Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

GS Paper 3

• An Atmanirbhar move – on fertiliser sector
• Seeds of stagnation in Bt cotton: Can newer variants impact productivity?
• You, I, AI & GOI – on implication of generative AI
• Will a hike in MSP help farmers?
• About India’s Internet economy: Growth driver – Expanding internet economy will increase opportunities

Prelims-Oriented Articles (Factly)

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Narendra Modi’s Deng Xiaoping moment

Source– The post is based on the article “Narendra Modi’s Deng Xiaoping moment” published in “The Indian Express” on 13th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Bilateral groupings and agreements

Relevance- Issues related to bilateral groupings and agreements

News– US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s visit to Delhi this week is expected to finalise the agreements that are to be unveiled during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington on June 22.

What is the new economic policy of the US?

The US plans to restructure the global economy. The new economic grand strategy of the US questions globalisation.

Biden is committed to ensure that foreign economic policy serves the interests of the American people.

The focus on “economic security” is central to Washington’s approach towards domestic manufacturing, international trade, technology coalitions, climate change, and multilateral development institutions.

This geoeconomic agenda reflects geopolitical priorities of the US. It is centred on competing with China, rebooting traditional alliances, building new partnerships, and constructing new regional and global coalitions.

How have Delhi and Washington overcome the geopolitical divergence in their bilateral relations in the second half of the 20th century?

There was deep entrenched scepticism within the strategic communities in both capitals.

India had historic hesitations in engaging with the US. Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly discarded it when he last addressed the joint session of the US Congress.

One hesitation was related to India’s concerns about America’s relationship with Pakistan. Today Islamabad is marginal to the American geopolitical calculus.

In the 1990s, the Indian security establishment was deeply concerned about US meddling in Kashmir by the Bill Clinton administration. George W Bush took Kashmir off the agenda by ending the US activism on the question.

The nuclear dispute with the US was considered unresolvable since the early 1970s. Bush in 2005 altered the US domestic law on nonproliferation and signed a nuclear deal.

The US now has a bipartisan consensus on China’s challenge and limiting the possibilities for Beijing’s hegemony over Asia. This has coincided with the growing Chinese threat to India.

What is the future potential of a bilateral relationship between India and the US?

The US is eager to assist and benefit from India’s need to reduce its massive reliance on Russian weapons. Biden is now offering US technology and capital to expand and modernise India’s defence industrial base.

The challenge for Delhi and Washington now is to translate the new geopolitical convergence into concrete outcomes.

Today, the US is seeking India’s cooperation in restructuring the global economic order and making the world less vulnerable to Chinese pressures.

Unlike 1990s, India today is the world’s fifth-largest economic entity. For the first time since independence, India is able to shape the global economic order.

The current juncture could be seen as PM Modi’s “Deng Xiaoping moment”. Building on the geopolitical convergence with the US in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Deng rapidly transformed the Chinese economy.

The real challenge and opportunity today for India and the US lie in seizing the possibilities for geoeconomic collaboration.

It demands the kind of hard work that bridged the geopolitical divide between Delhi and Washington over the last three decades.

Wrestlers’ protest and the shrinking space for dissent

Source– The post is based on the article “Wrestlers’ protest and the shrinking space for dissent” published in “The Hindu” on 13th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Pressure Groups and Formal/Informal Associations and their Role in the Polity.

Relevance– Issues related to social movements

News – Wrestlers protested for more than one month over the issues of sexual harassment by WFI President. It was recently called off after a meeting of protestors with union minister.

How Public protests have been a catalyst for social and policy change in India?

It has allowed individuals, classes and communities to voice their grievances and advocate for their rights.

Protests had opened space for a new era of social activism when the United Progressive Alliance government was in power.

What is the support base of current wrestler protest?

The protest has found some support from civil society, especially organisations representing workers, farmers, women, students, and youth. But it is very small when compared to other protests under this regime or previous ones.

These protests have failed to garner significant support from the middle classes and women’s groups.

The Indian women’s movement has had a long history of organising around sexual violence against women. They have in the past organised direct action on the streets.

But this time, except for Left groups and the All-India Democratic Women’s Association, women’s groups have been largely missing in action.

In the Nirbhaya case, mobilisation included civil society that included men. It is absent this time.

What is the nature of social activism by the middle class?

The active participation of the middle classes in the Anna Hazare Andolan and Nirbhaya protests led to social activism by this class.

