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Taking off (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 3: Economy
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Causes and effects of the resumption of domestic flights

Context:

• The Centre announced the resumption of domestic flights from May 25 in a calibrated manner.
• The move will come as much-needed relief for the beleaguered airlines industry commercial flights have been suspended since March 25, with only cargo and special flights being allowed to operate in the intervening period.

No demand to pick soon:

• To begin with, airlines will operate with only a fraction of their flights, slowly scaling up thereafter.
• However, with the virus continuing to spread, and households likely to curb their discretionary spending owing to the prevailing economic and health uncertainty, it is difficult to estimate the extent to which ............................................

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Regulating airfare:

• The Central government has also taken a decision to regulate airfare, with a range being prescribed for each route. For instance, the Delhi-Mumbai airfare is capped between Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000.

Two-fold rationale for the government:

• To ensure that tickets don’t become exorbitantly priced for the consumer, and second, to prevent the stronger airlines from using their financial muscle to indulge in pricing that will hurt the financial viability of the competition, driving them out.
• While extraordinary times may well call for extraordinary measures, it must be pointed out that price controls are counterproductive in the long run.

Problems with government regulations:

• They inevitably lead to problems of shortages, rationing, deterioration of product quality, and even black markets.
• As such, governments should avoid the temptation of setting prices and, instead, allow the market to function. It’s best not to distort market prices.
• Issues of “predatory pricing” are best left to be examined by the Competition Commission of India, which takes into account market dominance, as well as underlying cost structures.
• Perhaps realising the consequences of such interventions to “correct” prices, the government has also notified that the fares will be fixed only for a period of three months.

Conclusion:

• With the virus yet to be contained, airlines as well as airports will need to ensure that the standard operating procedures on health and safety of passengers are followed strictly.
• The onus is also on passengers to ensure compliance with the laid out protocols.
• Discipline will need to be maintained, and norms of social etiquette will have to be adhered to strictly.
• Decision to reopen air travel is welcome, an important step towards restarting economic activity.
• The critical challenge is to control the spread of the virus, while allowing economic activities to restart.

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(The Gist of PIB) Per Capita availability of Water

Per Capita availability of Water

• Water availability per person is dependent on the population of the country and for India, per capita water availability in the country is reducing due to increase in population.

About:

• The average annual per capita water availability in the years 2001 and 2011 was assessed as 1816 cubic meters and 1545 cubic meters respectively which may further reduce to 1486 cubic meters in the year 2021.
• Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments.
• In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, the Central Government provides technical and financial assistance to them through various schemes and programmes.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) – a campaign for water conservation and water security.

Initiatives taken by the government:

• During the campaign, officers, groundwater experts and scientists from the Government of India worked together with State and district officials in India’s most water-stressed districts for water conservation and water resource management.
• The Central Government has formulated a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Water Resources Development which envisages transfer of water from water surplus basins to water deficit basins to improve availability of water.
• Government of India has launched Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) on 25th June, 2015 in select 500 cities across the country for a period of five years i.e. from 2015-16 to 2019-20 with focus on development of basic civic amenities in the Mission cities.
• Under the water supply component of the Mission, projects related to rain water harvesting, rejuvenation of water bodies specifically for drinking water supply, recharging of groundwater, etc., can be taken up by the States/UTs to enhance water supply in the Mission cities.
• The Government of India has launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), which aims at providing functional household tap connections to every rural household by 2024 at the service level of 55 litre per capita per day.
• This Mission will focus on integrated demand and supply side management of water at the local level, including creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of household wastewater for reuse in agriculture.

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A fuller support (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 3: Economy
Prelims level: Conservative approach
Mains level: Government’s conservative approach towards addressing economic shock

Context:

• Over the past week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled a series of measures to help ease the stress in different sectors of the economy across the country.
• But the announcements have failed to reassure or enthuse, pointing to a chasm between expectations and reality.

