PIB news

1. April 2, 2018
IASbaba PIB Weekly : Press Information Bureau – 25th
March to 31st March, 2018
iasbaba.com/2018/04/iasbaba-pib-weekly-press-information-bureau-25th-march-31st-march-2018
IASbaba Press Information Bureau 25th to 31st
March, 2018
ARCHIVES
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Setting up of National Academic Depository (NAD) for
Digitalization of School Records
(Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services
relating to Health, Education, Human Resources)
A 24×7 online store house of academic awards digitally lodged by various academic
institutions/school boards/eligibility assessment bodies.
CBSE has introduced “Parinam Manjusha” which acts as:-
Academic Repository
Facilitates Online Verification
Students can get digital documents such as Mark Sheet, Pass Certificates and
Migration Certificates of CBSE examination through Digi Locker
Strategic plan to tackle Dengue and Chikungunya
(Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services
relating to Health, Education, Human Resources)
Prevention and control of Dengue and Chikungunya is one of the components of National
Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP). The strategies introduced under the
programme are:
Surveillance: Disease and Entomological Surveillance
Case management: Laboratory diagnosis and Clinical management
Vector management: Environmental management for Source Reduction, Chemical
control, Personal protection and Legislation
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2. Outbreak response: Epidemic preparedness and Media management
Capacity building: Training, Infrastructure development and Operational research
Behaviour Change Communication: Social mobilization and Information Education
and Communication (IEC)
Inter-sectoral coordination: Health and non-health sector
Monitoring and Supervision: Review, field visit, feedback and Analysis of reports
A network of 618 Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals supported by 16 Apex Referral
Laboratories have been established where dengue kits are provided free of cost.
Advisories are issued to the States for sensitization from time to time.
Training is given on dengue and chikungunya case management.
Financial and technical assistance are provided to the States.
Cabinet Approves
MoU between India and Zambia: In the field of Judicial Cooperation which will further
enhance good relations between the two countries and add new dimensions in the field of
judicial reforms.
MoU between India and United Kingdom and Northern Ireland: India and U.K. already
have an agreement concerning the investigation and prosecution of crime and the tracing,
restraint and confiscation of the proceeds and instruments of crime (including crimes
involving currency transfers) and terrorist funds, which was signed in 1995. Both the
countries desire to further strengthen cooperation in fighting international criminality and
serious organized crime.
MoU between India and South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme: For
cooperation on the response to Oil and Chemical Pollution in the South Asian Seas Region
– the MoU intends to promote closer cooperation between India and other maritime nations
comprising the South Asian seas region namely Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka for protection and preservation of marine environment in the region.
MoU between India and Canada: The MoU establishes a broad and flexible framework
through which both countries can exchange best practices and work together on training
programs and technical exchanges to raise awareness on IPRs and better protect
intellectual property rights (IPRs).
Re-structuring of National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC):
Ensure better corporate governance, transparency and accountability in operations of
NSDC besides strengthening the oversight role of NSDF
The approval would lead to restructuring of composition of Board of NSDF and the
NSDC to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework.
Enhancing the coverage of Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana:The informal
sector workers would get social safety net and there would be more job creation
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3. Continuation, strengthening and establishment of Krishi Vigyan Kendras till 2019-20:
KVKs would act as knowledge and resource centre in the field of agriculture in the district
and would build models of technology uptake and farmers’ empowerment leading to
support Government of India’s initiative of doubling farmers’ income.
Union Government’s Special incentives for new Industrial
units in Northeast
(Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors
and issues arising out of their design and implementation)
North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS) will play a crucial role in promoting
new industrial units in the region by providing several special incentives.
Central Capital Investment Incentive for Access to Credit (CCIIAC):
30% of the investment in the industrial plant and machinery with an upper limit of Rs.
5 crore will be provided as the incentive amount per unit.
Central Interest Incentive (CII) will be available to the tune of 3% on working capital
credit advanced by eligible Banks/Financial Institutions for first 5 years from the
commencement of commercial production by the Unit.
