UPSC: PIB Summary and Analysis Dec 27

Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana

• Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY) is a Government of India Social Security Scheme administered through Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) that provides Death and Disability cover to persons between the age group of 18 yrs to 59 yrs, under 48 identified vocational/ occupational groups /rural landless households.
• It is a group insurance scheme implemented through a Nodal Agency such as a Central Ministry/ Department; State Government /Union Territory or other institutionalized arrangements/ registered NGO.

Insurance cover

• The AABY provides insurance cover for a sum of Rs 30,000/- on natural death,
• 75,000/- on death due to accident,
• 37,500/- for partial permanent disability (loss of one eye or one limb) due to accident and
• 75,000/- for total permanent disability (loss of two eyes or two limbs or loss of one eye and one limb) due to accident.

The Scheme also provides an add-on-benefit, wherein Scholarship of Rs 100 per month per child is paid on half-yearly basis to a maximum of two children per member, studying in 9th to 12th Standard.

Social security scheme for artisans

• To protect the interest of artisans, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has issued directions to all Khadi Institutions to ensure payment of wages directly into Aadhaar Seeded bank account of artisans.
• KVIC is releasing Market Development Assistance incentives to Khadi artisans and Khadi Institutions through a DBT Portal directly into their Aadhaar Bank Accounts.

‘“Coir Workers” Group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme

• Government is also implementing the ‘“Coir Workers” Group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme which is aimed at providing insurance coverage against accidental death, permanent total disability and permanent partial disability to the coir workers in all coir producing States in India.
• The maximum amount of compensation payable is Rs.50,000/- in the case of death/permanent total disability and Rs.25,000/- in the case of permanent partial disability.
• The premium for the entire coir workers is paid by Coir Board to the Insurance Company as a lump sum amount towards the renewal of the policy every year.
• The coir workers aged 18 years and above engaged in the industry (no upper age limit) are covered under the scheme.
• The scheme was converged to the Core scheme Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) during July, 2016.

Livestock Disease Forewarning –Mobile Application (LDF-Mobile App)

• Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh launched Livestock Disease Forewarning –Mobile Application (LDF-Mobile App), developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI),
• Union Agriculture Minister said that ICAR-NIVEDI has identified 13 priority diseases based on their past incidence patterns and has built a strong database of these diseases and has been providing monthly livestock disease alerts to the state and central animal husbandry departments.

What it does?

• ICAR-NIVEDI developed the app and used Monthly Bulletin system to send out early warning.
• The complex statistical algorithm also considers both climatic and non-climatic factors and categorizes districts into Very High Risk, High Risk, Moderate Risk, Low Risk, Very Low Risk and No Risk for a particular disease so that stakeholders can effectively plan and utilize the available resources.
• This app works on all kind of Android smartphones and takes up 2.5 MB space.

Significance

• Monthly Bulletin system used in this mobile app to send out early warning
• Apart from early warning, the app will also provide information about clinical samples for the diagnosis in case of the epidemic so that immediate action in case of the epidemic.

National Culture Fund (NCF)

• The National Culture Fund (NCF) was established as a funding mechanism distinct from the existing sources and patterns of funding for the arts and culture in India.
• It will enable institutions and individuals to support arts and culture directly as partners with its government.
• The NCF is managed and administered by a council to decide the policies and an Executive Committee – to actualize those policies. The Council is chaired by the Union Minister of Tourism & Culture

Why was it required?

• India has many strands to its cultural heritage, which require to survive, grow and evolve as living cultures.
• Factors such as the pace of socio-economic and environmental changes and the advent of new technologies are posing unprecedented threats to the continuity of these cultural heritages. Increasing awareness of these threats have brought about demands from communities not only to preserve and renew their languages, traditions and culture, but also to reinvigorate their cultural identity and creativity.
• In view of the increasing concern of the community to preserve and promote our heritage and to enable them to participate and contribute to its promotion, it was considered necessary to set up an organization which would facilitate and support institutions and individuals in this endeavour.

Udyami Mitra Portal

• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has launched the ‘Udyami Mitra’ Portal (www.udyamimitra.in) to improve accessibility of credit and handholding services to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• It is an enabling platform which leverages IT architecture of Stand-Up Mitra portal and aims at instilling ease of access to MSMEs financial and non-financial service needs.
• Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) have been advised to ensure a target of 7.5% of Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC) for Micro Enterprises, that collateral security is not required for loans upto Rs. 10 lakh to MSE sector, a simplified working capital requirement for MSEs.

