10 January 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

Read the daily PIB update and stay up-to-date on current affairs for the UPSC exam.

January 10th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Wings India 2020
2. Revamp of SEZ policy to meet challenges faced by exporters
3. Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme
4. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)
5. MyGov
6. In-depth Review of India's Energy Policies report
7. State Energy Efficiency Index 2019
8. Index of Industrial Production
9. ‘Purvodaya’ : Accelerated development of Eastern India through an Integrated Steel Hub
10. 23rd National Youth Festival

Wings India 2020

What’s in News?

Asia’s largest Civil Aviation platform- ‘Wings India 2020’ will be held at Hyderabad in March 2020.

Details:

• Wings India 2020 is a flagship event of Indian Civil Aviation industry.
• It is also Asia’s largest and most popular gathering in the industry. Organized by Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).  
• It is a four-day event themed: “Flying for All’’.
• The international platform focuses on new business acquisition, investments, policy formation and regional connectivity in civil aviation industry.

Note:

• • India, is the third largest domestic Civil Aviation market in the world.

Revamp of SEZ policy to meet challenges faced by exporters

What’s in News?

Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister chaired a meeting to review the remaining recommendations of the Baba Kalyani report on Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy of India.

• The revamp of the SEZ policy was examined with a view to meeting the global challenges being faced by Indian exporters.
• Discussions were also held to find a way out for the implementation of the remaining recommendations in order to facilitate the ease of doing business in the present global market scenario.

Details:

The recommendations which have been completed include:

• Review of specific exclusions proposed in Net Foreign Exchange (NFE) computation in light of Make in India initiative.
• Sharing of duty exempted assets/ infrastructure between units to be allowed against specific approval.
• Formalization of the de-notification process for enclaves and delinking its present mandatory usage for SEZs purpose only.
• Support to servicification (transformation of existing processes into one or more discrete services) of the manufacturing zone.
• Allowing manufacturing enabling services companies.
• Broad-banding definition of services/allowing multiple services to come together.
• Flexibility to enter into a long term lease agreement with stakeholders in Zones in line with the State policies.
• The application for constructing minimum built-up area by Developer or Co-developer beyond a period of ten years from the date of notification of the SEZ on merits of each case.

Baba Kalyani report:

• The Baba Kalyani led committee was constituted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to study the existing SEZ policy of India and had submitted its recommendations in November 2018.
• The objectives of the committee were to:
  • Evaluate the SEZ policy and make it WTO compatible.
  • Suggest measures for maximizing utilization of vacant land in SEZs.
  • Suggest changes in the SEZ policy based on international experience.
  • Merge the SEZ policy with other Government schemes like coastal economic zones, Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, national industrial manufacturing zones and food and textile parks.

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme

Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) are government securities denominated in grams of gold. They are substitutes for holding physical gold. Investors have to pay the issue price in cash and the bonds will be redeemed in cash on maturity. The Bond is issued by Reserve Bank on behalf of Government of India.

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme has been covered in 18^th March 2019 Comprehensive News Analysis. 

Click here to read.

Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)

What’s in News?

The Home Minister inaugurated the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in New Delhi and also dedicated the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to the Nation.

Details:

• The scheme to setup I₄C was approved in October 2018 to deal with all types of cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
• It has seven components viz., National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit, National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, National Cyber Crime Training Centre, Cyber Crime Ecosystem Management Unit, National Cyber Crime Research and Innovation Centre, National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem and Platform for Joint Cyber Crime Investigation Team.

National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal:

• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal is a citizen-centric initiative that will enable citizens to report cyber-crimes online through the portal.
• All the cyber-crime related complaints will be accessed by the concerned law enforcement agencies in the States and Union Territories for taking action as per law.
• This portal was launched on a pilot basis in 2019 and it enables filing of all cyber-crimes with a specific focus on crimes against women, children, particularly child pornography, child sex abuse material, online content pertaining to rapes/gang rapes, etc.
• This portal also focuses on specific crimes like financial crime and social media related crimes like stalking, cyber bullying, etc.
• This portal will improve coordination amongst the law enforcement agencies of different States, districts and police stations for dealing with cyber-crimes in a coordinated and effective manner.
• In future, this portal will provide for chatbot for automated interactive assistance system to the public for guidance on cybercrime prevention and how to report incidents on the portal.

