RGESS (Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme)

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has expressed the need revisit theRajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS) to make its provisions more retail investor-friendly. It was felt by the minister that the in current form the scheme is too complex for the small investor to understand and that complying would be difficult. He is expected to bring necessary changes to in the coming Budget.

The finance ministry is set to notify the Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS).

• Finance Minister P Chidambaram had approved the RGESS on September 21, 2012.
• Implementation delayed due to the deliberations on inclusion of Mutual Funds (MF) in it. Thus, further consultations with the RBI, SEBI and the law ministry on the coverage of RGESS.

• It might be so that only MFs fitting in specific conditions would be allowed.
• Tax benefits for investing up to Rs 50,000 in the capital markets for first-time retail investors with an annual income of Rs 10 lakh.
• The scheme initially announced in Budget 2012 had allowed tax benefits for investments in stocks. Later, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and MFs were included under its ambit.
• Open to retail investors who have opened demat accounts but have not made any transactions in equity or derivatives till the notification of the scheme.
• All those opening fresh accounts would also be eligible to participate in RGESS.
• Investments can be made in various installments during a year,
• Total lock-in period: 3 years, including an initial lock-in of one year in the stock/ETF/MF in which the money has been invested.
• Stocks listed under BSE 100 or CNX 100 or those of PSUs which are Navratnas, Maharatnas and Miniratnas would be eligible.
• Investment in follow-on offers of these companies would also be eligible for tax deduction.

New National Water Policy

The Ministry of Water Resources has evolved the Draft National Water Policy (2012) to meet the present challenges in the water sector.
State Governments have been actively involved while drafting the Policy. The National Water Board comprising of Chief Secretaries of all the States and Secretaries of related Union Ministries considered the draft National Water Policy (2012) at its Meeting held on 7^th June, 2012. Thereafter, the National Water Resources Council with Chief Ministers of all States as members is to consider and adopt the draft National Water Policy (2012) arrived at as per deliberations in the National Water Board.

SALIENT FEATURES OF REVISED DRAFT NATIONAL WATER POLICY (2012)

1. Emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys, amendment of Irrigation Acts, Indian Easements Act, 1882, etc.

2. Water, after meeting the pre-emptive needs for safe drinking water and sanitation, achieving food security, supporting poor people dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and high priority allocation for minimum eco-system needs, be treated as economic good so as to promote its conservation and efficient use.

3. Ecological needs of the river should be determined recognizing that river flows are characterized by low or no flows, small floods (freshets), large floods and flow variability and should accommodate development needs. A portion of river flows should be kept aside to meet ecological needs ensuring that the proportional low and high flow releases correspond in time closely to the natural flow regime.

4. Adaptation strategies in view of climate change for designing and management of water resources structures and review of acceptability criteria has been emphasized.

5.A system to evolve benchmarks for water uses for different purposes, i.e., water footprints, and water auditing be developed to ensure efficient use of water. Project financing has been suggested as a tool to incentivize efficient & economic use of water.

6. Setting up of Water Regulatory Authority has been recommended. Incentivization of recycle and re-use has been recommended.

7. Water Users Associations should be given statutory powers to collect and retain a portion of water charges, manage the volumetric quantum of water allotted to them and maintain the distribution system in their jurisdiction.

8. Removal of large disparity in stipulations for water supply in urban areas and in rural areas has been recommended.

9. Water resources projects and services should be managed with community participation. Wherever the State Governments or local governing bodies so decide, the private sector can be encouraged to become a service provider in public private partnership model to meet agreed terms of service delivery, including penalties for failure.

10. Adequate grants to the States to update technology, design practices, planning and management practices, preparation of annual water balances and accounts for the site and basin, preparation of hydrologic balances for water systems, and benchmarking and performance evaluation.

Mahatma Gandhi Suraksha Yojana

The Government has launched a scheme called ‘Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana’ (MGPSY) for Indian workers holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports and a valid work permit in an ECR country. This scheme encourages and enables Overseas Indian Workers to save for their return and resettlement and to save for their old age by providing a co-contribution from the Government. This also provides a free Life Insurance Cover against natural death during the period of coverage, under this scheme. However, there is no proposal to introduce a special package for Indian workers returning to India from conflict-ridden countries. There is also no plan to start a “Pravasi Bank” for Overseas Indians by the Ministry.

Schemes for Slum Dwellers and Urban Poor

The Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja has said that the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) is implementing the following schemes for slum dwellers and urban poor across the country:

(i) Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) launched on 3^rd December, 2005, the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programmes (IHSDP) are being implemented which focus on basic services to the urban poor and integrated development of slums. Under BSUP, 65 select cities in the country are covered and the remaining cities are covered under IHSDP. Under BSUP scheme, 527 projects have been approved with total project cost of Rs. 30188.69 crores for construction of 1017252 Dwelling Units (DUs). Under IHSDP scheme, 1084 projects in 928 cities have been approved with total project cost of Rs. 12048.50 crores for construction of 570951 Dwelling Units (DUs).

(ii) Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) aims at providing gainful employment to the urban unemployed and under-employed poor, through encouraging the setting up of self employment ventures by the urban poor living below the poverty line, skills training and also through providing wage employment by utilizing their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets. This scheme is applicable to all cities and towns in the country. During the 2011-12, 353,803 beneficiaries were covered under   skills training and 79,804 beneficiaries under urban self employment programme components of SJSRY.

(iii) In pursuance of the Government’s vision of creating a Slum-free India, a new scheme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ (RAY) has been launched on 02.06.2011.Under the Scheme financial assistance is being provided to States that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers for provision of decent shelter and basic civic and social services for slum redevelopment, and for creation of affordable housing stock. The scheme is expected to cover above 250 cities, across the entire country by the end of 12^th plan (2017).The States would be required to include all the mission cities of JNNURM, preferably cities with more than 3 lakh population as per 2001 Census; and other smaller cities, with due consideration to the pace of growth of the city, of slums, predominance of minority population, and areas where property rights are assigned. Funds have been released to 34 States/UTs under Slum Free City Planning Scheme - the preparatory phase of Rajiv AwasYojana. The list of 185 cities in which preparatory activities are being undertaken are as per Annexure-I. In addition, 8 pilot projects with total project cost of Rs. 446.22 Crores involving Central Assistance of Rs. 197.09 Crores have been approved under RAY for construction of 8400 dwelling units. The first installment of Rs. 65.69 Crores has been released to the concerned states as per Annexure-II.

