UPSC 2017-18: PIB Summary and Analysis Sept 10

GENERAL STUDIES PAPER 3

Topic: Economy

Technology Advancement uplifts Productivity at India’s Major Ports

In news:

• Technological advancement for modernization of major ports and reforms for enhancing ease of doing business are driving and sustaining the growth trend line at India’s major ports.
• The country’s 12 major ports together handled 273.96 Million Tonnes of cargo between April to August, 2017 as against 265.31 Million Tonnes handled during the corresponding period of previous year, an overall growth of 3.26%.

Technological advancement:

• The RFID tagging at gates has been implemented at all ports. This enables seamless entry-exist of trucks and in-port movement to optimize cargo flow, besides enhancing security. Trucks as well as drivers’ entry-exist is recorded using RFID card system doing away with paperwork thus reducing human interface. This is one of the steps taken in order to benchmark major ports with globally renowned ports.
• Legislative reforms: to weed out old obsolete laws and enhancing connectivity of ports to improve their efficiency under its Sagarmala Programme.
• RBI report highlights: acknowledged higher growth in cargo traffic as well as efficiency gains measured in turnaround time at ports which is helping in transforming Indian economy.

6 Zonal Helplines to be launched from coming October: Shri Ram Vilas Paswan

Context: redressing the grievances of the consumer.

In news:

• Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public said that 6 Zonal Helplines will be launched in the country from coming October.
• Every zonal helpline will have 10 consumer desk. In this way, 60 consumer desk will work additionally in the country apart from National Consumer Helpline.
• Earlier 14 NCH counters were working for redressing the grievances of the consumer, which has been increased to 60.
• Earlier average response time was taken about 7 minute in the National Consumer Helpline which is now almost instant available

Topic: Internal Security and Defense related

Successful Flight Test of 3rd Generation Anti Tank Guided Missile – NAG

In news:

• India’s indigenously developed 3rd generation Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), Nag has been successfully flight tested twice by DRDO.
• The ATGM Nag missile has successfully hit the targets under different ranges and conditions with very high accuracy as desired by the Armed Forces.
• The complete functionality of Nag ATGM along with launcher system NAMICA has been established and marked the successful completion of development trials of Nag Missile.