Latest Government Schemes 2018 - Part 8 | Current Affairs UPSC/SSC/IBPS -

GREEN SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

(Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change)

Emphasising that the Green Skill Development Programme´ (GSDP) will go a long way in reaping the demographic dividend in the country, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that the GSDP aims to get 80, 000 people imparted green skills and in filling the skill gaps in the environment sector.
Speaking after launching the Mobile App of Green Skill´ Development Programme (GSDP) at the Ministry premises h, Dr. Harsh Vardhan pointed out that more than 30 programmes have been identified, which will be conducted in 84 institutions across the country.
the number of people to be employed under GSDP will be´ increased to cover 2.25 lakh people next year and to about 5 lakh people by the year 2021.
the objective of GSDP is skilling the youth of India, especially´ dropouts and in increasing the availability of skilled workforce.

BACKGROUND OF GSDP:

Realizing the need for developing the green skills,´ the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is utilising the vast network and expertise of Environmental Information System (ENVIS) hubs and Resource Partners (RPs).
The Ministry has taken this initiative for skill´ development in the environment and forest sector to enable India’s youth to get gainful employment and/or self-employment. The programme endeavours to develop green skilled workers having technical knowledge and commitment to sustainable development.
It will help in the attainment of the Nationally´ Determined Contributions (NDCs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), National Biodiversity Targets (NBTs), as well as Waste Management Rules (2016).
The pilot project of GSDP was launched in´ June, 2017, for skilling Biodiversity Conservationists (Basic Course) and Parataxonomists (Advance Course) of 3 months duration each at 10 locations, spread over 9 bio-geographic regions of the country.
What are Green Skills?
Green skills are those skills needed to adapt processes, services and products to´ climate change and the environmental regulations and requirements related to it. They include the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society. These skills are required in areas such as such as Renewable energy, Wastewater treatment, Climate resilient cities, Green construction, Solid waste management etc
Importance of Green Skill Development Programme:
India would need around 10.4 crores of new workforces by the year 2022, in´ various sectors and hence skill development is essential to meet the demand.
The trainees of this programme can also be exposed for the expertise on wildlife´ conservation, nurseries, horticulture etc. and can be absorbed with Department of Environment and Forests of the State Governments as well.
The programme aims to train youth who have not been able to continue higher´ education due to different financial or social constraints but has an urge to learn new things and do something fruitful.
The green skilled workforce having technical knowledge and commitment to´ sustainable development will help in the attainment of SDGs, INDCs and National Biodiversity Targets.
Green skill is crucial for making a transition from energy and emission intensive´ economy to cleaner and greener production and service patterns.

Samagra Shiksha Scheme

(Ministry of Human Resource Development)

The Scheme is a paradigm shift in the conceptual design of´ school education by treating ‘school’ holistically as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary and senior secondary levels.
It focuses on improving quality of education at all levels by´ integrating the two T’s – Teachers and Technology.
‘Samagra’ means a holistic approach to treat education as a´ whole and the Scheme is very aptly named as it sees school education holistically without segmenting it into various levels of education.
earlier the budget on the three schemes i.e. SSA, RMSA and´ Teacher Education was Rs. 28,000 crore in 2017-18. But the budget outlay on the new scheme will be now Rs. 34,000 crore in 2018-19 and to Rs. 41,000crore in 2019-20 i.e. an increase of 20% which shows Central Government’s commitment for Education.
about one million schools will get library grant of Rs. 5,000 to´ 20,000 to strengthen the libraries to ensure that “Padhega Bharat Badhega Bharat”.

