Saubhagya Scheme: Features, Benefits

and Challenges
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 September 2017 launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har
Ghar Yojana, which is alternatively known as -“Saubhagya”. The mandate of the scheme is to achieve
universal household electrification in the country by the end of 2018. The scheme will benefit over 3
crore households across the length and breadth of the country.

It is against this backdrop, it is pertinent to know the key features of the Saubhagya Scheme and its
benefits to the society and the challenges in its implementation.

Key features of the Saubhagya Scheme are -

Objective: The objective of the ‘Saubhagya’ is to provide energy access to all by last mile connectivity
and electricity connections to all remaining un-electrified households in rural as well as urban areas of
the country.

Goal: To provide universal access to power by December 2018. The scheme will be executed at a
cost of Rs 16,320 crores.

Beneficiaries: While poorer households would be provided electricity connections free of cost as part
of the scheme, other households would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on
payment of Rs.500. The amount is recovered by the DISCOMs/Power Departments in ten 10
instalments along with electricity bills.

The electricity connection to households include the release of electricity connections by drawing a
service cable from the nearest electricity pole to the household premise, installation of energy meter,
wiring for a single light point with LED bulb and a mobile charging point.

For households located in remote and inaccessible areas, solar power packs of 200 to 300 Watt and
battery back with 5 LED light, 1 DC Fan, 1 DC power plug along with repair and maintenance for 5
years would be provided.
Impact of automation on employment opportunities in India: Analysis
Convergence with other schemes: While the 24x7 Power for All is a joint initiative of the Union and
State governments to prepare a road map and action plan to ensure 24x7 power for all, Saubhagya is
a schematic support to address the issue of energy access. The saubhagya scheme was taken up by
realizing the fact that providing connectivity to all households is a prerequisite to ensure 24x7 power
supply.

Similarly, the Saubhayga scheme helps in comprehensively addressing the issues of entry barrier, last
mile connectivity and release of electricity connections under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti
Yojana (DDUGJY) and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS). It should be noted that
DDUGHY envisages the creation of basic electricity infrastructure in villages / habitations,
strengthening & augmentation of existing infrastructure, metering of existing feeders / distribution
transformers / consumers to improve quality and reliability of power supply in rural areas, the IPDS
provides for creation of necessary infrastructure to provide electricity in urban areas.

Budget: Rs. 16,320 crore allocated for the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana.
Simultaneous Elections in India: A Case Study
Benefits of Saubhagya: The scheme will benefit the consumers in the following manner.

• Access to electricity would substitute the use of Kerosene for lighting purposes, resulting in reduction
in indoor pollution thereby saving people from health hazards.

• Electricity access would help in establishing efficient and modern health services in all parts of the
country.

• Lighting after the sunset also provides a sense of enhanced personal safety, especially for women,
and increase in post sunset social as well as economic activities.

• Availability of electricity will boost education services across all areas and quality lighting post sunset
would facilitate children to spend more time on studies and move ahead further in prospective careers.
Household electrification also increases the likelihood that women would study and earn income.

• Substitution of use of Kerosene with electricity for lighting purposes would reduce annual subsidy on
Kerosene and would also help reduce the import of petroleum products.

• Electricity in each home would provide improved access to all kinds of communications like Radio,
Television, Internet, mobile, etc. through which everyone would be able to access all kinds of important
information available through these communication mediums.

• Farmers can access information about new and improved agriculture techniques, agro-machinery,
quality seeds, etc. resulting in a significant increase in agricultural production and consequently
increase in income. Farmers and youths can also explore the possibilities of setting up agro based
small industries.

• Implementation of scheme itself would result in employment generation in view of the requirement of
semi-skilled / skilled manpower for execution of works of household electrification. About 1000 lakh
man-days works would be generated for implementation of the scheme.
Highlights of NITI Aayog’s Draft National Energy Policy 2017
Challenges in implementation

The following are some of the challenges involved in the successful implementation of the Saubhagya
Scheme.

