Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Year End Review 2015: Ministry of Railways

PASSENGER AMENITIES, SERVICES

AND DIGITAL INDIA INITIATIVES

Provision of All India Security Helpline ‘182’

All India Security Helpline ‘182’ has been provided over Indian Railway to facilitate the
travelling passenger. The service is very important public service and may play an
important role in any emergency like crime against woman, onboard unlawful activity,
train accidents, medical attention required fire etc.

Provision of All India Passenger Helpline ‘138’

The All India Passenger Helpline ‘138’ has been provided as a public interface for
quarries/complaints related to Medical Emergency, Cleanliness, Food & Catering, Coach
Maintenance, Linen etc. (Except Security).

Complaint Management System (COMS) Portal

For the help and assistance to bona fide railway passengers to give their feedback and
also to register their complaints, Minister of Railways has launched Complaint
Management System (COMS) portal on 02.03.2015 which consists of the following
application

–          A mobile app based complaints and suggestion application (currently on the
android platform)

–          A web based complaints ans suggestions application on URL

www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in

–          As sms based complaints and suggestion application on the number 9717630982

E-Catering – In order to widen the range of food options available to passengers, E-

catering services have been introduced, through Indian Railway Catering and
Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in trains without pantry car or Train Side Vending as
well as on 45 designated stations from where passengers of  originating/passing
trains can avail of this facility.  IRCTC has set up a call centre with toll free no.   1800-
1034-139, developed a website www.ecatering.irctc.co.in and also SMS facility to 139
as MEAL<PNR> to take orders.
Water Vending Machine: As a recent initiative, to ensure availability of clean
drinking water at low cost to the passengers, a policy on Water Vending Machines
(WVMs) has been notified on 16/06/2015. These WVMs are to be set up by Indian
Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) at identified Railway stations.

Pre-cooked Food  (ready to eat meals) – Railways have conducted trials for service
of pre-cooked (ready-to-eat) meals of reputed brands on some trains. A policy
guideline on “Ready to Eat Meals” has been issued to zonal railways on 30.01.2015.
First workshop of all Food Safety Officer, Designated Officers & IRCTC Officers held in
Kolkata to improve the standard of food safety in Indian Railways.
Executive Lounge: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has
introduced an Executive Lounge at New Delhi railway station.  The Executive Lounge
provide value added services at a charge, offering facilities such as WiFi Internet,
buffet services, wash and change, concierge services for pre-departure and post-
arrival assistance to passengers.  IRCTC is in the process of setting up Executive
Lounges at 48 more stations.
Concierge Services:  Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has
introduced concierge services (pick-up & drop and porter services), as Pilot Project at
a few railway stations.  The stations are New Delhi, Mysore, Bhubaneswar, Howrah,
Patna, Secunderabad, Jaipur, Tirupati, Ernakulam, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Lucknow
Jn., Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Safdarjung, Anand Vihar Terminal, Delhi Cantt,
Delhi Sarai Rohilla, Vijayawada, Guntur, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati Jn.
Mid-Segment Tourist train:   Indian Railways in association with Indian Railway
Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has now introduced a mid-segment tourist
train also.  The all inclusive round trip packages covers rail transportation in
different air-conditioned classes, local transportation, guided tour for sightseeing in
 groups, variety of meals and hotel accommodation etc.  To begin with, a train on the
circuit Delhi – Jaisalmer – Jaipur – Delhi commenced operation on 13.12.2015 while
the second one on the circuit Delhi – Varanasi – Khajuraho – Agra – Delhi is scheduled
to commence operation on 20.12.2015.

New Trains : – Upto the month of November, 2015 112 new trains and 15 extension of
trains and 5 increase in frequency have been implemented as announced in Railway
Budget 2014-15.  No new train has been announced in Railway Budget 2015-16
Augmentation : – Indian Railways also facilitates the passengers by augmenting the
load of popular trains services by attaching extra coaches on permanent basis and
thereby generating extra carrying capacity. During the year 2015-16 upto November
2015, Indian Railways attached 691 coaches thereby generating an additional
capacity of 45605 berth/seats which also includes augmentation of 52 pairs of
Mail/Express trains to 23/24 coaches during the Year 2015-16
Special Trains : –          During peak seasons special trains are operated by Indian
Railways to clear the extra rush of passengers. This year upto November to facilitate
passengers, Indian Railways have run 23666 train trips in the Year 2015-16.
Election Special :-       During election in the State of Bihar, 36 Special trains were
made to run.
Mela Special :  During Sinhastha Kumbh Mela – 2015 in order to cater the extra rush
of passengers traffic, Board arranged additional rakes (of 236 coaches) and 32 cars of
MEMU/DEMU rakes . During Mela period, 608 special were made run and 795
coaches were temporarily augmented. Besides, 789 GS coaches of regular train
services were earmarked for the pilgrims.
Non-Budget Trains :   Owing to heavy public demand and completion of gauge-
conversion of some sections the 13 pair Non-Budget new trains have been introduced
upto December 2015.
Experimental Stoppage in trains : – During the current year  upto November, 2015,
146 stoppages have been provided in Mail/Express trains (in single) on an
experimental basis.
Computerised Parcel Management System implemented on New Delhi – Howrah,
New Delhi – Mumbai, New Delhi – Chennai, Howrah-Chennai and Howrah-Mumbai
route.
Computerisation of Retiring Room booking launched at more than 480 locations.
Paperless Unreserved Ticketing through Mobile Phone between Church Gate and
Dahanu Road.
Paperless Unreserved Ticketing through Mobile Phone between New Delhi –Palwal
Section
Destination Alerts to passengers through SMS for Rajdhani and Duronto trains.
E-ticketing Portal in Hindi
Currency Coin cum Card operated Automatic Ticket Vending Machines at New Delhi
Railway Station.
Currency-cum-coin-cum-card based Automatic Ticketing Vending Machines (ATVMs)
commissioned over Central Railway, Easter Railway, Western Railway, Southern
Railway, Northern Railway and South Central Railway.
Concession based ticketing including online ticketing for the physically challenged
persons using Photo identity Card issued by the Railways.
 Lower berths to senior citizens :  With a view to facilitate senior citizens and female
passengers when travelling alone, a combined reservation quota of two lower berths
per coach in Sleeper class has been enhanced to four lower berths per coach is
Sleeper class. Further w.e.f. 01.11.2015, the facility of booking tickets under senior
citizen quota will be permitted even when two passengers eligible to book tickets
under this quota intend to book.
Staggering to Tatkal booking timings : – W.e.f. 15.06.2015, the timings for reservation
under Tatkal scheme has been staggered and now it opens at 10.00 hours on the
previous day of journey from train originating station. Also, all types of ticketing
agents( YTSK, RTSAs, IRCTC agents, etc.) are debarred from booking tickets during
first thirty minutes of opening of booking i.e. from 08.00 to 08.30 hours for general
bookings, and from 10.00 to 10.30 hours and 11.00 to 11.30 hours for Tatkal booking
in AC & non-AC classes respectively.
Automatic refund of Confirmed / RAC e-tickets on cancellation of trains : Automatic
refund of Confirmed /RAC e-tickets on cancellation of trains similar to waitlisted e-
tickets is granted There is no requirement for cancellation/filing of TDR for refund of
e-ticket in case of cancellation of trains.
Introduction of Suvidha Trains : – Suvidha Trains have been introduced wherein the
maximum Advance Reservation Period is 30 days while the minimum Advance
Reservation Period is 10 days. Zonal Railways will decide the exact ARP of reach train
within this limit.
Opening of PRS counters beyond 2000 hours on week days and beyond 14.00 hours
on Sundays : – Instructions were issued on 15.5.2014 wherein Zonal Railways were
advised that subject to demand and availability of manpower, the PRS counters can
be opened even beyond 20.00 hours on week days and beyond 14.00 hours on
Sundays. This has facilitated the passengers in getting reserved tickets through PRS
counters as per their convenience.
Timings for advance reservation : – Time limits for booking reserved tickets was
increased to 120 days w.e.f. 01.04.2015. This has facilitated the passengers to plan
their journey well in advance.
Change in timings of booking through internet : The timings of booking reserved
tickets through internet have been changed and is now available daily from 00.30
hours to 23.45 hours.
Fitment of dustbins in all coaches including non AC coaches.
A special train on Gandhi Circuit covering places related to life and work of Mahatma
Gandhi run.
A kisan Yatra special train to help the farmers has also been run. Kisan Yatra special
coaches have been operated from different parts.
The frequency of Maitree Express was increased from 3 to 4 per week and an
additional AC Chair Car was added.

It has been decided to provide stainless steel mug with chain arrangement in Non-AC
coaches also as being provided in AC coaches.
It was decided to upgrade the specification and design of linen and curtains provided
in AC coaches through consultancy with NIFT and accordingly an agreement was
executed.
 

Commencement of provision of Braille signage on 3000 Coaches.

                        INFRASTRUCTURE AND MAKE IN INDIA INITIATIVE

Provision of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC)

1,098 Rkms OFC has been laid. Cumulatively, 48,818 Rkms (approx.) OFC has been
commissioned over Indian Railways enabling high speed communication network.

Provision of Video Conferencing System

A new Video Conferencing System connecting Civil Engineering officials of Railway

zones based on latest state of art technology has been commissioned in Board. This
system has the provision of two concurrent Multi Part Conference of 60 participant of
Railway Board & Zonal Railway having provision of simultaneous display of 24
participants of single screen.

2 locomotive factories at Madhepura and Marhowrah successfully bid after 7 years.

Train sets for improving passenger comfort and reducing travel time ; EOI invited. 5
international bidders shortlisted for participation RFP.
Rail Coach Factory at Kanchrapara – Fresh RFQ application have been called. Will be
opened in December, 2015.
Modern LHB Coach manufacturing facility Phase-1 commissioned at ICF Chennai.
Indian Railways will shift 100% to 160 kmph fit LHB coaches in next 5 years.
ICF Chennai has developed first of its kind stainless steel 3 phase energy efficient AC-
AC transmission 1600 HP DEMU train set. The first  air-conditioned DEMU   was
manufactured this year by ICF.
DLW Varanasi developed designs and manufactured 5500HP Diesel Locomotives.
Moving towards Make in India – Design in India.
Indian Railways signed an Assured Off Take Agreements (AOT) for manufacturing of
1200 wagons per annum and rehabilitation of 300 wagons per annum for a period of
10 years with SAIL-RITES Bengal Wagon Industry Pvt. Ltd. (SRBWIPL)  Kulti, West
Bengal
Traction Alternator Factory at Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh – The project aims to
manufacture 100 traction alternators per annum of high horse power diesel
locomotives which are currently being imported

 
                                                 FREIGHT

Automotive rebate for Traditional Empty Flow Direction Traffic with a view to
convert empty running of rakes into loaded one, automatic freight rebate scheme has
been introduced from 25.6.2015 wherein all rakes loaded in notified empty flow
direction are charged at Class – LR1 (Train load) and at Class-100 (Wagon load),
subject to certain terms and conditions.
Various proposals under different Railway schemes like Private Freight  Terminals
(PFT), Special Freight Train Operator Scheme (SFTO), Automobile Freight Train
Operator Scheme (AFTO), Liberalized Wagon Investment Scheme (LWIS), Wagon
Leasing Scheme (WLS) have been finalized.
Mobile Application for Freight Operations (PARICHAALAN)
Heavy haul Initiative – The prototype of the 25T axle load BOXNS wagons has been
made during Oct’15. The wagon will run at 100 kmph in loaded and empty condition
with pay load to tare ratio of 4.1 as compared to conventional BOXNHL wagons,
which have payload to tare ratio of about 3.6. These wagons will achieve increased
throughput per week by 14.8%.

SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT, INNOVATION AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

Innovative Funding initiatives and non traditional sources of funding:

Many initiatives were taken to explore alternative sources of funding, besides the
traditional GBS route. These are listed as follows:

11. a) An Memorandum of Understanding with LIC of India was signed on 11.3.2015 for
committed long-term funding   to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh crore over 5 years for
financing Railway projects.  First tranche of Rs 2000 cr has been received.

1. b) MOF approved issue of tax free bonds by IRFC amounting to Rs.6,000 crore during
the FY 2015-16; the entire amount has been raised from the market.

1. c) World Bank was approached to explore the possibility of setting up a Railway

Infrastructure Development Fund for raising resources for long term investment
in Railways.   A detailed scope and options study has been commissioned by World
Bank which is currently in progress.

1. d) World Bank loan of USD 650 million to finance Eastern DFC – Phase 3 (Khurja-
 Ludhiana & Khurja-Dadri section) has been negotiated as a direct loan to DFCCIL
under Govt. of India guarantee.

1. e) IRFC’s proposal to raise a Syndicated Foreign Currency Loan of USD 400 million to
re-finance an earlier ECB of the same amount, aimed at achieving a saving in debt
service costs by about Rs.33 crore, has been agreed and backed by MOR.

Speedy Project Implementation and Execution:

Following steps were taken to improve project delivery by addressing the issues of fund
availability and empowerment of field organization:

1. a) Identification of projects leading to throughput enhancement/network

decongestion was done and these projects were prioritized for dedicated financing
and targeted execution. These projects have been provided adequate funding to
enable timely completion.

1. b) For prompt and speedy execution of Railway Projects, it was decided to delegate
full powers to General Managers for acceptance of tenders. The powers to revise
estimates have also been enhanced.

Policy Formulation:

1. a) The policy guidelines on station redevelopment on Swiss challenge mode, were

finalized and issued.
2. b) Model Concession agreement for Customer Funded model was finalized and
issued.
3. c) Model Agreement for EPC was finalized and issued.

Obtaining professional input from outside agencies:

a)A Working Group and an Advisory Body have been constituted to assist in suggesting
modified accounting system.

1. b) Financial Services Cell headed by Adv (Finance) has been constituted in the
Railways and services of SBICAPS are being engaged to obtain expert inputs.

 
 1. c) An Advisory Board on Railway finances with members drawn from the highest
echelons of financial world like SBI Chairman, MD & CEO/ IDFC Bank and Shri
Raghav Bahl, Founder, The Quintillion Media Pvt. Ltd. has been constituted. Members
have given valuable ideas and suggestions on diverse topics like investment
strategies and accounting reform.

 SAFETY

Working towards ‘Zero Accident’ Mission.

Train Protection Warning System (TPWS): TPWS is a safety Automatic Train
Protection (ATP) system conforming to European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-
1.  It eliminates accidents caused by human error of Signal Passing at Danger or over
speeding by loco pilot. TPWS trials at 160 Kmph were successfully conducted during
the year on Nizamuddin-Agra Cantt. Section after completion of requisite works. This
section was also made signalling fit for speed potential of 160 Kmph by executing
required signaling system upgradations during the year.
Enhancement of Safety at Level Crossing Gates: 282 Level Crossing Gates have
been interlocked with Signals to enhance safety.
Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS): To overcome shortcomings of ACD
system due to its dependence on GPS and for large scale deployment on Indian
Railways, a cost effective indigenous safety system – Train Collision Avoidance
System (TCAS) is being developed indigenously by RDSO in association with Indian
Vendors.  This system is aimed at providing dual capability of preventing train
accidents caused due to Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) or non observance of speed
restrictions by train drivers as well as preventing train collisions caused due to non-
observance of rules in case of manual operations. RDSO has finalized the
Specification after successful proof of concept trials.  Field work for Extended field
trials of TCAS with 40 locos on 3 sub-sections in Lingamapalli-Vikarabad-Wadi-Bidar
section, SCR (250 km) having RE/Non-RE, Single Line/Double Line Absolute Signalling
section with diesel and electric locos are in advance stage of progress by RDSO & SCR.
Achievements of Road Safety Works (i.e.  Level Crossing & ROB/Subways)(from
Jan, 2015 to Nov. 2015) : –

Elimination of Unmanned Level crossings by

Closure/Merger/Subways                    :           637

Manning                                              :           271

Total                                                    :           908

Closure of Manned Level Crossings               :           312

Construction of Road Over Bridges               :           155

Construction of Subways                               :           699

 
 Provision of Integrated Security System (ISS)

ISS at 5 stations namely Trivandrum, Mangalore & Ernakulum (SR), Triputi (SCR), Thane
(CR) has been commissioned. In addition to that, CCTV system has been commissioned at
10 stations namely Miraj (CR), Bengaluru, Yesvantpur, Mysore(SWR), Bhubaneswar,
Puri, Cuttack, Visakhapatnam (ECoR), Bhopal & Itarsi (WCR).  Cumulatively, ISS at 63
stations has been commissioned over Indian Railway. In addition to that, CCTV system
has been cumulatively commissioned at 19 stations over Indian Railway.  CCTV
surveillance system has been provided at 21 PRS/UTS locations.

In the current year from 1st April to 10th December, 2015, consequential train
accidents decreased from 105 to 81 in comparison to the corresponding period of the
previous year.
During the current year from January to 10th December 2015, safety drives were
launched by Board on prevention of cases of SPAD, prevention of accidents at
unmanned level crossings, observance of rules and precautions during shunting,
prevention of cases of fire in pantry cars, observance of rules for working of push
trolleys, etc.
One conference of Chief Safety Officers was organized for detailed discussions on
various issues relating to safety and rules for train operations.
High Level Safety Review Committee (HLSRC): HLSRC under the Chairmanship of
Dr. Anil Kakodkar, former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission submitted its
report on 17.02.2012.  The HLSRC has made 106 recommendations covering the
various aspects of Indian Railways.  All the recommendations have been examined
by the Board.  Out of the 106 recommendations, 68 have been fully accepted and of
which 22 have been fully implemented and 46 are under implementation. The
remaining 38 recommendations are under active consideration in the Ministry of
Railways for appropriate action in a phased manner.
Proposal invited for installation of ‘Fracture Detection System’ to detect Rail/weld
failures and prevent derailments.
Provision of Fire extinguishers in Non Air-conditioned coaches. A initial sanction for
provision on 1000 coaches has been made and the railways and production units are
in the process of provisioning the system.
Provision of double acting AC compartment swing doors on coaches for faster
evacuation of passengers in case of fire emergency.
Provision of Automatic fire and smoke detection system for Non AC coaches for the
first time.
Provision of Fire suppression system in Pantry cars and Power cars as these are
more fire prone than other passenger coaches.

ELECTRIFICATION AND SIGNALLING

 
 With a view to reduce the Nation’s dependence on imported petroleum based energy
and to enhance energy security to the Country, as well as to make the Railway System
more eco- friendly and to modernize the system, Indian Railways have been
progressively electrifying its rail routes. 1479 route kilometers have been energized
from January’ 2015 upto 15th December’ 2015.
Provision of Route Relay / Panel / Electronic Interlocking along with Multi
Aspect Color Light Signaling:  To increase efficiency and enhance Safety in train
operations, modern Signalling system with Route Relay Interlocking (RRI)/ Panel
Interlocking (PI)/ Electronic Interlocking (EI) along with Multi Aspect Colour Light
Signalling (MACLS) in replacement of Over–aged Mechanical/Multi Cabin Signalling
system has been provided at 299 stations.
Automatic Block Signalling (ABS): To increase line capacity and reduce headway,
Automatic Block Signalling has been commissioned on 141 Route Kms.
LED Signals: To improve reliability and visibility of signals, incandescent   filament
signal lamps are being replaced by long life, highly durable LED signals. 171 stations
have been provided with LED signals.

GREEN INITIATIVES

Railway has already provided Solar panel on roof top of coaches for train lighting
system in 2 broad gauge coaches & 4 narrow gauge coaches plying on Pathankot-
Joginder Nagar section in Kangra Valley and fourteen narrow gauge coaches plying
on Kalka-Shimla section on trial basis.
Setting up of Solar Plants : –  Tender document & policy guidelines for 50 MW solar
plants at rooftop of Railways buildings issued. 10 Railways have issued tenders
accordingly.
Setting up of wind plant : –  Commissioned 25 MW wind mill power plant at
Jaisalmer in October, 2015 which has already supplied 40 lakh units till now.
1000 MW solar power plants being set up over next 5 years; 10.5 MW already set up;
in 2015-16, additional 6.5 MW will be set up ; PPP model finalized.
Till Nov-2015, 7621 bio Toilets has been fitted in 2144 coaches. The cumulative
fitment of Bio Toilets till date is 27800 Bio-Tanks in about 9200 coaches.
An innovative Indian design of a Bio-Vac Toilets, a  Hybrid  of Vacuum Toilet and Bio-
Toilet is working successfully  in one coach of GHY Rajdhani train. It has opened a
new possibility to control  the problem of human waste falling from trains.

Bio diesel: Use of bio diesel-B5 (i.e. 5% Bio-Diesel and 95% Diesel) was started on 5th
June 2015 on World Environment Day. 11,000 KL of biodiesel has been ordered on 14
Zonal Railways.
CNG DEMU: CNG DEMU power cars introduced on Northern Railway to make
commuter trains environment and user friendly.
Work of Water Recycling Plants (WRPs) at 10 coaching depots got sanctioned in
Budget 2015-16. In addition, 32 stations have been identified for provision of WRP.
To facilitate participation in Green India Mission (GIM), Railways has requested
MoEFCC to issue guidelines to State Governments (beginning with Haryana & Punjab
 Govt.) for undertaking plantation on Railway land without affecting Railways’
requirement of cutting/felling of trees for its operational requirement.

        HUMAN RESOURCE

—        In order to cope with the stress involved in the job and to have a disciplined life,
Yoga training has been made mandatory in alltraining courses in Centralised Training
Institutes, Zonal Railway Training Institutes, Multi-Disciplinary Training Centres, Main
Training Centres and other Training Centres.

—        Instructions have been issued to start specialized programme on soft skills to
frontline staff dealing with customers in an effort to give greater thrust towards
customer satisfaction.

—        MOU has been signed with the Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on 14th July, 2015 to make available separable railway
infrastructure to MSDE and its authorised representatives to start skill training centres
in rural and remote areas.

—        For rationalisation of man power across Indian Railways, one of the big four HR
audit companies, Deloitte has been identified and entrusted with the task of studying the
manpower rationalization of the Group A services.

Modules on sensitization of Railway personnel on gender introduced in Centralised

Training Institutes.
Academic Service Agreement signed with Beijing Jiatang University, China for
training of 100 Railway officers of various departments in Heavy Haul Technology.
A Railway Chair known as ‘Chair on Sustainable Mobility’ set up at TERI University,
New Delhi.
In the current year of 2015-16, recruitment process is underway for about 48,500
Group ‘C’ posts with RRBs.  Out of these 48500 vacancies, panels for about 10800 RRB
empanelled candidates have since been supplied and process for the remainder is
on.
In a quantum leap towards achieving greater transparency, objectivity and
credibility, IT based recruitment system for Group ‘C’ posts has been initiated by the
RRBs.  A Pilot Project of Computer Based (On-line) applications and examinations for
54 categories of Senior Section Engineers (SSEs), Junior Engineers (JEs) and Chemical
and Metallurgical Assistants (CMA) has been completed successfully.
Positive efforts have been made to reduce the time taken for recruiting Group ‘C’
category staff from open market.  In this process, Computer Based examination for
SSE/JKE has been conducted within one month from the closing date of application. 
This has been possible due to the initiative of calling of On-line (IT based)
application.
As a measure of transparency, question paper, answer sheet and answer keys for
SSE/JE examination 2015 have been uplodaded on RRBs’ websites providing an
opportunity to the candidates to view their performance and to submit any
objection.  Candidates were also advised of this facility through individual
emails/SMSs.
 In order to reach out to the employees directly, Hon’ble MR had desired to convey
personal   Birthday wishes to every employee through SMS on mobile phone or letter.
Railway Recruitment Cells, since their formation in 2005, are into the fourth cycle of
conducting recruitment to posts in Grade Pay Rs.1800/-.  They have notified around
62000 vacancies in the year 2013 and are in the process of completion of the same
without any untoward incidents. So far, panels of around 38000 persons have been
published which includes panels of around 850 persons with disabilities.

  CLEANLINESS

Criterion for qualification of OBHS trains has been revised to include all important
mail &express trains (excluding purely overnight trains) under the scheme. With
revised criterion more than 1000 trains can now be covered under the OBHS scheme.
As against 34 last year, 74 trains has been covered in the current year for Onboard 
House-keeping.

Advice sent to  ZRs on 23.04.2015 for taking up Special Intensive Cleaning drive at
stations and being monitored. 11 ZRs have so far taken action at 226 stations  on this,
covering important stations.
27 Charitable Institutions/Social Organizations were invited to take part in ‘Swachh
Rail, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ through Shramdan campaign.  16 Organizations have
already launched their action in this regard.  One of the organizations viz. Sant
Nirankari Charitable Foundation offered is undertaking this campaign at 45 major
Stations of IR & KRCL.

2nd year of Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched w.e.f. 25.09.15 by
involving railways staff at all levels as well as Charitable Institutions / Social
organisations.  16 such organisations participated with railways in these efforts. The
first theme based drive viz. “Sardar Patel United Clean India drive” was observed
w.e.f 11.10.15 to 31.10.15 with special focus on Cleanliness and Sanitation of Stations
& Trains.
As a part of ‘SWACHCHH BHARAT ABHIYAAN’, the cleanliness activities monitored
through the CCTV cameras of 18 stations duly connecting them in a network and
extending the video stream to Divisional and Zonal Headquarters in SC Rly.

 RAILYATRI PAKHWADA

The historical country wide massive public outreach event under the name
“Railyatri/Upbhokta Pakhwada” (Passenger and customer Facilitation fortnight)
organized all over Indian Railways from 26.05.2015 to 09.06.2015 concluded
successfully.  This fortnight long programme was primarily directed towards
 improvement of passenger amenities and services, customer care, participation of
passenger and railway staff in various activities and for creating awareness amongst
the public about Railway’s initiatives and achievements.
Some of the tangible outcomes of this historical passenger outreach effort of Indian
Railways are as under:

1.233 projects/works of passenger amenities and services ranging from escalators,

foot over bridges, station buildings, reservation offices, new platforms, new train
services etc. were commissioned/opened for the railway passengers at an
approximate cost of Rs. 4000 crore.

2.Work on 73 projects connected with passenger amenities and augmentation of

network capacity was commenced costing approx. Rs. 550 crore.

3.                  Over 7000 Railway stations were inspectedby railway officials and

taken up for improvement in various passenger amenities.

4.                  4000 road shows were undertakenby senior railway officers at railway

station premises and in trains to interact with rail users, obtain their suggestions and
taking feedback on the railway services provided.

5.                  Passenger outreachthrough railway officers and staff, unions, NGOs,

scouts, guides, charitable organizations and through social media touched over 7
million passenger and public ( Face Book reach -5 million, Twitter Impressions- 1.3
million and .7 million passenger interactions at stations and in trains).

6.                  7500 cleanliness and sanitation drives and inspectionswere

undertaken at various stations, railway premises and colonies under ‘Swatch Bharat
Abhiyan’ with the involvement of railway staff, passengers and NGOs.

7.                  2700 catering services checkswere undertaken in order to ensure

quality of catering services and standards of hygiene at various stations and in
trains.

8.4600 intensive ticket checking drives were launched to curb the menace of ticket
less traveling and to prohibit the entry of antisocial elements.  These drives resulted
 in detection of 1.6 lakh cases and recovery of Rs. 9 crore of railway revenue.

9.                  3000 inspectionsfor improving punctuality of trains were undertaken

during this period.

10.              1400 inspectionswere conducted to check the presence of antisocial

elements, touts and other irregularities by teams of vigilance officers.

11.Intensive safety awareness drives were launched on all Zonal Railways with

focus on precautions to be taken by road users at unmanned level crossing
gates.  8500 such inspections were conducted by railway officials.

12.              126 Skill Development Programmeswere organized in various Railway

Workshops and Production Units to impart training to 5500 persons.

13.              MOUs were signed between Zonal Railways and 5 Railway PSUs for 10
identified railway stationsfor their participation in development of passenger
amenities through CSR.

14.              1300 Medical and Health Camps were organized by the Zonal

Railwaysat different locations which wereattended by 55000 persons both railway
employees and their families and also members of public.

15.              22000 staff quarters were taken up for repairsand maintenance in 450

identified railway staff colonies.

16.              590 Yoga camps were organizedand attended by 19000 persons.

17.As an outreach effort 176 Press conferences were organized at Zonal HQs,

divisional HQs State Capitals and District HQs.  Over 6700 news items were
published.

 
 

                                                             SPORTS

Indian Railway (5 Women & 1 Men) weightlifters represented India in the

Commonwealth Youth, Junior & Senior Weightlifting Championship held at Pune
from 11th to 15th November, 2015, the performance of Railways players is
outstanding. All Railway players won medals in this Championship. Ms. Matsa
Santoshi, Ms. Punam Yadav, Ms. Sanjita Chanu, Shri S. Satish Sivalingam won gold
medals and Ms. S. Mirabai Chanu won silver medal, Ms. Minati Sethi won Bronze
medal in their weight categories.
4 players in India’s Men Hockey team and 16 in Indian Women Hockey team
probables for Rio Olympic Games 2016 are from Indian Railway Hockey.
During January to December 2015, Indian Railway team won National titles in 15
disciplines and stood runners-up in 03. National titles in were for Aquatics (Men) -
Water polo, Swimming, Aquatics (Women) – Diving, Cricket (Women), Kabaddi
(Women), Bridge, Boxing (Women), Archery (Women), Powerlifting (Men &
Women),Atheltics (Women), Hockey (Men & Women) Volleyball (Men & Women) and
runners-up in were for Archery (Men), Aquatics (Men)- Diving, Kho-Kho.

Following Railway players have been honored with National Sports Awards during
January to December 2015:-

S.No.               Name                          Game                          Award                                    Rly.

1. i) Shri Mandeep Jangra              Boxing                                    Arjuna Award             NR

2. ii) Shri Manjeet Chhillar              Kabaddi                      Arjuna Award             NR

iii)                Shri S. Sathish Kumar             Weightlifting               Arjuna Award             SR

1. iv) Shri Bajrang                            Wrestling                     Arjuna Award             NR

         MISCELLANEOUS

For the Financial Year 2014-15 PLB equivalent to 78 days wages has been paid to
eligible railway employees as per Board’s letter No. E(P&A) II-2015/PLB-4 date
07.10.2015.  For the financial year 2015-2016 calculation of number of PLB days is yet
to be done.
E-procurement System was extended to 216 Depots/Divisions in the Zonal Railways.
Sale of scrap is 100% computerised through E-auction.
RPF rescued about 9,947 children.
It was been decided to provide CCTV on coaches without infringement of privacy of
women passengers as per specification developed by ICF and accordingly a work  of
provision on 500 coaches including 100 sub urban coaches has been sanctioned.
More than 100 Budget announcements implemented.
 January 1, 2016 0

Year End Review 2015: Ministry of Environment

and Forests

Highlights of the Achievements of the Ministry

of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Following are the highlights of the initiatives and achievements of Ministry of

Environment, Forest and Climate Change during 2015:

COP 21 AT PARIS:  Working Towards Climate Justice:

India was able to secure its interest and that of developing countries in the Paris
Agreement.

The Paris Agreement has unequivocally acknowledged the imperative of climate

justice and has based itself on the principles of equity and Common But
Differentiated Responsibilities.

The Agreement acknowledges the development imperatives of India and other

developing countries.

India Pavilion set up by the Government highlighted the initiatives taken by various
Ministries, State Governments, Missions under National Action Plan on Climate
Change, Industries, Civil Societies, NGOs etc. The Prime Minister inaugurated the
Indian Pavilion and released “PARAMPARA”, a book on India’s culture and climate-
friendly sustainable practices.

 
 

Comprehensive and balanced INDC submitted, which includes Adaptation,

Mitigation, requirement of Finance, Technology transfer, Capacity Building.

To put forward and further propagate a healthy and sustainable way of living based
on traditions and values of conservation and moderation.

To adopt a climate-friendly and a cleaner path than the one followed hitherto by
others at corresponding level of economic development.

To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005
level.

To achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-
fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030 with the help of transfer of technology and
low-cost international finance including from Green Climate Fund (GCF).

To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent

through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

To better adapt to climate change by enhancing investments in development

programmes in sectors vulnerable to climate change, particularly agriculture, water
resources, Himalayan region, coastal regions, health and disaster management.

To mobilise domestic and new & additional funds from developed countries to
implement the above mitigation and adaptation actions in view of the resource
 required and the resource gap.

To build capacities, create domestic framework and international architecture for

quick diffusion of cutting edge climate technology in India and for joint collaborative
R&D for such future technologies.

Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS) flagged off; to contribute towards
increasing the understanding of the science of Climate Change; the train will halt at
64 locations in about 20 states across the country.

INITIATIVES TO REDUCE POLLUTION:

National Air Quality Index was launched by the Prime Minister in April, 2015 starting
with 14 cities to disseminate air quality information. The AQI has six categories of air
quality, viz Good, Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor and Severe with
distinct colour scheme. Each of these categories is associated with likely health
impacts. AQI considers eight pollutants (PM10, PM 2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3 and Pb)
for which (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National Ambient Air Quality Standards
are prescribed.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) comprise 12 pollutants, out of

which, three pollutants namely PM10, SO2and NO2 are monitored at 612 locations in
254 cities /towns by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with
various State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees
(PCCs) for UTs.

Implementation of Bharat Stage IV norms in the 63 selected cities and

universalization of BS-IV by 2017.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on 27.11.2015 issued two Draft
Notifications for advancing the implementation timelines to 2019 for BS-V and 2021
for BS-VI for comments of stakeholders.

The Government has held four meetings with Ministers of Environment of National
Capital Region and Punjab on ways and means to reduce air pollution.
 

CPCB has worked out a transparent criteria to classify industries as ‘Red’ ‘Orange’
‘Green’ and ‘White’ Category to link with ease of doing business and granting of
consent including its siting. The criteria evolved are based on pollution potential and
resource consumption rather than capital cost.

The Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) is being revised by CPCB,

which will be based on weightage of air, water and land pollution.

Real time online monitoring of over 2100 industrial units in 17 highly polluting
category including those connected to C.E.T.P have been mandated, leaving those
units which have been exempted otherwise, or are not operational.  These industries
have been directed to monitor 24×7 effluent discharge quality and air emission
quality. So far, around 1800 industries are reported to have installed 24×7 devices.

CPCB has finalized standards for sewage treatment plants (STPs) which stipulate that
treated effluents from STP shall be utilized for non-potable use and if, such effluents
are to be disposed off into surface water body of the ground, in such cases, STPs will
have to meet stricter standards.

Real-time monitoring of water quality of Ganga initiated at eight stations on the main
course and two stations on Yamuna.

Developed Action Plan for Ganga mainstream States to achieve Zero Liquid
Discharge (ZLD) and water conservation for tanneries, distilleries, textiles, sugar and
pulp and paper and achieving improved effluent standards for irrigation in respect
of pulp and paper and sugar industries.

