Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: Key Achievements and Success Stories in 2015

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: Key Achievements and Success Stories in 2015

Year End Review                                                                                                              

Why Skill India?

Skill India seeks to give all Indians, the opportunity to aspire and achieve a better future for themselves and their families. A combination of demographic, economic and social factors makes skill development an urgent policy priority for India.

The challenge is immense. 54% of India’s population is below 25 years of age and over 62% of the population is the working-age group. Yet, only 4.69% of the Indian population has undergone formal skills training. By 2025, almost 1 in 5 of the world’s working age population (18.3%) will beIndian. Recent skill gap reports suggest that over 109 million incremental human resources will be required in India alone, across 24 key sectors by the year 2022. 93% of India’s workers work in the unorganised sector and acquire skills through informal channels and lack formal certification. How can India’s skill training ecosystem be equipped to cope with these diverse challenges?

India’s first Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was established in July 2014 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to specifically focus on addressing the above challenges. This Department became a full-fledged Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in November 2014, when Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy was inducted into the Council of Ministers. The primary focus of MSDE is to develop a robust policy framework and programme of action for scaling up skill development efforts in India, at speed and scale, while ensuring quality outcomes. The major initiatives taken over the past nine months by MSDE, in order to lay a strong foundation for the skill training and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country are detailed below:

I.               Establishing a Clear Policy Framework: Policy, Mission, Common Norms

MSDE has taken three major policy initiatives during its first few months of existence.

·                National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, unveiled in July 2015. The Policyarticulates a framework for skilling at scale and speed while ensuring high quality outcomes. Policy Implementation Unit

(PIU) set up and a system of quarterly monitoring of key elements of policy has been established.

·                National Skill Development Mission approved in July 2015 The Missionseeks to converge, coordinate, implement and monitor skilling activities on a pan-India basis. Governing Council, Steering Committee and Executive Committee notified. Sub Missions and interface with State Skill Missions would be made operational within March’16.

Common Norms for all skill development programmes across Central Ministries/Departments have been notified. Meetings and consultations for adoption of Common Norms held. Complete alignment to be done by 1.4.2016.

India now has a robust policy framework to scale up skill development initiatives across the country. Having set out the policy framework, MSDE has also been working on developing a coherent programme of action.

II.            Developing a Programme of Action: Key Achievements

·                Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) MSDE’s flagship outcome-based skill training scheme, was launched by the Prime Minister on 15 July 2015. A pilot phase of the scheme was initiated on 25 May 2015. PMKVY aims to incentivise young people to enrol in skill development initiatives, by providing a monetary reward to every young person who successfully completes an approved skill training programme, with an affiliated training provider. PMKVY is funded by Government of India and implemented through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). 24 lakh youth across India will be trained under PMKVY in the next one year, of which 14 lakh trainees will be fresh entrants. 50,000 Persons with Disabilities will also be trained under PMKVY. In addition, youth who do not possess formal certification, will be assessed and certified through an initiative known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in PMKVY. 10 lakh youth will be trained under the RPL initiative, over the next year. This will be an important effort to recognize the skills and open up new job opportunities for a vast majority of young Indians who acquire skills through informal channels or work in the unorganised sector.

Achievements under PMKVY:5.17 lakh enrolled in fresh training and balance target allocated; Pilot in RPL done and target of 5 lakh allocated.  Target of 14 lakh fresh training and 10 lakh RPL would be achieved by March 2016.

·                Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), which were formerly under Ministry of Labour and Employment have were transferred to MSDE in April this year. A number of initiatives are being undertaken to revitalise these organisations. This includes for example, upgrading their curriculum (in collaboration with industry experts), strengthening industry linkages, scaling up apprenticeships, modernising equipment and facilities within ITIs etc. In addition, 34 ITIs and 68 Skill Development Centres are also being established in 34 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts to open up employment opportunities for youth in these areas. These initiatives are aimed at improving the quality of training in these institutions and ensuring that students who complete ITI courses are employable.

Achievements: 1141 new ITIs with 1.73 lakh seats added in past 1 year. Total now 13,105 ITIs with 18.7 lakh seats in 126 trades;

·                Apprenticeships: The Apprenticeship Act was Modiefied in 2014, to incentivise employers to take on more apprentices. New Apprentices rules notified on 18 June’15 enabling 4-fold increase in apprentices. Advocacy campaign among industry taken up and online portal launched.  Upward trend in enrollment already noted this year.

·                Strategic partnerships have also been undertaken between MSDE and other Ministries/Departments in the Central Government, to collaborate on scaling up skill training activities in specific sectors. MSDE now has strategic partnerships with Ministries/Departments, including Ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment (Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities), Health and Family Welfare, Steel, Mines, Railways, Defence and Chemicals and Fertilizers (Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Department of Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals)(Annexure). Public Sector Units (PSUs) within these sectors and related contractors will be encouraged to hire workers certified in job roles aligned to NSQF, utilize CSR funds for skill training purposes and set up Centres of Excellence in collaboration with DGT or NSDC, through these strategic partnerships. These partnerships will play an important role in scaling up skill training initiatives and ensuring that skill training takes place at high quality, in each of these sectors.

·                Overseas Employment:Study report on overseas employment opportunities  received and action plan being developed. MoU with Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MoOIA) finalized to launch Pravasi Kaushal Viskas Yojana for pre-departure cum orientation programme of emigrants.

·                National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has been established in 2010 in order to catalyse private sector involvement in the area of skill development. Over the last one year, NSDC partners have skilled 24.93 lakh people and placed about 12 lakh people through its ecosystem.As on 31^st Oct 2015 NSDC funded partners have trained a total of59.3 lakh students. 24.5 lakh students have been placed.  Placement percentage stands atabout 64% for NSDC funded skilling partners (excluding training under all special schemes).

To ensure that training undertaken from any recognized training provider is industry aligned, NSDC is funding industry led Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) that create National Occupation Standards (NOS). Till date, NSDC Board has approved 39 Sector Skill Councils. Out of these 28 have been funded and 31 are operational.

Post November 2014, the following 8 New SSCs have been approved

1.       Chemical & Petrochemical SSC

2.       Paints & Coatings SSC (IPA)

3.       Management SSC

4.       Green Job SSC

5.       Strategic Manufacturing SSC

6.       Furniture & Fitting SSC

7.       PWD SSC

8.       Instrumentation SSC

·                The number of SSCs which developed National Occupational Standards (NOS) has grown from 22 in Nov 2014 to 31 by end of Oct 2015. During this 1 year, SSCs developed QPs (Qualification Packs) for 614 job roles. To date, there are 1507 QPs containing 8302 NOSs out of which 3523 are unique NOS. 1016 QPs designed by the SSC’s have been registered as National Standards.

·                Skill Gap Studies:  Completed for 26 (24+2) sectors; District-wise studies completed for all States; Environmental scan commissioned to be overseen by joint groups of related Ministries / SSCs.

·                Udaan: Special Industry initiative for youth (graduates) from J&K to cover 40,000 in 5 years funded by MHA implemented by NSDC. Trained 10,555 youth, placed 4984 so far.

·                National Skill Development Agency (NSDA):  which is also a part of the Ministry plays an important role as a normative body. Its focus is on ensuring that skill training programmes are aligned to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and quality assurance mechanisms are operational. Till date, NSDA has 1461 qualifications (1345 from SSCs & 116 NCVT) have been aligned to NSQF. NSDA has also held workshops with 10 other Union Ministries and State Governments to Operationalise NSQF.

·                Entrepreneurship: NIESBUD has already covered 1,98,000 trainees under CD-based Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP). The institute will cover 2,00,000 more trainees by 31^st March 2015.

·                International Collaborations: MSDE has signed MoUs with Germany, UK, China and Australia, to scale up apprenticeships, support, training of trainers, curriculum development, ensure benchmarking of standards and create Centres of Excellence in skill training across the country.

Success Stories:

·                World Skills: NSDC has been spearheading India’s participation at the WorldSkill Competitions since 2010. India participated in 27 Skills with 29 competitors selected from across India. For WSC 2015, 5 new Skills were identified namely Prototype Modelling, Aircraft Maintenance, Brick Laying, Wall and Floor Tiling and Visual Merchandising. India won 8 medallions of excellence in Beauty Therapy, Welding, Graphic Design Technology, Prototype Modelling, Jewellery Design, Plastic Die Engineering, Hairdressing and Bricklaying. As a prelude to the preparation promising candidates and trainers in 14 skills were given international exposure at theOCEANIA competition in New Zealand. Apart from India 6 other countries (China, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada and Korea) participated in the competition. The Indian contingent consisted of 34 members in 14 skills and came home with 6 medals with Gold Medal in Beauty Therapy, Silver Medal in Jewellery Making and in Pastry and Confectionery, Bronze Medal in Bricklaying, Auto body Repair and Wall & Floor Tiling. The 44^thWSC Competitions will be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE from 14-19 October 2017.

Annexure

Central Ministries/Departments signing MoUs with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship for Skill Development

1)    Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

2)    Ministry of Defence

3)    Ministry of Railways

4)    Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

5)    Dept. of Fertilisers

6)    Dept. of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals

7)    Dept. of Pharmaceuticals

8)    Ministry of Steel

9)    Ministry of Mines

10) Coal India (Ministry of Coal)

11) National Thermal Power Corporation, Power Grid (Ministry of Power)

12) Department of Heavy Industries

13) Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MoU finalized)

14) Airport Authority of India (MoU finalized)

Overall Key Elements of MoUs

         Leverage existing government infrastructure to deliver skill training programmes

         Mobilize CSR funds of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to support skilling

