Special Edition for Prelims 2017 Year End Review of Ministries & Departments New Initiatives New Schemes New Policies For Civil Services Examination INDEX YEAR END REVIEW OF THE SOCIAL SECTOR 1. Ministry of Women and Child Development 2. Ministry of Minority Affairs 3. Ministry of Human Resource Development 4. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment YEAR END REVIEW OF HEALTH SECTOR 1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 2. Ministry of AYUSH YEAR END REVIEW IN CULTURE AND TOURISM 1. Ministry of Culture 2. Ministry of Tourism YEAR END REVIEW IN FINANCIAL SEGMENT 1. Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance 2. Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance 3. Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry YEAR END REVIEW OF TRANSPORT SECTOR 1. Ministry of Shipping 2. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways 3. Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas 4. Ministry of Power YEAR END REVIEW IN FOOD SECTOR 1. Ministry of Agriculture 2. Ministry of Food Processing Industries 3. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution 4. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers YEAR END REVIEW IN SCIENCE SECTOR 1. Ministry of Science & Technology 2. Department of Atomic Energy 3. Ministry of Defence www.iasscore.in YEAR END REVIEW OF THE SOCIAL SECTOR This covers the Year End Review of the following Ministries 1. Ministry of Women and Child Development 2. Ministry of Minority Affairs 3. Ministry of Human Resource Development 4. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry of Women and Child Development • As a nodal Ministry for the advancement of women and children,E the Ministry formulates plans, policies and programmes; enacts/ amends legislation, guides and coordinates the efforts of both governmental and non-governmental organisations workingR in the field of Women and Child Development. Besides, playing its nodal role, the Ministry implements certain innovative programmes for women and children. O • Some of the key initiatives are: 1. Expansion of One Stop Centre Scheme: C • The Ministry has launched the Scheme for setting up One Stop Centres to facilitate access to an integrated range of services including medical,S legal, and psychological support to women affected by violence to be funded through Nirbhaya Fund. 2. Expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme: • The scheme aims to address the issueS of Child Sex Ratio (CSR) through a National level strategy focusing on mass campaign for improving CSR and promote education in 100 gender critical districts through multi-sectoral Gaction. • Objective: a) Prevent Gender biased sex selective elements b) Ensure survival and protection of girl child. c) Ensure education of the girl child. • Components: a) Mass communication/ campaign on Beti-Bachav-Beti-Padhao b) Multi sectoral interventions in 100 gender critical districts covering all States/ UTs low on CSR. • State level initiatives include: a) Digital Guddi Gudda Display Boards in offices and public places in Maharashtra, b) Social assistance scheme titled Ladli Beti for new born girl child born by Jammu and Kashmir. www.iasscore.in 1 3. Operationalisation of Gender Champions Scheme: • The initiative of Gender Champions is being implemented through educational institutions for sensitizing young students and for creating awareness on laws, legislations, legal rights and life skills education. • The Gender Champion Guidelines developed by WCD Ministry are being operationalized in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resource Development. 4. Mahila Police Volunteer Scheme: • MPVs will act as a link between police and community and facilitate women in distress. • The MPVs shall report the incidence of violence against women, domestic violence and dowry harassment. • They shall be given an Identity Card to authorize their identity and engagement with public. The contribution of the MPVs will be rewarded annually. • Haryana has become the first state to operationalise the Mahila Police Volunteer scheme. 5. Progress on 33% Reservation for women in police force: • The WCD Ministry has been working along with the Ministry of Home Affairs to improve overall police responsiveness to gender sensitive cases and to bring visibility to more women and strengthen gender sensitivity in police force. E • Reservation has been extended in 13 States/Union Territories of Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep & Dadra Nagar Haveli, NCT of Delhi. The Process has beenR initiated in 9 more States/UTs (Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Mizoram, Punjab, Kerala, Haryana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal). 6. Panic Button on Mobile Phones: O • The Ministry of Women and Child Development had taken up the issue of installation of physical panic button on mobile phones. C • Under these rules, all new feature phones will have the facility of panic button configured to the numeric key 5 or 9 and all smart phonesS will have the panic button configured to three times short pressing of the On-off button from the new year onwards. Further, all new mobile phones will be required to have the facility of identifying the location through satellite based GPS. 7. Village facilitation & ConvergenceS Service: • Village Facilitation & Convergence Service (VCFS) aims to link women in need with the schemes/ programs being implemented by Central/State Government impacting the lives of women such as BBBP, Sabla, One Stop Centre,G Jan Dhan Yojana, Swach Bharat, etc. • The services under VCFS are provided by Village Coordinators at the Gram Panchayat level. VCFS Scheme has been approved for 161 BBBP districts and 200 high burden districts across the country. • This will help to educate women about government schemes and their benefits as well and enhance community participation in implementation of schemes and programmes meant for women. 8. Launch of Mahila e-Haat: • The Ministry of Women & Child Development launched Mahila e-Haat a unique direct online digital marketing platform for women entrepreneurs/SHGs/NGOs in March 2016. • It aims at financial inclusion and economic empowerment of women. Mahila e-Haat facilitates direct contact between the vendor and buyer. • The unique features of Mahila E-haat not available on other e-commerce portals are: (a) Sharing of contact details of vendors (b) E-learning services (c) Pitara (Hamari Baat) conversations (d) Services. www.iasscore.in 2 9. POSCO e-box: • It is a simple and easy to use facility for children or any adult to register complaints of child sexual abuse or harassment. It is a direct online reporting mechanism where each complaint is handled with sensitivity and anonymity to provide optimum protection to these children. • POCSO e-Box has been awarded the Skoch Silver and Skoch Order-of Merit award. 10. Extension of Maternity Leave: • The Ministry of Labour & Employment has carried out suitable amendments in the Act, which are as follows: a) Enhancement of maternity leave under Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, from existing 12 weeks to 26 weeks. b) Extension of maternity benefit to adopting mothers and commissioning mothers. c) Establishment of crèche facility within the office/factory premises. 11. Khoya-paya portal: • The Ministry of Women and Child Development, with the assistance of Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), has launched a web portal Khoya-PayaE this year for reporting and searching missing children. • The web portal 'Khoya-Paya' will have information of missingR and sighted children. 12. National Nutrition Mission: • A new Mission to tackle the problem of malnutrition Ois being launched by March 2016 so that supplementary nutrition can be provided in a targeted manner with real-time IT based monitoring at ground level. C • It will put in place a comprehensive set of measures and activities that will address pivotal and complex issues of malnutrition and focus onS outcome monitoring, training and capacity building. 13. Comprehensive Regulation on Micro nutrient Fortification: • Food Fortification has significant role in reducing Micronutrient deficiency related disorders.WCD Ministry led the initiative with the MinistryS of Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in formulating Comprehensive Regulation on Micronutrient Fortification involving all Stake holders. G • The 'Group of Secretaries on Education & Health regarding food fortification' has recommended the following: (a) Double Fortification of Salt with Iodine & Iron. (b) Fortification of Refined Oil and Milk with Vitamin-A & D. (c) Fortification of Rice with Iron & Folic Acid. 15. National Children's Fund: • National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), an autonomous body under Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has revised its guidelines to provide scholarship to a child who is orphan or destitute and is residing in a Child Care Institution (CCI) and has done well in his/her school by securing at least 70% marks. Ministry of Minority Affairs • The Ministry of Minority Affairs was established in 2006. www.iasscore.in 3 • It is the apex body for the central government's regulatory and developmental programmes for the minority religious communities in India, which include Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains notified as minority communities as notified by Government of India in Gazette under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. • The Ministry is also involved