14 Mar 2024: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Mission for Edible Oils - Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)
2. India and Singapore sign Memorandum of Understanding
3. Loan Agreement Between Indian Govt and ADB
4. Digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS)
5. Gender Inequality Index 2022

1. National Mission for Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)

Syllabus: GS-2, Govt schemes

Prelims: National Mission for Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)

Context:

Launch of Oil Palm Processing Mill under National Mission on Edible Oil.

Details:

• The Prime Minister inaugurated the first Oil Palm Processing Mill under Mission Palm Oil in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The Government of India launched the National Mission for Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) in August 2021. 
  • The mission is committed to escalating oil palm cultivation and elevating Crude Palm Oil production to 11.20 lakh tonnes by 2025-26. 

NMEO-OP in NE Region

• NMEO-OP has provisioned INR 5,870 Cr exclusively for the NER region out of the total national budget of INR 11,040 for promoting oil palm, where the Central Government will make a 90% contribution.
• The scope for oil palm production spans six NER states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, encompassing a vast potential area of 8.4 lakh hectares, which is 38% of the national potential.
• Under the NMEO-OP, special assistance of Rs 1,00,000 per hectare is given to farmers for planting material, and management, and to address the topographical challenges (land clearance, half-moon terrace construction, bio-fencing) faced by the NER farmers. 
• The mission also provides Rs 2,90,000 to farmers for purchasing harvesting tools for palm oil cultivation.
• The Government of India will pay a differential of 2% on the CPO price to farmers considering the difficult terrain of NER.
• Additionally, the mission is also promoting private players to invest in the NER for establishing post-harvest processing facilities in the region, where special assistance of Rs 5 crore is allocated for oil palm processing mills in the NER. 

Significance:

• This initiative is a step in the larger goal of attaining atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in edible oil production.
• India is at present a net importer of edible oil, with 57% of the total edible oil being imported from various countries. 
• The insufficiency in edible oil is negatively impacting our forex by 20.56 billion USD and hence, the NMEO-OP assumes great significance.

2. India and Singapore sign Memorandum of Understanding

Syllabus: GS-2, International Relations

Mains: India – Singapore relations

Context:

India and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the sphere of Law & Dispute Resolution.

Details:

• The MoU is on further cooperation between the two countries in the areas of common interest such as international commercial dispute resolution; matters relating to the promotion of robust alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in respective countries and the establishment of a Joint Consultative Committee to oversee the implementation of the MoU.

3. Loan Agreement Between Indian Govt and ADB

Syllabus: GS-3, Economy

Prelims: GIFT City, Asian Development Bank

Context:

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $23 million loan agreement to enhance access to quality fintech education, research, and innovation at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT-City).

Details:

• This project will establish an International Fintech Institute (IFI) to strengthen fintech education, boost start-up success rates, and drive fintech research and innovation.
• The project emphasises market-driven fintech skills programmes, creating an enabling environment for private sector investment and enhancing collaboration between industry, skills development institutes and development partners.
• This is expected to aid in the holistic development of the fintech sector in India.
• About the proposed International Fintech Institute (IFI):
  • The IFI, set to be established in partnership with globally reputed institutes and universities, will offer industry-aligned fintech training programmes that meet international standards. 
  • The institute will strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship by supporting startups, especially women-led, through incubation and acceleration services. 
  • It will also collaborate with industry and venture capital funds to support the growth of fintech startups.

Also read: GIFT City

4. Digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS)

Syllabus: GS-2, Governance

Prelims: Digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS), NIA

Context:

The Home Minister virtually launched a unique Digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS) Platform of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Details:

• The Criminal Case Management System will enable the NIA personnel to better coordinate in terrorism and organized crime cases, thereby improving justice delivery. 
• The new stand-alone version of CCMS has been developed by NIA as a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy, customizable, browser-based software to help the State Police forces in their investigations and prosecution. 
• This software would not only bring standardisation into investigations but also enable easy and streamlined compilation of terror-related data across the country. 
• The Minister also launched a mobile app, Sankalan, which is a compendium of New Criminal Laws by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• He also e-inaugurated NIA’s 2 new branch offices in Jammu and Kochi.

5. Gender Inequality Index 2022

Syllabus: GS-1, Social Issues

Prelims: Gender Inequality Index, India’s position

Mains: Gender equality in India

Context:

India jumps 14 ranks on the Gender Inequality Index 2022.

Details:

• The UNDP released the Gender Inequality Index 2022 in their Human Development Report 2023/2024.
• On the Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2022, India stands at rank 108 out of 193 countries with a score of 0.437. India stood at rank 122 out of 191 countries with a score of 0.490 in the Gender Inequality Index 2021.
• This is a significant jump of 14 ranks on GII 2022 vis-à-vis GII 2021.
• Over the last 10 years, India’s rank in GII has become consistently better, indicating progressive improvement in achieving gender equality in the country. 

Read previous PIB articles here.