Central Comprehensive Insurance Incentive (CCII): Will provide for reimbursement of
100% insurance premium on insurance of building and Industrial plant & machinery for 5
years from the date of commencement and commercial production by the Unit.
Relief on GST and a unique provision has been provided for reimbursement up to the
extent of Central Government share of CGST and IGST for 5 years from the date of
commencement of commercial production by the unit.
Incentive on transportation to the tune of 20% of the cost of transportation including the
subsidy currently provided by Railways/Railway PSUs for movement of goods by rail.
On the Inland Waterways, there will be 20% incentive for finished goods
For transportation by Air freight on perishable goods, it will be 30% of the cost of
transportation from the airport nearest to the place of production to any airport within
the country.
India and China Agree to a Roadmap for Addressing
Trade Imbalance
(Topic: India and its neighbourhood- relations)
The Chinese side:
Noted India’s concern regarding the long existing trade imbalance and requests for
market access of Indian products and services
Reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the provision of market access for
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4. Indian agricultural products pertaining to non-basmati rice, rape-seed meals, soya-
meals, pomegranate and pomegranate arils, okra, banana and other fruits and
vegetables and bovine meat expeditiously
Both the countries:
Reaffirmed their aim to promote bilateral trade in the field of pharmaceuticals
including resolution of issues of Indian pharma products exports to Chinese markets
Agreed to draw-up a medium and long term roadmap with action points and timelines
for increasing bilateral trade between the two countries in a balanced and sustainable
manner, as the two countries are the largest emerging economies of the world with
35% of the world’s population and around 20% of the world’s GDP but the relative
volume of bilateral trade is less than 1% of global trade.
Agreed to strengthen cooperation within WTO, and other multilateral and regional
frameworks, to maintain their common interest. Both the sides reiterated their
commitment to rules based multilateral global trade.
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National Agricultural Research System
(Topic: Indian Agriculture)
The NARS is continuously developing improved varieties, value added products,
production and protection technologies which resulted to increase production and
productivity of food crops in the country.
ICAR is initiating the new research programme in the areas of Hybrid technology,
Transgenic, Molecular Breeding, Gene Editing, Agro-biodiversity and Bio-fortification etc. to
fulfil the future food requirement of the ever growing population of the country.
Banana & Sugarcane are being cultivated in Tropical and subtropical areas of the country
due to suitable agro-climatic conditions and availability of adequate irrigation facility. The
Government is encouraging banana cultivation through
Sensitization
Training
Supply of quality planting material and other inputs
Govt. has introduced CHAMAN (Co-ordinated Horticulture Assessment and Management
Using geoiNformatics) Scheme for 7 horticultural crops (Potato, Onion, Chilli, Tomato,
Mango, Banana and Citrus) in 12 major states in 180 districts to carry out research on
horticultural crop condition studies, diseases assessment and precision farming.
Approval of Integrated Management of Public Distribution
System (IM-PDS)
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5. (Topic: Public Distribution System)
Key objectives
To integrate PDS system/portals of States/UTs with Central System/portals
Introduction of National Portability
De-duplication of ration cards/beneficiary
Impact: Will bring more transparency and efficiency in distribution of food-grains as it will
improve the mechanism to identify fake/duplicate ration cards and provide the option to
PDS beneficiaries to lift their entitled food-grains from the Fair Price Shops of their choice
at the national level.
Digitization of Targeted Public Distribution System: The scheme comprises digitization
of ration cards/beneficiaries, online allocation, computerisation of supply chain
management, etc.
Guidelines for safe Disposal of Expired Medicines
(Topic: Environmental pollution and degradation)
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Requirements of Premises, Plant and
Equipment for pharmaceutical products laid down in Schedule M of the Drugs and
Cosmetics Rules, 1945 prescribe the requirements for disposal of waste including the
rejected drugs. Details are as under:
The disposal of sewage and effluents (solid, liquid and gas) from the manufactory
shall be in conformity with the requirements of Environment Pollution Control Board.
