GS PAPER II
G20 Summit
Why in News
Trade Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed as India’s Sherpa for the G20 meet that is expected to be held in Italy at the end of October.
Group of 20 (G20)
- The G20 is a major international grouping that brings together 19 of the world’s major economies and the European Union, with its members accounting for more than 80% of global GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of global population.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been leading India’s representation at G20 Summits since 2014.
- India has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999. India will be holding the G20 Presidency from 1 December 2022 and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2023 for the first time, the Indian foreign ministry statement said.
- India will be part of the G20 Troika (preceding, current, and incoming G20 Presidencies) from 1 December 2021 till 30 November 2024.
- The next G20 Summit is scheduled to take place from October 30 to 31 under the Italian presidency.
GS PAPER II
Mu variant of COVID-19
Why in News
Mu variant of Covid-19 was first detected in Colombia in January 2021 and was designed as a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on August 30, 2021.
Mu Variant
- Mu variant, also known as lineage B.1.621 or VUI-21JUL-1, is one of the variants of SARS-CoV-2.
- It is the fifth “variant of interest” that is being monitored by WHO since March 2020.
- Mu variant cases have been “sporadically reported” in almost 42 countries around the world including in South America, Europe and 49 US states with Nebraska being the only state to not have a mu variant case detected.
- California has reported the highest number of Mu Variant cases in the United States with a total of 167 cases detected in Los Angeles County.
- In Europe, Mu variant has been detected in several countries including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and the Netherlands.
- The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had already classified Mu Variant as a variant of interest on August 26. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US is yet to make similar classifications about the variant.
- According to WHO, Mu variant has a constellation of mutations, which indicates its potential property of immune escape, which means it may be able to evade immunity provided by vaccines.
Mu Variant symptoms
- The symptoms of Mu variant follow the same pattern as those of other variants of COVID-19 such as sore throat, fever, cough, headache, loss of taste and smell and runny nose.
- It is still too early to detect any specific symptom of the variant.
GS PAPER II
Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2021
Why in News
Recently, Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 2021 has been launched by the government, under the Swachh Bharat Mission Phase- 2.
Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 2021
- As part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Swachh Survekshan Grameen aims to support acceleration of ODF plus interventions and results in the country. An expert agency has been hired to conduct the Survekshan 2021.
- As part of the Survekshan, Villages, Districts and States would be ranked using key parameters.
- As part of Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 17,475 villages in 698 Districts across the country will be covered. 87,250 public places namely schools, anganwadis, public health centres, haat/bazaars/religious places in these villages will be visited for survey.
- Around 1,74,750 Households will be interviewed for their feedback on SBM related issues.
- Also, citizens will be mobilised to provide feedback on sanitation related issues online using an application developed for the purpose.
- The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) had commissioned “Swachh Survekshan Gramin (SSG)- earlier in 2018 and 2019.
- The weights to different elements of the SSG 2021 are as below:
- Direct Observation of sanitation at public places -30%;
- Citizen’s Feedback, including feedback from common citizens, key influencers at the village level and from citizens online using a mobile App -35%;
- Service Level Progress on sanitation related parameters -35%
GS PAPER III
Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme
Why in News
The Union cabinet approved the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the textile sector with the aim to boost domestic manufacturing and exports.
Key Points
- Under the scheme, incentives worth ₹10,683 crore will be provided over a period of five years.
- The outlay has been given a nod for textiles for man-made fibre (MMF) apparel, MMF fabrics and ten segments or products of technical textiles.
- The PLI scheme for textiles is part of a wider announcement made earlier during the Union Budget 2021-22, which includes a total of 13 sectors, with an outlay of ₹1.97 lakh crore.
- According to official estimates, minimum production in India from the PLI schemes is likely to surpass US$ 500 billion in five years.
- The factories based around aspirational districts or Tier-3 & Tier-4 cities will be given priority. It will especially benefit Gujarat, UP, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, etc.
- There is a possibility of about 7.5 lakh people getting employment from this scheme.
- The idea of the schemes is to better competitiveness of domestic manufacturing activities and to pave the way for global champions.
- Furthermore, the schemes were specifically designed to curtail cheaper imports, boost domestic manufacturing in strategic sectors and cut down import expenses as well.
Production Linked Incentive scheme
- PLI Schemes are a cornerstone of the Government’s push for achieving an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
- The objective is to make domestic manufacturing globally competitive and to create global Champions in manufacturing.
- The strategy behind scheme is to offer companies incentives on incremental sales from products manufactured in India, over the base year.
- They have been specifically designed to boost domestic manufacturing in sunrise and strategic sectors, curb cheaper imports and reduce import bills, improve cost competitiveness of domestically manufactured goods, and enhance domestic capacity and exports.
GS PAPER III
PRANA portal
Why in News
Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has been launched PRANA.
Key Points
- PRANA meaning ‘Life’ in Sanskrit, is a portal for regulation of air pollution in 132 cities across the country.
- PRANA or the Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) would support tracking of the physical and financial status of city air action plan implementation.
- It would also disseminate information on air quality to the public while also providing comprehensive information related to NCAP programme details, progress, city action plans, implementation updates by city/state/ national level agencies, air quality data, and trends, etc.
- The portal has a national dashboard that has interactive points on 7 thematic areas of city air action plans, PM10 performance, ambient air monitoring network, public grievance redressal portal, graded response action plans, and more.
- It is intertwined with the Government’s goal for sustainable utilization, protection, and conservation of public goods and the environment.
- PRANA portal will help in tracking physical and financial status of city air action plan implementation. It will also disseminate information on air quality to the public.