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NITI Aayog to push India's cyber defence system

Cabinet
28-March, 2018 19:52 IST
Cabinet approves re-structuring of National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for restructuring of National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework.

The restructuring will also ensure better corporate governance, transparency and accountability in operations of NSDC besides strengthening the oversight role of NSDF. The approval would lead to restructuring of composition of Board of NSDF and the NSDC to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework.

Background:

NSDC and NSDF were set up by the Ministry of Finance and registered in July, 2008 and January, 2009 respectively for implementing coordinated action for skill development. NSDF trust was incorporated to act as a receptacle for financial contributions from Governmental sources, bilateral/multilateral and other agencies. Its main objective is to enhance, stimulate and develop the skills of Indian youth force by various sector specific programmes.

NSDF entered into an Investment Management Agreement (IMA) with NSDC for utilization of its corpus to meet the desired objectives of National Skill Development Mission and encourage skill development in the country. Provision of supervisory role of NSDF over NSDC's functions is also included in the IMA between NSDC and NSDF.

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Ministry of Labour & Employment
28-March, 2018 14:59 IST
Benefits for Migrant Construction Workers

The construction workers including migrant construction workers are eligible for benefits under various labour laws including the Minimum Wages Act and the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 depending upon their eligibility. The BOCW Act provides for loans and advances to a beneficiary for construction of a house.

The States are mandated to utilize the cess fund for the welfare of the BOC workers including migrant construction workers in terms of Section 22(1) of the Act and as such the States have formulated various welfare schemes relating to BOC workers life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, funeral assistance etc.

The office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) conducts regular inspection of the construction establishments falling under the Central Sphere to ensure the compliance of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996.



The Building and Other Construction Workers’ (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 provides for constitution of the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Fund exclusively for the Building and Other Construction Workers. The source of the fund is the collection of cess @1% of the cost of construction incurred by the employer under the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1996.

This was informed by the Minister of State (IC) for Labour and Employment, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar.

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Ministry of Labour & Employment
28-March, 2018 11:30 IST
Pensioner’s Portal at EPFO website

EPFO has launched the pensioner’s portal https://mis.epfindia.gov.in/PensionPaymentEnquiry. The pensioner’s portal is recently launched service, available at EPFO website by which all EPFO pensioners may get the details of pension related information like Pension payment order number, Pensioner’s Payment Order details, Pensioner’s passbook information & other related information such as date of credit of pension, submission of pensioner’s life certificate etc.

It is helpful to know the status of their life certificate, in case of non-submission/rejection of life certificate of the pensioners. It also provides the details and the reason of stoppage of pension.



Track e KYC:

The enhanced “Track eKYC” facility for the convenience of members have been launched to check the status of Aadhaar seeded against their UAN and to figure out the specific mismatch details.

The facility has been made available at EPFO’s website www.epfindia.gov.in >> Online Services >> e-KYC Portal>> TRACK eKYC.

Using the facility, EPFO members can online track the status of Aadhaar seeded against his/ her UAN. While using the facility, the member will have to provide his/her UAN. After entering his/ her UAN the member can click the “Track eKYC” button and the exact status in respect of his/her UAN will be displayed on the screen.

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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
28-March, 2018 15:23 IST
Corruption Charges

No consolidated data is maintained by this Department for the number of cases pertaining to charges of disproportionate assets against top officials of the entire Government of India. However, as per available information, sanction for prosecution on the specific charge of disproportionate assets has been issued against 01 Indian Administrative Service officer in the last three years.

Prosecution Sanction under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 has been issued against 03 Indian Police Service officers in the last three years.

As per information received from the Central Vigilance Commission, the number of complaints against officers including senior ranking officials received and disposed of by the Commission during the last three years is as follows:



Year

Complaints received
Complaints disposed of

2015
32149
30789

2016

51207
48764

2017

26052
22386


Additionally, the number of first/second stage advisories issued by the Commission during the last three years is as follows:



Year

Request for advice received
Requests disposed of

2015

6106
4604

2016

5482
3804

2017

4812
3425

Data specific to detection and value of Benami Property possessed by corrupt officers is not maintained centrally by this Department.

This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
28-March, 2018 15:21 IST
Online Tracking System for Pension

Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has implemented an online system called ‘BHAVISHYA’ for retiring central government civil employees. The system provides for on-line tracking of pension sanction and payment process. Tracking can be done by the individual as well as the administrative authorities for all actions preparatory to grant of pension and other retirement benefits. This is in line with the priorities of Government to ensure transparency and accountability in systems and processes.

At present, Bhavishya is implemented in main secretariat of 89 Ministries/ Departments except Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence, Department of Post, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Telecommunication and some security related sensitive organizations.

There is no proposal to revamp the payment of pension through Public Sector Banks. However, the data base for the existing pensioners is being updated by the Authorized Banks for pensions’ payment once in a year through master data reconciliation with Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) and from time to time based on the Special Seal Authority (SSA) issued by CPAO to Central Pension Processing Centers (CPPCs) of Banks.

The Authorized Banks submit the report of payment of pension through e-scrolls to CPAO after making the payment of pension. Life Certificate is submitted by the Central Civil Pensioners/ Family Pensioners in the month of November every year and excess payment of pension may happen if the pensioner dies before the coming November, i.e., the next due date of submission of Life Certificate. If excess/ wrong payment of pension is paid to the pensioner by Public Sector Banks then entire amount is recovered by the Banks from the pensioners/ family pensioners as per the guidelines of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in this regard. During the financial year 2016-17, an amount of about Rs. 73 crore was received/ recovered from the Authorized Banks by the Central Pension Accounting Office in respect of central civil pensioners/family pensioners.

This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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NITI Aayog
28-March, 2018 16:17 IST
NITI Aayog releases Baseline Ranking of Aspirational Districts

'Champions of Change' Real-Time Monitoring Dashboard to go Live on 1 April;

Delta Ranking of Districts to be Available from May 2018


The NITI Aayog today launched the baseline ranking for the Aspirational Districts based on published data of 49 indicators (81 data points) across five developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure. The ranking was released by Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog.

The CEO also announced that the ‘Champions of Change’ Dashboard for real-time data collection and monitoring will be open for public viewing from 1 April. The dashboard will facilitate District Collectors of all the aspirational districts to input the latest available data of their respective districts. A Workshop was organized on 23 March to train representatives of the Districts to familiarise them to the Dashboard and its functioning, including data input, verification and presentation.

"We want to create competition at the State, District and even the block level. Why do some districts lag on crucial indicators of human development while other districts in the same State excel? Bridging this 'distance to frontier' is key to ensuring the States' prosperity and the Nation's progress", said Amitabh Kant.

"The Aspirational Districts programme, through real-time monitoring and proactive course corrections, reinforces the mechanisms of cooperative & competitive federalism between the Centre and the States, down to the Districts."

From May 2018, Districts will be ranked on their "incremental progress" i.e. Delta Ranking, exemplifying the spirit of competitive federalism. Districts can learn from each other's experiences using the "Best Practices" document that NITI Aayog has prepared and circulated to the district collectors.

About ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme

Launched by the Hon’ble PM in January, the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country.

The broad contours of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and Competition among districts driven by a Mass Movement or a Jan Andolan. With States as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.

The Government is committed to raising the living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth for all – SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas.

To enable optimum utilization of their potential, this program focusses closely on improving people’s ability to participate fully in the burgeoning economy. Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure are this programme’s core areas of focus.

After several rounds of consultations with various stakeholders, 49 key performance indicators have been chosen to measure progress of the districts. Districts are prodded and encouraged to first catch-up with the best district within their state, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with, and learning from others in the spirit of competitive & cooperative federalism.

NITI Aayog in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh has created a dashboard for monitoring the real-time progress of the districts. District Information Officers underwent training on March 23, 2018 on how to enter data to the dashboard and generate MIS (Management Information System) reports. On April 1, 2018 districts will start entering data. Beginning May 2018, districts will be ranked based on progress made (‘delta ranking’) on a real-time basis. The dashboard will be open to the public to monitor the progress of the Aspirational Districts.

