Wednesday 30 November 2011

Delhi State Government launched Kishori Scheme for Adolescent Girls

Delhi state government on 28 November 2011 launched Kishori Scheme under which sanitary napkins would be distributed to adolescent girls. Delhi becomes the first state in India to reach out to as many as 7.5 lakh girls with this scheme, which aims to promote menstrual hygiene among these girls. Under the Kishori Scheme, sanitary scheme will be provided to girls every month in their school. The total expenditure on the scheme would be 1.05 crore rupees. The scheme would be implemented in 729 schools from 1 December 2011 and it would cover girls studying from class VI to class XII.

The World's First Test Tube Eld's Deer born at Khao Kheow Zoo in Thailand

The first Eld’s deer was born via in vitro fertilization in Thailand. The researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) collected eggs, inseminated in vitro with thawed semen to produce embryos and transferred the embryos to a surrogate mother. As a result, a fawn was born on 17 October 2011 at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a key role in the Smithsonian’s global efforts to conserve species and train future generations of conservationists.
Eld's Deer is also known as the Thamin or Brow-antlered Deer. It is an endangered species of deer indigenous to southeastern Asia.

Steps to Address Crisis in Traditional Sectors

As part of the Handloom package, Government has announced a six fold strategy to offer financial support to handloom weavers. Under the Scheme, weavers will be eligible to margin money assistance of Rs. 4200 to Rs. 5400 per head and interest subsidy of 3 percent on loans for a period of 3 years and Weavers Credit Cards will be issued to eligible individual weavers to enable them to access loans upto Rs. 2 lakh in a period of 3 years without any collateral security. Government has convened stakeholders meetings at Ministerial level to assess the slowdown in the industry. The Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) and Cotton Yarn Advisory Board (CYAB) meetings held on 15th November 2011 assessed domestic mill consumption for 2011-12 at 210 lakh bales down from 240 lakh bales of cotton; and cotton yarn production down from 3900 million kgs to 3200 million kgs indicating the slowdown in textiles industry. Government is considering industry representations for a moratorium on loans for capital intensive requests and special relaxation in RBI’s prudential norms to avoid asset reclassification or additional provisioning to address the textile industry slowdown.

Efficacy of Minority-Centric Schemes

Government has said that Minority centric Centrally Sponsored Schemes viz. Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme, Post-matric Scholarship Scheme, Merit-cum-means based Scholarship Scheme, Free Coaching & Allied Scheme, Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) etc. are being implemented successfully during Eleventh Five Year Plan. Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Vincent H. Pala, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, said that a study to evaluate the impact of these schemes has been entrusted to Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). He further informed the Huse that the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) is being implemented in accordance with the guidelines. The identified Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs) prepare district plans to address the identified development deficits which are approved by the Ministry. So far district plans worth Rs.3,340.19 crore have been approved. To ensure that maximum benefits accrue to minorities, priority is given for location of projects in villages/localities having a high percentage of minority population. Monitoring of implementation of projects is given special emphasis.

30% Sourcing under FDI in Multi-brand Retail made Mandatory from Indian MSEs Only

The Union government on 28 November 2011 asserted that 30 per cent sourcing under FDI in multi-brand retail has been made mandatory from Indian MSEs only. The government highlighted that the 30 per cent obligation before the global players is limited to India. The government’s explanation came amidst protests from the opposition and the micro and small enterprises (MSEs).

The government’s assertion however was found to be in total contrast to the note issued earlier which stated that the 30 per cent sourcing by global retailers can be done from anywhere in the world and is not India-specific. The provision for procurement from small units would not violate the WTO obligations.

According to government’s previous stand, the overseas players have to do 30 per cent of their sourcing from MSEs which, however, can be done from anywhere in the world and is not India-specific. The only condition placed was that these MSEs must not have more than $1 million [Rs.5 crore] investment in plant and machinery.

Small enterprises had raised concerns over the clause of 30 per cent sourcing from MSEs anywhere in the world, complaining that it would help the cheap Chinese goods rather than Indians in view of cheaper labour available in China.

Union cabinet on 24 November 2011 approved 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. The Cabinet also decided to raise the cap on foreign investment in single-brand retailing to 100 per cent from 51 per cent.

Reasons to be wary of retail giants

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail has been permitted up to 51 per cent, and the FDI limit for single-brand retail has been increased to 100 per cent. The power of the State governments to decide on FDI in retail in their States has also been taken away. In this context, it is important to understand the implications of FDI in food retail for various stakeholders.

