PM to launch e-Gopala App: a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers

PM to also launch several other initiatives in the Fisheries and Animal Husbandry sectors in Bihar Posted On: 09 SEP 2020 1:41PM by PIB Delhi Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will digitally launch the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) on 10th September. Prime Minister will also launch e-Gopala App, a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers. Several other initiatives in the fisheries and animal husbandry sectors in Bihar will also be launched by the Prime Minister on the occasion.

The Governor and Chief Minister of Bihar, along with Union Minister and MoS for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, will also be present on the occasion.

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries sector in the country with an estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crores for its implementation during a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories, as a part of AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package. The investment of Rs. 20,050 crores under PMMSY is the highest ever in the fisheries sector. Out of this, an investment of about Rs 12340 crores is proposed for beneficiary-oriented activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture and about Rs 7710 crores investment for Fisheries Infrastructure.

PMMSY aims at enhancing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25, doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers, reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10% and generation of additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in fisheries sector and allied activities.

PMMSY is designed to address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management, modernization and strengthening of value chain, traceability, establishing a robust fisheries management framework and fishers’ welfare. While aiming to consolidate the achievements of Blue Revolution Scheme, PMMSY envisages many new interventions such as fishing vessel insurance, support for new/up-gradation of fishing vessels/boats, Bio-toilets, Aquaculture in saline/alkaline areas, Sagar Mitras, FFPOs/Cs, Nucleus Breeding Centres, Fisheries and Aquaculture start-ups, Incubators, Integrated Aqua parks, Integrated coastal fishing villages development, Aquatic Laboratories Network and Extension Services, Traceability, Certification and Accreditation, RAS, Biofloc & Cage Culture, E-Trading/Marketing, Fisheries Management Plans, etc.

PMMSY scheme primarily focuses on adopting ‘Cluster or Area based approaches’ and creation of Fisheries clusters through backward and forward linkages. Special focus will be given for employment generation activities such as seaweed and ornamental fish cultivation. It emphasizes on interventions for quality brood, seed and feed, special focus on species diversification, critical infrastructure, marketing networks etc.

As of now, under PMMSY the Department of Fisheries has approved Rs 1723 crores worth of proposals for 21 States/UTs in phase-I. Priority has been accorded for income generating activities under PMMSY.

PMMSY in Bihar envisages an investment of Rs.1390 crore with Central Share of Rs. 535 crore and the additional fish production target pegged at 3 lakh tons. During the current financial year (2020-21), Government of India has sanctioned the proposal of Government of Bihar at a total project cost of Rs.107.00 crore for major components like establishment of Re-circulatory Aquaculture System (RAS), construction of Biofloc ponds for aquaculture, finfish hatcheries, construction of new ponds for aquaculture, Ornamental fish culture units, installation of Cages in reservoirs/wetlands, Ice plants, refrigerated vehicles, motor cycle with ice box, three wheeler with ice box, cycle with ice box, fish feed plants, extension and support services (Matsya Seva Kendra), establishment of a Brood Bank, etc.

Other inaugurations related to Fisheries sector Prime Minister will announce the establishment of Fish Brood Bank at Sitamarhi, and of Aquatic Disease Referral Laboratory at Kishanganj, for which assistance has been provided under PMMSY. These facilities will help in enhancing production and productivity of fish by ensuring timely availability of quality and affordable fish seed for the fish farmers and address the need for disease diagnosis as well as water and soil testing facilities.

He will inaugurate one-unit fish feed mill at Madhepura and two units of ‘Fish on Wheels’ assisted at Patna under Blue Revolution. He will also interact with the beneficiaries on the occasion.

Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Comprehensive Fish Production Technology Centre at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar. The Center, with facilities for Seed production technology and demonstration unit technology for fish, referral laboratory and diagnostic testing, will facilitate in boosting fish production and assist in capacity building of fish farmers.

e-Gopala App e-Gopala App is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers. At present no digital platform is available in the country for farmers managing livestock including buying and selling of disease free germplasm in all forms (semen, embryos, etc); availability of quality breeding services (Artificial Insemination, veterinary first aid, vaccination, treatment etc) and guiding farmers for animal nutrition, treatment of animals using appropriate ayurvedic medicine/ethno veterinary medicine. There is no mechanism to send alerts (on due date for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving etc) and inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns in the area. The e-Gopala App will provide solutions to farmers on all these aspects.

Other inaugurations related to Animal Husbandry sector Prime Minister will inaugurate Semen Station with state of the art facilities, which has been established under Rashtriya Gokul Mission in Purnea, Bihar with an investment of Rs 84.27 crores on 75 acres of land made available by the State Government of Bihar. This is one of the largest semen stations in the government sector with production capacity of 50 lakh semen doses per annum. This Semen Station will also give new dimension to development and conservation of indigenous breeds of Bihar and meet demand of semen doses of eastern and north eastern States.

