Daily Current Affairs for 8th Oct 2021

GS PAPER II NEWS

Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants

Why in News

• • Prime Minister has inaugurated 35 Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants set up under PM CARES Fund in 35 states and union territories at an event at AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.

Key point

• • Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister has said that, with the efforts of the State Government and the Centre, 4,000 new oxygen plants will be set up in India under the PM CARES Fund. “Our country and its hospitals have become very capable now,” he said.
  • The Prime Minister has called these oxygen plants “critical health infrastructure” for comprehensive welfare.
  • The Prime Minister said that the facilities that India has prepared in such a short time to fight Corona, show the capability of our country.
  • He highlighted how a network of about 3000 testing labs was established across the country with just one testing lab. The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s journey from an importer to exporter of masks and kits.
• covin platform
  • PM Modi also said about the CoWin platform that, by creating the Cowin platform, India has shown the way to the whole world, how vaccination is done on such a large scale.

Importance

• • The Prime Minister’s Office has said that, with the establishment of these 35 PSA Oxygen Plants, PSA Oxygen Plants will now become operational in all the districts of the country.
  • A total of 1,224 PSA Oxygen Plants across the country have been funded under PM CARES Fund, out of which more than 1,100 plants have been commissioned, producing more than 1,750 metric tonnes of oxygen per day.
  • The PMO further stated that, by training more than 7,000 personnel, the operation and maintenance of these plants has been ensured.
  • These Oxygen Plants come with an embedded Internet of Things (IoT) device for real time monitoring of their functioning and performance through an integrated web portal.

GS PAPER III

PM Cares for Children Scheme

Why in News

• • The Ministry of Women and Child Development has issued detailed guidelines for the PM Cares for Children scheme.

Key point

• • On May 29, 2021, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced comprehensive assistance for children who have lost both their parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The objective of the scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection of children who have lost their parents to the COVID pandemic in a sustained manner. Also, it aims to help those children in their welfare through health insurance, empower them through education and prepare them for a self-sustaining existence with financial assistance at the age of 23.
  • PM CARES FOR CHILDREN yojana inter alia to provide these children with an integrated approach, gap funding to ensure education and health, monthly stipend from the age of 18, and a lump sum amount of Rs.10 lakh on attaining the age of 23 years.
  • Registration for PM Cares for Children scheme can be done till 31.12.2021 as announced by the Prime Minister. The scheme is expected to be in effect till the year each identified beneficiary attains the age of 23 years.

Eligibility Criteria for the Scheme

• • The eligibility criteria for the scheme will include all those children who have lost their lives due to COVID-19.
  • Both parents or
  • to the sole survivor of the parent or
  • Lost legal guardian/adoptive parent/adopted parent.
  • In these, those children will be eligible to get the benefit of the scheme, who have lost their parents due to the pandemic between 11.03.2020 to 31.12.2021.
  • The date 11.03.2020 is valid because the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic from this day. iv) The child should be less than 18 years of age on the date of death of the parent.

The assistance provided under this scheme includes:

Support for Boarding and Lodging:

• • Efforts will be made by the District Magistrate with the help of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to explore the possibility of rehabilitation of the child with his extended family, relatives, etc.
  • If the extended family, relatives, kin of the child are not available/ are not ready to keep him/her/ are not fit as per CWC or the child (aged 4-10 years or above) is not willing to live with them, then after a thorough investigation, the child is placed in foster care (the official holding of a child by a family for a period of time) under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and the rules made thereunder as amended from time to time Will go
  • If the foster family is not available / not willing / CWC finds it suitable, or the child (aged 4-10 years or above) is not ready to live with them, then the beneficiary child/children i.e. PM CARES FOR Under the Children Scheme, the eligible beneficiary child will be placed in an appropriate Child Care Institution (CCI) based on his age and gender.
  • Children above the age of 10 years who are not maintained by extended families or relatives or foster families or who do not wish to be with the parents after their death or are residing in child care institutions, shall be referred to the District Magistrate ( DM) Netaji Subhash Chand Bose Residential School, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Eklavya Model School, Sainik School, Navodaya Vidyalaya, or any other residential school subject to the relevant scheme guidelines.
  • It may be ensured that children of one parent live together as far as possible.
    
