What are the key features of Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana?

• Launched by: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)
• Year: 2018
• Aim: To improve the tribal income through value addition of tribal products.
• This is a Market Linked Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Program for forming clusters of tribal SHGs
• Has been launched with participation from all the 27 States from the Country.
• It provides capacity building training and skill upgradation and value addition facility and setting up of primary processing.
• The Van Dhan Vikas Kendras will be established.
• Implementation: Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the Central Level and TRIFED as Nodal Agency at the National Level + At State level, the State Nodal Agency for MFPs and the District collectors.

Swachh Bharat Awards-2020

• Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat gave the Swachh Bharat Awards-2020 to States, Districts, Blocks and Village Panchayats.
• The awards were given particularly under the drinking water and cleanliness categories.
• Under the Swachh Sundar Samudayik Shouchalaya category
• Gujarat won at state level
• Tirunelveli of Tamil Nadu won at district level
• Chinnanur village of Tamil Nadu won at Gram Panchayat level
• Under the Samudayik Shouchalaya Abhiyan
• Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh were awarded as the best performing states
• Prayagraj and Bareilly got it for being the best performing districts.
• Under the Gandagi Mukth Bharat Mission
• Haryana and Telangana were awarded the top slot.

India – Myanmar review ties

• The 19th round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Myanmar was held.
• Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of relations, including border cooperation
• The ongoing restoration work on earthquake damaged pagodas in Bagan.
• Both sides discussed cooperation in regional and multilateral forums.
• They also discussed to operationalize the Sittwe port by 2021.
• Myanmar is India’s gateway to South-East Asia.
• The border is also vulnerable to the activities of insurgents and drugs and arms traffickers.
• Myanmar is also important from the security point of view as the influx of sizable numbers of Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine state continues.

100-days campaign to provide potable piped water supply in Schools

• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched 100-days campaign to provide potable piped water supply in Schools and Anganwadi Centres.
• These facilities will be operated and maintained by the Gram Panchayat and its sub-committee.
• Jal Jeevan Mission aims at the universal coverage of provision of tap water connection to every rural home by 2024.
• Under the mission, special focus is on women and children.

Wages should not be denied to labourers during Pandemic: SC

• Supreme court said that a worker’s right to life cannot be deemed conditional on the mercy of the employer or the government.
• The Gujarat government had issued a notification that provided relaxation to the industries by exempting them from certain conditions that were mandated under the section 5 of the Factories Act, 1948.
• Notification stated that workers in Gujarat can be made to work for 12 hours a day with 30-minute break after every six hours.
• It had no provision of paying extra wages for overtime work.
• The SC court cited that “right to life” of workers is not bound by conditions.
• So, their claims on overtime wages and a decent working conditions must not be denied because of the Covid-19

Current COVID19 Situation in India

QUIZ TIME

Which state topped Swachh Bharat award 2020 under Swachh Sundar Samudayik Shouchalaya category?

1. Madhya Pradesh
2. Uttar Pradesh
3. Gujarat
4. Bihar

Answer – C

Which state topped Swachh Bharat award 2020 under Gandagi Mukth Bharat Mission?

1. Madhya Pradesh
2. Uttar Pradesh
3. Haryana
4. Bihar

Answer – C

Sittwe port is located at:

1. Iran
2. Myanmar
3. India
4. Thailand

Answer – B

Question of the Day

What is Ayush Grid?

Answer in next session…