PIB Summary- 14th November, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Vice President calls for providing equal property rights to women

Context:

Recently, the Vice President called for providing equal property rights to women.

Details:

Important Points enlisted by VP on women rights:

• Women should be encouraged to participate in various fields on par with men.
• There is a need to provide reservations to women in Parliament.
• Considering the urban-rural divide, there is a need  for bridging it with increasing urgency.

Property Rights of Women in India:

• In the Vineeta Sharma vs Rakesh Sharma (2020) case, the Supreme Court has acknowledged the rights of Hindu women over their fathers’ property.
• Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 was enacted by the Indian parliament to give Hindu women, the right over their fathers’property.
• Many state governments took steps to reform Hindu laws to make them gender just in their own capacity.
• States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra have passed their own amendments to Hindu law.

PM to dedicate to the nation the redeveloped Rani Kamalapati Railway Station in Bhopal

Context:

Recently, the PM announced the inauguration of the redeveloped Rani Kamalapati Railway Station at Madhya Pradesh.

Details:

• The redeveloped Rani Kamalapati Railway station was named after brave and fearless Queen Kamalapati of the Gond kingdom.
• It is the first world class railway station in Madhya Pradesh.
• It is redeveloped in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.The station is also developed as a hub for integrated multi-modal transport.

Rani Kamalapati

• Rani Kamlapati was the widow of Nizam Shah who belonged to the Gond dynasty.
• Nizam Shah built the famous seven-storeyed Kamlapati Palace in her name in Bhopal.
• Kampalati is known to have shown great bravery in facing aggressors during her reign after her husband was killed.
• The Gond are one of the largest tribal communities in India, spread across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Odisha.

Renaming of the Railway Station:

• Indian Railways can change the name of its stations on  discretion of the state government concerned.
• Change of station names is entirely a state subject even though Railways belong to the Union government.
• The state governments send the request to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the nodal ministry for these matters, which then accords its approval, keeping the Ministry of Railways in the loop.
• Once the name change is notified by the state government following all due process, Indian Railways steps in to do the necessary work.

PM Modi transfers the 1st instalment of PMAY-G to more than 1.47 lakh beneficiaries of Tripura

Context:

Recently, the Prime Minister transferred the 1st instalment of PMAY-G to the beneficiaries of Tripura. 

Details:

• The Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) was designed to support the “Housing for All” initiative.
• The central government has set a goal of completing the ‘Housing for All’ project by 2022.
• The PMAY-G scheme’s major goal is to give pucca housing with some essential facilities. 
• This programme is for persons who do not own a home and live in kutcha homes or houses that have been severely damaged.

How to apply for PMAY Scheme?
To apply for the PMAY scheme, you can follow the step mentioned below:

• Got to the homepage of the PMAY (pmaymis.gov.in) 
• Click on the Citizenship Assessment section on the top navigation bar.
• Select the relevant option as required
• Enter the Aadhar number and name
• You will be redirected to the application page. Fill and save the application.
• Later, you can check the status of the application on the main website.

Who are eligible for PMAY scheme?
Eligibility for PMAY scheme are mentioned below:

• The maximum age limit of the beneficiary is 70 years.
• The beneficiary should have a family that comprises of husband, wife and unmarried children.
• The beneficiary should not own a Pucca House either in their names or in the name of any member of the family in any state of India.
• The annual income should be between 3 lakhs to 6 lakhs if the beneficiary is from LIG (Low Income Group).
• Membership of one adult female member of the family is mandatory in ownership of the house.

Is the PMAY scheme applicable to rural areas?
Yes, this scheme can be availed by people residing in rural areas. This can be availed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY): Latest Development & Achievement
The success of the Mission can be attributed to its robust financial model of which, Direct Benefit Transfer has been a key element.
On June 25, 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) released the till date development and progress made under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, on completion of six years of the scheme. The following data was released by the government authorities:

• Acknowledging the diversity in housing demand across various income groups of the country, for the first time interest subsidies on home loans have been given to Middle-Income Groups having annual income of up to Rs.18 Lakh under PMAY-U’s Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS). Nearly 16 lakh beneficiaries belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Lower Income Group (LIG), and MIG have so far been brought under the fold of CLSS.
• Due to the current investment being made in the housing sector, it has created almost an estimated 689 crore person-days of employment translating into around 246 lakh jobs, and led to the consumption of 370 Lakh metric -ton of cement and 84 Lakh metric-ton of steel.
• A Global Housing Technology Challenge India (GHTC-India) was introduced in 2019 to identify and mainstream globally best available proven construction technologies that are sustainable, green and disaster-resilient. Following which, on January 1, 2021, the foundation of six Light House Projects (LHPs) was laid by PM Narendra Modi, which are being built under PMAY-U.
• In view of the COIVD-19 pandemic, Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs), a sub-scheme under PMAY(U) for urban migrants/ poor was launched by MoHUA. Investment under ARHCs is expected to create 11.74 crore person-days of employment with 3.89 crores direct and 7.84 crores indirect in nature. In terms of jobs, it works out to be a total of 4.19 1akh with 1.39 lakh direct and 2.80 lakh indirect jobs.
• ANGIKAAR, a campaign for social change management was initiated by the ‘Housing for All’ (HFA) Mission on 29th August 2019. It has achieved the objective to build capacities of PMAY -U beneficiaries in adapting to change though door-to-door awareness on best practices in water & energy conservation, health, hygiene, sanitation and financial literacy.

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) holds crucial emergency meet in wake of deteriorating air quality of the Delhi-NCR region

Context:

Recently, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) held an emergency meeting in wake of deteriorating air quality in the Delhi-NCR region. 

Details:

• The Commission has identified 5 different areas contributing to the prevailing adverse air quality of Delhi-NCR.
• The areas that need better focus with intensified efforts are:–
  (i) Control of paddy stubble burning incidences;
  (ii) Control of dust from Construction and Demolition (C&D) activities;
  (iii) Control of dust from roads and open areas;
  (iv) Vehicular Pollution; and
  (v) Industrial Pollution

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

• The government formed the Commission for Air Quality Control (CAQM) as a statutory body in 2021 to oversee air quality management in the Delhi NCR.
• The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjacent Areas, Act 2021, established it as a governmental entity.
• The Commission’s main goal is to improve air quality coordination, research, identification, and resolution in the NCR and surrounding areas.
• The air quality around Delhi-NCR has been monitored and managed by multiple bodies before the CAQM was established. 
• The bodies included the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the state pollution control boards, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) of NCR, and the various state governments concerned.