Actual outgo:

• The actual fiscal outgo is likely to be around only 1 per cent of GDP, far short of the proclaimed 10 per cent. The government’s conservative approach seems to be driven by several factors.
• First, as there continues to be uncertainty over how long it will take for the pandemic to be brought under control, and how economic activity will shape up over the coming weeks and months, it is difficult at this juncture to make a reasonably accurate assessment about the state of the economy, and thus arrive at an estimate of the breadth and depth of the government intervention that is needed.
• As Sitharaman said in an interview to this paper, “It’s too early for me to make an, it’s too early for me to even hazard a guess”. There appears to be an inclination, then, to keep the power dry for now.

Avoiding mistakes:

• There also appears to be a strong desire on the part of the government to avoid the mistakes made in the aftermath of the global crisis of 2008.
• The consequences of continuing with the s..................................

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Conclusion:

• It is true that the extent of uncertainty is unprecedented. But revisiting the budget revenue and expenditure numbers only at the time of presenting the revised estimates might not be a prudent approach.
• Instead, the government should present a short-to-medium term fiscal roadmap that provides a realistic assessment of the state of the economy.
• It should clearly lay out how it intends to support the economy during this period, its expenditure priorities, as well as a clear plan for funding its deficit.

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Law as weapon (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 2: Polity
Prelims level: Epidemic diseases act
Mains level: Provisions required under Epidemic diseases act

Context:

• A dharna in Agra over the movement of buses to ferry migrant labour led to the arrest of the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and two of his party colleagues — all three subsequently got bail.
• Amongst the laws weaponised by the UP police to detain the Opposition leaders is a late-19th century statute, The Epidemic Diseases Act.

The epidemic diseases act:

• Drafted by the colonial state in 1897 “to take special measures and prescribe regulations” for “the better prevention of the dangerous epidemic diseases”, the law has been summoned in the past to deal with outbreaks of ......................................

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Need of extensive surveillance:

• Of course, combating COVID-19 does require extensive surveillance, including identification of the carriers of the virus and their contacts.
• But in most parts of the world, including India, a growing body of literature has underlined that such extraordinary measures are best undertaken by taking citizens into confidence, using persuasion and involving the community.
• At several places, however, the state authorities are giving the go-by to these imperatives and asserting state power in heavy-handed ways, by taking cover under Clause 4 of the Epidemics Act — actions taken under the law are provided immunity from “legal proceedings” for they are deemed to have been “undertaken in good faith”.
• In early April, when knowledge of the virus was still uncertain among large sections of the people, an FIR was slapped against the family of a Bengaluru technician, who had contracted COVID-19, for “hiding information”, and they were charge-sheeted under the Epidemics Act.
• Also last month, the Mumbai Police invoked the law to arrest a journalist, alleging that his social media posts led to unrest among migrant workers in suburban Bandra.

Criminalising criticism and dissent:

• A toxic mix of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 144 of the CrPC and the Epidemics Act may well be on its way to becoming the new sedition law, which has been invoked with disturbing frequency.............................

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“Fake” and “Sensational” news:

• The FIRs allege that these reports are “fake” and “sensational” news; the cases are being investigated. But governments must realise that the discourse on citizens’ rights and public health has moved on from the times when the colonial government charged Bal Gangadhar Tilak for sedition for criticising its handling of the 1897 bubonic plague.
• Else, the Supreme Court must intervene to allow people to voice their opinions freely during a crisis, and especially in a crisis, without the threat of their being criminalised.

Conclusion:

• Misuse of Epidemic Diseases Act by government must stop. Else, court must step in to protect citizens’ freedoms

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China, better prepared for the post-COVID world (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2: International
Prelims level: UN General Assembly
Mains level: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests

Context:

• Several weeks before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s Minister for External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, had observed that “what defines power and determines national standing is also no longer the same... Technology, connectivity and trade are at the heart of the new contestations....”
• The Minister could never have imagined that within a few weeks, his prediction would be overtaken by a tectonic shift in the global situation thanks to a virus and a pandemic.
• The Minister did mention a point about “known unknowns”, but what he could hardly have anticipated is how radical the changes would be, thanks to the phenomenon of “unknown unknowns”. Within the span of a few weeks, following the Minister’s dissertation, pronounced unpredictability created an unprecedented situation.
• Seldom have so many lives been lost across continents in a single tragic event.

