Schemes / Government Initiatives From June to 2018jan

Schemes / Government Initiatives

 1. Mega Food Park Scheme
 To give a major boost to the food processing sector by adding value and reducing food wastage with particular focus on perishables, Ministry of Food Processing Industries is implementing Mega Food Park Scheme in the country.

 It aims to link agricultural production to the market by bringing together farmers, processors and retailers so as to ensure maximizing value addition, minimizing wastages, increasing farmers’ income and creating employment opportunities particularly in rural sector.

The Scheme has a cluster based approach based on a hub and spokes model. 
 Implementation and financial assistance:

 o Mega Food Park project is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is a Body Corporate registered under the Companies Act. 
o State Government/State Government entities/Cooperatives applying for setting up a project under the scheme are not required to form a separate SPV. 
o The financial assistance is provided in the form of grant-in-aid at 50% of eligible project cost in general areas and at 75% of eligible project cost in NE Region and difficult areas (Hilly States and ITDP areas) subject to maximum of Rs. 50 crore per project.
 The foundation stone for First Maize based Mega Food Park was recently laid in Kapurthala, Punjab.

 2. INAM-Pro + 

 It is a Web Platform for Sale and Purchase of Construction Material and Service launched recently by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping. 
INAM-Pro+ is an upgraded version of INAM-Pro.

The web portal is designed by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL). 
 INAM-Pro+ to include the A to Z of construction materials, equipment /machinery and services like purchase/hiring/lease of new/used products and services in the domains of Construction Materials viz, cement, steel, bitumen, stone aggregates, concrete, bricks, wood, sanitary items, paint etc.

3. Operation Swarn 

 The Railway Ministry has launched “Operation Swarn” to improve services in Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains.  The cleanliness and quality of food suffered a lot, which is one of the main reasons that the Indian Railway authority has taken the decision to give the premium trains in India a new look.
Under the project, the Indian Railways will focus attention on 10 key areas — punctuality, cleanliness, linen, coach interiors, toilets, catering, staff behaviour, security, entertainment, housekeeping and regular feedback. 
4. Unclaimed PF to fund medical costs
  A committee of secretaries has directed the Labour Ministry to frame scheme for benefit of senior citizens who are PF subscribers from inoperative account funds.
 With this, savings remaining unclaimed in dormant Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) accounts for seven years will be used to fund a new scheme for providing medical benefits to pensioners under the EPF scheme.

Background:

 o EPF money becomes unclaimed after a subscriber doesn’t withdraw money after reaching 61 years of age. Accounts also become inoperative if persons settling abroad do not withdraw their money within three years.
 o The government had framed a law in 2016 wherein unclaimed money under EPF, Public Provident Fund and small saving schemes such as post office savings accounts for a period of seven years will be diverted to set up a senior citizens’ welfare fund.

About EPFO:  o The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, a statutory body, is one of the largest social security organizations in India in terms of volume of financial transactions undertaken and number of covered beneficiaries. 

o It works under the overall aegis of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. o The main functions of the EPFO: Administers a compulsory contributory Provident Fund Scheme, Pension Scheme and Insurance Scheme.
 Employee Provident Fund (EPF): 

o The Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is a retirement benefit applicable only to salaried employees.
o It is a fund to which both the employee and employer contribute fixed amount (percent) of the former’s basic salary amount each month.
 o At present, the entire EPF amount is tax-free at the time of withdrawal if the employee has completed five years of continuous service.
 o In Budget 2018 the Government proposed to contribute 12% of employees' contribution to EPF fund for new jobs.


Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS)

  Cabinet approved the Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) for farmers for the year 2017-18. 
 This will help farmers getting short term crop loan up to Rs. 3 lakh payable within one year at only 4% per annum.
 The Interest Subvention Scheme will be implemented by NABARD and RBI.

 The objective is give a boost to agricultural productivity and production in the country.
  The interest subvention will be given to Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Private Sector Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) on use of own funds and to NABARD for refinance to RRBs and Cooperative Banks. 
 The scheme has been running since 2006-07. 
 As a measure to check distress sale, post-harvest loans for storage in accredited warehouses against Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (NWRs) are available for upto 6 months for Kisan Credit Card holding small & marginal farmers. 

. Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP)

  To mark a paradigm shift in the country’s hydrocarbon exploration policy, the government has launched the National Data Repository (NDR) along with the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP).
  Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP):

 o The OALP, a part of the government’s Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), gives exploration companies the option to select the exploration blocks on their own, without having to wait for the formal bid round from the Government. 

About HELP 

HELP opens up India’ entire sedimentary basin for investment from domestic and foreign players.
o The National Data Repository (NDR) manifested through an open acreage licensing (OAL) process will be a key facilitator by providing seamless access to India’s entire exploration and production (E&P) data process through a digital medium to all investors. 

