💥UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (April Batch) + Access XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Search results for: “”

  • 5th October 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

    [WpProQuiz 801]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 801]

  • [Burning Issue] Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission via video conferencing. Currently, the program is being implemented on a pilot basis in six Union Territories. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has the potential to bring revolutionary changes to our health facilities. It marks a new phase in 7-year efforts to strengthen health facilities.

    Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will create a seamless online platform that will enable interoperability within the digital health ecosystem and will now connect the digital health solutions of hospitals across the country with each other. Under the New Mission, every citizen will now get a digital health ID and their health record will be digitally protected.

    Background

    Before knowing about the latest initiative, let us look at India’s flagship ‘Ayushman Bharat Scheme’.

    What is Ayushman Bharat Scheme?

    • The Government announced two major initiatives in health sector, as part of Ayushman Bharat programme.
    • Health and Wellness Centre
    • National Health Protection Scheme
    • Aimed at making path breaking interventions to address healthcare problems holistically, in primary, secondary and tertiary care systems.
    • Covers both prevention and promotion of health.

    Need for Ayushman Bharat

    1. India is in a state of health transition.
    2. Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, dengue, H1N1 pandemic influenza and antimicrobial resistance are a threat.
    3. Also the country is facing the emerging problem of chronic non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer which are now the leading cause of mortality.
    4. New factors are emerging that threatens the country’s health security like ageing population, climate change, globalization, urbanization and changing lifestyles.
    5. We lag behind in addressing healthcare delivery across the length and breadth of the country.
    6. We have one of the highest levels of out-of-pocket spending on health.
    7. Average cost of treatment in private hospitals is 4 times higher than that of public. This pushes many people below poverty line.
    8. Funding for healthcare has been a major concern.
    9. Several states have implemented or supplemented their own health protection schemes. Ayushman Bharat programme builds on these schemes.
    10. Failure of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY).

    Health and Wellness Centre

    1. Health and Wellness Centres will be the foundation of country’s health system.
    2. 1.5 lakh centres will bring health care system closer to the homes of people.
    3. Will provide comprehensive health care, including for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health services.
    4. Will also provide free essential drugs and diagnostic services.
    5. Also provide mental health services, vaccinations against selected communicable diseases, and screening for hypertension, diabetes, and some cancers.
    6. Allocation of Rs. 1200 crore for this flagship programme.
    7. Contribution of private sector through CSR and philanthropic institutions in adopting these centres is also envisaged.

    National Health Protection Scheme

    1. National Health Protection Scheme will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families or around 50 crore people.
    2. Will provide coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
    3. Identification of eligible families through the socio-economic caste census (SECC) data.
    4. World’s largest government funded health care programme.
    5. National Health Agency will govern the implementing mechanism.
    6. Adequate funds will be provided for smooth implementation of this programme.
    7. Cost of packages will be decided by National Health Agency.

    Significance of Ayushman Bharat

    1. Move towards the goal of universal health coverage
    2. Creating Swasth Bharat.
    3. Accessible healthcare at secondary and tertiary level institutions for the bottom 40% of the population.
    4. High involvement of states as the states are the custodians and the implementers of the scheme.
    5. Ensures enhanced productivity, well being and avert wage loss and impoverishment.
    6. Generation of lakhs of jobs, particularly for women.
    7. Like Jan Dhan scheme did for financial inclusion, Ayushman Bharat will create huge awareness of health insurance
    8. A higher life expectancy.
    9. The country will meet its social development goals.
    10. With respect to infrastructure and trained medical professionals, tertiary healthcare faces a big challenge. This problem is more acute in rural areas. AB will address this challenge.
    11. Will improve access to healthcare and bridge the demand-supply gap.

    National Digital Health Eco-system

    It is a National Digital Health Eco-system that supports Universal Health Coverage in an efficient, accessible, inclusive, affordable, timely, and safe manner, through the provision of a wide range of data, information, and infrastructure services, duly leveraging open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems, and ensuring the security, confidentiality, and privacy of health-related personal information.

    Knowing in detail the main scheme, let us look at the current developments and initiatives by the government to bring the health sector and Digital India mission in confluence to provide better services to the people of India and increasing governance through ICT.

    What is Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?

    • It aims to provide digital health IDs for all Indian citizens to help hospitals, insurance firms, and citizens access health records electronically when required.
    • The pilot project of the Mission had been announced by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15th August 2020.
    • The project is being implemented in the pilot phase in six States & Union Territories.

    Features of the Mission:

    Use of technology

    • There had also been an unprecedented expansion of telemedicine in the corona period- so far about 125 crore remote consultations completed through e-Sanjeevani.
    • The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission would now connect the digital health solutions of hospitals across the country with each other.

    Health ID:

    • It will be issued for every citizen that will also work as their health account. This health account will contain details of every test, every disease, the doctors visited, the medicines taken and the diagnosis.
    • Health ID is free of cost, voluntary. It will help in doing analysis of health data and lead to better planning, budgeting and implementation for health programs.

    Healthcare Facilities & Professionals’ Registry:

    • The other major component of the programme is creating a Healthcare Professionals’ Registry (HPR) and Healthcare Facilities Registry (HFR), allowing easy electronic access to medical professionals and health infrastructure.
    • The HPR will be a comprehensive repository of all healthcare professionals involved in delivering healthcare services across both modern and traditional systems of medicine.
    • The HFR database will have records of all the country’s health facilities.

    Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Sandbox:

    • The Sandbox, created as a part of the mission, will act as a framework for technology and product testing that will help organizations, including private players intending to be a part of the national digital health ecosystem become a Health Information Provider or Health Information User or efficiently link with building blocks of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

    Who will be the implementing agency for the mission?

    • National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

    What are the intended benefits of the mission?

    • Indians will be able to use IT-enabled tools to share prescriptions, blood test reports and X-ray diagnostics with doctors, irrespective of where they were generated.
    • It involves the creation of a unique health ID for every citizen and a digital registry that aims to facilitate seamless interactions between healthcare experts.
    • This is a much-needed intervention given that management of chronic diseases has become a critical public health challenge in the past 15 years.
    • Data portability could expedite the treatment of the critically ill, especially those who suffer from more than one ailment.
    • The severity of Covid-19 effects amongst those with comorbidities has highlighted the need for a repository that alerts a doctor to a patient’s medical history at the click of a computer mouse.
    • In the long run, the creation of a health record system could improve public health monitoring and advance evidence-based policymaking.
    • It ensures ease of doing business for doctors and hospitals and healthcare service providers.
    • Enable access and exchange of longitudinal health records of citizens with their consent.
    • Create integration within the digital health ecosystem, similar to the role played by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in revolutionizing payments.
    • Old medical records cannot get lost as every record will be stored digitally. The Digital Ecosystem will also enable a host of other facilities like Digital Consultation, Consent of patients in letting medical practitioners access their records, etc.  
    • Based on the foundations laid down in the form of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) trinity and other digital initiatives of the government, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will create a seamless online platform.
    • Through this platform, the provision of a wide range of data, information and infrastructure services, duly leveraging open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems while ensuring the security, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.

    Global learning

    • Globally, the tryst with e-health innovations has been a mixed one.
    • The UK’s National Health Service was one of the first to deploy a digital system to make patients’ records accessible to doctors across the country.
    • The programme did not earn the trust of doctors and failed to adequately address issues related to data confidentiality. Aborted in 2011, the project is regarded as amongst the most expensive failures in IT history.
    • In the US and Australia, where digital healthcare has enjoyed a relatively better outing, the creation of a patient and physician-centric e-healthcare ecosystem remains a work in progress.
    • The US medical system has witnessed regular debates on what must be jotted down in hospital records and prescriptions.

    What are the challenges and concerns?

    • The lack of a data protection bill could lead to the misuse of data by private firms and bad actors.
    • Exclusion of citizens and denied healthcare due to faults in the system are also a cause of concern.
    • Evolving a language of communication in the digital health ecosphere could pose unforeseen problems in India given the country’s diversity and its chronic shortage of doctors, especially in public health centres — the main source of medical care for a vast number of people in the country.
    • Poor internet speeds could make data entry an onerous proposition for the rural healthcare provider.

    Way Forward

    • The NDHM still does not recognize Health as a justifiable right. There should be a push draft at making health a right, as prescribed in the draft National Health Policy, 2015.
    • Learning from the global experiences, India has to wisely draft the policy rules and implement according to current infrastructural limitations and present needs. The experience out of corona pandemic will be the key guiding factor behind the implementation of the mission.
    • The standardisation of NDHM architecture across the country will need to find ways to accommodate state-specific rules.
    • It also needs to be in sync with government schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana and other IT-enabled schemes like Reproductive Child Health Care and NIKSHAY etc.
    • The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission gives patients the option to choose the records they want to share. The areangements should be accordingly made to protect the privacy of the people and save them from further exploitation.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Reimagining food systems with lessons from India

    Context

    The first and historic United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) 2021 was held in September this year.

    Significance of food system transformation

    • Global food systems are the networks that are needed to produce and transform food, and ensure it reaches consumers, or the paths that food travels from production to plate.
    • Global food systems are in a state of crisis in many countries affecting the poor and the vulnerable.
    • In terms of larger goals, the food system transformation is considered essential in achieving the sustainable development agenda 2030.
    • This makes strong sense as 11 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) out of 17 are directly related to the food system.

    Achievements of the Food Systems Summit

    • The summit created a mechanism for serious debates involving UN member states, civil society, non-governmental organisations, academics, researchers, individuals, and the private sector.
    • The debate and response focused on five identified action tracks namely: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all; Shift to sustainable consumption patterns; Boost nature-positive production; Advance equitable livelihoods, and Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stress.
    • The Statement of Action emerging from the summit offers a concise set of ambitious, high-level principles and areas for action to support the global call to “Build back better” after the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Lessons from India’s experience with food systems

    • India’s long journey from food shortage to surplus food producer offers several lessons for other developing countries.
    • The learnings encompassed elements of nutritional health, food safety and standards, sustainability, deployment of space technology, and the like.
    • Safety nets: One of India’s greatest contributions to equity in food is its National Food Security Act 2013 that anchors the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), the Mid-Day meals (MDM), and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
    • Today, India’s food safety nets collectively reach over a billion people.
    • Food safety nets and inclusion are linked with public procurement and buffer stock policy.
    • Challenge of climate change: Climate change and unsustainable use of land and water resources are the most formidable challenges food systems face today.
    • The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has set the alarm bells ringing, highlighting the urgency to act now.
    • Nutrition and food diversity: Dietary diversity, nutrition, and related health outcomes are another area of concern as a focus on rice and wheat has created nutritional challenges of its own.
    • India has taken a bold decision to fortify rice supplied through the Public Distribution System with iron.
    • Low nutrition: Despite being a net exporter and food surplus country at the aggregate level, India has a 50% higher prevalence of undernutrition compared to the world average.
    • But the proportion of the undernourished population declined from 21.6% during 2004-06 to 15.4% during 2018-20.
    • Food wastage: Reducing food wastage or loss of food is a mammoth challenge and is linked to the efficiency of the food supply chain. Food wastage in India exceeds ₹1-lakh crore.

