PIB Analysis : 15th July

PIB Analysis for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. Wholesale Price Index
2. Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) accounts.
3. National Digital Health Blueprint report
4. National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019 
5. Seva Bhoj Yojana
6. Life span of Scheduled Tribe people

1 . Wholesale Price Index

Context : The official Wholesale Price Index for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2011-12=100) for the month of June,2019 rose by 0.2% to 121.5 (provisional) from 121.2 (provisional) for the previous month.

About Wholesale Price Index

• Wholesale Price Index (WPI) measures the average change in the prices of commodities for bulk sale at the level of early stage of transactions.
• The index basket of the WPI covers commodities falling under the three major groups namely Primary Articles, Fuel and Power and Manufactured products. (The index basket of the present 2011-12 series has a total of 697 items including 117 items for Primary Articles, 16 items for Fuel & Power and 564 items for Manufactured Products.)
• The prices tracked are ex- factory price for manufactured products, mandi price for agricultural commodities and ex-mines prices for minerals.
• Weights given to each commodity covered in the WPI basket is based on the value of production adjusted for net imports.
• WPI basket does not cover services
• In India WPI is also known as the headline inflation rate .
• In India, Office of Economic Advisor (OEA), Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry calculates the WPI.

The main uses of WPI are the following:

• To provide estimates of inflation at the wholesale transaction level for the economy as a whole. This helps in timely intervention by the Government to check inflation in particular, in essential commodities, before the price increase spill over to retail prices.
• WPI is used as deflator for many sectors of the economy including for estimating GDP by Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).
• WPI is also used for indexation by users in business contracts.
• Global investors also track WPI as one of the key macro indicators for their investment decisions

2 . Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) accounts.

About Basic Savings Bank Deposit

• These accounts are primarily aimed towards enhancing financial inclusion among the economically weaker sections of the society. The earlier no-frills accounts also come under BSBD accounts.
• There is no need for a minimum balance even at the time of opening the account. You will get an ATM-cum-debit card without any fees, not even the annual maintenance fee. Deposit and withdrawal services are free of cost, and so is the passbook facility. Also, the bank cannot levy charges for non-operation or activation of an inoperative account.
• Deposit of cash at bank branch as well as ATMs/Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs) Receipt/ credit of money through any electronic channel or by means of deposit /collection of cheques drawn by Central/State Government agencies and departments No limit on number and value of deposits that can be made in a month Minimum of four withdrawals in a month, including ATM withdrawals ATM Card or ATM-cum-Debit Card.
• Further, Banks are free to provide additional value-added services, including issue of cheque book, beyond the above minimum facilities, which may/may not be priced (in non-discriminatory manner) subject to disclosure. The availment of such additional services should be at the option of the customers.

Who can open it?

• Anyone can open this account using regular KYC (know-your-customer) documents. You can even request your bank to convert your existing savings account into a BSBD.

3 . National Digital Health Blueprint report

About National Digital Health Blueprint

• National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) aims to create a national digital health eco-system in public domain
• The NDHB focuses on providing an efficient and affordable health coverage through a wide-range of data and infrastructure services by leveraging open digital systems that will ensure security and privacy of personal information
• The vision of NDHB is to create a National Digital Health Eco-system that supports Universal Health Coverage in an efficient, accessible, inclusive, affordable, timely and safe manner, through provision of a wide-range of data, information and infrastructure services, duly leveraging open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems, and ensuring the security, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.

Objectives

The Objectives of NDHB are aligned to the Vision of NHP2017 and the SDG’s relating to the health sector. These include :

• Establishing and managing the core digital health data and the infrastructure required for its seamless exchange
• Promoting the adoption of open standards by all the actors in the National Digital Health Eco-system, for developing several digital health systems that span across the sector from wellness to disease management
• Creating a system of Personal Health Records, based on international standards, and easily accessible to the citizens and to the service providers, based on citizen-consent
• Following the best principles of cooperative federalism while working with the States and Union Territories for the realization of the Vision
• Promoting Health Data Analytics and Medical Research
• Enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of Governance at all levels
• Ensuring Quality of Healthcare.
• Leveraging the Information Systems already existing in the health sector.

NDHB Principles

• The key principles of the Blueprint include, from the domain perspective, Universal Health Coverage, Inclusiveness, Security and Privacy by Design, Education and Empowerment of the citizens, and from the technology perspective, Building Blocks, Interoperability, a set of Registries as Single Sources of Truth, Open Standards, Open APIs and above all, a minimalistic approach.

4 . National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019 

Context : National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by Lok Sabha 

About the Amendments

• The Bill amends the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008.  The Act provides for a national-level agency to investigate and prosecute offences listed in a schedule (scheduled offences).  Further, the Act allows for creation of Special Courts for the trial of scheduled offences.
• Scheduled offences: The schedule to the Act specifies a list of offences which are to be investigated and prosecuted by the NIA.  These include offences under Acts such as the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.  The Bill seeks to allow the NIA to investigate the following offences, in addition:
  • Human trafficking,
  • Offences related to counterfeit currency or bank notes
  • Manufacture or sale of prohibited arms
  • Cyber-terrorism
  • Offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.       
• Jurisdiction of the NIA: The Act provides for the creation of the NIA to investigate and prosecute offences specified in the schedule.  The officers of the NIA have the same powers as other police officers in relation to investigation of such offences, across India.  The Bill states that in addition, officers of the NIA will have the power to investigate scheduled offences committed outside India, subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other countries.  The central government may direct the NIA to investigate such cases, as if the offence has been committed in India.  The Special Court in New Delhi will have jurisdiction over these cases. 
• Special Courts: The Act allows the central government to constitute Special Courts for the trial of scheduled offences.  The Bill amends this to state that the central government may designate Sessions Courts as Special Courts for the trial of scheduled offences.  The central government is required to consult the Chief Justice of the High Court under which the Sessions Court is functioning, before designating it as a Special Court.  When more than one Special Court has been designated for any area, the senior-most judge will distribute cases among the courts.  Further, state governments may also designate Sessions Courts as Special Courts for the trial of scheduled offences.    

