UPSC Scholarship Scheme for Students

The UPSC Scholarship Scheme for students is launched by Maharashtra government for student appearing for All India Service through UPSC examination. Most of the brilliant students belongs from poor background family, they work hard for exam, but due to lack of guidance and educational environment they get low rank. Maharashtra government recognize the need of student and launched the scheme for UPSC aspirants. The UPSC Scholarship Scheme will provide financial assistance to UPSC aspirants training at reputed private training institutes in Delhi, and will also include a stipend of Rs 10,000 per month for their stay during the training.

Benefits of UPSC Scholarship Scheme for Students:

• Financial Support: Maharashtra government has announced to give a stipend of Rs. 10, 000 for those candidates who are preparing for Pre, Mains, and an Interview
• Free Coaching: Maharashtra government will provide free private coaching in the Delhi based institute
• Cost for Training: Maharashtra government announced to spend Rs. 23.06 crore for this scheme

Eligibility for UPSC Scholarship Scheme for Students:

1. Aspirants family income should not more than Rs. 1 lakh per annum
2. The aspirant must have clear the Pre examination in the last attempt of UPSC
3. The aspirant must be the resident of Maharashtra
4. Only those candidates are eligible who has clear the Mains in the last three attempt but failed to reach the interview stage in last three years
5. It is mandatory for students to clear this examination otherwise he will not be able to get the benefits of this examinations

Application form for UPSC Scholarship Scheme for Students:

Application form is available on State planning department of Maharashtra for that application procedure and other related information about this scheme is on https://plan.maharashtra.gov.in/   applicant just visit there and follow complete procedure. State planning department will provide you guideline about scheme.

Documents required for applying UPSC Scholarship Scheme for Students:

1. Residence Proof e.g. certificate from residence authority (Electricity bill, Water connection bill, etc)
2. Aadhar Card
3. Cast certificate
4. Voter ID
5. Minimum 2 Passport size photograph is essential
6. Age proof (Birth certificate, board certificate)
7. Income certificate (ex. form no 16)
8. Educational qualification documents (Degree certificate)

Whom to contact and where to contact for getting the benefits of this scheme:

Aspirants can contact to State Planning Department of Maharashtra for application form and other details related to documents which already provided in this article
Telephone No : 22029496
Email : sec_planning@maharashtra.gov.in

References & details:

1. If you want more information related to UPSC scholarship scheme just follow the link:https://plan.maharashtra.gov.in/

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Software Technology Parks of India (STPI)

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is a government agency in India, established in 1991 under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, that manages the Software Technology Park scheme. It is an export oriented scheme for the development and export of computer software, including export of professional services. 

The STP Scheme provides various benefits to the registered units, which includes:

1. 100% foreign equity, 
2. tax incentives, 
3. duty-free import, 
4. duty-free indigenous procurement, 
5. CST reimbursement, 
6. DTA entitlement, 
7. deemed export etc.

STPI has played a seminal role in India having earned a reputation as an information technology superpower. STP units exported software and information technology worth Rs. 215264 crore in FY 2010-11. The state with the largest export contribution was Karnataka followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. STPI has a presence in many of the major cities of India including the cities of Bangalore, Mysore, Trivandrum, Bhilai, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Pune, Guwahati, Noida, Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Kanpur, Lucknow, Dehradun, Patna, Rourkela, Ranchi, Gandhinagar-Gujarat, Surat, Imphal, Shillong, Nashik etc.

STPI centers provide variety of services, which includes:

1. High Speed Data Communication, 
2. Incubation facility, Consultancy, 
3. Network Monitoring, 
4. Data Center, 
5. Data Hosting etc. 
6. provides physical hosting for the National Internet Exchange of India
7. regulating the STP scheme

The tax benefits under the Income Tax Act Section 10A applicable to STP units has expired since March 2011. While the Government has chosen not to extend the Sec 10A benefits against the demand by the IT units, most of the STP registered SME units shall be affected, who now will have to pay Income Tax on profits earned from exports.

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Central government schemes for women and girls

Central government launches special deposit scheme for the girl child - To ... savings, government has launched a special deposit scheme for girl child ... Officer, 3 others booked for gang raping 'mentally unsound' woman

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Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP)

The Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) one of the Flagship programme of Ministry of Rural Development is under implementation by the Department of Land Resources since 2009-10 after integrating three area development programmes namely

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Role of ASHA and ANM

One of the key components of the National Rural Health Mission is to provide every village in the country with a trained female community health activist  'ASHA'  or Accredited Social Health Activist. Selected from the village itself and accountable to it, the ASHA will be trained to work as an interface between the community and the public health system. Following are the key components of ASHA:

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Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.

Account can be opened in any bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitr) outlet. PMJDY accounts are being opened with Zero balance. However, if the account-holder wishes to get cheque book, he/she will have to fulfill minimum balance criteria.