FARMERS NOT BENEFITED

The operations of domestic fresh food supermarkets in India haven't made any difference to the producer's share, other than lowering the marketing cost of producers, as supermarkets have collection centres in producing areas, unlike the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets (mandis) which are in distant cities.
But, these supermarkets buy only ‘A' grade produce, that too, on open market (APMC) price-based prices, and only a part of the farmers' output — those who end up going to the APMC mandi to dispose of the remaining/rejected produce. The chains procure from ‘contact' (not contract) farmers without any commitment to buy regularly, as they don't want to share the risk of the growers.
Thus, the involvement of supermarket chains with producers is low and there is no supply-chain efficiency, as many of them have already wound up, for example, in Gujarat. The clamour regarding small landholder benefit in high value crops (read fruits and vegetables) due to supermarket linkage is exaggerated, as these crops account for only 2 per cent of gross cropped area, and the direct linkage is either absent or pretty low. This isn't likely to change even with FDI in retail.
Further, due to the sheer size and buying power of foreign supermarkets, the producer prices may be depressed. There have been a large number of supermarket malpractices across the globe which include: payment and discounts from suppliers for promotions/opening of new stores; rebate from producers as a percentage of their supermarket sales; minus margins whereby suppliers aren't allowed to supply at prices higher than the competitor price; delayed payments; lowering prices at the last minute when supplier has no alternative; changing quantity/quality standards without notice; removing suppliers from their list without good reason; charging high interest on credit, using tough contracts and penalties for failing to supply.It is shocking that no restrictions have been put in place to protect the primary producer or smallholder interest when 86 per cent farmers are small or marginal. The supermarkets are known to prefer large suppliers of farm produce.

JOB LOSSES

The supermarket expansion also leads to employment loss in the value chain. As compared with 18 jobs created by a street vendor, 10 by a traditional retailer and eight by a shop vendor in Vietnam, a supermarket such as Big C needed just four persons for the volume of produce handled.
Metro Cash & Carry employed 1.2 workers per tonne of tomatoes sold in Vietnam, compared with 2.9 persons employed by a traditional wholesale channel for the quantity sold. The spread of supermarkets led to 14 per cent reduction in the share of ‘mom and pop' stores in Thailand within four years of FDI permission. In India, 33-60 per cent of the traditional fruit and vegetable retailers reported 15-30 per cent decline in footfalls, 10-30 per cent decline in sales and 20-30 per cent decline in incomes across cities of Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh, the largest impact being in Bangalore, which is one of the most supermarket-penetrated cities in India.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

The evidence from Latin American (Mexico, Nicaragua, Argentina), African (Kenya, Madagascar) and Asian countries (Thailand, Vietnam, India) shows that the supermarket prices for fruits and vegetables and some other basic foods were higher than those in traditional markets. Also, lower procurement prices by procuring directly from farmers needn't lead to lower consumer prices in supermarket chains.
Low-income households may face higher food prices because of reasons of distance from supermarkets, and higher prices charged by supermarkets in low-income areas. Supermarkets would lead to concentration of market power, with upstream suppliers facing buyer power in terms of lower prices and consumers (buyers) facing higher prices due to lower competition, besides traditional retailers suffering a decline in their business.

POLICY ISSUES

The biggest fear in India is that there may not be adequate institutions and effective governance mechanisms to monitor the operations of the global retailers.
If the monitoring of wholesale ‘cash n carry' stores so far is any indication, there is no regulation and the norms are flouted openly at the store level by the existing players. They are found to do retail sales in the garb of wholesale as the size of a single purchase (minimum ticket size) is just Rs 500 or Rs 1000, which doesn't seem to be governed by any regulation.
Given the global and the Indian experiences of supermarkets so far, it was important to slow down food supermarket expansion by mechanisms like zoning, business licenses, and trading restrictions. Further, there is a need to limit the buying power of the supermarkets by strengthening the competition laws, like the legal protection given to subcontracting industries in Japan in their relations with large firms.
These provisions are monitored by the Fair Trade Commission. If contract or ‘contact' farming is only another name for subcontracting, then it is only logical to extend such legal provisions with necessary modifications to farming contracts.

Govt plans national biomass mission

Aiming to give a boost to renewable energy, the Government today said it plans to launch a national mission on biomass on the lines of the programme to promote solar energy in the country.
“We are working on national mission on biomass which will be put up before the Cabinet for final approval,” the New and Renewable Energy Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah, said here.
The Minister was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a CII conference on biomass.
He said the project will be on the lines of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) under which the Government is planning to produce more than 20,000 MW of power from solar energy resources by the year 2020.
Referring to the proposed national mission for biomass, Mr Abdullah said it will be carried out in two phases.
“First phase will be in 12th Plan and the second phase will be in 13th Plan,” he said.
Asked about the monetary allocation for the biomass mission, he said the details would be known only after the Cabinet gives its approval for it.
Mr Abdullah told the conference that the country was working to reap the advantages of the biomass products such as ethanol, which will help in saving the expenditure on petroleum products.
He said by adding 5 per cent ethanol in petroleum projects, the country can save over Rs 4,000 crore annually but it was earlier proving to be difficult as “certain lobbies” were working against this project.
“But the Government finally put its foot down” by stating strong action will be taken against those who work against this programme, Mr Abdullah said.
He said gradually the Government will move towards adding 10 per cent ethanol in petroleum products.

