IASbaba’s Press Information Bureau- 16th to 22nd NOVEMBER 2015

ARCHIVES

GS-1

President Mukherjee to inaugurate first ever World Indology Conference at RashtrapatiBhawan

Organised by

• Rashtrapati Bhavan in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)

Objective

• To bring the best scholars from across the world including India to discuss the present state of Indology
• Its relevance and the challenges faced by them in India and Abroad
• Scholar to study the vast Indian wisdom enshrined in old texts on paintings, sculptures, numismatic and archaeological remains
• ICCR has instituted for the first time an annual ‘ICCR Distinguished Indologist Awards’
• ICCR Distinguished Indologist Awards: Prof. Heinrich Freiherr Von Stietencron, Germany

GS-2

An Umbrella Scheme ‘Blue Revolution’: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries’

(GS2: Government Scheme and Policies)

Organised by:

Union Agriculture Welfare Ministry and they inaugurate it as “World Fisheries Day-2015”

Objective

• Cover inland fisheries, aquaculture, marine fisheries including deep sea fishing marine-culture and all activities undertaken by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB)
• Lead to ushering in Blue Revolution through an integrated development and management of fisheries and aquaculture sector
• Ensure sustained acceleration and intensification of fish production beyond the projected annual growth rate

Launch of Pan India Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Awareness Programmes

Organised By: National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) and DIPP

Specially Targets: Students, Research Scholars, Teaching faculty and Scientists

Objective

• To create awareness about IP in the academia in the wake of new IPR policy launched by GOI
• Programme provides opportunity for participants to learn about mechanism of mechanism of accessing and using IP information for further research and development in developing new products and process for their use
• It provide an insight in to different forms of IPRs
  • Innovation Ecosystem
  • Procedure Requirement for participation
  • Maintenance
  • Enforcement
  • Commercialization
  • Licensing and transfer of IPRs
  • Challenges faced by IP ecosystem stakeholders and institutional mechanism available for protecting IPR

NRDC

• NRDC also established an Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC) with financial support from MSMEs at Bangalore
• Providing facilitation and techno-financial support for filling patent application in India is one of the important promotion activities of NRDC

Importance of IPRs:

• Key driver for building and sustaining competitive advantage and achieving superior performance
• To protect creativity and generate revenue
• To build strategic alliances for socio-economic and technological growth

Enable Makeathon

(GS2: Social Justice and Empowerment)

Initiated by: International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC)

Partnered by:Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

About Enable Makeathon Project –

To help create new assistive device for persons with disabilities living in rural areas across the world, in the form of Technology, Designs and Mentors

Aim-

• Develop solutions and products for persons with disabilities in form of prototypes.
• Diminish the three barriers
  • Physical Barriers
  • Social Barriers
  • Psychological Barriers

Determination of marketing margin for supply of Domestic gas to Urea and LPG producers

(GS2: Development and Management of various Service Sector)

Objective

To enhance transparency and provide an element of certainty for future investments in gas infrastructure sector

Marketing Margin

It is the charge levied by gas marketing company on its consumers over and above the cost or basic price of gas for taking on the additional risk and cost associated with marketing gas.

At present: Different transporters are charging different marketing margins for supply of natural gas and therefore, a call for uniform price

India and Germany agree to Strengthen their Cooperation in the field of Science and Technology-

(GS 2: India and its International Relations)

Objective –

• Agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the field of Science and Technology with continued funding for the project already in progress
• To support nuclear fusion technology
• To collaborate with India in the area of Solar Energy and Clean and Green Technologies.

GS-3

India is committed to Improving Safety, Efficiency and sustainability in the Transport sector

(GS 3: Development and Management of Transport sector)

Objective

• To improve safety, efficiency and sustainability in transport sector
• Endorse the “Safe System Approach” advocated by the United Nations

Steps Taken-

• Replacement of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, with legislation
• Creation of National Road Safety and Traffic Management Authority
• Modernization of road transport infra structure in India
• Improve the quality of vehicles on the road, especially with regards to safety and emissions
• Seeks to usher in a regime of computerized, corruption free and transparent transport authorities, both at the national and state levels
• To remove obstacles and inconvenience from the path of road users in obtaining driving license, registration , payment of taxes, permits etc and to promote good driving skills
• Improve urban planning and transport system developing cities which are greener and safer
• Integrated Urban environment to reduce treasure needs
• To reduce fossil energy requirement and also exposure to travel risk

