Arunachal political crisis

Yesterday (July 13, 2016), Supreme court of India gave a historic decision and resolved Arunanchal's political crisis. SC says that Governor’s decision is ‪#‎unconstitutional‬ and orders restoration of Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh. Everyone is saying that, it is tight slap on face of current Union Govt. led by Mr. Modi. 
It must be a golden judgement in the history of Indian Democracy. 
Here, I am trying to explain every single points related to this crisis:
We all know that on November 01, 2011 Congress leader Nabam Tuki takes charge as CM of Arunachal Pradesh and appointed his brother Nabam Rebia takes the Speaker of lower house. Everything is going quite normal for first 2.5 to 3 years with little disagreements within Government. 
But, things started to become worse when Tuki drops State Health and Family Welfare minister Kalikho Pul during the Cabinet reshuffle of December, 2014. 
After that he (Pul) went against government and alleges financial mismanagement. Congress took a serious action against him and expels him alleging anti-party activity in Apr, 2015.
On June 1, 2015, BJP led central govt. appointed Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa takes charge as Governor of Arunanchal Pradesh. He concluded 5th session of asssembly on October 21, 2015.
On November 3, 2015, He further ordered to summon 6th session of Assembly to meet on January 14, 2016. Now the main problem started because in the same month( November), Congress MLAs demand resolution for removing Deputy Speaker while BJP MLAs demand resolution to remove Speaker. After that, governor took a serious charge against running state government and started to give unconstitutional order as He (Governor) ordered to advance the assembly session from January 14, 2016 to December 16, 2015 and just one day before from advanced date of assembly meet, Speaker Nabam Rebia issued a notice of disqualification of 14 out 21 rebel Congress MLAs and further said that advancing assembly meeting is not possible. On the next day of all this happenings, Deputy Speaker went against speaker's decision and quashed disqualification of members and said that speaker's decision is illegal.
On Dec 16, 2015, Rebel congress and BJPs MLAs went for 6th session of assembly but TUKI government locked the assembly so that they concluded assembly meeting in another building with 33 MLAs out of 60 existing MLAs. They passed resolution for removal of speaker Rebia and appointed a new speaker. On the next day, Tuki government went to Guwahati High Court to keep assembly. After hearing both parties, HC stayed disqualification of 14 Congress MLAs on January 5, 2016. On the next day, Nabam Rebia went to Supreme Court of India and SC agreed to hear his plea and gave order not to hold any proceedings in the assembly till January 18, 2016. Further, SC referred this issue to Constitution Bench on Jan 14, 2016.
Congress told to SC that the Governor could not have acted on a resolution by opposition BJP MLAs and two independents to advance the Assembly session.
Union government recommended President's rule in Arunanchal Pradesh based on Govenor's report of political crisis within state. SC asked for this governor's report and President's rule came in Arunanchal Pradesh under his scrutiny.
Nabam Tuki, existing CM of state, filed a fresh plea in SC against President's Rule and Union Government filed an affidavit to justify imposition of president's rule by saying-"There is complete breakdown in the State and Governor is in danger."
SC took a strong action and examined everything related to this matter like Governor's power within the state, Governor's order to advance Assembly session from January 2016 to December 2015. etc.
Governor Rajkhowa defended his actions in SC saying that CM and Speaker were "hand- in- glove" and trying to remain in power despite losing majority but SC said that Governor can not take away Speaker's power in anyway.
By the February 19, 2016, President's rule lifted in the state and Pul sworn in as CM of Arunanchal Pradesh.
After these events the golden day July 13, 2016 came and everyone knows what happened.

As a conclusion I can say that this crisis started due to ongoing internal war between congress and opportunistic behaviour of BJP. Day by day, congress is moving from worse to worst condition whether in National level politics or state level politics and BJP is trying everything to take political advantage of it. But my suggestion to BJP is please don't be impatient and take every step slowly. Now, match is in your side don't try to hit Sixes on each ball like Sehwag. Play like Kohli and conquer the world.

Reference:-

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/arunachal-political-crisis-a-timeline/article8844753.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/arunachal-pradesh-political-crisis-supreme-court-lifts-status-quo-order-on-arunachal-pradesh/article8253221.ece

http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/arunachal-pradesh-how-a-rebellion-spun-out-of-control/

National Capital Goods Policy, 2016

         

On February 15, 2016, Union Ministry of Heavy Industries of Government of India has unveiled the National Capital Goods Policy, 2016 with a theme of Building India of Tomorrow. The idea of a ‘National Capital Goods Policy’ was first presented by the Deptt. of Heavy Industry to the Prime Minister in the ‘Make in India’ workshop held in December, 2014. The policy has been finalized after extensive stakeholder consultations with industry, academia, different ministries etc.