Prime Minister will inaugurate IVF lab established at Animal Sciences University, Patna under Rashtriya Gokul Mission. A total of 30 ETT and IVF laboratories are being set up across the country through 100% grant in aid. These labs are crucial for propagating elite animals of indigenous breeds and thereby enhancing milk production and productivity manifold.

Prime Minister will also launch use of sex sorted semen in artificial insemination under Rashtriya Gokul Mission by Baroni Milk Union in Begusarai district of Bihar. Through use of sex sorted semen in AI, only female calves can be produced (with more than 90% accuracy). This will help double the growth rate of milk production in the country. Prime Minister will also launch a demonstration of IVF technology at farmer's doorstep. This will propagate the technology for multiplication of high yielding animals at a faster rate as through use of technology they can give birth to 20 calves in a year.

Kisan Rail will help in strengthening the agricultural economy – Shri Narendra Singh Tomar

Horticultural produce of Andhra Pradesh will now be able to reach other areas in the country easily – Shri Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy Kisan Rail will help in the speedy transportation of farm produce to distant places – Shri Suresh C. Angadi Posted On: 09 SEP 2020 2:41PM by PIB Delhi

The inaugural run of Anantapur – New Delhi Kisan Rail was flagged off today through video link by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmer Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, and Shri Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The programme was presided over by Shri Suresh C. Angadi, Union Minister of State for Railways. The Kisan train will run between Anantapur in Guntakal Division of South Central Railway and Adarsh Nagar in Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Kisan Rail will help in strengthening the agricultural economy, while Shri Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the state’s popular fruits will now be able to reach other areas in the country easily.

Shri Tomar said that Gaon-Garib-Kisan have always been the priority of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Efforts have been made in every budget to make provisions for strengthening the agricultural economy and doubling of farmers’ income, which are now beginning to bear fruit. Kisan Rail and Kisan Udaan had been announced in this year’s budget so that farm produce is able to be transported all over the country in less time. On 7th August, the first Kisan Rail was flagged off between Devlali in Maharashtra and Danapur in Bihar as a weekly service, which was later made bi-weekly due to increasing demand. Now the 2nd Kisan Rail will benefit farmers of the states coming en route. The Union Agriculture Minister expressed appreciation about the implementation of the new agriculture ordinances and the Rs 1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund in Andhra Pradesh. He said that in Anantapur fruits and vegetables are being grown in more than 2 lakh ha area, and the Kisan Rail will prove very beneficial to farmers of this region. Kisan Udaan service will also be started soon.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that horticulture is an important activity in the state. AP has 1st rank in the country in the production of tomatoes, coconut, papaya and chillies and is the biggest fruit producing state in South India. During the Covid situation, transportation of this horticultural produce to North India had become difficult. A number of special trains were run from Anantapur to Mumbai during the lockdown so that the horticultural produce could reach other parts of the country.

Minister of State for Railways Shri Suresh C. Angadi said that Kisan Rail is being started to help in the speedy transportation of farm produce to distant places, in keeping with the goal of doubling farmers’ income. Farmers can now sell their produce wherever they get better price without spoilage due to reduction in transportation time. This facility will also help in increasing agricultural exports.

The function was also attended by Shri Parshottam Rupala and Shri Kailash Choudhary, Union Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri B. Satyanarayana, Shri M. Sankaranarayana and Shri K. Kannababu, AP Govt Ministers, Shri T. Rangaiah, Member of Parliament, Anantapur and other public representatives, dignitaries and senior railway officials through virtual program.

Brief about Anantapur – New Delhi Kisan Rail Introduction of Kisan Rail is conceptualized to provide priority to the farming sector and facilitate transportation of perishable agricultural products to various market places across the country. India’s second and South India’s first Kisan Train commenced its inaugural run from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh to Adarsh Nagar in New Delhi today. Anantapur is fast becoming the Fruit Bowl of Andhra Pradesh. More than 80% of the 58 lakh MT of fruits & vegetables in the district is marketed out of the state, particularly to the north Indian States of Delhi, UP, Punjab and Haryana among others. A major portion of the fruits and vegetables produced in Anantapur are transported out of the state. Earlier this was being transported by roadways. Starting a Kisan Rail will be particularly helpful in benefitting the small farmers and traders in marketing their product across the country in a safe, economical and speedy manner.

South India’s 1st Kisan Rail train service between Anantapur - New Delhi will cover a distance of 2150 kms in 40 hours. The rake is loaded with 14 parcel vans – 04 vans load meant for Nagpur and another 10 Vans load for Adarsh Nagar – totalling 332 tonnes. The inaugural Kisan Rail is loaded with tomato, bananas, sweet orange, papaya, muskmelons and mangoes. It caters to the requirements of small farmers and traders for transportation of their perishable produces such as fruits and vegetables. It will take less time and cost in comparison of road transport ensuring less damage to the farm produce while transportation.

Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman today inaugurated Doorstep Banking Services by PSBs and participated in the awards ceremony to felicitate best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index.

Secretary, Department of Financial Services Shri Debasish Panda and Chairman IBA, Shri Rajnish Kumar,were also present at the virtual event.

