SCHEMES

Government Schemes







1. DRISTHI -- Civil Aviation
2. SAMANVAY -- Rural Panchyats
3. DISHA -- Digital Literacy (Bihar)
4. eMUDRA -- Digital Signatures
5. eMIGRATE -- Foreign Employee
6. NOWCAST -- Insurance Web Portal
7. SPEEDPAY -- BSNL Mobile Wallet
8. Vidhyalakshmi -- Govt. For Education Loans
9. SEHAT-- Telemedicine Initiative
10. e Pragathi -- Integrated Governance (AP)
11. PAHAL-- LPG Give It Up
12. SAHAJ -- LPG online
13. mAsset -- Assets Map of Gram Panchyats
14. Smart MIDC -- Digital Village By Microsoft (Maharashtra)
15. Meebhoomi -- Digital Deposit Of Land Records ( AP)

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ALL GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

Key Points:

I. There will be a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops, while for annual commercial and horticultural crops it is only 5%.

Balance premium will be paid by the Government to provide full insured amount to the farmers against crop loss on account of natural calamities.

II. There is no upper limit on Government subsidy. Even if balance premium is 90%, it will be borne by the Government.

III. There is no provision of capping the premium rate. Thus, farmers will get claim against full sum insured without any reduction.

IV. The use of technology will be encouraged to a great extent.

Setu Bharatam Project

‘Setubharatam’ project aims to make all National Highways railway crossing free by the year 2019, in order to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings.

Key Points:

I. Under the project, 208 Railway Over Bridges (ROB)/Railway Under Bridges (RUB) will be built at the level crossings at a cost of Rs. 20,800 crore.

II. In addition, 1500 new bridges are also proposed to be constructed to replace the old bridges.

Swachh Paryatan Mobile App

This project is being implemented by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India through DeGS and NIC. This Mobile App is available on Google Search Engine as ‘Swachh Paryatan’ and initially it is available on Android Phones. This mobile app shall be monitored by the Project Monitoring Unit of Swachh Bharat Mission in Ministry of Tourism.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, while launching this app, said since the general public and the tourists are the largest stakeholders in keeping the monuments clean, the Ministry of Tourism has decided to facilitate the general public to communicate their complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in and around tourist destinations. So, the Ministry of Tourism is launching this Mobile App.

25 Adarsh Smarak Monuments protected by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have been identified for inclusion in the app, which are as follows

• Leh Palace, Leh, J&K
• Jageshwar Temples, Uttarakhand
• Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi
• Sravasti, Uttar Pradesh
• Qutub Minar Complex, New Delhi
• Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh
• Red Fort, Delhi
• Vaishali-Kolhua, Bihar
• Hazardwari Palace, Murshidabad, West Bengal
• Khajuraho Western Gropu Complex, Madhya Pradesh
• Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
• Jahaz Mahal Parisar,Mandu, Madhya Pradesh
• Elephanta Caves, Mumbai, Maharastra
• Martand Temple, Kashmir
• Taj Mahal, Agra, UP
• Thanjuar-Brihadeshwar Temple, Tamil Nadu
• Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan
• Group of Temples, Pattadakal, Karnataka
• Rani-ki-Vav, Gujarat
• Masrur Rock-cut Temple, Himachal Pradesh
• Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
• Rang Ghar, Sibsagar, Assam
• Hampi, Karnataka
• Konark Temple, Odisha
• Daulatabad Fort, Maharashtra

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About GST

Big Bank Theory - New GST Rates

Before we discuss the rates under various slabs of GST, let us have a quick glance over What is GST?

GST stands for Goods and Service Tax. It was introduced as the Constitution (one hundred and first amendment) Act, 2016. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the chairman of the GST Council.

GST aims to integrate various central and state level taxes, that are applied individually into a single tax. This move is expected to bring about a significant reform in Indirect Tax system of the country by creating a common national market. The overall tax burden on goods would be reduced for the consumers. This reduction is estimated to be about 25-30% as per the government. The administration and enforcement of taxes is also expected to ease, owing to single level tax regime.

14th GST Council Meeting was held today (18th may 2017) at Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, to define rates of certain goods. The rates will be applicable at undermentioned levels-

• Nil
• 5%
• 12%
• 18%
• 28%

Let us now have a look at various goods that have been classified under the above mentioned slabs.

