Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U)

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission launched on June 2015, is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• It aims to address the urban housing shortage among the economically backward sections, including the slum dwellers by ensuring a ‘pucca’ house to all eligible urban households by 2022.
• The scheme period now has been extended up to December 2024 in order to complete all the houses sanctioned without changing the funding pattern and implementation methodology.
• The Mission provides Central Assistance to the implementing agencies through States/Union Territories (UTs) and Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) for providing houses to all eligible families.
• Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) is a sub-scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U).
  • This will provide ease of living to urban migrants/ poor in Industrial Sector as well as in non-formal urban economy to get access to dignified affordable rental housing close to their workplace.
  • It is an initiative of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has initiated Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs).
• Uttar Pradesh had the largest number of houses completed at 12,87,307.

Matangini Hazra

On the eve of Independence Day President Murmu paid her tribute to Matangini Hazra

• She was born in a village named Hogla, near Tamluk, West Bengal in 1869.
• The book ‘Code Name God’ mentions that “Matangani’s love for Gandhi was so great that she became known in her village as Gandhiburi, the old Gandhian woman”.
• The book ‘Code Name God’ was written by Mani Bhaumik.
• She is an active member of the Indian National Congress and started spinning her own khadi in Gandhi’s footsteps.
• At the age of 61, she was arrested for taking part in the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930 and the Salt March led by Gandhi.
• Matangini Hazra was shot dead by British while leading a march during the Quit India movement of 1942, in Tamluk in West Bengal.

Graphene-Aurora Program

Recently ‘Graphene-Aurora Program’ was launched by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharm

• The program aims to foster innovation of graphene technologies.
• The program is launched by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).
• The program shall be implemented by Digital University Kerala with joint funding from MeitY, Government of India and Government of Kerala and Industry partners.
• India Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (I-GEIC) shall be set up under the program.
  • It shall fill the gap between R&D and commercialization by providing a complete facility to startup and industry.
• Creation of a commercialization eco-system for graphene as an emerging technology would help India take a pole position in the world’s new material market.

Graphene

• Graphene is often referred to as a wonder material for its extraordinary electrical and electronic properties.
• Graphene was discovered in 2004 by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov.
• It is stronger than steel, very stretchable and can be used as a flexible conductor.
• Its thermal conductivity is much higher than that of silver.
• It is an ultimately thin, mechanically very strong, transparent and flexible conductor.
• It can be used in applications such as touch screens, light panels and solar cells.

A-HELP Programme

• A-HELP – Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production.
• The program is spearheaded by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• It aims to empower women by engaging them as trained agents who contribute significantly to disease control, artificial insemination under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), animal tagging, and livestock insurance.
• The program equips farmers with knowledge and resources that address critical areas of livestock health, disease management and animal infertility concerns.

Generic Medicines

The National Medical Commission has recently released guidelines which mandate doctors to prescribe only generic drugs instead of branded drugs.

• A generic drug is identical or bioequivalent to a brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength and route of administration.
• Generic medicines are typically 30%–80% cheaper than branded drugs.
• The doctors are mandate to prescribe only generic drugs instead of branded drugs.
• One of the main reasons for lack of confidence in generic drugs among doctors (and even patients) has been the absence of stringent regulatory requirements for the quantity of the drug in its generic version and the permissible impurities in it.