General Awareness

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES - June 2023

Jun 2023

Feb 21, 2024

Maharashtra Cabinet Approves Draft Bill for 10% Maratha Reservation in Education, Govt. Jobs

The Maharashtra cabinet approved a draft bill introducing a 10 per cent quota for Marathas.
The bill, which will extend the state's total reservations in government jobs and educational institutions beyond the 50 per cent cap imposed by a 1992 Supreme Court judgment — follows a report submitted by the Maharashtra Backward Classes Commission (MBCC). This report classifies Marathas as socially and educationally backward and cites "extraordinary circumstances" to justify exceeding the reservation cap.
The decision was prompted by the hunger strike by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil at the Antarwali Saarati village in Jalna district.
The bill is similar to the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018, which was introduced by the then Devendra Fadnavis government.

Feb 18, 2024

UP Government Boosts Kanya Sumangala Yojana Grant

Sandeep Kaur, Director of the Women's Welfare Department, declared substantial increments in grants under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana. This follows Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directive to raise the grant from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 25,000 per beneficiary annually starting this April 2024. The initiative aims to tackle the diverse challenges encountered by girls in Uttar Pradesh, fostering their well-being from birth throughout their educational endeavours.
The initial grant amount provided at the time of birth has been raised from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 5,000, effective from the financial year 2024-25.
Support for completing all vaccinations within one year has been doubled from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000.
Girls passing class 10 or 12, or those enrolled in a diploma/undergraduate program for two years or more, will now receive Rd. 7,000, up from Rs. 5,000.
Launched in April 2019, the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana is a flagship initiative of the women's welfare department in Uttar Pradesh.

Haryana Launches 'Van Mitra' Scheme to Boost Green Cover

In a move towards environmental conservation, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the 'Van Mitra' scheme and its accompanying portal. This innovative initiative is designed to foster community engagement in afforestation efforts, specifically targeting non-forest areas across the state. The scheme aims to empower local communities to play an active role in expanding the state's green cover, thereby enhancing the survival rate of newly planted trees and promoting the planting of trees outside traditional forest zones.
The 'Van Mitra' scheme extends an invitation to members of families with an annual income of less than Rs. 1.80 lakh to participate in this green initiative. Eligible individuals aged between 18 and 60 years can register to become 'Van Mitras,' embarking on a mission to contribute to the state's afforestation efforts.
Participants in the 'Van Mitra' scheme stand to receive monetary incentives based on the maintenance of the plants. The scheme allows each 'Van Mitra' to plant up to 1,000 saplings, offering a structured incentive program that rewards the care and growth of these plants over time. In the first year, participants will receive Rs 20 for each prepared pit, verified through geo-tagging and photograph uploads. Subsequently, Rs 30 will be awarded for each sapling planted, with additional payments for ongoing maintenance and security of the saplings at different rates over the subsequent three years.

Feb 17, 2024

Union Minister Rupala Launches Updated AHIDF Scheme

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, unveiled the realigned Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) scheme and introduced a Radio Jingle for AHIDF in New Delhi. The Minister highlighted the significance of the scheme, especially during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and emphasised its realignment and extension for another three years.
The realigned scheme will be in effect for an additional three-year period from March 31, 2023, until 2025-26.
The realigned scheme incorporates the Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund and offers enhanced benefits, such as a 3% interest subvention and Credit Guarantee support to Dairy Cooperatives.

Feb 16, 2024

Tripura CM Manik Saha Launches Health Insurance for Citizens not Covered under Ayushman Bharat Sc...

The BJP-led Tripura government launched the Chief Minister's Jan Arogya Yojana (CM-JAY). Under this scheme, each beneficiary would get annual health insurance coverage up to Rs. 5 lakh.
In Tripura, the Ayushman Bharat scheme was started in September 2018. Nearly 6.2 crore patients were given financial assistance of over Rs. 79.057 crore till January 2024. Out of an estimated 9.75 lakh families living in the state, 5.12 lakh families were enlisted for the scheme.
The main target of the (newly-launched) scheme is to ensure all kinds of health protection for the people.
Under the scheme, patients would get medicines free for 15 days even after discharge from government or private hospitals and the entire process would be cashless.

Feb 15, 2024

SWATI (Science for Women- A Technology & Innovation) Portal

In February 2024, the government has launched the SWATI (Science for Women- A Technology & Innovation) portal, a database highlighting accomplishments of Indian women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine) fields. The interactive portal was developed by the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) to address the gender gap in sciences.
Women comprise only 13-15% of researchers in STEMM in India, lower than most G20 nations. They are disproportionately clustered in junior roles indicating barriers to advancement. Lack of visibility further marginalizes women's scientific contributions. Diversity in leadership and problem-solving suffers, hampering innovation ecosystems. The SWATI portal tackles this visibility gap.
The portal allows self-registration of profiles of women students, faculty and scientists across levels capturing expertise, qualifications, publications etc. The dashboard provides dynamic analytics on distribution of women in STEMM roles across states and institutions. It enables collaborations through expert outreach, forums and open access in English and Hindi.

Odisha Govt. to Give Interest-free Loans to Youth under 'Swayam' Scheme

Odisha Agriculture Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said that the state government, in its cabinet meeting, decided to provide interest-free loans up to Rs. 1 lakh to youth of the state under the new government scheme 'Swayam.'
During the meeting, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also decided to give more employment or more income to the rural youth and the urban youth by introducing the new scheme, 'Swayam' so that people who are maintaining small enterprises can avail liquid capital without any collateral security.
Under the Swayam scheme the youth can avail interest-free loans up to Rs. 1 lakh.
Under the new government scheme 'Swayam' to create self-employment for youth, 1 lakh eligible rural and an equal number of urban youth in the age group of 18-35 years will receive interest-free loans of up to Rs. 1 lakh for starting a new business or expanding an existing one.

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