Social Development S.1. Finance Minister Relaunches New Kisan Vikas Patra Scheme To

Boost Small Savings: Providing a fresh investment option for small investors than gold and fraudulent schemes, finance minister Arun Jaitley re-launched the Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP). History:- Kisan Vikas Patra Scheme was launched by the Government of India on April 1, 1988. The scheme provided facility of unlimited investment by way of purchase of certificates from post offices in various denominations. The Scheme is known as Kisan Vikas Patra, as the revenue mobilized by this scheme will be used by the Government of India in welfare schemes for farmers. Rakesh Mohan Committee (deputy governor, RBI) in May 2004 had recommended closure of Kisan Vikas Patra. Shyamala Gopinath, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, again recommended closure of KVP scheme in June 2011. As a result, the scheme had been closed in 2011 as part of the government’s drive to rationalise small savings schemes. Features of the new KVP are:

It will be denomination of Rs 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 50,000 and promises to double the investment in 100 months (8 years 4 months).

There will be no upper limit on investments in KVPs that can issued in single or joint names and can be transferred from one person to others multiple times.

Though it has a maturity period of 8 years 4 months, a flexible liquidity system under which investors can encash their certificates after the lock-in period of two years and six months or any time after that in any block of six months on pre-determined maturity value.

While initially KVPs will be sold only through post offices, it will later be available at designated branches of nationalised banks. They can also be transferred from one post office to another and can be pledged as a security against loans.

The certificates can be used as collateral to avail of loans.

There will not be requirement of Permanent Account Number or PAN in putting money in re-launched Kisan Vikas Patra.

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S.2. Other small savings schemes offered by the Government of India are:

S.2.1. National Savings Certificates (NSC):

These are certificates issued by Department of post, Government of India and are available at all post office counters in the country.

It is a long term safe savings option for the investor. The scheme combines growth in money with reductions in tax liability as per the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

The duration of a NSC scheme is 6 years.

NSCs are issued in denominations of Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.

S.2.2. National Savings Scheme:

National Savings Scheme (NSS) offers an assured return and tax rebates under Section 88 of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

The rate of interest is 9 per cent per annum, compounded annually.

The maturity period is 4 years.

The deposit (principal) can be withdrawn only on maturity of the instrument at the end of four years.

S.2.3. Post-Office Time Deposit Account (POTD):

It is a banking service similar to a Bank Fixed Deposit offered by Department of post, Government of India at all post office counters in the country.

The scheme is meant for those investors who want to deposit a lump sum of money for a fixed period; say for a minimum period of one year to two years, three years and a maximum period of five years.

Time Deposits scheme return a lower, but safer, growth in investment.

S.2.4. Public Provident Fund (PPF):

A 15 year Public Provident Fund Account can be opened up by a person.

The rate of interest is 8.7 % p.a. (compounded yearly).

Minimum Rs. 500, maximum Rs. 1 lakh can be deposited in a financial year. Deposits can be made in one lump-sum or in 12 installments.

Withdrawal is permissible every year from 7th financial year. Loan facility is available from 3rd financial year.

Account can be opened in post offices as well as designated branches of nationalized and private banks authorized to operate PPF account.

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S.3. Modified LPG subsidy scheme to be launched in 54 districts NDA government is launching, the modified version of Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) scheme in 54 districts from 15th November 2014 and all over the country from 1st January 2014.

All LPG consumers who join the modified DBTL scheme can receive the LPG cash subsidy either by linking their Aadhaar number to the LPG and bank database as the primary option.

Else, they will get the subsidy directly into their accounts without linking it with Aadhaar as a secondary option.

Under the scheme, LPG consumers will get cash subsidy in their bank accounts so they can buy a cooking gas cylinder at market price.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.4. Jan Dhan Yojana: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 August, launched the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) aimed at providing a bank account to every Indian family. A total of 7.5 crore people will be covered by January 26 next year. Aim of PMJDY: Lifting the poor above the poverty line by ending financial untouchability. Benefits of Jan Dhan Yojana:-

The scheme, which envisages every account holder, gets a Repay debit card with an accident insurance cover of Rs.1 lakh.

There would be an additional Rs.30, 000 life assurance cover for those opening bank accounts before Jan 26, 2015

In second phase, an overdraft of Rs.5, 000 will be provided to each account

holder, which will be start from 26 Jan 2015.

It will allow the government to transfer the subsidy benefits directly to the end consumer which will help in plugging the leakages occurring in the current system.

Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card must be used at least once in 45 days.

S.4.1. Kerala became first state with bank accounts for all families

Kerala became the first state in the country to have bank accounts for all families under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY). A formal declaration to this effect was made by Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani at the State-Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on 11 November 2014.

Under the PMJDY, Kerala has opened about 13 lakh new accounts and has mobilised 326 crore rupees through intensive financial literacy campaigns launched under the aegis of the State Level Banker’s Committee (SLBC).

At present, Kerala have Financial Literacy Centres in all the 152 blocks of Kerala has helped it to achieve the target of PMJDY ahead of schedule. 5.25 lakh rupees debit cards have been issued by all banks.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.5. MAULANA AZAD SEHAT SCHEME On 4th of March 2014, Ministry of Minority Affairs launched the Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme for the welfare of minority students.

“Sehat Card” will be issued to minority students, who are studying in the Institutions which are financially aided by MAEF (Maulana Azad Education Foundation).

Sehat Card will include all the findings of the students which will be filled by the Doctors during the preventive health checkups.

Serious ailments e.g. Kidney, Heart, Liver, Cancer, Brain, Knee surgery and Spinal surgery or any other life threatening diseases would be covered under it.

Preventive Health Check-up Camps would be organized by the Institute twice in a year, through Government/Private Hospitals/Nursing Homes.

Dispensary/Health Care Centre will be set up in the educational institutions (School) to provide daily medical facilities to the students studying in the educational institutions funded/aided by MAEF.

In exceptional and deserving cases for serious ailments, the poor students belonging to notified minorities would be provided financial assistance for treatment in Government/Recognized Hospitals. (Notified minorities includes Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.6. SAANSAD ADARSH GRAM YOJANA On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Lok Nayak Jayprakash Narayan Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (MPs Model village Scheme) on 11th October 2014. The main goal of the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is to translate Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of model village into reality, keeping in view the present context.

Objective of the SAGY

To trigger processes which lead to holistic development of the identified Gram Panchayats

To substantially improve the standard of living and quality of life of all sections of the population through: a) Improved basic amenities; b) Higher productivity; c) Enhanced human development; d) Better livelihood opportunities; e) Reduced disparities; f) Access to rights and entitlements; g) Wider social mobilization; and h) Enriched social capital

To generate models of local level development and effective local governance which can motivate and inspire neighbouring Gram Panchayats to learn and adapt

To nurture the identified Adarsh Grams as schools of local development to train other Gram Panchayats

Under this scheme each Member of Parliament will take the responsibility of developing physical and institutional infrastructure in three villages by 2019. The first step under this scheme is identification of the Gram Panchayat within a month.

This Scheme is different from the UPA government’s Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) which was launched in 2009-10. This scheme focused on the development of villages having a higher ratio (over 50%) of people belonging to the scheduled castes. List of Village Adopted o Prime Minister Narendra Modi adopted a Jayapur village in Varanasi district. o Sonia Gandhi adopted Udwa village in her constituency Rae Bareli in Uttar

Pradesh. o Rahul Gandhi adopted Deeh village in his constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. o V. K. Singh adopted Mirpur Hindu in his constituency Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. o Ahmed Patel adopted Vandari village in Rajpipada, Gujarat. o Sachin Tendulkar adopted Puttamraju vari Kandriga(P.R.Kandriga) a village near

Gudur in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. o Hema Malini adopts UP's Raval village o Rajnath Singh adopted Beti village in Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow. o Dimple Yadav, the daughter-in-law of SP chief Mulyam Singh Yadav, has adopted

Saidpur Sakri village (Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh) o Union Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman has adopted two

villages in of Andhra Pradesh - The two villages - Pedamainavanilanka and Toorputallu.

o Neiphiu Rio (only MP from Nagaland) has adopted Selouphe village under

Dimapur district (Nagaland).

o Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptullah adopted Phanda village , Bhopal.

o Union Minister Nitin Gadkari adopted Pachgaon village in Umrer taluka in Nagpur

Note - Finance minister Arun Jaitley, human resource development minister Smriti Irani, and minister of state for drinking water and sanitation Ram Kripal Yadav among others have not yet identified any village. Monitoring of SAGY

The Union Ministry of Rural Development will put in place a specially designed capacity building programme for government functionaries at different levels including gram panchayats. At the state level, there will be an Empowered Committee headed by the Chief Secretary consisting of the relevant departments and including experts, as required with at least two civil society representatives. The District Collector will be the nodal officer for implementing the SAGY. He will conduct a monthly review meeting with representatives of the participating Line Departments. The Members of Parliament concerned will chair the review meetings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.7. RASHTRIYA SWASTHYA BIMA YOJANA (RSBY) TO BE MERGED WITH NATIONAL HEALTH ASSURANCE MISSION The labour ministry on 16th October announced Its’s Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is set to be transferred to the health ministry as part of the proposed National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM). RSBY:

RSBY, literally “National Health Insurance Programme is a government-run health insurance scheme for the Indian poor.

It provides for cashless insurance for hospitalisation in public as well as private hospitals.

The scheme started enrolling on April 1, 2008 and has been implemented in 25 states of India. A total of 36 million families have been enrolled as of February 2014.

The RSBY is a project under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Every “below poverty line” (BPL) family holding a yellow ration card pays 30 (less than US$0.7) registration fee to get a biometric-enabled smart card containing their fingerprints and photographs.

This enables them to receive inpatient medical care of up to 30,000 (approx US$670 as of March 2011) per family per year in any of the empanelled hospitals. Pre-existing illnesses are covered from day one, for head of household, spouse and up to three dependent children or parents.

After Inclusion of RSBY in NHAM?

The proposed NHAM is expected to provide healthcare facilities including 50 essential drugs, with a package of diagnostics and about 30 AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoepathy) drugs as well as insurance benefits to all citizens.

The NHAM plans to cover all aspects of health care including primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare.

The labour ministry is also planning to merge the RSBY with two similar insurance schemes — Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme to provide health insurance to unorganised sector workers.

RSBY will be responsible for providing secondary health care benefits. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------- S.8. SHRAMEV JAYATE PROGRAM

Union Government declared

September 25 as Antyodya

diwas

Union Government declared 25

September as Antyodya Diwas.

Antyodya diwas was observed to

mark the 98th birth anniversary of

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.

Labour laws Reforms were launched under Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram. Schemes launched under Shramev Jayate Programs are: a. Shram Suvidha Portal: A unified web portal

where employers can get registered with a unique Labour Identification Number (LIN) and submit a single online return to comply with 16 central labour laws. Self certification of returns is allowed. Move to benefit 6 to 7 lakh industrial units. Universal Account Number (UAN) for Provident Fund: Account number portability to 4.17 lakh EPFO subscribers who can continue with the same PF number when they change jobs. UAN is being seeded with Aadhaar number and bank account number. It will provide security of savings to private sector workers, help return Rs 27000 crore lying in operative accounts.

b. Apprenticeship Protsahan Yojana: Apprenticeship scheme is revamped to boost skill development efforts. Total number of seats are increased to 20 lakh from current 4.9 lakh. Higher stipends indexed to minimum wages along with revised courses to be offered. Government will reimburse 50 percent of stipend paid by employers. This will increase employability of youth by giving them skills. At present, there are just 2.82 lakh apprentices under the scheme.

c. Revamped Rastriya Swatsthya Bima Yojana: Enrollment with RSBY will be linked with opening of bank account and issuance of Aadhaar card. Scheme currently covers 3 crore workers will be expanded to include construction sector. Single central smart card to be issued to include other welfare schemes like Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana and National Old Age Pension scheme. Revamp of RSBY will ensure increased benefits, higher transparency and effective delivery system.

d. Labour Inspection scheme: Based on returns submitted on the Shram Suvidha Portal, computerized random list of units will be taken up for Labour inspections. The portal will be operative in four central agencies – EPFO, ESIC, Central Labour Commissioner and Director General of Mines Safety.

All 1800 Labour inspectors will be expected to upload reports within 72 hours of inspections and cannot modify them thereafter. This initiative will help cut down on over 3 lakh inspections annually and bring in transparency. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya (25 September 1916 – 11 February 1968) was an Indian philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and political activist. He was one of the most important leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party.He welcomed modern technology but wanted it to be adapted to suit Indian requirements. He established the publishing house ‘Rashtra Dharma Prakashan’ in Lucknow and launched the monthly magazine ‘Rashtra Dharma’ to propound the principles he held sacred. Later he launched the weekly ‘Panchjanya’ and still later the daily ‘Swadesh’. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.9. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji RURBAN Mission:

On August 08, 2014 Ministry of Rural Development launched the ambitious Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji RURBAN Mission, which will be modelled on the best practices of PURA (providing urban amenities in rural areas) scheme. Through this mission the Government is committed to providing good amenities, jobs and infrastructure in the rural areas on a priority basis. In the first phase Rs 100 crore will be spent on three identified projects in Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh and Sangli and Buldhana Districts of Maharashtra. RURBAN Mission will use e-governance to achieve the targets in a time bound manner; also the best practices of Cooperatives, NGOs and other sectors will be dovetailed into the scheme. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.10. Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana (RGJAY) OBJECTIVE: To improve access of Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families (excluding White Card Holders) to quality medical care for identified speciality services requiring hospitalization for surgeries and therapies or consultations through an identified Network of health care providers. SCHEME: Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana (RGJAY) has been implemented throughout the state of Maharashtra in phased manner for a period of 3 years. BENEFITS: The scheme entails around 971 surgeries/therapies/procedures along with 121 follow up packages in following 30 identified specialized Categories: The families belonging to any of the 35 districts of Maharashtra and holding yellow ration card, Antyodaya Anna Yojana card (AAY), Annapurna card and orange ration card. Family means members as listed on the Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana Health Cards or holding valid Orange/Yellow Ration Card. All Diseases under the proposed scheme shall be covered from day one. A person suffering from disease prior to the inception of the policy shall also be covered under approved procedures for that disease. The Scheme shall provide coverage for meeting all expenses relating to hospitalization of beneficiary up to Rs. 1,50,000/- per family per year. In case of renal transplant surgery (kidney transplant) the upper ceiling would be Rs. 2,50,000 per operation as an exceptional package exclusively for this procedure. CASHLESS TRANSACTION: It is envisaged that for each hospitalization the transaction shall be cashless for covered procedures. RGJAY was first rolled out in July 2012. In a first phase it was launched in eight districts of the Maharashtra- Dhule, Raigad, Solapur, Nanded, Amravati, Gadchiroli, Mumbai and Mumbai suburbs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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S.11. Maharashtra's Manodhairya Yojana to provide compensation for acid attack and sex abuse victims: With instances of crimes emerging at an alarming rate, the Maharashtra Cabinet has approved a scheme called Manodhairya Yojana for victims of various crimes, especially rape, child sex abuse and acid attacks. Compensation Provided to Victims:

The scheme will be implemented from October 2 and monetary compensation ranges from Rs.2 to Rs.3 lakh depending upon the crime.

The highest compensation is for people who suffer from complete disfigurement of face or physical handicap in case of an acid attack. Such victims will be given a compensation of Rs.3 lakh while those with minor injuries will get Rs.50,000.

The scheme makes provision of up to Rs.50,000 for emergency expenses in case of any attack. Under the scheme, the government will also set up support services such as counseling, medical aid and legal aid.

In some cases, victims can be offered vocational training to equip them to be financially independent. The scheme will be implemented across the state through a district level relief and rehabilitation board that the district collector will oversee.

The scheme will also follow the amendment that was made to the Code of Criminal Procedure in 2009 that mandated state governments to draw up schemes for compensation of the victims. Earlier, the convict would be directed to compensate the victim, which very often, wouldn't come through.

The alarm raised by activists over the gangrape of a Mumbai-based photo journalist is said to have prompted the state government to sanction this scheme. Activists and legal experts, however, are also pushing for strict punishment in cases where this provision is misused.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.12. INDIA LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER MENTAL HEALTH POLICY Union Health minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday (October 10) launched India’s first-ever National Mental Health Policy to provide universal psychiatric care to the population 20 per cent of which are likely to be suffering some form of mental illness by 2020—according to WHO. Objectives

To take fresh look at the health services being offered for mental illnesses and to provide Universal access to mental health care is a specific goal of the government.

The new policy will be backed up by the “Mental Health Action Plan 365”.

Ministry recommends changes in the law that criminalises suicide and to de-criminalise it.

Recommend to introduce new Law especially for mentally ill persons.

To add mental health care policy so as to add more essence to National Health Policy and National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM).

Ministry’s effort is to boost mental health care, by many hospitals dedicated to curing mental illness would be upgraded to Bangalore-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, the country’s foremost such institute.

The Centre will allocate funds to all hospitals in the country to enable them to open departments for treating patients in need of psychological and psychiatric

health care and help those which want to upgrade their mental health care facilities.

‘365’ denotes the year long availability and accessibility to the facilities, under this scheme.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.13. SC ruled 3 percent quota for disabled persons in all government jobs The Supreme Court on 12 September 2014 ruled 3 percent quota for disabled persons in all government jobs, including Indian Administrative Services (IAS), and promotions. A bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha said that the disabled people have not got their due in the last 19 years. Despite the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act was passed in 1995. The bench also comprised Justices Kurian Joseph and Rohinton F Nariman. On the other hand, government contended that reservation cannot be given in case of promotion to Group A and Group B officers category as it is not a case of appointment. The bench, however, observed that appointment is a broader concept and the Centre is giving a narrow interpretation of it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.14. Swachh Vidyalaya campaign Union Human Resource Development Ministry on 11 September 2014 announced to fund Swachh Vidyalaya campaign. Funding of the campaign will be through Swachh Bharat Kosh that the Union Government has announced to set up to fund the Swachh Bharat Campaign. Also, HRD Ministry would initiate the process of drafting a new cohesive education policy for the successful implementation of the campaign. The policy will be drafted after conducting nationwide consultations from January 2015. Earlier, Swach Vidyalya Campaign was anchored by Union Human Resource Development Ministry as a part of Swachh Bharat Campaign. The campaign aims to ensure the provision of toilets in all government schools by 15 August 2015. As part of the campaign, public sector units under 25 Ministries on 10 September 2014, pledged 400 crore rupees for the campaign. Besides, private and public sector companies would be encouraged to build toilet blocks in schools. Earlier on 18 August 2014, Tata Consultancy Services and Bharti Enterprises pledged 100 crore rupees to build toilets in schools. Background Swach Vidyalya Campaign is a part of Swachh Bharat Campaign which is scheduled to be launched on 2 October 2014. It was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of 68th Independence Day on 15 August 2014. Swachh Bharat Campaign aims at to making India clean by 2019 when the nation will be celebrating 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.15. National AYUSH Mission

The Union Cabinet on 15 September 2014 approved the launching of National AYUSH Mission (NAM). The word AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. NAM is aimed at addressing the gaps in health services particularly in vulnerable and far-off areas. Prospects of National AYUSH Mission

The improvement of AYUSH education through enhancement in the number of upgraded educational institutions

Better access to AYUSH services through increase in number of AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries, availability of drugs and manpower.

Sustained availability of quality raw material for AYUSH systems of medicine

Availability of quality Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy (ASU&H) drugs through increase in number of pharmacies, drug laboratories and improved enforcement mechanism of ASU&H drugs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.16. Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs on 28 October 2014 launched Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY) for welfare of Tribal people and particularly to lift human development indices of tribal people. The scheme was launched during the meeting of the Tribal Welfare Ministers of States/UTs. The scheme was launched on pilot basis in one block each of the States of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Highlights of the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY)

Under the scheme, Union Government will provide 10 crore rupees for each block for the development of various facilities for the Tribal people. These blocks have been selected on the recommendations of the concerned States and have very low literacy rate.

The scheme mainly focuses on bridging infrastructural gaps and gap in human development indices between Schedule tribes and other social groups.

VKY also envisages to focus on convergence of different schemes of development of Central Ministries/Departments and State Governments with outcome oriented approach.

Initially the blocks having at least 33 percent of tribal population in comparison to total population of the block will be targeted under the scheme.

Moreover, the Ministry has taken up initiatives for strengthening of existing institutions meant for delivery of goods and services to tribal people including Integrated Tribal Development Agencies, Integrated Development Project and creation of new ones wherever necessary. The specific funds allocated to the State Governments for this purpose will be utilized judiciously with a view to build the institutional mechanism more robust by way of strengthening these institutions. Other decisions taken during the Meeting

The ministry approved the recognition of the Vishva Bharati, Shanti Niketan as the other centre of excellence in the field of Tribal language and literature.

Another proposal to establish a National Research Centre in the Tribal Research

Institute, Bhubaneswar to promote research activities on issues for socio-economic development and culture of States was also approved by his Ministry.

In order to facilitate infrastructure for provision of quality education to the tribal, the Ministry sanctioned about 184 Eklavya Modal Residential Schools. These schools are intended to be equipped with requisite infrastructure and conducive environment for ensuring delivery of quality education among the tribal.

The Ministry has implemented a scheme to ensure that forest dwellers are not deprived of their due. Under the scheme maximum selling price for Minor Forest Produce (MFP) will be implemented in schedule V States initially.

A web based portal was also developed which indicate current price of MFPs on real time basis across different vegetable markets of the States.

12 MFP products were included in the programme namely Tendu Leave, Bamboo, Mahuwa Seeds, Sal Leaf, Sal Seed, Lac, Chironjee, Wild Honey, Myrobalan, Tamarind, Gums (Gum Karaya) and Karanji.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I.17. India’s TB-Mission 2020 Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 28 October 2014 announced TB-Mission 2020 to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) from India. The announcement was made at WHO's Global TB Symposium titled Moving out of the box to end global TB epidemic: with post-2015 strategy while addressing the 45th Union World Conference on Lung Health at Barcelona. The delegation comprising Indian and South African ministers also chaired the meeting of technical experts from BRICS countries. Tuberculosis control was also declared as the dominant agenda for the upcoming meeting of BRICS Health Ministers in December 2014. The ministry emphasized that the solution to lung-related health challenges lie in bringing together all the stakeholders including the health care professionals, policy makers and the communities they serve. Under the evolving TB-Mission 2020, the ministry had instructed India’s anti-TB mission officials to work hard to achieve considerable success by 2019. Tuberculosis Control in India The Union government has already put TB control measures in top gear. India has gone into intensive mission mode from the traditionally passive approach. This intensive mission mode invloves local self-government bodies and voluntary sector activists. The Standards for TB Care in India which have been developed are not minimum standards but a composite of the best possible diagnosis strategies using high-sensitive tools, universal drug susceptibility testing, quality-assured drugs and improved regimens. Moreover, India is also in the process of ensuring free diagnosis and treatment to all TB patients irrespective of the provider be it government or private hospital. Steps are already undertaken to ensure that patients are provided with nutrition support and relevant financial enablers. The government has already undertaken regulatory steps like banning commercial serology for TB diagnosis, bringing anti-TB drugs under a separate schedule of the

national law on drugs to prevent misuse and mandatory notification whenever a new TB case is detected.

Social Development-2 SD.1. New Draft by Union Home Ministry to counter-Naxal doctrine Union Home Ministry on 17 October 2014 drafted a new counter-Naxal doctrine. In the drafted law, the ministry clearly demarcated the role of the state police and central paramilitary forces (CPMFs) in anti-Maoist operations. The ministry proposed to put state police forces in the lead, while tasking CPMFs with using their pan-Indian mandate for seamless operations across state borders and holding the counter-insurgency grid together. The new policy will be circulated to all the states for their comments soon. It will seek to fight the Maoists through a four-pronged approach, comprising elements like security-related measures, development-based approach, rights and entitlement-based measures and public perception management. The approach of the new law will be to focus on security interventions in worst LWE-affected areas. In moderately-affected areas, it will witness security and development initiatives going hand in hand; while in less affected areas, development interventions will take precedence. Highlights of the drafted Law

The policy proposed oversight committee at the national and state level. The national panel will comprise home minister, finance minister, tribal affairs minister, environment minister, rural development minister, panchayati raj minister and road & transport minister, besides chief ministers of all Naxal-hit states, and will meet bi-annually.

