What is PRASAD Scheme?
- Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive.
- Comes under Ministry of Tourism
- Year: 2015
- Focuses on identifying and developing the pilgrim sites across the country to enrich the religious tourism experience.
- Funding: 100% centrally funded
- Objectives:
- Harness pilgrimage tourism for its direct and multiplier effect upon employment generation and economic development.
- Enhance tourist attractiveness in sustainable manner by developing world class infrastructure in the religious destinations.
- It also seeks to promote local art, culture, handicraft, cuisine, etc.
Lok Sabha Passes Bill to reduce salaries of MPs by 30%
- Lok Sabha passed a bill that seeks to reduce the salaries of parliamentarians by 30 per cent for a period of one year.
- It was done through The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020
- The bill replaces the Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) ordinance, 2020.
- Each MP draws a monthly salary of ₹1 lakh, ₹70,000 as constituency allowance and ₹60,000 for running office besides other perks as per the pay hike in 2018.
- Lok Sabha Passes Bill to reduce salaries of MPs by 30%
- Constitutional Provisions: Article 106 of the constitution of India empowers the MPs to determine salaries and allowances by enacting laws.
Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020
- Lok Sabha passed the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
- This is an amendment to the Banking Regulations act 1949.
- The Bill also replaces the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 that was promulgated on June 26, 2020.
- The bill aims in safeguarding interest of the co-operative bank depositors’ in the country.
- The bill also enables the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to make a scheme for reconstruction or amalgamation of co-operative banks to secure its proper management, and in the interest of depositors.
- A co-operative bank will not be entitled to withdraw or reduce its share capital unless specified by Reserve bank of India (RBI)
- Banking Regulation Act, 1949
- It is a legislation to regulates all banking firms in India.
- It was passed in 1949 and came into force from 16 March 1949.
- It sets the framework under which commercial banking in India is supervised and regulated.
- The Banking Regulation Act is not pertinent to primary agricultural credit societies, non-agricultural primary credit societies and cooperative land mortgage banks.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme Extended
- PMGKP Insurance Scheme Extended for another Six Months.
- The Scheme was announced for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 on 30th March 2020
- Comes under the flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016.
- PMGKP Insurance Scheme
- The scheme provides health insurance to the staff working in Government Hospitals and Health Care Centres.
- It covers ward boys, safai karamcharis, ASHA workers, nurses, technicians, paramedics, doctors and specialists and other health workers.
- The amount of insurance provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- The benefit is payable in addition to amount that is being paid to other polices and schemes
- No age limit has been fixed and any individual shall enroll in the scheme.
Areas under PMJVK have been increased
- The areas under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram have been increased from 90 Districts originally to 308 Districts of the country.
- It is now being implemented in 1300 identified Minority Concentration Areas (MCAs).
- Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram
- Comes under Ministry of Minority Affairs.
- It seeks to provide better socio-economic infrastructure facilities to the minority communities particularly in the field of education, health & skill development.
- Earlier known as Multi-sectoral Development Programme.
- MsDP was launched in 2008-09
- It Aims to lessens the gap between the national average and the minority communities with regard to backwardness parameters.
- At present 6 (six) communities namely Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been notified as Minority Communities under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
Current COVID19 Situation in India
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QUIZ TIME
Which of the following article of Indian constitution empowers the MPs to determine salaries and allowances by enacting laws?
- Article 101
- Article 106
- Article 111
- Article 123
Answer – B
Which of the following is not a beneficiary under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme?
- Safai Karamchari
- Nurses
- Doctors
- Farmers
Answer – D
Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram comes under:
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Ministry of Minority Affairs
- Ministry of Tribal Affairs
- Ministry of Home Affairs
Answer – B
Question of the Day
What is ‘essential commodity’?
Answer in next session…