PM AtmaNirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana
- It is a new centrally sponsored scheme that caters to detection and cure of new and emerging diseases. It will,
- Develop capacities of primary, secondary, and tertiary care Health Systems,
- Strengthen existing national institutions, and create new ones.
- The main interventions under the scheme are:
- Support for rural and urban Health and Wellness Centres;
- Setting up of new integrated public health labs and public health units (PHUs);
- Strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC);
- Expansion of the Integrated Health Information Portal to all States/UTs to connect all public health labs;
- Operationalisation of new PHUs and strengthening of existing PHUs at Points of Entry i. Airports, Seaports and land crossings;
- Setting up of new Health Emergency Operation Centers and mobile hospitals; and
- Setting up of a national institution for One Health, new Bio-Safety Level III laboratories and regional National Institutes for Virology.
- [One Health - Regional Research Platform for World Health Organization (WHO) South East Asia Region]
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) is a Mini Ratna (Category - I) Government of India Enterprise.
- IREDA comes under the administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
- It is a Public Limited Government Company established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution in 1987.
- It is engaged in promoting, developing and extending financial assistance for setting up projects relating to new and renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency/conservation.
- The motto of the organisation is : “ENERGY FOR EVER”
New START Treaty
- The United States has extended the New START nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia for five years. It was due to expire on February 5.
- New START treaty is the last remaining arms reduction pact between the former Cold War rivals i.e. Russia and United States.
- Signed in 2010, New START replaced the Treaty of Moscow (SORT), which was to expire in December 2012.
- It follows the START I treaty, which expired in December 2009.
- New START Treaty caps the number of nuclear warheads to 1,550 that can be deployed by both the countries.
- It calls for halving the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers.
- A new inspection and verification regime was established, replacing the SORT mechanism.
Cats Warrior
- It is a programme by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which will have an unmanned fighter jet controlled by pilots in another fighter jet flying a few hundred kilometres behind.
- Called ‘manned–unmanned’ teaming, this is the latest technology in aerial warfare.
- It has the capability to go deep into enemy territory and hit a target.
- The unmanned jet will carry a set of missiles to targets in the air and on the ground.
- The ‘Cats-warrior’ will be ready to fly in four-five years. So far, it is being ‘mated’ with Tejas and the Jaguar.
- This low-cost autonomous jet will partner manned aircraft to increase air-combat power.
- The manned jet will remain in own territory the ‘cats warrior’ will fly ahead and hit target 700 kms away.
- The engine of the ‘Cats warrior’ is developed in house and is tweaked version of the Lakshya pilotless aircraft.
Amendment to Government of India Rules, 1961
- An amendment to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 has been notified.
- This would enable the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to look after the development of Ropeways and Alternate Mobility Solutions.
- The Ministry will also have the responsibility of construction, research, and policy in this area.
- This move would boost the sector, by setting up a regulatory regime, and facilitating research and new technology to come into this sector.
- Formulation of institutional, financial, and regulatory framework for the technology will also fall under the ambit of this move.
- This will go a long way in developing sustainable alternative mobility solutions in transport sector for urban, hilly and last mile connectivity.
- With growing mobility and diverse terrain across the country, it is imperative that all solutions be enabled and implemented.
Power Sector Reforms
- Andhra Pradesh has become the second State to implement one reform out of the three power sector reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Finance Ministry.
- These three power sector reforms aim at creating a transparent and hassle free provision of power subsidy to farmers and prevent leakages.
- The States get permission to raise additional funds equivalent to 0.25% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) on completion of reforms in each sector. This is linked to a set of 3 reforms in the sector:
- 0.05% for reduction in Aggregate Technical & Commercial losses in the State as per prescribed targets.
- 0.05% for reduction in the gap between Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realisation (ACS-ARR gap) in the State as per prescribed targets.
- 0.15% of GSDP on introduction of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to all farmers in the State in lieu of free/ subsidised electricity.
- For the third reform, the State government has to frame a scheme for transfer of cash and implement the scheme in at least one district by 31st December, 2020. Four citizen centric areas identified for reforms were
- Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System,
- Ease of doing business reform,
- Urban Local body/ utility reforms and
- Power Sector reforms.
Source: AIR, PIB, The Indian Express, The Hindu, Business Line, Down To Earth, Business Standard