    Need to eliminate hunger

    • ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’ report, estimates that around a tenth of the global population was undernourished last year.
    • Hunger and food insecurity are key drivers of conflict and instability across the world.
    • The Nobel Peace Prize 2020 conferred on the United Nations WFP highlighted the importance of addressing hunger to prevent conflicts and create stability.

    Way forward

    • Collaboration: We must collaborate to invest, innovate, and create lasting solutions in sustainable agriculture contribution to equitable livelihood, food security, and nutrition.
    • Lessons from India: India has so much to offer from its successes, and learning also, to prepare itself for the next 20 to 30 years.
    • There is a need to reimagining the food system towards the goal of balancing growth and sustainability, mitigating climate change, ensuring healthy, safe, quality, and affordable food, maintaining biodiversity, improving resilience, and offering an attractive income and work environment to smallholders and youth.

    Conclusion

    We are on the cusp of a transformation to make the world free of hunger by 2030 and deliver promises for SDGs, with strong cooperation and partnership between governments, citizens, civil society organisations, and the private sector.

  • Revealing India’s actual farmer population

    Context

    Depending on the source, there is a wide variation in the number of farmers in India.

    What is the extent of variation?

    • The last Agriculture Census for 2015-16 placed the total “operational holdings” in India at 146.45 million.
    • The Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme has 110.94 million beneficiaries.
    • National Statistical Office’s Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households (SAAH) report for 2018-19 pegs the country’s “agricultural households” at 93.09 million.

    What explains the variation?

    • This wide variation has largely to do with methodology.
    • The Agriculture Census looks at any land used even partly for agricultural production, the land does not have to be owned by that person (“cultivator”), who needn’t also belong to an “agricultural household”.
    • The SAAH report, on the other hand, considers only the operational holdings of agricultural households.
    • Members of a household may farm different lands.
    • The SAAH takes all these lands as a single production unit.
    • It does not count multiple holdings if operated by individuals living together and sharing a common kitchen.
    • Accounting for only “agricultural households”, while not distinguishing multiple operating holdings within them, brings down India’s official farmer numbers to just over 93 million.
    • Expansive definition: SAAH’s definition of “agricultural households” is expansive.
    • It covers households having at least one member self-employed in agriculture and whose annual value of produce exceeds Rs 4,000.
    • Such self-employment needs to be for only 30 days or more during the survey reference period of six months.

    So, what is the actual number of farmers?

    • The estimate of actual number is based on the following methodology.
    • The SAAH report gives data on agricultural household income from farm and non-farm sources, both state-wise and across different land-possessed/operational holding size classes.
    • From the above data, we can categorise “full-time/regular” farmers as those households whose net receipts from farming are at least 50 per cent of their total income from all sources.
    • The SAAH report also has state-wise estimates of agricultural households for each land-possessed size class.
    • By taking only those size classes in which the dependence ratios are higher than (or close to) 50 per cent, and adding up the corresponding estimated number of agricultural households, we are able to arrive at the total “full-time/regular” farmers for each state.
    • Following the above methodology, India’s “serious” farmer population, in turn, adds up to 36.1 million, which is hardly 39 per cent of the SAAH estimate.

    Policy implications of having actual numbers of farmers significantly lower than estimated

    • If the actual number of farmers deriving a significant share of their income from agriculture per se is only 40 million a host of policy implications follow.
    • Targeted policy: One must recognise that farming is a specialised profession like any other.
    • “Agriculture policy” should, then, target those who can and genuinely depend on farming as a means of livelihood.
    • Minimum support prices, government procurement, agricultural market reforms, fertiliser and other input subsidies, Kisan Credit Card loans, crop insurance or export-import policy on farm commodities will matter mainly to “full-time/regular” farmers.
    • Land size matters: The SAAH report reveals that the 50 per cent farm income dependence threshold is crossed at an all-India level only when the holding size exceeds one hectare or 2.5 acres.
    • This is clearly the minimum land required for farming to be viable, which about 70 per cent of agricultural households in the country do not possess.
    • Policy for labourers: What should be done for this 70 per cent, who are effectively labourers and not farmers?
    • Their problems cannot be addressed through “agriculture policy”.
    • The scope for value-addition and employment can be more outside than on the farm — be it in aggregation, grading, packaging, transporting, processing, warehousing and retailing of produce or supply of inputs and services to farmers.

    Consider the question “What explains the wide variation in the estimates of the number of farmers in India? What are the implications of such variations for agriculture policy?”

    Conclusion

    Agriculture policy should aim not only at increasing farm incomes but also adding value to produce outside and closer to the farms. A more sustainable solution lies in reimagining agriculture beyond the farm.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Jagrati Awasthi (AIR 2) recommends the rich quality of Civilsdaily content for UPSC | Watch the interview | Speak directly with our mentor now

    Jagrati Awasthi (AIR 2) recommends the rich quality of Civilsdaily content for UPSC | Watch the interview | Speak directly with our mentor now

    We, at Civilsdaily, dedicate our work to our students, and we work hard every day to make sure our students get the best guidance and study material possible. Our efforts feel magical when our students succeed and share their views.

