HIMACHAL PRADESH

Allowance scheme for private sector staff

The state government decided to provide monthly Rs 1,000 Kaushal Vikas allowance to all newly engaged employees in private industries for a period of two years.

Those youth with physical disability of more than 50 per cent would be provided allowance of Rs 1,500 per month under the scheme and it will be applicable for all the employees who are getting salary up to Rs 15,000 per month in private sector.

The Cabinet also decided to launch Medha Protsahan Yojana to provide coaching facility to meritorious students of Himachal Pradesh for competitive examinations such as CLAT/NEET/IIT-JEE/AIIMS/AFMC/NDA conducted by UPSC/SSC etc. Under this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh will be provided to the meritorious students whose family income does not exceed Rs 2.50 lakh per annum. A sum of Rs 5 crores will be spent under the scheme during the current financial year.

The Cabinet decided to introduce Swathya Mein Sahbhagita Yojana to ensure improved access and affordability of quality health care services in rural areas and to provide impetus to growth of private sector health care investments.

Under this scheme, capital subsidy at the rate of 25 per cent up to investment of Rs 1 crore in building, machinery and equipments will be provided to any individual, firm, company, trust or society to establish a private allopathic hospital. It will also be provided 5 per cent interest subsidy for three years on maximum loan amount of Rs 75 lakh.

INTERNATIONAL

World Students’ Day: 15 October

World Students’ Day is observed to mark the birthday of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. It is observed on Kalam’s birthday, 15 October.

In 2015 the United Nations declared 15 October “World Students’ Day”.

Kalam was the 11th president of India.

NATIONAL

· Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi launched

Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi was launched in Delhi by the Union Minister for Earth Sciences and Environment, Dr. Harsh Vardhan.

The System is designed to predict extreme air pollution events and give alerts to take necessary steps as per Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Government of India.

The air pollution system has been developed jointly by the scientists at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, India Meteorological Department and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).

· Government launches award scheme under ‘Saubhagya’

Awards would be provided for achieving 100 per cent household electrification at DISCOM/Power Department level of the States.

Eight States which have already achieved more than 99 per cent household electrification prior to launch of Saubhagya (Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu), are ineligible for participation under the award scheme. All the remaining States and their Discoms are eligible for the award.

· Drought conditions in 1/3rd of districts

The June-september monsoon, which was 9% below normal, has caused drought-like conditions in almost a third of the districts in India, putting farmers in these high-deficiency areas under stress, data from the India Meteorological Department and reports from states showed. Over 200 districts received below-average rainfall this year.

Ahead of a general election next year, rural distress will likely keep the Modi government under pressure from farmers already battling higher cultivation costs, pricier diesel needed to run farm equipment and poor returns due to a slump in commodity prices.

· Centre is to set up a committee to deal issues raised by Metoo India movement

Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhiannounced that the Centre is to set up a committee of judges and lawyers to examine the existing legal and institutional framework. The committee is to deal with complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace that are emanating from the#MeTooIndia movement.
The move comes even as the government is yet to make a statement on allegations by several women journalists against Minister of State for External Affairs J. Akbar.

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