Dear Future Business Leaders,
We are delighted to present to you this IRMA – Compendium-2017. The
purpose of this compendium is to provide relevant information related to ISSUES
OF SOCIAL CONCERNS which is very much useful for your forthcoming IRMA
examinations that will be held in Feb, 2017.
The compendium is divided into three parts:
The Part-A covers major social issues, the Part-B covers important
issues related to various rural development schemes and the part-C covers some
basic knowledge related to environment protection and sustainable development
including MDGs and SDGs.
All the best!!
Team CL
1.
Poverty, menace to society
2.
Malnutrition, major challenge in India
3.
Uniform Civil Code - Muslim Personal Law needs
reforms
4.
Caste system, the social evil
5.
Women Entry to Religious Places
6.
Commercial Surrogacy Bill 2016
7.
Changes in Domestic Violence Act
8.
Tobacco problem persistent in India
9.
Global TB Report 2016- TB Burden on India
10.
Vaccination drive against JE
11.
Child Marriage obstacle to every development
goal
12.
School Education Quality Index (SEQI)
13.
Increase in attendance of differently abled in
schools: Census 2011
14.
Kerala declared open defecation free
15.
BRICS Urbanization Forum
16.
Child labour in the spotlight: Child Labour
(Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016
17.
Reduced Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus
18.
Commercialization of Education
19.
Hepatitis is more infectious than HIV in India
20.
Hidden Hunger Biofortification
21.
Women employees and their right to maternity
leave
22.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan
23.
Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and
Development (TREAD) scheme for Women
24.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
25.
Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA) Programme, GoI
26.
Saur Ujala Yojana
27.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhjiyan
(PMSMA)
28.
PAHAL (DBTL) scheme
29.
Atal Pension Yojana
30.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana
PART – B: Rural Development
1.
Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare: New
Initiatives and Challenges
2.
Rural Infrastructure Development
3.
Women Empowerment Schemes
4.
Social security Initiatives
5.
Reversing the de-Industrialization in India
6.
Enabling the Disabled
7.
Initiatives for Welfare of Minorities
8.
Initiatives for Education
PART – C: Environment
Protection and Sustainable Development
•
Milanium Development Goals
•
Sustainable Development Goals
•
Comparative Analysis of MDGs and SDGs
Part – A:
Major Social Issues
1.
Poverty, Menace to Society
Poverty
refers to a situation when people’s basic needs are not fulfilled and absolute
poverty refers to the lack of means necessary to meet basic needs such as food,
clothing and shelter.
Poverty
is assigned as the Goal 1 in the “Global Goals” of United Nation’s 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development. The SDGs came into effect in January 2016, and
will continue to guide UNDP policy and funding for the next 15 years in 170
countries and territories.
Poverty
in India is a historical reality. As per the statistics, India with 17.5% of
total world’s population had 20.6% share of world’s poorest in 2011 and as of
2014, 58% of the total population were living on less than $3.10 per day. When
a large number of people live in poverty, there is limited scope for the
development of country’s economy.
Causes
of poverty
Poverty is a multi-dimensional social problem.
Some of the factors contributing to poverty are as:
Ø
Lack of education – Illiteracy and poverty stays
side-by-side.
Ø
Lack of employment opportunities
Ø
Demographic factors such as overpopulation and
large family size limits the resources and opportunities.
Ø
Environmental problems such as lack of rainfall
Ø
Corruption is both a major cause and a result of
poverty around the world.
Steps to mitigate poverty
Poverty is a social stigma
that passes from one generation to the next. India is already halfway through
its demographic dividend, and taking full advantage requires a healthy and
educated population. Following steps can be taken to address poverty:
Ø
Quality Education: Imparting quality education
to children would widen their knowledge and equip them with skills necessary
for seeking job in the later stages in life.
Ø
Access to health care: Low-cost maternal and
early-life health and nutrition programs offer very high returns on investment.
Essential healthcare must be provided so that children can grow up healthy and
strong. And workers must be provided with proper medical care assistance as the
healthy workforce imparts healthy economy.
Ø
Water and sanitation: Each year inspection must
be carried out to build/renovate school latrines, community water points to
ensure the availability and maintenance of water points.
Ø
Economic security: People living in poverty must be trained to acquire
the skills and knowledge they need to secure a livelihood, and support their
families. e.g. MGNREGA is an Indian labour law and social security measure that
aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’. It aims to enhance livelihood security
in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial
year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual
work
Ø
Child participation: Children are the foundation
of our future. Child participation helps children engage in citizenship,
express their views and make decisions that will shape their future and
influence the people around them. This in the long run helps curbing poverty of
a nation.
2.
Malnutrition, Major Challenge in India
Not only
in India, high rates of child malnutrition is prevalent in South Asia and has
been termed the “the South Asian enigma”. Malnutrition is primarily a social
disease and will require holistic broad-based interventions.
Despite
having several major programmes addressing malnutrition such as - Integrated
Child Development Scheme ICDS, Mid –Day Meal (MDM) and also Food Security Act,
it continues to be a significant public health problem in India.
IRMA-Compendium,
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Ø
The index measures malnutrition, stunting and
mortality rates of under-five shows that one in three children in India has
stunted growth.
Ø
15% of the country’s population is
undernourished and 38.7 per cent of Indian children under five years are
stunted due to lack of food.
Ø
Several
neighbouring countries faired well in the Index, China (29), Nepal (72), and
Myanmar (75), Sri Lanka (84) and
India fares poorly in all health indicators such
as life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate,
access to sanitation, proportion of under-five children who are malnourished
and child immunization rates.
Ø
Lack of institutional framework to address
malnutrition.
Ø
Lack of inter-sectoral convergence amongst
multiple government departments.
Ø
Lack of monitoring and accountability in public
funded nutrition programmes.
Steps taken
On a
brighter side India is seeing significant improvement in reduction in
malnutrition in last few years with some of the states like Maharashtra
performing exceedingly well.
Ø
To address the components of the Target, the
Ministry of Women & Child Development, is implementing Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) Scheme and Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Adolescent Girls
(RGSAG) i.e. SABLA.
Ø
Under these schemes, age appropriate
Supplementary Nutrition is provided to the beneficiaries at the Anagnwadi
Centres
spread across the country.
Ø
ICDS Scheme covers the nutritional needs of
children of 6 months- 6 years age, pregnant and lactating mothers
Ø
RGSAG Scheme covers the nutritional and
non-nutritional components for adolescent girls.
Ø
As per the Rapid Survey on Children (RSoC),
2013-14, mentioned above, the level of stunting among children less than 5
years of age has reduced from 48% in NFHS-II to 38.7% in RSoC.
3.
Uniform Civil Code - Muslim Personal Law needs
reforms
Unification
means the abolition of all personal laws and the establishment of one secular
uniform code of family laws for all citizens regardless of religious
affiliation (as called for in Article 44 of the constitution.)
In the
wake of a case by Petitioner Shayara Bano, who has challenged the
constitutionality of Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application
Act, 1937 (seeks to recognise and validate polygamy, triple talaq and ‘nikah
halala’) the issue of uniform civil code has been surfaced.
Present status
Ø
SC Bench heard petition to declare the practices of ‘’talaq-e-bidat’’
(triple talaq), ‘’nikah halala’’ and polygamy under the Muslim personal laws
illegal and unconstitutional. Thus, they must be reformed keeping in light the
rights of women.
Ø
In June, 2016, the SC Bench issued notice to
Ministries of Women and Child Development, Law and Justice, Minority Affairs,
the National Commission for Women, seeking their opinion on this issue.
Ø
The central government also got involved in the
process as the Court had asked for its response on the matter and supported the
petition in consonance with SC Bench.
Ø
SC observed that this is a very important issue
and it affects a very large section of the population and agreed to hear all
stakeholders equally in the matter.
4.
Caste System, the Social Evil
Caste is
a form of social stratification - any class or group of people who inherit
exclusive privileges or are perceived as socially distinct. Although India’s
caste system dates back centuries, this year it has been in news for many
reasons.
In the
beginning of the year, in January, 2016, a student from the lowest social class
– the ‘dalit’ – committed suicide, sparking an intense nationwide debate on
that group’s treatment. In February, 2016, violent protests organized by
Haryana’s ‘Jat’ community reignited the caste debate as demonstrators demanding
job quotas similar to those given to the ‘dalit’. And in December, 2016,
Rajasthan High Court scrapped the Rajasthan Special Backward Classes (SBC)
reservation Act 2015 that provisioned for 5% quota to five communities,
including Gujjars.
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Caste
system is dangerous towards the national integration of the country, probing
threat to the social fabric of our country. It is a major cause for many
inhuman and immoral social practices such as untouchability, child marriage,
sati system, prostitution, etc. In comparison to the urban localities, rural
India remains a caste-based society.
Main cause of caste system
In
India, the caste system is mainly profession based. The main reason behind the
growth of Caste system in India is the assignment of jobs based on caste. Post
independence India made a policy of caste-based reservation of jobs with lists
of Scheduled Castes (Dalit) and Scheduled Tribes (Adivasi).
As per
the Supreme Court of India, these caste classifications for college admission
quotas, job reservations and other affirmative action initiatives are based on
heredity and are not changeable. Discrimination against lower castes is illegal
in India under Article 15 of its constitution, and India tracks violence
against Dalits nationwide.
Factors responsible for casteism in rural society
Casteism
is a peculiar evil of rural India as it is a blind group loyalty towards one’s
own caste seeking to realize the social economic, political and other interests
of its own group. Some of the causes mainly responsible for its growth can be
enlisted as
Ø
Social Inequality: Generally it is seen that in
a caste ridden society the higher caste people enjoy all the privileges while
those belonging to the lower caste remain deprived.
