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  Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme which provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to approximately 55 crore beneficiaries corresponding to 12 crore families constituting the bottom 40% of India’s population. States implementing AB-PMJAY have further expanded the beneficiary base, at their own cost.

Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is a flagship health assurance scheme of Government of India which provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12 crore families.  AB-PMJAY is an entitlement-based scheme and therefore, beneficiaries are not required to register. As on 05.02.2024, over 31.02 crore Ayushman cards have been created across the country. Further, 6.34 crore hospital admissions worth Rs. 80,645 crore have been authorized under the scheme.

Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme for Chronic Kidney Disease patients ensures availability of dialysis services in all the district hospitals in the country free of cost to all Below Poverty Line beneficiaries. PMNDP is operational in both Public-Private Partnership mode and in-house mode. The National Health Mission supports the States in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme through the annual Programme Implementation Plans. PMNDP has been implemented in a total 36 States/UT at 1442 dialysis centers.

  Hard area allowance to specialist doctors for serving in rural and remote areas and for their residential quarters so that they find it attractive to serve in public health facilities in such areas.  . Honorarium to Gynecologists/ Emergency Obstetric Care trained, Pediatricians & Anesthetist/ Life Saving Anaesthesia Skills trained doctors is also provided to increase availability of specialists for conducting Cesarean Sections in rural & remote area.  . Incentives like special incentives for doctors, incentive for Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife for ensuring timely Antenatal Checkup checkup and recording, incentives for conducting Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health activitie

Government has launched the Sagarmala Programme with the objective of fostering port-led development, reducing logistics costs, and accelerating economic growth. The programme includes projects from various categories such as modernisation of existing ports and terminals, construction of RoRo/ RoPax& tourism jetties, enhancement of port connectivity, fishing harbours, skill development and technology centres, etc. There are 839 projects worth investment of ~Rs. 5.8 Lakh crore for implementation under the Sagarmala Programme. Out of which, 241 projects worth ~Rs. 1.22 lakh crore have been completed. These projects are being implemented by relevant central ministries, state governments, major ports, and includes projects supported under PPP, internal resources of Ports, and Equity Investments. Projects having high social impact but with no return or low Internal Rate of Return are being provided financial assistance under the Sagarmala Scheme of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterw...

To provide safeguards for children against sexual abuse, the Government of India has enacted the special law Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The act defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years. Therefore, Government has not proposed to formulate any new law to check/prevent child abuse.  The POCSO Act, 2012 was further reviewed and amended in 2019 to introduce more stringent punishment including death penalty for committing sexual crimes on children, with a view to deter the perpetrators & prevent such crimes against children. The POCSO Act, 2012 also provides for establishment of Special Courts for the purpose of ensuring speedy trial.

  The Government accords top priority to the National Family Planning Program, which is guided by the tenets of the National Population Policy 2000 and National Health Policy 2017. The projected population of India in the Year 2026, as per Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections published by National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, is 142.59 Crore. The following steps have been taken by Government under National Family Planning Programme: i. Expanded Contraceptive Choices: The current contraceptive basket comprising Condoms, Combined Oral Contraceptive pills, Emergency Contraceptive pills, Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) and Sterilization is expanded with inclusion of new Contraceptives namely Injectable contraceptive MPA (Antara Programme) and Centchroman (Chhaya).  ii. Mission Parivar Vikas is being implemented in thirteen states for substantially increasing access to contraceptives and Family Planning services....

  eCourt project has provided the facility of e-Sewa Kendras in various court complexes to serve as a one-stop solution for VC, Virtual Hearing, e-filing and other facilities of eCourt project to bridge the digital divide that exists in the country. e-filing of cases from e-Sewa Kendras at different districts and participation through Virtual Hearings would enable the common citizens to avail the accessibility of the legal services of the High Courts. As of 31.12.2023, a 3total of 880 e-Sewa Kendras has been established nationwide, underscoring the positive impact of this initiative in providing valuable services to legal practitioners and litigants.

