PIB Summary- 27th December, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Madan Mohan Malaviya

Why in News?

The Prime Minister has paid tributes to Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya on his Jayanti.

About Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya

• Born on 25th December 1861, in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh.
• He played a key role in the Indian independence struggle against British rule and founded the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1916.
• He is also remembered for his role in ending the Indian indenture system, especially in the Caribbean.
  (i) Indentured labour was a system of bonded labour that was instituted following the abolition of slavery in 1833.
  (ii) Indentured labour were recruited to work on sugar, cotton and tea plantations, and rail construction projects in British colonies in West Indies, Africa and South East Asia.
• He popularized the term ‘Satyamev Jayate’. However, the phrase originally belongs to the Mundaka Upanishad. The term now is the national motto of India.
• He was given the title of ‘Mahamana’ by Rabindranath Tagore and the second President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan gave him the status of a ‘Karmayogi’.
• Devnagri was introduced in the British-Indian courts because of Malviya’s efforts with the British government. This is still considered as one of his greatest achievements.
• Madan Mohan Malviya was expelled from the Brahmin community for expressing his views on caste discrimination and Brahmanical patriarchy.
• He worked immensely for Hindu-Muslim unity. He is known to have given famous speeches on communal harmony.
• He helped establish the Hindu Mahasabha (“Great Society of Hindus”) in 1906, which brought diverse local Hindu nationalist movements together.
• Malaviya’s consciousness toward the public led to the launch of his own Hindi-language weekly, the Abhyudaya (1907); the Leader of Allahabad, an English-language daily (1909); and the Hindi monthly the Maryada (1910). He also served as the chairman of the board of Hindustan times and facilitated the launch of its Hindi edition.
• Poona Pact (1932) was signed by Ambedkar on behalf of the depressed classes and Madan Mohan Malviya on behalf of the Upper Caste Hindus as a means to end the fast that Gandhi was undertaking in jail as a protest against the MacDonald communal award.
• He died on 12th November, 1946, at the age of 84.
• In 2014, he was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award.

Mission Sagar 

Why in News?

As part of yet another deployment undertaken by Indian Navy since May 2020 under Mission SAGAR, Indian Naval Ship Kesari entered Port of Maputo, Mozambique. This is the eighth such deployment in consonance with the Hon’ble Prime Ministers vision of Security And Growth for All in the Region and is being conducted in close coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, and other agencies of the Government of India.

About Mission Sagar

• This deployment as ‘Mission Sagar’, is in line with India’s role as the first responder in the region and builds on the excellent relations existing between these countries to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant difficulties.
• The deployment is in consonance with the Prime Ministers vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region ‘SAGAR’ and highlights the importance accorded by India to relations with her neighbouring countries and further strengthens the existing bond.

What is SAGAR?

• In March 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited three small but significant Indian Ocean island states — Seychelles, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka. During this tour, he unveiled India’s strategic vision for the Indian Ocean: Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
• SAGAR seeks to differentiate India’s leadership from the modus operandi of other regionally active major powers and to reassure littoral states as India’s maritime influence grows.
• India’s SAGAR vision is intended to be “consultative, democratic and equitable”.
• India’s recent admission as observer to the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) will put this vision to the test.
• Following a request from New Delhi, the IOC granted observer status to India on March 6 at the Commission’s 34th Council of Ministers.

Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme

Why in News ?

The Ministry of Power, Government of India, had launched the Reforms-based and Results-linked, Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), with the objective to improve the operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of State owned DISCOMs/ Power Departments by providing financial assistance to DISCOMs for modernisation and strengthening of distribution infrastructure, aiming at improvement of the reliability and quality of supply to end consumers.

About the Scheme

• The Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme aims to improve operational efficiencies and financial sustainability by providing result-linked financial assistance to DISCOMs for strengthening of supply infrastructure.
• The Scheme would be available till the year 2025-26.
• REC (Rural electrification corporation) and PFC (Power finance corporation) have been nominated as nodal agencies for facilitating implementation of the Scheme.
• It is proposed that the currently ongoing approved projects under the Schemes of IPDS, DDUGJY along with PMDP-2015 for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh would be subsumed in this Scheme.
• The assistance will be based on meeting pre-qualifying criteria as well as upon achievement of basic minimum benchmarks by the DISCOM evaluated on the basis of agreed evaluation framework tied to financial improvements.
• Implementation of the Scheme would be based on the action plan worked out for each state rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
• The funds under these Schemes would be available for the identified projects under IPDS and for the approved ongoing projects under Prime Minister’s Development Program (PMDP) for the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh under IPDS and DDUGJY till 31 March, 2023.

Scheme Objectives

• Reduction of AT&C losses to pan-India levels of 12-15% by 2024-25
• Reduction of ACS-ARR gap to zero by 2024-25
• Developing Institutional Capabilities for Modern DISCOMs
• Improvement in the quality, reliability, and affordability of power supply to consumers through a financially.
• Sustainable and operationally efficient Distribution Sector.