12 days ago
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved for continuation of Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) scheme from 1 April 2020. Until then, the scheme will be merged with the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP). It is expected to make the textile sector competitive by rebating all taxes and levies that are currently not being rebated under any other mechanism.
RoSCTL Scheme:
♦ RoSCTL Scheme is an export incentive that is offered on the basis of the Freight on Board (FOB) value of the export.
♦ It will replace the Rebate of State Levies (RoSL) scheme.
♦ The introduction for RoSCTL was notified by the Ministry of Textiles in March 2019.
♦ RoSCTL will be implemented through a scrip-based system on the export of garments and made-ups.
♦ Under the scheme, the rates were notified in four schedules. Schedules 1 and 2 specify the Central and State taxes and levies for apparel and made-ups. Schedules 3 and 4 will give the Central and State taxes applicable for apparel export when the fabric has been imported duty-free under the Special Advance Authorisation Scheme.
♦ The scheme was introduced due to the increasing international pressure on export incentives provided by the Indian government.
20 days ago
Ministry of Finance reported that all villages were mapped by banks into 1.59 lakh Sub-Service Areas (SSAs) under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). One SSA caters to 1,000 to 1,500 households. The report was submitted by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs in Rajya Sabha.
Highlights:
♦ Over 0.33 lakh SSAs have been covered with bank branches, and 1.26 lakh SSAs are covered by the deployment of interoperable Business Correspondents (BCs) so far.
♦ Banking outlets are being rolled out in uncovered areas, and the process is looked after by State Level Bankers' Committees, in consultation with the concerned State Government, member banks and other stakeholders.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana:
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana seeks to integrate the poorest of the poor with bank accounts. The implementation of the scheme done in 3 phases so far.
The 3 phases are:
♦ Phase I: 15 August 2014-14 August 2015
♦ Phase II: 15 August 2015-14 August 2018
♦ Phase III: After 14 August 2018
20 days ago
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has finalized and placed the Draft National Policy for Rare Diseases on its official website. It was announced by the Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Ashwini Kumar Choubey.
Highlights:
♦ A component of rare diseases has been included in the draft. It was made effective from 1 January 2019.
♦ Under the Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, the Ministry has included one-time financial assistance up to Rs.15 lakh to patients belonging to families living below the threshold poverty line for treatment of specified Rare Diseases amenable to one-time treatment in Government hospitals.
♦ The financial assistance covers disorders amenable to treatment with Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT), including such Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs) for which Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) is presently not available and severe form of Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type I within first two years of age.
Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi:
Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi was established as a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It is also called the National Illness Assistance Fund. The scheme provides financial assistance to patients, living below the poverty line, who suffers life-threatening diseases in the form of a 'one-time grant.'
20 days ago
Ministry of Finance reported that more than Rs.20,466.94 crores of loans had been sanctioned under Stand Up India Scheme to over 91,000 accounts up to 10 March 2020. The information was shared by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs.
Stand Up India Scheme:
Stand Up India Scheme was launched by the Government of India on 5 April 2016 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is a part of the Department of Financial Services' (DFS) to promote entrepreneurial projects.
Aim:
The main objective of the Stand Up India Scheme is to promote entrepreneurship among the scheduled caste (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), and women by loaning money to start a new business.
The scheme will lend bank loans between Rs.10 lakh and Rs.1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs). The loan will facilitate the borrower to set up greenfield enterprises in the manufacturing, services, or the trading sectors.
The people who avail the benefits of the scheme will be informed about the online platforms, other resources of e-marketing, web-entrepreneurship, factoring services, and registration.
21 days ago
The Solar Charkha Mission was initiated by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME). The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) implemented the program.
Aim:
The Scheme aims to ensure inclusive growth by the generation of employment, especially for women and youth, and sustainable development through solar charkha clusters in rural areas. The Scheme will boost the rural economy and help in arresting migration from rural to urban areas. It also leverages low-cost, innovative technologies and processes for sustenance.
Mission Solar Charkha:
♦ The target of the mission is to cover 50 solar clusters across the country. Under the Scheme, approximately 1,00,000 beneficiaries are to be covered.
♦ So far, ten projects have been approved under Mission Solar Charkha.
♦ The total cost for one cluster of Solar Charkha would involve a maximum subsidy of Rs.9.599 crore.
♦ It aims to generate direct employment to nearly one lakh persons.`
A pilot project was implemented in 2016 at Khanwa village, Nawada District of Bihar.
21 days ago
Government of India is implementing POSHAN Abhiyaan across the country to address the problem of malnutrition. The campaign aims to reduce malnutrition in the country. The abhiyaan will be implemented in a phased manner through a life cycle approach. It also aims to reduce combat under-nutrition, anemia among young children, women and adolescent girls and reduce low birth weight.
POSHAN Abhiyaan:
POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission is the Government of India's flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. It was launched by Prime Minister Modi on the International Women's Day on 8 March 2018 in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. The scheme has directed the attention of the country towards the problem of malnutrition and addresses it in a mission-mode.
21 days ago
The Manipur State government is to provide benefits to sportspersons and artistes of the state and the country. The announcement was made by the Chief Minister N Biren Singh on 15 March. It was declared that it was the biggest ever scheme for the welfare of the sportspersons and artistes of the state.
Highlights:
CMAST scheme:
♦ For the Chief Ministers Akhannaba Sanaroisingi Tengbang (CMAST) scheme, around Rs.7.36 crore will be required.
♦ Under the CMAST scheme, suitable employment in government services would be provided to sportspersons winning medals in international events, on the basis of criteria laid down by the state government.
♦ It will also support the sportspersons for purchasing costly sporting items.
♦ Cash awards will be awarded for Olympians who bag gold, silver, bronze, and the winners will be given Rs.1 crore, Rs.75 lakh, and Rs.50 lakh respectively.
♦ The government will provide incentives of up to Rs.2 lakh per annum to around 250 local clubs of the state.
