30 July 2021: PIB Summary & Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)
2. India-Indonesia CORPAT
3. INDRA NAVY – 21
4. 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial
5. National Population Policy
6. Biotech-PRIDE

1. Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)

About the scheme:

• Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), a sub component of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-NRLM (DAY-NRLM), seeks to improve the present status of women in agriculture, and to enhance the opportunities available to empower them.
• The focus of MKSP is on capacitating smallholders to adopt sustainable climate resilient agro-ecology and eventually create a pool of skilled community professionals.
• Its objective is to strengthen smallholder agriculture through promotion of sustainable agriculture practices such as Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture (CMSA), Non Pesticide Management (NPM), Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), Pashu-Sakhi model for doorstep animal care services, Sustainable regeneration and harvesting of Non-Timber Forest Produce.
• The program is being implemented by DAY-NRLM in partnership with State Rural Livelihood Missions/ Community Based Organizations (CBOs)/NGOs, as implementing partners (PIAs) across the country. These agencies are expected to support and nurture scalable livelihood models in the MKSP intervention areas.

2. India-Indonesia CORPAT

Context:

36th edition of India – Indonesia Coordinated Patrol.

Background:

• India and Indonesia have been carrying out Coordinated Patrols along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2002, with an aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping, international trade and conduct of legitimate maritime activities.
• CORPATs help build understanding and interoperability between navies, and facilitate institution of measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.

36^th India-Indonesia CORPAT:

• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel is undertaking coordinated patrol (CORPAT) with Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Bung Tomo from 30 to 31 July 2021.
• The CORPAT will also witness participation of Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both nations.
• The exercise, being conducted as a ‘non-contact, at sea only’ exercise in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the high degree of mutual trust and confidence, synergy and cooperation between the two friendly navies.

3. INDRA NAVY – 21

Context:

The 12^th edition of exercise INRA NAVY was held in the Baltic Sea.

Details:

• INDRA NAVY is a biennial bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy.
• Initiated in 2003, Ex INDRA NAVY epitomises the long-term strategic relationship between the two navies.
• The current exercise was undertaken as part of the visit of INS Tabar to St. Petersburg, Russia to participate in the 325th Navy Day celebrations of the Russian Navy.
• The primary aim of this year’s edition is to further consolidate inter-operability built up by the two Navies over the years and also to enhance understanding and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations. The scope of this edition includes wide-ranging and diverse activities across the spectrum of maritime operations.

Read more on Ex INDRA in the linked article.

4. 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial

Context:

India participated in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) meeting.

About the Arctic Science Ministerial:

• The 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) meeting was jointly organised by Iceland and Japan and virtually hosted by Japan, for discussing research and cooperation in the Arctic. It was held in May 2021.
• The first Arctic Science Ministerial was hosted by the US in 2016. The second one was held in 2018 and co-hosted by the European Commission, Finland and Germany.
• Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic was the overarching theme for ASM3 and included four sub-themes under the titles: Observe, Understand, Respond, Strengthen.

5. National Population Policy

Context:

A National Population Policy was formulated in the year 2000 with the long term objective of attaining Population Stabilization by 2045.

Various initiatives have been taken under the National Family Planning Programme providing broad range of services mentioned as given below:-

• Mission Parivar Vikas has been introduced for substantially increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services in 146 high fertility districts in 7 high focus states.
• Expanded Contraceptive Choices: The current contraceptive basket comprising of condoms, combined oral contraceptive pills, emergency contraceptive pills, intrauterine contraceptive uterine device (IUCD) and sterilization has been expanded with inclusion of new contraceptives namely injectable contraceptive (Antara programme) and Centchroman (Chhaya).
• Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors which provides compensation for loss of wages to the beneficiary and also to the service provider team for conducting sterilisation.
• Post-partum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) services are provided post-delivery.
• Scheme for Home Delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs at doorstep of beneficiaries has been taken up.
• Scheme for provision of Pregnancy Testing Kits in the drug kits of ASHA for use in communities.
• Family Planning Logistics Management Information System (FP-LMIS): dedicated software has been launched to ensure smooth forecasting, procurement and distribution of family planning commodities across all the levels of health facilities.

Achievements:

• The Total Fertility Rate has declined from 2.9 to 2.2 from 2005 to 2018.
  • Total Fertility Rate: The number of children who would be born per woman (or per 1,000 women) if she/they were to pass through the childbearing years bearing children according to a current schedule of age-specific fertility rates.
• 28 out of 36 States/UTs have already achieved the replacement level fertility of 2.1 or less.
• The Crude Birth Rate has declined from 23.8 to 20.0 from 2005 to 2018.
  • Crude Birth Rate: The number of live births occurring among the population of a given geographical area during a given year, per 1,000 mid-year total population of the given geographical area during the same year.
• India’s Wanted Fertility Rate has come down to 1.8 in NFHS IV from 1.9 in NFHS III.
  • Wanted Fertility Rate: It is an estimate, based on survey data, of what the total fertility rate would be if all unwanted births were avoided.

6. Biotech-PRIDE

Context:

Union Minister released Biotech-PRIDE (Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange) Guidelines.

About Biotech-PRIDE:

• The Biotech PRIDE Guidelines will enable the exchange of information to promote research and innovation in different research groups across the country.
• The guidelines aim at providing a well-defined framework and guiding principle to facilitate and enable sharing and exchange of biological knowledge, information and data and is specifically applicable to high-throughput, high-volume data generated by research groups across the country.
• These guidelines do not deal with a generation of biological data per se but are an enabling mechanism to share and exchange information and knowledge generated as per the existing laws, rules, regulations and guidelines of the country.
• The guidelines will ensure data sharing benefits viz. maximising use, avoiding duplication, maximised integration, ownership information, better decision-making and equity of access.
• The PRIDE Guidelines will be helpful to harmonise, synergise and encourage data sharing for research and analysis in the country and to promote scientific work and foster progress by building on previous work.
• These guidelines will also be advantageous in avoiding duplication and wasteful expenditure of resources on research.
• Initially, these guidelines will be implemented through the Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) at Regional Centre for Biotechnology supported by the Department of Biotechnology.

Read previous PIB here.

July 30th, 2021, PIB:- Download PDF Here