         Upgrade equipment of ITIs and NSDC/SSC affiliated training providers

         Promote and scale up apprenticeship training in PSUs in coordination with DGT

         Incentivize hiring of NSQF certified personnel

         Promote adoption of ITIs by PSUs, including provision of technical and resource support

         Introduce vocational courses in schools run by Ministries/PSUs

         Establish ‘Centres of Excellence’ for high quality skill training

         Align training programmes to NSQF and mobilize workforce for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

New Initiatives for Social Justice & Empowerment

New Initiatives for Social Justice & Empowerment

Bill Drafted for the Rehabilitation of Persons in Destitute

National Fellowship for OBCS and Post Matric Scholarship for Economically Backward Classes Launched

Accessible India Campaign Launched to Create Barrier Free Environment for the Persons with Disabilities

Year End Review 2015

            During the year 2015, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launched various  initiatives for the welfare of Scheduled Caste, Other Backward Class, Denotified, Nomadic & Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Persons with Disabilities, Persons in Destitute, Safai Karamcharis, etc. These initiatives include financial support to the target groups, rehabilitation of beggars, and result oriented skill development programmes. Some of the programmes launched during the year include -

Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan):

·         Accessible India Campaign aims at achieving universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities and to create an enabling and barrier free environment, with a focus on three verticals: Built Environment; Public Transportation and Information & Communication Technologies.  

·         It was launched on 3^rd December 2015, commemorating International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

 

·         It will be taken up in 75 select cities to start with.

·         It aims at enhancing the proportion of accessible government buildings, airports, railway stations, Public Transport, Public Documents and Websites

 

Shri Arun Jaitley Union Minister for Finance, launching Accessible India Campaign, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Vijay Sampla, Shri Krishan Pal Gujjar, Ministers of State for Social Justice & Empowerment also in the pictureAccessible Index is underway to to serve as a tool to assess the extent to which the processes and systems of an organization are aligned to ensure independent, dignified and positive dealing with employees and clients with disabilities. 

1^st International Film Festival for the Persons with Disabilities

·         For the first time, the Ministry in partnership with National Film Development Corporation has brought out a Film Festival for the Persons with Disabilities, in recognition of the spirit of the persons with disabilities.

·         This Film Festival was held from December 1 to December 3, 2015.

·         It will showcase cinemas that open our world to their mind-space and also cinema that has been made by them.

 

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot presenting an award at the closing ceremony of the 1st International Film Festival for Persons with Disabilities, in New Delhi on December 03, 2015. The Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and actor Vivek Oberoi are also seen. 

·         It helps bring to the fore the everyday struggles of persons with disabilities and enables governments and organizations across the world to address these issues, help the persons with disabilities achieve their full potential by providing them with all possible resources, raise awareness about their needs, and make communities more inclusive for them.

·         In a world where persons with disabilities often get sidelined, this event will put the spotlight on their work and expression that deserves appreciation for their skill, honesty of thought, and for a unique perspective on their life, challenges and aspirations.

Steps taken by the ministry to promote Entrepreneurship:

·         Venture Capital Fund of Rs. 200 Crore for Schedule Caste Entrepreneurs created on 22 December 2014. The scheme would be implemented by Industrial Finance Corporation of India Limited. The Fund has been registered with SEBI.

·         Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Young Scheduled Caste Entrepreneurs launched with a budget of Rs. 200 Crore to facilitate concessional finance. This will encourage Entrepreneurship among SC and result in job creation.

Steps taken by the ministry to propagate Dr. Ambedkar's ideas

·         Foundation stone of Dr. Ambedkar International Centre for Social Justice in Delhi laid on 20^th April 2015. The Centre will come up at an approximate cost of Rs. 195 Crore.

 

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot addressing at the Foundation Stone laying Ceremony of Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, in New Delhi on April 20, 2015. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the Ministers of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Krishan Pal and Shri Vijay Sampla and the Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ms. Anita Agnihotri are also seen. 

·         Dr. Ambedkar Memorial to be constructed at an approximate cost of Rs. 100 Crore

·         Braille edition of Dr. Ambedkar writings & speeches released

Bill in the pipline

·         A draft bill The Persons in Destitute (Protection Care & Rehabilitation) Bill 2015 has been circulated to all States/UTs for their comments/ suggestion.

Steps taken by the ministry towards imparting Skill Development training to SC, OBC,etc

·         National Schedule Caste Finance Development Corporation provided skill development training to 13258 trainees during 2014-15

·         National Safai Karmacharis Finance Development Corporation provided skill development training to 8750 trainees during 2014-15

·         Commercial Motor Driving Training with Self Defense skills for women imparted by  National Safai Karmacharis Finance Development Corporation

·         National Backward Classes Finance Development Corporation provided skill development training to 13510 trainees during 2014-15

·         National Action Plan for Skill Training of Persons With Disabilities has been launched by which 25 Lakh PwDs will be Skill Trained by the year 2022.

New Scholarship Schemes introduced by the ministry

·         National Fellowship for OBCs was launched and implemented through UGC.

