30 Sep 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

September 30th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. BrahMos Missile
2. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
3. Powergrid
4. India – Australia Partnership
5. Ambedkar Social Innovation & Incubation Mission (ASIIM)
6. India – The Netherlands

1. BrahMos Missile

Context:

BrahMos Missile featuring indigenous booster successfully flight-tested.

Details:

• BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile featuring indigenous Booster and Airframe Section along with many other ‘Made in India’ sub-systems were successfully flight-tested for the designated range at Balasore in Odisha.
• The BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) was cruising at a top speed of Mach 2.8.

Read more about BrahMos in the linked article.

2. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana

Context:

A comprehensive beneficiary booklet on Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana released to reach out to fishermen and fish farmers.

Read more on Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana in PIB dated May 20, 2020.

3. Powergrid

Context:

POWERGRID signs MoU with the Ministry of Power, Govt. of India detailing targets for the year 2020-21.

Details:

• The MoU includes targets related to various parameters such as Financial, Physical, Project execution, etc. to be achieved by POWERGRID during the FY 2020-21.

For more on Powergrid, click on the linked article.

4. India – Australia Partnership

Context:

India and Australia further strengthen their partnership on skilling agenda.

Details:

• In line with the joint participation of the Prime Ministers of India and Australia in the India-Australia Leaders’ Virtual Summit held in June 2020, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the High Commission of Australia participated in a virtual meeting to operationalize & implement cooperation in VET to promote the development of occupational standards in priority industry sectors.
  • VET stands for Vocational Education and Training.
• The MoU will establish new pathways between the two countries to share information and best practices between the respective VET systems.
• The agreement will help identify new ways of working together and areas of possible collaboration that include mutual priority areas of industry engagement, quality assurance models, and teaching standards.
• So far, the MSDE has signed MOUs with eight countries including Japan, UAE, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Finland and Morocco for cooperation in the field of vocational education and training.

5. Ambedkar Social Innovation & Incubation Mission (ASIIM)

Context:

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment launches the Ambedkar Social Innovation & Incubation Mission (ASIIM) under the Venture Capital Fund for SCs.

About ASIIM:

• The chief objective of the mission is to promote innovation and enterprise among SC students studying in higher educational institutions.
• Under this mission, 1000 initiatives of SC youth would be identified and in convergence with the Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) and be funded with up to Rs. 30 lakhs in a three year period as equity.
• Successful ventures would further qualify for venture funding of up to Rs. 5 Crore from the Venture Capital Fund for SCs.
• The purpose is to encourage innovative students to take to innovation and entrepreneurship without seeking jobs.
• Eligibility: The following SC/PH youth would be eligible for support under ASIIM:
  • Youth who have been identified by the TBIs being promoted by the Department of Science & Technology.
  • Youth who are identified for incubation by reputed private TBIs.
  • Students who have been awarded under the Smart India Hackathon or Smart India Hardware Hackathon being conducted by the Ministry of Education.
  • Innovative ideas focusing on the socio-economic development of the society identified in the TBIs.
  • Start-ups nominated and supported by corporates through CSR funds.
• Objectives of ASIIM:
  • To promote entrepreneurship among the SC youth with special preference to physically-handicapped.
  • To support 1,000 innovative ideas till 2024 through a synergetic work with the TBIs set up by DST.
  • To support, promote, hand-hold the start-up ideas until they reach the commercial stage by providing liberal equity support.
  • To incentivise students with an innovative mindset to take to entrepreneurship with confidence.

About Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (VCFSC):

• VCFSC was launched by the Ministry of Social Justice in 2014-15 with a view to developing entrepreneurship amongst the SC/PH youth and to enable them to become ‘job-givers’.
• The objective of this fund is to provide concessional finance to the entities of the SC entrepreneurs.
• Under this fund, 117 companies promoted by SC entrepreneurs have been sanctioned financial assistance to set up business ventures.

6. India – The Netherlands

Context:

NITI Aayog and Embassy of the Netherlands sign Statement of Intent on ‘Decarbonization and Energy Transition Agenda’.

Details:

• The Statement of Intent (SoI) supports decarbonization and energy transition agenda for accommodating cleaner and more energy.
• The focus of the partnership is on co-creating innovative technological solutions by leveraging the expertise of the two entities. This will be achieved through an exchange of knowledge and collaborative activities.
• Key elements include:
  • Lowering the net carbon footprint in the industrial and transport sectors
  • Realising the target potential of natural gas and promote bio-energy technologies
  • Adopting clean air technologies from monitoring to reducing actual particulates
  • Adopting next-generation technologies, such as hydrogen, carbon capture utilization, and storage for sectoral energy efficiency
  • Financial frameworks to deliver and adopt climate change finance

India and the Netherlands:

• The Netherlands is India’s sixth-largest EU trading partner.
• As much as 20% of India’s exports to the European continent goes through the Netherlands, making it India’s ‘gateway to Europe’. This makes it one of the top five investors in India.
• It is also the third-largest source of Foreign Direct Investment for India.

Read previous PIB here.

September 30th, 2020, PIB:- Download PDF Here