every school will get sports equipment under the´ SamagraShiksha, at the cost of Rs. 5000 for Primary, Rs. 10,000 for Upper Primary & up to Rs. 25,000 for SSC & HSC schools to inculcate & emphasize relevance of sports to realise the dream of “Khelega India Khilega India”.
Kasturba Gandhi BalikaVidyalaya (KGBV) to be´ expanded from Class 6-8 to Class 6-12 with allocation of Rs. 4385.60 crores in 2018-19 & Rs. 4553.10 crores in 2019-20 to fulfil Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s commitment to BetiBachaoBetiPadhao.
Holistic approach to education
Single Scheme for the School Education Sector from Classes I to XIIextension of interventions to senior secondary stage.
Treat school education holistically as a continuum from Pre-school to Class 12
Supporting States to initiate pre-primary education
Inclusion of senior secondary levels and pre-school levels in support for School education for the first time
Administrative reform
Single and unified administrative structure leading to harmonized implementation
Flexibility to States to prioritise their interventions under the Scheme
An integrated administration looking at ‘school’ as a continuum
Enhanced Funding for Education
The budget has been enhanced.
Learning outcomes and steps taken for quality improvement will be the basis for allocation of grants under the Scheme.
Focus on Quality of Education
Emphasis on improvement of Learning Outcomes
Enhanced Capacity Building of Teachers
Focus on strengthening Teacher Education Institutions like SCERTs and DIETs to improve the quality of prospective teachers in the system
SCERT to be the nodal institution for in-service and pre-service teacher training – will make training dynamic and need-based.
Key focus on quality education emphasizing capacity building of teachers in online and offline mode as well as strengthening of Teacher Education Institutions SCERT/DIET/BRC/CRC/CTEs/IASEs.
Annual Grant per school for strengthening of Libraries
Almost 1 million schools to be given library grant .
Enhanced focus on improving quality of education by focus on the two T’s – Teachers and Technology
Outcome oriented allocation of resources
Focus on Digital Education
Support ‘Operation Digital Board’ in all secondary schools over a period of 5 years, which will´ revolutionize education- easy to understand, technology based learning classrooms will become flipped classrooms.
Enhanced use of digital technology in education through smart classrooms, digital boards and DTH channels
Digital initiatives like Shala Kosh, Shagun, Shaala Saarthi to be strengthened
Strengthening of ICT infrastructure in schools from upper primary to higher secondary level.
“DIKSHA”, digital portal for teachers to be used extensively for upgrading skills of teachers
Enhanced Use of Technology to improve access and provision of quality education – ‘Sabko´ Shiksha Achhi Shiksha’
Strengthening of Schools
Emphasis on consolidation of schools for improvement of quality
Enhanced Transport facility to children across all classes from I to VIII for universal access to school
Increased allocation for infrastructure strengthening in schools
Composite school grant increased and to be allocated on the basis of school enrolment.
Specific provision for Swachhta activities – support ‘Swachh Vidyalaya’
Improve the Quality of Infrastructure in Government Schools
Focus on Girl Education
Empowerment of girls
Upgradation of KGBVs from Class 6-8 to Class 6-12 .
Self-defence training for girls from upper primary to higher secondary stage
Stipend for CWSN girls to be provided from Classes I to XII. – earlier only IX t´o XII.
Enhanced Commitment to ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’
Focus on Inclusion
Allocation for uniforms under RTE Act enhanced per child per annum.
Allocation for textbooks under the RTE Act, enhanced per child per annum.´ Energized textbooks to be introduced.
Allocation for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) increased from Rs. 3000 to Rs.´ 3500 per child per annum. Stipend of Rs. 200 per month for Girls with Special Needs from Classes 1 to 12.
Commitment to ‘Sabko Shiksha Achhi Shiksha’
Focus on Skill Development
Exposure to Vocational Skills at Upper Primary Level would be extended.
Strengthening of vocational education at secondary level as an integral part of curriculum
Vocational education which was limited to Class 9-12, to be started from class 6 as integrated with the curriculum and to be made more practical and industry oriented.
Reinforce emphasis on ‘Kaushal Vikas’
Focus on Sports and Physical Education
Sports equipment will be provided to all schools under this component.
Sports Education to be an integral part of curriculum
Every school will receive sports equipments under the scheme to inculcate and emphasize relevance of sports in the school curriculum
Support ‘Khelo India’
Focus on Regional Balance
Promote Balanced Educational Development
Preference to Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs), LWEs, Special Focus Districts´ (SFDs), Border areas and the 115 aspirational districts identified by Niti Aayog
‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ and Sabko Shiksha Achhi Shiksha

