26 Jan 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. India and France S&T Cooperation
2. New CCS (Pension) Rules
3. Kathakali Dance
4. 73rd Republic Day
5. Pashchim Lehar

1. India and France S&T Cooperation

Syllabus: GS II, International Relations, bilateral agreements involving India

Prelims: CSIR

Mains: India’s vision towards the advancement of human health

Context: India and France signed an MoU to expand their science and technology cooperation with the major objective of advancement in human health. 

Highlights of the MoU: 

• The MoU on science and technology cooperation has been signed between CSIR and Institut Pasteur. Institut Pasteur is a french non-profit private foundation that deals with the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases and vaccines. 
• The agreement aims to enhance collaboration between India and France in the area of health research and in the study of infectious diseases.
• Both the countries will jointly work for providing effective and affordable healthcare solutions not only for the people of India and France but also for the global good. 
• This MoU includes provisions that are intended to develop potential scientific and technological cooperation and networking between scientists from CSIR and Institut Pasteur. 
• India’s attentiveness towards tackling the issues of human health and its outreach in the international community has been reflected through this initiative.

2. New CCS (Pension) Rules

Syllabus: GS II, Governance, Role of Civil Services in a democracy

Mains: Restrictions on government servants after retirement

Context: A webinar was conducted to create awareness on the newly notified Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules and generation of Digital Life Certificates using Face Authentication Technology.

The CCS (Pension) Rules 2021:

• The government has amended the pension rules for Central Civil Services 1972. This was carried out by the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare.
• The CCS (Pension) rules apply to the civil servants who have been appointed before 1/1/2004. 
• The civil servants appointed on or after 1/1/2004 are covered under the National Pension Scheme. 
• These CCS (Pension) rules have been amended 47 times.
• These rules provided new restrictions for the officials of intelligence and security organisations.
• Rule 8(3) (a): Officials who retired from certain intelligence and security establishments will not be allowed to write anything about their organisation without permission. These organisations refer to those that are included in the second schedule of the RTI  Act of 2005. It covers 26 organisations such as the Intelligence Bureau, R&AW, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau), BSF (Border Security Force), CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and CISF (Central Industrial Security Force). 
• Rule 9: Restricts a government servant from making any statements of fact or opinion in writing or in a telecast that hold criticism against the existing policies of the government. Any misconduct might result in departmental proceedings against the official only until four years of the date of committing that misconduct.
• The revised rules bring several improvements emphasising the amount of pension, procedural reforms, family pension or gratuity. 
• There is no rule to stop the government servants from joining politics after their retirement. 

About the Webinar:

• This webinar was organised by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
• It was organised for the Pensioners’ Associations and was attended by 52 participants from various associations. 
• It invited a constructive interaction between the participants that served the purpose of bridging the gap between pensioners’ associations and the pension department. 

Also read about Facial Recognition Technology in the linked article.

3. Kathakali Dance

Syllabus: GS I, Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art forms

Prelims: Important facts about Kathakali dance

Mains: Contributions of Indian artists in the enrichment of culture

Context: The Prime Minister expressed his grief over the demise of the noted Kathakali dancer Ms. Milena Salvini. Milena Salvini will be remembered for her passion towards Indian culture and for her priceless efforts to promote Kathakali dance across France.

Read more about Kathakali Dance in the linked article.

4. 73rd Republic Day

Syllabus: GS II, Polity, Indian Constitution – historical underpinnings, evolution, features

Prelims: Important facts related to Republic Day

Mains: India as a republic state

Context: India celebrated its 73rd Republic Day in 2022 with the iconic parade at Delhi’s Rajpath showcasing the military prowess and cultural richness of the country. 

Importance of this day:

• Republic day takes us back to the 26th day of January 1950 wherein the Constitution of India came into effect.
• On this day, India witnessed its transition to a republic nation.

To know more about Republic Day, visit the linked article.

5. Pashchim Lehar

Syllabus: GS III, Security, Various Security Forces and agencies and their mandate

Prelims: About Pashchim Lehar

Context: A joint military exercise named Pashchim Lehar was conducted by the Indian Navy off the west coast and has been concluded. 

About the Exercise:

• The exercise was carried out with an objective to validate the operational plans of the Western Naval Command accompanied by the increase in inter-service synergy among the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Coast Guard. 
• It was supported by the Flag Officer Commanding-in-chief of the Western Naval Command.
• This intra-theatre exercise included the mobilisation and participation of over 40 ships and submarines of the Indian Navy. 
• The Indian Air Force deployed SU 30 MKI & Jaguar maritime strike aircraft, Flight Refuelling Aircraft.
• The maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8I, Dorniers, IL 38 SD, unmanned aerial systems and MiG 29K (Russian all-weather carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft) strike aircraft were also deployed. 

Note:-

• Dornier is a highly versatile multi-purpose light transport aircraft that plays an important role in maritime surveillance, pollution prevention, aerial surveys, remote sensing applications and so on and so forth. 
• It was manufactured by Dornier GmbH in Germany. In 1983, a major licence production and phased technology transfer agreement was signed between Dornier and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.  

P- 8I: Features

• The Poseidon series of Boeing consists of the most advanced aircraft that deliver the highest levels of quality, reliability and operability.
• This multimission maritime aircraft is developed and produced by Boeing Defence, Space & Security. 
• P-8I is the Indian variant of P-8s.
• They provide India’s maritime warriors with a significant edge in the strategically important Indian Ocean region.
• It plays a crucial role in coastal patrolling, search and rescue, anti-piracy and supporting operations.

Importance of the Exercise:

• A variety of weapon firings in a tactical scenario, validation of operational missions and tasks were undertaken during the exercise. 
• The exercise provided the participating forces with an opportunity to operate together under realistic conditions. 
• Such initiatives will be beneficial to strengthen the preparedness of the security forces to deal with maritime challenges.

Read previous PIB here.

January 26th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here