PIB Summary- 6th August, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Renaming of Khel Ratna Award

Context: Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: PM

Details

• The award, previously known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, is given for spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years.
• This is considered the highest sporting honour in the country given by the government.
• The first Khel Ratna Award was bestowed upon chess player Vishwanathan Anand in 1991-92.
• The award carries a medallion, a certificate and a cash prize.

Sports Awards 2021

Context: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports invites nominations for Sports Awards 2021.

About Sports Awards

• The government gives Sports Awards every year to acknowledge achievements in the sports field by Indian sportspersons.
• The awards are as follows:
  • Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: for spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years.
  • Arjuna Award: for consistent outstanding performance for four years.
  • Dronacharya Award: for coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events.
  • Dhyan Chand Award: for life time contribution to sports development.
  • Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar: given to corporate entities and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.
  • Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: given to a university for overall top performance in inter-university tournaments.

National Innovation on Climate Resilient Agriculture

About National Innovation on Climate Resilient Agriculture

• A network project ‘National Innovation on Climate Resilient Agriculture’ (NICRA) was launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 2011.
• The project aims at strategic research on adaptation and mitigation, demonstration of technologies on farmers’ fields and creating awareness among farmers and other stakeholders to minimize the climatic change impacts on agriculture.
• Thrust areas of the programme:
  • Identifying most vulnerable districts/regions
  • Evolving crop varieties and management practices for adaptation and mitigation
  • Assessing climate change impacts on livestock, fisheries and poultry and identifying adaptation strategies
• Components of NICRA:
  • Strategic Research
  • Technology Demonstration
  • Capacity Building
  • Sponsored/Competitive Grants
• Objectives of NICRA:
  • To enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture covering crops, livestock and fisheries to climatic variability and climate change through development and application of improved production and risk management technologies.
  • To demonstrate site specific technology packages on farmers’ fields for adapting to current climate risks.
  • To enhance the capacity building of scientists and other stakeholders in climate resilient agricultural research and its application.

G20 Digital Ministers’ Meeting

Context: Declaration for “Leveraging Digitalization for a Resilient, Strong, Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery” adopted at G20 Digital Ministers’ Meeting.

Details

• The declaration was adopted at the G20 Digital Ministers’ Meeting hosted by Italy.
• The Ministers agreed to work towards the enhanced cooperation on the pillars of Digital Economy and Digital Government.

G20

In order to achieve a robust global economic growth, the countries which represent and contribute more than 80% of the global GDP came at the Premier forum for International economic cooperation, which was agreed by leaders at the Pittsburgh Summit in September 2009. These countries co-operated to discuss and were known as the “Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy” which is now the G20 Summit.
Recently G20 summits started focusing not only on macroeconomy and trade; but also on a wide range of global issues which have an immense impact on the global economy since globalization started progressing and various issues became more intricately intertwined. Those issues included overall development, climate change and energy, health, counter-terrorism, as well as migration and refugees.
The G20 has sought to realize an inclusive and sustainable world through its contributions towards resolving these global issues.

G20 Summit 2021 – Italian Presidency
The Italian Presidency – Italy holds the Presidency of the G20 Summit 2021 since December 1st 2020. The Summit will be held in Rome on October 30th and 31st 2021.
The last G20 Summit was held on 21 and 22 November 2020 virtually (due to COVID -19 pandemic) under the presidency of Saudi Arabia. India in the g20 summit called for a ‘New Global Index’ that will be based on the following our pillars; Technology, Talent, Transparency, and Trusteeship towards the planet.
The agenda of the Italian Presidency (G20 Summit 2021) rests upon three main pillars: People, Planet, Prosperity. 

• People – The unprecedented health, economic and social crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic is severely affecting people all over the world, threatening their lives, jobs, and social relationships. The G20 must lead the change towards a better and brighter future for the entire global society. To achieve this ambitious goal, our policy actions must be centered around-
  • Eradicating poverty, as mandated by the first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the United Nations.
  • Tackling inequality, which has been rising over the past decades and even more during COVID times.
  • Building a more inclusive global society that means protecting the most vulnerable such as young people, precarious workers, small and medium enterprises; promoting women’s empowerment; ensuring universal access to education; redistributing opportunities within countries, and decreasing disparities between regions.
• Planet – As humanity expands the urgency of ensuring the sustainability of the presence of humanity on the planet is rapidly increasing.
  • A firm commitment to address key issues such as climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals enshrined in Agenda 2030.
  • A transition towards renewable energies and a green recovery, with a focus on modern, “smart” cities, is essential and is among the main priorities promoted by the Italian Presidency.
  • The G20 will also pave the way towards the 26th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP26), a key milestone in the global fight against climate change, which will be co-hosted by Italy and the United Kingdom.
• Prosperity –  The planet is facing the worst economic crisis of the last century. The need of the hour is to reignite growth and foster a renewed prosperity. The digital revolution represents a fundamental tool to achieve prosperity however, digitalization has also been a driver of precariousness and inequality. Therefore, G20 needs to make digitalization an opportunity for all.
• reducing the digital divide, promoting infrastructural developments able to guarantee universal internet access, and achieving adequate and widespread digital literacy. 
• exploiting the full potential of the technological revolution to concretely improve the living conditions of citizens all over the world
• making health services more effective; facilitate data sharing to strengthen global pandemic preparedness and response, enhance the reach of educational activities, agile and flexible working models, a better work-life balance for both men and women; improve the efficiency of energy distribution networks, etc.

