PIB ANALYSIS FOR UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAM
Topics Covered
- Procurement of Crops Under MSP
- Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana
- Paint your toilet campaign
- Steps taken to improve maternal, child and Adolescent Health
- Women of India Organic Festival
- Facts for Prelims
1 . Procurement of Crops Under MSP
- Agriculture Marketing is a State subject and concerned States/Union Territories regulate and facilitate marketing of agriculture produce under their respective State regulations.
Initiatives Taken by Government
- In order to provide better marketing facilities to the farmers, the Government has released a new model “The Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017” in April 2017 for its adoption by States/Union Territories (UTs). The provisions therein provides for alternative marketing channels to facilitate farmers in marketing their produce directly at competitive & remunerative prices.
- To optimise the use of scarce resources and mitigate the uncertainty in price and marketing, the Government has formulated and released a progressive and facilitative Model Act “The-State/ UT Agricultural Produce & Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2018” in May, 2018 for its adoption by the states/Union Territories (UTs). The aforesaid Model Contract Farming Act covers the entire value and supply chain from pre-production to post harvest marketing including services contract for the agricultural produce and livestock.
- The Government has implemented National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) scheme for transparent price discovery for remunerative prices for the farmers for their produce through competitive online bidding system.
- As per Union Budget Announcement, 2018-19, Government has decided to develop and upgrade existing 22,000 rural haats into Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) to work as centers of aggregation and to provide farmers facility to make direct sale to consumers and bulk purchasers.
- To ensure remunerative prices to farmers for their produce, the Government of India has launched an umbrella scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan’ (PM-AASHA). Under PM-AASHA, the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare implements the Price Support Scheme (PSS) for procurement of pulses, oilseeds and copra. For oilseeds, DAC&FW also implements the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS).
2 . Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana
About Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)
- PMBJP was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India with an objective of making available quality generic medicines at affordable prices to all.
- Under this scheme, unbranded generic medicines of good quality are made available through outlets called PMBJP Kendras.
- In order to ensure quality of medicines sold through PMBJP Kendras, the medicines are procured only from WHO-GMP certified manufacturers
- The product basket of the scheme covers more than 800 medicines and 154 surgicals & consumables covering all 23 major therapeutic groups such as Anti-infectives, Anti-diabetics, Cardiovasculars, Anti-cancers, Gastro-intestinal medicines, etc.
- The Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of a medicine sold through PMBJP outlets is fixed in such a way that it is at least 50% below the average MRP of corresponding top three brands of that medicine.
3 . Paint Your Toilet Campaign
About the Campaign
- In an effort to promote ownership and sustained usage of toilets and also provide a facelift to the crores of toilets built under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has launched a month-long campaign, “Swachh Sundar Shauchalaya.
- The campaign comprises a unique Contest, under which, households are being mobilised to paint and decorate their toilets.
- It will be spearheaded by Gram Panchayats and coordinated by district administrations. The campaign will involve rural communities in the 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats across the country.
- Individual households, Gram Panchayats and Districts will be awarded on the basis of number of toilets painted and the quality and creativity of their work.
4 . Steps taken to improve maternal, child and Adolescent Health
Steps being taken to improve Maternal and Child Health:-
- Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme to encourage institutional deliveries.
- Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) aims to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for pregnant women and for treatment of sick neonates.
- Pradhan MantriSurakshitMatritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) to provide fixed-day assured comprehensive and quality antenatal care universally to all pregnant women on 9th of every month.
- LaQshya- Labor room Quality improvement Initiative for improving quality of care around birth and ensure respectful maternity care.
- Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Wings are being established at high caseload facilities to improve quality of care.
- Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) at facilities and in community to take corrective action for averting maternal deaths.
- Operationalization of Comprehensive Abortion Care Services and services for Reproductive Tract Infections and Sexually Transmitted Infections (RTI/STI) at health facilities.
- Capacity building of MBBS doctors in Anaesthesia (LSAS) and Obstetric Care including C-section (EmOC) skills and establishment of Skill Labs to enhance quality of training.
- Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) and Mother and Child Tracking Facilitation Centre (MCTFC) to monitor timely and quality ANC services, JSY benefit, Immunization etc.
