DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Nano Fertilizers

IFFCO's nano fertilizers and Amul's dairy products will be among the first few goods that the first National Export Co-operative Society is anticipated to export.

Information about nano fertilizers:

Nanotechnology in fertilizers:

• Using nanoparticles with a size of less than 100 nm, nanotechnology may present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create concentrated sources of plant nutrients with a better absorption rate, more effective use, and minimal losses.
• IFFCO’s Nano Urea contains nitrogen, an element critical for plant development, in the form of granules that are a hundred thousand times finer than a sheet of paper.
• At this ‘nanoscale, which is about a billionth of a metre, materials behave differently than in the visible realm.
• Example: A small bottle (500 ml) of Nano Urea is equivalent to one 50 kg bag of granular urea currently used by farmers”.
• Liquid nano urea is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant. Fertilizers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves
• Nano fertilizers are created, by encapsulating plant nutrients into nanomaterials and distributing nutrients in the form of nano-sized emulsions.

One of three methods is used by nano fertilizers to supply nutrients to plants:

• The nutrition may be given as nanoscale particles or emulsions, covered with a thin polymer coating for protection, or enclosed inside nanomaterials like nanotubes or nanoporous materials.

Significance:

• Due to their high surface area to volume ratio, nanofertilizers may be more successful than even the most cutting-edge polymer-coated traditional fertilisers, which have made little progress in recent years.
• Apart from reducing the country’s subsidy bill, it is aimed at reducing the unbalanced and indiscriminate use of conventional urea, increase crop productivity, and reduce soil, water, and air pollution.

Compared to the Conventional fertiliser:

Absorption & Runoff:

• Due to their impressively high surface area to volume ratios, nano fertilizers have a better absorption efficiency into the targeted plant.
• Absorption efficiencies of up to 90.6% were attained in a study on the usage of phosphorus nano-fertilizers, making them a highly sought-after fertiliser component.
• Conventional urea is effective 30-40 per cent in delivering nitrogen to plants, while the effectiveness of the Nano Urea Liquid is over 80 per cent

Release frequency:

• The capacity to offer delayed nutrient release into the plant over a 40–50 day period with nanofertilizers, as opposed to the 4–10 day timeframe with conventional fertilisers, is another advantageous feature of employing them.

Better Efficiency:

• While conventional fertilizer has an efficiency of about 25 percent, the efficiency of nano fertilizer can be as high as 85-90 per cent.
• Conventional fertilizer example urea fails to have the desired impact on crops as it is often applied incorrectly, and the nitrogen in it is vaporised or lost as gas. A lot of nitrogen is also washed away during irrigation.

Cheaper than conventional fertilizer:

• The liquid nano urea produced by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) Limited comes in a half-liter bottle priced at Rs 240, and carries no burden of subsidy currently. By contrast, a farmer pays around Rs 300 for a 50-kg bag of heavily subsidised urea.
• Liquid nano urea has a shelf life of a year, and farmers need not be worried about “caking” when it comes in contact with moisture.

Current Production Of nano fertilizer:

• IFFCO commissioned the Kalol liquid nano urea plant, Gujarat the country’s first, in August 2021.
• IFFCO is setting up additional facilities for the production of nano fertilizers at Aonla, Phulpur, Bengaluru, Paradeep, Kandla, Deoghar and Guwahati, besides expanding the Kalol plant, for the production of nano urea, nano DAP and nano micronutrients.
• These units will have a production capacity of 2 lakh bottles per day.

Grameen Udyami Project

• A total of 200 tribal women received certificates for completing Phase 3 of the Project's skills training.
• Speaking at the Grameen Udyami Project's felicitation program in Gumla , Jharkhand, Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, described skilling as a gateway to opportunity and said the government's goal has been to ensure skill opportunities for all in every remote corner of the country.

About the Grameen Udyami project:

• In order to increase skill training in tribal communities for their inclusive and sustainable progress, the Grameen Udyami Scheme was established.
• As part of the program, the decision was made to teach India's youth different talents as well as practical knowledge that will help them support themselves.
• 450 indigenous kids will be trained as part of a groundbreaking multiskilling program financed by NSDC that will take place in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
• Six states—Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Gujarat—are carrying out the initiative.

The scheme's primary goals include:

• Boosting the local and rural economy.
• Increase employment possibilities
• Reduce emigration that is compelled because there aren't enough jobs here.
• Preservation of the environment.