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Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
29-March, 2018 11:39 IST

Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 in Jaipur to Focus On Problem Statements Relating To Ministry Of Information & Broadcasting


The grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 to be held at the Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre, Jaipur on 30th and 31st March, 2018 will focus on the problem statements of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Jaipur is one of the 28 different nodal centres across India where the grand finale will simultaneously take place to deal with problem statements relating to different Ministries/ Departments. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is a ‘Premier Partner’ in the initiative.

Smart India Hackathon 2018 harnesses the creativity and expertise of students, builds funnel for ‘Startup India, Standup India’ campaign, crowdsources solutions for improving governance and quality of life, and provides opportunity to citizens to come up with innovative solutions to India’s daunting problems.

In the grand finale at Jaipur, students will try to find creative solutions for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s 16 problem statements. The Ministry has already done a video conferencing session between the participating teams and formulators of problem statements so that students can clarify their doubts, if any and are better prepared to design solutions.

52 shortlisted teams , consisting of about 400 students will take part in the grand finale at Jaipur. The first prize is 1 lakh rupees, the second 75000 rupees and the third prize is 50000 rupees.

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in collaboration with i4c, MyGov, Persistent Systems and Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhin is organizing Smart India Hackathon 2018. With 27 Union Ministries and Departments and 17 State Governments having joined this grand initiative, SIH2018 is much bigger than its previous edition of 2017. It includes 2 sub-editions – Software edition, which is a 36-hr software product development competition and scheduled to be held on Mar 30 & 31, 2018. The Hardware edition, involving building of hardware solutions will be held later this year.

During the software edition grand finale, teams of technology students will build innovative digital solutions for problems posed by different Central Govt. Ministries/ Departments. Overall, 340 problem statements will be taken up by 1282 shortlisted teams consisting of over 10250 students.

Smart India Hackathon 2018 would be the second large scale hackathon initiative in India following Smart India Hackathon 2017. Winners stand to get cash prizes and a chance to be part of the NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startup program.

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Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation
29-March, 2018 10:56 IST
Smart India Hackathon-2018

Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) is participating in the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) – 2018 organized byAll India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). The Software edition Grand Finale of the Hackathon for MoSPIwill be held on Mar 30 & 31, 2018 at G V Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering & Technology, Hubli in Karnataka. Senior officials from the Ministry will be present during the two days of SIH-2018 to motivate the young students.

MoSPIhas identified the following 10 problems on different areas of Official Statistics, on which the 38 teams comprising 304 students and mentors would build innovative digital solutions:

  1. Consumer Price (CPI) data collection for Rural & Urban Sectors through mobile based application software [CPIAPP(R) & CPIAPP (U)].
  2. International Comparison Program (ICP) data collection through mobile based application software [(CPAPP)].
  3. Sub-national PPP data collection through mobile based application software [(SNPPPAPP)]
  4. Online data dissemination and dynamic costing though web portal
  5. Engagement Management System (EMS) through an Application for Desktop as well as Mobile-phones.
  6. Estimation of trade Margins
  7. Automated Compilation of ASI Schedules (AUDYOGIC)
  8. Rural Price Collection through APP (RUPICOM)
  9. Digitization of Aerial frame using mobile application (DIGIFRAME)
  10. GPS based technique for improving Land Use Survey in ICS Scheme (LAKSHYA)


SIH- 2018 harnesses creativity and expertise of students, builds funnel for ‘Startup India, Standup India’ campaign, crowdsources solutions for improving governance and quality of life, and provides opportunity to Students to provide innovative solutions to India’s daunting problems.


SIH- 2018 would be the second massive scale hackathon initiative in India following Smart India Hackathon 2017. With 27 Union Ministries and Departments and 17 State Governments having joined in this grand initiative, SIH-2018 is much bigger than its previous edition. It includes 2 sub-editions – Software edition, which is a nonstop 36-hr software product development competition and scheduled to be held on Mar 30 & 31, 2018. The Hardware edition, involving building of hardware solutions will be held later this year. During the software edition grand finale, teams of thousands of technology students will build innovative digital solutions for problems posed by different central govt. ministries/ departments. A total of 340 software problem statements are proposed for SIH-2018. Winners stand to get cash prizes and a chance to be part of the NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups program.



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Prime Minister's Office
30-March, 2018 22:55 IST
Preliminary text of PM’s address at Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon-2018

देश के अलग-अलग कोने में रात के आठ साढ़े आठ बजे भी देश की तरक्‍की के लिए मेरे देश का नौजवान देश के लिए इतने बड़े यज्ञ में जुटा हुआ है, मेरा देश बदल रहा, आगे बढ़ रहा है।

देश के अलग-अलग केंद्रों में उपस्थित मेरे नौजवान साथियों को मैं बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं देता हूं, बहुत-बहुत बधाई देता हूं। Smart India Hackathon, इस आयोजन के लिए मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्री श्री प्रकाश जावडेकर जी और उनकी पूरी टीम को मैं विशेष रूप से अभिनंदन करता हूं।

Smart India के Smart Innovators के बीच आना मेरे लिए हमेशा से एक सुखद अनुभव रहा है। अलग-अलग समस्याओं का technology के जरिए solution ढूंढने का जो प्रयास आप सभी कर रहे हैं, वह बहुत ही प्रशंसनीय है।

पिछले कुछ घंटों से आप सभी अपने मिशन में जुटे हुए हैं, लेकिन मैं मेरे सामने स्‍क्रीन पर देख रहा हूं कि आपका उत्‍साह, उमंग, आपका जज्‍बा, ऐसा लग रहा है आपको थकान ही नहीं लग रही है, न आपको कोई तनाव महसूस हो रहा है। ऐसा लग रहा है कि आपको देख करके मेरी भी थकान कम हो जाती हैद। आज की Generation जब Nation Building के लिए इस तरह के प्रयास में जुटती है, तो New India का इरादा और मजबूत हो जाता है।

Friends, मैं पिछली बार भी Smart India Hackathon में आया था। जब मुझसे पूछा गया कि क्या आप फिर जाएंगे, तो मैंने कहा, क्यों नहीं, मैं जरूर इन नौजवानों से मिलना चाहूंगा, आपसे मिलूंगा, आपकी बातें सुनुंगा, आपसे कुछ सीखने का प्रयास करूंगा।

अगर कोई ये सोच ले कि वही सर्वज्ञानी है, उसे सब कुछ आता है, तो मैं समझता हूं जिंदगी में उससे बड़ी कोई गलती नहीं हो सकती। अगर कोई सरकार भी ये सोच ले और मन में हवा भरके बैठ जाएं कि जो भी करना है, सरकार ही करेगी, सरकार अकेले अपने दम पर करेगी; अगर सरकार भी ये सोचती है तो मैं समझता हूं सरकार की ये सबसे बड़ी गलती होगी। और इसलिए मैं बहुत जोर देता हूं Participation पर, Participative Governance पर।

दुनिया की कोई भी चुनौती, इस देश के सवा सौ करोड़ लोगों की इच्छाशक्ति और श्रमशक्ति से कतई बड़ी नहीं है। जहां 65 प्रतिशत जनसंख्या 35 वर्ष से कम उम्र की हो, जहां पर Demographic Dividend का इतना विस्तार हो; उस देश के लोग ठान लें तो कोई भी लक्ष्य असंभव नहीं है।

मैं विशेषकर नौजवानों की बात करूं तो आप सभी में जो जोश, जो उत्साह, जो उम्मीद मैं New India के लिए देखता हूं, वो मेरे अपने भरोसे को कई गुना और बढ़ा देती है। हां, हम 21वीं सदी में भारत को उसका वो स्थान दिला पाएंगे, जिसका हिन्‍दुस्‍तान अधिकारी है।

ये एक बहुत बड़ी वजह है कि मैं Young Professionals, Young CEO’s, Young Scientists, Young Bureaucrats से मिलने का कभी भी कोई अवसर जाने नहीं देता। आपका ये उत्साह, ये ऊर्जा ही New India को साकार करने का सबसे बड़ा driving force है।

