PIB Summary- 5th April, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Chenab Bridge

Context: PM lauded the completion of arch closure of the Chenab Bridge.

What is the Chenab Bridge?

• It is a bridge currently under construction in Jammu & Kashmir over the River Chenab.
• It will be the world’s highest railway bridge once completed.
• The Chenab Bridge is a railway bridge currently under construction in the Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. The project is being carried out under the auspices of the Northern Railways
• It was announced on March 17, 2021 that the bottom ends of the arch were connected and that the bridge is expected to be open by December 2021
• Upon completion it will span the entire length of the Chenab River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river, making it the world’s highest rail bridge.

Details about the Chenab Bridge

The Northern Railways undertook the project of constructing a new railway line across Jammu and Kashmir between the towns of Udhampur in Jammu and Baramulla on the northwestern edge of the Kashmir Valley. This project was declared a national project in 2002.
A challenging aspect of this project is building a large number of runners – a total of 63 km – in the rugged and mountainous terrain of the Himalayas.

The specifications of the Chenab Bridge are given in the table below:

Design of the Chenab Bridge

It was decided that the Chenab Bridge would be designed as a large span single steel arch brdh with approach viaducts on arthur sde
The chords of the trusses are sealed steel boxes, internally stiffened and filled with concrete to assist in controlling wind-induced forces on the bridge. Another advantage of concrete filling is that internal painting will not be required.
The number of bearings has been minimized, particularly on the approach viaduct, through the use of continuous construction. This is advantageous, as it reduces the maintenance and inspection efforts, and improves the riding quality. The viaduct piers are of concrete, while the piers near the arch are steel.
The design of major arch rail bridges requires considerations of a number of additional parameters, such as fatigue, global stability, second order effects, composite action, etc.
Indian construction standards such as the Indian Railway Standards (IRS), the Indian Road Congress (IRC) and the Indian Standards (IS) were found inadequate for the large spans of the Chenab Bridge.

Following are some of the design considerations taken into account:

• Limit state philosophy of design has been decided to be followed as per BS codes
• Computation of wind load effects as per wind tunnel tests
• Blast resistant design used
• Design checking for fatigue as per BS codes
• Redundancy provided in the structures, for lower level of operation during mishaps and against collapse in extreme cases of one pier failure

Babu Jagjivan Ram

Context: PM paid tributes to Babu Jagjivan Ram on his Jayanti.

What happened?

• Independence activist and former union minister Babu Jagjivan Ram was born on 5 April 1908. His birth anniversary is observed as ‘Samata Diwas’ or ‘Equality Day’ all over India.

Jagjivan Ram Biography

• Jagjivan Ram was born in Chandwa in Bihar to a Dalit family. His father was in the British army but later left it and acquired farming land in his native place.
• He pursued his schooling at the nearby town of Arrah where he faced discrimination for the first time. He was considered ‘untouchable’ and had to drink water from a different pot. Jagjivan Ram protested against this by breaking the pot. The principal then had to remove the separate pot from the school.
• In 1925, Jagjivan Ram met scholar Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and was greatly inspired by him. On Malaviya’s invitation, he joined the Banaras Hindu University.
• Even at the university, Jagjivan Ram faced discrimination. This inspired him to protest against such social boycott of a section of society. He also organised the scheduled castes to protest against injustice.
• After his stint at BHU, he joined the University of Calcutta from where he secured a B.Sc. degree in 1931.
• He was noted by Subhas Chandra Bose because of his organisational skills. In 1935, he assisted with the formation of the All-India Depressed Classes League. He joined the Congress Party where he was appreciated as a brilliant spokesperson for the Depressed Classes.
• In 1935, he proposed at a session of the Hindu Mahasabha that drinking water wells and temples be open to untouchables.
• He took part in the freedom movement as well and was imprisoned during the Quit India Movement.
• When Jawaharlal Nehru formed the provisional government, Jagjivan Ram became its youngest minister. After independence, he was appointed the country’s first labour minister.
• He also held various other portfolios including railways, food and agriculture, transport and communications, irrigation and defence. The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 was fought when he was the defence minister.
• He also became India’s Deputy Prime Minister when Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister after the Emergency.
• Jagjivan Ram was a member of the Parliament uninterrupted from 1936 to 1986 and this is a world record. He also holds another record for being the longest-serving cabinet minister in India (30 years).
• He was a champion of social equality and equal rights for the Depressed Classes.
• He passed away on 6 July 1986. His memorial at his cremation place is named ‘Samata Sthal’.

Also on this day

• 1922: Death of social reformer and women’s rights activist Pandita Ramabai.
• 1940: Death of missionary and close friend of Mahatma Gandhi, “Deenabandhu” C. F. Andrews.

International Virtual Election Visitors Programme (IVEP) 2021

Context: The Election Commission of India hosted the International Virtual Election Visitors Programme (IVEP) 2021.

