Schemes Current Affairs 2019 - Current Affairs Today

The government introduced the FAME II scheme to boost the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles. The scheme estimates that India can country save 64% of anticipated road-based mobility related energy demand and 37% of carbon emissions in 2030 by pursuing a shared, electric, and connected mobility future.  This reduction in energy demand would result in the reduction of 156 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in diesel and petrol consumption for that year and net saving of approximately $60 billion in 2030 at present oil prices. Further, this would give impetus to India's vision of reducing oil imports by 10% by 2022.  The transport sector in India continues to be the highest oil consuming sector and the use of diesel and petrol grew at 5.9% and 9.9% respectively in the last 10 years. India's import dependency on oil has increased from 78.3% of total consumption in 2014-15 to settling at a new high of 83.7% in the 10-month period of FY19.

According to recent media reports, not much progress has been made in making cities safer for women even one year after the launch of the Safe City programme. The reason mentioned was it highlights poor guidelines, improper utilization of funds and focuses on general elections as the main reasons for it.  About Safe City programme: The main objective of the programme is to strengthen the safety and security of women in public places. It is being implemented by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in consultation with Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoW&CD), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Information Technology (MeitY), respective Municipal & Police Commissioners of cities and civil society organizations.  The project has been approved at a total cost of Rs.194.44 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund Scheme. The project was approved at a total cost of Rs.194.44, would be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with Centre and State sharing the funding in 60:40 ratio. Initially, it was launched in 8 cities, which include Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. Lucknow was the first city in the country to clear the project in In November 2018.  Major component of the Safe City Project: Setting Women Help Desks in all Police Stations with Counsellors Augmentation of existing Asha Jyoti Kendra Setting an Integrated Smart Control Room. Setting Pink Out-posts (exclusively administered by Women police) for facilitating ease of filing complaint by women Pink Patrols of Women police  Implementing Safety measures in buses, including Cameras Improving Street Lighting in identified crime Hotspot areas Setting up Pink Toilets

So far the number of states and Union territories that have joined a pan-India network of single emergency helpline number ‘112’ amounts to 20. The 20 states and UTs include Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland. About helpline ‘112’: The Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) envisages a single pan-India emergency number ‘112’ that is internationally recognised to target all types of emergencies. The helpline, ‘112’ is an integration of police (100), fire (101) and women (1090) helpline numbers and the project is being implemented under the central government’s Nirbhaya Fund (2012 Delhi gangrape case). A total of Rs. 321.69 crore has been reserved for this Emergency Response Support System out of which Rs. 278.66 crore has already been given to the States and the UTs from the Nirbhaya Fund. The Nirbhaya Fund was set up by the central government for projects specifically designed to improve the safety and security of the women. The single number for emergency services is similar to '911' in the United States.

The Congress party in its election manifesto for the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 has announced a Minimum Income scheme Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay) as a surgical strike against poverty. The Nyay scheme is targeted towards 5 crore families who are the poorest 20% in India. Nyay scheme guarantees each family a cash transfer of Rs. 72,000 a year and as far as possible the money will be transferred to a bank account of a woman in the family. There will a design phase (3 months), followed by pilot and testing phases (6-9 months) before the rollout of the plan. The Nyay scheme would be a joint scheme of the central and state governments. Nyay scheme will be funded through new revenues and rationalisation of expenditure. Current merit subsidy schemes that are intended to achieve specific objectives will be continued. 

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) launched the housing scheme for 2019, under which it will offer 18,000 flats spread across Narela and Vasant Kunj. With the online portal now open, interested buyers can get registered, following which a draw will be conducted to allot flats. The portal for online registration will be available until May 10. All the flats on offer under this scheme are newly constructed. Approximately 450 HIG [high-income group] flats and 1,550 MIG [middle-income group] are being offered. Additionally, 8,300 LIG [low-income group] and 7,700 EWS [economically weaker section] flats are being offered under the scheme. Those registering for the housing scheme will have to deposit an application fee ranging from Rs. 25,000 for EWS category to Rs. 2 lakh for three bedroom flats.

Four patients received artificial limbs through the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, Chennai.  This was the first time that the department was providing prosthesis to amputees under the CMCHIS. The prosthesis is lightweight, resilient and cosmetically acceptable and enabled patients to be independent in their daily activities.  The department was rendering services mainly to hand injury patients after surgical treatment to regain hand function for over 40 years. It will from now on provide prosthesis to amputees through the scheme.

