28 July 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

July 28th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020
2. Global Tiger Day
3. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
4. World Hepatitis Day
5. India Report on Digital Education, 2020

1. Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020

Context:

Second draft of Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 placed in the public domain inviting suggestions.

About DAP 2020:

• As per the new draft policy, procurement of goods and services (dubbed Capital Acquisition schemes) will be broadly classified as:
  • Buy
    • Buy (Indian – IDDM)
    • Buy (Indian)
    • Buy (Global – Manufacture in India)
    • Buy (Global)
  • Buy and Make
    • Buy and Make (Indian)
    • Buy and Make
  • Leasing
  • Make
  • Design and Development (D & D)
  • Strategic Partnership Model (SPM)
• A Simplified Capital Expenditure Procedure (SCEP) may also be followed for replenishment or repairs or refits of recurring nature of ‘In Service’ equipment/systems, which entail high cost and longer service life.
• The most preferred category would be the ‘Buy Indian – IDDM’ (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured), wherein at least 50 per cent is Indigenous Content (IC) on the cost basis of the base contract price.
• As per the draft procedure, preference will be given to indigenous design, development and manufacturing of defence equipment.
• The Defence Ministry will notify a list of weapons/platforms banned for import, updated from time to time and SHQ (sector headquarters) will ensure that no weapon/platform figuring on the list is procured ex import.
  • These equipment may, therefore, be procured under the Buy (Indian – IDDM), Buy (Indian), Buy and Make (Indian) (only if Buy quantities are zero) and Buy and Make (only if Buy quantities are zero) categories of procurement.

Also read: Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016

2. Global Tiger Day

Context:

Union Environment Minister releases detailed report of Tiger Census on the eve of Global Tiger Day.

About the Tiger Census:

• The Tiger Census, conducted in 2018, showed the population of tigers in the country had increased from 2226 in 2014 to 2967 in 2018 (an increase of 33%).
• India conducts a survey of the tiger population every four years. It’s a long, arduous task that involves forest officials and scientists trekking across half a million square kilometres looking for evidence of the tiger population.
• Around 70% of the tigers of the world are in India.
• Madhya Pradesh has the most number of tigers in India. This is followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand is in the third place.
• The tiger reserve having the maximum number of tigers in the country is the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand.

Read more on the tiger census in PIB dated July 11, 2020.

About Global Tiger Day:

• Also known as the International Tiger Day, this day is observed on July 29^th every year.
• The idea behind this observance is to spread awareness of the importance of tiger conservation (which are listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List).
• This day was marked for the first time in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit held in Russia.
  • The Summit aimed to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation.

Read more about tiger conservation in India in the linked article.

Tiger Range Countries

• Tiger Range Countries are those countries where wild tigers still roam free.
• There are 13 such countries, namely: India, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Bhutan, Russia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

3. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

Context:

Finance Minister attends the 5^th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the AIIB.

About the AIIB:

• The AIIB is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia.
• It is headquartered in Beijing and started operations in 2016.
• The bank invests in sustainable infrastructure and other productive sectors in Asia.
• India is a member of the bank and has the second-largest shareholding and voting rights after China.
• AIIB Goals:
  • To promote sustainable economic development, create wealth and enhance infrastructure connectivity in Asia.
  • To augment regional cooperation and partnership.
  • To boost investment in the public and private capital for development purposes.
  • To promote private investment in projects, activities and businesses contributing to economic development in the region.
• Membership to the bank is open to all members of the Asian Development Bank or the World Bank.
• The bank also allows non-sovereign entities to apply for membership provided their home countries are members.

4. World Hepatitis Day

Context:

Empathy e-Conclave on World Hepatitis Day.

About World Hepatitis Day:

• 28^th July is observed as World Hepatitis Day every year.
• The idea behind the observance is to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis.
• The theme for 2020 is “Hepatitis-free future”.
• It is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• 28 July was chosen as the day because it is the birth anniversary of Baruch Samuel Blumberg, an American physician who did pioneering work on the hepatitis B virus.

About Hepatitis:

• Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver.
• The condition can progress to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
• It is commonly caused by a viral infection, but there can be other causes as well (such as toxic substances, autoimmune diseases, etc.)
• There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D and E. Together, Hepatitis B and C are the most common cause of deaths, with 1.4 million lives lost each year.
• Hepatitis A and E are typically caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Hepatitis B, C and D usually occur as a result of parenteral contact with infected body fluids.

5. India Report on Digital Education, 2020

Context:

HRD Minister launches India Report on Digital Education, 2020.

About the India Report on Digital Education, 2020:

• This report details the various initiative and programmes of the MHRD and also the state/UT governments with respect to online learning initiatives.
• It was compiled and released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
• Some of the initiatives are:
  • DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) – more on PIB dated 9 April 2020.
  • Swayam Prabha TV Channels
  • Radio broadcasting is being used for children in remote areas who are not online.
  • Differently-abled students: One DTH channel is being operated specifically for hearing impaired students in sign language. For visually and hearing impaired students, study material has been developed in Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY) and in sign language; both are available on NIOS website/YouTube.
  • E-textbooks: The e-textbooks can be accessed using e-Pathshala web portal and mobile app by students, teachers, teacher educators and parents.
  • National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER): NROER is an open storehouse of e-content for students, teachers, teacher educators and parents.
• Future plans include :
  • Developing digital classrooms as an instructional modality – Integration of use of technology with the education system.
  • Inclusion of virtual vocational training, virtual labs & skill development courses.
  • Multi-mode access to education using web portals, mobile apps, TV channels, radio, podcasts, etc. with coherent user experience.
  • Developing quality e-content in local languages.
  • Developing a framework for enhancing learning within and outside the classroom, and for assessments in the era of digital education.
  • Framing of Online/Digital Education Guidelines addressing the digital divide.
• Efforts are also underway for developing mechanisms to provide textbooks to all children at home, upskill teachers to leverage e-learning resources, use of mobiles to increase penetration, etc.
• NCERT has also developed an alternate academic calendar.

Read previous PIB here.

July 28th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here