• At present, the DISCOMs are under a huge debt burden running into thousands of crores of rupees.
Though the Ujwal Discom Awas Yojana (UDAY) has been proving successful in improving the financial
health of DISCOMs, the implementation of the Saubhaygay by the end of 2018 is a major challenge
for them.
• The transmission and distribution losses of over 20% need to be reduced to a negligent level to
achieve the goals of the scheme.

• The corruption and the apathy of the lower officials in the power sector should be corrected for its
successful implementation. The involvement of Gram Sabhas in the implementation of the scheme is
a welcome step in this regard.

Conclusion

Access to electricity definitely has positive impact on quality of life of people in all aspects of daily
household chores and human development. The Saubhagya Scheme is a significant initiative since it
touches various aspects of human life – employment, health, education and education. Its successful
implementation is key to building smart villages, achieving energy security and improving the lives of
people living in remote and inaccessible areas.

Essay on Gender Equality, History, Importance,

Benefits, Challenges, Solutions Speech,
Paragraph and Article
Gender Equality: Introduction, Definition, and History
The concept of treating women and men equal known better as gender equality was a
goal that has still not been realized fully. Misogynist traditions always made women
either inferior to men or entitled them to areas less significant or dictated by men.
Gender equality as an idea is always in sync with nature as nature sought to balance
the imperfections present in both sexes. Gender equality is meant to be a
complementary process rather than a process that discriminates. However,
traditionally women were always assigned a sphere that made them occupied with less
decision-making capabilities.

Proto-feminists like Christine De Fisan as early as in the Middle Ages harped on

equality of gender and advocated for female literacy as well as equal opportunities for
women. In Britain, the Shaker movement of 1778 worked in favor of equality of
sexes. However, it was only after the 1945 era and beginning of a new world order
that Internationally the issue of gender equality was addressed.

Importance Of Gender Equality

In the absence of gender equality as a globally achievable goal, gender roles were
biased by customs, traditions and sexist culture that belittled women on basis of their
biological weakness. The importance of gender equality lies in the fact that it
promotes an order of gender neutrality where discrimination is prohibited merely
because someone is woman or man. Without effective gender equality, getting rid of
social evils like female foeticide and discrepancy of education between man and
woman is not possible.
Effects of Gender Equality for Women
The United Nations has published several reports and proceedings to show how
gender equality lends beneficial effects for both women and men besides giving
sustainable upliftment of social conditions in general. There has been regular socio
statistical modeling where research has shown that effects of gender equality reach
beyond the family level and goes on to promote a general sense of inclusive
development across various layers of the society.

Gender equality at the macro level would result in the effects like:
1. Equal participation of females in all sectors including agriculture would mean
more production of agrarian nature which would help eradicate malnourishment
as well as provide greater impetus to manufacturing industries with the primary
material of agrarian origin.
2. More awareness among men to share household and domestic responsibilities and
better breakdown of orthodox norms like ‘women only do household jobs’.
3. Elimination of child labor as if both the man and woman works then the view that
a child can also be a source of labor diminishes considerably.
4. Better access of women to resources like land, property, and education. Such
resources strengthen the chances that future generations would suffer from fewer
instances of gender discrimination.

Challenges To Achieve Gender Equality

Despite the presence of several checks in place, the case of gender equality till date
remains one of the utmost challenges. Several ground realities prevent the proper
execution of steps crucial to the real-time implementation of the idea of gender
equality.

 There is the customary problem of discrimination between the birth of a boy and
girl. Which ensues in a girl having lesser access and opportunities with an
education that ultimately helps in female liberalization.
 Rural women face the greater challenge of having odds like societal pressure to
get married, have children and all this despite the poverty conditions that might
prevail at home.
 Gender violence is a major reason why women from underprivileged and less
income square might not be able to access legal help on account of persistent
torture.
 At administrative levels too, with a lower representation of women in areas like
police, vigilante offices, the gender sensitivity is not very developed which often
results in lesser awareness for redressal of women’s issues.
Role Of Education In Women’s life to Achieve Gender Equality
Education plays perhaps the essential role in order to ensure that gender inequality
does not become a sustainable development paradox for global well being. In India,
people like Raja Rammohan Roy, Savitribai Phule, Sarojini Naidu worked in favor of
education reaching more women to improve their awareness and responsiveness to
social issues.

A population of women, well educated ensures that her children do not remain tied to
the traditional thought process. Moreover, with education alone, women can fight for
their own rights, create better opportunities for self-help and improve economic
productivity on a centralized scale. Adult education too is an important feature for
women’s education and their right to assert gender equality as with adult education
programmes several women otherwise uneducated may come to know of their rights
better and prevent further exploitation due to lack of educational awareness.
Importance of Women Education Essay, Speech, Article
Advantages, Benefits of Gender Equality
The culture of gender equality, more than anything else, does not merely stand for
feminism. A world and an India with Gender equality as the cornerstone is beneficial
for men as well. The increase in women participation in the labor force marks a
greater benefit for the overall GDP growth of the nation, where the rise in economic
activities would mean trickle-down effect towards a more decentralized strengthened
economy.

More women equality would entail that the cultural effects reach the future
generations through children with the successive generation normalizing gender
equality as a culture. Women participation in the labor force would also mean a better
quality of education as well as improvement in reproductive choice due to heightened
awareness of family planning. This would automatically imply that the standard of
living for average families also improve with additional income and lower population
frame.
Gender Equality In India
India, with a gender development index of 131 and placed 125 out of 159 countries,
lags far behind most developed nations with regard to the factor of gender
development. While Constitutional forefathers provided for universal application of
equality in all fields irrespective of gender, yet customary traditions and norms
worked against the women in India.

In India, gender equality is more a myth than a reality. This pertains to various
reasons including
 Biasness towards male child
 Viewing women as marriage material
 The dominance of patriarchy in public spheres
 Deep-rooted traditions skewed against women
While these are only a few reasons, the result of these has been bitter in case of gender
equality in India. While the GDP of India shows a steady growth, female participation
in the labor force has declined considerably with wage gap between male and female
population being a constant in the job market. In the Parliament too, only 12.2 percent
seats are occupied by females while there is an inequality in education based on
gender that stands at a staggering value of 39.4 percent. Even with respect to maternal
mortality rates, the rate is 174 for every 100000 births.

Such statistics only show the acute nature of ground inequality of gender in India,
which shows that even in 2018, despite women education, at the workplace or at
home, between a man and a woman India has achieved little parity in status.
Solutions To Achieve Gender Equality | How to Achieve Gender Equality?
With so much being learned and said about gender equality, how far have we come
along the lines of history?! Gender Equality still remains an issue where the question
as ‘how to achieve’ still eludes us. The solutions to achieve the same is not a
straightforward one. In fact, despite the provision of several legislative and executive
acts and powers, gender equality is a continuous process that often begins at home as
well as the workplace. Few ways to implement gender equality in society can be as
follows:

 At home, women must be given help to share household work as well as adequate
respect and financial support for all her contribution to unpaid domestic work
 At the workplace, there must be a definite culture and infrastructure where new
mothers can either work from home or have creches to keep their small children
so that the woman does not need to worry about children or leave the job
altogether
 In the public sphere, harassment and molestation should be dealt with sternly and
organizations and campaigns working for it should have adequate funds to
support their work
 Children should be imparted values which teach gender neutrality and parity.
 Amendments to existing laws must be made keeping in mind the dynamic
atmosphere of sustainable development with women inclusion across the world.
Such actions, on a wider basis, can bring about a change over time with regard to
gender equality.

Gender Equality Slogans and Quotes

In 2013-2014 Consumers India organized an All India slogan contest. Their theme
was Gender Equality in India. Hundreds of enthusiastic people participated in the
same, where it was evident that the modern generation is eager to do away with the
history of discrimination as gender inequality as an idea goes against nature.

Slogans based on the futility of idea to worship goddess with zero respect for women
to protesting against female foeticide to the disenchantment with fewer women being
properly educated were actively raised.