Ø
Illiteracy and conservatism: Due to illiteracy
and ignorance rural people are very conservative and deeply motivated by narrow
thoughts and superstition. Thus oppose any change in society.
Ø
Sense of Caste Prestige: The strong desire of
coming together of people belonging to same caste, marking it as a symbol of
prestige, attributes to the growth of casteism in rural India.
Ø
Marriage Restrictions: Almost every Indian caste
is basically known as endogamous group. Due to a strong caste feeling develop
among them the members of same caste are linked in matrimonial relations
leading to casteism.
Steps to mitigate caste system
Ø
Caste system can be discouraged through social
education in rural areas and spreading awareness about the disadvantages of
Caste system.
Ø
There is a need of sensitizing people for
widespread social change in favor of equality of human-beings.
Ø
Early childhood education and primary schooling
is the phase during which most important cognitive development milestones are
attained. Hence, there should be special classes at schools that impart value
and moral education to the children.
Therefore,
for social cohesion it is utmost important to indulge people for people of
diverse strata in common activities as many of them become friends while
working together on a project. Thus, with better education, infrastructure, economic
progress and employment opportunities it is possible to curb this social evil.
5.
Women Entry to Religious Places
Quoting that “Women be permitted to enter the
sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah at par with men”, the Bombay High Court in
a landmark verdict allowed entry of women up to the mazar in the Sufi dargah in
Mumbai recently.
Background
Ø
Four years ago the Dargah Trust barred women from entering the sanctum
sanctorum of the Haji Ali dargah, citing verses from the Quran and Prophet
Mohammed to claim that Islam does not permit women to enter dargahs/ mosques.
Ø
The trust had claimed the fundamental right “to
manage its own affairs” under Article 26 of the Constitution.
High Court’s observation
The High Court gave the
landmark judgment lifting the ban as it found Trust contravening with the
Indian Constitution.
Ø
It held that the Trust cannot enforce a ban “contrary
to the fundamental rights” enshrined in the Constitution.
Ø
Article 14 (equality before law),
Ø
Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on
grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth)
Ø
Article 25 (freedom of conscience and free
profession, practice and propagation of religion) of the Constitution.
Ø
The court stayed its order for six weeks,
allowing the trust the liberty to appeal in the Supreme Court.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 3
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Ø
Asserting women’s right to worship in spaces
prohibited by male custodians of religion is not just a matter of ensuring
women’s equality in matters of faith, it is also one of breaking the male
appropriation of religion.
6.
Commercial Surrogacy Bill 2016
The
Union cabinet has approved the introduction of a bill that seeks to ban
commercial surrogacy and allow only infertile couples to bear a child using a
surrogate mother. The bill is introduced to protect the rights of surrogate
mother and children born out of surrogacy will be protected.
Background
Ø
India has emerged as surrogacy hub and incidents
were reported on unethical practices.
Ø
As per the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) study in 2012, the size of India’s surrogate motherhood industry was $2
billion a year.
Ø
In 2012, an Australian couple reportedly
abandoned one of twin babies born to an Indian surrogate mother as they already
had a child of the same sex.
Provisions of Proposed Bill
Ø
Non-resident Indians or People of Indian Origin
card-holders will not be allowed to take recourse to a surrogate mother in
India.
Ø
Legally wedded Indian couples can have a
surrogate child only after five years of legal marriage and will require a
medical certificate as proof of infertility.
Ø
Single men and women, heterosexual couples who
choose not to opt for marriage, gay couples, transgender persons, and single
parent cannot have baby through surrogacy.
Ø
A woman can only bear one surrogate child and
should be a close relative of the couple wanting a child.
Ø
Violating the law can earn 10 years in jail term
or fine of 10 Lakh rupees.
Pros
Ø
Prevent exploitation of women, especially poor
women who were forced to get into this business for the survival of their
family.
Ø
It protects women from repeated surrogate
pregnancies for monetary gains.
Ø
Carrying a child poses a risk to any mother’s
health and even life because most deliveries happen by caesarean section.
Ø
The vast
majority of surrogates are poor or illiterate women who may have only a weak
grasp of their contractual rights.
Cons
Ø
A total ban on commercial surrogacy will push
the industry underground and render surrogate mothers even more vulnerable.
Ø
It does not address the modern social reality
where singles, homosexuals or live-in couples might wish to have a biological
child through the surrogacy route.
Ø
It does not take into account the livelihood
matters of poor women who are involved in surrogacy business.
7.
Changes in Domestic Violence Act
In the recent verdict, the
Supreme Court has struck down the words “adult male” from the pertinent
provision in the DV Act to lay down that a woman can also file a complaint
against another woman, accusing her of domestic violence. Under earlier DV Act,
there was a immunity clause safeguarding females and minors from getting
reported to commit domestic violence.
As it discriminates between persons similarly
situated and, thus, violates Article 14 of the Constitution, the DV Act is
amended. Significant amendments
Ø
Not only men, but women can also be prosecuted
under the Protection of Women against Domestic Violence (DV) Act. It makes DV
gender neutral which according to some experts (including the bench) would help
in serving the purpose of the law in a better way.
Ø
Relief under DV Act is almost always financial
-maintenance, compensation and alternate residences – which can all be claimed
only against an adult.
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India ranks 3rd globally among 205 countries
with 85 per cent implementation of pictorial warnings on tobacco products pack.
The top two countries are Nepal and Vanuatu.
Impact of tobacco consumption
Ø
According to WHO, tobacco-related diseases kill
about 2,500 Indians daily and over 10 lakh Indians a year.
Ø
It is estimated that about 5,500 youth and
children (as young as eight years old) initiate tobacco.
Ø
India has 12 crore tobacco users, according to
the Global Adult Tobacco Survey.
Ø
The total direct and indirect cost of diseases
attributable to tobacco use was Rs 1.04 lakh crore ($17 billion) in 2011 or
1.16 per cent of India’s GDP.
Recent measures
Ø
India has demonstrated global leadership by
implementing 85 per cent pictorial warnings on all tobacco packages.
Ø
Recently in Dec, 2016, in consonance to the
Supreme Court directive Union Govt has instructed all the states to implement
necessary steps to tackle tobacco product manufacturing, sale and consumption.
9.
Global TB Report 2016- TB Burden on India
The Global TB Report 2016, recently released, has revised the estimates
for the tuberculosis (TB) burden in India upwards.
India has 27 per cent of
the global burden of incident tuberculosis and 34 per cent of global TB deaths.
With 4, 78,000 TB deaths,
India is one of the leading countries in TB deaths.
Some facts of the disease
Ø
It is caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis
bacterium and is spread through the air when a person with TB (whose lungs are
affected) coughs, sneezes, spits, laughs or talks.
Ø
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) arises when an
antibiotic fails to kill all of the bacteria that it targets, with the
surviving bacteria developing resistance to that antibiotic and often others at
the same time.
Highlights of the report
Ø
In 2015, estimate of incidence TB is 2.8 million
cases, contrary to the
India diagnosed and notified 1.7 million incident TB patients in 2015.
Ø
It states that 79,000 cases of multidrug
resistant (MDR) TB, about 31,000 were diagnosed in India.
Ø
Stopping therapy midway exposes a patient to a
virulent strain of the tuberculosis bacteria.
Ø
More than 2 million patients consult private
doctors and India’s private healthcare system is largely unregulated,
especially in matters related to treating TB.
Major Obstacle
Ø
Lack of systematic data: Despite the Revised
National TB Control Programme introduced protocols in 2012 and also made it
mandatory, the private sector treating more patients than the public sector,
systematic data on the private sector is lacking.
Ø
Despite TB treatment being free, patients and
their caregivers faced challenges, as poor patients residing in rural areas had
to travel long distances every alternative day to reach a DOTS centre.
Methods to tackle the issue
Ø
There must be a better communication system
between DOTS providers and patients through appropriate training.
Ø
As there is lack of data in private sectors,
better regulation and collection of data from the private sector and Use of ICT
must be placed..
Ø
Number of DOTS centres must be increased to
increase its proximity to a patient’s residence.
10. Vaccination Drive Against JE
Mass vaccination drive against Japanese
Encephalitis (JE) held recently in Malkangiri district in Odisha, with an aim
to vaccinate over 2.18 lakh children.
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As per reports, 120
children have died so far due to JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in
Malkangiri district.
Some facts of the disease
Ø
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a
flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses.
Ø
It is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, and belongs
to the same genus as dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses.
Ø
24 countries in the WHO South-East Asia and
Western Pacific regions have endemic JEV transmission, exposing more than 3
billion people to risks of infection.
Treatment: Till now there is no cure against JE as it is a
viral disease transmitted from pigs to humans, especially children.
11. Child Marriage Obstacle to Every Development
Goal
Child
marriage in India has been practiced for centuries, with children married off
before their physical and mental maturity. It is the violation of child rights
and has negative impact on physical growth, health, mental and emotional
development and education opportunities.
In India, a significant
number of girls marry before the legal age of 18 years. It is more prevalent in
rural areas (48 per cent) than in urban areas (29 per cent) and in some states
such as Rajasthan, Bihar and Jharkhand 6 in 10 girls marry as children.
Census
2011 data shows that an alarming 30.2% of all married women, or 10.3 crore
girls, were married before they had turned 18. However, the trend seems to be
on the decline. As per Census 2001 data, 43.5% of all married women had been
married while they were under the age of 18 years.
Impact of Child Marriage on society
Ø
Both girls and boys are affected by it, but
girls are affected in much larger numbers and with greater intensity.