Doorstep Banking Services by PSBs As part of the EASE Reforms, Doorstep Banking Services is envisaged to provide convenience of banking services to the customers at their door step through the universal touch points of Call Centre, Web Portal or Mobile App. Customers canalso track their service request through these channels. The services shall be rendered by the Doorstep Banking Agents deployed by the selected Service Providers at 100 centres across the country.

At present only non-financial services viz. Pick up of negotiable instruments (cheque / demand draft / pay order, etc.), Pick up new cheque book requisition slip, Pick up of 15G / 15H forms, Pick up of IT / GST challan, Issue request for standing instructions, Request for account statement, Delivery of non-personalised cheque book, demand draft, pay order, Delivery of term deposit receipt, acknowledgement, etc., Delivery of TDS / Form 16 certificate issuance, Delivery of pre-paid instrument / gift card are available to customers. Financial services shall be made available from October 2020.

The services can be availed by customers of Public Sector Banks at nominal charges. The services shall benefit all customers, particularly Senior Citizens and Divyangs who would find it at ease to avail these services.

Performance of PSB on EASE 2.0 Index A common reform agenda for PSBs, EASE Agenda is aimed at institutionalizing clean and smart banking. It was launched in January 2018, and the subsequent edition of the program ― EASE 2.0 built on the foundation laid in EASE 1.0 and furthered the progress on reforms. Reform Action Points in EASE 2.0 aimed at making the reforms journey irreversible, strengthening processes and systems, and driving outcomes.

PSBs have shown a healthy trajectory in their performance over fourquarters since the launch of EASE 2.0 Reforms Agenda. The overall score of PSBs increased by 37% between March-2019 and March-2020, with the average EASE index score improving from 49.2 to 67.4 out of 100. Significant progress is seen across six themes of the Reforms Agenda, with the highest improvement seen in the themes of‘Responsible Banking’, ‘Governance and HR’, ‘PSBs as Udyamimitra for MSMEs’, and ‘Credit off-take’.

PSBs have adopted tech-enabled, smart banking in all areas, setting up retail and MSME Loan Management Systems for reduced loan turnaround time andPSBloansin59minutes.comandTReDS for digital lending. PSBs have instituted real-time visibility to retail and MSME customers on the status of their loans. Most branch-based services are now accessible from home and mobile, including in local languages.

EASE Reforms Index has equipped Boards and leadership for effective governance, instituted risk appetite frameworks, created technology- and data-driven risk assessment and prudential underwriting and pricing systems, introduced Early Warning Signals (EWS) systems and specialised monitoring for time-bound action in respect of stress, put in place focussed recovery arrangements, and established outcome-centric HR systems.

Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce were felicitated for being the top three (in that order) in the ‘Top Performing Banks’ category according to the EASE 2.0 Index Results. Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India &erstwhile Corporation Bank were awarded in the ‘Top Improvers’ category basis EASE 2.0 Index. Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, and Canara Bank were also recognized for outstanding performance in select themes.

Most PSB customers now have access to 35+ services such as IMPS, NEFT, RTGS, intra-bank transfer, account statement, cheque book request on mobile/ Internet banking and23 services such as chequebook issuance, cheque status, issuance of form 16A, block/activate debit card on the call centre. The availability of services has nearly doubled over the last 24 months.

Nearly 4cractive customers on mobile and internet banking with 140% increase in financial transactions through mobile and internet banking channels and almost 50% of financial transactionsthrough digital channels. Call centers now offer services in 13regional languagessuch as Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia.

Complaint redressal average turnaround time reduced from the average of approximately 9 days to 5 days 23 branch-equivalent services such as account opening, cash deposit, cash withdrawal, fund transfer made available by PSBs through Bank Mitras PSBs have issued RuPay credit cards to nearly 23 crore basic savings account customers

Significant improvement in customer outreach through dedicated marketing force and external partnerships. The number of dedicated marketing employees has increased from 8,920 to 18,053. Sourcing of retail and MSME loans through the dedicated salesforce and marketing tie-ups has increased nearly five times from 1.5 lakhs to 8.3 lakh loans Turnaround time (weighted average) for retail loans reduced by 67% from the average of nearly 30 daysto nearly 10 days

Cross-sell of non-banking financial products has made available bouquet of financial products to the customer For prudential lending, PSBs are now systematically keeping watch on adherence to risk-based pricing, and cases with deviation have reduced from 59% to 20%, and have put in place data-driven risk-scoring for appraisal of high-value loans that factors in group-entities.

Most PSBs have deployed IT-based EWS systems leveraging third-party data, which have enabled early, time-bound action in stressed accounts. Monitoring has also been strengthened by deploying Agencies for Specialised Monitoring, and proactively monitoring listed entities based on published financials. Slippage into NPA has reduced from 3.90 lakh crore in 12-months ending March-18 to 1.45 lakh crorein 11-months ending February-20.

