SCHEMES...PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA (PMGSY) 12 STUDY ININDIA PROGRAMME 13 STAND UP...

PRELIMS BOOSTER One Year Current Affairs for Pre 2020

SCHEMES

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TABLE OF CONTENT

GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH PROJECT EQUIP 4

PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA 4

MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME 5

PRIME MINISTER’S SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME (PMSS) 6

ATAL PENSION YOJANA 6

COMMON SERVICE CENTRES (CSC) 7

JAL SHAKTI ABHIYAN 8

GO TRIBAL CAMPAIGN: 9

SWACHH SURVEKSHAN LEAGUE 2020 9

PRADHAN MANTRI LAGHU VYAPARI MAAN-DHAN YOJANA 10

STRIDE 10

PARAMARSH SCHEME 11

MP LOCAL AREA DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (MPLADS) 12

PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA (PMGSY) 12

STUDY IN INDIA PROGRAMME 13

STAND UP INDIA SCHEME 14

CAMPAIGN ANGIKAAR 14

SHAGUN 15

JAL JEEVAN MISSION 15

INTEGRATED NATIONAL SCHOOL EDUCATION TREASURY (INSET) 16

INSTITUTION OF EMINENCE 16

TRANSFORMATION OF ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICT PROGRAMME 18

PRADHAN MANTRI LAGHU VYAPARI MAAN-DHAN YOJANA 19

PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN MAN DHAN YOJANA 19

PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJANA 20

SIDHIEE PORTAL 21

MOCHI SWABHIMAAN INITIATIVE 22

NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY (NEAT) 23

LEADERSHIP FOR ACADEMICIANS PROGRAM (LEAP) 24

ANNUAL REFRESHER PROGRAMME IN TEACHING (ARPIT) 25

JEEVAN KAUSHAL PROGRAMME 26

SCIENTIFIC SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY POLICY 27

SCHOOL EDUCATION QUALITY INDEX (SEQI) 28

FOOD SAFETY MITRA SCHEME 29

DIGITAL BHARAT DIGITAL SANSKRITI 30

INTENSIFIED MISSION INDRADHANUSH 2.0 31

QS INDIAN UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 32

FEED OUR FUTURE 32

PRAKASH PORTAL 33


PERFORMANCE SMART BOARD 34

YOUTH CO: LAB 34

AUDIO ODIGOS 35

NATIONAL TESTING AGENCY 37

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (TAP) 37

PRADHAN MANTRI INNOVATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMME (PMILP)- ‘DHRUV’ 38

MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP (MGNF) PROGRAMME 38

SURAKSHIT MATRITVA AASHWASAN (SUMAN) SCHEME 39

YUVA SAHAKAR-COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE SUPPORT AND INNOVATION SCHEME 40

SARAS AAJEEVIKA MELA: 41

JAL JEEVAN MISSION: 41

VAN DHAN INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME 42

GOAL PROGRAM 43

CREATION/EXPANSION OF FOOD PROCESSING & PRESERVATION CAPACITIES (CEFPPC) SCHEME 44

KALABURAGI AIRPORT INAUGURATED IN KARNATAKA UNDER UDAN / RCS 45

SWACHH SURVEKSHAN GRAMIN AWARDS, 2019 - DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION (DDWS), MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI 46

A FIVE-POINT ACTION PLAN TO MAKE INDIA NUTRITION SECURE: M. S. SWAMINATHAN 47

INTENSIFIED MISSION INDRADHANUSH (IMI) 2.0 47

UNDP LAUNCHES ACCELERATOR LAB IN INDIA TO WORK ON TACKLING POLLUTION 48

CLAP PORTAL 48

PRADHAN MANTRI KAUSHAL VIKAS YOJANA (PMKVY) 50

KHELO INDIA – NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SPORTS 50

TO ENSURE POST-MARKETING SAFETY OF VACCINES, GOVERNMENT TO EXPAND THE REACH OF 3S PROJECT 51

TARGET OLYMPIC PODIUM SCHEME 52

MISSION RAFTAAR OF INDIAN RAILWAYS 53

AMMAKU AKSHARA MALA HAS INCREASED FEMALE LITERACY RATE IN TELANGANA 54

NATIONAL MISSION 'NISHTHA' LAUNCHED IN J&K 55

SKILLS BUILD PLATFORM 55

ATAL TINKERING LAB 56

GOVERNMEN AIMS TO PROVIDE BROADBAND ACCESS TO ALL VILLAGES BY 2022 56

ECHO NETWORK LAUNCHED TO CATALYZE CROSS-DISCIPLINARY LEADERSHIP IN INDIA 57

PRIME MINISTER RELEASES OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF JAL JEEVAN MISSION (JJM) 58

JIGYASA PROGRAM 58

UGC ISSUES NORMS FOR ETHICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION 59

CENTRE URGED TO TREAT KLIP AS A NATIONAL PROJECT 60

EXPLAINED: THE SILVER LINE PROJECT 60

GOVERNMENT APPROVES FUTURE SKILLING PROGRAMME 61

GEM LAUNCHES NATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMME - GEM SAMVAAD 61

AMRUT MISSION EXTENDED BY 2 MORE YEARS TILL 2022 62

DEVELOPMENT A WORLD CLASS RESEARCH FACILITIES IN INDIA: HRD MINISTER 63


PRADHAN MANTRI YUVA UDYAMITA VIKAS ABHIYAAN (PM YUVA) YOJANA 64

GOVERNMENT PROCURED JUST 3% OF PULSES, SEEDS TARGETED UNDER PM-AASHA SCHEME 64

NORTH EAST RURAL LIVELIHOOD PROJECT 65

GOAL - 'GOING ONLINE AS LEADERS' PROGRAMME 65

MINISTRY OF TOURISM HAS IDENTIFIED 17 SITES IN 12 CLUSTERS IN THE COUNTRY FOR DEVELOPMENT AS ICONIC TOURIST SITES 66

ACCESSIBLE INDIA CAMPAIGN’S DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 2020 67

MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LAUNCHES ROUND 4 OF RCS- UDAN 67

NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR DRUG DEMAND REDUCTION (NAPDDR), 2018-2025 68

INDIA COMMENCES WORLD’S LARGEST EVER VACCINATION PROGRAMME TO CONTROL FMD & BRUCELLOSIS IN 2019 69

CABINET CLEARS ORDINANCE TO REMOVE RESTRICTIONS ON COAL BLOCK BIDDING 70

OPEN ACREAGE LICENSING PROGRAMME (OALP) 70

IN PHASE-II TO FAME INDIA SCHEME 2636 EV CHARGING STATIONS SANCTIONED 71

UJALA & STREET LIGHTING NATIONAL PROGRAMME COMPLETED FIVE SUCCESSFUL YEARS OF ILLUMINATING INDIA 72

VERTICAL FARMING: A SILENT REVOLUTION IN AGRICULTURE 73

GOVT AWARDS OVER RS 2000 CRORES FOR COMPLETING Z MORH TUNNEL 74

NISHTHA: NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR SCHOOL HEADS' AND TEACHERS' HOLISTIC ADVANCEMENT 74

BHARAT PARV 2020 75


GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH PROJECT EQUIP

News: Ministry of Human Resource Development plans to launch ₹1.5 lakh crore action plan to improve the

quality and accessibility of higher education over the next five years under project EQUIP.

Facts

● EQUIP stands for Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme to bring

transformational change to the education system and bridge the gap between policy and

implementation. It aims at improving the quality and boost access to education in India.

● Key Focus of the EQUIP includes 1)to improve access to higher education, especially for

underserved communities; 2)improve the gross enrolment ratio; 3)improve teaching and learning

processes; 4) build educational infrastructure; 5)improve the quality of research and innovation;

6)use technology and online learning tools; and 7)work on accreditation systems, governance

structures and financing.

● EQUIP is one of the administrative interventions mentioned in the new draft Education Policy

● It would be funded through extra-budgetary resources and by mobilising money from the

marketplace through the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).

Other Facts

● Draft National Education Policy (NEP): The new draft NEP document is based on recommendations

of Kasturirangan Committee set up in 2017. The last NEP was released in 1986, with a revision in 1992.

● Higher Education Financing Authority (HEFA): It is a joint venture between the HRD Ministry and Canara

Bank, set up as an SPV in 2017, with an aim to raise ₹1 lakh crore to finance infrastructure

improvements in higher education by 2022

PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA

News: Government has decided to use technology under PradhanMantriFasalBimaYojana(PMFBY) to

determine yield estimates at the village/panchayat level.

Facts:

● The Technological tools to be used by Govt in estimating crop yields include high spatio-temporal

remote sensing data, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, machine learning, advanced intelligent crop

simulation models, and artificial intelligence.

● The use of innovative technology will help in quickly arriving at an accurate yield estimation figure.

It will speedup settling claims of insured farmers.

● Currently, the PMFBY uses ‘crop cutting experiments’(CCE’s) to determine the yield loss suffered by

farmers due to natural calamities. But, the CCE’s are time consuming methods which results in delay in

payment to insured farmers.

● The difficulty to conduct CCEs(crop-cutting experiments) for many horticulture crops was one of the

factors for muted response of PMFBY in NE states

● According to the Agriculture Ministry officials, Out of ₹1,400 crore earmarked annually for the


north-eastern States under the PradhanMantriFasalBimaYojana,only ₹8 crore was actually spent

last year.

● The reason was that Insurance companies have been reluctant to bid for these States as

(a)administrative costs are high (b)no proper land records (c)historic yield data is not available for

these States particularly at the gram panchayat and block level and (d)difficult to conduct

CCEs(crop-cutting experiments) needed for many horticulture crops.

● Four north-eastern States namely Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram are not

covered under the scheme at all.

Other Facts

● The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of

Agriculture and Farmers welfare. The scheme has replaced the two schemes National Agricultural

Insurance Scheme (NAIS) as well as the Modified NAIS.

● It envisages a uniform premium of 2% to be paid by farmers for Kharif crops and 1.5% for Rabi crops and

5% for annual commercial and horticultural crops.

● There is no upper limit on Govt subsidy. The balance of actuarial/bidded premium to be shared by the

Central and State Government on 50 : 50 basis.

● The Scheme covers post-harvest losses and delayed sowing.

MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME

News: A Controversy has erupted over missing onion & garlic in Mid-Day Meal served by AkshayaPatra

foundation in Karnataka

Facts:

● The NGO is under criticism for not serving onion and garlic in mid-day meals to the children despite these

ingredients featuring on the menu recommended by the state government. It was reported that

children rejected the food as it was bland.

● This issue came to limelight when an article was published in TheHindu newspaper.

Other Facts:

● Mid-Day Meal Scheme is a centrally-sponsored Scheme that provides children studying in Classes I-VIII

of government and government aided schools with cooked mid-day meal.

● The key objectives of the MDMS is to a) improve the nutritional status of children and b) improve

enrollment, attendance and retention rates in schools and EGS/AIE centres (Alternative and

Innovative Education Centres)

● The Mid-day Meal scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development. Both

the Centre and the state governments contribute funds for the scheme, with the menu differing in each

state according to local factors.

● In some places, the supply of meals is outsourced to contractors appointed by the state

governments; example: AkshayaPatra.


PRIME MINISTER’S SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME (PMSS)

News: Indian Prime Minister has approved major changes in the Prime Minister’s

scholarship scheme under the National Defence Fund.

Facts:

• Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS)’ seeks to encourage technical and post-

graduate education for the widows and wards of the deceased/ex-service personnel of

Armed Forces and Para Military Forces and Railway Protection Force

• The rates of scholarship have been increased from Rs. 2000/month to Rs. 2500/month

for boys and from Rs. 2250/month to Rs. 3000 /month for girls.

• Further, the ambit of the Scholarship Scheme is extended to the wards of State Police

officials who are/were martyred during terror/naxal attacks.

• The quota of new scholarships for wards of state police officials will be Rs. 500 in a year.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has been made the nodal Ministry in this regard.

Additional Information:

• The National Defence Fund (NDF):

o It was set up in 1962 to take charge of the voluntary donations in cash and kind

received for promotion of the national defence effort, and to decide on their

utilisation.

o At present, the fund is being used for the welfare of the members of the Armed

Forces, Para Military forces and Railway Protection Force, and their dependents.

o The fund is administered by an Executive Committee with the Prime Minister as

the Chairperson and the Defence, Finance and Home Ministers as Members.

ATAL PENSION YOJANA

News: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has submitted a

proposal to increase the limit of pension and age under Atal Pension Yojana (APY).

Facts:

• To make APY more attractive, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority

(PFRDA) has sought the Finance Ministry's nod to double the guaranteed minimum

pension under the scheme to Rs 10,000 per month and increase the upper age limit to

avail the scheme to 50 from existing 40.

• Salient Features of Atal Pension Yojana Scheme

o It is a centrally sponsored guaranteed pension scheme. It was launched in 2015.

o The scheme was launched with the aim to provide affordable universal access to

essential social security protection to unorganized work force of country, which

constitute more than 85 per cent of the workforce. It had replaced earlier

government-backed pension Swavalamban scheme targeted at the unorganised

sector.

o It is administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development

Authority (PFRDA) through the National Pension System (NPS) architecture.


The scheme is under the Ministry of Finance.

o Under the scheme, a guaranteed minimum monthly pension of ₹1,000/ ₹2,000/ ₹3,000/ ₹4,000/

₹5,000 is provided from the age of 60 years depending on the contributions by subscribers.

o The scheme is available to all bank account holders who are not members of any

statutory social security scheme and are not income tax payers. The minimum

age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years.

o The Central Government also co-contributes 50% of the subscriber’s

contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum, whichever is lower. The Government co-

contribution is available for those who are not covered by any Statutory Social

Security Schemes and is not an Income Tax payer.

o In case of death of subscriber, the pension is available to the spouse and on the

death of both of them, the pension corpus is returned to his nominee. On death of

the subscriber before 60 years, spouse has the option to continue the

contribution in the APY account of subscriber or exit the scheme.


• Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA):

o It is a statutory organization under the Ministry of Finance to promote old age

income security by establishing, developing and regulating pension funds.

o PFRDA was established in 2003 through executive resolution. In 2013, PFRDA

Act was passed by GoI.

o PFRDA regulates the New Pension Scheme.

COMMON SERVICE CENTRES (CSC)

News: An analysis of Common Service Centres (CSC) data from 2014 to 2019 has shown that

there has been a four- fold increase in the number of transactions through CSCs since 2014.

Facts:

• Common Service Centres

o It is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY). It was launched in

2006. It is a mission mode project under Digital India Program.

o It acts as access points for delivery of various electronic services to villages in India.

o CSC e-Governance Services India Limited is a Special Purpose Vehicle (CSC SPV)

incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 by the Ministry of Electronics and

Information Technology (MeitY) to monitor the implementation of the Common

Services Centres Scheme.

o The Government launched the CSC 2.0 scheme in 2015 to expand the outreach of

CSCs to all Gram Panchayats across the country.

o Under CSC 2.0 scheme, the aim was to set up at least one CSC in each of the 2.5

lakh GPs across the country by 2019.


• BharatNet:


o BharatNet project (previously known as National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN))

seeks to provide high speed broadband connectivity to all gram panchayats

across India.

o It is funded by Universal service Obligation Fund (USOF). The fund was

established for improving telecom services in rural and remote areas in India.

JAL SHAKTI ABHIYAN

News: The central government decided to launch Jal Shakti Abhiyan- a water conservation and water security campaign. Facts: Salient Features of Jal Shakti Abhiyaan Campaign

● It is a time-bound, mission mode, water conservation and irrigation efficiency campaign for water security in India.

● The 1st phase of the programme will run from July 1st to September 15th 2019 for all states and UTs.

● Th

e second phase will run from 11th October 2019 to 30th November 2019 for sates/UTs

receiving NE retreating monsoon (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry,

Tamilnadu).

o The theme of the campaign is Sanchay Jal, Behtar Kal.

o It aims at making water conservation and promotion of irrigation efficiency a

‘janandolan’ (public campaign) through asset creation and communication

campaigns in rural India. It will be rolled out in 255 water stressed districts.

