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The Ministry of Ayush has marked a significant milestone in the year 2023 by reaffirming the implementation of its vision and objectives on National and International levels. This year has witnessed the global dissemination and acceptance of Indian traditional medicine culture. Ayush has advanced to a new degree of international recognition and left several permanent footprints of success.
The visionary support and direction of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi translated well into Ayush’s efforts in the fields of healthcare infrastructure development, research collaborations, export promotion mechanisms, educational reforms, global expansion of the Indian traditional medicine system and more.
Chintan Shivir: The inaugural “Chintan Shivir” in February provided a roadmap for Ayush’s future, focusing on digital health, strategy, challenges, and collaboration, reinforcing its commitment to growth.
Inclusion of Traditional Medicine in G-20 New Delhi Leaders Declaration: India’s G20 presidency provided a golden chance to showcase this efficacy more intimately to world leaders and healthcare experts in a focused manner. The Ministry of Ayush actively participated in all relevant deliberations to communicate to the global community how traditional healthcare sciences of India have been performing to negotiate the ever-growing challenges of humanity and the environment while remaining focused to SDG 3 of “Good Health and Wellbeing.” The Ayush Ministry proactively participated in all the Health Working Group events during India’s presidency. This resulted in Para 28 (vii) of G-20 New Delhi leader declaration where it has been mentioned of “Recognize the potential role of evidence-based Traditional and Complementary Medicine in health, and take note of international efforts in this direction, including WHO’s global and collaborating centres, and clinical trial registries.”
First SCO Conference: The first Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Conference generated trade interest of ₹590 crores, highlighting Ayush’s growing significance in international markets. Under the aegis of the Ministry of Ayush, Invest India conducted B2B meetings at the event with the support of Ayushexcil (Ayush Export Promotion Council). More than 56 exhibitors and buyers from 19 countries discussed and expressed their interest in trade in traditional medicine. More than 50 one-to-one meetings between buyers and sellers were conducted during the conference. Over 75 meetings took place during the event, where participants from India, Tajikistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bahrain & Sri Lanka engaged. The trade interest of ₹590 crores was received in the B2B meetings from companies like Damaira Pharma, AIMIL Global, Herbal Strategi Homecare, Almaty, Dindayal Industries, Fidalgo Healthcare and many more. Multiple meetings between buyers &and sellers as delegates from 19 countries interacted with exhibitors at the Expo with interest in multiple product categories Participating countries like India, Tajikistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, and Sri Lanka expressed their interest in traditional medicine trade.
Dedicated vertical for Ayush at BIS: Bureau of Indian Standards has also created a dedicated vertical for Ayush at BIS. In a short span of time, BIS has published 7 Ayush related Indian standards, and further 53 are in process of development and publication. BIS is also making stronger presence in ISO for Ayush and a dedicated Working Group (WG 10 – Traditional Medicine) has been created in ISO under ISO/TC 215 – Health Informatics to formulate International Standards on Ayush Informatics. This will help in more acceptance and will open the door of huge exports of Ayurveda products and services in more than 165 countries.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released the first ISO standard technical report titled “ISO/TR 4421:2023 Health informatics- Introduction to Ayurveda informatics”. This technical report aims to provide a foundational understanding of the Ayurvedic medicine system. It introduces numerous aspects and processes that are inherent and necessary in Ayurvedic diagnosis and treatment. An ISO TC 215 dedicated working group (WG 10) on Traditional Medicines was formed in response to a proposal presented by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for standardization in the field of Ayurveda Informatics. Ministry of Ayush and BIS has been working since 2019 to formulate Indian Standards and ISO deliverables for Ayush systems. Three more Indian applications are currently being considered for the WG 10 Traditional Medicine within the ISO TC 215 Health Informatics to produce international deliverables.
WHO-Global Summit on Traditional Medicine & Gujarat Declaration: First ever Global Summit on Traditional Medicine (17-18 August 2023) was organised by the World Health Organisation, and co-hosted by the Ministry of Ayush, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The main outcomes of the global summit were released by the World Health Organisation in the form of Gujarat declaration. In the summit, WHO also has shared the initial findings of the global survey on Traditional Medicine that indicates that the reach of Traditional Medicine is on the rise across the globe. “Gujarat Declaration” emphasised that the importance of Traditional Medicine is recognised for the attainment of universal health coverage and WHO’s commitment to work toward it through evidence generation and policy support to member states.
This event also saw “Health Ministers conclave of G20 Nations on Traditional Medicine”, on the side line of G20 Health Ministers meet, whereby the G20 nations talked about role and prospects of Traditional Medicine in their respective countries.
Advanced R&D through Ayush based fundamentals: Under Centre of Excellence of Ministry of Ayush at Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) CSIR, relation of Ayurveda Prakriti is made with the Genome sequence, making it a landmark study toward personalized preventive and predictive medicine, they are also getting promising outcomes on Gut Microbiota and working on advance biology of metabolomics, Proteomics etc. to shape the future of healthcare sector.
International Day of Yoga: The 9th edition witnessed unprecedented outreach, setting two world records, including a Guinness record for participation at the UN Headquarters. The event witnessed an overwhelming response from thousands of Yoga enthusiasts from over 135 nationalities, setting a Guinness World Record for participation by maximum number of nationalities in a Yoga session. IDY 2023 also witnessed another feather in the cap of IDY whereas Surat (Gujarat, India) made a Guinness world record for the largest gathering of people for a yoga session in one place. More than one lakh people took part in the event.
The highlight of 9th International Day of Yoga was the unique concept of the creation of the Ocean Ring of Yoga, ‘Yoga for Arctic to Antarctic’, ‘Yoga at North and South poles’, ‘Yoga Bharatmala’ and ‘Yoga Sagarmala with a massive participation of around 23.14 Crore individuals.
Nearly 3500 naval personnel on board 19 Indian Naval ships travelled over 35,000 Km as ambassadors of Yoga in both national and international waters. This includes over 2400 personnel on 11 IN ships at foreign ports/international waters. Notably, IDY was celebrated on board ships of several foreign Navies in concert with our overseas Missions, involving over 1200 foreign Navy personnel.
For engaging with rural communities Ministry of Ayush had elaborately planned to spread message of “Har Aangan Yoga”. Yoga demonstrations were organized at Panchayats, Anganwadi, Health and Wellness Centres, and schools, around 2 lakh Common Service Centres, Ayush Gram Unit and location on Amrit Sarovar.
Ayush Visa boosting Medical Value Travel: As announced by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji in GAIIS 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs notified Ayush Visa (category AY) for foreign nationals for treatment under Ayush System/Indian System of Medicines. The introduction of Ayush Visa introduces a special visa scheme for foreigners visiting India seeking treatment under Indian system of Medicines like therapeutic care, wellness, yoga etc. Ayush Visa will boost medical value travel and is intended to promote India as a medical value travel destination. Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are working together to develop a one-stop ‘Heal in India’ portal to promote India as a Medical Tourism destination of the world.
Ministry of Ayush and India Tourism Development Corporation has signed an MoU in January 2023 to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel in Ayush sector in India.
Research Impact: The Prime Minister’s mention of ‘Ayush’ in “Mann Ki Baat” significantly contributed to the sector’s growth and it was compiled and published in a special issue of JRAS Journal of CCRAS. Ministry initiated many collaborative and integrative researches with Basic Science Ministries/departments and reputed scientific organizations at national and international levels.
Integrative Health: A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on 11th May 2023 to promote and collaborate on Integrative Health Research. Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Hon’ble Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Hon’ble Minister of State for MOHFW, Dr. V. K. Paul, Hon’ble Member, NITI Aayog, Secretary, Ayush, Secretary (Health), Secretary and DG (ICMR) and other senior officers of both ministries were present during the MOU signing. Further, this cooperation will explore the possibility to work on public health research, take initiatives for addressing diseases of national importance and look at possibilities of conducting high-quality clinical trials jointly on identified areas/disease conditions of national importance with promising therapies of Ayush system to generate evidence for wider acceptance. The MoU will facilitate looking at the possibility of inclusion of research on Integrative Medicine in the “National ethical guidelines for biomedical and health research involving human participants” by ICMR-DHR. This MoU will also strengthen research capacity through training of Ayush researchers.
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Ayush and Ports Shipping and Waterways and Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon’ble Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare jointly inaugurated the Department of Integrative Medicine at Safdarjung hospital, New Delhi on 7h February 2023. The Department of Integrative Medicine will offer services in specialty OPD, Panchakarma Therapy, and diet consultation for the patients.
The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences and Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital signed a MoU on the 25th October 2023 for establishing and integrated medicine centre. The integrated centre will help for collecting research data for the impact of integrated treatment approach of allopathy as well as Ayurveda in disease management.
Ministry of Ayush and the Department of Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) has signed an MoU in March 2023 to integrate Ayurveda in 10 ECHS polyclinics across India. This MoU will further expand Ayush health services in defence sector. In addition, there are already operating Ayurveda Centres in 12 Military Hospitals of AFMC and 37 Cantonment Board Hospitals.
Effective Documentation of Research in Ayush: Huge repository of extensive research works by various stakeholders in Ayush is created online at a dedicated website: Ayush research portal, cataloguing 41743 research publications (as on 28.12.2023). The portal is actively managed by CCRAS, Ministry of Ayush and is made in a searchable format and includes publications in indexed journals. This provide a showcase of evidence based Ayush systems and a ready solution of researchers and academicians.
SMART Program: The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), for regulating medical education and conducting scientific research respectively, have launched ‘SMART’ (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research in Teaching Professionals) program aimed to boost scientific research in priority healthcare research areas through Ayurveda colleges and hospitals.
National Ayush Mission: One of the initiatives is implementing a flagship scheme i.e., Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM), to support the UT / State Governments in developing infrastructure and improving access to the Ayush healthcare.
Ministry of Ayush organized a 2-day National Ayush Mission (NAM) Conclave- State/UT Ayush/Health Ministers’ Conference on 18th and 19th May 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Hon’ble Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping and Waterways inaugurated the Conclave. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare was the chief guest on this occasion. Dr. Mahendrabhai Munjpara, Hon’ble Minister of State for Ayush and Women & Child Development and 13 Health & Ayush Ministers from participating States/UTS attended this Conclave. A roundtable discussion with Ayush & Health Ministers of various states was held on the sidelines of the NAM Conclave. During the inaugural session of this Conclave, E-Learning Management System (eLMS) and comprehensive AHMIS, an upgraded EHR system, were launched.
Further, through National Ayush Mission, Ministry of Ayush completed the process for approval for upgradation of 12,500 Health facilities into Ayush Health and Wellness Centre under the Ayushman Bharat. As per the data received from States/UTs, 8.42 Crores beneficiaries benefitted through these facilities during 2022-23 and 6.91 crores from January 2023 to October 2023.
Ayurtech IIT Jodhpur: Ministry of Ayush under Centre of Excellence (CoE) scheme has sponsored the AyurTech center at the IIT Jodhpur in May 2023. The CoE AyurTech is part of the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Precision Healthcare at the school of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (AIDE) at IIT Jodhpur. The aim of this centre is to establish an AI-driven integrative framework for population and individual risk stratification and early actionable precision health interventions. The Centre for AyurTech is being proposed as the first-of-its-kind initiative in the precision health and medicine space that would combine Electronics, Digital health and AI and multi-omics technologies for realising ‘Evidence-based Ayurveda’ solutions in a transdisciplinary framework.to establish AI-driven integrative framework for population and individual risk stratification and early health interventions
Focus on North-East development:
Ministry of Ayush contributed significantly to accelerate the pace of socio-economic development of North-east region through its various schemes, infrastructure development, & various summits and conferences, Ayush Parv and Expo etc. To foster Ayush Infrastructure in the region in the year 2023 following measures were taken:
819 Ayush Health & Wellness Centres have been constructed or sanctioned
Construction of more than 100 Ayush pharmacies has been approved
More than 50 Ayush hospitals have been sanctioned
Financial assistance was provided for the development of educational institutions
First B2B conference under the Shanghai Corporation Organization (SCO) on traditional medicine was organised in Guwahati, Assam. International Expo was organized on the sidelines of the main event, paving the way for International Collaborations and fostering trade ties.
Ayush in International Classification of Disease: Ministry of Ayush supported for inclusion of Ayush Morbidly and standardized codes for inclusion in 2nd Module of Traditional Medicine Chapter of ICD-11.
WHO Collaboration: The Ministry signed a Project Collaboration Agreement with WHO, aiming to propel the formulation of a global strategy, focusing on elevating the standards, quality, safety, and effectiveness of traditional and complementary medicines over the next 5 years.
Leadership to India in AI Talking Group for Traditional Medicine at W.H.O/ITU–Focus Group on AI in Health: Talking Group (TG) for AI for traditional medicine has been formed under Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health (FG-AI4H) at W.H.O/ITU-Focus Group on AI in Health. Ministry of Ayush would lead this work together with other traditional medicine partners.
In summary, 2023 marked a transformative year for the Ministry of Ayush, showcasing its global influence, commitment to traditional medicine, and efforts to enhance healthcare on a national and international scale.
The year 2023 holds special significance for conservation community and for the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, as several conservation milestones were achieved during the current year.
Project Tiger completes 50 years:- The Centrally Sponsored Scheme – Project Tiger that has put the endangered wild tigers of India on assured path of recovery has completed 50 years of successful implementation. A commemorative event “Commemoration of 50 years of Project Tiger” was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in Mysuru, Karnataka on 9th April 2023. The Prime Minister also released the publications – ‘Amrit Kaal Ka Vision For Tiger Conservation’, a summary report of the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves, summary report of All India Tiger Estimation (5th cycle) and declared tiger numbers. He also released a commemorative coin on the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger.
India is now home to more than 70% of world’s wild tigers:- As per the 5th cycle of All India Tiger Estimation 2022 summary report released by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India during Project Tiger’s commemorative event, India has a minimum of 3167 tigers and now is home to more than 70% of wild tiger population of the world. Further data analysis using latest statistical models for camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger presence areas, the upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3925 and the average number is 3682 tigers, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1% per annum. This remarkable conservation feat has been achieved due to the pioneering initiatives undertaken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India in collaboration with State Governments.
Launch of International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA):- During the commemorative program, the Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) for conservation of seven big cats namely Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma that inhabit our planet. The alliance aims to reach out to range countries covering the natural habitats of Tiger, Lion, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar, and Cheetah. IBCA would further strengthen global cooperation and efforts to conserve the wild denizens, especially the big cats.
