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

Policy News

1. The Union government banned the export of wheat grain over rising prices for the cereal. 
2. NITI Aayog launched the National Data & Analytics Platform (NDAP) for open public use.
3. The United Nations Development Programme signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to provide technical support to Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Kisan Credit Card-Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (KCC-MISS).
4. The Department of Telecommunication launched GatiShakti Sanchar portal that will centralise and speed up approvals for laying of fibre and tower installations.

Health & Nutrition 

1. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched the National Emergency Life Support (NELS) course for doctors, nurses and paramedics.
2. MoHFW expressed concern over the slow pace of COVID-19 vaccination in states and UTs and urged them to speed up the process toward full vaccination coverage.
3. The draft Karnataka Youth Policy 2022, focused on youth between 15 and 29 years, laid stress on mental and physical health with an aim to enable holistic development.
4. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) resumed contact tracing after a gap of almost three months in wake of Omicron sub-variant BA.4.
5. The Department of Food and Public Distribution issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to maintain desired quality standards for implementation of ‘rice fortification’ to address malnutrition, anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies.
6. The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued new guidelines under ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ category in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Ayush.

Education 

1. The Union Education Minister commented that all local languages in the country are national languages under the new National Education Policy (NEP).
2. The Ministry of Education, on recommendation of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), fixed minimum and maximum annual fees slab for engineering courses.  
3. The Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi presented Delhi’s education model at Education World Forum-2022, London.
4. Madhya Pradesh set to boost the state’s education system under Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) project. 

Sanitation 

1. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs report titled ‘Circular Economy in Municipal Solid and Liquid Waste’. The report has recommended reducing the GST and other taxes on products made from recycled materials to 5 per cent to encourage recycling of waste.
2. The unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) formally came into existence on 22 May 2022. 
3. A national level training on ‘Realisation of Right to Water and Sanitation for the people with disabilities and elderly persons’ was held in Mysuru.

Other News

1. According to India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI), the inflation rate surged to a record high of 15.1 per cent in April 2022. 
2. The Supreme Court commented that the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has collapsed due to the high number of vacancies. 

Also Read: Four Priorities to Keep in Mind when Engaging with the Government