लेकिन सवाल ये भी है कि New India का ये transformation क्या कुछ सीमित प्रयासों से संभव है? तो जवाब मिलेगा, जी नहीं। इसके लिए आवश्यक है समस्याओं की जड़ तक जाकर समाधान के लिए out of box नए-नए तौर तरीके, नए-नए रास्ते खोजना।

हमारी सरकार की यही कोशिश हमें Smart India Hackathon Initiative तक लाई है।

मुझे बताया गया है कि पिछली बार के Hackathon में जो लगभग 60 प्रोजेक्ट फाइनल हुए थे उनमें से आधे पूरे होने वाले हैं और बाकी अगले दो – तीन महीने में पूरे हो जाएंगे।

मुझे खुशी है कि पिछले साल जहां 40 हजार से ज्यादा युवाओं ने इसमें हिस्सा लिया था, वहीं इस साल ये संख्या बढ़कर 1 लाख से ज्यादा हो गई है। इस साल केंद्र सरकार के 27 मंत्रालयों के साथ ही राज्य सरकारें भी इस Hackathon का हिस्सा बनी हैं। मुझे बताया गया है कि Hackathon में software edition के साथ ही, अगले कुछ महीनों में hardware edition को भी जोड़ा जा रहा है।

इस प्रयास के लिए आप सभी नौजवान और अलग-अलग मंत्रालयों को और प्रदेश की सरकारों को बहुत-बहुत बधाई देता हूं।

मुझे बताया गया है कि इस बार आप फ्लड मैनेजमेंट और जंगल की आग जैसी कई बड़ी चुनौतियों का समाधान खोजने वाले हैं। मुझे विश्वास है कि Technology से Transformation के जिस रास्ते पर हम चल रहे हैं वो हमें जरूर लक्ष्य तक ले जाएगा।

साथियों, In the era where knowledge is power, innovation is the driver of growth यानि ज्ञान हमारे लिए पावर की तरह काम करता है, लेकिन उस ज्ञान को विस्तार देने के लिए हम जितना innovative होंगे, उतना ही देश का विकास ज्‍यादा होगा।

जब हम Innovation की बात करते हैं तो ये सिर्फ एक शब्द नहीं है। Innovation एक event भी नहीं है कि कुछ competitions हुए, judgment आए, इनाम बंटे और फिर celebrate करने के बाद सब अपने-अपने घर चले गए। Innovation एक प्रक्रिया है जो निरंतर चलती है। आप तभी Innovate कर पाएंगे जब आप समस्या को समझेंगे, कुछ सवाल करेंगे, नए ideas सामने रखेंगे और फिर उन ideas को अमल में लाने के लिए भरकस प्रयास करेंगे।

इसलिए मैं कहता हूं – I ट्रिपल P (IPPP) इसमें अपना भी आई जुड़ जाता है, I ट्रिपल P यानि Innovate, Patent, Produce and Prosper. ये चार सीढ़ियां हैं जिन पर चलते हुए हमारे देश का विकास और तेजी से हो सकता है। जितना हम Innovate करेंगे, जितना जल्दी उन Innovations को पेटेंट कराएंगे, उनके Production की राह आसान बनाएंगे; जितना जल्दी उसे लोगों तक पहुंचाएंगे, उतना ही Prospers भी होंगे।

इसलिए हमारी सरकार लगातार Innovation को प्रोत्साहित कर रही है। अटल इनोवेशन मिशन ए आई एम - AIM के माध्यम से देश में Innovation एवं Entrepreneurship का कल्चर तैयार किया जा रहा है। हमारा मकसद एक ऐसा Eco System तैयार करने का है जो छात्रों को कम आयु में ही भविष्य की तकनीकों से परिचित कराए। हमारा प्रयास है कि Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Block chain Technology, 3D और Robotics का अनुभव छात्रों को लेने के लिए इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज तक पहुंचने का इंतजार न करना पड़े।

कम उम्र में ही Innovation का Mind Set तैयार करने की दिशा में हमने देशभर के करीब-करीब 2400 two thousand four hundred स्कूलों को चुना है। भविष्य में इन स्कूलों की संख्या को बढ़ाकर हमारी सरकार 30 हजार तक ले जाना चाहती है। Atal Tinkering Labs में छठी से 12वीं कक्षा के छात्रों पर Focus किया जा रहा है। इन Labs में Educational and Learning के concept पर अमल करते हुए बच्चों को आधुनिक तकनीक introduce कराई जा रही है।

Teen Age में एक बार Innovative Mind Set बना, तो समझ लीजिए कि आपका आधा काम हो चुका। इसके बाद बात आती है research के रास्ते को मजबूत करने की। और इसलिए Higher Technical Education के दौरान Research को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए एक अहम फैसले का ऐलान इस बजट में किया गया है।

सरकार ने PMRF यानि Prime Minister Research Fellowship की घोषणा की है और मैं चाहूंगा कि आप सब इसका फायदा उठाएं। इसके तहत IIT, IISC, NIT जैसे संस्थानों के B Tech, M tech और M SC के Best Students को Prime Minister Fellowship दी जाएगी। हर साल एक हजार छात्रों को इसके लिए चुना जाएगा। इन छात्रों को पाँच साल तक हर महीने 70 से 80 हजार रुपए तक की आर्थिक सहायता भी दी जाएगी। अंतर्राष्ट्रीय conferences और seminars में वो अपने रिसर्च पेपर रख सकें इसके लिए 2 लाख रुपए की research grant भी सरकार द्वारा दी जाएगी।

साथियों, Second World War के बाद जिन देशों ने बहुत तेज गति से प्रगति की, उनमें एक बात common थी। उन देशों में Higher Educational Institutions के विकास पर बहुत जोर दिया गया, उनको प्राथमिकता दी गई। बड़े संस्थानों में हुए Innovations, Economic Growth का भी बड़ा आधार बनते हैं।

यही वजह है कि सरकार का जोर देश में Higher Educational Institutions को ज्यादा से ज्यादा स्वायत्तता यानी कि Autonomy देने का है। सरकार देश में world class 20 Institutions Of Eminence बनाने पर भी काम कर रही है। इनमें से चुने गए पब्लिक सेक्टर के 10 Institutes को कुल 10 हजार करोड़ रुपए की आर्थिक सहायता भी सरकार द्वारा दी जाएगी।

एक तरफ हम भविष्य के लिए eco system तैयार कर रहे हैं, वहीं Start-up India जैसी स्कीम के तहत नए Start-up और entrepreneurs तैयार करने का काम किया जा रहा है। आपको बता दूं कि जबसे ये स्कीम लॉन्च हुई है तब से 6 हजार start-up को मंजूरी दी जा चुकी है। इन start-up को सरकार आर्थिक मदद दे रही है।

Friends, Innovation के कल्चर के साथ ही World Challenges को देखते हुए खुद को ढालना भी बहुत आवश्यक है। मुझे याद है जब हल्दी, नीम, बासमती जैसे पेटेंट भी दूसरे देशों ने करा लिए थे तो कितना कष्टकारी समय था। इसलिए हमारी सरकार ने Patenting और Copyright की व्यवस्था को भी सुधारने के लिए कई फैसले लिए।

इसका परिणाम है कि वर्ष 2013-14 में जहां 4 हजार के करीब patents register होते थे वहीं इस वर्ष फरवरी तक 11 हजार 300 से ज्यादा patents register हुए हैं। और मुझे विश्‍वास है कि ये सुन करके आपको गर्व होता होगा आपको खुशी होती होगी। यानि पहले की सरकार के मुकाबले करीब-करीब तीन गुना ज्यादा patent registration इस सरकार के समय हो रहा है। trade mark registration भी तीन साल में तीन गुना बढ़ गया है। 2013-14 में लगभग sixty eight thousand trade mark रजिस्टर होते थे और अब ये आंकड़ा ढाई लाख से ऊपर जा चुका है।

