Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
Government Schemes - January 2019................................................................................................................ 2
Government Schemes - February 2019.............................................................................................................. 9
Government Schemes - March 2019................................................................................................................ 12
Government Schemes – April 2019 ................................................................................................................. 15
Government Schemes - May 2019................................................................................................................... 16
Government Schemes - June 2019................................................................................................................... 17
Government Schemes - July 2019 ................................................................................................................... 19
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Government Extends CLSS for MIG scheme till 31st march, 2020
On 31st December 2018, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs headed by Minister of
State Hardeep S. Puri, extended the Credit-Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) for Middle Income Group
(MIG) Scheme by another 12 months till March 31, 2020.
Key Points:
i. Around 93, 007 beneficiaries have been covered till date and have already received Rs 1,960.45
crore of subsidy in the scheme.
ii. The scheme covers two income segments in the MIG viz. Rs 6,00,001 to Rs 12,00,000 per annum for
MIG-I and Rs 12,00,001 to Rs 18,00,000 per annum for MIG-II.
iii. The dwelling unit carpet area to avail the benefit of the scheme include ‘upto 160 sq.m’ and ‘upto
200 sq.m’ for MIG I and MIG II respectively.
iv. In the MIG-I, an interest subsidy of 4 per cent has been provided for loan amounts up to Rs 9 lakh,
while in MIG-II, an interest subsidy of 3 per cent has been provided for loan amount of Rs 12 lakh.
v. To become eligible for the scheme, a beneficiary family should not own a pucca house (an all
weather dwelling unit) either in his/her name or in the name of any member of his/her family in any
part of India.
Background of the Scheme:
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 31.12.2016 announced the commencement of a new Credit
Linked Subsidy Scheme for the Middle Income Group (CLSS for MIG). The purpose of the scheme
was to meet the aspirations of young professionals and entrepreneurs of Middle Class Segment
seeking housing loans for acquisition/ construction of houses (including re-purchase) from Banks,
Housing Finance Companies and other such notified institutions.
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Four more projects of Rs. 190.46 crore sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD
schemes of M/o Tourism
On 11th January 2019, Four new projects for Rs. 190.46 Crores under the tourism infrastructure
development schemes, Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD(Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual,
Heritage Augmentation Drive) was launched by Ministry of Tourism in the states of Meghalaya,
Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
Details of Sanctioned projects
i. The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned the project ‘Development of West Khasi Hills
(Nongkhlaw- Krem Tirot – Khudoi & Kohmang Falls – Khri River- Mawthadraishan, Shillong),
Jaintia Hills (Krang Suri Falls- Shyrmang- Iooksi), Garo Hills (Nokrek Reserve, Katta Beel, Siju
Caves)’ in Meghalaya for Rs. 84.95 crore under North East Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
ii. Under the Spiritural Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the ministry has sanctioned project
of Rs. 21.16 Crore for the development of Gorakhnath Temple (Gorakhpur), Devipattan Temple
(Balrampur) and Vatvashni Temple (Domariyagunj).
iii. Under the PRASHAD scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned the project ‘Development of
Govardhan’ which includes Govardhan Parikrama Marg, Kusum Sarovar, Chandra Sarovar and
Manasi Ganga in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh for Rs. 39.74 Crores.
iv. Under the PRASHAD Scheme, The Ministry of Tourism also sanctioned the project ‘Development
of Pilgrimage Amenities at Somnath – Phase II’ for Rs. 44.59Crores.
About Swadesh Darshan Scheme
i. It was launched in 2014-15 by Union Tourism Ministry with objective to develop theme-based
tourist circuits in the country.
ii. Under this scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development.
iii. Tourism Ministry has sanctioned 74 projects worth Rs. 5997.47 crore to 31 states and Union
Territories under this scheme.
iv. Shri. Alphons Kannanthanam , the Minister of State for Tourism.
About PRASHAD Scheme
i. Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) was launched in
2914-15 by Union Ministry of Tourism.
ii. The number of sites under PRASAD is 41 in 25 states.
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Zero percent interest for loans upto Rs. 3 lakhs for Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the Mission
Shakti scheme: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
On January 5, 2019, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced interest-free loans of up
to Rs.3 lakh for six lakh women self-help groups (WSHGs) benefitting about 70 lakh women in
Odisha.
i. This was announced at the ‘Mission Shakti’ convention attended by about 50,000 women.
ii. In the convention, the chief minister did the following:
• He distributed financial assistance of Rs. 3,000 each to six lakh WSHGs to digitally empower
women.
• Launched a scheme to distribute Rs. 15,000 seed money per group to three lakh new self-help
groups.
• He also handed over revolving fund of Rs. 25 lakh to 338 block federations.
• Also announced incentives of Rs. 500 per month for anganwadi workers and Rs.200 for
helpers.
iii. Also the Odisha government decided to build ‘Mission Shakti Home’ in each gram panchayat across
the state, as a part of ‘Mission Shakti’ initiative.
Background:
The ‘Mission Shakti’ programme was launched in 2001.
♦ Target: 10.74 crore poor families to get benefit of Rs. 5lakh per family per year.
♦ 1st Health centre launched at Bijapur, Chhattishgarh in April 14, 2018.
♦ CEO: Dr. Indu Bhushan.
♦ Implementing authority: National Health Authority (NHA).
Encouraging farmers to enrol farmers for the Atal Solar Krishi Pump Yojana: Maharashtra govt
On January 5, 2019, Maharashtra Government announced distribution of free sops to encourage
farmers to enrol in the Atal Solar Krishi Pump Yojana.
i. The things included: two LED bulbs, a DC fan and a mobile charging socket.
About Atal Solar Krishi Pump Yojana (ASKP):
• Launched in October 2018, it aims to reduce losses due to non-payment of electricity bills and
also promote solar energy.
• Farmers with less than five acres will have to pay 5 per cent of the cost of a 3 HP solar pump
while farmers with more than five acres will get a 5 HP solar pump and the sops.
• It would provide subsidy of upto 95% on solar agriculture pumpsets.
• Also around 1 lakh solar pumps were distributed to farmers to irrigate 14,000 Ha land.
• The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd (Msedcl) is the implementing agency.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a new scheme ‘Ama Ghare LED’ to distribute
free led bulbs
On 11th January 2019, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘Ama Ghare LED’ scheme,
under which about 95 lakh families in the State will each get four LED bulbs free of cost.
Key Points:
i. The scheme in which the LED bulbs (9-watt each) will be distributed to the beneficiaries registered
under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) was
launched during the ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Bikash’ programme.
ii. Distribution of the bulbs will be started through the PEETHA (Peoples Empowerment – Enabling
Transparency and Accountability of Odisha Initiatives) schemes on January 15.
iii. The scheme will be implemented by Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited
(OPTCL) and the bulbs will be distributed through camps to be held during 15th to 20th of every
month and through the PDS outlets across the State.
iv. The beneficiaries will have to produce their bio-metric authentication to avail benefits under the
scheme.
v. The ‘Ama Ghare LED’ project, which requires about 3.8 crore LED bulbs for distribution, will help
curb high-watt consumption.
Sikkim CM launched ‘One Family, One Job’ scheme in Rojgar Mela 2019 to give one state
government job to one family
On January 12, 2019, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling launched the ‘One Family
One Job’ scheme, under which for every family one government job has been allotted, in Gangtok.
New recruits were taken for Group C and Group D posts in 12 departments.
i. As part of the scheme, a “Rojgar Mela” (employment fair) was organised at the Paljor stadium
in Gangtok, where over 12,000 unemployed youths, from 32 constituencies, were handed out
appointment letters.
ii. Letters were given to families, by the Department of Personnel, which do not have a government
job.
iii. He also announced that over 25,000 already employed but unregularised government employees
would also be subsequently regularised within 2019.
iv. Thus, Sikkim became the first state in the country to carry out such a programme for the people
entitling them to state government employee benefits.