PSBs have adopted digital platforms such as online OTS, e-Bक्रय, e-DRT for expedited recovery. 88% of one-time settlement (OTS) cases are now tracked through dedicated IT systems. PSBs have adopted new ways of credit, such as PSBloansin59minutes.com and Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) for digital lending for MSMEs and retail. 73% of all PSB inland bills are now discounted through online TReDS.

The Government has introduced several governance reforms. The governance reforms include arm’s length selection of top bank management through Banks Board Bureau, introduction of non-executive chairpersons, broader talent pool for such selections, empowered bank Boards, strengthening of the Board committees system, enhancing the effectiveness of non-official directors, and leadership development and succession planning for the top two levels below the Board. In larger PSBs, Executive Director strength has been increased, and Boards are empowered to introduce CGM level for increased business.

Like in the previous year, progress made by PSBs was tracked quarterly through a published EASE Reforms Index leading up to the annual review. In addition to the inclusion of the EASE Reforms Index in the evaluation of Whole Time Directors of PSBs, it has now been made part of the annual appraisal of PSB leadership up to two levels below the Whole Time Directors.

The Index measures the performance of each PSB on 120+objective metrics across six themes. It provides all PSBs a comparative evaluation showing where banks stand vis-à-vis benchmarks and peers on the Reforms Agenda. The Index follows a fully transparent scoring methodology, which enables banks to identify precisely their strengths as well as areas for improvement. The goal is to continue driving change by spurring healthy competition among PSBs and by encouraging them to learn from each other.

PSBs have stepped up to support the country during COVID-19 PSBs have massively stepped up to support the nation during the COVID-19 crisis. From different modes of staffing to remote working, 80,000+ bank branches were operational during COVID-19. Additionally, there has been 90% uptime of self-service machines during the COVID times andaroundthree times increase in Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) transactions through micro ATMs, and enhanced doorstep banking support by 75,000+Bank Mitras. To further support the customers in these times, the banks have drastically increased the number of services being offered at the call centers, from 11 in March-19 to 23 as of June-20 in 13 regional languages.

PSBs way forward to Smart, Tech-enabled Banking for Aspiring India A comprehensive agenda for smart, tech-enabled banking has been adopted for FY2020-21, under which PSBs have initiated eShishu Mudra for straight-through processing of loans to micro-enterprises and digital personal loan for customers. PSBs have started providing customer-need driven credit offers through analytics and partnerships with FinTechs and e-commerce companies.

Many PSBs have already started taking steps in line with the reform priorities. Progress of PSBs will continue to be tracked on metrics linked to Reform Action Points, and their progress will be published through a quarterly index.

Financial Health of the PSBsduring the EASE Reforms journey Following the completion of recognition of legacy stress as NPA, PSBs have returned to profitability with sound financial health and institutionalised systems to prevent the recurrence of past weaknesses. The improved financial health of PSBs reflects in many parameters—

Gross NPAs reduced from ₹8.96 lakh crore in March-2018 to ₹6.78 lakh crore in March-2020; A sharp decline in fraud occurrence from 0.65% of advances during FY10-FY14 to 0.06% in FY19-20; due to fraud prevention reforms and proactive checking of legacy NPA

Record recovery of ₹2.27 lakh crore in FY19-FY20 driven by newly setup dedicated stressed account management verticals in PSBs; Asset quality has improved significantly, with the net NPA ratio reducing from 7.97% in March 2018 to 3.75% in March 2020

Number of PSBs under PCA down to three; CRAR 197 bps above the regulatory minimum; and The highest provision coverage ratio of 80.9% in eight years.

“Development of India is incumbent upon the development of every citizen and PM Narendra Modi is committed to empowerment of all sections of society”

“PM-SVANidhi scheme, which aims to empower street vendors, is a result of PM Modi’s farsighted vision and his sensitivity towards the welfare of the poor” “PM-SVANidhi scheme is serving crores of poor people by reviving their means of livelihood during these difficult times of COVID-19”

“PM SVANidhi is making small businesses Aatma Nirbhar and is playing a key role in realization of a New India” Posted On: 09 SEP 2020 4:01PM by PIB Delhi

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah lauded the 'PM SVANidhi' scheme being run by Modi Government to benefit the street vendors. The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today held 'Svanidhi Samvaad' with street vendors from Madhya Pradesh. Shri Amit Shah in a series of tweets said, “Development of India is incumbent upon the development of every citizen and PM Narendra Modi is committed to empowerment of all sections of society. PM-SVANidhi scheme, which aims to empower street vendors, is a result of PM Modi’s farsighted vision and his sensitivity towards the welfare of the poor”

Union Home Minister said, “PM-SVANidhi scheme is serving crores of poor people by reviving their means of livelihood during these difficult times of COVID-19”. Conveying his gratitude to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji for this important welfare scheme, Shri Amit Shah said, “PM SVANidhi is making small businesses Aatma Nirbhar and is playing a key role in realization of a New India”.

