Ghanshyam Thori

Issues of National & Social Importance

National & Social Issues Issues of National Importance

Women & Child Welfare & Gender Issues

What were the main recommendations of the Platform fro Action (PFA) adopted at the Beijing
Women Conference, 1995? (30 Marks)
Discuss the steps to get rid of child labour in India. (30 Marks)
Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS)
What are the social & economic consequences of abolishing Child Labour in India (30 Marks).
Discuss the steps taken by the government to check child labour & promote child welfare (30 marks).
Explain the social constraints in bringing about gender equality in Indian Society. (10 Marks).
Female Foeticide (2 Marks).
Equal rights for women in Parental property. (2 Marks).
Rehabilitation of Street Children in India (2 Marks).
The issues of Gender Equality in India (10 Marks).
Education:
Bring out the issues involved in implementing compulsory primary education in India. (10 Marks)
Discuss the impact of globalization of higher education in India. (30 Marks)
Discuss the implications of the recent Supreme Court verdict on reservations in private & minority
educational institutions.
Is greater spending on education linked to higher discuss? Discuss (10 Marks).
Population & Public Health:
Use of Information technology in health management in India.
Review the population policy of the Govt. of India giving the distinguishing features.
Rehabilitation/Social Issues to be Addressed:
What are the problems related to the rehabilitation of the mentally challenged persons in India. (10
Marks)
RCI (Rehabilitation council of India) (2 Marks).
Rehabilitation of Street Children in India (2 Marks).
Identify type of Disabilities. (10 Marks).
Write briefly about the programs for Welfare of the Disabled. (10 Marks).
Welfare Schemes for the Development
What is PURA (Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas)? Discuss its major objectives (30 Marks).
Housing for all by 2010 is the goal set by the National Habitat Policy. How far is it achievable? (10
Marks).
What is TRIFED? What are its objectives? (10 Marks).
Swarn Jayanti Gram Swaraj Yojana (10 Marks)
International Social Programs/UN Programs
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Explain UNDP report on Human Development in India (10 Marks).

What are the UNDP indicators with reference to planning process? (10 Marks).

Politics:
What is value-based politics? (10 Marrks)
Suggest measures for the eradication of wide spread corruption in Public Life in India. (30 Marks).
What are the preconditions for growth of Civil Society? Is Indian Democracy conducive to it? (10
Marks).
What is the composition of the electoral college for the election of President of the Indian Republic?
How is the value of votes counted? (10 Marks).
Law Commission of India (10 Marks).
Public Interest Litigation. Who can file it & under what circumstances can it be rejected by the court
of law?
Human Rights
Discuss the provisions of the Human Rights Protection Act (1993) relating to following (30 Marks)
a) Definition of Human Rights
b) Composition of National Human Rights Commission
c) Functions of the Commission
d) What suggestions have been made for amending the Act for making the role of NHRC more
effective
Discuss the propositions laid down by the Supreme Court of India in the context of torture in prisons
& human dignity. (30 Marks).
What are the Human Rights issues involved in relation to the arrest of M. Karunanidhi in Tamilnadu in
July 2001? (10 Marks)
Economy:
Explain the implications of the implementation of Intellectual Property Clauses in our patent law
regime after joining WTO (30 Marks).
What is WTO? What are Indias objections to its overall functioning?
Explain full convertibility of Indian Rupee. (10 Marks).
What do we understand by Doha Round of talks (10 Marks).
Business Process Outsourcing. (2 Marks)
E-Commerce (2 Marks).
Footloose Industries
What is Enterprise Resource Planning (10 Marks).
National/International Culture:
Differentiate between Natural & Cultural Heritage (10 Marks)
Lalit Kala Academy (10 Marks)
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Issues of National & Social Importance

Yakshagana
The Statue of Liberty
Natural & Cultural Heritage (10 Marks Repeat Question)
Statue of Liberty (2 Marks Repeat).

