Weekly PIB Analysis | PIB News Analysis 3rd Week 16th to 22th May’ 2022

Table of Contents

Prime Minister’s Address at 2566th Buddha Jayanti and Lumbini Day 2022 event in Nepal

Context:
PM Modi addressed an event in Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti.
Buddha Jayanti:

Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha.
Buddha Jayanti is celebrated each year on the day of Vaishakh Purnima.
Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal, and died in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Vaishakh Purnima is a very auspicious day for Buddhists. The birth, the realization, and the Mahaparinirvana, all happened on the same day.

From Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, and Kushinagar in India to Lumbini in Nepal, these holy places symbolize the shared heritage and shared values of India and Nepal.

Significance of India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage:

PM Modi said that India and Nepal relations are unshakeable like the Himalayas. He also said that India and Nepal’s ever-strengthening friendship will benefit all of humanity in the emerging global situation.

Ayushman Bharat Assessment Report

Context: The third-party evaluation assessment report of Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres across 18 states in the country has been released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
What is the objective?

The objective of the report is to assess the functioning and implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and ensure affordable and accessible healthcare for all.
The assessment report acts as the guiding principle for a better plan to shape up the healthcare services in the country.

Key Findings:

A significant transformation from a selective healthcare package to a comprehensive primary healthcare package was observed by the report. Such a transformation is in line with the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.
The Ayushman Bharat scheme is on track in most of the states with a clear roadmap for achieving the targets set.
There has been an overall improvement in equity in terms of accessibility.
Challenges still exist with the inadequate availability of infrastructure in healthcare facilities.
Effective communication was observed between the PHC-HWC and the Secondary Healthcare Centres resulting in faster and better policy decisions.
Client satisfaction was noted in terms of treatment, medicines, diagnostics and cleanliness.

YD SURAT & YD UDAYGIRI

Context: As a boost to Atmanirbharta in defence, the Indian Navy has launched two frontline warships named SURAT and UDAYGIRI.
About SURAT:

It is a Project 15B destroyer launched at the Mazgaon Docks Limited in Mumbai.
Project 15B includes the class of ships that are equipped with next-generation guided-missile destroyers.
SURAT is the fourth ship of Project 15B
SURAT exemplifies a modification of the P15A (Kolkata class) destroyers.
It is named after the commercial capital of the state of Gujarat, Surat which is also the second-largest commercial hub of western India after Mumbai.
It has been built on block construction methodology which involves hull construction at two different geographical locations and has been joined together.

About UDAYAGIRI:

It was named after a mountain range in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
It is the third ship belonging to Project 17A frigates
It is a modified version of the Shivalik class with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors.
It offers a highly advanced platform management system.
It is also considered to be the reincarnation of erstwhile “Udaygiri” the Leander Class ASW Frigate which participated in numerous challenging operations spanning over three decades in the Indian Navy.
Under Project 17A, seven ships are on the verge of construction.

State of Inequality report in India

Mains: Estimating the extent of inequalities in India
Context: The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister has released the State of Inequality report.
About the State of Inequality report:

This report has been written by the Institute of Competitiveness and is an assessment of both inclusion and exclusion in the country.
It provides a holistic view of inequalities in the country.
The report compiles information on inequities across sectors like health, education, household characteristics and the labour market.
Inequalities existing in various sectors lead to multidimensional poverty.

Important Findings:

For the first time, the State of Inequality report has emphasised income distribution to understand the capital flow.
The report mentioned that wealth concentration as a measure of inequality does not determine the changes in the purchasing power of households.
According to the data available from PLFS, there exist certain levels of income disparity.
It was estimated that at different levels of employment categories, the highest percentage was of self-employed workers followed by regular salaried workers and casual workers.
The share of self-employed workers was found to be the highest in the lowest income categories.

