The National Mission for Green India (GIM)

Introduction

The National Mission for Green India (GIM) is one of the eight Missions outlined under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It aims at protecting; restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures. It envisages a holistic view of greening and focuses on multiple ecosystem services, especially, biodiversity, water, biomass, preserving mangroves, wetlands, critical habitats etc. along with carbon sequestration as a co-benefit. This mission has adopted an integrated cross-sectoral approach as it will be implemented on both public as well as private lands with a key role of the local communities in planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring.

Mission Goals

1. To increase forest/tree cover to the extent of 5 million hectares (mha) and improve quality of forest/tree cover on another 5 mha of forest/non-forest lands;
2. To improve/enhance eco-system services like carbon sequestration and storage (in forests and other ecosystems), hydrological services and biodiversity; along with provisioning services like fuel, fodder, and timber and non-timber forest produces (NTFPs); and
3. To increase forest based livelihood income of about 3 million households.

Convergence          

Green India Mission hinges upon convergence with related Missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, other complementary National Mission Programmes and schemes for better coordination in developing forests and their fringe areas in a holistic and sustainable manner. The coherent approach involving contribution from converging partners intends to saturate the landscapes with essential need-based interventions at a faster pace. Also the convergence aims at optimizing efficient use of resources and avoidance of contrast activities which can disturb the balance in the ecosystem due to lack of coordination between different schemes.

As a first step towards translation of these efforts into action, Green India mission has issued the Convergence Guidelines of GIM with MNREGS. Efforts are on to finalize convergence guidelines with other complimentary schemes to set out the approach for coordination at field level.

Convergence guidelines of GIM with CAMPA have been framed to ensure a synergized approach which is required to address the challenges being faced in environment, forest and wildlife sector thereby contributing to ecological security in the context of climate change.

Current Affairs:

Union Environment Ministry has approved annual plans of National Mission for Green India (GIM) of four states viz. Kerala, Mizoram, Manipur and Jharkhand. 

In this regard, National Executive Council (NEC) has approved the Perspective Plans (PP) and Annual Plan of Operations (APOs) of GIM submitted by 4 states. 

Key facts 

1. The approval has been granted for alternative energy devices such as biogas, LPG, solar devices, biomass-based systems and improved stoves. 
2. These devices in turn will help to reduce pressure on forests and provide carbon emission benefits, along with health and other associated benefits.
3. It will cover around 27,032 households from these 4 states for financial year 2015-16.
4. Financial support: PP of all four states has total financial outlay of 90,202.68 lakh rupees for a plan period of five to ten years. While, APOs of 11,195.32 lakh rupees for same period.
5. Forest and non-forest area: It will be taken up in the 4 states under GIM during the total plan period will be 1, 08,335 hectares. Out of it, 81,939 hectares will help in improving the density of existing forests and 16, 396 hectares in new areas. 

Related Posts:
Main Recommendations of Punchhi Commission
Amendment process under Indian Constitution
Punchhi Commission
Motions in Indian Parliament
Writs in Indian Constitution
Non-cooperation- Khilafat Movement
Himalayan River System
NATIONAL POLICY FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
Centre State Relations
The Drain of Wealth Theory

Relates Topics:
Indian Polity
Central Government Schemes and Plans
Science and Technology
Health and Diseases
Current Affairs
International Affairs
Environment and Bio-Diversity
India and World History
Geography

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

In January earlier this year, in a move aimed at reducing the recurrence of agricultural distress without having to effect hefty hikes in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP), Narendra Modi led National Democratic Alliance government had announced a crop insurance scheme named Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Being implemented from Kharif season of 2016, the premium paid by farmers had been reduced to 2% of the insured value for the more rain-dependent kharif crop and 1.5% for the rabi season, compared with 3.5-8% charged for the two earlier schemes:

• National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS)
• Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS)

In the case of horticultural crops, farmers’ premium burden will be 5% of the sum assured or 50% of the total premium.

National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) have been discontinued from Kharif 2016, but the ongoing Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) and Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme would continue to operate while premium to be paid under WBCIS has been brought on a par with PMFBY.

New crop insurance scheme would provide a solution for the farmers problems in times of difficulty. Care had been taken to eliminate the shortcomings of previous crop insurance schemes, and create trust among farmers with regard to crop insurance. Technology would be used extensively with this scheme to ensure early settlement of claims, and exhorted farmers to take benefit of this scheme.

Under the PMFBY, there would be no upper limit on government subsidy on premium provided by centre and state governments. Even if the balance premium (after farmers’ contribution) is 90%, it will be borne by the government. In the earlier schemes, there was a provision of capping the premium rate which resulted in low claims being paid to farmers. This capping on premium was done to limit the government outgo on the premium subsidy. This would ensure that farmers get the full sum insured without any reduction or hassles from the 11 designated insurance companies if natural calamities ravage their crops. The crop insurance coverage is set to rise from 45 million hectares or 23% of the area under cultivation at present to 50% of the crop area by 2018-19.

