PIB Summary- 16th August, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

Details

• The National Gene Bank was established in the year 1996 to preserve the seeds of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for future generations.
• It has the capacity to preserve about one million germplasm in the form of seeds.
• Presently it is protecting 4.52 lakh accessions, of which 2.7 lakh are Indian germplasm and the rest have been imported from other countries.

About the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR)

• The NBPGR was established in 1976 as the National Bureau of Plant Introduction and it acquired its present name a year later.
• Its origins, however, can be traced back to the late 1940s as the ICAR Scheme for ‘plant introduction’.
• NBPGR is an institute under the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• It is headquartered in New Delhi with 10 Regional Stations located in different phyto-geographical zones of the country.
• Its mandate is to act as the nodal institute at national level for acquisition, management and genomics based profiling of indigenous and exotic plant genetic resources (PGR) for food and agriculture and to carry out related research and human resources development for sustainable growth of agriculture.
• NBPGR Objectives
  • To plan, organize, conduct and coordinate exploration and collection of indigenous and exotic plant genetic resources.
  • To undertake introduction, exchange and quarantine of plant genetic resources.
  • To characterize, evaluate, document and conserve crop genetic resources and promote their use, in collaboration with other national organizations.
  • To develop information network on plant genetic resources.
  • To conduct research, undertake teaching

Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS)

About the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme

• The scheme was launched with an outlay of Rs 400 crore for creating state-of-the-art testing infrastructure in partnership with the private industry.
• The chief aim of the scheme is to boost domestic defence and aerospace manufacturing.
• The scheme would run for a duration of five years and envisages setting up of 6-8 Greenfield Defence Testing Infrastructure facilities that are required for defence and aerospace related production.
• The projects under the scheme will be provided with up to 75 per cent Government funding in the form of ‘Grant-in-Aid’. The remaining 25 per cent of the project cost will have to be borne by the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) constituents which will be Indian private entities and state governments.
  • The SPVs under the scheme will be registered under the Companies Act, 2013 and shall also operate and maintain all assets under the scheme in a self-sustainable manner by collecting user charges.
• Scheme objectives:
  • To promote indigenous defence production, with special focus on participation of MSMEs and Start Ups by bridging gaps in defence testing infrastructure in the country.
• Setting up of defence testing infrastructure will provide easy access and meet the testing needs of the domestic defence industry.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)

Details

• In this meeting, proposals for the construction of 16,488 houses have been approved.
• The houses are proposed to be constructed under Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC) and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) verticals of PMAY-U.

Progress under PMAY-U

• Construction of PMAY-U houses is in various stages.
• With this, the total number of sanctioned houses under PMAY-U is now 113.06 Lakh; of which 85.65 Lakh have been grounded for construction and more than 51 Lakh have been completed and delivered to the beneficiaries.

What is the Housing For All Scheme?

Latest Update

• A virtual event was conducted on June 25, 2021, to mark 6 years of successful completion of the three transformative Urban Missions vis. Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
• A short movie that encapsulated the Mission’s journey of six glorious years was showcased during the event, that focussed on the various achievements under the scheme, in line with the vision of Prime Minister- ‘Housing for All’ by 2022

How to apply for PMAY Scheme?
To apply for the PMAY scheme, you can follow the step mentioned below:

1. Got to the homepage of the PMAY (pmaymis.gov.in)
2. Click on the Citizenship Assessment section on the top navigation bar.
3. Select the relevant option as required
4. Enter the Aadhar number and name
5. You will be redirected to the application page. Fill and save the application.
6. Later, you can check the status of the application on the main website.

Who are eligible for PMAY scheme?
Eligibility for PMAY scheme are mentioned below:

• The maximum age limit of the beneficiary is 70 years.
• The beneficiary should have a family that comprises of husband, wife and unmarried children.
• The beneficiary should not own a Pucca House either in their names or in the name of any member of the family in any state of India.
• The annual income should be between 3 lakhs to 6 lakhs if the beneficiary is from LIG (Low Income Group).
• Membership of one adult female member of the family is mandatory in ownership of the house.

Is the PMAY scheme applicable to rural areas?
Yes, this scheme can be availed by people residing in rural areas. This can be availed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY): Latest Development & Achievement
The success of the Mission can be attributed to its robust financial model of which, Direct Benefit Transfer has been a key element
On June 25, 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) released the till date development and progress made under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, on completion of six years of the scheme. The following data was released by the government authorities:

• Acknowledging the diversity in housing demand across various income groups of the country, for the first time interest subsidies on home loans have been given to Middle-Income Groups having annual income of up to Rs.18 Lakh under PMAY-U’s Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS). Nearly 16 lakh beneficiaries belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Lower Income Group (LIG), and MIG have so far been brought under the fold of CLSS
• Due to the current investment being made in the housing sector, it has created almost an estimated 689 crore person-days of employment translating into around 246 lakh jobs, and led to the consumption of 370 Lakh metric -ton of cement and 84 Lakh metric-ton of steel
• A Global Housing Technology Challenge India (GHTC-India) was introduced in 2019 to identify and mainstream globally best available proven construction technologies that are sustainable, green and disaster-resilient. Following which, on January 1, 2021, the foundation of six Light House Projects (LHPs) was laid by PM Narendra Modi, which are being built under PMAY-U
• In view of the COIVD-19 pandemic, Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs), a sub-scheme under PMAY(U) for urban migrants/ poor was launched by MoHUA. Investment under ARHCs is expected to create 11.74 crore person-days of employment with 3.89 crores direct and 7.84 crores indirect in nature. In terms of jobs, it works out to be a total of 4.19 1akh with 1.39 lakh direct and 2.80 lakh indirect jobs.
• ANGIKAAR, a campaign for social change management was initiated by the ‘Housing for All’ (HFA) Mission on 29th August 2019. It has achieved the objective to build capacities of PMAY -U beneficiaries in adapting to change though door-to-door awareness on best practices in water & energy conservation, health, hygiene, sanitation and financial literacy.

Draft Electricity (promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021

Context: Draft Electricity (promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021 circulated.

Details

• The Ministry of Power has circulated the “Draft Electricity (promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021”.
• These rules are proposed for the purchase and consumption of green energy including the energy from Waste-to-Energy plants.
• The green energy draft rules have provided details such as Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO); Green energy open access; Nodal Agencies; Procedure for grant of green energy open access; banking; and cross subsidy surcharge.
• The draft rules state green hydrogen is the hydrogen produced using electricity from renewable sources.