Energy:
What is energy independence? Discuss how India can be transformed into an Energy-Independent
Nation. (10 Marks).
Biology - Science & Technology:
What is Stealth Technology? (10 Marks).
Discuss the significance of GSLV in space research (10 Marks).
Biotechnology boom may pave a golden path for India. (10 Marks).
Discuss the utility of Direct to Home in broadcasting system. (10 Marks).
Genome (2 Marks).
Genetically Modified seeds (2 Marks).
Anthrax
Radiation & its effects (2 Marks)
Genome (2 Marks Repeat)
Discuss Human Genome (10 Marks).
Environment Agriculture - Geography
What is disaster management? Discuss the steps taken to tackle natural disasters. (30 Marks).
What is Eco Tourism? (10 Marks).
Write briefly about Desert Development Program? (10 Marks).
What is Integrated Wasteland Development Program (10 Marks).
How has the dwindling of barbed variety of rice affected the Siliguri Bagdogra with respect to mananimal conflict? (10 Marks).
National Current Affairs:
The Lokpal Bill (10 Marks).
Prime Ministers 5 point agenda for Indias development as a knowledge society. (10 Marks).
What are the linkages to be developed under the Knowledge Revolution for Rural India Plan (10
Marks).
National Knowledge Commission (2 Marks).
What is the Prime Ministers Five Point agenda for Indias development as Knowledge Society. (10
marks Repeat)
Sethusamudram Project. (10 Marks).
Ban on Bar Dancing (2 Marks).
Inter-State river water dispute has once again assumed center stage after the Punjabs Assemblys Bill
terminating all previous accord on river waters. Discuss (30 Marks Important for this year
Cauvery Final Verdict)
Distinctive feature of the Lokpal bill introduced in the Parliament this year? (10 Marks Repeat).
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What were the main strategic concerns of the Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri during her
recent visit to India. (10 Mars).
What are the Human Rights issues involved in relation to the arrest of M. Karunanidhi in Tamilnadu in
July 2001? (10 Marks)

Persons in News:
S. Chandrashekar (2M)
Hiren Mukherjee (2M)
Prof B.P Sinha (2M)
Maj. Gen S.S. Sharma (2M)
Kondapalli Seetaramaiah (2M)
Auan San Suu Kyi (2M)
Places in News
Pareechu Lake
Thalassery, Kerala

Fullela Gopichand (2M)

Florence Nightingale (10 Marks)
Baba Amte
Aruna Roy
Ali Sardar Jafri

National/International Organization/Abbreviations in News:

Universal Postal Union (10 Marks).
Economic & Social Council (10 Marks).
UNIDO (2Marks).
RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India) (2 Marks).
Central Vigilance Commission (2 Marks).
NDDB (2 marks)
Sports Authority of India
NCERT
ICCR
CRY

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TRIFED
(UPSC 2002)
(10 Marks)

Issues of National & Social Importance

Notes
Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) has
been functioning since 1987 as a national-level apex organization functioning under the
administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India. The main objective
of TRIFED is marketing development of tribal products. The Federation is expected to
act as a service provider to its member societies.

The ultimate objective of TRIFED is socio-economic development of tribal people in the

country by way of marketing development of the tribal products on which the lives of
tribals depends heavily as they spend most of their time and derive major portion of their
income from collection/ cultivation of Non timber Forest Produce (NTFP). As a
cooperative, TRIFEDs primary objective is to serve the interest of its members therefore
in order to serve their interest in the field of marketing development of tribal products,
some of the services which TRIFED offers are
1. To facilitate, coordinate and promote the marketing of the tribal products by its
members;
2. To undertake/promote on behalf of its members/institutions or the Govt. or Govt.
organisations, inter-State, intra-State and international marketing of tribal products;
3. To act as an agency for canalisation of export and import and facilitate, wherever
necessary inter-State trade of tribal products under any Scheme formulated by Govt.
of India or any other State agencies.
4. To develop market intelligence related to supply, demand, price trends,
supply/market chain, value addition and processing facilities, product quality
specifications, product applications, market trends, buyers for the tribal products and
disseminate the information to the members as well as planners, researchers and
associate organisations and business circles etc.;
5. To assist in capability & capacity building of the members relating to the marketing
development of the tribal products;
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6. To provide consultancy and advisory services to the members relating to the
activities in furtherance of their objectives;
7. To act as advisors, consultants and project managers to Govt. projects relating to
marketing development of Tribal products in the form of capacity building,
infrastructure development, special programs;
8. To expand and extend the markets for Tribal Products through marketing
development and promotion programs;
9. To assist in the development of new products through product development, product
innovation, product designs, new product applications and special R & D drives for
tribal products;
10. To collaborate, network, associate with similar and allied international bodies in Fair
Trade, Tribal product marketing development, Tribal Research, Tribal Funding
Agencies to further the interests of Tribal Product marketing;
11. To collaborate, network, associate with similar and allied international
bodies/agencies, societies (NGOs, Co-operatives, Foundations, and Trusts,
organisations (Private and Government), institutions to further the development of
Tribal Products marketing

Desert
Development
Program (DDP)

The objectives of this program started in 1977-78 were to control desertification, restore
the ecological balance of desert and semidesert areas and create conditions for raising the
level of production, income and employment of the population of these areas. These
objectives were sought to be achieved by means of
1. afforestation with emphasis on shelter belt plantation, grassland development and
2. sand dune stabilization
3. conservation and optimal utilization of groundwater
4. construction of water harvesting structure
5. development of agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry and dairy.
Important for this year.