  The River Cruise Tourism Roadmap 2047 focuses on four vital pillars, including infrastructure, integration, accessibility and policy for promoting river cruise tourism. In this regard, “HaritNauka” guidelines have been launched The HaritNauka Guidelines envisions a complete transition to Green Vessels by 2047. The vision and objectives of HaritNauka guidelines are as follows: 1. Developing and operationalizing new-age vessels with standard design/infrastructure that are green and safe. 2. Creating an enabling ecosystem for the operation of such green vessels 3. Promoting safe, convenient and green inland waterway-based passenger transport. 4. Developing Indigenous capacity and promoting a " Make in India" policy in shipbuilding 5. Enabling financial assistance for developing Green vessels and related ecosystems.

  Government accords the highest priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals abroad, including Indian workers. As per the Framework Agreement and Implementation Protocols signed with 1 Israel, Indian workers shall enjoy equal treatment with respect to labour rights as Israeli citizens and shall be provided with proper lodging, medical insurance and relevant social security coverage as well as wages and benefits as set out in law.

  Designation of an organisation as terrorist is covered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and declaring any organisation as terrorist is considered as per the provisions of the Act by the relevant government departments. The government of India recognizes the internationally recognized Government of Yemen based in Aden. India supports the principle of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and has expressed concern at the instances of targeting of commercial vessels in the Red Sea impacting our trade/commercial linkages and endangering the lives of crew and ships. India is closely monitoring the developments in the region. Indian Navy is deployed in the Indian Ocean Region for the safety of vessels and seafarers at sea. More information is available online at digital Sansad

eCourts project is being implemented under the joint partnership of Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India and e-Committee, Supreme Court of India, in a decentralized manner through respective High Courts. The enhancement of 2 the Video Conferencing (VC) facilities, e-filing etc are important components of the eCourts project. Taking a lead in this sphere, the High Court of Orissa (Cuttack) has established 20 Virtual Benches of High Court at District Courts facilitating advocates/parties in person to appear through the Virtual High Court Centers and conduct cases before the High Court. eCourt project has provided facilities of e-Sewa Kendras in various court complexes to serve as a one stop solution for VC, Virtual Hearing, e-filing and other facilities of eCourt project to bridge the digital divide that exists in the country. e-filing of cases from e-Sewa Kendras at different districts and participation through Virtual Hearings would enable the commo...

These courts have disposed of more than 2,14,000 cases since the inception of the Scheme, while more than 2,02,000 cases are pending. In e-Courts Mission Mode Project, during Phase I of the project video conferencing facility has been operationalized between 488 court complexes & 342 corresponding jails. In eCourts Phase II of the project, one video conference equipment each has been provided to all Court Complexes including taluk level courts and funds have been sanctioned for additional VC equipment for 14,443 court rooms (High Court wise details attached at Annexure-II). Funds for setting up 2506 VC Cabins have been made available. Additional 1500 VC Licenses have been procured to promote virtual hearings. VC facilities are already enabled between 3240 court complexes. These VC facilities are available in the Court Complexes for the use of all courts, including FTSC and e-Pocso courts. India has emerged as a global leader in conducting court hearing through Video Conferencing.

Domestic violence is a social issue and to curb this social evil, the Government, through institutions like the National Commission for Women (NCW), National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and their counterparts in States have been spreading awareness through seminars, workshops, audio-visual, print and electronic media etc. to sensitize the citizen about the safety and security of women and children and also about various provisions of laws. In addition, Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Home Affairs have issued advisories to States from time to time on various issues pertaining to safety and security of women and children. NCW has organized a ‘Pan India Legal Awareness Programme’ for the women at grass-root level in collaboration with National Legal Services Authority to impart practical knowledge about the basic legal rights and remedies provided under various women related laws, thereby making them aware to face the challenges in real life s...

Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) aims at correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable tertiary healthcare services and to augment facilities for quality medical education in the country. The Scheme has two components, namely, (i) Setting up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS); and (ii) Up-gradation of existing Government Medical Colleges/Institutions (GMCIs). AIIMS Jodhpur has been established under the PMSSY at a project cost of Rs.820.00 crores and the institute is functional since 2012. During current financial year, an amount of Rs.868.00 crore has been released to AIIMS, Jodhpur as Grant-in Aid. As per the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), running, operation and maintenance of the upgraded facilities including creation of posts and the recruitment of human resources is the responsibility of the State Government.

Since 2015, 62 Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects have been operationalized including mechanization, modernization and upgradation of berths and terminals in Major Ports of India. As a result, the cargo handling capacity of Major Ports has doubled from 2013-14.

  As per the Procedure for Appointment of Judges of High Courts, the proposals recommended by the High Court Collegium for appointment as High Court Judges, are to be considered in the light of such other inputs as may be available to the Government for assessing the suitability in respect of the names under consideration. The Government, being an indispensable consultee in the appointment process, in light of various reports/inputs received, which in opinion of the Government warrant further consideration by the Collegium, can send such proposals for reconsideration of the SCC. Only those persons are appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts whose names have been recommended by the SCC. Appointment of Judges in the higher judiciary is a continuous, integrated and collaborative process between the executive and the judiciary. It requires consultation and approval from various Constitutional Authorities both at State and Central level. The Government can exercise its ...

Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), the implementing agency of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) had carried out an analysis in November 2022 in respect of the implementation of PMBJP based on the density of the population and availability of one PMBJK for every 1.50 lakh population. At present, 10,624 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) have been opened across the country till 31.01.2024 covering 755 districts out of 785 districts of the country. PMBI is meeting its administrative expenses, salaries, etc. from their own resources. Government releases grants to PMBI for providing incentives to Kendra owners, procurement of products to be sold at discounted rates, media & publicity and establishment expenses of Pharma Bureau set up under PMBI.

The erstwhile ‘National Crèche Scheme (NCS)’, for Children of Working Mothers was being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. As per report of Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, it was seen that a majority of states have emphasised that they prefer to run Anganwadi-cum-crèches instead of separate stand-alone crèches as it increases their financial, HR and administrative burden attributed to the implementation of an additional scheme.Anganwadi centres are the world's largest childcare institutions dedicated to providing essential care and support to children ensuring delivery of care facilities till the last mile. In a first of its kind approach, Ministry has extended the services of childcare through Anganwadi cum Crèche. This will ensure whole day childcare support ensuring their well-being in a safe and secure environment. Anganwadi cum Crèche initiative aims to increase the women work force parti...

  A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Union Territory of Lakshadweep Administration and Karnataka Maritime Board for implementation of the project of ‘Development of dedicated jetty for Lakshadweep with allied infrastructure facilities for cargo and cruise terminal at Old Mangalore Port’. These facilities willfacilitate shipping service betweenMangalore port andLakshadweep islands especially northern group of islands like Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra.Government of Karnataka is also planning to operationalise passenger cruise between Mangalore and Lakshadweep Island. The distance between Mangalore and Kadmat island is 155 Nautical miles.

  There are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) as on June, 2022. Assuming 80% availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors, the doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:834, which is better than World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 1:1000.

  Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified the standards of Turmeric in the Food Safety and Standards Regulation, 2011. According to Section 31(1) of Food Safety and Standard (FSS) Act, 2006, no person shall commence or carry on any Food Business except under a license and they are required to follow the standards laid down by FSSAI. FSSAI conducted Pan India Surveillance on spices to assess the safety, quality and labelling requirements of spices and to identify the hot spots of adulteration and contamination of spices in the Indian market. The survey was conducted in selected 249 locations across 35 States and Union Territories on 3rd & 4th March 2022. A total of 3582 samples were collected including 258 turmeric samples (Packed Product) and test for Lead Chromate was "Negative" in all of the 258 turmeric powder samples.

  Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT Pharmacy), a novel initiative launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare aims to provide affordable medicines for treatment of cancer, cardio vascular and other diseases. HLL Lifecare Limited, a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the administrative control of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is the nodal agency for implementing the same on pan India basis. AMRIT Pharmacies are dispensing branded / branded generic Allopathic medicines, surgicals and implants mainly in tertiary care hospitals. These items are mainly needed in tertiary care hospitals and AMRIT Pharmacies are offering as a single point solution for all the medical item requirements of tertiary care hospitals. In major Institutes like AIIMS Raipur, AIIMS Bhopal etc., where Ayush Block is also operational within the campus along with other allopathic blocks, AMRIT Pharmacies are dispensing Ayurvedic medicines also. AMRIT Pharmac...

  Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between India and Italy was signed in November 2023 during the visit of External Affairs Minister to Italy. India and Italy have excellent bilateral relations, people to people ties and historical bonds of friendship. MMPA will further strengthen our peoples’ connect and mobility. In particular, the Agreement will facilitate mobility of employed, selfemployed workers, skilled workers, students, academics, researchers, business people, artists, according to identified needs of respective labour markets; thereby providing employment opportunities for Indian workers and professionals.

  Appointment of Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts is made under Articles 124, 217 and 224 of the Constitution of India and as per the procedure laid down in the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP). As per the existing Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Judges of High Courts, the Chief Justice of the High Court is required to initiate the proposal for filling up of vacancies of a Judge in a High Court six months prior to the occurrence of vacancies. In order to replace the Collegium system of appointments of Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts with a more broad-based, transparent, accountable appointment mechanism and to bring greater objectivity in the system, the Government brought into operation the Constitution Act, 2014 and the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014 w.e.f. 13.04.2015. However, both the Acts were challenged in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court vide Judgment dated 16.10.2015 declared both the Acts as unconstitutional and vo...

  Hon’ble Supreme Court while hearing WP(C) 13 of 2015 in NJAC matter issued detailed Order on 16-12-2015 on supplementing the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) and laid down that Government of India may finalize the Memorandum of Procedure by supplementing it in consultation with the Chief Justice of India. The Chief Justice of India will take a decision based on the unanimous view of the Collegium comprising of four senior most puisne Judges of the Supreme Court. The order stated that they shall take the following factors into consideration such as eligibility criterion, transparency in the appointment process, secretariat, complaint mechanism and miscellaneous matter considered appropriate for ensuring transparency and accountability including interaction with the recommendees, the Collegium of the Supreme Court without sacrificing the confidentiality of appointment. to be continued...

  Government of India may finalize the Memorandum of Procedure by supplementing it in consultation with the Chief Justice of India. The Chief Justice of India will take a decision based on the unanimous view of the Collegium comprising of four senior most puisne Judges of the Supreme Court. The order stated that they shall take the following factors into consideration such as eligibility criterion, transparency in the appointment process, secretariat, complaint mechanism and miscellaneous matter considered appropriate for ensuring transparency and accountability including interaction with the recommendees, the Collegium of the Supreme Court without sacrificing the confidentiality of appointment. to be continued...

Ministry of Defence has signed a Contract with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. Mumbai on 20th December, 2023 for procurement of six Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at a total cost of Rs.1614.89 Crore. The ageing vessels are replaced on completion of their designed life and based on the analysis of hull/machinery conditions.  

  Bureau of Immigration, MHA maintains departure and arrival data of Indians. State-wise data is not available. Some of the Indian nationals travelling abroad settle down in their country of employment. The Government perceives the reality of a global workplace, especially 1 in an era of knowledge economy. It has, in parallel, brought about a transformational change in its engagement with Indian diaspora. A successful, prosperous, and influential diaspora is an asset for India. The Government’s efforts are also aimed at harnessing the diaspora potential to its fullest including through sharing of knowledge and expertise. Bilateral discussions have been held with concerned UAE authorities regarding ease of travel of Indians to the UAE.