Some Facts and Statistics For Gender Equality

The United Nations, on a periodic basis, comes up with several reports to highlight the
status of gender equality across the globe. Few facts that come up with such a report
based on 2016 are:

 22.8 percent females are able to hold Parliamentary positions

 In the least Developed countries, conflict-torn countries and areas of Sub
Saharan Africa, the instances of girls not accessing to education are highest.
Also, schooldrop out instances grows 2.5 times higher than countries without
such troubles.
 Over 7.5 million girls across the globe were married before attaining adulthood.
 Self-employment or entrepreneurship is still lesser in women and more among
young men.
In India, facts already discussed jointly raise the considerable question on the
sustainable development paradox prevailing through gender inequality across the
world.
Gender Equality Acts, Laws and Campaigns: Concluding for the Start
Several acts and laws are in place to curb the social evil called gender inequality. In
the United States, Acts that advocate equal pay to men and women was passed as
early as in 1963. In the United Kingdom, there is the Act of Equality passed in 2010,
which replaced all previous laws regarding gender discrimination and propounded that
it seeks workplace equality and prevents discrimination based on sex in every other
sphere of public life.

In India, a Uniform civil code is applied to every individual irrespective of their

gender in order to create the basis of the fundamental right of equality of individuals.
Further Acts like Equal Remuneration Act of 1976, Prohibition Of Dowry Act 1961,
Abolition of Sex Determination Test Act in 1994 all these sought to provide the basis
of redressal and establish the case of gender equality in India. Further, the Hindu
Succession Amendment Act of 2005 that provisioned equal right of inheritance of
daughters on the lines of the son was a commendable breakthrough to end the judicial
discrimination of inheritance for Hindu women in India.

In 2013, post the Nirbhaya incident, the government passed on the Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal Act of 2013 for sexual harassment cases registered at the
workplace. The law also makes it mandatory to establish a women’s harassment and
redressal department or cell at the workplace.
Further, there takes place regular campaigns and exists several dedicated bodies
across the international forum for specifically addressing the concerns of women and
gender relating issues. In 2008, United Nations launched the Unite to End Violence
Against Women campaign in order to promote universal human rights against the
violence of any form, especially to the women and girls by coordinating and
strengthening national law system.
On Women’s Day in 2016, the Transgender Equality Group in Europe asserted the
harmonious coexistence of transgender rights and gender equality of women saying
that they were mutually strengthening and did not threaten the development of the
other.

The recent hashtag movement of #HeForShe, #MeToo, #TimesUp, such social

media activism goes a long way in promoting the concepts of gender neutrality as an
important residue of gender parity movement. The celebration of occasions like
Gender Equality Day on August 26 or Women’s Day on 8th of March, marks the
culmination of all efforts that leading NGOs, trusts and UN movements carry forward
the entire year.
Conclusion
Equality is the right of every human being in the world. Discrimination based on the
gender of a person is an evil thing and should be abolished by the society. The youth
of today if works together to eradicate the gender inequality then it would potentially
be benefiting the successive generations altogether promoting a culture of gender
equality and equity.

Essay on Effects and Impacts of GST on

Common Man, Indian Economy
Pexels.com

India is going through a lot of change right now, first demonetisation attempt to curb
the black money and eradicate corruption and now a few months later GST bill to
make sure there should be no space for the reasons of corruption which will directly
boost our Indian economy. We have written this article to make you aware of the
effects and impacts of GST on various aspects of our lives. The best part about this
article is that with this core information you can prepare a decent essay or speech for
your speech and essay competition. Because I am pretty sure the GST is going to be
the topic of discussion in every school and college too.

