Stand Up India Scheme

• Stand up India Scheme was launched on 5th April 2016 to promote entrepreneurship at grassroots level focusing on economic empowerment and job creation. This scheme has been extended up to the year 2025.
• The objective of Stand-Up India is to promote entrepreneurship amongst women, Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories, to help them in starting a greenfield enterprise in the trading, manufacturing and services sector, by both ready and trainee borrowers.

The purpose of Stand-Up India is to:

• promote entrepreneurship amongst women, SC & ST category.
• Provide loans for setting up greenfield enterprises in manufacturing,  services or the trading sector & activities allied to agriculture by both ready and trainee borrowers
• facilitate bank loans between Rs.10 lakh to Rs.1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch of Scheduled Commercial Banks

Why Stand-Up India?

• The Stand-Up India scheme is based on recognition of the challenges faced by SC, ST and women entrepreneurs in setting up enterprises, obtaining loans and other support needed from time to time for succeeding in business.
• The scheme, therefore, endeavours to create an eco-system which facilitates and continues to provide a supportive environment for doing business.
• The scheme seeks to give access to loans from bank branches to borrowers to help them set up their own enterprises.
• The scheme, which covers all branches of Scheduled Commercial Banks, will be accessed in three potential ways:

1. Directly at the branch or,
2. Through Stand-Up India Portal (www.standupmitra.in) or,
3. Through the Lead District Manager (LDM).

Who all are eligible for a loan?

• SC/ST and/or women entrepreneurs, above 18 years of age.
• Loans under the scheme are available for only green field projects. Greenfield signifies, in this context, the first time venture of the beneficiary in the manufacturing,  services or trading sector & activities allied to agriculture
• In the case of non-individual enterprises, 51% of the shareholding and controlling stake should be held by either SC/ST and/or Women Entrepreneur.
• Borrowers should not be in default to any bank/financial institution.

Phase III eCourts Project of Supreme Court

• In another major initiative, the eCommittee Supreme Court has prepared the draft vision document for Phase III of the eCourts Project under the auspices of the Supreme court of India.

• E-Courts Project is a mission mode project undertaken by the Department of Justice, Government of India.
• The eCommittee Supreme Court of India yesterday released the Draft Vision document for Phase III of the aforementioned e-Courts Project.
• The eCommittee of the Supreme Court has been overseeing the implementation of the eCourts Project, conceptualized under the "National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary-2005".
• The eCommittee has evolved in terms of its roles and responsibilities over the last fifteen years. A solid foundation for the objectives of the eCommittee has been substantially achieved in the first two phases of the Project.
• The objectives of the eCommittee include:
  1. Interlinking of all courts across the country;
  2. ICT enablement of the Indian judicial system;
  3. Enabling courts to enhance judicial productivity, both qualitatively and quantitatively;
  4. Making the justice delivery system accessible, cost-effective, transparent and accountable; and
  5. Providing citizen-centric services. 

• Phase III of the eCourts Project in India is rooted in two central facets—access and inclusion.
• Phase III of the eCourts Project envisions a judicial system that is more easily accessible irrespective of geographical distances, efficient and equitable for every individual who seeks justice, makes more efficient use of human and other resources, and absorbs the latest technology for a positive environmental impact.

This vision for Phase III is sought to be built on the following four building blocks:

1. Core Values: Phase III must strive for a modern judicial system, governed by core values of trust, empathy, sustainability and transparency which, while simplifying procedures, will maximise the positives of technology and minimise its risks and challenges.
2. Whole-of-system approach: Phase III must aim to make processes more efficient across all three components of dispute management i.e. dispute avoidance, containment and resolution. Each of these components will require technological integration with different institutions.
3. Adoption frameworks: Phase III must focus on building strong adoption frameworks. Such frameworks must include behavioural nudges, adequate training and skill set development, feedback loops, along with the requisite mandate of law.
4. Governance framework: From a governance perspective, while numerous judicial decisions have validated the use of technology in judicial processes, Phase III must address the accompanying administrative structures. The key goals and strategy of Phase III prioritise the creation of a core digital infrastructure that can enable the development of services for dispute resolution by the judiciary and services of solutions for dispute containment and resolution by the ecosystem.

Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP)

• The Integrated Health Information Platform is the next generation highly refined version of the presently used  Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
• We have started a new chapter in India’s public health trajectory. India is the first country in the world to adopt such an advanced disease surveillance system.
• The new version of IHIP will house the data entry and management for India’s disease surveillance program.
• In addition to tracking 33 diseases now as compared to the earlier 18 diseases, it shall ensure near-real-time data in digital mode, having done away with the paper-mode of working.
• Terming this as the world's biggest online disease surveillance platform, he stated that it is in sync with the National Digital Health Mission and fully compatible with the other digital information systems presently being used in India.
• The refined IHIP with automated -data will help in a big way in real time data collection, aggregation & further analysis of data that will aid and enable evidence-based policy making, he explained.
• IHIP will provide health information system developed for real time, case-based information, integrated analytics, advanced visualization capability.
• It will provide analyzed reports on mobile or other electronic devices.
• In addition, outbreak investigation activities can be initiated and monitored electronically.
• It can easily be integrated with other ongoing surveillance program, while having the feature of addition of special surveillance modules.

Indian Army to participate in Exercise “Shantir Ogroshena-2021”

About Exercise ‘Shantir Ogroshena-2021’:

• Exercise Shantir Ogroshena (Front Runner of the Peace) is a multinational military exercise.
• The 2021 edition of the Exercise will be held in Bangladesh.
• It is held there to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh’s ‘Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
• The theme of the exercise is “Robust Peacekeeping Operations”.
• Participating Countries: The participants of the Exercise are
  • The DOGRA Regiment of the Indian Army
  • A contingent of the Royal Bhutan Army
  • Sri Lankan Army
  • Bangladesh Army.
• Observers: The military observers from the USA, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be present throughout the exercise.

PLI scheme: 'National Programme on High-Efficiency Solar PV Modules

• The Cabinet has approved the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy's proposal for the implementation of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme 'National Programme on High-Efficiency Solar PV (Photo Voltic) Modules' for achieving manufacturing capacity of Giga Watt (GW) scale in high-efficiency solar PV modules with an outlay of Rs.4,500 crore.

Analysis of PLI Scheme on Solar PV Modules

• Solar capacity addition presently depends largely upon imported solar PV cells and modules as the domestic manufacturing industry has limited operational capacities of solar PV cells and modules.
• The National Programme on High-Efficiency Solar PV Modules will reduce import dependence in a strategic sector like electricity.
• It will also support the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
• Solar PV manufacturers will be selected through a transparent competitive bidding process.
• PLI will be disbursed for 5 years post commissioning of solar PV manufacturing plants, on sales of high-efficiency solar PV modules.
• Manufacturers will be rewarded for higher efficiencies of solar PV modules and also for sourcing their material from the domestic market.
• Thus, the PLI amount will increase with increased module efficiency and increased local value addition.

The outcomes/ benefits expected from the scheme are as follows:

• Additional 10,000 MW capacity of integrated solar PV manufacturing plants,
• Direct investment of around Rs.17,200 crore in solar PV manufacturing projects
• The demand of Rs.17,500 crore over 5 years for 'Balance of Materials',
• Direct employment of about 30,000 and Indirect employment of about1,20,000 persons,
• Import substitution of around Rs.17,500 crore every year, and
• The impetus to Research & Development to achieve higher efficiency in solar PV modules.

PLI Scheme for White Goods

• Taking another important step towards the vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for White Goods (Air Conditioners and LED Lights) with a budgetary outlay of Rs. 6,238 crores.
• The prime objective of the PLI scheme is to make manufacturing in India globally competitive by removing sectoral disabilities, creating economies of scale and ensuring efficiencies.
• It is designed to create a complete component ecosystem in India and make India an integral part of the global supply chains.
• The scheme is expected to attract global investments, generate large-scale employment opportunities and enhance exports substantially.
• The PLI Scheme for White Goods shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India for a period of five years to companies engaged in manufacturing Air Conditioners and LED Lights.
• Different segments have been earmarked for different types of components separately to specifically target global investments into desired areas.
• Selection of companies for the Scheme shall be done so as to incentivize the manufacturing of components or sub-assemblies which are not manufactured in India presently with sufficient capacity.
• Companies meeting the pre-qualification criteria for different target segments will be eligible to participate in the Scheme. Incentives shall be open to companies making brown field or green field Investments.
• Thresholds of cumulative incremental investment and incremental sales of manufactured goods over the base year would have to be met for claiming incentives.
• An entity availing benefits under any other PLI Scheme of Govt. India will not be eligible under this scheme for the same products but the entity may take benefits under other applicable schemes of Govt. of India or schemes of State governments.
• The Scheme will be implemented as a pan India scheme and is not specific to any location, area or segment of population. A number of global and domestic companies, including a number of MSMEs are likely to benefit from the Scheme.
• The Scheme is expected to be instrumental in achieving growth rates that are much higher than existing ones for AC and LED industries, developing complete component eco-systems in India and creating global champions of manufacturing in India.
• They will have to meet the compulsory BIS and BEE Quality standards for sales into the domestic market and applicable standards for global markets. It will also lead to investments in innovation and research and development and the upgradation of technology.