Relevance IN - Prelims (about Electronic Cigarettes) + Mains (GS II social justice and governance - issues relating to development and management of social sector/services relating to health, education)
What's the NEWS

• In a major health and wellness initiative for the country, the Union Cabinet has approved the Promulgation of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement) Ordinance, 2019.

• Electronic-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that produce aerosol by heating a solution containing nicotine, which is the addictive substance in combustible cigarettes.
• These include all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, Heat Not Burn Products, e-Hookah and the like devices.
• These novel products come with attractive appearances and multiple flavours and their use has increased exponentially and has acquired epidemic proportions in developed countries, especially among youth and children.

• It is referred to as the practice of inhaling capsules of nicotine in a vaporised form after they were heated. This is actually an electronic nicotine delivery system.
• It has a nicotine capsule, which has no tobacco, but nicotine gives excitement as it hits the brain.

• They heat a liquid to generate a nicotine containing aerosol, instead of burning tobacco.
• They do not produce toxic tars but the problem is, at high temperatures, e-cigarettes produce carcinogens such as formaldehydes, although these are fewer in number compared to regular cigarettes.
• They also increase the odds of lung disease and myocardial infarction, but much lesser extent than normal cigarettes.

• Upon promulgation of the Ordinance, any production, manufacturing, import, export, transport, sale (including online sale), distribution or advertisement (including online advertisement) of e-cigarettes shall be a cognizable offence punishable with an imprisonment of up to one year or fine up to Rs. 1 lakh or both for the first offence; and imprisonment of up to three years and fine up to Rs. 5 lakh for a subsequent offence.
• Storage of electronic-cigarettes shall also be punishable with an imprisonment up to 6 months or fine up to Rs 50,000 or both.
  
  

• The current decision has come on the back of an advisory issued by the Government in 2018 to all States to consider banning e-cigarettes.
• 16 States and 1 UT have already banned e cigarettes in their jurisdictions. Notably, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in a recent white paper on the subject, also recommended a complete ban on e-cigarettes based on currently available scientific evidence.
• The WHO has also urged member countries to take appropriate steps including prohibiting these products.
• These products are usually marketed as being safer alternatives for conventional cigarettes but such notions of safety are false.
• E-cigarettes are usually promoted by the industry as smoking cessation aids but their efficacy and safety as a quitting aid has not yet been established.
• Unlike the tried and tested nicotine and non-nicotine pharmacotherapies that are known to help people quit tobacco use, the WHO does not endorse e-cigarettes as cessation aids.

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Mazagon Scorpene submarine ‘KHANDERI' + about Project 75)
What's the NEWS

• Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) called ‘Ship Builder to the Nation', is one of India's leading Defence public sector undertaking shipyards under the Ministry of Defence continuing their service to the nation with ‘'Make in India'' programme.
• They delivered the second Scorpene submarine ‘KHANDERI' to the Indian Navy

Know! about Submarine Khanderi and other Scorpene class of submarines

• The submarine ‘KHANDERI' is named after the wide snouted Saw fish, a deadly sea predator of the great Indian Ocean.
• The first Submarine Khanderi was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 06th December 1968 and decommissioned on 18th October 1989 after more than 20 years of yeoman service to the nation. In true nautical tradition, she will now be ‘reincarnated' by MDL to guard the vast maritime area of our nation.
• The Scorpene class of submarines can undertake multifarious tasks typically undertaken by any modern submarine which include anti-surface as well as anti - submarine warfare.
• The constructions of third Scorpene at MDL, KARANJ, was started on 1^st January 2018, and is currently undergoing the rigorous phase of sea trials. The fourth Scorpene, VELA was recently launched in May 2019, and is being prepared for sea trials, whilst the remaining two submarines, VAGIR and VAGSHEER, are in various stages of outfitting.

Know! about project 75

• INS KHANDERI is the Second of the six Scorpene class submarines built under project 75 (Kalvari class) into the Indian Navy.It is a diesel electric attack submarine built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.

Six Scorpene class submarines to be built under project 75 (Kalvari class) into the Indian Navy.

1. KALVARI
2. KHANDERI
3. KARANJ
4. VELA
5. VAGIR
6. VAGSHEER

Human Resource Development
Ministry of HRD announces National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) Scheme for better learning outcomes in Higher Education

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about, National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) + Mains GS II - issues relating to development and management of social sector/services relating to health, education , human resources
What's the NEWS

• Ministry of Human Resource Development has announced a new PPP Scheme, National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) for using technology for better learning outcomes in Higher Education.

Know! all about NEAT

• The objective is to use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more personalised and customised as per the requirements of the learner.
• This requires development of technologies in Adaptive Learning to address the diversity of learners.
• There are a number of start-up companies developing this and MHRD would like to recognise such efforts and bring them under a common platform so that learners can access it easily.
• MHRD would act as a facilitator to ensure that the solutions are freely available to a large number of economically backward students.
• MHRD would create and maintain a National NEAT platform that would provide one-stop access to these technological solutions.
• EdTech companies would be responsible for developing solutions and manage registration of learners through the NEAT portal.
• They would be free to charge fees as per their policy. As their contribution towards the National cause, they would have to offer free coupons to the extent of 25% of the total registrations for their solution through NEAT portal. MHRD would distribute the free coupons for learning to the most socially/economically backward students.
• AICTE would be the implementing agency for NEAT programme. The scheme shall be administered under the guidance of an Apex Committee constituted by MHRD.
• Independent Expert Committees would be constituted for evaluating and selecting the EdTech solutions.

Women and Child Development
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Reaches One Crore Beneficiaries

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana) + Mains (GS II Social issues/justice + issues relating to development and management of social sector/services relating to health, education , human resource)
What's the NEWS

• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a flagship scheme of the Government for pregnant women and lactating mothers has achieved a significant milestone by crossing one crore beneficiaries. The total amount disbursed to the beneficiaries under the scheme has crossed Rs. 4,000 crores.

Know! more about PMMVY

• PMMVY is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme under which cash benefits are provided to pregnant women in their bank account directly to meet enhanced nutritional needs and partially compensate for wage loss.
• Implementation of the scheme started with effect from 01.01.2017. Under the ‘Scheme', Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) receive a cash benefit of Rs. 5,000 in three installments on fulfilling the respective conditionality, viz. early registration of pregnancy, ante-natal check-up and registration of the birth of the child and completion of first cycle of vaccination for the first living child of the family.
• The eligible beneficiaries also receive cash incentive under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY). Thus, on an average, a woman gets Rs. 6,000.
• Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Rajasthan are the top five States/UT in the country in implementation of PMMVY. Odisha and Telangana are yet to start implementation of the scheme.
• Implementation of the scheme is closely monitored by the central and state governments through PMMVY-CAS, a web based software application.
• The application is interoperable with UIDAI and Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for authentication of unique beneficiaries and their Bank Accounts.
• The Scheme is 100 percent Local Government Directory (LGD) compliant with a uniform master data of all villages/towns/cities throughout the Country on one platform, i.e. PMMVY-CAS. These features have helped in quick implementation of the scheme and eliminating duplication of benefits.
  
  

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