PIB Summary- 22nd July, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

PLI Scheme for Specialty Steel

Context: Union Cabinet approves Production-linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Specialty Steel.

Details of the Scheme

• With a budgetary outlay of ₹6322 crores, the scheme is expected to bring in investment of approximately ₹40,000 crores and capacity addition of 25 MT for speciality steel.
• The scheme is expected to give employment to about 5,25,000 people of which 68,000 will be direct employment.
• The duration of the scheme is from 2023-24 to 2027-28 (five years).

Why has speciality steel been chosen for the PLI Scheme?

• Speciality steel has been chosen as the target segment because out of the production of 102 million tonnes of steel in India in 2020-21, only 18 million tonnes of value added steel/speciality steel was produced in the country.
• Apart from this, out of 6.7 million tonnes of imports in the same year, approximately 4 million tonnes was of specialty steel alone resulting in a foreign exchange outgo of nearly Rs. 30,000 crores.
• The idea is to become ‘atmanirbhar’ in specialty steel in order to come on par with advanced steel making nations like Japan and Korea.
• The benefit of this scheme will accrue to both big players i.e. integrated steel plants and to the smaller players (secondary steel players)

Specialty Steel

• Specialty steel is value added steel wherein normal finished steel is worked upon by way of coating, plating, heat treatment, etc. to convert it into high value added steel which can be used in various strategic applications like Defence, Space, Power, apart from automobile sector, specialized capital goods, etc.

The five categories of specialty steel which have been chosen in the PLI Scheme are:

• Coated/Plated Steel Products
• High Strength/Wear resistant Steel
• Specialty Rails
• Alloy Steel Products and Steel wires
• Electrical Steel

PLI Scheme – A Brief Background

• It was introduced as a part of the National Policy on Electronics by the IT Ministry to give incentives of 4-6% to electronic companies, manufacturing electronic components like mobile phones, transistors, diodes, etc. 
• The main aim of this scheme was to invite foreign investors to set up their manufacturing units in India and also promote the local manufacturers to expand their units and generate employment
• The first sector which the PLI scheme had targeted was the Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing in April 2020, and by the end of the year (November 2020), 10 more sectors including food processing, telecom, electronics, textiles, speciality steel, automobiles and auto components, solar photovoltaic modules and white goods such as air conditioners and LEDs were also expanded under the PLI scheme
• As far as the eligibility is concerned, all electronic manufacturing companies which are either Indian or have a registered unit in India will be eligible to apply for the scheme
• In the Union Budget 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned the inclusion of thirteen more sectors under the PLI Scheme for a period of five years and Rs. 1.97 lakh crores have been allocated for this scheme from Financial Year 2022

Expansion of Production Linked Incentive Scheme

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on November 11, 2020, approved the introduction of the PLI scheme for the 10 key sectors which can enhance India’s Manufacturing Capabilities and improve exports.
Given below are the 10 new sectors to which the scheme has been expanded along with the approved financial outlay:
Based on the ten sectors to which the Production Linked Incentive scheme was expanded to, the government aims at achieving the following targets:

• The government aims to make India an integral part of the global supply chain and enhance exports
• India is expected to have a USD 1 trillion digital economy by 2025 as it expects the demand for electronics to increase under its projects like Smart City and Digital India
• The PLI scheme will make the Indian automotive Industry more competitive and will enhance the globalisation of the Indian automotive sector
• The Indian Textile Industry is one of the largest in the world and with this scheme, it shall attract large investment in the sector to further boost domestic manufacturing, especially in the manmade fibre (MMF) segment and technical textiles
• India, being the second-largest producer of steel in the world, introducing it under the PLI scheme will benefit the country as it may expand export opportunities
• Similarly, telecom, solar panels, pharmaceuticals, white goods, and all the other sectors introduced can contribute to the economic growth of the country and make India a manufacturing hub globally

Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing

• The first phase of the PLI scheme was dedicated to the Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing sector and the scheme proposed to increase the manufacturing of mobile phones in India along with setting up their Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) units
• The total cost proposed for the scheme was INR 40,995 crore
• It was set up to benefit a few global investors and mainly the domestic manufacturers in India
• With high potential for employment generation, the scheme can help employee over 2 lakh people in 5 years in the electronics manufacturing sector
• Till date, in the case of electronics, the assembling of objects was done in India, while the production was done outside. With the PLI scheme and Make in India campaign, the electronics can be made ad assembled in the domestic industries itself
• The production of mobile phones in the country has gone up significantly from around INR 18,900 crore in 2014-15 to INR 1,70,000 crore in 2018-19 and the domestic demand is almost completely being met out of domestic production. With PLI, this can be increased even further

The table given below shows the financial outlay as per the first phase of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme:

Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Pharmaceuticals

PLI scheme for Pharmaceuticals was introduced for a period of five years between FY 2020-21 to 2028-29. Total incremental sales of Rs.2,94,000 crore and total incremental exports of Rs.1,96,000 crore are estimated during six years from 2022-23 to 2027-28
The scheme is expected to generate employment for both skilled and unskilled personnel, estimated at 20,000 direct and 80,000 indirect jobs as a result of growth in the sector

The duration of the scheme will be from FY 2020-21 to FY 2028-29. This will include the period for processing of applications (FY 2020-21), an optional gestation period of one year (FY 2021-22), an incentive for 6 years and FY 2028-29 for disbursal of incentive for sales of FY 2027-28

Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP)

About Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP)

• The government is implementing Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP) as a sub-scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) since 2020-21 for the promotion of traditional indigenous practices.
• The scheme mainly emphasizes on exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs and promotes on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on –
  • Biomass mulching
  • Use of cow dung-urine formulations
  • Plant-based preparations
  • Time to time working of soil for aeration
• Under BPKP, financial assistance of Rs 12200/ha for 3 years is provided for cluster formation, capacity building and continuous handholding by trained personnel, certification and residue analysis.
• Benefit of the scheme: Natural farming will reduce dependency on purchased inputs and will help to ease smallholder farmers from credits burden.