MyGov

• MyGov is an innovative platform to build a partnership between Citizens and Government with the help of technology for growth and development of India.
• It is a platform for citizen engagement through participatory governance.
• Through this platform, the Government aims to encourage Citizen Participation towards Good Governance by seeking their ideas, suggestions and grass roots level contribution.
• Citizens can participate in this unique initiative of nation building. For the very first time in the history of this country, citizens from across India will come together to share their expert thoughts, ideas and suggestions with the Government in areas related to various policies, programs, schemes etc. MyGov aims to empower citizens to work hand in hand with the Government.
• The aim of the Government is to reach out to the last man in the last queue.
• This will help achieve maximum outreach, bring transparency in Governance and help interact directly with the citizens.

In-depth Review of India’s Energy Policies report

What’s in News?

In-depth Review of India’s Energy Policies report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has been launched in partnership with the NITI Aayog.

Details:

• A number of pathbreaking initiatives launched by Indian Government since 2015, have redefined India’s commitment to sustainable energy.
• Our key challenge as a developing country, with per capita energy consumption below the global average, is to meet the growing demand for energy.
• India made great strides in recent years towards achieving universal access to modern energy, including clean cooking and electricity, affordable, secure and cleaner energy for its people.
• India’s National Biofuel policy focuses on waste-to-wealth creation and targets to generate various types of bio-fuels from agriculture residue and municipal waste.

Findings of the report:

• The Report captures well the progress made in achieving sustainable energy for all, as reflected in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7).  It also highlights the persisting challenges to be focused in the coming days.
• The IEA report congratulates the Indian government on its outstanding achievements in extending citizens’ access to electricity, affordable efficient lighting and clean cooking in record time through historic schemes like SAUBHAGYA, UJALA and UJJWALA, while pursuing energy market reforms and the swift deployment of renewable technologies.
• The report notes that India is moving towards a gas-based economy.
• The report highlights the strong growth of renewables in India, which now accounts for almost 23% of the country’s total installed capacity.
• The review also found that energy efficiency improvements in India avoided 15% of additional energy demand, oil and gas imports, and air pollution as well as 300 million tonnes of CO2 emissions between 2000 and 2018.
• The country’s demand for energy is set to double by 2040, and its electricity demand may triple, according to the IEA report. Indian oil consumption is expected to grow faster than that of any other major economy. This makes further improving energy security a key priority for India’s economy, says the IEA.

Way forward:

• India is working to build City Gas Distribution Network covering more than 400 districts of the country. This network will serve 72% of India’s population with cleaner and affordable gas over more than 50 % of India’s geography.
• India’s transformation to a gas-based economy and developing indigenously produced biofuels, apart from renewable energy and energy efficiency measures, can potentially achieve the much-needed carbon reductions.
• Given India’s development imperative, the thrust must be on building oil and gas infrastructure to ensure access to affordable energy to all the citizens.
• IEA’s recommendation for reinforcement of India’s oil emergency response policy must be taken cognisance of.
• Energy has become an essential commodity in India’s bilateral trade engagements with several key trading partners and in positioning India as an important strategic player in the global energy landscape. Enhancing international engagement on global oil security issues must be an active goal.
• India must work towards its goal to achieve 20% ethanol blending in petrol and 5% bio-diesel in diesel by 2030.

State Energy Efficiency Index 2019

What’s in News?

Union Minister has released the ‘State Energy Efficiency Index 2019’,

State Energy Efficiency Index 2019:

• The index tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in 36 states and union territories based on 97 significant indicators.
• The index is developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE).
• It will help states contribute towards national goals on energy security and climate action by helping drive EE policies and program implementation at the state and local level, tracking progress in managing the states’ and India’s energy footprint and institutionalising the data capture and monitoring of EE activities by states.
• The first such Index, the “State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index 2018”, was launched in 2018.
• Taking forward the State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index 2018, the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 incorporates qualitative, quantitative and outcome-based indicators to assess energy efficiency initiatives, programs and outcomes in five distinct sectors – buildings, industry, municipalities, transport, agriculture, and DISCOMs.
  • New indicators for this year include adoption of Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017, energy efficiency in MSME clusters, etc.
• For rational comparison, States/UTs are grouped into four groups based on aggregated Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) required to meet the state’s actual energy demand (electricity, coal, oil, gas, etc.) across sectors.
  • TPES grouping shall help states compare performance and share best practices within their peer group.
  • Under four categories based on TPES, Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Puducherry and Chandigarh have been evaluated as progressive states/UTs in the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019.

