Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

www.iasbaba.com Page | 1
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

Preface

This is our 24th edition of Yojana Gist and 15th edition of Kurukshetra Gist, released for the

month of March, 2017. It is increasingly finding a place in the questions of both UPSC

Prelims and Mains and therefore, we’ve come up with this initiative to equip you with

knowledge that’ll help you in your preparation for the CSE.

Every Issue deals with a single topic comprehensively sharing views from a wide spectrum

ranging from academicians to policy makers to scholars. The magazine is essential to build

an in-depth understanding of various socio-economic issues.

From the exam point of view, however, not all articles are important. Some go into scholarly

depths and others discuss agendas that are not relevant for your preparation. Added to this

is the difficulty of going through a large volume of information, facts and analysis to finally

extract their essence that may be useful for the exam.

We are not discouraging from reading the magazine itself. So, do not take this as a

document which you take read, remember and reproduce in the examination. Its only

purpose is to equip you with the right understanding. But, if you do not have enough time to

go through the magazines, you can rely on the content provided here for it sums up the

most essential points from all the articles.

You need not put hours and hours in reading and making its notes in pages. We believe, a

smart study, rather than hard study, can improve your preparation levels.

Think, learn, practice and keep improving! That is the key to success 

www.iasbaba.com Page | 2
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

UNION BUDGET 2017-18 FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Agricultural Growth

Agriculture is expected to grow at the rate of 4.1% in 2017-18.

Focus
 Increased funding for crop insurance
 Greater thrust on micro irrigation
 Dairy infrastructure
 Credit availability to tackle farm distress in rural India

Allocation
Total allocation for rural, agricultural and allied sector for 2017-18 is 1,87,223 crores.
It is 24% more than last year.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 3
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

•Most of the farming community still outside the framework

Enhnacing •Institutions reluctant to provide credit to small and
marginal farmers

Institutional •Reason- further credit->accumulaiton of NPAs

•increased allocation to allow banks to provide hassle free
loans to farming community
Credit •Adequate availability of credit can steer developmental
activities in rural areas

•Primary Agricultural Societies reach where banks cannot

reach
•They are also a formal source of credit to small and marginal
farmers.

Reviving •Financed by District Level Central Cooperative Banks

•They have lost their significance as a source of credit due to
multiple reasons
PACS •Thus, govenrment is supporting NABARD for computerisation
and integration of 63000 PACs in next three years at cost of
19000crores
•Computerisation and integration will bring transparency in
rural banking and encourage towards cashless society

Fasal Bima •It has wider coverage, more crops and uniform premium rate.
•Coverage increased from 30% of cropped area to 40%
Yojana cropped area in 2017-18 and 50% in 2018-19

•Healthy soil gives good yields

•Unfortunately, soil care is seldom done and most farmers
cultivate on same land for long period

Soil Health •Result- deficient soil, poor in nutrients and crop yield
•Provision of soil testing mini labs in all Krishi Vigyan Kendras
across India.
•This will be run by rural entrepreneurs with government
assistance.

•Long term irrigation fund set up at NABARD to address perennial

irrigation water crisis affecting rural India
Irrigation •A dedicated micro irrigation fund set up in NABARD to cover
unirrigated belts in country and promote water conservation
measures.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 4
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

• Coverage of National Agricultural Marketing is

expanded from 250 to 585 APMCs

e-NAM • Central govenrment to urge state governments

to delist persihables such as vegetables and
fruits from APMCs and allow farmers to sell
directly and get better price

•India is first in buffalo population, second in cattle,

fifth in ducks and chicken and tenth in camel.
•it provides source of livelihood.
Dairy •For developing dairy infrastructure, 'Dairy and
Infrastructure Development Fund' under NABARD
established.
development •It will create additional milk processing capacity of 500
lakh liters per day. It will have cascading effect on
creating additional income of Rs. 50000 crore per
annum.

Thus, budget is carving a new path where instead of relying on subsidies and loan waiver, it
aims to increase farmers’ income.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 5
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

Skill development and education

Education is a major source of productivity growth because it increases productive human

capital which results in overall increase in economic growth.

As education is in concurrent list, the policy and implementation initiatives of both central
and state government is important to impart education.

Primary and secondary education

 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan universalises school education upto primary level.
 It has been allocated Rs. 23,500 crores while teachers’ training and adult education
has been allocated Rs. 925 crores.
 Mid-day meal scheme has got Rs. 10,000 crore.
 For education in schools like Madarasas and minority institutions, Rs. 120 crores
have been allotted.
 Thus, primary education needs continuous focus of central and state government to
accelerate pace of literacy in the country.

