RAILWAY BUDGET 2016-17

HIGHLIGHTS OF RAILWAY BUDGET 2016-17

● Minister sees operating ratio of 92 percent in FY17 as against 90 percent in current year
● Rs 8,720 cr saving in 2015-16 budget in fuel cost like power
● The railways have ramped up capital expenditure to remove the huge backlog and provide for future needs; rate of capital expenditure has increased
● Investment proposed in 2016-17 at Rs 1.21 lakh crore, higher from Rs 1 lakh crore last year.
● Proposes to commission 2,800 km of new tracks in next year
● Outlay for railway electrification increased by 50 percent; 2,000 km route to be electrified next fiscal
● 2000 km rail route to be electrified in 2016-17
● Railways to get Rs 40,000 cr budgetary support from the government
● Railways to increase lower berth quota for senior citizens by 50 percent
● Ajmer, Amritsar, Gaya, Mathura, Nanded, Nashik, Puri, Tirupati, Varanasi, Nagapattinam and other pilgrim stations to be beautified
● Two elevated suburban railway corridors - Churchgate-Virar and CST-Panvel to be constructed in Mumbai; Ring railway covering 21 stations to be revived with state participation.
● India's first railway auto hub in Chennai to be inaugurated soon
● Logistics and warehouse parks to be created on PPP mode
● Station development and re-development, monetisation of land to raise rail revenue from non-freight sources
● Rs 30,000 crore is the loss on subsidising passenger fares, says Railway Minister
● Railways to shift to completely paperless contract system in 2016-17, says minister
● Bar-coded tickets to be introduced at select stations on pilot basis
● E-booking of tickets on concessional passes for journalists introduced
● Cleaning of coach on demand to be introduced; Disabled enabled toilet in 11 Class-A stations this year
● 33 percent reservation to women in reserved quota in Railways will be introduced
● Children menu to be introduced on pilot basis on trains
● North-South, East-West dedicated freight corridor proposed in Railway Budget for 2016-17
● Three direct services - fully air-conditioned Humsafer to travel at 130-km per hour
● Bar-coded tickets to be introduced at select stations on pilot basis
● Overnight double-decker train Uday Express to be introduced on busiest routes, carrying capacity to be 40 percent more
● Propose to start cancellation through 139. Bar-coded tickets will be issued on a pilot basis. This is aimed at reining in the menace of ticket less travel and also making travel hassle-free.
● 400 railway stations to be equipped with wifi, 100 this year
● 124 MPs have committed to contribute from MPLADS for passenger amenities. 

BAFTAs Awards 2016

Britain's 69th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) were held at the Royal Opera House in London on February 14, The "Revenant" won big at this year’s BAFTA Awards, winning best film, best director for Alejandro González Iñárritu, and best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, the full list of 2016’s BAFTA winners.

Complete List of Winners:

Film: The Revenant
Director: Alejandro G Inarritu, The Revenant
Leading Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Leading Actress: Brie Larson, Room
Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short, Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
Animated Film: Inside Out
British Short Animation: Edmond
British Short Film: Operator
Cinematography: The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki
Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road, Jenny Beavan
Documentary: Amy
EE Rising Star: John Boyega
Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel
Film not in the English Language: Wild Tales
Make-Up and Hair: Mad Max: Fury Road
Original Music: The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone
Original Screenplay: Spotlight, Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Outstanding British Film: Brooklyn
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: The Theeb, Rupert Lloyd
Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound: The Revenant
Special Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Union Government to set up National Organic Farming Research Institute in Sikkim

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has decided to set up the National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) in Sikkim. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh after he met Sikkim Agriculture Minister Som Nath Paudyal in New Delhi. The NOFRI will be established by upgrading the existing Gangtok based Regional Centre of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Apart from this, Union Government also has assured State Government to help in sustaining the organic farming and also in marketing of the State’s organic products.

 Background
 In January 2016, Sikkim was officially declared as first fully organic state in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state has achieved this feat by converting around 75000 hectares of land into certified organic farms by following the guidelines prescribed by National Programme for Organic Production.

GALLANTRY AWARDS 2016

President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award Ashok Chakra to Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami posthumously. On the eve of 67th Republic Day celebrations President has approved 365 Gallantry awards and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others. It includes one Ashoka Chakra, 4 Kirti Chakras and 11 Shaurya Chakras. 

Ashok Chakra: 
Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami (Posthumous). He belonged to 9 PARA (Special Force) and laid down his life while fighting LeT militants in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. 