All bio-medical waste shall be destroyed as per the provisions of the Bio-Medical
Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1996.
Additional precautions shall be taken for the storage and disposal of rejected drugs.
Records shall be maintained for all disposal of waste.
Provisions shall be made for the proper and safe storage of waste materials awaiting
disposal. Hazardous, toxic substances and flammable materials shall be stored in
suitably designed and segregated, enclosed areas in conformity with Central and
State Legislations.
3R – ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ for India
(Topic: Environmental pollution and degradation)
India is getting ready to host the 8th 3R Regional Forum in Asia and the Pacific:At
Indore; Indore was ranked the cleanest city of India according to the Swachh Survekshan
2017, the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs since 2016.
Theme: “Achieving Clean Water, Clean Land and Clean Air through 3R and Resource
Efficiency- A 21st Century Vision for Asia-Pacific Communities”.
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6. The Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific was launched in 2009 in Tokyo,
Japan and since then has provided a strategic platform for addressing the needs and
priorities of 3R in Asian countries and sharing best practices from the region,
including emerging concerns in waste management.
In the last seven years, the Forum has been organised in Malaysia, Singapore,
Vietnam, Indonesia, Maldives, Japan and Australia and has been instrumental in
providing innovative, effective and smart 3R based solutions.
Urban India produces an estimated 54.75 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually.
The Forum comes at an opportune time with the Indian government’s focus on
scientific management of 100% municipal solid waste through its ambitious Swachh
Bharat Mission (Urban).
Through this Forum, India aims to strengthen this focus through its ‘Mission Zero
Waste’ approach thereby encouraging cities, industries and other diverse
stakeholders to look at waste as a resource.
Parallely, the Forum will also recognise and reward industries and civil society
organisations carrying out exceptional work in the area of 3R for waste management
through the 3R Awards scheduled for April 12.
Prelims oriented News:
Health: State subject
ISRO: Successful launch of GSLV-F08 with indigenous cryogenic stage
India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F08) successfully launched
GSAT-6A Satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)
GSAT-6A is a communication satellite built by ISRO to provide mobile
communication services through multi beam coverage. For this, it is equipped with S
and C band transponders.
Public Financial Management System (PFMS): Provides platform for efficient
management of funds through tracking of funds and real time reporting of expenditure and
receipts through Treasury and Bank Interface. PFMS is also used for Direct Benefit
Transfer (DBT) payments under MGNREGA and other notified schemes of the Government
of India.
Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of 55770 fully covered tribal habitations with the
safe drinking water in the country followed by Odisha 52427, Jharkhand 53476 numbers of
habitations.
SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna): Aims to achieve universal
household electrification in all parts of the country in a time bound manner. Around 4 crore
households are expected to get electricity connections under the scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY): To provide social security during old
age and to protect elderly persons aged 60 years and above against a future fall in their
interest income due to uncertain market conditions. The scheme enables old age income
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7. security for senior citizens through provision of assured pension/return linked to the
subscription amount based on government guarantee to Life Insurance Corporation of India
(LIC).
Regulation of E-Cigarettes: As per a report prepared by WHO, Electronic Nicotine
Delivery Systems (ENDS) (also known as e-cigarettes) emits nicotine, the addictive
component of tobacco products. In addition to dependence, nicotine can have adverse
effects on –
The development of the foetus during pregnancy and may contribute to
cardiovascular disease
Although nicotine itself is not a carcinogen, it may function as a “tumour promoter”
and seems to be involved in the biology of malignant disease, as well as of
neurodegeneration.
Foetal and adolescent nicotine exposure may have long-term consequences for brain
development, potentially leading to learning and anxiety disorders.
Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA):Provides strategic funding to eligible
state higher educational institutions. The objective is to achieve the target of Gross
Enrolment Ratio of 30% by the year 2019-20 with equity and inclusion.