Another benefit to farmers under the new crop insurance scheme is that losses incurred by them at any stage of the farming activity — from the sowing to the post-harvest season — would be covered. Earlier, only post-harvest losses can be offset by the insurance facility under the two existing schemes. Also, even those farmers who haven’t taken bank loans will be eligible for insurance cover under PMFBY.

Features:

• The new scheme will increase farmers income and resultant increase in rural demand.
• The subsidy would be borne by the Centre and the state government concerned equally.
• The use of technology which would be encouraged to a great extent.
• Smart phones will be used to capture and upload data of crop cutting to reduce the delays in claim payment to farmers.
• Remote sensing will be used to reduce the number of crop cutting experiments.
• In case there is crop loss to a loanee farmer who is not insured, the bank will have to make good the losses.

PMFBY if implemented properly across the country would mitigate farm distress to a large extent especially when the erratic climates have become a norm rather than exception. 

Right to Education

The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards.

Article 21-A and the RTE Act came into effect on 1 April 2010. The title of the RTE Act incorporates the words ‘free and compulsory’. ‘Free education’ means that no child, other than a child who has been admitted by his or her parents to a school which is not supported by the appropriate Government, shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education. ‘Compulsory education’ casts an obligation on the appropriate Government and local authorities to provide and ensure admission, attendance and completion of elementary education by all children in the 6-14 age group. With this, India has moved forward to a rights based framework that casts a legal obligation on the Central and State Governments to implement this fundamental child right as enshrined in the Article 21A of the Constitution, in accordance with the provisions of the RTE Act.

The RTE Act provides for the:

1. Right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighbourhood school.
2. It clarifies that ‘compulsory education’ means obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. ‘Free’ means that no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.
3. It makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age appropriate class.
4. It specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate Governments, local authority and parents in providing free and compulsory education, and sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the Central and State Governments.
5. It lays down the norms and standards relating inter alia to Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs), buildings and infrastructure, school-working days, teacher-working hours.
6. It provides for rational deployment of teachers by ensuring that the specified pupil teacher ratio is maintained for each school, rather than just as an average for the State or District or Block, thus ensuring that there is no urban-rural imbalance in teacher postings. It also provides for prohibition of deployment of teachers for non-educational work, other than decennial census, elections to local authority, state legislatures and parliament, and disaster relief.
7. It provides for appointment of appropriately trained teachers, i.e. teachers with the requisite entry and academic qualifications.
8. It prohibits (a) physical punishment and mental harassment; (b) screening procedures for admission of children; (c) capitation fee; (d) private tuition by teachers and (e) running of schools without recognition,

• It provides for development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the child, building on the child’s knowledge, potentiality and talent and making the child free of fear, trauma and anxiety through a system of child friendly and child centred learning.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana | Free LPG Gas Connection Scheme

A unique Indian central government scheme to extend availability of cooking gas to the women who belong to households that are Below Poverty Line (BPL). It is well known that India with its vast rural area have a huge population who are yet resorting to usage of cooking fuel that is both unclean as well as damaging to the environment at large. Due their low income status, such families are unable to afford the LPG which is used in other households.

Objective behind the Ujjwala Yojana Scheme

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme aims at bridging this gap by providing the LPG to families living in BPL for no cost. While the aim is to provide this clean cooking gas advantage to the entire family, it has a second aim and that is to empower the women of the country who run the household.

Below listed table elaborates the impact of using unclean fuels for cooking

S.No	Impact of Using unclean Cooking Fuel	Explanation
1	Climate Change	According to recently survey nearly 3 billion people all around the world uses Unclean / Improper fuel for their cooking. Owning to that Immense black carbon emitted which plays vital role in affecting earth climate by increasing heat waves and affects greenhouse gases.
2	Affects Household Air Pollution	World Health Organization recently announced that near about 4 million premature deaths are happened because of the increasing household air pollution. Household air quality mainly affects because of using improper/Unclean fuel for cooking in home.
3	Affects Women’s Health	In most cases, women’s are the one who gets serious impact over the impure air released from unclean cooking fuels. Studies examined that burning solid fuels for household cooking will results emitting lot of black carbon which is injurious for health.
4	Leads to Deforestation	Using solid fuel will results in deforestation which will leads to global eco system problem by affecting greenhouse gases. Often Deforestations increases heat waves and reduced rainfall amount globally.
5	Impact of Using Solid Biomass energy	In most cities of India uses Biomass Energy as their cooking fuel because of its cost efficiency. Since, biomass energy attained from living organisms waste presence of carbon storage will be high and result high smoke while burning.

