PIB 6th March 2021

GeM PORTAL

Focus: GS II- e governance

Why in news?

Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited (IMPCL), the public sector manufacturing unit of the Ministry of AYUSH has received a shot in the arm in the matter of potential sales volumes, thanks to the recent tie up with the Government e-Market (GeM) portal for selling its products online. 

About Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

Nodal: Ministry of Commerce and Industry

• It is an Online Market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by the government ministries, departments, public sector undertakings (PSU) etc.
• It has been envisaged as National Procurement Portal of India.
• It has been developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) with technical support of National e-governance Division (Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology).
• It is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface.
• The following are the objectives of the  online platform:
  • Easier availability of various goods and services for the government buyers.
  • Create transparency in public procurement.
  • Cost saving on government expenditure.
  • Achieve and promote cashless transactions.

COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA

Focus: GS II- Polity and Governance (Government Interventions)

Why in news?

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) here today organised the Sixth National Conference on Economics of Competition Law through virtual mode.

About competition commission of India:

Nodal: Ministry of corporate affairs

Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing the Competition Act, 2002.

Competition Commission of India aims to establish a robust competitive environment.

• Through proactive engagement with all stakeholders, including consumers, industry, government and international jurisdictions.
• By being a knowledge intensive organization with high competence level.
• Through professionalism, transparency, resolve and wisdom in enforcement.

Composition of CCI

• The Commission consists of one Chairperson and six Members.
• The commission is a quasi-judicial body .
• Eligibility of members: The Chairperson and every other Member shall be a person of ability, integrity and standing and who, has been, or is qualified to be a judge of a High Court, or, has special knowledge of, and professional experience of not less than fifteen years in international trade, economics, business, commerce, law, finance, accountancy, management, industry, public affairs, administration or in any other matter which, in the opinion of the Central Government, may be useful to the Commission.

SOLID FUEL DUCTED RAMJET

Focus: GS III-Defence , Prelims

Why in news?

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out a flight demonstration based on Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology from Integrated Test Range Chandipur off the coast of Odisha

What is Ramjet?

• Ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle’s forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor.
• Ramjets can be particularly useful in applications requiring a small and simple mechanism for high-speed use, such as missiles.
• Unlike conventional rockets that carry propellant and oxidizer, Ramjet uses the air as an oxidizer just like a jet engine.

About SFDR

• It is a missile propulsion technology jointly developed by India and Russia.
• It will help both India’s surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles to perform better and enhance their strike range, making them more lethal.
• Possible usage of SFDR: These are to be used in the future variants of missiles, including an advanced version of the ASTRA, Beyond Visual Range AAM (BVRAAM) expected to extend the range to 150 km in the Mk-3 version.
• According to the DRDO, the SFDR has a range of 120 km with a speed range of 2.3-2.5 Mach.