New TV Broadcast Guidelines

Paper 2 – Governance

Why You Should Know?

satellite TV channels in India are required to broadcast at least 30 minutes of content daily on “themes of national importance and of social relevance”

In detail –

• This is part of the ‘Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Satellite Television Channels in India, 2022’, which were approved by the Union Cabinet on September 28, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in an order on Wednesday.
• “The new guidelines have been amended after a gap of 11 years, and a number of steps have been taken for ease of doing business, as there are more than 870 channels operating in the country now. Based on our experience, these guidelines have been amended,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Requirement for public service broadcasting

• It is obligatory under the guidelines for all TV channels, including private channels, to “undertake public service broadcasting for a minimum period of 30 minutes in a day on themes of national importance and of social relevance”.
• the channels will be given some time to conceptualise and create such content.
• The Ministry will soon issue a specific advisory on the date it comes into effect, and on the time slots for the telecast of this content.

Definition of national interest for this purpose

The guidelines have identified eight themes of national importance and of social relevance:

1. education and spread of literacy;
2. agriculture and rural development;
3. health and family welfare;
4. science and technology;
5. welfare of women;
6. welfare of the weaker sections of the society;
7. protection of environment and of cultural heritage; and
8. national integration.

Monitoring

• Once the guidelines are implemented, the Ministry will monitor the channels for the broadcast of this content.
• In case non-compliance is observed in the Ministry’s view, an explanation will be sought.
• If a channel continues to be non-compliant, more steps can be taken based on specific advisories that will be issued from time to time, and on a case-to-case basis.
• The Central Government may, from time to time, issue general advisory to the channels for telecast of content in national interest, and the channel shall comply with the same.

Other Points of guidelines

• The guidelines span a range of subjects including uplinking and downlinking, hiring and purchase of broadcast equipment, changes in name and logo, etc.
• The policy mandates that channels uplinking in frequency bands other than C-band must encrypt their signals.
• Uplinking and downlinking “shall be subject to clearance and approval by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and wherever considered necessary, of other authorities”.
• The new guidelines allow a news agency to get permission for five years instead of the current one year.
• The penalty clauses have been rationalised, and separate sets of penalties have been proposed for different types of contraventions as against the uniform penalty that is applicable currently.
• The new policy eases compliance for TV channels in various areas.
• Broadcast companies will be allowed to uplink foreign channels from Indian teleports, which would create employment opportunities and make India a teleport hub for other countries.
• Singapore is considered the hub of teleport uplinking, but after the new guidelines come into effect, foreign channels are expected to show greater interest in using Indian teleports.

Sources – IE

House Arrest

Paper 2 – Polity

Why You Should Know?

The Supreme Court on November 10, 2022 ordered that human rights activist Gautam Navlakha should be moved from Taloja Central Prison to house arrest within 48 hours.

In detail –

• Gautam Navlakha, 73, is an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case and has been in jail since April 2020.
• He suffers from multiple ailments. He moved the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court rejected his plea seeking transfer to house arrest on account of his medical condition.
• A Bench of Justices K M Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy ordered it.

What is house arrest?

• House arrest—also known as home confinement or home detention—is the act of confining a person to specified premises that are not a regular jail.
• These premises can be the person’s own home or someone else’s, subject to approval by the authorities.
• House arrest is seen as an alternative to confinement in jail either during trial or after sentencing, which can be used in the case of certain categories of prisoners with specific medical or other needs, or those who are not deemed dangerous.
• The Code of Criminal Procedure does not mention house arrest.
• Section 5 of the National Security Act, 1980, empowers the state to detain an individual “in such place and under such conditions…as the appropriate Government may, by general or special order, specify”.
• The detained person may be “removed from one place of detention to another place of detention, whether within the same State or in another State, by order of the appropriate Government”.
• House arrest is allowed under specific conditions that are peculiar to each prisoner.
• They almost always include restrictions on travel and meeting people, and may include electronic surveillance of the prisoner by means of a wearable tracking device.

Source – TH

Cultivation of Flame Lily

Paper 3 –Agriculture

Why You Should Know?

The cultivation of flame lily is slowly decreasing amidst falling prices and rigging in the market.