Dubious agenda at Durban

It is not surprising that the Conference of Parties (COP 17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that began in Durban, South Africa, on November 28, has not been heralded with the hype that preceded earlier conferences, such as the one in Copenhagen (COP 15) in 2009.
The greens seem to have lost their appetite for baying for action and bashing both the developed economies (read US) and the emerging ones (China and India, in particular) for clinging steadfastly to climate unfriendly positions. Events of the last year on the economic front, particularly in the US and in the EU, have dampened spirits and made the background to the Durban negotiations sombre.
Little has changed in the US in the last year by way of economic recovery, despite valiant efforts of the Obama Administration. Unemployment in the US continues to reign high, welfare lines have lengthened, Wall Street is under siege and the pre-eminence of the greenbacks as international currency has come under threat.
Across the Atlantic, northern members of the EU (England, France and Germany) wonder if measures to bail out their bankrupt southern brethren will succeed or prove wasteful, with awful consequences for their own and international financial markets. Small wonder, the mood in the North is anything but upbeat.
What of the newly-emerging economic giants of the South? With the slowing down of the US economy, China's exports to the US are fast declining and, with it, China's industrial production. China's confidence in the safety of holding its trade surpluses in dollar reserves has been shaken.
One precipitate step of China or a big oil exporter like Saudi Arabia switching a good part of its dollar reserves to other currencies is all that is required for the US economy to go under. The Indian economy, though relatively immune to adverse global patterns, is battling its own slew of problems — rising inflation, falling FDI and increased payments for imports. Its normally robust growth forecasts are constantly being corrected downward.

KYOTO PROTOCOL

Financial flows from the developed countries into the Climate Green Fund, transfer of green technologies to the developing countries with its tangle of Intellectual Property Rights of the transferor and, above all, the issue of continuance of the Kyoto Protocol to bind developed countries with greenhouse gases emission reduction targets beyond 2012 provide a veritable minefield on the path of the Durban negotiators.
Take, for instance, the insistence of developing countries on the continuance of the Kyoto Protocol. This Protocol binds the developed countries (responsible for the historical build-up of GHGs in the atmosphere because of industrialisation since the 1770s) to adhere to quantified time-bound reductions in emission of these gases. The first commitment period under the Protocol is set to expire in 2012.
Given their inability to honour the reductions, countries other than those of the EU — such as Japan, Canada, Australia and Russia — are reluctant to usher in a second commitment period and would like to see the Protocol given a decent burial.
The US never became a party to the Protocol on the specious ground that it did not apply to new emerging economies such as China and India which, since the 1990s, have accounted for a significant portion of Green House Gases (GHGs) emitted globally. Emerging industrial economies, like the BASIC group (Brazil, South Africa, India and China), have never wavered in their stand that as their industrialisation began only in the last few decades, they had contributed nothing to the historical build-up of GHGs and, hence, ought to be exempt from any reductions.
They point to the distinction drawn in the UNFCCC between developed countries and developing ones in the matter of their responsibilities to initiate GHG reductions — an irrefutable argument upheld in the Climate Action Plan agreed to at Bali in 2007, and reiterated in COP 16 (2010) at Cancun.