Indian Navy Exercises with Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group

Context: Indian Navy participated in a two-day bilateral Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the UK’s Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group (CSG)-21 led by HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Bay of Bengal.

Details

• The bilateral Maritime Exercise was designed to hone the ability of the two navies to operate together in the maritime domain.
• The maiden exercise between Indian Navy and the Royal Navy’s latest Aircraft Carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth included participation of CSG-21 comprising Type 23 Frigates and an Astute-class submarine in addition to the other surface combatants.
• Indian Navy was represented by IN Ships Satpura, Ranvir, Jyoti, Kavaratti, Kulish and a submarine. Anti-Submarine Warfare capable Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft P8I also participated in the exercise.

Clean Ganga Fund (CGF)

Context: CSR Projects under Namami Gange Programme.

Details

• The Government of India has set-up Clean Ganga Fund (CGF), as a trust under the Indian Trust Act, 1882, to allow resident Indians, Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origins (PIOs), Corporates (public & private sector) to contribute towards the conservation of the river Ganga.
• The contributions to the Clean Ganga Fund falls within the purview of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity as defined in Schedule VII to the Companies Act, 2013.
• The following activities are offered under CSR:-
  • Ghats Construction/Modification/Extension.
  • Cleaning of Ghats.
  • Providing amenities at important Ghats.
  • Crematoria Construction/Modification/Extension.
  • Ganga Gram.
  • Bioremediation of Nallas & Drains.
  • Information Education Communication (IEC) Activities.
  • River Surface Cleaning using Trash Skimmers
  • Solid Waste Management.
  • Tree Plantation.

Catch the Rain Project

Context: “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” was launched by PM Modi in March 2022 (on World Water Day).

About the Project

• National Water Mission’s (NWM) campaign “Catch The Rain” with the tagline “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” is to nudge the states and stakeholders to create appropriate Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable to the climatic conditions and sub-soil strata before the monsoon season.
• Major activities under this campaign include:
  • Drives to make check dams
  • Water harvesting pits
  • Rooftop RWHS
  • Removal of encroachments and de-silting of tanks to increase their storage capacity
  • Removal of obstructions in the channels which bring water to them from the catchment areas
  • Repairs to step-wells
  • Using defunct borewells and unused wells to put water back to aquifers
• To facilitate these activities, states have been requested to open “Rain Centres” in each district/Collectorates/Municipalities or GP offices.
  • This centre will act as a technical guidance centre to all in the district as to how to catch the rain, as it falls, where it falls.

Schemes for the Welfare of the Minorities

Context: This information was given by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs in the Lok Sabha.

The Government is implementing various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every section of the society including minorities especially economically weaker & downtrodden sections all over the country.

These schemes/programmes implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs are:

• Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme, Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme – For educational empowerment of students through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
• Maulana Azad National Fellowship Scheme – Provides fellowships in the form of financial assistance.
• Naya Savera – Free Coaching and Allied Scheme – The Scheme aims to provide free coaching to students/candidates belonging to minority communities for qualifying in entrance examinations of technical/medical professional courses and various competitive examinations.
• Padho Pardesh – Scheme of interest subsidy to students of minority communities on educational loans for overseas higher studies.
• Nai Udaan – Support for students clearing Prelims conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), State Public Service Commission (PSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), etc.
• Nai Roshni – Leadership development of women belonging to minority communities.
• Seekho Aur Kamao – Skill development scheme for youth of 14 – 35 years age group and aiming at providing employment and employment opportunities, improving the employability of existing workers, school dropouts, etc.
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) – Being Implemented to provide basic infrastructure such as Schools, Colleges, ITIs, Polytechnics, Hostels, Sadbhav Mandap, Skill Development Centres, Drinking water and Sanitation facilities, Primary Health Centres etc. in deprived areas of the country.
• Jiyo Parsi – Scheme for containing population decline of Parsis in India.
• USTTAD (Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development). Hunar Haat are being organised across the Country to provide employment opportunities and markets to artisans/craftsmen.
• Nai Manzil – A scheme for formal school education & skilling of school dropouts.
• Hamari Dharohar- A scheme to preserve rich heritage of minority communities of India under the overall concept of Indian culture.
• Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) implements education and skill related schemes as follows:- (a) Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for Meritorious Girls belonging to the economically weaker sections of Minorities (b) Gharib Nawaz Self Employment Scheme started in 2017-18 for providing short term job oriented skill development training to youth (c) Bridge Course for madrasa students & school dropouts.
• Equity to National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) for providing concessional loans to minorities for self-employment and income generating ventures.