WN ON GENEML STWIES 20 1 3 (2)

GENERALSTUDIFJ
POPULATION
CENSUS & CASTE-BASED CENSUS -
Census is the maii source of Population data in our country. It pmvides valuable information about the land and its people
1t a given point of time Indian Censug which is more than-100 years old, has the distinction of having unbroken series of census
dating back to 1872. Sine 1881" the Populacion Census in India has been heH in every l0 years. The Census data is required to
develop sound policies aird plograrnmes aimed at fostering the welfare of the counay and its people The corirprehensive Decennial
Census was conducted in February, 2011. It was followed by a standalone Caste Census (individual count of all castes that included
Schedule Castes, Scheduled aibes and other castes) which was held around June 20U. Acconding to Government 3ources, the
Governrnent of India decided to go for house enrrremtiorr.
. Indian Census has been collecting information on Cast€s since 1872. The D5l Census was the first Census after
independence Indelendent India had shunned counting the dumber of people belonging to each caste'- barring an omnibus figure
for the SC/ST-- with the objective of moving towards a casteless society. Caste.is a realiry, often an ugfy one, in India It has long
been argued that caste cannot be a criteridn for acccinding State benefits, rather the basis should be economic,
'A woman enumentot' in kurta pyiama is the masjcot of the masot for the census, 20llThe total population, as per 20ll
census is l2l crores (1.2 billion). Population Growth rate from last sehsus is 17.64% Sex ratio is 940 to l0OO. Literacy rate is74.04. .

NATIONAL POPUTATION REGISTER (NPR)

During the census exercise, digital database having identity details of all the individuals along with their photqgrapbs and
finger biomenics were created. The exigence of such a database will enhance the efficacy of providing services to the residents
under Government pmgranmes as well as impmve security scenario and check identicy frauds in the country. The data collection
was undertakcn along wirh House lisring and Hotrsing Census starring in April, 2010 completed in September. NPR der"ils will be
sent fo Unique ldentification Authority of India (UIDAI) for biometric deduplication and assigning of a Unique ldentification
number. This UID number will be added to the NPR darabase.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON POPUIATION

India has the second largest population among countries of the world, the first being China. With only 24% of the
world's geographical are4 India's share of world population is 16.Fr6. India is adding 17 million pmple every year. At this rate our
population will be around 1620 million by I50. Growth: India's populationgrew slowly only fill 1920. 1921 is known as the year of
the Great Divide, since therc was an actual decline in popuhtion in that census, brcught about by an influsnza epidemic. We have
completed yet another Census in 2011. In the first 50 yiais after Independence, our population bas almost tripled.
Population and Developmenc Population growth, if unchecked, nullifies fruits of development, in several pays:
€' The increasing supply of labour demands greater invesment to absorb then This puts pressure on the mtional allocation of
resources.
* The unchecked gowth of urban population puts trenrendous pressrue on urban servies like drinking water, sanitation and
housing
* Population growth exerts pressure on ecolqgy. Very often, pl4nners sacrifice tle needs of the funrre generations in their
anxiery to meet proximate demands
a Population e>rplosion also leads to disproportionate demands on services like rnatemity, child health and primary education
which necessitate diversion of scarce funds from o,ther sectors. This distorts invesnnent planning.

NATIONAL POPUTATION POUCY. 2OOO

Highlighrs of NPP are:
(I) Decedrralization: The 73d and 74d Amendments to the Constitution made health farnily welfare and education the
responsibiliry of village panchayats.
(2) Extending basic reproductive and chiH heahh care throug! mobile clints and counseling services.
(, Pmgrammes for safe mothe*rood, universal immunization and integratd reproductive child health.
(4) Targeting under-served population groups like - (a) Urban Slums (b) Tribal Communities, hill area, displaced and migranr
population(c) Adolescents (d) Increased participation of men in planned-parent hood
(5) Collaboration witl and comminnent from NGos and the private sector.
(6) Research in contraceptive technology.
(7) Development in information" ducation anrcl communftcation.
Effective implemmtation of ttre National Pqrulation Policy could be the bqginning of a nacional movement.

SWAMINATHAN COMMTi-TBE
GoveEmeDt appointed an Expert Gmup on Population Policy with the eminent sciendsq Dr. M.S. Swaminathan as
Chairman to preparc a draft National Population P"li.y. The Group submitted its report to the government in 199t. The main
recornmendations of the Gmup were:
. The objective of ttre policy will continue to be populatbn srabilizrioq but it should be achkved through a srronger emphasis
on social development with the involvement of the decenmalized instirudons
. Family ptanningstrategi€s shoult be linked with the provision of minimum nends.
o Greateremphasison rernoval of social evfu like chilC marriage, dowry, etc.
. Allowing locally dected bodies ro s€r social devdopmenr curn demographic ta€€ts
I
 wN o N GhNERAL srwrEs 2oi 3 (2)

o Escablishment of an apex body called Population and Social Developmenr Commission (similar to Space Comhission and
_ Atomb Enetgy Commission) which will replace the departmentsdealing with heakh and family welfare.
Cairo Conference:
The International Confer.ence on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo ir 1994, set a new agenda for
population and development for the next 2O years. Salient featur€s of the n *, approach as ourlined in the Programme oflction of
ICPD are:
. Focus away ftom targets and on individual needs
t Special attention oh education of girls, the survival of infants; health of mothers and general empowerment of women.
. Family planning ro be placed in tfre wider conrexr of reproductive health.
t- The responsibility for implementation of the prograrnme rests not only on governrhents but all groups in society.
Government of India has recast the family weHare programme on the lines qf ttre Cairo Plan of Action by abolishing targers and by
launching a special programme on Repmductive and child Health. Some of the present approach to*ards family wllfariarea;
. Reproductive and Child Health Programme (RCH) introdued with effect from lf October, 1997.
. Target-fipe approach towards family welfare has been inrroduced
o PreventinginJantmortalitytbrouglr a massive Pulse Polio lrnrnmization (PPI) which'ivas successfully implementedin 199G97.
o Socialnnrketingofcontraceptives.
e Medical temrirntion of pregnancy ro prcvenr maremal morbidity and mortaliry caused by illegal aborrions.
o Preventiol of pre-naral sex determination (Amniocentesis) by enforcing the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act 1994 to
prevent tle destrucrion of female foetus.
POVERTY
.
dignity,
Po^o.ty is the denial of opporcunicies fo lead a long, healchy, crcacivr lile and to enjoy a decenr standarrd of living, freedom,
sell-respect and the reslrcct of others. Absolute Poverty is when a person cannot obtain certein absolute standards of
minimum requirements, usually measured in terrns of income Rehtive Poverty is when a person falls behind others and is thus a
measqre of inequality of income. Income, however, is only one nrcasure of poverty. Poverty line is rraditionally based on some
minimurn nurritional level in terms of calorie consumption The amounts requircd to buy the minimum calorific requirements is
quantified in tenns of money. Those households whictrdo not have incorne of this level are termed to be below poverty line.

rhe commun,,y D.*bp:3YYHH?iX1"#:#tt:&ffY*Y:!?tiLtion scheme undertaken by the

Government of India- The Pmgrairme is a cJnscious effort to bring abo-u-t an all-round improvement in living standards of runl
population The Government provides the necessary incentive by wiy offinancial and technical assistarrce to the rural population,
but the m{or part of execution is to be accomplished by the runl foli< themselves. It is basically and substantially a prolect of the
peoplqlor the people and by the people. The Communiry Development Programme was launched on the 2d October, 1952. It is a
comprehensive term which embraces all activities like Agriculruml growth, fair wages, housing, public healtfi, village planning,
education, adult literacy, communications, development of economic and social infrastructurg etc.
-

_ Organizational set-up for irnplementation of the Community Development Programmes starts with the Central
Committee headed by the Prime Minister, Members of Planning Commission, Minister for Food and Agriculture and Minister for
Rural Development as the mernbers of the Committee. Each State has a State Development Committee, presided over by the Chief
Minister. The State Development Commissioner is the Secretary of the Committee. He is responsible for the execution of the
prcgrarnme The Deputy Commissioner is the District level Officer who is responsible for acnral implement4tion of the prqramme
of the Disnict level He is assisted by a District Development Officer fop the pmgress of Programmes.
-Development
Policy The Deparment of Rural in the Ministry of agricrikure stipulateJ the policy relating to the Community
Development The State Government is primarily responsible for the &aution of the Programme. the Communicy Development
Programme bas many weaknesses. In order to remove rhe defects of the CDP, in 1956, the National Development Council appointed
a Commictee under Shri Balwantrai Melta to go inte the entire question of Commrmity Development and the Committee suUmind

its Tport in I9?. The crucial part of the Mehta report was a chapter on 'Democratic Decentralization' from which the idea of
Panchayati Raj sprang up.

rhree-Fourths of our cpuntrymen t *1'YLtlH:il:ftTilIiHl?tfl"", and prosperous only when alt uill,so
are freed ftom backwardness and poverty. "
"" There are two typ€s of unemployment in Indian villagei : (a) disguised uneurployed and
(b)-seasonal unemployed. Agriculture is the only source of income foi mrat people and henie they havi been in this
protessiou tor tfie whole year. Morcover, the scope for employnient in otler sectors is limited which leads to ""gaied
the problem of
disguised untmploympnr By late l970's it was realized that some special prqgramnes need to be innodrrced to solve the problem of
rural unemplsy66ot Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) was launched in 1978-79.
Following are some of the Rural Development Programmes:
Intqrated Rural Development Pmgramme(IRDP): IRDP which was started in 1980 with the aim of raising families above the
poverty line by qeating sustaina$lg opportunities sf sslf-employmenL The rheme is implemented in all the Communiry
Development blocks in the country as a cenrrally sponsored scheme with both centre and state sharing the cost of subslly equally.
At least 5096 of the beneficiaries shoulf, be SC/ST and 4O96 of the total should be women bendiciaries.
j'f"$9t"t Rural Employment Programme (NREP): It is the complementary scheme to assist creation of jobs by employing persons in
buiHing and maintenancc of cornmunity assets-
 WN ON GENERAL SIUDIES 201 3 (2)

Runl t-andless Employment Guauntee Programme (RLEGP): It was launched during 1983-8+ w-i1h the aim of assuring at least 100
days (in a year) of Jmpbym"nt to the rural landless labour households. They were td be employed in creating durable assets.

Jawahar Rozgar Yojna (fRY): Rural unemployment

^of
and under emplolment are the main cadses of rural poverty in India- Runl
pouoay allevition w". it main ob;ective 'fu ptan To this effect, dhe 'National Rural Employment Programme' was started in
"
O.tobi., 1980 which replaced the Food for work prograuune Airother prqir.amme 'Rural tandless Employment
Progranune was launched on August 15, 1983.
A new scheme calledJiwahaita N** Ro-gar Yojna came into being, after 1989-90 Bydggt, for intensive employment in
backwancl districts with acute'poverty and unemployirent. The NREP, RIEGP-and theJawharlal Nehru R.o4arYojna were merged
into one single prograrnme to Ui knpwn as Jawahir Ro4,ar Yojana- The expenditure was to be shared as 8O:20 between the Centrc
and the Srat"a.lt iI eEirnated that ihis prfo&unure *o,ita p*uia. anplopirent for at least one member of each family liviag'below
the poverty line who seek unskilled employrrrenc. The primary objective was: generation of additional gainful employment forthe
unutoployed and under employed p.oonr in rural th. Secoudary objective was: Creation of Corymunity- assgts whi$ -will
lead t6 ripid growtt of runl econ-omy and steady"r*J"nd
rise in the inmme levels of the mral poor. Wolks under Jawahar Rojgar-Yojana
included:i Socialior"strp ii Soil and waterconservatioB; iii. Minorirrigation works; iv. Fl9$ protectiondrainageandwater
Iqging works; v. Inigatiori wells and canals on the fields of SC/STs.,vi.'Rural sanitation works like constfuction of lauines, drains,
softa{e pits, near trana pumps, etc. vii. Construction of roads, rural bank buildings, godowns, community cenae, Panchayat ghars,
ma*Jt yards, etc. in rural areas, etc. In 1999, Jawahar Ro4ar Yojana was further streamliFed and restructured under a new
name: Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna

JAWAHAR GRAM SAMRIDHI YOJANA(JGSY): JGSY is being implernented as a Cenrrally sponsored scheme on a cost sbaring
iario of 75:25 between the Centre and the States. It has been desigred to impmve the qualrty of life of the mral poorby enriching
the village infizstructure. The primary ob.iective of Jawahar Gram Sarmridhi Yojna implemented by the Gram Panchayats is the
creationif dernand driven village inficasructure including durable assets to enable the rural poor to incfease the oppomrnities for
sustained errploymenc lOW6 of funds (both Cenoal and State shares) are released directly to the Village_Panchayats through tlre
Disrrict Rumi Svebpmenr Agencies (DnOesyZitta Parishads(ZPs). Village Panchayats are the_ sole luthonty for preparation of
Annual Action Plan aid its implementatio.t without the approvil of the Gram Sabha The secondary objective is the generation of
supplementary employment for the unemployed poor in the nrral areas. Wage employment under the pro{Sramme shall be given to
Below Poverty Line families and SC/STs. 30% of the employmentopportunities are reserved for women.