In detail –

• The commercial cultivation of flame lily had attracted many in the State since the 1980s as a kilogram of the seeds of the flower, with its therapeutic properties, fetched up to ₹8,000 in a pharmaceutical-driven market. That’s no longer the case.
• Flame lily occupies a special place in Tamil literature. The Sangam-era poet, Kapilar, refers to it in his Kurinchipattu that describes the landscape of the mountainous terrain. When the State of Tamil Nadu was formed in 1956, flame lily was named as its official flower.
• It is also known as:Gloriosa superba,Kanvali kizhangu, Karthigaipoo, Senkanthalpoo
• Flame lily is used by pharmaceutical companies, but the farmers are excluded from the actual process once they harvest the seeds. This allowed middlemen to manipulate the market.

Medicinal value

• Growing from a fleshy rhizome, this herbaceous climber with vividly coloured flowers is commonly found in scrubland, forests, thickets and even sand dunes.
• Both the roots and the seeds are important pharmaceutical ingredients in indigenous Indian and African medicine.
• For several decades, they have been part of therapies to treat or manage ailments such as cancer, gout, arthritis, leprosy and dyspepsia.

Turbulent market

• At present, the flowers are raised on 600-800 hectares in the State.
• “Approximately 80% of the export-quality seeds are procured from farms based in Thoppampatty and Ottanchattram (Dindigul district), Mulanur and Dharapuram (Tiruppur district) and Aravakurichi (Karur district).
• The seed rhizome is sourced from hilly climes and brought to these regions where it thrives in well-drained soils.
• Until 2018, business boomed to such an extent that foreign companies were pre-booking farmers’ flame lily harvests for lakhs of rupees through brokers.
• Harvested seeds were being sold for ₹5,000-₹8,000 per kilogram in those days.

Farmers being undercut

• However, a series of developments in the market, precipitated by the COVID-19 lockdown, have let down the farmers.
• A root can be fertile for up to three years after plantation, but only if the soil and climate conditions are conducive.
• “The roots of last year’s crop rotted in the fields because of the excessive rain.
• Besides this, middlemen have started undercutting farmers by buying up or leasing large tracts of land to grow flame lily themselves.

Difficult to sell

• Where once whole seeds were being exported to countries such as the United States, China, Italy, Germany and Sweden, companies have started sending the extract instead. Approximately 100 kg of seeds can yield 16% liquid extract.
• This is a very specific product for a specific market. Moringa can fetch a minimum of at least one rupee at its lowest, but flame lily cannot be sold easily. Marketing agencies do not want to hold its seed stock and sell
• During the boom days, flame lily farmers in the Aravakurichi region had floated Tamil Nadu Bhoomi Farmer Producer Company to market the flower.
• company barely functions now because prices have dropped to ₹800 from ₹3,900 per kilogram in the past six months.
• The surplus seeds can be stored in normal room temperature, but as its weight reduces with time, the farmer stands to earn less as days go by.
• So 100 kilograms of seeds will weigh only around 40 kilograms after three months in storage.

Source –TH

 

ISRO’s Cryogenic Engine

Paper 3 – Science and Tech

Why You Should Know?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the hot test of CE20 cryogenic engine.

In detail –

• CE20 cryogenic engine is indigenously developed for LVM3.previously called the GSLV-Mk3.
• It was subjected to a successful hot test at an uprated thrust level of 21.8 tonne for the first time on November 9, at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu.
• This will enhance the LVM3 payload capability up to 450 kg with additional propellant loading. The major modifications carried out on this test article compared to previous engines was introduction of Thrust Control Valve (TCV) for thrust control.
• In addition to the hot test, a 3D printed LOX and LH2 turbine exhaust casings were inducted in the engine for the first time.
• During this test, the engine operated with ~20t thrust level for first 40s, then thrust level was increased to 21.8t by moving thrust control valve. During the test, engine and facility performance was normal and required parameters were achieved, according to ISRO.

Heaviest launch vehicle

• The LVM3 is the heaviest launch vehicle of ISRO.
• Last month, the LVM3 launch vehicle placed 36 satellites of OneWeb; this was LVM’s first commercial launch.
• Following the launch, ISRO said that the LVM3 has become a catalyst for the Indian Space Programme, opening new vistas for heavy payloads to the Low Earth Orbit.
• Early next year ISRO is expected to launch LVM’s second commercial launch.

Sources – TH

Veerangana Sewa Kendra

Paper 2 –Social Justice

Why You Should Know?