Deep economic impact:

• By now, India has surpassed China with regard to the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and has moved past the figure of 100,000 cases. What distinguishes the present pandemic from earlier ones is its economic impact, .........................................

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Before lockdown:

• Well before this, India had been witnessing a persistent economic downward slide. The pandemic could, thus, not have come at a more inopportune moment.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a ₹20-lakh crore stimulus package was, hence, timely even though economists now believe that in real terms it amounts to around 2% of GDP rather than 10% as the government makes out.
• Finding resources for even this stimulus package will, however, not be easy. The Centre’s finances are not in the best of health. It has already had to resort to a second tranche of $1 billion loan from the World Bank to support COVID-19 relief measures.
• The finances of States are, to say the least, in a perilous state. Questions are, thus, bound to be raised as to whether adequate funds would be forthcoming for relief purposes.

Package is more a mosaic:

• Following the Prime Minister’s announcement, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has provided several details of the stimulus package. Most critics affirm that it has been a financial stimulus at best, and much less likely to provide the much-needed stimulus to the economy.

Among the more important items are:

• To providing a stimulus to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through a ₹3-lakh crore loan scheme; helping other stressed business sectors such as non-banking financial companies, or NBFCs, power distribution companies and the real estate industry; provisioning of free food grains to migrant workers for the next two months; provisioning of a ₹1-lakh crore subsidy to agricultural ............................................

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China’s Calibrated moves:

• In the extant circumstances, comparisons with China have, hence, become inevitable. China may not have anticipated the latest COVID-19 pandemic, but since its early recovery, China has followed a calibrated approach — one that stems from a policy of deliberate strategic progression conceived over the years. It may be worthwhile to understand the facts so as to underscore the gap that currently exists between China and India.
• Almost five years ago, China’s President, Xi Jinping, had floated the idea of “a Community of Common Destiny of Mankind”, in the course of an address to the UN General Assembly (2015). In this, he outlined China’s viewpoint on aspects such as economic globalisation and the information technology revolution.
• The Belt and Road Initiative — which encompasses policy, infrastructure, trade, financial, and people-to-people connectivity, and, implicitly also, security ties — was an adjunct to it. The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (2017), thereafter, gave its imprimatur, considering it essential to enable China to achieve pre-eminence status within the global order.
• Ever since, China has embarked on not only attaining economic and technological progress but also in defining how power would be determined in the new globalised era through devising new international norms in many emerging domains such as cyber, space, artificial intelligence, etc.

Setting the standards:

• China also set about rewriting international rules, premised not so much on governing where global goods are made, but on setting standards that define production, exchange and consumption. China Standards 2035 plans to set new standards with regard to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and define next generation information technology and biotechnology infrastructure.
• China is hoping, thereby, .........................................

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India must plan well:

• Mounting an effective challenge to China at this time would require a well-conceived and carefully calibrated plan of action by India. As of now, this is not evident.
• India and China will certainly emerge from the pandemic more diminished than previously, but to varying extents. Each country will, no doubt, suffer an economic setback, but while both nations would be among the very few that would still have a positive growth rate in the near future given the size of China’s economy, it does not translate into a massive shift in India’s favour.
• Admittedly, there is a great deal of talk of companies demitting China at this time, partly due to the pandemic and partly due to other reasons.

Conclusion:

• India would more than welcome some of the entities exiting China, but there are no “green shoots” to suggest that such a shift has, or is, about to take place. Many alternatives are available to these companies and it would be excessively optimistic on our part to hold on to the belief that India is the only alternative choice for most of them.

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A hole in the whole: On health sector woes (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2: Health
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Highlighted the health sector woes

Context:

• The lockdown, as it was conceived originally, was meant to be, at best, a stopgap arrangement that would help nations tide over the crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But as the days rolled on, and the lockdown moved on from phase to phase, it has caused a paralysis in general health care.

Cases rising:

• As sparse health care resources in most parts of the country have been channelled towards the COVID-19 effort, the numbers have risen, but normal health care services have been in suspended animation for just under two months now.
• Staff running several national health program......................................

