Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news, published every fortnight.

Policy News

1. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the continuation of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), a centrally-sponsored scheme, for implementation from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026. 
2. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the ‘Svanidhi se Samriddhi’ programme in 126 additional cities with an aim to cover 28 lakh additional street vendors and their families.
3. NITI Aayog and UNICEF signed a Statement of Intent on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to understand the deprivations across health and nutrition, education, water and sanitation, household and living standards among children.
4. The Department of Fertilisers, under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers, reported that an inter-ministerial committee has recommended revision of nutrient-based subsidy rates for fertilisers based on the rising average international prices. 
5. The Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways developed the e-DAR (e-Detailed Accident Report) portal which will provide instant information on road accidents.

Health

1. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) announced that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP), an insurance scheme for frontline workers fighting COVID-19, has been extended for a further period of 180 days from 19 April 2022.
2. The National Health Authority (NHA) floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) for all technology providers to develop innovative solutions to help build a national digital health ecosystem for Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
3. The MoH&FW in collaboration with states and UTs organised ‘Block-Level Health Melas between 18 and 22 April 2022 to mark the 4th Anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs).
4. The MoH&FW proposed a framework to separate clinical cadre from public health cadre in order to create a multidisciplinary public health management cadre. 
5. The Prime Minister laid the foundation of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat. 

Education

1. The University Grants Commission (UGC) formed a committee to prepare regulations to allow foreign Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to set up campuses in the country. 
2. A two day national level seminar on the National Education Policy was held in Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh.
3. The Union Minister of Education launched the National Apprenticeship Mela. The Mela will be held monthly at more than 700 locations in the country with an aim to engage over 10 lakh trainees. 
4. UGC approved regulations for Indian and foreign HEIs to offer joint or dual degrees and twinning programmes.

Sanitation

1. The Ministry of Environment presented data showing that the daily Biomedical Waste (BMW) output increased by about 962.31 tonnes per day between May 2020 and March 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. 
2. The Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of the Environment of Japan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the areas of Decentralised Domestic Waste Water Management.

Other News

1. A joint study by NABARD and Bharat Krishak Samaj revealed that almost 40 per cent of ‘highly distressed farmers’ in three states; Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra, had not received any benefit from the loan waivers set in place since April 2017.
2. According to the World Bank’s working paper, ‘Poverty in India Has Declined over the Last Decade But Not As Much As Previously Thought’ extreme poverty in the country has decreased by 12.3 percentage points between 2011 and 2019. 
3. A three day conference, ‘Smart Cities, Smart Urbanisation’ was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in Surat. 
4. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance suggested providing credit cards to MSME entrepreneurs to ensure access to regular credit.
5. The Ministry of Union Labour and Employment revealed that 53.8 per cent of workers registered on the E-shram portal are women.

Also Read: State Budgets One-Stop Resource 2022