The Government of India had launched PM Svanidhi scheme on 1st June, 2020 to help poor street vendors, impacted by COVID-19, resume livelihood activities. This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh Street Vendors. Under the Scheme, the vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.

On timely/ early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on quarterly basis. There will be no penalty on early repayment of loan. The scheme promotes digital transactions through cash back incentives up to an amount of Rs. 100 per month. Moreover, vendors can achieve their ambition of going up on the economic ladder by availing the facility of escalation of the credit limit on timely/early repayment of loan.

Khadi and Village Industry Commission’s (KVIC) venture into the online marketing segment has quickly established a pan-India reach enabling the artisans sell their products to the remotest parts of India through the KVIC E-Portal - www.kviconline.gov.in/khadimask/. The online sale that was launched with just Khadi Face Masks on July 7 this year has evolved into a full-fledged E-market platform with 180 products as on today and many more in the pipeline.

As per KVIC, the product range includes hand-spun and hand-woven fine fabric like Muslin, Silk, Denim and Cotton, Unisex Vichar Vastra by Ritu Beri, Khadi’s Signature Wrist Watch, a variety of honey, Herbal and Green Tea, Herbal Medicines and Soaps, Papad, Kacchi Ghani Mustard Oil and a range of herbal cosmetics among many others. KVIC is adding at least 10 new products to its online inventory on a daily basis and it has set a target of adding at least 1000 products by October 2 this year. In less than two months’ time, KVIC has served nearly 4000 customers.

KVIC Chairman, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena said the online sale of Khadi products is a big push to “Swadeshi” and aims at empowering the local artisans. “Khadi’s E-market portal is providing our artisans an additional platform to sell their goods. This is a concrete step towards building of Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” Saxena said, adding the product range is priced from Rs 50 to Rs 5000, keeping in view the choice and affordability of all sections of buyers.

“Earlier products of Khadi institutions were sold only through outlets and hence their visibility was confined to a few states only. However, with KVIC’s E-portal, products are now reaching to the far-flung areas of the country and thus giving wider marketing spectrum to Khadi institutions which will ultimately increase their production and add to the income of artisans.

Customers, too, have expressed great satisfaction over the online sale of Khadi products. A regular Khadi customer in Delhi who used to buy products from the Khadi India outlet in Connaught Place could not find the same products in Assam where he is posted now. However, the E-market platform has enabled him to order his desired products online and receive the same at his doorsteps.

KVIC has received online orders from 31 States and Union Territories that include the far-flung Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. KVIC has fixed the minimum order value at Rs 599 for free delivery of goods. It has entered into an agreement with the Postal Department for delivery of consignments via Speed Post.

According to KVIC, it has developed the E-portal in-house and thus saved crores of rupees to the exchequer. The exercise is similar to the PMEGP E-portal developed in-house by KVIC where it saved at least Rs 20 crore on website development and maintenance.

KVIC’s online inventory also includes stitched Modi Kurta and Modi Jackets for men and palazzo and straight trousers for women. Several other products like Khadi Rumal, spices, herbal neem wood comb, shampoo, cosmetics, cow dung and cow urine soap, yoga dress and several varieties of ready-to-eat food have been included so far.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, today launched one of its most awaited programmes,the Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenges, to spur applied research and innovation in Indian MSMEs and startups.

The programme will be driven by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), four ministries—Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Food Processing Industries; Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs—and associated industriesto facilitate innovative solutions to sectoral problems.

Speaking at the virtual launch of the initiative, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium EnterprisesShri Nitin Gadkari said, “MSMEsare the growth engine of the country and thereare a lot of expectations from them. I am sure this initiative will help identify and promote innovations necessary for boosting this sector.”Recalling Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of focusing on scientific research, he added, “Science should help solve socio-economic problems and scientific research should be extended from the labs to the land.”

Agreeing with the Hon’ble Minister, NITI Aayog Vice ChairmanDr Rajiv Kumar said that the initiative will help promote technopreneurs who deserve to be supported because of their immense potential of taking India forward.“This is a historical day as crucial personalities from the science and technology sector have collaborated with us for boosting the MSME sector,” he said.

The Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE–ANIC programme will support deserving applied research–based innovations by providing funding support of up to Rs 50 lakh for speedy development of the proposed technology solution and/or product.

“Other than ISRO, which is a great promoter of technology, Indian departments and big companies never encourage and promote new startups that have done unique work. For ARISE-ANIC’s success, the government must become the first buyer. I am sure AIM will be able to break new grounds with these challenges, which will lead to the creation of new Indian products,” added NITI Aayog CEO Shri Amitabh Kant.

While it is essential to have science and technology advancing products, it is equally important to have an opportunity to procure those products, said Principal Scientific Advisor Prof. VijayRaghavan.“Government policies have changed dramatically over the years to allow this to happen.Now it needs to permeate across state governments’ procurement mechanism and Indian-made products given a chance to go to market. I assure our fullest support to ARISE on the scientific domain,” he added.