·         Dr Ambedkar Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for Economically Backward Classes launched

Other Initiatives

·         National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) constituted to prepare state wise list of Denotified, Nomadic & Semi-Nomadic Tribes communities who are not included in SC/ST/OBC and to assess welfare measures for these communities.

·         New Disabled friendly and Interactive website for National Trust http://thenationaltrust.gov.in/content/launched. NGO Registrations and paying donations can be done in the website itself.

·         10 New / Revised Schemes for the welfare of persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities launched by National Trust.

 

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot releasing the publication at the launch of the new / revised schemes of National Trust for the welfare of persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, in New Delhi on November 24, 2015. The Ministers of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Krishan Pal and Shri Vijay Sampla and other dignitaries are also seen. 

·         New Interactive website http://nbcfdc.gov.in/ and e-tracking system launched  by National Backward Classes Finance Development Corporation

·         National Backward Classes Finance Development Corporation has launched e-Marketing platformto the target group

·         Drug De Addiction Helpline Number 1XXX-XX-0031  launched to help Drug Abuse victims and their families

·         National Safai Karmacharis Finance Development Corporation launched Swachhta Udyami Yojanafor financing viable community toilet projects & Garbage collection vehicles.

·         Scheme for Establishment of College for deaf in each of the five regions of the country has been launched in January, 2015. The object of the Scheme is to provide equal educational opportunities to hearing impaired students for pursuing higher studies and improve the chances of employability and better quality of life through higher education.

The renewable energy revolution

The relatively rapid transition away from fossil fuels in China and India is driven by the economic benefits renewable energy sources are perceived as conveying 

In the United States and Europe, the benefits of renewable energy are predominantly seen as environmental. Energy from the wind and sun can offset the need to burn fossil fuels, helping to mitigate climate change.
In China and India, however, renewable energy is viewed in a remarkably different fashion. The relatively rapid transition away from fossil fuels in both countries is driven not so much by concerns about climate change as by the economic benefits renewable energy sources are perceived as conveying.
Indeed, while the economic benefits of renewables can be attractive to advanced economies such as Germany or Japan (both of which are rapidly moving away from fossil fuels), the advantages for emerging industrial giants are overwhelming. For India and China, an economic trajectory based on fossil fuels could spell catastrophe, as efforts to secure enough for their immense populations ratchet up geopolitical tensions. Aside from increased energy security, a low-carbon economy would promote domestic manufacturing and improve local environmental quality by, for example, reducing urban smog.
To be sure, fossil fuels conferred enormous benefits on the Western world as it industrialized over the past 200 years. The transition to a carbon-based economy liberated economies from age-old Malthusian constraints. For a group of select countries representing a small slice of the global population, burning fossil fuels enabled an era of explosive growth, ushering in dramatic improvements in productivity, income, wealth and standards of living.
For much of the past 20 years, China and India led the charge in claiming the benefits of fossil fuels. Recently, however, they have begun to moderate their approach. As their use of fossil fuels brushes up against geopolitical and environmental limits, they have been forced to invest seriously in alternatives. In doing so, they have put themselves in the vanguard of a planetary transition that in a few short decades could eliminate the use of fossil fuels altogether.
Those wishing to halt the expansion of renewables are unlikely to triumph over simple economics. The renewable energy revolution is not being driven by a tax on carbon emissions or subsidies for clean energy; it is the result of reductions in the cost of manufacturing that will soon make it more cost-effective to generate power from water, wind and the sun than from burning coal.
As China and India throw their economic weight into the renewables industrial revolution, they are triggering a global chain reaction known as “circular and cumulative causation”.
Investments in renewable energy drive down the cost of their production, expanding the market for their adoption and making further investment more attractive. From 2009 to 2014, these mechanisms drove down the cost of solar photovoltaic energy by 80% and reduced the cost of land-based wind power by 60%, according to Lazard’s Power, Energy & Infrastructure Group.
The impact of the rapid uptake in renewable energy could have consequences as profound as those unleashed by the Industrial Revolution. In the 18th century, the economies of Europe and the United States initiated the transition to an energy system based on fossil fuels without fully understanding what was happening. This time, we can see the way things are changing and prepare for the implications.
For the moment, the outlook appears promising. Efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions may not be the prime driver of the renewable energy revolution, but it is very possible that without the revolution, efforts to minimize the impact of climate change would never succeed. If we are able to avoid the worst dangers of a warming planet, we may have India and China to thank for it.

Seven charts that show why India’s healthcare system needs an overhaul

In a paper released in ‘Lancet’, a team of researchers identified seven structural problems in India’s healthcare system 

 Despite recording several gains in health in recent years, India continues to lag several health indicators such as mortality rates and malnutrition. The country carries a disproportionate burden of the world’s sick. Home to 17.5% of earth’s population, India accounts for 20% of the global burden of disease, 27% of all neonatal deaths and 21% of all child deaths (younger than five years). In a paper released over the weekend in health journal Lancet, a team of researchers led by Vikram Patel, a professor at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, identified seven structural problems in India’s healthcare system.