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Balancing the requirements:

• But the time has now come for the country to balance the different requirements of health care, along with efforts to continue to fight COVID-19. While health-care services themselves have been on the backfoot for non-COVID-19 conditions, except in emergencies, access too, for the bulk of the population, has been hampered by the non-availability of public transportation.
• Recent data from the National Health Mission pointed to less than normal coverage in key areas such as immunisation, institutional deliveries. Further, delay or failure, in delivering life-saving drugs to persons with HIV, tuberculosis, or inability to offer support for other chronic conditions have been documented.
• The usually robust private health system, which caters to various segments of the population, also took a back seat, or played a supportive role.

Conclusion:

• While the Finance Minister’s announcement on increase in health allocations as part of the ₹20-lakh crore relief package is welcome, more than money is required to set this right.
• If life after COVID-19 is not to be worse than life before the pandemic, the governments need to ensure that the country’s multi-layered health system is not sacrificed at the altar of one virus; they need to give it their whole attention, now.
• Health care services cannot be allowed to be overwhelmed by the pandemic.

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Working safely: On workplaces during the pandemic (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2: Health
Prelims level: Aarogya Setu app
Mains level: Highlights the new guidelines for workplaces issued by the Health Ministry

Context:

• Opening up economic production from a lockdown, even partially, when the COVID-19 pandemic has not peaked in the country poses an extraordinary challenge. Countries around the world are focusing on making the workplace safe, and issuing guidelines to help workers return to their jobs.
• Reducing the number of people present at any given time is a universal principle, either through resort to shifts, or arrangements to enable employees to work from home. The Union Health Ministry has addressed the issue through a manual of preventive measures that covers all types of workplaces and depends heavily on behavioural change, with some additional requirements for confined spaces such as offices.

Defence against virus:

• Fortunately, the first line of defence against the novel coronavirus is a set of simple measures that involves little expenditure: physical distancing of at least one metre, mandatory use of face masks or cover, frequent hand washing with soap, respiratory etiquette, sanitising contact surfaces and self-monitoring of health.
• These requirements have by now become................................

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Protocals:

• The Centre’s protocol for symptomatic cases at the workplace, requiring testing, and, where warranted, quarantining of both the worker and close contacts, and a two-day closure of offices experiencing an outbreak, should underscore to employers the importance of prevention.
• Responsibility, however, does not devolve entirely on offices and establishments, and it is imperative for other activities, such as public transport used by many workers, to meet COVID-19 requirements.
• Some institutions are mandating installation of the Aarogya Setu app by employees returning to work, when the legal basis of this monitoring mechanism remains shaky and there are no assured benefits in terms of health care.

Conclusion:

• At this stage of the pandemic, when a gradual resumption of economic activity in multiple sectors ranging from construction to food takeaways is a necessity, the most feasible interventions at the workplace are voluntary and those that cost the least.
• There may still be occasion to resort to intermittent lockdowns if opening up leads to mounting cases. A prudent course would be to navigate the present with a minimalist approach, as the quest for a medical breakthrough makes progress.

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Union Budget 2020-21: Safer Deposits, Stronger Cooperative Sector Banks and Major Boost to MSME

Introduction:

• Three most important proposals related with the banking sector were declared to be implemented. These are:

Insurance Cover on Deposits:

• Insurance cover on deposits means how much money will be paid to the depositor if the bank is closed due to some reason or goes bankrupt.
• The responsibility of providing insurance cover on deposits is with the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), which is a fully owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India.
• In the beginning, the insurance cover per depositor was Ra. 1500. This amount is now Rs. 5 lakh from 4 February, 2020. For the purpose of insurance cover on deposits, the banks have to pay the premium amount, not the depositors.

