Daily Prelims Notes 4 December 2022

Daily Prelims Notes

4 December 2022

Table Of Contents

1. Tanpura
2. Increasing the shelf life of stored blood
3. Rhino Conservation
4. Elephant Conservation
5. Cheetah
6. Tiger Conservation
7. Great Indian Bustard
8. Uniform Civil Code (UCC)
9. Benefits of reducing salt intake
10. Caves from the ruins of Kaushamb
11. International Lusophone Festival
12. Soil and its profile
13. Progressive Artists’ Group
14. Telecom imports under lens

1. Tanpura

Subject: Art and Culture

Context: With declining patronage in the domestic market for stringed instrument makers, distressed artisans seek the help of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) which is sponsoring their workshops in the U.S and U.K.

Concept:

• Tanpura also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument or drone instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian Music.
• By the end of the 16^th century, the tanpura had “fully developed in its modern form”, and was seen in the miniature paintingsof the Mughals.
• It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of another instrument or singer by providing a continuous harmonic bourdon or drone.
• A tanpura is not played in rhythm with the soloist or percussionist: as the precise timing of plucking a cycle of four strings in a continuous loop is a determinant factor in the resultant sound, it is played unchangingly during the complete performance. 
• Tanpuras are designed in two different styles:
  • Miraj style: the favourite form of tanpura for Hindustani performers. It is usually between three and five feet in length, with a carved, rounded resonator plate (tabli) and a long, hollow straight neck, in section resembling a rounded capital D. The round lower chamber to which the tabli, the connecting heel-piece and the neck (dandh) are fixed is cut from a selected and dried gourd (tumba). Wood used is either tun or teak; bridges are usually. cut from one piece of bone.
  • Tanjore style: this is a South- Indian style of tambura, used widely by Carnatic performers. It has a somewhat different shape and style of decoration from that of the miraj, but is otherwise much the same size. Typically, no gourd is used, but the spherical part is gouged out of a solid block of wood. The neck is somewhat smaller in diameter. Jackwood is used throughout; bridges are usually cut from one piece of rosewood.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR):

• Founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. It completed 70 years in 2020.
• It is an autonomous organisationof the Government of India, involved in India’s external cultural relations i.e., cultural diplomacy.
• Objectives:
  • to actively participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India’s external cultural relations.
  • to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries,
  • to promote cultural exchanges with other countries and people, and to develop relations with nations.
• It is running 36 cultural centres in different countrieswith the promotion of Indian culture and projecting India as a hub for higher education.
• It instituted several awardsfor foreign nationals as a way to promote India’s culture abroad:

1. Distinguished Indologist Award
2. World Sanskrit Award
3. Distinguished Alumni Award – Citation and Plaque
4. Gisela Bonn Award

2. Increasing the shelf life of stored blood

Subject: Science and Technology

Context: Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (DBT- ­in- Stem), an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology, has developed a novel blood bag technology to enhance the quality and shelf life of stored blood by 25%.

Content:

• Millions of blood units are discarded due to decline in quality during storage.
• Stored blood has a finite shelf life.
• Typically, stored cells produce various extracellular components known as damage­associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which damage the blood cells during storage.
• The extracellular components being generated are free-­iron and free haemoglobin, bioactive lipids such as poly unsaturated fatty acids, extracellular DNA, nucleosomes, and proteins. During the storage, these components interact and damage the red blood cells (RBCs).
• Thus, custom­ designed nanofibrous sheets made with cationic and anionic polymers will help scavenge damage­ causing agents through ionic interactions and protect RBCs.
• These nanofibrous sheets can be made into blood bags and intermittent capturing of DAMPs on day 21 or 28 after collection using the novel blood bags helped protect RBCs from losing their membrane integrity and enhanced the transfusion efficiency.
• With this technology, the quality of 42 days of stored old bloodis as good as freshly collected blood and additionally it may be a boon for preserving rare blood groups.

