INDEX

KURUKSHETRA - JUNE 2018

1. ACCELERATING UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE .................................. 3

2. EMPOWERING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN INDIA .................................. 5

3. EXTENDING TELECOM CONNECTIVITY TO RURAL INDIA ...................... 7

4. REFORMING ELEMENTARY EDUCATION IN RURAL AREAS ....................9

5. SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT IN RURAL YOUTH ..............11

6. NEW PRIORITIES FOR AGRICULTURE .................................................... 14

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 2
 KURUKSHETRA – JUNE 2018

1. ACCELERATING UNIVERSAL and NFHS data shows 80.6

HEALTH COVERAGE percent in urban areas and 24

What is the present health status in percent in rural areas use cleaner

India ? fuels.

• Infant mortality deaths per 1000 What are the salient features of
live birth is 29 in urban areas and National Health Policy 2017 ?
46 for rural areas. • The Policy seeks to reach everyone

• Infant mortality deaths per 1000 in a comprehensive integrated way

live birth is 29 in urban areas and to move towards wellness.

46 for rural areas. • It aims at achieving universal

• Under five mortality rate shows health coverage and delivering

that in urban areas it is 34 deaths quality health care services to all

per 1000 live births but it is 56 per at affordable cost.

1000 in the rural areas. • This Policy looks at problems and

• Institutional birth situation in solutions holistically with private

urban India is 89 percent while in sector as strategic partners.

rural areas is 75 percent. • It seeks to promote quality of care,

• The HHFS data reveals that there focus is on emerging diseases and

is an increasing trend in the investment in promotive and

immunisation levels but there is a preventive healthcare.

divide in the immunisation levels • The roadmap of this new policy is

between the urban and rural predicated on public spending and
areas. provisioning of a public healthcare

• The children under 5 who are system that is comprehensive,

underweight 29 percent are in integrated and accessible to all.

urban areas while 38 percent are • It envisages private sector

in rural areas. collaboration for strategic

• A very important factor for good purchasing, capacity building, skill

health is cleaner fuel for cooking development programmes,

awareness generation, developing

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 3
 sustainable networks for recognized healthcare
community to strengthen mental professionals under a 'giving back
health services, and disaster to society’ initiative.
management.
• The policy advocates extensive
• The policy proposes raising public deployment of digital tools for
health expenditure to 2.5% of the improving the efficiency and
GDP in a time bound manner. outcome of the healthcare system
and proposes establishment of
• Policy envisages providing larger
National Digital Health Authority
package of assured comprehensive
(NDHA) to regulate, develop and
primary health care through the
deploy digital health across the
Health and Wellness Centers'.
continuum of care.
• This policy denotes important
What are the initiatives taken by GOI
change from very selective to
with respect to NHP 2017 ?
comprehensive primary health care
• Health and Wellness Centre:-
package which includes geriatric
health care, palliative care and Under this 1.5 lakh centers will
bring health care system closer to
rehabilitative care services.
the homes of people. These centers
• The policy assigns specific will provide comprehensive health
quantitative targets aimed at care, including for non-
reduction of disease communicable diseases and
prevalence/incidence, for health maternal and child health services.
status and programme impact,
• These centers will also provide free
health system performance and
system strengthening. essential drugs and diagnostic
services. The Budget has allocated
• Towards mainstreaming the Rs.1200 crore for this flagship
potential of AYUSH the policy programme.
envisages better access to AYUSH
remedies through co-location in • Contribution of private sector
through CSR and philanthropic
public facilities.
institutions in adopting these
• The policy supports voluntary centers is also envisaged.
service in rural and under-served
• National Health Protection
areas on pro-bono basis by
Scheme:- The second flagship

