General Awareness

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES - August 2019

Aug 2019

Feb 20, 2020

Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill

The Union Cabinet approved the Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020 to monitor medical procedures used to assist people to achieve pregnancy.
The Bill provides for a national Board which will lay down a code of conduct to be observed by those operating clinics.
It will also formulate minimum standards for laboratory and diagnostic equipment and practices to be followed by human resources employed by clinics and banks. The States and Union Territories will also have to form State Boards and State authorities within three months of the notification of the proposed legislation.
Under the proposed law, a national registry and registration authority will maintain a database to assist the national Board to perform its functions, according to a statement issued by the Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

Jagan Mohan Reddy launches Nadu Nedu Scheme

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy launched Nadu Nedu (meaning 'then and now' in Telugu) Scheme in all government hospitals to help improve the health conditions of the people of the state.
All the state government hospitals would be made on a par with the highest Indian standard.
In November last year, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister had launched 'Mana Badi Nadu Nedu' (Our school, then and now) programme on the eve of Children's Day, wherein the state government will provide Rs. 12,000 crores for infrastructure development in schools.
The Andhra Chief Minister also launched the third phase of 'Dr. YSR Kanti Velugu', which is a programme initiated with the aim to provide basic health facilities to all citizens.

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.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

September GK, August GK, July GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26