Desert Locust control through Drones, GeM to promote Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)
1. Controlling Desert Locust through Drones
- To overcome the limitation of importing equipment, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW), under Make in India initiative, has taken up the challenge to indigenously develop a vehicle mounted ULV sprayer for locust control.
- Leading the initiative, the Mechanization and Technology Division of DAC&FW got a prototype of the sprayer developed through an Indian manufacturer.
- The trials of the sprayer have been successfully conducted in Ajmer and Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
- This is a major breakthrough as this will end the dependence of importing a very important equipment of locust control.
- However, the ground control vehicles with sprayers used for locust control can spray up to a height of 25-30 ft only.
- The tractor mounted sprayers also has a limitation in reaching inaccessible areas and tall trees. Therefore, the necessity of exploring aerial spray option was explored.
- Thereafter, on the recommendation of the Empowered Committee work order for engagement of Drones to five companies (@5 drones each) has been issued.
- All five drone service providers have started work at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagore and Phalodi (Jodhpur) district of Rajasthan with deployment of 12 drones till date in phased manner.
- The experience of use of drones has been more than satisfactory in inaccessible areas and for effective control over tall trees.
- The deployment of drones has added another dimension in the capabilities of Locust Circle offices to ensure effective control over desert locust.
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has appreciated that India is the first country in the world which is controlling Desert Locust through Drones.
2. Country of Origin on GeM to promote Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat
- Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has made it mandatory for sellers to enter the Country of Origin while registering all new products on GeM.
- Further, sellers, who had already uploaded their products before the introduction of this new feature on GeM, are being reminded regularly to update the Country of Origin, with a warning that their products shall be removed from GeM if they fail to update the same.
- GeM has taken this significant step to promote ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
- GeM has also enabled a provision for indication of the percentage of local content in products.
- With this new feature, now, the Country of Origin as well as the local content percentage are visible in the marketplace for all items.
- More importantly, the ‘Make in India’ filter has now been enabled on the portal.
- Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria.
- In case of Bids, Buyers can now reserve any bid for Class I Local suppliers (Local Content > 50%).
- Since its inception, GeM is continuously working towards promotion of ‘Make in India’ initiative.
- The Marketplace has facilitated entry of small local sellers in Public Procurement, while implementing ‘Make in India’ and MSE Purchase Preference Policies of the Government in the true sense.
- GeM is enabling quick, efficient, transparent and cost-effective procurement, especially in this hour of need when government organizations require products and services urgently to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorised and made mandatory by Ministry of Finance by adding a new Rule No. 149 in the General Financial Rules, 2017.
3. Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)
- The interventions by Government for MSMEs, have been gaining rapid traction.
- Under the Emergency Credit Line backed by a Government guarantee, Banks from Public & Private Sectors have so far already sanctioned loansworth over Rs. 79,000 crore as of June 20, 2020, of whichmore than Rs 35,000 crore has already been disbursed.
- This has helped 19 lakh MSMEs & other businesses restart their businesses post the lockdown.
- As part of the Aatmanirbhar package Government had announced its plans for Rs. 3 lakh Crore as additional credit to MSMEs and small businesses.Such enterprises were to be eligible to receive upto 20% of their existing borrowing as additional loans at interest rates which were capped.
- Separately,under RBI’s Special Liquidity Facility announced in March-April, 2020, SIDBI has sanctioned over Rs. 10,220 crore to NBFCs, Micro Finance Institutions & Banks for lending to MSME& small borrowers.
- National Housing Bank (NHB) has sanctioned its entire facility of Rs. 10,000 crore to Housing Finance Companies.
- This refinance by SIDBI & NHB is in addition to ongoing schemes through which over Rs. 30,000 crore has been sanctioned.
- NBFCs & MFIs are being further helped under the Extended Partial Guarantee Scheme where approvals have crossed Rs. 5500 crore. Transactions for another Rs. 5000 crore are under process of approval while certain other deals are currently under negotiation.