The urban middle class favours neoliberalism. It has benefited from the opportunities available to it from the neo-liberal economy in the past three decades.

Middle-class expansion has occurred since economic reforms through the private sector boom powered by economic liberalisation.

This class supported ‘India Shining’, Manmohan Singh. It turned against the UPA when it introduced rights-based legislations and other broad-based social policies.

Their shifting political loyalties reflect an ideological consistency. The middle-class opposition to the UPA played a crucial role in discrediting it. Now, these classes strongly back the current dispensation even on issues of sexual violence.

Middle-class activism tends to prioritise the issues and concerns that directly impact them. It overlooks the needs and struggles of the disadvantaged classes and communities.

What can be the impacts of social activism by the middle class?

The attitude of the middle class perpetuates inequalities and hinders efforts to address broader social issues.

It can result in a narrow understanding of social reality and marginalised voices. There is a sense of suspicion towards mass politics and egalitarian ideas and movements.

This tendency contributes to inactivity among the middle classes and even among the oppressed classes. It is emblematic of society’s normalisation of patriarchy and sexual harassment.

Same-sex marriage: Morality vs equality

Source– The post is based on the article “Same-sex marriage: Morality vs equality” published in “The Hindu” on 13th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Vulnerable sections of the population. GS2- Judiciary

Relevance- Issues related to LGBT

News- Just a few days before the Supreme Court of India commenced hearings on the same-sex marriage issue.

What questions arises when SC follows a liberal approach in deciding the same-sex marriages?

The Court should be neutral on moral questions about the desirability of marriage, meaning of marriage. This neutrality is mandated by its jurisprudence on equality for all irrespective of social or personal morality.

Constitutional morality has been used by the Supreme Court in many cases to maintain neutrality on moral issues.

Following this neutrality would mean that people’s legal rights are protected irrespective of the societies’ moral view.

But to mandate the state to recognise a particular kind of marriage based on equality is to recognise marriage as a social honour. It would be violating the liberal tenet of neutrality.

As per liberal theory, state intervention in the matter is only the second-best option. The idea of liberalism is that the state should be neutral to moral concerns about institutions like marriage.

What is the basis of an equality based and privacy-based approach for deciding same sex marriages?

Citizens who see and value marriage as a heterosexual institution would be asked to recognise same-sex marriages, not as a matter of shared understanding but as a duty we owe to strangers.

If the matter were to be decided based on “intrinsic value or social importance of the practice”, one avoids the alienation that gives rise to fundamentalist tendencies.

What is the best way forward to decide about same-sex marriages?

Compared to liberal court decisions imposed on a reluctant public, ultimately sustainable decisions were forced on parties and electoral assemblies by ad hoc citizens’ assemblies in Ireland and the pressure of citizens’ initiatives in Finland.

Ideally these questions should be left for citizens’ assemblies or citizens’ initiatives like in Ireland or Finland. In India, there is a need to look for equivalents. Reviving Gandhi’s “little republics” could be a good starting point.

Between India and Nepal, barriers come down

Source: The post is based on the article “Between India and Nepal, barriers come down” published in the Indian Express on 13th June 2023

Syllabus: GS 2 – India and Neighbourhood relations.

Relevance: About India-Nepal relations.

News: The recent visit of the Nepali Prime Minister to India has highlighted the ongoing developments in India-Nepal relations.

What are the key decisions made during the recent visit?

The decisions taken during the visit overcome the political and psychological barriers that have long hampered cooperation between the two countries.

What are the key discussions left out from the recent visit?

a) For the first time in recent years, the revision of the India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 was not raised, b) Earlier Nepal demanded turning the open border into a regulated one. But this visit did not pose such demands, c) In 2020, Nepal made a unilateral claim for nearly 350 sq km of territory in the Lipulekh area. This greatly enlarged the original 35 sq km of disputed territory in the upper reaches of the Kali River. This border issue was not also debated in the recent visit, and d) Recruitment of Nepali Gurkha soldiers by the Indian Army, in the wake of the Agnipath scheme, was also not part of the talks.

Note: Nepal demanded the Gurkha recruits from Nepal shall be exempted from the four-year tenure laid down under the Agnipath scheme.

All this shows a positive development in bilateral ties.

What are the recent developments in India-Nepal relations?

Why does Nepal need India’s assistance?

