PIB Summary- 22nd January, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Rapid Assessment System (RAS)

Context: Government utilizes MEITY’s Rapid Assessment System (RAS) for processing feedback on Covid vaccination.

Details

• The ‘Rapid Assessment System (RAS)’ is a platform developed by the National e-Governance Division, Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) for taking feedback from those who get vaccinated.
• This initiative is aimed at improving the vaccination experience for citizens, while ensuring that all norms are being followed during the vaccination process at all vaccination centres.
• This feedback system will help the Government to make the vaccination process more citizen-friendly.

About RAS

• RAS was developed for online instant feedback for e-services (online as well as offline through counters) delivered by the Government of India and State Governments.
• The main objective of RAS is to continuously assess the quality of eServices, through feedback, under each e-Governance project and realign processes to achieve targeted benefits.
• RAS interface prompts the citizens to provide feedback about the quality of service immediately after the citizen avails an eService of the Government.
• The analytic features of RAS help integrated departments in system improvement and better delivery of services.

How RAS works to get feedback about the vaccination process

• Registered mobile numbers and names of those vaccinated on a day are sent to RAS system by Co-WIN platform at midnight.
• RAS system prepares a unique URL for feedback questions and sends personalized SMSs to all beneficiaries of that day.
• The questions asked will take information about the vaccination process such as whether social distancing was maintained while vaccination process was going on, whether the staff informed the person about the vaccine and administered it properly or not, if adverse effects were observed after immunization, etc.

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

Context: Air Quality Commission ropes in top technical institutions to set up a Decision Support System.

About the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

• The Commission for Air Quality Management was formed by an ordinance in October 2020, the “Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance 2020”.
• The commission was envisaged to be a super commission that subsumed practically every other law and agency dealing with air pollution in this region (Delhi – NCR).
• The central government had instituted this ‘permanent’ body for the region effectively replacing the Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
• The CAQM has the power to:
  • Formulate rules and set emission standards
  • Impose fines up to Rs. 1 Crore or send violators to prison for up to five years
• It is headed by a former secretary to the Government of India or a chief secretary to a state government.
• The ex-officio members comprise chief secretaries or secretaries dealing with the subject of environment in the states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and non-governmental organisations.
• Functions of CAQM
  • Implement in Delhi NCR and adjoining areas, the National Clean Air Programme, the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme, and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
  • It lays down the parameters for various aspects of air quality including emission parameters and discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources.
  • The Commission has the right to prohibit activities that are likely to cause or increase air pollution in the NCR.
  • It can take up matters suo motu or on the basis of complaints from individuals and
  • The annual report that the Commission submits to the government will be laid before both Houses of the Parliament. Also, the various orders and regulations brought forth by the CAQM will also be placed before the Parliament.
  • The Commission would specifically monitor measures taken by the states to prevent factors causing air pollution like stubble burning, industrial emissions, road dust, vehicular pollution, construction activities, biomass burning and other major sources of air pollution.

PLI Scheme for Promotion of Domestic Manufacturing

Context: Approval accorded under PLI Scheme for Promotion of Domestic Manufacturing of critical Key Starting Materials (KSMs)/Drug Intermediates and APIs.

Details

• The PLI scheme offers a production linked incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in sectors like mobile phone manufacturing, specified electronic components, pharmaceuticals, food processing, solar PV manufacturing, medical equipment, etc.
• In the pharmaceutical sector, the Department of Pharmaceuticals had launched the PLI Scheme with an objective to attain self-reliance and reduce import dependence in these critical Bulk Drugs – Key Starting Materials (KSMs)/Drug Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in the country.

Background

• The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the 3^rd largest in the world by volume.
• It has a high market presence in several advanced economies such as the US and EU.
• The industry is well known for its production of affordable medicines, particularly in the generics space.
• However, the country is significantly dependent on the import of basic raw materials, viz., Bulk Drugs that are used to produce medicines.

About the PLI Scheme

• The scheme offers a production linked incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in mobile phone manufacturing and specified electronic components, including Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) units.
• The scheme shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies, for a period of five years subsequent to the base year as defined.
• The Scheme will be implemented through a Nodal Agency which shall act as a Project Management Agency (PMA) and be responsible for providing secretarial, managerial and implementation support and carrying out other responsibilities as assigned by the Ministry from time to time.
• The target segments include mobile phones and other electronic components such as transistors, diodes, thyristors, resistors, capacitors and nano-electronic components such as micro electromechanical systems.
• According to the scheme, companies that make mobile phones which sell for Rs 15,000 or more will get an incentive of up to 6 per cent on incremental sales of all such mobile phones made in India.
• In the same category, companies which are owned by Indian nationals and make such mobile phones, the incentive has been kept at Rs 200 crore for the next four years. 
• The scheme will attract big foreign investment in the sector, while also encouraging domestic mobile phone makers to expand their units and presence in India.
• Who all are eligible? 
  • All electronic manufacturing companies which are either Indian or have a registered unit in India will be eligible to apply for the scheme.
  • These companies can either create a new unit or seek incentives for their existing units from one or more locations in India.
• There has been considerable interest expressed in this scheme by the industry.

Spices Board

Context: Spices Board conducts Buyer Seller Meet for small cardamom.

About Spices Board

• Spices Board (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India) is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices.
• It was constituted in 1987 under the Spices Board Act, 1986 by merging the Cardamom Board and the Spices Export Promotion Council.
• The Spices Board is one of the five commodity boards functioning under the Commerce Ministry.
• It is an autonomous body responsible for the promotion of the 52 scheduled spices and the development of small and large cardamom.
• Functions and role of Spices Board
  • Research, Development and Regulation of domestic marketing of Small & Large Cardamom.
  • Post-harvest improvement of all spices.
  • Promotion of organic production, processing and certification of spices. 
  • Development of spices in the North East.
  • Provision of quality evaluation services.
  • Export promotion of all spices.
  • Quality certification and control.
  • Registration of exporters.
  • Provision of inputs to the Central Government on policy matters relating to import & export of spices.

About Cardamom

• Cardamom is known as the ‘Queen of Spices’ because of its pleasant aroma and taste.
• Kerala is the largest producer of small cardamom in the country, with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka being other producers.
• Cardamom is the dried seed pod of a herbaceous perennial plant in the ginger family and is native to India, Bhutan and Nepal.

Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW)

Context: Successful Flight Test of Smart Anti Airfield Weapon.

What’s in News?

• DRDO has successfully conducted captive and release trial of indigenously developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) from Hawk-I of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) off the Odisha coast.

What is SAAW?

• Smart Anti Airfield Weapon is a 125 Kg class smart weapon, capable of engaging ground enemy airfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxi tracks, and runways, etc. up to a range of 100 kms.
• The high precision guided bomb is light weight as compared to weapon systems of the same class.
• SAAW is indigenously designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) Hyderabad.