PIB Summary- 2nd January, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Vice President calls for making India self-reliant in all areas

Context

The Vice President of India called for making India fully self-reliant in all areas, including strategic domains.

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan – Self Reliant India Scheme

Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission focuses on improving the Indian economy by improving manufacturing, supply, and demand. It is the mission started by the Government of India on 13th May 2020, aimed towards making India Self-reliant.
The Prime Minister announced that an Atmanirbhar Bharat or a self-reliant India should stand on the following five pillars:

• Economy
• Infrastructure
• 21st-century technology-driven arrangements and system
• Demand
• Vibrant Demography

Steps to achieve Indigenisation of Defence Sector

• Give thrust to Research and Development activities.
• Allow private collaboration wherever feasible.
• Stringent quality controls.

Advantages of Indigenisation

• The complete know-how and know-why in critical areas like oceanography and transducer materials remain exclusively with India and no foreign player can enter the market easily.
• The systems can be upgraded periodically with improvements as per requirements.
• Problems of users  can be resolved in a quick and efficient manner.
• Through indigenization, there will be a 20% to 75% savings in the national expenditure.

Conclusion

As India is strongly moving ahead to becoming a global superpower in the coming decades, the role of scientists In defence, space, and other areas becomes very important.
The fact that India is still one of the largest importers of defence equipment, the Vice President said, the contribution of a small lab like Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) in empowering the nation in its defence needs is commendable.
Given the geopolitical landscape in our neighbourhood, NPOL’s role towards national security is supreme as all warships or conventional submarines in the fleet of the Indian Navy are installed with NPOL-developed sonars.

Vice President visits INS Vikrant, India’s indigenous aircraft carrier

Context

The Vice President of India, calls INS Vikrant a “great icon” of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1), is an aircraft carrier constructed by Cochin Shipyard in Kochi, Kerala for the Indian Navy. It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India.
Indian Navy is a formidable resident maritime power in the Indian Ocean Region and the Aircraft Carrier Battle Group remains central to its concept of operations. Vikrant will provide the Indian Navy with the requisite flexibility, mobility, reach and combat power in pursuance of our national interests and also serve as a strong catalyst for peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region.
An Aircraft Carrier also holds a position of strategic and technological eminence and is rightly considered the pinnacle in the domain of warship design and construction.
With the construction of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, India join a select band of countries having niche indigenous capability for designing and building of an Aircraft Carrier
The Vice President observed that “A strong Navy is indeed a prerequisite for the nation’s growth and the construction of the aircraft carrier is a step in the right direction,” and called INS Vikrant a  ‘Technological Marvel’. 

Concerted worldwide efforts needed to limit global temperature levels to save islands: Vice President

Context

The Vice President of India urged all countries to put in consolidated efforts to limit global temperature levels so that smaller islands and the homes of the islanders do not get displaced.

Need for Limiting the Rise of Global Temperature to 1.5°C?

• Limiting global warming to 1.5°C instead of 2°C could result in less exposure to extreme heat waves, floods, drought, and changes in the global mean surface temperature of the earth.
• The Risk of heavy precipitation and tropical cyclones will be limited if global warming is limited to 1.5°C. It will also reduce the intensity and frequency.
• Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is expected to substantially reduce the probability of drought and risks associated with water availability i.e. water stress in the world.
• Risks to natural and human systems are lower at 1.5°C than 2°C
• Some regions are projected to experience multiple compound climate-related risks at 1.5°C that will increase with warming of 2°C and create new hazards, exposures, and vulnerabilities to humans and weather at a local level.
• The rise in mean sea level rise will be around 0.1 m less by the end of the century in a 1.5°C world as compared to a 2°C warming. The ocean has absorbed about 30% of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide, resulting in ocean acidification.
• The ocean productivity at  1.5°C will be adaptable than at  2°C as later will lead to more damage to ecosystems e.g. coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, and other wetland ecosystems, loss of fisheries productivity, and dead zones.
• Risks of food shortages, heat-related mortality particularly in urban areas because of urban heat islands. Risks are projected to change for some vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever with positive or negative trends depending on the disease, region, and extent of change will be lower at 1.5°C than at 2°C.
• At 2°C of global warming, coastal tourism will be at the margin line at the same time salinity of coastal groundwater will also increase and the degradation of beach and coral reef assets. Global warming of 1.5°C has the potential to limit economic damages of many developed and developing countries and of the small island, low-lying coasts and deltas.

Threats to Islands and inhabitants due to Global Warming

• Rising sea level
• Storm surges
• Flooding
• Coastal erosion

Conclusion

Drawing attention to the natural diversity of India, the Vice President said that, India has the best of everything when it comes to tourism

• The Himalayas
• The architectural wonders of Rajasthan
• The crystal clear lakes in Himachal Pradesh
• The spiritual getaways in Uttarakhand
• The incredible beaches of Goa
• The tranquil backwaters of Kerala
• The wildlife sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh
• The tea gardens and Breath-taking sights of the hills of the Northeast
• The Scenic beauty of the Rann of Kutch

The Vice President urged everyone to travel widely in India to experience the diverse and beautiful aspects of our great motherland, without harming any aspect of the environment.

PM lays foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh

Context

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The Sports University will be established at an estimated cost of about Rs 700 Crore.