• The Jal Shakti Abhiyan is a collaborative effort of various Ministries of the Government

of India and State Governments. It will be coordinated by Department of Drinking Water

and Sanitation, Jal Shakti Ministry

• The intervention areas in Rural India include:

o Water conservation and rainwater harvesting,

o Renovation of traditional and other water bodies,

o Renovation of bore well recharge structures,

o Watershed development and

o Intensive afforestation.

• For urban areas the interventions include:

o In urban areas, plans/approvals with time bound targets to be developed for

waste water reuse for industrial and agricultural purposes,

o Plans to be developed for at least one urban water body for groundwater

recharge in the block or city.

o Municipalities to pass by-laws for the separation of grey water and blackwater

• The other special interventions that are proposed to be carried out are:

o Development of Block and District Water Conservation Plans (To be integrated

with the District Irrigation Plans),

o Krishi Vigyan Kendra Melas to promote efficient water use for irrigation (More

Crop per Drop), and better choice of crops, for water conservation and

o 3D village contour maps may be created and made accessible for efficient planning of interventions


GO TRIBAL CAMPAIGN:

News: Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of

India (TRIFED) launched Go tribal campaign in association with Amazon Global.

Facts:

• The campaign aims to create awareness and promote the use of tribal arts and crafts.

With this, it seeks to aid in socio-economic welfare of Indian tribes.

• “Tribes India” was also launched. Under this, Tribes India products will be marketed by

Amazon through their global website.


TRIFED:

• Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) is an

organization under Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

• It is engaged in marketing development of tribal products including tribal art and craft under the brand name

“TRIBES INDIA”

SWACHH SURVEKSHAN LEAGUE 2020

News: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched Swachh Survekshan League 2020 to

be held in January 2020.

Facts:

• It is a quarterly cleanliness assessment of cities and towns in India. It will be

integrated with the Swachh Survekshan 2020.

• It seeks to sustain the on-ground performance of cities along with continuous

monitoring of service level performance in the matter of cleanliness.

• It will be conducted in 3 quarters, i.e. April- June, July – September and October-

December 2019. Each quarter will have a weightage of 2000 marks.

• 25% weightage of the quarterly assessments will be included in the annual survey in January 2020.

• The evaluation will be done on the basis of monthly update of SBM-U online MIS by cities and citizen’s

validation on the 12 service level progress indicators

• Ranks will be assigned in two categories: a) cities with population of 1 lakh and above

and b) cities with population of less than 1 lakh.


• Swachh Survekshan:

o Launched in 2016, Swachh Survekshan is annual cleanliness survey of urban India

conducted under Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban (SBM-U). Ministry of Housing

and Urban Affairs conducts the survey.

o The objective of the Swachh Survekshan survey is to a) encourage large scale

citizen participation and create awareness about cleanliness, b) inculcate a spirit

of healthy competition among cities and towns towards creating cleaner

cities/towns.


o Indore (Madhya Pradesh) was awarded the cleanest city in India in the Swachh Survekshan 2019.

Note: A separate Swachh Survekshan (Gramin) is conducted in rural areas by Ministry of Drinking

Water and Sanitation (now integrated into the Jal Shakti Ministry)

PRADHAN MANTRI LAGHU VYAPARI MAAN-DHAN YOJANA

News: The Union Labour and Employment Ministry notified the Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari

Maan - dhan Yojana 2019.

Facts:

• Salient features of Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan-dhan Yojana

o It is a pension scheme for retailers and small traders.

o It assures a minimum monthly pension of ₹3000 per month to small shopkeepers,

retail traders and the self-employed people after attaining the age of 60 years.

o They have to contribute to the scheme every month from the time of enrolment and till age

60 for getting the pension. Further, the Government of India will make matching contribution

in the subscribers’ account.

o Eligibility:

▪ The scheme is available to all small shopkeepers and self-employed

persons and retail traders with Goods and Services tax (GST) turnover

below Rs. 1.5 crore. The age limit is 18-40 years.

▪ Further, to be eligible, the applicants should not be covered under the

National Pension Scheme, Employees’ State Insurance Scheme and the

Employees’ Provident Fund or be an Income Tax assesse.

o The scheme is based on self-declaration. No documents are required except

Aadhaar and bank account.

o Interested persons can enrol themselves through Common Service Centres (CSC)

spread across India.

o Implementation:

▪ Government will establish a pension fund to implement the scheme. The Life

Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will be the pension fund manager.

▪ LIC will be responsible for managing the pension fund, central record keeping,

and responsible for pension pay out.

STRIDE

News: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved a new initiative called Scheme for Trans-

disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy (STRIDE).

Facts:

• Salient features of STRIDE:

o Aim: To support and strengthen trans-disciplinary research in institutes and universities of

India. It seeks to fund socially relevant, local need-based, nationally important and

globally significant research projects.


o Objectives:

➢ To identify young talent, strengthen research culture, build capacity, promote

innovation and support trans-disciplinary research.

➢ To fund multi institutional, highly impact research projects in humanities and

human sciences.

o There are three major components of the STRIDE scheme- ➢ Identifying motivated young talents and provide research capacity building in

diverse disciplines

➢ Enhancing problem solving skills with help of social innovation and action

research

➢ Funding high impact research projects

PARAMARSH SCHEME

News: The Ministry of Human Resource and Development has recently launched the Paramarsh scheme

Facts:

• It is a scheme under the University Grant Commission (UGC).

• Salient features:

o Under the scheme, leading institutions will provide mentoring to help NAAC

Accreditation aspirant Institutions achieve high quality standards.

• Implementation:

o It will be implemented through a “Hub & Spoke” model.

o Under this model, the leading mentor institution will be the “Hub” and will be centralised.

o The Hub will guide the Mentee institutions through the secondary branches, called the “Spoke”. A variety of services will be provided to the mentee for self-improvement.

o The scheme also proposes to provide financial assistance to the mentoring institutions.

Further, the mentor institution will be given the option of appointing an expert, who can be

paid a fellowship amount of Rs 31,000 per month.

• Significance:

o It will lead to enhancement of the mentee institutions’ quality of research, teaching and

overall education

o It will lead to sharing of knowledge, best practices, research collaboration and faculty

development

o It will facilitate mentee institutions in getting NAAC Accreditation


• National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC):

o It is an autonomous body under the University Grant Commission (UGC)

o It assesses and accredits higher education institutions in India based on seven

parameters: Curricular Aspects, Teaching-learning & Evaluation, Research,

Innovations & Extension, Infrastructure & Learning Resources, Student Support &

Progression, Governance, Leadership & Management and Institutional Values & Best

Practices.

• UGC:

o It is a statutory body set up by the central government in accordance to the UGC Act


1956. It functions under Ministry of Human Resource Development.

o It is responsible for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards

of higher education

MP LOCAL AREA DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (MPLADS)

News: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman wrote to Members of Parliaments (MPs) seeking suggestions

on how to address the issues associated with MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

Facts:

• About MPLADS

o MPLADS is a central sector scheme, launched in 1993.

o AIM: To provide funds to MPs to execute certain developmental projects to meet the

urgent needs of their constituents. The projects include drinking water facilities,

education, public health, roads and sanitation etc.

o Under the scheme, an MP is entitled to Rs. 5 crore per annum to identify and fund

developmental projects.

o The role of the MP is only recommendatory in nature. The implementation of the project

is done by local authorities.

o Elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works in the state from where they have been

elected.

o Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere

in the country.

o Initially, the scheme was administered by Ministry of Rural Development. However, Since

October, 1994 The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has been looking into

its working.

o The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation formulates the policy and also releases

the funds under the scheme. It also puts forward the mechanism for monitoring the

implementation of the scheme.

o The Fund is non – lapsable.

PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA (PMGSY)

News: The government approved the launch of Phase-3 of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Facts:

• Salient features of PMGSY

o PMGSY is a scheme of Ministry of Rural Development. It was launched in 2000. It is a 100% centrally

sponsored scheme.

o Aim: To ensure rural connectivity. It seeks to provide all weather road connectivity to unconnected

habitations. By providing connectivity, the scheme seeks to boost socio- economic development of the

areas

• About Phase-3 of PMGSY


o It will be implemented from 2019-20 to 2024-25. The phase-3 proposes to consolidate roads

measuring 1.25 lakh km in length

o It will also strengthen through routes and major rural links which connect habitations to Gramin

Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), higher secondary schools and hospitals.

o Construction of bridges of up to 150m in plain areas and 200 m in Himalayan and north eastern states

have also been proposed.

o It will also focus on maintenance of roads already constructed under PMGSY.


• Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Area:

o It was launched in 2016. It is implemented under the PMGSY.

o It seeks to improve rural road connectivity to Left Wing Extremism Affected Districts in India. The

roads taken under the project are Other District Roads, Village Roads and Major District Roads that

are important from the security point of view.

STUDY IN INDIA PROGRAMME

News: Union Minister of Human Resource and Development highlighted the Study in India programme at

Rajya Sabha.

Facts:

• About Study in India Programme:

o The Ministry of Human resource and development (MHRD) launched the programme in

2018.MHRD has collaborated with Ministry of External Affairs for the programme.

o Aim: To facilitate internationalization of higher education in India.

o Objectives:

▪ to make India a preferred education destination for foreign students

▪ Improve the soft power of India with a focus on the neighbouring countries, South-East Asia, Middle

East and Africa. and use it as a tool in diplomacy

▪ to increase India’s market share of global education exports

▪ improvement in overall quality of higher education

▪ Increase in global ranking of India as educational destination.

o Features:

▪ Participation of select reputed Indian institutes/universities by way of offering seats for the

International students at affordable rates.

▪ setting up of call centres for support

▪ selection of top 100 partner institutions on the basis of National Assessment and Accreditation Council

(NAAC) grading and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking

▪ branding activities in the target countries

▪ close coordination with Indian missions abroad and foreign missions in India

▪ centralised admission web-portal (https://studyinindia.gov.in) is the single window for the

admission of foreign students

o Implementing Agency: EdCIL (India) Limited. It is a Government of India Enterprise under the

Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)


STAND UP INDIA SCHEME

News: Stand Up India Scheme has been extended upto the year 2025.

Facts:

• About Stand-up India scheme

o It was launched in 2016.

o Aim: To promote entrepreneurship among women and scheduled castes and tribes.

o Objectives: To facilitate bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 Crore to at least one SC or

ST borrower and at least one-woman borrower per bank branch for setting up a

Greenfield enterprise (first time venture of the beneficiary). The enterprise should be in

manufacturing, services or the trading sector.

o Beneficiaries:

▪ SC/ST and/or woman entrepreneurs, above 18 years of age. In case of non-

individual enterprises, 51% of the shareholding and controlling stake should be held by

either SC/ST and/or Women Entrepreneur.

▪ Borrower should not be in default to any bank/financial institution.

o Implementing Agency: Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance

Note: Start-up India is another scheme by government of India to promote entrepreneurship. Unlike

Stand- up India which is especially for SC, ST and Women, Start-up India is a scheme to promote

new ventures/ entrepreneurship of all irrespective of caste or gender.Policy

Campaign Angikaar

News: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched campaign Angikaar- a campaign for

behavioural change management.

Facts:

● Objective: To bring social behaviour change with special focus on waste management,

water and energy conservation.

● Target: To reach out all beneficiaries of completed houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - PMAY(U) in a phased manner.

Convergence:

o The campaign will converge with schemes and Missions of other Ministries dealing

with these subjects.

o The convergence would especially focus on Ujjwala for LPG connection and Ayushman

Bharat for health insurance to the beneficiaries of PMAY (U).

● Implementation:

o It will officially be rolled out in all cities with PMAY (U) on October 2, 2019 commemorating

150th Gandhi Jayanti and end on the occasion of Human Rights Day, 10th December, 2019

o It will be implemented through community mobilisation and Information Education

Communication (IEC) activities. It will include door to door activities, ward and city level events.



Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U) • It aims to ensure “Housing for All by 2022” by providing financial assistance to the beneficiaries. It

targets to construct 1.2 crore houses by 2022. • It was launched in 2015 by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. • It has four components: ✓ In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR), ✓ Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), ✓ Beneficiary-led Individual house construction or Enhancement (BLC), and ✓ Credit-Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS). • Beneficiaries of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) are covered under all four verticals of the

Mission. While Lower Income Group (LIG) and Middle Income Group (MIG)

beneficiaries are eligible for benefits under CLSS.

SHAGUN

News: Ministry of Human Resource and Development has launched Integrated Online junction for

School Education ‘Shagun’.

Facts:

● It is an initiative to improve school education system by creating a junction for all online

portals and websites relating to various activities of the Department of School Education

and Literacy.

● Objectives:

o To assess the status of all government and government aided schools on various key

indicators viz., availability of school infrastructure and other facilities related to teachers and

students.

o To ensure authenticity of data provided in various portals.

o To provide feedback on various dimensions at all levels.

o To facilitate the system to be responsive to school-specific needs, analyse school reports and

initiate appropriate policy interventions.

● The word ShaGun is coined from two different words- ‘Shala’ meaning Schools and ‘Gunvatta’ meaning Quality.

● The ShaGun portal has two parts:

o One part is a repository of best practices, photographs, videos, studies, newspaper articles etc.

on elementary education in the schools of the Central Government, States & UTs &

Autonomous bodies. The purpose is to showcase success stories, thus help schools learn from

each other and instil positive competitiveness.

o The second part is the online monitoring module of ShaGun which measures State-level

performance and progress against key educational indicators. This would help the Government

of India and the State and UT Departments of education to conduct real-time assessments.

JAL JEEVAN MISSION


News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, has announced Jal Jeevan Mission.

Facts:

About Jal Jeevan Mission: • Aim: It seeks to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap

connections (HarGharJal) to all rural households by 2024. • Implementing Agency: It will be implemented by the Department of Drinking Water and

Sanitation under the Jal Shakti Ministry. • Features:

✓ It will focus on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.

✓ It will implement source sustainability measures recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rain water harvesting.

✓ It will converge with other Central and State Government Schemes to achieve its objectives of sustainable water supply management across India.

✓ It seeks to generate maximum community participation in the form of 'jan andolan' to

achieve the target of functional household tap connection by 2024.

● Need: According to the Jal Shakti Ministry, only 18% of India’s rural households have access

to piped water. Thus, to improve coverage of households with piped safe drinking water the

mission has been initiated.

INTEGRATED NATIONAL SCHOOL EDUCATION TREASURY

(INSET)

News: The Ministry of Human Resource and Development has announced the setting up of the

Integrated National School Education Treasury (INSET).

Facts:

About INSET:

● It is envisaged as a fully integrated, instantly accessible and seamless information network for

all parameters relating to the students, teachers and schools in the country.

● Aim: To create an easily accessible multi-layered ecosystem of information – school wise, block-

wise, district-wise, constituency-wise, state-wise and region-wise.

● Focus Areas:

o Reinforcing and cleaning the data of the Integrated Online Junction through feedback from

Stakeholders

o Ensuring full interoperability among the websites, portals and applications which are already

hosted in the junction

o Creating high quality e-contents, including quizzes and puzzles to enhance learning and also for

teachers in aiding classroom transactions

o Using artificial intelligence and deep machine learning in a variety of ways to enhance the quality of

school education including for designing evidence based inventions.

INSTITUTION OF EMINENCE


News: The Ministry of Human Resource and Development has awarded the status of Institutions

of Eminence to five public institutions.

Facts:

● Institutions awarded with the status of Institutions of Eminence:

1. IIT-Madras,

2. IIT-Kharagpur,

3. Delhi University,

4. Banaras Hindu University

5. University of Hyderabad About Institution of Eminence (IoE) Scheme

● First announced in 2016 Budget speech, the Institution of Eminence scheme is a scheme

of Ministry of Human Resource Development pertaining to Higher Education

Institutions (HES) in India

● Aim: To develop 20 (10 public and 10 private) world-class teaching and research institutions in India

● Objectives:

o To bring higher educational institutions selected as IoEs in the top 500

universities in the world rankings during the next 10 years and in top 100

rankings eventually overtime

o To provide world class teaching and research facilities to Indian students

within the country and enhance the general level of education.

o To pay special attention to teaching and research in unique and emerging

areas of knowledge

● Regulatory framework: It has been provided through

o UGC (Declaration of Government Institutions as Institutions of Eminence)

Guidelines, 2017 for public Institutions and

o UGC (Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities)

Regulations, 2017 for private Institutions.

Key Benefits of Institutions of Eminence

● Government Institutions to get additional funding of up to 1000 Cr.

● Complete academic, administrative and financial autonomy

● Exemption from government approvals for academic collaborations with foreign HES (in top 500)

● Freedom to hire personnel from industry as faculty, and recruit faculty from outside

India (25% limit of its faculty strength)

● Freedom to have own transparent merit-based system for admission of students.

● Will not be subjected to UGC Inspections Current Status of scheme: Earlier 6 institutions were selected as IoEs:

● Public Category

1. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore

2. IIT Delhi

3. IIT Mumbai

● Private Category


1. Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal

2. Birla Institute of Technology& Sciences (BITS), Pilani

3. Jio Institute under the Greenfield category.

● These institutes were selected on the basis of recommendation by Empowered

Expert Committee headed by former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N

Gopalaswami.

TRANSFORMATION OF ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICT PROGRAMME

News: The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is visiting 117

Aspirational Districts across 28 states to hold public meetings on complaints affecting children

pertaining to education, health and nutrition as well as lack of infrastructure.

Facts:

About Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme

● The programme was launched in January 2018. It is coordinated by Niti Aayog with

support from Central Ministries and the State Governments.

● Aim: Quickly and effectively transform underdeveloped districts. It seeks to focus

on the strength of each district, identify easy achievable areas for immediate

improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.

● Features:

● It is based on three broad principles:

o Convergence (of Central & State Schemes),

o Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and

o Competition among districts driven by a mass Movement.

● The programme focuses on 5 main themes:

o Nutrition,

o Education,

o Agriculture & Water Resources,

o Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and

o Basic Infrastructure.

● Ranking: Each district is ranked based on 49 Key performance indicators identified

across the 5 core themes. The main objective of the rankings is to measure progress

and rank districts to spur a sense of competition among states.

● Funding:

o The programme relies on convergence of existing schemes for its funding.

o In addition, funds and other resources made available by the private

sector under Corporate Social Responsibility, and some local funds like

the District Mineral Funds are utilised for critical gap funding.


National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)

● It is a statutory body established in 2007 under the Protection of Child Rights Act (CPCR), 2005.

● It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.


● Mandate: to ensure that all laws, policies, programmes, and administrative

mechanisms are in accordance with the child rights perspective as put forward in

the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

● It is a convention which puts forward civil, political, economic, social, health and

cultural rights of children. It was signed in 1989 and became effective in 1990.

● It defines a child as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group.

PRADHAN MANTRI LAGHU VYAPARI MAAN-DHAN YOJANA

News: Prime Minister has launched the Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan-dhan Yojana 2019. Facts:

About Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan-dhan Yojana

● It is a pension scheme for retailers and small traders.

● It assures a minimum monthly pension of ₹3000 per month to small shopkeepers,

retail traders and the self-employed people after attaining the age of 60 years.

● They have to contribute to the scheme every month from the time of enrolment till 60

years of age for getting the pension. Further, the Government of India will make

matching contribution in the subscribers’ account.

● Eligibility:

o The scheme is available to all small shopkeepers, self-employed

persons and retail traders with Goods and Services tax (GST) turnover

below Rs. 1.5 crore. The age limit is 18-40 years.

o Further, to be eligible, the applicants should not be covered under the

National Pension Scheme, Employees’ State Insurance Scheme and the

Employees’ Provident Fund or be an Income Tax assessee

● The scheme is based on self-declaration. No documents are required except

Aadhaar and bank account.

● Interested persons can enrol themselves through Common Service Centres (CSC)

spread across India.

● Implementation:

o Government will establish a pension fund to implement the scheme. The

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will be the pension fund

manager.

o LIC will be responsible for managing the pension fund, central record

keeping, and responsible for pension pay out.

PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN MAN DHAN YOJANA

News: Prime Minister has launched Pradhan Mantri Kisan Man Dhan Yojana Facts:

About Pradhan Mantri Kisan Man Dhan Yojana


● It is a scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare

● Aim: To provide social security to all landholding Small and Marginal Farmers.

● Features:

o It is voluntary and contributory for farmers in the entry age group of 18 to 40 years.

o A monthly pension of Rs. 3000/- will be provided to them on attaining the

age of 60 years. The farmers will have to make a monthly contribution of

Rs.55 to Rs.200, depending on their age of entry, in the Pension Fund till

they reach the retirement datei.e. the age of 60 years.

o The Central Government will also make an equal contribution of the same

amount in the pension fund.

o The spouse is also eligible to get a separate pension of Rs.3000/- upon

making separate contributions to the Fund.

o In case of death of the farmer before retirement date, the spouse can

continue in the scheme by paying the remaining contributions till the

remaining age of the late farmer.

o If the spouse does not wish to continue, the total contribution made by the

farmer along with interest will be paid to the spouse.

o If there is no spouse, then total contribution along with interest will be

paid to the nominee.

o If the farmer dies after the retirement date, the spouse will receive 50% of

the pension as Family Pension.

● Implementation:

o The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is the Pension Fund

Manager and responsible for Pension pay out.

PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJANA

News: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has achieved the target of giving 8 crore free

cooking gas (LPG) connections in nearly seven months ahead of schedule.

Facts:

About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

● Launched in 2016, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna is a scheme of the Ministry of

Petroleum & Natural Gas. It is the first social sector scheme by this ministry.

● Aim:To replace unclean cooking fuels used in the most underprivileged households

with clean and more efficient LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).

● Objective of the scheme:

○ Empower women and protect their health

○ Reduce the serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuel

○ Reduce the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel and

○ To prevent young children from significant number of acute respiratory

illnesses caused due to indoor air pollution.

● Beneficiary:

○ Initially, the beneficiaries under PMUY were identified either from SECC list


or from seven other identified categories.

■ All SC/STs households beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

(PMAY) (Gramin)

■ Beneficiaries of Antyoday Anna Yojana (AAY)

■ Forest dwellers

■ Most Backward Classes (MBC)

■ Tea & Ex-Tea Garden Tribes

■ People residing in Islands

■ People residing in river island

● Subsequently, the Government has extended the benefit to all left out poor

families under PMUY subject to fulfilment of terms & conditions. The connections

are issued in the name of women of the households.

Target: Initially the target was installation of 5 crore LPG connections by 2019. But

the target was revised to 8 crore which was to be achieved by 2019-20.

● Key features:

○ Under the Scheme, a cash assistance of upto Rs 1600/- for providing new LPG

connection is provided by the Central Government.

○ The beneficiary bears the cost of Hot Plate and purchase of first refill. The

beneficiary has the option to take Hot Plate or purchase first refill or both on

loan basis from OMCs at zero interest.

○ LPG Panchayat serves as a platform for interaction between those who

received LPG cylinders under PMUY. It raises awareness among LPG users

about proper use of clean fuel and its advantages.

SIDHIEE PORTAL

News: Union Minister for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises has launched Knowledge

Management Portal “SIDHIEE”.The portal was launched at the National Conclave on Enhancing

Energy Efficiency organized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

Facts: SIDHIEE Portal

● The portal was launched under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency Micro Small

and Medium Enterprises (BEE’s MSME) Programme.

● The portal will host useful information including fifty videos of multimedia

tutorials for MSMEs for early adoption of energy-efficient technologies.


About BEE:

● The BEE is a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

● It was set up under the provisions of Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

● Its mission is to assist in developing policies with the primary objective of

reducing energy intensity of the Indian Economy.

● BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies and other organizations.

● It recognizes, identifies and utilizes the existing resources and infrastructure in


performing the functions assigned to it under the Energy Conservation Act.

BEE Programmes for MSME sector:

● BEE-SME SCHEME “National programme on Energy Efficiency and

Technology Up gradation of SMEs” : To accelerate uptake of Energy Efficiency

in SME sector, BEE initiated the program in 2009. The programme is fully funded

by the Government of India.

● GEF-UNIDO-BEE Scheme “Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Energy in selected MSME clusters in India”: Initiated in 2011, the project

focuses on the development and promotion of a market environment for

introducing energy efficiency (EE) and enhanced use of renewable energy (RE)

technologies for process applications in 12 selected MSME clusters under five

energy intensive MSME sub-sectors i.e. Brass, Ceramic, Dairy, Foundry and Hand

tools.

● GEF-WB-BEE Scheme “Financing Energy Efficiency at MSMEs”:

o It was conceptualized as a part of the GEF Programmatic Framework for

Energy Efficiency in India.

o Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank through SIDBI

and BEE implements the initiative to improve EE and reduce Green

House Gas (GHG) emissions from MSMEs by utilizing increased

commercial financing for EE.

MOCHI SWABHIMAAN INITIATIVE

News: Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship announced the launch of Mochi

Swabhimaan Initiative.

Facts:

About the initiative:

● Mochi Swabhimaan Initiative is a nationwide effort in which Leather Sector Skill

Council (LSSC) will support the cobbler community who provide leather-based

services, with CSR funds.

● This will ensure that they work in a dignified manner by bringing respect to their

skills by giving them better working environment in the form of kiosks/umbrellas.

About Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC):

● The Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) is a non-profit organisation dedicated

to meet the demand for skilled workforce in the leather industry in India.

● LSSC was set up in 2012 as one of the key sector skill councils approved by

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

● It aims to facilitate a skilled ecosystem in the leather industry through capacity

building for high productivity and compliance with global standards.

Additional information:


Statistics on Leather industry:

● India accounts for about 13% of the world’s leather production.

● The leather industry contribute less than 1% to India’s GDP and Footwear

industry contributes about 2% to India’s GDP.

● Indian leather industry has huge potential for exports.It can reach USD 9.0 billion

by 2020, from the present level of USD 5.85 billion.

● Leather industry has the potential to create 2 million jobs in the next 5 years. National Skill Development Corporation:

● Not for profit public limited company incorporated in July 2008, under the Companies Act, 1956

● It has been set up under the PPP model where the government owns 49% stakes

via the Ministry of Skill Development

● Aims to promote skill development by catalyzing creation of large, quality and

for-profit vocational institutions

● Provides funds for building scalable and profitable vocational training initiatives

● It is mandated to enable a support system which focuses on quality assurance,

information systems and train the trainer academies directly or in partnerships

● It also develops appropriate models to enhance, support and coordinate private sector initiatives

NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY (NEAT)

News: Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has announced a scheme named

National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT).

Facts: About NEAT:

● Aim: The scheme aims to use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more

personalized and customized solutions as per the requirements of the learner.

● Features:

o Under the scheme,MHRD would create and maintain a National NEAT

platform that would provide one-stop access to these technological

solutions.

o The ministry will also create a National Alliance with technology

developing EdTech Companies through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP)

model.

o EdTech companies would be responsible for developing solutions and

manage the registration of learners through the NEAT portal.

o They would be free to charge fees as per their policy. As their contribution

towards the national cause, they would have to offer free coupons to the

extent of 25% of the total registrations for their solution through NEAT

portal.

o MHRD would distribute the free coupons to ensure that the Adaptive

Learning Solutions are freely available to a large number of

socially/economically backward students

● Implementing Agency: All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)


would be the implementing agency for the NEAT programme.


Artificial Intelligence: describes the action of machines accomplishing tasks that have historically

required human intelligence. It includes technologies like machine learning, pattern recognition,

big data, neural networks, self-algorithms etc.

About AICTE:

● The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is a statutory body and

a national-level council for technical education.

● It works under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development.

● It was initially established in 1945 as an advisory body and later on in 1987 was

given the statutory status by an Act of Parliament.

● AICTE is responsible for proper planning and coordinated development of the

technical and management education system in India.

● It also accredits postgraduate and graduate programs under specific categories at

Indian institutions as per its charter.

LEADERSHIP FOR ACADEMICIANS PROGRAM (LEAP)

News: Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched the 2019 edition of Leadership for

Academicians Programme (LEAP).

Facts:

About LEAP:

● LEAP is a three weeks leadership development training programme (2 weeks

domestic and one week foreign training) for second level academic functionaries

(eg. Vice Principals) in public funded higher education institutions under the

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching

(PMMMNMTT) Scheme. LEAP was launched in 2018.

● Objective: To prepare second tier academic heads that are potentially likely to

assume leadership roles in the future.

● Significance: The programme would provide senior faculty with high academic

credentials, the required leadership and managerial skills including skills of

problem-solving, handling stress, team building work among others.

● Implementation: Through 15 NIRF top ranked Indian Institutions. The foreign

Universities identified for the training are also within the top 100 in the world

global rankings.


About National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)

● The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) was launched by the

Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in 2015. It provides

ranking to institutions and universities across India.


● The different parameters taken into account for ranking are: a) Teaching, Learning

and Resources b) Research, Professional Practice & Collaborative Performance,

c) Graduation outcome d) Outreach and Inclusivity and e) perception of the

institution by its stakeholders.

● The different categories for which rankings are given include Engineering,

Management, Pharmacy, Medical, Architecture, Law, Universities and Colleges.

The rankings are being published annually since 2016.

About Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching

(PMMMNMTT) Scheme:

● It is a Central sector Scheme with All- India coverage. It was launched in 2014 and

is under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource and Development.

● Goals:

○ To ensure a coordinated approach to holistically address the various shortcomings

relating to teachers and teaching across the educational spectrum.

○ To create and strengthen the institutional mechanisms (Schools of Education,

Institutes of Academic leadership and Education Management, Subject based

networks, Teaching– learning Centres etc.) at the Centre & in the States.

○ To empower teachers and faculty during through training, re-training,

refresher and orientation programmes in generic skills, pedagogic skills,

discipline specific content upgradation, ICT and technology enabled training

etc.

ANNUAL REFRESHER PROGRAMME IN TEACHING (ARPIT)

News: Ministry of Human Resource and Development has launched the Annual Refresher

Programme in Teaching (ARPIT), 2019.

Facts:

About ARPIT:

● Ministry of Human Resource and Development launched Annual Refresher

Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) in 2018 under Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya

National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) Scheme.

● It is an initiative of online professional development of 15 lakh higher education

faculty using the Massive Open Online Courses platform SWAYAM.

● Beneficiaries: The courses are meant for all in-service teachers and faculties in

order to enhance their career prospects.

● Courses: The courses cover a diverse range of topics such as Indian culture &

Heritage Studies, Pedagogical Innovations & Research Methodology among others.

● Implementation: 75 discipline-specific institutions have been identified and

notified as National Resource Centers (NRCs) in the first phase. These institutions

are tasked to prepare online training material with focus on latest developments

in the discipline, new & emerging trends, pedagogical improvements and

methodologies.



About SWAYAM:

● SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active–Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is a

programme initiated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development,

Government of India.

● It is designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy namely

access, equity and quality.

● The objective is to take the best teaching learning resources to all including the most

disadvantaged. It seeks to bridge the digital divide for students who have remained

untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the

knowledge economy.

● SWAYAM platform is developed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development

(MHRD) and NPTEL, IIT Madras with the help of Google Inc. and Persistent

Systems Ltd.

● SWAYAM is the portal that hosts Massive Open Online Courses available free of cost

to anyone and everyone willing to access it

● Courses available here start from class 9 till post-graduation levels

● The courses available there are held in 4 quadrants :

1. Video lectures

2. Specially prepared reading material that can be downloaded/printed

3. Self-assessment tests via tests and quizzes

4. Online discussion forum for clearing doubts

JEEVAN KAUSHAL PROGRAMME

News: Ministry of Human Resource and Development has launched the Curriculum for Life

Skills (Jeevan Kaushal) programme in the curriculum for undergraduate courses across

India.

Facts:

● The Curriculum for Life Skills (JeevanKaushal) programme has been designed by the

University Grants Commission (UGC).

● Aim: inculcating emotional and intellectual competencies in higher education students and

help them overcome stress and manage time effectively.

● The life skills programme will comprise of four courses namely

○ communication skills

○ professional skills

○ leadership skills and

○ Universal human values.

● The programme will also focus on teamwork, problem-solving and decision-making among others.


About UGC:

● The University Grants Commission of India (UGC India) is a statutory body set

up by the Indian Union government in accordance with the UGC Act, 1956 under


Ministry of Human Resource Development

● It is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.

● UGC also provides recognition to universities in India and disburses funds to such

recognised universities and colleges.

