October 10- 2019 PIB : PIB Summary & Analysis

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

October 10th, 2019 PIB:-Download PDF Here

9^th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional Ministerial Meeting

Context:

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal is attending the 9^th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional Ministerial Meeting on 11 – 12 October at Bangkok.

Details:

• This will be the last Ministerial before the 3^rd Leaders’ Summit to be held in November 2019 in Bangkok, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.
• This intersessional ministerial is considered crucial because in November 2019, the RCEP is scheduled to be announced as concluded.
• The 28^th round of negotiations for RCEP at the expert level had concluded at Da Nang, Vietnam in September 2019.
• Minister Goyal had met several people from the Indian industry in preparation for this meeting. The focus and emphasis of the meetings chaired by the Commerce and Industry Minister was on putting in place appropriate safeguards including auto-trigger mechanism against sudden surge in imports from RCEP countries.

The RCEP is a proposed Free Trade Agreement between the ten member states of the ASEAN and its 6 partners which include India. For more on the RCEP, click here.

Price and Availability of Tomatoes across India

Context:

The Union Government reviewed the price and availability situation of tomatoes across India and took key decisions to contain prices.

Details:

• The supply of tomatoes has taken a hit due to the incessant rains in Karnataka and Maharashtra. This is expected to normalise in the next 10 days as the rains have receded.
• To mitigate the shortfall in availability of tomatoes in Delhi, Safal has agreed to provide tomato puree from all its outlets in Delhi at Rs. 25 per 200 gram pack.
• Tomato producing states will be requested to facilitate augmenting the supply from their respective states to regions which are in short supply including Delhi to improve availability and moderate prices.
• Tomato producing states have been regularly advised to interact with APMCs, traders and transporters to ensure regular supply. The same is being reiterated to the 4 major tomato producing states namely, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh so that prices normalize and supply is augmented immediately.

13^th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW)

Context:

The Union Health Minister Shri Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the 13^th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) in New Delhi.

Details:

• Health ministers from 13 states and UTs participated in the event.
• The minister stated that the purpose of the CCHFW meeting was to build a consensus on the national health priorities i.e. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through Ayushman Bharat, eliminating TB and other priority agenda such as strengthening medical infrastructure.
• A member of the NITI Aayog opined that the two priority areas underscored by the Aayog are:
  • Increasing the health budgets by the Centre and the States/UTs
  • Enhancing health infrastructure
• The minister also launched ‘Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN)’ for Zero Preventable Maternal and Newborn Deaths, its website and the grievance redressal portal.
• He also released the Report on National Diabetes & Diabetic Retinopathy Survey India 2015-19 and Report on National Blindness & Visual Impairment Survey India 2015-19, because 10^th October is also ‘World Sight Day’.
• In addition, the minister also released guidelines on drugs, diagnostic services, biomedical equipment management and maintenance under the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Program.

About the Council of Health and Family Welfare:

• It is an apex advisory body to consider and recommend broad lines of policy in regard to matters concerning health and family welfare.
• The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare is the Chairperson, while the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare is the Vice-Chairperson.
• Its first meeting was held in 1988.

About the ‘Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN)’ scheme:

• The scheme offers free medicines for pregnant women.
• It aims to bring down the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).
• Under this programme, mothers up to 6 months after the delivery and the new born can avail free healthcare benefits including:
  • Minimum of four antenatal check-ups
  • One check-up during the first trimester
  • Iron Folic acid supplementation
  • Six home-based new born care visits
  • Tetanus Diphtheria injection
  • Free transport will be provided from home to the health institutions by the central government
  • Referral services will be provided under the scheme with the scope of reaching the health facilities within an hour of critical emergencies
  • Zero expenses for C – section facilities

About World Sight Day:

• This day is observed annually on the second Thursday of October.
• The objective behind this is to steer global focus on blindness and vision impairments.
• This was originally initiated by the Lions Club International in 2000. Since then, it has been integrated with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IABP) and the WHO.
• Theme for 2019: Vision First

About the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Program:

• This scheme was started in 2016 under the National Health Mission to provide free dialysis services to the poor.
• It was envisaged to be conducted in a PPP (public-private partnership) model.
• Every year, there are 2.2 lakh new patients of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in India.
• This generates additional demand for 3.4 crore dialysis every year.
• There are only approximately 5000 dialysis centres in the country mostly in the private sector.
• Dialysis costs a lot to the families who have to bear it. Apart from the financial strain, there is also the burden of travelling long distances to avail of the service.
• Under this scheme, 100% of the service procedure fee is covered for BPL families.
• Non-BPL patients would have the benefit of accessing the services close to the community at the district hospitals at the same rates as paid by the Government for the BPL patient.

PoJK Displaced Persons

Context:

A delegation of PoJK Displaced Persons called on Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.

Details:

• PoJK Displaced Persons implies Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) Displaced Persons.
• The Centre had approved a resettlement package under which Rs. 5.5 lakh would be given to each of the 5300 families that were displaced from PoK, had settled outside Jammu & Kashmir, and then had relocated inside other regions in the state.
• These families had been left out of the Centre’s resettlement package.
• In 1947, when Pakistan had attacked the state, 31619 families from what is now called PoK had migrated elsewhere to avoid the aggressive incursion.
• Out of these, 26319 families had settled in other parts of J&K, while the remaining 5300 moved to other parts of the country.
• The Centre had announced a resettlement package in 2016 for the 26319 families, and also for 10065 families who were displaced from the Chhamb-Niabat area (in 1965 and 1971 wars). But the 5300 families who had moved outside the state were not covered.
• Now, the Centre has included them as well in the package.

38^th India Carpet Expo in Varanasi

Context:

The Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) is organizing the 38^th India Carpet Expo (15^th in Varanasi) in October 2019.

About the India Carpet Expo:

• The aim of the event is to promote the cultural heritage and weaving skills of Indian hand-made carpets and other floor coverings for the visiting overseas carpet buyers.
• The expo is a platform for international carpet buyers, buying houses, buying agents, architects and Indian carpet manufacturers and exporters to meet and establish business relationship.
• The Expo is organized twice a year in Varanasi and Delhi.
• India Carpet Expo is one of the largest handmade carpet fairs in Asia.
• The carpet industry uses diverse raw-materials from various parts of India like wool, silk, manmade fibre, jute, cotton and various blends of different yarns.
  • The industry has immense potential for growth both in production and exports. The industry is environment-friendly and does not use scarce and perishable energy resources.
  • The major carpet producing centres in India are in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, North East Region of India, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
  • India exports 85-90% of its total carpet production.

About the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC):

• The CEPC was established in 1982 by the Textiles Ministry to promote the export of carpets and allied products from India.
• It has more than 2700 members from across India.
• It is the endeavour of the Council to provide exclusive business environment to the carpet importers as well as manufacturers and exporters.
• It also sends trade delegations to markets all over the world to showcase Indian products.
• It is a non-profit organisation.

5^th National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges

Context:

The Union Minister of Women and Child Development Ms. Smriti Irani chaired the 5^th National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges in New Delhi. It was decided to set up a National Advisory Panel for Agri Nutrition.

About the National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges:

• This Council was set up by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under the POSHAN Abhiyaan.
• The objectives of the Council are:
  • To provide policy directions to address India’s nutrition challenges through coordinated inter-sectoral action
  • To coordinate and review convergence among ministries
  • To review programmes for nutrition on a quarterly basis

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October 10th, 2019 PIB:-Download PDF Here

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