PIB Summary- 12th December, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Significant literary works in various Indian languages

Context:

Recently, the Vice President called for proactive initiatives for translating literary works between various Indian languages.

Details

‘Amuktamalyada’: 

• The ‘Amuktamalyada’ is a Telugu epic poem written in the early 16th century by Krishnadevaraya, the Vijayanagara Emperor.
• The name Amuktamalyada means “one who presented the garland after wearing it themself.”

PM’s address to depositors in bank deposit insurance programme

Context:

Recently, the PM addressed depositors in the bank deposit insurance programme.

Details:

Changes in deposit insurance law

• The government amended deposit insurance regulations to reimburse cash up to Rs 5 lakh to an account holder within 90 days of a bank falling under the RBI’s embargo.
• Depositors typically have to wait 8-10 years following a troubled bank’s collapse before being allowed to receive their funds.
• With the amendments to the law, depositors can now get insurance money within 90 days, rather than having to wait for the ailing banks to be liquidated.
• The DICGC would gather all deposit account information within 45 days of the bank being placed under moratorium.
• It will analyze the facts over the following 45 days and reimburse investors closer to the 90th day.

What were the norms for deposit insurance earlier?

• Previously, account holders had to wait years for a troubled lender’s liquidation or reorganization before receiving their covered money.
• The government increased the insurance sum from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh last year.
• In the unusual event that a bank fails in India, a depositor may make a claim for up to Rs 5 lakh per account as insurance protection.
• The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India, provides a cover of Rs 5 lakh per depositor.
• Depositors with more than Rs 5 lakh in their accounts have no legal recourse to retrieve their cash if a bank fails.
• While depositors have the highest level of security for their cash parked with banks, unlike stock and bond investors, an element of danger always lurks on their savings in the event that a bank fails.

PM to visit Varanasi and inaugurate Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham

Context:

Prime Minister inaugurated Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham

Details:

Kashi Vishwanath Temple:

• Kashi Vishwanath Temple, popularly known as the Golden Temple devoted to Lord Shiva, is one of the most well-known temples in Varanasi.
• It is one of Lord Shiva’s twelve Jyotirlingas and one of Hinduism’s holiest temples. It is located on the western bank of the sacred river Ganga in one of the most holy towns and one of the Sapta Puri – Varanasi.

Construction of temple:

• Hari Chandra built the Kashi Vishwanath temple in the 11th century, but it was demolished by Aibak’s troops in 1194 CE.
• The temple was restored and demolished several times in the 12th, 14th, and 15th centuries.
• The present temple’s two domes are coated with gold, which was provided by the Punjab Kesari Maharaja Ranjeet Singh in 1839, the Bhosales of Nagpur gave silver to the temple, and gold for the third dome was offered by the Uttar Pradesh Government’s Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.
• The current temple edifice was built in 1780 by the Maratha ruler, Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore.

Architecture:

• It was built in the 18th century in the Nagara style, and it features five shikharas (spires) that start at the bottom and merge at the top.
• The temple’s construction has a Sabha Griha or Congregation Hall that leads to the inner Garbha Griha or Sanctum Sanctorum.
• Because of the enormous number of monkeys that live there, it is known locally as ‘Monkey Temple.’
• The main temple is a quadrilateral surrounded by shrines dedicated to different gods.
• Jnana Vapi, often spelled GyanVapi, is a little well in the temple (the wisdom well).

Startup ecosystem in India

Context:

Recently, the Center organized the first of its kind innovation week to encourage Startup ecosystem in India.

Startup India

What is Startup India Scheme?

Startup India scheme is an important government scheme that was launched on 16th January 2016 with an aim to promote and support the start-ups in India by providing bank finances. It was inaugurated by the former finance minister, Arun Jaitley.

Organized by the Department for promotion of industry and internal trade, the major objective of Startup India is to discard some of the restrictive States Government policies which include:

• License Raj
• Land Permissions
• Foreign Investment Proposals
• Environmental Clearances

The Startup India scheme is based majorly on three pillars which are mentioned below:

• Providing funding support and incentives to the various start-ups of the country.
• To provide Industry-Academia Partnership and Incubation.
• Simplification and Handholding.