History of G20
When the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-1998 ended, it was acknowledged that the participation of major emerging market countries was necessary for a discussion on the international financial system. Hence, the G7 Finance ministers agree to establish the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in 1999.
The meeting of G20 Finance ministers and the Central Bank Governors was centred on major economic and monetary policy issues amongst major countries in the global financial system. Their aim was to promote cooperation towards achieving stable and sustainable global economic growth for the benefit of all countries.
They upgraded to the head of the state level, as a forum for leaders from major developed and emerging market countries. In September 2009, the third summit was held in Pittsburgh where the leaders designated the G20 as the “premier forum for international economic cooperation.” The summit meetings were, henceforth held semiannually until 2010 and annually from 2011 onwards.

What is G20+?
The G20 developing nations, also called G21/G23/G20+ is a bloc of developing nations which was established on August 20, 2003. It is distinct from the G20 major economies.

• The G20+ originated in September 2003 at the 5th ministerial conference of the WTO held at Cancun, Mexico.
• Its origins can be traced to the Brasilia Declaration signed by the foreign ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa on 6th June 2003.
• The declaration stated that the major economies were still practising protectionist policies especially in sectors they were less competitive in and that it was important to see to it that the trade negotiations that took place provided for the reversal of those policies.
• The G20+ is responsible for 60% of the world population, 26% of the world’s agricultural exports and 70% of its farmers.

What did India do in the G20 2019 Summit?

Upcoming G20 summits

SATYAM Programme

About the SATYAM Programme

• The ‘Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation’ (SATYAM) Programme was conceptualised in 2015 by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) under its Cognitive Science Research Initiative (CSRI).
• The programme is aimed to foster scientific research on the effects of yoga and meditation on physical & mental health and on cognitive functioning in healthy people as well as in patients with disorders.
• Basic themes being covered under SATYAM include, among others, (1) investigations on the effect of Yoga and Meditation on physical and mental health and well-being, and (2) investigations on the effect of Yoga and Meditation on the body, brain, and mind in terms of basic processes and mechanisms.
• The programme is aimed at scientists, clinicians, as well as experienced practitioners of Yoga and meditation with a proven track record.

About Cognitive Science Research Initiative (CSRI)

• The DST initiated CSRI in 2008 to foster scientific research in the interdisciplinary field of Cognitive Science for a better understanding of Indian mind sets, languages and cognitive disorders, etc.
• CSRI facilitates a platform to the scientific community to work for better solution of challenges related to cognitive disorders and social issues through various psychological tools & batteries, early diagnosis & better therapies, intervention technologies and rehabilitation programmes.
• Cognitive Science Research Initiative is aimed to revolutionize research in various fields, such as:
  • Nature and origins of mental disorders, of physiological, social and neuro-chemical origins.
  • Design of better learning tools and educational paradigms.
  • Design of better software technologies and artificial intelligence devices.
  • Streamlining of social policy formulation and analysis.

Pensilungpa Glacier

Context: Pensilungpa Glacier in Zanskar region of Ladakh retreating, says study.

Details

• The study was conducted by scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun.
• Their field observations over four years (2015-19) showed that the glacier is now retreating at an average rate of 6.7 metres per annum.
• The study has attributed this to an increase in the temperature and decrease in precipitation during winter.
• The study also points at the significant influence of debris cover on the mass balance and retreat of the glacier’s endpoint, especially in summer.
• The study also suggests that due to continuous rise in the air temperature in line with the global trend, the melting would increase, and it is possible that the precipitation of summer periods at higher altitudes will change from snow to rain, and that may influence the summer and winter patterns.

PM-DAKSH Yojana

Context: PM-DAKSH portal and mobile app launched.

About PM-DAKSH Yojana

• The Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana is being implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment from the year 2020-21.
• Under this Yojana, eligible target groups are being provided skill development training programmes on (i) Up-skilling/Re-skilling (ii) Short Term Training Programme (iii) Long Term Training Programme and (iv) Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP).
• The target groups include marginalized persons of SC, OBC, Economically Backward Classes, De-notified Tribes, Sanitation workers including waste pickers, manual scavengers, transgenders and other similar categories

National Handloom Day

Context: 7th National Handloom Day observed on 7th August.

