Weekly PIB Analysis | PIB News Analysis 1st to 10th May' 2022

Table of Contents

Deaflympics 2021

Context: Recently the Indian team participated in the 24th Deaflympics games.
About the Deaflympics:

The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD – International Committee of Sports for the Deaf) organizes the Deaflympics, an international multi-sport event.
Deaflympics are held once every four years and they are meant specifically for deaf athletes.
The Summer Deaflympics are the oldest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games, taking place every four years.
Previously, the Deaflympics were known as the World Games for the Deaf and the International Games for the Deaf.
It is the first sporting event for people with special needs whose first edition was held in Paris in 1924.

India’s Pharma exports grow by 103% since 2013-14

Context: Indian pharma exports witnessed a growth of 103% from 2013-14.
Pharma exports of India:

Indian pharma exports have witnessed a growth of 103% since 2013-14.
In FY 2020-21, Indian pharma exports sustained positive growth despite the global trade disruptions and drop in demand for COVID-related medicines.
India ranks 3rd worldwide for production by volume and 14th by value.
The share of pharmaceuticals and drugs in our global exports is 5.92%.
India’s top 5 pharma export destinations are the USA, UK, South Africa, Russia and Nigeria.
It is also noteworthy that around 55 % of our pharma exports cater to highly regulated markets.

Forest landscape restoration

Context: Joint Declaration of Intent on Forest Landscape Restoration between India and Germany signed virtually.

What is Forest Landscape Restoration?

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is a continuous process of restoring ecological function and improving human well-being in deforested or degraded forest landscapes.
FLR entails restoring an entire landscape to meet current and future needs, as well as providing a variety of benefits and land uses over time.

Operation Satark

Context: The Railway Protection Force has recently started “Operation Satark”.
Operation Satark

Operation Satark was launched by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to prevent the transport of illegal items to different parts of the country.
- The Railway Protection Force is an armed force of the Union entrusted with the security of railway property, passenger areas and passengers.
- It is the lead security agency in the field of railway security having a pan India reach.
Objective:
- To take action against illicit liquor/FICN/illegal tobacco products/unaccounted gold/cash/precious items/ any other items being transported through the railway network for the purpose of tax evasion/smuggling/commission of crime/acts of terror.

National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)

Context: The Union Minister for Home and Cooperation inaugurated the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Bengaluru premises.

National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID):

NATGRID is envisioned as a seamless and secure database for information on terrorists, economic crimes, and other incidents.
Its goal is to provide cutting-edge technology to India in order to improve its counter-terrorism capabilities.
With real-time data and access to classified information such as immigration, banking, individual taxpayers, and air and train travels, it is envisioned as a robust mechanism to track suspects and prevent terrorist attacks.

2nd India-Nordic Summit

Context: The Prime Minister of India attended the 2nd India-Nordic Summit that was held in Denmark and primarily focused on the post-pandemic economic recovery and other important issues of the world.

The Nordic Region:

This region comprises Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland as well as the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Aland.
Denmark is a Nordic country that is situated in the extreme south and is a small and densely populated country in the Nordic region.
These countries share a commonality in terms of their way of life, history and social framework.
These countries have reflected considerable progress and remarkable results in several parameters of national performance, education, inclusion, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development.
Some of their well-known policies include a mixed market economy, strong labour unions, an approach of universal welfare and enhanced social mobility.

The 2nd India-Nordic Summit: Important Elements

The summit commenced with the objective of boosting India’s multifaceted cooperation with the Nordic region in the areas of clean technology, emerging technology, investments, Arctic research and so on.
This Summit also assessed the progress of the India-Nordic relationship since the 1st India-Nordic Summit which was held in Stockholm.
The Indian Prime Minister offered a warm welcome to the Nordic countries to invite sovereign wealth funds and investments in key sectors in India.
Areas of discussion surrounded:
- Blue Economy
- Sagarmala Project
- India’s Arctic Policy
- Climate Change
- Sustainable development
- Digitization
- Green and Clean growth

Bodo Sahitya Sabha

Context: The 61st annual conference of Bodo Sahitya Sabha has been graced by the President of India to strengthen and promote the Bodo language, literature and culture.
Details:

The conference highlighted the contribution of Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma towards the Bodo community that spread the message of “live and let live” along with the message of maintaining harmony with other communities.
The role played by the Bodo Sahitya Sabha in using the Bodo language as the medium of communication in school and in higher education has been appreciated.
The writers have been conferred with Sahitya Akademi Award for their works to enrich the Bodo language.

The Bodo Language:

This language is predominantly spoken in the northeast region of India.
It draws its origin from the Sino-Tibetan language family under the Tibeto-Burman group.
The language draws close proximity to the Dimasa, Garo and Kokborok languages of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura respectively.
There is no substantial computational work on the Bodo language for which researchers worked tirelessly to develop and enrich the Bodo language in the field of National Language Processing.
It has been found and reported that the Bodo language has been written in the Devanagari script since 1963.
It is one of the 22 languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Delimitation Commission

Context: The Delimitation Commission finalised the order to exercise delimitation in the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

About the Commission:

The Delimitation Commission was headed by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court, the Chief Election Commissioner and the State Election Commissioner of Jammu & Kashmir as ex-officio members of the Commission.
It has made the following recommendations to the Central Government in the final delimitation order:
- Provision of at least two members (one of them must be a female) from the Kashmiri migrant communities in the Legislative Assembly and such members may be given power at par with the power of nominated members of the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Puducherry.
- The Central Government may consider giving the Displaced Persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir some representation in the legislative assembly by way of nomination of those representatives.