There will be an inter-ministerial group, a coordination committee to oversee operational strategies comprising Central and state level officers, as well as a state-level committee for coordinated response by various state agencies.

Also, the new law insisted on a periodic review of the counter-Naxal strategies.

The new counter-LWE doctrine pitches for making CRPF a world-class counter-insurgency force, with a sustained upgrade in its training, infrastructure, arms and financial powers.

It seeks to encourage police/CPMFs to recruit local tribal youth by holding more rallies and working around the DoPT rules to identify ways to push up their representation in the forces.

There is emphasis also on honouring tribal icons by renaming projects and key local buildings after them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.2. Swachh Bharat Mission Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his nationwide cleanliness campaign, the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' or 'Clean India Campaign' from the Valmiki Basti in New Delhi on Thursday. Addressing the nation at the launch, Modi asked India's 1.25 billion people to join the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and promote it to everyone.

Mr. Modi intiated this mission after paying tribute at the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries i.e. on 2nd October 2014. Modi himself swept a pavement at Valmiki Basti, a colony of sanitation workers before the formal launch of the 'Clean India' drive at Rajpath. While launching the mission at Mandir Marg, he also made a surprise visit at the local police station to check on its cleanliness. Clean India is one of the dream of Mahatma Gandhi, but this dream is still unfulfilled, this program is launched to give tribute to Gandhiji and fulfill his dream. What is Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:

Swachh Bharat or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Campaign Clean India) was officially launched on 2 October 2014 at

Rajghat, New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he himself cleaned a road with a broom.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan covers 4041 statutory towns to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the

country.

The campaign is India's biggest ever cleanliness drive and 3 million government employees and schools and colleges

students of India participated in this event. Objective of the Mission:

This campaign aims to accomplish the vision of 'clean India' by 2nd October 2019, 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and is expected to cost over Rs 62,000 crore.

The campaign was described as "beyond politics" and "inspired by patriotism".

More than 3 million government employees and schools and colleges students of India are going to participate in this event.

Prime Minister’s Actions:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to people saying that “I would not litter and won't allow anyone to do so”. A walkathon was taken as a part of the Swachh Bharat Campaign.

More than 60% people defecate in the open, hence Mr. Modi has planned to Construct more toilets to keep surrounding clean.

The Centre will spend nearly Rs 2 lakh crore in a five-year span as part of its ambitious plan to completely clean India by October 2019, coinciding with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Urban Development Ministry will allocate Rs 62,000 crore for cleaning towns across the country, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will spend Rs 1,34,000 crores for this programme.

Prime Minister has also started a social media campaign, in which he has invited nine people to post pictures of them cleaning and they will invite another nine people.

PM asked people to upload images of an area before and after cleaning. Swachh Bharat Run: A 'Swachh Bharat Run' was organized at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 3 October 2014. Around 1500 people participated and the event was flagged off by President Pranab Mukherjee from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Participants in the run included officers, as well as their families. Notable Participants in this Mission: o Goa Governor Mridula Sinha o Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar o Congress leader Shashi Tharoor o Anil Ambani o Kamal Hassan o Bollywood actor Aamir Khan o Priyanka Chopra o Salman Khan o Yoga guru Ramdev baba o And a team of Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah. Maharashtra State ambassadors for Clean Maharashtra Campaign are – 1) Appasaheb Dharmadhikari 2) Abhishek Bachchan 3) Rajashree Birla 4) Neeta Ambani 5) Anjali Bhagwat 6) Monika More 7) Sunidhi Chauhan 8) Makrand Anaspure 9) Tushar Gandhi ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.3. Swachh Bharat Kosh Operational Guidelines The Union Government on 25 November 2014 announced Swachh Bharat Kosh Operational Guidelines, 2014. The guidelines will come into force with immediate effect. The Kosh was announced to achieve the objective of cleanliness across India. The fund will be utilised to build toilets in schools of rural and urban areas. Objective of Setting-up the Fund (Kosh) Swachh Bharat Kosh has been set up to facilitate channelisation of philantrophic contributions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds towards Clean India (Swachh Bharat). The kosh was launched after individuals and philanthropists expressed interest in contributing to efforts to achieve the objective of Clean India (Swachh Bharat) by the year 2019. Governing Council The Swachh Bharat Kosh would be administered by a Governing Council that will be chaired by Secretary, Department of Expenditure. Other Permanent members will be o Secretary (Planning) o Secretary (Drinking Water and Sanitation) o Secretary (Urban Development) o Secretary (Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation) o Secretary (Rural Development) o Secretary (Panchayati Raj) o Secretary (School Education and Literacy) Departmental Secretaries from Tourism, Culture or any other department would be invited as and when their proposals are being deliberated. Bank Account & Receipt of Contribution Contributions from companies and philanthropists shall be received in a single bank The bank account will be operated jointly by the Administrator and the Chief Controller of Accounts, Ministry of Finance.

Besides, the following mode of acknowledgement with regard to receipt of donations will be adopted:

Contributors Contribution (amount in Rs.) Level of acknowledgement

Companies

1 20 crore & above Prime Minister

2 10 crore – 20 crore Finance Minister

3 1crore to 10 crore Secretary, Expenditure

4. Up to 1 crore Administrator, SBK

Individuals

1 1 crore and above. Prime Minister

2 50 lakh to 1 crore Finance Minister

3 10 lakh to 50 lakh Secretary, Expenditure

4 Up to 10 lakh Administrator, SBK

Admissible Activities The amount received through the Kosh will be used to achieve the objective of improving cleanliness levels in rural and urban areas, including in schools. It would also enable to bring out innovative or unique projects and girl toilets, which will be the priority area to start with. Following broad activities will be financed from the Kosh:

The funds of the Kosh will be used for construction of community/individual toilets in rural areas, urban areas, in elementary, secondary and senior secondary government schools, aanganwaadis (Centres that provide support to children below 6 years and their mothers under the Integrated Child Development Scheme, Ministry of Women and Child Development)

The funds will be used for renovation and repair of dysfunctional community/individual toilets in elementary, secondary and senior secondary government schools and aanganwadis

For construction activity for water supply to the constructed toilets

For training and skill development to facilitate maintenance of constructed toilets and to ensure its inter-linkages with education on hygiene

For other initiatives of improving sanitation and cleanliness in rural and urban areas including solid and liquid waste management

Any other activity to improve sanitation in the country as decided by the Governing Council.

