PIB Summary- 15th September, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Engineers’ Day

About Engineers’ Day

• India celebrates September 15 as Engineers’ Day to mark the birth anniversary of M Visvesvaraya.
• Also called Sir MV after he was knighted by the British, he was a civil engineer and statesman.
• A Bharat Ratna awardee (1955), Visvesvaraya is best known for designing one of India’s first flood protection systems, in Hyderabad, and setting up one of the first engineering institutes in the country, the Government Engineering College, now called University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bengaluru.
• He was born in 1861 into a poor family in Muddenahalli village, Karnataka.
• One of his major contributions was the Krishnarajasagara (KRS) reservoir on the Kaveri river.
• Visvesvaraya’s other inventions included designing the block system of irrigation, which ensured even distribution of water supply to parched agricultural lands across a number of villages, and the introduction of automatic sluice gates on dams, which enabled storage of water well above the crest of the weir of the dam.
• He was made the diwan of the Mysore state in 1912.
• He also played a major role in setting up Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
• He died in 1962 aged 101.
• Engineers’ Day is also observed in Sri Lanka and Tanzania in his honour.

MoU between India and Italy
Context: Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.

Details

• The MoU was signed between the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of India and the Department of Civil Protection of the Presidency of the Council Ministers of the Italian Republic in June 2021.
• The MoU seeks to put in place a system, whereby both India and Italy will benefit from the Disaster Management mechanisms of each other and it will help in strengthening the areas of preparedness, response and capacity building in the field of Disaster Management.

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Auto Industry and Drone Industry

About the PLI Scheme for Auto and Drone Industry

• This is part of the overall announcement of PLI Schemes for 13 sectors made earlier during the Union Budget 2021-22, with an outlay of ₹ 1.97 lakh crore.
• The PLI scheme for auto and drone industry has been approved with an outlay of ₹ 26,058 crore.

PLI Scheme for Auto Industry

• The PLI scheme for the auto sector will incentivize high value Advanced Automotive Technology vehicles and products.
• It envisages overcoming the cost disabilities to the industry for the manufacture of Advanced Automotive Technology products in India.
• The incentive structure will encourage industry to make fresh investments for indigenous global supply chain of Advanced Automotive Technology products.
• It is expected to bring in fresh investments to the tune of ₹42,500 crore, and lead to an incremental production of over ₹2.3 lakh crore.
• It is also estimated that it will create employment opportunities of over 7.5 lakh jobs.
• India’s share in the global automotive trade will get a push with this scheme.
• The scheme is open to existing automotive companies as well as new investors who are currently not in automobile or auto component manufacturing business.
• Two components of the scheme:
  • Champion OEM Incentive Scheme: It is a ‘sales value linked’ scheme, applicable on Battery Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles of all segments.
  • Component Champion Incentive Scheme: It is a ‘sales value linked’ scheme, applicable on Advanced Automotive Technology components of vehicles, Completely Knocked Down (CKD)/Semi Knocked Down (SKD) kits, Vehicle aggregates of 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and tractors, etc.
• This scheme, along with the PLI scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) and the Faster Adaption of Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme will help India push towards the faster adoption of environmentally cleaner, sustainable, advanced and more efficient Electric Vehicles (EV) based system.

PLI Scheme for Drone Industry

• This scheme addresses the strategic, tactical and operational uses of drone technology.
• It is expected to help build capacity in this sector and make it the key driver of India’s growth strategy.
• It will lead to investments worth ₹ 5,000 Crore, increase in eligible sales of ₹ 1500 crore and create additional employment of about 10,000 jobs.
• The PLI scheme comes as a follow-through of the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021 released by the Central Government.
• The total outlay for the scheme is INR 120 crore spread over three financial years.
• The incentive for a manufacturer of drones and drone components shall be as high as 20% of the value addition made by the manufacturer.
• This PLI rate of 20% has been kept constant for the next three years only for the drone industry as an exceptional treatment.
• In other PLI schemes, the PLI rate reduces every year.
• The minimum value addition norm is at 40% of net sales instead of 50%, another exceptional treatment given to the drone industry.
• Eligibility norms:
  • The eligibility norm for MSME and startups in terms of annual sales turnover is at a nominal level – INR 2 cr (for drones) and INR 50 lakhs (for drone components).
  • For non-MSME, it is at INR 4 crore (for drones) and INR 1 crore (for drone components).
• The incentive payable to a manufacturer of drones and drone components shall be simply one-fifth of the value addition.
• The scheme covers a wide variety of drone components.

MoU between India and the US for ASU&H Drugs

Details

• The purpose of the MoU is strengthening, promotion, and development of standards in the field of Ayurveda and other Indian traditional systems of medicine between the two countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.
• This will enhance the export potential of the ASU&H (Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy) drugs.
• A Joint Committee will be constituted under this MoU to develop the action plan along with timelines for the development of monographs and other activities for cooperation in the field of Traditional Medicine.
• According to the AYUSH Ministry, this will help build confidence among the global community about the safety of ASU&H drugs.
• The PCIM&H and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia will work together to identify various challenges faced by the herbal market of Ayurveda products/drugs in the USA. This will lead to the adoption of Ayurveda standards developed out of this cooperation by the manufacturers of herbal drugs in the USA.
• As part of the MoU, exchange of technical data, training and capacity building, exchange of herbarium specimens and Botanical Reference Samples and phytochemical reference standards, development of a Digital database on Ayurveda & other Indian Traditional Medicine products/drugs and herbal products are also envisaged.

