Daily PIB Analysis For UPSC/IAS | 26th Feb 19

Table of Contents

President’s Secretariat

President of India presents Gandhi Peace Prize
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018in the presence of the Prime Minister and other dignitaries, at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (February 26, 2019). The Gandhi Peace Prize was presented to the Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari for 2015, jointly to the Akshaya Patra Foundation and the Sulabh International for 2016, to the Ekal Abhiyan Trust for 2017, and to Shri Yohei Sasakawa for 2018. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Gandhian thinking, Gandhian modes of struggle and Gandhian ideals of achieving human liberty by conciliation, by appealing to the conscience of the opponent, have influenced some of the greatest of our age. From Martin Luther King Jr in the United States to Nelson Mandela in South Africa and Lech Walesa in Poland, a dazzling galaxy of statespersons has learnt and borrowed from Gandhiji. Gandhiji and his thoughts are invaluable to any understanding of contemporary human history, and of the quest to redress oppression and inequity.
Pointing to the contributions made by the awardees, the President said that
the Vivekananda Centre has promoted self-help, sustainability and development throughout our country, especially in areas populated by tribal communities. It has built capacities in education and health, and in a sensitive and meaningful approach to rural development and harnessing of natural resources.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation has advanced education and cognition by working to remove hunger and enhance nutrition. It has leveraged modern technology to provide quality meals to schoolchildren.
The Sulabh International and its founder Dr Bindeshwar Pathak were sanitation pioneers, advocating the merits of sanitation and advocating toilets in days and years when not many others were.
The Ekal Abhiyan Trust is helping 2.2 million children – 52 per cent of them girls – access education. Many of its initiatives benefit tribal communities.
Mr Yohei Sasakawa has been instrumental in helping us win crucial battles in the war against leprosy – to prevent and eradicate the disease, and to end stigma and discrimination.

AYUSH

Ministry of AYUSH and WHO Working Group Meeting on Benchmarks for Training in Yoga from today
Ministry of AYUSH and WHO are jointly organizing a three days Working Group Meeting for reviewing the WHO document “Benchmarks for Training in Yoga” from 26-28 February, 2019 at New Delhi. The meeting is coordinated by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY. WHO is developing Benchmarks Document for Training in Yoga as part of its global strategy to strengthen the quality, safety and effectiveness of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. Development of this benchmarks document is included in the Project Collaboration Agreement signed between World Health Organization (WHO) and Ministry of AYUSH on Cooperation in the field of Traditional and Complementary Medicine under WHO strategy covering the period 2014-2023. Total 16 experts of yoga would be reviewing the draft document. Out of 16 experts, 11 International experts are from USA, UK, Canada, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, Australia and Malaysia. There would be 4 session on all 3 days. All the technical sessions would be coordinated by the experts from WHO Secretariat.

World Health organization

(WHO) has been launched Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 to help health care leaders to develop solution that contribute to a broader vision of improved health and patient autonomy. The strategy has two key goals: to support Member States in harnessing the potential contribution of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) to health, wellness and people centered health care and to promote the safe and effective use of T&CM through the regulation of products, practice and practitioners. These goals will be reached by implementing three strategic objectives are 1) Building the knowledge base and formulating nation’s policies; 2) Strengthening safety, quality and effectiveness through regulation; and 3) Promoting universal health systems. a Project Collaboration Agreement (PCA) was signed between WHO and Ministry of AYUSH on 13 May, 2016 for cooperation on promoting the quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional and complementary medicine between WHO and Ministry of AYUSH (2016-2020). Area of collaboration are Development of the WHO publication : Benchmarks for training in Yoga, Benchmark for practice in Ayurveda, Unani and Panchakarma, Basic ( essential) terms for T&CM, Project on the establishment of a WHO database for global T&CM practitioners and Support the establishment of a network of international regulatory cooperation for T&CM practice.

Ministry of Defence

Curtain Raiser: India-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise Sampriti – 2019
As part of the ongoing India Bangladesh defence cooperation, a joint military exercise Sampriti-2019 will be conducted at Tangail, Bangladesh from 02 March to 15 March 2019. Exercise Sampriti-2019 is an important bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and Bangladesh and this will be the eighth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by both countries. The exercise is aimed to strengthen and broaden the aspects of interoperability and cooperation between the Indian and Bangladesh Armies. The exercise will involve tactical level operations in a counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment under the UN mandate. In addition to understanding each other in tactical level operations, emphasis will also be laid for greater cultural understanding to strengthen military trust and cooperation between the two nations.

Ministry of Science & Technology

Key missions launched on foundation day of Department of Biotechnology
Department of Biotechnology in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, celebrated its 33rd Foundation Day today in New Delhi with the theme as “Celebrating Biotechnology: Building Indian as an Innovation Nation”. On the occasion Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan gave away the Biotechnology Research Innovation and Technology Excellence (BRITE) awards. The Union Minister emphasized the role of Department of Biotechnology during the last 33 years in creating a large scale impact across the multiple sectors by development and commercialization of affordable solutions for healthcare, improved crop varieties, animal diagnostics and technology for generation of clean energy. Further, he highlighted the progress made in the area of capacity building, generation of new knowledge, translational research and in nurturing of Biotechnology startup ecosystem. The Minister announced key missions at the foundation day ceremony including Atal Jai Anusandhan Biotech Mission – Undertaking Nationally Relevant Technology Innovation (UNaTI), which is expected to transform Health, Agriculture and Energy sectors during the next 5 years. This mission includes GARBH-ini – A Mission to promote Maternal and Child Health and develop prediction tools for pre-term berth, IndCEPI – A Mission to develop affordable vaccines for endemic diseases, Development of Biofortified and Protein Rich wheat – contributing to POSHAN Abhiyan, Mission on Anti Microbial Resistance for Affordable Diagnostics and Therapeutics and Clean Energy Mission – Innovative Technology interventions for Swachh Bharat.

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

NID at Bhopal and Jorhat Inaugurated
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, inaugurated National Institutes of Design (NID) at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jorhat in Assam through video conference from New Delhi on 22nd February 2019. Both institutes are autonomous institutions under Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. With design and innovation taking prime importance in many sectors, policies, and schemes of the government like “Make in India”, “Skill India”, “Digital India”, “Startup India”, and “Smart City initiatives” to name a few, it is imperative to promote design education. The National Design Policy 2007 had recommended setting up design institutes on the lines of NID, Ahmedabad in other parts of India to promote design programs. Four new NIDs have been set up in Andhra Pradesh (Amaravati), Assam (Jorhat), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal) and Haryana (Kurukshetra) with a total outlay of Rs. 434 crore. Establishing new NIDs in different regions of the country will help produce highly skilled manpower in design which, in turn, will create job opportunities, both direct and indirect, by providing sustainable design interventions for crafts, handloom, rural technology, small, medium and large-scale enterprises and outreach programs for capacity, capability and institution building.

Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare India hosts ‘4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit’
Digital health interventions are accelerating transformation of health sector in India: J P Nadda
Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the ‘4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit’here today, in the presence of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad Union Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology and Health Ministers from several countries. The global intergovernmental meeting on digital health is being hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP).