● National Intelligence Grid - NATGRID aims to provide cutting-edge technology to enhance India’s

counter-terror capabilities.
● The ambitious electronic database was mooted after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
● The National Intelligence Grid or NATGRID is the integrated intelligence grid connecting databases of core
security agencies of the Gove
● rnment of India.
● It is a robust intelligence gathering mechanism related to immigration, banking, individual taxpayers, air
and train travels.
● First cognceptualised in 2009, NATGRID seeks to become the one-stop destination for security and
intelligence agencies to access databases related to immigration entry and exit, banking and telephone
details of ga suspect on a “secured platform”.
● The data will be procured by NATGRID from 21 organisations such as telecom, tax records, bank,
immigration, etc.
● NATGRID will act as a link between intelligence and investigation agencies.
● The project aims to go live soon.
● Initially, State agencies won’t have direct access to NATGRID. 10 Central agencies will be able to access
the information gathered by NATGRID.
● However, the state agencies can extract the information by contacting these 10 central agencies that have
direct access to NATGRID.

National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) is one of the eight missions under the National
Action Plan for Climate Change taken by the Indian government to promote the market for energy efficiency by
fostering innovative policies and effective market instruments.
NMEEE includes the following four specific energy efficiency initiatives.
● Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT):
● Market Transformation for Energy Efficiency (MTEE):
● Energy Efficiency Financing Platform (EEFP):
● Framework for Energy Efficiency Economic Development (FEEED):

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is one of the major missions of the National Action
Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
Components of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture:
● Soil Health Management (SHM)
● Rainfed Area Development (RAD)
● Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF)
● National Bamboo Mission (NBM)
● Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture: Monitoring, Modeling and Networking (CCSAMMN)

Green India Mission:

The National Mission for a Green India or the commonly called Green India Mission (GIM), is one of the eight
Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

PRAGYATA guidelines (8 step guidelines) issued by the government of India refer to a set of guidelines issued
for planning and implementation of Digital Education. These guidelines are only advisory in nature and state
governments can frame their own policies.

Project ECHO

● Project ECHO is a revolutionary guided-practice model that reduces health disparities in under-served
and remote areas of the state, nation, and world through innovative tele-mentoring where expert teams
lead virtual clinics to the underserved in their own communities.
SVEEP

● Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation program, better known as SVEEP, is the
flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness
and promoting voter literacy in India.
● SVEEP’s primary goal is to build a truly participative democracy in India by encouraging all eligible
citizens to vote and make an informed decision during the elections.

Central Vista Redevelopment Project

● The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs proposed a Central Vista redevelopment project in
2019.
● The project envisages Constructing a triangular Parliament building next to the existing one and
revamping of the 3-km-long Rajpath — from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
○ Stretch in New Delhi - Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, North and South Block, India Gate
and National Archives.
● The ancillary projects include
○ a new residence for the Prime Minister
○ Central Conference Centre
○ a building for the Special Protection Group
○ a Vice-President’s Enclave
○ Common Central Secretariat
● Under this ambitious project, there will be a new Parliament building by July 2022 and a common Central
Secretariat by March 2024.
● New Parliament
○ 545 seats to 900 seats.
○ Four storey structure
○ Will not have a Central Hall as in the present Parliament.
○ A grand constitution hall to showcase India’s democratic heritage.
● The National Museum might be demolished and relocated.
● North and South Block to be repurposed as museums.
● Tata Projects Limited has won the bid for its construction. Rs 970 Cr

In a bid to tighten the security of the communications network, the Centre government of India had recently
announced the National Security Directive for the telecom sector, which will mandate service providers to
purchase equipment from trusted sources.

India is committed to increase the share of Natural Gas to 6% to 15% by 2030. Barauni (Bihar) -Guwahati
Pipeline project (BGPL) is being implemented to connect the northeast region with the National Gas Grid.

NIRVIK (Niryat in Vikas Yojana) scheme strives to provide enhanced insurance cover and reduced premium
for small exporters and simplified procedures for claim settlements.

Integrated Child Development Services:

● The beneficiaries under the Scheme are children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and
lactating mothers.
● Under the programme, Supplementary Nutrition (SNP) is given to the children (6 months – 6 years),
pregnant women and lactating mothers.
● ICDS is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by state governments and union territories.
● The objectives of ICDS are sought to be achieved through a package of services comprising:
● Supplementary nutrition
 ● Immunization
● Health check-up
● Referral services
● Pre-school non-formal education
● Nutrition & health education

National Nutrition Mission:

● Flagship programme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD
● Aimed at improving the nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women
and Lactating Mothers
● Reduction in stunting from 38.4% as per the National Family Health Survey-4 to 25% by 2022.
● To reduce stunting, under-nutrition and low birth weight by 2%, 2%, and 2% per annum respectively
● Bring down anaemia among young children, women and adolescent girls by 3% per year

Committees constituted to achieve objectives of National Nutrition Mission:

● National Nutrition Council (NNC) or National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges headed by the
Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog has been constituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
● Executive Committee (EC) of the National Nutrition Mission-headed by Secretary of the Ministry of Women
and Child Development
● National Technical Board on Nutrition (NTBN)-headed by a Member of NITI Aayog, V K Paul. It provides
technical, responsive and evidence based recommendations on the policy relevant issues concerning
Nutrition for women and children.
● NITI Aayog has been entrusted with the task of closely monitoring the POSHAN Abhiyan/National
Nutrition Mission. NITI Aayog has to submit the report of POSHAN Abhiyan every six months to the
PMO.

Poshan Abhiyan
● The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition or POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition
Mission, is Government of India’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children (0-6
years), pregnant women and lactating mothers.
● Ministry of Women and Child Development is the implementing agency of the POSHAN Abhiyan
● Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog is the Chairperson of the National Council on Nutrition set up under the
POSHAN Abhiyaan.
● The supplementary nutrition programme and the Poshan Abhiyaan under the Women and Child
Development Ministry have been merged to launch Mission Poshan 2.0 according to the Union Budget
2021-22.
● POSHAN 2.0 is an umbrella scheme covering the
○ Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS),
○ Anganwadi Services,
○ Scheme For Adolescent Girls and
○ National Creche Scheme. (Creche - Childcare)
PM POSHAN:
● The Cabinet has approved a proposal to rename the 26-year-old national mid-day meal scheme and
launch the PM POSHAN (Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme.
● The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved PM POSHAN until 2025-26.
● The scheme, which is proposed to be extended to pre-primary children, provides for:
○ social audit
○ creation of school nutritional gardens to source fresh produce
○ involvement of farmer-producer organisations as providers,
○ emphasis on local food traditions
 ● The centrally supported hot meal programme in Government and Government-aided schools, covering
11.8 crore children, will be supplemented with nutritional elements in identified aspirational districts and
areas with high anaemia.

National Creche Scheme:

● National Creche Scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide daycare facilities to children of
working mothers.
● It is an intervention towards the protection and development of children in the age group of 6 months to 6
years.
● Provides supplementary nutrition, health care inputs like immunization, polio drops, basic health
monitoring, sleeping facilities, early stimulation (for children below 3 years), pre-school education for
children aged between 3-6 yrs.

National health policy of 2017

● It intends to increase health expenditure by the Government as a percentage of GDP from 1.15 % in 2017
to 2.5 % by 2025.
● Achieve global target of 2020 which is also termed as target of [Link], for HIV/AIDS
○ 90% of all people living with HIV know their HIV status
○ 90% of all people diagnosed with HIV infection receive sustained antiretroviral therapy
○ 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
● Aims to end HIV by 2030
● Some of the major Quantitative Goals and Objectives set forth in the National health Policy, 2017 include
the following:
○ Reduction of TFR to 2.1 at national and sub-national level by 2025.
○ Bring down the malaria cases to less than 1 per 1000 population.
○ Prevent and reduce anaemia in women in the age bracket of 15 years to 49 years (reproductive
age of women).
○ Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) – Reduce it to 1 per 1000 live births
○ Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) – Reduce it to 25 per 1000 live births.
■ Infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday.
○ 23 deaths per 1000 live births for under-5 mortality.
○ 16 deaths per 1000 live births for neonatal mortality by 2025.
■ A neonatal death is defined as a death during the first 28 days of life (0-27 days).
○ Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn Child plus Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) was launched by
India for reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality.

Nutrition Targets by World Health Assembly:

● In 2012, the World Health Assembly identified six nutrition targets for maternal, infant and young child
nutrition to be met by 2025.
● reduce stunting by 40% in children under 5 and prevalence of anaemia by 50% among women
in the age group of 19-49 years,
● ensure 30% reduction in low-birth weight and no increase in childhood overweight,
● increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months up to at least 50% and
● reduce and maintain childhood wasting to less than 5%.
● India is likely to miss all these nutrition targets according to the Global Nutrition Report

Ayushman Bharat
● National initiative launched in 2018 as the part of National Health Policy, 2017 - to achieve the vision of
Universal Health Coverage under SDG 3.
● Purpose - to provide a comprehensive need-based health care service.
 ● Aim - to undertake path breaking interventions to holistically address health at primary, secondary and
tertiary level.
● Ayushman Bharat comprises two interrelated components, namely Health and Wellness Centres
(HWCs), and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs)

● Creation of 1.5 lakh HWCs - bringing health care closer to the homes of people.
● To provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care.
● Covers maternal and child health services, and non-communicable diseases, including providing free
essential drugs and diagnostic services.
● These centres would be equipped with facilities like telemedicine.
● Yoga lessons will also be offered in the vicinity of these centres.
● Other facilities include obstetrics, dentistry, psychiatry, geriatrics and diagnosis of ailments like blood
pressure, diabetes and common types of cancer

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) (Previously National Health Protection Scheme)
● Launched in 2018
● It is a health assurance scheme which aims at providing a health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year
for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 10 crores poor and vulnerable families that
form the bottom 40% of the Indian population (55 crore Indians).
● Eligible beneficiaries are selected based on the deprivation and occupational criteria of the Socio-
Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) for rural and urban areas.
● Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It is fully subsidised by the Centre and the State Govts. through their
budgetary support.
○ 60% support by Union Government
● The expenditure incurred in premium payment will be shared between Central and State Governments in
specified ratio.
● It subsumed the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). The RSBY had a family cap of five
members.
● In PM-JAY, there is no cap on family size or age of members for the beneficiaries.
● Pre-existing diseases are covered from the very first day. This means that any eligible person suffering
from any medical condition before being covered by PM-JAY will now be able to get treatment for all those
medical conditions as well under this scheme right from the day they are enrolled.
● PM-JAY is the world’s largest and fully state sponsored health assurance scheme. It is under the
aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India.
● It provides cashless and paperless service to its beneficiaries at the point of service.
● The benefits of the scheme are portable across the Country (outside their state and anywhere in the
country).
● Available at empanelled hospitals, both public and private.
● Covers
○ Medical and hospitalization expenses for almost all secondary care and most tertiary care
procedures.
○ Surgery, medical and day care treatments including medicines, diagnostics and transport.
○ Pre- & post-hospitalization expenses.
● It covers 3 days of hospitalisation and 15 days of post hospitalisation, including diagnostic care and
expenses on medicines.
● To control the costs, the payments for treatment will be done on a package rate basis. It is to be defined
by the Government in advance. The package rates will include all the costs associated with treatment.
● So far, 25 States and Union Territories have adopted the PM-JAY scheme, except three states: Odisha,
West Bengal and Telangana and the Union Territory of Delhi.
 ● State Governments will be allowed to expand the scheme both horizontally and vertically. They can
implement it through insurance companies or directly through Trust / Society or a mixed model. The
scheme will merge the existing state insurance schemes into one large pool, remove inefficiencies and
bring economies of scale.
● The National Health Authority or the NHA is the apex body responsible for implementing India’s flagship
public health insurance/assurance scheme ‘Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’.

PM Digital Health Mission:

● PM Digital Health Mission was launched in 2021 to help strengthen India’s medical sector and health
facilities of the country.
● It includes a unique health ID for every citizen that will also work as their health account, to which personal
health records can be linked.
● It will enable access and exchange of longitudinal health records of citizens with their consent.

Ayushman CAPF:

● The government has extended the Ayushman CAPF healthcare scheme benefits to the personnel of all
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), viz. Assam Rifles, BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, NSG and SSB, and
their dependents. It is not extended to retired personnel.
● A dedicated call centre for support and grievance redressal for CAPF personnel has also been set up.
● The scheme provides cashless medical cover.

SUTRA PIC:
● Scientific Utilisation Through Research Augmentation-Prime Products from Indigenous Cows – a
programme to research ‘indigenous’ cows.
● The initiative is led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
● The government had launched the Rashtriya Gokul Mission in 2014 for the conservation and
development of indigenous breeds of cows in a focused and scientific manner.
● The mission envisages the establishment of integrated cattle development centres, Gokul Grams and
breeder’s societies (Gopalan Sangh) to develop indigenous breeds.
● Rashtriya Gokul Mission is a focussed project under National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy
Development.

SUTRA Model:
● Susceptible, Undetected, Tested (positive), and Removed Approach’ (SUTRA) model to predict the COVID
graph in India
● The model uses three main parameters to predict the course of the pandemic.
○ The first is called beta, or contact rate, which measures how many people an infected person
infects per day.
■ It is related to the R0 value, which is the number of people an infected person spreads the
virus to over the course of their infection.
○ The second parameter is ‘reach’ which is a measure of the exposure level of the population to
the pandemic.
○ The third is ‘epsilon’ - ratio of detected and undetected cases

Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS)

● It is a unique Weather-based Insurance Product designed to provide insurance protection against losses
in crop yield resulting from adverse weather incidences.
● It provides payout against adverse rainfall incidence (both deficit & excess) during Kharif and adverse
incidence in weather parameters like frost, heat, relative humidity, unseasonal rainfall, etc. during Rabi.
● It is not a yield guarantee insurance.
 ● Major Food crops (Cereals, Millets & Pulses), Oilseeds, Commercial and Horticultural crops are covered
under this scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

● PMFBY was launched in 2016 in line with the One Nation – One Scheme theme.
● The premium to be paid by the farmers is the same across the states.
● It only varies on the type of the crop. (Kharif - 2%; Rabi - 1.5%; Commercial and Horticultural crops -
5%)
● Farmers including sharecroppers and tenant farmers growing notified crops in the notified areas are
eligible for coverage
● Low premium amount paid by farmers - Balance premium is paid by government
● No upper limit on government subsidy - even if balance premium is 90% it will be borne by government
● Removal of capping on premium rate - full compensation to farmers without reduction
● The scheme is being administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare.
● Crops covered : Oilseed crops ; all food crops ; Annual commercial/horticultural crops
● It replaced two existing schemes - National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National
Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS)
● It is said to be the largest crop insurance scheme across the country.
● It provides insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the
notified crops as a result of natural calamities, pests & [Link] also covers losses due to localized
calamities such as inundation, hailstorm and landslide risks.
● It covers post-harvest losses coverage is available only upto a maximum period of two weeks from
harvesting, for those crops which are required to be dried in cut and spread/ small bundled condition in
the field after harvesting, against specific perils of Hailstorm, Cyclone, Cyclonic rains and Unseasonal
rains.
○ The losses arising out of war and nuclear risks, malicious damage and other preventable risks are
not covered under this.
● Flexibility to states - The States may consider providing add-on coverage for crop loss due to attack by
wild animals wherever the risk is perceived to be substantial and is identifiable.
● The scheme is implemented by empanelled general insurance companies.
○ Selection of Implementing Agency (IA) is made by the concerned State Government through
bidding.
● The funds for the scheme come from the Krishi Kalyan Kosh.
○ Krishi Kalyan Kosh: (farmers’ welfare fund) - ‘emergency fund’ to support farmers when they
incur losses due to low rates of produce, crop damage due to natural disasters, and to assist them
when there is a delay in payment of minimum support price (MSP) by the Centre.
● PMFBY/RWBCIS has been made voluntary for all farmers, including those with existing crop loans.
○ Earlier the scheme was mandatory for the farmers who have borrowed institutional loans from
banks and it is optional for the farmers who have not availed institutional credit.
● Share between Centre and states
○ Previously, the balance premium was split equally between the Centre and states - 50% and 50%
○ Now the Centre has reduced its share of the premium subsidy from earlier 50% to 25% in
irrigated areas and 30% for unirrigated areas from the kharif season of 2020.
○ Districts having 50 per cent or more irrigated area will be considered as irrigated area/district.
● Central share in premium subsidy is increased to 90 per cent for north eastern states from the existing
sharing pattern of 50:50 under both the schemes.
● Use of technology
○ Smart Sampling Technique (SST) to be adopted during assessment exercises.
○ PMFBY Portal: For integration of land records
○ Crop Insurance App: For easy enrollment of farmers and reporting of losses
 ○ Satellite imagery, remote-sensing technology, drones, artificial intelligence and machine learning to
assess crop losses
● Aadhaar has been made mandatory for availing Crop insurance from Kharif 2017 season onwards.
Therefore, all enrolment agencies are advised to mandatorily obtain Aadhaar Number of their farmers.
○ Farmers not having Aadhaar Identity (ID) may also enrol under PMFBY subject to their enrolment
for Aadhaar and submission of proof of such enrolment.
● Penalties to states for inadequate insurance coverage in time
● Insurance companies have to spend 0.5% of the total premium collected on information, education and
communication (IEC) activities

Kisan Rail - The Indian Railways will set up Kisan Rail through Public Private Partnership (PPP). The Kisan Rail
would ensure that perishable goods are transported quickly.