TIME-BOUND CUTS

The continuance of the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 is surely going to be the key issue in the Durban conference. In a Joint Statement issued at the end of the Ninth BASIC Ministerial Meeting in Beijing recently, (November 1, 2011), it was emphasised that “the Kyoto Protocol is the cornerstone of the climate regime and its second commitment period is an essential priority for the success of the Durban Conference.”
The BASIC group is insisting on a firm commitment by the developed countries to continue with Kyoto beyond 2012, with no obligation falling on the developing countries.
Contrast the above stand with the firm assertion made by Ms Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action in the EU, in her article published on November 28, 2011, in one of India's national newspapers.
She writes: “The EU is open to a second Kyoto commitment period on the condition that the environmental integrity of Kyoto is improved and Durban agrees on a clear roadmap and timeline for finalising this framework within the next few years and applying it no later than 2020.”
What does the EU Commissioner imply by the phrase “environmental integrity of Kyoto”? To her, this means, clearly, that all countries — those already covered by Kyoto Protocol and those outside its present pale — should share the burden of emission reductions by agreeing to a timetable for reductions, notwithstanding the provisions of the UNFCCC.
Going by the announcements made by China and India to reduce the emission intensities of their GDP growth (note, not absolute emissions), Ms Hedegaard's words seem to imply that these intensity reductions should follow a timetable.
Further, Ms Hedegaard says these reductions should be enshrined in a legally-binding instrument, like a protocol, discussions on which should be completed and a decision adopted “no later than the end of 2015”, so that they become part of a revised Kyoto Protocol “no later than 2020”. The EU is clearly trying to force the hands of the new emerging economies to begin discussions on such a legal regime at Durban by holding the threat of reneging on the Kyoto Protocol if they do not. To what extent the EU demand will be conceded by BASIC is a moot point. The Bali Action Plan desired that the appropriate action to reduce emissions that developing countries would take should be “measurable, reportable and verifiable”.
At any rate, the Bali Plan recognises the distinction drawn in the UNFCCC between the responsibilities of the two groups of countries which is now sought to be blurred by the EU, by raising a new ground of “environmental integrity” of the Kyoto Protocol.
How can a Protocol adopted under a Convention override the provisions of the Convention itself, which exempts the developing countries from time-bound emission cuts?
Developed economies are keen to put emerging ones in the disadvantaged position in which they find themselves today by enforcing time-bound emission cuts. Their motive is anything but altruistic.

Crop science innovation meeting

A meeting on Innovations for Industry in crop science was organized recently by the Zonal technology management - business planning and development (ZTM-BPD) unit, South zone, Kochi along with the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) Hyderabad at Rajendranagar, Hyderabad for showcasing the innovations from seven prestigious crop science research institutions under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Business incubation
The meet was organized as part of the business incubation drive designed for the agricultural sector to promote entrepreneurs with the help of latest R&D facilities and vast knowledge available with ICAR.
The event planned to bring together innovators and entrepreneurs in agriculture on the same platform.
The technologies presented at the meet were improved crop varieties and hybrids suited to the diverse agro-ecologies and situations, technologies for eco-friendly and sustainable crop production and protection, crop improvement, health management, bio-resource utilization, bio-safety, value added products, bioinformatics, genomics, biotechnology, farm machinery, land use diversification and energy management.
These technologies were exposed to interested private sectors keen on taking up business ventures.
Exhibition
An exhibition on innovative showcase of technologies was also conducted providing an opportunity for the private sector to witness a wide range of knowledge based and entrepreneur ready technologies.
ICAR started the business incubation drive, designed specially for the Indian agricultural sector to promote agribusiness, by utilizing the vast research and development facilities, and knowledge available with its research institution.
The World Bank funded National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) has given a renewed boost to the agricultural research scenario of India through agribusiness promotion.
The ICAR through NAIP has developed the R&D system through new ways of doing business in agriculture and allied fields.

World temperatures maintain the heat of global warming

The U.N. weather office says world temperatures maintained a long-term upward trend and Arctic sea ice shrank to record low volumes this year.
The report by the International Meteorological Organization, released in Geneva and at the U.N. climate talks on Tuesday, provided a bleak backdrop to negotiators seeking ways to limit pollution blamed for global warming.
The report says 2011 was tied for the 10th hottest year since records began in 1850.
It says the 13 hottest years on the books all occurred in the last 15 years.
The extent of Arctic sea ice in 2011 was the second lowest on record, and its volume was the lowest.
The report came on the second day of the two-week conference in South Africa among 192 parties seeking agreement on future action to curb climate change.

Forest Cover in the Country

Increased urbanisation, industrialisation and rehabilitation does not shrink forestsday-by-day.
According to the India State of Forest Report 2009, based upon the biennial assessment by Forest Survey of India, there is an increase in the forest cover of the country from 690171 square km in 2005 to 690899 square km in 2007.

The Ministry diverts the forest land mainly for the purpose of defence, health, drinking water, irrigation, railway, roads etc.
The Ministry of Environment & Forests is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Afforestation Programme (NAP) Scheme for regeneration of degraded forests and adjoining areas in the country. The scheme is being implemented through a decentralized mechanism of State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) at State level, Forest Development Agency (FDA) at Forest Division level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at village level. As on 31.10.2011, 800 FDA projects have been approved in 28 States in the country to treat an area of 18.32 lakh ha. since inception of the scheme in 2002. 

Beside NAP, following steps have been taken are being taken to increase the forest cover in the country:

·         13th Finance Commission has recommended Rs. 5000 crore for five years starting from 2010-11 for conservation and development of forests.