Recently Indian Army launched single window facility ‘Veerangana Sewa Kendra’ for welfare and grievances redressal of Veer Naris

In detail –

• The project was inaugurated by President Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) on 10 November 2022 at the premises of the Directorate of Indian Army Veterans (DIAV) premises located at Delhi Cantt.
• Veerangana Sewa Kendra (VSK) will be available as a service to the Indian Army Veterans Portal www.indianarmyveterans.gov.in.
• The system caters for registering grievances with tracking, monitoring and regular feedback to the applicant.
• Veernaris / Next of Kin will have multiple means for approaching the VSK through telephone, SMS, WhatsApp, Post, e-mail and walk-ins to seek assistance.
• Stakeholders can monitor the status of grievances through a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and the applicant will receive regular status updates through SMS and email.
• The project leverages digital technology in the seamless coupling of various stakeholders i.e. Record Offices, Officers Record Office, ECHS, AWWA, Canteen Services Directorate, Colonels Veteran, Liaison Officers at PCDA (O) and PCDA (P) on a common digital platform.
• Non-military stakeholders like Rashtriya Sainik Board (RSB), Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) and Zilla Sainik Board (ZSB) are being linked through e-mail.
• A Whatsapp number for the facility is being shared shortly. Registration of welfare-related grievances can be done on the portal by veer naris through the respective Record Offices, Col Veterans and DIAV.
• Veer naris will have an option to walk into the facility and meet Assistant Manager VSK/OIC VSK to register and monitor their grievances.
• The project has been driven by DIAV, AG’s Branch and the technology solution has been developed by BISAG-N, while Hero MotoCorp has supported the project through their CSR initiative.
• Veer naris are employed as VSK staff to maintain inherent connect and empathy with the beneficiaries.
• The VSK is one of its kind initiative by the Indian Army towards extending genuine care and support to its widows and veer naris and NoKs.

Source – All India Radio

 

Stop TB Partnership

Paper 2 –Health

Why You Should Know?

The Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership, Dr. Lucica Ditiu and her team met the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, and appreciated the “unprecedented leadership by the Government of India” in leading the global TB elimination response.

In detail –

• Dr. Mandaviya also serves as the Chair of the Stop TB Partnership’s Board till 2024.
• Dr. Mandaviya agreed to host the Stop TB Partnership’s 36th Board meeting on March 25-26, 2023, in Varanasi.
• The Board meeting will be preceded by a high-level event on March 24, 2023, which is also observed globally as World TB Day.
• The group also applauded the launch of the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan – through the initiative, over 40,492 donors have come forward to support over 10,45,269 patients across the country.
• This includes providing additional social support to TB patients in overcoming treatment and its benefits to create a community-led movement to end TB.

About the Stop TB Partnership

• The ‘Stop TB Partnership’ is an international organization working to align stakeholders from across the world, with a mission to serve every person who is vulnerable to TB and ensure that high-quality diagnosis, treatment and care is available to all who need it.
• It was founded in 2001 and its Secretariat is hosted by United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Through its more than 1700 partners, including international and technical organizations, government programmes, research and funding agencies, foundations, NGOs, civil society, community groups and the private sector, it possesses expertise in medical, social and financial aspects to defeat TB.
• The ‘Stop TB Partnership’ a public -private partnership is governed by the Board.
• At present, Hon’ble Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare is heading the board of Stop TB Partnership as Chairperson for three years term till 2024 and is representing India’s commitment to support global cause for TB.

About Tuberculosis (TB) Disease –

• TB or tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium called ‘Mycobacterium tuberculosis’, which belongs to the ‘Mycobacteriaceae family’ of about 200 members.
• Some mycobacteria cause TB and leprosy in humans and others infect animals on a much wider scale.
• TB affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) most commonly in humans, but it can also affect other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).
• TB is a very ancient disease and its existence was documented in Egypt around 3000 BC.
• Currently TB is a treatable disease.
• Significantly, TB disease spreads from one person to another through the air. When a person suffering from ‘pulmonary TB’ coughs, sneezes or spits, he spreads tb germs in the air.
• Common symptoms of ‘pulmonary TB’ include coughing with mucus and frequent bleeding, chest pain, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