Cauvery
Dispute
Tribunal The
Final Verdict
Gender Budgeting is a dissection of the Government budget to establish its genderGender
differential impacts and to translate gender commitments into budgetary commitments.
Budgeting
Thus Gender Budgeting looks at the Government budget from a gender perspective to
assess how it addresses the needs of women in the areas like health, education,
employment, etc. Gender Budgeting does not seek to create a separate budget but seeks
affirmative action to address specific needs of women. Gender Responsive Budgeting
initiatives provide a way of assessing the impact of Government revenue and expenditure
on women.
Gender
Equality

Article 14
in Article 15

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Equal Rights and Opportunities in Political Economic and social shpere

Prohibits discrimination on grounds of sex
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Constitution

Issues of National & Social Importance

Article 15(3) Enables affirmative discrimination in favour of women
Article 39
Equal means of livelihood and equal pay for equal work
Article 42
Just and Humane conditions of work and maternity relief
Article 51(A)(e) Fundamental Duty to renounce practices, derogatory to dignity of
women

Rural Scheme
Launched till Date

Urban Schemes

Women Schemes

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Various Schemes of the Government

. Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP)
Bharat Nirman Programme
Desert Development Programme (DDP)
District Rural Development Agencies (DRDA)
Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP)
Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)
Food for Work Programme
Ganga Kalyan Yojana
Indira Awaas Yojana
Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)
Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP)
Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana
Jawahar Rozgar Yojana
Million Wells Scheme
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY)
Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)
Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY)
Scheme for Land Development
Self Help Groups (SHGs)
Strengthening of Revenue Administration and Updating of Land Records
(SRA and ULR)
Supply of Improved Toolkits to Rural Artisans (SITRA)
Swajaldhara Rural Drinking Water Scheme
Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)
Training of Rural Youth for Self-Employment (TRYSEM)
Accelerated Urban Water Programme
Mega City Scheme
Others
Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana
Awareness Generation Projects for Rural and Poor Women
Condensed Course of Education for Adult Women
CSWB Scheme
Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)
Distance Education for Womens Development and Empowerment
Education Work for Prevention of Atrocities on Women
Family Benefits Scheme
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Child Schemes

Social Schemes

Department of
Rural Development

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Family Counseling Centre

Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY)
Maternity Benefits Scheme
NORAD Scheme
Others
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh
Scheme for Working Women Hostels
Science and Technology for Women
Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)
Swa Shakti Project
Swayamsidha Scheme
Vocational Rehabilitation of Women with Disabilities
Vocational Training Programme
Anganwadi Scheme
Assistance to NGOs
Balika Samriddhi Yojana
Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)
Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)
Juvenile Justice
Mid Day Meals Scheme
National Creche Fund
Non-Formal Education Centers Exclusively for Girls
Reproductive and Child Health Programme (RCH)
Shishu Greh Scheme
Annapurna Scheme
Assistance to NGOs
CAPART Sponsored
Freedom Fighters Pension Scheme
Growth Center Scheme
Liberation and Rehabilitation Scheme
Maternity Benefit Scheme
Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme
National Family Benefit Scheme
National Old Age Pension Scheme
Prohibition and Drug Abuse Prevention Scheme
Short Stay Homes
Social Defence Scheme
Socio-Economic Programme

Various Terms/Schemes
Under this department there are three autonomous bodies viz., Council of
Advancement of Peoples Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), National
Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) and National Rural Road Development
Agency (NRRDA).
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CAPART

NIRD

NRRDA

DRDA
NISD
ICCR

Scheme
ICDS (Integrated
Child
Development
Scheme)

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Council of Advancement of Peoples Action and Rural Technology (CAPART)
has been set up to encourage participation of voluntary agencies in rural
development and also to provide financial assistance to them in their rural
development projects. CAPART directly deals with voluntary agencies and their
projects.
National Institute of Rural Development. NIRD is engaged in planning and
coordination of national level training. For state and district level training,
assistance is given to State Institutes of Rural Development (SIRD) and
Extention Training Centres (ETC) respectively.
National Rural Road Development Agency (NRRDA) recently registered under
society registration Act, 1860, extends support to the Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to advice on technical specification, project appraisal,
appointment of part time quality control monitors, management of Monitoring
system and submits periodic reports to ministry.
District Rural Development Agency
National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), is an autonomous body under the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.
Indian Council for Cultural Reltations. Estd in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India. It has regional offices in
India & abroad to promote Indian art & culture.

