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Daily Current Capsules - 14th September 2019

Government Schemes
Prime Minister Launches Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana
Relevance IN - Prelims (about the various schemes) + Mains (GS II social justice + government policies and interventions for the development of various sectors+ welfare schemes for the vulnerable sections of the population)
What's the NEWS
  • In another major effort to secure the lives of the farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana at Ranchi, the Capital of Jharkhand.
  • The Scheme shall secure the lives of 5 Crore Small and Marginal Farmers by providing a minimum pension of Rs 3000 per month, to those who attain 60 years of age.
  • Prime Minister also launched the National Pension Scheme for the Traders and The Self-Employed.
  • The scheme aims at providing a minimum assured pension of Rs 3000, to small traders and self - employed after attaining the age of 60 Years. Around 3 Crore Small traders would be benefitted from the scheme.
Know! about the various launched schemes
PM Kisan Samman Nidhi
  • Every farmer family of the country will get the benefit of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi
  • More than 21 thousand crore rupees have been deposited in the accounts of about six and a half crore farmer families of the country.

More than 32 lakh laborers have also joined the Shramayogi Manadhan Yojana.

More than 22 crore people have joined Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana

Also under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, about 44 lakh poor patients have been benefitted


Ekalavya Model Schools
  • Prime Minister also launched 462 Ekalavya Model Schools across the country in Tribal Dominated Areas. The schools would focus to provide quality upper primary, secondary and senior secondary level education to ST Students in these areas.
  • These Eklavya schools will not only serve as medium of education for tribal children but there will also be facilities for sports and skill development along with protection of local arts and culture.In these schools, the government will spend more than one lakh rupees a year on every tribal child."
Sahibganj multi-modal terminal.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated the Multi-Modal Transport Terminal at Sahibganj.
  • This waterway will connect Jharkhand not only with the whole country, but also with foreign countries.
Know! about National Waterway 1



The Swachhata Hi Seva Programme launched
  • The Swachhata Hi Seva campaign has started in the country. Under this campaign, by October 2, we have to collect single-use plastic in our homes, schools, offices. On October 2, the day of Gandhiji's 150th birth anniversary, we have to remove that plastic pile".
  • Prime Minister launches National Pension Scheme for Traders and Self Employed Persons
National Pension Scheme for Traders and Self Employed Persons
  • The National Pension Scheme for Traders and Self Employed Persons, a pension scheme for the Vyaparis (shopkeepers/retail traders and self-employed persons) with annual turnover not exceeding Rs 1.5 crore.
  • With this nation-wide launch, the facility for enrollment under the scheme has been made available to the prospective beneficiaries through 3.50 lakh Common Service Center (CSCs) across the country.
  • At the time of enrollment, the beneficiary is required to have an Aadhaar card and a saving bank/ Jan-dhan Account passbook only. He/ She should be within 18 to 40 years of age group.
  • GSTIN is required only for those with turnover above Rs. 40 lakhs. The enrolment under the scheme is free of cost for the beneficiaries. The enrolment is based upon self-certification.
  • It is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for entry age of 18 to 40 years with a provision for minimum assured pension of Rs 3,000/- monthly on attaining the age of 60 years.
  • The beneficiary should not be income tax payer and also not a member of EPFO/ESIC/NPS (Govt.)/PM-SYM.
  • The Central Government shall give 50 % share of the monthly contribution and remaining 50% contribution shall be made by the beneficiary. The monthly contribution is kept low to make it affordable. For example, a beneficiary is required to contribute as little as Rs.100/- per month at a median entry age of 29 years.
  • This scheme will target enrolling 25 lakh subscribers in 2019-20 and 2 crore subscribers by 2023-2024. An estimated 3 crore Vyaparis in the country are expected to be benefitted under the pension scheme.
Health Sector
India joins the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development Hub
Relevance IN - Prelims (about Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (R&D) hub + Mains (GS II Issues relating to development and management of social sector/services relating to health
What's the NEWS
  • India has joined the Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (R&D) Hub as a new member.
  • This was announced by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology in New Delhi.
  • This expands the global partnership working to address challenges and improve coordination and collaboration in global AMR R&D to 16 countries, the European Commission, two philanthropic foundations and four international organisations (as observers).
Know! about the global AMR R&D
  • The Global AMR R&D Hub was launched in May 2018 in the margins of the 71st session of the World Health Assembly, following a call from G20 Leaders in 2017.
  • The Global AMR R&D Hub supports global priority setting and evidence-based decision-making on the allocation of resources for AMR R&D through the identification of gaps, overlaps and potential for cross-sectoral collaboration and leveraging in AMR R&D.
  • The operation of the Global AMR R&D Hub is supported through a Secretariat, established in Berlin and currently financed through grants from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).
  • From this year onward, India will be the member of Board of members of Global AMR R&D Hub. By partnering with the Global AMR R&D Hub, India looks forward to working with all partners to leverage their existing capabilities, resources and collectively focus on new R&D intervention to address drug resistant infections.
  • AMR is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication that once could successfully treat the microbe.
  • Today, the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance continues unabated around the world. Given the important and interdependent human, animal, and environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance, India considers it reasonable to explore issues of antimicrobial resistance through the lens of One Health approach which should be supported by long-term commitments from all stakeholders.
  • In a major boost to combat one of the gravest risks to global health a dedicated special vehicle in terms of Global AMR R&D Hub may allow partners to devote expertise in order to accelerate global action against antimicrobial resistance.
Environment Conservation/Protection
Single-use plastic bags, cups, plates may be banned from October 2
Relevance IN - Prelims (about single use plastic) + Mains (GS III environment conservation)
The UN defines single-use plastic as items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These include, among other items, grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery.