EMPLOYMENT ASSURANCE SCHEME (EAS): Employment Assumuce Scheme started on October ], 1993 for implementation
in lZ/8 identified Backward Panchayat Samids in drought prone are4 nibal areas and hill areas in which the revamped Public
Distribution Scheme was in operation was subsequently extended to all the 5448 rural panchayats Samitis o{ thecounuy by 1997'
98. The primary objegtive ofihe Employnrent Assurance Scheme (FAS) is creation of additional wage emplolmrent oppornrnities
during the period ofacute shortage of wage employment thmugh manual work for the rural poor living below the poverty line. The
secondary oblective is the cre4tiori of durable community ,social and econwdc assets for sustalned ernployment and developmenc .
Employment Assuran. ce Scheme is open to all the rural pmr who are in need of wage employment . Sihce the programme is
seH targetirgin nature and only tlre minimum wages to be pait, it is expected that onl- y-persons below the poverty line would come
for uns-l<illd work While pmviding employment, preference shall be gven to scheduled Castedscheduled Tribes and-parents of
child labour withdrawn from hazandous occupations who are below the poverty line The Zilla Parishad is tfre'Implementing
Authoritf.

MrLLroN wBlrs SCHEME (MWS)

Target Group: Srnall and marginal farrners amongst SCdSTs who are below the poverty line
Objective: To pmvide open irrigation wells free of cost io s*all and marginal farmers belonging to SCVSTs who are below the
poverty line. funds: nxpenditure on the programme will be earmarked for SC/ST works underJawahar RojgarYojana.

FOODFORWORK PROGRAMME
Tbe Food for Work Prograrnme was startd on lJanuary, 2001as part of the Employrnent Assurance Scheme (EAS). It is a
general schemg whhh can fomr a part of any ry4ge emplolmem scheme of the Central or State Govemment, being iAplgnented in
the notified district of the State during the period of Naruml Calamitks. Governrnent of India ma\es available appmpriate
quantiry of foodgmins ro each of the affected States. Wages by the State governnent can be pard panly in kind (upo 5 Kgs of
foodgmins per -anday) and partly in caslr- The workers are paid the balance of wages in cash, suph that ,hry * assuned of the
noUfrod Utinimum wagis.Supirly of tooagrains is made to ttre wo&men preferably at the work site. The official supervisqq at"
work (declled by the State Gov€rnment) under the Food for Work Prognmme, will be responsible for the distributbn of food
grains at the work site or through PDS. This programrne stands extended in respect of notified 'natural calarrrity affectd Disnias".

sAMpooRNA GRAMEEN ROZGAR YOJANA (SGRY)

This programme was hunched, meqging tle EAS and theJGSY, to take care of food securiry, additional wage-eyploynent
and village infrashucture on 2fSepternber TOI with an gnnual ouday of Rs-lop00 crores. Under the scheme, 50 lakh tonnes of
foodgrdns amounting to Rs.5Off) clores was pmvided every year ftee of cost to ttre State Govemments and Union Tenitory
Administmtions. The remaining funds will be utilizd to tneet the cash cornponent of wages and the marerial cosr Un&r the
Scheme, about 1000 crore mandays of wage-empbynent is elvisagd to be generated ev€ry year. The Cash component is shared
 vN oN GENERAL S-I|d,D/TF,5 20 I 3 Q)
between Cenfre and state in the ratio of 75:25. The.SGRY will be implenrenred
in two srri:ams. Firsr stream will be implemented
at the Disrrict and Intermediate Panchayat levels and thesecond
strdn, will be implemenred at the Village lun frul,aT'r.*l- rft
basic obiective of ghe fi1t srream"wouldbe to provide.addirional wage-Ernploymenr while
*rd*
the secnnd *ouuirirardy
at crcation of need hsed rural inftastructure. 0nder the scheme, "i-
roo irJr" man-days of wage-employment is envisaged to be
"boilt
generated in the rural areas every yeai:. r"ery worker seeking emfbymenr
under the SGR/Y will # p*riJi"-"rr"ir",^rFi?s.f
foodgnains (in kind)pe1 o-art of wages. The balai'ce oi *'ugo will be paia in casrr so tnaithey are assuiJ ortn
ryg-Si_*
minimum wages. Punchalati Raj Inshrudons can take up worlis as pdthe felt ne^ed of rhe areas. "odn
a
W orhs prohikted w&t this *hcnrc.

1 for religious purposes, Monuments, Mernonals, Starues, Idols, Arch Gates, welcome Gates and the like
lutHlngs
u.
Ciovernment Office buildings, Compound walls.
!1_-ryrHings for Highersecondary Schools and Colleges
SGRY pmgrammes have been entirely subsumed in thi National Runl Employment
Guaranree scheme (NREGS) wirli effect'ftom
Apdl,l Zoos.

TRAINING oF RURAL yoUTH FoR SELF-ENIILOYME||I (TRySEM): It was launched in t929. to assist unemployed
rural
Iglt hy..tt ,.h! tgo 9! t-s.and 35 to acquire skills and technologT for seflernploymenr in agriculrure and allied ricriviries, In 1996-
97 it is estimated tlat 3-6 lakh youth were trained underTRYSEM? which
L3 lakhwere selfimployed and 52,000 wage-employed-

DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN RUMLAREAS (DWCRA): Ic was launched in 1982 in oder to assisr nrral
women rn-tnPme-gerlerating activities. The schemc enjoyed participation arrd rupport by UNICEF tillJanuary
^for
l, 1996. Ir provides
a grouP of l0-D rural women a revolving of Rr,25,fo *t"iti"g income-generating ventures. bwcne'nr. protld to be
!un!
immensely qopular among rural women. The latest of the poverty alevilrion schehe is the"Ganga
Kalyan yojana (cfo) hunched
with effect fmm l"' February, 1997. It see]<s to pr91{g inigation facilities ghrough ground r^?.. *ur.o t'o r-iU ani -atginal
farmers below.the poverty line. However, from rs9-2000, d. g"**-; decidi tJ-..g. thevarious self-employment r.nl*
into a single, all'inclusive scheme called SwarnaJayanti Gram sia-R o-gar yojana

SWARNJAYANTI gRA M SWAROZGAR YOJANA

SGSY, a self employment Programme was launched w.e.[ April l, 1999, amalgamating certain ersrwhile programmes
viz.
lTgn:{}P ?:Y*pq.". Programme 0RDP), D.evdgpment of woqen and Chiliren in F.unl ereas
Kunl Youth tor Self'prr,tplgyrnent.(TRY-SEI{), Supply of
(owci[f,r---s.f
_I-mproyed Toolkits to Rural Artisans (SITM), canga f"ry* voli*
(c-tcv) and Million wells Scheme (Yrysl inio a s'iifuL sef eirployment Programme Ir airns pio*oting *i.il.ot ipri.o'uxl
helping che rural poor intg una.*r.ir pnflQ,Euiping, ;ailing" ph;"g of activity "t
clrrsiers, iofrir*.rur. a.o!iop-*t,
fHQ
financial assistance through bank credit ana sulsay anA nirt<eting $p'port .rJ. Th. schime is being implemented
as a Central
sponsored scheme on a cost sharing ratio of 75:25 berween the centri *^atn" States.
*^_-,-,
th. tar,get group in Swarnjayand G*q Swam-ger yojana (SGSY) consisrs of rural poor families whose per capital
mgnftI!'expenditure does not exoeed the p9v-erty linc as estimated by the Planning Commission. SGSY, particularly fauses on the
grollps among the rural poor. The bcVsrr will account for ar leasi 50 percent of the swaroagar'rs. The subsidy
Th:tll.
aduiissible to SC/ST is 5opercenr of i^he prolect cost subject to a ceiling of Rs. 10,00o. of the total allocation unier
SGSy, the sbare
of STs and SCs would be 15 percent
^"a
i:
percent respectively. thi latest pi"go-- in this direction is the Narional Ruual
Emploment Guaran tbe Scheme-.

NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (NREGS): This is a massive and ambitious schemg enacted
on
Au4st 25,2005. The NRGEG,Ac.I.provides a legal gualantg fo1 one-hgn{rid days of employmenr in every financial year to adulr
menrbers oJ any rural household willing to do puFliciork-related unskilled .o"urril work a'c the stafurory
minimum wase. This acr
was introdued with an
1m of :tlpy"i"g thi purchasing- power of qhe rural people, primarily semi oi utrskilled ulo.i to p"opt"
-fi:yq !:l.q
q.t:.y F.. in rural maiu" tiuaopr" to t#g. rhc gap berween itt '.i.t La p"ol io ,h. *uorry toughly on.l*iru
ol,the stltuplated work lorce must be women. In April 2008, NREGA expanded to cover tlie entire India" Inhe ur6arsector, the '
Iollowmg two schemes are currendy in operation after merger of many of the existing schemes:

IEHIY-\-o-?G4R; -YOJANA (NRY): It-was launched in october, 1989. Subsequently, the Self-Employment Pmgramme for Urban
which was in operation from t98&87, was merged with NRY in 1992-63. NRY consijts of three su6-schem.s
Poor (SEPUP),
r Scheme of Urban Micro Ente4rrises (SUME) to assisr rhe urban youth in upgrading their skillg
r Scheme for Housing and Shelter Upgradation (SHASU) to provide employment through housing and shelter schernes;
and
r Schemc of Urban Wage Employrnent (SUWE) to provide wage emplolanent in urban infrastrucrure schemes.
Prime Ministet's Rog-r (PMRY): Thii was lauiched in'19.ft3-g4 to assisr educated youth in secrq up sep-
emplo;ment-micro.enterpriies Jojana
Uy-gryi"g soft loans upto Rs.l lakh. The stake of the benefrciary will be 5<5' The scheme also
pmud_es tor imprtimg rraining to the beneficiaries. Thi outlay for 1995-96 was Rs.l45
cmre.
New Economic Pohcy and Poverty Alleviation: A srudy of incidene of poverty in the pre-reforrn and pos-reform paiod by the
experts brouglrt out the following observations:
Runal poverty rose considenably inthe first three years of reform (1991, 1992 and 1993). After reaching 43%, ir d€clind ro 4gyo
' inlgg?g4,which was srill higher rhan dls 1990-9i figure.
r Urbn poverry rose in 1992 and 1993 before declining to 3l% in 1993-94, as against the pre-reforn percenr,ge of 35.
 VN ON GENEML STT]DIES 20 I 3 (2 )

