Union Railway Budget -2016

Union Railway Budget 2015-2016

Budget 2015

Budget 2015
                                          Introducing budget in parliament

 

Modi conclusion in budget 2015

Accessible India Campaign or Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan

Accessible India Campaign or Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan

AIC or SBA is a program to serve the differently-able community of the country. The program comes with an index to measure the design of disabled-friendly buildings and human resource policies. The flagship program was launched by the Prime Minister on 3 December 2015, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The initiative also in line with the Article 9 of UNCRPD (UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) to which India is a signatory from 2007. The scheme also comes under Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 under section 44, 45, 46 for equal Opportunities and protection of rights which provides non-discrimination in Transport to Persons with Disabilities. According to the census 2011, 2.21 per cent or approx. 21M Indians of the population suffers from disability. The target is to make at least fifty government buildings disabled friendly under the campaign in each of the state till end of 2016 and make 25 per cent of the public transport vehicles under government as disabled friendly till mid 2017. A website will also be made where the people can put their views on the accessibility of any building. By July 2016, the international airports in the country and railway stations which come under A1, A and B categories will be made fully disabled-friendly.

Special set-top boxes will be made available to make watching TV more convenient for the visually impaired. In the next 5 years, almost 200 persons will be trained to speak in sign languages on government TV channels. Government websites will also be made more friendly by using text to speech option. The initiative involves retrofitting buildings, framing such standards for new buildings and transport that they are friendly to the differently-abled, auditing private companies on 'accessibility index' standard and making all government websites friendly to the differently-able.

A ''Sugamya Bharat'' mobile app which can provide information on disabled-friendly public facilities in a city, will be launched under the scheme

Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan

Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan

Maharashtra government launched a programme named ‘Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan’ to make Maharashtra a drought-free state by 2019. The project involves deepening and widening of streams, construction of cement and earthen stop dams, work on nullahs and digging of farm ponds. The programme aims to make 5000 villages free of water scarcity every year. Under the programme, micro-irrigation systems would be encouraged for efficient use of water. It aims at increasing the irrigated area. Existing water conservation schemes will be now brought under this scheme. With several parts of Maharashtra still reeling under the drought, the state government launched the scheme to combat increasing number of suicide by the farmers of the state, among other things. 

Higher broadband penetration in the country with having level playing field on the internet

Higher broadband penetration in the country with having level playing field on the internet

While the debate on Net Neutrality has been on at the global level for a long time, in India it was triggered when country’s largest operator Airtel in December 2014 announced plans to start charging customers for VoIP services, such as Skype and Viber. The debate gained national momentum when telecom regulator TRAI, in a first step towards making regulating the issue, came out with consultation paper inviting user comments on the subject. Recently, Airtel announced another initiative Airtel Zero, for which it received a lot of flak as this too is seen as violating Net Neutrality.
A neutral Internet means a level playing field. The service providers also warned that if they were to offer unlimited VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) the mobile data prices will need to be increased by atleast six times for operators to sustain business.

Penetration rate is the percentage (%) of a country's population that are subscribers. The industry body also stressed on the need to understand the guiding principles of net neutrality, which is about unfettered user right of making an informed choice in deciding access to legal content/services on the Internet.

Net neutrality creates an open and level-playing field to facilitate innovation, adoption and inclusion. For starters, in a country like India, Net Neutrality has vast implications, especially for start-ups many of whom are dependent on the medium for the success of their business.

Noting that Internet, mobile telephony, social media, big data, analytics, cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) have created a perfect confluence for economic development, the former telecom secretary said the startup and innovation ecosystem and the government's Digital India initiative would transform social and economic spheres, including education, healthcare and financial inclusion.

Highlights of the GDP growth details released by CSO

Highlights of the GDP growth details released by CSO

The Indian economy is going to grow by 7.6 per cent during 2015-16, according to the Advance Estimates released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) yesterday. The CSO has pegged the growth for the December 2015 quarter at 7.3 per cent, while revising the growth estimates for the June 2015 quarter upwards to 7.6 per cent from 7 per cent and for the September 2015 quarter to 7.7 per cent from 7.4 per cent earlier. The growth in cumulative GDP for the period April-December 2015 has been estimated at 7.5 per cent. This means that the economy will have to grow by 7.7 per cent in the last quarter if it has to achieve the CSO’s growth target for 2015-16.

The government has been striving to push growth in Asia’s third-largest economy since it took office in May last year, promising a spending boost and moving to clear up a regulatory logjam that has held up large infrastructure projects. The latest data released by the statistics department on Monday showed India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to 7% in the April-June quarter from 7.5% in the January-March quarter as measured at market prices. Another measure—gross value added (GVA) at basic prices—showed that economic growth accelerated to 7.1% in April-June against 6.1% in January-March.