    Jagrati Awasthi, AIR 2, had an interview with a television channel about her success. And in that interview, she recommended Civilsdaily for preparation. She said that the content on Civilsdaily is rich and high quality. It helped her prepare better for Mains and succeed!

    You can watch the video here:

    If you wish to speak directly with a personal mentor on Civilsdaily, just fill this form and the mentor will get back to you for a personalized discussion.

    Speak directly with a personal mentor now (click here)

  • Important Schemes related to depressed classes/SC/ST and Women

    04th Oct 2021

     

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

     

    Nai Manzil Scheme

    OBJECTIVES –

    • To address the educational and livelihood needs of minority communities lagging behind in terms of educational attainments.
    • It aims to provide educational intervention by giving the bridge courses to the trainees and getting them Certificates for Class XII and X from distance medium educational system.
    • It seeks to provide trade basis skill training in four courses at the same time of formal education, in field of (i) Manufacturing (ii) Engineering (iii) Services (iv) Soft skills. It intends to cover people in between 17 to 35 age group from all minority communities as well as Madrasa students.
    • Nodal Ministry –The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs

    Nai Roshni

    OBJECTIVES –

    • Empower and install confidence in women of minority communities by equipping them with knowledge, tools and techniques to interact with government systems, banks and intermediaries
    • Nodal Ministry –The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs

    USTAAD Scheme

    OBJECTIVES –

    • The scheme aims at preserving and promoting the rich heritage of the traditional arts & crafts of the Minority communities. 2.In the light of globalisation & competitive market, these crafts have gradually lost their employability. 3.It also envisages at boosting the skill of craftsmen, weavers and artisans who are already engaged in the traditional ancestral work.
    • Nodal Ministry –The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs

    Hunar Haat

    OBJECTIVES –

    • It is aimed at promoting and supporting artisans from Minority communities and providing them domestic as well as international market for display and sell their products.
    • The Hunar Haat exhibition has been organised by the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) under “USTTAD” scheme In it about 184 master artisans from across the country are showcasing their traditional art and skills at about 100 stalls at the international platform.
    • It seeks to provide an excellent platform to artisans belonging to Minority communities from across nation to display their art and skills before domestic and international visitors.
    • Nodal Ministry –The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs

    Stanapan Suraksha Scheme

    OBJECTIVES –

    • To promote breastfeeding and keep a tab on “inappropriate” promotion of baby food items. Stanpan Suraksha is first-of-its-kind app deveopled for promoting breastfeeding and baby food promotion reporting mechanism.
    • Using it any person can click a photograph of inappropriate baby food promotion around them and related equipment and send it to BPNI.
    • The app also has a city-wise database of trained breastfeeding counsellor to educate and provide assistance to mothers during antenatal and postnatal period. It has sign up option for mothers who wish to become a breastfeeding counsellor, pledging for petition and donation.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Tribal Affairs

    Eklavya Model Residential Schools

    • Eklavya Model Residential School Scheme was started in 1998
    • First school was started in the year 2000 in Maharashtra.
    • EMRSs have been functioning as institutions of excellence for tribal students.
    • In order to further educational opportunities for more ST children, Government has sought to extend the facility of EMRSs in all the 672 Blocks where ST population is more than 50% of the total population in a span of next five years.
    • Funds for establishing the school are arranged by both Centre and State government together.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Tribal Affairs

    Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme

    OBJECTIVES –

    • To decrease the dropout rate in the transition from elementary to the secondary stage. Given for Class 9th and 10th.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana

    OBJECTIVES –

    • Educational empowerment of Scheduled castes.
    • Central assistance is provided to the implementing agencies viz. State Governments/UT Administrations/ Central and State Universities/ Non-Governmental Organisations/Deemed Universities in the private sector, for construction of fresh hostels/expansion of existing hostel facilities for Scheduled Castes students.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    National Overseas Scholarship Scheme.

    OBJECTIVES –

    • Financial support to SC and ST students pursuing Master’s level courses and PhD/Post-Doctoral courses abroad.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    Scheme for up-gradation of merit of SC students.

    OBJECTIVES –

    • Upgrade the merit of SC students by providing them remedial and special coaching in classes IX to XII.
    • Income Ceiling: Rs. 3.00 Lakh per annum .
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS)

    OBJECTIVES –

    • To rehabilitate all the remaining manual scavengers and their dependents in alternative occupations.The main features of the Scheme include one-time cash assistance, training with stipend and concessional loans with subsidy for taking up alternative occupations.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    Sugmay Bharat Abhiyaan

    OBJECTIVES –

    • The target of this scheme is to make at least fifty government buildings disabled-friendly under the campaign in each of the state till the end of 2016 and make 25 per cent of the public transport vehicles under the government as disabled-friendly till mid-2017.
    • A remarkable feature of the scheme is that a website will also be made where the people can put their views on the accessibility of any building.
    • The international airports in the country and railway stations which come under A1, A and B categories will be made fully disabled-friendly.
    • Special set-top boxes will be made available to make watching TV more convenient for the visually impaired. In the next 5 years, almost 200 persons will be trained to speak in sign languages on government TV channels. Government websites will also be made friendlier by using text to speech option.
    • Under the scheme, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will give free motorized tricycles to persons with 70-90% disability.
    • A Sugamya Bharat mobile app which can provide information on disabled-friendly public facilities in a city, will be launched under the scheme.
    • For awareness, a team of experts will conduct workshops for sensitizing the main parties including builders and activists.
    • Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    Disha

    OBJECTIVES –

    • Early Intervention and School Readiness Scheme.
    • This is an early intervention and school readiness scheme for children upto 10 years with the disabilities covered under the National Trust Act.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    VIKAASDay Care

    OBJECTIVES –

    • A day care scheme for persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities, above 10 years for enhancing interpersonal and vocational skills.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    SAMARTH Respite Care

    OBJECTIVES –

    • A scheme to provide respite home for orphans, families in crisis, Persons with Disabilities (PwD) from BPL, LIG families with at least one of the four disabilities covered under the National Trust Act.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    GHARAUNDA

    OBJECTIVES –

    • Group Home for Adults.
    • This scheme provides housing and care services throughout the life of the person with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    NIRMAYA Health Insurance Scheme.