Higher education
 It has been allocated Rs. 33,079 crores.
 Support to new IITs, IIMs and IT colleges has been hiked.
 Government has declared to come up with 20 world class institutions with allotment
of 50crores
 250 crores for capital expenditure for setting up higher education finance agency.
 PM Research Fellowship has been created with Rs. 75 crore as research is an
important component of higher education.
 Central government has proposed to set up Innovation fund for secondary
education. It aims to encourage local innovation for ensuring universal acess, gender
parity and quality improvement.
 Central government plans to increase post-graduate seats for medical sciences.
 Unnat Bharat Abhiyan and National Academic Depository have been allocated 20
crores and 10 crores respectively.

Emphasis on Skill Development

Skill development has received priority of the central government to create skilled
workforce for industry as well as self-employment to channelize youth in the country.
Presently, the Gross Enrolment Ratio of children between 18-24 who enter college is 15%. It
is presumed to be increased to 30% by 2022.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 6
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

Challenge: 150 million out of 500 million students during the period of 10 years will go to
colleges. The skilling challenge is further magnified when 70% of above 350 million fall in
rural and tribal India.
India’s skill development mission is challenging as 80% of new entrants to the workforce
have no opportunity for skill training.
Approx. there are 12.8 million new entrants to the workforce every year and this results in
annual increase of unorganised labour and also to low income groups.
This leads to low productivity and quality of work and lack of capacity to innovate or acquire
new work practices in unorganised sector, leading to further depression of wages.

To bring a solution to this problem, there has to be integration of skill development and the
formal education system. For this, national skill development mission was initiated in 2011
to impart training to 76 lakh youth.
The central government will also launch Skill acquisition and knowledge awareness
programme (SANKALP) to provide market related training to 3.5 crore youth.
Vocational training in schools, colleges and specialised institutions like it is also an important
component of skill development.

2017-18 budget provides for various schemes such as

‘Seekho aur Kamao’, ‘Nai Manzil’, ‘Nai Raushni’, ‘Garib Nawaz skill development centre’ and
‘Begum Hazrat Mehal Scholarship for girls’.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 7
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

Digitisation

The budget theme to Transform, Energise and Clean India (TEC) aims to address issues with
several core areas such as rural growth, poverty alleviation, infrastructure development and
corruption while showing the government’s commitment towards prudent fiscal
management and tax administration.

Besides to reform tax rate, numerous measures were announced to combat issues caused
by dependence of cash and black money with cleaning up political funding being primary
component.

BharatNet
Based on National Optical Fibre Network experiences, newer, updated and upgraded
version – BharatNet was conceived as a nation wide broadband network.
It aims to provide on demand, affordable broadband connectivity of 2Mbps to 20 Mbps for
all households and institutions to realise the vision of Digital India.

DigiGaon
It is a part of Digital Literacy Campaign where providing telemedicine, education and skills
by using digital technology is proposed to improve access to skill programme and enhance
employment options.

Mobile health- mhealth

It saves the medical practitioners’ time by providing a common database consisting of
patient’s information such as X-rays, CT scans and other clinical information by equipping
doctors with iPads connected to a centralised patient information system.
The core process within the institutions become automated, making early detection and
quick diagnosis and proving to be impactful.

Telemedicine
It aims to bridge the urban and rural divide by extending low cost consultation and diagnosis
facilities to the remotest areas via high speed internet and telecommunications.

Intel India announced- ‘El Kadam Unnati ki Aur’.

It aims at working with government to create the blueprint for the digitisation of rural India.
In this, first the Unnati Kendra has been set up at Nadinpalle village in Telangana.
Connecting to rural India needs an approach with a hardware, broadband connectivity,
digital learning skills and locally relevant solutions.

The effective digitisation of rural India will be the key of success for Digital India or
DigiGaon initiative.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 8
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

Education

Quality of rural education has always been questionable. But with incoming of Broadband
highways, digital education is breaking the barrier that prevented students from receiving
quality education.

There is a focus on Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) to help rural students study any
courses of their choice.
SWAYAM or Study Web of Active-Learning for young Aspiring Minds is a platform with over
300 online courses to encourage virtual education.

Regarding Digital Literacy, PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) is extended to

6 crore rural households to accomplish mission of DigiGaon. It has been allocated Rs. 2351
crores in budget 2017-18.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 9
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

Renewable energy

Though budget 2017-18 gives clear incentives for solar power, there is lack of generation
based incentives for wind power.