 (iv) The Affordable Housing in Partnership Scheme, which is intended to encourage public private partnerships for the creation of affordable housing stock has been dovetailed with RAY. Under this scheme, central support will be provided at the rate of Rs 50,000 per unit of rental/affordable dwelling unit or 25% of the cost of civic infrastructure (external and internal), whichever is lower. Under this Scheme, which is applicable to all cities covered under RAY, 8 projects have been sanctioned with a central assistance of Rs. 7.2 Crore for construction of 5776 Affordable dwelling units.

(v) To enable the urban poor to obtain credit for home loans at affordable rates, the Interest Subsidy Scheme for Housing the Urban Poor (ISHUP), which provides 5 % interest subsidy on loans up to Rs. one lakh, is being implemented. This scheme has been dovetailed with RAY.  As on date, 10,215 beneficiaries have been benefitted.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha  Kumari Selja said, for proper utilization of funds under these schemes, the Ministry of HUPA is regularly monitoring the progress through quarterly/monthly physical and financial reports, periodic review meeting at state/regional/city level and field visits by Ministry’s officers and monitoring agencies.

Click here to see Annexures

Implementation of SJSRY in Andhra Pradesh

The Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Kumari Selja has said that the revamped Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) has five major components:-

(i)           Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP)-Targeting individual urban poor for setting up of micro-enterprises.

(ii)        Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP)-Targeting urban poor women self-help groups for setting up of group-enterprises and providing them assistance through a revolving fund for thrift & credit activities.

(iii)      Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP)-Targeting urban poor for imparting quality training so as to enhance their employability for self-employment or better salaried employment.

(iv)      Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) -Assisting urban poor by utilizing their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets, in towns having population less than 5 lakhs as per 1991 census.

(v)        Urban Community Development Network (UCDN)-Assisting the urban poor in organizing themselves in self- managed community structures so as to gain collective strength to address the issues of poverty facing them and participate in the effective implementation of urban poverty alleviation programmes.

          In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha  Kumari Selja said, the scheme is implemented through the State Governments. Ministry monitors their performance regularly to ensure that benefits of the scheme reach to all sections of the urban poor. Regular training of the functionaries of State, District and Urban Local Bodies are held to orient them towards better implementation of this scheme. Statement showing year-wise, State-wise achievement of SJSRY during the last two plans are at Annexure-I & II. The Statement showing physical targets set and achieved under the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) in the State of Andhra Pradesh during the last five years is at Annexure-III.  The Ministry does not set district-wise targets.

Click here to See Annexure

Welfare Schemes for Women

Many welfare schemes for women are implemented by Government of India, State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The details of major schemes under implementation by Ministry of Women and Child Development for the welfare of women are as under :

i. RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL CRECHE SCHEME FOR THE CHILDREN OF WORKING MOTHERS (RGNCS) provides day care facilities to the children in the age group 0-6 years from families with monthly income of less than 12000/-. In addition to being a safe space for the children, the crèches provide services such as supplementary nutrition, pre-school education and emergency health care, etc.

ii. CENTRAL SOCIAL WELFARE BOARD: The main women welfare related schemes and programmes being implemented by CSWB are family counselling centres, awareness generation programme and condensed courses of education for women.

iii. NATIONAL MISSION FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN (NMEW) is an initiative of the Government of India for empowering women holistically. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme sanctioned in April 2011 and acts as an umbrella Mission with a mandate to strengthen inter-sectoral convergence.

iv. WORKING WOMEN’S HOSTEL (WWH) Scheme envisages provision of safe and affordable hostel accommodation to working women, single working women, women working at places away from their home-towns and for women being trained for employment.

v. SUPPORT TO TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME (STEP) for Women was launched as a Central Sector Scheme during 1986-87. It aims at making a significant impact on women by upgrading skills for self and wage employment. The target group includes the marginalized assetless rural women and urban poor.

vi. RASHTRIYA MAHILA KOSH (RMK) with a corpus of Rs.100 crore extends micro-finance services to bring about the socio-economic upliftment of poor women.

vii. INDIRA GANDHI MATRITVA SAHYOG YOJANA (IGMSY) is a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating (P&L) women introduced in the October 2010 to contribute to better enabling environment by providing cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant and nursing mothers.

viii. SWADHAR SCHEME: The Ministry of Women and Child Development had been administering Swadhar scheme since 2001 for Women in difficult circumstances. Under the Scheme, temporary accommodation, maintenance and rehabilitative services are provided to women and girls rendered homeless due to family discord, crime, violence, mental stress, social ostracism. Another scheme with similar objectives/target groups namely Short Stay Home (SSH) is being implemented by Central Social Welfare Board.

ix. UJJAWALA is a comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.

PUBLIC POLICY IN INDIA

Definition:

A Public Policy is a goal oriented course of action adopted and implemented by the government bodies and officials in pursuit of certain objectives or goals of public interest.

Basically, Public Policies are:

• Goal oriented
• Decision making process
• Government’s collective action
• Addresses public concerns
• Interaction of people’s demands with power structures

Importance of Public Policies:

Although the trend of privatization made the governments to relax from many areas of development still there are many important areas which needs to be focused for the sake of public interest and for social welfare and growth. Thus the study of Public Policy, also called ‘Planned view of development’, gains much more relevance.

The scientific analysis of public policy helps in understanding the causes and consequences of the policy thereby facilitating practical solutions to social problems.

A Policy which is formulated and is implemented in a participative, transparent, open and accountable manner is an effective public policy serving public interest.

Stages in Public Policy Process:

(i) Policy Formulation:

A policy will be formulated in a coherent fashion keeping in mind the needs, interests, and problems of the society. It covers the larger sections of the society too.

(ii) Policy Education:

Educating the masses and actual beneficiaries about the formulated policies and their impacts through media.

(iii) Policy Implementation:

This is a crucial stage which actually decides the translation of the policy goals into action. It is the task of the executive branch of the government to systematically act upon the policies with the available resources.

(iv) Policy Monitoring:

Monitoring is the task done after the implementation and performing auditing and reporting process.

(v) Policy Impact:

A quantitative and qualitative study needs to be done to know the impact of the policy.

Types of Public Policies:

1. Welfare & Development Public policies
2. Regulatory Public policies
3. Distributive & Re-distributive policies

Institutions that play a crucial role in policy making are:

• Legislature
• Executive
• Cabinet and Cabinet secretariat
• Prime Minister and Prime Minister’s Office
• NDC and Planning Commission
• IAS, IPS and IFS officers
• Judiciary.

Here is the List of the Major PUBLIC POLICIES undertaken by Government of India over the years:

1. National Policy for Farmers, 2007
2. Agriculture Pricing Policy
3. National Agriculture Development Programme or Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana
4. Agriculture Policy: A Vision for 2020
5. Consolidated FDI Policy, 2010
6. National Employment Policy, 2008
7. National Manufacturing Policy, 2011
8. National Drug Policy
9. National Pharmaceutical Policy, 2002
10. National Broadband Policy, 2004
11. National Policy on Information Technology, 2011
12. National Policy on Electronics, 2011
13. National Policy on Education, 1968
14. National Policy on Education, 1986
15. National Programme of Action
16. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan- Education For All
17. Policy Statement on Environment and Development
18. National Skill Development Policy
19. National Nutrition Policy
20. National Health Policy of 2002
21. National Population Policy of 2000
22. National Mineral Policy
23. National Electricity Policy, 2003
24. Rural Electrification Policy
25. National Policy on Older Persons
26. National Policy for Empowerment of Women
27. National Telecom Policy, 2011
28. National Water Policy, 2002
29. National Urban Sanitation Policy
30. National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy
31. National Tourism Policy, 2002.

Empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions

The national level plan for improving the functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) is chalked out in the Roadmap for Panchayati Raj (2011-2017). The Roadmap logically delineates the issues and specific action plans within the larger governance framework for creating an effective Panchayati Raj structure. It highlights key aspects for empowerment, enablement and accountability of the PRIs for better governance and faster development, includes devolution of functions, funds and functionaries as envisaged in the Constitution, Capacity Building of the Panchayats and Functionaries, decentralized planning, effective implementation of Panchayats (Extention to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), empowered elected village councils in the Sixth Scheduled Areas and changes in the constitutional and legal framework. This national Roadmap is enabled and assisted by the Government by the provision of funds under several schemes, the most important of which are

• The Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) provides untied grants to the Panchayats in the backward regions in order to reduce development deficits of the country, with the requirement that the District Plans for utilization of the grant be prepared by the involvement of the Gram Sabhas.

• The Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY) which aims at capacity building and training of the elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions as well as the Functionaries.

The Central Government also provides funds to the State Governments under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) to redress regional imbalances in development of backward districts in the country. The strategy aims at promoting the performance and capacity of Panchayats, in planning, decision, making, implementation and monitoring. In addition to the BRGF, the following schemes for empowerment of Panchayats are being implemented:

• Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana: Funds are released to States for training and capacity building of Panchayati Raj Institutions in districts uncovered by the BRGF.

• Rural Business Hubs: This Scheme aims to assist the Panchayats to empower rural labour productivity by providing forward backward linkages with technical assistance in Public-Private-Partnership.

• Panchayat Manila`Evam Yuva Shakti Abhiyan:. It aims to enable women and youth Panchayat leaders to come together to articulate their problems as women Panchayat Leaders. 

• E-Panchayat: For computerizing the databases, accounts and other functions of the Gram Panchayats for accountability and transparency.

• Panchayat Empowerment & Accountability Incentive Scheme: To recognize and incentivize the efforts of Panchayats with respect to transparency, accountability and efficiency and of States with respect to devolution of funds, functions and functionaries to Panchayats.

Zonal Councils

The idea of creation of Zonal Councils was mooted by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1956 when during the course of debate on the report of the States Re-organisation Commission, he suggested that the States proposed to be reorganised may be grouped into four or five zones having an Advisory Council 'to develop the habit of cooperative working” among these States.  This suggestion was made by Pandit Nehru at a time when linguistic hostilities and bitterness as a result of re-organisation of the States on linguistic pattern were threatening the very fabric of our nation. As an antidote to this situation, it was suggested that a high level advisory forum should be set up to minimise the impact of these hostilities and to create healthy inter-State and Centre-State environment with a view to solving inter-State problems and fostering balanced socio economic development of the respective zones.

COMPOSITION OF ZONAL COUNCILS

In the light of the vision of Pandit Nehru, five Zonal Councils were set up vide Part-III of the States Re-organisation Act, 1956. The present composition of each of these Zonal Councils is as under:

    The Northern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh;
    The Central Zonal Council, comprising the States of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh;
    The Eastern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim and West Bengal;
    The Western Zonal Council, comprising the States of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli; and
    The Southern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The North Eastern States i.e. (i) Assam (ii) Arunachal Pradesh (iii) Manipur (iv) Tripura (v) Mizoram (vi) Meghalaya and (vii) Nagaland are not included in the Zonal Councils and their special problems are looked after by the North Eastern Council, set up under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972. The State of Sikkim has also been included in the North Eastern Council vide North Eastern Council (Amendment) Act, 2002 notified on 23rd December, 2002. Consequently, action for exclusion of Sikkim as member of Eastern Zonal Council has been initiated by Ministry of Home Affairs.

