PIB notes 21st dec

Condition of Tea Plantation Workers

Under the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, it is mandatory for plantations with tea area of 5 hectares or more and employing 15 or more persons to provide housing, drinking water, sanitation, medical and education facilities, etc. to the tea garden labourers.

provides for safeguards such as limitations by way of maximum hours work in a week, provision of weekly holidays, prohibiting night work for women and children, certification of fitness, annual leave with wages, wages during leave period, sickness and maternity benefits, etc. 

SEZs for Promotion of Exports

The main objectives of the SEZ Act, 2005 are:-

(i)   generation of additional economic activity

(ii)   promotion of exports of goods and services

(iii)  promotion of investment from domestic and foreign sources

(iv)  creation of employment opportunities

(v)               development of infrastructure facilities 

Adverse Effect of Agricultural Produce Marketing Act on Retail Market

a number of State Governments and Union Territories have enacted legislations (APMC) Acts) to provide for regulation of agricultural produce markets. In order to promote, interalia direct marketing/procurement of agricultural produce 

Ministry of Agriculture, in consultation with States/Union Territories, framed a Model APMC Act and circulated the same to States/Union Territories, in 2003, for making necessary amendments in their existing APMC Acts. Nineteen States/Union Territories have made such amendments in their APMC Act for direct marketing.

Development of Indigenous Aero-Engine by DRDO

 Kaveri and Kabini engines

Presently, there is no dedicated Defence Research and Development wing for the Indian Air Force (IAF), All design and development projects for the IAF are undertaken by the DRDO. 

New Inventions by DRDO

DRDO has filed 313 patents and granted 126 patents during the last three years. DRDO has been awarded the prestigious Thomson Reuters India Innovation Award in 2011 in "High-tech Academic and Government" category. 

Consultative Committee of MoHFW meets to Discuss Communicable Diseases’ Burden

 country is vulnerable to emerging and re-emerging diseases because of the existing environmental, socio-economic and demographic situation

 Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme presently detects about 72% of new sputum cases with treatment success rate of 86%. TB mortality has decreased from over 5 lakh deaths every year at the beginning of the programme to about 2.8 lakh deaths presently

Leprosy has been eliminated as a public health problem in 32 states 

Malaria morbidity has reduced by 16.2%

12th Five Year Plan aims to address several public health challenges, such as: ensuring primary health care to all including urban slum population; strengthening of health care infrastructure as per Indian Public Health Standards; increasing public health workforce; strengthening disease surveillance and response systems; formulation and enforcement of appropriate Public Health Laws and increasing public health allocation & spending.

vital importance in controlling spread of communicable diseases, as causal factors like safe drinking water, sanitation etc. are beyond the mere control of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare only. 

Specialised Wing to Probe Financial Crimes 

constituted a separate cell i.e. Cell for Combating of Funding of Terrorism 

MHA has also constituted a Terror Funding & Fake Currency Cell (TFFC) in the National Investigation Agency(NIA) 

Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) under the Ministry of Finance was set up in 2004 as the central national agency for receiving, processing, analyzing and disseminating information relating to suspect financial transaction.

Raghavan Committee on Ragging

actions taken by the Government for implementing the suggestions made by the Raghavan Committee include:-

-              Starting a Toll-Free Anti-Ragging 

-              Advisories are being issued to Civil and Police authorities of State Governments every year to take stringent measures 

-              A non-Government, Monitoring Agency has been engaged for executing, monitoring and evaluation of Anti-Ragging Helpline. 

-              Media Campaign has been launched to spread awareness on anti-ragging. 

Increasing Unemployment due to Low Production

Government have taken several steps to reduce unemployment

 focus is on productive employment at a faster pace in order to raise the incomes of masses of the rural population

various employment generation programmes, such as Swarana Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY); Prime Minister`s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP); Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana(SGSY) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) besides entrepreneurial development programmes run by Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. 

 As per 2001 census, the total number of working children between the age group 5-14 years in the country was 1.26 crore. However, in the Survey conducted by NSSO, in 2004-05 the number of working children were estimated at 90.75 lakh. As per NSSO survey 2009-10, the working children are estimated at 49.84 lakh which shows decline trend. The State-wise information is as per Annexure-I. As per unit level records of NSSO , 2004-05, sector-wise information in percentage terms is as per Annexure-II

child labour

                                Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act prohibits  employment of children below the age of 14 years in 18 Occupations and 65 Processes  and regulates their working conditions in those occupations/processes where they are not prohibited from working. Any person who employs a child in any occupation or process where employment of  children is prohibited under the Act, is liable for punishment with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 3 months but which may extend to one year or with fine ranging from Rs.10,000/- to Rs.20,000/- or with both. The Govt. of India has adopted a multi-pronged strategy for eradication of child labour as follows:

       (i) legal action plan.

       (ii) focus on general development programmes for the benefit of the families of Child Labour; and

     (iii) project-based action in areas of high concentration of Child labour.

      The above measure has yielded the positive results in eradication of child labour.