What's the NEWS
  • India is set to impose a nationwide ban on plastic bags, cups and straws on October 2, in its most sweeping measure yet to stamp out single-use plastics from cities and villages that rank among the world's most polluted.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is leading efforts to scrap such plastics by 2022, is set to launch the campaign with a ban on as many as six items on Oct. 2, the birth anniversary of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi
  • The ban will be comprehensive and will cover manufacturing, usage and import of such items
  • Six single-use plastic items will be banned initially including small plastic bottles, plastic bags, straws, cups, plates and certain types of sachets.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set the goal to make India free of single-use plastics by 2022, had appealed to the nation to stop the use of single-use plastic in his speech on India's Independence Day. The Union Government is expected to launch a nation-wide campaign against single-use plastic in the second week of September.
Know! more about single-use plastic
  • Single-use plastic is a form of plastic that is disposable, which is only used once and then has to be thrown away or recycled.
  • The single-use plastic items include plastic bags, water bottles, soda bottles, straws, plastic plates, cups, most food packaging and coffee stirrers.
  • Millions of tons of plastic is being produced every year, which is not biodegradable. Hence, the countries across the globe are adopting and implementing strategies aimed at eliminating the use of single-use plastic.
  • As only 1-13 percent of the plastic items are recyclable, the rest ends up either buried in the land or water bodies, eventually reaching the oceans, leading to polluting of water bodies and killing of marine life.
  • Most of the plastic is not biodegradable and over a period of time the plastic breaks up and releases toxic chemicals into the water bodies, which in turn make their way into food and water supplies.
Steps taken by India to curb use of single-use plastic
  • In the first phase of its campaign against single-use plastic will spread nation-wide awareness about harmful effects of single-use plastic and in the second phase the government agencies will collect all the single-use plastic items and they will be recycled in the last phase.
  • Penalties will be introduced for violation of the single-use plastic ban but the penalties are expected to come into effect six months after the ban, in order to give people time to adopt alternatives to the single-use plastic items.
  • Some states in India have already introduced a ban on sale, storage and use of single-use plastic items such as Sikkim , Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland and Jharkhand.
  • Since recycling of plastic is not a permanent solution, manufacturers of single-use plastic have been asked to look for other alternatives that are biodegradable.
  • The manufactures and sells packaged drinking water 'Rail Neer' is also looking for alternatives including polymers to make their packaging biodegradable.

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