Important Facts for Prelims (21st July 2018) | 21 Jul 2018

Van Dhan Yojana

• Van Dhan Yojana was launched in April 2018, in Chhattisgarh. A Van Dhan Vikas Kendra was set up under the program.
• The Van Dhan Vikas Kendra will cater to ten Self Help Groups of thirty tribal gatherers each.
• The selection of the tribal beneficiaries and formation of the SHGs has been undertaken by TRIFED.
• The Van Dhan Vikas Kendras will boost the economic development of tribals involved in the collection of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and provide a sustainable MFP-based livelihood in MFP-rich districts.

Eklavya Model Residential Schools

• Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) are being set up by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in States/ UTs from allocated grants provided under Article 275(1).
• As per Union Budget 2018-19, by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an EMRS.

Samagra Shiksha Scheme

• Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for School Education has been launched by the Ministry of Human Resources as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• The programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
• It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.  
• The main emphasis of the Scheme is on improving the quality of school education and the strategy for all interventions would be to enhance the Learning Outcomes at all levels of schooling.
• The Scheme will focus on-
  • Universal Access including Infrastructure Development and Retention
  • Gender and Equity
  • Inclusive Education
  • Quality
  • Financial support for Teacher Salary
  • Digital initiatives
  • Entitlements under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 including uniforms, textbooks etc
  • Pre-school Education
  • Vocational Education
  • Sports and Physical Education
  • Strengthening of Teacher Education and Training
  • Monitoring
  • Programme Management

Anamalai Tiger Reserve

• Anamalai Tiger Reserve is one of the four Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu. Mudumalai, Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserves and Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary are the other three.
• It falls within the Western Ghats range of South West India, a region designated as one of 25 Global Biodiversity Hotspots.
• Animals and birds found: Elephant, gaur, tiger, panther, sloth bear, wild boar, wild dog, Nilgiri langur, lion-tailed macaque, sambar, four horned antelope, chital, the trogar, pied hornbill and several eagles.
• The Tiger Reserve supports diverse habitat types like Wet evergreen forests, semi evergreen forests, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, dry thorn and shola forests. Other unique habitats like montane grass lands, savannah and marshy grass lands are also present.

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant

• The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is a joint venture between Rosatom (Russia) and state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited.
• The power plant is located in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
• Kudankulam, or Koodankulam, is India’s first nuclear plant to use imported (Pressurised Water Reactor) PWR technology.
• The existing nuclear power plants in India use pressurised heavy water reactor or boiling water reactor technology.