- National Civil Services Day: National Civil Service Day:21st April is celebrated as the National Civil Service Day as it marks the anniversary (21st April 1947) of the historic address given by the country’s 1st home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to the newly appointed administrative services officers. During the Speech, Sardar Patel had referred to the newly-appointed civil servants as the “steel frame of India”. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is regarded as the ‘Father of all-India Services’. The country’s first National Civil Service Day event was organised on 21st April 2006 in New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan. Since then, this function has become an annual affair that celebrates the contributions of civil servants to the country’s development. On this day, Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration are awarded “to acknowledge, recognize and reward the extraordinary and innovative work done by Districts/ Organizations of the Central and State Governments”.
- Primary Agricultural Credit Societies: PACS are village level cooperative credit societies that serve as the last link in a three-tier cooperative credit structure headed by the State Cooperative Banks (SCB) at the state level. Credit from the SCBs is transferred to the District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), that operate at the district level. The DCCBs work with PACS, which deal directly with farmers. PACSs provide short-term, and medium-term agricultural loans to the farmers for the various agricultural and farming activities. The first PACS was formed in 1904.Significance of PACS:
- Access to Credit: PACS provide small farmers easy credit, which they can use to purchase seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs for their farms.
- Financial Inclusion: PACs help to increase Financial inclusion in rural areas, where access to formal financial service is limited.
- Convenient Services: PACS are often located in rural areas, which makes it convenient for farmers to access their services. This is important because many farmers are unable to travel to banks in urban areas to access financial services.
- Enhancing Credit Discipline: PACS promote credit discipline among farmers by requiring them to repay their loans on time. This helps to reduce the risk of default, which can be a major challenge in the rural financial sector.
- Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra: The “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra” is a nationwide campaign launched by the Government of India to promote the development and progress of the country. It is a government initiative aimed at raising awareness about and monitoring the implementation of various flagship central schemes across India. These schemes include Ayushman Bharat, Ujjwala Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima, PM SVANidhi, and others. The program is a collaborative effort involving various Union ministries and state governments.
The program has four primary objectives:
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- Reaching out to the vulnerable: The Yatra aims to identify and connect with individuals who are eligible for various government schemes but have not yet availed of the benefits.
- Dissemination of information and generating awareness.
- Interaction with beneficiaries through personal experience sharing.
- Enrollment of potential beneficiaries: During the Yatra, efforts are made to enrol potential beneficiaries by collecting details and information from participants.
