E-commerce portal of MSME to enable all businesses to enhance global reach

 

E-commerce portal of MSME to enable all businesses to enhance global reach

Posted On: 22 JUL 2021 1:19PM by PIB Delhi

National Small Industries Corporation, a PSU under the Ministry of MSME  has a B2B MSME Global Mart Portal and efforts have been made to further strengthen activities under it. The salient features of the portal include online registration, web store management, multiple payment options, customer support through Call Centre and enhanced security features.

 Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), a statutory body under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has ekhadiindia.com for B2C outreach, which enables all businesses to have a global reach with Interactivity, Immediacy and Ease of Adaptation.

The revenue generation from the portal depends on membership of the portal.

This information was given by Minister for Micro. Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Narayan Rane in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.


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Government includes Retail and Wholesale Trade as MSMES

 

Government includes Retail and Wholesale Trade as MSMES

Posted On: 22 JUL 2021 1:22PM by PIB Delhi

From 2nd July, 2021, the Government has included Retail and Wholesale Trades as MSMEs.

The Government, vide notification no. S.O. 2119(E) dated 26.06.2020, had notified composite criteria of classification of MSMEs based on investment in plant and machinery or equipment and turnover of the enterprise. With the introduction of new classification  of  MSMEs   w.e.f. 01.07.2020,  a  new cost – free  system  of  online  Udyam Registration which is based on self –declaration, has replaced the erstwhile filing of Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum.

Filing of Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM)/ Udyam Registration is required for availing benefits of the schemes and programmes of the Ministry of MSME.

          The Government has launched the Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS) to strengthen credit delivery system and facilitate the flow of credit to the MSE sector without the hassles of collateral and third party guarantee. Under the scheme, Credit Guarantee is given to the Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) for loans upto Rs. 200 lakh. As per the data received from Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE), Mumbai, there are 53,86,739 Nos. of guarantee and Rs. 2,72,007.42 crore amount of guarantee approved under Credit Guarantee Scheme since inception.

          To strengthen the Indian economy and to provide help to upcoming entrepreneurs, recently the Government has taken a number of initiatives under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to support the MSME sector in the country, especially in Covid-19 pandemic. Some of them are:

  1. Rs. 20,000 crore Subordinate Debt for MSMEs.
  2. Rs.3 lakh crores Collateral free Automatic Loans for business, including MSMEs.
  3. Rs. 50,000 crore equity infusion through MSME Self-Reliant India Fund
  4. New Revised criteria of classification of MSMEs.
  5. New Registration of MSMEs through ‘Udyam Registration’ for Ease of Doing Business.
  6. No global tenders for procurement up to Rs. 200 crores.

An Online Portal “Champions” has been launched on 01.06.2020 by Hon’ble Prime Minister. This covers many aspects of e-governance including redressal of grievances and handholding of MSMEs.

RBI has also announced several measures to Reduce Financial Stress of MSMEs.

This information was given by Minister for Micro. Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Narayan Rane in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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Whether future waves will affect children more or with increased severity are all speculations- Dr. Praveen Kumar, Director, Department of Pediatrics, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi

 

Whether future waves will affect children more or with increased severity are all speculations- Dr. Praveen Kumar, Director, Department of Pediatrics, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi

“COVID Vaccine for pregnant women and lactating mothers will protect the growing foetus and new-born against the deadly infection”
“So far, mortality rate in children is lower as compared to adults and is usually seen in children with comorbidities”

Posted On: 21 JUL 2021 2:53PM by PIB Delhi

Dr. Praveen Kumar, Director, Department of Pediatrics, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi talks about various issues including impact of COVID-19 on children, the need to protect them, and vaccinating pregnant women and lactating mothers.

 

How has the pandemic affected children’s mental and physical health? What needs to be done to reduce its long-term impact?

Pandemic can have a severe effect on children’s mental and physical health. They are confined at home for more than a year. Moreover, illnesses in the family, wage losses for parents have increased stress. Children may express psychological distress (sadness) by acting out in a different way each child behaves differently. Some may become silent while others may express anger and hyperactivity.

Caregivers need to be patient with children and understand their emotions. Look for signs of stress in young children, which could be excessive worry or sadness, unhealthy eating or sleeping habits, and difficulty with attention and concentration. Families also need to support children to cope with stress and also allay their anxiety.

Do you think the future waves can affect children more severely? How does the country need to prepare for any future wave of COVID-19 with respect to providing quality care to pediatric patients?

As we all know, COVID-19 is a new virus that has potential to mutate. Whether the future waves will affect children more or with increased severity are speculations. People speculate that future waves may affect children more as most of the adults will be vaccinated in the next few months while we do not have any approved vaccine for children at this point in time.

