Connect to Current -Daily Current Capsules 01^st March  2019

Bilateral Relations

20^th Session of India-Italy JCEC
Relevance IN – Prelims ( about the JCEC outcome ) + Mains ( GS II bilateral relations

• The 20^th Session of India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) was held on 26 – 27 February, 2019 in New Delhi. 

• The JCEC is an institutional mechanism for bilateral trade engagement. the importance of Italy as a trade partner for India
• Italy is India's 5th largest trading partner in the European Union and 25th in the World during 2017-18.
• There is an immense potential for Italian and Indian industries to have partnership and cooperation.
• Bilateral trade during the recent years has been increasing despite global slowdown.
• Italy ranks 17th in FDI inflow in India during April, 2000 to December, 2018.
• Suresh Prabhu thanked the Italian side for submitting the evaluation report on Tricyclazole (TCA) in rice to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and removing the alert on Indian Incense Sticks from RAPEX portal.
• The Indian Commerce Minister reiterated that India is committed to an early and balanced outcome of India-EU BTIA (Broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement) negotiations.
• The two Sides agreed to hold 21^th Meeting of the Joint Commission in Italy in 2021.
  

• The European Union (EU) has introduced a rapid alert system (RAPEX) for products which pose a serious risk to consumers.
• Data is rapidly exchanged and published on measures taken to prevent or restrict the marketing or use of non-food, non-pharmaceutical or non-medical products or devices, which pose a serious risk to different public interests.
  

• On 28th June 2007, India and the EU began negotiations on a broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) in Brussels, Belgium.
• These negotiations are pursuant to the commitment made by political leaders at the 7th India-EU Summit held in Helsinki on 13th October 2006 to move towards negotiations for a broad-based trade and investment agreement on the basis of the report of India-EU High Level Technical Group.
• India and the EU expect to promote bilateral trade by removing barriers to trade in goods and services and investment across all sectors of the economy.
• Both parties believe that a comprehensive and ambitious agreement that is consistent with WTO rules and principles would open new markets and would expand opportunities for Indian and EU businesses.
  

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about SHREYAS ) + Mains ( GS II issues relating to development and management of social sectors relating to education and Human resource

• The Minister for Human Resources Development, Shri Prakash Javadekarhas launched the Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) for providing industry apprenticeship opportunities to the general graduates exiting in April 2019 through the National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS).
  

• The program aims to enhance the employability of Indian youth by providing ‘on the job work exposure’ and earning of stipend.
• The education with skills is the need of the hour and the SHREYAS will be a major effort in this direction to make our degree students more skilled, capable, employable and aligned to the needs of our economy so that they contribute to country’s progress and also obtain gainful employment.
• SHREYAS is a programme conceived for students in degree courses, primarily non-technical, with a view to introduce employable skills into their learning, promote apprenticeship as integral to education and also amalgamate employment facilitating efforts of the Government into the education system so that clear pathways towards employment opportunities are available to students during and after their graduation.
• SHREYAS is a programme basket comprising the initiatives of three Central Ministries, namely the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and the Ministry of Labour& Employment viz the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), the National Career Service (NCS)and introduction of BA/BSc/BCom (Professional) courses in the higher educational institutions.
• SHREYAS portal will enable educational institutions and industry to log in and provide their respective demand and supply of apprenticeship.
• The matching of students with apprenticeship avenues will take place as per pre-specified eligibility criteria.
  

National Science Day
HRD Ministry launched Rs 250 crore scheme ‘STARS’ to fund science projects
Scheme for Translational & Advanced Research in Science #STARS

What’s the NEWS

• On the National Science day, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Prakash Javadekar launched STARS – Scheme for Translational and Advanced Research in Science to fund science projects.
• The ministry has approved funds worth Rs 250 crore for the scheme.
• These funds will be utilised to sponsor about 500 science projects. The selection of these projects would be done on the basis of competitions.
• The project will be coordinated by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Interested candidates will have to submit applications to take part in the competition. The applications will release on the first week of April 2019, informed HRD Minister in a tweet.
  

• The HRD Ministry in collaboration with the National Skill Ministry and Labour and employment Ministry collaboratively launched SHREYAS – Scheme for Higher Education Youth for Apprenticeship and Skills to empower non-technical courses.
• It announced to launch professional courses which would include 1000 hours of additional coursework out of which 250 will be dedicated to soft and ICT skilling (each) and rest 500 hours will be dedicated to specific skill courses.
• These courses will be open from this (2019-20) academic session onwards.
  

• It is celebrated every year on February 28 in the memory of Sir C.V. Raman. He was an Indian physicist and a Nobel laureate.
• He received the Nobel in 1930 for discovering of the ‘Raman effect’ which refers to the ‘scattering’ of light that occurs when it passes through molecules, say dust in the air.
  

 
Science and Technology
ISRO Special Mission For DRDO: PSLV To Launch Electronic Intelligence Satellite ‘Emisat’ along with 28 Others
Relevance IN – Prelims ( about Emisat ) + Mains ( GS III science and technology – awareness in the field of space)

What’s the NEWS

• The Indian Space Research Organisation will be conducting a ‘special mission’ in March this year (2019), sending into space an electronic intelligence satellite ‘Emisat’ for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), along with 28 third party satellites.
• It will also be attempting to release its payload in the orbit at three different altitudes.

Know! more about the upcoming mission

• ISRO will be using a PSLV rocket with four strap-on motors and for the first time ISRO will be trying to orbit the rocket at three different altitudes
• The main passenger for the PSLV rocket will be the defence intelligence satellite Emisat belonging to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The DRDO's Emisat is an electronic intelligence satellite
• The ISRO will also be launching two more defence satellites sometime in July/August with its new rocket Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
• In January, the space agency launched a defence imaging satellite Microsat R for the DRDO.
• After launching Emisat at an altitude of 763 km, the rocket will be brought down to put into orbit the 28 satellites at an altitude of 504 km.
• Following that the rocket will be brought down further to 485 km where the fourth stage will turn into a payload platform carrying three experimental payloads -- one developed by the students of Indian Institute of Space Science and Tecnology, besides ISRO's own technology demonstrator and a Hamsat,"
• The PSLV is a four-stage engine expendable rocket with alternating solid and liquid fuel. In its normal configuration, the rocket will have six strap-on motors hugging the rocket's first stage.
• On January 24, the ISRO flew a PSLV with two strap-on motors while in March it will have four strap-on motors.
• The Indian space agency also has two more PSLV variants viz Core Alone (without any strap-on motors) and PSLV-XL a larger rocket.
• The ISRO selects the kind of rocket to be used based on the weight of satellites it carries.

Infrastructure Development
Cabinet approves Scheme for FAME India Phase II
Relevance IN – Prelims (about FAME) + Mains (GS III infrastructure development + energy conservation)

• The Union cabinet has approved the proposal for implementation of scheme titled 'Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II)' for promotion of Electric Mobility in the country.
• The scheme with total outlay of Rs 10000 Crores over the period of three years will be implemented with effect from 1st April 2019.
• This scheme is the expanded version of the present scheme titled 'FAME India1 which was launched on 1st April 2015, with total outlay of Rs. 895 crores.

• The main objective of the scheme is to encourage Faster adoption of Electric and hybrid vehicle by way of offering upfront Incentive on purchase of Electric vehicles and also by way of establishing a necessary charging Infrastructure for electric vehicles.
• The scheme will help in addressing the issue of environmental pollution and fuel security.
  

• To encourage advance technologies, the benefits of incentives, will be extended to only those vehicles which are fitted with advance battery like a Lithium Ion battery and other new technology batteries.
• The scheme proposes for establishment of charging infrastructure, whereby about 2700 charging stations will be established in metros, other million plus cities, smart cities and cities of Hilly states across the country so that there will be availability of at least one charging station in a grid of 3 km x 3 km.
• Establishment of Charging stations are also proposed on major highways connecting major city clusters. On such highways, charging stations will be established on both sides of the road at an interval of about 25 km each.

Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
TECH-SOP 2019 for MSMEs

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about TECH -SOP )

What’s the NEWS

• With a view to enhance awareness among MSMEs about latest technological innovations available, and sensitize them on the role of technology in creating competitiveness and opportunities, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)organized a programme on Technology Support and Outreach (TECH-SOP 2019)

• Various research and development institutions in the country have developed technologies which are relevant for MSMEs for sustainable growth and is available to MSMEs in a cost effective manner.
• TECH – SOP 2019 is an initiative to bridge the gap between the technological innovations and MSMEs so that they can harness the technologies and grow in the global value chain.
• ‘India Green Tech Open Challenge’was also launched during this occasion which aims to encourage MSMEs to adopt sustainable and green technologies.