1.Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme

- To make India a manufacturing hub, the government had initially announced the PLI scheme for mobile phones, pharma products, and medical equipment sectors.with a proposed outlay of Rs. 51,311 crore.
- Notified on April 1, 2020 as a part of the National Policy on Electronics.
- It proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the electronics value chain.
- In November 2020, the Union Cabinet gave its approval to introduce the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme in 10 more sectors for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and exports (Atmanirbhar Bharat).

Key Points

PLI Scheme:

A scheme that aims to give companies incentives on incremental sales from products manufactured in domestic units.
The scheme invites foreign companies to set units in India, however, it also aims to encourage local companies to set up or expand existing manufacturing units.
Expansion of PLI Scheme to Ten More Sectors:
The ten sectors include food processing, telecom, electronics, textiles, specialty steel, automobiles and auto components, solar photo-voltaic modules and white goods such as air conditioners and LEDs.
The sectors had been identified on the basis of their potential to create jobs and make India self-reliant.
The PLI scheme for these ten sectors will be operational for five years with a total estimated outlay of Rs 1.45 lakh crore.
The PLI scheme will be implemented by the concerned ministries/departments.
Savings from one PLI scheme of an approved sector can be utilized to fund another sector.
The scheme for these sectors will be in addition to the PLI schemes for mobile phones and allied equipment manufacturing, pharmaceutical ingredients and medical devices.
Several more pharmaceutical products have been brought under the aegis of the PLI scheme, including complex generics, anti-cancer and diabetic drugs, in-vitro diagnostic devices and special empty capsules.

Benefits:

The PLI scheme across these 10 key specific sectors will make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investment in the areas of core competency and cutting-edge technology; ensure efficiencies; create economies of scale; enhance exports and make India an integral part of the global supply chain.

Push to Digital Economy:

India is expected to have a USD 1 trillion digital economy by 2025. Additionally, the Government’s push for data localization, Internet of Things, projects such as Smart City and Digital India are expected to increase the demand for electronic products.

Increase Exports:

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the world by volume and 14th largest in terms of value. It contributes 3.5% of the total drugs and medicines exported globally.
India is the world’s second largest steel producer in the world. It is a net exporter of finished steel. A PLI scheme in Specialty Steel will help in enhancing manufacturing capabilities for value added steel leading to increase in total exports.
Specialty steel is made by adding various elements to iron, to achieve various properties, such as heat resistance, hardness, and corrosion resistance.

Secure Telecom Infrastructure:

Telecom equipment forms a critical and strategic element of building a secured telecom infrastructure and India aspires to become a major original equipment manufacturer of telecom and networking products.

Doubling Farmers’ Income:

The growth of the processed food industry leads to better price for farmers and reduces high levels of wastage.

Employment generation

The scheme was also likely to generate 40,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities and generate tax revenue of ₹17,000 crores from telecom equipment manufacturing.

Benefits for MSMEs

For inclusion of MSMEs in the scheme, the minimum investment threshold has been kept at ₹10 crores, while for others it is ₹100 crore.
For MSMEs, a 1% higher incentive is also proposed in the first three years.

Benefiting telecom servicing providers:

As the telecom industry goes through a difficult phase, this step by the central government will surely incentivize the telecom service providers who have been opting for the locally manufactured equipment, thus also saving the substantial cost related to the imports.
Even though there is time to see whether there will be many takers for the PLI scheme, it will surely appear that these developments are on the right path towards self-sufficiency.

2.Mission Karmayogi

Mission Karmayogi is the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB). It is a reform in Indian Bureaucracy. Union Cabinet launched it on 2nd September 2020 The mission intends to lay down the foundations for the Indian civil servants’ capacity building and aims to enhance governance.
It aims to establish the new national architecture for civil services capacity building at individual, institutional and process levels.
A special purpose vehicle (SPV) (non-profit company) is set up under the Companies Act 2013 to run this mission.
This SPV will manage i-GOT Karmayogi which is the online training digital platform

Salient Features of Mission Karmayogi

Mission Karmayogi is a step towards improved human resource management practices in the government. It has the following features:

The transition from Rules Based to Roles Based Human Resource (HR) Management – The focus is to allocate jobs to the civil servants based on their competencies.
On-Site Learning to complement Off-Site Learning – It is a training given to the civil servants on-site.
An ecosystem of shared training infrastructure – Civil servants to adapt to an ecosystem of shared learning materials, institutions and personnel.
Framework of Roles, Activities and Competencies (FRACs) approach – All civil services positions to be calibrated under this approach. Also based on this approach, all learning content will be created and delivered to every single government entity.
Behavioural, Functional and Domain Competencies – Civil Servants to build their competencies in their self-driven and mandated learning paths.
Co-creation of the common ecosystem by all the Central Ministries, Departments and their organizations – This is a way to create an ecosystem of learning through an annual financial subscription for every employee.
Partnership with learning content creators – Public training institutions, universities, start-tips and individual experts will be enabled to be a part of this capacity-building measure.

