National AYUSH Mission

In News

• Sh. Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for AYUSH chaired a Webinar of Health/AYUSH Ministers of all the States/UTs on 30th July 2020 to review the centrally sponsored scheme of National AYUSH Mission and operationalization of AYUSH Health & Wellness Centers.

About

• A dedicated Web-Portal was launched for National AYUSH Mission to submit State Annual Action Plans, Utilization Certificates, Physical & Financial Progress report, information related to DBT etc. in online mode to the Ministry.
• This initiative will bring transparency and ease of doing work using IT applications.
• Emphasis has been laid on early establishment and operationalization of AYUSH Health & Wellness Centers to strengthen the primary Healthcare delivery system in real-terms and to extend the AYUSH health care to the needy public.
• It was emphasized in the webinar to speed up the pace of work so that benefit may reach the common man and the funds are properly utilized.

National AYUSH Mission

• National AYUSH Mission was launched by Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India during 12th Plan for im¬plementing through States/UTs.
• The basic objective of NAM is to promote AYUSH medical systems through cost effective AYUSH services, strengthening of educational systems, facilitate the enforcement of quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani & Homoeopathy (ASU &H) drugs and sustainable availability of ASU & H raw-materials.
• The NAM contemplates establishment of a National Mission as well as corresponding Missions in the State level.
• NAM is likely to improve significantly the Department’s outreach in terms of planning, supervision and monitoring of the schemes.

Objectives

• To provide cost effective AYUSH Services, with a universal access through upgrading AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries, co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs).
• To strengthen institutional capacity at the state level through upgrading AYUSH educational institutions, State Govt. ASU&H Pharmacies, Drug Testing Laboratories and ASU & H enforcement mechanism.
• Support cultivation of medicinal plants by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) so as to provide sustained supply of quality raw-materials and support certification mechanism for quality standards, Good Agricultural/Collection/Storage Practices.
• Support setting up of clusters through convergence of cultivation, warehousing, value addition and marketing and development of infrastructure for entrepreneurs.

Atal Innovation Mission launches 'AIM-iCREST'

In News

• In a major initiative to encourage and enable holistic progress in the incubator ecosystem across the country, NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), has launched AIM iCREST – an Incubator Capabilities enhancement program for a Robust Ecosystem focused on creating high performing Startups. This is a first of its kind initiative for advancing innovation at scale in India.

About

• AIM has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wadhwani Foundation – organizations that can lend credible support and expertise in the entrepreneurship and innovation space.
• These partnerships will provide global expertise and showcase proven best practices to the AIM’s incubator network.
• AIM iCREST, as the name suggests, has been designed to enable the incubation ecosystem and act as a growth hack for AIM’s Atal and Established incubators across the country.
• Under the initiative, the AIM’s incubators are set to be upscaled and provided requisite support to foster the incubation enterprise economy.
• This will be complemented by providing training to entrepreneurs, through technology driven processes and platforms.
• The program aims at going beyond incubator capacity building. Given the current pandemic crisis, the effort will focus on supporting start –up entrepreneurs in knowledge creation and dissemination as well as in developing robust and active networks.

ATAL INNOVATION MISSION

• The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of the country, based on a detailed study and deliberations on innovation and entrepreneurial needs of India in the years ahead.
• AIM is also envisaged as an umbrella innovation organization that would play an instrumental role in alignment of innovation policies between central, state and sectoral innovation schemes incentivizing the establishment and promotion of an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship at various levels - higher secondary schools, science, engineering and higher academic institutions, and SME/MSME industry, corporate and NGO levels.
• Long term goals of AIM include establishment and promotion of Small Business Innovation Research and Development at a national scale (AIM SBIR) for the SME/MSME/startups, and in rejuvenating Science and Technology innovations in major research institutions of the country.

India's vision of SAGAR

Why in NEWS ?

• In line with India’s vision of ‘SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated the new Supreme Court building in Mauritius, through video-conferencing.

About

• The building has been constructed with Indian "grant assistance" and will be the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis.
• The new Supreme Court building project is one of the five projects being implemented under the 'Special Economic Package' of $353 million extended by India to Mauritius in 2016.
• The successful and timely completion will also create greater opportunities for Indian companies in Mauritius and in the region.
• The development cooperation between the two is the heart of India’s approach to development partnerships and free of any conditions or commercial considerations.
• India’s development cooperation is marked by the core values of ‘Respect’, ‘Diversity’, ‘Care for the Future’, and ‘Sustainable Development’.

SAGAR Vision

• India unveiled its strategic vision in 2015 for the Indian Ocean i.e. Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
• It is an increasing recognition of the increasing importance of maritime security, maritime commons and cooperation.
• Its goal is to seek a climate of trust and transparency, respect for international maritime rules and norms by all countries, sensitivity to each other`s interests, peaceful resolution of maritime issues and increase in maritime cooperation.
• India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building their maritime security capabilities. For this, India would cooperate on the exchange of information, coastal surveillance, building of infrastructure and strengthening their capabilities.
• Further, India seeks to safeguard its national interests and ensure Indian Ocean region to become inclusive, collaborative and respect international law.

Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)

Why in NEWS?

• Consumer Protection Act, 2019 comes into force from 20th July, 2020 and it includes establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) and rules for prevention of unfair trade practice by e-commerce platform.

About Consumer Protection Act, 2019

• Act will empower consumers and help them in protecting their rights through its various notified rules and provisions.
• It will be a significant tool in protecting consumer rights provides for simplifying the consumer dispute adjudication process and introduces concept of product liability.
• The new act will be swift and less time consuming compared to the older Consumer Protection Act, 1986 in which single-point access to justice was given making it a time-consuming exercise.
• New Act will empower consumers and help them in protecting their rights through its various notified Rules and provisions like Consumer Protection Councils, Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions, Mediation, Product Liability and punishment for manufacture or sale of products containing adulterant / spurious goods.

About Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)

• The CCPA will be empowered to conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute complaints / prosecution, order recall of unsafe goods and services, order discontinuance of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, impose penalties on manufacturers/endorsers/publishers of misleading advertisements.
• The rules for prevention of unfair trade practice by e-commerce platforms will also be covered under this Act.