PIB – 14 August 2021

Home » PIB – 14 August 2021

CONTENT

Focus: GS III- Indian Economy

Why in News?

The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry chaired a meeting for the review of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) initiative of DPIIT.

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is a project which is an initiative of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The task of promoting open networks developed on open-source methodology has been given to the Quality Council of India (QCI) for ONDC project.
The expectations for ONDC are to digitise the entire value chain, standardise operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics, and enhance value for consumers.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is a central government department working under Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The Department is responsible to formulate and implement promotional & developmental measures for growth of industrial sector based on national priorities and socio-economic objectives.
Individual administrative ministries are responsible for planning – production, distribution and developmental aspects of industries allocated to them. But the DPIIT is responsible for overall industrial policy.
DPIIT is also responsible to facilitate and increase foreign direct investment (FDI) flows India.

Open-source means that the code or the steps of that process is made available freely for others to use, redistribute and modify.
An open-source project means that anybody is free to use, study, modify and distribute the project for any purpose.
These permissions are enforced through an open-source licence easing adoption and facilitating collaboration.
For example, while the operating system of Apple’s iPhones — iOS — is closed source, meaning it cannot be legally modified or reverse engineered.
Google’s Android operating system is open-source, and therefore it is possible for smartphone OEMs such as Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, etc to modify it for their hardware

Focus: GS III- Science and technology

Why in News?

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology released “IndiGau’, India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip.

It is India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc.
This indigenous chip was developed by the concerted efforts of scientists of National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NAIB), Hyderabad, an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology.
IndiGau is purely indigenous and the largest cattle chip of the world.
It has 11,496 markers (SNPs) more than that placed on 777K Illumina chip of US & UK breeds.
This CHIP of our own indigenous cows is a great example of self-reliant India / “ATMA NIRBHAR BHARAT”. This chip will have practical utility in the Governments schemes to achieve the goal of conservation of our own breeds with better characters and help towards doubling of farmers’ income by 2022.

Focus: GS II- Social justice

Why in News?

Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment to Flag-Off ‘Operation Blue Freedom – Land World Record at Siachen Glacier’.

Under this initiative people with disabilities from across the country will undertake an expedition till Siachen Glacier to create a new World Record for the largest team of people with disabilities to reach the world’s highest battlefield.
It is a social impact venture aimed at rehabilitating people with disabilities through adaptive adventure sports.
It is an initiative by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The team of people with disabilities trained by ‘Team CLAW’ a team of Armed Forces veterans.

Siachen Glacier is located in Northern Ladakh in the Karakoram Range.
It is the 5th largest glacier in Karakoram Range and the 2nd largest glacier in the world.
Most of the Siachen Glacier is disputed between India and Pakistan.
Before 1984, neither of the two countries had any permanent presence on the glacier.
Under the Shimla Agreement of 1972, the Siachen was called a barren and useless.
This Agreement also did not specify the boundary between India and Pakistan.
When India got intelligence that Pakistan was going occupy Siachen Glacier, it launched Operation Meghdoot to reach the glacier first.
Following the success of Operation Meghdoot, the Indian Army obtained the area at a higher altitude and Pakistan army getting a much lower altitude.
Thus, India has a strategic advantage in this region.
Following the 2003 armistice treaty between the two countries, firing and bombardment have ceased in this area, though both the sides have stationed their armies in the region.