Kirti Chakra: 
Subedar Mahendra Singh of 9 PARA (Special Force). 
Sepoy Jagdish Chand (Posthumous) of 546 DSC Platoon. 

Shaurya Chakra: 
Colonel Santosh Mahadik (Posthumous) of 41 Rashtriya Rifle (PARA). 
Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj of 12 PARA (Special Force). 
Major Sandip Yadav of 55 Rashtriya Rifle (Armed). 
Major Anurag Kumar of 9 PARA (Special Force). 
Lieutenant Harjinder Singh of 3 KUMAON. 
Naik Satish Kumar (Posthumous) of 21 Rashtriya Rifle (Guards). 
Naik Kheem Singh Mehra of 21 KUMAON. 
Sepoy Dharma Ram (Posthumous) of 1 Rashtriya Rifle (MAHAR). 

Kirti Chakra is the second highest peace time gallantry award i.e. awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. Shaurya Chakra is third highest peace time gallantry award generally awarded for counterinsurgency operations and actions against the enemy during peace-time.

PADMA AWARDS 2016

President Pranab Mukherjee has announced the names of Recipients of this year’s Padma awards. He approved conferment of 112 Padma Awards. Following is the list of the recipients—

Padma Vibhushan Awardees 2016
1. Ms. Yamini Krishnamurthi – Art- Classical dance (Delhi)
2. Shri Rajinikanth – Art-Cinema (Tamil Nadu)
3. Smt. Girija Devi – Art-Classical Vocal (West Bengal)
4. Shri Ramoji Rao – Literature and Education Journalism (Andhra Pradesh) 
5. Dr. Viswanathan Shanta – Medicine- Oncology (Tamil Nadu)
6. Shri Shri Ravi Shankar – Others-Spiritualism (Karnataka)
7. Shri Jagmohan – Public Affairs (Delhi)
8. Dr.Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre – Science and Engineering (Karnataka)
9. Shri Avinash Dixit (Foreigner) – Literature and Education (USA)
10. Late Shri Dhiru Bhai Ambani (Posthumous) – Trade and Industry (Maharashtra) 

Padma Bhushan Awardees 2016
11. Shri Anupam Kher – Art-Cinema (Maharashtra)
12. Shri Udit Narayan Jha – Art-Playback Singing (Maharashtra)
13. Shri Ram V. Sutar – Art-Sculpture (Uttar Pradesh)
14. Shri Heisnam Kanhailal – Art-Theatre (Manipur)
15. Shri Vinod Rai – Civil Service (Kerala)
16. Dr. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad – Literature and Education (Andhra Pradesh)
17. Prof. N. S. Ramanuja Tatacharya – Literature and Education (Maharashtra )
18. Dr. Barjinder Singh Hamdard – Literature and Education - Journalism (Punjab)
19. Prof. D. Nageshwar Reddy – Medicine-Gastroenterology (Telangana)
20. Swami Tejomayananda – Other-Spiritualism (Maharashtra)
21. Shri Hafeez Contractor – Others-Architecture (Maharashtra)
22. Shri Ravindra Chandra Bhargava – Public Affairs (Uttar Pradesh)
23. Dr.Venkata Rama Rao Alla – Science and Engineering (Andhra Pradesh)
24. Ms. Saina Nehwal – Sports-Badminton (Telangana)
25. Ms. Sania Mirza – Sports-Tennis (Telangana)
26. Ms. Indu Jain – Trade and Industry (Delhi)
27. Late Swami Dayanand Sarawasati (Posthumous) – Others-Spiritualism (Uttarakhand)
28. Shri Robert Blackwill (Foreigner) – Public Affairs (USA)
29. Shri Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (NRI/PIO) – Trade and Industry (Ireland)