More about the blood: https://optimizeias.com/the-blood-groups-of-humans-and-primates/

3. Rhino Conservation

Subject: Environment

Context: Alien invasive plant species become a bigger threat than poachers across rhino habitats in India and Nepal.

Content:

• One­ horned rhino was about a dozen when Kaziranga became a protected area in 1905.
• According to the State of Rhino Report 2022, the poor sighted herbivore’s number in Kaziranga is an estimated 2,613, more than 65% of its total population of 4,014 across 11 habitats in India and Nepal. A decade ago, the rhino’s population in these domains was 2,454.
• However, the anti­poaching mechanism in India and Nepal with more manpower, capacity building of frontline staff and equipping forest guards have helped protect the rhino.
• Also, the sentiments of local peopleattached to the rhino have been a factor in the sharp drop in the number of rhinos killed, from 54 in 2013 and 2014 to one each in 2021 and 2022.

To know more about Rhino & Kaziranga NP, refer: https://optimizeias.com/rhinos/

4. Elephant Conservation

Subject: Environment 

Context: Recently, the matriarch and weight lifting champion – Nandini, the elephant was hit by a train and died near Coimbatore Railway Station, Tamilnadu.

Content:

• India is home tonearly 60% Asian elephants and the last count of the species in 2017 had put the number at 29,964.
• While the number of elephants in India has increased in the past few years, the species is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red Listof threatened species and Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act.
• The South Indian Statesof Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu are home to nearly 44% of India’s elephant population.
• The number of elephant reserves in India is 32with the latest addition being the Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve in 2022.
• Challenges:
  • continuous threat of poaching for ivory
  • conflict with humans – On an average, about 500 humans and 100 elephants are killed every year across the country in such confrontations.
  • fragmentationof elephant habitats
  • construction of linear (railways and roads) and power infrastructure
  • change of land use, particularly bringing erstwhile forested areas under agriculture.

Project Elephant

• Launched in 1992 as a centrally sponsored scheme by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• Aim is to ensure the long-term survivalof elephants in their natural habitats.
• Other goals of Project Elephant are supporting the research of the ecology and management of elephants, creating awareness of conservation among local people, providing improved veterinary care for captive elephants.
• This strategy is mainly implemented in 16 of 28 states or union territories in the country.
• So far, about 101 elephant corridors have been identified in the country which need to be secured for conservation of elephants.

To know more about Elephant, refer: https://optimizeias.com/elephant-conservation/ and https://optimizeias.com/states-fail-to-give-environment-ministry-details-on-elephant-reserves/

5. Cheetah

Subject: Environment

Context: This year marked the arrival of Namibian cheetahs to India, the first intercontinental transfer of wild cats into the country since independence.

Content:

• Eight cheetahs were flown into the Kuno National Park (KNP), Madhya Pradesh, from Namibia on September 17 as part of an ambitious project to reintroduce the big cat into the country. They were released into the quarantine zone at the KNP.
• Cheetahs were once widespread in India as well as in many parts of the world until they were hunted to extinction.
• Only around 8,000of them survive, and overwhelmingly in Namibia and South Africa.
• A different species, called the Asiatic cheetah, once abundant in India, is found in Iran.

African Cheetah

• IUCN status – Vulnerable
• CITES status – Appendix-I of the List. This List comprises of migratory species that have been assessed as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range.
• Habitat – Around 6,500-7,000 African cheetahs present in the wild.
• Physical Characteristics – Bigger in size as compared to Asiatic Cheetah.

Asian Cheetah

• IUCN Status – Critically Endangered.
• CITES – Appendix I of the list
• Habitat – 40-50 found only in Iran.
• Physical Characteristics – Smaller and paler than the African cheetah. Has more fur, a smaller head and a longer neck. Usually have red eyes and they have a more cat-like appearance.

Kuno National Park

• It was established, in 1981, as a wildlife sanctuary in the Sheopur and Morena districts. It was also known as Kuno-Palpur and Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.
• In 2018, it was given the status of a National Park.
• It is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
• The protected area is largely dry, deciduous forest.

