Daily Current Affairs for State Exams: 13th July 2021

Daily Current Affairs 13/07/2021

India Industrial Land Bank (IILB)

Why in News

The India Industrial Land Bank (IILB), a GIS-based portal, has seen a 30% increase in page views each month since April 2021.

Key Points

About India Industrial Land Bank (IILB):

The Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) has developed IILB.
It is a one-stop repository of all industrial infrastructure-related information – connectivity, infra, natural resources & terrain, plot-level information on vacant plots, line of activity, and contact details.
Currently, the IILB has approximately 4000 industrial parks mapped across an area of 5.5 lakh hectare of land, serving as a decision support system for investors scouting for land remotely.
The system has been integrated with industry-based GIS systems of 17 states to have details on the portal updated on a real-time basis and will achieve pan-India integration by December 2021.
Regarding country wise visitors, after India, the US has the maximum number of visitors followed by Australia, UK, Singapore, UAE, Germany, and Indonesia.

About Geographic Information System (GIS):

It is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, analyzing and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface.
It can show many different kinds of data on one map, such as streets, buildings, and vegetation.
It can use any information that includes location.
The location can be expressed in many different ways, such as latitude and longitude, address, or ZIP code.

Source: PIB

1st India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue

Why in News

Recently, India and the United Kingdom (UK) held the inaugural meeting of the India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue (‘the Dialogue’).

Key Points

About the India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue:

The Dialogue was led by senior officials from the Indian Ministry of Finance and HM Treasury.
The Dialogue began with a government to government discussion, focused on four themes:

(1) GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) City, India’s flagship international financial centre

(2) Banking and payments

(3) Insurance

(4) Capital markets

At the meeting, Indian and UK participants discussed progress on the UK-India GIFT City Strategic Partnership.
Both sides agreed on areas for further collaboration, including sustainable finance and FinTech, with the aim of supporting increased UK industry presence in the centre.
The Dialogue was established at the 10^thEconomic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) in October 2020 to deepen bilateral ties in the financial sector.
Financial Cooperation is one of the key pillars of the 2030 Roadmap adopted by the two countries during the recent meeting of the two Prime Ministers and the India-UK Financial Market Dialogue is one of the key elements of this Financial Cooperation.

About India-UK trade:

India-UK trade has more than doubled since the first EFD in 2007, with bilateral investment supporting over half a million jobs across both countries.
India-UK economic ties are important as together, they are two of the world’s top seven economies with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over $5 trillion.

Source: PIB

STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan

Why in News

All BRICS countries have agreed to the STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan (2021-24) proposed by India during the 12^thMeeting of BRICS S&T Steering Committee.
Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, hosted the 12^thMeeting of BRICS S&T Steering Committee.

Key Points

About STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan:

Indian had proposed the plan to facilitate sharing of experiences of each other’s innovation ecosystem and networking of innovators and entrepreneurs.
The Details of the Action Plan would be worked out by BRICS Science, Technology Innovation Entrepreneurship Partnership (STIEP) Working Group.

Thematic Areas:

The BRICS officials discussed in detail about the thematic areas for this year’s call for proposals at the meeting and unanimously agreed for collaboration in ten thematic areas.
All countries agreed to thematic areas proposed by India for the 6^thedition of BRICS Young Scientist Conclave, which will be held in Bangalore during 13-16 September 2021.
The 3 themes to be discussed at the conclave include Healthcare, Energy Solutions, Cyber-Physical System, and their applications.

Note: The 13th BRICS Summit will be held under India’s Chairship in 2021, and it will be the third time India will host the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016.

The theme for India’s Chairship for 2021 would be ‘BRICS @ 15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus’.

Facts about BRICS:

Formation: 2009
Countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa

BRICS is an important grouping bringing together the major emerging economies from the world, comprising:

41% of world population with 3.14 billion people
Total combined area of 29.3% of the total land surface of the world
24% of global GDP
16% of world trade

Note: The above data is based on World Bank data (2019).

Source: PIB

SPARSH [System for Pension Administration (Raksha)]

Why in News

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has implemented a web-based system SPARSH [System for Pension Administration (Raksha)].

Key Points

About SPARSH:

It is an integrated system for automation of sanction and disbursement of defence pension.
This web-based system processes pension claims and credits pension directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners without relying on any external intermediary.
It envisages establishment of Service Centres to provide last mile connectivity to pensioners who may be unable to directly access the SPARSH portal for any reason.
In addition to several offices of the Defence Accounts Department, which are already functioning as Service Centres for pensioners, the two largest banks dealing with defence pensioners – State Bank of India (SBI) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) – have been co-opted as Service Centres.

Other Initiative:

One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme: OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces Personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service regardless of their date of retirement.

Source: PIB

Indian Army names Military Firing Range after Vidya Balan

Why in News

In recognition of Vidya Balan's phenomenal contribution to Indian cinema, the Indian Army has recently named one of its firing ranges after the actress.
The Vidya Balan Firing Range is located in Gulmarg, Kashmir.

Key Points

Vidya Balan is an Indian actress in Hindi cinema.
She is the recipient of several awards, including a National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards.
She was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2014.

Note: Vidya Balan was recently invited to join the board of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the governing body behind the Oscars.

Source: Economics Times

Noted Ayurvedic physician, Dr. PK Warrier passes away

PK Warrier, Ayurvedic physician, was the managing trustee of the Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala - the famous Ayurveda treatment centre and producer of high-quality Ayurveda medicines.
Warrier was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010.

Source: PIB