PIB 28th August

Contents

1. Poshan Maah: September
2. Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
3. 14th India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD)
4. 6th Foundation Day of AREAS

POSHAN MAAH: SEPTEMBER

Focus: GS-III Indian Economy

Why in news?

To commemorate the ‘Poshan Maah’ the DoFPD through its organisations have decided to organise activities as suggested by M/o Women and Child Development, in various parts of the country to sensitize the target groups on the merits of nutritional security.

National Nutrition Month (Rashtriya Poshan Maah)

• The entire month of September is celebrated as the Rashtriya Poshan Maah.
• The purpose of celebrating the Poshan month is to take the message of nutrition to every nook and corner of the country (especially grass root level) and to focus on complimentary food, treatment, and prevention from infections in children.
• The programme is an initiative of Women and Child Development Ministry and NITI Aayog is supported by 18 line Ministries / Departments / Government Organizations.
• It seeks to synergise all efforts by leveraging technology and intends to take nutrition awareness to the level of Jan Andolan or People’s Movement.
• The programme focuses on 8 themes – Antenatal Care, Optimal Breastfeeding (Early & Exclusive), Complementary Feeding, Anemia, Growth Monitoring, Girls-education, diet, right age of Marriage, Hygiene & Sanitation, Food Fortification.

Poshan ke Paanch sutra

This event also intends to spread awareness on Poshan ke Paanch Sutra(5 critical components of POSHAN) they are;

1. First 1000 days of the child
2. Anaemia
3. Diarrhoea
4. Hand Wash & Sanitation
5. Poshtik Ahaar(Wholesome meals with diet diversity)

Poshan Abhiyaan

• Poshan Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) was launched in 2018 by the Prime Minister in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.
• It targets to reduce level of under-nutrition and other related problems by ensuring convergence of various nutrition related schemes
• 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.

Global Hunger Index

• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels.
• The GHI is designed to raise awareness and understanding of the struggle against hunger, provide a way to compare levels of hunger between countries and regions, and call attention to those areas of the world where hunger levels are highest and where the need for additional efforts to eliminate hunger is greatest.
• GHI is calculated each year to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger. It scores on a 100-point GHI Severity Scale, where 0 is the best score (no hunger) and 100 is the chronic undernutrition.

Indicators for Calculating GHI Score:

1. UNDERNOURISHMENT: the share of the population that is undernourished (caloric intake is insufficient);
2. CHILD WASTING: the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition);
3. CHILD STUNTING: the share of children under the age of five who are stunted (low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition); and
4. CHILD MORTALITY: the mortality rate of children under the age of five (reflection of the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments).

• In the recently released Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report-2019, India was ranked at 102nd position out of 117 countries.
• The report is an annual publication that is jointly prepared by the Concern Worldwide (an Irish agency) and the Welt Hunger Hilfe (a German organization).

PRADHAN MANTRI JAN-DHAN YOJANA (PMJDY)

Focus: GS-III Indian Economy

Introduction

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana – PMJDY was announced by Prime Minister in 2014, and has been a key initiative towards the commitment to provide financial inclusiveness and support to the marginalized and hitherto socio-economically neglected classes.

Background to Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.

Objectives

• Ensure access of financial products & services at an affordable cost
• Use of technology to lower cost & widen reach

Basic tenets of the scheme

1. Banking the unbanked – Opening of basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) account with minimal paperwork, relaxed KYC, e-KYC, account opening in camp mode, zero balance & zero charges
2. Securing the unsecured – Issuance of Indigenous Debit cards for cash withdrawals & payments at merchant locations, with free accident insurance coverage of Rs. 2 lakhs.
3. Funding the unfunded – Other financial products like micro-insurance, overdraft for consumption, micro-pension & micro-credit

Initial Features: 6 Pillars based on which the scheme was launched

• Universal access to banking services – Branch and BC
• Basic savings bank accounts with overdraft facility of Rs. 10,000/- to every household
• Financial Literacy Program– Promoting savings, use of ATMs, getting ready for credit, availing insurance and pensions, using basic mobile phones for banking
• Creation of Credit Guarantee Fund – To provide banks some guarantee against defaults
• Insurance – Accident cover up to Rs. 1,00,000 and life cover of   Rs. 30,000 on account opened between 15 Aug 2014 to 31 January 2015
• Pension scheme for Unorganized sector

Important approach adopted in PMJDY based on past experience:

• Accounts opened are online accounts in core banking system of banks, in place of earlier method of offline accounts opening with technology lock-in with the vendor
• Inter-operability through RuPay debit card or Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS)
• Fixed-point Business Correspondents
• Simplified KYC / e-KYC in place of cumbersome KYC formalities

Extension of PMJDY with New features

The Government decided to extend the comprehensive PMJDY program with some modifications

• Focus shift from ‘Every Household’ to Every Unbanked Adult’
• RuPay Card Insurance – Free accidental insurance cover on RuPay cards increased from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh for PMJDY accounts opened after 28.8.2018.
• Enhancement in overdraft facilities –
• OD limit doubled from Rs 5,000/- to Rs 10,000/-;  OD upto Rs 2,000/- (without conditions).
• Increase in upper age limit for OD from 60 to 65 years

Jan Dhan Darshak App

• A mobile application, was launched to provide a citizen centric platform for locating banking touch points such as bank branches, ATMs, Bank Mitras, Post Offices, etc. in the country.
• The facilities under Jan Dhan Darshak App could be availed as per the need and convenience of common people.

The road ahead

• Endeavour to ensure coverage of PMJDY account holders under micro insurance schemes. Eligible PMJDY accountholders will be sought to be covered under PMJJBY and PMSBY. Banks have already been communicated about the same.
• Promotion of digital payments including RuPay debit card usage amongst PMJDY accountholders through creation of acceptance infrastructure across India
• Improving access of PMJDY account holders to Micro-credit and micro investment such as flexi-recurring deposit etc. 

14TH INDIA-SINGAPORE DEFENCE POLICY DIALOGUE (DPD)

Focus: GS-III Indian Economy

Why in news?

• The 14th India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD) was held via video conferencing.
• Both sides held discussions on a number of issues of bilateral defence engagements between India and Singapore.
• Both sides committed to further enhance the security partnership between the two countries.

Background

• The Singapore-India Defence Policy Dialogue was established under the revised Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in 2015.
• It serves as a regular forum for both countries to discuss mutual defence cooperation, as well as exchange views on strategic issues and geopolitical developments.

6TH FOUNDATION DAY OF AREAS

Focus: GS-III Indian Economy

Why in news?

On the 6th Foundation Day of the Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States (AREAS), the government has launched a website and telephone directory for AREAS.

Highlights

• State Nodal Agencies (SNAs) for Renewable Energy (RE) interact and learn from each other’s experiences and also share their best practices and knowledge regarding technologies and schemes/programmes.
• The Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy (NRE) is the Patron of the Association and Secretary, MNRE is the ex-officio President of the Association. All SNAs are members of the Association.
• It got registered under Society Registration Act, 1860 on 27th August 2014.

Renewable Energy Initiatives in India

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is the nodal Ministry of the Government of India for all matters relating to new and renewable energy.
• New and Renewable Energy sources include solar energy, geothermal energy, wind power, hydropower, biomass, etc.
• In September 2019, at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, India announced increasing the renewable energy target to 450 GW by 2030 from 175 GW by 2022.
• In its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), India has pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels-based electricity to 40% by 2030.
• The Green Energy Corridor Project aims at synchronizing electricity produced from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, with conventional power stations in the grid.
• Recently, Indian Railways has contacted solar power developers to meet the net zero carbon emission target by 2030.