International Museum Day

Context: International Museum Day has been celebrated as an iconic opportunity to understand the history and culture of India through museums.
Details:

Every 18th of May is commemorated as International Museum Day.
The Government of India has been actively involved in reviving the museums in the country, thereby conserving the rich heritage of our past.
There are efforts to develop tribal museums as a tribute to the freedom fighters of the tribal communities and at the same time, make the country and the world aware of the scheduled tribes of India.
The inauguration of the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Freedom Fighters’ Museum in Ranchi was a historic testimony to acknowledge the contribution of tribal communities to the freedom struggle.

National Policy on Biofuels

Context: Amendments to the National Policy on Biofuels 2018 have been approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister.
The need for the amendment:

National Policy on Biofuels 2018 has been amended with the objective of introducing and promoting advanced Ethanol Blended Petrol with up to 20% ethanol content across the country.
The amendments also intend to enhance the production of biofuels as a welcoming move to adopt clean energy.

Sowa Rigpa

Context
The Ministry of Ayush organised a workshop on Sowa Rigpa.
Sowa Rigpa

The Sowa-Rigpa system of medicine is one of the oldest surviving traditional medical practices in the world with a history of more than 2500 years.
The term ‘Sowa Rigpa’ is derived from the Bhoti language which means ‘Knowledge of Healing’.
It is famously called Amchi and is practised in various regions of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Darjeeling.
It is also practised in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, China, Nepal, and a few parts of the former Soviet Union.
Sowa Rigpa employs a complex approach to diagnosis, incorporating techniques like pulse analysis and urinalysis, and uses behaviour and dietary modification, medicines composed of natural materials (e.g., herbs and minerals) and physical therapies to treat illness.

Export of sugar in sugar season 2021-22

Context
Export of sugar in the sugar season 2021-22 has been 15 times better as compared to export in sugar season 2017-18.
Trends in Sugar Exports

In the sugar season, 2020-21 70 LMT have been exported against the target of 60 LMT.
- In the previous sugar seasons of 2017-18, 2018-19 & 2019-20, about 6.2 LMT, 38 LMT & 59.60 LMT of sugar were exported respectively.
To address the problem of excess sugar, the Government has urged the sugar mills to divert excess sugarcane to ethanol.
- The government has set a target of achieving 10% blending of fuel-grade ethanol with petrol by 2022 & 20% blending by 2025.
- This has been undertaken with a vision to boost the agricultural economy, reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, save foreign exchange on account of crude oil import bills and reduce environmental pollution.

World Bee Day

Context
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) is celebrating World Bee Day.
World Bee Day

The UN General Assembly declared 20th May as World Bee Day in 2017 and the first Bee Day took place in May 2018.
World Bee Day was declared to create awareness of the crucial role played by the Bees and other pollinators in keeping people and the planet healthy, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development.
World Bee Day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Slovenian beekeeper Anton Janša, who was the pioneer of modern beekeeping.
Every year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the host country organise an international celebration of World Bee Day.
The theme for World Bee Day 2022 is: “Bee Engaged: Celebrating the diversity of bees and beekeeping systems”

New Development Bank

Context
The Finance Minister of India chairs the 7th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the New Development Bank.
New Development Bank

New Development Bank is a multilateral development bank, established by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in 2014 and the bank started its operations in 2015.
The Bank’s membership is open to members of the United Nations.
Headquarters: Shanghai, China.
Objective: Mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in the BRICS and other Emerging Market and Developing Countries of the world.
Current Members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Bangladesh, the UEA, Egypt and Uruguay.

Competition Commission of India (CCI)

Context
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved various merger and acquisition deals.
Competition Commission of India (CCI)

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established as a statutory body by the Union Government in 2003 but it was duly constituted in 2009.
The CCI acts as the competition regulator in India under the provisions of the Competition Act 2002.
Composition: CCI consists of a Chairperson and 6 Members appointed by the Central Government.
Objective: It is the duty of the Commission to eliminate practices having adverse effects on competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.
CCI also acts as a quasi-judicial body by giving its opinions to statutory authorities and also deals with other cases.