Key findings of NARSS 2017-18:
77% of households were found to have access to toilets during the survey period
93.4% of the people who had access to toilets used them
95.6% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF were
confirmed to be ODF. The remaining 4.4% villages also had sanitation coverage of
over 95%
70% of the villages surveyed found to have minimal litter and minimal stagnant water
India’s Representative to the Executive Board of UNESCO:Professor J S Rajput,
former Director NCERT
Has a four-year term of office and 58 seats
One of the constitutional organs of UNESCO and is elected by the General
Conference.
The executive board examines the work for the organization and the corresponding
budget estimates. In practice, the executive board is the main organ responsible for
all policies and programmes of UNESCO.
Being a member of the board enables us in principle to play a role in shaping and
reviewing UNESCO’s policies and programmes corresponding to its five major
programs on education, the natural science, the social and human Sciences, Culture
and Communication and Information.
Down Syndrome: A chromosomal condition associated with intellectual and learning
disabilities.
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8. e-Tribes India: Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India, (TRIFED),
under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has developed its own e-commerce (electronic
commerce) website i.e., tribesindia.com for sale of all its products and to tap m-commerce
(mobile commerce) too.
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)
Aim: To alleviate rural poverty by organizing the rural poor women into their own
institutions like Self-Help Groups and their federations, Producers’ Collectives etc.
Ensure their financial inclusion
To increase the productivity of farms and promote diversified livelihoods, especially
by promoting entrepreneurship
Deen Dayal Upadhyay –Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) under DAY-NRLM
Aim: A placement Linked Skill Development scheme which seeks to build the skills of the
poor rural youth and place them in relatively higher wage employment sectors of the
economy.
Provides support for establishing Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) in
each district of the country in collaboration with the Banks and the State Governments to
provide training to the rural youth from the poor households to take-up economic activities.
Mahila Kisan Sahshaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), as a sub scheme under DAY-NRLM
Aim: Promoting agriculture based livelihoods of rural women by strengthening community
institutions of poor women farmers to promote sustainable agriculture.
MKSP focuses on agriculture, non-timber forest produce and livestock interventions. It
provides three kinds of services to the farmers, namely:
Extension services
Training capacity building and handholding services
Facilitation for convergence with other line department to access the benefit from
other schemes/ programmes
SARAS Aajeevika Mela: An endeavour of DAY-NRLM to provide to the rural women (huge
socio-economic transformation) producers a national platform and an opportunity to
showcase their products, and seek buyers, either individuals or bulk buyers for sale
nationally / internationally.
Quotes:
The Vice President of India, Shri M, Venkaiah Naidu
On Language
Language is a living tool – you must use it or you lose it. If we lose a language we
lose an important part of cultural identity.
Language is a tool for transmission of culture and it is truly the life blood of a
civilization.
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9. Mother tongue, the language of home, is the root of the huge tree of life.
Higher education has a unique role in preparing torchbearers of tomorrow in different
fields from medicine to management. It is essential for higher educational institutions
to mould the next generation by inculcating the core values of patriotism, honesty,
responsibility, discipline, compassion, respect for women and pluralism
On Women
We need to build coalitions against gender discrimination. Government and the civil
society must be active collaborators to achieve tangible results.
Adi Shankaracharya opens his beautiful hymn called “Saundarya Lahari” (The wave
of beauty) with a clear statement on how Lord Shiva is totally powerless without his
wife Shakthi. One complements the other.
Mahatma Gandhi:
On Women
Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading ,
so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; the female sex.
To call woman the weaker sex is a libel. It is man’s injustice to woman.
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi
On Innovation
IPPP i.e. Innovate, Patent, Produce and Prosper – lead our country towards faster
development
Schemes by Government to facilitate research and innovations –
Introducing Modern Techniques based on Educational and Learning concepts in Atal
Tinkering Labs. Students of class 6th to 12th will be benefitted from this.
Prime Minister Research Fellowship to around 1000 best students of BTech, MTech
and MSc courses in institutes like IITs, IISc and NIT every year. These students will
be given financial assistance of about 70-80 thousand rupees per month over a
period of five years.
Focus on providing greater autonomy to Higher Educational Institutions.
Setting up of 20 world class Institute of Excellence
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