PIB Summary- 17th March, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure through a video conference.

Details

• Prime Minister of Fiji, Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom were present on the occasion. 
• Participants from national governments, experts from international organisations, academic institutions and the private sector also participated in the conference.

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Latest News

• Canada has joined the Coalition on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, to promote the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby supporting sustainable development.
• The Prime Minister addressed the opening ceremony of International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) through video conference.
• The CDRI is hosting a three-day conference between the prime ministers of India, the United Kingdom, Italy and Fiji. The conference will see discussions on several aspects of disaster preparedness including health and digital infrastructure resilience.

What is the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure?

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure is a partnership between national governments, United Nations programmes and agencies, development banks, academic institutions and the private sector.

• The objective of the coalition is to address challenges related to building resilience into infrastructure systems and associated developments.
• It promotes the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development. 
• Developed through consultations with more than 35 countries, CDRI targets a measurable reduction in infrastructure losses from disasters.
• CDRI supports the expeditious development of resilient infrastructure in response to the Sustainable Development Goals’ necessities of extending universal access to basic services, facilitating prosperity and decent work.
• It will work towards standardisation of designs, processes and regulations relating to infrastructure creation and management.
• The CDRI is a partnership between national governments and other agencies and not based on rights and obligations. It may be noted that the decisions, policies and standards of the coalition are not binding on the members.
• The CDRI was launched by Prime Minister Modi in September 2019 at the UN Climate Action Summit.
  • The idea behind the CDRI was announced by Mr Modi in 2016 at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR).
  • There, he declared India’s intention to work with partner countries and important stakeholders to create a coalition to work towards the ambition of improving the disaster resilience of infrastructure.
• Its Secretariat is in New Delhi.
• It is a platform for knowledge generation and exchange and will also develop country-specific as well as global plans.
• CDRI will give member countries technical support and capacity development, research and knowledge management, and advocacy and partnerships to enable and boost investment in disaster-resilient infrastructure systems.

India is also behind the formation of another key international organisation, the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Need for CDRI

Infrastructure is a key driver of economic growth. With the growing demands of a burgeoning global population and unpredictable hazard patterns, the extant infrastructure will be put under additional stress and new infrastructure will be constructed in hazard-prone areas.

• According to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), upgraded disaster resilience of infrastructure is a foundation for sustainable development. 
• One of the targets of the Sendai Framework focuses on infrastructure as an important prerequisite for achieving the other targets of disaster loss reduction under the framework.
• Thus, building an infrastructure system that is resilient to disasters is vital for economic growth with sustainable development.
• While India has been hailed for its reduction in the number of human casualties in disasters, the country lags behind in protecting property and infrastructure during natural disasters or extreme weather events. 
• The World Bank calculated that the economic losses due to disasters during the late 90s and early 2000s were close to 2% of the GDP.

India’s Zero Casualty Policy

• The UNDRR had praised India’s Zero Casualty Policy in the aftermath of Cyclone Fani, during which over 1 million people were evacuated and transferred to about 900 shelter camps.
• India’s ‘Zero Casualty’ policy is possible due to the pinpoint accuracy of the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) early warning system.
• India has been able to minimise human deaths in the event of such cyclones that make landfall along India’s coast.

Objectives of CDRI

The objectives of the CDRI are as follows:

• To promote the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks ensuring sustainable development.
• To rapidly expand the development and retrofit of resilient infrastructure to respond to the Sustainable Development Goals imperatives of expanding universal access to basic services, enabling prosperity and decent work.

CDRI Funding
A major part of the funding required to cover costs for the first five years has been provided by India. The members are not obliged to make any financial contributions to the coalition. However, they can voluntarily contribute financially or in other ways such as assigning experts to the CDRI Secretariat, hosting meetings and workshops and travel support.

CDRI Members
The following table gives the list of member-countries of the Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure:

Significance of CDRI for India

• CDRI complements the International Solar Alliance (ISA)
• Provide a platform for India to emerge as a global leader on climate Action and Disaster Resilience.
• It boosts India’s soft power, has a wider connotation than just economics, as synergy between disaster risk reduction, Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Accord provides for sustainable and inclusive growth.
• Facilitate India’s support to resilient infrastructure in Africa, Asia, etc.
• Create opportunities for Indian infrastructure & technology firms to expand services abroad.
• Provide access to knowledge, technology and capacity development for infra developers.

Har Medh Par Ped

Context: Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (Har Medh Par Ped) Scheme was launched in 2016-17.

About Sub-Mission on Agroforestry

• The scheme was launched to encourage tree plantation on farmlands along with crops/cropping system to help the farmers get additional income and make their farming systems more climate-resilient and adaptive.
• It is being implemented with a funding pattern of 60:40 between Centre and State Govt. for all States excepting NE & Hilly states, where it is 90:10 and 100% in case of UTs & National Level Agencies.
• Under the scheme, assistance to farmers is given through the state governments for nursery development, boundary plantation and block plantation of prominent tree species to promote, inter-alia, fruits bearing tree-borne oilseeds, medicinal & aromatic plants, silk & lac rearing host plants, in addition to timber species, so that farmers get early returns.

Stop TB Partnership

Context: Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan appointed as Chairman of ‘Stop TB Partnership’ Board.

Details

• The Union Health Minister will serve a three-year term, commencing July 2021, as the Chair of the Board of Stop TB Partnership.

About Stop TB Partnership

• Founded in 2001, the Stop TB Partnership’s mission is to serve every person who is vulnerable to TB and ensure that high-quality diagnosis, treatment and care is available to all who need it.
• Its partners include international and technical organizations, government programmes, research and funding agencies, foundations, NGOs, civil society and community groups and the private sector.
• Its Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Kumbh Mela

Context: Special Trains for Kumbh Mela.

