UPSC 2017-18: PIB Summary and Analysis Nov 13

PM visits IRRI, Mahaveer Philippine Foundation

• Shri Narendra Modi, today visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), at Los Banos, in Philippines.
• A ‘rice field laboratory’ named after Prime Minister Modi was also inaugurated by him at the institute.
• He unveiled a plaque marking the inauguration of the Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory.

What is it?

• IRRI is a premier research organisation dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science; improving the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; and protecting the rice growing environment for future generations.
• IRRI aims to improve livelihoods and nutrition, abolishing poverty, hunger and malnutrition among those who depend on rice-based agri-food systems.
• In doing so, IRRI’s work protects the health of rice farmers and consumers, and the environmental sustainabilityof rice farming in a world challenged by climate change. IRRI’s work promotes the empowerment of women and supports opportunities for youth in an equitable agri-food system.
• IRRI is one of 15 agricultural research centers in the world that form the CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers, a global partnership of organizations engaged in research on food security. It is also the largest non-profit agricultural research center in Asia

India and its relationship

• India is also setting up a regional centre of the IRRI in Varanasi, to develop high-yielding rice varieties.
• The IRRI, which has offices in 17 countries, is known for its work in developing rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution in 1960s.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi contributed two Indian rice seed varieties to the gene bank of the international rice research centre

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
• Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.
• The motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.

Aims and Purposes

• To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
• To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
• To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
• To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
• To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
• To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
• To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

ASEAN Plus Three

• People’s Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea.

Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI)

• It is a currency swap agreement among ASEAN +3,
• It provides emergency liquidity to those economies during crises.

East Asia Summit (EAS)

• Established in 2005, EAS allows the principal players in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss issues of common interest and concern, in an open and transparent manner, at the highest level.
• The membership of EAS consists of ten ASEAN Member States, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand, Russian Federation and the USA.
• EAS is an initiative of ASEAN and is based on the premise of the centrality of ASEAN.

Context

31st ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit being held in Manila, Philippines

PM expresses pain over the loss of lives due to capsizing of a boat in the Krishna River

• At least 17 people died after a boat full of members from Ongole Walkers Club capsized in Krishna River at Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada
• The tourists were travelling from Bhavani Island to Pavitra Sangham near Vijayawada when the mishap occurred.

What was the cause?

• Officials said that with fading light, the boat driver misjudged the depth of water a metres away from the jetty and took a wrong turn and hit sand bars which possibly resulted in the mishap.

Northeast to get India’s first ever ‘Air Dispensary’: Dr Jitendra Singh 

• Northeast is all set to get India’s first-ever “Air Dispensary” based in a helicopter and the Union Ministry of Development of Northeast (DONER) has already contributed Rs. 25 crore as part of the initial funding for this initiative.
• The experiment being introduced in the Northeast, at the behest of the Ministry of Northeast/DoNER, can also be emulated in other hill states having difficult topography like Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, he added.

India Youth Development Index 

• The Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, an Institute of National Importance has come out with Youth Development Index and Report 2017

Objective

• The objective of constructing the India Youth Development Index (YDI) 2017 is to track the trends in Youth Development across the States.
• The Index enables recognizing the high and low performing states, identifies the weak domains and informs the policy makers the priority areas of intervention for youth development in the states.

Criteria

• Constructing Youth Development Index for the year 2017 was done using the latest definition of youth as used in National Youth Policy – 2014 (India) and World Youth Development Report of Commonwealth (15 – 29 years) as well as using the Commonwealth Indicators in order to facilitate Global comparison.

Significance

• This report is of immense value to enable comparisons across geographical areas and categories, as human development index has done in comparing the development situation across regions, nations and localities.
• The index also measures the achievements made besides serving as an advocacy tool for youth development and facilitates to identify priority areas for development of Policy and Interventions.
• It will enable the policy makers track the national and the regional progress as well setbacks in youth development policies, planning, priority identification and implementation strategies

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2020.

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