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Background:
CM Chamling is the longest serving CM of the Independent India.
MP CM launches Rs 50,000 cr farm loan waiver scheme ‘Jai Kisan Rin Mukti Yojana
On 15th January 2019, “Jai Kisan Rin Mukti Yojana” scheme was launched by Madhya Pradesh Chief
Minister Shri. Kamal Nath.It is Rs 50,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme for farmers. The loan
waiver forms could be submitted till February 5 and farmers would start getting the benefits from
February 22.
Key points
i. On 5th January 2019, the state cabinet decided to waive crop loans of 55 lakh small and marginal
farmers in the state.The eligibility cut-off date has been extended to December 12, 2018 from March
31, 2018.
ii. Only those farmers who have not registered themselves to pay GST and income tax can avail
benefits under this schemes.
iii. Earlier former Chief Minister Shri. Shivraj Singh Chouhan also launched similar scheme
named ‘Bhavantar Yojana’.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced extension of free health services under Biju
Swasthya Kalyan Yojana
On 17th January 2019, Odisha Chief Minister, Shri Naveen Patnaik announced the extension of free
health services under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana(BSKY) to all medical colleges and hospitals of
Odisha from 1st February 2019.
Key Points
i. Earlier the free health services under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana also known cashless care were
available to all at sub-centres in villages and district headquarters hospitals.
ii. Under the scheme, all the patients irrespective of APL or BPL category will be eligible to avail the
free health services at government medical colleges and hospitals.
iii. An Additional provision of over Rs 100 crore was made for this scheme by state government from
its budget.
About Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana(BSKY)
BSKY was launched on 15th August 2018 by Odisha Government. This scheme provide free medical
services to all at government colleges and hospital irrespective of the category of the patients without
any requirement of income, residence or any other document. The scheme received an overwhelming
response and till now over 2.25 crore people have availed free treatment under this scheme.
Odisha CM hiked Rs.200 per month under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana scheme
On January 19, 2019,Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced in a video conference on “Ama Gaon,
Ama Bikash”a hike of Rs 200 per month in the social security pension under Madhu Babu Pension
Yojana (MBPY)
Key points to be noted
i. The state government launched Madhu Babu Pension Yojana on January 1, 2008, by merging two
pension schemes – Old Age Pension and Odisha Disability Pension schemes
ii. The Madhu Babu Pension Yojana is a pension scheme introduced in the Indian State of Odisha with
the objective of providing financial assistance to the destitute elderly and destitute differently abled
persons in the state.
iii. According to the new change,the elderly persons aged over 60 years would get a revised old age
pension of Rs 500 per month as against Rs 300 and those who are more than 80 years old, the pension
would be Rs 700 per month instead of Rs 500 per month and the enhanced pension will come into
effect from February 15, 2019.
iv.Unmarried women above 30 years and belonging to a below poverty level family or with individual
income below Rs 24,000 per year are also going to benefit from the hike.
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Madhya Pradesh launched employment scheme “Yuva Swabhiman Yojana” for urban youth
On January 26,2019, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath launched ‘Yuva Swabhiman
Yojana’ for youths of the weak section in urban areas of Madhya Pradesh
About the scheme:
i. The scheme was launched in Chhindwara,Madhya Pradesh
ii. It aims to provide employment to the youth belonging to the weaker section of the society mainly in
urban areas of the state.
iii. Under this scheme, 100 days of employment will be provided.
iv. Registration of interested urban poor youth under this scheme will start on February 10,2019.
v.Apart from this 100 days employment,they will also be given skill training by the government.