Ø
Girls from poorer families, scheduled castes and
tribes, and with lower education levels are more likely to marry at a younger
age.
Ø
It affects society in a holistic manner since
child marriage reinforces a cycle of poverty and perpetuates gender
discrimination, illiteracy and malnutrition as well as high infant and maternal
mortality rates.
Causes for its prevalence in India
Although child marriage is declining, the rate
of decline is slow. There are many causes and multiple barriers to its
elimination such as
Ø
Deep-rooted patriarchal social norms
Ø
The perceived low value of girls
Ø
Limited access to education
Ø
weak enforcement of laws
Ø
Restricted freedom of movement
Ø
Economic vulnerability
Challenges
Post-2015
MDG agenda UNICEF in India has taken up the child marriage issue as the key
problem as it impacts on almost all facets of reaching the Millennium
Development Goals.
According to the Ministry
of Women and Child Development’s National Strategy Document on Prevention of
Child Marriage, “the practice of child marriage is an obstacle to nearly every
developmental goal: eradicating poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary
education; promoting gender equality; protecting children’s lives; and
improving women’s health.
Measures to eradicate child marriage
Ø
Increase awareness: All stakeholders should be
sensitized and convinced about the negative impacts of child marriage.
Ø
Gender sensitization programs: Gender training
programs should be spread throughout the district for police and NGOs. Primary
and secondary education for girls should be promoted.
Ø
Checking loopholes in the law: Shortcomings must
be corrected to strengthen the law.
Ø
Special police cells: Task forces must be set up
to focus on cases of child marriage.
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Recently
an index is conceptualized and designed by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Human
Resource Development to improve learning outcomes in India. It is a composite
index that will report annual improvements of States on key domains of
education quality.
In this
regard NITI Aayog has organized the first regional workshop on School Education
Quality Index (SEQI) to improve the learning outcomes among school children.
Objective
Ø
The index is aimed at shifting the focus of
States from inputs towards outcomes. And they are directed to
Ø
encourage state-led innovations
Ø
provide objective benchmarks for continuous
annual improvements
Ø
improve quality and facilitate sharing of best
practices
To precisely report the
quality of education imparted across India, the SEQI is divided into two
categories:
(i)
Outcomes (Learning, Access and Equity)
(ii)
Governance Management Governance Processes and
Structural Reforms).
The index has 34 indicators and 1000 points,
with the highest weightage given to learning outcomes (600 out of 1000 points).
Outcomes of the workshop
The workshop organized by
the NITI Aayog shows that
Ø
Inputs such as infrastructure, teacher training,
student-teacher ratio etc. alone have had negligible impact on student
learning.
Ø
Increase in education spending (across the
board) in India has not led to an improvement in learning outcomes.
Ø
Integrating inputs with accountability and early
childhood literacy/numeracy will radically transform the quality of education
imparted in schools.
13. Increase in Attendance of Differently Abled
in Schools: Census 2011
Though India is becoming differently-abled
friendly, it still has a long way to go. As per the recently released 2011
Census data almost two-third of the differently-abled population in the
category of 9-11 attend educational institutions.
Key Highlights of the Census
Ø
As many as 40.2 lakh (61.2 per cent) out of the
total of 65.7 lakh disabled population in the specified age group were
attending educational institutions in 2011.
Ø
This is an improvement of 11 percentage points
from 2001 when 33 lakh (50 per cent) of the 65.3 lakh differently abled persons
had attended educational institutions.
Ø
The enrolment figure is 10 percentage points
lower than that of the total population — 71 per cent attending educational
institutions.
Ø
Around half of the people with ‘multiple
disability’ (54.4 per cent) and ‘mental illness’ (50.3 per cent) did not attend
any educational institute.
According to the India Social Development Report
(SDR) 2016 with the theme this year is ‘Disabilities Rights Perspectives’
disabled children miss out due to lack of support services.
14. Kerala Declared Open Defecation Free
Ø
Under
the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin/Rural) Kerala has become the third State to
be declared Open Defecation
Free(ODF),
Sikkim was first and Himachal Pradesh was second to be declared ODF.
Ø
Kerala, with a rural population of approximately
3.5 crores, is also the largest State so far to have achieved the ODF Status,
after Sikkim (6 lakhs) and Himachal Pradesh (70 lakhs).
Ø
Earlier, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh became the
first states to be declared ODF in urban areas.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017
Ø
BRICS, an association of five major emerging
economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) was formed in 2009.
Ø
BRICS brings together five major emerging
economies, comprising 53.4% of the world population, having 23.1% of the world
GDP and 17% share in the world trade.
Ø
The 3rd BRICS Urbanization Forum Meet was held
in Visakhapatnam. The theme was - “Building responsive, inclusive and
collective solutions for urbanization”.
About the forum
Ø
The BRICS Urbanization Forum was established in
2011 at the 3rd annual BRICS summit in Sanya, China and the 1st BRICS
Urbanization Forum was held in New Delhi.
Ø
The Urbanization Forums were created with a
focus on urban infrastructure to specifically discuss various thematic areas
within the umbrella of urbanization and infrastructure.
Objective of the forum
Ø
Share urban knowledge
Ø
Develop mechanisms for peer-to-peer exchange,
Ø
Promote evidence-based policy making and
Ø
Learn useful lessons from individual experiences
of ‘urban transition.
Ø
Through the forum there is a collective
bargaining power in the global economic order
16.
Child Labour in the
Spotlight: Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016
Child Labour is the practice of having children
engages in economic activity, on part- or full-time basis. The practice
deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and
mental development.
India is sadly the home to
the largest number of child labourers in the world.
Indian Constitution defines designates it as
child labour if a child below the age of 14 years engaged in any factory/mine/
castle/engaged in any other hazardous employment .
UNICEF has categorized child work into three categories:
1. Within
the family- Children are engaged in domestic household tasks without pay.
2. Within
the family but outside the home- e.g. agricultural labourers, domestic maids,
migrant labourers etc.
3. Outside
the family- e.g. commercial shops in restaurants and jobs, prostitution etc
Causes of Child labour
The important causes of
child labour in India are:
Ø
Poverty and lack of social security are the main
causes of child labour.
Ø
Lack of quality universal education has also
contributed to children dropping out of school and entering the labour force.
Ø
Entry of multi-national corporations into
industry without proper mechanisms to hold them accountable has lead to the use
of child labour.
Challenges
Ø
A major concern is that the actual number of
child labourers goes un-detected.
Ø
Laws that are meant to protect children from
hazardous labour are ineffective and not implemented correctly.
Ø
Bonded child labour is a hidden phenomenon as a
majority of them are found in the informal sector.
Safeguarding laws
India has passed a number
of laws on child labour since Independence.
Ø
Article 24 of the Constitution prohibits
employment of children below the age of 14 in factories, mines, and other
hazardous employment.
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Ø
Article
21A and Article 45 promise to provide free and compulsory education to all
children between the ages of 6 and 14.
Ø
In 2009, India passed the Right of Children to
Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE).
Recent measures
Child Labour (Prohibition
and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016
Ø
Employing children (below 14 years) has been
prohibited in all occupations and processes, with certain limited exceptions.
Ø
Children are now allowed to help family or
family enterprises in non-hazardous occupations after school hours or during
vacations.
Ø
Children are also allowed to work in the
audio-visual entertainment industry, subject to compliance with prescribed
conditions.
Ø
Employing adolescents (between 14 and 18 years)
has been prohibited in hazardous occupations and processes.
Ø
Employing children or adolescents in
contravention of the law has been made a cognizable offence.
Ø
Punishment for employers has been enhanced.
Punishment for parents/ guardians has been relaxed.
Loopholes in the new amendment:
Ø
The amendments in the new law make it
practically impossible to implement the RTE.
Ø
Its clauses put such a burden on poor low-caste
families that instead of promoting education, the Act actually increases the
potential for dropouts.
Ø
And parents, scared of the huge fines that they
may have to pay for employing their children, are likely to lie about school
attendance and may unwillingly comply with contractors in employing them.
Ways to eliminate Child Labour in India
Ø
Free and compulsory education
Ø
Elimination of poverty-basic standards of living
can reduce the problem to a great extent.
Ø
Strict implementation of labour laws is also
essential in order to prevent exploitation by parties or multinational
companies.
Ø
The list of hazardous activities which are
present in the law needs to include more occupations which have been left out
of the purview of the hazardous activities.
A holistic approach will
have to be adopted to address all the direct and indirect factors that
contribute to the social evil.
Multiple ministries,
agencies and private sector stakeholders will have to join hands together to
combat this social evil.
17. Reduced Maternal
and Neonatal Tetanus
Recently
World health Organization (WHO) certifies India as neonatal, maternal tetanus
and Yaws free country with all districts across the 11 countries having reduced
the cases to less one than per 1 000 live births.
About MNT:
Neonatal
tetanus is a form of generalized tetanus that occurs in newborns, usually
occurs through infection of the unhealed umbilical stump, particularly when the
stump is cut with a non-sterile instrument. Maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT)
is a marker of inequity, as the most vulnerable populations are affected by the
disease.
Cause
Ø
Unhygienic conditions during delivery and
inadequate umbilical cord care are the chief causes of the disease in mother
and child. It is caused by the bacterium Clostridium Tetani.
Present status
Ø
In many countries, deliveries take place in
unhygienic circumstances, putting mothers and their newborn babies at risk for
a variety of life-threatening infections.
Ø
Despite availability of low-cost vaccines
against tetanus, one newborn baby dies due to tetanus every nine minutes
globally.