Its aim is to achieve the vision of Make in India initiative and establish India as a Global manufacturing hub for capital goods sector. Union Minister Anant Ganga Ram Geete also added that this policy have a clear objective of increasing production of capital goods from ~Rs. 230,000 Cr in 2014-15 to Rs. 750,000 Cr in 2025 and raising direct and indirect employment from the current 8.4 million to ~30 million.

Highlights:-

• This policy has aim to increase share of capital goods contribution from 12% to 20% of total manufacturing activity by the year 2025.
• The policy envisages increasing exports from the current 27% to 40% of production while increasing share of domestic production in India's demand from 60% to 80%.
• Increasing research intensity in India from 0.9% to at least 2.8% of GDP.
• It also proposed a new scheme Heavy Industry Export & Market Development Assistance Scheme, HIEMDA on pilot basis, Technology Development Fund under PPP model and Start-Up centre for capital goods sector.
• The Department of Heavy Industry had set up a Joint Taskforce with Confederation of Indian industry (CII) as an attempt to ensure that the formulation of the Capital Goods Policy is done in the most democratic manner and the recommendations would carve out a roadmap for Capital Goods sector to become  a part of global value chains apart from mere supply chains.
• There is a provision of Reviewing and Revising of policy every 5 year to take account of progress in Implementation and emerging trends in the National and International environment.
• It also advocates adoption of a uniform Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime ensuring effective GST rate across all capital goods sub-sectors competitive with import duty after set-off with a view to ensure a level-playing field.
• This policy recommend 9 new initiatives and actions...
1. Long term, stable and rationalized tax and duty structure to ensure cost competitiveness of the sector.
2. A comprehensive public procurement policy which has special provisions in contracts for domestic value addition.
3. Promoting development of new technology through indigenous sources.
4. Provide technology upgrade fund support across all capital goods sub-sector.
5. Creating a level playing field by restricting second hand machinery and mitigating duty disadvantages.
6. Supporting availability of long and short term financing at competitive rates.
7. Enabling skill development by setting up sub sector specific skill councils.
8. Enabling higher participation of India in standard creation and developing support system to improve compliance.
9. Developing manufacturing clusters with shared facilities espacially for SMEs.

Remark:-

• Capital Goods consists of plant machinery, equipment and accessories required, either directly or indirectly, to manufacture or for production of Goods or for rendering Services including those required for replacement, modernization, technological up-gradation and expansion of manufacturing facilities.

References:-

• http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/govt-approves-capital-goods-policy/article8645559.ece
• http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=136430
• http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/government-approves-capital-goods-policy-aims-21-million-new-jobs/articleshow/52433592.cms
• http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=145622

Initiatives and Yojnas started by Narendra Modi Government-1

The Central government led by Mr. Modi is quite famous for taking initiatives and yojnas at broder level. Within a short span of time, he launched so many schemes for social, economical and financial welfare of Indian people.
Some of them are here..

• E-MANDI

• On April 14, 2016, PM launched e-National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) which connects 21 wholesale market of eight states.
• Its aim is to enable farmers to decide "when,Where & at What price" they want to sell their produce.
• Under e-NAM, initially farmers will able to sell their produce within state but soon it will be extended as all India level operation by 2017.
• Govt. have already set the target of connecting all 585 Mandis in India till 2018 to reach the goal of "One nation, One market". But it can only be possible if all states will agree to amend their Agriculture Produce Market Committee Act (APMC) which currently regulate trades of agriculture produce within a particular state.
• This amendment  must ensure a single licence for trading across state, single point levy of market fee & provision for electronic auction.
• Under e-NAM, software for the project will be provided to all willing states without cost.
• The idea of NAM has come from Karnataka, where a series of amendments to the State Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act has resulted in farmers getting the freedom to sell their produce in the market of their choice.
• e-NAM scheme was approved on 1 July, 2015 with a budgetary allocation of Rs 200 crores. 

• PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJNA (PMFBY)
  
• It was approved by the Union Cabinet on January 13, 2016. It will replace the existing two crop insurance schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified NAIS.
• It has objective of providing insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the notified crop as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases.
• The scheme covers kharif, rabi crops as well as annual commercial and horticultural crops. For Kharif crops, the premium charged would be up to 2% of the sum insured.  For Rabi crops, the premium would be up to 1.5% of the sum assured.
• This scheme provides full coverage of insurance. It also covers the localized risks such as hailstorm, landslide, inundation etc.