Documents required to open an account under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana

Special Benefits under PMJDY Scheme

• Interest on deposit.
• Accidental insurance cover of Rs.1.00 lac
• No minimum balance required.
• Life insurance cover of Rs.30,000/-
• Easy Transfer of money across India
• Beneficiaries of Government Schemes will get Direct Benefit Transfer in these accounts.
• After satisfactory operation of the account for 6 months, an overdraft facility will be permitted
• Access to Pension, insurance products.
• Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card must be used at least once in 45 days.
• Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- is available in only one account per household, preferably lady of the household.

Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA):

By default, all the zero balance account opened under are Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) are Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA). BSBDA has been defined by RBI vide its circular dated 10.08.2012. Its salient features are:

These facilities are to be provided without any extra cost.

Other Features:

1. PMJDY focuses on coverage of households as against the earlier plan which focused on coverage of villages. It focuses on coverage of rural as well as urban areas. Earlier plan targeted only villages above 2000 population while under PMJDY whole country is to be covered by extending banking facilities in each Sub-Service area consisting of 1000 – 1500 households such that facility is available to all within a reasonable distance, say about 5 Km.
2.  Any individual above the age of 10 years can open BSBDA Account.
3. Rupay Debit Card is an indigenous domestic debit card introduced by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). This card is accepted at all ATMs (for cash withdrawal) and at most of the PoS machines (for making cashless payment for purchases) in the country.
4. RuPay Debit Card provides accidental insurance cover upto Rs.1.00 lac without any charge to the customer.
5. To get benefit of Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card must be used at least once in 45 days.
6. Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- will be available to one account holder of PMJDY per household after 6 months of satisfactory conduct of the account. To avoid duplication Aadhaar number will also be required. If Aadhaar number is not available then Bank will do additional due diligence and also seek declaration from the beneficiary.
7. Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- is available in only one account per household, preferably lady of the household.
8. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) vide its Press Release dated 26.08.2014 has further clarified as under: “Those persons who do not have any of the ‘officially valid documents’ can open “Small Accounts” with banks. A “Small Account” can be opened on the basis of a selfattested photograph and putting his/her signatures or thumb print in the presence of an officials of the bank. Such accounts have limitations regarding the aggregate credits (not more than Rupees one lac in a year), aggregate withdrawals (nor more than Rupees ten thousand in a month) and balance in the accounts (not more than Rupees fifty thousand at any point of time). These accounts would be valid normally for a period of twelve months. Thereafter, such accounts would be allowed to continue for a further period of twelve more months, if the account-holder provides a document showing that he/she has applied for any of the Officially Valid Document, within 12 months of opening the small account.

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Relates Topics:

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Science and Technology

Health and Diseases

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Environment and Bio-Diversity

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Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana | Free LPG Gas Connection Scheme

A unique Indian central government scheme to extend availability of cooking gas to the women who belong to households that are Below Poverty Line (BPL). It is well known that India with its vast rural area have a huge population who are yet resorting to usage of cooking fuel that is both unclean as well as damaging to the environment at large. Due their low income status, such families are unable to afford the LPG which is used in other households.

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Essay on Rights To Education

The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards.

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CHILD LABOUR: PROVISIONS & PROGRAMMES

1. Art-24, Prohibition of Employment of Children in hazardous Industries.
2. Art-21A, Right to Education to the children of 6-14 years age group was made fundamental right by 86th constitutional amendment.
3. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.
4. National Child Labour Policy, 1987.
5. National Child Labour Projects, 1988.

The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 was enacted by the government to curb the child labour. It contains the following provisions -

1. It prohibits employment of children in 13 occupations and 57 processes.
2. Under the Act, a Technical advisory committee is to be constituted to advice for inclusion of further occupations and processes.
3. The Act regulate the conditions of employments in all occupations and processes not prohibited under the Act.
4. Any person who employs any child in contravention of the provisions of the Act is liable for punishment with 
5. imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three months but which may extend to one year or with fine which shall not be less than Rs. 10,000 or many extend to Rs. 20,000 or both.
6. The Central and State Governments enforce the provisions of the Act in their spheres

• The Government of India announced in August, 1987. The National Policy on Child Labour, which contains the action plan for tackling the problem of child labour and envisages a legislative action plan.
• National Child Labour Project Scheme (NCLP) was started by the Government of India in 1988, in pursuance of the National Child Labour Policy of 1987.
• In this scheme a sequential approach was adopted with focusing on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes in the first instance.
• Under the scheme after a survey of child labour engaged in hazardous occupations and processes has been conducted, children are to be withdrawn from these occupations and processes and then put into special schools in order to enable them to be mainstreamed into formal education.
• Xth Five Year Plan had adopted a strategy for elimination of child labour by linking the child labour elimination efforts with the scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan of the MHRD.
• Indus project on the elimination of child labour is a jointly funded project by the Ministry of Labour the Government of India and the Department of Labour, USA.
• Indus project is implemented in ten hazardous sectors in 21 districts across five states, Maharashtra, M.P., T.N., U.P. and Rajasthan.
• 80,000 children are to be withdrawn and rehabilitated in Indus Project.

