GS- 2nd Paper
Topic- Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Context
The President of India presented the National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards (NCSRA).
About NCSRA
- The National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards (NCSRA) has been instituted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- NCSRA is to recognize outstanding contribution in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and to achieve inclusive growth and inclusive and sustainable development.
- The NCSRA have been instituted in 2017 subsequent to the recommendations of the High Level Committee on CSR.
Why these awards are given?
- To Increase competition in various categories of companies to infuse excellence in their CSR activities
- To Encourage companies to spend the entire amount i.e. eligible CSR spend.
- To Recognise the impact, innovation, usage of technology, gender and environment issues, sustainability, scalability and replicability of CSR activities.
- To Channelise CSR activities of corporate so that the benefits of their activities reach the marginalised sections of society and in remote areas of the country.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
- Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model.
- It helps a company be socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public.
- By practicing corporate social responsibility, also called corporate citizenship, companies can be conscious of the kind of impact they are having on all aspects of society, including economic, social, and environmental.
- To engage in CSR means that, in the ordinary course of business, a company is operating in ways that enhances society and the environment, instead of contributing negatively to them.
Key Takeaways about CSR
- Corporate social responsibility is a broad concept that can take many forms depending on the company and industry.
- Through CSR programs, philanthropy, and volunteer efforts, businesses can benefit society while boosting their brands.
- As important as CSR is for the community, it is equally valuable for a company.
- CSR activities can help forge a stronger bond between employees and corporations; boost morale; and help both employees and employers feel more connected with the world around them.
GS-2nd Paper
Topic- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB)
Context
Health Ministry has sought stakeholders to implement the blueprint in a time bound manne.
About the NDHB
- National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) lays out the ‘building blocks’ for the implementation of the National Health Stack (NHS), which aims to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) in leveraging health records.
- The blueprint proposes the linking of multiple databases to generate greater and granular data that can be leveraged by the public as well as private sector – including insurance companies, hospitals, apps and researchers.
- The blueprint proposes a National Digital Health Mission “as a purely government organisation with complete functional autonomy.
- It will adopt some features of some of the existing National Information Utilities like UIDAI and GSTN.
NDHB objective
- The policy document essentially charts out the implementation plan and defines the ‘building blocks’ of the NHS.
NDHB has the following objectives-
- To create a National Digital Health Eco-system that supports Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through a wide-range of data.
- To create a system of Personal Health Records accessible to the citizens and to the service providers based on citizen-consent.
- To establish national and regional registries to create single source of knowing in respect of Clinical Establishments, Healthcare Professionals, Health Workers and Pharmacies.
- To promote the adoption of open standards by all the actors in the National Digital Health Ecosystem.
- To Promote Health Data Analytics and Medical Research.
Benefits
- NDHB will help in providing a common platform for integration of existing applications in health domain and data which has existed in silos, either in public health facility, or, in private healthcare facility, in India.
- It was also updated that building on the initial document of “National Health Stack” (NHS) by NitiAayog,
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has defined clear timelines, targets and the resources required for this digital convergence of Healthcare programmes in India.
For Prelims
Exercise Shakti-2019
Context
Indo-French Joint Exercise Shakti-2019 commenced.
Highlights
- ‘Exercise SHAKTI’ between India and France commenced in year 2011.
- It’s a biennial exercise and is conducted alternately in India and France.
- The bilateral training exercise will be conducted at Foreign Training Node at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.
- The joint exercise will focus on Counter Terrorism operations in backdrop of semi-desert terrain under United Nations Mandate.
- The training will focus primarily on high degree of physical fitness, sharing of drill at tactical level and learning of best practices from each other.
- The exercise aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the two Armies.
Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Parv
Context
Union Human Resource Development Minister inaugurated Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Parv.
Highlights
- EK Bharat Shreshth Bharat Parv is being organized by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan under Ministry of Human Resource Development.
- This event is primarily to showcase the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat’.
- To promote the communication & artistic skills of students through various competitions.
- It also provides a platform to teachers to express their talent in performing and visual arts.
- All the 25 regions of KVS are paired with a State different from their own State and also a Country.