RURAL HOUSING
Housing is a basic,human need. There is a direct correlation between poverty and housrng. Considering the magnitude of
the pmblem, the Central Government announced a National Housing and Habitat Policy, in 1998, which aims at providing'Housing
Jor All'. Government is committed to the goal of erding all shelterlessness. The Govemment of India is impkmentiry Indira Awass
Yojana since the year 1985-86 with the objative of poviding assistance primarily to the Below Poverty Line (BPI-) nml households
belongrng primarily to the Scheduled Castes, ftheduled Tribes and freed bonded labour categories. From the year 19?94, its scope
has been.extended to coveh non-rhduld_castes and scheduled tribes BPL rural poor, subject to the conditibn that non SC/ST
households shall not receive more than 4096 of LAY allmarion Benefits of the scheme have also been extended to families of
servicernen of the armed and paramilitary forces killed in rction. 3% of the houses are reserved for BPL phpicany and mentally
challenged persons living in rural areas. Origina[n the ceiling on construction assistance under the Indira Awass Yojana cunently
was Rs.20,O0O/- per unir for plain areas an l Rs.22,000/- for hilly/difiicuk areas.
Under the IAY, the Gram Sabha is empowered to select the beneficiaries under the Scheme. Fuaher, the allounent of
dwelling units should be in the narne of female mernber of the beneficiary household. Alternatively, it can be alloned in tle name of
both husband and wife Sanitary latrine and smokeless chullah are an integral part of the IAY house. The conshuction of the house
is the responsibility of the beneficiary. Sirce inception of the scheme till 2002, more than 80 lakh houses have been constmcted
under IAY. From D99'2OOO, the scheme has been enlarged to integrate the provision of shelter with sanitation and drinking water.
The new scheme will be known as Sarnagra Awas Yojna"

SAMAGRA AWASYOJANA
Samagra Awaas Yojana is a comprehensive housing Scherne launched in lD9-2000, with a view to ensuring integrated
provision of shelter, sanitation and drinking water During rhe first phase of implementation, it has beeu decided to take Samagra
Awaas Yojana in one block each of districts of 24 States and one UT which have been identified for implementing panicipatory
approach under the Accelerated Rural Water Supply hogramme. The existing schemes of housing drinking water and sanitation
follow the normal of funding pattem. However, a special central assistance of Rs.25 lakhs is prcvided for each blrck for
undertaking the overall habitat development and Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities with lOob
contribution coming from the people.

GRAMIN AWAAS PROGRAMME

People living below the poverty line will be the bendiciaries of the Gramin Awaas Prograrrme launched by the Ministry of
Rural Development under the Pradhan Manai Gramodya Yojana- Minimum 60 per cent of the houses will be provided for SC/STs
and freed bonded labourers. Selecrion of the beneficiaries will be done by the Gram Sabha The maximum assistance ceiling limit
will be Rs. 2O,000 in plain areas and Rs. 22,000 in difficuh and hilly areas- The assistance will be given to female member of the
household or altematively it could be in the joint name of husband and wife.

VALMIKI AMBEDKAR AWAS YOJANA(VAMBAY): This prograrne was launched in December, 2001 to ameliorate the
conditions of the urban slum-dwellers living belong the povefiy line wit]rout adequate shelter. The scheme has the primary
objective of facilitating the construction and upgradation of dwelling units for slum dwellers and providinga treahhy and enabling
urban environment through community toilets under Nimal Bharat Abhiyan, a component of the scheme The Central Government
pmvides a subsidy of 50 per cent, the balance 50 perc€nt being arranged by the State Government. There are prescribd ceilings on
costs both for the dwelling units andcornmuniry toilets.

CENTRAL RU RAL SANITATION PROGRAM ME

I-aundred in 1986, the Central Rural Sanitation Programme(CRSP) aims at improving the quality of life of the rural people
and to pmvide privacy and dignity to women in particular. Uder the CRSP, sanitary latrines are provided to the mral popularion
with preference to SCIST families and people below the poverty line. Objective of this prograrnme include: i) Impmvingthe general
quality of life in rural areas; ii) Acceleratingcoverage in rural areaq iii) Generating dernand th-"gh awareness cneation and health
education; iv) Controlling incidence of water and sanitation related diseases.
The guidelines stipulate that a minimurn of 20 percent of the total funds should be earurad<ed for provfuling subsidy to
individual households from SCs and STs below the poverty line Allocation may be increased where the BPL SC/ST population is
more In the revised criteria for 20O142, 90 per cent of allocation is for Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in the llentifid districts
and the rernaining lO per cent of the allocation is for allocatim-based programme.

PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA

Even after five decades of Independencg about 4CIh of India's villages do not have proper Road connectivity. Keeping in
view t}te fact that Runal Rmds are vital to economic growth ard m€asures for poverty alleviation in the villages, Govemment has
launched a I0S Cenrrally Sponsored fttreme called the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana on 2f Decenber, 20OO. The
Programme seeks to provide connectivity to all Unonnected Habitations in the rural areas wifl a population of more than 500
prsons thto"Ch good All-weather roads by the end of the Tenth PIan Period(2oo7). Although the initial estirndes indicated a
requirement of Rs-60,0O0 crores for tle programme, the present indications are that about Rs.1,10,000 cmres will be needed for
achieveing the intended connectivity.
Works are to be executed by the State Govemment. No new Agency/Consultants to be created for execrrtion only. Roads
are to be built as per the specifications given in Rural Ruds Manual publislied by the Indian Rmds Congress. Ensuringquality of
rmds is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments/Ul-s The roads constructed under this scheme will be transferred to
 WN ON GENERAL STUDIES 20 1 3 (2)

atefvg Y9ar9 for maintenance A National Rural Roads Developmenr

fnr3
societies {gency (NRRDAj has been set up (2002) under the
Regishation Ac1to..e:<t9nd suppon to rhe pmgramnre rhriugh udfi..
appoinunent of pan-time euality Coneoii{onirors, erc.
l,ir*rniJl rf*in"",i"*lfij*i alpraisal,

-ACCELERATED RU RAL WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM ME (ARWSP)

The Minisnv of Rural Development *
.hq d+,:aRural'water
achieve this obiective, yTI progooime, like Accelerated
,9
i.*ie safe drinking water in all niral habitari,ons by 2004. To
supply prognnme .(ARwsp) and prime Ministet's
Gramodya Yoiana-Rural oiit i.ittfi wry.
have been implerrented ro resolve ddnking water crisis in rural
habitations' fhese programmes f,"u. .G @lacy-RDw)
i*pon-..
iiu* to oirr*"t"i h*"rtirrg *rLin.lliry or sources and communiry
participation
Rural water supply is a state subject. StateS have been taking up projects
and schemes from their own resources for the
provision of safe drinking water. However,..cog.ririog
the importfi".^.i f-tia"! J.dti"L.g warer in rural habirations,
ff;ffi:l'fi3ffila:?:Trttil#{fffiiffii,Jr.f;::trffi*ffe---.Fingimpremented.bytheDepartrnentorDrinking
water supply' under-this proglu.n;e, the fint so,rrc. of dri.,t<irig-;"#
in a village'is tiu. f*ria.a in the sclsr localities. The
amount so earmarked cannot be diverted fo. pqrlosel
TI_9!!.I tn order ro accilerate the'"ou.og. of scvsrs, ,rr" .or., u..
to utilize a minimum of 25 percent of adwsp f,,i'd"?;;;;iri." or a.ior.i"g ;;r;;;pi m scs and another lo percenr
ffiTf
The objectives of ARWSp are -
\f

(iter.per capita perday) drinki"g *"t.r i", fr;;;!;g",

: "r: Itr{
of
tryd ot addirional water forcarrle in arras under the DDp;
: 10
pump or stand post for every 250 persons; and
: 9""-.h3l
under ARWSp, funds are provided to stuto roi*^t i.rg pmvision of safe drinking water in rural habitations. stare Governmencs
should match funds releasei by the Center.

DESERT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ME (DDP)

Ic was staned, in the year l9T/'78- ile-pmgramme was started borh
in the hot desert areas of Rajasthan, Guiarat and
Haryana and the cold desert. areas^of
Jarnmu ana'raitrmir *d Him";h"l lrradesh. The objective of the programme has been ro
mitigate adverse effects of desenificalrion and adverse clirnatic
condiiions
''e vu crops, uurru
on lrvPe' human dru
and livestock population, combat
PUPU'.LTL''' c
desertificationandrestoreecologicalbalaneofthearea. 'VQLK
In hot sandv desen areas' sand dune stabilization and shelter belt plantations
were givengreater weightage. on tlre other
hand' in cold desert'a.e;L
1inc1
irrigarion' In the cold desert
rainrau ir ffiiur., ;;;;rb" uidlffo..rrurion coufd u i.t<eo up only through assured
areas, main actiiiry was"..p
water resources a.u.lop-*t ty **a*.uln of channels for diversion of
water flow fmg th9 glaci,grs
programme and funds are directlyTd Ttios: t" th..1i.tg.3"g irrGg"ri"" works in the v-al]eys. The DDp is cenrrally sponsored
released to DRDAV Zilla Parishadifor implemenrarion of thJprosamme.
The prqgramme was reviewed in 194-95 by a Technical C.*"til;-h"Jil-yi;t;.il.8*u"r
recommendations of the Committee, new BlockVDistricts were tha Rao. Based on the
included under a. i.ogru-*e'comprehensive Guidelines for
yit^t^Th* Development oommonly agnligble to differenr u.* a.n.io-p-.nr pmgrammes were implernented with effect
1.4.1995. From L4.99, the prograruni isiunded ftoni
on rhe basis of 25251C""i.d e staies)l

DRoUGHT PRONE A\IAS PROGRAMME (DPaP.); Dgu.{ Developmenr Prrqgramnr(DDP) and Incgrared wasrelands
Fy^t]gP--*t Prograrnme (IwDP),are being m.plemented'for the development of wastelands/deraded lands. DpAp was launched
n 1973'74 to tackle the special problerns hced by those
*"r .o**.ty idJty'il"gfi;e;s. .nDn-
DDp was launched
78 to mitigate the adverse effects of desertification IWDP has been
under impdnenufion on .om,at basis till 1994-95. since
April 1995, these prosrarnmes h.*g mented on water-shed b*ir. Fo. tt . project DpAp, "1562 projecrs bave been sancdoned
with funds of Rs)l5"crore; and 1o PPt
under"Iwbr, ioo pro;ecrs with funds of Rs.3o6 crore were sancdond. The cost norms
three schemes have been revised to Rs.6,0ffi per hectaie for all the
Under DPAP and DDp, the cost is sbare between the centre and rhe srates
in the ratio of 75:25' while in the case of iwop, Rs.5,500 ir b";.
by a;a;trul'covemmeni*a tr.:m is shared by the srares.
COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE'S ACTION AND RURAL
TECHNOLOGY (CAPART)
council for Advancement of People's Accion and Rural rechnology y"r ;!,1p
--s.pl.-u*'r9g6 by ;erging two
Acrion foi Development ltrci; lPADrl aia councll fd. ndurir.ero.r,t of Ruial T#hiorogy
lfffrti*1ff;ulTjl:,t*nle's
[\-AKl Jwrtn the mandate to promote voluntary action and to propagate-appropriate runl
technologies among the rural people It
has contributed its mite by involving people iri i[.
and supplemenring C,overnment etrorti.
a*"rop-.il-;#;- ;irfodh tn .Ji"- oqganizations [Voss]
"ivoruntary
The main objectives of CApART schemes are as follows:
l' Prqnotion of voluntar)t action through *nniag at the grassroots , organization of seminarq workshops and promotion
pmjects for ruml developm€trrs tnmugh ihera of
 VN ON GENERAL FIUDIES 2O1 3 (2 )

2. Providing a platform for sharing and disseinination of knowledge and experierrce.

3. '
Encouraging voluntary Organizations to cpllaborate amongst themselves.
4. Providing the minimum neds in respect of safe drinking water, sanitation and public lrealtb-
5. Awareness and capacity building of weaker sections of the sociery, specially women, SCt, STt- and disabled.
The Minister for Rural bevelopnrenr,-Gol, is the President of the Council and also the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the
Council. The General Body comprises not exeeding 100 members who are nominated by the President of the Council.

' WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT

The Watershed Development pmgramme is a major attempt by CAPART to tackle the ecological crisis and lxomote rural
prosperity through better management of soil and water, specially in t1le rain-fed areas of the country. In order to build the capacity
of the Project implementing Agencies (PLAs), the Watershed Conservation Team (WCf) and the beneficiaries in the watershed the
Council has 7 supporc Volunary Oganl26qs (SvOs) working throughout ttre counry. These SVOs are respmsible for proper
identification, training including field support for preparing tle Action Plans and implementation of the water${ projects
through PLAs CAPART was oneof the first organizations in the country to earma* three percent of its spending for promotion of
disability related programmes There are at present l3O new Water Shed Development proposals under consideration. The objective
of the WSD is to demonstrate a model which is both people and VO driven wirh local expertise as the core .

INTEGRATED WASTEIANDS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ME

The Intqgrated Wastelands Development Project Scheure is 3 flqgship scheme of the Deparnnent where wastelands are being
developed with the active participation of stakeholders ie. user groups, self-help gnoups and Panchayat Raj Insdrutions. llere the
projects are sanctioned in favour of DRDAVZilIa Parishads for the period of five years. The pmjects are implemented through the
Project tmplementing Agencies, which can be a line department or a reputed N@ having sufficient experience in the field of
Watershed development. The Programme is being implemented all over the counnry. The Scheme has been under imphmentation
since 1989-90 andhas come to this Departmeat along with the National Wastelands Development Board (NWDB) in July D92.
From April I, 1995, the Scheme ir beiry rmplemented on watershed basis under the common guidelines for the watershed
development.
IWDP is a tOO percenr Cenrral Secror Scheme. The cosc norm is Rs.4@O per hectare. The basic objecrive of chis scheme is
to take up integrated wastelands development based on village/micro-watershed plans. The stakeholders prepare these plans after
taking intoconsideration land capability, site conditions and local needs. The scheme also helps in generation of employment in
rural areas besides enhancing peopleb participation in the wastelands development prcgrammes at all stag€s. This leads to
equitable sharing of benefits and sustainable developmenl
The mlior activities taken up under the S&eme are:

YOUNG PROFESSIONAIS SCHEME

The scheme of Young hofessio.als (YPs) was started in f988 with a vien' to strengtheni4g rhe VOs, the DRDAs and the
Council's own offices. CAPART has beel selecting the YPs from reputed institutions like Institute of Rural Managernent Anand,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Indian Insitute of Forest Managemen( Delhi fthool of Social Work €tc. through campus
recmitment for two years. CAPART has a sipificant role in promoting a variety of activities for transfer of technology, people's
participation, marketing of products from mral enterprises, generating awaren€ss and promotion of other developmental activities
and ddivery systems in the volunary sector. The Intemational Funding Division received funds from two sources - DANIDA and
UNDP.
Achievement
Since its incepcion CAPART organized hundreds of Gram Shrre Melas tiroughouc rhe country involving a sales tumover
of over worth many crcres of rupees. The Council organized a number of sernirurd workshops to pnovide and ogportunity for
direct interaction amongthe beneficiaries andCAPART officials.
BHARAT NIRMAN: The ambirious Bharat Nirman launched on 16* March, 2005 aimd at strengthening the country's rural
inftrastmcture including water supply, power, housing and roads and proposed a specific financing window for rhe Rs.l,74,oOO-
cmre pror+runme. The goal of ttre iniriadve are:
. Every village to be provided elecuicity4 rernaining 1,25,OO0 villages to be covered by 2009 as well as connect 2.3 cmre
households.
. Evey habitation over l0O0 populatin and above (50O in hilly tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road:
remaining m,eO2 babitacions ro be covered by 2009. ""d
. Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water: 55p67 uncovered habitations to be c.overed by 20O9, In addition
all habitations which have rlippd back from full coverage to partial coverage due to lailure of source and habitations
which have waterquality problems to be addressed.
. Every village to be connected by telephone: rernaining 66,822 villages to be covered by Novernber 2OO7.
7
 WNONGENERAL STUD]ES 2013 (2)
o lo million hectares (I00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009.
o 60 lakh houses to be constructed for rural poor by 2009. while thi
agenda is not new, rhe effon here is to impart asense
9f-urgency to these c.*F,.nake the progiammd ume-bound" t *rpiom and accounra;1"^il;;;""r""i.'ilt'i" *,ur
*quucturewiIlunlockt}egmwthpotJntialo[.ruralIndia.

RAJIV GANDHI GRAMEEN VIDYUTIKARAN YOJANA

The RGGV Yojana for Runl Electriciw Inftaslructure and Household Elecnificarion was launched
attainmept of the National Common Minirhuri P."g*-nt; ;i
in April 20Q5 for the
fi;td"tg ";o, to .L.ni.iq; to At nr.ot Household in five years.
capitalTht.pte*,n-.
- yould S.igrglemented tlirJugh the niua tufrin ation corpora;"" irua). u"a". ,iJ.
subsidy would u" pl":{{_fu
p.i-tit-" m.r
households in the country.1t*
pmjgns_. It wJuH, inrer alia, p.oola" to. t"*.i"i"g or;ilari6;i"";i ;ffi;fi;;ed BpL
loq fbitil subsidy as p.r
"or."r
ork"riilyori p.rogramme in all rural trauitationr ns
of village Elecnificatioq there are i,zS,mio itti***fo.d oq;ag# ivti,LJpf e;ectrofoJ [i
in n *
f$lition
43.52 percent as pr.200lcensus.
rira; jpisejp;ds are 60180685 i.e,

NATT.NAL socrAr. issrsrANcE n** *rffi

The Natioilal Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) came inro effect from If Augusq 1995 is a 10o06 centrally sponsored
three_separate schemes, rnmety, i\ational.old Age Pension Sclieme (NoApS), National F"-iIy Benefit
P::fl:XL*.=pllT
scheme (NFBs) and National Matemity Benefit_scheme (uvm;. rn" pmframme introduces i oationi'poli.y to.
"".Lr-securiry
poor families and marlis a significant step towards the?dfrltment of rhe Directive lrineif,les il eni.t..
i:l*T:::=the
oI the Lonstltution recogniz^
+i a.ra +z
thg concurrgnt responsibility of the Central and State Governments in tie matter. The National
_ing
Maternity Benefit scheme(Nuns) has since been trinsferred'ro rhe Ministry of HJ* *effare w.e.f. L4.200L
The obiective t, ""dr"*ify
is, to extend financiat assistan& to-old persons huJing little or ,ro ,"g,r1". means of
subsistence and io households
-",1 : PrygT",*.
liviig-below rhe poverry line in case of dearh of the pfrmary b;d;iorr.r. The assistance under rhis
frogfrnme is available to the iestitute, tL" poor..t rhe poor and lr-fies'below the poverry fi".- rtr. c1x-
9f
PanchayatVMunigigalitig are-expected to play an-active role
- in thJdentiftation of beneficiaries under the rwo schemes. The
grants aft released directly to tbe Districts.

ANNAPURNASCHEME
2000ASAl0O%Centrallysponsoredscheme. Itaimsat
-_-_r,_1:_fnapunaSchemehasbeenlaunchedwitheffecrfroml"April
pmvldrng tood security to meet the requirements of those Senior Cirizens whq ttrougfr eligible for peniion
rlnder the National old
are noi benefited by the Scheme. The Minisrry of f,unlbev.lopir*, is rhe nodal Ministry for
*:,1::::_t*T:!fo*8,
{nPrcmenhng tJre'Annapuma" Scherne which airns at providing food securityio indigent seniofcitizens who have no income o[
thei-r own and none ro take care of them in the villages.
The criteria is tlat. (D t!. tg9 of the app-hcant or abovq (ii) the applicant musr be a destitute; and (iii)
the should not 6. ;o pceiFr 6f pension under NOApS$.4_d be65 yean
-applicanr or State pension fthemeThe sifrerne envisages provision of l0 kg of
foodgrains per month, ahnost free oi costl to over 13 lakh senior citl=."r. rn! c.".
PiJhtit-s- ;;ld identrfy, preparc and display
a list of such persons. afleleving wide publiciry The scheme
is operaring in 28 sates and 5 urs. an ailocation of Rs. 100 crore has
been earmarked for the Scheme forthe Year 20OL-2OO2.

ANTYODAYA ANNA
-YOJANA(AA!): This prol4ramme was launched in December 2000. Under the scheme one crore of tlre
covered'under the targeted.pu!-lic distractio-n sysrgq are identified- Twenty fiue kilog.ams (kd of
F:::1f^o.}jh:^u,nt-ffi*
tooct grans were made anilable to each eligible family at a highly subsidized
iitt' -ih;;G-;"h";
raie of Rs.2 per kg for wheat and Rs.3 #r ks for nce.
I!i: f"'"ly b^ hfo enhanced frorn 25 io 35 kgs
2003 by addtng anorher 50 lakh BpL families.
.tr&t il;ApdlrooL il;i.r"l*.*fi"a} u,1*.

BALIKA SAMRIDDHI YOJANA

gn Jul-y
-t'JF union Govemment rcdesigrred the Balika Saruiddhi Yojana so as to bring about an improvement in the
starus of- the girl child leadmg a positive change.in the societal attitudes to wards women- The *f;.-e partiallyiaunchJin p9z,
1o
will now b-e implemented as.i Centrally-sponsoid scheme so as to .nrrro gouto participation of the State Governments.
under the t * *.h5r1r:: the postdelivery
-gyhr of Rs. 500 per"gd .nia uoir after eulr, r99z in families below the
P:]fl? for up to two girl children
-F" money *tt qy th" gTl--._!ild t1 cash.
.ne1 lgity *i[ be aep*ited in iny fiterest-bearing accorr.rtt rh. nane of the beaeficiaries.
E'arrer' tne
interest (around Rs 25,000 subtct!o- lhg impryved scheme envisages payment of rhe money with accumrtlated
to'fulfilling rhe criteria) onc'e she is lg years old.
DHANLAKSHMI
A conditional for girl child with insurance cover yas launched n March 20o8 by the Ministry of
Tt Y*. scheme
women and child *u.t_o,T31.,*. scheme p--uid.. cash transfer to the family and gidd child
O;dbly--.i.h;;) ;ffiifix*g
celatg spgific conditionalities like compulsor| registration of birtb, compf.uuooloi-f"U'i.*urri=ai*oo, enrollment and reten6o{r in
school and remains unmanied upto the age of ie years. An insurance to rhe nme of Rs.l lakh would be taken for the girl
child "ooirage
The-objective of sctreme,was to provlle a set of staggered
.1!e
upbringing of the gidd child F*"i{ incentives for families to enoour4ge them for better
and to educate lier. The scheme *ffdro help in changing the mindset of the finllyt8w"U,
fi.
ga uy
 WN ON CENERAL SIUDIEg 2OI 3 (2)

linking cash and non-ca*r fransfers of her well-beurg This will ensure that the girl child is seen as an asser rather rhan.a liability as
herexisterrce will lead tocash inflow to the familv.
The scheme is to be l1nc{ed. on a pilor basis in-tl educationally mosr backward blocks of Andhra pradesh,
orissa,Jharkhand,Bihar,uttarPradeshardFunjab. Itwillcoverborhrh6s€.livingBELowandABovErhepo;;ryft;:--- ehhatisgartl

INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS): This programme is to meet the holistic needs. of the child,
launched in 33 blockss in october 2,1975. Today, rhc tCos is *[ of1n" *omt t".g*i rnost unque pn€ramtr .. tor
-initially
early childhood care and developmenr. "nA
hy the fouldation f9r thq prcper psphological physical and social developrnent of the child, improve the nunftional
- fo
and health status of chif re1 below thi age oi
ix y"ri, r.dro'the iricidene of morialiry, morbidity, 'maliruuirion and school
dropouts, to achieve effective coordination of pbhy and implement^tioo *.iou, deprtments to promote chil1
developmenr, enhancethe cap{iti_qr of the morher io look after rhe nomal heakh "-oog tn";-htil, ih;gh
heakh and nukition eduction COI launched the ICDS programrne.
and nirririon"l
"..i" "f v p-p*
i

