PIB Summary- 10th August, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Ujjwala 2.0

Context: Ujjwala 2.0 launched from Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is a government scheme launched in 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The scheme originally envisaged the distribution of 50 million LPG connections to women below the poverty line. Later, it aimed to provide LPG connections to eight crore women by March 2020. However, this target was achieved seven months prior, in September 2019.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Quick Facts:

Benefits of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
The unclean cooking fuel causes deaths which are mostly due to non-communicable diseases including heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Providing LPG connections to families below the poverty line ensures universal coverage of cooking gas in the country. The scheme can be a tool for women empowerment in that LPG connections and clean cooking fuel can reduce cooking time and effort, and in most of India, cooking is a responsibility shouldered solely by women. The scheme also employs the rural youth in the supply chain of cooking gas.
A relief package worth Rs 1.70 lakh crore was also announced by the government to tackle the financial difficulties arising from the Covid-19 outbreak under the PM Garib Kalyan Scheme.

Some of the major benefits provided by Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana are:

• It provides five crore LPG connections to families below the poverty line.
• Financial support of Rs 1600 is provided by the scheme for each LPG connection for BPL households. The administrative cost of this support is borne by the Government. This subsidy is meant for the security fee for the cylinder, pressure regulator, booklet, safety hose, and other fitting charges.
• Under the scheme, oil marketing companies also provide interest-free loans for refilling and purchasing stoves.
• The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana covers all the BPL families that come under all forms of distributorship and distributes various sizes of cylinders (14.2 kg, 5 kg, etc.) as per the field situation.
• The benefits of this scheme are also available for the people of all Hilly States including the NE States (who are treated as ‘Priority States’).
• The scheme effectively addresses several difficulties faced by the people in the States of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Tripura in accessing LPG for cooking purposes.

Objectives of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched for providing clean fuel to women below the poverty line. The use of unclean cooking fuel is harmful to human health. The aims of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana are given below:

• To empower women and protect their health.
• To minimize health issues arising from the use of unclean fossil fuel and other fuel while cooking.
• To control indoor pollution from the use of fossil fuel which causes respiratory issues.
• To prevent degradation of the purity of the environment that is compromised by widespread usage of unclean cooking fuel.

Eligibility for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
Any applicant who fulfils the below-mentioned criteria is eligible to apply for the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:

• The applicant must be a woman aged above 18 years. She must also be a citizen of India.
• She should belong to a family below the poverty line and no one else from the household should own an LPG connection.
• The overall monthly income of the family should not exceed a certain limit that is prescribed by the UT/State Governments.
• The applicant’s name should be in the list of SECC-2011 and should also match with the information provided in the BPL database of the oil marketing companies.
• The applicant should not be registered under any other similar scheme provided by the government.

Apart from the above, the applicant should also submit a set of documents indicating her BPL status, identity, etc.

WHO & Household Air Pollution
There a few important facts that are mentioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) that mentions the impact of unclean cooking. These facts can be used by the aspirants to support the need for schemes like PM Ujjwala Yojana:

1. Around 300 crores people cook using open fires simple stoves that use kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.
2. Around 40 lakh people die prematurely every year from illness that is attributed to household air pollution. One of the causes of household air pollution is inefficient cooking practices using polluting stoves paired with solid fuels and kerosene.
3. Particulate Matter (PM) found in household air pollution is the cause of half of the deaths due to pneumonia among children under 5 years.

WHO mentions the impact of household air pollution that is caused by unclean cooking fuel, on health. It mentions that of 3.8 million deaths due to this pollution:

• 27 percent of deaths are due to pneumonia.
• 18 percent of deaths are due to stroke.
• 27 percent of deaths are from ischaemic heart disease
• 20 percent of deaths are from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• 8 percent of deaths are from lung cancer.

WHO also mentions the total number of people having access to clean fuel is expected to remain unchanged by 2030 leading to obstructing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and the Climate Clean Air Coalition is an international initiative supported by WHO to improve air pollution and related health impacts.

World Lion Day

Context: August 10 is observed as World Lion Day.

About World Lion Day

• The World Lion Day is observed to raise awareness about lions and to mobilise support for their protection and conservation.
• The World Lion Day initiative to protect the big cats started in 2013 and the first World Lion Day was celebrated that year.
  • The Day is the brainchild of Dereck and Beverly Joubert who brought together both National Geographic and the Big Cat Initiative under a single banner to protect the remaining big cats living in the wild.
• According to the WWF, lions were once found throughout Africa, Asia and Europe but their numbers have dwindled over the years in these continents.
• The last remaining population of the Asiatic Lions can be found in Gujarat’s Gir National Park. These lions face significant threats of poaching. The Asiatic lion also faces the threat of genetic inbreeding arising from a single population inhabiting one place

Pusa Bio-Decomposer

Context: Pusa bio-decomposer or Pusa Decomposer was developed by ICAR – Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.

