PIB – 17 September 2021

ADIP SCHEME & RASHTRIYA VAYOSHRI YOJANA

Focus: Government policies and Interventions

Why in News?

A ‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir’ for distribution of aids and assistive devices to ‘Divyangjan’ under the ADIP Scheme and to Senior Citizens under the ‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’ of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India will be organized by ALIMCO which is a Public Sector Enterprise under Administrative control of Department of Empowerment of Person with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Govt. of India at Golden Palace, Sarojini Nagar, Kanpur.

ADIP Scheme- the Assistance to Disabled persons for purchasing/fitting of aids/appliances (ADIP) scheme:

Nodal: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

• Objective: to assist the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances that can promote their physical, social and psychological rehabilitation, by reducing the effects of disabilities and enhance their economic potential.
• The aids and appliances supplied under the Scheme shall conform to BIS specifications to the extent possible.
• The aim is to promote physical, social, psychological rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities by reducing the effects of disabilities and at the same time enhance their economic potential.
• Grant-in-aid under the Scheme will Not be given for commercial supply of aids/appliances.
• Implementation: The scheme is implemented through implementing agencies such as NGOs, National Institutes under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and ALIMCO (a PSU that manufactures artificial limbs).

The following agencies would be eligible to implement the Scheme on behalf of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, subject to fulfillment of laid down terms and conditions:

• Societies, registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and their branches, if any, separately.
• Registered charitable trusts
• District Rural Development Agencies, Indian Red Cross Societies and other Autonomous Bodies headed by District Collector/Chief Executive Officer/District Development Officer of Zilla Parishad.
• National/Apex Institutes including ALIMCO functioning under administrative control of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment/Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• State Handicapped Development Corporations.
• Local Bodies- Zilla Parishad, Municipalities, District Autonomous Development Councils and Panchayats.
• Hospitals registered as separate entity, as recommended by state/central government
• Nehru Yuvak Kendras.

Eligibility

• He/she should be an Indian citizen of any age.
• Should be certified by a Registered Medical Practitioner that he/she is disabled and fit to use prescribed aid/appliance. Holds a 40% Disablement Certificate.
• Person who is employed/self-employed or getting pension and whose monthly income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 20,000/- per month.
• In case of dependents, the income of parents/guardians should not exceed Rs. 20,000/- per month.
• Persons who have not received assistance from the Government, local bodies and Non-Official Organisations during the last 3 years for the same purpose. However, for children below 12 years of age this limit would be 1 year.

Aids/appliances which do not cost more than Rs. 10,000/ – are covered under the Scheme for single disability. However, in the case of SwDs, students beyond IX class, the limit would be raised to Rs.12,000/.

About Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY)

Nodal: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

• The RVY was launched in 2017 at Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. 
• Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) is a scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices for Senior citizens belonging to BPL category.
• This is a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Central Government.
• The expenditure for implementation of the scheme will be met from the “Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund”.
• The Scheme will be implemented through the sole implementing agency – Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a PSU under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Under the scheme, the physical aids will be provided only to the senior citizens of the nation.
• This implies those who are aged above 60 years will get free assisted living aids and physical devices which are required for their sustainability.
• Also the govt. has selected the list of cities where the scheme will be implemented.
• The main criteria for the senior citizens to get full benefits of Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) scheme is that they must belong to BPL family and should hold valid BPL card issued by the concerned authority.
• Beneficiaries in each district will be identified by the State Governments/UT Administrations through a Committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner/District Collector.
• As far as possible, 30% of the beneficiaries in each district shall be women.

About Significance of RVY Scheme

• According to Census 2011, there are 10.38 crores of senior citizens.
• And of these, more than 70% of them live in rural areas.
• Therefore, it is essential to take special care towards them through these camps organized under Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana.

GREEN BONDS

Focus: GS III- Environment

Why in News?

Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC), the leading NBFC in power sector, has successfully issued  India’s first-ever Euro Green Bond

• It is the first ever Euro denominated Green bond issuance from India.
• Moreover, it is the first ever Euro issuance by an Indian NBFC and the first Euro bond issuance from India since 2017.