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 4
 programme under Ayushman Resource Centres, involving
Bharat is National Health masses through Jan Andolan for
Protection Scheme, which will their participation on nutrition
cover over 10 crore poor and through various activities, among
vulnerable families (approximately others.
50 crore beneficiaries) providing
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana
coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per
Yojana (PMMVY) are available to
family per year for secondary and
all Pregnant Women & Lactating
tertiary care hospitalization.
Mothers (PW&LM) except those in
• This will be the world’s largest regular employment with the
government funded health care Central Government or State
programme. Adequate funds will Government or Public Sector
be provided for smooth Undertaking or those who are in
implementation of this programme. receipt of similar benefits under
any law for the time being in force,
2. EMPOWERING WOMEN AND
for first living child of the family as
CHILDREN IN INDIA
normally, the first pregnancy of a
What are the landmark schemes for woman exposes her to new kind of
women and children launched challenges and stress factors.
recently in India ?
• GOI notified Supplementary
• National Nutrition Mission (NNM)
Nutrition Rules, 2017 to regulate
comprise mapping of various
the entitlement of nutrient dense
Schemes contributing towards
food for every pregnant and
addressing malnutrition, including
lactating woman till 6 months after
a very robust convergence
child birth, and every child in the
mechanism, ICT based Real Time
group of 6 months to 6 years.
Monitoring system, incentivizing
States/UTs for meeting the targets, • The Government is implementing
incentivizing Anganwadi Workers Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for
(AWWs) for using IT based tools, Empowerment of Adolescent
eliminating registers used by Girls (RGSEAG)–‘Sabla’, a
AWWs, introducing measurement Centrally-sponsored scheme in
of height of children at the 205 districts selected from all the
Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), Social States/UTs and it aims at
Audits, setting-up Nutrition empowering Adolescent Girls (AGs)

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 5
 (11-18 years) through nutrition, in local governance; and enable
health care and life skills women to identify their own
education. leadership potential to contribute
effectively as change agents.
• Swadhar Greh Scheme targets the
women victims of difficult • WCD Ministry honors with Nari
circumstances who are in need of Shakti Puruskars, those women
institutional support for who have contributed to society
rehabilitation so that they could but have remained unsung on
lead their life with dignity. International Women's day every
year.
• Ministry of Women and Child
Development in collaboration with • The National policy foe Women,
the Ministry of Home Affairs has 2017 was drafted keeping in view
envisaged engagement of Mahila of the social and economic changes
Police Volunteers (MPVs) in that have occurred since the last
States/UTs who will act as a link policy of 2001 and it is in
between police and community consideration.
and help women in distress.
• The Gender Champions initiative
• Mahila Shakti Kendra scheme has been operationalized for
has recently been launched to sensitizing young students to
address women’s issues at the create awareness on laws,
village level through volunteers legislations, legal rights and life
and they are mobilized through skills education through 100
local colleges, NCC, NSS, NYK etc., universities and 145 colleges.
will work with local women to help
• The Ministry is implementing a
them access government schemes
Centrally Sponsored Scheme
for their benefit.
“Child Protection Services”,
• The GOI conducts Training of under the umbrella scheme of
Trainers of Elected Women Integrated Child Development
Representatives of Panchayati Scheme, to provide Institutional
Raj to deliberate upon issues and Non-institutional safety net for
related to empowerment of women vulnerable children as envisaged
and functioning of PRIs; describe under the JJ Act.
processes of participatory planning

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 6
• POCSO e-Box is an online women entrepreneurs, SHGs,
complaint management system for NGOs etc to empower women
easy and direct reporting of sexual through financial inclusion.
offences against children and
3. EXTENDING TELECOM
timely action against and timely
CONNECTIVITY TO RURAL INDIA
action against the offenders under
POCSO Act 2012. What is the current scenario of
internet usage in India ?
• One Stop Centres (OSC) are
• 730 million Internet users in India.
intended to support women facing
physical, sexual, emotional, • 75 % of new internet user growth
psychological and economic abuse, from rural areas.
irrespective of age, class, caste,
• 70 % of e-Commerce transactions
education status, marital status,
via mobile phones.
race and culture will be facilitated
with support and redressal. • 75 % of new internet users to
consume data in local languages.
• The Scheme for Universalisation
of Women Helpline envisages to • India is remaining the fastest
provide 24 hour emergency and growing internet market.
non-emergency response to all
How 5G connectivity and OTT services
women affected by violence both in
help in rural areas ?
public and private sphere,
including in the family, • 5G network could be remotely
community, workplace etc. used to operate the sensors for
irrigation and energy management
• Passport rules have been
etc which would be a great help for
amended in favor of single
the farming community.
mothers and now either mother or
father's name can be provided in • Those rearing livestock could keep
application form and applicants do a track on their location via
not have to provide any certificate sensors and GPS technology, thus
of marriage / divorce during the making management of livestock a
application. simpler task.

• Mahila e-Haat, a direct bilingual • Applications like Skype is used to

online marketing platform for connect the teachers to students,
farmers to scientists across

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 7
 various locations including the • Apps like MyGov that allow citizens
remote areas. to interface with the Government
have a special meaning for rural
• The Government's financial
India and remote parts of a
inclusion drives coupled with the
country as it promotes the grass
unique national identity system
root participation in the decision
(Aadhaar) and the ubiquity of
making process.
mobile phones in India have given
a big boost to App based payments How Internet of Things (IoT) can bring

and financial services in Rural sustainable rural development ?

