PIB Analysis for UPSC CSE
Topics covered
- Pharmacopeia commission for Indian Medicine
- Smart Farming
- Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) for Pharmaceutical companies
- Badhe Chalo Movement
- Food Processing Sector
- Facts for Prelims
1 . Pharmacopeia commission for Indian Medicine
PIB Release : https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848809
About Pharmacopeia commission
- The Government of India has established Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), as a subordinate office under Ministry of Ayush by merging Pharmacopoeia Commission of Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and the two central laboratories namely Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM), Ghaziabad and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL).
- The Commission was initially established as Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine (PCIM) in 2010 as an autonomous body under Ministry of AYUSH and was registered under Societies Registration Act, 1860
Functions of pharmacopeia commission
- Quality standards
- To develop Pharmacopoeias for drugs/formulations of ‘Indian Medicine’ and ‘Homoeopathy’
- To develop Formularies of ‘Indian Medicine’
- To revise/update/amend the published Pharmacopoeias and Formularies as may be deemed necessary
- To publish compendia supplementary to Pharmacopoeias/Formularies of ‘Indian Medicine’ and ‘Homoeopathy’ and other related scientific/regulatory information pertaining to functional area of PCIM&H
- Apex Laboratory
- To act as Central Drug Testing cum Appellate Laboratory for ‘Indian Medicine’ and ‘Homoeopathy’
- To impart Capacity Building Training to Drug Regulatory Authorities and personnel engaged in Quality Control pertaining to ‘Indian Medicine’ and ‘Homoeopathy’
- To nurture and promote awareness on Quality assurance of drugs/formulations of ‘Indian Medicine’ and ‘Homoeopathy’ and drug research
- Repositories of authentic reference materials
- To maintain an authentic Reference Raw Materials (RRM) Repository of raw materials used in ‘Indian Medicine’ and ‘Homoeopathy’
- To maintain an authentic Reference Chemical Markers (RCM) Repository of chemical moieties with established therapeutic significance for drugs/formulations of ‘Indian Medicine’ and ‘Homoeopathy’
2 . Smart Farming
PIB Release : https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848720
Context: Government is promoting adoption of smart farming methods through the use of technology and innovation in the agriculture sector in the country.
What is smart Farming
- Smart farming is a concept focused on providing the agricultural industry with the infrastructure to leverage advanced technology – including big data, the cloud and the internet of things (IoT) – for tracking, monitoring, automating and analyzing operations.
- Also known as precision agriculture, smart farming is software-managed and sensor-monitored.
- Smart farming is growing in importance due to the combination of the expanding global population, the increasing demand for higher crop yield, the need to use natural resources efficiently, the rising use and sophistication of information and communication technology and the increasing need for climate-smart agriculture.
Initiatives undertaken by Govt under smart farming
- Government is implementing a Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) which includes
- India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA),
- Farmers Database
- Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI),
- Funding to the States on the new Technology (NeGPA),
- Revamping Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC),
- Soil Health, Fertility and profile mapping.
- Under the NeGPA programme funding is given to State Governments for Digital Agriculture projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IOT), Block chain etc.
- The Per Drop More Crop component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through micro irrigation technologies, i.e., drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.
- The GoI started eNAM (National Agriculture Market), an electronic trading portal which creates networks between the existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis for the farmers.
- Adoption of drone technologies is being done (spraying fertilizers).
- To promote smart farming, the Government promotes Startups in the Agriculture sector and nurtures agri-entrepreneurs.
3 . Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) for Pharmaceutical companies
PIB Release : https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848757
Context: The Government has put in place a Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices, to prevent unethical practices by the pharmaceutical companies.
Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP)
- The Government has put in place a Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) for Pharmaceutical companies, which is in operation since 2015, to prevent unethical practices by the pharmaceutical companies.
- This code governs the conduct of pharmaceutical companies in their marketing practices, duly covering the various aspects such as medical representatives, textual and audio-visual promotional materials, samples, gifts, etc.
- Further, the code establishes relationship with healthcare professionals, wherein the provisions related to travel facilities, hospitality and cash or monetary grants to physicians or their families have been elaborated.
- The code also details the mode of operation of the code, responsibilities of the Pharmaceutical Associations in constituting the Ethics Committee for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (ECPMP) for handling the complaints and Apex Ethics Committee for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (AECPMP) for review, procedure of lodging a complaint, procedure of handling of complaints by the Pharmaceutical Associations and various penalty provisions.
- The complaints of violation of the voluntary UCPMP by pharma companies which are perceived by the Department are forwarded to the concerned associations for taking necessary action.
Other initiatives to counter the unethical marketing practices:
- The Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 formed under Indian Medical Council Act, 1956: It provides for conduct for doctors and professional association of doctors in their relationship with pharmaceutical and allied health sector industry. Under this, any complaint of professional misconduct of a medical practitioner or professional is to be addressed by the respective State Medical Councils.
- Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956,
- Other provisions available under the Income Tax Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Prevention of Corruption Act, etc.