Environmental standards for Thermal Power Plants, Continuous Effluent Treatment

Plants (CETPs) and sugar industry have been finalized.

An online system for submission and monitoring of Environmental and Forest

approvals under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Forest
(Conservation) Act, 1980. It automates the entire tracking of proposals, including
online submission of a new proposal, editing/updating the details of proposals and
displays the status of the proposals at each stage of the workflow.
 

A joint action has been initiated with Water Resources Ministry to run sewage
treatment plants and with Urban Development Ministry for organised Solid Waste
Management. The same formula will be extended to all the other rivers.

Ministry has undertaken revamping Waste Management Rules, namely (i) Bio-
Medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, (ii) Solid Waste Management Rules,
(iii) Plastic Waste Management Rules, (iv) E-waste (Management) Rules, (v) Draft
Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Trans-boundary Movement) Rules
and its implementation will lead to significant improvement in waste management.
This is at an advanced stage of finalization.

The Ministry organised a Global Environment Facility (GEF) National Workshop in

association with GEF Secretariat, Washington on May 12-13, 2015.

An India Resource Panel has been established to promote resource efficiency and use
of secondary raw material.

INITIATIVES TO ENHANCE GREEN COVER:

Two Schemes namely Nagar Vana Udyan Yojana and School Nursery Yojana have
been launched. Nagar Vana Udyan Yojana aims to create at least one city forest in
each city with a minimum area of 25 ha. The scheme aims at creation of a City Forest
in forest areas within their jurisdiction up to a maximum of 100 ha and minimum
area of 20 ha. The objective of the Yojana is to create 200 City Forests in the country.
  The School Nursery Yojana aims to build a lasting bond of students with nature.

Under Green India Mission (GIM), perspective plans and annual plans of operations
of six States have been approved in the first sitting of the National Executive Council
held in May 2015. The Green India Mission aims at increasing the forest/ tree cover
by 5 million hectare as well as, increasing the quality of the existing forest cover in
another 5 million hectare. An amount of Rs. 50.77 crore has been released to four
States out of the fund allocation of Rs. 64 crore. At the second sitting of the National
Executive Council held in November 2015, Perspective Plan and Annual Plan of
Operations of another four States have been approved.

Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA): To

 ensure expeditious utilisation in transparent and efficient manner, and safety and
security of the accumulated amounts and fresh accruals, the Compensatory
Afforestation Fund Bill 2015 has been introduced in the Parliament. Enactment of the
Bill will pave way for utilisation of the huge accumulated amount significantly
contributing towards conservation and development of forest and wildlife.  Unspent
balance available with the said ad-hoc body has increased to about Rs.38, 000 crore.

OTHER INITIATIVES:

The International Day for Biodiversity celebrated across the nation on May 22, 2015.
This year’s theme was ‘Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’. At the main event
held in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, a project on Biodiversity Finance Initiative
(BIOFIN) was launched.

On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, the Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi, planted a ‘Kadamb’ sapling at 7, Race Course Road.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of

Environment, Forest and Climate Change and NOIDA for the development of Botanic
Garden of Indian Republic (BGIR) in NOIDA on June 5, 2015 on the occasion of World
Environment Day.  The Botanical Garden would also act as a centre for botanical
research scholars to carry out studies on rare species of plants.  249 eco-sensitive
proposals have been approved, which include 28 final notifications and 92 draft
notifications.

The final notification declaring Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Okhla bird sanctuary
has been issued by Government of India in the Gazette of India vide S/o2262 (E) dated
19th August 2015, providing relief to lakhs of house owners in NOIDA and Greater
NOIDA area.

The Ministry has launched the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity TEEB-India
Initiative (TII) to highlight the economic consequences of the loss of biological
diversity and the associated decline in ecosystem services.

 
 A commemorative stamp released to mark the centenary year of Zoological Survey of
India.

The Ministry commemorated World Day to combat Desertification on June 17, 2015.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in association

with UNESCO, has established a Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and
Training for the Asia and Pacific Region as a UNESCO Category 2 Centre at the
Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.

‘Chintan Shivir’ organised in Bangalore, Bhopal and Guwahati for young officers to
enable the officers from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and
officers from forest, pollution boards and scientists from the concerned departments
to introspect and discuss various aspects related to the Ministry.

January 1, 2016 0

Year End Review 2015: Ministry of Textiles

Several new initiatives have been undertaken by the Government of India under the
leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, to make development participative
and inclusive, in line with the core governance philosophy of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka
Vikaas’. As part of the above, the Ministry of Textiles, under the leadership of Hon’ble
Minister of State for Textiles (I/C), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, has initiated several
measures for promotion of the textiles industry in general and in assisting the youth,
women and disadvantaged segments of the society in particular. A sector-wise overview
of the same is given below.

1. Handicrafts Sector

The Government of India has revised handicrafts schemes and formulated a new
strategy, which has four broad components:

1. Infrastructure development, such as a Common Facility Centre in every cluster

2. Development of design and training, through schemes underOffice of DC
(Handicrafts)
3. Direct assistance to artisans, such as online assistance through their bank accounts
4. Linking up with market with participation of private sector

Various initiatives have been taken by the Ministry of Textiles for promotion and
development of handicrafts sector, in line with the above strategy.

Major thrust was given to result- oriented Focused Implementation of various

programmes such as:
Linking craft productsto Market Demand; Design & Product Development depending
upon market need
 Cluster Level Development; Providing Common Facility Centres at Cluster Level;
Restructuring Implementation modalities of Mega Cluster Scheme to make it more
market oriented
An online location-wise directory of handicrafts products is being made, with contact
details of artisans from each cluster, which would facilitate buyers to get in touch
with them.
Action is being taken to provide Government assistance directly into the bank
accounts of artisans through online funds transfer.
The Ministry has initiated action for supporting start-up entrepreneurs in taking up
handicraft/handloom production on a commercial scale and in availing credit from
MUDRA Bank.
Efforts are on to link Self-Help Groups with export groups.
In addition to organizing training by master artisans, services of firms dealing with
bulk sale/exports of handicrafts are being mobilized for design requirement and
training.
An action plan has been prepared jointly by Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of
Textiles, for exploiting the potential of tourism in marketing handicrafts products. It
covers setting up of:

1. Artisan villages as tourist destinations;under this initiative, Raghurajpur in Odisha

has been taken up for over-all development as a tourist destination
2. Way-side amenities
3. Mega showrooms in metros
4. Sales counters in major places of tourist attraction.

Organizations dealing with ethnic handmade items are being encouraged to develop
new design as per market demand and adopt artisan groups for production with new
designs along with marketing facility.
E-commerce is being used to market handicrafts; this has the potential to
substantially enhance wages of primary producers by eliminating intermediaries on
the one hand, and by passing on market information continually and easily on the
other.
A scheme has been launched to set up three new Mega Clustersin Bareilly, Lucknow
and Kutch.  Rs. 18.30 crore has already been released and work in this direction is in
progress.
A new scheme, Development of other crafts of J&K has been launched for
development and growth of Handicrafts Clusters of J&K.
Programmes for Integrated Development & Promotion of Handicrafts by SC/ST
artisans have been initiated in the states of Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.
A programme, Comprehensive development and Promotion of Indian Handmade
Carpet for SC/ST Weavers, has been initiated.
Hastkala Academy is being set up in the national capital, with the objective of
supporting the preservation, revival and documentation of the traditions of
Handlooms and Handicrafts.
302 events such as design workshop/projects have been sanctioned under Design and
Technical Upgradation scheme, with a financial implication of Rs. 16.17 crore.
304 marketing events such as Gandhi Shilp Bazaar, Craft Bazaar and Exhibition
have   been organized under Marketing Support and Services with a financial
implication to the tune of Rs. 38.05 crore.
 20 studies and 48 seminars/workshops have been conducted under the scheme of
Research and Development, with a financial implication to the tune of Rs. 3.58 crores.
329 Training programmes have been conducted under Human Resource
Development scheme, with a financial implication of Rs. 15.36 crores.
37,283 artisans have been covered under Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana.
Work of construction of building and setting up of ten Projects like Urban Haat,
Resource   Centres and Office Buildings etc. have been completed under the scheme
of Infrastructure and Technological Development, with a financial implication to the
tune of Rs. 4.97crore.

2. Handlooms Sector

A number of steps have been taken by the Government for revival of handloom sector,
giving particular stress on increasing the earning of handloom weavers, which would in
turn attract the younger generation to this profession. These steps have been taken in
light of the new strategy for revival of handlooms; the major pillars of the new strategy
are the following:

Organizing the weavers in clusters and providing basic infrastructure by setting up

Common Facility Centres with godown, office with internet facility, rest room,
facilities for training and bulk processing in each block having concentration of
traditional handloom weavers
Encouraging handloom weavers to user Information Technology based intervention
extensively for direct benefit transfer under Jan Dhan Yojana, getting market
information as well as for selling products through e-commerce
Launching ‘India Handloom’ brand for promoting high value handloom products
with new design, zero defect (in fabrics), zero effect (on environment) and assurance
to consumer to about genuineness and quality of the product
Promoting educated youth from weavers’ families as weaver entrepreneurs, who
will get market information, produce and market cloth directly; with a view to
increasing the earnings from handloom weaving substantially
Linking handloom with fashion and tourism, with a view to expanding the market
and increasing earnings
Providing assistance to handloom weavers in training, design development,
acquisition of looms and accessories online, supply of quality raw material in
decentralized manner
Involving private sector in design development and marketing

Following are the major interventions taken in light of the above.

1. Block-level cluster approach has been adopted for development of handlooms. This
provides for integrated and holistic development of cluster by implementing need-
based interventions. National Handloom Development Programme has been
amended accordingly, to make it more flexible to suit the requirements of the cluster,
with higher scale of finding by GoI, discontinuation of the State contribution, direct
release of funds to Implementing Agency and direct transfer of funds in the bank
account of beneficiary through ECS. A Common Facility Centretoo is being set up in
each block, havingconcentration of traditional handloom weavers and other areas
 where handloom weaving is feasible on a commercial scale.

o   Total spending per cluster has been more than tripled from Rs. 60 lacs to Rs. 2 crores
(per block cluster). A cluster in the block is eligible to avail the financial assistance upto
Rs.2.00 crore for various interventions such as setting up of Common Facility Centre
(CFC) (including Common Service Centre (CSC)), engagement of textile designer-cum-
marketing executive, construction of workshed, appointment of Cluster Development
Executive (CDE), technological up-gradation, skill up-gradation etc.

o   The scheme permits setting up of Dye House with an Effluent Treatment Plant in the
district, with an additional funding of Rs. 50 lakh.

o   The Weavers’ Service Centre will develop designs for the cluster with the support of
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and private designers and evaluate the
success of designs given by private designers. Computer Aided Textile Design (CATD)
centre will be provided for a group of clusters instead of each cluster.

o   Financial assistance for work-shed for individual weavers has been increased to from
Rs. 35000 to Rs. 70000. Weavers belonging to Above Poverty Line (APL) category can also
avail of the assistance provided they contribute 25% of the funding requirement. Such
assistance can be credited directly to the bank account of the weaver, who may procure
required material as per his own choice.

o   Category of Implementing Agencies has been widened to include Primary Weavers’
Cooperative Societies and Self Help Groups (SHGs) registered as legal entity and other
appropriate legal entities working for handlooms.

2. The Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS) is under

implementation during the 12thPlan for development of Mega Handloom Clusters.
As per the scheme, mega handloom cluster should have atleast 15,000 handlooms
and funding upto Rs. 40 crore as GoI share is eligible per cluster. The following major
revisions have been made to the scheme in August 2015:

o   Adoption of the Block level cluster approach on the lines of NHDP

o   In direct benefit interventions, 90% funding will be by GoI and 10% by beneficiary.
Financial assistance will be released directly to the bank account of the beneficiaries.

o   Expansion of the list of Implementing Agencies

o   Change in pattern of funding and release of funds.

Block level CFC and related interventions including infrastructure (except land) will
be fully funded by GoI.
For block level CFC, funds will be released in two equal instalments; for other
components, funds will be released in three instalments of 40%, 50% and 10%.

3. Various steps have been taken in order to strengthen handloom institutions, in

order to produce graduates with better employment opportunities and skills to serve
the handloom sector.
o   Setting up of new IIHT in Central Sector – A new Indian Institute of Handloom
Technology (IIHT) for West Bengal for conducting diploma course in handloom and
textile technology with initial intake of 30 students started functioning since 04/08/2014
and first year DHTT course has commenced from the current academic year 2015-16.

o   Setting up of new WSCs in Central Sector – Three new WSCs at Aizwal, Dimapur and
Ranchi have started functioning.

o   Introduction of degree course in IIHT – Degree course ‘B.Tech. in Handloom & Textile
technology’ has been introduced at IIHT, Salem from academic year 2015-16.

o   Continuation of IIHT, Bargarh – An IIHT has been set up at Bargarh (Orissa) in 11th
Plan, to cater the need of handloom industry of Orissa and adjoining States. Requisite
budget provision to meet functional and operational requirement of IIHT, Bargarh has
been kept during 12th Plan.

o   The Union Textiles Minister has laid the foundation stone of an Integrated Textile
Office Complex at IIHT, Varanasi. The proposed office complex will house all offices in
Varanasi under the Ministry of Textiles, which work for the welfare of weavers. Co-
location of offices of various allied agencies under Ministry of Textiles in the proposed
building will provide a common platform to all stakeholders, including weavers,
exporters and marketing agencies. This will enable them to better reap the benefits of
Government schemes and with less effort, resulting in saving of time and money. This
will thereby contribute to higher productivity, income and better livelihoods for
weavers. In addition, situating ITOC in the IIHT campus will facilitate obtaining of
necessary approval for starting the Degree course “B. Tech in Handloom & Textile
Technology” at IIHT Varanasi campus on the lines of the course in IIHT Salem. This in
itself will fulfill the long-felt need for such a course in this part of the
country.Furthermore, bringing a NIFT extension counter in the IIHT campus will not
only catalyze the students’ learning process, but will also bring in better synergy
between their academic projects and the design related activities of Weavers Service
Centre, resulting in value-addition to the weavers’ products.

4. To streamline the credit flow to handloom sector, it has been decided to take up
special campaign on fast track for completing the reconciliation of accounts of
Handloom Cooperatives and individual weavers to issue NoC to the concerned for
availing fresh loan. A pilot project has been launched in partnership with Punjab
National Bank in Varanasi and Bhubanewar to provide Rupay card to weavers for
loans under the PM Mudra Yojana and benefits of Concessional Credit Component
are being provided through this PNB Weaver Mudra Scheme.
5. National Handloom Development Corporationhas opened 10 yarn depots-cum-
warehouses in 12th plan so as to ensure timely supplies to the users on cash basis,
besides taking care of individual weavers who need yarn in small quantity.  Location
of these warehouses are Sitapur &  Moradabad (UP), Guwahati (Assam),
Samudragarh (West Bengal), Kannur (kerala), Chirala & Karimnagar (Andhra
Pradesh), Agartala (Tripura), Bhubneshwara (Odisha) and Ranchi/Godda
(Jharkhand).  Further, to ensure availability of yarn in time as per requirement, state
governments have been requested to prepare quarterly production plan of each
cluster, with a focus on production of high value-added items and to indicate
requirement of yarn and dyes/chemicals toNHDC.
 6. A policy framework to promote e-marketing of handloom products has been
launched, in order to promote marketing of handlooms in general and to reach the
younger customers in particular. The policy framework has been developed with the
key objectives of promoting the interests of both producers and consumers of
handloom products. Under the policy framework, the Office of DC (Handlooms)
would collaborate with approved e-commerce entities in promoting e-marketing of
handloom products, in a transparent, competitive and effective manner. The policy
thus widens the existing ambit of institutional collaboration between Office of DC
(Handlooms) and e-commerce players.
7. The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the first National Handloom
Day on 7thAugust, 2015, at a national level function in Chennai. August 7 will
henceforth be celebrated as National Handloom Day. The date August 7 has been
chosen due to its special significance in India`s history; it was on this day that the
Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905. The formal proclamation of Swadeshi
Movement was made on August 7, 1905 in a massive meeting in the Calcutta Town
hall. The movement involved revival of domestic products and production processes.
The Government of India has declared August 7 as National Handloom Day every
year, in memory of this.
8. The ‘India Handloom’ brand has been launched by the Prime Minister on the first
National Handloom Day (on August 7, 2015),for better market positioning of quality
handloom products. The brand signifies high quality defect free, socially and
environmentally compliant products for catering to the needs of high-end
consumers. All products under the brand would have benchmarked quality
parameters for raw material quality, processing as well as for proving the origin
(Geographical Indication) from the hand-woven sector. A promotional campaign for
the ‘India Handloom’ Brand has been started by the Government. The campaign
seeks to make handloom products aspirational, especially among the younger
generation, by instilling in them a sense of pride in wearing handloom products. As a
part of this, the brand ‘India Handloom’ has entered social media.
9. It has been decided to organize regular exhibitions/sale festivals in large cities in
different parts of the country, in order to provide regular marketing facilities for
promotion of handlooms and handicrafts. To begin with, three venues have been
identified in the national capital, where exhibitions/sale festivals shall be organized
round the year, on the pattern of those in Dilli Haat. Similar initiatives as in Delhi
would be taken up in other cities of the country. Cities shall be identified by matching
locations where tourism projects have been sanctioned by the states, with
identifiedhandicraft/handloom clusters.
10. To promote handlooms with fashion, a National Workshop on Handlooms and
Fashion, Exhibition and Fashion Show was organized at NIFT, Bhubaneswar in
January 2015. The workshop witnessed participation of students from all 15 NIFTs,
officials and designers from 25 Weavers’ Service Centres, handloom weavers and
some private institutions. Further, the course work in NIFTs is being integrated with
handloom and handicrafts clusters to achieve twin objectives of giving field exposure
to students for skill enhancement, and product development / design for better
marketability.
11. Powerloom Sector
12. The decentralised powerloom sector is one of the most important segments of the
Textile Industry; it provides employment to 61.72 Lakh persons and contributes 60%
 to total cloth production in the country. There are approx. 24.69 Lakh Power looms in
the Country as on July, 2015. The technology level of this sector varies from plain
loom to high tech shuttle-less looms. There are approximately 1,25,000 shuttle less
looms in this sector.
13. Group Work shed Scheme (GWS)(Rs. in crores)

No. of
Fund Fund
Year Target Project
allotted Utilization
Approved
2014-15 20 71 17.00 16.40
2015-16 8 27 20.07 15.91
 

3. Pilot Scheme of in-situ upgradation of existing plain powerlooms:The aim of the

scheme is to upgrade the plain power loom to semi-automatic looms by providing
additional attachments and to enable the power loom weavers to improve the
production and quality of fabrics to face the competition in domestic and
international markets.

Fund GOI Share

Target
allotted released
Year (No. of Achievement
(Rs. in (Rs. in
looms)
crore) crore)

2014-15 8303 8531 12.48 9.98

2015-16 30433 33242 36.55 34.18
 

4. Tex-Venture Capital Fund: TEX Fund is a dedicated fund with a corpus of Rs.35
crore for investing primarily in companies engaged in manufacturing and services
activities in the powerloom industry. Government of India will provide Rs. 24.50
crore while SIDBI’s contribution will be Rs.10.50 crore. SIDBI is sponsor of the Fund,
 SIDBI Trustee Company Ltd (STCL) is the Trustee and SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd.
(SVCL) is the Investment Manager of the Fund. Three projects were sanctioned for
investment of Rs.7.50 crore and another six proposals given in-principle approval as
on September 30, 2015.
5. Silk Sector
6. Silk production targets for the year 2014-15 have been fully achieved.The amount of
Rs 297.58 Cr. allocated for the year 2014-15 for plan developmental activities has
been fully utilized. For the year 2015-16, an allocation of Rs.178.10 Cr. has been
approved, against which, an amount of Rs. 145.74 Cr. has been released as on
November 3rd, 2015.
7. Cold Storage for Bivoltine Silkworm Seed (infrastructure improvement): A state-of-
the-art cold storage unit capable of storing 1.3 crore layings has been established in
Mysore. This was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Textiles Minister on 9th February 2015.
8. Custom duty on import of raw silk: Custom duty on raw silk is an issue which is to be
decided keeping in view the interest of the domestic silk growers/ rearers/ reelers on
the one hand and the need of the silk weavers on the other hand. The decision for
reducing the basic custom duty on raw silk from 15% to 10% was taken, keeping in
view the request of silk weavers for getting better quality silk yarn and to protect our
domestic twisters, weavers and other stakeholders along the value chain.
9. Catalytic Development Programme is the foremost programme of the Govt. of India
for the development of Sericulture in India. From the current Financial Year 2015-16,
a Single Scheme with the title “Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry”
 has been formulated for clubbing all the above Central Sector Schemes and one
Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

5. Cotton Sector
6. To safeguard interests of domestic cotton growers, a well-planned, largest ever
Minimum Support Price operation was carried out by the Cotton Corporation of India
in the 2014-2015 cotton season, in all 11 cotton producing states. This operation was
highly successful, with procurement crossing 86 lakh bales up to 30thMarch 2015.
7. Online payment directly to the account of cotton farmers has been taken up in
Andhra Pradesh, in consultation with the state Government. This initiative would be
extended to other states in phases to ensure payment of right sale proceeds in time.
8. The MSP for Medium Staple Cotton has been raised to Rs. 3800 per quintal and for
Long Staple Cotton has been raised to Rs. 4100 per quintal respectively for the cotton
season 2015-16.
9. During cotton season 2014-15, India became number one in terms of area under
cotton cultivation, with a cultivated area of 129.71 lakh hectares as against 117.27
lakh hectares in 2013-14.
10. For the cotton season 2015-16, CCI alongwith respective State Govts. has made
arrangements for meeting any eventuality of MSP operations in all the cotton
growing States, to avoid distress sale by the cotton farmers. CCI operates more than
340 procurement centres all over the country under MSP during 2015-16 across 92
District in 11 Cotton growing States in the country. As on 16.10.2015, 6.19 lakh bales
arrived for cotton season 2015-16. Out of these, 307 bales have been procured by CCI
under MSP operations.
11. Special initiatives taken for possible MSP operations during cottonseason 2015-16 for
 the benefit of farmers:

(a) Direct online payment to farmers

(b) Bar coded cards for farmers (in Telangana)

(c) IEC activities to sensitize about moisture limits, not bringing kapas in jute bags to
avoid contaminations.

7. For making the sales system more transparent and market driven, CCI commenced
the sale of FP cotton bales through e-Auction.
8. CCI undertook 700 nos. Contract Farming with FLD programme for betterment of
yield/ quality of cotton in backward areas in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West
Bengal. There has been significant increase in profitability in these areas, mainly due
to improvement in yield/quality, reduction in cost of cultivation and higher price
realization.
9. India hosted the International Cotton Advisory Committee Plenary Meeting in
Mumbai from December 6-11, 2015, after a gap of eleven years. Organized by the
Office of the Textiles Commissioner, Mumbai along with Cotton Corporation of India,
Cotton Association of India and the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, the 74th
Plenary meeting was organized under the theme “From Farm to Fabric: The Many
Faces of Cotton”. The Plenary Meeting of ICAC provides a forum for discussion of
international issues of importance to the world cotton industry, and provide
opportunities for industry and government leaders to consult on matters of mutual
concern. Around 500 delegates from 36 countries participated in the Mumbai
Plenary.
10. A pilot project under the Direct Payment Deficiency System (DPDS) for paying MSP
guarantee for the cotton farmers has been initiated at Hinganghat taluka of
Maharashtra. Under this system, the farmers will directly get the amount which is
the difference between the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the market price,
should the market price fall below the MSP. For availing of the benefit, farmers
would have to present proof of cotton sold at Agriculture Produce Market Committee
yards, plus other papers such as ownership document, yield estimation and other
details. If the pilot is successful, the DPDS would be rolled out in all cotton growing
regions.

6. Wool Sector

During financial year 2014-15, the Central Wool Development Board, Jodhpur (CWDB)
has implemented different schemes for development of Wool Sector and scheme-wise
following achievements were made:

1. Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) has been launched in Ladakh region as a

supplementary programme for Pashmina wool development, with total financial
outlay of Rs. 19.12 crore. The foundation stone of Pashmina Dehairing Plant building
at Leh was laid by Union Textiles Minister.
2. ‘Sheep & Wool Improvement Scheme’ (SWIS) has benefited 18 lakh sheep under
different ongoing projects and covered 21 lakh new sheep against target of total 28
 lakh sheep.
3. Pashmina Wool Development Scheme (PWDS) has benefited 800 families and 2 lakh
pashmina goat in Leh and Kargil districts.
4. Angora Wool Development scheme in Himachal Pradesh and Manipur has covered
1,200 angora rabbits under ongoing projects.
5. Projects have been sanctioned to different wool producing states in order to procure
46 Sheep Shearing machines under Quality Processing of Wool scheme.

7. Jute Sector
8. To safeguard interests of producers and manufacturers of jute and jute products
estimated at about 4.35 million families, the Government in January 2015, approved
orders for mandatory packaging of food grains in jute bags and subsidy to Jute
Corporation of India to support MSP operations in jute. The validity of the order was
later extended up to 31.12.2015.
9. Minimum Support Price (MSP) for raw jute and mesta is fixed every year to
encourage farmers to grow more jute.  It has been fixed at Rs.2700 per quintal for
2015-16, marking an increase of 12.5% over 2014-15. The Jute Corporation of India is
supported by the Government with a subsidy of Rs.204 crore for meeting the
operational expenditure for four years starting 2014-15, in preparedness for
Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations at the start of every year.
10. The Ministry is in constant touch with various stakeholders, including consumers
and state Governments, for promoting more usage of value-added diversified
products, development of higher technology products and to expedite the use of
assets with state-owned jute mills. Multiple review meetings were held by the Union
Textiles Minister with various stakeholders in this regard.
11. Jute Common Facility Centres: Jute Common Facility Centres (CFCs) scheme has
been launched on 1.9.2015 for providing avenues for value addition, production,
quality assurance through construction facility, direct support to members,
integrated design, product development, training and market development etc. Five
Common Facility Centre (CFC) are sanctioned at the five locations in West Bengal
(3), Assam (1) and Bihar (1) in major jute growing district.  An amount of Rs.10 crore
has been allocated for 2015-16.
12. Jute Geotextiles:- For promotion of large scale use of Jute Geotextiles for control of
erosion, road construction, river embankments and in slope stabilization, major
Government Departments and State Governments are advised to promote use of jute
as geo-textiles.  Special scheme for promotion of Geo-Textiles has been launched in
the North Eastern States on 24.3.2015 with an outlay of Rs.427 crores.
13. Asset Utilisation and Revival of Jute Mills of NJMC: The National Jute Manufacturers
Corporation Limited (NJMC) was formed in 1980 by the nationalization and
amalgamation of the following six jute undertakings:National Company Limited—
Sankrail, Alexandra Jute Mills Limited—Jagaddal, Union Jute Company Limited—
Sealdah,Khardah Company Limited—Titagarh,The Kinnison Jute Mills Company Ltd
—Titagarh andRBHM Jute Mills Pvt., Limited—Katihar, Bihar.  In view of continuous
cash loss and complete erosion of net worth, NJMC was declared sick by the Board
for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR). The proposal for the revival of
NJMC was approved by the Cabinet with the directions to close three mills (National,
Alexandra & Union in West Bengal), and to monetise the closed mills through sale of
 assets. However, as the sale of asset without converting the land use from factory/
industry to residential/commercial use, would not give adequate returns, a
Transaction Advisor (Price Waterhouse Coopers Ltd.)  was appointed to explore
various options for monetisation.  Based on the draft report of PWC, it is proposed to
develop  a garment park at Union mill, on the lines of Paridhaan Garment Park set up
by WBIDC and also for setting up Integrated Textile Parks with developed industrial
sheds at the Alexandra and National mills, through a joint venture with NBCC or
another PSU. This initiative will help in expanding textile industry and also serve to
generate employment, apart from monetisation of the assets.
14. A strategy has been formulated by the Government to address the price rise of raw
jute. Hon’ble Minister forTextiles, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar chaired a meeting
with the stakeholders on the 23rd November, 2015 to evolve a suitable strategy for
stabilizing the raw jute market and for tackling the situation of rise in the price of
raw jute. After discussion, a three-pronged strategy has been formulated by the
Government:

o   Stock limits, de-hoarding operations: Jute Commissioner has been requested to take
appropriate measures for notifying stock limits for raw jute for balers, traders and
millers and to undertake de-hoarding measures with the help of State Governments, so
that jute produced during the season becomes available for jute mills for continuing
their production, as was last done in 2005.

o   Lifting of export ban by Bangladesh: Department of Commerce and Ministry of

External Affairs have been requested to take up the matter with their counterparts in
Republic of Bangladesh for lifting the ban on export of raw jute by Bangladesh.

o   Promoting jute cultivation: Appropriate long-term measures shall be taken by the

State Governments and Department of Agriculture, Government of India for
encouraging jute cultivation and checking its declining trend.

8. Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS)

9. Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) has been continued for the 12th Plan
(2012-17) under Revised Restructured TUFS (RR- TUFS) with a budgetary allocation of
Rs. 11952.80 crore. The major focus of the scheme under 12th Plan is Modernization
of Powerloom Sector. The subsidy rate under RR-TUFS for brand new shuttle-less
loom is 6% Interest Reimbursement (IR) +15% Capital Subsidy (CS) (in place of 5%
IR+10%CS) and the Margin Money Subsidy (MMS) for MSME units has been increased
to 30% from 20% in case of brand new shuttle-less looms; for ‘other’ sectors the
subsidy benefit continues to be same as in R-TUFS, except for ‘standalone spinning’
and second-hand imported shuttle-less looms, in which case the benefit has been
reduced from 5% to 2%. Besides, 10 % of approved outlay for new sanctions has been
earmarked for MSME sector.
10. The scheme, since its inception, has propelled investment of more than Rs.2,71,480
crore till date and an amount of Rs.21,346.91crore has been released towards subsidy
under the Scheme. An allocation of Rs. 1520.79 crore has been made under the
scheme during 2015-16 out of which Rs. 882.49 crore has been disbursed till
30.09.2015.
11. Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks
12. 72 Textiles Park projects have been approved so far in 10th, 11th& 12th Five Year
Plans. 20 new textile parks have been sanctioned in FY 2014 – 2015, for facilitating
investment up to Rs. 4,500 crore and generating employment for 66,000 people. Three
new textile parks have been sanctioned in FY 2015 – 2016.
13. The scheme, which is being implemented in Public Private Partnership mode, has
been reoriented to promote industrialization.
14. Matter for income tax holiday and service tax exemption under SITP and for Mini
Integrated Textile Park Scheme is being taken up with Department of Revenue,
Ministry of Finance.
15. Proposal of Re-engineering of SITP to include Uttarakhand State IDC to set up Textile
Park is under consideration.

10. Integrated Processing Development Scheme (IPDS)

11. The Ministry targets to sanction 10-15 green field and brown field projects during
2015-16 depending upon the availability of budget. States like Tamil Nadu, Punjab,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat where many existing processing units are facing
closure due to court orders may be requested to expedite the proposals, along with
their commitment to share 25% of the project cost and also to ensure that the
proposal is approved by the State PCBs or IITs for effectiveness of the proposed
technological intervention.
12. Technical Research Associations (TRAs) under Ministry of Textiles have been
requested to give specific attention to R&D projects for developing cost effective
processing techniques to minimise water consumption and effluent generation while
formulating their revised plan for the current year 2015-16 and subsequent years.
They have also been asked to adopt 2-3 industrial units for pilot study of their
Research project on Pollution Control in collaboration with IIT Delhi, IIT Madras and
IIT Bombay.

11. Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS)

To mark the occasion of Good Governance Day, on 25th December, 2014, the ISDS has
been scaled up during the 12th Plan with an allocation of Rs. 1,900 crore to train 15 lakh
persons. To meet the needs of the industry for a skilled workforce and thereby support
its competitiveness, the Ministry has trained 3.75 lakh youth in textile trades,
particularly in the rapidly growing garmenting segment of the industry. The major
achievements during the last year are the following:

Industry oriented Training programmes: 

Course curriculum /  training contents  have been  standardized in consultation with

industry partners
Resource Support Agency (RSA) has been appointed for development and
standardization of course curriculum and assessment protocols.
Industry has been directly involved in imparting trainings.
Emphasis on employment generation:

Placement in industry is the major yardstick of the scheme. Minimum 70% of

trainees in a batch shall be placed in wage employment with minimum wage
prescribed for his /her skill category.
Emphasis is on making a non-worker a worker.
Target group will be preferably jobseekers amongst the rural youth, having
educational qualification preferably below 10+ 2 standard.

Robust monitoring Mechanism through e- initiatives:

A web based centralized Management Information System (MIS) for monitoring all
aspects of training program has been launched.
Bio-metric attendance of trainees has been made compulsory.
Aadhaar platform has been introduced in MIS for better identification of trainees
and avoid duplicity in trainings.
Payment to the Implementing Agencies has been linked to the progress on MIS and
system generated reports.
Time to time physical inspections by Regional offices of Textile Commissioners has
been instituted.
Introduction of web enabled online certificate generation on successful assessment
of the trainee has been made.

During 2014-‘15, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura,
Haryana, Goa, Telangana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have
been sanctioned projects under ISDS. During 2015-‘16, Punjab has been sanctioned
project under ISDS.

A National Workshop on Integrated Skill Development Scheme was held by the Ministry,
in August 2015, to share best practices, gather feedback and improve the
implementation of the scheme.

12. North Eastern Region Textiles Promotion Scheme (NERTPS)

A landmark initiative under NERTPS for construction of Apparel and Garment

manufacturing Centres in the NE States was launched in 2014, with the
announcement of Hon’ble Prime Minister on 1st December 2014 in Nagaland. The
objective of the scheme is to promote employment in the NE States and encourage
entrepreneurship especially amongst women, in the area of garmenting which has a
huge potential both within the country and abroad.

 
Accordingly, foundation stone have been laid by Hon’ble Textiles Minister, for Apparel
and Garment Making Centres in each of the seven states in the North Eastern Region.
Work on the centres has commenced and is nearing completion in some states.

Each Apparel and Garment Making Centre set up under the initiative is estimated to
generate direct employment for 1,200 people.

Each state will have one centre with three units, each having 100 machines. For local
entrepreneurs with requisite background, required facilities to start a unit will be
provided in ‘plug and play’ mode. Once such entrepreneurs get established, they can set
up their own units, allowing the facility to be provided to new entrepreneurs.
The project will be fully funded by the Ministry of Textiles, with an estimated expense of
Rs. 18.18 crores for each state. The initiative comes under the North East Region Textile
Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) of the Ministry of Textiles. NERTPS is an umbrella scheme
for the development of various segments of textiles, i.e. silk, handlooms, handicrafts and
apparels & garments. The scheme has a total outlay of Rs. 1038.10 crore in the 12th Five
Year Plan.

