July 2021 N e w s l e t t e r

Policy Root Research Foundation Better Policy For Better India

Source: www.firstpost.com

PM Modi's Cabinet Reshuffle

Prime Minister did major reshuffling in the Cabinet amidst the pandemic. A total of 43 political leaders have sworn in as union ministers in the Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. While some ministers have been promoted, 12 ministers have been dropped off the Cabinet including Dr. Harsh Vardhan, and Prakash Javadekar. , Narayan Rane, and Jyotiraditya Scindia in the Cabinet. This reshuffling is a way forward in boosting the representation of backward castes, Dalits, tribals and women in his new Council of Ministers so as to focus on politically crucial states. This group of Cabinet Ministers is a mix of young and experienced faces.

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NEW CABINET MINISTERS – Narayan Rane: Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises – Sarbananda Sonowal: Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH – Virendra Kumar: Social Justice & Empowerment – Jyotiraditya M Scindia: Civil Aviation – Ramchandra Prasad Singh: Steel – Ashwini Vaishnaw: Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology – Pashupati Kumar Paras: Food Processing Industries – : Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Labour & Employment – Kiren Rijiju: Law & Justice – Raj Kumar Singh: Power and New & Renewable Energy – Mansukh Mandaviya: Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers – Hardeep Singh Puri: Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs – G. Kishan Reddy: Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region – Anurag Thakur: Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports – Parshottam Rupala: Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying – Narendra Modi: Science & Technology – : Cooperation

NEW MINISTERS OF STATE – Pankaj Choudhary: Ministry of Finance – Anupriya Singh Patel: Commerce & Industry – Satya Pal Singh Baghel: Law & Justice – : Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & Information Technology – Shobha Karandlaje: Agriculture & Farmers Welfare – Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma: Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises – Darshana Vikram Jardosh: Textiles and Railways – Meenakshi Lekhi: External Affairs and Culture – Annpurna Devi: Education – A. Narayanaswamy: Social Justice & Empowerment – Kaushal Kishore: Housing & Urban Affairs – Ajay Bhatt: Defence and Tourism – B. L. Verma: Development of North Eastern Region and Cooperation – Ajay Kumar: Home Affairs – Devusinh Chauhan: Communications – Bhagwanth Khuba: New & Renewable Energy and Chemicals & Fertilizers – Kapil Moreshwar Patil: Panchayati Raj – Pratima Bhoumik: Social Justice & Empowerment – Subhas Sarkar: Education – Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad: Finance – Rajkumar Ranjan Singh: External Affairs and Education – Bharati Pravin Pawar: Health & Family Welfare – Bishweswar Tudu: Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti – Shantanu Thakur: Ports, Shipping & Waterways – Munjapara Mahendrabhai: Women & Child Development and AYUSH – John Barla: Minority Affairs – L. Murugan: Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Information & Broadcasting – Nisith Pramanik: Home Affairs and Youth Affairs & Sports

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Modifications in the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to increase investment The Cabinet approved modifications in the guidelines of the Rs 1-lakh-crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), a move which will expand the beneficiary institutions, including Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs), to avail credit of up to Rs 2 crore from the Fund to set up cold storage, sorting, grading and assaying units. So far, the government has sanctioned projects worth Rs 4,300 crore from AIF.

Source: www.financialexpress.com

Cabinet approves ₹23,123 crore package to boost emergency response & healthcare systems The Union Cabinet approved a ₹23,123 crore package to help India prepare the healthcare infrastructure. The decision was taken right after Mansukh Mandaviya took charge of the health ministry after the major Cabinet reshuffling. During the disastrous second wave, thousands died due to a shortage of medical oxygen. To prevent such an emergency in the possible third wave, 1,050 liquid medical oxygen storage tanks with medical gas pipeline systems will be installed, with at least one such unit per district. Source: www.livemint.com

Sensex jumped 194 points to close above the 53,000-mark for the first time The Indian Markets climbed 193.58 points to close at its fresh lifetime high of 53,054.76 and the NSE Nifty rose 61.40 points to its record peak of 15,879.65. Tata Steel followed by Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, HDFC, Nestle India, Asian Paints, Sun Pharma and PowerGrid were among the top of the Sensex gainers’ chart. Individual themes have again started to perform well and hence, traders are advised to stick to stock centric approach