Note: In 1989 it was claiming the lives of 7, 87,000
newborns in the world.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 9
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Lockjaw, muscle spasms,
fever, fast heart rate, sweating and high blood pressure.
Steps to mitigate MNT
Immunization and enhancing
quality maternal and newborn care is critical in the elimination of the
disease.
18. Commercialization of Education
Recently Supreme Court has granted the authority
to regulate admissions and fixing of fees of private unaided education
institution stating that educational institutions can never become a business.
SC Judgment
Ø
Right to establish and administer of private
unaided professional institutions is not absolute.
Ø
States power to regulate admission and fixing of
fees is a reasonable restriction for larger public interest.
Petitioners Argument
Ø
They had
a right under Article 19 (1) (g) “to practice any profession, or to carry on
any occupation, trade or business”.
Ø
SC in their earlier judgment has recognized
right to administer educational institution as an ‘occupation’ under the
Constitution.
Implication of Judgment
Ø
The state can check commercialization of
education ensuring wider access to education especially among the students from
poor section.
19. Women Employees and their Right to Maternity
Leave
Ø
The Bill introduces a provision requiring every
establishment to intimate a woman at the time of her appointment of the
maternity benefits available to her.
Ø
The 46th Indian Labour Conference recommended
enhancement of Maternity Benefits to 24 weeks. Ministry of Women & Child
Development proposed to enhance Maternity Benefit to 8 months. However they
fail to address the issues of gender stereotyping.
Prominent feature of the Bill
Ø
The amendments will help 18 lakh women workforce
in organized sector, helping women devote time to take care of their babies and
enable an increase in the women’s labour force participation (WLFPR) rate in
India.
Why it is needed?
Ø
Maternal care to the Child during early
childhood – crucial for growth and development of the child.
Some loopholes in the Bill
Ø
The amendments in future should include
progressive provisions for single parent and paternity leave for a
gender-balanced approach to early childcare.
Ø
The bill leads to perpetuation of gender role
stereotypes i.e. fathers don’t need to spend time with new-born. But the
amendments are completely silent on issue of paternity leave.
20. Hepatitis is More Infectious than HIV in
India
Hepatitis
is the inflammation of the liver caused by viruses A, B, C, D or E. These
viruses can be distinguished depending on the predominant mode of transmission —
water or blood — and show significant differences in their epidemiology,
presentation, prevention and control.
How it spreads?
The HBV
gains entry into the human blood system in much the same way as the AIDS virus
does: transfusion of blood and blood products; sexual contact involving
exchange of body fluids; and through a pregnant mother to the child.
Seven viruses linked to the
liver - Hepatitis A to G, but it is the B that affects the human body the most.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 10
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Two kinds of vaccines have
been developed.
(i)
The plasma-derived natural vaccine is made from
actual plasma cells of infected humans.
(ii)
The other is synthetically developed from yeast
cells through genetic-recombinant technology.
The synthetic one is becoming popular because it
is easier to manufacture but it is also almost three times more expensive than
the plasma-derived vaccine.
At global level, around 85 countries world over
have already included this vaccine as part of their mass-immunization
programmes.
Status in India
Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme
(IDSP), one of the major National Health Programme under National Health
Mission for all States & UTs, received notification of 290,000 cases of
acute viral hepatitis in 2013.
As per the WHO, nearly 40
million have Hepatitis B and 6 million have Hepatitis C in India.
Egypt is one such country
that has reduced Hepatitis prevalence from 4.5 to 1 per cent over the past
decade.
Measures taken
In India, except for sporadic attempts like the
Delhi Government’s immunization drive in east Delhi in 1996, only those who can
afford to pay Rs 1,500 for the three doses get the benefit of vaccination.
The World Health Organisation is offering the
vaccine at a dollar a dose, but even this can set back the health budgets of
developing countries quite a bit.
Precautionary measures to
Ø
Carry out awareness drives on the use of sterile
razors in barber shops, use of new instruments for pedicure and manicure and on
the use of disposable syringes for patients.
Ø
Hepatitis drug must be made available on low
cost.
Ø
Like Egypt, India should also now introduce a
birth-dose policy to prevent new infections.
Steps implemented
Ø
India still needs to work in areas of generating
data for evidence based policies, implementing preventive measures, raising
awareness and partnerships, and screening and management of viral hepatitis.
Ø
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has
begun a vaccination drive for new borns against Hepatitis B under Mission
Indradhanush that is aimed to prevent seven diseases in infants.
Ø
Maharashtra has become one of the first states
to embrace one-time usable syringes.
21. Hidden Hunger Biofortification
Hidden hunger is a situation created due to lack
of essential micro-nutrients in the body inspite of having good quantity of
food intake.It is insidious.
e.g. consumption of polished rice that has lost
the bran (surrounding the seed) containing the pericarp and the ‘aleurone layer’
having small amounts of essential nutrients such as vitamins, iron, zinc and
other inorganic components.
Over two billion people
worldwide are affected by hidden hunger.
As per UN agencies estimates “hidden hunger”
affects one in every three children across the world, leading to deficiencies
in physical growth and development of the brain.
Biofortification
Ø
To mitigate biofortificationhas been tried. It
is the fortification or enrichment of cereals, through selective breeding or
genetic modifications, is a novel method to ensure the intake of zinc and other
such micronutrients by making them a part of the cereals like rice, wheat,
maize etc. used in daily diets.
Ø
A particular variety of rice, termed DRR Dhan 45
(also termed IET 23832) is a zinc- rich rice plant developed by a group of
scientists from the Institute of Rice Research, is moderately resistant to
pests that cause leaf blast disease and can be kept longer.
Ø
It also has low glycemic index, as helpful for
diabetic patients as it makes one feel satiated for longer.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 11
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It is a new initiative of
Union Govt on 9th of every month. This Yojana has been launched on June 9,
2016.
Objective: The scheme has been
launched with the objective of boosting the health care facilities for the
pregnant women, especially the poor.
Ø
Provide a healthy life to the pregnant women.
Ø
Lowering the maternity mortality rate.
Ø
Making pregnant women aware of their health
issues/diseases.
Ø
Making sure safe delivery and healthy life of
the baby
Features
Ø
Under this the pregnant women are provided free
health check-up and required treatment for free on 9th of every month.
Ø
The scheme will be applicable for pregnant women
to avail in all Government hospitals across the country.
Ø
Applicable only to the women in their pregnancy
period of 3 to 6 months.
Ø
Additional protection to all pregnant women
along with the routine antenatal checks up.
Note: Maternal mortality ratio in India declined by
70.2% compared to global decline of 44.7%.
23.
Trade Related
Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD) Scheme for Women
To promote women entrepreneurs the Ministry of
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) started operating the scheme titled “Trade
Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD)” recently.
About the scheme
Ø
The scheme is aimed to empower women
economically through trade related training, information and counseling
activities related to trades, products, services.
Features of the scheme
Ø
Government of India grant up to 30% of the loan/
credit maximum up to Rs. 30.00 lakh as appraised by lending institutions/ banks
for a group of women through NGOs for undertaking non- farm activities.
Significance
Ø
As per the NASSCOM report, Startups have grown
by 125% from $2.2 bn in 2014 to $4.9 bn in 2015 and women’s participation has
seen a 50% rise since 2014.
Ø
The rise is also due to improving socio-economic
factors such as higher education, higher support across family and healthy work
environment.
Ø
Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and
Development (TREAD) scheme will enable trade related training, information and
counseling.
24. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
It was launched on 2 October 2014 to make India
clean and open defecation free by 2019, Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
The programme is divided into two categories –
(i)
Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) monitored by the
Ministry for Drinking Water and Sanitation
(ii)
Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) monitored by Urban
Development Ministry
As per
the latest survey, under this mission 36% of individual toilets, 30% community
toilets and 9% public toilets have been constructed. In rural areas,
approximately 100,000 villages have also been declared ODF and in urban areas
405 out of the 4,041 cities and towns have become ODF.
Progress of the mission
Ø
It is slow in terms of toilet coverage in rural
and urban areas but an environment has been created to clean India. By March,
2017, the government has set a target of making 334 more cities ODF.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 
Page: 12
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Ø
Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and
Maharashtra showed the most improvement while Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and
Bihar reported no change.
States with marginal improvement:
Some of
the worst-performing states Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and
Jharkhand. Challenges
Ø
Better implementation of Swachha Bharat Kosh, a
fund created for SBM programs.
Ø
Private participation must be enhanced for
better implementation.
Ø
Active participation of citizens must be
enhanced by municipal bodies.
Ø
Struggle involved in bringing behavioral changes
in rural population.
25. Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA) Programme
National
Breastfeeding Promotion Programme - MAA (mothers’ absolute affection) has been
launched to enhance optimal breastfeeding practices, which includes initiation
of breastfeeding within an hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first
six months, and continued breastfeeding for at least two years.
Benefits of breastfeeding
Around
20% newborn deaths and 13% under-five deaths can be prevented by early
initiation of breastfeeding. It can also prevent child deaths associated with
Diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Steps under the programme
Ø
To ensure effective roll-out of the programme
Ministry of Health has established MAA secretariat and a steering committee
will be created in all states and at the district level.
Ø
To provide relevant information and counseling
support to mothers for breastfeeding, training will be given to the
Ø
Nurses in government hospitals,
Ø
Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA)
Ø
Auxiliary Nurse Mid-wives (ANM)
26. Saur Ujala Yojana
Objective: It is an initiative of the Union Govt to provide
solar powered pumping devices to be used for irrigation by the farmers of Chhattisgarh. The
beneficiaries will be given solar pumps at very subsidized rates.