Besides this, a scheme to promote Geotechnical Textiles in North East Region has been
launched by the Textiles Minister in Imphal on 24th March, 2015. Two sericulture
schemes – Phase II of Sericulture Project for Valley Districts of Manipur and Integrated
Sericulture Development Project for Hill Districts of Manipur – were also launched by
the Textiles Minister on the same day in Imphal. The Minister also laid the foundation
stone for a powerloom estate in Imphal West on the occasion.

January 1, 2016 0

Year End Review 2015: Ministry of Women and

Child Development

Series of New Initiatives for Development of Women and Children mark the
achievements of WCD Ministry this year
Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Bill 2015 passed by Parliament

Flagship programme Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and One –Stop Centres launched

 33% reservation of women in police force, Special Mahila Police Volunteers,

Gender Champions and mobile phone panic buttons to prevent crimes against
women

Khoya Paya portal, landmark MoU with Railways and expansion of Childline to
track/restore/rehabilitate missing children

Sweeping Adoption reforms to make the process easy, transparent and quick

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development this year made rapid strides to
address the issues of women and child development. Special emphasis of the new
measures remained addressing the issue of crimes against women, measures for
protecting children especially girl child, adoption reforms,
tracking/rehabilitating/restoring missing children, empowerment of women and good
governance.

Juvenile Justice ( Care & Protection of Children) Bill 2015 :

In a landmark achievement, the above Bill has been passed by the Rajya Sabha on 22nd
December, 2015. This Bill now stands passed in the Parliament since the Lok Sabha
passed it on 7thMay this year. The JJ Bill, 2015 will now become an Act with the
Presidential approval.

This law will strengthen provisions for both children in need of care and protection and
children in conflict with law. Under Section 15, special provisions have been made to
tackle child offenders committing heinous offences in the age group of 16-18 years.

The Juvenile Justice Board has been given the option to transfer cases of heinous
offences by such children to a Children’s Court (Court of Session) after conducting
preliminary assessment. The provisions provide for placing children in a ‘place of
safety’ both during and after the trial till they attain the age of 21 years after which an
evaluation of the child shall be conducted by the Children’s Court. After the evaluation,
the child is either released on probation and if the child is not reformed then the child
will be sent to a jail for remaining term.

The enactment of this law is expected to act as a deterrent for child offenders
committing heinous offences such as rape and murder and will protect the rights of
victim.

To streamline adoption procedures for orphan, abandoned and surrendered children,

the existing Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has been given the status of a
statutory body to enable it to perform its function more effectively.  Processes have been
streamlined with timelines for both in-country and inter-country adoption including
declaring a child legally free for adoption.
Several new offences committed against children, which are so far not adequately
covered under any other law, have also been made part of this law. These include: sale
and procurement of children for any purpose including illegal adoption, corporal
punishment in child care institutions, use of child by militant groups, offences against
disabled children and, kidnapping and abduction of children.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao:

The adverse and declining child sex ratio (CSR) across the States is a major cause of
concern for the Government as it has fallen from 927 in 2001 to 918in 2011. The WCD
Ministry has taken a major step to arrest this trend by launching its flagship programme
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) this year. The programme was launched by the Prime
Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at Sonipat in Haryana on 22nd January, 2015. WCD
Ministry is working closely with the Ministries of Human Resource Development and
Health and Family Welfare to design and implement the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
initiative. BBBP seeks to improve the declining trend of Child Sex Ratio (CSR) in 100
selected districts in every State/ UT from the current level of 918 by preventing gender-
biased sex selection and ensuring survival, protection and education of the girl child.

An exhaustive National Media Campaign for advocacy and mind set change with a 360
degree approach was rolled out in January, 2015. Pan India awareness programmes
have been organized including radio (in Hindi & regional languages), TV, SMS
campaigns, Mobile Exhibition Vans in 96 BBBP Districts, field publicity with the support
of Song and Drama Division (4309 Programmes) and Directorate of Field Publicity (114
Programmes) of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.During the year 2014-15 and
2015-16, Rs. 48.10 crore was spent for the advocacy campaign. The campaign for 2015-16
would include online digital media, Radio and TV campaign, Cinema Halls, IVR based
139 (the universal railway enquiry number), community engagement through Song &
Drama Division of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

The Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has written to
Members of Parliament (MPs) for integration of BBBP under Adarsh Gram Yojana for
improving Child Sex Ratio in the village(s) selected. Digital India week exhibition of best
practice under BBBP, Mobile application on BBBP, widespread use of social and online
media by BBBP like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, website, MyGov, Vikaspedia etc., are
other initiatives taken up vigorously by the Ministry.

Multi-sectoral District Action Plans have been operationalized in all states. District
Collectors are leading the initiative and several best practices are seen. An increasing
trend is visible in at least 50% of the BBBP districts for the period from January-March
2015 in comparison to the baseline values of Sex Ratio at Birth in 2013-14 (as per HMIS).
 Capacity building and Training has been imparted to Master Trainers to further
strengthen capacities of District officials and frontline workers on the issue. Several
organizations have come forward to forge partnershipand engage on the issue.

Village Facilitation &Convergence Service:

Village Facilitation &Convergence Service is a new initiative aimed to linking women in

need with the schemes/programs being implemented by Central/State Government
impacting the lives of women such as BBBP, Sabla, Jan Dhan Yojana, Swach Bharat etc.
This is being implemented initially in 100 Gender critical districts listed under BBBP.

One Stop Centres:

The Ministry has launched the Scheme for setting up One Stop Centres to facilitate
access to an integrated range of services including medical, legal, and psychological
support to women affected by violence to be funded through Nirbhaya Fund. The One
Stop Centres will be integrated with 181 and other existing helplines. The Centre will be
established in every State/UT on a pilot basis. In the first phase, 36 One Stop Centres will
be established One in each State/UT. So far 30 One Stop Centres have been sanctioned,
out of which ten have become fully functional.

Nirbhaya Fund Utilisation:

Proposals of more than Rs 600 cr have been appraised and recommended under the
Nirbhaya Fund.  These include:

18. i) One Stop Centre with total project cost of Rs. 18.58 crore
19. ii) Universalisation of Women Helpline with Rs. 69.49 crore of Ministry of Women
and Child Development (MoWCD).

Proposals of Ministry of Home Affairs include:

200. i) Creation of Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) for supporting the States/UT
Administrations for implementation of Victim Compensation Scheme of Rs. 200.00
Crore.
201. ii) Creation of Investigative Units for Crime against Women (IUCAW) in all police
districts of the country of Rs. 324.00 Crore.

Funds amounting to Rs. 10.71 crore have been released in respect of One Stop Centres
and an amount of Rs. 13.92 crore has been sanctioned for Women Helpline. Ministry of
Home Affairs is processing the proposals as per instructions issued by the Ministry of
Finance, Department of Economic Affairs under Nirbhaya Fund for disbursement of
funds

Women Helpline:

A schematic proposal to enable the universalization of a Helpline specifically for women

with a common number 181 across the country has been approved. This Helpline will be
linked with One Stop Centres being established by the Ministry of Women & Child
Development. So far 21 states have been extended financial assistance & operationalised
this Helpline.

Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and

Redressal) Act 2013:

The Ministry has released a Handbook on the Act for ready reference of all. It is also
available on www.wcd.nic.in. The Handbook is meant for all workplaces, institutions,
organisations to provide basic understanding of sexual harassment at places of work. It
is also designed to offer Internal Complaints Committee/s and Local Complaints
Committee/s established under the Act with simple, user friendly information on sexual
harassment; what is expected of the Complaints Committee to redress a complaint and
what the inquiry process and outcome should be. The Handbook has been prepared in
consultation with stakeholders and experts.

WCD Ministry has recommended Mandatory disclosure of constitution of Internal

Complaints Committee by Companies in their annual report under the Sexual
Harassment of Women at Workplace Act. The Ministries/Departments in Government of
India have also been advised to ensure the compliance of the Act.  The Associated
Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Society, Chamber
of Commerce & Industry (CCI), and National Association of Software and Services
Companies (NASSCOM) have been requested to ensure effective implementation of the
Act amongst their members in private sector entities.

33% Reservation of Women in Police:

This initiative has been taken up to strengthen gender sensitivity in police force so as to
improve the overall police responsiveness to gender sensitive cases. So far 7 states and
all Union Territories have joined this initiative and have started recruiting additional
women police officers. Most of the other States have agreed to start working on this.

Special Mahila Police Volunteer Programme:

Guidelines for operationalization of Mahila Police Volunteers have been developed by
WCD Ministry and sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs for adoption. MPVs will act as a
link between police and community and facilitate women in distress. The MPVs shall
report the incidence of violence against women, domestic violence and dowry
harassment. They shall be given an Identity Card to authorize their identity and
engagement with public. The contribution of the MPVs will be rewarded annually.

Engendering Young Boys and Girls in Educational Institutions through Gender

Champions:

To sensitize young boys and girls on gender equality issues, the scheme of Gender
Champions has been introduced from the school level itself. The initiative has been
conceptualized to be implemented through Educational institutions for sensitizing
young boys and girls and for creating awareness on laws, legislations, legal rights and
life skills education. Gender Champions would be identified in each class from 8th
upwards and Gender Champions Club will be institutionalized in Educational
institutions. The Gender Champion Guidelines developed by WCD Ministry are being
operationalized in collaboration with M/o Human Resource Development. Department
of Higher Education has already taken up the initiative with University Grant
Commission (UGC). UGC vide a notification dated 3rd August, 2015 has requested
Colleges and Universities to implement Gender Champions., this programme has been
started for all educational institutions where selected boys and girls will be recognized
as Gender Champions. The objective is to catch them young and ingrain gender equality
during their formative years.

Recognition and Awards for Women Achievers:

The Ministry of Women & Child Development has placed at the forefront of its efforts to
recognize and reward the achievements of women to make a difference of life,
aspirations and opportunities available to women. New awards have been instituted to
recognise exceptional and selfless work done by women, at district and State levels
(throughout the country). These awards will be decided at State/ UT level. These awards
will be presented on International Women’s Day.

For the first time, in collaboration with Facebook, Ministry of Women and Child
Development is running a contest to select 100 women achievers through public
nominations and voting. Women who have contributed in improving their community
and making an impact on people around them shall be felicitated by the Ministry.

The Ministry has also collaborated with media to highlight women achievers. One such
year long programme ‘Abke Baras Mohey Bitiya hee Dijo’ is being telecast jointly by
Focus TV, ETV and Doordarshan.

SABLA:
 This scheme has been specially designed for providing life skills, supplementary
nutrition and basic health check-up facilities for the out of school adolescent girls.
Currently, this scheme is running in 210 districts in the country which is being expanded
to cover all districts of the country in the next financial year.  SABLA aims at all round
development of adolescent girls of 11-18 years by making them self-reliant. SABLA has
benefitted 98.98 Lakh adolescent girls.

Revised Guidelines for STEP:

The guidelines for Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)
have been revised and application format simplified. Funding for beneficiary has been
increased. The scheme aims to provide skills that give employability to women and
provide competencies that enable them to become self -employed/entrepreneurs.

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh:

For effective implementation of RMK, Rate of Interest (ROI) of RMK loans has been
revised downward. ROI chargeable to end-beneficiaries by NGOs have been reduced to
10% from 14% this year. With a view to make loaning guidelines of RMK more effective
and customer friendly, the lending guidelines have been further revised and simplified
in this year.

Women of India Exhibitions:

In order to link crafts-women directly to the market, a new initiative titled “Women of
India” has been started. Two thematic exhibitions-cum-sale have already been
organized successfully in Delhi. One such unique exhibition  with the theme ‘Women
and organic Products’ was organised this year at ‘Dilli Haat, INA in New Delhi. In the
exhibition, over 600 women artisans /entrepreneurs from Leh to Kanyakumari and
from Kohima to Kutch participated with their organic products, including large varieties
of rice, black rice, rajma, pulses, spices, honey, tea and lemon tea, organic mushroom,
Bee wax, handicrafts, ethnic foods, pickles and preserves, vegetables and fruits, fabrics,
dyes, dresses, cosmetics, organic liquid pesticides and fungicides etc. The scheme is now
being expanded to other states. This scheme is also being taken up through e-Commerce
platform which will be launched shortly.

Regulation of Matrimonial Websites:

Responding to a number of complaints of stalking and harassment of women who

register on matrimonial websites, it has been decided to put in place a regulatory
framework in order to check this menace. The matrimonial websites have come on
board for this and have agreed to jointly develop a code of conduct which will be
implemented through self-regulation.
Panic Button on Mobile Phones:

To provide security to women in emergency situations, facility of a physical panic

button has been agreed to by the mobile phones manufacturers and service providers.
Mandatory regulations for this will be issued in collaboration with Department of
Information Technology. In the meantime, mobile phones companies are working on
technological solution for the existing as well future mobile phones. This will be
launched by March 2016.

 Extension of Maternity Leave :

In order to enable a women employee to exclusively breast feed for six months after
child birth, the Ministry is working for extending the maternity leave period to seven
months. The Ministry of Labour has decided to extend this from three months to 6.5
months for which an amendment of the relevant labour laws is under preparation.

Shelter Home for widows in Vrindavan:

A large facility has been approved for the widows in Vrindavan who currently are living
in near destitute conditions. Construction is starting in January 2016.

Mandatory Mention of Widows Name on Death Certificates:

In order to ensure that a widow is facilitated to get all her entitlements after the death of
her husbands, the Ministry is working with the office of Registrar General of India as
well as the State Governments to ensure that the name of the widow is compulsorily
mentioned in the death certificates of their husbands.

National Policy on Women:

A new National Policy on Women is under formulation. The High Level Committee set
up for this purpose has already submitted its Report after extensive national and
regional stakeholder’s consultations. The Policy will be notified by March 2016.

Steps taken on Missing Children:

Several measures have been taken up for tracking, rehabilitating/restoring lost, missing
and trafficked children.

1. i) Khoya Paya:
The Ministry of Women and Child Development, with the assistance of Department of
Electronics and Information Technology(DeitY), has launched a web portal Khoya-Paya
this year for reporting and searching missing children. The web portal ‘Khoya-Paya’ will
have information of missing and sighted children. So far approximately 2700 users have
registered on the portal and around 1500 have downloaded mobile application for usage
through their mobile phones. Around 1500 cases of missing/sighted children have been
reported and 140 cases of missing children have been closed on the portal.

1. ii) MOU with Railways:

Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Railways have framed path-
breaking Special Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be implemented by Railwaysfor
runaway, abandoned, kidnapped, trafficked children via medium of railways. Child
Helpline Centres at 20 major Railway Stations for rehabilitation and rescue of such
children have been established. The Railway Stations will have NGOs/Child Help
Groups/Childline Units working with them who will work towards restoration of
children to their parents/guardians or their rehabilitation in the absence of the former.
Posters are being put out in railway coaches and railway stations to entail citizen
participation in spotting and reporting missing/lost children. Regular Public
announcements will be made at railway stations for information of public as well as
children.

iii)    Expanding Childline

Childline is a nation-wide initiative for rescuing and assisting children in distress

conditions. In the last 18 months, Childline has been extended to 386 cities. It is
proposed to extend this to 500 cities by the middle of next year.

Adoption Reforms:

In adoption reforms, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has notified the
revised ‘Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children 2015’ which have come into
force with effect from August, 1, 2015. The revised guidelines coupled with the new IT
enabled adoption system – CARINGS, provide a transparent process of adoption under
which all the child care institutions of the country have been brought into an integrated
system. The Guidelines were brought into effect to make the entire adoption process
hassle free by minimizing delays at various levels. The provisions include declaring
orphan, abandoned and surrendered children legally free for adoption by Child Welfare
Committee(CWC) in a time bound manner, enabling online registration of PAPs for
referral and matching, conducting Home Study Reports of the PAPs within a period of
one month, mandating District Child Protection Unit(DCPU) to expedite placement of all
adoptable children including  setting up of linkage between Specialised Adoption
Agency(SAA) and Child Care Institution(CCI) to  reach all adoptable children etc.

 
For hassle-free adoption, CARINGS will contain a Centralized Data Bank of adoptable
children and PAPs. Clear cut timelines for domestic and inter-country adoption have
been laid down to ensure early deinstitutionalization of such children. A toll-free
adoption helpline no. 1800-111-311, has been initiated by CARA for helping domestic
prospective adoptive parents, Indian adoption agencies and general public in adoption
related matters.

Adoption data (In-country and Inter-country) from April ,2012 to March,2015

Year In-Country Inter-Country Total

2012 – 2013 (April,12 to
4694 308 5002
Mar,13)
2013-2014 (April, 13 to Mar,
3924 430 4354
14)
2014-2015 (April, 14 to Mar,
3988 374 4362
15)
Source : M/o WCD

Gender wise In-country adoption data

Total
Year Male Female
 

April 2012-Mar 2013

1848 2846 4694
 

April 2013-Mar 2014

1631 2293 3924
 

April 2014-Mar 2015

1688 2300 3988
 

Source : M/o WCD

Foster Care Guidelines:

A new system of providing foster care to children has been put in placedand new
guidelines have been issued. This permits children to be looked after by individual
families as foster parents thereby providing a much better standard of care and
protection than what these children get in the child care institutions.
 

Aadhar Cards for Children in Child Care Institutions:

This initiative has been started in collaboration with UIDAI to provide Aadhar cards to
all children in every child care institution so that they have permanent identity for
future. This will help them to access various Government services after they grow up.

Mandatory Registration of all Child Care Institutions:

The State Governments have been ordered to bring every child care institution into the
scope of registration so that minimum standards of care and protection can be provided
to children. The process of identifying un-registered institutions has already started in
most of the States. This will also bring many more children into the scope of adoption
and they will be able to get family for themselves.

Rapid Survey on Children Data:

The Rapid Survey on Children (RSoC) was commissioned by the Ministry of Women and
Child Development (MWCD) in 29 States during 2013-14. The provisional national fact
sheet on the survey was released by the Government on 2nd July 2015 and is available
on the website of Ministry of Women and Child Development.

As per the Rapid Survey on Children (RSoC), 2013-14, commissioned by Ministry of

Women and Child Development, there is a reduction in underweight children under 5
years of age from 42.5% in NFHS-3(2005-06) to 29.4%, in RSoC. Similarly, the proportion
of severely underweight children is 9.5% as per RSoC as compared to 15.8% of NFHS-3.

National Nutrition Mission:

A new Mission to tackle the problem of malnutrition is being launched by March 2016 so
that supplementary nutrition can be provided in a targeted manner with real-time IT
based monitoring at ground level. Necessary software for this has already been put in
place and a detailed proposal has been submitted for approval of Cabinet. The Mission
has been uniquely designed with participation of national and multi-national entities
providing assistance in various forms. Meeting the commitment made by the
Government, as expressed by the Finance Minister in his Budget Speech in June, 2014, a
new National Nutrition Mission has been prepared and will be launched shortly. It will
put in place a comprehensive set of measures and activities that will address pivotal and
complex issues of malnutrition and focus on outcome monitoring, training and capacity
building.

Expanding Anganwadi Infrastructure:

In another initiative, two lakh AWC buildings are planned to be constructed in 2,534
most backward Blocks of 8 World Bank assisted ICDS Systems Strengthening & Nutrition
Improvement Program (ISSNIP) States [Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh] besides Assam, Odisha &
Telangana in convergence with Ministry of Rural Development under Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) @ 50,000 AWC buildings per
year during the next four years. Construction of AWC buildings has been included as an
approved activity under the MGNREG Act.   ‘Guidelines for construction of Anganwadi
Centres’ under MGNREGS have been issued jointly by the Ministries of Women and
Child Development and Rural Development, on 13th August, 2015.Under systematic
convergence of ICDS Scheme with MGNREGS, 28,619 sites have been identified till 20th
November, 2015 in IPPE Blocks/High Burden Districts of Assam, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan,Telangana and Uttar
Pradesh in first phase.

Private sector companies have also joined this initiative under their CSR activities in
setting up the ‘Next Generation Anganwadis’. These anganwadis  are proposed to be run
as a shared space in which 50% of the time will be devoted to children’s education and
the remaining half will support women’s skill development. The model Anganwadis will
be equipped with solar power, television for e-learning, hygienic toilets and pure
drinking water supply.

The total number of operational Anganwadi Centres in the country stood at 13,47,890 as
on 30th September, 2015.

Junk Food Guidelines:

Ministry of Women and Child Development constituted a working group under the
Chairmanship of Director, NIN, Hyderabad which examined the regulatory framework
of junk food in 23 countries across the world and made its recommendations. The
Ministry of Women and Child Development has forwarded the recommendation/report
of the working group to the Ministry of HRD for suitably notifying and implementing the
same in schools. It has also written to M/o Health and Family Welfare for including the
same in the guidelines made by Food Safety Standard Authority of India(FSSAI). It has
suggested a comprehensive definition of junk food in the context of children and has
suggested that all food items falling in the definition of junk food should be banned in
the school canteens. It has also suggested that vendors/street vendors should not be
permitted to sell these foods during school timings in a vicinity of 200 meters from any
school. They further suggested that shops and restaurants selling food within 200 meters
of a school should not be permitted to sell these foods to children in school uniforms.
They have also suggested that a list of desirable food items to be offered in the school
canteen.

Film on Good Touch Bad Touch – KOMAL:

A National Award winning animation film KOMAL has been produced to educate young
children on sexual misconduct. The school organizations have been directed to have this
film shown to all children in all schools.
Film on Maternal and Neo-natal Care

This film has been produced specifically for showing in maternity wards of hospitals so
as to educate new mothers on care of new born babies so that the neo-natal mortality is
reduced.

Implementation of e-Office :

The Ministry has implemented the paperless e-office system in order to improve
efficiency, and effectiveness of Government responses. Nearly 12000 files have been
digitized, service books, record room files have been digitised. This has resulted in
drastic reduction in purchase of stationery items savings for the Govt. exchequer,
improved quality and time for processing cases, apart from increased transparency and
accountability.

January 1, 2016 0

Year End Review 2015: Department of Space

Achievements of Department of Space during

the year 2015

Following are the significant achievements and details of the Innovative Programmes
launched by the Department of Space during the year 2015:

1. MARS Orbiter Mission:

India’s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft has successfully completed its mission objective as
planned and has completed one year around Mars orbit on September 24, 2015. It was
successfully placed into an elliptical orbit around planet Mars on September 24, 2014.
The Mars Orbiter successfully came out of the solar conjunction (a phase of
communication blackout) in July 2015 using the On-board autonomy built in the
spacecraft. The Spacecraft is in good health and all the five scientific payloads are
providing valuable data about the Mars surface features and Martian atmosphere. The
images of Mars captured by the Mars Colour Camera have been found to be of very good
quality.  The increased duration of observation of Mars by five scientific payloads
beyond the designed life of six months is enabling enhanced coverage of Mars in
different seasons. A book titled ‘From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet’, India’s space
Journey, with series of articles from luminaries from ISRO, was released on November
05, 2015, on the second anniversary of Mars Orbiter spacecraft launch.

By successfully placing Mars Orbiter Spacecraft around Mars, ISRO has become the
fourth space agency to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars orbit and India became
the first country in the world to do so in its first attempt. The mission has benefited the
country by (i) Upgrading the technological capabilities in spacecraft design including
onboard autonomy, miniaturization, optimization of onboard resources (ii) providing
excellent opportunities in planetary research for the scientific community and (iii)
generating interest in youth of the country towards science and technology.

Mars Orbiter Mission has been awarded “Space Pioneer Award” for science  and
engineering category for the year 2015 by the US based National Space Society. The
Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development has been awarded to
ISRO in recognition of its path-breaking.

2. Successful launch of GSLV with Indigenous Cryogenic Stage:

On Aug 27, 2015, Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6), equipped with
the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), successfully launched GSAT-6, the country’s
advanced communication satellite, into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). This
was the second consecutively successful flight of GSLV with the indigenous CUS, which
underscores the success of ISRO in mastering the highly complex cryogenic rocket
propulsion technology. This launch also signifies a major step forward in achieving the
self reliance in launching 2 Ton class communication satellites into GTO.

3. Development of Next Generation Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk

III:

The first experimental flight of heavy lift next generation launch vehicle, GSLV-Mk III,
was successfully conducted on December 18, 2014 from Sriharikota. This flight has
validated the complex atmospheric regime of flight and demonstrated the Integrity of
design of GSLV Mk III.

 
During the experimental flight of GSLV Mk III, the unmanned Crew module Atmospheric
Re-entry Experiment (CARE) has also been successfully tested for its re-entry
performance. Crew module splashed down over Andaman Sea with the help of its
parachutes and was recovered from the sea with the help of Indian Coast Guard as per
the mission plan.

Endurance hot test of High Thrust cryogenic engine (CE20) of GSLV-Mk III was
successfully conducted on July 20, 2015.  The test was conducted for 800 seconds as
compared to its nominal burn duration of 635 seconds during flight. This engine will be
used for powering the Cryogenic stage (C25) of GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle. Another
short duration (5.7 s) hot test on the CE20 engine has been carried out on Aug 10, 2015 to
demonstrate the successful engine ignition with tank pressure conditions as in flight.

GSLV Mk III is designed to launch 3.5 to 4 Ton class communication satellites to

Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

4. Navigational Satellite System:

 Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) is designed as a constellation of

seven satellites to provide satellite based navigational services in the country.

IRNSS-1C, the third Navigational satellite of India, was successfully launched on-board
Polar Satellite launch Vehicle PSLV-C26 on October 16, 2014. IRNSS-1D, the fourth
satellite in this series was successfully launched on-board PSLV-C27 on March 28, 2015. 
The first two satellites viz. IRNSS 1A &1B were launched on-board PSLV earlier on July
01, 2013 and April 04, 2014 respectively.

With the operationalisation of four navigational satellites in orbit, it is now possible to

provide Position, Navigation and Timing services. The IRNSS constellation of seven
satellites is expected to be completed by 2016.

The IRNSS System will benefit the country by providing positioning services over Indian
Land Mass and a region extending to the about 1500 Kms around India. The
convergence of communication, earth observation and navigation satellite technologies
will prove to be a boon in coming years for location based services and informed
decision making.
 

GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation), which is primarily being used in
aviation sector for precise position information services, has been certified by DGCA for
Navigation Performance level of Approach with Vertical Guidance (APV-1) over India.
With this, India becomes the Third country in the world, after USA and European Union,
to offer Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) based precision approach services
to civil aviation sector. The GAGAN System jointly developed by ISRO and AAI is a giant
leap forward in the development of GNSS services in India and will redefine navigation
in both aviation and non-aviation application areas.

5. Augmenting the Satellite Communications infrastructure:

GSAT-15, a 3 ton class communication satellite (carrying 24 Ku band transponders &

GAGAN payload) has been successfully launched on November 11, 2015 at 3.04 hrs IST.
GSAT-15 will further augment the INSAT/GSAT system capacity for DTH, TV
broadcasting, Digital Satellite News Gathering and VSAT services and other societal
benefits.

GSAT-6, the country’s Advanced Communication Satellite (carrying S-Band payload with
5 spot beams & C-Band Payload with one beam) was successfully launched on Aug 27,
2015 into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of 6 meter
diameter was successfully deployed on August 30, 2015. The satellite has now been
positioned in its designated orbital slot of 83 degree East longitude. GSAT-6 is intended to
be used for satellite based mobile communications with hand held terminals for
strategic applications.

6. India’s first multi-wavelength Observatory in Space:

ASTROSAT satellite, India’s first dedicated astronomy satellite was successfully launched
by PSLV-C30 on September 28, 2015. ASTROSAT enables simultaneous Ultraviolet to X-
Ray observations to study Stars and Galaxies. It will also provide opportunity to task
observations for the scientific community.

ASTROSAT is a unique mission with combination of scientific instruments covering near

ultra-violet, far ultra-violet and x-ray bands for multi wavelength observations.  The
ultra-violet imaging telescope of ASTROSAT has a best resolution of 1.8 arc second
combined with large field of view.  ASTROSAT is a vital contribution of India to the
Global research community in the area of Astronomy.

 
 7. Commercial Launch of PSLV:

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has launched 17 foreign satellites from seven
countries (Canada, Indonesia, Singapore, UK, and USA) during 2015 as given below:

(a) India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C28, successfully launched five satellites
from United Kingdom viz. DMC3-1, DMC3-2, DMC3-3, CBNT-1 and De-orbitsail from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota on July 10, 2015 from Satish Dhawan
Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

(b) PSLV-C30, along with ASTROSAT has successfully launched six co-passenger satellites,
4 LEMUR Satellites (USA), Lapan-A2 (Indonesia) ; NLS-14 (Canada) on September 28,
2015.

(c) PSLV-C29 has successfully launched six satellites of Singapore. Of these six satellites,
TeLEOS-1 is the primary satellite whereas the other five are co-passenger satellites
which include two microsatellites (VELOX-CI, Kent Ridge-1) and three nano satellites
(VELOX-II, Athenoxat-1, Galassia)

During the year 2015, a total of 17 foreign satellites were successfully launched from
India which takes the total number of foreign satellites launched to 57.

8. National Meet on promoting Space Technology based tools and Applications on

Governance & Development: 

The one day National Meet on promoting Space Technology based tools and
Applications on Governance & Development was organized on September 07, 2015 at
Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi to deliberate on the action plans of various
Ministries/Departments. The National Meet received an overwhelming response with
participation of more than 1200 delegates across 60 Central Ministries/Departments, 28
States and 5 Union Territories. Secretaries, Additional Secretaries, Joint Secretaries to
Government of India, Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries of the States and senior
functionaries of Central and State Governments, officials from Prime Minister Office &
Cabinet Secretariat, young administrators (the fresh batch of 2013 IAS officers), experts
from academia and institutions have actively participated in this Meet.

The National  Meet comprised of Nine theme sessions (Agriculture, Energy &
Environment, Infrastructure Planning, Water Resources, Technology Diffusion,
Developmental Planning, Communication & Navigation, Weather & Disaster
Management and Health & Education) addressing different domains of national
development. Secretaries of 58 Ministries/Departments have presented the joint action
plans to enhance functional effectiveness, facilitate planning and decision making. Chief
Secretaries/ Principal Secretaries of 9 States have also made presentations on use of
space technology in specific sectors.

A Special Session was conducted in the presence of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi.  In his remarks, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for new initiatives in all
the areas of governance, using the space technology and applications. He asserted that
technology is the most powerful medium that the Government has to utilize to ensure
good governance, transparency and accountability.

9. Initiatives on Satellite for SAARC Region:

ISRO/DOS, with active support from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), hosted a
Conference on “Satellite for the SAARC region and Space Technology Applications” on
June 22, 2015 at New Delhi.  The conference deliberated on configuration and ground
Infrastructure requirements for the proposed ‘Satellite for the SAARC region’ as well as
other space technology applications. Representatives from all SAARC member countries
have participated.

10. Disaster Management Support:

The Indian Remote Sensing, Meteorological and Communication satellites have

immensely helped in the management of recent events of disasters witnessed by the
country viz. J&K Floods, HudHud Cyclone and J&K Landslides. These satellites have
provided near real time support in terms of early warning, assessment of damages,
emergency communication. The massive landslides blocking Sun Koshi River in
Northern Nepal in August 2014 and Phuktal River in Zanskar region of J&K in January-
March 2015 were monitored regularly using Indian Remote Sensing Satellites. Flood
inundation maps and information on their progression & recession were disseminated
on daily basis to concerned agencies.

During the recent earthquake in Nepal, remote sensing data obtained from Indian and
foreign satellites was analyzed in near real time to identify the collapsed structures and
new landslides resulted due to earthquake in parts of Nepal. The processed information
derived from satellite data was provided to National agencies viz. Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Disaster
response Force (NDRF) and also to international agencies viz., British Army, UK;
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal; National
Intelligence Agency of US, and UNOSAT and other relief teams of Nepal, Korea, Russia,
France, Germany etc. for unifying the efforts and coordinating rescue operations.
 

Innovative Programmes launched and its expected positive impact on the general
public:

1. Identifying the water bodies in tribal dominated districts, which could

be developed to culture fisheries

Tribal inhabitants require regular income mechanisms, instead of current assistance

protocols delivering resource only in periodical fashion. Ministry of Tribal Affairs has
programme on identifying existing and potential water collection spots which could be
developed for fish culture using Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MNREGA). This scheme is for 168 Tribal dominated districts (> 25 %
tribal population) in 24 States/UTs.

ISRO has provided maps for small water bodies generated using satellite data. In order
to use these satellite based maps, capacity building for the state level officials has been
done in Odisha, West Bengal, North-East, Gujarat and Jharkhand. This enables
identifying existing water bodies and identifying new sites, wherein Runoff can be
harvested for fish cultivation along with conventional farming.

Water body database will be used to plan enhancement of fishery as livelihood

alternative or livelihood augmentation in tribal areas. Small water body based fishery
can help tribal inhabitants to get regular nutrition as well as income.

2. Monitoring and evaluation of developmental activities in the watersheds

Department of Land Resources programme on Integrated Watershed Management

Programme (IWMP) is for restoring the ecological balance by harnessing, conserving
and developing degraded natural resources such as soil, vegetative cover and water.

ISRO is providing online satellite data, tools and mobile app through Bhuvan geoportal
for monitoring of watershed developmental activities for about 52,000 micro-
watersheds in 10 States and 50 identified districts across the country. Capacity building
is also being provided to DoLR officials in utilizing the Bhuvan tools for satellite data,
GIS and mobile apps. The effective implementation of the IWMP will ensure Optimal soil
& water conservation and assured crop irrigation due to water resources harvesting
which help to provide sustainable livelihoods to the people residing in the watershed
area.

 
Farmers get their livelihood on sustainable basis due to biomass improvement also. De-
silting of tanks and other watershed activities that provide employment generation
under MNREGA are also being evaluated using satellite data.

3. Space Based Information Support for Decentralized Planning:

Using high resolution satellite data, state-wise natural resource database is being
generated for the entire country at 1:10000 scale.  This spatial data base integrated with
field level information and traditional wisdom helps in preparation of locale-specific
action plans for land & water management for development of their locality. The
availability of such information at grass root level enables decentralized planning and
empowering panchayats in decision making.

Bhuvan Panchayat Portal provides functionalities required to carry out the

decentralized planning process at grass-root level. Citizens in general and three tiers of
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) (Gram Panchayat, Block Panchayat and District
Panchayat) in particular are the users of the Portal. It helps PRIs in tracking the progress
of work undertaken by citizens under various schemes.

4. Conservation of heritage sites

The conservation of world heritage sites, ancient monuments and archaeological sites is
of national importance and helps in development and promotion of Tourism, which is
one of the major engines of economic growth. The systematic database of heritage sites
and Site Management Plans generated using space technology will help to take informed
decisions in conservation, preservation and monitoring activities of the site. The space
based technology tools are also being planned for mapping and identification of
vulnerability of each monument and preparation of plans to track and mitigate
environmental or weather changes that may have an adverse impact on fragile
monuments.

