CONTENT
- Traditional medicine
- Poshan Abhiyaan
- E-Daakhil portal
- Operation Sadbhavana in Ladakh
- Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS)
Traditional Medicine
Focus: GS II- Health
Why in News?
Ministry of Ayush is taking up the task to harmonize all the monographs published/being published through Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API), Siddha Pharmacopoeia of India (SPI), Unani Pharmacopoeia of India (UPI), Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India (HPI) and Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) for promotion and facilitation of One Herb, One Standard.
About Traditional Medicine:
The traditional Indian system of medicine comprises of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH), is a perennially neglected alternative medicine sector.
Ayurveda:
- The word Ayurveda means ‘Science of Life’ and employs treatment modalities, such as purification, palliation, prescription of various diets, exercises and the avoidance of disease causing factors and it evolved nearly 5000 years ago.
- The Ayurvedic medicine, though practiced for a wide range of health needs, is more commonly used for preventive and health and immunity boosting activities.
Yoga & Naturopathy:
- Practices of Yoga are reported to have originated in India and is now being adapted to correct lifestyle by cultivating a rational, positive and spiritual attitude towards all life situations.
- 21st June is designated as ‘International Yoga Day’.
- Naturopathy or the naturopathic medicine is a drugless’ non- invasive system of medicine imparting treatments with natural elements based on the theories of vitality, toxemia and the self-healing capacity of the body, as well as the principles of healthy living.
- The common naturopathy modalities include counselling, diet and fasting therapy, mud therapy, hydrotherapy, massage therapy, acupressure, acupuncture, magnet therapy and yoga therapy.
Unani Medicine:
- It was originated in the Arab world, though over a period of time it imbibed some concepts from other contemporary systems of medicines in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Persia, India, China and other Middle East Countries.
- Unani medicine treats a patient with diet, pharmacotherapy, exercise, massages and surgery.
Siddha:
- Originated in India and is amongst the oldest systems of medicine in the country.
- It takes into account the patient, his/her surroundings, age, sex, race, habitat, diet, appetite, physical condition etc. to arrive at the diagnosis.
- Siddha System uses minerals, metals and alloys and drugs and inorganic compounds to treat the patients.
- Unlike most T&CM, this system is largely therapeutic in nature.
- Siddha literature is in Tamil and it is practiced largely in Tamil speaking part of India.
Homeopathy:
- The word ‘Homeopathy’ is derived from the Greek words, ‘Homois’ meaning ‘similar’ and ‘pathos’ means ‘suffering’.
- It originated in Germany and was introduced in India around 1810-1839.
- It uses highly individualized remedies selected to address specific symptoms or symptom profiles.
- It is practiced in many countries and in India, where it is the second most popular system of medicine.
Sowa-Rigpa:
- The word combination means the ‘science of healing’ and is considered one of the oldest living and well-documented medical traditions of the world.
- It originated from Tibet and is widely practiced in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia and Russia.
Poshan Abhiyaan
Focus: GS II- Health
Why in News?
The Ministry of Ayush is knowledge partner with the Ministry of Women and Child Development in the Poshan Abhiyan to achieve the ultimate goal of ‘SUPOSHIT BHARAT’; and actively participated in this program and celebrates Poshan Pakhwada and Poshan Maah every year since year 2018.
About Poshan Abhiyaan
- The term ‘POSHAN’ in the name of the programme stands for ‘Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition’.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan launched in 2018 aims at improving the nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers.
- According to ‘Mission 25 by 2020’, the National Nutrition Mission aims to achieve a reduction in stunting from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan focuses on convergence among partner Ministries leveraging technology and Jan Andolan among other things, to address issue of malnutrition comprehensively.
- Near-real time reporting by field functionaries and improved MIS is aimed at smooth implementation of scheme and better service delivery.
- It also targets stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and low birth rate.
- It will monitor and review implementation of all such schemes and utilize existing structural arrangements of line ministries wherever available.
- Its large component involves gradual scaling-up of interventions supported by on-going World Bank assisted Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) to all districts in the country by 2022.
- Its vision is to ensure attainment of malnutrition free India by 2022.
Implementation of POSHAN Abhiyaan is based on the four-point strategy/pillars of the mission:
- Inter-sectoral convergence for better service delivery
- Use of technology (ICT) for real time growth monitoring and tracking of women and children
- Intensified health and nutrition services for the first 1000 days
- Jan Andolan
Issues of Poshan Abhiyaan
- Information and communications technology-enabled real time monitoring (ICT-RTM) has been rolled out in POSHAN Abhiyaan districts.
- This could be ineffective due to the limited capacities of Anganwadi workers (AWs) to handle smartphones owing to their lack of technological literacy.
- Technical issues like slow servers and data deletion problems, resulting in irregular and improper recording of growth data of children.
- AWs are the fulcrum of POSHAN Abhiyaan and render vital services to mothers and children in villages.
- Nearly 40% of AWs had to use their personal money to run the AWCs, 35% of them complained of delayed payments.
- This makes AWs demotivated and demoralized.
Anganwadi Centres
- Anganwadis or day-care centres are set up under the centrally sponsored Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.
- The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- Anganwadi centres provide a package of six services: supplementary nutrition, pre-school non-formal education, immunisation, nutrition and health education, as well as referral services.
- The primary aim of the scheme is to reduce infant mortality and child malnutrition.
- Beneficiaries of these centers will be Children in the age group of zero to six years, and pregnant women and lactating mothers.
- It was started by the Government of India In 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program to combat child hunger and malnutrition.
- The beneficiaries under the Anganwadi Services Scheme are identified on the basis of Aadhaar.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) – Govt. Schemes
- Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), a Centrally-Sponsored scheme, is an Indian government welfare programme that provides food, preschool education, and primary healthcare to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.
