PIB 10th March 2021

MAITRI SETU

Focus: GS II-International Relations

Why in news?

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh on 9th March 2021.

About Maitri Setu:

• The name ‘Maitri Setu’ symbolizes growing bilateral relations and friendly ties between India and Bangladesh.
• The construction was taken up by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation
• The bridge ‘Maitri Setu’ has been built over Feni river which flows between Indian boundary in Tripura State and Bangladesh.
• The 1.9 Km long bridge joins Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh.
•  With this inauguration, Tripura is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is just 80 Kms from Sabroom.

Feni River

• Feni River is a river in southeastern Bangladesh.
• It is a trans-boundary river with an ongoing dispute about water rights.
• The Feni River originates in South Tripura district and flows through Sabroom town and then enters Bangladesh.
• Muhuri River, also called Little Feni, from Noakhali District joins it near its mouth.
• The river is navigable by small boats as far as Ramgarh, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) upstream.

PROMOTION OF HERBAL CULTIVATION IN THE COUNTRY

Focus: GS III-Agriculture, Health

Why in news?

National Medicinal plants Board, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India is implementing  National AYUSH Mission (NAM) and “Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants”. 

About National AYUSH Mission (NAM)

Nodal: Ministry of AYUSH

Details:

• Under ‘Medicinal Plants’ component of the NAM scheme supporting market driven cultivation of prioritized medicinal plants in identified cluster/zones with in selected districts of States and implemented in a mission mode.
• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• Co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centers (PHCs), Community Health Centers (CHCs), and Districts Hospitals (DHs).
• Up-gradation of exclusive State Government AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries.
• Upgradation of State Government Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Educational Institutions.
• Setting up of new State Government AYUSH Educational Institutions in the States where it is not available in Government Sector.
• Strengthening of State Government/State Government Co-operatives/PSUs for manufacturing of quality medicines in AYUSH Systems.
• Strengthening of State Drug Testing Laboratories 

OBJECTIVES:

1. Cultivation of prioritized medicinal plants on farmer’s land.
2. Establishment of nurseries with backward linkages for raising and supply of quality planting material.
3. Post-harvest management with forward linkages.
4. Primary processing, marketing infrastructure etc.

Under this scheme, subsidy @30%, 50% and 75% of cultivation cost of specific plant species is provided for cultivation of 140 medicinal plants.   

Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants 

Nodal: Ministry of AYUSH

• It is a central sector scheme.
• In-situ conservation / Ex-situ conservation
• Livelihood linkages with Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) / Panchayats / Van Panchayats / Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) / Self Help Groups (SHGs).
• IEC activities like Training / workshops / Seminars/ Conferences etc.
• Research & Development.
• Promotion, marketing and trade of medicinal plants produce.

AGRICULTURE VOLTAGE TECHNOLOGY

Focus: Agriculture

Why in news?

Agri-voltaic system of 105 KW capacity was developed by ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur

Details:

Nodal: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

• This technology can increase the income of farmers by generation of electricity and growing of cash crops simultaneously on the same piece of land
• Under component-I of KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme, there is a provision for installation of agri-voltaic system in farmers’ fields with a capacity ranging from 500 KW to 2 MW.

About KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme

Nodal: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)

•  It is  for promoting decentralised solar power production of up to 28,250 MW to help farmers.
•  It would provide extra income to farmers, by giving them an option to sell additional power to the grid through solar power projects set up on their barren lands. It would help in de-dieselising the sector as also the DISCOMS.
• Significance of the scheme: Expected positive outcomes of the scheme include promotion of decentralised solar power production, reduction of transmission losses as well as providing support to the financial health of DISCOMs by reducing the subsidy burden to the agriculture sector. The scheme would also promote energy efficiency and water conservation and provide water security to farmers.

The proposed scheme provides for:

• Setting up of grid-connected renewable power plants each of 500KW to 2 MW in the rural area.
• Installation of standalone off-grid solar water pumps to fulfil irrigation needs of farmers not connected to grid.
• Solarization of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps to make farmers independent of grid supply and also sell surplus solar power generated to Discom and get extra income.

5G TECHNOLOGY

Focus: GS III- Science and Technology

Why in news?

National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT), the premier training institute of Department of Telecommunications, Government of India is conducting the first of its kind 36-hour (12 week) online 5G Certification Course to train and certify Officers of Government of India

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.