Efforts for eradication –

• The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a joint initiative “research” with the Global Fund and the Stop TB Partnership. Medical treatment. All. #EndTB” (Find. Treat. All. EndTB”) is introduced.
• The WHO  also releases the World Tuberculosis Report.
• Talking about India’s efforts, India haslaunchedthe National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination Year 2017-2025, Nikshay Ecosystem (National TB Information System),Nikshay Poshan Yojana (financial assistance by NPY), TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign etc.
• In addition, two vaccines for TB have currently been developed under phase 3 of clinical trials – Vaccine Project Management 1002 (VPM1002) and Mycobacterium indicus animal (MIP).
• The Government of India’s National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) is running at full speed to make India ‘  TB free’ by the year 2025.
• This program run under the National Health Mission, the central government has prepared a complete system of identifying and notifying every TB patient to completely eliminate TB from India. Arrangements have also been made that TB patients get medicines on time.

Sources –PIB

Action plan to promote exports of millets

Paper 3 – Agriculture

Why You Should Know?

Centre Government formulates action plan to promote exports of millets and value-added products of millets.

In detail –

• To promote shipment of nutri-cereals, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through its apex agricultural export promotion body, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has prepared a comprehensive strategy to promote Indian millets exports across the globe commencing December 2022.
• The millets export promotion programme also comes at the backdrop of the proposal of India that was supported by 72 countries which lead to the United Nations’ General Assembly (UNGA) declaring 2023 as International Year of Millets (IYoM) on March 5, 2021.
• The government is currently organising IYoM-2023 at domestic and international level to popularize Indian millets as well as its value-added products across the world and make it a peoples’ movement.

About action plan

• For exports of Indian millets’ promotion, centre has planned to facilitate participation of exporters, farmers and traders in 16 international trade expos and Buyer Seller Meets (BSMs).
• As per the government’s robust strategy to promote millets, Indian missions abroad would be roped in branding and publicity of Indian millets, identification of international chefs as well as potential buyers such as departmental stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets for organizing B2B meetings and direct tie-ups.
• In addition, Ambassadors of Foreign missions in India of the targeted countries and potential importers would also be invited to showcase various millet-based products, including Ready to Eat millet products and facilitate B2B meetings.
• APEDA has planned to organize millet promotional activities in South Africa, Dubai, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Sydney, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom and United States of America by facilitating participation of different stakeholders from India in some of the significant food shows, Buyer Seller Meets and Road Shows.
• As part of the promotion of Indian millets, APEDA has planned to showcase millets and its value added product at various global platforms such as Gulfood 2023, Foodex, Seoul Food and Hotel Show, Saudi Agro Food, Fine Food Show in Sydney (Australia), Belgium’s Food and Beverages Show, Germany’s BioFach and Anuga Food Fair, San Francisco’s Winter Fancy Food Show, etc.
• For promotion of Indian Millets and its value-added products, centre has developed 30 e-Catalogues on each of the targeted countries comprising information on various Indian Millets and range of their value-added products available for export, list of active exporters, start-ups, FPOs and importer/retail chain/hyper markets, etc that to be circulated to the Indian Embassy abroad, importers, exporters, start ups and stakeholders.
• Government is also mobilizing start-ups for export promotion of value-added products in the Ready to Eat (RTE) and Ready to Serve (RTS) category such as noodles, pasta, breakfast cereals mix, biscuits, cookies, snacks, sweets, etc.
• As per the centre’s millet promotion strategy, major international retail supermarkets like Lulu group, Carrefour, Al Jazira, Al Maya, Walmart, etc. would also be roped in to establish millet corner for branding and promotion of millets.
• APEDA has also created a separate section for millets on its website and the country-wise and state-wise e-catalogues have been uploaded for information to the stakeholders.
• Government has also started formulating five-year strategic plan for the promotion of millets and value-added millet products in the international market in association with ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).
• Centre has created the Nutri Cereals Export Promotion Forum to give impetus to the export of potential products, including millets, and to remove the bottlenecks in the supply chain of Nutri cereals.
• APEDA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIMR to boost value-addition and farmers’ income.
• APEDA launched a variety of millet products for all age groups at affordable prices ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 15 during AAHAR food fair, which is Asia’s biggest B2B international food and hospitality fair.

What are Millets?

