13 Apr 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Tamil New Year Celebrations
2. Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI) & Animal Health System Support for
One Health (AHSSOH)
3. G20 Empower Meeting
4. Linking ATLs with KVKs and ATMA
5. Exercise Orion

1. Tamil New Year Celebrations

Syllabus – GS1, Indian Culture.

Prelims – Puthandu/Varsha Pirappu

Context– Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi took part in the Tamil New Year celebrations.

Details –

• Shri Narendra Modi expressed happiness to be part of Tamil New Year celebrations and said that ‘Puthandu is a festival of modernity in ancient tradition’. Shri Modi also recalled the contribution of Tamil people in the growth of the country after independence – C. Rajagopalachari, K Kamaraj and Dr Kalam. The contribution of Tamils in the field of medicine, law and academics is immense.
• Tamil literature is very rich and gives us knowledge of the past with inspiration for the future. Sangam literature tells us that many types of millets and srianna were used in ancient Tamil Nadu and this year, at the initiative of India, the whole world is connecting with the thousand-year-old tradition of millets.

Tamil New Year, 2023

• People from the Tamil community celebrate their New Year’s Day on April 14. Tamil New Year’s Day is known as Puthandu. Puthandu is also commonly known as Varsha Pirappu. 
• It is also celebrated by the members of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka and those located elsewhere in the world. Puthandu marks the arrival of the spring season.
• The celebration of Puthandu is an occasion for Tamils to offer thanks for the past year and to look forward to the new year with hope and optimism.

2. Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI) & Animal Health System Support for One Health (AHSSOH)

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

Prelims – APPI & AHSSOH

Context – Launch of APPI & AHSSOH on 14th April, 2023.

Details –

• The Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala will inaugurate the Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI) and the Animal Health System Support for One Health (AHSSOH) on 14th April 2023. 
• AHSSOH is a World Bank-funded project under the aegis of the National One Health Mission and aims to create an ecosystem for a better health management system using the One Health approach. It will be implemented in five states and will help in the capacity building of all stakeholders involved in animal health and disease management.
• AHSSOH will be implemented over a period of five years as a central sector scheme with a financial provision of Rs 1228.70 cr. 
• The project will develop an ecosystem in which there will be continuous training of veterinarians and para-veterinarians on innovative disease management practices and integrating disease reporting systems for enhanced surveillance of zoonotic and other animals. 
• The ‘One Health’ approach is important to save ourselves from future pandemics, which focuses on the health of people, animals and the environment.

Also read – World Bank Group

3. G20 Empower Meeting

Syllabus – GS2, Regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting  India’s interests.

Prelims – G20- India’s Presidency

Context – The second G20 EMPOWER meeting took place in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (5-6 April).

Details 

• The second G20 Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation (EMPOWER) under India’s Presidency was held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The meeting was organised by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• The meeting involved active participation from 18 participants from 8 G20 countries and nine participants from 6 International Organisations.
• The outcomes proposed by the delegates encompassed all three themes of G20 EMPOWER under the Indian Presidency – Women’s Entrepreneurship: A Win-Win for Equity and Economy, Education: A Game-changing Pathway to Women’s Empowerment, and Creating a Partnership for Promoting Women’s Leadership at all Levels including Grassroots. 
• Under G20 EMPOWER, a Mentorship Platform has been proposed to promote women’s leadership at all levels by enabling access to mentorship and capacity building through an e-platform. This would be hosted on the Women’s Empowerment Platform of  NITI Aayog, GoI. It would serve as a global mentoring and capacity-building portal.
• A Digital Inclusion platform has been developed as an education and upskilling portal that would help women across various geographies to get digital, technical and financial knowledge that will be important for jobs and entrepreneurship in future. 
• G20 EMPOWER recognised that women’s participation and representation in the decision-making process are very important for the prioritisation of women’s differential needs and issues in governance, and for localising the SDGs.

Also read – India Takes Over Presidency Of G20.

4. Linking ATLs with KVKs and ATMA

Syllabus – GS2, government policies and interventions.

Prelims – ATL, KVK & ATMA.

Context – Connecting Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) with Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA).  

Details –

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare have come together to connect Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) with KVKs and ATMA, in order to boost innovation in the agriculture sector among school students across the country.
• KVKs act as a ‘Single Window Agricultural Knowledge Resource and Capacity Development Centre’ and this partnership will provide various stakeholders with the necessary information, training and inputs. Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) and ATMA will collaborate with nearby ATLs to boost agriculture-related innovations.

5. Exercise Orion

Syllabus – GS3, Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate. 

Prelims – Exercise Orion- Multilateral International Exercise.

Context – Indian Air Force (IAF) to participate in Ex. Orion in France (17th April – 5th May 2023).

Details –

• Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent will participate in Multilateral International Exercise Orion at Mont-De-Marsan, an Air Force base of the French Air and Space Force (FASF).
• IAF contingent comprises four Rafael, two C-17, two ll-78 aircraft and 165 air warriors. 
• This will be for the first time that Indian Rafael jets will be participating in a military exercise being held in a different country. This is India’s most advanced aircraft with the latest military technology and is equipped with meteor air-to-air missiles with a range of 200 km and Scalp air-to-ground missiles with a range of 300 km.
• Apart from India and France, the other air forces participating in the exercise are Germany, Netherlands, Italy, U.K, Greece, Spain and the United States of America.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

April 13th, 2023, PIB:- Download PDF Here