Padma Shri Awardees 2016
30. Smt. Prathibha Prahlad – Art- Classical Dance (Delhi)
31. Shri Bhikhudan Gadhvi – Art- Folk Music (Gujarat)
32. Shri Sribhas Chandra Supakar – Art- Textile Designing (Uttar Pradesh)
33. Shri Ajay Devgn – Art-Cinema (Maharashtra)
34. Ms. Priyanka Chopra – Art-Cinema (Maharashtra)
35. Pt. Tulsidas Borkar – Art-Classical Music (Goa)
36. Dr. Soma Ghosh – Art-Classical Vocal (Uttar Pradesh)
37. Shri Nila Madhab Panda – Art-Film Direction and Production (Delhi)
38. Shri S.S. Rajamouli – Art-Film Direction and Production (Karnataka)
39. Shri Madhur Bhandarkar – Art-Film Direction and Production (Maharashtra)
40. Prof. M. Venkatesh Kumar – Art-Folk Artist (Karnataka)
41. Ms. Gulabi Sapera – Art-Folk Dance (Rajasthan)
42. Smt. Mamta Chandrakar – Art-Folk Music (Chhattisgarh)
43. Ms. Malini Awasthi – Art-Folk Music (Uttar Pradesh)
44. Shri Jai Prakash Lekhiwal – Art-Miniature Painting (Delhi)
45. Shri K. Laxma Goud – Art-Painting (Telangana)
46. Shri Bhalchandra Dattatray Mondhe – Art-Photography (Madhya Pradesh) 
47. Shri Naresh Chander Lal – Art-Theatre and Cinema (Andaman and Nicobar)
48. Shri Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah – Literature and Education (Assam)
49. Shri Prahlad Chandra Tasa – Literature and Education (Assam)
50. Dr.Ravindra Nagar – Literature and Education (Delhi)
51. Shri Dahyabhai Shastri – Literature and Education (Gujarat)
52. Dr.Santeshivara Bhyrappa – Literature and Education (Karnataka)
53. Shri Haldar Nag – Literature and Education (Odisha)
54. Shri Kameshwaram Brahma – Literature and Education - Journalism (Assam)
55. Prof. Pushpesh Pant – Literature and Education Journalism (Delhi)
56. Shri Jawaharlal Kaul – Literature and Education Journalism (Jammu and Kashmir)
57. Shri Ashok Malik – Literature andEducation (Delhi)
58. Dr.Mannam Gopi Chand – Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery (Telangana)
59. Prof. Ravi Kant – Medicine-Surgery (Uttar Pradesh)
60. Prof. Ram Harsh Singh – Medicine- Ayurveda (Uttar Pradesh)
61. Prof. Shiv Narain Kureel – Medicine- Paediatric Surgery (Uttar Pradesh)
62. Dr.Sabya Sachi Sarkar – Medicine –Radiology (Uttar Pradesh)
63. Dr. Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale – Medicine-Cardiac Surgery (Andhra Pradesh)
64. Prof. T.K. Lahiri – Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery (Uttar Pradesh)
65. Dr. Praveen Chandra – Medicine-Cardiology (Delhi)
66. Prof. (Dr) Daljeet Singh Gambhir – Medicine-Cardiology (Uttar Pradesh)
67. Dr.Chandrasekar Shesadri Thoguluva – Medicine Gastroenterology (Tamil Nadu)
68. Dr. (Mrs.) Anil Kumari Malhotra – Medicine-Homeopathy (Delhi)
69. Prof. M.V. Padma Srivastava – Medicine-Neurology (Delhi)
70. Dr. Sudhir V. Shah – Medicine-Neurology (Gujarat)
71. Dr. M. M. Joshi – Medicine-Ophthalmology (Karnataka)
72. Prof. (Dr) John Ebnezar – Medicine-Orthopaedic Surgery (Karnataka)
73. Dr. Nayudamma Yarlagadda – Medicine-Paediatric Surgery (Andhra Pradesh)
74. Shri Simon Oraon – Other Environment Conservation (Jharkhand)
75. Shri Imitiaz Qureshi – Other-Culinary (Delhi)
76. Shri Piyush Pandey – Others-Advertising and Communication (Maharashtra)
77. Shri Subhash Palekar – Others-Farming (Maharashtra)
78. Shri Ravinder Kumar Sinha – Others-Wildlife Conservation (Bihar)
79. Dr. H.R. Nagendra – Others-Yoga (Karnataka)
80. Shri M. C. Mehta – Public Affairs (Delhi)
81. Shri M. N. Krishna Mani – Public Affairs (Delhi)
82. Shri Ujjwal Nikam – Public Affairs (Maharashtra)
83. Shri Tokheho Sema – Public Affairs (Nagaland)
84. Dr. Satish Kumar – Science and Engineering (Delhi)
85. Dr.Mylswamy Annadurai – Science and Engineering (Karnataka)
86. Prof. Dipankar Chatterji – Science and Engineering (Karnataka)
87. Prof.(Dr.) Ganapati Dadasaheb Yadav – Science and Engineering (Maharashtra) 
88. Smt. (Prof.) Veena Tandon – Science and Engineering (Meghalaya)
89. Shri Onkar Nath Srivastava – Science and Engineering Uttar Pradesh
90. Ms. Sunita Krishnan – Social Work (Andhra Pradesh)
91. Shri Ajoy Kumar Dutta – Social Work (Assam)
92. Shri M. Pandit Dasa – Social Work (Karnataka)
93. Shri P. P. Gopinathan Nair – Social Work (Kerala)
94. Smt. Madeleine Herman de Blic – Social Work (Puducherry)
95. Shri Srinivasan Damal Kandalai – Social work (Tamil Nadu)
96. Shri Sudhakar Olwe – Social Work (Maharashtra)
97. Dr. T.V. Narayana – Social Work (Telangana)
98. Shri Arunachalam Murugantham – Social Work (Tamil Nadu)
99. Ms. Deepika Kumari – Sports-Archery (Jharkhand)
100. Shri Sushil Doshi – Sports-commentary (Madhya Pradesh)
101. Shri Mahesh Sharma – Trade and Industry (Delhi)
102. Shri Saurabh Srivastava – Trade and Industry (Delhi)
103. Sh Dilip Sanghvi – Trade and Industry (Maharashtra)
104. Dr. Keki Hormusji Gharda – Trade and Industry (Maharashtra)
105. Late Shri Prakash Chand Surana (Posthumous) – Art -Classical Music (Rajasthan)
106. Late Shri Saeed Jaffrey (NRI/PIO/Posthumous) – Art-Cinema (UK)
107. Shri Michael Postel (Foreigner) – Art-Archaeology (France)
108. Shri Salman Amin Sal Khan (NRI/PIO) – Literature and Education (USA)
109. Smt. Hui Lan Zhang (Foreigner) – Others-Yoga (China) 
110. Shri Predrag K. Nikic (Foreigner) Others-Yoga (Serbia) 
111. Dr.Sundar Aditya Menon (NRI/PIO) Social Work (UAE)
112. Shri Ajaypal Singh Banga (NRI/PIO) Trade and Industry (USA)

