12 Apr 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Vande Bharat Express Between Ajmer & Delhi
2. Namami Gange Signs Agreement with 49 Universities
3. MoU between Indian Navy and DST
4. Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)
5. 5th India-U.K Home Affairs Dialogue

1. Vande Bharat Express Between Ajmer & Delhi

Syllabus – GS3, Science & Technology: Indigenisation of Technology.

Prelims – Vande Bharat Express

Context – Shri Narendra Modi flagged off Rajasthan’s first Vande Bharat Express between Ajmer and Delhi Cantt. through video-conferencing.

Details –

• India’s 15th Vande Bharat Express, between Ajmer and Delhi Cantt. was flagged off by the Prime Minister. This is the first Vande Bharat Express in Rajasthan and also for the North-Western Railway (NWR) zone.
• The train will cover the distance between Delhi Cantt. and Ajmer in 5 hours 15 minutes. The Shatabdi Express, the fastest train on this route, covers the same distance in 6 hours and 15 minutes.
• The train will be the world’s first semi-high-speed passenger train on high-rise overhead electric (OHE) territory.
• During its journey between Ajmer and Delhi Cantonment and vice versa, the newly launched semi-high-speed train will stop at three railway stations. These are – Jaipur, Alwar, and Gurgaon. The train will improve the connectivity of major tourist destinations of Rajasthan – Pushkar, Ajmer Sharif, etc. and boost the region’s socio-economic development.
• Vande Bharat Express is an indigenously manufactured, semi-high speed and self-propelled train set. The train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities, providing passengers with a faster, more comfortable and convenient travel experience. 
• They are India’s first semi-high-speed train equipped with world-class passenger amenities. It can achieve high speeds due to faster acceleration and deceleration and will reduce journey time by 25 percent to 45 percent.

2. Namami Gange Signs Agreement with 49 Universities

Syllabus – GS3, environmental Pollution and Degradation.

Prelims – Namami Gange Programme 

Context – Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Minister for Jal Shakti presided over the Namami Gange: Universities Connect where an agreement was signed with 49 universities to foster awareness among youth regarding water conservation.

Details –

• The MoU signing ceremony was the culmination of the monthly webinar series “Igniting Young Minds: Rejuvenating Rivers” which was organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) with the leading educators of the universities.
• The objective of the monthly webinars was to inculcate awareness among youth regarding the importance of the conservation of water resources, river rejuvenation, agricultural practices and water reuse.
• A need was felt to develop a worldwide network of universities and to connect with the important stakeholders to make Namami Gange – a Jan Andolan.
• Namami Gange has been recognised by the United Nations as one of the top ten World Restoration Flagships to revive the natural world. Following the award, the initiative will be eligible to receive UN support, funding or technical expertise. The Namami Gange initiative is committed to reviving the River Ganga, and was started in 2014.

3. MoU between Indian Navy and DST

Syllabus – GS2, Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.

Prelims – MoU between Indian Navy & DST.

Context – A DST institute to partner with Indian Navy in developing secure maritime communications using Quantum Technology.

Details –

• The Raman Research Institute (RRI), a DST institute (Department of Science and Technology) signed an MoU with Indian Navy’s research and development establishment, the Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (WESEE) to lead the efforts towards developing quantum key distribution techniques that the maritime armed force could leverage towards securing free space communications.
• The MoU is valid for a period of five years.

4. Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)

Syllabus – GS3, Infrastructure – Industrial Policy

Prelims – SECI, Miniratnas

Context – SECI gets Miniratna Category I status.

Details –

• Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) Ltd, a Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) has been accorded the status of Miniratna Category-I.
• SECI was incorporated in the year 2011 and is the primary implementing agency of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, GoI.
• SECI has the highest credit rating of AAA by ICRA (Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency).
• SECI has played a vital role in the rapid increase of Renewable Energy generation capacity in the country, thereby contributing towards the nation’s climate commitments, reducing carbon footprint, and moving towards sustainable energy transition.

Also read – List of Miniratna Category-I.

5. 5th India-U.K Home Affairs Dialogue

Syllabus – GS2, International Relations: Bilateral agreements involving India and /or affecting India’s interest. 

Prelims – India – UK Bilateral Relations.

Context – The 5th India -U.K Home Affairs Dialogue was held in Delhi.

Details –

• The 5th India – U.K Home Affairs Dialogue was held in Delhi where the Indian delegation was led by Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Union Home Secretary and the U.K delegation was led by Sir Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary Home Office.
• The Indian side specifically conveyed its concerns on the misuse of the UK’s asylum status by the Pro-Khalistani elements to aid and encourage terrorist activities in India and asked for increased monitoring of UK-based Pro-Khalistan extremists and take appropriate proactive action.
• During the meeting, both sides reviewed the ongoing cooperation and identified further steps that can be taken to explore opportunities and synergies in advancing cooperation in counter-terrorism, cyber security and global supply chains, drug trafficking, migration, extradition, and anti-India activities in the UK.

Also read – India-UK Relations.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

April 12th, 2023, PIB:- Download PDF Here