• SHYAMA PRASAD MUKHERJEE NATIONAL RURBAN MISSION (SPMRM)
• It was launched by our PM on Feb 21, 2016 in Kurubhat Village of Rajnandgaon district Chhattisgarh to develop smart villages on the line of smart cities. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi already have approved this mission on Sep 16, 2015 with an outlay of Rs. 5142.08 crores.
• The Mission aims at development of rural growth clusters which have latent potential for growth, in all States and UTs, which would trigger overall development in the region. These clusters would be developed by provisioning of economic activities, developing skills & local entrepreneurship and providing infrastructure amenities. The Rurban Mission will thus develop a cluster of Smart Villages.
• For the selection of clusters, the Ministry of Rural Development is adopting a scientific process of cluster selection which involves an objective analysis at the District, Sub District and Village level, of the demography, economy, tourism and pilgrimage significance and transportation corridor impact.
• The mission aims to create 300 such Rurban growth clusters over the next 3 years, across the country. Under first phase of this mission, Four districts of Chhatisgarh- Rajnandgaon, Dhamtari, Kabirdham & Bastar will be covered by investment of Rs. 120 Crore.
• To ensure an optimum level of development, fourteen components have been suggested as desirable for the cluster, which would include; 
• Skill development training linked to economic activities, 
• Agro Processing/Agri Services/Storage and Warehousing, 
• Digital Literacy, 
• Sanitation, 
• Provision of piped water supply, 
• Solid and liquid waste management, 
• Village streets and drains, 
• Street lights, 
• Fully equipped mobile health unit, 
• Upgrading school /higher education facilities, 
• Inter-village road connectivity, 
• Citizen Service Centers- for electronic delivery of citizen centric services/e-gram connectivity, 
• Public transport., 
• LPG gas connections.

• JAN AUSHADHI MEDICAL STORE

• PM launched Jan Aushadhi Medical Store project on Feb 21, 2016 for opening 100 generic medicines stores at government hospitals and community health centres.
• Generic medicines are those medicines which are not branded means they don't have brand names. Hence they are cheap but equally effective in dealing with diseases as their expensive counterparts.

• START-UP INDIA INITIATIVE
  
• PM Narendra modi launched Start-Up India initiative in New Delhi to promote start-up ecosystem in the country. On this occasion, Stand-Up India action plan was also unveiled.
• A fund of Rs. 10000 crore is allotted for this mission with a investment of Rs. 2500 crore every year for next four years.
• Under this initiative, plan of ATAL INNOVATION MISSION was also linked. Which has a focus of developing 35 new incubators, 7 new research parks, 31 innovative centres at premier technology institutes under PPP mode.
• Profits of Start-Up units have been made tax free for first 3 years.
• Capital gains tax to be exempted for venture capital investments if proceeds are invested in another start-up.
• An innovation programme will be launched in 5 lakh schools across the country to nurture innovation among 10 lakh children.

• PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJNA

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA chaired by PM Modi, on March 10, 2016 approved UJJwala Scheme which aim to provide free LPG connections to women from Belo Poverty Level, BPL households and having an objective to achieve universal coverage of cooking gas in the country.
• It is the largest direct intervention initiative for women of rural & urban household is taken by central government till today. Around 5 crore women will be directly benefited from this scheme.
• Under this scheme, a financial support of Rs. 1600 will be provided for each LPG connection to the BPL households.
• It will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs. 8000 crore over three years between April 2016 and march 2019 to cover 5 crore BPL households and about 1.5 crore households in 2016-17 alone.
• This scheme is result of Prime Minister's GiveItUp campaign under which 75 lakh middle class and lower middle class households have voluntarily given up their cooking gas subsidy.

• DOMESTIC EFFICIENT LIGHTING PROGRAMME- UJALA
  
• Union Minister of State, Independent Charge, Power, Coal and New & renewable Energy Piyush Goyal announced UJALA- Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All programme.
• It will be implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited, EESL, public sector body of Government of India,.
• The main objective of this programme is to promote efficient lighting and enhancing awareness on using efficient equipment which reduce electricity bills and help preserve environment.
• Overall target of this mission is to replace around 200 million present lighting bulbs with LEDs so that we will be able to save 10.5 billion KWh energy or Rs 40000 crore of consumer bills.
• It is expected that after successfully achieving targets of this mission, government will able to reduce 5000 MW load.
• Under this scheme, every grid-connected consumer having a metered connection from their respective Electricity Distribution Company can get the LED bulbs at about 40% of the market price.
• It is successfully running across 12 states- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Himanchal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharastra, Puduchery, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand.

