11 Aug 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. ECI hosts virtual Asian Regional Forum Meet
2. National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM)
3. Automated Online Data Transfer - From PLI applicants' ERP system to PLI Auto Portal

1. ECI hosts virtual Asian Regional Forum Meet

Syllabus – GS 2, Polity; Functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies – ECI (Election Commission of India)

Prelims – Virtual Asian Regional Forum meet on the theme – ‘Making our Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative’. 

Details –

• The meet was a precursor to the “Summit for Electoral Democracy” to be hosted by the National Electoral Institute of Mexico in September 2022.
• Chief Election Commissioner of India, Shri Rajiv Kumar in his keynote address said that democracy and democratic institutions flourish only when all groups are fully represented. Democracy is meaningful when it is inclusive, accessible and participative (despite the social, political and economic differences).
• CEC urged all Election Management Bodies (EMBs) for continuous self-evaluation and strengthening of their systems, to meet the rising expectations from citizens and deal with the emerging challenges during the electoral process. He added that the framework for assessment and so-called ranking of democracies by global evaluating agencies should be objective and contextual, factoring in the magnitude, socio, cultural & geographical context in which each country and EMB functions.
• CEC said that the Commission undertook a far-sighted reform during the Covid-19 period by introducing the Postal Ballot facility for 80+ senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PwD) and those who were COVID positive/suspect. CEC said that there is scope to explore the possibilities of remote voting for the inclusion of migrant voters as well as marginalised voters to end barriers in the electoral processes more effectively.
• The initiatives taken by the Election Commission of India over the years to ensure “No Voter is Left Behind” include ‘Basic Minimum Facilities’ at polling stations, all-women managed polling stations, separate queues & toilets for women, postal ballot facility, Braille EPIC, wheelchair facility with volunteers, transport to and from the polling station, a mobile app for Persons with Disabilities, recognizing transgender as the third gender and creating an Accessibility Division within ECI among others.
• Representatives from Election Management Bodies of Mexico, Mauritius, Philippines, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Maldives, International IDEA, Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) and International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) participated in the meet.
• The Asian Regional Forum (ARF) meet had two sessions – the first session on ‘Inclusive Elections’ and the second session on ‘Accessible Elections’.

2. National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM)

Syllabus – GS 3, Science and Technology; Issues relating to Intellectual Property Rights

Prelims – NIPAM

Details –

• NIPAM has achieved the target of imparting Intellectual Property (IP) awareness and basic training to 1 million students covering 3662 educational institutions in 28 states and 7 Union Territories.

About – 

• NIPAM was launched on 8th Dec 2021 as a part of the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” celebrations.
• It is a flagship programme to impart Intellectual Property (IP) awareness and basic training.
• The program is being implemented by the Intellectual Property Office, the Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

3. Automated Online Data Transfer – From PLI applicants’ ERP system to PLI Auto Portal

Syllabus – GS 2, Economy; Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment

Prelims – PLI Scheme (Auto)

Details –

• The Ministry of Heavy Industries launched Automated Online Data Transfer for capturing critical data related to Domestic Value Addition (DVA) from the  PLI applicant’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning ) system to PLI Auto Portal.
• All approved applicants of the PLI Scheme have their own ERP (type of software that organisations use to manage business activities) system. The IT-enabled system has been devised to enable the smooth transfer of data from the applicant’s existing ERP system to the PLI Auto portal of MHI in a safe environment. The Application Programming Interface (API) will get embedded with the ERP system of the applicant and will enable automaticity and paperless processing in this scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaigns are expected to get a major boost by this system.
• The Government has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the Automobile and Auto Component Industry in India (PLI-Auto) for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities for Advanced Automotive Products (AAT).
  • The PLI-Auto Scheme proposes financial incentives to boost domestic manufacturing of Advanced Automotive Technology (AAT) products and attract investments in the automotive manufacturing value chain.
  • The scheme incentivizes only those eligible AAT products for which a minimum of 50% Domestic Value Addition (DVA) is achieved. This criterion shall reduce imports from outside India.
• This system of automaticity and paperless working shall be continued over the period of 5 years under the Scheme i.e. from FY 2022-23 to FY2026-27.

Read previous PIB here.

August 11th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here