Amrit Kaal Ka Vision For Tiger Conservation:- Released by the Prime Minister during the commemorative event, the vision plan aims to sustain tigers for posterity while preserving tangible and intangible gains derived from tiger reserves through landscape level planning, sectoral integration and convergence.
Successful reintroduction of cheetah :- Cheetah is the only large carnivore that has been extirpated in India over historical times. A project to bring back Cheetah by way of introduction has been launched. As part of the project, consultative bilateral meetings and negotiations were held with Republic of Namibia and Republic of South Africa. The bilateral negotiations culminated with signing of MoUs with Republic of Namibia and Republic of South Africa on 20th July 2022 and 17th January 2023 respectively. These MoUs facilitate biodiversity conservation with specific focus on conservation and restoration of cheetah in their former range areas from which they went extinct. Following the signing of MoU with Republic of Namibia, a first of batch eight cheetahs have been successfully translocated from Namibia to Kuno National Park and on 17th September 2022, the cheetahs were released into quarantine enclosure by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. Under the provisions of the MoU signed with South Africa,12 Cheetahs (7 males, 5 females) were translocated from South Africa to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India on 18th February 2023. As per the Action Plan, work is under progress at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh for establishing the second home for cheetah meta population. At present there are 15 Cheetah in Kuno including a cub borne on the Indian soil. More cheetahs are to be imported soon for introduction in Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary. Cheetah interpretation centre, training centre, museum, research centre and safari are being planned at Sesaipura near Kuno.
Further, a conservation breeding program of cheetahs in Banni grasslands of Gujarat has also been approved.
Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves:- In order to assess the management effectiveness of tiger reserves, the NTCA has been undertaking “Management Effective Evaluation” (MEE) at an interval of 4 years. Adopted from the framework of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas, Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) has emerged as the most important tool to assist and improve the management perspectives of Tiger Reserves and their associated landscape connectivity. The 5th cycle of MEE was carried out during 2022 for 51 tiger reserves the report was released during the ‘Global Tiger Day Event 2023’ in Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand on 29th July 2023. A total of 12 Tiger Reserves have achieved ‘Excellent ’ category, followed by 21 Tiger Reserves in ‘Very Good’ category, 13 Tiger Reserves in ‘Good ’ category and 5 Tiger Reserves in ‘Fair ’ category.
Reintroduction of tigers :- As a part of active management to rebuild wild tiger population in tiger reserves where tigers became locally extinct recently, the initiative of tiger reintroduction has been undertaken. Under this active management initiative, tigers have been re-introduced in the western part of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve (Uttarakhand), Madhav National Park (Madhya Pradesh), Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve and Ramgarh Vishdhari (Rajasthan). Efforts are on to reintroduce tigers in the Buxa Tiger Reserve soon.
Declaration of new Tiger Reserves:- With declaration of new tiger reserve “Rani Durgavati” in Madhya Pradesh, the total number of tiger reserves in the county has gone up to 54 with more than 78,000 Square KM area and covers more than 2.30% of geographical area of India.
Conservation Assured’ Tiger Standards (CA|TS) accreditation of Tiger Reserves in India:- Conservation Assured) Tiger Standards (CA|TS) is a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation as per the international standards. In the current year, six tiger reserves namely Kali, Melghat, Navegaon – Nagzira, Pilibhit and Periyar have been awarded with CA|TS accreditation. So far a total of 23 tiger reserves of India have received CA|TS accreditation.
Bilateral co-operation with Tiger Range Countries: – For fostering transboundary conservation of tigers across India and Bangladesh in Sundarban landscape, a bilateral meeting was held on 14th February 2023 at Kolkata, West Bengal. For promoting tiger conservation in Cambodia, both India and Cambodia have signed a MoU on “Cooperation in biodiversity conservation and sustainable wildlife management recovery strategy of tiger and its habitat”. As part of bilateral initiative, the Indian delegation visited Cambodia for assessing the field situation and the capacity building requirements for tiger reintroduction initiative in Cambodia.
International award to tiger reserves:- During 2022-23, Pench Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) and Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) jointly and Satpura Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) have been awarded with Tx2 award, which is instituted by a consortium of international organization namely GEF, UNDP, IUCN, WWF and GTF.
Tiger Mortality: There have been reports in the media highlighting the high number of tiger deaths in 2023 in India without considering the context of tiger ecology and the stringent diligence which is exercised by the Government of India in ascertaining the cause of this mortality. Unreliable and unauthentic data from third parties has been highlighted in the media sensationalizing the entire issue. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has a strict protocol to assign a cause to a tiger death, which is treated as unnatural unless the State in question can prove otherwise through submission of necropsy reports, histopathological and forensic assessments, along with photographs and circumstantial evidence. This protocol is outlined in a dedicated Standard Operating Procedure. The reason for these tigers’ deaths can only be determined after a thorough analysis of these documents. These findings are reflected in the website of the NTCA in order to ensure complete transparency and present a true picture of tiger deaths to all audience.
As of December 25, 2023, 177 tiger deaths have occurred in the country and not 202 as has been incorrectly reported. This is predominantly in States which have a robust tiger population and have habitats which are functioning at their carrying capacity. Maharashtra has registered the highest number of deaths at 45 followed by Madhya Pradesh at 40, Uttarakhand at 20, Tamil Nadu at 15 and Kerala at 14. In addition, 54 percent of these have taken place outside tiger reserves. While the average of a tiger in the wild is around 10-12 years, 40 percent of tiger deaths in 2023 are composed of cubs and subadults, age classes which have naturally high mortality rates due to tiger land tenurial dynamics. Of the cases where the cause has been confirmed, the trend is evident with more than 77% being due to natural causes or causes not attributable to poaching.
Wild tigers in India are growing at a healthy rate of 6% per year, which balances the loss of tigers due to various natural causes and maintains tiger population as per the carrying capacity of the habitat. It is important to recognize that natality and mortality are natural occurrences, and that the high annual recruitment, as seen by this robust growth rate, more than offsets the average number of tiger mortalities per year in the nation.
India’s Project Tiger has made tremendous progress in tiger conservation over the past five decades, but challenges like poaching, habitat fragmentation continue to pose threats to tiger conservation. However, NTCA is working relentlessly with Forest Departments of Tiger Range States in protecting the tiger habitats and corridors that are crucial for securing the future of India’s tigers and their ecosystems for generations to come.
Extending the best wishes to the vibrant community of street food vendors from across 28 states, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, inaugurated the National Street Food Festival 2023 here today. This street food festival is being organized by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) from 29 December to 31 December 2023 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
While addressing the event, the Union Minister highlighted the role of Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme in empowerment of street vendors. He said that the PM-SVANidhi scheme, launched during COVID pandemic, has become a beacon of hope for many. Over the past two years, it has disbursed substantial loans, facilitated digital transactions, and even opened doors to food delivery platforms. This has not only provided financial assistance but has also expanded the market reach for our street vendors.
Referring to the achievements of the scheme, the Minister informed that the scheme has benefitted 57.83 lakh street vendors. He said, 80.77 lakh loans have been sanctioned and 76.22 lakh loans worth Rs. 10,058 crores have been disbursed under the scheme. Further he noted that the percentage of women street vendors, who have received loans under the scheme is about 45 % (25.78 lakh) of all loans disbursed. Around 72% of the beneficiaries of PM SVANidhi are from marginalised sections, he noted.
This festival being the first ‘Zero Waste Street Food Festival’ in India, Shri Puri, congratulated the NASVI for conceptualising the programme in alignment with India’s Swachhata movement.
The Minister appreciated NASVI for providing training to 1,50,000 street vendors in food safety and hygiene. He also noted the establishment of two Regional Street Food Vendors Training Institutes (SVTI) which will be launched by NASVI in 2024 in Delhi and Patna. These institutes will not only provide training in culinary skills but will also prioritise food safety and hygiene, he said.
Today, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Electronics and Information Technology, and Jal Shakti, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, conducted a comprehensive review of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) progress in Raghunathpura and Chanduwas villages, Rewari District, Haryana.
Throughout the day, Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar engaged with authorities overseeing the District Water and Sanitation Mission, interacted with members of the Village Water & Sanitation Committee, and visited the homes of several residents. The minister emphasized the significant success of JJM in Haryana, particularly in model villages like Raghunathpura and Chanduwas, which achieved the milestone of 100% water connectivity to all households.
Highlighting the impactful collaboration between the Centre and State Governments, Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar expressed how this collaboration had transformed lives. He commended the people and authorities of Haryana for setting an example of effective governance, showcasing how the Centre and State can work together as a Double Engine for the betterment of the community.
The Minister during his interactions said that, “ PM Narendra Modi ji’s vision of Har Ghar Jal is deeply impacting the lives of Indians. It was wonderful to meet with people of the villages Raghunathpur & Chanduwas in Rewari today and know about their transformation story. For 7 decades, women in these villages endured the drudgery of trekking miles to fetch water for their household needs, standing in long queues for hours every day for a mere drop of water. With Haryana achieving its targets in 2022, this longstanding hardship came to an end in just 3 years. Women now spend more time with their families as they get clean drinking water of prescribed quality. Haryana has set an example of how the Centre and State Govt can work as Double Engine to achieve the unprecedented feat of connecting all rural households with water in just 3 years, something that couldn’t be achieved over decades.”
The Minister also inspected the water works management system in the villages, which efficiently facilitates water supply. Several women from these villages thanked the Narendra Modi Government for solving the persistent water problem that plagued their communities for decades.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, operating with speed and scale, has increased rural tap connection coverage from 3.23 Crore households in August 2019 to an impressive 13 crore in just four years. The relentless efforts of the Union and State governments have also resulted in ensuring tap water supply in 88.73% of schools and 84.69% of Anganwadi centers nationwide.
Embodying the motto of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabka Prayas, the Jal Jeevan Mission is advancing towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6, providing safe and affordable water to all, by delivering safe water through taps to households, schools, anganwadis, and other public institutions in rural areas.
Chintan Shivir under the auspice of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare organized a Chintan Shivir on February 17th and 18th, 2023, in New Delhi. Various discussion groups were formed, each focusing on different aspects of the department for meaningful contemplation. The first day commenced with sessions on yoga and meditation, leading into thoughtful discussions on various departmental topics.
On February 18th, 2023, the Prime Minister addressed an interactive session with employees from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Department of Administrative Reform & Public Grievances (DARPG) and the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW). PM directed department to focus on digital empowerment of pensioners and bringing Government closer to pensioners.
Pre-Retirement Counseling (PRC) Workshop
Under the initiative ‘Sankalp’, the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has been conducting Pre-Retirement Counselling workshops, throughout the country to facilitate officials who are about to retire, in the superannuation process.
The Workshop, held for the benefit of retiring employees of the Government of India, is a revolutionary step in direction of ‘Ease of Living’ of the pensioners. In the workshop, soon to be retiring employees, were provided relevant information related to the retirement benefits and pension sanction process. Department of Pension & Pensioners organized 3 PRCs in the year 2023. Till now, total 52 PRCs have been conducted which benefitted 8922 officials.
ANUBHAV Award 2023
On the directions of the Prime Minister, Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare had launched an online platform entitled ‘Anubhav’ in March 2015 for sharing experiences of retiring government employees while working with the Government. Under Anubhav Awards Scheme, 2023, in addition to Anubhav Awards, it was decided to confer ‘Jury Certificates’ also for the first time, to ensure wider publicity & enhanced participation of the retiring/retired employees. Due to outreach campaign, an all-time high of 1901 write-ups were published by 30 Ministries/Departments with 151 write-ups from the officers having pay level 13 and above. In the ceremony held on 23.10.2023, 04 Anubhav Awards and 09 Jury Certificates were conferred by Dr. Jitendra Singh, MoS (PP).
ANUBHAV Awardee Speak Webinar
A monthly webinar series featuring Anubhav awardees and prominent retired personalities was conducted to motivate the retiring employees and sharing their experiences while working in Government. The series completed its 13th edition in December, 2023 and total 24 speakers from 12 different Ministries/ Departments has participated the audiences. It has been well received by the audiences and retiring employees join the webinar series from more than 500 locations spread across the country.
Monthly Report on CPENGRAMS & BHAVISHYA
The department analyzes the data available on the CPENGRAMS portal on important parameters on monthly basis viz. grievances/appeals- received, redressed, redressal time and pendency. Accordingly, ranking is assigned to the Ministries/Departments. Similarly, the tracking of the PPOs on the Bhavishya portal is done and the data regarding delayed PPOs including the PPOs of the employees who are going to retire in next 15 months is incorporated in the report. This report is sent to all the Secretaries of Government of India for necessary action.
Nationwide Digital Life Certificate Campaign 2.0
The Campaign was held from 1st to 30th November, 2023 at 602 locations of 105 cities across the country in collaboration with 16 Pension Disbursing Banks, Ministries/ Departments, 44 Pensioners’ Welfare Associations, UIDAI, MeitY, PIB and DD News. In November 2023, the campaign generated more than 1.15 Crore DLCs. Face Authentication Technology. launched in November 2021, allows pensioners to submit Digital Life Certificates using Android smartphones, reducing dependence on external devices.
The November 2023 campaign contributed over 1.15 Crore DLCs, with Face Authentication Technique used in more than 19.18 lakhs. Feedback indicates satisfaction and reduced time for DLC generation, enhancing pensioners’ ‘Ease of Living’.
National DLC Portal
A National DLC portal was launched for monitoring of Nationwide DLC Campaign 2.0. 290 nodal officers of all Min/ Depts, Banks and PWAs are registered on this portal.
Out of 70 Lakh Central Government Pensioners, more than 38 lakhs have submitted DLCs, including 9.60 lakhs with Face Authentication. DLC submission is ongoing, with an expected total submission crossing 50 Lakh by March 2024. The campaigns serve as a significant means of spreading information about government initiatives, bringing government and pensioners closer.
CCS (Extra Ordinary Pension) Rules, 2023
Families of Central Government civilian employees who die on account of injury or disease attributable to Government services, are eligible for Extra-ordinary family pension under the CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 2023. Similarly, employees who get disabled due to an injury or disease on account of causes attributable to or aggravated by Government Service are eligible for Disability pension under CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 2023. Department released new CCS EOP rules after 84 years.
