Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan into Swachh Bharat Mission

Background: 

Efforts of the State Governments for promoting rural sanitation have been supplemented by the Central Government, till 1999 under the centrally sponsored Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP), from 1999 to 2012 under the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) and thereafter under the NBA. 

However, the interventions so far, have as per Census 2011 resulted in 32.70 percent of rural households having access to toilets in rural areas, while as per the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) 2013 estimates 40.6 percent of rural households have such access. 

The goal now is to achieve Swachh Bharat by 2019, as a fitting tribute to the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by improving the levels of cleanliness in rural areas and making Gram Panchayats Open Defecation Free (ODF). 

For this, the Swachh Bharat Mission will be launched with a new thrust to the sanitation programme, by removing bottlenecks that are hindering progress currently, and focusing on critical issues affecting outcomes. 

Swachh Bharat is proposed to be achieved through:- 

a) coverage of all rural households with IHHLs, cluster toilets, community toilets (including through PPP mode), construction of school and anganwadi toilets and SLWM activities in all Gram Panchayats; 

b) creation of enhanced demand, convergent action through various agencies and stakeholders with triggering through enhanced IEC, Inter Personal Communication (IPC); 

c) Strengthening of implementation and delivery mechanisms; 

d) Monitoring Outputs (construction) and Outcomes (use) at the Gram Panchayat and household levels leading to Swachh Bharat. 

Funding for these new initiatives will be through the following: 

• Budgetary allocations; 

• Contributions to the Swachh Bharat Kosh; 

• Through commitments under Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) 

• Funding assistance from multilateral sources 

Restructuring of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan into Swachh Bharat Mission

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today gave its approval for restructuring of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) into Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and revision in the components of the programme as follows :- 

i. NBA will be restructured into the Swachh Bharat Mission with two sub-Missions - Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). Budgetary provisions for the two sub-Missions will be provided separately in the demand for Grant of the Ministries of Drinking Water and Sanitation (for Gramin) and Ministry of Urban Development (for Urban). Necessary changes will be made from the RE Budget for 2014-15 onwards. The Mission will be kick-started on 2nd October 2014. If necessary, funds may be provided by re-appropriation or from the Contingency Fund. 

ii. Enhance the Unit cost of the Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 so as to provide for water availability, including for storing, hand-washing and cleaning of toilets. 

iii. Central share for IHHLs to be Rs. 9,000 (75 percent) from Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). The State share to be Rs. 3,000 (25 percent). For North Eastern States, Jammu and Kashmir and Special category States, the Central share will be 10,800 and the State share Rs. 1,200 (90 percent:10 percent). Additional contributions from other sources will be permitted. 

iv. Provision to be included in the Indira Awas Yojana Programme for provision of functional toilets. Till such provision is made, existing arrangement of funding will be continued from the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). 

v. Provision for Information, Education and Communication (IEC) will be at 8 percent of total project cost, with 3 percent to be utilised at the Central level and 5 percent at State level. 

vi. Provision for Administrative Cost will be 2 percent of the project cost. Sharing pattern will be 75:25 between Centre and State. 

vii. Discontinue the part funding from MGNREGA for the payment of incentives for the construction of IHHLs and pay the entire amount of Government of India share from the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). 

viii. All other components of the NBA that is Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) and Community Sanitary Complexes (CSCs) will be retained. SLWM funding will be at 75:25 sharing pattern. For CSCs it will be 60:30:10 (Centre: State: Community). CSCs will be constructed only when the Gram Panchayat takes the responsibility of ownership and a sustainable operation and maintenance system is assured. CSCs will include public toilets at markets/bus stands/ peri-urban areas/census towns etc., wherever ownership and operation and maintenance is assured. CSCs/public toilets will also be considered under Public Private Partnership (PPP)/VGF mode. 

ix. Transfer of the responsibility of construction of all School toilets to the Department of School Education and Literacy and of Anganwadi toilets to the Ministry of Women and Child Development. 

x. The strategy of implementation of the Sanitation Programme will focus on behaviour change, triggering of the population with regard to toilet construction, and their use. Triggering of communities for behaviour change and usage of toilets shall be given top priority to ensure increased demand, which will lead to use of assets created. Effective use of technology and media shall be done to communicate the message of the benefits of safe sanitation and hygiene. 

xi. Monitoring mechanism will be strengthened. Outputs (construction) and outcomes (usage) will be monitored. There should be comprehensive re-appraisal of the programme at end of the 12th Plan.

xii. States shall prepare an implementation strategy (Annual Implementation Plan) in consultation with the Mission. States performing as per their Plans will be incentivized. States achieving their targets prior to scheduled dates shall be further incentivized. 

xiii. A menu of accredited technology options for toilets and SLWM projects shall be made available to the States by the Swachh Bharat Mission. The Mission will provide a list of minimal acceptable technologies for which assistance under this programme will be available. However, use of any superior technology will be permitted at additional cost to be borne by the beneficiary. 