COMMITTIEES OF ZONAL COUNCILS

Each Zonal Council has set up a Standing Committee consisting of Chief Secretaries of the member States of their respective Zonal Councils. These Standing Committees meet from time to time to resolve the issues or to do necessary ground work for further meetings of the Zonal Councils. Senior Officers of the Planning Commission and other Central Ministries are also associated with the meetings depending upon necessity. :

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF ZONAL COUNCILS

(i)   Chairman
       The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.
(ii)   Vice Chairman
        The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding  office for a period of one year at a time.
(iii)   Members
        Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.
(iv)   Advisers
        One person nominated by the Planning Commission for each of the Zonal Councils, Chief Secretaries and another officer/Development Commissioner nominated by each of the States included in the Zone;

Union Ministers are also invited to participate in the meetings of Zonal Councils depending upon necessity.
.

ROLE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ZONAL COUNCILS

The Zonal Councils provide an excellent forum where irritants between Centre and States and amongst States can be resolved through free and frank discussions and consultations. Being advisory bodies, there is full scope for free and frank exchange of views in their meetings. Though there are a large number of other fora like the National Development Council, Inter State Council, Governor’s/Chief Minister’s Conferences and other periodical high level conferences held under the auspices of the Union Government, the Zonal Councils are different, both in content and character. They are regional fora of cooperative endeavour for States linked with each other economically, politically and culturally. Being compact high level bodies, specially meant for looking after the interests of respective zones, they are capable of focusing attention on specific issues taking into account regional factors, while keeping the national perspective in view.

The main objectives of setting up of Zonal Councils are as under :

    Bringing out national integration;
    Arresting the growth of acute State consciousness, regionalism, linguism and particularistic tendencies;
    Enabling the Centre and the States to co-operate and exchange ideas and experiences; and
    Establishing a climate of co-operation amongst the States for successful and speedy execution of development projects.

FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNCILS

Each Zonal Council is an advisory body and may discuss any matter in which some or all of the States represented in that Council, or the Union and one or more of the States represented in that Council, have a common interest and advise the Central Government and the Government of each State concerned as to the action to be taken on any such matter.

In particular, a Zonal Council may discuss, and make recommendations with regard to,--

    any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning;
    any matter concerning border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-State transport; and
    any matter connected with, or arising out of, the re-organisation of the States under the States Reorganisation Act.

MEETINGS OF ZONAL COUNCILS

As per Section 17(1) of States Re-organisation Act, each Zonal Council shall meet at such time as the Chairman of the Council may appoint in this behalf. Since their inception in 1957, the Zonal Councils have met 106 times. The last meetings of the Zonal Councils were held as under:


Name of the Council      Place of  meeting      Date of the meeting

 1.Eastern Zonal Council      Ranchi      30.05.2005

 2.Western Zonal Council      Panaji          20.09.2006

 3.Northern Zonal Council      Shimla      25.10.2005

 4.Southern Zonal Council      Hyderabad      12.02.2007

 5.Central Zonal Council      Bhopal      24.05.2005

Deliberations at Zonal Councils have led to important initiatives in regard to Internal Security, Coastal Security, Mega City Policing, Sharing of information on crime and criminals by the concerned states, Jail Reforms, Communal Harmony and the resolution of the socio-economic problems like trafficking in women and children, National Disaster Management and strengthening the preparedness for disaster management, implementation of Right to information Act, Implementation of National Employment Guarantee Bill, Coastal Secretary and Good Governance etc.

SECRETARIAT OF ZONAL COUNCILS

The Secretariat of the Zonal Councils has also been created by the statue itself. Section 19 of the States Re-organisation Act deals with the staff of Zonal Councils whereas Section 20 deals with office of the Council and its administrative expenses.

(i) Office of Zonal Councils:

As per Section 20(1) of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 the office of Zonal Council for each zone shall be located at such place within the zone as may be determined by the Council. However, since 1963, a single Secretariat looking after the affairs of all Zonal Councils is functioning from New Delhi. The Secretariat is located 9/11, Jamnagar House, New Delhi and functioning under administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Zonal Councils Secretariat explores centre-State, inter-State and zonal issues which are to be deliberated by the Councils or the Standing Committees. The Secretariat also follows up on the recommendations of the Councils/Standing Committees, if necessary drawing the attention of the Chairman and other Central Ministers/Chief Ministers.

(ii) Organisational set up of Zonal Council Secretariat

According to Section 19 (1) of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, each Zonal Council shall have a secretarial staff consisting of a Secretary, a Joint Secretary and such other officers as the Chairman may consider necessary to appoint

The Chief Secretaries of the States represented in such Zonal Councils act as the Secretary of the respective Council by rotation, holding office for a period of one year at a time.

The Joint Secretary of Zonal Councils is as a Director Level officer from All India Services or Central Secretariat Services.

Government to Introduce New Welfare Schemes for Seafarers

The Government is considering to introduce the following measures for the welfare of the seafarers:

(i) The Monthly Ex-gratia Monitory Assistance (MEMA) Scheme operated by the Seamen`s Welfare Fund Society (SWFS) is proposed to be reinforced.

(ii) Introduction of a contributory Annuity Scheme for the seafarers.

The proposed welfare schemes for the seafarers have been discussed with the stakeholders in the meetings of the National Welfare Board of Seafarers (NWBS) and are being finalized.

National Rural Livelihoods Mission

Odisha has become the first state in the country to launch National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in its bid to bring down rural poverty by promoting diversified and gainful self-employment to the rural poor. NRLM will replace the Swarnajayanti Gram Swrojgar Yojana (SGSY) aimed at poverty reduction. The main weaknesses of the SGSY were uneven spread in the formation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), high attrition rate in the SHGs, lack of adequate access to banking facilities, lack of capacity building and training and inadequate risk mitigation. NRLM would provide greater focus and momentum for poverty reduction to achieve the various Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

In the first phase, NRLM has been launched in 38 backward poverty stricken blocks of 10 districts where the World Bank-funded Targeted Rural Initiatives for Poverty Termination and Infrastructure (TRIPTI) is being implemented. Though objectives of NRLM and TRIPTI are almost same, the former is now restructured to target the poorest of the poor who have been uncovered yet. In the second phase of the project, Schedule Areas, including four blocks from 11 districts covered under Western Orissa Rural Livelihoods Project (WORLP), JEEVIKA and The Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihood Programme (OTELP) and five Left Wing Extremists- affected districts such as Gajapati, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Deogarh will be covered. By the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan, all 30 districts would have come under NRLM. The programme is expected to adopt a multipronged strategy to reduce poverty by enabling the poor households to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities. This programme is designed in a way to be implemented by a dedicated support structure starting from bottom to top. Cluster-level forum and gram panchayat level forum will be constituted and through them, various activities for livelihood generation will be created, so that wastage of funds can be stopped and maximum dividend of the project is made available to the needy section of the society