Four patients received artificial limbs through the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, Chennai.  This was the first time that the department was providing prosthesis to amputees under the CMCHIS. The prosthesis is lightweight, resilient and cosmetically acceptable and enabled patients to be independent in their daily activities.  The department was rendering services mainly to hand injury patients after surgical treatment to regain hand function for over 40 years. It will from now on provide prosthesis to amputees through the scheme.

Under Yuvashree Arpan, 50,000 youths will receive financial  assistance of Rs 1 lakh each for setting up an enterprise. The Yuvashree I scheme is implemented by the state labour department. Launched in 2013, the state provides unemployment allowance of Rs 1,500 per month to 1,00,000 unemployed youth. The state government's Khadya Sathi project was awarded the Skoch platinum award for providing service to the people under the governance category for bringing in socio-economic change.

Jala Amrutha will be major water conservation scheme that will focus on drought-proofing measures, including protection and rejuvenation of water bodies. State government has sanctioned grant of Rs 500 crore. Under it, state government aims to rejuvenate 14,000 waterbodies and building 12,000 check-dams in next two years. Karnataka government has declared 2019 as the Year of Water. ♦ Karnataka chief minister - H D Kumaraswamy

The Union Human Resource Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the STARS scheme on National Science Day that is 28th February. STARS is abbreviated as Scheme for Translational and Advanced Research in Science.  The Ministry has allocated Rs.250 crores for the implementation of the scheme. Under the scheme 500 science projects will be funded whose selection will be made based on competition. Indian Institute of Science (IISC) will be the coordinator of the scheme.  National Science Day:  ♦ The National Science Day is celebrated on 28th February every year in the memory of Indian physicist and a Nobel laureate Sir CV. Raman ♦ It is celebrated to commemorate the discovery of Raman Effect for which he was awarded Nobel Prize in the year 1930 ♦ The theme of the 2019 National Science Day is Science for people and people for science

Karnataka State government launched a major water conservation scheme titled ‘Jalamrutha’, which focuses on drought-proofing measures, including protection and rejuvenation of water bodies. The scheme was initiated by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department and was cleared by the State Cabinet. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy launched the scheme in Bengaluru.  Jalamrutha will deploy scientific approaches to water budgeting, water harvesting, and water conservation through the use of geospatial data, satellite imagery, topographical and geological data.  The scheme will be implemented by key line departments of the government, Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector institutions. It will operate on a four-tier institutional structure with planning and execution committees being set up at village, taluk, district and State levels.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme was announced in Piyush Goyal's interim budget 2019-20 and is completely funded by the central government. Under the PM-KISAN scheme, Rs 6,000 will be given to 12 crore farmers with less than 2 hectares of land, per year in three instalments.

The Madhya Pradesh government launched its flagship scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Yuva Swabhiman Yojana’. It was launched by the Chief Minister Kamal Nath.  This scheme guarantees 100 days of employment every year to urban youth from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). The youth under the scheme would be imparted skill development training. Each youth enrolled under the scheme will get total Rs.13,500 for the 100 days period. Maharashtra: ♦ Capital: Bhopal ♦ Governor: Anandiben Patel ♦ Chief Minister: Kamal Nath ♦ Official language: Hindi

The government of Odisha has launched the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) Chhatra Bruti scholarship for the children of farmers. The Scholarship is under the KALIA, a scheme for financing farmers in Odisha.  Eligibility for the Scholarship ♦ Students should be the children of KALIA beneficiaries  ♦ They should be studying in government professional colleges on merit. The government has launched the 'KALIA Chhatra Bruti' programme so that the children of the farmers excel in the future.  ♦ The State government would spend Rs.10,180 crore over three years until 2020-21 in providing financial assistance to cultivators and landless agricultural labourers benefitting 92% of the cultivators in the state  ♦ The Scheme also proposes interest-free crop loans up to Rs.50,000.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the launch of the Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM). The Centre also approved the aid of Rs.34,422 crore to provide financial and water security to farmers through harnessing solar energy capacities of 25.75 gigawatts (GW) by 2022. The objective of KUSUM is to provide financial and water security to farmers. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs: ♦ CCEA is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi  ♦ CCEA has the mandate to review economic trends on a continuous basis, as also the problems and prospects, with a view to evolving a consistent and integrated economic policy framework for the country. ♦ It also directs and coordinates all policies and activities in the economic field including foreign investment that require policy decisions at the highest level

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu announced income support of Rs.9,000 for small and marginal farmers owning up to five acres in addition to Rs.6,000 which the Union government sought to directly credit into their bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.  The Central scheme and the one offered by the State will put total Rs.15,000 in the hands of the small and marginal farmers who constitute a huge chunk of the farming community. For farmers owning more than five acres, the State government has reportedly committed to provide Rs.10,000.