SCO Peaceful Mission 2021

Exercise SCO Peaceful Mission

• Joint Counter Terrorism Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION is a Multilateral Exercise, which is conducted biennially as part of military diplomacy between Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.
• The 6th edition of Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION is being hosted by Russia in the Orenburg Region of South West Russia in September 2021.
• The aim of the exercise is to foster close relations between SCO member states and to enhance abilities of the military leaders to command multi-national military contingents.
• The exercise will enable sharing of best practices between the Armed Forces of SCO nations.
• The exercise will also provide an opportunity to the Armed Forces of SCO Nations to train in Counter-Terrorism Operations in an urban scenario in a multinational and joint environment.
• The scope of the exercise includes professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills & procedures, establishment of joint command & control structures and elimination of terrorist threats.

Hybodont Shark of the Jurassic Age

Details

• In a rare discovery, teeth of new species of hybodont shark of the Jurassic age have been reported for the first time from Jaisalmer by a team of the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• Hybodont sharks have been reported for the first time from the Jurassic rocks (approximately between 160 and 168 million-years-old) of the Jaisalmer region of Rajasthan.

Hybodonts

• Hybodonts, an extinct group of sharks, was a dominant group of fishes in both marine and fluvial environments during the Triassic and early Jurassic time.
• However, hybodont sharks started to decline in marine environments from the Middle Jurassic onwards until they formed a relatively minor component of open-marine shark assemblages.
• Hybodonts finally became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous time 65 million years ago.

Significance of the Discovery

• The newly discovered crushing teeth from Jaisalmer represents a new species named by the research team as Strophodus jaisalmerensis.
• The genus Strophodus has been identified for the first time from the Indian subcontinent and is only the third such record from Asia, the other two being from Japan and Thailand.
• This discovery marks an important milestone in the study of Jurassic vertebrate fossils in the Jaisalmer region of Rajasthan, and it opens a new window for further research in the domain of vertebrate fossils.

Geological Survey of India (GSI)

Details

• The MoU is for ‘Sharing of seabed sediments data, products and expertise for Naval Application in Meteorology and Oceanography’.
• GSI’s Marine and Coastal Survey Division based at Mangaluru has mapped most of India’s 2.1 Million km2 Exclusive Economic Zone and has a vast repository of offshore data.

About the Geological Survey of India (GSI)

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways.
• Over the years, it has not only grown into a repository of geo-science information required in various fields in the country, but has also attained the status of a geo-scientific organisation of international repute.
• The main functions of GSI relate to creation and updation of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment.
• These objectives are achieved through ground surveys, air-borne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations, multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geo-technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismotectonic study, and carrying out fundamental research.
• It is headquartered in Kolkata and has six regional offices in other parts of the country.

Major National Survey Organisations of India

1. GSI: Geology
2. Archaeological Survey of India: Archaeology
3. Botanical Survey of India: Botany
4. Fishery Survey of India: Fisheries
5. Forest Survey of India: Forest
6. Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment: Ecology & Environment
7. National Institute of Oceanography: Oceanography
8. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India: Population & Language
9. Survey of India: Cartography
10. Zoological Survey of India: Zoology

‘Shoonya’ Campaign

About ‘Shoonya’ Campaign

• It is an initiative to promote zero-pollution delivery vehicles by working with consumers and industry.
• The campaign aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the urban deliveries segment and create consumer awareness about the benefits of zero-pollution delivery.
• Industry stakeholders such as e-commerce companies, fleet aggregators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and logistics companies have been scaling up their efforts towards final-mile delivery electrification.
• As part of the campaign, a corporate branding and certification programme is being launched to recognise and promote industry’s efforts towards transitioning to EVs for final-mile deliveries.
• An online tracking platform will share the campaign’s impact through data such as vehicle kilometres electrified, carbon savings, criteria pollutant savings and other benefits from clean delivery vehicles.

Background

• Urban freight vehicles account for 10 percent of freight transportation-related CO2 emissions in India, and these emissions are expected to grow by 114 percent by 2030.
• EVs emit no tailpipe emissions, which can contribute immensely to an improved air quality.
• Even when accounting for their manufacture, they emit 15-40 percent less CO2 compared to their internal combustion engine counterparts and have lower operational cost.

Youth Co:Lab India 2021

About Youth Co:Lab

• It was co-created in 2017 by UNDP Asia and the Pacific and Citi Foundation.
• It is a multi-dimensional and multi-level response to tackle the challenges young people face by positioning youth front and centre to find solutions to today’s most pressing problems.
• Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for Asia-Pacific countries to invest in and empower youth to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Youth Co:Lab India is conducted by UNDP India and the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
• The fourth edition of Youth Co:Lab India (2021) will focus on identifying and supporting youth climate and green entrepreneurs.
• Youth Co:Lab 2021 seeks to invite youth-led early stage social enterprises or innovations working in the space of circular economy and waste management, sustainable transportation and e-mobility, sustainable tourism and sustainable food tech.
• The eligibility criteria and the application process can be found at https://aim.gov.in/youthcolab2021.php.