5. Automated warnings at unmanned level crossings

Pilot studies for automatic warnings at unmanned level crossings have been carried out
using GAGAN, Rail-Navigator tools; MSS based tracking system and Bhuvan.  It
comprises of a geospatial database on the accurate locations (geographical coordinates)
of unmanned level crossings and GAGAN enabled devices mounted on the train engine. 
A train mounted with such a device would know the location of unmanned level
crossing and train’s hooter will automatically start when it approaches near to an
unmanned crossing. Expert committees/ Councils are setup by Railways to discuss and
finalize the modalities of implementation.

 
 6. Weather and Climate

Indian meteorological satellites provide synoptic measurement and derivation of

various weather parameters such as cloud motion vectors, cloud top temperature, water
vapour, humidity, rainfall at frequent intervals to aid in improved weather forecasting,
including the genesis of cyclones, their track and landfall prediction.

The data products are disseminated through web based services for the needs of
scientific community in the country. Also, Android Application has been developed for
viewing 3 hourly weather forecasts.

7. Bhuvan Geoportal

It is providing seamless high resolution remote sensing data (1m to 2.5m) for
visualization, terrain data and thematic layer overlays of Indian region along with host
of services in the areas of disaster, weather, land and ocean for general public. It has
about 51,000 registered users and has served more than 2.8 lakhs downloads.

On 12th August 2015, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of
North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions,
Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, released New services of Bhuvan. The new
application services include – 1 m images of over 300 Cities of the country and host of
visualization applications for common man.

8. Data Connectivity to Rural India

DOS/ISRO has fast-tracked the realization and launch of GSAT-11 communication

satellite.  GSAT-11 is an advanced communication satellite with Ku and Ka Band
communication payload capable of providing upto 10 Gbps throughput.  With such
capacity, this satellite is expected to provide high bandwidth data connectivity for rural
India as envisaged under Digital India.  Satellite structure is already realized and
payload fabrication is in progress.  Initiatives have been taken to accelerate the
development and realization of other critical subsystems of thesatellite.  The satellite is
targeted for launch in the year 2017.

January 1, 2016 0

Year End Review 2015: Ministry of Personnel, Public

Grievances & Pensions
Key initiatives of the Department of Personnel
& Training (DoPT)
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has taken various initiatives during
the year 2015. These initiatives aim at working in the direction of larger public interest
and to establish accountability and transparency.

In a landmark decision, the Government scrapped Interviews for recruitment to lower

posts wherever it could be dispensed with. This was followed by the Minister of State for
Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh writing D.O. letters to
Chief Ministers of all States in September to take the lead in carrying forward this
initiative with respect to State Government jobs.

The discontinuation of interviews will not only be in larger public interest but would
also offer a level playing field and benefit youth hailing from the lower socio-economic
strata. Interviews will be dispensed with for all Group C and Group D posts which are
now reclassified as Group C posts. Interview would also be discontinued for non-
gazetted posts of Group B category. The process of doing away with interview for these
posts will be completed by 31.12.2015. In those cases pertaining to non-gazetted Group B
posts and Group C & D posts, where Recruitment Rules specify the process of selection
which includes conduct of interview, the Ministries/authorities concerned will take
necessary steps to carry out the requisite amendment to the Recruitment Rules
immediately. Necessary directions have also been issued to the Staff Selection
Commission in this regard.

In a big relief to the common people, the DoPT discontinued the practice of submission
of affidavit by the family members of deceased Government employees for the
appointment on Compassionate grounds. Now they are required to submit self-
declaration at the time of applying for compassionate appointment. It will ensure fast
process of compassionate appointment and help family members of deceased
Government employee immensely.

For the first time in the history of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Officers of
2013 batch of IAS were posted as Assistant Secretary in the Central Secretariat for a
period of three months. Exposure to Central Government functioning will provide
insight into policy formulation at the Centre to these officers. These officers left for their
field posting with a macro picture of such policies which will help them in effective
implementation of the schemes keeping citizen at the centre.

In another novel initiative, the DoPT has started Yoga camps for the Central Government
employees and their dependents. The Yoga training sessions are conducted in 29
locations (26 Samaj Sadans of Grih Kalyan Kendra and 3 other places) in Delhi and 12
Samaj Sadans of Grih Kalyan Kendra outside Delhi. Approximately 1900 individuals are
benefiting from this scheme per day. With this initiative, the employees would be able to
de-stress themselves and also take control over various lifestyle diseases like obesity,
hypertension, Hyperglycemias etc. The healthy & happy employees would be able to
perform more effectively in their office work.

The Department has also started an innovative scheme for the training of the cutting
edge level employees of the State Governments. In the first phase, masters trainers are
being trained by the ATIs in collaboration with DoPT. These trainers will impart training
to the field level employees. Emphasis of the training will be on citizen centricity. Pilot
projects had been started in Maharashtra, J&K and Tamil Nadu. It has now been
extended in other States. Training will bring an attitudinal change in these employees
which in turn will result in increased citizen friendly environment in the field offices.

DOPT also exempted the parents of differently abled children from the mandatory
transfers so that they can take proper care of their differently abled child. This move
will ease the pain of these parents and ensure care and upbringing of these children.

A weekly one hour in-house training programme for its employees was started. Three
modules of the training programme have been completed and the fourth module is
currently running. The employees are imparted up-to-date information on various
aspects of day to day work in the office. This gives an opportunity to the employees to
clear their doubts and the input given in the session is found very useful for them in
discharging their duty more accurately, efficiently and effectively. This has speeded up
the rate of disposal of work and the ultimate beneficiary of the same are the citizens.

The scheme of interaction of Officers with School Students has been launched in which
the Officers of Government of India visit Schools and share their experiences with the
School Students. As a pilot, the Senior Officers of DoPT have visited Kendriya Vidyalayas
in Delhi and interacted with the students. The interaction of Senior Officers with School
Students will have a long lasting impact on their impressionable minds. They will also
get a glimpse of the functioning of the Government.

January 1, 2016 0
Year End Review 2015: Ministry of Defence

Various Achievements of Ministry of Defence

Ensuring the highest standard of operational preparedness to meet present and
emerging challenges through modernization of Armed Forces and making up critical
deficiency of weapons and equipment by developing requisite capacities and
infrastructure through the Make-in-India initiative were the buzz words in the Defence
Ministry for the year 2015.

The year also saw progress in Ex-Servicemen Welfare and rapid digitization in the
defence sector to fulfil the Prime Minister’s call of Digital India. During the year as part
of Defence diplomacy, India engaged with its neighbours and far eastern countries
through bilateral talks, ship visits and bilateral as well as trilateral war exercises.
However, the Make-in-India concept clearly dominated acquisition plans so as to make
its defence infrastructure strong and robust. To expedite capacity building as well as
offensive capabilities of the Armed Forces, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) the
apex body of the Ministry of Defence in matters of acquisitions cleared different critical
and high end defence procurement proposals to the tune of more than Rs. 2 lakh crore
in the year 2015.

ENHANCEMENT OF FDI LIMIT

For speedy indigenisation the Government has increased the foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) limit from 26% to 49% through approval route in August 2014.
Above 49%, the proposal may be considered on case to case basis.
Defence products list for the purpose of industrial licensing has been substantively
 shortened and notified.
Government has notified a Defence Exports Strategy for faster clearance for export of
defence items.
Interactions with industry intensified through DRDO and Department of Defence
Production.

INDIAN ARMY

Modernisation & Equipment

The Army continues to transform and modernize in order to upgrade into a lethal
agile, versatile and networked force capable of operating across the spectrum of
conflict. The aim is to make the ‘Force’ capable and prepared to meet the complex
and uncertain challenges of the 21st century war fighting. While modernizing the
force, the guiding factor remains the Indian Army Vision – “Ensure capability
enhancement and operational effectiveness of the Army to meet all contemporary
and emerging challenges.”
In the quest for Capability Development, the Army remains cognizant of the fact that
no country can realise its aspirations of becoming a significant power, unless it is
able to harness and source its military capability needs indigenously. Accordingly, in
line with the vision of ‘Make in India’ due endeavor is being made to ensure that the
bulk of the capital procurement is realized through indigenous sources.
As part of its Artillery modernization programme, the Defence Acquisition Council
(DAC) cleared the Army’s proposal to buy 145 BAE’s M777 Ultra-Light howitzers at a
cost of Rs 2,900 crore. This deal would be through Foreign Military sales but the
spares, maintenance and ammunition will be procured through Indian Systems.
Akash Weapon System was inducted into the Indian Army on May 05, 2015. It is an
indigenously developed supersonic short range surface-to-air missile system with the
capability to engage a wide variety of aerial threats like aircraft, helicopters and
UAVs upto a maximum range of 25 kms and upto an altitude of 20 kms. The system is
capable of simultaneously engaging multiple targets and is capable of providing
comprehensive short range missile cover to vulnerable assets in the field force of the
Army. With 96 per cent indigenous content, the state-of-the-art weapon system is a
glowing manifestation of the Prime Minister’s  ‘Make-in-India’ initiative.
As part of the Indian Army’s indigenization effort, the Army has issued an EoI for the
Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) project to 10 public and private Indian
companies under the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Prime Minister.
An important ‘Make’ projects Tactical Communication System (TCS) which aims at
providing communication to forces deployed on the battlefield in a  network centric
environment and the Battlefield Management System (BMS) which will provide
commanders at the tactical level with updated situational awareness, geo spatial data
and intercommunication at the fighting formation level.
The ongoing ‘Buy Indian’ procurement proposals include Advanced Light Helicopter,
Medium Range Surface to Air missile system, BrahMos missile system, Pinaka
multiple barrel rocket system, Infantry Combat vehicle BMP 2/2K, MBT Arjun,
Modular Bridge System, Ballistic Helmets and Bullet Proof Jackets.
The ongoing ‘Buy & Make Indian’ procurement proposal include the Mounted Gun
System (MGS) for the Artillery, Air Defence Guns as successor to the existing L/70 and
Zu-23 guns for the Army Air Defence, Light Armoured Vehicle Multipurpose Vehicle
 (LAM-V) for the mechanised forces and mine ploughs for the T-90 tanks.
The Government took the decision of building a National War Memorial to honour
Defence Forces’ personnel who were martyred in wars after Independence in 1947.
Rs 500 crore has been allocated for the memorial which will be located near India
Gate. A war museum will also be constructed. The entire project would be completed
in five years.
The construction of Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola near
Gurgaon is progressing very fast. It is expected to be functional in 2018.

ARMY’S DIGITISATION INITIATIVES

As part of the PM’s ‘Digital India’ initiative digitization of the recruitment process of
Army personnel and Communication Networks have been undertaken in full
earnest. A special software system Army; Record Officers Process Automation
(ARPAN) 2.0, was launched recently. This has enabled more than 12 lakh junior
commissioned officer and jawans to access their service records and employment
details online.
From July 01, 2015, Army recruitment has also gone online. A new website
www.joinindianarmy.nic.in of the Directorate General of Recruitment has been
launched for selection of officers, JCOs and Other Ranks. Candidates from all over
India can now have access to information about career options in the Army, make
suitable choices and apply online.
The Indian Army’s private cloud was also inaugurated by the Defence Minister on
October 16, 2015. This marks the commencement of the data centre infrastructure of
the Army, which includes a central data centre and a near line data centre in Delhi
and a Disaster Recovery Site for replication of its critical data. In addition, the Digi-
Locker which provides a secure and exclusive data storage space to all the units of
Army over its dedicated data network has also been launched with all the advanced
features like watermarking and digital signatures. This is a giant leap towards
implementation of Cyber Security as it precludes carriage of soft copies of data on
CDs/DVDs and removable media.

SITUATION ON BORDERS

By improving and beefing up the operational preparedness of the Army, incidents of

infiltration have seen a downward trend while the number of infiltration on the Line
of Control in 2012 was 264, in 2014 it decreased to 221 and this year, upto 30
September, 92 attempted infiltrations took place and 37 terrorists were killed by the
security forces. Ceasefire violations along the International Border under operational
control of the Indian Army, has also seen a slightly downward trend in comparison to
the year 2014. Similarly, incidences of intrusions on our northern border has also
gone down because of holding of regular border meetings between India and China.

JOINT EXERCISES

Operation ‘Hand-in-Hand’

A battalion level Joint India-China Army Exercise called Operation Hand-in-Hand on

counter-terrorism and ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief’ was held at
Kunming, China from 12 to 22 October 2015. Participating troops from both sides had
 trained together and learned from each other in mixed groups on Basic Individual
Skills (combat boxing, basic mountaineering and shooting), Comprehensive Combat
Skills (obstacle crossing, combat shooting, demolition, high intensity physical
training) and unit/sub unit tactics, especially in a counter terrorism scenario. A joint
field exercise depicting counter-terrorist operations on India- China border areas
was held from 21 to 22 October to validate the exercise objectives.

Exercise ‘INDRA – 2015’

The joint military exercise between India and Russia, INDRA-2015 was held at
Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, which started from 08 to 18 November 2015.  The final
stage of the exercise saw consolidation of group of forces of the two countries, acting
under the auspices of the United Nations, assisting the government of a third country
in combating armed terrorists in a semi-urban terrain.

Exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas – 2015’

The India-US Combined Military Training Exercise YUDH ABHYAS 2015, was held
from 09 to 23 Sep 2015 at Joint Base Lewis McChord, USA. The exercise brought
together troops of an Infantry sub unit and a Formation Headquarter of the Indian
Army and similar participation from the US Army for the joint training. The exercise
provided an ideal platform for the personnel of the two countries to share their
experiences on Military Operations in Urban Terrain, under the UN mandate.

Golden Jubilee Celebration of 1965 Indo Pak War

The Army as part of Joint Service effort, organised a series of events to mark the
Golden Jubilee of the 1965 Indo – Pak War. It was aimed to pay tribute to the
collective resolve of the nation and the valour and sacrifice of The Armed Forces. The
commemorative events commenced from 28 Aug 15.  The major attraction of the
celebrations was the exhibition “Shauryanjali” in the India Gate lawns, initially
planned from 15 to 20 Sep and extended till 27 Sep due to overwhelming public
response. The exhibition recreated major battle scenes and showcased the role of
various arms and services during the War.
On 20 Sep 2015, a Carnival to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of 1965 Indo-Pak
War, ‘Indradhanush’ was organized at India Gate lawns. It celebrated the triumph of
India and shared the joy of the success with one and all. The carnival showcased
events like martial arts display by regiments of the Army.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti and
interacted with war veterans on 22 Sep 2015. The President also interacted with
veterans over tea at Rashtrapati Bhawan on the same day, marking the culmination
of the 1965 Indo Pak celebrations. The exhibition depicting the war continued till 27
Sep on popular demand.

Centenary Celebrations of 1st World War

The Indian Army commemorated the centenary of the First World War from 10 Mar
to 14 Mar 2015 in New Delhi in memory of the 1.5 million Indian Soldiers who fought
in the war and over 74000 who made the supreme sacrifice. 10th March 1915
coincides with the Battle of Neuve Chapelle marking the British Offensive in Artois
 region of France in which the Garhwal Brigade & Meerut Division of the Indian Corps
participated. The period 2014 to 2018 is being commemorated as the Centenary of
World War-I.

INDIAN NAVY

To enhance its Blue Water capability, the Indian Navy opted to strengthen its
submarine arm for which Request for Proposal (RFP) to acquire six more
conventional submarines under Project 75(I) was cleared by the DAC. The project will
cost around Rs. 80,000 crore. Under this programme six conventional submarines are
planned to be built in India with foreign collaboration.
To augment the Navy’s offensive capabilities, government has decided to procure
twelve Mine Counter Measures Vessels (MCMVs) for which Accord of Necessities
(AoN) has been issued and has nominated Goa Shipyard Limited to process the case
with TOT from abroad.
Government has taken decision to induct 16 Multi-Role Helicopters (MRH) for the
Navy, which will go a long way in mitigating gaps in Air Anti-Submarine Warfare
capability. Apart from this initiative, it has also given a go ahead for the Major
Refit/Mid Life Upgradation (MR/MLU) of Kamov 28 helicopters.
The first ship of Project-15B Guided Missile Destroyer, christened INS
Visakhapatnam was launched on April 20, 2015 at Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai.
Sardar Patel, the latest Naval establishment of Indian Navy in the maritime state of
Gujarat, was commissioned at Porbandar by the Chief Minister of Gujarat on May 09,
2015.
Under Project-28, INS Kavaratti, the fourth in the series of Anti-Submarine Warfare
Corvette was launched at GRSE, Kolkata by the Minister of State for Defence on 19
May 2015. These four ships of Project 28 have been designed indigenously by the
Directorate of Naval design, New Delhi and bear testimony to the acclaimed legacy of
naval designers.
To provide a boost to the coastal defence capability of the Navy three follow-on
Water Jet Fast Attack Craft namely INS Tarmugli, INS Tilanchang and INS Tihayu
were launched by the Vice Chief of Naval Staff at a function at Garden Reach
Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, Kolkata on 30 June 2015.
There was timely commencement and completion of Phase-I of Karwar ‘Project Sea
Bird’ and THE Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. Under this programme the Defence
Minister commissioned INS ‘Vajrakosh’ – the latest establishment of the Indian Navy
at Karwar, Karnataka on 09 September 2015.
Three Intermediate Support Vessels (ISVs) were commissioned into the Indian
Navy as T-48, T-49 and T-50 on September 29, 2015 in consonance with the ‘Make in
India’ initiative. 14 of the ISVs were built indigenously by M/s SHM Shipcare, Thane
while four were built by M/s ADSB and five by M/s Rodman Polyships.
The indigenously designed and constructed Project 15A (Kolkata Class) Stealth
Guided Missile Destroyer INS Kochi was commissioned by the Defence Minister on
September 30, 2015 at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. The ship can be truly classified as a
‘Network of Networks’ as it is equipped with sophisticated digital networks, such as
Asynchronous Transfer Mode based Integrated Ship Data Network (AISDN), Combat
Management System (CMS), Automatic Power Management System (APMS) and
Auxiliary Control System (ACS). The AISDN is the information highway on which data
from all the sensors and weapons ride. The CMS is used to integrate information
 from other platforms using indigenous data-link system, to provide Maritime
Domain Awareness. The intricate power supply management is done using APMS,
and remote control and monitoring of the machinery is achieved through the ACS.
The Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) reached another milestone, as the first ship of the
Scorpene Class submarine, INS‘Kalvari’ was separated from the pontoon and set
afloat at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai on October 28, 2015. Later INS ‘Kalvari’ was
brought back to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd on October 29, 2015.
The Indian Navy received a major fillip with the induction of eight Boeing P-8I Long
Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft at Naval Air
Station Rajali, Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu (the first aircraft arrived in May 2013 and last
in mid-2015). The squadron was formally dedicated to the nation by the Defence
Minister on 13 Nov 15. The P-8I aircraft, based on the Boeing 737-800(NG) airframe, is
the Indian Naval variant of the P-8A Poseidon of the US Navy. The aircraft is
equipped with both foreign as well as indigenous sensors for Maritime
Reconnaissance, Anti-Submarine operations and for Electronic Intelligence missions.
The aircraft is fully integrated with state of the art sensors and highly potent Anti-
Surface and Anti-Submarine weapons. The Indian Navy is also in the process of
acquiring an additional four P-8I aircraft. The induction of the P-8I aircraft into the
Indian Navy has greatly enhanced India’s maritime surveillance capability in the
Indian Ocean Region.
The Combined Commanders’ Conference 2015 was held on-board INS Vikramaditya
off Kochi in an operational environment. This was done on the directives of the
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The Conference was followed by an Operational
and Naval Air Power Demonstration, wherein almost 30 ships, 05 submarines and 60
aircraft took part.

THE ROAD AHEAD

With the release on 20 July 2015, of the Indian Naval Indigenisation Plan (INIP):
2015-2030, the Navy has given unmistakable notice of its firm intent to establish itself
as a true Builder’s Navy, with attendant spinoffs enabling India to be a net provider
of security in her maritime neighbourhood, by building capacity and enhancing
capability of her regional friends and partners. Further, it is aware of the serious
shortfalls in terms of both Indian R & D and Indian manufacturing, as the five drivers
of the INIP, viz. (1) a lack of credible R&D in military sciences and technologies; (2)
inadequate amalgamation between R&D and the manufacturing sector; (3) the
absence of an integrated approach amongst users, designers and manufacturers; (4)
commercial unviability due to a lack of economies of scale approach; and (5) the
effect of technology-denial regimes, clearly reflect the Navy’s clarity of perception in
charting the course ahead.

JOINT EXERCISES

Indo-French Naval Exercise Varuna – 2015

Fourteenth edition of Indo-French naval exercise (VARUNA) was conducted off Goa

from 23 April to 02 May 2015, which had both a harbour and sea phase exercise. The
French Navy was represented by Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers
 Chevalier Paul and Jean de Vienne, replenishment tanker Meuse and a maritime
patrol aircraft Atlantique 2. The Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle was carrying its
complement of fighter aircraft Rafale M, Strike Aircraft Super Etendard, E2C
Hawkeye AWACS and helicopters Dauphin and Alouette 3.  From the Indian side
Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, destroyer INS Mumbai, stealth frigate INS Tarkash,
guided missile frigate INS Gomati, replenishment tanker INS Deepak, submarine INS
Shankul and a few Fast Attack Craft along with P-8 I Long Range Maritime
Reconnaissance and Seaking 42B and Chetak helicopters, participated.

SIMBEX – 2015

The Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Ajendra
Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, was on an operational
deployment to southern Indian Ocean and South China Sea. As a part of this
deployment, INS Satpura, indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate and INS
Kamorta, the latest and indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette arrived at
Singapore on 18 May 2015. These ships participated in IMDEX-15 and later conducted
bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX-15 with the Singapore Navy from 23-26 May 2015.

Exercise AUSINDEX – 2015

The Inaugural Bilateral Maritime Exercise between India and Australia AUSINDEX –
15 was conducted off the east coast of India from 11 to 19 September 2015. The
exercise was jointly inaugurated by Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead, Head Navy
Capability of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Rear Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh,
Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet on board INS Shivalik at Visakhapatnam. The
exercise started with harbour phase encompassing briefings and practical
demonstrations along with professional interactions. It was followed by a sea phase,
which included fleet manoeuvres, gun firings as well as coordinated anti-submarine
exercises. The exercise further enhanced the ability of both navies to undertake
regional, joint and / or combined operations such as Humanitarian Assistance and
Disaster Relief.

Exercise Malabar – 2015

The 19th edition of MALABAR exercise was conducted in the Bay of Bengal from 14 to
19 October 2015. Along with the Indian Navy and the US Naval Forces, the Japan
Maritime Self-Defence Forces (JMSDF) also participated in the exercise. The scope of
Malabar – 15 included wide ranging professional interactions and a diverse range of
operational activities during the sea – phase. An indigenous frigate INS Shivalik, INS
Ranvijay, INS Betwa and a Fleet Support Ship INS Shakti and one submarine INS
Sindhudhvaj represented the Indian side. Beside these, LRM Patrol Aircraft P8I and
some integral rotary wing helicopters also participated in the trilateral exercise. The
US Navy was represented by the ships from Carrier Task Force (CTF) 70 of the US
Navy 7th Fleet, based at Yokosuka, Japan. One Nimitz Class aircraft carrier USS
Theodore Roosevelt, Ticonderoga Class cruiser USS Normandy and Freedom Class
Littoral Combat ship USS Fort Worth were part of the CTF. Besides these nuclear
powered submarine USS City of Corpus, Christi, F18 aircraft and P8A Long Range
Maritime Patrol Aircraft also participated. JMSDF was represented by JS Fyuzuki a
 missile destroyer with SH 60K integral helicopter. This trilateral exercise significantly
enhanced naval cooperation among important navies of the Indo-Pacific region.

Indra-Navy -2015

The eight edition of Indo-Russian bilateral exercise INDRA NAVY 2015 was conducted
in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam from 07 to 12 December 2015. The scope of
the exercise included wide-ranging professional interaction during the harbour
phase and a diverse canvas of operational activities at sea across a spectrum of
maritime operations. During the exercise, the Indian Navy was represented by INS
Sahyadri – an indigenous frigate, INS Ranvijay – a guided missile destroyer and INS
Shakti – a fleet support ship in addition a submarine INS Sindhuvir, the P8I Long
Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Dornier Short Range Patrol Aircraft, Hawk Advanced
Jet Trainer and other integral rotary wing helicopters. The Russian Federation Navy
was represented by four ships drawn from the Pacific Fleet. The exercise helped to
further strengthen mutual confidence and interoperability and also enabled sharing
of best practices between both the navies.

INDIAN AIR FORCE

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been modernising its inventory as per its long-term
perspective plan.  The focus is on “Make in India” to give impetus to indigenous
development and manufacturing, including participation of private sector in defence
manufacturing.  Modernisation process involves new inductions, as well as
upgradation of the existing weapon platforms and support systems as a part of the
capability build up.
The on-going modernisation plan spans the entire spectrum of IAF’s capability
including fighters, transport aircraft, helicopters, combat support assets and air
defence network. Net centricity, cyber security and ensuring enhanced visibility of
entire battle space for seamless operations are part of this capability build up. To
maximise the operational potential, IAF is also creating modern and efficient
operational and technical infrastructure.

OPERATIONS

Acquisitions & Upgrades

LCA.      Light combat aircraft Tejas is designed and developed by Aeronautical
Development Agency (ADA), Bangalore. The Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) of
LCA was achieved in December 2013. The first series production aircraft in IOC
configuration was handed over to IAF in January 2015.
Mirage-2000 Upgrade.          IAF contracted for the upgrade of Mirage 2000 aircraft to
advance standards of improved radar, avionics, electronic suite, weapons and a
modern generation glass cockpit. On March 25, 2015, first upgraded aircraft was
handed over to the IAF. The induction of the aircraft has added the much needed
teeth to Air power and keeps the IAF ahead of its adversaries. This multirole fighter
aircraft has achieved enhanced operational life. A Mirage 2000 carried out a landing
on the Yamuna Expressway to showcase its operational capability, characterized by
flexibility and speed of response.
MiG-29 Upgrade.      The series upgrade of MiG-29 aircraft is currently underway at
 Base Repair Depot.
Rafale Aircraft. The Government has decided to procure 36 Rafale aircraft through
Inter Governmental agreement between the Indian and French Governments.
C-17 GLOBE MASTER III.                 A contract for supply of ten C-17 aircraft was
signed with the United States Government in June 2011 and was inducted into IAF in
September 2013. During the year all the aircraft have been delivered and are
operational in IAF.
AN-32 Upgrade.        AN-32 fleet was inducted into IAF between 1984 and 1991. Total
Technical Life Extension (TTLE)/Re-Equipment (RE) project is concurrently underway
at Kyiv, Ukraine and No.1 Base Repair Depot (BRD) at Kanpur. This project will
extend the aircraft’s life by 15 years besides enhancing its operational potential and
safety.
Attack Helicopters.    A contract was signed in September 2015 for procurement of
state of the art AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. Their delivery would commence
from July 2019. The Attack Helicopters are critical combat assets utilised for
employment in Anti-Tank Guided Missile role, Counter Insurgency operations,
Suppression of Enemy Air Defences, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle neutralization
operations, Combat Search and Rescue operations and Low Intensity Conflict
Operations. Attack helicopters offer unique offensive capability including support to
Army Strike Corps and these capabilities are also required at high altitudes in the
mountainous terrain on our Northern borders, not available hitherto.
Heavy Lift Helicopters (HLH).           A contract was signed in September 2015 for
procurement of Chinook CH-47F (I) Heavy Lift Helicopters (HLH). The delivery of the
helicopters will commence in a phased manner. The HLH are required to conduct
strategic and tactical airlift missions in support of the armed forces and undertake
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions during calamities. HLH are
critically required to support infrastructure build-up in mountainous regions. Heavy
bridging and road construction equipment can be airlifted only by this class of
helicopters.
Pilatus Induction.      Delivery of all Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) – PC-7 MK II from
M/s Pilatus Aircraft Limited to IAF has been completed in October 2015 as per BTA
procurement contract signed between Government of India and the Swiss company
on May 24, 2012.  Aircraft is currently in use for ab-initio pilot training. However,
utilisation of aircraft is further planned to increase to Stage II flying training also.
This state of art aircraft is helping newly recruited pilots to prepare for exacting
requirement of combat flying.
Microlight.        A contract was signed in October 2015 with Pipistrel, Slovenia for
supply of microlights. Delivery will commence from October 2016 onwards and will
be completed by October 2020. It will be used in IAF for enhancement of flight safety
by monitoring bird activity in the vicinity of airfields and directing bird controlling
measures.

Air Defence Network

Air Defence Radars To strengthen the existing air defence radar cover over Indian
airspace, variety of new sensors are being inducted in IAF. Recent inductions include
the following:-
MPR.      Medium Power Radars from Israel have been inducted. These radars have
replaced legacy radars of 80s’ technology.
 LLTR.        To fill the low level radar gaps along the border, new Low Level
Transportable Radars (LLTRs) are being inducted in IAF from M/s Thales, France with
transfer of technology. M/s BEL will produce few of these state of the art radars in
India. These radars are mobile and can be deployed anywhere as per operational
requirements.
LLLWR. Low Level Light Weight Radars (LLLWRs) are being inducted to provide
electronic eye to our Mobile Observation Flights (MOF). These radars scan for low
level aerial threats and provide extended early warning.

Missile Systems

Akash Missile System. IAF is in the process of inducting Akash Missile System (AMS)
in its inventory. A formal induction ceremony of AMS was conducted on July 10, 2015
at Air Force Station Gwalior.
Harpoon.   Letter of Agreement for procurement of Harpoon Anti-ship operational
missiles and associated equipment was signed in August 2010. Training of the
aircrew has been completed for carriage and delivery of these weapons. Integration
of these weapons would enhance the capability of the IAF in neutralizing threats
emanating from the maritime domain and thereby be able to provide greater
support to the
Indian Navy in its operations at sea.
MICA Air to Air Missiles.       The delivery of MICA air to air missiles for upgraded
Mirage-2000 aircraft has commenced and these missiles will further increase the
capability of the
Mirage-2000 aircraft as a potent platform.
SPICE-2000 Bombs. IAF has acquired precision guided bombs with increased
accuracy and penetration for use against fortified and underground command
centres. This weapon has been tested and its capabilities have been validated at an
IAF firing range.
Indigenous Pechora Combat Simulator (IPCS)

o   Pechora missile system is one of the vital elements of Air Defence setup of IAF. The
system was procured from Russia during the period from 1974 to 1989 to provide Air
Defence cover to assets of national importance. It has been provided with simulators for
conduct of training for the missile combat crew. Pechora system has out lived the life
specified by the OEM. However, the system is to be deployed for extended operational
utilisation in view of delay in new inductions. The extended utilisation of Pechora
system is a challenge due to unreliable performance and lack of product support from
the OEM.

o   In order to facilitate extended utilisation IAF has indigenized the class room version
Pechora combat simulator for training of combat crew. The simulator has been
indigenized in-house at a cost of Rs 2.3 lacs against the cost of Rs 55 lacs quoted by the
vendor. A certificate of excellence has been awarded for indigenisation of simulator on
October 08, 2015 by the Prime Minister of India.

Metereology

Award of ‘Certificate of Excellence’ by the Prime Minister.        The importance &

utility of current weather information lies in its currency and availability in real-
 time to operators and decision makers. To meet this requirement the Directorate of
Meteorology has conceptualised and implemented the on line portal – Mausam on
Line (MoL). The ultimate aim was to provide real time weather observation and
forecasts to the commanders and operators towards efficient planning and execution
of Air operations. Directorate of Met was awarded a Certificate for excellence in
innovation by the Prime Minister on October 08, 2015 on the eve of 83rd Air Force
Day celebrations.

Joint Planning and Operations

Indo-US Joint Exercise “Yudh Abhyas”, Indo-UK Jt Ex “Ajeya Warrior”,  India-China Jt

Ex “Hand-in-Hand”, Indo-Thailand Jt trg “Ex Maitree”, Indo-Maldives combined Trg
“Ex Ekuverian” are the joint exercises which have already been conducted by the
Indian Army this year with friendly Foreign countries along with IAF air assets.

COOPERATION BETWEEN IAF AND CIVIL AUTHORITIES

Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations.

Op Rahat. The Government of India assessed a requirement of immediate

evacuation of over 4000 Indian nationals based at various locations in Yemen due the
Civil War there. A combined MEA, IAF, Indian Navy and Air India evacuation plan
was put into place for evacuation of Indian nationals. While Indian Naval ships
evacuated nationals from Yemenese port cities to Djibouti and Air India ferried back
nationals from Saana to Djibouti, IAF deployed three C-17 aircraft to ferry back
Indian nationals from Djibouti to Kochi and Mumbai. A total of 11 evacuation trips
were undertaken by IAF aircraft which facilitated safe evacuation of 2096 Indian
nationals.
Op Maitri On April 25, 2015 Nepal was struck by an earthquake. IAF launched its
biggest ever Disaster Relief Operations in a foreign land to provide relief and support
to the Government of Nepal. Total 1636 sorties, amounting to a total flying effort of
863 hours were made towards air evacuation of 780 casualties (including 121 foreign
nationals) and rescue of 5188 personnel from various forward/earthquake affected
areas.
Helicopters.    A total of 24 helicopters were deployed in the operations which
involved a total flying effort of 1572 sorties in 741 hrs, evacuating 5188 victims, 780
casualties, induction of 1488 troops and airlift of 733 tonnes of relief & rehabilitation
load.
Flood Relief Operations in Myanmar.     On August 06-07, 2015, IAF C-17 and C-130J
aircraft were tasked by MoD to airlift 104 tons of relief material from Delhi to Kalay
and Mandalay in Myanmar. C-17 and C-130J aircraft airlifted 48 tons and 10 tons load
to Mandalay and Kalay respectively. Meanwhile, another C-17 aircraft was used to
position 46 tons load at Guwahati; which was subsequently airlifted to Kalay by the
C-130J aircraft in three shuttles.

DEFENCE COOPERATION WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES

As part of International Defence Cooperation, IAF is engaged with the Air Forces of
various friendly foreign countries through Air Staff Talks, professional exchange
visits, sports and cultural events.
 INDRADHANUSH-IV. As part of Indo-UK bi-lateral co-operation, Ex Indradhanush –
IV was undertaken between July 21- 30, 2015 at RAF base Coningsby, Brize Norton
and Honington. IAF contingent comprising of 190 personnel, participated in the
exercise. The IAF assets comprised of Su-30MKI, C-130J, C-17, IL-78 aircraft and
Garuds. The team demonstrated a high degree of

Joint Military Training (JMT) -15

Joint Military Training (JMT-15) with Republic of Singapore Air Force was conducted
at AF Stn Kalaikunda from November 02-22, 2015. RSAF deployed 06 X F-16 C/D
aircraft. Bilateral exercise with Su-30 MKI was conducted from November 23, 2015
for two weeks.