    OBJECTIVES –

    • This scheme is to provide affordable Health Insurance to persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    SAHYOGI Caregiver training scheme

    OBJECTIVES –

    • A scheme to set up Caregiver Cells (CGCs) for training and creating skilled workforce of caregivers to care for Person with Disabilities (PwD) and their families.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    GYAN PRABHA Educational support

    OBJECTIVES –

    • Scheme to encourage people with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities for pursuing educational/ vocational courses.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

    PRERNA Marketing Assistance.

    OBJECTIVES –

    • A marketing scheme to create viable & widespread channels for the sale of products and services produced by persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities
    • Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

    Schemes and Policies for Women

           SCHEME      OBJECTIVES             SALIENT                                   FEATURESMINISTRY
    Nirbhaya Fund -Nirbhaya Fund is an Indian rupee 10 billion corpus announced by the Government of India in its 2013 Union Budget.
    -According to the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, this fund is expected to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring the safety of women in India.
    -Nirbhaya (fearless) was the pseudonym given to the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim to hide her actual identity.    		Earlier Ministry of Home Ministry, Now Ministry of Women & Child
    ICDS-To prevent and reduce young child under-nutrition
    (% underweight children 0- 3 years) by 10 percentage
    points,
    -Enhance early development and learning outcomes in
    all children 0-6 years of age,
    -improve the care and nutrition of girls and women and
    reduce anaemia prevalence in young children, girls and
    women by one fifth by the end of the 12th five-year plan.    		-It is a centrally sponsored scheme
    -The engagement of the Anganwadi worker and helper from the same village
    -It is a universal and self-selecting scheme i.e. anyone can visit the Aanganwadi centre and
    enrol these services.
    -Package of six services i.e.
    o SNP – supplementary nutrition programme
    o Pre-school education
    o Health and nutrition education,
    o Immunization,
    o Health check-up and
    o Referral services to the beneficiaries
    AEC-cum-crèche, AWC-cum counsellor.    		Ministry of Women & Child
    Mahila Police Volunteer It envisages the creation of a link between the police authorities and the local communities in villages through police volunteers who will be women specially trained for this purpose. Under this scheme, it is expected to have at least one such volunteer in every village whose primary job will be to keep an eye on situations where women in the village are harassed or their rights and entitlements are denied or their development is prevented. Joint initiative b/w Min. of WCD and Home Min.Ministry of Women & Child and Home Ministry
    UJJAWALA Yojana A comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitationMinistry of Women & Child
    One-Stop centre scheme1. To provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof.
    2. To facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of … support under one roof to fight against any forms of violence against women    		1. These centres will provide immediate access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counselling support to the victims.
    2. The OSC will support all women including girls below 18 years of age affected by violence, also for girls below 18 years of age, institutions and authorities established under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 will be linked with the OSC.
    3. In addition to this, a single uniform number –181 will provide 24-hour emergency response to all women affected by violence, through referral (linking with appropriate authorities such as Police, OSC or hospital); funding thru’ Nirbhaya fund    		Ministry of Women & Child
    Swadhar Grehs Homes for relief and rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances including survivors of rape/assault etc.
    Provision for food clothing, counselling. training, clinical and legal aid; long term    		Ministry of Women & Child
    She-Box Online complaint Management System for women working in both public and private organizations to ensure effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace ActMinistry of Women & Child
    Universalization of Women Helpline  Ministry of Women & Child
    The mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women: To achieve holistic empowerment of women through
    the convergence of schemes/programmes of different Ministries/
    Department of Government of India as well as State
    Governments    		-It aimed at improving the declining Child Sex Ratio; ensuring survival. & protection
    of the girl child; ensuring her education, and empowering her to fulfil her potentials social sector welfare schemes for care, protection and development of
    women.
    -It will provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for availing their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.    		Ministry of Women & Child
    Mahila Shakti Kendra -Mahila Shakti Kendras will converge all Govt. Schemes for women at National, State, District and Block level
    Skill Development, Employment, Digital Literacy, Health and Nutrition.
    -Through this scheme, the government plans to reach 115 most backward districts in the country with 920 Mahila Shakti Kendra…    		Ministry of Women & Child
    PRIYADARSHINI SCHEME(discontinued in 2016) Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme in the Mid Gangetic PlainsMinistry of Women & Child
    Sabla-Enable the adolescent girls for self-development and
    empowerment
    -Improve their nutrition and health status.
    -Promote awareness about health, hygiene, nutrition, adolescent
    reproductive and sexual health (ARSH) and family and child care.
    -To educate, skill and make them ready for life’s challenges    		Nutrition provision
    – Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation
    – Health check-up and referral services
    – Nutrition & health education (NHE)
    -Counselling/guidance on family welfare, ARSH, child
    care practices and home management.
    -Upgrade home-based skills, life skills and integrate
    with the national skill development program (NSDP)
    for vocational skills.
    -Mainstream out of school adolescent girls into
    formal/non-formal education.
    -Provide information/guidance about existing public
    services such as PHC, CHC, post office, bank, police
    the station, etc.    		Ministry of Women & Child
