06 Sep 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Bilateral Talks - India & Mongolia
2. WEST - Women in Engineering, Science & Technology
3. MoUs and Projects between India & Bangladesh

1. Bilateral Talks – India & Mongolia

Syllabus – GS 2, Bilateral agreements involving India and/or affecting  India’s interests.

Prelims – Bilateral Talks between India & Mongolia. 

Context – The defence minister holds bilateral talks with his Mongolian counterpart in Ulaanbaatar.

Details –

• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh held meetings with his Mongolian counterpart in Ulaanbaatar. He became the first defence minister to visit Mongolia. 
• The talks pertained to enlarging bilateral defence engagements. Also, global and regional issues of shared interest were deliberated upon.
• The ministers resolved to strengthen the India-Mongolia Joint Working Group (JWG).
• The Indian Defence Minister inaugurated a Cyber Security Training Centre, built with the assistance of GoI.
• Shri Rajnath Singh also laid the foundation stone of the India-Mongolia Friendship School to be constructed with the assistance of GoI.
• As early as 1955, India had established its diplomatic ties with Mongolia. During the visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2015, strategic partnership between the two Asian countries was declared. 

Read more on the India – Mongolia relations in the linked article.

2. WEST – Women in Engineering, Science & Technology

Syllabus – GS 3,  Science and Technology – developments & their applications.

Prelims – WEST, a new initiative of I-STEM.

Context – Launch of WEST, an initiative of I-STEM.

Details –

• A new I-STEM (Indian Science Technology & Engineering Facilities Map) initiative – WEST was launched on 5th September by Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the GoI.
• I-STEM- It is a dynamic and interactive national web portal which hosts various scientific programmes initiated by the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, GoI. 
  • The main objective of the portal is to provide support to needy researchers in different ways and strengthen the R & D ecosystem to fulfil the necessity of the people of the country. It was launched by Shri Narendra Modi on 3rd January 2020. 
  • Read more on I-STEM in the linked article.
• Through WEST, I-STEM will provide a separate platform for women researchers, scientists and technologists to carry out research in basic or applied sciences in frontier areas of science and engineering. 
• The access to R & D facilities and R & D software programmes like AUTOCAD, LABVIEW, COSMOL, MATLAB under I-STEM will provide immense support to women entrepreneurs in Science & Technology.
• Connect Quickly, a digital consortium has also been developed for online discussions on Whatsapp and Telegram platforms.

3. MoUs and Projects between India & Bangladesh

Syllabus – Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting  India’s interests.

Prelims – Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Projects between India and Bangladesh

Context – A series of MoUs and Projects between India & Bangladesh to boost cooperation in various sectors like defence, economy, water sharing and trade.

Details –

• Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is on a four-day visit to India to meet the country’s top leadership to strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries. 
• To strengthen the intergovernmental railway cooperation two MoUs have been signed –
  • MoU between the Ministry of Railways, GoI and the Ministry of Railways, Government of Bangladesh on the training of Bangladesh Railway personnel in India.
  • MoU between the Ministry of Railways,  GoI and the Ministry of Railways, Government of Bangladesh on Collaboration in IT systems such as FOIS and other IT applications for Bangladesh Railway.
• The other agreements made are –
  • MoU on capacity-building programmes for Bangladesh Judicial Officers in India.
  • MoU on withdrawal of water by India and Bangladesh from river Kushiyara (common border river).
  • MoU to ramp up Scientific and Technological cooperation.
  • MoU to strengthen cooperation in  Space Technology.
  • MoU to cooperate on Broadcasting. 

Projects –

• Maitree Thermal Power Plant –
  • It is being established at Rampal, Khulna, Bangladesh.
  • Being constructed under India’s Concessional Financing Scheme.
  • 1320 (660✕2) MW coal-fired thermal power plant.
• 5.13 km long Rupsha Rail bridge.
• The GoI agreed to supply an estimated 25 packages of road construction equipment and machinery to the Bangladesh Road & Highways Department. 
• Upgradation of Khulna Darshana railway lines that links Gede-Darshana to Khulna.
• To enhance bilateral rail connectivity, the GoI agreed on the extension of the Parbatipur Kaunia railway line to link Birol in Bangladesh with Radhikapur in West Bengal.

Read previous PIB here.

September 6th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here