SCIENTIFIC SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY POLICY

News: Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology has released

draft Scientific Social Responsibility Policy. If implemented, India will become the first country in

the world to implement a Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) Policy on the lines of Corporate

Social Responsibility (CSR).

Facts:

● What is Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR)?

The draft defines SSR as the ethical obligation of knowledge workers in all fields of science and

technology to voluntarily contribute their knowledge and resources to the widest spectrum of

stakeholders in society, in a spirit of service and conscious reciprocity.

● Aim of the policy: to strengthen science and society linkages so as to make S&T ecosystem vibrant.

● Objectives:

○ Science-society connect: Facilitating inclusive and sustainable development by

transferring the benefits of scientific work to meet existing and emerging societal needs

○ Science-science connect: Creating an enabling environment for the sharing of ideas and

resources within the knowledge ecosystem.

○ Society-science connect: Collaborating with communities to identify problems and develop

scientific and technological solutions.

○ Cultural change: Inculcating social responsibility among individuals and institutions

practicing science; creating awareness about SSR within society; and infusing scientific

temperament into day-to-day social existence and interaction.

● Stakeholders: It would involve four different categories of stakeholders: beneficiaries,

implementers, assessors and supporters (BIAS).

● Features of the Draft policy:

○ Under the proposed policy, individual scientists or knowledge workers will be required to

devote at least 10 person-days of SSR per year for exchanging scientific knowledge to society.

○ The draft policy has proposed to give credit to knowledge workers or scientists for

individual SSR activities in their annual performance appraisal and evaluation.

○ No institution would be allowed to outsource or sub-contract their SSR activities and projects.

○ A central agency will be established at DST to implement the SSR. Other ministries would

also be encouraged to make their own plans to implement SSR as per their mandate.

● Benefits:

○ Expansion of the domain of science and its benefits to the community.

○ Creation of an opportunity for cooperation and sharing of S&T resources in laboratories

with other researchers in universities and colleges.

○ Training for skill development and upgrading scientific knowledge.


○ Helping MSMEs, Startups and informal sector enterprises in increasing their overall

productivity.

○ Facilitating scientific intervention in rural innovation.

○ Empowering women, disadvantaged and weaker sections of society through scientific

intervention.

○ Facilitating actions towards addressing Technology Vision 2035 Prerogatives and Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs) of the country such as water, ecology, health and livelihood.

SCHOOL EDUCATION QUALITY INDEX (SEQI)

News: NITI Aayog has released the first edition of the School Education Quality Index (SEQI) based

on data for 2016-17.

Facts:

About SEQI:

● SEQI has been developed by NITI Aayog to evaluate the performance of States and Union

Territories (UTs) in the school education sector.

● It has been developed through a collaborative process including key stakeholders such as the

Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), the World Bank and sector experts.

Aim:

● SEQI aims to drive policy reforms that will improve the quality of school education.

● The index seeks to institutionalise a focus on enhancing education outcomes by driving

improvements in learning levels, access, equity, infrastructure and governance processes.

Composition:

● SEQI is based on a set of 30 critical indicators that measure the overall effectiveness,

quality and efficiency of the Indian school education system.

CATEGORY DOMAIN

OUTCOMES 1. Learning outcomes

2. Access outcomes

3. Infrastructure & facilities for outcomes

4. Equity outcomes

GOVERNANCE PROCESSES

AIDING OUTCOMES

A. support system necessary for learning to take place like

training and availability of teachers.

B. attendance of students and teachers

C. administrative adequacy

D. Accountability

E. transparency

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1586699


Ranking process:

● The States and UTs were ranked on their overall performance in the reference year 2016-17

as well as on the change in their performance between the reference year and base year

(2015-16).

● To facilitate like-to-like comparisons, States and UTs have been grouped as Large States,

Small States and Union Territories.

● Within each of these groups, the indicator values have been appropriately scaled,

normalized and weighted to generate an overall performance score and ranking for each

State and UT.

Key takeaways from the index:

● Among the large States, Kerala bagged the top spot followed by Rajasthan and Karnataka

while Uttar Pradesh scored the lowest for 2016-17.

● However, Haryana, Assam and Uttar Pradesh showed the most improvement in their

performance in 2016-17 in comparison to the base year of 2015-16.

● Among the small States, Manipur emerged as the top performer while Arunachal Pradesh

came last in the category.

● Among Union Territories, Chandigarh stood at the top position while Lakshadweep ranked lowest.

● But it is to be noted that all seven UTs have shown an improvement in their performance.


NITI Aayog:

● The NITI Aayog was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet on January 1,2015.

● It is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India providing both directional

and policy inputs.It had replaced planning commission as the premier think tank.

● The NITI Aayog has been mandated with fostering cooperative federalism through structured

support initiatives and mechanisms with the States on a continuous basis recognizing that

strong States make a strong nation.

● It also seeks to design and assist the implementation of strategic, long term policy

frameworks and programme initiatives and also monitor their progress and efficacy.

FOOD SAFETY MITRA SCHEME

News: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has launched the Food Safety Mitra Scheme and

Eat Right Smart Jacket.

Facts:

About Food Safety Mitra scheme:

● The scheme aims to create an ecosystem of food safety mitras (FSM) who will help Food

Business organisations (FBO) with licensing and registration, training and auditing hygiene

among others.

http://newsonair.nic.in/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=373025


● FSM is an individual professional certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

(FSSAI) who assists in compliances related to FSS Act, Rules & Regulations.

● The food safety Mitra will have three avatars- Digital Mitra, Trainer Mitra and Hygiene Mitra

depending upon their respective roles and responsibilities.

Significance of the scheme:

● The scheme will lead to improved ease of doing business by creating a transparent and

organized ecosystem.

● It will support food businesses wherein food businesses will be able to get trained service

providers at fair prices - lowering the costs of compliance

About Eat Right Jacket:

● Eat Right Smart Jacket has been introduced to giving an identity to FSSAI staff to ensure

transparent inspection.

● It's embedded with an RFID tag and QR code.It is linked to software to capture entry of

inspection staff into premise for monitoring.


About Eat Right India Movement

● The Eat Right India Movement was launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

(FSSAI) in 2018.

● It is a preventive healthcare measure to trigger social and behavioural change among people.

● The movement aims to improve public health in India and combat negative nutritional

trends to fight lifestyle diseases.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):

● Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory autonomous body

under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It comes under the Ministry of Health & Family

Welfare.

● FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation

and supervision of food safety.

DIGITAL BHARAT DIGITAL SANSKRITI

News: Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism has launched the E-Portal of Centre for

Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) ‘Digital Bharat Digital Sanskriti’.

Facts:

About the Digital Bharat Digital Sanskriti:

● The ‘Digital Bharat Digital Sanskriti’ is an E-portal that will enable dissemination of cultural

education through digital interactive medium into classrooms all over the country.

● The portal will provide a platform for specifically dropout children so that they can join the

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1588630


mainstream and pursue their dreams by making a career out of be it music, painting, or any

other art forms.

● For this initiative,CCRT has tied up with Routes 2 Roots,an NGO for connecting

seamlessly all the CCRT Regional Centres.


About CCRT:

● The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) is an autonomous organisation

under the Ministry of Culture of Government of India.

● It was established in 1979 to support cultural education.

INTENSIFIED MISSION INDRADHANUSH 2.0

News: Government of India will be launching the second phase of Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0.

Facts:

About Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0:

● The Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 will aim to cover the low immunisation pockets.

● It will carry out massive immunisation program in 271 districts across the nation and 652

blocks located in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

● The Mission Indradhanush has increased India’s immunisation coverage significantly to 87%

from 67% in 2014.

● However,official data on India’s immunisation coverage is still 62% given as the National

Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16).

About Mission Indradhanush:

● Mission Indradhanush is a vaccination programme that was launched in the year 2014.

● It aimed to increase full immunization coverage to cover children up to 2 years and pregnant women.

● It represents the seven vaccines that were then included in the Universal Immunisation

Programme against seven diseases: tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, diphtheria,

pertussis, tetanus and measles.

● The number has since risen to 12 with the inclusion of vaccines against measles rubella,

rotavirus, Haemophilus influenzae type-B and polio.

● In a select few states and districts, vaccines are also provided against Japanese

Encephalitis and pneumococcus.

About Intensified Mission Indradhanush:

● The Intensified Mission Indradhanush was launched in October 2017.

● It has aimed to reach each and every child under two years of age and all those pregnant women

who have been left uncovered under the routine immunization programme.

● The special drive has focussed in selected districts and cities to ensure full immunization to

more than 90% by December 2018.

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/87-per-cent-of-india-covered-under-immunisation-programme-govt-6082952/


● Further,Special attention was also given to unserved/low coverage pockets in sub-centre

and urban slums with migratory population.The focus was also on the urban settlements and

cities identified under National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).

● The Vaccine which were supplied were also tracked using the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence

Network and cold chain tracking programme, and distributed using the alternate vaccine

delivery mechanism.

QS INDIAN UNIVERSITY RANKINGS

News: The QS Indian University Rankings, 2020 has been released.

Facts:

About QS University rankings:

● This is the second edition of the standalone rankings for India’s higher education institutions.

● The rankings include 107 Indian universities including public, private, higher education or

deemed universities.

Methodology: The methodology used eight indicators to determine the institutions’ rankings. These were

● academic reputation (weight of 30%),

● employer reputation (20%)

● faculty-student ratio (20%)

● the proportion of staff with a PhD (10%)

● papers per faculty from Scopus database (10%)

● citations per paper from Scopus database (5%)

● the proportion of international students (2.5%) and

● the proportion of international faculty (2.5%).

About the Rankings:

● The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) dominate the list with seven IITs figuring in

the top ten rankings.

● IIT-Bombay was ranked first followed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and IIT-Delhi.

● Further, Delhi University, University of Hyderabad and the Indian Institute of Science are the

only other non-IIT institutions in the top ten.

FEED OUR FUTURE

News: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a cinema advertisement

campaign 'Feed Our Future’ for India.

Facts:

About the Feed Our Future:

● The campaign aims to raise awareness and take steps against hunger and malnutrition in India.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/iits-dominate-india-rankings-iit-bombay-and-iisc-on-top-6080969/

https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/united-nations-wfp-launches-feed-our-future-cinema-ad-campaign-119102100441_1.html


● The purpose of the campaign is also to build a curiosity in the audience to search

'ShareTheMeal' app which integrates food donation.

● ShareTheMeal is an app of UN WFP against global hunger.The app enables users to make

small donations to specific WFP projects and track its progress.

About World Food Programme (WFP):

● The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization fighting

hunger worldwide.It is the food assistance branch of the United Nations.

● The WFP aims to eradicate hunger and malnutrition with the ultimate goal of eliminating the

need for food aid itself.

● It was established in 1961 after the 1960 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

Conference.It is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

● It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its Executive Committee.

● The WFP operations are funded by voluntary donations from world governments,

corporations and private donors.

PRAKASH PORTAL

News: Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Union Minister of

Coal has launched PRAKASH portal.

Facts:

About the portal:

● PRAKASH stands for Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony.

● The portal aims at bringing better coordination for coal supplies among all stakeholders

namely Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Coal India, Railways and power utilities.

● The portal is developed by NTPC and sources data from different stakeholders such as

Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) and coal

companies.

● This portal will play an important role in ensuring adequate availability and optimum

utilization of coal at thermal power plants.

Benefits of Portal to the Stakeholders:

● Coal company will be able to track stocks and the coal requirement at power stations for

effective production planning

● Indian Railways will be able to plan to place the coal quantity as per actual coal available at power stations.

● Power stations can plan future schedule by knowing coal quantities in pipe line and

expected time to reach.

● Ministry of Power /Ministry of Coal can review overall availability of coal at thermal power

plants in different regions.


About Central Electricity Authority:



● CEA is an organization originally constituted under Section 3(1) of the repealed Electricity

(Supply) Act,1948, since substituted by Section 70 of the Electricity Act, 2003.

● It’s objective is to formulate National Electricity Plan every five years for optimum

utilization of available resources for power generation.

● It works under the Ministry of Power and is located in New Delhi.

About NTPC:

● NTPC is India’s largest power utility.It was established in 1975.

● It was incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 and is promoted by the Government of India.

● The headquarters of the company is situated in New Delhi.

About Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS):

● The Ministry of Railways set up CRIS as a society in July 1986.

● It designs, develops, implements and maintains most of the important information systems

of Indian Railways.

● It is headquartered in New Delhi.

PERFORMANCE SMART BOARD

News: The Ministry of Electronics and IT(MEITY) has launched an Automated Real Time

Performance Smart- Board.

Facts:

About the Smart-Board:

● The board will act as a single window access for Centre, State or District specific projects

implemented by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEITY).

● The smart-board is expected to promote transparency and enhance ease of working.

● The board will provide real-time, dynamic analytical project monitoring for critical and

high priority Programme or schemes of MeitY.

● It will also enhance analysis through data integration by consolidating multiple data

sources into one centralized, easy-to-access platform.

YOUTH CO: LAB

News: Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP) India has launched an initiative called Youth Co:Lab.

Facts:

About Youth Co:Lab:

● Youth Co:Lab was co-created in 2017 by UNDP and the Citi Foundation.

● It is operational in 25 countries across the Asia Pacific region.

● The initiative aims to create an enabling ecosystem to promote youth leadership, innovation,

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/it-ministry-launches-performance-smart-board-for-monitoring-key-programmes/articleshow/71426654.cms



and social entrepreneurship.

● It will also spread awareness about different issues pertaining to youth, the future of

work and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through Youth Co:Lab

● The initiative also allows young entrepreneurs and innovators to get a chance to connect

with governments, mentors, incubators and investors who will help equip them with

entrepreneurial skills.

The first phase of Youth Co:Lab will focus on six SDGs which are

● SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

● SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)

● SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)

● SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

● SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production) and

● SDG 13 (Climate Action).


About Atal innovation mission (AIM):

● The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) was set up by NITI Aayog in 2016.

● It aims to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

● It seeks to create institutions and programs that enhance innovation in schools, colleges,

and entrepreneurs in general.

About UNDP:

● The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN's global development network.

● UNDP was established in 1965 by the General Assembly of the United Nations.It is

headquartered in New York,US.

● It provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing

emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries.

● UNDP is central to the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG).

● UN SDG is a network that spans 165 countries and unites the 40 UN funds, programmes,

specialized agencies and other bodies working to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable

Development.

NITI Aayog:

● The NITI Aayog was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet on January 1,2015.

● It is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India providing both directional

and policy inputs.It had replaced planning commission as the premier think tank.

● The NITI Aayog has been mandated with fostering cooperative federalism through structured

support initiatives and mechanisms with the States on a continuous basis recognizing that

strong States make a strong nation.

AUDIO ODIGOS

https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=193612


News: Ministry of Tourism has launched the Audio Guide facility Audio Odigos for 12 sites of India

(including Iconic Sites).

Facts:

About Audio Odigos:

● Audio guide Odigo offers the Government of India verified content with visuals & voice over support.

● The app allows tourists to enjoy a more enriching experience and takes them back to

historical insights into Indian culture and heritage.

● The App also contains an inbuilt map of the site for smooth navigation during the tour.

● The listeners will be offered various versions of history like synopsis, detailed history and

podcasts. The audio can be chosen in their preferred language.

The 12 sites where Audio Odigos can be used are:

Rajasthan Amer Fort

Delhi Chandni Chowk, Red Fort, Purana Quila and Humayun’s tomb

Uttar Pradesh Fatehpur Sikri and Taj Mahal

Gujarat Somnath and Dholavira

Madhya Pradesh Khajuraho

Tamil Nadu Mahabalipuram

Bihar Mahabodhi Temple


About Iconic Tourists sites:

● Iconic tourists’ sites initiative aims to develop world-class tourist destinations to serve as a

model for other tourism sites.

● The nodal ministry for the implementation of the initiative will be the Ministry of

Tourism. This initiative is primarily aimed at enhancing India’s soft power.

● The initiative will aim at overall development of the tourist destinations which includes

roads and infrastructure, skill development, development of technology, attracting

private investment and branding and marketing.

● The Centre has identified 17 sites in the country for development under the Iconic

Tourist Sites Development Project.