India plans to launch National Monsoon Mission

The Government of India is planning to launch a National Monsoon Mission to provide accurate rain forecast and other weather inputs to farmers.
Speaking at the annual function of his Ministry, Earth Sciences Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said that agro-Met services will have greater importance in the coming years.
The Ministry has plans to establish the National Monsoon Mission to address these challenging issues relating to the monsoon rainfall in India, he added.
They not only provide fairly accurate monsoon forecasts but also issue weather related agro advisories to farmers so that the kisan (farmer) can plan his farming and increase the productivity of his soil, Deshmukh said.
"India's total demand for food grain is projected to touch 280 million tonnes by the year 2020-21. For this, improved monsoon rainfall predictions and associated enhancements to the agro-advisory services have been identified as priority activities," he added, reports IANS.

Employment Schemes of India

Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)

 

• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) has been created by merging two schemes, Prime Minister's Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) and Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP), which were in operation till 31.03.2008.
• It is a credit linked subsidy programme being implemented by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• It aims at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro enterprises by organizing traditional artisans and unemployed youth.
• The scheme will be implemented by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) at the national level and by KVIC directorates, Khadi and Village Industries Board and Districts Industries Centres at the state level.
• The Government subsidy under the scheme will be distributed to the beneficiaries/entrepreuners through identified banks by KVIC.
• Individuals above 18 years of age, Self Help groups, Institutions registered under Societies Registration Act, 1860, Production Co-oerative Societies and Charitable Trusts are eligible for subsidy to set up projects under PMEGP.

Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY)

 

Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) started on 01.04.1999 is a major on going programme for self employment for the rural poor. The programme was developed after reviewing and restructuring the erstwhile Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) and allied programmes namely

• Training Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM)
• Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)
• Supply of Toolkits in Rural Areas (SITRA)
• Ganga Kalyan Yojana (GKY)
• Millions Wells Scheme.

The other programmes are no more in operation with the launching of SGSY. The basic objective of the SGSY is to bring the assisted poor families above the poverty line by providing them income-generating assets through a mix of bank credit and governmental subsidy. The SGSY is being implemented by the District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs) with the active involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions, the Banks, the Line Departments and the Non-Government Organisations. The programme is financed on 75 : 25 cost sharing basis between the Centre and the States. The SGSY aims to cover all aspects of rural employment, the chiefly the following

• Social mobilisation i.e. organisation of the poor into Self Help Groups (SHGs)
• Activity Cluster, Planning and Selection i.e identifying and selecting a key activity in terms of its economic viability in an area.
• Financial Assistance in the form of credit and subsidy in which credit is a major component.
• Training of Swarozgaris through well-designed training courses.
• Infrastructure Development
• Marketing and Technology Support
  
   
  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
   
  The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, notified in 200 districts in the first phase on Feb 2, 2006 was renamed Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on 02 Oct 2009. 130 districts were notified in 2007 and with the notification of the remaining districts on 01 April 2008, the entire country has been covered. Exception is given to district with a hundred percent urban population. The Act seeks to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year.
  Salient Features:
• Adult members of a rural household willing to do unskilled manual work are eligible to seek employment under the act.
• Employment is to be given within 15 days of application for work, otherwise daily unemployment allowance has to paid by the respective State.
• Wages are to be paid according to Minimum Wages Act 1948 for agricultural labourers in the State unless otherwise notified by the centre
• Equal wages are to be paid to both men and women.
• At least one-third beneficiaries are to be women.
• No conractors and machinery is allowed.

The MGNERGA is a paradigm shift from previous wage employment programmes, the significant aspects which are given below:

• It provides a statutory guarantee of wage employment.
• It provides a rights-based framework for wage employment.
• The Act provides incentive to the State Govt for providing employment as 90% of the cost is borne by the Centre and at the same time discentive in the form of Unemployment Allowance falls on the State Govt which fails to provide employment within the stipulated time of 15 days of applying for work.

Transparency safeguards are provided in the form of

• Job cards in the custody of workers which monitor entitlements.
• Issue of dated receipts on application for work
• Citizen Information Boards at worksites.
• Vigilance Monitoring Committees.
   

  Hunar se Rozgaar Scheme

   

  Hunar Se Rozgaar Tak is an employment scheme launched by the Tourism Ministry, Govt. of India in 2009 for youth in the 18 - 25 years age group and who are at least 8th pass. These are training programmes to create employable skills in hospitality sector under the Capacity Building Scheme of Ministry of Tourism. Initially the programme was to be conducted by 25 Institutes of Hotel Management and Food Craft Institutes sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism. Subsequently the programme has been allowed to be conducted by certain starred hotels. The programmes is intended to offer short but quality training courses covering i) Food & Beverage Service and ii) Food Production. The programme will target the youth of weaker sections of societies who are interested in joining the hospitality industry and are in need to acquire skills facilitating employment.
  
  

  Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana

   

  The Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY) originally launched in Dec 1997 is a unified Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched a fresh in lieu of the erstwhile Urban Poverty Alleviation Programmes viz., Nehru Rojgar Yojana (NRY), Prime Minister's Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Programme (PMIUPEP) and Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP).
  The SJSRY has been comprehensively revamped with effect from 01.04.2009. The SJSRY has three key objectives namely:
  

  1. Addressing urban poverty alleviation through gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed poor.
  2. Supporting skill development and training to enable the urban poor have access to employment opportunities provided by the market or undertake self-employment
  3. Empowering the community to tackle the issues of urban poverty through suitable selfmanaged community structures and capacity building programmes.