Being a crucial part of the ARISE-ANIC initiative, ISRO Chairman Dr K. Sivan said,“ISRO has extensively supported the MSME sector. I am sure that there are a number of startups and MSMEs that require handholding to transform their ideas into viable products and with this initiative, we look forward to achieve this goal.”

AIM Mission Director Shri R. Ramananadded that MSMEsare a vibrant and one of the fastest-growing sectors that will undisputedly play a crucial role in attaining the PM’s vision of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

“The fifteen Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE challenges are a pioneering initiative to stimulate Make-in-India innovations in the associated MSME startups’ sector and a unique opportunity to make advanced research and development ideas market viable, and field deployable MSME products that can be procured by the government,” he concluded.

Sidelights: ISRO to adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs from Atal Innovation Mission Officials stressed on attracting innovators using the Mahatma Gandhi Challenge method

Minister of Road Transport and Highways laid emphasis on developing the MSME sector with the help of the ARISE-ANIC initiative under Atal Innovation Mission

What? DekhoApnaDesh Webinar Series is an effort to showcase India’s rich diversity under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme.

About Punjab: Punjab is called as ‘the land of Five Waters’ referring to the rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas. Much of the Frontier was occupied by Maharaja Ranjit Singh also known as Sher-e-Punjab in the early 19th century, and then taken over by the East India Company when it annexed the Punjab in 1849.

Important festivals of Punjab: Teej, Lohri, Basant Panchami, Baisakhi and Hola Mahalla.

Golden Temple: It is a major pilgrimage destination for devotees from around the world. Construction of the AmritSarovar (pool of nectar) was initiated by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru, in 1570 and was completed by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru. In step with Sikhism’s basic tenet of universal brotherhood and all-inclusive ethos, the Golden Temple can be accessed from all directions.

Prominent places mentioned: City of Fatehgarh Sahib: The word “Fatehgarh”, means “Town of Victory”, and is so called because in 1710, Sikhs under the leadership of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur conquered the area and destroyed the mughal fort. Banda Singh Bahadur announced the establishment of Sikh rule in the city and an end to the tyranny of the Mughal rule which had spread terror and injustice.

Virasat-e- Khalsa Museum: It is an architectural marvel commemorating the 550-years of culture and tradition of Punjab and Sikhism and the Partition Museum-world’s first museum on the largest human migration.

Why in News? Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has stated that: All the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Haryana have been certified Open Defecation Free (ODF), 21 ULBs ODF+ and 13 ODF++.

All cities in Punjab have been certified ODF, 33 are ODF+ and 17 are ODF++. Chandigarh is certified ODF++ and 3 Star (GFC).

What is ODF tag? The original ODF protocol, issued in March 2016, said, “A city/ward is notified as ODF city/ward if, at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating in the open.”

What is ODF+, ODF++? ODF+ and ODF++ were launched in August 2018 to further scale up and sustain the work undertaken by the cities after achieving the ODF status under Phase I of the Swachh Bharat Mission — Urban (SBM-Urban). Eligibility: Cities that had been certified ODF at least once, on the basis of the ODF protocols, are eligible to declare themselves as SBM-ODF+ & SBM-ODF++.

What is ODF+? A city, ward or work circle could be declared ODF+ if, “at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating and/or urinating in the open, and all community and public toilets are functional and well-maintained.”

What is ODF++? The ODF++ protocol adds the condition that “faecal sludge/septage and sewage is safely managed and treated, with no discharging and/or dumping of untreated faecal sludge/septage and sewage in drains, water bodies or open areas.”

Why in News? The Congress parliamentary strategy group has decided to work with the Opposition parties to field a joint candidate for the election of Rajya Sabha deputy chairman’s post. The post had fallen vacant after Harivansh Narayan Singh’s term ended. He has since been re-elected to the Upper House as a member from Bihar.

About the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha: It is a constitutional position created under Article 89 of the Constitution, which specifies that Rajya Sabha shall choose one of its MPs to be the Deputy Chairman as often as the position becomes vacant.

Who can be a deputy chairman? The Deputy Chairman is elected by the Rajya Sabha itself from amongst its members. Whenever the office of the Deputy Chairman falls vacant, the Rajya Sabha elects another member to fill the vacancy.

The Deputy Chairman vacates his office in any of the following three cases: if he ceases to be a member of the Rajya Sabha; if he resigns by writing to the Chairman; if he is removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all the members of the Rajya Sabha. Such a resolution can be moved only after giving 14 days’ advance notice.

Functions: The Deputy Chairman performs the duties of the Chairman’s office when it is vacant or when the Vice-President acts as President or discharges the functions of the President. He also acts as the Chairman when the latter is absent from the sitting of the House. In both the cases, he has all the powers of the Chairman. The Deputy Chairman also plays a critical role in ensuring the smooth running of the House.

Powers: The Deputy Chairman is not subordinate to the Chairman. He is directly responsible to the Rajya Sabha. The Deputy Chairman is entitled to a regular salary and allowance which are fixed by Parliament and are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.

