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

Policy News

• Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the government has approved the construction of over 1.68 lakh houses in urban areas, taking the total number of houses sanctioned so far to 1.1 crore.
• With the initiation of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for farmers, Madhya Pradesh is leading in power sector reforms. These reforms are meant to create a transparent provision of power subsidy to farmers.
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana-3.0, the government will start skills training in 600 districts, and train 8 lakh candidates over the next three months with a focus on Covid-related skills.
• Uttarakhand government announced that it is increasing the work days under MGNREGA from 100-150 days per year.
• The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked the higher education institutes to establish an office for international affairs. These offices will be an “integral part of internationalisation of higher education in India”.
• The government is going to launch Startup India Seed Fund, a Rs 1,000-crore seed fund for startups, to help startups with the initial capital for growth and operations.

Coronavirus-focus News

• The government is using Rapid Assessment System for processing feedback on covid vaccination. The feedback system will ensure that all norms are followed during the vaccination process.
• India will supply COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles in a phased manner keeping in view the domestic requirements.

Others

• The Global Risks Report 2021, released by the World Economic Forum, states that infectious diseases, environmental risks, and economic troubles stand as the highest risks for the next ten years.