Weekly PIB Analysis | PIB News Analysis 11th to 20th April' 2022

Table of Contents

Indigenous Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Solutions

Context:
An indigenous Onboard Driver Assistance and Warning System – ODAWS, Bus Signal Priority System have been launched under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Onboard Driver Assistance and Warning System – ODAWS:

ODAWS incorporates vehicle-borne sensors for monitoring driver propensity and vehicle surroundings to deliver acoustic and visual alerts for driver assistance.
The project involves the development of sub-modules such as the navigational unit, driver assistance console, and mmWave radar sensor.
The ODAWS algorithm is used to interpret sensor data and offer real-time notifications to the driver, boosting road safety.

Bus Signal Priority System:

The Bus Signal Priority System is an operational strategy that modifies normal traffic signal operations to better accommodate in-service public buses at signal-controlled intersections.
The developed system will enable to minimize person delay by providing priority to public transport buses, either through Green extension or Red truncation, considering all vehicles approaching a signalized intersection.

Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ successfully flight tested
Context: The anti-tank guided missile HELINA was tested.

‘HELINA’

HELINA is an Anti-Tank Guided Missile which is the helicopter-based version of the Nag missile.
The missile is guided by an Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) Seeker operating in the Lock on Before Launch mode.
The HELINA missile system has all-weather day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour.
It has been developed for integration with choppers in both the Indian Army and the Air Force.

State Energy and Climate Index
Context: NITI Aayog has launched the State Energy & Climate Index-Round I.

State Energy and Climate Index

NITI Aayog has come out with the State Energy & Climate Index.
The states have been categorized based on size and geographical differences as larger states, smaller states, and UTs.

SVANidhi se Samriddhi

Context: In order to provide social security benefits to the street vendors under the Pradhan Mantri SVANidhi scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the SVANidhi se Samriddhi programme has been launched in additional 126 cities across the country.

About the programme:

SVANidhi se Samriddhi is an extension of the PMSVANidhi scheme which was launched to support the street vendors and their families in the wake of the pandemic.
It is a central sector scheme.
It aims at holistic development and socio-economic upliftment of the street vendors and their families by offering social security benefits and insurance benefits like PM Suraksha Bima Yojana, PM Jeevan Jyoti Yojana and pension benefits under PM Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana.
The scheme also intends to provide working capital loans to street vendors and has been successful in reaching out to a number of beneficiaries.

Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)
Context: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the continuation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme scheme Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.
An Overview of the Scheme:

It was during the budget session of 2016-17 wherein an announcement was made to launch a new restructured scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.
The major objective was to develop the governance capabilities of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) giving effect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Under the recommendations of the Committee chaired by the Vice-Chairman of the NITI Aayog the RGSA scheme was approved for implementation in 2018.
The major component of the scheme is to incentivise the Panchayats and Mission Mode Project on e-Panchayat including other activities at the central level.
The scheme will have both Central and State components. The Central component will include national-level activities such as the National Plan of Technical Assistance, the Mission Mode project on e-Panchayat, their incentivisation, action research and media.
The state component will comprise capacity building & training of PRIs, institutional support for capacity building & training, distance learning facility, support for constructing Gram Panchayat Bhawan along with economic development & income enhancement support.
The elected representatives, functionaries and other stakeholders of PRIs have been receiving various and multiple trainings under the scheme.

Key Priorities of the Scheme:

Poverty free and enhanced livelihood in villages
Healthy Village
Child-friendly village
Water Sufficient Village
Clean and Green Village
Self-sufficient infrastructure in Village
Socially secured village
Village with good governance
Engendered Development in Village

Implementation Strategy and Targets:

The central and state governments will take action for completing the activities approved for their respective roles.
The State Government will formulate the Annual Action Plans for seeking assistance from the Central Government in accordance with their priorities and requirements.
The scheme will operate in a demand-driven mode.

Mahavir Jayanti

Context: The Prime Minister expressed his greetings on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti.

About Mahavir Jayanti:

It is celebrated across the world by the Jain community to commemorate the last spiritual teacher of Jainism.
It usually occurs in March or April as per the Gregorian calendar marking the 13th day of the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar.
On this occasion, a procession is carried out that carries the idol of lord Mahavira and it is called the Rath Yatra.