Implementation

For implementation of the projects or activities no new institutions will be created but implementation of the projects/activities would be carried out by the existing institutions already in place at the State, District, and Sub District level

The costing of projects will be guided by the prevalent cost norms of Centrally

Sponsored Schemes (CSS) of similar nature. These will be used in deciding the cost estimates of the projects to be financed from the Kosh.

Monitoring

The line Ministries administratively concerned with the projects will closely monitor the utilization of the funds received from the Kosh and would provide a quarterly progress report to the Governing Council and the Finance Minister.

The progress of activities undertaken from the Kosh will be reviewed by the Finance Minister on a quarterly basis and by the Prime Minister from time to time.

The Ministries would ensure that the projects/activities undertaken from the Kosh are not duplicated.

Accounting and Audit To ensure financial accountability, internal audit shall be carried out by the Chief Controller of Accounts, Ministry of Finance, once every quarter. In addition, statutory audit shall be carried out annually by an independent auditor from a board of auditors appointed by the CAG. The reports and observations will be brought to the notice of the Central Government. The CCA (Finance) will maintain accounts, including Receipts and Payments Accounts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.4. Swachhta Udyami Yojana – Swachhta Se Sampannta ki Aur Union Government launched Swachhta Udyami Yojana – Swachhta Se Sampannta ki Aur of National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation. The scheme was launched by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Sudarshan Bhagat on 2 October 2014. The Scheme has twin objective of cleanliness and providing livelihood to Safai Karamcharis and liberated Manual Scavengers to achieve the overall goal of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. About the Scheme

The Scheme provides financial assistance to Safai Karamcharis and identified Manual Scavengers for Construction, Operation and Maintenance of community toilets in Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode and for Purchase of Sanitation related Vehicles.

The entrepreneurs of the target group may also avail assistance for purchase of vehicles such as Jetting and Suction machines, Vacuum Loaders, Garbage collection and disposal vehicles etc.

Beneficiaries can also take contracts from the Municipalities to operate these vehicles in areas under their jurisdiction.

Beneficiaries will be provided loan at a very concessional rate of interest of 3-4 percent per annum. The maximum amount allowed for construction toilets and for procurement of sanitation related vehicles will be 25 lakhs rupees and 15 lakhs rupees respectively.

Subsidy will also be payable under the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS), in all such cases when the unit is

Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act,2013.(Maximumeligible subsidyisRs.3.25lac).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.5. WTO, WASTE and FINISH signed MoU to end open defecation in India Three global organisations on 24 November 2014 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end open defecation in India. The agreement is for three years. These three organisations are the World Toilet Organisation (WTO), WASTE and the Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health (FINISH). They share the common goal of making sanitation accessible and affordable to all citizens. The MoU was signed to share best practices in the sanitation sector and help millions of Indians gain access to basic sanitation facilities. The objective of the agreement is to support the Central government in making the country free of open defecation and promoting sustained usage of sanitation systems. Status of open defecation in India Open defecation is the practice of defecating outside or in public. It can be the outcome of cultural practices or having no access to toilets. India has the largest number of people defecating in open in the world. Globally, India continues to be the country with the highest number of people (597 million people) practising open defecation as per the United Nations report the Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation 2014. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.6. Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills Union Ministry of Minorities Affairs on 11 November 2014 launched the Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills (MANAS) to impart training to youths. It was launched on a pilot basis on the 125th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. MANAS signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to train the youth in the health and security sectors. MoU in Health Sector MANAS signed MoU with Health Sector Council for training programmes for 200 girls and boys for Bed-Side Attendant and Home Healthcare Attendant through Skill Tree Consultant Ltd. MoU in Security Sector MANAS signed with the Security Sector Council for a security services training programme for 100 persons. Under MANAS, the union ministry of minorities has increased the income eligibility criterion for trainees from 1.03 lakh rupees to 6 lakh rupees per annum to facilitate provision of training and concessional credit. This will benefit 12 to 13 crore people. The training programmes are in line with Union Government’s motoo of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas that will ensure inclusive growth of the minorities. These training programmes will ensure 100 percent employment for trainees. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.7. CRY launched Project Unlearn to end child labour

Child Rights and You (CRY) launched Project Unlearn with an aim to end child labour and encourage children to go to school. It was launched on 14 November 2014 on eve of Children’s Day. Project Unlearn is a campaign which will help children in labour (28588) across the country to be able to free themselves from shackles of labour, go back to school and be hopeful of a bright future. The deprived basic rights of children in labour are minimum wages, long working hours, suffering abuse and exploitation. The CRY with Project Unlearn aims is to spread awareness about above issues of child labour and shake people out of their indifference towards the grim reality that India faces. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.8. Jeevan Pramaan-Digital Life Certificate for Pensioners The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 November 2014 launched the Jeevan Pramaan- an Aadhar based Digital Life Certificate for pensioners. This digital life certificate will benefit over a crore pensioners who have to produce Life Certificates each year to receive pension. By obtaining this proposed digital certification, pensioners need not submit a physical Life Certificate in November each year in order to ensure continuity of pension being credited into their account. The Department of Electronics and IT has developed a software application which will enable the recording of the pensioner`s Aadhar number and biometric details from his mobile device or computer by plugging in a biometric reading device. Key details of the pensioner including date, time and biometric information will be uploaded to a central database on real-time basis which will enable the Pension Disbursing Agency to access a Digital Life Certificate. This will conclusively establish that the pensioner was alive at the time of authentication. This software application system will be made available to pensioners and other stakeholders on a large scale at no extra cost. It can be operated on a personal computer or a smartphone along with an inexpensive biometric reading device. This facility will also be made available at Common Service Centres being operated under the National e-Governance Plan for the benefit of pensioners residing in remote and inaccessible areas. Earlier, pensioner either personally presented himself before the Pension Disbursing Agency or used to submit a Life Certificate issued by authorities specified by the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.9. Sample Registration Survey released Statistical Report 2013 The Sample Registration Survey (SRS) released its Statistical Report 2013. According to the report, the fertility rate is falling faster than expected.The report was released on 22 December 2014. India will reach replacement levels by 2020 with the total fertility rate (TFR) in 8 States below 2 children per woman. Highlights of the Survey o Among the Northern and Eastern States, nine States except Gujarat have a TFR

levels above 2.1. TFR below 2.1 means population has begun to decline.