- The scheme was started in 1975 and aims at the holistic development of children and empowerment of mother.
- The scheme primarily runs through the Anganwadi centers and the scheme is under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Objectives of ICDS are:
- To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;
- To lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child;
- To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
- To achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
- To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.
- Services Provided by the ICDS are:
- Supplementary Nutrition (SNP)
- Health & Nutrition Check-Up
- Immunization
- Non-Formal Education for Children in Pre-School
- Health and Nutrition Education
- Referral services
Six Schemes under Umbrella ICDS:
Anganwadi Services Scheme: A unique programme for early childhood care and development which benefits children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: Provides cash incentive amounting to Rs.5,000/- in three installments directly to the Bank/Post Office Account of Pregnant Women and Lactating Mother (PW&LM) in DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) Mode during pregnancy and lactation in response to individual fulfilling specific conditions.
National Creche Scheme: Provides day care facilities to children of age group of 6 months to 6 years of working women for seven and half hours a day for 26 days in a month.
Scheme for Adolescent Girls: Aims to empower and improve the social status of out of school girls in the age group 11-14 through nutrition, life skills and home skills.
Child Protection Scheme: Aims to contribute to the improvement and well-being of children in difficult circumstances, as well as, reduction of vulnerabilities to situations and actions that lead to abuse, neglect, exploitation, abandonment and separation of children from parents.
POSHAN Abhiyaan: Targets to reduce the level of stunting, under-nutrition, anemia and low birth weight babies by reducing mal-nutrition/undernutrition, anemia among young children as also, focus on adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
E-Daakhil Portal
Focus: GS II-Polity and Governance
Why in News?
Total number of consumer complaints filed online through e-Daakhil portal in the country is 35,898.
About E-Daakhil portal:
- It is launched by National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission.
- The e-daakhil portal empowers the consumer and their advocates to file consumer complaints online.
- It also facilitates to male payment of requisite fees online from anywhere in order to redress their complaints.
- The site of the e-Daakhil Portal was developed and is maintained by the National Information Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
- This portal has been developed under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
National consumer dispute redressal commission:
Nodal: Ministry of consumer affairs and public distribution
- The Consumer Protection Act was passed in 1986 to protect the interests of the consumers.( quasi- judicial body)
- The objective of this law is to provide a simple, fast and inexpensive mechanism to the citizens to redress their grievances in specified cases.
The Act envisages a three-tier quasi-judicial machinery at the National, State and District levels:
i. National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission known as “National Commission”;
ii. State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission known as “State Commission”;
iii. District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum – known as “District Forum”.
Operation Sadbhavana in Ladakh
Focus: GS III: Security challenegs
Why in News?
As part of Operation SADBHAVANA, the Indian Army is running multiple welfare activities for children in remote areas of the Union Territory of Ladakh. This includes running seven Army Goodwill Schools, where over 2,200 students are currently enrolled.
About Operation Sadbhavana in Ladakh:
- In the current financial year 2022-23, a total of Rs 8.82 crore has been allotted for various activities in the Union Territory of Ladakh under Operation SADBHAVANA.
- These funds will be used for activities like human resource and skill development, sports, healthcare, national integration, infrastructure development, ecology, environment, and education.
Achieving Objectives:
- National Integration, Women Empowerment, and Nation Building: Operation SADBHAVANA is fulfilling its objectives, which include national integration tours, women empowerment, employment generation, education, and development activities towards nation building.
- Projects are selected after taking local aspirations into consideration and ensuring no duplicacy with projects of the civil administration.
Health and Sanitation Assistance:
Medical Camps and Medical Aid Centers:
- The Indian Army is providing medical camps, veterinary camps, and medical equipment to various remote locations in Ladakh as part of Operation SADBHAVANA.
- A total of 23 projects have been allotted in the financial year 2022-23 for health and sanitation.
Community Development Assistance:
Community Halls and Water Supply Schemes:
- The Indian Army is providing assistance in the form of construction and upgradation of community halls, water supply schemes, and other community development projects in remote areas of Ladakh.
Infrastructure Development:
Computer Labs and Community Halls:
- 17 infrastructure projects have been allotted and planned in all districts of the Union Territory of Ladakh in the financial year 2022-23, which include the establishment of computer labs and the construction of community halls.
Women Empowerment:
Training Programs and Tours:
- Women in remote areas of Ladakh are being empowered through various training programs and tours funded through Operation SADBHAVANA.
- This includes vocational training centers, women empowerment centers, and computer centers.
Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS)
Focus: GS II: Government Policies and Interventions
Why in News?
The maximum investment limit for the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) has been increased from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh in Budget 2023.
About Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS):
- The main aim of the SCSS is to provide senior citizens in India a regular income after they attain the age of 60 years old. The scheme offers eligible individuals the opportunity to make a lump sum deposit with a minimum of Rs. 1,000 and a maximum of Rs. 15 Lakh or the amount received on retirement, whichever is lower.
Eligibility:
- Indian citizens above the age of 60 years
- Retirees in the age bracket of 55-60 years who have opted for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) or Superannuation
- Retired defence personnel above 50 years and below 60 years of age
Deposit Limits:
- Minimum Deposit – Rs. 1,000 (and in multiples thereof)
- Maximum Deposit – Rs. 15 Lakh or the amount received on retirement, whichever is lower (Increased to Rs 30 lakh in Budget 2023)
- Individuals are allowed to operate more than one account by themselves or open a joint account with their spouse.
Maturity & Interest Payment:
- Maturity period of five years
- Depositor can extend the maturity period for another three years
- Interest amount paid to the account holders quarterly
Other Details:
- Premature withdrawal is allowed after one year of opening the account.
- Deposits in SCSS qualify for deduction u/s 80-C of Income Tax Act.
