What are the key initiative of Skill India Mission?

• Skill India Mission was officially launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on July 2015 on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day.
• The Mission has been developed to create convergence across sectors and States in terms of skill training activities.
• Key initiative of Skill India Mission
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana – It aims to mobilize youth to take up skill training with the aim of increasing productivity and aligning the training and certification to the needs of the country.
• National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme – Objective to provide apprenticeship training to over 50 lakh youngsters by 2019-20 in order to create more jobs
• Jan Shikshan Sansthan – The Scheme aims to provide vocational education and skill development programmes to non-literates, neo literates and the person having rudimentary level of education belonging to disadvantaged sections of the society upto 12 th class Drop outs in the age group of 15- 45 years.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship – MGNF is an opportunity for young, dynamic individuals to contribute to enhancing skill development and promote economic development.

PM address to UN ECOSOC

• Prime Minister addresses High-Level Segment of ECOSOC – UN Economic and Social Council.
• Theme: “Multilateralism after COVID19: What kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary”.
• ECOSOC:
• The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the principal organs of the United Nations established by the UN Charter in 1945.
• It consists of 54 Members of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly.
• It is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as implementation of internationally agreed development goals.

Decline in Maternal Mortality Ratio

• The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has declined to 113 in 2016-18 from 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-2016.
• As per special bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2016-18, released by the Office of the Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS).
• MMR, defined as the number of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births.
• The target 3.1 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations aims at reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 1,00,000 live births.
• Maternal mortality in a region is a measure of reproductive health of women in the area.
• As per the World Health Organization, maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management.
• The MMR of various States according to the bulletin includes Assam (215), UP (197), The southern States registered a lower MMR — Kerala (43) and Tamil Nadu (60).

Mobile App of PM SVANidhi launched

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the Mobile Application of PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi).
• App aims to provide user friendly digital interface for Lending Institutions (LIs) and their field functionaries for sourcing and processing loan applications of street vendors under the Scheme.
• It is a step towards boosting the use of digital technology and will enable field functionaries of LIs like Banking Correspondents (BCs) and Agents of Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)/ Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs), who have proximity with the street vendors, to ensure maximum coverage of the Scheme.
• Ministry has already launched the Web Portal on June 29, 2020.
• The features include vendor search in the survey data, e-KYC of applicants, processing of applications, and real time monitoring.
• PM SVANidhi –
• Launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, on June 01, 2020.
• For providing affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods.
• Under the Scheme, the vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.

U.S.-India Strategy Energy Partnership

• Several agreements signed at US-India Strategic Energy Partnership ministerial Meeting.
• The SEP organizes inter-agency engagement on both sides across four primary pillars of cooperation: (1) Power and Energy Efficiency; (2) Oil and Gas; (3) Renewable Energy; and (4) Sustainable Growth.
• Through these pillars, the United States and India are working to strengthen and modernize the power grid and distribution utilities for clean, affordable, and reliable energy access; improve efficiency, flexibility, and environmental performance in the power sector.
• The have discussed the possibility of India storing oil in US Strategic Petroleum reserve to increase the stockpile.

Current COVID19 Situation in India

QUIZ TIME

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was established in the year?

1. 1955
2. 1945
3. 1965
4. 1975

Answer – B

Which of the following state has lowest Maternal Mortality Ratio?

1. Assam
2. Tamil nadu
3. Kerala
4. Madhya Pradesh

Answer – C

PM SVANidhi is to provide working capital loan to?

1. Women
2. SC and STs
3. Farmers
4. Street Vendors

Answer – D

MMR, defined as the number of maternal deaths per

1. 1,000 Births
2. 10,000 Births
3. 1,00,000 Births
4. 100 Births

Answer – C

Question of the Day

What are the Maternity Benefit programmes by the GOI?

Answer in next session…