·         Additional Central assistance of Rs. 81.66 Crore has been released to the States during 2009-10 for Restoration and Regeneration of Forest Cover.

·         Tree planting is also an approved activity under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and other schemes of Central and State Governments.

·         The national mission for a Green India has been launched, as on of the eight Mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change.  The Mission focuses on enhancing ecosystem services and carbon sink through afforestation and ecorestoration of 10 million ha. of forest and non forest lands over 12th and 13th Plan period.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Implementation of Crop Development Schemes in 11th Plan

As a consequence of implementation of the new schemes in the 11th Plan period along with other ongoing schemes, the production of foodgrains, wheat, pulses and rice, has increased considerably as compared to the end of tenth plan, as detailed below:

 The foodgrains production of 208.60 million tones at the end of 10th Plan (2005-06) reached to an all time high of 241.56 MT in the year 2010-11.

 Wheat production increased from 69.35 MT to 85.93 MT, an increase by 16.58 MT.

 Pulses production during the same period increased from 13.3 MT to 18.09 MT, an increase by 4.07 MT.

 Rice production increased from 91.79 MT during 2005-06 to 99.18 MT in 2008-09, an increase by 7.39 MT.

Major Centrally Sponsored Schemes launched during 11th plan period are:

(i) National Food Security Mission, with an outlay of Rs. 4883 crore during 11th Plan to enhance the production of rice, wheat and pulses by 10, 8 and 2 million tones, respectively by the end of XI Plan.

(ii) National Project on Management of Soil Health & Fertility (NPMSHF) with an outlay of Rs.429.85 crore during 11th Plan period to promote balanced and judicious use of fertilizer in conjunction with organic manure on soil test basis.

(iii) National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture in 2010 to “create an environment conducive for raising farm productivity and income to global levels through provision of relevant information and services to the stakeholders”.

The components of these schemes will also be continued during 12th Plan.

National Urban Transport Policy

The Government has formulated a National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) in April, 2006 which envisages safe, affordable, quick, comfortable, reliable and sustainable urban transport systems, establishment of quality focused multi-modal public transport systems that are well integrated, providing seamless travel across modes, land use transport integration, introducing intelligent transport systems for traffic management etc. The implementation of the policy is an ongoing process. This was stated by the Minister of State for Urban Development, Shri Saugata Roy in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

The policy provides for general guidelines for financial support. However, central assistance to States/UTs for urban transport is provided under the various schemes of the Ministry.

National Policy for Senior Citizens

The Government had constituted a Committee on 28.1.2010 under the Chairpersonship of Smt. Mohini Giri, to inter-alia draft a new national policy on older persons. Other members of the Committee were:

(i) Shri. M. M. Sabharwal, President Emeritus, Helpage India;

(ii) Dr. K. R. Gangadharan, Chairman, Heritage Foundation;

(iii) Smt. Shielu Sreenivasan, President, Dignity Foundation;

(iv) Representatives of Ministries of Health & Family Welfare, Rural Development, Finance, Home and Women & Child Development; and

(v) Principal Secretaries/Secretaries in charge of Welfare of Senior Citizens of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

(vi) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment as Member Secretary.

The Committee submitted the draft National Policy on Senior Citizens 2011 on 30.3.2011 which inter-alia, accords priority to the needs of senior citizens aged 80 years and above, elderly women, and the rural poor. Some of the salient policy objectives are to:

• Mainstream the concerns of senior citizens, especially older women, and bring them into the national development debate;

• Promote income security, homecare services, old age pension, healthcare insurance schemes, housing and other programmes/ services;

• Promote care of senior citizens within the family and to consider institutional care as a last resort;

• Work towards an inclusive, barrier-free and age-friendly society;

• Recognize senior citizens as a valuable resource for the country, protect their rights and ensure their full participation in society;

• Promote long term savings instruments and credit activities in both rural and urban areas;

• Encourage employment in income generating activities after superannuation;

• Support organizations that provide counseling, career guidance and training services; etc.

The Committee also suggested the areas of intervention to be made by Central/ State Governments towards implementation of the policy objectives.

The draft Policy has been circulated to State Governments, seeking their comments. It has also been placed on the Ministry’s Website (www.socialjustice.nic.in) for information of the general public and feedback, if any. The draft policy will be finalized after the process of consultation with State Governments and concerned Central Ministries/ Departments is completed.

Population of the Country Under Insurance Net

Based on the  working population as per census 2001 data, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has reported that the approximate total number of insurable persons in the country is  57,03,35,944.

The names of the insurance companies, both private and public sector is at Annexure.