  • For non-institutional care, financial assistance will be provided to the children (in the account of the guardian) at the prevailing rates prescribed under the Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme. For the child in institutional care, the child care institutions will be given maintenance grants at the prevailing rates prescribed under the Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme. Any arrangement of subsistence support under a government scheme can be provided to the children additionally.

Support for Pre-School and Schooling

• • The identified beneficiaries for children below the age of six years will be assisted by Anganwadi services for supplementary nutrition, pre-school education/ECCE, immunization, health referral and health check-up.
  • For children below 10 years of age
• Admission will be given as Day Scholar in any nearby school i.e. Government / Government Aided School / Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) / Private Schools.
• Under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan in government schools, two free uniforms and textbooks will be provided as per the scheme guidelines
• In private schools, tuition fee will be exempted under section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act.
• In situations where the child is unable to avail the above benefits, the fee as per RTE norms will be paid from PM Cares for Children scheme. Under this scheme, expenses on uniforms, textbooks and notebooks will also be paid for. A list of such entitlements is given in Appendix-1.

For children in the age group of 11-18 years

i) If the child is residing with extended family, DM may ensure his/her admission as Day Scholar in nearest Government/Government Aided School/Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV)/Private Schools.

ii) The child may be admitted by the DM in Netaji Subhash Chand Bose Residential School / Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya / Eklavya Model School / Sainik School / Navodaya Vidyalaya / or any other residential school, subject to the relevant scheme guidelines.

iii) The DM may make alternative arrangements for such children to stay at CCI or any suitable place during the holidays.

iv) In situations where the child is unable to avail the above benefits, the fee as per RTE norms will be paid from PM Cares for Children scheme. Under this scheme, expenses on uniforms, textbooks and notebooks will also be paid for. A list of such entitlements is given in the detailed Appendix.

ASSISTANCE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION:

i) The child will be assisted in obtaining education loan for vocational courses/higher education in India.

ii) In situations where the beneficiary is unable to avail interest subvention from the existing Central and State Government scheme, the interest on educational loan will be paid from PM Cares for Children scheme.

iii) As an option, the schemes of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Minority Affairs and Department of Higher Education will provide scholarships as per norms to the beneficiaries of PM Cares for Children scheme. The beneficiaries will be provided assistance through the National Scholarship Portal to avail such entitlements. The scholarships to be given to the beneficiaries will be updated on the PM Cares for Children portal.

iii. Health insurance:

a) All children will be enrolled as beneficiary under Ayushman Bharat Yojana (PM-JAY) with a health insurance cover of Rs five lakh.

b) It will be ensured that the child identified under PM Cares for Children scheme gets benefits under PM-JAY

c) The details of the benefits to be given to the children under the scheme are in the Appendix.

iv. Financial help:

a) The lump sum amount will be directly transferred to the beneficiary’s post office account upon account opening and verification of the beneficiaries. A pro-rata amount will be deposited in the account of each identified beneficiary in advance, so that the total corpus at the time of attaining the age of 18 years for each beneficiary becomes Rs.10 lakh.

b) Children will get monthly stipend after attaining the age of 18 years, by investing a corpus of Rs.10 lakhs. The beneficiary will get the stipend till he attains the age of 23 years.

c) He will be given an amount of Rs 10 lakh on attaining the age of 23 years.

GS PAPER III

AJEYA WARRIOR

Why in News

• The 6th Edition of India – UK Joint Company Level Military Training EXERCISE AJEYA WARRIOR has commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand and will culminate on 20 Oct 2021.

Key point

• • The exercise is part of an initiative to share interoperability and expertise with friendly foreign nations.
  • During this exercise, an infantry company of the Indian Army and an equal number of military forces of the United Kingdom Army will share their experiences during the conduct of various military operations in their respective countries and during foreign activities. Together both the armies are ready to benefit from their diverse experiences.
  • Under the training, the armies of the two countries will familiarize themselves with each other’s weapons, equipment, tactics, techniques and procedures for carrying out joint military operations.
  • In addition a series of expert academic discussions will also be held on various topics of mutual interest such as Joint Arms Concepts, Experience Sharing in Joint Forces, Operation Logistics etc.
  • The joint military training will culminate with an intense 48-hour exercise to recognize the performance of both the armies in conducting joint military operations in semi-urban environments.
  • This joint military training will go a long way in improving bilateral relations and will be a major step towards further strengthening the traditional bonds of friendship between the two countries.