All India Pension Adalats
The Department, with a focus on addressing pensioners’ grievances, initiated system of pension Adalats. The first Adalat took place on September 20, 2017, in New Delhi, and the most recent one occurred on October 23, 2023. These adalats offer an additional platform for addressing pension-related grievances, aiming to eliminate the need for recourse to the Court or Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). This approach is expected to save both time and resources for the government in handling legal matters. In 2023, two (2) Pension Adalats were held on 17th May, 2023 and 23rd October, 2023, 603 cases were taken up during the two Pension Adalats in which 440 cases were resolved on the spot.
Bankers’ Awareness Programs
The Department has commenced a series of Bankers’ Awareness Workshops for field functionaries handling pension business at CPPCs and Bank branches with the objective of providing information, about the latest pension Rules/procedure and initiatives taken by DoPPW. The Department organized 02 Bankers’ Awareness Programs with Pension Disbursing Banks in Srinagar with the coordination of State Bank of India on 10-11th July, 2023 and in Lucknow with the coordination of Punjab National Bank on 17-18th August, 2023.
Integrated Pensioners’ Portal (IPP)
The Pensioners’ Portal scheme was evolved to provide updated information on pension and to help bridge the communication gaps between the pensioners and the Government. As per the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) 2021, the BHAVISHYA Portal has been awarded the 3rd Rank among all the Central Government e-Governance Service Delivery Portals. As directed by MoS (PP), the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has developed an “Integrated Pensioners’ Portal” using Bhavishya platform as the base to provide a Common Single Window Portal for pensioners and elder citizens. State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda had already integrated their Pension Portals with the Integrated Pensioners’ Portal. Presently, 4 facilities viz. Monthly Pension Slip, Status of Life Certificate, Submission Form16 of the Pensioner and Due & Drawn Statement of pension arrears paid, are being provided by these Banks.
Meetings with Pensioners’ Welfare Associations
The department has taken steps to reach out to all pensioners through various modes and spread awareness about its initiatives, thus enabling all pensioners to use the benefits designed for them. As part of the outreach program to pensioners, DoPPW has commenced a series of meetings with the registered Pensioners’ Associations, online as well as physically, at regular intervals. Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) conducted 5 meetings in 4 cities i.e., Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Jammu with Pensioners Welfare Associations.
Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) visited Banks’ CPPCs
The Central Pension Processing Centres (CPPC) of banks are the back offices which handle pension processing, commencing with opening of a pension account on receipt of PPOs in physical or electronic form to disbursement of pension. State Bank of India has 18 CPPCs and Punjab National Bank has 10 CPPCs across the country. Department visited State Bank of India & Punjab National Bank CPPCs & review their functioning.
Central Government Pensioners’ Grievances
The Department received more than 78,000 grievances from the Central Government pensioners of 148 Ministries/Departments with a monthly average of 6,500 grievances. Out of these, more than 81% grievances have been filed online through Centralized Pension Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS), a digital initiative for quality and expeditious redressals of Pensioners’ Grievances. The remaining 19% grievances have been filed with the active assistance of Integrated Grievance Cell and Call Centre, operated by DoPPW. Out of these, 72,110 grievances were disposed in 01 year. Due to constant monitoring and follow up, the redressal time has decreased from 36 days in 2018 to 26 days in 2023 with only 0.32% grievances pending for more than 6 months. Also, more than 12,000 appeals have been filed on the portal and more than 11,000 appeals have been disposed of.
Grievance Feedback Unit
The department has constituted Feedback Unit in the month of September, 2023 which has been assigned the task of examining and analyzing the grievances, disposed by various Ministries/Departments including the disposals graded as ‘Poor’ and ‘Average’ by the complainants. It has been given the mandate to re-register the cases in the suitable grievances. Till date 11,524 cases have been examined and re-registration in more than 400 cases has been done. This initiative has benefited numerous pensioners as they have received pensioner benefits.
PUBLICATION OF CIRCULARS
Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare had issued instructions vide OM No. 57/04/2019-P&PW(B) dated 17.02.2020 giving one time option to Central Government employees who were declared successful for recruitment in the results declared on or before 31.12.2003 against vacancies which occurred before 01.01.2004 and were covered under the National Pension System on joining service on or after 01.01.2004, to be covered under the CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972 (now 2021).
Thereafter, instructions have been issued vide OM No. 57/05/2021-P&PW(B) dated 03.03.2023 that in all cases where the Central Government civil employee has been appointed against a post or vacancy which was advertised/notified for recruitment/appointment, prior to the date of notification for National Pension System i.e. 22.12.2003 and are covered under the National Pension System on joining service on or after 01.01.2004, may be given a one-time option to be covered under the CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972 (now 2021).
Central Civil Services (Implementation of NPS) Rules, 2021- Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare had notified CCS (Implementation of NPS) Rules, 2021 to govern the service related matters of Central Government employees covered under NPS. These rules are being updated time to time for ease of implementation by Ministries / Departments.
Significant Scientific & Technical Attainments during the year
CSIR’s HANSA-NG Aircraft Type Certified: India requires large number of pilot trainer aircraft to cater to the needs of the aviation sector. CSIR-NAL has indigenously designed and developed light aircraft Hansa-New Generation (NG) with advance features. Aircraft is Type Certified by the DGCA on 20th February 2023 for DAY-VFR & NIGHT-VFR operations under JAR-VLA. CSIR-NAL has received Letter of Intents (LoI) for procurement of nearly 110 aircrafts from Flying clubs across the country.
CSIR-CIMAP research lowers Nicotine content in Tobacco plant: CSIR-CIMAP has successfully lowered Nicotine content in the Petit Havana Tobacco plant variety by using a genome editing tool and reduced 60-70 per cent Nicotine in it, compared to Nicotine content in wild-type plants. CSIR-CIMAP further plans to lower Nicotine in commercial varieties to help people quit the habit by working on tobacco plant varieties used in cigarettes, cigars, beedi.
First consignment of import substitute Hydrogen Hydrate dispatched: Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, have jointly received patents for the indigenous process to manufacture Hydrazine Hydrate (H6N2O). A commercial plant of 10,000 TPA 80% Hydrazine Hydrate was designed by CSIR-IICT and was established by GACL at their Dahej complex. The first batch of the product was flagged off and was attended by Director, CSIR-IICT, MD-GACL and other officials.
CSIR-NAL launches Q Plane and JALDOST Airboat: In a significant step towards advancing the capabilities of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in India, the CSIR-NAL unveiled the Q Plane – a lightweight all-electric hybrid UAV with vertical-take-off-and-landing capability during the curtain raiser of One Week, One Lab, on 2nd August 2023. Designed for autonomous flight, the UAV has a range of 30 kilometres and endurance of up to 70 minutes. CSIR-NAL’s JALDOST, an airboat that operates on water and removes excess aquatic weed & floating waste from water bodies, was also launched. The JALDOST has a closed airtight pontoon type hull to make it inherently unsinkable. It has a hybrid propulsion system, comprising air propulsion and paddle wheel propulsion. CSIR-NAL has developed two versions of the airboat — JALDOST Mark-1 and an upgraded version JALDOST Mark-2. The JALDOST Mark-2 has been designed on the specifications given by BBMP and can be used to clean lakes in Bengaluru. It was also launched on 2nd August 2023, during the curtain raiser of One Week, One Lab, of CSIR-NAL.
Launch of CSIR’s Indigenous E-Tractor, CSIR Prima ET11: The Minister of State (Independent Charge), Science and Technology and Vice-President, CSIR, Dr. Jitendra Singh, on August 21st, 2023, launched the compact E-Tractor CSIR PRIMA ET11, indigenously designed and developed by CSIR-CMERI to cater to small and marginal farmers of India.
Installation of 10 TPD Biogas plant at Bowenapally Vegetable Market, Hyderabad: With the financial support from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), GoI, CSIR-IICT has installed and operated a 10 ton per day biogas plant at Dr. BR Ambedkar Vegetable Market in Bowenpally where 10 tons of waste is converted to 500 – 600 m3/day of biogas everyday along with liquid digestate that can be used as organic fertilizer. The biogas is used to replace grid power (approx. 400 kWh/day) and LPG consumption (28 – 30 kg/day).
Launch of improved lotus variety ‘Namoh 108′: CSIR-NBRI launched an improved variety of the national flower Lotus with 108 petals called ‘Namoh 108’ on 14th August 2023 during the inaugural of the One Week, One Lab campaign of CSIR-NBRI. The Lotus variety is more weather resilient and can flower from March to December. This lotus was brought by NBRI scientists from Manipur to conduct research on it. This is the first Lotus variety whose genome is completely sequenced. CSIR-NBRI also released apparels made from lotus fibre and perfume ‘Frotus’ developed from Lotus plants in collaboration with FFDC, Kannauj.
Approval for Clinical Trials of Oral Contraceptive Pill ‘Levormeloxifene’: The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the clinical trials of an oral contraceptive pill ‘Levormeloxifene’ jointly developed by CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) and the technology partner.
Technology to Produce Vegan Leather: CSIR-CLRI’s developed technology is used to produce eco-friendly vegan alternative to synthetic leather using mango fruits. India produces 20 million tons of mango a year, making it the world’s largest producer of mango. In India up to 40% of mangoes are abandoned in the fields because they do not meet regulatory and market standards, so they can be used to produce alternative material to leather. The new material is made of 50% mango and degrades faster than polyurethane leather.
CSIR-NGRI does a drone survey at Ladakh: CSIR-NGRI successfully conducted a drone based magnetic survey in the Ladakh region in September 2022 for the first time for an area of about 45 sq.km and the data is currently being analysed by the scientists at CSIR-NGRI. The institute has used a five kilo payload capacity drone carrying an important sensor to record the data for sub-surface level area.
CSIR’s first battery recycling pilot facility commissioned in Jamshedpur: The CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) has commissioned the first Battery Recycling Pilot Facility of the CSIR at Jamshedpur to extract critical metals such as Lithium, Nickel, Manganese and Cobalt. It encompasses 1 Ton per day (TPD) battery dismantling and cathode material separation setup, apart from the integrated large-scale hydrometallurgical facility for extraction and separation of those critical metals.
CSIR-NIO discover active submarine volcano in Andaman Sea: CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has discovered an active submarine volcano (Crater Seamount) in the Andaman Sea, which has been at the epicentre of the seismic zone since it was first observed in 2007. Crater Seamount has the potential to erupt at any time leading to earthquakes and even tsunamis in the Java-Sumatra region. The timing of the eruption, however, cannot be ascertained.
Research on ongoing declines for the world’s amphibians: A groundbreaking paper published in Nature on 4th October 2023 reveals climate change as a major driver of amphibian decline. Climate change was the primary threat for 39% of species pushed toward extinction since 2004. Scientist from CSIR-CCMB was a part of this global study.
CSIR-NAL hands over AMCA’s carbon composite flaperon test box to ADA: The CSIR-NAL in collaboration with Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), has successfully designed and developed a cutting-edge Flaperon Structural Assembly for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program, India’s to-be 5th generation stealth fighter jet, achieving a breakthrough in composite technologies. CSIR-NAL handed over the jointly developed IM7 carbon composite based flaperons for the AMCA Project to ADA. This milestone was marked by the completion of the AMCA’s Flaperon Test Box Assembly on October 5, 2023, a significant day for the Indian aerospace industry. The assembly has been officially handed over, symbolising a milestone in this collaborative effort.
A new multi-component alloy-based catalyst designed for efficient production of Green Hydrogen: A newly designed catalyst consisting of an alloy of cobalt, manganese, and tin is more stable and can produce hydrogen through electrolysis of water more efficiently than the individual metals or binary (Co-Mn, Mn-Sn or Co-Sn) alloys. Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bangalore, and the National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune, have developed a promising catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), a crucial step in water electrolysis for producing hydrogen. This newly designed catalyst, a mixture of Cobalt, Manganese, and Tin known as Co-Mn-Sn alloy, has shown better efficiency and stability in generating hydrogen as compared to the individual metals or binary (Co-Mn, Mn-Sn or Co-Sn) alloys. The presence of Manganese and Tin in the alloy played a synergistic role in boosting its performance. As the Co-Mn-Sn alloy does not contain any platinum group metal it offers exciting prospects.
Indian sign language brings hope for deaf students aspiring to learn STEM subjects: To give wings to the dreams of deaf science aspirants, the Central Government has got onboard scientists and deaf special education experts to train sign language interpreters and create signs on terms and concepts on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) for enabling higher education in the Indian Sign Language (ISL). Showing the way forward is the first of its kind project in the country ‘Indian Sign Language Enabled Virtual Laboratory’ (ISLEVL) under the CSIR’s ‘JIGYASA’ programme under which experts are creating specialised digital content to educate the deaf by ISL translated contents in STEM. 103 new signs and 200 content videos on scientific concepts have been developed by CSIR-IMTech team, with the assistance of deaf special education experts.
Tapping the underwater fish chorus symphony, with help of AI: CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, has, for the first time, recorded the captivating sounds of marine life with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Recent passive acoustic recordings by the CSIR-NIO have uncovered a veritable “symphony” of sounds produced by fish, shedding light on their complex underwater communication.
Major International and National Events
‘One Week, One Lab’ campaign of CSIR: The ‘One Week, One Lab’ (OWOL) campaign of CSIR was launched by the Minister of State (I/C) S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh, on January 6th, 2023, to showcase the diverse legacies, exclusive innovations and technological breakthroughs of the network of 37 CSIR labs situated across the Nation, working in diversified domains of S&T.Dr N Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR & DG, CSIR, called the campaign, a celebration of Science & Technologies for CSIR labs and new initiative in the Amrit Kaal, to leverage the technologies of CSIR. CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee was the first lab to organise the OWOL campaign. Almost every week after that the campaign was organised by other CSIR laboratories and was concluded with CSIR-NAL, Bengaluru. The OWOL Campaign of CSIR culminated on 26th September 2023 during the Foundation Day Celebrations of CSIR.
CSIR participates in 108th Indian Science Congress (ISC): CSIR and its laboratories participated in the ‘Pride of India Mega Expo’ in 108th Indian Science Congress – 2023 organised at RTMNU, Nagpur, Maharashtra, during January 3-7, 2023. The Expo was inaugurated by the Minister of State (I/C) S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh, along with Deputy CM, Maharashtra, Shri Devender Fadnavis. The Secretary DSIR & DG, CSIR, Dr N Kalaiselvi, visited CSIR Pavilion at the ‘Pride of India Mega Expo’ and interacted with delegates, students, start-ups and beneficiaries. CSIR bagged the ‘Best Exhibitor of the Year’ Award at ISC 2023.