Innovation और Patenting के साथ ही Production पर भी हमारी सरकार का पूरा जोर है। Make in India एक ऐसा ब्रांड बन गया है जिसकी चर्चा पूरी दुनिया में है। आपको सिर्फ एक सेक्टर का उदाहरण दूं, तो आप पूरी तस्वीर समझ जाएंगे। Friends, 4 साल पहले हमारे देश में मोबाइल फोन बनाने वाली सिर्फ और सिर्फ दो फैक्टरियां थीं। और आप सब नौजवान इस फील्‍ड में हैं, आपको खुशी होनी चाहिए कि चार साल पहले हमारे देश में मोबाइल फोन बनाने वाली सिर्फ और सिर्फ दो फैक्‍टरी थीं, वहीं आज चार साल के भीतर-भीतर जो देश ने गति पकड़ी है, Make In India ने गति पकड़ी है, दो फैक्‍टरी से निकल करके आज हिन्‍दुस्‍तान में मोबाइल फोन बनाने वाली 120 factories आज देश में काम कर रही हैं।

जब Innovation, Patent और Production अपनी पूरी गति पकड़ते हैं तभी Prosperity – समृद्धि आने की गति भी तेज हो जाती है। लेकिन साथियों, इसमें एक और महत्वपूर्ण सवाल भी जुड़ा हुआ है। आखिर Innovation किसके लिए? क्‍या हमारे स्‍वयं के लिए कि हमारे देश के लिए या हमारे देश के गरीब-दुखी बंधुओं के लिए? अपनी आवश्यकताओं की पूर्ति के लिए या देश की आवश्यकताओं को पूरा करने के लिए?

मैं मेरे नौजवान साथियों के सामने ये सवाल जान-बूझ करके रख रहा हूं। International Gadget के अंदर, मैगेजीन के अंदर, Scientific technology की दुनिया में हमारा पेपर छप जाएगा लेकिन संतोष तो तब मिलेगा कि मेरी कोई चीज अगर देश के काम आने वाली बने, और इसलिए इस बारे में भी विचार किया जाना चाहिए कि ऐसे innovations क्‍या हों , जो देश के लिए काम आएं। इस देश की समस्‍याओं का समाधान करें।

इस देश में Multiple Hackathons भी एक कदम हो सकता है। जैसे Health-Hackathon, Law-Hackathon, Architecture-Hackathon, Agriculture-Hackathon और Rural Hackathon. अनेक ऐसी चीजें हम निकाल सकते हैं। हमारे देश को अलग सोचने वाले, Innovative सोचने वाले agriculturists, architects हों,, doctors हों, lawyers हों, managers हों, इनक आवश्यकता है।

मुझे उम्‍मीद है ये Hakathone नई प्रतिभाओं को भी प्‍लेटफॉर्म देने का एक बड़ा माध्‍यम बन सकते हैं। इनके जरिए Public transportation से जुड़े हुए, Sanitation और Waste management से जुड़े हुए, स्वच्छता से जुड़े हुए, नए innovations को भी हम सामने ला पाएंगे।

इससे देश के लोगों के सामने रोजमर्रा की चुनौतियां तो कम होंगी ही, उनकी जिंदगी भी आसान बनेगी। इसके अलावा आपके Innovations देश की सेवा करने का काम भी करेंगे।

जैसे मुझे बताया गया है कि आप सभी इस Hackathon में high resolution images के लिए Drones का कैसे इस्तेमाल किया जाए; इस पर भी कार्य कर रहे हैं। अब इससे जुड़ा कोई भी Innovations देश की बहुत बड़ी सेवा होगा।

आप जानकर हैरान होंगे कि Drones द्वारा ली जा रही तस्वीरों को कैसे हमारी सरकार ने योजनाओं की मॉनीटरिंग से जोड़ दिया है। आज प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना के तहत जो घर बनते हैं, प्रधानमंत्री सिंचाई परियोजना के तहत जिन अधूरी योजनाओं को पूरा किया जा रहा है, मनरेगा के तहत जो कार्य किया जा रहा है, उसकी Geo-Tagging और Mapping में इनकी बहुत बड़ी भूमिका है।

पिछले महीने की बात है जब प्रगति की बैठक के दौरान हमने ड्रोन कैमरा के माध्यम से Live समीक्षा की थी, कि केदार घाटी में निर्माण का काम कितना पूरा हो गया है। खैर वहां बर्फ-वर्षा चल रही थी, टेक्‍नोलॉजी कनेक्टिीविटी में कुछ कठिनाई भी हो रही थी लेकिन फिर भी एक चित्र मेरे सामने प्रस्‍तुत हुआ। दिल्‍ली में बैठकर मैं पूरा उसको खुद उसको मॉनीटर कर पाया। अब आप सभी कुछ Innovate करेंगे तो आने वाले दिनों में ऐसी चीजों का इस्‍तेमाल करना भी बहुत सामान्‍य हो जाएगा।

मेरे जिन नौजवान साथियों को प्रगति की बैठकों के बारे में नहीं पता है, उन्हें मैं बताना चाहता हूं कि हमारी सरकार ने मॉनीटरिंग का ये आधुनिक सिस्टम develop प किया है। इसमें प्रधानमंत्री कार्यालय में हम लोग बैठते हैं, राज्यों के संबंधित अफसर सैटेलाइट से हमारे साथ जुड़ते हैं और योजनाओं की real time monitoring की जाती है। योजना पूरी होने में क्यों देर हो रही है, क्या दिक्कत हो रही है, कितना काम हुआ है, कितना अधूरा है, ये सब हमारे सामने होता है।

साथियों, बदलते समय में अब किसी भी देश की आर्थिक प्रगति अब उसके Innovation Quotient पर निर्भर करती है। हमारे देश में साधनों की कमी नहीं है, संसाधनों की कमी नहीं है; सामर्थ्य आप नौजवानों में भरपूर है। मेरा एक आग्रह जरूर है। जितने सपने आप देखना चाहें, वो देखिए, लेकिन उन्हें पूरा करने के लिए कदम भी अवश्य उठाइए। किसी भी सपने को मरने मत दीजिए। जब हौसला सपने पूरे करने के लिए कुछ भी कर गुजरने का होगा, तभी आप लक्ष्य को प्राप्त भी कर पाएंगे।

याद रखिए- मैं जिस पीढ़ी से हूं, आप जिस पीढ़ी से हैं, हम वो लोग हैं जिन्‍हें स्वतंत्रता के लिए लड़ने का अवसर नहीं मिला, जेलों में जिंदगी गुजारने का अवसर नहीं मिला, अपनी जवानी देश के लिए खपाने का अवसर नहीं मिला, देश के लिए मरने का मौका नहीं मिला, लेकिन हम सभी को देश के लिए जीने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ है। मरने का मौका न मिला लेकिन जीने का अवसर मिला है। देश के लिए जीने का अवसर मिला है। गरीब, सामान्‍य व्‍यक्ति की जिंदगी के लिए जीने का अवसर मिला है। और इसलिए अपनी प्रतिभा, अपना सामर्थ्‍य देश पर लगाइए। टेक्नोलॉजी का बेहतर इस्तेमाल कैसे देश के लिए हो सकता है, इस बारे में निरंतर सोचते रहिए, प्रयास करते रहिए।

दोस्‍तों, मैं देख रहा हूं कि आप सुबह से बैठे हैं और कल रात तक बैठने वाले हैं, 36 घंटे बहुत होते हैं। मैं भी आज का आपका अनुभव सुनना चाहूंगा। आपको इतने तनावपूर्ण में वहां शायद आपको कुछ relax करने के लिए कुछ प्राणायाम भी कर लेते होंगे जरा गहरी सांस भी ले लेते होंगे या हाथ-पैर ऊपर करके थोड़ा योगा का भी स्‍वाद लेते होंगे। ताकि थोड़ा मानसिक एक खुलापन आ जाए तो तेज गति से नए-नए विचार आते हैं और आप जिस task को कर रहे हैं उस task की seeding मैं भी आपके बीच कर रहा हूं।

सबसे पहले मैं जब मैं आपके बीच आया हूं तो मैं चाहूंगा कि कुछ आपके भी अनुभव सुनूं। अलग-अलग क्षेत्र में जाऊंगा। मुझे बताया गया था, शायद मुझे सबसे पहले पानीपत के नौजवानों से बात करने का मौका मिल रहा है-

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Prime Minister's Office
30-March, 2018 22:45 IST
PM addresses Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon-2018; interacts with participants across various centres via video conferencing; gives the mantra of IPPP i.e. Innovate, Patent, Produce and Prosper

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon via video conferencing, today.