Year
1975

Schemes Launched by the Government

Objectives
The program of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
was launched in 1975 seeking to provide an integrated package of
services in a convergent manner for the holistic development of the
child. The package involves the following services:
Supplementary Nutrition;
Immunization;
Health Check-up;
Referral Services;
Non-formal Pre-school Education; and
Nutrition & Health Education.
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Indira Awas
Yojana (IAY)

1985, 1996

Pradhan Mantri
Rozgar Yojana
(PMRY)

1993

Mid Day Meal

Scheme

1995

Targetted PDS

1997

Swarnajayanti
Shahari Rozgar
Yojana (SJSRY)

1997

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Launched during 1985 but became independent scheme only in 1996.

The target group for houses under Indira Awaas Yojana is people
below poverty line living in rural areas belonging to Scheduled
Castes/ Scheduled Tribes, freed bonded labourers and non- SC/ST
Categories. A maximum of 40% of the total IAY allocation during a
financial year can be utilized for construction of dwelling units for
non-SC/ST BPL categories. The scheme is funded on a cost sharing
basis of 75:25 between the centre & the states.
Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana for providing self-Employment to
Educated Unemployed Youth was announced by the Prime Minister
in 1993 to provide self-employed opportunities to one million
educated unemployed youth in the country. Under this scheme,
matriculates & above in the age group 18-35 yrs are provided bank
loans upto Rs. 1.25 lakhs if they have a viable & feasible project &
their family income does not exceed Rs. 40,000 per annum.
Launched by Ministry of Human Resource Development under
which nutritional content of 450 calories & 12 grams protein is
served to children studying at primary level in government. The
Scheme covers students of Class I-V in the Government Primary
Schools / Primary Schools aided by Govt. and the Primary Schools
run by local bodies.
The programme was extended with effect from 1st October 2007 to
include children in the upper primary stage of Education (Class VIVIII). For upper primary stage the nutritional value is fixed at 700
calories & 20 grams of protein.

To ensure minimum availability of minimum quantity of food grains

to the families living below poverty line. The allocation was
increased to 35 Kg per family from 2002.
It subsumed the following schemes under it
1. Nehru Rojgar Yojana
2. UBSP - Urban Basic Services for the Poor
3. SEPUP - Self Employment Programme for Urban Poor
4. PMIUPEP PMs Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Program
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Cost sharing basis is 75:25.

Kisan Credit
Card Scheme

1998

Swarnajayanti
Gram Swarozgar
Yojana (SGSY)

1999

Sampoorna
Grameen Rozgar
Yojana (SGRY)

2001

2000
Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak
Yojana (PMGSY)
Annapurna
Yojana

2000

Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan

2000-01

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To provide adequate & timely support from the banking system to

the farmers for their cultivation needs including purchase of all
inputs in a flexible & cost effective manner.
It has subsumed the following six programs
1. IRDP Integrated Rural Development Program
2. TRYSEM Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment
3. Ganga Kalyan Yojana
4. DWCRA Development of Women & Children in Rural Areas
5. Million Wells Scheme
6. SITRA Supply of Improved tool-kits to rural artisans.
The scheme is being implemented on a cost sharing basis of 75:25
between centre & state. It aims at promoting micro enterprises & to
bring swarozgaris above the poverty line by organizing them into
Self Help Groups (SHGs).
The following schemes have been integrated into it:
Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY)
Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)
The objective of this is to provide wage employment & food security.
Cost sharing basis is 75:25. Subsumed under NREGS (National
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme).
Its objective is to provide road connectivity through good all weather
roads to unconnected habitations with a population of 500 persons or
more in the rural areas. The source of funding for PMGSY is the
diesel cess, 50 % of which is earmarked for PMGSY.
It is a 100 % Centrally sponsored scheme. It aims at providing food
security to meet the requirement of those senior citizens who though
eligible for pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme are
not getting the same. Under this 10 Kg of foodgrains per person per
month would be supplied free of cost.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an effort to universalise elementary

education by community-ownership of the school system. It is being
implemented in partnership with the states to address the needs of
children in age group of 6-14 years. Its objectives are:
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Antyodaya Anna
Yojana

