PIB Summary- 23th March, 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

International Telecommunication Union

Why in News?
Prime Minister will inaugurate the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area office and Innovation Centre at a programme in Delhis Vigyan Bhawan.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

• Specialized agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies.
• Coordinates between governments and private sector bodies for global telecommunication and ICT services.
• Established in 1865 as International Telegraph Union.
• Became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1947.
• Headquarters located in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Membership: ITU has a membership of 193 countries and nearly 800 private sector entities and academic institutions.

Functions of International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

• Allocation of global radio spectrum and satellite orbits.
• Coordination and setting of technical standards related to telecommunication/ICT.
• Striving to improve access to ICTs in underserved communities worldwide.

India’s association with ITU

• India has been an active member of the ITU since 1869.
• India has been a regular member of the ITU Council since 1952.

ITU Area office and Innovation Centre

• India has fully funded the ITU Area Office, which is located on the second floor of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) building in Mehrauli, New Delhi.
• The office will serve countries in the region including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan, and Iran.
• The office aims to improve coordination among nations in the region and foster mutually beneficial economic cooperation.

PM MITRA

Why in News?
The Prime Minister has said that PM MITRA mega textiles park will boost the local economy of aspirational district of Virudhunagar. 

About MITRA parks

• In a move to make the country’s textile sector a manufacturing and export hub, and create global export champions, India will set up seven textile parks over three years under the scheme of mega investment textile parks which was announced in Budget FY22.
• The parks to be setup over 1,000 acres of land with world class infrastructure, and plug-and-play facilities, will be addition to the more-than Rs. 10,000 crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for technical textiles and manmade fibre.
• The textiles ministry has proposed to develop seven Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (MITRA) parks as part of a plan to double the industry size to $300 billion by 2025-26 aimed to position India as a fully integrated, globally competitive manufacturing and exporting hub.
• The parks are targeted to have uninterrupted water and power supply, common utilities and research and development labs.
• Similar parks already exist in China, Vietnam and Ethiopia where the entire textiles value chain is covered.
• India has already sanctioned 59 textile parks under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP), of which 22 have been completed. However, their slow progress due to delays in obtaining land and other statutory clearances from state governments and tardy fund mobilisation, have prompted the government to develop MITRA parks.