SUN TEMPLE AT KONARK

Focus: GS-I, Architecture

Why in news?

Several steps have been taken by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to mitigate the impact of   saline action, water logging, erosion and vegetative intrusions

Konark Temple

• Konark was built by King Narasimhadeva I of the Ganga Dynasty (1238-1264AD) in the 13th century and is located in Eastern Odisha near the sacred city of Puri.
• The temple is designed in the shape of a colossal chariot. It is dedicated to the sun God.
• There are two rows of 12 wheels on each side of the Konark sun temple.
• The seven horses are said to symbolize the seven days of the week.
• The temple was used as a navigational point by European sailors. They referred to it as the ‘Black Pagoda’ due to its dark colour and its magnetic power that drew ships into the shore and caused shipwrecks.
• It is the culmination of Odisha temple architecture.
• It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984.

AIR INDEPENDENT PROPULSION

Focus: GS III-Defence

Why in news?

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved an important milestone in the development of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) System by proving the land-based prototype 

About Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) System

• Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system minimises the dependence of diesel powered submarines on surface air while recharging its batteries.
• It enhances the submerged endurance of the submarines several times. As compared to other technologies fuel cell AIP has merits in performance.

• AIP has a force multiplier effect on lethality of a diesel electric submarine as it enhances the submerged endurance of the boat, several folds.
• The system is being developed by Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) of DRDO.

• While there are different types of AIP systems being pursued internationally, fuel cell-based AIP of NMRL is unique as the hydrogen is generated onboard.
• The technology has been successfully developed with the support of industry partners L&T and Thermax. It has now reached the stage of maturity for fitment into target vessels.

Significance

• AIP significantly improves stealth because it enables a submarine to generate electricity for services and battery charging and propulsion while completely submerged.
• AIP systems also generate electricity, powering a submarine to operate and also generate oxygen, lighting and amenities for crew.
• The Non-nuclear submarines running on battery power or AIP can be virtually silent.

JAL JEEVAN MISSION

Focus: GS II- Government policies and Interventions

Why in news?

• 3.77 Crore Rural Households get Tap Water Connections under Jal Jeevan Mission
• Over7 Crore families in rural areas now have an assured tap water connection
• Despite CoVid-19 pandemic & lockdown, the drinking water supply work continued to provide nearly 1 lakh connections every day

About Jal Jeevan Mission:

Nodal: Ministry of Jal Shakti

• Jal Jeevan Mission, a central government initiative under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, aims to ensure access of piped water for every household in India.
• National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) was restructured and subsumed into Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – to provide Functional Household Tap Water (FHTC) to every rural household with service level at the rate of 55 lpcd i.e., Har Ghar Nal Se Jal (HGNSJ) by 2024.

Implications 

• Supply of water to all households is a basic necessity
• Reduction in water borne diseases which was due to due to consumption of substandard water

Challenges

• Critical situation of Decrease in ground water table.
• Water demand and supply is a miss match
• Contamination of local ground level sources of water like, ponds lakes and wells.
• Sustaining the provision of water to all households is a challenge, not just starting it.

SCHEME OF FUND FOR REGENERATION OF TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES

Focus: GS III-Industries

Why in news?

Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises inaugurated Two-day Workshop on Implementation of Clusters under Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) in New Delhi.

About SFURTI:

Nodal: Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises

Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) is a scheme launched by the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in the year 2005.

The objectives of the scheme are:

• To organize the traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive and provide support for their long-term sustainability, sustained employment.
• To enhance marketability of products of such clusters, To equip traditional artisans of the associated clusters with the improved skills, To make provision for common facilities and improved tools and equipments for artisans.
• To strengthen the cluster governance systems with the active participation of the stakeholders.
• To build up innovated and traditional skills, improved technologies, advanced processes, market intelligence and new models of public-private partnerships, so as to gradually replicate similar models of cluster-based regenerated traditional industries.

The target sectors and potential beneficiaries will include:

• Artisans, workers, machinery makers, raw material providers, entrepreneurs, institutional and private business development service (BDS) providers.
• Artisan guilds, cooperatives, consortiums, networks of enterprises, self-help groups (SHGs), enterprise associations, etc.
• Implementing agencies, field functionaries of Government institutions/organizations and policy makers, directly engaged in traditional industries.