Health/GSII
Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana (PMASBY)

What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister will launch Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana.

Prime Minister Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana (PMASBY)

• PMASBY will be one of the largest pan-India scheme for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country.
• It will be in addition to the National Health Mission.
• The objective of PMASBY is to fill critical gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both the urban and rural areas.
• It will provide support for 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres in 10 High Focus States.
• Further, 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres will be established in all the States.
• Critical care services will be available in all the districts of the country with more than 5 lakh population, through Exclusive Critical Care Hospital Blocks, while the remaining districts will be covered through referral services.

• People will have access to a full range of diagnostic services in the Public Healthcare system through Network of laboratories across the country.
• Integrated Public Health Labs will be set up in all the districts.
• Under PMASBY, a National Institution for One Health, 4 New National Institutes for Virology, a Regional Research Platform for WHO South East Asia Region, 9 Biosafety Level III laboratories, 5 New Regional National Centre for Disease Control will be set up.
• PMASBY targets to build an IT enabled disease surveillance system by developing a network of surveillance laboratories at block, district, regional and national levels, in Metropolitan areas.
• Integrated Health Information Portal will be expanded to all States/UTs to connect all public health labs.
• PMASBY also aims at Operationalisation of 17 new Public Health Units and strengthening of 33 existing Public Health Units at Points of Entry, for effectively detecting, investigating, preventing, and combating Public Health Emergencies and Disease Outbreaks.
• It will also work towards building up trained frontline health workforce to respond to any public health emergency.

Government Schemes/GSII
Amended Technology Up-gradation fund Scheme (ATUFS)

What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Textiles reviewed the Amended Technology Up-gradation fund Scheme (ATUFS) with the different Ministries, Departments ,Textiles Industry Associations and Banks etc at the 5th Inter Ministerial Steering Committee (IMSC) meeting organized by the Ministry of Textiles.
• They reviewed the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme to boost the Indian Textile Industry by enabling ease of doing business, bolstering exports & fuelling employment.

ATUFS - Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme

• The Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), under the Ministry of Textiles, aims to facilitate employment, investment, quality, productivity, as well as import and export substitution in the textile industry
• It also promotes investments in the manufacturing of machinery for textiles.
• This is a credit-linked subsidy scheme for capital investment in the manufacturing and textiles sector under the Make in India as well as Zero Defect and Zero Effect initiative of the Government of India.
• Eligible individual entities (not units) are entitled to avail reimbursement of the Capital Investment Subsidy (CIS)

The following entities are eligible for this scheme:

1. Silk sector
2. Handloom sector
3. Technical textiles
4. Jute sector
5. Madeup/garment manufacturing
6. Processing fabrics, fibres, garments, madeup, and yarns
7. Weaving preparatory, weaving, and knitting

• The Government is implementing Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), a credit linked Capital Investment Subsidy (CIS) scheme during 2016 to 2022 with an outlay of Rs. 17822 crore to catalyze capital investments for technology upgradation and modernization of the textile industry.

Science and Technology/GSIII
India's First Banni Buffalo IVF Calf Born

What's the NEWS

• With the birth of first IVF calf of a Buffalo breed namely Banni in the country, India's OPU - IVF work has reached to next level.
• This first IVF Banni calf is born out of 6 Banni IVF pregnancies established at the doorsteps of a farmer, located at Dhanej in Somnath district of Gujarat.

Banni buffalo breed

• Ovum Pick-Up (OPU) and aspiration processes for the in vitro fertilization (IVF) of Banni Buffaloes were planned last year
• The scientists aspirated 3 Banni Buffaloes of Dhanej in Somnath district of Gujarat.
• They subjected 29 oocytes (egg cells) to intervaginal culture device (IVC) from these three Banni buffaloes. Total 20 oocytes from one of them were subjected to IVC.

Prelims Factoids
Azadi Amrut Chai
What's the NEWS

• M/s Andrew Yule & Co Ltd, a Central Public Sector Enterprise in Tea Sector under Ministry of Heavy Industries has come out with a series of Azadi Amrut Chai in Orthodox, Elaichi, Adrakh and Masala flavors to commemorate the 75th year of India's Independence and to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Know! about Azadi Amrut Chai

• It will be available for retail sale soon at Tea Board counter of Parliament, Trifed outlets, Udyog Bhawan and other Central Government offices.

• M/s Andrew Yule & Co Ltd, a 158 years old company, has 15 Tea Gardens spread over Assam and West Bengal having close to 14000 employees.
• All its gardens are more than 100 years old producing 110 Lac Kgs of high quality, CTC, Orthodox, Green and White Tea.

Prelims Factoids
Melioidosis

What's the NEWS

• A made-in-India aromatherapy spray is being pulled off retail giant Walmart's shelves in the United States after a medical investigation linked it to melioidosis, a rare disease that has sickened at least four, and may have caused two deaths, in the country.

