07 Jul 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Kharchi Puja
2. NICDC Limited
3. Shri Ramanujacharya
4. SVANidhi Mahotsav
5. Mission Vatsalya Scheme
6. Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

1. Kharchi Puja

Syllabus: GS-1, Indian culture- Important festivals

Prelims: Kharchi Puja

Context:

PM greets people on the start of Kharchi Puja.

About Kharchi Puja:

• It is one of the most popular festivals of Tripura, wherein 14 gods forming the dynasty deity of the Tripuri people are worshipped.
• It is generally held in July or August and is a week-long royal Puja.
• This festival is celebrated at Agartala (Puran Agartala) in the temple premises of the Fourteen gods. 
• It attracts thousands of people.
• The Puja is held after 15 days of ‘Ama Pechi’ which refers to the menstruation of Mother Earth.

2. NICDC Limited

Syllabus: GS-3, Economy- Infrastructure

Prelims: NICDC Ltd.

Mains: Government initiatives to develop physical infrastructure

Context:

Finance Minister chairs the first meeting of the Apex Monitoring Authority of the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme.

What is NICDC Ltd?

• NICDC Ltd was incorporated in 2008 as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) under the Administrative Control of DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, for carrying out project development activities and coordinating the implementation of various projects under the National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICP).
• NICDC is mandated to undertake project development activities for investment regions/industrial areas economic regions/industrial nodes and townships/integrated manufacturing clusters/stand-alone projects/early bird projects for various industrial corridor projects and also assist various State Governments.
• Under this, NICDC has developed 4 greenfield smart cities namely,
  • Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) in Gujarat
  • Shendra Bidkin Industrial Area (SBIA), Aurangabad in Maharashtra
  • Integrated Industrial Township, Greater Noida (IITGN) in Uttar Pradesh
  • Integrated Industrial Township, Vikram Udyogpuri (IITVU) in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

3. Shri Ramanujacharya

Syllabus: GS-1, Medieval history- Famous personalities

Prelims: Shri Ramanujacharya, Bhakti movement & saints

Context:

Statue of Peace of Swami Ramanujacharya unveiled in Srinagar, J&K.

About Shri Ramanujacharya:

• Shri Ramanujacharya was a Bhakti saint who propagated the message of equality in the 11th century CE.

Know more about Shri Ramanujacharya in PIB dated Feb 5, 2022.

4. SVANidhi Mahotsav

Syllabus: GS 3- Economy- Inclusive growth

Prelims: SVANidhi scheme

Context:

‘SVANidhi Mahotsav’ – a cultural festival for celebrating the success of the PM SVANidhi Scheme launched.

About SVANidhi Mahotsav:

• This is a cultural festival organised to celebrate the success of the PM SVANidhi Scheme.
• The scheme was launched in January 2020 to facilitate working capital loans to the street vendors to help them restart their businesses which were adversely impacted due to the lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Know more about the PM SVANidhi Scheme.

5. Mission Vatsalya Scheme

Syllabus: Syllabus: GS-2, Governance- Government schemes/initiatives/programmes

Prelims: Mission Vatsalya Scheme

Context:

Ministry of Women and Child Development issues Guidelines for Mission Vatsalya Scheme.

About Mission Vatsalya Scheme:

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Mission Vatsalya” erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme, from 2009-10 for the welfare and rehabilitation of children.
• Objectives:
  • To secure a healthy and happy childhood for each and every child in India, ensure opportunities to enable them to discover their full potential and assist them in flourishing in all respects, in a sustained manner, 
  • To foster a sensitive, supportive and synchronized ecosystem for the development of children, assist States/UTs in delivering the mandate of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 and achieve the SDG goals. 
• Mission Vatsalya promotes family-based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances based on the principle of institutionalization of children as a measure of last resort.
• Components of the mission:
  • Improve the functioning of statutory bodies
  • Strengthen service delivery structures
  • Upscale institutional care/services
  • Encourage non-institutional community-based care; emergency outreach services
  • Training and capacity building

6. Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Syllabus: GS 1- Art and Culture- Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Prelims: Intangible cultural heritage from India

Context:

India has been elected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle. 

Details:

• The elections for the Intergovernmental Committee took place during the 9th General Assembly of the 2003 Convention held at UNESCO headquarters, Paris, in July 2022. 
• The Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention consists of 24 members and is elected in the General Assembly of the Convention according to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation. 
• States Members to the Committee are elected for a term of four years.
• In the past, India has served two terms as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of this Convention. One from 2006 to 2010 and the other from 2014 to 2018.
• India ratified the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in September 2005. 

Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage:

• The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is a UNESCO treaty adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 17 October 2003.
• Purposes of the Convention:
  • to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage;
  • to ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned;
  • to raise awareness at the local, national and international levels of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage, and of ensuring mutual appreciation thereof;
  • to provide for international cooperation and assistance.

Also read: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages from India

Read previous PIB here.

July 7th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here