17 May 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC)
2. Ayushman Bharat Assessment Report
3. YD SURAT & YD UDAYGIRI

1. National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC)

Syllabus: GS III, Economy, growth, development and employment

Prelims: NSAC, Startup India

Mains: Effective interventions by the government to boost the startup ecosystem in the country. 

Context: The 4th meeting of the National Startup Advisory Council was held in New Delhi. 

Important Highlights:

• The meeting of the NSAC commenced with the objective of extending support to the developing startup ecosystem in the country. 
• The need to enhance capacity building for generating awareness among people about various programmes of the government to promote startups in the cities. 
• The focus areas included:
  • Protecting ownership of startups with original promoters
  • Incorporation of the startups in India
  • Listing in India
  • Development of innovation hubs in India
• The NavIC grand challenge was launched to expand the usage of geo-positioning solution tools as key proponents for digital Atma Nirbharta (self-reliance). 
• The NavIC challenge also aimed to promote the development of NavIC enabled drones that will enable handhold solutions. 
• This acted as a progressive step to give effect to the objectives of Startup India. 

About NSAC:

• NSAC was constituted by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to advise the government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
• It aims to build a sustainable drive for economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. 
• It is a kind of congregation wherein the policymaking process is driven as part of collaborations between all key stakeholders of the startup ecosystem. 

Read more about NSAC in PIB dated 21st January 2020.

NavIC:

• NavIC is an Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) developed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from the boundaries of India which includes the primary service area. 
• It was developed by ISRO and its commercial wing ANTRIX. 
• It offers two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (provided to all users) and Restricted Service (provided to authorised users). 
• Applications of IRNSS NavIC:
  • Terrestrial area and marine navigation
  • Disaster Management
  • Vehicle tracking and fleet management
  • Precise timing
  • Mapping and geodetic data capture
  • Navigation aid for hikers and travellers
  • Visual and voice navigation for drivers

Read more about IRNSS NavIC in the linked article.

2. Ayushman Bharat Assessment Report

Syllabus: GS II, Social Justice, Issues relating to health

Prelims: Ayushman Bharat Initiative

Mains: Elucidating the required reforms in the healthcare sector in India. 

Context: The third-party evaluation assessment report of Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres across 18 states in the country has been released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

What is the objective?

• The objective of the report is to assess the functioning and implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and ensure affordable and accessible healthcare for all. 
• The assessment report acts as the guiding principle for a better plan to shape up the healthcare services in the country. 

Key Findings:

• A significant transformation from a selective healthcare package to a comprehensive primary healthcare package was observed by the report. Such a transformation is in line with the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.
• The Ayushman Bharat scheme is on track in most of the states with a clear roadmap for achieving the targets set. 
• There has been an overall improvement in equity in terms of accessibility.
• Challenges still exist with the inadequate availability of infrastructure in healthcare facilities.
• Effective communication was observed between the PHC-HWC and the Secondary Healthcare Centres resulting in faster and better policy decisions.
• Client satisfaction was noted in terms of treatment, medicines, diagnostics and cleanliness. 
• Timelines for rolling out all the service packages have now been fixed. 

Get a comprehensive understanding of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme in the linked article.

3. YD SURAT & YD UDAYGIRI

Syllabus: GS III, Security, Various Security Forces

Prelims: YD SURAT & YD UDAYGIRI

Mains: Analysing India’s self-reliance in the area of defence

Context: As a boost to Atmanirbharta in defence, the Indian Navy has launched two frontline warships named SURAT and UDAYGIRI. 

About SURAT:

• It is a Project 15B destroyer launched at the Mazgaon Docks Limited in Mumbai. 
• Project 15B includes the class of ships that are equipped with next-generation guided-missile destroyers. 
• SURAT is the fourth ship of Project 15B
• SURAT exemplifies a modification of the P15A (Kolkata class) destroyers.
• It is named after the commercial capital of the state of Gujarat, Surat which is also the second-largest commercial hub of western India after Mumbai. 
• It has been built on block construction methodology which involves hull construction at two different geographical locations and has been joined together. 

About UDAYAGIRI:

• It was named after a mountain range in the state of Andhra Pradesh. 
• It is the third ship belonging to Project 17A frigates
• It is a modified version of the Shivalik class with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors. 
• It offers a highly advanced platform management system. 
• It is also considered to be the reincarnation of erstwhile “Udaygiri” the Leander Class ASW Frigate which participated in numerous challenging operations spanning over three decades in the Indian Navy. 
• Under Project 17A, seven ships are on the verge of construction.
• It leverages new concepts of technology intrusions like Integrated construction, Mega Block Outsourcing and Project Data Management/Project Lifecycle Management. 
• These new concepts have been adopted for the first time in indigenous warship design and construction under this project. 

Significance:

• The ships under projects 15B and 17A have been designed by the Directorate of Naval Design which has been the fountainhead for all warships design activities in India. 
• During the building phase, 75% of the orders for equipment and systems have been placed on indigenous firms including the MSMEs.
• This is a significant leap towards achieving self-reliance in the defence sector.

Read previous PIB here.

May 17th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here