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Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System

• CCTNS: Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System
• To be launched at 5,000 locations, including 3,000 police stations, across the country on January 4.
• The project is based on the principle of “centralized planning and decentralized implementation”. 
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)-backed project will provide a national databank of crime and criminals and their biometric profiles.
• This database will be connected with databases of other agencies of the criminal justice system like courts, jails, immigration and passport authorities.

 APPLICATIONS:

• The system will have a wide-ranging application. It will automate police functioning; make it transparent, accountable, effective and efficient.
•  Nationwide data will be available at 15,000 police stations and offices of middle and senior rank officials.
• It will also help in knowing progress of investigation in criminal cases and status of court proceedings

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National policy for Farmers

The National Policy for farmers has defined the term “FARMER” as a person actively engaged in the economic and/or livelihood activity of growing crops and producing other primary agricultural commodities. It also includes all agricultural operational holders, cultivators, agricultural labourers, sharecroppers, tenants, poultry and livestock rearers, fish-growers, beekeepers, gardeners, pastoralists, non-corporate planters and planting labourers, as well as persons engaged in various farming related occupations such as sericulture, vermiculture, and agro-forestry. Apart from this, the term also includes tribal families/persons engaged in shifting cultivation and in the collection, use and sale of minor and non-timber forest produce.

The Indian government has approved the "National Policy for Farmers, 2007" based on recommendations developed by an independent commission in 2004. The independent commission was chaired by 1987 World Food Prize Laureate M.S. Swaminathan. 

The new policy aims to improve the net income of Indian farmers and includes a number of different provisions. The policy states that there is a need for an "Evergreen Revolution" in India that would use biotechnology and other new technologies to improve crop productivity without harming the environment. The policy also calls for the establishment of a National Agricultural Bio-security System and the creation of a Cabinet Committee on Food Security. India's Department of Agriculture & Cooperation is charged with developing a plan to bring the new policy into action.

Important provisions and features incorporated in the National Policy for Farmers, 2007 include: 

a) Human Dimension: Focus to be on the economic well-being of the farmers than merely on production and productivity.
b) Definition of Farmer: Expanded to include all categories of persons engaged in the sector so that they can be extended the benefits of the Policy. 
c) Asset Reforms: To ensure that every man and woman, particularly the poor in villages, either possesses or has access to a productive asset. 
d) Income per unit of Water: The concept of maximizing yield and income per unit of water would be adopted in all crop production programmes and, stress will be given on awareness and efficiency of water use. 
e) Drought Code, Flood Code and Good Weather Code: To be introduced in drought prone areas, flood prone areas and in arid areas, respectively so as to maximize the benefits of monsoon and to aid preparedness for likely contingencies. 
f) Use of Technology: New technologies which can help in enhancing productivity per unit of land and water are sought for. Biotechnology, information and communication technology (ICT), renewable energy technology, space applications and nano-technology will be used to provide opportunities for launching an "Evergreen Revolution" capable of improving productivity in perpetuity without harming the ecology. 
g) National Agricultural Bio-security System: To be set up to organize a coordinated agricultural bio-security programme. 
h) Inputs and services-Soil Health: Good quality seeds, disease free planting material including in-vitro cultured propagules and Soil health enhancement hold the key to raising productivity of small farms. Every farmer family will be issued with a Soil Health Passbook. 
i) Support Services for women: When women work in fields and forests the whole day, they need appropriate support services like crèches, child care centers and adequate nutrition. 
j) Gyan Chaupals to be established in as many villages as possible to harness the help of Information and Communication Technology. 
k) Credit & Insurance: Credit counseling centers to be established where severely indebted farmers can be provided a debt rescue package to help them out of debt trap. To cater to the needs for both credit and insurance literacy in villages, Gyan Chaupals will help in the task. 
l) Setting up of Farm Schools: These will be set up in the fields of outstanding farmers to promote farmer to farmer learning and to strengthen extension services. 
m) A comprehensive National Social Security Scheme will be launched for the farmers for ensuring livelihood security by taking care of insurance needs on account of illness, old age, etc. 
n) Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanisms to be implemented effectively across the country so as to ensure remunerative prices for agricultural produce. 
o) Market Intervention Scheme to be strengthened to respond speedily to exigencies, specific crops to be identified. 
p) Community Food Grain Banks: To be promoted to help in the marketing of unutilized crops. 
q) Single National Market: To develop a Single National Market by relaxing internal restrictions and controls. 
r) Expanding Food Security Basket to include nutritious crops like bajra, jowar, ragi and millets mostly grown in dryland farming areas. 
s) Farmers of the future: Farmers may adopt cooperative farming, create service cooperatives, undertake group farming through self-help groups, establish small holders' estates, adopt contract farming and create farmers' companies. This is expected to increase productivity, efficiency of small farmers and would create multiple livelihood opportunities through crop-livestock integrated farming systems as well as agro processing. 