Here are seven charts that sum up these key challenges.
1) A weak primary healthcare sector
India has made strides in the expansion of public services. For instance, in 2015, there was one government hospital bed for every 1,833 people compared with 2,336 persons a decade earlier. However, as Lancet points out, this has been inequitably distributed. For instance, there is one government hospital bed for every 614 people in Goa compared with one every 8,789 people in Bihar. The care provided in these facilities is also not up to the mark. For example, in 2011, six out of every 10 hospitals in the less developed states did not provide intensive care and a quarter of them struggle with issues like sanitation and drainage.

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2) Unequally distributed skilled human resources
There aren’t enough skilled healthcare professionals in India despite recent increases in MBBS programmes and nursing courses. Lancet says this shortage is compounded by inequitable distribution of these resources. In community health centres in rural areas of many states, ranging from Gujarat to West Bengal, the shortfall of specialists exceeds 80%. “India does not have an overarching national policy for human resources for health. The dominance of medical lobbies such as the Medical Council of India has hindered adequate task sharing and, consequently, development of nurses and other health cadres, even in a state like Kerala that has historically encouraged nurse education and has been providing trained nurses to other parts of India and other countries,” said the Lancet study.

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3) Large unregulated private sector
Given the quality of care available, few frequent public sector hospitals. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) numbers show a decrease in the use of public hospitals over the past two decades—only 32% of urban Indians use them now, compared with 43% in 1995-96. However, a significant portion of these private practitioners may not be qualified or are under-qualified, Lancet said. For instance, a study in rural Madhya Pradesh found that only 11% of the sampled healthcare providers had a medical degree, and only 53% had completed high school. Moreover, “the many new institutions set up in the past decade... encouraged by commercial incentives, have often fuelled corrupt practices and failed to offer quality education”, the study said.

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4) Low public spending on health
Public health expenditure remains very low in India. Even though real state expenditure on health has increased by 7% annually in recent years, central government expenditure has plateaued. Economically weaker states are particularly susceptible to low public health investments. Many state governments also fail to use allocated funds, but this “might simply reflect structural weaknesses in the system and that need to be addressed with more resources and a different approach to provision and delivery of care”, said Lancet. The 14th finance commission recommendations, which will transfer a greater share of central taxes to states, offers an opportunity for the latter to increase investments in health.

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5) Fragmented health information systems
Like in most facets of life in modern India, getting quality, clean, up-to-date data is difficult in the health sector as well. This is despite the presence of many agencies ranging from NSSO to the Registrar General of India to disease-specific programme-based systems to survey malaria to HIV. Data is incomplete (in many cases it excludes the private sector) and many a time, it’s duplicated. Worse, the agencies don’t talk to each other. Further, its usage is limited because of an inadequate focus on outputs and outcomes.

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6) Irrational use and spiralling cost of drugs
Costs of medical treatment have increased so much that they are one of the primary reasons driving people into poverty, as Mint has pointed out previously. Yes, there have been schemes such as the Jan Aushadhi campaign to provide 361 generic drugs at affordable prices and different price regulation policies, but their implementation has been patchy and varied in different states, said Lancet. Corruption also increases irrational use of drugs and technology. For instance, kickbacks from referrals to other doctors or from pharmaceutical and device companies lead to unnecessary procedures such as CT scans, stent insertions and caesarean sections, the study said.

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7) Weak governance and accountability
“In the past 5 years, the government has introduced several new laws to strengthen governance of the health system, but many of these laws have not been widely implemented,” said Lancet. In some instances, the “scope of (some) regulations is still unclear, and there are fears that these laws have hindered public health trials led by non-commercial entities”, it added.
The Lancet study identified inadequate public investment in health, the missing trust and engagement between various healthcare sectors and poor coordination between state and central governments as the main constraints why universal healthcare is not assured in India.
“At the heart of these constraints is the apparent unwillingness on the part of the state to prioritize health as a fundamental public good, central to India’s developmental aspirations, on par with education. Put simply, there is no clear ownership of the idea of universal health coverage within the government,” it said.

India inches up one spot to 130 in UN human development index

Inequality, particularly in education, has contributed to India’s poor ranking in the human development index, the report said

India climbed one spot to 130 in the latest United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), indicating slow progress in improving people’s living standards in Asia’s third-largest economy.
The country was ranked 130 among 188 nations in the Human Development Report 2015 released on Wednesday by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). India’s ranking of 135 in the previous year’s report was revised to 131, the report said.
Inequality, particularly in education, has contributed to India’s poor ranking in the human development index, the report said.
“India loses 28.6% HDI due to inequality, largely due to inequality in education (42.1%),” it said. “Among BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), South Africa has the highest loss due to inequality at 35.7% and lowest is for Russia at 10.5%.”