♦ The scheme includes a lifetime pension scheme for unemployed sportspersons and coaches of 50 years and above who have represented the state or the country either in national or international tournaments.
CMAT:
♦ The newly announced Chief Ministergi Artiste Singgi Tengbang (CMAT) schemes will require around Rs.5.70 crore.
♦ The CMAT scheme has been designed for renowned artistes. It encourages them to performing arts, literary arts, and visual arts. The scheme will benefit around 4,000 artistes a year.
♦ Pension will be extended to around 1,000 artistes who are 60 years and above under the scheme.
♦ The pensioners under the scheme include awardees, gurus, and non- awardees who have contributed to preserving the tradition, culture, and art forms of Manipur.
♦ The scheme will provide financial assistance to the award winners in the national competition and festivals.
24 days ago
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) led by PM Narendra Modi approved the introduction of the Scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP). The Scheme will create a mechanism that will create for reimbursement of taxes/ duties/ levies at the central, state, and local levels. The Scheme will be in line with "Digital India."
Provision:
♦ Currently, the reimbursement of taxes/ duties/ levies are not being refunded under any other mechanism, but which are incurred in the process of manufacture and distribution of exported products.
♦ The Scheme will boost the domestic industry and Indian exports providing a level playing field for Indian producers in the International market so that domestic taxes/duties are not exported.
♦ An inter-ministerial committee will determine the rates and items for which the reimbursement of taxes and duties would be provided.
♦ A refund under the Scheme will be in the form of transferable duty credit/electronic scrip that will be issued to the exporters, which will be maintained in an electronic ledger.
♦ The Scheme will be implemented with end to end digitization.
♦ The Scheme will be a step towards zero-rating of exports, along with refunds such as Drawback and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST).
♦ It is expected that the scheme would lead to the cost competitiveness of exported products in international markets and better employment opportunities in export-oriented manufacturing industries.
♦ It aims to increase their productivity, boost exports, and contribute to the overall economy.
24 days ago
Uttar Pradesh State government has launched three schemes, namely Kaushal Satrang, Yuva Hub, and an apprenticeship scheme for skill development and employment generation for youths in the state. It also has announced to depute Arogya Mitras at all primary health centres to inform people about govt health schemes. The schemes were launched by Chief Minister of state Yogi Adityanath.
Highlights:
♦ The state's industrial sector had received private and public sector investment of nearly Rs.3 trillion in the past 3 years.
♦ All three schemes are dedicated to generating employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth of the state.
♦ Kaushal Satrang scheme has seven components that will provide opportunities to the youth.
♦ The state has allocated Rs.1,200 crore for the Yuva Hub scheme in the state budget. The scheme aims to provide employment to thousands of skilled youth by assisting in project concept and financial help for one year of operation.
♦ CM apprenticeship scheme will provide a stipend of Rs.2500 to the youth of the state.
28 days ago
Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) launched the Vigyan Jyoti scheme on 8 March 2020. The scheme aims to encourage women to pursue science.
Vigyan Jyoti:
Vigyan Jyoti is an initiative that will create a level-playing field for the meritorious girls in high school to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in their higher education.
Under the scheme, Selected women from more than 500 districts will be given opportunities to attend science camps at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), NITs, and other leading institutions of science and technology education where women are not adequately represented.
TIFAC:
TIFAC was set up in 1988. It functions under the Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology. It foresees the technological innovation in select technology areas that were of national importance.
28 days ago
Government plans to set up at least one Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya JanAushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendra in every block of India by the end of 2020. The announcement was made by the Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Dr.Jitendra Singh at the Jan Aushadhi Diwas celebration in Kathua, J&K.
The government for Jammu & Kashmir launched the PMBJP to promote affordable and quality generic medicines among the people. The speed of development in UT of J&K has increased manifold after the creation of Union Territory (UT) as all the progressive Central laws have been directly implemented without any hindrance.
PMBJP:
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) campaign was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) in 2008. It was launched under the name Jan Aushadi Campaign. Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementation agency of the scheme. PMBJP aims to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses. PMBJP stores were set up by GoI to provide generic drugs at lesser prices but with equal quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs. It focuses on bringing down the healthcare budget of every citizen of India by providing Quality generic Medicines at Affordable Prices.
28 days ago
The second anniversary of the Centre's Poshan Abhiyaan Poshan Pakhwada was celebrated on 8 March. The focus of the two-week-long Poshan Pakhwada 2020 is 'Men for Nutrition.' The aim is to increase male engagement in Poshan Abhiyaan. It aims to improve Nutritional Indicators.
NITI Aayog's data states that Andhra Pradesh ranked first in the overall implementation of Poshan Abhiyan. As part of the program, the State has trained all Angan Wadi Workers on modules created based on lifecycle approach with the support of incremental learning Approach (ILA).
Tamil Nadu State has topped the list of the states in terms of the number of participants in the program. The Integrated Child Development Scheme has been rejuvenated with the Centre's Poshan Abhiyaan mission. The program is revitalizing India by reaching out to the children and mothers across the nation.
POSHAN Abhiyaan:
Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition (POSHAN) Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission is the Government of India's flagship program. It improves nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. The scheme reduces malnutrition in the country in a phased manner, through a life cycle approach, by adopting a synergized and result oriented approach.
The program was launched by Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March 2018. The scheme will address the problem of malnutrition and addresses it in a mission-mode. The goals of Poshan Abhiyan are to achieve improvement in the Nutritional status of children from 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in a time-bound manner.
29 days ago
A dedicated monitoring cell was inaugurated under Mission Bhagiratha in Bhongir Circle, Telangana. It was inaugurated by the Superintending Engineer of Mission Bhagiratha. The cell invites grievances and issues in the supply of the tapped drinking water.
About the Monitoring cell:
♦ The aim of the cell is to prevent water scarcity and increase preparedness for summer.
♦ The officials in the cell will record complaints and redress them in a time-bound manner.
♦ Consumers and local representatives in the area can report the issue, along with sufficient details, directly to the staff of the cell.