'*;;;p*".11'ids;.ograr*ne
KrsHoRr SHAKTT YOIANA (KSY)
i(sY-", launched in 200o-ol for adolescenr girls in the age group cif lt-18 years. The.scheme
breaking the intergenerational life cycle of nutritiond and gender disadnlotrg.r
i*-t fl, develoPment
lor sell -alr'Jniaiirg u ,uplirtiu. .oui.on.*,
by prornoting awareDess on health, hytr*e nutririon, home management, child iire, and training to
impmve/upgrade vocational skills. Natinal policy on education sits a goal of expenditure o" Ji-rio at ogo of rtr" cnp. e, ug"rnrt
the goal of 6t6, the total expendicure on edrication by borh cennal and"state goni--.ot" was only
3.4906 of GDp in 2004-05. '

EMPOWERMENTOFWOMEN
every-year is celebrated as the international womens Day. Deparrment of women and Child Developmenr
, ,. .M*\ 9l' and
Ministry- of Human Reso3rce1 Development has already declared the "women'i Ennpowerment year 2ool. for
tharJ&.lopment
and upliftrnent in the sociery. Several steps bave been taken to bring about equality is ihe society. TLse
steps are as follows : ^
't Adoprion of the National Policy for the Empowennent of Wornen wirh measurable g*1" to be achieved by 2olo.
Finalisation of a law for protection of women fmm domestic violence
. Swadhar aschemeforwomenindifficukcircumsrances
e Swayamsir{dha an integrated self-hdp group based programme for women in 650 blaks in the counrry
o comprehensive review of women specific laws by a hig[ powered Task Force
o Dialogues between women at the grass root level in States and Member of Parliament and policy Makers through
teleconferencing
o 4 Women Technolqgy Parks to be set up-a resource base for women hiendly technolqgies
o National WomensSports Meet in l0 events spread over 7 venues, involving2000 rpoi, *o-*
o 108 education tours for young women and gLls
t Film.fesrtival"Mukta'for women and a travelling exhibition'Leelavati. on Women in Science
o A dsible presence in the India International Trade Fair-showcasing products and technologies by women
. District level Comminees to monitor crime against women
'o Country-wide gender sensicisation exercises and fomrulation of gender training moduh by NCW
Counrry-widedissernination workshqps for National Policyfor the Empowermentof Women.
r Awamess generation exercise in l0o selected districts on women's riglrts.

INITI.ATIVES FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

Undementioned initiatives have been taken by the GovemnreN rowards ernpowerment of women:
swalwnsillw; Formation of self Help Gmups (SHGs); acress to micro credit and promoturg micro-enterprises.
SwcSlukti Cennally spnsord scheme since 1998. Airtrs at enhancing women's iaess to *o,rr.o for Lemer quality
of life.
svwhnb@ To provide tniniDg and skills to women to facilitate thet to obtain employment or self employrnent
Ln a sustainable
basis.
$wdlnr Scherre launched in 2001-02 by the Central governrrent to provide holistic and integrated services to women in diffcult
circumstances
Ra&triLMdnlLKodl Also known as National crcdit Fund for women, set up inJ993. It aims to facilitate credit
support or micro-
finagce to poor women tostafi incom€ generating activity such as i" d",ty:rgfurtrd rt"pk;;G, vending,
and h#ai.r"tr.-
c'mfuhilgetW The Tenth Plan reinforced the commitrrent to gender U,raf.tiogto €sabiish it
translate gener commiments into budgetary comminrrents. {*a..-aili.renrial impact and to

COMMITTEE ON EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

Unicn Parliament adopted a Resolution durirg Aprit, 1997 for rk constirution of rhis Commirre consistins of.3o
mernbers (2o Lok sabha members nominfted by the sp9&oioa to Rajya_ sabha members
it-""-n4y"3"Lnr1
The te'm of this committee is one year- The Commind h." Ueen rnanaaia ro
ryure rhe womeq
"*-at"aUfcn
.q""lii *aafiry i" at
TT-e-T
suggest nectssaryconEtives for rhc staruVcondition of women in resptt"t"t"r
of matters iir{io rn
puruew "".1,*91!
ot the Union Governmeut and to examioe the measures taken by the Union Govemmeat for coilprehensive educarion
and
 wN oN GENEML STWIES 201 3 Q)
ulayr: reprcgentation of-wo1en in Lggislgiv-e bodieVservices and other fields. The Commirtee would also consiler the report'of
the National Commission for Womeil tiwill also examine such other matters as may. seern fit of specially referredto the-ty tn
Speaker, Lok Sabha and Chairrran Rajya Sabha.

.U.N.
WOMEN" LUPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
The United Nations Gerreral Assembly voted unanimously onJuly 2, 2010 to create a new encity to accelerate pmgress in
meeting the needs of women and girls worldwide. The establishnent of Oi UN Entity .for Gender Equaliry and rhe .*po*"..-ott
of women - to be known as U.N. WOUEN - is a resuk of years of nqoriatidfls tletw;en UN Member Stires and adtolacy by the
-'
global women's movement. is- part-of the UN refomr agen,ia Urioginfi'tog.ther resources and mandates for great"r
{t impj
U.N- Women'- wlrich_yill be operational byJanuary ioti --tras been oeated by the GenerafAssemb$ to address
challeuges in ft
9*Ttoo I! *41 b. dynairic and suorig-ch.*iioo for,women and guls, p*"iaing thern with a powirful
the fl-olllregioral and local levels- It wtll enhance, not replace,-efforts by orher p*6 ^uNtCEF,
voice ar
tfr. UN sy-stem (such as UNDP,
ana Q${) that coatinues to have responsibility to *^o.k for gendei equatiry and "f womin's empowenn€nr in rheir areas of
expertise Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon will appoint an Under-Secretiry-General ro head th6 new body and is inviring
suggesrions ftom Member Sares and civil society partners. The Under-Secietary-General will be a mernber-of all senior UN
decision-making-bodi-es and,win regoq to the seire-tary-Genenl. The operarions-of UN Women will be funded t*r oofu"u.y
contributionq while the regular uN budget will supportirs normative wori.

MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT

The MGNREGA was originally known as NREGA and was enacted during 2005. Irs main objectives are RUML
DEELOPMENT and RURAL EMPLOYMENT. This is a guarantee for one hundred &yJof employment in every financial year ro
of registered rural household willing to d-o public work relared to unsi<illed *irria work ar rnioi.u- Jag of
"d* P*\o
rs.l00/' "
per.day. This was inroduced with the aim of impr6ving the purchasing power of the rural pople irrespective of whe'ther
af_Below Poverry Line or not. About V3d of job is eanmarfted for womenin equal payn,ent. Zig6 of the cfut is borne by the
lhey
Central Government and the rest by State Govemments Funds to the rune of Rs.40,lm/- ciore has been allocated during 2010-it

GRAM T.IYAYAIAYA
Tlugh MGNREA is _the govemmenc's costliest rural jobs schemg it has also faced charges of poor execution and
comrption Beneficiaries of this flagship scheme maysoon be able to move village courts to complain agai"rt undue delays in getring
or non-Fryment of wages, among other things. This necessitated seming up of GRAM N-YAYAIAYAS, or village .ourtg to
excluuvely address grievances
Tl"tiog to Mahabla Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaranree Acr Rural courtJwill provlle
an indgpendent mechanism to address workers'grievances.
More tlan 5ooo village courts, aimed co prwidinginexpensivejusticg set up under the provisions of the Gram Npyalayas
Act' 2C08, started functioning ftom ocrober 2, 1009. The Act has been ena.ted-to establisi Gram Nyayalayas (cNs)'ar ihe
grassroots level for providing-access to jusrice to the citizens at tlreir doorstep. It will be a court of the
Judiiial tvtagistrafe of the
and its presiding-o_fficer (Nyayadhikari) will be appointed by the St-ate governmenr in consultaiion with tfe High Court-
lTt:bt'
The GN will be established for every Panchayat at the internediate level or u group ofcontiguous Panchayats at the inte"rnediate
level in a disnict or where there is nj lanchayat at the interrrcdiate level in aiy state, for a-goup of coniiguous Panchayats. Thc
Nyaydhikaris strictly judicial officers and-will draw the same salary and derive rhe same fr*"rs as the First Class l,t4gisrrates
T
t:*Tg Yoa..-High Courts.The GN will be a mobile court and exercise ttre powers of both the criminal and civil courts. ih. rot
of the GN will be located at tle headquarters of the interndiate panchayag-they will go to villages, work tbere and dispose of rlrc
cas€s. It will try c-riminal cases, civil suits, claims or disputes whiih are ipecified in rhJ Eirsr Scliedule and the Second *tredule to
Act-Ihey will{ollow summary procedure in criminal-uial and exercise-the powers of a civil court with certain modifications aud
:h:
tollow the special procedure as provided in the Acr The GN will rry ro setti. the disputes, as far as possiblg by bdnging about
conciliarion between the parties and f61 ghi.
turpose, it will make use of appointed conciliators.
PRADHAN MANTRI ADARSH GRAM YOJANA(PMAGY)
There are 44,000 yrllug.f in which ttie population of SC is above 50 per cent. A new scheme called Pradhan Mantri Adanh
-
pnSvojana (.lMAgY)-is being launched for tlie integrated development of i000 such villages(model villages). Each village wouH
able-m gap funding of Rs.l0 lakh over and above the allocaiions under Rural Develolpment and lovirty eileviarion"scheme.
[e ryail
The objective:

fl They bave- all rquisite physical apd s66ial infrasnucture for their socio-economic developmenr.
Iliii) Ptpu"ry F!*eeg SC and non-SC population in terms of common socio economic indicitors is gliminated.
Untouctrability, discrimination, sgregation and atrocities qgainst SCs are eliminated, as are ortrer social evils like
discrimination againstgirls/women, alcoholism and substanci (d*gg abuse, erc., and all secrions of society are able
to live wirh digrity and equality and in hamronywith others.

NATIONAL RURAL LIVELIHOOD MISSION

SGSYis-beingrestructured as National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) ro implemenr it in amissionmode fortargced
and timebouddelivery of'results. It will be a demand driven approach fhi main featureJof NRLM, inter alia, inclu&s:
Univenal Social Mobiliztion: This will ensure that at least one member from each BPL household, preferably a woma of tie
houschld, is brought under the SELF-HEI? GROUP (SHG) ncr orcr rhc ncxc firrc years (2O0-f5)

l0
 vN oN GENEML STWTES 2O13 (2)

of People's Institutions:
]lre_people led and people centered oigauizations srrch as'sHGdfederations are necessary ro
pnvide space, voice and resources for the poor and for reducing rheir dependency on ercernal aggncies and as such, NRLM will
focus on setting up of federations at various levels.
Universal Financial Inclusion: The Mission will also intencf with and develop partnership arrangements with banla and financial
institutions for improving coverage of rural areas and crcdit mobiliration.
Tqurlng-andfapi.ity n-uiUing f6r Self-hnploymene Trainin€ and capacrry building ensure that they have p-uia.a wi*r rtquisire
technical, rmrketing and organizational skills for menaging tGir livelihoods ina arco enhances their iredit absorprion caprcity and
credit worthiness.
be implemented in a phased nvuner. The States are expected to fulfill the following nofrs, before transiring ftom
I\:-fRlllyrtt
SGSYToNRLM:
I statelevelpovertyieductionstrategyhasbeenfon:nrlated
ii. state 'level agencies and the discricvsub-disnict level units. are set up.
iii . Professional staff has been.trained and placd.
NEW BPLCRTTERIA
_NC. Saxena panel, formed rl Auqust 2008, recomrnends religion and caste as new Below Poverty Line (BPL) criteria At
Plesent 2002 criteria is being adopted for identi$ing BPL familics. Currently BPI- families are identified on the basis of scores (O to
4) o-n l-3 socio'economic parameters. But the Saxena Panel formed by Rural Development Ministry has reconrmended additional
mad<s for SC/STs, Most Backward Castes, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Muilims For a household havingmembers with
tuberculosis,.l.q.sy,
{t*}ittty, mencal illness or AIDS, the Panel awands aaaitionat points for identifying BPL g;up. While the
previous methodology had a maximum score of 52 (Le. a points for each of 13 parametirs), the new recomti.nd.a-metiod will have
a maximum score of l0 marks only.