What is iGOT-Karmayogi?

It is an Integrated Government Online Training digital platform under the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD). which will deliver capacity building programmes by drawing content from global best practices rooted in Indian national ethos.
It will enable a comprehensive reform of the capacity building apparatus at the individual, institutional and process levels.
Civil servants will have to take online courses and they will be evaluated based on their courses, their performances in each course they have taken spreading across their span of services.

Apex Body of the Mission Karmayogi

The Public Human Resource Council under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of Indiawill be the apex body of the Mission Karmayogi. The other members of this council will include:

Union Ministers
Chief Ministers
Eminent public HR practitioners
Thinkers
Global thought leaders and
Public Service functionaries.

Six Pillar of Mission Karmayogi

Mission Karmayogi has the following six pillars:

Policy Framework
Institutional Framework
Competency Framework
Digital Learning Framework
Electronic Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS)
Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

Civil services form the backbone of the Indian administration. Any reform taken to enhance the capacity building of the civil services is an important step towards better governance.
Steps to be taken to build the capacity of civil services:

Linking the transformation of work culture
Strengthening public institutions
Adoption of modern technology

Objectives of the Capacity Building Commission under Mission Karmayogi

It will assist the Public Human Resource Council
It will supervise all central training institutions which are enabled for civil services capacity building
It will create external faculty and resource centres.
It will assist stakeholder departments in the implementation of the capacity building programmes.
It will put forth recommendations on the standardization of the training and capacity building, pedagogy and methodology
It will suggest policy interventions related to the HR practises in the government.

3.Padhna Likhna Abhiyan

On the occasion of International Literacy Day, Prime Minister Modi will be launching ‘Padhna Likhna Abhiyan’ to tackle the literacy-related challenges in the post COVID world, as per the Education Ministery of India. The scheme will be launched to educate adults in the country.
The theme for this year’s Literacy Day is ‘Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond’. The ongoing pandemic has made us realise the power of literacy for all age groups with the technology as a facilitator.
Padhna Likhna Abhiyan will focus on the Basic Literacy component in four months cycle amongst the adults of the nation. For this purpose, the government think tank, NITI Aayog, has underlined 112 Aspirational Districts. This scheme will focus on achieving 100% or Total Literacy by 2030. The scheme will be merged with the existing schemes of the government.

Under this scheme, massive literacy projects will be launched in the tribal and forests areas, prisons, slums, etc. with the technology as a facilitator. By driving the technology in, quality education will be imparted in the backward areas with the creation of e-materials, mobile apps and more.
In a blog post on Indian Express, the Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has requested the retired government teachers and other employees, homemakers and volunteers to actively participate in building a literate India. He assured that the material for learning and teaching will be made available free of cost in the public domain. The guidelines and instructions will also be provided to the teachers

4. Prime Minister Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi-PM SVANidhi

PM SVANidhi stands for Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi. It is a central sector scheme launched in June 2020. It aims to provide micro-credit facilities to street vendors affected due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
Target Beneficiary
Street Vendors or hawkers in urban areas
Street Vendors of peri-urban areas
Street Vendors of Rural areas
(Those street vendors as on/before 24th March 2020)
Mandatory Documents to Access Benefits
Aadhar Card
Voter Identity Card

Lending Institutions under PM SVANidhi

Scheduled Commercial Banks
Regional Rural Banks
Cooperative Banks
Non-Banking Financial Companies
Micro-Finance Institutions
Self Help Groups (SHG) Banks

Objectives of PM SVANidhi

To give vendors access to affordable working capital loans which can help them to resume their livelihood activities post-countrywide lockdown (due to the pandemic.)
To incentivize regular repayment of loans by provisions like cash-back, higher loans on subsequent demands etc.
To promote digitalization by rewarding vendors who opt for digital repayments of loans.