GS PAPER III

Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary

Why in News

• • The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given its approval to the Chhattisgarh government’s proposal to declare the combined areas of Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary as a new Tiger Reserve on October 05, 2021.

Key point

• • This new tiger reserve created in Chhattisgarh is located in the northern part of the state bordering Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
  • This will also be the fourth tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh after Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi and Indravati reserves.
  • The proposal of Chhattisgarh Government was considered by the 11th Technical Committee of NTCA on 01 September.
  • After a month, this proposal has been approved under Section 38V(1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Construction of new tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh
  • In the year 2011, the Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary in Chhattisgarh was identified as a part of the Surguja Jashpur Elephant Reserve.
  • Guru Ghasidas National Park located in the state was earlier a part of Sanjay National Park in undivided Madhya Pradesh.
  • Both these areas were recognized as Reserved Forests and from the year 2011, both these areas were in line to be declared as Tiger Reserves.
  • However, with this latest approval, the combined areas of Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Sanctuary have been declared as Tiger Reserves.
• Information about the size and area of ​​the new Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh
  • These two areas of the new Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh, Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary are spread over an area of ​​1,44,000 hectares and 60,850 hectares respectively.
  • Guru Ghasidas National Park is located in Korea district while Tamor Pingla is located in Surajpur district in the north-western corner of Chhattisgarh.
• Background of Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary
  • In India, Guru Ghasidas National Park was the last known habitat of the Asiatic cheetah and was originally part of the Sanjay Dubri National Park. After the formation of Chhattisgarh state in the year 2001, it was carved out as a separate entity in the Surguja region of Chhattisgarh.

Importance

• • Wildlife experts and activists in Chhattisgarh believe that it is important to convert Guru Ghasidas National Park into a tiger reserve as it connects Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand and also provides a corridor for movement of tigers between Palamu and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves. does.
  • On the other hand, Bhoramdev connects Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh with Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
  • According to experts, this decision to create a tiger reserve in Guru Ghasidas National Park should not affect the efforts to notify Bhoramdev as a tiger reserve.

GS PAPER III

Application Ecosystem

• Why in News
• Keeping in view the benefit of farmers as well as keeping traders and middlemen away, the Department of Food and Public Distribution has developed an application ecosystem, which provides a minimum threshold parameter (MTP) for monitoring and strategic decision making. Will help in integration of procurement portals of all states.

Key point

• The process started with the launch of KMS 2021-22 in October, 2021. There was a need to use Minimum Threshold Parameters (MTP) in procurement operations to avoid middlemen in procurement and provide best price to farmers for their produce. The integration with the central portal will go a long way in expediting the resolution of procurement data with the states and release of funds by the central government to the states.
• the profit
• The benefits will be received by the society in general, but the specific benefits envisaged for the stakeholders are as follows:
• Farmers: Will be able to sell their produce at a fair price and avoid distress sales.
• Procurement Agencies: With better management of procurement operations, State Agencies and Food Corporation of India (FCI) will be able to procure efficiently with limited resources.
• Other Stakeholders: Automation and standardization of procurement operations will provide an integrated approach to procurement of food grains and its storage in godowns.
• MTPs which should be mandatorily included in all procurement portals to ensure uniformity and interoperability are as follows:
• Online registration of farmers / sharecroppers: Name, father’s name, address, mobile number, Aadhar number, bank account details, land details (Khata / Khasra), self-cultivation or land on rent / sharecropping / contract.
• Integration of registered farmer data with the land records portal of the state
• Integration of operations of digitized Mandi/Purchase Center: Buyer/Seller Forms, generation of sales proceeds bills etc.
• Online payment through Expenditure Advance Transfer (EAT) module of PFMS for direct and quick transfer of MSP to farmers.
• Automatic generation of CMR/Wheat Distribution Management-Uploading of Sanction Notes/Wet Check Memos and Billing on Acquisition of Stock (Uttar Pradesh Model)
• The Government of India has communicated the requirement of minimum threshold parameter compliance for procurement operations to the State Governments and other Public Procurement Agencies at several fora. At the same time, the Center has also informed them about the need for integration with the Central Portal of Minimum Threshold Parameters, i.e. Central Foodgrains Procurement Portal (CFPP), during discussions with the respective State Governments of the Department of Food and Public Distribution.