Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Accelerate Vigyan + ABHYAAS) + Mains ( GS III Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life)

What's the NEWS

• To provide a single platform for research internships, capacity building programs, and workshops across the country, the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched a new scheme called ‘Accelerate Vigyan' (AV).

Know! more about Accelerate Vigyan

• The primary objective of this inter-ministerial scheme is to give more thrust on encouraging high-end scientific research and preparing scientific manpower, which can lead to research careers and knowledge-based economy.
• AV will initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research potential, mentoring, training and hands-on workshop on a national scale.
• The vision is to expand the research base, with three broad goals, namely, consolidation / aggregation of all scientific programs, initiating high-end orientation workshops, and creating opportunities for research internships for those who do not have access to such resources / facilities
• The AV will work on mission mode, particularly with respect to its component dealing with consolidation / aggregation of all major scientific events in the country.
• Thus, an Inter-Ministerial Overseeing Committee (IMOC) involving all the scientific ministries/departments and a few others has been constituted for the purpose of supporting SERB in implementing the AV scheme in a successful manner.
• Another new component under AV is ‘SAMMOHAN' that has been sub-divided into ‘SAYONJIKA' and ‘SANGOSHTI'.
• SAYONJIKA is an open-ended program to catalogue the capacity building activities in science and technology supported by all government funding agencies in the country. SANGOSHTI is a pre-existing program of SERB.

Accelerate Vigyan has already starting calling applications under its ‘ABHYAAS' component for the winter season.
Know! about ABHYAAS programme

• It is an attempt to boost research and development in the country by enabling and grooming potential PG/PhD students by means of developing their research skills in selected areas across different disciplines or fields.
• It has two components: High-End Workshops (‘KARYASHALA') and Research Internships (‘VRITIKA').
• This is especially important for those researchers who have limited opportunities to access such learning capacities / facilities / infrastructure.
• The current call for applications invites researchers for the winter season (Dec 2020-Jan 2021) ‘KARYASHALA' and ‘VRITIKA'

NITI Aayog
Towards a Clean Energy Economy report

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the report and its findings) + Mains ( GS III Environment conservation+ economic developments -to substantiate the answer with the recommendations cited in the report )
What's the NEWS

• NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) released Towards a Clean Energy Economy: Post-Covid-19 Opportunities for India's Energy and Mobility Sectors report, which advocates for stimulus and recovery efforts that work towards building a clean, resilient, and least-cost energy future for India.
• These efforts include electric vehicle, energy storage, and renewable energy programs.

Know! the highlights of the report

• The report identifies how Covid-19 is beginning to influence the clean energy transition in India, specifically for the transport and power sectors, and recommends principles and strategic opportunities for the country's leaders to drive economic recovery and maintain momentum towards a clean energy economy.
• Clean energy will be a major driver of India's economic recovery and international competitiveness
• It recommends specific actions by which India can revive two of the economic powerhouses-the transport and power sectors-and emerge stronger.

The report lays out four principles as a framework for policymakers and other key decision-makers considering programmes to support India's clean energy future:
1) invest in least-cost-energy solutions,
2) support resilient and secure energy systems,
3) prioritize efficiency and competitiveness, and
4) promote social and environmental equity.

• India needs to identify strategic opportunities for economic recovery in the short, medium, and long terms that can translate challenges posed by the pandemic into clean energy transition opportunities.
• In the power sector, opportunities include improving the electricity distribution business and its operations, enabling renewables and distributed energy resources, and promoting energy resilience and local manufacturing of renewable energy and energy storage technologies.

Economy
Loans worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore sanctioned under ECLGS

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about ECLGS + about NCGTC ) + Mains ( GS III Economic development - financial inclusion)
What's the NEWS

• Under the 100 % Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) backed by a Government guarantee , Banks from Public & Private Sectors have sanctioned loans worth over Rs. 1 lakh crore
• This would help more than 30 lakh units of MSMEs & other businesses restart their businesses post the lockdown..

Know! about ECLGS

• Government of India through Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services has introduced the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for providing 100% guarantee coverage for additional working capital term loans upto 20% of their entire outstanding credit upto Rs. 25 crore i.e. upto Rs. 5 crore
• The Scheme is named as ‘Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)' and the credit product for which guarantee would be provided under the Scheme is named as ‘Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL)
• The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme provides 100% guarantee coverage by NCGTC.

