National
QCI & UP Government launch Uttar Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp
⇒ The Government of Uttar Pradesh and Quality Council of India, in collaboration with industry associations – ASSOCHAM, FICCI, IIA and PHDCCI – launched the Uttar Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp (Uttar Pradesh Quality Mission) at Lucknow on 23 March 2023.
The Sankalp was inaugurated by Deputy CM of UP, Shri Brajesh Pathak and launched by the Minister of Cooperation (IC) Shri J. P. S. Rathore in the august presence of several key officials.
Key Points:
- The Sankalp reinforced the need for Uttar Pradesh to transcend from “Aatmanirbhar Pradesh” to “Daata Pradesh” where Uttar Pradesh provides services back to nation.
- It aimed to contribute to the state’s vision of becoming a knowledge superpower and take leadership in adopting transformative digitalisation, imbibing culture of transparency and accessibility, optimizing land and water usage, charting a comprehensive infrastructure and waste management strategy, and a quality movement; that is led by the industry.
- UP is the first state that we have chosen to launch the Gunvatta Sankalp. Through this initiative, QCI is increasing its depth into the grassroots to impact real change for improving the life of every Indian citizen.
This Gunvatta Sankalp, the first of its kind being organised by QCI in India in partnership with a State, focuses on four key pillars –
- Quality as a driver of the USD 1 trillion economy,
- MSMEs,
- Healthcare services and
- Education and vocational training
The roadmap from the UP Gunvatta Sankalp will chart the way forward for quality in the State where QCI would be a partner in stead with the government.
About QCI:
» The Quality Council of India has been established in 1997 by the Government of India and the Indian industry.
- The QCI is the apex organisation in India responsible for establishing and operating the third-party national accreditation system, improving quality across sectors and advising the government and other stakeholders on all matters concerning quality.
- It has established constituent Boards that offer accreditation in respective areas – such as NABL for labs and NABH for hospitals, NABCB for certification and inspection bodies, NABET for education and training.
- Its National Board for Quality Promotion is responsible for running the national quality campaign.
- The Chairperson of QCI, nominated by the Prime Minister of India, is Shri Jaxay Shah, CMD of Savvy Group of Companies.
DigiClaim for claim disbursal through National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP)
⇒ Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched National Crop Insurance Portal’s digitized claim settlement module namely DigiClaim under the ambit of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) on 23 March 2023 at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.
- With the launch of the module, claims will be disbursed electronically, which will benefit the respective farmers of six states. Now, the automated claim settlement process will be an ongoing activity to ease all insured farmers’ lives and provide them with a sustainable financial flow and support.
- With the launch of a DigiClaim Module, insurance claims totaling Rs 1260.35 crore have been disbursed on March 23, 2023 to insured farmers in the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Haryana with the click of a button, and the process will continue as and when the claims are released.
The Union Minister Shri Tomar also mentioned that till date Rs 1.32 lakh crore claim amount has been disbursed to the insured farmers under PMFBY.
- He also took special note of ‘Meri Policy, Mere Haath’ ongoing campaign and observed that the campaign has been monumental in enhancing the awareness around PMFBY at the grassroot levels.
» In the current system, there have been several instances of insured farmers’ claims being delayed due to a variety of factors.
- Taking cognizance of farmers’ welfare and to expedite the claim disbursal process of valid crop loss claims, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare has come up with the DigiClaim Module. With this, now farmers’ claims will be processed directly to their respective bank accounts in a transparent and accountable manner.
- This technology has been enabled through the integration of National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) and Public Finance Management System (PFMS).
DigiClaim is yet another feather in PMFBY’s cap in its ongoing effort to usher in advanced technological solutions such as automated calculation and disbursement of crop insurance claims.
Prestigious National Level JCSSI Ispat Suraksha Puraskar
⇒ RINL Visakhapatnam received the national level safety Awards “Ispat Suraksha Puraskar” during annual award function organised by JCSSI at SSO Ranchi on 22nd March 2023.
- RINL Bagged four prizes in BF and Raw materials zone for the years 2020-21 and 2021-22.
- Maintenance and service zones bagged the Award for the year 2021-22.
- RINL Visakhapatnam also bagged Prestigious Award for “Zero Fatal Accident involving Contract Labour” for the year 2022.
About JCSSI:
- The ‘Joint Committee on Safety, Health & Environment in the Steel Industry’ (JCSSI), formerly known as ‘Standing Committee on Safety for the Steel Industry’ (SCSSI) came into existence on 27th April, 1973 with the primary objective of safeguarding valuable human resource against possible hazards in steel industry.
- JCSSI is a unique National level bipartite forum of management and trade union representatives from both the public and private sector steel companies.
‘Sagar Manthan’, the Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)
⇒ Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal virtually launched ‘Sagar Manthan’, Real-time Performance Monitoring Dashboard of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) in March 2023.
- ‘Sagar Manthan’ – Digital platform having all the integrated data related to the ministry and other subsidiaries.
- This dashboard will transform the workings of various departments by improving well-coordinated real time information.
- This platform has been developed completely in-house under the guidance of Shri Sudhanshu Pant, IAS, Secretary, MoPSW in the span of less than 1.5 months efficiently.
Features of ‘SAGAR MANTHAN’ dashboard:
- Data visualization
- Real-time monitoring
- Improved communication
- Data-driven decision making
- Increased accountability
» In future, this dashboard would further be integrated with Input from CCTV camera, Live streaming from Drone, AI based Algorithm to map actual progress Digital Twin feature on board and Mobile App for easy access and usability by all stakeholder to increase the efficiency.
» The launch of ‘Sagar Manthan’ Dashboard is a development towards digitalization and transparency in the maritime transport sector, and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is committed to supporting the growth of the sector in India.
Important Day
World Tuberculosis Day 2023
⇒ World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on 24 March to raise awareness about Tuberculosis, a serious respiratory infection.
World TB Day serves as an opportunity to raise public awareness about the adverse health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to accelerate efforts to put an end to the global TB epidemic. The day also highlights the progress being made in the battle against the disease and focus on the commitment to eradicate the infection.
Theme:
The theme for World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2023 was “Yes! We can end TB!”.
World TB Day 2023, with the theme ‘Yes! We can end TB!’, aims to inspire hope and encourage high-level leadership, increased investments, faster uptake of new WHO recommendations, adoption of innovations, accelerated action, and multisectoral collaboration to combat the TB epidemic.
History:
- The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease. Dr. Robert Koch discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB).
- In 1982, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) launched World TB Day on March 24, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Koch’s discovery.
- The first World TB Day was observed in 1983, with the theme “Defeat TB: Now and Forever”.
About Tuberculosis:
Tuberculosis (TB) a serious infection of the lungs is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that spreads through tiny droplets released in the air when one coughs or sneezes.