Government Prioritizes International Health Regulations

(GS 3: Issues relating to development and management of health Service, Education, Human Resources)

Implemented by-

International Health Regulation (IHR), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with WHO Country office for India

Objective

• GOI has prioritized the implementation of IHR as it moves towards full compliance by 2016
• Investing and building and sustaining core capacities under IHR (2005), particularly in view of emerging global threats such as Ebola and MERS-CoV

 IHR:

• An instrument for the world to have robust protocol for-
  • Preventing
  • Reporting
  • Information sharing
  • Preparedness
• Greater attention towards building capacities at state level; particularly for hospital preparedness, infection control, etc
• Building and maintaining IHR core capacities of surveillance, response, laboratory verification with preparedness, both at national and sub-national levels.

Launch of Technology Acquisition and Development Fund under National Manufacturing Policy

(GS 3: Technology, Mobilization of resources, growth and development)

Launched:

Under National Manufacturing Policy, being implemented by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)

TADF (Technology Acquisition and Development Fund)

• To facilitate acquisition of Clean, Green and Energy Efficient Technology
• In form of Technology/CustomisedProducts/SpecialisedServices/Patents/Industrial Design available in the market in India or globally, by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

Objectives:

• Bridge the technological gap at an affordable cost.
• To catalyse the manufacturing growth in MSME sector
• To contribute to the national focus of ‘Make in India’

Support to MSME units is envisaged by the following-

Direct support for Technology Acquisition-Reimbursement of 50% of technology transfer fee

Indirect Support for Technology Acquisition through Patent Post-

Financial support will be provided in acquisition of technology from across the Globe.

Technology/Equipment Manufacturing Subsidies-

The fund will support, via subsidies, manufacturing of equipment for controlling pollution, reducing energy consumption and water conservation.

Green Manufacturing-Incentive Scheme-

• To facilitate resource conservation activities in industries located in NIMZ
• Introduction of incentive schemes for energy/environmental/water audits, construction of green buildings, implementation of waste treatment facilities and implementation of renewable energy projects through financial support under the TADF.

Extension of Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Project

(GS3: Security through Communication Network)

ICJS

• Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) to integrate CCTNS with E-Courts
• Implemented by Ministry of Home Affairs for a major revamp of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)

Objective

• Ensure quick data transfer among pillars of criminal justice system
• To bring transparency and reduce processing time
• Aligned with vision of Smart Policing and Digital India of the Government
• Number of services will be enabled through citizen portal
• Services include-
  • Police Verification for various purposes including passport verification
  • Reporting a crime including cyber-crime
  • Online tracking of the case progress
  • Online reporting of grievances against police officials
  • Accessing victim compensation fund and legal services etc.
  • Digitize data related to FIR registration, investigation and charge sheets in all Police Stations

Major Components includes

• Citizen Portal having interfaces with various e-governance projects like Aadhar
• National Population Register
• Vaahan Project of the Ministry of Surface Transport
• National Emergency Response System Project etc
• E-prisons, Forensics and Prosecution-the key components of Criminal Justice System

National Resource Facility for Bio- Medical Research (NARF) at Genome Valley in Hyderabad

(GS3: Science and Technology, Research, Development)

Objective

• Develop world-class facility for breeding and housing of animals such as primates, cabins and other specialised models such as transgenic and knockout rodents required for testing of various R & D products
• Develop, create and provide access to a range of laboratory animals and related technological resources for advancement of biomedical research in the country
• Facilitate Research in medical colleges, and research and academic institutions, universities and Biotech/ Bio-pharma companies
• Provide training facilities for personnel in the specialised areas in the field of bio-medical research

Petroleum Minister emphasises the need to integrate the bio-energy policies with regular-agricultural economy

(GS3: Energy)

Objective

To form an effective bio-fuel policy for the year 2016-17

Why:

• Promotion of alternate renewable sources of energy such as ethanol and bio-diesel
• Reduce dependency on import of crude oil
• Provide savings in foreign exchange provide better remuneration for the farmers and address growing environment issues
• Oil and Gas PSUs to take up projects on waste to fuel under ‘Clean India Initiative’