20 Jul 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. GeM Portal
2. Seva Bhoj Yojana
3. Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme (CTSSS)
4. Heat Index
5. Retreating of Himalayan Glaciers
6. Credit Guarantee Scheme for Livestock Sector
7. Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG)
8. India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) 2047 (IESS 2047 V3.0)
9. India Climate Energy Dashboard (ICED)

1. GeM Portal

Syllabus: GS-2, Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Prelims: GeM Portal

Context:

Coal Ministry bags the “Best Engagement” Award for Procurement through GeM Portal.

Details:

• The Ministry of Coal has been awarded in the “Best Engagement” category, Coal India Limited (CIL) has been awarded “Rising Star” and NLC India Limited has been awarded in the “Timely Payments” category.
• As on 17th July 2023, the actual procurement facilitated through GeM this financial year stands at an impressive Rs 3,909 crore for the Coal Ministry.
• The Ministry’s progress in e-procurement through the GeM portal sets an example for other Ministries and PSUs to emulate.

Read more on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) in the linked article.

2. Seva Bhoj Yojana

Syllabus: GS-2, Govt schemes

Prelims: Seva Bhoj Yojana

Context:

Rs 466 lakhs GST collected reimbursed under the Seva Bhoj Scheme during the last three years.

Seva Bhoj Scheme:

• Under this scheme, the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Central Government’s share of Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) paid on the purchase of specific raw food items by Charitable/Religious Institutions for distributing free food to the public shall be reimbursed as Financial Assistance by the Government of India.
• The Scheme will remain open from the 1st to the 15th of every month.
• It is a central sector scheme under the Ministry of Culture.
• Interested charitable or religious institutions should apply under the scheme and, if eligible, they will receive the reimbursement.
• The scheme involves free ‘prasad’ or free food or free ‘langar’/‘bhandara’ (community kitchen) offered by charitable/religious institutions like Gurudwara, Temples, Dharmik Ashram, Mosques, Dargah, Church, Math, Monasteries, etc. 
• Financial Assistance will be provided on First-cum-First Serve basis of registration linked to funds available for the purpose in a Financial Year.

3. Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme (CTSSS)

Syllabus: GS-2, Govt schemes

Prelims: Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme (CTSSS)

Context:

The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) is implementing Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme (CTSSS) since 1982 at the national level.

About CTSSS:

• The Scheme is aimed at providing facilities to outstanding talented children selected in the age group of 10 to 14 years studying either in specialized schools or belonging to families practising traditional performing arts for getting specialized training in various cultural fields such as traditional forms of music, dance, drama as well as painting, sculpture, crafts and literary activities.
• 650 new scholarships are awarded every year. 
• The scholarship is initially awarded for two years and is renewable up to the age of 20 years, subject to the awardees maintaining good progress. 
• The value of the scholarship is Rs.3600/- per year for the scholarship holder, in addition to reimbursement of the actual tuition fee paid to the Guru/Teacher, up to a ceiling of Rs.9000/- per year.

4. Heat Index

Syllabus: GS-1, Geography

Prelims: Heat Index

Context:

IMD has launched a Heat Index.

Details:

• The experimental Heat Index has been launched by IMD to provide general guidance for the regions within India where the apparent temperature/feel-like temperature (considering the impact of humidity along with the temperature) are on the higher side causing discomfort for the people. 
• At present, the heat index is derived using the heat index equation similar to what is used by National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA.
• The heat index provides guidance towards additional care to be taken by people to reduce discomfort.
• The colour codes used for Experimental Heat Index are as follows:
  • Green: Experimental heat Index less than 35 deg C
  • Yellow: Experimental heat Index in the range of 36-45 deg C
  • Orange: Experimental heat Index in the range of 46-55 deg C
  • Red: Experimental heat Index greater than 55 deg C

Know more about the heat index in the linked article.

5. Retreating of Himalayan Glaciers

Syllabus: GS-2, Geography; GS-3, Environment

Prelims: Glaciers and their melting

Mains: Impact of melting glaciers

Context:

Himalayan glaciers retreating at varying rates, says the Union Minister of Earth Sciences.

Details:

• • The mean retreat rate of Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers is 14.9 ± 15.1 meter/annum (m/a); which varies from 12.7 ± 13.2 m/a in Indus, 15.5 ± 14.4 m/a in Ganga and 20.2 ± 19.7 m/a in Brahmaputra River basins. 
  • However, glaciers in the Karakoram region have shown comparatively minor length change (-1.37 ± 22.8 m/a), indicating stable conditions. 
  • The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) has been monitoring six glaciers in the Chandra basin (2437 km2 area) in Western Himalayas since 2013.
  • A research station ‘Himansh’ established in the Chandra basin in 2016 has been conducting field experiments and expeditions to glaciers. 
  • The glacier inventory prepared by NCPOR for the Chandra basin shows that it has lost about 6% of its glacial area during the last 20 years and 2.4-meter water equivalent (m w.e.)  to 9 m w.e. ice mass during 2013-2021. 
  • Glaciers in the Garhwal Himalayas also show an overall retreat of glaciers with variable rates of melting and retreat based on different facets like topography (elevation, aspect and slope), climate (temperature and precipitation) and debris cover. 
  • ISRO’s Space Application Centre (SAC) has mapped 5234 glaciers of the Himalayan-Karakoram (H-K) region. The figures from this also indicate varied loss in glacier area in the region. 