- Dissemination of Operational guidelines for Universal screening of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, screening for hypothyroidism for high risk pregnancy, calcium supplementation and de-worming during pregnancy.
- Under Anemia Mukt Bharat (Intensified National Iron Plus Initiative), iron and folic acid supplementation is provided across life stages for pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescent girls.
- Establishment of Special Newborn Care Units (SNCU), Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSU) and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) units for care of sick and small babies.
- Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home Based Care of Young Children (HBYC) by ASHAs to improve child rearing practices.
- Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are being promoted in convergence with Ministry of Women and Child Development. Mass media campaigns and capacity building of health care providers underMothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA) programme for improving breastfeeding practices.
- Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is being supported to provide vaccination to children against various life threatening diseases.
- Government has launched Mission Indradhanush to reach the target of 90% Full Immunization Coverage through covering unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children and pregnant women in pockets of low immunization coverage in hard-to-reach areas.
- Rashtriya Bal SwasthyaKaryakram (RBSK) for screening and early detection of birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, development delays and early intervention services all children in the 0-18 years age group.
- Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) at public health facilities to manage children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) admitted with medical complications.
- National Deworming Days (NDDs) are being organised in the country to de-worm children aged 1-19 years using platforms such as AWCs and Schools by administering Albendazole tablets.
- Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) is being observed across the country since 2014 for childhood diarrhoea control by promotion of ORS and zinc for treatment of childhood diarrhoea and creating community awareness on personal and community hygiene practices.
- IEC/BCC activities with focus on ANC, institutional delivery, nutrition, immunization etc.
Steps being taken to improve to improve Adolescent Health:-
The Government is implementing Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram(RKSK) under NHM to improve health of adolescents in the country. Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram(RKSK) includes following interventions:
- Weekly Iron and Folic acid Supplementation (WIFS)programme to provide weekly Iron and Folic Acid tablets to in-school boys and girls and out-of-school girls and biannual anti-helminthic Albendazole tablets for prevention of iron and folic acid deficiency anaemiacovering government, government aided andmunicipal schools and Anganwadi centres.
- School Health Program under Ayushman Bharat to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention interventions for school children.
- Scheme for Promotion of MenstrualHygienefor rural adolescent girls to increase awareness and hygienic practices among adolescent girls related to Menstrual Hygiene.
- Peer educators in the community are conducting participatory sessions on adolescent health issues.
- Adolescent Health Day (AHD) is being organized in community for reaching out to adolescents and their parents/ care givers and community leaders.
- Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs)at Government health facilities with Medical Officers, ANMs and Counselors trained in Adolescent Friendly Health Services for adequate and appropriate care to adolescents.
5 . Women of India Organic Festival
The 6th ‘Women of India Organic Festival’ to begin next week at Leisure Valley, Chandigarh.
- The festival aims to encourage Indian women entrepreneurs and farmers to connect with more buyers and thus, empower them through financial inclusion, while promoting organic culture in India.
- Through this festival, the Ministry also aims to educate people about its various initiatives and schemes relating to women and children
- The Women of India Organic Festival has been held annually in New Delhi since 2015, and makes its debut in Chandigarh this year, bringing the joy of going organic to the evergreen Leisure Valley, which is a continuum of gardens, to showcase the varied products of women farmers and entrepreneurs. With each year, the sales and footfalls at the Organic Festival have only increased, indicating a growing interest in organic produce
6 . Facts for Prelims
Nobel Laureates Avram Hershko from Israel and F.Duncan M.Haldane from USA Inaugurated Children Science Congress at the Ongoing Indian Science Congress, 2019
- Avram Hershko – 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery with Aaron Ciechanover and Irwin Rose, of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation
- F.Duncan M.Haldane –
- With David J. Thouless and J. Michael Kosterlitz, Haldane shared the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics”for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter
Rashtriya Kishore Vaigyanik Sammelan (RKVS)
- Rashtriya Kishore Vaigyanik Sammelan (RKVS) is an important part of Indian Science Congress as it focuses on raising the bar of research and innovation in science in our country.
- The main objective of the RKVS is to provide a platform to the budding scientists to showcase their research work and projects being developed by them.