December 9th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY)
2. Better Than Cash Alliance
3. Cabinet approves the proposal of Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) 
to sign Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding between India and Luxembourg
4. Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for North Eastern Region (NER)
5. Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI)
6. Quantum Communication between two DRDO Laboratories)
7. Submarine Optical Fibre Cable Connectivity)

1. Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY)

Context:

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) to boost employment in formal sector and incentivize creation of new employment opportunities during the Covid recovery phase under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0.

About the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY):

• Government of India will provide subsidy for two years in respect of new employees engaged on or after 1st October, 2020 and up to 30th June, 2021.
• Government of India will pay both 12% employees’ contribution and 12% employers’ contribution i.e. 24% of wages towards EPF in respect of new employees in establishments employing upto 1000 employees for two years
• Government of India will pay only employees’ share of EPF contribution i.e. 12% of wages in respect of new employees in establishments employing more than 1000 employee for two years.
• An employee drawing monthly wage of less than Rs. 15000/- who was not working in any establishment registered with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) before 1st October, 2020 and did not have a Universal Account Number or EPF Member account number prior to 1st October 2020 will be eligible for the benefit.
• Any EPF member possessing Universal Account Number (UAN) drawing monthly wage of less than Rs 15000 who made exit from employment during Covid pandemic from March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020, and did not join employment in any EPF covered establishment up to September 30 will also be eligible to avail benefit.

2. Better Than Cash Alliance

Context:

India and UN-Based Better Than Cash Alliance organized a joint Peer learning exchange on fintech solutions for responsible digital payments at the last mile

About Better Than Cash Alliance:

• The Better Than Cash Alliance is a partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth, and to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
• The United Nations Capital Development Fund serves as the secretariat.
• India became a member of the Better Than Cash Alliance in 2015 to digitize payments to achieve financial inclusion and to share success stories from Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the world’s largest financial inclusion program.
• Alliance is working with several state governments towards the goal of building knowledge and programs where people, governments, and businesses can make and receive digital payments.

3. Cabinet approves the proposal of Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to sign Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding between India and Luxembourg

Context:

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the proposal of Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to sign a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) SEBI and Financial and Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), Luxembourg.

Objectives:

• The MoU is likely to strengthen cross border cooperation in the area of securities regulations and facilitate mutual assistance.
• Contribute towards the efficient performance of the supervisory functions aid in imparting technical domain knowledge and
• Enable effective enforcement of the laws and regulations governing the securities markets of India and Luxembourg

Major impact:

• CSSF, like SEBI, is a co-signatory to International Organization of Securities Commissions’ Multilateral MOU (IOSCO MMoU).
• The proposed bilateral MOU would, in addition to contributing towards strengthening the information sharing framework leading to effective enforcement of securities laws, also help in establishing a technical assistance programme
• The technical assistance programme would benefit the Authorities by way of consultations on matters relating to capital markets, capacity building activities and training programmes for the staff.
• It harnesses the hydropower potential of the Sharda River (Mahakali River in Nepal).

4. Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for North Eastern Region (NER)

Context:

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the provision of a Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) Scheme for providing Mobile Coverage in Arunachal Pradesh and two Districts of Assam, namely Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, under the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for North Eastern Region (NER)

About the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for the North Eastern Region (NER):

• The project envisages providing mobile coverage to 2,374 uncovered villages, 1683 in Arunachal Pradesh and 691 in two districts of Assam,
• The project would be funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund.

Benefits:

The provisioning of mobile services in the remote and difficult uncovered areas of Arunachal Pradesh and two districts of Assam will enhance digital connectivity useful for self-reliance, facilitate learning, dissemination of information and knowledge, skill upgradation and development, disaster management, e-governance initiatives, the establishment of enterprises and e-commerce facilities, provision of adequate support to educational institutes for knowledge sharing and availability of job opportunities and fulfilling the vision of Digital India promoting domestic manufacturing and fulfilling the objectives of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

5. Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI)

Context:

The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of public Wi-Fi networks across the country that will be provided through public data offices (PDOs).

To know more about the Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI).