The scheme therefore envisages providing the gas with the woman of the house being the direct beneficiary. Families living below poverty line, their women would be empowered by this scheme to apply and be the main subscriber of the free cooking gas supply.

The government has set aside 2000 crore in the current union budget to cater for this scheme and envisages to reach about 1.5 consumers in the scheme.

The various issues that Ujjwala Yojana would address therefore are:-

• Empowering the women of the country and giving them a place of respect in the family.
• Reducing air pollution that is caused by the emissions from using fossil fuel for cooking in these rural areas.
• Not only is there a damaging effect on the environment from the burning of fossil fuel, it also has enormous health hazard issues to the individuals. This factor too would be addressed by usage of LPG.
• India has a verified record of 5 lakh deaths occurring due usage of such unclean cocking agents. The project therefore envisages arresting this loss of human life.
• While there have been fatalities from usage of unclean fuel, another direct health hazard has been experienced by children in the rural area suffering from respiratory diseases. LPG usage is expected to eradicate this problem.

Eligibility criteria for Ujjwala Yojana

• The age limit for eligibility of the woman to apply for the scheme is 18 plus.
• Necessary that the applicant is a woman and belongs to the BPL group.
• The subsidy would be transferred to the applicant via bank transfer, and therefore the woman applicant has to have an account in any of the nationalized bank of the country.
• No other household member that the woman applicant belongs to must be an existing LPG subscriber.

Application for the Ujjwala Yojana PMUY scheme and Documents Required

• Form for applying for the scheme is available with all LPG distributors all over the country.
• The form is available free of cost
• Basic details like name, contact details, bank account details are to be filled in the application form.
• There is a set of mandatory documents that are to be attached to the application. These are
  

  • Panchayat or municipality issues BPL certificate
  • The BPL Ration Card of the woman
  • A Photo ID is required to be submitted which could be Aadhar Card or Voter ID Card
  • Passport Size Photograph of recent date
• There are two types of LPG cylinders of 15.2 kg and 5 kg which need to be specified by the applicant.
• Completed application form is to be handed over to the LPG distribution service provider itself.

Selection of the beneficiaries

Given the wide applicability of the scheme, the number of applicants is naturally expected to be far greater than the possible cover pack that the government has envisaged. For this reason, the official announcement and the paper on the PMUY indicates that the selection of beneficiaries would be based on economic conditions amongst the BPL groups too. For example SC/ST group people would be the first to receive the benefit. For the rest of the group, the division of number of cylinders being provided would depend on the particular state and its existing LPG distribution density. States that have a lower LPG coverage would be given higher priority in the PMUY LPG distribution scheme.

Funding

As mentioned before the center has set aside 2000 crore rupees for this project in the current FY. The project is expected to be spread over the next three years for its implementation stage and the total expenditure would be 8000 crore by then, as per estimates. Collection or generation of funds has been worked out from the scheme where people of higher income group have voluntarily agreed to give up their subsidy. Records indicate 1.5 crore people have given up their option to avail subsidy on LPG.

Facts about PM’s Ujjwala Yojana Scheme

S.No	Facts	Explanation
1	Free LPG Connections Under Ujjwala Yojana only for Woman	According to the Prime Minister’s statement, central government will offer free LPG connection under Ujjwala Yojana Scheme for woman’s from BPL families across the nation for next 3 years.
2	LPG Connections for 5 Crore BPL families with financial aid of Rs.1600 per family	NDA Government aims to offer free LPG connections for 5 crore BPL families across the nation, in order to provide clean cooking fuel and to control air pollution
3	Scheme helps for Natural Disaster Affected People	On considering the life’s of people from recently flood affected state tamil nadu. Central government asked state government to pursue free LPG connection under Ujjawala scheme for fishermen, coolies and for farmers too under state government finance commission.
4	Subsidy Amount for Ujjwala Yojana	As of now, Ujjwala scheme operates on basis of subsidies. It is estitmated as Rs.8000 crore will be needed for providing free LPG connections for 50 million families. Funds will be managed with the people who opted to omit their own LPG subsidies through PM’s “Give It Up” Initiatives.
5	Women Empowerment	As per the central government statement, implementation of Ujjwala yojana scheme on the name of women from BPL families will empower them and also it will be beneficial in terms of health aspects.
6	Employment Opportunities	Ujjwala Yojana scheme offers employment for youths from rural areas in the supply chain sections.