In his address, the Prime Minister underlined the importance of Participative Governance to the participants of the Smart India Hackathon-2018.

He expressed his utmost hope in youngsters and urged then to contribute towards achieving the vision of New India. “I never miss any opportunity to interact with Young Professionals, Young CEO’s, Young Scientists and Young Bureaucrats”, he said. “I am happy to see young minds thinking about ways to take our nation forward. It is a delight to be among smart innovators of smart India,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that the biggest assets of any nation are Shram Shakti and Iccha Shakti. “Once the people decide to bring about change, everything is possible. But the biggest mistake governments make is to think that they alone can bring about change”.

The Prime Minister expressed his happiness over the increase in the number of participants in the hackathon as compared to the hackathon last year. “I am told that most of the projects undertaking during the previous hackathon have been completed”, he added.

The Prime Minster laid emphasis on innovation and gave the mantra of IPPP i.e. Innovate, Patent, Produce and Prosper. “These four steps will lead our country towards faster development, for that we will have to innovate and turn our innovations in patents, making our production smoother and taking products speedily to the people will make them prosper ”, he said. “Innovation has the power to overcome the challenges our world faces, we should think about how our innovation can transform the lives of our fellow citizens”, he added.

The Prime Minister illustrated various decisions of the Government to facilitate research and innovations-

· Introducing Modern Techniques based on Educational and Learning concepts in Atal Tinkering Labs, students of class 6th to 12th will be benefitted from this.

· Providing Prime Minister Research Fellowship to around 1000 best students of BTech, MTech and MSc courses in institutes like IITs, IISc and NIT every year. These students will be given financial assistance of about 70-80 thousand rupees per month for a period of five years.

· Focussing on providing greater autonomy to Higher Educational Institutions.

· Working in the direction of making 20 world class Institute of Excellence.

During his address, the Prime Minister cited an example to highlight how Make in India has become a brand and is now becoming popular across the world. He told that four years ago there were only two manufacturing units of mobile phones in India whereas today around 120 factories are operating in the country. He also informed the gathering that there has been about threefold increase in Patent registrations as well as Trademarks registrations in comparison of the registration figures in 2013-14.

The Prime Minister urged the participants to explore the possibility of Multiple Sector Hackathons like Health-Hackathon, Law-Hackathon, Architecture-Hackathon, Agriculture-Hackathon and Rural Hackathon. “We need innovative agriculturists, engineers, architects, doctors, lawyers, managers for these Hackathon. Such Hackathons will provide a platform to budding talents”, he emphasised. He also shared his experience of real time monitoring of development projects through PRAGATI meetings, with the audience.

During the Grand Finale program, the Prime Minister also interacted with the participants of Smart India Hackathon across various centres.

*****

Ministry of Human Resource Development
30-March, 2018 13:12 IST
Shri Prakash Javadekar launches the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2018 (Software Edition).

More than 1 lakh students of more than 1200 colleges are participating in this world’s biggest event of its kind - Shri Prakash Javadekar

The Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar launched in New Delhi today the world’s largest event is its kind- the two day grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 (Software Edition) being held at 28 nodal centres across the country simultaneously. Addressing the participating students at New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM in New Delhi), Shri Javadekar said that more than 1 lakh students of more than 1200 colleges are participating in this second edition of the Smart India Hackathon 2018, which is a record. He said that more than 8000 students at 28 different centres will work on their final innovations for the next 36 hours. These students will codify their innovations in a group of six, on which they are working hard since last 4 months.

Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar announced that Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will address the students participating in
the Smart India Hackathon 2018 this evening.

Shri Prakash Javadekar said that 27 innovations made by students during the last year Smart India Hackathon are in the final stage and ready for deployment. He said that this year, with the participation of more students and more teams, 100 more innovations will come out this year. He said that this is an open innovation challenge and students will also derive satisfaction for solving the real problems of the people and country by their innovations. Shri Javadekar said that this Smart India Hackathon 2018 is aimed to encourage the spirit of innovations among the student.

Shri Prakash Javadekar also appealed to the students to come out with the solution for making examinations leak proof. He said that this problem is not a subject of this year’s Smart India Hackathon, but asked students to accept this challenge and work on the solution of full proof examination after this Smart India Hackathon-2018. He said that though we are IT Super Power, but Google, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter etc are not invented in India although there are India brains behind all these innovations. He said that there are many such digital innovations which are wealth creators and India too needs to come out with such innovations.

Shri Prakash Javadekar informed that for SIH 2018, we have received participation from 27 Central Ministries/Departments and 17 State Governments who have sent more than 900 problem statements. After scrutinizing these problem statements, 408 problems (340 for Software and 68 for Hardware) were finally selected for the Hackathon and were put out on MyGov platform. The Minister added that for SIH - 2018, we have received 17400+ teams with participation of around one lakh students of Engineering, Management and MCA. These entries were scrutinized and now 1296 entries are selected for the Grand Finale.

Shri Prakash Javadekar further said that SIH-2018 comprises of two competitions – Software Hackathon and Hardware Hackathon. The final round of Hardware Hackathon competition will be conducted in the month of June 2018.

The HRD Minister said that the first edition of Smart India Hackathon (2017) initiative, received 598 problem statements from 29 Central ministries. These problem statements were displayed on MyGov website and students across all technical institutions were sensitized to participate by having 25+ workshops across India.

Shri R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary (Higher Education), of Ministry of Human Resource Development also addressed the participating students. He said that all the students connected with this event, physically or digitally, are the future of this county. He said that the event has generated so much enthusiasm in the students that participation has increased more than double.


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Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
30-March, 2018 18:26 IST
Smart India Hackathon begins, 1300 teams to evolve software solutions to 340 problems

At Jaipur centre 400 students converge to find solution to 16 problems of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

The Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon began at 28 centres across the country today morning. Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri PrakshJavadekar declared the Hackathon open at the Delhi centre of SIH 2018. In this world’s largest innovation under Digital India, about 1300 teams are participating to evolve software solutions to 340 problems given by the different Ministries/Departments and State Governments. The event has been jointly organized by Ministry of HRD, AICTE, Persistant Systems i4Cand RambhauMhalgiPrabodhini.

The Chairperson of All India Council for Technical Education Prof. Anil D Sahasrabudheinformed that Smart India Hackathon which began only last year has shown remarkable progress in terms of involvement of students and Ministries. In the last Hackathon, the number of students was 40,000 which have risen to 1 lakh this time.

At Jaipur centre theHackathon was formally inaugurated by Member Secretary of AICTE Prof. A P Mittal and Senior Economic Advisor Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Shri Rohit Kumar Parmarin presence of Judges, Faculty, Participants and students.

At Jaipur centrein JECRC, 50 teams comprising about 400 students from all over the countryhave started coding process for evolving software solution to the 16 problems statements of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This brain storming exercise will continue for 36 hours. Based on their performance top 3 teams will be selected and they will be awarded by the Ministry of I& B. Winning team will get a prize of Rs. 1 lac, first runner-up Rs. 75,000 and second runner-up Rs. 50,000. Total prize money at all the 28 centresis Rs. 63 Lacs.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is participating for the first time this year in Hackathon 2018. The problem statements of the Ministry are as follows;

  1. Comprehensive / Intelligent Video Analytics solution required for live-streaming as well as pre-recorded videos
  2. Online access to classified archival storage using an App
  3. Tool required to get real time logs of internet advertisements
  4. Tool required to get real time logs of airwave broadcast of radio spots
  5. Tool required which can match photographs as per the specifications of DAVP
  6. Make geo tagging of photos work in offline mode as well
  7. Identify potential breaking news based on social media chatter (twitter, Facebook etc.)
  8. System to analyse a news video or news audio clipping
  9. Sentiments analysis using social media responses for a particular program
  10. System to translate spoken words from a recording (Video/Audio) and generate a transcript in multiple Indian Languages
  11. Generate closed captioning sub-titles of spoken words in various Indian Languages during a live broadcast
  12. Design an intelligent algorithm leveraging Big-Data/AI/Machine-Learning techniques that can learn from user viewing behaviour
  13. Design a low-cost add-on module to DD Free Dish Set Top boxes that will enable interactivity between a Mobile App and the Set Top Box
  14. Design an innovative Mobile App User Interface that can replace a TV remote
  15. Design an innovative user interface for a Mobile App that would intuitively and seamlessly allow the App User to browse the entire catalogue of AIR streams
  16. Develop a tool or system that can listen to a radio broadcast tuned to a certain frequency on the air waves and live stream the same as an Internet stream
MHRD is also engaging with DST to ensure that selected teams from SIH2018 could be supported by Atal Innovation Mission (NITI Ayog), Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) as Start-ups and DST has responded very positively towards these efforts. The SIH will also be helpful in igniting spark at institute level Hackathons and final outcome will build funnel for Start Up India Campaign which is one of the dream projects of Prime Minister.

