General Awareness

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES - December 2018

Dec 2018

Jun 22, 2019

Standalone Own-damage Policy

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) allowed insurers, with effect from September 1, to issue standalone annual own-damage (OD) cover for cars and two-wheelers, both new and old.
As per the regulator, the issuance of bundled policies for cars and two-wheelers will not be compulsory, in a partial modification of a circular it had issued in August, 2018 in the backdrop of a Supreme Court order.
Policyholders have the option to renew the OD component of a bundled cover falling due on or after September 1, 2019, with the same insurer or different insurer, on an annual basis.
Insurers will, however, continue to have the option to offer package policies, in addition to stand-alone OD and TP (third party) policies.

Government Launches Grievance Cell

With an objective to make life easy for the Pensioners, the government inaugurated an integrated Grievance Cell and Call Center for Pensioners set up by the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare.
According to Union minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh, in addition to resolving grievances of the pensioners, it would help in value addition to the whole process, as the pensioners will gradually provide inputs and suggestions in the form of feedback that would help the Department in the long run.
This centre would also act as pressure on the departments to resolve the problems of the elderly pensioners.

Jun 20, 2019

MNRE to Set Up Dispute Resolution Panel

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) decided to set up a three-member dispute resolution committee (DRC) to look into disputes beyond contractual agreements between solar or wind power developers and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) or state-run power giant NTPC.
This dispute resolution mechanism would cover all those projects that would be implemented through or by SECI and NTPC.

Jun 18, 2019

Only e-vehicles must be Sold after 2030: Niti

The government's think tank Niti Aayog has proposed that only electric vehicles be sold after 2030, expanding the scope of the clean fuel technology beyond two- and three-wheelers.
Earlier, a panel headed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant had suggested that only electric-powered three-wheelers and two-wheelers with engine capacity of up to 150cc be sold from 2025.
Now, it has moved a Cabinet note seeking to fix responsibility for different ministries, with the road transport and highways ministry proposed to prepare a framework to phase out the sale of diesel and petrol vehicles by 2030.
It has also suggested that the ministry pilot an ehighways programme—with an overhead electricity network—to enable plying of trucks and buses on select National Highways.
The proposals are part of the plan to manufacture 50 Gigawatt hour (GWh) batteries by 2030.
The plan comes amid intense lobbying by the automobile industry, which is opposed to the push for 100% electric vehicles, with the Japanese and Korean companies leading the charge with support from Indian veterans such as Rahul Bajaj and Venu Srinivasan. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari, who had once threatened to mandate EVs from 2030, has said that the roadmap will be decided after consulting the industry.
The Cabinet proposal has suggested that Gadkari's ministry should be tasked with issuing norms for cab aggregators to replace all diesel and petrolfuelled vehicles with EVs by 2030.
Similarly, the heavy industries ministry will go for complete replacement of all diesel/ petrol vehicles with EVs in all central ministries, agencies and public sector by 2030.
To meet the target of setting up the Giga-scale battery manufacturing, the think tank has proposed extending financial incentives to investors, including cash subsidy on the basis of overall domestic value addition per kilowatt hour (KWh) basis.
It estimated the annual subsidy outgo would be around Rs 8,000 crore. The subsidy will be given to manufacturers after the actual sale.
In its effort to ensure that there is no monopoly of manufacturers and the batteries are made domestically, the maximum cash subsidy would be for up to 20 GWh per firm and Rs 2,000 cash subsidy will be for one KWh only for 100% domestic value capture, which means the minimum percentage of manufacturing in India.
It has also proposed that manufacturers must go for 60% domestic value capture and the cash subsidy will be Rs 1,200 per KWh.

Jun 16, 2019

PM to Make Piped Water Drive as Big as Swachh

What Swachh Bharat was for Modi 1.0, an ambitious programme of piped water to all willing households in rural areas might be for Modi 2.0.
The government is poised to launch a massive effort to provide piped drinking water with issues of water supply and conservation given a sharper focus with the creation of a new ministry of jal shakti.
While the Modi government nearly completed a plan for electricity connections to all households under the Saubhagya programme, the scale of the drinking water challenge is significant even as the Centre looks to put its experience in mission mode implementation to good use.
Official data shows that coverage of village households with piped water has annually increased from 12% in 2013-14 to 17% in 2017-18, highlighting the need to seriously accelerate the programme.
Sources said the challenge to achieve 100% coverage of piped water supply by 2024 is similar to that of increasing the toilet coverage from just 33% in October 2014 to over 99% at present.
To spread awareness of water conservation and to check wastage, the government may deploy "jaldoots" (volunteers) on the lines of "swachhdoots" in villages.

Govt May Come Out with New Toll Policy

The Centre may soon come out with a national policy aimed at revising the existing toll rates for national highways and reclassifying vehicle types.
The charges for private cars may be increased.
The ministry of road transport and highways has hired consultancy firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to prepare a draft policy in collaboration with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to revamp the toll system, which was last revised in 2008.

Jun 15, 2019

Bihar- First State to Launch Old-age Pension Scheme for all

Bihar became the first Indian state to launch a universal old-age pension scheme, one that will put Rs 400 per month in the bank accounts of persons aged 60 years and above, irrespective of financial or caste status, provided they do not already receive a state or central government pension.
In other states, old-age pensions are provided only to members of BPL families, SCs/STs, widows and the disabled.
But in Bihar every male and female above 60 years, if they are not getting any other pension from the state or central government, will be entitled to a pension under the new scheme, named "Mukhyamantri Vridhjan Pension Yojana".
Each male and female aged 80 years and above will get a pension of Rs 500 per month directly in his or her bank account under the new scheme.

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