Private final consumption expenditure (PFCE), according to the CSO, will drive the growth of the economy in the last quarter. PFCE has grown by 6.1 per cent till December 2015. The CSO expects the fiscal year 2015-16 to end with a 7.6 per cent growth in PFCE. This means that it has assumed an 11.7 per cent growth in PFCE for the last quarter.

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/cso-released-estimates-of-gdp-for-apriljune-quarter-of-201516-1441099934-1

Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment

Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment

With  the aim to reduce the expenditure incurred by patients on treatment of cancer and heart diseases, GOI launched the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) outlet at AIIMs in 2015. The retail outlet will sell drugs for the two ailments at highly discounted rates at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to begin with. AMRIT will be launched in all Central Govt hospitals soon. AMRIT pharmacy reflects commitment to reduce the cost of treatment for the patients. Lakhs of patients will benefit from this initiative. The AMRIT pharmacy would be selling 202 cancer and 186 cardio-vascular drugs, and 148 types of cardiac implants at very affordable prices. Patients can buy medicines and implants at 50 to 60 percent cheaper prices than the open market from AMRIT outlet.The project has been floated in a tie-up with government-owned HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL) which is deputed to establish and run the AMRIT chain of pharmacies across the country.

India's global trade strategy today in the light of changing agenda of the WTO

India's global trade strategy today in the light of changing agenda of the World Trade Organisation

             India has been gradually moving away from a closed and protectionist economy and has been orienting itself towards the market, both in terms of disinvestment (privatization) and opening up markets to foreign players (liberalization). India did not succumb to international pressures (from IMF or the World Bank) to liberalize overnight and went in for unilateral liberalization.

The Foreign Trade Policy has a two pronged objective: to double India’s share of global merchandise trade by 2009, over the 2004 level, and to use trade to generate employment.  Several free trade zones are established that facilitate 100 percent Foreign Direct Investment. This seems to have been achieved by having a very pro-export trade policy driven by incentives to exporters, which is quite the contrast to what was the policy up until liberalization. While exports are a key goal, the Foreign Trade Policy also acknowledges the importance of facilitating imports required to stimulate the economy and calls for a simplification of import procedures and reduction of import barriers. It also calls for coherence and consistency between trade and other economic policies. Specific sectoral strategies have been put in place for agriculture and other sectors with potential for generation of exports and employment in semi urban and rural areas. Although India has been a firm supporter of multilateral liberalization, it has also sought out Regional Trade Agreements (RTA) in recent years.

India has consistently taken the stand that the launch of any new round of talks depends on a full convergence of views amongst the entire WTO membership on the scope and framework for such negotiations. Our more urgent task is to resolve the concerns of developing countries on implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements. We are against calls for new commitments from the developing world for achieving symmetry and equity in the existing agreements. It is in favour of non-trade’ issues are permanently kept off the negotiating table.

It has also been possible to maintain without hindrance the domestic policy instruments for promotion of agriculture or for targeted supply of food grains. Domestic policy measures like the operation of minimum support price, public distribution system as well as provision of input subsidies to agriculture have not in any way been constrained by the WTO agreement.

Indian industry has had to face greater competition in the wake of globalisation. But it has successfully completed, as can be inferred from the fact that there has been no particular surge in imports.

Steps to reclaim land fertility in the agricultural lands in the country

Steps to reclaim land fertility in the agricultural lands in the country.

The problems and prospects of agricultural development in the country, some suitable and practicable policy suggestions for agricultural planning are being made for viable and accelerated development of agricultural and allied activities in India.