6. Tiger Conservation

Subject: Environment

Context: India is home to the largest population of tigers in the world and increase in the tiger population is a testament to the success of wildlife conservation programmes implemented for nearly 50 years.

Content:

• Tigers were reportedly increasing at a rate of about 6% per annumand the area that they occupied was roughly stable, at about 89,000 square km since 2014.
• The latest 2018 estimates put the tiger population at 2,967 with more than half of them in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. (Tiger Census conducted once in 4 years)
• The consistent implementation of Project Tigersince 1973, whereby dedicated tiger reserves were established in India, as well as anti­poaching measures have played a significant role in tiger conservation.
• India has 53 tiger reserveswith the latest being Guru Ghasidas National Park added early this year.

Project Tiger:

• Project Tiger is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change providing central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory bodyof the Ministry, with an overarching supervisory/coordination role, performing functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The NTCA was launched in 2005, following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. It was given statutory status by the 2006 amendment of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Sariska is the first tiger reserve to have successfully relocated Royal Bengal tigers in India.

7. Great Indian Bustard

Subject: Environment

Context: Recently the Supreme Court asked the Government, whether a focussed approach, something like Project Tiger, can be taken up for saving the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).

Content:

Threats to GIB:

• GIBs are slow breeders and they build their nests on the ground.
• The species have been subjected to hunting and egg collection in the past.
• Decline in prevailing habitat loss as dry grasslands have been diverted for other use.
• Pesticide contamination and increase of populations of free ranging dogs and pigs along with native predators, putting pressure on nests and chicks.
• Frontal vision is poor and it often collides with overhead power lines, leading to death.

Conservation Measures:

• A total of 16 GIB chicks, artificially hatched from eggs collected from the wild, are being reared in the satellite conservation breeding facility at Sam in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. 
• The objective of ‘Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard­ an integrated approach’ is to build the captive population of the GIBs and to release the chicks in the wild. The initiative is likely to take 20 to 25 years.

To know more about GIB, refer: https://optimizeias.com/supreme-court-floats-idea-of-project-gib-what-is-this-endangered-bird/

8. Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

Context: Focus on gender equality, raising the marriageable age of women to 21, equal rights for daughters in ancestral properties, legal rights for LGBTQ couples and registration of live-in relationships. are some of the suggestions an expert committee, constituted by Uttarakhand to examine issues relating to the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

Concept:

What is UCC?

• The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) calls for the formulation of one law for India, which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption.
• The code comes under Article 44 of the Constitution, which lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.

Background of Uniform Civil Code

• The origin of the UCC dates back to colonial India when the British government submitted its report in 1835 stressing the need for uniformity in the codification of Indian law relating to crimes, evidence, and contracts, specifically recommending that personal laws of Hindus and Muslims be kept outside such codification.
• Increase in legislation dealing with personal issues in the far end of the British rule forced the government to form the B N Rau Committee to codify Hindu law in 1941.
• Based on these recommendations, a bill was then adopted in 1956 as the Hindu Succession Act to amend and codify the law relating to intestate or unwilled succession, among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.
• However, there were separate personal laws for muslim, chirstian and Parsis.
• In order to bring uniformity, the courts have often said in their judgements that the government should move towards a uniform civil code.
• The judgement in the Shah Bano case is well known, but the courts have made the same point in several other major judgements.
• By arguing that practices such as triple talaq and polygamy impact adversely on the right of women to a life of dignity, the Centre has raised the question whether constitutional protection given to religious practices should extend even to those that are not in compliance with fundamental rights.
• Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a UCC for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
• Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
• DPSP as defined in Article 37, are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.

Status of Uniform Codes in India: 

• Indian laws do follow a uniform code in most civil matters such as Indian Contract Act 1872, Civil Procedure Code, Transfer of Property Act 1882, Partnership Act 1932, Evidence Act, 1872 etc.
• Goa’s Portuguese Civil Code of 1867 is an example of a common family law prevalent in a State.