Pradhan Mantri KIsan SAmman Nidhi (PM KISAN)

● PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme launched in 2019 that provides income support to the farmers and
their families.
● The beneficiaries of the scheme receive Rs.6000 per annum, payable in three equal instalments over
the year.
● Inspired from Rythu Bandhu scheme by Government of Telangana
● Initially this scheme was restricted to small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land upto 2 hectares.
● But now all land holding eligible farmer families (subject to the prevalent exclusion criteria) are to avail
of the benefits under this scheme.
● Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
● Identification of beneficiary farmer families is done by the State / UT Governments.
● Benefits 12 crore farmers currently
● Responsibility of identifying the landholder farmer family eligible for benefit under the scheme is with the
State/UT Government.
○ Retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs.10,000/- or more.
○ Persons who paid Income Tax in the last assessment year are also ineligible.
○ Former or present holders of constitutional posts.
○ Institutional land holders
○ Serving or retired officers and employees of state/central government as well as PSUs and
government autonomous bodies
○ Professionals like doctors, engineers and lawyers
● Under the Scheme, the States/UTs are required to set up Grievance Redressal Committees for
looking into the grievances related to the implementation of the scheme. No data of grievances
received/disposed of by them is maintained centrally. It is maintained at the state level.
● PM-KISAN Mobile App has been developed by the National Informatics Centre in collaboration with the
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Kisan Credit Card Scheme:

● Announced in the 1998-99 budget speech.
● Prepared by NABARD on the recommendations of V Gupta Committee.
● KCC is implemented by all the cooperative banks, all public sector banks and all Regional Rural Banks
throughout the country.

Kisan Vikas Patra:

● The Kisan Vikas Patra was introduced by India Post in the year 1988.
● It is a saving certificate scheme that was launched to encourage long-term financial discipline.
● The scheme was closed in 2011 by the Government of India after a Government Committee suggested
that this scheme can be misused for money laundering purposes.
 ● The Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) was later relaunched in the year 2014. According to the 2014 amendment
of Kisan Vikas Patra, the scheme provides a tenure period of 118 months with a minimum investment of
Rs. 1000.
● Any individual who is an Indian resident can avail all the benefits provided by the Kisan Vikas Patra.
○ However, Hindu Undivided Family (HUFs) and NRIs are not eligible to invest for the Kisan
Vikas Patra.
○ Initially, this scheme was developed for the farmers to enable them to save for long-term but now,
this scheme can be availed by any Indian resident.
● Some of the benefits provided by the Kisan Vikas Patra are mentioned below:
○ The scheme provides flexible denominations which vary from Rs.100 to a maximum of Rs.50,000.
○ KVP is a risk-free investment with the same interest rate throughout the year.
○ The scheme provides no upper limit on the amount that is invested.
○ KVP allows premature withdrawal with a lock-in period of 2 years and 6 months.
○ Kisan Vikas Patra can be transferred to any other eligible individual. The new holder must submit
all the required documents and should also get approval from the post office before availing the
benefits.
○ There is no TDS for money withdrawn from KVP after the expiry of the maturity date.
○ The current interest rate provided by the scheme is 7.7% for the 1st quarter of FY 2019-20.

Soil Health Card Scheme:

● SHC is a printed report that a farmer will be handed over for each of his holdings. It is field specific
detailed report of soil fertility status and other important soil parameters that affect crop productivity.
● It will contain the status of his soil with respect to 12 parameters, namely N,P,K (Macronutrients); S
(Secondary- nutrient) ; Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micro - nutrients) ; and pH, EC, OC (Physical parameters).
● Based on this, the SHC will also indicate fertilizer recommendations and soil amendment required for the
farm.
● The Central Government provides assistance to State Governments for setting up Soil Testing
Laboratories for issuing Soil Health Cards to farmers.
● A Soil Health Card is used to assess the current state of soil health and, over time, to detect changes in
soil health caused by land management. The card will provide an advisory based on a farmer’s holding’s
soil nutrient level.
● The main aim behind the scheme was to find out the type of particular soil. And then provide ways in
which we can improve it.
● The Soil Health Card does not provide insurance coverage and it does not aim to expand the cultivable
area under irrigation.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)

● Launched in 2020 by the Government of India for post harvest farm-gate infrastructure
● Agriculture Infrastructure Fund is a central sector scheme
● Under the scheme, Rs.1 Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans with
interest subvention.
● NABARD will steer this initiative in association with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
● The Union Agriculture Minister has been given the authority to make necessary changes with regard to
the addition or deletion of beneficiaries in such a manner that the basic spirit of the scheme is not altered.
● The scheme shall provide a medium – long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects
for post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention
and financial support.
● The scheme will run for ten years from FY2020 to FY2032.
● All loans under this financing facility will have an interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of
Rs.2 crores. This subvention will be available for a maximum period of 7 years. The cost of credit is
capped for 7 years for all eligible beneficiaries in the agriculture sector.
 ● The scheme also entails providing credit guarantee coverage under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for
Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) for loans up to Rs. 2 Crore.
● Eligibility - State Agencies/APMCs, National & State Federations of Cooperatives, Federations of Farmers
Producers Organizations (FPOs) and Federations of Self Help Groups (SHGs).
● The financing facility will be provided for funding Agriculture Infrastructure Projects at farm-gate &
aggregation points (Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, Farmers Producer Organizations,
Agriculture entrepreneurs, Start-ups, etc.) only and not for farming activities

Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF)

● It was set up with NABARD under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for facilitating the
States to mobilize additional resources for expanding coverage of Micro Irrigation.
● The fund is to be accessed by the State Government and not by individual farmers.
● It was instituted with an initial corpus of Rs. 5000 crore.

Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)

● Domestic commercial banks contribute to the Fund to the extent of their shortfall in stipulated priority
sector lending to agriculture
● There are three broad categories of RIDF under which 37 eligible categories are approved by the
Government of India.
● These categories are-- Agriculture and related sector, Social Sector and Rural Connectivity
● RIDF: Eligible Institutions
○ State Governments / Union Territories
○ State Owned Corporations / State Govt. Undertakings
○ State Govt. Sponsored / Supported Organisations
○ Panchayat Raj Institutions/Self Help Groups (SHGs)/ NGOs
● Repayment period: Loan to be repaid in equal annual instalments within seven years from the date of
withdrawal, including a grace period of two year

Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF)

● Announced in February 2023 and rolled out in July 2023
● UIDF is established using funds from the shortfall in priority sector lending.
● Purpose: The fund is aimed at developing urban infrastructure in tier-2 and tier-3 cities in India.
● Focus Areas:
○ Basic services like sewerage and solid waste management.
○ Water supply and sanitation.
○ Construction and improvement of drains and storm water drains.
○ Priority on Impact-Oriented Projects: Projects that have a significant impact on urban
infrastructure and quality of life will be given priority
● The National Housing Bank is responsible for managing the UIDF.
● Initial Corpus: The fund starts with an initial corpus of ₹10,000 crore.
● Inspiration: UIDF is established along the lines of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF),
catering to urban areas

Paramaparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY):

● Launched in 2015 as a centrally sponsored scheme.
○ 60:40 for normal
○ 90:10 for special
● It is an extended component of Soil Health Management (SHM) under the National Mission on
Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
● Organic farming is promoted through adoption of organic villages by cluster approach by providing 50k per
acre and Participatory Guarantee System certification.
 ● Objectives:
○ Promote organic farming among rural youth/ farmers/ consumers/ traders.
○ Grow pesticide residue free produce.
○ Disseminate the latest technologies in organic farming.
○ Utilize the services of experts from the public agricultural research system in India.

PM KUSUM
● Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evum Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme is a
farmer-oriented scheme involving decentralised solar power production.
● It was launched for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable
power plants in the country.
● It has three components. All three components combined, the scheme aims to add a solar capacity of
25.75 GW by 2022.
○ Decentralized Grid-Connected Renewable Energy Power Plants on barren land.
○ Stand-alone solar agriculture pumps.
○ Solarisation of Grid Connected Agriculture Pumps.
● Under the scheme, the farmers have the option to sell additional power to the grid through solar power
projects set up on their barren lands.
○ Now even pasture lands and marshy lands are included
● The scheme was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
● 60% subsidy on the solar pumps will be provided to farmers and will be shared between the Centre and
the States while 30% would be provided through bank loans. The balance cost has to be borne by the
farmers.
● The first farm based solar power plant under the scheme has been set up in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Jal Jeevan Mission

● Jal Jeevan Mission launched in 2019 aims to provide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to
every rural household by 2024.
● It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
● It is in line with Sustainable Development Goal-6.
● JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.
● Funding Pattern: The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 90:10 for Himalayan and
North-Eastern States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union Territories.
● It is implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti which was formed in 2019.
● Jal Jeevan Mission aims at providing potable water in adequate quantity i.e. 55 litre per capita (per
person) per day (lpcd) of prescribed quality i.e. BIS Standard of IS: 10500 on regular basis.
● Goa, Telangana, A&N islands and Puducherry have achieved 100% of the target. (Har Ghar Jal -
Water To Every Household)
● It is a decentralized, demand-driven and community-managed programme with the Gram Panchayat and/
or its sub-committee playing a key role in planning, implementation, management, operation and
maintenance of in-village water supply systems.
● The Mission envisions to empower Gram Panchayat and/ or its sub-committee to function as a ‘local
water utility’ that focuses on water supply service delivery. (Bottom up approach)
● The programme will also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as
recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rain water harvesting.
● For Jal Jeevan Mission there is an assured fund available under the 15th Finance Commission
tied-grant to Rural Local bodies /Panchayati Raj Institutions for water & sanitation.
● The Jal Jeevan Mission will be based on a community approach to water and will include extensive
Information, Education and communication as a key component of the mission.
● JJM looks to create a jan andolan(mass movement) for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
● New additional measures taken:
 ○ The newly launched Jal Jeevan Mission app aims to improve awareness among stakeholders
and aims for greater transparency and accountability of schemes under the Jal Jeevan mission.
○ The Rashtriya Jal Jeevan Kosh allows any individual, institution or philanthropist within India or
abroad to contribute to help provide tap water connections.

Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban).

● It has been designed to provide universal coverage of water supply to all households through
functional taps.
● It will promote a circular economy of water through development of a city water balance plan for each
city focusing on recycle/reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation.
● 20% of the water demand is to be met by reused water.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan - Catch the rain - Awareness and behavioral change - Catch the rain where it falls and when
it falls - campaign both in rural and urban districts.

Gobardhan Scheme (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources – DHAN)

● It was launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
● It is being implemented as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).
● The scheme is aimed at managing cattle and biodegradable waste and also help augment farmers’
incomes.
● The GOBAR-DHAN scheme, with its focus on keeping villages clean, increasing the income of rural
households, and generation of energy from cattle waste, is an important element of the ODF-plus (Open
Defecation Free) strategy of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

● The goal is to meet the prescribed annual average ambient air quality standards at all locations in the
country in a stipulated time frame.
● Aims for 20%–30% reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by 2024 in 122 cities taking 2017 as
the base year for the comparison of concentration.
● The selected 122 cities do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) when calculated
from 2011 to 2015.
○ NAAQS sets limits for SO₂, NO₂, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone, Lead, Carbon
Monoxide, Ammonia, Benzene, Benzo Pyrene, Arsenic, Nickel.
● The NCAP will be a mid-term, five-year action plan with 2019 as the first year.

Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP)

● It is a disease surveillance scheme under the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs in India, assisted by
the World Bank.
● The scheme aims to strengthen disease surveillance for infectious diseases, to detect and respond to
outbreaks quickly.
● The scheme seeks to set up a Central Disease Surveillance Unit and a State Surveillance Unit in each
State where data is collected and analyzed.
● The Project was undertaken to meet the World Health Organization Guidelines for Southeast Asian
countries on disease surveillance to track the outbreak of diseases and its potential trans-boundary
threats.

Offset Policy:
● Under India’s offset policy of 2016, foreign defence entities are mandated to spend at least 30 per cent
of the total contract value in India through procurement of components or setting up of research and
development facilities.
● Developing indigenous defence sector is the major objective of the defence offset scheme.
 ● The defence offset policy is a part of the Defence Procurement and Procedure (DPP).
● Major feature of the 2016 offset policy is that it increases the threshold of defence offset to Rs 2000 crore
from the level of Rs 300 crores under “buy” and ‘buy and make” categories. This means that only those
purchases of above Rs 2000 crore that the foreign company has to ensure 30% domestic value addition in
India.

Positive Indigenisation list

● List of items for which there would be an embargo on the import beyond the timeline indicated against
them. Introduced by the Ministry of Defence.
● First Positive Indigenisation List’ for defence imports comprised 101 items - towed artillery guns,
short-range surface-to-air missiles, cruise missiles and offshore patrol vessels.
● Second positive indigenisation list consisted of 108 items - Complex systems, sensors, simulator,
weapons and ammunition like helicopters, next generation corvettes, Airborne Early Warning and Control
(AEW&C) systems, tank engines, medium power radar for mountains, Medium Range Surface to Air
Missile (MRSAM) weapon systems.
● Thus the total number on the list now is 209.
● Implemented progressively with effect from December 2021 to December 2025.

Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti was instituted by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.
The mission was launched with the aim to inculcate Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) culture in Indian defence
manufacturing ecosystem.

The government has launched a campaign in 2020 namely Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and
Awareness Campaign (KAPILA) for Intellectual Property Literacy and creating patent awareness.

