Prelim Bits 31-07-2021 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Affordable Rental Housing Complexes Scheme

• The objectives of Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) Scheme announced under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package are as follows,
  1. To address the vision of ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ by creating a sustainable ecosystem of affordable rental housing solutions for urban migrants/poor.
  2. To achieve the objective of “Housing for All” encompassing the need of affordable rental housing for urban migrants/poor with necessary civic amenities near their place of work.
  3. To incentivize Public/Private Entities to leverage investment for creating affordable rental housing stock to take care of their own requirements for workforce and also cater to neighbouring areas, if they have available vacant land.
• Beneficiaries - Workers who come from rural areas or towns to work in manufacturing, hospitality, health, construction, etc.
• Rent - Initial affordable rent of ARHCs will be fixed by the local authority based on a local survey prior to the issuance of Request for Proposal (RFP) by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
• Subsequently, rent will be enhanced biennially by 8%, subject to maximum increase of 20% in aggregate, over a period of 5 years, effective from the date of signing the contract.
• The same mechanism shall be followed over the entire concession period i.e. 25 years.
   

PM SVANidhi Scheme

• Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors’ Atma Nirbhar Nidhi Scheme (PM SVANidhi) is a Central Sector Scheme.
• This scheme aims to facilitate collateral-free working capital loan of up to Rs.10,000 of 1 year tenure to Street Vendors, vending in urban areas, to resume their businesses, adversely impacted by the pandemic.
• On prepayment or repayment, they are eligible for an enhanced working capital loan of upto Rs.20,000 and Rs.50,000 in the second and third tranches respectively.
• Implementation - It is being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) since June, 2020.
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the scheme’s implementation agency.
• Eligibility - Street Vendors engaged in vending in urban areas as on or before March 24, 2020 are eligible for benefit under SVANidhi Scheme.
• The eligible vendors are identified as per following criteria:
  1. Street vendors in possession of Certificate of Vending / Identity Card issued by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs);
  2. The vendors, who have been identified in the survey but have not been issued Certificate of Vending / Identity Card;
  3. Street Vendors, left out of the ULB led identification survey or who have started vending after completion of the survey and have been issued Letter of Recommendation (LoR) to that effect by the ULB / Town Vending Committee (TVC); and
  4. Vendors of surrounding development/peri-urban /rural areas vending in the geographical limits of ULBs and have been issued Letter of Recommendation (LoR) to that effect by the ULB/ TVC.
• The scheme is valid until March 2022.
   

Garib Nawaz Skill Development Centres

• Totally, 371 Garib Nawaz Skill Development Centers were opened across the country under Garib Nawaz Employment Scheme.
• Launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2017, Garib Nawaz Employment Scheme provides short-term job oriented skill development courses to minorities’ youth.
• This scheme enables these youth for skill based employment through the empanelled Program Implementation Agencies (PIAs) as per common norms of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSD&E).
• It is implemented by the Maulana Azad Education Foundation, an autonomous body under the aegis of Ministry of Minority Affairs.
• As per the scheme guidelines, employment opportunities (organized & unorganized Sectors) are being provided to all the beneficiaries. 
• The PIA is mandated to place minimum 70% trainees out of total trained trainees.
• The monthly stipend for maximum of three months and post placement support for maximum of two months after getting employment are also being paid to the beneficiaries directly into their account.
   

Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)

• Started by the Ministry of Rural Development as a sub-component of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), it is a programme exclusively for women farmers.
• This scheme empowers the women farmers by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and create sustainable livelihood of rural women.
• It is under implementation since 2011 through State Rural Livelihoods Mission as Project Implementation Agencies.
• This scheme is implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
   

Clone Train Scheme

• Indian Railways is keeping a close watch on the occupancy and waitlist position of these special trains and is operating “Clone trains”, on routes where traffic demand is high. 
• A ‘clone’ train will run as an alternative to an actual train and this train will have the number of the actual train.
• Such train will be operated only if there are a large number of passengers on the waiting list of a particular train.
• Only waitlisted passengers will be accommodated on a ‘clone’ train.
• Passengers on the waiting list shall be informed about their berths or seats on a ‘clone’ train after reservation charts of the actual train is released or four hours before departure.
• Similarity - This scheme is similar to the ‘Vikalp’ scheme under which waitlisted passengers are accommodated in another train on the same route, regardless of booking quota and concession.
• However, in the case of ‘Vikalp’ scheme, instead of the original boarding and destination stations, nearby boarding and destination stations may be allotted to the passengers.
   

National Medical Commission

• It has been established by an Act of Parliament known as National Medical Commission Act, 2019. The objective of the Commission is to,
  1. Improve access to quality and affordable medical education,
  2. Ensure adequate and high-quality medical professionals in all parts of India and
  3. Provide equitable and universal health care.
• The NMC will function as the country’s top regulator of medical education. It will have four separate autonomous boards for:
  1. Undergraduate medical education.
  2. Postgraduate medical education.
  3. Medical assessment and rating.
  4. Ethics and medical registration.

• Functions of NMC include laying down policies for
  1. Maintaining a high quality and high standards in medical education and making necessary regulations;
  2. Regulating medical institutions, researches and professionals;
  3. Assessing the requirements in healthcare and developing a road map for meeting such requirements;
  4. Coordinating and framing guidelines and laying down policies by making necessary regulations for the proper functioning of the Commission, Autonomous Boards and State Medical Councils.
• It also ensures coordination among the Autonomous Boards. It acts as appellate jurisdiction with respect to decisions of Autonomous Boards.
• It lays down policies and codes to ensure observance of professional ethics in the medical profession and promotes ethical conduct during the provision of care by medical practitioners.
• The common final year MBBS exam will now be known as the National Exit Test (NEXT), according to the new medical education structure under the NMC.

Source: PIB, Hindustan Times