DAILY PIB 9th February 2023

RCS UDAN Scheme: Ministry of Civil Aviation’s flagship program Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN was initiated in 2016 to fulfill the aspirations of the common citizen by following the vision of ‘Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik’, with enhanced aviation infrastructure and air connectivity in tier II and tier III cities.

RCS-UDAN was awarded Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration under Innovation Category for the year 2020.There were 74 operational airports in 2014 and because of the UDAN scheme, this number has increased to 141 now. RCS-UDAN was formulated based on the review of The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016.

It has a self-financing mechanism with the development of the Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF).Under this Scheme, RCF was created, which funds the VGF (viability gap funding)  requirements of the scheme through a levy on certain domestic flights.

North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme: It is a  Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region  with time period from 2017-23.

Features of NESIDS:The new scheme will broadly cover creation of infrastructure under following sectors:Physical infrastructure relating to water supply, power, connectivity and specially the projects promoting tourism;Infrastructure of social sectors of education and health.

Benefits of NESIDS:The assets to be created under the new scheme of NESIDS will not only strengthen health care and education facilities in the region but will also encourage tourism thereby the employment opportunities for local youth.

NashaMukt Bharat Abhiyaan or Drugs-Free India Campaign: Launched by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2020. It’s aim is to  Create  an army of youth, women and community who are self-reliant and well informed about the ill effects of substance use.

Focal Points: Preventive, mass education and sensitization, positive partnership with educational institutions, rehabilitation and counselling facilities.

Data on Drugs:According to the National Comprehensive Survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, there are more than 60 million drug users in the country.Large number of users are in the age group of 10-17 years.World Drug Report 2022, Released by UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):India has been named the largest opiate market worldwide.

Lithium Reserve: Geological Survey of India has for the first time established Lithium resources of 5.9 million tonnes in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District of Jammu & Kashmir (UT).

Lithium: It is a chemical element with the symbol Li.It is a soft, silvery-white metal.Under standard conditions, it is the lightest metal and the lightest solid element.It has the lowest density.It is highly reactive and flammable, and must be stored in mineral oil.It is an alkali metal and a rare metal.It has become the new white Gold.Lithium does not occur as the metal in nature, but is found combined in small amounts in nearly all igneous rocks and in the waters of many mineral springs.

Uses: In Thermonuclear reactions; To make electrochemical cells. Lithium is an important component in Electric Vehicles, Laptops etc.

Countries with Largest Reserves:Chile> Australia