PIB Summary- 13th March, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

RCS UDAN

Context

Daily flights between Indore and Hyderabad were flagged-off under the RCS-UDAN scheme.

RCS-UDAN Scheme

• The Scheme “Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik” (UDAN) was launched as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) in 2016 under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• This scheme is a part of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP).
• The Scheme is jointly funded by the Union government and the state governments. 
• Objective: Providing air services to the common man by making the costs affordable.
• 405 routes are already operating under the scheme.
• Further 100 new airports will be built in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, which will help achieve last-mile connectivity.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

Context

The Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) organised a seminar on “25 Years of TRAI Act: Way Forward for Stakeholders”.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

• TRAI was set up under the TRAI Act that was enacted in 1997, to regulate the telecommunications sector in India.
• The TRAI Act also provided a mechanism for dispute resolution among the stakeholders of the telecom sector.
• The Act was amended in 2000, that established a Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to take over the adjudicatory and disputes functions from TRAI.

Need to strengthen the TDSAT

• The pendencies with the tribunal have increased during the pandemic.
  (i) By the end of 2019, the pendency was 2068. After the Covid pandemic, the pendency has now increased to 4019 cases. 
• Experts believe that at least two more Benches are to be added, in addition to the Chairperson, the strength of Members / Judicial Members.

Significance of TRAI

• In this digital era, the telecom sector has become more significant.
• The high capital intensive nature, sensitivity to the technology changes and the strategic importance of the sector have made TRAI more relevant as compared to the time when It was set up, 25 years back.
• Antyodaya and inclusive development is the foremost philosophy of the government post-COVID Pandemic, as the government feels the need to narrow down the digital divide in the country. In this regard, the telecom sector has a huge role to play.
• With the advent of 5G and 6G technologies, the need to have strong regulations on the sector is higher than ever.

Sumul Dairy

Context

Union Cooperation Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone to various schemes of Sumul Dairy in Surat.

Sumul Dairy

• Sumul Dairy in Surat (Gujrat), which is now renamed as The Surat District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd, is one among the 17 district unions which act as manufacturing units of dairy products for Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited, the marketers of Amul brand of products.
• The Sumul Dairy came into existence in 1951.
• It accounts for about 20 lakh litres of milk, to which milk producing tribal men and women contribute greatly.
• Milk worth Rs. 7 crores are sold daily and arrangements have been made to transfer that amount directly to the bank accounts of 2.5 lakh members.

Ministry of Cooperation and its initiatives

• In the 75th year of independence of the country, the Government of India created the Ministry of Cooperation with an annual budget of Rs. 900 crores.
• The Ministry of Cooperation has established many agricultural societies, milk producers unions, APMCs, fishermen’s unions, trade unions, and small industrial unions working in the cooperative sector.
• The Government has brought all co-operative production institutions at par with Corporate Tax.
• The Government is working towards providing software support to all primary agricultural societies.
• The current cooperative movement aims to achieve self-reliance in farming that leads to self-reliant villages and states; and ultimately to self-reliant India.
• To achieve self-reliance in the field of agriculture, there is a great emphasis on natural farming.

Ministry of Cooperation Significance

• The Ministry of Cooperation will provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country.
• It envisages deepening Co-operatives as a true people based movement reaching up to the grassroots.
• The ministry will work to streamline processes for ‘Ease of doing business’ for co-operatives and enable development of Multi-State Co-operatives (MSCS).

What is a Multi-State Credit Cooperative Society (MSCS)?

A multi-state credit cooperative is the one having its members in more than one state. An act to regulate such multi-state cooperatives was passed in 2002 by the title of Multi-State Cooperative Society Act, 2002. It is regulated by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies office.

Gallium Nitride Technology

Context

The Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship visited the Gallium Nitride Ecosystem Enabling Centre and Incubator (GEECI) facility.

Gallium Nitride (GaN) Technology and its applications

• GaN is a semiconductor commonly used in blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
• The ability to operate at much higher temperatures and voltages than gallium arsenide (GaAs) transistors makes GaN an ideal power amplifier for microwave and terahertz (THz) devices, such as imaging and sensing.
• Gallium Nitride Technology is of strategic importance with its application in the field of 5G, space and defense.
• Gallium Nitride (GaN) plays a key role in enabling e-vehicles and wireless communication.
• Specific transistors called HEMTs made of aluminium gallium nitride/ gallium nitride (AlGaN/GaN) provides an edge over silicon-based transistors as they allow the systems to operate at very high voltages, switch ON and OFF faster, and occupy less space.
• The GaN ecosystem will drive innovations by encouraging startups and entrepreneurs.
• The GaN technology provided various benefits such as reduced energy consumption, higher switching frequency and lower system cost.

Gallium Nitride Ecosystem Enabling Centre and Incubator (GEECI) Facility

• GEECI is present at the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bengaluru.
• The facility has been established jointly by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and IISc Bengaluru.
• Aim: Establishing GaN based Development Line Foundry facility, especially for RF and power applications, including strategic applications.

Gender Samwaad Event

Context

The Ministry of Rural Development organizes ‘Gender Samwaad’ under the  Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

Gender Samwaad Event

• The third edition of ‘Gender Samwaad’ was organised in March 2022.
• Theme of this edition: “Promotion of food and nutrition security through women’s collectives”.
• The event enabled National and State Rural Livelihoods Missions(SRLM) to listen to voices from SHG women and for SRLMs to share and learn from best practices.
• The event was organised as a part of the Ministry’s Iconic Week celebration theme ‘Naye Bharat ki Naari’ under Amrit Mahotsava.