Pib

Pib

1. 3 lakh villages and 300 districts & 10 States/UTs declared ODF 6 crore toilets built under Swachh Bharat

The Swachh Bharat Mission is the largest behaviour change programme in the world. Through mobilization of rural communities, the SBM (Gramin) has truly turned into a jan andolan, a people’s movement. As per a progress update shared in the capital today, over 6 crore toilets have been built across rural India under the Mission. Two independent surveys by the Quality Council of India in 2017, and National Sample Survey Organization in 2016, have pegged the usage of these toilets at 91% and 95% respectively. As an outcome, over 3 lakh villages and 300 districts have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), across ten States and Union Territories, namely, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh and Daman & Diu.

Another UNICEF study estimates that a household in an ODF village in India saves Rs.50,000 every year by way of disease treatment costs averted, saving of livelihood by not falling ill, etc. At the macro level, a 2007 World Bank study estimated that lack of sanitation costs India over 6% of our GDP.

2. 44 persons get Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards – 2017

The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards – 2017 on 44 persons which includes Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 07, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 13 and Jeevan Raksha Padak to 24 persons. 07 awards are posthumous.

3. World today looking for ‘global’ roadmap, says Dr Jitendra Singh at World Economic Forum

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the world is looking for a new “global” roadmap with uniform parameters, in spite of the diversity and heterogeneity. He was speaking at a panel discussion on “From Fragile Cities to Renewal” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 23, 2018. He said that it might not be possible to easily visualise the local perspective in different countries because of their diverse characteristics. For example, the population of Switzerland is only 8 million which is less than the population of Delhi, but nevertheless, with an accountable government and citizen participation, maximum problems arising in a growing world could be addressed. Other panellists included Mr David Cameron former Prime Minister of United Kingdom and Mr Berset , President of Switzerland.

Dr Jitendra Singh further said that more than 239 cities in the world were classified as “fragile” due to pollution, conflict, terrorism, unemployment and lack of electricity, besides other factors. What was needed, he said, was to upgrade the urban space and offer better facilities to the population. When asked to narrate his experience of fragile cities in the context of insurgency in the North Eastern region of India, Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the last three and half years of the Modi Government, a lot of stability in the region has been established. He asserted that insurgency and “fragility” also have a correlation with lack of development and ineffective political leadership. He said, corruption not only leads to loss of moral authority of the State leadership but also causes a huge pilferage of the State exchequer, which would otherwise be gainfully utilized to address the fragility.

4. ‘BHARAT PARV’ being organized from 26th to 31st January, 2018 at Red Fort, Delhi

The Ministry of Tourism has been designated as the nodal Ministry for the event, the highlights of which include Display of Republic Day Parade Tableaux, Performances by the Armed Forces Bands (Static as well as dynamic), a Multi-Cuisine Food Court, Craft Mela, Cultural Performances from different regions of the country and Photo Exhibition by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP).

The Craft Mela with 50 stalls will showcase the diverse handicrafts of the country, arranged by the State Governments and Ministry of Textiles through the office of the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts. There will be Theme State Pavilions where each State would showcase their strengths along with tourism products. DAVP is also setting up an exhibition on the theme “Naya Bharat Hum Karke Rahenge”. A live ‘Cookery Demonstration Area’ is being set up in the food court to promote cuisines of different States of India.

5. Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls launched by Ministry of Women and Child Development today

Presently, MWCD is implementing the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) in selected 508 districts across the country. SAG aims at empowering out of school adolescent girls of 11 to 14 years by improving their nutritional and health status, upgrading their skills. In addition to the nutritional support under the scheme, the girls are equipped with information on health, hygiene and guidance on existing public services. The Scheme aims to mainstream out of school girls into formal education or non-formal education. The scheme is being implemented using the platform of Integrated child Development Services Scheme. Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) are the focal point for the delivery of the services. Scheme for Adolescent Girls is a centrally sponsored scheme, implemented through Centre and State share in the ratio of 50:50, for nutrition component 60:40 for the rest of the activities for State and UTs with legislation, 90:10 for NE and three Himalayan States and 100% for UTs without legislation.

Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Shri Rakesh Srivastava launched the Phase -1 i.e. the beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls - a web based on line monitoring for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls in New Delhi today. The RRS will facilitate the monitoring of the scheme and taking corrective measures by ensuring faster flow of information, accurate targeting of the beneficiaries and reduction of leakages. This Portal has been developed in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC). The URL for the portal is http://sag-rrs.nic.in.