    Saksham  Ministry of Women & Child
    Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana-Empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity,
    -Create and sustain agriculture-based livelihoods of rural women.    		-a sub-component of the Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-NRLM (DAY-NRLM)
    – Under the Pariyojana, projects are conceived in such a manner that the skill base of the women in agriculture is enhanced to enable them to pursue their livelihoods on a sustainable basis.
    -Under MKSP sustainable agriculture, 58 projects from 14 States have been sanctioned which will benefit 24.5 lakhs Mahila Kisans during the period.    		Ministry of Rural Development
    Beti Bachao Beti Padhao 1.Prevent Female infanticide
    2.Ensure Every Girl Child is Protected
    3.Ensure every Girl Child is educated
    Enforcement of PC & PNDT Act, nation-wide awareness and advocacy campaign and multi-sectoral action in select 100 districts (low on Child Sex Ratio) in the first phase.
    -Under this scheme, there is a strong emphasis on mindset change through training, sensitization, awareness-raising and community mobilization on ground.    		It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.
    Sukanya samriddhi yojana 1.(Minor) bank account for girl child below the age of 10.
    2.She can withdraw 50% of the money after reaching the age of 18 e.g. for higher education. 18 years deadline will also help to prevent child-marriages.
    For initial account opening, minimum deposit Rs.1000 required.
    Later, any amount in multiples of 100 can be deposited, but maximum Rs. 1.5 lakh per year.
    Interest rate: 9.1% compounded annually.    		Ministry of Women & Child
    Pocso-e Box 1, POCSO e-box is a unique endeavour by NCPCR for receiving an online complaint of Child Sexual Abuse directly from the victim.
    2. Through a well-defined procedure, complaints are directly followed up by a team which counsels the victim, providing further guidance for required legal action. Through a short animation film embedded in the e-box, it assures the victim not to feel bad, helpless or confused as it’s not her fault. With the e-box, it is easy to register a complaint through a step-by-step guided process.    		The Ministry of Women & Child
    It is an initiative of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), for Direct online Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse.
    NARI Due to scattered information on various women-centric schemes/legislations, there is a lack of awareness
    among people regarding the same. To address this problem the government launched NARI portal as a single
    window access to information and services    		Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology
    e-samvaad Portal It is a platform for NGOs and civil society to interact with the Ministry of Women and Child Development
    (MWCD) by providing their feedback, suggestions, put up grievances, share best practices etc.
    • This will help in the formulation of effective policies and measures for the welfare of women and children.    		Ministry of Women & Child
    Stree Swabhiman -It aims to create a sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women access to affordable sanitary products in rural areas.
    -Under this project, sanitary napkin micro manufacturing units (semi-automatic and manual process
    production unit) are being set up at CSCs across India, particularly those operated by women entrepreneurs.
    -The product will be sold under the local brand name and marketed by village-level entrepreneurs.
    -Each facility will employ 8-10 women and educate women of their society to overcome this social taboo.
    -It also has a menstrual hygiene related awareness generation component and is also expected to reduce
    drop-out rates in girls on reaching puberty.    		Ministry of
    Electronics and Information
    technology (MeITY)
    PROGRAM TO TRAIN ELECTED WOMEN REPRESENTATIVES OF
    PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS    		 -The program aimed at capacity building of EWRs is being organized by the National Institute of Public Cooperation and
    Child Development (NIPCCD) of the MoWCD.
    -It is the first-ever initiative which will train approximately twenty thousand EWRs covering nearly 50 EWRs
    from each district (by March 2018) who will go out and administer the villages professionally.
    – It will help in creating model villages, ensure their effective participation in the governance process and help
    preparing women as political leaders of the future.    		Ministry of women and Child
    Support to Training and Employment
    Programme for Women (STEP)    		 -To provide competencies and skill that enable women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs.
    -The scheme is intended to benefit women who are in the age group of 16 years and above across the country.    		Ministry of women and Child
    Rashtriya Mahila Kosh -RMK is a national credit fund for women under the aegis of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
    -It was established in 1993 for socio-economic empowerment of women.
    -It aims to provide financial services with backward and forward linkages for women in the unorganized sector through Intermediary Micro Finance Organizations (IMOs) and Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and to augment their capacities through multi-pronged efforts.
    -RMK also extends micro-credit to the women in the informal sector through a client-friendly, without collateral and in a hassle-free manner for income generation activities    		Ministry of women and child

    Samanvaya: Free 1-to-1 mentorship for UPSC IAS

    Fill up this form to schedule a free on-call discussion with senior mentor from Civilsdaily. Once submitted we will call you within 24 hours.

    Civilsdaily Samanvaya 1-On-1 Mentorship Form

    Field will not be visible to web visitor
    Yes I want Mentorship

  • Pandora Papers on Offshore Financial Trusts

    There are at least 380 persons of Indian nationality in the Pandora Papers.

    What are the Pandora Papers?

    • The Pandora papers are the largest trove of leaked data exposing tax haven secrecy in history.
    • They provide a rare window into the hidden world of offshore finance, casting light on the financial secrets of some of the world’s richest people.
    • It includes over 11.9 million leaked files from 14 global corporate services firms which set up about 29,000 off-the-shelf companies and private trusts in not just obscure tax jurisdictions.
    • These documents relate to the ultimate ownership of assets ‘settled’ (or placed) in private offshore trusts and the investments including cash, shareholding, and real estate properties, held by the offshore entities.