Details

• The Sports University will be equipped with modern and state-of-the-art sports infrastructure including synthetic Hockey ground, Football ground, Basketball, Volleyball, Handball, Kabaddi ground, Lawn tennis court, Gymnasium hall, Synthetic running stadium, Swimming pool, Multipurpose hall, and a Cycling Velodrome.
• The university will also house facilities for Shooting, Squash, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Archery, Canoeing, and Kayaking, among other facilities. 
• The University will have the capacity of training 1080 sportspersons including 540 female and 540 male sportspersons. 

Recent Initiative to promote Sports in India

• The central government has named the country’s biggest sports award after the sporting icon Major Dhyan Chand.
• The Government has given top priority to four tools to boost sports in India namely,
  (i) Resources
  (ii) Modern facilities for training
  (iii) International exposure
  (iv) Transparency in selection.
• Target Olympics Podium (TOPS) Scheme – providing all support to top sportspersons to compete at the highest level.
• Khelo India Abhiyan – recognizing talent very early and all support is being given to groom them for the international level.
• The new National Education Policy has prioritized sports. Sports have now been kept in the same category as science, commerce, or other studies.

Conclusion

The Prime Minister stressed that for sports in the country to thrive, it is necessary that the youth should have faith in sports and should be encouraged to take up sports as a profession.
India’s recent performance in the Olympics and the Paralympics is proof of India’s rise in the playing field. With the advent of sporting infrastructure in villages and small towns, there is a rise in the number of sportspersons from these towns and steps are to be taken to manage the sporting eco-system comprising sports, sports management, sports writing, sports psychology, etc to create new possibilities.

Ministry of Civil Aviation releases draft ‘National Air Sports Policy’ for public feedback

Context

The Ministry of Civil Aviation releases a draft of ‘National Air Sports Policy’, with a vision to make India one of the top sports nations by 2030 and with the mission to provide safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India.

Details

India has the potential to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a large geographical expanse, diverse topography and fair weather conditions. It has a large population, especially the youth with a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation.  
The Government of India plans to promote the country’s air sports sector, by way of making it safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable. 

Required changes in country’s air sports sector

• Systems and processes need to be simplified
• More transparency needs to be inducted
• The focus needs to be on the quality and safety of the equipment
• Security needs to be enhanced
• Investments in infrastructure, technology, training, and awareness building need to be facilitated.

The draft of the National Air Sports Policy (NASP 2022) is a step in this direction. It has been drafted based on the inputs received from policymakers, air sports practitioners and the public at large.

Key Features of the Draft National Air Sports Policy

• The draft covers sports like aerobatics, aeromodelling, amateur-built and experimental aircraft, ballooning, drones, gliding, hang gliding and paragliding; microlighting and paramotoring; skydiving and vintage aircraft.
• An Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) will be established as the apex governing body.
• The air sports associations shall be accountable to ASFI for providing safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable conduct of their respective air sport.
• ASFI shall represent India at Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)and other global platforms related to air sports.  
• The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland is the world governing body for air sports.  All competitions in India will be conducted as per the guidelines laid down by FAI.
• Domestic design, development and manufacturing of air sports equipment will be promoted in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• Air sports by their very nature involve a higher level of risk than flying a regular aircraft. NASP 2022 places a strong focus on ensuring international best practices in safety.
• All persons and entities providing air sports services shall be required to register as members of the respective air sports associations. 
• An airspace map of India has been published on DGCA’s DigitalSky Platform. The map segregates the entire airspace of India into the red zone, yellow zone and green zone.
• During peak winters, the level of air sports reduces in Europe and North America and the air sports aficionados migrate to milder climates.  ASFI and the air sports associations will work towards developing a hassle-free process to enable their movement to India.  
• The Government will consider allowing the import of air sports equipment without any import duty.
• Schools, colleges and universities will be encouraged to have air sports included in their curriculum. 
• Long-term funding for the development of air sports in India shall come from corporate investors, sponsors, membership fees, events and media rights. 
• To make air sports affordable to the common public, the Government will request the GST Council to consider rationalising the GST rate on-air sports equipment to 5% or less.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh says, J&K to have district level Governance Index

Context

Jammu & Kashmir will soon become the first Union Territory in the country to have a district level Good Governance Index, modeled on the Good Governance Index 2021 launched on 25 December 2021.

Good Governance Index (GGI):

The Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions launched the ‘Good Governance Index’ on the occasion of ‘Good Governance Day’. The Good Governance Day is observed on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25th December). It was observed for the first time in 2014.

The Good Governance Index is a uniform tool across States to assess the status of governance and the impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs.

The objectives of GGI:

• To provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs.
• To enable states and UTs to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance.
• To shift to result-oriented approaches and administration.

District Good Governance Index (DGGI)

• Time-bound disposal of office files and other matters
• Increased transparency
• Increased accountability
• Increased citizen participation

The DGGI Framework has 58 Indicators drawn from different aspects of development and district administration distributed in 10 sectors that include,

• Agriculture & allied sector
• Commerce & Industry
• Human Resource Development
• Public Health
• Public Infrastructure & Utilities
• Economic Governance
• Welfare & Development
• Public Safety
• Judiciary 
• Citizen-Centric Governance