16 Aug 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Yamuna par Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav
2. Manthan Platform

1. Yamuna par Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

Syllabus: GS3, Conservation; Environmental Pollution.

Prelims – Yamuna Par Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Arth Ganga, Jalaj, ImAvtar.

Details –

• Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of Independence and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.
• Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat presided over the event ‘Yamuna Par Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, in Delhi organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• The event marked the launch of many new initiatives under the Arth Ganga concept, put forward by PM Modi to get the river and people connected through the economic bridge to ensure sustainability to the activities under “Namami Gange”, the flagship program of the Government to clean Ganga and its tributaries. Arth Ganga initiatives include the virtual launch of the Jalaj initiative at 26 locations in Ganga basin main stem states – (Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal), an MoU with Sahakar Bharati to achieve the vision of a sustainable and viable economic development by public participation and a tourism-related portal ImAvatar to promote livelihood opportunities along the Ganga basin by promoting Arth Ganga initiative through tourism.
• Speaking on the commitment of the Central Government to clean the polluted 22 km stretch of River Yamuna in Delhi, Shri Shekhawat said that by December 2022, a marked difference would be seen in downstream of River Yamuna in Delhi.

About Arth Ganga –

• The Arth Ganga concept was taken up by the Prime Minister during the 1st National Ganga Council meeting in 2019 in Kanpur, for sustainable river rejuvenation.
• The central idea of  “Arth Ganga” is linking people and Ganga through the bridge of economics in line with the slogan of “Banking on River Ganga”. Under Arth Ganga, six verticals are being worked upon: 
  • Zero Budget Natural Farming that includes chemical-free farming for 10 km on either side of the river.
  • Reuse of treated water for irrigation; industrial purposes and revenue generation for ULBs (Urban Local Bodies).
  • Livelihood Generation Opportunities, promotion of local products, Ayurveda, medicinal plants, capacity building of volunteers like Ganga Praharis.
  • Public participation to ensure increased synergies between stakeholders.
  • Cultural Heritage & Tourism that looks to introduce boat tourism through community jetties, promotion of yoga, adventure tourism etc. and Ganga Artis and
  • Institutional building by enhancing the local capacities for better-decentralised water governance.

2. Manthan Platform

Syllabus: Science and Technology – developments and their applications.

Prelims – Manthan – a platform for driving R&D collaboration at scale and achieving India’s scientific missions and UN SDGs.

Details –

• The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India (GoI), announced the launch of the Manthan platform, which aims to promote collaboration at scale between industry and the scientific research and development ecosystem to help meet India’s sustainability goals in alignment with the UN defined Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) charter.
• This platform presents an opportunity to bring national and global communities closer to India’s technology revolution. It can potentially change the landscape of science and technology-based social impact innovation and solutions in India. The platform will facilitate knowledge transfers and interactions through Information Exchange Sessions, Exhibitions, and Events to develop a framework for future science, innovation, and technology-led growth.

Read previous PIB here.

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