NAVJAAT SHISHU SURAKSHA KARYAKRAM (NSSK)

Available Statistics reveal that 22 lakh children Hlow five yean of age die across the country every
)'ear as a result of binh
asphyxi4 sepsis, premature births and hypothermia. Most of rhese deaths occiu within the first few days ot'Uirtn.
NSSK was launched by the Government of India to address imponant interventions of care ai Uirttr as a narional initiative
to redue neonatal deathq The nacion-wide prognunme will provide baiic instltutional new born care resuscitation to the infants.
The interventions covered in this programme inilude prevenri'on of hypothermia prevention of infection, eady initiation of breast-
feeding and basic newbom resusciration. The NSSK will nain healih care p-ofoe"r at the disrrict n"Spdt communitf h€alrh
p-rim{ry healch centres in the interventions at birth with the application of the latest available scientific metkis aimed
"*FT-Pd
at significantly reducing the infant morraliry rario.
Public Distribution System and Food Securiry.
The Public DisEibution- System(PDS) seeks to ensure availabiliry of essential commodities like whear, sugar. Ediblcoils
and kerosene to the con.sumers, througb a network of outlets or Fair Price 3hops. PDS is operated under the joint re"sponsibility of
Central and State Governnents' The food subsidies are largely designed to be targeted to people below thi pou.rty'tine andihe
other two subsidies, fertilizer and-petpLy-, particularly LP-G, are ariilable to all uiers. The PuLhc Distribution of fmd grains has
been retained as ddiberate social poliry by tndia with the objectives of
{i) pmviding food grains and other essentiaiitem ro
vulnerable sections of the society at reasonable(subsrliad) prices. (ii) to pui an indirecicheck 5n the open
-ar&et pric.es of various
gd (iii) to attempt socialization in the matter of discriburion of ess&rtial commodities. Thoug! the policy of sfoqng up of Fair
itep
lSclsho-ps
oves rrs initiation to Narional rood polty, its implernentation remains the direct ..rS"suiuty oi sr"te coierinents.
The Food ani
livil Suppliel Depar e-nt of the State Government is mainly entrusted with rhe raik of moniroring PDS in the State.
Tlre operational responsibilities ircJu4ing allocation within the State, identification of families below poverty l6e issg€ of ration
cards, supervision and monitoring tlre functioning of Fair hte Shops rest with the State Governments.
On-12- Aug.rst, 2Ol0 , the-supteme Court of India asked fre Centre to grve away food grains rotringdue to neglect arnong
.
the poor at'low cost or noaost'. ftris would give relief to theecounu/s srarvin;milioni and aiso solve thet,oo".o*oir, pmbkri
of preserving food grains after record plauremenl Supreme Couft ;ked the C"enre to raise the quantity of food supp$ tl below
p*ltry ry pgpulation and to
-keep ldj .P.t.
Shops open all rqonrh. The Court said the Goverom,irt rn"y consider biilLli'g arl.ast
ory laqge Fo.od Corporation of India(FCI) Warehouse in every state and one in every division, if nor every disnicr, d all $a;es. The
solution to the pmb-lem ,-the court said , lied on computerization of the network TLe Government agreed to this and said tbat total
computerization: of Public Distribution Systemwas a hiority.

NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH CARE MISSION(NRHM)

The NRHM was launchd in Apnl I05 anci was operarionalised from financial year T0546 througlout rhe country_ Ir is
for a period of 7 years (2005-12),ie- for two years of Tenth plin and full Eleventh plan period. Vi*ioo of NRHM:
r Effative heakh care for runal pqtulation especiallywomenandchildren thrcuglrtrhe country.
. Health plan for each village through village trealth committee of the panchayac.
. Specialfocuson 18 states.
r Effective integration of health with sanitation and hygitte, nutririon and safe drinking water.
o 24hoursfunctional hospiral tn each block
o Community health insurance forlnor.
Goalsof NRHM include:
o Reduced Infanr MortdiryRare (IMR)
II
 fr/N ON GENEML ffAD.IES 2OT 3 Q)
o Redued Maremal Morrality Rate (MMR)
o Preve4tion and control of diseases. .
" . Promorionofheakhylifesryle.
o Pnrmotion of health care at househoH level thmugh fonnal
health activist (ASHA)
'' Fullcoverage of immunization andaccess to institutionaldelivery.

^t: t%T'?? f'f#-: H"t$fiHffiilttr $ffflr who wit .,.ut. u*-*ess on healrh and its sociar ao;o,,,.,*,,
mobilize the community tovaFds. health planning increafu
ufili-a5io1 and accountabfity of the existing health services. ",,a
She
would be a Dromoter of good health p-racucl stre"*ill
also prouid" u
for that level and make Emety."r.#1" aiuai, oor, p"dilpi;t; -ini^rr*.p..kage of c'urative care as appnopriare and feasible
shl *ourd oott *titlJ,o uoy pry or honorarium, bur be
,e{s1bl9.for-com,pgnsation for services ptoua.a uodo *.iour ri".io *J programmes of Govt. of India and state Govemmenus
tor institutional delivery underJanani'suraksha
Yojan4 to. *-pi"iion oinofs hearmenr underNarional TB conuol
-
p'romotion of househoki toit"tt i,"a.t rot"t i*itation campaign, erc. under rhe overall guidance hqgramme,
of the Dis6icr Healr1 Mission.
NATIONALWATER MISSION
It is one among the eight Missions identified. Its objective is ro ensure
conserve water, minimize wastage and ensure *agpr.O warer sourc€s marngem€nr helping m
more equirabli disuibution. The mis!;on will rake into account the provisiorx
NATIONAL WATER POTJCY aid develop framework of
regulatory mechanism and differenri"t .tttitt*,.nt,
to .fi;;;;;;;u,ses by i.r..-ri.rg-*"; use efficiency by 20% through
ana prilina. ri
urban areas are met thmuglr recycliry of *"rt.-o'"t.r,
*iI *.r.
to ensure ,l^i*nria...lle share of warer needs of
*ia ."ri.i"!
irt", ,r,. *"; ,.q"io-;i, oi *^ral .iti.s with inadequare
ahemative sources t *l'rt":fl:il:,.fi-tto J*tions of new *a?pp*pri"te technologies such as low remprarurc desalination
technolqgies that allow for the use of ocean water.

NATIONAL MISSION ON ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY

National Mission on Enhanced Efficien.yir rpp-*a by rhe prime Minisret's council on climae change
mission will help save about 5 per cent oflnergy
the"Jnnuar energyconsumprion by 2015 and nearly 100 million
This
every year' This mission is^the-second. of eight roDes of carbon dio",cle
missions u".ra.. todi"L Nadonal Action plan on climate change It
Rs.75,O0O crore worth o enables about

1:"-d"*ic";;;d;i':,ffi'HnTi.il.T%"S*:,'t?;::s:yJff
most oergy intensive industrial,units and 3p",A::5:;.Ss*.;l'H*m,*":S{
use purchased ESCerts
pmviIT
f"l m..gy v"i"gr C"niri"ares, called ESCens. units will also be allowed ro
to mee.t thrcir targcts. The,Minisrry
prepare dre implementation plan fortlre"National
oti:i"iittf"ly *a-nu.ou of Energy Efficiency (BEE) were tasked to
Mission Ln Enhanci Energy Efficie".y (NMifi).

SWAVAIAMBAN
swavalamban is a social Security scheme-for
sector. under the scheme, subscribers
would get Rs.l000 ftom
each year for a s ^unor,ganiad
J-it rzgoo.-p.i
*:q":=-*9 year. The ..h"*" will be valid for rhis financial year and for
thrce cons€cutive vears' Finance 'b-scriffi
Minislrry has already
the next
R;.i00 .io.. ror the sch"me io ,n" uuag.. for 2010-L It will be
managed the Pension n""a nqur"tory aui "t[;J
o*":"p*;ll arthoray of India A subscrib", *o ,h. scheme ac tie age of lg years
and will be elisibb for pension-aft"t d,r*iog
o y&rs. az% of the 'ountrys workforce would "or..benefit frorn this schemJ on ;;r*g
60, the pensiorier ot *'ithd',* 6096 ;l fiA;ffi;;:
been appointed as one of the rnany
;;iJ.H""#;iil be given ,s a monrlry annuiry by the uc which has
;rt" *u..r ,,rL;ip-a; ftom subscribers.
"sg*gur".r "'iu "*"nts
AGRICULTURE
Basic Features
' Agricuhure is tle mainstay of Indian econmy because
of its high share in employment and livelihood creation-
' The sbare of agriculcure in the cDP has rqistered
a steady a&tine from 36.4 per cenr in 1982d;;;;l;;;*".
-Cop. in 2.o'oz
(5704 in l95o'51)' More developed cpunaiJ
n"u" r*u.r ri,*. .r lI irt lt
i%in USA). "g.i."kure izo5 of national income in UK and
' Yeg this sector continlaes
:uppgrt more than half a billion people providing employment to 52 per cent of the worksforce.
'r 70% of India's population Io
betgw th9 noyertr in runi are'as, '"oa i, a#..tt|' oi irrair..tty aependent on
It acf,lunts for about t8% of totalialue lr-E -liuo
roaat ;po,';--B"lk ;i.g"J;J;;;Lorirr. ryriculrure
including tea coffee to!1co, orU.*, rpior, ra* conon of 13 key commodities
and sug3r. Alnost 30% of tea produced in t]e country and 50% of
coffee and jute are exported
' The Eleventh >year plan targets th- e
ryr annrSp -gmwth rate of agriculture and allied activities ar 4.I per ceff with growth in
crops targetd at 2.7 per cen{ horticuiture at 5%, frvestock rirfioio at 6 per cenl
' The Agricultural GDF gT.th stood at 4.5 per-cl1rt ""Jas
ir, 200748 againsr a negarive growrh in 290445.
' *:tftHfiH:::lav
for agricuttro *d.[iud .-r.
activiries has incieased to R"s.r0,02 ioimelo ftom a bvel of Rs.8,544
' Tle fmdgrains production increased to an all-rime record
level of 230.6/ million tones during 20074g-
' The average growth rate of agricubure and altiedseci;* a"""g-"d0Goz and 20oz4g
hI" b..o
a',"g;[ growth of 25 per ceut during theiOd pf* p..i; - 4 per cenr
compared to the average 111qs shan as

t2
 II.N ON CENERAL STUDIES 20 I 3 (2 )

Policy : Main objectives of an agriculfure price poligy include: i) To ensure that the produer gtts a minimun lirnun€rarive price; ii)
To mainrain a reasonable termi of trade Let"oeen ilricultural and non-agriculcural sectors; iii) To maintain the geneml price level
and protect the non-pmducing consumer ftom violent fluctuations in price of food grains.
During pre--Green Rivolurioh period, dueto the shortage in-domestic pr&uction-th_e teuns of trade were in favour of the
agriculture .*6i. Ho*.v.r, with the surplus of fmdgrains in thi years- following the Green Revolution, the policy shifted towards
pit ctir,g the fanners from the prospect of unremunerative prices. The Commission for Agriculrural Costs and Prices(CAC")
inalyses t1r. input costs and reolinmirds the minimun support p.rioes. Crop Insurance: The.Govemment of India'hunched a
^..h.m.
comprehensive of crop insurance in 1985, dministered by the General Insurance Corporation(GlC)_ to compen-sate the
farmer for crop loss due to natural calamlties and at the sarne ttrne making him eligible for {Tsh institutional loan. Initially, the
scheme p*ud.d for assurance of a sum which was equal to 150% of the crop loan disbursed !y the financlal institution. After a
review, ittir *ur brouglt down in 1988 ro lffi with; furttrer ceiling that the total amount of compensation palable to a farrner
shall not exceed ns.tO,OOO. A modified comprehensive crop insurance'scheme has been introduced hom Kbarif 1999 as a pilot
projecr in I00 blocks to be administered by inew agerrcy oll.d Ag.i.rrlture Insurance Corpomtion. The new scheme will delink
i.t*r*.. ftom credit. ilven farrners who have not tikenioans will-be able to insure their crops. Inscead of subsidising the premia
by the state and central governments as in the previous scheme, the new scherne proposes that the losses of the Corporation will be
under-written by the government.
Green itevolution: The spurt in agricukural production, more specifically wheat, in the latter h4f of the l96os ispopularly
referred to as Green hevolution Ii was achieved by tle inrroduction of HYV (hrCh yielding variety) seeds on wheat (Sarbati Sona,
Kalyan, etc.) and a package of practices which inciuded applicacion of chemical fetilizen, supphmltary inigation and chemical
pesii.ides. Green reiolutio.t was fint felt in the wheat growlng areas of North-West. Su ryu91dy,lt spread to the East and most
notably to West Bengal. Despite certain shortcomings, India owes its present position in fmd self-sufficiency to Green Revolution.

