PIB Analysis for UPSC CSE
Topics Covered
- Global Goal Keepers Award
- Gandan Tegchenling Monastery
- Emergency Response Support System, E-Beat Book’ System and ‘E-Saathi’ App
- Pace setter Fund Programme
- Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE)
- Special Expenditure Observers for the forthcoming Elections
- Global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
- VAHAN Database, SIDHIEE, UMMID, Chintan Shivir
1 . Goal Keepers Award
Context : Melinda Gates Foundation conferred Prime Minister with Global Goalkeepers Goals Award 2019.
What are the Goalkeepers, Global Goals Awards?
- In September 2019, Goalkeepers will present the fourth annual Global Goals Awards.
- These Awards tell the extraordinary stories of remarkable individuals taking action to bring the Global Goals to life and help achieve them by 2030.
- These influencers, both emerging and established, are in turn inspiring local and global audiences to engage with and support the progress of the Goals.
What are the awards categories & criteria?
The 2019 Goalkeepers, Global Goals Awards categories and respective criteria are as follows:
- Progress Award (age 16 – 30): The Global Goals Progress Award celebrates the achievement of an individual who is supporting progress for the Goals via a science, technology, digital or business led initiative.
- Changemaker Award (age 16 – 30): The Global Goals Changemaker Award celebrates the achievement of an individual who has inspired Goal related change using their personal experience or from a position of leadership.
- Campaign Award (age 16 – 30): The Global Goals Campaign Award celebrates a campaign (individual or group) that has raised awareness or built a community in support of a Goal related cause, inspiring action and creating change.
- Goalkeepers Voice Award (any age): This special recognition celebrates a global figure for influential and impactful campaigning and advocacy work in support of the Global Goals. They will be recognized for using their platform, their position of influence, and their voice to raise awareness and advocate for their chosen causes.
- Global Goalkeeper Award (any age): This special recognition celebrates a political leader who has demonstrated their commitment to the Global Goals through impactful work in their country and/or globally.
2 . Gandan Tegchenling Monastery
Context : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and H.E. Mr Khaltmaagiin Battulga, President of Mongolia, jointly unveiled a statue of Lord Buddha and his two disciples, installed at the historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar.
About the Monastery
- Gandan Tegchenling Monastery is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage.
About the Statue & SAMVAAD
- The Statue depicts Lord Buddha in a sitting posture along with his two disciples conveying the message of compassion along with peace and co-existence.
- The statue was installed and consecrated at the Gandan Monastery earlier this month during the third edition of SAMVAAD dialogue held in Ulaanbaatar from 6 – 7 September 2019.
- Third edition of SAMVAAD dialogue brought together Buddhist religious leaders, experts and scholars from different countries to deliberate on contemporary issues related to Buddhism.
3 . Emergency Response Support System, E-Beat Book’ System and ‘E-Saathi’ App,
About ERSS
- ERSS is one of the key projects of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under Nirbhaya Fund.
- It has been designed to play a pivotal role in mitigation or preventing escalation of crime, especially against women and children.
- ERSS provides a single emergency number (112), computer aided dispatch of field resources to the location of distress. Citizens can send their emergency information through call, sms, email and through the 112 India mobile app.
- Under this system, all the states have to set up a dedicated Emergency Response Centre (ERC).
- It will have a team of trained Call-takers and Dispatchers to handle emergency requests relating to assistance from Police, Fire & Rescue, Health and other emergency services.
- Police can view all events after an Emergency call is made at the ERC. The ERCs are connected to District Command Centres (DCC) and the Emergency Response Vehicles, and assistance/response to victims are facilitated through them.
- The ‘Dial 112’ emergency response service is an initiative to strengthen proactive community policing that would end confusion amongst distress callers, who at times end up dialling 100 in fire or medical emergency cases.
- Till now, there were more than 20 numbers that were running for the help of public for various emergency situations, which were creating confusion to the distress callers.But after starting this service, public will not face these problems.
- In future, the Emergency Number for Road Accidents (1073),Women Helpline (1091, 181), Child Help Line (1098), including other Helpline services would be added under the 112 unified emergency response number.
About E-beat Book
- The ‘E-Beat Book’ is a web and mobile based application which will ease the collection, updation and analysis of the information related to crime and criminals in a real time.
- Chandigarh has been divided in 54 divisions. In each division, there is one ‘Atal Sehbhagita Kendra’that is under the supervision of a Beat Officer,having an Android Phone to the use the app.