• The first and the foremost priority should be given to expansion of more and more agricultural lands through effective, appropriate and adequate reclamation measures. Immediate ‘measures should be undertaken to develop kutcha roads up to the fertile slopes and forest. This task should be specifically entrusted to Authorized Departments, and/or Non-Governmental Organizations, with instructions to finish the reclamation works within stipulated time period.
• The government and policy implementing authorities should take into consideration the core competence of the society. The culture of work systems like community works, exchange services, group works or self help works should be encouraged in implementation of agricultural development works through appropriate incentives.
• The waste lands in the area are physically handicapped with the problems like soil erosion, soil degradation etc. The problem of soil erosion is more acute on slopes of hills and soil degradation is confined in the water-logged areas. Green manuring, compost manuring and artificial manuring etc. should be adopted to recoup and maintain the fertility of the soils.
• The practice of shifting cultivation in the high hills should be initiated to settled practice of agriculture in particular. Proper knowledge regarding consumption-demand pattern, and cost-benefit pattern, in general should be imparted. This will ensure better utilization of land and increase the income and yield of the farmers.
• The existing network of irrigational facilities should be expanded to match the present and future demands of the locality through constructing new irrigational channels, boring of new tube-wells, collection of rain water in tanks and through embanking barren valleys, wherever possible.
• The government agencies should provide adequate facilities of loans and subsidies like easy and soft loans for purchasing seeds and fertilizers and development of agriculture lands and provide the farmers to have their own facilities for irrigation through developing channels.
• Cropping belts should be identified in the study area in accordance with the physical qualities of the land, types of the soils and availability of water. Crops requiring good lands should be grown in good soil-water belts, crops with average requirements in medium grade soil-water belt and the crops with lesser requirements in low grade soil-water belt. A suitable crop combination and crop rotation should be practiced in the area where ever posse.
• Similarly, the cropping pattern in Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid seasons should also be adjusted accordingly keeping in view the quality of soils, availability of irrigation, pattern of consumption and demand.
• The practice of multiple and cash cropping should be encouraged by providing adequate irrigational facilities, inputs, storage and marketing facilities to ensure better utilization of land and human resources.
• This will help improve the income and living standard of the farmers and at the same time, it will enrich and strengthen the agricultural sector to meet its own demands as well as the demands of the other parts of the state, slowly making it self sufficient in food grains and providing food security. Similarly, the practice of cash cropping should also be encouraged to meet the diversified demand and consumption needs of the regional population and also to increase the income and living standard of the tanners and labourers.
• The use of improved farm Inputs like HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, sophisticated implements etc. is very low per unit area in the region resulting in a low production and productivity and ultimately, to general poverty among masses. It is, therefore, high time that the inputs per unit area is encouraged and promoted by giving demonstration and educating and training the farmers.
• The agricultural and horticultural pricing should be streamlined and the exploitation of the farmers by middleman, traders and merchants should be stopped by providing adequate marketing facilities for the sale and purchase of the agricultural,  horticultural products at the nearest service centre’s, so that the farmers may get returns from their fields.
• The wages of the agricultural labourers should be adequately raised, so that they are encouraged to work efficiently and honestly. This will certainly increase the labour and land productivity and will, for that matter, Improve the income and living standard of the farmers as well as of the labourers.
• The farmers of the area are mostly uneducated and untrained. They are doubtful about the new farming methods, practices and inputs and do not want to deviate from the traditions. Therefore, it is urgently needed that sufficient facilities for training and educating the farmers into the use of new methods and inputs should be provided to their nearest service centre. Care should be taken to ensure that the training brings concrete changes in their behaviour and attitudes. This will generate more confidence in the entire agricultural system.
• State Government’s encouragement and initiation is a basic requirement for over all agricultural development.

Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat

Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat

PBBB, a nationwide sub-programme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been launched in August, 2014 to ensure quality at the fundamental years of schooling i.e. "classes i& II. Through this programme it will be ensured that all children are able to read with comprehension as well as basic numercy skills. The two tracks of PBBB are: Early reading and writing with comprehension (ERWC) and Early Mathematics (EM). As a follow up to the foundational programme, a programme called the National Reading Initiative was launched in 2015-16 to develop and promote the habit of reading among students in elementary schools, thereby extending the programme up to class8.

PAHAL

PAHAL

The world's largest cash subsidy under the Direct benefit Transfer Scheme was re-launched by the union Government all over the country with effect from january 1, 2015. The scheme was launched for the consumers of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The modified scheme is referred to as Pratyaksh Hanstantarit Labh or PAHAL, DBTL (Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG).

The PAHAL, DBTL, ambitious scheme was earlier launched on june 1, 2013 by the previous Government with the objective with the objective of giving cash subsidy on cooking gas. The present government has comprehensively examined the PAHAL< scheme and re-launched. Under the previous scheme, it was mandatory to have the Aadhar number for all consumers who want to receive the LPG subsidy. It was changed by PAHAL.

Housing for All (Urban) Mission/Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Housing for All (Urban) Mission/Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)

It was launched in June, 2015 for addressing the housing requirements of urban poor including slum dwellers in the country with a goal of construction of 2 crore houses by 2022. The Mission will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) except for the component of credit linked subsidy which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme (CSS). The guidelines of the Mission provide for an average grant of ` 1 lakh per house for rehabilitation of eligible slum dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a resource, credit linked interest subsidy at 6.5 per cent for weaker sections of the society and central assistance of 1.5 lakh per house in Economically Weaker Sections segment for beneficiary led individual house construction or enhancement. The Mission will support construction of houses up to 30 square meters carpet area with basic civic infrastructure.

