PIB 1st July

Contents

1. Accelerate Vigyan Scheme
2. Jharkhand’s Sahiyas: An Inspiration
3. Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs and HFCs

ACCELERATE VIGYAN SCHEME

Focus: GS-III Science and Technology

Accelerate Vigyan (AV) Scheme: Why in news?

• The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched a new scheme called ‘Accelerate Vigyan’ (AV), to provide a single platform for research internships, capacity building programs, and workshops across the country.
  The AV will work on mission mode, particularly with respect to its component dealing with consolidation / aggregation of all major scientific events in the country.
• An Inter-Ministerial Overseeing Committee (IMOC) involving all the scientific ministries/departments and a few others has been constituted for the purpose of supporting SERB in implementing the AV scheme in a successful manner.
• In a nutshell, the AV platform is expected to be a game changer for developing career paths and providing support to catalogue the development of skilled man-power.

Aims of the AV Scheme

• The primary objective of this inter-ministerial scheme is to give more thrust on encouraging high-end scientific research and preparing scientific manpower, which can lead to research careers and knowledge-based economy.

The aim is to expand the research base in the country, with three broad goals –

1. Consolidation / aggregation of all scientific training programs,
2. Initiating High-end Orientation Workshops and
3. Creating opportunities for Research Internships.

AV will initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research potential, mentoring, training and hands-on workshop on a national scale.

• The scheme also seeks to garner the social responsibility of the scientific community in the country.

Components of AV

ABHYAAS

• AV has already called for applications under its ‘ABHYAAS’ component for the Winter Season.
• ABHYAAS programme is an attempt to boost research and development in the country by enabling and grooming potential PG/PhD students by means of developing their research skills in selected areas across different disciplines or fields.

ABHYAAS has 2 components

1. KARYASHALA- High-End Workshops
2. VRITIKA- Research Internship.

SAMOOHAN

Mission ‘SAMOOHAN’ aims to encourage, aggregate and consolidate all scientific interactions in the country under one common roof.

SAMOOHAN also has 2 components

1. SAYONJIKA- an open-ended program to catalogue the capacity building activities in science and technology.
2. SANGOSTI- a pre-existing program of SERB

JHARKHAND’S SAHIYAS: AN INSPIRATION

Focus: GS-II Social Justice

Introduction

• The ASHAs in Jharkhand, known as “Sahiyas”, have been supporting delivery of health care services especially in the tribal areas.
• The Sahiyas have been widely acknowledged for their commitment and agency in enabling access to health care, even in the hard to reach and remote tribal areas.

Role Played by Sahiyas during Pandemic

• Sahiyas have been actively engaged in various activities related to COVID-19 such as creating awareness about preventive measures of COVID-19 like frequent hand washing with soap and water, use of masks/face covers when stepping out in public spaces, following proper etiquette while coughing and sneezing, etc.
• They are also involved in contact tracing, line listing and follow up of the COVID-19 cases.
• Sahiyas played a crucial role in active House-to-House Survey to identify the local high-risk population such as individuals with Influenza like Illness (ILI)/ Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) symptoms, etc.

What is ASHA?

• Under the National Health Mission, ASHA are envisaged to be community health volunteers. Under the National Health Mission, ASHA are entitled to task/activity-based incentives.
• Under the National Health Mission, ASHAs act as a critical link between Healthcare delivery system and community.

Tasks assigned to ASHA workers under National Health Mission

1. To create awareness and provide information to the community on determinants of health such as nutrition, basic sanitation and hygienic practices, healthy living and working conditions, information on existing health services and the need for timely use of health services.
2. To counsel women and families on birth preparedness, importance of safe delivery, breastfeeding and complementary feeding, immunization, contraception and prevention of common infections and care of the young child.
3. To mobilize the community and facilitate people’s access to health and health related services available at the village/sub-centre/primary health centres.
4. To work with the Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VNHC) to develop a comprehensive village health plan, and promote convergent action by the committee on social determinants of health.
5. In support with VHSNC, ASHAs will assist and mobilize the community for action against gender-based violence.
6. To arrange escort/accompany pregnant women & children requiring treatment/ admission to the nearest pre- identified health facility.
7. To provide community level curative care for minor ailments such as diarrhoea, fevers, care for the normal and sick new born, childhood illnesses and first aid.
8. She will be a provider of Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) under Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme.
9. She will also act as a depot holder for essential health products appropriate to local community needs. A Drug Kit will be provided to each ASHA.
10. To act as a care provider can be enhanced based on state needs.
11. To provide information on about the births and deaths in her village and any unusual health problems/disease outbreaks in the community to the Sub-Centres/Primary Health Centre.
12. She will promote construction of household toilets under Total Sanitation Campaign.

Support provided to ASHAs

To improve the financial security of ASHAs, the Government of India has already taken several steps in addition to routine and recurring incentives, which inter-alia includes:

1. Benefits of Life insurance, accident insurance and pension to eligible ASHAs and ASHA facilitators are extended by enrolling them under:
2. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana (premium of Rs. 330 contributed by GOI).
3. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Beema Yojana (premium of Rs. 12 contributed by GOI).
4. Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan Dhan (PM-SYM) (50% contribution of premium by GOI and 50% by beneficiaries).
5. The government has also approved a cash award of Rs. 20,000/- and a citation to ASHAs who leave the programme after working as ASHAs for minimum of 10 years, as acknowledgement of their contribution.

SPECIAL LIQUIDITY SCHEME FOR NBFCS AND HFCS

Focus: GS-III Indian Economy

Why in news?

The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs announced the launch of a Special Liquidity Scheme of Rs. 30,000 crores, to improve the liquidity position of NBFCs as well as HFCs.

Details

• RBI will provide funds for the Scheme by subscribing to government guaranteed special securities issued by the Trust.
• Government of India will provide an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee to the special securities issued by the Trust.
• The Scheme is being launched through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in the form of SLS Trust set up by SBI Capital Markets Limited (SBICAP).

Beneficiaries

Under certain conditions like: Compliance with RBI regulations on Capital adequacy, Rated as investment grade by a rating agency, Net profit in at least one of the two preceding financial years etc., –

1. Any NBFC including Microfinance Institutions registered with RBI under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
2. Any HFC registered with the National Housing Bank (NHB) under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987

Will be eligible to raise funding from the new liquidity scheme facility.

This facility is a part of the Government of India and RBI’s efforts to alleviate the concerns of the market participants on the availability of funds to NBFCs and HFCs.