Yes, in short term GST going to disturb the Indian economy and will affect the way
businesses operate and handle their taxes. GST game is not for weak hearted. GST
will help in improving the economy but in long run and that is why it is called a
“Reform”. It is possibly the biggest economic reform since globalization which was
done under Mr. Manmohan Singh as finance minister. GST implementation in India
will be a huge success. GST taxation system will cause inconvenience to citizens,
businesses, and manufacturers as this system is completely new to them but with the
time people will learn and get the hang of it. But there are positive and negative
impacts and effects of GST as well.
As always there are two sides to the coin, positive and negative; the same rule applies
to GST too. It will have some good and bad impact too.
Positive Effects of GST in India
The death of all taxes: With the unified tax regime we said goodbye to a big pile of
indirect taxes making India One Nation One Market One Tax country. Now,
businesses don’t need to worry about the plethora of taxes.
Digitized Process: The whole process is digitized leaving no chance for tax evasion
with the help of digitized records of all businesses. Each business whose annual
turnover is over 20 lakhs will have to digitalise their business for transparency in
paying taxes and input credit benefits. And with transparency, there will be no hidden
taxes making India corruption-free system.
GDP Growth: With exemption benefits on some goods and services it will increase
production, lessen the prices and equivalently increase the demand helping GDP
growth. More imports and exports will flow generating decent revenue, but according
to experts, it will take two years for the economy to be stable.
Market Competition: Due to reduced costs in FMCG(Fast moving consumer goods
sector) products like biscuits, toothpaste may become cheaper and will be
manufactured in high volumes creating competition in the domestic and international
market.
No filing of Income Tax returns without Aadhaar: The government has made it
compulsory to mention Aadhaar for the filing of income tax return. Without Aadhaar,
you won’t be able to file your return after July 1. Linking of Aadhaar with PAN
becomes mandatory. The government has also made it compulsory to link Aadhaar
with PAN to stop people using multiple PANs to evade taxes. If a person does not link
PAN and Aadhaar as mandated by Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, his PAN
could become invalid. To link Aadhar to PAN card go to Income Tax India Filing.
Along with effects of GST on the Indian economy, there are multiple impacts of GST
on various sectors.

What are the Impacts of GST on Airlines, Telecom Industries?

Costly transportation and communication services: Airlines traveling will be

expensive after GST Act, the tax rate for the current airline is 9 percent which will
change to 12 percent. Although, GST on economy class traveling is set to 5% from
6%.
Telecom Industry: Reliance Jio being a headache, poaching customers of other telcos
by providing services at cheap rate has put large telecom industries in a dilemma, and
with the GST Telecom services will be taxed at 18% to previous 15%.
Check out our essay and speech section and find amazing essays and speeches
likeDemonetization, Digital India, What is GST?
What is the Impact of GST on Cars/Automobiles?

Four wheeler vehicle is somewhat a milestone for every person in their life as it gives
easy of transportation but mostly prestige. Cars are considered as luxury goods under
GST. Therefore cars fall under 28% slab of GST. Apart from daily private
transportation, there will be a problem for the farmers whose daily work depends on
the tractor vehicles. After GST there will be a hike from 6-7% to 12% in tractors. Not
only that but the hike in insurance and loans for cars is to be expected as well. Hybrid
cars will be taxed 28% whereas the tax on Electric cars will remain at 12%.

What is the Impact of GST on Real Estate?

Real estate will get costlier, but buyers will be happy to pay more because instead of
paying numerous taxes like VAT tax, service tax, Cess tax, etc. They have one direct
tax GST which gives clear knowledge of the amount they are paying to the developer.
GST on real estates will extend up to 12% that is 6.5% more than the current tax.
Developers have to face the burden of paying the tax of the unsold flats which then
can be recovered quickly, but this might be bad for buyers as developers may increase
their costs of the property.

What is the Impact of GST on Electronics like Mobile Phones and Laptops?

A mobile phone is a necessity for each nowadays. Electronics are getting cheaper
except for mobiles which will get costlier except for imported mobile phones which
will be cheaper compared to the mobiles manufactured in INDIA. There is 4-7% rise
of tax on mobile phones making them costlier. Same with laptops and desktops they
fall under 18% GST slab that’s a 4-5% hike. But all these hikes in cost can be brought
down if India starts mass producing laptops and other peripherals.

What is the Impact of GST on Manufacturing Sector?

Suppose a manufacturer buys raw material for 100 Rs where he/she pays tax of 10%
that means 10rs goes to the government and when the manufacturer sells the product
with added value of 20 Rs making it 100+20 =120rs, government collect tax of 12rs,
but the manufacturer has already paid 10rs which makes him liable to pay only 2rs to
the government. This transparency of taxation system is likely to enhance economic
growth and make corruption free tax system. Goods and services prices are likely to
come down if the majority of manufacturing is done in India.

What is the Impact of GST on Logistics?

Logistics plays an integral role in supplying goods from one corner to another its the
sole reason for the growth in manufacturing and consumption. Because of GST goods
can move freely from one state to another.
What is the impact of GST on Common Man?

