Government and the Common man (Individual Benefits from GOK & GOI) as on 24 Feb 2015

Government and the Common Man

MY SPEECH ON 24-2-2014 FOR KAS & IAS ASPIRANTS

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Dear friends,

                Wish you all the best in the competitive examinations. The subject I am talking to you today may come under General Knowledge.

Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest

man (woman) whom you may have seen, and ask

yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be

of any use to him (her). Will he (she) gain

anything by it? Will it restore him (her) to a

control over his (her) own life and destiny? In

other words, will it lead to swaraj (freedom) for

the hungry and spiritually starving millions?

……Mahatma Gandhi

“Father of the Nation”

The preamble of our Constitution as amended during emergency includes the word ‘socialistic’. The objective of including this word in the preamble is probably to indicate the basic structure of the Constitution and requirement of the nation. This is to indicate that most of the activities of our Governments are for the benefit of common man- Aam admi or the lower strata of our society. 

As you all know the Human Development of any country is determined not just by the GDP or the per capita income but more so by the spread and penetration of the economic benefits to the poorer sections of the public.  In other words it is not enough to keep seeing that the rich become richer but it is also very essential to ensure that more and more number people come above the poverty line as quickly as possible. I hope you also know that the Planning Commission of India has determined that any person who gets Rs. 32 in rural areas and Rs. 47 in cities  per day is a BPL.  This is as per the Rangarajan Committee Report which is the latest report on this aspect. Out of the Indian population of 1.22 billion people an estimated 363 million amounting to 29.5% of the population are BPL.  

In the light of the above, we may observe that the successive Governments both at the Centre and States have continuously strived for the upliftment of the poor and the downtrodden through various plans, programmes, schemes, projects etc.

Today let us try to have a bird’s-eye-view of some specific schemes which are being implemented through various Departments of the Government. There are 36 Departments, 19 Boards and Corporations in GOK. Likewise there are 48 Departments and more than 100 Boards, Corporations, Commissions, Agencies etc  in GOI.  Each entity has its own set of schemes for benefiting the am admi.  As such the schemes of the Government are so many that you will see that to all eligible and needy persons they are available from birth to death i.e. literally from womb to tomb. In the present speech, though I am citing many schemes, you should never think that we have exhausted all the available schemes without leaving any one as on date.

All most all the schemes of the Central Government meant for the poor people  are implemented through the State Government machinery or at least with the major assistance and co operation of the State Government. 

a)Revenue Department:

The schemes of the Revenue Department are implemented through the Tahshildars of the Taluks.

1.                  Bhoomi Project: Bhoomi is the project for online delivery and management of land records in Karnataka. The Bhoomi has computerized 20 million records of land ownership of  6.7 million formers in the state. Land record KIOSKS are installed in all the 176 Taluks and most of the Hoblis. By paying Rs. 10 a farmer can obtain a copy of the RTC. RTC contains the details of owner, survey number, area, assessment, soil type, nature of possession, liabilities, tenancy, malkis like wells trees etc. on the land. The mutation or the change of khata will have to be completed within 45 days on first come first serve basis. Karnataka was the pioneer for this scheme.  This has reduced corruption and middle men.

A person may acquire immovable property by inheritance, will, purchase, gift, partition deed or grant by Government. Property may come to one’s share by the orders of the Judicial Courts also.   

2.       Kaveri  E-Registration: This is a 100% automation registration process resulting in instant delivery of registered documents in Karnataka. Again Karntaka was a pioneer in this.

3.       Link between Bhoomi and Kaveri: Both the Bhoomi and Kaveri software’s have been interlinked in every Taluk and J-slip or sale transactions information slips are automatically generated.

4.       Ideal Community Marriages: In urban areas a minimum of 25 pairs and in rural areas a minimum of 10 pairs may marry in a group to avail the benefit of Rs. ten thousand per bride. The organisers get an incentive of Rs. 100/- per pair.

5.       Am Admi Bima Yojana AABY (janashri): This is a social security insurance scheme for the rural landless families.

The head of the family or one earning member in the family of a rural household is covered under this scheme. The premium of Rs.200/- per person per annum is shared equally by the Central Government and the State Government. The member to be covered should be aged between 18 and 59 years.

