29 Nov 2021: PIB Summary & Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. India Young Water Professional Programme
2. Zero Defect Zero Effect Scheme (ZES Certification Scheme)
3. Startup India Grand Challenge 2021
4. National Mission on Cultural Mapping
5. Kaveri Engine Project
6. Tidbits

1. India Young Water Professional Programme

Context:

India Young Water Professional Programme launched.

About the programme:

• This program has been taken up under the National Hydrology Project and is supported by the Australian Water Partnership.
• This is the first edition of the programme.
• It is a capacity building and training program focussed on Engaged Training and Learning Model.
• About 70% of the program is focused on project based learning through Situation Understanding and Improvement Projects (SUIP). 
• The Program focuses on gender equality and diversity, because sustainable water management can only benefit from the views and skills of all members of society. 
• A total of 20 participants have been selected for the first edition of this Programme (10 men and 10 women) from central and state implementing agencies of the National Hydrology Project. 
• This Program will be implemented by Australia India Water Centre (a consortium of Australian and Indian universities). 
• This initiative aims to provide a structured platform for capacity building with strategic and long-term investment to support the water management reforms in India. 
• The objectives of India Young Water Professional Programme are:
  • To equip water professionals with the necessary skills, knowledge, behaviours and networks that will better enable them to contribute to the development and management of water resources in India
  • To address the competency needs and priorities of the water sector in India.

2. Zero Defect Zero Effect Scheme (ZES Certification Scheme)

Context:

As many as 23,948 MSMEs had registered with intent to adopt the principle of the Zero Defect Zero Effect Scheme (ZED).

About the ZED Scheme:

• The objective of the ZED certification scheme is to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the adoption of zero defect production processes that have a low/no impact on the environment.
• The scheme is an extensive drive to create proper awareness in MSMEs about ZED manufacturing and motivate them for assessment of their enterprise for ZED and support them. 
• After ZED assessment, MSMEs can reduce wastage substantially, increase productivity, expand their market as IOPs, become vendors to CPSUs, have more IPRs, develop new products and processes, etc.
• The scheme supports:
  • Developing an Ecosystem for Zero Defect Manufacturing in MSMEs.
  • Promoting adaptation of quality tools/systems and energy efficient manufacturing.
  • Enabling MSMEs for manufacturing of quality products.
  • Encouraging MSMEs to constantly upgrade their quality standards in products and processes.
  • Developing professionals in the area of ZED manufacturing and certification.

3. Startup India Grand Challenge 2021

Context:

Sascan Meditech, a Kerala-based medical technology startup, has been adjudged the winner of Startup India Grand Challenge 2021 in the medical device category.

Details:

• Sascan Meditech has developed OralScan, a handheld device for early, accurate, and cost-effective detection of pre-cancerous lesions in the mouth.  
• It is a biophotonics technology-based device, and the results of clinical trials have been published in a scientific journal. 
• OralScan was launched in October 2020 and has reached eight states in India.
• The start-up has received a cash grant of Rs 15,00,000 under the challenge.

4. PM expresses gratitude to the people of Kongthong for special tune in his honour for promoting village tourism

Context:

National Mission on Cultural Mapping has mapped data of 14.53 lakh artists/artisans.

Know more about the National Mission on Cultural Mapping in PIB dated Nov 18, 2019.

5. Kaveri Engine Project

What is the Kaveri Engine Project?

• Kaveri is a low bypass twin-spool turbofan jet engine which was slated to provide an 80 KN power pack and adequate ‘thrust to weight’ ratio required by a modern fighter jet configuration.
• The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘Tejas’, a 4.5 generation single-seat multirole fighter aircraft was conceptualized on the key factor of availability of indigenous Kaveri jet engine which was being designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The Kaveri engine project was sanctioned in 1989.
• However, the thrust to weight ratio of Kaveri is below the required figure for Tejas aircraft. Due to this, the DRDO was forced to steer the Kaveri engine away from the LCA programme, after an investment of almost four decades of developmental effort.
• And now the Kaveri engine is being justified for use in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), leaving a gap in the indigenous jet engine development. 

Context:

Union Minister talked about the Kaveri Engine project in the Rajya Sabha.

6. Tidbits

River Corridors

• The River Corridor is the area that provides the physical space that the river needs to express its energy and meander without causing it to dig down. 
• River Corridors and floodplains overlap a great deal.
• The river corridor covers the whole of the river’s territory; that is, the river in its low-water channel, the riverbank vegetation and the floodplain, together with the vegetation cover associated.

Greening Initiatives in Coal Sector

• In order to promote sustainable coal mining and minimise the impact of coal mining on the environment, the PSUs engaged in coal/lignite mining undertake the following:
  • Biological reclamation of mined out land and overburden dumps.
  • Avenue plantation along coal transportation and other roads.
  • Creation of green belt around infrastructures, sidings and other industrial installations to reduce air pollution.
  • Plantation around mine boundary and residential colony for noise attenuation.
  • Plantation on free land parcels within and outside mine leasehold.
  • Distribution of saplings to people for participatory plantation programme.

Read previous PIB here.

November 29th, 2021, PIB:- Download PDF Here