• Milletsinclude Sorghum, Pearl millet, Ragi, Small millets, Maize and Barley.
• Millets have superior nutritional values in comparison to highly consumed cereals such as rice and wheat.
• Millets are rich in calcium, iron, and fibers that help in fortifying essential nutrients for the healthy growth in children. Also, the usage of millets in infant food and nutrition products is increasing.
• It is called Millets grain because it does not require much effort in its production. These grains also grow in less water and less fertile land.
• The water consumption is very less in the production of coarse cereals as compared to paddy and wheat.

Millets in India

• India is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of around 41 percent in the global production.
• As per FAO, world production of millets in the year 2020 was 30.464 million metric tones (MMT) and India’s share was 12.49 MMT, which accounts to 41 percent of the total millet production.
• India recorded 27 percent growth in millet production in 2021-22 as compared to millet production in the previous year was 15.92 MMT.
• India’s top five millet producing states are Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
• Share of export of millets is nearly 1% of the total millet production. Exports of millets from India include mainly whole grain and the export of value-added products of millets from India is negligible.
• However, it is estimated that the millets market is set to grow from its current market value of more than USD 9 billion to over USD 12 billion by 2025.
• India’s major millet exporting countries are U.A.E, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, U.K and U.S.A.
• The varieties of millets exported by India include Bajra, Ragi, Canary, Jawar, and Buckwheat.
• The major millet importing countries in the world are Indonesia, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Italy, the U.S.A, United Kingdom, Brazil and Netherlands.
• There are 16 major varieties of millet, which are produced and exported, including Sorghum (Jowar), Pearl Millet (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi) Minor Millets (Kangani), Proso Millet (Cheena), Kodo Millet (Kodo), Barnyard Millet (Sawa/Sanwa/Jhangora), Little Millet (Kutki), Two Pseudo Millets (BuckWheat/Kuttu), Ameranthus (Chaulai) and Brown Top Millet.

Sources – PIB

BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministers meeting

Paper 2 – International Relations

Why You Should Know?

India hosted the 2nd  BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministers meeting under the chairmanship of Union Agriculture Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar

In detail –

• Agriculture ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand participated in the meeting.
• The 2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministerial Meeting adopted the Action Plan for Strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027).
• An MoU between the BIMSTEC Secretariat and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has been signed and approval has been given to bring Fisheries and Livestock sub-sectors under the Agricultural Working Group.
• BIMSTEC member countries appreciated India’s efforts to strengthen cooperation in agricultural research and development and for awarding six scholarships each for postgraduate and PhD programmes in agriculture.

About BIMSTEC –

• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations.
• It is an international economic cooperation organization of countries littoral or adjacent to the Bay of Bengal.
• Of its seven members, five are from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and two from Myanmar and Thailand from South-East Asia.
• Notably Pakistan is not a member of it.
• This regional organization was established on June 6, 1997 under the Bangkok Declaration.
• Initially it had only four member countries and was called ‘BIST-EC’ (i.e. Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Organization for Economic Cooperation).
• After Myanmar joined in 1997, its name was changed to ‘BIMST-EC’.
• After Nepal and Bhutan joined it in 2004, the organisation was renamed the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.

Chairmanship

• The BIMSTEC uses the alphabetical order for the Chairmanship.
• The Chairmanship of the BIMSTEC has been taken in rotation commencing with Bangladesh

Objective –

• To create an environment for rapid economic development in the region.
• Developing a sense of cooperation and equality.
• To promote active cooperation and mutual assistance in the areas of common interest of member states.
• Each other’s full cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology etc.
• To maintain peace and stability in the Bay of Bengal region through close collaboration in combating international terrorism, transnational organized crimes as well as natural disasters, climate change and communicable diseases.
• To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.
• To endeavour to eradicate poverty from the Bay of Bengal region.
• To establish multidimensional connectivity, promote synergy among connectivity frameworks in the region, as a key enabler to economic integration for shared prosperity.
• To promote trade and investment as a major contributing factor for fostering economic and social development in the region.

Sources – BS

MoU for Rural Development

Paper 3 –Infrastructure

Why Should You Know?

Ministry of Rural Development signs MoU to support effective governance systems under DAY- NRLM.