NAREDRA MODI SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS IN COUNCIL OF FOREIGN RELATION

Questions 

1.  In India's perspective to look at international relation changed with the advent of new government in India. Discuss analytically.
2. Discuss critically what Prime minister is selling abroad about India and Indians, in his current US visit.

Highlights of PM MODI speech. (Important points from exam point of view).

• PM Modi  address in Hindi
• After 30 years India elected a government with a complete majority. In politics, stability plays a very important role.
• A party that has spent a lot of time in the Opposition has come to power
• emphasised Good Governance and Development
• People this govt us because the thinking of the youth has changed
• The aspirations of the youth of India led to such a huge political change 
• When I talk about good governance, I mean minimum government and maximum governance
• My efforts are towards simplifying and speeding processes. We want to focus on transparency and e-governance
• There is a 'Neo-Middle Class' in our country, one which has just come out of poverty and does not want to go back 
•  take our economy ahead on the three pillars of agriculture, manufacturing and services , create a balance between all these sectors .
• Share of agriculture in GDP to be around 30%.
• 'Zero Defect, Zero Effect'. Indian products no defects and will have no adverse impact on environment
• The world will need a big work force by 2020.  India is a young country that can fulfill this demand.
• Focused on skill development
•  Undertaking labour reforms
• The states are also being strengthened to take decisions on labor force, Centre will co-operate
• Reducing red-tapism for investor friendly environment.
•  Took initiatives on foreign direct investment and private investment in our railways
•  Efforts to clean the Ganga
• Peace with our neighbours. 
• No country can exist on its own, we have to take other countries along
• Ideology has limits, philosophy is limitless. India's philosophy is 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'
• Initiative of a SAARC satellite. This will help all our neighbours.
• Three things that no one else has: democracy; demographic division and demand
• Issue of terrorism very seriously. 
• Supports TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENTS but also safeguarding the food and nutritional security of BPL.
• Providing 24 by 7 electricity supply to remotest place.
• Women empowerment and girl child education.
• Envisioning globalised world rather than alligned world.
• Improving neighbourhood relation and developing strategic partnership (in terms of technological research) with the nations.

Number of question can be framed on the above points related to GS syllabus.

Very soon detailed analysis on how to achieve 30% contribution in agriculture in GDP will be published soon.....

PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJANA(PMJDY): ‘SAB KA SATH SAB KA VIKAS’

OBJECTIVE:	1.        Objective of covering all households in the country with banking facilities and having a bank account for each household.  2.       Financial inclusion or inclusive financing is the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to sections of disadvantaged and low-income segments of society, in contrast to financial exclusion where those services are not available or affordable. 3.       With a bank account, every household gains access to banking and credit facilities. 4.       THIS will reduce informal credit facilities like moneylenders in credit giving.
CURRENT STATUS OF FINANCIAL INCLUSION IN THE COUNTRY :	·         Initiatives were taken up by RBI / GoI in order to ensure financial inclusion. 1.       Nationalization of Banks 2.        Expansion of Banks branch network 3.        Establishment & expansion of Cooperative and RRBs. 4.       Introduction of PS lending 5.       Lead Bank Scheme 6.       Formation of SHGs and State specific approach for Govt sponsored schemes to be evolved by SLBC . ·         During 2005-2006, RBI advised Banks to align their  polices with the objective of financial Inclusion.  ·         To use the services of NGOs/SHGs, MFIs and other Civil Society Organizations as intermediaries in providing financial and banking services through use of “Business Facilitator and Business Correspondent Model”. ·         As per Census, 2011, out of 24.67 crore households in the country. ·          14.48 crore (58.7%) households had access to banking services. ·         Of the 16.78 crore rural households, 9.14 crore (54.46%) were availing banking services. Of the 7.89 crore urban households, 5.34 crore (67.68%) households were availing banking services.
PROBLEMS WITH FINANCIAL INCLUSION PROBLEMS	·         Very less number of ATM’s  per population. ·         Moreover, there are more than 1.4 lakh Business Correspondents (BCs) of Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks in the rural areas. ·          BCs are representatives of bank to provide basic banking services i.e. opening of basic Bank accounts, Cash deposits , Cash withdrawals, transfer of funds, balance enquiries, mini statements etc. However actual field level experience suggests that many of these BCs are not actually functional.
PMJDY	·         Consists of 6 pillars and executed in 2 phases ·         Phase I-(15th August, 2014-14th August,2015) (1)Universal access to banking facilities (2) Financial Literacy Programme and (3) Providing Basic Banking Accounts with overdraft facility of Rs.5000 after six months and RuPay Debit card with inbuilt accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh and RuPay Kisan card ·         Phase II( 15th August 2015 upto15th August,2018)  (1) Creation of Credit  Guarantee Fund   for coverage of defaults in overdraft  A/Cs . (2)  Micro Insurance (3)  Unorganized sector Pension schemes like  Swavlamban.
WAY AHEAD	·         Pushing the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme. ·         Improving constraints of telecom connectivity. ·         Increasing number of ATM. ·         Increasing role of RBI, NABARD, NPCI and others have been indicated,Gram Dak Sewaks. ·         The ‘account opening kit’ and the mobile banking facility on the basic mobile phone (USSD)

