to take part in the Victory Day Parade scheduled to be held on June 24, 2020 in Moscow.
- Raksha Mantri has agreed to send a 75-member Tri-Service contingent to participate in the parade, where contingents of other countries are also expected to participate.
- The participation in the parade will be a mark of tribute and solidarity with the people of Russia at a time when they remember their heroes of the Great Patriotic War.
- On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War, there will be a military parade in Moscow to honour the heroism and sacrifices made by the Russian and other friendly people.
- Indian soldiers had also participated in the Second World War and made supreme sacrifice.
- The Indian regiment will participate in the parade along with armed forces from at least 11 nations including China.
- The tri-service contingent will be led by a colonel-rank officer and will comprise 75 personnel of all ranks from the three services.
- The tri-service contingent will be led by a colonel-rank officer and will comprise 75 personnel of all ranks from the three services.
- The Army will be led by a major-rank officer of the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, which is known to have fought in World War II, and earned four Battle Honours and two Military Cross apart from other gallantry awards.
- In 2015, a 75-member Army contingent from the Grenadiers regiment took part in the military parade in Moscow during the Victory Day celebrations.
- Russia is one of the important strategic partners of India.
- And Moscow has the latest developments along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh earlier this month.
- Military historian Mandeep Bajwa Said about the event marks Soviet victory in World War II is “It was a real victory won against great odds, with tremendous sacrifices by the Russian people (20 million dead). Indian troops too contributed greatly to the Allied victory,”
- According to the Army statement, during World War II, the British Indian armed forces were one of the largest Allied forces contingents, which took part in the North and East African Campaign, Western Desert Campaign and the European Theatre against the Axis powers.
- The valour of the Indian soldiers was recognised with the award of over 4,000 decorations, which also included the award of 18 Victoria and George Cross.
- In addition, the then Soviet Union appreciated the valour of the Indian armed forces and by the decree of 23 May 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR signed by Mikhail Kalinin and Alexander Gorkin awarded the prestigious Orders of the Red Star to Subedar Narayan Rao Nikkam and Havildar Gajendra Singh Chand of Royal Indian Army Service Corps.
- Russia is one of the key strategic partners and has deep-rooted ties with India. Through the event, we also pay homage to the soldiers who fought the war.
- Major western countries have participated in this celebration of the Allied victory over Nazism. Because of their acrimonious relations with Russia, they are now staying away.
- It is all the more important for India to participate in the event
2. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) project to produce Neera and Palmgur
- The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has rolled out a unique project to produce Neera and Palmgur (jaggery) which has huge potential to create employment in the country.
- The project that aims at promoting Neera as a substitute to soft drinks while also creating self-employment to Adivasis and traditional trappers was launched at Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra, a state with more than 50 lakh palm trees.
- The initiative will provide direct employment to 400 local traditional trappers.
- Neera, extracted from the palm trees before sunrise, is a nutrient-rich health drink consumed in many Indian states.
- However, due to lack of institutionalised market technique, the commercial production and large scale marketing of Neera has not commenced yet.
- The project has been rolled out on the initiative of Union Minister of MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkari who is also exploring the feasibility of engaging some big players of the state to start using Neera as soft drinks to make it commercially useful.
- There are approximately 10 crore palm trees across the country. Further, a wide range of products like candies, milk chocolates, palm cola, ice-cream and traditional sweets can be produced from Neera if properly marketed.
- At present palmgur Neera worth Rs 500 crore is traded in the country.
- The turnover is likely to increase manifold with commercial production of Neera.
- On the lines of coconut water, we are working to promote Neera as a substitute to the soft drinks available in the market.
- Neera is organic and rich in nutrients and thus a complete health drink.
- With increasing the production and marketing of Neera, we are trying to establish it as a key vertical of India’s village industry.
- At the same time, Neera has high export potential as it is also consumed in countries like Sri Lanka, Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar. India has an abundance of palm fields in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that can make India a leading producer of Neera globally.
3. Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE) to enhance India's Olympic performance
- The Sports Ministry is all set to establish Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE) under the ministry’s flagship, Khelo India Scheme. One KISCE will be identified in each state and union territory, with an effort to create a robust sporting ecosystem in the entire country.
- In the first leg, the Ministry has identified state-owned sports facilities in eight states of India, including, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Telengana and the north east states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland which will be upgraded into Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE).
- The Khelo India State Centre of Excellence are being established to strengthen India’s pursuit for excellence in Olympics.
- The sporting facilities have been identified after in-depth analysis by a government committee and in this step in the right direction to tap talent from across the country and train them into elite athletes who can win medals for the country in all major international tournaments, and specifically the Olympics.
- The process of selection of these sports facilities was started in October 2019, when each state and UT was asked to identify the best sports infrastructure available with them, their agencies or any eligible agencies, which could be developed into a world-class sporting facilities.
- In order to upgrade the existing centre to the KISCE, the government will extend a ‘Viability Gap Funding’ in sports science and technology support for sports disciplines practiced at the centre and also bridge the gaps in requirement of sports equipment, expert coaches and high performance managers.
- The state and UT will run the centre and build capacity to turn it into the world-class sporting facility, and will be responsible for all aspects of management of the centre including, boarding, lodging and maintenance, while funds for critical gaps such as expert coaches, support staff, equipment, infrastructure will be extended through the Khelo India Scheme.
- The eight centres will be given a grant based on the actual amount finalised as per the requirement indicated after a comprehensive gap analysis study.
- The Sports Authority of India will extend expertise, resources and a monitoring system to ensure that the level of performance of the athletes improve to international standards.
In the first batch, the following sporting facilities will be upgraded to Khelo India State Centre of Excellence:
- Sangey Lhaden Sports Academy, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
- Jaiprakash Narayan National Youth Center, Bangalore, Karanataka
- GV Raja Sr. Secondary Sports School, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
- Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal, Manipur
- Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl, Mizoram
- State Sports Academy, IG Stadium, Kohima, Nagaland
- Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha
- Regional Sports School, Hakimpet, Telangana.