In details –

• Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed an MoU with Gurugram-based Veddis Foundation.
• This MoU is for to support setting up of effective governance systems under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), strengthen State capacities, establish innovative models and implement the national strategy for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) and SHG convergence.
• The partnership with MoRD and Veddis Foundation is for three years and is non-financial in nature.
• As per the MoU, Veddis Foundation will establish a PMU in the Rural Livelihood (RL) Division of Ministry of Rural Development for the next five years.
• Taking a paradigm shift from universal access to quality of access, the partnership will hinge on data driven governance as a lever for effective and efficient utilisation of public funds.
• Veddis Foundation, which has put in place PMUs in the State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs) of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur, and in the past in Rajasthan, will be working on a 360-degree approach – building field insights into policy action as well as effective implementation of government’s top level priorities.
• It will be a strategic technical partner for extending policy support, embedding improved processes and enabling systems strengthening for effective implementation of DAY-NRLM along with training and capacity building support for state partners.
• One of the initial focuses as part of the MoU is an annual report on the State of SRLMs in which various SRLMs are expected to be evaluated on the basis of a ‘Governance index’.

What is About DAY-NRLM?

• Aajeevika – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) wa launched by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India during June 2011.
• It was a restructured version of Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY).  In November 2015, the program was renamed Deendayal Antayodaya Yojana (DAY-NRLM).
• The Mission aims at creating efficient and effective institutional platforms of the rural poor enabling them to increase household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services.
• NRLM has set out with an agenda to cover 7 Crore rural poor households, across 600 districts, 6000 blocks, 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats and 6 lakh villages in the country through self-managed Self Help Groups (SHGs) and federated institutions and support them for livelihoods collectives in a period of 8-10 years.

Mission

• “To reduce poverty by enabling the poor households to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots institutions of the poor.”

Objective

• In addition, the poor would be facilitated to achieve increased access to their rights, entitlements and public services, diversified risk and better social indicators of empowerment.
• NRLM believes in harnessing the innate capabilities of the poor and complements them with capacities (information, knowledge, skills, tools, finance and collectivization) to participate in the growing economy of the country.

Sources – PIB

 

Solving of women-centric challenges

Paper 3 – Science and Tech

Why Should You Know?

Recently Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog launched Woman centric challenges under phase-II of the 2nd edition of the Atal New India Challenge (ANIC).

In detail –

• ANIC is an initiative by AIM, NITI Aayog targeted to seek, select, support and nurture technology-based innovations that solve sectoral challenges of national importance and societal relevance. through a grant-based mechanism of up to INR 1 crore.
• a woman is an architect of society”, ANIC’s Woman centric challenges address the major issues faced by woman from all spheres of life.
• These include driving women hygiene through innovation, innovations to improve women’s safety, professional networking opportunities for women, innovations that make working mothers’ life better, and easing the life of Rural Women.

What is Atal Innovation Mission

• The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog in 2016 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of the country.
• AlM’s objectives are to create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country at school, university, research institutions, MSME and industry levels.

Functions

The Atal Innovation Mission has following two core functions:

• Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilization, wherein innovators would be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs.
• Innovation promotion: to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.

What are Atal Tinkering Labs?

• To promote creative, innovative mind set in schools. At the school level, AIM is setting up state of the art Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) across all districts across the country.
• These ATLs are dedicated innovation workspaces of 1000-1500 square feet where do-it-yourself (DIY) kits on latest technologies like 3D Printers, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Miniaturized electronics are installed using a grant of Rs 20 Lakhs from the government
• So that students from Grade VI to Grade XII can tinker with these technologies and learn to create innovative solutions using these technologies.
• This will enable create a problem solving, innovative mind set within millions of students across the country.
• More than just grants, the ATL program is undertaking on-the-ground activities to engage students and teachers in identifying problems in and around their communities and creating innovative solutions leveraging the ATL technologies to achieve the objectives of the program.
• Every school would have an ATL In charge appointed by the school as well as Mentors associated to mentor the ATL students.

Atal New India Challenges

• Atal New India Challenges / Atal Grand Challenges are being launched in specific areas and sectors of national importance – such as Renewable Energies, Energy Storage, Climate-smart precision agriculture, Universal drinking water, Swaach Bharat, Transportation, Education, Healthcare using Robotic, IOT technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Block-chain, Augmented and Virtual reality, Battery Technologies etc.
• It is for To promote technology driven innovations and product creation for social and commercial impact.
• The successful applicants will get a grant of upto Rs 1 crore for Atal New India Challenges and larger grants of upto Rs 30 crores for Atal Grand Challenges.
• AIM is also partnering with corporates and other institutions to launch such challenges to stimulate new product and service development in various sectors.

Sources – PIB