02 July 2024 PIB
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. NIRMAN Portal 2. MoD inks MoU 3. Weapon Systems School (WSS) inaugurated at Begumpet, Hyderabad 4. Exercise MAITREE 5. Government of India and ADB sign $170 million loan
1. NIRMAN Portal
Syllabus: GS-2, Schemes
Prelims: NIRMAN Portal, CSR
Context:
Union Minister launched the NIRMAN Portal.
NIRMAN Portal:
- NIRMAN or “Noble Initiative for Rewarding Mains Aspirants of National Civil Services Examination (NIRMAN)” portal is a CSR scheme by Coal India Limited for meritorious youth of its operating districts who have cleared the Preliminary round of UPSC examination (for Civil Services & Forest Service) in 2024.
- The scheme is aimed towards providing support of Rs 1,00,000/- to the UPSC Prelims examination qualified candidates with annual family income less than 8 lakhs and belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, female or third gender; who are permanent residents of any of the 39 operational districts of CIL.
- The entire application process is through a dedicated portal for ensuring full transparency and seamless screening of the applications.
Also read: UPSC Prelims Results 2024
2. MoD inks MoU
Syllabus: GS-3, Defence & Security
Prelims/Mains: ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence
Context:
MoD inks MoU to set up testing facilities in Unmanned Aerial System, Electronic Warfare & Electro Optics domains in Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor.
Details:
- The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed an MoU to establish three state-of-the-art testing facilities in Chennai under the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor – one each in Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), Electronic Warfare (EW) and Electro-Optics (EO) domains.
- The MoU is under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS).
About DTIS:
- With an outlay of Rs 400 crore, the DTIS was launched in May 2020 to set up state-of-the-art testing facilities in collaboration with private industry and Central/State Government, promoting indigenous defence production, reducing military equipment imports and enhancing self-reliance.
- To provide impetus to the defence and aerospace sectors within the Defence Industrial Corridors, seven testing facilities were approved – four in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh.
- The DTIS provides up to 75% government funding as ‘Grant-in-Aid’, with the remaining 25% funded by Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), comprising Indian private entities and State/Central Governments.
Also read: Atmanirbhar in Defence
3. Weapon Systems School (WSS) inaugurated at Begumpet, Hyderabad
Syllabus: GS-3, Defence & Security
Prelims: Weapon Systems School (WSS)
Context:
Weapon Systems School (WSS) inaugurated at Begumpet, Hyderabad by the Chief of the Air Staff.
Details:
- The Weapon System (WS) branch, a new branch of officers in the Indian Air Force, was approved in 2022.
- Aimed at recalibrating and transforming the Indian Air Force as a future-oriented force, the formation of this new training establishment is a gigantic leap for the Armed Forces in general, and the Indian Air Force in particular.
- The WSS will impart effect-based training that is contemporary in nature and prepare officers of the newly formed branch in line with the requirements of the IAF.
- The new branch will have four streams:
- Flying stream to operate the weapons and systems in airborne platforms like the Sukhoi-30 MKI and C-130J
- Remote stream to operate Remotely Piloted Aircraft
- Mission Commanders and operators for Surface to Air and Surface-to-Surface weapon systems
- Intelligence stream for handling space-based intelligence and imagery
- With the creation of the WS Branch, operators of ground-based and specialist weapon systems will come under one umbrella, enhancing the warfighting capabilities of the IAF significantly.
4. Exercise MAITREE
Syllabus: GS-3, Defence & Security
Prelims: Exercise MAITREE
Context:
The Indian Army contingent departed for the 13th edition of the India – Thailand joint military Exercise MAITREE.
Ex MAITREE:
- The exercise is scheduled to be conducted from 1st to 15th July 2024 at Fort Vachiraprakan in the Tak Province of Thailand.
- The previous edition of Exercise Maitree was held in 2019 at Umroi, Meghalaya.
- Exercise MAITREE aims to foster military cooperation between India and Thailand.
- The Exercise will enhance combined capabilities in executing Joint Counter Insurgency/Terrorist Operations in Jungle and Urban Environments under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
- The Exercise will focus on a high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills.
- Tactical Drills to be practised during the exercise will include the Creation of a Joint Operation Centre, establishing an Intelligence & Surveillance Centre, employment of Drones and Counter Drone Systems, Securing of a Landing Site, Small Team Insertion & Extraction, Special Heliborne Operations, Cordon and Search Operations, Room Intervention Drills and Demolition of Illegal Structures.
Read more on Exercise Maitree in the linked article.
5. Government of India and ADB sign $170 million loan
Syllabus: GS-3, Infrastructure
Prelims: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Mains: India’s health system preparedness
Context:
The Government of India and ADB signed a $170 million loan to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response.
Details:
- The ‘Strengthened and Measurable Actions for Resilient and Transformative Health Systems Programme (Subprogramme 1)’ loan was signed between GOI and the ADB.
- The ADB programme will help the government’s ongoing efforts in further strengthening disease surveillance, ensuring the sufficiency and quality of health professionals and promoting climate-resilient public health infrastructure and service delivery.
- The programme will be anchored in major government plans and initiatives including the National Health Policy 2017; Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), the National One Health Mission, and the government’s efforts to strengthen Human Resources for Health (HRH).
- The targeted reform areas through the program include:
- strengthened disease surveillance and multisectoral response
- through setting up laboratory networks for infectious disease surveillance at the state, union, and metropolitan levels
- building robust data systems to monitor and coordinate national health programmes for the poor, women, and other vulnerable groups
- strengthened human resources for health
- expanded climate-resilient public health infrastructure and innovative service delivery
- strengthened disease surveillance and multisectoral response
- The programme will improve the governance of India’s One Health approach, and its multisector response to emerging infectious diseases.
Read previous PIB articles here.
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