PIB Summary- 25th March, 2023 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

PENCIL Portal

Why in News?
Recently, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment informed Rajya Sabha about the PENCIL portal and implementation of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme.

PENCIL Portal

Components
The PENCIL Portal has several components, including the Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project, and Convergence.

Features

• The PENCIL Portal connects the Central Government to State Governments, Districts, all Project Societies, and the general public.
• Anyone can file online complaints about child labour on the PENCIL Portal, and the complaint will be assigned to the concerned Nodal Officer automatically by the system for further necessary action.

National Child Labour Project (NCLP)

Details

• The NCLP Scheme provides funds directly to District Project Societies headed by the District Magistrate/Collector/Deputy Commissioner.
• These societies allocate the funds to NGOs/Voluntary Agencies to run Special Training Centres.

Exercise Konkan 2023

Why in News?
Konkan 2023, the bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the UK’s Royal Navy, was recently held off the Konkan coast in the Arabian Sea.

About Exercise Konkan 2023

• The Konkan Exercise is an annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the UK’s Royal Navy.
• The latest edition involved the participation of INS Trishul, a guided missile frigate, and HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 guided missile frigate.
• The primary objective of the exercise was to enhance interoperability between the two forces and imbibe best practices.
• The exercise covered all domains of maritime operations, including air, surface, and sub-surface operations.
• The drills included gunnery shoots on the surface inflatable target ‘Killer Tomato’, helicopter operations, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare drills, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), ship maneuvers, and exchange of personnel.
• The exercise will help the Indian Navy and Royal Navy to work together to improve maritime security and maintain a rules-based order in the region.

Exercise Vayu Prahar

Why in News?
The Indian Army and the Indian Air force recently conducted a joint exercise, ‘Vayu Prahar’.

About Exercise Vayu Prahar

• Exercise Vayu Prahar is a multi-domain air-land exercise jointly conducted by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
• The exercise also saw the participation of special forces from the Army and the Navy, and it lasted for 96 hours in the eastern theatre.
• The primary objective of the exercise was to validate joint plans to prosecute synergized multiple-domain operations.
• The scope of the exercise included the rapid mobilization of an earmarked Rapid Reaction Force from the hinterland to undertake air-landed operations in a nominated Advance Landing Ground.
• The air-landed force executed contingency tasks as per a realistic exercise scenario in challenging high-altitude terrain conditions.
• The exercise enabled coordination and rehearsal amongst various agencies for quick mobilization, transportation, and deployment of forces within a theatre.