CSIR commemorates the International Year of Millets: CSIR-CFTRI organised an exclusive event, “CSIR Innovations on Millets” commemorating the International Year of Millets on January 10th, 2023. The event was inaugurated by the Minister of State (I/C) S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh. He said that the United Nations declared 2023 as the “International Year of Millets” at the initiative of the Indian Government last year and was backed by 72 other countries. An exhibition on millet products and a Desktop Calendar 2023 on millets was also released as part of the celebrations of “International Year of Millets-2023”. The Exhibition had a display of products and technologies developed in CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru, CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapurm and CSIR-IHBT, Palampur, and showcased the capabilities of CSIR laboratories in Millets R&D and reach out to various stakeholders on the institute’s Millet-based Technologies at national Level.
CSIR participates in IISF 2022: CSIR and its laboratories participated in the ‘Mega Science & Technology Expo’ of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2022, held at Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh during January 21-24, 2023. The Mega S&T Expo was inaugurated by the Minister of State (I/C) S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh, along with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the Minister S&T of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Om Prakash Saklecha. The Ministers alongwith Dr N Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR & DG, CSIR visited CSIR Pavilion at the ‘Mega S&T Expo’. CSIR Pavilion won the ‘Best Pavilion in the Expo’ Award at the Mega S&T Expo of IISF 2022. Other programs organised by CSIR Labs during IISF 2022 were “Vigyanika – Science Literature Festival” by CSIR-NIScPR, “Artisan’s Technology Village-Vocal for Local” by CSIR-AMPRI and “Science through the Games and Toys” by CSIR–4PI.
Young Start-Up Conclave organised by CSIR at Kathua, J&K: The Minister S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh on 28th January 2023, unveiled the Young Start-Up Conclave at Kathua, J&K organised by CSIR. The conclave witnessed the presence of renowned entrepreneurs, industry leaders, academicians, representatives of leading venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators. During the conclave, the local progressive farmers also shared their success stories and experience and expressed gratitude to CSIR for making it possible through proper hand holding and considerable support in their endeavours.
Kisan Mela organised in Lucknow: CSIR-CIMAP, as a part of the One Week, One Lab campaign, organised a Kisan Mela during 31st January 2023 till 4th February 2023. Shri Surya Pratap Shahi, Cabinet Minister, Govt of UP inaugurated the CIMAP Kissan Mela and addressed the farmers, entrepreneurs and staff of the institute. More than 3,000 farmers and entrepreneurs participated in the mela. During the Kisan Mela “Aus Gyanya”, UV protection herbal product ‘CIM-Kayakawach’, handbook of alternative cultivation of mentha and QR-code for information on MAPs varieties were released. A farmers meet and awareness programme was also conducted at CSIR-CIMAP Research Centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad on 2nd February 2023.
CSIR organises G20 RIIG Conference on Materials for Sustainable Energy: CSIR organized the Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Conference on “Materials for Sustainable Energy” during 2-3 March, 2023 at Ranchi under India’s G20 Presidency. Various facets of ‘Materials for Sustainable Energy’ were discussed under three sessions, viz., (i) 21st Century Challenges Related to Energy Materials & Devices, (ii) Solar Energy Utilisation and Photovoltaic Technology, and (iii) Materials and Processes for Green Energy. Leading experts were drawn from institutions such as IITs, IISERs, CSIR Labs; industries; think tanks including NITI Aayog; and Indian Energy Storage Alliance. Twenty foreign delegates from ten G20 member countries, six invited guest countries and an international organisation joined the two-day conference. From India, 38 delegates and special invitees from scientific departments, research and academic institutions and industry participated in the RIIG Conference.
International Women’s Day celebrations at CSIR: The CSIR family celebrated International Women’s Day on March 9th, 2023, to honour the Pride of Women in CSIR contributing directly or indirectly in the progress of science & society. The celebration had Mrs Manju Singh, an educationist and Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (I/C) S&T, gracing the occasion as the Chief Guests. Ms Nivruti Rai, VP, Intel Foundry Services, Intel Corporation & Country Head, Intel India, joined as the Guest of Honour and delivered a special talk on “Breaking Barrier: Advancing Women in Science & Technology”. The celebration was also graced by the presence of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Govt. of India, Prof A. K. Sood and Dr M. Ravichandran, Secretary, MoES & Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, DBT, too joined together with their families. Directors of CSIR laboratories and Heads of CSIR Headquarter Directorates along with their spouses; and many CSIR staffs joined physically as well as online for the celebration.
CSIR YUVA Portal Launched: To contribute in the Digital India Initiative of the government of India, CSIR launched YUVA (Yuva Vaigyanik Anveshan) Portal for inviting online applications from young postgraduates and doctorates researchers on 17th April 2023. The YUVA portal will digitally empower the young researchers who will contribute in the scientific, technological development and knowledge economy of the country in the near future.
CSIR participated in the National Technology Week 2023 celebrations: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 11th May 2023 inaugurated the five-day National Technology Week celebrations jointly observed by all Science Ministries and Departments in New Delhi. CSIR showcased its technologies and innovations in the exhibition. Expert talks by CSIR leaders were also organised during the event.
Lavender Festival in Bhaderwah, J&K: UnionMinister of State (I/C) S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh on 4th June 2023 inaugurated the two-day Lavender festival organised at Bhaderwah in Jammu, as part of One Week, One Lab campaign of CSIR-IIIM, Jammu. The Lavender festival involved hundreds of farmers, agri-industrialists, entrepreneurs etc. The farmer -industry meet, Agri-startup expo and cultural programme were the significant highlights of the festival.
Rashtriya Boudhik Sampada Mahotsav: Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) & Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) along with the partners Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), O/o Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA), National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) and Sanrachna Foundation launched a month-long celebrations of Rashtriya Boudhik Sampada Mahotshav (RBSM) – National Intellectual Property Festival from 1st July 2023 to 31st July 2023. The campaign was launched by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (I/C), S&T and Chairman, National Implementation Committee (NIC) at CSIR-NPL, New Delhi on 30th June 2023. CSIR through its 37 constituent laboratories, conducted 184 events all across the country with more than 1,25,000 participants during the campaign. CSIR-IMMT, Bhubaneshwar and CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi flagged off “CSIR- IP Rath” for disseminating IP knowledge to greater masses.
Pushp Krishi Mela organised under CSIR Floriculture Mission II: CSIR-IHBT organised “Pushp Krishi Mela” under CSIR Floriculture Mission II on 10th August, 2023 at DIHAR, DRDO, Leh. It was inaugurated by Lt. Governor Brig. (Dr.) B. D. Mishra (Retd.). Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh, Advocate Tashi Gyalson, Member of Parliament, Ladakh, Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Shri Ravinder Kumar (IAS), Secretary Agriculture/Horticulture UT Ladakh and Dr. O.P Chaurasia, Director, DIHAR, DRDO, Leh, Ladakh were present as Guest of Honour.
Mega Exhibition on CSIR Decadal Achievements: On the occasion of the 82nd Foundation Day of CSIR, a two-day event to showcase the decadal achievements of CSIR was organized at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, on 26 & 27 September 2023. The exhibition was inaugurated by Minister S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh. All 37 CSIR laboratories participated in the exhibition and displayed their achievements through posters, exhibits, products, prototypes, etc. At the event’s backdrop, a CSIR-Industry Meet was organized and attended by the industry partners of various laboratories of CSIR.
Flag Off of “Recycling on Wheels Smart-ER” to Promote Cleanliness and Environmental Responsibility under Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) campaign: In alignment with the Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) campaign, celebrated from September 15th to October 2nd 2023, Minister S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the “Recycling on Wheels Smart-ER” at CSIR Headquarters in New Delhi on October 2nd 2023. Dr Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, addressing during the inauguration of the Special Campaign 3.0 for institutionalizing Swachhata said that all the 37 CSIR labs across the country are engaged with both physical cleaning and e-cleaning that is processing and weeding out of obsolete files.
Director General, WIPO visits CSIR-Traditional Knowledge Digital Library: Mr. Daren Tang, Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other distinguished delegates from the WIPO visited the CSIR-Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) facility on 12 October 2023 and participated in discussions on the CSIR Innovation System, TKDL, CSIR Technologies, and CSIR’s Current IP Strength & Strategy. The CSIR team was led by Dr. (Mrs.) N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR and Director General, CSIR. The distinguished guests included Prof. Unnat P. Pandit, Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM), and representatives from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the office of the CGPDTM, and Ministry of AYUSH.
CSIR innovation showcase in World Food India 2023: The World Food India 2023 event, organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industry, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from November 3-5, 2023, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The CSIR pavilion at World Food India-2023 expo was inaugurated by Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, the Director General, CSIR, and Secretary, DSIR, New Delhi in the presence of three CSIR constituent laboratories’ Directors, Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru; Dr. Sudesh Kumar Yadav, Director, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur (HP); and Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan, Director, CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram, and scientists from the labs and the CSIR Headquarters. The CSIR labs, CFTRI, IHBT and NIIST participated in the World Food India event and showcased their scientific innovations in food sector.
Union S&T Minister addresses the 7th Convocation of AcSIR: From the educated unemployed of the past, we are now seeking to move on into an era of educated employable Science entrepreneurs with the introduction of i-PhD which would in other words be an Industry linked degree in PhD. Addressing the 7th Convocation of Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) in New Delhi on November 9th, 2023, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said, this Academy is a unique academic platform which awards a Degree in Science that is employable and includes a curriculum underlined by the nuances of entrepreneurship.
CSIR-CBRI organised Technology Transfer Mela:CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, organized a Technology Transfer Mela on 24th November 2023 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The Mela was inaugurated by Minister S&T and VP, CSIR, Dr. Jitendra Singh. A Technology Compendium was also released on this occasion.
CSIR participates in Global Bio-India 2023: CSIR laboratories participated in the Global Bio-India 2023 organised by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), in collaboration Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), during 4-6 December 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and showcased their innovations and developments in the fields of bio-technologies and biosciences.
International Food Convention in Mysuru:The 9th International Food Convention (IFCoN-2023) got off to a start on 7th December 2023 with food scientists and technologists from across the country and also abroad attending the four-day mega event – organised once in five years by the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) with the collaboration of Central research institutions. This year’s theme of the convention is “TRIMSAFE – Technology Re-engineering for Innovation and Mitigating the risk for a Safe, sustainable, Affordable and secure Food Eco-system”. The CSIR-CFTRI, DRDO-DFRL, and CSIR-IITR supported the AFSTI in organising the convention.
MoUs signing and collaborations
MoU signing between CSIR, India and AMEXCID, Mexico on research, technology and innovation collaborations: In a landmark milestone in S&T Cooperation between India and Mexico, an MoU on Research, Technology & Innovation cooperation was signed between CSIR, India and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States on March 4th, 2023. The MoU shall facilitate cooperation in the areas of research, technological development/deployment, innovation and capacity building, with an objective to expand knowledge and strengthen Intuitional capacities in both the countries.
Multi-Sectoral Agreement signed between CSIR and DDR&D, Israel: A Multi-Sectoral Agreement was signed between CSIR and Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), Ministry of Defense of the State of Israel, in the august presence of Minister S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh at the CSIR-Science Centre on 2nd May 2023. The MoU has been signed on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation with focus on several key technology areas.
Exchange of CSIR-DAAD Agreement of Cooperation: A German delegation headed by Dr. Michael Harms, Deputy Secretary General, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Federal Republic of Germany visited CSIR for exchange of CSIR-DAAD Agreement of Cooperation as for exploring collaboration discussions with AcSIR.
CSIR signs MoU with HQIDS: An MoU between the Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff (HQIDS) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was signed on 23rd November 2023 for technical collaboration and joint research and development in the field of Defence Technology. The MoU aims to provide an umbrella framework for initiating collaborative interaction between CSIR Labs, HQ IDS and Armed Forces, namely Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, for enhancing scientific understanding of technologies related to defence and undertaking joint research and development in dual use technologies.
CSIR-CDRI and pharma firm Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd tie-up for generic meds: CSIR- Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Hyderabad, signed an agreement for the development of cost-effective generic medicine with an aim to develop cost-effective and industrially viable processes for selected generic drugs.
Awards and Accolades
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes presented: The Union Minister S&T, Dr Jitendra Singh on 26th September 2023, presented the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar National Awards to eminent Scientists below the age of 45, at a largely attended 82nd Foundation Day Celebrations Function of CSIR at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
CSIR-AMPRI Awarded with CII 3R Awards 2023: The CSIR-AMPRI won the Confederation of Indian Industry – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (CII 3R) Awards 2023. The Award has been conferred for the institute’s excellence in managing wastes through innovative solutions/technologies.
PETA India announces Vegan Fashion Awards 2023: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India, announced the winners of its 2023 Vegan Fashion Awards. Best Vegan Fashion Moment awarded to CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, for developing technology to make vegan leather products using mango pulp. Best Innovation in Textiles awarded to CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, for developing vegan leather from agricultural waste, including mango and pineapple peels, cactus, rice straw, and vetiver grass.
The steel sector plays a pivotal role in crucial sectors such as construction, infrastructure, automobile, engineering and defence. Over the years, the steel sector has witnessed tremendous growth and India has emerged as a global force in steel production and the 2nd largest producer of steel in the world.
Production and Consumption
The production performance of the steel sector during the first eight months of the current fiscal year (April – November 2023) has been quite promising. The domestic finished steel production stood at 89.711 million tonnes against 78.498 million tonnes during the corresponding period last year (CPLY) which is 14.3% higher than CPLY. The domestic steel consumption stood at 87.066 million tonnes, which is 14.9% higher than CPLY of 75.765 million tonnes. Domestic crude steel production was 94.114 million tonnes, with a growth of 14.7 % when compared to the production of 82.072 million tonnes in the same period last year.
Import and Export
During April – November 2023, finished steel imports increased from 3.751 million tonnes last year to 4.253 million tonnes in the current year, witnessing a growth of 13.4%.
A. Recent initiatives for growth of steel sector:
(I) Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme:Government has approved inclusion of ‘Specialty Steel’ under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, with a 5-year financial outlay of ₹6322 crore to promote the manufacturing of ‘Specialty Steel’ within the country by attracting capital investment and promote technology up-gradation in the steel sector. On 17.03.2023, Government had signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 27 companies covering 57 applications for categories under the PLI Scheme.