Overview

1. In July 2015, the Union Government had declared 7th of August as the National Handloom Day and it was celebrated at the Centenary Hall of Madras University in Chennai. 
2. The day is observed to generate awareness about the importance of the handloom industry and handloom weaving community is honoured who have made commendable efforts to preserve the indegenous crafts of our nation.
3. It aims to strengthen efforts towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and promotes the Vocal for Handmade on the lines of the Vocal for Local campaign.

What is Handloom?

• Different definitions for handloom have evolved since the Handloom (Reservation and Articles for Production) Act, 1985, where ‘handloom’ meant “any loom other than powerloom”.
• A new definition was proposed in 2012, Handloom means any loom other than powerloom; and includes any hybrid loom on which at least one process of weaving requires manual intervention or human energy for production.

Objective of National Handloom Day

• To generate awareness about the handloom industry amongst the public at large and its contribution to socio-economic development.
• To protect India’s handloom heritage and to enable the handloom weavers and workers with greater opportunities.
• To ensure sustainable development of the handloom sector thereby empowering handloom workers financially and instilling pride in their exquisite craftsmanship.

National handloom day – Background

• The handloom sector is one of the major symbols of the cultural heritage of India
• August 7 was chosen as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the ‘Swadeshi’ Movement which was launched on the same date in 1905, and was based on Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s ideology of swadeshi.
• The swadeshi movement’s objective was also to revive domestic products and production processes.
• With the partition of Bengal, the Swadeshi Movement gained strength. It was on August 7, 1905 that a formal proclamation was made at the Calcutta Town Hall to boycott foreign goods and rely on Indian-made products.

Significance of Handloom Sector

1. Handloom sector depicts the nation’s glorious cultural heritage.
2. It is an important source of livelihood for people in the country. The textiles and handloom sector in India is the second-largest source of employment to people, after agriculture.
3. It acts as a key to women empowerment as over 70% of handloom weavers and allied workers are women.
4. Around 31.45 lakh households are engaged in handloom, weaving and allied activities as per the Fourth All India Handloom Census 2019-20.
5. The handloom and handicraft space has been endorsing India’s soft power for a long time. ‘Saree diplomacy’ and ‘Khadi diplomacy’ are major examples.

Challenges associated with Handloom Sector

1. Cost of raw materials have increased – From cotton, silk, and woollen yarn to dyes, costs have increased and so has the shortage.
2. Lack of proper credit support – the budget allocation for the textile sector came down to Rs 4,831 crore in (2019-2020) from Rs 6,943 in the previous fiscal. Thus, various schemes be it housing, subsidies, health insurance will affect the weaver too. Smaller weavers often are at the mercy of money lenders.
3. Reduced number of Weavers – With many traditional families moving to cities for jobs as labourers, weavers have been leaving the loom. The recent Handloom Census (2019-2020) records that there are nearly 31.44 lakh handloom households, though it has seen a rise from the last census, the numbers are still dismal which is an immense cause for concern.
4. Lack of Access – Poor infrastructure, older looms and inaccessibility to reach prime markets have made lives of handloom weavers even more difficult. While many organisations and NGOs have been helping local communities to reach consumers directly, there is a need to make it a level playing field of weavers.

Way Forward with National Handloom Day 

1. Government programmes like Make in India, Vocal for Local and Atma Nirbhar bharat need to be popularised within the country to increase the domestic demand.
2. The need for awareness, accessibility to markets and design R&D, easy access to raw material and better credit support can make a difference to weavers in different corners of the country.
3. Promotion of the finesse of Indian weavers globally to communicate, disseminate and engage with not just the global audience but the Indian diaspora as well.
4. With everything going digital, it is important for artisans and weavers to get trained and equipped adequately in operating online portals. This will also strengthen the Digital India campaign.
5. Indian embassies must organize online exhibitions to make the global audience aware of the rich legacy of handlooms from India.

TRIFED

Context

• TRIFED celebrated its 34th Foundation Day.
• The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) was established in 1987, under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984. This body works for the social and economic development of the tribal people of the country.
• The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has launched “Sankalp Se Siddhi” – Village and Digital Connect Drive under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The aim of the drive is to activate the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) in the villages.

Sankalp Se Siddhi – Overview

• The drive will entail 150 teams (10 in each region from TRIFED and State Implementation Agencies/Mentoring Agencies/Partners) visiting ten villages each.
  • Thus, 100 villages in each region and 1500 villages in the country will be covered.
• The visiting teams will also identify locations and shortlist potential Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for clustering as TRIFOOD, and SFURTI units as larger enterprises.
  • Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) is a scheme of the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME).
• Rs. 200 crore Sales during the next 12 months is targeted as a result of this initiative once the VDVKs are activated in these 1500 villages.
• The teams will also identify tribal artisans and other groups and empanel them as suppliers so that they can have access to larger markets through the Tribes India network – both physical outlets and TribesIndia.com.

