19 December 2019: PIB Summary & Analysis

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December 19th, 2019 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize
2. Indra- 2019
3. India-US 2+2 Dialogue
4. Pinaka Missile System
5. Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS)
6. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
7. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
8. Ministry of Railways signs MoU with University of Birmingham
9. National Awards Function of the Ministry of Rural Development
10. Year End Review - 2019 of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize

Context:

Portugal announces Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize to perpetuate Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals.

About the Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize:

• This would be an award given annually and the first edition will be dedicated to animal welfare. Regarding animal welfare, Mahatma Gandhi had said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
• The awards would be based on Gandhi’s quotes and thoughts.

Indra- 2019

Context:

The second edition of the bilateral tri-services Exercise INDRA-2019 between India and Russia concluded at Babina, Pune and Goa.

Details:

• The exercise included joint training in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations under the United Nations mandate.
• Important lectures, demonstrations and drills related to counter-terrorism operations were rehearsed and executed jointly.
• Both the contingent shared their expertise and experience.
• The INDRA series of exercise began in 2003 and the First joint Tri-Services Exercise was conducted in 2017.
• The objective of the exercise is to imbibe the best practices from each other, jointly evolve drills to defeat the scourge of terror under the United Nations mandate.

India-US 2+2 Dialogue

Context:

India-US 2+2 Dialogue provides positive and forward-looking vision for strategic partnership between the two countries.

Details:

• The Defence Minister and the External Affairs Minister are on a visit to the US for the second annual India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
• This 2+2 Ministerial is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries and provides for a review of the security, defence and strategic partnership between India and the United States.
• This was the second 2+2 meeting and the first one was in the US.
• At the Dialogue, both sides positively appraised the growing partnership between India and the United States, and noted that important milestones had been achieved since the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi in 2018.
• Both sides reiterated their commitment to advancing a free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
• At the Dialogue, both sides also committed to further deepen military-to-military cooperation including between the Indian Navy and the US Navy Fleets under US Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command, and Africa Command and intend to expand similar cooperation between their respective Armies and Air Forces.
• Priority initiatives have been identified for execution under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) programme.
  • The two sides also concluded a standard operating procedure for this process.
  • These measures are expected to provide momentum to collaboration between the private defence industries of both India and the US.
  • The two sides also agreed to move forward in their engagement in the area of defence innovation.

Pinaka Missile System

Context:

Pinaka Missile System developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast.

About the Pinaka Missile System:

• The Pinaka is an Artillery Missile System capable of striking into enemy territory up to a range of 75 kilometres with high precision.
• The Pinaka MK-II Rocket is modified as a missile by integrating with the Navigation, Control and Guidance System to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range.
• The Navigation system of the missile is also aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
• The missile system has been jointly developed by various DRDO Laboratories.

Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS)

Context:

The Union Health Minister inaugurated a new CGHS Wellness Centre in New Delhi.

To know more about the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), check PIB dated Sep 1, 2019 under the headline, ‘Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS)’.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

Context:

56^th Raising Day Parade of SSB on 19 December.

Prelims Fact: SSB is the first CAPF that included women in its ranks.

To know more about the SSB, check CNA dated June 3^rd, 2019.

Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

Details:

• The urban areas of 35 states/UTs have become ODF (All states/UTs except a few Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) from West Bengal) and in all, 4,320 cities have declared themselves ODF, of which 4,166 cities have been certified through third-party verification.
• About 61 lakh individual toilets and 5.6 lakh Community Toilets have been completed, thus exceeding the targets.
• 96% of the wards in the country are covered by door to door collection of waste, 73% of the wards are practicing source segregation, and 60% waste generated is being scientifically processed.
• The concerned minister also gave information about the schemes the government was implementing under this ministry (given below).

Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)

• The scheme focuses on the development of basic urban infrastructure in 500 Mission cities:
  • Potable water for every household
  • Improvement in the treatment capacity of sewerage
  • Develop city parks
  • Reform implementation
• The scheme’s focus is on urban renewal projects that would establish infrastructure which facilitates sufficient and efficient sewerage networks and water supply. This is to enable an urban transformation.

Smart Cities Mission (SCM)

• The Smart Cities Mission is an urban regeneration programme launched in 2015.
• It is basically an urban renewal and retrofitting mission undertaken by the Urban Development Ministry.
• It works in partnership with the state governments in which the different cities are located.
• Many of the projects are infrastructure projects aimed at improving the quality of life in the cities.
• The initial plan was to develop 100 Smart Cities.
• The objective of the Mission is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure, and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of `Smart Solutions’.
• The implementation of the Smart Cities Mission at the city-level is done by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) created for the purpose. The SPVs plan, appraise, approve, implement, manage, operate, monitor and evaluate their Smart City projects.