GS Paper 3

An Atmanirbhar move – on fertiliser sector

Source– The post is based on the article “An Atmanirbhar move” published in the “The Indian Express” on 13th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Infrastructure

Relevance- Issues related to fertiliser sector

News– The article highlights the progress achieved by current government in fertiliser sector.

How has India’s department of fertilisers made significant strides in achieving self-reliance in the sector?

The government secured fertiliser supplies during the crisis precipitated by the Russia-Ukraine war. Despite facing challenges, the government has forged long-term agreements and created joint ventures with resource-rich nations.

It is supporting industry in identifying opportunities across the value chain by strengthening domestic operations, building long-term partnerships, investing in resource-rich geographies for securing raw materials and promoting alternate fertilisers and natural farming.

Industry has been encouraged to set up overseas joint ventures to secure raw materials. Joint venture plants have been set up in some countries with buy-back agreements and assured off-take agreements.

The government has also encouraged the domestic industry and public sector undertakings to sign long-term agreements for the import of raw materials such as ammonia, phosphoric acid, and sulphur.

These initiatives have enabled India to diversify its product portfolio and produce more NPK complexes. It offers not only a wider range of products to farmers but also ensures balanced nutrition.

There has been a remarkable improvement in the opening stocks of DAP, MOP and other NPK fertilisers in Kharif 2023. T

The Department of Fertilisers has positioned India as a key player in the global fertiliser supply chain.

Seeds of stagnation in Bt cotton: Can newer variants impact productivity?

Source: This post is created based on the article “Seeds of stagnation in Bt cotton: Can newer variants impact productivity?”, published in Business Standard on 13^th June 2023.

Syllabus Topic: GS paper 3 – Science and tech – GM Crops

News: GEAC is considering the genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton seed variant, Bollgard-2 Round-up Ready Flex (BG-2 RRF), for approval. It has asked for more information from the company.

In another case, GEAC approved field trials of a new variant of GM cotton by Bioseed Research India Pvt Ltd that has a gene resistant to pink bollworm.

What are the factors behind delay in approval to cotton seed variant?

Concerns about the efficacy of BG-2 RRF against targeted pests, including the pink bollworm.

Socioeconomic impact of its use.

Agriculture is a state subject. In case of bio seed research’s GM cotton, some states have not given their approval for field test.

What are the effects of delay in approval?

Increase in the use of illegally manufactured and untested second-generation Bt cotton, which could be harmful to farmers’ health and the soil.

The pink bollworm has developed resistance to Bt cotton, allegedly due to delays in allowing the growth of non-Bt cotton crops alongside Bt cotton to maintain resistance to new pests.

Cotton is grown in 12-12.5 million hectares in India. The pest can reduce seed cotton yields by 35 to 90% and degrade the quality of the cotton produced.

What should be done to save the crops from pink bollworms?

Disrupting the pest’s mating cycle,

Releasing sterile moths to control its reproduction, and

The extensive use of advanced varieties of Bt cotton seeds that are naturally resistant to pink bollworm.

You, I, AI & GOI – on implication of generative AI

Source: This post is created based on the article “You, I, AI & GOI”, published in The Times of India on 13^th June 2023.

Syllabus Topic: GS paper 3 – Science and tech – GM Crops

Context: The article discusses the ongoing debate about the development and regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been advocating for AI development amidst global calls for a moratorium on the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.

Generative AI systems like ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI are already used by hundreds of millions of people. It has demonstrated impressive skills in processing both text and images, scoring high on American Bar exams and medical assessment exams.

What are the Significances of Generative AI?

AI systems can significantly improve citizen-government interaction, education, and healthcare, especially in countries like India with limited access to qualified professionals.

In India, AI could help navigate bureaucratic procedures, provide high-quality medical advice, and assist with the resolution of the backlog of legal cases in India.

What are the concerns and challenges associated with Generative AI?

AI can be used to generate large-scale misinformation and may provide biased results, which are inherent in their training data.

Training of large AI models is expensive as it involves the use of specialized computer hardware called GPUs.

AI system can create outputs that are not necessarily aligned with the objectives of its human designers, which is a source of concern for many AI researchers.

Due to large training dataset, it is not yet possible to interpret and explain every aspect of how the AI model provides a certain output to a given input.

What should be the future course of action?

Smarter regulations are required to ensure the design of these AI systems are fair and transparent.

India should take the lead in developing and harnessing AI, given its potential to transform Indian society and economy.