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Schemes for Socio-economic development instigated by National Minorities Dev. and Finance Corp
The National Minority Development and Finance Corporation executed diverse schemes for the socio-economic
development of the ‘backward sections’ amidst the notified minorities.
Key Points
i. Schemes are being executed by State Channelizing Agencies represented by state government.
ii. Credit schemes like Term loan, Micro Finance, Educational loan, etc. and Promotional schemes like
Vocational training, Marketing assistance, etc. have been implemented.
iii. Beneficiaries are classified under 2 categories-
Credit link 1- Those who have annual family income of Rs.98,000 for rural areas and Rs.1.20 lakh for urban
areas.
Credit link 2- Those who have higher family income eligibility criteria of upto 6 lakhs.
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ideas will be selected from agriculture, social service, education and Work order worth Rs. 5 lakh will be given
to the 5 selected ideas to implement the same.
Odisha launched Kalia scholarship scheme to boost education for farmers children
On february 4,2019 , Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched scholarship scheme named ‘KALIA
Chhatravritti Yojana‘,for the children of farmers who are the beneficiaries of Krushak Assistance for
Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.
About the scheme
i. Under this scheme, the beneficiaries will be provided scholarships to pursue higher education in professional
courses at free of cost.
ii. Children of farmers who have taken admission at Government Professional colleges on merit basis are
eligible for this scheme.
Other Projects launched:
Odisha Chief Minister also inaugurated 17 welfare projects worth Rs 66 crore and laid the foundation stone for
47 projects worth Rs 2,100 crore in Keonjhar.Few of them are,
i.Odisha Government has also launched drinking water projects worth Rs 1,050 crore to supply safe
drinking water in the district.
ii. Patnaik also launched Mission Shakti Conclave dedicated the development projects worth Rs 45 crore.
Universal Old Age Pension scheme has been announced by Bihar Government
Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar announced an Universal Old Age Pension scheme, named Mukhya Mantri
Vriddha Pension Yojana (MMVPY), irrespective for all caste, community, religion, except for those who are
retired from government organizations.
Key points
i. The scheme facilitates the amount of Rs. 400 monthly pension for all in the state above the age of 60 years
who are not getting pension from the government.
ii. The scheme will come into its enforcement from 1st April, 2019.
iii. Other than this scheme, Bihar’s govt. has also proclaimed a pension of Rs. 6,000 for journalists above 60
years of age, which will get implemented from 1st April, 2019.
iv.Currently old age pension scheme is applicable to only the BPL category.
PM-Kisan scheme and Annadatha Sukhibhava scheme has been amalgamated by Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh has made a significant move by merging Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana with its
own Annadatha Sukhibhava scheme. This move will further allow a fixed amount of Rs. 10,000 per annum to all
farmers in the state, irrespective of the size of their land.
Key points
i. The benefits will be facilitated in 2 portions of Rs. 5000 before the Kharif and Rabi crop cycle.
ii. Around 70 lakhs farmers will get advantage from this merger.
iii. As PM-Kisan scheme covers only marginalized farmers but, Annadatha Sukhibhava scheme also covers
tenant farmers, who will be facilitated with ‘Cultivation Certificates’ and ‘Loan Eligibility Certificates’ to avail
the benefits of scheme.
iv. Other than Rs. 6000 per household which will given under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, farmers will also
receive Rs. 4000 from Andhra Pradesh government, which will further benefit 54 lakhs farmers.
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Odisha approved Rs 466 Crore Sanitary Napkin Scheme for adolescent girls
Odisha government, in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,
approved Khusi scheme aimed at improving menstrual hygiene among adolescent girl students in the state,
with an outlay of Rs 466.08 crore over a period of 5 years.
i. Free sanitary napkins will be provided to 17.25 lakh adolescent girl students of Class 6 to 9 studying
in government and non-government aided schools of the state. It will also cover Kendriya
Vidyalayas and Jawaharlal Navodaya Vidyalayas.
ii. Each girl student will be provided with 18 beltless sanitary napkins per month.
iii. Other objectives of the scheme include reducing the expenditure of the parents towards health care of the
girls, reduction in the dropout rate among girls, improved attendance in schools and increase in academic
parameter.