Key Takeaways for States:

• State EE Index 2019 shows that majority of the initiatives taken by states are related to Policies and Regulations.
• Most of the first-generation energy efficiency policies prepared by BEE under programmes on Standards & Labelling (S&L), ECBC, Perform Achieve & Trade (PAT), etc. are understood by states and as the next steps they should focus on ensuring greater compliance to achieve savings.
• Based on the analysis of responses submitted by states this year, a three-point agenda is suggested for consideration by state agencies:
  1. Proactive role by states in policy formulation and implementation to shift the focus from “policies in place” to “policies successfully implemented”.
  2. Strengthening the mechanism for data capture, management and public availability of data: For this year’s Index, SDAs proactively contacted various state departments to gather data. However, SDAs should further enhance their engagement with state departments and the private sector to enable a robust mechanism for Energy Data Management System.
  3. Enhancing the credibility of EE schemes: Ensuring the integrity of programs that have direct or indirect linkages with common consumers is significant to energy efficiency market transformation. States must demonstrate an approach which includes enforcement and compliance checks as well as independent monitoring and verification of savings, which is integral to all EE policies and programs.

Index of Industrial Production

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an index that indicates the performance of various industrial sectors of the Indian economy. It is calculated and published by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) every month.

Read more about the Index of Industrial Production.

‘Purvodaya’ : Accelerated development of Eastern India through an Integrated Steel Hub

What’s in News?

Ministry of steel in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and JPC is organising the launch of Purvodaya-Accelerated Development of Eastern Region through an Integrated Steel hub, in line with Prime Minister’s Vision  for focused development of the Eastern States.

Background:

• The Eastern region of India, though extremely rich in resources, lags behind other states in terms of development.
• Eastern states of India (Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh) collectively hold ~80% of the country’s iron ore, ~100% of coking coal and significant portion of chromite, bauxite and dolomite reserves.
• There is a presence of major ports such as Paradip, Haldia, Vizag, Kolkata etc. with >30% of India’s major port capacity, 3 major National Waterways as well as strong road, rail connectivity to most parts of the country.
• Despite these advantages, these states are currently behind many other Indian states in terms of economic and development indicators such as GSDP per capita and Human Development Index (HDI).

Details:

• Creation of such a world-class steel hub would significantly contribute to Purvodaya by propelling socio-economic development in the Eastern region.
• Creation of world-class logistics and utilities infrastructure would also spur development of other manufacturing industries across sectors.
• 100 lakh crore infrastructure investment announced by the Government in the next 5 years will result in additional boost to construction and infrastructure through various initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, Sagarmala, Bharatmala, etc. Steel industry has a multiplier effect on the GDP as well as in employment.
• These States would march ahead on the development index because of which the Ministry of Steel has envisioned an Integrated Steel Hub in this region, which will serve as a catalyst in the transformation of Eastern India by developing a vibrant steel industry.

  Integrated  Steel  Hub:

• The proposed  Integrated  Steel  Hub, encompassing  Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh, would serve as a torchbearer for socio-economic growth of Eastern India.
• The objective of this hub would be to enable swift capacity addition and improve overall competitiveness of steel producers both in terms of cost and quality.
• In addition to increased steel capacity, this hub would also help enhance best-in- class value addition capabilities. The Integrated Steel Hub would focus on 3 key elements:

1. Capacity addition through easing the setup of greenfield steel plants
2. Development of steel clusters near integrated steel plants as well as demand centres
3. Transformation of logistics and utilities infrastructure which would change the socio-economic landscape in the East

These elements would be supported through additional enablers such as ensured availability of raw materials, presence of supporting industries such as capital goods and well-established avenues for skill development.

23rd National Youth Festival

What’s in News?

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and State Government of Uttar Pradesh are jointly organizing 23^rd National Youth Festival (NYF) 2020.

Details: 

• The Government has been organizing National Youth Festival (NYF) since 1995.
• The objective of NYF is to provide a platform to bring the youth of the country together in an attempt to provide them the opportunity to showcase their talents in various activities.
• It also provides an arena, by creating a mini-India, where youth interact in formal and informal settings and exchange their social and cultural uniqueness.
• The theme of the 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 is ‘FIT YOUTH FIT INDIA’ in pursuance of the goal of Prime Minister for New India to be a fit India.
• NYF 2020 would leverage on the knowledge and ideas that Youth of today bring to the table where they are hugely connected and integrated through online and offline communication channels than ever before.
• The NYF 2020 intends to focus on bringing the attention of the Youth towards dialogue and discussions on selected thematic interfaces so that the outcome feeds into a National Level.

January 10th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here