*****

The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar addressing at the inauguration of the Smart India Hackathon 2018, in New Delhi on March 30, 2018.
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The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar addressing at the inauguration of the Smart India Hackathon 2018, in New Delhi on March 30, 2018.

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The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar at the inauguration of the Smart India Hackathon 2018, in New Delhi on March 30, 2018.

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The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar at the inauguration of the Smart India Hackathon 2018, in New Delhi on March 30, 2018.

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Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
01-April, 2018 16:50 IST
Smart India Hackathon 2018--out-of-the-box Innovative Ideas to build Smart Applications to help address real time problems-- Seven issues found Hackathonable from Housing Ministry: Hardeep Puri

36-Hour Smart India Hackathon 2018 Grand Finale held



Smart India Hackathon 2018 - Software Edition Grand Finale was organized here today at the R.M.K. Engineering College at Kavaraipettai, Thiruvallur District near Chennai. 41 teams from different parts of India consisting of 246 students competed in the grand finale for the 14 problem statements posed by MoHUA and the State Governments. Addressing the participants at the event, Sh HardeepPuri, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs(I/C) informed that a total of 340 Problem Statements have been proposed across the Ministries/Departments/ States etc. and 1282 teams comprising more than 10,000 young Engineering students and their mentors participated in the event.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs participated as a host of Chennai Nodal Centre which is a combined initiative involving the Ministry of Human Resources Development, All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), Inter-Institutional Inclusive Innovations(i4c) and Persistent Systems Ltd.

Providing details of the participation of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Minister informed that from his Ministry, out of several problem statements sent to the Smart India Hackathon Team, the following seven software problems are found hackathonable:

  • Posting/transfers at the level of JE/AE/EE in CPWD (Works Div/CPWD)
  • The impact of GST can vary from sector to sector and depends on whether the project is under execution (Economic Division)
  • Stakeholder Engagement for Urban Planning and Management (Smart City)
  • Urban Mobility (Smart City)
  • Common Mobility App (Urban Transport)
  • Common Platform for Vehicle Registration (Urban Transport)
  • E-Measurement Book (Delhi Division/DDA)
The State Governments have also sent problem statements relating to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), Swachhata, Real Estate Regulation Act etc.

Smart India Hackathon 2018 is a digital product development competition involving all Technology institutes in India with a reach to approximately 30 lakh students. The initiative challenges the students to come out with out-of-the-box innovative ideas to build smart applications which will help address major real time problems in our country. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and in collaboration with i4c, MyGov, Persistent Systems, and RambhauMhalgiPrabodhiniorganized this event across India.

With 27 Union Ministries and Departments and 17 State Governments having joined this grand initiative this year, the Hackathon is much bigger than its previous edition. It included 2 sub-editions - Software edition, which is a 36-hr software product development competition. The Hardware edition, involving building of hardware solutions will be held later this year in the month of June.

Students from 41 teams have submitted ideas for various problems like traffic management systems, vehicle registration, revolutionizing public transport systems, urban planning and management systems and GST calculators using technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT and Mobility. 23 teams consisting of 138 students of the RMK Group of Institutions competed in the above Hackathon in various nodal centers in India.



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Ministry of Finance
01-April, 2018 20:10 IST
Smooth roll out of e-Way Bill system from today

As per decision of the GST Council, e-Way Bill system became mandatory from today i.e. 01st April, 2018 for all inter-State movement of goods. The implementation of the nationwide e-Way Bill mechanism under GST regime is being done by GSTN in association with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and is being run on portal namely https://ewaybillgst.gov.in.

Heralding a paradigm shift in movement of goods from one State to another, trial run for e-way bills under the current GST regime was started on 16th January 2018 for the entire country.

A total of 10,96,905 taxpayers have registered on e-Way Bill Portal till date. Further 19,796 transporters, who are not registered under GST, have enrolled themselves on the e-Way Bill Portal. 1,71,503 e-way bills have been successfully generated on the portal from 00:00 hours till 17:00 hrs of 1st April, 2018.

To answer queries of taxpayers and transporters, the Central helpdesk of GST has made special arrangements with 100 agents exclusively dedicated to answer queries related to e-way bills.

E-way Bill can be generated through various modes like Web (Online), Android App, SMS, using Bulk Upload Tool and API based site to site integration etc. Consolidated e-way Bill can be generated by transporters for vehicle carrying multiple consignments.

Transporters can create multiple Sub-Users and allocate roles to them. This way large transporters can declare their various offices as sub-users.

There is a provision for cancellation of e-way Bill within 24 hours by the person who has generated the e-way Bill. The recipient can also reject the e-way Bill within validity period of e-way bill or 72 hours of generation of the e-way bill by the consignor whichever is earlier.

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Ministry of Finance
01-April, 2018 19:17 IST
Smooth Roll-out of E-way Bill System from today, 1st April, 2018

As per decision of the GST Council, e-Way Bill system became mandatory from today i.e. 01st April, 2018 for all inter-State movement of goods. The implementation of the nationwide e-Way Bill mechanism under GST regime is being done by GSTN in association with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and is being run on portal namely https://ewaybillgst.gov.in.

Heralding a paradigm shift in movement of goods from one State to another, trial run for e-way bills under the current GST regime was started on 16th January 2018 for the entire country.

A total of 10,96,905 taxpayers have registered on e-Way Bill Portal till date. Further 19,796 transporters, who are not registered under GST, have enrolled themselves on the e-Way Bill Portal. 1,71,503 e-waybills have been successfully generated on the portal from 00:00 hours till 17:00 hrs of 1st April, 2018.

To answer queries of taxpayers and transporters, the Central helpdesk of GST has made special arrangements with 100 agents exclusively dedicated to answer queries related to e-way bills.

E-way Bill can be generated through various modes like Web (Online), Android App, SMS, using Bulk Upload Tool and API based site to site integration etc. Consolidated e-way Bill can be generated by transporters for vehicle carrying multiple consignments.

Transporters can create multiple Sub-Users and allocate roles to them. This way large transporters can declare their various offices as sub-users.

There is a provision for cancellation of e-way Bill within 24 hours by the person who has generated the e-way Bill. The recipient can also reject the e-way Bill within validity period of e-way bill or 72 hours of generation of the e-way bill by the consignor whichever is earlier.



******
 
Ministry of Rural Development
02-April, 2018 13:21 IST
MGNREGS – Livelihood security with full transparency

MGNREGS programme made very significant progress in 2017-18, contributing to livelihood security through durable assets with full transparency using IT/DBTand geo-tagging of each and every asset created under the programme. The Table below from NREGASoft MIS captures the salient features of the performance of the programme over the last five years:

Progress

FY 2017-18*

FY 2016-17

FY 2015-16

FY 2014-15

FY 2013-14

Persondays Generated so far [In Cr]

231.60

(100% of Labour Budget)

235.6458

235.1465

166.21

220.37

Average days of employment provided per Household

45.44

46

48.85

40.17

45.97

Total Households Worked [In Cr]

5.10

5.1224

4.8134

4.14

4.79

Differently abled persons worked

4,69,393

4,71,819

4,59,597

4,13,316

4,86,495

Number of completed works [In lakhs]

54.22

65.46

36.18

29.44

27.42

% of Expenditure on Agriculture & Agriculture Allied Works

68.46

66

62.85

52.81

48.7

Total Exp [In Cr]

63,887.35

58,062.92

44,002.59

36,025.04

38,552.62

% Total Exp through eFMS

96.31

92.33

91.19

77.35

37.17

% payments generated within 15 days

85.75

43.43

36.92

26.85

50.09

* Figures of FY 2017-18 are provisional as data uploading for March’18 will continue up to 20th April, 2018.