Salient Features of PM SVANidhi

It is a central sector scheme
It will provide afafordable working capital loans to street vendors who are left affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
It will be implemented till March 2022.
Vendors will be provided with an initial working capital of up to Rs. 10000
A vendor will get an interest subsidy at 7 per cent at early or timely repayment of loans.
There is a provision of monthly cash-back incentive on digital payments.
1. Monthly cashback in the range of Rs. 50-100.
A vendor has the high probability to be eligible for a higher loan if he/she repays the first loan on time.
A vendor does not have to provide any collateral security to access the loan.

5.Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) was launched on 10th September 2020. The aim of the scheme is to bring about Blue Revolution through the sustainable development of the fisheries sector over a period of five years (2020-2025).
It is an umbrella scheme to develop the fisheries sector with a total outlay of Rs. 20050 crores. It has two components:

Central Sector Scheme (CS)
1. Non-beneficiary oriented scheme
2. Beneficiary oriented scheme (Central Assistance for General Category – 40%; SC/ST/Women – 60%)
Central Sponsored Scheme (CSS) – (Central Assistance for Northeastern States – 90%, Other States – 60%; and UTs – 100%)
1. Non-beneficiary oriented scheme
2. Beneficiary oriented scheme

The central sponsor scheme component of the PMMSY will cover three broad sub-components:

Enhancement of Production and Productivity
Infrastructure and Post-harvest Management
Fisheries Management and Regulatory Framework

It intends to work on:

Fish production
Fisheries productivity
Quality of fisheries and aquaculture sectors
Post-harvest infrastructure and management
Modernization of value chain
Welfare of the fishers and fish farmers
Fisheries management framework

The main objective of the PMMSY is to develop fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

Harness the potential of fisheries sector in a sustainable, responsible, inclusive and equitable manner
Efficient use of land and water resources to enhance fish production and productivity.
Modernize value chain considering post-harvest management and quality improvement.
Double fishers and fish farmers’ incomes
Generate employment in the fisheries sector.
Enhance fisheries sector’s contribution to overall agricultural Gross Value Added (GVA) and exports.
Provide social, economic and physical security to fish farmers and fishermen.
Develop a robust fisheries management and regulatory framework.
Catch to consumer’ post-harvest infrastructure management – Along with the development of fisheries production, a major emphasis is laid upon the quality of post-harvest management.
Private Sector Participation – Promotion of start-ups, incubators etc in fisheries sectors will be taken up along with the development of business models, promotion of ease of doing business and innovative ideas in the sector.
It will identify the potential clusters for fisheries’ development and will be supported with:
Requisite interventions
Forward and backward linkages
Facilities with quality brood, seed and feed
Infrastructure
Processing and marketing networks
Linking and converging existing schemes – To amplify the outcomes of PM Mastya Sampada Yojana, it will be fostered with the following schemes among others:
Ministry of Shipping’s Sagarmala Project
Ministry of Food Processing Industries’ PM Kisan Sampada Yojana
Ministry of Rural Development’s National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
Ministry of Rural Development’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
Ministry of Agriculture’s Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
The scheme will focus on the species diversification, value addition, end-to-end traceability, brand promotion in close collaboration with The Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA).
Focus of the fisheries sectors’ development in the J&K, Ladakh, Islands, Northeast, and Aspirational Districts through area-specific strategic development planning.
Aquaculture promotion will be undertaken especially in the saline and alkaline areas of Northern India
Aquatic health management – Focus is laid on the address of diseases, anti-biotic and residue issues which will be supported by an integrated laboratory network.
Creation of a national platform to deliver affordable and quality fish – E-marketing and E-trading of Fish along with wholesale and retail fish markets will be created.

Significance of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)

The increase of fish production from 13.75 million metric tons (MMT) (2018-19) to 22 million metric tons by 2025.
Increase of the fisheries sectors’ GVA contribution in the agriculture GVA from 7.28% to 9% by 2025.
Double export earnings from Rs.46589 crore to Rs. 1 lakh crore by 2025.
Decrease in post-harvest loss from 25 percent to 10 percent.
Generation of 15 lakh direct employment opportunities.
Increase in domestic fish consumption from 5 kg to 12 kg per capita.

