12 July 2024: PIB Summary for UPSC

12 July 2024 PIB
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises (AgriSURE)
2. India-Qatar Joint Working Group Meeting
3. Sangam-Digital Twin Initiative
4. Indo-Norway Collaboration on Blue Economy
5. India and Bhutan
6. Fisheries Summer Meet 2024
7. SDG India Index 2023-24
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1. Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises (AgriSURE)

Syllabus: GS-3, Agriculture

Prelims: Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises (AgriSURE)

Context:

The Government will launch the ‘Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises’ (AgriSURE) to provide support to startups and agripreneurs.

Details:

  • The Government is poised to launch the ‘Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises’ (AgriSURE) to support start-ups and agripreneurs through investments in sector-specific, sector-agnostic, and debt Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), as well as direct equity support to start-ups working in Agriculture and allied sectors. 
  • This initiative aims to foster innovation and sustainability in India’s agricultural sector through the establishment of a Rs 750 crore Category-II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF). 
  • The fund will offer both equity and debt support, specifically targeting high-risk, high-impact activities in the agriculture value chain.
  • The fund will focus on innovation in agriculture, enhancing the farm produce value chain, creating rural infrastructure, generating employment, and supporting Farmers’ Producer Organizations (FPOs). 
  • The fund will also encourage IT-based solutions and machinery rental services for farmers. 
  • NABVENTURES, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NABARD, will be the Fund manager of AgriSURE. 
  • The fund is designed to operate for 10 years, extendable by two or more years.

2. India-Qatar Joint Working Group Meeting

Syllabus: GS-2, International Relations

Mains: India – Qatar relations

Context:

Indian delegation visits Doha for India-Qatar Joint Working Group Meeting.

Details:

  • An Indian delegation comprising officers from the Department of Commerce and other Ministries and organizations held a Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting with Qatari officials in Doha on 10th July 2024.
  • Both sides reviewed the progress of ongoing discussions for a Memorandum of Understanding on Food Safety and Cooperation in exchange for pre-arrival information for the facilitation of trade and customs control on goods and agreed to conclude them expeditiously. 
  • Both sides discussed the possible mechanism to activate the Joint Business Council to carry out its assigned role in following up and implementing the private sector’s visions and proposals for trade and investment cooperation.
  • Both sides also identified several areas of focus for enhancing both bilateral trade as well as mutually beneficial cooperation sectors including gems and jewellery, food processing, cooperation in MSME, etc.

Bilateral trade between India and Qatar:

  • Bilateral trade between India and Qatar stood at USD 14.08 billion in 2023-24. 
  • India is the second largest trading partner to Qatar.

3. Sangam-Digital Twin Initiative

Syllabus: GS-3, Science & Technology

Prelims: Digital twin technology

Context:

DoT successfully concludes networking events under the Sangam-Digital Twin Initiative.

Details:

  • The Sangam Networking Events, hosted across four prestigious institutions—IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, PES University Bangalore, and T-Hub Hyderabad—brought together over 400 participants from leading companies, academia, and government sectors. 
  • The events focused on developing comprehensive blueprints for Digital Twin-enabled solutions that address various challenges by leveraging diverse data sources.

Key Outcomes and Focus Areas:

  • Transportation: Solutions to reduce traffic congestion in cities through Digital Twins focusing on Intelligent Traffic Management, Multi-Modal Public Transport Optimization, and Comprehensive Mobility Planning.
  • Assessment of Environment Quality and Its Impact: Initiatives for Traffic Emission Management and optimizing Water Distribution networks.
  • Healthcare: Discrete Health Digital Twins for modelling specific organs, Training Twins for healthcare providers, Medical Equipment Twins for infrastructure and predictive maintenance, Community Twins for managing communicable diseases, etc.
  • Disaster Management: Comprehensive rescue planning through advanced digital simulations and data integration.

Read more on the Digital Twin Initiative in PIB dated March 5, 2024.