Agencies for verification and other related work

Government has set up various agencies that would scrutinize the applications and award or reject the same.  Respective Oil Management Company has been given the onus to verify the application and the individual’s status through their field agents. Verification process would be aided by an online data centre and digital process. So far as the cost of the stove goes, the beneficiary would be given the option of going for an EMI payment process to purchase the stove which receives positive response from the experts all across the nation.

The government also made provisions for voluntary organization or individuals to participate in the yojana if they wish to contribute towards payment of the cost of stove for the beneficiary. The government order indicates that this subsidiary scheme cannot be run under any other new name but must work under the ambit of the PMUY only. Oil Marketing Company has also been told to organize melas and events during which the distribution process of the LPG connection is to be held in public. The event must have in its audience some distinguished people of the local area. OMC themselves would have to collate their list of distributed connection and forward to the government administrative wing within 10 days of every quarter.

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.

Account can be opened in any bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitr) outlet. PMJDY accounts are being opened with Zero balance. However, if the account-holder wishes to get cheque book, he/she will have to fulfill minimum balance criteria.

Documents required to open an account under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana

Special Benefits under PMJDY Scheme

• Interest on deposit.
• Accidental insurance cover of Rs.1.00 lac
• No minimum balance required.
• Life insurance cover of Rs.30,000/-
• Easy Transfer of money across India
• Beneficiaries of Government Schemes will get Direct Benefit Transfer in these accounts.
• After satisfactory operation of the account for 6 months, an overdraft facility will be permitted
• Access to Pension, insurance products.
• Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card must be used at least once in 45 days.
• Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- is available in only one account per household, preferably lady of the household.

Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA):

By default, all the zero balance account opened under are Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) are Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA). BSBDA has been defined by RBI vide its circular dated 10.08.2012. Its salient features are:

These facilities are to be provided without any extra cost.

Other Features:

1. PMJDY focuses on coverage of households as against the earlier plan which focused on coverage of villages. It focuses on coverage of rural as well as urban areas. Earlier plan targeted only villages above 2000 population while under PMJDY whole country is to be covered by extending banking facilities in each Sub-Service area consisting of 1000 – 1500 households such that facility is available to all within a reasonable distance, say about 5 Km.
2.  Any individual above the age of 10 years can open BSBDA Account.
3. Rupay Debit Card is an indigenous domestic debit card introduced by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). This card is accepted at all ATMs (for cash withdrawal) and at most of the PoS machines (for making cashless payment for purchases) in the country.
4. RuPay Debit Card provides accidental insurance cover upto Rs.1.00 lac without any charge to the customer.
5. To get benefit of Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card must be used at least once in 45 days.
6. Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- will be available to one account holder of PMJDY per household after 6 months of satisfactory conduct of the account. To avoid duplication Aadhaar number will also be required. If Aadhaar number is not available then Bank will do additional due diligence and also seek declaration from the beneficiary.
7. Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- is available in only one account per household, preferably lady of the household.
8. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) vide its Press Release dated 26.08.2014 has further clarified as under: “Those persons who do not have any of the ‘officially valid documents’ can open “Small Accounts” with banks. A “Small Account” can be opened on the basis of a selfattested photograph and putting his/her signatures or thumb print in the presence of an officials of the bank. Such accounts have limitations regarding the aggregate credits (not more than Rupees one lac in a year), aggregate withdrawals (nor more than Rupees ten thousand in a month) and balance in the accounts (not more than Rupees fifty thousand at any point of time). These accounts would be valid normally for a period of twelve months. Thereafter, such accounts would be allowed to continue for a further period of twelve more months, if the account-holder provides a document showing that he/she has applied for any of the Officially Valid Document, within 12 months of opening the small account.

Related Posts:

Main Recommendations of Punchhi Commission

Amendment process under Indian Constitution

Punchhi Commission

Motions in Indian Parliament

Writs in Indian Constitution

Non-cooperation- Khilafat Movement

Himalayan River System

NATIONAL POLICY FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

Centre State Relations

The Drain of Wealth Theory

Relates Topics:

Indian Polity

Central Government Schemes and Plans

Science and Technology

Health and Diseases

Current Affairs

International Affairs

Environment and Bio-Diversity

India and World History

Geography

Role of ASHA and ANM

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. Selected from the village itself and accountable to it, the ASHA will be trained to work as an interface between the community and the public health system. Following are the key components of ASHA: 