EMPOWERMENT AND WELFARE OF WOMEN

Major Policy Decisions.

The Government has approved induction of women into the fighter stream thereby
making them eligible for induction in all branches and streams of the IAF. Women are
selected as per uniform QRs at par with male counterparts. Further, uniform QRs are
applied to both women and men Short Service Commissioned Officers for grant of
Permanent Commission irrespective of gender. 348 women officers are holding
permanent commission in the IAF as on November 15, 2015.

DRDO

In 2015, in the arena of tactical weapon systems – the DRDO productionisation and
inducted Akash Missile, the medium range air defence system with multi-target,
multi directional capability.
The state-of-the-art beyond visual range air to air missile Astra, capable of engaging
targets decisively was integrated with Su30 combat aircraft. Designed to arm Mig 29,
Su30 and India’s own Tejas aircrafts, Astra has undergone series of successful flight
trials.
The supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, designed to be launched from land, air, sea
and sub-sea platforms, is a preferred weapon system. 10 Navy ships are equipped
with BrahMos, a deadly weapon, and the Army has with two regiments. The
underwater launched version underwent successful trial from a submerged
pontoon.  Recently, BrahMos was successfully test fired with high precision from
Indian Navy’s newest stealth destroyer INS Kochi.
HELINA, an Anti-tank Guided missile that can be fired in both direct and top attack
mode was integrated on advanced light helicopter ALH. The missile with capability to
defeat futuristic armours is undergoing field trials.
India’s first Light Weight Multi-role Supersonic Combat Aircraft Tejas, a 4th
Generation-Plus contemporary fighter aircraft having recorded over 2500 flawless
take offs and landings, demonstrated its might during the “Iron Fist”, a fire power
demonstration exercise of Indian Air Force.
Having undergone extensive weapon trials, extreme weather trials, high altitude and
sea level trials, LCA TEJAS received the Initial Operational Clearance on 29th
December 2013 and is heading towards achieving the final Operational Clearance.
Boosted by the Initial Operational Clearance of LCA TEJAS, the LCA Navy, capable of
 operating from aircraft carrier ship, has resumed its flight trials after its maiden
flight in April 2012.
DRDO’s technological strength is exemplified by the development, production and
acceptance of Indigenous Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) Swathi. Swathi is a highly
mobile Radar system designed for automatic first round location of weapons firing
projectile type rounds, it operates with a fence detection mode of operation, ensuring
fast detection and tracking of shells, mortars and rockets.
In the direction of establishing a credible Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems
(IEWS), DRDO achieved a major breakthrough with the development of Himshakti.
The Field Evaluation & Trials for any EW System prior to induction have been
conducted for the first time in the actual area of deployment.
In a Significant contribution to boost Fire power, the development of Pinaka MKII
with longer range has been completed and is undergoing trials.
A state-of-the-art hydrodynamic test Facility Sea keeping and Manoeuvring Basin
has been established at NSTL, Visakhapatnam and dedicated to the Nation by the
Defence Minister. The facility will be used for conducting model testing for
prediction of sea keeping and manoeuvring performance of newly designed ships
and submerged bodies under different environmental conditions and for optimising
the motion characteristics of the hull form and effectiveness of the control devices
under various manoeuvres.
MAAREECH an indigenous Advanced Torpedo Defence System to protect naval
platform against torpedo attack has been inducted in the Indian Navy.
A new Torpedo launch and recovery vessel INS ASTRADHARINI developed by DRDO
has been commissioned by Indian Navy (FO-C-in-C East). The vessel has been
designed with a unique catamaran hull form that significantly reduces its power
requirement and can operate at high sea states and has a large deck area with
launchers for deploying and recovering various kinds of torpedos during the trials.
In order to promote ‘Make in India’ programme, DRDO has brought out
comprehensive guidelines for Transfer of Technology (ToT) for private and public
industries engaged in Indigenous production and commercialization of Defence
technology spin-off for societal usage. DRDO has facilitated 75 Licensing agreements
for Transfer of Technology (LATOT) to 57 industries under Make in India program.

INDIAN COAST GUARD

During the year Indian Coast Guard vessels and crafts seized contraband worth of Rs.
618.370 crore.
It had apprehended as of 15 December 2015, two smuggling vessels and 16 poaching
boats and arrested 159 crew for illegal entry into Indian Territorial Waters.
During the year, it undertook 179 Search and Rescue (SAR) missions and saved the
lives of 3756 distressed persons on the high seas.

New Inductions/Commissioning

ICGS ‘Samarth’ the first in the series of six indigenously-built Offshore Patrol Vessels
(OPV) was commissioned on November 10, 2015 in Goa by the Defence Minister.
Fitted with the most advanced state-of-the-art technology, navigation and
communications equipment, sensors and machinery, the OPV is 105 metres long and
has been designed and built by Goa Shipyard Ltd. Based in Goa, ICGS Samarth has
 been deployed primarily for Exclusive Economic Zone surveillance and other duties
on the Western Seaboard to safeguard India’s maritime interests.
The year also saw commissioning of eight Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) namely ICGS
Ameya, Amogh, Anagh, Ankit, Anmol, Apoorva, Arinjay & Rani Durgavati.
Besides these, 12 Interceptor Boats and one Pollution Control Vessel (PCV) ICGS
‘Samudra Pavak’ were also inducted in Coast Guard during the year 2015.

EX-SERVICEMEN WELFARE

The Government announced the much awaited ‘One Rank One Pension’ scheme for
the Armed Forces personnel on 07 November 2015. The OROP which will cost around
Rs. 8000 crore extra every year is expected to remove the Pension anomaly that
exists in Defence Service personnel of the same rank having the same number of
years in service. On 14 December 2015 the Government appointed Justice L
Narasimha Reddy as the head of the judicial committee to look into the
implementation of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme.
The announcement of the 7th Central Pay Commission’s recommendations will
provide a hefty hike in the pay and allowances of   service personnel. For the first
time the commission has substantially hiked the Military Service Pay (MSP) of all
personnel and special allowances given to Naval and Air Force personnel deployed in
high risk duties.
The scope of Employees Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) has further been
widened by opening more polyclinics and referral hospitals in different parts of the
country.

Reaching out to people in Distress

Nepal Earthquake

As part of the Nation’s overall relief effort for Nepal, the Indian Army launched
operation ‘Maitri’ from 25 April 2015. The Engineer Task forces launched the rescue and
rehabilitation opertions from Barpak, Basantpur/Bhaktpur and Jorbati. The Indian
Army aviation pilots evacuated stranded/injured people, provide relief material and
induct Nepal Army troops to reach inaccessible areas to carry out relief work. Army and
Air Force helicopters flew 1650 sorties, rescued 994 people, inducted 1726 troops and
dropped 747 tonnes of stores and supplies in the affected areas.

Indian Army Field hospitals and the medical teams provided essential care to 4690
people including over 300 surgeries during their deployment in Nepal.

Chennai Floods

Post the unprecedented flood situation developing out of incessant rains in Chennai, the
Indian Army assistance was sought by the State Government, in afternoon hours of 01
December 2015. Immediately, two Rescue and Relief Columns comprising of troops from
the Garrison Infantry Battalion at Chennai and Army’s Engineer elements were
activated and begun operations in Tambaram, Mudichur, Manipakam, Guduvancheri
and Urapakkam areas of Chennai from evening of 01 December 2015. More than 20,000
stranded people were rescued. The Army has distributed more than 1,25,000 relief
packets provided by the State Government and some NGOs besides those from within its
own.

In this joint operation ‘Madad’ the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy also contributed
significantly by mobilising their assets in evacuating stranded people to safer areas and
helped in distribution of relief materials among the flood affected population.

January 1, 2016 0

Year End Review 2015: Ministry of Health and

Family Welfare

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Notable

Achievements and Initiatives- 2015
1. Mission Indradhanush

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has launched “Mission Indradhanush”,
depicting seven colours of the rainbow, to fully immunise more than 89 lakh children
who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated; those that have not been covered
during the rounds of routine immunisation for various reasons. They will be fully
immunised against seven life-threatening but vaccine preventable diseases which
include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis-
B. In addition, vaccination against Japanese Encephalitis and Haemophilus influenza
type B will be provided in selected districts/states of the country. Pregnant women will
also be immunised against tetanus.

The first round of the first phase started from 7 April 2015-World Health Day– in 201
high focus districts in 28 states and carried for more than a week. This will be followed
by three rounds of more than a week in the months of April, May June and July 2015,
starting from 7th of each month. The 201 high focus districts account for nearly 50% of
all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children in the country. Of these, 82 districts are
in just four states of UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and account for nearly
25% of all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children of the country.

Within the districts, the Mission will focus on 4, 00,000 high risk settlements identified
as pockets with low coverage due to geographic, demographic, ethnic and other
operational challenges. These include nomads and migrant labour working on roads,
construction sites, riverbed mining areas, brick kilns, and those living in remote and
inaccessible geographical areas and urban slums, and the underserved and hard to
reach populations dwelling in forested and tribal areas.

In addition second phase was launched on 7th October 2015 in 352 districts of the
country. During second phase, four special intensified immunization drives are being
conducted for 7 days starting from 7th October and are planned to be repeated on the
same date for four consecutive months i.e. 7th November, 7th December 2015 and 7th
January, 2016 covering all children under two years of age, and pregnant women for
tetanus toxoid vaccine.

Achievements of Mission Indradhanush:-

As per data available, during the first phase of Mission Indradhanush, 9.4 lakh
sessions were held, during which 1.89 crore vaccines were administered to the
children and pregnant women. During these immunization rounds more than 75
lakh children were vaccinated and about 20 lakh children were fully vaccinated.
Also, more than 20 lakh pregnant women were vaccinated with tetanus toxoid
vaccine during these four rounds. To combat the problem of diarrhea, zinc tablets
and ORS packets were freely distributed to all the children to protect them against
diarrhea. More than 16 lakh ORS packets and about 57 lakh zinc tablets were
distributed to the children during these four rounds of Mission Indradhanush.

As per the data available on 26th Nov 2015, during Phase II of Mission Indradhanush,
4.49 lakh sessions were held, during which about 70 lakh vaccines were
administered to the children and pregnant women. During these immunization
rounds more than 27 lakh children were vaccinated and about 8 lakh children were
fully vaccinated. Also, more than 6 lakh pregnant women were vaccinated with
tetanus toxoid vaccine during these four rounds. To combat the problem of
diarrhoea, zinc tablets and ORS packets were freely distributed to all the children to
protect them against diarrhea. More than 5 lakh ORS packets and about 17 lakh zinc
tablets were distributed to the children during these four rounds of Mission
Indradhanush.

The preparation and learning during the implementation of the four rounds have led to
health systems strengthening in terms of drawing up detailed micro plans; designing
sturdy framework for stringent monitoring and evaluation of the immunisation rounds
in the states(more than 3600 state and central level monitors have been deputed);
training of nearly 9 lakh frontline workers; identification and analysis of limiting factors
in different states leading to creating effective structures to mitigate them.

2. Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Eliminated (MNTE)

All the States/UTs of India have been validated for Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus
Elimination (MNTE) well before the global target date of December, 2015. The Maternal
and neonatal tetanus validation in India started in 2003 in a phased manner. Andhra
Pradesh was the first state to validate MNT elimination. Nagaland was the last state in
the country where the validation exercise was completed on 17th April 2015.

A formal communication has been received from Dr. Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-
General, WHO congratulating India on achieving the milestone of Maternal and
Neonatal Tetanus elimination in 2015.

Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) is defined as less than one neonatal
tetanus case per thousand live births per year in every district. In 1989, global deaths
from Neonatal Tetanus (NT) were estimated at 7.87 lakh per year and India contributed
to approximately 2 lakh deaths.

India has achieved this validation through the system strengthening including
improvement of institutional delivery, which is also a proxy indicator for clean delivery
and clean cord care practices and by strengthening Routine Immunization. Strategies to
improve clean delivery have been included in the innovative Janani Suraksha Yojana
(JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karayakaram (JSSK).

3. Decision to Introduce New Vaccines

In a bid to protect the children from more vaccine preventable diseases, new vaccines
are proposed to be introduced as part of India’s Universal Immunisation Programme
(UIP). Introduction of these vaccines will be done in a phased manner over a period of
time, depending upon the field level assessments and preparedness. In addition, it has
been decided to introduce an adult vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in the high
burden districts. The new vaccines are:

1. Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)

India is Polio free but to maintain this status, the Inactivated Polio Vaccine was
introduced on 30th October 2015. The vaccine has been initially introduced in six states:
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam and Punjab. This will benefit 2.7
crore children every year.

1. Adult Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine

21 high burden districts have been identified in Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
for adult JE vaccination in the age-group of 15-65 years.  This will cut down deaths and
morbidity due to Japanese Encephalitis in adults as well.

1. Rotavirus vaccine

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhoea among infants and young children in
the world. Each year India loses approximately 2 lakh children to diarrhoea out of
which 1 lakh deaths are caused by Rotavirus. Rotavirus vaccine implemented to full
scale would save approximately 1 lakh lives every year. The vaccine is planned to be
introduced in first quarter of 2016 in four states initially i.e. Odisha, Himachal Pradesh,
Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.
 1. Measles Rubella vaccine

Measles Rubella vaccine eliminates measles and controls Rubella in the country. The
vaccine will help to reduce incidence of Congenital Rubella Syndrome. As on date,
approximately 25,000 cases of CRS are estimated each year and if the child survives,
this adds to the disabilities in the country.
MR vaccination campaign will be carried out after appropriate planning and will
cover 45 crore children.

4. Child Health

Special New born Care Units (SNCUs)

In order to strengthen the care of sick, premature and low birth weight newborn Special
New born Care Units (SCNU) have been established at District Hospitals and tertiary
care hospitals. These are 12-20 bedded units, with 4 trained doctors and 10-12 nurses
and support staff with provision of 24×7 services to sick newborns. Presently 602 SNCUs
are reported operational and more than 7.5 lakh newborns treated in these in 2014-15.

Graph showing the progressive increase in number of SNCUs along with the number of
admissions (For 2015-16, data is till September 2015)
MoHFW provides free entitlement of care at these centres under Janani Shishu
Suraksha Karyakaram. Each SNCU is expected to provide: Care at birth including
resuscitation of asphyxiated newborn, sick newborn and routine postnatal care. Follow
up of high risk newborn and Immunization/Referral Services are also provided for.
Once the baby is discharged to home ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) will do the
follow up of these babies for one year. District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) have
also been linked with SNCU to provide specialized care to the babies with special needs
and delays.

National Deworming Day: A Fixed Day Fixed Site strategy

Government of India for effective deworming coverage

 Like many other countries across the globe, India is also endemic for Soil Transmitted
Helminths. More than 241 million children are estimated to be at risk of parasitic
intestinal worm infections leading to impaired physical growth, cognitive development,
fatigue, internal bleeding. They also cause micronutrient deficiencies leading to poor
school performance and absenteeism in children. Albendazole tablets, once in 6 months,
is a simple drug proven to reduce the worm load.

Enter a caption

NDD launch by the Honorable HFM at Jaipur

Understanding the negative impact of worm load in children effecting their growth and
development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, ambitiously
launched – National Deworming Day (NDD) on 10th February, 2015 followed by mop-up
activities to be carried up to 14th February, 2015 across all Government/ Government
aided schools and Anganwadi centers of 11 States/UT.

NDD was implemented in 277 districts across 11 States/UT namely Assam, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. More than 4.70 lakh schools and 3.67 lakh
Anganwadi centers were covered under the ambitious NDD program. With an
achievement of 85 percent coverage, a total of 8.98 crore children aged 1-19 years,
received deworming tablet against a target of 10.31 crore during the National
Deworming Day.
 

Number of Children dewormed against the target-

Number of sites where deworming was undertaken on NDD

Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (27 July- 8 August 2015)

In order to accelerate efforts towards reduction of Childhood mortality, which is one of

the prime goals of National Health Mission. Diarrhoea contributes to around 11 percent
under-five deaths in country- most of these deaths are clustered around Summer and
Monsoon season. To effectively address the issue, Intensified Diarrhoea Control
Fortnight (IDCF) was implemented from 27th July to 8th August 2015, with an aim of
achieving improved coverage of essential life-saving commodity of ORS, zinc dispersible
tablets and practice of appropriate child feeding practices during diarrhoea.

The chief activities during IDCF involved doorstep ORS distribution by ASHA to house
with under-five children, counselling for infant and young child feeding, referral of
children with diarrhoea for treatment, capacity building of frontline workers for
management of childhood diarrhoea, setting up of ORS-zinc corners along with multi-
sectoral involvement of Anganwadi centres for growth monitoring of all children, PRI
meetings on the subject of childhood diarrhoea, hand-washing sessions in schools.

ORS was pre-positioned in houses of 6.6 crore children to enable timely management of
diarrhoea. 36.3 lakh children were treated with both zinc and ORS during the fortnight.
3.4 lakh ORS-zinc corners were established and 5.4 lakh schools participated and 3.2
lakhs village level meetings were undertaken.

Enter a caption

ORS & Zinc Corners

Involvement of schools
Rally by school children to advocate hand washing practices

Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK)

 The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) has been launched to provide child
health screening and early interventions services by expanding the reach of mobile
health teams at block level. These teams will also carry out screening of all the children
in the age group 0-6 years enrolled at Anganwadi Centres at least twice a year. RBSK
covers 30 common health conditions. States/UTs may incorporate a few more conditions
based on high prevalence/endemicity. An estimated 27 crore children in the age group of
zero to eighteen years are expected to be covered in a phased manner.

The strategic interventions to address birth defects, disabilities, delays and

deficiencies are:

Screening of children under RBSK- Child health screening and early intervention
services to with an aim to improve the overall quality of life of children through early
detection of birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, development delays including disability
(4 Ds) and reduce out of pocket expenditure for the families. Dedicated mobile medical
health teams (for screening purpose)  at block level, comprising of four health personnel
viz. two AYUSH doctors (One Male, One Female), ANM/ SN, and a Pharmacist. Under this
intervention, 10.66 crore children have been screened (FY 2014-15), so far by 9774 
teams and 51.78  lakh children have been referred for management of 4 Ds, 22.18 lakh
children have been managed for the 30 health conditions. In Q1 (April-June) 2015-16;
1.79 crore children have been screened; 14.03 lakh children have been referred to
health facilities; 4.64 lakh children have received secondary and tertiary care.

5. Maternal Health

“Daksh”
For improving the skills of healthcare providers and to enhance their capacity to
provide quality (Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child & Adolescent Health)
RMNCH+A services, Government of India has  established five National Skills  lab
‘’Daksh’’ at Delhi and in NCR region with support from Maternal health division,
Government of India and Liverpool school of tropical Medicine(LSTM) at:

1. Jamia Hamdard
2. Trained Nurses  association of India(TNAI)
3. National  Institute of Health and Family Welfare(NIHFW)
4. Safdarjung Hospital.
5. Lady Hardinge Medical College.

These skills lab will handhold and guide creating skills lab and also train state trainers.
National Skills labs are being attached to all the states and UTs so that there is an
optimum utilization of the National Skills lab. 30 stand-alone skills lab has been
established at different states such as Gujarat, Haryana, Bihar, Maharastra, MP, West
Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Additionally 188 MCH wings have been
approved across the country which has in built skills lab.

The linkages of National Skills lab with states are:

Skills Lab

  States
 

UP, Uttarakhand, Karnataka ,Kerala  Chandigarh, D&N

TNAI
Haveli, Nagaland
Assam ,JK ,Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh,
LHMC
Meghalaya, Mizoram
Odisha, Rajasthan, Haryana, AP, Goa, HP, Sikkim, Daman
NIHFW
& Diu,
MP, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Telangana, A&N island,
Jamia  Hamdard
Puducherry
Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharastra, Gujarat, Lakshadweep,
SJH
Manipur, Tripura
 

The skills lab has  5 skill cabin and comprises of 16 skill stations where the trainees
learn  40 key RMNCH+A skills through practicing skills on mannequins, simulation
exercise, demonstration videos and presentation spread over 6 days. Pre validate tools
like OSCE (Objective structured clinical examination), emergency drills, supportive
supervision and hand holding exercise at their place of work are few things which
distinct them from other training programmes. Skills labs serves as a prototype
demonstration and learning facility for health care providers with competency based
training. The labs have an edge over other didactic methods by providing the
opportunity for repetitive skill practice, simulating clinical scenarios under the
supervision of a qualified trainer.

The objectives of Skills lab are to : A) Facilitate acquisition/ reinforcement of key

standardized technical skills and  knowledge by service providers for RMNCH+A
services b) Ensures the availability of skilled personnel at health facilities c) Improves
the quality of pre service training d) Provides continuing Nursing education /
Continuing medical education. The target audience of 6 days skills lab training are
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Paediatricians, Medical Officers, staff Nurses,
Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), state trainers and faculty of Nursing School/ colleges
and Medical College who can adapt it for strengthening pre service teaching.

National Skills lab ‘Daksh’ at National Institute of Health and Family Welfare(NIHFW),
R.K. Puram, New Delhi was inaugurated by Shree Jagat Prakash Nadda Hon’ble Union
Health and Family Welfare Minister on 9th March, 2015.

Till date 797 health personnel have been trained at National Skills lab with different
cadre including Nursing tutors, Skills lab trainers, Professors, Medical officers, skills lab
trainer etc.

The Government of India’s latest initiative of Skills Labs to target preventable causes of
death directly can be a major breakthrough in saving women’s lives.

Glimpses of 6 day training at National skills lab

6. Family Planning

(1)   Expanding Basket of Choices:

Three new choices are now being introduced in the National Family Planning program.

1. Injectable DMPA: The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) agreed to the
introduction of the injectable contraceptive DMPA in the public health system under
the National Family Planning Programme.
2. POP: Progesterone only pill for the lactating mothers
3. Centchroman: A non-hormonal once a week pill.

(2)   Improved Contraceptive Packaging:

The packaging for Condoms, OCP and ECP has now being improved so as to influence
the demand for these commodities.

7. Adolescent Health

Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK)

The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) was launched in January 2014 with
an overarching aim to address sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, injuries and
violence (including gender based violence), prevention of non-communicable diseases,
mental health and substance misuse related concerns of  253 million adolescents of our
country through effective and coherent implementation of programmes and schemes.
The short term goal is to ensure holistic health and development of adolescents and the
long term outcome will be increased social and economic productivity of our nation.

The programme is underpinned by the principles of equity and inclusion; rights based
approach, adolescent and community participation and strategic partnership. The key
components of the program are community based interventions; facility based
interventions; social and behavior change communication; and inter-sectoral
convergence.

Community based interventions-

 Peer Education Programme

To build a community of proactive and confident adolescents, who are well informed
and are capable of taking appropriate decisions about their health and wellbeing, is one
of the key drivers of RKSK programme.  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its
Operational Guideline for RKSK proposed to select and orient four peer educators i.e.
two male and two female peer educators per village or 1000 population. These
community level peer educators will receive standardized information and knowledge
on sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, injuries and violence, prevention of non-
communicable diseases, mental health and substance misuse through structured
orientation sessions.

After orientation, peer educators are expected to form group of 15-20 boys and girls and
to conduct weekly participatory sessions on adolescent health, facilitate organization of
Adolescent Health Day and ensure linkages with Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics
(AFHCs) and Adolescent Helpline. During the first phase of implementation of PE
programme, 50% Blocks in 213 RKSK districts have been selected. Further to this, two
PHC under each of these selected CHCs have been identified for roll-out of PE
programme. PE selection and trainings are in the process of being conducted in all
villages under the two identified PHCs, this will be facilitated by village ASHA with
active involvement of ANMs, school teachers and local committees such as VHNSC. 
Villages under approximately 1800 Primary Health Centres will be covered in the first
phase of implementation of PE scheme. During the course of the year, around 2 lakhs
peer educator will be selected through a community led and community based process
and trained.

Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) programme

 WIFS entails provision of weekly supervised IFA tablets to in-school boys and girls and
out-of-school girls for prevention of iron and folic acid deficiency anaemia, and
biannual albendazole tablets for helminthic control. The programme is being
implemented across the country in both rural and urban areas, covering government,
government aided schools, municipal schools and Anganwadi centres. Screening of
targeted adolescents population for moderate/ severe anaemia and referral of these
cases to an appropriate health facility; and information and counselling for prevention
of nutritional anaemia are also included in the programme.

The programme is been implemented through convergence with key stakeholder

ministries- the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Human
Resource Development, with joint programme planning, capacity building and
communication activities. The programme aims to cover a total of 11.2 crore
beneficiaries including 8.4 crore in-school and 2.8 crore out-of-school beneficiaries.

Scheme for Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Girls in Rural

India
 

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched Scheme for Promotion of
Menstrual Hygiene among adolescent girls in the age group of 10-19 years in rural areas
as part of the Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health (ARSH) in RCH II, with specific
reference to ensuring health for adolescent girls. The major objectives of the scheme
are:

–          To increase awareness among adolescent girls on Menstrual Hygiene

–          To increase access to and use of high quality sanitary napkins to adolescent girls
in rural areas.

–          To ensure safe disposal of Sanitary Napkins in an environmentally friendly

manner.

Under the scheme a pack of 6 sanitary napkins is provided under the NRHM’s brand
‘Freedays’. These napkins are sold to the adolescents girls at Rs. 6 for a pack of 6 napkins
in the village by the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA). On sale of each pack, the
ASHA gets an incentive of Rs. 1 per pack besides a free pack of sanitary napkins per
month. This initial model of the scheme was rolled out in 112 selected districts in 17
States through central supply of sanitary napkin packs.

Since 2015-16, the scheme had been decentralized and funds were approved in the State
Programme Implementation Plans for procurement of sanitary napkin packs, for safe
storage and disposal, and for training of ASHA and nodal teachers. The states have been
advised – to undertake procurement of sanitary napkins packs at prices decided through
competitive bidding.  The funds have been approved for state-level procurement of
sanitary napkin packs in 162 districts across 20 states in 2015-16 RoPs.

Facility based interventions:-

 1. Strengthening of  existing Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics  (AFHC )
2. Setting up of new AFHCs
3. Ensuring availability of trained human resource at AFHCs- medical officer, ANM and
counsellors

Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics act as the first level of contact of primary health care
services with adolescents. These clinics are being developed across all level of care to
cater to diversified health and counselling need of adolescent girls and boys. These
broad objectives will be achieved through establishment of optimally functional AFHCs
at District Hospitals, Community Health Centres and Primary Health Care centres in
prioritized districts.

Trainings of medical officer, ANMs and counsellors positioned in AFHCs are being
ensured through development of a structured training plan for capacity building. The
training of human resource positioned in AFHCs operationalized in RKSK districts is
being prioritized. Adolescent Health Division of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
has already completed National Level Training of Trainers for Medical Officers,
ANMs/LHVs and Counsellors. These master trainers are further providing state/district
level training to service providers at designated district training sites.

Convergence:-

Under RKSK, convergence structures have been institutionalized with constitution of

State Committee for Adolescent Health and District Committee for Adolescent Health.
The committees will be holding regular meetings with both intra-departmental and
inter-departmental representation.

–          Within Health & Family Welfare – Family Planning, Maternal Health, Rashtriya
Bal Swathya Karyakram, NACP, National Tobacco Control Programme, National Mental
Health Programme, Non-communicable Disease and  IEC

–          With other departments/ schemes – WCD (ICDS, BSY, SABLA), HRD (AEP, MDM),
Youth Affairs and Sports (Adolescent Empowerment Scheme,  National Service Scheme,
NYKS, NPYA)

 
Social and Behaviour Change Communication with focus on Inter Personal
Communication:-

Communication material for WIFS, Menstrual Hygiene Program and issue related to
Adolescent Pregnancy has been developed and shared with States.

After wide spread consultations, a comprehensive communication strategy has been

developed by AH division in collaboration with UNICEF country office. The strategy
provides overall guidance to state and district programme managers on formulation of
communication campaign for adolescents on six priority areas identified under RKSK.
An implementation guideline has also been developed to supplement the
communication strategy and to aid its roll-out. Both the strategy and implementation
guideline were shared with state programme mangers during the National Review of
RKSK programme in June 2015. To further strengthen the understanding of
communication for adolescent health, strategy has also been shared with state and
district level managers during RKSK regional reviews held in November- December
2015.

Extensive Media Campaign for WIFS has been organized with support from UNICEF
country office which includes write-ups from subject experts and articles on Nutrition,
Anaemia and WIFS program in prominent newspapers across all the States besides
engagement with UNICEF goodwill ambassador Priyanka Chopra for awareness
generation on Nutrition and Anaemia in adolescents.

8. The National Health Mission (NHM)

The National Health Mission (NHM) encompasses its two Sub-Missions, the National
Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). The
main programmatic components include Health System Strengthening in rural and
urban areas, Reproductive-Maternal- Neonatal-Child and Adolescent Health
(RMNCH+A), and Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases. The NHM envisages
achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable & quality health care services
that are accountable and responsive to people’s needs.

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM): NRHM seeks to provide accessible, affordable
and quality health care to the rural population, especially the vulnerable groups. Under
the NRHM, the Empowered Action Group (EAG) States as well as North Eastern States,
Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have been given special focus. The thrust of
the mission is on establishing a fully functional, community owned, decentralized
health delivery system with inter-sectoral convergence at all levels, to ensure
simultaneous action on a wide range of determinants of health such as water,
sanitation, education, nutrition, social and gender equality.
National Urban Health Mission (NUHM): NUHM seeks to improve the health status of the
urban population particularly urban poor and other vulnerable sections by facilitating
their access to quality primary health care. NUHM covers all state capitals, district
headquarters and other cities/towns with a population of 50,000 and above (as per
census 2011) in a phased manner. Cities and towns with population below 50,000 will
continue be covered under NRHM.

Progress under NHM:-

 Augmentation of Human Resources

NRHM has attempted to fill the gaps in human resources by approving nearly 2.3 lakh
additional  health  human  resources to  the  States,  including  10,027 Medical Offiders,
4,023 Specialists,  78,168 ANMs,  53,456  Staff  Nurses,  35,514  AYUSH  Doctors etc. on
contractual basis. Apart from providing support for health human resource, NRHM has
also focused on multi-skilling of doctors at strategically located facilities identified by
the states e.g. MBBS doctors are trained in Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC), Life
Saving Anaesthesia Skills (LSAS) and Laparoscopic Surgery.

Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)

Under the Framework for Implementation of NRHM, a female community health

worker called Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) has been engaged in each village
in the ratio of one ASHA per 1000 population or one ASHA per habitation in tribal areas.
Up to June, 2015, 9.15 lakh ASHAs and link workers have been selected  in  entire 
country, out  of  which 8.42 lakh  have been  given the orientation training and engaged
Further, 8.82 lakh ASHAs have been provided with drug kit.

Infrastructure strengthening/upgradation

NRHM seeks to strengthen public health delivery system at all levels. During the last 10
years (up to June 2015), 30,750 new constructions and 32,847 renovation/upgradation
projects for various health facilities including SC, PHC, CHC, SDH and DH were
sanctioned.

24x 7 Services and First Referral facilities

2,706 Referral Hospitals were strengthened to act as First Referral Units (FRUs). 13,667
PHCs/CHCs were strengthened to provide 24×7 services. 14,441 Newborn Care
Corners(NBCC), 575 Special Newborn Care Units (SNCU) and 2,020 Newborn
Stabilization Units NBSU)  were  established  under  NHM  to  improve  newborn  care 
and  reduce  neonatal mortality and morbidity.
 

Mobile Medical Units

In  order to provide  services  to the  most  remote  and hard  to  reach  areas,  States 
have been supported with Mobile Medical Units (MMUs). Over the 10 years of NRHM,
333 out of 672 districts have been equipped with MMUs.  So far 1,107 MMUs are
operational in the country.

National Ambulance Services

31  States/UTs  have the  facility  where  people  can  dial  108  or  102 telephone number 
for  calling  an  ambulance.   Dial  108  is  predominantly   an  emergency   response
system,  primarily  designed  to  attend  to  patients  of  critical  care,  trauma  and 
accident victims etc. Dial 102 services essentially  consist  of basic patient transport 
aimed to cater the  needs  of  pregnant  women  and  children  though  other  categories  
are  also  taking benefit and are not excluded.  JSSK entitlements e.g.   Free transfer from
home to facility, inter facility transfer in case of referral and drop back for mother and
children are the key focus of 102 service.  This  service  can  be  accessed  through  a toll 
free  call  to  a Call Centre.

Presently, 7,358  Dial 108, 7,836  Dial 102 and 400  Dial 104 Emergency  Response  Service
Vehicles are supported  under NHM, besides  6,290 empanelled vehicles for
transportation of  patients,  particularly  pregnant  women  and  sick  infants  from 
home  to public health facilities  and back.

Mainstreaming of AYUSH

Mainstreaming of AYUSH has been taken up by allocating AYUSH facilities in 10042

PHCs, 2732 CHCs, 501 DHs, 5714 health facilities above SC but below block level and 421 
health facilities other than CHC at or above block level but below district level.

Community   Participation

To ensure  involvement  of the communities  in over-seeing  the provisioning  of health

care and to redress  public  grievances,  31,763  Rogi  Kalyan  Samitis  or Hospital 
Management Committees  at health facilities  above the Primary  Health Centre level
and over 5.01 lakh Village Health  Sanitation.   Nutrition   Committee   (VHSNCs)   at
village   level have been constituted across the country.

Financial   Progress
One of the key mandates of NHM has been to increase the public expenditure in health
sector. Since 2005, there has been a significant improvement in the utilization. Since the
inception of NRHM, Rs. 1, 34,137.31 crore (up to October 2015) has been released to
States/UTs under NHM.

Reproductive and Child Health Services

 (i)  The MMR, i.e. number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, has declined from
560 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 167 per 100,000 live births in 2011-13. Percentage
annual compound rate of decline in MMR during 2005 to 2011-13 accelerated to 5.8%
from 5.1% observed during 1990 to 2005. India is poised to achieve the Millennium
Development Goal of MMR at the present rate of decline.

(ii)  Infant Mortality Rate (IMR):   The IMR in India declined from 80 in 1990 to 40 in the
year 2013. Percentage annual compound rate of decline in IMR during 2005-2013 has
accelerated to 4.5% from 2.1% observed during 1990-2005.

(iii)  Total Fertility Rate (TFR): The TFR in India declined from 3.8 in 1990 to 2.3 in the
year 2013. The percentage annual compound rate of decline in TFR during 2005-2013
has accelerated to 2.9% from 1.8% observed during 1990-2005.

(iv)  India achieved a historical milestone and was certified as ‘Polio-free’ by WHO in
March 2014 on having no wild polio case since 13th Jan, 2011.

