Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Scheme
Focus: GS-II: Social Justice and Governance Why in News? In line with the recent trend of slashing the allocation for its flagship rural jobs scheme, the Union Budget allocated only ₹60,000 crore for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for 2023-24. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) How MGNREGA came […]
Schools Are Retaining A Better Number of Kids
Context According to the Ministry of Education’s recent Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data for the academic year 2021-22, India’s school system has been able to retain more students over time. Total enrollment in 2021-22 was slightly more than 25.57 crore, a 19 lakh increase over 2020-21, with more than 8 lakh […]
Violent Crimes And The Pandemic
Context According to the NCRB’s annual report, “Crime in India,” released earlier this week, registration in violent crimes such as rape, kidnapping, atrocities against children, robberies, and murders increased in 2021 to levels before the pandemic, compared to a drop in 2020. Relevance GS Paper 2: Governance/Social Justice Mains Question Examine the possible causes of the […]
Universal Service Obligation Fund
Context: The Union Cabinet has approved a project for providing 4G mobile services in thousands of villages across the country under the USOF. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice and Governance (Welfare Schemes, Government Initiatives and Policies) Dimensions of the Article: What is the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)? Who are the partners of USOF? What is […]
PM SVANidhi
Focus: GS-II Social Justice, GS-III India Economy Why in News? The Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, launches ‘SVANidhi Mahotsav’ – a cultural festival for celebrating the success of PM SVANidhi Scheme PM Street Vendor’s Atmanitbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) PM SVANidhi is a Special Micro-Credit Facility. PM SVANidhi was launched by the Ministry of Housing […]
Minimum Support Price
Context: Ahead of the nationwide protests demanding a law to ensure MSP, NITI Aayog has asserted that the MSP should continue till markets become competitive and efficient. Relevance: GS-III: Agriculture (Agriculture Pricing), GS-II: Social Justice (Welfare Schemes) Dimensions of the Article: What is Minimum Support Price (MSP)? Why is there a need for MSP? What […]
Apathy Cynicism of Babus Hurt Welfare
Relevance: GS Paper 2: Poverty and Hunger; GS Paper 4: Civil Service Values Anyone familiar with the Indian welfare state would attest that, aside from a few activist bureaucrats, most people see it as a corrupt cesspool forced on them by politicians motivated by electoral incentives. The consensus is that the welfare state should be […]
EdTech regulation policy on the anvil: Education Minister
Context: The booming education technology sector, which has benefited from the disruptions in traditional education during the pandemic, is likely to face regulation soon by the means of a common policy, according to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice (Issues Related to Education), GS-III: Indian Economy Dimensions of the Article: What is Ed-tech […]
PMMVY: State Schemes Can Cast A Lifeline
Context: In 2017, the Government rolled out the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) – and now, the performance of the scheme has been deficient, necessitating urgent need for improvement especially when the novel coronavirus pandemic has resulted in economic shocks for 260 lakh women who deliver on an average a child each year in […]
UN Women report on COVID-19 relief for women
Context: Women were significantly less likely to report receiving pandemic-related cash relief from governments or non-profits, according to a new report by United Nations Women. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice and Governance (Issues related to Women, Government Policies and Initiatives) Dimensions of the Article: Highlights of the “Women and girls left behind” report (Global level) Data: […]