Declassification Policy:
● The Defence Minister approved a policy on archiving, declassification, compilation and publication of war
and operations histories by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
● According to the policy, records should ordinarily be declassified in 25 years.
● Records older than 25 years should be appraised by archival experts and transferred to the National
Archives of India once the war/operations histories have been compiled.
● History Division of the Defence Ministry - responsible for coordination with various departments
● Kargil Review Committee - requirement of having war histories written with clear cut policy; NN Vohra
Committee - measures to analyse lessons learnt and prevent future mistakes.
● Henderson Brooks Report – on 1962 war with China – top secret - current knowledge on histories
related to 1962 war are not considered credible
● Operation Pawan - operation of IPKF - the researchers have no access to records of discussions.
● Exercise Brasstacks - paved the way for the transformation of Indian war fighting doctrine - relied only on
oral recollections

MGNREGA:
● The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), also known as Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), wasn enacted in 2005.
● It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
● MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of employment in a financial year to any rural household whose
adult members are willing to do unskilled manual work. (Only one person per household).
● 100 percent of the unskilled labour cost and 75% of the material cost of the programme is borne by the
Centre.
● The entire cost of wages for unskilled manual workers is borne by the central government.
● Unemployment allowance payable in case wage employment is not provided within 15 days of
application, is borne by the state government.
 ● At least one-third of beneficiaries have to be women.
● The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Govt of India is monitoring the entire implementation of this
scheme in association with state governments
● The employment will be provided within a radius of 5 km: if it is above 5 km extra wage will be paid.
● Receipt of wages within fifteen days of work done.
● Social Audit by Gram Sabha of MGNREGA works is mandatory,
○ Every Social audit unit is entitled to funds equivalent to 0.5% of the MGNREGA expenditure by
state in previous year
● MGNREGA was the first scheme that experimented with geo-tagging. 90% of the assets created
have been geo-tagged.
● Wage rates for workers are notified and revised annually based on Consumer Price Index- Agricultural
Labourers (CPI-AL) by the Central Government. However there are talks going to calculate the wages
from CPI - Rural.
● The wage rates are not the same in all states. Every State has its defined Schedule of Rates.
● In the Financial Year 2021, as many as 11 crore individuals got work under the scheme, the highest
since its inception in 2006, owing to the huge demand for work under the MGNREGA scheme in FY-21or
FY 2021-2022.
● NREGA Soft - public portal created by Ministry of Rural Development to showcase the overall process of
the scheme

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan

● Rs. 50,000 Cr rural public works scheme to provide livelihood opportunities to migrant workers who
have returned home because of COVID-19 lockdown.
● Out of 1 crore estimated migrant workers who have returned to their villages, 67 lakh people are
expected to get benefited.
● A total of 116 Districts with more than 25 thousand returnee migrant workers across six States, namely
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha have been chosen for the
campaign.
● These districts are estimated to cover about two third of such migrant workers.
● This scheme will be made available for 125 days and extension of the scheme will be decided based on
the need.

Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana

● It provides the benefits to all handloom weavers/workers.
● It provides social security benefits like life, accidental & disability insurance coverage to handloom
weavers/workers in the age group of 51-59 years across the country.
● The Ministry of Textiles also regularly organizes camps through its Weavers’ Service Centers to facilitate
enrolment of handloom weavers/workers under Government Flagship Insurance Schemes.

Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata (HSS) Yojana

● It was introduced to facilitate technology up-gradation in the handloom sector.
● The scheme aims at providing 90% subsidy for the purchase of looms and accessories by the weavers.
● The scheme is under the Ministry of Textiles.

Samarth Scheme – Scheme For Capacity Building In Textile Sector (SCBTS)

● It intends to provide skill development and placement-oriented training across the entire textiles value
chain excluding spinning and weaving in the organised sector.
● The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Textiles.

National Technical Textiles Mission:

 ● National Technical Textiles Mission envisages positioning India as a global leader in technical textiles and
increasing the use of technical textiles in the domestic market.
● The Mission will be implemented for four years from 2020-2021 and will have four components.
○ Research and development and innovation.
○ Promotion and development of the market for technical textiles.
○ Export promotion.
○ Education, training and skill development.

Dekho Apna Desh is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism and has stated that it would reward people who visit
at least 15 tourist spots in the country in a year. The tourism ministry will fund the travel expenses of tourists
who visit 15 destinations in the country in a year and submit the photos on the department's [Link] is for
domestic tourists. One needs to travel outside their home state to be eligible.

Paryatan Parv - The Ministry of Tourism inaugurated the nationwide Paryatan Parv-2019 to mark the 150th
birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It has three components - Dekho Apna Desh, Tourism for All and
Tourism and Governance.

Swadesh Darshan
● Swadesh Darshan is a Central Sector Scheme.
● Under the scheme, theme-based tourist circuits in the country are identified and developed. These
tourist circuits will be developed on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability
in an integrated manner.
● The Ministry of Tourism launched the scheme in 2015.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan (PMGK) Yojana. Launched by the Finance Ministry. There are five elements to
the PMGK package:
1. Medical insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh for all health workers (doctors, paramedics, Asha workers,
etc.) treating patients.
2. Help for the poor and those engaged in the unorganized sector
3. Help for the poor engaged in the organised sector.
4. Help for construction workers.
5. Use the money already available in the “district(-level) mineral fund” to pay for medical testing and
screening for the coronavirus.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) - Medical Insurance

● Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19.
● Scheme pays INR 50 LAKHS.
● In case of loss of life due to COVID19 and accidental death on account of COVID-19 related duty.
● Public healthcare providers including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact and
care of COVID-19 patients.
● Private hospital staff -Covid-19 duty.
● No age limit for this scheme.
● Individual enrollment is not required.
● Entire amount of premium for this scheme is being borne by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
● Benefit/claim under this policy is in addition to the amount payable under any other policies
● Now extended for another year due to the second wave.
National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013
● 75% rural and 50% urban population - totally 81 crores
● Criteria is set by Central Government but state governments are responsible for identifying eligible AAY
beneficiaries
● Rice - 3 per kg; Wheat - 2 per kg; Millets - 1 per kg
 ● Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute the poorest of the poor.
○ 35 kg per family - for free and not charged (earlier it was charged)
○ Beneficiaries - annual income less than 15,000, landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers,
rural artisans, destitute, disabled, terminally ill person, widow, elderly individuals without no means
of income, single women, single men with no familial or societal support, tribal people, HIV positive
individuals below poverty line
● Priority Households are identified under the criteria set by the state governments based on guidelines
proposed by the Central Government.
○ 5 kg per person foodgrains
● The Act includes the Maternity Benefit Programme, which provides pregnant women and lactating
mothers a cash benefit to ensure good nutrition.
● The Midday Meal Scheme and the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme are also part of the
NFSA, ensuring nutritional support to children.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) - Launched in March 2020
● Part of Atmanirbhar Bharat to supply free food grains to migrants and the poor.
● It is a part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) to help the poor fight the battle against
Covid-19.
● Centre promised to provide 5 kg of rice/wheat per person per month free of cost to the 80 crore
beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) over and above NFSA food
grains i.e. in addition to the 5 kg of subsidised foodgrain already provided through the Public Distribution
System.
● Beneficiaries covered under Targeted Public Distribution System which consists of Antyodaya Anna
Yojana and Priority Households.
● It is being operated by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer
Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
● The Government of India is bearing 100% financial burden.
● The scheme only provided grains for those families who held ration cards.
○ Recognizing the difficulty being faced by migrant workers and people without ration card, In May
and June 2020, the Centre allocated 8 lakh tonnes of foodgrains to be distributed by the States
under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme for stranded migrants and others without ration cards.
● Initially, one kg of pulses was also provided under the scheme, which was later discontinued.
● It was initially announced for a three month period (April, May and June 2020), covering 80 crore ration
cardholders. Later it was extended till November 2020.
● However in April 2021, the government announced its decision to restart the PMGKAY. It is to operate till
November 2021.

The Scientists and Students in Indian Institute of Science have developed a prototype of an indigenous
ventilator under project Praana

The online challenge "SAMADHAN" has been launched by MIC (MHRD’s Innovation Cell) and AICTE to test
the ability of students and Educators to innovate. The participants in this challenge will simulate, design, and
develop such measures that can be made available to the government agencies, hospitals, health services, and
other services for quick solutions to the Coronavirus epidemic and other such calamities.

Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)

● India through its INDC, has pledged to
● Reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 below 2005 levels.
● To increase the share of non-fossil fuels-based electricity to 40 per cent by 2030.
● To enhance its forest cover which will absorb 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030.
 ● India’s INDC builds on its goal of installing 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power capacity by
2022; 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small
hydropower.
○ India has installed more than 100 GW of renewable energy as of now (Oct 2021)
○ 100 GW of solar power - 60 from grid connected solar and 40 from rooftop
● In 2015, the target was to 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022- 40 GW rooftop solar and 60 GW
ground-mounted utility-scale.

India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership; India - installing 450 GW of renewable energy
by 2030 of which 100 GW is reportedly installed. India is the third-largest emitter following the US and China.

RE-HAB:
● Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) had launched a unique project of creating “bee-fences”
to mitigate human-elephant conflicts.
● RE-HAB is an acronym for Reducing Elephant – Human conflict using Bees.
● Project RE-HAB is a submission under KVIC’s National Honey Mission.
● While the Honey Mission is a programme to increase the bee population, honey production and
beekeepers’ income by setting up apiaries, Project RE-HAB uses bee boxes as a fence to prevent the
attack of elephants.

PM SVANidhi - (PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi)

● Launched in 2022 - Special Micro-Credit Facility Scheme providing affordable loans to street vendors.
● The scheme is part of the AtmaNirbhar Bharat package.
● It is a Central Sector Scheme launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
● collateral free working loans of Rs. 10,000 at subsidized rate of interest which is repayable in
monthly installments in the tenure of one year..
● It is available to all street vendors engaged in vending in urban areas as on or before March 24, 2020
with a certificate of vending can avail the loan.
● The duration of the scheme is till March 2022 but later extended till December 2024
● PM-SVANidhi has provided credit assistance to 78 lakh street vendors
● On timely and early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy at the rate of 7% per cent per annum will
be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer.
● If the vendor repays the instalments in time or earlier, they will develop his credible credit score that makes
him eligible for a higher amount of term loan to 20,000 and later 50,000
● Promote digital transactions: Motivate vendors to adopt digital payments by offering cashback incentives
● Target beneficiaries: Street vendors/hawkers operating in urban areas as of March 24, 2020, including
those in peri-urban and rural areas.
● The lending institutions under the Scheme include Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks,
Small Finance Banks, Cooperative Banks, NBFCs, Microfinance institutions and Self Help Group banks.

SVAMITVA scheme
● A collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State
Revenue Departments and Survey of India, aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for
rural India, engaging the latest Drone Surveying technology, for demarcating the inhabited land in rural
areas.
● The program is currently being implemented in six states – Haryana, UP, Uttarakhand, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra.
● Nodal Ministry - Ministry of Panchayati Raj
● Launched by PM on National Panchayat Day - 24th April.

National Hydrology Project (NHP)

 ● It was started in 2016 as a Central Sector Scheme covering all states and UTs.
● The project aims at improving the extent, reliability and accessibility of water resources information and
to strengthen the capacity of targeted water resource management institutions in India.
● Under the Project, the National Water informatics Centre (NWIC) has been established, which is a
nationwide repository of water resources data.

EIA:
● EIA comes under Notification on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of developmental projects
1994 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
● EIA is only mandatory for 30 categories of projects. There are several projects that are exempted from
EIA.
● Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006 has decentralized the environmental clearance
projects by categorizing the developmental projects into two categories, i.e., Category A (national level
● appraisal) and Category B (state level appraisal).
○ Category A projects require mandatory environmental clearance.
○ Category B projects undergo a screening process and are classified into two types.
■ Category B1 projects (Mandatorily requires EIA).
■ Category B2 projects (Do not require EIA).

The Nutrient Based Subsidy scheme of the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers is a central sector scheme.
Mid-day meal scheme, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana are Centrally sponsored schemes.

Border Area Development Programme (BADP)

● It has been implemented by the Department of Border Management under the Ministry of Home
Affairs through the State Governments as part of a comprehensive approach to Border Management.
● The funds under BADP are provided to the States as a 100% non-lapsable Special Central Assistance.
● Initially, the programme laid emphasis on the development of infrastructure to facilitate deployment of the
Border Security Force. Later, the ambit of the programme was widened to include other socio-economic
aspects such as education, health, agriculture and other allied sectors.
● The BADP schemes include construction of primary health centres, schools, supply of drinking water and
other socio-economic aspects.

The 600 MW Kholongchu project is India-Bhutan’s first hydropower joint venture project in Bhutan’s less
developed eastern region of Trashiyangtse. It is one of four additional projects agreed to in 2008, as a part of
India’s commitment to help Bhutan create a total 10,000 MW of installed capacity by 2020.

● The World Bank approved 500 million USD to improve learning outcomes in India. The fund allocated by
the World Bank is to be used to implement the project called STARS (Strengthening Teaching-Learning
and Results for States).
● The programme is to be implemented through Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
● The six states that are to benefit under the programme include Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,
Kerala, Odisha, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Samagra Shiksha Scheme

● Samagra Shiksha Scheme is an integrated scheme for school education extending support to States
from preschool to senior secondary level to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all
levels of school education.
● The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan was formed by subsuming the following three schemes to ensure an
integrated and holistic school education:
 ● (RMSA) Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
● (SSA) Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
● (TE) Teacher Education
● The scheme treats school education holistically as a continuum from Pre-school to Class 12.
● The main emphasis of the Scheme is on improving the quality of school education by focussing on the two
T’s – Teacher and Technology.
● This is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Department of School Education and Literacy
(DoSEL).
● The scheme also proposes to give flexibility to the States and UTs to plan and prioritize their interventions
within the scheme norms and the overall resource envelope available to them.

NISHTHA:
● NISHTHA stands for National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement
Programme.
● NISHTHA is the world’s largest teachers’ training programme of its kind.
● The basic objective of this massive training programme is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage
and foster critical thinking in students.
● It was launched under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha in 2019–20.

National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)
● Under Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education
● Important step for implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
● Vision: To create an enabling environment to ensure universal acquisition of foundational literacy and
numeracy. To ensure that every child achieves the desired learning competencies in reading, writing and
numeracy by the end of Grade 3 and not later than Grade 5.
● To be achieved by 2026-27.
● NIPUN Bharat aims to cover the learning needs of children in the age group of 3 to 9 years.
● Under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha.
● A five-tier implementation mechanism.
○ At the National- State- District- Block- School level in all States and UTs.
● NEP 2020: achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy in primary school by 2025. Target
postponed due to academic disruptions caused by Covid19.

Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)

● It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013 aiming at providing strategic funding to
eligible state higher educational institutions.
● The central funding (in the ratio of 65:35 for general category states, 90:10 for special category states and
100% for union territories) is based on norms and is outcome dependent.
● To improve the overall quality of state institutions by ensuring conformity to prescribed norms and adopt
accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
● Funds flow from the central ministry through the state governments/union territories to the State Higher
Education Councils before reaching the identified institutions.
● It is a scheme under the Ministry of Education (formerly HRD).
● Funding mainly directed towards starting more Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of
Management and Central universities.
● The second phase of the RUSA has been given extension till 31st March 2021

Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP)?

● Aim of TEQIP: The programme aims to overhaul the quality of technical education in the Low Income
States and Special Category States (SCS) in India.
● In 2002, the ministry of Human Resource and Development launched the TEQIP scheme.
 ● The project commenced with the World Bank assistance to Government of India to launch TEQIP as a
long term programme of 10-12 years, to be implemented in 3 phases.
● It is a ₹3,600-crore project that was divided into three phases. The third phase will end in March 2021.
● It took graduates from elite institutions to rural and remote engineering colleges in poorer States.
● Among the initiatives was a bid to recruit more than 1,500 faculty from top institutions and send them to
colleges that could never have afforded them.
● The scheme was focused on low income states such as Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Other states also included Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir
and Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram Nagaland, Sikkim and
Tripura and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Udaan is a project launched by CBSE under guidance of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of
India, to address the low enrolment of girl students in prestigious engineering institutions. The objective is to
provide a platform that empowers the girl students, facilitating their aspiration of joining the prestigious
engineering institutions.

Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN

● In 2017, the Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) “UDAN” (Ude
Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) which aims at providing connectivity to un-served (not more than 1 flight per day)
and underserved (no flights at all) airports of the country through revival of existing air-strips and airports
to make flying affordable to the common man who want to travel to and fro the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities
(Less than 10 lakh people) of the country.
● The Airports Authority of India is designated as the Implementing Agency under this Scheme.
● UDAN has a unique market-based model. Airline routes are allocated to operators selected through a
competitive bidding mechanism.
● The scheme is now in its fourth phase with focus on bringing connectivity to priority areas like North East
India, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, hilly states in other parts of the country, and islands”
● The scheme offers viability gap funding to companies in addition to waiver of certain statutory
charges and taxes on jet fuel in order to offer affordable connectivity
○ 3 years of exclusive operation is granted in the UDAN route.
● Airlines have to set aside 50% of the total aircraft capacity for cheaper fares to be offered at the rate
of Rs 2,500 per hour of flight or 500 km journey, in return for which airlines are given a subsidy by the
Centre and the State government concerned.
● The regional connectivity scheme will be applicable on route length between 200 to 800 km with no lower
limit set for hilly, remote, island and security sensitive regions.
● A Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF) will be created to fund the scheme via a levy on certain flights.
States are expected to contribute 20 per cent to the fund.
● The airport that will be renovated under this scheme will be chosen after referring to the respective State
government.
● Together with the State government the Central government will revive the dysfunctional and unserved
airports of the country.
● Under the scheme new routes, airports, heliports and water aerodromes under the Sagarmala seaplane
services have been operationalised.
● For balanced regional growth, allocations will be spread equitably across 5 regions - North, West,
South, East and North East with a cap of 25 percent.

Sagarmala Programme
● Debottlenecking and capacity expansion of existing ports and creating greenfield ports (new ports).
● Promoting sustainable development of coastal communities through skill development & livelihood
generation activities.
 ● Enhancing the connectivity of the ports to the hinterland, optimizing cost and time of cargo movement
through multi-modal logistics solutions including domestic waterways.

Nagar Van Scheme - Launched by the Ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) in
2020 on the occasion of World Environment Day (5th June 2020) - around 200 urban forests are to be
developed all over the country in the next five years (by 2025).

Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’

● This scheme aims to achieve universal household electrification in both urban and rural areas. Ensures
electrification of all willing households in the country.
● Launched in 2017.
● Under the scheme, free electricity connections to all households to
○ both APL and poor families in rural areas and
○ poor families in urban areas
● Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has been designated as the nodal agency for the scheme.
● The beneficiaries for free electricity connections would be identified using Socio Economic and Caste
Census (SECC) 2011 data.
● However, un-electrified households not covered under the SECC data would also be provided electricity
connections under the scheme on payment of Rs. 500 which shall be recovered by DISCOMs in 10
instalments through electricity bill.
● The solar power packs of 200 to 300 Wp with battery bank for un-electrified households located in remote
and inaccessible areas, comprises Five LED lights, One DC fan, One DC power plug. It also includes the
Repair and Maintenance (R&M) for 5 years.
● Earlier rural electrification schemes such as the ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana’ considered
a village ‘electrified’ even if it has the basic electrical infrastructure and 10% of its households, as well as
public places viz schools, hospitals are connected.

‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme eyes Railway tourism - 24 Nov 2021

● Indian Railways has announced the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme, under which theme-based tourist circuit trains
will be run to tap the huge potential of tourism in India.
● It could include an all-inclusive package for tourists, including rail travel, accommodation, sightseeing, visit to
historical and heritage sites and tour guides.
● These trains can be run either by private or State-owned operators.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Project:

● It is being developed by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India under the Ministry of
Railways.
● A concession agreement has been signed between the Ministry of Railways and Dedicated Freight
Corridor Corporation of India Limited.
● The dedicated freight corridor is one of the largest rail infrastructure projects undertaken by the
government of India.

Bal Kalyan Puraskar

● It was instituted in 1979 as “National Child Welfare Awards”.
● It was renamed in 2018 to “Bal Kalyan Puraskar”.
● This is given to individuals and/or organisations working in the field of child development, child protection
and child welfare.
● This award is given in two categories – Individual and Institution. Three awards are given in each of these
two categories along with cash prizes.
● The scheme is under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
ATMA - Agricultural Technology Management Agency
● A Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Support to State Extension Programs for Extension Reforms”, popularly
known as ATMA Scheme, is under implementation since 2005.
● The scheme promotes a decentralized farmer-friendly extension system in the country.
● Under the scheme, grants-in-aid are released to the State Governments with an objective to support State
Government’s efforts to make available the latest agricultural technologies and good agricultural practices
in different thematic areas of agriculture and allied areas to farmers.

Start-up India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)

● It is an early-stage funding for start-ups.
● The Scheme aims to provide financial assistance to start-ups for proof of concept, prototype development,
product trials, market entry and commercialization.
● It was implemented from April 2021.
● The implementing body of the scheme is the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
(DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

‘Prarambh’
● It is an Start up India International Summit for startup up companies
● The 1st ‘Prarambh’ event was held in Delhi in 2021.
● BIMSTEC members are also participating in this event.

● Helpline ‘Kiran’ was launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to provide relief and
support to persons with Mental Illness.
● ‘Manodarpan’ is an initiative of the Ministry of Education to mobilize Psychosocial Support to help
children and adolescents.

Accessible India campaign

● It is a nationwide campaign to make a barrier free and conducive environment for disabled people all
over the country.
● Under this campaign only less than 7% of public buses across the country are now made fully accessible
for disabled people.
● The gov target is to achieve 25% by June 2022.

Immunization Day:
● India conducts one nationwide National Immunization Day and two Sub-National Immunization Days
(SNIDs) for polio every year to maintain population immunity against wild poliovirus and to sustain its
polio free status.
● India has been free of polio since 2011.
Universal Immunisation programme covers - 12 diseases - tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping
cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, hepatitis B, diarrhoea, Japanese encephalitis, rubella, pneumonia
(haemophilus influenzae type B) and Pneumococcal diseases (pneumococcal pneumonia and meningitis).

Mission Indradhanush
● It was launched in 2014 to provide full immunization against eight vaccine preventable diseases.
● These diseases are diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles,
meningitis and Hepatitis B.
○ Uncovered are diarrhoea, Japanese encephalitis, rubella and pneumonia
● It aims to immunise all children under the age of 2 years, as well as all pregnant women.
● Though launched by the Union Ministry of Health And Family Welfare, various other ministries have come
together to make the mission a success.
 ● Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI): Launched in 2017 to reach the beneficiaries who have been left
uncovered under the routine immunisation programme/UIP.
● Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0: To ensure reaching the unreached and accelerate the
coverage in the identified districts and blocks from December 2019-March 2020.
● Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 scheme has been launched to cover children and pregnant
women who missed routine immunisation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SANDES - Alternative to whatsapp

MARITIME INDIA SUMMIT - Investment Opportunities offered by the maritime sector for both domestic and
foreign investors. Organised by Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways jointly with Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry as industrial partner and Ernst & Young as knowledge partner

One District One Product

● Identifies the potential of one district. Identify one product per district
● First launched by the UP government for their state.
● Operationally merged with the ‘Districts as Export Hub’ initiative being implemented by Directorate
General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce, with the Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as a major
stakeholder.
● Inspiration - Japanese business development concept of 1979

One District One Product Approach for PMFME

● As part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Ministry of Food Processing Industries has launched the
centrally sponsored PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme for
providing financial, technical and business support for upgradation of two lakh micro food processing
enterprises.
● With an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crores over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the scheme
aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the
food processing industry and promote formalization of the sector.
● There are about 25 lakh unregistered food processing enterprises in the country. Nearly 66% of these
units are located in rural areas.

Operation Greens
● by Ministry of Food Processing Industries in 2018
● to stabilise the supply of tomato, onion and potato crops (TOP crops) in India, as well as to ensure their
availability around the country, year-round without price volatility.
● Objectives - Stabilize prices, support farmers, reduce post harvest losses and enhance the value chain
● TOP to TOTAL - expanded scope
○ 22 perishable crops during the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-26_
● Long Term Intervention
○ Enhancing value realisation by farmers and linking farmers with market
○ Reduction in post harvest losses
○ Increase in food processing capacities and value addition
● Short Term intervention
○ To protected growers of crops from kaing distress sales and reduce post harvest losses
● Merged with PM Kisan Sampada Yojana

Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (NWRs)

 ● Tradable Documents: NWRs are documents issued by a registered warehouse under Warehouse
Development and Regulatory Authority (WRDA) that serve as proof of ownership of the goods stored
within.
● Financial Tool: NWRs can be used as collateral for loans, making it easier for farmers and traders to
access credit using stored agricultural produce
● e-NWRs - electronic versions of traditional Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (NWRs).
○ Stored in digital repositories, providing greater security, ease of transfer, and transparency
compared to paper-based NWRs.
○ Can be pledged for loans - eligible for Interest Subvention Scheme
○ Can be traded through e-NAM, NCDEX (National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange), Multi
Commodity Exchange of India (MCX)

Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS)

● Purpose: Provides concessional short-term agri-loans.
● Beneficiaries: Farmers engaged in crop husbandry and allied activities such as animal husbandry,
dairying, and fisheries.
● Key Features of ISS:
○ Loan Amount: Available for short-term crop loans up to Rs. 3.00 lakh.
○ Interest Rate: 7% per annum for one year.
○ Prompt Repayment Incentive: Additional 3% subvention for timely repayment, effectively reducing
the interest rate to 4% per annum

eNAM - National Agriculture Market

● pan-India electronic trading portal launched in 2016 completely funded by Central Government and
implemented by Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC).
● Unified Platform: Aims to connect existing physical markets (APMCs/mandis) across the country, creating
a single online marketplace for agricultural commodity price discovery
● e-NAM portal is available in English and 11 Indian languages

Agricultural Census
● Conducted every 5 years since 1971
○ 2016-16 census - 10th and 2021-22 census - 11th - next census is due and delayed due to
COVID-19
○ World Census of Agriculture - conducted by FAO for every 10 years
● Aims to collect data on various agricultural parameters including:
○ Number and area of operational holdings, Size and class distribution of holdings, Land use,
Tenancy, Cropping patterns
● This census will be the first to use smartphones and tablets for data collection.
● 10th Census
○ Marginal: 68.45% - less than 1 hectare
○ Small: 17.62% - 1 to 2 hectare
○ Semi-Medium: 9.55% - 2 to 4 ha
○ Medium: 3.80% - 4 to10 ha
○ Large: 0.57% - above 10 ha

Production Linked Incentive (PLI)

● Theis scheme launched in 2020 offers incentives to boost domestic manufacturing and cut down on import
bills.
● This scheme aims to give companies incentives on incremental sales from products manufactured in
domestic units.
 ● The objective is to make India more compliant with WTO (World Trade Organisation) commitments and
also make it non-discriminatory and neutral with respect to domestic sales and exports.
● Apart from inviting foreign companies to set shop in India, the scheme also aims to encourage local
companies to set up or expand existing manufacturing units.
● Recently it has diversified the notified industries from the mobile and electronics sector.
● The scheme is now applicable to the mobile manufacturing, electronics sector, textile, automobiles, food
processing, telecom, pharma, medical devices, IT hardware and few other electronic industries.
● The PLI scheme will be active for five years with financial year (FY) 2019-20 considered as the base
year for calculation of incentives.
● This means that all investments and incremental sales registered after FY20 shall be taken into
account while computing the incentive to be given to each company.

National Bamboo Mission (Started in 2006 and restructured in 2018):

● To increase the area under bamboo plantation in non forest Government and private lands to
supplement farm income.
● To reduce dependency on import of bamboo and bamboo products.
● Bamboo outside forest areas has been excluded from the definition of tree by amending the Indian
Forest Act of 1927 in 2017.
● National Bamboo Mission is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
● It is a sub-scheme under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).

SWADES Initiative
● The SWADES- Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support - to conduct a skill mapping
exercise of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission.
○ Vande Bharat Mission is India Air Force's major mission to evacuate stranded Indians from other
countries due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown.
● This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Ministry of
Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of External Affairs.
● It aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skill sets and experience to tap into and
fulfil the demand of Indian and foreign companies.
● The collected information will be shared with the companies for suitable placement opportunities in the
country.
● The returning citizens are required to fill up an online SWADES Skills Card.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)

● Started in 2015 to train Indian youth in aptitude towards employable skills by giving quality training.
● It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) implemented by
National Skill Development Corporation.
● Training Partners (TPs) are mandated to organize Kaushal and Rozgar Melas every six months for
providing placement assistance to certified ones.
● The scheme focuses on individuals without any skills and those with a certain set of skills or with prior
learning experience.

18th Aug 2021

Atal Innovation Mission is set up by NITI Aayog. It has the dual objective of Entrepreneurship promotion and
Innovation promotion.

● 12 September 2021
 ● Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation and
Central Board of Secondary Education successfully launched the ATL Space Challenge 2021 for all
school students across the country.
● This is to ensure that students of classes 6 to 12 are given an open platform where they can innovate and
enable themselves to solve digital age space technology problems.
● The challenge has been designed for all the school students, mentors and teachers who not only are
associated with schools having Atal Tinkering Laboratories but for all the non ATL schools as well.

The Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC program is a national initiative to promote research & innovation and
increase the competitiveness of Indian startups and MSMEs.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog has launched AIM-PRIME (Program for Researchers on
Innovations, Market-Readiness & Entrepreneurship), an initiative to promote and support science based
deep-tech startups & ventures across India. AIM has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
(BMGF) to launch this nationwide program which will be implemented by Venture Center - a non-profit
technology business incubator.

Atal Tinkering Labs aim to promote a creative, innovative mindset in schools. These ATLs are dedicated
innovation workspaces of 1200-1500 square feet where do-it-yourself (DIY) kits on latest technologies like 3D
Printers, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Miniaturized electronics are installed using a grant of Rs 20 Lakhs
from the government so that students from Grade VI to Grade XII can tinker with these technologies and learn to
create innovative solutions using these technologies. This will enable create a problem solving, innovative
mindset within millions of students across the country.

National Skill Development Fund

● It was set up in 2009 by the Government of India for raising funds both from Government and Non
Government sectors for skill development in the country.
● The Fund is contributed by various Government sources, and other donors/ contributors
● A public trust set up by the Government of India is the custodian of the Fund.
● The Trust accepts donations, contributions in cash or kind from the Contributors.
● The Fund is operated and managed by the Board of Trustees.
● The Chief Executive Officer of the Trust is responsible for day-to-day administration and management of
the Trust.

Khelo India Scheme

● Under this scheme talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels are provided
annual financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh per annum for 8 years.
● The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will establish Khelo India State Centres of Excellence
(KISCE) to enhance India's Olympic performance”
● One KISCE will be identified in each state and union territory. The State and Union Territory will run the
centre.
● In the first leg, the Ministry has identified state-owned sports facilities in eight states of India, including,
Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Telangana and the north east states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram
and Nagaland which will be upgraded into KISCE.
● Promotion of Sports among the disabled is one of its objectives.
● Recently it has been decided to include the two water sports disciplines- Kayaking and Canoeing at
the Khelo India State Center of Excellence (KISCE) in Srinagar.

Which of the following statements is/are correct about the National Winter Games?
1. National Winter Games are held under the Khelo India (2018) and Fit India initiative.
2. It is held in Leh (Ladakh) and Gulmarg (Kashmir).
Target Olympic Podium Scheme
● It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports launched in 2014. Revamped in 2018 to
have a technical support team.
● Formulated within the overall ambit of National Sports Development Fund.
● To facilitate the preparations of Indian athletes so that they can win Olympic medals in 2020, 2024
Olympics, Los Angeles Games in 2028.
○ (i) Athletics, (ii) Badminton (iii) Hockey (iv)Shooting (v) Tennis (vi) Weightlifting (vii) Wrestling, (viii)
Archery and (ix) Boxing have been categorised as ‘High Priority’.
● Mission Olympic Cell (MOC):
○ Dedicated body created to assist the athletes who are selected under the TOP Scheme.
○ Chaired by the Director General, Sports Authority of India (DG, SAI).
○ Involved in selection, retention and exclusion of athletes, coaches, training institutes that receive
TOPS assistance.
○ Sanctions budget and periodically reviews of athletes progress
● TOPS covers even junior and sub junior athletes as well.

Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF)

● It has been set up with an outlay of Rs. 15,000 crore as a part of the 20 lakh crore stimulus package under
the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
● The AHIDF would promote infrastructure investments in dairy, meat processing and animal feed plants.
● Farmer producer organizations (FPOs), MSMEs, Section 8 companies, private companies and individual
entrepreneurs would be eligible to benefit from the fund.
● Beneficiaries will have to contribute a 10 percent margin towards the proposed infra project and the rest
90 per cent would be a loan component by scheduled banks.

National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications - Outlay of 8000 Cr and implemented by
Department of Science and Technology

Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav - Ministry of Culture - Improves the cultural diversity in India - Showcasing the
talents of one state in others. There are 7 cultural zones in India.
● Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata
● North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Allahabad
● North east Zone Cultural centre, Dimapur (Nagaland)
● North Zone Cultural centre, Patiala (Punjab)
● South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur (Maha)
● South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur
● West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur (Rajasthan)

Global Bio India 2021 - A three day event where India will showcase its strengths and opportunities in the
biotechnology sector to the global community. The theme is “Transforming lives with Biosciences to Big
economies”. It is organised by the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)

● Janaushadhi centres are run by the Bureau of Pharma PSUs in India (BPPI) which is also the
implementing agency of PMBJP.
● In these centres, generic medicines are sold at 50% to 90% lesser prices as compared to the market
prices of branded medicines.
● Launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers in 2008.
● Janaushadhi Sugam Mobile App - Help in identifying Janaushadhi Kendra in that particular region.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
● Launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
● The applicant should be a woman above the age of 18 years.
● The applicant must be a rural inhabitant carrying a BPL card.
● The applicant's household should not already own a LPG connection.
● Women under Ujjwala Yojana will get one LPG cylinder per month for the next three months.
● This is not a cash transfer scheme. Instead the cylinders will be free of cost.

UJJAWALA : A Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of Trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation and
Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development.
UJALA
● Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All - The Ujala Scheme was established by replacing the Bachat
Lamp Yojana in 2015.
● UJALA is a joint initiative of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a PSU under the Union Ministry
of Power and the Electricity Distribution Company.
● UJALA is the world’s largest domestic lighting project.

Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) was launched in 2015 by EESL which is the world’s largest
streetlight replacement programme.

Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana or UDAY is the financial turnaround and revival package for electricity
distribution companies of India initiated by the Government of India with the intent to find a permanent solution to
the financial mess that the power distribution is in. It is a centrally sponsored scheme.

Draft Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill 2020

● It proposes to privatise discoms by way of sublicensing and franchisee models.
● The sub-licensing will allow states to choose a private company for the distribution of electricity
supply of a particular area to help it bring down losses of both electricity and finances.
● Franchisee model is where a private company works on bringing down electricity supply loss and
improving billing collections on behalf of discoms.
● The new Bill aims to end industrial and commercial consumers subsidising electricity charges for domestic
consumers and farmers.
● To address payment-related disputes, the draft Bill proposes to establish an Electricity Contract
Enforcement Authority. It will have powers of a civil court to enforce implementation of the contracts.

Real-Time Market in electricity

● Launched by the Ministry of Power. It will allow Power generators to participate in the power market of the
country.
● Buyers/Sellers shall have the option of placing buy/sell bids for each 15-minute time block.
● The RTMs would provide the distribution companies (DISCOMs) an opportunity to access the market to
meet any last-minute requirements.

National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)

It is a centrally sponsored scheme that provides financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with
disabilities in the form of social pensions.
● National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS)
● Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)
● National Widow Pension Scheme for BPL families
● Annapurna for old people not covered under IGNOAPS
 ● National Disability Pension Scheme
(Atal Pension Yojana and PM Vaya Vandana Yojana don't come under NSAP)

Anna Poorna Scheme

● It aims at providing food security to meet the requirements of destitutes who are above 65 years of age.
● 10 kg of food grains per month are to be provided 'free of cost' to the beneficiary.
● The applicant should not be a recipient of pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme or State
Pension Scheme.

PM Vaya Vandana Yojana - Government pension scheme with an aim to provide social security to senior citizens
and for the protection of the elderly against a fall in the interest income due to unfavourable market conditions in
the future.

National Pension System

● The Central Government has introduced the National Pension System (NPS) in 2004 for government
employees (except for armed forces).
● NPS was made available to all Citizens of India from 2009. Comply with the KYC norms.
● Any employee from public, private and even the unorganised sectors can opt for this. Personnel from
the armed forces are exempted.
● Any individual citizen of India (both resident and Non-resident) in the age group of 18-70 years (as on
the date of submission of NPS application) can join NPS.
○ Contribution from NRI are subjected to regulatory requirements from RBI and FEMA
● NPS is being implemented and regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
in the country which is under the Ministry of Finance.
● National Pension System Trust (NPST) established by PFRDA is the registered owner of all assets under
NPS.
● The law regulating the NPS allows members to withdraw just 60% of their accumulated savings at the time
of retirement. With the remaining 40%, it is mandatory to buy an annuity product that provides a fixed
monthly income to retirees till their demise.
● PFRDA has recently announced that the National Pension System (NPS) will no longer compel investors
to convert 40% of their accumulated retirement corpus into an annuity, as poor yields on annuities and
high inflation are translating into negative returns.
● Members who accumulate up to ₹2 lakh in their NPS account at the time of retirement are exempted from
the mandatory annuitisation, and can withdraw the full amount. PFRDA said this limit will soon be revised
to ₹5 lakh.
● Opening NPS account has its own advantages
○ Low cost product, Tax breaks for Individuals, Employees and Employers, Attractive market linked
returns, Easily portable, Professionally managed by experienced Pension, Funds Regulated by
PFRDA, a regulator set up through an act of Parliament
● The old pension scheme of Government of India, referred as Defined Benefit Pension System (DBPS) is
based on the last pay drawn of the employee. NPS is referred as Defined Contribution Pension System
(DCPS) in which the employer & employee contributes for building a pension wealth payable at the time of
retirement by way of annuity/lumpsum withdrawal as per norms.

Atal Pension Yojana

● It was launched with the objective of creating a universal social security system for all Indians, especially
the poor, the under-privileged and the workers in the unorganised sector.
● Any citizen of India can join the APY scheme. The age of the subscriber should be between 18-40
[Link] contribution levels would vary and would be low if a subscriber joins early and increases if she
joins late.
● It is administered by PFRDA through the National Pension System.
 ● It provides a minimum guaranteed pension ranging from Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 on attaining 60 years of
age.
● The amount of pension is guaranteed for lifetime to the spouse on death of the subscriber.
● In the event of death of both the subscriber and the spouse, the entire pension corpus is paid to the
nominee.

Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan

● It is a voluntary and contributory Pension Scheme for Unorganized Workers for entry age of 18 to 40
years with monthly income of Rs.15000 or less. The matching contribution has been made by the
Government of India.
● Any unorganized worker in the age group of 18-40 years, whose job is casual in nature , such as home
based workers, street vendors, head loaders, brick kiln, cobblers, rag pickers, domestic workers,
washer-men, Rickshaw Pullers, Rural landless labourers, own account workers, agricultural workers,
construction workers, beedi workers, handloom workers, leather workers, etc. with monthly income less
than Rs 15,000/- can avail the benefit of the scheme.
● The worker should not be covered under any statutory social security schemes such as National Pension
Scheme (NPS), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation scheme, Employees’ Provident Fund
Organization Scheme and is not an income tax payee.
● If any Unorganized worker subscribes to the scheme and has paid regular contributions up to the age of
60 years, he will get a minimum monthly pension of Rs. 3000/-.
● After his/ her death, the spouse will receive a monthly family pension which is 50 % of the pension.

Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana

● Started as a regular scheme for grant of freedom fighters’ pension in 1972 - to commemorate the 25th
Anniversary of Independence.
● Till July 1980: admissible only to those who were in need of financial assistance on account of their
meagre annual gross income.
● Since 1980: 'Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, 1980’, a liberalized scheme, has been
implemented.
● Implemented by the Freedom Fighters Division, Ministry of Home Affairs.
● Eligibility - only some categories of freedom fighters are eligible, subject to furnishing of certain specified
evidence.
● A widowed/divorced daughter of the eligible freedom fighter is eligible for samman pensions.

Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surakshsa Yojana:

● Address imbalances in availability of Tertiary care hospitals and improve medical education.
● Central Sector Scheme established in 2003.
● Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
● Two Components
○ Establishing new AIIMS
○ Upgradation of government medical colleges.
● The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN). It constitutes a
non-lapsable reserve fund for health.
● The new fund collected from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess in the Public Account would function
as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for health.
● In the 2018 Budget, the Central government announced the replacement of the existing 3% Education Cess by
4% Health and Education Cess.
● The administration and maintenance of the PMSSN is entrusted to the Health Ministry.
● The major benefits of PMSSN will be the enhanced access to universal and affordable health care through the
availability of earmarked resources, while ensuring that the amount does not lapse at the end of the financial
year.
A retired Judicial or executive officer (with legal experience) assist the litigants who are suffering due to the delay in
investigation or trial by actively identifying such cases through the National Judicial Data Grid and provide legal advice -
Nyaya Mitra

● Deep Ocean Mission is a central sector scheme. The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to
the space exploration started by ISRO about 35 years ago. It was proposed back in 2018.
● The focus of the mission will be on deep-sea mining, ocean climate change advisory services, underwater
vehicles and underwater robotics related technologies.
● Its two key projects include a desalination plant powered by tidal energy and a submersible vehicle that can
explore depths of at least 6,000 metres.
● The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry.
● India has been allotted a site of 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the UN
International SeaBed Authority for the exploitation of polymetallic nodules (PMN).
○ Polymetallic nodules (PMN) are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel
and cobalt.
● All mineral-related activities in the international seabed area beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, is
regulated by the International Seabed Authority, an United Nations organisation.

What is the main objective of ISRO’s RESPOND Programme? To establish strong links with premiere academic
institutions to carry out space related R&D projects to support ISRO’s programmes.

● National Monsoon Mission was launched in 2012 with an aim to develop state-of-the-art monsoon prediction
systems for short, medium and long-range monsoon forecasts.
● It is linked to the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
● The first-ever Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) was commissioned by the government in
2016 and was conducted from 2016-18, led by the Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with UNICEF. The
findings were published in 2019.
● CNNS includes only nutrition data, whereas the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) encompasses overall
health indicators.

Champion Services Sector Scheme:

● The Union Cabinet, in 2018, approved the proposal of the Department of Commerce to give focused attention
to 12 identified champion services sectors for promoting their development and realising their potential.
● The 12 sectors are IT & ITES, tourism and hospitality services, medical value travel, transport and logistics
services, accounting and finance services, audio visual services, legal services, communication services,
construction and related engineering services, environmental services, financial services and education
services.
● It is an umbrella scheme for the period 2019-20 to 2023-24.
● It is a central sector scheme of the Dept. of Commerce.

● The National Health Mission (NHM) launched in 2013 encompasses its two Sub-Missions, the National Rural
Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).
● It is the flagship healthcare programme for both the rural as well as urban areas.
● Both the Centre and states play a key role in the implementation of the scheme.
● The funding for NHM is in the sharing pattern of 60:40 between Centre and State for most of the states and
90:10 is some special cases.
● The new initiatives under National Health Mission that were introduced in 2019-20 are:
● SAANS initiative: Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS)
initiative was launched to accelerate action to reduce deaths due to childhood pneumonia.
 ● SUMAN initiative: Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) initiative was launched to provide assured,
dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services; and all
existing schemes for maternal and neonatal health have been brought under one umbrella

● Project Mausam is a cultural and economic project by the Indian Ministry of Culture and Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts which aims to connect countries
on the Indian Ocean.
● This project aims to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean ‘world’ – collating archaeological and historical
research in order to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian
Ocean.
● It aims to rebuild maritime and economic connections with the 39 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

Consider the following statements with reference to the National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021: 1. It increases the
financial support provided under the Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogaya Nidhi from Rs. 15 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh.
2. Diseases or disorders with available definitive treatment involving very high cost and lifelong therapy (Group 3
diseases) are left to the mercy of the donors. Diseases with one time treatment (Group 1 diseases) will be provided
financial assistance by the government directly.

● The Rashtriya Arogaya Nidhi provides financial assistance to poor patients living below poverty line and
suffering from life-threatening diseases relating to heart, kidney, liver, etc. for their treatment at government
hospitals.
● It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
● The financial assistance to such patients is released in the form of a ‘one-time grant’, which is released to the
Medical Superintendent of the Hospital in which the treatment has been/is being received.

● Stand up India scheme was launched in April 2016, encouraging people from the scheduled caste and
scheduled tribes and women across the country to become entrepreneurs by loaning them a sum of money
to start a business.
● The scheme is anchored by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance.
● It facilitates bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 Crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or
Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch for setting up a
greenfield enterprise.
● This enterprise may be in manufacturing, services or the trading sector. In case of non-individual
enterprises at least 51% of the shareholding and controlling stake should be held by either an SC/ST or woman
entrepreneur.
● Under the scheme, an amount ranging from Rs 10 lakhs to Rs.1 crore is provided as a loan, inclusive of
working capital for setting up a new enterprise.
● Loans under the scheme are available for only greenfield projects. Greenfield signifies, in this context, the
first time venture of the beneficiary in the manufacturing or services or trading sector.

● IMPacting Research, INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT) initiative is a national initiative of the Ministry of
Education designed to address all major engineering challenges relevant to India through an inclusive and
sustainable mode of translational research.
● IMPRINT India Programme is a joint initiative of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc).
● It seeks to develop a road map for research to solve major engineering and technology challenges in 10
technology domains relevant for the country.
 ● These domains include health care, information and communication technology, energy, sustainable habitat,
nano‐technology hardware, water resources and river systems, advanced materials, manufacturing, security
and defence, and environment and climate.

SARTHAQ, developed by the Department of School Education and Literacy, is an indicative and suggestive
implementation plan for school education. It will help in the implementation of the National Education Policy in the
country.

Namami Gange Programme

● Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as a ‘Flagship
Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 crore to accomplish
the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution and conservation and rejuvenation of National River
Ganga.
○ The Clean Ganga Fund was set up in 2014 to attract voluntary private contributions from
individuals, public sector enterprises and private organisations around the world for increasing
people’s participation in this massive task to fund the conservation and rejuvenation of river
Ganga, under the government’s flagship program – Namami Gange.
● It is administered by the Department of Water Resources,River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
● The program is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its state
counterpart organizations i.e, State Program Management Groups (SPMGs).
● National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was registered as a society in 2011 under the Societies
Registration Act 1860.
○ It is also funded by the World Bank.
● NMCG is the implementation wing of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)
● NGRBA which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986 in
2009.
○ It declared Ganga as the National River.
● This NGRBA was chaired by the PM
● NGRBA has since been dissolved in 2016, consequent to the constitution of National Council for
Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council)
which is also chaired by the PM.

● Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) is a system of grading institutes depending on the
enrolment of women and the advancement of the careers of women faculty and scientists.
● The Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) will develop a comprehensive Charter and a
framework for assessing Gender Equality in STEM.
● It is intended to create a level-playing field for meritorious girls in high schools to pursue Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in their higher education.
● It incorporates a system of grading institutes depending on the enrolment of women and the advancement of
the careers of women faculty and scientists.
● GATI is a joint programme based on a highly successful initiative implemented in the UK: the Athena Swan
charter. The British Council is the facilitator, creating ties between Indian stakeholders and U.K. institutions to
achieve the desired transformation.

● Shapari Scheme is a certification scheme for aquaculture products Based on technical guidelines of the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization on aquaculture certification.. ‘Shaphari’ is a Sanksrit word that means
superior quality of fishery products suitable for human consumption.
#FOSS4GOV Innovation Challenge
● To increase awareness about the usage of FOSS in governance and Government functioning, and
adoption of FOSS, a virtual roundtable discussion ‘Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in
Government’ was organized by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) in
collaboration with Omidyar Network India on April 22, 2021.
● Acknowledging the huge potential of FOSS, the Government of India had issued a Policy on Adoption of
Open Source Software in 2015

One Health Approach

● The concept of ‘One Health’, which recognises that health of human beings is connected to health of
animals and environment, is gaining importance as most of the contagious diseases affecting humans
are zoonotic (animal to man origin) in nature.
● Of the contagious diseases affecting humans, more than 65% are of zoonotic or animal to man origin.
While investigating the etiology of diseases strategic approach, incorporating scientists from
multidisciplinary sources will yield confirmatory results
● This concept is used by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization
(WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). In India, it is a component under the
National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well Being.