The IRDA has informed that the details of insured persons, institutions  etc.  company-wise are not maintained.

As at 31.03.2010, the total number of policies in force relating to private life insurers are 4,03,63,200 and the lives covered under group new business by private life insurers are  4,19,59,796.  IRDA has informed that the details of insured people belonging to Above the Poverty Line (APL) and Below the Poverty Line (BPL) category are not maintained.

The objectives achieved are as follows:

(i) The insurance penetration has increased from 2.32% to 5.51% over the period ` 2000 to 2010.
(ii) The number of insurance offices has increased from 2,199 in 2000 to 12,018 in 2010.
(iii) From the single channel system of tied agents which was predominant before opening up of the sector in 2000, multiple channels of distribution comprising brokers, bancassurance, corporate agents emerged in the decade and accounted for nearly 21 percent of the new business in the year 2009-10. These channels have aided in expanding the market as well as in better outreach.
(iv) The first year life insurance premium grew from Rs.19,857.28 crore in 2001-02 to Rs.1,09,894.02 crore in 2009-10. The total life insurance premium rose from Rs.50,094.46 crore in 2001-02 to Rs.2,65,450.37 crore in 2009-10.


ANNEXURE
Life Insurers (As on 20.06.2011)
Non-Life Insurers(As on 05.08.2011)
Public Sector:

  1. Life Insurance Corporation of India

     Private Sector:
1.    Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Ltd
  1. Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Ltd
  2. HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Ltd
  3. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd
  4. ING Vysa Life Insurance Company Ltd
  5. Max New York Life Insurance Co Ltd
  6. Met Life Insurance Company Ltd
  7. Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance Company Ltd
  8. SBI Life Insurance Co Ltd
  9. Tata AIG LIFE Insurance Co. Ltd
  10. Reliance Life Insurance Co Limited
  11. Aviva Life Insurance Co Ltd
  12. Sahara India Life Insurance Co. Ltd
  13. Shriram Life Insurance Co. Ltd
  14. Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company  Ltd
  15. Future Generali India Life Insurance Co.Ltd
  16. IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co. Ltd
  17. Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Co. Ltd
  18. AEGON Religare Life Insurance Co. Ltd
  19. DLF Paramica Life Insurance Co. Ltd
  20. Star Union Dia-ichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd
  21. India First Life Inasurance Co. Ltd.
  22. Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance Co. Ltd.
Public Sector:
  1. National Insurance Co. Ltd
  2. The New India Assurance Co. Ltd
  3. The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd
  4. United India Insurance Co. Ltd.
Private Sector:
  1. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd
  2. ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co Ltd
  3. IFFCO Tokio General Insurance Co. Ltd
  4. Reliance  General Insurance Co. Ltd
  5. Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Co. Ltd
  6. Tata AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd
  7. Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Co. Ltd
  8. HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. Ltd
  9. Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd
  10. Agriculture Insurance Co. Ltd
  11. Star Health Insurance Co. Ltd
  12. Apollo Munich Health Insurance Co. Ltd
  13. Future Generalli India Insurance Co. Ltd
  14. Universal Sompo General Insurance Co. Ltd
  15. Shriram General Insurance Co Ltd
  16. Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Limited
  17. Raheja QBE General Insurance Company Limited
  18. SBI General Insurance Co. Ltd
  19. Max Bupa Health Insurance Co. Ltd
  20. L&T General Insurance Co. Ltd
Re-Insurer:
  1. General Insurance Corporation of India

Doctor-Patient Ratio in the Country

As per information furnished by Medical Council of India (MCI), the total number of doctors registered (allopathic) in the country till 31st July, 2011, is 8,56,065 out of which approximately six lac are presently active practitioners. The current doctor-population ratio has been worked out to be approximately 1:2000.

A large number of steps have been taken to address shortage of doctors, specialists and faculty in the country:

1. The norms for setting up of a medical college in terms of requirement for land, faculty, staff, bed/ bed strength and other infrastructure have been relaxed.

2. Teacher-student ratio has been relaxed to increase the seats at Postgraduate level.

3. DNB qualifications have been recognized for appointment to various faculty posts in medical colleges.

4. Maximum intake capacity at MBBS level has been increased from 150 to 250.

5. Maximum age for appointment of faculty has been enhanced from 65 to 70 years.

6. 46 new medical colleges have been set up between 2009-11.

7. Under the scheme of `Strengthening and Upgradation of State Government Medical Colleges`, financial support to State medical colleges is being provided to increase postgraduate seats in various disciplines or start new postgraduate medical courses.

