The Indian Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, overseen by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has authorized the continuation of the Centrally Sponsored Umbrella Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH) from 2017-18 to 2019-20. This project comprises Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Project Tiger (CSS-PT), Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-DWH), and Project Elephant (CSS-PE) that aim to safeguard wildlife across the country.
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats
The CSS-IDWH will extend beyond its initial 12th plan period. Its implementation will be carried out through individual states in designated Tiger reserves, Protected Areas, and Elephant Reserves. Under the auspices of Project Tiger, eighteen tiger range states across five landscapes of the country will receive benefits.
These schemes aim to strengthen and consolidate tiger, elephant, and general wildlife conservation efforts across India. They will also provide employment opportunities, leading to economic upliftment for those living in and around tiger reserves and protected areas. This should lead to a decrease in natural resource dependency and promote the use of clean energy.
Furthermore, the scheme will promote skills development for self-employment through various eco-development projects. Finally, it’s expected to generate income from tourist visits.
Milk Fortification Initiative
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is encouraging both private and public dairy companies to voluntarily fortify their milk. Milk fortification involves adding vitamins and micronutrients to milk, a strategy recognized globally for addressing widespread nutritional deficiencies. However, concerns have been brought up regarding the costs of fortification and the usage of synthetic vitamins derived from animal sources.
Investigation into Hospital Practices
The Competition Commission of India will investigate alleged unfair practices in the products and services provided to in-patients by hospitals. This decision follows a previous Director-General level enquiry into Max Super Speciality Hospital’s potential violation of the competition act, which revealed enormous profit margins ranging from 250 to over 500 percent for a single fiscal year.
About the Competition Commission of India
Established under the Competition Act, 2002, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is tasked with eradicating practices that negatively impact competition, promoting and sustaining competition, protecting consumer interests, and ensuring freedom of trade within Indian markets. The CCI also provides opinions on competition issues referred from statutory authorities and carries out competition advocacy, public awareness campaigns, and training on competition issues.
Continuation of the Jan-Dhan Yojana Scheme
The Government has decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme, indicating its indefinite continuation and addition of incentives to motivate people to open bank accounts. Launched in 2014, PMJDY is aimed at financial inclusion in India, featuring zero balance account, insurance cover, direct benefit transfers, and overdraft/loan provisions.
The initial phase of PMJDY was centered on opening basic bank accounts and issuing RuPay debit cards with an inbuilt accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh. The second phase aimed to provide micro-insurance and pension schemes to unorganized sector workers. Now, the overdraft limit has been increased from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000, and no conditions attached for any overdraft up to Rs 2000. The accident insurance cover for new cardholders has also been doubled to Rs. 2 lakh.