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

QUIZ TIME

Which of the following article of Indian constitution empowers the MPs to determine salaries and allowances by enacting laws?

1. Article 101
2. Article 106
3. Article 111
4. Article 123

Answer – B

Which of the following is not a beneficiary under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme?

1. Safai Karamchari
2. Nurses
3. Doctors
4. Farmers

Answer – D

Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram comes under:

1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
2. Ministry of Minority Affairs
3. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
4. Ministry of Home Affairs

Answer – B

Question of the Day

What is ‘essential commodity’?

Answer in next session…