The key features of HELP are: 

o Single, uniform license for extraction and exploration for all types of hydrocarbon prospects. 
o Open acreage licensing (OAL).
 o Simple and easy to administer Revenue Sharing Model. 
o Full marketing freedom and free pricing for crude oil and natural gas. 
o Exploration allowed during entire contract period. 
o Zero royalty rates for deep water & ultra-deep water blocks for first 7 years. 
Equal weightage to work program and fiscal share.
  No oil cess and Custom duty exemption. 

Dynamic Fuel Pricing 

 The government has dismantled the Administered Price Mechanism (APM) for fixing the petrol and diesel prices and has introduced dynamic fuel pricing.
 In dynamic fuel pricing, the oil retailers will be daily revising the retail selling prices of petrol and diesel based on import parity and market forces.
  The move will give free hand to the oil marketing companies (OMCs) to take independent decisions.
 India joins countries such as the US and Australia where fuel prices are fixed in tandem with the price of crude oil.
  Earlier oil marketing companies (OMCs) were revising prices of the fuel on the 1st and 16th of every month, depending upon average international price in the preceding fortnight and the currency exchange rate. 

National Biopharma Mission
 
The program named Innovate in India (i3) i.e. the National Biopharma Mission was recently launched by the government.
 This is the first ever Industry-Academia mission to accelerate biopharmaceutical development in India.
 It aspires to create an enabling ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the sector.

The aim of the Mission is to “Enable and nurture an ecosystem for developing capabilities in biopharmaceuticals to a globally competitive level over the next decade, and transform the health standards of India’s population through affordable product development” 

As a flagship program of the Government of India in collaboration with World Bank, it promises to boost the growth curve for domestic biopharma in India.  The Mission to be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Public Sector Undertaking of Department of Biotechnology.

 National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) 
The government is planning to put in place the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) as it seeks to rein in the Institute of Chartered Accounts for India (ICAI) for its perceived failure in enforcing discipline.

Companies Act 2013 had provided for NFRA as a regulatory agency for audit, accounts and financial reporting.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) 
Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is an Online Market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various Ministries and agencies of the Government.
It aims to ensure that public procurement in India worth more than Rs. 5 lakh crore annually is carried out through the online platform for transparency and to eliminate corruption.

It aims to transform the way in which procurement is done by the Government Ministries/Departments, PSUs, autonomous bodies etc. 
It functions under Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), Ministry of Commerce and Industries.   DGS&D with technical support of National e-Governance Division (NeGD) has developed GeM portal for procurement of both Products & Services. 
 GeM is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place with minimal human interface. 
In future GeM would eventually emerge as the National Public Procurement Portal, keeping in tune with the Global best practices.
 The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has launched third version of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM 3.0).
 GeM 3.0 has standardised and enriched catalogue management, powerful search engine and real time price comparison

People First” Campaign
 Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) conducted State specific Atal Pension Yojana (APY) mobilization Campaigns under the title “People First”. 
The People First campaign is a series of campaigns conducted at various states across the country to increase APY outreach.

 e-Shakti initiative of NABARD 

 e-Shakti is a pilot project of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for digitisation of Self Help Groups (SHGs). ]
It was initiated to improve the quality of book keeping of SHGs and to enable banks to take informed credit decisions about the group through a Management Information System (MIS). 
 The project covers 25 districts and 1,30,176 SHGs have been digitised as on 31st March, 2017.

 e-RaKAM

The government has launched a portal, e-RaKAM, to provide a platform to sell agricultural produce.  E-RaKAM is a first-of-its-kind initiative that leverages technology to connect farmers of the smallest villages to the biggest markets of the world through internet and e-RaKAM centres. 
 The portal is a joint initiative by state-run-auctioneer MSTC and Central Warehousing Corporation arm CRWC (Central Railside Warehousing Company). 

E-RaKAM is a digital initiative bringing together the farmers, FPOs, PSUs, civil supplies and buyers on a single platform to ease the selling and buying process of agricultural products.  

Under this initiative, e-RaKAM centres are being developed in a phased manner throughout the country.

VASTRA 2017 
 The 6th edition of VASTRA i.e. “VASTRA – An International Textile and Apparel Fair 2017” (VASTRA – 2017) was recently inaugurated at Jaipur.

Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Ltd. (RIICO) is the organiser and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is the co-organiser of the fair. 

VASTRA, an all-encompassing trade fair and conference on Textiles and Apparel.
Crafted to create business opportunities, it aims at revitalizing existing business ties and forging of new business relations.

Hortinet
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has developed a mobile app- Hortinet- to allow farmers to apply on-line to facilitate their farm registration, tracking the status of application & approvals by State Government and Lab sampling by authorized Laboratories.
 It provides Internet based electronic services to the stakeholders for facilitating farm registration, testing and certification of Grape, Pomegranate and Vegetables for export from India to the European Union in compliance with standards.

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