PM Narendra Modi launches ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ action plan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ action plan in New Delhi to boost startup ventures in the country. The main aim of action plan is to give impetus to innovation and encourage the talent among young people and remove onerous government regulations and red tape. 

Key features Start-up India, Stand-up India action plan 

• Start-up profits to be tax-free for 3 years and also no labour inspections for 3 years of launch of the venture. 
• Compliance regime based on self-certification for labour and environmental laws. Easy exit policy for start-ups with 90 days. 
• Tax exemption to be provided on capital gains if money is invested in another start up. 
• Government to create Rs. 10,000 crore corpus fund for development and growth of innovation driven enterprises. It will be Rs. 2500 crore a year for four years Liberalised Fast-track mechanism for start-up patent applications under intellectual property rights protection with 80% cost rebate. 
• Encouraging startups to participate in public procurement by easing norms of minimum turnover/experience. Mobile apps, portal for register start-ups in a day from 1st April 2016. Establishing Credit guarantee fund and special scheme for women entrepreneurs. 
• Sector specific incubators 500 tinkering labs, per-incubation and seed funds under the Atal Innovation mission Public-private partnership (PPP) model for 35 new incubators, 7 new research parks, 31 innovation centres at national institutes and 5 new Bio clusters will be set up to help Biotech Sector. 
• Government to start Atal Innovation Mission to give an impetus to innovation and encouraging talent among young people by instituting national awards. 
• Government to promote the provision of core innovation programmes in 5 lakh schools across the country.

Tsai Ing-wen elected as first female President of Taiwan

Pro-Independence Opposition candidate of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen (59) has been elected as first female and 14th President of Taiwan. Ms Tsai’s victory is the biggest mandate ever won by a DPP president and is only the second-ever victory for the DPP since Taiwan split with China in 1949. The first was Chen Shui-bian who also was pro-independence (from China) advocate. During his time as President between 2000 and 2008 tensions had escalated with China. 
 In the 2016 general elections, DPP which leads the camp that wants independence from China led by Tsai Ing-wen emerged victorious with 56% of the total vote share. She defeated Eric Chu of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) Party that secured 31% vote share.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 comes into force

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 came into force 15 January 2016. In this regard, Union Ministry of Woman and Child Development has issued orders for enforceable of Act. The Act had received President Pranab Mukherjee’s assent on December 31, 2015 after it was passed by the Parliament. 

