OWSA Staff

Choudhary said that to assist states in regulating groundwater resources, the ministry of Jal Shakti drafted a Model ‘Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Bill.’ This bill provides a regulatory framework to curb indiscriminate groundwater extraction while promoting rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge.

A gene bank serves as a biorepository for preserving genetic material, such as seeds, pollen, and tissue samples, collected from various plant species. The primary objective is to protect these valuable resources from extinction and support research, conservation, and breeding efforts.

A central concern of the report is India's underutilized demographic dividend. Despite having a large working-age population, the country's labor force participation rate stands at a mere 56.4 percent, significantly lower than its peers.

Accurate hurricane forecasts are not just scientific achievements; they have tangible benefits for society. Yale Climate Connections highlighted a 2024 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which estimated that improved hurricane forecasts could lead to over $10 billion in combined benefits for major hurricanes like Helene and Milton.

Minister of state for agriculture Ashish Jaiswal, who also attended the Nagpur event, emphasised the critical role of these assured funds in providing relief to farmers facing persistent financial challenges.

PM Modi expressed satisfaction that the PM-KISAN scheme, which has now disbursed nearly ₹22,000 crore in this instalment alone, has proven invaluable to small farmers nationwide.

The MoU marks a new chapter in Indo-Nepal scientific cooperation, opening doors for increased knowledge exchange and joint research efforts between the two nations.

The huge chunk of grants going to Bihar in an election year will not go unnoticed by opposition parties that earlier alleged that the union budget gave disproportionate attention to the state.