The scheme will be implemented in coordination with the School and Mass Education, Scheduled Tribe &
Scheduled Caste Development and Minorities and Backward Classes, and Social Security &
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities departments.
Related Points
• The cabinet also approved Kalia Scholarship for the education of farmers’ children, a scheme already
announced by the chief minister with the objective of extending financial assistance to the children of
the beneficiaries of the KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation).
• The farmers children can pursue their professional courses in the state-run institutions
Govt. working on a new scheme for unorganised food processing sector: Gram Samridhi Yojana
Gram Samridhi Yojana, a Rs 3,000 crore scheme funded by the World Bank and the Government
of India, is being worked upon by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in order to strengthen
the unorganised food processing sector concentrated in rural areas.
i. Roughly 66% of unorganised food processing units are in rural areas and of these, 80% are family
run.
ii. The scheme is aimed at helping the cottage industry, farmer producers’
organisation and individual food processors to increase capacity, upgrade technology besides skill
improvement, entrepreneurship development and strengthening the farm-to market supply chain.
iii. World Bank will be giving Rs 1,500 crore and Rs 1,000 crore will be borne by
the Centre while state governments will put in Rs 500 crore.
iv. The scheme will be run in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab for a five-
year period in the initial phase and thereafter in other states of the country.
iii. NITI Aayog has given its approval to the scheme and now the proposal is pending with
the Expenditure Finance Committee for clearance.
Scheme for Development of Knitting and Knitwear Sector launched by Smriti Irani
Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Irani, launched a comprehensive scheme for Development of
Knitting and Knitwear Sector under PowerTex India in New Delhi where she also interacted with
industry associations related to knit wear sector in three clusters
of Kolkata, Tirupur and Ludhiana through video link.
i. The sector is predominantly Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) in size and mainly
located in decentralized sector which is one of the major employment generator sectors.
ii. The main components of the scheme are:
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• Creation of new service centers on Public Private Partnership (PPP) model by industry and
association in the knitting and knitwear clusters.
• Modernization and upgradation of existing Powerloom Service Centers (PSCs) and
institution run by Textile Research Associations (TRAs) and Export Promotion Councils
(EPCs) Association in knitting and knitwear clusters.
• Group workshed scheme.
• Yarn bank scheme.
• Common facility centre scheme.
• Pradhan Mantri Credit Scheme.
• Solar Energy Scheme.
• Facilitation, IT, awareness, studies, surveys, market development and publicity for knitting and
knitwear units.
iii. Some of the major clusters in the knitted garment sector are Tirupur in Tamil Nadu,
Ludhiana in Punjab, Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata in West Bengal.
iv. Tirupur is the most important export cluster, manufacturing more than 90% of the garment,
which is exported, and is followed by Ludhiana.
v. The Ministry has approved combined SFC (Standing Finance Component) of PowerTex India
Scheme and Knitwea r Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 487.07 crores out of which, Rs. 439.35
crore is for PowerTex for 3 years from 14th April 2017 to 31st March 2020 and Rs. 47.72
crores for Knitwear for the remaining period of 2018-19 and for 2019-20.
Rs 250 crore STARS scheme initiated by HRD Ministry to fund science projects
Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Prakash Javadekar, on the occasion
of National Science Day, that is 28th February 2019, launched the Scheme for Translational and
Advanced Research in Science (STARS) aimed at funding science projects.
i. Funds worth Rs 250 crore have been approved by the HRD ministry which will be utilised to
sponsor about 500 science projects, selected on the basis of competitions.
ii. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is the coordinator of the project, to whom the interested
candidates would submit their applications.