Aspirational Districts’ Programme

● Aspirational Districts are those districts in India that are affected by poor socio-economic indicators.
● These are aspirational in the context, that improvement in these districts can lead to the overall
improvement in human development in India.
● The 115 districts were identified from 28 states, at least one from each state.
● At the Government of India level, the programme is anchored by NITI Aayog. In addition, individual
Ministries have assumed responsibility to drive the progress of districts.
● ADP is based on 49 indicators from the 5 identified thematic areas, which focuses closely on
improving people’s Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial
Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure.
● The states are the main drivers in the programme.
● The broad contours of the programme are:
○ Convergence (of Central & State Schemes) which brings together the horizontal and vertical tiers
of the government.
○ Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors) which enables
impactful partnerships between government, market and civil society.
○ Competition among districts driven by a spirit of the mass movement, it fosters accountability on
district governments.
● The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is one of the largest experiments on outcomes-focused
governance in the world.
● NITI Aayog in partnership with the government of Andhra Pradesh has created a dashboard.
● This is for monitoring the real-time progress of the districts.
● District collectors of all the aspirational districts can input the latest available data of their respective
districts.
● The dashboard will also be open to the public.
● The present ranking would be followed by delta ranking of these districts based on their "incremental
progress

NITI Aayog released the National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence in 2018. • #AIForAll: focused on
leveraging AI for inclusive growth in line with the Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. Flags important issues like ethics,
bias and privacy issues relating to AI. Focus sector: agriculture, health and education.
Mission Shakti:
● One-Stop Centre,
● Mahila Police Volunteer,
● Beti Bachao Beti Padhao,
● Women’s helpline and
● Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao:

● The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana is a national initiative jointly run by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Education.
● Each body is accountable for different aspects of the scheme.
● Budgetary control and administration of the BBBP falls under the MoWCD’s purview. However, capacity
building and quality control are responsibilities of the MoH&FW.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

● launched in 2017 as a replacement for the previous Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY)
● aims to compensate for the wage loss due to pregnancy and to ensure adequate nutrition for the mother
and the child.
● Implemented in all districts
● It is a centrally sponsored scheme being executed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
● Pregnant women and lactating mothers receive ₹5,000 for their first child in three instalments.
● Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers of 19 years of age or above for the first live birth.
● All Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM), excluding those who are in regular employment
with the Central Government or the State Governments or PSUs or those who are in receipt of similar
benefits under any law for the time being in force.
● The scheme is applicable only for the first live birth and excludes miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion.
● First instalment: ₹1000/- on early registration of pregnancy at the AWC/ approved Health facility.
● Second instalment: ₹2000/- after six months of pregnancy on receiving at least one antenatal check-up
(ANC).
● Third instalment: ₹2000/- after childbirth is registered and the child has received the first cycle of BCG,
OPV, DPT, and Hepatitis - B, or its equivalent/ substitute.
● The eligible beneficiaries also receive cash incentive under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY). Thus, on an
average, a woman gets Rs. 6,000.

Janani Suraksha Yojana

● Launched in April 2005 by modifying the National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS).
○ NMBS came into effect in August 1995 as one of the components of the National Social Assistance
Programme (NSAP).
○ scheme was transferred from the Ministry of Rural Development to the Department of Health &
Family Welfare during the year 2001-02.
● safe motherhood intervention under the National Health Mission
● Implemented in all states and UTs with special focus on low performing states.
● graded scale of assistance based on the categorization of States as well as whether beneficiary was from
rural/urban area.
● States were classified into Low Performing States and High Performing States on the basis of institutional
delivery rate
● 100 % centrally sponsored scheme and it integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care.
● Reducing maternal and infant mortality by promoting institutional delivery among pregnant women
especially with weak socio-economic status i.e. women from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and
BPL households
 ● eligible pregnant women are entitled to cash assistance irrespective of the age of mother and number of
children for giving birth in a government or accredited private health facility.
● The scheme also provides performance based incentives to women health volunteers known as
Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) for promoting institutional delivery among pregnant women.

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) - 2011

● completely free and cashless services to pregnant women including normal deliveries and caesarean
operations and sick newborn (up to 30 days after birth) in Government health institutions in both rural &
urban areas.
● It will motivate those who still choose to deliver at their homes to opt for institutional deliveries.

Sukanya Samriddi Yojana

● Savings scheme for girl child’s measure to the alarming disparity in the sex ratio and meant to meet the
education and marriage expenses of a girl child.
● It is also one of the small saving instruments.
● Launched as a part of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign in 2015.
● Parents or legal guardians can open deposits on behalf of girl children (including adopted girl child) for
up to 2 daughters aged below 10.
● Accounts can be opened in post offices or branches of authorized banks. Accounts can be transferred
anywhere in India from one post office/bank to another.
● Minimum of Rs. 250 and any amount in multiple of Rs.100 can be deposited. Maximum of Rs. 1,50,000 -
deposited in a financial year.
● It provides income-tax benefits.
● Premature withdrawal of up to 50% will be allowed at 18 years for educational expenses.
● Matures on the completion of 21 years from the date of opening of the account or on the marriage of the
account holder, whichever is earlier.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Railways and RailTel for the installation
of surveillance cameras at 983 stations across the country. The MoU signed four years ago in 2017 was
envisaged under the “Nirbhaya Fund” to enhance the safety of women passengers.

Nirbhaya Fund Framework:

● The Nirbhaya Fund Framework provides for a non-lapsable corpus fund for safety and security of
women.
● It was created by Ministry of Finance in 2013
● The Nirbhaya Fund is administered by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of the Ministry of
Finance (MoF).
● The Nirbhaya Fund Framework provides for an Empowered Committee (EC) of officers chaired by the
Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) to appraise and recommend proposals to be
funded under this framework.
● The MWCD is responsible to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned projects/ schemes in
conjunction with the concerned Central Ministries/ Departments.
● Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) has been funded under the Framework of Nirbhaya Fund to
support States/ UTs for their Victim Compensation Scheme.
● Nirbhaya fund also sponsors the One Stop Centre Scheme or Sakhi.

One Stop Centre Scheme or Sakhi

✓ It is to provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence and in distress, both in
private and public spaces, under one roof and facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a
range of services including police, medical, legal aid and counseling, psychological support to fight against any
forms of violence against women
✓ One stop centre is a centrally sponsored scheme of Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD),
for addressing the problem of violence against women.
✓ It is a subscheme of the umbrella scheme for National Mission for Empowerment of Women including
Indira Gandhi Mattritav Sahyaog Yojana.
✓ The scheme is funded through Nirbhaya Fund and the central government provides 100% financial
assistance to the state governments /Union Territories administrations. The scheme is being implemented across
the country since 2015 through State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administration
✓ Auditing: Audit will be done as per Comptroller & Auditor General of India norms and social audit will also be
undertaken by civil society groups.

Swadhar Greh Scheme

● It was launched for Women in Difficult Circumstances. It was launched by the Department of Women
and Child Development in 2001- 02. The scheme aims to rehabilitate such women in difficult
circumstances by providing shelter, food, clothing, counseling, training, clinical and legal aid.
● Under this scheme, Swadhar Greh will be set up in every district with a capacity of 30 women.
● The scheme also envisages offering legal aid and guidance to these women for their readjustment in
family/society.
● It also offers vocational training and economic rehabilitation so that they can start their life afresh with
dignity.

Midday Meal Scheme

● 1925: MDM Programme- for disadvantaged children in Madras Municipal Corporation.
● Mid-1980s: Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the UT of Pondicherry- MDM Programme for children
studying at the primary stage.
● The scheme guarantees one meal to all children in government and aided schools and madrasas
supported under Samagra Shiksha.
● It was launched in 1995 as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP
– NSPE).
● In 2004, the scheme was relaunched as the Mid Day Meal Scheme.
● The Midday Meal Scheme is now covered by the National Food Security Act, 2013.
● It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
○ Central govt provides free food grains
○ State gov - Infrastructure, cost of cooking, transportation
● It is the largest of its kind in the world.
● The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in primary and upper primary
classes in government, government aided, local body, Education Guarantee Scheme, and alternate
innovative education centres, Special Training Centres, Madarsa and Maqtabs supported under Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Child Labour Project schools run by the ministry of labour.
● Cooked meal having nutritional standards of
○ 450 calories and 12 gm of protein for primary (I-V class) and
○ 700 calories and 20 gm protein for upper primary (VI-VIII class)
● The State Steering-cum Monitoring Committee (SSMC) oversees the implementation of the scheme
including establishment of a mechanism for maintenance of nutritional standards and quality of meals.
● The Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which India is a party, has committed to yielding
"adequate nutritious food" for children.

● The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has put in place the FASTag system under the National
Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) programme for the collection of toll electronically on national highways.
● FAS-Tag is an easy to use and rechargeable tag that a user can stick on the windscreen of their vehicle.
● These tags can be detected from 25 metres away using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
 ● YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) is an Author Mentorship programme to train 75 young and
budding authors (below 30 years of age) in order to promote reading, writing and book culture in the country,
and project India and Indian writings globally.
● With the mentorship, books will be published from the young authors on 12th January 2022 on the occasion of
National Youth Day (Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda) - Yuwa Diwas.
● It was launched by the Department of Higher Education as a scheme Mentoring Young Authors.
● The National Book Trust, India under the Ministry of Education is the Implementing Agency.

PM-CARES for Children scheme

● The scheme under the PM CARES fund was meant for children who have lost both parents or the lone
surviving parent or a legal guardian or an adoptive parent due to COVID-19.
● Such children to get a monthly stipend once they turn 18 and a fund of Rs 10 lakh when they turn 23 from
PM CARES
● Free education to be ensured for such children.
● The government will also assist such children with school education. They will be given admission in the
nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school as a day scholar.
○ If the child is admitted in a private school, the fees will be paid from the PM CARES Fund as per
norms under the Right To Education Act, 2009. PM CARES will also meet the expenses on
uniform, text-books and notebooks.
● The children will be assisted to get an education loan for higher education & PM CARES will pay interest
on the loan
● The children will get free health insurance of Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat till 18 years & premium
will be paid by PM CARES

Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) :

● Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) was launched in 2014 with the aim to translate the comprehensive
vision of Mahatma Gandhi about an ideal Indian village into reality, keeping in view the present context.
● Under SAGY, each Member of Parliament adopts a Gram Panchayat and guides its holistic progress
giving importance for social development at par with infrastructure.
● The 'Adarsh Grams' are to become schools of local development and governance, inspiring other Gram
Panchayats. By involving villagers and leveraging scientific tools, a village development plan is prepared
under the leadership of a Member of Parliament.

PM Adarsh Gram Yojana

● Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) aims at integrated development of selected villages
having more than 50% Scheduled Caste (SC) population through implementation of existing scheme of
Central and State Governments in a convergent manner and by utilization of gap filling funds provided
as Central Assistance.
● The scheme was launched in 2009-10 on a pilot basis, for the integrated development of 1000 villages in
5 States viz. Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Assam and further extended in 2015 to
another 1500 villages in 11 states.
● The Government of India is planning to cover all the eligible 26968 villages by the end of 2024-25.
● As per scheme, for a village to be declared as Adarsh village a minimum of three of the targets listed
have to be achieved by the end of the third year of implementation of PMAGY.

PM Jan Vikas Karyakram - Centrally sponsored scheme - 60:40 for normal states; 90:10 for special states
PMJVK has been restructured in 2018 and is implemented in 1300 Minority Concentration Areas with an
objective of developing socio economic infra and basic amenities in the said areas.

Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/ Crafts for Development (USTTAD):
 ● The Ministry of Minority Affairs had launched this scheme.
● Hunar Haat is being implemented as a component of the USTTAD scheme.
● The Hunar Haat is an effective platform wherein opportunity is given to artisans from across the country
to showcase and market their handmade, rare, exquisite indigenous products.

‘Nai Roshni’:
● It is a Leadership Development Programme to empower and instill confidence among minority women.
● It was launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2012-13.

Ethanol Blending
● Reduce vehicle exhaust emissions. It will help in reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, etc.
● Ethanol is basically alcohol of 99%-plus purity.
● India is 83% dependent on imports for meeting its oil needs. Doping petrol with ethanol will cut down
the import requirement.
● To increase octane (higher octane fuel is of better quality) .
● Since ethanol contains oxygen in its molecule, it helps in the complete combustion of fuel, resulting in
lower emissions. Thus the blending of ethanol with conventional fuels helps ensure lower emission of
carbon monoxide.
● The use of ethanol-blended petrol decreases emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen
oxides by 40%.
○ Ethanol burns well because it is an oxygenate, meaning that ethanol molecules contain oxygen.
Oxygen atoms inside ethanol join forces with oxygen molecules in the air to help ethanol burn
more completely. This extra amount of oxygen also helps gasoline burn better when it is blended
with ethanol. Hence, carbon monoxide production from ethanol fuel is significantly lower than that
of petrol engines along with reduction of CO2 and hydrocarbons.
● Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme in January, 2003 - supply of 5% ethanol blended Petrol in 9
States and 4 Union Territories.
● This programme has been extended to the whole of India except the Union Territories of Andaman
Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands with effect from April 2019 to promote the use of alternative and
environment-friendly fuels.
● India had set a goal of 20% ethanol blending with petrol by 2030. Later this was advanced by 5 years to
2025 and now it has been further advanced to 2023-24.
● The National Policy on Biofuels has set a target of 20% blending of biofuels, both for biodiesel and
bioethanol.
○ E20 fuel is a blend of 20% of ethanol and gasoline (petrol).
○ The current permissible level of blending is 10% of ethanol. India is aimed to reach 10% by 2022.
○ The last two years have seen blending levels of around 5%. India reached only 5.6% of blending in
2019.
● In 2018, the Central Government extended the ambit of the EBP programme to extract the fuel from
surplus quantities of food grains such as maize, jowar, bajra, fruit and vegetable waste.
● Even as many developed countries debate limiting policy support for grain-based biofuels amid reports of
food-price increases and greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, India is promoting grain-based
biofuels. It is promoting ethanol derived from rice, corn and sugar.
● Earlier, only excess sugarcane production was allowed to be converted into ethanol for procurement under
the programme.
● However, the share of rice in ethanol production is “miniscule and transitory”, emphasising that maize
would form the primary feedstock for grain-based ethanol production instead.
● This is part of the government’s plan to double distilling capacities by 2025, partly by encouraging an
increase in the share of grain-based ethanol production from the current focus on molasses-based
production.
 ● Financial Assistance for Expansion of Ethanol Distillation Capacity: The government will provide
interest subvention (on loans) to encourage the funding in this sector.
● It aims at setting up distilleries for producing 1st Generation (1G) ethanol from feed stocks such as cereals
(rice, wheat, barley, corn & sorghum), sugarcane, sugar beet etc.
● Effects of E20
○ Higher reductions in Carbon Monoxide emissions were observed with E20 fuel – 50% lower in
two-wheelers and 30% lower in four-wheelers.
○ Hydrocarbon emissions reduced by 20% with ethanol blends compared to normal gasoline.
○ Nitrous Oxide emissions did not show a significant trend as it depended on the vehicle/engine type
and engine operating conditions.
○ The unregulated carbonyl emissions, such as acetaldehyde emission were, however, higher with
E10 and E20 compared to normal gasoline, due to the presence of hydroxyl groups in ethanol.
However, these emissions were relatively minor (in few micrograms) compared to regulated
emissions (which were in grams).
○ Evaporative emission test results with E20 fuel were similar to E10

Which of the following is correct with reference to Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN? It is a scheme to provide financial
support to Integrated Bio-Ethanol Projects.