The table clearly brings out remarkable progress made in generating payment within 15 days from a low of 26.85% in 2014-15 to 85.75% in 2017-18. The total expenditure of Rs.63,887 crore in 2017-18, is nearly Rs. 25,000 crore more than what was spent in 2013-14. Likewise, for livelihood security and durable assets, thrust on expenditure on agriculture and allied works can be seen with the percentage rising from 48.7% in 2013-14 to 68.46% this year.

The criticism of the MGNREGS was that works remain incomplete for a long time leading to poor quality assets and unsatisfactory livelihood security. The thrust on completion of works over the last two financial years led to the completion of nearly 1.20 crore assets in 2016-17 and 2017-18 which is nearly equal to what was being completed in four years. Geo tagging of MGNREGA assets which started on 1stSeptember, 2016 is going on with around 80,000 assets being geo tagged on daily basis. More than 2.84 crore assets out of a total of 3.34 completed assets since inception of the programmes have been geotagged and put in public domain.

The Institute of Economic Growth Study (2017) on Natural Resource Management, found beneficiaries saying that 76% assets created were good/very good and only 0.5% was unsatisfactory. The thrust on completion shall continue. Governance reforms have been the hallmark of MGNREGS over the last three years with use of IT/DBT, and geo-tagging effectively. The verification of Job Cards and efforts to provide a Job Card to every deprived household as per the Socio Economic Census-2011 has yielded very positive results. As the table above indicates 96.31% of expenditure is now through Electronic Fund Management System as against 37.13% in 2013-14.

Individual beneficiary schemes have been the focus with around 60% of total works taken up in FY 2017-18 belonging to this category. Moreover, there has been emphasis on Natural Resource Management works. Nearly 40 to 50 lakh hectares of land covered through Natural Resources Management for water conservation each year, rejuvenation of rivers, construction of nearly 5 lakh farm ponds every year over the last two years, thrust on roadside plantation and social forestry, provision of goat-shed, poultry-shed and dairy shed as individual beneficiary schemes have led to the creation of livelihood security through durable assets leading to improved incomes. MGNREGS provides 90/95 days work (approx Rs.18,000) for the one crore Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY (G) beneficiaries. It also provides Rs.12,000 perIndividual Household Latrine (IHHL) wherever required and not provided for under Swach Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G). Realizing the importance of Anganwadi Centres as pro-poor initiative where poor women can leave young children in a secure environment, MGNREGS funds have been used for large scale construction of Anganwadi Centre buildings. Nearly 20,000 buildings have been completed in FY 2016-17 and FY 2017-18. Likewise, MGNREGS provided support for Solid and Liquid Waste Management and vermi-composting on a large scale. Many state specific projects have emerged leading to generation of wealth from waste. 2.33 lakh Vermi/NADEP composting pits were completed in FY 2017-18.

The approval of works for FY 2018-19 have already been completed through a process of decentralised planning and appraisal of proposals. The thrust on 2,264 Mission Water Conservation Blocks which are water stressed regions will continue. Likewise, support for IHHLs and 90-95 days of work to PMAY (G) beneficiaries will remain a priority. In FY 2018-19, Gram Sabhas have come up with proposals for nearly five thousand Gramin Haats and their construction to enable producers specially Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) to sell their produce directly to wholesalers. These will be taken up on priority. River rejuvenation and support for irrigation is also a major area of activity which will be undertaken on large scale in FY 2018-19. FY 2018-19 will also see large scale convergence of women SHGs and their livelihood diversification with MGNREGS resources. All arrears to States are being released before 10th April, 2018 after due verification of financial documents to be submitted by the States/UTs. With a provision of Rs.55,000 crore at BE stage in FY 2018-19 funds for carrying out works at speed will be ensured in the first quarter of April to June, 2018 when the demand for work is normally very high. There shall be no shortage of funds as long as financial discipline, guidelines, transparency norms are fully followed. Over 6,500 Barefoot Technicians have been trained, nearly 4100 Resource Persons have been capacitated in handling of Social Audits and more than 55,000 SHG women have been trained to become social auditors. 26 States have set up their independent Social Audit Units.Social Audit has been provided full support and will continue to be a priority in FY 2018-19. Improvements like mandatory Citizen Information Boards, adoption of simpler seven register system and improved record keeping with photographs, etc., physical display of progress at Gram Panchayat level and forms of public accountability and community participation will be fully emphasized in FY 2018-19.

<><><><><>
 
Ministry of Home Affairs
03-April, 2018 18:31 IST
Illegal Construction

Delhi Police has reported that their role with regard to illegal construction is limited to informing the civic agencies whenever such illegal construction comes to their notice. 14982, 13219, 12210 and 2444 intimations during 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (upto 28.02.2018) respectively about the illegal construction in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi have been sent by Delhi Police to concerned civic agencies. Of which, 104, 105, 106 and 19 intimations during 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (upto 15.03.2018) respectively are for the area of Sadar Bazaar Police Station. Also, on receipt of notice from Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) under Section 344(2) of Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, local Police takes action to stop construction and size construction material.



No case of nexus of builder mafia with Police officers has reportedly come to the notice of Delhi Police during the last three years and the current year (upto 28.02.2018). Details of action taken against Delhi Police personnel on allegations of inaction/ allowing illegal construction during the last three years and the current year (upto 28.02.2018) are as under:



Year

Departmental Enquiry
Show cause Notice
Censure
Explanation
Warning

2015

01
28
13
56
-

2016

05
13
02
07
06

2017

-
29
01
15
-

2018 (upto 28.02.2018

-
-
-
-
-


Delhi Police has reported that transfer/posting Delhi Police officials including official in PS Sadar Bazar is being done as per provisions contained in Standing Order No. 289/10.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri HansrajGangaramAhir in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Home Affairs
03-April, 2018 18:29 IST
Aadhaar Card as Id Proof

‘Prisons’ is a State subject as per entry 4 of List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The administration and management of prisons is primarily the responsibility of respective State Government. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs has advised all States and Union Territories (UTs) to make use of Aadhaar for identification of visitors to ensure that facilities are being availed by authorized individuals. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also advised all States and UTs that prison inmates should also be Aadhaar seeded so that various aspects of day to day prison administration like production before court, return to prison, transport, health facilities, interview, free legal aid, parole, temporary release mechanism, educational/vocational training, release from prison etc. can be regulated by use of Aadhaar. These advisories are also available on Ministry’s website viz. www.mha.gov.in



This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri HansrajGangaramAhirin a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.





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Prime Minister's Office
04-April, 2018 14:11 IST
PM inaugurates newly constructed transit accommodation for MPs at Western Court Annexe

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today inaugurated the newly constructed Western Court Annexe in New Delhi. This building will serve as transit accommodation for Members of Parliament.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister appreciated the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, for her efforts in the completion of this project. He added that Smt. Sumitra Mahajan always has the well-being of the MPs in mind. He said that her compassion is reflected in the attention to detail that has been given in this project.

The Prime Minister said that the project has been completed well within the stipulated time and cost. He congratulated all those involved in the construction of the project.

The Prime Minister said that when MPs are newly elected, they have to stay in hotels and this makes headlines. However, he said that what is often missed is that previous occupants overstay beyond the designated time.

The Prime Minister asserted that the Union Government is walking on the path shown by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. At the core of Dr. Ambedkar's ideals is harmony and togetherness, he said. He added that working for the poorest of the poor is the Government’s mission.