- The E-Beat Book would be linked with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), which would help in a real time updation of crime/criminal data.
- The citizen can directly approach the‘Atal Sehbhagita Kendra’ for redressal of their grievances and can render their suggestions too.
About E-Saathi
- The ‘E-Saathi’ App would help the general public, including senior citizens, to remain in touch with the police and also give suggestions to facilitate participative community policing(‘Your Police at Your Doorstep’ initiative).
- The beat officer would be able to provide services like passport verification, tenant verification, servant verification, character certification etc. at a click of a button through the app, without the people needing to visit the police station.
- With this initiative, on one hand, where the beat officer would become more efficient in his/her working, this would make police-people communication a two-way process, on the other.
4 . PACEsetter Fund Programme
Context : The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy awarded Grants to the awardees of the second round of PACEsetter fund programme
About PACEsetter Fund Programme
- In 2013, the Governments of the Republic of India and the United States of America launched Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE) as a new track under the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), alongside the existing research (PACE-R) and deployment (PACE-D) tracks.
- PEACE aims to harness commercial enterprise to bring clean energy to individuals and communities un-served and underserved by the electricity grid.
- In June 2015, these governments established the PACEsetter Fund, a new joint fund to support the PEACE initiative by providing early-stage grant funding to accelerate the commercialization of innovative off-grid clean energy products, systems, and business models.
PACEsetter Fund
- The PACEsetter Fund is a INR 50 crore (USD 7.9 million) fund jointly capitalized by the Governments of the Republic of India and the United States of America.
- The Fund will award grants for direct support of innovative technology, business models, and programs including but not limited to: rural energy services companies (full scale integrated operators); rural distribution companies/franchisees; operations/maintenance companies; technology implementers/ system integrators; and enterprises.
- The Fund will also consider awarding grants for product development, studies, research, capacity building and technical assistance, as long as this will provide significant support to the companies and organizations that provide small scale (under 1 MW) clean energy access solutions to individuals and communities with no or limited access to grid connected power.
- Grant decisions are made by a Steering Committee composed of representatives from the Governments of India and the United States. The Steering Committee will be advised by an Executive Committee comprised of governmental and non- governmental experts from both countries. The bi-national Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), New Delhi, India is the Administrator of the Fund.
Project Eligibility
- To be eligible, projects must be focused on improving the viability of off grid renewable energy businesses and organizations, under served individuals and communities in India without access to grid connected power or with limited or intermittent access less than 8 hours per day using small scale (under 1 megawatt) clean energy systems.
- The Fund will award grants for direct support of innovative technology, business models, and programs including but not limited to: rural energy services companies (full scale integrated operators); rural distribution companies/franchisees; operations/maintenance companies; technology implementers/ system integrators; and enterprises.
- The Fund will also consider awarding grants for product development, studies, research, capacity building and technical assistance, as long as this support will provide significant support to the companies and organizations that provide small scale (under 1 MW) clean energy systems to individuals and communities with no or limited access to grid connected power.
- Projects on general public awareness, stand-alone seminars and workshops, research and development projects without a clear path towards implementation, will not be considered for funding through the PACEsetter Fund.
5 . Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE)
About CABE
- The Central Advisory Board of Education, the oldest and the most important advisory body of the Government of India in education was first established in 1920 and dissolved in 1923 as a measure of economy. It was revived in 1935 and has been in existence ever since.
- Despite the fact that in the past, important decisions had been taken on the advice of CABE and it had provided a forum for widespread consultation and examination of issues relating to educational and cultural development, it was unfortunately not reconstituted after the expiry of its extended tenure in March 1994. CABE was reconstituted again by the Government in July 2004
- The board includes distinguished educationists from all parts of the country and representatives of the government of India, state governments, the legislatures and the universities and is presided over by the Union Minister of Education.
6 . Special Expenditure Observers for the forthcoming Elections
About Expenditure Observers
- Expenditure Observers are appointed by the Commission for specified constituencies to observe the election expenses incurred by the candidates.
Role of Expenditure Observer
- Expenditure Observers are the eyes and ears of the Commission for monitoring of election expenditure.
- The Expenditure Observer shall supervise and guide all the election expenditure monitoring personnel engaged in the constituency.
- He shall periodically inspect the functioning of all the teams engaged in expenditure monitoring and wherever there is laxity or irregularities in functioning of any of the teams, he shall bring it to the notice of the DEO. The DEO shall take corrective steps immediately on the recommendation of the Expenditure Observer.