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Education experts say inequalities in education have not been not addressed by policies such as the 2009 Right to Education, although it is enshrined in law.
“This Act does not address the inequality in education at all, it focuses on the inputs and infrastructure, not the quality of education,” said Parth J. Shah, head of New Delhi-based Centre for Civil Society think-tank. “There is no reference to learning outcomes and this is what we hope the new education policy will address.”
Only 42.1% of India’s population aged 25 years and older had at least some secondary education, the UNDP report said, adding that government spending on education was 3.8% of gross domestic product between 2005 and 2014.
In the 34 years between 1980 and 2014, India’s HDI value increased from 0.362 to 0.609, an increase of 68.1% or an average annual increase of about 1.54%,” said a press statement from UNDP.
HDI is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
This year’s report focused on the nature of work and how new technologies and innovations influenced it. “Through work, people can build a secure basis for their lives, enabling them to make long-term decisions and establish priorities and choices. They can also sustain stable households, particularly if they use their income prudently on food and nutrition for their family, on education and health for their children, or for savings,” the report said.
Haoliang Xu, assistant administrator and director of the UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, who was cited in the UNDP statement, drew out the link between education and work, noting that: “In order to ensure that the work-force is capable of adapting to rapidly changing demands, governments need to make strategic investments into education and health care.”
India has been stressing the need to skill Indians to ensure the 12 million youth who enter the labour force every year are job-ready. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a separate ministry to deliver on his “Skill India” mission.
The HDI report said that global participation of women in the labour force—who are generally less educated than men—have fallen slightly in recent years, mainly because of the reductions in India (from 35% in 1990 to 27% in 2013) and China (from 73% in 1990 to 64% in 2013). India’s female literacy rate among youth aged 15-24 years was 74.4% as against the male literacy rate of 88.4%, according to the report.
It said the expected years of schooling in India has been stagnant at 11.7 since 2011. Also, average years of schooling at 5.4 has not changed since 2010.
India’s 2014 HDI value of 0.609 is below the average of 0.630 for countries in the medium human development group but above the average of 0.607 for countries in South Asia, the report said.
In South Asia, countries which are close to India in the HDI rankings are Bangladesh and Pakistan, who have rankings of 142 and 147, respectively.
The average loss due to inequality for medium HDI countries is 25.8% and for South Asia it is 28.7%.
Among India’s HDI parameters that have improved between 1980 and 2014 were life expectancy at birth, which increased to 68 years in 2014 from 67.6 in the previous year and 53.9 in 1980.
Per capita gross national income was $5,497 in 2014—up from $5,180 in 2013 and $1,255 in 1980.

Cyclones

Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by swift and often destructive air circulation. Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather. The air circulates inward in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere. Cyclones are classified as: (i) extra tropical cyclones (also called temperate cyclones); and (ii) tropical cyclones. The word Cyclone is derived from the Greek word Cyclos meaning the coils of a snake. It was coined by Henry Peddington because the tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea appear like coiled serpents of the sea.

Classifications

Cyclones are classified as extra tropical cyclones (also called temperate cyclones); and tropical cyclones.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO, 1976) uses the term 'Tropical Cyclone’ to cover weather systems in which winds exceed ‘Gale Force’ (minimum of 34 knots or 63 kph). Tropical cyclones are the progeny of ocean and atmosphere, powered by the heat from the sea; and driven by easterly trades and temperate westerlies, high planetary winds and their own fierce energy.
In India, cyclones are classified by:

• Strength of associated winds,
• Storm surges
• Exceptional rainfall occurrences.

Extra tropical cyclones occur in temperate zones and high latitude regions, though they are known to originate in the Polar Regions.
Cyclones that develop in the regions between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer are called tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones are large-scale weather systems developing over tropical or subtropical waters, where they get organized into surface wind circulation.
Worldwide terminology
Cyclones are given many names in different regions of the world – They are known as typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean; hurricanes in the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean; tornados in the Guinea lands of West Africa and southern USA.; willy-willies in north-western Australia and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.

Indian Meteorological Department

The criteria below have been formulated by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which classifies the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea on the basis of capacity to damage, which is adopted by the WMO.

Type of Disturbances	Wind Speed in Km/h	Wind Speed in Knots
Low Pressure	Less than 31	Less than 17
Depression	31-49	17-27
Deep Depression	49-61	27-33
Cyclonic Storm	61-88	33-47
Severe Cyclonic Storm	88-117	47-63
Super Cyclone	More than 221	More than 120

1 knot - 1.85 km per hour
Cyclones are classified into five different levels on the basis of wind speed. They are further divided into the following categories according to their capacity to cause damage:-

Cyclone Category	Wind Speed in Km/h	Damage Capacity
1	120-150	Minimal
2	150-180	Moderate
3	180-210	Extensive
4	210-250	Extreme
5	250 and above	Catastrophic

Storm surges (tidal waves) are defined as the rise in sea level above the normally predicted astronomical tide. Major factors include:

• A fall in the atmospheric pressure over the sea surface
• Effect of the wind
• Influence of the sea bed
• A funnelling effect
• The angle and speed at which the storm approaches the coast
• The tides

The very high specific humidity condenses into exceptionally large raindrops and giant cumulus clouds, resulting in high precipitation rates. When a cyclone makes landfall, rain rapidly saturates the catchment areas and the rapid runoff may extensively flood the usual water sources or create new ones.

