IASbaba Press Information Bureau 27^th November to 2nd December, 2017 

ARCHIVES

GS-2

Launch of Insurance Khata

(Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation)

What: An inclusive financial plan that enables the mass market to avail insurance benefits with a convenient process.

• The plan takes into account the possibility of seasonal income and provides the customer with the flexibility to pay a premium in parts, as and when possible.
• It offers a structured platform that drives socially-inclusive and long-term development through community participation.
• The plan will leverage CSCs’ footprint of 2.7 lakh centres across the country, focusing to make insurance not only affordable but also accessible and attractive to the lower rungs of the social pyramid.
• Over time, bringing a less-acquainted market into insurance fold ensuring every strata of the society is covered against risks.

Training program for Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayati Raj Institutions

(Topic: Important aspects of governance)

Organized by: National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) of the WCD Ministry

Why: Not many women sarpanches and EWRs come forward to take up their responsibilities and mostly allow their husbands to take the lead. So, they remain ‘sarpanchanis’ in name only.

Training two lakh women sarpanches across the country will help bring following important changes:

• It will help to create model villages.
• It will help prepare women as political leaders of the future.

The training program will include simple engineering skills will give them an insight into women’s issues as well as focus on education and financial matters. The Capacity building of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) is critical to empowering women to participate effectively in the governance processes. This will help them assume the leadership roles expected of them and guide their villages towards a more prosperous future.

Cabinet approves

MoU between India and Italy for cooperation in Agriculture and Phytosanitary issues:

• Provides for cooperation in the fields of Phytosanitary issues, agricultural production and a wide range of other sectors including animal husbandry, agricultural research, food processing and other additional fields as may be mutually decided by both the sides.
• Provision for an exchange of information on the situation of agriculture and rural development, strengthening of technical exchange and production cooperation in respect of agricultural mechanization/farm machinery and agro-industrial infrastructures, removal of technical barriers and exchange experiences in animal husbandry sector including modern scientific researches and technologies etc.
• Provides for setting up of a Joint Working Group in order to promote bilateral exchanges in the field of agriculture, consider long-term initiatives for agricultural cooperation, and promote cooperation in order to reduce phytosanitary risks in exported goods also through the definition of specific joint procedures.

Investment Cooperation and Facilitation Treaty (ICFT) between India and Brazil:

• Will result in the increase of investment flows between the two countries.
• Provide appropriate facilitation to Brazilian investors in India and Indian investors in the Brazil.
• It is likely to increase the comfort level and boost the confidence of investors by assuring a level playing field and non-discrimination in all investment facilitation matters, thus providing conducive investment climate to investors.
• Help project India as a preferred Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination to all Brazilian investors.

Setting up of National Nutrition Mission: NNM, as an apex body, will monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide the nutrition-related interventions across the Ministries. The proposal consists of

• Mapping of various Schemes contributing towards addressing malnutrition
• Introducing a very robust convergence mechanism
• ICT based Real Time Monitoring system
• Incentivizing States/UTs for meeting the targets
• Incentivizing Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for using IT-based tools
• Eliminating registers used by AWWs
• Introducing measurement of height of children at the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs)
• Social Audits
• Setting-up Nutrition Resource Centres, involving masses through Jan Andolan for their participation on nutrition through various activities, among others.

India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI)

(Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources)

Aim:

• Reduce disability and death related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in India, by improving the control of high blood pressure (hypertension), reducing salt consumption and eliminating artificial trans-fats, leading risk factors for CVD.
• Strengthen the cardiovascular disease component of the Health Ministry’s National Program for Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS).
• Focus on strengthening hypertension management and monitoring at the primary health care level, within the existing healthcare system, and is aligned with WHO’s Global HEARTS Initiative and National Guidelines.

IHMI: A collaborative project of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), State Governments, World Health Organization (WHO), and Resolve to Save Lives initiative of Vital Strategies.

The IHMI is focused on five essential components of scalable treatment of hypertension –

• Support the adoption of standardized simplified treatment plans for managing high blood pressure
• Ensure the regular and uninterrupted supply of quality-assured medications
• Task sharing so health workers who are accessible to patients can distribute medications already prescribed by the medical officer
• Patient-centered services that reduce the barriers to treatment adherence.
• Data on hypertension will be improved through streamlined monitoring systems, and the lessons learned and practice-based evidence will inform further interventions to improve cardiovascular care.

Please Note

1. Hornbill Festival: The perfect showcase of rich Naga culture and traditions, preserved over the years in the form of music, dance and food.
2. Mirabai Chanu has won gold at the World Weightlifting Championship.
3. Pankaj Advani wins his 18th world title in the recently concluded IBSF World Snooker Championship.
4. Kathakar: International Storytellers Festival: Kathakar is the only oral storytelling festival in India and is a part of Ghummakkad Narain- the Travelling Literature Festival which was started under the aegis of UNESCO in 2010. Kathakar is an attempt to not just preserve the art form but also create new audiences for the same.
5. Indian culture and its many attributes have evolved over centuries. The depth of time has given it a unique strength and character. It is integral and holistic, synthetic and accommodating. That is why it could survive the onslaughts of time and transcend the limits of space. Indianness is characterized by inclusive pluralism; it is rooted in the principle of DHARMO RAKSHATI RAKSHITAH that is – Dharma or the virtuous order, which when protected, protects all without exclusion.
6. First edition of International Symposium to Promote Innovation & Research in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE 2017): Brings together various stakeholders such as policymakers, innovators, financiers, influencers to showcase best practices in the sector. It provides a platform for energy efficiency community to discuss energy efficiency policies, market transformation strategies, emerging technologies, delivery and business-model-driven transformations. The event is further designed to provide global and national thought-leaders and implementers to expand perspectives on energy efficiency and spur ideas and solutions that will help leverage the full potential of energy efficiency and bring its multiple co-benefits to the fore.
7. Education: Education is for

• Emancipation
• Enlightenment
• Empowerment
• Employment
• Empathy

Four Pillars of Learning as enunciated in 1996 UNESCO Commission on Education:

• Learning to Know (KNOWLEDGE)
• Learning to do (SKILLS)
• Learning to be (PERSONALITY)
• Learning to live together (Understanding, appreciation of interdependence)

   8. Skill India partners with Airbnb to Upskill Hospitality Entrepreneurs: The MoU will provide hospitality skills training to hospitality micro-entrepreneurs in India.

   9. India has taken several initiatives to address the issues related to climate change including taking forward the concept of “climate justice and sustainable lifestyles”, which forms an integral part of the Paris Agreement

• NDCs include reducing the emissions intensity of our GDP by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level
• Achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030
• Creating an additional sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

On the domestic front, India envisages an increase in the overall renewable energy installed to capacity to 175 GW by 2022. To achieve our climate goals, Government is implementing the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which encompasses eight national missions. The broad policy initiatives of the government are supplemented by actions of the State Governments through their State Action Plan on Climate Change