Union Ministry notifies the draft rules under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Regulations:
The Ministry of Labor and Trade Union informed the states of the draught rules under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Regulations 2020. The draught rules stipulate the regulations related to the safety, health and working conditions of dockworkers, building or other construction workers, mine workers, and interstate migrant workers in the 2020 Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Regulations (OSH Regulations) Implementation, contract workers, in-service journalists, audiovisual workers and promoters.
Highlights:
♦ The draught rule includes a letter of appointment in a specified format, including name, skill category, compensation, and a way to obtain from each employee in the company a higher salary or higher position within three months after the rule takes effect.
♦ According to the draught regulations, no worker can be working in any company until an appointment letter has been received. It also allows employers for any plant, port, mine and building or other construction employees who are over 45 years old to complete a free annual health check.
♦ In the annual travel allowance regulations, there are also clauses. It also offers a single electronic registration, licence, and annual detailed return to institutions. A single licence has been issued across India to provide or employ contractors in more than one state for five years, compared to the existing work order-based licence.
♦ The Workplace Safety and Health Code also forbids contract employees from being hired for core activities that define and categorise core and non-core activities. The rules regulating the payment of salaries to contract employees specify that the wage period is set by the employer and that the wage period does not exceed one month.
♦ In addition, before the expiry of the seventh day of the last day of the pay period, the salary of each person working as a contract worker in the company or by the contractor shall be paid. It also stipulates that only through bank transfer or electronic means will salaries be charged.
♦ According to legislation, a safety committee must be set up by any organisation that hires 500 or more employees to give workers the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding workplace safety and health issues. For the composition and duties of the safety committee, regulations have been laid down.
♦ Rules on the safety conditions for women who are engaged in all types of work before 6 am and after 7 pm have been developed with the consent of women in all institutions.
♦ It stipulates that one hour between 15 and 30 minutes should be counted as 30 minutes in order to determine overtime on every day. Less than 30 minutes is officially deemed to be no timeout. The rules on mining were also streamlined and combined with the rules on "Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions".
RCS UDAN - Second Direct Flight Commenced Operations:
Driven by the Government of India`s RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Program – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), India has taken another big step in improving regional air connectivity. The second direct flight will start from Hyderabad in Telangana. Fly to Nashik in Maharashtra.
Highlights:
♦ Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched in 2016 as a regional connectivity plan under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
♦ Developing the regional aviation market is an innovative plan. The aim is to create affordable but economically viable and profitable flights on regional routes so that ordinary people can afford to fly even in small towns.
♦ The plan envisages the revitalization of existing runways and airports to provide connectivity to the country’s unserved and underserved airports.
♦ According to the plan, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was designated as the implementing agency.
♦ UDAN 2-Under UDAN 2.0, the helipad is preferentially connected to the Northeast and Hilly States.
♦ UDAN 3-Include a tourist route in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, including a seaplane connected to a seaplane.
♦ UDAN 4-78 new routes under UDAN Round 4, as well as helicopter and seaplane operations, have also been included.
###National Medicinal Plants Board Founding Day:
In order to celebrate its founding day, AYUSH State Minister Shri Shripad Yesso Naik hosted an electronic event organised by the National Committee of Medicinal Plants on November 24, 2020. The "NMPB 2020 Status Report" and "Ayur-veg" e-books were released on this occasion as well.
Highlights:
♦ National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) was established in 2000 and belongs to the AYUSH department.
♦ This committee was formed by the Indian government to coordinate all medicinal plant issues and support policies and plans to promote trade, export, conservation and cultivation.
♦ The main goal of NMPB is to encourage the cultivation and sustainable management of medicinal plants nationwide, and to reduce the pressure on the collection of forest wild habitats.
♦ NMBP is committed to the in situ and ex situ protection and expansion of local medicinal plants and aromatic species of medical significance in order to meet the increasing demand for medicinal plants.
♦ By training, capacity building, and raising awareness through promotional activities such as the development of home/school herbal gardens, NMPB also promotes R&D.
♦ The NMPB also seeks to encourage quality assurance and standardisation programmes through the formulation of Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP), the writing of quality, safety and efficacy standards monographs, the development of agricultural technology and reliable institutions, and the establishment of a quality certification system for planting materials.
National Pharmacy Week is observed in November:
The 59th National Pharmacy Week was jointly celebrated by the Pharmaceutical Association of India and the Delhi Pharmaceutical Trust from November 16, 2020, to November 22, 2020. "Pharmacists: Frontline Health Professionals" is the theme of the 2020 celebration.