How Cyclones are formed

The development cycle of tropical cyclones may be divided into three stages:
Formation and Initial Development Stage
The formation and initial development of a cyclonic storm depends upon various conditions. These are:

• A warm sea (a temperature in excess of 26 degrees Celsius to a depth of 60 m) with abundant and turbulent transfer of water vapour to the overlying atmosphere by evaporation.
• Atmospheric instability encouraging formation of massive vertical cumulus clouds due to convection with condensation of rising air above ocean surface.

Mature Tropical Cyclones
When a tropical storm intensifies, the air rises in vigorous thunderstorms and tends to spread out horizontally at the tropopause level. Once air spreads out, a positive perturbation pressure at high levels is produced, which accelerates the downward motion of air due to convection. With the inducement of subsidence, air warms up by compression and a warm ‘Eye’ is generated. Generally, the ‘Eye’ of the storms has three basic shapes: (i) circular; (ii) concentric; and (iii) elliptical. The main physical feature of a mature tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean is a concentric pattern of highly turbulent giant cumulus thundercloud bands.
Modification and Decay
A tropical cyclone begins to weaken in terms of its central low pressure, internal warmth and extremely high speeds, as soon as its source of warm moist air begins to ebb, or is abruptly cut off. This happens after its landfall or when it passes over cold waters. The weakening of a cyclone does not mean that the danger to life and property is over.

Indian Context

The Indian subcontinent is one of the worst affected regions in the world. The subcontinent with a long coastline of 8041 kilometres is exposed to nearly 10 per cent of the world’s tropical cyclones. Of these, the majority of them have their initial genesis over the Bay of Bengal and strike the East coast of India. On an average, five to six tropical cyclones form every year, of which two or three could be severe. More cyclones occur in the Bay of Bengal than the Arabian Sea and the ratio is approximately 4:1. Cyclones occur frequently on both the coasts (the West coast - Arabian Sea; and the East coast - Bay of Bengal). An analysis of the frequency of cyclones on the East and West coasts of India between 1891 and 1990 shows that nearly 262 cyclones occurred (92 of these severe) in a 50 km wide strip above the East coast. Less severe cyclonic activity has been noticed on the West coast, where 33 cyclones occurred the same period, out of which 19 of were severe.
Tropical cyclones occur in the months of May-June and October-November. Cyclones of severe intensity and frequency in the North Indian Ocean are bi-modal in character, with their primary peak in November and secondary peak in May. The disaster potential is particularly high during landfall in the North Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) due to the accompanying destructive wind, storm surges and torrential rainfall. Of these, storm surges cause the most damage as sea water inundates low lying areas of coastal regions and causes heavy floods, erodes beaches and embankments, destroys vegetation and reduces soil fertility.
Cyclones vary in diameter from 50 to 320 km but their effects dominate thousands of square kilometers of ocean surface and the lower atmosphere. The perimeter may measure 1,000 km but the powerhouse is located within the 100-km radius. Nearer the Eye, winds may hit at a speed of 320 km. Thus, tropical cyclones, characterized by destructive winds, torrential rainfall and storm surges disrupt normal life with the  accompanying phenomena of floods due to the exceptional level of rainfall and storm surge inundation into inland areas. Cyclones are characterized by their devastating potential to damage structures, viz. houses; lifeline infrastructure-power and communication towers; hospitals; food storage facilities; roads, bridges and culverts; cropss etc. The most fatalities come from storm surges and the torrential rain flooding the lowland areas of coastal territories

National policy on Voluntary Sector 2007

National policy on Voluntary Sector 2007

Scope of the Policy

In the Policy, voluntary organizations (VOs) mean to include organizations engaged in public service, based on ethical, cultural, social, economic, political, religious, spiritual, philanthropic or scientific & technological considerations. VOs include formal as well as informal groups, such as:

• Community-based organizations (CBOs)
• Non-governmental development organizations (NGDOs)
• Charitable organizations
• Support organizations
• Networks or federations of such organisations
• As well as professional membership associations.

To be covered under the Policy, VOs should broadly have the following characteristics:

• They are private, i.e., separate from Government
• They do not return profits generated to their owners or directors
• They are self-governing, i.e., not controlled by Government
• They are registered organizations or informal groups, with defined aims and objectives.