● Silver economy is the system of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services aimed at
using the purchasing potential of older and ageing people and satisfying their consumption, living and
health needs.

Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS)

● It is applicable for oilseeds ( Not for paddy and wheat) and is a component of PM AASHA.
● Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) was launched to ensure Minimum
Support Price (MSP) to farmers notified of oilseeds and pulses.
○ Procurement of oilseeds, pulses and copra under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) is also under
the umbrella scheme of PM-AASHA.
● If the selling price falls below the MSP, the Gov credits the deficient price directly to the bank accounts
of farmers. Thus the gov does not procure these items from the farmers and thereby saving the
transportation storage and other associated costs.
● NAFED, along with FCI, with the proactive role of state governments, also physically procures oilseeds,
pulses and copra under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) which in turn is under the umbrella scheme of
PM-AASHA.

MSP:
● Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure
agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices.
● MSP for the first time was introduced in 1965 to incentivise the farmers and boost production.
● The minimum support prices are announced by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs of the
Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the
recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
○ CACP is a statutory body and an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture
○ The recommendations are not binding on CCEA
● The MSP is fixed twice a year for kharif and rabi crops.
● Currently, MSP is at least one-and-a-half times the cost of production incurred by the farmers. (1.5
times of A2 + FL)
○ M S Swaminathan Committee - National Commission on Farmers (2004) - Recommendation on
MSP of 1.5 times C2 instead of 1.5 times of A2+FL
 ○ A2 covers all paid-out expenses, including cash and in kind. It includes costs on seeds, chemicals,
hired labour, irrigation, fertilisers and fuel.
○ A2+FL covers actual paid cost and also unpaid family labour.
○ C2 - Comprehensive cost including - A2+FL cost plus rentals and interest forgone on owned land
and fixed capital assets and rent paid for leased-in land
■ C2 cost method is more comprehensive and makes the calculation by including a wider
range of inputs.
○ NCF also recommended to widen to ambit of MSP to ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli and other
horticultural produce
● There is no law that makes MSP mandatory.
● Currently, MSP for 23 crops (22 crops + 1 FRP) is recommended by CACP, which comprise
○ Kharif (14), Rabi (6), Commercial/Cash (3 = 2+1 (FRP))
■ Rabi - Wheat, Barley, Gram, Lentil (masoor), Rapeseed and Mustard, Safflower
○ seven cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, barley, jowar or sorghum, bajra or pearl millet and ragi)
○ five pulses (gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad, lentil/masoor)
○ seven oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, soyabean, sesamum, sunflower, safflower, niger
seed)
○ four commercial crops (copra or dehusked coconut, cotton, raw jute and sugarcane - Fair and
Remunerative Price)
○ Differences in prices - Rice (Common and Grade A), Jowar (Hybrid and Maldani), Copra (Milling
and Ball) and Cotton (Long stable and short staple)
● CACP considers both ‘A2+FL’ and ‘C2’ costs while recommending MSP.

Fair and remunerative price (FRP):

● Fair and remunerative price (FRP) is the minimum price at which sugarcane is to be purchased by sugar
mills from farmers.
● Based on Sugarcane Control Order 1966
● Mandates payment within 14 days from the date of delivery
● FRP is based on Rangarajan committee report
● The FRP is based on the recommendation of the Commission of Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) and
approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister.
● Most major sugar-producing States set their own cane prices over and above the national FRP and is
referred to as the State Advised Prices (SAP)

Price Stabilization Fund

● Esatblished in 2014-15 under Ministry of Agriculture
● Central Sector Scheme
● In April 2016, administration of the PSF shifted from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare to the
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution to improve the fund’s operational efficiency and
price stabilization efforts.
● financial mechanism set up by governments or organizations to mitigate price volatility of essential
commodities, primarily agricultural products, to ensure their affordability for consumers and remunerative
prices for producers
● A corpus called the “Price Stabilization Fund” has been created to provide working capital and cover
incidental expenses for the procurement and distribution of these commodities.
● Objectives of the PSF
○ Direct Purchase, Strategic Buffer Stock and Consumer Protection
● Pulses: Urad (Black gram), Moong (Green gram), Tur/Arhar (Pigeon pea), Masur (Lentils), Gram
(Chickpeas)
● Horticultural Crops: Onions, Potatoes, Tomatoes
● Important Staples: Rice and Wheat
 ○ Recently wheat and rice has been added to PSF
● Central Management: The Price Stabilisation Fund Management Committee (PSFMC) plays a central role
in managing the PSF.
○ Reviews and approves proposals from State Governments & Central Agencies for the procurement
and distribution of essential commodities.
● Financial Support: The PSF provides interest-free loans to: State Governments and Union Territories (UTs)
Central Agencies

Project Overview
● To provide efficient and time-bound citizen centric services in accordance with the e-Courts Project
Litigant’s Charter.
● To develop, install and implement efficient justice delivery systems in courts.
● To automate processes easing accessibility of information to its stakeholders.
● To enhance judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, making the justice delivery system
accessible, cost effective, reliable and transparent.

Discovered Small Field Policy

● To tap the small energy reserves (oil and gas fields) within the country in consultation with ONGC and Oil
India Corporation in 2015.
● Up to 100% FDI participation by foreign companies, joint ventures.
● Single license for Conventional & Unconventional hydrocarbon: Single license for explore and extract all
types of hydrocarbon resources will be allowed.
● Open to all: To incentivize new investors, technical capability is not kept as a prequalification criteria.
● No restriction on exploration activity during contract period: Contractor will be allowed to carry out
exploration during entire contract duration.
● Custom duty: Customs duty is exempted on import of goods and services for Petroleum operations
● Oil Cess: No Oil Cess will be applicable on crude oil production

Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

● Centrally Sponsored Scheme
● Ministry of Tribal Affairs
● 18 states and Union territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
● Funds - 2 major components
○ Grant-in-Aid
○ Creation of Capital Assets.
● Gap filling intervention - targeted for upliftment of such communities.

FAME II to spur new tech:

● With an aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government had launched the FAME India scheme
(Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Strong) Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India) in 2015.
● This scheme is launched to achieve the goals of National Electric Mobility Mission Plan
○ Phase 1 - 2015 to 2019
○ Phase 2 - 2019 to 2022
● The second phase of FAME India Scheme focuses on supporting electrification of public and shared
transportation and aims to support electrification through subsidies for electric vehicles, including
buses, passenger cars and two-wheelers.
● FAME was initiated as a part of The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020.
● Allocation of 10000 crores for a period of 3 years from 2019 to 2022.
● Out of total budgetary support, about 86 percent of funds has been allocated for Demand Incentive so as
to create demand for EVs in the country.
 ○ Criterion - Use of Lithium-Ion batteries or any new technology batteries.
● It is being implemented by the Department of Heavy Industry under the Ministry of Heavy Industry and
Public Enterprises.
● To establish a charging infrastructure in the major cities of the country.
○ Ensure the availability of at least one charging station in a grid of 3 km X 3 km.
● To establish charging stations on major highways connecting major city clusters.
○ Charging stations on both sides of the road at an interval of about 25 km each.

One Nation One Ration Card (RC)

● It was started as an inter-State portability of ration cards in 2019.
● A total of 32 States/UTs covering around 69 crore NFSA beneficiaries, i.e86% of the NFSA population
in the country were brought under the ONORC plan by December 2020.
● Migrants would only be eligible for the subsidies supported by the Centre. There are around 38 crore
migrant workers who form one fourth of India’s population.
● The system runs with the support of two portals —Integrated Management of Public Distribution System
(IM-PDS) and Annavitaran, which host all the relevant data.
○ Annavitaran Portal – maintains a record of intra-state transactions — inter-district and
intra-district.
○ Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) – records the inter-state
transactions.
● Even if a beneficiary moved to a State where grains were given for free, that person would not be able to
access those benefits, as they were funded by the State exchequer.
● If one migrant worker from the family is in a distant city while the rest of the family remains in their home
village, both can avail themselves of a 50% portion of the ration allocation in the two different locations by
providing ration card and Aadhaar authentication.
● The Centre has to supply whatever additional quantity of food grains a State demands.
● Non-NFSA ration card holders are not covered under the ONORC.
● In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre set the implementation of ONORC as a precondition
for additional borrowing by states.
● States and UTs which have not implemented: West Bengal, Delhi, Assam and Chattisgarh

YuWaah, UNICEF, Capgemini and United Nations Global Compact Network India (UNGCNI) entered into a
collaboration to work together on providing India’s young people with skill sets that will help empower them for
creating their career pathways and enabling them as active changemakers. This initiative will offer a range of
opportunities like local demand-based skilling with job matching through quality internships and apprenticeships
and promote entrepreneurship.

● National Career Service (NCS) project is a Mission Mode Project launched by the Ministry of Labour
and Employment (India) Government of India.
● It was launched for establishing quick and efficient career related services across the country by
revamping the existing nation-wide set-up of Employment Exchanges into IT-enabled Career Centers.

● Under the DigiSaksham initiative, free of cost training will be provided to more than 3 lakh youth, in
digital skills including basic skills & advance computing, in the first year. This training programme can be
accessed through the National Career Service (NCS) Portal.
● This digital skills programme was launched with the objective of enhancing the employability of youth by
improving their digital skills which have become an essential thing in an increasingly technology-driven
era.
● Digi Saksham is a joint initiative of Microsoft India and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
India Cycles4Change challenge was launched in 2020 under the Smart Cities Mission by the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uttar Pradesh was ranked the best State, and Indore and Surat were jointly named the best cities by the
Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry for their work under the Smart Cities Mission. Madhya Pradesh was second
and Tamil Nadu third in the India Smart Cities Awards 2020. The Ministry said in a statement that 22% in
terms of the total value of the projects proposed and 52% in terms of the total number of projects proposed
by the 100 Smart Cities had been completed so far.

Smart cities Mission.

● Need - physical, institutional, social and economic infrastructure.
● Major role - improving the quality of life as well as in attracting people and investments to the city
● Smart City - wish list of infrastructure and services.
● Urban ecosystem - four pillars of comprehensive development - institutional, physical, social and
economic infrastructure
● Objective:
○ Core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens
○ A clean and sustainable environment
○ Application of ‘Smart’ Solutions.
● Operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme

Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

● Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) was launched in 2015 with the focus to
establish adequate basic infrastructure for urban transformation by implementing urban revival
projects.
● To provide basic services to households and build amenities in cities
● Purpose
○ Ensure that every household has access to a tap with the assured supply of water and a sewerage
connection.
○ To Increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well-maintained open spaces
like parks.
○ To reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non motorized
transport.
● Scheme - Centrally Sponsored Scheme
● Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will strive to include some smart features in the physical infrastructure
components.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)

● Flagship Mission of Government of India
● Implemented - Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
● Affordable Housing - 2 Cr Homes by 2022
● Addresses - urban housing shortage among the Economically Weaker Sections / Low Income Group and
Medium Income Groups
● Demand driven approach
● Mission - Ownership of houses in the name of female members or in joint name.
● Preference differently abled persons, senior citizens, SCs, STs, OBCs, Minority, single women,
transgender and other weaker & vulnerable sections of the society.
● Adopts - cafeteria approach to suit the needs of individuals.
● The PM inaugurated 6 Light House Projects as a part of Global Housing Technology Challenge India
(GHTC India) initiative. - Indore (MP), Rajkot (Gujarat), Chennai (TN), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala
(Tripura) and Lucknow (UP). This is a part of PM Awas Yojana - Urban.
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana - Gramin(PMAYG)
● Implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development, the scheme aims to provide
● more than 2 crore pucca houses for eligible rural households by 2024 - housing for all by 2024
● Now 2.95 crore houses have been constructed
● Beneficiaries: People belonging to SCs/STs, freed bonded laborers and non-SC/ST categories, widows or
next-of-kin of defense personnel killed in action, ex-servicemen and retired members of the paramilitary
forces, disabled persons and minorities
● Ownership of House: Under scheme Woman is sole or joint owners
● Convergence with other Government Schemes:
○ 1. A toilet has been made an integral part of the PMAY-G house.
○ 2. The house is electrified through Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)/
Saubhagya scheme of Ministry of Power.
○ 3. Free LPG connection is provided through Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) of Ministry of
Petroleum & Natural Gas.
○ 4. Efforts are also being made for providing piped water supply under Jal Jeewan Mission
● Selection of Beneficiaries: Through a three-stage validation - Socio Economic Caste Census 2011, Gram
Sabha, and geo-tagging
● Centrally sponsored scheme The cost of houses would be shared between Centre and States.
● Features: Direct transfer of funds to beneficiaries’ accounts, technical assistance to beneficiaries, stringent
monitoring through MIS-AwaasSoft and AwaasApp
● The assistance for construction of toilets shall be leveraged through convergence with Swachh Bharat
Mission-Gramin (SBMG), MGNREGS or any other dedicated source of funding

Indira Awas Yojana is the first ever Government funded rural housing programme in independent India.

Market Intervention Scheme

● The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation is implementing a scheme namely Market Intervention
Scheme (MIS) for procurement of agricultural and horticultural commodities which are generally
perishable in nature upon state request.
● The Scheme is implemented when there is at least 10% increase in production or 10% decrease over
the previous normal year.
● It works in a similar fashion to Minimum Support Price based procurement mechanism for food grains, but
is an ad hoc mechanism.
● It is implemented on the request of State Governments.
● The amount of loss is shared on a 50:50 basis between the Central government and the State government
(on a 75:25 basis in case of North-Eastern States).

Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)

● Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) is implemented by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana
–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development, as a sub-scheme
since 2016.
● With an objective to support the rural poor come out of poverty, supporting them setup enterprises and
provide support till the enterprises stabilize, SVEP focusses on providing self-employment opportunities
with financial assistance and training in business management and soft skills while creating local
community cadres for promotion of enterprises.
● SVEP addresses three major pillars of rural start-ups namely – finances, incubation and skill ecosystems.
● Any Rural poor who is willing to be entrepreneurial and self reliant is eligible to be part of this programme.

NRHM
 ● The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in 2005, to provide accessible, affordable and
quality health care to the rural population, especially the vulnerable groups.
● One of the key components of the National Rural Health Mission is to provide every village in the country
with a trained female community health activist ASHA or Accredited Social Health Activist.
● In 2013, both National Rural Health Mission and National Urban Health Mission got combined to form
National Health Mission.

Accredited Social Health Activist

● Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) is a trained female community health activist.
● Selected from the community itself and accountable to it, the ASHA will be trained to work as an interface
between the community and the public health system.
● Eligibility
● ASHA must primarily be a woman resident of the village married/ widowed/ divorced, preferably in the age
group of 25 to 45 years.
● She should be a literate woman with due preference in selection to those who are qualified up to 10
standard wherever they are interested and available in good numbers.
● However, it may be relaxed under some exceptions.

PM WANI
● Aims to setup public WiFi networks across the country.
● WiFi will be provided through public data offices (PDOs).
● The PDO, to be set up along the lines of a public calling office (PCO), can be a small shop; anyone can
register as a PDO.
● The PDOs can either provide the internet on their own or lease it from other telecom and internet service
providers.
● In addition to the PDOs, there will also be Public data office aggregators (PDOAs), which will look after the
authorisation and accounting of PDOs.
● The aggregators will provide services utilising telecom companies’ optical fibre network.