Nil (No tax Slab) -

There will be no tax applicable on certain goods like, fresh milk, meat, eggs, Butter Milk, Curd, Natural Honey, Fresh vegetables, roots and tubers, fruits (other than those in frozen or preserved state), Coffee beans,  All cereal goods (other than those put up in unit container and bearing a registered brand name), Flour, Soya beans, groundnuts, Cane jaggery, Puffed rice, bread, Prasad, Common Salt, Bindi, Sindur, Plastic bangles, Wood charcoal, Judicial, Non-judicial stamps, Newspaper, Handloom etc.

5% Slab -

This tax slab would involve articles like, frozen fish, fish fillets, Ultra high temperature milk, Milk cream, Cream yogurt, Whey, Ivory, Herb , bark, dry plant, frozen or preserved fruits and vegetables, Peel of citrus fruits and melons, Coffee, tea, natural gums, resins, Vegetable fats and oils, beet, sugar, cane sugar, cocoa beans, Mixes and doughs for the preparation of bread, Tobacco leaves, Unroasted iron pyrites, sulphur, All ores and concentrates, Kerosene, Sulphonated castor oil, fish oil, Handmade safety matches, Building bricks, Kerosene, Lifeboats etc.

12% Slab -

This includes items such as, Frozen meat, Butter and other fats, Cheese, Dry fruits, starches, Animal fats and oils, Sausages and similar products, of meat, meat offal or blood, Fruit and vegetable juices, Roasted chicory, Soya milk drinks, Beverages containing milk, Marble, Granite blocks, Bio-gas, Medicinal grade Hydrogen peroxide, Fertilizers, Fountain/ Ball pen ink, Tooth powder, Agarbatti, Candles, Photographic plates and films, Children’s picture/ drawing/ colouring books, Umbrellas, Sand lime bricks, Sewing Machines, Cell Phones etc.

18% Slab -

Items included in this tax slab are, Condensed Milk, Malt, Vegetable saps and extracts, Indian katha, Glycerol, Vegetable waxes, Refined sugar, Pasta, Cornflakes, Waffles, Pastries and Cakes, Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, Sauces, Soups, Ice cream, Food mixes, Diabetic foods, Petroleum jelly, Paraffin wax, Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Colouring matter, Printing ink, Essential Oils, Artificial waxes, Safety fuses, Insecticides, Wood tar, Kitchenware, Tableware, Safety Headgears (Helmets), Refractory bricks, Camera, Speakers and Monitors etc.

28% Slab -

Following are the products included in this tax slab - Chewing gum, Cocoa butter, Extracts, essences and concentrates of coffee, Non-alcoholic beverages, Aerated Water, Portland cement, Paints and Varnishes, Artist/ Student or signboard painter’s colours, Perfumes,  Toothpaste, Fireworks, Sinks, Wash basins, Wall paper/ coverings, Lamps, Lighting fittings, Pianos, Revolvers, Washing machines, Vacuum cleaners, Motorcycles, Aircrafts for personal use, Yachts etc.

For complete list of articles assigned under various tax slabs, go through the link below, where you will find the official PDF released by the GST council.

GST Rates - Complete list of articles under various tax slabs

GST council is yet to decide the rates of following products -

Biri wrapper leaves, Biscuits, Biris, Footwear, Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal, and articles thereof, imitation jewellery, coin, Power driven Agricultural, horticultural, forestry, poultry keeping or bee-keeping machinery, Harvesting or threshing machinery, machines for cleaning, sorting or grading, machinery used in milling industry and parts.

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First Female Personalities in India

First Indian Female	Female Personalities
Airline Pilot	Durga Banerjee
to go into space	Kalpana Chawla
to climb Mt. Everest	Bachendri Pal
to swim across English Channel	Arati Saha (also known as Arati Gupta)
Musician to get “Bharat Ratna”	M.S.Subbulakshmi
to win a Gold in Asian Games	Kamaljeet Sandhu
to win the Booker Prize	Arundhati Roy
to win WTA Title	Sania Mirza
to win Nobel Prize	Mother Teresa
to get Jnanpith Award	Ashapurna Devi
to get Ashok Chakra	Nirja Bhanot
President	Mrs. Pratibha Patil
Prime Minister	Mrs. Indira Gandhi
Governor	Sarojini Naidu
Ruler (Delhi’s throne)	Razia Sultan
IPS Officer	Kiran Bedi
Chief Minister of a state	Sucheta Kripalani (the State was Uttar Pradesh)
Judge of the Supreme Court	Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi
Ambassador at United Nations	Vijayalakshmi Pandit
Union Minister	Rajkumari  Amrita Kaur
Miss Universe	Sushmita Sen
Miss World	Reita Faria

