UPSC PIB Summary Analysis Nov16

Read the daily PIB update and stay up-to-date on current affairs for the UPSC exam

Urban Renaissance Imperative for Economic Growth

Context: The Vice President of India, Shri  M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that India is witnessing an urban renaissance while interacting with the Mayor of Houston, USA, Mr. Sylvester Turner.

Highlights:

• The Vice President said that Government’s initiatives such as Smart Cities, AMRUT Mission, Housing for all are changing the urban landscape by providing amenities to common man at an affordable price.
• He also said that India and United States being the largest and oldest democracies in the world should come together and strengthen the existing relationship to foster new ties.

Urban Renaissance:

• Urban Renaissance is a redevelopment system that can turn neighborhoods, cities, and regions into beautiful self-sufficient places where people want to live and work. It is a strategic approach that involves all stakeholders in the process from initiation through to living realization.
• The unique Urban Renaissance process provides safe and healthy living environments and a thriving economy. UR realizes inspiring environments to live in, and resilient long term investments.  It significantly improves on old planning and design processes. The UR process includes strategies based on:
• Community and stakeholder participation
• Urban and industrial ecology
• Closed loop resource cycles, Circular and Blue Economies (Economies of Abundance)
• Urban agriculture and manufacturing
• Smart grids and renewable energy technologies
• Adaptive reuse , building redevelopment and redesign.
• Complimentary currencies
• Innovation Communities
• System rethinking and mapping using the SiD system.
• Urban Renaissance offers self-sufficiency
• UR applies a closed-loop urban metabolism approach combined with life-cycle thinking and bottom-up community participation, tailored to each specific neighborhood, culture, and economy. This results in resilient and sustainable neighborhoods with local independence on the following aspects, and more: 
• Energy (neutral, positive, or autonomous)
• Water & waste processing
• Fresh food (basic or full sufficiency)
• Construction & operational materials
• Economic program
• Social and cultural program
• Communications (internet, data storage)
• Ecological resources

CSIR-CRRI

Context:

• CSIR-Central Road Research Institute has organized a two-day international conference titled “Pavements and Computational Approaches” from 16-17 November 2018, at its premises in New Delhi
• The objective of the conference is to deliberate upon advancements in pavement technology and road infrastructure engineering across the world, with special emphasis to the requirements of developing countries

CSIR

• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India, a premier national R&D organisation, is among the world’s largest publicly funded R&D organisation. CSIR’s pioneering sustained contribution to S&T human resource development is acclaimed nationally. Human Resource Development Group (HRDG), a division of CSIR realises this objective through various grants, fellowship schemes etc.
• Human Resource Development Group has been contributing significantly towards producing an inquiring society and fast growing knowledge economy. These numerous schemes cover a wide range of scientists.
• CSIR comes under ministry of science and technology.

Traffic Separation Scheme

Context: The Directorate General of Shipping has proposed the establishment of a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) off the south-west coast of India to prevent collision incidents between merchant vessels and fishing vessels off the coast of Kerala.

About:

• The proposal has been drawn taking into consideration past collision incidents off the Indian coast, traffic patterns of merchant vessels for past years, and optimum sea routes, in consonance with the current traffic flow, including simplification of traffic in converging areas off the coast of Kerala.
• The proposal has also considered aspects pertaining to the safety of navigation, maritime security and the separation of opposing streams of traffic to reduce incidents of collision in Indian waters.
• Stakeholder consultations are in progress for establishing the Traffic Separation Scheme – TSS in the south-west coast.
• The proposed TSS lanes are currently under consideration, and will be located at a distance of about 90 nautical miles west of Mangalore in Karnataka, with the lanes leading in a south-easterly direction to the southernmost tip of India and ending about 40 nautical miles off south of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
• The average distance from the coast is about 50 nautical miles.

Benefits:

• The promulgation of TSS on the south-west coast of India is expected to shift the density of merchant traffic away from the coast and merchant ship traffic will become more concentrated in the established TSS.
• This is expected to result in more sea room for fishing vessels to operate safely and will, therefore, be beneficial to the fishing industry.

Central and State Statistical Organizations (COCSSO)

Context:

• The 26^th edition of Central and State Statistical Organizations (COCSSO) Conference was organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programmed Implementation (MoSPI) in collaboration with Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Himachal Pradesh at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh on 15^th and 16^th November, 2018.
• The theme of the 26^th Conference was “Quality Assurance in Official Statistics”.

