Solution (b)

The scheme is notified by the department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

The objectives of the scheme are:

1. Easy access to standard testing and infrastructure facilities through creation of world class common infrastructure facilities for increased competitiveness will result into significant reduction of the cost of production of medical devices leading to better availability and affordability of medical devices in the domestic market.
2. Reaping the benefits arising due to optimization of resources and economies of scale.

The total financial outlay of the scheme is Rs. 400 crore and the tenure of the scheme is from FY 2020-2021 to FY 2024-2025. 

The financial assistance to a selected Medical Device Park would be 70% of the project cost of common infrastructure facilities. In case of North Eastern States and Hilly States, financial assistance would be 90% of the project cost. Maximum assistance under the scheme for one Medical Device Park would be limited to Rs. 100 crores.

Article Link: Scheme for “Promotion of Medical Device Parks”, a key initiative to support the medical devices, notified

Solution (a)

Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) is a study of socio economic status of rural and urban households and allows ranking of households based on predefined parameters. 

SECC has three census components which were conducted by three separate authorities but under the overall coordination of Department of Rural Development in the Government of India. 

• Census in Rural Area has been conducted by the Department of Rural Development (DoRD). 
• Census in Urban areas is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA). 

Caste Census is under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs: Registrar General of India (RGI) and Census Commissioner of India.

While Census provides a portrait of the Indian population, the SECC is a tool to identify beneficiaries of state support.

SECC is a tool to identify beneficiaries of state support. All the personal information given in the SECC is open for use by Government departments to grant and/or restrict benefits to households.

Article Link: SECC is a tool to identify beneficiaries of state support

Solution (d)

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is the largest health assurance scheme in the world which aims at providing a health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 10.74 crores poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) that form the bottom 40% of the Indian population.

Key features of the PM-JAY:

• PM-JAY is the world’s largest health insurance/ assurance scheme fully financed by the government.
• It provides a cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization across public and private empanelled hospitals in India.
• Over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable entitled families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) are eligible for these benefits.
• PM-JAY provides cashless access to health care services for the beneficiary at the point of service, that is, the hospital.
• PM-JAY envisions to help mitigate catastrophic expenditure on medical treatment which pushes nearly 6 crore Indians into poverty each year.
• It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days post-hospitalization expenses such as diagnostics and medicines.
• There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
• All pre–existing conditions are covered from day one.
• Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country i.e. a beneficiary can visit any empanelled public or private hospital in India to avail cashless treatment.
• Services include approximately 1,393 procedures covering all the costs related to treatment, including but not limited to drugs, supplies, diagnostic services, physician’s fees, room charges, surgeon charges, OT and ICU charges etc.
• Public hospitals are reimbursed for the healthcare services at par with the private hospitals.

Article Link: People avail Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY benefits in Jammu- Kashmir’s Poonch

Solution (c)

The Pondicherry shark is an extremely rare species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae.

The Pondicherry shark appears to have been broadly distributed in the Indo-Pacific region. 

It is among the 25 ‘most wanted lost’ species that are the focus of Global Wildlife Conservation’s “Search for Lost Species” initiative.

Solution (d)

India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has been selected as the next External Auditor of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for a six-year term (2022-27) at the General Conference of the IAEA in Vienna.

The election is a global acknowledgement of India’s CAG’s credentials, professionalism and experience.

Article Link: India’s CAG becomes the External Auditor of the IAEA