16 Sep 2021: PIB Summary & Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Quality Council of India (QCI) launches new award
2. PLI Scheme for White Goods
3. Global Ozone Day
4. 15th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting
5. Euro Green Bond
6. Report on Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India

1. Quality Council of India (QCI) launches new award

Context:

Quality Council of India (QCI) launches Prof. S.K. Joshi Laboratory Excellence Award.

About the Award:

• This is India’s first laboratory excellence award.
• This Award has been instituted to promote Laboratory Quality and performance improvement in the country.
• The award has been incepted to ensure the laboratory’s commitment to achieve excellence in providing high precision testing and calibration services in line with the prevalent national/international quality systems legislations, including Health, Safety & Environment.
• This award will be open to all currently operational laboratories pertaining to Testing, Calibration & Medical including their Proficiency Testing Providers & Reference Material Producers located in India.
• The award has been named after Padma Bhushan awardee, late Prof. S.K. Joshi, a luminary in the field of science and academia.

Know more about the Quality Council of India in PIB dated Feb 5, 2020.

2. PLI Scheme for White Goods

Context:

Fifty two companies file applications for PLI Scheme for White Goods (ACs and LED Lights).

Know more about PLI Scheme for White Goods in the linked article.

3. Global Ozone Day

Context:

India observed the 27th Global Ozone Day on 16 September.

About World/Global Ozone Day:

• World Ozone Day is celebrated on 16th September each year to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol.
• The Day is celebrated every year to spread awareness among people about the depletion of Ozone Layer and the measures taken/to be taken to preserve it.
• The Government of India (Ozone Cell, MoEF&CC) started observing this Day in 1995.
• The theme of World Ozone Day 2021 was “Montreal Protocol – Keeping us, our food and vaccines cool”.

India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP):

• The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), the first of its kind in the world, was developed by the MoEF&CC, and addresses cooling requirements across sectors and lists out actions which can help reduce the cooling demand through synergies in actions for securing both environmental and socio-economic benefits.
• The ICAP aims to reduce both direct and indirect emissions.
• It was launched in March 2019 by the Environment Ministry.
• The ICAP provides a 20-year perspective and outlines actions needed to provide access to sustainable cooling.
• The Plan seeks to
  • reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38,
  • reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38,
  • reduce cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38,
  • recognise “cooling and related areas” as a thrust area of research under national Science and Technology Programme,
  • training and certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23, synergizing with Skill India Mission.
• The following benefits would accrue to the society over and above the environmental benefits:
  • Thermal comfort for all – provision for cooling for EWS and LIG housing
  • Sustainable cooling – low GHG emissions related to cooling
  • Doubling Farmers Income – better cold chain infrastructure – better value of produce to farmers, less wastage of produce
  • Skilled workforce for better livelihoods and environmental protection
  • Make in India – domestic manufacturing of air-conditioning and related cooling equipment
  • Robust R&D on alternative cooling technologies – to provide push to innovation in cooling sector

4. 15th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting

Context:

15th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting was held virtually.

Details:

• The theme of the meeting “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”, aimed at coordinating efforts of ASEAN countries in pursuing the goal of energy security and energy transition that will benefit the people of the region.
• The Indian Power Minister participated in the meeting.

5. Euro Green Bond

Context:

Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) has successfully issued its maiden Euro 300 million 7-year Euro Bond issuance.

Details:

• State-run power sector lender PFC became the first Indian entity to launch Euro-denominated green bond with a €300-million (about $352 million) issuance that was oversubscribed by 2.6 times by institutional investors across Asia and Europe.
• It is also the first Euro issuance by an Indian NBFC and the first Euro bond issuance from India since 2017.
• The pricing of 1.8% achieved is the lowest yield locked in by an Indian issuer in the Euro markets.
• The bond would help PFC in diversifying its currency book and the investor base.
• With the issuance, PFC has also forayed in the European market for its international fund raising.

6. Report on Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India

Context:

NITI Aayog Launches Report on Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India.

Details:

• The report is titled ‘Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India’.
• The report has been developed by NITI Aayog, in consultation with concerned ministries and eminent experts in the domain of urban and regional planning.
• It presents a condensed outcome of the extensive deliberations and consultations conducted over a period of 9 months.

Report Highlights:

• India is home to 11% of the total global urban population. By 2027, India will surpass China as the most populous country in the world. Unplanned urbanization, however, exerts great strain on our cities.
• Recommendations made:
  • Programmatic Intervention for Planning of Healthy Cities: The report recommends a Central Sector Scheme ‘500 Healthy Cities Programme’, for a period of 5 years, wherein priority cities and towns would be selected jointly by the states and local bodies.
  • Programmatic Intervention for Optimum Utilization of Urban Land: All the cities and towns under the proposed ‘Healthy Cities Programme’ should strengthen development control regulations based on scientific evidence to maximize the efficiency of urban land (or planning area). The report recommends a sub-scheme ‘Preparation/Revision of Development Control Regulations’ for this purpose.
  • Ramping Up of Human Resources: To combat the shortage of urban planners in the public sector, the report recommends that the states/UTs may need to
    • Expedite the filling up of vacant positions of town planners, and
    • Additionally sanction 8268 town planners’ posts as lateral entry positions
  • Ensuring Qualified Professionals for Undertaking Urban Planning: States may need to undertake requisite amendments in their recruitment rules to ensure the entry of qualified candidates into town-planning positions.
  • Re-engineering of Urban Governance: The report recommends the constitution of a high-powered committee to re-engineer the present urban-planning governance structure.
  • Revision of Town and Country Planning Acts: The formation of an apex committee at the state level is recommended to undertake a regular review of planning legislations.
  • Demystifying Planning and Involving Citizens: The committee recommends a ‘Citizen Outreach Campaign’ for demystifying urban planning.
  • Steps for Enhancing the Role of Private Sector: The report recommends that concerted measures must be taken at multiple levels to strengthen the role of the private sector to improve the overall planning capacity in the country.
  • Steps for Strengthening Urban Planning Education System
  • Measures for Strengthening Human Resource and Match Demand–Supply: The report recommends the constitution of a ‘National Council of Town and Country Planners’ as a statutory body of the Government of India. Also, a ‘National Digital Platform of Town and Country Planners’ is suggested to be created within the National Urban Innovation Stack of MoHUA.

Read previous PIB here.

September 16th, 2021, PIB:- Download PDF Here