Relevance IN - Prelims (about the steps taken by the government for the welfare of women and youth) + Mains (GS II Social issues - government policies and interventions for the development of various sectors)
Pradhan Mantri Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyaan (PM YUVA)

• To create an enabling ecosystem for Entrepreneurship Development through entrepreneurship education and training across the Country, Pilot project on Pradhan Mantri Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyaan (PM YUVA) Yojana 2.0 is under implementation through the Institutes in the Skill Ecosystem of the Ministry i.e. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs), Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Polytechnics, Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Training Centres.

National Entrepreneurship Awards Scheme (NEAS)

• To promote a culture of entrepreneurship among India's youth and inspire them to set-up their own enterprise and create employment opportunities for others, Government has instituted National Entrepreneurship Awards Scheme (NEAS) in 2016.
• Under the Scheme, awards are conferred to the aspiring first generation entrepreneurs to recognize and honour their efforts and achievements and those individuals/organizations who are working as eco-system builder in the field of entrepreneurship development.
• Under the Scheme, there is a provision of 3 awards in sub-category under Enterprises Track exclusively for Women Entrepreneurs.

Stand-up India Scheme

• Besides, Government is providing financial support to the aspiring entrepreneurs through Stand-up India Scheme in the form of Bank Loan of between Rs. 10 lakh and 1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise in trading, services or manufacturing sector.

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana

• To enable aspiring entrepreneur/existing entrepreneurs to setup or expand their business activities, under the Scheme Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMYY), aspiring entrepreneur/existing entrepreneurs can avail a collateral free loan upto Rs. 10 lakh in the non agricultural sector for activities allied to agriculture.

Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs)

• A loan facilitator and skill training programme is going on through Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) under which assistance is given to aspiring entrepreneurs in the form of bank credit and skill training through RSETI to become self-employed and start their own micro enterprises with focus on rural poor.

Tribal Affairs
Minor Forest Produce (MFP)

Relevance IN - Prelims (about MFP) + Mains (GS II welfare schemes for the vulnerable sections of population)

What's the NEWS

• Government of India has notified 50 items in the list of Minor Forest Produce.
• The Minimum Support Price notified by Government of India was on the basis of the recommendation of the pricing cell which is set-up from time to time in Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED).

Know! about Minor Forest Produce

• An important source of livelihoods for tribal people are non-wood forest products, generally termed 'Minor Forest Produce (MFP)' means all non-timber forest produce of plant origin and will include bamboo, canes, fodder, leaves, gums, waxes, dyes, resins and many forms of food including nuts, wild fruits, Honey, Lac, Tusser etc.
• The Minor Forest Produces provide both subsistence and cash income for people who live in or near forests. They form a major portion of their food, fruits, medicines and other consumption items and also provide cash income through sale.
• Minor Forest Produce (MFP) starts with the word "Minor" but is a major source of livelihood for tribals who belong to the poorest of the poor section of society.
• The Minor Forest Produce has significant economic and social value for the forest dwellers as an estimated 100 Million people derive their source of livelihood from the collection and marketing of Minor Forest Produce (Report of the National Committee on Forest Rights Act, 2011).
• Around 100 million forest dwellers depend on Minor Forest Produces for food, shelter, medicines and cash income.
• Tribals derive 20-40% of their annual income from Minor Forest Produce on which they spend major portion of their time.
• This activity has strong linkage to women's financial empowerment as most of the Minor Forest Produces are collected and used/sold by women.

Know! about Van Dhan Vikas Karykram

• The Government of India has introduced Van Dhan Vikas Karykram under which the Minor Forest Produce gatherers will be given training in scientific method of collection of Minor Forest Produces, their processing, value addition etc.
• The trainees will also be provided with tool kit suitable for the type of Miner Forest Produce collected at that Kendra.
• Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram is an initiative targeting livelihood generation for tribal population by harnessing the wealth of forest i.e. Van Dhan.
• The programme aims to tap into the traditional knowledge and skill sets of tribal people by adding technology and Information Technology for upgradation of output at each stage and to convert the tribal wisdom into a remunerative economic activity.
• Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram seeks to promote and leverage the collective strength of tribal people to achieve a viable scale.
• Implementation of Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram is through Van Dhan Kendras. Selection of a place for setting up of a Van Dhan Kendra is dependent upon the area's potential and availability of land to be provided by the State Government. The number of Van Dhan Kendras developed depends on the above factors.
• The Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is to cater to ten Self Help Groups of thirty tribal gathers each.

Election Commission
Election Commission of India to implement "Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System" (PPRTMS)

Relevance IN - Prelims (about PPRTMS) + Mains (GS II electoral reforms)
What's the NEWS

• The Election Commission of India has reviewed the system and process of registration of political parties.
• The new guidelines will be effective from 1^st January,2020.

Know! more about PPRTMS

• Accordingly the "Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System" (PPRTMS) will be implemented through an online portal, to facilitate tracking of status of application by applicants.
• The salient feature in the Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System is that the applicant (who is applying for party registration from 1st January, 2020 onwards) will be able to track the progress of his / her application and will get status update through SMS and email.
• The applicant is required to provide contact mobile number and email address of the party / applicant in his application if he/she wishes to track the progress of the application.
• The Registration of Political Parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• A party seeking registration under the said section with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days

Social Justice & Empowerment
National Policy to Tackle Drug Abuse

Relevance IN - Prelims (about National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) + Mains ( GS II Social issues - issues relating to the development and management of social sectors relating to Health)
What's the NEWS

• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated and is implementing a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.

Know! more about the plan

• The Plan aims at reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy.
• The activities under the NAPDDR, inter-alia, include awareness generation programmes in schools/colleges/Universities, workshops/seminars/ with parents, community based peer led interactions intervention programmes for vulnerable adolescent and youth in the community, provisioning of treatment facilities and capacity building of service providers.
• The Ministry also implements a "Central Sector Scheme of Assistance for Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse" under which financial assistance is provided to eligible Non-Governmental Organizations based on the recommendations of State Governments/UT Administrations for running Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts to provide composite/integrated services for the rehabilitation of addicts including adolescents.
  
  

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