27 July 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

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Invest India and UAE Ministry sign MoU

• Invest India and the UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence (AI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for India – UAE Artificial Intelligence Bridge.
• This partnership will generate an estimated USD 20 billion in economic benefits during the next decade for both countries.
• The MoU will spur development across areas like Blockchain, AI and Analytics as data and processing will be a catalyst for innovation and business growth and serve as the backbone of more effective and efficient service delivery systems.
• By 2035 AI can potentially add USD 957 billion to the Indian economy.
• The UAE-India collaboration will seek to evaluate the dynamic nature of innovation and technology by convening a UAE-India AI Working Group (TWG) between the UAE Ministry for Artificial Intelligence, Invest India and Startup India. The TWG will meet once a year with the mandate to increase investment in AI startups and research activities in partnership with the private sector.
• India and UAE share a bond that extends beyond business as Indians make-up the largest expat community in the UAE at 27% and the UAE is India’s third largest trading partner.
• The UAE has invested over USD 5.3 billion in India and infrastructure is one of the top 5 focus sections of UAE-India bilateral trade.

Safety and Welfare of Seafarers  

• To deal with potential maritime security situations arising out of any hijacking at sea of merchant vessels with Indian crew, an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMGO) was set up by the Government under the Ministry of Shipping.
• The Government had also approved a Contingency Plan for dealing with piracy and hijacking of merchant ships and constituted a Committee of Secretaries on Anti-Piracy and Hijacking at sea (COSAPH).
• Active participation by India in the security meetings of the International Maritime Organization, Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) and other international fora.
• The Minister further informed that a Seafarers Welfare Fund Society has been set up for the welfare of Indian seafarers and their families.

Objectives:

1. To provide and maintain a fund by the name of the Seafarers’ Welfare Fund;
2. To prepare the annual budget of income and expenditure in respect of the Fund for submission to the Central Government.
3. To sell, lease, mortgage, surrender, exchange, dispose of, or otherwise deal with, all or any part of the movable or immovable property belonging to the Society or in its possession or occupation, subject to such limitations as the Central Government may from time to time impose;
4. To invest in any security or keep in deposit with any bank and otherwise deal with any moneys of the Society in such manner as may, from time to time, be prescribed by the Central Government.
5. To give pension, gratuities or charitable aid to employees or ex-employees of the SWFS or to their wives, children or other relatives or dependents.

The functions of the SWFS are as follows:

1. To implement welfare schemes for the retired seafarers and their families on completion of age of superannuation/voluntarily retired seafarers permanently medically unfit for seafaring job.
2. To implement welfare schemes for the families of the seafarers.

The following welfare Schemes are being implemented by the SWFS for the Seafarers:

1. Survival Benefit Scheme
2. Invalidity Benefit Scheme
3. Maternity Benefit Scheme for Female Seafarers.

Para-Athletics under Khelo India Scheme

• Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore has said that the Khelo India Scheme has a dedicated vertical, namely, “Promotion of Sports among persons with disabilities” for supporting athletes with disabilities including sportspersons for Para-athletics. In the Paralympic Games 2016, Indian para athletes won 04 medals (02 Gold, 01 silver and 01 bronze). India won 01 Bronze medal in power-lifting event in Commonwealth Games 2018.          
• For promotion of sports among differently-abled persons, Ministry has recognized three National Sports Federations (NSFs) namely All India Sports Council of the Deaf (AISCD), Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), and Special Olympic Bharat (SOB).
• Government provides support to the differently-abled athletes, through their respective NSFs, for participation in national championships and international events.
• All the three NSFs for the differently-abled athletes have been placed in the “Priority” category so that they are eligible for maximum financial assistance under the Scheme of Assistance to NSFs.
• He said in order to promote sports among the youth (both male and female sports person) across the country, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), an autonomous organization under the aegis of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is implementing various Sports Promotional Schemes to identify talented sports persons in the age group of 8-25 years and nurture them to excel in national and international competitions.

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