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Current Affairs August 20 2019

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INDIAN AFFAIRS

Draft on National Resource Efficiency Policy 2019 released
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released a draft on National Resource Efficiency Policy (NREP) 2019. It aims to streamline the efficient use of the resources with minimum negative impact on environment.

  • Idea of the national policy is to drive the country towards circular economy through efficient use of available material resources, based on principle of 6R and ‘green public procurement’. The 6R stands for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Redesign, Re-manufacture and Refurbish.
  • It also pitches for moving towards ‘zero landfill’ approach in the country, where ‘landfill taxes’ and ‘high tipping fees’ for bulk generators of waste will be imposed so that they can move towards optimal use of materials and better waste management………………………..Click here to Read more

Committee headed by CBDT submits report on replacing I-T Act with DTC
On August 19,2019 a group of experts panel headed by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) legislative member Akhilesh Ranjan who was appointed as the convener of the task force in November 2018 by the finance ministry,submitted a report to Nirmala Sitharaman(Finance Minister), to replace the Income Tax Act with a new Direct Tax Code(DTC).

  • The idea to replace the Income Tax (IT) Act,1961 was given by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the annual conference of tax officers in New Delhi in September 2017, as the Income-Tax Act, 1961, had been drafted more than 50 years ago and needed a change.
  • Akhilesh Ranjan-led panel was tasked to submit the report by February 28, 2019, following Arbind Modi’s (the then CBDT convener) retirement on September 30, 2018…………………………Click here to Read more

MoU between India & Maldives on training and capacity building programme for Maldivian Civil Servants operationalised
On August 19, 2019, The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Maldives on Training and Capacity Building Programme for Maldivian Civil Servants was operationalised
i. National Center for Good Governance, India and the Civil Services Commission of Maldives had signed an MoU which envisaged capacity building activities for 1000 Civil Servants of Maldives at the National Centre for Good Governance over the next 5 years. It envisaged that the National Center for Good Governance, India will be the nodal institution for designing customized training modules and its implementation taking into account the requirements of the Civil Service Commission of Maldives………………………..Click here to Read more

The second Uday Express between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada to be launched
In order to cater to the busy route in the East Coast Railway zone, The Indian Railways’ second luxury double-decker Uday(Utkrisht Double-decker Air-conditioned Yatri) Express is to be run between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. This was announced on August 19, 2019.

  • Uday express service between between Bengaluru city and the chennai central was also proposed.
  • The first Uday was a specially-designed air-conditioned chair car coaches which started service between Coimbatore and Bangalore in June 2018…………………..Click here to Read more

All CAPFs to adopt uniform retirement age of 60 years: Union Home Ministry 
According to the order of the Union Home Ministry, all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel will now retire at a uniform age of 60 years. The decision comes in the wake of a January 2019 order of the Delhi High Court where it had called the policy of different age of superannuation as discriminatory and unconstitutional, and said it created two classes in the uniformed forces.
Key Points:
i. All personnel of the forces- the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) will superannuate at the age of 60, instead of 57 years for certain rank of officials. Officers from the rank of Deputy Inspector General upto the top-most rank of Director General in these four forces retired after attaining the age of 60.
ii. According to the existing policy, all personnel in the Central Industrial Security Force and the Assam Rifles retire at the age of 60.
iii. The personnel who have retired at 57 years in between the court order and the Home Ministry directive will have two options – either to join service after returning all pensionary benefits or straightaway get all pension benefits as due to them as on completion of 60 years of service.
iv. The personnel who had retired and approached court for clarification or were granted stay will be deemed “not superannuated” and will continue to serve until 60 years of age.
About Ministry of Home Affairs:
Headquarters: New Delhi
Founded: 15 August 1947
Minister In-charge: Amit Shah (Constituency: Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviews functioning of IMAC, IFC-IOR
On August 19, 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited and reviewed the functioning of Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) and Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurgaon, Haryana. He was accompanied by Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh and other senior Navy officials who briefed the minister on further enhancing the capabilities of the 2 centres under the National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project which was launched in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
About IMAC:
The IMAC monitors movement of more than 1,20,000 ships a year passing through the Indian Ocean. It is a joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) to improve coastal surveillance.
About IFC-IOR:
It is a collaborative initiative by the Indian Navy in coordination with partner nations and multinational maritime agencies to enhance maritime domain awareness and maritime security.

