10 Apr 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

National Convention of Swachhagrahis

• The event has been organized, as part of the centenary celebrations of the Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi, in Champaran.
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has said that sanitation coverage has expanded from about 40 percent in 2014, to about 80 percent in 2018.
• The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2017-18 also re-confirmed the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status of 95.6% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF by various districts/states. 
• The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2017-18, conducted by an Independent Verification Agency (IVA) under the World Bank support.

The key findings of NARSS 2017-18 are as follows:

• 77% of households were found to have access to toilets during the survey period.
• 4% of the people who had access to toilets used them
• 6% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF were confirmed to be ODF. The remaining 4.4% villages also had sanitation coverage of over 95%
• 70% of the villages surveyed found to have minimal litter and minimal stagnant water

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow in Indian Railways

• The FDI investment has been utilised for manufacturing of Rolling Stock (Coaches and Wagons including its parts), Signalling Equipment and Locomotives (Diesel and Electric) & parts of locomotives.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow in 2017-18 has been 98.54 US million $.
• Ministry of Railways has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China, France, Spain, South Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, Russia and Germany for cooperation in the area of High Speed Railways. 
• A Memorandum of Cooperation has been signed with Government of Japan for Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project which includes transfer of technology and Make in India.
• A large number of Foreign Governments and Railways have shown keen interest in the station redevelopment program. These include French Railway (SNCF), Korean Railway, Governments of Federal Republic of Germany, China and United Kingdom.

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