On the occasion of 16th Foundation Day of
Chhattisgarh, the PM had launched the Saur Sujala Yojana, with this
Chhattisgarh became the first state to implement the scheme.
Features of the scheme
Ø
The scheme targets areas where there is no reach
of electricity.
Ø
Under the scheme, solar powered irrigation pumps
of 3HP and 5HP capacity would be distributed to farmers by March 2019.
Advantages of Solar Powered Irrigation System
Ø
The scheme will help increasing local farmer’s
productivity and as a consequence, improving their living conditions.
Ø
It also helps in saving energy (no fuel cost) -
as it uses available free sun light.
Ø
Its reliability and durability is very high as
its maintenance is easy and can be operated lifelong.
27. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhjiyan
(PMSMA)
This scheme has been launched by the Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare (MoHFW) for the better coverage of antenatal care.
Objective: As part of the Reproductive
Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) Strategy, it envisages improving the quality and coverage of
Antenatal Care (ANC) including diagnostics and counseling services . It is free
of cost and universally provided to all pregnant women on the 9th of every
month.
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It aims to provide assured,
comprehensive and quality antenatal care.
Ø
Identification and follow up of high risk
pregnancies. A sticker indicating the condition and risk factor of the pregnant
women would be added onto MCP card for each visit:
Ø
Green Sticker- for women with no risk factor
detected
Ø
Red Sticker – for women with high risk pregnancy
Ø
A National Portal for PMSMA and a Mobile
application have been developed to facilitate the engagement of private/
voluntary sector.
Ø
Participation of the Private Practitioners:-The programme follows a
systematic approach for engagement with private sector which includes
motivating private practitioners to volunteer for the campaign developing
strategies for generating awareness and appealing to the private sector to
participate in the Abhiyan at government health facilities.
28. PAHAL (DBTL) Scheme
This scheme
is an upgraded version of PAHAL (DBTL) and was relaunched on 15th Nov, 2016 in
54 districts. But now has extended throught the country. DBTL, which means,
Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG, allows the customers to claim the subsidy
directly. The new name PAHAL (DBTL) stands for Pratyaksha Hanstantarit Labh.
Objective
The scheme was launched to bring transparency
and avoid leakages of funds from central government to the customers. It
effectively prevents unauthorized sale of LPG cylinders with the help of this
scheme.
Highlights of the scheme
Ø
LPG customers can get LPG subsidies directly
into their bank accounts.
Ø
Availing Aadhar is not mandatory to get the
benefits of the scheme.
Ø
Customers
will get the subsidy deposited to their bank account directly against their “Cash
Transfer Complaint (CTC)”.
Present status
Ø
The Pahal scheme claimed to be the largest
commercial scheme of its kind implemented by any government, many citizens
voluntarily gave up the subsides , which are then transferred to the beneficiares
of cooking gas consumers into their unique identification of Aadhar bank
accounts.
Ø
Removal of Ghost beneficiaries could be possible
and leakages have reduced by 24% according to the Economic
Survey.
29. Atal Pension Yojana
This yojana was launched in June, 2015, to help
the unorganized section of the Indian society. It is administered by the PFRDA
(Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority) under the National Pension
System (NPS).
Objective
Ø
The scheme was launched to encourage individuals
from the weaker section to opt for pension. It encourages the weaker section to
save up for their old age and get a guaranteed monthly pension amount.
Features
Ø
Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is open to all bank account holders who are
not members of any statutory social security scheme i.e. it can be taken by
individuals working in private sector organizations or by anyone who is
self-employed.
Ø
The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and
maximum age is 40 years. Therefore, minimum period of contribution by the
subscriber under APY would be 20 years or more.
Funding of APY
Government would provide
(i) fixed pension guarantee for the subscribers; (ii) would co-contribute 50%
of the subscriber contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum, whichever is lower, to eligible
subscribers; and (iii) would also reimburse the promotional and development
activities including incentive to the contribution collection agencies to
encourage people to join the APY.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 14
Page: 14
Ø
Fixed pension for the subscribers ranging
between Rs. 1000 to Rs. 5000, if he joins and contributes between the age of 18
years and 40 years.
Ø
The contribution levels would vary and would be
low if subscriber joins early and increase if he joins late.
Ø
After the death of the account holder, the
spouse will be entitled to get the exact same pension amount as the subscriber,
until the death of the spouse.
30. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana
Ø
The Lok Sabha has passed the Pradhan Mantri
Garib Kalyan yojna (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha. PMGKY
implemented on December 17 and remain open until March 31, 2017.
Features
Ø
Declarant has to pay 30% tax at this income plus
a penalty rate of 10%.
Ø
A surcharge at 33% of tax will also be levied
and will be named as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Cess.
Ø
25% of the amount declared will go into the
noninterest-bearing Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme, 2016, for four
years.
Ø
Note: Those who don’t take advantage of the
scheme and are caught later will face up to 85% penalty, besides prosecution.
The revenue generated from the disclosure of
unaccounted cash will be utilized for the welfare of poor in projects like in
infrastructure, primary health and education, housing, toilets and livelihood
etc. for the upliftment of the society.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 15
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Rural Development
1.
Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare: New
Initiatives and Challenges:
Ø
The Union Government has taken a number of
initiatives in the area of agricultural development and farmers’ welfare to
boost the productivity and raise income of the farmers in the country.
Ø
These initiatives may be seen in the background
of low agricultural growth. Structural problems like- falling public
investments in agriculture, rising input costs for farmers and issues in
marketing agri produce might be accounted for this deceleration.
Ø
Over a period of time, Indian agriculture has
become cereal-centric and input-intensive, by way of consuming generous amounts
of land, water and fertilizers.
Ø
The challenges agriculture faces today are- how
to economise the use of water, how to shift towards pulse cultivation and a
unified agriculture market.
Ø
Finance Minister in his budget speech stressed
that there is a need to think beyond ‘food security’ and give farmers a sense
of ‘income security’. In order to achieve it, government is reorienting its
interventions in the farm and non- farm sectors to double the farmers’ income
by 2022.
New Initiatives:
1. Paramparagat Krishi
Vikas Yojana :
Ø
The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is a
new scheme to develop organic clusters and make available chemical free inputs
to farmers, and to improve soil health in the fields, with an outlay of Rs. 300
crore.
Ø
The PKVY will be implemented through the State
Governments.
Ø
It is proposed under the scheme that groups of 50 or more farmers,
having 50 acre land, would be motivated to take up organic farming under PKVY.
In the next three years, it plans to target 10,000 clusters covering 5 lakh
acres.
Ø
To make the scheme attractive for the farmers,
it is designed to provide Rs. 20,000 per acre as subsidy to every farmer in the
cluster for three years towards adoption of organic farming besides market
assistance.
Ø
A special scheme with an allocation of Rs. 125
crore has been launched in North-Eastern Region for promotion of organic
farming and export of organic produce.
2. Pradhan Mantri Krishi
Sinchai Yojana:
Ø
The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
has been launched to ensure the water security in the country with the aim of ‘Har
Khet Ko Paani’ (water for each field).
Ø
The Scheme is based on three pronged strategy:
Ø
Creating sources of assured irrigation
Ø
Per drop-more crop
Ø
Harnessing rain water at micro level through ‘jal–sanchay’
and ‘jal-sinchan’
3. Soil Health Card Scheme:
Ø
Soil Health Card Scheme is a scheme launched by
the Government of India in February 2015. The government plans to issue the
cards to 14 crore farmers by 2017.
Ø
Under the scheme, the government plans to issue
soil cards to farmers which will carry crop-wise recommendations of nutrients
and fertilisers required for the individual farms to help farmers to improve
productivity through judicious use of inputs.
Ø
An amount of `568 crore was allocated by the
government for the scheme.
Ø
In 2016 Union budget of India, `100 crore has
been allocated to states for making soil health cards and set up labs.
4. National Agriculture
Market:
Ø
National Agriculture Market (NAM) is a pan-India
electronic trading portal which networks the existing APMC mandis to create a
unified national market for agricultural commodities.
Ø
Agriculture marketing is administered by the
States as per their agri-marketing regulations, under which, the State is
divided into several market areas, each of which is administered by a separate
Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) which imposes its own marketing
regulation (including fees). This poses the problems of requirement of multiple
licenses for trading, levy of market fee at multiple points and other
monopolistic and restrictive market practices. This not only hinders the proper
market access by the farmers but also the development of required
infrastructure for handling the produce in the markets.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 16
Page: 16
Ø
NAM addresses these challenges by creating a
unified market through online trading platform, both, at State and
National level and promotes uniformity. With a view to enable a national
market, it is proposed to use the Agri-Tech Infrastructure to create a
centrally provided common e-platform which will be deployed in 585 regulated
mandis, across the country.
Ø
The Portal is managed by Small Farmers’
Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) appointed by the Ministry in association with a
group of strategic partner selected for the purpose.
5. ICAR’s Projects:
Ø
Farmers FIRST: The objectives of the ‘Farmer
FIRST’ initiative is to move beyond the production and productivity and to
privilege the complex, diverse & risk prone realities of the farmers
through enhancing farmers-scientists contact with multi stakeholders
participation for technology development and application.
Ø
ARYA: The ICAR has initiated a program on “Attracting
and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (ARYA) in selected districts through KVKs
with an objective for entrepreneurial development of Youth in Rural Areas to
take up various Agriculture, allied and service sector enterprises for
sustainable income and gainful employment.
Ø
Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav: The “Mera Gaon Mera
Gaurav” has been conceptualized in which scientists of ICAR and Agricultural
Universities will identify villages in the vicinity of the Institutions for
providing advisories and consultations to farmers for increasing farm
productivity and production.