Additional Information:
HRD Ministry in collaboration with the National Skill Ministry and Labour and employment Ministry
collaboratively launched SHREYAS – Scheme for Higher Education Youth for Apprenticeship and Skills
to empower non-technical courses.
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• A family can nominate a member who will receive Rs. 36,000 after five years OR
• A pension of Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 15,000 per month will be received after the person turns 60 OR
• The nominated beneficiary will get Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 30,000 after five years depending on
whichever option they choose.
iv. For the age group of 40-60 years:
• Rs 6,000 per year in 3 installments of Rs 2,000
• Rs 36,000 after 5 years
v. The scheme provides insurance facilities of- Rs. 2 lakh on natural death, Rs. 2 lakh for accidental
death, Rs. 2 lakh for permanent disability and Rs. 1 lakh for partial disability.
vi. Those who are registered under the Pradhanmantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan, then they could receive
a pension of Rs. 3,000 per month after they turn 60, whose premiums will be funded by the
government.
Mamata Banerjee launched Yuvashree Arpan scheme for financially assisting young
entrepreneurs
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a new scheme called Yuvashree Plan
II or Yuvashree Arpan under which 50,000 youths will receive financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh for
setting up an their own business initiatives.
i. Youngsters passing out of Industrial training institute (ITI) or other polytechnic institute will be
eligible to get financial support from the micro, small and medium enterprises
(MSME) department.
ii. The Chief Minister on this occasion also laid foundation stone of various developmental projects
including the first Hindi university in West Bengal in Arupara, Howrah district and Rs 1,488
crore drinking water project at Purba Medinipur that will benefit more than 12 lakh people.
iii. Foundation stone of projects worth Rs 1,071 crore including drinking water project that would
benefit more than 8 lakh people inaugurated Bankura.
iv. She announced that the Health and Family Welfare department office would be set up on three
acre land beside Nabanna.
v. She also inaugurated nearly 217 projects worth more than Rs 1,300 crore at the programme.
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Key Points
i. The target is set to cover 20000 workers and provide them with good quality food at a nominal
cost of Rs.5 in the first phase of the scheme.
ii. The government is already providing a Subsidy of Rs.4.5 lakh to labourers for house construction
and is planning to provide help in education, income and health as well.
iii. Maharashtra government also launched Shramev Jayate Yojana under which a pension of
Rs.3000 is given to construction workers above the age of 60 years. If the worker died, the pension
will be given to his widow.
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FAME-II plan stands to reduce 64% energy needs and 37% carbon needs by 2030: CII
The Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) has notified certain observations regarding the second phase of
the Faster Adoption and Manufacture of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India). It has
observed that India can save 64% of anticipated road-based mobility-related energy demand and 37% of
carbon emissions by 2030.
Key Points:
i. The reduction in energy demands would lead in the reduction of 156 million tonnes of oil equivalent in
diesel and petrol consumption and net savings of approximately $60 billion in 2030 at current oil rates. This
will boost India’s vision of reducing oil imports by 10% by 2022.
ii. The tentative aim is to have 30% electric vehicles by 2030 and the electric vehicle penetration in India is
currently at 1%. Therefore, CII added that FAME alone is not enough to reach the 2030 target.
iii. If transport has to be eco-friendly, it must increase its share of renewable along with environmentally
sustainable batteries. As per CII, transport continues to be the highest oil consuming sector and the use of
diesel and petrol grew at 5.9% and 9.9% respectively in the last decade. As per government’s estimates, the
country’s import dependency on oil has increased to 83.7% in the 10-month period of FY 2019 from 78.3% of
total consumption in 2014-15.
iv. The government has allocated Rs.10,000 cr for FAME-II which is Rs.895 cr higher than allocated for FAME-
I.
About FAME India Scheme:
The Department of Heavy Industry implemented the FAME India scheme to promote manufacturing of electric
and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth.
