17 June 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

June 17th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras
2. Victory Day (May 9)
3. Workshop tomorrow on Good Governance Practices in a Pandemic for International 
Civil Servants
4. Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE)

1. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras

Context:

Sanitary napkins available for Rs. 1/- per pad at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras.

Details:

• Since inception of the scheme in 2018, more than 4 crore sanitary napkins have been sold through these outlets.
• In India, menstruation and menstrual practices still face some social, cultural, and religious restrictions which are a big barrier in the path of menstrual hygiene management.
• In many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, girls and women do not have access to sanitary products or they do not opt for them as most of these items available in the market are unaffordable for them.
• The napkins being sold are environmental friendly, as these pads are made with oxo-biodegradable material complying with ASTM D-6954 (biodegradability test) standards.

About the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras:

• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK) are set up across the country so as to reduce the out of pocket expenses for health care, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).
• The Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals is involved in coordinating, procuring, supplying and marketing generic medicines through PMBJK.
• The procured generic medicines are sold at 50% to 90% lesser prices as compared to the market prices of branded medicines.

For more on the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, click on the linked article.

2. Victory Day (May 9)

Context:

India to send Tri-Service contingent to participate in 75^th Victory Day Parade of World War II in Moscow.

Details:

• Defence Minister of Russia has invited an Indian contingent to take part in the Victory Day Parade scheduled to be held on June 24, 2020 in Moscow.

Victory Day in Russia:

• Victory Day is a holiday in Russia that commemorates the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, after the Second World War.
• Many other countries, particularly, of the former USSR, also celebrate May 9 as Victory Day commemorating the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender.
• ‘Victory in Europe Day’ is observed a day earlier, on 8 May, in many other countries in Europe.

3. Workshop tomorrow on Good Governance Practices in a Pandemic for International Civil Servants

Context:

Union Minister of State for Personnel, PG and Pensions will deliver the inaugural address at the ITEC-NCGG Two-day Workshop on COVID-19 – Good Governance Practices in a Pandemic.

Details:

• The conference would be attended by participants through webinar.
• It would be attended by Chief of Staff of the Sri Lankan Army, Senior Secretaries to Government from Bangladesh, Senior officials from Bhutan, Kenya, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Somalia, Thailand, Tunisia, Tonga, Sudan and Uzbekistan.
• The workshop is jointly organised by the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC), Ministry of External Affairs and the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.

About the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC):

• The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme was instituted by a decision of the Indian Cabinet in 1964 as a bilateral programme of assistance of the Government of India.
• The Programme is fully funded by the GOI and works under the External Affairs Ministry.
• Although essentially bilateral in nature, the ITEC resources have also been used for cooperation programmes conceived in regional and inter-regional context such as Economic Commission for Africa, Commonwealth Secretariat, UNIDO, Group of 77 and G-15.
• Off late, its activities have been associated with regional and multilateral organisations such as the ASEAN, BIMSTEC, African Union, Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), WTO, etc.
• Under ITEC and its sister programme SCAAP (Special Commonwealth African Assistance Programme), 161 countries in Asia, Africa, East Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean as well as Pacific and Small Island countries are invited to share in the Indian developmental experience acquired over six decades of India’s existence as a free nation.
• As a result of different activities under this programme, there is now a visible and growing awareness among other countries about the competence of India as a provider of technical know-how and expertise as well as training opportunities, consultancy services and feasibility studies.
• These programmes have generated immense goodwill and substantive cooperation among the developing countries.
• Programmes under ITEC/SCAAP:
  • Training (civilian and defence) in India of nominees from ITEC partner countries;
  • Projects and project related activities such as feasibility studies and consultancy services;
  • Deputation of Indian experts abroad;
  • Study Tours;
  • Gifts/Donations of equipment at the request of ITEC partner countries; and
  • Aid for disaster relief.

About the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG):

• The NCGG is an autonomous institute of the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, GOI.
• Its head office is at New Delhi and branch office at Mussoorie.
• The NCGG has been set up to assist in bringing about governance reforms through studies, training, knowledge sharing and promotion of good ideas.
• It seeks to carry out policy relevant research and prepare case studies; curate training courses for civil servants from India and other developing countries; provide a platform for sharing of existing knowledge and pro-actively seek out and develop ideas for their implementation in the government, both at the national & international levels.
• The NCGG was originally set up in 1995 by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) as the National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR).
• The institute’s name was changed to its present NCGG with an expanded mandate in 2014.

4. Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE)

Context:

The Sports Ministry will establish KISCE under the Khelo India Scheme.

Details:

• One KISCE will be identified in each state and union territory, with an effort to create a robust sporting ecosystem in the entire country.
• In the first leg, the Ministry has identified state-owned sports facilities in eight states of India, including, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Telengana and the north east states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland which will be upgraded into Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE).
• This move is expected to help India achieve success in Olympic Games and other international tournaments.
• In order to upgrade the existing centre to the KISCE, the government will extend a ‘Viability Gap Funding’ in sports science and technology support for sports disciplines practiced at the centre and also bridge the gaps in requirement of sports equipment, expert coaches and high performance managers.
• The support extended will be to Olympic sports, though support can be extended in sports science and allied fields in other sporting disciplines being run in the centre.
• The state and UT will run the centre and build capacity to turn it into a world-class sporting facility, and will be responsible for all aspects of management of the centre including boarding, lodging and maintenance, while funds for critical gaps such as expert coaches, support staff, equipment and infrastructure will be extended through the Khelo India Scheme.
• The eight centres will be given a grant based on the actual amount finalised as per the requirement indicated after a comprehensive gap analysis study.
• In a bid to broad-base talent identification, the states and UTs will also identify and develop talent in each sport for which funding is received at the centre.
• The Sports Authority of India will extend expertise, resources and a monitoring system to ensure that the level of performance of the athletes improve to international standards.

Also read: Khelo India Programme

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