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ERROR OF PRONOUN

EXERCISE

1. Each of them / has to understand/ their responsibility. / No error.

2. We are proud to announce /that every one of us  have earned  / a good name. / No error.

3. Here is / the man whom I think /committed the crime. / No error.

4. He took /his younger sister / with himself. / No error.

5. The company is in debt/ and has been unable/ to pay their employees' salaries/ for the past six months. / No error.

6. One of the TV cameramen was_________in the leg by a bullet when he was___________ in the middle of a gun fight between two gangs.

a)hurt, entered   b)shot, caught   c)injured, came    d) stabbed, trap

7. Although the fire was very small, everyone____________and rushed out of the cinema hall____________complete chaos.

a) shouted, leading   b)died, producing   c)injured, resulting    d)panicked, causing

8. The__________ of pesticides and fertilizers while growing vegetables and fruits is one of the greatest__________ to health these days.

a)production, dangers   b)consumption, problem    c) overuse, threats    d)application, rewards

9. The group's mission is to___________ peace between the nations and help different people____________ each other better.

a) maintain, understand     b)remain, address   c)keep, interact     d)advise, find

10. While there is a lot of institutional and financial support for other entertainment media, those who go into theatre generally have to____________ to make it a______________ full-time job.

a) starve, alternative   b) run. successful     c)compromise, lucrative   d)struggle, viable

SOLUTION

1. Each of them  has to understand his responsibility.

Explanation – Each takes singular adjective/pronoun.

2.  We are proud to announce that every one of us  has earned  a good name.

Explanation –  Has is used with every one.

3.  Here is the man who I think committed the crime.

Explanation –The man is the subject here that will take relative pronoun who.

4. He took his younger sister  with him.

Explanation – change himself to him

5. The company is in debt and has been unable to pay its employees' salaries  for the past six months.

Explanation – Company is a singular noun. Singular possessive adjective its will be used with it.

6. shot, caught

7. panicked, causing

8. overuse, threats

9. maintain, understand

10. struggle, viable

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PRONOUN NOTES

This Exercise will be very helpful while solving the questions of Spotting Errors and Fill in the blanks.

EXERCISE

1. It is the best / which the government can do / for the downtrodden. / No error.

2. Neither of the two friends / has got their money back / from the company. / No error.

3. This is the road / whose inauguration / was done by the President. / No error.

4. Many women /reconcile to the / demands of their in-laws. / No error.

5. Owing to me being a new comer/ I was unable/ to get a good house. / No error.

6. Centre should_______ministries whose functions_____________with the state ministries to save money, deliver efficiency and avoid duplication of work.

a)finish, differ   b)establish, contradict  c)constitute, matches    d)abolish, overlap

7. Government initiatives and participation of many industrial houses in_______loans to the villagers have led to the_________of the farmers.

a)providing, plight    b)disbursing, betterment    c)denying, revitalization  d)subsidizing, suffering

8. Indians will__________one-fourth of total work force in the next five years but India needs to introspect whether its education system is__________for these demographic dividends.

a)become, adequate   b)consist, incompetent  c) constitute, unequipped   d)comprise, prepared

9. Considering the______________of the city to chemical and industrial disasters, the State disaster management authority has decided to constitute an expert study group to analyze all possible threats and suggest____________to make the city ‘disaster-resilient’.

a) vulnerability, measures     b)propensity, sketches   c)volatility, plans     d)regularity, preparations

10. Despite the collapse of efforts to legislate a climate bill, the country has______________ international negotiators it remains___________to reducing carbon emissions over the next ten years.

a)entrusted, obligated   b)promised, averse     c)declared, ignorant  d)assured, committed

SOLUTION

1. It is the best that the government can do for the downtrodden.

Explanation – A superlative degree is followed by “that”.

2. Neither of the two friends has got his money back  from the company.

Explanation –  Neither of / either of/ each of  etc take plural noun or pronoun after them but verb / pronoun in the latter part of the sentence is always singular.