On natural death                                                                                                                              :Rs. 30000/-

On Death due to accident/on permanent total disability

due to accident (loss of 2 eyes or 2 limbs)                                                                             :Rs. 75000/-

On partial permanent disability due to accident (loss of one eye or

One lime)                                                                                                                                            :Rs. 37500/-

. Children of such families will be given student scholarship between 9^th and 12^th standard.

6.       Indira Gandhi Old Age Pension: An amount of Rs. 400/- will be granted for destitutes beyond 60 years. 

7.       Widow Pension: Every destitute widow above 18 years will be given a monthly pension of Rs. 400/-

8.       Physically Handicapped Pension: Any physically handicapped person with 75% disability will be given a pension of Rs. 1,000/- per month. Other handicapped persons will be given        Rs. 400/- per month.

9.       Sandhya Suraksha Yojana: Under this scheme every person aged above 65 years and whose earnings are less than Rs. 20,000/- per year are given a pension of Rs. 400/- per month.

This scheme and the above cited IGOAP are to be implemented in unison.

10.   NSAP- National Social Assistance Programme: provides a compensation of Rs. 10,000/-  on the death of the earning member of the BPL family.

11.   Aadhaar: The 12 digit individual identification number/card issued by UIDAI (unique identification authority of India), will serve as a proof of identity and address anywhere in India. 

b)Health Department:

As you may know the services for the common man are rendered through Primary Health Centers, Taluk Hospitals, District Hospitals, State level Hospitals (Victoria, Bowring and KC General) and Specialty Hospitals (Jayadeva, Minto ,Vanivilas,  Kidwai, Nimhans, AIIMS  etc).

1.       Vajpayee Aroghya Shree Scheme:

Under this scheme BPL families who hold the BPL cards from the Food and Civil Supplies  Department  will be provided free treatment for Catastrophic illness involving hospitalization, surgery and therapies through empanelled super specialty hospitals.  Temporary BPL cards may be obtained from Taluka Tahshildars also.

The diseases covered under this scheme are : heart diseases, cancer, neuro, renal, burns, trauma and neonatal.

Limitations: Limited to only 5 members per family per year, sum assured  is 2 lakhs per year.  

This scheme is implemented through a Government Trust by name Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust.

2.       Thai Bhagya (Maternity benefits) - Janani Suraksha Yojana, Prasooti Araike, Madilu:

This is a scheme by national health mission for safe motherhood. Under Janani Suraksha Yojana cash incentives are given on delivery and tubectomy. Under the Prasooti Araike scheme all the pregnant women belonging to SC/Stand BPL families are given Rs. 2000/- during pregnancy.   Madilu kit given to the mothers of neonatal children contains 19 items for the neonatal children.  

3.         Health Check up is being done for all students studying from 1^st  to 10^th  standards and detected cases of diseases will be treated free of cost in Government Hospitals.

4.         Arogya Kavacha: It is a free ambulance service effective from 1^st November 2008. This is on a PPP model with an NGO of Hydarabad by name EMRI. The agency provides management and 5% of the cost. The main objective is to provide comprehensive emergency response services for the entire population of Karnataka.

5.         Pulse Polio Programme: This was launched in 1995. Children in the age group of 0-5 years are administered polio drops. The cost of the polio vaccine is borne by the Rotary Club international.

6.         Blindness Eradication Scheme: With the help of NGOs Cataract operations are conducted. Students with sight defects will be given spectacles free of cost.

C) Co-operation Department:

Yeshasvini Co-operative Health Care Group Insurance Scheme: Any member or his family member of any Co-operative Society after 3 months as member in the society may enroll to this scheme by paying an amount of Rs.250 in rural societies and Rs. 1010/- in urban societies per head per year. Any one up to 75 years are eligible to avail the benefit of this scheme. Members can avail health care upto Rs. 1.75 lakh for a single admission and up to 2.5 lakhs for multiple admissions.   

D) Women and Child Welfare Department:

The schemes of this Department are implemented through the CDPOs of the Taluks.

1. Strishakthi Yojana: This is the concept of self help group consisting of about 20 members. Members contribute Rs. 10 per week and get the help of a bank to take up small scale  group and individual  economic activities.

2. Santvana: The Women who are affected by sexual or domestic violence may call telephone no. 1091 where they will be helped by the Govt. through the NGO.