Know! more about the Scheme

• The 100% collateral-free MSME loan is being called the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), which is being provided by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) to banks, NBFCs and Financial Institutions (FIs).
• According this scheme, every eligible MSME or business enterprise, gets a pre-approved sanction limit of up to 20% of loan outstanding as on 29th February, 2020.
  
  
• This is in the form of additional working capital term loan facility (in case of banks and Financial Institutions), and additional term loan facility (in case of NBFCs).
  
• This is a special scheme to help small businesses battling the economic impact of Covid-19 and includes Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) borrowers.
• The Scheme is valid for existing customers of a bank, NBFC or FI. This means this scheme is not for new borrowers. Also, the loan account should be less than or equal to 60 days past due as on 29^th Feb

 Know! about National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd

• It is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 on March 28, 2014, established by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, as a wholly owned company of the Government of India, to act as a common trustee company for multiple credit guarantee funds.
• Credit guarantee programmes are designed to share the lending risk of the lenders and in turn, facilitate access to finance for the prospective borrowers.
• The common architecture of NCGTC has been designed to handle multiple guarantee programmes under a single umbrella organization.
• Presently, there are five dedicated credit guarantee Trusts under the Management of NCGTC viz. Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Educational Loans (CGFEL), Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Skill Development (CGFSD), Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Factoring (CGFF), Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU) and Credit Guarantee Fund for Stand Up India (CGFSI).

Prelims Factoids
Ramagundam project

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Ramagundam project + about New Investment Policy 2012 )
What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers held a meeting with Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals limited (RFCL) to review the progress of construction works of the project .

Know! about the project

• RFCL is upcoming gas based urea unit of 12.7 Lakh MT per annum capacity at Ramagundam, Telengana.
• It is a Joint Venture Company (JVC) promoted by National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), Engineers India Limited (EIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL).
• The foundation stone of the project was laid by Prime Minister on August 7, 2016.
• Once completed, RFCL project will reduce India's dependency on imported urea, save foreign exchange and create jobs.
• Government of India had announced New Investment Policy (NIP), 2012 to facilitate fresh investment in urea sector and to make India self-sufficient in the urea sector.
• Under NIP, 2012, Govt of India is reviving the 5 closed fertilizer plants .

The Five Public Sector Units under revival are:-

• Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL)
• Talcher Fertilizers Limited (TFL)
• Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (Gorakhpur, Barauni and Sindri)

Health and Family Welfare
Fellowship Programme for International Students (FPIS) of NBE
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NBE and DNB programme) + Mains ( GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
What's the NEWS

• The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare released the Good Clinical Practice Guidelines Handbook and Prospectus for Fellowship Programme for International Students (FPIS) of National Board of Examinations (NBE)
• The Health & Family Welfare Ministry also electronically released Fellowship Programme for International Students (FPIS) - Prospectus for Current year 2020 - 2021 in 11 specialties spread over 42 premium institutions.
• This is the first time that International Fellowship Programme is being launched for International Students from all countries including SAARC Nations, at Post MD/MS level through common Fellowship Entrance Test

Know! about the Diplomates of National Board (DNB) programme

• NBE's flagship DNB Programmes are offered in 82 disciplines and subspecialties of modern medicine which includes DNB Programme in 29 Broad and across 703 private and government institutions
• NBE is encouraging Govt/PSU/Municipal/Private sector hospitals across the country to start the DNB programme to bridge the specialist gap in the country by increasing the number of Post Graduate seats using existing infrastructure and clinical resources.

Know! about NBE

• The National Board of Examinations came into existence in 1975, as a wing of the National Academy of Medical Sciences and has been conducting Postgraduate Medical Examinations at the national level since 1976.
• The Board was registered as an Autonomous Organization under MoHFW in 1982 with the objective of conducting high standard post-graduate examinations in the field of modern medicine on all India basis, formulating basic training requirements for eligibility, developing curriculum for post graduate training and accreditation of institutions where this training is imparted.
• The students enrolled are called Diplomates of National Board (DNB).

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