PIB – August 9 , 2019


GS-2 Paper

Topic coveredWelfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

PM Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana

Context

Registration opens for PM Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana. Union Agriculture Minister urges farmers to register for the Pension Scheme.

About

  • Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is a National Mission on Financial Inclusion.
  • PM-SYM is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme that will engage as many as 42 crore workers in the unorganised sector.
  • The slogan for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is “Mera Khata Bhagya Vidhaata”.
  • The primary aim of this scheme is to provide poor people access to bank accounts. The scheme covers both urban and rural areas of India.

Eligibility

  • The unorganised sector workers, with income of less than Rs 15,000 per month and who belong to the entry age group of 18-40 years, will be eligible for the scheme.
  • Those workers should not be covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme or Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
  • He or she should not be an income tax payer.

Key features of PMJDY

  • Minimum Assured Pension: Each subscriber under the PM-SYM (PM Shram Yogi Maan Dhan Yojana), shall receive minimum assured pension of Rs 3000/- per month after attaining the age of 60 years.
  • Family Pension: During the receipt of pension, if the subscriber dies, the spouse of the beneficiary shall be entitled to receive 50% of the pension received by the beneficiary as family pension.
  • Family pension is applicable only to spouse.
  • If a beneficiary has given regular contribution and died due to any cause (before age of 60 years), his/her spouse will be entitled to join and continue the scheme subsequently by payment of regular contribution or exit the scheme as per provisions of exit and withdrawal.
  • Contribution by the Subscriber: The subscriber is required to contribute the prescribed contribution amount from the age of joining PM-SYM till the age of 60 years.
  • Matching contribution by the Central Government: PM-SYM is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme on a 50:50 basis.
  • It prescribed age-specific contribution shall be made by the beneficiary.

Enrolment Process under PM-SYM

  • The subscriber will be required to have a mobile phone, savings bank account and Aadhaar number.
  • The eligible subscriber may visit the nearest CSCs and get enrolled for PM-SYM using Aadhaar number and savings bank account/ Jan-Dhan account number on self-certification basis.
  • Enrollment agencies: The enrolment will be carried out by all the Community Service Centers (CSCs).
  • Facilitation Centres: All the branch offices of LIC, the offices of ESIC/EPFO and all Labour offices of Central and State Governments will facilitate the unorganised workers about the Scheme, its benefits and the procedure to be followed, at their respective centers.

Significance of the scheme

  • The PM – SYM is a crucial scheme to provide social securityto vulnerables.
  • It will in effect provide wage protection, job security, social security to the workers and ultimately alleviate the hardships they face.
  • Eventually it will boost the overall economic growth of the country.

GS- 3 Paper

Topics CoveredInfrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

FAME India scheme

Context

The Department of Heavy Industry has approved the sanction of 5595 electric buses for intra-city and intercity operation under FAME India scheme phase II in order to give a further push to clean mobility in public transportation.

About FAME India scheme

  • FAME India is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.
  • Main thrust of FAME is to encourage electric vehicles by providing subsidies.
  • FAME-India Scheme is implementing by Department of Heavy Industry in order to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth of the same.
  • It is being implemented in two phases.
  • Phase-I [Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India] from 1st April 2015.
  • The Phase-II of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME-India) Scheme proposes to give a push to electric vehicles (EVs) in public transport and seeks to encourage adoption of EVs by way of market creation and demand aggregation.

Key features of FAME 2 scheme

  • FAME 2 scheme aims to boost electric mobility and increase the number of electric vehicles in commercial fleets.
  • It will focus at faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.
  • The government will provide the incentives for electric buses, three-wheelers and four-wheelers to be used for commercial purposes.
  • The outlay of ₹10,000 crore has been made for three years till 2022 for FAME 2 scheme.
  • The centre will invest in setting up charging stations, with the active participation of public sector units and private players.
  • Projects for charging infrastructure will include those needed to extend electrification for running vehicles such as pantograph charging and flash charging.
  • FAME 2 will also encourage interlinking of renewable energy sources with charging infrastructure.