o West Bengal along with the Southern States, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and

Himachal Pradesh has the lowest fertility in India. Odisha also has reduced the fertility rate to 2.1.

o Fertility is declining rapidly, including among the poor and illiterate. India is now just 0.2 point away from reaching replacement levels at 2.3.

o With these rates, India will achieve its demographic transition and reach replacement levels as early as 2020 or 2022.

o Among bigger States, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal has the average Total Fertility Rate (TFR) below 2.0 during 2011-13.

o The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is less positive but IMR has fallen to 40 deaths per 1000 live births, and 49 deaths of children under the age of 5 for every 1000 live births.

o The IMR has fallen mostly in rural areas than in urban areas whereas Chennai has the lowest IMR (16) among the metros.

o Among States, Kerala has the best IMR at 12 deaths per 1000 births and it is followed by Delhi and Maharashtra.

o Higher mortality rates still remain the same for infant girls and for girls under the age of five than for boys, as against the global trend.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.10. Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching Union Government launched Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching on 25 December 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the mission at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. The mission was launched the mission with an outlay of 900 crores rupees during 12th five year plan. It envisages to addressing comprehensively all issues related to teachers, teaching, teacher preparation, professional development, Curriculum Design, Designing and Developing Assessment & Evaluation methodology, Research in Pedagogy and developing effective Pedagogy. On One hand, the mission will address current and urgent issues such as supply of qualified teachers, attracting talent intoteaching profession and raising the quality of teaching in schools and colleges. On another hand, the mission will pursue long term goals of building a strong professional cadre of teachers by setting performance standards and creating top class institutional facilities for innovative teaching and professional development of teachers. The Mission will focus on both urgent issues and long term goals in a holistic manner dealing with the whole sector of education without fragmenting the programmes based on levels and sectors as school, higher, technical etc. The mission is an umbrella scheme will create synergies among the various ongoing initiatives on Teachers and Teaching under Union Ministry of Human Resources Development and other autonomous institutions. The Mission will have the components such as Schools of Education (in Central Universities), Centres of Excellence for Curriculum and Pedagogy,) Inter-University Centres for Teachers’ Education, National Resource Centre for Education, Centres for Academic Leadership and Education Management, Innovations, Awards,

Teaching Resource Grant, including Workshop & Seminar and Subject Networks for Curricular Renewal and Reforms. Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Campus Connect wi-fi of Banaras Hindu University by remote control. He unveiled the plaque of the Inter-University Centre and also launched the Varanasi Mahotsav. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.11. 25 December as Good Governance Day Union Government observed 25 December 2014 as Good Governance Day. The day was observed to celebrate the 90th birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The ministry also organised Multimedia Exhibition on former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee to mark Good Governance Day at the IGNCA complex. Union Ministry of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting organised the rich repository of archival footage on eminent personalities . The footage will be available with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to the public through Doordarshan, All India Radio and Social Media platforms of the New Media Wing. The Exhibition also witnessed screening of three films based on the life of Shri Vajpayee provided by the Film Division of the Ministry. Photo Division provided the photos being mounted at the Exhibition. The Song and Drama Division of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting gave cultural performances during the Exhibition. Publication Division organized a Book Exhibition at the venue. Doordarshan provided short-films to highlight the achievements of the former Prime Minister Shri Vajpayee. The Multimedia Exhibition on former Prime Minister Shri Vajpayee was an example of the innovative approaches being adopted towards information dissemination by different Media Units of the Ministry. The Exhibition reiterated the integrated communication approach being practiced for effective outreach and impact. At the closing ceremony, prizes were awarded to children who participated in painting competition organized at the venue during the Exhibition. The theme of the painting competition was Swachhta and National unity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.12. Sushaasan Express flagged off by the Union Ministry of Mines and Steel The Sushaasan Express was on 25 December 2014 flagged off by the Union Ministry of Mines and Steel. The Sushaasan (good governance) Express was launched from Gwalior, the birth place of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The train will run between Gwalior and Gonda via Hazrat Nizamuddin and Lucknow. The train was launched on the occasion of Good Governance Day that marks the birthday of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee and birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malaviya. Other announcements made during the function On the same occasion, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu sanctioned 29 crore rupees for the development of railways in Gwalior. Besides, another announcement was that the Union tourism ministry has approved a plan worth 24.93 crore rupees proposed by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation to develop Gwalior as a mega tourist centre.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.13. Mission Indradhanush Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 25 December 2014 launched Mission Indradhanush to achieve full immunization coverage for all children by 2020. The Mission Indradhanush aims to cover all those children who are either unvaccinated or are partially vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases including diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B. The Mission was launched on Good Governance Day that marks the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malaviya and birthday of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Highlights of the Mission Indradhanush o Under Mission Indradhanush, four special vaccination campaigns will be

conducted between January and June 2015 with intensive planning and monitoring of these campaigns.

o The ministry has identified 201 high focus districts that have nearly 50 percent of all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children. These districts will be targeted by intensive efforts to improve the routine immunization coverage.

o Out of the 201 districts, 82 districts are in just four states of UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and nearly 25 percent of the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children of India are in these 82 districts of 4 states.

o 201 districts will be covered in the first phase of the mission, 297 districts will be targeted for the second phase in the year 2015.

o The Ministry will be technically supported by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and other donor partners.

o Mass media, interpersonal communication, and sturdy mechanisms of monitoring and evaluating the scheme are crucial components of Mission.

History Between 2009-2013, immunization coverage has increased from 61 to 65 percent, indicating only 1 percent increase in coverage every year. To accelerate the process of immunization by covering 5 percent and more children every year, the Mission Mode has been adopted to achieve target of full coverage by 2020. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.14. HRIDAY The National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was in news recently as Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu announced the plans to launch the scheme. HRIDAY is a scheme for conserving and preserving the heritage characters of 12 cities. These are: Amritsar, Varanasi, Gaya, Puri, Ajmer, Mathura, Dwarka, Badami, Velankanni, Kanchipuram, Warangal (Telangana) and Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh). The scheme aims at developing tourism and job creation because India’s rich cultural, historical, religious and natural heritages have a huge potential of tourism. Earlier, in his maiden budget speech in July 2014, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had made the announcement of launching HRIDAY scheme.

