PIB Summary- 1st May, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Semicon India 2022

Context 
The SemiconIndia 2022 conference was held.

SemiconIndia 2022: 

• SemiconIndia 2022 is a 3 day conference.
• It is being organized by the India Semiconductor Mission in partnership with industry and industry associations.
• Aims: To make India a global hub for Semiconductor Design, Manufacturing and Technology Development which will help propel the vision of the India Semiconductor Mission.

MoUs announced in the backdrop of SemiconIndia 2022:

• India Semiconductor Mission has announced an MoU to enable mass production of “5G Narrowband-IoT- the Koala Chip, Architected and Designed in India”.
• Cyient company is in the process to enable volume production of Koala– NB IoT-SoC (Narrowband-IoT System-on-Chip), designed and architected in India. 
• 5G NB-IoT is a fast-growing technology that enables low bit rate IoT applications and extends device battery life by upto 10 years. 
• This chip will be used in many applications such as Smart Meters, Asset tracking, Digital Healthcare and many more.
• MoU for design, deployment and maintenance of 10 Lakh Integrated NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) and GPS Receivers.
  (i) Signalchip company has developed the “Agumbe” series of baseband, modem and radio frequency (RF) chipsets for 5G/4G networks with integrated support for global navigation satellite systems including NavIC.
  (ii) The NavIC chipset that will be developed can be used in any device requiring navigation capabilities like mobile phones, vehicles with built-in navigation (e.g. electric vehicles) and tracking devices.
  (iii) They can also be used in low power IoT devices in combination with other technologies like NB-IoT.
• Partnership was announced for the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme
  (i) The Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme of MeitY aims to create specialized engineers for expanding Indian Semiconductor talent in the area of VLSI and Embedded System Design.
  (ii) It has been implemented by CDAC, a scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Govt. of India.
• An MoU was announced between Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)
  (i) Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) aims to focus on bringing together SRC’s industry experts and India’s R&D talent to create a compelling industry-driven world-class R&D program.
  (ii) SRC is a world-renowned, high technology-based consortium that serves to enable collaboration between technology companies, academia, government agencies, and SRC’s highly regarded engineers and scientists.

• MeitY announced an MoU between Atal Community Innovation Center-Kalasalingam Innovation Foundation (ACIC-KIF) and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
  (i) It aims for collaborative R&D, Product development and Trainings in the areas of semiconductor technologies, Power electronics, Energy harvesting, Electric vehicles, etc.
  (ii) This will provide research and innovation capabilities to rural industries without access to semiconductor facilities.

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.

Deaflympics 2021:

• The 2021 Summer Deaflympics is officially known as the 24th Summer Deaflympics.
• It is an international multi-sport event scheduled to have Caxias do Sul, Brazil as its main host city.
• The 2021 Summer Deaflympics are postponed to 2022 and will take place in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.

India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

Context
The India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed between the two nations.

What is CEPA?
CEPA is a bilateral trade agreement that includes trade in goods and services, investments, competitions and Intellectual Property Rights.

India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): 

• The landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will provide a significant boost to bilateral relations and economic cooperation between the two countries.
• One of the CEPA’s main goals is to boost bilateral non-oil merchandise trade to $100 billion in the next five years.
• Features of India-UAE CEPA:
  (i) The agreement prohibits the imposition of customs duties on a variety of goods.
  (ii) Within five years, CEPA is expected to boost bilateral goods trade to more than USD 100 billion and services trade to more than USD 15 billion.
  (iii) The tariff concessions obtained for Indian products under the India-UAE CEPA are expected to benefit the Gems and Jewellery sector significantly.
  (iv) The CEPA will encourage bilateral investment in labour-intensive industries such as textiles, leather goods and footwear, and food processing, among others.
  (v) India will benefit from the UAE’s preferential market access on over 97 percent of its tariff lines, which account for 99 percent of India’s value-added exports to the UAE.

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.