18 Apr 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Rail Museum represents 169 years of rich heritage of Indian Railways
2. India's sugar exports grow by 291% since 2013-14
3. National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise (NCX India)
4. Government appoints Lt Gen Manoj C Pande as next Chief of Army Staff
5. Photo exhibition on the Baolis of Delhi on the occasion of World Heritage Day

1. National Rail Museum represents 169 years of rich heritage of Indian Railways

Context: National Rail Museum (NRM) has announced the launch of online ticketing for NRM. 

National Rail Museum (NRM):

• The National Rail Museum represents 169 years of the rich heritage of Indian Railways.
• Foundation: Shri V.V Giri, the then President of India, laid the foundation stone for the Rail Transport Museum (R.T.M) at its present site in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi in 1971.
• Inauguration: The museum was inaugurated by Shri Kamlapati Tripathi, the then Hon’ble Minister of Railways in 1977. 
• National Rail Museum houses locomotives and coaches from the princely states across the Indian subcontinent.  

2. India’s sugar exports grow by 291% since 2013-14

Context: India’s sugar exports have witnessed astounding growth.

Sugar Export of India 2022:

• India’s sugar exports increased 291% from USD 1,177 million in FY 2013-14 to USD 4600 million in FY 2021-22. 
• Sugar exports jumped 65 per cent in 2021-22 corresponding to 2021. 
• India is the world’s second-largest sugar producer after Brazil.
• India exported sugar to 121 countries across the world during the financial year ending March 2022.
  • India has exported sugar worth USD 769 million to Indonesia, followed by Bangladesh (USD 561 million), Sudan (USD 530 million) and U.A.E (USD 270 million). 
• Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka account for nearly 80 percent of the total sugar production in the country. 
  • The other major sugarcane-producing states are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Haryana, and Punjab.

Table: Sugar Export

3. National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise (NCX India)

Context: National Security Advisor inaugurated the National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise.

National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise (NCX India) 

• The program is being conducted by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Govt. of India in association with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and supported by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
• National Cyber Exercise (NCX) India aims to train senior management and technical personnel of Government/Critical Sector organizations and agencies on contemporary cyber threats and handling cyber incidents and response.
• Benefits:
  • NCX India will help strategic leaders to better understand cyber threats, assess readiness, and develop skills for cyber crisis management and cooperation. 
  • This will also help develop and test cybersecurity skills, teamwork, planning, communication, critical thinking, and decision-making.

4. Government appoints Lt Gen Manoj C Pande as next Chief of Army Staff

Context: Government has appointed Lt Gen Manoj C Pande as the next Chief of the Army Staff.

Role of the Chief of the Indian Army:

• The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is the Indian Army’s highest-ranking officer and the head of the Indian Army Headquarters.
• The COAS is the Defense Minister’s primary advisor on all matters pertaining to the army.
• He’s also a top military adviser to the president, who is the country’s supreme commander.

Selection process of the Chief of the Indian Army:

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) makes appointments to the position of army chief.
  • The Prime Minister, the Minister of Home Affairs, and the Defense Ministry make up the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
• The Centre has a tradition of appointing the most senior officer to the position of army chief. The seniority principle, however, is not always followed.

5. Photo exhibition on the Baolis of Delhi on the occasion of World Heritage Day

Context: Union Minister for Culture inaugurated a photo exhibition on the Baolis of Delhi on the occasion of World Heritage Day.

About Baoli:

• The word Baoli/Bawdi has been derived from the Sanskrit word wapi or vapi/vapika. 
• A typical Baoli usually consists of three elements, the well in which the water is collected, the flight of steps to reach the groundwater through several stories and interconnected pavilions. 
• Generally, the step-wells are U – shaped but there are always exceptions in architecture and L – shaped, rectangular or octagonal step-wells are also not uncommon.
• Baoli is commonly used in Gujarat, Rajasthan and parts of North India.
• Stepwells located on the edge of the habitation like towns or satellite villages are mostly secular structures from where people can draw water and utilize the space for cool gatherings. 
• The step-wells near the trade routes were mostly treated as resting places whereas the step-wells with terracotta rims were seen near the agricultural lands. 
• The system of step wells/baolis collapsed due to the pressure of decentralization and agricultural intensification.

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