General Studies- II
Topic- Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications.
PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation)
Context
PM to chair PRAGATI meeting
About
Prime Minister will chair the 32nd interaction through PRAGATI- the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.
About PRAGATI
- Prime Minister had launched the multi-purpose and multi-modal governance platform PRAGATI on 25th March 2015.
- PRAGATI is an integrating and interactive platform, aimed at addressing the common man’s grievances.
- PRAGATI also helps in simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Government of India, as well as projects flagged by various State governments.
Key Features of PRAGATI
The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies:
- Digital data management,
- Video-conferencing,
- Geo-spatial technology.
- It also offers a unique combination in the direction of cooperative federalism.
- It is a three-tier system(PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States).
- With this, the Prime Minister is able to discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation.
Aim
The platform is aimed at addressing common man’s grievances, and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments.
How it works?
- Prime Minister interacts with the Government of India Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries through Video-conferencing enabled by data and geo-informatics visuals.
- The system will ride on, strengthen and re-engineer the data bases of the CPGRAMS for grievances, Project Monitoring Group (PMG) and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
- These issues can be viewed by the Union Government Secretaries and Chief Secretaries after entering into the application.
- With this, the Prime Minister is able to discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation.
- It is also an innovative project in e-governance and good governance.
- The programme will be held once in every month on Fourth Wednesday -to be known as PRAGATI Day.
General Studies- II
Topic- Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC)
Context
Central Government notifies the structure of National Startup Advisory Council.
About
- The Central Government has notified the structure of the National Startup Advisory Council.
- It will advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country.
Functions of NSAC
- The Council will suggest measures to foster a culture of innovation amongst citizens and students.
- Promote innovation in all sectors of economy across the country, including semi-urban and rural areas,
- Support creative and innovative ideas through incubation and research and development to transform them into valuable products,
- Processes or solutions to improve productivity and efficiency and create an environment of absorption of innovation in industry.
For Start Ups
It will also suggest measures to facilitate public organizations to assimilate innovation with a view:
- To improving public service delivery,
- Promote creation,
- Protection and commercialization of intellectual property rights,
- Make it easier to start, operate, grow and exit businesses by reducing regulatory compliances and costs,
- Promote ease of access to capital for startups,
- Incentivize domestic capital for investments into startups,
- Mobilize global capital for investments in Indian startups,
- Keep control of startups with original promoters and provide access to global markets for Indian startups.
Structure of NSAC
- The National Startup Advisory Council will be chaired by Minster for Commerce & Industry.
- The Council will consist of the non-official members, to be nominated by Central Government.
- The nominees of the concerned Ministries/Departments/Organisations, not below the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India, will be ex-officio members of the Council.
- Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade will be the Convener of the Council
Nominated members
Nominated members will be from various categories, like:
- Founders of successful startups,
- Veterans who have grown and scaled companies in India,
- Persons capable of representing interests of investors into startups,
- Persons capable of representing interests of incubators and accelerators, and
- Representatives of associations of stakeholders of startups and representatives of industry associations.
Term
The term of the non-official members of the Startup Advisory Council will be for a period of two years.
Fundamentals
NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development)
- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an Apex Development Financial Institution in India.
- The Bank has been entrusted with “matters concerning Policy Planning and Operations in the field of credit for Agriculture and other Economic activities in Rural areas in India”.
- NABARD is active in developing Financial Inclusion policy.
- It is one of the premier agencies providing developmental credit in rural areas.
- NABARD Head Office at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Background
- NABARD was established on the recommendations of B.Sivaraman Committee, to implement the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act 1981.
- It replaced the Agricultural Credit Department (ACD) and Rural Planning and Credit Cell (RPCC) of Reserve Bank of India, and Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC).
- NABARD came into existence on 12 July 1982 by transferring the agricultural credit functions of RBI and refinance functions of the then Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC).
- NABARD is India’s specialised bank for Agriculture and Rural Development in India.
- International associates of NABARD include World Bank-affiliated organisations and global developmental agencies working in the field of agriculture and rural development.
- It was set up with an initial capital of Rs.100 crore, its’ paid up capital stood at Rs.10,580 crore as on 31 March 2018.
- Consequent to the revision in the composition of share capital between Government of India and RBI, NABARD today is fully owned by Government of India.
Vision
Development Bank of the Nation for Fostering Rural Prosperity.
Mission
- Promote sustainable and equitable agriculture and rural development through participative financial and non-financial interventions, innovations, technology and institutional development for securing prosperity.
For Prelims
Statehood Day
Highlights
PM greets to the People of Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur on their Statehood Days.
Tripura
- After India’s independence, the princely state of Tripura was merged with the Union of India on 15th October 1949.
- Tripura became a Union Territory on 1 July 1963, and
- Attained the status of a full-fledged state on 21 January 1972.
Meghalaya
- Meghalaya was created as an autonomous state within the state of Assam on 2 April, 1970.
- The full-fledged State of Meghalaya came into existence on 21 January, 1972.
Manipur
- The Manipur State Constitution Act of 1947 established a democratic form of government, with the Maharaja continuing as the head of state.
- Faced with Burma’s ambitions to take over the state, in 1949, Maharaja Bodhchandra went to Shillong, where he signed an instrument of accession to merge the kingdom into the Union of India instead.
- Thereafter, the legislative assembly was dissolved, and in October 1949 Manipur became part of India.
- It was made a Union Territory in 1956, and
- A fully-fledged State in 1972.
