PIB Summary- 27th February, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Trends in exports in India

Context

Export of fruits from India sees a surge.

Growth in exports of fruits

• India’s export of fresh fruits witnessed considerable growth.
• The export of guavas from India has seen a growth of 260% since 2013.
  (i) Exports grew from USD 0.58 Million in 2013-14 to USD 2.09 Million in 2021-22.
• Fresh Grapes are the largest exported items among all fresh food categories.
  (i) During 2020-21, the export value of Fresh Grapes stood at $314 million.
• Export of other Fresh Fruits stood at $302 million.
• Export Fresh Mangoes stood at $36 million and Others (Betel Leaves & Nuts) at $19 million.
• Fresh grapes and Other Fresh Fruits accounted for 92% of India’s total export of Fresh Fruits.

Export of dairy products

• The export of curd and paneer has also seen a growth of 200% from $10 Million in 2013-14 to $30 Million 2021-22.
• In 2021-22(April-November), India exported $181.75 million worth of dairy products.
• India’s major export destinations in 2020-21 are UAE, Bangladesh, U.S.A, Bhutan, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia.

MILAN 22 – OPENING CEREMONY

Context

The Opening Ceremony of the biennial Multilateral Naval Exercise, MILAN 22 was held at Visakhapatnam on 26 February 2022.

MILAN 22

• ‘MILAN’ in Hindi means “meeting” or “confluence”.
• The 11th edition of MILAN is being hosted by the Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam for the first time.
  (i) All previous editions have been held at Port Blair under the aegis of the Tri-Service Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• This edition of MILAN is larger and more complex than all previous ones, indicating India’s growing stature as a responsible and reliable partner in the maritime domain, highlighting the Indian Navy’s commitment to maritime security across the globe.
• The goals of MILAN are in line with the government’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
• MILAN 22 will play a vital role in establishing regional synergy for achieving peace and prosperity through cooperation and collaboration.

Lifting of “Export Prohibition” on Bamboo Charcoal

Context

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) urged the Government to lift the “export prohibition” on bamboo charcoal for optimum utilization of raw bamboo and higher profitability in the bamboo industry.

Indian Bamboo Industry

• In India, bamboo is mainly used in manufacturing of Agarbatti where, about 16%, i.e. the upper layers of the bamboo, is used for manufacturing bamboo sticks while the remaining 84% of bamboo is of complete waste.
• The Bamboo waste generated in Agarbatti and bamboo craft industries is not being utilized commercially, as a result, the Bamboo input cost for Bamboo Sticks is very high compared to the average Bamboo cost.
• The Bamboo price in China is very low compared to the input cost owing to 100% waste utilization.

Bamboo Charcoal

• The bamboo wastes can be best used for making “Bamboo Charcoal” which has a huge demand in the international market.
• The demand for import of bamboo charcoal has been in the range of $1.5 to 2 billion and has been growing at a high rate.
• Rising import demand is seen in countries like the USA, Japan, Korea, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France and the UK.
• It is also used as a soil nutrient and raw material for manufacturing Activated Charcoal.
• However, the Indian bamboo industry is not able to tap the opportunity due to its “export prohibition”.
• The exports of Bamboo Charcoal, Bamboo Pulp and unprocessed shoots are kept under the prohibited category in India.

Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship

Context

Union Minister of State of Science & Technology said that India is currently witnessing a sort of reverse brain drain with several Indian origin Scientists abroad keen to return home.

Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship programme

• It is a flagship scheme of the Department of Biotechnology, launched in 2006-07, with a view to bring back the Indian Scientists working in Modern Biology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences and other related areas abroad.
• The programme aims to improve the country’s human resource capacity in the research field in terms of development, translation and diffusion by attracting scientists abroad.
• The fellowship programme is being managed by Regional Center for Biotechnology under its DBT-HRD Project & Management Unit (DBT-HRD PMU).
• Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellows would be able to work in any of the scientific institutions in the country and shall be eligible for regular research grants through research schemes of various S&T agencies of the Government of India.