About Green Bond 

• It is a debt instrument by which investors can finance sustainable assets or projects. 
• The proceeds of the green bond offering are earmarked for use towards financing ‘green’ projects like electric vehicles, mass rapid transport systems, water and irrigation management, renewable energy etc.
• They can be raised either by financial institutions for further lending to green projects, or by the developers directly for investment in their projects.  

Benefits of Green Bonds

• Positive Impact on Environment
• Attracts Investment
• Alternative to Bank Loan: Green bonds are also an effective tool in driving down the cost of capital and reducing asset-liability mismatches. 

REPORT ON REFORMS IN URBAN PLANNING CAPACITY IN INDIA

Focus: GS II- Governance

Why in News?

NITI Aayog Launched Report on Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India.

Summary:

• India is home to 11% of the total global urban population. By 2027, India will surpass China as the most populous country in the world.
• Unplanned urbanization, however, exerts great strain on our cities. In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the dire need for the planning and management of our cities.
• Urban planning is the foundation for an integrated development of cities, citizens, and the environment. Unfortunately, it has received due attention so far. The existing urban planning and governance framework is complex, which often leads to ambiguity and lack of accountability.

The report makes several recommendations that can unblock bottlenecks in the value chain of urban planning capacity in India. Some of them are:

• Programmatic Intervention for Planning of Healthy Cities: Every city must aspire to become a ‘Healthy City for All’ by 2030. The report recommends a Central Sector Scheme ‘500 Healthy Cities Programme’, for a period of 5 years, wherein priority cities and towns would be selected jointly by the states and local bodies.
• Programmatic Intervention for Optimum Utilization of Urban Land: All the cities and towns under the proposed ‘Healthy Cities Programme’ should strengthen development control regulations based on scientific evidence to maximize the efficiency of urban land (or planning area). The report recommends a sub-scheme ‘Preparation/Revision of Development Control Regulations’ for this purpose.
• Ramping Up of Human Resources: To combat the shortage of urban planners in the public sector, the report recommends that the states/UTs may need to
  • a) expedite the filling up of vacant positions of town planners,
  • b) additionally sanction 8268 town planners’ posts as lateral entry positions for a minimum period of 3 years and a maximum of 5 years to meet the gaps.
• Ensuring Qualified Professionals for Undertaking Urban Planning: State town and country planning departments face an acute shortage of town planners. This is compounded by the fact that in several states, ironically, a qualification in town planning is not even an essential criterion for such jobs. States may need to undertake requisite amendments in their recruitment rules to ensure the entry of qualified candidates into town-planning positions.
• Re-engineering of Urban Governance: The key aspects that would need to be addressed in this effort are:
  • i) clear division of the roles and responsibilities of various authorities, appropriate revision of rules and regulations, etc.,
  • ii) creation of a more dynamic organizational structure, standardisation of the job descriptions of town planners and other experts,
  • iii) extensive adoption of technology for enabling public participation and inter-agency coordination.
• Revision of Town and Country Planning Acts:  The formation of an apex committee at the state level is recommended to undertake a regular review of planning legislations (including town and country planning or urban and regional development acts or other relevant acts).
• Demystifying Planning and Involving Citizens: While it is important to maintain the master plans’ technical rigour, it is equally important to demystify them for enabling citizens’ participation at relevant stages. Therefore, the committee strongly recommends a ‘Citizen Outreach Campaign’ for demystifying urban planning.
• Steps for Enhancing the Role of Private Sector:  These include the adoption of fair processes for procuring technical consultancy services, strengthening project structuring and management skills in the public sector, and empanelment of private sector consultancies.
• Measures for Strengthening Human Resource and Match Demand–Supply: The report recommends the constitution of a ‘National Council of Town and Country Planners’ as a statutory body of the Government of India. Also, a ‘National Digital Platform of Town and Country Planners’ is suggested to be created within the National Urban Innovation Stack of MoHUA. This portal will enable self-registration of all planners and evolve as a marketplace for potential employers and urban planners.