14 December 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

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National Medical Devices Promotion Council

Context: To give a fillip to the medical device sector, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, announced setting up of a National Medical Devices Promotion Council under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

About:

• The Medical Devices Industry (MDI) plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem and is indispensable to achieve the goal of health for all citizens of the country.
• Although the industry has been growing in double digits but is predominantly import-driven with imports accounting for over 65% of the domestic market.
• As Indian manufacturing companies and startups move towards creating innovative products, the setting-up of the Council will spur domestic manufacturing in this sector.

The National Medical Devices Promotion Council will have the following objectives and activities:

1. Act as a facilitating and promotion & developmental body for the Indian MDI.
2. Hold periodic seminars, workshops and all related networking activities to garner views of the industry and understand best global practices in the sector and  deliberate on various parameters for inclusion in the industrial and trade policies in   medical devices.

• Identify redundant processes and render technical assistance to the agencies and departments concerned to simplify the approval processes involved in medical device industry promotion & development.

1. Enable entry of emerging interventions and support certifications for manufacturers to reach levels of global trade norms and lead India to an export driven market in the sector.
2. Support dissemination and documentation of international norms and standards for medical devices, by capturing the best practices in the global market and facilitate domestic manufacturers to rise to international level of understanding of regulatory and non regulatory needs of the industry.
3. Drive a robust  and dynamic Preferential Market Access (PMA) policy, by identifying the strengths of the Indian manufacturers and discouraging unfair trade practices in imports; while ensuring pro-active monitoring of public procurement notices across India to ensure compliance with PMA guidelines of DIPP and DoP.

• Undertake validation of Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) and other such entities within MDI sector, which add value to the industry strength in manufacturing to gain foothold for new entrants.
• Make recommendations to government based on industry feedback and global practices on policy and process interventions to strengthen the medical technology sector, including trade interventions for related markets.

E-Commerce Portal of the Department of Posts (DoP)

Context: lndia Post ventures into new arena of e-market place to provide end to end support to sellers especially to rural artisans / self-help groups / women entrepreneurs / State and Central PSUs / Autonomous Bodies etc. to sell their products to buyers across the Country

Objectives:

• The small and local sellers, who have been left behind in e-Commerce space will now, by leveraging the vast physical and lT network of DoP, be able to maximize their reach and retailing power.
• The buyers can access the products of their choice displayed by sellers on the portal and place online orders by making digital payments. The products will be shipped through Speed Post.

ECO Niwas Samhita 2018

Context: Giving a further fillip to India’s energy conservation efforts, Ministry of Power has launched the ECO Niwas Samhita 2018,an Energy Conservation Building Code for Residential Buildings (ECBC-R).

About:

• The Code was launched on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day 2018.
• The implementation of this Code is will give a fillip to energy efficiency in residential sector. It aims to benefit the occupants and the environment by promoting energy efficiency in design and construction of homes, apartments and townships.
• The Code is expected to assist large number of architects and builders who are involved in design and construction of new residential complexes in different parts of the country.
• Implementation of this Code will have potential for energy savings to the tune of 125 Billion Units of electricity per year by 2030, which is equivalent to about 100 million ton of Co2 emission.

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