Key features of  Act 

• Aims at ensuring protection, proper care, development and social reintegration of children in difficult circumstances by adopting a child-friendly approach. 
• Permits trying of juveniles between the ages of 16 and 18 years as adults for heinous offences. 
• Establishment of Child Welfare Committees (CWC) along with Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) in each district. 
• Empowers JJB to examine the nature of crime and decide whether it was committed as a child mind or as an adult mind. 
• Based upon the preliminary inquiry of JJB, juvenile offender will be either sent for rehabilitation or will be tried as an adult. 
• The CWC will determine institutional care for juvenile in need of care and protection. 
• Prescribes eligibility of adoptive parents and the procedure for adoption. Penalties for cruelty against a child have been prescribed in case of offering a narcotic substance to a child and selling and abduction of a child.

Anuradha Roy wins 2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

Indian writer Anuradha Roy has won the on the prestigious $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for her novel ‘Sleeping on Jupiter’. She was awarded with prize and a unique trophy by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo. Her novel Sleeping on Jupiter deals with the subject of violence against women with story revolving around girl named Nomi and is set in Jarmuli, a city of temples. She was selected among the 6 shortlisted authors for this edition (sixth) of prize by jury headed by Mark Tully. 

About Anuradha Roy 

• Ms Roy is novelist, journalist and editor. 
• Her first novel An Atlas of Impossible Longing has been translated into 15 languages across the world.
• Till date she has authored three novels viz. An Atlas of Impossible Longing (2008), The Folded Earth (2011) and Sleeping on Jupiter (2015). 

About DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 

• It is a literary prize awarded annually to writers of any nationality or ethnicity writing about South Asia on themes such as culture, history, politics or people. 
• The prize was instituted in 2011 by DSC Limited, an Indian infrastructure and construction company. 
• The writers are chosen for their original full-length novel written in English or translated into English and published in the year preceding the judging of the prize.

SCHEMES & PROGRAMMES

1. Digital India

Digital India Program was launched in August 2014 to change the face of India digitally and electronically.  This would in turn pave way for a digitally empowered nation and economy.  As per this campaign, all offices and departments of Government of India would be digitally connected to each other and to the target population, thereby making the government mechanism smoother and malpractices-free.  This would also ensure effective governance in the country.  Digital India Program would reduce paperwork to a significant level.  The program which started in 2014 would complete by 2019.

2. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

On his first speech of Independence Day in year 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the famous Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, which ensures a bank account for every Indian.  In this mass drive, more than 15 million saving accounts were opened across the length and breadth of the country with almost all public sector banks participating in it.  It was the first ever financial inclusion program launched in the country and has seen success so far.  More than Rs 1,500 has been deposited in banks so far by the account holders.

3. Swachh Bharat

This type of campaign was not really new to India, however the name and intent may be new.  Previous governments have already worked on similar campaigns like Nirmal Bharat Program.  However, nothing has been achieved significantly so far and thus the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan comes with a new hope to clean the country’s mess.

The campaign was launched in 2014 with almost every big and small personality of the country taking to the streets and taking part in it.  In fact, the cleanliness drive has more to do with self publicity, whether it is the Prime Minister himself, or other ministers, or film stars or the general public. All have taken pictures of cleaning their locality and posted it on their social media account to ensure that people see that they are involved with a noble cause.  The evaluation of the campaign has to be seen in a longer run.

4. Make in India

This was more of a slogan than a campaign coined by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure self sufficiency in the field of mass production.  The vision has been to attract global investors to invest in domestic market and thus create India a manufacturing hub for the entire world.

Make in India would also ensure that there are sufficient job opportunities for the national youth who are struggling to get a decent job in order to compete with their international counterparts.  The Make in India campaign is being run and administered by the Central Government and the government has identified a total of 25 different sectors on which it would focus.

5. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

Inclusive governance is one of the core visions of Shri Narendra Modi.  As per Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, each MP would take out some part of their funds for the development of their constituencies.  Physical and institutional infrastructures are some of the way through which the villages of the country can reach up to their empowerment, as a whole.

The Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana ensures the same.  The campaign which started in year 2014 is said to be successfully concluding by year 2019.  The guidelines for rural development under the scheme have already been issued by the honorable prime minister in October 2014.

6. Atal Pension Yojana

Low cost benefits have been the core guiding principles of the Narendra Modi lead Central Government in almost all the schemes they are launching.  Atal Pension Yojana too is one such scheme, which ensures old age pension to those who are not covered under any other pension or social security scheme.

This way, those people who have been working in unorganized sectors and enjoying no pension scheme would be covered and can ensure a healthy and comfortable old age.