6.KAPILA Kalam Programme(Kalam Program for IP (Intellectual Property) Literacy and Awareness)

Under this programand as a first step, “IP LiteracyWeek” was organised during 15 – 23 October 2020 to celebrate the birth anniversary of visionary and well acclaimed proponent of Innovative India, Former President, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
To overcome the current limitations in our innovation ecosystem especially in our HEIs, a systematic holistic effort ‘KAPILA: Kalam Program for IP Literacy and Awareness’ is proposed which will create appropriate awareness regarding the need of IP filing, mechanism and methodology involved in filing IP in India and globally, especially amongst students and faculty of higher education institutions.
KAPILA will help in establishing the much required IP filing ecosystem in large number of education institutions and thus create a culture of systematically protecting new ideas, research and innovation having national and global relevance.
The objective of KAPILA is to recognise, facilitate and felicitate the Intellectual Property, innovations and best practices in HEIs.
The Union Education Minister launched the KAPILA Kalam Programme on the 89th birth anniversary of former President and Scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.The KAPILA programme was launched virtually on 15th October 2020 by the Union Education Ministers, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
Under this campaign, students pursuing education in higher educational institutions will get information about the correct system of the application process for patenting their invention and they will be aware of their rights.
The program will facilitate the colleges and institutions to encourage more and more students to file patents.
To promote awareness in the field, the Ministry celebrated the week from 15th October to 23rd October as ‘Intellectual Property Literacy Week’

7.Sahakar Pragya Initiative

Since the rural population and farming activities are a major source of economic development for India, the Government has set up Sahakar Pragya to train and educate the rural population through the cooperative sector of the country.
The 45 new training modules of Sahakar Pragya of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) will impart training to primary cooperative societies in rural areas of the country along with Laxmanrao Inamdar National Cooperative Research and Development Academy (Linac).
Sahakar Pragya initiative mainly aims at strengthening the cooperative sector of our country by imparting knowledge and skills to the rural population of India.

major objectives of this initiative:

45 new training modules of Sahakar Pragya of NCDC will be training the cooperative societies in rural India
Farmers will be trained by the primary cooperatives to educate them about minimizing the risk in agricultural activities
It will also boost the cooperative sector to act as a shield between the farmers and the unscrupulous traders
Enhancement of NCDC’s training capacity through a network of 18 Regional Training Centres across the country will also be established.
This programme is in terms with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyanand aims to educate and impart knowledge to the poor farmers of the country and make them self-aware and independent

Significance of Sahakar Pragya

The cooperative sector has been successful in lending help to the farmers in various ways. This can also be said as almost 94% of India farmers are a part of one or the other cooperative society.
Thus, boosting the cooperative sector to make the rural population of the country aware and reduce risk factors, Sahakar Pragya is of great significance

Other Sahakar Initiatives by NCDC

Sahakar Pragya is not the only initiative that has been taken up by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), there are a few other programmes and initiatives which were launched.
Discussed below are the same in brief:

Sahakar-22

Aims to provide new employment opportunities for farmers through cooperatives
Another objective of this initiative is to develop cooperatives in the focus 222 districts and other aspirational districts

Sahakar Mitra

It is a Summer Internship Programme (SIP)
Students and young professionals to be hired as interns to gain work experience and give them opportunities to deliver innovative solutions for the cooperative sector
Visit the Sahakar Mitra Scheme page to learn more about this NCDC initiative

Yuva Sahakar

It aims to attract aspirational youths and their youth friendly schemes for the development of the cooperative sector

Ayushman Sahakar

Aims to assist cooperatives in creation of healthcare infrastructure in the countryUnder this scheme, the establishment, development, expansion, renovation, etc. of hospital and healthcare infrastructure to be covered

About National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)

It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1963 as a statutory Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Its main function is planning, promoting and financing the production, processing and marketing of different agricultural activities through cooperatives
It is also responsible to assist different types of cooperatives and their financial bases

About Laxmanrao Inamdar National Cooperative Research and Development Academy (Linac)

Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC) is NCDC’s own training institution which was set up in 1985
Its main aim is Entrepreneurship and Business Development in Cooperative Sector
The Academy endeavors to develop its programmes and interventions with a strong client-orientation and inter-disciplinary perspective to strengthen institutional capabilities and human resources in cooperatives

8.Jal Jeevan Mission

Introduction:

Jal Jeevan Mission, is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking waterthrough individual household tapconnections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) or the Atul Bhujal Yojana is a project started by the Indian Government to get safe drinking water and sanitation to every house in India. It received widespread recognition and support and is one of the largest government schemes right now in India.

What is Jal Jeevan Mission?

Jal Jeevan is an initiative taken under the Jal Shakti Ministry also known as Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) to provide every house with piped water and help them with proper sanitation and drinking water.
It was first hinted at on Independence Day in 2019 when Narendra Modi in his speech said that most houses in India do not have proper access to safe drinking water.
That was an indication to the upcoming Jal Jeevan Mission. He put aside around 3.5 trillion rupees and said that it would be assigned to Jal Jeevan Mission for the Centre and the States to work on in the next few years.