India. • Sustainable Land and Water

resource Management: This
• Government services like pension,
includes an active monitoring
insurance etc., are increasingly
system for monitoring the
delivered through local languages
environmental and climate
Apps by the central and state
changes can massively impact
governments. agriculture.

• Kisan Suvidha, app has a simple • A real time monitoring system of

interface and provides information monitoring would enable the users
on five critical parameters- to make both short term and long
weather, input dealers, market term decisions based on the
price, plant protection and expert information.
advisories.
• Add to the a real time visualization
• In Uttar Pradesh, two IT system for the conditions, as well
professionals, with a dream to as decision support system, and
transform the lives of thousands in we will have an well rounded tool
rural India, have developed an app for managing agricultural and
called ‘SmartGaon’, that not only water resources.
connects an entire village
• Food Security : Through the use
population internally and with the
of RFID / sensors every
developed world, but also serves as
stakeholder in the movement of
a knowledge and information
food products can view parameters
centre, a marketplace, a helpline
like the lifetime, environment
and a holistic development tool to
during transportation, shelf life
make their village a smart village.
etc,.

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 8
 • Since water scarcity is a major political transformation and a key
hurdle to food security, automated instrument for building equitable
drip irrigation can make sure that society.
plants are watered in just the right
• A well educated population,
areas and with exact amount
equipped with the relevant
needed, thus preventing wastage.
knowledge, attitudes and skills is
• Disaster Management: IoT essential for economic and social
systems can be used to predict development in the 21st century.
earthquakes based on microscopic
• This holds true especially in India
vibrations and helps in reducing
the losses of the incidents. which has the world's highest
number of 10 to 24 year olds and
• Similarly IoT devices can be used who lay the foundation of the
to predict the floods and can country's future.
minimize the losses.
How India is committed to elementary
• Public Health: Wearable devices education ?
foe patients will make it possible
• With the formulation of National
for their body conditions to be
policy on Education, 1986 , India
monitored without physical
initiated a wide range of
sessions with a doctor, and the
programmes for achieving the goal
treatment can be routinely
adjusted with the information of Universalisation of Elementary

obtained. Education (UEE).

• Similarly, people suffering from • These efforts were intensified in

dangerous health conditions could the 1980s and 1990s through
wear a device that could alert an schematic and program
emergency services in the event of interventions like Operation Black
a sudden or drastic change in Board, etc.,.
health conditions.
• And then Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,
4. REFORMING ELEMENTARY the flagship scheme in partnership
EDUCATION IN RURAL AREAS with the state governments for
Why Education is important ? UEE across the country was
launched.
• Education is the most important
tool for social, economic and

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 9
 • This was further strengthened with
the passage of the
Children to Free and Compulsory
Education (RTE) Act, 2009 which
gave an legal mandate to provide
free and compulsory elementary
elementary level has reached 0.93
Right of for primary level and 0.95 at upper
primary level.
What are the recent initiatives ?
• Introduction of four year B.Ed.

education to every child in the age integrated programme with

group of 6 to 14 years. multiple pathways- with

specialization for pre-primary,
What is the progress achieved at elementary, secondary and senior
elementary level ? secondary teachers for enabling
• Today SSA has covered 19.67 crore regulatory framework and
children enrolled in 14.6 lakh orientation of all existing Teacher
elementary schools. Education Institutions will be
introduced from the academic
• The spread of SSA is mainly in
session 2019-2020.
rural areas as these areas account
for 85.4 % of all elementary • DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for
schools and 74.5 % of total Knowledge Sharing) will accelerate
enrollment in the elementary level. and amplify solutions, experiments
and innovations that are
• As per UDISE, Gross Enrollment
underway, and is being attempted
Ratio is 99.21 % for primary and
in the areas of teacher training and
92.81 % for upper primary which
professional development.
indicates near universal
enrollment at the primary level. • In another landmark achievement,
the Amendment to the Section
• The Pupil Teacher ratio is
23(2) of the RTE Act to extend the
improved from 32 in 2009 to 25 in
period for training of untrained in-
2016.
service elementary teachers to 31st
• The average dropout rate has come March, 2019 has been passed by
down from 6.76 % in 2009 to 4.16 both the houses of Parliament on
% in 2016. 1st August, 2017.

