Professional Documents
Culture Documents
WATGDPI Articles 3
WATGDPI Articles 3
WATGDPI Articles 3
With the roll out of the Centre’s flagship scheme which has been renamed as
PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), the Narendra Modi-led NDA government aims
to provide healthcare facilities to over 10 crore families covering urban and rural
poor.
The ambitious scheme offers an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh, which will cover
10 crore poor families or almost 50 crore persons.
In his Independence Day speech, Modi had announced that while the scheme
would initially cover 10 crore poor families as per the socio-economic census of
2011, it will in the coming days also benefit the lower middle-class, middle-class
and upper-middle class by way of jobs in the medical sector as new hospitals
will open in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The scheme can be a big game-changer
for Modi as it comes about half a year before the next Lok Sabha elections.
In the first year, out of the total expenditure of Rs 5,000 crore, the central
government may bear the burden of around Rs 3,000 crore which will increase
to almost Rs 7,000 crore in FY20. The scheme aims to provide a benefit cover
of *Rs 5 lakh per family per year*. It will subsume the existing Rashtriya
Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), launched in 2008 by the UPA government.
4) Rs. 5000 crore expense this year by government, next year it would be
Rs.10000 crore.
5) the scheme is targeted at poor & deprived families as per SECC 2011 data.
Payment banks are the latest initiative from RBI with the primary motive to
promote digital, paperless and cashless banking in our nation.
Although the PM Jan Dhan Yojana has brought down the number of unbanked
individuals in the country, there are still millions who do not have bank accounts.
So payment banks will bring unbanked individuals into the formal financial
system.
Traditional banks can do everything payments banks can, but due to their
structures and business priorities they may be unable to cater to certain
segments and geographies. For instance, while it’s impossible for a bank to
open branches in every village across the country, payments banks can fill this
gap through the use of mobile phones.
1. Advancing loans
2. For the first five years, the stake of the promoter to be 40% minimum.
When: The Supreme Court announced that India will transit from the Bharat
Stage (BS)-IV emission norms currently in place, to the BS-VI norms on Apr. 1,
2020.
No BS-IV vehicle shall be sold in the country from that date (only BS-VI
compliant ones). Oil companies too have to retail BS-VI compliant fuel.
What: Introduced in 2000, the Bharat norms are emission control standards
issued by the government. Based on European standards (Euro norms), there
are limits for the release of air pollutants—nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, particulate matter (PM), sulphur oxides—from equipment using
internal combustion engines, including vehicles.
The BS-IV norms have been enforced since April 2017. And in 2016, the Centre
had announced that skipping the BS-V norms altogether and adopting BS-VI
norms by 2020. The new norms also calls for better crash-test norms, addition
of airbags and anti-lock braking systems in most cars and bikes.
Why: India is home to the 10 most polluted cities of the world and vehicular
emission is a major contributor to the worsening air quality in cities. In October
2016, India signed the Paris Climate Agreement and is obligated to bring down
the carbon footprint by 33-55% (from 2005 levels) in the next 12 years.
With other developing countries such as China having already upgraded to the
equivalent of Euro V emission norms a while ago, India has been lagging
behind. Also, global carmakers are betting big on India as vehicle penetration
is still low here, which could result in big investment inflows.
How: While BS-IV compliant fuel has 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, BS-VI
stipulates a low 10 ppm. Besides, under BS-VI, PM emission for diesel cars and
nitrogen oxide levels are expected to be substantially lower than in BS-IV.
Also: The government is planning subsidies for scrapping old vehicles, thereby
helping owners of older and more polluting vehicles to upgrade to newer ones.
Expect less fuel-guzzling cars after the BS-VI as well.
But: The use of new technology means higher costs for auto manufacturers,
which will be passed on to you when you buy your new car. Expect a hike in
your fuel bill as well as oil refiners too will need higher capital outlays to produce
superior quality fuel.