06 Jan 2024: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National PACS Mega Conclave
2. Divya Kala Shakti
3. Meri Kahani Meri Zubani

1. National PACS Mega Conclave

Syllabus: GS-3, Economy

Prelims: National PACS Mega Conclave

Context: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, will chair the ‘National PACS Mega Conclave’ on ‘PACS as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra’ on January 8, 2024, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Details:

• Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) were recently allowed to operate Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
• Within a few months, more than 4400 PACS/Cooperative Societies from 34 States/UTs have submitted online applications for this initiative.
• More than 2300 cooperative societies have already received initial approval and 146 of them are ready to function as Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras provide quality generic medicines to the general public at 50-90% lower prices than the branded medicines available in the open market.
• This initiative will provide new opportunities to PACS for diversification and expansion of their economic activities, thus leading to an increase in the incomes of millions of small and marginal farmers associated with them.
• It will also help in creating new employment opportunities in rural areas.

Also read: Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana

2. Divya Kala Shakti

Syllabus: GS-2, Social issues

Prelims: Divya Kala Shakti

Context: In a celebration of talent, resilience, and inclusivity, the Governor of Karnataka, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, inaugurated the regional cultural event, “Divya Kala Shakti: Witnessing Abilities in Disabilities,” at Ravindra Kala Kshethra Cultural Centre in Bengaluru.

Details:

• Organized by the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (Divyangjan) (NIEPMD), Chennai, in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, the cultural extravaganza provided a unique platform for individuals with disabilities to exhibit their talents in performing arts, music, dance, acrobatics, and more.
• Over a month of dedicated practice brought together 75 children and youth from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, representing various disabilities such as Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Locomotor Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disabilities, and Multiple Disabilities. 
• The performances, ranging from classical to folk and modern styles, also included yoga and acrobatics, highlighting the innate and diverse talents in them
• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, has been actively promoting such initiatives. 
• The “Divya Kala Shakti” programme funded under the Awareness Generation Program (AGP), reflects the Department’s commitment to creating platforms for Divyangjan to contribute to the socio-cultural and economic growth of the nation.

3. Meri Kahani Meri Zubani

Syllabus: GS-2, Social issues

Prelims: Meri Kahani Meri Zubani

Context: Over 1 lakh beneficiaries of schemes under Ministry of Women and Child Development narrate their experiences in Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra under “Meri Kahani Meri Zubani.

Details:

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) is participating in ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ a nationwide campaign to raise awareness through outreach activities to achieve saturation of schemes of the Government of India across the country covering all Gram Panchayats, Nagar Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies with the objectives to reach out to the vulnerable who are eligible under various schemes but have not availed benefit so far. 
• It emphasises their enrolment in the schemes; dissemination of information and generating awareness about schemes and interaction with beneficiaries of government schemes through their personal stories/ experience sharing.
• The campaign is being taken up by adopting a whole of government approach with active involvement of various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, State Governments, Central Government Organizations and Institutions to ensure the widest possible participation of all concerned for the benefit of citizens of the country and to realize the vision of Viksit Bharat. 

Brief activities being undertaken during the  yatra by field functionaries of MoWCD:

• Beneficiaries are given an opportunity to speak of the benefits they have received through various schemes of WCD as “Meri Kahani Meri Zubani”
• Organising Swasth Balak Spardha and felicitation of healthy children.
• On-spot registrations of the beneficiaries for enrolment in the Anganwadi Services Scheme.
• Dissemination of information regarding schemes of MoWCD to sensitise masses across all the Gram Panchayats has been ensured.

Read previous PIB articles here.