Know! about melioidosis

• The spray was reported to contain a bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, that causes a rare but deadly disease called melioidosis
• Melioidosis, also called Whitmore's disease
• It is an infectious disease that can infect humans or animals.
•  The disease is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei.
• It is predominately a disease of tropical climates, especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia where it is widespread.
• The bacteria causing melioidosis are found in contaminated water and soil.
• It is spread to humans and animals through direct contact with the contaminated source.
• Most people infected with B. pseudomallei experience no symptoms, but those who do experience symptoms have signs and symptoms that range from mild, such as fever, skin changes, pneumonia, and abscesses, to severe with inflammation of the brain, inflammation of the joints, and dangerously low blood pressure that causes death.

Economy/Financial Inclusion/GSIII
Saksham Centres
What's the NEWS

• As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, a total of 152 Centre for Financial Literacy & Service Delivery (SAKSHAM Centres) across 77 districts of 13 states launched under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development

Know! about these centres

• Centre for Financial Literacy & Service Delivery (CFL&SD) would act as one stop solution/single window system for basic financial needs of Self-Help Group (SHG) households in rural areas.
• The main objective of the center is to provide financial literacy & facilitate delivery of financial services (savings, credit, insurance, pensions etc.) to SHG members and rural poor.
• These Centers will be managed by SHG network, largely at the level of the Cluster Level Federations (CLFs), with the help of trained Community Resource Persons (CRPs).
• These trained CRPs are provided six days residential training at Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) established by the Lead Bank of the district.
• All of these resources persons, popularly known as Financial Literacy Community Resource person (FL CRPs) also provided a training tool kit in vernacular languages.
• Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has also developed a mobile & web-based application called "SAKSHAM" which will be used by the community resource person of the Centre to know the penetration of various financial services for each SHG & village, identify major gaps and accordingly provide training and deliver the required financial services.

Defence
ABHYAS

What's the NEWS

• ABHYAS - the High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) was successfully flight-tested by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Bay of Bengal in Odisha.

Know! about Abhyas

• The vehicle can be used as an aerial target for evaluation of various missile systems.
• The performance of the target aircraft was monitored through telemetry and various tracking sensors including Radars and Electro Optical Tracking System (EOTS).
• The current flight test is carried out as a part of developmental flight trials. Expression of interest for production of the vehicle has already been floated to Indian industries.
• This indigenous target aircraft, once developed, will meet the requirements of High-speed Expendable Aerial Targets (HEAT) for Indian Armed Forces.
• ABHYAS is designed & developed by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru. The air vehicle is launched using twin under-slung boosters which provide the initial acceleration to the vehicle.
• It is powered by a gas turbine engine to sustain a long endurance flight at subsonic speed.

Governance/GSII
Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2021
What's the NEWS

• The Central Government has notified the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2021 to incorporate the provisions related to nominal one-time compensation and uniform procedure for establishment of Overground Telegraph Line in the Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules, 2016.

Know! about the amendments

• The amount of one-time compensation for establishment of overground telegraph line will be maximum one thousand rupees per kilometre.
• Documentation for Right of Way (RoW) application for overground telegraph line has been made simple.
• Also, there will be no fee other than Administrative fee and Restoration charges for establishing, maintaining, working, repairing, transferring or shifting the underground and overground telegraph infrastructure.
• These amendments will ease Right of Way related permission procedures for establishment and augmentation of Digital Communications Infrastructure across the country.

Governance/GSII
Rules notified by the Ministry of Power for the sustainability of the electricity sector
What's the NEWS

• Ministry of Power notifies rule for the sustainability of the electricity sector and promotion of clean energy to meet the India's commitment towards Climate Change.

The following Rules notified by the Ministry of Power under Electricity Act, 2003

• Timely recovery of the costs due to change in law is very important as the investment in the power sector largely depends upon the timely payments. At present the pass through under change of law takes time.
• This impacts the viability of the sector and the developers get financially stressed.
• The Rules would help in creating investment friendly environment in the country.
• The energy transition is happening across the globe. India has also made commitments to bring about energy transition.
• India has also announced international commitment to set up 175 GW of RE capacity by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030.
• These Rules will help in achieving the targets of RE generation.
• This will ensure that the consumers get green and clean power and secure a healthy environment for the future generation.

2. Electricity (Promotion of generation from renewable sources of energy by addressing Must Run and other matters) Rules, 2021.

• The electricity generated from a must-run power plant may be curtailed or regulated only in the event of any technical constraint in the electricity grid or for reasons of security of the electricity grid.
• For curtailment or regulation of power, the provisions of the Indian Electricity Grid Code shall be followed.
• In the event of a curtailment of supply from a must-run power plant, compensation shall be payable by the procurer to the must-run power plant at the rates specified in the agreement for purchase or supply of electricity.
• The RE generator is also allowed to sell power in the power exchange and recover the cost suitably.
• This helps in realisation of revenue by the generator and also the power is available in the electricity grid for use of consumers.
• The Rules also provides for the Intermediary procurer to procure electricity for distribution licensees.

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