• The Gender Parity Index which • Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has

indicates the gender balance in the initiated a pilot project for
total enrollment in schools at connecting students and their

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 10
 teachers through tablets preloaded • “Swasth Bachche Swasth Bharat”
with relevant e content to facilitate programme was launched to
easy classroom transaction, measure various components of
creation of genuine interest among physical fitness of all the students
students and effective learning of in the age group of 5 to 8 years
the students. and 9 to 19 Years.

• The SHAGUN portal was launched 5. SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND

in January 2017 to enable real EMPLOYMENT IN RURAL YOUTH
time monitoring of the SSA What is the background for Skill
components and various decisions Development Mission ?
on elementary education taken
• Skills and knowledge are the
based on the feedbacks obtained in
driving forces of economic growth
the portal.
and social development in a
• Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar was country.
launched to recognize, inspire and
• According to World Bank, about 13
celebrate excellence in sanitation &
million people enter the working
hygiene practice in Government
age every year but only 3 million
Schools in the areas of water,
jobs are created every year.
sanitation, hand washing with
soap, operations and maintenance, • As opposed to developed countries,
behavior change and capacity where the percentage of skilled
building. workforce is between 60% and 90%
of the total workforce, India
• Ministry of Human Resource
records a low 5% of workforce (20-
Development (MHRD) is
24 years) with formal vocational
establishing the National Digital
skills.
Library (NDL) under the National
Mission on Education through • Realizing the importance, more
Information and Communication than 20 Ministries/Departments
Technology (NMEICT) with the run 70 plus schemes for skill
objective to host a national development in the country.
repository of existing e-content
• The National Skill Development
available across educational
Mission launched by the Ministry
institutions in the country.
of Skill Development and

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 11
 Entrepreneurship on July 15, • Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen
2015, aims to create convergence Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) : It
across sectors and States in terms is a scheme uniquely focused on
of skill training activities. rural youth between the ages of 15
and 35 years from poor families.
• Besides consolidating and
coordinating skilling efforts, it also • As a part of the Skill India
aims to expedite decision making campaign, it plays an instrumental
across sectors to achieve skilling at role in supporting the social and
scale with speed and standards. economic programs of the
government like the Make In India,
What are the skilling programmes for
Digital India, Smart Cities and
rural youth ?
Start-Up India, Stand-Up India
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas campaigns.
Yojana (PMKVY) and Recognition
• Over 180 million or 69% of the
of Prior Learning (RPL): Ministry
country’s youth population
of Skill Development and
between the ages of 18 and 34
Entrepreneurship is implementing
years, live in its rural areas.
flagship scheme known as
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas • Rural Self Employment Training
Yojana (PMKVY) on pan–India Institutes : An initiative of
basis. Ministry of Rural Development
(MoRD) to have dedicated
• PMKVY enables large number of
infrastructure in each district of
prospective youth, which also
the country to impart training and
includes tribal, for taking Short
skill upgradation of rural youth
Term Training (STT) and
geared towards entrepreneurship
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) development.
through accredited and affiliated
training partner/training centers. • RSETIs are managed by banks
with active co-operation from the
• The schemes run across 252 job Government of India and State
roles related to 35 Sector Skill Governments.
Councils, which is a diverse and
exhaustive representation of the • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal
Kendras: In year 2017, MSDE
industry.
focused extensively on building

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 12
 industry standardized already been placed been in job
infrastructure for driving skill rob roles which are in demand like
development training under which Masonry, Filed Sales Technicians,
it launched its Pradhan Mantri Financial Literacy, Refrigeration
Kaushal Kendras (PMKK). mechanic, Certificate in insurance
training, Field Technician for
• PMKK has the potential to become
Washing Machines etc.
the benchmark of skill
development infrastructure, • Takshashila (Trainers and
training, and placement in the Assessors Portal) - National Portal
respective district and; also in the for Trainers and Assessors is an
country. initiative by NSDC under Skill
Indian Mission.
• Indian Institute of Skills (IIS):
These are state of the art center of • The portal is a dedicated platform
excellence being set up across the towards the management of
5 regions of India on the lines on trainers and assessors training
ITE Singapore. life-cycle and would function as
the central repository of
• Total budget of Rs. 476 Crore has
information concerning the
been laid down for building IIS,
development of quality Trainers
which will provide “hands-on”
and Assessors in the Indian skill
training in advanced courses such
eco-system.
as energy efficient construction,
industrial electronics and • What are the skill development
automation etc. schemes in LWE Districts ?

