PIB Summary- 11th June, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Ram Prasad Bismil

Prevention of HIV/AIDS

Details:

• The Minister spoke on Resolution 75/260 which concerns the Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the political declarations on HIV/AIDS.
• In India, the HIV & AIDS Prevention and Control Act, 2017, provides a legal and enabling framework to safeguard the human rights of infected and affected populations.
• India’s HIV prevention model is centred around the concept of Social Contracting through which the ‘Targeted Interventions Program’ is implemented with support from civil society.
• The program is aimed at behaviour change, communication, outreach, service delivery, counselling & testing and ensuring linkages to HIV care.
• India is providing free anti-retro-viral treatment to close to 1.4 million people. Indian drugs are also reaching millions of people living with HIV in Africa.

Solar PLI Scheme

Details:

• The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has appointed the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) as the implementing agency for the scheme.
• The applicants are required to set up either brownfield or greenfield manufacturing facility for the entire capacity allotted under the scheme. Applicants are not allowed to set up a mix of brownfield and greenfield facility under the scheme.
• Solar capacity addition presently depends largely upon imported solar PV cells and modules as the domestic industry has limited operational capacities of solar PV cells and modules.

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme

Production Linked Incentive or PLI scheme is a scheme that aims to give companies incentives on incremental sales from products manufactured in domestic units. The scheme invites foreign companies to set up units in India, however, it also aims to encourage local companies to set up or expand existing manufacturing units and also to generate more employment and cut down the country’s reliance on imports from other countries.

It was launched in April 2020, for the Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing sector, but later towards the end of 2020 was introduced for 10 other sectors. This scheme was introduced in line with India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. 

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

Aerosol Pollution

Details:

• Scientists, tracing the concentration, size and evolution of aerosol particles smaller than 3 nanometres at an urban location in India, have found frequent formation of sub-3nm aerosol particles in the atmosphere.
• This is critical as a major fraction of these newly formed particles can reach to sizes of cloud condensation nuclei where they have climatic impacts.
• The formation of small molecular clusters of sub-3nm size is technically called aerosol nucleation and the subsequent growth of these newly formed clusters to large sizes is called atmospheric new particle formation (NPF).
• NPF occurs everywhere in the terrestrial troposphere, and therefore it is a large source of aerosol numbers to the atmosphere.
• This area is largely unexplored in India, though globally, it is extensively studied.

The Study:

• Scientists from the University of Hyderabad measured neutral sub-3nm particles for the first time at an urban location in India.
• The study was conducted with support from the Department of Science & Technology (DST) under Climate Change Programme Division.
• The research showed that a pool of sub-3nm particles is often present in the atmosphere, but how fast these clusters grow depends on various factors.
• The team found a strong positive correlation between sub-3nm particle concentrations and sulphuric acid concentrations, confirming the potential role of sulphuric acid in the formation of sub-3nm particles.
• Other vapours such as ammonia, amines and organics also play a crucial role in the growth of the newly formed particles.

Aspirational Districts Programme

Details:

• In the report, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has lauded India’s Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) and said that it should serve as a best practice for several other countries where regional disparities in development status persist for many reasons.
• The report said that due to concerted efforts made under the ADP, previously neglected districts, including those in remote locations and those affected by Left Wing Extremism, ‘have experienced more growth and development in the last three years than ever before’.

Overview of the Aspirational Districts Programme

In order to effectively and quickly transform the chosen districts (that have witnessed least progress among certain parameters of development), the government launched the Aspirational Districts Programme. The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is a quintessential retreat from India’s previous development strategies in its ownership, scope, and scale. It is implicit in the plan of the programme that the Indian economy could sustain growth only by improving the human development for all its citizens.

• 115 districts from across 28 states have been chosen. They constitute about 20% of the population of India and cover about 8,600-gram Panchayats.
• The progress under the programme is tracked through the data collected on a real-time basis. A dashboard has been created by the NITI Ayog to track the real-time progress. This, in turn, enhances accountability and transparency.
• Statistics have been collected on 49 indicators on 5 core dimensions (education, financial inclusion, agriculture and water resources, skill development and basic infrastructure) in order to provide an initial benchmark for the programme.
• It is important, however, to note that all the dimensions are not considered equal in constructing a composite index for every district, taking cognizance of the nature of development challenges in India.
• The focus, under the programme, is shifted from the outputs to the socio-economic outputs.
• The programme is a positive shift towards cooperative federalism, as the districts and the states have a greater voice in their development.

Core Strategy of the Programme

The broad strategy of the programmer are as follows:

1. Convergence

2. Collaboration

3. Competition

The states are the main drivers of this program and it will focus on the strength of each district, that will identify low-hanging low-fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress and rank districts.

The 115 districts were identified from 28 states, at least one from each state, in a transparent manner by a committee of Senior Officers to the Government of India, in consultation with State Officials using a composite index of key data sets that included deprivation enumerated under the Socio-Economic Caste Census, key health and education sector performance and state of basic infrastructure.

What will be the Focus Area of the Programme?

The Government is committed to raising the living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth for all – “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas”. To enable optimum utilization of their potential, this program focuses closely on improving people’s ability to participate fully in the vibrant economy. Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure are this programme’s core areas of focus. After several rounds of consultations with various stakeholders, 49 key performance indicators have been chosen to measure progress of the districts. Districts are aspiring to first catch-up with the best district within their State, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with, and learning from others in the spirit of competitive & cooperative federalism.