● The 17 sites are (a) Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh) (b) Ajanta & Ellora

(Maharashtra) (c) Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort and Qutub Minar (Delhi) (d) Colva (Goa) (e)

Ajmer Fort (Rajasthan) (f) Somnath and Dholavira (Gujarat) (g) Khajuraho (Madhya

Pradesh) (h) Hampi (Karnataka) (I) Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), (j) Kaziranga (Assam)

(j) Kumarakom (Kerala) and (k) Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar).


NATIONAL TESTING AGENCY

News: National Testing Agency has sought permission from the Central Government to use Aadhaar

data for the 2020 NEET exam.

Facts:

About National Testing Agency:

● National Testing Agency (NTA) was established as a Society registered under the Indian

Societies Registration Act, 1860.

● It is an autonomous and self-sustained testing organization to conduct entrance

examinations for admission/fellowship in higher educational institutions.

● It aims to conduct efficient, transparent and international standards tests in order to

assess the competency of candidates for admission and recruitment purposes.

Composition:

● NTA is chaired by an eminent educationist appointed by the Ministry of HRD.

● The CEO will be the Director General to be appointed by the Government.

● There will be a Board of Governors comprising members from user institutions.

● The Director General will be assisted by 9 verticals headed by academicians/ experts.

Significance of NTA:

● Establishment of a specialized testing body like NTA has relieved the agencies such as CBSE,

AICTE of their responsibilities of conducting Entrance examinations.

● NTA has also launched a ‘mobile app’ and Test Practice Centres (TPC’s) through which

students can practice or take mock tests on their own computers or smartphones.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (TAP)

News: Union Minister of Textiles has announced that India will cover five more African countries in

the second phase of its cotton technical assistance programme (TAP) for the region.

Facts:

About TAP Programme:

● TAP is a technical assistance programme for Cotton sector by the Department of Commerce of India.

● The first phase of programme from 2012 to 2018 had focussed on 6 African countries

namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda.

● The programme aims at improving the competitiveness of the cotton and cotton-based

textiles and apparel industry in these countries through a series of interventions which

had significant outcomes leading to a demand for a follow-on project.

● In the five year long second phase, the programme will be scaled up in size and coverage

and will be introduced in five additional countries, namely Mali, Ghana, Togo, Zambia and

Tanzania.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/aadhaar-likely-to-be-must-for-neet/articleshow/71460629.cms

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/india-to-expand-cotton-assistance-programme-to-5-more-african-nations-in-2nd-phase/articleshow/71482649.cms


Technical Assistance Programme (TAP) covers the following broad areas:

● Increasing cotton production (area expansion and productivity enhancement)

● Improving Extension & Support Service Efficiency

● Enhancing R&D/ Quality Control

● Marketing/Distribution Infrastructure

● Strengthening/development of cotton residue-based value addition industry

● Creating/Strengthening Downstream Industry in Textiles and Clothing.

PRADHAN MANTRI INNOVATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMME

(PMILP)- ‘DHRUV’

News: Union Human Resource Development Minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Innovative

Learning Programme- ‘DHRUV’ from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Facts:

About the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme- ‘DHRUV’:

● The programme is named DHRUV after the Pole Star with the same name.Every student

selected under this programme will be called as ‘Dhruv Tara’.

● The programme aims at identifying and encouraging talented children to enrich their

skills and knowledge.

● Under this programme, the identified children will be mentored and nurtured by renowned

experts in centres of excellence across the country in different areas so that they can reach

their full potential.

Features of the programme:

● The program will cover two areas namely (a)Science and (b)Performing Arts.

● There will be 60 students selected under this programme.

● The students will be broadly from classes 9 to 12 from all schools including government and private.

● This is only the first phase of the programme which will be expanded gradually to other

fields like creative writing among others.

MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP (MGNF)

PROGRAMME

News: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed a contract

with Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Bangalore to launch a new programme 'Mahatma

Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF)'.

Facts:

About Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF):

● Aim: The program aims to address the challenge of non-availability of personnel for

implementation of various programmes at national, state and district levels.







● Implementation: The two-year Fellowship programme will be delivered by IIMB’s

Centre of Public Policy (CPP).

● CPP is an independent public interest-oriented policy think-tank engaged in research, teaching,

training, and capacity-building.

● Eligibility: The person must be a citizen of India in the age group of 21-30 years and should

possess a graduate degree from a recognised university.

Features of the programme:

● The programme will identify and train a group of young, committed and dynamic individuals

who will use the IIMB ecosystem to work with the district administration in strengthening

the process of skilling to create a vibrant local district economy.

● It will be launched on a pilot basis in 75 districts in 6 states including Gujarat, Karnataka,

Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

● It has been designed under Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood

Promotion (SANKALP).


About SANKALP:

● SANKALP is an outcome-oriented programme of Ministry of Skills Development &

Entrepreneurship (MSDE) with a special focus on decentralised planning and quality

improvement.

● The project is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and is implemented in mission mode through

World Bank support.

● The project aims to implement the mandate of the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM).

● The main objectives of SANKALP include (a)Institutional Strengthening (at National, State &

District level) (b) Quality Assurance of skill development programs (c) Inclusion of

marginalised population in skill development and (d) Expanding Skills through Public

Private Partnerships (PPPs).

SURAKSHIT MATRITVA AASHWASAN (SUMAN) SCHEME

News: The Union Government has launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) to provide

quality healthcare at zero cost to pregnant women, new mothers and newborns.

Facts:

About SUMAN:

● The scheme aims to provide dignified and quality health care at no cost to every woman and

newborn visiting a public health facility in order to bring down maternal and infant mortality

rates in the country.

● Under the scheme, pregnant women, mothers up to 6 months after delivery and all sick

newborns will be able to avail free healthcare benefits such as four antenatal check-ups

and six home-based newborn care visits.

● The scheme will enable zero expense access to the identification and management of


complications during and after the pregnancy.

● The government will also provide free transport from home to health institutions.

● The pregnant women will also have a zero-expense delivery and C-section facility in case

of complications at public health facilities.

● The government will also provide free transport to pregnant women from home to the

health facility and drop back after discharge (minimum 48 hrs).

● The scheme will ensure that there is zero-tolerance for denial of services to such patients.


Maternal mortality rate:

● Maternal mortality refers to the number of maternal deaths which occur due to pregnancy or

as a result of a complication of the same.

● Maternal mortality rate (MMR) is taken as the number of recorded maternal deaths, for every

1 lakh live births.

● According to the government, India’s maternal mortality rate has declined from 254 per

1,00,000 live births in 2004-06 to 130 in 2014-16.

Infant mortality rate:

● Infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under

one year of age.

● Between 2001 and 2016, the infant mortality rate has also come down from 66 per 1,000 live births to 34.

YUVA SAHAKAR-COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE SUPPORT AND

INNOVATION SCHEME

News: Yuva Sahakar scheme was launched at the opening ceremony of the first ever ‘India

International Cooperatives Trade Fair’.

Facts:

About Yuva Sahakar scheme:

● The scheme has been formulated by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).

● This scheme is launched to promote young entrepreneurs in the cooperatives.

● This scheme comes under the ‘Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare’.

Objective:

● The objective of NCDC Yuva Sahakar Yojana is to motivate and promote the entrepreneurs of

India in the Cooperative Enterprise and those individuals working for business.

● This is done by providing cheaper loans for initiating startups in the cooperative sectors.

Features of Yuva Sahakar Scheme:

● NCDC has produced a dedicated fund with entitling youth to avail the scheme.

● The scheme is linked with Rs 1000 crores of the Cooperative Start-up and Innovation Fund

that has been authorised by the NCDC.

● The scheme provides more incentives to the cooperatives working in the North Eastern


region and the aspirational districts.

● Exclusive benefits are also provided for women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates.

● The funding for the project will be up to 80% of the project cost for these special categories

as against 70% for others.


About NCDC:

● National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) was established by an Act of

Parliament in 1963 as a statutory Corporation under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers

Welfare.

● It has many regional centres to provide financial assistance to Cooperatives or Societies or Federations.

SARAS AAJEEVIKA MELA:

News: Ministry of Rural Development is organising SARAS Aajeevika Mela at India Gate Lawns

from 10th October to 23rd October, 2019.

Facts:

About Saras Aajeevika Mela:

● SARAS Aajeevika Mela is an initiative under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural

Livelihoods Mission (DAY – NRLM).

● The Mela is organised by Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural

Technology (CAPART), the marketing arm of the Ministry of Rural development.

● The objective of the initiative is to bring the rural women SHGs – Self Help Groups under one platform.

● This is to help them showcase their skills, sell their products and build linkages with buyers.


About National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM):

● Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana -National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was launched

by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India in 2011.

● The objective of the Mission is to promote sustainable livelihoods for the poor such that they

come out of poverty.

● The institutions of the poor are intended to facilitate (a) access to formal credit (b)

support for diversification and strengthening of livelihoods and (c) access to entitlements

and public services.

● The mission is aided in part through investment support by the World Bank.

● The mission has set out with an agenda to cover 7 Crore rural poor households through self-

managed Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and federated institutions and support them for

livelihoods collectives in a period of 8-10 years.

JAL JEEVAN MISSION:



News: As part of the Jal Jeevan Mission, Rural households will get two to three hours of piped water supply and

14.6 crore such households will be provided piped water connection in the next five years. This was

informed at a meeting of the group of State Governors.

Facts:

About Jal Jeevan Mission:

● Aim: It seeks to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household

tap connections (HarGharJal) to all rural households.

● Implementing Agency: It will be implemented by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation

under the Jal Shakti Ministry.

● Finance:

o The project is estimated to cost Rs 3.60 lakh crore, with the Union government and non-

Northeast and non-Himalayan states sharing the expenses 50:50.

o However, in the case of N-E and Himalayan states, the funding pattern will be 90:10.

o In Union Territories, the Centre will bear the full cost of the programme

● Features:

o It will focus on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.

o It will implement source sustainability measures recharge and reuse through grey water

management, water conservation, rain water harvesting.

o It will converge with other Central and State Government Schemes to achieve its objectives

of sustainable water supply management across India.

o It seeks to generate maximum community participation in the form of 'jan andolan' to

achieve the target of functional household tap connection by 2024.

● Need: According to the Jal Shakti Ministry, only 18% of India’s rural households have access

to piped water. Thus, to improve coverage of households with piped safe drinking water the

mission has been initiated.

VAN DHAN INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME

News: Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched Van Dhan Internship Programme.

Facts:

About Van Dhan Internship Programme

● It is being organised by TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

● 18 interns (to be called Minister’s interns) from some of the reputed Institutes of Rural

Management/ Management Institutions/ Institutes of Social Work/ Social Services of the country

are participating in the programme.

● The period of internship is 6 months (extendable developing upon the need of the organisation

and mutual sustainability.

● Responsibilities of Interns

● Work with the team of TRIFED in various states and districts in tribal areas in the development of

tribal welfare and inclusive growth.


● Support the TRIFED activities on livelihood promotion, value addition of NTFTs, marketing and

credit linkages.

● Develop tools and techniques on institutional development including mechanism for

determination of a just price or producer price of Minor Forest Products.

About Van Dhan Yojana:

● The Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana was launched in 2018. It is a scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

● Aim: It aims to help tribals in optimum utilization of natural resources and provide

sustainable Minor Forest Produce (MFP)-based livelihood. It seeks to help increase tribal

income through value addition of MFP centric products.

● Implementation of the Scheme:

o The scheme is implemented through Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at

the Central Level. TRIFED acts as the Nodal Agency at the National Level.

o At State level, the State Nodal Agency for MFPs and the District collectors are envisaged

to play a pivot role in scheme implementation at grassroot level.

o Locally the Kendras are proposed to be managed by a Managing Committee (an SHG)

consisting of representatives of Van Dhan SHGs in the cluster.

o Under the scheme, Van Dhan Vikas Kendras are set up. These centres cater to 10 Self

Help Groups of and each group consists of thirty tribal gatherers. They are trained and

provided with working capital to add value to the products, which they collect from the

jungle. The first Van Dhan Vikas Kendra was set up in Chattisgarh.

o These SHGs can then market their products within and outside the States through retail

network. Training and technical support is provided by TRIFED.


Minor Forest Produce:

● Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,

2006 defines minor forest produce as all non-timber forest produce of plant origin.

● These include bamboo, brushwood, stumps, canes, cocoon, honey, waxes, Lac, tendu

leaves, medicinal plants and herbs, roots, etc.

● Minor Forest Produce (MFP) is a major source of livelihood for tribals living in forest

areas. Tribals derive 20-40% of their annual income from MFP on which they spend major

portion of their time.

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED):

● It was established in 1987. It functions under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal affairs.

● The basic objective of the TRIFED is to provide good price to the products made or collected from

the forest by the tribal people

GOAL PROGRAM


News: Union Minister of Tribal Affairs has announced the second phase of programme GOAL

(Going Online as Leaders) for tribal women.

Facts:

About the programme:

● Going Online as Leaders (GOAL) is a digital skilling initiative launched by Facebook in March,2019

for underprivileged tribal women.

● The program aims at inspiring, guiding and encouraging tribal girls from across India to

become village- level digital young leaders for their communities.

● In order to become a beneficiary of the program the girls should be above 18 years of age and should

have dropped out of school and should be of tribal origin.

● The initiative seeks to nurture and train young girls from India's tribal heartland across three core areas

- digital literacy, life skills, leadership and entrepreneurship.

● The project also connects the women with senior experts in areas of business, fashion and arts to

learn digital and life skills.

Second phase of the programme:

● In the second phase, the Facebook and Tribal ministry will partner to digitally mentor

5000 young women in India’s tribal dominated districts.

● The program will include weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions. It will also focus on

online safety, entrepreneurship among others.


About Tribal Population in India

● As per the data of 2011 census about 104 million tribal people are living in India. ● Most of the tribal people are living in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal,

Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andaman Nicobar Islands and some north-eastern states.

CREATION/EXPANSION OF FOOD PROCESSING & PRESERVATION CAPACITIES

(CEFPPC) SCHEME

News: An Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) under the chairmanship of Minister of

Food Processing Industries has approved projects worth Rs 271 crore under the

Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities (CEFPPC) scheme.

Facts:

Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities (CEFPPC) scheme

• CEFPPC scheme was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in 2017. It is a

sub- scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).

• The main objective of the Scheme is the creation of processing and preservation

capacities and modernization/expansion of existing food processing units. It seeks to do so

to increase the level of

processing, value addition and reduce wastage.


• The scheme envisages financial assistance to food processing units in the form of grant-

in-aid (maximum Rs. 5 crores) as under:

o 35% of the eligible project cost in General Areas

o 50% of the eligible project cost in the NE States, hilly areas, State Notified Integrated

Tribal Development Project (ITDP) areas

o 50% of the eligible project cost for projects promoted by SC-ST entrepreneurs.

Additional Facts:

Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and

Development of Agro-Processing Clusters)

• The scheme was launched in 2017. It is implemented by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

• It is an umbrella scheme that aims to create modern infrastructure with effective

backward and forward linkages (linking farmers, processors and markets) and efficient

supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlet.

Sub-Schemes:

• Mega Food Park: It seeks to provide modern infrastructure for food processing units in

India. Established in 2012, Srini Food Park in Andhra Pradesh is the first Mega Food Park

in India. The latest Mega Food Park has been established in Nizamabad district, Telangana.

• Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure: It seeks to address post-harvest losses

of horticulture & non-horticulture produce by providing financial assistance in setting up the

integrated cold chain, preservation and value addition infrastructure facilities.

• Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters: It seeks to create modern infrastructure for food

processing closer to production areas and provide preservation infrastructure facilities from the

farm gate to the consumer.

• Creation of Backward and Forward Linkage: It seeks to create effective backward & forward

linkages for perishable Agri-Horti produce through setting up of primary processing centers at farm

gate, distribution hub, and retail outlets at the front end.

• Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure: It seeks to establish a surveillance

system for monitoring the quality and composition of the food.

• Human Resources and Institutions: The objective of the scheme is that end product/

outcome/ findings of R&D work should benefit the food processing industry.

• Creation/ Expansion of Food Processing/ Preservation Capacities (Unit Scheme)

KALABURAGI AIRPORT INAUGURATED IN KARNATAKA UNDER UDAN / RCS

News: The Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme was

launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Facts:

UDAN scheme is a component of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), 2016. The scheme would

be in operation for a period of 10 years.

