Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan MantriVayaVandanaYojana, Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, Train Services beginning on 1st June 2020, FME
1. Ayushman Bharat is portable and affordable top quality medical care
- The number of the beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat has crossed one crore.
- In less than two years, this initiative has had a positive impact on so many lives.
- The efforts of doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and all others associated with Ayushman Bharat as “Their efforts have made it the largest healthcare programme in the world.
- This initiative has won the trust of several Indians, especially the poor and downtrodden.”
- “Beneficiaries can get top quality and affordable medical care not only where they registered but also in other parts of India.
- This helps those who work away from home or registered at a place where they don’t belong.”
- Pooja Thapa from Meghalaya is the 1 Croreth beneficiary of the Ayushman Bharat.
2. "Scheme for formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)"
- The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval to a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme – “Scheme for Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (FME)” for the Unorganized Sector on All India basis with an outlay of Rs.10,000 crore.
- The expenditure will be shared by GOI and the States in ratio of 60:40.
Objectives:
- Increase in access to finance by micro food processing units.
- Increase in revenues of target enterprises.
- Enhanced compliance with food quality and safety standards.
- Strengthening capacities of support systems.
- Transition from the unorganized sector to the formal sector.
- Special focus on women entrepreneurs and Aspirational districts.
- Encourage Waste to Wealth activities.
- Focus on minor forest produce in Tribal Districts.
Salient features:
- Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Expenditure to be shared by Government of India and States at 60:40.
- 2,00,000 micro-enterprises are to be assisted with credit linked subsidy.
- Scheme will be implemented over a 5 year period from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
- Cluster approach.
- Focus on perishables.
Implementation schedule:
- The scheme will be rolled out on All India basis.
- Back ended credit linked subsidy will be provided to 2,00,000 units.
- Seed capital will be given to SHGs (@Rs. 4 lakh per SHG) for loan to members for working capital and small tools.
- Grant will be provided to FPOs for backward/forward linkages, common infrastructure, packaging, marketing & branding.
A National level portal would be set-up wherein the applicants/ individual enterprise could apply to participate in the Scheme. All the scheme activities would be undertaken on the National portal.
3. 'Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana' (PMVVY)
PMVVY is a social security scheme for senior citizens intended to give an assured minimum pension to them based on an assured return on the purchase price / subscription amount.
The minimum investment has also been revised to Rs.1,56,658 for pension of Rs.12,000/- per annum and Rs.1,62,162/- for getting a minimum pension amount of Rs.1000/- per month under the scheme.
The following for the welfare of and to enable old age income security for Senior Citizens:
- Extension of Pradhan MantriVayaVandanaYojana (PMVVY) up to 31st March, 2023 for further period of three years beyond 31st March, 2020.
- To allow initially an assured rate of return of 7.40 % per annum for the year 2020-21 per annum and thereafter to be reset every year.
- Annual reset of assured rate of interest with effect from April 1st of financial year in line with revised rate of returns of Senior Citizens Saving Scheme (SCSS) upto a ceiling of 7.75% with fresh appraisal of the scheme on breach of this threshold at any point.
- Approval for expenditure to be incurred on account of the difference between the market rate of return generated by LIC (net of expenses) and the guaranteed rate of return under the scheme.
- Capping Management expenses at 0.5% p.a. of funds of the scheme for first year of scheme in respect of new policies issued and thereafter 0.3% p.a. for second year onwards for the next 9 years.
- Delegating the authority to Finance Minister to approve annual reset rate of return at the beginning of every financial year.
- All other terms and conditions of the scheme remaining the same.
4. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana – A scheme to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India
- The PMMSY will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate Components namely (a) Central Sector Scheme (CS) and (b) Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) at a total estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crore comprising of (i) Central share of Rs. 9,407 crore, (ii) State share of Rs. 4,880 crore and (iii) Beneficiaries’ share of Rs. 5,763 crore.
- The Scheme will be implemented during a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25.
The Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Component is further segregated into Non-beneficiary oriented and Beneficiary orientated subcomponents/activities under the following three broad heads:
a) Enhancement of Production and Productivity
b) Infrastructure and Post-Harvest Management
c) Fisheries Management and Regulatory Framework
5. Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)
- To enable additional funding of up to Rs. three lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested MUDRA borrowers by way of “Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme.”
- nder the Scheme, 100% guarantee coverage to be provided by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for additional funding of up to Rs. three lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested MUDRA. borrowers, in the form of a Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility.
- For this purpose, corpus of Rs. 41,600 crore shall be provided by Government of India spread over the current and the next three financial years.
6. GOI launches scheme for 100 % solarisation of Konark sun temple & Konark town
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has taken up the Complete Solarisation of Konark sun temple and Konark town in Odisha.
- “Government of India launched the Scheme with an objective to take forward the Prime Minister’s vision to develop the historical Sun temple town of Konark in Odisha as ‘Surya Nagri’, to convey a message of synergy between the modern use of solar energy and the ancient Sun Temple and the importance of promoting solar energy”.
