31 May 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

• The Government of India and the World Bank today signed a $500 million loan agreement to provide additional financing for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project.
• PMGSY is implemented by Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India, which will build 7,000 km of climate resilient roads, out of which 3,500 km will be constructed using green technologies.
• The World Bank has supported PMGSY since its inception in 2004. 
• So far it has invested over $1.8 billion in loans and credits mostly in the economically weaker and hill states across North India – Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
• It has built and improved about 35,000 km of rural roads and benefited about eight million people with access to all-weather roads.
• The PMGSY and the Bank’s involvement under this additional financing, will emphasize on managing the rural road network through green and climate-resilient construction using green, low-carbon designs and new technologies – far beyond merely funding civil works.
• The Additional Financing will also fill the gender gap by creating employment opportunities for women in construction and maintenance.
• The earlier project had piloted community-based maintenance contracts through women self-help groups (SHGs) for routine maintenance of 200 km of PMGSY roads in Uttarakhand, Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh.

NITI Aayog signs on Sushant Singh Rajput to promote WEP

• NITI Aayog announced the signing of a Statement of Intent (SoI) with noted media personality and entrepreneur Shri Sushant Singh Rajput, to collaborate and support  NITI’s flagship initiative, the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP).
• Shri Rajput will also be promoting NITI Aayog’s digital payments campaign which looks towards transforming India into a less-cash economy.
• The actor will endorse the Women Entrepreneurship Platform and encourage use of Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) application by appearing in various video, print and social media campaigns of NITI Aayog.

Background

• NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) was launched on March 8, 2018 on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.
• The initiative is aimed at building an ecosystem for women across India to realize their entrepreneurial aspirations, scale-up innovative initiatives and chalk-out sustainable, long-term strategies for their businesses.
• It aims to power a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem through an enabling network of industry collaborations, partnerships, mentors and peer-to-peer connect.

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