What is Jal Jeevan Mission’s Goal?

The Mission’s goal is to give access to all households in India, be it in rural areas or urban areas, safe and adequate water through individual household tap connections and achieve it by the end of 2024.
The Har Ghar Nal Se Jal programme was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2019-20 speech. This programme is one of the most crucial parts of the Jal Jeevan Mission. It works towards implementing source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge of and reuse through greywater management, water conservation, and rainwater harvesting.
The Jal Jeevan Mission is based on a community approach to water. The mission includes information, education and communication which form the key components. The mission wants to create a people’s movement for water, making it everyone’s a priority, making everyone come together to work towards the same goal.

Jal Jeevan Mission Guidelines

The Jal Jeevan Mission in Kerala is said to have three phases of activities when it is being implemented and will be personally assisted by the Centre for the rural water supply initiative. Operational guidelines are to be released by the State. The guidelines are divided into three stages- planning, implementation and maintenance.

The First Stage

It will take a time period of up to three to six months and will be dedicated to planning, capacity building, selection of panchayats responsible, the formation of most basic panchayat-level water and sanitation committees, and signing all the agreements and official documentation needed for project implementation, according to a document released by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the formal launch of the JJM in Kerala on June 18

The Second Stage

Ideally, the implementation stage which is the stage where the actual project comes into being and constitutes the second phase should range from six to 12 months. Wide-scale assessment of water sources and quality inspections, development of water sources when there is a lack of it and basic infrastructure, geo-tagging, tariff fixation, and commissioning of water supply schemes will be carried out in this phase.

The Third Stage

The third phase and the last stage is where the maintenance and operation of the water supplies, greywater management and training programmes will take place.

Implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission

For the implementation of JJM, the institutional arrangement has been proposed are:
National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) – Central level
State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) – State level
District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) – District level
Village Water Sanitation Committee (VWSC) – Village level
Further, it was decided that every village will prepare a Village Action Plan (VAP) which will have three components:
Water source & its maintenance
Water supply
Greywater (domestic wastewater) management.

Recent Endeavours for Jal Shakti Abhiyan

There has been a lot of actions being taken under the JJM project mission:
Widespread 2020 recruitment for Jal Jeevan Mission in Assam, Bihar (called BRLPS in the State of Bihar) and Kerala.
Jal Jeevan Mission Logo and Tagline Contest were held and around 5000 entries were submitted which are still under review. The winner’s logo and tagline will become the official face for the Mission under Ejalshakiti’s Har Ghar Jal Yojana.

Conclusion

India is well on its way to face one of the most serious water crisis. According to the NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) 2018, 21 Indian cities are said to be in the danger of facing Day Zero in the coming years.
Jal Jeevan Hariyali Mission is not only about water provisions for all but also about recycling and reusing water. It is one of our hopes that could set things well in the future. Thus, it is the need of the hour to pay attention to and to follow this project stringently, not only to use our resources well and evenly divide it among every person but also to sustain it for future generations.

9.Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme

MINISTRY OF POWER NOTIFIES NORMS AND STANDARDS FOR TRADING OF E-CERTIFICATE UNDER PAT CYCLE II
Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme is a market based carbon trading progarmme to
reduce energy consumption and promote enhanced energy efficiency among specific energy intensive industries (called Designated Consumers (DCs)).

Itis a flagship progarmme of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, one of the 8 missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
Under this scheme, reductions in specific energy saving targets are assigned to DCs for a three year cycle. PAT Cycle-Il was notified in 2016.
Energy saving certificates (ESCerts) are awarded after a DC surpasses its target and can then be sold to another DC that has failed to achieve its target. ESCerts, equivalent to 1 tonne of oil equivalent (toe) of energy savings, are given.
> ESCerts could be traded at Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Power Exchange India Limited (PXIL) or bought by other units under PAT who can use them to meet their compliance requirements.
> BEE is the administrator and Central Electricity Regulatory Commission is the regulatory body of ESCerts trading.

AboutBEE

BEE is a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. It assists in developing policies and strategies on energy conservation and efficiency with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy. BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies of the states, and other related organization to identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing the functions assigned to it under the Energy Conservation Act.