Concerns

• Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic situation, crowds, or even the prospect of one, may be anathema everywhere.
• The Maha Kumbh Mela is organised once in 12 years, and the last time the event was held in 2010, about 10 million reportedly congregated in the city.

Overview

• Kumbh Mela comes under the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
  • It was added to the list in 2017.
• Kumbh Mela is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years.
• Kumbh Mela locations in India:
  • Haridwar on the Ganges in Uttarakhand.
  • Ujjain on the Shipra in Madhya Pradesh.
  • Nashik on the Godavari in Maharashtra.
  • Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Mela site keeps rotating between one of the four pilgrimage places on four sacred rivers.

National Steel Policy

Context: The Union Minister for Steel stated in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the per capita consumption of steel in India is 74.7 kg against the world average of 229 kg for the time period 2019-20.

What is the National Steel Policy?

The National Steel Policy which was released in 2017 aims to attain a steel production capacity in India of 300 MT by 2030. It has a long-term vision to enhance domestic consumption, produce high-quality steel and make the sector globally competitive.

NSP, 2017 Vision

• To create a globally competitive steel industry that promotes inter-sectoral growth.

The policy’s mission is to create an environment that enables:

• Self-sufficiency in the production of steel by giving policy support and guidance to MSME producers of steel, the private sector, central public sector enterprises and boost sufficient capacity additions.
• Development of internationally competitive manufacturing capabilities.
• Increase in the domestic demand for steel.
• Cost-efficient production and domestic availability of iron ore, coking coal and natural gas.
• Investment in overseas asset acquisitions of raw materials.

National Steel Policy Objectives
The stated objectives of the NSP, 2017 are mentioned under this section.

• Increase the crude steel capacity to 300 MT by 2030-31.
• Increase per capita consumption of steel to 160 kg by 2030-31. (Current consumption (2017) is only 69 kg).
• Meet through domestic production the whole demand for high-grade automotive steel, special steels and alloys, and electrical steel for strategic applications by 2030-31.
• Become a net steel exporter by 2025-26.
• Increase domestic availability of washed coking coal so as to reduce import dependence on coking coal to 50% by 2030-31.
• Develop & implement quality standards for domestic steel products.
• Assist the industry to a global leader on energy and raw material-efficient steel production by 2030-31.

National Steel Policy Background
The steel industry is a very important one for the economy as a whole. It is the backbone of any industrial economy. Steel finds widespread applications in many sectors such as construction, power, infrastructure, aerospace, consumer products, industrial machinery and so on. The steel industry has strong forward and backward linkages in terms of material flows and income generation.
The Indian steel sector has grown dramatically over the past few years to be the third-largest producer of steel globally, contributing to about 2% of the country’s GDP and employing about 5 lakh people directly and about 20 lakh people indirectly.

• A flourishing steel industry is crucial for a country’s rapid economic growth and industrial development.
• Prior to deregulation in 1991-92, the steel capacity of the country was only 22  MT. From there, currently, the country has grown to be the second-largest producer of steel with a production of 91 MT and a production capacity of 122 MT in 2015-16.
• India’s competitive advantage in steel production is driven, to a large extent, by the indigenous availability of high-grade iron ore and non-coking coal – the two critical inputs of steel production. Additional factors are a large consumer market for steel, a young workforce with competitive labour costs, and a strong MSME sector.
• The sector is a big contributor to the growth of the manufacturing sector.

A few facts related to steel production

• China is the world’s largest producer of crude steel accounting for more than 51 per cent of production.
• In 2019, India replaced Japan as the second-largest producer of crude steel which was at 106.5 MT (a hike by 4.9 % from 101.5 MT in 2017).
• Other countries in the top ten steel producers include the USA, Russia, South Korea, Germany, Brazil, etc.
• The above facts are as published by the World Steel Association.

The below pie chart will show the country-wise share in steel production for the year 2019:

Steel Sector Development in India

The economic liberalization of the 1990s helped the steel sector grow rapidly in the country.

• Licensing requirement for capacity creation was done away with, except for certain locational restrictions.
• The steel sector was privatised and was taken off from the list of industries that were reserved for the public sector.
• Foreign equity investment up to 100% was granted automatic approval.
• Price and distribution controls were removed. This helped the steel industry become more efficient and competitive.
  • Price regulation was abolished in 1992 and since then, the prices have been fixed by market forces.
  • 18% GST is applicable on steel.
  • There is no export duty on steel products.
  • The government has constituted a Steel Price Monitoring Committee to monitor price rationalization, analyze price fluctuations and advise all concerned regarding any irrational price behaviour of steel commodity.
• Import duty was drastically reduced and other restrictions on external trade were lifted.
  • Today, iron & steel are freely importable and freely exportable.
• India is today a net importer of finished steel goods since domestic requirements have to be met.

National Steel Policy, 2017 Highlights

The major highlights of the NSP are given below:

• In government procurement, domestically manufactured iron and steel products are to be given priority.
• Focus areas of the policy are import substitution, raw material securitisation, enhancing consumption of steel and increasing production efficiency.
• The policy recognises the potential of the MSME sector. According to it, the MSME steel sector should adopt energy-efficient technologies to better overall productivity.
• It envisions the development of internationally competitive steel production capabilities, enabling foreign investments, cost-efficiency in production, and asset acquisitions of raw materials.
• In government procurement, the manufacturer should self-certify that the product has been domestically produced. If required, the manufacturer should provide proof for the same.