Recent initiatives:

• The 21st Law Commission, the term of which ran out in August 2018, had said that a UCC “is neither necessary nor desirable at this stage” in the country.
• The Centre told the Supreme Court that the matter will now be placed before the 22nd Law Commission.
• The states of Gujarat Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have decided to constitute a committee in the future on implementation of the Uniform Civil Code
• Uttarakhand has constituted a committee with  Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as chairperson to examine issues relating to the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

9. Benefits of reducing salt intake

Subject : Science and Technology

Background:

• A recent study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology showed a higher incidence of heart attacks, heart failure and strokes with higher frequency of adding salt to one’s food.
• A 2001 study found salt substitutes reduced the incidence of stroke and heart attack by almost 10%, and deaths too.

India’s condition: 

• In India a consumption of more than 10 gm per day, far exceeding the recommended allowance.
• A study conducted by Sapiens heath foundation amongst school and college students in Chennai showed a 10% prevalence of hypertension.
• In India, the confusion is that the majority of labels show sodium content. The ordinary consumer is not aware that 1 gm of sodium is 2.5 gm of salt.

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet (DASH diet)

• DASH is the best recommended diet to prevent cardiovascular events.
• DASH diet involves eating fruits, vegetables, lean meat, poultry, nuts, whole grains, and reducing the intake of saturated fats, cholesterol, and sugar.
• it was found that adding less salt with food was associated with fewer heart attacks and strokes. This was found to be true even in participants who were following the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).
• The WHO recommends only 5 gm of salt per day.

Other recommendation:

• It is high time that a product is available in two forms — normal and low salt content like the fat content in milk.
• Salt substitutes are good since majority of them contain up to 25% potassium chloride.

10. Caves from the ruins of Kaushamb

Subject : History

Concept:

Pabhosha hill

• The Pabhosha hill is the solitary rocky island which is north of the Yamuna  river.
• It was said to have the Kaushambi  remains of an artificial cave created in the second century BCE.
• It  has an epigraph along with a stone bed and pillow which is similar to what one sees in the Bandhavgarh caves.

Bhita Caves

• Bhita is the historical site on Yamuna banks in Ghoorpur.
• It has Sujawan Dev temple on the rock island, a statue of Shringara Devi, Sita Rasoi and Sujawan Dev temple, the area is famous as an ancient Buddhist site  with figures of Gautam Buddha supposed to be a monastery.
• Bhita is an ancient Buddhist site of Kushan Era and is under ASI protection.
• The traders from Kausambi travelled towards the Vindhyan hills, would have encountered Bhita, another big city on the plains, a nodal route, one branch leading toward the hills.
• The ancient town planning with its streets and houses,excavated more than century ago.

History of Kaushambi

• Kaushambi was the capital of Chedi-vatsa janapada
• The Satapatha Brahamana mentions a person called Proti Kaushambeya, a native of Kaushambi.
• According to the Paramatthajyotika, the commentary on the Suttanipata, Kaushambi was the hermitage of the sage Kosamba, after whom it came to be known by that name.
• Buddhaghosa records that Kausambi was so named because in course of founding the city, a large number of Kusamba trees were uprooted.
• According to the Jain Vividha-tirthe-kalpa Kaushambi was so called because it abounded in Kusamba trees.
• The city of Kaushambi was important enough to be selected as the new capital of the scion of the Pandavas.
• During Buddha’s time Kaushambi was one of the six most important and prosperous towns of India. It is one of the most imposing fortified city sites of India, whose vast brick-built sprawl has historic associations that include the Buddha and Emperor Ashoka.
• The fortified city forms an irregular oblong on the plan. The city was provided with gates on three sides-east, west and north. Besides the bastions, gates and sub-gates, the city was encircled on three sides by a moat.At places the gates are provided with curtain-walls on the outside
• It was a nerve center of ancient Indian communications as the principal routes from north to south and east to west met at the city. It was a terminus of river traffic and an important emporium of Madhyadesa.
• The city retained its importance at least up to the sixth century A.D., as it was visited by the Chinese pilgrims Fa-Hien and Yuan-Chwang.

