PIB ANALYSIS FOR UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAM
TOPICS COVERED
- International Telecommunication Union
- Ganga Grams
1 . International Telecommunication Union
“India elected as a Member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Council for another 4-year term (2019-2022)
About International Telecommunication Union
- ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs
- ITU allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide
- ITU is unique among UN agencies in having both public and private sector membership. So in addition to 193 Member States, ITU membership includes ICT regulators, many leading academic institutions and some 700 tech companies.
Functions
- ITU makes phone calls possible: whether to the office next door or to a friend in another country. ITU standards, protocols and international agreements are the essential elements underpinning the global telecommunication system.
- ITU coordinates the world’s satellites through the management of spectrum and orbits, bringing you television, vehicle GPS navigation, maritime and aeronautical communications, weather information and online maps, and enabling communications in even the remotest parts of the planet.
- ITU makes Internet access possible. The majority of Internet connections are facilitated by ITU standards.
- ITU helps support communications in the wake of disasters and emergencies – through on-the-ground assistance, dedicated emergency communications channels, technical standards for early warning systems, and practical help in rebuilding after a catastrophe.
- ITU works with the industry to define the new technologies that will support tomorrow’s networks and services.
- ITU powers the mobile revolution, forging the technical standards and policy frameworks that make mobile and broadband possible.
- ITU works with public and private sector partners to ensure that ICT access and services are affordable, equitable and universal.
- ITU empowers people around the world through technology education and training
Key Areas of Action
- Accessibility to ICTs: Achieving Equitable Communications for Everyone
- Affordable, Ubiquitous Broadband Networks
- ICTs, Sustainability and Climate Change
- Cybersecurity
- Digital Divide
- Internet
- Gender Equality
- Entrepreneurship and SME’s
- Youth and Academia
2 . Ganga Grams
Pilot Ganga Grams will be the role model for village cleanliness
Sustainable behavior towards better sanitation is everyone’s responsibility: Union Minister Uma Bharati
About Ganga Grams
- Rural habitation and villages situated in vicinity of River Ganga contribute a significant pollution load to the river on account of open defecation, dirty water and solid wastes from the individual households entering the river through village drains and nallahs. Therefore, rural based pollution load in Ganga River is sought to be addressed through development of Ganga Grams.
Vision
- To develop model village, that will exhibit itself as comprehensive and harmonious package of economic, historic, cultural and sanitized unit, on banks of Ganga, which is self –sustaining.
- Promoting brand “Ganga” in its handicraft, organic farm produce and tourism will be other spin offs.
Components of Ganga Grams
- Making village open defecation free
- Proper management of village waste draining into river Ganga
- Proper disposal of solid waste
- Water conservation activities including rain water harvesting/ground water recharge/maintain of well and ponds, promotion of sprinkler irrigation
- Encourage plantation of medicinal plants and promotion of organic farming
- Construction of crematorium
- Promotion of tourism
- Coordination between various Central and State Governments sponsored schemes and their implementation on priority in Ganga Grams