Election Procedure: For electing the Deputy Chair any Rajya Sabha MP can submit a motion proposing the name of a colleague for this constitutional position. The motion has to be seconded by another MP. Additionally, the member moving the motion has to submit a declaration signed by the MP whose name s/he is proposing stating that the MP is willing to serve as the Deputy Chairperson if elected. Each MP is allowed to move or second only one motion.

Then the majority of the House decides who gets elected as the Deputy Chairperson. However, if the political parties arrive at a consensus candidate, then that MP will be unanimously elected as the Deputy Chair.

Panel of Vice-Chairmen: The Chairman shall, from time to time, nominate from amongst the members of the Council a panel of not more than six Vice-Chairmen, any one of whom may preside over the Council in the absence of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman when so requested by the Chairman, or in his absence, by the Deputy Chairman.

A Vice-Chairman nominated under sub-rule (1) shall hold office until a new panel of Vice-Chairmen is nominated.

Why in News? President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected a plea seeking disqualification of YSR Congress leader V Vijaisai Reddy as Rajya Sabha member on the grounds of holding ‘office of profit’ as special representative of the Andhra Pradesh government in the national capital.

The order of the president is based on the Election Commission’s unanimous opinion given in June.

What’s the issue? A petition was filed seeking disqualification of Vijaysai Reddy as a member of the Upper House of Parliament alleging that the post of special representative of the Andhra Pradesh government at the Andhra Pradesh Bhawan being held by the YSR Congress Party MP was an office of profit.

However, the EC had held that since no pecuniary gain was derived from the said office and Reddy was not entitled to any other perks or remuneration other than enjoying the status of a ‘state guest’ during his travels to Andhra Pradesh in connection with performance of his duties as special representative, he did not incur disqualification under Article 102(1) (a) of the Constitution of India”.

What are the basic criteria to disqualify an MP or MLA? Basic disqualification criteria for an MP are laid down in Article 102 of the Constitution, and for an MLA in Article 191. They can be disqualified for: a) Holding an office of profit under government of India or state government; b) Being of unsound mind; c) Being an undischarged insolvent; d) Not being an Indian citizen or for acquiring citizenship of another country.

What is an ‘office of profit’? If an MLA or an MP holds a government office and receives benefits from it, then that office is termed as an “office of profit”. A person will be disqualified if he holds an office of profit under the central or state government, other than an office declared not to disqualify its holder by a law passed by Parliament or state legislature.

What is the underlying principle for including ‘office of profit’ as criterion for disqualification? Makers of the Constitution wanted that legislators should not feel obligated to the Executive in any way, which could influence them while discharging legislative functions.

In other words, an MP or MLA should be free to carry out her duties without any kind of governmental pressure. The intent is that there should be no conflict between the duties and interests of an elected member. The office of profit law simply seeks to enforce a basic feature of the Constitution- the principle of separation of power between the legislature and the executive.

Reason for controversies: The expression “office of profit” has not been defined in the Constitution or in the Representation of the People Act, 1951. It is for the courts to explain the significance and meaning of this concept. Over the years, courts have decided this issue in the context of specific factual situations.

But, articles 102 (1) and 191(1) which give effect to the concept of office of profit prescribe restrictions at the central and state level on lawmakers accepting government positions.

Role of Judiciary in defining the ‘office of profit: The Supreme Court in Pradyut Bordoloi vs Swapan Roy (2001) outlined the four broad principles for determining whether an office attracts the constitutional disqualification.

First, whether the government exercises control over appointment, removal and performance of the functions of the office Second, whether the office has any remuneration attached to it

Third, whether the body in which the office is held has government powers (releasing money, allotment of land, granting licenses etc.). Fourth, whether the office enables the holder to influence by way of patronage.

Published by? National Statistical Organisation (NSO). The report is based on the 75th round of the National Sample Survey (July 2017-June 2018) on household social consumption related to health.

Key findings in the latest report: Across the country, only 59.2% of children under five years are fully immunised. Roughly, two out of five children do not complete their immunisation programme. About 97% of children across the country received at least one vaccination — mostly BCG and/or the first dose of OPV at birth.

However, only 67% of children are protected against measles. Only 58% got their polio booster dose, while 54% got their DPT booster dose. Among States, Manipur (75%), Andhra Pradesh (73.6%) and Mizoram (73.4%) recorded the highest rates of full immunisation. In Nagaland, only 12% of children received all vaccinations, followed by Puducherry (34%) and Tripura (39.6%).

What is immunisation? Immunization is the process whereby a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine. Vaccines stimulate the body’s own immune system to protect the person against subsequent infection or disease.

What is full immunisation? Full immunisation means that a child receives a cocktail of eight vaccine doses in the first year of life.

Need for proposed immunisation: Currently, India accounts for 5 lakh deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases, which is more than half of the total estimated infants’ deaths annually. In India, diseases such as measles-rubella, diarrhoea, pneumonia and the like cause most of the infant deaths every year.