Mission Bhagiratha:
Mission Bhagiratha was implemented in 1998 by Chief Minister Shri K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The Mission aims to ensure safe and sustainable piped drinking water supply from surface water sources. It also aims to provide each household with a tap connection. Under the Mission, 10% of the water in all Irrigation sources reserved for Drinking Water.
32 days ago
Jammu and Kashmir government has launched Student Health Card scheme in Jammu on 5 March. It was launched by Lt. Governor G.C. Murmu at a programme organized by Directorate of Mid Day Meal, School Education Department in association with National Health Mission at Teachers Bhavan Jammu.
Student Health Card scheme:
♦ The scheme will ensure regular checkups of school-going children.
♦ It is expected that regular health checkup facilities at the school level will ensure the good health of students.
♦ The aim of the scheme will ensure the good health of every school-going children and parents who should be made aware of the benefits of this scheme.
♦ Previously, the government has launched MidDay meal for the needy school-going children so that malnutrition can be prevented.
33 days ago
The Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched Phase II of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) (SBM(G)) at a National Dissemination and Consultation workshop on 4 March in New Delhi. The move comes after the approval of cabinet for the Phase II of the Mission is a great recognition to the signification achievements made under SBM (G) under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Phase-II of the SBM(G):
♦ Phase II of the Mission SBM(G) will focus on sustaining the gains made under the programme in the last five years in terms of toilet access and usage.
♦ It aims to ensure that no one is left behind.
♦ It will also ensure that effective solid and liquid waste management (SLWM) is instituted in every Gram Panchayat of the country.
♦ The scheme aims to provide universal coverage and access to safe sanitation in rural areas in five years. It was launched on 2 October 2014.
Participants:
The Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Social Justice & Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) Parameswaran Iyer, Principal Secretaries/Secretaries-in-charge of Rural Sanitation, Mission Directors (SBMG) of States/UTs, senior officials from the Ministry (GoI), and other invited state nodal officers engaged with SBM(G) participated in the event.
35 days ago
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has developed "Jeevan Kaushal" (life skills) curriculum for undergraduate students at Universities and Colleges. The information was passed by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'.
Jeevan Kaushal:
♦ The Jeevan Kaushal Curriculum covers the courses on communication skills, professional skills, leadership and management skills, and universal human values.
♦ The life skills curriculum is available at https://www.ugc.ac.in/e-book/SKILL%20ENG/mobile/index.html.
♦ The life skills curriculum is suggestive. The UGC has requested Vice-Chancellors of all Universities to consider the curriculum for introduction in Universities and affiliated Colleges/institutions at the undergraduate level.
♦ It is aimed to enhance an individual's ability to be fully self-aware by helping oneself to overcome all fears and insecurities and to grow fully from inside out and outside in.
♦ It will increase knowledge of a person and raise awareness of emotional competency and emotional intelligence at place of study or work.
♦ The skills will develop interpersonal skills and adopt good leadership behaviour for the empowerment of self and others.
♦ It will set appropriate goals, manage stress and time effectively.
35 days ago
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla launched "Suposhit Maa Abhiyan" from Kota, Rajasthan. The aim is to create malnutrition-free India.
Suposhit Maa Abhiyan:
♦ Suposhit Maa Abhiyan will provide nutritional support to pregnant women and adolescent girls.
♦ The move is essential as it provides nutrients to a pregnant lady.
♦ The scheme aims to provide essential nutrients to every mother and their offspring.
♦ The campaign plan to support 1000 women by providing food for 1 month for 12 months. Also, the child's health, including medical examination, blood, medicine, delivery, will be taken care of.
♦ 17 kg Nutrition kit will be for 9 months. It will include wheat, gram, maize, and millet flour, large soybean, ghee, groundnut, roasted gram, jaggery, oatmeal, lentils, dates, and rice.
41 days ago
Government has successfully installed 10 lakh smart meters across India under the Government of India's Smart Meter National Programme (SMNP). The announcement was made by the Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, New & Renewable Energy R.K. Singh. The Minister inaugurated commissioning of 100 MW decentralized solar power plants connected to agriculture feeders in Maharashtra.
Highlights:
♦ The smart meters are operational in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
♦ The aim of the programme is to bring efficiency in the distribution system leading to better service delivery.
♦ In every substation, the capacity of the solar power plants ranges from 0.5 MW to 10 MW.
♦ The programme is being implemented through Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).
♦ The SMNP aims to replace 250 million conventional meters in India with smart meters.
EESL:
EESL is an energy service company of GoI. It functions under the Ministry of Power, India.
Minister responsible: R. K. Singh
Chairman: Rajeev Sharma
MD: Saurabh Kumar
It is a joint venture of state-owned NTPC Limited, Power Finance Corporation, Rural Electrification Corporation, and POWERGRID.
42 days ago
The Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the 4th Anniversary celebration of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi on 24 February. The theme of the event was 'Aatma Gaon Ki, Suvidha Sheher Ki'.
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission:
♦ The Mission was launched on 21 February 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
♦ The aims of the mission are to deliver catalytic interventions to rural areas on the threshold of growth.
♦ The focus is to develop the clusters by providing all the basic amenities, infrastructure, and economic development opportunities in an integrated and time-bound manner.
♦ Under the mission, 300 clusters have been allocated by the Ministry out of which 296 have been approved so far.
♦ The mission leads to convergence of the schemes of Union and State government that leads to the overall development of the region in a planned and organized manner.
♦ The mission has provided good employment opportunities, basic and urban facilities to rural India such as waste management, smart classrooms, piped water supply, Roads, Agro-processing and value addition to primary produce, etc. It is critical for holistic development.
43 days ago
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) celebrated the first anniversary of the new Central Sector Scheme on 24 February 2020. The Central Government has released more than Rs.50850 crores so far. The total number of beneficiaries covered under the scheme, based on estimates of the Agriculture Census 2015-16, is about 14 crore.
PM-KISAN scheme:
♦ The scheme was aimed to augment the income of the farmers, with less than 2 hectares of land, by providing income support to all landholding farmers' families across the country.
♦ The scheme will enable the farmers to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities and domestic needs.
♦ Under the Scheme, an amount of Rs.6000 per year is transferred in three 4-monthly installments of Rs.2000. The amount will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the farmers, subject to certain exclusion criteria relating to higher-income status.
♦ The PM-KISAN Scheme was formally launched on 24 February 2019 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
♦ The scheme was announced in Piyush Goyal's interim budget 2019-20 and is completely funded by the central government.
♦ The State/UT Governments are responsible for the identification of beneficiaries. A special web-portal www.pmkisan.gov. has been launched for the Scheme.
♦ The financial benefits are released to the beneficiaries on the basis of the data of farmers prepared and uploaded by the state/UT governments on the PM-Kisan web-portal.
43 days ago
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced 5 schemes for children living in government-run homes on the birth anniversary of former Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa. The aim is to honour the late leader CM J. Jayalalithaa's birthday.
5 Schemes:
♦ The state government announced special financial assistance for girls who face difficulties after leaving government-run homes on completion of 18 years of age. The scheme will ensure the social and financial safety of the girls.
♦ The TN State Government has increased the monthly amount paid to the foster parents of the girls to Rs.4,000 from Rs.2,000.
♦ The state government will deposit Rs.2 lakh to an orphan girl residing in government-run homes when she completes 21 years of age. The aim is to help them get a better life in society after they leave government homes.
♦ The government also announced employment for the destitute children from government homes in social welfare, social justice, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) departments, the categories of C and D, which would not fall in the purview of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. From now, they will also be prioritized in jobs in noon meal centres and anganwadis.
♦ The govt would award gold, silver and bronze medals and certificates to three district collectorates who improve child sex ratio, given that ratio was lesser than the average in those districts.
♦ The state has also announced a 50% subsidy for "Ulemas" to buy two-wheelers, and increase their pension to Rs.3,000.
Tamil Nadu:
Formed on: 1 November 1956
Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
Chief Minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Capital: Chennai
Literacy (2011): 80.33%
44 days ago
The fourth Anniversary of the launch of Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) was observed on 21 February 2016.
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission:
♦ The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The aim of the vision is to deliver catalytic interventions to rural areas on the threshold of growth.
♦ The Mission was aimed to transform the Rurban clusters by stimulating local economic development.
♦ It also focused on enhancing basic services and creating well planned Rurban clusters.
♦ This will lead to the holistic development of the region and encourage integrated and inclusive rural development.
♦ Upon the successful implementation of Rurban clusters, NITI Aayog has recently proposed a new and extended programme for over 1,000 clusters in the next three years. In Sikkim, three such clusters are being developed in the South, East and West districts.
44 days ago
Haryana state government is to open Atal Kisan-Majdoor canteens in all mandis and sugar mills across the state. The announcement was made by Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya at the Budget Session of State Assembly which commenced in Chandigarh.
Atal Kisan-Majdoor canteens:
♦ The aim of the move is to provide affordable and cheap meals to farmers and labourers at a concessional rate of Rs.10 per plate.
♦ 25 Atal Kisan-Majdoor canteens will be established in 2020 in the state.
♦ Haryana government will also provide free and concessional travel facility to 41 different categories of residents in the ordinary buses of Haryana Roadways.
♦ Also, under a new initiative, the women and girls belonging to 11 lakh BPL families will be given sanitary napkins free of cost during the year 2020-2021.
49 days ago
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare reported that so far 6954 villages have been identified by the States/UTs in which against the target of 26.83 lakh samples, 20.18 lakh samples have been collected, 14.65 lakh samples have been analyzed and 13.54 lakh cards have been distributed to farmers. The Soil health card scheme completes 5 years on 19 February 2019.
Soil health card scheme:
♦ Soil health card scheme was launched by PM Modi on 19 February 2015.
♦ The scheme aims to assess the nutrient status of every farm holding in the country.
♦ So far, a total of Rs.751.42 crore has been released under the scheme.
♦ The scheme aims to issue soil health cards to farmers every 2 years so as to provide a basis to address nutritional deficiencies in fertilization practices.
♦ Soil testing is developed to promote soil test based on nutrient management.
♦ The scheme will assist State Governments to issue soil health cards to all farmers in the country.
♦ Soil health will lead to Sustainable Farming.
♦ Soil health card provides information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil along with recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.
56 days ago
Uttar Pradesh state government is to introduce an internship scheme for students of class 10th and 12th and those pursuing graduation. The announcement was made by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 9 February at a job fair organized by the Department of Labour and Employment Exchange at Gorakhpur University
Internship scheme:
♦ Under the scheme, the students will be linked to various technical institutes and industries.
♦ The students who do an internship for 6 months and 1 year will be given Rs.2,500 as honorarium every month, out of which Rs.1,500 will be given by the central government and Rs.1,000 by the state government.
♦ After the completion of the internship, the government will help the youth in getting jobs.
♦ An HR cell will be created for this purpose.
♦ The state government announced that 20% of girls will be compulsorily recruited in the police department in the state so that they can contribute towards the state's security.
♦ Also, the UP government is taking various measures to open an ITI and skill development centre in each tehsil. The centre will give a platform to the youth for their skills.
60 days ago
Government has approved proposals for Atal Bhujal Yojana for sustainable management of groundwater resources with community participation in water-stressed blocks of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The announcement was made by the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria.
Atal Bhujal Yojana:
♦ Atal Bhujal Yojana is a groundwater management scheme of the Central government.
♦ It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 December 2019.
♦ Government allocated Rs.6000 crore for the Scheme.
♦ The scheme will be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
♦ The financial assistance is provided by the World Bank with a sharing pattern of 50:50 between the Indian Government and the World Bank.
♦ There are two components under the scheme namely:
1) Institutional Strengthening & Capacity Building component with an outlay of Rs.1400 crore
2) Incentive component with an outlay of Rs.4600 crore
60 days ago
The Karnataka State government has launched the Janasevaka scheme in a few municipal corporation wards on 4 February. The scheme was earlier implemented in Dasarahalli area on a pilot basis. It will be extended to Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli and Rajajinagar areas.
Janasevaka scheme:
♦ Janasevaka scheme was launched by Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
♦ The scheme will ensure home delivery of various services like ration cards, health cards, and senior citizen identity.
♦ The scheme will pertain to 53 services and involve 11 departments. The programme aims to avail the benefits of government schemes at the doorstep.
♦ The scheme aims to make the lives of the citizens of Karnataka easy by launching this scheme.
♦ It will ensure the on-time delivery of government services to citizens by practising innovative and efficient management systems through capacity.
♦ The scheme will benefit the senior citizens in the state.
♦ Under the scheme, one volunteer will be allocated for each ward. These volunteers have been outsourced.
♦ A toll-free helpline was set up for the scheme. It will work from 8 am to 8 pm.
♦ Under the scheme, Rs.115 will be charged to provide the home delivery services.
♦ The Karnataka government has decided to seek information under the RTI Act easy by making it online. People can now apply from home by paying the fee online. This will make the process hassle-free.
61 days ago
The government is to introduce a new programme which will allow the NGOs to take care of senior citizens, who are living alone, in their homes. The announcement was made by the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot on 5 February 2020. The new law is different from the Maintenance and Welfare of Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007 and Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) which has the provision for taking care of all senior citizens.
A New Scheme for Senior Citizens:
♦ As per the 2011 census, there are about 10.38 crore senior citizens in the country.
♦ The new law will ensure the senior citizens who are living alone will be taken care of in a better way.
♦ Daycare centres will be set up for these purposes under the law.
♦ These centres will have a canteen, libraries, and other facilities.
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY):
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana was launched in March 2017. Under the scheme, Rs.7,000 will be provided to each person. So far, 1,24,142 senior citizens have been covered under the scheme. The government aims to reach out to 5.20 lakh beneficiaries under the scheme.
62 days ago
The Karnataka government on 4th February propelled the Janasevaka scheme in a couple of metropolitan organization wards to guarantee home conveyance of different administrations like proportion cards, senior resident personality, and wellbeing cards.
The plan, which was propelled by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, will relate to 53 administrations, including 11 divisions.
Janasevaka
Janasevaka, under the Sakala Plan, is a program to profit the advantages of government plans at the doorstep, especially for the assistance of Senior Residents. Chief Minister referenced that the goal is to make the lives of the residents of Karnataka simple by propelling this plan. Sakala intends to guarantee in-time conveyance of taxpayer driven organizations to residents by rehearsing inventive and proficient administration frameworks through limit working in government and enabling residents to practice their entitlement to support.
On the off chance that the plan functions admirably, it will be executed across Bengaluru in all the 27 get together fragments, Kumar stated, including that based the analysis in Bengaluru, it will stretch out to Mysuru, Mangaluru, and Hubballi-Dharwad.
Under the plan, there will be one volunteer in each ward. These volunteers have been re-appropriated.
Cost Free Help Line
A cost-free helpline planned to set up for this plan, which will work from 8 am to 8 pm. An entirety of Rs 115 charged to give the home delivery administrations. Notwithstanding it, the Karnataka government has likewise chosen to look for data under the RTI Act simple by making it on the web. Individuals can apply from home by paying the charge on the web. This will make the procedure bother free, as mentioned by the Chief Minister.
70 days ago
Maharashtra government launched the "Shiv Bhojan" scheme on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day on 26 January 2020. It has been launched on a pilot basis.
Aim:
Shiv Bhojan scheme aims to provide a meal to the poor for just Rs.10.
Shiv Bhojan scheme:
♦ Under the Shiv Bhojan scheme, the thalis or lunch plates will be available to people at designated centres and canteens during a stipulated time in all the districts.
♦ District Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh inaugurated the Shiv Bhojan Thali canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital in Mumbai.
♦ Another centre was inaugurated by Tourism Minister and Mumbai suburban district Guardian Minister Aaditya Thackeray at the Collector's office in Bandra.
♦ Under the scheme, at least one canteen has been started at district the headquarters the state on a pilot basis.
75 days ago
India joined the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Reskilling Revolution on 22 January which is being held in Davos, Switzerland. The 50th WEF Annual Meeting is being held from 21-24 January 2020.
Aim:
The Reskilling Revolution scheme aims to train workers from technological change and help economies by providing new skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
WEF's Reskilling Revolution:
♦ The scheme will act as a public-private platform to generate new employment opportunities.
♦ The initiative plans to provide one billion people with better education, skills, and jobs by 2030.
♦ WEF released a report titled Jobs of Tomorrow: Mapping Opportunity in the New Economy.
♦ LinkedIn will act as a data partner for the Reskilling Revolution scheme.
WEF:
The World Economic Forum (WEF) was founded in 1971. It is located in Cologny-Geneva, Switzerland. WEF aims to improve the state of the world by engaging business, academic, political, and other leaders of society to shape regional, global, and industry agendas. WEF hosts an annual meeting in the month of January in Davos.
The founding governments of WEF include India, Brazil, France, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the UAE, and the US. The Business partners include Salesforce, PwC, Infosys, The Adecco Group., ManpowerGroup, LinkedIn, and Coursera Inc.
76 days ago
Uttar Pradesh state Government has launched Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana. The scheme was launched after the cabinet meeting which was held on 21 January 2020. The announcement was made by the UP Power Minister Shrikant Sharma. The government also announced that it is to implement Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan Yojana.
Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana:
♦ The scheme will provide financial assistance of Rs.5 lakh to the family of farmers who die or become handicapped while working in fields.
♦ The scheme also includes Bataidars for the first time.
♦ The scheme will cover farmers and their family members in the age group of 18-70 years.
♦ The scheme was implemented on 14 September 2019 in the state.
Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan Yojana:
♦ The scheme aims to boost tourism in the state.
♦ Under the scheme, one tourist point will be developed with a fund of Rs.50 lakh in each and every assembly segment of the state.
Note: Bataidars are people who work in the field of other persons and share the crop after it is harvested.
77 days ago
The One Nation, One Ration Card scheme will be implemented by 1 June 2020 in India. The announcement was made by the Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on 20 January. Earlier, the scheme was announced to be launched by 30 June 2020.
One Nation, One Ration Card scheme:
♦ Under the scheme, the beneficiaries can avail of the benefits across the country using the same ration card.
♦ The scheme allows the portability of food security benefits across India, that is, poor migrant workers can buy subsidized rice and wheat from any ration shop in the country.
♦ This will overcome the issue when one person moe from one place to the other across India. When a person migrates, it takes around 2-3 months to get a ration card. A person's identity will be ensured on the basis of Aadhaar authentication and validated data.
♦ On 1 January 2020, the facility was started in 12 states in India.
♦ Under this facility, the beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS) of these states can get their share of rations in any of the 12 states in which they are residing.
77 days ago
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal released a guarantee card on 19 January 2020. The card promises free bus rides for students and deployment of mohalla marshals for women's security.
Guarantee card:
♦ The 10 guarantees of the Kejriwal card will continue the scheme for free electricity up to 200 units and free health facilities.
♦ The scheme also includes the planting of two crore saplings in the national capital over the next five years.
♦ The state government has also launched a comprehensive manifesto in 7-10 days.
♦ The guarantee card approves more than 11,000 buses and to increase the length of the Delhi Metro network to over 500 km.
83 days ago
Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles, Smriti Irani launched 3 welfare Schemes namely the Yashaswini Scheme for Women entrepreneurship, Swasthya Sahayak Project and breast cancer screening initiative for women in Goa in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
Yashaswini scheme:
Under the Yashaswini scheme, women self-help groups (SHGs) will be given interest-free loans of up to Rs.5 lakh for business. Also, Adarsha Satari Mahila Mandal Guleli -Sattari, Phoenix Women's Wing Self-Help Group, Umang Self-Help Group, Salcete, Valpoi -Sattari were also given loans under the scheme. It aims to support women entrepreneurs in the state.
Swasthya Sahayak scheme:
Under the Swasthya Sahayak scheme, primary healthcare workers and Anganwadi workers will be given a diagnostic kit. It will help them to conduct basic diagnostic tests at people's doorstep so that every individual will be given basic health care.
The diagnostic kit was developed by the Public Health Foundation of India, in association with Procter and Gamble to manufacture and supply the kits using corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund.
Breast cancer screening initiative:
Under the breast cancer screening initiative, the Anganwadi and healthcare workers will screen women for breast cancer using handheld devices. The initiative aims to reach out to the women in rural parts of the state. It is expected that the delivery of health services will become more accessible and affordable. Using this device, 20,000 women will be screened for breast cancer.
87 days ago
The Andhra Pradesh State government launched the Amma Vodi scheme. It was launched by the Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on 9 January 2020. Amma Vodi can be translated as 'mother's lap' in Telugu. The scheme will be implemented on 26 January 2020.
Aim:
Amma Vodi scheme aims to support low-income families in educating their children.
Amma Vodi scheme:
♦ Under the scheme, mothers and guardians of school-going children from lower-income groups will receive financial assistance of Rs.15,000 annually.
♦ The scheme will be available to ration cardholders, who fall under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and clear a few more criteria related to their economic status.
♦ The state government has allocated a budget of around Rs.6,455 crore for 2019-20 under the scheme. The fund nearly 20% of the total education budget of Rs.32,618 crore of the state.
♦ The state government has also taken funds from other departments to support the scheme.
♦ It has released the final list of all the beneficiaries of the scheme.
♦ The applicants who have registered for this scheme can check the Jaganna Amma Vodi eligibility list now on the official website of the AP government.
87 days ago
The Forest Advisory Committee approved a Green Credit Scheme that will allow the forest to be traded as a commodity.
Green Credit Scheme:
♦ Under the Green Credit Scheme, the Forest Department is allowed to outsource to non-government/private agencies.
♦ The scheme is in line with the Green India Mission that aims to achieve its target of 2.523 billion tonnes of carbon by 2020-30. It involves adding 30 million hectares in addition to an existing forest.
♦ Green Credit Scheme allows agencies they could be private companies, village forest communities to identify land and begin growing plantations.
♦ If they met the forest department criteria, after three years, they will be eligible to consider compensatory forest land. Industry need forest land could then approach the agency and pay it for parcels of such forested land, and this will be transferred to the Forest Department and be recorded as forest land.
♦ The scheme will encourage plantation by individuals outside the traditional forest area and help in meeting international commitments, such as sustainable development goals (SDGs) and nationally determined contributions.
88 days ago
Kerala State Government launched a wage subsidy scheme for the first five years for new ventures getting registered from 1 April 2020. The scheme was unveiled by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on 9 January 2020 at the Global Investor Summit ASCEND 2020.
Provisions:
♦ The initiative will enhance the ease of doing business in the state
♦ It is expected to subsidize a part of the wage commitment of newly-set up industries for the first five years.
♦ Only Units that provide Employees' State Insurance (ESI) and Provident Fund (PF) benefits to workers will benefit under the scheme.
♦ Women employees will get at least Rs.2,000 more than their men counterparts under the proposed scheme.
♦ It is expected the over 37 lakh people will benefit under the scheme.
91 days ago
Andhra Pradesh state government launched the Dr. YSR Aarogyasri scheme. It was inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Eluru in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. This is the second welfare scheme that the government has launched in 2020
Aim:
The scheme aims to provide free medical treatment to the poor. The services will be extended to each district from April 2020 onwards.
Dr. YSR Aarogyasri scheme:
♦ YSR Aarogyasri scheme will benefit people having an annual income of up to Rs.5 lakh and the eligible people will be given Aarogyasri cards.
♦ The scheme benefits the people whose treatment amount crosses Rs.1,000.
♦ Under the scheme, the government will distribute 1.42 crores cards with QR codes across the state.
♦ Free treatment will be given to cancer patients from February 2020 onwards.
♦ The scheme provides one Asha worker for every 350 houses. 150 super-specialty hospitals located in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai will also be included in the Aarogyasri network.
♦ The patients will be provided financial aid of Rs.225 per day, to a maximum of Rs.5000 per month, during the recovery or resting period after the operation.
♦ Around 510 medicines will be made available in government hospitals.
♦ Medicines with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards will be distributed from April 2020.
♦ The state government has also announced that it is to provide pensions ranging from Rs.3,000 to Rs.10,000 to patients depending upon their disease
♦ The salaries of the sanitation employees in hospitals will be increased from Rs.8,000 to Rs.16,000.
♦ Nearly 1056 ambulances will be made available by March and vacant posts of doctors and nurses will be filled by the end of May.
91 days ago
Kolkata Police has started the third edition of the Sukanya project on 6 January 2020. The project aims to provide girls studying in schools and colleges in the city with self-defence training.
Sukanya project:
♦ The third batch of the project started at 100 city-based schools and colleges situated in Kolkata Police jurisdiction.
♦ Girl students from classes VIII, IX, XI and girls studying in the first year at educational institutions will be trained under the project.
♦ Sukanya project was initiated by the Kolkata Police's Community Policing Wing with an aim to provide self-defence training to girl students of city-based schools, colleges, and universities.
♦ The project is funded by Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department of the West Bengal state government.
92 days ago
Government's flagship programme Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and LED Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), marked its fifth anniversary on 5 January 2020. The schemes are being implemented and monitored by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Power Ministry.
UJALA:
UJALA initiative was launched on 5 January 2015 by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Under the scheme around 36.13 crore LED bulbs have been distributed across India. This has resulted in an estimated energy savings of 46.92 billion kilowatt-hour (kWh) per year. This measure avoided peak demand of 9,394 MW, and estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 38 million tonnes CO2 annually.
SLNP:
Over 1.03 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed under the SLNP programme so far. It enables an estimated energy savings of 6.97 billion kWh per year with an avoided peak demand of 1,161 MW and an estimated GHG emission reduction of 4.80 MT CO2 annually. The scheme has also helped in generating approximately 13,000 jobs to support the Central government's Make in India initiative.
94 days ago
Around 171 already de-empanelled and the list of hospitals imposed penalty by the central government. More than INR 4.5 crore levied on hospitals indulging in malpractices.
Hospitals Scheme
The cover provided under PM-JAY is ₹5 lakh per family and not ₹5 lakh per e-card. There are individual packages, especially abuse-prone packages, which are reserved for government hospitals by the state authorities.The private hospitals were performing these government reserved procedures and blocking/submitting the same under a different package name or as an unspecified package. In Chhattisgarh, such cases were detected initially in May 2019, and the cards disabled. In Madhya Pradesh, cases were detected in August 2019 and shared with the state disabled the cards, and the concerned hospital issued show-cause notice. The cases in Punjab were detected in Oct 2019 and shared with the state, which disabled the cards.
Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission
Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes - Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).
98 days ago
Indian Railways introduced a new Passenger Information System at Anakapalle Railway Station of the Vijayawada Division in South Central Railway. The Passenger Information system comprises of a Board that provides the Coach Composition position of a train. The main objective of this application is to provide better features and an easy guide to the passengers and thereby providing satisfactory user experience.
Passenger Information System
The Passenger Information System provided at Anakapalle Station, modern technology adopted by which the estimated arrival of the trains at the station is taken based on the real-time location of the passengers. The system provides an electronic display of information about the passengers expected at the station in the next two hours in a Trilingual form.The system includes a facility for the operator to modify the data instantly in case of any emergencies. The cost of the equipment is Rs 10 lakhs consists of the supply, installation, commissioning, and onsite warranty of 3 years. They consist of 3 to 5 lines used for displaying information of upcoming trains at the station. The station can identify the trains reaching the station in the next two hours from the display and gets information about Arrival/Departure time of particular train number/name, expected time of arrival, location of his coach from engine based on Up direction or Down direction. This system provides crucial information to passenger about the direction of the train.
Technology - Passenger Information System
The Passenger can identify the train direction, train engine location, coach position easily as the entire train composition. The Coach numbers of the train from the engine, general, sleeper, AC, and other coaches displayed according to the placement of particular coaches. This information is displayed after the announcement and before the arrival of the train. The introduction of the new Passenger Information System, the performance of these boards found to be good, and passengers have the new facility provided to them. The technology for the benefit of the passengers and advised them to continually monitor its performance so that the same can be extended to some more stations.
98 days ago
Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh announced to give an annual pension of Rs 6,000 per year to Muslim women who have been given triple talaq by their husbands. The state government should look more into the education of children and their problem of housing, which will be better than giving Rs 500 as pension to triple talaq victims. The government's initiative is good, but the amount is meager. It will be difficult to meet the basic needs with Rs 6,000 annual pension. Parliament of India declared the practice of Triple Talaq as illegal, unconstitutional and made it punishable act from 1 August 2019 which is deemed to be in effect from 19 September 2018.
Parliament of India declared the practice of Triple Talaq as illegal, unconstitutional made it punishable act from 1 August 2019 which is deemed to be in effect from 19 September 2018.The use and status of triple talaq in India has been a subject of controversy and debate
101 days ago
Digit Insurance awarded the General Insurance Company of the Year 2019 in Singapore by Asia Insurance Review Award named the Fastest Growing General Insurance Company in the world with a 1% market share (Q2 FY2019-20) fortified their product portfolio with the launch of retail Health Insurance product Digit Health Care Plus. The uniqueness of this launch is that the benefits in this health insurance product customized for different age groups and their health needs, along with the help & approval of an Ex-AIIMS Director. The Digital Work collaborated with 15-year old kids sought their help to simplify the health insurance documents so that the coverages and exclusions are explained in simple terms without jargons and is easy to read and comprehend.