• Melting of Glaciers

• • The melting of glaciers is a natural process and cannot be controlled. 
  • The recession or melting of glaciers is mainly caused by global warming and climate change. 
  • Therefore, the rate of melting of glaciers can’t be prevented or slowed down, unless all the factors responsible for global warming and climate change can be controlled.

6. Credit Guarantee Scheme for Livestock Sector

Syllabus: GS-2, Economy

Prelims: Credit Guarantee Scheme for Livestock Sector

Context:

First-ever Credit Guarantee Scheme for livestock sector launched.

Credit Guarantee Scheme for Livestock Sector:

• The scheme is implemented by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• The scheme is under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) to strengthen the credit delivery system and facilitate the smooth flow of credit to the Micro, Small & Medium enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in the livestock sector without hassles of collateral security. 
• For the scheme, DAHD has established a Credit Guarantee fund Trust of Rs. 750.00 crores, which will provide credit guarantee coverage for up to 25% of the credit facilities extended to the MSMEs by the eligible lending institutions.
• The credit guarantee scheme facilitates access to finance for the un-served and under-served livestock sector, making the availability of financial assistance from lenders to mainly first-generation entrepreneurs and underprivileged sections of society, who lack collateral security for supporting their ventures.
• The main objective of the Credit Guarantee Scheme is that the lender should give importance to project viability and secure the credit facility purely on the basis primary security of the assets financed.
• The scheme provides Interest Subvention of 3%, loan of up to 90% of the total project cost from any Scheduled Bank and National Cooperative Development Corporation.

7. Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG)

Syllabus: GS-3, Environment & Ecology

Prelims: Energy Transitions Working Group

Context:

The 14th Clean Energy Ministerial and 8th Mission Innovation Meeting began in Goa on the sidelines of the 4th Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG).

Details:

• The 4th Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) Meeting under India’s G20 Presidency began in Goa in July 2023.
• On the sidelines of the main event, the 14th Clean Energy Ministerial and 8th Mission Innovation Meeting too commenced with participation from 34 countries.
• The theme for this year is “Advancing Clean Energy Together.”
• These side events focused on various themes such as energy efficiency, clean fuels, clean power, mobility and industry decarbonisation.

8. India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) 2047 (IESS 2047 V3.0)

Syllabus: GS-2, Governance; GS-3, Energy

Prelims: India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) 2047; NITI Aayog

Mains:

Context:

The NITI Aayog released a revamped version of the India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) to assess the integrated impact of various green energy policies of the Government of India.

About IESS 2047 V3.0:

• An open-source tool, IESS incorporates several policies related to alternative energy resources like Green Hydrogen, Energy Storage, Renewable Purchase Obligations, PM-KUSUM, offshore wind strategy, Electric Vehicle policy, Energy efficiency, etc. 
• Assessing the demand and supply of energy in the country, the tool helps in analysing emissions, cost, land, and water requirements till 2047.
• With an aim of making this technology available to the people, this version of IESS is easily downloadable and facilitates users to generate their own pathways. 
• It will help researchers and think tanks to develop user-specific scenarios and the option of customised applications on the basis of the share of industry/services/agriculture, population, the pace of urbanisation, end-use energy demand, etc.
• Significance of the tool:
  • Can help ministries/departments to develop a variety of energy transition scenarios to achieve net zero
  • User-friendly and interactive
  • Flexible enough to provide many permutations and combinations of net-zero pathways
  • Able to compute the energy needs and estimates of the country

9. India Climate Energy Dashboard (ICED)

Syllabus: GS-2, Governance; GS-3, Environment 

Prelims: India Climate Energy Dashboard (ICED)

Context:

The India Climate Energy Dashboard (ICED) is live.

Details:

• The India Climate Energy Dashboard (ICED) 3.0 was released by the NITI Aayog.
• The ICED is the country’s one-stop platform for near real-time data on the energy sector, climate, and related economic datasets based on government-published sources.
• ICED 3.0 enables users to freely access and analyse datasets using an analytical engine. 
• It will facilitate insights and enhance understanding of the energy and climate sectors while identifying the key challenges. 
• The portal will draw insights from the available data parameters and hence immensely useful in monitoring the progress of India’s clean energy transition journey.
• This dashboard offers more than 500 parameters, over 2000 infographics, and a number of interactive visualizations, allowing users to gain a holistic understanding of India’s energy sector.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

July 20th, 2023, PIB:- Download PDF Here