10. New Industrial Development Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir (J&K IDS, 2021)

Itis a Central Sector Scheme launched recently for the development of Industries in J&K.
It aims to Put emphasis on job creation, skill development and sustainable development by attracting new investment and nurturing the existing ones.
Take industrial development to the block level.
Various incentives under scheme includes
Capital Investment Incentive, Capital Interest subvention, GST Linked Incentive and Working Capital Interest Incentive.
Scheme is approved with a total outlay of Rs. 28,400 crore upto the year 2037.
It is a new Central Sector Scheme for the development of Industries in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
The main purpose of the scheme is to generate employment which directly leads to the socio-economic development of the area.

Incentives available

Capital Investment Incentive at the rate of 30% in Zone A and 50% in Zone B on the investment made in Plant & Machinery (in manufacturing) or construction of the building is available.
Capital Interest subvention: At the annual rate of 6% for a maximum of 7 years on loan amount up to Rs. 500 crore for investment in plant and machinery (in manufacturing) or construction of the building.
GST Linked Incentive: 300% of the eligible value of actual investment made in plant and machinery (in manufacturing) or construction in building for 10 years.
Working Capital Interest Incentive: All existing units at an annual rate of 5% for a maximum of 5 years. Maximum limit of incentive is Rs 1 crore

Key features:

The scheme is made attractive for both smaller and larger units.
Smaller units with an investment in plant & machinery upto Rs. 50 crore will get a capital incentive upto Rs. 7.5 crore and get capital interest subvention at the rate of 6% for a maximum of 7 years
The scheme aims to take industrial development to the block level in UT of J&K, which is the first time in any Industrial Incentive Scheme of the GoI.
The scheme has been simplified on the lines of ease of doing business by bringing one major incentive- GST Linked Incentive- that will ensure less compliance burden without compromising on transparency.
It is not a reimbursement or refund of GST but gross GST is used to measure eligibility for industrial incentive to offset the disadvantages that the UT of J&K face

11.Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) SEHAT scheme

Recently, PM launched AB-PMJAY SEHAT scheme to extend health insurance coverage to all residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) SEHAT scheme. The main aim behind the scheme is to extend health insurance coverage to all residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
It would operate on insurance mode in convergence with PM-JAY and would be portable across India.
AB-PMJAY is the world’s largest health insurance scheme fully financed by the Centre which provides a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.
Ayushman Bharat program (two pillars: Health and Wellness Centres and PM-JAY) is envisaged to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
About the AB-PMJAY Scheme
– SEHAT stands for Social, Endeavour for Health and Telemedicine. It is a health insurance scheme for the Union Territory.
– It provides free of cost insurance cover to all the residents of the UT of J&K.
– It also provides financial cover up to Rs.5 Lakh per family on a floater basis to all residents of the UT of J&K and an operational extension of PM-JAY to 15 lakh (approximately) additional families.
Important points about PM- JAY
It is the world’s largest health insurance/assurance scheme fully financed by the government, provides a cover of Rs 500,000 per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation across public and private empanelled hospitals in India.
The benefit of Rs 5,00,000 is on a family floater basis. This means that it can be used by one or all members of the family.

It covers medical procedures including oncology, cardiology, nephrology etc and up to three days of pre-hospitalisation and 15 days post-hospitalisation expenses like diagnostics and medicines are also included in the scheme.

12. Features of PM-KISAN Scheme

PM Kisan is a Central Sector scheme with 100% funding from Government of India.
It has become operational from 1.12.2018.
the scheme will be provided to all farmer families irrespective of size of their land holdings
Definition of family for the scheme is husband, wife and minor children.
State Government and UT administration will identify the farmer families which are eligible for support as per scheme guidelines.
The fund will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
The first installment for the period 1.12.2018 to 31.03.2019 is to be provided in the financial year itself.
There are various Exclusion Categories for the scheme
The following categories of beneficiaries of higher economic status shall not be elligible for benefit under the scheme.
1 )All Institutional Land holders.
2) Farmer families which belong to one or more of the following categories:.

i) Former and present holders of constitutional posts

ii) Former and present Ministers/ State Ministers and former/present Members of LokSabha/ RajyaSabha/ State Legislative Assemblies/ State Legislative Councils, former and present Mayors of Municipal Corporations, former and present Chairpersons of District Panchayats.

iii) All serving or retired officers and employees of Central/ State Government Ministries /Offices/Departments and its field units Central or State PSEs and Attached offices /Autonomous Institutions under Government as well as regular employees of the Local Bodies

(Excluding Multi Tasking Staff /Class IV/Group D employees)

vi) All superannuated/retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs.10,000/-or more

(Excluding Multi Tasking Staff / Class IV/Group D employees) of above category

v) All Persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year

vi) Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with Professional bodies and carrying out profession by undertaking practices.

