09 Nov 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Uttarakhand State Foundation Day
2. 6th India-Australia Joint Working Group Meeting
3. REC signs MoU with RailTel

1. Uttarakhand State Foundation Day

Syllabus: GS-2, Polity

Prelims: Uttarakhand State Foundation Day

Mains: Formation of states in India

Context:

Uttarakhand celebrated its State Foundation Day on 9 November.

Details:

• The day is also called ‘Uttarakhand Diwas’.
• Lack of development, unemployment, poverty and insufficient infrastructure led to the demand for a separate state for the hill regions in Uttar Pradesh. The formation of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal gave an impetus to the Uttarakhand movement.
• The state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000 through the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 and called Uttaranchal in the beginning. 
• It was renamed Uttarakhand in 2007.
• Uttarakhand is also known as ‘Devbhumi’ due to the large number of Hindu religious places of worship and sites there.
• Most of the northern part of the state is covered by Himalayan peaks and glaciers.

2. 6th India-Australia Joint Working Group Meeting

Syllabus: GS-2, International Relations

Prelims: 6th India-Australia Joint Working Group Meeting

Mains: India – Australia relations

Context:

6th India-Australia Joint Working Group Meeting on Cooperation in Water Resources Held.

Details:

• The meeting was held between the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India and the Department of Climate Change, Energy and Water, Government of Australia.
• The discussion was on enhancing cooperation in the water sector and charting the way forward with respect to various ongoing and proposed activities. 
• Based on the discussions on various topics such as the integration of MyWell App with NWIC, Australia-India Water Security Initiative (AIWASI), India Young Water Professional Programme, Water Accounting in Practice and Application, Basin Planning Co-design Workshop, Aquawatch Australia, Village Groundwater Cooperatives and in situ remediation of inland salinity, the India-Australia Work Plan for 2024 – 25 was finalised.

Also read: India – Australia relations

3. REC signs MoU with RailTel

Syllabus: GS-3, Infrastructure

Prelims: REC, RailTel

Context:

REC signs MoU with RailTel, to Finance Infrastructure Projects in Telecom, IT and Railway Signalling.

Details:

• The MoU envisages extending financial assistance of up to Rs. 30,000 Crore for Infrastructure Projects to be executed by RailTel in the next 5 years. 
• These projects encompass a wide range of areas, including Data Center products and services, Telecom & IT products and services, Railways & Metro projects, and the KAVACH Train Collision Prevention System.
• The MoU also extends the possibility of financing overseas ventures related to High-Speed Rail, metro, IT network, and the Upgradation of the Railway Network, as part of bilateral country discussions and Infrastructure Projects in Southeast Asia and Eastern Africa where RailTel is currently focusing. 
• REC: REC is a Maharatna CPSE established in 1969, under the Ministry of Power, providing long-term loans and other finance products for the Power-Infrastructure sector comprising Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Renewable Energy and new technologies like Electric Vehicles, Battery Storage, Green Hydrogen, etc. It has now ventured into the non-power infrastructure sector also.
• RailTel: RailTel is a miniratna CPSE under the Railway Ministry providing neutral telecom infrastructure & ICT Solutions & Services.

Read the previous PIB articles here.