“Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill”: To regulate infertility clinics

Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill which is aimed at regulating the functioning infertility clinics in the country is awaiting approval of the Union Cabinet and Parliament.

The Bill seeks to allow surrogate parenthood, which was not yet permitted in many Western countries. Around 15 % of the couples in the world were childless and the problem was similar in the country but underestimated.

New modifications in Land Acquisition Bill draft

The government has brought some fresh changes in the draft Land Acquisition Bill . As per new changes, the level of consent of landowners for acquiring land for private purpose has been made stiffer. 
Following these changes, the percentage of land owners, whose consent is a must for acquiring land for private purpose will be 80 % instead of earlier approved 67 %. Consent of land owners was not required for acquiring land for public purpose

For know more about Land Acquisition Bill click here

RBI issued new guidelines for rehabilitation of sick MSEs

Revising definition of sickness in micro and small enterprises (MSEs), the Reserve Bank asked banks for timely and adequate assistance to them as soon as the signs of sickness are detected.

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram

Reducing the maternal and infant mortality rate is the key goal feature of the Reproductive and Child Health Programme under the National Rural Health Mission. Several initiatives have been launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare under the Mission including Janani Suraksha Yojana, a key intervention that has resulted in phenomenal growth in institutional deliveries with more than one crore women beneficiaries annually. JSY was launched to promote institutional deliveries so that skilled attendance at birth is made available and mothers and new born babies can be saved from pregnancy related complications and deaths.

PM constitutes National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers

The Prime Minister has constituted a coordination committee called the National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers, as a mechanism to coordinate action for the introduction of direct cash transfers to individuals under the various government schemes and programmes.

National Electronic Policy , 2012

The Union Cabinet today approved the National Policy on Electronics 2012. The draft National Policy on Electronics was released for public consultation and it has now been finalized based on comments from various stakeholders. 

New Telecom Policy

Department of Telecommunications (DOT), Government of India jointly with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organizing INDIA TELECOM 2010-An International Conference & Exhibition at New Delhi. The theme of the event is 'Broadband for all'. India Telecom 2010 is the fifth consecutive year of the leading international conference and exhibition. Since 2006, India Telecom has been the forum for promoting enterprise, learning and inspiring innovation in telecom sector.
India Telecom 2010 will maintain its focus on cutting-edge technologies and their commercial implications, as well as on feature fast-growing technological sectors. 

National Mission on Food Processing

The continuing food inflation in the country has brought in sharp focus “supply side” constraints, especially in case of perishables. There is thus an increasing realization about the need to increase agricultural production in the country and a strategy to usher in second green revolution is under preparation. At the same time, it needs to be understood that it will not be enough only to produce more, but it is equally important to save each grain produced by reducing wastages. This would improve farmers’ income and economic viability of agricultural operations.

National policy for Farmers

The National Policy for farmers has defined the term “FARMER” as a person actively engaged in the economic and/or livelihood activity of growing crops and producing other primary agricultural commodities. It also includes all agricultural operational holders, cultivators, agricultural labourers, sharecroppers, tenants, poultry and livestock rearers, fish-growers, beekeepers, gardeners, pastoralists, non-corporate planters and planting labourers, as well as persons engaged in various farming related occupations such as sericulture, vermiculture, and agro-forestry. Apart from this, the term also includes tribal families/persons engaged in shifting cultivation and in the collection, use and sale of minor and non-timber forest produce.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture plays a crucial role in ensuring food security while also accounting for a significant share of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It engages almost two-thirds of the workforce in gainful employment. Several industries such as sugar, textiles, jute, food and milk processing etc. depend on agricultural production for their requirement of raw materials.

NATIONAL WATER POLICY 2012

Water is a natural resource, fundamental to life, livelihood, food security and sustainable development. It is also a scarce resource. India has more than 17 percent of the world’s population, but has only 4% of world’s renewable water resources with 2.6% of world’s land area. There are further limits on utilizable quantities of water owing to uneven distribution over time and space. Precipitation is confined to only about three or four months in a year and varies from 100 mm in the western parts of Rajasthan to over 10000 mm at Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Rivers and underground aquifers often cut across state boundaries.  Water, as a resource is one and indivisible: rainfall, river waters, surface ponds and lakes and ground water are all part of one system.

Maritime Agenda 2020

India is growing with great speed and would be leading economies globally soon. According to Goldman Sachs economists, India would be one of the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) that could become a much larger force globally in coming future. Maritime industry is a backbone of the country's EXIM trade. Therefore, it would not be wrong if said that development of shipping and ports industries contribute to the growth of the nation.

NATIONALRURAL LIVELIHOOD MISSION

The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) was established in June 2010 by the Government of India, to be implemented in all States of the country, to establish efficient and sustainable institutions of the rural poor that enable them to increase household income through livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial and selected public services. NRLM have special focus on the poorest households, who are currently dependant on MGNREGA. These families will be supported to broaden their livelihoods through assets and skill acquisition. This will enhance the quality of their livelihoods significantly.

Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana

With a view to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed and underemployed through encouraging the setting up of self-employment ventures or provision of wage employment, a new urban poverty alleviation programme, namely, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) was launched by the Government of India on 01.12.1997.

National Highways Development Project

The National Highways Development Project is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was implemented in 1998. "National Highways" account for only about 2% of the total length of roads, but carry about 40% of the total traffic across the length and breadth of the country. This project is managed by the National Highways Authority of India under the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways.

National Manufacturing Policy & NIMZ

National Manufacturing Policy

The Government of India has announced a national manufacturing policy with the objective of enhancing the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% within a decade and creating 100 million jobs. It also seeks to empower rural youth by imparting necessary skill sets to make them employable. Sustainable development is integral to the spirit of the policy and technological value addition in manufacturing has received special focus.

Details

Government of India decided to bring out the National Manufacturing Policy to bring about a quantitative and qualitative change with the following six objectives:

1. Increase manufacturing sector growth to 12-14% over the medium term to make it the engine of growth for the economy. The 2 to 4 % differential over the medium term growth rate of the overall economy will enable manufacturing to contribute at least 25% of the National GDP by 2022.
2. Increase the rate of job creation in manufacturing to create 100 million additional jobs by 2022.
3. Creation of appropriate skill sets among the rural migrant and urban poor to make growth inclusive.
4. Increase domestic value addition and technological depth in manufacturing.
5. Enhance global competitiveness of Indian manufacturing through appropriate policy support.
6. Ensure sustainability of growth, particularly with regard to the environment including energy efficiency, optimal utilization of natural resources and restoration of damaged/ degraded eco-systems.