The amount is transferred in three 4-monthly installments of Rs. 2000/- each, directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiary farmers identified by the State/UT Governments. Payment is done on the basis of Aadhaar seeded data of beneficiaries, except for the State/UTs of Assam, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, which have been given exemption in this regard upto 31st March, 2021.
The total allocation in 2021-22 was Rs 65,000 crore, same as RE 2020-21 but slashed by 13 per cent from BE 2020-21.
According to the Economic Survey released January 29, 2021 the scheme had reached around nine crore farmers in 2020-21 till December 2020 but had around 14 crore registered farmers.
There was also no talk of extending this scheme to tenant farmers, who have been excluded from this benefit from the start. There was just a four per cent increase in allocation for PMFBY, another flagship scheme started in 2016, compared to RE 2020-21.

13.NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL MARKET (NAM)

Objective

To promote genuine price discovery
Increases farmers’ options for sale and access to markets
Liberal licensing of traders / buyers and commission agents. One license for a trader valid across all markets in the State
Harmonisation of quality standards of agricultural produce
Single point levy of market fees, i.e on the first wholesale purchase from the farmer.
Provision of Soil Testing Laboratories in/ or near the selected mandi to facilitate visiting farmers to access this facility in the mandi itself

Intended beneficiary

585 regulated wholesale markets in states/union territories (UTs).
Farmers
Local traders
Bulk buyers, processors
Farm produce exporters
Overall economy of the nation

Salient features

NAM is a pan-India electronic trading portal which seeks to network the existing APMCs and other market yards to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) has been selected as the lead agency to implement it.
Central government will provide the software free of cost to the states and in addition, a grant of up to Rs. 30 lakhs per mandi or market or private mandis will be given for related equipment and infrastructure requirements
New Features added to the scheme such as E-NAM Mobile App, BHIM Payment facility, MIS dashboard for better analysis and insights, grievance redressal mechanism for Mandi Secretaries and integration with Farmer Database to ease the registration and identification process will further strengthen e-NAM.
Fund Allocation – The Scheme is being funded through AgriTech Infrastructure Fund (AITF).

14. Price Stabilization Fund

Objective: to safeguard the interest of the growers and provide them financial relief when prices fall below a specified level.

Scheme:

Central Sector Scheme.
To support market interventions for price control of perishable agri-horticultural commodities.
PSF will be used to advance interest free loan to State Governments and Central agencies to support their working capital and other expenses on procurement and distribution interventions for such commodities.
Procurement of the commodities will be undertaken directly from farmers or farmers’ organizations at farm gate/mandi and made available at a more reasonable price to the consumers.
Initially the fund is proposed to be used for onion and potato only. Losses incurred, if any, in the operations will be shared between the Centre and the States.

Framework and Funding:

States will set up a revolving fund to which theCentre and State will contribute equally, i.e. 50:50.
The ratio of Centre-State contribution to the State-level corpus in respect of Northeast States will, however, be 75:25.

15.Health and Family Welfare Schemes

National Digital Health Mission (NDHM)
Digital Health Infrastructure created by NDHM, instead of ferrying medical records in polythene bags from doctor to doctor, Indians will be able to access their lab reports, x-rays and prescriptions irrespective of where they were generated, and share them with doctors or family members — with consent.
Key Features :
Six key building blocksor digital systems namely, HealthID, DigiDoctor, Health Facility Registry, Personal Health Records, e-Pharmacy & Telemedicine
Unique Health ID:Every Indian under the mission would get an ID card containing all relevant information about his/her medical conditions and treatments, tests etc
Comprehensive Health Profile: Ranging from doctor appointment to the medication prescribed, medical tests, every bit of detail will be available in the health profile of an individual across public and private healthcare.
National Health Authority (NHA),the attached office of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has been given the mandate to design, build, roll-out and implement the NDHM in the country.
Encouraging Private Players for promotion of Health Data Analytics &Medical Research
Private stakeholders will have an equal opportunity to integrate with these building blocks and create their own products for the market.
However, core activities and verifications, for example, generation of Health ID or approval of a doctor/facility shall remain with the government.
Additional components, like Personal Health Record (PHR) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) solutions can be developed by private players in line with the guidelines that will be issued.