Strong Regulation System for Cooperative Banks:

• The complex system of rules is one of the big reasons for the deterioration of cooperative banks. Under the federal system, cooperative societies have been kept under the state list.
• If these societies act like a bank; they will have to follow the rules and regulations of the Reserve Bank of India.
• To strengthen the Cooperative Bank, amendments to the Banking Regulation Act are proposed for increasing professionalism, enabling access to capital and improving governance and oversight for sound banking through the RBI.
• Among Urban and Rural Cooperative Banks, State Co-operative banks (StCBs) and District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCB) have to register under the Co-operative Societies Act of the respective States or Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act.
• Banking Law was enforced on Cooperatives societies from 1 March, 1966. Therefore, the state level Cooperative Society Registrar or Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Reserve Bank of India have double control over UCB, DCCB and StCB today.
• The Cooperative banks (Multi-State Cooperative Bank) functioning in various states and UCB will be brought under the jurisdiction of The Reserve Bank of India.
• Banking related issues will be under the jurisdiction of The Reserve Bank of India, while the registrar has been authorized to deal with the administrative issues of cooperative societies.

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs):

• The budget proposes to support MSME sector through the banking system and also has the provision of easy loan returns.
• The budget has proposed to introduce a scheme to provide subordinate debt for entrepreneurs of MSMEs. This subordinate debt to be provided by banks would count as quasi-equity and would be fully guaranteed through the Credit Guarantee Trust for Medium and Small Entrepreneurs
  (CGTMSE).
• In addition, an app-based invoice financing loans product will be launched. This will obviate the problem of delayed payments and consequential cash flows mismatches for the MSMEs.

Important proposals associated with banking sector:

• Insurance cover on deposits is now Rs. 5,00,000 per depositor
• RBI has been provided more powers regarding regulation of cooperative banks
• The time limit of credit restructure extended for MSMEs
• New measures to be announced to enhance professional efficiency in public sector banks
• The government will sell its remaining stake in IDBI Bank.

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(The Gist of PIB) Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme

Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme

• The Government of India held a Meeting to review the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), a flagship scheme of the Ministry of MSME.

About:

• PMEGP is a credit linked subsidy scheme which promotes self-employment through setting up of micro enterprises, where subsidy up to 35 percent is provided by the Government through Ministry of MSME for loans up to Rs. 25 lakhs in manufacturing and Rs 10 lakhs in service sector.
• To give further boost to the scheme, the target in the current year has been increased to support the establishments of 80,000 units.

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(The Gist of PIB) ICGS -Varad

ICGS -Varad

• Union Minister for Shipping commissioned Indian Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Vessel ICGS Varad in Chennai.

About:

• The newly commissioned ICGS Varad with gross tonnage of 2100 tons is 98 meters long and has 15 mtrs breadth. The ship will be fitted with one CRN -91 and two 12.7 mm guns and will be capable of carrying an Integral Twin Engine Helicopter.
• ICGS Varad has been built indigenously by M/s L&T that will contribute immensely towards the vision of Make in India.
• Commissioning of ICGS Varad will enhance the ICGS fleet of ships which will contribute in monitoring and constant vigil for coastal security of Indian maritime borders.

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(The Gist of PIB) NSG Regional Hub at Kolkata

NSG Regional Hub at Kolkata

• Union Home Minister inaugurated the National Security Guard (NSG) Regional Hub campus at Kolkata.

About:

• This latest NSG complex has become a model regional hub of the NSG, which will help in honing the professional acumen of the NSG commandos and also contribute significantly in capacity building of the first responders, the Police forces of the States.
• The area of responsibility of this Hub comprises West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand & the entire North East.
• The Kolkata hub is the fourth to have permanent infrastructure after Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

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(The Gist of PIB) NSG Regional Hub at Kolkata

NSG Regional Hub at Kolkata

• Union Home Minister inaugurated the National Security Guard (NSG) Regional Hub campus at Kolkata.

About:

• This latest NSG complex has become a model regional hub of the NSG, which will help in honing the professional acumen of the NSG commandos and also contribute significantly in capacity building of the first responders, the Police forces of the States.
• The area of responsibility of this Hub comprises West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand & the entire North East.
• The Kolkata hub is the fourth to have permanent infrastructure after Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

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(The Gist of PIB) PMG Portal

PMG Portal

• Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal chaired a meeting for the review of 17 large-size infrastructure projects on 27th of February in Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), New Delhi.

