PIB Summary- 4th March, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

PM to receive CERAWeek Award

Context: PM Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award.

About the Award

• Instituted in 2016, the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award recognizes the commitment of leadership on the future of global energy & environment and for offering solutions and policies for energy access, affordability & environmental stewardship.
• CERA: Cambridge Energy Research Associates Week

About CERAWeek

• CERAWeek was founded in 1983 by Dr. Daniel Yergin.
• It has been organized in Houston in March every year since 1983 and is considered the world’s premier annual energy platform.

Bao-dhaan

Context: First export consignments of ‘red rice’ from Assam to the USA flagged off.

Details

• This development is a big boost to India’s rice exports potential.
• Bao-dhaan is the name of the ‘red rice’ variety that is grown in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer.
• It is iron-rich and is an integral part of Assamese cuisine.

Indian Special Forces

Context: Turkmenistan Special Forces commence Combat Free Fall Training at Indian Special Forces Training School.

Details

• Turkmenistan’s paratroopers will be trained in ‘Combat Free Fall’ as a precursor to a series of customised courses which will assist in their capability enhancement.
• The Special Forces Training School (SFTS) is responsible for providing training to the Indian Army’s Special Forces. It is located in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh.

Special Forces of India

• India has several special forces (SF) units.
• The three branches of the Indian Armed Forces have separate special forces units, viz. the Para SF of the Indian Army, the MARCOS of the Indian Navy and the Garud Commando Force of the Indian Air Force.
• There are other special forces which are not controlled by the military but operate under civilian organisations such as the Home ministry’s National Security Guard.
• Para SF:
  • The Indian Army’s wing of Special Force commandos called Para SF was created in 1966 during the Indo-Pakistan War (1965).
  • They came in existence under a maverick military endeavour undertaken by Major Megh Singh who constituted a small group of lethal soldiers to operate behind enemy lines and thwart enemy defences.
  • The team was initially called the ‘Meghdoot Force’ owing to the ad-hoc nature of the operation under Major Megh Singh.
  • This group was disbanded and joined the Parachute Regiment, which became the first special operations unit.
  • The Para SF has participated in many combat operations including Operation Bluestar, conflict in the Maldives and the 1999 Kargil War.
  • Para SF is considered one of the oldest special forces of India having real combat experience.
• MARCOS:
  • The Marine Commandos (MARCOS) is an elite force within the Indian Navy who are trained to perform missions on all terrains.
  • Formerly known as Indian Marine Special Force, the group is said to be particularly specialised in maritime operations.
  • With a strength around 2000, most of their operations remain classified.
  • Among the known active combat involvements, the group has participated in Operation Pawan (Sri Lanka-LTTE conflict), Operation Black Tornado (2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks) and the 1999 Kargil War.

QS World University Rankings

Context: Union Education Minister addresses at the Unveiling of QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.

Details

• Twelve Indian institutions have secured a spot in the top-100 positions in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.
• The 12 institutions are IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IISC Bangalore, IIT Guwahati, IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, JNU, Anna University, University of Delhi, and O.P Jindal University.
• Three Indian Institutes of Technology have entered the group of the top-100 engineering institutes with IIT Bombay grabbing the top position in the Engineering and Technology category.
• IIT Bombay has secured the 49th position, IIT Delhi is at 54th spot, and IIT Madras is at 94th in the same category. MIT, USA has continued to remain in the top position.

About QS World University Rankings

• The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 cover a total of 51 disciplines, grouped into five broad subject areas.
• These rankings are compiled annually to help prospective students identify the leading universities in a particular subject.
• Research citations, along with the results of major global surveys of employers and academics are used to rank universities.

CSIR Floriculture Mission

Context: Union Minister launches CSIR Floriculture Mission.

About CSIR Floriculture Mission

• Under this mission, the available knowledgebase in CSIR Institutes will be utilized and leveraged to help Indian farmers and industry re-position itself to meet the import requirements.
• The mission has been approved for implementation in 21 States and Union Territories.
• It is being implemented in collaboration with the following organisations:
  • Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Directorate of Floriculture
  • Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
  • Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce
  • Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED)
  • Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), Kannauj, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
  • Universities
• The CSIR Floriculture Mission is expected to create opportunity for entrepreneurship development in floriculture.
• The infusion of latest technologies in the field of floriculture can be successfully led by CSIR.
• The mission will focus on commercial floral crops, seasonal/annual crops, wild ornaments and  cultivation of flower crops for honey bee rearing. Some of the popular crops include Gladiolus, Canna, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Gerbera, Lilium, Marigold, Rose, Tuberose, etc.

