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 Union Cabinet approved the extension of ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana’ (PMGKAY) by six months, till September 2022. Read more about the scheme here. 
2. The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) till March 2023.
3. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) launched the Venue for Skilled Artisans of the Region (AVSAR) scheme to allocate space to Self Help Groups (SHGs) at airports for selling or showcasing self-made products.
4. The Union Cabinet extended their scheme to provide ₹40 crore grants-in-aid to the Dalai Lama’s Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC) till FY 2025-26
5. The Parliament passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022.  
6. The Union Cabinet approved USD 808 million (₹6,062.45 crore) for ‘Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance’ (RAMP), a new World Bank-assisted scheme.
7. The Union Cabinet notified fresh wage rates under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for financial year 2022-23, in effect from 1 April 2022. 

Health

1. The Union government announced that all citizens above 18 years of age who have completed nine months after their second dose are eligible for the precaution dose of COVID-19 at private vaccination centres.
2. The Union Cabinet approved the distribution of fortified rice across government schemes such as the nutrition services for school children and anganwadi beneficiaries, and the public distribution system with an outlay of ₹2,7000 crore. Read more about fortified rice here. Read about the National Food Security Act and public distribution system here. 
3. The National Medical Commission (NMC) released draft guidelines for the national register of doctors after the licentiate exam.
4. The National Health Authority (NHA) released a consultation paper on Drug Registry.

Education

1. The University Grants Commission (UGC) directed all Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to award degrees to all qualified students within 180 days of the declaration of result.
2. The State government of Uttar Pradesh launched the ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’  with an aim of ensuring 100 per cent enrolment in primary and upper primary schools.  
3. Delhi government set to establish ‘Hobby Hubs’ in government schools with after-school dance, music, arts and crafts activities for academic year 2022-23. 
4. The State Education Minister of West Bengal announced that the state government has decided to create its own State Education Policy (SEP) rather than implement the National Education Policy (NEP). A 10-member committee has been constituted to give a report within the next two months on NEP and its implementation. 

Sanitation

1. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the aegis of Ministry of Jal Shakti launched a portal to digitally monitor the performance of District ganga Committees. 
2. The Waste to Wealth Mission in collaboration with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation inaugurated a decentralised waste management technology park in Jaffrabad, New Delhi.

Other News

1. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting constituted an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) promotion task force to promote the AVGC sector.
2. The Unique Identification Authority Of India (UIDAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO for technical collaboration to develop the Bhuvan-Aadhar portal. 
3. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released guidelines to open Digital Banking Units (DBUs) for banks. 
4. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India flagged privacy gaps and duplication in Aadhar.