CONTENTS
- PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA- GRAMIN
- E-SHRAM PORTAL
- INDO FRENCH SHAKTI 2021
PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA- GRAMIN
Focus: GS II- Welfare Schemes
Why in News?
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin completes 5 years
About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Launched on 25th June 2015) is an initiative by Government of India in which affordable housing will be provided to the urban poor with a target of building 20 million affordable houses by 31 March 2022.
- It has two components i.e. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) for the urban poor and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G and also PMAY-R) for the rural poor.
- This scheme is converged with other schemes to ensure houses have a toilet, Saubhagya Yojana electricity connection, Ujjwala Yojana LPG gas connection, access to drinking water and Jan Dhan banking facilities, etc.
- The houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana would be constructed through a technology that is eco-friendly, while allotting ground floors in any housing scheme under PMAY, preference will be given to differently abled and older persons.
- 3 Phases of PMAY envisage starting and completing the house construction work i.e. Phase I (2015-2017), Phase II (2017-2019), and Phase III (2019-2022).
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G)
Nodal : Ministry of Rural Development
- The Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) was launched to achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022. The erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was restructured to Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).
- It will be implemented in rural areas across the country except Delhi and Chandigarh
- PMAY-G aims to provide a pucca house with basic amenities to all rural families, who are homeless or living in kutcha or dilapidated houses by the end of March 2022 and also to help rural people Below the Poverty Line (BPL) in construction of dwelling units and upgradation of existing unserviceable kutcha houses by providing assistance in the form of a full grant.
- People belonging to SCs/STs, freed bonded labourers and non-SC/ST categories, widows or next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in action, ex-servicemen and retired members of the paramilitary forces, disabled persons and minorities will be the target beneficiaries of the PMAY-G.
- Selection of beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) is based on housing deprivation parameters of Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011, subject to 13 point exclusion criteria, followed by Gram Sabha verification
- The cost of unit assistance is shared between Central and State Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states.
E-SHRAM PORTAL
Focus: GS II- Government policies and Interventions
Why in News?
The number of Unorganised Sector workers registration at the e-Shram portal has been rising steadily over the 12 weeks since its launch (as can be seen from the Figure below).
About the E-Shram Portal
- With the help of the E-Shram Portal, the government aims to register 38 crore unorganized workers, such as construction labourers, migrant workforce, street vendors and domestic workers, among others.
- The workers will be issued an e-Shram card containing a 12-digit unique number, which, going ahead, will help in including them in social security schemes.
- The government had earlier missed deadlines for creating the database, inviting criticism from the Supreme Court.
- Targeted identification of the unorganized workers was a much-needed step and the portal which will be the national database of our nation builders will help take welfare schemes to their doorstep, who are the builders of our Nation.
- Targeted delivery and last mile delivery, has been a major focus of the schemes of government of India and the National Database of Unorganised workers (E-Shram portal) is another key step towards that.
INDO FRENCH SHAKTI 2021
Focus: GS III- Defence, Facts for prelims
Why in News
The Sixth Edition of Indo – France joint military exercise “Ex SHAKTI 2021” has commenced at the Military School of Draguignan, France with an opening ceremony on 15 Nov 21.
Details:
- The biennial exercise between the armies of the two countries had started in 2011.
- It will focus on Counter Terrorism operations in backdrop of semi-urban terrain under United Nations Mandate with an aim to enhance military cooperation and inter-operability between the two Armies.
- It is conducted alternately in India and France.
- The last edition of the Shakti exercise had taken place in Rajasthan in 2019, in which “Counter Terrorism operations in semi-desert terrain were practised”.
Defence Exercises between India and France:
- Varuna – Naval exercise
- Desert Knight-21 and Garuda (Air exercise)
- Shakti – Army exercise