Ø
Krishi Dak: This novel scheme has been initiated
by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) in 20 districts in which
postmen supply seeds of improved varieties of crops to the farmers in far-flung
areas.
6. National Gokul Mission:
Ø
Cattle rearing has been a traditional livelihood
in India and is closely linked to agricultural economy. India with about 199
million cattle (as per 18th Livestock Census 2007) has 14.5% of the world
cattle population. Of this, 83% i.e. 166 million are indigenous.
Ø
Indigenous cattle, in India, are robust and
resilient and are particularly suited to the climate and environment of their
respective breeding tracts.
Ø
The Rashtriya Gokul Mission aims to conserve and
develop Indigenous Breeds in a focused and scientific manner.
Objectives of the Scheme:
a.
To undertake breed improvement programme for
indigenous cattle breeds so as to improve the genetic make up and increase the
stock.
b.
To enhance milk production and productivity of
indigenous bovines.
c.
ToupgradenondescriptcattleusingeliteindigenousbreedslikeGir,Sahiwal,Rathi,Deoni,TharparkarandRedSindhi.
d.
To distribute disease free high genetic merit
bulls of indigenous breeds for natural service.
7. Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana:
Ø
A new crop insurance scheme named as Pradhan
Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has been launched from Kharif-2016 season in
place of existing National Crop Insurance Scheme on 18 February 2016.
Ø
Main
features of PMFBY:
•
Provide comprehensive insurance coverage against
crop loss on account of non-preventable natural risks, thus helping in
stabilizing the income of the farmers and encourage them for adoption of
innovative practices.
•
Increase the risk coverage of Crop cycle –
pre-sowing to post-harvest losses.
•
Provision of individual farm level assessment
for Post harvest losses against the cyclonic & unseasonal rains for the
crops kept in the field for drying up to a period of 14 days, throughout the
country.
•
Area approach for settlement of claims for
widespread damage. Notified Insurance unit has been reduced to
Village/Village
Panchayat for major crops.
•
Uniform maximum premium of only 2%, 1.5% and 5%
to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops, Rabi Crops and
Commercial/
horticultural crops respectively.
•
Use of Remote Sensing Technology, Smartphones
& Drones for quick estimation of crop losses to ensure early settlement of
claims.
•
The claim amount will be credited electronically
to the individual farmer’s Bank Account.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 17
Page: 17
India is
a country living in villages, as even today, over 65 per cent of the population
lives there. All our great leaders, from Mahatma Gandhi to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam,
have advocated the need of transforming the villages as the key to the
inclusive development of the country.
1. Shyama Prasad Mukherji
Rurban Mission:
Ø
The vision statement of SPMRM is “Development of
a cluster of villages that preserve and nurture the essence of rural community
life with focus on equity and inclusiveness without compromising with the
facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature, thus creating a cluster
of “Rurban villages”.
Ø
It is a
reflection of former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s idea of PURA (Providing
Urban Amenities in Rural Areas).
Ø
The aim of SPMRM is to create 300 rural growth
clusters in the next 5 years across the country. In the first phase, 100
clusters will be taken up; thereafter more clusters will be identified based on
the progress of the scheme.
Ø
A ‘Rurban cluster’, would be a cluster of
geographically contiguous villages with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in
plain and coastal areas and a population of 5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or
tribal areas.
Ø
The following components are envisaged as
desirable components in each cluster:
1.
Skill development training linked to economic
activities
2.
Agro Processing, Agri Services, Storage and
Warehousing
3.
Fully equipped mobile health unit
4.
Upgrading school /higher education facilities
5.
Sanitation
6.
Provision of piped water supply
7.
Solid and liquid waste management
8.
Village streets and drains
9.
Street lights
10.
Inter-village road connectivity
11.
Public transport
12.
LPG gas connections
13.
Digital Literacy
14.
Citizen Service Centres
2. Saansad Adarsh Gram
Yojana (SAANJHI):
Ø
SAANJHI is a rural development programme broadly
focusing upon the development in the villages which includes social
development, cultural development and spread motivation among the people on
social mobilization of the village community.
Ø
The programme was launched by the Prime Minister
of India, Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, on 11
October 2014.
Ø
The distinct feature of this Yojana is that it
is (a) demand driven (b) inspired by society (c) based on people’s
participation.
Ø
Key objectives of the Yojana include: The
development of model villages, called Adarsh Grams, through the implementation
of existing schemes, and certain new initiatives to be designed for the local
context, which may vary from village to village; and creating models of local
development which can be replicated in other villages.
Ø
No new funds are allocated to this Yojana and
fund may be raised through: funds from existing schemes; the Member of
Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS); the gram panchayat’s own
revenue; Central and State Finance Commission Grants; and Corporate Social
Responsibility funds.
Ø
There are 2, 65,000 gram panchayats in the
country. Primarily the goal is to develop three Adarsh Grams by March
2019 of
which one would be achieved by 2016. Thereafter, five such grams – one per year
would be selected and developed by the year 2024.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 18
Page: 18
Ø
To accelerate the efforts to achieve universal
sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation, the Prime Minister of India
launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on 2nd October, 2014.
Ø
The main objectives of the SBM(G) are as under:
1.
Bring about an improvement in the general
quality of life in the rural areas, by promoting cleanliness, hygiene and
eliminating open defecation.
2.
Accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas to
achieve the vision of Swachh Bharat by 2nd October 2019.
3.
Develop wherever required, Community managed
sanitation systems focusing on scientific Solid & Liquid Waste
Management
systems for overall cleanliness in the rural areas.
4. Unnat
Bharat Abhiyan:
Ø
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a Ministry of Human
Resource Development, Government of India programme to uplift rural India.
Ø
The programme is being launched in collaboration
with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of
Technology (NITs) and other leading Government Engineering Institutes like
College of Engineering, Pune across the country.
5. Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana:
Ø
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was
launched on 25th
Ø
December 2000 as a fully funded Centrally Sponsored
Scheme to provide all weather road connectivity in rural areas of the country.
The programme envisages connecting all habitations with a population of 500
persons and above in the plain areas and 250 persons and above in hill States,
the tribal and the desert areas.
6. Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS):
Ø
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (or, MGNREGA), is an Indian labour law and social security
measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’.
Ø
The statute is hailed by the government as “the
largest and most ambitious social security and public works programme in the
world”.
Ø
In its World Development Report 2014, the World
Bank termed it a “stellar example of rural development”
Ø
The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of “enhancing
livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least
100 days
of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose
adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work”. One third of all
employment is reserved for women.
Ø
Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable
assets (such as roads, canals, ponds, wells).
3.
Women Empowerment Schemes:
It is a
proven fact that by promoting gender equality, a nation can reap rich dividends
in all fields. A report by McKinsey Global Institute states that India could
boost its GDP by 60 per cent by 2025 — if it were to use the full potential of
women in its workforce by bridging the gender gap at workplace.
1. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
(BBBP):
Ø
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme was
launched by the Prime Minister on 22 January 2015 in Haryana’s Panipat,
district, which has one of the lowest sex ratios in the country.
Ø
This scheme focuses on the: survival, protection
and education of the girl child.
Ø
It aims to address the issue of declining Child
Sex Ratio (CSR) through a mass campaign across the country, targeted at
changing societal mindsets & creating awareness about the criticality of
the issue.
Ø
This scheme is a joint initiative of Ministry of
Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry
of Human Resource Development.
Ø
According to census data, the child sex ratio (0–6
years) in India was 927 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001, which dropped drastically
to 918[3] girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011.
Ø
Initially
the Scheme was focused in 100 districts with low Child Sex Ratio. Now it has
been expanded to 61 more districts.
Note: In August 2016, Olympics 2016 bronze medalist
Sakshi Malik was made brand ambassador of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative in Haryana.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 19
Page: 19
Ø
Sukanya Samriddhi Account is a Government of India backed saving scheme
targeted at the parents of girl children. The scheme encourages parents to
build a fund for the future education and marriage expenses for their female
child.
Ø
The scheme was launched by Prime Minister
Narendra modi on 22 January 2015 in Panipat, Haryana.
Ø
A savings account can be opened by the parents
or legal guardian of a girl of less than 10 years, with a minimum deposit of Rs
1,000.
Ø
The account can be opened in any post office or
authorised branches of commercial banks.
Ø
The minimum deposit in a year is Rs 1,000 and
the maximum Rs 1.5 lakh.
Ø
The account will remain operative for 21 years
from the date of opening or marriage of the girl child after attaining 18 years
of age. 18 years deadline will help preventing child-marriages.
3. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala
Yojana:
Ø
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by
the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on May 1st, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar
Pradesh.
Ø
The main mantra of this scheme is ‘Swacch
Indhan, Behtar Jeevan – Mahilaon ko mila samman’.
Ø
The scheme is aimed at replacing the unclean
cooking fuels used in the most underprivileged households with clean and more
efficient LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).
Ø
Ensuring women’s empowerment, especially in
rural India, the connections will be issued in the name of women of the BPL
households.
Ø
The Scheme provides a financial support of Rs
1600 for each LPG connection to the BPL households.
Ø
The identification of eligible BPL families will
be made in consultation with the State Governments and the Union
Territories.
Ø
The identification of eligible BPL families will
be made on Social-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data that is being provided by
the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Note: Indian is home to more than 24 crore households
out of which about 10 crore are still deprived of LPG as cooking fuel and have to rely on firewood, coal,
dung – cakes etc. as primary source of cooking.
4.
