01 May 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. SemiconIndia 2022
2. Deaflympics 2021
3. India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
4. India’s Pharma exports grow by 103% since 2013-14

1. SemiconIndia 2022

Context: The SemiconIndia 2022 conference was held.

SemiconIndia 2022: 

• SemiconIndia 2022 is a 3 day conference.
• It is being organized by the India Semiconductor Mission in partnership with industry and industry associations.
• Aims: To make India a global hub for Semiconductor Design, Manufacturing and Technology Development which will help propel the vision of the India Semiconductor Mission.

MoUs announced in the backdrop of SemiconIndia 2022:

• India Semiconductor Mission has announced an MoU to enable mass production of “5G Narrowband-IoT- the Koala Chip, Architected and Designed in India”.
• Cyient company is in the process to enable volume production of Koala– NB IoT-SoC (Narrowband-IoT System-on-Chip), designed and architected in India. 
• 5G NB-IoT is a fast-growing technology that enables low bit rate IoT applications and extends device battery life by upto 10 years. 
• This chip will be used in many applications such as Smart Meters, Asset tracking, Digital Healthcare and many more.
• MoU for design, deployment and maintenance of 10 Lakh Integrated NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) and GPS Receivers. 
  • Signalchip company has developed the “Agumbe” series of baseband, modem and radio frequency (RF) chipsets for 5G/4G networks with integrated support for global navigation satellite systems including NavIC.
  • The NavIC chipset that will be developed can be used in any device requiring navigation capabilities like mobile phones, vehicles with built-in navigation (e.g. electric vehicles) and tracking devices.
  • They can also be used in low power IoT devices in combination with other technologies like NB-IoT.

• Partnership was announced for the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme
• • The Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme of MeitY aims to create specialized engineers for expanding Indian Semiconductor talent in the area of VLSI and Embedded System Design.
  • It has been implemented by CDAC, a scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Govt. of India.
• An MoU was announced between Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)
  • Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) aims to focus on bringing together SRC’s industry experts and India’s R&D talent to create a compelling industry-driven world-class R&D program.
  • SRC is a world-renowned, high technology-based consortium that serves to enable collaboration between technology companies, academia, government agencies, and SRC’s highly regarded engineers and scientists.

• MeitY announced an MoU between Atal Community Innovation Center-Kalasalingam Innovation Foundation (ACIC-KIF) and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
  • It aims for collaborative R&D, Product development and Trainings in the areas of semiconductor technologies, Power electronics, Energy harvesting, Electric vehicles, etc.
  • This will provide research and innovation capabilities to rural industries without access to semiconductor facilities.

2. Deaflympics 2021

Context: Recently the Indian team participated in the 24th Deaflympics games.

About the Deaflympics:

• The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD – International Committee of Sports for the Deaf) organizes the Deaflympics, an international multi-sport event.
• Deaflympics are held once every four years and they are meant specifically for deaf athletes.
• The Summer Deaflympics are the oldest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games, taking place every four years.
• Previously, the Deaflympics were known as the World Games for the Deaf and the International Games for the Deaf.
• It is the first sporting event for people with special needs whose first edition was held in Paris in 1924.

Deaflympics 2021:

• The 2021 Summer Deaflympics is officially known as the 24th Summer Deaflympics.
• It is an international multi-sport event scheduled to have Caxias do Sul, Brazil as its main host city.
• The 2021 Summer Deaflympics are postponed to 2022 and will take place in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.

3. India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

Context:

The India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed between the two nations.

 India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): 

• The landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will provide a significant boost to bilateral relations and economic cooperation between the two countries.
• One of the CEPA’s main goals is to boost bilateral non-oil merchandise trade to $100 billion in the next five years.
• Features of India-UAE CEPA:
• • The agreement prohibits the imposition of customs duties on a variety of goods.
  • Within five years, CEPA is expected to boost bilateral goods trade to more than USD 100 billion and services trade to more than USD 15 billion.
  • The tariff concessions obtained for Indian products under the India-UAE CEPA are expected to benefit the Gems and Jewellery sector significantly.
  • The CEPA will encourage bilateral investment in labour-intensive industries such as textiles, leather goods and footwear, and food processing, among others.
  • India will benefit from the UAE’s preferential market access on over 97 percent of its tariff lines, which account for 99 percent of India’s value-added exports to the UAE.

Know more about the Significance of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

4. India’s Pharma exports grow by 103% since 2013-14

Context: Indian pharma exports witnessed a growth of 103% from 2013-14.

Pharma exports of India:

• Indian pharma exports have witnessed a growth of 103% since 2013-14.
• In FY 2020-21, Indian pharma exports sustained positive growth despite the global trade disruptions and drop in demand for COVID related medicines. 
• India ranks 3rd worldwide for production by volume and 14th by value. 
• The share of pharmaceuticals and drugs in our global exports is 5.92%. 
• India’s top 5 pharma export destinations are the USA, UK, South Africa, Russia and Nigeria.
• It is also noteworthy that around 55 % of our pharma exports cater to highly regulated markets.

Read previous PIB here.

May 1st, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here