  Ministry of Ayush is setting up first Integrated AYUSH Wellness Centre in the permanent campus for Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy at Azara in Guwahati for providing the Ayush healthcare services. Public Health is a State subject and accordingly setting up of integrated AYUSH Wellness Centre comes under the purview of the respective State Governments. However, under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM) there is a provision of providing financial assistance to the State/UT Governments for operationalization of Ayush Health & Wellness Centres (AHWCs) by upgrading existing Ayush dispensaries and Sub health centres.

  There are 12 Major Ports wholly owned by the central government. These are Deendayal Port, Mumbai Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mormugao Port, New Mangalore Port, Cochin Port, V.O. Chidambaranar Port, Chennai Port, Kamarajar Port, Visakhapatnam Port, Paradip Port and Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port. Private Sector Participation has been allowed in these Major Ports on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis for projects/berths/terminals through concession agreement for a fixed tenure by way of bidding process on revenue share/royalty payment by the concessionaire. After the concession period gets over the port asset is handed over to the Port Authority. There are 213 non-major ports managed by and under the control of respective State Maritime Board/State Government. In February, 2020, the Government has given in principle approval to develop Vadhavan Port on Landloard Model by an SPV incorporated under Companies Act, 2023 with Jawaharlal Nehru Port as lead partner without Budgetary su...

  The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)'s i-DRONE initiative has completed various research projects to establish evidence for the use of drones for transporting various healthcare medical essentials such as vaccines, medications, diagnostic samples, blood and its components, etc. in various regions and terrain in India. This Ministry with the support of National Health System Resource Centre has initiated a pilot project for use of drones across 29 institutions including 13 AIIMS set up under Prime Minister Swasthya Suraksha Yojana to provide healthcare related services to identified Community Health Centres with a view to enhance outreach and accessibility of healthcare services in remote and areas with difficult geographical terrain.

  The Government has increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats. There is an increase of 82% in medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 706 as of now. Further, there is an increase of 112% in MBBS seats from 51,348 before 2014 to 1,08,940 as of now, there is also an increase of 127% in PG seats from 31,185 before 2014 to 70,645 as of now.  The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for ‘Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals’ with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing Government or private medical college. The fund sharing mechanism between the Centre and State Governments is in the ratio of 90:10 for North Eastern and Special Category States, and 60:40 for others.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)'s i-DRONE initiative has completed various research projects to establish evidence for the use of drones for transporting various healthcare medical essentials such as vaccines, medications, diagnostic samples, blood and its components, etc. in various regions and terrain in India. This Ministry with the support of National Health System Resource Centre (NHSRC) has initiated a pilot project for use of drones across 29 institutions including 13 AIIMS set up under Prime Minister Swasthya Suraksha Yojana to provide healthcare related services to identified Community Health Centres with a view to enhance outreach and accessibility of healthcare services in remote and areas with difficult geographical terrain.

  As per the National Blindness and Visual Impairment survey 2007, the prevalence of blindness in the country was 1% in 2007. As per survey conducted in 2015-19, the prevalence of blindness in the country was 0.36% in 2019. The number of blind persons in India is high due to increase in ageing population and semi tropical location of the country, lack of public awareness, and economic constraints etc. The main causes of blindness in India are as under:   1) Cataract (66.2%)  2) Corneal opacity (7.4%)  3) Cataract surgical complications (7.2%)  4) Posterior segment disorders excluding DR and ARMD (5.9%)  5) Glaucoma (5.5%).  6) Others (7.8%) However, no survey has been conducted separately under National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) to determine the number of blind people particularly in the rural areas. The Government of India implements NPCBVI, a centrally sponsored programme, addressing all causes of blindness thr...