DAILY PIB 8th February 2023

President’s Address:Article 87 provides that at the commencement of the first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first session of each year, the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together. Such an Address is called ‘special address’, and it is also an annual feature.

The President’s Address is the statement of policy of the Government and, as such, is drafted by the Government. The Address contains a review of various activities and achievements of the Government during the previous year and sets out the policies, projects and programmes which Government of the day wishes to pursue.

Motion of Thanks: The address of the president is discussed in both the Houses on a motion called the ‘Motion of Thanks’. It is available to the members of Parliament to raise discussions and debates to examine and criticise the government for its lapses and failures.

Generally, three days are allotted for the discussion on the Motion of Thanks.If any of the amendments are put forward and accepted then the Motion of Thanks is adopted in the amended form. At the end of the discussion, the motion is put to vote.The Motion of Thanks must be passed in the House. Otherwise, it amounts to the defeat of the government.

Mission Poshan 2.0: It seeks to address the challenging situation of malnutrition among children up to the age of 6 years, adolescent girls (14-18 years) and pregnant and lactating women.The Supplementary Nutrition Programme under Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls(SAG) and Poshan Abhiyaan have been incorporated under Poshan 2.0 as an Integrated Nutrition Support Programme (INSP) to address the challenge of malnutrition.

Objective: To contribute to the human capital development; Address challenges of malnutrition; Promote nutrition awareness and good eating.

It is ongoing Centrally-sponsored programme. September is observed as Rashtriya Poshan Maah. Similarly, in/around March, Poshan Pakhwada is celebrated.The implementing agency is the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Green Steel: Green Steel is the manufacturing of steel without the use of fossil fuels. This can be done by using low-carbon energy sources such as hydrogen, coal gasification, or electricity instead of the traditional carbon-intensive manufacturing route of coal-fired plants.

To move towards ‘Green Steel’, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry launched Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project in Eastern India in 2019 to provide gas to all steel plants located in the area.

National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme: NAMASTE is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) as a joint initiative of the MoSJE and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. NAMASTE envisages the safety and dignity of sanitation workers in urban India.

The Scheme has been approved for four years from 2022-23 to 2025-26.Five hundred cities (converging with AMRUT cities) will be taken up under this phase of NAMASTE.

Objective: Zero fatalities in sanitation, Skilled workers perform all sanitation work, No sanitation workers come in direct contact with human fecal matter, Sanitation workers are collectivized into SHGs and are empowered to run sanitation enterprises,  access to alternative livelihoods.