3.  This is the road the inauguration of which was done by the President.

Explanation – Whose is not used for non-living things.

4. Many women reconcile themselves to the demands of their in-laws.

Explanation – A Reflexive pronoun must follow reconcile. Add themselves after reconcile.

5. Owing to my being a new comer I was unable to get a good house.

Explanation –  Possesive case (my) before Gerund being.

6. abolish, overlap

7. disbursing, betterment

8. comprise, prepared

9. vulnerability, measures

10. assured, committed

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POLITY PART - 1 ( FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS & DUTIES

All about Fundamental Rights & Duties under Indian Constitution

Fundamental Rights are most important characteristics of the Constitution. Fundamental Rights are considered to be essential for the proper moral and material uplift of people. These rights are fundamental in the sense that any law passed by the legislature in the country would be declared as null and void if it is derogatory to the rights guaranteed by the constitution. If any of these rights is violated, the individual affected is entitled to move the Supreme Court or High Court for the protection and enforcement of his rights. The rights are not absolute and can be curtailed during an emergency.

Fundamental Rights

(i)  Right to Equality: It is given in Articles 14 to 18 in the Constitution. The right to equality is extremely important in a society like ours, ridden by social and economic inequalities of all kinds. This right ensures that the State cannot discriminate against any citizen for reasons of caste, sex, birth, race, etc. It seems to ensure to citizens equality before law, and equality of opportunity. The right to equality is not absolute, and special provisions can be made in respect of women, children, socially and educationally backward classes and scheduled and also abolishes the system of conferring titles.

(ii) Right to Freedom: It is given in Articles 19 to 22. Several rights are clustered under right to freedom. They are: (a) freedom of speech and expression; (b) freedom to assemble peacefully and without arms: (c) freedom to form associations or unions; (d) freedom of movement throughout India; (e) freedom to reside and settle in any part of India; (f) freedom to acquire, hold and dispose of property; and (g) freedom to practice any profession.

(iii) Right against Exploitation: It is given in Articles 23 and 24. The right prohibits traffic in human beings, beggar and other similar forms of forced labour. “No child below the age of 14 years”, says Article 24. “Shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment.”

(iv) Right to Freedom of Religion: Articles 25 to 28 deal with this right. Except when it is not in the interest of public order, morality, health, etc. every person is entitled to the freedom of conscience, and the right to profess, practice and propagate any religion freely. Articles 25 to 28 emphasis the secular character of the State

(v) Cultural and Educational Rights: These rights (Articles 29 to 30) enable all citizens to conserve their own language and culture, and emphasis that no citizen shall be denied admission to educational instructions maintained by State or receiving aid from State. This right guarantees to the minorities that the State shall not impose on them any culture other than their own; that such a community shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of its choice; and that the State shall not in granting aid to educational institutions discriminate against an educational institution maintained by a minority community.

(vi) Right to Property: This right given in Articles 31 has been repealed by the Constitution (Forty-Fourth Amendment) Act, 1978.  Now right to property is no longer a fundamental right; it is only a legal. Earlier every citizen of India had the right to acquire, hold and dispose of his property. No Person could be deprived of his property except in the interest of general public and necessary compensation was to be paid to him.

(vii) Right to Constitutional Remedies: Article 32 lays down constitutional remedies for the protection of Fundamental Rights. When a citizen feels that any of his fundamental rights has been encroached upon, he can move the Supreme Court, which has been empowered under Article 32 (1) to issue directions, or orders, or propose remedies like writs of Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Centiorari and Quo Warranto.

Fundamental Duties

The fundamental rights of the Indian citizen occur in PART III of the constitution of India. By the 42nd amendment to the constitution, passed in November 1986, certain fundamental duties have been added. There are:

• To abide by the constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the national flag and the national anthem;
• To cherish the follow  the noble ideas which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
• To uphold and  protect  the sovereignty , unity and integrity of India;
• To defend the country  and render national service when called upon to do so;
• To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
• To value and  preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
• To protect and  improve  the natural environment including  forests, lakes, river, and wild life and to have compassion for living creatures;
• To develop  the scientific  temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform ;
• To safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
• To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of Endeavour and achievement.

These rights are essential for personal goods and the society at large. In Indian Constitution, the fundamental rights act as a assurance that all Indian citizen can and will live their life in peace as long as they live in Indian democracy.

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