  The scheme is proposed to be implemented through Urban Local Bodies and community structures.
  The revamped SJSRY has five major components, namely
  

  1. Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP)
  2. Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP)
  3. Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP)
  4. Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP)
  5. Urban Community Development Network (UCDN)

  
  

  SWALAMBAN

   

  Swalamban Scheme has been launched on 26.09.2010 to encourage the workers of unorganized sector to voluntarily save for their retirement and to lower the cost of operations of the New Pension System (NPS) for such subscribers.
  It was announced in the Union Budget 2010-11. It is a co-contributory pension scheme in which the Government of India (GOI) will contribute a sum of Rs. 1,000 to each eligible NPS subscriber who contributes a minimum of Rs. 1,000 and maximum Rs. 12,000 per annum under the Swavalamban Scheme.
  The GoI contribution has been announced for the current year and the next three years i.e. upto the year 2013-14. The target of the Government is to cover around 10 lakh subscribers each during the 4 years of the Scheme, totaling to around 40 lakh subscribers.
  Workers of unorganized sector from any part of the country can join this Scheme. Implementation of the scheme has been entrusted to the Interim Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
  
  SABLA SCHEME
  

   

  SABLA scheme is the name for Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls [RGSEAG].
  It merges the Nutrition Programme for Adolscent Girls (NPAG) and Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY).
  An amount of Rs. 1000 crore has been allocated in budget of 2010-11.
  The scheme focuses on improving the nutritional and health status and upgrading various skills like home skills, life skills and vocational skills of adolscent girls of age 11 t 18 years.
  It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to be implemented through the State Governments/UTs with 100% financial assistance from the Central Government for all inputs, except supplementary nutrition for which Government of India and States would share on 50: 50 basis.
  The scheme is proposed to be implemented using the platform of Integrated Child Development Services Scheme and delivered through Anganwadi centres.
  

  
  

  National Rural Livelihoods Mission

   

  National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), a new initiative under the Ministry of Rural Development to bring the poorest of the poor above the poverty line by ensuring viable livelihood opportunities to them was launched in Jun 2011 by the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
  

  The core belief of NRLM

  The NRLM is based on the core belief that the poor have innate capabilities and a strong desire to come out of poverty. This intrinsic capability of the poor is unleashed only when they are organized into institutions which are truly owned by them, provided sufficient capacity building and handholding support.
  

  Background of NRLM

  The Integrated Rural Development Programme was launched in 1980 by the Government of India to help the people below poverty line. In 1999 the programme was transformed to Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY). This programme followed the strategy of generating self employment through organizing poor into Self Help Groups (SHGs). In the last 10 years about 250 lakh rural BPL households have been organized and brought under the SHG network. It may also be noted that 450 lakh households still need to be organized into SHGs and the existing SHGs covering 250 lakhs also need further strengthening and greater financial support. Considering the enormity of the task, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India (GoI) set up a committee under the Chairmanship of Prof. R. Radhakrishna (Committee on Credit Related Issues under SGSY), which submitted its recommendations in the year 2009. The Ministry after widespread consultations accepted the major recommendation of the Radhakrishna Committee for restructuring the SGSY as National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). The Ministry’ proposal was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 24.6.10.
  

  Purpose of the Mission

  The basic purpose of National Rural Livelihoods Mission is to put in place a dedicated and sensitive support structure from the national level to the sub-district level which will focus on the poor, build and sustain their organizations at different levels. This will provide the poor a platform for collective action based on self help and mutual cooperation and they become a strong demand system, build linkages with mainstream institutions, including banks, and Government departments to address the various dimensions of poverty.
  

  The Mission

  The Mission aims to ensure that at least one member from each identified rural poor household, preferably a woman, is brought under the Self Help Group (SHG) network in a time bound manner. NRLM would reach out, mobilize and support 7 Crore BPL households across 600 districts, 6000 blocks, 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, in 6 lakh villages across the country into their self-managed Self Help Groups (SHGs) and their federal institutions and livelihoods collectives. It would support them financially and institutionally in all their efforts to get them out of poverty. The poor would be helped to achieve increased access to their rights, entitlements and public services, diversified risk and better social indicators of empowerment.
  

  Coverage of Weaker Sections of Society

  NRLM has been mandated to ensure adequate coverage of vulnerable sections of the society such that 50% of the beneficiaries are SC/STs, 15% are minorities and 3% are persons with disability, while keeping in view the ultimate target of 100% coverage of BPL families. A unique feature of the new initiative is that it would be led by the poor themselves. NRLM would utilize the services of Community Resource Persons (CRPs) who are women who have themselves come out of poverty through being a part of the Self Help Group. They will spread the concept of NRLM from one village to another and from one district to another making NRLM a people’s movement.
  NRLM will focus on women as we believe that the best way of reaching out to the whole family is through the woman. There will be a special focus on vulnerable sections: scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, minorities, women headed families, etc. The second focus of NRLM would be rural youth of the country who are unemployed. They will be supported through placement linked skill development projects through which their skills will be upgraded through short term training courses in sectors which have high demand for services.
  
  

National e-Governance Plan

Over the years, a large number of initiatives have been undertaken by various State Governments and Central Ministries to usher in an era of e-Government. Sustained efforts have been made at multiple levels to improve the delivery of public services and simplify the process of accessing them.
e-Governance in India has steadily evolved from computerization of Government Departments to initiatives that encapsulate the finer points of Governance, such as citizen centricity, service orientation and transparency. Lessons from previous e-Governance initiatives have played an important role in shaping the progressive e-Governance strategy of the country. Due cognizance has been taken of the notion that to speed up e-Governance implementation across the various arms of Government at National, State, and Local levels, a programme approach needs to be adopted, guided by common vision and strategy. This approach has the potential of enabling huge savings in costs through sharing of core and support infrastructure, enabling interoperability through standards, and of presenting a seamless view of Government to citizens.
The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), takes a holistic view of e-Governance initiatives across the country, integrating them into a collective vision, a shared cause. Around this idea, a massive countrywide infrastructure reaching down to the remotest of villages is evolving, and large-scale digitization of records is taking place to enable easy, reliable access over the internet. The ultimate objective is to bring public services closer home to citizens, as articulated in the Vision Statement of NeGP.
The Government approved the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), comprising of 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and 8 components, on May 18, 2006. The Government has accorded approval to the vision, approach, strategy, key components, implementation methodology, and management structure for NeGP. However, the approval of NeGP does not constitute financial approval(s) for all the Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and components under it. The existing or ongoing projects in the MMP category, being implemented by various Central Ministries, States, and State Departments would be suitably augmented and enhanced to align with the objectives of NeGP.

