What is PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana?

• It is a skill development initiative scheme of the Government of India for recognition and standardisation of skills.
• It will provide skills training to youth, including class 10 and 12 drop outs and aims to cover about 24 lakh people.
• Launched in 2015, it is a flagship program of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) implements it with the help of training partners.
• The skill training will involve soft skills, good work ethics, personal grooming, behavioural change for cleanliness etc.
• The target for skilling under the scheme will be associated with Union Government’s flagship programmes such as Make in India, Digital India, and Swachh Bharat.

Extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

• This scheme extended till Deepawali & Chhath Puja, i.e. till the end of November.
• 5 kg free wheat/rice to be provided to more than 80 crore people – to each member of a family – along with 1 kg free whole chana per family, per month
• It will be providing package of Rs 1.75 lakh crore for the poor.
• Several festivals take place one after the other, including Guru Purnima, Rakshabandhan, Shri Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam, Dussehra, Deepawali, Chhath Puja, among others.
• So it is announced keeping in mind that requirements as well as expenditure increase during this time.

Loan Agreements between GOI and the World Bank

• GOI signed an agreement with World Bank for First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Programme and Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project.
• It is for help low-income groups in the state of Tamil Nadu to get access to affordable housing.
• The legal agreements were signed for two projects –
  • $200 million First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Programme 
  • $50 million Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project – to strengthen the state’s housing sector policies, institutions, and regulations.
• It will also aim to unlock regulatory barriers and incentivise private sector participation in affordable housing for low-income families.
• Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project will finance the newly created Tamil Nadu Shelter Fund (TNSF) – an innovation in housing finance in India – by providing an equity contribution of $35 million.

First edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “Matsya Sampada” launched

• Newsletter is launched by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh
• It is to reach out to the stakeholders especially fishers and fish farmers through various means of communication, and to inform and educate them about the latest developments in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
• It would be published on a quarterly basis starting from the first quarter of the year 2020-21.
• The GOI in May, 2020 launched a new Flagship Scheme i.e. the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector at an investment of Rs. 20050 crore.
• Newsletter “MATSYA SAMPADA” is likely to serve as an effective tool and platform in disseminating the intent and initiatives of PMMSY for crystalizing public opinion in the collective effort towards reaching the envisaged goals.

Kiren Rijiju launches NADA India’s mobile app

• This aims to create a bridge between athletes and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
• The mobile app is launched by the Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju.
• The app provides easily-accessible information on various aspects of the sport, and most importantly about prohibited substances, the inadvertent use of which may lead to the athlete`s career being hampered.
• Through this initiative, NADA has taken an important step towards creating a clean and dope free sports.
• Athletes can also use this mobile application in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) to update their whereabouts, know about decisions from the disciplinary and appeal panels and for Dope Control Officers to record their availability for testing.
• National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) – NADA was set up as registered society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 on November 24, 2005 with a mandate for Dope free sports in India. The primary objectives are to implement anti-doping rules as per WADA code, regulate dope control programme, creating awareness about doping and its ill effects.

World Bank Approve STARS Project

• STARS stands for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program (STARS).
• The project, ‘STARS’ will be implemented in Himachal, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.
• STARS will help India focus on learning outcomes and prepare students for the jobs of the future.
• 250 million students (between the age of 6 and 17) in 1.5 million schools and over 10 million teachers will benefit from the program.
• STARS will support India’s response to this challenge by strengthening implementation at the local level, investing in teacher capacity and ensuring that no child of any background is left behind from the right to education

Current COVID19 Situation in India

QUIZ TIME

GOI signed an agreement with which of the following for First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Programme?

1. IMF
2. World Bank
3. Asian Development Bank
4. Reliance Industries

Answer – B

Who is Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying?

1. Ramesh Pokhriyal
2. Prahlad singh patel
3. Giriraj Singh
4. Amit shah

Answer – C

The STARS Project by World Bank aims for?

1. Education
2. Infrastructural development
3. Both
4. None of the above

Answer – A

Which of the following state is not a part of World Bank’s STARS project?

1. Himachal
2. Kerala
3. Madhya Pradesh
4. Uttar Pradesh

Answer- D