Go Kasht

Context: A cow dung log machine with the name “Go Kasht” has been handed over to Project Arth and ENACTUS IIT Delhi students by the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

About Go Kasht:

This machine can be used for the manufacturing of cow dung-based fuelwood in a long log-like shape.
A mixture of cow dung and cattle waste (like dried waste paddy) is inserted into the inlet (hopper) of this machine.
The mixture is broken and blended well in the machine and is finally compressed in the form of a log.
This log is sun-dried and can be later used as fuelwood for various purposes.
The machine has a capacity to process 3000 kg of cow dung every day to give an output of 1500 kg of the dung-based log.

How will it benefit?

This will facilitate the clearing of cowsheds (gaushala).
The cow dung log machine will also generate additional employment in the village community.
The usage of the dung-based log will ensure proper management of dung waste and the problems associated with it.
It will also reduce deforestation for the purpose of procuring logs from the trees.
Cow dung wood is extremely helpful majorly because of its environment-friendly characteristics.
This wood can be used for Havan (during puja), Yagya-Pooja, and rituals along with great opportunities for creating products like sculptures, face packs, medicines and so on.

Aspirational Districts Programme

Context: The progress made under the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) has been assessed and reviewed.
Exploring further:

The Aspirational Districts Programme started with the primary aim of localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the progress of the nation.
This scheme was launched to improve the under-developed districts across the country.
For this purpose, 112 districts have been identified across the country with a specific focus on transformation in terms of health, education and agriculture.
The programme emphasises financial inclusion through initiatives such as the PM Jan Dhan Yojana.
It is an initiative that offers several avenues for Convergence (of Centre and State schemes), Collaboration (of Central, state-level Prabhari Officers & District Collectors) and Competition among districts through monthly delta ranking, driven by a mass movement.
The progressive work under ADP was exemplified through the Sitamarhi district of Bihar which is one of the 13 Aspirational districts in the State.
Based on the results determined by the indicators, the aspirational districts are ranked.
- These indicators are referred to as Key Performance Indicators under five broad socio-economic themes:
  - Health & Nutrition
  - Education
  - Agriculture and Water Resources
  - Financial inclusion and skills development
  - Infrastructure
The delta ranking of the aspirational districts and their performance are updated on the Champions of Change dashboard.

Reforms in police forces

Context: The Vice President called for a renewed thrust to implement reforms in the police forces.

What is the Need for Police reforms?

A healthy socio-cultural environment in society requires effective policing. Economic progress is dependent on a safe and secure environment. As a result, police reform is critical for India’s socioeconomic well-being.
The police force today was perceived to be increasingly politicised with significant erosion in values and practices. Instead of being seen as a people-friendly force, it was seen as being elitist and power-friendly.
Much of our police system’s imperfections can be traced back to its colonial roots. The British laid the foundations for the structure in 1861.
The other issues with the Police force include:
- filling up the huge number of vacancies in police departments.
- strengthening the police infrastructure in tune with the requirements of modern age policing.

Prakash Singh case 2006

The Supreme Court of India delivered its landmark judgement in the famous Prakash Singh case, mandating country-wide police reform and issuing seven crucial directives to immediately start the implementation process.

Recommendations:

The government should focus on strengthening the police force at the local level, as they are often the first responders.
To effectively combat 21st-century crimes such as cybercrime and economic offences, which require special investigative expertise, our police officers’ skills must be upgraded.
To emphasise the importance of policing in maintaining society’s peace and order, the government should prioritise the increased use of technology in police operations.
Example: A classic example of rule of law-oriented policing was provided recently by the Norwegian police. Norwegian police imposed a heavy and exemplary fine on its own prime minister for organising a party on her 60th birthday in violation of Covid-19 regulations.

SMART Policing:

The Prime Minister of India calls for making the police a SMART force—standing for a force which is Strict and Sensitive, Modern and Mobile, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive, Tech-savvy and Trained.
Smart Policing represents a strategic approach that brings more “science” into police operations by leveraging innovative applications of analysis, technology, and evidence-based practices.

Webinar on “Challenges in Thalassemia 2022”

Context: On the occasion of World Thalassemia Day, the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs addressed the webinar “Challenges in Thalassemia 2022”.
About Thalassemia:

Thalassemia is a hereditary condition that affects the blood which leads to an abnormal form of haemoglobin.
Haemoglobin is an important protein molecule present in RBC that carries oxygen. This disorder leads to the destruction of RBC which leads to anaemia.
Types of Thalassemia: The main forms of thalassemia are called thalassemia alpha and thalassemia beta.
Causes of Thalassemia: It develops when there is some abnormality in any one of the genes that are involved in the production of haemoglobin and this defect is inherited from the parents.