The ordinary man can take a big sigh of relief because there will be many
opportunities for making significant savings on GST.

Personal care: Products like oil, soap, kajal tissue prices will come down by 6% to
10%.
Hotels: If you are an avid traveler great news for you. Accommodation under 1000rs
will be exempted from GST tax, and 18% tax will be levied on above 5000rs
accommodation. Taxes on hotels have been reduced from 22% to 18%.
Air Travelling: Economy class fares have been reduced as it only attracts 5% tax of
GST.
Branded Goods: Most branded goods that were taxed at 23-25% is reduced to 18%
which means more shopping of branded goods at reasonable rates.
Negative Impact of GST in India
Gst is confusing the common man even large scale businesses, they need to rely on
advocates and chartered accountants to make them understand What is GST and how
it works. Not only that but using computerized process, online registration and return
filing is a hassle for those who are barely in touch with technology.
The government has estimated that Indian economy will require at least 2 years to
become stable.

Triple Talaq Essay UPSC/Triple Talaq Essay For UPSC

Triple Talaq is the process of divorce under Sharia Law (Islamic law) where a husband can divorce
his wife by pronouncing ‘Talaq’ three times. This is also called oral talaq. There are three types of
divorce under Islamic law, namely, Ahsan, Hasan and Talaq-e-Biddat (triple talaq). While the
former two are revocable, the last one is irrevocable. It is mainly prevalent among India’s Muslim
communities that follow the Hanafi School of Islamic Law.
Under this law, wives cannot divorce husbands by the means of triple talaq. Women have to move
a court for divorcing her husband under the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act 1937.
(This Act was passed to make provisions for the application of Shariat or Islamic personal law to
Muslims in India.)

Arguments against triple talaq

 It goes against the rights of equality and women’s empowerment. It propagates the dominance of men
over women.
 According to a study, 92% of Muslim women in India wanted the triple talaq to be banned.
 It gave men the right to arbitrarily divorce their wives without any valid reason.
 New-age technology has given birth to new modes of triple talaq such as through skype, text messages
and email.
 Many Islamic countries have outlawed this practice including Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia.
There is no reason for a democratic and secular India to continue this lopsided practice.
 It goes against the constitutional principles of gender equality, secularism, right to life of dignity, etc.
It goes against Article 14 (Right to Equality) and Article 15(1) which states that there shall be no
discrimination against any citizen on the basis of gender, race, etc. and this kind of talaq is biased
against the interests of women.
 The constitution of the country says that it shall strive to bring a uniform civil code for the entire
country. Doing away with triple talaq will definitely be a step closer to the constitution-makers’ dream
of having a uniform civil code for all citizens.
 However, the National Commission of Women says that this matter cannot be linked to uniform civil
code. Nevertheless, it should be banned in order to protect the interests of Muslim women.
 The Supreme Court has also declared that this practice is unconstitutional and not protected by Article
25 which regards the freedom of religion. Also in December 2016, the Allahabad High Court had said
that no personal law board was above the constitution.
 Experts also opine that only the essential or integral features and aspects of a religion are protected by
the Constitution. Triple talaq was not an integral feature of Islam.

Challenges in banning triple talaq

 Religious groups infer the banning of a traditional practice sanctified by Sharia as interfering in the
religious aspects of minorities.
 The courts should decide two things basically:
o Whether personal law can be subject to the constitution or not
o How to view the relationship between triple talaq and Muslim personal law
Past rulings:
 In the Shah Bano case in 1985, the SC granted Shah Bano, a 62-year old woman the right to alimony
from her husband.
 But in 1986, the government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act which
diluted the positive impact created by the Shah Bano case.
 In 2001, in the Danial Latifi & Anr versus Union of India case, the SC upheld the validity of the Shah
Bano judgement.
 In August 2017, a five-judge bench of the SC declared the triple talaq as unconstitutional in a majority
3:2 judgement. This was the culmination of a petition filed by Shayara Bano, whose husband of 15
years had divorced her through a letter where he pronounced talaq three times, to declare the divorce
as void.
The latest ruling is truly a watershed moment in women empowerment movement in India. The
court has given progressive thoughts enshrined in the Constitution precedence over personal law
in society.