Though we don’t know how the virus is going to behave and affect children in the future, we need to protect our children from the contagion. Adults in the house should follow COVID-Appropriate Behavior, and limit their social engagements to reduce the chances of infection as they may carry and transmit the infection to others. Besides, all the adults should take vaccines, which will also protect the children to a great extent.

And now vaccine is available for pregnant women and lactating mothers. This will give a certain degree of protection to the growing foetus and new-born against the deadly infection.

 

How has the second wave of COVID-19 affected children?

Second wave has affected children equally. COVID-19 is a new virus and it affects all age groups because we do not have natural immunity against this virus. As per the NCDC/IDSP dashboard, approximately 12% of infected COVID was contributed by patients less than 20 years of age.

Recent surveys have shown similar seropositivity in children and adults. However, due to a larger number of people affected during second wave number of infected children were also more as compared to the first wave. So far, the mortality rate in children is lower as compared to adults and is usually seen in children with comorbidities.

 

What were the challenges that you faced in treating pediatric patients, especially those who required hospitalisation?

Largely we were able to manage children well by increasing number of dedicated beds for COVID infected children. However, during peak of second wave we faced some challenges as many of senior doctors, resident doctors, staff nurses became positive. We also faced challenges in accommodating all referrals during peak of second wave.

 

What is MIS-C? Please elaborate on the condition, the challenges that you face while treating an MIS-C case? If you think parents need to be aware of it? Its treatment

The multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is a new syndrome seen in children and adolescents (0-19 years of age). Most patients report it two to six weeks after the peak of COVID-­19 infections in the affected population.

Three types of clinical course are described: Persistent fever with Raised Inflammatory parameters, Classical Kawasaki Disease like presentation and Shock, LV dysfunction with the inotropic requirement. For establishing the diagnosis of MIS-C, advanced investigations are required. All suspected cases should be referred and managed in a tertiary care hospital with HDU/ICU facility. If identified early, all these cases can be treated.

Whether future waves will affect children more or with increased severity are all speculations- Dr. Praveen Kumar, Director, Department of Pediatrics, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi Read More

Universities should become thought leaders in finding solutions to global challenges such as climate change and poverty – Vice President

 

Universities should become thought leaders in finding solutions to global challenges such as climate change and poverty – Vice President


Urges philanthropists and industrialists to help in the cause of education

Virtual education no substitute for classroom learning; need to develop a hybrid teaching model for future – Vice President

Teaching is not simply content delivery; it should prepare students to think independently and creatively – Vice President

Calls for using technology to build a more equitable system of teaching and learning

Use artificial intelligence and big data to personalized education to every child – Vice President

VP wants universities to become flag bearers of sustainability in every field

Praises the role of universities in research on Covid-19 vaccination and related subjects

Addresses the World Universities’ Summit organised by OP Jindal University

Posted On: 21 JUL 2021 12:21PM by PIB Delhi

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today asked universities to become thought leaders in finding solutions to global challenges such as climate change, poverty and pollution. He also wanted the universities to discuss various socio-economic and political issues facing the world and come up with ideas that can be implemented by the governments as per their needs and suitability.

Addressing the inaugural session of World Universities Summit organised by O.P. Jindal University, Sonipat virtually, the Vice President said that universities should produce good academicians, economists and politicians who have good conduct, capacity, character and caliber.

Referring to the theme of the Summit, “Universities of the Future: Building Institutional Resilience, Social Responsibility and Community Impact”, Shri Naidu called for promoting multi-disciplinary approaches and emphasised the need for collaborative academic effort to create sustainable and scalable solutions to the challenges around us. He opined that sustainable development was the answer to many challenges faced by the world today and universities can play a major role towards this end. “Universities need to embed sustainability as an underlying mission across all activities they pursue in various fields”, he said.

Stating that virtual education cannot be a substitute for conventional classroom learning, the Vice President emphasised the need to develop a hybrid teaching model for future by combining the best elements of offline and online education. He said that such a model should be both interactive and interesting for the learner as well as the teacher to ensure the optimum learning outcomes. He stressed that teaching is not simply content delivery; rather it should prepare students to learn independently and creatively. “Through pro-active critical thinking, learners should be moulded into leaders in their chosen fields, so that eventually they evolve into drivers of social change”, he added.

Shri Naidu recognised that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced faster innovation in the discipline of education which can help us build a more equitable system of teaching and learning. However, he also expressed the need to constantly improve and upgrade the online academic ecosystem. Calling for increased use of artificial intelligence in edutech, the Vice President opined that it could enrich the teaching–learning experience significantly and can also provide personalized education to every child. In addition to this, Shri Naidu wanted online educational tools to be used in skill training and adult education to enhance the skills and employability of our huge youth population. 

At the same time, the Vice President observed that experts have cautioned about the risk of myopia among children who spend long hours on digital devices and stay indoors. In this context, he suggested that students should spend half of their time in the classroom and the rest in the playground or with nature.