• 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 formal education up to class eight. This may be relaxed only if no suitable person with this qualification is available.
• ASHA will be chosen through a rigorous process of selection involving various community groups, self-help groups, Anganwadi Institutions, the Block Nodal officer, District Nodal officer, the village Health Committee and the Gram Sabha.
• Capacity building of ASHA is being seen as a continuous process. ASHA will have to undergo series of training episodes to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and confidence for performing her spelled out roles.
• The ASHAs will receive performance-based incentives for promoting universal immunization, referral and escort services for Reproductive & Child Health (RCH) and other healthcare programmes, and construction of household toilets.
• Empowered with knowledge and a drug-kit to deliver first-contact healthcare, every ASHA is expected to be a fountainhead of community participation in public health programmes in her village.
• ASHA will be the first port of call for any health related demands of deprived sections of the population, especially women and children, who find it difficult to access health services.
• ASHA will be a health activist in the community who will create awareness on health and its social determinants and mobilise the community towards local health planning and increased utilisation and accountability of the existing health services.
• She would be a promoter of good health practices and will also provide a minimum package of curative care as appropriate and feasible for that level and make timely referrals.
• ASHA will provide information to the community on determinants  of health such as nutrition, basic sanitation & hygienic practices, healthy living and working conditions, information on existing health services and the need for timely utilisation of health & family welfare services.
• She will counsel women on birth preparedness, importance of safe delivery, breast-feeding and complementary feeding, immunization, contraception and prevention of common infections including Reproductive Tract Infection/Sexually Transmitted Infections (RTIs/STIs) and care of the young child.
• ASHA will mobilise the community and facilitate them in accessing health and health related services available at the Anganwadi/sub-centre/primary health centers, such as immunisation, Ante Natal Check-up (ANC), Post Natal Check-up supplementary nutrition, sanitation and other services being provided by the government.
• She will act as a depot older for essential provisions being made available to all habitations like Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORS), Iron Folic Acid Tablet(IFA), chloroquine, Disposable Delivery Kits (DDK), Oral Pills & Condoms, etc.
• At the village level it is recognised that ASHA cannot function without adequate institutional support. Women's committees (like self-help groups or women's health committees), village Health & Sanitation Committee of the Gram Panchayat, peripheral health workers especially ANMs and Anganwadi workers, and the trainers of ASHA and in-service periodic training would be a major source of support to ASHA.

Support Mechanism for ASHA 

• The Government of India has set up an ASHA Mentoring Group comprising of leading NGOs and well known experts on community health. Similar mentoring groups at the State/District/Block levels could be set up by the States to provide guidance and advise on matter relating to selection, training and support for ASHA.
• As ASHA will be in the village on a permanent basis, she should be selected carefully through the process laid down in the first set of ASHA guidelines. 
• The guidelines already issued on ASHA envisage a total period of 23 days training in five episodes. 
• Now, that ASHAs have been selected, the next step would be to familiarize her with the health status of the villagers and facilitate her adoption to the village conditions. 
• The Gram Panchayat will be involved in supporting ASHAs in her work. 
• A village health register is maintained by the AWW which is not always complete.
• All State Governments are presently organizing monthly Health and Nutrition day in every village (Anganwadi centers) with the help of AWW/ANM. ASHA along with AWW should mobilize women, children and vulnerable population for the monthly health day activities like immunization, careful assessment of nutritional status of pregnant/lactating women, newborn & children, ANC/PNC and other health check-ups of women and children, taking weight of babies and pregnant women etc. and all range of other health activities. 
• ASHA would be required to interact with SHG Groups, if available in the villages, along with AWW, so that a work force of women will be available in all the villages. 
• ANM should have a monthly meeting with the ASHAs stationed (5-6 ASHAs) in the villages of her work area at the Anganwadi Centre during the monthly Health and Nutrition Day to assess the quality of their work and provide them guidance.
• The Medical Officer In-charge of the PHC will hold a monthly meeting which would be attended by ANM and ASHAs, LHVs and Block Facilitator. 
• A meeting of ASHA could be organized on the day monthly meetings are organized at the PHC level to avoid unnecessary travel expenditure and wastage of time.
• In addition to monthly meetings at PHC, periodic retraining of ASHAs may be held for two days once in every alternate month where interactive sessions will be held to help then to refresh and upgrade their knowledge and skills, as provided for in the original guidelines for ASHA.
• At the block level, the BMO will be in overall charge of ASHA related activities.
• Officials in the ICDS should be fully involved in ASHAs activities and their support should be provided for at every level i.e. PHCs, CHCs, District Society etc. 
• Periodic surveys are envisaged under NHM in every village to assess the improvement brought about by ASHA and other interventions. 
• The District Health Mission in its meetings will specially assess the progress of selection of ASHAs, their training and orientation, usefulness to the villages etc. 
• The success of NHM to great extent depends on performance of ASHA and her linkage with functional health system. 
• The States may take appropriate steps to locally adopt these guidelines and make the ASHA scheme a complete success.