Mother and Child Tracking System

It is a name based tracking system, launched by the Government of India as an

innovative application of information technology directed towards improving the health
care service delivery system and strengthening the monitoring mechanism. MCTS is
designed to capture information on and track all pregnant women and children (0-
5Years) so that they receive ‘full’ complement of maternal and child health services,
thereby contributing to the reduction of maternal, infant and child morbidity and
mortality. A total of 1, 18, 68,505 pregnant women were registered in MCTS during 2015-
16 (till Oct’) which indicates a registration of 67.57% as against estimated number of
pregnant women in 2015-16. Similarly, a total of 82, 38,820 children under 5 year age
have been registered in MCTS till Oct, 2015.

Mother and Child Tracking Facilitation Centre (MCTFC)

MCTFC has been operationalised from National Institute of Health and Family Welfare
(NIHFW). It is being operated by 80 Helpdesk Agents (HAs).  It validates the data entered
in MCTS in addition to guiding and helping both the beneficiaries and service providers
with up to date information on Mother and Child care services through phone calls and
Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) on a regular basis.  MCTFC is creating
awareness about Government mother and child health related programmes and also
seeking feedback on services being provided.

National Urban Health Mission

National  Urban  Health  Mission  (NUHM)   was  approved   as  a  Sub-Mission   under 
an overarching  National  Health Mission (NHM) by the Cabinet on 1st May 2013 for
providing equitable and quality primary health care services to urban population  with
focus on slum dwellers and  other  vulnerable  population   like  migrant  workers, 
homeless,  etc.  NUHM aims to create   Primary  health care service  delivery 
infrastructure  which  is largely absent in cities/towns   by  strengthening   of  existing  
Urban  Family  Welfare   Centres  (UFWCs), Urban  Health  Posts (UHPs),  dispensaries 
and establishment   of new Urban Primary Health Centers (U-PHC) and Urban
Community Health Centres (U-CHC) as per the need.

The approvals conveyed under NUHM for the last two years i.e. 2013-2014 and 2014-
15 are as follows:

–          Strengthening of 3,995 existing facilities such as Urban Family Welfare Centers,
Urban Health Posts and dispensaries as Urban Primary Health Centers (U-PHCs)

–          1,426 new U-PHCs were sanctioned

–          Support provided for strengthening of 99 First Referral Units (FRUs)

–          Establishment of 35 new Urban Community Health Centers

–          2,353 full-time Medical officers, 2,973 part-time Medical officers, 17,584 ANMs,
7,209 Staff Nurses, 2,978 Pharmacists and 3,231 Lab Technicians were approved

–          For slum habitation – 92,173 Mahila Arogya Samitis (MAS) and 56,002 ASHAs
approved (One  MAS covers 50-100 households and one ASHA covers 200 to 500
households)

Key Initiatives under NHM:

Launch of National Quality Assurance Framework for Health facilities: To improve

quality of health care in over 31000 public facilities and provide a clear roadmap to
states, Quality Standards for District Hospitals (DHs), CHCs and PHCs under National
Quality Assurance Framework were rolled out in November, 2014.

 
Launch of Kayakalp- an initiative for Award to Public Health Facilities: Kayakalp-
initiative has been launched to promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection control
practices in public health facilities. Under this initiative public healthcare facilities shall
be appraised and such public healthcare facilities that show exemplary performance
meeting standards of protocols of cleanliness, hygiene and infection control will receive
awards and commendation. Further, Swachhta Guidelines for public health facilities to
promote Cleanliness, Hygiene and Infection Control Practices in public health facilities
were released on 15th May, 2015. The Guidelines provide details on the planning,
frequency, methods, monitoring etc with regard to Swachhta in public health facilities.

Launch of National Family Health Survey (NFHS)–IV: NFHS-IV was launched in mid-
2014 to provide essential data and information on important emerging health and
family welfare elements to track progress on key parameters and provide evidence for
policy and programme. The field work of NFHS-IV is under progress. This survey results
are expected in 2016 and will provide national, state and district level data.

Launch of India Newborn Action Plan (INAP): Currently, there are estimated 7.47 lakh
neonatal deaths annually. In September 2014, INAP was launched for accelerating the
reduction of preventable newborn deaths and stillbirths in the country – with the goal
of attaining ‘Single Digit Neo-natal Mortality Rate (NMR) by 2030’ and ‘Single Digit Still
Birth Rate (SBR) by 2030’. The neo-natal deaths are expected to reduce to below 2.28
lakh annually by 2030, once the goal is achieved.

Launch of Mission Indradhanush: Mission Indradhanush was launched in December

2014 to reach 90 Lakh unimmunized/partially immunized children by 2020. It has been
implemented in 201 districts in 1st Phase, 297 additional Districts are to be covered in
2nd Phase.  About 20 lakh children received full immunization during the Phase-1 of
Mission Indradhanush.

Approval of four new vaccines- Approval of four new vaccines namely rotavirus,
Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Measles-Rubella vaccine, Japanese Encephalitis vaccine
extended to adults. This will significantly reduce vaccine preventable morbidity,
disability and mortality.

Free Drugs Service Initiative: An incentive of up to 5% additional funding (over and

above the normal allocation of the state) under the NHM is provided to those States that
introduce free medicines scheme. Under the NHM-Free Drug Service Initiative,
substantial funding is available to States for provision of free drugs subject to States/UTs
meeting certain specified conditions. Detailed Operational Guidelines for NHM- Free
Drugs Service Initiative have also been released to the States on 2nd July 2015.
Free Diagnostics Service Initiative: The NHM- Free Diagnostics Service Initiative was
launched in 2013 to provide free essential diagnostic services at public health facilities
under which substantial funding was provided to States within their resource envelope.
The Operational Guidelines on Free Diagnostics Service Initiative have been developed
by the Central Government and shared on 2nd  July, 2015 with the states various
mechanisms adopted for providing free essential diagnostic services include:-

–          Strengthening of the existing systems in public health facilities such as Lab
infrastructure, provision of Lab Technician, equipment, etc.

–          Out Sourcing of High Cost -low frequency diagnostic services.

–          Contracting in of services of essential Human Resources (e.g. Radiologist, Lab

Technician) on a need basis.

Bio Medical Equipment Maintenance: States have been asked to plan interventions for
comprehensive equipment maintenance for all functional medical
equipment/machinery. The Ministry has circulated model contract documents for
guidance. Support for comprehensive equipment maintenance for all functional
medical equipment/machinery is intended to ensure optimum utilisation of medical
equipment.

Comprehensive Primary Health Care: Primary health care including preventive and
promotive health care enables early detection and prompt treatment and serves a gate-
keeping function to secondary and tertiary care, and also reduces the cost of care.    In
December 2014, the MoHFW constituted a Task Force to provide a report on roll out of
comprehensive Primary Health Care.   The Committee was charged with identifying
current challenges to rolling out comprehensive primary health care, finalizing
components of service delivery, clarifying the institutional structures and service
organizations, developing guidelines for the PHC team, and coordinating with other
Task Forces set up by the MoHFW working on Human resources for Health and
developing Standard Treatment Guidelines. Nine areas for action to make primary
health care comprehensive and universal are proposed. They include:

–          Strengthen Institutional Structures and Organization of Primary Health Care

Services.

–          Improve access to technologies, drugs and diagnostics for comprehensive

Primary Health Care

–          Increase utilization of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) –

empowering patients and providers

–          Promote Continuity of care- making care patient centric

–          Enhance Quality of Care

–          Focus on Social Determinants of Health

–          Emphasize Community Participation and Address Equity Concerns in Health

–          Develop a Human Resource Policy to support primary health care

–          Strengthen Governance including financing, partnerships and accountability.

States are also offered support through the PIPs of the NHM to strengthen existing sub
centers, as Health and Wellness centers with a primary health care team, headed by a
mid-level service provider (who would be either an AYUSH or Nurse Practitioner trained
through a bridge course in primary health care or public health).  Other members of the
team include the ANMs, ASHAs, and AWW of the sub center area.   One important
innovation that is being planned is the provision of performance based team incentives
linked to achievement of key indicators build around comprehensive primary health
care.

Kilkari & Mobile Academy: To create proper awareness among pregnant women,
parents of children and field workers about the importance of Anti Natal Care (ANC),
institutional delivery, Post-Natal Care (PNC) and immunization, it was decided to
implement the Kilkari and Mobile Academy services in pan India in phased manner. In
the first phase Kilkari would be launched in 6 states viz. Uttrakhand, Jharkhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan (HPDs) & Madhya Pradesh (HPDs). The Mobile Academy
would be launched in 4 states viz. Uttrakhand, Jharkhand, Rajasthan & Madhya Pradesh.

Kilkari is an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) based mobile service that delivers time-
sensitive audio messages (Voice Call) about pregnancy and child health directly to the
mobile phones of pregnant women, mothers of young children and their families. The
service covers the critical time period – where the most maternal/infant deaths occur –
from the 4th month of pregnancy until the child is one year old. Families subscribe to
the service receive one pre-recorded system generated call per week. Each call will be 2
minutes in length and serve as reminders for what the family should be doing that week
depending on woman’s stage of pregnancy or the child’s age. Kilkari services will be
available to states in regional dialect.

Mobile Academy is an anytime, anywhere audio training course on interpersonal

communication skills that the ASHA can access from her mobile phone.  It gives ASHAs
tips on how to convince families to adopt priority RMNCH behaviors, while refreshing
her existing knowledge. The course is 240 minutes long and consists of 11 chapters with
4 lessons each. At the end of each chapter there is a quiz for them and all ANM/ASHAs
passes the course will be provided with a printed certificate.
These services will be hosted centrally by MoHFW and single source of information for
these services will be Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS). Also these services will
be free of cost to States/ UTs and the Beneficiaries.

Launch of Nationwide Anti-TB drug resistance survey: Drug resistant survey for 13
TB drugs was launched to provide a better estimate on the burden of Multi-Drug
Resistant Tuberculosis in the community. This is the biggest ever survey in the world
with a sample size of 5214 patients. Results are expected by 2016.

Kala Azar Elimination Plan : To reduce the annual incidence of Kala-Azar to less than
one per 10,000 population at block PHC level by the end of 2015,  Kala-Azar elimination
Plan was rolled out, which inter-alia includes,

–          New thrust areas launched for UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand.

–          New Action Plan to include active search, new drug regimen, coordinated Indoor
Residual Spray (IRS) etc.

–          New non-invasive Diagnostic kit launched.

Criteria for incentives to States under the NHM were revised. States that show improved
progress made on key Outcomes/Outputs such as IMR, MMR, immunization, number
and proportion of quality certified health facilities etc. will be able to receive additional
funds as incentives.

9. Nursing Sector

School for ANM &GNM

The Government of India has initiated action for opening of 132 Auxiliary Nurse
Midwife (ANM) and 137 General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) schools in 278 
identified  districts in 29 states under Central Sponsored Scheme-
Strengthening/Upgradation of Nursing Services,  where there is  preferably no such
school. As on date, Govt. has approved for establishment of 128 ANM School and 137
GNM Schools. Funds to the tune of Rs. 725.oo Crore have already been released (Centre:
State share as 85:15). The components that are covered under the scheme include civil
work, laboratory equipment, teaching aids, library, computers, furniture, transport, rent
for building for 18 months or till construction is completed, salary of staff,
contingencies, etc. Objective of the Scheme:-

–          To meet the shortage of Nurses.

–          The Government has initiated action for the opening of 132 Auxiliary Nurse
Midwife (ANM) and 137 General Nursing Midwifery (GNM)) schools in those districts of
23 high focus states the country where there is no such school. This will create 13500
additional intake capacities of candidates per year. So far 128 ANM schools and 137
GNM schools have been approved across the Country.

The Govt. of India has also initiated works under another Scheme – Development of
Nursing Services by way of Training of Nurses, upgradation of School of Nursing into
College of Nursing and by giving Florence Nightingale National Awards Nurses who
work for the people. Objective of the Scheme are-

–          In order to update knowledge and skills of nursing personnel, continuing nursing
education programme has been started in various specialty areas.

–          To increase the availability of Graduate Nurses.

10. New Initiatives

 Indian Nurses Live Register: – In order to get the latest, correct and real-time census
of the current human resources in the field of Nursing in India, MOHFW has initiated
the development of a technology platform called the Live Register in collaboration with
INC. The Live Register will include capturing up-to date and latest information of the
currently practicing nurses, which would help the Government of India in better
manpower planning and for making policy level decisions for the nursing professionals
in India. The proposed system would help in providing a uniform registration across all
the states. It will also help in linking reciprocal system and the migration of the nurses
abroad. This provides us the real-time census of data as to how many nurses are
presently working in India and outside India.

Nursing Scheme Monitoring System: – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI has
developed a software module, namely, “Nursing Scheme Monitoring Software” to
effectively monitor the implementation of the Schemes and to expedite the processes.
This will help in knowing the exact status of Schemes both physical / financial progress
and facilitate in better Planning and budgeting for both the Centre and State
Governments.

National Nursing and Midwifery Portal: – The Nursing and Midwifery Portal is an
online resource centre for State Nursing Councils and the entire nursing & midwifery
cadre. The portal aims to bring all the nursing related information like Government Of
India Initiatives in the field of Nursing, Information regarding Nursing and Midwifery
education and human resource availability in the country (according to INC statistics),
Circulars, Notifications, Job Opportunities, Publications, Journals, Pre-service and in-
service education, e-learning and links to other related website under a common
umbrella for easy access by the various stake holders. The e-learning modules will be
added in the in-service education section on the website to provide new areas of
knowledge related to nursing to the registered nursing professionals through e-learning
mode.

11. National Programme for Control of Blindness

India was the first country to launch the National Programme for Control of Blindness in
1976 as a 100% centrally sponsored scheme with the goal to reduce the massive burden
of avoidable blindness, mainly due to cataract and trachoma,  to 0.3%  by 2020 from its
current level of 1.49%.

Millions of people in India were suffering from avoidable blindness. A strategy was,
therefore, developed to bring the ophthalmic eye care providers under one umbrella,
provide them technical know-how, supply necessary equipments, develop logistics,
 train the requisite staff required and launch an outreach programme to take eye care
services to the far flung and remote areas of the country, where eye care services were
severely lacking.

The three signature blindness control activities that were undertaken at mega level
included cataract operation by various partners, the collection of corneas from deceased
eye donors and school eye screening scheme to pick up eye defect like refractive errors,
squint and amblyopia, vitamin A deficiency with associated xero-phthalmia and night
blindness.  A massive initiative was launched to treat and eradicate trachoma.

Four major surveys to find out major causes of avoidable/unavoidable blindness were
undertaken during the years, 1974, 1986-89, 2001-02 and 2006-07.  Cataract and
refractive errors emerged to be the major causes of avoidable blindness.

World Bank Project under NPCB

Looking at the gravity of blindness in India, funds were mobilized from World Bank
during the years 1994-2002 for development of eye care infrastructure, supply of
ophthalmic equipments, training of manpower etc. Consequently, the prevalence of
blindness in the country came down from 1.40% during 1986-89 to 1.1% during 2001-02.

Decentralized Approach during 10th Five Year Plan (2002-2007)

The programme continued with the same enhanced zeal with the provision of funds
from domestic budget and technical know-how from a number of agencies including
WHO.  State Blindness Control Societies were formed, under whose supervision, District
Blindness Control Societies started functioning and delivering eye-care services in all
the districts of the country. The concept/aim was to establish a bottom up approach in
dealing with blindness through multi sectoral and coordinated efforts.  These societies
are responsible for identifying the blind in every village, organize diagnostic screening
camps at suitable locations, arrange transportation of patients to the designated surgical
facilities and ensure follow up.

NGO Eye Hospitals from all over the country contributed in tackling blindness in a
major way, thus bringing down prevalence of blindness.  Regional Institutes of
Ophthalmology, Medical Colleges, District Hospitals, Sub-district Hospitals became major
partners of NPCB in implementation of the programme in Government Sector. By the
end of 10th Five Year Plan, the prevalence of blindness came down to 1% (rapid survey
2006-07).

11th Five Year Plan (2007-12)

 During 11th Plan, NPCB became a comprehensive eye care programme by including

provision for treatment/management of other eye diseases like,  diabetic retinopathy,
glaucoma, corneal transplantation, vitreo-retinal surgery, treatment of childhood
blindness, involvement of private practitioners, construction of eye wards and eye OTs
in backward and remote areas, in addition to already existing activities including
cataract operations, distribution of free spectacles to school children suffering from
refractive errors, eye banking,  IEC, training to ophthalmic personnel, development of
eye care infrastructure in medical colleges, district hospitals etc,  .An amount of approx.
Rs.1092.80 crore were spent during the 11th Five Year Plan to carry out the NPCB
activities.

Major achievements during 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12):-

294.07 lakh cataract surgeries were done.

27.19 lakh free spectacles were provided to school children suffering from refractive
errors.
2.21 lakh donated eyes were collected for corneal transplantation.
1850 Eye surgeons were trained in various fields of ophthalmology to provide better
quality eye care services.

12th Five Year Plan (2012-17)

During the 12th Plan, the NPCB activities shall be pursued with enhanced vigour, zeal,
technical input and funds.  Upgraded revised targets have been set for expanding
volume of eye care services.  In addition to the ongoing activities, following new
initiative have been included under the programme:

–          Provision for launching Multipurpose District Mobile Ophthalmic Units for the
outreach activities to cover remote, underserved areas including hilly terrains of North
East region.

–          Provision for distribution free spectacles to old persons suffering from

pressbyopia.

 Major achievements during 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17):

(Upto November, 2015)

214.98  lakh cataract surgeries

23.06 lakh free spectacles distributed to school children suffering from refractive
errors.
1.93 lakh donated eyes collected for corneal transplantation.
1225 Eye surgeons trained to provide better quality eye care services in various fields
of ophthalmology.

Implementation of the scheme in North-Eastern States

 Development of eye care infrastructure in NE States including Sikkim has remained a

priority area under the programme.  In addition to taking care of cataract and other eye
diseases, major activities initiated for development of eye care services in these States
include setting up of tele-ophthalmology units to intensify coverage area and
construction of Eye OTs/Wards in District Hospitals for development of eye care
infrastructure.

Conclusion

With the inclusion of modern sophisticated ophthalmic equipments, skilled manpower,

intensification of IEC, strengthening of Government sector hospitals and involvement of
NGO eye hospitals in various eye care activities, the programme is marching with steady
pace towards achieving its ultimate goal of bringing down the level of avoidable
blindness in the country to the desired level of 0.3% by the year 2020.

12. National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE)

 Keeping in view the recommendations made in the “National Policy on Older Persons”
as well as the State’s obligation under the “Maintenance & Welfare of Parents & Senior
Citizens Act 2007”, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has initiated the “National
Programme for the Health Care of Elderly” (NPHCE) during the 11th Plan period to
address various health related problems of elderly people.

The objectives of the NPHCE are:-

To provide easy access to preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services

to the elderly.
To make use of the community based primary health care approach and strengthen
capacity of the medical and paramedical professionals as well as the care-takers
within the family for caring practices of the elderly.
To identify health problems in the elderly and provide appropriate health
interventions in the community with a strong referral backup support.
 To provide referral services to the elderly patients through district hospitals, medical
colleges and strengthen health manpower development in the field of geriatric
medicine,
Development of treatment models for the elderly persons in our country.

The programme was initiated in October, 2010 towards the end of the XI Plan i.e. 2010-
11and 2011-12 in 100 backwards and remote districts of 21 States.  The major
component of the NPHCE during 11th Five Year Plan were establishment of 30 bedded
Department of Geriatric in 8 identified Regional Medical Institutions (Regional Geriatric
Centres) in different regions of the country and to provide dedicated health care
facilities in District Hospitals, CHCs, PHCs and Sub Centres level in 100 identified
districts of 21 States.   Funds have so far been released to 24 States/UTs (covering 104
districts) and all the 8 Regional Geriatric Centres (Regional Medical Institutes) selected
under the programme.

It was proposed to cover the remaining districts under the programme during the 12th
Five Year Plan in a phased manner (@ 100 districts per year and develop 12 additional
Regional Geriatric Centres in selected Medical Colleges of the country (in the first three
years).

The regional institutions will provide technical support to the geriatric units at district
hospitals whereas district hospitals will supervise and coordinate the activities down
below at CHC, PHC and Sub-Centres.

Developing Geriatric Department in Medical Colleges

The following eight Regional Medical Institutions (Regional Geriatric Centres) in

different regions of the country has been selected under the programme in 2010-12
(11th FYP).

1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

2. Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh
3. Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
4. Govt. Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
5. Guwahati Medical College, Guwahati, Assam
6. Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
7. SN  Medical College, Jodhpur, Rajasthan
8. Grants Medical College & JJ Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra

It is proposed to develop 12 additional Regional Geriatric Centres in selected Medical

Colleges of the country in addition to 8 Regional Geriatric Centres being developed
during the 11th Plan in the first three years. The regions and Medical College proposed
are:

Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh- PGIMER, Chandigarh

Uttar Pradesh- KGIMS, Lucknow
Jharkhand- Ranchi Medical College, Ranchi
 West Bengal- Kolkata Medical College, Kolkata
Andhra Pradesh- Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad
Karnataka- Bangalore Medical College, Bengaluru
Gujarat- B.J.Medical College, Ahmadabad
Maharashtra- Government Medical College, Nagpur
Orissa- S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack
Tripura- Agartala Medical College, Agartala
Madhya Pradesh- Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal
Bihar- Patna Medical College, Patna

These centres will provide tertiary level of care for referred cases, undertake training
programmes and research in the field of Geriatrics. Each of these Medical College will
have a Department of Geriatrics with 30 beds and OPD facilities including academic and
research wing. These institutes will ensure initiation of 2 PG seats for MD in Geriatric
Medicine. Support will be provided for –

Construction/renovation/extension of the existing building and furniture of

department of Geriatrics.

Machinery and Equipment

Video Conferencing Unit
Drugs and consumables
Research Activities
Human Resources (Contractual)
Training to faculty members of medical colleges and doctors from district hospitals

District Hospital

Identified District hospital will be strengthened /upgraded for management of the

elderly.  It will have 10 bedded Geriatric Ward and run a Geriatric OPD on a daily basis
for care of the elderly.  There will be a dedicated Physiotherapy Unit in all the District
Hospitals with bed strength of 100 and above. Support will be provided for –

Construction/renovation/extension of the existing building and furniture of Geriatric

Ward and OPD
Machinery and Equipment
Drugs and consumables
Training of doctors and staff from CHCs and PHCs
Public Awareness and IEC
Human Resource
Transport of referred/serious patients
Home based care for bed ridden cases

Miscellaneous cost for communication

TA/DA, POL, Contingency

Sub-District:
 Geriatric Clinics will be set up in all CHCs and PHCs of the selected districts. Aids and
appliances required by elderly will be made available. It is proposed to provide support
for home-based care for rehabilitative services at the door step of such elderly patients.
In case of emergency, transport and referral services will be provided to the elderly
persons. Annual check-up of all the elderly at village level will be organized by
PHC/CHC.

1. Community Health Centres (CHCs): 

Geriatric clinic will be held twice a week at CHCs. A Rehabilitation Worker will be
employed on contract for Physiotherapy and medical rehabilitation services for the
elderly. CHC will also be supported with certain appliances and aids for the elderly.
Domiciliary visits for bed-ridden elderly and counseling to family members for home
based care of such patients will made by the rehabilitation worker. Financial support
will be provided for –

Machinery and Equipment

Training & IEC
Transport of referred cases
Home based care for bed ridden elderly & counselling
Transport and referral services
Consumables

1. Primary Health Centres (PHCs):

PHC Medical Officer will be in-charge for coordination, implementation & promoting
health care of the elderly. A weekly geriatric clinic will be held at PHC level by trained
Medical Officer. Financial assistance will be provided for –

Machinery and Equipment

Training & IEC
Home based care for bed ridden cases
Transport of referred cases
Consumables, etc.

Sub Centres (SCs)

 The ANM / Male Health Workers will be trained for health care of the elderly. Support
will be given for certain appliances and aids for the elderly. Home based care will be
facilitated for bed ridden cases. Support will be provided for

Aids and Appliances

Transport of referred cases
IEC activities
Consumables etc.
It is proposed that the remuneration of contractual manpower proposed in the
programme will be at par with the HRD under NRHM or posts in other NCD Programmes
with a 5% annual increment.

National Centre of Aging (NCA)

The proposal for National Centre for Aging could not be considered during 11th Plan.  It
is proposed to support development of two National Institute of Aging one in New Delhi
and another in Chennai attached to AIIMS and Madras Medical College respectively.

(i)       Human Resource Development: MD in Geriatric Medicine is already a MCI

approved course. Medical colleges to be covered under the scheme of Regional Geriatric
Centre will have provision for 2 PG seats in Geriatric Medicine. Apart from this, a 6
month certificate course in geriatric medicine will be developed for training of in
service candidates in these colleges. Every medical college will train 6 candidates at a
time and there will be 2 session each year.

(ii)     Research: Research areas will be identified on priority which will include clinical,
programmatic and operational research. Grants made available to Regional Geriatric
Centres will be used for this purpose.

(iii)   Technical advice will be provided by an Expert Group under the Chairpersonship
of DGHs.  The members will be experts in the field of geriatric from across the country
and includes representatives of Dte.GHS and the Ministry of H&FW.

Achievements so far during the year 2015-16

 As on date 104 districts of 24 States/UTs have been covered under this programme.
Amount to the tune of Rs. 17544.71 lakhs has been released for this purpose upto
financial year 2014-15. No separate allocation of funds has been made for National
Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE), during 2015-16. NPHCE is the
part of NCD flexible pool under the National Health Mission for which total
allocation at BE stage for 2015-16 is Rs. 527.36 crores.

Approval of the Hon’ble HFM and Hon’ble Finance Minister has been obtained to
continue and expand the tertiary level activities of NPHCE

Guidelines relating to establishment of 02 National Centres of Ageing (NCAs) are

being finalized in consultation with all stakeholders and also the administrative
approval has been issued to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New
Delhi and Madras Medical College (MMC) Chennai, for setting up of National Centres
of Ageing.

Guidelines relating to Regional Geriatric Centres and District level activities of

NPHCE are also being finalized.
04 Regional Review Meetings for East, North East, South and North Zone, have been
held with various States and UTs to review implementation of NPHCE in States/UTs.
 A Review Meeting has been held to assess the physical and financial progress in
respect of the 8 RGCs under NPHCE.

MoU with International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, for
implementation of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) was signed.
Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) project is to be conducted by International
Institute for Population Sciences (Deemed University), Mumbai under tertiary level
activities for the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE). The
main objectives of the study are to provide comprehensive evidence based on health
and well-being of the elderly population in India. LASI is designed to cover four
major subjects and policy domain of adult and older population of India i.e. Health,
Health Care & Health Financing, Social Factors and Economic Situation.

Expected Outcomes (till 31st March, 2017)

20 institutions with capacity to produce 40 postgraduates (MD) in Geriatric Medicine

per year
Additional 6400 beds in District Hospitals and 600 beds in Medical Colleges for the
Elderly
Geriatric Clinics in the OPD and Physiotherapy units in the District Hospitals and
about 32000 Geriatric Clinics in CHCs/PHCs
Free aids and appliances to elderly population at Sub-Centres
Improvement in life expectancy and better quality of life of the elderly population

13. National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis

The Government of India initiated the National Programme for Prevention and Control
of Fluorosis (NPPCF) in 2008-09 with an aim toprevent and control fluorosis in the
country.  So far, the programme has been expanded to cover 111 districts in 18 States in
a phased manner.

Objectives of NPPCF:

To collect, assess and use the baseline survey data of fluorosis of Ministry of Drinking
Water and Sanitation  for starting the project;
Comprehensive management of fluorosis in the selected areas;
Capacity building for prevention, diagnosis and management of fluorosis cases.

 
Strategy of NPPCF:

surveillance of fluorosis in the community;

capacity building (human resource) in the form of training and manpower support;
establishment of diagnostic facilities in the medical hospitals;
management of fluorosis cases including treatment surgery, rehabilitation
health education for prevention and control of fluorosis cases.

Activities:

Community Diagnosis of Fluorosis village/block/cluster wise.

 Facility mapping from prevention, health promotion, diagnostic facilities,
reconstructive surgery and medical rehabilitation point of view –
village/block/district wise.
Gap analysis in facilities and organization of physical and financial support for
bridging the gaps, as per strategies listed above.

(a) Diagnosis of individual cases and providing its management.

(b) Public health intervention on the basis of community diagnosis.

Behaviour change by IEC.

Training

Assistance provided to States:

Strengthening manpower in endemic district:

Consultant

Laboratory Technician

Field Investigators (3) for six months

Purchase of equipment for lab including an Ionmeter

Training at various levels
Health Education and Publicity
Treatment including reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation

Funds for New districts-Rs. 45 lakhs with breakup as follows:

(Rs. in lakhs)
 

S.
Activities 12th
No Plan
Salary of one consultant / per month and Salary
1. of 3 Field Investigators for 6 months including 9.00
travel & contingencies
2. District Laboratory Equipments (Non-recurring) 10.00
Recurring expenditure for laboratory diagnosis
3. facilities including salary of Laboratory 3.50
Technician / per month
Training of medical and para-medical districts
4. 3.00
level
5. One Coordination Meeting at district level 1.00
Medical management of fluorosis cases including
6. 15.50
treatment, surgery, rehabilitation
7. Health Education and publicity 3.00
                   T O T A L 45.00
 For continuing districts-Rs. 20 lakhs

Budget Allocation:   For 12th Five Year Plan budget is Rs. 135 crores

For 2013-14    –    Rs. 10.00 crore

For 2014-15     –    Rs. 3.73 crore

For 2015-16     –     Rs.2.26 crore.

Two training of trainers (TOT’s) were held at National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad
to train about 50 persons (State Nodal Officers, District Nodal Officer and District
Consultant NPPCF).  A joint strategy for IEC is being developed by Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for Fluoride and Arsenic
affected areas. To achieve this, joint meetings were held between Hon’ble Ministers and
Secretaries of Ministry of Health & F.W. and M/o Drinking Water and Sanitation
followed by a Video Conference of Secretaries of the two Ministries with the State
Secretaries of the two departments on 13 May, 2015.  List of 50 districts across 11 States
have been identified for Joint IEC campaign with Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation. A review meeting with the State Nodal Officers, NPPCF of all affected States
was held at New Delhi on 6th November 2015 along with the Regional Directors (H&FW)
of concerned States.

Review of NPPCF in Prakasam and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh was undertaken.
Further,  3 districts in West Bengal  (Nadia, Murshidabad, South 24 Praganas) affected by
arsenic  were also visited by  Senior Officer of the Directorate.

14. Oral Health Programme

India has a high prevalence of oral diseases and it is well established that oral diseases
are a public health problem and have a great impact on systemic health. Poor oral
health can cause poor aesthetics, affects mastication adversely, causes agonizing pain
and can lead to loss of productivity due to loss of man-hours.

As per the data from Dental Council of India, there are approximately 1, 52,679
registered dentists for the population of about 121 million. Though India is producing a
large number of dental graduates, most of the rural areas in the country do not have
service providers for common oral diseases and hence about 72.6% of the rural
population remains neglected. Apart from this fact, the issue of accessibility (reaching to
the health services) also exists, as it becomes a costly affair for the rural population to
seek oral health related treatment. Promotion of healthy lifestyles with respect to oral
health needs to be considered. World Health Assembly in 2005 included Oral Health
with other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) for health promotion & disease
prevention strategies.

Objectives:-

1. a) Improvement in the determinants of oral health e.g. healthy diet, oral hygiene
improvement etc and to reduce disparity in oral health accessibility in rural & urban
population.
2. b) Reduce morbidity from oral diseases by strengthening oral health services at Sub
district/district hospital to start with.
3. c) Integrate oral health promotion and preventive services with general health care
system and other sectors that influence oral health; namely various National Health
Programmes (National Tobacco Control Program, School Health Programme,
National Program for Prevention & Control of Fluorosis, National Program for
Prevention & Control of CVD, Diabetes & Stroke etc) education, social welfare, women
and child development, etc.
4. d) Promotion of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) for achieving public health goals

 National Oral Health Programme

Taking into account the oral health situation in the country, Government of India has
initiated a National Oral Health Programme to provide integrated, comprehensive oral
health care in the existing health care facilities with the following objectives:

1. To improve the determinants of oral health

2. To reduce morbidity from oral diseases
3. To integrate oral health promotion and preventive services with general health care
system

d.To encourage Promotion of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) model for achieving
better oral health.

In order to achieve above listed objectives, Government of India has decided to assist
the State Governments in initiating provision of dental care along with other ongoing
health programmes implemented at various levels of the primary health care system.
Funding has been made available through the State PIPs for establishment of a dental
unit [at district level or below]

This dental unit equipped with necessary trained manpower, equipments including
dental chair and support for consumables would be provided to the states through the
NOHP. These units, according to the level of saturation of state’s own dental units, may
be established at district hospitals or in the health facilities below the level of district
hospitals.

Manpower

Manpower, if required, [such as a Dental Surgeon, a Dental Hygienist & a Dental

Assistant] may be appointed on contractual basis.

Equipment

Equipments for the dental unit such as dental chair, x-ray machine and other supportive
instruments may also be procured by the State Government.

Consumables

The sanctioned funds can be used for procurement of consumables required for the
unit. The National Oral Health Cell will also help in imparting training to the Oral health
manpower as well as general health manpower for better integrated approach to better
oral health. In order to increase the level of awareness, the Government of India will
help preparation of prototype Information, Education and Communication (IEC)
materials/Behavior Change Communication (BCC) materials for dissemination of
information.

–          The National Oral Health Cell will also help in imparting training to the Oral
health manpower as well as general health manpower for better integrated approach to
better oral health.

–          In order to increase the level of awareness, the Government of India will help
preparation of prototype Information, Education and Communication (IEC)
materials/Behavior Change Communication (BCC) materials for dissemination of
information.

–          Public Private Partnership model may also be utilized with the private dental
colleges; various dental associations and community based organizations to promote
community based oral health awareness and service delivery, wherever feasible.

–          The National Oral Health Cell (NOHC) will be monitoring the implementation and
progress of the programme from time to time through established mechanisms.

–          The National Oral Health Programme (NOHP) was started as a National
Programme in FY 2014-15. The program constitutes two separate activities i.e (i)
Activities up to district level which is under the umbrella of NHM (ii) Tertiary level
activities for IEC, training and research activities.

 
NHM Components:- NOHP supports the Health Facilities [District level and below] of
the states to improve the dental care infrastructure and manpower for an efficient oral
health care delivery to the rural population.

Manpower support [Dentist, Dental Hygienist, Dental Assistant]

Equipments including dental Chair
Consumables for dental procedures

 Progress FY 2014-15:- As on 31st March 2015, funds to the tune of Rs 1.72 Crore have
been released to 9 States [Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan,Sikkim,Gujarat,Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh]. NOHP has been able
to support the States/UTs to start new or augment the existing dental care units in the
public health facilities at District/Sub district level. In the process 18health facilities have
received support fully/partially to strengthen the oral health care service for the
community.

Progress FY 2015-16:- NPCC meeting for all states/UTs have been conducted and the
proposals of 28 states/UTs have been considered for support through the program. A
total approval of Rs12.8 Crore has been recommended to NHM finance for releases to
support activities under NOHP. Till date approvals to the tune of Rs 12.51 Crore has been
communicated to 27 states/UTs by NHM division for supporing NOHP.

15. Indian Council of Medical Research ICMR

Department of Health Research (DHR) through Indian Council of Medical Research

(ICMR), aims at bringing modern health technologies to people by encouraging
innovations related to diagnostics, treatment methods as well as prevention-vaccines,
translating the innovations into products/ processes by facilitating evaluation/testing in
synergy with other departments and introducing these innovations into public health
service through health systems research.

Infrastructure Development–Establishment of new research

facilities

Establishment of Multi-Disciplinary Research Units

 Total 62 Multi-Disciplinary Research Units (MRU) in different Medical Colleges have

been approved and funds were released to 48 Medical Colleges in 25 States/UTs in
Government Medical Colleges with the aim to strengthen health infrastructure at the
periphery and create an environment of research in medical colleges.
 

Establishment of Model Rural Health Research Units

Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRU) is being set up in 5 States to take new
technologies from lab to field for benefit of the society.

Establishing a Network of Laboratories for managing epidemics & natural

calamities

–          A Network of viral diagnostic and research laboratories is being rolled out to
build capacity for handling outbreaks, managing epidemics & natural calamities across
the length and width of the country. Work has been initiated for 5 Regional, 11 state
level and 35 Medical College Level labs.

–          These labs will be connected to Asia’s first BSL IV laboratory at NIV, Pune to deal
with most dangerous lethal infections like hemorrhagic fevers, agents of bioterrorism,
etc.

Establishment of new Centres in un-served and Deficit Health Research Areas

–          Centre on vaccine preventable diseases

–          ICMR Field Unit at Keylong in Lahaul & Spiti areas of Himachal Pradesh

–          Samrat Ashok Tropical Disease Research Centre at RMRI, Patna with a 200 bedded
hospital for research on tropical diseases is ready.

–          Establishment of National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research,

Hyderabad: The Institution will be the first of its kind for quality laboratory animals for
basic and applied biomedical research in the Country. The Cabinet has approved the
proposal.

Reaching to the people

–          Tribal Health Research Forum: A Network of 16 ICMR Institutes. Research

programme on hypertension, nutrition and TB started with a goal of improving health
of tribal and other marginalized communities.

–          Vector Borne Diseases Science Forum: Multi-centric programmes on malaria,

filariasis, JE/AES initiated. Ambitious public-private partnership for malaria elimination
in Jabalpur to be initiated. New triple drug therapy project with NVBDCP to support
filariasis elimination. Indigenous production of Insecticide impregnated papers for
insecticide resistance developed by VCRC, Puducherry.

 
Legislation: Regulatory Issues

–          Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill: To accreditate, supervise

and regulate the services of Assisted Reproductive Technologies clinics and banks in the
Country (to regulate medical, social, ethical and legal aspects of surrogacy), a draft
Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill has been developed and is at
advance stage of enactment.

–          Establishment of Medical/Health Technology Assessment Board for Technology

Choice: To develop guidelines and provide guidance for introduction of cost-effective
technologies/strategies for public health.

Translational Research-Support to Govt. Initiatives of Make in India Campaign

 ICMR is working on various indigenously developed medical technologies/devices/kits

etc which are cost effective and applicable in primary health care system. Following
major technologies have been developed and launched.

Affordable Indigenous Technologies launched recently

–          Vaccine for Japanese Encephalitis (JE)

–          Test for molecular diagnosis of Thallassemia

–          Magnivisualizer for cervical cancer screening

–          Strips and detection system(s) for Diabetes

–          New test for detection of pathogenic bacteria in food and  Technologies for
Vitamin A and Ferritin estimations

–          Development of PCR based diagnosis procedure for visceral leishmaniasis from
Urine samples- (Non-invasive method)

–          Novel noninvasive method for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis by rK39 testing
of sputum samples

  

Technologies Ready for Launch

 –          Diagnostic kit for lung fluke disease (paragonimiasis)

–          Kits for leptospirosis – prevalent in Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and several
other states.

–          Kit for diagnosis of chlamydial infection prevalent in women.

–          Kits for hormone assays: for various sex hormones useful for reproductive health
problems

–          Cooling jacket for persons exposed to hot atmosphere

Research Highlights from ICMR

–          Established  National Anti Microbial Resistance Surveillance Network

–          Established  National Hospital Based Rotavirus Surveillance Network

–          Research cum Intervention project on AES/JE

–          ICMR-INDIAB, an epidemiological study on diabetes was completed in 5 states.

–          Management of Acute Coronary Event Registries: Structured data capture of acute
coronary syndromes is the first step in improvement of quality of treatment. The
feasibility study was undertaken under in 13 public and private hospitals across India
and recruited 1515 confirmed ACS patients ≥ 18 years.

–          A Centre for Advanced Research for Innovations in Mental Health and
Neurosciences: Manpower

–          Development and Translational Research at NIMHANS, Bangalore has been

initiated.

–          A stroke registry was set up in rural and urban population of Bangalore and
Ludhiana.

–          DHR/ICMR guideliens for diagnosis and treatment of rickettsial infections in the
country.

–          TF study launched towards establishment of National Institute of Zoonosis at

Nagpur.

Dealing with Sickle Cell Anemia and G6 PD Deficiency

–          Satellite Centre of NIIH at Chandrapur Maharashtra has started working on

screening and management of sickle cell diseases.

–          Providing mobile phones to sickle cell disease families has given a tremendous
response and by giving necessary medical advises helped to reduce morbidity and
mortality.

–          Genetic Counseling has helped the 19 tribal couples at risk having Sickle Cell
babies opting for prenatal diagnosis to avoid birth of affected child.
–          Prenatal diagnosis for preventing the birth of babies with severe genetic
disorders like haemoglobinopathies, haemophilia, severe immuno-deficiencies, anemia
was offered to more than 100 families.

–          G6Pd deficiency was found to be problem among the tribals of Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh and Chattisgarh and irrational use of anti-malarial drugs are matter of concern.

Other Blood Disorders

 –          Established the molecular diagnostic facility laboratory at Agartala Medical

College, Tripura which has helped in diagnosis of different haemoglobin abnormalities
and enzymopathies to the population of Tripura

–          Complementation groups in Indian Fanconi anemia (FA) patients are discovered
as 30% patients of FA remain undiagnosed molecularly.

–          Registry for rare blood groups like Bombay Phenotype is available. ,Work on rare
donor registry is initiated.

–          Techniques for non-invasive foetal RhB typing are being established.

M-Health/E-Health

 –          Development of MoSQuIT – A mobile based diseases surveillance system for

malaria using mobile platform developed by Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC),
Dibrugarh in collaboration with CDAC, Pune and deployed in Tengaghat PHC of Assam
with 10 sub-centres.

–          Mobile Edutainment for TB prevention, curative TB Management, Entertainment

(TB related mobile games).

–          Development of Cancer Web Portal for cancer awareness among the public
developed by ICPO, Noida.

–          Learning Progarmme in Health Research: NIE-NPTEL (National Programme on

Technology Enhanced Learning) planning to launch various courses in Health Research
including areas of bio-ethics, good clinical lab practices, Research Methods, etc.

–          Partograph: Plotting of partograph during labour using software has been
developed in collaboration with IIT Delhi. This can be used by peripheral health workers
to monitor progress of labour, send electronic message to referral centres for seeking
advice or information; and it can also be used as a self-learning tool or teaching aid.
Field validation of the software is ongoing.

Important Databases/ Knowledge bases

Tuberculosis (Developed by NIRTH, Chennai)

1. TBDRUGS -Database of Drugs for Tuberculosis

2. DDRTB- Database for Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

Nutrition (Developed by NIN, Hyderabad)

1. Food and Nutrition Database

2. Diet Calculator with recipes and Recommended   dietary Guidelines
3. National Food Borne Disease Surveillance Portal

Addressing Impact of Climate Change on Human Health and Promoting use of

Space Technology tools like Remote Sensing/GIS in Diseases mapping/early warning

 –          Development of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) Early Warning system for Upper
Assam

–          Determined Climate suitability for Cholera using weather parameters

–          Map for filariasis in 3 blocks of Orissa

–          Impact of deforestation on malaria vectors in Sonitpur, Assam

–          Mapping of village level ecological risk of malaria

–          Mapping of dengue mosquito breeding in Delhi

–          Niche modeling of Kala-azar vector

–          Up-scaling of Models for predicting filariaisis (LYMFASIM and GERM).

–          Communication about nutrition in rural areas through Space Technology

–          Early warning System for outbreaks of malaria and dengue using satellite data
(vegetation index/Temperature Condition Index)

Human Resource Development in the area of Health Research: Support to Skill

India

–          To attract young graduates, both from medical and allied disciplines to research,
ICMR has tried to create a variety of programs as mentioned below

–          ICMR-Junior Research Fellowship, Senior Research Fellowships, Post-Doctoral

Fellowship

–          Short Term Studentship (STS) Program

–          Fellowships for training abroad in identified areas (6 to 12 months)

–          Fellowships to women candidate having break in career

International Cooperation in Health Research

–          Ongoing partnerships in Health Research (under 7 MOUs) with various

international organizations/agencies during last one year.

–          Total 28 exchange visits of Scientists were arranged for various international
collaborative programmes/projects.

–          MOU signed with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), UK

–          International Research Co-operation – Seventy Seven projects approved by Health

Ministry’s Screening Committee

–          Total 12 Scientist and 6 Senior Scientists were selected for ICMR International
Fellowship during 2015-16.

Key Challenges

The ICMR is committed to the vision of Govt. of India in addressing the current health
challenges of persistent and new communicable diseases, increasing non-communicable
diseases, emerging infections, climate change related problems with triple burden due
to trauma and disabilities and need for more focused efforts on marginalized and
vulnerable population. ICMR has identified following challenges for future Research:

–          Strengthen efforts to eliminate diseases like filariasis, leishmaniasis, and leprosy.

–          Control/management of malaria, dengue/ chikungunya /lung fluke and HIV

–          Support in developing vaccines for cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, Japanese

Encephalitis (JE), tuberculosis (TB) etc.

–          Strengthening the National Anti-Microbial Resistance Surveillance Network

(AMRSN)

–          Twin problems of under nutrition and increasing percentage of childhood

obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, toxicity due to arsenic and fluoride, pesticides etc.

–          Adequate availability of drugs and devices at affordable prices.

Other Initiatives of the ICMR/Success Stories

 –          In a bid to promote inter-department collaboration a DHR/ICMR and MHRD joint

Workshop on Medical Devices was held in Sep 2014 and an Exhibition was hosted at
Rashtrapati Bhavan in March 2015. Forty Six innovative technologies of public health
significance were displayed in the Exhibition. Researchers from various ICMR, IITs, IIM
(A), DBT, DST, DeitY, DRDO, ISRO, Ministry of textile and industry, ASSOCHAM, FICCI and
PHD Chamber of commerce participated in these events. Report of the workshop is
available on website.

–          Management of Acute Coronary Event Registries: Structured data capture of acute
coronary syndromes is the first step in improvement of quality of treatment.The
feasibility study was undertaken under in 13 public and private hospitals across India
and recruited 1515 confirmed ACS patients ≥ 18 years. A web based secure electronic
data capture and management system was developed to expedite data collection from
dispersed sites. MACE registry Feasibility study showed that establishment of
multicentric hospital based registry of ACS through a web based system in India is
feasible. Pilot Study is ongoing. The study  will enroll 10,000 patients admitted in public
and private hospitals. The 12 participating nodal registries will each take up sub-
registries with and without PCI facility.We feel that as the system matures and gets
greater acceptability among caregivers, the data may help in not only standardizing
‘Best Practices’ but also rating institutions. The registry has a great potential for evolving
low cost methods of ACS care across institutions with varying infrastructure and
capacities.

–          A stroke registry was set up in rural and urban population of Bangalore and
Ludhiana. The study was completed in this year. A model for urban and rural stroke
registries has been developed.

–          Report of Jai Vigyan study on Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease has
been placed on website. The study observed (i) Prevalence of RHD in 5-14-year-old
students ranged from 0.2 to 2.2/1000 (median 2) (ii).Secondary prevention of RHD is
possible through registry approach is possible (iii) Heterogeneity of Group A
Streptococcus strains isolated from different parts of the country was observed, making
development of vaccine using N terminal of M protein of GAS isolates difficult.
Translation Research: Upscaled to Punjab State’s “School Rheumatic and Congenital
Heart Disease Control Program” in 2008 and is still continuing in the state.

–          A comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological test battery for use in the
Indian context for patients with Vascular Cognitive Impairment has been developed.
Validation exercises for this tool have been undertaken this year. The tool will help in
detection of mild cognitive impairments.

–          A multi centric study on Prevalence of Hearing Impairment has been initiated
covering six major regions of India viz North, South, East West, Central and North-East.
The study will assess prevalence of mild, moderate and severe hearing loss in the
community.

–          Neuro-Muscular Disorder is a disease which has no treatment and very poor
prognosis.Tthere is no clue as to why it happens. Therefore, ICMR  has finalized projects
to look into the Genotypes underlying Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy phenotypes 
besides A comprehensive clinical assessment, genetic testing and rehabilitation .Projects
will be undertaken  on–DMD/BMD and SMA studies as well as Project  On Limb Girdle
Muscular Dystrophy
–          Preparation and dissemination of SOPs – published the complete set of study
protocols and SOPS in a high impact peer-reviewed journal that is also available as an
open access resource (Balakrishnan et al. 2015). This study has generated one of the
largest datasets of direct household level 24-hr PM2.5 measurements in India.

–          The exposure-response relationships from the Adult Respiratory health fill a
critical gap in the national and global literature for potential effects of air pollution on
young, non-smoking populations.

–          Birth and adult cohorts have been created and maintained to examine health
effects from air pollution exposures at one site in Tamil Nadu.

–          The large base of exposure information generated in the study has allowed the
development of exposure models that could be based on information on household, land
use or demographic variables that are more easily collected.

–          Evidence from this study could pave the way to include reduction of air pollution
exposures in intervention efforts.  This could for e.g. include behavioral changes to
reduce exposures from household solid fuels during pregnancy and for young children,
shifts to cleaner sources of household energy in rural households currently dependent
on solid fuels and improvements in urban air quality management programs.

–          The First Report of Development of an Atlas of Cancer in Punjab State for the
years 2012-2013 completed. The First report for the combined years 2012 and 2013 for
districts and centres gives an idea of the prevailing patterns of cancer by district in
Punjab State. Under this project, a cost-effective design and plan using advances in
modern electronic information technology, was conceived, to collate and process
relevant data on cancer.

–          The Patterns of Care and Survival Studies in Cancer Breast, Cervix and Head &
Neck Cancers for the year 2006-2008 is under publication. The main findings are:

–          In locally advanced cervical cancer significant survival benefit was observed
when treated with a combination of radiation with cisplatin than radiation alone

–          The same observation was seen in patients with locally advanced cancers of the
oro and hypo-pharynx.

–          In cancer of the breast a high proportion of early stage patients had mastectomy
with poorer survival compared to breast conserving surgery which is the usual practice.

–          Development of Software Applications Programme with specific modules is a

primary mandate of the NCDIR and as part of Translational Research is a major activity
of the centre. An overview of the applications is given immediately after this section.

–          The report of North East Cancer Atlas (other than areas where PBCRs exist) has
been prepared.

–          Population Based Cancer Registry at Patiala –The data for 2011-2012 has been
finalised. Data has been published by PBCR Patiala in form of a report.
–          Review – PBCRs:  As per the PBCR Review system formulated by NCDIR, with the
purpose of improvement in various issues of PBCR i.e. coverage, timely data submission,
data quality etc. A detailed study of each registry has been carried out and a document
has been prepared.

–          To verify the completeness of data obtained through Punjab cancer atlas we have
conducted a cross-sectional survey of almost 1, 00,000 individuals (around 25000
families) in four districts of Malwa region in Punjab. Those are, Muksar, Batinda, Mansa,
and Barnala. During the same study we have planned to get the estimate of magnitude
of other three NCDs, i.e., diabetes, CVD, and stroke.

–          Making cancer a Notifiable Disease – Karnataka State: Government of

Karnataka vide notification No. HFW 189 CGM 2015 dated 25.07.2015 has made cancer a
Notifiable Disease in Karnataka State.

–          Radiotherapy Module with Discharge summary: An intranet software module

for Radiotherapy (RT) department, based on the RT chart used by JIPMER, Regional
Cancer Centre, Puducherry has been developed by NCDIR-NCRP, Bangalore. Once data
has been captured with this module, the related data on HBCR and POCSS will be
uploaded to NCRP-NCDIR website. So the registry staff can retrieve the case from their
HBCR login and fill the remaining information. This module has the provisions to
generate the hard copy of the RT chart and also the discharge summary which will be
given to the patient at the time of completion of treatment.

Software Development at NCDIR

 –          Hospital Based Cancer Registry (HBCR) – Pattern of Care and Survival Studies
(POCSS) Data Entry

–          HBCR-HIV Data Entry

–          Onset Young Diabetes Registry data entry software.

–          Independent modules:  Pathology Data Entry with outputs/reports; Radiotherapy

Data Entry; Surgical Oncology Data Entry; Medical Oncology Data Entry

–          E-Monitoring:  Online Data status for RCCs and budget estimation; Online Data
Status – HBCRs, POCSS, Pathology, Radiotherapy etc.;  Online registration for
independent modules;  Core Form stock; HBCR File Maintenance; QC Management ; Data
Entry Operators daily data entry count

–          Ongoing Software development : Dynamic data entry, JIPMER RT Module

–          Population Based Cancer Registry

–          PBCRDM 2.1.1: New version of PBCRDM 2.1

–          Data Entry Programme (www.pbcrindia.org):

–          Dynamic table generation (www.pbcrindia.org):

–          Book Report Generator:

Other software development

–          Stroke Registry:

–          Punjab Cancer Atlas Survey

Admin Softwares

–          File Movement for Administrative Department

–          Annual Maintenance Contract(AMC) Management

–          Application for Biometrics Attendance Report Generation

Occupational Health

Biomass fuel use and adverse neonatal/perinatal outcome

–          The study observed that low birth weight, lesser head circumference, neonatal
death, less developed genitalia and need to stay at nursery was more frequent with
mothers using biomass fuel when compared with other fuel users.

–          Significantly increased risk of ‘low birth and ‘need of newborn to stay in neonatal
care unit’ in the form of calculated odds ratio was observed in biomass fuel users.

–          Coal and wood were major source for VOCs and particulates exposure during
cooking followed by kerosene and LPG.

Health hazards of workers in ceramic industries and iron foundries

 –          Sleeplessness, muscle cramps and fatigue, excessive feeling of thirst, heavy
sweating, elevated body temperature and headaches were main responses of workers
during their daily work schedule.

–          General systemic health complaints as reported were musculoskeletal

discomforts, digestive discomforts, respiratory discomforts, cardiovascular discomforts
and visual discomforts.

–          Among ceramic workers, pain in lower extremities and upper extremities was
reported due to awkward posture of work for long hours and manual material handling.
Among iron foundry workers, workers reported of lower back pain followed by knee
pain and legs pain.

Seroprevalence of human brucellosis among veterinarians

 –          Human brucellosis was found positive in 13.15% of the subjects using traditional
RBPT screening test.

–          Recent or acute infection was found positive by IgM ELISA in 15.52% cases and
possible chronic infections was observed in 19.47% which is diagnosed based upon  IgG
antibodies titre and gives >90% accuracy of the result.

Long-Term Exposure to Lead and Musculoskeletal Disorders

 –          Blood lead level among lead exposed workers was associated with odds of
musculoskeletal morbidities. The Hb%, serum calcium, magnesium and handgrip in
both hands were lower in workers with musculoskeletal disorders.

–          Highly sensitive C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker was significantly

increased in lead exposed workers having MSD compare to non-symptomatic subjects.

–          Workers having MSD has shown decreased muscle strength in both hands as
compared to non-symptomatic workers.

Coal miners and Health effects

 –          The common respiratory complaints observed among coal miner was cough in 29
(6.6%) workers of which only 17 (3.9%) had productive cough.

–          Breathlessness and haemoptysis was reported by only 11 (2.5%) and 3 (0.7%) coal
miners respectively. The other symptoms observed among coal miners were tiredness
(3.4%), backache (6.6%) and difficulty in hearing (5.2%).

–          Similarly in the resident groups only 7 (2.5%) reported cough of which 4 (1.4%)
had productive cough.

Utility of Personal Cooling Garment for use in Outdoor Hot Environment

 –          Study suggests that PCG provided a practical and economical way of alleviating
the discomfort and physiological effects of heat stress when environmental control is
not practical.

–          Developed PCG device was demonstrated at: (1) Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi
on 11 Mar 2015, (2) Vibrant Gujarat Exhibition from 7-13 January 2015, and (3) PCG
technology transfer to Industrial partner Soothe Healthcare Pvt. Limite, Noida.

Other Initiatives:-
 –          Interdepartmental Collaborations between ICMR Institutes and IIMs IITs are
being targeted through signing of MOUs. The aim is to undertake collaborative
innovative translation research projects in the areas of public health.

–          School based interventions for prevention of CAD and affordable technologies for
neurological disorders are being planned.

–          A Centre for Advanced Research for Innovations in Mental Health and
Neurosciences: Manpower Development and Translational Research at NIMHANS,
Bangalore has been initiated.

Medicinal Plants

–          In continuation of the series Reviews on Indian Medicinal Plants three volumes

(Vols. 14-16) covering monographs on 680 Medicinal Plants species with botanical names
(L-M) are in the press.

–          Quality Standards on 35 Medicinal Plants were developed and monographs

published as Vol. 13 of the series Quality Standards of Indian Medicinal Plants.

–          A MoU between ICMR and Pharmacopoeal Commission of Indian Medicine

(PCIM), Ministry of Ayush was signed on 10.4.15 under which 120 PRS generated
through extramural projects of ICMR were transferred to PCIM along with all spectral
data for characterization and Quality Assurance of Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani Drugs
(ASU) drugs. This will lead to wider acceptance of Traditional Medicines in India and
abroad, as quality assurance is the key issue. Volume 4 of the Phytochemical Reference
Standards (PRS) of Selected Indian Plants is being finalized.

–          Two Task force meetings were convened on Diabetes and its complications as
well as stress induced sleep disorders to review the research leads available and
identifying the research gaps, and develop a strategy in National perspective towards
positioning of the drug considering the disease burden, market size, USP (unique selling
point) and sustainability of the product with low risk and high gain by involving
industrial representatives, clinicians and Ayurvedic experts etc.
–          A compendium on the safety aspects of important Indian Medicinal Plants is
being compiled.

–          Regular updating of the website developed exclusively on the divisions activities
which is hyperlinked with the Councils main website. This website gives abridged
digitized version of the publications brought out by the Division.

–          Retrieval and dissemination of information.

–          Human resource development. A three days’ Workshop-cum-training program

sponsored by ICMR on Standardization of Medicinal Plants and their Products was
organized at Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan,
Himachal Pradesh from March 22-24, 2015.

–          This program aimed to update the professionals working in the industry and
academia on latest developments in the technologies, methodologies and regulatory
requirements for Medicinal Plants and herbal products.

International Health 

 Joint Working Group (JWG) and Joint Steering Committee (JSC) Meetings

Following JWG/JSC meetings under various MoUs and Joint Statements have been
held:

–          ICMR-MRC working level meeting at New Delhi on 23rd April, 2015 (through
videoconference)

–          Indo-US Joint Steering Committee on Diabetes at New Delhi on 29th April, 2015
(through videoconference)

–          1st JWG meeting between India and Indonesia at Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi
(under bilateral prog. Of MOH&FW).

The International Workshops/ meetings  held under Bilateral/multilateral 

programmes

 –          SAFHeR Foundation workshop in Clinical & Laboratory Medicine Research on 9-

12th Feb., 2015 at NIOP, New Delhi.

–          India-ASEAN workshop on Malaria Research held on 11th – 15th May, 2015 at
NIMR, New Delhi under DST coordinated programme.

The following MoUs have been signed during this period:

–          Memorandum of Understanding between ICMR and University of Sydney,
Australia for collaboration in Health Research signed in Jan./March, 2015

–          Memorandum of Intent between ICMR & FORTE, Sweden was signed on 2nd June,
2015 in Stockholm.

–          Letter of Intent between ICMR, DBT & the National Institute of Allergy &
Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, USA for collaboration on Anti-Microbial
Resistance Research was signed on 25th June, 2015 in MoH&FW, New Delhi.

–          Memorandum of Understanding between ICMR and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, USA on collaboration in Environmental and Occupational
Health & Injury Prevention and Control was signed on 25th June, 2015 at MoH&FW, New
Delhi.

–          Memorandum of Understanding among National Cancer Institute (NCI) of AIIMS,

MoH&FW, Govt. of Republic of India, ICMR and the Department of Biotechnology,
Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of Republic of India and the National Cancer
Institute of the National Institute of Health, Govt. of the   United  State of  America (USA) 
for Cooperation on  Cancer Research, Prevention, Control and Management was signed
on 25th June, 2015 at MoH&FW, New Delhi.

–          MoU between ICMR and Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi),
Switzerland was signed on 15th October, 2015 at New Delhi.

–          Memorandum of Understanding between Medical Research Council, UK & ICMR

was signed on 10th November, 2015 at New Delhi.

–          GoI approvals obtained for ICMR-NHMRC, Australia; LSHTM, UK (Ready to be

signed).

–          Pending ICMR MoUs for GoI clearances – Indo-US, MCH; ICER, USA; ICAV, Canada;
BMGF, USA.

Exchange Visits

A total of 28 exchange visits of scientists / officials to and from India were arranged
during the period under reference for various international collaborative programmes /
projects.

Health Ministry’s Screening Committee (HMSC)

The research projects involving foreign assistance and/or collaboration in

biomedical/health research are submitted by the Indian investigators to ICMR for
approval of Govt. of India through Health Ministry’s Screening Committee (HMSC) and
the International Health Division of ICMR acts as the Secretariat for HMSC. The projects
are peer reviewed by the concerned Technical Divisions at ICMR and then placed before
the HMSC for consideration and decision. During the period, seven meetings  of Health
Ministry’s Screening Committee were organized, wherein 104 projects were considered
and out of which  75 projects were approved for international collaboration / assistance
with agencies from USA,  Canada, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Norway EU and several
other foundations and foreign universities. Out of which, seven projects are co-funded
by ICMR.

International Fellowship Programme

–          Selection Committee Meeting of ICMR-International Fellowships for Indian

Biomedical Scientists for 2015-16 was held on 30th June, 2015 wherein 12 Young
Scientists & 6 Senior Scientists have been selected and will avail training during 2015-16
of which 3 senior fellows & 3 young fellows have left for availing ICMR International
Fellowship for 2015-16.

–          Reports of 10 Young & 4 Senior Scientists who availed fellowship during 2014-15
have been uploaded on ICMR website.

–          The Selection Committee Meeting of ICMR International Fellowship from

Developing Countries was held on 13th April, 2015 of which Mr. Mohammed Soloman
Ali, Jimma University, Ethiopia was selected for ICMR International Fellowship at NIRT,
Chennai for a period of 6 months.

–          In this connection, the approvals from MOH, MEA and MHA have been obtained
by ICMR.

Transfer of biological material for commercial purposes

–          Announcement made for submission of applications for transfer of human

biological material for commercial purposes and/or research and development of
commercial products with deadlines 30th April, 2015 and 31st July, 2015 were made.

–          236 cases were considered and 162 approved by the Committee in its three
meetings held on 25th Feb., 2015, 26th May, 2015 and 26th Aug., 2015.

–          Call for applications with next deadline of 31st January, 2016 will be uploaded on
ICMR website.

Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention related work

–          ICMR is part of an Inter-Ministerial Committee which advises the Disarmament

and International Security Affairs (DISA) Division of Ministry of External Affairs, GOI for
the negotiations on the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention during various
consultations.
–          The activities related to Biological Weapons Convention in coordination with
Ministry of External Affairs, GoI are coordinated. (The activity was handed over to the
Div. of International Health in March, 2011).

–          On request from the DISA, Division of Ministry of External Affairs, GoI;
representative of ICMR participates (as part of the Indian delegation led by MEA, GoI), in
the annual meetings of State Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) held in
Geneva for discussions/inputs on items such as cooperation and assistance, with a
particular focus on strengthening cooperation and assistance; review of developments
in the field of science and technology related to the Convention; strengthening national
implementation and how to enable fuller participation in the Confidence Building
Measures (CBMs).

Joint Call for Proposals

Call for proposals under ICMR/BMBF (Germany) uploaded on ICMR website on 15th Oct.
2015 with a deadline to submit the proposal till 6th January, 2016.

Other initiatives

–          Satellite Centre of NIIH at Chandrapur Maharashtra has started working on

screening and management of sickle cell diseases.

–           G6Pd deficiency was found to be problem among the tribals of Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and irrational use of anti-malarial drugs are matter of
concern.

–          Providing mobile phones to sickle cell disease families has given a tremendous
response and by giving necessary medical advises helped to reduce morbidity and
mortality.

–          Genetic Counselling has helped the 19 tribal couples at risk having Sickle Cell
babies opting for prenatal diagnosis to avoid birth of affected child.

–          Prenatal diagnosis for preventing the birth of babies with severe genetic
disorders like haemoglobinopathies, haemophilia, severe immuno-deficiencies, anemia
was offered to more than 100 families.

–          Established the molecular diagnostic facility laboratory at Agartala Medical

College, Tripura which has helped in diagnosis of different haemoglobin abnormalities
and enzymopathies to the population of Tripura

–          Complementation groups in Indian Fanconi anemia (FA) patients are discovered
as 30% patients of FA remain undiagnosed molecularly.
–          20 Blood Bank Officers and Technicians from all over the country have been
trained in Blood Banking procedures.  Recently training was also given to Blood Bank
Offices and Technicians from North East States of India.

–          Registry for rare blood groups like Bombay Phenotype is available; work on rare
donor registry is initiated.

–          Techniques for non-invasive foetal RhB typing are being established.

–          Revitalization of Traditional Medicine: Regional Medical Research Centre,

Belgaum with the mandate to work on Traditional Systems of Medicine, initiated its
activities on documentation, conservation and scientific evaluation of traditional
ethnomedicinal practices. The leads were identified for chronic conditions like arthritis
and diabetes and are being taken up for clinical studies. The Centre is aiming towards
Centre of Excellence in non-codified traditional systems of medicine and also National
Institute of Traditional Medicine. The efforts in this direction are being made to achieve
the target by taking up the robust observational studies to create evidence for the age
old system of traditional healing, by scientific evaluation of the claims for their safety
and efficacy and through validation by clinical trials.

–          Social & Behavioural Research: ICMR has initiated 16 new projects in different
aspects of Gender & Health and social-behavioural aspects. A new joint initiative of
ICMR-ICSSR has been taken and through a call for proposals in the designated identified
priority areas, about 250 proposals have been received: These studies have looked into
social and behavioural aspects of health of people including women/gender issues and
marginalized groups and Dalits and youths and would suggest intervention/policy
measures for effective delivery and better utilization of services. This would lead to
better health of people of the country.

–          Dengue awareness campaign at Community college of Madurai Institute of

Social Sciences (MISS), Madurai: Madurai Institute of Social Sciences (MISS) is one
among the leading academic college under Madurai Kamaraj University. A team of
Scientists from CRME, Madurai visited MISS on 4th November 2015 to create awareness
on dengue prevention. A total of 40 students participated in this programme. They were
taught about the current situation of dengue in various parts of our country including in
this part of region and their major role to play with the community. The programme was
inaugurated by the Community college Principal and Dr. T. Mariappan delivered the
training to the students. The class room training held on 4th November 2015 at
community college (MISS) with more specifically on vector mosquitoes Aedes aegypti
and Ae. albopictus and its role on transmission of dengue and source of breeding
habitats and its control measures with emphasis on source reduction measures. They
were provided with IEC materials to talk to the people in various villages in and around
Madurai to reduce dengue incidence. Dr. T. Mariappan was accompanied with technical
staff of CRME Mr. V. Murugesan and K. Moorthi along with the required training
materials.

 
 January 1, 2016 0

Year End Review 2015: Ministry of External Affairs

A Year of Smart Diplomacy: Milestones 2015

Path-breaking, Proactive, Pragmatic – these three P’s encapsulate the diplomatic

initiatives and outreach of the Government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in 2015

It was a year marked by out-of-box thinking, boldness of vision and energetic execution,
which has reignited the‘India Story’. In the process, India proved itself to be a major
player in shaping evolving debates across issues, ranging from global governance
reforms and climate change to trans-national terrorism and cyber security.

The neighbourhood continued to be the primary focus of attention as a historic

agreement with Bangladesh was completed, and India rushed to assist Nepal after a
devastating earthquake. The Afghan President came calling, while relations with Sri
Lanka received new impetus.  2015 was a milestone in Indian diplomacy in
reinvigorating India’s ties with all P5 powers, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
visiting the US, China, France, Britain and Russia, paving the way for marked
acceleration of multi-faceted relations with all these countries. It was also a year in
which India’s multi-hued engagement with crucial regions of the world, including
Africa, West Asia, Central Asia and South-East Asia acquired a new vitality and a long-
term vision, opening new vistas for mutually empowering cooperation. The Third India-
Africa Forum Summit rejuvenated old historical and cultural ties between the two
growth poles of the world and placed the special partnership at the heart of an evolving
world order. India’s summit with Pacific Island states signaled a new thrust in India’s
diplomacy, which entails taking major powers as well as small and significant states
together in the pursuit of common goals and shared interests. Relationships with
multilateral groupings such as BRICS, G-20 & Commonwealth were strengthened. The
last twelve months also saw India celebrating and bolstering its connections with the 25-
million strong Indian diaspora spread across hemispheres, through a host of new
initiatives.

Insofar as foreign policy aims to create the environment for domestic growth and
prosperity, even while it seeks to raise the country’s global stature, the list of
achievements in 2015 is significant. Beyond the photo-ops, visits and agreements, a wide
range of possibilities has been translated into tangible outcomes. On the economic front,
the sentiments for private investment and inflow of foreign investment have turned
positive. FDI inflows have also gone up by 40% in this year alone.  Much of India’s
foreign policy outreach has been driven by the need to translate partnerships into
benefits for key domestic initiatives such as Make in India, Skill India and Digital India,
and agreements with key countries have reflected this requirement. The Make in India
initiative, for instance, has received a tremendous response, with some foreign
countries allocating specific funds towards creation of manufacturing hubs in India. The
recent agreements with Japan, for instance, outline a partnership in a large number
projects cutting across sectors, including the high profile bullet train project between
Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

The Skill India project has found resonance with countries such as Germany, Singapore,
South Korea and Japan willing to offer their expertise to benefit India’s growing
workforce. Similar has been the case for the Smart Cities initiative and Ganga
Rejuvenation. In a landmark visit to California, the Prime Minister’s pitch for a Digital
India that would transform access to technology for the majority of the population
received an enthusiastic response by leading technology and social media companies.
By opening India’s doors to the best of foreign expertise and leveraging partnerships for
common benefit, Indian diplomacy seeks to take the goal of foreign policy for domestic
transformation for the common man further than ever before.

