2017 – International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development
The United Nations (UN) has declared 2017 as the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development” to celebrate and promote the contribution of the tourism sector to building a better world. The International Year aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behavior towards a more sustainable tourism sector that can contribute effectively to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Good Samaritan Policy
The Delhi government has recently approved ‘Good Samaritan Policy’ under which monetary incentive of Rs 2,000 and appreciation certificate will be given to people who help road accident victims in the national capital. The scheme is intended to encourage people to take accident victims in emergency situation to hospitals so that someone’s life could be saved.
Black rice gains popularity in Assam
An exotic variety of Black rice or purple rice recently has gained popularity in Assam. It was recently sown by the local farmers for the first time in Barak Valley. The Black rice is also known as world super food because of its high nutrition value, unique texture and intriguing nutty flavor. It is known for its powerful disease-fighting antioxidants and also contains dietary fiber, anti-inflammatory properties. It has the ability to help stop the development of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and even weight gain.
100 crore for Nobel Prize
Andhra Pradesh Government has announced a monetary reward of Rs 100 crore to anyone from the state government who wins Nobel Prize. It was announced by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu while addressing the inaugural function of the children’s science congress on the sidelines of the 104th session of the Indian Science Congress in Tirupati. This reward is about 17 times more than the prize money given out with the Nobel award which is about Swedish kronor 8 million (Rs 5.96 crore). With this Andhra Pradesh becomes first state in India to announce such a grand offer to its scientists.
“Digital Unlocked”
Google global CEO Sundar Pichai has recently launched “Digital Unlocked” a training program for Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) and startups to go digital in India in partnership with Ministry of Information and Technology and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at a Google event in New Delhi.The purpose of the program is to empower upcoming and existing Indian SMBs with essential digital skills which will help them to get online and use internet so as to grow their business. Apart from this, Primer app and My Business Website were also launched to help SMEs to learn digital marketing skills.
Injeti Srinivas committee
The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has recently constituted a committee to suggest improvements in the National Sports Development Code (NSDC) and functioning of Indian Sports Federation. The committee will be headed by Injeti Srinivas, which will suggest improvements in the present NSDC on the basis of suggestions and feedback given in these meetings and submit a report within a month so that Sports Bodies work as per the public expectations for the promotion of sports in India.
Gujarat CM dedicates India’s first laser technology-based check-post
India’s first laser technology-based advanced Automatic Vehicle Monitoring System (AVMS) RTO check-post has set up at Shamlaji of Aravalli district in Gujarat. The check-post is equipped with advanced ray technology with a cost of Rs 4.72 crore, which will help to eliminate irregularities and interventions done by middle-men. The advanced AVMS RTO check-post will provide transparent, sensitive, decisive and progressive government to the people.
“Scroll of Honor” award to the District Collector of Ajmer
Ajmer district collector Gaurav Goyal has been awarded ‘Scroll of Honor’ by Prime Minister for encouraging cashless transactions in the district. The award was given for plethora of measures taken by the collector post demonetization to encourage cashless transactions and ensure law and order.
India’s first transgender school “Sahaj International”
India’s first transgender school “Sahaj International” has started at Thrikkakara in Kerala’s Ernakulam district. It was inaugurated by transgender activist, writer and actor Kalki Subramaniam. The purpose of Transgender School is to provide transgenders security, salvation and sustainability. The new learning centre will help them continue their education and appear for Class X and XII examinations.This alternative learning centre works in collaboration with National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
Ratan Watal committee on Digital Payments
The govt’s digital payments panel, headed by former finance secretary Ratan Watal, was set up to suggest ways to encourage India’s movement towards a cashless economy.The committee has suggested a separate regulator to deal with issues concerning payment, among others. The report suggested a host of fiscal incentives to promote digital transactions. It suggested withdrawal of all charges levied by government departments and utilities on digital payments and making it mandatory for government departments and agencies to provide option to consumers to pay digitally. The report also suggested putting a special emphasis on digital payments for recurring low value transactions and reducing custom duties on payments acceptance equipment. The committee has also suggested instituting awards to promote digital transaction.
‘Caterpillar Train (or C-Train)’
The Haryana Government has plans to set up a pilot corridor for an innovative concept of ‘Caterpillar Train (or C-Train)’ that will fly over city’s traffic, in Gurgaon city. The C-train includes a citywide network of lightweight, elevated train coaches running at about 100 kmph on a track supported by poles bent into arches. The cost is about $3 million for a pilot system and approx $20 million for full-fledged automated system.The concept of C-Train was co-developed by an Indian Railways engineer Ashwani Kumar Upadhyaya along with Emil Jacob for which they won a global award at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States in 2016 for this innovative idea.
BHIM – Bharat Interface for Money
Prime Minister has recently launched an Aadhaar-based mobile app “Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM)” to promote easier digital payments and transactions at Digi Dhan Mela at talkatora stadium in New Delhi. The Bhim app is named after Dr B R Ambedkar and will empower small traders, tribals and farmers. The app is inter-operable with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and it connects directly to your bank account. The application is developed by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The application allows users to check the bank balance directly from the app. There is a limit of Rs 10,000 per transaction and a 24-hour limit of Rs 20,000.
“Swachh Swasth Sarvatra”
The Swachh Swasth Sarvatra is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation to achieve better health outcomes through improved sanitation and increased awareness and healthy lifestyles. It has been launched to strengthen Community Health Centres (CHCs) in 708 Open Defecation Free (ODF) blocks in India to enable them achieve higher levels of cleanliness and hygiene. Under it, Rs. 10 lakh of financial assistance will be given to the CHCs so that they can be strengthened to meet the standards of sanitation, hygiene and infection control. The initiative is a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, under the National Health Mission. It is focused on the twin objectives of constructing toilets and enabling behavioural change, with the goal of making India Open Defecation free by 2nd October, 2019.
