{"id":12296,"date":"2021-07-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/31-07-2021\/facts-in-news-32\/"},"modified":"2024-05-06T15:56:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T10:26:39","slug":"facts-in-news-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/31-07-2021\/facts-in-news-32","title":{"rendered":"Facts in News"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Facts in News<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, the Ministry of Rural Development<\/strong> has started a scheme to provide facilities to women farmers namely, Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana<\/strong> (MKSP).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
  • It is a sub-component<\/strong> of Deendayal<\/span><\/strong> Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission<\/span><\/strong> (DAY-NRLM), which is under implementation since 2011<\/strong> through State Rural Livelihoods Mission as Project Implementation Agencies. <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Objectives <\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n
      \n
    • To empower women in agriculture<\/strong> by making systematic investments to enhance their participation<\/strong> and productivity<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span>\n
        \n
      • It also creates and sustains agriculture-based livelihoods of rural women.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • To enable women<\/strong> to gain better access to the inputs and services provided<\/strong> by the government and other agencies. <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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National Medical Commission<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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    \n
  • It has been established by an Act of Parliament known as the National Medical Commission Act,<\/strong> 2019<\/strong> which came into force in 2020.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Objectives<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n
        \n
      • To improve access<\/strong> to quality and affordable medical<\/strong> education.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • To ensure adequate and high-quality medical professionals in all parts of India and provide equitable and universal health care<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Functions<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n
          \n
        • Laying down policies for maintaining high quality and high standards in medical education<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Assessing<\/strong> the requirements in healthcare<\/strong>, including human resources for health and healthcare infrastructure.<\/span><\/span>\n
            \n
          • Developing a road map for meeting such requirements.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Act as the appellate jurisdiction<\/strong> with respect to decisions of Autonomous Boards.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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PM Formalisation of Micro-food processing Enterprises Scheme<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries has given information about the Prime Minister Formalisation of Micro-food processing Enterprises<\/strong> (PMFME) Scheme<\/strong> in Rajya Sabha.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
  • It was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries <\/strong>(MoFPI), in partnership with the State\/UT Governments. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It is an all India Centrally Sponsored scheme<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • The scheme is to be implemented over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25<\/strong> with a total outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It has a special focus on supporting Groups engaged in Agri-food processing<\/strong> such as Farmer Producer Organizations <\/strong>(FPOs), Self Help Groups<\/strong> (SHGs) and Producers Cooperatives <\/strong>along their entire value chain.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Aims and Objectives<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n
      \n
    • To enhance the competitiveness<\/strong> of existing individual micro-enterprises<\/strong> in the unorganized segmen<\/strong>t of the food processing industry.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • To provide financial, technical<\/strong> and business support<\/strong> for the up-gradation<\/strong> of existing micro food processing enterprises.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Clone Train Scheme<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, Indian Railways has been operating \u201cClone trains<\/strong>\u201d, on routes where traffic demand is high<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Clone trains is a special scheme<\/strong> to transport waitlisted passengers<\/strong> to their destination.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • These trains will be operated as an alternative to existing trains<\/strong>, when the actual trains will have a large number of waitlisted passengers.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • As per the plan, these trains are assigned only for waitlisted passengers<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • The concept was mooted almost a decade ago, however, it was materialised only after the pandemic.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Once the original train reservation charts are prepared (four hours before departure), waitlisted passengers are informed about their seats on the clone train.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • This scheme is similar to the \u2018Vikalp\u2019 scheme<\/strong> under which waitlisted passengers are accommodated in another train on the same route, regardless of booking quota and concession.<\/span><\/span>\n
      \n
    • However, in the case of \u2018Vikalp\u2019 scheme, instead of the original boarding and destination stations, nearby boarding and destination stations may be allotted<\/strong> to the passengers.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Although an alternative, a clone train will run with the same train number <\/strong>as the actual train.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • A clone train will not stop at all halts of the original train<\/strong> but only at key stations.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Creamy Layer<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, Members of Parliament (MPs) have raised the issue of revising the criteria for defining<\/strong> the \u201ccreamy layer<\/strong>\u201d among Other Backward Classes <\/strong>(OBCs).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
  • While there is a 27 per cent quota for OBCs in government jobs and higher educational institutions, those falling within the creamy layer cannot get the benefits<\/strong> of this quota.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Creamy layer<\/strong> is a concept that sets a threshold <\/strong>within which OBC reservation benefits are applicable<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Based on the recommendation of the Second Backward Classes Commission<\/strong> (Mandal Commission<\/strong>), the government notified 27 per cent reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes<\/strong> (SEBCs) in vacancies in civil posts and services that are to be filled on direct recruitment in August 1990.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • After this was challenged, the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case<\/strong>, November 1992<\/strong> upheld reservation<\/strong> for OBCs, subject to exclusion<\/strong> of the creamy layer<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Following the order in Indra Sawhney, an expert committee<\/strong> headed by Justice (retired) R N Prasad <\/strong>was constituted for fixing the criteria<\/strong> for determining the creamy layer.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • In September 1993<\/strong>, the Department of Personnel and Training<\/strong> (DoPT) listed out various categories<\/strong> of people of certain rank\/status\/income whose children cannot avail benefit <\/strong>of OBC reservation.<\/span><\/span>\n
      \n
    • For those not in government<\/strong>, the current threshold is an income of Rs. 8 lakh per year<\/strong>. <\/span><\/span>\n
        \n
      • The income threshold is supposed to be raised every three years.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • However, the last hike was in 2017 and the previous threshold was Rs. 6 lakh set in 2013.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • For children of government employees, the threshold<\/strong> is based on their parents\u2019 rank and not income<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • Income from salaries or agricultural land is not clubbed<\/strong> while determining the creamy layer, according to a DoPT clarification issued in October 2004.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Operation Blue Freedom<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, it has been decided that a team of retired special forces personnel will lead a group of differently abled people <\/strong>to attempt a world record by trekking the Siachen Glacier<\/strong>, the world\u2019s highest battlefield <\/strong>on 15th<\/sup> August.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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  • After scaling Siachen, the group plans to set a record for the largest team of PWDs doing accelerated free fall in Dubai <\/strong>and later set out to the Maldives for scuba diving<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • A group of veterans of India’s Special Forces will train people with disabilities<\/strong> (PWDs) in skydiving<\/strong>, scuba diving<\/strong> and mountaineering<\/strong> in an attempt to create unique world records on land, air and underwater.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • This expedition is called Operation Blue Freedom<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • The team, consisting of ex-servicemen, serving soldiers and civilians, is part of an organisation called ‘Conquer Land Air Water<\/strong> (CLAW)’ founded by former Para Officer Major Vivek Jacob.<\/span><\/span>\n
      \n
    • Major Jacob set up the organisation to rehabilitate people with disabilities through sports<\/strong> and induce powerful global action for inclusion.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • It aims<\/strong> to mainstream the mindset that Special Forces and people with disabilities share to survive, stabilize and thrive in hostile environments.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Facts in News Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana Recently, the Ministry of Rural Development has started a scheme to provide facilities to women farmers namely, Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP). It is a sub-component of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), which is under implementation since 2011 through State Rural Livelihoods Mission as Project […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-12296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-gs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/3075903current-affairs.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12296"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24324,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12296\/revisions\/24324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}