About:

• Project Monitoring Group (PMG) is an institutional mechanism of DPIIT to expedite resolution of issues and removal of regulatory bottlenecks in projects, with investments upward of ₹ 500 crores in India.
• Invest India provides implementational support to PMG in identifying and following up on issues with the States.
• PMG enlists unresolved project issues of all Public, Private and ‘Public–Private Partnership’ (PPP) projects and undertakes fast-tracking of approvals, sectoral policy issues and removal of bottlenecks for expeditious commissioning.

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(The Gist of PIB) Ekam Fest

Ekam Fest

• Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot will inaugurate the week long Exhibition-cum-Fair “EKAM Fest” organised by National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation(NHFDC) in New Delhi.

Key highlights:

• EKAM Fest is an effort for promoting entrepreneurship and knowledge among the Divyangjan community, generating awareness among society about potentialities of PwDs to provide a major marketing opportunity to PwDs entrepreneurs.
• NHFDC Foundation is making efforts for development of a brand and platform for marketing of products of these determined entrepreneurs.
• Accordingly, the name of the brand has arrived at Ekam (Entrepreneurship, Knowledge, Awareness, Marketing).
• The word Ekam also represents the inclusiveness, oneness and unity which appropriately describe the efforts being put in by NHFDC to develop the marketing platform and aggregation of the products through promotion of entrepreneurship, knowledge sharing, Awareness creation and marketing initiatives amongst the Divyangjan.

About NHFDC:

• NHFDC is an Apex corporation under the aegis of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and has been working since 1997.
• It is registered as a company not for profit and provides financial assistance to the Divyangjan/Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan/PwDs) for their economic rehabilitation and provides a number of skill development programmes to empower them to grow & sustain their enterprises.
• To empower the Divyang and marginalized groups of the society more closely, NHFDC has taken a step forward and established NHFDC Foundation.
• Recognizing the absence of a connection with the market which hinders fair prices and volumes in sale of the unorganized tiny Divyang entrepreneurs, NHFDC Foundation is making efforts for development of a brand and platform for marketing of products of these determined entrepreneurs.

Measures taken by NHFDC:

• NHFDC Swavalamban Kendra (NSK): NHFDC has taken an initiative to establish PWD owned micro skill training Centers throughout
• the country for skill training of PwDs. These NSKs will have a capacity to provide quality skill training to around 120 PwDs per year. The PwD owner of the NSK is expected to earn around Rs 20,000 per month.
• Safe Cabs in Delhi and Indore: NHFDC has made arrangements with Sakha Cabs where the PwD owned commercial vehicles will be driven by the Women drivers to provide safe taxi options for the women, children and senior citizen commuters. Such Sfe cabs are already in operation at New Delhi and Indore Airport. The vehicles here are financed by NHFDC under its scheme.
• Safe Drinking Water E Carts: NHFDC has recently agreed to finance E-carts fitted with RO water dispensing vending machines. These carts will sell water in paper glasses maintaining hygiene. The carts will be supported in operation by Bharat Jal. The PwD owner is expected to earn Rs 10,000/- to Rs 15,000/- per month in the operation of these carts.

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(The Gist of PIB) RaIDer-X

RaIDer-X

• RaIDer-X, a new explosive detection device, was unveiled at the National Workshop on Explosive Detection (NWED-2020) in Pune.

About:

• RaIDer-X has been co-developed by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) Pune and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
• HEMRL Pune is a premier laboratory of DRDO.
• RaIDer-X has the capability to detect explosives from a stand-off distance.
• The data library can be built in the system to expand its capability to detect a number of explosives in pure form as well as with the contaminants.
• Bulk explosive in concealed condition can also be detected by the device.

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(The Gist of PIB) Incredible India website

Incredible India website

• The Minister of State (IC) for Tourism and Culture, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel will launch the multilingual Incredible India website in New Delhi.

About:

• Incredible India website, the flagship project launched by the Ministry of Tourism, is a promotional website with an aim to project India as a ‘must-visit’ destination across the globe.
• The Ministry of Tourism has revamped the multilingual Incredible India website design, with an aim to provide more information about India’s tourist destinations, attractions, experiences, and where our value lies.

