GS- 2 Paper
Topic covered– Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance, applications, models, success, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
National Youth Awards
Context
The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports (I/C) confers the National Youth Awards for excellent work and contribution in different fields of development and social service.
About the Awards
- National Youth Awards is being awarded to individuals and organizations for excellent work and contribution in different fields of development and social service, such as health, promotion of human rights, active citizenship, community service etc.
- The individual should be aged between 15-29 years.
- National Youth Awards (NYA) 2016-17 was conferred upon the following 20 individuals and 3 organizations
Objective of the Awards
- The objective of the awards is to motivate young persons to achieve excellence in the field of national development and social service.
- To encourage young people to develop a sense of responsibility to the community.
- To improve their own personal potential as good citizens.
- To give recognition to the outstanding work done by voluntary organizations working with the youth for national development including social service.
Significance
- The National Youth Awards Function is to motivate youth, under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister.
- The India is a young country and youth can shape its future. If the energy of youth is channelized in right direction, the progress of country in various fields can gain momentum, and youth can become prosperous.
- The youth are idealistic, aim high and when they achieve their goals through their efforts, it becomes necessary to grant recognition to their efforts, which has been attempted through this program.
- The awards give recognition as well as encouragement to the winners, but at the same time give them onerous responsibility to carry forward the good work being done by them.
GS- 2 Paper
Topic covered- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) Programme
Context
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, launched the Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) program.
About ACIC Program
- The Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) has been launched to spur community Innovation in underserved and un-served areas of the country.
Aim of the programme
- The new initiative aims to encourage the spirit of innovation in the country’s specific areas that lack the required infrastructure and facilitating innovation ecosystem.
- The purpose of ACIC is to enable establishment of socially inclusive innovation ecosystem as well as to encourage equitable distribution of necessary infrastructure for stimulating innovation across the country.
- The new initiative offers opportunity to talented youth and researchers in
- Tier-2, Tier-3 cities, Tribal areas, Rural areas
- Aspirational districts, North East (NE) region
- cities of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K),
- Smart Cities identified by Government of India,
- Unserved/underserved areas of Tier-1 / Metro cities
- The ACIC programme would focus in over 484 districts located in unserved/underserved regions of India.
Features of the program
- Establishing local, national and global linkages with key stakeholders
- Develop design thinking capabilities
- Connecting ACICs with incubation system of AIM
- Leveraging mentoring network consisting of 10k mentors under AIM
- Leverage CSR funds to ensure financial stability of ACICs
- Facilitating innovation in local industries/AIMs
- Focus on cross community learning ACIC program is directed to encourage the spirit of innovation through solution driven design thinking to serve the society.
- It will focus on underserved/ unserved regions of the country which at present lack a vibrant start-up and innovation ecosystem.
- ACIC will be established either in PPP mode or with support of PSUs and other agencies.
- The maximum grant-in-aid support form AIM will be up to 2.5 crores subject following compliance to ACIC guidelines and contributing matching form the host institutions and their funding partner(s).
Significance
- ACIC can serve as the bridge between the knowledge base existing in communities and the advanced technical ecosystem prevalent in the market base, addressing the needs of society.
- It will play a major role towards establishing India as Innovation and Technology led Start-up nation and improve the ranking of India in Global Innovation Index.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
- The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) was set up by NITI Aayog in 2016.
- Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) includes Self-Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU) is Government of India’s endeavour to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
- It seeks to create institutions and programs that enhance innovation in schools, colleges, and entrepreneurs in general.
- Its objective is to serve as a platform for promotion of world-class Innovation Hubs, Grand Challenges, Start-up businesses and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology driven areas.
For Prelims-
Exhibition on DAE Technologies
Context
2-day exhibition on DAE Technologies: Empowering India through Technology, inaugurated in New Delhi.
Key Highlights
- The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is organizing a two-day exhibition on DAE spin-off technologies for non-power applications.
- The exhibition is covering technologies developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Raja Ramanna Centre for Advance Technology, Indore and other Units of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
- The technologies developed by these institutions are useful for the common man in day-to-day life e.g. in the field of health, agriculture, water, food security and environment.
- In health sector there are three segments i) Development of Radio Pharmaceuticals ii) Production & Distribution iii) its implementation for diagnosis and therapeutic
- The treatment of Cancer is managed by Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), a fully autonomous aided institution of DAE, provides comprehensive treatment to cancer patients.
- In agriculture DAE has developed 44 high yielding seed varieties by inducing mutation to suit local weather conditions across the country.
- DAE has also developed technologies of fertilizer production from bio-sludge and encourages organic farming.
- The disease resistant, low maturity period and high yielding crops have been well accepted by the farmers.
- Rural technologies are also being made available to rural youth through ‘AKRUTI’ programme.
- For water DAE has developed technologies for clean water to fulfill departmental requirements and as spin-off developed many techniques which finds applications in ultra-filtration membrane, RO membrane, multistage flash evaporation and water hydrology based on radiotracers.
- Low cost water filters for removal of all contamination from drinking water have been displayed.
- For environment DAE technologies are finding a lot of applications for Swatch Bharat Mission where bio-methanization & Urban Sludge Hygienization technologies are being deployed across the country.
- “Nisargruna” plant is a bio- Methanization plant for digesting kitchen food waste and green vegetable wastes from agriculture markets to Methane gas which can be used for cooking/generating electricity or even for running biogas vehicles.
- This plant can digest animal waste from slaughter house also.
Year-Long “Sarabhai Centenary” Programmes of ISRO
Context
The centenary celebration of the birth anniversary of the founding father of ISRO – Dr. Vikram Sarabhai kicked off in Ahmedabad.
About Dr.Vikram Sarabhai
- Sarabhai was considered as the Father of the Indian space program.
- He was a great institution builder and established or helped to establish a large number of institutions in diverse fields.
- He was instrumental in establishing the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad.
- He was also Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
Some of the most well-known institutions established by Dr. Sarabhai are-
- Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad
- Community Science Centre, Ahmedabad
- Darpan Academy for Performing Arts, Ahmedabad (along with his wife)
- Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
- Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad (This institution came into existence after merging six institutions/centres established by Sarabhai)
- Faster Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), Kalpakkam
- Varaiable Energy Cyclotron Project, Calcutta
- Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad
- Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), Jaduguda, Bihar
Indian Space Program
- The establishment of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was one of his greatest achievements.
- He successfully convinced the government of the importance of a space programme for a developing country like India after the Russian Sputnik launch.
- Homi Jehangir Bhabha, widely regarded as the father of India’s nuclear science program, supported Dr. Sarabhai in setting up the first rocket launching station in India.
- This center was established at Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram on the coast of the Arabian Sea, primarily because of its proximity to the equator.
- After a remarkable effort in setting up the infrastructure, personnel, communication links, and launch pads, the inaugural flight was launched on November 21, 1963 with a sodium vapour payload.
- Sarabhai started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian Satellite.
- As a result, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian Cosmodrome.