Significance

  • India needs auto industry’s active participation to ease electric mobility transition.
  • The auto and battery industries could collaborate to enhance customer awareness and promote domestic manufacturing.
  • Government needs to focus on a phased manufacturing plan to promote EVs, provide fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for phased manufacturing of EVs and batteries.

For prelims-

One Nation One Ration Card

Context

To achieve the objective of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution inaugurated the inter-State portability in two clusters.

Highlights

  • One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme seeks to provide portability of food security benefits all across the nation.
  • One Nation One Ration Card scheme is to ensure all beneficiaries especially migrants can access PDS across the nation from any PDS shop of their own choice.
  • It aims that no poor person is deprived of getting subsidised food grains under the food security scheme when they shift from one place to another.
  • It also aims to remove the chance of anyone holding more than one ration card to avail benefits from different states.
  • This will provide freedom to the beneficiaries as they will not be tied to any one PDS shop and reduce their dependence on shop owners and curtail instances of corruption.
  • In a major step towards achieving the objective of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution inaugurated the inter-State portability in two clusters of adjoining States of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana and Gujarat & Maharashtra.
  • This will enable beneficiaries from either States’ cluster to avail the benefits accruing to them under the National Food Security Act from any of the two States.

Rotavirus Vaccine

Context

Every child will now get Rotavirus Vaccine as government expands it to the entire country: Union Health Minister

About Rotavirus

  • Rotavirus can cause diarrohea, which can lead to dehydration (not having enough water in the body).
  • It is a contagious disease that spreads easily from child to child. Rotavirus spreads when a person comes in contact with the feces of someone who has rotavirus and then touches their own mouth.

About Rotavac vaccine

  • Rotavac vaccine is pre-qualified by WHO.
  • To be “pre-qualified” means that the vaccine can be sold internationally to several countries in Africa and South America.
  • This is the firstpre-qualified vaccine that was entirely developed in India.
  • The Rotavac vaccine, developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited last year, was included in India’s national immunization programme.
  • It has also been included in India’s immunization programme.
  • World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that the first dose of rotavirus vaccine be administered as soon as possible after 6 weeks of age, along with DTP vaccination (diptheria, tetanus and pertussis).
  • Rotavirus vaccine was introduced in 2016 in a phased manner.
  • Beginning with 4 states initially and later expanded to 7 more states making it a total of 11 states by end of 2018, where Rotavirus vaccine was available in the country.
  • At present the vaccine has been further expanded to 17 more states till now.
  • Rotavirus vaccine is now available in 28 States/UTs.
  • The vaccine is expected to be available in all 36 States/UTs by September 2019.

66th National Film Awards

Context

The 66th National Film Awards were announced in a press conference today.

Highlights

  • Uttarakhand has been named the most film friendly state.
  • Producer Priyanka Chopra’s Marathi film Paani won best film on environment conservation.

List of winners of 66th National Film Awards-

    1. Best Actor– Vickey Kaushal and Ayushman Khurana
    2. Best Singer: Arijit Singh for Padmavat
    3. Best Urdu Film– Hamid
    4. Best Hindi Film– Andhadhun
    5. Best Konkani Film– Amori
    6. Best Kannada Film– Nathicharami
    7. Best Telugu Film– Mahanati
    8. Best Educational Film– SaralaVirala
    9. Best Film on Sports– Swimming through the Darkness
    10. Best Investigative Film– Amoli(Non-Feature Film Category)
    11. Best Gujarati Film– Reva
    12. Best Punjabi Film– Harjeeta
    13. Best Assamese Film– Bulbul can sing
    14. Best Malayalam Film– Sudani from Nigeria
    15. Best Bengali Film– Ek Je Chhilo Raja
    16. Best Environment Film– The World’s Most Famous Tiger. The film is directed by Subbiah Nallamuthu.
    17. Best Science & Technology Film (Non-Feature Category)-D Naidu: The Edison of India
    18. Best Tamil Film – Baaram
    19. Best Arts and Culture Film– Bunkar: The Last of The Varanasi Weavers
    20. Best Rajasthani Film– Turtle
    21. Pangchenpa Film– In The Land of Poison Women
    22. Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director- Feluda_50 Years Rays Detective

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