Kaya Kalp Scheme

Kaya Kalp Scheme

In keeping with the Clean India (Swatch Bharat Campaign), the Government evolved a Scheme under health initiative named 'Clean Hospital Campaign Scheme Kaya Kalp Scheme' This scheme aims: to promote high degree of cleanliness, hygiene and Infection control practices in public health care facilities; to incentivize and recognise the public healthcare facilities showing exemplary performance in adhering to standard protocols of cleanliness and infection control; to inculcate a culture of on-going assessment and external review of performance related to hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation in central hospitals/institutions; to create and share sustainable practices related to improved cleanliness in central hospitals/institutions linked to positive health outcomes etc. Initially, 10 Central Government Hospitals/Institutes have been identified for the first year i.e. 2015-16 and subsequently, other Central Institutions/Hospitals/ NEW AIIMS will be included in the scheme in a phased manner.

NIDHI

NIDHI (National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations)

It will be instituted through Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs) to support and award INR 10 lakhs to 20 student innovations. It is a part of the StartUp Policy announced in January 2016.

PRASAD and HRIDAY

PRASAD and HRIDAY

Twelve cities namely Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Gaya(Bihar), Dwaraka(Gujarat), Amritsar(Punjab), Ajmer(Rajasthan), Kanchipuram(Tamil Nadu), Vellankani(Tamil Nadu), Puri(Odisha), Varanasi(Uttar Prasesh), Mathura(Uttar Pradesh), Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) and Kamakhya (Assam) have been identified for development under Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) by the Ministry of Tourism.

The Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme aimed at preserving and revitalizing the soul and unique character of the heritage cities in India, has been approved by the Ministry of Urban Development for the Twelve cities under the scheme in the first phase, namely; Amaravati(Andhra Pradesh); Gaya (Bihar); Dwarka (Gujarat), Badami(Karnataka); Puri (Odisha), Amritsar (Punjab); Ajmer(Rajasthan); Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu); Vellankani(Tamil Nadu); Warangal (Telangana); Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh); and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh).

The criterion for selection of these cities is their rich heritage and cultural history. To implement the PRASAD scheme a Mission Directorate has been set up in the Ministry of Tourism.

Aajeevika

Aajeevika

National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM): NULM, introduced in 2013 aims at organizing urban poor in self-help groups (SHGs), imparting skill training to urban poor for self and wage employment and helping them to setup self-employment ventures by providing credit on subsidized rate of interest. In addition, shelters for urban homeless and infrastructure for street vendors can also be taken up under this Mission. It has seven components viz. social mobilization & institution development, capacity building& training, employment through skill training & placement, self-employment programme, support to urban street vendors, shelter for urban homeless and innovative & special projects. The total number of Self Help Groups (SHGs) formed under the NULM is 67,303.(Strictly speaking, it is not a Modi Programme as it has been on ongoing one).

Soil Health Card Scheme

Soil Health Card Scheme

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 in a span of three years beginning 2015-16. Data as on 13 January shows that only 257,000 soil samples have been tested so far. Paucity of funds and human resources are key factors affecting the successful implementation of the scheme.

Swachh Vidyalaya

Swachh Vidyalaya 

The Government had launched Swachh Vidyalaya Initiative under the rubric of
Swachh Bharat Mission with an objective to provide separate toilets for girls and boys in all government schools within the timeline of 15th August, 2015. The target was achieved and the States/UTs reported that 4,17,796 toilet blocks were constructed or made functional in 2,61,400 schools within the given timeline. This included schools in the most difficult to reach areas in the country or areas facing Left Wing Extremism (LWE). The initiative was made successful in partnership with all State Governments, 64 Central Public Sector Undertakings, and 11 Private Corporates.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

Government is implementing a Cluster based programme to encourage the farmer for promoting organic farming called Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY):

• Groups of farmers would be motivated to take up organic farming under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY). Fifty or more farmers will form a cluster having 50 acre land to take up the organic farming under the scheme.

• In this way during three years 10,000 clusters will be formed covering 5.0 lakh acre area under organic farming. There will be no liability on the farmers for expenditure on certification.

• Every farmer will be provided Rs. 20,000 per acre in three years for seed to harvesting of crops and to transport produce to the market.

• Organic farming will be promoted by using traditional resources and the organic products will be linked with the market.

• It will increase domestic production and certification of organic produce by involving farmers

• In order to implement the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana in Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana in the year 2015-16, an amount of Rs.300 crore has been allocated.