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

• ‘Har Payment Digital’ mission was launched by the Reserve Bank of India on the occasion of the Digital Payments Awareness Week (DPAW) 2023. 
• First public consultation on proposed Digital India Act (DIA) held by the Ministry Of Electronics And Information Technology (MeitY).
• MSME Competitive Lean Scheme (MCLS) was launched by the Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
• For the products made by Self-Help Groups of DAY-NRLM, the Ministry of Rural Development extended an MoU with NIFT for design support.
• Proposals for empanelment of industry partners to implement training programmes has been invited by the Textile Ministry.

Health and Nutrition 

• The World Bank has signed a $1 billion program to support India’s health sector for pandemic preparedness and enhanced health service delivery.
• Undernourished and Overlooked: A Global Nutrition Crisis In Adolescent Girls And Women report was released by UNICEF.

Education

• The Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) has been launched by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in 57 Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) from the academic session 2023-24. This is a flagship programme of NCTE under NEP 2020.

Other News

• ‘Report on Multiple Indicator Survey, 2020-21’ was released by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
• Second joint report on social protection for children was released by the International Labour Organisation and UNICEF,
• Women, Business and the Law 2023 report released by the World Bank.
• A one day consultation meeting was convened by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj with States to discuss online audits and release procedure under 15th Finance Commission to Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Also Read: Has Budget 2023-24 Been Successful in Balancing Gender Priorities?