Background

• The Indian floriculture market was worth Rs 15700 cr in 2018. The market is projected to reach Rs 47200 cr by 2024 during 2019-24.
• Floriculture has the potential to provide employment to a large number of people through nursery raising, floriculture farming, entrepreneurship development for nursery trade, value addition and export.
• Despite the fact that India has diverse agro-climatic and edaphic conditions, and rich plant diversity, it shares only 0.6 % of the global floriculture market.
• At least 1200 million USD worth of floriculture products are being imported by India every year from different countries.

Chabahar Day

Context: Maritime India Summit-2021 celebrates ‘Chabahar Day’.

Details

• Chabahar Day was commemorated on the side lines of the second edition of International Maritime Summit-2021 in the virtual format.
• Ministries from Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan participated in the event.
• The Chabahar Port is a key pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific vision –– to connect Eurasia with the Indian Ocean Region. The Port will also be part of INSTC network connecting Mumbai with Russia via Iran.

What is Chabahar Port?

Chabahar Port is located in Sistan and Baluchestan province in the Southeastern part of Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.  In December 2018, India took over the operations of the Port. It was being operated by India Ports Global Private Limited (IPGPL). India’s first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan was sent through Chabahar Port. India began building a railway line between Chabahar port and Zahedan as part of the North-South Transport Corridor. Chabahar port is about 170 km away from Gwadar Port built in Pakistan by China.

Meaning of Chabahar
Chabahar is made of Persian words Chahar meaning four; and bahar meaning spring. It translates as a place that has spring in all the four seasons of the year. Chabahar is important for its fishery sector and will act as an important trade center connecting South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. India is involved in plans to build a railway line from this place to the mineral-rich Hajigak region of Afghanistan.

Why is Chabahar Port Important to India? What is its Geopolitical Significance?
The multiple reasons behind the geopolitical significance of the Chabahar port are listed below.

• Boost trade ties, diplomatic ties, and military ties with Iran.
• Provides India with better connectivity to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan.
• It will be the gateway to the International North-South Transport Corridor which is a combination of road, rail, and sea routes connecting Russia, Europe, Central Asia, Iran, and India.
• India can carry out humanitarian operations from this port if the need arises.
• This port is just 170 km away from Gwadar port operated by China in Pakistan, hence this port would be of strategic importance to the Indian Navy and defense establishment.

Chabahar Port & India – Investments & Chronology of Developments
So far, Iran has signed only 2 agreements with India for investment in Chabahar.

• It is related to Chabahar Port’s types of machinery and types of equipment. The equipment will be worth the US $ 85 million.
• The 2nd deal is India’s investment worth $ 150 million. This amount was for the development of Phase 1 of the Port. Additionally $ 500 million credit is made available to Iran for importing rail tracks and operationalizing the port.
• As per the deal, Iran’s Arya Banader and India Ports Global Private Limited (IPGPL) will develop and operate 2 terminals and 5 berths for 10 years, following an 18-month lease at Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar.
• Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar consists of a 5 phase development plan. In December 2017, Phase 1 was inaugurated. Phase 1 helped in the expansion of Ports capacity from 2.5 million tonnes to 8.5 million tonnes. The cost incurred in phase 1 was $ 1 billion.
• After a series of meetings between Indian and Iranian Foreign Ministry; the Indian Ministry of External Affairs earmarked $ 13.9 million in fiscal 2020-21, for the development of Chabahar Port. 
• One of the key projects that were of keen interest to India and Iran was the linking of Chabahar Port to the Zaranj-Delaram Highway in Afghanistan. This is a 215 km long highway that was already built in Afghanistan through assistance provided by India. However, the railway line deal was yet to be finalized. As per recent newspaper reports in India, Iran had reportedly dropped India from the plan. The claims made in media were officially refuted by both Iran and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

How Many Major Ports are there in India?
As per data from the Ministry of Shipping, 95% of India’s trade by volume is done through maritime transport. Currently, India has 12 major ports. 

• Mumbai Port Trust
• Deendayal Port Trust also called Kandla Port Trust – Located in Gujarat
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Navi Mumbai – Largest Container Port in India
• New Mangalore Port Trust – Located in Karnataka
• Kochi Port Trust
• Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port Trust also called as Kolkata Port Trust
• Paradip Port Trust – Located in Orissa
• Visakhapatnam Port Trust
• Mormugao Port Trust – Located in Goa
• Chennai Port
• V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust formerly known as Tuticorin Port Trust – Located in Tamil Nadu
• Kamarajar Port Limited – Earlier known as Ennore Port – Located 18 km north of Chennai.

The Government of India plans to modernize all the ports of India through the Sagarmala Project.