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U)

• Launched in 2014, this mission aims at making urban India free from open defecation and achieving 100% scientific management of municipal solid waste.
• Mission Objectives:
  • Elimination of open defecation
  • Eradication of manual scavenging
  • Modern and scientific municipal solid waste management
  • To effect behavioural change regarding healthy sanitation practices
  • Generate awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health
  • Capacity augmentation for ULBs
  • To create an enabling environment for private sector participation in Capex (capital expenditure) and Opex (operation and maintenance)
• Mission Components:
  • Household toilets, including conversion of insanitary latrines into pour-flush latrines
  • Community toilets
  • Public toilets
  • Solid waste management
  • IEC & Public Awareness
  • Capacity building and Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE)

To know more about the Swachh Bharat Mission, click here.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)

• The PMAY-U was launched in 2015 to provide housing for all by 2022.
• The scheme provides central assistance to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and other implementing agencies through States/UTs.
• The programme has 4 verticals:
  • Credit Link Subsidy Scheme (CLSS)
  • In-situ rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a resource through private participation
  • Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP)
  • Subsidy for beneficiary led individual house construction/enhancement

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)

• It is a centrally sponsored scheme for reducing the poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households and is under implementation in the States/UTs since April 2014.
• The Mission covers all the statutory towns in the country, to be decided by the State/UT as per local needs and capabilities.
• The primary target of DAY-NULM is urban poor, including urban homeless and particular emphasis is laid on mobilisation of vulnerable sections of urban population such as SCs/STs, minorities, female-headed households, street vendors, rag pickers, etc.

Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY)

Read more about HRIDAY.

Urban Transport

• 667 km of metro rail lines are presently operational in 18 cities and about 934 km (including 82 km Delhi-Meerut RRTS) are under construction in various cities.
• Other initiatives in urban transport are:
  • National Urban Transport Policy, which seeks to promote greater use of public transport and non-motorized modes of travel and use of cleaner technologies.
  • Metro Rail Policy which bridges the gap for ascertaining and enhancing the feasibility of metro rail projects from economic, social and environmental perspective.
  • Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Policy, 2017 to encourage compact mixed-use development which reduces the need for travel and improves the access to public transport within the walkable distance of transit stations.
  • National Common Mobility Card to enable seamless travel by different metros and other transport means across the country besides retail shopping and purchases. This is India’s first indigenously developed AFC System which fulfils the dream of One Nation One Card.
  • Metrolite – Cost-effective Metro system for tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
  • Metroneo being formulated, envisages standards for rubber tyre-based mass rapid transit system with exclusive right of way as an option for public transport in smaller cities.

Context:

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs gave the above information to the MPs of the Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.

Ministry of Railways signs MoU with University of Birmingham

Context:

The National Rail Transport Institute, a deemed to be university under the Ministry of Railways, signed an MoU with the University of Birmingham to set up its first Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Transportation Systems.

Details:

• Indian Railways is a founding partner of this centre and would provide proprietary data, professional expertise, spare equipment and other available resources directly or through its Centralised Training Institutes and research organisations.
• The centre would also invite partnerships from other industry and academic organisations as it develops in the future.
• This Centre will be involved in promoting development of the Rail and Transportation sector in India which include offering post-graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral programmes, customized training programmes for in-service professionals, undertaking joint research projects in areas such as signalling, communication, asset maintenance, traction and safety and developing benchmarks, standards and certifications for specialized skills.
• It will also be involved in organising knowledge events, conferences, workshops to disseminate trends, latest research, global best practices and developments in the transportation sector, accessible to industry and academia.

About the National Rail Transport Institute (NRTI):

• The National Rail Transport Institute has been set up as a deemed to be university and has been operational since 2018.
• In addition to Schools and Departments in various disciplines, NRTI aims to develop interdisciplinary Centres of Excellence which would be collaborative constructs to promote research and education to the transportation sector.
• NRTI’s strategy is focussed upon sourcing the best expertise from around the world from leading global institutions through institutional partnerships for collaborating on developing curriculum, research projects and executive education programs.

National Awards Function of the Ministry of Rural Development

Context:

National Awards Function of the Ministry of Rural Development for the year 2019 was held in New Delhi.