4 . Badhe Chalo movement
PIB Release – https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848855
Context : With the objective of connecting with the youth of the nation, and to instil a deeper sense of patriotism among them, the Ministry of Culture, has decided to create a youth centric activation for greater outreach of Amrit Mahotsav named ‘Badhe Chalo’.
About Badhe Chalo Movement
- It is designed to involve the youth of the country encouraging them to come forward and imbibe the true spirit of our democracy and celebrate 75 years of India’s independence with youthful fervour.
- Through this mass movement or ‘Jan Bhagidari’ initiative, the Ministry of Culture also intends to amplify and support the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ movement.
- This movement has been initiated by the Honourable Prime Minister and Home Minister and it calls upon every Indian to hoist a Tiranga in their homes between August 13th– 15th, 2022.
- To connect and to bring the youth and people together from across the country on one platform, Badhe Chalo will feature Flash Dances, where dancers will perform on a specially created ‘Youth Anthem’. Through these Flash Dances the Ministry aims to spread the message and spirit of the Amrit Mahotsav in an entertaining and enthusiastic manner.
- Badhe Chalo is being held across 10 cities every day from 5th August to 11th August, 2022. These events will culminate with a Grand Finale on 12th August, 2022at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.
5 . Food Processing Sectors
PIB Release – https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848839
Context: The contribution of the food processing sector has increased continuously with Gross Value Added (GVA) in food processing sector from Rs.1.34 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs. 2.37 lakh crore in 2020-21 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 9.97%.
Initiatives taken by government to boost Food processing sector:
- The Ministry of Food Processing Industries(MoFPI) implements the Pradhan MantriKisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) which, inter–alia, aims at creation of modern post-harvest infrastructure, value addition, providing better returns to farmers, creation of off-farm employment opportunities etc.
- The Ministry is also implementing the PM- Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme for providing financial, technical and business support for setting up/upgradation of two lakh existing micro food processing enterprises across the country on One District One Product (ODOP) approach.
- A new Production Linked Incentive scheme (PLIS) for Food Processing Sector is being implemented to support creation of global food manufacturing champions. The scheme incentivizes investment and will promote exports and employment in the sector.
- To attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the food processing sector, the Government has put in place an investor-friendly policy wherein 100% FDI is allowed for food products’ manufacturing under the automatic route, and 100% FDI under Government approval route is allowed for retail trading, including through e-commerce, in respect of food products manufactured and/or produced in India.
- Also, to facilitate all investment interests, MoFPI has set up a dedicated NiveshBandhu Portal as well as an Investment Facilitation Cell with Invest India.
6 . Facts for Prelims
EMF Emission – https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848739
- Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as Radiation, that are associated with the use of electrical power and various forms of natural and man-made lighting. EMFs are typically grouped into one of two categories by their frequency:
- Non-ionizing: low-level radiation which is generally perceived as harmless to humans. Sources: Microwave ovens, Computers, House energy smart, meters, Wireless networks, Cell Phones, Bluetooth devices, Power lines etc
- Ionizing: high-level radiation which has the potential for cellular and DNA damage. Sources: Sunlight, X-Rays, Some Gamma Rays
- The International EMF Project of World Health Organisation has published an information sheet in 2005 on effect of EMF emissions on animals, insects, vegetation and aquatic life and has concluded that the exposure limits in the Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines for protection of human health are also protective of the environment.
- The present norms for Electromagnetic Field (EMF) emissions from mobile towers in India are already ten times more stringent (even lower) than the safe limits prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO.
Grand onion challenge – https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848824
- The Grand Onion Challenge is instituted by Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
- This challenge seeks ideas from young professionals, professors, scientists in product designs and prototypes for improving pre-harvesting techniques, primary processing, storage, and transportation of post harvested onions in the country.
- The challenge also seeks ideas for modernization of technology in dehydration, valorisation of onions and onion food processing domain.
National Water Awards – https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848661
- The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched the 4th National Water Awards on the Rashtriya Puraskar portal.
- The National Water Awards (NWAs) were introduced to recognize and encourage exemplary work and efforts made by States, Districts, individuals, organizations, etc. across the country in accomplishing the government’s vision ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’.
- It aims to sensitize the public about the importance of water and motivates them to adopt the best water usage practices. The award winners in different categories will be presented with a citation, trophy, and cash prize.
- The objective of the National Water Awards is to encourage the stakeholders to adopt a holistic approach toward water resource management in the country as surface water and groundwater play a significant role in the water cycle.
- In order to embrace these objectives, the first edition of the National Water Awards was introduced in the year 2018 by the Department.
Governing Council of NITI Aayog – https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1848659
- NITI Aayog’s Governing Council comprises the Prime Minister of India; Chief Ministers of all the states and union territories with legislature; Lt Governors of other UTs; Ex-Officio Members; Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Full-Time Members, NITI Aayog; and Union Ministers as Special Invitees.
- It is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national priorities and strategies with the active involvement of States and Union Territories.
- It presents a platform to discuss inter-sectoral, inter-departmental and federal issues.
- It provides one of the most important forum for deliberations between the Centre and States and identifying key strategies for cohesive action with a whole-of-Government approach.