Will a hike in MSP help farmers?

Source: The post is based on the article “Will a hike in MSP help farmers?” published in The Hindu on 13th June 2023

Syllabus: GS 3 – Transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints.

Relevance: About revamping MSP.

News: Recently, the Centre announced the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for this year’s summer (kharif) season crops. The price has been hiked between 5-10% from last season. 

What is MSP?

About India’s foodgrain production

As per third advance estimates for 2022-23, total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at a record 330.5 million tonnes which is higher by 14.9 million tonnes compared to 2021-22. This is the highest increase in the last five years.

The total stocks of rice and wheat held by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and State agencies as on May 1, 2023, was 555.34 lakh tonnes.

What are the challenges faced in implementing MSP?

a) There are delays in establishing procurement centres, b) Farmers are exploited at the hands of commission agents. For instance, commission agents mostly buy the produce from farmers below the MSP, c) There is also a lack of awareness about the MSP among a large section of farmers, d) There is an absence of dependable or assured market mechanism for procurement-purchase of crops through MSP in most parts, and e) Only three to four crops (mainly wheat, paddy and cotton and at times some pulses), were being procured at MSP while the remaining crops were being procured at much below the MSP.

Non-implementation of MSP and below-MSP-procurement of a large number of crops has been one of the major hurdles in ‘crop diversification.’

What are the farmers’ opinion for revamping MSP?

a) According to the All India Kisan Sabha, the declared MSP is “unfair, belies the hopes of the farmers and inflicts huge losses in their incomes,” b) The Swaminathan Commission recommended MSP of C2+50% (C2 or comprehensive cost of production). But this remains unfulfilled, c) Farmers need to have an assurance that their crops will be purchased at the MSP to survive in the otherwise economically-unsustainable agricultural sector, and d) Farmers have been demanding a ‘legal status’ to the MSP.

What should be done?

The MSP attempts to strike a balance between the interest of growers and consumers. So, the government should a) Come up with a system to set up an ‘assured market mechanism,’ b) Focus on setting up an effective system to provide assured purchase and returns to farmers for all major crops at the MSP, and c) Procure all MSP defined crops. This would certainly bind the private players to procure those crops at least at the MSP. This will also increase crop diversification. 

About India’s Internet economy: Growth driver – Expanding internet economy will increase opportunities

Source: The post is based on the article “Growth driver – Expanding internet economy will increase opportunities” published in the Business Standard on 13th June 2023

Syllabus: GS 3 – changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.

Relevance: About the report on India’s Internet economy.

News: A research report titled “e-Conomy” makes startling projections about India’s internet economy.

What is the Internet economy?

About the e-Conomy report

-The report also estimates per capita income will rise from $2,500 (2022) to $5,500 (2030). Thereby doubling consumption.

-Per capita income in Tier-II cities and rural households (referred to as TII+) will grow 430% between 2019 and 2030.

– Business-to-consumer, or B2C, e-commerce will contribute about a third of the online economy’s value by 2030.

What are the key takeaways from the report on India’s Internet economy?

a) Enablers like the Aadhaar, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and Digilocker have laid the foundations for the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Open Credit Enablement Network (OCEN), Unified Health Interface and the rapid development of the India Stack, or rather stacks, b) The willingness of TII+ residents to engage digitally provide more opportunity for high growth, c) Software as a service is expected to be a big export-growth area. For example, India is already looking to set up RuPay and UPI-style networks abroad. Six nations are already using the India Stack, and many more have expressed their interest in it, d) Multiple Indian unicorns (108 by the e-Conomy report’s count) and many of the recognised start-ups could leverage their domestic experience to make a mark overseas, e) The report shows the amount of trust consumers placed in local non-celebrity influencers. As their trust has led to a shift in marketing spend, giving India’s 80 million-plus content creators new revenue streams.

What India should do to leverage India’s Internet economy further?

The emergence of India’s Internet economy will also coincide with the emergence of unique imperatives across trust, security and responsibility. To combat these, collaborative efforts from India’s policymakers and the private sector is necessary. Further, the government should create policies that will be supportive for the Internet economy,

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Astronomers spot a surprising solar eruption that maintains constant temperature

Source: The post is based on the article “Astronomers spot a surprising solar eruption that maintains constant temperature”  published in PIB on 12th June 2023

What is the News?

