01 May 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

May 1st, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PM Modi holds a review meeting to discuss education Sector
2. e-NAM platform
3. Five more States/UTs board ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ national portability platform
4. AES preparedness in Bihar reviewed through Video Conferencing
5. Government clears roadblock to fast-track PMEGP Projects
6. Kisan Sabha App
7. India’s R&D expenditure & scientific publications on the rise

1. PM Modi holds a review meeting to discuss education Sector

What’s in News?

PM Narendra Modi held a meeting to deliberate on the issues and reforms required in the education sector including National Education Policy (NEP).  

Details:

• Special emphasis was given on the use of technology in the education sector and enhancing learning by the use of technology such as online classes, education portal and class-wise broadcast on dedicated education channels.
• The focus was on bringing uniformity in education providing universal access to quality education, improving the quality of elementary education, through a new national curriculum framework that focuses on multi-linguistic, 21st-century skills, integration of sport and art, environmental issues etc.  
• The use and promotion of technology in various modes for education at school and higher levels was discussed in detail – i.e. online mode, TV channels, radio, podcasts etc. 
• Reforming the higher education scenario by making Indian Education System at par with the highest global standards making education effective, inclusive, contemporary rooted in the Indian culture and ethos was discussed.  
• Overall, the emphasis was given on early childhood care and education, foundational literacy and numeracy, adapting contemporary pedagogy, preserving the cultural and linguistic diversity of India with a special focus on early vocationalization of education.  
• It was decided to usher in education reforms to create a vibrant knowledge society by ensuring higher quality education to all thereby making India a ‘Global knowledge Super Power’.  
• To achieve all these goals and to ensure efficient educational governance, it was decided to promote extensive use of technology including Artificial Intelligence.

2. e-NAM platform

What’s in News?

200 new mandis from 7 States have been integrated with the e-NAM platform for marketing of Agricultural produce.

• According to the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the e-NAM platform is moving towards One Nation One Market.
• e – National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal which nets the prevailing Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC) Mandis for making a united national market for agricultural commodities.

Read more about e-NAM

3. Five more States/UTs board ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ national portability platform

What’s in News?

• The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has approved the integration of 5 States and Union Territories, – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu – with the National Cluster under the “One Nation One Ration Card” plan. 
• Twelve States are already on-board the National Cluster, namely – Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura.

One Nation One Ration Card Scheme:

• One Nation One Ration Card (RC) will ensure that all beneficiaries especially migrants can access PDS across the nation from any PDS shop of their own choice.
• This will provide freedom to the beneficiaries as they will not be tied to any one PDS shop and reduce their dependence on shop owners and curtail instances of corruption.
• This will enable nation-wide portability of ration cardholders to receive subsidized foodgrains under NFSA from anywhere in India.
• Installation of electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices at Fair Price Shops (FPSs) is the main enabler of portability of ration card holders, supported by the biometric/Aadhaar authentication.
• The biggest beneficiary of this would be migrant labourers who move to other states to seek better job opportunities.
• The process also aims to do away with manual recordings of transactions, thereby ensuring clarity of record keeping.

4. AES preparedness in Bihar reviewed through Video Conferencing

What’s in News?

• There are concerns over the deaths of children from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar.  
• In a particular time during summer from May 15 to the month of June, there is always a hike in the rate of death of young children due to AES in Bihar.
• It has been emphasised to ensure that the cases of AES are not neglected and eclipsed during the time of COVID outbreak.

Details:

• The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare would provide full support and handholding to the State Government through the National Health Mission (NHM) for health systems strengthening.
• However, it is opined that, apart from the constitution of the Committee of Experts for daily monitoring the situation, there is an immediate need for constituting an inter-disciplinary specialist high-level team of experts drawn from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Child Health Division of the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to guide the policy interventions and support the State in containing the cases of AES and Japanese Encephalitis.

Read more about Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) covered in 23rd June 2019 PIB Summary and Analysis.

5. Government clears roadblock to fast-track PMEGP Projects

What’s in News?

In a significant policy decision, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), headed by Union Minister, has done away with the role of District Level Task Force Committee (DLTFC), headed by the District Collectors, in recommending the proposals under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), thereby simplifying the entire procedure.

Details:

• As of now, the proposals were scrutinized by the DLTFC, that often led to inordinate delays in sanctioning of the projects.
• As per the amended guidelines, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), the nodal agency for implementing PMEGP scheme, after due diligence, will directly clear the proposals/applications of the prospective entrepreneurs and will forward it to the Banks for taking credit decisions. 
• The KVIC, in association with the Bankers Association of India, shall also develop a scoring sheet and upload the same on the PMEGP E-portal.
• The amendment in the policy would pave the way for swift implementation of projects and create new employment opportunities in rural and semi urban areas under the PMEGP scheme.

Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP):

• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a major credit-linked subsidy scheme launched by merging two schemes namely Prime Minister’s Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) and Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) for generating employment opportunities by establishing micro-enterprises in urban and rural areas in the non-farm sector.

Read more about Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)

6. Kisan Sabha App

What’s in News?

Kisan Sabha App has been launched by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to Connect Farmers to Supply Chain and Freight Transportation Management System.

• Kisan Sabha App has been developed to connect farmers to supply chain and freight transportation management system.
• Kisan Sabha aims to provide the most economical and timely logistics support to the farmers and increase their profit margins by minimizing the interference of middlemen and directly connecting with the institutional buyers. 
• It will also help in providing the best market rates of crops by comparing nearest mandis, booking of freight vehicle at the cheapest cost thereby giving maximum benefit to the farmers.
• The portal connects the farmers, transporters, Service providers (like pesticides/ fertilizer/ dealers, cold store and warehouse owner), mandi dealers, customers (like big retail outlets, online stores, institutional buyers) and other related entities for a timely and effective solution.
• The portal acts as a single stop for every entity related to agriculture, be they a farmer who needs better price for the crops or mandi dealer who wants to connect to more farmers or truckers who invariably go empty from the mandis.
• Kisan Sabha also works for people in agriculture services sector such as dealers of fertilizers/ pesticides, who can reach out to more farmers for their services.
• It would also prove to be useful for those associated with cold stores or godowns. 
• It also provides a platform for people who want to buy directly from the farmers.

7. India’s R&D expenditure & scientific publications on the rise

What’s in News?

• National Science and Technology Management Information (NSTMIS), Department of Science and Technology (DST) has brought out the National S&T survey 2018, that includes R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20.
• The report on R&D indicators for the nation is an extraordinarily important document for the evidence-based policymaking and planning in higher education, R&D activities and support, intellectual property, and industrial competitiveness. 

Key findings of the report:

• India’s gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 & 2018 driven mainly by the government sector and scientific publications have risen placing the country internationally among the top few. 
• India is placed 3rd among countries in a scientific publication.
• The number of researchers per million population has doubled since 2000.
• India is ranked at 9th position in terms of Resident Patent Filing activity in the world.

May 1st, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

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