PIB Summary- 25th July, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Rudreswara Temple (Ramappa Temple)

Context: Rudreswara Temple (Ramappa Temple) at Palampet, Warangal, Telangana inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Details

• The decision to include the Ramappa Temple in the World Heritage List was taken at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.
• This is India’s 39th site on the List.
• The nomination to inscribe the temple was given by India in 2019.

About the Rudreswara Temple (Ramappa Temple)

• The Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire by Recharla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva.
• The presiding deity here is Ramalingeswara Swamy.
• It is also known as the Ramappa temple, after the sculptor who executed the work in the temple for 40 years.
• The temple complexes of the Kakatiyas have a distinct style, technology and decoration exhibiting the influence of the Kakatiyan sculptor.
• The Ramappa Temple is a manifestation of this and often stands as a testimonial to the Kakatiyan creative genius.
• The temple stands on a 6 feet high star-shaped platform with walls, pillars and ceilings adorned with intricate carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiyan sculptors.
• The distinct style of the Kakatiyas for the gateways to temple complexes, unique only to this region, confirm the highly evolved proportions of aesthetics in temple and town gateways in South India.

‘PM CARES for Children’ Scheme

Context: Ministry of Women and Child Development launches web-based portal pmcaresforchildren.in to facilitate submission of applications, identification of children eligible to receive support under the ‘PM CARES for Children’ scheme.

About the PM CARES for Children Scheme

• ‘PM CARES for Children’ scheme was announced by the Prime Minister for supporting children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The scheme aims to ensure comprehensive care and protection of children who have lost their parents to the COVID pandemic, in a sustained manner.
• It enables their wellbeing through health insurance, empower them through education and equip them for self-sufficient existence with financial support of Rs. 10 lakh, on reaching 23 years of age.

PM CARES Fund – Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the PM CARES i.e. the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation Fund was created on March 28th, 2020.

PM CARES Fund Objectives

Keeping in mind the need to provide relief to the affected in emergent situations of Coronavirus COVID-19, a public charitable trust under the name of PM CARES Fund has been set up. The PM CARES is a dedicated national fund created to combat the dreadful contingencies like COVID-19 pandemic in India. The primary objective of this fund is to deal with forthcoming emergencies or distress situations.

Objectives of PM CARES Fund

1. To undertake and support relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency or any other kind of emergency, calamity or distress, either man-made or natural, including the creation or upkeep of healthcare or pharmaceutical facilities, other necessary infrastructure, funding relevant research or any other type of support.
2. To render financial assistance, provide grants of payments of money or take such other steps as may be deemed necessary by the Board of Trustees to the affected population.
3. To undertake any other activity, which is not inconsistent with the above Objects.

Constitution of the PM CARES Trust

The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of the PM CARES Fund. Government of India, Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Finance are ex-officio Trustees of the PM CARES Fund.
The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees i.e. the Prime Minister shall have the power to nominate 3 trustees to the Board of Trustees who shall be the eminent persons in the field of research, science, health, social work, public administration law, and philanthropy. Any person appointed a Trustee shall act in a pro bono capacity.

Other Similar Government Fundings

Not just the PM CARES Fund, there are other similar existing charitable trusts of Indian Government like Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF). The details of PMNRF are highlighted below:

1. PMNRF was started in the year 1948 by Jawahar Lal Nehru.
2. It was instituted to assist displaced persons from the neighbour country Pakistan.
3. The funds of PMNRF are now used to tackle natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, and cyclones. Also, to help the needy with major medical treatment like cancer, kidney transplantation, acid attack, etc.
4. The fund in the PMNRF are entirely the voluntary contributions from the public like the Individuals, Organizations,  Companies, Trusts, Institutions etc. and does not get any budgetary support.
5.  Any disbursement from the PMNRF fund is made with the approval of the Prime Minister.
6. The PMNRF is recognised as a Trust under Income Tax and contributions towards it are notified for 100% deduction from taxable income under section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

PM CARES Fund Important FACTS

1. The fund does not get any budgetary support and consists entirely of voluntary contributions from the individuals or organizations.
2. The fund will be utilised in meeting the contingencies or emergency situation aroused in the country.
3. Donations to PM CARES Fund by the individuals would qualify for 100% tax exemption under 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. 
4. Donations to PM CARES Fund by the organisations would qualify to be counted as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity expenditure under the Companies Act, 2013.
5. A separate account for receiving the donations from the foreign countries has been opened. This enables PM CARES Fund to accept donations and contributions from individuals and organizations based in foreign countries. Foreign donations in the PM CARES Fund would also get exemption under the FCRA. This is consistent with respect to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). PMNRF has also received foreign contributions as a public trust since 2011.

I-STEM Portal

Context: I-STEM enters Phase-II.

Details

• The national web portal for sharing R&D facilities, I-STEM, was launched in January 2020 under the aegis of Prime Minister Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) mission.
• I-STEM project has been accorded extension for five years, until 2026 and enters its second phase with added features.
• Under Phase II, the portal will host indigenous technology products listed through a digital catalogue.
• The portal will also provide a platform for the various City Knowledge and Innovation Clusters (https://www.psa.gov.in/st-clusters) supported by the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to enhance effective use of R&D infrastructure through leveraging collaboration and partnership built on a shared STI ecosystem.
• It will also host and provide access to selected R&D software required to undertake research projects by students and scientists.
• The I-STEM portal in its new phase will be designed as a dynamic digital platform that will provide a boost to research and innovation especially for 2 tier and 3 tier cities and also for the emerging start-up ecosystem.

What is I-STEM Portal?

The Multi-dimensional I-STEM Web Portal was launched by the Prime Minister in January 2020, during the 107th Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru.

• I-STEM stands for Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map.
• The I-STEM national initiative is sponsored and funded by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India.
• The I-STEM portal is developed and managed by the Nanoscience Centre of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

Why was the I-STEM Portal launched?

• The portal was launched as an initiative for linking researchers and resources.
• This is facilitated through the creation of a database of Research and Development resources in various institutions in India.
• The researchers across the colleges and institutions can have easy access to research facilities and equipment anywhere in the country.
• I-STEM is a new and forward-looking paradigm for R&D and innovation in the country.

How can I-STEM portal be accessed?

• At present, the I-STEM portal hosts an inventory of about 20,000 equipment in more than 850 institutions across the country.
• It will allow the researchers to locate the specific facility they need available closest to them for their R&D work in India.
• The resources are available for utilisation by the researchers through an online reservation system made in consultation with the host institution and paid for through a secure payment gateway.
• The portal hosts a Quora-like forum that facilitates discussion on general topics.
• The portal also allows for consultations with a panel of experts.
• The I-STEM Mitra feature generates auto-responses to general questions on the portal.
  

Benefits of I-STEM Portal

The I-STEM Portal has been chosen by the government of India as one of the transformative ideas.

• The R&D ecosystem in the country is strengthened by connecting researchers with the resources. The resources are meant to empower researchers and innovators throughout the country.
• Researchers can make the best use of facilities as well as equipment procured using public funds.
• Equipment sharing could drastically bring down the cost of research and development in the country.
• It would facilitate better exploitation of available resources.
• It would help academic researchers avoid the time-consuming process of locating and/or procuring the equipment necessary for research.
• It avoids duplication of research efforts by making available the outcomes of funded projects in public domain.