ROLE of  Auxilliary Nurse Midwives (ANM)

• Holding weekly / fortnightly meeting with ASHA to discuss the activities undertaken during the week/fortnight.
• Acting as a resource person, along with Anganwadi Worker (AWW), for the training of ASHA.
• Informing ASHA about date and time of the outreach session and also guiding her to bring the prospective beneficiaries to the outreach session.
• Participating and guiding in organising Health Days at Anganwadi Centre.
• Taking help of ASHA in updating eligible couples register of the village concerned.
• Utilising ASHA in motivating the pregnant women for coming to Sub-Centre for initial check-ups.
• ASHA helps ANMs in bringing married couples to Sub-Centres for adopting family planning.
• Guiding ASHA in motivating pregnant women for taking full course of iron folic acid (IFA) tablets and TT injections, etc.
• Orienting ASHA on the dose schedule and side affects of oral pills.
• Educating ASHA on danger signs of pregnancy and labour so that she can timely identify and help beneficiary in getting further treatment.
• Informing ASHA about date, time and place for initial and periodic training schedule. ANM would also ensure that during the training ASHA gets the compensation for performance and also TA/DA for attending the training.....

The NRHM  seeks to provide minimum two ANMs (against one at present) at each Sub-Centre, as one ANM at a sub-centre has not been found adequate to attend to the complete needs of maternal and child care in any village. The Government of India would support the second ANM for appointment on contract basis and apart from fulfilling the other criteria she must be a resident of a village falling under the jurisdiction of the Sub-Centre. The intention is to improve accountability at the local level..

The second ANM would not be transferred before completion of 10 years at the same Sub-Centre and would not be a substitute for Male Health Worker (MHW). An untied fund of Rs.10,000/- per Sub-Centre per annum is being provided by opening a joint account of the ANM and Sarpanch, to meet the emergency type expenditures and to ensure that lack of drugs and other consumables is not an issue.

Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP)

The Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) one of the Flagship programme of Ministry of Rural Development is under implementation by the Department of Land Resources since 2009-10 after integrating three area development programmes namely 

• Desert Development Programme (DDP), 
• Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) and 
• Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP), 

for development of rainfed/ degraded land in the country.

Why IWMP:

Around 60% of cultivated area across India is rain-fed. Besides, these areas are also blighted by poverty, water scarcity, low productivity, malnutrition and prone to severe land degradation. The watershed development programme has been adopted as a tool to address problems of the rain-fed or degraded areas in the country.

What are the aims of IWMP ?

The main aims of IWMP are harnessing, conserving and developing degraded natural resources such as soil, vegetative cover and water; prevention of soil run-off; rain water harvesting and recharging of the ground water table; increasing the productivity of crops; introduction of multi-cropping and diverse agro-based activities; promoting sustainable livelihoods and increasing the household incomes. 

Key Points of IWMP:

• Launched in 2009-10 by the integration of various area development programmes of the Department of Land Resources, including the Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP), the Desert Development Programme (DDP) and the Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP).
• The 12th Plan allocates the programme an additional Rs. 29,296 crore.
• Cost sharing ratio of Central Government : State Government = 90 : 10
• 9% of the project cost is earmarked for development of livelihoods for asset-less people
• 10% of the project cost is for productivity enhancement and development of micro-enterprises for small & marginal farmers.
• An average size of project under the IWMP is about 5,000 ha which is cluster of micro-watersheds.
• A portion of institution &capacity building (5% of the total project cost) has been provided to set up institutional mechanism at State, District, Project and Village levels and to build capacities of stakeholders.
• It also entails involvement of primary stakeholders in the form of grassroots community organisations.
• Integerated watershed development programme

What  benefits can be accrued from IWMP ?

The benefits that are expected to accrue under the IWMP include increase in availability of surface water & groundwater, changes in cropping pattern from one to two crops annually, increase in fodder availability and increase in milk yield, increase in agriculture productivity and increase in employment opportunities and household income.

What is the role of Gram Panchayat in IWMP ?

In the IWMP, Gram Panchayat has been effectively involved to perform important function at Village / Watershed level to keep transparency and peoples participations.  The main functions to be performed by GramPanchayat are :

To supervise , support and advise Watershed Committee (WC); Authenticate accounts / expenditure of WC and other institutions of Watershed Projects; Facilitate convergence of other programmes; Maintain asset register / watershed projects to retain it after the project; Provide office accommodation and other requirements to WC and  Allocate usufruct rights to deserving User Groups /Self Help Groups over the assets created. 

Expected Benefits of IWMP:

The benefits include increase in availability of surface water & groundwater, changes in cropping pattern from one to two crops annually, increase in fodder availability and increase in milk yield, increase in agriculture

What are Flagship Programmes:

Flagship programmes derive their origin from the term flagship which is the main or most important ship of a country’s navy and is symbolic of the main thrust of the nation’s developmental policy. Major Flagship programmes of the Government of India are:

Bharat Nirman: The objective of the Bharat Nirman Programme is to give top priority to rural infrastructure by setting time-bound goals under various schemes to develop rural housing, rural roads, irrigation, rural drinking water and rural electrification. The Programme imposes a responsibility on sub-national governments to create these facilities in a transparent and accountable manner.

