9 Dec 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. GHAR-GO Home and  Re-Unite portal
2. International Fleet Review (IFR) hosted by Bangladesh
3. Heat-Resistant Variety of Wheat
4. National Mission For Clean Ganga

1. GHAR-GO Home and Re-Unite portal

Syllabus: GS 2, Social Justice.

Prelims: GHAR-GO Home and Re-Unite portal.

Mains: Issues related to children

Context: Portal for restoration and repatriation of children.

Details:

• GHAR – GO Home and Re-Unite (Portal for Restoration and Repatriation of Child) has been developed and launched by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
• The portal will digitally track and monitor children’s restoration and repatriation process.
• Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and Rules the Ministry of Women and Child Development administers and ensures the dignity, safety, security, and well-being of children.

For more information on NCPCR, read here: National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Salient Features of the Portal:

• Children under the Juvenile Justice system that requires repatriation to another Country/State/District would be digitally tracked and monitored.
• For speedy repatriation of children, cases will be digitally transferred to the concerned Juvenile Justice Board/Child Welfare Committee of the State.
• In case of a requirement for a translator/interpreter/expert, a request will be made to the concerned State Government through the portal.
• Child Welfare Committees and District Child Protection Officers can digitally monitor the progress of the restoration and rehabilitation of children.
• Identification of children who are being hard to repatriate or children who are not receiving their entitled compensation or other intended benefits.
• Implementation and linking of government schemes to strengthen the family and ensure that child remains with his/her family.

For more information, read here:  PIB Summary & Analysis for UPSC IAS Exam for 20th Nov 2022

2. International Fleet Review (IFR) hosted by Bangladesh

Syllabus: GS 2, International Relations.

Mains: Bilateral agreements involving India.

Prelims: International Fleet Review.

Context: The Indian Navy participated in the maiden International Fleet Review.

Details:

• The maiden International Fleet Review (IFR) was hosted by Bangladesh on 07 Dec 22. 
• The Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina reviewed the International Fleet comprising ships from Bangladesh Navy and 8 ships from six foreign countries namely India, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the USA.
• The Indian Navy contingent with three ships was the largest among other participants. The three ships were:
  • Guided Missile Destroyer INS Kochi
  • Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette INS Kavaratti
  • Offshore Patrol Vessel Sumedha 
• All these three ships are indigenously designed and developed. Their presence at the event showcased the ship-building capabilities of the Indian shipyard.
• The IFR complements the celebrations of 50 years of liberation of Bangladesh and the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ along with ‘Maitri Diwas’. 
  • Maitri Diwas is celebrated on 6 December every year to mark the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh.
• India’s presence at the event hosted by Bangladesh was a reiteration of strong bilateral relations between the two neighbours and the Indian Navy’s role in strengthening defence cooperation in the maritime domain.
• On the sidelines of IFR, the Head of the Indian delegation (Vice Admiral B. Dasgupta), held bilateral interaction with counterparts from Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, the Republic of Korea, and the USA.

For more information on India-Bangladesh relations, read here: India-Bangladesh Relations

3. Heat-Resistant Variety of Wheat

Syllabus: GS 3, Indian Economy.

Mains: Agriculture- crops and cropping pattern.

Prelims: Heat-tolerant wheat varieties.

Details:

• The Government intends to promote heat-resistant varieties of wheat amongst the farmers through public and private partnerships.
• The Indian Council of Agriculture Research and the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), Karnal have initiated a specific project on heat tolerant varieties – “Breeding high-yielding wheat genotypes for stress conditions of warmer regions of India”. 
• Moreover, ICAR-IIWBR Karnal has collaborated with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Mexico to develop climate-resilient varieties of wheat.
• The heat-tolerant varieties of wheat are DBW187, DBW222, and HD-3086.
• However, it was found that  DBW187 and DBW222 are superior to HD-3086 as far as heat tolerance is concerned. For instance, DBW187 and DBW222 showed heat tolerance with yield gains of 3.6% and 5.4%, respectively as compared to HD-3086 during the 2021-22 crop season.
• There is also another variety PBW 803, developed by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana which is suitable for irrigated timely sown conditions and is resistant to brown rust and stripe rust.

For more information on the wheat crop, read here: Wheat Crop

4. National Mission For Clean Ganga

Syllabus: GS 3, Environment.

Mains: Environment conservation- River Ganga conservation.

Prelims: National Mission on Clean Ganga.

Context: Tenth meeting of Empowered Task Force of National Mission for Clean Ganga.

Details:

• The 10th meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was organized in December 2022. The meeting was chaired by the Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
• The progress of various components under the Namami Gange Programme was reviewed. The Chairman directed the concerned States and central ministries/departments to expedite the work for the holistic rejuvenation of the River Ganga. 
• During the meeting a presentation was given on the Arth Ganga and the activities undertaken in the past few months in relation to the 6 verticals of Arth Ganga:
  • Zero Budget Natural Farming including chemical-free farming that generates “more Net income, per drop”, ‘Gobar Dhan’ for farmers.
  • Monetization and Reuse of Sludge & Wastewater.
  • Livelihood Opportunities like ‘Ghat Mein Haat’, promotion of local products, etc.
  • Public Participation for enhanced synergies between stakeholders.
  • Cultural Heritage and Tourism.
  • Enhancing the local capacities for better-decentralized water governance.

For more information on River Ganga, read here: National River of India

Role and Responsibilities of various Ministries/Departments:

• Ministry of Tourism is formulating a comprehensive plan for the development of tourism circuits along the Ganga.
• Exhibitions & Fairs across 75 towns along the Ganga River were undertaken under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Ministry of Power would reuse treated wastewater from thermal power plants.
• Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) is undertaking several measures to build organic and natural farming corridors along the Ganga river.
• Promotion of eco-agriculture and enhancement of water-use efficiency in Ganga villages by MoA&FW.
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs would be mapping urban drains and managing solid and liquid waste in Ganga towns under SBM 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0.
• Ministry of Environment and Forests is scaling up afforestation in the Ganga belt and preparing a detailed plan for expanding ‘Project Dolphin’.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

December 9th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here