Social security Initiatives:
Directive
Principles of State Policy, presented in Part-IV of the Indian constitution,
declare India a welfare state. From this point of view, our country has a
commitment to provide a minimum standard of life to all its citizens. The
government interventions are always instrumental in safeguarding and promoting
the socio-economic well-being of its citizens and the social security is one of
the most important tools to achieve this.
Article-
41 of the our constitution says, “the state shall, within the limits of its
economic capacity and development, make effective provisions securing the right
to work, to education, and to public assistance in case of unemployment, old
age, sickness and disablement or any other case of un-served wants”. Thus, our
constitution speaks of an integrated concept of social security. The overall
purpose of the social security is to assure the individuals and families,
especially the vulnerable ones, that their quality of life will not be affected
by social, natural or economic eventualities.
Some of the very important
laws related to social security in our country are:
•
The Employees Provident Fund & Miscellaneous
Provisions Act, 1952,
•
Maternity Benefit Act, 1961,
•
Employees Insurance Act, 1948,
•
Workmen Compensation Act, 1923,
•
Employees Family Pension Scheme, 1971,
•
The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972,
•
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act,
•
Right to Education Act, 2009,
•
Right to Food Act 2013 etc.
In addition to above,
various welfare schemes are also in place to protect the poor.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 20
Page: 20
Ø
PMJDY is a National Mission on Financial Inclusion encompassing an
integrated approach to bring about comprehensive financial inclusion of all the
households in the country. In addition, the beneficiaries would get RuPay
Debit
card having inbuilt accident insurance covers of `1 lakh.
Ø
The plan also envisages channeling all
Government benefits (from Centre / State / Local Body) to the beneficiaries’
accounts and pushing the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme of the Union
Government.
Ø
Highlights
of PMJDY:
•
As per official figures compiled up to 27th
April 2016, the total number of accounts opened under the scheme is
21.68
Crores.
•
A total of Rs. 36795.55 Crores balance has been
recorded in these accounts till 27th April 2016.
•
PMJDY has earned recognition & a certificate
from the Guinness Book of Records stating “Most bank accounts opened in one
week as part of the Financial Inclusion Campaign is 18,096,130 and was achieved
by the Department of Financial Services, Government of India from 23rd to 29th
August, 2014.”
•
Out of the accounts opened, 60 per cent are in
rural areas.
•
Share of female account holders is about 51 per
cent.
2. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha
Bima Yojana (PMSBY):
Ø
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is a
government-backed accident insurance scheme in India. It was formally launched
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May in Kolkata.
Ø
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is available
to people between 18 and 70 years of age with bank accounts. It has an annual
premium of Rs 12 which will be automatically debited from the account.
Ø
In case of accidental death or full disability,
the payment to the nominee will be Rs 2 lakh and in case of partial Permanent
disability Rs 1 lakh.
3. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan
Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY):
Ø
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is a
government-backed accident insurance scheme in India. It was formally launched
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May in Kolkata.
Ø
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana is
available to people between 18 and 50 years of age with bank accounts. It has
an annual premium of Rs 330 which will be automatically debited from the
account.
Ø
In case of death due to any cause, the payment
to the nominee will be Rs 2 lakh.
4. Pradhan Mantri Gramin
Awaas Yojana (PMGAY):
Ø
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 20th November 2016launched “Housing
for All” in rural areas under which the Government proposes to provide an
environmentally safe and secure pucca house to every rural household by 2022.
Ø
Pradhan
Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin), in its first phase the target is to complete one
crore houses by March 2019.
Ø
The unit cost for these houses has been significantly increased and now
through convergence a minimum support of nearly Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 1.6 lakh to
a household is available. There is also a provision of Bank loan upto Rs.
70,000/-
, if the
beneficiary so desires.
Ø
The
selection of beneficiaries has been through a completely transparent process
using the Socio Economic Census
2011
data and validating it through the Gram Sabha.
5. Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen
Kaushal Yojana (DDUGKY):
Ø
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana or
DDU-GKY is a Government of India youth employment scheme. The DDU-GKY aims at
imparting skills to the rural youth (in the age group of 15-35 years) to
generate sustainable employment for them.
Ø
Mandatory coverage of the candidates from
socially disadvantaged groups like STs/SCs, minorities and women are directed
towards ensuring social inclusion of these groups.
Ø
It was
launched by on 25 September 2014 on the occasion of 98th birth anniversary of
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.
6. ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
Antyodaya Yojana’- DAY:
Ø
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) is a skill based scheme for
the urban and rural poor. Announced in September, 2014, the scheme aims at
empowering Indian youth through skills to generate livelihood opportunities.
Ø
Features
of Deen Dyal Upadhyaya Gramin Kaushal Yojana include:
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 21
Page: 21
• Mandatory coverage of socially disadvantage
groups (SC/ST 50 per cent; Minority 15 per cent; Women 33 per cent).
•
Post-placement support, migration support and
alumni network.
•
Guaranteed Placement for at least 75 per cent
trained candidates.
• Greater emphasis on projects for poor rural
youth in Jammu and Kashmir (HIMAYAT), the North-East region and
27
Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts (ROSHINI).
7. Pandit
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Shramev Jayate Karyakram:
Ø
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Shramev Jayate
Karyakram was launched in October, 2014 which aims at accelerating the process
of reforms in the labour sector.
Ø
An initiative of the Labour Ministry, the Shramev
Karyakram is an umbrella of five schemes. These are: a dedicated
Shram
Suvidha portal, random inspection scheme, universal account number,
Apprenticeship Protsahan Yojana and Revamped Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana.
Ø
These initiatives under the umbrella of Pandit
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Shramev Jayate Karyakram have been introduced with a
vision of smooth governance in the domain of labour.
5.
Reversing the de-Industrialization in India:
1. Make in India:
Ø
Unlike other developed countries, India has charted
the unique growth path, jumping directly from the agricultural sector to the
services sector. In India, the manufacturing base is very small, contributing
to only 16 per cent of GDP and near 20 per cent of employment.
Ø
Make in India is an initiative to encourage the
companies to increase manufacturing in the country so as to realise the dream
of creating 10 crore jobs in the country and to increase the share of
manufacturing in the country’s Gross Domestic Product from 16 to 25 per cent by
2022.
Ø
Under this initiative, the government has
announced several new steps to improve the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking of
the country like single window (e-biz portal) clearance of applications,
increasing the validity of industrial licenses, granting environmental
clearances online, filling of income tax returns online and doing away with the
paper registers of businessman in favour of online registers.
2. Pradhan Mantri Mudra
Yojana:
Ø
Small scale businesses generate more employment
Contrary to the common perception of bigger industries generating more
employment.
Ø
Economic census-2014 underlines the fact that
only 4 per cent of the credit needs of 5.8 crore small and micro enterprises
are addressed by the formal banking system.
Ø
The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna is being viewed
as an essential to fill this lacuna.
Ø
Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
(PMMY), MUDRA Bank has created its initial products/schemes: named ‘Shishu’, ‘Kishor’
and ‘Tarun’ to signify the stage of growth/development and funding needs of the
beneficiary micro unit. The financial limits for these schemes are:-
•
Shishu: covering loans up to Rs 50,000
•
Kishor: covering loans above Rs 50,000 and upto
5 lakh
•
Tarun: covering loans above Rs 5 lakh to 10 lakh
3. Start up India:
Ø
The programme aims to produce tech entrepreneurs
in the country by making the business environment conducive for their growth.
Ø
Startup means an entity, incorporated or
registered in India :
•
Not prior to five years,
•
With annual turnover not exceeding INR 25 crore
in any preceding financial year, and
•
Working towards innovation, development,
deployment or commercialization of new products, processes or services driven
by technology or intellectual property.
Note: Provided that such entity is not formed by
splitting up, or reconstruction, of a business already in existence.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 22
Page: 22
This scheme is to promote
the entrepreneurship among SC/ST and women.
Ø
Under the Stand up India scheme, SC/ST and women
entrepreneurs will be provided loans from Rs 10 lakh to Rs one crore for
setting up new enterprises.
Ø
The scheme is intended to facilitate at least two such projects per bank
branch, on an average one for each category of entrepreneur (SC/ST or woman).
This will help in creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs throughout the country.
6.
Enabling the Disabled:
World
over one billion people are estimated to be living with disabilities. In India,
the Census 2011 puts this number at around 2.68 crore (2.2 per cent of the
population). This section of the population faces many barriers in order to
participate fully in social life. This often leads to their isolation,
affecting their life and self esteem. So, efforts need to be made by communities,
civil society and the Governments to integrate the disabled with the
mainstream.
Though,
the welfare of disabled is primarily a state subject, Central Government is
also doing a lot in its capacity. In spirit of its slogan ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’,
Union Government has launched various programmes and schemes for disabled some
of these are given below:
1. Deendayal Disabled
Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS):
Ø
Under
the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS), financial assistance is
provided to Non-Governmental
Organizations
(NGOs) for providing various services to Persons with Disabilities, like
special schools, vocational training centres, community based rehabilitation,
pre-school and early intervention etc.
2. Accessible India
Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan):
Ø
Accessible India Campaign or Sugamya Bharat
Abhiyan is a program which is set to be launched to serve the differently-able
community of the country. The program comes with an index to measure the design
of disabled-friendly buildings and human resource policies.
Ø
The flagship program will be launched by the
Prime Minister on 3 December 2015, the International Day of Persons with
Disabilities.
Ø
The initiative also in line with the Article 9
of UNCRPD(UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) to which
India is a signatory since 2007. The scheme also comes under Persons with
Disabilities Act, 1995 under section 44, 45, 46 for equal Opportunities and
protection of rights which provides non-discrimination in Transport to Persons
with Disabilities.