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Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme, 81,03,196 houses were approved
On June 27, 2019, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri announced
that 81,03,196 houses were approved under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme. 47,57,987
houses are at stages of construction and 26,07,913 houses were completed or occupied.
Key Points:
i. Central Assistance of Rs. 51,113 crores was released under the PMAY(Urban) and the assistance was met
through Budgetary Resources as well as Extra Budgetary Resources (EBR).
ii. State Level Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (SLSMC) under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary of the
concerned State/Union Territories reviews the progress of implementation of the Mission ‘Housing for All by
2022’ at the State level.
About PMAY:
PMAY is an initiative by the Government of India in which affordable housing will be provided to the urban
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poor with a target of building 20 million affordable houses by 31 March 2022. It has two components: Pradhan
Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) for the urban poor and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-
G/ PMAY-R) for the rural poor.
Central Government approved pilot scheme on fortification of rice and its distribution through PDS
Union Minister Smriti Irani of Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry stated that based on the
information received from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the Department of
Food and Public Distribution, central Government approved the centrally sponsored pilot scheme on
fortification of rice and its distribution through Public Distribution System (PDS).
Key Points:
i. Distribution of Financial assistance: It is up to 90% in the case of North-Eastern, Hilly and Island States and
up to 75% for the rest of the States.
ii. Fortification: It is a complementary strategy to fight malnutrition under which the addition of key vitamins
and minerals such as iron, iodine, zinc, vitamins A & D to staple foods such as rice, wheat, oil, milk and salt are
done to improve their nutritional content. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) formulated a
comprehensive regulation on fortification of food namely ‘Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods)
Regulations, 2016’.
iii. Finalization: The Recommended Dietary Allowance for Indian population was finalized by the National
Institute of Nutrition (NIN) based on the recommendations of the Expert Group. It is based on individual
variability and nutrient bio-availability from the habitual diet.
WCD implements a Scheme for Women in Difficult Circumstances called “Swadhar Greh”
The Ministry of Women and Child Development(WCD), Government of India is implementing
the Swadhar Greh Scheme for the rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances so that they
could lead their life with dignity.
Key points:
i. Support: It envisages providing shelter, food, clothing, and health as well as economic and social
security for the women who are deserted and without any social and economic support, victims of
domestic violence, family tension, and natural disaster.
ii. Helpline: The ministry is also implementing Universalisation of Women Helpline Scheme to
provide 24 hours emergency and non-emergency response to women affected by violence.
iii. OSC: As a part of Nirbhaya Framework, One Stop Centres(OSC) has been established for violence
affected women across the country with the help of States/UTs (Union territory).
iv. Facilities: OSC formed under One Stop Centre Scheme provides legal and psycho-social
counseling &other facilities include temporary shelter, police facilitation and medical support to the
women affected by violence.
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HRD Ministry launches new UGC Scheme “Paramarsh” For Higher Education
On July 19, 2019, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister for Human Resource Development
(HRD) launched a Scheme called “Paramarsh” of University Grants Commission (UGC) in New Delhi.
i. About Paramarsh
Aim: This scheme aims at mentoring National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC)
accreditation aspirant institutions to develop quality assurance in Higher Education.
Mentorship: Under the scheme, the prime Mentoring institutions will provide regular mentoring to
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colleges to help achieve high-quality standards. For mentoring they will get the financial assistance &
also the option of appointing an expert, who can be paid a fellowship amount of Rs 31,000 per month.
Hub & Spoke model: The Scheme will be implemented through a “Hub & Spoke” model where
mentor institution -called ‘Hub’ has the responsibility of guiding mentee institution (through
secondary branches ‘Spoke’) for self-improvement.
Target: For mentoring, the scheme targets 1000 Higher Education Institutions.
Benefits:
i. The scheme enhances the overall quality of the mentee institutions and enhances its profile as a
result of improved quality of research, teaching and learning methodologies.
ii. It will help in providing quality education to the 3.6 crore students who enrolled in Indian Higher
Education system.
iii. The mentor institution will also get NAAC accreditation.