Registration for Startup India

A person must follow the below-mentioned steps that are important for the successful registration of their business under the Startup India scheme:

• A person should incorporate their business first either as a Private Limited Company or as a Limited Liability Partnership or as a Partnership Firm along with obtaining the certificate of Incorporation, PAN, and other required compliances.
• A person needs to log in to the official website of Startup India where he/she has to fill all the essential details of the business in the registration form and upload the required documents.
• A letter of recommendation, Incorporation/Registration Certificate, and a brief description of the business are some of the essential documents required for the registration purpose.
• Since the start-ups are exempted from income tax benefits, therefore, they must be recognized by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) before availing these benefits. Also, they should be certified by the Inter-Ministerial Board (IMB) to be eligible for IPR related benefits.
• After successful registration and verification of the documents, you will be immediately provided with a recognition number for your startup along with a certificate of recognition.

Who is eligible to apply under the Startup India scheme?
An entity is eligible to apply when:

• It is incorporated as a private limited company or partnership firm or a limited liability partnership in India
• It has less than 10 years of history i.e. less than 10 years have elapsed from the date of its incorporation/registration
• The turnover for all of the financial years, since the incorporation/ registration has been less than INR 100 crores

Note: An entity formed by splitting up or reconstruction of a business already in existence shall not be considered a ‘Startup’.

Startup India Benefits

After the launch of the Startup India scheme, a new program was launched by the government named the I-MADE program which focused on helping the Indian entrepreneurs in building 1 million mobile app start-ups. The government of India had also launched the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana which aimed to provide financial supports to entrepreneurs from low socioeconomic backgrounds through low-interest rate loans. Some of the key benefits of Startup India are as follows:

• To reduce the patent registration fees.
• Improvement of the Bankruptcy Code ensuring a 90-day exit window.
• To provide freedom from mystifying inspections and capital gain tax for the first 3 years of operation.
• To create an innovation hub under the Atal Innovation Mission.
• Targeting 5 lakh schools along with the involvement of 10 lakh children in innovation-related programs.
• To develop new schemes that will provide IPR protection to startup firms.
• To encourage entrepreneurship throughout the country.
• To promote India as a start-up hub across the world.

Government Measures to Promote Startup Culture in the Country

• As part of the “Make in India” initiative, the government proposes to hold one  Start-Up fest at the national level annually to enable all the stakeholders of the Start-up ecosystem to come together on one platform. You can know in detail about the Make In India program on the linked page.
• Launch of Atal Innovation Mission AIM – to promote Entrepreneurship through Self-Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU), wherein innovators would be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs. It also provides a platform where innovative ideas are generated. Relevant details on Atal Innovation Mission AIM are available on the linked page.
• Incubator set up by PPP – To ensure professional management of Government-sponsored or funded incubators, the government will create a policy and framework for setting-up of incubators across the country in public-private partnerships. The incubator shall be managed and operated by the private sector. Read more on Public-Private Partnership on the link provided here.
  (i) 35 new incubators in existing institutions. Funding support of 40% shall be provided by the Central Government, 40% funding by the respective State Government and 20% funding by the private sector for establishment of new incubators.
  (ii) 35 new private sector incubators. A grant of 50% (subject to a maximum of INR 10 crore) shall be provided by Central Government for incubators established by the private sector in existing institutions.
• A Startup India Seed Fund Scheme has been implemented with effect from April 1, 2021. The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialisation.

Startup India – State Rankings

States’ Startup Ranking Framework is an evolved evaluation tool aimed to strengthen the support of States and UTs to holistically build their startup ecosystems. The rankings are based on the criteria of policy, incubation hubs, seeding innovation, scaling innovation, regulatory change, procurement, communication, North-Eastern states, and hill states.

The latest edition of the States’ Startup Ranking 2020 was released on September 11, 2020. UPSC aspirants can visit the linked article and get the list of top states with the best startup ecosystem.

The States’ startup rankings from 2019 and 2018 have been given in the following tables for the reference of the candidates:

Vice President Inaugurates ‘ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ Exhibition

Context:

The Hon’ble Vice President inaugurated an exhibition on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ (EBSB).

Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme

About Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat

• The scheme was launched to celebrate the cultural vibrancy of India while establishing a strong mechanism to inculcate nationalism and cultural awareness among the citizens of our nation
• Its primary objective is to strengthen cultural relations of various regions in the country and to encourage mutual connection between people residing in different states
• The scheme aims at celebrating unity in the diverse culture of the nation and to bolstering sentimental bonds among the people of different states
• Under it rich culture, heritage, customs and traditions of either State will be showcased for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is prevalent in India, thus fostering a sense of common identity among the citizens
• It aims at conducting various activities throughout the year under this campaign to strengthen sentiments for National Unity between the citizens of states and states governed by the union government

Background and Need of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Programme
India is a culturally rich country and identity by a rich history of cultural evolution. In an era of technology which has reduced geographical boundaries, it is important to establish cultural exchanges between people of different regions, as a means to further human bonding and a common approach to nation-building.
Thus, under the administration of Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat scheme has been introduced to encourage the people of India to learn about the culture of different states and Union Territories and promote a stronger and united India.

Objectives of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Scheme
Given below are the objectives of the “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” programme launched by the Government of India in 2015:

• The key aim is to promote the Indian ideology of “Unity in Diversity” in India. It aims to build the interest of people in their neighbouring states and UTs, also encourage them to promote their culture.
• To foster a sense of common identity among the people of the country, rich heritage and culture, customs and traditions of the states must be encouraged.
• Through this programme, the Government aims at establishing long term engagements and promote learning between the states.
• Promoting the national spirit of national integration.
• The cross-cultural interactions will help in building the feeling of ‘One Nation’ among all the citizens of the country.

Mission & Vision of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme
The mission is as follows –

• To celebrate the Unity in Diversity of our Nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our Country.
• To promote the spirit of national integration through a deep and structured engagement between all Indian States and Union Territories through a year-long planned engagement between States;
• To showcase the rich heritage and culture, customs, and traditions of either State for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity.
• To establish long-term engagements
• To create an environment that promotes learning between States by sharing best practices and experiences.

The vision of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat is as mentioned below–

• To celebrate the idea of India as a nation wherein different cultural units across varied geographies coalesce and interact with each other. This glorious manifestation of diverse languages, cuisine, music, dance, theatre, movies & films, handicrafts, sports, literature, festivals, painting, sculpture, etc., will enable people to imbibe the innate chord of binding and brotherhood.
• To make our people aware of the seamless integral hull of the Modern Indian State spread across a vast landmass on whose firm foundations, the geo-political strength of the country is ensured to benefit one and all.
• To impress upon people at large about the increasing inter-connectedness between the constituents of various cultures and traditions, which is so vital for the spirit of nation-building.
• To ease out the feeling of ‘stranger in a strange land’ among the people of different states, cultures and traditions living in various states of India.
• To induce a sense of responsibility & ownership for the nation as a whole through these close cross-cultural interactions as it intends to build up the inter-dependence matrix unequivocally.
• To celebrate the diversity as well as the unity of the Nation at the same time.
• To generate the vibrance of understanding & appreciation amongst the people and forge mutual bonding to securing an enriched value system of unity in the nation.

Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat – Initiatives & Activities
Till date, multiple initiatives have been taken up under the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat program. Discussed below are the same:

• 5 Award-winning books and poetry, popular folk songs have been translated from one language to the language of the partner state.
• Culinary events have been organised to learn culinary practices of partner states.
• Homestay for visitors coming from partner states.
• Rajya Darshan for Tourists.
• Accepting the traditional attire of other states and Union Territories.
• Exchange of information like traditional agricultural practices with partner states

Some important facts

• The government of Madhya Pradesh has partnered with the governments of Nagaland and Manipur under the Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat Yojana to strengthen cultural relations.
• The Higher Education Department has been made the nodal department for the implementation of this scheme, by the Madhya Pradesh government.
• MP will participate in Sangai Mahotsav that is being organized by Manipur in the state
• The teams from Nagaland and Manipur will take part in Lok Rang and Bal Rang programmes of MP to present their cultural programmes.