Health Insurance
Health Insurance offered as a one size fits all cover with standard products. This look at the health needs of different age groups and customizing the benefits accordingly, almost like a DIY Health Insurance wherein people can choose the coverages that make sense to them. To help us further in this relevance check, we also roped in doctors, including an Ex All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director.
102 days ago
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the state government's Abhinandan scheme during a programme held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
Abhinandan scheme
This scheme emphasis on one-time subsidy against education loans availed by the students for an amount of Rs 50,000 each to 1,546 students. Abhinandan scheme extend cooperation to students in pursuing higher education and to fulfil the dreams. The students to work towards putting Assam in the list of front-ranking states of the country with their hard work, knowledge and their service to society. Their academic activities seriously to shine in today's competitive world. The united efforts to develop a positive and healthy environment in the society. The Numaligarh Refinery Limited from 3 MMT to 9 MMT opened new opportunities for the youth in Assam and urged the youth to avail the benefits through improving their skills. The students who did not apply under this scheme can avail the benefit of the government subsidy by applying now.
103 days ago
Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra approved the farm loan waiver scheme announced a subsidized meal scheme for the poor. The state cabinet approved the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme under which crop arrears pending till September 30, 2019, will be waived. The cabinet gave its approval to launch the Shiv Bhojan programme, Chief Minister's Office(CMO), short-term crop loan up to Rs 2 lakh taken by farmers between April 1, 2015-March 31, 2019, and short-term restructured crop loan arrears up to September 30, 2019, will be waived under the scheme.
The government seek information from banks on accounts where crop loan and restructured crop loans.
Shiv Bhojan scheme
The Shiv Bhojan scheme incur an expenditure of Rs 6.4 crore for starting a pilot project that will run for three months. The canteen will be started at district headquarters. The canteen will serve 500 thalis (plates), the statement.
Shiv Bhojan thali available at Rs 10 each consist of two chapatis, one vegetable, rice and dal.The scheme will be extended to other parts of the state. The customer will have to pay just Rs 10 per thali, the actual cost of the food will be Rs 50 each in urban centres and Rs 35 in rural areas. The balance amount will be given as grant to the district collectorate.
These canteens will function at places where poor persons work or live like markets, district hospitals, bus stations, railway stations, and government offices. A high-powered committee headed by the chief secretary will monitor the implementation of the scheme. To make the scheme a success, cross-subsidy and public-private partnerships will be considered by the panel.The Sena-led government had announced a loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh for farmers with the cut off date of September 30, 2019. The new scheme comes over two years. The 34,000-crore loan waiver announced by the then BJP-Sena government in June 2017. The chief minister promised the scheme will require minimum documentation and will be hassle-free. The waiver will need to approach their bank only with the Aadhaar card. Members of Parliament, legislators, and government employees will not receive the benefit of loan waiver, Patil had said, adding the scheme will cover farmers who cultivate fruit trees and sugarcane as well as conventional crops.
103 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the world’s longest mountain tunnel and launched a groundwater conservation mission after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on the latter’s 95th birth anniversary.
Atal tunnel
Atal tunnel, an underground passage of strategic importance beneath Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh cuts the road distance between Leh in the Union territory of Ladakh and Himachal’s Manali by 46 hours and reduces travel time between Leh and Manali by five hours. It will increase the country’s all-weather access to Leh, Ladakh, Kargil and other remote parts of Jammu Kashmir.
Construction
The decision to construct a strategic tunnel below Rohtang Pass was taken on June 3, 2000. The 8.8-km-long tunnel is the world’s longest, and located above an altitude of 3,000 meters took over 19 years to complete. The tunnel will facilitate the quicker movement of material and manpower across destinations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Atal Bhujal Yojana will be known by its shorthand Atal Jal, which Modi announced, is a centrally sponsored project to improve groundwater levels in seven critically water-depleted states. These are Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The Atal Jal Yojana is an important step in the direction of fulfilling the Jal Jeevan mission of water for all by 2024. The government has identified 1,592 blocks in 256 districts that face a menacing water shortage.
The Atal Bhujal Yojana approved by the Cabinet on the outlay of 6,000 crores to be implemented over a period of five years (2020-21 to 2024-25). The total outlay, 50% in the form of a World Bank loan by the Centre. The remaining 50% shall be through Central Assistance from budgetary support. The World Bank’s loan component and Central Assistance shall be passed on to States as Grants.
109 days ago
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the first Janta clinic at Valmiki Basti in Malviya Nagar, Jaipur on 18 December 2019. The chief minister had announced Janta clinics during the state budget.
Janta clinic:
♦ Janta clinic will provide free primary health care to poor people living in city slums.
♦ In the first phase, 12 Janta clinics are to be opened where people will get free medicines as well as free medical examination in some cases.
♦ The move is to make healthcare facilities accessible to everyone in the state.
♦ If the Janta Clinics run successfully for a period of three months, the state government will tie-up with the private companies who have funds to spare under Corporate social responsibility (CSR).
♦ The state government will also launch Nirogi Rajasthan to support the Janta clinic service.
110 days ago
Odisha state government unveiled the "Jalsathi" programme. It was launched by the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He also distributed water quality testing kits and point of sale (POS) machines to the women volunteers "Jalasathis".
Aim:
The Jalsathi programme aims to ensure the supply of safe drinking water to all households in the state.
Jalsathi programme:
♦ The Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) and women federations in Bhubaneswar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the Jalsathi programme.
♦ It is expected that the inclusion of woman volunteers from Mission Shakti for piped water supply will boost the state's economic empowerment.
♦ The Jalasathis will act as links between consumers and WATCO or the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO).
♦ Jalasathis will be responsible to test water quality, facilitate new water connections, regularise connections, reassessment of demands, meter reading, bill delivery, bill generation, collection of water charges and facilitating complaints redressal.