    Indians included in these

    • There are at least 380 persons of Indian nationality in the Pandora Papers.
    • There are almost 60 prominent individuals and companies including the most decorated cricketer of India.

    What do these papers reveal?

    • They reveal how the rich, the famous and the notorious, many of whom were already on the radar of investigative agencies, set up complex multi-layered trust structures for estate planning.
    • This is particularly in jurisdictions that are loosely regulated for tax purposes, but characterized by air-tight secrecy laws.
    • The purposes for which trusts are set up are many, and some genuine too.

    But a scrutiny of the papers also shows how the objective of many is two-fold:

    1. Tax Avoidance: to hide their real identities and distance themselves from the offshore entities so that it becomes near impossible for the tax authorities to reach them and,
    2. Tax Evasion: to safeguard investments — cash, shareholdings, real estate, art, aircraft, and yachts — from creditors and law enforcers.

    How is Pandora different from the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers?

    • The Panama and Paradise Papers dealt largely with offshore entities set up by individuals and corporates respectively.
    • The Pandora Papers investigation shows how businesses disguised as Trusts have created a new normal with rising concerns of money laundering, terrorism funding, and tax evasion.

    What is a Trust?

    • A trust can be described as a fiduciary arrangement where a third party, referred to as the trustee, holds assets on behalf of individuals or organizations that are to benefit from it.
    • It is generally used for estate planning purposes and succession planning.
    • It helps large business families to consolidate their assets — financial investments, shareholding, and real estate property.

    A trust comprises three key parties:

    1. Settlor — one who sets up, creates, or authors a trust;
    2. Trustee — one who holds the assets for the benefit of a set of people named by the ‘settlor’; and
    3. Beneficiaries — to whom the benefits of the assets are bequeathed.
    • A trust is not a separate legal entity, but its legal nature comes from the ‘trustee’.
    • At times, the ‘settlor’ appoints a ‘protector’, who has the powers to supervise the trustee, and even remove the trustee and appoint a new one.

    Is setting up a trust in India, or one offshore/ outside the country, illegal?

    • The Indian Trusts Act, 1882, gives legal basis to the concept of trusts.
    • While Indian laws do not see trusts as a legal person/ entity, they do recognise the trust as an obligation of the trustee to manage and use the assets settled in the trust for the benefit of ‘beneficiaries’.
    • India also recognises offshore trusts i.e., trusts set up in other tax jurisdictions.

    If it’s legal, what’s the investigation about?

    • There are legitimate reasons for setting up trusts — and many set them up for genuine estate planning.
    • A businessperson can set conditions for ‘beneficiaries’ to draw income being distributed by the trustee or inherit assets after her/ his demise.
    • For instance, while allotting shares in the company to say, four siblings, the father promoter set conditions that a sibling can get the dividend from the shares and claim ownership of the shares.
    • This could be to ensure ownership of the enterprise within the family.
    • But trusts are also used by some as secret vehicles to park ill-gotten money, hide incomes to evade taxes, protect wealth from law enforcers.

    Why are trusts set up overseas?

    Overseas trusts offer remarkable secrecy because of stringent privacy laws in the jurisdiction they operate in.  From the investigation, some key tacit reasons why people set up trusts are:

    Maintain a degree of separation: Businesspersons set up private offshore trusts to project a degree of separation from their personal assets.

    Hunt for enhanced secrecy: Offshore trusts offer enhanced secrecy to businesspersons, given their complex structures. The Income-Tax Department can get information only with the financial investigation agency or international tax authority.

    Avoid tax in the guise of planning: Businesspersons avoid their NRI children being taxed on income from their assets by transferring all the assets to a trust. Further, the tax rates in overseas jurisdictions are much lower than the 30% personal I-T rate in India plus surcharges, including those on the super-rich (those with annual income over Rs 1 crore).

    Prepare for estate duty eventuality: There is pervasive fear that estate duty, which was abolished back in 1985 when Rajiv Gandhi was PM, will likely be re-introduced soon. Setting up trusts in advance, business families have been advised, will protect the next generation from paying the death/ inheritance tax, which was as high as 85 per cent.

    Flexibility in a capital-controlled economy: India is a capital-controlled economy. Individuals can invest only $250,000 a year under the Reserve Bank of India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). To get over this, businesspersons have turned NRIs, and under FEMA, NRIs can remit $1 million a year in addition to their current annual income, outside India.

    The NRI angle: Offshore trusts, as noted earlier, are recognised under Indian laws, but legally, it is the trustees — not the ‘settlor’ or the ‘beneficiaries’ — who are the owners of the properties and income of the trust. An NRI trustee or offshore trustee taking instructions from another overseas ‘protector’ ensures they are taxed in India only on their total income from India.

    Can offshore Trusts be seen as resident Indian for tax purposes?

    • There are certain grey areas of taxation where the Income-Tax Department is in contestation with offshore trusts.
    • After The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, came into existence, resident Indians — if they are ‘settlors’, ‘trustees’, or ‘beneficiaries’ — have to report their foreign financial interests and assets.
    • NRIs are not required to do so — even though, as mentioned above, the I-T Department has been sending notices to NRIs in certain cases.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Panel set up to implement Assam Accord

    The Assam government on Saturday set up an eight-member sub-committee to examine and prepare a framework for the implementation of all clauses of the Assam Accord of 1985.