Feature: It will also facilitate the sharing of knowledge, information, and opportunities for research
collaboration and faculty development in Mentee Institutions.
Under PMKSNY, more than 7 crore 32 lakh farmer families received first two instalments of Rs
2000 each
Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY), more than 7 crores 32
lakh farmer families across India received the first and second installments of Rs 2000 each
amounting to 14 thousand 646 crore rupees.
i. The list was topped by Uttar Pradesh with over two crores twenty lakh farmer families followed by
Andhra Pradesh with 72 lakh and Maharastra 50 lakh farmers.
About PMKSNY:
It is an initiative by the Government of India in which small and marginal farmers with landholding up
to 2 hectares will get up to Rs 6,000 per year as minimum income support. Rs 6,000 per year will be
paid to each eligible farmer in three instalments and will be deposited directly to their bank accounts.
It became effective from December 1, 2018. Budget allocation 2019-20- Rs. 75,000 crore.
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Goods and Service Tax (GST) turnover below Rs 1.5 crore can avail the scheme.
ii. The above eligible persons should not be covered under the National Pension Scheme, Employees’
State Insurance Scheme, and Employees Provident Fund or be an Income Taxpayer (assessee).
Contribution
i. Amount of contribution is age-specific.
ii. It is a 50:50 basis scheme where the government contributes an equal amount as that of the
contribution made by the subscriber.
Key points
The scheme can be enrolled by interested persons through Common Service Centres(CSC) spread
across the country.
i. The enrollment based on self-declaration, only requires the person to possess a savings
account and Adhaar number.
Approval given to national permit scheme for inter-state travel for bus operators
During the International Bus and Car show, Prawaas 2019 which was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra,
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari informed that approval was given to the national permit
scheme for inter-state travel for bus operators. It will increase the state revenue by 3-4% as the
money will be directly credited to the states in a proportionate manner.
i. Government is also working on alternative fuels such as deriving ethanol from sugarcane which will
be cost-effective and pollution-free.
About Ministry of Road Transport and Highways:
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi
♦ Formed: July 1942
Govt sanctioned project for the development of Tirthankar Circuit covering sites associated
with Jainism under Swadesh Darshan scheme
Government has sanctioned Rs.52.39 crores for the project development of Vaishali, Arrah, Masad,
Patna, Rajgir, Pawapuri, Champapuri in Bihar under the Tirthankar Circuit theme of Swadesh
Darshan Scheme in the year 2016-17. It was informed by Union Tourism Minister of State for Culture
and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel in reply to question in Lok Sabha. The project is under
implementation and the Ministry has released Rs.26.19 crores for the project.
i. The ministry has identified Tirthankar Circuit as one of 15 thematic circuits for development under
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Swadesh Darshan Scheme. All sites in the country related to Jainism are covered under this Circuit.
ii. The projects to be taken up under the scheme are identified in consultation with State
Governments/UT(Union Territory) administrations and are sanctioned subject to the submission of
project proposals, their adherence to relevant scheme guidelines, submission of suitable detailed
project reports, availability of funds and utilization of funds released earlier.
iii.About Swadesh Darshan:
Thematic circuits: In 2014 The Ministry of Tourism launched this flagship scheme for development
of thematic circuits i.e. theme-based tourist circuits across the country in a planned and prioritized
manner.
Concept: These tourist circuits are being developed on the principles of high tourist value,
competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner.
Funding: It is a 100% centrally funded scheme. It also has provision for leveraging voluntary funding
under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central PSUs(Public Sector Units) and
corporate sector.
Present status: 15 thematic circuits that have been identified so far for development under it are
Buddhist, North-East India, Coastal, Himalayan, Krishna, Desert, Eco, Wildlife, Tribal, Rural, Sufi,
Tirtankar, Spiritual, Ramayana, and Heritage.
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