Ø
The campaign targets three areas for access (i)
accessibility to the buildings, (ii) to transportation and (iii) to information
& communication systems.
Ø
A ‘’Sugamya Bharat’’ mobile app which can
provide information on disabled-friendly public facilities in a city, will be
launched under the scheme.
7.
Initiatives for Welfare of Minorities:
1. USTAD (Upgrading the
Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/ Crafts for Development):
Ø
It is a new scheme formally launched on 14thMay,
2015 at Varanasi to preserve rich heritage of traditional arts/crafts of the
minorities. It aims at-
Ø
capacity building and updating the traditional
skills of master craftsmen/artisans
Ø
documentation of identified traditional
arts/crafts of minorities
Ø
set standards for traditional skills
Ø
training minority youths in identified
traditional arts/crafts through master craftsmen
Ø
develop national and international market
linkages.
Ø
It targets minority youths of 14-35 years of age and minimum Class-V
qualified. The scheme will be implemented through selected Project Implementing
Agencies (PIAs) and Knowledge Partners. The scheme will be funded by the
Central Government and will prepare skilled and unskilled artisans and
craftsmen to compete with big companies.
Financial support for
Minority students clearing Prelims conducted by UPSC, Staff Selection
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 23
Page: 23
Ø
The scheme aims to benefit the minority youths
in the age group of 17 to 35 years who are school-dropouts or educated in the
community education institutions like Madarsas, by providing them an integrated
input of formal education (up till Class 8th or 10th) and skill training along
with certification, with a view of enabling them to seek better employment in
the organised sector and equipping them with better lives.
Ø
Minimum 30 per cent seats are earmarked for
minority girls.
3. Nai Roshni:
Ø
It is a scheme for Leadership Development of
Minority Women with the objective to empower and instill confidence in women,
by providing knowledge, tools and techniques to interact with Government
systems, banks, and intermediaries at all levels so that they are emboldened to
move out of the confines of home and assume leadership roles. The scheme is
implemented through Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
4. Seekho Aur Kamao (Learn
and Earn):
Ø
It is a 100 per cent Central Sector Scheme for
Skill Development of minorities. This scheme is implemented by private
professional skill development organisations /companies. It ensures employment
of minimum 75 per cent trained candidates, and out of them 50 per cent in
organized sector. The scheme reserves minimum 33 per cent seats for minority
women.
5. Hamari Darohar:
Ø
The Scheme aims to preserve rich heritage of
minority communities in context of Indian culture. It aims at curating iconic
exhibitions, supporting calligraphy, preservation of old documents, research
and development, etc.
6. Jiyo Parsi:
Ø
Jiyo Parsi is a scheme for containing population
decline of Parsis in India by adopting a scientific protocol and structured
interventions to stabilise their population and increase the population of
Parsis in India.
8.
Initiatives for Education:
1. Padhe Bharat- Badhe
Bharat:
Ø
It is a sub-programme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
launched in August, 2014 with special focus on improving language development
and to create interest in mathematics.
Ø
The two tracks of PadheBharat- Badhe Bharat are:
Early reading and writing with comprehension and Early mathematics. A provision
of Rs. 525.00 crore has been made for this programme in 2015-16.
Ø
As a follow up to the foundational programme, in
2015-16 a programme called the National Reading Initiative was launched to
develop and promote the habit of reading among students in elementary schools,
thereby extending the programme up to class 8.
2. Children With Special
Needs:
Ø
With the active support by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, over 25 lakh children
with special needs have been enrolled in elementary education. In order to
equip teachers to facilitate classroom transaction and teaching learning of
children with special needs, material on curricular adaptations for inclusive
classrooms has been developed by NCERT. All teachers across the country are
being oriented in practising such classroom adaptations through teacher
training.
3. Udaan:
Ø
This Scheme is dedicated to the development of
girl child education, so as to promote the admission of girl students. It seeks
to enhance the enrolment of girl students in prestigious technical education
institutions through incentives & academic support.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 24
Page: 24
Ø
The CBSE Board has launched an on-line facility
titled ‘Saransh’ for affiliated & CBSE schools on 2ndNovember,
2014. It helps the schools to look at their performance at an aggregate
level and at the level of each student. It is an online self-review tool for
schools affiliated to the CBSE. It allows schools to identify areas of
improvement in students, teachers & curriculum and take necessary measures
to implement change.
5. Rashtriya Avishkar
Abhiyan:
Ø
It was launched on 9th July 2015. This programme is directed towards
creating interest in sciences among school going students from classes I to
XII. Creating Model Labs, mentoring of elementary and secondary schools by
Institutions of higher Education, forming Maths and Science clubs for children
at school and professional development of teachers in order to make teaching of
Maths and Science interesting for students. The activities/components of RAA
are funded under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan.
6. E-pathshala:
Ø
As a part of the Digital India Campaign, the
Ministry of HRD has launched ‘e-pathshala’ which is a single point repository
of e-resources containing, NCERT text-books and various other learning
resources.
7. SWAYAM:
Ø
Swayam is a Web portal where Massive Open
On-line Courses (MOOCs) will be available on all kinds of subjects from the
high school stage to Post-Graduate.
8. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan:
Ø
Under this all technical and higher education
institutions have been asked to adopt five villages each; identify technology
gaps and prepare plans for innovations that could substantially increase the
incomes and growth in the rural areas.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 25
Page: 25
Environment Protection and Sustainable Development
The term
sustainable development first came into prominence in the World Conservation
Strategy, presented in 1980 by International Union for The Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources. It was defined clearly in the Brundtland Report ‘Our
Common Future (1987)’ as “sustainable development seeks to meet the needs and
aspirations of present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.” Moreover, a development path is sustainable “if and
only if the stock of overall capital assets remains constant or rise over time.”
Ø
The main
health and productivity consequences of environmental damage are:
•
Water pollution
•
Indoor air pollution
•
Solid and hazardous wastes
•
Soil degradation
•
Deforestation
•
Loss of biodiversity
•
Atmospheric changes
- Greenhouse
effect
- Ozone
depletion
Ø
Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs):
•
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were the
eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been
established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000,
following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration.
•
All 189 United Nations member states at that
time, and at least 22 international organizations, committed to help achieve
the following Millennium Development Goals by 2015:
1.
To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2.
To achieve universal primary education
3.
To promote gender equality and empower women
4.
To reduce child mortality
5.
To improve maternal health
6.
To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7.
To ensure environmental sustainability[1]
8.
To develop a global partnership for development
•
Key MDG
achievements
- More
than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty (since 1990) -
Child mortality dropped by more than half (since 1990)
- The
number of out of school children has dropped by more than half (since 1990) -
HIV/AIDS infections fell by almost 40 percent (since 2000)
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 
Page: 26
Page: 26
•
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were
born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development
in Rio de Janeiro in 2012.
•
The objective was to produce a set of universal
goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges
facing our world.
•
The SDGs replace the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), which started a global effort in 2000 to tackle the indignity of
poverty. The MDGs established measurable, universally-agreed objectives for
tackling extreme poverty and hunger, preventing deadly diseases, and expanding
primary education to all children, among other development priorities.
•
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
officially known as Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable
Development is a set of seventeen aspirational “Global Goals” with 169 targets
between them.
•
These 17 Goals build on the successes of the
Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change,
economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice,
among other priorities. The goals are interconnected – often the key to success
on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.
Ø
17 SDGs
are:
1. End
poverty in all its forms everywhere,
2. End
hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture,
3. Ensure
healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages,
4. Ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all,
5. Achieve
gender equality and empower all women and girls,
6. Ensure
availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,
7. Ensure
access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all,
8. Promote
sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive
employment and decent work for all,
9. Build
resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable, industrialization
and foster innovation,
10. Reduce
income inequality within and among countries,
11. Make
cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure
sustainable consumption and production patterns,
13. Take
urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating emissions
and promoting developments in renewable energy,
14. Conserve
and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development,
15. Protect,
restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation
and halt biodiversity loss,
16. Promote
peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to
justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at
all levels, and
17. Strengthen
the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for
sustainable development.
IRMA-Compendium, 2017 Page: 27
Page: 27
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The eight Millennium
Development Goals set for the period 2000-2015 and the corresponding seventeen
Sustainable Development Goals set for 2015-30
Millennium Development Goals
|
Sustainable Development Goals
|
||
(2000-2015)
|
(2015-2030)
|
||
1.
|
Reduce
extreme hunger and
|
1.
|
End
poverty
|
poverty
|
2.
|
End
hunger
|
|
2.
|
Achieve
universal primary
|
4.
|
Ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education
|
education
|
|||
3.
|
Promote
gender equality and
|
5.
|
Achieve
gender equality
|
empower women
|
10.
|
Reduce
inequality within and among countries
|
|
4.
|
Reduce
child mortality
|
3.
|
Ensure
healthy lives and promote well being
|
5.
Improve maternal health
6.
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7.
|
Ensure
environmental
|
6.
|
Ensure availability and
sustainable management of
water and
|
sustainability
|
sanitation
for all
|
||
7.
|
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and
modern energy
|
||
for
all
|
8.
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable
economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all
9.
Build resilient infrastructure, promote
inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
11.
Make cities and human settlements inclusive,
safe, resilient and sustainable
12.
Ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns
13.
Take urgent action to combat climate change and
its impacts (taking note of agreements made by the UNFCCC forum)
14.
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas
and marine resources for sustainable development
15.
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of
terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and
halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss
8.
|
Promote
global partnership
|
16. Promote peaceful and
inclusive societies for sustainable development,
|
provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and
|
||
inclusive institutions at all levels
|
17.
Strengthen the means of implementation and
revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
