PIB 5th May 2021

INDIA-UK VIRTUAL MEET

Focus: GS II- International Relations

Why in news?

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and The Rt Hon’ble Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom held a Virtual Summit.

Highlights of the summit:

• India and the UK enjoy long standing friendly ties and share a Strategic Partnership underpinned by mutual commitment to democracy, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, strong complementarities and growing convergences. 
• An ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ was adopted at the Summit to elevate bilateral ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The Roadmap will pave the way for a deeper and stronger engagement over the next ten years in the key areas of people to people contacts, trade and economy, defence and security, climate action and health.
• The two leaders discussed the Covid19 situation and ongoing cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, including the successful partnership on vaccines. 
• The two Prime Ministers launched an ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP) to unleash the trade potential between the 5th and 6th largest economies of the world and by setting an ambitious target of more than doubling bilateral trade by 2030. 
• The enhanced trade partnership between India and UK will generate several thousands of direct and indirect jobs in both the countries. 
•  A new India-UK ‘Global Innovation Partnership’ was announced at the Virtual Summit that aims to support the transfer of inclusive Indian innovations to select developing countries, starting with Africa. 
• Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation on new and emerging technologies, including Digital and ICT products, and work on supply chain resilience.
• India and the UK launched a comprehensive partnership on migration and mobility that will facilitate greater opportunities for the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries. 

5G TECHNOLOGY

Focus: GS III- Science and Technology

Why in news?

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India approved permissions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for conducting trials for use and applications of 5G technology. 

About 5G

• 5G is the next generation of mobile broadband that will eventually replace, or at least augment 4G LTE connection and it  offers exponentially faster download and upload speeds.
• 5G will deliver multi-Gbps peak rates, ultra-low latency, massive capacity, and a more uniform user experience.
• This is in contrast to 4G link speeds in averaging 6-7 Megabit per second (Mbps) in India as compared to 25 Mbps in advanced countries.

Application of 5G

• 5G will help in creating cyber-physical networks which not only interconnect people, but also interconnect and control machines, objects, and devices. It will deliver new levels of performance and efficiency that will empower new user experiences and connect new industries.
• It will act as an enabler for the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and is expected to form the backbone of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine to machine communications.
• 5G can also help make transport infrastructure more efficient by making it smart. It will enable vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, making driverless cars, among other things, a reality.
• Also, the primary applications of 5G will be the implementation of a sensor-embedded network that will allow real-time relay of information across fields such as manufacturing, consumer durables and agriculture.

ASIATIC LION

Focus: GS III- Environment, Prelims

Why in news?

• Asiatic Lions housed in Hyderabad zoo infected with SARS-COV2 recovering well.
• Analysis of samples reveals infection not caused by any variant of concern.
• No factual evidence that animals can transmit the disease to humans any further.

About Asiatic Lion:

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• CITES: Appendix I
• Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I

Conservation Efforts:

• The “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” has been launched by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• The project has been approved for three financial years from 2018 to 2021.
• The project envisages scientific management with the involvement of communities in coordination with multi-sectoral agencies for disease control and veterinary care for overall conservation of Asiatic lions.

SVAMITVA

Focus: Government Policies and Interventions

Why in news?

Union Minister for Panchayati Raj released the new framework for implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme and Coffee Table Book (CTB) to mark the nationwide roll-out of the SVAMITVA Scheme.

About SVAMITVA

• SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of India.
• Aim: To provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India.
• It is a scheme for mapping the land parcels in rural inhabited areas using drone technology and Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS).
• The mapping will be done across the country in a phase-wise manner over a period of four years – from 2020 to 2024.

Benefits:

• The scheme will help in streamlining planning and revenue collection in rural areas and ensuring clarity on property rights.
• The scheme will enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), using the maps created under this programme.
• The Gram Panchayats are constitutionally mandated for preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP) for economic development and social justice.
• The GPDP is based on a participatory process in convergence with schemes of all related Central Ministries/Line Departments related to 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution.
• Present Coverage Area: The program is currently being implemented in six states – Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

BIODIESEL

Focus: GS III- Environment

Why in news?

Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel remotely flagged off the first supply of UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel under the Expressions of Interest (EOI) Scheme from IndianOil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, Delhi.

About Expressions of Interest:

• In order to create an ecosystem for the conversion and collection of UCO into biodiesel and developing entrepreneurship opportunities, the minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas in collaboration with the Minister of Health, Science and Technology, and Earth Sciences had initiated the Expression of Interest.
• It was launched for the procurement of Bio-diesel produced from the Used Cooking Oil- UCO on August 10, 2019.
• Oil Marketing Companies periodically release such ‘Expression of Interest’. The Union Petroleum Minister while appreciating the role of Oil Marketing Companies shared that 30 LOIs (Letter of Intent) have already been issued.
• In the first phase of the scheme, 11 Expression of Interests were floated between August 10, 2019, to November 9, 2020, for 200 locations.
• Publications of such EOIs have been extended for one more year up to December 31, 2021, for 300 locations all over the country.
• OMCs, under the initiative, also offer periodically incremental price guarantees for 5 years. They also extend off-take guarantees for the period of 10 years to prospective entrepreneurs.

About Biodiesel:

• It is derived from vegetable oils like soybean oil or palm oil, vegetable waste oils, and animal fats by a biochemical process called “Transesterification.”
• It produces very less or no amount of harmful gases as compared to diesel.
• It can be used as an alternative for the conventional diesel fuel.