Minimum support price Based procurement for Minor Forest Produce

● The Scheme was initially being implemented in States having areas under the Vth Schedule of the
Constitution of India for non-nationalized and abundantly available 12 Minor Forest Produce in 2013-14
○ 10 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana have Fifth Schedule Areas.
● Introduced by Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 2013-14
● From 2016, the scheme is applicable in all States.
● Procurement and marketing operation at pre- fixed MSP is undertaken by the designated State
agencies.
● The Government of India has launched a central sector scheme for marketing of Minor Forest Produce
(MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP).
● The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) is in charge of the scheme.
● The scheme envisages fixation and declaration of Minimum Support Price for the selected MFP based on
the suggestions /inputs received from TRIFED and the States concerned.
● Determination of MSP for MFP
○ MSP for MFP is decided and periodically reviewed by the ministry of tribal affairs.
○ MoTA forms a pricing cell to recommend MSP for MFPs
○ Factors considered - cost of collection, market price trends and potential value addition
○ States have some flexibility to set MSP 10% above or below the central recommendation

PM Van Dan Yojana

 ● The Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)
launched the Van Dhan scheme in 2018 intending to improve the tribal income through value addition of
tribal products.
● The scheme aims at the economic development of tribals involved in the collection of Minor Food
Produces (MFPs) by helping them in optimum utilization of natural resources and providing them with a
sustainable livelihood.
● These tribal enterprises will be in the form of Van Dhan Self Help Groups (SHGs) which will be a group
of 15-20 members and such 15 SHG groups will further be federated into a larger group of Van Dhan
Vikas Kendras (VDVKS) of around 300 members.
● Under this scheme, the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras constituted, provide skill up-gradation and capacity
building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facilities.
● There are almost 2 lakh beneficiaries.
● The scheme will be implemented through the Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the
Central Level and TRIFED as Nodal Agency at the National Level.
○ At State level, the State Nodal Agency for Minor Forest Produce Schemes and the District
collectors are envisaged to play a pivotal role in scheme implementation at grassroots level.
○ Locally the Kendras are proposed to be managed by a Managing Committee (an SHG) consisting
of representatives of Van Dhan SHGs in the cluster. Approximately 30 members to form a Van
Dhan Vikas Samuh.

Eklavya Model Residential Schools:

● Launched in 1997-98
● By Ministry of Tribal Affairs to provide quality education to tribal students in remote tribal areas.
● Central Sector scheme = schools are set in states with grants under Article 275 (1)
● Establish one EMRS in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons
● Cater to students from class 6 to 12
● Currently, there are over 650 schools sanctioned across the country in 28 states/UTs.

Salient Features of National Policy on Electronics 2019:

• Promoting domestic manufacturing and export in the entire value-chain of ESDM. Formulate suitable schemes
and incentive mechanisms to encourage new units and expansion of existing units.
• Provide incentives and support for manufacturing of core electronic components.
• Provide special package of incentives for mega projects which are extremely high-tech and entail huge
investments, such as semiconductor facilities display fabrication, etc.
• Promote Industry-led R&D and innovation in all sub-sectors of electronics, including grass root level innovations
and early stage Start-ups in emerging technology areas.
• Provide incentives and support for significantly enhancing availability of skilled manpower, including re-skilling.
• Create Sovereign Patent Fund (SPF) to promote the development and acquisition of IPs in ESDM sector.
• Promote trusted electronics value chain initiatives to improve national cyber security profile.
• There is no provision for setting up of separate and exclusive Institutes to enhance R&D in Electronics System
Design and Manufacturing.
• Though the policy envisages promoting domestic manufacturing and export in the entire value-chain of ESDM,
to achieve a turnover of USD 400 billion by 2025, there are no exclusive provisions for eliminating the imports of
critical communication equipment.

MPLADS
● MPLADS is a Central Sector scheme. Under the scheme, funds are released in the form of grants
in-aid directly to the district authorities.
● The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsable.
○ Funds not released in a particular year are carried forward to the subsequent years, subject to
eligibility.
 ● The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is responsible for the policy formulation,
release of funds and prescribing monitoring mechanism for implementation of the Scheme.
● The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) is a programme first
launched during the Narasimha Rao Government in 1993, aimed towards providing funds for
developmental works recommended by individual MPs.
● Objective - to enable MPs to recommend and get executed the works of developmental nature with
emphasis on the creation of durable community assets - based on the locally felt needs in their
Constituencies.
○ Drinking water facilities, education, public health, sanitation, and roads etc.
● Funds are released in two equal installments.
● Initially the MPs were entitled to recommend works to the tune of 50 lakhs annually between 1993-94.
● The UPA government in 2011-12 raised the annual entitlement to Rs 5 crore per MP.
● MPs can suggest works costing at least 15 percent of their MPLADS entitlement for the year for areas
inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 per cent for areas inhabited by ST population.
● Member of Parliament Local Area Development Division is entrusted with the responsibility of
implementing the scheme
● GoI informs the State Nodal Department about release of MPLADS funds to District Authorities.
● District Authority - responsible for overall coordination and supervision of the works under the scheme
at the district level
● Scheme implemented through Local Self Governments or Government agencies – sometimes engages
reputed NGOs also.
● Reports status of MPLADS implementation to GoI and State Nodal Dept
● The district authority must inspect at least 10% of all works under implementation every year.
● Choice of districts
○ Lok Sabha MP - Any district within the elected constituency
○ Rajya Sabha MP - Any district within the elected state.
○ Nominated MPs of both houses - Any districts anywhere in the country.
● The Cabinet has decided to suspend the MPLAD funds for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. All the amount
saved would go to the Consolidated Fund of India.

Regulation of drones:
● DGCA has identified multiple categories of drones, which can be broadly classified as
○ ‘Nano’ (weighing up to 250 g),
○ ‘Micro’ (more than 250 g but less than 2 kg) and
○ ‘Small and above’ (weighing 2 kg or more).
● A first-of-its-kind national unmanned traffic management mechanism called the “Digital Sky
Platform” — a live platform for registration of manufacturers and operators of drones.
● Work for the development and hosting of the Digital Sky Platform was awarded by the Airports Authority
of India (AAI).
● This platform allows operators to apply for a Unique Identification Number (UIN) — akin to the
registration plate of a car — that needs to be issued for all drones (with the exception of the smallest
category), and Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit online for approval by the civil aviation regulator.
● India has a ‘No Permission-No Takeoff’ (NPNT) clause for aerial unmanned objects, which implies that a
drone cannot be operated in Indian skies unless the regulatory permission is received through the Digital
Sky Platform.
● The pilot also needs certification, requiring a remote pilot licence or an ‘Unmanned Aerial Operator
Permit’ (UAOP) before operating a drone.
● Foreigners are currently not allowed to fly drones in India. For commercial purposes, they need to
lease the drone to an Indian entity who in-turn will obtain a Unique Identification Number (UIN) and UAOP
from DGCA.
 ● In January 2019, a white paper on drone policy 2.0 was released, that paved the way for wider application
of drones such as beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)
● The permit systems are handled by Ministry of Home Affairs

The Ministry of Civil Aviation notified the draft rules, known as Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, 2020
Details
● Anyone in the business — manufacturer, importer, trader, owner, or operator — must take approval from
the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
● An importer or manufacturer can sell drones only to an authorized trader or owner.
● The DGCA will have the power to inspect a manufacturing or maintenance facility before granting any
authorisation.
● No UAS should carry any payload except as permitted by the DGCA.
● Licenses will have to be obtained for operations. For owning and using a drone, one has to be at least 18
years old.
● While at present, government rules permit only those drone operations that are within visual range, the
Ministry of Civil Aviation has allowed 20 entities to conduct trials for long-range or “beyond visual line
of sight” drone flights.
● Based on learnings from test flights, the government will frame the guidelines for BVLOS operations.

Key takeaways from the Draft Drone Rules, 2021:

● The rules will replace the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, 2021 notified in March 2021.
● The number of forms to be filled to seek authorisation before operating a drone has been reduced from 25
to six.
● Fee reduced to nominal levels. No linkage with the size of the drone.
● Safety features like ‘No permission – no take-off’ (NPNT), real-time tracking beacon, geo-fencing, etc. to
be notified in future. A six-month lead time will be provided for compliance.
● Digital sky platform would be developed as a business-friendly single-window online system. It is an
initiative of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
● No pilot licence required for micro drones (for non-commercial use), nano drones and for R&D
organisations.
● No restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India.
● Import of drones and drone components to be regulated by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. This
is in order to encourage indigenous manufacturing.
● No security clearance required before any registration or licence issuance.
● Coverage of drones under Drone Rules, 2021 increased from 300 kg to 500 kg. This will cover drone
taxis also.
● Directorate General of Civil Aviation shall prescribe training requirements, oversee drone schools and
provide pilot licences online.
● Maximum penalty under Drone Rules, 2021 reduced to INR 1 lakh.
● Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries.
● Drone promotion council to be set up to facilitate a business-friendly regulatory regime.
● The Union government may specify certain standards for obtaining a certificate of airworthiness for
drones, which will promote the use of made-in-India technologies, designs, components and drones; and
India’s regional navigation satellite system named Navigation with Indian Constellation [NavIC].

Eat Right Movement (2018):

It was launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The movement aims to cut
down salt/sugar and oil consumption by 30% in three years. It also aims to engage and enable citizens to
improve their health and well-being by making the right food choices.

● The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) was established in 2002.

 ● The fund comes from the Universal Service Levy (USL) (5%) charged from all the telecom operators on
their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) and is deposited in the Consolidated Fund of India.
● USOF is funding the BharatNet project.
● BharatNet Scheme has been launched by the government of India under the Digital India program in order
to provide high-speed digital connectivity of the internet in rural areas at a very affordable price through
optical fibres. It is the world's largest rural broadband connectivity project.

‘Historic Urban Landscape Project’:

● Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior and Orchha cities have been selected by UNESCO under ‘Historic Urban
Landscape Project’, which was started in the year 2011, for the inclusive and well-planned development of
fast-growing historical cities while preserving the culture and heritage.
● Six cities of South Asia, including Ajmer and Varanasi in India are already involved in this project.
Orchha and Gwalior have been included as the 7th and 8th cities. The development and management
plan of these cities will be prepared by UNESCO. This project will help tourism get a new dimension.

● USTTAD Scheme aims at upgrading the Skills and Training of minority communities by the preservation of
traditional ancestral Arts and Crafts. It also envisages boosting the skill of craftsmen, weavers and artisans
who are already engaged in the traditional ancestral work.
● Hamari Dharohar is a scheme to preserve the rich heritage of minority communities under the overall
concept of Indian Culture.
● Nai Manzil Scheme aims to benefit the minority youths who do not have a formal school-leaving certificate
in order to provide them with formal education and skills, and enable them to seek better employment and
livelihoods in the organised sector.
● The “Sanskritik Sadbhav Mandap” is being constructed by the Unionw Minority Affairs Ministry under
Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK). It is a community centre that will be utilized for various
socio-economic-cultural activities, skill development training, coaching, different sports activities, relief
activities during disasters such as Corona.

● Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA), initiated under Digital India
Programme, would cover 6 crore households in rural areas to make them digitally literate.
● This would empower the citizens by providing them access to information, knowledge and skills for
operating computers/digital access devices.
● The scheme is applicable only for rural areas of the country.
● The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Electronics, Information and Technology.
● All households where none of the family members is digitally literate will be considered eligible households
under the Scheme. One member in the age group between 14-60 years from such a household can enroll
himself/herself as a beneficiary under the scheme.

PM DAKSHA
● The PM-DAKSH Yojana is a National Action Plan for skilling of marginalized persons covering SCs, OBCs,
EBCs, Sanitation workers. It includes up-skilling/reskilling, short term training programme, long term
training programme and entrepreneurship development program.
● It is being implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Gati Shakti: (16 Aug 2021)

● Gati Shakti will be a National Infrastructure Master Plan for India which will lay the foundation of holistic
infrastructure.
● The Gati Shakti plan will help raise the global profile of local manufacturers and help them compete
with their counterparts worldwide.
● It also raises possibilities of new future economic zones.
National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) - 19 Aug 2021
● The share of imported palm oil is more than 55%.
● The new mission’s aim is to reduce import dependence from 60% to 45% by 2024-25, by increasing
domestic edible oil production by 70% growth target.
● This financial outlay for NMEO-OP will be over a five-year period.
● The Centre will offer price assurances, viability gap funding and planting material assistance to oil
palm farmers to boost domestic production.
● North-eastern India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been identified as prime locations for oil
palm cultivation.
● Along with promoting the cultivation of oil palm, this mission will also expand the cultivation of other
traditional oilseed crops in India.

SUJALAM - 26 Aug 2021

● The Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched a ‘100 days campaign’ named SUJALAM to create more and
more Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus villages by undertaking wastewater management at the village
level.
● The Swachh Bharat Mission’s first phase was to achieve open defecation free (ODF) status by
constructing a toilet in every rural household and persuading all villagers to use it.
● The second phase, termed ODF+, aims to sustain and extend these sanitation gains by focusing on solid
and liquid waste management.
● Under the SUJALAM campaign the Jal Shakti Ministry plans to create a million soak pits in villages
across the country over the next 100 days, to help manage grey water.
● The household or community soak pit offers a simpler solution for grey water management as opposed to
having waste water drains and common village ponds. It offers a safe as well as inexpensive method and
also helps avoid the problem of drainage blockage and the need for periodic maintenance.

Good Samaritan:
● Any individual who has saved the life of a victim of a serious accident involving a motor vehicle by
administering immediate assistance and rushing to the hospital within the Golden Hour of the accident to
provide medical treatment would be eligible for the award.
● The individual can be awarded a maximum of five times a year.
● The amount of award for the Good Samaritan(s) would be ₹5,000 per incident.
● On receipt of communication from the Police Station/Hospital, District Level Appraisal Committee shall
review and approve the proposals on a monthly basis.
● State governments are responsible for the plan, with the Centre providing an initial grant, but the Union
Transport Ministry will give its own award of ₹1 lakh each to the 10 best Good Samaritans in a year.
● This is not the first time that such schemes have been announced. The Puducherry Government
announced an almost identical scheme in 2019, and that was a possible first in the country.

Palk Bay Scheme: - 09 Oct 2021

● The scheme was launched in 2017.
● The aim of the scheme was to finance 2,000 vessels in three years for the fishermen in Tamil Nadu.
● The Palk Bay scheme is being financed by the Union and the State Governments with beneficiary
participation.
● It aimed at shifting the fishermen away from bottom trawling.
● Trawlers greatly damage the marine ecosystem.
● The Sri Lankan government has passed a bill, banning the use of trawlers in their waters.
● The Indian government is now creating a new deep sea fishing harbour at Mookaiyur, south of the Palk
Bay in the Gulf of Mannar, where many of these vessels are likely to be berthed.

3. ‘100 new Sainik Schools will admit students from 2022-23’- 14 Oct 2021
100 new Sainik Schools will be set up under public-private partnership.

● These schools will function in an exclusive vertical, distinct from the existing schools under the Defence
Ministry.
● The Cabinet had approved the proposal for launching 100 schools to be affiliated with the Sainik Schools
Society.
● In terms of support from the Ministry, the society would provide affiliation to private and government schools
that qualify a certain objective criterion related to academics and infrastructure.

● The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) has launched the ‘Atmanirbhar Hastshilpkar’
initiative to help artisans in the Northeast.
● The scheme’s goal is to give financial support in the form of a term loan for revenue-generating activities.
● The scheme provides a credit facility that is collateral-free and has a subsidized interest rate of 6% p.a., with a
repayment term of 24 months to artisans .

NTPC Renewable Energy Limited gets the go-ahead from MNRE to build the 4750 MW renewable energy park at
Khavada in Runn of Kutch, Gujarat. - Ultra-Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks

Tele MANAS
● Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States
● Ministru of Health and Family Welfare - launched in Karnataka in 2022
● Based on e manas tele counselling prohramme that was launched in Karnataka during 1st wave of COVID
19
● Includes a network of 23 tele mental health centres of excellence with NIMHANS headquartered in
Bengaluru being nodal centre and International Institute of Information Technology Bengaluru propviding
technical support
● Aims to ope at least one Tele Manas cell in each state and union territory
● 24*7 tele mental health facility at free of cost

Atal Bhujal Yojana

● Launched in 2019 - by Ministry of Jal Shakti
● Central Sector Scheme
● Funding - 50:50 between GoI and World Bank
● For sustainable groundwater management - to improve management of groundwater resources in water
stressed areas of the selected states
● Led by community through convergence of various schemes
● States - Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh