ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...

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ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
Volume 1, Issue 12                             December 16-31, 2020
                                              FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION

                      REVITALISING
                     ECONOMY
                       Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive
                      policy directions and focussed approach
                      of the Government ensured that economy
                                 recovers faster than expected
ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
Mann Ki Baat 2.0     Episode 18: November 29, 2020

   Reforms enacted to make
       India Self-Reliant
     Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells in his Mann Ki Baat that agriculture reforms are
     empowering farmers and urged people to contribute towards developing their alma
                             mater in the best possible way

  AGRICULTURE REFORMS : Reforms have                       551th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji who
  not only served to unshackle farmers but also            had stayed at Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib during
  given them new rights and opportunities. These           Udaasi, his spiritual journey. During the 2001
  new rights have begun to ameliorate woes of              earthquake, this Gurudwara was damaged. It was
  farmers. Jitendra Bhoiji, a farmer from Dhule            only by the blessings of Guru Nanak Devji that I
  district in Maharashtra, made use of the recently        was able to ensure its renovation and restoring
  promulgated farm laws. Bhoiji sold his corn              its glory and grandeur.
  produce for approximately Rs 3.32 Lakh and               INTERACTION WITH STUDENTS: In the past
  received an advance. It had been decided that            few days, I was able to connect with students
  the outstanding amount would be cleared in               of IIT Guwahati, IIT Delhi, Deendayal Petroleum
  fifteen days. However, later such circumstances          University of Gandhinagar, JNU of Delhi, Mysore
  developed that he did not receive the remainder          University and Lucknow University. To be
  for four months. The new farm laws passed in             amongst the youth of the country is extremely
  September came to his aid. Under this law, it            refreshing and energizing. University campuses
  was decided that all dues of farmers should be           are like mini India.
  cleared within three days of procurement, failing        CONTRIBUTION TO ALMA MATER: After
  which the farmer can lodge a complaint.                  leaving school or college, two things never end.
  DEVI ANNAPURNA’S IDOL: Every Indian will                 One, the influence of your education, and second,
  be proud to know that a very old idol of Devi            bonding with your school or college. Whenever
  Annapurna is returning to India from Canada.             alumni interact with each other, greater time is
  It was stolen from a temple of Varanasi and              given to reminiscing about time on campus and
  smuggled out of the country somewhere around             moments spent with friends than about books
  1913. Mata Annapoorna has a very special                 and studies, and, from these memories, comes
  relationship with Kashi.                                 the desire to do something for the institution.
  VIRTUAL GALLERIES: Lots of museums and                   What could bring greater happiness than to
  libraries are working to make their collections          lend a hand in developing the place where your
  fully digital. In Delhi, National Museum is doing        personality was moulded?
  a fabulous job by working on introducing around          TRIBUTE TO SRI AUROBINDO: December 5 is
  ten virtual galleries.                                   the death anniversary of Sri Aurobindo. The more
  BRAZIL’S VEDANTA               INSTITUTE: Jonas          we read about him, greater we get into his insight.
  Masetti, also known as Vishwanath, teaches               When we are moving forward with the campaign
  Vedanta and Srimad Bhagavad Gita to people in            'Vocal for Local', Sri Aurobindo's philosophy of
  Brazil. He runs an institution named Vishwavidya,        Swadeshi shows us the path.
  situated at the hills of Petropolis in Rio De Janeiro.
  GURU NANAK JAYANTI: November 30 was                          Tune in to Mann Ki Baat by scanning QR Code
                                                                        Diwali Celebration In
                                                                          Ayodhya in 2019
ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
Volume 1, Issue 12      December 16-31, 2020
              Editor
     Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia,
  Principal Director General, PIB,              1      EDIT

                                     CONTENTS
                                                                                 Pg. 02
             New Delhi

     Consulting Editors                         2      MAIL BOX                  Pg. 03
           Vinod Kumar
          Santosh Kumar
                                                3      NEWS BRIEFS               Pg. 04-05
    Assistant Consulting
           Editor
      Sharat Kumar Sharma                       4      WAR AGAINST CORONA         Pg. 06-07

            Designer                            5      GOOD GOVERNANCE DAY        Pg. 08-10
     Ravindra Kumar Sharma

                                                6      PERSONALITY                Pg. 11

 Published & Printed by
     Satyendra Prakash,                         7      ENERGY SECURITY            Pg. 12-14
    Director General , BOC
    on behalf of Bureau of
         Outreach and                           8      INFRASTRUCTURE             Pg. 15
        Communication

                                                9      AGRICULTURE                Pg. 16-17
          Printed at
  J.K Offset Graphics Pvt Ltd.
     B-278, Okhla Ind Area                      10     PRAKASHOTSAV               Pg. 18-19
     Phase-I, New Delhi 20

                                                11     COVER STORY                Pg. 20-29
      Published from
   Bureau of Outreach and                       12     POLL REFORMS               Pg. 30-31
  Communication, 2nd Floor,
     Soochna Bhawan,
     New Delhi -110003
                                                13     FACILITY                   Pg. 32

                                                14    EVENT                      Pg. 33-34
NEW INDIA SAMACHAR
                                                15     CABINET DECISIONS         Pg. 35
 RNI No. : DELENG/2020/78811

    response-nis@pib.gov.in                     16     POSITIVE APPROACH          Pg. 36

                                                19
                                                 1                  New India Samachar 1
ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
FROM EDITOR'S DESK
       Sadar Namaskar,

        The war against Coronavirus in India has apparently reached a decisive point
     with scientists on the verge of developing indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. Prime
     Minister Narendra Modi visiting three vaccine developing facilities in the country
     and virtual interactions with some others has not only given hope to the people of
     the country but also to the world. How will the vaccine reach to people is covered
     in the current issue of New India Samachar.
        The cover story of this edition deals with how various interventions of the
     Government during the pandemic are helping the economy recover. The
     Chief Economic Adviser in his discussion explains the optimism behind the
     Government’s approach and strategy.
        With the true spirit of Jaan Bhi Aur Jahan Bhi and turning crisis into opportunity,
     the commitment of the Government to bring the economy to the growth path
     once again is reflected in the visible green shoots and various sectors moving
     northward. This is explained in the cover story. Chief Economic Adviser of the
     country has made complex economic issues easier for readers saying that the
     Government is not only cautious but optimistic with its long-term approach.
        This edition pays tribute to Mahamana Madan Mohan Malviya and former
     Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on their birth anniversary on December 25.
     The country celebrates Vajpayeeji's birth anniversay as Good Governance Day.
     Launch of President Ram Nath Kovind’s books with an insight of Raksha Mantri
     Rajnath Singh is also covered in this issue with other regular features being part
     of the magazine.
         We are eagerly waiting for your feedback and suggestions.
        Please send your response:
        Address : 		               Bureau of Outreach and Communication, IInd Floor,
        				                       Soochna Bhawan, New Delhi - 110003
        e-mail 		            :     response-nis@pib.gov.in

                                                                (K S DHATWALIA)

2 New India Samachar
ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
Mail Box
                                                                                iew with
                                                                      ive Interv        gh
                                                             An Exclus ntri Rajnath Sin
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                                              d patienc
                                                                                           27
                                                             Raksha
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                                     peace an
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                                                   it'                              1-15, 202
               'We still                  derstand                    December
                       e wo rld has to un                                       E DIS TRI
                                                                                            BUT ION
                but th                                                FOR FRE

                        11
         e   1, Issue
 » Volum

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                                                                                         lts in
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              santosh@fibre2fashion.com                                                                         mayadharmishraa@gmail.com

I take the pleasure to inform you that from last few weeks I am a regular reader of in digital issues
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ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
News Briefs

      EXPANSION OF UMANG
T   he UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for
    New Age Governance) App can now be
availed by Indian students, tourists
                                                services of Government including EPF, PAN,
                                                DigiLocker, gas booking in 27 states and nearly
                                                           1180 services for bill and challan
and overseas Indians. It can now                           payments. This includes 373 services
be downloaded in US, UK, Canada,                           from 88 departments, 487 services
Australia, UAE, the Netherlands,                           from 101 departments. So far, 3.75
Singapore and New Zealand as well.                         Crore people have downloaded this
Launched in November 2017 with 163                         App in India. Facility of this App will
features, the App provides an access                       be introduced in other countries
to various Government services                             as well. Their number is constantly
and bill payments. It offers over 860                      increasing.

                                               Raise in scholarship for SC students
                                               W      ith an increase of Rs 2 Lakh per
                                                      annum from Rs 6 Lakh to Rs 8 Lakh in
                                               National Overseas Scholarship Scheme for
                                               Scheduled Castes students, the Government
                                               has shown its resolve towards the growth of
                                               weaker and under privileged sections of the
                                               society. The announcement, effective from
                                               the selection year 2020-21, is for students
                                               securing admission in globally higher ranking
                                               institutions. The minimum qualifying marks
  Antiques stolen from a temple in             have also been increased from 55 per cent
  TN retrieved from London                     to 60 per cent.

 R     elentless efforts made by the
       Government in preserving country’s
  ancient artefacts met with success
                                               Over 50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health
  when 13th century bronze idols of Lord
                                               & Wellness Centres functional now
  Rama, Lakshmana and Goddess Sita
  have been handed over to the Idol Wing,      P   radhan Mantri Jan Arogya-Ayushman
                                                   Bharat Yojana, launched to provide free
                                               treatment to around 50 Crore poor people
  Government of Tamil Nadu on November
  18, 2020 in New Delhi. The idols stolen in   has achieved another milestone. Now, there
  1978 from Sri Rajagopal Vishnu Temple        are more than 50,000 operational Ayushman
  were returned by the London Metropolitan     Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres (AB-
  Police to the Indian High Commission,        HWCs). Around 1.5 Lakh AB-HWCs will be
  UK on September 15, 2020. The temple         established by December, 2022. The AB-
  was built during the Vijayanagara period     HWCs are spread across 678 districts, and
  at Anandamangalam in Nagapattinam            include 27,890 Sub Health Centres, 18,536
  district of Tamil Nadu.                      Primary Health Centres and 3,599 Urban
                                               Primary Health Centres.

4 New India Samachar
ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
Subsidy on transportation         Banks reaching out street vendors to help them
under Operation Greens            under PM SVANidhi
TOP to TOTAL
                                  P   M SVANidhi Scheme meant for
                                      street vendors is yielding good
                                  results providing benefits to them. Till
                                  date, 7,88,438 loans were disbursed
                                  proving to be a boon for street vendors.
                                  Out of 27,33,497 loan applications
                                  received so far, 14,34,436 applications
                                  were approved. Vendors who had left for their native places

T    he Ministry of Food
     Processing      Industries
(MoFPI) has brought out
                                  due to COVID-19 lock down are eligible for the loan on their
                                  return.

various schemes for the           “India Climate Change Knowledge Portal” launched
development of farmers.
Operation Greens Scheme           T    o strengthen Government’s resolve towards environment
                                       protection,   Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
                                  Change has launched the “India Climate Change Knowledge
TOP to TOTAL is one such
scheme which provides 50          Portal”. It will be a “single point information resource,” which
per cent subsidy on transport     provides information on various initiatives taken by various
and storage of notified fruits    ministries enabling users to access updated status on these
and vegetables. The subsidy       initiatives. Major components included India’s Climate Profile,
would also be available under     National Policy Framework, India’s NDC goals, Adaptation
Kisan Rail Scheme. Similarly,     Actions, Mitigation Actions, Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation,
subsidy is now made available     International Climate Negotiations, Reports & Publications.
for air transportation for        Expressing happiness over the web portal launch, Union Minister
fruits, vegetables from North-    of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar
Eastern, Himalayan States.        said that the country has practically achieved its Pre-2020 Climate
                                  Action targets. You can access the portal at: https://www.cckpindia.nic.in/

  Pragati reviews project worth Rs 1.41 Lakh Crore

  P   ragati, the monthly e-governance
      initiative launched by Prime Minister
  Narendra Modi to bring Union Ministries and
                                                       Highways (MoRTH) and Power Ministry.
                                                       These projects were in Odisha, Maharashtra,
                                                       Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, J&K, Gujarat,
  relevant State Governments                                     Haryana, Madhya Pradesh,
  on the same page, throws                                       Rajasthan and Dadra and Nagar
  light on his working style. In its                             Haveli. The Prime Minister asked
  33rd meeting on November                                       the concerned Secretaries of
  25, 2020, projects worth Rs                                    the Union Government and
  1.41 Lakh Crore spanning 10                                    Chief Secretaries of the State
  States and Union Territories                                   Governments to ensure that they
  were reviewed. The projects                                    complete the work before time.
  which were taken up were from Ministry of            Grievances related to COVID-19 and to the
  Railways, Ministry of Road Transport and             PM Awas Yojana were also taken up.

                                                                              New India Samachar 5
ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
War Against Corona

    India enters decisive phase
      of fight against COVID-19
Coronavirus infection is continuing to affect lives of people worldwide. The year 2020
started with pandemic reaching various countries and parts of the world. This brought
  the lives to a standstill worldwide. However, the end of the year has given a hope
   for an indigenous vaccine for the Coronavirus infection. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi reviewed the progress of the vaccine in different parts of the country. He visited
          vaccine facilities in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune in November

I
  ndia produces 60 per cent of the world's              In India, Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmadabad,
  vaccines. So, it is obvious that in the fight       Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum
  against Coronavirus, India is a big hope for the    Institute of India in Pune are developing the
rest of world. Around 212 vaccines are being          COVID-19 vaccines. Under the AatmaNirbhar
developed to fight the Coronavirus infection          Bharat 3.0 package, Rs 900 Crore were
across the globe. World Health Organization’s         earmarked for research and development
(WHO) says, of these 212 candidate vaccines,          activities related to COVID-19 vaccine. On
48 are in the clinical evaluation stage and 164       November 28, 2020, the Prime Minister visited
are in the pre-clinical evaluation stage.             the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat
  Among those in the clinical evaluation stage,       Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of
11 are in phase-3 of clinical trials. There are       India (SII) in Pune. After the Prime Minister’s
three other vaccines in phase-2 of clinical trials.   visit, Chief Executive Officer of SII Adar
At least 13 are in phase-1/2, and 21 in phase-1.      Poonawalla said that he was amazed by the
Six vaccines have been given the Emergency            Prime Minister's knowledge about vaccines
Use Authorisation.                                    and vaccine production.

6 New India Samachar
ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
MEETING WITH CMs OF EIGHT STATES OVER VACCINE DISTRIBUTION
     lChief Ministers of eight states were asked to
      review status, preparedness of COVID-19
      response and management. They assured
      that the way focus in the fight against
      COVID-19 has been on saving every life, the
      priority will be to ensure that vaccine reaches
      everyone
     lThe meeting, held via video conferencing,                     Force to ensure better results
      had chief ministers of Haryana, Delhi,                      l So far, India has more than 28,000 cold chain
      Chhattisgarh,         Kerala,     Maharashtra,                points and is working to increase the number
      Rajasthan, Gujarat and West Bengal                          l To track each vaccine, a digital platform is
     lThis was the Prime Minister’s 11th meeting                    being prepared and tested. This will track
      with the Chief Ministers on the issue                         each and every step of the vaccine from its
     lThe Prime Minister noted that priority of                     exit from the company till it reaches the people
      vaccination is being decided in consultation                l Priority for vaccination will be given to
      with the States                                               healthcare, frontline and all those workers
     lRequirements of additional cold chain                         who are at the risk of infection
      storages have also been discussed with the                  l Procurement of the syringe is also in the last
      States                                                        stage
     lHe asked the Chief Ministers to ensure
      regular monitoring of State Level Steering                                 (Scan QR Code to hear the Prime
      Committee and State and District Level Task                                     Minister's full address)

                                   Vaccine trial in final stage
                Covishield                                  NO LAXITY UNTIL THERE IS A CURE                                     Laboratory
                                                                                                                               Government
                                                       94.28 % 1.45 %            4,09,689 96,08,211
               Early results found to be              Recovery Rate Death Rate   Active cases Total patient                      1,187
               effective up to 90%                                                                                               Private
                                                                 PATIENTS CURED SO FAR - 90,58,822
                                                                                                (Data up to 5 December 2020)     1,012
n   The Serum Institute of India, along with Oxford
    University and AstraZeneca, has created the        Vaccination of 31 Crore people in the first phase…
    vaccine (Covishield). Serum said an application    l   According to Principal Scientific Advisor K. Vijayaraghavan, the
    for emergency use would be made within two
                                                           National Vaccine Committee headed by Dr. VK Paul has prepared
    weeks in India.
                                                           a blueprint that who will be the first to be vaccinated
                Covaxin                                l   In a meeting of the Ministry of Science and The Confederation
             Phase-3 trials of Covaxin have                of Indian Industry, he informed that 31 Crore people have been
             started in about 25 locations.                identified to be vaccinated between March and May
n   It has been developed by Bharat Biotech of         l   Vijayaraghavan said, 'The vaccine will be given first to One crore
    Hyderabad in association with the National             health workers, police force of states and central government,
    Institute of Virology and the Indian Council of
                                                           armed jawans, home guards, 26 crore members of priority group
    Medical Research. The target is to launch the
    vaccine by the first quarter of 2021                   above 50 years and high risk group below 50 year

                                The vaccine of Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Healthcare is also in the
    Zydus Cadila
                                second phase. Cadila Healthcare vaccine results will be revealed soon. It
     Healthcare                 is expected that this vaccine will also be available by April 2021.
                                                                                            New India Samachar 7
ECONOMY REVITALISING Post-Lockdown clear vision, substantive policy directions and focussed approach of the Government ensured that economy ...
Good Governance Day
                           Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Birth Anniversary

 Former Prime Minister
  Atal Bihari Vajpayee
   is remembered for
    his people-centric
    policies and push
     for a transparent
     and accountable
    administration. To
 honour him and to take
   forward his legacy,
  his birth anniversary
   on December 25 is
     observed as the
   Good Governance
      Day every year

EPITOME OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
F
       ormer Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee,           against his Government. He lost the Government
       the statesman, poet, leader of the masses            by one vote but won people’s confidence. The term
       and the man loved by the people all across,          was also marked by his initiatives for peace with
left a void not to be filled forever on his death in        Pakistan and the Lahore declaration was signed.
2018. On his 96th birth anniversary, one can                   With his Good Governance initiatives, Vajpayeeji
say that the current Government is working on               took India to different levels. The Golden
Vajpayeeji's legacies and taking measures to                Quadrilateral Project, started by his Government,
realise his dream of Swaraj to Suraj (self rule to          is shaping well in the present regime of the
good governance). The three-time Prime Minister             Narendra Modi Government. The visionary in him
has the credit of running the first non-Congress            realised the potential of connectivity. Projects like
coalition Government in the country successfully for        mobile connectivity, roads across the villages of
a full term following ‘Coalition Dharma’. During his        the country speaks volumes about the vision of
tenure as PM, the Government achieved significant           the tallest statesman of the country. He was also
milestones. Pokhran nuclear tests were conducted            responsible for India's mobile phone revolution as
during his second regime and the Government led             incoming calls were made free during his tenure.
by Vajpayeeji withstood international sanctions. He            It was under his rule that a new telecom policy
never buckled under any pressure whether internal           was framed which offered great opportunities for
or external and emerged gracefully in situation             private companies to expand. It was under his rule
like former Odisha CM Girdhar Gamang voting                 that India won the armed conflict with Pakistan that

 8 New India Samachar
took place between May and July 1999 in Kargil and          GOOD GOVERNANCE INITIATIVES TAKEN
elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC). To make          BY THE GOVERNMENT
governance easy, three new states – Jharkhand,
Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh – were created by the
Vajpayee Government. Inter-Linking of Rivers was
the dream project of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee.                                                   l PRAGATI: Pro-Active Governance
                                                              and timely implementation aimed at
   Good Governance means ensuring redressal of
                                                              addressing common man’s grievances,
everyone's grievances; benefits and opportunities
                                                              and simultaneously monitoring and
reaching every citizen; security for every Indian; that
                                                              reviewing important programmes and
the Government reaches out to every citizens. For his
                                                              projects of the Government as well as
legacy of good and people-centric decisions, he has
                                                              projects flagged by State Governments.
been considered as the epitome of Good Governance.          l Jeevan Pramaan: Annual life certificate
His aim was for a development-orientated, transparent         by senior citizens for pension through
and accountable government, which worked for early            electronic means
and easy deliverance of results to the public. He strived   l DigiLocker: For paperless governance
for all these throughout his tenure.                        l UMANG: It provides a single platform to
   To honour him and to take his legacy forward, the          access pan India e-Gov services ranging
Good Governance Day is celebrated on his birth                from Central to Local Government
anniversary every year. Soon after coming to power            bodies
in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced             l Anubhav: It enables submission and
that December 25 will be celebrated as the Good               display of commendable work done by
Governance Day.                                               retiring employees
   With ‘citizen-first’ being the mantra, motto and         l Online RTI portal
guiding principle, India is also aiming for bringing the    l Policy of intolerance towards non-
Government closer to the citizens, so that the masses         performing officers and encouraging the
can become active participants in the process. The            performing officers
Government considers redressal of public grievances         l Electronic         Human        Resource
as a very important component of a responsive                 Management System (e-HRMS): It is
administration.                                               a cost-effective initiative and helps the
   Since 2014, the redressal of public grievances has         Government to post the right man at the
received the highest priority across all the Government       right post. It enables employees to see
offices. Also, there has been a lot of re-engineering.        all their details and apply for different
Ministries and Departments of the Government have             kinds of claims on a single platform
been looking into their work spheres and their internal     l AADHAAR-enabled biometric-enabled
                                                              attendance for Government employees
processes have improved a lot. Use of technology has
                                                            l National Digital Literacy Mission
also been promoted so that sitting at the comfort of
                                                            l e-Post: A service under which printed
their homes, people can connect with the Government.
                                                              or even handwritten messages of
It has bridged the divide between the Government
                                                              customers are scanned and transmitted
and citizens. On the first ‘Good Governance Day’
                                                              as email. At the destination offices,
celebrations in 2014, the Prime Minister said an              these messages are printed, enveloped
important step for Good Governance is simplification          and delivered through postmen like
of procedures and processes in the Government so as           other letters at the postal addresses
to make the entire system transparent and faster.           l e-Sampark: An online messaging
   “The push towards self-certification in place of           platform with over 90 Lakh registered
affidavits and attestations is another indicator of the       users

                                                                            New India Samachar 9
Good Governance Day
                            Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Birth Anniversary

 E-GOVERNANCE FOR GOOD                              GOOD GOVERNANCE INDEX
 GOVERNANCE                                            On the Good Governance Day In 2019, ‘Good
 Good Governance is fundamental and                 Governance Index’ (GGI) was launched. The Index has
 E-Governance is instrumental. Good                 been scientifically designed on various parameters of
 Governance dictates the design and                 governance. It is citizen-centric and would also seek to
                                                    determine the status of governance as it exists today.
 shape of these tools for improving
                                                       It is a uniform tool across states to assess the status
 governance outcomes and processes.                 of governance and impact of various interventions taken
 Effective implementation of e-Governance           up by the State Governments and the Union Territories.
 can take IT to the common man, helping             The objectives of GGI are to provide quantifiable data
 the Government to align services with the          to compare the state of governance in all states and
 changing needs of both citizens and other          UTs, enable states and UTs to formulate and implement
 stakeholders.                                      suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to
 OBJECTIVES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE                      result-oriented approaches and administration.
 DAY CELEBRATIONS                                      Various principles have been kept in mind while
   To re-engineer Government processes              selecting the indicators, i.e. it should be easy to
 in order to provide an open and                    understand and calculate, citizen-centric and result
 accountable administration.                        driven, leading to improved results and applicable to all
                                                    states and UTs, among others.
 l To make people aware about the
   Government’s commitment for providing             THE GGI TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION TEN SECTORS
   a transparent and accountable                       l Agriculture and Allied         l Economic Governance
   administration.                                        Sectors                       l Social Welfare and
 l To enhance the welfare and betterment               l Commerce and                      Development
   of the common citizens.                                Industries                    l Judicial and Public
 l To standardise the Government                       l Human Resource                    Security
                                                          Development                   l Environment
   functioning as well as make it a highly             l Public Health
   effective and accountable governance                l Public Infrastructure          l Citizen-Centric
   for the people.                                        and Utilities                    Governance
 l To implement the good and effective               These ten governance sectors are measured on a total 50
   policies to complete a mission of good            indicators. Difference indicators are given different weightage
   governance.                                       under one governance sector to calculate the value.

 relationship of trust between citizens and the               than celebrating his birthday as 'Good Governance
 Government. Doing away with cumbersome                       Day' and pledging to devote ourselves to this
 and outdated legislations which no longer have               cause. He passed away on August 16, 2018. His
 relevance is another focus area,” the Prime Minister         memorial on the banks of Yamuna, in the national
 said. He also said there is no bigger tribute to Atalji      capital is named Sadaiv Atal.

 10 New India Samachar
Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya   Personality

Remembering the Visionary
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore rightly called Pandit
Madan Mohan Malaviya as Mahamana for his
various initiatives and works for the society. He
was not only able to get a huge tract of land for a
university from generous Kashi Naresh but also a
huge sum of money from the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Saving revolutionaries of Chauri Chaura incident
from gallows are some of his exceptional works that
truly endorses the prefix Mahamana

  BORN: DECEMBER 25, 1861 DIED: NOVEMBER 12, 1946

P
      andit Madan Mohan Malaviya, a visionary,
      a social reformer, a journalist, an            I do not consider anybody as a greater patriot
      educationist and a leader, there are many    than Malaviyaji; I always worship him. There is no
facets of the great soul of India. The visionary    one in sight amongst all living Indians who has
in him anticipated that independence will be            rendered more services to India than him
meaningful only when the country is governed by
a generation of progressive and cultured youth.                    MAHATMA GANDHI
As the nation celebrates 159th birth anniversary
                                                   Indian National Congress for as many as four
of Bharat Ratna Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya,
                                                   times and founder of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu
the legacy of his multifaceted persona lives on
                                                   Mahasabha, he never compromised with his
to inspire generations.
                                                   principles. For Mahatma Gandhi, Mahamana
 l The slogan ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (Truth            was his conscience-keeper and like ‘his elder
   alone triumphs) is the legacy given to the
                                                   brother’.
   nation by Malaviyaji, by saying that this
   slogan from Mundakopanishad should be              In 1909, he founded an English newspaper –
   the slogan for the nation                       The Leader. It was published from Allahabad,
 lHe started the tradition of Ganga Aarti at       now known as Prayagraj. As a lawyer, Malaviyaji
   Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar. He was dedicated      is remembered for his defence of 170 people
   to the cause of Hindi, Ganga and cow            who got death sentence for Chauri Chaura
                                                   incident in 1922. Around 155 of them were saved
   His vision shaped the foundation of Banaras     from the gallows while remaining persons’ death
Hindu University (BHU) in 1916. There was          sentence was commuted into life imprisonment.
no match to Mahamana’s relentless efforts          He was opposed to the separate electorates
to accomplish any target, his steely resolve       for Muslims under the Lucknow Pact of 1916.
managed to get a large donation from Nizam         Malaviyaji compelled the British government to
of Hyderabad for BHU. It is said that on being     sign an agreement with Ganga Mahasabha on
denied donation to set up the university by        uninterrupted flow of Ganga in Haridwar and
the Nizam, he is said to have auctioned his        protect Ganga for future obstructions. To honour
slippers. Eventually, it was the Nizam who bid     the freedom fighter, Malaviyaji was conferred
for them paying a huge sum. As president of        Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2015.
                                                                         New India Samachar 11
Energy Security RE-Invest 2020

   ON THE CUSP OF
 ENERGY REVOLUTION
 When the entire world is facing the grave challenge of climate change, the
 need of the hour is to focus on renewable energy. Taking up the challenge,
   in the last six years, India has increased its installed renewable energy
              capacity to two-and-a-half times with more to come

I
   ndia is constantly focusing                                         MW till October, 2020,
   on renewable energy since                                           the share of renewable
   Prime Minister Narendra                                             energy is 89,636 MW. The
 Modi took over reins in                                               Government has set the
 2014. Inaugurating the third                                          target of 175 GW by 2022
 Global Renewable Energy                                               and 450 GW till 2030. (1
                                     country has come a long
 Investment Meeting and Expo                                           GW - 1000 MW- 1 Billion
                                     way in terms of energy
 (RE-Invest 2020), the Prime                                           watts
                                     revolution. India is the 4th
 Minister appreciated India's                                        l States like Gujarat, MP,
                                     largest country in renewable
 efforts in the field of renewable                                     UP, Rajasthan, Tamil
                                     power generation capacity
 energy and environmental                                              Nadu, and Himachal
                                     and is growing at the fastest
 protection. While addressing                                          Pradesh will lead in
                                     speed.     The     renewable
 representatives from over 80                                          renewable energy sector
                                     energy capacity in India is
 countries, the Prime Minister                                         as they are more organised
                                     currently 136 Giga Watts,
 expressed happiness over                                              for solar revolution
                                     which is about 36 per of the
 the progress from Megawatts                                         l The          Government’s
                                     total capacity.
 to Gigawatts in generation                                            commitment          towards
 capacity within a short span                                          other sources like wind,
 of time and ‘One Sun, One           THE SUNSHINE                      bio,        hydroelectricity
 World, One Grid’ becoming a         SECTOR                            reiterates the fact that
 reality.                            l Out of the total power          the country will meet the
   In the last 6 years, the            generation of 3,73,436          target by 2035

 12 New India Samachar
l Recently, an ultra Mega
  solar power project with a        FLAGSHIP SCHEME: PM-KUSUM
  production capacity of 750
  MW on 1500 hectares of
                                    FOR A GREATER SOLAR MAP
  land was launched in Rewa,
  Madhya Pradesh. This will
  help stopping emission of
  carbon dioxide which equals
  to plantation of 2.60 Crore
  trees
l India’s initiative towards
  International Solar Alliance
  is a major landmark. As per
  National Solar Mission, focus
  is on manufacturing solar
  equipment that will help in
  making country self-reliant by
                                    P    radhan Mantri - Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan
                                         Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) is an important instrument
                                    towards connecting agriculture sector with modern
  2030                              technology. With the Government’s core objective to
                                    bring prosperity in the lives of farmers, the Scheme aims
                                    to establish a new paradigm of success towards creating
PARIS AGREEMENT                     a strong solar map across the country in harnessing
INDIA’S SUCCESS                     renewable energy resources.
   The Paris Agreement of             India is a predominantly agrarian economy and farmers
2015 is crucial for checking the    for long believed in irrigation methods depending upon use
climate change and reducing         of conventional energy resources like electricity through
its negative effects. As per the    thermal or hydro power. Lack of water for irrigation has
agreement, 179 countries of         always been a hindrance for a good yield over the years.
the world are committed to stop     With the goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2022, the
the temperature rise at 2 ° C       Government launched PM-KUSUM in February 2019,
                                    which was announced in the Union Budget of 2018-2019.
or possibly 1.5 ° C during this
                                      Crop damage is a recurrent problem due to erratic rainfall
century. According to the report
                                    and lack of irrigation facilities. With PM-KUSUM scheme,
of Climate Transparency, India
                                    farmers will be able to get irrigation facility by installing
is the only country among the       Solar pumps. They can also produce electricity by setting
G20 nations that has achieved       up solar panels in their fields and selling surplus to discoms.
the target set under the Paris      Uninterrupted power supply could be ensured in villages,
Agreement. This shows India's       which aims to install a total solar capacity of 25,750 MW by
consistent    efforts    towards    2022. As per the target, three Crore irrigation pumps will
renewable energy along with         be run by solar energy instead of electricity generated by
environmental         protection.   other means by 2022. The Scheme will cost a total of Rs
This reflects upon India’s          1.40 Lakh Crore. Both the Centre and State Governments
persistent efforts to create        will contribute Rs 48,000 Crore each. Farmers will have
renewabale energy sources           to bear 10 per cent of the total cost of solar pump. About
and its commitment towards          Rs 34,422 Crore for KUSUM scheme will be sanctioned
                                    through bank loans.
environment protection.

                                                                     New India Samachar 13
Energy Security RE-Invest 2020

                     Two types of benefits from the KUSUM Scheme
         The Scheme will benefit farmers in two ways. One, they will get free electricity for
      irrigation and secondly if they make additional electricity and send it to the grid, then
                         they will also be able to earn some extra money

                                                             Highlights of KUSUM Scheme
                                                                      30%
                                                         Subsidy to be given by the Central
                                                                    Government
                                                                                                 BENEFITS
                                   Prime Minister                     30%                              The
                                   Narendra Modi          Subsidy to be given by the State        landowner
                                   with                            Governments                    will have an
                                   President of
                                   French
                                   Republic                            30%                       income of Rs
                                                                                                 60 thousand
                                   Emmanuel             Amount to be sanctioned by banks to         to 1 lakh
                                   Macron at                      farmers as loan
                                                                                                   per acre
                                                                       10%
                                   a Solar
                                   Power Plant in                                                 per year for
                                   Mirzapur, Uttar     Amount to be paid by farmers to install    the next 25
                                   Pradesh                                                           years
                                                            solar energy equipment

   BIG POWER SAVINGS
   With Solar energy not only electricity will be      You can avail the benefits… To apply under
   saved but 30,800 MW additional power will be         KUSUM Yojana, you can go to the official
   generated. The Government will allow farmers to     website https://Mnre.Gov.in/ and register.
   make solar power by installing solar panels.

   THREE COMPONENTS OF THE SCHEME                       allowed but the Central Financial Assistance
   COMPONENT A: Connecting 10,000 MW of                 will be limited to the pump of 7.5 HP.
   decentralised grids to renewable power plants.       COMPONENT C: Solarisation of 15 Lakh
   Solar or other renewable energy-based power          grids connected through Solar powered
   plants (REPP) of capacity between 500 kilowatts      agricultural pumps. Individual farmers with
   (KW) and 2 MW will be set up by individual farmer    grid-connected agriculture pumps will be
   or group of farmers or cooperatives or Panchayats    supported.
   or Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO). Power
   discoms may allow setting up of Solar or other       DIESEL PUMPS TO BE REPLACED IN
   renewable energy-based power plants of capacity      FIRST PHASE
   less than 500 KW in specific cases.                  The first phase of KUSUM Scheme envisages
   COMPONENT B: Installation of 20 Lakh                 solarisation of only those pumps which are
   Solar-powered agricultural pumps. Individual         running on diesel. Arrangements will be made to
   farmers will be supported to install stand alone     run such 17.50 Lakh irrigation pumps with Solar
   Solar agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5        energy. This will help curb diesel consumption,
   horsepower (HP) for replacement of existing          crude oil imports and ensure protection of
   diesel agriculture pumps in off-grid areas.          environment. Farmer having barren land can
   Pumps of capacity higher than 7.5 HP may be          use them to produce Solar energy.

 14 New India Samachar
Varanasi-Prayagraj Project
                                                                                                     Infrastructure

EMPOWERING FARMERS
   Criticising the Opposition and countering those who
spread confusions on the farmers’ welfare, Prime Minister
  Narendra Modi said decades of deceit make farmers
apprehensive but now there is no deceit, “work is being
      done with intentions as pure as Gangajal”

T     he Government is taking revolutionary
      measures for farmers and the farm sector. For
decades, farmers were apprehensive about the
promises made by the previous Governments.              present Government, the truth will come out
But now, the Government is taking steps and             automatically.
ensuring that rights of farmers are protected.        l Five years before 2014, pulses of around Rs
They are getting more income and are also free          6.5 Crore were procured from farmers. But in
from the compulsion of selling their products           the subsequent 5 years, pulses worth about Rs
to any particular mandi. The Government is              49,000 Crore were procured, that is, about 75
constantly trying to make the situation better          times increase.
for them. The Government delivered on the             l In 5 years prior to 2014, paddy worth Rs 2 Lakh
promise of stopping the black marketing of urea         Crore were purchased. But in the subsequent 5
and giving enough urea to the farmers. It also          years, we have crossed Rs 5 Lakh Crore. That
delivered on the promise of fixing MSP at 1.5           equals to almost two and a half times more
times of the as per the recommendation of the           money.
Swaminathan Commission.                               l The Government is spending crores of rupees to
   A range of schemes are assisting farmers.            modernise mandis. Why would the Government
However, there is a misconception among                 spend so much if the mandis and the MSP were
them. On November 30, while inaugurating                to be dismantled?
the six-lane project of the Varanasi-Prayagraj        l Assistance is being provided directly to the bank
section of NH-19 in his Lok Sabha Constituency          accounts of more than 10 Crore farmer families
Varanasi, the Prime Minister re-emphasised              of the country. So far, about Rs 1 lakh Crore
that he is dedicated for farmers’ welfare.              have been reached to the farmers.
IMPORTANT TAKE AWAY FROM PRIME                        l The Government is also addressing the
MINISTER’S SPEECH:                                      concerns of the families of farmers. The Prime
l New agriculture reforms have given farmers            Minister expressed confidence that those
   new options, legal protections and at the            farmers who have some doubts on agricultural
   same time the old system also continues if           reforms today, will also take advantage of these
   someone chooses to stay with that                    agricultural reforms in future and can increase
l Earlier, transactions outside the mandi were          their income.
   illegal but now a small farmer can take legal
                                                                                  (SCAN THE QR CODE TO HEAR THE
   action on the transactions outside the mandi                                             PM'S ADDRESS)
                                                                         The New India Samachar in the October 1–15 issue
   also.                                                                  clarified the veracity and misleading facts related
                                                                           to the agricultural reform bill. You can read it by
l When you see the track record of the                                                      visiting this link
                                                                             http://davp.nic.in/nis/pdf/NIS%20English%20
                                                                                          October%201-15.pdf

                                                                              New India Samachar 15
Agriculture Empowering Farmers

NEW FARM LAWS PROVIDING BIGGER
MARKET, BETTER PRICES TO FARMERS
 Empowerment of farmers has been
 the priority of the Government. The
 new farm laws passed by Parliament in
 September 2020 show the commitment
 of the Government towards doubling
 income of farmers by 2022

 T
       ransforming the agriculture sector in the
       country and raising farmers’ incomes has
       been the priority of Prime Minister Narendra
 Modi since he took over reins in New Delhi. In the
 past six years, several measures have been taken
 to improve condition of farmers. The Government
 has the commitment of making income of farmers
 double by 2022. To provide multiple marketing
 channels and a legal framework for farmers to enter
 into pre-arranged contracts among other things,
 Parliament passed three new laws in September
 -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce
 (Promotion and Facilitation) Act; The Farmers
 (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of
 Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The
 Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

           MYTHS: PROCUREMENT AT MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE (MSP) WILL STOP
    lIf farm produce is sold outside APMC mandis, these will stop functioning
    lWhat will be the future of government electronic trading portal like e-NAM

           FACTS: PROCUREMENT AT MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE WILL CONTINUE,
                  FARMERS CAN SELL THEIR PRODUCE AT MSP RATES

l Mandis will not stop functioning, trading              large retailers, exporters etc, on a level
  will continue as before. Farmers will have             playing field.
  the option to sell their produce at other            l Price assurance to farmers even before
  places in addition to the mandis                       sowing of crops. In case of higher market
l The e-NAM trading system will continue                 price, farmers will be entitled to this price
l This empowers farmers for engaging with                over and above the minimum price
  processors, wholesalers, aggregators,                l It will transfer the risk of market
 16 New India Samachar
unpredictability from the
  farmer to the sponsor
l It will reduce cost of
  marketing and improve
  income of farmers
l Effective dispute resolution
  mechanism        has    been
  provided for with clear
  timelines for redressal
l Impetus to research and new
  technology in the agriculture
  sector

  It will promote barrier-free inter-state
                                                    MSP INCREASED CONSIDERABLY
   and intra-state trade and commerce               DURING 2014-2020
outside the physical premises of markets
                                                    l On recommendations of the National
notified under State Agricultural Produce             Commission of Farmers, headed by M
            Marketing Legislation                     S Swaminathan, the MSP for several
                                                      agricultural products was enhanced by 1.5
      MYTHS: UNDER CONTRACT FARMING, FARMERS          times of the production cost incurred by the
      WILL BE UNDER PRESSURE AND THEY WILL NOT        farmers
      BE ABLE TO DETERMINE PRICES                   l On paddy, the Government hiked MSP
                                                      by 2.4 times in the last five years. Actual
l The new system will be a problem for farmers        payments made to farmers on paddy were
l In case of dispute, big companies will be at        a whopping Rs 4.95 Lakh Crore as against
  an advantage                                        Rs 2.06 Lakh Crore in the previous five-
                                                      year period
      FACTS: THE FARMER WILL HAVE FULL POWER        l On pulses, the increase in the MSP was
      IN THE CONTRACT TO FIX A SALE PRICE OF          the maximum at 75 times leading to a
      HIS CHOICE FOR THE PRODUCE. THEY WILL           payment of Rs 49,000 Crore in last five
      RECEIVE PAYMENT WITHIN THREE DAYS               years as against a meagre Rs 645 Crore
                                                      made in 2009-14
l The purchasing consumer will pick up the          l On wheat, MSP payment to farmers
  produce directly from the farm                      increased by 1.77 times during the last five
l In case of any dispute, there will be no need       years at Rs 2.97 Lakh Crore as against Rs
  to go to court repeatedly. There will be local      1.68 Lakh Crore in 2009-14
  dispute redressal mechanism                       l On oil seeds and copra, the MSP witnessed
                                                      an increase of ten times in five years. On
l It prohibits the sale, lease or mortgage of
                                                      both these products, the actual MSP pay
  farmers' land
                                                      out was Rs 25,000 Crore as against Rs
l Farmers can withdraw from these contracts at
                                                      2,460 Crore given in 2009-14
  any time without any penalties if they have not
                                                    l The Government agencies have made total
  availed an advance amount from the contracting
                                                      procurement of foodgrains totalling 382
  parties                                             Lakh tonnes during Rabi season of 2020
l The farming contract was limited to specific        which is an all-time record in itself
  products and confined to particular timeframes

                                                                      New India Samachar 17
PRAKASHOTSAV
                  Guru Nanak Jayanti 2020

  SPECIAL BOND WITH SIKHS
  From opening up of the Kartarpur Corridor, stuck for decades, to celebrating
     the 550th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji on a grand scale
  worldwide, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Government have worked
   towards re-establishing the pride of the Sikh community. Many institutional
   measures have been taken for the welfare of the Sikhs in the last six years

                                            A
                                                    fter making consistant efforts for years, the
                                                    Government succeeded in opening of Sri
                                                    Kartarpur Sahib corridor for devotees in
     World over, the influence of Guru      November, 2019 on the 550th birth anniversary of
      Nanak Dev ji is distinctly visible.   Shri Guru Nanak Devji. Sri Kartarpur Sahib corridor
      From Vancouver to Wellington,         is between Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur
    from Singapore to South Africa his      district and Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib in
     messages are heard all around. It      Pakistan's Kartarpur.
   is mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib        l The Government allocated Rs 120 Crore for it
     –“sevak ko seva bun aayee”, that       l It ensured that pilgrims cross over into Pakistan
   is the work of a sevak, a servant is        from the Indian side to visit Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur
     to serve. In the past few years at        Sahib in Pakistan throughout the year
  many important junctures we had the       l It has state-of-the-art infrastructure, including
  opportunity to serve as a Sevak. I feel      a passenger terminal built to take care of over
  that I have been specially blessed by        15,000 pilgrims per day
  Guru Sahib that he has associated me
        very closely with his work.”        EMPOWERING SIKH YOUTH
     Prime Minister, Narendra Modi          l Before 2014, just 18 Lakh students from the Sikh
                                              community had been given scholarships. But the
                                              Narendra Modi Government ensured that 31 lakh

 18 New India Samachar
SHOWCASING SIKH HERITAGE TO                          centrally-sponsored rehabilitation scheme.
THE WORLD
l Ministry of Tourism sanctioned development       FULFILLING DEMANDS OF SIKHS
  of Anandpur Sahib- Fatehgarh Sahib-              THROUGH VARIOUS MEASURES
  Chamkaur           Sahib-Ferozpur-Amritsar-      l Citizenship Amendment Act grants
  Khatkar Kalan-Kalanour-Patiala Heritage            citizenship to Sikh refugees from
  circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme.              Afghanistan and Pakistan who suffered
l Air Connectivity between Amritsar and              forceful religious conversions, terrorism,
  Nanded via special flight initiated                and other mistreatments
                                                   l Revocation of Article 370 has given equal
JUSTICE DELIVERED TO 1984 RIOT                       rights to Sikh minority in Jammu and
VICTIMS                                              Kashmir; domicile certificates being issued
l     After more than three decades of the           for 1947 West Pakistan Sikh refugees
   1984 riots, Sikhs were deprived of justice.       as well
   The Government has ensured justice for          l Sikh    Gurdwaras       (Amendment)        Act
   Sikhs. It expanded the ambit of the probe         2016     amended,        addressing      long-
   into 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases by enabling       standing demand regarding participation
   Special Investigation Team (SIT) to reopen        in Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak
   investigations in all the cases in which          Committee elections
   trials were completed and accused were          l Slashing The ‘Blacklist’: A number of
   discharged                                        Sikhs residing in the US, UK, Canada and
l Bringing Culprits to Justice: The SIT              other countries used to be on the ‘blacklist’ or
  re-opened around 80 cases for further              the Central Adverse List. This list has been
  investigation. Convictions of big political        massively reduced by the Government from
  personalities within just 3 years of SIT           314 people to just two. Slashing the blacklist
  formation                                          helps them meet their families, get Indian
l Compensation Provided to Victims Pan-              visa and OCI card
  India: Additional amount of Rs 5 Lakh to         l Jallianwala      Bagh     Memorial:        The
  the kin of the 1984 riot victims were given.       Government brought Jallianwala Bagh
  At least 1,020 riot-hit families, who had          National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019
  migrated to Punjab from different parts            to construct the national memorial in the
  of India due to the violence, were given           centenary year as a salute to the sacrifices
  Rs      2   Lakh     each     as   part    of      of martyrs.

   Sikh students were given pre/post matric            developed in Sikh concentrated areas
   and merit-cum-means scholarships
 l Sikh youth form a significant share of 10        l Promoting Research On Teachings Of
   Lakh beneficiaries under self-reliance             Sri Guru Nanak Devji: National Institute
   schemes such as Hunar Haat, Garib                  of Inter-Faith Studies being set up at Guru
   Nawaz Employment Scheme, Seekho Aur                Nanak Dev University, Amritsar to promote
   Kamao, Nai Manzil, gaining employment              brotherhood and diversity. Rs 67 Crore
   opportunities                                      sanctioned for the same. Chairs of Sri Guru
 l Several social infrastructures built under PM      Nanak Devji set up at a university in the UK
   Jan Vikas Karyakram for backward areas             and Canada.

                                                                         New India Samachar 19
Cover Story
              Economy

              ECONOMY
                 on firm recovery path!
         Famed India growth story is set to return beginning
           next financial year on the back of firm recovery
           reported in the second quarter of 2020-21. Data
            suggests a V-shaped recovery in the economy

 20 New India Samachar
T
       he worst ever pandemic has
       disrupted     lives,   jobs    and
       economies globally and India is
no exception to the cascading adverse
impact of COVID-19. What perhaps
stands out is the way Government,

                                                      Manufacturing Index on
people and economy have responded in
the last nine months.
   A responsive Government, sensitivities
of Indian people and economic resilience
                                                            high [%]
were on full display even as society

                                                                                                                      58.9
                                                                                                      56.8

                                                                                                                       56.3
devastated by the pandemic limped

                                                55.3
                                                        54.5
                                                                51.8
back to normalcy step by step and firmly

                                                                                                         52
                                                                                        47.2
at that. With the Central Government

                                                                                         46
led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
rolling out an ‘AatmaNirbhar’ package to

                                                                         30.8
                                                                         27.4
rescue the economy from onslaught of
the pandemic and achieve self-reliance,
most stakeholders responded beautifully
and worked in unison to bring the mojo
back in famed India growth story.
   While this bounce-back was work
in progress, several sectors showed             January February March    April   May   June   July   August September October November

promise and green-shoots in the
                                             l Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index
economy were visible. Indian agriculture
sector demonstrated its strength by            (PMI) moderated to 56.3 in November against
growing at 3.4 per cent during the April–      the decade high level of 58.9 in October. With
September 2020, i.e. last two quarters         PMI Services Index also ending the seven-
during the peak of spread in COVID-19.         month sequence of contraction to rise to 54.1
   Indian     businesses     have     also     in October and 53.7 in November, growth of
responded positively to the policy             output in the second half of 2020-21 is poised
packages announced by the Prime
                                               to replicate the performance of Q2. Despite
Minister beginning with the COVID-19
economic rescue measures initiated by          some moderations in November, Manufacturing
the Government. In fact, this brought          sector is buoyant.
manufacturing growth into a positive
zone at 0.6 per cent during July–                    Positive growth indicators
September 2020 from the 39.3 per cent
                                             Sector                      FY 2019-20                        FY 2020-21
dip reported in the previous quarter.
                                                              1st quarter         2nd quarter         1st quarter       2nd quarter
   Power, gas and water supply sectors
have also grown by 4.4 per cent in the       Agriculture           3                 3.5                 3.4               3.4
second quarter of this fiscal as against 7   Manufacturing         3                -0.6               -39.3               0.6
per cent contraction reported for earlier    Electricity/Gas       8.8               3.9                -7                 4.4
three months i.e. in April–June 2020.
                                             Construction          5.2               2.6               -50.3              -8.6
Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) during
April– September 2020 touched $30            Tourism               3.5               4.1               -47               -15.6
Billion, registering 15 per cent growth                                                                               (Figures in %)

                                                                                               New India Samachar 21
Cover Story
                     Economy

    GST collection for the first time crosses
      Rs 1 lakh crore in the last 8 months
   Collection was over 10 percent in 80 lakh GSTR-3B returns filed in
   the same month last year          the month of October 2020

                                                                           `1,04,963
                                                               `1,05,155
    GST collection from April till now

                                                                                 Crore
                                                                     Crore
                                                     `95,480
                                           `86,449
                                 `87,422

                                                          Crore
                  `90,917                       Crore
                                      Crore

                  Crore

           `62,151
           Crore

     `32,172
                                                                                             For the first time since February, GST
     Crore                                                                                 collections both in October and November
                                                                                           crossed Rs 1 Lakh Crore which is a major
                                                                                         indicator of an increase in economic activity.
                                                                                          Business activities have been restored after
          April   May     June     July       Aug       Sept       Oct         Nov                  all restrictions have ended

                         According to the IMF, the economic package of Rs 29
                         Lakh 87 Thousand Crore given in three phases under
                         the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Campaign supported the Indian
                         economy. This package is 15% of India's GDP

 over the same period last financial year. Healthy                                           it was at 53.7 which indicates strong recovery.
 FDI inflows would give a big fillip to ‘Make in India’                                      Overall economic performance was better than
 for the world campaign call given from ramparts                                             expected given that the contraction was limited to
 of Red Fort on August 15 this year. Evolving India                                          7.5 per cent in July-September 2020 as against
 as an industrial hub for the world is yet another                                           23.9 per cent in the previous quarter. Given that
 project that’s underway.                                                                    the economy was on a firm recovery mode, most
    In continuation, it’s rather encouraging to note that                                    independent consultancies have projected that the
 coal (11.6%), electricity (10.5%), fertilizers (6.3%)                                       GDP contraction for the entire financial year would
 and cement (2.8%) sectors have posted healthy                                               be much lower than earlier estimates.
 growth in October 2020 vis-à-vis performance in                                                Care Ratings, Nomura, ICRA, HDFC, IDFC
 the same month a year ago. Various indicators like                                          First, QuantEco and Brickwork Ratings were some
 bumper harvest of Kharif crops, increase in the                                             of the companies that ventured out to revise their
 consumption of electricity, rail freight collections,                                       earlier gloomy picture on the economic front. After
 swelling automobiles & two wheeler sales, better                                            the second quarter recovery, these ratings have
 toll, GST mop up reaching pre-COVID period are                                              estimated that the economic contraction would
 signalling firm economic recovery.                                                          be much lower at 7–9 per cent as against earlier
    The Manufacturing PMI in October was 58.9                                                projection of 8.2–11 per cent.
 and in November it was 56.3 which indicates                                                    Going forward most economists have estimated
 decade's strongest recovery. The PMI of services                                            that the economic growth would be over 10 per
 sector too raised to 54.1 in October. In November,                                          cent 2021-22 which is very robust, putting India

 22 New India Samachar
e-way bill                                                  Increase in Auto sales
                                               generation
                                               tops in October
                                       2020        2019       Annual Growth
                                                                                           40%

                           16                                                              20%
                                                                                                  lTotal production of number of vehicles in all
                                                                                           0%      segments (two-wheeler, three wheeler and four
Figures in Lakh Crore Rs

                           12                                                                      wheeler) in October was at 2,830,153. The
                                                                                           -20%    number stood at 2,086,479 in the corresponding
                                                                                                   month of the last fiscal
                           8
                                                                                           -40%
                                                                                                  lThis year in October passenger vehicles sales
                                                                                                   recorded an increase of 14.19% in comparison
                           4                                                                       with October month of the last fiscal
                                                                                           -60%
                                                                                                  lTwo wheelers segment recorded an increase of
                                                                                                   16.88 % in October, 2020 in comparison with
                           0                                                               -80%
                                Jan   Feb March April May June July Aug Sept   Oct   Nov           the corresponding month last fiscal
                           In October 2020, the highest number of The automobile sector, troubled by very low
                            bills were generated. That is, after tax  sales during the lockdown, has recorded a
                           payment, goods have been transported sharp growth. The festive season in October
                                  from one place to another.         has seen a rise in the number of vehicle sales

         back on a high growth trajectory. Worse on the                                             8.1% to 8.6%. Goldman Sachs and Barclays have
         economic front due to COVID-19 seems to be over                                            also improved upon their forecasts. According to
         while the recovery leading to double digit growth in                                       a report by Oxford Economics, Indian economy is
         next few quarters seems to be on cards.                                                    recovering faster than expected. The International
                                                                                                    Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest report on the
         IMPROVED RATINGS BY MOODY'S, GOLDMAN                                                       world economic scenario has described India as
         SACHS AND BARCLAYS                                                                         the fastest growing economy. According to the
            During the Corona period, the growth rate of                                            IMF, growth rate of the Indian economy in the year
         the economy reached a negative territory of -23.9                                          2021 will be at around 8.8 per cent, which will be
         per cent. Experts predicted that in second quarter,                                        the highest in the world.
         the growth rate would be around -12% but proving
         them wrong, the economy stood firmly at -7.5%.                                             A STRATEGIC VICTORY
         The contribution of cement, steel, agriculture,                                               Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strategy of
         manufacturing sectors played a crucial role in it. As                                      taking challenges head on resulted in India
         per Monthly Economic Review of November 2020                                               becoming a country to tackle Corona satisfactorily
         of Department of Economic Affairs, Economy is now                                          in comparison to other countries. It is evident
         on a V-shaped recovery track.The Government’s                                              from the fact that the Prime Minister announced
         resolve resulted in the positive ratings by global                                         a package of Rs 1.70 Lakh Crore under Pradhan
         economic agencies. Moody's has raised India's                                              Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana only after a day of the
         economic growth forecast for the year 2021 from                                            first lockdown on March 25, 2020.

                                                                                                                         New India Samachar 23
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