Scientists in India have found that a solar eruption that occurred in July 2017 has maintained its temperature for nearly six years.

What are Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)?

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are large-scale eruptions of charged particles (plasma) and magnetic fields from the solar atmosphere into space. 

They can disrupt a range of ground- and space-based technologies and satellites on Earth. Thus, it is crucial to understand their evolution and propagation through interplanetary space. 

There is a wide range of plasma temperatures within CMEs, from cold chromospheric material (around 104 K) to hot plasma (around 107 K). 

When CMEs propagate, several processes can exchange energy (electrical, kinetic, potential, thermal, and so on.), thereby heating or cooling the plasma. 

To understand the underlying processes, it is important to study the evolution of thermodynamic properties (such as density, temperature, thermal pressure, etc.) of CMEs. This will help the human ability to monitor space weather.

What did the scientists find about Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)?

Scientists have found that a solar eruption that occurred in July 2017 has maintained its temperature for nearly six years.

They observed that despite the core expanding, which would usually cause cooling, the temperature remained constant as it moved from 1.05 to 1.35 times the radius of the sun. They used data from ground-based and space-based instruments to support these findings.

Additionally, they observed that the density of the core decreased by about 3.6 times as it moved outward.

Based on these observations, the scientists concluded that the expansion of the core behaved more like an isothermal process (constant temperature) rather than an adiabatic process (where heat exchange occurs).

What are the future prospects of this discovery?

In the future, India’s Aditya-L1 mission, equipped with the visible emission line coronagraph (VELC), will provide more data about CMEs in the inner corona. 

Analyzing this data will offer new insights into the evolution of CME properties in that region.

Gilgit Manuscripts: National Archives of India organizes exhibition “Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat” on the occasion of 75th International Archives Day

Source: The post is based on the article “National Archives of India organizes exhibition  “Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat” on the occasion of 75th International Archives Day”  published in PIB on 11th June 2023

What is the News?

The Minister of State for Culture has inaugurated an exhibition under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) titled “Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat”.

What is Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat Conclave?

The conclave is being organized to commemorate the treasured heritage of India’s linguistic diversity as a Nation.

During the conclave, the National Archives of India has made available the Gilgit Manuscripts.

Note: India is blessed with extraordinary language diversity. According to an estimate out of 7,111 languages spoken globally, about 788 languages are spoken in India alone. 

– India is thus one of the four most linguistically diversified countries in the world, along with Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Nigeria.

What are Gilgit Manuscripts?

The birchbark and clay-coated Gilgit manuscripts are the oldest surviving manuscripts in India. 

These manuscripts include both canonical and non-canonical Buddhist works that throw light on the evolution of Sanskrit, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Mongolian, Manchu and Tibetan religion-philosophical literature. 

They are used for the study of the history and development of Buddhist thought and writing is invaluable.

These manuscripts can be dated back to the 5th to 6th Century A.D. and are written in the Buddhist hybrid Sanskrit language of the Gupta Brahmi and Post-Gupta Brahmi script of that period. 

The manuscripts were discovered in three instalments in the Gilgit region of Kashmir. 

CoWIN vaccination data out, Centre denies breach

Source: The post is based on the article “CoWIN vaccination data out, Centre denies breach”  published in The Hindu on 13th June 2023

What is the News?

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said that reports of data breach of beneficiaries who received COVID vaccination are without any basis and mischievous in nature.It said that CoWIN platform is completely safe with adequate safeguards for data privacy.

What is the CoWIN Platform?

Click Here to read

What has happened to the CoWIN Platform?

It has been reported that an automated account on messaging platform Telegram was allegedly sharing sensitive personal information of Indian citizens who signed up for the CoWIN portal for their Covid-19 vaccination.

This information included the Aadhaar and passport numbers of the persons who had signed up for the portal.

The alleged leak could impact more than 100 core individuals who have secured vaccinations after signing up through the CoWIN portal.

This includes more than 4 crore children between the age of 12-14 and over 37 crore people over the age of 45, a significant part of which could be senior citizens.

What is the Centre’s defence in this case?

There are only three ways in which data on CoWIN can be accessed:

– Firstly, a user can access their data on the portal through a one-time password (OTP) sent to their mobile number.

– Secondly, a vaccinator can access the data of a person, and the CoWIN system tracks and records each time an authorized user accesses the system

– Thirdly, third-party applications that have been provided authorized access to CoWIN APIs can access personal level data of vaccinated people after OTP authentication.