INDIAN GOVT. SCHEMES/POLICIES

Swavalamban scheme
· It is a pension scheme for workers in the unorganised sector who do not have access to the social security net.
· Under the scheme subscribers would get Rs.1,000 from the government each year for a subscription amount of Rs.12,000 per year New Pension System (NP)S account.
· The scheme will remain valid for this financial year and for the next three consecutive fiscals.
· A subscriber can enter the scheme at the age of 18 years and will be eligible for pension after turning 60.
· On turning 60, the pensioner can withdraw 60 per cent of his contribution, while the balance will be given as a monthly annuity by the LIC.
· The LIC has been appointed one of the many aggregators who will collect subscription amounts from subscribers.
· The Scheme shall be managed by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and Government will release its contribution to PFRDA for crediting the same to the NPS accounts of eligible subscribers.
· Launch Date:26 September( 78th birthday of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh)

National water policy and climate change
Spurred by the need to look at climate change impact on water resources, the Centre is formulating a
revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basinlevel
management strategies. This would deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate
change.

Integrated Children Protection Scheme
The Government of India, Ministry of Women & Child Development has formulated a new Centrally
Sponsored Scheme – “Integrated Child Protection Scheme” (ICPS) with the objective to provide a safe
and secure environment to the children in the country who are in need of care and protection as well as children in conflict with law. The intervention includes, inter-alia, financial support for setting up and / or maintenance of Homes for children in need of care and protection and those in conflict with law, setting up of child protection structure – state child protection society, capacity building, advocacy etc.
Specific Objectives:
· To institutionalize essential services and strengthen structures.
· To enhance capacities at all levels.
· To create database and knowledge base for child protection services.
· To strengthen child protection at family and community level.
· To ensure appropriate inter-sectoral response at all levels.
· To raise public awareness.

Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra
· To be developed at a cost of Rs. 25 lakhs, The Panchayat Ghars have been envisaged as the mini secretariat.
· It will have services of seven computer operators to update the records.
· Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra will act as the village knowledge resource centre and help in ensuring that the benefits of development reach out to the needy and the poor in rural areas. It would be a forum for the village people to interact and exchange their experiences and would provide logistic support and record keeping facility.
· It shall be a single window for providing the information on the MGNREGS and will also help in efficient implementation of MGNREGA at Panchayat and Block level and in providing space for greater and more transparent interaction with the local people.
Funding: The source of funding for the construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendras will
come from BRGF, MGNREGA and other relevant schemes.

Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission
· One of the eight National Missions outlined in National Action Plan on Climate Change, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) specifically focuses on solar energy and its role in minimizing future emissions.
· The Government has launched JNNSM in January, 2010 with a target of 20,000 MW grid solar power (based on solar thermal power generating systems and solar photovoltaic (SPV) technologies), 2000 MW of off-grid capacity by 2022 (i.e. 22000 MW by 2022).
· The Mission will be implemented in three phases. The first phase will be of three years (upto March, 2013, target-1,100 MW grid connected+200 MW off- grid=1300 MW), the second till March 2017 and the third phase will continue till March, 2022.
· National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education has been set up at IIT-Bombay.

Pradhanmantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY)
· The Government has launched a new scheme called Pradhanmantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) for the integrated development of scheduled castes dominated villages in the country.
· There are about 44,000 villages in which the population of scheduled castes is above 50 per cent.
· The new scheme PMAGY will be launched on a pilot basis in 1000 such villages.
· Under this Scheme, each village would be able to avail gap funding of Rs.10 lakh over and above the allocations under Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation Schemes. On successful implementation of the pilot phase, the PMAGY would be extended in coming years.

Status:
PMAGY was launched at Village 18 BB, Block Padampur, District Sriganganagar, Rajasthan.
· The pilot scheme has been taken up for implementation in five States of which four are Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu (225 villages in each state) and Assam (100 villages)
· Fifth state U.P. is yet to respond to the government's invitation.
· [note: PMAGY is speculated as a replica of U.P.'s Ambedkar Village scheme]

National Commission on Human Resource for Health (NCHRH)
NCHRH is the proposed council aimed at ensuring propriety, increasing efficiency, and providing greater
synergy among health professionals and improving the quality of health infrastructure in India.
Status:
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked the Ministries of Human Resource Development and Health and Family Welfare to identify linkages between the two proposed regulatory bodies — National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER) and the National Commission on Human Resource for Health (NCHRH) — being promoted by them respectively to speed up the process of setting up the two authorities.

PURA
· The Government has approved the Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) Scheme on 21st January 2010 for implementation on a pilot basis during 11th Five Year Plan.
· The scheme aims at holistic and accelerated development of compact areas around a potential growth centre in a Gram Panchayat (s) through Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework for providing livelihood opportunities and urban amenities to improve the quality of life in rural areas.
· The Ministry of Rural Development had initially implemented the PURA scheme from 2004-05 to 2006-07 on a pilot basis.
· However, only seven pilot projects were implemented for drawing an experience for preparing a restructuring scheme in future. One pilot project each was implemented in the state of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh during the initial pilot phase of PURA scheme.
Background:
· PURA is a brainchild of former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
· PURA mission based on the principle of connectivity — physical, electronic, knowledge and economic.
· Physical connectivity is envisaged as circular roads connecting a group of villages.

Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls [RGSEAG](SABLA)
· Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls [RGSEAG] –SABLA is a scheme proposed by the Ministry for women and child development for Adolescent Girls of 11 – 18 Years, whereby the Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG) and Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY) would be merged with content enrichment. The scheme is proposed to be implemented using the platform of Integrated Child Development Services Scheme. 
· It's a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to be implemented through the State Governments/UTs with 100% financial assistance from the Central Government for all inputs, except supplementary nutrition for which Government of India and States would share on 50: 50 basis.
· The scheme aims at empowering adolescent girls (AGs) of 11-18 years with focus on out-ofschool girls by improvement in their nutritional and health status and upgrading various skills like home skills, life skills and vocational skills. The scheme also aims at equipping the girls on family welfare, health hygiene etc.

Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY)
Objective: The objectives of the scheme are to improve the health and nutrition status of pregnant, lactating women and infants.
Eligibility: 
All pregnant and lactating women except Govt and PSU employees. The beneficiaries would be pregnant women of 19 years of age and above for first two live births (benefit for still births will be as per the norms of scheme).

Benefits:

Each pregnant and lactating woman will receive a total cash incentive of ` 4000/- in three installments between the period from the second trimester of pregnancy to the child attaining the age of 6 months.
Fund Sharing:
The Scheme will be centrally sponsored with 100% assistance from the Centre.
Ministry: Ministry of Women and Child Development
Implementation:
· On pilot basis in selected 52 districts during the remaining period of XI Five Year Plan at a total cost of  Rs.1000 crore.
· There will be Steering and Monitoring Committees at all levels to oversee implementation and monitor the progress.
· An IGMSY Cell within the Ministry of Women and Child Development will also be set up
Inception: approved by CECA in Oct 2010.

National Initiative on Climate resilient agriculture
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the implementation of a new plan scheme
‘National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture’ to address climate change impact on agriculture and allied sectors.
Objective: 
The main objective of the Scheme is to assess the impact of climate change on agriculture
and allied sectors in the country and evolve cost effective adaptation and mitigation strategies.
The components of the scheme are:
1. Detailed vulnerability assessment of agro-climate regions and production systems, and the relative vulnerability of different crops, livestock and fishery sectors.
2. Initiate strategic research on adaptation and mitigation at seven major research institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on natural resources, major food crops, livestock, marine and freshwater fisheries.
3. Demonstrate available climate resilient practices on farmers' fields in 100 most vulnerable districts of the country.
4. Strengthen research infrastructure to state of the art and capacity building of scientists for
undertaking long term research on climate change adaptation.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AGRICULTURAL SCHEMES

• National Bio-Science awards for career development
• Agricultural Census
• Jute Technology Mission
• Technology Mission on Cotton (Mini Mission  III & IV)
• Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)
• National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding (NPCBB)
• Schemes of Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries
• Livestock Insurance Scheme
• Assistance to States for Feed and Fodder Development
• Scheme on Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture
• Scheme on Development of Marine Fisheries, Infrastructure and Post harvest Operations
• National Scheme on Welfare of Fishermen
• Scheme on Fisheries Training and Extension
• Scheme on Strengthening of Database and Information Networking for the Fisheries Sector
• Horticulture Promotion Service
• Market Information Services for Horticulture Crops
• Technology Development and Transfer for Promotion of Horticulture
• Development of Commercial Horticulture through Production and Post-Harvest Management
• Schemes by National Horticulture Board (NHB)
• Dairy/Poultry Venture Capital Fund
• Scheme on Livestock Health
• Small Farmer's Agri-Business Consortium
• National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding (NPCBB)
• Centrally Sponsored Fodder Development Scheme
• Integrated Sample Survey Scheme for Estimation of Major Livestock Products
• National Programme for Prevention of Animal Diseases
• Central Cattle Breeding Farms
• Central Minikit Testing Programme on Fodder Crops
• Central Poultry Development Organisation
• Central Herd Registration Scheme
• Strengthening infrastructure for quality & clean milk production
• Assistance to Cooperatives
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Fisheries Training And Extension
• Financing Purchase of Land for Agricultural Purposes
• National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS)
• Minikit Programme for Rice, Wheat & Coarse Cereals
• Gramin Bhandaran Yojna
• Development/Strengthening of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading and Standardization
• Strengthening Infrastructure for Quality & Clean Milk Production
• Livestock Health and Disease Control
• National Horticulture Mission
• National Bamboo Mission
• Central Sector Scheme of Soil Conservation Training Centre, Damodar Valley
• Central Assistance to State Plan Scheme on Watershed Development
• Poppy Insurance
• Seb Bima Yojana (Apple Insurance)
• Draksha Bima (Grape Insurance)
• Pulp wood Tree Insurance
• Rubber Plantation Insurance
• Capacity Building to enhance Competitiveness of Indian Agriculture and Registration of Organic Produ
• Promotion of Integrated Pest Management
• Promotion and Strengthening of Agricultural Mechanization through Training, Testing & Demonstration
• Livestock Insurance Scheme

Integrated Low Cost Sanitation (ILCS) Scheme

The “Integrated Low Cost Sanitation” Scheme basically aims at conversion of individual dry latrine into pour flush ones thereby liberating manual scavengers from the age old, obnoxious practice of manually carrying night soil.

The ILCS Scheme was initially started in 1980-81 through the Ministry of Home Affairs and later through Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The scheme was transferred in 1989-90 to Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation and from 2003-04 onwards to Ministry of UEPA/HUPA. The scheme has helped in constructing/converting over 28 lakh latrines to liberate over 60952 scavengers so far.

To make the Scheme more attractive and implementable the Guidelines have been revised with effect from 17^th January 2008.

At the time of revision of guidelines of the scheme the State of Assam, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland and Uttar Pradesh together showed six lakh dry latrines. Later the State of Assam, Nagaland and Jammu Kashmir have declared that they have no dry latrines in their States. These figures changed during the implementation, after the house to house survey of all municipal areas for identification. Presently, the State of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have reported existence of dry latrine and funds have eventually been sought to eliminate these.

Presently, only states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar have to declare themselves dry latrine free. The revised ILCS Scheme envisages conversion of all existing dry latrines within a period of three years (2007-2010). In the video conference held on September 28, 2010, with the representatives of States of Bihar, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, these states have assured that the conversion task will be completed by 31^st December 2010 and they would be able to declare themselves dry latrine free.