SMVDU signs MoU with NISE to achieve national solar mission
On August 19, 2019, An autonomous Institution of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy,  National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) to work jointly to accelerate, expand and achieve the objective of National Solar Mission through training programmes.SMVDU signs MoU with NISEKey points:
i. The MoU will be valid till 5 years. It was signed by Prof Mukkapandhoy and Prof V K Bhat of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), and Deputy General Director of NISE Dr Chandan Banerjee, said SMVDU PRO Rajan Badyal.
ii. National Solar Mission: It  is an initiative of the Government of India and State Governments to promote solar power as a  part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change.
On 11 January 2010, The mission was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with a target of 20GW by 2022 which was then increased by the Modi government to 100 GW by 2022.
About NISE:
♦ Headquarter: Gurgaon , Haryana
♦ Formation: September 2013
♦ It is undertaking activities related to research & development(R&D), testing, certification, standardization and awareness in the field of solar energy and associated technologies.
About SMVDU:
♦ Formation
: 1999
♦ Location: Katra, Jammu, and Kashmir
♦ Vice Chancellor: Prof. Ravindra Kumar Sinha

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Defence talks between India and China held in Beijing
In order to improve military to military cooperation, India and China reviewed the situation on the border and agreed on more port calls by each side’s Navies at a meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) between the Defence Ministries in Beijing, China.
Key points:
i. JWG:
 The meeting was a preliminary one attended by Joint Secretary from the Defence Ministry of India along with one-star officer each from the 3 Services. It happened right after the meeting between the external affairs minister, S Jaishankar and Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister.
ii. Discussion:  The thorny issues were looked at the meeting include border management, maritime cooperation including increment of port calls. The two sides also plan to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries from April 2020 to March 2021.
iii. Defence dialogue: India-China annual defence and security dialogue will be held later in 2019. It will be headed by the Indian defence secretary and his Chinese equivalent.
The likely visit of Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh to China towards the end of 2019.
iv. HiH:  The 8th edition of Hand-in-Hand (HiH)Military exercise 2019 between India, China will be held in December 2019 at Umroi near Shillong in Meghalaya will focus on transnational counter-terror operations, the establishment of a joint command post, joint combat missions. The 7th edition was held at Chengdu, China in December 2018.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Debenture Redemption Reserve requirement for Listed Companies, NBFCs and HFCs removed by the government
On August 19, 2019, Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the Companies (Share Capital & Debentures) Rules by removing Debenture Redemption Reserve(DRR) requirement for Listed Companies, NBFCs(Non Banking Financial Company) and HFCs (Housing Finance Companies).

  • The companies will now be exempt from creating a DRR pegged at 25% of the face value of debentures, in respect of listed companies, NBFCs registered with RBI and for HFC registered with National Housing Bank (NHB).
  • For unlisted companies, DRR requirement has been reduced from 25% to 10% of outstanding debentures to safeguard the interest of investors………………….Click here to Read more

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Indian-American teen Navneeth Murali wins 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee competition
Navneeth Murali, an Indian-American teenager from New Jersey, America, has won the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee contest and earned a grand cash prize of USD 3,000.Navneeth Murali wins 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee competitionKey points
i. He ousted other competitors in the finals by spelling the word flipe, which means “to strip off by or as if by peeling”.
ii. Navneet was the first-ever winner emerged on an appeal. The reason for the appeal was that, he spelled flype as flipe, yet declared a winner as flipe and flype are variant spellings according to Merriam-Webster’s Third Unabridged Dictionary.
South Asian Spell(SAS) bee competition
i. It is an annual spelling bee platform in the US for children of South Asian descent, in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty.
ii. It is to children up to 14 years of age held in five regional centres across the US (United States), including New Jersey, Washington DC, Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area and Charlotte.
♦ SAS Bee founder- Rahul Walia.
♦ Launched – 2008.

Prasar Bharati will introduce 2 awards namely ‘Neelum Sharma Tejaswini award’ & ‘Achyutananda Sahoo Award’ in honor of Neelum Sharma
On August 20, 2019, India’s largest public broadcasting agency, Prasar Bharti’s Chairman A Suryapakash stated that the agency will introduce 2 awards namely ‘Neelum Sharma Tejaswini award’ & ‘Achyutananda Sahoo Award’ in memory of  Doordarshan(DD) News Former anchor, Neelum Sharma who passed away due to cancer on August 17, 2019.Prasar BharatiKey points:
i. Sharma, a strong advocate for women empowerment started her career in Doordarshan in 1995 and was associated with the channel for over 20 years.
ii. She was known for her programmes like ‘Tejaswini’(Through this show, she focused on woman achievers of India) and ‘Badi Charcha’.
iii. She was awarded the 2018 ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’(Highest civilian award for women in India) by the President of India Ram Nath Govind.
About Prasar Bharati:
♦ Formation: 23 November 1997
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi
♦ CEO : Shri. Shashi Shekhar Vempati

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Ravinder Takkar appointed as the new CEO of vodafone Idea replacing Balesh Sharma
The Board of Vodafone Idea, has appointed Ravinder Takkar, who is currently Vodafone Group’s representative in India, as the new MD(Managing Director) and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) with immediate effect. Takkar replaces CEO Balesh Sharma, who has stepped down citing personal reasons.