• SETU BHARTAM PROJECT
  
• On March 4th, 2016, PM Modi along with Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari launched the Setu Bhartam project which aim to make all national highways free of Railway crossings by the year 2019.
• Under this project, 208 places have been identified for construction of Rail Over-Bridges (ROB) or Underpasses.
  The details of 208 Railway Over Bridges are as follows:
  • Andhra Pradesh – 33,
  • Assam – 12,
  • Bihar – 20,
  • Chhattisgarh – 5,
  • Gujarat – 8,
  • Haryana – 10,
  • Himachal Pradesh – 5,
  • Jharkhand – 11,
  • Karnataka – 17,
  • Kerala – 4,
  • Madhya Pradesh -6,
  • Maharashtra – 12,
  • Odisha – 4,
  • Punjab – 10,
  • Rajasthan – 9,
  • Tamil Nadu – 9,
  • Utarakhand – 2,
  • Uttar Pradesh – 9,
  • West Bengal – 22
• This project will cost Rs 10200 crore.
• Further, Ministry will also establish Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) at Indian Academy for Highway Engineer in Noida which aims to carry out conditions survey and inventorization of all bridges on National Highways by using Mobile Inspection Units.
• Also, in this project, 1,500 decade-old bridges will be reconstructed and revamped for Rs. 30,000 crore.

• MAHILA E-HAAT
  
• It is an online portal which was launched by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on March 7, 2016 in New Delhi.
• It will give opportunities to thousands of women who make products and can promote them to all over the country. 
• It will benefit more than 10000 Self Help Groups, SHGs and 1.25 lakh women beneficiaries spreads across country. Any India women citizen more than 18 years age can sell their products through this platform. 
• All the fundings for operation of this portal will come from Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, RMK.
• Future plans of this project is to integrate this portal with e- commerce portals and convert it into Women Entrepreneurs Council, an institutional body.

• M- HEALTH
• Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare on January 15, 2016 launched  four mobile health (m-Health) services to provide citizen centric health services.
• These m-Health services were announced on the occasion of Good Governance Day (25 December 2015) which is being celebrated annually to mark the birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• These 4 health services are as-
• KilKari
• It is an audio based mobile service which delivers weekly audio messages to families about pregnancy, child birth and child care.
• Those who are registered in Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS), a web based system to monitor and ensure delivery of full spectrum of services to all pregnant women and children, will be benefited.
• The 72 audio messages would reach to the beneficiary from 4th month of pregnancy until the child is one year old.
• In first phase, It will implement in 6 states- Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh.& Rajasthan.
• Mobile Acadmy
• It is a mobile based application which aim is to provide training services to 9 million Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).
• It will enhance inter personal skills of ASHAs.
• After successfully completing the 240 minute course on maternal & child health by securing more than minimum prescribed marks, ASHAs will receive a Certificate of completion from the Government.
• M- Cessation
• It is an IT- based tool which help to tobacco users to quit tobacco.
• In this project, beneficiary registers himself by giving missed calls to prescribed number and counselling would be done through 2 way SMS process.
• TB Missed Call
• Under TB Missed Call initiative, Health Ministry have issued a toll free number for counseling and treatment support services for TB patients.
• By this service, patients can get information related to TB symptoms, treatment services available, address and contact details of the nearest treatment facility centre.
• Initially, It is available only in Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi.  

• PARYATAK MITRA PROGRAMME
  
• On National Youth Day, January 12, 2016, Union Ministry of Tourism launched Pryatak Mitra Programme to provide appropriate tourism knowledge and trends amongst the trainees to enable them to work as Tourist Facilitators ( Paryatak Mitra).
• In this programme, the college going student including those who are enrolled with National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) in the age group of 18-28 years, can take part in this initiative.

• PROJECT "CLEAN STREET FOOD"

• On March 13, 2016,Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched "Clean Street Food" project which aim is to raise safety standards of street food in capital. 
• Food Safety and Standard Authority of India, FSSAI have formulated this project.
• During first phase, around 20000 vendors will be trained for healthy and hygienic food processing in more than 40 centres across Delhi with a collaboration of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• The Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Council, THSC, a wing of the National Skill Development  & Entrepreneurship will be training provider under this project.
• Food vendors will receive training under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) category of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna, PMKVY.
•  After the training, food vendors will receive Smart-cum Registration cards as recognition.