Turning the pages of history:

Lord Mahavir is considered as the founder of Jainism and was born in 599 BC, at Kshatriyakund in Bihar.
It was believed that he was born on the 13th day of the bright half of the moon in the month of Chaitra.
He was the 24th and the last Tirthankar (One who preaches dharma) of Jain community.
Mahavira was born to King Siddhartha and queen Trisala and was named as Vardhaman.
He gave up his luxurious life and set upon his journey in search of inner peace and spirituality.
He formulated Jainism and practised 12 years of continuous penance before attaining ‘Kevala Jnana’ or omniscience.
His beliefs encompassed truthfulness, non-violence, chastity and non-attachment.
The main pillars of Jainism are based upon his teachings, also known as ‘Jain Agamas’

PLI scheme for textiles
Context: The Ministry of Textiles decided to incentivise various applicants under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme.
Delving deeper:

This initiative of the government intends to boost the textile products and also to enhance India’s textile manufacturing potential.
Besides, the government has also decided to reduce import duty of cotton to zero.
This will massively benefit the country’s export in the textile sector and it will also promote man made fabrics.
Associating the textile industry with the PLI scheme is a welcoming step for India to achieve its textile export target of $100 billion by 2030.

Statue of Lord Hanuman

Context: The Prime Minister virtually unveiled a 108 feet statue of Lord Hanuman in the Morbi district of Gujarat on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

About the Statue:

This statue of Lord Hanuman is the second of the four statues being built in four directions across the country.
It is a part of the Hanumanji Char Dham project.
The first statue of the lord has been established in Shimla and two more statues, as a part of the project, will be unveiled in Rameswaram and West Bengal.
This statue of Lord Hanuman symbolizes strength, courage and restraint.
The inaugural event also forms an integral part of the resolution for Ek Bharat Ek Shreshtha Bharath.

The UDAN scheme

Context: The UDAN (UdeDeshka Aam Nagrik) scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has been selected for the Prime Minister’s Award for excellence in public administration under the category of Innovation (General) – Central.
The Prime Minister’s Award for excellence in public administration:

This award has been initiated by the Government of India to acknowledge, recognise and reward extraordinary and innovative work done by districts and organizations of the central and the state governments.
The award consists of a trophy, scroll and an incentive of Rs 10 lakhs.
This award was instituted in the form of a scheme in 2006 and was restructured in 2014 for recognising the performance of district collectors in priority programmes, innovation and aspirational districts.
This scheme was again restructured in 2020 to recognise the performance of district collectors in the economic development of a district.

The UDAN scheme: Progress made

This scheme, ever since its inception in 2016, has stepped progressively towards the prime vision of enhancing the aviation infrastructure and nurturing air connectivity for the ease of common people in tier II and III cities.
In a span of five years, about 415 UDAN routes connect 66 underserved airports along with heliports and water aerodromes helping a considerable number of beneficiaries.
The UDAN scheme has successfully facilitated several sectors with a pan-India approach including the hilly states, the Northeast region and islands.
It also worked towards the development of new greenfield airports such as Pakyong near Gangtok, Sikkim, Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.
It has led to a 5% increase in growth in domestic passenger share of non-metro airports.
The scheme has offered a remarkable impact on the economy of the country and has received heartening response from the industry stakeholders especially from the airlines operators and state governments.

UDAN’s futuristic target:

The Ministry of Civil Aviation intends to expand the ambit of the scheme by setting up a target of constructing 100 new airports by 2024 with 1000 new routes under the UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme by 2026.

National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID)
Context: The Vice President of India visited the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID) in Hyderabad.
National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID)

The NIEPID was established in 1984 at Manovikasnagar, Secunderabad and it was formerly known as National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped.
NIEPID is an Autonomous Body under the administrative control of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
NIEPID aims to provide quality services to individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (Divyangjan) in the National interest.
It has three regional centers in Noida (New Delhi), Kolkata and Mumbai.

Objectives:

- Development of models of care and rehabilitation.
- Consultancy services to voluntary organizations
- Community Based Rehabilitation
- Extension and Outreach programmes

Functions:

- Identification, screening and assessment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
- Delivery of services to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
- Training of local resource persons
- Supplying the training material to the needy
The Institute also conducts International and National level workshops on Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (Divyangjan) by collaborating with various organizations.

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini
Context: The Indian Navy conducted a Sail Training capsule for officers trainees of the Republic of South Africa Navy (RSAN).
Details

The training programme was conducted under the aegis of the Indian Naval Sailing Association (INSA) which is an apex organisation for sail training.
The training helped improve various skills such as seamanship, navigation, communication and technical operations onboard.
The training was aimed at fostering the spirit of adventure and strengthening the ties between the two friendly nations across the oceans.
The training was conducted onboard the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini.

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini

INSV Tarini is a 55-foot sailing vessel that has been built indigenously in India.
INSV Tarini, constructed at Aquarius Shipyard located in Goa is the second sailboat of the Indian Navy.
The INSV Tarini is famous for its circumnavigation of the globe with an all-women crew from Sep 2017 to May 2018.
The mission was called ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ and was the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew.
INSV Tarini has been built with various updates based on experience from operating its predecessor INSV Mhadei.
INSV Tarini boasts advanced features like satellite communications, Raymarine navigation suite and a monitor wind vane equipped for emergency steering.