7. Awas Yojana (PMAY)

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is primarily a welfare housing scheme launched by the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  With PMAY, the intention is to provide housing to all by year 2022.  In order to make the scheme a success and reality, a total of around 2 crore houses would be constructed across the length and breadth of the country by year 2022.

The houses would be distributed to the needy sections of society and a subsidy on loan would be provided by the central government, thereby making housing an affordable thing for the economically weaker people of the country.  Special preference would be given to senior citizens, women and SC/ST in allotment of these houses.

8. Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

The PMJJBY is a term life insurance policy that goes a long way in ensuring a safe financial future for the policy holder and comes with lowest cost on a yearly basis.

Anyone who is within the age group of 18 years to 50 years can get enrolled for PMJJBY, provided they have a functional saving bank account.  Within the scheme, the policy holder would have to pay as a premium is Rs 330 per year and they would be covered with a life insurance of Rs 2 lakhs.

9. Suraksha Bima Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana targets social security through insuring accidental deaths and partial or permanent disabilities.  A large number of population in India live in rural areas and these people do not have access to insurance schemes.  PMSBY is an initiative to cater to such a population so that they can enjoy the insurance benefits at minimum contributions.

In order to get PMSBY scheme for anyone in India, the subscriber is required to just pay Rs 12 per year and enjoy a carefree insured life of up to Rs 2 lakhs insurance cover.  One of the best things about these social security schemes is that they require an insignificant level of paperwork and this leverage has been provided considering the fact that a large number of people living in rural areas do not have all the validation documents available with them.

10. Krishi Sinchai Yojana

India is primarily an agricultural country and irrigation defines the success of agriculture.  This is why it is important for any agricultural economy to have a proper irrigation channel throughout the country.  Prime Minister Modi has identified this need and thus started this new scheme.

As per the scheme details, just 45 per cent of the farm lands in India are accessible to the irrigation channels with remaining 55 per cent depending on traditional methods of irrigation.  This is a huge opportunity and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana would ensure that adequate infrastructural arrangements are made so that maximum fields in the country are connected to the irrigation system properly.

11. Kaushal Vikas Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana would facilitate necessary arrangements so that the younger lot of workforce in India is provided with world class training as far as technical expertise is concerned.  The skills training would be in line with latest technologies coupled with personality development and management skills that would ensure that our youth compete well with their international counterparts.

12. MUDRA Bank Yojana

This is yet another aggressive scheme launched by the Narendra Modi government.  MUDRA stands for Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd., which was initiated to bring into the general public into the normal banking system.  Facilities and benefits like credits, loans, and insurance are not reachable to many in India, especially to those living in rural and far flung areas.

MUDRA bank is not exactly a bank but a banking regulator which would regulate the micro finance to the rural and needy population.

13. Garib Kalyan Yojana

Under this scheme, the government would run several micro campaigns to ensure that that the welfare needs of the poor population are met and taken care of.  It would conduct workshops to meet its agendas.

14. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is one of the most promising and relevant schemes launched by the Narendra Modi Government.  SSY lays special emphasis on financial empowerment of the girl child.  Through this scheme, the parents of any girl child below 10 years can open a saving account for their daughters and operate it till they attain an age of 21 years.

After that time, they can withdraw the money and use it for her marriage or higher education.  The scheme offers a high rate of return, even much higher than PPF and the depositor gets complete tax exemption for whatever amount invested under 80C of income tax.  Ever since the scheme has been launched, lakhs or parents have already got an account opened for their daughters and enjoying the benefits. Read more about this yojana.

15. DigiLocker Scheme

Just like you have a locker to secure your valuable belongings, Digilocker is a facility through which you can secure and keep your valuable documents secure.  Now, when everything has turned out to be digital, online documents are required in order to submit forms and other activities.

Digilocker is a space provided by Government of India where you can upload all your important documents in digital format and use them whenever you have to furnish it anywhere to government authorities.  This drive has paved way for paperless environment and would also curtain the possibilities of corruption to the significant level.

16. Ebasta Scheme

eBasta Scheme is very much similar to the concept of DigiLockers.  eBasta provides an online learning space for the students in the form of digital books.  With this service, students would no more have to go and buy their books from the book shops and neither would publishers need to worry about pirated versions or supply channel flaws.

The content and curriculum of the students can be decided by the school and its teachers and students will have to just login and download their study material, which they can use for learning at their computers and tablets.  This kind of initiative would initiate the era of interactive learning in India.

17. One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme: 

Under the OROP scheme the government said it would revise pension every five years where the veterans protested and demanded that it should be revised every two years.