Latest reports by the World Health Organization reveal that a total of 1.5 million deaths could be avoided globally if there is an improvement in the global vaccination coverage.

What? First World Solar Technology Summit (WSTS) was organized on 8th September, 2020.

By? The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), as the convenor of ISA Global Leadership Task Force on Innovation, worked with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in organizing the summit.

The conference saw ISA signing four agreements, signalling its intent to focus on key areas of the solar energy sector. A partnership agreement between the Union Ministry of Renewable Energy, the World Bank and ISA on One World, One Sun, One Grid.

A partnership between the Global Green Growth Institute and ISA on the promotion of a million solar pumps. A Memorandum of Understanding with the International Institute for Refrigeration, Paris and ISA. Partnership agreements on the implementation of 47 projects between ISA and NTPC. ISA also launched its technology journal, Solar Compass 360.

About the International Solar Alliance (ISA) It is an Indian initiative, which was launched jointly by Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi and H.E. François Hollande, President of France on 30 November 2015 in Paris, France on the side-lines of the 21st Conference of Parties (CoP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The ISA Assembly is the main decision-making body of the alliance and it decides on various administrative, financial and program-related issues.

What it does? As an action-oriented organisation, the ISA brings together countries with rich solar potential to aggregate global demand, thereby reducing prices through bulk purchase, facilitating the deployment of existing solar technologies at scale, and promoting collaborative solar R&D and capacity building.

When it entered into force? When the ISA Framework Agreement entered into force on December 6th, 2017, ISA formally became a de-jure treaty based International Intergovernmental Organization, headquartered at Gurugram, India.

Membership: All members of the United Nations can join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) under the recently amended ISA Framework Agreement. As on 30 July 2020, 87 Countries have signed the Framework Agreement of the ISA and of these 67 have deposited their instruments of ratification.

Goal: It has set a target of 1TW of solar energy by 2030.

InstaFact: India has a target of installing 100 GW and 300 GW of solar by 2022 and 2030 respectively.

Why in News? Cabinet approves asset monetization of subsidiaries of Power Grid Corporation of India limited through infrastructure investment trust.

This is the first time any PSU in Power Sector will undertake asset recycling by monetising its assets through the InvIT model and using the proceeds to fund the new and under-construction capital projects.

What is InvIT model? It is a Collective Investment Scheme similar to a mutual fund, which enables direct investment of money from individual and institutional investors in infrastructure projects to earn a small portion of the income as return.

The InvITs are regulated by the SEBI (Infrastructure Investment Trusts) Regulations, 2014.

About Powergrid: It is a public limited company under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

It started its commercial operation in the year 1992-93 and is today, a Maharatna company, engaged in the business of power transmission.

The iconic gate has been built by the Patrika Group of Newspapers. It is built as a monument under Mission Anupam of the Jaipur Development Authority at Jawaharlal Nehru Marg.

It depicts the cultural and artistic heritage of different regions of Rajasthan.

International Literacy Day: International Literacy Day (ILD) is celebrated on 8th September every year all over the world. The celebration of ILD started following a recommendation of the World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy which met in Tehran in September 1965.

UNESCO in 14th Session of its General Conference held in Paris in November 1966, formally proclaimed 8th September as International Literacy Day. Theme for 2020: “Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.”

National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the data for 2017-18 on state-wise literacy rate in the country for all aged 7 or above. As per NSO: India’s average literacy rate is 77.7%.

Andhra Pradesh’s literacy rate of 66.4% is the worst among all states in India and significantly lower than Bihar’s 70.9%.

Kerala has the best literacy rate with 96.2%. Delhi stood second with 88.7%. More impressively, the gap between male and female literacy is the smallest in Kerala at just 2.2 percentage points. This gap is 14.4 percentage points at all-India level with male literacy at 84.7% and female literacy at 70.3%.

The gap between urban and rural literacy rates is of the same order of magnitude as that between males and females. Once again, Kerala has the lowest gap of 1.9 percentage points.

What is Real Mango, which was in news recently? It is an illegal software used for cornering confirmed Railway reservation. This commonly banned software makes the complete process of Indian Rail ticket booking at a fly speed.

Why in News? In a nation wide investigation, the Railway Protection Force has disrupted the operation of this illegal software.

Narcotics Control Bureau: It was constituted by the Government of India in 1986 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. It is the apex coordinating agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is based on Article 47 of the Indian Constitution which directs the State to endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption, except for medicinal purposes, of intoxicating drugs injurious to health.

Drug abuse control is the responsibility of the central government.

Honorary Consul: Mahalingam has been appointed Honorary Consul of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Chennai, with consular jurisdiction over Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Who are Honorary Consuls? Honorary consuls are private individuals who take care of their tasks on a part-time basis without remuneration. Honorary consuls do not accept passport applications nor do they handle matters pertaining to visas or residence permits. Honorary consuls cannot serve as attorneys in judicial proceedings or as legal advisers. Together with diplomatic missions, an honorary consul promotes economic and cultural relations.