    What is Assam Accord?

    • The Assam Accord was a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement.
    • It the movement demanded the identification and deportation of all illegal foreigners – predominantly Bangladeshi immigrants.
    • They feared that past and continuing large scale migration was overwhelming the native population, impacting their political rights, culture, language and land rights.
    • The Assam Movement caused the estimated death of over 855 people.
    • It ended with the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985.

    What are the major clauses of Assam Accord?

    • Clause 5: Foreigners Issue
    • Clause 6: Constitutional, Legislative & Administrative safeguards
    • Clause 7: Economic Development
    • Clause 9 : Security of International Border
    • Clause 10: Prevention of Encroachment of Government lands
    • Clause 11: Restricting acquisition of immovable property by foreigners
    • Clause 12: Registration of births and deaths

    Which clauses are being discussed?

    • A sub-committee has been tasked to examine and prepare a framework for implementation of all clauses of Assam Accord in general with special emphasis on Clause 6, Clause 7, Clause 9 and Clause 10.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • What are the concerns of digital health mission?

    The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), was recently launched by the PM.

    About Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

    • The pilot project of the National Digital Health Mission was announced by PM Modi during his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort on August 15, 2020.
    • The mission will enable access and exchange of longitudinal health records of citizens with their consent.
    • This will ensure ease of doing business for doctors and hospitals and healthcare service providers.

    The key components of the project include

    • Health ID for every citizen that will also work as their health account, to which personal health records can be linked and viewed with the help of a mobile application,
    • Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR)
    • Healthcare Facilities Registries (HFR) that will act as a repository of all healthcare providers across both modern and traditional systems of medicine

    How will it work?

    • In order to be a part of the ABDM, citizens will have to create a unique health ID – a randomly generated 14-digit identification number.
    • The ID will give the user unique identification, authentication and will be a repository of all health records of a person.
    • The ID can also be made by self-registration on the portal, downloading the ABMD Health Records app on one’s mobile or at a participating health facility.
    • The beneficiary will also set up a Personal Health Records (PHR) address for the issue of consent, and for future sharing of health records.

    Major privacy issues involved

    • Informed Consent: The citizen’s consent is vital for all access. A beneficiary’s consent is vital to ensure that information is released.
    • Data leakages issue: Personalised data collected at multiple levels are a “sitting gold mine” for insurance companies, international researchers, and pharma companies.
    • Digital divide: Other experts add that lack of access to technology, poverty, and lack of understanding of the language in a vast and diverse country like India are problems that need to be looked into.
    • Data Migration: The data migration and inter-State transfer are still faced with multiple errors and shortcomings in addition to concerns of data security.

    Other challenges

    • Existing digitalization is yet incomplete: India has been unable to standardise the coverage and quality of the existing digital cards like One Nation One Ration card, PM-JAY card, Aadhaar card, etc., for accessibility of services and entitlements.
    • Lack of healthcare facilities: The defence of data security by expressed informed consent doesn’t work in a country that is plagued by the acute shortage of healthcare professionals to inform the client fully.
    • Lack of finance: With the minuscule spending of 1.3% of the GDP on the healthcare sector, India will be unable to ensure the quality and uniform access to healthcare that it hoped to bring about.

  • Election Symbols after Party Split

    The Election Commission of India (ECI) has frozen an election symbol of a political party in Bihar to which a cabinet minister belonged.

    What are the Election Commission’s powers in a dispute over the election symbol when a party splits?

    • The question of a split in a political party outside the legislature is dealt by Para 15 of the Symbols Order, 1968.
    • It states that the ECI may take into account all the available facts and circumstances and undertake a test of majority.
    • The decision of the ECI shall be binding on all such rival sections or groups emerged after the split.
    • This applies to disputes in recognised national and state parties.
    • For splits in registered but unrecognised parties, the EC usually advises the warring factions to resolve their differences internally or to approach the court.

    How did the EC deal with such matters before the Symbols Order came into effect?

    • Before 1968, the EC issued notifications and executive orders under the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
    • The most high-profile split of a party before 1968 was that of the CPI in 1964.
    • A breakaway group approached the ECI in December 1964 urging it to recognise them as CPI(Marxist). They provided a list of MPs and MLAs of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal who supported them.
    • The ECI recognised the faction as CPI(M) after it found that the votes secured by the MPs and MLAs supporting the breakaway group added up to more than 4% in the 3 states.

    What was the first case decided under Para 15 of the 1968 Order?

    • It was the first split in the Indian National Congress in 1969.
    • Indira Gandhi’s tensions with a rival group within the party came to a head with the death of President Dr Zakir Hussain on May 3, 1969.

    Is there a way other than the test of majority to resolve a dispute over election symbols?

    • In almost all disputes decided by the EC so far, a clear majority of party delegates/office bearers, MPs and MLAs have supported one of the factions.
    • Whenever the EC could not test the strength of rival groups based on support within the party organisation (because of disputes regarding the list of office bearers), it fell back on testing the majority only among elected MPs and MLAs.

    What happens to the group that doesn’t get the parent party’s symbol?

    • The EC in 1997 did not recognise the new parties as either state or national parties.
    • It felt that merely having MPs and MLAs is not enough, as the elected representatives had fought and won polls on tickets of their parent (undivided) parties.
    • The EC introduced a new rule under which the splinter group of the party — other than the group that got the party symbol — had to register itself as a separate party.
    • It could lay claim to national or state party status only on the basis of its performance in state or central elections after registration.

     

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

More posts