Administrative reforms in the Steel Ministry

• Notification of National Steel Policy, 2017
• Notification of Domestically Manufactured Iron & Steel Products (DMI&SP) Policy
• In order to address the challenge of unfair trade, the Government took trade measures such as anti-dumping duties, safeguard duties.
• Imposed temporary introduction of Minimum Import Price in 2016.
• Notified the Quality Control Orders which makes the use of BIS standards mandatory for all steel products and imports.

Significance

• As a result of the above measures the dumping of cheap steel products in the country was contained and price realisation improved.
• Further, Import of total finished steel during the year 2016-17 has declined by 38.3% over the previous year 2015-16
• The export of total finished steel has increased by 102 % in the year 2016-17 over the previous year.

Underground Tunnels

• Construction of tunnels has been prioritized to provide all weather connectivity in the Border States. Tunnel at Rohtang pass in Himachal Pradesh and at Theng in Sikkim are under construction.

The likely benefits are

• Provide all weather connectivity which will help in the socio-economic development of these regions.
• Reduce the travel time.

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme

• The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme has been introduced in October, 2014 to address the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).
• The Scheme was launched at Panipat in Haryana.
• It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.

Objectives

• Prevent gender biased sex selective elimination
• Ensure survival & protection of the girl child
• Ensure education of the girl child

Overall Goal

• Celebrate the Girl Child & Enable her Education

Project Implementation

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development would be responsible for budgetary control and administration of the scheme from the Centre. At the State level, the Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development will be responsible for overall direction and implementation of the scheme.

Budget

• A budgetary allocation of 100 Cr. has been made under the budget announcement for Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign and 100 Cr. will be mobilized from Plan Outlay of the Planned scheme ‘Care and Protection of Girl Child  – A Multi Sectoral Action Plan’  for the 12th Plan. Additional resources can be mobilized through Corporate Social Responsibility at National & State levels. The estimated cost of the Scheme is  200 cr.

Context

• Ministry WCD launches ‘Spot BBBP logo contest’

Chennai Bangalore Industrial Corridor

• The Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor Project is an upcoming mega infrastructure project of Government of India.
• The corridor plans to come up along Chennai, Sriperumbudur, Ponnapanthangal, Ranipet, Chittoor, Bangarupalem, Palamaner, Bangarpet, Hoskote and Bangalore.
• It is expected to boost commerce between south India and east Asia by enabling quicker movement of goods from these places to the Chennai and Ennore ports.
• It is one of the five industrial corridors coming up in India under the aegis of National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT).

Hunar Se Rozgar Tak

• It is an initiative Ministry of Tourism, courses are offered in hospitality trades namely Food Production, Food and Beverage Service, Housekeeping Utility and Bakery and Patisserie.
• The Ministry of Tourism launched a special initiative called Hunar Se Rozgar Tak (HSRT) in the year 2009-10 for creation of employable skills amongst youth.
• The initiative is fully funded by the Ministry of Tourism.
• The features common to the training programmes under the HSRT are: the trainees should be in the age group of 18-28 years; each training programme is of short duration – 6 to 8 weeks; and no fees chargeable to the trainee.
• The HSRT initiative is being implemented through expert institutions including the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Institutes of Hotel Management, Food Craft Institutes and India Tourism Development Corporation.
• The State Governments/Union Territory Administrations have also been authorised to implement the initiative through Institutes selected by them for purpose.
• It is also mandatory for certain star-classified hotels to train a prescribed minimum number of persons.

Government of India has taken various steps to boost tourism in the country, which inter-alia include the following:

• E- Visa facility extended to citizens of 163 countries.
• The Incredible India 2.0 campaign launched with market specific promotional plans and content creation.
• 24×7 Toll Free Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline 1800111363 launched in 12 International Languages including Hindi and English.
• Providing Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for development and promotion of tourism.
• Identification, diversification, development and promotion of Niche products like Cruise, Adventure, Medical, Wellness, Golf, Polo, Eco, Film and Meeting Incentives Conference and Exhibition (MICE).