UPSC PIB Summary Analysis Mar22

India to be Self-Reliant in Silk Production by 2020

• Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani has said that India will be self-reliant in the production of silk by 2020.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry will help increase the production of Bivoltine silk (high quality) by 62 percent by 2020. 
• Government is also trying to increase the number of people engaged in the silk sector from 85 lakhs to one crore in the next three years.
• Financial support will be given for Infrastructure development by individual farmers and silk producers Central Government will bear 50% of the costs. For beneficiaries belonging to SC or ST category, the Centre will bear 65% of the cost. In case of beneficiaries from North East States, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, the Centre will bear 80% of the cost. 

About Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry

• The core objective of the scheme is to improve the productivity and quality of silk through R&D intervention.
• The focus of R&D intervention is to promote improved cross­breed silk and the import substitute Bivoltine silk.
• A total allocation of Rs.2161.68 Crore has been approved for the implementation of the Scheme for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
• The scheme will be implemented by the Ministry through Central Silk Board (CSB).

The Scheme has four components –

• Research & Development (R&D), Training, Transfer of Technology and IT Initiatives
• Seed Organizations and farmers extension centres
• Coordination and Market Development for seed, yarn and silk products and
• Quality Certification System (QCS) by creating amongst others a chain of Silk Testing facilities, Farm based & post-cocoon Technology Up-gradation, and Export Brand Promotion.

Cabinet approves Ayushman Bharat

• The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of a new Centrally Sponsored Ayushman Bharat -National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM).
• This will come under Ayushman Bharat Mission anchored in the MoHFW.
• The scheme has the benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.
• The target beneficiaries of the proposed scheme will be more than 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population based on SECC database. 
• AB-NHPM will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes -RashtriyaSwasthyaBimaYojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS)

Salient Features:

• AB-NHPM will have a defined benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year- This cover will take care of almost all secondary care and most of tertiary care procedures. To ensure that nobody is left out (especially women, children and elderly) there will be no cap on family size and age in the scheme.
• Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under the scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospitals across the country.
• AB-NHPM will be an entitlement based scheme with entitlement decided on the basis of deprivation criteria in the SECC database.
• Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-NHPMC) will be created at the apex level for giving policy directions and fostering coordination between Centre and States.
• States would need to have State Health Agency (SHA) to implement the scheme.

Cabinet approves amendments in the “Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016”

• The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 proposes to regulate surrogacy in India.
• A National Surrogacy Board at the central level and, State Surrogacy Boards and Appropriate Authorities in the States and Union Territories will be created.
• The proposed legislation ensures effective regulation of surrogacy, prohibit commercial surrogacy and allow altruistic surrogacy to the needy Indian infertile couples.
• This act will control the unethical practices in surrogacy, prevent commercialization of surrogacy and will prohibit potential exploitation of surrogate mothers and children born through surrogacy.
• The Bill shall apply to whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

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