16 Mar 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

National Election Quiz 2018

• The Election Commission of India has organised this event.
• The National Election Quiz 2018 has attracted a record participation of 13, 63,982 students from 38,160 schools.
• With the huge participation, the NEQ 2018 lays claim to the feat of being the world’s largest Inter-School Quiz on Elections.
• Madhur Jain and Aditya Kumar of the DPS, Ranchi, Jharkhand has lifted the NEQ-2018
• The grand prize of the NEQ 2018 carried a cash award of Rs 1,00,000. 
• It is an initiative by the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme of the Election Commission of India.
• The Interactive School Engagement (ISE) and the recently launched Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC) also form part of the SVEEP programmes.

International Competition Network Annual Conference

• This is the first time India is hosting the ICN2018 Annual Conference since it joined International Competition Network (ICN) in 2009.
• It is a 17thAnnual Conference of International Competition Network 2018 (ICN2018).
• ICN is an informal network comprising 138 competition authorities from 125 jurisdictions.
• This Annual Conference is a key international platform in the field of competition law and policy and its 17thedition will bring together over 500 heads and senior officials of competition authorities, non-governmental advisors, distinguished legal experts and economists from over 100 countries.

About ICN

• The ICN’s mission statement is to advocate the adoption of superior standards and procedures in competition policy around the world, formulate proposals for procedural and substantive convergence, and seek to facilitate effective international cooperation to the benefit of member agencies, consumers and economies worldwide.
• The ICN is unique as it is the only international body devoted exclusively to competition law enforcement and its members represent national and multinational competition authorities. 
• Annual conferences and workshops provide opportunities to discuss working group projects and their implications for enforcement. 

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana 

• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a Maternity Benefit Programme that is implemented in all the districts of the country in accordance with the provision of the National Food Security Act, 2013.
• Number of beneficiaries enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Matru VandanaYojana (PMMVY) has increased to 17,66,423. 
• The Government of India has approved Pan-India implementation of PMMVY in all districts of the country from 2017 January.
• Cash incentive of Rs 5000 is given to the beneficiaries.
• The maternity benefits under PMMVY are available to all Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) except those in regular employment with the Central Government or State Government or Public Sector Undertaking or those who are in receipt of similar benefits under any law for the time being in force.

The objectives of the scheme are:

• providing partial compensation for the wage loss in terms of cash incentives so that the woman can take adequate rest before and after delivery of the first living child; and
• The cash incentives provided would lead to improved health seeking behaviour amongst the Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers.

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