Allocation under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana has been stepped up in rural India
by Rs. 4814 crore. It will help solar and wind power along with biogas and other renewable
sources.

The real push in renewable energy is government’s push to have 7000 railway stations fed
by solar power in medium term under 1000MW solar mission.

Pilot plants for the conversion of solid and biodegradable waste into energy are in the
process of being set up by the government at the New Delhi and Jaipur railway stations.
There will be more such 5 stations.

Measures for green energy

With climate change, natural calamities are expected to strike even more frequently.
Though disaster management saves lives, there is no way the crops can be saved. In times of
drought, though irrigation facilities ensure standing crops do not get destroyed.
Budget has allocated additional 20000 crores to NABARD long term irrigation fund. It has
also provided funds for micro-irrigation initiative under NABARD with 5000 crore.
This is to help extend country’s irrigation cover in near future.

Problems faced in villages

 Huge expenditure on diesel pumps due to lack of grid connectivity with renewable
power.
 Where grid connectivity is assured, there are voltage fluctuations and shortages
 Lack of storage facilities, transport infrastructure or processing facilities hamper the
bumper harvest.

Budget 2017-18
 Provided for Rs. 19000 crore for rural roads under PM Gram Sadak Yojana.
 It proposes to extend coverage of e-NAM and integrate farmers with agro-processing
facilities.
 For employment generation, Rs. 4000 crore SANKALP scheme is launched to provide
relevant training to 3.5 crore youth.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 10
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

 Sanitation coverage has gone upto 60% in rural areas. Hence there is tremendous
scope for biogas and energy generation from solid waste to light up the villages.

Renewable energy for employment generation

Under Skill India Mission launched in 2015, PM Kaushal Kendras have been promoted in
more than 60 districts. There is a proposal to extend it to more than 600 districts in future.
Also, a Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion programme
(SANKALP) to provide market relevant training to 3.5 crore youth is proposed.
However, there is no specific mention of using renewable power for employment
generation.

There have been many examples of solar energy impacting the lives of rural population by
providing them electricity, safety at night, cooking, solar equipment like torches, panels and
lanterns.

Thus, 2017-18 budget holds a lot of promise and has ushered in several schemes for
employment generation, skills training, poverty eradication and agriculture.

www.iasbaba.com Page | 11
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

Health

Public health expenditure is recognised as an important indicator of economic development

of a country.
Increased public health expenditure helps in fighting various diseases, reducing poverty and
achieving higher level of economic development.
There is a vicious circle between poverty and ill-health as poverty results in ill health and ill
health stops person from gaining proper employment and thereby leading to poverty.

Thus, recognising the importance of health sector, union government has steadily increased
public health expenditure.
Due to importance assigned to health and family welfare sector, there has been significant
improvement in various demographic and health indicators.
 Average life expectancy has increased to 67.5 years
 Birth rate is 21.4 per thousand in 2013
 Death rate is 7 per thousand in 2013
 IMR 40 per thousand in 2013
 MMR 167 per one lakh of live births in 2013

In 2017-18, there was 27.77% of increase in budget allocation (Rs. 47352.51 crores) over
previous year.
The enhanced budget allocation is towards strengthening activities of health ministry
towards providing universal health care.

 Communicable diseases to be eliminated in time bound manner. Government has

prepared action plan to eliminate kala azar and filariasis by 2017, leprosy by 2018,
measles by 2020 and TB by 2025.
 To transform 1.5 lakh health sub centres into health and wellness centres across
country.
 Reduce IMR to 28 (39 in 2014) and MMR to 100 (167 in 2011-12).
 Increase number of post graduate seats by 5000 every year to facilitate specialists
doctors, especislly in rural areas.
 Amendment of Drugs and Cosmetic rules to ensure availability of drugs at
reasonable price to public and promote use of generic medicine.
 To set up Mahila Shakti Kendra at village level in 14 lakh ICDS anganwadi centres to
promote women empowerment.

Conclusion

www.iasbaba.com Page | 12
 Yojana and Kurukshetra- March 2017

The health outcomes (life expectancy at birth, death rate, infant mortality rate and maternal
mortality rate) has improved during past years but have remained far from satisfactory.
India still lag behinds developed countries of the world and also developing countries like SL.
The challenges have been low level of spending on medicine, drugs, equipment and
preventive care can be one of the causes of slow progress in the health outcomes.
Though budget expenditure in absolute terms has gone up, but in terms of percentage of
GDP, it has remained stagnant at 1.5% which is well below the world average of 5.99%
(World Bank 2014).

Regards
IASbaba

www.iasbaba.com Page | 13