The performance and outcomes of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the steel sector as of Q2, i.e., September 2023 for FY 2023-24 is given below:
Committed investment(₹ Crore)
Actual Investment till Q2 2023-24 (₹ Crore)
Committed productionfor FY 2023-24 (000 tonne)
Actual production till Q2 2023-24(000 tonne)
Employment generation till Q2 2023-24(Nos.)
Budgeted incentive outlay(₹ Crore)
Actual incentive disbursed(₹ Crore)
29531
10730
935
Nil
3785
6332
Nil*
*(Incentive to be disbursed from FY 2024-25 onwards)
(II) Nagarnar Integrated Steel Plant
NMDC’s 3 MTPA capacity Greenfield integrated steel plant has been set up at Nagarnar, located 16 km from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh state. The decision to construct the Nagarnar Integrated Steel Plant was taken keeping in view the linkage with iron ore reserves and availability of investible surplus. The plant became functional on August 24, 2023 and has started production of Hot Rolled (HR) coil as final product.
(III) Green Steel Making
In line with India’s commitments towards net-zero emissions, as enunciated in COP-26, the Ministry of Steel has taken various steps towards decarbonization of the steel sector.
Ministry of Steel constituted 13 Task Forces with the engagement of industry, academia, think tanks, S&T bodies, different Ministries and other stakeholders to discuss, deliberate and recommend upon different levers of decarbonisation of steel sector.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced a National Green Mission for green hydrogen production and usage. The steel sector has also been made a stakeholder in the mission.
The steel sector has adopted the Best Available Technologies (BAT) available globally, in the modernization & expansions projects.
(IV) Ministry of Steel’s Engagement with PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan
The Ministry of Steel has integrated BISAG-N’s capabilities into the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, uploading geolocations of more than 2000 steel units to gain insights into steel production facilities. This information will aid in planning railway line extension, inland waterways, highways, ports, and gas pipeline connectivity.
The Ministry has also mapped data of iron ore, manganese ore mines and Iron Ore Slurry Pipelines, allowing for better visibility and management of critical raw material sources. The Ministry has identified 22 key infrastructure deficiencies that need to be addressed in collaboration with other ministries for comprehensive and integrated infrastructure development. In addition, the Ministry of Steel has also onboarded Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) members on PM Gati Shakti-National Master Plan.
The Ministry of Steel has been mandated to create Sectoral Plans for Efficient Logistics (SPEL) in line with the National Logistics Policy of 2022. The initial draft Sectoral Plan for Efficient logistics plan (SPEL) was circulated among major steel producers and associations and it was made available in public domain, ensuring a well-informed strategy. The suggestions received from stakeholders are being examined, and the finalized SPEL will be submitted to the Empowered Group of Secretaries through the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
(V) Steel Scrap Recycling Policy
The Steel Scrap Recycling Policy (SSRP) has been notified in 2019 which provides a framework to facilitate and promote establishment of metal scrapping centres in the country for scientific processing and recycling of ferrous scrap generated from various sources including end of life vehicles (ELVs).
Towards this end, MSTC Limited, a CPSE under Ministry of Steel, in Joint Venture (JV) with Mahindra Accelo, has set up MSTC Mahindra Recycling Private Limited (MMRPL). Till date, the JV has established eight (8) Vehicle Scrapping Centres at Greater NOIDA (NCR), Chennai, Pune, Indore, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bengaluru.
MSTC has also been entrusted to auction Government vehicles older than 15 years on the portal developed by the Company.
(VI) Facilitation of National Infrastructure Pipeline Projects:
Ministry of Steel has been proactively taking up issues related to National Infrastructure Pipeline projects of steel companies with concerned Central/State Government, Ministries/Departments.
(VII) Steel Usage
The Government has formulated the National Steel Policy 2017, which lays down the broad roadmap for encouraging long term growth for the Indian steel industry, both on demand and supply sides, by 2030-31. Government’s push for infrastructure development through Gati-Shakti Master Plan, ‘Make-in-India’ initiative for manufacturing sector and other flagship schemes of the Government would provide impetus to the demand and consumption of steel in the country. Steps taken in this regard includes:
Ministry of Steel has set up a committee of experts from Industry and Technical Institutions (IITs/NITs) for development of steel intensive designs for construction of houses and long span road bridges for fostering steel usage in the Housing and Construction sector.
M/o Steel has also formed a committee of experts from INSDAG, IITs, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and industry experts for development of designs for long span (30m, 35m, and 40m) steel based Bridges. The design for 30m has been approved and sent to MoRTH for adoption.
M/o Steel has taken up with BIS for development of Codes for steel intensive construction. BIS has informed that a committee having members from steel industry has been formed and the development of codes is in advanced stages.
To promote availability of specialty steels for domestic consumption, the Government has also notified Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Specialty Steel to promote the manufacturing of specialty steel within the country.
(VIII) R&D through Government Budget
Ministry of Steel seeks R&D Project proposals in joint collaborative mode from reputed Academic Institutions, Research Laboratories and Steel Companies for pursuing R&D projects for development of new alternate processes & technologies to address the burning issues faced by the Iron & Steel Sector such as climate change (green steel production, H2 based steel production, CCUS etc.), waste utilization, resource efficiency, etc. for providing financial assistance under the R&D Scheme “Promotion of Research & Development in Iron & Steel Sector”.
Industrial participation, both in terms of collaboration and financial contribution, is mandatory for the R&D proposals to be considered for funding under the R&D Scheme.
During the FY 2023, a total of 4 R&D projects have been approved with a total cost of ₹360.48 lakhs with financial assistance of ₹239.63 lakhs from the Government budget. Additionally, there are currently 14 ongoing R&D projects of the Ministry of Steel.
(IX) Steel and Steel products (Quality Control) Order
Ministry of Steel has introduced Steel Quality Control Order, thereby banning sub-standard/ defective steel products both from domestic & imports to ensure the availability of quality steel to the industry, users and public at large. As per the Order, it is ensured that only quality steel conforming to the relevant BIS standards are made available to the end users.
As on date, 145 Indian Standards have been notified under the Quality Control Order covering carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel. In addition, goods & articles made up of steel such as stainless steel pipe & tubes, laminations/ cores of transformers, products of tin plate & tin free steel etc. have also been notified to prevent circumvention of the Steel Quality Control Order.
(X) Safety in the Iron & Steel Sector: Formulation of Safety Guidelines for Iron & Steel Sector
After extensive consultations with stakeholders, academia etc, a set of 25 common minimum Safety Guidelines for the Iron & Steel Sector was formulated. These Safety Guidelines are at par with the global standards and are compliant with the requirements of the ILO Code of practice on safety in the Iron & Steel industry. Inputs have also been taken from the World Steel Association’s guidance document on “Safety & Health Principles and Definitions”.
The stakeholders from the Indian steel Industry and its associations have been urged to adopt these guidelines wholeheartedly, to ensure a safe working environment for the workforce. Ministry of Labour & Employment has also been requested to facilitate mandatory adoption of the Safety Guidelines by the Iron & Steel Industry.
B.Other highlights:
(I) NATIONAL METALLURGIST AWARDS
The National Metallurgist Award 2022 is a prestigious award given by the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, to recognize the outstanding contributions of metallurgists in the iron and steel sector. The award is given in five categories: Lifetime Achievement, National Metallurgist, Young Metallurgist (Environment), Young Metallurgist (Metal Science), and R&D in Iron & Steel Sector. The award ceremony was held on November 22, 2023, and the winners were:
Dr Kamachi Mudali Uthandi – Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr Debashish Bhattacharjee – National Metallurgist Award
Dr Rameshwar Sah – R&D in Iron & Steel Sector
Dr Niloy Kundu – Young Metallurgist (Environment) Award
Agilan Muthumanickam – Young Metallurgist (Metal Science) Award
(II) CAPEX by CPSEs under Ministry of Steel:
During FY 2022-23, Steel CPSEs had a target of ₹11,590.46 crores (RE) against which the CPSEs achieved a CAPEX of ₹10,525.84 crores. The CAPEX in FY 2022-23 was the highest achieved by Steel CPSEs in the past five years.
The CAPEX target for FY 2023-24 is ₹10,300.85 crores (BE). Against this BE target, Steel CPSEs have achieved a CAPEX of ₹5414.51 crores till November, 2023 (52.6%). The CAPEX progress is being monitored regularly and the CPSEs have been advised to ensure timely completion of projects and to achieve the physical and financial milestones.
(III) Government e-Marketplace (GeM): Procurement of goods and services through GeM by Steel CPSEs has increased over the year with the value of orders during April-November, 2023 being 20.8% higher over CPLY. Total procurement made between April-November 2023 stands at ₹10,126.90 crore.
(IV) MSME Payments: The status of pending payments to MSMEs by CPSEs of the Steel Ministry is being monitored on a weekly basis to ensure that the same may be credited timely. During the current fiscal year April 2023 to November 2023, 98% of MSMEs payments have been made within 45 days. During the aforesaid period Steel’s CPSEs have made a payment of ₹4977.82 crore to MSMEs which is approx 5% higher than the payment of ₹4747.53 crore made during the corresponding period of last year.
(V) Mission Recruitment: A dedicated online portal viz. “Vacancy Status Portal” has been put in place by DoPT for reporting and monitoring the progress in filling up the vacancies. Steel CPSEs have taken action to fulfill vacancies expeditiously. Under the Mission, 1389 direct recruitments have been made by Steel CPSEs mainly SAIL, NMDC, KIOCL, MOIL and MECON in 2023.
(VI) Swachhata campaign: Ministry of Steel along with 7 CPSEs viz. SAIL, RINL, NMDC, MOIL, MECON, KIOCL and MSTC under the Ministry, actively participated in the ‘Special campaign for Disposal of Pending matters’ (SCDPM3.0), held from 2nd October 2023 to 31st October 2023. During the campaign, 2,34,915 sq. ft of space have been freed up by the Ministry of Steel and its CPSEs from the disposal of metallic and non-metallic scrap, paper and e-waste etc. 19432 physical files have been weeded out and 12207 e-files have been closed during campaign period. In addition, several pending PG appeals/PG grievances, MPs references etc were settled. Further, 261 Swachhta campaigns were carried out by the Ministry and its CPSEs.
(VII) Chintan Shivir: Ministry of steel organised 2 Chintan Shivir in this year on 17th February, 2023 and on 15th December, 2023. During the 1st Chintan Shivir held on 17.2.2023, deliberations were held on Raw material issues of Steel sector and Circular economy in steel sector, besides a session on soft skill and team building. The 2nd Chintan Shivir of the year 2023 was held on 15.12.2023 and topics of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): Impact on Steel sector and Use of Emerging Technology –AI in steel sector were discussed.
(VIII) Meeting of Consultative Committee for Ministry of Steel:In Year 2023, four meeting of Consultative Committee for Ministry of Steel held under the chairmanship of Minister of Steel. In the first meeting of the year 2023 held on 6.3.2023, discussions were held on Secondary Steel Clusters. Further meetings were held on 28.4.2023 on ‘Logistics: Steel Sector’, 24.7.2023 on Status of Mutation, Digitisation and Encroachment on land parcel of CPSEs, and 23.11.2023 on ‘Branding of Indian steel’.
(IX)Steel Minister’s Advisory Group
Two advisory groups have been constituted namely Advisory Group of the Ministry of Steel for Integrated Steel Plants (ISPs) and Secondary Steel Industry (SSI) under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia. The advisory groups aim at identifying common issues being faced by the Industry and finding a way for their resolution with active participation from the Ministry. Meetings, at regular intervals are being held for both advisory groups. In this year, two meetings of the advisory group for ISPs and two meetings of the SSIs have been held.
Since 2014 the Government of India has intensified its efforts to support the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the best manner possible to ensure that the basic objectives of the Panchayati Raj are achieved in true letter and spirit. The country has witnessed a quantum leap in the allocation of fiscal resources to Panchayati Raj Institutions to support various infrastructure requirements and developmental activities in rural areas. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been taking several initiatives for strengthening and empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions, increasing the capacity of representatives of PRIs to fulfill their roles and responsibilities and improving the efficiency, transparency of functioning and accountability of PRIs to contribute towards inclusive development, economic growth and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The details of important activities carried out and progress made during the year 2023 are as follows:
1. SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas)
1.1 SVAMITVA Scheme was launched by the Prime Minister on National Panchayati Raj Day, 24th April 2020 with a resolve to enable economic progress of Rural India by providing “Record of Rights” to every rural household owner. The scheme aims to demarcate inhabited (Abadi) land in rural areas through the latest surveying drone-technology, is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Revenue Departments, State Panchayati Raj Departments and Survey of India. The scheme covers multifarious aspects viz. facilitating monetisation of properties and enabling bank loan; reducing property related disputes; comprehensive village level planning, assuring the rural local government a good source of revenue would be the stepping-stone towards achieving Gram Swaraj in true sense and making rural India Atmanirbhar. The duration of implementation of the scheme is 2020-21 to 2024-25.
1.2 Achievements under the Scheme during the year 2023
As on December 2023, drone flying has been completed in 2.89 lakh villages.
Drone flying has been saturated in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Delhi and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Scheme has been saturated in Haryana, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, Goa, Andaman, and Nicobar Islands.
About 1.63 crore property cards have been prepared for 1.06 lakh villages.
As per Memorandum of Understanding between Survey of India and States/UTs, the scheme coverage is as below:
1.3 Only pilot villages covered in Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The States where the scheme has not been implemented include Bihar, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and West Bengal. Assam and Odisha – Only unmapped villages to be covered.
1.4.A Round Table discussion on the Bankability of SVAMITVA property cards was held at Bankers Institute of Rural Development (BIRD), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in August 2023.
1.5 A training was held on 15 – 16th October 2023 at National Remote sensing Centre (ISRO) Training & Research Institute, Hyderabad, followed by the Geosmart India Conference on 17 – 19th October 2023 at HICC, Hyderabad with collaborative efforts of Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Geospatial World. The Agenda of the Conference focused on knowledge sharing, showcasing various technological interventions, impact assessment and possible solutions for land and property management.
1.6. Awards and Recognition
National Awards for e-Governance 2023: SVAMITVA Scheme won Gold Prize in use of Emerging Technology for providing citizen centric services organized by DARPG at Indore, Madhya Pradesh in October 2023.
SVAMITVA Scheme also conferred with Gold award for Innovative Use of Technology in e-Governance for Digital Transformation at Digitech Conclave 2023 organized at Goa in August 2023.
