17 May 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. World Telecom Day
2. World Hypertension Day
3. Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR)
4. Cabinet Approvals
5. PLI Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware

1. World Telecom Day

Syllabus – GS3, Growth & Development: IT

Prelims – World Telecom Day, 17th May.

Context – The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) celebrated World Telecom Day on 17th May.

Details –

• The Union Minister of State for Communications inaugurated the World Telecom Day Conference to mark the observance of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) in New Delhi.
• The minister inaugurated the exhibition showcasing innovations in Telecom by startups and released a commemorative stamp on the completion of 20 years of USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund).
  • USOF is a division of DoT.
• The Department of Telecommunications is relentlessly working towards ensuring digital inclusion in the country. India has the fastest growing telecom network and the fastest 5G rollout covering over 680 districts with 5G network in the country. The robust digital telecom infrastructure has brought a digital revolution in the country generating more jobs and global confidence.

About World Telecommunication Day:

• World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated every year on 17th May, since 1969. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for information and communication technologies, established World Telecommunication Day in 1969. The date commemorates the founding of the ITU and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865. 
• The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the importance of telecommunication and promote international cooperation in the field.
• USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) was brought into force on 1st April 2002 in India to provide universal access and universal services to ICT (Information and Communication Technology), particularly in rural and remote areas of the country. The USOF India is one of the most active and vibrant institutional mechanisms which serves the aim of connecting the unconnected.

Know more about World Telecommunication Day in the linked article.

2. World Hypertension Day

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

Prelims – World Hypertension Day.

Context – Celebration of World Hypertension Day on 17th May.

Details –

• Every year, the 17th of May is observed as World Hypertension Day. To mark World Hypertension Day, the Ministry of Health launched an ambitious initiative of screening and putting 75 million people with hypertension and diabetes on Standard Care by 2025.
• The Indian Government’s ambitious target of reaching 75 million people with Hypertension under standard care in primary healthcare by 2025 is the largest cover of NCDs in the world for primary healthcare.
• The country is making efforts to achieve results in social indicators like life expectancy, maternal mortality rate, and NCDs at par with the developed nations of the world.
• In addition to the 75/25 initiative, the Shashakt Portal was launched for the training of 40,000 Primary Health Care Medical Officers on Standard Treatment Workflow for NCDs initiated to realise health care services closer to the community. 
• The Revised operational guidelines of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) were also released for much wider coverage. 
  • The programme is now providing services for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Asthma, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases (NAFLD), ST Elevation of Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) apart from Hypertension, Diabetes and three common Cancers including Oral, Breast and Cervical. 

World Hypertension Day

• World Hypertension Day is observed every year on 17th May to raise awareness of and promote education about hypertension or high blood pressure.
• This day was established by the World Hypertension League in 2005 to bring attention to the seriousness of hypertension, which is the leading cause of heart disease, strokes and other health problems worldwide.

3. Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR)

Syllabus – GS2, Important Government Organisations

Prelims – Directorate General of Trade Remedies.

Context – DGTR celebrated its 6th Creation Day.

Details –

• The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) celebrated its 6th Creation Day by organising an outreach program on ‘trade remedies’ for MSMEs. 
• The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has initiated several systemic and procedural changes for Enhancing Transparency and Ease of Doing Business, thereby reducing the compliance burden on stakeholders. This has been achieved through an extensive exercise towards simplification of Rules, Processes and Procedures relating to Trade Remedy.
• The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) (earlier known as DGAD – Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties) was formed on 17th May 2018 as a single national entity dealing with all kinds of trade remedial measures (anti-dumping, countervailing, safeguard).
• The DGTR provides a level playing field to the domestic industry against unfair trade practices like dumping, subsidisation and surge in imports.

4. Cabinet Approvals

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

Prelims – CCI, WHO, ECA, ICAI

Context – Cabinet Approval of agreements.

Details –

1. The Union Cabinet approved the signing of the Project Collaboration Agreement between the Department of Health Research (DHR) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for promoting access to high-quality affordable assistive technology mainly through encouraging research, innovation and capacity building.
2. The Union Cabinet approved the signing of an MoU between the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA).
   1. This MoU envisages the promotion and strengthening of cooperation in competition law and policy through the exchange of information, sharing of best practices and capacity-building programmes. 
   2. This MoU will help in the enforcement of competition law in their respective jurisdictions through experience sharing and technical cooperation.
   3. Section 18 of the Competition Act, 2002 permits CCI to enter into any memorandum or arrangement with any agency of any foreign country for the purpose of discharging its duties or performing its functions under the Act. 
3. The Union Cabinet approved MoU between ICAI and the CA Maldives –
   1. The aim of the MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and The Chartered Accountants of Maldives (CA Maldives), is to establish mutual cooperation for the advancement of accounting knowledge, professional and intellectual development and positively contribute towards the development of accountancy profession in the Maldives and India.
   2. This MoU will establish strong working relations between the two countries and would enhance professional mobility at either end.
   3. CA Maldives wants to become a member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and ICAI will help Maldives in this endeavour. IFAC is the global voice of the accountancy profession with more than 180 members in 135 countries.
   4. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 for the regulation of the profession of Chartered Accountants in India. 

5. PLI Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware

Syllabus – GS2, Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.

Prelims – PLI Scheme 2.0

Context – PLI Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware

Details –

PLI Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware –

• The Union Cabinet approved the Production Linked Incentive Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware with a budgetary outlay of Rs 17,000 crore. The tenure of this scheme is 6 years. It covers laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs, servers and ultra-small form factor devices.
• With the success of the PLI Scheme for mobile phones, the government has approved the scheme for IT hardware. India is the second largest manufacturer of mobile phones and its exports crossed a milestone of about 11 billion USD this year.
• The scheme is expected to lead to incremental production of Rs 3.35 lakh crore, incremental investment of Rs 2,430 crore and create incremental direct employment for 75,000 people during the scheme period.
• The global electronics manufacturing ecosystem is coming to India, and it is emerging as a major electronics manufacturing country.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

May 17th, 2023, PIB:- Download PDF Here