The government announced that OROP will be implemented from July 1, 2014 and the base year would be 2013 but the ex-servicemen objected and said it should nbe implemented from April 1, 2014 instead of July 1. The veterans even demanded that every person in the army should be a benefiaciary under the OROP scheme. The estimated cost to implement OROP will be between Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore.

18. Pradhan Mantri Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana

This programme was launched by PM Narendra Modi on 22 January 2015 in Panipat, Haryana. It is a very significant programme and campaign because of country’s poor record on women related indicators such as child sex ratio, female infanticide, female foeticide and female education etc; especially alarming is the data for child sex ratio i.e. the sex ratio of children 0 to 6 years. The census data of the year 2011 shows child sex ratio at 918 which is lesser than the previous census (2001) data of 927. Thus, child sex ratio (0-6 years) is showing a declining trend which is not a very healthy sign for social development of India. Therefore, ‘Beti Bacha Beti Padhao’ campaign is one of the most important programmes being initiated by the new Government.

19. Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana:

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) has been launched in September 2015 for the welfare of tribals and other affected persons in mining areas. Under this scheme, the mining companies will need to contribute 10 to 30% of royalty for welfare of people directly or indirectly affected by mining.

This scheme is a follow up to Prime Minister’s promise of Rs. 6000 Crore for the development of tribals in mining affected areas in his Independence Day speech. However, the proposal to establish the District Mineral Foundations had come in November 2014 from Union Government side. The idea was to levy additional royalty and then use that fund on welfare of the people / infra development in mining affected areas. For this purpose, on January 12, 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee had signed an ordinance to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act), 1957. This was followed by parliamentary approval to amendment of MMDR Acr 1957 on 26 March 2015. On August 18, 2015; Odisha became the first state in India to issue rules for the District Mineral Foundation.

20. Integrated Power Development Scheme:
Integrated Power Development (IPDS) scheme launched by Modi Government is basically a new avatar of Restructured Accelerated Power Development Programme of UPA. This scheme focuses on improvement of T&D networks across India. It promises help in reduction of AT&C losses, establishment of IT enabled energy accounting / auditing system, improvement in billed energy based on metered consumption and improvement in collection efficiency.

The scheme has been launched with an outlay of Rs. 44,011 crore for 12th and 13th plans. All discoms including private discoms and state power departments are eligible to get financial assistance under it. The discoms can prioritize what fraction of their infrastructure work is to be strengthened and can apply for assistance with their detailed project reports. The projects supported under this scheme need to be completed within 24 months. Like R-APDP, Power Finance Corporation is nodal agency for this scheme. The grant portion of this scheme is 60% for normal  states and 85% for special category states. They can also get 15% additional grant if they do the work within prescribed milestones viz. timely completion of the scheme, reduction in AT&C losses as per trajectory. The discoms need to enter into tripartite agreement with PFC and State Government to be enable to get all support.

21. Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP):

DELP programme has been launched in several states (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi) to replace the regular bulbs and CFL lights with LED lights. The programme is being implemented by  Discoms in association with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). LED lights are given at lower than market price in this scheme.

22. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana:

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi  approved the New Crop Insurance Scheme,‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’ to boost the agricultural sector.

The theme of the Scheme is One Nation – One Scheme. In this, all shortcomings and weaknesses of all previous schemes were removed and incorporated with the best features of all schemes.

