GS- 3 Paper
Topic covered- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)
Context
Deendayan Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), has been conferred the prestigious SKOCH Governance Gold Award for its PAiSA Portal.
About DAY- NULM
- National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MHUPA) in 2013.
- It replaced the existing Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY).
- National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) is renamed as Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-(DAY-NULM) and in Hindi as – Rashtriya Shahri Aajeevika Mission.
The Main Features of NULM are–
- Coverage– Under the scheme urban areas extends the coverage to all the 4041 statutory cities and towns, there by covering almost the entire urban population.
- Target Population– The primary target of NULM is the urban poor, including the urban homeless.
- Sharing of funding- Funding will be shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25.
- For North Eastern and Special Category States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), this ratio will be 90:10.
- The scheme has two component one for urban India and other for rural India
- The Urban component named as Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana will be implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.
- The rural component named as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana will be implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development.
Objectives
- The NULM will focus on organizing urban poor in their strong grassroots level institutions.
- To create opportunities for skill development leading to market-based employment and helping them to set up self-employment venture by ensuring easy access to credit.
- To provide the shelter equipped with essential services to the urban homeless in a phased manner.
- The Mission is aimed at providing shelter equipped with essential services to the urban homeless in a phased manner. In addition, the Mission would also address livelihood concerns of the urban street vendors.
PaiSA portal
- “PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access” is a centralized electronic platform for processing interest subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
- It was launched in November 2018.
- It is a centralized IT platform which simplifies and streamlines release of interest subvention under the Mission.
- It offers end to end online solution for processing, payment, monitoring and tracking of interest subvention claims from banks on a monthly basis.
- It is designed and developed by Allahabad Bank (Nodal bank).
GS- 2 Paper
Topic covered– Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications.
National Laboratory Directory
Context
The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution launched the National Lab Directory, a one-stop-shop for all testing needs.
About NLD
- National Laboratory Directory is an online platform created by the National Standards Body of India, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
- It is created on the basis of self-entry by testing laboratories about the available testing facilities in their laboratories.
- The National Laboratory Directory has been created with an aim to bring together the information about test facilities available across various sectors such as Government and Private Laboratories on a single online platform.
- It is a one-stop-shop for all testing needs of the industries, academia, researchers and other stakeholders who need to get their Testing Facilities accredited / certified / recognised.
Functions
- Laboratories can add and edit the testing facilities as available with them on a self-declaration basis.
- The information on testing facilities as per Indian Standards or other National/International Standards can be added and can be periodically updated.
- All testing laboratories irrespective of their accreditation status or any approval by any Government Agency can register in this directory free of cost.
- Testing Facilities available in Satellite/Branch Laboratories can also be entered.
Need and Importance
- Geo-positioning of Laboratories registered in the Directory through Latitude and Longitude has been carried out.
- This data is available through GIS facilitating multiple search criteria.
- Multiple search options like searching Laboratories on the basis of location, on the basis of Indian Standards, product wise testing facility and viewing testing facilities available in a registered laboratory have been provided in the portal.
- Laboratories once registered in the portal can update their profile including their geo-position (latitude and longitude) at any time and can change their password through the edit profile option.
Benefits
- This directory will benefit stakeholders such as manufacturers, consumers and regulatory agencies for identifying the laboratories having the required testing facilities.
- The laboratories in turn, will be able to reach out to a wider customer base and will get a platform for increasing their visibility on National Level to Manufacturers, Consumers, Regulatory Agencies, Government and Research Institutions.
GS- 2 Paper
Topics Covered- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Indian medical visa liberalization
Context
Liberalization of medical visa regime: facilitation by non-requirement of conversion of primary visa into medical visa when a foreigner seeks admission into a hospital owing to an illness
Liberalization of medical visa regime
- India is considered a preferred destination for cardiology, orthopedics, transplant and ophthalmology in curative care, it also enjoys high credibility in wellness and prevention and alternative medicine.