UDAN - It has a market-based model to develop regional connectivity. It functions as follows:


• Interested airline and helicopter operators can start operations on un-connected routes

by submitting proposals to the Airport Authority of India, which is the implementing

agency of the scheme.

• The operators could seek a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) apart from getting various concessions.

• State governments are mandated to lower the VAT on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to 1%

or less, besides providing security and fire services free of cost and electricity, water and

other utilities at substantially concessional rates.

• All such route proposals are then offered for competitive bidding through a reverse

bidding mechanism and the route is awarded to the participant quoting the lowest VGF per

Seat.

• The successful bidder is then given exclusive rights to operate the route for a period of three years.

The support from the government would be withdrawn after a three-year period, as by that time, the

route is expected to become self-sustainable.

• The airlines have to cap airfares for 50% of the total seats at Rs. 2,500 per hour of flight.

SWACHH SURVEKSHAN GRAMIN AWARDS, 2019 - DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING

WATER AND SANITATION (DDWS), MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

News: Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2019 awards have been conferred upon top ranked states,

union territories, and districts in the various categories on the occasion of World Toilet Day (19th

November)

Facts:

Swachh Survekshan Gramin provides national ranking of all districts and states of India on the

basis of quantitative and qualitative sanitation (Swachhata) parameters. It assesses rural areas

for their levels of cleanliness and active implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission.

Weightage: The weights to different criteria of the SSG are as follows:

• Direct Observation of sanitation in public places (30%).

• Citizen’s Feedback including feedback from common citizens, key influencers at the village

level and citizens online using the App (35%)

• Service Level Progress on sanitation related parameters (35%).

Key takeaways from the survey:

• Top 3 States – 1) Tamil Nadu, 2) Haryana, Gujarat

• Top 3 Districts – 1) Peddapalli, Telangana, 2) Faridabad, Haryana, 3) Rewari, Haryana

• State with maximum citizen participation –Uttar Pradesh

Note: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs takes up the Swachh Survekshan in urban areas

Additional Facts:

World Toilet Day- World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19th November every year. The United Nations General

Assembly designated 19 November as World Toilet Day through a resolution in 2013.

• It seeks to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve

Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which promises sanitation for all by 2030.

• 2019 Theme: Leaving No One Behind


A FIVE-POINT ACTION PLAN TO MAKE INDIA NUTRITION

SECURE: M. S. SWAMINATHAN

News: At the launch programme of Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK), eminent agricultural scientist, M.

S. Swaminathan has put forward a Five-point action plan to make India nutrition secure.

Facts:

Five-point Action Plan:

• Ensure a calorie-rich diet for women, expectant mothers, and children

• Ensure intake of proteins in the form of pulses to eradicate protein hunger in women and children

• Eradicate hidden hunger due to deficiency of micronutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B,

Iron and Zinc

• Ensure clean drinking water supply

• Spreading nutrition literacy in every village particularly in mothers with children less than 100

days’ old

Additional Facts:

Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK): It has been launched by the Ministry of Women and

Child Development. The BPKK will be a repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-climatic

zones in India for better nutritional outcomes.

INTENSIFIED MISSION INDRADHANUSH (IMI) 2.0

News: Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 will be rolled out on 2nd December 2019 and

it will continue till March 2020

Facts:

Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) - It was launched in 2017. It aimed to reach each and

every child under two years of age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered

under the routine immunization programme. The special drive has focussed in selected districts

and cities to ensure full immunization to more than 90% by December 2018.

Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0

Aim: To escalate efforts to achieve the goal of attaining a 90% national immunization coverage

across India Coverage: The program will be delivered in 272 districts of 27 states and 652 blocks

of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar among hard-to-reach and tribal populations.

Salient Features of IMI 2.0:

• Immunization activity will be in 4 rounds

• Enhanced immunization session with flexible timing, mobile session & mobilization by

other departments


• Enhanced focus on left outs, dropouts, and resistant families & hard to reach areas

• Focus on urban, underserved population and tribal areas.

Additional Facts:

Mission Indradhanush - It was launched to strengthen the universal immunization programme

of 1985. It was launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It aims to cover

by 2020, all those children up to 2 years of age and pregnant women who are either unvaccinated or

partially vaccinated against

vaccine-preventable diseases.

• Diseases Covered: Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B,

Pneumonia and Meningitis due to Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib), Measles, Rubella,

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus diarrhoea.

UNDP LAUNCHES ACCELERATOR LAB IN INDIA TO WORK ON

TACKLING POLLUTION

News: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched its Accelerator Lab in

India.

Facts:

UNDP’s Accelerator lab: The Accelerator Lab is an innovative initiative by the UNDP, Qatar

Government and the Federal Republic of Germany to find 21st century solutions to today's complex

new challenges.

• These labs seek to identify grassroots solutions together with local actors and validate

their potential to accelerate development.

Key approaches of Accelerator Lab: The four key approaches sit at the core of the Labs’ work are:

• Building on locally sourced solutions, finding things that work and expanding on them

• Rapid testing and iteration to implement what works and go beyond the obvious solutions

• Combining the best understanding, ideas and expertise to generate collective knowledge

• Accelerating progress by bringing expertise, creativity and collective intelligence to bear.

Accelerator Lab in India:

• The lab has been launched by UNDP in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission and will

look to solve issues through innovative solutions.

• It will seek to address some of the most pressing issues facing India, such as air

pollution, sustainable water management and client-resilient livelihoods through

innovation.

• The vision is also to make faster progress in meeting the ambitious Sustainable

• Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) by 2030.

CLAP PORTAL

News: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs has launched Credit-linked Subsidy Services


Awas Portal (CLAP) for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

Facts:

• The portal provides a transparent and robust real-time web-based monitoring system for

credit- linked Subsidy Services (CLSS) beneficiaries.

• Using the portal, a beneficiary can track his application status in real-time.

Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC-India): Global Housing Technology Challenge-

India was launched in January 2019.

• It aims to transform the ecosystem of housing construction sector in the country through

lighthouse projects built using advanced proven technologies.

• It will foster the development of domestic technological research and building platforms for

knowledge sharing and networking across the sector.

• The challenge is an initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U).

Additional Facts:

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban): Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) - Housing for All

Mission was launched on 25th June 2015. The objective of the Mission is to provide Central

assistance to implementing agencies through States/Union Territories (UTs) for providing

houses to all eligible families/beneficiaries by 2022.

Components of the scheme:

• Slum rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using land

as a resource

• Promotion of Affordable Housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS)

• Affordable Housing in Partnership with Public & Private sector

• Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancement.

Features of the scheme:

• The scheme is being implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) except for the

component of credit linked subsidy which will be implemented as a Central Sector

Scheme.

• Through the Credit linked subsidy, the Government of India aims at increasing the credit

flow in institutions to meet the housing needs of the urban poor population in our country.

• Credit Linked Subsidy will be implemented by two central nodal agencies in India, namely

Housing Urban Development Corp and National Housing Bank.

National Housing Bank (NHB) - NHB was set up in 1988 under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987. It is

an apex financial institution for housing.

• Its objective is to operate as a principal agency to promote housing finance institutions both

at local and regional levels and to provide financial and other support incidental to such

institutions and for

matters connected therewith.

• Recently, RBI had divested its stake in National Housing Bank (NHB) and National Bank

for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) by making them fully government owned.

Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO) - It is the premier techno-

financing public sector enterprise, in the field of housing and infrastructure development in our

country. The corporation is headquartered in New Delhi and operates through a strong and multi-

disciplinary work force placed over its nationwide network of regional and development offices.


PRADHAN MANTRI KAUSHAL VIKAS YOJANA (PMKVY)

News: Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has informed Lok Sabha that there are

certain incentives to encourage participation of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) under Pradhan

Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

Facts:

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill

Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched in the year 2015.It is implemented by

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

• The scheme aims to cover 10 million youth during the period 2016 -2020 to take up industry-

relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.

• There are certain incentives to encourage participation of Persons with Disabilities (PwD)

under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

Components of the scheme:

• Short Term Training: Training as per National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) is

provided to those who are either school/college dropouts or unemployed.

• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): An individual with a certain set of skills or with prior

learning experience is assessed and certified under RPL with grade according to the NSQF.

• Special Projects: This component ensures training in special areas and premises of

government bodies and corporate. It aims to encourage training in vulnerable and

marginalized groups of society.

• Training Partners (TPs): They are mandated to organize Kaushal and Rozgar Melas every six

months, thus providing placement assistance to certified ones.

• Monitoring: To ensure that high standards of quality are maintained by training centres,

NSDC and empanelled inspection agencies shall use various methodologies such as self-

audit reporting, call validations among others.

Additional Facts:

NSDC: National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is a not-for-profit public limited

company incorporated in 2008 under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956.

• The Government of India through Ministry of Skills Development & Entrepreneurship

(MSDE) holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC while the private sector has the balance

51% of the share capital.

• The overall objective of NSDC is to create training capacity in the country, fund vocational

training initiatives and create a market ecosystem for skill development.

NSQF: The National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) is a competency-based

framework that organizes all qualifications according to a series of levels of knowledge, skills

and aptitude.

KHELO INDIA – NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SPORTS


News: Khelo India Programme was introduced by the Ministry of Sports and Youth affairs to revive

sports culture in India at grass-root level.

Facts:

• The programme is the merger of following schemes (a) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan

(RGKA) (b) Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS) and (c) National Sports Talent

Search Scheme (NSTSS). • Under the programme, talented players are identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels

by High- Powered Committed and each will be provided annual • financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakhs for 8 years. • Further, Khelo India School Games are also conducted as a part of the Khelo India programme. • The first edition of Khelo India was held in Delhi and second edition (Khelo India 2.0) held in Pune.

Components of the programme: To accomplish the above objectives, Khelo India programme

has been divided into 12 verticals, as shown in the figure.

TO ENSURE POST-MARKETING SAFETY OF VACCINES, GOVERNMENT TO

EXPAND THE REACH OF 3S PROJECT

News: The central government has decided to expand the reach of the Smart Safety Surveillance

or 3S programme to optimize post-marketing surveillance of priority drugs and vaccines.

Facts:

Smart Safety Surveillance (3S) Programme: The programme was introduced by the World

Health Organization (WHO) in India considering limited safety data on vaccines in the country.

• The programme is implemented with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates

Foundation to strengthen pharmacovigilance (the practice of monitoring the effects of

medical drugs after they have been licensed for use) systems in developing nations.

• Under the programme, the Government of India is trying to strengthen the collaboration

among key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health and Central Drugs Standard

Control Organisation (CDSCO) to ensure high levels of vigilance.

• Currently, under the programme India is evaluating the safety of recently introduced

rotavirus vaccines.

Significance of the programme: According to the ministry of health and family welfare, new

medical products often enter the market with limited safety data from clinical trials, which evaluate

small controlled populations. Therefore, for immunization programmes, post-marketing safety and

surveillance is essential to monitor the risk-benefit profile of a product in the wider population.

Additional Facts:

Rotavirus: Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea among infants and children

throughout the world. Rotavirus is transmitted by the faecal-oral route via contact with contaminated

hands, surfaces and objects and possibly by the respiratory route.

Rotavac: It is a live attenuated, monovalent vaccine containing a G9P [11] human strain isolated

from an Indian child manufactured by Bharat Biotech International Limited. t is given by mouth in a

three-dose series, 4 weeks apart, beginning at 6 weeks of age up until 8 months of age.

CDSCO: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is the national regulatory body for


Indian pharmaceuticals and medical device.

• CDSCO functions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940. It comes under the

Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

• CDSCO is responsible for (a) approval of New Drugs (b) Conduct of Clinical Trials, (c) laying

down the standards for Drugs (d) control over the quality of imported drugs in the

country and (e) coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organizations by

providing expert advice with a view to bring about uniformity in the enforcement of the

Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

TARGET OLYMPIC PODIUM SCHEME

News: The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports is implementing Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

Facts:

The Target Olympic Podium Scheme is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and

Sports launched in 2014. The scheme has been formulated under the ambit of the National Sports

Development Fund (NSDF).

• The scheme aims at identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for the upcoming

Olympic Games and provide selected sportspersons customized training at institutes

having world class facilities and also other necessary support is being provided to the elite

athletes.

• It will also provide a benchmark for selection of athletes on par with international standards.

• Under it, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and federations which are members of Mission

Olympic Cell (MOC) will be the nodal agencies for disbursal for fund. They will make

payments directly to beneficiary person and institution concerned on behalf of athletes.


TOPS SPORTS: High-Priority’ sports (Archery, Badminton, Boxing Hockey, Shooting and Wrestling).

Additional Facts:

National Sports Development Fund (NSDF): The National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)

was established in November 1998 under Charitable Endowments Act,1890 with the aim of

promotion of sports and games in the Country.

• The Fund is managed by a Council constituted by the Central Government. Union

Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports is the Chairperson of the council.

• The Joint Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports

is the ex- officio Member Secretary of the Council.

• NSDF aims to mobilize resources from Government as well as non-government

organizations and individuals to provide required support for promotion of specific

sports disciplines and improving performance of Indian sports in the major

international events.

MISSION RAFTAAR OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

News: Mission Raftaar of Indian Railways was announced in the Railway Budget 2016-17.

Facts:

The mission envisages a target of doubling of the average speed of freight trains and increasing the

average speed of all non-suburban passenger trains by 25 kmph in the next 5 years.

• The mission has helped the trains to reduce travel time for passengers, transit time for cargo,

reduce operational cost, improve revenues and railway’s market share.

Additional Facts:

Other missions of Indian Railways:

• Mission 25 Tonne: It aims to increase revenue of Railways by augmenting the carrying capacity. To

achieve this 10-20% freight loading will be done through 25-tonne axle-load wagons in 2016-17

and target movement of 70% of freight traffic on high axle load wagons by FY19-20.

• Mission Zero Accident: It comprises of two sub missions

o Elimination of unmanned level crossings: The goal is to eliminate all

unmanned level crossings on Broad Gauge in the next 3-4 years through innovative

financing mechanisms.

It will reduce deaths due to accidents and improve throughput of the network

o TCAS (Train Collision Avoidance System): An indigenous technology has

been developed to equip 100% of the High-Density Network with TCAS in the next 3

years. This will prevent head on collisions and improve throughput by increasing

average sectional

speeds.

• Mission PACE (Procurement and Consumption Efficiency): This mission aims to

improve our procurement and consumption practices to improve the quality of goods and


services.

o It will introduce a culture of optimum usage by adopting practices such as Vendor Managed

Inventory, new procedures for identification and disposal of scrap among others.

• Mission Hundred: This mission will commission at least a hundred sidings in the next 2 years.

o The current siding/ PFT policy would be revised to elicit greater private

participation. An online portal will be operated for accepting and processing all new

applications, alongwith

decentralization of powers.

• Mission beyond book-keeping: The mission will establish an accounting system where

outcomes can be tracked to inputs.

o This will transform IR as right accounting would determine right costing and

hence right pricing and right outcomes.

• Mission Capacity Utilisation: The mission proposes to prepare a blueprint for making

full use of the huge new capacity that will be created through two Dedicated Freight

Corridors between Delhi- Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata scheduled to be commissioned by

2019.

AMMAKU AKSHARA MALA HAS INCREASED FEMALE

LITERACY RATE IN TELANGANA News: The female literacy rate in Telangana’s Sangareddy district has increased drastically as they

were home-schooled by their own children.

Facts:

• In 2017, the district administration in Telangana’s Sangareddy district has developed

‘Ammaku Akshara Mala’ (alphabet garland for mother) and involved students in Classes

VII to X.

• They were asked to teach their mothers (mostly members of the Self-Help Groups and not

literate) to read and write Telugu alphabets at home.

Additional Facts:

Saakshar Bharat Mission (SBM): Saakshar Bharat Programme was formulated in 2009 by the

Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD). It is a Centrally sponsored programme.

• The programme aims to achieve 80% literacy level at national level by focusing on adult

women literacy. The programme also seeks to reduce the gap between male and female

literacy to not more than 10 percentage points.

Objectives of the programme: It has four broader objectives namely

• imparting functional literacy and numeracy to non-literates

• acquiring equivalency to the formal educational system

• imparting relevant skill development programme and

• promote a learning society by providing opportunities for continuing education.