1.7. Endorsement by the Prime Minister
Prime Minister distributed 35 lakh property cards prepared under SVAMITVA Scheme on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April 2023 held at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the scheme during India Today conclave 2023
2. Capacity Building & Training (CB&T)
2.1 The Capacity Building and Training (CB&T) of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) has been one of the major activities of MoPR. The Ministry has been providing programmatic, technical and institutional support for strengthening of PRIs.
2.2 The Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) was implemented during 2018-19 to 2021-22. The scheme was revamped further for implementation during 2022-23 and 2025-26 at a total cost of Rs.5911 crore including Central Share of Rs.3700 crore and State share of Rs.2211 crore.
2.3 Achievements under the scheme of RGSA:
During 2018-19 to 2021-22, 1.43 crore participants comprising elected representatives of the PRIs and their functionaries and other stakeholders of Panchayats, provided trainings.
During 2022-23, 43,36,584 participants were trained.
During the current year as on 28.12.2023, 17,96,410 participants have been trained.
20th December, 2023 uploaded on Training Management portal
3. Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs):
3.1 Ministry has adopted 9 thematic approach for LSDGs leveraging wide network of third tier of Government including Traditional Bodies of non-part IX areas. The goals on these themes to be attained by 2030 in graduated manner by embracing following approach:
Convergence of all flagship developmental and welfare programmes at Panchayat level,
Saturation of various activities in all villages in phased manner.
Usage of digital technology for ensuring transparency and accountability of all concerned.
3.2 Progress on Localization of SDGs:
Status of uploading thematic Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP), Block Panchayat Development Plan (BPDP) and District Panchayat Development Plan (DPDP) for FY 2023-24:
GPDP uploaded on portal
BPDP uploaded on portal
DPDP uploaded on portal
250449
(93.06% of GP)
5705
(84.47% of BP)
492
(72.46 of DP)
Source: eGramSwaraj portal as on 20th December, 2023.
People’s Plan Campaign (PPC)–2023: PPC–2023 was rolled out as ‘Sabki Yojana Sabka Vikas’ from 4th September, 2023 as a strategy for preparation of participatory GPDP in campaign mode with voluntary involvement of community, elected representatives, frontline workers, SHGs, and other stakeholders for preparing the thematic GPDP for the next financial year i.e. 2024-25.
Project Driven District and Block Panchayat Development Plan:
The report on formulation of project driven Block and District Panchayat Development Plan released in the workshop held during 4th – 5th September, 2023.
Based on the recommendations of the report the States /UTs have been advised to prepare project driven Block and District Panchayat Development Plans.
Thematic National Workshop: Around 1400 Participants from Central Ministries, 30 States (including ERs, Functionaries), UNICEF, UN women and other NGOs attended three-day national workshop on Theme 3-Child Friendly Village and Theme 9-Women Friendly Village of LSDGs held in Odisha during 17 – 19 February, 2023.
Two-days National workshop on Quality/ISO Certification:
Around 100 participants from 25 States / UTs attended two-days national workshop on Quality/ISO Certification held in Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Kerala during 6th to 7th July, 2023 on “ISO Certification of Panchayats”.
The follow up on the same has resulted in efforts for quality/ISO certification of Panchayats in various States. With standardized procedures of services, it is expected to improve the quality of service delivery at Panchayat level.
Three-day National Workshop on Theme 8-Panchayat with Good Governance of LSDGs held in Srinagar, Jammu &Kashmir during 21 – 23 August 2023. During the workshop following were released:
Meri Panchayat App
Operating Guidelines of National Capacity Building Framework 2022.
Service Level Benchmark, Self -assessments and Model Contract prepared by the MoPR in coloration with the UNICEF.
Panchayat Development Index (PDI):
To measure the progress on LSDGs and to carry out assessment to prepare evidence-based policy, MoPR constituted a Committee to prepare mechanisms for computation of PDI.
The report was released by Minister of State for Panchayati Raj in a National Workshop held in Delhi on 28th June, 2023. Report of the Committee can be accessed on the Ministry’s Website at the URL: https://panchayat.gov.in/pdi-committee-report-2023/.
The Committee has laid a framework for computation of PDI, which will be useful tool for Union Ministries/Departments as well as the State Governments and PRIs to assess the outcome of their schemes and plan future developments based on evidence.
Two-Day National Write-Shop has been organized on PDI Portal for preparation of Baseline Report and computation of PDI in Delhi during 10-11 August, 2023.
A portal (www.pdi.gov.in) for preparation of PDI has been developed. Around 140 data points received from UDISE+, JJM, SBM, NSAP, PMAY, MGNREGS, Mission Antyodya and eGramSwaraj have been ported in PDI portal, rest will be entered by the Gram Panchayats and Line Departments at GP level.
Workshops have been held in most of the States to orient the concerned Line Departments and Panchayat officials on the mechanism of data collection and validation for the purpose of preparation of PDI.
The thematic scores of Gram Panchayat across nine themes as well as the composite PDI score based on thematic score will be used for incentivization of Panchayats.
4. Institutional mechanism for strengthening PRIs
School of Excellence of Panchayati Raj (SoEPR) has been setup in NIRD&PR for strengthening of PRIs. It will strengthen the SIRD&PRs as well as support the research on the subjects of Panchayati Raj at the National Level.
Meri Panchayat Application has been launched in August 2023 to facilitate easy access of the information to public about functioning of panchayats to enhance transparency and accountability. The downloading of the said application has crossed 13 lakh.
The assessment module for the trainings has been made functional in the Training Management Portal (TMP). It will facilitate the assessment of learning outcomes of the participants of trainings.
5. Incentivisation of Panchayats
5.1 Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) confers the National Panchayat Awards annually to best performing Panchayats across the country which are a strong source of motivation for them to further improve upon their efforts in development at local level. These awards are usually conferred annually on 24thApril, celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Day.
5.2 MoPR has subsumed 17 SDGs into 9 Localization of SDGs (LSDGs) themes. Accordingly, National Panchayat Awards have been revamped aligning with the LSDGs with effect from the year 2023. The NPA are conferred under the 9 LSDGs based themes namely, (i) Poverty free and enhanced livelihoods Panchayat (ii) Healthy Panchayat (iii) Child friendly Panchayat (iv) Water sufficient Panchayat (v) Clean and Green Panchayat (vi) Self-sufficient infrastructure in Panchayat (vii) Socially Secured Panchayat (viii) Panchayat with Good Governance and (ix) Women-friendly Panchayat
5.3 In addition to 9 themes, Ministry of Panchayati Raj also conferred special categories of awards to best performing Gram Panchayats (GPs) i.e. (1) Gram Urja Swaraj Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar for their performance regarding adoption and usage of renewable sources of energy and (2) Carbon Neutral Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar for exemplary work towards achieving Net-Zero carbon emissions.
5.4 A total 42 Panchayats were awarded in the year 2023 based on their performance.
6. Celebrations of National Panchayat Awards Week (17th – 21st April, 2023)
6.1 The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the National Panchayat Awards Week Celebrations and presented the National Panchayat Awards–2023 to the best performing Panchayats at the National Conference on Incentivization of Panchayats at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 17th April, 2023.
6.2 On this occasion, Union Minister of Panchayati Raj Shri Giriraj Singh launched the GS NIRNAY, National Initiative for Rural India to Navigate, InnovAte and Resolve PanchaYat decisions, a mobile application of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj aimed at empowering rural communities.
7. Commemoration of National Panchayati Raj Day – 24th April, 2023
7.1 Prime Minister participated in the celebration of this year’s National Panchayati Raj Day and addressed all the Gram Sabhas and Panchayati Raj
Institutions across the country. Prime Minister addressed a large public gathering including Panchayat representatives on the occasion of the National Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April, 2023 in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
7.2 This year’s celebration of National Panchayati Raj Day at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh witnessed participation of more than one lakh participants, including representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, other stakeholders and local residents / rural masses from the District of Rewa and other neighboring Districts.
7.3 Addressing the gathering on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day, Prime Minister noted the virtual presence of more than 30 lakh Panchayat representatives from all over the country and said that it presents a bold picture of Indian democracy.
7.4 During the event, Prime Minister inaugurated an integrated eGramSwaraj and GeM portal for public procurement at Panchayat level. The objective of eGramSwaraj – Government eMarketplace integration is to enable the Panchayats to procure their goods and services through GeM, leveraging the eGramSwaraj platform.
7.5 Prime Minister also handed over around 35 lakh SVAMITVA Property Cards to beneficiaries. Post this programme, around 1.25 crore property cards were distributed under SVAMITVA Scheme in the country, including those distributed in Madhya Pradesh.
8. e-Gram Swaraj e-Financial Management System
8.1 eGramSwaraj, a Simplified Work Based Accounting Application for Panchayati Raj assists in enhancing the credibility of Panchayat through inducing greater devolution of funds to PRIs. Some of the salient features existing in eGramSwaraj Application are:
Workflow Enabled
Assets available on Gram Manchitra GIS
Supports multi-tenancy; multiple tenants in the same instance and
Strong Authentication Mechanism based on open-source technologies
eGS-PFMS integration – Automation of accounting done by the Panchayats under XV Finance Commission grants.
8.2 New feature launched this year (2023)
eGS-GeM interface – Facilitates the Panchayats in procurement of items/services through GeM at standardized rates and seamless payment through eGS-PFMS interface, thus establishing a transparent procurement system.
8.3 Current progress of the adoption of e-GramSwaraj (including eGramSwaraj-PFMS &eGS-GeM Interface):
Action Point
Status
Panchayat Planning
2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats have uploaded approved GPDP, more than 5 thousand Block Panchayats have uploaded approved BPDP and 492 DPDP have been uploaded by the District Panchayats.
Physical Progress
1.03 lakhs GPs have reported physical progress of activities under GPDP
LGD code compliant
100% GPs (including TLBs) in States receiving CFC Grants are LGD compliant.
eGramSwaraj – PFMS integration
2.52 Lakh GPs have been ported from PFMS to eGramSwaraj.
2.55 Lakh Gram Panchayats have onboarded eGramSwaraj PFMS for 2023-24
2.36 Lakh GPs have commenced online payments in 2023–2024. Nearly Rs.25,880 crores worth payments have been successfully transferred by the Panchayats to their respective beneficiaries/vendors.
Account closure for 2021-22
For 2021-22, 94% of Gram Panchayats have closed their year books.
Account Closure for 2022-23
For year 2022-23, 92% of Gram Panchayats have closed month books.
Registration on eGramSwaraj – GeM Interface
More than 72,000 Panchayats across 22 States have registered themselves on this interface (as of December 2023).
Integration of Beneficiary details with eGramSwaraj:
As of December 2023, beneficiary details of sixteen scheme of six Union Ministries/ Departments are integrated with eGramSwaraj Application as mentioned below.
Ministry/Department
Scheme
Ministry of Rural Development
PM Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G)
Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)
Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)
Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS)
Indira Gandhi National Family Benefit Scheme (IGNFBS)
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS)
National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
National Artificial Insemination Programme Project (NAIP)
National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP I & II)
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare
Pradhan Mantri KISAN Samman Nidhi (PMKSN)
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
Ministry of Education
Samagra Shiksha
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation
Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin)
Jal Jeevan Mission (Gramin)
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
9. Geo-tagging of assets:
Ministry of Panchayati Raj has developed “mActionSoft” – a mobile based solution to help in capturing photos with Geo-Tags (i.e. GPS Coordinates) for the works which have asset as an output. Geo-tagging of the assets is done in all three stages viz. (i) before start of the work, (ii) during the work and (iii) on completion of work. As of December 2023,2.5 lakh photographs of the assets have been uploaded by the Gram Panchayats for the activities taken under Fifteen Finance Commission in the current year.
10. Citizen Charter
As of December 2023, 215628 Gram Panchayats approved and uploaded their Citizen Charters promising to deliver 954 services to their people of which 261 are offered on online.
11. Audit Online
As a part of the critical institutional reform, XV FC has stipulated that the audited reports of Panchayat accounts need to be made available in the public domain, as an eligibility criterion. “Audit Online” application facilitates carrying out online audit of Panchayat accounts pertaining to Central Finance Commission Grants.
Activity
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
2022-23
No. of Auditors enlisted
10,269
10,269
10,269
10,268
No. of Auditees enlisted
2,59,758
2,60,603
2,59,920
2,59,812
No. of GPs – Audit plans prepared
1,44,613
2,40,988
2,48,257
1,77,883
No. of Audit observations recorded
12,58,266
21,90,446
23,83,415
5,25,737
No. of Audit reports generated
1,30,222
2,18,086
2,40,515
51,815
12. Central Finance Commission Grants to Rural Local Bodies
12.1 The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) submitted its interim report for the financial year 2020-21 and the final report for the period 2021-26. The XV FC Grant-in-aid is allocated to all tiers of the Panchayati Raj including the Traditional Bodies of Non Part IX States and Fifth and Sixth Schedule areas in two parts, namely, (i) Basic (Untied) Grant (50 % for 2020-21 and 40 % for 2021-22 to 2025-26) and (ii) Tied Grants. (50 % for 2020-21 and 60 % for 2021-22 to 2025-26).
12.2 The total size of the XV FC Grant to the Rural Local Bodies is Rs.60,750 Crore for the period FY 2020-21 and Rs.2,36,805 crores for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. Rs.15,319 Crore in respect of the current Financial year 2023-24 have been released thus resulting into cumulative release so far of, Rs.1,63,850 Crores out of total allocation of Rs.2,97,555 Crores, i.e. 55.07 %. These grants are released to the States for development works in the Rural Local Bodies.
13. Gram Urja Swaraj Abhiyaan
13.1 The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has collaborated with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to include the Gram Panchayats under all its schemes focusing on adoption of renewable energy. This will enable that in the upcoming years, Gram Panchayats would evolve as self-sufficient in terms of energy and become producers of energy instead of only being consumers. Moreover, widespread adoption of renewable energy applications in rural areas would enable the Gram Panchayats to develop Own Sources of Revenue (OSR) and employment opportunities for local youth of the villages.
13.2 Under the Gram Urja Swaraj Abhiyaan, GPs have developed their own implementation models with the support of Renewable energy development Agencies of the states. For example, Odanthurai Panchayat in Tamil Nadu has its own windmill, Thikekarwadi Gram Panchayat in Maharashtra has established Biogas plant in PPP mode and Meenvallam, Project of Palakkad district Panchayat in Kerala is the first initiative of a Panchayat under micro hydel. Many panchayats have taken up solar energy models such as solar roof top models, solar kitchens, solar street lighting and solar high mast light owned by the panchayats.
