15 Sep 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PM Vishwakarma Scheme
2. Engineers’ Day
3. Swachhata Hi Seva
4. Raj Bhasha Kirti Puraskar
5. Rosh Hashanah

1. PM Vishwakarma Scheme

Syllabus: GS-2, Govt Schemes

Prelims: PM Vishwakarma

Context:

PM to launch PM Vishwakarma on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti on 17 September 2023.

PM Vishwakarma Scheme:

• Under the scheme, the Vishwakarmas will be registered free of charge through Common Services Centres using the biometric-based PM Vishwakarma portal. 
• They will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, skill upgradation involving basic and advanced training, toolkit incentive of ₹15,000, collateral-free credit support up to ₹1 lakh (first tranche) and ₹2 lakh (second tranche) at a concessional interest rate of 5%, incentive for digital transactions and marketing support.
• Fully funded by the central government, the scheme has a total outlay of Rs 13,000 crore. 
• The scheme aims to strengthen and nurture the Guru-Shishya parampara or family-based practice of traditional skills by Vishwakarmas working with their hands and tools. The prime focus of PM Vishwakarma is to improve the quality as well as the reach of products and services of artisans and craftspeople and to ensure that they are integrated with the domestic and global value chains.
• The scheme covers artisans of rural and urban areas.
• The 18 traditional crafts covered are: carpenter, boatmaker, blacksmith, armourer, locksmith, hammer and toolkit maker, potter, goldsmith, sculptor, cobbler, stonebreaker, mason, doll and toy maker (traditional), basket/mat/broom maker/coir weaver, barber, garland maker, washerman, tailor and fishing net maker.

2. Engineers’ Day

Syllabus: General Awareness

Prelims: Engineers Day, Sir M Visvesvaraya

Context:

The Prime Minister paid tributes to Sir M Visvesvaraya on the occasion of Engineers’ Day.

Read more about Engineers’ Day and Sir MV in the link.

3. Swachhata Hi Seva

Syllabus: GS-2, Govt schemes

Prelims: Swachhata Hi Seva; Swachch Bharat Abhiyan

Context:

Swachhata Hi Seva 2023 was launched on 15 September 2023.

Details:

• As a prelude to Swachh Bharat Diwas, the annual Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) fortnight is being jointly organised by Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and Grameen between 15th Sept to 2nd Oct 2023. 
• The fortnight aims to mobilize the participation of crores of citizens across the country via various activities such as Indian Swachhata League 2.0, SafaiMitra Suraksha Shivir and mass cleanliness drives.
• The theme for SHS 2023 is “Garbage Free India”.
• All Ministries and Depts. will be organizing swachhata drives across offices, public places of high footfall such as bus stands, railway stations, beaches, tourist spots, zoos, national parks and sanctuaries, historical monuments, heritage sites, river fronts, ghats, drains and nallahs in both rural and urban areas of the States/UTs.
• The activities will include the removal of garbage from all important spaces, clearing of legacy waste, repairing, painting, cleaning, and branding of all sanitation assets such as litter bins, public toilets, garbage points, waste transportation vehicles, and Material Recovery Facilities, saturating markets, public spaces, and tourist spots with SBM wall paintings and dustbins, organizing swachhata quizzes, plantation drives, swachhata pledges, swachhata runs, etc.

4. Raj Bhasha Kirti Puraskar

Syllabus: GS-2, Governance

Prelims: Raj Bhasha Kirti Puraskar

Details:

• The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has received the first Raj Bhasha Kirti Puraskar.
• The Raj Bhasha Kirti Puraskar is a prestigious award conferred every year on a department which stands first among all the Ministries/Departments with less than 300 employees during the Akhil Bhartiya Raj Bhasha Sammelan and Hindi Diwas celebrations organized by the Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs. 

5. Rosh Hashanah

Syllabus: Art & Culture

Prelims: Rosh Hashanah  

Context:

Prime Minister Modi extended his greeting on Rosh Hashanah to Jewish people around the world.

Rosh Hashanah:

• It is the Jewish New Year festival celebrated in the month of September or October according to the Jewish calendar.
• It is a two-day observance and is believed to mark the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman according to the Hebrew Bible.

Read the previous PIB articles here.