UPSC Articles
e-NAM: Features updated in the wake of COVID-19 crisis
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Ecaonomy (Agriculture); Science & Technology
In News:
- Two new features – Warehouse based trading module and FPO Trading module- added on e-NAM platform to reduce the farmer’s need to come to wholesale mandis
Important Value Additions
- e-NAM was launched in 2016 as a pan-India electronic agricultural marketing/trade portal linking APMCs across the States.
- It is managed by Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC)
- e-NAM provides for contactless remote bidding and mobile-based any time payment for which traders do not need to either visit mandis or banks for the same.
- Presently, 585 mandis in 16 States and 2 UTs are integrated on e-NAM portal.
Miscellaneous
Project Praana: Indigenous ventilator prototype developed by IISc
- In a worst case scenario of COVID-19 crisis, nearly 0.006% of the Indian population (~75,000) will require critical care with access to ventilators
- Ventilators deliver breaths (oxygen) to a patient who is physically unable to breathe.
- Challenges to manufacturing ventilators are
- Limited access to pneumatic and electronic hardware, sensors and actuators from the global marketplace
- Disrupted global supply chain
- The ventilator prototype will use materials readily available from India
- The prototype has mass flow sensors and controllers which accurately tell how much oxygen is flowing and what volume the patient is inhaling in one breath
National Monitoring Dashboard for COVID-19
- Objective of the dashboard: Monitoring of COVID-19 related grievances on priority basis
- Developed by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) of Ministry of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
- The portal will be monitored at senior levels in Government on a daily basis
