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GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES - January 2020

Jan 2020

Mar 03, 2020

Punjab Cabinet Okays Lokayukta Bill

The Punjab cabinet approved the Punjab Lokayukta Bill, 2020, for passage in the ongoing session of the legislative assembly in its bid to improve governance and curb corruption.
The bill seeks to replace the existing Punjab Lokpal Act, 1996, and, once passed, will cover all public functionaries, including the Chief Minister. However, the prosecution of a sitting Chief Minister, ministers and members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) would require the approval of two-third members of the House.
Lokayuktas in some states, such as Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra, have the powers to prosecute sitting chief ministers, but under certain conditions. A Lokayuta has seldom recommended action against a sitting chief minister. As per the new law, the Lokayukta will enjoy all the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
The bill is an extension of a central act passed by the Modi government in its first term, which mandated the states to bring a legislation on similar lines, giving more power to the Lokayukta. The official said that the bill bars a parallel probe into a complaint against any officer or public functionary, if an inquiry is being conducted into the matter by the Lokayukta.

Mar 02, 2020

Om Birla Launches Social Campaign to Provide Nutritional Support to Kota Women and Girls

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla launched a social campaign aimed at providing nutritional support to pregnant women and adolescent girls in his parliamentary constituency for the next nine months.
The campaign called "Suposhit Maa Abhiyan" and aided and funded by public participation and various civil societies, was launched in the presence of Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani.
The initiative was aimed at curbing the problem of malnutrition among pregnant women and adolescent girls.
Apart from a 17-kg kit, containing various nutritional food items, the women and girls will also be given medical cards detailing their health conditions and entitling them to the monthly check-up of their health.

Mar 01, 2020

Govt. to Set up Central Consumer Protection Authority by First Week of April

Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will be set up by the first week of April this year. The CCPA to be set up under Consumer Protection Act 2019 will address issues related to consumer rights, unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements and impose penalties for selling spurious and adulterated products.
Briefing reporters in New Delhi after interaction with industry bodies on the roles and functions of CCPA, Mr. Paswan said that an investigative wing will be formed under the aegis of the authority and it will carry out inquiries in matters related to unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements. He also said the rules related to Consumer Protection Act will be finalized within one and half months.
The Minister asserted that protecting the interest of consumers is paramount for the government. During the meeting with industry bodies, Mr. Paswan also stressed on the need to regulate e-commerce and direct selling as there is no regulatory body for these sectors right now.

Maharashtra:"Smart Gram Yojana" Will be Named after Ex-minister R. R. Patil

The Maharashtra government's "Smart Gram Yojana" will be named after former Deputy Chief Minister the late R. R. Patil, the assembly was informed on Thursday.
Since November 2016, the 'Smart Gram Yojana' (smart village) is being implemented in the state where awards are given to gram panchayats at taluka and district level for their performance on certain parameters.
The scheme seeks to transform rural Maharashtra through development initiatives. Villages performing well in a range of areas, including cleanliness, health, education, environment, use of infotech and renewable energy sources, rewarded by the state government.
Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif told the assembly that Patil had worked tirelessly for development of villages.

Feb 29, 2020

Government Approves Rs. 162 crore under Operation Green Scheme

The government has approved Rs. 162 crore under Operation Green scheme which has an outlay of Rs 500 crore to stabilize the supply of tomato, onion and potato (TOP) crops and to ensure their availability round the year without price volatility.
The scheme announced in 2018-19 budget aims to enhance value realisation for farmers by targeted interventions to strengthen production clusters and the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) and linking them with the market.
Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said five projects have been sanctioned in the country and more were in line for approvals. "The total cost of the projects is Rs 426 crore and the grant we will give is Rs 162 crore," she said.

Feb 27, 2020

Surrogacy Bill Gets Cabinet Approval

The Union Cabinet approved the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020, allowing a "willing" woman to be a surrogate mother and proposing that the Bill would benefit widows and divorced women besides infertile Indian couples.
The Cabinet approved the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill after incorporating the recommendations of a Rajya Sabha Select Committee.
The 15 major changes suggested by the 23-member committee to the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, also included deleting the definition of "infertility" as the inability to conceive after five years of unprotected intercourse on the ground that it was too long a period for a couple to wait for a child.
The Bill is aimed at banning commercial surrogacy and allowing altruistic surrogacy.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani added that only Indian couples can opt for surrogacy in the country.
The Bill proposes to regulate surrogacy by establishing a National Surrogacy Board and State Surrogacy Boards and appropriate authorities in the States and Union Territories respectively. The proposed insurance cover for a surrogate mother has now been increased to 36 months from 16 months earlier.

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