2001

Valmiki
Ambedkar Awas
Yojana
(VAMBAY)
Grain Bank
Scheme

2001

NPEGEL

2003

National Food for

Work Program

2004

Kasturba Gandhi
Balika Vidyalaya
(KGBV)

2004

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2002

1. All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate

School, ' Back-to-School' camp by 2003;
2. All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007
3. All children complete eight years of elementary schooling by
2010
4. Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with
emphasis on education for life
5. Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by
2007 and at elementary education level by 2010
6. Universal retention by 2010
This scheme would target the poorest of the poorest families out of
the BPL families covered under the Targeted PDS & provide them
with 35 kg of foodgrains per eligible family at a highly subsidized
rate of Rs. 2 per Kg for wheat & Rs. 3 per Kg for rice.
Scheme seeks to ameliorate the conditions of urban slum dwellers
living below poverty line.
Launched with the objective of extending food security to remote
regions of the country which cannot be covered under the formal
PDS i.e. basically tribal areas. It is handled by Ministry of Tribal
Affairs. Allocation of food grains was made for the first time during
2002-03 under the scheme.
The NPEGEL scheme was launched in July, 2003 with a focused
intervention aimed at enhancing girls' education. NPEGEL provides
for development of a "model school" in every cluster with more
intense community mobilization and supervision of girls' enrolment
in schools.
100 % centrally sponsored scheme. Currently being implemented in
the 150 most backward districts of the country. The scheme would
provide 100 days of employment at min
The Government of India has approved a new scheme called
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) for setting up upto 750
residential schools with boarding facilities at elementary level for
girls belonging predominantly to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities in
difficult areas. The scheme will be coordinated with the existing
schemes of Department of Elementary Education & Literacy viz.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), National Programme for Education of
Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) and Mahila Samakhya (MS).
The cost sharing arrangement is 75:25 between centre & state.
The scheme ran as a separate scheme for two years but was merged
with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan w.e.f April 1, 2007.

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Rajiv Gandhi
Grameen
Vidyutikaran
Yojna (RGGVY)

2005

Objective of providing electricity to all rural households over a

period of 4 years.

NHRM

2005

National Rural Health Mission was launched in 2005 to provide

accessible, affordable, & quality health services to the poorest
households in the remotest rural regions.

JN National
Urban Renewal
Mission

2005-06

Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission which is for a

seven year period from 2005-06 has two main components:
Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) Programme
Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme (IHSDP)

Bharat Nirman

2005-06

A time-bound (4 year) plan for rural infrastructure by the

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and
Panchayat Raj Institutions from 2005-2009. Its main features are:
1. Bring additional one crore hectare of land under assured
irrigation
2. Connect all villages that have a population of 1000 (or 500 in
hilly/tribal area) with an all-weather road.
3. Construct 60 lakh additional houses for the poor
4. Provide drinking water to atl habitations
5. Reach electricity to all villages and offer electricity connection to
2.3 crore households
6. Give telephone connectivity to all villages

2006
National Rural
Employment
Guarantee
Scheme (NREGS)

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NREGS was launched in 2006 in 200 most backward districts in the

first phase. The scheme was expanded to cover all districts from
April 1, 2008.
1. The NREGA provides a legal guarantee for 100 days of
employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural
household willing to do unskilled manual work at the statutory
minimum wage.
2. The act guarantees that if work is not provided within a 15 day
time frame (including the eligibility verification and issuing of
the job cards) then the applicant is eligible for unemployment
allowance.
3. Work to be done is decided by the Gram Panchayat. Emphasis is
given to unskilled manual labor focusing on building roads and
other public village infrastructural facilities, water conservation,
afforestation, land development & drought proofing.
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4. All adults in a house hold are eligible to work.
5. If the work site is not within 5 kilometers from the applicants
residence then the applicant is eligible for an additional 10% of
the wage.

Aam Admi Bima

Yojana

2007

Under this scheme launched in October 2007, insurance to the head

of the family of rural landless households of the country will be
provided against natural death as well as accidental death &
partial/permanent disability.
Cover of Rs. 75,000 on death due to accident & permanent
disability due to accident.
Rs. 37,500 in case of partial permanent disability due to accident
& Rs. 30,000 in case of death of a member prior to terminal date.
The premium to be charged under the scheme is Rs. 200 per annum
per member, 50 % of which is to be contributed by central
government & remaining 50 % by Central government.

