PIB Analysis for UPSC CSE
- GS1 India and GeM MoU
- Tagore Awards
- Amrut Cities
- E-Visa rules liberalization
- Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme
1 . GS1 India and GeM
Context : GS1 India, a standards organization set up by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
About GS 1 India
- GS1 India is a Standards body (registered under Societies Registration Act 1860) with founder members comprising Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, FIEO, IMC, APEDA, Spices Board, IIP and BIS.
- It is affiliated with GS1 a not for profit global standards organisation.
- GS1 India’s mission is to improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels through the use of global GS1 standards.
About the MoU
- The MoU will enable GeM’s buyers and vendors toaccess rich, accurate and standardized information on attributes of thousands of products across categories, empowering them to make more informed decisions.
- GeM will access product data from GS1 India’s DataKart, the National repository of information on attributes of millions of retail products in the country. The categories get populated directly by manufacturers and brand owners. Every data will undergo validity checks based on globally accepted GS1 standards prior to being published for access by buyers.
2 . Tagore Awards
Context : The President of India will present the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony to Shri Rajkumar Singhajit Singh; Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh); and Shri Ram Sutar Vanji for the years 2014, 2015 & 2016
About Tagore Awards
- Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony was instituted by the Government of India from 2012 recognizing the contributions made by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore to humanity at large with his works and ideas, as part of the Commemoration of his 150th Birth Anniversary in 2012, for promoting values of Cultural Harmony.
- This annual award is given to individuals, associations, institutions or organizations for their outstanding contribution towards promoting values of Cultural Harmony.
- The Award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender. Normally, contributions made during ten years immediately preceding the nomination are considered. Older contributions may also be considered if their significance has become apparent only recently.
- A written work, in order to be eligible for consideration, should have been published during the last ten years. Work by a person since deceased cannot be the subject of an Award. If, however, his death occurred subsequent to a proposal having been submitted to the Jury in the manner stipulated in the Code of Procedure, then a Posthumous Award may be made.
- It is awarded annually and carries an amount of Rs. One Crore, a citation in a Scroll, a Plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft / handloom item.
Jury comprises of the following persons
- Prime Minister of India
- Chief Justice of India
- Leader of the Opposition recognized as such in the Lok Sabha or where there is no such Leader of Opposition then, the Leader of the single largest opposition party in that House
- 2 Eminent Persons
3 . Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
About AMRUT
The purpose of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is to
- Ensure that every household has access to a tap with assured supply of water and a sewerage connection;
- Increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained open spaces (e.g. parks); and
- Reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorized transport (e.g. walking and cycling).
- All these outcomes are valued by citizens, particularly women, and indicators and standards have been prescribed by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) in the form of Service Level Benchmarks (SLBs).
Thrust Areas
- Water Supply
- Sewerage facilities and septage management
- Storm Water drains to reduce flooding
- Pedestrian, non-motorized and public transport facilities, parking spaces
- Enhancing amenity value of cities by creating and upgrading green spaces, parks and recreation centers, especially for children.
4 . Modification to E-Visa rules
Important modifications made are highlighted as under:-
- Duration of stay in India of e-Tourist and e-Business Visas is maximum upto 1 Year with multiple entry subject to the stay stipulations.
- Also, the existing restriction of allowing foreigner for a maximum of three times has also been removed
Changes in e-Tourist Visa
- On e-Tourist Visa continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 90 days in case of nationals of all countries who are eligible for grant of e-visa except nationals of USA, UK, Canada and Japan.
- In case of nationals of USA, UK, Canada and Japan continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 180 days.
- In all cases no registration will be required.
Changes in e-Business Visa
- Continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 180 days in case of nationals of all countries who are eligible for grant of e-visa
- No registration will be required if the stay is for a period of less than 180 days.
Other changes
- e-Visa is valid for entry through 2 (two) more designated Airports (Bhubaneswar and Port Blair)raising the total number of such airports to 28.
- Attending Destination wedding under normal e-Tourist visa or Tourist visa- No separate category of Destination Wedding Visa
- Foreign nationals who fall sick during their stay in India can now avail medical treatment without converting their visa into Medical Visa. This would take care of sudden medical emergencies.
- Visa-on-Arrival facility extended to the nationals of Republic of Korea.
5 . Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme
Context : For the overall empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangajan), a “Regional Conference on Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS”) is being organizedby the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,
About the Scheme
- Under the scheme, every year more than 600 NGOs are provided with financial assistance for running their projects for the rehabilitation of persons with disability such as Special school, pre-school and early intervention, Halfway Homes and Community Based Rehabilitation etc.