National Rural Health Mission: The main aim of NRHM is to provide accessible, affordable, accountable, effective, and reliable primary health care, especially to poor and vulnerable sections of the population. The programme sets standards for rural health care and provides financial resources from the Union Government to meet these standards.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme: The Act was notified on 7 September 2005 and is aimed at providing livelihood security through employment for the rural poor.

Sarva Siksha Abhigyan: This programme was started with the objective of providing elementary education for all children in the age group of 6–14 years by 2010.

Mid-day meal Scheme: The MDM Scheme launched in 1995 aims to give a boost to universalization of primary education by increasing enrolment, retention, and attendance and simultaneously impacting upon nutritional status of students in primary classes.

Central government schemes for women and girls

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI)

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is a government agency in India, established in 1991 under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, that manages the Software Technology Park scheme. It is an export oriented scheme for the development and export of computer software, including export of professional services. 

The STP Scheme provides various benefits to the registered units, which includes:

1. 100% foreign equity, 
2. tax incentives, 
3. duty-free import, 
4. duty-free indigenous procurement, 
5. CST reimbursement, 
6. DTA entitlement, 
7. deemed export etc.

STPI has played a seminal role in India having earned a reputation as an information technology superpower. STP units exported software and information technology worth Rs. 215264 crore in FY 2010-11. The state with the largest export contribution was Karnataka followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. STPI has a presence in many of the major cities of India including the cities of Bangalore, Mysore, Trivandrum, Bhilai, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Pune, Guwahati, Noida, Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Kanpur, Lucknow, Dehradun, Patna, Rourkela, Ranchi, Gandhinagar-Gujarat, Surat, Imphal, Shillong, Nashik etc.

STPI centers provide variety of services, which includes:

1. High Speed Data Communication, 
2. Incubation facility, Consultancy, 
3. Network Monitoring, 
4. Data Center, 
5. Data Hosting etc. 
6. provides physical hosting for the National Internet Exchange of India
7. regulating the STP scheme

The tax benefits under the Income Tax Act Section 10A applicable to STP units has expired since March 2011. While the Government has chosen not to extend the Sec 10A benefits against the demand by the IT units, most of the STP registered SME units shall be affected, who now will have to pay Income Tax on profits earned from exports.

CHILD LABOUR: PROVISIONS & PROGRAMMES

1. Art-24, Prohibition of Employment of Children in hazardous Industries.
2. Art-21A, Right to Education to the children of 6-14 years age group was made fundamental right by 86th constitutional amendment.
3. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.
4. National Child Labour Policy, 1987.
5. National Child Labour Projects, 1988.

The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 was enacted by the government to curb the child labour. It contains the following provisions -

1. It prohibits employment of children in 13 occupations and 57 processes.
2. Under the Act, a Technical advisory committee is to be constituted to advice for inclusion of further occupations and processes.
3. The Act regulate the conditions of employments in all occupations and processes not prohibited under the Act.
4. Any person who employs any child in contravention of the provisions of the Act is liable for punishment with 
5. imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three months but which may extend to one year or with fine which shall not be less than Rs. 10,000 or many extend to Rs. 20,000 or both.
6. The Central and State Governments enforce the provisions of the Act in their spheres

• The Government of India announced in August, 1987. The National Policy on Child Labour, which contains the action plan for tackling the problem of child labour and envisages a legislative action plan.
• National Child Labour Project Scheme (NCLP) was started by the Government of India in 1988, in pursuance of the National Child Labour Policy of 1987.
• In this scheme a sequential approach was adopted with focusing on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes in the first instance.
• Under the scheme after a survey of child labour engaged in hazardous occupations and processes has been conducted, children are to be withdrawn from these occupations and processes and then put into special schools in order to enable them to be mainstreamed into formal education.
• Xth Five Year Plan had adopted a strategy for elimination of child labour by linking the child labour elimination efforts with the scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan of the MHRD.
• Indus project on the elimination of child labour is a jointly funded project by the Ministry of Labour the Government of India and the Department of Labour, USA.
• Indus project is implemented in ten hazardous sectors in 21 districts across five states, Maharashtra, M.P., T.N., U.P. and Rajasthan.
• 80,000 children are to be withdrawn and rehabilitated in Indus Project.

Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System

• CCTNS: Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System
• To be launched at 5,000 locations, including 3,000 police stations, across the country on January 4.
• The project is based on the principle of “centralized planning and decentralized implementation”. 
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)-backed project will provide a national databank of crime and criminals and their biometric profiles.
• This database will be connected with databases of other agencies of the criminal justice system like courts, jails, immigration and passport authorities.

 APPLICATIONS:

• The system will have a wide-ranging application. It will automate police functioning; make it transparent, accountable, effective and efficient.
•  Nationwide data will be available at 15,000 police stations and offices of middle and senior rank officials.
• It will also help in knowing progress of investigation in criminal cases and status of court proceedings

National policy for Farmers

The National Policy for farmers has defined the term “FARMER” as a person actively engaged in the economic and/or livelihood activity of growing crops and producing other primary agricultural commodities. It also includes all agricultural operational holders, cultivators, agricultural labourers, sharecroppers, tenants, poultry and livestock rearers, fish-growers, beekeepers, gardeners, pastoralists, non-corporate planters and planting labourers, as well as persons engaged in various farming related occupations such as sericulture, vermiculture, and agro-forestry. Apart from this, the term also includes tribal families/persons engaged in shifting cultivation and in the collection, use and sale of minor and non-timber forest produce.

The Indian government has approved the "National Policy for Farmers, 2007" based on recommendations developed by an independent commission in 2004. The independent commission was chaired by 1987 World Food Prize Laureate M.S. Swaminathan. 

The new policy aims to improve the net income of Indian farmers and includes a number of different provisions. The policy states that there is a need for an "Evergreen Revolution" in India that would use biotechnology and other new technologies to improve crop productivity without harming the environment. The policy also calls for the establishment of a National Agricultural Bio-security System and the creation of a Cabinet Committee on Food Security. India's Department of Agriculture & Cooperation is charged with developing a plan to bring the new policy into action.

Important provisions and features incorporated in the National Policy for Farmers, 2007 include: 

a) Human Dimension: Focus to be on the economic well-being of the farmers than merely on production and productivity.
b) Definition of Farmer: Expanded to include all categories of persons engaged in the sector so that they can be extended the benefits of the Policy. 
c) Asset Reforms: To ensure that every man and woman, particularly the poor in villages, either possesses or has access to a productive asset. 
d) Income per unit of Water: The concept of maximizing yield and income per unit of water would be adopted in all crop production programmes and, stress will be given on awareness and efficiency of water use. 
e) Drought Code, Flood Code and Good Weather Code: To be introduced in drought prone areas, flood prone areas and in arid areas, respectively so as to maximize the benefits of monsoon and to aid preparedness for likely contingencies. 
f) Use of Technology: New technologies which can help in enhancing productivity per unit of land and water are sought for. Biotechnology, information and communication technology (ICT), renewable energy technology, space applications and nano-technology will be used to provide opportunities for launching an "Evergreen Revolution" capable of improving productivity in perpetuity without harming the ecology. 
g) National Agricultural Bio-security System: To be set up to organize a coordinated agricultural bio-security programme. 
h) Inputs and services-Soil Health: Good quality seeds, disease free planting material including in-vitro cultured propagules and Soil health enhancement hold the key to raising productivity of small farms. Every farmer family will be issued with a Soil Health Passbook. 
i) Support Services for women: When women work in fields and forests the whole day, they need appropriate support services like crèches, child care centers and adequate nutrition. 
j) Gyan Chaupals to be established in as many villages as possible to harness the help of Information and Communication Technology. 
k) Credit & Insurance: Credit counseling centers to be established where severely indebted farmers can be provided a debt rescue package to help them out of debt trap. To cater to the needs for both credit and insurance literacy in villages, Gyan Chaupals will help in the task. 
l) Setting up of Farm Schools: These will be set up in the fields of outstanding farmers to promote farmer to farmer learning and to strengthen extension services. 
m) A comprehensive National Social Security Scheme will be launched for the farmers for ensuring livelihood security by taking care of insurance needs on account of illness, old age, etc. 
n) Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanisms to be implemented effectively across the country so as to ensure remunerative prices for agricultural produce. 
o) Market Intervention Scheme to be strengthened to respond speedily to exigencies, specific crops to be identified. 
p) Community Food Grain Banks: To be promoted to help in the marketing of unutilized crops. 
q) Single National Market: To develop a Single National Market by relaxing internal restrictions and controls. 
r) Expanding Food Security Basket to include nutritious crops like bajra, jowar, ragi and millets mostly grown in dryland farming areas. 
s) Farmers of the future: Farmers may adopt cooperative farming, create service cooperatives, undertake group farming through self-help groups, establish small holders' estates, adopt contract farming and create farmers' companies. This is expected to increase productivity, efficiency of small farmers and would create multiple livelihood opportunities through crop-livestock integrated farming systems as well as agro processing.