GANGA ACTION PLAN

About river GANGA	·         The Ganges  is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh.  ·          The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal.  ·         The basin covers parts of four countries, India, Nepal, China, and Bangladesh; eleven Indian states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Delhi.  ·          It is the third largest river by discharge.  ·          The Ganges was ranked as the fifth most polluted river of the world in 2007.  ·         Pollution threatens not only humans, but also more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and the endangered Ganges river dolphin.   ·         About 400 million people depend on ganga for livelihood.
Pollution in GANGA	·         industrial waste and religious offerings wrapped in non-degradable plastics add large amounts of pollutants to the river as it flows through densely populated areas.  ·          The World Bank estimates that the health costs of water pollution in India equal three percent of India's GDP.  ·          Varanasi, a city of one million pilgrims visit to take a "holy dip" in the Ganges.  ·         releases around 200 million litres of untreated human sewage into the river each day, leading to large concentrations of faecal coliform bacteria.
About GANGA action plan	·         This was an initiative by government ofIndia to clean up river Ganga. Launched in 1985.  ·         Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-I was launched in the year 1985 to improve the water quality of river Ganga and was completed in March 2000. This included only the main stretch of river.  ·         Phase-II of the programme was approved in stages from 1993 onwards which included tributaries of the river Ganga namely, Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and Mahananda.  ·          Pollution abatement works undertaken include, interception and diversion of raw sewage, setting up of sewage treatment plants, creation of low cost sanitation facilities, setting up of electric/improved wood crematoria and river front development. GAP Phase–II is currently under implementation.  ·         The Central Government, by a notification dated 20.2.2009, as set up ‘National GangaRiver Basin Authority’ (NGRBA)as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga River, in exercise of the powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act,1986.   ·          A project under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) with World Bank assistance for abatement of pollution of river Ganga at an estimated cost of Rs.7000 crore has been approved in April 2011 by the Central Government.

MAKE IN INDIA CAMPAIGN

	OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN LOGO
What is this campaign about	·         The main aim of the campaign is to give INDIA ECONOMY A GLOBAL RECOGNITION ·         To boost foreign direct investment in the country ·         To create India as manufacturing center. ·         It was declared on 25th September 2014, on 98th birth anniversary of Pandit DEENDAYAL UPADHYAY.
Why is it needed and challenges it will overcome.	·         To create more employment opportunity. ·         To increase the purchasing power of people. ·         To reduce poverty.
What are challenges this will overcome.	·         Government has started NATIONAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, which will imbibe industrial skills to youth. ·         While make in India campaign will provide employment opportunities to skilled manpower. ·          It will make India manufacturing hub. So service led growth will be replaced by production based growth.
How Will It Be Achieved	·         Through effective governance- improving infrastructure bottlenecks such forest clearance, credit availability, ministry clearances etc. ·         Government has already granted 100% FDI through automatic route in case of infrastructure projects. ·         By improving on the ease of doing business which is very low (134 out of 189). ·         More investment from the western development countries

MARS ORBITER MISSION

BASICS	·         The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)(official name), informally called Mangalyaan . ·         Launched using  using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket C25. ·         It is India's first interplanetary mission and, if successful, ISRO would become the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program, NASA, and the European Space Agency. ·         MOM will follow MAVEN on Mars. NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft launched in same year.
OBJECTIVES	·         The ISRO built orbiter carries five instruments to detect methane on Mars, to study its geological activity, to study the Martian atmosphere  ·         Exploration of Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere by indigenous        scientific instruments.  ·         The MOM will also study the atmosphere of Mars, using a methane gas sniffer. On Earth, methane can have both geological and biological origins, so detecting it on Mars could suggest the presence of Martian microbes, ·         look at Mars' mineralogy, morphology and surface features.
STATUS	·         ISRO used in Mars spacecraft's , propulsion system, called 440 Newton engineor. ·         ISRO now have entered the spacecraft into the mars orbit. ·          It is one of the cost effective interplanetary mission $74 million 1/3rd cost of MAVEN. ·         Scientific objective was empirical observation of the planet. Periapsis (427km) nearest point in orbit of mars Apoapsis (76,993km) is farthest point. ·         Orbiting around mass at an angle of about 150 degree of mars equator.
MISSION ORBIT PHASE	1.       Geo Centric Phase-In this phase the spacecraft is projected to escape earth sphere of influence which is about 9, 18,000km.   2.       Helio Centric Phase – In this stage the space craft leaves the earth orbit. It travels tangentially to earth’s orbit and intersect tangentially the mars orbit.   3.       Martian phase- In this stage the space craft enters the mars sphere of influence which approximately 5, 73,000 km.