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PLATFORM

(Launched by NITI Aayog)

NITI Aayog launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), on the occasion of International Women’s Day today.
The initiative is aimed at building an ecosystem for women across India to realize their entrepreneurial aspirations, scaleup innovative initiatives and chalk-out sustainable, long-term strategies for their businesses.

CEO, NITI Aayog,Amitabh Kant, launched the WEP platform at NITI Aayog in presence of UN Resident Coordinator in India Yuri Afanasiev, Kailash Kher, industry leaders and supporting partners.
the platform aspires to substantially increase the number of women entrepreneurs who will create and empower a dynamic New India.
These aspirations are manifest in the three pillars on which WEP is built: Ichha Shakti (motivating aspiring entrepreneurs to start their enterprise),Gyaan Shakti (providing knowledge and ecosystem support to women entrepreneurs to help them foster entrepreneurship) & Karma Shakti (providing hands-on support to entrepreneurs in setting-up and scaling up businesses).
With an informative, interactive website to act as a dedicated resource and knowledge base, WEP aims to address the bottlenecks faced by both aspiring and established women entrepreneurs by streamlining information across government and private sector schemes and initiatives. WEP is to operate within a broader framework of industry collaborations and partnerships, which cut across sectors in the economy.
From providing unique services such as credit evaluation of´ women-led startups by CRISIL and potential equity investments through an INR 10 crore fund established by DICE Districts, the WEP opens up avenues of growth and opportunity for women entrepreneurs.
Other partner commitments include ShopClues.com, which has offered to provide internship and dedicated mentorship and Mann Deshi Foundation to provide digital and financial literacy to aspiring women entrepreneurs. Several other leading corporates and industry bodies viz. NASSCOM, CII, FICCI, SIDBI and Facebook have partnered with WEP to provide business acceleration, mentorship and other start-up support for women entrepreneurs, details of which can be accessed on https://wep.gov.in.
SWAJAL SCHEME
(Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation)
Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has launched Swajal Scheme in 115 Aspirational districts of India to provide clean drinking water.
Govt also earmarked Rs.1000 crores for addressing the´ drinking water needs of 27,544 arsenic and fluoride affected habitations of the country in this financial year under the National Water Quality Sub-Mission (NWQSM).

Central govt called upon the states to ensure that the´ Sustainable Development Goal ‘safe drinking water for all’ is achieved in India by 2030.
What is the Swajal scheme?
This Swajal scheme was launched by the government for sustained water supply in rural areas. 90 per cent of this project is funded by the government and 10 per cent is funded by the beneficiary communities.
The management of this operation is managed by local villagers and hundreds of technicians will be trained under this scheme to maintain and operate the units.
All the villages will get water supplied through fitted pipes. This will ensure that the water is not contaminated. The maintenance of these pipes will be taken care of by the technicians.

The government has chosen 115 rural districts which´ will receive rapid transformation to match up to government’s vision of ‘New India’.
The selection criteria of these districts are dependent´ on six socio-economical parameters, according to Niti Aayog. The parameters are health and nutrition, education, financial inclusion and skill development, agriculture and water resources and basic infrastructure.
35 districts that face Left Wing Extremist (LWE)´ violence and 15 districts from Jammu and Kashmir which experience terrorism are included in this scheme. Government aspired to bring technological change in these districts as well and transforming them rapidly to develop the nation further.
Around 2 lakh people die in India every year´ because of the immense water shortage and 600 million people of this country don’t have access to clean drinking water