Details:

• Awards were given for achievements across various schemes of Ministry of Rural Development including –
  • Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)
  • Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G): PIB dated Nov 20 2019
  • Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY): PIB dated Dec 18 2019
  • Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-NRLM)
  • Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY)
  • Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM)
  • Training Division which operates all State Institute for Rural Development (SIRDs)

Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY):

• It is a placement linked skill development program which allows skilling in a PPP mode and assured placements in regular jobs in an organization not owned by the skilled person.
• DDU-GKY is being undertaken as PPP Project all over the country through Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) registered with the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Further, Guidelines of the scheme mandate State Governments to take up skill training projects with Corporate Social Responsibility funding.
• DDU-GKY Guidelines provide for setting apart 15% of the funds of the funds at for national level beneficiaries from among minority groups.

Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM)

• SPMRM aims to provide well planned basic amenities along with economic development activities in rural areas.
• It focuses on cluster-based integrated development through Geo – spatial Planning for holistic development of the region while encouraging innovation and integrated and inclusive rural development.
• The National Rurban Mission (NRuM) follows the vision of “Development of a cluster of villages that preserve and nurture the essence of rural community life with focus on equity and inclusiveness without compromising with the facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature, thus creating a cluster of “Rurban Villages”.

Year End Review – 2019 of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Context:

The Year End Review – 2019 of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is briefly given below.

Details:

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is responsible for the coordination of all skill development efforts across the country, removal of disconnect between demand and supply of skilled manpower, building the vocational and technical training framework, skill up-gradation, building of new skills, and innovative thinking not only for existing jobs but also jobs that are to be created.

• National Skill Development Mission (NSDM)
  • The Mission has been developed to create convergence across sectors and States in terms of skill training activities.
  • Further, to achieve the vision of ‘Skilled India’, the National Skill Development Mission would not only consolidate and coordinate skilling efforts, but also expedite decision making across sectors to achieve skilling at scale with speed and standards.
• Skill India Portal:
  • An IT Platform, namely Skill India portal was launched to converge the skilling data of various Central Ministries, State Governments, Private Training Providers and Corporates on a single platform.
  • This will enable data-driven decision making by the policymakers and help remove information asymmetry in the skilling ecosystem.
  • This will also be a single touchpoint for the citizens of India to access skilling opportunities and seeking related services.
• Industrial Training Centres (ITIs):
  • Expanded and modernized the existing Long-Term Training ecosystem in India.
  • The total number of Industrial Training Centres (ITIs) increased by 12% from 2014 to 2018.
  • During the same period, the trainee enrolment also hiked by 37%.
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK):
  • They are model training centres giving vocational training.
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
  • RPL is a process of assessment of an individual’s prior learning, skills, and experience.
  • Individuals having prior learning experiences/skills are certified and assessed under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
• SMART Accreditation: Check PIB dated 26^th Nov 2019 for more on this.
• STRIVE scheme:
  • Focus of the scheme is to increase the performance of ITIs.
  • The scheme also works towards increasing capacities of State Governments to support ITIs and apprenticeship training.
• Pradhan Mantri Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyan (PM-YUVA):
  • Under the scheme, entrepreneurship education is given to encourage entrepreneurship and help people to become self-employed within the country.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MNGF):
  • The ministry has constituted the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MNGF) for 75 districts across 6 states.
  • Under these, 75 young professionals shall be selected and will be deputed in identified 75 districts for supporting the district officials in district level planning, monitoring of activities related to skilling management of data/information, coordination among different stakeholders in districts and assistance to District Skill Development Committee.
• Indian Skill Development Services (ISDS):
  • To ensure that the skilling of the country’s youth gets the importance that it deserves, the government has carved out an altogether new administrative service much like the Indian Revenue Service or the Post and Telegraph Service.
  • The Indian Skill Development Services (ISDS) has been created through a notification by the MSDE.
  • This service has been created for the Training Directorate of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
  • ISDS will be a Group ‘A’ service where induction will take place through Indian Engineering Service Examination, conducted by UPSC.
• Community mentors called Business Sakhis:
  • This is a new concept and a system that provides mentorship support services of both psycho-social and business supports through a cadre of community mentors called Business Sakhis (Biz-Sakhis).
• eSkill India platform:
  • The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) created an e-Skill India portal, a multilingual e-learning aggregator portal, providing e-skilling opportunities to the Indian youth.
  • eSkill India leverages the skilling opportunities from Indian and global leaders in online learning, by consolidating online courses curated by leading knowledge organisations that share NSDC’s commitment of making India a Skill Capital of the World.
  • The courses are available in English, Hindi and 9 regional languages. The learners are guided through self-paced interactive videos and quizzes.

December 19th, 2019 PIB:- Download PDF Here

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