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National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture plays a crucial role in ensuring food security while also accounting for a significant share of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It engages almost two-thirds of the workforce in gainful employment. Several industries such as sugar, textiles, jute, food and milk processing etc. depend on agricultural production for their requirement of raw materials.

Presently, the threat of climate change poses a challenge for sustainable agricultural growth. This threat is compounded due to accumulated greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, anthropogenically generated through long-term intensive industrial growth and high consumption lifestyles and preferences. While the international community is collectively engaging itself to deal with this threat, India needs to evolve a national strategy for adapting to climate change and its variabilities in order to ensure ecological sustainability in its socio-economic developmental priorities.

Thus the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) was launched in 2008 with the objective of promoting Sustainable Agriculture.

The thrust areas to be addressed under this Mission are dryland agriculture, access to information, bio-technology and risk management. This National Mission would cover both adaptation and mitigation measures in the domain of crops and animal husbandry, including research.  

Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology.  Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals- Environmental (environmental health), Social (social and economic equity) and Economic (economic profitability).

Sustainability means conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions for the perfect harmony between the man and the environment as the Agriculture is being as the closest profession of man with the nature, it needs to be well tuned with the surrounding environment.

Prime Minister’s Council identified Department of Agriculture & Cooperation and DARE to play the role of Lead Agency for preparation of Mission Document on NMSA. NAPCC has identified the following focus areas (Thirst areas) for NMSA – Dry land Agriculture, Risk Management, Access to Information, Use of Bio- technology.

Priority Areas as indicated in NMSA under the NAPCC are:

Rainfed Agriculture 1. Development of drought and pest-resistant crop varieties. 2. Improving methods to conserve soil and water to ensure theirs optimal utilization. 3. Generate awareness through stakeholder consultations, training workshops and demonstration exercises for farming communities, for agro-climatic information sharing and dissemination. 4. Financial support to enable farmers to invest in and adopt relevant technologies to overcome climate related stresses.

Risk Management 1. Strengthening existing agricultural and weather insurance mechanisms. 2. Development and validation of weather derivative models by insurance providers. Ensure access to archival and current weather data for this purpose. 3. Creation of web-enabled, regional language based services for facilitation of weather based insurance. 4. Development of GIS and remote-sensing methodologies for detailed soil resource mapping and land use planning. 5. Mapping vulnerable eco-regions and identification of pest and disease hotspots. 6. Developing and implementation of region-specific contingency plans based on vulnerability and risk scenario.

Access to Information 1. Development of regional database of soil, weather, genotypes, land-use patterns and water resources. 2. Monitoring of glacier and ice-mass, impacts on water resources, soil erosion, and associated impacts on agricultural production in mountainous regions. 3. Providing information on off-season crops, aromatic and medicinal plants, greenhouse crops, pasture development, agro-forestry, livestock and agro-processing. 4. Collation and dissemination of block-level data on agro-climatic variables, land use and socio-economic features and preparation of state-level agro-climatic atlases.

Promoting Data Access 1. To improve and expand the data bases on (a) Soil profile, (b) Area under cultivation, Production and yield, and (c) Cost of Cultivation. 2. To digitize data, maintain database of global quality, and streamline the procedure governing access there to 3. To build public awareness through “National Portal” on agricultural Statistics.

Use of Bio – technology 1. Genetic engineering to convert C-3 crops to the more carbon responsive C-4 crops to achieve greater photosynthetic efficiency for obtaining increased productivity at higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and to sustain thermal stresses. 2. Development of strategies for low input sustainable agriculture by producing crops with enhanced water and nitrogen use efficiency which may also result in reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, and crops with greater tolerance to drought, high temperature, submergence and salinity stresses. 3. Development of nutritional strategies for managing heat stress in dairy animals to prevent nutrient deficiencies leading to low milk yield and productivity. 4. Development of salt tolerant and disease resistant fresh water fish and prawn.