Merits:

CreatesDigital Health Ecosystem:It will reduce the existing gap between various stakeholders such as doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers by bringing them together and connecting them in an integrated digital health infrastructure.
Voluntary Scheme: The NDHM is a holistic, voluntary healthcare programme. While option of digital Health ID will be there, in case a person does not want Health ID, then also treatment needs to be provided.
Data Safeguards: All products by private participants shall be as per official guidelines taking care of security, privacy and standards of the NDHM ecosystem
Improves Healthcare Service Efficiency:The created Digital Health infrastructure enables users to obtain a longitudinal view of their healthcare records. Electric Medical Records will increase accountability, improves patient outcomes, and advances evidence-based policymaking.
Addresses Healthcare Challenges: The Digital Healthinfrastructuregreatly reduces the risk of preventable medical errors and significantly increase quality of care.
Reduces Information Asymmetry: The Digital data will empower all Indians with the correct information and sources enabling them to take an informed decision to avail the best possible healthcare.
Aligned with International Goals: NDHM will be a major stride towards achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 of Universal Health Coverage, including financial risk protection
Last Mile Connectivity Issue:The provision of promoting e-pharmacy & Telemedicine will enable people in rural areas access quality healthcare providers.

Challenges Ahead

Cannot be a Substitution: Digitalization is welcome but is no substitute for inadequate human resources and infrastructure in the health sector.
Doesn’t address core concern of Health care sector: The real issue in India’s health sector is the abject lack of primary health facilities in much of India.
Digital awarenessabout the utility of the scheme is needed for its successful adoption by beneficiaries so that it eases the process and not
To enable seamless data exchange, all users (pharmacists, laboratories, radiology clinics, insurers and hospitals) must be incentivized to adopt a standard language of communication.

16. Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Yojana

‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. Of India, to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special kendra’s known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra.
Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementing agency of PMBJP. BPPI (Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India) has been established under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. of India, with the support of all the CPSUs.

Features:

Ensure access to quality medicines.
Extend coverage of quality generic medicines so as to reduce the out of pocket expenditure on medicines and thereby redefine the unit cost of treatment per person.
Create awareness about generic medicines through education and publicity so that quality is not synonymous with only high price.
A public programme involving Government, PSUs, Private Sector, NGO, Societies, Co-operative Bodies and other Institutions.
Create demand for generic medicines by improving access to better healthcare through low treatment cost and easy availability wherever needed in all therapeutic categories.
Januashadhi Week:
It was celebrated across the country from 1^stto 7^th March 2020, to inform and educate the general public about the price benefits and quality of the medicines being sold at Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
17. Science and Technology Schemes

Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020)

STIP 2020 has been formulated with an aim to bring around a new outlook and strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI). It is India’s 5th STIP and is being brought around at the testing times of COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Objectives of Science Technology and Innovation Policy 2020
Since it is the 5th STIP of India, the Government of India intends to innovate policies, missions, and schemes which can benefit the science and technology-based developments in the country.
Given below are the key points which one must know regarding STIP 2020:
The Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy, 2020 formulation process will be facilitated jointly by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (Office of PSA), and the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
This policy has been formulated with a decentralized, bottom-up, and inclusive design process, aiming to restrategize priorities, sectoral focus, and methods of research and technology development for larger socio-economic welfare
With the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse effects on the economy and life, STIP 2020 has been designed with the integration of GoI’s Atmanirbhar Bharat. Research, development, science and technology workforce, institutions, etc.
An engaging national policy-making process has been initiated, with an aim to gather input and manage outreach. A six-level initiative has been introduced:
In Conversation with – Interviews with experts and leaders in various capacities to provide inputs for the policy
Across the Table – 16 panel discussions will be held to hear out different perspectives from the expert
Policy Compass – Policy Compass is a dedicated platform through which people can give their suggestions, views, and ideas in the formation of policy
Open Letter – To spread awareness, open letter will be published in multiple languages to invite ideas from various parts of the country
Thoughts for India – It is a podcast series in partnership with community radios across the country where awareness shall be raised about the science policy
Ideathon – It is a competition where participants will be encouraged to share concepts or ideas regarding the STI ecosystem and how the policy should be addressing it
STIP 2020 – The 4 Tracks
The Government and the authorising bodies have finalised a participative model with four interconnected tracks. Discussed below are the same:
Track 1: Extended public and expert consultation – aims to create a repository of public voices that will act as a guiding force for the drafting process
Track 2: Thematic group consultation – consultations comprises 21 expert-driven thematic collectives to feed evidence-based recommendations into the policy drafting process
Track 3: Ministries and State consultation – brings together Ministries and States in extensive engagement through nominated nodal officers
Track 4: Apex Level Multi-Stakeholder consultation – is the binding force that draws upon apex level multi-stakeholder engagement at the national and global level