20th Dec 2017 – Press Information Bureau (Daily PIB PDF-UPSC)

Department of Space

• ISRO has been pursuing a conscious approach of building up and nurturing
  the industrial capabilities in the country to maximally support the Indian
  Space Programme.
• ISRO has been utilising the Indian industry in both the public and private
  sector for the development of space technology since 1976.
• In order to ensure the smooth supply chain of hardware, components and
  sub-systems to the Indian Space Programme, ISRO has been continuously
  engaged in technology development and hand-holding several industries
  within the country.
• This has enabled ISRO to realise the majority of the manufacturing
  requirements of the ISRO’s launch vehicles and satellites through
  industry.
• The industry participation has shown continuing growth both in
  addressing technological complexity and quantum of work.
• The relevant process documents and safety documents for carrying out
  the various activities are in place and are being followed meticulously,
  which will be utilised along with training, in the event of the industry
  undertaking these activities.
• India has deployed its own regional navigational system, namely NavIC
  comprising of a constellation of seven navigational satellites and
  associated ground segment for providing position, navigation and timing
  services to Indian region.
• The IRNSS (NavIC) enables providing position, navigation and timing
  information that could be utilised for a large range of civil and strategic
  applications and services that include terrestrial, aerial and marine
  navigation; precise timing; disaster management and alert messages;
  mapping and Geodetic data capture; vehicle tracking and fleet
  management; visual & voice navigation for drivers, etc.
• ISRO and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/ NASA are jointly working on
  the development of Dual Frequency (L&S band) Synthetic Aperture Radar
  Imaging Satellite named as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).

Cabinet

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today gave its approval for a new
  skill development scheme covering the entire value chain of the textile sector
  excluding spinning and weaving.
• The Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector, SCBTS will have an outlay
  of D1300 crore upto 2019-20.
• The scheme will have National Skill Qualification Framework compliant
  training courses with funding norms as per the Common Norms notified by the
  Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• The objectives of the scheme is to provide demand driven, placement
  oriented skilling programme to incentivize the efforts of the industry in
  creating jobs in organized textile and related sectors.
• The Union Cabinet has also approved an extension of term of the
  Commission to examine the issue of sub-categorization of Other
  Backward Classes upto the 2nd of April next year.
• The extension of tenure will enable the Commission to submit a
  comprehensive report on the issue of sub-categorization of OBCs, after
  consultation with various stakeholders.
• The Commission was constituted on 2nd October this year.
• The Commission, headed by retired Justice G. Rohini commenced
  functioning- on 11th of October and has so far interacted with all the
  States having reservation for OBCs, and the State Backward Classes
  Commissions.
• Karnataka High Court’s ruling that makes 85% pictorial warnings on
  tobacco products unconstitutional.
• It’s a major setback to public health.
• Introduced on April 1, 2016.
• Large pictorial warnings were the newest in a slew of tobacco-control
  measures
  1. Raising taxes
  2. Banning advertising
  3. Smoking in public spaces
  4. Sale to minors
• These measures helped reduce tobacco consumption in India by 6% in
  seven years.
• Tobacco use fell from 34.6% in 2009-10 to 28.6% in 2016-17, with 810,000
  fewer people using tobacco despite population growth, shows data from
  the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017.
• The fall was the sharpest in young people (15-24 years), with tobacco
  use falling by 33%, from 18.4% in 2010 to 12.4% in 2017.
• Tobacco use is the second biggest cause of early death and chronic
  diseases, killing 6.4 million people worldwide in 2015, according to data
  from 195 countries published in The Lancet.
• India is the world’s second-largest producer of tobacco, producing 800
  million kg each year, and farmer and industry groups say lowering use
  will result in India losing more than Rs 34,000 crore in tax revenues and
  affect the livelihoods of 45.7 million people.
• The economic costs of all tobacco-related diseases was Rs 104,500 crore
  (US$22.4 billion) in 2011, estimated a report by the Union Ministry of
  Health on Economic Burden of Tobacco-related Diseases in India.

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