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Education Initiatives by Indian government

A National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF)-Considering the exigency and need for a national framework for higher education, it is proposed to set up a CABE Committee to consider the proposal and make recommendations for evolving the National Higher Education Qualification Framework(NHEQF). The CABE Committee may constitute Sub-Committees comprising the experts drawn from academics and representatives of the national level regulatory bodies and state government. It may study and examine the global initiatives taken during the last two decades for evolving national higher education qualification framework in other countries of the world and the specific issues faced by the country in thisregard. The report of the Sub-Committee may provide valuable input to the CABE Committee in formulatingits views and recommendations for prescribing the NHEQF.

Proposal to initiate action for evolving All India Survey on Higher Education - The uploading of data for AISHE 2010-11 has been closed and uploading of data by the institutions for AISHE 2011-12 has commenced from 21st March, 2013.

National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-

The Mission has two major components:

(a) providing connectivity, along with provision for access devices, to institutions and learners;

(b) Content generation.

It seeks to bridge the digital divide, i.e. the gap in the skills to use computing devices for the purpose of teaching and learning among urban and rural teachers/learners in Higher Education domain and empower those, who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy. SAKSHAT is one stop education portal (www.sakshat.ac.in) to facilitate lifelong learning of the students, teachers and those in employments or in pursuit of knowledge free of cost to them. The portal would be main delivery portal for the contents developed under the National Mission on Education through ICT.

The focus under this agenda point to be taken up is the development of Ultra Low Cost Computing Devices to enable students, wherever they may be, access to education content. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay is doing a project pertaining to (a) Acquisition and Testing of Low Cost Access-cum-Computing Device and (b) Hardware and software optimization LCAD-Low Cost Access-cum-Computing Devices. In the first phase 1, 00,000 tablets being procured are for the purpose of testing by users all over India in different climatic and usage conditions. The advanced version of low cost tablet called Aakash-2 was launched by the President of India on the occasion of National Education Day i.e. 11thNovember, 2012. As compared with Aakash-1 launched in October 2011, this advanced version has a processor which is about 3 times faster, memory which is twice as large, and capacitive touch screen as compared to resistive touch screen. It is being procured by IIT Bombay under a project from MHRD, at a price of Rs 2263/-.Inclusion of NCC as an elective subject in schools and colleges -The XII Five Year Plan too, has documented that a National Initiative to foster Social Responsibility in Higher Education would be launched. 

Several ongoing activities, such as, the National Social Service, National Cadet Corps, Voluntary Service, promotion of culture, arts, music, youth development initiatives will be captured in the proposed new National Initiative aimed at deepening and enhancing community engagement in our colleges and universities. Proposed Education Commission -The new Education Commission will be tasked with providing the framework of a national policy that would address the needs and challenges of the education system in the 21st century. It is expected to re-orient the education system, as well as set out goals and parameters for an education system that addresses the changed socio-economic and technological realities. Some other issues on the agenda are Best practices in implementation of school sanitation and hygiene education;Elimination of gender and social gaps in school enrolment and retention,Review of implementation of RTE, etc.

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JAN AUSHADHI

Over the years India, has developed a strong capability in producing quality branded and generic medicines in most of the therapeutic categories, evolving from an mere Rs 1500 crores industry in 1980 to a more than Rs 68,000 crores industry in 2008. However,although these medicines are reasonably priced, as compared to the prices of their equivalent medicines in most other countries, yet a large population of poor people in the country, find it difficult to afford the more expensive branded category of medicines. Accordingly, ‘ensuring availability of quality medicines at affordable prices to all’, has been a key objective of the Government. some of the important steps taken to enable this are:

Price control of Scheduled Drugs through the National Pharmaceutical pricing authority (NPPA): Under the

1. Drug Price Control Order, 1995, NPPA): Under the Drug Price Control Order, 1995, NPPA has been given the mandate to control and fix the maximum retail prices of a number of scheduled/listed bulk drugs and their formulations, in accordance with well defined criteria and methods of accounting, relating to costs of production and marketing Notably therefore, the prices of these medicines have remained quite stable and affordable.
2. Price regulation of Non-Scheduled Drugs: Apart from the scheduled medicines under DPCO,1995, the NPPA monitors the prices of other medicines not listed in the DPCO schedule, such that they do not have a price variation of more than 10% per annum. This has further helped in keeping the prices of most of the non-scheduled medicines stable and affordable.
3. Uniform VAT of 4% on medicines: Government has fixed a uniform and low rate of 4% VAT on medicines in the country. This policy has been adopted, in almost all the States in the country, and has reduced the incidence of sales tax on medicines and thereby assisted in keeping their prices low.
4. Reduction in Excise duty from 16% to 4% Further and in addition to above low, VAT rates, the [present government had, as part of the Budget for the year 2008-09 reduced the excise duty on medicines from 16% to 8%. This has been further reduced to 4 percent as from 8th December, 2008. This has again, played a crucial role in keeping the prices of most of the medicines at reasonable levels.