The Prime Minister announced that the memorial to commemorate Babasaheb Ambedkar, at 26 Alipur Road in New Delhi, which was the place of Mahaparinirvana of Dr. Ambedkar,r, will be inaugurated on the 13th of April - the eve of his birth anniversary. He condemned the politics being played by certain people, in the name of Dr. Ambedkar.

*****
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurating the new building of Western Court Annexe, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018.
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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the new building of Western Court Annexe, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018.

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the new building of Western Court Annexe, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018. The Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth Kumar and the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri are also seen.

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing at the inauguration of the new building of Western Court Annexe, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018.

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing at the inauguration of the new building of Western Court Annexe, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018. The Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth Kumar is also seen.

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing at the inauguration of the new building of Western Court Annexe, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018. The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, the Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth Kumar and the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri are also seen.

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in a group photograph at the inauguration of the new building of Western Court Annexe, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018.

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The Minister of State for Labour and Employment (I/C), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar participating in a panel discussion, organised by the Bonded Labour Liberation Front on Condition of Unorganized sector in India ‘Dasha aur Disha’ along with different organisations, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Smt. M. Sathiyavathy and other dignitaries are also seen.

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The Minister of State for Labour and Employment (I/C), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar participating in a panel discussion, organised by the Bonded Labour Liberation Front on Condition of Unorganized sector in India ‘Dasha aur Disha’ along with different organisations, in New Delhi on April 04, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Smt. M. Sathiyavathy and other dignitaries are also seen.

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President's Secretariat
05-April, 2018 12:24 IST
President of India addresses 34th Annual session of FICCI Ladies Organisation;

Says honest citizens ultimately bear burden of bank defaults, lauds repayment record of MUDRA borrowers


The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, graced and addressed the 34th annual session of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) today (April 5, 2018) in New Delhi.



Speaking on the occasion, the President said that women constitute half our country. They contribute to our economy at work and at home, in many diverse ways. Yet, when it comes to business and commerce, it is regrettable that women have not been given their due. We need to create conditions for more and more of our daughters and sisters to come into the workforce. We need to push harder to ensure appropriate, encouraging and safe conditions at home, in society and at the work-place to enhance the percentage of working women.



The President said that if more women become part of the workforce, both household incomes and our GDP will rise. We will become a more prosperous nation. Much greater than that, we will become a more equal society.



The President said that we need to take the magic of entrepreneurship to – and facilitate the start-ups of – our sisters and daughters at the bottom of the pyramid. The government has a role here, but so do civil society and business – and organisations such as FLO.



The President said that the government has taken decisive steps to promote a culture of enterprise among ordinary citizens, especially women. The Stand-Up India initiative was launched in April 2016 to encourage entrepreneurship among women, SCs and STs. About 45,000 loans have been disbursed, mainly to sole proprietors. Almost 39,000 of these have gone to women – an overwhelming proportion. Under the MUDRA scheme, over the past three financial years, about 117 million loans have been sanctioned. Close to 88 million of these loans have gone to women entrepreneurs and he was happy to note that, as of December 2017, the number of NPAs in the MUDRA scheme is less than eight per cent of the loans sanctioned.



The President said that genuine business failures can happen. But when there is a wilful and criminal default on a bank loan, then it is families of our fellows Indians that suffer. The innocent citizen loses out, and ultimately the honest tax-payer bears the burden. It is admirable that at the grassroots of our country – in small hamlets and among traditionally underprivileged and deprived communities – MUDRA entrepreneurs are striving to pay back their loans.



The President urged the members of FLO to see how they can make these businesses – largely run by women – integral to their value chains. How can they partner these humble start-ups – as vendors, ancillaries, suppliers, distributors or in any other form. He stated that our corporate sector must take determined steps towards creating women-friendly and gender-sensitive supply chains – to empower women in our economy, rather than just accommodate them.



The President said that this is a moment of enormous opportunities for India. If our institutions and our society can be true to both the letter of the law and the spirit of justice, we can help every Indian realise her potential. And we can construct a developed India. There may be disagreement, but there must be respect for the other person’s dignity. Dignity and civility; order and rule of law; fairness and justice; entrepreneurship and aspirations – we have to achieve all of these. We cannot pick and choose.



Each of us has a role here, the President said. Each member of FLO as an individual and FLO as an institution can make a big difference – to Indian business and to Indian society.
 
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
05-April, 2018 18:26 IST
Disproportionate Assets and Income of Officials

The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered 23 cases (20 Regular Cases and 03 Preliminary Enquiries) relating to Disproportionate Assets against top officials, i.e. Joint Secretary and above for Central Government, General Manager and above for Public Sector Undertaking and Public Sector Banks during the last three years, i.e., 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (upto 28.02.2018).

It will not be appropriate to state that cases of corruption have grown during the last three years.

The details of cases referred by Ministries / Departments / Organizations during the last three years and nature of advice tendered by the Central Vigilance Commission is as follows:


2015

2016

2017

Criminal Proceedings

64

62

64

Major penalty proceedings

550

460

490

Minor penalty proceedings

243

183

181

Administrative action & closure

1895

1383

1334

Total

2752

2088

2069



Further, the cases of corruption registered by Central Bureau of Investigation against senior ranking officials during the last three years and in 2018 upto 28.02.2018 is as follows:





2015

2016

2017

2018(upto 28.02.2018)

Total

Cases registered

211

208

171

42

632



This was stated by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
 
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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
05-April, 2018 18:22 IST
Economy in Use of Paper in Government Offices

This was stated by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

The e-Office is a Mission Mode Project (MMP) under the National e-Governance Programme of the Government of India. The e-Office product has been developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) for implementation in all central Ministries/Departments of the Government of India. e-Office suit comprises of various applications including routine daily works like Leave Management System, File Management System, Knowledge Management System, Tour Management System, Stationery Requests etc. to ensure economy in use of paper.


As on 21.03.2018, 78 central government Ministries/Departments are implementing e-Office.
 
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind at the 34th Annual Session of FICCI Ladies Organisation, in New Delhi on April 05, 2018.
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The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind addressing the 34th Annual Session of FICCI Ladies Organisation, in New Delhi on April 05, 2018.
s20180405124152.jpg
 
Ministry of Finance
06-April, 2018 17:46 IST
Performance of PMSBY and PMJJBY

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) were launched in May, 2015 with a view to enhance the level of insurance penetration in the country and to provide insurance cover to common people especially poor and the under-privileged sections of the society. The State Governments were requested to give wide publicity to the above two schemes and to take pro-active steps to follow up on the information and identify potential claimants and facilitate them to submit their claims. The details of enrolments and claims under these schemes are as follows:



PMJJBY

2015-16*

2016-17*

2017-18**


Gross enrolment

2.96

3.12

5.33(in crore)


Total No. of claims paid

25555

62479

89766



Claim Amount Paid (in crore.)**

511.10

1249.58

1795.32



PMSBY

2015-16*

2016-17*

2017-18**


Gross enrolment (in crore)

9.43

10.04

13.48


Total No. of claims paid

3821

10273

16454



Claim Amount Paid(in crore)**

76.42

205.03

329.08


*These figures are for the period 1st June 2017 to 31st May 2018.

  • These figures are for the period 1st June 2017 to 4th April 2018.


This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.



****

Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
06-April, 2018 15:22 IST
Khadi Store Locator App Launched



image001YHM6.jpg


The Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (I/C), Shri Giriraj Singh chairing the 9th meeting of National Khadi and Village Industries Board, in New Delhi today.

The 9th National Board of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) met today in New Delhi. The Minister of State for MSME, Giriraj Singh chaired the meeting. The Minister launched a mobile phone application for locating 4,000 Khadi stores in the country. There are more than 8,000 Khadistores in India, the rest of stores will also be available on the store locater by the end of this month. This was informed by Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman KVIC in the board meeting today.

The Chairman further said that KVIC expects to surpass the sales target of Rs. 5,000 crore by the end of 2017-18. KVIC is also setting up export cells to promote overseas sales of Khadi products in order to make Khadi an international brand.

The Khadi and Village Industries products are manufactured by about 7 lakh privately owned household units which are funded through schemes like the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP).

***

MM/KA
 

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