• Fee Based Trainings: Under the • Udaan is a national integration

Fee based model of skill scheme with the goal to
development training being mainstream J&K youth with rest of
implemented by National Skill the country.
Development Corporation (NSDC),
• The scheme not only provides skill
MSDE has trained more than 74
enhancement and job opportunity
lakhs till date since its inception.
but also connects these bright
• In 2017 alone, more than 7 lakh youths from the J&K with the
candidates have been enrolled out vibrant corporate sector of India.
of which more than 50% have

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 13
• The Programme Himayat, was related services like job matching,
launched by the Central career counseling, vocational
Government in Jammu and guidance, information on skill
Kashmir to train and give jobs to development courses, etc. which
over one lakh youth from poor are offered through the
families.
Employment Exchanges.

• The priority will be given to youth

• The NCS portal provides for
who are school and college drop-
registration of employers, job
outs and training will be provided
seekers, placement organisations
at each of the block headquarters.
and training providers to offer
• Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana employment related services
(Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyan) online.
is a is a centrally sponsored
Scheme on entrepreneurship 6. NEW PRIORITIES FOR

education and training being AGRICULTURE

implemented by the Ministry of What are the steps taken by GOI to
Skill Development and double farmer's income ?
Entrepreneurship, Government of
• The GOI launched the Soil Health
India.
Card Scheme to assess the soil
• The Scheme aims at creating an condition over 12 parameters and
enabling ecosystem for continuously for the period of every
Entrepreneurship development
three years and it will aid the
through Entrepreneurship
farmers in choosing the better
education and training; Advocacy
crops.
and easy access to
entrepreneurship support network • Ten lakh compost pits for
and Promoting social enterprises production of organic manure will
for inclusive growth. be taken up by making productive

• The Government is implementing use of the allocations under

the National Career Service (NCS) MGNREGA.

Project for transformation of the • Rs. 500 Crores have been allocated
National Employment Service to under the National Food Security
provide a variety of employment Mission and various other

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 14
 allocations are made to enhance by regulating restrictions,
the pulses production in the strengthening quality enforcement
country. and tackling corruption through
provisions of joint testing of
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana
samples.
was launched to promote the
organic farming and this will end • As Biotechnology has the potential

in creating the produce pesticide to increase productivity in crops

and facilitate incorporation of
residue free, contribute to improve
genes for resistance to pests,
the health of consumer, raise
diseases and abiotic stresses and it
farmer's income, create potential
is set to play a critical role in crop
market for traders and finally
production and livestock
motivate the farmers for natural
production and many measures
resource mobilisation for input
are taken to introduce the GM
production.
crops.

• Crop productivity can be

• The GOI increased the target of
significantly increased by agricultural funding from 50,000
managing soil health facilities and crores to 8.5 lakh crores to
adopting best management facilitate easy availability of credit
practices, so interstate exposure and to remove the farming
schemes and training schemes are community from the clutches of
devised to facilitate that. money lenders.

• As most of the land under • The government has initiated the

cultivation is rain fed many water new insurance scheme wherein,
conserving methods and programs the framer would be able to at

are devised to ensure the all round least recover the basic inputs he

availability of water and on the puts in, in the uncertainties

other scale promotion of dry crops created by more than one reasons.

also taken. What are the steps to be taken to

double farmer's income ?
• The GOI is taking measures to
check flood of spurious pesticides • Farmer is concerned with the profit
in market by fly-by-night operators he gets from a particular crop, so

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 15
 there should be an upward push in • Operation Greens addresses the
the MSP of various crops to price volatility of perishable
promote the diversification of the commodities such as tomatoes,
crops. onion and potato and it must be
increased to other crops as this
• Promotion of intensive vegetable
will promote FPO, agri logistics
production using improved
and processing facilities and
varieties, organic manure and drip
professional management in the
irrigation can provide five times
sector.
higher annual income, to the tune
of 2 lakhs per annum. • Reducing the post harvest losses
by strengthening grain storage
• The promotion of integrated
infrastructure, cool chain systems
farming system should be made as
for perishables, post harvest
it decreased cultivation cost
processing and value addition,
through multiple use of resources
transport, marketing, commerce
and providing much needed
and trade is essentially important.
resilience for predicted climate
change scenario. • APMC act should be amended to
encourage competitive marketing
• The Kisan Card facilities are now
environment and to introduce the
available to only for the crop
method of contract farming, which
production and it should be extend
will promote the farmer's income in
to the farmers who actively engage
a efficient way.
in aquaculture and animal
husbandry.

******

www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 16