National Old Age

Pension Scheme

2007

Will benefit the one who is 65 years or above & belonging to a

household living below the poverty line. The scheme would provide
Rs. 200 per month of financial assistance from the central
government. So Far 11 states have responded positively towards
matching the Central Aid given under this head. This scheme has
been launched as a public response to the deprivation, & insecurities
faced by the aged & is being implemented by the Ministry of Rural
Development.

Rashtriya
Swasthya Bima
Yojana

2007

The Rasthriya Swasthya Bima Yojana was formally launched on

October 1, 2007. This scheme will provide health cover of Rs.
30,000 for every worker in the unorganized sector falling under BPL
category & his/her family. The scheme also has a provision of smart
card to be issued to the beneficiaries to enable cashless transacation
for health care. Central Government would bear 75 % of the cost
while the State government will contribute remaining 25 % as well as
any additional premium. The cost of the smart card will also be borne
by the central government.

Ujjawala Scheme

2007

Ujjawala Scheme for prevention of trafficking & Rescue,

Rehabilitation & Reintigration of victims of trafficking &
commercial sexual exploitation was launched in December, 2007. It
has five components namely prevention, rescue, rehabilitation,
reintigration & repatriation.
Objective of the Scheme:
To prevent trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual

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exploitation through social mobilization and involvement of local
communities, awareness generation programmes, generate public
discourse through workshops/seminars and such events and any other
innovative activity.
To facilitate rescue of victims from the place of their exploitation
and place them in safe custody.
To provide rehabilitation services both immediate and long-term to
the victims by providing basic amenities/needs such as shelter, food,
clothing, medical treatment including counselling, legal aid and
guidance and vocational training.
To facilitate reintegration of the victims into the family and society
at large
To facilitate repatriation of cross-border victims to their country of
origin.

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Maitri

Larsemann Hills
Pugwash
Conferences

Bara Hoti

Four Great
Observatories

CEDAW

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Miscellaneous Terms
Maitri is India's second permanent research station in Antarctica. It was built and
finished in 1989, after the first station Dakshina Gangotri was buried in ice and
abandoned in 1990-91. Maitri is situated on the rocky mountainous region called
Schirmacher Oasis.
Establishment of the third Indian Antarctic Research Base in the Larsemann Hills
Series of international meetings of scientists to discuss problems of nuclear weapons
and world security. The first of the conferences met in July 1957 in the village of
Pugwash, Nova Scotia. In 1995 the Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded jointly to the
Pugwash organization and to Joseph RotblatPugwash founding member, secretarygeneral (195773), and president (198897).
Small area in northern U.P. which is disputed between India & China. Incidents of
Chinese frontier guards violating the line of actual control almost doubled by 2004 at
Trig Heights, Pan Gong Tso lake, Bara Hoti and at Asaphila areas in all the three
sectors of the border.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) primarily observes visible light and nearultraviolet. A 1997 servicing mission added capability in the near-infrared range. It
was launched in 1990 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) primarily observed gamma
rays, though it extended into hard x-rays as well. It was launched in 1991 aboard
the Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-37. It was deorbited in 2000 after failure of a
gyroscope.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), named after Indian physicist
Subrahmanyam Chandrashekar was initially named the Advanced X-ray
Astronomical Facility (AXAF). It primarily observes soft x-rays. It was launched in
1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-93.
The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) was called the Space Infrared Telescope
Facility (SIRTF) before launch. It observes the infrared spectrum, and was
launched in 2003 aboard a Delta II rocket.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, CEDAW is often described as an
international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it
16

Issues of National & Social Importance

Ghanshyam Thori

PMs Five Point

Agenda for
Developing India
as Knowledge
Society

Ghanshyam Thori

Issues of National & Social Importance

defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for
national action to end such discrimination.
Launched by then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the yar 2000. The five point agenda
points to the following:
1. Education for developing a learning society
2. Global networking
3. Vibrant Government-Industry-Academia interaction in policy making and
implementation
4. Leveraging of existing competencies in IT, Telecom, Bio-technology, Drug Design,
Financial Services, and Enterprise wide Management
5. Economic and Business strategic alliances built on capabilities and opportunities

17

Issues of National & Social Importance