About the Pusa Decomposer

• The Pusa Decomposer can turn crop residue into manure in 15 to 20 days and therefore, can prevent stubble burning.
• These are capsules that consist of a combination of microbes that hastens the process of decomposition of stubble.
• These are also low-cost capsules making it convenient for farmers to use.

How does the capsule work?

• The capsule comprises a “microbial consortium” — a combination of different microbes — which has the ability to produce various hydrolytic enzymes, which are responsible for the degradation of the polysaccharide that are present in the cell walls of the plants.
• The cell walls of plants are made up of polysaccharide cellulose and breaking it down accelerates the process of degradation.
• Four Pusa capsules have to be dissolved in water to make a 25-litre solution, which is enough to spray on one hectare of land.
• After the solution is sprayed, it takes about 20 to 25 days for the crop remnants to decompose.

Krishi Vigyan Kendras

Context: Government has made a provision for opening Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in each of the rural districts across the country.

Krishi Vigyan Kendras commonly known as KVKs are the agricultural science centres established as innovative institutions for imparting vocational training to the practising farmers, school dropouts and field level extension functionaries.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra has been in the news as the 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra Conference was held in New Delhi in February 2020. 

What are KVK – Krishi Vigyan Kendra?

1. Krishi Vigyan Kendras are the centres for agriculture extensions created by Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and its affiliated institutions at the district level. 
2. KVKs are an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) and serve as the link between the NARS and the farmers.
3. The KVK centre provides various types of farm support to the agricultural sector and creates awareness about the improved agricultural technologies.

KVK Overview

1. The first Krishi Vigyan Kendra, on a pilot basis, was established in 1974 at Puducherry (Pondicherry) under the administrative control of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.
2. KVKs are sanctioned to Agricultural Universities, ICAR institutes, related Government Departments and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working in Agriculture. Usually, a KVK is associated with a local agricultural university.
3. All KVKs fall under the jurisdiction of one of the 11 Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs) throughout India.
4. These Krishi Vigyaan Kendra are 100% financed by the Government of India and are crucial to fulfilling the target of doubling farmer’s income in near future.

Krishi Vigyan Kendra Features

1. Creation of valuable resources in terms of technical manpower and assets
2. Confirmation of technologies to suit local specificity
3. Showcasing the frontier technologies
4. Capacity-building among stakeholders
5. Front runner in technological application, information and inputs
6. Participatory approaches in planning, implementing, executing and evaluation

KVK – Aims & Objectives 

1. Krishi Vigyan Kendra plays a vital role in conducting on-farm testing to demonstrate location-specific agricultural technologies.
2. It aims at assessment of location-specific technology modules in agriculture and allied enterprises, through technology assessment, refinement and demonstrations. It also aims to apply agricultural research in a practical, localized setting.
3. Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been functioning as Knowledge and Resource Centre of agricultural technology supporting initiatives of public, private and voluntary sector for improving the agricultural economy of the district.

Mandate of KVK

The mandate of KVK is Technology Assessment and Demonstration for its Application and Capacity Development. To implement the mandate effectively, the following activities are envisaged for each Krishi Vigyan Kendra-

1. On-farm testing – operating a small farm to test new technologies such as seed varieties or innovative farming methods to assess the location specificity of agricultural technologies under various farming systems.
2. Frontline demonstrations – organising programs and showcasing the efficacy of new technology to establish production potential of technologies on the farmers’ fields.
3. Capacity development-boosting farmers and extension personnel to update their knowledge and skills on modern agricultural technologies.
4. Multi-Sector Support – To work as the Knowledge and Resource Centre of agricultural technologies for supporting initiatives of the public, private and voluntary sector in improving the agricultural economy of the district.
5. Advisory Services – Provide farm advisories using information and communication technologies and other media on varied subjects of interest to farmers such as weather advisories or market pricing.

In addition, Krishi Vigyan Kendras produce quality technological products (seed, planting material, bio-agents, livestock) and make them available to farmers, organize frontline extension activities, identify and document selected farm innovations and converge with ongoing schemes and programs within its mandate.

