26 Feb 2025; Daily Current Affairs Updates

Honduras ; GS-1 (Geography) ▪️Why in the News:

India dispatched humanitarian assistance of 26 tons to Honduras in the wake of the recent

Tropical storm SARA.

• Location and Borders:

• Honduras is a country in Central America, sharing borders with multiple nations and water bodies.

• It is strategically positioned with access to both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

The country is bordered by:

- North: The Caribbean Sea, which provides extensive coastline and maritime trade opportunities.

- South: El Salvador and the Pacific Ocean, accessible through the Gulf of Fonseca.

- East: Nicaragua, forming a natural border that includes the Coco River.

- West: Guatemala, sharing a significant land boundary that influences trade and cultural exchanges.

Tea Horse Road; GS-1 (History) ▪️Why in the news:China's Ambassador to India Xu Feihong recentlyposted on X about the historic Tea Horse Road which spanned more than 2,000 km and connected China to India via Tibet.

> Tea Horse Road:

° The Tea Horse Road was an ancient trade route that linked China to India via Tibet, covering a distance of over 2,000 km.

° Rather than being a single path, it was an extensive network of interwoven trails that facilitated trade between different regions.

• The route primarily originated in southwest China and extended to the Indian subcontinent through Tibet:

• Two main pathways ran through major cities such as Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan province before reaching Lhasa in Tibet. From there, they branched into present-day India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

• The route passed through rugged mountainous landscapes, with elevations reaching up to 10,000 feet, making it one of the most challenging trade routes of its time.

SWAYATT Initiative; GS-2 (Governance)

▪️ Why in the news:

Government e Marketplace commemorated six years of Startups, Women & Youth Advantage through the e-Transactions (SWAYATT) initiative at its New Delhi headquarters recently.

• About:

• The SWAYATT initiative was officially launched on February 19, 2019, with the aim of increasing the participation of women entrepreneurs, youth-led businesses, and small enterprises in public procurement.

This initiative aligns with the Government e-Marketplace (GeM)'s fundamental principle of social inclusion and is designed to provide direct market access to startups, self-help groups (SHGs), and micro & small enterprises (MSEs), particularly from underprivileged backgrounds.

- Objectives of SWAYATT:

• To promote women's entrepreneurship and encourage their participation in government procurement processes.

• To empower youth-led startups by offering them a transparent and accessible marketplace.

To enhance ease of doing business by providing a simplified procurement mechanism.

• To train and onboard last-mile sellers, ensuring wider accessibility and participation.

• To support micro and small enterprises, enabling them to leverage government procurement opportunities.

> Features of SWAYATT:

• Focus on the inclusion of marginalized businesses in the public procurement system.

• Facilitation of training programs for small entrepreneurs to familiarize them with digital procurement.

• Streamlined access to government buyers for startups and small-scale businesses.

TRIFED ;GS-3(Economy) ▪️ Why in the news:

 Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd

(TRIFED) has entered into a strategic partnership with Rooftop to facilitate tribal businesses.

• Introduction:

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited

(TRIFED) operates under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.

It plays a crucial role in improving the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities by developing markets for their products.

• Establishment:

• TRIFED was founded in August 1987 under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984.

• It was set up as a national-level cooperative organization to institutionalize the trade of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and Surplus Agricultural Produce (SAP) gathered or cultivated by tribal communities.

• Mandate:

• The primary mission of TRIFED is to enhance the socio-economic status of tribal communities by ensuring better trade opportunities for their products.

• It acts as a facilitator to promote self-sufficiency and economic empowerment among tribal groups.

> Objectives:

• Enhancing Tribal Welfare: Support the socio-economic development of tribal communities through organized trade mechanisms.

• Skill Development & Training: Provide training programs to tribal artisans and producers to enhance their skills and integrate modern techniques to meet global market demands.

• Market Expansion: Facilitate the promotion of tribal art, handicrafts, and forest produce, ensuring a stable livelihood for tribal populations.