12 Jan 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. 26th National Youth Festival
2. India - US Trade Policy Forum (TPF)
3. New Dust Control Technology by CMPDIL

1. 26th National Youth Festival

Syllabus – GS2, Government policies & interventions.

Prelims – National Youth Festival, Swami Vivekananda 

Context – Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 26th National Youth Festival in Hubballi-Dharwad in Karnataka.

Details –

• The National Youth Festival is celebrated on January 12 coinciding with the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, to honour and cherish his ideals, teachings and contributions.
• The theme of the five-day (January 12- 16) festival is ‘Viksit Yuva – Viksit Bharat’, bringing varied cultures from across the country on a common platform. The festival unites the participants in the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
• The National Youth Festival is held every year to provide exposure to Indian youth at the national level and also galvanise them towards nation-building.
• The five-day festival will witness the Youth Summit, which will have plenary discussions on five themes stemming from G20 and Y20 events such as Future of Work, Industry, Climate change and disaster risk reduction; Innovation and 21st Century Skills, Peace building and Reconciliation; Health & Well-being and Shared future-youth in democracy and governance.
• The festival will include several competitive and non-competitive competitions – Yogathon, folk dances, songs, etc.

Also read – Swami Vivekananda

2. India – US Trade Policy Forum (TPF)

Syllabus – GS2, Bilateral Agreements.

Prelims – 13th Ministerial Meeting of the India-U.S. Trade Policy Forum.

Context -The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal participated in the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the India-US TPF in Washington, DC.

Details –

• TPF was led by Shri Piyush Goyal, Commerce & Industry Minister from the Indian side and Ambassador Catherine Tai from the US administration.
• The 12th TPF Ministerial Meeting was held in November 2021 after a gap of four years in New Delhi. TPF is a platform for continuous engagement between the two countries in the areas of trade and investment relations.
• The Ministers underlined the significance of the TPF in forging robust bilateral trade ties and enhancing the bilateral economic relationship to benefit working people in both countries.
• The Ministers acknowledged the constructive engagement of the Services Working Group under the Trade Policy Forum. They noted that the movement of professional and skilled workers, students, investors and business travellers between the countries contributes immensely to enhancing bilateral economic and technological partnership.
• A new working group on “Resilient Trade” was launched to strengthen the bilateral dialogue on issues that can further the resilience and sustainability of the trade relationship. 
• The United States welcomed India’s participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). The two countries are also collaborating under the QUAD and the I2U2.

Also read – I2U2 Group: India, Israel, USA and UAE

3. New Dust Control Technology by CMPDIL

Syllabus – GS3, Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Prelims – CMPDIL – Dust control technology.

Context – The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Ranchi (a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited) invented a new dust control technology.

Details –

• CMPDIL has invented a ‘System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust’.
• It obtained a patent for the invention in December 2022 (Patent No. 416055).
• This system can be used in mines, thermal power plants, railway sidings, ports, and construction sites where coal or other mineral/fugitive material is stored under the open sky.
  • Fugitive dust is a form of particulate matter that contributes to air pollution that is generated from various sources which are exposed to air and not discharged into the atmosphere through a confined flow stream.
• The invention involves the synchronised application of windbreak (WB) and vertical greenery system (VGS) for reducing the generation and dispersion of fugitive dust.
• The WB reduces the speed of the wind and VGS acts as a filter.

Mechanism of WB & VGS

Read the previous PIB articles here.

January 12th, 2023, PIB:- Download PDF Here