25 Feb 2021: PIB Summary & Analysis

February 25th, 2021, PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Khelo India National Winter Games
2. The India Toy Fair 2021
3. Mannathu Padmanabhan
4. India Pharma 2021 & India Medical Devices 2021
5. MCA & CBIC sign MoU
6. India-USA Executive Steering Group (ESG) Meeting
7. City Innovation Exchange (CiX)
8. Swachh Iconic Places (SIP)

1. Khelo India National Winter Games

Context:

The second edition of the Khelo India National Winter Games to be inaugurated on February 26.

Details:

• The Games will be held from 26^th February to 2^nd March, 2021 in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir.
• The event has been organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in collaboration with the J&K Sports Council and the Winter Games Association of J&K.
• The sports activities will include alpine skiing, nordic ski, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, ice hockey, ice skating, ice stock, etc.
• 27 States, Union Territories and Boards are sending their teams to participate in the games.
• Khelo India is a national sports development programme launched by the government in a bid to revive the sports culture in India at the grassroots level, thereby turning India into a sporting nation.

Know more about Khelo India Programme in the linked article.

2. The India Toy Fair 2021

Context:

PM to inaugurate The India Toy Fair 2021.

Read more about the India Toy Fair in PIB dated Feb 11, 2021.

3. Mannathu Padmanabhan

Context:

PM pays tributes to Sri Mannathu Padmanabhan Ji on his Punya Tithi.

About Mannathu Padmanabhan:

• Mannathu Padmanabhan (1878 – 1970) was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter from Kerala.
• He took part in anti-untouchability agitations and advocated opening temples for people of all castes.
• He also participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha.
• He is also known for his founding of the Nair Service Society (NSS).

4. India Pharma 2021 & India Medical Devices 2021

Context:

Union Minister inaugurated a four-day Global Investors’ meet: India Pharma 2021 & India Medical Devices 2021.

Details:

• The event is organised by FICCI along with the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, and Invest India (India’s national investment promotion & facilitation agency, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry).
• EY-FICCI report titled ‘Indian Pharmaceutical Industry 2021: Future is Now’ was also launched during the event.

Key Highlights of the EY-FICCI report

• The opportunities that have emerged to accelerate the growth of Indian pharmaceutical and healthcare industry are – innovation led research and development, healthcare delivery (R&D), manufacturing and supply chain, and market access.
• The Indian pharmaceutical industry has to reinvent and undertake fundamental reforms to achieve the ambitious target of $130 billion in size by 2030.
• To reach that target from the current $42 billion, the Indian pharmaceutical industry will require to double the last decade’s growth rate of 6% to 12%.
• The overall growth has been driven by the industry’s leadership in supplying generic formulations to markets across the globe.
• Accelerating research and innovation:
  • To meet this objective, the industry must consider setting up an overarching regulatory body and a central body to streamline research infrastructure and financing from all government bodies.
• Achieving equitable and sustainable healthcare with support of digital healthcare infrastructure and enabling teleconsulting and focusing on preventive healthcare are also important.
• The focus of manufacturing and supply chain initiatives would be to develop capabilities in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and enable the manufacturing of complex generics.
• Besides attracting talent, it is vital to encourage and set up pharma machine manufacturing facilities in India to lower fixed costs, enable savings in forex and reduce time to set up additional facilities.
• There is also a need to bolster the logistics infrastructure for connecting the key pharma hubs in the country in order to facilitate quick and cost efficient movement of goods including cold chain facilities.
• Improving access to medicines and various global best practices in drug pricing and procurement models can be contextualized for developing geographies.
• Digital marketing of pharma products too must be considered.

5. MCA & CBIC sign MoU

Context:

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Ministry of Finance, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for data exchange between the two organisations.