3. Ujwala Yojana: This is a scheme to eradicate trafficking among women and children. This scheme is implemented through selected NGOs.

4. Bhaghyalakshmi: Every female child born in a BPL family is covered under this scheme. A bond for Rs. 19,300/- will be given by the Govt. which becomes Rs. One lakh when the girl attains 18 years. Further up to 10^th standard the child will be given health insurance and student scholarship.

a)

5. Remand Homes: All the orphan children are taken care of here by providing education, lodging and boarding etc.

6. Integrated Child Development Scheme: This scheme is to take care of children up to six years and pregnant women.

7. Balasanjeevini Yojana: It takes care of costly medical treatments up to Rs. fifty thousand   Bala Sanjeevini  scheme covers BPL families   wherein 0- 6 yr children who are registered in  AWC and  suffering from acute diseases  requiring  tertiary treatment are treated free in 26 selected   hospitals in the State. It takes care of costly medical treatments up to Rs. fifty thousand

8. Karnataka Women Development Corporation: It provides loans up to Rs. One lakh with subsidies for entrepreneurship.

9. Identity cards are issued for senior citizens i.e for those above 60 years of age. There is concession in Railway fares to the extent of 40% for men and 50% for women. Elderly persons above the age of 65 living in Karnataka are eligible to avail concessional monthly bus passes in KSRTC.

10.Old age Homes: State Govt. extends the financial assistance to NGOs to run Old Age Homes to take care of the elderly persons providing all the basic amenities and care protection to life etc.

E) Food and Civil Supplies Department:

1. Ration Cards for both BPL and APL families are provided and food grains at subsidized rates are given through ration shops and fair price depots.

2. Anna Bhagya Yojana: Food grains at the rate Re. 1 per kg will be given to all the BPL families in the State. Approximately there are 1 crore beneficiaries under this scheme.  A single member family is eligible for 10 kg. Two member family for 20 kg and families with 3 or more members are eligible for 30 kgs.              

F) Social Welfare Department:

Most of the schemes in this Department are enforced through Dr. B R Ambedkar Development Corporation, Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation and Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Development Corporation.  All these Corporations provide loans and subsidies for different schemes like self employment, purchase of land, Housing, Irrigation etc. These Corporations also arrange for training for skills development. 1157 pre metric Hostels are run by this Department.

G) Rural Development and Panchayat Raj:

Schemes like SGSY-Swarna Jayanthi Gramswaraj Yojana, TSC- Total Sanitation Campaign and MGNREGA- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaranty Programme are enforced by ZP, TP and GP in the Districts.

1. SGSY: Poor families will be brought above the poverty line by forming SHGs(self help groups), by providing financial assistance and training in skills development. This is comparable to Strishakthi Yojana.  

2. TSC: Every family in a rural area will be assisted by providing a subsidy of Rs. 3000/-to built latrines. The subsidy share between Central & State Govt. is 50% each.  

3. MGNREGA: This is a social security scheme providing guaranty of labour in the rural areas for 100 days in a year. In drought hit areas it is 150 days. The detailed scheme is in the NREGA Act – 2005. In every work material component of expenditure will be a maximum of 40% and the labour component will be a minimum of 60%. A minimum of 20% expenditure should be made for tree planting. A maximum of 10% expenditure may be made on road works. Any rural person whether APL or BPL may obtain a card from GP and work any day of the year at his convenience.  The labour charge per day is Rs. 174/-.

4. Housing Programmes: Rajiv Gandhi Housing Development Corporation (RGRHCL) is the nodal agency to provide houses to economically and socially weaker sections of the society under Ashraya Yojana. There are different schemes under different names for different categories of people like SC/STs, Women, Weavers, Fishermen, rural urban etc. Normally in all the schemes the subsidy portion is Rs 1,20,000 and the unit cost per house is 1,50,000.     

5. Slum Clearance Board: Under the Karnataka Slum Area (improvement and clearance) Act-1973 –SCB takes up clearance and development of slums by providing housing and infrastructure facilities to slum dwellers.