11. International Lusophone Festival

Subject : Art and Culture

Context: The International Lusophone Festival kicked off on Saturday evening at the Raj Bhavan, in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and MoS Culture and External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi.

Concept:

What is Lusophone world?

• The Lusophone world is spread in nine countries across four continents, and Portuguese is the most widely-spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere. With more than 265-million speakers worldwide, it was most widely spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere and  regarded as the language of the first globalisation in the modern era.
• Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking countries) economies are among the fastest-growing in the world, with Brazil, Angola, Portugal, Mozambique being some of them.
• Goa has had historical linkages with the Lusophone world, nurtured through the presence of Portuguese cultural institutions like the Orient Foundation and the Camoes Institute which promote the Portuguese language and culture in India.
• Portuguese is one of the official languages of the continental organizations: African Union, Organization of American States, European Union and of multiple regional organizations, as well as official language of UNESCO General Conference.

The International Lusophone Festival 

• The Ministry of External Affairs is organizing the festival in partnership with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Goa government.
• In a novel diplomatic step, a way to engage with a new geopolitical grouping of the Lusophone as India wants to leverage the untapped potential and the historical connect.
• Upon India’s initiative, this is the first such multi-country cultural event being held among these countries
• The Lusophone Food and Spirits Festival will also showcase the culinary links between India and the Lusophone world.

Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) or Lusophone Commonwealth:

• The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) or Lusophone Commonwealth, was founded in 1996 in Lisbon, with Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and Sao Tome and Principe as members; while Timor Leste and Equatorial Guinea joined later.
• These countries comprise approximately 300-million people across four continents (Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe).
• India joined CPLP as an associate observer only in July 2021

India’s Initiatives in CLCP:

• India’s trade with the Lusophone world has grown six-fold in the last decade.
• India already offers training to all CPLP member states, except Portugal, under the ITEC and IAFS frameworks. Providing technical expertise and capacity building assistance to CPLP countries will enhance people-to-people connect
• Indian assistance to CPLP, to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic through supplies of medicines, medical equipment, vaccines and other Covid-related support. India has offered ‘transfer of technology’ for manufacturing of its indigenously developed vaccine Covaxin in interested countries
• Round Table discussions themed on “India’s Outreach to the Global South – Exploring Convergence with CPLP” and “India-Lusophone Historical and Cultural Linkages: Retrospect and Prospects” explore not only India’s existing and historical Lusophone connect, but also deliberate on the way forward for future engagement

12. Soil and its profile

Concept:

• Soil comprises 50 per cent solid matter (5 per cent organic matter, 45 per cent minerals)and 50 per cent of what are called “voids”— gasses and water equally divided.

Soil profile:

Soil horizons are the layers in the soil as you move down the soil profile. A soil profile may have soil horizons that are easy or difficult to distinguish. The properties of horizons are used to distinguish between soils and determine land-use potential.

There are two types of soil horizons: 

• Organic horizons: It is  marked with the capital letter O, lie over mineral horizons and are formed from plant and animal matter. The upper Oi horizon contains decomposing organic matter that you can easily recognize by eyes, such as leaves or twigs. The lower Oa horizon contains humus, which has broken down beyond recognition.
• Mineral horizons: There are four main mineral horizons: A, E, B, C

Soil Profile

O Horizon

• The surface horizon of most soils is the A horizon.
• It is dominated by organic material.
• This horizon results essentially from litter derived from dead plants and animals. It is common in forests and generally absent in grasslands

A Horizon or Surface soil

• It is the top soil.
• In this layer, organic matter is mixed with mineral matter.
• It is a mineral horizon that also contains considerable organic matter.
• It is formed either at the surface or immediately below an O horizon. A horizons generally contain enough partially decomposed organic matter to give the soil a darker colour than underlying horizons.
• They are also normally coarser in texture, having lost some of the finer materials by erosion and eluviation. Seeds germinate mostly in the A horizon.
• Nutrients like iron, aluminium, clay, and organic matter are sometimes dissolved and carried out in this layer.
• This layer is depleted of (eluviated of) iron, clay, aluminum, organic compounds, and other soluble constituents.