- The Union Home Ministry on August 30 announced that foreigners visiting India can avail treatment, except organ transplant, anywhere in the country without obtaining a medical visa.
Key changes under the new medical visa linearization
- A foreigner suffering from a minor medical condition, which needs only OPD consultation/treatment, may take treatment at any hospital/treatment centre on his/her primary visa.
- In case of indoor medical treatment of less than 180 days or up to the stay stipulation period, if any, stipulated on primary visa of a foreigner or the duration of his/her primary visa, whichever is earlier, a foreigner is permitted to take such indoor medical treatment subject to certain conditions.
- The indoor treatment may now be taken on primary (original) visa irrespective of the fact that the diseases, which the foreigner may have been suffering from even before his/her entry into India and even for ailments which were in his/her knowledge.
- Treatment of diseases, which require organ transplant shall, however, be permitted only on a Medical Visa.
Benefits
- Boosting Economy- Indian States will be benefitted by boosting their economy due to inflow of large no. of tourists seeking medical help.
- Foreign Exchange– Every patient spends around 3500-6000 USD in India which brings important foreign exchange in India.
- Goodwill– It will increase medical tourism in India. This goodwill helps in securing Indian investments abroad and improvement in bilateral relations.
- Employment Generation– Inflow of patients and money into healthcare system leads to creation of jobs and opportunities which help in solving the unemployment crisis of India.
- Promotion of alternative healthcare system- It helps promotion of healthcare systems of India such as AYUSH.
GS- 3 Paper
Topic covered- Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)
Context
To promote afforestation and achieving green objectives of the country, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released CAMPA funds to various states.
About CAMPA
Supreme Court of India ordered for establishment of Compensatory Afforestation Fund and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in 2001.
In 2006, adhoc CAMPA was established for the management of Compensatory afforestation fund.
CAMPA Act
- The “Compensatory Afforestation Fund” CAF Act was passed by the centre in 2016 and the related rules were notified in 2018.
- The CAF Act was enacted to manage the funds collected for compensatory afforestation which till then was managed by ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
- To compensate the loss of forest area and to maintain the sustainability, the Government of India enacted an Act, known as CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority).
- The law establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
- These Funds will receive payments for-
- Compensatory afforestation,
- Net present value of forest (NPV),
- Other project specific payments.
- This Act has provisioned that CAMPA funds shall be kept in interest bearing non-lapsable Public Account.
- The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
- According to the Act’s provision, a company diverting forest land must provide alternative land to take up compensatory afforestation.
- For afforestation, the company should pay to plant new trees in the alternative land provided to the state.
Compensatory Afforestation
- Compensatory Afforestation (CA) refers to afforestation and regeneration activities carried out as a way of compensating for forest land diverted to non-forest purposes.
- The “non-forest purpose” means the breaking up or clearing of any forest land or a portion thereof for-
- The cultivation of tea, coffee, spices, rubber, palms, oil-bearing plants, horticultural crops or medicinal plants;
- Any purpose other than re-afforestation.
- In Compensatory afforestation, every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.
For Prelims-
Yoga Awards
Context
The Prime Minister conferred Yoga awards to the winners of PM’s Award for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga.
Highlights
- On the 2nd International Day of Yoga celebrations in 2016 at Chandigarh, PM Narendra Modi had announced institution of awards for promotion and development of Yoga.
Winners of the year 2019 Yoga Awards are –
- Swami Rajarshi Muni of Life Mission, Gujarat in Individual -National category,
- Antonietta Rozzi, Italy in Individual -International category,
- Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar in Organisation-National category,
- Japan Yoga Niketan, Japan in Organization – International Organisation category
Winners of 2018 Yoga Awards are –
- Shri Vishwas Mandalik, Nasik, Individual- National category.
- Yoga Institute, Mumbai, Organisation – National category.
Prize- Awardees will be felicitated with Trophy, Certificate and Cash Prize of Rs.25 lakh each.
