23 Apr 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Panchayati Raj Day
2. BioNest - Bioincubator
3. Sankalp Se Siddhi Summit

1. National Panchayati Raj Day

Syllabus: GS II, Governance, Important aspects of governance

Prelims: Panchayati Raj Day

Mains: Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the governance of rural areas and developmental interventions contributing to the socio-economic empowerment of rural masses.  

Context: In order to celebrate the Panchayati Raj Day, the Prime Minister will address the Gram Sabhas and Panchayati Raj representatives across the country from Jammu and Kashmir.

About Panchayati Raj Day: highlights of essence

• The Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated on every 24th day of April wherein Panchayati Raj system was accorded the constitutional status. 
• This occasion gives an opportunity to engage into a direct dialogue with the representatives of Panchayat across the villages of the country. 
• Therefore, it is celebrated with a ‘whole of society’ approach resulting in the maximum possible Jan Bhagidari (means people’s participation). 
• Property cards under the SVAMITVA scheme were distributed among the beneficiaries that intended to empower the rural masses and make them self-reliant. 

Read about Panchayati Raj System in the shared link

National Panchayati Raj Day 2022: Awards

• Every year, on this day, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj awards the best performing Panchayats/States/ Union Territories under the Incentivisation of Panchayats  Scheme to recognise the good work done for the better delivery of services. 
• The National Panchayat Awards 2022 were conferred under the following categories:
• Child friendly Gram Panchayat Award – to Gram Panchayats, Village Councils in states/UTs
• Gram Panchayat Development Plan Award – to Gram Panchayats, Village Councils in states/UTs
• Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar 
• Deendayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar – To district Panchayats, block panchayats, Gram Panchayats, Village Councils in states/UTs. 
• The e-Panchayat Puraskar was conferred to the states which have ensured maximum use of information technology for monitoring works of Panchayats. 

Read in details about National Panchayati Raj Day in the linked article

2. BioNest – Bioincubator

Syllabus: GS III, Science & Technology, Awareness in the field of bio-technology

Prelims: Bioincubators, CSIR, BIRAC

Mains: Initiatives taken by the government to fillip start-ups in India

Context: The BioNEST -Bioincubation Centre set up by CSIR-IIIM has been inaugurated in Jammu. 

Delving Deeper:

• The bioincubator set up of CSIR IIIM aims to provide livelihood to the youth of the region of Jammu. 
• It was reported that 64 start-ups have registered under CSIR-IIIM in a very short span of time. 
• The inauguration of the BioNEST bioincubator will offer fillip to the technology exhibition held at the Prime Minister’s rally to grace the nationwide celebration of Panchayati Raj Diwas at Palli in Samba district of Jammu. 

What is meant by bioincubation?

• Bioincubation is an innovative programme under which the entrepreneurial potential of start-ups is harnessed and provided with infrastructural facilities, mentoring and networking platforms boosting the biotech sector in India with joint efforts of the central and state governments. 
• BioNEST is an innovative and a landmark initiative of the government that exemplifies a futuristic governance model in the area of biotechnology. 

About BioNEST:

• This bioincubator was launched by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) to foster a biotech innovation ecosystem in the country. 
• Bioincubators for the cornerstone of establishing industry to run major operations and experiments facilitating the production of biotech/bio-pharmaceutical products. 
• The BioNEST programme will enable the setup of bioincubators either as a standalone entity or as a part of research and academia.

Image Source : birac.nic.in

About BIRAC:

• It is a not-for-profit public sector enterprise set up by the Department of Biotechnology, Government Of India.
• It was established as an interface agency to strengthen and empower the emerging biotech enterprises to undertake strategic research and development, innovation, addresing nationally relevant product development needs. 
• It acts as a bridge between industry and academia with various range of impact initiatives. 
• Its major functions include:
  • Provide access to risk capital through targeted funding
  • Technology transfer
  • Intellectual property management
  • Boosting hand holding schemes that promote innovation excellence to biotech firms
  • Initiate partnerships with several national and global partners to collaborate and deliver the salient features of its mandate. 
• Long term aim of BIRAC is to play a transformative and catalytic role in building a $100 billion Indian bioeconomy with a focus on enhancing the capabilities of biotech start-ups, biotech infrastructure and subject matter experts.

3. Sankalp Se Siddhi Summit

Syllabus: GS III, Economic Development, Inclusive growth

Prelims: About Salkalp Se Siddhi, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

Mains: Leveraging digital connectivity for inclusive growth

Context: In a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Culture, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and India@75 Foundation, a conference on Sankalp Se Siddhi was organised in New Delhi. 

Overview of the Conference:

• The conference commenced with the major objective of igniting the spirit of shaping and designing developmental policies keeping the people at the bottom of the pyramid at the core of such policies. 
• It also emphasised on creating more avenues for the young and employable population to participate in the nation-building process and give them a platform to develop their skills. 
• The role of the industrial leaders in nation building has been acknowledged. 
• There has been extensive attention given to leverage digital platforms to build a future-ready, inclusive and resilient India heading towards a holistic economic development. 
• A session on Volunteer Engagement Strategy for India@100 was conducted with the intent of institutionalisation of volunteerism so that it transforms from a social practice to a nation building activity.

Five themes highlighted :

• Five themes were highlighted to add value to the developmental efforts of the government and industry pertaining to digitisation. 
• These themes include:
• Electronics and other kind of manufacturing
• Lead in semiconductor sector
• Use of public digital platforms
• Convergence between telecom and Information Technology to reap the benefits of digitisation. 

To get a comprehensive understanding of Sankalp Se Siddhi, follow the link.

Read previous PIB here.

April 23rd, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here