  • This move comes immediately after Sharma was announced as the chairman of the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) at industry association’s Annual General Body meeting held in june 2019…………………..Click here to Read more

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Karnataka Government categorised Nicotine as “class A poison”
The Government of Karnataka amended the Karnataka Poisons (Possession and Sale) Rules 2015 and notified Nicotine as “Class A poison” in order to strengthen the enforcement of the ban on production and sale of electronic cigarettes. The new rules are called the Karnataka Poisons (Possession and Sale) Rules, 2019.
Key Points:
i. The ban was imposed after the study conducted the High Powered Committee on Tobacco Control headed additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka, Vandita Sharma.
ii. The Government has also ordered the suspension of all kinds of promotion of e-cigarettes, including online promotion.
iii. Class A poison are “Highly toxic chemicals”, which even in very small quantities as gas or vapour in the air are dangerous to life (such as cyanogen, hydrocyanic acid, nitrogen peroxide, and phosgene).

Membranes that can separate oil and water developed by IIT Guwahati researchers
On August 19, 2019, the researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Assam invented two distinct and special membranes that can separate oil and water, even under harsh conditions. This development is expected to be used in applications of oil spill management. The work is published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering journal.
Key points
Features of the membrane: The membranes are super-water repellent in air and super oil-repellent in water.
Research team: The research was led by Uttam Manna, Assistant prof. at Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati along with his research team Avijit Das, Dibyangana Parbat, and Arpita Shome.

US tested the first ground-launched Cruise Missile after the exit from INF Treaty
After the United States exited from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, for the first time, tested a conventionally configured ground-launched cruise missile with a range of more than 500 kilometres (310 miles) at San Nicolas Island in California, United States (US).
About INF Treaty:
It was signed by then-US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on 8 December 1987. It banned land-based missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500km (310 and 3,400 miles). The US had withdrawn from the pact with Russia on August 2, 2019, after determining that Moscow was violating the treaty.

Astronomers discovered a 2nd planet called  ‘B Pictoris c ‘ for Beta Pictoris star
Astronomers at the Institute for Planetary sciences and Astrophysics, Grenoble, France (IPAG) have discovered a 2nd planet called  ‘B Pictoris c’.  It is roughly around 3,000 times more massive than Earth. It orbits Beta Pictoris star, which is about nearly twice the mass of Sun and lies about 63 light years away from Earth.
Key points:
i. The planet  ‘B Pictoris c’, situated 2.7 times further from its star than the Earth is from the Sun. It takes about 1,200 days to complete its orbit.
ii. The discovery has been done by analysing 10-years worth of high-resolution data with High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectroscope on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile.
iii. Another exoplanet discovered orbiting the Beta Pictoris star known as ‘B Pictoris B’ discovered by Lagrange and her team in 2009.It spins at a breakneck speed of some 25 kilometres per second (90,000 kph).
iv. Beta Pictoris: It is the second brightest star located in the southern constellation of Pictor, “The Painter’s Easel”.
v. The discovery was published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The lead author of a study was Anne-Marie Lagrange, an astronomer at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research.

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SPORTS

India’s junior women boxers win 12 medals including 4 gold at 3rd Nations’ Cup 2019 held in Serbia
India’s junior women boxers team has clinched 12 medals(4 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals) at the 3rd  Nation”s Cup 2019 held in Sports Hall ,Vrbas, Serbia from August 14-18,2019………………………….Click here to Read more
4 Gold medal winner:

WinnersCategory
Tamanna(Haryana)48 kg
Ambeshori Devi(Manipur) 57 kg
Preeti Dahiya(Haryana)60 kg
Priyanka (Haryana)66 kg

Virat Kohli  retains top spot in the latest ICC Test batsmen’s rankings
On August 19, 2019, The latest test batsmen rankings were released by the ICC (International Cricket Council). The list was topped by India’s Virat Kohli followed by Australia’s Steve Smith at the second spot overtaking New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.Virat KohliKey points
i. Smith is just 9 points behind Kohli where Kohli has 922 points and Smith has 913 points.
Other players’ spots(batsmen rankings):

  • England all-rounder Ben Stokes improved by six places to achieve the 26th position while wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow(England) moved seven places up to take the 30th spot.
  • Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne, climbed four places to the 8th position.
  • England bowlers Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes gained two places in the bowler’s list, and are currently positioned at the 14th and 27th spots respectively.
  • Pacer Jofra Archer also entered the rankings and was placed in 83rd position after ending up with five wickets in his debut Test.