E horizon

• It is a light-colored eluviated layer, that is eroded of its nutrients.
• It is the horizon that has been significantly leached of clay, iron, and aluminum oxides, which leaves a concentration of resistant minerals, such as quartz, in the sand and silt sizes.
• These are present only in older, well-developed soils, and generally occur between the A and B horizons.

B Horizon or Subsoil

• It is a subsurface layer reflecting chemical or physical alteration of the parent material.
• This layer accumulates all the leached minerals from the A and E horizon.
• Thus iron, clay, aluminum, and organic compounds accumulate in this horizon [illuviation (opposite of eluviation)].

C Horizon or Parent rock

• It  is bedrock, with little evidence of weathering.
• True soil, which is called solum, only extends down through the B horizon.
• It is a layer of large unbroken rocks.
• This layer may accumulate more soluble compounds (inorganic material).
• R Horizon or Bedrock
• This layer denotes the layer of partially weathered bedrock at the base of the soil profile.
• Unlike the above layers, R horizons largely comprise continuous masses of hard rock.
• Soils formed in situ will exhibit strong similarities to this bedrock layer.
• These areas of bedrock are under 50 feet of the other profiles.

13. Progressive Artists’ Group

Subject :History

Context: On the 75th anniversary of the Progressive Artists’ Group, a look back at how some of India’s most well-known artists came together to explore the confluence of tradition and modernity and what their collaboration meant for Indian art

Concept: 

• The Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG), was a group of modern artists, mainly based in Bombay, from its formation in 1947.
• Though it lacked any particular style, there might be said to have been a move towards a synthesis of influences from Indian art history together with styles prevalent in Europe and North America during the first half of the 20th century, including Post-Impressionism, Cubism and Expressionism.
• The Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG) was formed by six founder members, N. Souza, S. H. Raza, M. F. Husain, K. H. Ara, H. A. Gade, and S. K. Bakre (the only sculptor in the group). Others, who later got associated with the group included Manishi Dey, Ram Kumar, Akbar Padamsee and Tyeb Mehta.
• The group wished to break with the revivalist nationalism established by the Bengal school of art and to encourage an Indian avant-garde, engaged at an international level.
• The founders of the Progressive Artists Group often cite “the partition” as impetus for their desire for new standards in visual arts in India, starting with their new style of art.
• Their intention was to “paint with absolute freedom for content and technique, almost anarchic, save that we are governed by one or two sound elemental and eternal laws, of aesthetic order, plastic co-ordination and colour composition displaced by the new borders.
• The group was ultimately disbanded in 1956.

The Progressive Artists Group held three exhibitions:

• The first was held in 1948 at the Bombay Art Society’s Salon on Rampart Row, Kalaghoda, Bombay,
• The second show was held in Kolkata in 1950; 
• The third and the last show was held with three founder members of PAG in which Krishen Khanna, Bhanu Athaiya, V S Gaitonde, A A Raiba also participated in 1953.

14. Telecom imports under lens

Subject : Economy

Context: The government will devise a methodology to check imports from neighboring nations that are non­compliant with trusted source rules of the telecom sector, Minister for Communications and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday.

Concept:

• India imports most of its Telecom equipment from China, South Korea and United States and is the largest importer of Telecom equipment in the World.
• The top 3 importers of Telecom equipment are India with 99,029 shipments followed by South Korea with 15,933 and Hong Kong at the 3rd spot with 13,409 shipments.
• Top  Product Categories of Telecom equipment Imports in India are machines for the reception conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice images or other data including switching and routing apparatus and populated loaded or stuffed printed circuit boards

Steps taken:

• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended the setting up of a Rs. 1,000 crore fund for promoting research and innovation in the sector.India should aim at net zero imports of telecommunications equipment by 2022.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the telecom sector with an outlay of Rs. 12,195 crores over five years.
• A task force has been set up for creating the component ecosystem. Another task force has been set up for developing 4­5 chips, then taking those chips from design to production. A third task force has been set up to develop highly skilled workers, designers in the telecom sector