The Vice President said that the current pandemic has made us realise that no polity in the world is fully prepared against the unknown threats of the future. Referring to the saying that—‘no one is safe until everyone is’, he stated that crisis management on a global scale requires a many-pronged, multicultural, collective approach warranting the cooperation of all.

Appreciating the role of universities in research on Covid-19 vaccination and related fields, Shri Naidu said that humanity owes much to thousands of faculty members, research scholars and students who have spent countless days and nights working silently to bring out useful research for the benefit of the world. 

Calling for internationalization of curriculum, he wanted increased collaboration on research, joint classes and student projects with the active involvement of the industry. He also wanted Indian varsities to sensitize the world to the richness of ancient Indian knowledge systems that seek to promote sustainable ways of production and consumption.

The Vice President termed education as very critical to laying a robust foundation for any nation in ensuring its economic and social prosperity. He complimented O.P. Jindal Global University for being ranked amongst top 700 universities globally and the number one private university in India in the QS World University Rankings 2021. Highlighting the importance of higher education, he said that beyond their primary role of teaching and learning, higher education institutions are also centres of knowledge and rich intellectual capital which, through their impact-driven research, contribute significantly to the cause of nation-building.

Referring to the complexity and diversity of India’s large population, the Vice President wanted equity of access to education and called for the balance of quantity and quality of education to reap the benefits of our huge demographic dividend. “With our rich history of Vedas and Upanishads, we must strive to become a landmark knowledge capital of the world or Vishwa Guru, once again”, he added.

In this context, Shri Naidu suggested that public-private partnership is the way forward as the governments alone cannot do everything. Appreciating the founder chancellor of JGU, Shri Naveen Jindal for his efforts, he urged philanthropists and industrialists to help in the cause of education by joining the education sector and improving facilities.

The Vice President commended the O.P. Jindal Global University Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr.) C Raj Kumar for bringing together over 150 thought leaders from across 25+ countries who will deliberate to drive innovation in higher education. He expressed optimism that the three-day Summit will result in some transformative ideas for innovation and re-imagination of the future of Indian and global higher education.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Prof. (Dr.) D. P. Singh, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC), Shri Naveen Jindal, Founding Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University, Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor and Prof. Dabiru Sridhar Patnaik, Registrar, O.P. Jindal Global University were among the dignitaries who attended the virtual event.

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The features of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

 

The features of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

Posted On: 20 JUL 2021 10:13PM by PIB Delhi

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched as a one-time special intervention to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all- weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations of designated population size (500+ in plain areas and 250+ in North-Eastern States, Himalayan States and Himalayan Union Territories as per 2001 census) in the core network for uplifting the socio-economic condition of the rural population. Relaxation has been provided to the Tribal (Schedule V) areas and Selected Tribal and Backward Districts (as identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Planning Commission) and unconnected habitations in these areas with a population of 250 persons and above in the Core Network as per Census 2001 are eligible for connectivity under the scheme. In the critical Left Wing Extremism affected blocks (as identified by Ministry of Home Affairs), additional relaxation has been given to connect habitations with population 100 persons and above as per 2001 census.

The mandate of PMGSY has been subsequently widened to include new interventions. PMGSY- II was launched in the year 2013, with a target to upgrade 50,000 Kms of the existing rural road network to improve its overall efficiency as a provider of transportation services for people, goods and services. Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) was launched in the year 2016 for construction/upgradation of strategically important roads chosen in the 44 worst affected LWE districts and adjoining districts in the 9 States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. PMGSY-III was launched in the year 2019 for

consolidation of 1,25,000 Km Through Routes and Major Rural Links connecting habitations, inter-alia, to Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), Higher Secondary Schools and Hospitals.

The main features of PMGSY are decentralized and evidence based planning, standards and specifications as per Indian Road Congress (IRC) and Rural Roads Manual, dedicated implementation mechanism at central, state and district level, scrutiny of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) at multiple levels, strong IT backbone for monitoring and implementation of the programme, three-tier quality management system, unbroken flow of funds, inbuilt mechanism for consultation with public representatives at planning, selection of roads and monitoring stages, etc.

The State of Tamil Nadu has been allocated a target length of 7,375 Km under PMGSY-III. The State has so far been sanctioned 880 road works of 3,198.01 Km at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,817.10 crore, which also includes 18 roads of 78.30 Km sanctioned for widening and strengthening of the existing carriageway width. The implementation period of PMGSY-III is upto March, 2025.

The allocation of funds to the States for implementation of PMGSY depends, inter-alia, on works in hand, pace of expenditure and unspent balance available with the State. The unspent balance with the State as on 1st April, 2021 was Rs. 258.26 crore, out of which the State has spent Rs.227.22 crore as on 15th July, 2021, leaving a balance of Rs. 31.04 crore with the State.

This answer is given  By Minister of State

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