In the bowlers’ rankings, Australia’s Pat Cummins retained the top spot. He is followed by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada and England’s James Michael Anderso in the second and third spot respectively.

IOCL clinched Dolo-650 Bangalore Cup All India Hockey Tournament 2019 by beating Army XI
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) won the title in the Dolo-650 Bangalore Cup All India Hockey Tournament 2019 by beating Army XI by 5-0. It was the second title for IOCL in a fortnight after Bangalore Super Division 2019. It was the 4th Edition of the tournament held at the Field Marshal KM Cariappa Hockey Arena, Bangalore.IOCL clinched Dolo-650 Bangalore CupKey Points:
i. IOCL received the cash prize of Rs. 4 lakh whereas the runners were awarded Rs. 2 lakh.
ii. Affan Yousaf of IOCL was named as the Best Player of the tournament and Talwinder Singh of IOCL with 7 goals was the highest scorer in the tournament.
iii. Hockey Karnataka honoured former India goalkeeper Manuel Frederick, aged 71, after he was recommended for the Major Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement. He was part of the Indian team which won a bronze medal at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

Overview of Cincinnati Masters/ Western & Southern Open 2019
The Cincinnati Masters/ Western & Southern Open 2019 was held from August 12-18, 2019 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, a northern suburb of Cincinnati, in the United States. It was the 118th men’s edition and the 91st women’s edition. It was the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for men with the prize money $6,735,690 and WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier 5 Tournament for women with the prize money $2,944,486.
List of Winners:

CategoryWinnerRunner
Men’s SinglesDaniil Medvedev (Russia)David Goffin (Belgium)
Women’s SinglesMadison Keys (America)Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
Men’s DoublesIvan Dodig (Croatia) & Filip Polášek (Slovakia)Juan Sebastián Cabal & Robert Farah (Colombia)
Women’s DoublesLucie Hradecká (Czech Republic) & Andreja Klepač (Slovakia)Anna-Lena Grönefeld (Germany) & Demi Schuurs (Netherlands)


About Cincinnati Masters:
First held: 1899

Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has been made an honorary life member of MCC
On August 19, 2019, The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) stated that Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson (37) has been elected as an Honorary Life Member of the MCC, the custodian of the rules of cricket, during the second Test between Australia and England of 2019 Ashes Series at Lords’s London.Mitchell JohnsonKey points:
i. Johnson took 313 wickets for Australia in 73 Tests at an average of 28.40.
ii. The fast bowler made his Australian debut in 2005 and retired in 2015 after playing for a decade.
iii. He was a part of Australia’s 2007 & 2015 World Cup-winning teams. He took 239 wickets in 153 ODIs (One Day Internationals ) for Australia and 38 wickets in 30 T20(Twenty 20) Internationals.
About MCC:
♦ Headquarters
: London, United Kingdom
♦ Founder: Thomas Lord
♦ Founded: 1787
♦ Ground: Lord’s Cricket Ground
♦ Honorary Life Membership is awarded by the MCC Committee to individuals in recognition of the service.

BCCI announces a reduction in ban period to 7 years ending in 2020 for cricketer S Sreesanth
On August 20, 2019, BCCI Ombudsman DK Jain has ordered for the reduction in the ban of Indian cricketer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth (S. Sreesanth), who was alleged in a match-fixing scandal in 2013.  His ban period is now lowered to 7 years by the Supreme Court (SC) which will end by September 2020 setting aside the BCCI disciplinary committee’s order banning him for a lifetime.
Background: The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) banned Sreesanth, for a lifetime in August 2013 after he, along with his Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammates of the 6th IPL (Indian Premier League) Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were caught for spot-fixing in the match. They were arrested by the Delhi police in 2013.
i. There were allegations that Rs 10 lakh was paid to Sreesanth for conceding 14 runs in his second over of the IPL match between RR and Kings XI Punjab team in 2013.
ii. After this, Sreesanth moved the top court (SC) challenging the Kerala High Court order upholding the life-time ban on him by the BCCI.
iii. The case of his ban was reviewed within three months (reviewed since April) and reduced the life ban on him.
About Supreme Court
♦ Formed – 6th January 1950.
♦ Location-  Tilak Marg, New Delhi.
♦ Chief Justice(CJ) of India- Ranjan Gogoi (46th CJ)
♦ Act- Government of India act 1935.