Importance:

• Tribal ownership needs to be increased urgently in order to raise awareness of such programs and activities.
• All we need to do is set up the proper channels for the tribal young to use their gift in the appropriate contexts because they have so much potential and ability.
• Our tribal group will gain economic empowerment thanks to this effort.
• The goal of the project is to improve tribal populations' ability to continue their way of life.
• The project will provide them with the necessary opportunities to stand on their own two feet.
• The project will assist in putting tribal tribes first in our initiatives to boost India's economy.
• It makes high-quality education available to native communities, fostering chances for development.

How Does the Grameen Udyami Project Function?

• Phase 1: Candidates were recruited from rural and tribal areas of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.
• In order to prevent candidates from missing out on the opportunity to learn owing to a lack of resources, transportation, boarding, and accommodation were offered to them.

The Grameen Udyami Project's second phase:

• 450 tribal kids in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand will receive training through this innovative multiskilling project financed by NSDC.
• Through the Seva Bharti Kendra in Ranchi, Yuva Vikas Society is carrying out the second phase of the pilot project that was started in Ranchi.

The following areas are where the project's training will be delivered:

• Solar PV Installation Technician and Electrician.
• Masonry and plumbing.
• Maintenance & Repair of Two-Wheelers.

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

• Incorporated in 2008 by Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 (which corresponds to Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013), NSDC is a public limited company that is not for profit.
• The Ministry of Finance established NSDC under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) concept.
• Through the National Skill Development Corporation, the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship of the Government of India has been hosting Rozgar Melas all throughout the nation to give unemployed youth suitable career opportunities.
• A total of 51% of NSDC's share capital is owned by the private sector, with the remaining 49% owned by the Indian government.

Goals of NSDC:

• The mission of NSDC is to promote the creation of sizable, excellent vocational institutions.
• Financing the creation of projects for vocational training that are scalable and long-lasting.
• Whether directly or through partnerships, establish a support structure that prioritises information systems, quality control, and training academies.
• NSDC offers funding to businesses, organisations, and companies that offer skill development

Major Program for Tribal Community Development:

• Every ST student whose family income is up to Rs 2.5 lakhs is entitled to a scholarship for continuing education from class IX to post-doctorate across India under the Pre and Post Matric schemes, which are demand-based programmes.
• The states submit a plan for the anticipated spending during the fiscal year based on the spending made in previous years, and the central share is advanced to the states in advance up to 50% of the total.
• Under the "Pradhan Mantri Aadi Adarsh Gram Yojana," a comprehensive development of 36,428 villages will be carried out in order to build these villages into Adarsh Grams.
• More than 500 tribal people live in these settlements, and they are 50% tribal.

Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission

• The Mission's goal is to create Van Dhan groups that have been grouped into Vandhan Kendras in order to promote livelihood-driven tribal development over the course of the next five years.
• As part of the "Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhyan," new haats bazaars and warehouses will be built over the course of the next five years.
• TRIFED would serve as the central organisation for carrying out the plan. Tribe India Stores will be used to advertise the manufactured goods.

Way Forward

• Due to a lack of skill and knowledge, organised sectors' contribution to tribal livelihoods is much lower than the national average. Therefore, initiatives like the Grameen Udyami Project are vital for their development and to guarantee future livelihood.
• In our attempts to advance India's economy, it is crucial to give our indigenous populations top priority. Since acquiring new skills is essential for any region's economic development.

Indian Star Tortoise

• An extensive loss in the genetic diversity and habitat of the Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans) has been linked to illegal commerce and ill-informed translocations, according to a recent study.
• The study urges the use of scientific breeding and argues for an appropriate conservation strategy to deal with the species' fragmented distribution.

What are the Indian Star Tortoise's Key Facts?

• Habitat: Indian star tortoises can be found all throughout the Indian subcontinent, notably in West Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Central and Southern regions of India.
• It frequently inhabits arid, open environments including grasslands, scrub woodlands, and rocky outcrops.

Threat:

• The species is dealing with two problems: one is a threat to its habitat, and the other is a loss of genetic diversity.
• An growing amount of urbanization and agricultural operations have a significant impact on the species' extremely fragmented habitat.
• The genetic diversity of Indian star tortoises has been reduced as a result of the subsequent hybridization of these species over time.
• Additionally, according to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, the foreign pet market accounts for 90% of the traffic in star tortoises.

Protection Status:

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• Wild Life Protection Act 1972: Schedule IV
• Schedule IV: This list is for species that are not endangered. It includes protected species but the penalty for any violation is less compared to Schedules I and II.
• Convention on International Trade in Species (CITES): Appendix I.