Objectives:

• Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India 2.0 website aims towards showcasing the varied tourism products of India at a global arena by providing visitors with relevant, personalized and contextual digital experience escalating tourism awareness, attraction and opportunities.
• The website now comprises a plethora of information around 165 destinations, 2700+ pages, 28 States + 9 UTs alongwith multiple attractions.
• The website which is currently hosted in English and Hindi is now being launched in Chinese, Arabic and Spanish with the primary objective to effectively engage the visitors across web and social media platforms thereby providing an exciting experience to the travellers visiting the website from countries from where we witness major tourist footfall.
• The website will be dynamic and constantly evolving with new design and theme, periodically. Going forward, the website will be available in other major international languages.

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(The Gist of PIB) RAISE 2020

RAISE 2020

• The Government of India (GoI) announced the mega event, RAISE 2020- ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020,’ to be held from April 11-12 in New Delhi.

Key highlights:

• RAISE 2020 is India’s first Artificial Intelligence summit to be organized by the Government in partnership with Industry and Academia.
• The summit will be a global meeting of minds to exchange ideas to use AI for social empowerment, inclusion and transformation in key areas like Healthcare, Agriculture, Education and Smart Mobility amongst other sectors.
• The event will start with a Startup Challenge – Pitchfest followed by the two-day summit, organized by the Government of India along with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

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(The Gist of PIB) Dholavira

Dholavira

• The Government of India has submitted two nomination dossiers namely ‘Dholavira: A Harappan City’ and ‘Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate’ for inclusion in the World Heritage List for the year 2020. The Govt. of Madhya Pradesh has submitted the proposal of ‘Group of Monuments at Mandu’ in the year 2019.

Key highlights:

• The dossier was further forwarded to the World Heritage Centre (WHC) for completeness check. Inputs received from WHC have been conveyed to the State Government for further incorporation.
• A consultation workshop was organized by the Wild Life Institute of India and State Govt. of Madhya Pradesh to invent and prioritize the potential World Heritage Sites of M.P.
• The workshop has proposed Bhedaghat (Narmada Valley) as one of the recommended potential site subject to criteria set by UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

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Study Material for UPSC General Studies Pre Cum Mains

(The Gist of PIB) Jan aushadhi Diwas

Jan aushadhi Diwas

• Jan aushadhiDiwas will be celebrated on 7th march 2020. Prime minister Shri Narendra Modi will interact with owners of selected Jan aushadhiKendras and beneficiaries of the Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Jana AushadhiPariyojna-PMBJP through a video conference from New Delhi.

Key highlights:

• The Jan aushadhi Divas aims to provide further impetus and create awareness about the use of generic medicines. The day will also highlight the initiative undertaken by the Government in the direction of making quality healthcare for all, like Ayushman Bharat, PMBJY, etc.
• The Pradhan Mantri Jan AushadhiPariyojna was launched by the Prime Minister with an objective of making high-quality medicines available to all at affordable prices, especially to the poor and underprivileged, through exclusive outlets of Jan Aushadhi Medical Stores.

About:

• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana” is a noble initiative by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India which is now making an impact on the masses in its endeavor to provide quality medicines at an affordable price.
• Jan aushadhi Kendra is considered as the biggest retail pharmacy chain in the world with around 6200 outlets in 700 districts.

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Study Material for UPSC General Studies Pre Cum Mains

(The Gist of PIB) Schemes to promote the culture of tribals

Schemes to promote the culture of tribals

• Union Minister of Culture informed Lok Sabha that various schemes have been launched to preserve and promote languages, folk dance, Art and culture of tribals.

Key highlights of the scheme launched by Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs):

• Guru Shishya Parampara: This scheme envisages transmitting our valued traditions to the coming generations. Disciples are trained under veterans in art forms which are rare and vanishing.
• Shilpgram: To promote folk and tribal art and crafts of the zone by organizing seminars, workshops, exhibitions, craft fairs, design development and marketing support to the artisans living in the rural areas.
• Octave: To promote and propagate the rich cultural heritage of the North East region comprising eight States namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura to the rest of India.
• National Cultural Exchange Programme (NCEP): Under this scheme, various festivals of performing arts, exhibitions, yatras etc are organized in member States.

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Study Material for UPSC General Studies Pre Cum Mains