OBITUARY

Veteran music director-composer Khayyam passed away aged 92
On August 19, 2019, Veteran composer Mohammed Zahur ‘Khayyam’ Hashmi passed away aged 92. Suffering from lung infection he was admitted at a hospital in Mumbai where he died of cardiac arrest.music director-composer Khayyam Key points
i. Born in Rahon, Punjab, Khayyam served in the army during World War II for a short period after which he moved to Bombay and started his music career.
ii. He started his career at the age of 17 and composed music for many hit films like ‘Kabhie Kabhie’,’Umrao Jaan, ‘Trishul’, ‘Noorie’ and ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’.
iii. He was honoured Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for creative music by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2007 and the Padma Bhushan (third highest civilian award) in the year 2011. In 1977, he won 3 Filmfare awards for Best Music for “Kabhie Kabhie” and 1982 for Umrao Jaan, and a lifetime achievement award in 2010.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Sadbhavana Divas or Harmony Day observed on 20th August celebrating the 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi
Every year on August 20, Sadbhavana Diwas (harmony day) is celebrated commemorating the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister (PM) Rajiv Gandhi. This day is observed to encourage the national integration, peace, affection and communal harmony among the Indian people of all religions. 2019 commemorates the 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. Senior leaders paid tribute to him at a prayer meeting organized at “Veer Bhumi”, a memorial of Rajiv Gandhi in New Delhi.Sadbhavana Divas or Harmony DayKey points
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award: Every year on August 20, the Sadbhavana award is given to an Indian for his/her outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal harmony, national integration, and peace. The award carries a citation and a cash award of Rs. 10 lakhs.

Inaugurations during the Occasion:

  • Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi along with son Rahul Gandhi inaugurated an exhibition titled ‘Memories and Archives of Rajiv Gandhi’ in New Delhi.
  • Also, Rahul Gandhi inaugurated of Rajiv Gandhi Socio-Technical, Knowledge, Innovation and Learning Lab at Jawahar Bhawan, in New Delhi.

About Rajiv Gandhi
♦ Born on August 20, 1944, Rajiv Gandhi is the 6th as well as the youngest prime minister of India.
♦ He became the youngest prime minister at the age of 40.
♦ The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi occurred as a result of a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on 21 May 1991.

World Mosquito Day observed on 20 August 2019
World Mosquito Day is observed on 20 August 2019 to raise awareness about the diseases caused by the female mosquitoes. This day honor the British doctor Sir Ronald Ross’s groundbreaking discovery in 1897 that, female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.World Mosquito Dayi. The name, Mosquito comes from Spanish word meaning “little fly”.
ii.
They spread diseases like malaria, West Nile virus, dengue, chikungunya, Zika among human beings.
iii. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine holds Mosquito Day celebrations every year, including events such as parties and exhibitions, a tradition dating back to as early as the 1930s.

STATE NEWS

Punjab government brings around 4500 journalists into the ambit of its flagship scheme SSBY
The Punjab State Government has announced to bring around 4500 journalists into the ambit of its recently launched flagship universal health insurance scheme “Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana” (SSBY). The state will bear the full premium under this scheme and around 400 private hospitals have been included in the list.
Key points:
i. Eligibility: All journalists or yellow card holders recognized by the state would be eligible for the scheme.
ii.Treatment:  Under this scheme, the beneficiaries will be provided 2nd  and 3rd  tier treatment, for which all the hospitals above the Community Health Center (CHC) have been included.
iii.Extension: This scheme has been extended by state government beyond BPL families to a total of 42.5 lakh families with effect from July 1, 2019.
iv.PMJAY:  The state government had decided to extend Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), under which a plan to provide cashless health cover of Rs five lakh per family every year.
v. Premium: The premium payment of 14.86 lakh families covered under PMJAY is borne by the Center and the State in the ratio of 60:40, for the rest of the beneficiaries, the entire cost of the premium of all the beneficiaries including journalists will be borne by the State Government.
About Punjab:
♦ Capital: Chandigarh
♦ Chief minister: Amarinder Singh
♦ Governor: V.P. Singh Badnore
♦ Wildlife Sancturies: Abohar WLS ,Bir Aishvan WLS ,Bir Bhadson WLS ,Bir Bunerheri WLS ,Bir Dosanjh WLS ,Bir Gurdialpura WLS, Nangal WLS.

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