General Awareness

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES - January 2019

Jan 2019

Feb 19, 2020

Soil Health Card Scheme Completes 5 Years

According to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Soil Health Card Scheme which was launched by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on 19.02.2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan completed 5 years on February 19, 2020.Till now, a total of Rs. 751.42 crore has been released under the scheme.
During the Phase-I of the scheme (2015 – 2017), a total of 10.74 crore cards were issued to farmers and in the 2nd phase (2017 – 2019), 11.69 crore Soil Health Cards were distributed to farmers.
Soil health card provides information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil with respect to 12 nutrients (pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon (OC), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sulphur (S), Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu)) along with recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

Bill to Decriminalise Company Law Breaches Likely this Parliament Session

The Centre is set to move a Bill to amend the Companies Act 2013 in the current session of Parliament that seeks to decriminalise select offences and moderate the penalty regime for small companies.
The corporate affairs ministry will seek the Union cabinet's approval for the Bill before it is tabled in Parliament when it reconvenes on 2nd March.
The Bill will decriminalise over 40 offences which will be classified as civil wrongs not warranting jail term. The move is part of efforts to streamline regulatory ecosystem and make it easier for doing business, a priority for the government.
The Bill will also roll back jail term for violations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) related obligations that was introduced through an amendment last year. A panel led by corporate affairs secretary Injeti Srinivas had last year recommended roll-back of the provision for imprisonment of officers, who are in default if companies do not transfer unspent CSR funds to a designated government fund within a specified time. The proposal introduced in the Companies Act had resulted in a backlash from the industry.

UP Becomes 1st in India to Enforce Performance Regulation Act 2019 for Electricity Department

In order to provide timely and hassle-free service to electricity consumers, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state Government led by its Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath implemented the Performance Regulation Act 2019 for the electricity department. Consumers will now get financial compensation for delay in resolving their complaints by the department.
With this new act, about 2 crore 87 lakh people are expected to benefit from the new law.
New rule: Breakdown, cable fault, transformer, new connection, meter reading, load reduction or increase time will be determined in this case. If the faulty meter repair is delayed and the call center is not responding then the consumer will get compensation of Rs. 50 per day. In case of delay in repair of underground cable break, the consumer will get 100 rupees per day.

Feb 18, 2020

Odisha Passes Bill to Identify Socially Backward Classes

The Odisha assembly passed the Odisha State Backward Classes (Amendment) Bill to enable its newly constituted Backward Class Commission to conduct a survey for identifying socially and economically backward classes on the basis of their socio-educational status.
The bill was passed unanimously. The assembly also passed a resolution to take up the survey of social and educational conditions of people of backward classes. Officials said the amendment was necessary for conducting a survey of the households of backward classes. There are over 209 communities identified as socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC), but there are demands from several others for inclusion in the list.

Feb 15, 2020

Bihar Govt. Launches 'Pyaar ka Paudha' Campaign

Ahead of Valentine's Day, 'Pyaar ka Paudha' (a plant of love) campaign was launched by the Bihar government's Department of Environment and Forest in Patna, to encourage the practice of planting trees in the state.
Principal Secretary, Forest department Bihar, Dipak Kumar said, "We have put stalls in several places in Patna and will slowly expand it to other cities. It's good for the environment and climate."
Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change that comes under the Bihar government on February 12 took to Twitter and said, "Nature controls the trees and plants. Take a pledge to make the earth green. We humbly request you to gift one plant of love to your closed ones and provide a good care. Through this campaign, your small effort will be a big step towards making the Bihar land green.

Feb 14, 2020

Cabinet Approves Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 and Major Ports Authority Bill, 2020

The cabinet approved Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 to benefit farmers and Major Ports Authority Bill, 2020 to resolve disputes related to sea ports. Now, both Bills would be introduced in Parliament during the upcoming second phase of the Budget session beginning on March 2.
Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 which will protect the interests of farmers against spurious pesticides is seeks to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968, for regulating the pesticide sector by fixing prices and setting up an authority. The bill also intends to promote organic pesticides along with a proposal of imprisonment of up to five years, up from two years at present, for Pesticide companies, in case of any violation of rules and regulations.
Major Ports Authority Bill, 2020 seeks amendment to the Major Port Trust Act, 1963 to resolve disputes between port issues as well as to ensure the export in the international market.

Feb 12, 2020

Bill to Include more Tribes in ST Category

Parliament passed a bill to include certain tribal communities in Karnataka in the Scheduled Tribe category.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in Lok Sabha by voice vote, while Rajya Sabha had already approved it in the previous session.
It seeks to include Parivara and Talawara tribal communities in the ST category to ensure they get reservation and other benefits provided by the government.
Siddi tribes of Belagavi, Dharwad would also be included in the ST category apart from those living in Uttar Kannada districts.
The amendments have been made in the list of STs in Karnataka.
As per Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, the legislation was brought in relation to one state and assured the members, many of whom sought inclusion of communities from there states into the Scheduled Tribes, that the government will take cognisance of their demands.

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