- He shall inspect the expenditure register of each candidate at least three times during the campaign period and give his comments on the discrepancies.
- The dates of inspection should be fixed in such a way that the gap between two inspections should not be less than 3 days and the last inspection should be fixed not earlier than 3 days from the poll day, so that major campaign expenditure is covered under inspection.
- The EO shall coordinate with the Investigation Directorate of the Income Tax Dept., Nodal Officer of Police, Nodal Officer of State Excise Dept., and ensure that there is free flow and exchange of information among all the agencies. On receipt of information from any agency, action is to be taken promptly by the law enforcement agencies concerned.
- The Special Observers will be supervising and monitoring the work being done by the electoral machinery and ensure that stringent and effective enforcement action is undertaken based on intelligence inputs and complaints received through C-VIGIL, Voter Helpline 1950 against all persons/entities trying to induce voters by distributing cash, liquor & freebies etc. in order to vitiate the poll process.
7 . Global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Context : Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi announced a global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 held in New York City, USA, on September 23, 2019.
About CDRI
- The partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks, financing mechanisms, private sector, and knowledge institutions will promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.
- Developed through consultations with more than 35 countries, CDRI envisions enabling measurable reduction in infrastructure losses from disasters, including extreme climate events. CDRI thus aims to enable the achievement of objectives of expanding universal access to basic services and enabling prosperity as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals, while also working at the intersection of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Climate Agreement.
- Established as a platform for generating and exchanging knowledge, CDRI will conduct country-specific and global activities. CDRI will provide member countries technical support and capacity development, research and knowledge management, and advocacy and partnerships to facilitate and encourage investment in disaster resilient infrastructure systems.
- In its formative stage, CDRI will focus on developing resilience in ecological infrastructure, social infrastructure with a concerted emphasis on health and education, and economic infrastructure with special attention to transportation, telecommunications, energy, and water.
- Within 2-3 years, the coalition aims to have a 3-fold impact of achieving considerable changes in member countries’ policy frameworks, future infrastructure investments and high reduction in economic losses from climate-related events and natural disasters across sectors. CDRI will uphold the UN Agenda 2030 principle of leaving no one, no place, and no ecosystem behind, focusing on the most vulnerable regions and populations, while enabling inclusive and deliberative processes that recognize national and local efforts as primal.
8 . Facts for Prelims
VAHAN
- Vahan – The Integrated Solution for Vehicle RegistrationVAHAN is a highly flexible and comprehensive system that takes care of all the burdensome activities of Vehicle Registration, leaving the Transport Department to deal with more important business issues.
- The software enables the processes at RTO/DTO/MLO/SDM involving Vehicle Registration, Fitness, Taxes, Permits & Enforcement to get computerized.The State Transport Department is governed by both Central Motor Vehicle Regulation (CMVR) and state specific Motor Vehicle Regulation (State MVR).
- Consequently, Vahan was conceptualized as a product that would capture the functionalities as mandated by CMVR as well as state MVRs.
- VAHAN Services : Vehicle Registration, Permit, Taxes, Fitness, Enforcement
SIDHIEE
- SIDHIEE is a Knowledge Management Portal under the BEE’s MSME Programme.
- This portal will host useful information including fifty videos of multimedia tutorials for MSMEs for early adoption of energy efficient technologies.
UMMID
- The Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare launched UMMID (Unique Methods of Management and treatment of Inherited Disorders) initiative
- Taking into account that congenital and hereditary genetic diseases are becoming a significant health burden in India, and realizing the need for adequate and effective genetic testing and counselling services.
- DBT has started the UMMID Initiative which is designed on the concept of ‘Prevention is better than Cure’. In India’s urban areas, congenital malformations and genetic disorders are the third most common cause of mortality in newborns.
- With a very large population and high birth rate, and consanguineous marriage favored in many communities, prevalence of genetic disorders is high in India, the UMMID initiative aims
- to establish NIDAN Kendras to provide counselling, prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals wherein the influx of patients is more
- to produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics
- to undertake screening of pregnant women and new born babies for inherited genetic diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts.
Chintan Shivir
- Chintan Shivir is organized by Ministry of Steel
- Theme of the event -Towards a Vibrant, Efficient and Globally Competitive Indian Steel sector
- The purpose of the event was to bring all stakeholders together to deliberate on a roadmap for making Indian Steel Sector more vibrant, efficient and globally competitive.