Krishi Vigyan Kendra – KVK Portal

The Government has launched an online portal of Krishi Vigyan Kendra. The KVK portal will aid in monitoring all the KVK centres at the national level and providing timely advisories to the farmers. 

KVK Portal – Objectives

1. Monitor various Krishi Vigyan Kendras for their activities and resource utilization
2. Creating a database of the various programmes organized by the KVK
3. Assisting farmers in resolving their queries using web-portal and mobile technology
4. Providing relevant information to farmers such as weather and market information quickly through the portal. Also, assisting with information about various facilities and activities performed by the KVK.
5. The stakeholders i.e. farmers and the Agricultural Officers can register themselves and can access relevant details about different Krishi Vigyan Kendras.

Aim of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Portal
The aim of the portal is to transfer the technologies developed by the agricultural scientists to the farmers in a fast and effective manner using the web and mobile technology as well as to monitor the activities of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).

Recent Developments in Agriculture

1. eNAM portal has been created so that the farmer gets a better price for his produce.
2. Superior crop varieties have been released. (Eg;-Wheat: HD 4728 (Pusa Malvi))
3. More than three lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) opened.
4. 171 mobile apps developed for farmers. (Eg:-Kisan Suvidha)

Jan Aushadhi Sugam App

Context: More than 11.74 lakh users are connected with the Jan Aushadhi Sugam App.

About the Jan Aushadhi Sugam App

• The government launched the Jan Aushadhi Sugam App in May 2020 to ensure the availability of quality generic medicines at affordable prices.
• The App’s sole purpose is to provide details about the availability and pricing of generic medicines being sold at lower prices at the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras.
• The App also locates the nearest Kendra where these medicines can be purchased.
• Apart from that, it also compares the prices of the medicines available at the Kendras with the costs of other medicines with the same compositions available in the market.

Deep Ocean Mission

Context: Deep Ocean Mission to be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total budget of Rs. 4077 Cr for 5 years during the period 2021-2026 – Union Minister (MoS Science & Technology).

What is India’s Deep Ocean Mission?

The Government of India has decided to launch the Deep Ocean Mission – DOM, with an aim to explore the marine diversity in our country, which is still unexplored. This ambitious project will be managed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).  
Through this mission, the Government aims to conduct the exploration of the underwater world on similar lines as ISRO does for space. In this article, we shall discuss at length about the Deep Ocean Mission and its significance for the country. 

About the Deep Ocean Mission

• The mission has been laid on similar terms as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) performs space research
• However, India’s Deep Ocean Mission will solely focus on studying and exploring the deepwater bodies in our country for undiscovered minerals, stones, living or non-living entities
• Both, man force and robotic machines will be used for the mission
• Tasks like deep-sea mining, energy exploration, survey of the objects found, and off-shore desalination will be taken up rigorously
• The technological developments done for the Deep Ocean Mission will be funded by the Government scheme “Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science (O-SMART)”
• Study and research on the climatic changes in the Ocean and other advisory services will be done through this mission
• The focus will also be given on underwater technologies for convenient research
• Two key projects have been included in the Deep Ocean Mission
  • A Desalination Plant
  • Submersible Vehicle, which can explore upto 6000 metres in depth
• The parts of the ocean which are yet to be explored and are hidden and undiscovered will all be covered through this mission.
• It is a central sector scheme.
• The major objectives of the Deep Ocean Mission are as follows:
  • Development of technologies for deep sea mining, underwater vehicles and underwater robotics;
  • Development of ocean climate change advisory services;
  • Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deepsea biodiversity;
  • Deep ocean survey and exploration;
  • Proof of concept studies on energy and freshwater from the ocean; and
  • Establishing advanced marine station for ocean biology

Significance of Deep Ocean Mission
The Deep Ocean Mission plan will enable India to develop capabilities to exploit resources in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB).
One of the major objectives of this project is to mine and extract polymetallic nodules (PMN). The UN International SeaBed Authority has allotted India 75000 sq. kilometers in CIOB for the exploration of these polymetallic nodules.  

What are Polymetallic Nodules (PMN)?