Not satisfied with the above regulatory and financial steps for ensuring greater availability of medicines at affordable prices to all, specially the poorer masses, the government has decided to launch a country wide Jan Aushadhi Campaign. It is well known that due to market led consumer awareness and availability, branded medicines are sold by drug manufacturers at higher prices than their unbranded generic equivalents, which are as good in therapeutic value. Therefore, if generic medicines are made more accessible and available in the market, everyone would benefit. Seizing this opportunity, the Pharma Advisory Forum in its meeting held on 23rd April, 2008 under the Chairmanship of Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Hon’ble Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Steel, Decided to launch a Jan Aushadhi Campaign. A key initiative under the campaign would involve opening of jan aushadhi stores where, unbranded quality generic medicines would be sold which are available at lower prices, but are equivalent in potency to branded expensive drugs.

Jan Aushadhi Campaign: Key Objectives

The Jan Aushadhi Campaign would:

1. Make quality the hallmark of medicine availability in the country, by ensuring, access to quality medicines through the CPSU supplies and through GMP Compliant manufacturers in the private sector.
2. Despite constraints of budget in the Central and State governments, extend coverage of quality generic medicines which would reduce and thereby redefine the unit cost of treatment per person. For example branded Diclofenac tablets are available at the average market rate of Rs 36.70* for a pack of 10 tablets.
3. Jan Aushadhi Stores would be sell this at Rs 3.10* which is less than 10% of the market price of the branded category. Thus with the same cost 10 times more persons could be treated with same efficacy and cure.
4. Develop a model which can be replicated not only in India but also in other less developed countries in their common goal of improving quality affordable health care by improving access to quality medicines at affordable prices for all.
5. Not be just restricted to the Public Health System but be adopted with zeal and conviction by the Private Sector and thereby spread its coverage to every village of this country. The jan aushadhi campaign is open for all. Since generic equivalents are available for all branded drugs, the campaign will provide access to any prescription drug or Over The Counter (OTC) drug for anybody. It will be as much available to the disadvantaged sections of the society as much to the advantaged richer population segment of the country.
6. Create awareness through education and publicity so that quality is not synonymous with high price but less is more that is to say that, with a lesser price, more medicines would be available, more patients would be treated and more people will lead a healthier life.
7. Be a public program involving State governments, the Central government, Public Sector enterprises, private Sector, NGOs, Cooperative bodies and other institutions.
8. Create a demand for generic medicines By All for All by improving access to better healthcare through low treatment costs and easy availability wherever needed in All therapeutic categories.

The Jan Aushadhi Campaign will accordingly:

1. Promote greater awareness about cost effective drugs and their prescription.
2. Make available unbranded quality generic medicines at affordable prices through public-private partnership.
3. Encourage doctors, more specifically in government hospital to prescribe generic medicines.
4. Enable substantial savings in health care more particularly in the case of poor patients and those suffering from chronic ailments requiring long periods of drug use.

Important Next Steps

1. A list of Unbranded Generic medicines, commonly used by patients for chronic and other diseases, has been prepared. The National List of Essential Medicines, 2003 (NLEM, 2003) has also been used for this purpose.
2. This will be considered as Common List (CL). Each State would be able to have an add-on list called the State List (SL) based on the use of any specific medicine in the area.
3. The State Governments/NGOs/Charitable/cooperative/Government bodies will be encouraged to establish jan aushadhi stores in Government hospital premises or at other suitable location in all the Districts of all the States and union Territories.
4. Under the jan aushadhi campaign jan aushadhi stores will be opened in al the districts in the country in phases. Accordingly, States have been identified for opening of the jan aushadhi stores in the first phase along with the proposed nodal organizations responsible for coordinating the activities. After successful operationalisation of the program in these districts, other districts in other States would be considered in subsequent phases.

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Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana

With a view to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed and underemployed through encouraging the setting up of self-employment ventures or provision of wage employment, a new urban poverty alleviation programme, namely, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) was launched by the Government of India on 01.12.1997. 

This scheme subsumed the earlier three urban poverty alleviation programmes, namely Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP), Nehru RozgarYojana (NRY) and Prime Minister’s Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Programme (PMIUPEP). 

An independent evaluation of SJSRY was carried out by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation in 2006 to assess the impact of the scheme in improving the conditions of the urban poor. Based on the study findings, lessons learnt in implementation and feedback received from State Governments, Urban Local Bodies and other stakeholders, a revision of the Guidelines of the SJSRY scheme has been made, with effect from the year 2009-2010.

The main objectives of the new revamped SJSRY are:

1. Addressing urban poverty alleviation through gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed poor by encouraging them to set up self-employment ventures (individual or group), with support for their sustainability; or undertake wage employment;
2. Supporting skill development and training programmes to enable the urban poor have access to employment opportunities opened up by the market or undertake self employment; and
3. Empowering the community to tackle the issues of urban poverty through suitable self managed community structures like Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs), Neighbourhood Committees (NHC), Community Development Society (CDS), etc. 

