11 May 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Technology Day, 2023
2. MoU between the Ministry of AYUSH and ICMR
3. SCO Startup Forum 2023
4. Indian Carbon Market (ICM)

1. National Technology Day, 2023

Syllabus – GS3, Science & Technology: Developments in S&T.

Prelims – National Technology Day, 2023

Context – 25th-year celebrations of National Technology Day (11th May)

Details –

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the programme marking National Technology Day in New Delhi. The programme also marked the commencement of the 25th-year celebrations of National Technology Day being held from 11th – 14th May 2023.
  • National Technology Day is celebrated annually on 11 May to pay tributes to the stalwarts and advancements in the technological domain. After the successful nuclear tests under Pokhran-II aka Operation Shakti for the first time in 1998, May 11 was declared as the national day of technology. The series of five nuclear bomb tests signified a shift in India’s technological abilities and was instrumental in garnering attention as a nuclear power.
  • The theme for this year’s National Technology Day is ‘School to Startups-Igniting Young Minds to Innovate’.
• Shri Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation a number of projects related to science and technology worth Rs 5800 crore. The projects whose foundation stone would be laid include-
  • LIGO-India – Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory – India, Hingoli, Maharashtra.
  • Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jatni, Odisha.
  • Platinum Jubilee Block of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
• The following projects will be dedicated to the nation-
  • Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Plant, Visakhapatnam.
  • Fission Molybdenum-99 Production Facility, Mumbai.
  • Radiological Research Unit, Navi Mumbai.
  • National Hadron Beam Therapy Facility, Navi Mumbai.
  • Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Vishakhapatnam, and
  • Women and Children Cancer Hospital Building, Navi Mumbai.

About LIGO-India

• The LIGO facility involves the construction of two 4-km-long vacuum chambers in an L-shape along with other structures on nearly 600 acres of land in Hingoli district, about 450 km east of Mumbai. The facility is set to become operational by 2030.
• LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory)  is meant to detect gravitational waves, and is set to become the largest scientific facility in India. Two existing LIGO observatories in the United States detected gravitational waves for the first time in 2015, a feat that was acknowledged with the Nobel Prize two years later. Since then, two more similar detectors have come onboard, one in Italy and the other in Japan. LIGO India would be the fifth node of this network.

Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Plant, Visakhapatnam.

• The facility for the production of the Rare Earth Permanent Magnet has been developed on the campus of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Visakhapatnam. These are mainly produced in the developed countries.
• India plans to use locally sourced rare earth elements to produce these magnets. The facility would produce magnets like Samarium-Cobalt and Neodymium-Iron-Boron. These magnets are critical components of high-technology products in telecommunication, micro-electronics, electric vehicles, aeroplanes and also in weapons.

Fission Molybdenum-99 Production Facility

• It is located inside the main BARC complex in Mumbai. Molybdenum-99 is used in imaging procedures for the early detection of cancer and heart diseases.

2. MoU between the Ministry of AYUSH and ICMR

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

Prelims – MoU between AYUSH & ICMR

Context – An MoU was signed between the Ministry of AYUSH and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to promote and collaborate on integrative health research.

Details –

• The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between AYUSH and ICMR will focus on identified areas of national importance in healthcare for promoting high-impact research to generate evidence utilising modern scientific methods. This MoU will help to further develop Ayurveda as evidence-based science.
• Integrative Health Research is a transdisciplinary, holistic approach to investigating the benefits of co-administering the conventional (modern systems of medicine) and non-conventional (traditional/complementary/alternative) medical practices to identify the comprehensive healthcare practices for an individual and the community.
• Through this MoU, AYUSH-ICMR centres will be established for advanced research in Integrative Health at all AIIMS with co-funding.
• Joint efforts will be in place to conduct high-quality clinical trials on identified areas/disease conditions of national importance with promising integrative therapies to generate evidence for wider acceptance. This would also help Ayurveda to boost and further build its identity on the basis of scientific evidence and move towards offering patients the benefit of integrated medicine in India.
• A joint working group shall be created between the Ministry of AYUSH and ICMR which will meet quarterly for exploring further areas of collaboration and work on deliverables. Both institutions shall formulate and implement joint research projects and programmes and allow joint supervision of the said activities as well as design and conduct conferences, workshops, and seminars jointly with the active participation of researchers interested in the field of Integrative Healthcare.

3. SCO Startup Forum 2023

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

Prelims – Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Startup Forum, 2023.

Context – Third edition of SCO Startup Forum, 2023 to foster innovation and global engagements for startups in SCO member states.

Details –

• Startup India, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce, organised the third edition in the form of the first-ever physical SCO Startup Forum, 2023. Its first two editions were held virtually.
• The third edition of SCO Startup Forum, 2023 aimed at expanding the startup interactions amongst the SCO member states, boosting the spirit of innovation, generating more jobs and encouraging youth to build innovative solutions. 
• The SCO Startup Forum, 2023 witnessed the physical participation from SCO member states including a delegation of government officials, private industry players, incubators and startups.
• A workshop was organised by Startup India on the “Role of Bilateral and Multilateral Engagements in Developing Startup Ecosystem”. An interactive session was held to understand various models of engagement that can be undertaken to boost the startup ecosystem in SCO nations.
• Startup India had earlier also organised various initiatives for SCO member states-
  • SCO Startup Forum, 2020 – It laid the foundation for multilateral cooperation and engagement for startups among SCO member states.
  • SCO Startup Forum, 2021 – SCO Startup Hub which is a single point of contact for SCO member states was launched in this forum.
  • Focussed Mentorship Program – A three-month-long virtual mentorship series – ‘Starting Up’ was organised to build capacity among SCO startup founders.

4. Indian Carbon Market (ICM)

Syllabus – GS3, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Prelims – ICM, Carbon Credit Trading Scheme.

Context– The GoI plans to develop the Indian Carbon Market (ICM) with the aim to decarbonise the Indian economy by pricing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

Details –

• The GoI plans to develop ICM where a national framework will be established with an objective to decarbonise the Indian economy by pricing the GHG emission through trading of the Carbon Credit Certificates. BEE, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power & MoEFCC are developing the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme for this purpose.
• The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme will enhance energy transition efforts and will cover the potential energy sectors in the country. GHG emissions intensity benchmark and targets will be developed in alignment with India’s emission trajectory as per climate goals.
• To facilitate the achievement of India’s enhanced climate targets and to meet future goals, the government is developing ICM. ICM will help in achieving the Nationally Determined Goal (NDG) of reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030 as against 2005 levels.
• In creating a carbon market, a country sets a limit on emissions and then allocates a corresponding quantity of tradable permits, or credits, to emitters. The quantity reduces over time. If a company wants to emit more, it can buy more credits at the market price, but it will also consider whether constraining or even cutting its emissions might be more profitable.

Also read – Paris Agreement (COP 21)

Read the previous PIB articles here.

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