About TRIFED

Given below are a few important details about the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)

• It is a statutory body and was established in August 1987
• It has been registered as a National level Cooperative body by the Government of the country
• Focus is on institutionalising the trade of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) & Surplus Agricultural Produce (SAP) collected/ cultivated by them
• TRIFED helps tribal people manufacture products for national and international markets on a sustainable basis
• It also supports the formation of Self Help Groups and imparting training to them

Objectives of TRIFED

Discussed below are the major aims and objectives of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India:

• Maor part of the income of tribal people is dependent on the manufacturing and production of tribal products. The main objective of TRIFED is to promote marketing development for the tribal people
• It performs the role of both, a market developer and a service provider
• They support the tribal people with tools and training which can help them boost their market and production
• TRIFED helps in discovering a systematic and scientific approach for their development
• The ultimate aim is to help the different tribes of the country grow socially and economically. These people are entirely dependent on their handicrafts for a sustainable livelihood

TRIFED – A Brief Background

• India is the country with the second-largest tribal population in the world. Almost one hundred million people of the country are a part of the tribal population
• Tribal people form an integral part of the country and are known for their rich traditional and cultural heritage
• The two main regions of the tribal settlement are the country’s northeastern states bordering China and Burma, and the highlands and plains of its central and southern regions
• These people are believed to belong to the oldest ethnological sector of the population and are commonly known as ‘Adivasi’ (original inhabitant)
• Multiple initiatives have been taken by the Government of India over the years for the development of tribal people in the country, including the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes Commission, and TRIFED

Activities of TRIFED

Two major undertakings are done by the Government under TRIFED:

• Minor Forest Produce (MFP) Development
  • The non-wood forest products constructed by the tribal people are termed as Minor Forest Produce (MFP)
  • These include all non-timber, forest produce of plant origin, including bamboo, canes, fodder, leaves, gums, waxes, dyes, resins and many forms of food including nuts, wild fruits, honey, lac, and tussar
  • These products provide both subsistence and cash income for the people living near or in the forests
  • Basic products like food, medicine, shelter, etc. can be made out of the collected products and cash income can be generated by selling them
  • They are a major source of women empowerment. Based on multiple reports, it has been derived that the Minor Forest Products are mainly sold by women across the country
• Retail Marketing and Development
  • TRIFED aims to create a business market for the tribal people where they can sell their self-created products
  • Creating brands for selling tribal products is also done by this body
  • It has been undertaking to source various handicraft, handloom and natural & food products 
  • TRIFED has been marketing tribal products through its Retail Outlets located across the country and also through exhibitions
  • It has been successful in opening up 35 own showrooms and 8 consignment showrooms promoting tribal handicrafts

Other Initiatives by TRIFED

In line with the socio and economic development of the tribal population of the country, TRIFED has even been a part of a few other initiatives:

• Empanelment of Tribal Producer/Tribal Artisans 
  • Sourcing products through its empanelled tribal suppliers
  • These suppliers may be individual tribal artisans, tribal Self Help Groups, agencies or NGOs working for the development of tribal people
• Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY)
• Van Dhan Karyakram
  • This has been initiated by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
  • To set 50,000 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVK) in the tribal areas across the country to provide livelihood and empowerment of the tribal people.
• Village and Digital Connect Initiative
  • To ensure that existing schemes and initiatives reach the tribals, TRIFED’s regional officials across the country have been visiting identified villages with a significant tribal population.
• Tech For Tribals
  • Tech For Tribals program aims to transform 5 crore, Tribal Entrepreneurs, by capacity building and imparting entrepreneurship skills to tribal forest produce gatherers enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY). The Van Dhan Vikas Yojana is an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED. It was launched to improve tribal incomes through the value addition of tribal products.
  • The program will ensure a higher success rate of the Tribal Entrepreneurs by enabling and empowering them to run their business with marketable products with quality certifications.
• Schemes for Ensuring Fair Prices to Tribals
  • Schemes such as Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) Through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP provide MSP to gatherers of forest produces.
  • The schemes ensure the sustainability of the resource base by addressing the problems that tribals face such as perishable nature of the produce, lack of holding capacity, lack of marketing infrastructure, exploitation by middlemen, etc.
• TRIFOOD Scheme:
  • It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Food Processing Industry, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED and it promotes value addition to MFP.

Conclusively, the main objective of the body is to empower the Indian tribal population, help them provide a livelihood, and capacity building through sensitisation.