Monitoring App for Seamless Inspection (MASI): It is developed by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Aim: For real-time monitoring of the Child Care Institutions (CCIs) and their inspection mechanism across the country. MASI enables unified inspections by Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), State Inspection Committees, District Inspection Committees, Members of Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), and State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) as laid down under the JJ Act, 2015.
Pehchan Scheme: Pehchan’ cards scheme is a part of the initiative of the Union Textile Ministry to register and provide identity cards to handicraft artisans and link them to a national database. Launched in 2016, it is a new upgraded ID card for artisans that is linked with their Aadhaar numbers and bank accounts so that they can receive direct cash transfer benefits. The scheme was planned to facilitate the benefits of various schemes of the Union Government to flow directly into their accounts. Besides, the ID card enables the artisans to avail easy loans at lower interest rate.
27.80 lakhs handicrafts artisans across the country have been registered under the PAHCHAN scheme.
Offshore Areas Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023: The Bill amends the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002. The new bill regulates mining in maritime zones of India. It allows the government to reserve offshore areas that are not held under any operating rights.
The Bill also allows the administering authority to grant a composite licence or production lease to the government or a government company. It proposes to remove the provision for renewal of production lease and provide a fixed period of fifty years for production lease similar to the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957. It also seeks to provide for the grant of production lease to the private sector only through auction by competitive bidding. It also provides for grant of operating rights without competitive bidding to a government or a government company, or a corporation in the mineral-bearing areas reserved by the central government.
In the case of atomic minerals, the grant of exploration licence or production lease shall be made only to a government or a government or corporation. It aims to introduce a four-year timeline for commencement of production and dispatch after the execution of composite licence or production lease under and timeline of two years (extendable by one year) for re-commencement of production and dispatch after discontinuation. It will enable the central government to frame rules for the conservation and systematic development of minerals in offshore areas and for the protection of the environment by preventing or controlling any pollution which may be caused by exploration or production operations.