Improved Health Indicators

Infant Mortality Rate has come down from 58 per 1000 live births in the year 2005 to 50 in 2009; Maternal Mortality Ration has also come down to 212 per 100,000 live births during 2007-09 from 254 per 100,000 live births in 2004-06; Total Fertility Rate has come down from 2.9 in 2005 to 2.6 in 2009; Institutional Delivery has increased from 108.40 lakhs in 2005-06 to 168.04 in 2010-11; The Immunization Programme is being successfully implemented in the country and as per Coverage Evaluation Survey (CES 2009) conducted by UNICEF, 61% of children aged 12-24 months in India are fully immunized against 6 vaccine preventable diseases; Number of reported Polio cases have reduced from 676 (2006) to 42 (2010) and only one (1) case during 2011 till date; Number of reported deaths due to malaria reduced from 1707 (2006) to 767 (2010); Number of reported deaths due to Kala Azar reduced from 187 (2006) to 105 (2010); Reduction in fatality rate from 1.68% in 2003 to 0.39% in 2010. Number of reported deaths due to Dengue reduced from 149 (2006) to 110 (2010); 70% case detection rate and 85% Cure rate have been achieved under Revised National Tuberculosis Programme; The target of cataract operations under NRHM has been achieved annually since 2005.

Under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) financial assistance has been provided to the States for augmentation of health human resources, improvement of infrastructure of public health care facilities, drug and equipment, Mobile Medical Units, Emergency and Referral transport etc. Untied Funds, Annual Maintenance Grants and Rogi Kalyan Samiti funds are also provided to each public health facility to improve health facilities and provide better services. 7823 Primary Health Centres have been converted into 24x7 facilities and 2510 First Referral Units have also been established to provide round-the-clock referral services.

Prevention of Female Foeticide


The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to check female foeticide, which includes legislative measures, awareness generation as well as programmes for socio-economic empowerment of women.  The steps taken by the government to prevent female foeticide under the Pre conception and Pre natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, PC & PNDT Act include the following:

·        Reconstitution of statutory bodies under the Act and regular meetings of the Central Supervisory Board, State Supervisory Board and Advisory Committees to monitor effective implementation of the law.
·        Rule 11(2) of the PC & PNDT Rules, 1996 has been amended to provide for confiscation of unregistered machines and further punishment of organizations which fail to register themselves under the Act.
·        Dedicated PNDT cells have been set up at State/district level for enhancing in-house capacities for building credible cases for conviction against violations of the Act.
·        Surprise field inspections of ultrasound clinics by the National Inspection and Monitoring Committee (NIMC) in states/UTs against violations under the Act.
·        NIMC has been further empowered to oversee follow-up action by Appropriate Authorities against organizations found guilty of violations under the Act during  inspections.
·        Sensitization and training programme have been conducted for law enforcers,  medical practitioners, judiciary etc. for effective implementation of the Act.
·        Comprehensive Information, Education & Communication (IEC) activities including mass media awareness campaign through print and electronic media and community mobilization through Non-Governmental Organizations have also been undertaken. 

Eeat Scheme in Rural Areas

The Environment Education Awareness and Training (EEAT) scheme is being used to educate students in rural areas. Under the Environment Education Awareness and Training (EEAT) Scheme, National Green Corps (NGC) Programme is being used to educate student in rural areas about environmental issues.

The Eco-clubs have been set up by the Government in the schools under the National Green Corps (NGC) Programme since 2000-01, with underlined objective of spreading environmental awareness amongst school children. These clubs are set up in each district the country over, with the focus on action oriented environment programme through the active involvement of the students. Though State Govts./UTs are at liberty to set up any number of eco-club in a district but the financial assistance under the Programme is restricted to 250 eco-clubs per district Rs.@ 2,500/- per Eco-club per annum.

Increase in Forest Covers of the Country

There is increase in forest cover due to afforestation-reforestation in different states.The forest cover of the country is assessed by Forest Survey of India, Dehradun on biennial basis.  The data is published in state of Forest Report.  The last report was published in 2009 which is known as India State of Forest Report, 2009.  According to the India State of Forest Report 2009, there is an increase in the forest cover of the country from 690171 square km in 2005 to 690899 square km in 2007.  The details of forest cover in the country, state-wise is given in Annexure I.

            The Ministry of Environment and Forests is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Afforestation Programme (NAP) Scheme for regeneration of degraded forests and adjoining areas in the country.  The scheme is being implemented through a decentralized mechanism of State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) at State level, Forest Development Agency (FDA) at Forest Division level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at village level.  As on 31.10.2011, 800 FDA projects have been approved in 28 States in the country to treat an area of 18.32 lakh ha. since inception of the scheme in 2002.  The details of funds released and area approved during the current five year plan are given in Annexure II.