NATIONAL M ISSION FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICU LTU R.E:

Recognising the challenge of dimatechange to Indian agrtulrure(NMSA), whichisoneof the eight Missions under the
Narional Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCe) bas been conceptualised. The adoption of ecological agriculture' which
integrates natural regenerative processes, mjnimizes non-renewable inputs, and fosters biological divenity, has trernendous scope
for reducing emissions and enhancing soil carbon sequestration

THE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY MISSION (NFSM)

Recognising the challenge of climati charige to Indian 4griculture, the National Mission for Sustainable
Agriculrure(NtrfSe; whi.t is one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) has been
conceptualized. The adoption of 'ecological agriculture' which integrates natural regenerative prcesses, minimizes non'renewable
irprrt , and fosters biologicd divenlry has nemendous scope {or reducing emissions and en}rancing soil carbon sequestration.

THE NATTONAL HORTICULTURE MISSION(NHM)

All the States and the three UnionTerritories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, lakshadweep and Puducherry are covered
under the Mission except the eiglrt north-ea$6ernstates including Sikkim and thc States of Jammu and l(ashmir, Himachal Pradesh
and Utrarachand. The laaer are-covercd under the Horticulture Mission for the North East and flimalayan States (H MN EH).
With the implernentation of the NHM and cher schemes, the production of horticulture crops and the per capita availability of
fruits and vegetables has also increased considerably.

TECHNOLOGY MISSION FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF HORTTCULTURE IN NORTH EASTERN STATES,

SIKKIM, JA M M U AN D KASH M I R, T{IMACHAL PRADESH AN D UTTARAKHAND
ihe technology Mission for Integnted Development of Horticulture was launched in 2001-02 to address issues related to
production and productivity, post harvesLh*dli"g, marteUng, and processing of horticultural crops in the North-eastern States-
The Mission was extended to the three H imatayan States narrrly Himachal Pradesh J&K and Uttarakhand in 2W344. Some new
components such as high density planting, vegetable seed pmduction and horticulture mechanization have been included in the
MisJion. This has now been renamed the HORTICULTURE MISSION FOR NORTH EAST AND HIMAIAYAN STATES (hmneh).
This Mission gave special tbrust to prdectd cultivarion of hig[-value crops like tomato, coloured capsicunl strawberry and
flowers to eosure quallty production Special atteDtioD has been given to promoting and popularizing mechanization in
horticulture.

TH E RASHTRryA K RISH I VIKAS YOJANA (RKVY)

The RKW was launched in ZmfOg with an outlay of Rs.25,Oo() crore for tbe Eleventh Phn ro inentivize States to
enhance public investment so as to achieve a 4 per cent growth rate in agriculture and allied sectors during the Plan.
Specific allocation has to be made for the following three new initiatives lntroduced under the RKVY in 2OlO-lI:
It Extending dre Green Revolution to the eastern region of the ounury, covering the States of Assam, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh,Jhad<hand Orissa, Eastern UP, and West Bengal with the obi:c{ve of increasiqg the grop productivity
of the re$on by intensive cukiv.ation throug! recommended agriculrural technologies and package of pratices. -
. Special i.,itiatines for purses'and oilseeds-in dry-land areas by
2) 60,000 pulses and oilseeds villages in
identified watersheds where pulse and oilseed farmers are provided farm mrchinery and equipment on cusf,om hiring
basis.

13
 3)
t:X,
. *$T**'"n
of the National Mission on
Jammu
saffron -Economic Revival
^ffffiffiff.:j. of

NABA*o***lllf'flttiffi[??i#j:"ffi.f.f$3.1Yffir'r%13'#iii:ftfi,tt3.",
functions of RBI in tttt u* ot.t.L"r*J-*.at n* b*"-dd;;diy Nan{no rri p.i*iyErr. is uo,,or,h.
insritution for all tvpes of tendif,g roitgJ.ul*t ga- *."iJ"""r.prr"",ir.
to function as a refinancing
in JJiri""liit.*til tern credit ro state cooperarive
nu.^t st"kt,h?.ffi6;;* mrr.r *i sr;.6;;;r"-.nts (onryior'share capital bontribution
3ffi;*T,?}j r.o cooperarive

LONG-TERM -GRAI N -POUCY:ABHUITSENCOM M

ITTEE
The Minisny of co-nsumer Affiirs, n*a
a high level cpmmittet o".ra"-rtrou.o,u"-,
q puui. oirniuurion Dep'arcrnent of Food 6g public Distribution have constiruted
iiio
The terms of ref...nce of *re comnitt[r-eil"". 1g_1,"yrrlating a long temr Grain
policy for rhe counrry:
rouo*r,
i' Minimum support Prices (Msp) and e1a support
operarions. Review of cunent MSp including
a) Difference, rf any, U"r*.* frlSl *a.pio.;;il;;6;..
b) Inter_cropparities
9) Grade and qualiry specification
of a"-"'roti=ing prbe support operarions -
ii. . *L, ..r*1Tr',?.urty broad based procLremenr operarions.
a) Economic cost and the scope for reduction
b) possibirity of conaacting
o'ut certar:n operarions e.g. burk handing, etc.
c) Enco;yglsprivate invJstment in r,""irr"!, ri.-E"
*ra aistribution.
iii Functioning of pribfiibrsrriburion System
leDS)
oTt:t""ye l"pt1 q1.in!1tion system
^)
b)_ "r Tqcg$
andUibiliry of Fair price
, (TPDS) and comparison wirh siruation before.
i..
lv' .Functioning
Grain Policy regarding buffer stocks, open
Shops
market iritervenrion, exporvimpon policies.
v' Allocation of food grains for nurut leuilop;;;fu;;;;;d
orher werfare hqgrammes.
MINIMUM SUPPORTPRICES
These pricesare generally announced belore
the start of the sowing season These prices are fixed
commodities viz' Paddy, wheaqJtwar, for rnajor agricultural
Dals, conon, cround*i-rurur*dJure *. ilri; il;"
goverlrment to the farrners' In case of of commitrnent made by the
surpluses o1gh1i i" th. ;k ; it . gou**t promises to buy the agrircultural products
the announced price so tt
"t
mrr*r..r?T;;ff"ilil;;6ffi ;;it ar

PLIGHT OF AND RELIEFTO FARMERS

our country has been wimessing innumerable suicidal
rural indebtedness' more especiary at tneianJs deaths of farm- ers ftom many states- one of the main
causes is the
of locJ ;l.dil;;ilo . no*iZo, or. of inreres. In onder ro mirigate
the dfficulties of farners' ischenie
of d"bt r"i"., f". "nu.g"
ru.,o.o and debt relief for orher hrmers was announced
zob,-do-s.- "*ril-;;-;d";i
bv the Government in the u"i"" ni,ag.i6.
ihiJ# ,-pli."ri"" crore. rt is expected that
most o[ the indebted farrners would gei
the L*.ri,
"r
*[.*e"ifr',ir.ti
,rr. ;rdilh"" eligible for "f ^b;ilffi,000
fresh loans.
RASHTRTYA KRISH I VIKAS YOIANA
' This ptg*-Tt-F: tl^luged as a comprehcnsive intervenrion based on local agro-climatic conditions
feri +% airual
mvesrnent bv the states, to achieve ro enhancr
Rs'25o00 crore over the-lhn;;J
agncultural gro.i; o,.;il; ,h.it;'i#i;?il The outlay for the schem is
iLiila"t""a- tn"i.xw *."rJ o. fr""ial ;;; so,.l as cenr per cenr grant by
ff::*'trffih|ffi m:Xm*,m*,$..;.ili'il;;ra;ffi ;;;;ti;",ion.waiershra?*i"p-*. the

KrsAN CREDm CARD (KCC)

In order to pmvide adequate and timely support from the bant<lg
vsten to the farmers for rheir cultivagion needs
x|l,tltgrffiffi;t;lfiHhil,** il;i*,lh.oi'. ***.J. xrsem cREDrr cem scHeME was introduced in
NABARD had advised banks-to extend
defaulters' oral lessees' P;*t throusfr
*no
expending their ourreachby lending.to more farmers
including non-wilful
705 lakh KCCs have been '3:l lf:t:'.:dFniiL
tssuect upro November
-"y h"u? ueen ourside rhe fold ofihe scheme, as arso new farmers.
2002.
over
.VARSHABIMA"
Agriculture Insurance Company of India
during 20o4 south-west monsoon pi*i Rainfail [nsurance Scheme known as -Varsha Bima.
v"*rr" Limired(Alqf!)-inrroduged
nima proviaJ'r"i-hr" airi.*rr
cornmunity (i) seasonal rainfirll insurane requirernenrc of fanning
on rainfall between lune
"pilffiil;ied
based on aggregared rainfall fromJunc-to-septembo,
(ii) sowing failure insurance based
A1g-ust u; 1ii9 oi*"ri"ai"iriu.rrio.r i*.r.urio
with the weight assiped to different weeks berween
June and septembei (iv) 15and
agronomic index onstmcted on rhe t;;;.f
;;; requirement of-cmpq 6 ."ru"hophe oprion covering
"

l4
 WN ON GENERAL ST{]DIES 2013 Q)

extremely adverse deviation of 50 per cent and above in rairfall during the season. Varsha Bima was piloted in 20 rain-gauge areas
spread overAndhn Pradestr" Kamataka Rajasthan and Uttar PriJesh in 2004-05.

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POUCY,2OOO .

' Unlcn Government has announced new National Agricultural Policy in rhe Parliament inJuly 2OOO. This policy has been
ptanned under the pmvisions of WorH Trade Oryanisation-so as to face tle ehallenges of agrbulture sector Tiis poticy gves
emphasis on prornoting agricultuml exports after fulfiltng domestic demand The salient features of this policy are (i) 4% growth
rate p.a- for the nent twd decades; (ii) I-and reforms to provide land to poor farmers (iii) Consolidation of holdings in all states of the
nation (iv) Pmmoting prirate invesnnents in agriculture (v) To provide insunnce umbr€lla for crops to farmers (vi) To prcmote
technology (vii) Prompting research for developing new varieties and ensuring protection to the develdped varieties.

