- Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED): Launched in October 2016 and revamped in April 2022, the ZED scheme offers certification for environmentally conscious manufacturing under three certification levels (gold, silver, and bronze) classified according to 20 performance-based parameters such as quality management, timely delivery, process control, waste management, etc.The major objectives of the ZED Scheme are:
- To create proper awareness in MSMEs about ZED manufacturing and motivate them for the assessment of their enterprise for a ZED rating.
- To drive manufacturing with the adoption of Zero-Defect production processes without impacting the environment (Zero Effect).
- To encourage MSMEs to constantly upgrade their quality standards in products and processes.
- To support the “Make in India” campaign.
Currently, the scheme is applicable for manufacturing MSMEs only. MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification can be attained in three levels after registering and taking the ZED Pledge: Certification Level 1: BRONZE, Certification Level 2: SILVER, Certification Level 3: GOLD.
- Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL): The PM of India will inaugurate the country’s longest bridge over the sea – the 22 km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), officially the Atal Setu Nhava Sheva Sea Link. The bridge that was first conceptualised six decades ago will cut the travel time between Sewri (Mumbai) and Chirle (Raigad) to under 20 minutes. It is twin-carriageway six-lane bridge over the Thane Creek in the Arabian Sea, connecting Sewri in the island city of Mumbai to Chirle in Raigad district on the mainland. The MTHL includes a 16.5 km sea link and viaducts on land at either end with a cumulative length of 5.5 km. While the project’s contractors sourced engineers and experts from across the globe, most of the labourers hired were from states such as Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra. On an average, 5,403 individuals worked daily on the four packages of the project. The objective of the project is to improve connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region which comprises the districts of Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad, and promote the region’s economic development.
- Swachh Survekshan Awards: Surat in Gujarat and Indore in Madhya Pradesh were jointly declared cleanest cities of the country at the annual clean city awards 2023 of the Union Urban Affairs Ministry. This was for the seventh year in a row that Indore has been ranked as the cleanest city in India. It is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India, launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (specifically under SBA-Urban).It was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) with Quality Council of India (QCI) as its implementation partner. The SBA was launched (on 2nd October 2014) to make India clean and free of open defecation by 2nd October 2019.The SBA was split into two – rural (SBA-Gramin, monitored by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti) and urban (SBA-Urban, overseen by the MoHUA).
SBM-U 2.0 was recently launched on 1st October, 2021, focused on ensuring complete access to sanitation facilities for all. The vision of a Garbage Free India is an initiative under SBM-U 2.0.The first survey was undertaken in 2016.The methodology for measuring cleanliness rests on two main criteria – citizen feedback and field assessment.