• SWACHH PARYATAN MOBILE APP
• Union Minister of Tourism on February 22, 2016 launched Swachh Paryatan Mobile app which will facilitate the public to communicate their complaints about unclean area and garbage piles in and around tourist destination.
• Initially, 25 adarsh smarak monuments protected by Archaeological survey of India, ASI have been identified for inclusion in the app.

• 24x7 TOLL FREE TOURIST HELPLINE
  
• On February 8, 2016, Union Govt. launched 24x7 Toll Free Tourist Helpline in 12 International Language- English, Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
• This project will be implemented by joint venture of Ministry of Tourism and Tata Bussiness Support Services.
• This infoline service will provide information related to Travel and Tourism in India to the domestic and International Tourists.
• All calls will be free of charge in India for everyone.
• The Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture also announced that very soon his Ministry will launch an “Incredible India Mobile App.” to facilitate tourists in a better way.

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initiatives-and-yojnas-started-2

Initiatives and Yojnas started by Narendra Modi Government

The Central government led by Mr. Modi is quite famous for taking initiatives and yojnas at broder level. Within a short span of time, he launched so many schemes for social, economical and financial welfare of Indian people.
Some of them are here..

• E-MANDI

• On April 14, 2016, PM launched e-National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) which connects 21 wholesale market of eight states.
• Its aim is to enable farmers to decide "when,Where & at What price" they want to sell their produce.
• Under e-NAM, initially farmers will able to sell their produce within state but soon it will be extended as all India level operation by 2017.
• Govt. have already set the target of connecting all 585 Mandis in India till 2018 to reach the goal of "One nation, One market". But it can only be possible if all states will agree to amend their Agriculture Produce Market Committee Act (APMC) which currently regulate trades of agriculture produce within a particular state.
• This amendment  must ensure a single licence for trading across state, single point levy of market fee & provision for electronic auction.
• Under e-NAM, software for the project will be provided to all willing states without cost.
• The idea of NAM has come from Karnataka, where a series of amendments to the State Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act has resulted in farmers getting the freedom to sell their produce in the market of their choice.
• e-NAM scheme was approved on 1 July, 2015 with a budgetary allocation of Rs 200 crores. 

• PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJNA (PMFBY)
  
• It was approved by the Union Cabinet on January 13, 2016. It will replace the existing two crop insurance schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified NAIS.
• It has objective of providing insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the notified crop as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases.
• The scheme covers kharif, rabi crops as well as annual commercial and horticultural crops. For Kharif crops, the premium charged would be up to 2% of the sum insured.  For Rabi crops, the premium would be up to 1.5% of the sum assured.
• This scheme provides full coverage of insurance. It also covers the localized risks such as hailstorm, landslide, inundation etc.

• SHYAMA PRASAD MUKHERJEE NATIONAL RURBAN MISSION (SPMRM)
• It was launched by our PM on Feb 21, 2016 in Kurubhat Village of Rajnandgaon district Chhattisgarh to develop smart villages on the line of smart cities. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi already have approved this mission on Sep 16, 2015 with an outlay of Rs. 5142.08 crores.
• The Mission aims at development of rural growth clusters which have latent potential for growth, in all States and UTs, which would trigger overall development in the region. These clusters would be developed by provisioning of economic activities, developing skills & local entrepreneurship and providing infrastructure amenities. The Rurban Mission will thus develop a cluster of Smart Villages.
• For the selection of clusters, the Ministry of Rural Development is adopting a scientific process of cluster selection which involves an objective analysis at the District, Sub District and Village level, of the demography, economy, tourism and pilgrimage significance and transportation corridor impact.
• The mission aims to create 300 such Rurban growth clusters over the next 3 years, across the country. Under first phase of this mission, Four districts of Chhatisgarh- Rajnandgaon, Dhamtari, Kabirdham & Bastar will be covered by investment of Rs. 120 Crore.
• To ensure an optimum level of development, fourteen components have been suggested as desirable for the cluster, which would include; 
• Skill development training linked to economic activities, 
• Agro Processing/Agri Services/Storage and Warehousing, 
• Digital Literacy, 
• Sanitation, 
• Provision of piped water supply, 
• Solid and liquid waste management, 
• Village streets and drains, 
• Street lights, 
• Fully equipped mobile health unit, 
• Upgrading school /higher education facilities, 
• Inter-village road connectivity, 
• Citizen Service Centers- for electronic delivery of citizen centric services/e-gram connectivity, 
• Public transport., 
• LPG gas connections.

• JAN AUSHADHI MEDICAL STORE

• PM launched Jan Aushadhi Medical Store project on Feb 21, 2016 for opening 100 generic medicines stores at government hospitals and community health centres.
• Generic medicines are those medicines which are not branded means they don't have brand names. Hence they are cheap but equally effective in dealing with diseases as their expensive counterparts.

• START-UP INDIA INITIATIVE
  
• PM Narendra modi launched Start-Up India initiative in New Delhi to promote start-up ecosystem in the country. On this occasion, Stand-Up India action plan was also unveiled.
• A fund of Rs. 10000 crore is allotted for this mission with a investment of Rs. 2500 crore every year for next four years.
• Under this initiative, plan of ATAL INNOVATION MISSION was also linked. Which has a focus of developing 35 new incubators, 7 new research parks, 31 innovative centres at premier technology institutes under PPP mode.
• Profits of Start-Up units have been made tax free for first 3 years.
• Capital gains tax to be exempted for venture capital investments if proceeds are invested in another start-up.
• An innovation programme will be launched in 5 lakh schools across the country to nurture innovation among 10 lakh children.

• PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJNA

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA chaired by PM Modi, on March 10, 2016 approved UJJwala Scheme which aim to provide free LPG connections to women from Belo Poverty Level, BPL households and having an objective to achieve universal coverage of cooking gas in the country.
• It is the largest direct intervention initiative for women of rural & urban household is taken by central government till today. Around 5 crore women will be directly benefited from this scheme.
• Under this scheme, a financial support of Rs. 1600 will be provided for each LPG connection to the BPL households.
• It will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs. 8000 crore over three years between April 2016 and march 2019 to cover 5 crore BPL households and about 1.5 crore households in 2016-17 alone.
• This scheme is result of Prime Minister's GiveItUp campaign under which 75 lakh middle class and lower middle class households have voluntarily given up their cooking gas subsidy.

• DOMESTIC EFFICIENT LIGHTING PROGRAMME- UJALA
  
• Union Minister of State, Independent Charge, Power, Coal and New & renewable Energy Piyush Goyal announced UJALA- Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All programme.
• It will be implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited, EESL, public sector body of Government of India,.
• The main objective of this programme is to promote efficient lighting and enhancing awareness on using efficient equipment which reduce electricity bills and help preserve environment.
• Overall target of this mission is to replace around 200 million present lighting bulbs with LEDs so that we will be able to save 10.5 billion KWh energy or Rs 40000 crore of consumer bills.
• It is expected that after successfully achieving targets of this mission, government will able to reduce 5000 MW load.
• Under this scheme, every grid-connected consumer having a metered connection from their respective Electricity Distribution Company can get the LED bulbs at about 40% of the market price.
• It is successfully running across 12 states- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharastra, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand.

• SETU BHARTAM PROJECT
  
• On March 4th, 2016, PM Modi along with Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari launched the Setu Bhartam project which aim to make all national highways free of Railway crossings by the year 2019.
• Under this project, 208 places have been identified for construction of Rail Over-Bridges (ROB) or Underpasses.
  The details of 208 Railway Over Bridges are as follows:
  • Andhra Pradesh – 33,
  • Assam – 12,
  • Bihar – 20,
  • Chhattisgarh – 5,
  • Gujarat – 8,
  • Haryana – 10,
  • Himachal Pradesh – 5,
  • Jharkhand – 11,
  • Karnataka – 17,
  • Kerala – 4,
  • Madhya Pradesh -6,
  • Maharashtra – 12,
  • Odisha – 4,
  • Punjab – 10,
  • Rajasthan – 9,
  • Tamil Nadu – 9,
  • Uttarakhand – 2,
  • Uttar Pradesh – 9,
  • West Bengal – 22
• This project will cost Rs 10200 crore.
• Further, Ministry will also establish Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) at Indian Academy for Highway Engineer in Noida which aims to carry out conditions survey and inventorization of all bridges on National Highways by using Mobile Inspection Units.
• Also, in this project, 1,500 decade-old bridges will be reconstructed and revamped for Rs. 30,000 crore.

• MAHILA E-HAAT
  
• It is an online portal which was launched by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on March 7, 2016 in New Delhi.
• It will give opportunities to thousands of women who make products and can promote them to all over the country. 
• It will benefit more than 10000 Self Help Groups, SHGs and 1.25 lakh women beneficiaries spreads across country. Any India women citizen more than 18 years age can sell their products through this platform. 
• All the fundings for operation of this portal will come from Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, RMK.
• Future plans of this project is to integrate this portal with e- commerce portals and convert it into Women Entrepreneurs Council, an institutional body.

• M- HEALTH
• Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare on January 15, 2016 launched  four mobile health (m-Health) services to provide citizen centric health services.
• These m-Health services were announced on the occasion of Good Governance Day (25 December 2015) which is being celebrated annually to mark the birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• These 4 health services are as-
• KilKari
• It is an audio based mobile service which delivers weekly audio messages to families about pregnancy, child birth and child care.
• Those who are registered in Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS), a web based system to monitor and ensure delivery of full spectrum of services to all pregnant women and children, will be benefited.
• The 72 audio messages would reach to the beneficiary from 4th month of pregnancy until the child is one year old.
• In first phase, It will implement in 6 states- Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh.& Rajasthan.
• Mobile Acadmy
• It is a mobile based application which aim is to provide training services to 9 million Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).
• It will enhance inter personal skills of ASHAs.
• After successfully completing the 240 minute course on maternal & child health by securing more than minimum prescribed marks, ASHAs will receive a Certificate of completion from the Government.
• M- Cessation
• It is an IT- based tool which help to tobacco users to quit tobacco.
• In this project, beneficiary registers himself by giving missed calls to prescribed number and counselling would be done through 2 way SMS process.
• TB Missed Call
• Under TB Missed Call initiative, Health Ministry has issued a toll-free number for counseling and treatment support services for TB patients.
• By this service, patients can get information related to TB symptoms, treatment services available, address and contact details of the nearest treatment facility centre.
• Initially, It is available only in Punjab, Chandigarh, and Delhi.  

• PARYATAK MITRA PROGRAMME
  
• On National Youth Day, January 12, 2016, Union Ministry of Tourism launched Pryatak Mitra Programme to provide appropriate tourism knowledge and trends amongst the trainees to enable them to work as Tourist Facilitators ( Paryatak Mitra).
• In this programme, the college going student including those who are enrolled with National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) in the age group of 18-28 years, can take part in this initiative.

• PROJECT "CLEAN STREET FOOD"

• On March 13, 2016,Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched "Clean Street Food" project which aim is to raise safety standards of street food in capital. 
• Food Safety and Standard Authority of India, FSSAI have formulated this project.
• During first phase, around 20000 vendors will be trained for healthy and hygienic food processing in more than 40 centres across Delhi with a collaboration of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• The Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Council, THSC, a wing of the National Skill Development  & Entrepreneurship will be training provider under this project.
• Food vendors will receive training under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) category of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna, PMKVY.
•  After the training, food vendors will receive Smart-cum Registration cards as recognition.

• SWACHH PARYATAN MOBILE APP
• Union Minister of Tourism on February 22, 2016 launched Swachh Paryatan Mobile app which will facilitate the public to communicate their complaints about unclean area and garbage piles in and around tourist destination.
• Initially, 25 adarsh smarak monuments protected by Archaeological survey of India, ASI have been identified for inclusion in the app.

• 24x7 TOLL FREE TOURIST HELPLINE
  
• On February 8, 2016, Union Govt. launched 24x7 Toll Free Tourist Helpline in 12 International Language- English, Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
• This project will be implemented by joint venture of Ministry of Tourism and Tata Bussiness Support Services.
• This infoline service will provide information related to Travel and Tourism in India to the domestic and International Tourists.
• All calls will be free of charge in India for everyone.
• The Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture also announced that very soon his Ministry will launch an “Incredible India Mobile App.” to facilitate tourists in a better way.

• PROJECT "SUNRISE"
• Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda launched the project Sunrise in Imphal, Manipur to improve interventions against Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in 8 North-Eastern States.
• It is a 5 year programme aimed at complementing the ongoing National AIDS Control Programme, NACP.
• It will be implemented in 20 districts of North-Eastern States at an estimated cost of Rs. 70 Crore. 
• It will cover One lakh people living with HIV/AIDS by giving them treatment and care facilities free of cost.

• Remark:-




• North Eastern States like Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram account for highest adult (15-49 years) HIV prevalence in the country. 
• National average for prevalence of HIV/AIDS among drug addicts is 7.14%, whereas in Manipur it is 12.9% and in Mizoram it is 12%.







SAHAJ SCHEME


• On January 25, 2016, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched Sahaj Scheme for online booking of LPG cylinders through the unified web portal www.mylpg.in which is available in 13 languages.
• Govt. targeted to add 10 crore new LPG connections by December 2018 to the existing 16.5 crore connections.
• The new connections will be provided on an EMI basis which cost up yo 3400 rupees. This amount can be spread over 24 installments.
• SAHAJ facility will enable the customers to post online request for a new connection by filing Know Your Customer (KYC) form by uploading bank account details and photograph.

to be continued...

NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY (NFHS-4)

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India. It was conducted by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and coordinated by the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai. Technical assistance for NFHS-4 will again be provided by ICF International, USA with the major financial support from the United States Agency for International Development and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Further other institutions like Department for International Development (DFID), The Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation,United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and MacArthur Foundation also contributed in terms of funding for this robust survey.

Findings for the 13 States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and two Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry show promising improvements in maternal and child health and nutrition in this first phase survey report. Data collection for the second phase States and Union Territories is currently ongoing.

The salient findings are as follows...

1. Fewer children are dying in infancy and early childhood - All 15 States/Union Territories have rates below 51 deaths per 1,000 live births, although there is considerable variation among the States/Union Territories. Infant mortality rates range from a low of 10 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to a high of 51 deaths per 1000 live births in Madhya Pradesh.
2. Better health care facilities for pregnant women and new born babies - Almost all mothers have received antenatal care for their most recent pregnancy and increasing numbers of women are receiving the recommended four or more visits by the service providers. More than nine in ten recent births took place in health care facilities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, providing safer environments for mothers and new-borns. 
   
3. Replacement level fertility rate- The total fertility rates, or the average number of children per woman, range from 1.2 in Sikkim to 3.4 in Bihar. All First Phase States/Union Territories except Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya have either achieved or maintained replacement level of fertility– a major achievement in the past decade. 
4. Full immunization coverage among children age 12-23 months - It varies widely in the First Phase States/Union Territories. At least 6 out of 10 children have received full immunization in 12 of the 15 States / Union Territories.  In Goa, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Puducherry more than four-fifths of the children have been fully immunized.
5. Married women are less likely to be using modern family planning in eight of the First Phase States/Union Territories - There has been any increase in the use of modern family planning methods only in the States of Meghalaya, Haryana, and West Bengal. The decline is highest in Goa followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 
6. Poor nutrition is less common than reported in the last round of National Family Health Survey - In nine States/Union Territories, less than one-third of children are found too short for their age. While this reveals a distinct improvement since the previous survey, it is found that in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya more than 40% of children are stunted.
   
7. Improved water and sanitation facilities - Over two-thirds of households in every State/Union Territory have access to an improved source of drinking water, and more than 90% of households have access to an improved source of drinking water in nine of the 15 States/Union Territories. More than 50% of households have access to improved sanitation facilities in all First Phase States/Union Territories except Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
8. Use of clean cooking fuel - It varies widely among the First Phase States/Union Territories, ranging from only about 18% of households in Bihar to more than 70% of households in Tamil Nadu and more
   
   than 80% of households in Puducherry and Goa.
9. Lack of HIV awareness in Indian adults -  Nearly 82 % women and nearly 70 % men in the 13 States lacked comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS and safe sex practices.
10. Use of tobacco - Tobacco use among men has fallen from 50 per cent in 2005-06 to 47 per cent in 2015. Similarly, alcohol consumption among men has fallen from 38 per cent to 34 per cent. Over the last decade, consumption of alcohol among men has fallen in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Haryana, West Bengal and Meghalaya.

KEY-NOTES:-

1. NFHS-4 is 4th in this series of survey..
• NFHS-1 (1992-93)
• NFHS-2 (1998-99)
• NFHS-3 (2005-06)
• NFHS-4 (2014-15)
2. NFHS-4 is the first of the NFHS series that collects data in each of India’s 29 States and all 7 Union Territories. 
3. NFHS-4, for the first time, will provide estimates of most indicators at the district level for all 640 districts of the country included in the 2011 Census. 
4. In NFHS-4, women aged 15-49 years and men aged 15-54 years are interviewed.

References:-

1. http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=134608
2. http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/424110/national-family-health-survey-2015-16-nfhs-4-states-fact-sheets/
3. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/national-family-health-survey4-child-stunting-declines-but-still-high-data-show/article8131301.ece
4. http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/policy-and-issues/national-family-health-survey-fewer-children-dying-in-infancy/article8126073.ece?utm_source=InternalRef&utm_medium=relatedNews&utm_campaign=RelatedNews