In News:

• India has extended a ?487.60 crore Line of Credit (LoC) to Mauritius for financing a water pipeline replacement project.
• This initiative is part of the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS), which supports developmental projects in partner countries through concessional loans.

About the IDEAS Scheme

• Origin: Launched in 2003-04 as the India Development Initiative, later renamed as IDEAS Scheme.
• Objective: To promote India’s political, economic, and strategic interests by providing developmental assistance to developing countries.
• Administering Body: The scheme is managed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with support from the Exim Bank.

Key Features of the IDEAS Scheme

• Lines of Credit (LoCs):
  • Provides LoCs to developing countries for funding projects in various sectors, including:
    • Infrastructure
    • Water supply
    • Education
    • Other key developmental areas.
• Project Recommendations:
  • Projects funded under the scheme are recommended by MEA and are aimed at bolstering socio-economic development in the partner countries.
• Concessional Financing:
  • The scheme offers concessional terms for the financing of these projects, reducing the financial burden on the recipient countries.
• Diplomatic and Strategic Benefits:
  • The IDEAS scheme strengthens India’s diplomatic ties and fosters goodwill with countries in the Global South.
• Focus on Development:
  • It aims to support key developmental goals in partner countries while advancing India's role as a leader in global development cooperation.

Significance

• The Mauritius water pipeline project is a part of the larger efforts under IDEAS to support infrastructure and socio-economic development in partner nations, helping to improve the quality of life and fostering closer bilateral relations.

In News:

India's semiconductor market is poised to exceed $100 billion by 2030, according to a report from the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association and Counterpoint Research. Currently valued at $45 billion in 2023, the market is projected to grow at an annual rate of 13%, driven by demand in mobile handsets and IT sectors, which together account for over 75% of revenues.

Key Highlights:

• Growth Drivers: The growth is supported by strong demand for electronics and government initiatives like the production-linked incentive scheme. Semiconductors are essential for various industries, including electronics, defense, healthcare, and automotive.
• Importance of Semiconductors: These materials, which include silicon and germanium, are crucial for electronic devices. They can conduct electricity under certain conditions, making them fundamental in transistors, integrated circuits, and devices like LEDs and solar cells.
• Global Context: The global semiconductor supply chain has shown vulnerabilities, particularly during the chip shortage of 2021. Major producers include Taiwan (44% market share), China (28%), South Korea (12%), the U.S. (6%), and Japan (2%). Countries are now focusing on building domestic chip industries to reduce dependency on a few key suppliers.

Factors Favoring India's Growth in Semiconductors:

1. Skilled Workforce: India has a vast pool of STEM graduates, providing a skilled workforce for semiconductor manufacturing and design.
2. Cost Advantage: Lower labor costs and efficient supply chains position India favorably for semiconductor manufacturing.
3. Supply Chain Diversification: India is becoming a hub for back-end assembly and testing operations, with potential for front-end manufacturing.
4. Government Support: Initiatives like Semicon India and the India Semiconductor Mission aim to create a robust semiconductor ecosystem, offering substantial fiscal incentives for companies.

Government Initiatives:

• Semiconductor Fab Scheme: Provides 50% project cost support for semiconductor manufacturing.
• Display Fab Scheme: Offers similar support for display manufacturing.
• Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme: Trains 85,000 engineers across academic and R&D institutions.
• Recent approvals for the establishment of semiconductor plants in Gujarat and Assam further bolster this initiative.

In News:

U.S. Scientists David Baker and John Jumper and Britain’s Demis Hassabis won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for their work on understanding the protein structures.

Prize Distribution

• David Baker: Awarded half of the Prize for pioneering work in computational protein design.
• Demis Hassabis and John Jumper: Jointly awarded the other half for their revolutionary contributions to protein structure prediction using artificial intelligence.

Significance of Achievements

• The advancements in protein science represent a major milestone for healthcare and biotechnology.
• These innovations have unlocked new possibilities for designing proteins, potentially leading to breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, and more.

David Baker's Innovations

• Baker has achieved the significant feat of creating entirely new types of proteins, enhancing our understanding of protein functionality.
• In 2003, he designed a novel protein using amino acids and custom software methods, which opened avenues for rapid protein creation.
• Applications include pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials, and tiny sensors.

AI Contributions by Hassabis and Jumper

• Demis Hassabis and John Jumper employed advanced artificial intelligence to address the challenge of predicting complex protein structures.
• In 2020, they introduced the AI model AlphaFold2, which can predict the structure of nearly all identified proteins (approximately 200 million).

Notable Facts about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded 116 times to 197 laureates from 1901 to 2024.
• Frederick Sanger and Barry Sharpless are the only recipients to have won the Prize twice.
• The inaugural Prize was awarded in 1901 to Jacobus H. van ‘t Hoff for his work on chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure.
• Marie Curie became the first woman to win the Prize in 1911 for her discovery of radium and polonium.
• Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a citizen of Indian origin, received the Prize in 2009 for his research on ribosomes.

In News:

• India has moved up to 39th place among 133 economies in the GII 2024, showcasing significant progress from its 81st position in 2015.

Key Details:

• Regional Leadership: India ranks first among the 10 economies in Central and Southern Asia, highlighting its emerging leadership in innovation within the region.
• Lower-Middle-Income Economies: India is also the top-ranked lower-middle-income economy in the GII.
• WIPO Science & Technology Ranking: India holds the 4th position in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Science & Technology Cluster Ranking, indicating robust innovation capabilities.
• Top Science & Technology Clusters: Major Indian cities—Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai—are recognized among the world’s Top 100 S&T clusters, emphasizing urban centers' roles in fostering innovation.
• Intangible Asset Intensity: India ranks 7th globally in intangible asset intensity, reflecting a strong focus on knowledge-based assets and intellectual property.

Context and Significance of GII

• Purpose of GII: The GII evaluates innovation ecosystems of 133 economies, providing insights into trends that drive economic and social change through innovation.
• Global Leaders: The top five most innovative economies according to the GII 2024 are Switzerland, Sweden, the US, Singapore, and the UK.
• Fastest Climbers: India is among the fastest climbers in the GII over the past decade, alongside China, Turkey, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Overview of WIPO

• Foundation and Mission: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), established in 1974 and part of the UN since then, aims to support global innovators and creators, ensuring the safe journey of their ideas to market.
• Membership: WIPO comprises 193 member states, including a diverse range of developing and developed countries, facilitating a broad exchange of intellectual property knowledge.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.