Eligibility criteria for coverage under Saakshar Bharat:

• A district that had adult female literacy rate of 50% or below as per the 2001 census

• All left-wing extremism-affected districts irrespective of their literacy rate.


NATIONAL MISSION 'NISHTHA' LAUNCHED IN J&K

News: National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) was

launched in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Facts:

NISHTHA stands for National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement.

• The objective of the programme is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster

critical thinking in students.

• The programme aims to build the capacities of around 42 lakh participants covering (a) all

teachers and heads of elementary Government schools (b) faculty members of State

Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs) and District Institutes of

Education and Training (DIETs) and (c) Block Resource Coordinators and Cluster

Resource Coordinators in all States and UTs.

• Under the programme, the teachers will develop their skills on various aspects related to (a) Learning Outcomes (b) School Safety and Security (c) ICT in teaching and learning including Artificial Intelligence (d) Environmental Concerns and (e)

• School Based Assessment. • The training will be conducted by Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and State Resource Persons

(SRP) • identified by the State and UTs.

• KRPs will in turn be trained by 120 National Resource Persons identified from National

Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

SKILLS BUILD PLATFORM

News: The Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the Ministry of Skill Development &

Entrepreneurship (MSDE) announced the launch of the Skills Build platform in collaboration with IBM.

Facts:

• The skill builds platform aims to offer diplomas in IT, networking and cloud computing

at Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) and National Skill Training Institutes (NSTI).

• The platform will also be extended to train ITI and NSTI faculty on AI skills for future work.

• The digital platform will provide a personal assessment of the cognitive capabilities

and personality via MyInner Genius to the students.

Additional Facts:

NSTI: National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) is one of the premier institutes run by the

Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,

Govt.of India.

• It was initially set up by the Directorate General of Employment and Training (DGE&T),

Ministry of Employment and Labour, Govt. of India in the year 1963.


• The main objective of NSTI is to impart training to the instructors of ITIs in the country. It

also aims to impact Quality training & upgrading skills of the industrial workforce in

emerging areas.

ATAL TINKERING LAB

News: A group of selected student innovators of the Atal Tinkering Lab Marathon 2018 has called on the

President of India.

Facts:

About Atal Tinkering lab: Atal Tinkering labs (ATL) have been established under the Atal

Innovation Mission (AIM).

• The objective of this lab is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds

and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning,

physical computing among others.

• AIM will provide grant-in-aid that includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs.10 lakh

and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakhs for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.

• Schools (minimum Grade VI - X) managed by Government, local body or private

trusts/society are eligible to set up ATL.

Additional Facts:

Atal innovation mission (AIM): The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) was set up by NITI Aayog in

2016. It aims to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. It seeks to create

institutions and programs that enhance innovation in schools, colleges, and entrepreneurs in

general.

GOVERNMEN AIMS TO PROVIDE BROADBAND ACCESS TO ALL

VILLAGES BY 2022

News: The Ministry of Communications launched the National Broadband Mission (NBM) to fast

track growth of digital communications infrastructure and bridge the digital divide

Facts:

Objectives:

• Broadband access to all villages by 2022.

• Facilitate universal and equitable access to broadband services.

• Lay incremental 30 lakhs route km of Optical Fibre Cable by 2024.

• Increase in tower density from 0.42 to 1.0 tower per thousand of the population by 2024

• Develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI): It will measure the availability of


digital communications infrastructure and a conducive policy ecosystem within a

State/UT.

• Investment from stakeholders of Rs 7 Lakh Crore including Rs 70,000 crore from Universal

Service Obligation Fund (USOF)

Additional Facts:

Bharat Net: Bharat Net project (previously known as National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN))

seeks to provide affordable high-speed broadband connectivity to 2.5 lakh gram panchayats

across India.

• It is funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The nodal ministry for the

project is the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

ECHO NETWORK LAUNCHED TO CATALYZE CROSS-DISCIPLINARY LEADERSHIP

IN INDIA

News: Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India launched EChO Network

Facts:

EChO Network: is national program to provide a template for cross-disciplinary leadership in India

with the specific focus of increasing research, knowledge, and awareness of Indian ecology and the

environment.

• The program is a partnership of Government, industry, and academia. Office of the

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India leads the program.

Network goals

• Create interdisciplinary scientific leaders through cross- sector collaboration. • Employ solution-driven and public-guided science to tackle real-world problems. • Encourage science-driven policy and practice. • Establish nationwide ecological and environmental appreciation and awareness.

Additional Facts:

• National Knowledge Network (NKN) - It was established in 2010. Its objective is to interconnect all institutions of higher learning and


research with a high-speed data communication network to facilitate knowledge sharing and

collaborative research.

• National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information

Technology, is the implementing agency.

PRIME MINISTER RELEASES OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF JAL JEEVAN MISSION (JJM)

News: The Prime Minister released the Operational Guidelines of JJM in a function organised at Vigyan

Bhawan on 25th December which is observed as Good Governance.

Facts:

Jal Jeevan Mission:

• Aim: Provide potable water in adequate quantity (55 liter per capita per day) of prescribed

quality (BIS Standard of IS: 10500) on a regular basis to all rural households by 2024.

• Implementing Ministry: It will be implemented by the Department of Drinking Water

and Sanitation under the Jal Shakti Ministry.

• Institutional arrangement for Implementation:

o National Jal Jeevan Mission at the Central level;

o State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) at State level;

o District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) at the district level; and

o Village Water Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/ Paani Samiti at the village level.

• Features:

o Focus on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.

o Implement source sustainability measures to recharge and reuse through

greywater management, water conservation, and rainwater harvesting.

o Convergence with other Central and State Government Schemes to achieve

sustainable water supply management across India.

o Generate maximum community participation in the form of ‘Jan Andolan’

JIGYASA PROGRAM

News: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been collaborating with several

scientists and research scholars in implementing the JIGYASA program.

Facts:

• Jigyasa is a student-scientist connect programme. Council of Scientific and Industrial

Research (CSIR) has joined hand with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to implement

the program. The focus is on connecting school students and scientists so as to extend

student’s classroom learning with that of a very well-planned research laboratory-based

learning. It will inculcate the culture of inquisitiveness and scientific temper on the minds

of children and schoolteachers.


• The programme has been inspired by Prime Minister’s vision of a new India and “Scientific

Social Responsibility (SSR)” of the scientific community and institutions.

Additional Facts:

CSIR: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is an autonomous research and

development body established by the Government of India in 1942.

• It covers a wide spectrum of science and technology –from radio, oceanography,

geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology among

others.

UGC ISSUES NORMS FOR ETHICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

News: The Union Minister of Human Resource Development (MHRD) adopted the Quality

Improvement Programme Mandate developed by UGC to improve the quality in higher educational

institutions

Facts:

Quality Improvement Programme Mandate: The quality mandate aims to equip the country's

youth with vital skills, knowledge and ethics for leading a rewarding life. It contains 5 documents

covering the 5 verticals of Quality Mandate.

About the 5 verticals of Quality Mandate:

• Evaluation reforms: to make student assessment more meaningful, effective and linked to

‘Learning Outcomes’.

• Eco-friendly and Sustainable University Campuses: The SATAT (sustainable)

Framework encourages universities to enhance the environmental quality of the campus

• Human Values and professional ethics: a policy framework named MulyaPravah

which are Guidelines for Inculcation of Human Values and Professional Ethics in Higher

Educational Institutions.

• Faculty Induction Programme: Guru-Dakshata – aims to sensitize and motivate the

faculty to adopt learner centred approaches, ICT integrated learning and new pedagogic

approaches to teaching-learning, assessment tools in higher education.

• Academic Research and integrity: Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics

(UGC-CARE) to continuously monitor and identify quality journals across disciplines.

Additional Facts:

UGC: It is a statutory body set up by the Indian Union government in accordance with the UGC

Act,1956 under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

• It is charged with coordination, determination, and maintenance of standards of higher

education. It provides recognition to universities in India and disburses funds to such

recognized universities and colleges.


CENTRE URGED TO TREAT KLIP AS A NATIONAL PROJECT

News: The Telangana State government has requested the Central Government to treat

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) as a National Project.

Facts:

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project: Kaleshwaram Multipurpose Lift Irrigation Project of

Telangana was initiated in 2016 on the Godavari River.

• It is touted as the world's largest multi-stage, multi-purpose lift irrigation project.

• The project will support crop cultivation on 45 lakh acres of land and meet the drinking

water requirement of 70% of the state.

• The designation of the National Project will also lead to a Central grant of 90% of the

estimated cost for their completion in a time bound manner.

Additional Facts:

The Telangana government is also running the Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya to meet the

water needs of population.

• About Mission Kakatiya: It is a flagship programme launched by the Government of

Telangana which aims at rejuvenation of water tanks and other water storage structures to

provide assistance and help to the small and marginal farmers of the state.

• About Mission Bhagiratha: It is a project for safe drinking water for every village and city

household in Telangana State. The ambitious project will supply clean drinking water to all

households in the state through water sourced from River Godavari and River Krishna.

EXPLAINED: THE SILVER LINE PROJECT

News: The Ministry of Railways has granted in-principle approval for the ‘Silver Line’ project, a

proposal of the Kerala government.

Facts:

About Silver line project: • The Silver line project involves laying the 532 km long

railway lines from Kasaragod in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south of Kerala.

• This will connect the major districts and towns with semi high-speed trains that will run on their own separate tracks.

• This will also cut the travel time between the two corners of the state from 12 hours to less than four hours with a maximum speed of 200 km/h.

• The Kerala Rail Development Corporation (K-Rail), a joint venture between the Ministry of Railways and the Kerala government to execute projects on a cost-sharing basis is the nodal agency of the project.


GOVERNMENT APPROVES FUTURE SKILLING PROGRAMME

News: The government has announced Rs 436 crore outlay for skilling 4 lakh professionals under

Future Skills PRIME programme.

Facts:

FutureSkills Programme: FutureSkills Programme was launched in 2018 jointly by the

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and industry body NASSCOM.

• The program aims to reskill 2 million professionals and potential employees & students

in the industry in eight emerging technologies like AI, VR, IoT etc over a period of 5 years.

• To do this, FutureSkills portal uses the technology of the future, to create a space where a

learner can access content on all the skills of the future.

• This Future PRIME is the next phase of the Future Skills platform and is open to professionals

from outside the IT industry as well, who want to improve themselves in ten emerging

technologies.

Additional Facts:

NASSCOM: The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) was

established in 1988. It is a non-profit organization of the Indian Information Technology (IT) and

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.

GEM LAUNCHES NATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMME - GEM SAMVAAD

News: Ministry of Commerce & Industry has launched a national outreach Programme called

GeM Samvaad. GeM Samvaad: The outreach programme aims to spread awareness about the

Government e-Marketplace (GeM).

Facts:

• The programme will take place with stakeholders across the country and with local

sellers in order to facilitate the on-boarding of local sellers on the marketplace while

catering to specific requirements and procurement needs of buyers.

Additional Facts:

Government e-Marketplace (GeM): GeM is a state-of-the-art national public procurement

platform launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

• The portal aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.

• The platform facilitates online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by

various Government Departments / Organisations / PSUs.

• It also provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to

facilitate the government users, achieve the best value for their money.

SWAYATT: stands for Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions on

Government e Marketplace (GeM).

• It is an initiative to promote MSMEs, women and young entrepreneurs through e-


transactions on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).

GeM Startup runway: GeM Start-up Runway-an initiative of GeM in association with Start -up

India. It facilitates Start-ups registered with Startup India to access the public procurement market

and sell innovative products and services to government buyers.

• GeM Start-up Runway will also address goals and objectives under United Nations

Sustainable Development Goal 9: Build a resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and

sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

AMRUT MISSION EXTENDED BY 2 MORE YEARS TILL 2022

News: The Central Government has decided to extend the mission period of its flagship

initiative Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) by two more years

till 2022.

Facts:

AMRUT Mission was launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.

It aims to

• ensure that every household has access to a tap with assured supply of water and sewerage connection

• increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well-maintained open

spaces e.g. parks

• reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-

motorized transport e.g. walking and cycling.

Features of the mission:

• The Mission covers 500 cities that includes all cities and towns with a population of over

one lakh with notified Municipalities.

• AMRUT adopts a project approach to ensure basic infrastructure services relating to

water supply, sewerage, stormwater drains, transport and development of green spaces

and parks with special provisions for meeting the needs of children.

• Under this mission,10% of the budget allocation will be given to states/union territories as

incentive based on achievement of reforms during the previous year.

DEVELOPMENT A WORLD CLASS RESEARCH

FACILITIES IN INDIA: HRD MINISTER News: Union Minister for

Human Resource Development informed the Lok Sabha about the initiatives taken by the

Government to promote research in the field of science & engineering.

Facts:

• Prime Minister Research Fellowship Scheme: The students who have completed or

are in the final year of B.Tech/Integrated M.Tech/M.Sc courses in Science and

Technology streams from IISc/IITs/IISERs/ NITs/IIITs will be offered direct admission

in PhD programme in IITs/IISc.

• Establishment of Research Parks: The five new Research Parks at IIT Delhi, IIT

Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, and IISc Bangalore have been approved by the

Government under Startup India Initiative in Higher Education (SIIHE) Scheme.

• Impacting research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT): Launched in 2015,

scheme is a pan- IIT and IISc joint collaboration. The scheme aims to provide

solutions to the most relevant engineering challenges by translating knowledge into

viable technology in 10 selected technology domains.

• Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY): Launched in 2015, the scheme aims to promote

innovation of a higher order that directly impacts the needs of the industry and thereby

improves the competitive edge of Indian manufacturing. The projects are funded jointly

by MHRD, participating Ministries and the Industry in the ratio of 50:25:25.

• Institutions of Eminence (IoE): The Institution of Eminence scheme is a scheme of

Ministry of Human Resource Development pertaining to higher education institutions

(HES) in India to develop 20 world-class teaching and research institutions. The selected

institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.

• Smart India Hackathons: Smart India Hackathons are organized on a yearly basis since

2017 to find out digital solutions to various problems faced by the people and gives

hands-on working and research opportunity for engineering students.

• Institutions innovation Council (IIC): The purpose of formation of network

of IICs is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them

to new ideas and processes resulting in innovative activities in their formative

years.

PRADHAN MANTRI YUVA UDYAMITA VIKAS ABHIYAAN (PM YUVA)

YOJANA

News: Minister of State for Skill Developement has informed Lok Sabha about the

Pradhan Mantri Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyaan (PM YUVA) Yojana.

Facts:

PM YUVA is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2016. It aims to create an

enabling ecosystem by 2021 for entrepreneurship development through

entrepreneurship education & training, advocacy, and easy access to entrepreneurship

network.

• It will provide entrepreneurship education and training to over 7 lakh

students in 5 years (2016-17 to 2020-21) through 3050 Institutes.

• It will also include easy access to information and mentor network, credit,

incubator and accelerator and advocacy to create a pathway for the youth.

Beneficiaries of the scheme: The target beneficiaries of the scheme are categorized as follows:

• Traditional students enrolled in degree programme across undergraduate/

postgraduate courses/ PhD programme/ Diploma

• School Students

• Students in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)

• All citizens including the unorganized sector, women, and existing

entrepreneurs in rural as well as urban areas, who would like to take up

entrepreneurship education through coordination and support programmes.

GOVERNMENT PROCURED JUST 3% OF PULSES, SEEDS TARGETED UNDER

PM-AASHA SCHEME

News: According to the Agricultural ministry data, less than 3% of this season’s sanctioned

amount of pulses and oilseeds have actually been procured under the PM-AASHA

scheme.

Facts:

PM-AASHA scheme: The scheme aims to provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) to

farmers and improve the farm income. The scheme comprises of three sub-schemes

which are:

• Price Support Scheme (PSS): Under PSS, the physical procurement of pulses,

oilseeds and Copra will be done by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation in collaboration with

state governments. The Central Government will bear the procurement

expenditure and losses due to procurement.

• Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS): Under PDPS, it is proposed to

cover all the oilseeds for which MSP is notified. The state will provide direct

payment of the difference between the MSP and the selling price to pre-

registered farmers selling their produce in the notified market yard. All

payments will be done directly into registered bank accounts of the farmers. There

will be no physical procurement of crops.

• Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPPS): Under this scheme, the

participation of the private sector in procurement operations will be piloted.

The States have the option to roll out the scheme on a pilot basis in selected

districts/APMCs involving private stockists.

NORTH EAST RURAL LIVELIHOOD PROJECT

News: Union Minister of State for Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) has

informed Lok Sabha about North East Rural Livelihood Project.

Facts:

• North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP) is a World Bank aided project

under the DoNER Ministry, launched in 2012.

• The project aims to improve rural livelihood, especially that of women,

unemployed youth and the most disadvantaged in four North Eastern States of

Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

• The project focuses on five development strategies namely (a) social

empowerment (b) economic empowerment (c) partnership development (d)

project management and (e) livelihood & value chain developments.

GOAL - 'GOING ONLINE AS LEADERS' PROGRAMME

News: Ministry of Tribal Affairs has informed Rajya Sabha about ‘Going Online as Leaders’ Programme.

Facts:

GOAL (Going Online as Leaders) is a digitally enabled mentorship initiative of Facebook.

• The initiative connects underprivileged young women from tribal areas with senior

expert mentors in the areas of business, fashion and arts to learn digital and life

skills. One mentor is identified and attached to four tribal youth.

• It will include weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions, focused on a range of

skills such as digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and online safety.

GOAL Second Phase: The second phase of the program was launched in October 2019. In

the second phase, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, NITI Aayog and Facebook together will

digitally mentor 5000 young women in India’s tribal-dominated districts.

MINISTRY OF TOURISM HAS IDENTIFIED 17 SITES IN 12

CLUSTERS IN THE COUNTRY FOR DEVELOPMENT AS

ICONIC TOURIST SITES

News: Ministry of Tourism has identified 17 sites in the country for development as Iconic Tourist Sites

Facts:

Iconic Tourist Sites Initiative

• Announced in Budget 2019-20 the initiative is implemented by the Ministry of Tourism.

• Aim: To develop the selected sites into world-class tourist destinations to serve as a

model for other tourism sites.

• It involves inter-ministerial coordination among Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of

Railways and Ministry of Civil Aviation.

• Sites to be developed at par with international standards. Interventions in and around

the monuments will have elements of universal accessibility, green technology, and

enhanced security for tourists.

Selected Sites:

(a) Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh) (b) Ajanta & Ellora (Maharashtra) (c)

Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort and Qutub Minar (Delhi) (d) Colva (Goa) (e) Ajmer Fort

(Rajasthan) (f) Somnath and Dholavira (Gujarat) (g) Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh) (h)

Hampi (Karnataka) (i) Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu) (j) Kaziranga(Assam) (k) Kumarakom

(Kerala) and (l) Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar)

Additional Facts:

Other schemes for conservation of historical sites-

• Adopt a Heritage Scheme (Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchan Project): Launched in

2017, it is an initiative by the Ministry of Tourism in close collaboration with the

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It aims to develop the heritage sites/monuments,

make them tourist-friendly to enhance the tourism potential

o Under this scheme, heritage sites/monuments and other tourist sites are entrusted to

private players or public sector companies for the development of tourist amenities.

• Swadesh Darshan scheme: It was launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Tourism.

It aims at the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits. Example:

Ramayana Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit.

• National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY)

scheme: It was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in 2015. It aims at

the holistic development of heritage cities such as Ajmer, Puri, Mathura, Gaya, etc.

• Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) Scheme:

It was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in 2015. It aims at identifying and developing

pilgrim sites across India.

ACCESSIBLE INDIA CAMPAIGN’S DEADLINE EXTENDED

TO MARCH 2020

News: The deadline for the Accessible India campaign has been extended to

March 2020.

Facts:

Accessible India Campaign- Sugamaya Bharat Abhiyan- It is a nation-wide Campaign

launched by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) of the

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in 2015.

• It aims to provide universal accessibility to persons with disabilities by developing an

accessible physical environment, transportation system, and Information &

communication ecosystem.

• The campaign targeted to complete accessibility audit of 25-50 of the most important

government buildings in 50 cities by 2016 and making them completely accessible by

2018.

Additional Facts:

Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana for Disabled Persons: It is a scheme for providing Physical Aids

and Assisted- living Devices for Senior citizens belonging to the BPL category. It was launched

by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2017.

MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LAUNCHES ROUND 4 OF RCS- UDAN

News: Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched the 4th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme

(RCS) – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN)

Facts:

The Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme was

launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The scheme is a component of the National

Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), 2016.

• Under the scheme, airlines have to cap airfares for 50% of the total seats at Rs. 2,500 per

hour of flight. The losses for the price cap are compensated by a mechanism called Viability

Gap Funding- A government grant provided to the airlines to bridge the gap between the

cost of operations and expected revenue.

About UDAN 4.0

• The focus of UDAN 4.0 is on priority areas like North East Region, Hilly States, Jammu and

Kashmir, Ladakh and Islands.

• Revision of (Viability Gap Funding) VGF cap – The provision of VGF for Category 2 / 3

aircraft (more than 20 seaters) has been enhanced for the operation of RCS flights in the

priority areas.

• Promoting short-haul routes – The provision of VGF would be restricted for routes with

stage length up to 600 km. Beyond it, no monetary support would be provided.

• Well defined Prioritization framework – Airports that have already been developed by

AAI would be given higher priority for the award of VGF under the Scheme.

• Flexibility to change the frequency of flight operation - The Selected Airline Operator

(SAO) would be allowed to change the frequency of flight operation, during the tenure of

flight operation of the given route.

• Inclusion of helicopter and seaplane operation: The operation of helicopter and seaplane

would be allowed under this round.

NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR DRUG DEMAND

REDUCTION (NAPDDR), 2018-2025

News: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has informed Lok Sabha about the

National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR)

Facts:

About National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), 2018-2025

• It aims to reduce the adverse consequences of drug abuse in India through a) education,

b) de- addiction and c) rehabilitation of affected individuals and their families. It was

drafted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

• The activities under the NAPDDR, include awareness generation programmes, community-

based peer-led interactions intervention programmes for vulnerable adolescent and

youth in the community, provisioning of treatment facilities and capacity building of

service providers.

• A steering committee constituted under the chairmanship of the secretary; Social Justice

Ministry monitors the implementation of the Action Plan.

Additional Facts:

Other Steps taken by Government of India:

• Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985: It envisages stringent

provisions for the control and regulation of operations relating to narcotic drugs and

psychotropic substances.

o Narcotics Control Bureau: It is the nodal drug law enforcement and intelligence agency of

India. It functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was established in 1986 under the NDPS

Act, 1985. It is headquartered in New Delhi.

• National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS), 2012: It seeks

to combat drug abuse in a holistic manner. It was drafted by the Ministry of Finance,

Department of Revenue.

• Central Sector Scheme of Assistance for Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance

(Drug) Abuse: Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to eligible Non-Governmental

Organizations for running Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts.

India commences world’s largest ever vaccination

programme to control FMD & Brucellosis in 2019

News: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying is implementing the largest

vaccination program under the National Artificial insemination program.

Facts:

About National Animal Disease Control Programme for FMD and Brucellosis:

● It is a 100% centrally funded programme.

● It aims to control Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by 2025 with

vaccination and eventual eradication by 2030.

Additional Facts:

About Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme (NAIP):

● It was launched in September 2019 by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.

● It is a campaign mode genetic upgrading program covering all breeds of bovines to

enhance milk production using low cost breeding technology for improving genetic

merit of milch animals with high- quality seed.

● The aim of the program is to inseminate over 1 crore bovines in 6 months & ear-

tag them with ‘Pashu Aadhaar’ which is a unique identifier provided to the animals

so as to enable the Government to identify and track the animals.

● Under NAIP, more than 11 lakhs of Artificial Insemination (AI) has been done on 31st

December 2019.

About Quality Milk Programme:

● The Quality Milk Programme was launched in the year 2019 by the Ministry of

Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.

● The programme aims to achieve Global (Codex) standards for domestic

consumption of milk and ensuring traceability & increasing share of milk and milk

products in world exports.

About Foot-and-mouth disease and Brucellosis

● Foot-and-mouth disease is an infectious and viral disease that affects cloven-

hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever

for two or three days followed by blisters inside the mouth and on the feet that may

rupture and cause lameness.

● Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the bacterial genus Brucella. The

bacteria are transmitted from animals to humans by ingestion through infected

food products, direct contact with an infected animal or inhalation of aerosols. It is

also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever.

● National Animal Disease Control Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease and

Brucellosis, 100% centrally funded programme aims to control Foot and Mouth

Disease and Brucellosis by 2025 with vaccination and eventual eradication by

2030.

Cabinet clears Ordinance to remove restrictions on coal

block bidding

News: The Union Cabinet has approved the Promulgation of Mineral Laws (Amendment)

Ordinance 2020 which amends Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act

1957 and Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act 2015.

Key features:

● Allows companies that do not have coal mine operations in India to also

participate in coal block auctions.

● It provides for composite prospecting licence-cum-mining lease for coal and lignite blocks.

Significance:

● access to high-end technology for underground mining used by global miners

● Boost to production and mining efficiency

● Less imports

● affordable fuel leading to affordable electricity prices for consumers

Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP)

News: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas signed contracts for 7 blocks, awarded

under Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP) Bid Round – IV.

Facts:

Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP):

● Started in 2016, OALP, is a part of Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP).

● It is aimed at enabling faster survey and assessment of areas with oil and gas potential.

● It enables companies to apply for particular areas they deem to be attractive to

invest in, and the Centre then puts those areas up for bids.

Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP):

● Introduced in 2016, it is a contractual and fiscal model for award of hydrocarbon

acreages towards exploration and production (E&P). Major Characteristic

Features of HELP are:

● Single License for both conventional and unconventional Hydrocarbons

● Transition from Cost Recovery mechanism to Revenue Sharing mechanism.

● Full Marketing & Pricing Freedom

● Low regulatory burden

● Fiscal incentives provided to investors

Implementing Agency: Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas


National Data Repository: It is an integrated data repository of Exploration and

Production (E&P) data of Indian sedimentary basins.

In Phase-II to Fame India Scheme 2636 EV Charging

Stations sanctioned

News: Department of Heavy Industries has sanctioned 2636 charging stations under

FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) scheme

phase II.

Facts:

About Fame India Scheme

● It was launched in 2015.

● Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises

● Aim: to support hybrid/electric vehicles market development and Manufacturing ecosystem.

Objectives:

● Encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicle by offering upfront

Incentive on purchase of Electric vehicles

● Establish necessary charging Infrastructure for electric vehicles.

FAME I:

● Four focus areas namely (i) Demand Creation, (ii) Technology Platform, (iii) Pilot

Project and (iv)Charging Infrastructure.

● The phase I of the scheme continued up to 31st March 2019.

● The FAME scheme is part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP)

FAME II:

● commenced from 01st April 2019 for a period of 3 years

● In 3-wheeler and 4-wheeler segment incentives are applicable mainly to vehicles

used for public transport or registered for commercial purposes.

● In the case of the electric 2-wheeler segment, the emphasis is on private vehicles.

● charging stations to be established in metros, other million-plus cities, smart

cities and cities of Hilly states and major highways connecting major city clusters


National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020: Launched in 2013, it aims to achieve national

fuel security by promoting hybrid and electric vehicles in the country.

UJALA & Street Lighting National Programme Completed

Five Successful years of Illuminating India

News: The Government of India’s UJALA scheme and Street Lighting National Programme

(SLNP) of the central government has completed five successful years.

Facts:

About UJALA:

● UJALA stands for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All. The scheme was launched in 2015.

● Aim: It aims at promoting efficient usage of energy consumption, energy savings

and efficient lighting for all.

● Implementation: Electricity Distribution Company and Energy Efficiency

Services Limited (EESL), a public sector body is implementing the programme.

● As per the scheme, Electricity Distribution Company would distribute LED bulbs

at subsidized rates to every grid-connected customer with a metered connection.

● Eligibility: Every domestic household having a metered connection from their

respective Electricity Distribution Company is eligible to get the LED bulbs under

the UJALA Scheme.

About Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP):

● Street Light National Programme (SLNP) was launched in 2015 to convert

conventional street and domestic lights with energy-efficient LED lights.

● Aim: It aims to replace 3.5 crore conventional streetlights with energy-efficient LED

lights.

● This replacement is expected to result in an annual energy saving of 900 crore

units and a financial saving of Rs 5,500 crore.

● Implementation: Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a Public Energy Services

Company under the administration of the Ministry of Power, Government of India

(GoI) is the implementing agency for SLNP.


About EESL:

● Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is a joint venture of four National Public

Sector Enterprises– NTPC Limited, Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC), REC

(Regional electrification corporation) and POWERGRID. It is set up under the

Ministry of Power.

● It is a Super Energy Service Company (ESCO) and leads the market-related

activities of the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), one of

the eight national missions under the Prime Minister’s National Action Plan on

Climate Change.

Vertical Farming: A silent Revolution in Agriculture

News: Vertical Farming is emerging as a silent revolution in the agricultural production sector.

Facts:

About Vertical Farming:

● Vertical Farming is the process of growing agricultural crops in vertical stacks,

mostly in a controlled indoor environment with or without soil.

● This protects the crops from incessant rains, unruly winds and dry climate.

● The crop yield in vertical farming is also more than traditional farming as it

adopts two major farming techniques namely hydroponics and aeroponics.

● Some common choices of structures to house vertical farming systems include

buildings, shipping containers, underground tunnels, and abandoned mine shafts.

Status of Vertical Farming in India:

● In India Vertical Farming has been introduced in the year 2019.

● Indian Institute of Agriculture Research (ICAR) is working on techniques and

adaptations to introduce in the market. However, it has still not found its

application at a wider level.


About Hydroponics and Aeroponics:

● Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants without soil by using water

solvent which consists of mineral nutrients.

● On the other hand, Aeroponics is a farming method where plants are grown in

closed or semi-closed environments with nutrients sprayed in the air.

Govt awards over Rs 2000 crores for completing Z Morh

Tunnel

News: A Concession Agreement for completing the 6.5-kilometre long Z-Morh tunnel in

Jammu and Kashmir was signed between NHIDCL and APCO Amarnathji Tunnelway.

Facts:

About Z-Morh Tunnel:

● Z-Morh Tunnel is a long two-lane bi-directional road tunnel project constructed

near Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir providing all-weather connectivity

between Srinagar and Kargil in Ladakh region of India.

● Further, along with Zoji-la Tunnel, the Z-Morh tunnel will ensure year-long road

connectivity between Srinagar and Kargil.


About Zoji-la Tunnel:

● Zoji-la Tunnel is a 14.2-km long tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir to provide

all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.

● Once Constructed, the Zoji-la tunnel will be the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia.

● The project is being implemented by the ministry of road transport and highways

(MoRT&H) through the National Highways and Infrastructure Development

Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

NISHTHA: National Initiative for School Heads' and

Teachers' Holistic Advancement

News: Union Minister of Human Resource Development has inaugurated NISHTHA

programme for the teachers of Jammu and Kashmir.

Facts:

About NISHTHA Programme:

● NISHTHA is a capacity building programme for improving the quality of School

Education through Integrated Teacher Training.

● Aim: To train teachers and school principals at the elementary stage so that they

can encourage and foster critical thinking in students.

● The training will be conducted by Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and State

Resource Persons (SRP) identified by the State and UTs.

Coverage: The programme aims to build the capacities of around 42 lakh participants covering

● all teachers and heads of elementary Government schools

● faculty members of State Councils of Educational Research and Training

(SCERTs) and District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and

● Block Resource Coordinators and Cluster Resource Coordinators in all States and UTs

Bharat Parv 2020

News: Bharat Parv,2020 will be celebrated from 26th to 31st January 2020.

Facts:

About Bharat Parv:

● Bharat Parv aims to generate a patriotic fervour, promote the rich cultural

diversity of the country and to popularize the idea of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

● It is organized by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with other central Ministries.

● Central theme of Bharat Parv 2020 is ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ and

‘Celebrating 150 Years of Mahatma Gandhi.


About Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat:

● Aim: To promote engagement amongst the people of different states/UTs so as to

enhance mutual understanding and bonding between people of diverse cultures,

thereby securing stronger unity and integrity of India.

● The Ministry of Human Resource Development has been designated Nodal

Ministry for coordination of the programme.

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