As per the announcement, the scheme will involve a partnership between the government, academic institutions and local communities, combining affordable technologies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.15. Guidelines to step up security in Schools Union Home Ministry on 19 December 2014 issued guidelines to step up security in Schools. The guidelines were issued across the country in the wake of attack on an Army-run school in Peshawar. The guidelines spell out steps to be taken in case of random firing, armed intrusion, hostage crisis or bomb attacks. Highlights of the guidelines are Each school should have concrete boundary wall, with 3 to 4 gates and each gate should be manned by at least 3 guards, on a 24- hour basis. There should be proper illumination along the perimeter so that nobody can jump over the wall into the school in the night for any nefarious activity. Details of telephone number of the Police Control Room and local police station should be maintained and updated regularly by the school authorities. A telephone connection should be provided at the main gate of the School so that the guards can inform the Police in case of any emergency without waiting for informing the nodal officer or the Principal. Concertina wire may be fixed on the iron grills above the boundary wall to deter any one from jumping over the wall. Installation of CCTV systems all along the boundary as well as some additiona locations inside the premises. The system should also have requisite video analytics to detect any intrusion and raise an audio as well as visual alarm. CCTV system alarm may also be connected to the identified gates to close them automatically. Walkie Talkie sets for communication between security guards and nodal security officer be arranged. There should be centralized Public Announcement System between Nodal Officer and all classes/ library etc. by which instructions can be given to the students/ staff in each room, collectively or individually or in selected combination, may be installed. A visual anti-sabotage check of the entire school should be carried out by the security staff of the school before the children start arriving in the morning. They should also check the footpath in front of the school, all along the boundary wall including the parking area to detect any suspicious objects lying unattended there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.16. Government’s DBTL becomes world’s largest direct benefit transfer scheme Governments ambitious Direct Benefit Transfer on LPG (DBTL) has become the world’s largest direct benefit transfer scheme after 2.5 crore households received about 550 crore rupees since 15th November 2014.

It has surpassed number of beneficiaries in direct benefit transfer programmes in countries like China and Brazil. Background Earlier, government had launched DBTL scheme in 54 districts from 15th November 2014 and planning to launch it all over the country from 1st January 2015. Key facts about Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) scheme This scheme gives cash subsidy on cooking gas directly to consumers so that they can buy cooking gas at market price. It aims to curb leakages, preventing black-marketing in cash subsidy on cooking gas. As primary option, LPG consumers who join the DBTL scheme receive the LPG cash subsidy either by linking their Aadhaar number to the LPG and bank database. In case of secondary option, consumers may get the subsidy directly into their accounts without linking it with Aadhaar. Thus, DBTL scheme is will help government to save upto Rs 14,000 crores in subsidies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.17. Uttar Pradesh becomes first state in the country to take E-governance route to provide pensions and scholarships Uttar Pradesh has become the first State in the country to take the route of e-governance to provide pension and scholarships to 15 million beneficiaries. Besides, UP has also made commercial taxes department consumer friendly by making almost all payments and registration online. UP is the first state to integrate the state treasury with the Centre’s Public Financial Management System (PFMS) through. In PFMS the entire pension and scholarship amount are being directly sent to the bank account of the beneficiaries. In PFMS system, the beneficiaries are also alerted about the payment through SMS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.18. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana Launched in July 2014 Government has introduced a new scheme called Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, which will help in generating awareness and improving the efficiency of delivery of welfare services meant for women with an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore. The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley announced in his maiden Budget Speech that government would focus on campaigns to sensitize people of this country towards the concerns of the girl child and women. He said that the process of sensitization must begin early and therefore the school curriculum must have a separate chapter on gender mainstreaming. Sharing the concerns of the members on Women’s safety, the Finance Minister informed the House that Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will spend Rs. 50 crore on pilot testing a scheme for Safety of Women on Public Road Transport. Similarly, Ministry of Home Affairs will spend Rs. 150 crore on a scheme to increase the safety of women in large cities. The Finance Minister also proposed to set up Crisis Management Centres in all the districts of NCT of Delhi this year in all government and private hospitals. The funding will be provided from the Nirbhaya Fund, the Minister added. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SD.19. Maharashtra launches Jeevan Amrut Seva — 'blood-on-call' delivery service The ambitious plan, said to be first-of-its-kind in the country, is aimed at facilitating blood supply to patients scheduled to undergo surgeries and medical procedures, at cheaper rate by dialling a dedicated helpline number "104". It was launched in J.J. Medical Hospital (Mumbai). The scope of the scheme is widened to entire state following its successful implementation on the pilot basis in Satara and Sindhudurg districts. With facilitating timely blood supply, the scheme is also aimed at reducing hardships that are usually faced by patients and their relatives in procuring blood. Under the scheme, the request for blood will have to be placed by hospitals. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD.20. Union Petroleum ministry launched LPG schemes for benefitting BPL families The Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on 5 January 2015 launched the sale of subsidised 5 kg cooking gas cylinders under Free Trade LPG (FTL) Scheme to benefit Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, students and migrant labourers. Under the facility, BPL families will get 500 rupees subsidy while purchasing 5kg cylinder. Those who do not have address proof due to acquiring residence on temporary basis can buy 5 Kg LPG cylinder at market price. The 5 Kg LPG cylinders will be available at 9 retail outlets in Bhubaneswar and at 4 retail outlets in Cuttack. Subsequently, the sale of cylinder under FTL scheme is proposed at various locations of Udyan Fresh outlets in Bhubaneswar. The scheme is aimed at increasing the usage of LPG, a cleaner cooking fuel, by households. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Scheme The Union Petroleum Ministry also launched the expanded Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Scheme to cover BPL families living in urban areas. Under the scheme, all BPL families will be getting LPG connection without paying the security deposit for cylinder and pressure regulator. The scheme provides concession of 1600 rupees to BPL families. The move is aimed to make cooking gas easily available to consumers. The scheme is available upto 31 March 2015. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------