4. Indo-Norway Collaboration on Blue Economy

Syllabus: GS-2, International Relations; GS-3, Economy

Mains: India – Norway relations, Blue economy

Context:

Union Minister held a meeting to review Indo-Norway collaboration on Blue Economy.

India – Norway Collaboration:

  • India-Norway Integrated Ocean Management and Research Initiative
  • The deployment of IndARC in the Arctic – India’s first sub-surface moored observatory in the polar waters, roughly halfway between Norway and the North Pole is India’s major scientific accomplishment.
  • The Earth Sciences Ministry has supported the Indo-Norwegian Fellowship Program which enabled three students to work on Arctic and Antarctic Glaciology funded by the Government.
  • An MoU was signed between the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) for close collaboration in various fields of polar sciences at the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting held in Kochi.

5. India and Bhutan

Syllabus: GS-2, International Relations; GS-3, Environment

Mains: India – Bhutan relations

Context:

Bilateral meeting between India and Bhutan on Air quality, Climate change, Forests, Natural resources, renewable energy sources and wildlife.

Details:

  • Both sides agreed to work together in the areas of climate change, air quality, forest, wildlife management, and capacity building in the field of environment and climate change. 
  • India suggested holding the Joint Working Group Meeting.
  • Bhutan is already a carbon-negative country and obtains its major share of energy from hydropower.

Also read: India – Bhutan relations

6. Fisheries Summer Meet 2024

Syllabus: GS-3, Economy

Prelims: Fisheries Summer Meet 2024

Mains: Fisheries sector in India

Context:

Department of Fisheries organises the ‘Fisheries Summer Meet 2024′.

Details: 

  • The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, organised the ‘Fisheries Summer Meet 2024’ Today at Madurai, Tamil Nadu. 
  • The ‘Fisheries Summer Meet 2024’ aimed at recognizing the contributions made by fish farmers, aquapreneurs, and fishermen for the development of the fisheries sector, showcasing the achievements of DoF (GoI) and raising awareness about the sector.
  • The union minister inaugurated 312 Fisheries Projects covering 19 States/UTs across the country with an investment of Rs. 114 crore, supported under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
  • Stakeholders and officials from different states of the country were present for the meeting.
  • The observations received during the Fisheries Summer Meet 2024 are expected to play a crucial role in defining priorities at the centre and States/UTs for the successful implementation of projects and identify sectoral needs and priorities for sustainable, equitable and inclusive development of the Indian fisheries sector.

7. SDG India Index 2023-24

Syllabus: GS-2, Governance

Prelims: SDG India Index 2023-24

Context:

Release of SDG India Index 2023-24.

Details:

  • SDG India Index 2023-24, the fourth edition of the country’s principal tool for measuring national and subnational progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) was released today by NITI Aayog. 
  • SDG India Index 2023-24 measures and tracks the national progress of all States and UTs on 113 indicators aligned to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) National Indicator Framework (NIF). 
  • The SDG India Index computes goal-wise scores on the 16 SDGs for each State and UT. 

Key highlights of the latest report:

  • The composite score for India improved from 57 in 2018 to 66 in 2020-21 to further to 71 in 2023-24.
  • India has taken significant strides in accelerating progress on the SDGs between the 2020-21 and 2023-24 editions of the Index. 
  • Noteworthy advancements have been observed in Goals 1 (No Poverty), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 13 (Climate Action). These are now in the ‘Front Runner’ category (a score between 65–99).
  • 32 States/UTs have scored between 65 and 99, up from 22 in the 2020-21 edition. 
    • Notably, 10 new States and UTs are in the Front Runner category. 
    • These include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
  • Assam, Manipur, Punjab, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir are leading the way in terms of score improvement, each achieving a positive change of 8 points since the 2020-21 edition.

Read more on the SDG India Index in the linked article.

Read previous PIB articles here.

Related Links
Finance Commission of India Vizhinjam Port
Food Corporation of India Tele-MANAS
Index of Industrial Production Agnipath Scheme

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