SOP issued for implementation of ‘Rice Fortification’

Context
The Department of Food and Public Distribution has formulated a Standard Operating Procedure for the smooth implementation of the Fortified Rice Distribution programme.
Details

As per the announced schedule, the distribution of fortified rice to the Integrated Child Development Services, midday meals, public distribution system and other nutrition and welfare schemes and programmes will be completed by 2024.
The Department of Food and Public Distribution is working to ensure the implementation of the Rice Fortification Programme.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is also playing a key role in the implementation of the programme.

Nechiphu Tunnel

Context
Border Road Organisation (BRO) conducted a final breakthrough blast which marks the successful completion of excavation work of the Nechiphu Tunnel.
Nechiphu Tunnel

The Nechiphu Tunnel is being constructed on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) Road in the West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh
The Nechiphu Tunnel is a unique 500-metre-long D-shaped, single tube double lane tunnel built at an altitude of 5,700 feet.
The tunnel has been equipped with modern lighting and safety facilities.
The tunnel is constructed to detour extreme foggy conditions prevailing around Nechiphu Pass which have affected general traffic and military convoys.
The tunnel boasts of having state-of-the-art electro-mechanical systems such as fire fighting devices, auto illumination systems and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) controlled monitoring systems.
It is also provided with raised footpaths for safer pedestrian movement.
It is being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

National Innovation Foundation (NIF)

Context
A start-up incubated by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) won the Amazon Smbhav ’22 award.
National Innovation Foundation (NIF)

The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) was established in 2000 with the support of the Department of Science and Technology.
NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology that helps the industries with respect to energy needs, cost reduction, and environmental protection.
It is set up to strengthen technological innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge.
Mission: to help India become a creative and knowledge-based society by expanding policy and institutional space for grassroots technological innovators.

World Economic Forum (WEF)

Context
A World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting is taking place in Davos from 23-25 May 2022.
World Economic Forum (WEF)

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.
WEF was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit organisation.
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
WEF engages leading political, business, cultural and other key individuals in society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
The forum believes that progress takes place by collaborating with people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

Clean Air For All Mission

Context
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change urged for making the ‘Clean Air For All’ a participative mission.
Details

The new Mission called “Clean Air for All” will be started in 2022 with a focus on enhancing the target of reducing levels of pollutants.
The Minister urged the youths to participate actively in the mission to improve air quality by adopting sustainable lifestyles, appropriate behaviour and attitude.
The Minister further said that the efforts to improve air quality have had positive outcomes in terms of achieving better air in cities across the country.
He added that under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), 132 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country based on the Air Quality data from 2014 to 2018.
- The list is a heterogeneous mix of cities of all sizes and types.
With an aim to increase efforts to address the problem of air pollution, the Centre is planning to increase its target of reducing levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) from 20-30% by 2024 over 2017 levels to 35-50% by 2025-26.

Portal BioRRAP

Context
The Union Minister launched BioRRAP Portal.
BioRRAP Portal

BioRRAP Portal is a single national portal for Biotech researchers and Start-Ups.
The Portal “BioRRAP” will facilitate the regulatory approval for biological research & development activity in the country and thereby extend “Ease of Science” as well as “Ease of Doing Business”.
To provide more credibility and recognition to biological research, the government has developed a web system under which each research, requiring regulatory oversight, will be identified by a unique ID called “BioRRAP ID”.
The portal will act as a gateway and will help researchers to see the stage of approval of their applications for regulatory clearances.
The portal is designed to cater to the needs of the Biotechnology sector in India with about 2,700 start-ups and over 2,500 companies working in the country.

Anang Tal

Context
The National Monument Authority (NMA) has started a mission to resurrect Anang Tal.
Anang Tal

Anang Tal was built by Maharaja Anang Pal Tomar in 1052 CE.
It is located behind the famous 27 Hindu- Jain temples in Mehrauli in Delhi.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Context
The Ministry of Culture is commemorating the 250th Birth Anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an Indian religious, social, and educational reformer.
He was born on May 22, 1772, in Radhanagar in Bengal.
He is famously known as the “Father of Modern India” or “Father of the Bengal Renaissance”.
He is also the founder of the Brahmo Samaj.