Five Successful Years of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY)
Launched on September 12, 2019, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojna (PM-KMY) has provided social security to land-holding Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) across India. This voluntary and contributory old-age pension scheme offers a fixed monthly pension of Rs. 3,000 to eligible farmers after they turn sixty. Farmers contribute monthly to the pension fund, with matching contributions from the central government.
Under PM-KMY, small and marginal farmers can enroll by paying a monthly subscription to the pension fund. Those aged between 18 and 40 years contribute between Rs. 55 to Rs. 200 per month until age 60. Upon reaching 60, they receive a monthly pension of Rs. 3,000, subject to exclusion criteria. The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) manages the fund, and registration is facilitated through Common Service Centres (CSCs) and State Governments. As of August 6, 2024, 23.38 lakh farmers have joined the scheme, with Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha showing significant uptake.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the PM-eBus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) scheme with a budget of INR 3,435.33 crore. This initiative is designed to promote the deployment and operation of electric buses (e-buses) by Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) from FY 2024-25 to FY 2028-29.
Objective: Support the deployment of over 38,000 e-buses, ensuring their operation for up to 12 years from the date of deployment.
Funding Mechanism: The scheme will address the high upfront costs of e-buses through a Public Private Partnership on a Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model. Under this model, PTAs do not need to pay the initial cost of the buses. Instead, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and operators will procure and manage the e-buses with monthly payments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government green-lighted a (INR 500,000) health coverage plan for all senior citizens aged 70 and above. The plan, launched under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), will cover all senior citizens, irrespective of economic status.
The decision was taken at the meeting of the Union Cabinet.
According to the Indian government, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is the world's largest publicly funded health assurance scheme. The scheme covers 550 million families, regardless of the age of family members.
Sep 11, 2024
Centre Relaxes Norms under PMAY-Gramin
The Centre relaxed the 'automatic exclusion' criteria under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), allowing families owning two-wheelers, motorised fishing boats, refrigerators, landline phones and earning up to Rs. 15,000 per month to avail the rural housing scheme.
The parameters were among the criteria that render households ineligible under the scheme.
Under PMAY-G, all households living in houses with pucca roof and/or pucca wall, and households in houses with more than two rooms were already filtered out. The exclusion criteria revision is significant in view of the Centre's aim to construct two crore additional houses under the rural housing scheme by 2028-29.
Sep 09, 2024
CM Mohan Charan Majhi Repackages Naveen Patnaik Govt's KALIA, Launches New Scheme
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi launched the CM-Kisan assistance, a repackaging of Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme of the previous BJD government that propelled the Naveen Patnaik-led government to a victory in the 2019 polls.
The BJP government chose Nuakhai, the agrarian festival in western Odisha, to launch the new scheme in Sambalpur in the state's western region. The time and place is seen as an attempt to "connect emotionally" with the people in the region. Compared to the southern and coastal regions of the state, the BJP enjoys a strong base in the western region.
In an event, Majhi also transferred `925 crore to the accounts of over 46 lakh farmers in the state. The government also announced a `800 bonus beyond the MSP to farmers for every quintal of paddy under the Samrudha Krushak Yojana.