Annexure I


Forest Cover in States / UTs in India
(area in km2)
State/UT
Geographical Area
Forest Cover
% to  GA
Change
 in
forest cover
Scrub
Very Dense Forest
Mod. Dense Forest
Open Forest
Total

Andhra Pradesh
275,069
820
24,757
19,525
45,102
16.40
-129
10,372
Arunachal Pradesh
83,743
20,858
31,556
14,939
67,353
80.43
-119
111
Assam
78,438
1,461
11,558
14,673
27,692
35.30
-66
179
Bihar
94163
231
3,248
3,325
6,804
7.23
-3
134
Chhattisgarh
135,191
4,162
35,038
16,670
55,870
41.33
-59
107
Delhi
1,483
7
50
120
177
11.94
0
1
Goa
3,702
511
624
1,016
2,151
58.10
-5
1
Gujarat
196,022
376
5,249
8,995
14,620
7.46
16
1,463
Haryana
44,212
27
463
1,104
1,594
3.61
-10
145
Himachal Pradesh
55,673
3,224
6,383
5,061
14,668
26.35
2
327
Jammu & Kashmir
222,236
4,298
8,977
9,411
22,686
10.21
-3
2,036
Jharkhand
79,714
2,590
9,899
10,405
22,894
28.72
172
683
Karnataka
191,791
1,777
20,181
14,232
36,190
18.87
-10
3,176
Kerala
38,863
1,443
9,410
6,471
17,324
44.58
40
58
Madhya Pradesh
308,245
6,647
35,007
36,046
77,700
25.21
-39
6,401
Maharashtra
307,713
8,739
20,834
21,077
50,650
16.46
-11
4,157
Manipur
22,327
701
5,474
11,105
17,280
77.40
328
1
Meghalaya
22,429
410
9,501
7,410
17,321
77.23
116
211
Mizoram
21,081
134
6,251
12,855
19,240
91.27
640
1
Nagaland
16,579
1,274
4,897
7,293
13,464
81.21
-201
2
Orissa
155,707
7,073
21,394
20,388
48,855
31.38
100
4,852
Punjab
50,362
0
733
931
1,664
3.30
4
20
Rajasthan
342,239
72
4,450
11,514
16,036
4.69
24
4,347
Sikkim
7,096
500
2,161
696
3,357
47.31
0
356
Tamil Nadu
130,058
2,926
10,216
10,196
23,338
17.94
24
1,206
Tripura
10,486
111
4,770
3,192
8,073
76.99
-100
75
Uttar Pradesh
240,928
1,626
4,563
8,152
14,341
5.95
-5
745
Uttarakhand
53,483
4,762
14,165
5,568
24,495
45.80
2
271
West Bengal
88,752
2,987
4,644
5,363
12,994
14.64
24
29
A&N Islands
8,249
3,762
2,405
495
6,662
80.76
-1
53
Chandigarh
114
1
10
6
17
14.91
0
1
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
491
0
114
97
211
42.97
-5
1
Daman & Diu
112
0
1
5
6
5.04
0
3
Lakshadweep
32
0
16
10
26
82.75
0
0
Puducherry
480
0
13
31
44
9.14
2
0
Grand Total
3,287,263
83,510
319,012
288,377
690,899
21.02
728
41,525


Annexure II

 ‘Increase in forest covers of the country’

S.No.
State
Total Release (in crore)
Total area (in ha.)
1.
Andhra Pradesh
50.62
34017
2.
Bihar
29.26
21813
3.
Chhattisgarh
135.80
69783
4.
Goa
0.00
0
5.
Gujarat
118.97
61270
6.
Haryana
83.95
26329
7.
Himachal Pradesh
24.69
16717
8.
Jammu and Kashmir
30.40
17655
9.
Jharkhand
80.67
56650
10.
Karnataka
69.95
44635
11.
Kerala
31.76
19364
12.
Madhya Pradesh
91.49
65827
13.
Maharashtra
96.27
57838
14.
Orissa
63.80
75695
15.
Punjab
12.20
9874
16.
Rajasthan
29.81
21000
17.
Tamil Nadu
36.59
18909
18.
Uttar Pradesh
127.20
76670
19.
Uttarakhand
33.10
31609
20.
West Bengal
26.10
20567
21.
Arunachal Pradesh
15.99
12030
22.
Assam
38.92
25650
23.
Manipur
43.10
22314
24.
Meghalaya
21.63
15645
25.
Mizoram
66.42
28320
26.
Nagaland
39.33
24690
27.
Sikkim
43.01
15399
28.
Tripura
26.22
22556

Grant Total
1467.25
912826