Without OTP it is not possible to access data: The government claims that without an OTP, data cannot be shared with the Telegram bot.

On database accessed by Telegram bot: The govt clarified that data being accessed by the bot from a threat actor database seems to have been populated with previously breached/stolen data. The database was other than CoWIN.

ISRO, Norway and the ‘Svalbard mission’

Source: The post is based on the article “ISRO, Norway and the ‘Svalbard mission’”  published in The Hindu on 13th June 2023

What is the News?

The Norwegian Ambassador has paid a visit to the ISRO Chairman. The meeting concluded with a mutual agreement on the importance of maintaining a continued partnership and fostering increased engagements between India and Norway in the field of space exploration and technology.

This visit offers an occasion to recall the challenging Svalbard mission which took place 26 years ago at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard.

About India-Norway Svalbard Mission in 1997

In 1997, 4 Scientists from Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) travelled to the Svalbard Rocket Range.

Antrix had signed an agreement with the Norwegian Space Centre for the sale of a Rohini RH-300 Mk.II Sounding Rocket.

The RH-300 Mk-II was given a new name by the Norwegian Space Centre as Isbjorn-1, which translates literally as ‘Polar Bear-I.’ 

On the technical side, the Norway mission presented unique challenges for ISRO. 

The Rohini rockets had till then flown only in the tropical hot and humid conditions in India. On the other hand, the Svalbard archipelago sits in the Arctic Ocean and temperatures were on the extremely low side.

ISRO had shipped the RH-300 Mk-II to Norway after qualifying it for arctic weather conditions.

However, the rocket, unfortunately, did not achieve the predicted height, rising only up to 71 km. 

The reason was a strange one. To keep the ambient temperature at 18 degrees Celsius, it was kept covered with a velostat shroud. The idea was that it would pierce through the cover during launch. Instead, the rocket dragged it along, and the increased drag resulted in a lower altitude.

Nevertheless, the Norwegian scientists seemed quite happy with the launch for the data collected during the flight led to some new findings.

Poshan app helps migrant workers access Anganwadi services during relocation

Source: The post is based on the article “Poshan app helps migrant workers access Anganwadi services during relocation”  published in The Hindu on 13th June 2023

What is the News?

More than 57,000 migrant workers have registered for the special one nation one Anganwadi programme by using the Poshan Tracker App on mobile phones.

What is Poshan Tracker App?

Poshan Tracker app provides a view of the activities of the Anganwadi centres (child care centres), service deliveries of Anganwadi workers and complete beneficiary management for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under six. 

It also digitises and automates physical registers used by workers that helps improve the quality of their work.

The Anganwadi workers are being provided smartphones procured through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) for efficient service delivery.

A nodal person has also been appointed for providing technical support and resolving any issue with downloading the new Poshan Tracker application and its functioning in each State.

What is the One Nation One Anganwadi Programme?

Under this programme, even if people relocate to another State, they can receive benefits given by the government to children under six years of age and pregnant and lactating women.

PM inaugurates first-ever National Training Conclave

Source: The post is based on the article “PM inaugurates first-ever National Training Conclave”  published in PIB on 12th June 2023

What is the News?

The Prime Minister has inaugurated the first-ever National Training Conclave at the International Exhibition and Convention Centre, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

What is the National Training Conclave?

The National Training Conclave is being organized as part of the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) – ‘Mission Karmayogi’.

Hosted by: The Conclave is being hosted by the Capacity Building Commission.

Objective: To foster collaboration among civil services training institutes and bolster the training infrastructure for civil servants across the country.

Participation: More than 1500 representatives from training institutes, including Central Training Institutes, State Administrative Training Institutes, Regional and  Zonal Training Institutes, and Research institutes will participate in the conclave. 

– Civil Servants from central government departments, state governments, local governments, as well as experts from the private sector will take part in the deliberations.

What is Capacity Building Commission?

Capacity Building Commission has been constituted in 2021.

Mandate: To drive standardization and harmonization across the Indian civil services landscape. 

Functions: CBC is mandated to perform the following key functions: 1) Preparing an Annual State of Civil Services Report, 2) Exercising functional supervision over Training Institutions, 3) Facilitating the creation of Annual Capacity Building Plans for ministries and departments, 4) Undertaking an Audit of Human Resources available in Government, 5) Recommending policy interventions in areas of personnel/HR to DoPT among others.