08 May 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. India - UAE CEPA
2. NeGD Organised 36th CISO Deep-Dive Training Programme
3. Women Officers of TA to be posted along LOC
4. Project SMART
5. ICAR - NBFGR

1. India – UAE CEPA

Syllabus – GS2, Bilateral agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Prelims – India-UAE CEPA

Context – Bilateral trade between India and UAE has witnessed an enormous growth of 20%, as compared to the previous year, since CEPA came into force.

Details –

• India-UAE CEPA was negotiated in just 88 days and has become a significant turning point in the bilateral economic relations between the two countries.
• The bilateral trade has increased by 20% as compared to the last year and also India’s exports to the UAE have recorded a growth of 12%, reaching US $31.3 billion in 2022-23. UAE is currently the 7th largest investor in India with an estimated investment of US $ 18 billion.
• For UAE it is their first ever CEPA and for India, CEPA with UAE is the first in the region. India also has CEPAs with South Korea and Japan.
  • CEPA is a kind of free trade pact that covers negotiation on the trade in services and investment, and other areas of economic partnership.
  • Partnership agreements or cooperation agreements are more comprehensive than Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
• India-UAE CEPA entered into force on 1st May 2022 and to commemorate its first anniversary various events were organised. The Secretary, DPIIT Shri Rajesh Kumar inaugurated the Kerala Pavilion at Annual Investment Meeting in Abu Dhabi. He will also inaugurate the International Jewellery Exposition Centre in Dubai. 
  • A multi-sectoral B-2-B event is being organised by GJEPC (Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council) in Dubai in which 100 companies from India and Dubai are expected to participate.
  • The ‘CEPA- Beyond Trade’ event included food and fashion pavilions.

2. NeGD Organised 36th CISO Deep-Dive Training Programme

Syllabus – GS3, Security Challenges: Cyber Security.

Prelims – CISO, NeGD

Context – NeGD, National e-Governance Division organised the 36th CISO Deep Dive Training Programme under Cyber Surakshit Bharat.

Details –

• The 36th CISO Deep-Dive training programme organised by NeGD is a five-day intensive training programme designed for designated CISOs from Central/State/UT Governments, technical wings of police and security forces, public sector banks and insurance companies and officers responsible for observing the security of IT systems in their respective organisations.
• Cyber Surakshit Bharat is an initiative of MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) with the objective of spreading awareness about cybercrime and building capacities of CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) and frontline IT officials across all government departments. 
• The deep-dive training programme aims at enabling and educating CISOs to understand cyber-attacks comprehensively and get acquainted with the latest technology to safeguard and translate the benefits of resilient e-infrastructure to individual organisations and citizens at large.
• The training also focuses on enabling CISOs to formulate policies in the field of Cyber Security and build concrete cyber crisis management plans.

CISO Training-

• CISO training was launched in 2018 and is the first-of-its-kind partnership between the Government and industry consortium under PPP (Public-Private-Partnership) model.

3. Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY) Phase-III

Syllabus – GS2, Health: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

Prelims – World Thalassemia Day, TBSY.

Context – The Ministry of Health launched Phase III of the Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY).

Details –

• The Ministry of Health launched the third phase of TBSY which is supported by Coal India Limited as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to commemorate World Thalassemia Day. The Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana portal was also launched.
  • 8th May is observed as World Thalassemia Day every year. The day commemorates the struggles of the patients suffering from this genetic disorder and raises awareness about the disease and its symptoms.
  • Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes the body to have less haemoglobin than normal.
• TBSY has been implemented by the Ministry of Health since 2017 under the NHM (National Health Mission). It completed its second phase in March 2023. Under this program, 356 bone marrow transplants have been successfully completed during two phases. The multi-stakeholder approach will help to mobilise nationwide support for awareness and treatment of blood-related disorders.
• The third phase of the program will continue to provide financial assistance for a package cost of 10 lakhs per HSCT (Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant), directly transferred from CIL (Coal India Limited) to the institutions performing HSCT. The program will benefit underprivileged thalassemia patients and those with aplastic anaemia, which is an irreversible condition that can be life-threatening without treatment.

4. Project SMART

Syllabus – GS3, Infrastructure 

Prelims – Project SMART.

Context – The MoHUA and MoR jointly signed an MoU with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for Project SMART.

Details –

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and MoR (Ministry of Railways) jointly signed an MoU with JICA for ‘Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail’- Project SMART.
• Project SMART aims to develop surrounding areas of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) Stations to enhance accessibility and convenience of commuters and other stakeholders and to promote economic activities in the vicinity of the station areas.
• The MoU was signed for four High Speed Rail Stations – Sabarmati and Surat in Gujarat, and Virar and Thane in Mumbai.

5. ICAR – NBFGR

Syllabus – GS3, Food Security, Economics of Animal Rearing.

Prelims – ICAR-NBFGR

Context – Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, OSD, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying visited the ICAR – National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and interacted with fish farmers at the institute farms.

About ICAR-NBFGR

• The ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) was established in 1983 under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agriculture Resources (ICAR) to undertake research related to the conservation of fish germplasm resources of the country. 
• The principal tasks of the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) include the collecting, characterization, categorization, and documentation of fish genetic resources from various aquatic environments around the country, as well as their conservation methods.
• The Institute also implements the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) in 21 states.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

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