SJSRY have five major components, namely-

1. Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP) aims at providing gainful employment to urban  youth.
2. Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP) aims at providing assistance by way of subsidy to urban poor women for setting up gainful group enterprises with SHG-Bank linkage.
3. Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP) focus on providing assistance for skill formation/ upgradation of the urban poor to enhance their capacity to undertake self-employment as well as access better salaried employment.
4. Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) aims at providing wage employment to beneficiaries living below the poverty line within the jurisdiction of urban local bodies by utilising their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets. 
5. Urban Community Development Network (UCDN) aims at promoting community organizations and structures such as Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs), Neighbourhood Committees (NHCs), and Community Development Societies (CDSs) to facilitate sustainable local development. 

The following major changes have been included under the revamped scheme:

1. For special category States (8 NER States and 3 other hilly States i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), the funding pattern for the Scheme between Centre and the States, has been revised from 75 :25 to 90:10.
2. For the beneficiary under the Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP) component of the Scheme, the education limit criteria of “not educated beyond 9th standard” has been removed and now no minimum or maximum educational qualification level has been prescribed for the purpose of eligibility of assistance.
3. For the self-employment (individual category), the project cost ceiling has been enhanced to Rs. 2.00 Lakhs from the earlier Rs. 50000/ - and the subsidy has also been enhanced to 25% of the project cost (subject to a maximum of Rs. 50000/-), from the earlier 15% of the project cost (subject to a maximum of Rs. 7500/-).
4. For the group enterprises set up by urban poor women, the subsidy has been made as 35% of the project cost or Rs. 300,000/- or Rs. 60,000/- per member of the Group, whichever is less. The minimum number required to form a women group has been reduced from 10 to 5. The revolving fund entitlement per member has also been enhanced from the existing Rs. 1000/- to Rs. 2000/-.
5. Under the Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) component, which is applicable to the towns having population less than 5 Lakhs as per 1991 census, the 60:40 Material labour ratio for the works under UWEP, flexibility of 10% (either side) is now accorded to the States/UTs.
6. The Skill Training of the Urban poor component has been restructured and quality skill training will be provided to the urban poor linking it with certification, imparted preferably on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, with the involvement of reputed institutions like IITs, NITs, Poly-techniques, ITIs, other reputed agencies etc. The average expenditure ceiling per trainee has been enhanced from the Rs.2600/- to Rs.10000/.
7. 3% of the total Scheme allocation will be retained at the Central level for special / innovative projects to be undertaken to implement a time-bound targeting to bring a specific number of BPL families above the poverty line through self-employment or skill development.

Implementation & Monitoring

1. At the National level the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation shall be the nodal Ministry for implementation of SJSRY.
2. At the Central level, a Steering Committee headed by Secretary (HUPA) and having members from the States/UTs, Ministry of Finance, RBI, and other stakeholders will monitor the Scheme. This Committee will be meeting at least once in every three months.
3. At the State level also, a State Level Monitoring Committee having members from the Banks, Micro Finance Institutions, Civil Society, and other stakeholders will be set up to effectively monitor the Scheme. This Committee will be meeting at least once in every three months.
4. At the Urban Local Body level an Urban Poverty Alleviation & Livelihood Development Cell will coordinate and implement the scheme with a suitable monitoring system put in place. 

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INTEGRATED CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME

India is home to almost 19% of the world’s children. More than one third of the country’s population, around 440 million, is below 18 years. The future and strength of the nation lies in a healthy, protected, educated and well-developed child population that will grow up to be productive citizens of the country. It is alarming that, in 2011, the Crimes against children reported a 24% increase from the previous year with a total of 33,098 cases of crimes against Children reported in the country during 2011 as compared to 26,694 cases during 2010. The State of Uttar Pradesh accounted for 16.6% of total crimes against children at national level in 2011, followed by Madhya Pradesh (13.2%), Delhi (12.8%), Maharashtra (10.2%), Bihar (6.7%) and Andhra Pradesh (6.7%).

Thus there is an urgent case for increasing expenditure on child protection. so that the rights of the children of India are protected. The neglect of child protection issues not only violates the rights of the children but also increases their vulnerability to abuse, neglect and exploitation.

GOI has launched the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) aimed at building a protective environment for children in difficult circumstances, as well as other vulnerable children, through Government-Civil Society Partnership.