13.3 Under the Gram Urja Swaraj Abhiyaan, as on date, 2,080 Gram Panchayats have taken up and implemented Renewable Energy Projects. Close to 2020 Gram Panchayats have solar energy systems that are installed and are fully functional. Around 60 – 70 Gram Panchayats have hydel Energy systems and Wind Energy Systems that are installed and there are 106 GP’s with existing Biogas Energy Systems.
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman chaired a meeting to review the performance of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) on various parameters, in New Delhi, today. The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad; Dr Vivek Joshi, Secretary, Department of Financial Services; Heads of Public Sector Banks besides senior officials of the Department of Financial Services.
The progress on the acquisition of accounts by the National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) was also deliberated. The Finance Minister directed that the acquisition of stressed accounts by NARCL needs to improve further, and necessary efforts must be made in this direction. It was advised that NARCL and banks should hold regular meetings to expedite the on-boarding of stressed accounts.
In addition to the above measures, Smt. Sitharaman emphasised the importance of mobilising deposits, urging PSBs to innovate and offer attractive deposit schemes to enhance their deposit base, which will also enable them to extend more credit.
During deliberations on the fraud related matters, the Union Finance Minister, while expressing satisfaction at the improved performance of the Public Sector Banks, stated that bank frauds pose a critical threat to the security of both individual customers and the financial institutions themselves, which can lead to financial losses and reduced public trust in the banking system.
Smt. Sitharaman asked PSBs to concentrate on fraud prevention activities concerned with both large corporate frauds and wilful defaults, as well as on actions that defraud individual customers. The Union Finance Minister instructed the banks to adopt advanced fraud prevention and detection mechanisms and ensure that the customers are further educated about safe banking practices.
The Union Finance Minister directed Banks to undertake consumer education measures for protection from malicious fraud calls and to make efforts for timely identification of accounts as fraud and their subsequent investigation. Banks were also advised to put more effort into recovery from accounts declared as fraud and willful default. The Union Finance Minister also asked banks to monitor the early warning signals to check potential frauds.
Recognising that the effectiveness of legal action against defaulters before courts and tribunals largely depends on effective representation by lawyers and attorneys assisted by bank officials, the Union Finance Minister called for a performance review of counsel representing PSBs to ensure better legal outcomes.
Smt. Sitharaman stated that the willful defaults not only strain the banks’ financial health but also hamper the flow of credit in the economy and urged the PSBs to adopt responsible lending practices across the board. The Union Finance Minister instructed the PSBs to enhance due diligence before loan disbursement, ensure regular monitoring of large loan accounts, and undertake swift and thorough legal action in cases of such default.
Smt. Sitharaman also exhorted the banks to take strict administrative action against the conniving officials of the banks who enable fraud and wilful defaults.
Other issues related to cyber security were also deliberated in the meeting. The preparedness of all the PSBs in addressing cyber security risks was reviewed by the Union Finance Minister and PSBs were directed to ensure privacy of customer data.
Smt. Sitharaman stated that issues of cyber security should be seen from a system perspective as a small vulnerability can be used by nefarious elements to create system-wide risks.
Further, the Finance Minister noted the need to adopt proactive cybersecurity measures and implement stringent security protocols to protect sensitive financial information and systems from cyber-attacks and exhorted the banks to adapt to the evolving digital landscape, ensuring that the integrity of domestic financial systems remains uncompromised.
The Union Finance Minister also emphasised the importance of collaboration and mutual learning among the PSBs and coordination between banks, security agencies, regulatory bodies and technology experts to create a more resilient financial ecosystem against potential cyber-security threats.
It is the collective responsibility of the nation to ensure the welfare of the families of the fallen heroes, serving & retired soldiers as well as their dependents, whose unmatched sacrifice, commitment & patriotism is the bedrock of a safe and prosperous India. This was stated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh while addressing an event, organised by an NGO in Surat, Gujarat on December 30, 2023, to honour the valour & sacrifices of the fallen heroes, and extend support to their families.
Paying rich tributes to these bravehearts, Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that the nation will forever remain indebted to the soldiers who safeguard the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the motherland. He commended the Armed Forces personnel for successfully discharging their duties with the Government’s ‘India first, security first’ approach, stating that the people are able to contribute to nation building as they know that the borders are secure. He also expressed gratitude to the family members for producing “these diamonds whose shine illuminates the entire country”.
The Raksha Mantri drew parallels between the process of creating diamonds and the transformation of youth into extraordinary soldiers. “Just as very high temperature and pressure transforms carbon atoms into diamonds, the challenging circumstances, under which the soldiers serve the nation, shape the ordinary youth into diamonds. With their shine, these diamonds then protect us from darkness,” he said.
Shri Rajnath Singh took the opportunity to encourage business leaders to prioritise nation building over personal gains, emphasising that money should be viewed as a means and not the ultimate life goal. He also spoke of the historical significance of Gujarat and its role in the progress of the nation. “Gujarat is the birthplace of prominent figures such as poet Narsingh Mehta who united the then society through his devotion and literature; Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi whose ideals & principles ensured our freedom; Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who strengthened the unity & integrity of the nation; and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi who has raised India’s stature at the international level and has taken the nation forward on the path of prosperity and security. Last but not the least, it is also the birthplace of countless soldiers who bolster the security of our borders by risking their lives,” he said.
The Raksha Mantri added that the Government stands with the Armed Forces and is equipping them with the latest weapons and platforms to protect the nation from threats. He assured the nation that the military is ready to face every challenge and it will give a befitting reply to anyone who tries to cast an evil eye.
The knowledge gathered by the ancient ‘Siddha’ practitioners needs to be taken further to safeguard human health – Dr. Munjapara Mahendra Bhai, Union Minister of State for Ayush and Woman and Child Development today spoke over the theme ‘Ancient Wisdom and Modern Solutions’ on the occasion of National Siddha Day. Dr. Munjpara also said that there is a need to propagate all traditional Ayush systems like Siddha in India. The study of Ayush systems and disciplines will help in creating an ecosystem for the effective treatment of many diseases.
The Minister said that the National Institute of Siddha (NIS) was recognized as an apex institution for teaching under the Siddha system, and now contributes actively to training research and the development of standards set by the Ministry of Ayush. The institute offers a wide range of academic programs including Ph.D in BSMS, MD, and Siddha, and also provides great career-building opportunities to the Siddha practitioners. The main hospital of the institute caters to 2500 patients per day and also has a 200-bed inpatient department at affordable rates. Dr. Munjpara expressed satisfaction over the efforts of the Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Government of Tamil Nadu to promote indigenous medicine. The State has established 1079 Siddha Units by expanding the Siddha medical health care to the general public.
Dr. Munjapara Mahendrabhai highlighted the important role of the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) and said that the Council is active with its activities in 11 units in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry and New Delhi. This expansion has also recently reached Goa and the states in the North-East.
Union Ayush Minister of State was present on the occasion along with other dignitaries Kavita Garg, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Dr. K. Jagannathan President, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa Rigpa NCISM, Dr. Meena Kumari, Director, National Institute of Siddha were present along with her officers and support staff of NIS.
Key Initiative and Achievements of Department of Social Justice and Empowerment under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in the year 2023 are-
Initiatives for the welfare of Scheduled Caste
Pre-Matric and Post Matric scholarship scheme for SC students
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment with an objective of appreciably increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio of SC students in higher education, with a focus on those from the poorest households, has been implementing Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Post-Matric Scholarships to the students belonging to Scheduled Castes for studies in India”.
DoSJE introduced Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC students & Others which aims to support, through financial assistance, parents of children belonging to Schedules Caste and other disadvantaged categories for education of their wards studying at the pre-matric stage.
Achievements under the schemes:
During the year 2023 to till date (22.12.2023), a total of 34,58,538 SC beneficiaries have been released scholarship amounting to Rs. 3546.34 Cr under Post-Matric scholarship scheme for SC students;
During the year 2023 to till date (22.12.2023), a total of 18,32,628 beneficiaries have been released scholarship amounting to Rs. 369.03 Cr under Pre-Matric Scholarship scheme for SC students;
Aadhaar- based payment system is being utilized to ensure that the scholarship funds are received by the student through DBT directly into his/her aadhaar seeded account;
Some of the States/ UTs viz. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka have automated the process of receipt and processing of applications by digitalization of certificates and auto- fetching of eligibility data to ensure minimum manual intervention and increased transparency;
Seven States/UTs viz. Assam, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Odisha have covered more beneficiaries as against their annual targets under Post Matric SC scheme for the year 2022-23;
Under Component-II of the Pre-matric Scheme which deals with children whose parents are engaged in cleaning and hazardous occupations, numbers of participating States have increased from one in 2022 to nine in 2023 to provide scholarship to disadvantaged students.
Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme (SHREYAS) for SCs
The Department conceptualized Umbrella scheme namely ‘Scholarship for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme (SHREYAS)’ to ensure convergence of resources across the four smaller Central Sector Schemes of the Department catering to SC/OBC students desirous of pursuing higher education (in India and abroad) and/or obtaining employment in Group A/Group B services of centre or State Governments. The schemes has the following components –
Top Class Education for SCs:
The Scheme Guidelines of the scheme have been revised by this Department and 44 new institutes have been empanelled under the scheme raising the total count of institutes to 266
Scholarship benefits have been provided to 3999 beneficiaries till date.
Free Coaching scheme for SCs and OBCs:
The Scheme Guidelines of the scheme have been revised by this Department and from F.Y 2023-24 the scheme will be run by Dr. Ambedkar Foundation (DAF) through empanelled Central Universities.
Scholarship benefits have been provided to 483 beneficiaries from January 2023 till date.
III. National Overseas Scholarship for SCs:
Under NOS Scheme financial assistance is provided to the selected students from SCs (115 slots); De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (6 slots); landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisan categories ( 4 slots), for pursuing masters and Ph.G. level courses abroad. Presently, 125 slots are allotted under the scheme. 107 students has been awarded scholarship out of 125 for the S.Y. 2023-24 till date.
National Fellowship for SCs:
The objective of the Scheme is to provide fellowships in the form of financial assistance to students belonging to Scheduled Caste category to pursue higher studies leading to M. Phil., Ph.D. in Science, Humanities and Social Science streams, in Indian Universities/Institutions/Colleges recognized by University Grants Commission (UGC).
Under NFSC scheme fellowship is provided to Scheduled Castes students for pursuing higher education leading to M.Phil/Ph.D degrees in Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences in Indian Universities/Institutions/Colleges recognized by University Grants Commission. The scheme is being implemented by National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation. The scheme provides for 2000 new slots per year who have qualified the National Eligibility Test-Junior Research Fellowship (NET-JRF) of UGC and Junior Research Fellows for Science stream qualifying UGC-Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (UGC-CSIR) Joint Test. The rates under the scheme has been revised i.e. Rs. 37,000/- p.m. for JRF and Rs. 42,000/- p.m. for SRF w.e.f. 01.01.2023.
SHRESHTA (RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN HIGH SCHOOLS IN TARGETED AREAS)
The department has been implementing Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (SHRESHTA) to enhance the reach of development Intervention of the Government and to fill the gap in service deficient SCs dominant areas, in the sector of education through the efforts of grant-in-aid institutions (run by NGOs) and residential high schools offering high quality education and to provide environment for socio economic upliftment and overall development of the Scheduled Castes (SCs).
The scheme is being implemented in two modes. In mode-I, each year a specified number (3000) of meritorious SC students in States/UTs are selected through the National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and admitted in the best private residential schools affiliated by CBSE/State Boards in classes 9th and 1lth. In mode-2, financial assistance is provided to the NGOs for running the schools/hostel projects related to Education sector to Scheduled Caste students. The Scheme broadly covers 3 types of projects namely (i) Residential Schools (ii) Non- Residential Schools and (iii) Hostels, both for Primary and Secondary Students.
Achievements under the scheme:
Under this scheme, total 2564 students were admitted in 142 Private Residential Schools affiliated by CBSE/State Boards for academic session 2023-24 and school fee of an amount of Rs. 30.55 Crore is reimbursed by this Department.
Details of funds released and number beneficiaries during F.Y. 2023-24 is under:
(Rs. In Lakh)
Sr. No.
2023-24
Total
Amount
released
2023-24
Total No of Students
1
Amount Released to
Private
Residential
Schools
(Mode-1)
No. of
Students
Fund
released to
NGOs/VOs
(Mode -2)
No. of
Students
4921.28
4134*
236.11
3409
5157.39
7543
*(as on 10.12.2023)
*2564 students selected during 2023-24 and 1570 studentys carry forward from selected during 2022-23 and 2021-2022 in mode-1
The Department under Pradhan Mantri AnusuchitJaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) merged 03 erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes, namely, Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana(PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan(SCA to SCSP) and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana(BJRCY) with an aim to reduce poverty of the SC communities by generation of additional employment opportunities through Skill development, income generating schemes and other initiatives; and to improve socio-economic developmental indicators by ensuring adequate infrastructure and requisite services in the SC dominated villages. the Scheme has now the following three components:
Development of SC dominated villages into an ‘Adarsh Gram’
Grants-in-aid for District/State-level Projects for socio-economic betterment of SCs
Construction of Hostels in Higher Educational Institutions
Achievements under the scheme:
Grants-in-Aid’ component: Since 1st January, 2023, a total of 3132 projects have been approved and sanctioned benefitting a total number of 1,14,722 beneficiaries. During the period, a total fund of Rs. 117.54 Cr. has been released to the State Governments/ UTs.
‘Hostel’ component: Since 1st January, 2023, Rs. 56.04 Cr. Has been released for construction of 20 girls’ hostel and 10 boys’ hostel.
‘Adarsh Gram’ Component: Since 1st January, 2023, a total of 1786 Village Development plans (VPDs) have been generated and 1899 villages have been declared Adarsh Gram. A total fund of Rs. 106.01 Cr. has been released to States/ UTs.
The protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989:
Central Assistance of Rs. 496 Crores (approx..) has been released to the States/UTs under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the implementation of the PCR Act, 1955 and the SC/ST (PoA) Act, 1989 for effective implementation of these Acts in the year 2023.
