24 Aug 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PM conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour by the President of Greece
2. Prime Minister pays tribute at the ‘Tomb of Unknown Soldier’
3. National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)

1. PM conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour by the President of Greece

Syllabus: GS-2, IR

Prelims: Grand Cross of the Order of Honour

Context: The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou conferred PM Narendra Modi with The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour.

Details: 

• The Order of Honour was established in 1975. The head of goddess Athena is depicted on the front side of the Star with the inscription “ONLY THE RIGHTEOUS SHOULD BE HONOURED”.
• The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour is conferred to eminent personalities who by reason of their distinguished position, have contributed to enhancing the stature of Greece.
• PM Modi’s decisive contribution to the strategic promotion of Greek-Indian friendship in areas of mutual interest has also been recognised.

2. Prime Minister pays tribute at the ‘Tomb of Unknown Soldier’

Syllabus: GS-2, Governance

Prelims: ‘Tomb of Unknown Soldier’

Context: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid tributes at the ‘Tomb of Unknown Soldier’ in Athens on 25 August 2023.

About ‘Tomb of Unknown Soldier’:

• The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a war memorial located in Syntagma Square in Athens, in front of the Old Royal Palace. 
• It is a cenotaph dedicated to the Greek soldiers killed during war. It was sculpted between 1930 and 1932 by sculptor Fokion Rok

3. National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)

Syllabus: GS-2, Social issues

Prelims: NAMASTE

Context: With the efforts under Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) and other efforts of the Government, the menace of manual scavenging has been almost eliminated.

Details: 

• To eliminate hazardous cleaning, stop deaths of sewer and septic tank workers and ensure their safety and dignity, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) have jointly formulated a Scheme namely National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE). 
• The scheme aims at formalization and Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers.
• The existing components of SRMS have been kept as components of NAMASTE Scheme. The scheme is to be implemented in all 4800+ Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the country, during the three years upto 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs. 349.70 crore.

Read more on Manual Scavenging.

Interventions of NAMASTE Component:

• Profiling of SSWs: NAMASTE envisages profiling of the Sewer/Septic Tank Workers (SSWs). List of SSWs would be obtained from the concerned ULBs and thereafter detailed profiling of the SSWs would be undertaken through profiling camps.
• Occupational Safety Training and distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Kits to SSWs
• Assistance for Safety Devices to Sanitation Response Units (SRUs) for hazardous cleaning operations.
• Extending Health Insurance Scheme Benefits: For providing a safety net to identified SSWs and their families, they will be covered under the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The premium for AB-PMJAY for those identified Manual scavengers and SSWs families who are not covered earlier shall be borne under NAMASTE.
• Livelihood Assistance: The Action Plan will promote mechanization and enterprise development. National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC) will provide funding support and capital subsidy to the Manual Scavengers, sanitation workers and their dependents to procure sanitation related equipment and vehicles under Swachhata Udyami Yojana (SUY) to make them “Saniprenure”.

Read the previous PIB articles here.