Relevance IN - Prelims (about Pragyan Conclave)
What's the NEWS

• "PRAGYAN CONCLAVE 2020", a two-day Indian Army International Seminar being organised by Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), commenced on 04 Mar 2020 at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.

• The event brings together a cross-domain national and international experts to deliberate on the complex subject of ‘Changing Characteristics of Land Warfare and its Impact on the Military'.
• The seminar provided a platform for deliberations on emerging ideas, perspectives and narratives that define the ‘New Age Warfare' which is increasingly witnessing a change in its character as well as battlespace with the usage of new ‘means' to pursue the ‘ends'.
• The Technological Revolution - Information Warfare in multi domain operations, cyber and space warfare and implications of AI and Robotics are some of the new domains of battlespace in fighting 21st century warfare.
• With the advent of technology, Armed Forces need to be agile and keep pace with the continuous change.

• The amalgamation would be effective from 1.4.2020 and would result in creation of seven large PSBs
• The Mega consolidation would help create banks with scale comparable to global banks and capable of competing effectively in India and globally.
• Greater scale and synergy through consolidation would lead to cost benefits which should enable the PSBs enhance their competitiveness and positively impact the Indian banking system.
• Consolidation would also provide impetus to amalgamated entities by increasing their ability to support larger ticket-size lending and have competitive operations by virtue of greater financial capacity.
• The adoption of best practices across amalgamating entities would enable the banks improve their cost efficiency and risk management, and also boost the goal of financial inclusion through wider reach.

Relevance IN - Prelims (about KPIT sparkle and its objective)
What's the NEWS

• KPIT, a global leader in automotive software and mobility solutions, has announced the winners of KPIT Sparkle 2020 among 30 select teams who presented their ideas on transformative solutions in mobility and energy.

• KPIT Sparkle is an innovation platform that nurtures, mentors, and supports aspiring entrepreneurs and connects them with incubators in the ecosystem to transform their inventive ideas into viable products.
• KPIT Sparkle, an annual national-level contest, cultivates a culture of innovation by inspiring students from the STEM (science, technology, engineering, management) streams to identify and solve real-life problems in sustainability by designing new technology-enabled solutions. It also encourages and facilitates students to secure intellectual property for their solutions.
• The programme provided students of undergraduate, post-graduate, and Ph.D. courses from science, engineering, design, and management colleges and universities across India with an opportunity to develop smart, safe, and clean solutions for the energy and transportation sectors.

• KPIT partnered with the Centre for Innovation Incubation & Entrepreneurship (CIIE), IIM Ahmedabad; Incubation Cell, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai; Science and Technology Park, University of Pune; Bhau Institute of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Leadership, College of Engineering Pune; Aartech (AIC), one of the first corporate Atal Incubation Centres established under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM); Sandip Incubators (AIC); and Forge to provide incubation opportunities to deserving ideas.
• KPIT Sparkle 2020 has been associated with DST; NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM); All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE); India Design Council; National Institute of Design; and ONGC Energy Centre as its knowledge partners.

Relevance IN - Prelims (about entanglement theory)
What's the NEWS

• Researchers from Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science & Technology, have devised a new test for fairness of quantum coin or ‘qubit' (the basic unit of information in a quantum computer) using entanglement theory.

Know! about entanglement theory

• The new test uses entanglement to test the fairness of the quantum coin.
• Entanglement is a special type of correlation that exists in the quantum world with no classical counterpart.
• The researchers from RRI made use of this quantum resource to arrive at a test for fairness of a quantum coin (a qubit).
• Their strategy, which makes use of entanglement, enables better discrimination between quantum states. Such advantage is valuable in quantum sensors.

Quantum Information and Quantum Computing Technology

• The domain of Quantum Information and Quantum Computing Technology is a growing area of research which is expected to influence Data Processing, which in turn, plays a central role in our lives in this Information Age. For instance, bank transactions, online shopping and so on crucially depend on the efficiency of information transfer. Thus the recent work on quantum state discrimination is expected to be valuable in people's lives in the current era.

Prelims Factoids
Setu Bharatam scheme

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Setu Bharatam and its objective)
What's the NEWS

• Government has envisaged replacement of all the level crossings on National Highways by Road Over Bridges or Road Under Bridges under the Setu Bharatam scheme.

Know! more about it

• The programme is being implemented by Road Transport and Highways Ministry to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic and reduced road fatalities by 50 percent by 2020.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Setu Bharatam scheme on 4^th March in 2016 for building rail over-bridges or underpasses for safe and seamless travel on National Highways.
• Setu Bharatam programme was launched to make all National Highways free of railway level crossings in order to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings.
• Ministry of Road Transport Highways and Ministry of Railways have signed an MoU to replace all level crossings by Road Over Bridges or Road Under Bridges.
• Unmanned railway crossings are one of the chief causes of rail accidents in India, with such accidents being more frequent in rural areas. With the elimination of all such crossings targeted for this year, such mishaps can be avoided.

Health Sector
Celebration of Janaushadhi Week from 1^st to 7^th March

Relevance IN - Prelims (about PMBJP) + Mains (GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.)
What's the NEWS

• Janaushadhi week is being celebrated across the country from 1st March to 7th March 2020.

Know! about PMBJP

• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses.
• PMBJP stores have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.
• It was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals in November 2008 under the name Jan Aushadi Campaign. Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementation agency for PMBJP.
• BPPI (Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India) has been established under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. of India, with the support of all the CPSUs for co-coordinating procurement, supply and marketing of generic drugs through the Jan Aushadhi Stores
• State Governments or any organization / reputed NGOs / Trusts / Private hospitals / Charitable institutions / Doctors / Unemployed pharmacist/ individual entrepreneurs are eligible to apply for new Jan Aushadhi stores. The applicants shall have to employ one B Pharma / D Pharma degree holder as Pharmacist in their proposed store.
• The number of Kendras has grown to more than 6200 and 700 districts are covered under the scheme at present.

Environment Conservation
Global Coalition for Biodiversity launched on World Wildlife Day
Relevance IN - Prelims (about United for Biodiversity coalition and its objective + about IPBES)
What's the NEWS

• The European Commission (EC) launched the ‘United for Biodiversity' coalition made up of zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, national parks, and natural history and science museums from around the world, on World Wildlife Day 2020

Know! more about the coalition

• The coalition offered the opportunity for all such institutions to "join forces and boost public awareness about the nature crisis, ahead of the crucial COP-15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China in October 2020," when nations will adopt a new global framework to protect and restore nature
• The coalition adopted a common pledge, citing the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment finding that one million species were already at risk of extinction, and appeals to visitors to each of their institutions to "raise their voice for nature."
• IPBES, formed by the United Nations Environment Programme, welcomed the formation of the coalition.

Know! the benefits of creating such organisations

• These organisations are vital not only for cataloguing and preserving the natural world, but are indispensable and invaluable centres for education and mobilisation - particularly for young leaders and decision-makers of the future

Know! about IPBES

• The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body established by States to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development.
• IPBES was established to improve the interface between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• It is intended to serve a similar role to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
• In 2010 a resolution by the 65^th session of the United Nations General Assembly urged the United Nations Environment Programme to convene a plenary meeting to establish the IPBES.
• It was established in Panama City, on 21 April 2012 by 94 Governments.
• In 2013 an initial conceptual framework was adopted for the prospective IPBES plenary.
• It is not a United Nations body. However, at the request of the IPBES Plenary and with the authorization of the UNEP Governing Council in 2013, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provides secretariat services to IPBES

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving
TEAM CL IAS