Objectives of the scheme are:

1. To create a safety net for children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law by building a protective environment for them, keeping their best interests in mind;
2. To promote preventive measures to protect children from falling in the situations of vulnerability, risk and abuse;
3. To promote preventive measure to address the vulnerabilities of families and build their ability and capacity protect their children;
4. To supplement and strengthen the infrastructure established under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2000;
5. To build capacities of families, communities, and NGOs to strengthen care, protection and response to children;
6. To create State and District Child Protection Units as well as State Adoption Cells;
7. To promote in-country adoption and regulate inter-country adoption as well as ensure minimum standards;
8. To provide services to the more vulnerable categories of children through specialized programmes;
9. To establish linkages for restoration of children to their biological families and placement with adoptive families or foster families, where necessary;
10. To provide specialized institutional care to infants and children up to 6 years of age who are either abandoned or orphaned/destitute;
11. To check and end female foeticide and infanticide in the country;
12. To provide services to street and destitute children, including child beggars;
13. To provide for care and support services for children affected by HIV/AIDS;
14. To establish CHILDLINE in every district, for creating access in emergencies by providing counseling, restoration and rehabilitative services to children along with linkages to other available services under various schemes of the Government of India/State Governments;
15. To train and sensitize local bodies, police, judiciary and other concerned departments of State Governments to undertake related responsibilities;
16. To strengthen the knowledge base by undertaking research and documentation, resource mapping of services, the creation of a Management Information System (MIS) for tracking vulnerable children, and database management;
17. To carry out advocacy and spread awareness about child and family-related issues for supporting the family;
18. To network with the Allied Systems i.e. Government departments and Non-Government agencies;
19. To initiate any other need-based specialized innovative services through families, community and panchayats/local bodies, including child guidance and counseling especially to combat drug abuse, sexual abuse, child marriage, and discrimination against the girl child.

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GOI's E-Pathsala programme soon

The ambitious e-Pathshala programme of the government, seeking to create quality content across disciplines at the post-graduate level, is set to kick off with UGC asking universities throughout the country to contribute to the exercise. The initiative was approved by the HRD Ministry in 2011, under its National Mission on Education through ICT, proposes to develop e-content in 77 subjects across disciplines and the material will be made available to both teachers and students in the form of open online courses.

The HRD Ministry has also sanctioned grant-in-aid to UGC for production of the e-content in subjects at postgraduate level.

The content will be developed in subjects’ ranges from adult education and women studies, architecture and bio-informatics to nano science and nano technology, geology and genetics. Materials would also be developed on defence and strategic studies as also on music, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Urdu languages under the initiative.

UGC has constituted a Standing Committee - e-PG Pathshala on e-content creation to monitor and coordinate the activity of content creation in a most effective and efficient manner.  The Academic Content Advisory Committee constituted by UGC comprises a panel of subject experts, technical experts and media professionals which will monitor and review the progress of implementation of the e-content scheme assigned to the institute and agency

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National Disaster Management Authority Of India

National Disaster Management Authority of India aims to build a safer and disaster resilient India by developing a holistic, pro-active, multi-disaster and technology-driven strategy for disaster management through collective efforts of all Government Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations.
NDMA as the apex body is mandated to lay down the policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure timely and effective response to disasters. Towards this, it has the following responsibilities:-
a) Lay down policies on disaster management; b) Approve the National Plan;c) Approve plans prepared by the Ministries or Departments of the Government of India in accordance with the National Plan;d) Lay down guidelines to be followed by the State Authorities in drawing up the State Plan;e) Lay down guidelines to be followed by the different Ministries or Departments of the Government of India for the Purpose of integrating the measures for prevention of disaster or the mitigation of its effects in their development plans and projects;f) Coordinate the enforcement and implementation of the policy and plan for disaster management;g) Recommend provision of funds for the purpose of mitigation;h) Provide such support to other countries affected by major disasters as may be determined by the Central Government;i) Take such other measures for the prevention of disaster, or the mitigation, or preparedness and capacity building for dealing with the threatening disaster situation or disaster as it may consider necessary;j) Lay down broad policies and guidelines for the functioning of the National Institute of Disaster Management.
National Disaster Response Force
The Concept. The Disaster Management Act has mandated the constitution of a Specialist Response Force to a threatening disaster situation or a disaster. This Force will function under the National Disaster Management Authority which has been vested with its control, direction and general superintendence. This will be a multi-disciplinary, multi-skilled, high-tech force for all types of disasters capable of insertion by air, sea and land. All the eight battalions are to be equipped and trained for all natural disasters including four battalions in combating nuclear, biological and chemical disasters.
Present Organization. Presently this Force is constituted of eight battalions, two each from the BSF, CRPF, CISF and ITBP.
Deployment. These NDRF battalions are located at nine different locations in the country based on the vulnerability profile to cut down the response time for their deployment. During the preparedness period/in a threatening disaster situation, proactive deployment of these forces will be carried out by the NDMA in consultation with state authorities.
Four phases of Disaster Management

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