PM Narendra Modi will launch the ₹75,000-crore cash transfer scheme for farmers on February 24 in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, announced in the interim budget, ₹6,000 will be given in three instalments to 12 crore small farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.

Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu launched the Hirkani Maharashtrachi scheme to provide a platform for women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) and the District Business Plan Competition to boost entrepreneurship in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS), which comes under the State departments of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, will execute the project with support from officials in the districts. Under the Hirkani Maharashtrachi scheme, women’s SHGs will pitch their business plan at the taluka level. Ten groups will be selected from each taluka and Rs.50,000 will be given to each SHG to implement their idea. Five SHGs at the district level will be selected and Rs.2 lakh will be given to each SHG to take their ideas forward.  

Shri Babanrao Lonikar Maharashtra’s Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation and Shri Parameswaran Iyer Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation were also present. The World Bank supported the Darwaza Band -Part 2. Three “Darwaza Band Part 2” films were launched by Amitabh Bachchan and dedicated re-adaptation of a poem of his father late Harivansh Rai Bachchan to the Swachh Bharat Mission “Swachh Tann, Swachh Mann, Swachh Bharat, Mera Parichay” Over 50 crore people stopped defecating in the open since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission  and with over 5.5 lakh villages have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) and the national sanitation coverage is now 98% compared to 39% in 2014. About Swachh Bharat Mission The mission was launched in 2nd October 2014. It has two sub mission Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) under ministry of drinking water and sanitation. Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) under ministry of Urban Development

Shehri Samridhi Utsav, an initiative of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), is launched with the aim to extend the reach of Deendayal Antyodaya Mission – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). About Shehri Samridhi Utsav It is the National Exhibition and a sale of Self Help Group products and National Street Food Festival organized in New Delhi. Through Shehri Samridhi Utsav scheme, Self Help Group members all over the places are linked to national government schemes like Swachchh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, and National Nutrition Mission.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath  launched  ‘Yuva Swabhiman Yojana’ for youths of the weak section in urban areas of Madhya Pradesh The scheme was launched in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh  The main aim is to provide employment to the youth belonging to the weaker section of the society mainly in urban areas of the state. Under this scheme, 100 days of employment will be provided.

Farmers who have enrolled under Odisha’s Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme in the first phase will receive monetary assistance by January 26. Around 12.4 lakh small and marginal farmers will get Rs.5,000 each for one crop as per the provisions of the scheme.  Odisha’s Cooperation Minister S.N.Patro said that the financial assistance will be directly deposited in the bank accounts of the beneficiary farmers. He also added that farmers applying for enrolment in the scheme during the extended deadline till January 15 will be verified before the money is disbursed.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated a slew of welfare schemes through video conference from the Secretariat. The schemes included those to be implemented by the Municipal Administration Department, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and the Rural Development Department.  He also inaugurated drinking water schemes catering to various parts of the State at a total cost of Rs.169.72 crore. While a scheme costing Rs.70.50 crore was inaugurated for the Dindigul Corporation, six such schemes for Kancheepuram, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur and Theni were inaugurated at a cost of Rs. 79.13 crore. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for the District Rural Development Agency in Kajamalai in Tiruchi district.

As part of the Mission Shakti scheme, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced interest-free loans of up to Rs 3 lakh for the women self-help groups (WSHGs) in the state. There are around six lakh WSHGs in Odisha. He also distributed financial assistance of Rs 3,000 each to six lakh WSHGs as part the state government's efforts to digitally empower women. He also announced seed money worth ₹15,000 for new SHGs and ₹3,000 to purchase smartphones for digital empowerment. He further announced a sum of ₹25 lakh for the existing 338 Block Level Federations.

The scheme is about constructing barrages on the river Krishna near Tembhu village and lifting 22 billion cubic feet water to irrigate 80,000 hectare areas in seven talukas - Karad, Kadegaon, Tasgaon, Khanapur, Atpadi, Kavathe-Mahankal and Sangola - spread across Satara, Sangli and Solapur districts. The project was conceptualised way back in 1996 at a cost of Rs 1,416 crore.

In December 2014, Mission Indradhanush was launched for a targeted approach to immunisation in India, in a bid to change the tardy annual growth rate of 1 per cent. Between 2014 and 2018, India’s annual immunisation growth rate has risen to 4 per cent, with an unprecedented 16 per cent rise in the number of fully immunised children. The word Indradhanush was chosen to represent the seven vaccines that were subsequently included in the Universal Immunization Program against these seven diseases - tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and measles.

Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das announced a ₹2,250 crore scheme to help 22.76 lakh small and marginal farmers of the state. Named Mukhyamantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana, the scheme will provide farmers with a yearly financial assistance of ₹5,000 per acre for Kharif crops. The scheme will start from 2019-20 financial year.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced a ₹10,000 crore scheme named Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA), which will provide farmers with ₹10,000 a year at the rate of ₹5,000 each for Kharif and Rabi season. Additionally, crop loans of up to ₹50,000 will be interest-free under the scheme.

According to the Assam government scheme, it will write off 25 per cent loan of farmers up to a maximum of Rs 25,000 of all farm debts. The waiver will be for all the loans taken through Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and from PSU banks. The cabinet also approved subsidy up to Rs 10,000 to incentivise farmers if they take loan from KCC. Assam is the third state to waive farm loans in the last few days after the newly formed Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh announced it on December 17.

The Union Cabinet approved the expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. The scheme aims at providing deposit-free LPG connections to eight crore households. So far, the scheme targeted the poor and underprivileged so listed in the Socio-Economic and Caste Census, 2011.  

In a bid to transform rural Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a unique initiative called "SMART", which stands for State of Maharashtra’s Agribusiness and Rural Transformation. The project will entail an investment of 300 million US dollars of which World Bank would contribute 210 million US dollars. Almost 50 Memorandum of Understanding, involving top corporate houses like Amazon and Tata were signed on the occasion. This World Bank assisted project aims to revamp agricultural value chains, with special focus on marginal farmers across 1,000 villages.

The Centre has included Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttrarakhand, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and Parasnath in Jharkhand under a central scheme to develop pilgrimage and heritage destinations in the country. With the new additions, the number of sites under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) launched by the ministry in 2014-15 has now become 41 in 25 states. A total 24 projects in 15 states have been approved with estimated expenditure of Rs 727.16 crore and a total amount of Rs 331.15 crore has been released for these projects under the scheme since its inception till date.

The Supreme Court (SC) introduced a witness protection regime in the country noting that one of the main reasons for witnesses turning hostile is that they are not given security by the State. It also announced that the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 will come into effect immediately across all States. This scheme is aimed at enabling a witness to depose fearlessly and truthfully, would be the law of the land till Parliament enacted suitable legislation. Under the scheme, the witness protection may be as simple as providing a police escort to the witness up to the courtroom or, in more complex cases involving an organized criminal group, taking extraordinary measures such as offering temporary residence in a safe house, giving a new identity, and relocation at an undisclosed place.

8 States which achieved 100% household electrification under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana - Saubhagya scheme are Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal. With this, total 15 States in India have 100 per cent household electrification. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Rs 16320-Crore ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana'- Saubhagya on September 25, 2017 to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. The scheme aims to achieve the goal of universal household electrification in the country by March 31, 2019.

Gujarat has emerged as the top performer of the Centre’s ambitious health financing scheme - Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which was launched on September 23, promises health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family to over 10 crore poor families. Over 3.4 lakh beneficiaries have been treated under the scheme since its launch until November 24, according to the National Health Agency. Tamil Nadu ranked second at 54,273 hospital and Chattisgarh third at 53,180.

The phase-I of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME India) scheme was supposed to be implemented over a two-year period commencing from April 1, 2015. The Ministry of Finance has approved the enhancement of the total outlay on the first phase of the scheme from Rs 795 crore to Rs 895 crore.

According to Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion (CDFI), the government had transferred over Rs 1,600 crore to 48.5 lakh mothers under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana through direct benefit transfer. The exact figure is Rs 16,04,66,63,000 and the process have been conceptualized, designed and implemented by CDFI through the PMMVY-CAS (Common Application Software) System.

Two important projects under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India were inaugurated at PTSO Lake in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. These projects are 1) “Development of North East Circuits: Bhalukpong- Bomdila - Tawang Project & 2) Nafra- Seppa- Pappu, Pasa, Pakke Valleys- Sangdupota- New Sagalee- Ziro- Yomcha Project ”. The project Development of Bhalukpong- Bomdila - Tawang was sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in March 2015 for Rs. 49.77 Crores. Under this project the Ministry has developed facilities like Accommodation, Cafeteria, wayside Amenities, last Mile Connectivity, Pathways, Toilets, Multipurpose Hall at Jang, Sorang Monastery, Lumpo, Zemithang, Bumla Pass, Gritsang TSO lake, PTSO Lake, Thingbu and Grenkha Hot Spring, Lumla, Sela Lake. The project Development of Nafra- Seppa- Pappu, Pasa, Pakke Valleys- Sangdupota- New Sagalee- Ziro- Yomcha was sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in December 2015 for Rs. 97.14 Crores. The facilities developed under this project includes Helipad, Wayside amenities, trekking trails, Rafting Centre, Log Huts, craft bazaar, Eco Park, Tourist facilitation centres, parking, multipurpose Hall, festival ground etc.