Top Scheme And Programme Launched By Narendra Modi Government

SN	Govt Scheme	Details
1	Make in India	It was Launched on 25th September 2014 To make India a manufacturing hub. Make in India is an initiative of the Government of India to encourage multinational, as well as domestic, companies to manufacture their products in India. The major objective behind the initiative is to focus on job creation and skill enhancement in twenty-five sectors of the economy
2	Digital India	Launched on 1st July 2015 To transform India’s economy Digital India has three core components. These include: The creation of digital infrastructure Delivering services digitally Digital literacy
3	Skill India	Launched on 15th July 2015) To create jobs for youth of the Country Skill Development in Youth Making Skill available to All Youth of India
4	Smart Cities	Launched on 29th April 2015 In first Government of india Will Develop 100 Smart cities in India Under this Scheme Cities from all States Are Selected
5	Unearthen Black Money	Bill Passed on 14th May 2015 Disclosing Black Money Punishment for The Black Money holders
6	Namami Gange	Namami Gange Project or Namami Ganga Yojana is an ambitious Union Government Project which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner. It its maiden budget, the government announced Rs. 2037 Crore towards this mission. The project is officially known as Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission project or ‘Namami Ganga Yojana’. This project aims at Ganga Rejuvenation by combining the existing ongoing efforts and planning under it to create a concrete action plan for future.
7	Swachh Bharat Abhiyan	Launched on 2nd October 2014) To have clean India by 2nd October 2019 Eliminate open defecation by constructing toilets for households, communities Eradicate manual scavenging Introduce modern and scientific municipal solid waste management practices Enable private sector participation in the sanitation sector Change people’s attitudes to sanitation and create awareness
8	Swadesh Darshan	Integrated Development of Theme Based Buddhist tourist circuit
9	Sukanya Samridhi Account	Launched on 22nd January 2015 The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 January 2015 as a part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. The scheme currently provides an interest rate of 9.2% and tax benefits. The account can be opened at any India Post office or a branch of some authorised commercial banks
10	Bal swachh mission	Launched on 14th November 2014) Awareness about the cleanliness of the children
11	Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana	Launched on 28th August 2014 ) To give financial services to weaker section of society.
12	Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana	Launched on 9th May 2015 Eligibility: Available to people in age group 18 to 70 years with bank account. Premium:  Rs.12 per annum. Payment Mode: The premium will be directly auto-debited by the bank from the subscribers account. This is the only mode available. Risk Coverage:  For accidental death and full disability – Rs.2 Lakh and for partial disability – Rs.1 Lakh. Eligibility: Any person having a bank account and Aadhaar number linked to the bank account can give a simple form to the bank every year before 1st of June in order to join the scheme.  Name of nominee to be given in the form.
13	Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana	(Launched on 22nd January 2015)-To generate awareness of welfare service meants for girl child and women.
14	Atal Pension Scheme	(Launched on 9th May 2015)-for unorganised sector ‘s workers
15	HRIDAY (National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana) scheme	(Launched on 21st January 2015)-To develop heritage cities.
16	Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana	(Launched on 9th May 2015)-Life insurance scheme by Government
17	MUDRA Bank Yojana	(Launched on 8th April 2015) to provide up to 10 lakh to small entrepreneur.
18	Krishi Amani Bima Yojana	Scheme for farmer
19	Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojana	To provide water to all field in the Country.
20	Pradhan Mantri Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana	(Launched on 11th October 2014)-Each MP to develop three villages by 2019.
21	Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana	(Launched on 25th September 2014)- To provide employmentto youth residing in rural area.
22	Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana	To provide power(electricity) to rural area of the country.
23	Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana	Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana is a special social security scheme which includes Pension and Life Insurance, introduced by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for the overseas Indian workers in possession of Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports. It is a voluntary scheme designed to help workers to meet their three financial needs: saving for retirement, saving for their return and resettlement, and providing free life insurance offering coverage for death from natural causes.
24	Indradanush Scheme	(Launched on 25th December 2014)
25	Soil Health Card Scheme	Soil Health Card Scheme is a scheme launched by the Government of India in February 2015. Under the scheme, the government plans to issue soil cards to farmers which will carry crop-wise recommendations of nutrients and fertilisers required for the individual farms to help farmers to improve productivity through judicious use of inputs. All soil samples are to be tested in various soil testing labs across the country. Thereafter the experts will analyse the strength and weaknesses (micro-nutrients deficiency) of the soil and suggest measures to deal with it. The result and suggestion will be displayed in the cards. The government plans to issue the cards to 14 crore farmers
26	Rani Laxmi Bai Pension scheme	For victims of Muzazafar nagar riot.
27	Udaan Scheme	To provide skill to youth of India.
28	Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission	The Mission aims at development of rural growth clusters which have latent potential for growth, in all States and UTs, which would trigger overall development in the region. These clusters would be developed by provisioning of economic activities, developing skills & local entrepreneurship and providing infrastructure amenities. The Rurban Mission will thus develop a cluster of Smart Villages.
29	Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram	(Launched on 16th October 2014)
30	Kisan Vikas Patra	(Relaunched in 2014) – Saving certificate Scheme
31	AMRUT	Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Development (earlier name JNNURM)
32	PRASAD	Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation-To improve the infrastructure at pilgrimage places.
33	Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana	The Union Cabinet has approved Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana It is a new crop insurance scheme to boost farming sector in the country. It is farmers’ welfare scheme The Scheme aims to reduce the premium burden on farmers and ensure early settlement of crop Insurance claim for the full insured sum.We Will cover this Scheme In details in Separate Article