H) Agriculture Department:

1. Kisan Credit Card to provide credit to the farmers has been introduced by NABARD.

Crop loans are generally disbursed by the banks through the mode of Kisan Credit Card (KCC). The Kisan Credit Card Scheme is in operation throughout the country and is implemented by Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks and RRBs. All farmers are eligible for issuance of KCC. KCC holders are also covered under Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) against accidental death/permanent disability. Bank assesses farmer’s eligibility on the basis of land available for cultivation and the scale of finance fixed.

Some of the main features of KCC scheme are :

Validity of KCC for 5 years.

No withdrawal in the account to remain outstanding for more than 12 months;

One time documentation at the time of first availment and thereafter simple declaration (about crops raised/ proposed) by farmer.

2. When a farmer commits suicide the survivors will be granted a relief of Rs. 1 lakh. For snake bite deaths APMC grants a relief of Rs. 50,000/-

3. Through Raitha Samparka Kendras located in each hobli throughout the state, seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, agricultural implements etc are provided to farmers at subsidized rates. 

I)Horticulture Department:

National Horticulture Mission is a centrally sponsored scheme in which GOI provides funds for all-round development of Horticulture activity of the farmers by disseminating technologies etc. Traditional wisdom and Modern Scientific knowledge are mixed for the advantage of farmers.   

J) Labour Department:

Under Rastriya Swasthya Bima Yojana-RSBY, any five members of every BPL family may obtain a health insurance covering Rs. 30,000/- per year by paying a registration fee of Rs. 30/- only.

K) Department of ITBT:

1.Karnataka Mobile One is an app which is a unified platform for citizen services which delivers services from both Govt. and private sector. These services can be availed either by downloading the app or by dialing 161 on phone. This allows users to pay utility bills, property taxes, book railway and bus tickets, file income tax, m-pass port seva, applying for driving licenses etc.  It can also be used to notify officials about grievances and ill-functioning of services.

L) Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana(PMJDY):

Scheme Details:

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.

Account can be opened in any bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitr) outlet. PMJDY accounts are being opened with Zero balance. However, if the account-holder wishes to get cheque book, he/she will have to fulfill minimum balance criteria.

Documents required to open an account under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana

1. If Aadhaar Card/Aadhaar Number is available then no other documents is required. If address has changed, then a self certification of current address is sufficient.
2. If Aadhaar Card is not available, then any one of the following Officially Valid Documents (OVD) is required: Voter ID Card, Driving License, PAN Card, Passport & NREGA Card. If these documents also contain your address, it can serve both as “Proof of Identity and Address”.
3. If a person does not have any of the “officially valid documents” mentioned above, but it is categorized as ‘low risk' by the banks, then he/she can open a bank account by submitting any one of the following documents:

a.       Identity Card with applicant's photograph issued by Central/State Government Departments, Statutory/Regulatory Authorities, Public Sector Undertakings, Scheduled Commercial Banks and Public Financial Institutions;

b.       Letter issued by a gazette officer, with a duly attested photograph of the person.

Special Benefits under PMJDY Scheme:

1. Interest on deposit
2. Accidental insurance cover of Rs.1.00 lac
3. No minimum balance required.
4. Life insurance cover of Rs.30,000/-
5. Easy Transfer of money across India
6. Beneficiaries of Government Schemes will get Direct Benefit Transfer in these accounts.
7. After satisfactory operation of the account for 6 months, an overdraft facility will be permitted
8. Access to Pension, insurance products.
9. Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card must be used at least once in 45 days.
10. Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- is available in only one account per household, preferably lady of the household.

Concluding remarks:- 

1.       I request you to follow the upcoming Central budget scheduled on 28 Feb 2015, Railway Budget  and the Karnataka state budget   regarding changes or additions to the  prevailing schemes.

2.       Once you are inducted in to the KAS or IAS service, your opportunities to serve the poor people is very vast compared to what the service an individual or an NGO can do for them.  Though you are not spending money from your pocket, by just effectively implementing the schemes of the Government you will redress the grievance or suffering of a common man. That indeed is the joy of Service.

Some helpful websites:

 http://nsap.nic.in/guidelines.html,

https://www.karnataka.gov.in/

Some Help lines:

                108 Arogya Kavacha Ambulance

1800-180-1551 kisan call centre

080 2287 2364 Vanitha sahaya vani

1098 Makkala sahaya vani

100 police

161 Karnataka Mobile one

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