About IVEP

• The programme was hosted by the ECI for the election management bodies of 26 other countries and three international organisations.
• IEVP 2021 provided the participants an overview of the large canvas of Indian electoral process, the new initiatives taken by ECI on voter facilitation, transparency and accessibility of electoral system, ECI’s response to the changing needs of training and capacity building and the new formats necessitated by COVID-19 and provide insights into the elections in the states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

MoU between Spices Board and UNDP

Context: Spices Board India and UNDP India’s Accelerator Lab sign MoU to develop blockchain-powered traceability Interface for Indian spices.

Details

• The MoU is aimed at building a blockchain based traceability interface for Indian spices to enhance transparency in supply chain and trade.
• Blockchain is a decentralized process of recording transactions on an open and shared electronic ledger.
  • This allows for ease and transparency in data management across a complex network, including farmers, brokers, distributors, processors, retailers, regulators, and consumers, thus simplifying the supply chain.
  • It will allow farmers just as all other members of the supply chain to access the information which further makes the entire supply chain more efficient and equitable.
• UNDP and Spices Board India are working towards integrating the Blockchain Traceability Interface with the e-Spice Bazaar portal developed by Spices Board India for connecting spices farmers with markets.
• The project will be piloted with over 3,000 farmers engaged in chilli and turmeric farming in select districts of Andhra Pradesh.
• This traceability interface is expected to enhance consumer confidence and facilitate sourcing of spices for exports as well as for local value addition and use.

About Spices Board

• Spices Board (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India) is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices.
• It was constituted in 1987 under the Spices Board Act, 1986 by merging the Cardamom Board and the Spices Export Promotion Council.
• The Spices Board is one of the five commodity boards functioning under the Commerce Ministry.
• It is an autonomous body responsible for the promotion of the 52 scheduled spices and the development of small and large cardamom.
• Functions and role of Spices Board:
  • Research, Development and Regulation of domestic marketing of Small & Large Cardamom.
  • Post-harvest improvement of all spices.
  • Promotion of organic production, processing and certification of spices.
  • Development of spices in the North East.
  • Provision of quality evaluation services.
  • Export promotion of all spices.
  • Quality certification and control.
  • Registration of exporters.
  • Provision of inputs to the Central Government on policy matters relating to import & export of spices.

Background

• India is the largest exporter, producer and consumer of spices in the world.
• India’s spices export crossed a milestone of USD 3 billion during 2019-20.

Increase in FDI inflows

Context: Government measured increased FDI inflows into the country.

Details

• India has attracted a total FDI inflow of US$ 72.12 billion during April to January, 2021.
• It is the highest ever for the first ten months of a financial year and 15% higher as compared to the first ten months of 2019-20 (US$ 62.72 billion).
• The trends show that the FDI equity inflow grew by 28% in the first ten months of F.Y. 2020-21 (US$ 54.18 billion) compared to the year ago period (US$ 42.34 billion).
• In terms of top investor countries, Singapore is at the apex with 30.28% of the total FDI equity inflow followed by the U.S.A (24.28%) and the UAE (7.31%) for the first ten months of the current financial year 2020-21.
• Japan has been leading the list of investor countries to invest in India with 29.09% of the total FDI equity inflows during January, 2021, followed by Singapore (25.46%) and the U.S.A. (12.06%).
• The top sector in this regard for the first ten months of FY 2020-21 is computer software and hardware, followed by construction (infrastructure) activities and services sector.

E9 Initiative

Context: India to join eight other countries to accelerate digital learning.

About E9 Initiative

• Nine countries including India, China and Brazil will explore possibility of co-creating and scaling up digital learning to achieve UN sustainable goal on quality education.
• Called E9 initiative, the consultation is the “first of a three-phased process to co-create an initiative on digital learning and skills, targeting marginalised children and youth, especially girls. The initiative aims to accelerate recovery and advance the Sustainable Development Goal 4 agenda by driving rapid change in education systems.”
• The E9 countries are India, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan.
• The countries together will drive change in support to teachers; investment in skills; and narrowing of the digital divide.
• This Consultation will highlight progress, share lessons and explore opportunities for collaboration and scale-up to expand digital learning and skills.
• This is being done in the wake of the COVID pandemic which saw a huge disruption in learning and as per the UNESCO, offers an opportunity to enhance interconnected and digitised economies.
• Note:- The E9 is a forum of nine countries, which was formed to achieve the goals of UNESCO’s Education For All (EFA) initiative.
  • E-9 Initiative was launched in 1993 at the EFA Summit in New Delhi, India.
  • E-9 Initiative has become a forum for the countries to discuss their experiences related to education, exchange best practices, and monitor EFA-related progress.

58th National Maritime Day-2021

Context: 5th April is celebrated as the National Maritime Day.

About National Maritime Day

• India celebrates National Maritime Day on April 5 every year to commemorate the maiden voyage of the first Indian flag merchant vessel ‘S.S.LOYALTY’ from Mumbai to London on 5 April 1919.
• A day dedicated to Indian seafarers, the National Maritime Day is an opportunity to say “Thank You” to the navy men in the country who work round the clock to ensure seamless transportation of essential goods.
• Amid the pandemic, the seafarers risked their lives and brought back thousands of Indians who were stranded in other countries due to the coronavirus-forced lockdown.