5 . Seva Bhoj Yojana

About Seva Bhoj Scheme

• Seva Bhoj Yojna’ is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• It envisages to reimburse the Central Government share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) so as to lessen the financial burden of such Charitable Religious Institutions who provide Food/Prasad/Langar (Community Kitchen)/Bhandara free of cost without any discrimination to Public/Devotees.
• The scheme is being implemented from 01.08.2018 with a total outlay of Rs. 325.00 Crores for Financial Years 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Objective

• Under the Scheme of ‘Seva Bhoj Yojna’ Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Central Government’s share of Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) paid on purchase of specific raw food items by Charitable Religious Institutions for distributing free food to public shall be reimbursed as Financial Assistance by the Government of India.

Type of activities supported under the scheme

• Free ‘prasad’ or free food or free ‘langar’ / ‘bhandara’ (community kitchen) offered by charitable religious institutions like Gurudwara, Temples, Dharmik Ashram, Mosques, Dargah, Church, Mutt, Monasteries etc. Financial Assistance will be provided on First-cum-First Serve basis of registration linked to fund available for the purpose in a Financial Year.

Criteria for Financial Assistance

• A Public Trust or society or body corporate, or organisation or institution covered under the provisions of section 10 (23BBA) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (as amended from time to time) or registered under the provisions of section 12AA of the Income Tax Act, 1961, for charitable/religious purposes, or a company formed and registered under the provisions of section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 or section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956, as the case may be, for charitable/ religious purposes, or a Public Trust registered as such for charitable/religious purposes under any Law for the time being in force, or a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, for charitable/religious purposes can apply under Seva Bhoj Yojna.
• The applicant Public Trust or society or body corporate, or organisation or institution, as the case may be, must be involved in charitable/religious activities by way of free and philanthropic distribution of food/prasad/langar(Community Kitchen)/ bhandara free of cost and without discrimination through the modus of public, charitable/religious trusts or endowments including maths, temples, gurdwaras, wakfs, churches, synagogues, agiaries or other places of public religious worship.
• The institutions/organizations should have been distributing free food, langar and prasad to atleast 5000 persons in a calendar month can apply under the scheme.
• Financial Assistance under the scheme shall be given only to those institutions which are not in receipt of any Financial Assistance from the Central/State Government for the purpose of distributing free food.
• The Institution/Organization blacklisted under the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) or under the provisions of any Act/Rules of the Central/State shall not be eligible for financial assistance under the scheme.

6 . Life span of Scheduled Tribe people

Background

• According to the report of the expert committee of Tribal Health,  the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai analysed data from the national Census 2011 to estimate, by indirect methods, the life expectancy for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and non-ST population in India.
• These estimates, as published in the Lancet, 2016, show that life expectancy at birth for ST population in India is 63.9 years, as against 67 years for general population.
• The reasons for shorter lifespan include gaps in various health and nutritional indicators, education level, poverty level, between ST and non-STs, traditional life styles,remoteness of habitations & dispersed population.

The steps taken by the Government to increase the average age of the ST population include the following:

• Under National Health Mission, tribal areas enjoy relaxed norms for setting up public health facilities i.e., against the population norms of 5000, 30,000, and 1,20,000 for setting up of Sub Centre, Primary Health Centre and Community Health Centre in plan areas respectively, the norms in tribal and desert areas  are 3000, 20,000 and 80,000 respectively. A new norm of ‘time to care’ has also been adopted for setting up Sub Centres in tribal areas within 30 minutes of walk from habitation and relaxed norm for Mobile Medical Units (MMU) for tribal areas; extra one MMU if it exceeds 30 patients per day against 60 patients per day in plain areas for bringing healthcare delivery to the doorsteps of the population.
• All tribal districts whose composite health index is below the State average have been identified as High Priority Districts(HPDs) and receive more resources per capita under the NHM as compared to the rest of the districts in the State. Out of 256 identified new HPDs, 101 are tribal districts.
• All the tribal districts which are not covered under HPDs have been designated as special focus districts. These districts would receive higher per capita funding, relaxed norms, enhanced monitoring and focussed supportive supervision, and encouraged to adopt innovative approaches to address their peculiar health challenges. Technical support from all sources is also being harmonised and aligned with NHM to support implementation of key intervention packages.
• As per the budget announcement 2017-18, 1.5 lakh Health Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres are being transformed into Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) for provision of comprehensive primary care that includes preventive and health promotion at the community level with continuum of care approach across the country for all population including tribals.
• Ministry of Women and Child Development is also implementing a number of schemes such as Anganwadi Services under which six services i.e. Supplementary Nutrition, Pre-school Education, Health & Nutrition Education, Immunization, Health Check-up and Referral Services are provided at the AWCs; Pradhan MantriMatruVandanaYojana (PMMVY) under which cash incentives are given to the pregnant women for first child birth; Scheme for Adolescent Girls under which nutritional support is provided to the  11-14 years out of school Adolescent Girls, etc., for improving the health conditions of women and children including those in the tribal areas.