[Newsbits] 14-16.03.2024 – PM-SURAJ Portal, PB-SHABD Service & More

The IIT Madras Mini Space Lab, a collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the space startup Vellon Space, aims to launch the ‘AsteriX Lab’ in orbit by 2025. This mini space lab is designed to conduct biological experiments in microgravity, focusing on advancing extra-terrestrial manufacturing research, particularly in biomanufacturing in space. This project represents a significant step in utilizing low-earth orbit for scientific research, with the potential to revolutionize cell culture and drug development processes, while also presenting new commercial opportunities in the space technology sector.

The Namo Drone Didi Scheme is a visionary initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Sashakt Nari-Viksit Bharat programme, aimed at empowering rural women by providing them with agricultural drones and the necessary training to operate them. This scheme not only seeks to enhance the economic empowerment and financial autonomy among rural women, particularly in rural areas, but also aims to modernize agriculture with new technologies, thereby benefiting the agriculture sector as a whole through improved efficiency and productivity.

The V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2024 provides an extensive overview of the global state of democracy, highlighting a worrying trend of autocratization affecting 42 countries, which represents 35% of the world’s population. This year’s report, titled “Democracy Winning and Losing at the Ballot,” categorizes nations into four types of regimes based on their democracy scores and emphasizes a global decline in democratic values, particularly freedom of expression, election integrity, and freedom of association. India, which has been categorized as an electoral autocracy since 2018, is among the top 10 countries experiencing significant autocratization, facing declines in various democracy components. This comprehensive analysis draws on data from over 31 million datasets and contributions from 4,200 scholars worldwide, offering a grim view of democracy’s state and suggesting an urgent need for actions to bolster democratic practices and values globally​​​​​​​​.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF), a pivotal initiative in combating climate change, has made headlines in March 2024 for several significant developments. The Biden-Harris Administration announced a substantial pledge of $3 billion to GCF for its Second Replenishment (2024-2027), marking a commitment to leading global efforts in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate changes. This pledge is expected to bolster the GCF’s capabilities in supporting developing countries through the energy transition and resilience building against climate impacts. Additionally, the GCF disclosed a series of investments and partnerships aimed at fostering climate action in developing nations, including a notable USD 100 million investment partnership with Somalia and a USD 1.26 billion allocation for broader climate action across the developing world. Projects like Bio-CLIMA further illustrate GCF’s targeted efforts to address deforestation and enhance resilience in critical biospheres. These moves represent a multifaceted approach to climate finance, emphasizing both immediate investments and long-term commitments to environmental sustainability and resilience ​​.

The recent announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron to legalize “aid in dying” in France marks a significant shift in the country’s approach to end-of-life care. This legislation aims to allow adults facing intractable physical or psychological pain from terminal illnesses the option to take lethal medication, either by themselves or with assistance if they’re unable. The move follows strong public support for such options and places France alongside other countries that have legalized forms of assisted dying. The legislation seeks to provide a humane way out for those suffering from terminal conditions, balancing the ethical considerations involved in such a deeply personal decision. The process to bring this law into effect will start with a legislative procedure in May, aiming to draft an “end of life” bill by the end of 2023. As this development unfolds, it’s anticipated to spark discussions on the moral and ethical implications of assisted dying, highlighting the importance of educating the public and healthcare professionals about the processes and criteria involved​​​​.

The PB-SHABD service, launched by Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, is a pioneering news sharing platform from Prasar Bharati, set to redefine India’s news broadcasting landscape. It offers news feeds in various formats such as video, audio, text, and photos, catering to the diverse needs of media organizations across the country. This service is powered by Prasar Bharati’s extensive network of reporters, correspondents, and stringers, aiming to provide clean feeds of news content devoid of Doordarshan’s logo, across various languages and fifty categories, and it’s available free of cost for the first year as an introductory offer. This initiative is particularly beneficial for smaller news organizations that lack extensive content gathering networks, enhancing media synergy and facilitating the accurate and meaningful dissemination of news content throughout India​​​​​​​​​​​​.

India’s retail inflation for February 2024 showed a slight easing to 5.09%, marking a four-month low. This minor adjustment from January’s 5.10% suggests a nuanced change in the economic landscape, influenced by factors such as a significant decrease in cooking oil prices and a slight reduction in the rate of price increase for spices. Despite this, the cost for essentials like pulses and cereals continued to rise, highlighting ongoing challenges in managing the cost of living. Core inflation has shown some comforting signs of easing, which might hint at future economic policy directions as the Reserve Bank of India continues to aim for inflation control within its target range. This period also reflected changes in consumer price indexes across rural and urban regions, indicating nuanced impacts across different demographics​​​​​​​​​​.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report reveals that India remains the world’s top arms importer, holding 9.8% of global arms sales. Russia, France, and the US are the leading suppliers to India, contributing to 36%, 33%, and 13% of India’s arms imports, respectively. Despite a slight decline in imports from 11% (2018-22) to 9.8% (2019-23) of global sales, India’s significant arms importation reflects its strategic vulnerabilities and efforts towards building a defense-industrial base, yet it’s not among the top 25 arms exporters​​.

FLY91 marks a significant step in India’s aviation sector, focusing on enhancing regional connectivity, especially between Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Founded by industry veterans, including Manoj Chacko, and backed by Convergent Finance LLP, FLY91 aims to promote affordable, safe, and hassle-free travel. Its operations started with ATR-72 aircraft, focusing on a no-frills, digitally enhanced service model. The airline’s strategy includes a significant expansion plan, aiming to connect over 50 cities across India within five years and induct 30 aircraft into its fleet, supported by multiple hubs across the country. This initiative aligns with the government’s UDAN scheme to boost regional development and air connectivity. Despite the challenges of operating in a traditionally loss-making business, FLY91’s lean, cost-effective approach and focus on underserved markets present a hopeful outlook for the future of regional aviation in India​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.

The Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) 2024, introduced by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals, is a regulatory framework designed to ensure transparency, integrity, and accountability in the marketing practices of the pharmaceutical industry in India. The UCPMP 2024 lays down stringent guidelines for the conduct of pharmaceutical companies and their representatives, prohibiting the provision of gifts, travel facilities, and other financial benefits to healthcare professionals for personal gain. It aims to safeguard the interests of patients and healthcare professionals by promoting ethical practices and curbing unethical behavior within the sector. The code outlines the responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies and associations in enforcing these guidelines, including the establishment of ethics committees for handling complaints and ensuring compliance​​​​​​​​.