UPSC 2017-18: PIB Summary and Analysis Aug 28 for IAS Exam Preparation.
Sport empowers individuals, transform communities and inspire
populations for positive change: Vice President
The platform of National Sports Talent Search Portal will be a game changer and enable the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Sports Authority of India select the best. This platform will be fast, transparent and provide a mechanism for fair selection. Only meritorious and talented young sportspersons will be selected.
The portal is also available as a Mobile App, which can be downloaded on the smartphones. It gives me lot of satisfaction to know that the talent search portal and App have been developed by IRIS, a highly reputed software and data analytics company, under corporate social responsibility (CSR) support.
Importance of Sports
Sport empowers individuals, transform communities and inspire populations for positive change. It has become a tool of transformation, weaning villagers away from addiction, breaking caste barriers within the community, bringing women out of the home and empowering them, and reviving spirit and pride in individuals and the village as a whole.
The games foster friendships, unity and a healthy vibrant community. This simple but powerfully uplifting intervention renews the joy and spirit of community kinship. For women, the blossoming of their self-confidence and spirit of initiative in this space is the bedrock for societal change tomorrow.
Sport plays an important role in improving physical and mental health, and fostering active citizenship and social inclusion. It also inculcates leadership skills, team spirit and enables a person to develop a sense of equanimity during a win or a loss.
Sport is a good entry-point for the promotion of life skills-based education and healthy lifestyles, including the values of physical fitness, proper nutrition and how to make choices that positively impact health. There is evidence that sport and play enhance child development, learning and encourage better academic performance. Sport is a powerful social tool, bringing together people from different ethnic, cultural, religious, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds.
Sports should be an integral part of our everyday life. Some people think that sports is important only for physical well-being, I feel sports is important for overall development of an individual. We are a large and diverse nation. Sports can be a great means of national integration. From sports, we learn sportsman spirit and that acts as a lubricant in our social life. More than winning, sports helps you learn to deal with defeats. Sports helps you become a fighter.
Sport increases self-esteem among adolescent girls and provides opportunities for the advancement of girls in the face of gender-related barriers. Sport can be used to promote a safe and protective environment for children and to teach young people how to solve conflict in a non-violent manner. Sport activities can be low-cost and utilize locally-available resources. Sports help children develop physical skills, get exercise, learn to play as a member of a team, learn to play fair, and improve self-esteem.
Healthy people make a healthy nation. If everybody is active and healthy, they can lead a happy life besides being more productive economically. The importance of health in our country is acknowledged over the ages through the saying ‘Aarogyame Maha Bhagyam’ which translates to ‘Health is Wealth’. That being the case, things are different today. Our country is fast emerging as the ‘diabetic capital’ of the world. It is because of modern life styles, food habits and declining physical activity. This is a serious socio-economic challenge for our country.
Our country has always been rich in culture and tradition, and games have been an important part of Indian culture from times in memorial. Gradually the time changed and so did our sports.
Women motorbike riders group – Biking Queens – calls on PM
A group of 50 women motorbike riders from Gujarat – the Biking Queens – today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The group says they have driven over 10,000 km, covering 13 States/UTs, and interacted with people on social themes, such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao; and Swachh Bharat. On 15th August, 2017, they unfurled the tricolour at Khardungla, in Ladakh.
Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed Chief of Naval Staff Bangladesh Navy
Visits India
Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through Training, Port Calls, Passage Exercises along with Capability Building and Capacity Augmentation initiatives.
Bangladesh Navy is also the present Chair of the Indian Ocean Symposium (IONS), which is a Multilateral Maritime Cooperation platform launched by the Indian Navy. Bangladesh Navy is also scheduled to conduct an International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise titled IMMSAREX in November 2017, which is being held under the IONS construct.
Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
The ‘Indian Ocean Naval Symposium’ (IONS) is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.
In the process, it endeavours to generate a flow of information between naval professionals that would lead to common understanding and possibly cooperative solutions on the way ahead.
That the launch of so important a regional initiative was able to meet with such wide acceptance across the length and breadth of the Indian Ocean was in itself a unique phenomenon. There are 35 members – navies of the IONS which have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions:-
South Asian Littorals – Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka
West Asian Littorals – Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen
East African Littorals – Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eriteria, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania
South East Asian and Australian Littorals – Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste.
1st Edition in New Delhi
The inaugural IONS-2008 was held in New Delhi, India on 14 Feb 08.
CNS, Indian Navy was designated the Chairman IONS for the period 2008-10.
A ‘Charter of Business’ was mutually agreed to by the Chiefs of the member-navies, which has been forwarded to all the member navies for ratification.
The theme of the IONS-2008 was “Contemporary Trans-national Challenges – International Maritime Connectivities”.
2nd Edition in Abu-Dhabi
The 2nd edition i.e. IONS-2010 was held in Abu-Dhabi from 10 to 11 May 2010, wherein the baton of IONS Chairmanship was handed over to the Commander, UAE Navy.
The theme of IONS-2010 was “Together for the Reinforcement of Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean”.
Principal Objectives for the IONS Construct
To promote a shared understanding of the maritime issues facing the littoral nation-states of the Indian Ocean and the formulation of a common set of strategies designed to enhance regional maritime security.
To strengthen the capability of all littoral nation-states of the Indian Ocean to address present and anticipated challenges to maritime security and stability.
To establish and promote a variety of trans-national, maritime, cooperative-mechanisms designed to mitigate maritime-security concerns within the Indian Ocean.
To develop interoperability in terms of doctrines, procedures, organisational and logistic systems and operational processes, so as to promote the development of regional naval capacities for speedy, responsive and effective Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) throughout the Indian Ocean region.