Objectives of the Policy

The specific objectives of the policy are listed below:

• To create an enabling environment for VOs that stimulates their enterprise and effectiveness, and safeguards their autonomy;
• To enable VOs to legitimately mobilize necessary financial resources from India and abroad;
• To identify systems by which the Government may work together with VOs, on the basis of the principles of mutual trust and respect, and with shared responsibility; and,
• To encourage VOs to adopt transparent and accountable systems of governance and management.

Establishing an Enabling Environment for the Voluntary Sector

• The independence of VOs allows them to explore alternative paradigms of development to challenge social, economic and political forces that may work against public interest and to find new ways to combat poverty, deprivation and other social problems. It is therefore crucial that all laws, policies, rules and regulations relating to VOs categorically safeguard their autonomy, while simultaneously ensuring their accountability .
• Voluntary organizations may be registered as societies, as charitable trusts, or as non-profit companies under Central or State laws. Some States have adopted the Societies Registration Act (1860), with amendments, while others have independent laws. Similarly, laws relating to charitable trusts vary across States. Over time, many of these laws and their corresponding rules have become complex and restrictive, thus leading to delays, harassment and corruption. As the nodal agency for interface between the Government and the Voluntary Sector, the Planning Commission will encourage State Governments to review prevailing laws & rules and simplify, liberalise and rationalise them as far as possible. In order to facilitate registration of non-profit companies, the Government will examine measures to simplify procedures under section 25 of the Companies Act (1956), including those for license, registration, and remuneration to member-employees.
• The Government will also examine the feasibility of enacting a simple and liberal central law that will serve as an alternative all- India statute for registering VOs, particularly those that wish to operate in different parts of the country and even abroad. Such a law would co-exist with prevailing central and state laws, allowing a VO the option of registering under one or more laws, depending on the nature and sphere of its activities.
• There has been much public debate on the voluntary sector, particularly its governance, accountability, and transparency. It is widely believed that the voluntary sector must address these issues through suitable self-regulation. The Government will encourage the evolution of, and subsequently accord recognition to, an independent, national level, self-regulatory agency for the voluntary sector.
• At the same time, there is need to bolster public confidence in the voluntary sector by opening it up to greater public scrutiny. The Government will encourage Central and State level agencies to introduce norms for filing basic documents in respect of VOs, which have been receiving funding by Government agencies and placing them in the public domain (with easy access through the internet) in order to inculcate a spirit of public oversight.
• Public donation is an important source of funds for the voluntary sector and one that can and must increase substantially. Tax incentives play a positive role in this process. Stocks and s hares have become a significant form of wealth in the country today. In order to encourage transfer of shares and stock options to VOs, the Government will consider suitable tax rebates for this form of donation. The Government will also simplify and streamline the system for granting income tax exemption status to charitable projects under the Income Tax Act. At the same time, the Government will consider tightening administrative and penal procedures to ensure that these incentives are not misused by paper charities for private financial gain.
• International funding of voluntary organizations plays a small, but significant part in supporting such organizations and their work in the country. An organization seeking foreign funding must be registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. This law prescribes stringent screening norms that often restrict the ability of VOs to avail foreign funds. When approved, there are problems like funds must be held in a single bank account, thus presenting enormous difficulties to VOs working at different locations. The Government will review the FCRA and simplify its provisions that apply to VOs, from time to time, in consultation with the joint consultative group to be set up by the concerned Ministry.
• The Central Government has framed guidelines for bilateral agencies to give direct assistance to voluntary organizations for projects of social and economic importance. It controls access to such funds and their utilisation, both through the FCRA and through regulation by the Department of Economic Affairs. This system needs to be simplified in consultation with the joint consultative group to be set up by the concerned Ministry.
• The Government will encourage all relevant Central and State Government agencies to introduce pre-service and in-service training modules on constructive relations with the voluntary sector. Such agencies should introduce time bound procedures for dealing with the VOs. These would cover registration, income tax clearances, financial assistance, etc. There would be formal systems for registering complaints and for redressing grievances of VOs.

For More Information: National policy on Voluntary Sector 2007

Policy Updates

Advisory to associations registered / granted prior permission under FCRA, 2010 to incur expenditure above Rs 20,000 by cheques / drafts
The Home Ministry has asked NGOs to incur all expenditure above Rs 20000 by cheque or drafts. "As per the Income Tax Act, any expenditure incurred by certain category of NGOs in respect of which payment is made for a sum exceeding Rs 20000 otherwise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or by an account payee bank draft, shall not be allowed as a deduction under the Income Tax Act," the Circular says.
It adds that the issue of fixing an upper limit for incurring expenditure by associations registered/granted permission under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 by cash from designated bank accounts has been "under consideration" of the government for some time. "The Government, after considering the issue, advises all FCRA associations that items of expenditure/payments amounting to Rs 20000 should be done by cheque or demand drafts," the Ministry says.
It has been further specified that the records and accounts of associations indulging in cash payments of Rs 20000 or more from the designated bank accounts "are likely to require more intensive scrutiny by government" and the circular has been issued with approval of the competent authority.