Source: www.tribuneindia.com

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Centre creates new Ministry of Cooperation for strengthening cooperative movement With a vision of deepening cooperatives as a true people-based movement reaching up to the grassroots, the Central Government has created a new Ministry of Cooperation and termed it a “historic move”. The aim behind the decision is to break the stranglehold of politicians in the cooperative sector and help BJP make inroads into rural India. New ministry will provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in India. Source: www.indiatoday.in

Two-Board Policy: CBSE plans new rules for the year 2021-22, session to split in two terms In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday informed that the academic session 2021-22 of class 10th and 12th will be divided into two terms with approx 50 per cent syllabus in each term. The Syllabus for Board examination 2021-22 will be rationalized similar to that of last academic session to be notified in July 2021. First terms exams to be held in November-December and second term to be scheduled in March-April. Source: www.livemint.com

Shri Giriraj Singh launches Online Course Mobile App “Matsya Setu” for Fish Farmers Shri Giriraj Singh, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying launched the Online Course Mobile App "Matsya Setu" with a vision to educate the fish farmers on the advancements in the technologies and build their capacity with better management practices. The Mobile App was developed by the ICAR- Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture and will play an important role in spearheading the Technology-led Aquaculture Development in the country. Source: www.icar.org.in

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Ministry of Tourism signs MoU with travel & tourism portal Yatra.com The Ministry of Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with travel portal Yatra to strengthen the country''s hospitality and tourism industry to provide extensive visibility to accommodation units, which have self- certified themselves on SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness and Training for the Hospitality Industry) on the OTA platform. This will encourage and promote strategic and technical co- operation in the Indian hospitality and Source: www.hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com/ tourism sector.

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: 30.55 lakh doses administered in India on July 9 More than 30.55 lakh vaccine doses were administered in India on July 9, the Union Health Ministry's latest provisional report suggested. The nationwide vaccination drive was launched on January 16, with healthcare workers at the frontline of India's COVID-19 battle getting their first jabs. On the 175th day of the vaccination drive on July 9, 19.50 lakh beneficiaries received their first shot and 11.05 lakh people were given their second dose.

Source: www.moneycontrol.com

Third wave knocking? India's COVID-19 case trajectory shows worrying trend There has been been a slowdown in the downward trend of daily COVID infections and a slight increase in the positivity rate as per the data from MoHFW. The Central government has expressed grave concerns over crowds thronging markets and hill stations over the past few days. It has now warned of reimposing lockdown- like restrictions in places where people are found to be blatantly breaking the rules put in place to contain coronavirus outbreaks.

Source: www.timesnownews.com

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Centre begins big reshuffle with Governors The President named four new governors, including one of the NDA’s senior-most ministers Thaawarchand Gehlot, and shifted four others on Tuesday amid speculation of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle, setting in motion the Union government’s first major overhaul since it returned to power two years ago. The appointments came as senior leaders of the Bharatya (BJP) and its allies flew into the Capital ahead of a possible Cabinet reshuffle, the first since Narendra Modi swept back to power with Source: www.hindustantimes.com an increased majority in 2019.

UP's Draft Population Control Bill Proposes Two Child Policy, Penalties for Violation The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission has released a draft of the proposed population control Bill, which promotes a two-child policy, violation of which would mean people will be debarred from contesting local body elections, applying to government jobs or receiving any government subsidy. The Commission said that the provisions are part of the draft titled the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021. Source: www.thewire.in

U.S. COVID cases rising rapidly as Delta dominates Covid cases are rising rapidly in the United States as the highly contagious Delta variant dominates and vaccinations stagnate, data showed on Wednesday. The seven-day-average of new cases was 13,859 as of July 6, up 21% compared to two weeks earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite having among the highest availability of vaccines of any country, America’s immunisation campaign has dropped off steeply since April.

Source: www.thehindu.com

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