About the MoU:

• The MoU is in line with the vision of MCA and CBIC to harness data capabilities to ensure effective enforcement.
• Both the organisations are going to benefit from access to each other’s databases which include details of import-export transactions and consolidated financial statements of companies registered in the country.
• The data sharing arrangement gains significance in light of development of MCA21 Version 3 which will utilise state of the art technology for enhancing ease of doing business in India and improve regulatory enforcement and similar steps by CBIC like the launch of ADVAIT.
  • ADVAIT: Advanced Analytics in Indirect Taxation, a 360-degree taxpayer profiling tool.
• AI/ML, data analytics will play a critical role in achieving this synergy.
• The MoU will enable sharing of specific information such as details of Bill of Entry (Imports), Shipping Bill (Exports) Summary from CBIC and financial statements filed with the Registrar by corporates, returns of allotment of shares.

MCA21 Version 3.0.

• MCA21 is an end-to-end holistic e-Governance project which has been running successfully and has enabled the Corporate Affairs Ministry to achieve very high standards of service delivery, besides providing the Government with a comprehensive National Corporate Information Database.
• MCA21 system is also integrated with the registration of EPFO, ESIC, GST, PAN and TAN at the time of incorporation of companies.
• MCA21 Version 3.0 will have additional modules for e-Adjudication, e-Consultation, and Compliance Management.
• The version is envisioned to strengthen enforcement, promote Ease of Doing Business, enhance the user experience, facilitate seamless integration and data exchange among Regulators.
• Aligned with global best practices and aided by emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, MCA21 V3 is envisioned to transform the corporate regulatory environment in India.

6. India-USA Executive Steering Group (ESG) Meeting

Context:

The 24^th edition of the India-USA Executive Steering Group (ESG) meeting was held at New Delhi for two days in February 2021.

Details:

• The forum is an Army to Army engagement that meets every year alternately in India and the USA to discuss Army to Army cooperation.
• A number of contemporary issues of mutual interests where discussed with an aim to enhance the engagements in diverse fields.
• For the first time the meeting was held both in person and through virtual mode owing to restrictions of COVID-19.

7. City Innovation Exchange (CiX)

Context:

City Innovation Exchange (CiX) launched for fostering innovation in urban ecosystem.

City Innovation Exchange (CiX) Platform:

• The City Innovation Exchange (CiX) will connect cities to innovators across the national ecosystem to design innovative solutions for their pressing challenges.
• The platform will ease the discovery, design& validation of solutions through a robust, transparent and user centric process that will reduce barriers for innovators and cities to discover fitting solutions.
• Built on the concept of ‘open innovation’, the platform will help in the flow of ideas ‘outside in and inside out’, enhancing the skills and capacity required to deliver smart urban governance.
• Through interaction with the academia and businesses/startups, the platform will benefit cities in the transfer of ideas from ‘labs’ to the real environment.
• Similarly, by helping urban governments interact with citizens, the platform will ensure adoption of tested solutions that will be impactful and sustainable.
• The Platform has more than 400 start-ups, 100 smart cities, more than 150 challenges statements and over 215 solutions at the time of launch.

8. Swachh Iconic Places (SIP)

Context:

Ministry of Jal Shakti announces selection of 12 sites for transforming them into ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations’ under Phase-IV.

Details:

• The Swachch Iconic Places initiative, under the Swachch Bharat Mission, s a special clean-up initiative focused on select iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places in the country.
• The initiative is coordinated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in association with the Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and the concerned State governments.
• More about the Swachch Iconic Places in the link.
• The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has now selected 12 more sites to be included in the SIP programme (phase IV).
• The 12 sites are:
  • Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra
  • Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh
  • Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan
  • Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan
  • Ramdevra, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
  • Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, Telangana
  • Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha
  • Rock Garden, Chandigarh
  • Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
  • Banke Bihari Temple, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
  • Agra Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
  • Kalighat Temple, West Bengal
• The initiative aims at enhancing the experience of both domestic and foreign visitors by improving the sanitation and cleanliness standards at and around the sites.

Read previous PIB here.

February 25th, 2021, PIB:- Download PDF Here