About:

• COCSSO is an annual conference which provides a platform for the Central and State statisticians to exchange views and discuss common issues relating to statistical activities.
• In order to strengthen the coordination of statistical activities among the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, other Central Ministries and State Statistical Organisations, the Conference of Central and State Statistical Organisations (COCSSO) was organized for the first time in the year 1971.

Objectives:

The objectives of the conference are:

• To provide a platform for discussion on the statistical issues of common interest to the Central and the State Statistical Organistions; 
• To provide an overall perspective to the development of statistical system and to make recommendations/suggestions on issues having bearing on the development of the statistical system; 
• To solve the technical issues relating to statistics; 
• To set up Working Groups on specific issues/tasks relating to official statistics; 
• To provide guidelines in the collection of statistics and maintenance of statistical standards and quality, besides uniformity in statistical standards; 
• To consider the Action Taken Report of the follow up action on the recommendations of the previous meetings(s) of COCSSO; and  
• To review the role of the Statistical Advisers in the Central and States/UT Governments.

India-Kyrgyz Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (IK-IGC)

Context: The 9th Session of the India-Kyrgyz Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (IK-IGC) was held on 15-16 November, 2018 in New Delhi.

Outcomes:

• During the session, India and Kyrgyzstan have identified potential sectors where both sides may engage in areas like healthcare and pharmaceutical, environmental and technical safety, agriculture, information, tourism and culture, textiles and clothing, banking, labor and social development, mines and standards, metrology and certification sector.
• Both sides agreed to hold business to business forums between Kyrgyz and Indian companies as well as the exchange of business and commercial information and search for partners.
• Kyrgyz side proposed to consider the creation of joint food and food processing ventures for agriculture and meat product for export to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) markets.
• It requested India to assist in incubation methods and breeding of fresh water fish, fish disease prophylactic treatment, primary processing and storage of fish and fish products, creation of electronic data base for the pastures, monitoring, assessment and conducting of remote sensing of mountainous pastures including geo-information system.
• The parties agreed to hold the tenth meeting of the Kyrgyz-Indian inter-governmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.

State of the Indian Startup Ecosystem-2018 report

Context: Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, released the first State of the Indian Startup Ecosystem-2018 report by Inc 42 which is an Indian information platform known for its coverage of the Indian startup ecosystem.

About:

• According to the Inc42 ‘The State of Indian Startup Ecosystem 2018’, India currently has more than 49,000+ startups, 1500+ investors, 250+ incubators, and 26 unicorns. The country is among the three largest startup ecosystems in the world in terms of its size, reach, and impact.
• The report is an analysis to help drive strategic decision-making in governance, investments, growth, and other core aspects of the ecosystem

Ganga Gram

Context:

• Third Ganga Gram Swachhata Sammelan was held in Kannauj
• Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharati calls upon villagers on Ganga bank to raise sanitation levels.
• Ganga Gram is a concept to transform banks on the village of River Ganga into ideal villages with emphasis on ODF, Solid and Liquid Waste Management, Water Conservation, Ground Water Recharge, modern crematorium, tree plantation, organic and medicinal plant agriculture being the main components. 

About: 

• Rural habitation and villages situated in vicinity of River Ganga contribute a significant pollution load to the river on account of open defecation, dirty water and solid wastes from the individual households entering the river through village drains and nallahs. Therefore, rural based pollution load in Ganga River is sought to be addressed through development of Ganga Grams.
• Ganga Gram Namami Gange project has been launched under the Ministry for Water resources,River development and Ganga Rejuvenation for developing the state of the river Ganga.

Vision:

• To develop model village, that will exhibit itself as comprehensive and harmonious package of economic, historic, cultural and sanitized unit, on banks of Ganga, which is self –sustaining. Promoting brand “Ganga” in its handicraft, organic farm produce and tourism will be other spin offs.

 Components of Ganga Grams:

• Making village ODF
• Proper management of village waste draining into river Ganga
• Proper disposal of solid waste
• Water conservation activities including rain water harvesting/ground water recharge/maintain of well and ponds, promotion of sprinkler irrigation
• Encourage plantation of medicinal plants and promotion of organic farming
• Construction of crematorium
• Promotion of tourism
• Coordination between various Central and State Governments sponsored schemes and their implementation on priority in Ganga Grams

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