• Polymetallic nodules are Fe-Mn oxide deposits
• They are potato shaped and porous
• Appearance wise, they are of a black earthy color
• Size ranges from 2 to 10 cm in diameter
• PMN is considered as the precipitate of hot fluids from upwelling hot magma from the deep interior of the oceanic crust, discharged through mineralized paths
• These Rare earth minerals are considered as a great source of valuable minerals such as gold, silver, and zinc

Where can PMN be mined?
There are specific locations underwater where the mining of polymetallic nodules can be done. Any country which intends to mine PMN needs to get authorization from ISA, which was established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

• The underwater 75,000 sq meters of the area which has been assigned to India, is the part where the mining can be done 
• In 1987, India gained the status of a ‘Pioneer Investor’ and was the first country to be acknowledged with this status. It was then given an area of 1.5 lakh sq. kilometer for the mining of PMN
• In 2002, ISA conducted a resources analysis and assigned the 75,000 sq. kilometer area to India 
• As per the research done by the Ministry of Earth Science, the following conclusion can be drawn:
  • Potential polymetallic nodules which can be found – 880 MT (approximately)
  • Nickel – 4.7 MT (approximately)
  • Magnesium – 92.59 MT (approximately)
  • Copper – 4.29 MT (approximately)
  • Cobalt – 0.55 MT (approximately)

What is the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
It is a zone in the sea prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) over which a country has certain rights for exploration of marine resources.
India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 2.37 million sq. kilometer, and most part of it lies unexplored and undiscovered.

Other Countries Exploring Underwater Elements
Apart from the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB), PMN has also been discovered in the Central Pacific Ocean. This is also known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
Major countries including China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Russia are a part of the list of those countries which have signed a contract with ISA for the exploration of polymetallic nodules.
This list is not just limited to major countries, but also a few island countries have started their exploration for PMN, for example, Kiribati, an independent country in the Central Pacific Ocean. 

Impact of Deep Ocean Mission on the Environment
A major concern has been shown by Environmentalists for the Ocean mining that is being conducted in various countries. The biggest concern is that since this field is unexplored, the repercussions cannot be assumed.
Another cause of concern is the sediment plumes that may have formed after the mining practice and the oil spills which may be caused.
However, India seems to be positive with their research as major revelations can be done once the mission takes off and the research is started. One of the most important of which is the fact that since the temperature at deep depths of the ocean is very low, a lot of species will be discovered which are capable of surviving in extreme weather conditions.
All the activities which shall be performed under the Deep Ocean Mission will be as per the rules prescribed by ISA, ensuring no harm is caused to the biodiversity. 

India’s Preparedness for Ocean Mining

• India’s mining site is at about a depth of 5,500 meters, where there is high pressure and extremely low temperature.
• We have also deployed Remotely Operated Vehicle and In-situ Soil Tester in the depth of 6,000 meters and have a thorough understanding of the mining area at the Central Indian Ocean Basin.
• The mining machine newly developed for 6000 meters depth was able to move about 900 meters and will be deployed soon at 5,500 meters.
• Weather conditions and the availability of ships also play a role.
• More tests are being conducted to understand how to bring the nodules up to the surface. A riser system comprising an umbilical cable or electromechanical cable and a hose is being developed.

National Dairy Plan

About the National Dairy Plan (NDP)

• National Dairy Plan Phase II is a scheme running from 2020-25. With a financial outlay of Rs.8000 crore, its aims include enhancing the milk processing capacity and infrastructure of daily co-operatives.
• NDP phase I was launched from Anand, Gujarat by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
  • It was a Central Sector Scheme for a period of 2011-12 to 2018-19.
  • Objectives of NDP-1:
    • To help increase productivity of milch animals and thereby increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk
    • To help provide rural milk producers with greater access to the organised milk-processing sector
• The National Dairy Plan is also known as ‘Mission Milk’.

Parliamentary Committee on Official Language

Context: Union Home Minister chaired the 36th meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language.

About the Committee

• The Committee of Parliament on Official Language is responsible to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purpose of the Union.
• The Committee was constituted in 1976 under Section 4 of the Official Languages Act, 1963 to periodically review the progress in the use of Hindi as the Official Language of the Union and to submit a report to the President.

World Biofuel Day

Context: August 10 is observed as World Biofuel Day.

World Biofuel Day is observed on August 10 every year. It is observed to raise awareness about the importance of alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, additionally the government of India’s efforts to enhance the biofuel sector.
The development of biofuels is in sync with schemes such as Swach Bharat Abhiyan and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan
The World Biofuel Day was first observed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Gas in August 2015.

What are Biofuels?