Highlights:
♦ In the third week of November each year the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) organises the NPW to allow all stakeholders to understand the presence of pharmacists in society and to understand the role of registered pharmacists in terms of medicines, their use, handling and distribution effects.
♦ India is the largest producer of generic drugs worldwide. 50 percent of global vaccine demand is accounted for by the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Indian pharmaceutical firms supply about 80 percent of the antiretroviral drugs used to combat AIDS.
♦ In terms of sales volume, the Indian pharmaceutical market is the third-largest market in the world. The cost of medicine is the lowest in the world. It is lower than in the United States.
♦ The Indian pharmaceutical industry is also under government pressure to restrict costs. The Indian government has placed some price controls in the sector in order to make generic drugs affordable to most people. This has had an immense effect on pharmaceutical firms` net profit.
Cabinet Approvals:
Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the following:
♦ On the application of RBI under section 45 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, the Cabinet approved the Lakshmi Vilas Bank Limited (LVB) amalgamation scheme with DBS Bank India Limited (DBIL) to protect the interests of depositors and in the interest of financial and banking stability.
♦ The Cabinet has accepted the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the BRICS Countries on Physical Culture and Sports Cooperation. This will lead to the growth of knowledge and skills in sports science, sports medicine, coaching techniques, etc. This will boost the success of athletes at international tournaments and improve bilateral relations with BRICS member countries.
♦ Cabinet approved the proposal for equity infusion by Government of Rs.6000 crores in NIIF Debt Platform sponsored by the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), comprising of Aseem Infrastructure Finance Limited (AIFL) and NIIF Infrastructure Finance Limited (NIIF-IFL). Under this:
Only Rs.2,000 crore would be allocated during the year 2020-21. However, in view of the unprecedented financial situation and availability of limited fiscal space due to the prevailing COVID-19, the proposed amount may be disbursed only if there is readiness and demand for debt raising.
NIIF will take all necessary steps to use the equity investments from Domestic and Global pension funds and sovereign wealth funds expeditiously.
♦ Cabinet approved the MoU signed between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Vereniging van Registercontrollers (VRC), the Netherlands. The MoU is aimed to strengthen and develop the Accounting, Financial, and Audit Knowledge Base between the Netherlands and India. It would help to generate greater employment opportunities for Indian Chartered Accountants and also greater remittances back to India.
###Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot e-Launched National Portal for Transgender Persons:
The `National Portal for Transgender People` was launched by Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot e-. In Vadodara, Gujarat, he also e-inaugurated `Garima Greh: A Shelter Home for Transgender Persons`.
Highlights:
♦ The National Portal for Transgender Persons has been developed as per the Notification of Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020.
♦ The Portal would help a transgender person in applying for a Certificate and Identity card digitally from anywhere in the country.
♦ The portal will help the transgender person to get the I-Card without any physical interface and without having to visit any office. The portal will also monitor the status of the application that ensures transparency in the process. Once the Certificate and I-card are issued, the applicant can download them from the Portal itself.
♦ In case of delay or rejection, the applicant has the option to submit grievances through the Portal which are forwarded to the concerned person and will be resolved at the earliest.
♦ The portal aims to help a lot of people from the community to come forward and get Transgender Certificate and Identity Cards as per their self-perceived identity which is an important provision of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019:
On 10 January 2020, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 became effective. It is the first tangible step in ensuring the well-being of transgender people. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020, were released by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment to enact the Act. This ensures that comprehensive welfare programmes meet and allow the Transgender Community to enter the mainstream of society. It also seeks to ensure that people who are transgender are able to attain their self-perceived identity card without any inconvenience.
Garima Greh: A Shelter Home for Transgender Persons:
The Transgender Home Shelter Scheme includes shelter services, food, clothes, leisure facilities, opportunities for skill growth, yoga, meditation/prayer, physical exercise, library facilities, legal assistance, professional guidance on gender change and surgery, capacity building for trans-friendly organisations, support for jobs and skills building, etc. 10 cities have been selected by the Nodal Ministry to set up the 13 Shelter Homes and expand the facilities to transgender persons. The cities include Vadodara, New Delhi, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Kolkata, Manipur, Chennai, Raipur, Mumbai, etc. The scheme will rehabilitate a minimum of 25 transgender persons in each homes identified by the Ministry.