NATIONAL POUCY FOR FAiI.MERS, 2OO7

Government of India has approved the above policy taking into accqrnt the recommendations of the National Commission
on Farmers and aftei consulting thi Srate Governmerits- the Nadonal Policy for Famrers, among other things, has provided for a
holistic approach to development of the farm sector. The broad areas of its coverage include economic wellbeing of the farrners in
addition to production and productiriity, water use efhciency, new technologies; better seeds and soil heakh, support service for
women, Credit and Insurance, making available Information and Communication technology, putting in place social securiry
schemes, Minimum Suppoft Price, etc-

NATIONAL AGRI, INSURANCE SCHEME(NAIS)

NAIS was inEoduaed from Rabi 1999-2000 season, replacing the Comprehensive Cmp Insurance Scheme(CCIS) which
was in operation since 1985. It envisages covemge of all the food crops. The premium rates are 3.5 per cent (ofsum assured) for bajra
and oilseeds, 2.5 percent for other Kharif crops, I-5 per cent for wheat and 2 per cent for other Rabi crops or acfual rates whichever
is less. Small and maqginal fauners are entitled to a subsidy of 5o% of ttre premium charged from chem which will be shared on
5O:50 basis by the Cenral and State Governments. The premiurn subsidy will be phased out over a period of 5 years.

EDUCATION
STATUS OF EDUCATION
Importance of education has been fully realized and recognized by one and all in the Country. As a resuk, the spending on
education has been increased manifold in the recent years. Private parties, Various Religious Missions, Associations, erc., have been
allowed to play greater mle in the field of Educarion from primary level to Higlrer levgls. Governments, on tJreA part, have taken a
number of initiatives and steps to provide cheaper if not free education in the primary level and subsidized education at higher level.
Nationalised Banks hpve been directed to liberalise grant of educational loans. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been an enormous and
ambitious effort in this direction To augment funds, the Income Tax payers have been asked to pay an educational-surchaqge.
Constitutional supporc The Contitution of India have appropriately arnended to make 'education one of rhe fundamenral rights to
children in the age group of6-14 years.
Stanrs of educarion at present: Centrally sponsored Schemes: The year 200&09 was a monrcntous year for secondary educacion
when several malor initiatives iUcluding a new Centrally sponmred s&erne- to universalize eduation at secondary stage was
launched.
High"r Education(HE): Higler Education is of vital importane to Ihdia in raising living standards across the population Our
Govemment has taken a decisive initiative in hb direction. The outlay on Higber Education has been increased 900 per cent in the
Eleventh Five Year Plan. An Ondinarrce has been promulgated for establishing 15 Central Universities. Six new Indian Institutes of
Technology (IIT) have sarted functioning during 2OO8-09. Two more IITs are expected to commence their acaderrric sessions
shortly.
Educarional Loan Scheme(ElS): The Indian Govemment has revised the Educational loan Scheme as a resuh of which the number
of laon accounts has increased by more than four times during the period March 3t, 2004 to September 30, 2008 ftom l.l9 lakhs to
14.09 lakhs. The loan outstanding during this perind has increased from Rs.4 thousand five hundred crore as on March 31, 2004 to
Rs.24 thousand two hundred and sixty crore as on September 30, 2008.
ITIs: Following budg* announcements in 2004-05, nearly 5O0 ITIs have been upgraded into centtes of excellence. As an integral
part of the cmrdinated action plan for skill development, the Govt. of Indiacreated the National Skill Development Corporation in
July 20OB with an initial corpus of Rs.l thousand cmre to stimulate ?nd coordinate private sector participation in skill development
As comlnred to primary education, cost of education at University level is less, because it is subsidized.

PRIMARY EDUCATION PROGRAM MES

A broad objective of the National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986 modified in 1992 has been that education should play a
positive and interventionist role in correctug saial and regional imbalances, ernpowering women and in securiag righrful place for
the disadvanraged and the minorities. At the international level, {ndia is cornmitted to the 'Millennium Development Goals'and
'Education for All'. At the national level there is the commitnrent under the NCMP for increasing public e>rpenditure on education
to 6 per colt of GDP and for universalizing elementary education. There is also an obligation, un&r the Constirudon's 86s
Am€ndment, for making available 6ee and compulsory ducation to all children in the age gmup of 6-14 years. To achieve these
objectives, a numberof prpgrammes are beingimplemented out of which thetwo flagship programrnes of the Government are the

l5
 VN ON STWIF,S 20 1 i O)
.GENEML
KASTURBA GANDHI BALIKA VIDYAIAYA (KGBV): The KGBV schenie was launched inJrly 2OO4 for setting up residential
schools at upper primary level for girls belonging predominandy to ihe SC, ST, OBC and minoriry communities. ebJut ZtgO KGBVs
were sanctioned by Govc o! India upto March NO\. The KGBV scheme ran as sepaftrte scherre for two years bue tas nrerged with
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan w.e.f. April, 2002.

SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN(SSA): This is Government of India's llagship programme for achievement of Universalization of
Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manneq as mandated by SO6amendrnent to the Constitution of India making frce and
compulsory Education to the children of 6-14 years age gmup, a Fundamental RiglrL
SSA is being implemented in partnership with Srate Govemments to cover the enthe country and address the needs of I92
million chiHren in l.l million habitations. Objective of SSA is to bring all children in school, Education.Guarantee Cenne, Alternate
School, 'Back'to-Schoof camp by 2003; All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2OA7. All children csnphre eight
yearsof elementary schooling by 20lQ Focus on elementary education of satisfactory qualiry with emphasis on educacion Tor tifeiill
Marc[ 2007, morc than lg6900 new schools have been bpend 8.10 lakh teachen havebeen appointed. About 35 lakh teachers
receive in-sewice raining each year. With the significant success in enrolling children in schools, the SSA's thrust areas are now on
reduction of drop-outs and impr,oving quality of student leaming. The World Bank appmved (May, 2008) a $flO rnillion credit to
support the Iqdiat ongoing Sarva Shiksha Ahhiyan. Meanwhile, the United Kingdoms Deparonent for Inteurational Development
(DFID) decided (fune,2008) to pmvde a Rs.I2OO-crore aid for the SSA.

MID-DAY-MEAIS SCHEME: This scheme involves provision of lunctr free of cost to school-children on all working days. The
key objectives of the programme are pmtecting childien from classroom hunger, increasing school enmhnent and*amendance,
tr-nproved socialisation among children belonging to all castes, addressing malnutrition, and social .mpo*erment through provision
of emplolurentto women The scheme has a long history especially in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat and lias been expandd-to all parts
of India after a landmark direction by the Supreme Couri of India on November 28, 200L 17 crore children are so far covered under
the Midday Meal Scheme, which is the largest school lunch pmgramme in the world.

SAAKSFT{R BTIARAT
o This Ccntrally sponsored Adult Education Scheme was launched on Internarional Lireracy day(8.9.2009). Nodal Ministry:
HRD (Depn. Of School Education and Literacy)
. The Scheme aims at recasting Indian National Literacy Mission focusing, inter alia, on basic and vocational education and
physicaldevelopment.
o Pdmary target of the Mission literacy of Women and adolescents from SCs, STs, Minorities and other disadvantaged
groupq
o Aim: Pmvide facilities for education to Neo-literates (those who discontinud education) and non-literates of 15 years and
aborre.
r Targe[ To pmvide literacy to 70-million non-literate adults in age group of 15 years and above.
o Implementation of the Scheme rests on the Panchayati Raj Institutions - starting from district level planning, oganising
teaching-learning programmes, supplying required marerial, et all

WHISTLEBLOWER
o Whistle Blower is someone who exposes wrongdoings(illegal or dishonest activities, comrption, fraud, ec.), like a referee
in amatch uses his whistle to indicate foul-play;
. Hemay reveal such allegations internally i.e. arnorg people around him in his olganisa6iel or extemally i.e law enforcing
authorities.
. by US activist Ralph Nader in early 70s.
Temainology is said to have been coined
. While Whistle Blowers are appreciared by general public, they become vuLerable €r targeted by those affected. Munclered
latyendra Dubey, an Engineer in National Highways Authority of India had been the first known victim Many more
followed.
o In an eflort to provide prctection, the Whistle Blowers Protection bill 2010 has been passed by Lok Sabba in December
20lI and is pending in Rajya Sabha.

FOOD SECURITY BILL

o One of the schemes to alleviate hunger and mal-nutrition among the disadvantaged initiatd thmugh Ministry of
Agricultue (Deptr. Of Food and Public Distriburion).
. The Food Security Bill, 2013 dms to provide 5 kgs of food grains, per person, per monttl at subsidised prices, throug!
targetd Public Distribution systern In case of non-supply, the affected is entitled to receive cash equivaleni
r For children of 6 montis to 6 years, the Bill guarantees an age-appmpriate meal, free of cost, through local anganwadl
Children of Gl4 years would get free mid-day-meal in schools, Pregnant Wornan and lactating mothers wouH receive a
mafernity benefir of arleasr Rs.6OOO/-.
o The proPosed subsidised rates are Rs.3 per kg for
ricg Rs.2 per kgof wheat and Rel per kg for coarse grains
I Wbile tbe additional demand on foodgrains may provile a boost to Agriculture sector, the burden on the Govt is
prcjected at Rs.l.3 lakh crores per year.
16
 wN oN 1EI{EML STWTES 20t3 (2)

. There is a provision for social audit toensurc transparencyand accounability.

-scarcity
. The apprehension is that this would resuh in and also push the price up in open market

J USTICE J.S. VARMA COM MITTEE

. A thrce membercommittee headed by ShriJ.S. Vamr4 Retained ChielfJustice of India was appointd iie Dcember 2012 to
report on the required changes in laws relating inter-alia to crime against women. Th€ Coinmittee.zubmited itsReport
prc$y qubkly'Qess than 30 days). Some of rhe recommen&rions are:
e All marriages mus be registered in tbe presence of a Magistrate;
o Recommended retention of gradation of sexual offences in the IPC 1860, life imprisonment ro rape; sening up of Rape
crisis cell to deal with assauh on women,
o Recommendations include domegic workers under the puwiew of bill on sexual harassment of worrlen at workplace
making the employer to pay comp€nsarion to the victirn
o It also recommended that crimes like sexual assauk, sexual harassment, acid attack, trafficking child sexual abuse, etc. be
brought under Criminal Law (Amendrnent) Act, 2013.
r Qpined that rape and sexual assault are not merely crimes of passion but an expressi,on of power. Every complaint of tape'
should be registered by Police Failure of Police Officials in this regard, will be puni*rable.
o Relevant prwisions
9f Representation of Peoples Act, lgt should be arnended add candidates should be disqualifbd for
commirring sexual of fences.

CREATIONOFNEWSTATES
. Article 3 of lndian Constitution pmvides for creation of States, through a simple amendmenl Padiarnent is required to
pass a Bill, after recornrnendarion by the President niho consuhs the Govemment of the State concerned.
. States in India do not have territorial integrity ie, their consent is not necessary for changes made in their tenitory or
neure.
o Subsequent to re-organisations of States in 1956, many new States have been creat€d. Latest additions: Jbarkhan{
Uttaranchal and Charisgarh.
o As ondate India has 28 States and 7 Union Territories.
r The UPA C'ovt. has decided in prirrciple to accept the demands ofa section of people of the State of Andhra Pradesh and
carve out a new Srate, namely TEI-ENGANA which will be the 29'State The proposal is to retain Hyderabad as Capital
for both AP and Telerrgana-
. Wilh the approval of creation of TELENGANA, denands for Bodo-land(Assam), Gorkhaland(West Bengal), Haritha-
hadesh(UP), Yida$ha (Maharashma), Sourashtn (cujaraQ, Coorg (Karnataka) regain momentul It may be raalled
' that UP Assembly pssed a Resolution(Nov.2oll) sugqesting furtheibifurcation of the State carving out foui more srares
out of it(Purvanchal, Bundelkhan4 Avadh Pradesh and Paschim Pradesh).
o Those who demand new States algue that smaller states could be better administered. Those who oppo$e say it would
only.result in wasteful administrative expendirure and avoidable prbblerns like interstate water disputes, etc.

17