The main objective is to provide cheaper loans to startups in the cooperative sector. This scheme will be implemented by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) by linking it to Rs 1000 crore ‘Cooperative Start-up and Innovation Fund (CSIF) created by it. More incentives will be provided for cooperatives of North Eastern region, Aspirational Districts and cooperatives with women or SC or ST or PwD members.

The main aim is to increase the use of solar energy for helping farmers in irrigation. It is a dug well based solar pump irrigation system in convergence mode. The total cost of the scheme allocated by the state government is Rs. 27.18 crore in the 2018-19 financial year. Under this scheme, 5,000 solar pumps will be provided to farmers at a subsidy of 90 percent to irrigate 2,500 acres of land. The Chief Minister distributed four go-ahead orders for installation of solar pump to the farmers.

Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Minister Dr.Mohesh Chai launched Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojana (CMSKY) and the Chief Minister’s Krishi Samuh Yojana (CMKSY) schemes. The schemes are to support the farmers to increase production and their income.  The schemes are to fulfil the vision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to double farmer's income by 2022. The CMSKY would subsume three programmes:  ♦ The CM's Employment Generation Scheme  ♦ The CM's Agri-Mechanization Programme  ♦ The CM's Flagship Programme on Tea and Rubber Also, the State is planning to introduce more policies for the enhancement of the farmer's income.

The construction of a new railway line connecting Katghora-Mungeli-Kawardha-Dongargarh would accelerate the growth of the mineral-rich region and bring prosperity.  About Piyush Goyal Piyush Ved Prakash Goyal is an Indian politician. He is the current minister of Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs in the Government of India, He was elevated to Cabinet Minister position on 3 September 2017.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) approved Reliance Health Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Capital, to begin operations. It will commence operations by December 2018.

Odisha government launched its own food security scheme on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the scheme at four different districts through video conferencing from the State Secretariat, Bhubaneswar. This scheme will benefit 25 lakh people who were left out of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).  The beneficiaries will get 5 kg of rice per person per month at the rate of Rs.1 per kg. The State government will spend Rs.443.5 crore per annum to support the scheme and Rs. 221.75 crore in the current financial year. This move is after the refusal of the Centre to its request to add additional beneficiaries under the NFSA.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the state has scored the first position in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) by providing houses to 11 lakh poor families. Further, in urban areas, this scheme has benefited over 4 lakh families. The target of 11 million homes by 2022 under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) will be completed by the third quarter of 2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri-Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the mega healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat, from Ranchi, Jharkhand. Modi in his speech said that the scheme would be a “game changer” globally in health insurance. PM-JAY is the world’s largest health scheme. It will cover around 50 crore people. The scheme will pilot in 106 districts in 14 states of the country. The scheme will be providing an annual coverage of Rs.5 lakh per family for nearly 1,350 diseases. The eligible people can avail the benefits of the scheme in government and listed private hospitals. There is no cap on family size and age to ensure that nobody is left out.

The Employee's State Insurance (ESI) has approved a scheme named ‘Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna’ for unemployed Insured Persons (IP) covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948. This scheme is a relief payable in cash directly to their Bank Account in case of unemployment and while they search for new engagement. Further, ESIC approved the proposal to increase the funeral expenses from existing Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000 being paid on the death of Insured Person.

During World Ozone Day celebrations on September 17, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan released a draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) which lists out actions which can help reduce the cooling demand, thus helping in reducing emissions. The minister also release a booklet on ‘Montreal Protocol – India’s Success Story’. ‘Keep Cool and Carry on’ : The Montreal Protocol is the theme of 24th World Ozone Day celebrations.

The two stars of the film 'Sui Dhaaga - Made in India', have been signed on to promote and endorse the Skill India Mission (SIM), chaired by the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Skill India Mission is led by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and aims to standardise vocational training.

The main objective is to provide clean drinking water across the state. The Tankers providing water across the state will be cleaned periodically. About Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister: N Chandrababu Naidu. Governor: E.S.L Narasimha. Capital: Amaravati. National Parks: Sri Venkateswara National Park, Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Papikonda National Park.