- The Scheme envisages setting up of 10 MW grid connected solar project and various solar off-grid applications like solar trees, solar drinking water kiosks, off-grid solar power plants with battery storage etc with a 100% Central Financial Assistance (CFA) support of around Rs. 25 Crores from Government of India through Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE).
- Implementation of this Project will be done by Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA).
- The Scheme will meet all the energy requirements of Konark town with solar energy.
7. Guidelines for Train Services beginning on 1st June 2020
- Ministry of Railways (MoR) in consultation with Ministry of Health & Family welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) has decided that train services on Indian Railways shall be further partially restored w.e.f. from 01st June 2020.
- These rules are for trains other than Shramik trains, which will continue to run in bigger numbers that is 100 pairs of Trains listed.
- These special services shall be in addition to the existing Shramik special trains being run since 01st May and Special AC trains (30 trains) being run since 12th May 2020.
- Booking of all these trains will commence from 10 am on 21/05/20.
- Other regular Passenger services including all mail/express, passenger and suburban services shall remain cancelled until further advice.
- Fare shall be as normal and for General (GS) coaches, being reserved, second seating(2S) fare shall be charged and seat will be provided to all the passengers.
- These will be fully reserved trains having both AC & Non AC classes. General (GS) coaches shall also have reserved seat for sitting. There will be no unreserved coach in the train.
- Only online E-Ticketing will be done through IRCTC website or through Mobile App. No tickets will be booked across the reservation counter on any Railway Station. Booking of tickets through ‘agents’, (both IRCTC Agents and Railway Agents) shall not be permitted.
- The ARP (advance reservation period) shall be maximum 30 days.
- RAC and Wait list will be generated as per extant rules however waiting list ticket holders shall not be permitted to board the train.
- No unreserved (UTS) tickets will be issued and no tickets will be issued onboard to any passenger during the journey
- No tatkal and premium tatkal booking shall be permitted in these trains.
- First chart shall be prepared at least 4 hours before scheduled departure and second chart shall be prepared at least 2 hours((unlike present practice of 30 minutes) before scheduled departure. Only online current booking shall be permitted in between first and second chart preparation.
- No Linen, blankets and curtains shall be provided inside the train. The temperature inside AC coaches shall be suitably regulated for this purpose.
- Only passengers with Confirmed tickets shall be allowed to enter the Railway station.
- All passengers shall be compulsorily screened and only asymptomatic passengers are allowed to enter /board the train.
- All passengers must wear face covers/masks at the entry and during travel.
- The passengers shall reach the station at-least 90 minutes in advance to facilitate thermal screening at the station. Only passengers who are found asymptomatic will be permitted to travel.
- Passengers shall observe social distancing both at the station and on trains.
- Concessions for four categories of Divyangjan concession and 11 categories of patient concessions are permitted in these special trains.
- On arrival at their destination, the travelling passengers will have to adhere to such health protocols as are prescribed by the destination state/UT.
- Zonal Railways have been instructed to ensure that there are separate entry and exit gates at Railway stations to the extent feasible so that there is no face to face movement of passengers.
- All passengers must download and use the Aarogya Setu application. Passengers are advised to travel light.
- All quotas shall be permitted in these special trains as has been permitted in Regular trains. Limited number of reservation (PRS) counters shall be operated for this purpose. However, normal ticket booking cannot be done through these counters.
- Cancellation and Refund rule: Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015 shall be applicable.
- If during screening a passenger has very high temperature/symptoms of Covid-19 etc., he shall not be allowed to travel despite having confirmed tickets. In such case full refund shall be provided to passenger as under:-
(i) On PNR having single passenger.
(ii) On a party ticket if one passenger is found unfit to travel and also all other passengers on the same PNR do not want to travel in that case full refund shall be granted for all passengers.
(iii) On a party ticket if one passenger is found unfit to travel however other passengers on the PNR want to travel in that case full refund of fare shall be granted to passenger who was not allowed to travel.
TTE certificates as per extant practice shall be issued to the passenger at the entry/checking/screening point itself mentioning “Number of passengers not travelled due to symptoms of Covid 19 in one or more passengers”
After getting TTE certificates, online TDR shall be filed for refund of not travelled passengers, within 10 days from the date of journey and the original
TTE certificate issued shall be sent by the passenger to IRCTC as per extant provision and full fare for the part passenger/full who have not travelled shall be refunded by IRCTC in the customer’s account.
- No catering charges shall be included in the fare. Provision for pre paid meal booking, e-catering shall be disabled. However, IRCTC shall make provision for limited eatables and packaged drinking water on payment basis only in limited trains, having Pantry car attached.
- Passengers are encouraged to carry their own food and drinking water.
- All static catering and vending units (Multi Purpose stalls, Bookstalls, Misc./Chemist stalls etc) at Railway stations will remain open. In case of Food Plaza and Refreshments rooms etc, cooked items may be served as take away only with no sit-down eating arrangements in place.