Approx 92093 number of atrocity victims/dependents have been provided relief in the year 2023 under the scheme.
Approx. 20000 inter-caste marriage couples have been provided incentive in the year 2023 under the scheme.
Meeting of the committee constituted for effective coordination to devise ways and means to curb offences of untouchability and atrocities against SCs and STs and effective implementation of the PCR Act, 1955 and PoA Act, 1989, has been held on 21.11.2023 under the Chairpersonship of the Hon’ble Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, under which the implementation of the PCR Act, 1955 and the SC/ST (PoA) Act, 1989 in all the States/UTs has been reviewed.
Initiatives for the welfare of Backward Class
PM-YASASVI
The DoSJE devised an umbrella scheme namely; PM-YASASVI for OBC, EBC and DNT students with five sub-schemes to streamline scholarship schemes for students from OBC, EBC and DNT communities to ensure timely disbursement to them. The erstwhile Schemes of Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Post-Matric Scholarship for Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for DNTs have been subsumed in the umbrella Scheme of PM YASASVI with effect from 2021-22.
Pre-Matric Scholarship for OBC/EBC & DNT Boys and Girls
Post- Matric Scholarship for OBC/EBC & DNT Boys and Girls
Construction of hostels for OBC Boys and Girls
Central Sector Scheme of Top Class Education in College for OBC,EBC and DNT students
Central Sector Scheme of Top Class Education in Schools for OBC,EBC and DNT students
SHREYAS
The Department for Educational Empowerment of OBC & EBC students by way of awarding fellowship (financial assistance) in obtaining quality higher education and interest subsidy on educational loan for overseas studies, has been implementing Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme- SHREYAS with two ongoing Central Sector schemes as components
National Fellowship for OBC students
Dr. Ambedkar Central Sector Scheme on Education loans for Overseas Studies for OBC & EBC
Achievements under PM-YASASVI and SHREYAS:
Under Pre-Matric Scholarship for OBC, EBC & DNT students Rs. 383.24 lakh has been released from 01.01.2023 to 22.12.2023 and no. of beneficiaries are 21.727 lakh for 2022-23 and beneficiaries for 2023-24 will be provided with subsequent year’s proposal.
Under Post-Matric Scholarship for OBC, EBC & DNT students Rs. 1064.26 lakh has been released from 01.01.2023 to 22.12.2023 and no. of beneficiaries are 25.55 lakh for 2022-23 and beneficiaries for 2023-24 will be provided with subsequent year’s proposal.
Under Construction of hostels for OBC Boys and Girls Rs. 21.6365 lakh has been released from 01.01.2023 to 22.12.2023 for 1800 No. of Seat for 2022-23 and 496 No. of Seats for 2023-24.
Under Central Sector Scheme of Top Class Education in Schools for OBC, EBC and DNT students Rs. 1.891 lakh has been released from 01.01.2023 to 22.12.2023 for 1291 students.
Under Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Interest Subsidy for Overseas Studies for OBC/EBC students Rs. 48.09 lakh has been released for 1570 students in 2022-23.
Under National Fellowship for OBC students Rs. 56.38 lakh has been released for 2734 beneficiaries (upto 31 Dec. 2022).
Initiatives for Welfare of Safai Karamchari
National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Eco-system (NAMASTE).
Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) has been modified during the FY 2023-24 with a new nomenclature i.e. National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Eco-system (NAMASTE). NAMASTE is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and NSKFDC is the implementing agency.
The primary target of NAMASTE is the sewer and septic tank sanitation Workers (SSWs) involved in hazardous cleaning operations and directly dealing with human faecal matter. Interventions for rehabilitation of manual scavengers under SRMS will continue under NAMASTE.
Achievements under NAMASTE
Online training on the NAMASTE Mobile App for the profiling of sewer and septic worker has been conducted in 27 State/UTs
Profiling camps for identification of SSWs have commenced in Delhi and Chandigarh in the month of December.
Skill Development Training has commenced for 1306 candidates
Rs. 0.85 Crore has been released as Capital Subsidy for self employment projects for 79 Manual scavengers/dependants
Rs. 3.21 Crore has been released as Capital Subsidy for 84 beneficiaries for Sanitation related projects. In addition Rs.0.51 Crore released for 16 projects of previous year which could not be released due to PFMS problem.
307 Workshops have been conducted in various ULBs on Prevention of hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks
Initiatives for Welfare of Senior Citizens
Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY)
The department under Integrated Programme for Older People (IPOP) component of the scheme provides basic amenities like shelter, food, medical care and entertainment opportunities and by encouraging productive and active ageing through providing support for capacity building of Government/ Non-Governmental Organisations/Panchayati Raj Institutions/ local bodies and the Community at large. Assistance under the scheme will be given to the Panchayati Raj Institutions/local bodies and eligible Non-Governmental Voluntary Organisations.
RashtriyaVayoshri Yojana (RVY)- launched in 2017 to assist BPL senior citizens suffering from age related disabilities/ infirmities. Assistive Devices distributed free of cost.
Achievements under AVYAY and RVY
The meeting of EFC of the schemes to be funded from the Senior Citizens Welfare Fund (SCWF) amounting Rs. 979.85 Crore for the year 2021-22 to 2025-26 was held on 09th August, 2023 under the Chairmanship of Finance Secretary.
The guidelines for implementation of the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana(AVYAY)-CS was revised in respect of the components to be funded from the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund(SCWF) in line with the recommendations of the EFC in its meeting held on 09th August, 2023.
In respect of the scheme of Elderline: National Helpline for Senior Citizens, the Request for Proposals (RFP) procedure has been finalized.
Distribution camps at 28 locations were conducted on 24.09.2023 under the scheme of RashtriyaVayoshri Yojana (RVY) wherein assistive devices worth Rs. 9.05 Crore have been provided to 12562 (approx.) senior citizens.
Under the scheme of Training of Geriatric Care Givers, applications of training partners/training institutes were invited till 20.10.2023. Applications have been scrutinized and MOU along with work order has been processed for 36 training partners and Training Institutes including NISD and RRTCs.
Under the Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC), a total of 88 new old age homes included during past 2 financial years.
With National level conferences and regular monthly meetings, the participation of the State Governments has increased.
The Screening Committee of Department has recommended a total amount of Rs.76.95 Crore under the State Action Plan for Senior Citizens(SAPSrC).
Initiatives for prevention of Drug Abuse
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) which is an umbrella scheme under which financial assistance is provided to (i) ‘State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administrations for Preventive Education and Awareness Generation, Capacity Building, Skill development, vocational training and livelihood support of ex-drug addicts, Programmes for Drug Demand Reduction by States/UTs etc. and (ii) NGOs/VOs for running and maintenance of Integrated Rehabilitation Centers for Addicts (IRCAs), Community based peer Led Intervention (CPLI) for early Drug Use Prevention among Adolescents, Outreach and Drop In Centers (ODIC), District De-Addiction Centers (DDACs); and (iii) Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) in Government hospitals .
The Ministry has initiated the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan with the aim of creating awareness about the adverse effects of substance abuse among youth in all districts across countries.
Achievements Under NAPDDR
The Ministry has released an amount of Rs. 95.97Cr. to NGOs/VOs/SAPs under NAPDDR scheme during calendar year 2023.
During the saidperiod, fund have been sanctioned to 310 Organizations and a total of 740616 beneficiaries have been benefited under the Scheme.
The Ministry has sanctioned setting up of 47 DDACs (District De-addiction centre) in the GAP districts across the country during the year.
25 ATFs were dedicated to the nation during the year.
Expert Working Group meeting on Drug Demand Reduction held on 7.4.2023 under India’s Chairmanship of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State. All Member States participated in the meeting online through Zoom platform.
Achievements of NMBA
Since launch of NMBA and till now, through the various activities undertaken on-ground, 10.74+ crore people have been sensitized on substance use including 3.38+ Crore Youth and 2.27+ Crore Women.
Participation of 3.28+ Lakh educational institutions has ensured that the message of the Abhiyaan reaches children and youth of the country.
A strong force of 8,000+ Master Volunteers (MVs) have been identified and trained.
Awareness through official Social Media accounts of the Abhiyaan on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
NMBA Mobile Application developed to gather and collect the data of NMBA activities and represent on the NMBA Dashboard at district, state and national level.
NMBA Website (http://nmba.dosje.gov.in) provides detailed information and insights to the user/viewer about the Abhiyaan, an online discussion forum, NMBA dashboard, e-pledge.
Welfare of Transgenders and Persons engaged in Begging
Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE)
Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’
Department has approved the revised scheme guidelines (23.10.2023)
Department identified 30 cities/places and received consent, action plan and other documents
Conducted orientation programme with Nodal officers from all 30 cities.
25 cities submitted their consent to implement the scheme.
Rs. 5.00 crore has been released to CNA (NISD) towards 1st instalment to implementing agencies.
Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons
PM-DAKSH Yojana, a Central Sector Scheme, was launched during 2020-21. The main objective of the Scheme is to enhance competency level of the target groups (SCs, OBCs, EBCs, DNTs, Safai Karamcharis including waste pickers etc) to make them employable both in self- employment and wage-employment for their socio-economic development.
Achievement under the scheme:
During 2023-24, 28 Government and 84 private training institutes have been empanelled for implementation of the Scheme. More than 95000 trainee targets have been distributed among these 112 empanelled training institutes.
The practice of empanelling institutes on yearly basis has been discontinued and now the institutes are empanelled for minimum period of three years subject to satisfactory physical and financial progress and non-indulgence of institutes concerned in any malpractices relating to implementation of the scheme.
For the first time, while allotting the States, Districts, job roles etc., a transparent process was adopted due to which 411 Districts including 82 Aspirational Districts have been covered for implementation.
Further, latest job roles have been allotted to these training institutes.
Out of existing 38 training sectors, 32 sectors have been covered which are likely to diversify the training opportunities to the desirous trainee candidates and will also facilitate better employment opportunities to them.
More than 55,000 applicants have already applied on the PM-DAKSH portal for 821 centers seeking training in 247 different courses.
Out of these 55,000 plus applicants more than 37,000 applicants are female who are one of the important target groups for the training.
574 batches for training have already been formed and they are ready for commencement of training.
The training is likely to commence in all sanctioned centers in the month of December, 2023 itself.
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala along with Minister of State Dr. L Murugan will participate in the Sagar Parikrama (Phase X) event being organized from 1st January 2024 to 6th January 2024 at various locations of Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.
Union Ministers will distribute Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to beneficiaries like fishermen, aqua farmers and other stakeholders during the events to progressive fishermen, particularly coastal fishermen and fish farmers, young fisheries entrepreneurs etc. Best practices and initiatives taken through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme, KCC and other schemes will be widely disseminated to fishermen for their benefits. Senior officials from Department of Fisheries, Government of Andhra Pradesh, National Fisheries Development Board, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India, fishermen association and other dignitaries will also participate in the event.
The Sagar Parikrama Yatra features the interactions of Minister with fishermen, fish farmers and other relevant stakeholders. Campaigns on KCC and other activities are also being conducted across the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. State fisheries officials, fishermen representatives, fish-farmers, entrepreneurs, fishermen cooperative society leaders, professionals, scientists, and other stakeholders from across the nation will accompany the events.
The journey of first phase of “Sagar Parikrama” started from Mandvi, Gujarat on 5th March 2022 and so far, the total nine phases of Sagar Parikrama have been covered in the coastal States/UTs of Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and part of Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh during initiation of its tenth phase. Sagar Parikrama Phase-X will continue and cover the remaining coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh namely Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, WestGodavari, Konaseema, Kakinada,Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Yanam (Union Territory of Puducherry).
Andhra Pradesh state is blessed with potential and diversified water resources with 974 kms of coastline, 33,227 kms of continental shelf area, 555 marine fishermen villages, 2 fishing harbours, 350 fish landing centres, 31147 fishing crafts, 65 cold storages, 64 processing plants, 235 ice plants, 28 feed mills, 357 hatcheries and 234 Aqualabs.
In Andhra Pradesh, under Govt of India Flagship Scheme Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), total investment envisaged in the fisheries sector for 5 years is Rs. 2300 Crore. Some of the important projects undertaken under PMMSY includes Construction of Fish Landing Centres, Construction of fishing harbours, Construction of Cold storages/Ice plants, acquisition of new Deep sea fishing vessels for traditional fishermen, Construction of Brood Bank, Construction of Freshwater finfish and brackishwater hatcheries, Expansion area for aquaculture, Stocking of fingerlings, Establishment of Disease diagnostic and quality testing labs, Communication and tracking Devices for traditional and motorised vessels like VHF /Transponders etc.
Sagar Parikrama is a testament to the transformative power of visionary leadership for welfare of fishing community and coastal development. It is an initiative taken by Government, with an aim to resolve the issues of the fishers, other stakeholders and facilitate their economic upliftment through various fisheries’ schemes and programs being implemented by the Government such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Kisan Credit Card for Fisheries (KCC).
Sagar Parikrama is making an impact in improving the quality of life and economic wellbeing of people by understanding their issues and it gives an immense opportunity to fishermen to interact with Ministers and Senior Government officials at their doorstep. Sagar Parikrama will continuously support in resolving the issues of fishermen, fish farmers and facilitate their economic upliftment through various fisheries schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and other program implemented by Government of India.
The Government of India, with the approval of the President of India, has constituted the Sixteenth Finance Commission, in pursuance to Article 280(1) of the Constitution.
Dr Arvind Panagariya, former Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, and Professor, Columbia University will be the Chairman. Members of the Sixteenth Finance Commission would be notified separately. Shri Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey has been appointed as Secretary to the Commission. Detailed terms of reference for Sixteenth Finance Commission have also been spelt out in the notification issued today.
The Sixteenth Finance Commission shall make recommendations as to the following matters, namely: —
(i) The distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes which are to be, or may be, divided between them under Chapter I, Part XII of the Constitution and the allocation between the States of the respective shares of such proceeds;
(ii) The principles which should govern the grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India and the sums to be paid to the States by way of grants-in-aid of their revenues under article 275 of the Constitution for the purposes other than those specified in the provisos to clause (1) of that article; and
(iii) The measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State.
The Sixteenth Finance Commission may review the present arrangements on financing Disaster Management initiatives, with reference to the funds constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (53 of 2005), and make appropriate recommendations thereon.
The Sixteenth Finance Commission has been requested to make its report available by 31st day of October, 2025 covering a period of five years commencing on the 1st day of April, 2026.
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