Details:

•  This will involve multiple players, including PDOs, Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOA), app providers, and a central registry
• It was first recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2017.
  • According to TRAI, in most major economies, for 50%-70 % of their total usage time, mobile users use WiFi technology to communicate.
  • However, in India, this figure is less than 10%.

Salient Features

• Public Data Office (PDO): It will establish, maintain, and operate only WANI compliant Wi-Fi Access Points and deliver broadband services to subscribers.
  • The PDO, to be set up along the lines of public calling office, can be a mom-and-pop store in the area or the common services centre present in various small towns, gram panchayats, and villages in the country.
  • The PDOs can either provide the internet on other own or lease it from other telecom and internet service providers
• Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA): It will be an aggregator of PDOs and perform the functions relating to Authorization and Accounting.
• Central Registry: It will maintain the details of App Providers, PDOAs, and PDOs. To begin with, the Central Registry will be maintained by C-DoT
• App Provider: It will develop an App to register users and discover WANI compliant Wi-Fi hotspots in the nearby area and display the same within the App for accessing the internet service.

Significance

• The proposal will promote the growth of Public Wi-Fi Networks in the country and, in turn, will help in the proliferation of Broadband Internet, enhancement of income and employment and empowerment of people.
• It will revolutionize the tech world and significantly improve Wi-Fi availability across the country.
• It will further boost the “ease of doing business” and “ease of living”
• Proliferation of Broadband Services through public Wi-Fi is a step towards digital India and consequential benefit thereon.

6. Quantum Communication between two DRDO Laboratories

Context

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully demonstrated communication between its two labs using Quantum Key Distribution (N) technology.
  • The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and The Research Centre Imarat (RCI) were the two labs that participated in this demonstration.

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology

• In the QKD technology, encryption keys are sent as qubits in a fibre optic cable.
  • Quantum computing uses qubits as basic resources, similar to how bits are used as basic resources in classical computing.
• The QKD is designed in a way that if an illegitimate entity tries to read the transmission, it will disturb the qubits – which are encoded on photons – and this will generate transmission errors, leading to legitimate end-users being immediately informed.

Significance

• The work being done at DRDO will be used to enable start-ups and Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the domain of quantum information technologies.
• It will also serve to define standards and crypto policies that can leverage QKD system in a unified Cipher Policy Committee (CPC) framework for more secure and pragmatic key management for current and future military cryptographic systems.

7. Submarine Optical Fibre Cable Connectivity

Context:

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for Provision of Submarine Optical Fibre Cable connectivity between Mainland (Kochi) and Lakshadweep Islands (KLI Project).

Details

• The Project envisages provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) between Kochi and 11 Islands of Lakshadweep viz. Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Agati, Amini, Androth, Minicoy, Bangaram, Bitra, Chetlat, Kiltan&Kadmat.

Background

• Presently the only medium of providing telecom connectivity to Lakshadweep is through satellites, but the bandwidth available is limited to 1 Gbps.
• Lack of bandwidth is a major constraint in providing data services, which is a pre-requisite for providing e-governance, e-education, e-banking etc. for inclusive growth of society.
• High bandwidth communication facility to the Lakshadweep Islands is also in consonance with realising the national objective of strengthening e-governance services and achieving the vision of Digital India.

Financial implications

• The estimated cost of implementation is about Rs. 1072 crore including operational expenses for 5 years.
• The Project would be funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund.

Impact

• It is evident that the growth of telecom infrastructure is closely linked with economic and social development.
• Telecommunication connectivity plays a vital role in employment
• The present approval for Provision of Submarine Optical Fibre Cable Connectivity will vastly improve telecommunication facility in the Lakshadweep Islands by providing large bandwidth.
• The submarine connectivity project will have a vital role for the delivery of e-Governance services at the doorstep of citizens, potential development of fisheries, coconut-based industries and high-value tourism, educational development in term of tele-education and in health care in terms of telemedicine facilities.
• It will help in the establishment of numerous businesses, augment e-commerce activities and provide adequate support to educational institutes for knowledge sharing.
• The Lakshadweep Islands have the potential to become a hub of logistic services.

Read previous PIB here.

December 9th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here