Recent Posts
- In the Large States category (overall), Chhattisgarh ranks 1st, followed by Odisha and Telangana, whereas, towards the bottom are Maharashtra at 16th, Assam at 17th and Gujarat at 18th. Gujarat is one State that has seen startling performance ranking 5th in the PAI 2021 Index outperforming traditionally good performing States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but ranks last in terms of Delta
- In the Small States category (overall), Nagaland tops, followed by Mizoram and Tripura. Towards the tail end of the overall Delta ranking is Uttarakhand (9th), Arunachal Pradesh (10th) and Meghalaya (11th). Nagaland despite being a poor performer in the PAI 2021 Index has come out to be the top performer in Delta, similarly, Mizoram’s performance in Delta is also reflected in it’s ranking in the PAI 2021 Index
- In terms of Equity, in the Large States category, Chhattisgarh has the best Delta rate on Equity indicators, this is also reflected in the performance of Chhattisgarh in the Equity Pillar where it ranks 4th. Following Chhattisgarh is Odisha ranking 2nd in Delta-Equity ranking, but ranks 17th in the Equity Pillar of PAI 2021. Telangana ranks 3rd in Delta-Equity ranking even though it is not a top performer in this Pillar in the overall PAI 2021 Index. Jharkhand (16th), Uttar Pradesh (17th) and Assam (18th) rank at the bottom with Uttar Pradesh’s performance in line with the PAI 2021 Index
- Odisha and Nagaland have shown the best year-on-year improvement under 12 Key Development indicators.
- In the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu and, the bottom three performers are Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers were Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram; and, the bottom three performers are Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya.
- Among the 60:40 division States, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the top three performers and Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland; and, the bottom three performers are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
- Among the 60:40 division States, Goa, West Bengal and Delhi appear as the top three performers and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura were the top three performers and Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were the bottom three performers
- West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were the top three States amongst the 60:40 division States; while Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan appeared as the bottom three performers
- In the case of 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura were the top three performers and Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand featured as the bottom three
- Among the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and the bottom three performers are Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Goa
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland and the bottom three performers are Manipur and Assam
In a diverse country like India, where each State is socially, culturally, economically, and politically distinct, measuring Governance becomes increasingly tricky. The Public Affairs Index (PAI 2021) is a scientifically rigorous, data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the Sub-national level and ranks the States and Union Territories (UTs) of India on a Composite Index (CI).
States are classified into two categories – Large and Small – using population as the criteria.
In PAI 2021, PAC defined three significant pillars that embody Governance – Growth, Equity, and Sustainability. Each of the three Pillars is circumscribed by five governance praxis Themes.
The themes include – Voice and Accountability, Government Effectiveness, Rule of Law, Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption.
At the bottom of the pyramid, 43 component indicators are mapped to 14 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant to the States and UTs.
This forms the foundation of the conceptual framework of PAI 2021. The choice of the 43 indicators that go into the calculation of the CI were dictated by the objective of uncovering the complexity and multidimensional character of development governance
The Equity Principle
The Equity Pillar of the PAI 2021 Index analyses the inclusiveness impact at the Sub-national level in the country; inclusiveness in terms of the welfare of a society that depends primarily on establishing that all people feel that they have a say in the governance and are not excluded from the mainstream policy framework.
This requires all individuals and communities, but particularly the most vulnerable, to have an opportunity to improve or maintain their wellbeing. This chapter of PAI 2021 reflects the performance of States and UTs during the pandemic and questions the governance infrastructure in the country, analysing the effectiveness of schemes and the general livelihood of the people in terms of Equity.
Growth and its Discontents
Growth in its multidimensional form encompasses the essence of access to and the availability and optimal utilisation of resources. By resources, PAI 2021 refer to human resources, infrastructure and the budgetary allocations. Capacity building of an economy cannot take place if all the key players of growth do not drive development. The multiplier effects of better health care, improved educational outcomes, increased capital accumulation and lower unemployment levels contribute magnificently in the growth and development of the States.
The Pursuit Of Sustainability
The Sustainability Pillar analyses the access to and usage of resources that has an impact on environment, economy and humankind. The Pillar subsumes two themes and uses seven indicators to measure the effectiveness of government efforts with regards to Sustainability.
The Curious Case Of The Delta
The Delta Analysis presents the results on the State performance on year-on-year improvement. The rankings are measured as the Delta value over the last five to 10 years of data available for 12 Key Development Indicators (KDI). In PAI 2021, 12 indicators across the three Pillars of Equity (five indicators), Growth (five indicators) and Sustainability (two indicators). These KDIs are the outcome indicators crucial to assess Human Development. The Performance in the Delta Analysis is then compared to the Overall PAI 2021 Index.
Key Findings:-
In the Scheme of Things
The Scheme Analysis adds an additional dimension to ranking of the States on their governance. It attempts to complement the Governance Model by trying to understand the developmental activities undertaken by State Governments in the form of schemes. It also tries to understand whether better performance of States in schemes reflect in better governance.
The Centrally Sponsored schemes that were analysed are National Health Mission (NHM), Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS), Mahatma Gandh National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SmSA) and MidDay Meal Scheme (MDMS).
National Health Mission (NHM)
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)
MID- DAY MEAL SCHEME (MDMS)
SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SMSA)
MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)