Secure Email Service to Government of India
As part of the mandate under the Digital India program, Government will provide a secure eMail service to all its officials for secure communication. As of now the service will be offered to 5 million users. Currently the user base is 1.6 million.
In accordance with the eMail policy of the Government an email id will be assigned to all Government officials at the Centre and State through National Informatics Centre.
The primary trigger behind the policy was Government data which resides on servers outside India and on servers beyond the control of the Government of India.
This service will increase the productivity and become a step towards the “Green Government” as all official communication will be done using eMail. A pilot of the service has already been deployed and running for a select user base which includes senior officials.
This Service will be a National resource that will help Government of India employees to be better informed, productive, and more responsive in their interactions with others.
MNRE & GIZ Signs Agreement to Improve Framework Conditions for
Grid Integration of Renewable Energies
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India and its counterpart of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the “Indo-German Energy Programme – Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC)” here today .
The main objective of this programme component is to improve the sector framework and conditions for grid integration of renewable energies.
This relationship will result in improve market mechanisms and regulations, help India train manpower, to ensure grid stability & integration of renewables into grid and ensure safer & secure grid and a grid which can take cyber challenges.
Germany is a very reliable partner country and has been supporting India in achieving its goal for sustainable development through bilateral cooperation for almost six decade now.
Union Steel Minister calls for greater collaboration between Australia
and India in the area of Steel & Mining through technology transfer and
knowledge sharing
New India provided ample scope for strengthening bilateral relations through investments, technology transfer and knowledge sharing.
Australia is also keen on widening the scope of relations from Natural Resources to technology sharing and knowledge exchange. Australian investors are excited to witness growth and potential of business in India.
Both sides agreed to take the discussions further for working on areas of mutual interest and finding avenues for collaboration and cooperation.
Government to hold Pan India Handloom and Handicraft Camps
Hastkala Sahyog Shivir to cover more than 200 Handloom clusters and 200 Handicraft Clusters.
The Ministry of Textiles proposes to organize Pan India camps in handlooms and handicrafts clusters, under the initiative “Hastkala Sahyog Shivir”.
This initiative is dedicated to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Garib Kalyan Varsh, the birth centenary year of Pandit Deendayal Upadhayay.
The following services will be provided to the weavers and artisans in these camps:
- Issuance of credit facilities through MUDRA scheme
- Assistance for technological upgradation under Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata
- Distribution of modern tool kits and equipments
- Issuance of Yarn Pass Book
- Enrollment under IGNOU/NIOS courses
- Access to Common Service Centre facilities
- Buyer-seller meets and expos
NMCG Awards Contracts for Three STPs on Hybrid Annuity Mode
In a big push to Namami Gange programme, National Mission for Clean Ganga under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has awarded for the first time contracts for three STPs under hybrid annuity model.
This Hybrid Annuity model is first of its kind in the country’s waste water management sector. The Central Government will completely fund the STPs construction ensuring that there is no shortage of resources for the project. The unique financial model will ensure the transparency and accountability of the running of sewage treatment infrastructure.
The contractors will not only establish the sewage treatment plant but they will also operate and maintain it for a period of 15 years. Thereafter it will be handed over to the local bodies. This will ensure that no waste water is dumped in the holy river. The payment of the operations and management of the projects and the worth of the cost will be provided to the agency over a period of 15 years ensuring that the project runs smoothly.
NITI Aayog launches Ease of Doing Business Report: An Enterprise
Survey of Indian States
NITI Aayog launched today the Ease of Doing Business report based on an Enterprise Survey of 3,500 manufacturing firms across Indian states and union territories.
The survey has been conducted, along with the IDFC Institute, to assess the business regulations and enabling environment across India from firms’ perspective.
The major findings of this report are as follows:
Economic Performance and Reforms
A higher level of economic activity and better performance on a range of doing business indicators are strongly correlated.
Improvements over time
Newer and younger firms report a more favorable business environment in that they take less time in obtaining approvals than older firms, suggesting an improvement in the business environment.
Newer firms include startups established after 2014.
In addition, young firms report that most regulatory processes do not constitute a major obstacle to their doing business.
Informational gaps: States need to enhance awareness of the steps being undertaken by them to the improve ease of doing business. The survey data show low awareness among enterprises about single window systems, instituted by states.
On average, only about 20% of start-ups, which are of recent origin, report using single window facilities introduced by state governments for setting up a business.
Even among experts, only 41% have any knowledge of the existence of these facilities.
Labor regulations are a bigger constraint for labor intensive firms
We find that labor intensive sectors, that create proportionately more jobs per unit of capital investment, feel more constrained by labor related regulations. For example, compared to other enterprises, the enterprises in labor intensive sectors:
Barriers to firm growth
The experience of firms with fewer employees is different from that of larger firms. In some cases, large firms face more regulatory barriers than smaller firms.
Firms with more than 100 employees took significantly longer to get necessary approvals than smaller firms with less than 10 employees.
Large firms were also more likely to report that regulatory obstacles were a major impediment to doing business and that they incurred higher costs for getting approvals.
GS Paper 1
- Sport empowers individuals, transform communities and inspire populations for positive change. Discuss.
GS Paper 2
- An athlete participates in Olympics for personal triumph and nation’s glory; victors are showered with cash incentives by various agencies, on their return. Discuss the merit of state sponsored talent hunt and its cultivation as against the rationale of a reward mechanism as encouragement. (UPSC Mains 2014)
GS paper 3
- Labor intensive sectors, that create proportionately more jobs per unit of capital investment, feel more constrained by labor related regulations. Discuss the statement and suggest reforms in labor laws to improve the ease of doing business in the country.
You can find more topics by visiting the UPSC Syllabus page. For more preparation related articles, visit the following links.
Comments