Daily Current Affairs for IAS Exam- 11 March 2021 – Important News

Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN)

The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN) as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for share of Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess.

• The proceeds of Health and Education Cess are levied under Section 136-b of Finance Act, 2007.

Salient Features

• Salient Features of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN):
  • It is a non-lapsable reserve fund for Health in the Public Account.
  • Proceeds of share of health in the Health and Education Cess will be credited into PMSSN.
  • Accruals into the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare namely,
    • Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
    • Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs).
    • National Health Mission.
    • Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
    • Emergency & disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies.
    • Any future programme/scheme that targets to achieve progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.
  • Administration and maintenance of the PMSSN is entrusted to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW).
    • In any financial year, the expenditure on such schemes of the MoHFW would be initially incurred from the PMSSN and thereafter, from Gross Budgetary Support (GBS).
• Benefits of PMSSN:
  • Enhanced access to universal & affordable health care through availability of earmarked resources, while ensuring that the amount does not lapse at the end of financial year.
• Significance of Spending on Healthcare:
  • Improved Developmental Outcomes: From an economic standpoint, better health improves productivity, and reduces losses due to premature death, prolonged disability and early retirement.
  • Enhance Opportunities: One extra year of population life expectancy raises GDP per capita by 4%, investment in health creates millions of jobs, largely for women, through a much needed expansion of the health workforce.
• Health and Education Cess:
  • In the Budget speech 2018, the Finance Minister while announcing Ayushman Bharat Scheme, also announced replacement of existing 3% Education Cess by 4% Health and Education Cess.
    • It is collected with the aim of addressing the educational and healthcare needs of rural families in India.

Cess

• Different from the usual taxes and duties like excise and personal income tax, a Cess is imposed as an additional tax besides the existing tax (tax on tax) with a purpose of raising funds for a specific task.
• The Union government is empowered to raise revenue through a gamut of levies, including taxes (both direct and indirect), surcharges, fees and cess.
  • A cess, generally paid by everyday public, is added to their basic tax liability paid as part of total tax paid.
  • Article 270 of the Constitution allows cess to be excluded from the purview of the divisible pool of taxes that the Union government must share with the States.
• Cess collected for a particular purpose cannot be used for or diverted to other purposes. A particular cess continues to be levied till the time the government collects enough funds for the purpose that it was introduced for.
  • For example, the Swachh Bharat cess (abolished in 2017) was levied by the government for cleanliness activities.
• Difference between Surcharge and Cess:
  • Surcharge is an additional charge or tax levied on existing tax. The main surcharges are on personal income tax (on high income slabs and on super rich) and on corporate income tax.
  • Despite both are not shareable with state governments, surcharge can be kept with the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) and spent like any other taxes, the cess should be kept as a separate fund after allocating to CFI and can be spent only for a specific purpose.
  • A surcharge is discussed under Article 270 and 271 of the Indian Constitution.
  • Unlike a cess, which is meant to raise revenue for a temporary need, surcharge is usually permanent in nature.

National Employability Through Apprenticeship Program (NETAP)

The National Employability Through Apprenticeship Program (NETAP) has released its latest edition of the Apprenticeship Outlook Report for 2021 (January-June 2021).

• Apprenticeship is a Skill Training program wherein a person is engaged by a company as an apprentice and gains classroom (theory) learning for a short period, followed by on-the-job (practical) training.

Salient Features

• About the National Employability through Apprenticeship Program:
  • It was set up in 2014 as a 100% employer-funded Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
  • The program was launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and TeamLease Skills University (Gujarat).
  • It is in accordance with the National Employability Enhancement Mission of the AICTE.
  • NETAP was structured to overcome the challenges of the Apprenticeship Act, 1961.
    • NETAP proposed to appoint 2 lac apprentices every year for the next 10 years. At peak capacity, it will be the world’s largest apprenticeship program.
  • It will help the unemployed youth to build skills through Learning by doing and Learning while earning along with providing them with access to practical skills.

National Employability Enhancement Mission

• It is a pioneering initiative taken jointly by AICTE and Government of India.
• Introduced in 2013, the NEEM aims to offer practical trainings to enhance employability of any person who:
  • Is either pursuing graduation/diploma in any technical or non-technical stream, or
  • Have discontinued studies of degree or diploma courses.
• A NEEM Trainee is any registered person who has a minimum education up to Class X and is between 16 to 40 years of age.
• A total of 23 industries have been listed in the NEEM where a trainee can be enrolled. It includes the automobile industry, pharmaceuticals, electronics & hardware, food processing, healthcare services and the financial sector.
• The NEEM is envisioned to place at least 10,000 students per year in registered companies or registered industries for the purpose of providing training.

• Key Findings of the Apprenticeship Outlook Report:
  • India’s Apprenticeship Ecosystem: Some 41% of the employers in India are keen on hiring apprentices while 58% of enterprises want to increase the quantum of their apprenticeship hiring this year.
  • Leading Cities: Chennai has emerged as the most apprentice friendly city.
    • Among non-metro cities, Ahmedabad and Nagpur are the most promising cities for apprenticeship.
  • Leading Sectors: The manufacturing, automobiles and ancillaries, and retail are the leading sectors.
  • Positive Trend for Hiring Women Apprentices: Overall the preference for women apprentices has increased by 10% from the previous half year.
    • This trend was more visible in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata.
• Importance
  • India’s working-age population is estimated to continue to increase through 2041. This will have major implications on the required rate of job creation in the economy.
  • Statistics show that approximately 3% of children dropout after grade 5^th and 8^th in the country owing to socio-economic challenges. Apprenticeship can be an important mechanism for seamless transitioning from school to work and bridging of skill-gap in the workforce.
• Other Initiatives to Promote Apprenticeships:
  • Apprenticeship Act of 1961 (and the Amendments to the Act).
  • National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS)
  • Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS)
  • National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)
  • Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement Scheme
  • YuWaah Youth Skilling Initiative
  • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

Bharat Bangla Maitri Bridge

Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated Bharat Bangla Maitri Bridge in Tripura’s South district.

Salient Features

• About:
  • The bridge ‘Maitri Setu’ has been built over the Feni river which flows between Indian boundary in Tripura State and Bangladesh.
    • Feni originates in the South Tripura district. The river passes through Sabroom town on the Indian side, and meets the Bay of Bengal after it flows into Bangladesh.
  • The 1.9 Km long bridge joins Sabroom (in Tripura) with Ramgarh (in Bangladesh).
  • The name ‘Maitri Setu’ symbolises growing bilateral relations and friendly ties between India and Bangladesh.
• Constructed by and Cost:
  • The construction was taken up by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd at a project cost of Rs. 133 crore.
    • The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited is a fully owned company of the Government of India.
    • It is responsible for development & maintenance of National Highways & Strategic Roads of India.
• Significance:
  • Now Agartala (capital of Tripura) will become the nearest city to an international sea port in India.
  • Tripura will become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is just 80 km from Sabroom.
    • Bangladesh and India have a long standing and time-tested Protocol on Transit and Trade through inland waterways.
  • It would serve as a new trade corridor between the two countries, helping the Northeast states grow. It will enhance people-to-people contact.