As stated earlier, the World Biofuel Day is observed to raise awareness on how alternative fuels are necessary for the environmental well being of the country. Thus it is important to know what biofuels are.
Biofuels are environmentally friendly fuels whose use would go a long way in reducing carbon emissions. They are created through renewable biomass resources and therefore make a strong case for sustainable development. As such biofuels will help meet the energy requirements of the 21st century world without damaging the environment in the process.
In India it will meet rural India’s energy needs and fulfill the rising demands for transportation fuels associated with economic growth.

Biofuels also have the following benefits:

• Reducing dependence on crude oil
• Fostering a cleaner environment
• Generating additional income and employment for rural areas.

Categories of Biofuel
The following are the categories of biofuel used in India

1. Bioethanol: Ethanol is an organic chemical compound derived from alcohol. In the case of biofuel ethanol is produced from materials like sugarcane, sugar beet, materials containing starch like corn, cassava, and from waste made from wood, forestry residues and industrial waste.
2. Biodiesel: It is a diesel with on-edible vegetable oil, acid oils or animal fat as its base ingredients.
3. Advanced biofuels: Fuels that are produced from feedstocks, non-food crops or industrial waste. Such fuels have low CO2 emissions and do not compete with crops for land use. Fuels derived from 3G biofuels, bio hydrogen and bio-methanol can be termed as ‘Advanced biofuels’
4. Drop-in fuels: Liquid fuel produced from biomass, agri residues, industrial wastes etc. are categorised as Drop-in Fuels. They should meet the prescribed standards in pure or blended form.
5. Bio-CNG: A pure form of bio-gas created whose composition is similar to that of fossil fuels. Its raw materials consist of animal dung food waste and sewage water.

Government Initiatives Regarding Biofuels
Several schemes and initiatives that encourage the adoption of biofuels have been adopted in India. For example, the government approved the National Policy on Biofuels in June 201 which aimed to reach the target of 20% ethanol-blending and 5% biodiesel blending by 2030. In addition this plan incentivizes production of advanced biofuels.

Other initiatives are as follows:

• Development of locally made Cellulolytic Enzyme for creation of biofuels
• Strengthening of cross-country collaboration through programs like Atal Innovation Mission
• Through the Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, a commercial ecosystems will be set up for projects that will boost research and development in the Ethanol  sector
• GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) DHAN scheme, 2018: Focuses on managing and converting cattle dung and agricultural wastes in farms to useful compost and bio-CNG, fulfilling the dual objectives of keeping villages clean and improving rural household income
• Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO): It was launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) aims for an ecosystem that will enable the collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel.

Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana

Context: A Central Sector Scheme namely ‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’ (RVY) is being implemented by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment with an objective to provide to senior citizens, belonging to the BPL category and suffering from age-related disabilities/infirmities, with such physical aids and assisted living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily functions.

About the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana

• It is a scheme for providing physical aids and assisted-living devices for senior citizens belonging to the BPL category.
• Aids such as walking sticks, elbow crutches, walkers, tripods, quadpods, hearing aids, wheelchairs, artificial dentures, spectacles, etc. are provided.
• It is fully funded by the Central Government.
• The scheme is implemented through the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), which is the sole implementing agency.

Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4)

Context: Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4) India 2019 released.

About Global Youth Tobacco Survey

• The fourth round of Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4) was conducted in 2019 by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• The survey was designed to produce national estimates of tobacco use among school going children aged 13-15 years at the state level and Union Territory (UT) by sex, location of school (rural-urban), and management of school (public-private).
• The first three rounds of GYTS were conducted in 2003, 2006 and 2009.

Key Findings

• Nearly one-fifth of the students aged 13-15 used any form of the tobacco product (smoking, smokeless, and any other form) in their life. Between the last two surveys, the current use declined by 42% (2009-2019).
• Prevalence of tobacco use among boys was 9.6% and among girls was 7.4%. Use of any form of tobacco was higher among boys than girls.
• The prevalence of smoking tobacco was 7.3%. In case of smokeless tobacco product, the prevalence was 4.1%.
• Use of e-cigarette among the students was 2.8%.
• The current use of tobacco among students across the States/UTs ranged from the highest in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram (58% each) to the lowest in Himachal Pradesh (1.1%) and Karnataka (1.2%).
• The median age at initiation of cigarette and bidi smoking, and smokeless tobacco use were 11.5 years, 10.5 years and 9.9 years respectively.
• 69% of current cigarette smokers and 78% of current bidi smokers bought cigarettes/bidis from a store, paan shop, street vendor or vending machine. Among the current smokers who bought cigarette/bidi, 45% of cigarette smokers and 47% of bidi smokers were not refused because of their age. This points out to the easy availability of tobacco products.