India’s growth story this last year has been noticed amongst financial institutions and
organizations. The country has been recently ranked as the most attractive investment
destinations by Ernst & Young. In a ranking of the top greenfield investment
destinations in the first half of 2015, India is at number one. Foreign Policy magazine of
the US has also ranked India as number one FDI destination.  India has improved its
UNCTAD ranking of investment attractiveness from 15th to 9th, moved up 12 ranks in
the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report of 2016, and jumped 16 places on the
World Economic Forum’s global competitive index. Projecting the changes underway in
India abroad has been a key focus of our diplomacy.

Neighbourhood Diplomacy: Mapping New Frontiers

Building upon Prime Minister Modi’s path-breaking initiative of inviting all SAARC
leaders to his swearing-in ceremony last year, India continued to reach out proactively
to its immediate neighbours in South Asia for a sustained engagement.

Transformational Diplomacy acquired a new resonance with the Prime Ministerial visit
to Bangladesh in June that saw the exchange of instruments of ratification of the
landmark land boundary agreement. It was literally ushering in a new dawn for
thousands of people living on tiny islands of land as India and Bangladesh swapped
enclaves, bringing to an end their 68-year-old boundary dispute. The formal swapping
of enclaves has brought a new life of hope and dignity for around 51,000 people living in
162 enclaves across both countries, and underlined possibilities of how diplomacy can
provide a new direction to the lives of ordinary people.

The June 6-7 visit of PM Modi also saw India-Bangladesh developmental cooperation
scaling new heights, with India pledging a $2 billion Line of Credit for Bangladesh, the
largest single LOC for any country committed by India. The $2 billion LOC has raised the
bar for India’s engagement with Bangladesh and is set to bring the two neighbours in a
web of trade, connectivity and shared prosperity. Projecting a narrative of interlinked
destinies, the two countries took a host of steps to enhance connectivity, including the
launch of two new bus services. The two countries are a part of the sub-regional
cooperation between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal to enhance connectivity and
regional integration.

Similarly, India’s relations with Sri Lanka scaled new frontiers with a spate of two-way
visits by the leaders and foreign ministers of the two countries, within months of the
newly-elected Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena taking charge of the island
nation. During PM Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka in March, India pledged $318 million Line of
Credit for railway upgradation (New Delhi’s development assistance is already about
$1.6 billion), unveiled a currency swap agreement of US $1.5 billion to help stabilise the
Sri Lankan rupee and to develop Trincomalee as a regional petroleum hub with the
cooperation of Lanka IOC (Indian Oil Corp’s subsidiary in Sri Lanka) and Ceylon
Petroleum Corporation. Both countries also signed four pacts regarding visa exemption
for official passport holders, youth exchanges, customs agreement (to address trade
concerns and reduce non-tariff barriers) and the construction of the Rabindranath
Tagore auditorium at the Ruhuna University with India’s aid.

Amid the backdrop of the unfolding transition in Afghanistan, India sustained its
engaged with Afghanistan and promoted a narrative of friendship in the strife-torn
country. The visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to India in April 2015 saw India
reiterating its commitment to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. With the economic
flowering of Afghanistan in mind, the two sides focused on working towards a more
liberalized business visa regime. Afghanistan welcomed India’s decision to extend the
1000 scholarships per year scheme by another 5 years as part of capacity building
initiatives. India continues its assistance to the construction of the India-Afghanistan
Friendship (Salma) Dam in Herat, expected to be completed in the first half of the
coming year.  The Parliament Building in Kabul constructed with Indian assistance has
already been completed as well as on the Doshi and Charikar power stations.

 
India’s all-weather friendship with Bhutan, which was galvanized after PM Modi’s visit
to the country last year, continued on an upward curve.  The visit of Bhutan’s Prime
Minister Tshering Tobgay to India in January focused on optimizing cooperation in the
field of hydropower – the centerpiece of economic cooperation between the two
countries.  The two sides expressed satisfaction over the progress of the three ongoing
HEPs totaling 2940 MW under the inter-governmental model. They reiterated their
commitment to the 10,000 MW initiative and in this context, to the early implementation
of the four JV-model projects, totaling 2120 MW.

When Nepal was hit by a massive earthquake on April 25, India was the first to respond
to the calamity and thehumanitarian tragedy that followed by launching its largest
disaster response abroad, Operation Maitri. During EAM’s visit to Kathmandu in June,
India pledged $1 billion grant for the reconstruction of the quake-hit Nepal. However,
the political situation within Nepal offered challenges in the wake of the promulgation
of a new constitution that did not take into account the concerns of all sections of the
populations. India continues to push for an early resolution of the internal crisis by
urging dialogue amongst all sections of society and a consensus driven political solution.

India also engaged with the Maldives leadership despite political volatility in the island
country. This was reflected in the meeting between the foreign ministers of India and
the Maldives on the sidelines of the UN summit in New York in September. External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj followed it up with a visit to the island nation from
October 10-11 to reinvigorate ties.

India has consistently said that it wants better relations with Pakistan, but this can be
only possible in an atmosphere free of terror and violence. Improving relations
remained a major challenge in the backdrop of terror attacks but India made a bold
beginning with a meeting between PM Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Ufa, Russia. The meeting ended with a shared
position that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and
promote development. The two sides unveiled a five-point agenda to address concerns
on terrorism and to promote people-to-people contact. Despite a number of hurdles
including on account of terror attacks in the aftermath of Ufa, and Pakistan calling off
the initial round of NSA level talks, a significant breakthrough was achieved in
December with the NSAs meeting in Bangkok, followed by the EAM’s visit to Islamabad
for the Heart of Asia Conference. On its sidelines, EAM called on PM Nawaz Sharif and
met with her counterpart, Sartaj Aziz following which they issued a joint statement
condemning terrorism, noting that NSAs would continue discussions on all aspects
related to it and Pakistan would expedite the trial in the Mumbai attacks case.
Accordingly, both sides agreed to initiate a comprehensive bilateral dialogue, the
modalities of which would be worked out by the Foreign Secretaries.
With Myanmar on the cusp of a historic democratic transition, India welcomed the
elections and the PM congratulated Aung San Suu Kyi for her victory in Parliament.
Bilateral relations remained on the upward trajectory with the First India-Myanmar
Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) Meeting held in New Delhi on July 16, 2015, steps to
further enhance the existing air connectivity, extending a US$ 500 million Line of Credit
to the Government of Myanmar for development priorities, and a commitment to
enhance the regional and sub-regional cooperation under the BCIM-EC and the BIMSTEC
framework. India also played an instrumental role in providing disaster relief support
to Myanmar in response to widespread floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Komen.

Act East Policy: Vision, Vigour and Plan of Action

India’s ‘Act East Policy,’ enunciated with great vigour and foresight by the new
leadership, acquired a new force in 2015 and manifested itself in the deepening of
economic and strategic partnership with ASEAN countries and the extended East Asia
region. India’s diplomatic efforts focused on leveraging synergies with this economically
vibrant region and linking up these countries with India’s development agenda, pivoted
around interlinked programmes of Make in India, Digital India, Smart Cities, Start-up
India, M-Governance and Skill India.

The year also saw a marked upgrade of India’s security cooperation with the region,
with the two sides mapping out concrete steps to intensify cooperation in combating
terrorism, piracy and traditional and non-traditional security threats. These key drivers
of Act East policy were reflected in PM Modi’s participation in India-ASEAN and EAS
summits in Kuala Lumpur in November and in his bilateral visits to Malaysia, Singapore
and South Korea. Singapore President’s visit to India, Vice-President Hamid Ansari’s trip
to Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia, Myanmar’s foreign minister’s visit to India and visits
of EAM Sushma Swaraj to Indonesia and Thailand telescoped multiple strands of
intensified and reinvigorated engagement between India and the East Asia region across
the spectrum.

ASEAN and EAS

The 10th India-ASEAN summit culminated in the adoption of an ASEAN-India plan of

action for the period 2016 to 2020, entitled “Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared
Prosperity.” Underscoring the centrality of ASEAN in India’s diplomatic outreach to the
region, PM Modi pledged a Line of Credit of USD 1 billion at the 13th India-ASEAN
summit in Kuala Lumpur to promote projects that support physical and digital
connectivity to transform the corridors of connectivity into corridors of economic
growth and prosperity. A Project Development Fund to develop manufacturing hubs in
CLMV countries, an Innovation Platform to facilitate commercialization of low cost
technologies, the enhancement of the ASEAN-India Science and Technology
Development Fund from the current USD 1 million to USD 5 million were some of the
key announcements. On the trade side, the India-ASEAN Investment Centre, which is set
to become functional very soon, will enable the two sides to scale up bilateral trade to
$100 billion. India has also called for spurring progress in negotiations for a balanced
and ambitious Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that covers
goods and services as well as investments.

Enhanced security cooperation, the exhortation to delink terror from religion, and push
to adopt the CCIT were important thrust areas. With maritime security becoming
increasingly pivotal to secure global sea lanes of communication, India underlined its
shared commitment with ASEAN towards freedom of navigation, over flight and
unimpeded commerce, in accordance with accepted principles of international law,
including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In terms of bilateral interactions, PM Modi’s visit to South Korea in May, followed by

bilateral trips to Malaysia and Singapore in November, reflected in a nutshell, the key
emphasis of the country’s Act East policy. During PM Modi’s May visit, India and South
Korea agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a ‘Special Strategic Partnership’ as
the two sides decided to establish annual summit meetings, in either country, or on the
margins of multilateral events. They infused a new energy into their multi-faceted
partnership by signing seven bilateral agreements in diverse areas. The decision to
launch a diplomatic and security dialogue in 2+2 format, making Republic of Korea the
second country with which India has such a dialogue, reflected the deepening strategic
content of the relationship. South Korea is set to play a crucial role in India’s economic
modernization, with its companies excited about supporting large infrastructure
projects in India. Seoul signaled confidence in the India Story by unveiling $10 billion
package to support India’s ambitious projects, including Make in India and smart cities.

PM Modi’s bilateral visit to Malaysia (November 23) saw the two countries enhance their
strategic partnership by signing three pacts, which encompassed diverse areas,
including cooperation in cyber security, public administration and culture.   Malaysia is
set to play a more proactive role in India’s development journey with Malaysian
companies offering to be a part of India’s smart cities project and to help in
infrastructure development of India.

India’s ties with Singapore, a crucial plank of our Act East policy and the second largest
source of FDI, experienced a distinct upward movement during Singapore President’s
state visit to India in February to celebrate 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic
ties and PM Modi’s November 23-24 visit to the city state. Prime Minister Modi was one
of the few world leaders invited to visit Singapore in March 2015, to join the island
nation in mourning the demise of its founding father Lee Kwan Yew. During his
November visit, India and Singapore signed a joint declaration on a Strategic
Partnership agreement and signed 10 bilateral agreements in the areas of defence,
cyber security and civil aviation. The strategic partnership has identified five focal areas
to strengthen economic cooperation which includes scaling up of trade and investment,
speeding up air and maritime connectivity and coastal development, smart city
development and urban rejuvenation, skills development and capacity building.

The Vice President’s visit to Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia and EAM’s visit to Thailand
and Indonesia also helped consolidate our partnership with key ASEAN partners. With
Thailand, the signing of a revised treaty to avoid double taxation is set to upscale trade
and investment and an exchange of Instruments of Ratification of Extradition Treaty
will enhance security cooperation between the two countries. Cultural ties are set to get
a boost with the signing of a MoU on Thailand joining the establishment of Nalanda
University and a MoU on the establishment of an Ayurveda Chair in one of the Thai
universities.

Engaging Major Powers: New Dynamism, New Vistas

Moving beyond our immediate neighbourhood, the new government energetically

engaged with key major powers of the world, with the Prime Minister visiting all P5
countries and aspiring members of the UN Security Council, including Japan and
Germany. The sustained and variegated engagement with established and emerging
power centres opened new vistas for upgrading these crucial partnerships and sealed
India’s stature as a rising global power which is central to sculpting an inclusive global
order.

US

The new government’s diplomatic calendar began with a trailblazing visit by US

President Barack Obama to India as the chief guest at the country’s Republic Day
celebrations, the first American president to be thus invited. Building upon PM Modi’s
visit to the US last year, President Obama’s second trip to India saw India-US relations
scale new milestones as the world’s oldest and largest democracies unveiled a
transformative all-encompassing agenda in the form of the joint statement entitled
“Sanjha Prayas, Sabka Vikas (Shared Effort, Progress for All), which establishes the US as
a prime partner in India’s ongoing national resurgence. The breakthrough achieved in
implementing the landmark civil nuclear deal was the most visible outcome of the
ongoing transformation in India-US ties. The relations saw a marked upswing in diverse
areas, spanning enhanced defence cooperation through pathfinder projects for joint
production, green energy, development of smart cities and infrastructure. Underscoring
their increasing congruence over a host of global and regional issues, India and the US
articulated a joint strategic vision for the Asia-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean. 
Buoyed by increasing optimism about the India Story, the two countries have set a target
of multiplying bilateral trade five times to US$ 500 billion.

President Obama’s visit was followed by that of PM Modi to the US in September,

making 2015 a unique year in the annals of India-US relations with two-way visits by the
leaders of both countries. PM’s second visit to the US was singular in so far as this was
the first prime ministerial visit from India to the US’ West coast in nearly 60 years, with
PM Modi connecting with the corporate and digital elite of Silicon Valley in California.
PM Modi’s meeting with President Obama in New York underlined the changed climate
in India-US relations as the two leaders sought to upgrade cooperation across an entire
spectrum of issues ranging from climate change and economic ties to counter-terrorism,
cyber security and UN Security Council reform. Put together, the two visits minted an
emerging template of India-US relations, which will be underpinned by Business,
Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (BITE), as “the defining partnership of the
21st century” looks set to cross new milestones in the days to come.

PM’s visit was preceded by the launch of the first-ever India-US Strategic and
Commercial Dialogue in Washington DC, which was attended by EAM Sushma Swaraj
and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman.

China

In our extended neighbourhood, India’s relations with China acquired a new stability
and added economic and strategic content. Building upon the State Visit of President Xi
to India in September last year, PM Modi undertook a three-city tour of China, which
was unique in many ways. PM’s visit was preceded by that of EAM’s visit to Beijing in
February that saw the launch of the ‘Visit India Year’ in China and extensive discussions
with the Chinese leadership on a host of bilateral and regional issues.

Blending diplomacy, culture, business and geopolitics, the May 14-16 visit forged a new
narrative of “major powers” engagement and placed the burgeoning relations between
India and China as central to the realisation of an emerging Asian century. In a rare
gesture, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Prime Minister Modi in Xi’an, the first
time President Xi hosted a visiting foreign leader in his ancestral province. The renewed
vitality in India-China relations was reflected in the signing of 24 agreements in diverse
areas, ranging from infrastructure, smart cities and railways to culture, skill
development, space and climate change.

Intensifying diplomatic engagement across the spectrum, the two sides decided to hold
regular summit meetings and agreed to open new consulates in Chengdu and Chennai.
PM Modi’s emphasis on cooperative federalism in the arena of foreign policy was
reflected in the launch of the first-of-its kind State/Provincial Leaders’ Forum that will
facilitate greater interaction between states and provinces of the two countries.

What set apart the summit-level interaction was the “candour” and “constructive”
approach to all outstanding issues, including the decades-long boundary question.
Building on China’s pledge of $20 billion investment in India for the next five years,
which was unveiled during the Chinese president’s visit to India in September 2014,
India and China signed business deals worth $22 billion even as the Chinese leadership
assured to bridge the trade deficit by  providing more market access to Indian IT and
pharma companies. Positioning cultural diplomacy and people-to-people contact at the
heart of the expanding India-China partnership, PM Modi announced e-visa facility for
Chinese tourists. In cheering news for Indian pilgrims, the two sides signed an
agreement that provides an additional route for the annual Mansarovar Yatra through
Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, in addition to the existing Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand. The
visit of the PM was followed up with Home Minister’s visit to China, and visits to India
by the Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao and General Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman
of the Central Military Commission.

Japan

Our relations with Japan were revitalised by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s landmark visit
to India in December. The visit reflected the personal rapport PM Modi has forged with
PM Abe during the former’s visit to Japan last year. Following wide ranging talks that
covered a number of issues, the two sides reached 16 agreements including one on
Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. Of particular significance was
Japan’s partnership on India’s economic development through supporting a number of
initiatives – the bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the Make in India Fund,
the ODA assistance for 13 different big projects, dedicated Japan Industrial Townships,
the Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor all of which add up to more than $35 billion
which the two Prime Ministers had agreed to last year. Defence and security as well as
maritime security also were also high priority items for discussion, with an agreement
on transfer of defence technology and equipment and regular participation in Malabar.
UNSC reform, India’s participation in export control regimes, and India’s membership of
APEC were all discussed positively.

Highlighting the civilizational ties between the two nations, and mirroring the PM’s visit
to Kyoto last year the PMs visited the city of Varanasi to take forward the ties between
the two cities. In a unique ceremony, both the PMs participated in the Ganga Aarti at the
Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi. The visit imparted a new resonance to the ‘Special
Strategic and Global Partnership’ and envisaged India-Japan relations as critical to the
evolving Asian Century.

Russia

Our relations with Russia, a time-tested strategic partner, were bolstered by a slew of
high-level visits, culminating in the annual summit between PM Modi and Russian
President Vladimir Putin in December.

PM Modi’s meeting with the Russian president on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in
July outlined future areas of cooperation, with special focus on scaling up economic
relations, civil nuclear energy partnership and enhanced participation of Russia in the
Make in India project.
 

President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Russia (May 7-11) to attend the V-day celebrations
saw the signing of seven pacts to enhance educational and innovation cooperation
between the two countries. This included setting up of a Network of Indian and Russian
Universities and an agreement on encouraging young researchers in both countries to
work on innovative research projects.

The visit of EAM Sushma Swaraj to Russia (October 19-21) saw the two countries sign the
protocol for the 21st session of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade,
Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).

Europe:  France, Germany and Britain

The Indian government was proactive in stepping up engagement with major European
powers.  Prime Minister Modi conducted hugely successful visits to France and Germany
in April 2015. In France, he focused on seeking French investment in infrastructure,
sanitation, waste management, smart cities, Clean Ganga programme, and defence
manufacturing. Major decisions were announced with respect to the acquisition of
Rafale fighter aircraft by India, and cooperation between NPCIL and AREVA on the
Jaitapur Civil Nuclear Plant. Twenty agreements were signed in diverse areas, ranging
from civil nuclear energy, defence and space to smart cities, business, tourism and the
promotion of cultural heritage. France’s support for Make in India was reflected in a
pact on forging cooperation between Indian and French railways for semi-high speed
rail link and station renovation and pledges by French defence majors to undertake co-
development of high-value weaponry. In a boost for India’s green drive, French
companies agreed to support India’s sustainable development with 2 billion Euros
investment by French companies.

In Germany, Prime Minister represented India as the Partner Country for the Hannover
Messe Business Fair, the largest such exposition in the world, and made a robust pitch to
seek German investment and expertise to support the ‘Make in India’ programme,
especially in areas like skill development, renewable energy and defence
manufacturing. Several far-reaching collaborative projects in diverse areas were
discussed, which were crystallised during German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s trip to
India (October 4-6). The German leader’s visit saw a landmark joint announcement on
setting up a Fast-Track System for clearing investments by German companies in India
and a pact to promote cooperation in the field of manufacturing.

 
India-UK relations moved into a high-growth phase during PM Modi’s maiden visit to
the UK (November 12-14) and included many symbolic gestures by Britain that included
iconic British monuments being bathed in the colours of the Indian flag, an overnight
stay by PM Modi at British Prime Minister David Cameron’s official country retreat,
lunch with the Queen of England and the first ever address by an Indian prime minister
to the British parliament. The talks in London outlined substantive outcomes that
included a bigger role for Britain in India’s plans of national renewal, including Make in
India and Smart Cities, reinvigoration of economic ties, enhanced defence and security
partnership, a separate joint statement on energy and climate change and a separate
statement of intent on partnering in third countries. The signing of a civil nuclear
cooperation pact, the decisions to hold PM-level biennial summits and a new Defence
and International Security Partnership are set to bring tangible benefits to both
countries in days to come. Britain’s support for CCIT and action against anti-India
terrorist outfits operating from India’s neighbouring country was significant. Economic
ties are set to climb new peaks with the sealing of private sector deals amounting to 9.2
billion pounds, including a £1.3 billion pound investment by Vodafone.  The decision to
issue rupee bonds to be listed at the London Stock Exchange for financing railway
infrastructure, the clean energy package worth 3.2 billion pounds of commercial
agreements and the visit by PM Modi to the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant in Solihull
were symbolic of the win-win economic partnership.

Other Regions

West Asia: Raising the Bar

India’s relations with West Asia, home to over 7 million-strong Indian diaspora and the
source of over 70 per cent of the country’s oil imports, moved onto an upward trajectory
in the last twelve months.

In the first quarter of 2015, the visit of the Emir of Qatar March 24-25 enhanced
diplomatic, economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries. The visit saw
the signing of 4 MOUs and 2 agreements in diverse areas, including ICT, scientific and
technical cooperation and media. The two sides signed an important agreement on the
transfer of sentenced persons and decided to upscale security and counter-terrorism
through regular dialogue, sharing of information, intelligence and assessments and
training of personnel.

PM Modi’s visit to the UAE (August 16-17) was a game-changer, which elevated the
relationship to the level of a strategic partnership and opened new doors for expanding
economic and security cooperation between the two countries. The visit was followed by
that of UAE Foreign Minister  Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India  (September
3-4). The talks upscaled relations across key areas, including the forging of strategic
energy partnership, and cooperation in space, nuclear energy, renewables and higher
education. There was a major breakthrough in enhancing counter-terror and security
cooperation, with the two countries launching a security dialogue and stepping up
coordination in counter-terrorism operations, de-radicalization, intelligence sharing and
capacity building. The UAE’s support for the adoption of India-backed Comprehensive
Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations and support for
dismantling terrorism infrastructure and isolating state supporters of terrorism was
especially significant.

The visit of Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in August focused on raising the
economic relationship between India and Iran in the backdrop of the historic nuclear
deal between Iran and the P5+1 countries. The talks have set the stage for transforming
India-Iran relations and enhancing two-way trade and investment. The decision to move
from the existing buyer seller relationship to a genuine energy partnership involving
both upstream and downstream is a potential game-changer. Issues relating to the two
ongoing projects related to Chahbahar and the International North South Transport
Corridor (INSTC) and India’s participation in the Iranian railways sector were also
discussed.

President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Jordan, Palestine and Israel (October 10-15)
signaled the Indian government’s strategic intent and commitment to simultaneously
enhance relations with the Arab world as well as Israel, without allowing it to become a
zero sum game.

In Israel, the two sides developed a roadmap for expanding cooperation in solar energy,
dairy development, water management, horticulture, animal husbandry and agriculture
as well as cooperation between Indian Space Research Organization and Israeli Space
Agency. India and Israel discussed new possibilities and synergies to diversify trade as
well as mutual investments. Two inter-governmental agreements were signed and eight
MoUs were exchanged between the educational institutions of India and Israel.

In Jordan, 16 MoUs and agreements, including between academic institutions, were

signed as the two sides explored opening up new synergies in diverse areas including
counter terrorism, defence, IT, and energy.

During his visit to Palestine, the President reiterated India’s principled support to the
Palestinian cause, calling for a negotiated solution towards a united Palestine, existing
peacefully with Israel as endorsed in the Quartet Roadmap and relevant UNSC
Resolutions. Six MOUs and Agreements were signed, with India announcing an increase
in ICCR scholarships from 10 to 25 per annum, and ITEC slots from 50 to 100. India also
extended budgetary support amounting to US $5 million to the Palestinian authority.The
India-Palestine Center for Excellence in ICT was inaugurated, and another was
announced in Gaza. A IT park (Ramallah) and a Palestinian Institute of Diplomacy, at an
estimated costs of US $12 million and US $4.5 million respectively, were also announced.

 
Africa: Transformative Agenda 

It was the year of Africa for India’s diplomacy as New Delhi hosted the third India-Africa
Forum Summit (October 26-29) by inviting all 54 countries. The summit, which was
attended by 41 heads of state/government and representatives of other countries
marked the biggest ever gathering of African leaders and unveiled a “dynamic and
transformative agenda” of mutual resurgence by dovetailing the India growth story
with Africa’s vision of its own resurgence, as reflected in Agenda 2063. The IAFS-III also
saw Prime Minister Modi engaging in bilateral meetings with all leaders of African
countries who had come for the summit. The summit was preceded by important
initiatives focused on building up a knowledge bridge and bolstering people-to-people
contact, which was reflected by the Editor’s Forum and Academics’ Forum. Development
cooperation in Africa is set to scale new heights as India announced Lines of Credit
worth USD 10 billion in concessional credit to Africa, apart from an additional grant
assistance of USD 600 million, which included an India-Africa Development Fund of
$100 million and an India-Africa Health Fund of $10 million. Significantly, the total
financial pledge for projects to be executed over the next 5 years (till 2020) is more than
double of the LOCs and grants committed by India over the last two summits. The $100
million development fund will be used for setting up training institutes and other
showpiece projects of India-Africa development cooperation which will be finalized in
the plan of action to be launched with the AU next year. With a view to harnessing the
youth power of the continent, India more than doubled scholarships for Africans to
50,000 over the next five years. India also decided to expand the Pan Africa E-Network, a
defining digital connectivity project that currently encompasses 48 African countries for
tele-medicine and tele-education. The IAFS-III mapped out a blueprint for joint
development of the blue economy and forged a comprehensive framework for proactive
collaboration on a range of cross-cutting issues, including terrorism, piracy, cyber
security, climate change, sustainable development, WTO negotiations and UNSC reform.
Looking ahead, the summit underlined the convergence of India and Africa on fast-
tracking the expansion of the UNSC, with both sides supporting permanent seats for
India and Africa in a reformed UNSC. We also agreed to set up a joint monitoring
mechanism to track implementation of agreed projects to ensure that there is no gap
between ideas and action.

The summit was the high moment in India-Africa relations, but it was preceded by
important visits by EAM to South Africa and Egypt and incoming visits of the presidents
of Tanzania and Mozambique.

The visit of EAM to South Africa (May 18-21) saw the two sides fleshing out a framework
of a five year strategic programme of cooperation as they identified priority areas of
cooperation: defence, deep-mining, science and technology, agriculture & food
processing and insurance. The two sides also decided to launch an India-South Africa
Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). EAM’s visit to Egypt (August 23-25) resulted in the
two sides scaling up security and counter-terror cooperation and the signing of pacts on
enhancing tourism and scientific and technical cooperation. During the visit of Tanzania
President to India (June 17-21), the outcomes  included setting up of a Joint Working
Group on bolstering counter-terror cooperation, India’s assistance to development of gas
sector in Tanzania and the signing of an agreement on hydrography. The visit of
President of Mozambique to India (August 4-8) reflected in a miniature key elements of
India’s Africa policy, with its focus on trade, training, technology and capacity building.

FIPIC

Taking off from PM’s visit to Fiji to attend the first meeting of the Forum for India-Pacific
Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), India hosted the second edition of the summit to reach out
to 14 island states which culminated in a host of initiatives in areas of capacity building,
developmental cooperation, renewable energy and blue economy.  Firming up a
template for accelerating this crucial partnership across the spectrum, FIPIC-II saw
India offering to set up an information technology laboratory in each Pacific island
country that will enable people in the region to get access to tele-medicine and tele-
education. In areas of training and capacity building, India increased the slots under the
Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) training programme, with Fiji
getting 110 slots, and the number of slots for the other 13 countries to be doubled from
119 to 238. Other important initiatives by India included partnering in the development
of micro, small and medium enterprises in the region, the setting up of an Institute for
Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Research with a network of marine biology research
stations and offer of assistance in establishing a ‘Space Technology Applications Centre’
in any one of the Pacific island countries for the entire region.  The summit with large
ocean states, as PM Modi called it, saw substantive discussions on closer cooperation in
UN reform and combating climate change.

Central Asia: Higher Trajectory 

India’s Connect Central Asia policy moved into high gear in 2015, with the unique
journey by PM Modi to all five Central Asian states (July 6-13), including Uzbekistan, 
Kazakhstan Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Together with our participation
in the SCO summit in Russia it sent a strong message on the importance of building on
India’s civilisational links with this resource-rich, strategically located region. The path
to India’s inclusion in the SCO has nearly been completed and the Ufa gathering has
imparted greater coherence and traction to our Connect Central Asia policy. The
outcomes were reflected in scaling up economic ties, forging energy partnership,
deepening security cooperation and focus on cultural diplomacy to qualitatively
transform relations with the region. EAM’s trips to Turkmenistan in April and Tajikistan
in May set the stage for PM Modi’s transformational visit to the region in July.

India and Uzbekistan signed three pacts in areas of tourism, culture and cooperation
between foreign offices of the two countries. The decision to fast-track implementation
of the contract for the supply of 2,000 metric tonnes uranium to India, enhancing
counter-terror cooperation and consultations on shaping a stable and inclusive
Afghanistan were among key themes of PM Modi’s discussions in Uzbekistan.  In
Kazakhstan, PM Modi witnessed the drilling of the first oil well in the Satpayev block, in
which ONGC has 25 per cent stake. The two countries also signed a pact for renewal of
long term supply of natural uranium to India and agreed to explore the transportation
of oil and gas through pipeline or LNG from Kazakhstan to India. The “Tej Kadam,” joint
statement outlines the template for developing India-Kazakhstan relations as the two
sides signed five agreements, including a pact on enhancing defence and military-
technical cooperation.

Another major development, which is going to shape the energy landscape of the region,
is the decision to operationalise the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas
pipeline, the groundbreaking ceremony of which was witnessed by the Vice President
during his visit in December. India and Turkmenistan firmed up a template for long-
term energy partnership, with ONGC Videsh Ltd opening its office in Turkmenistan and
the two countries signing a MoU between the State Concern “Turkmenhimiya” and
Indian PSU Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited, to provide a framework for
long-term sourcing of urea from Turkmenistan. The signing of the Defence Cooperation
Agreement is expected to boost counter-terror cooperation. With Kyrgyzstan also, the
key takeaway was the signing of the defence cooperation agreement, which envisages
intensifying joint military exercises, exchange of military instructors and observers,
military education and training. During PM Modi’s visit to Tajikistan, India’s core
strengths in training and capacity building were lauded as India offered to set up
computer labs in 37 schools in Tajikistan. The two sides also firmed up a 7-step
framework for enhancing cooperation in agriculture.

Latin America and Caribbean: Revitalising Ties

A series of two-way visits and initiatives for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC)
region built upon PM Modi’s visit to Brazil last year

Guyana’s President Donald R. Ramotar, was chief guest at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas held in
Gandhinagar in Gujarat (January 7 -12) where he was conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman Award. Enhancing development cooperation, India announced concessional
credit of $10 million and grant assistance of $8 million. Suriname’s Foreign Minister
visited India (January 11-16), and the visit saw the two sides discussing initiatives to
upscale economic and developmental cooperation.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen. V.K Singh attended the India-SICA Ministerial
Meeting in Guatamela (May 28-29). In a major initiative, India offered a Line of Credit of
US $240 million to SICA countries (US $30 million to each SICA country), in addition to
enhancing ITEC slots.

 
During Uruguay’s Foreign Affairs Minister’s India visit (October 6-11) the two sides
decided to give a fresh impetus to the Preferential Trade Agreement between India and
MERCOSUR to boost trade and services. India plans set up a Centre for Excellence and
Information Technologies in Uruguay.

Brazil’s Foreign Minister’s visit (November 17-20) also gave fresh impetus to the
important relationship. FM-EAM talks bolstered strategic coordination between the two
countries on a host of issues, including UNSC reform, terrorism and cyber security. Free
Trade Agreement (FTA) between MERCOSUL and India, and talks on resuming the
trilateral talks amongst MERCOSUL, India and SACU were explored. This agreement
could visibly transform India’s economic relations with not just Brazil but the entire
region. Discussions on initiating civil nuclear cooperation were also significant.

PM Modi met with the Presidents of Mexico and St. Lucia on the sidelines of the UNGA in
September. Based on discussions, India and Mexico (an influential player in CELAC), can
be expected to expand their economic and energy partnership. Discussions on UNSC
reform and India’s membership in global export regimes, including NSG, were
significant. St. Lucia thanked PM for giving importance to small countries and their
voices.

Multilateral Relations

India’s global stature was on the ascent in 2015, with the last twelve months witnessing
the country’s robust engagement in the world’s leading multilateral fora, including
UNGA, G20, BRICS, SCO, ASEAN and EAS.

UNGA

The 70th session of the UNGA was special in many ways as we joined in the 70th
anniversary celebrations of the world body and robustly backed the adoption of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the SDG summit. Supporting the adoption of
Agenda 2030, PM Modi outlined steps taken by India in reducing poverty and
proactively joining the world in promoting green development. Fast-tracking reform
and expansion of the UNSC was the cross-cutting theme of PM Modi’s address at
different events related to the UNGA, including the summit of leaders of G4 countries.

Sustainable development, promotion of renewable energy and climate justice were

other refrains in PM’s interventions. In a separate address to the UN Peacekeeping
Summit on September 28 in New York, PM Modi pitched for a greater role for troop-
contributing countries in the decision-making process related to peacekeeping
operations and unveiled new contributions by India. These include, among other things,
additional battalions of up to 850 troops in existing or new operations, additional three
Police units with higher representation of female peacekeepers, and additional training
for peacekeepers at facilities in India and in the field.

Making an eloquent case for making the UNSC more credible and representative by
including aspiring members, to address the challenges of the 21st century, EAM’s
address at the UN also underlined the need for achieving the Security Council reform
“within a fixed time frame.”

BRICS

The BRICS summit in July saw the operationalisation of two key India-backed initiatives,
including the New Development Bank (NDB) and $100 billion Contingent Reserve
Agreement (CRA), which reinforced the collective BRICS commitment to reconfiguring
the global financial architecture. The NDB, with an initial start-up capital of $50 billion,
and a veteran Indian banker as its first President, is expected to approve its inaugural
investment project in 2016, and is a game-changer in bolstering infrastructure
development in the global South.

PM Modi made a robust pitch for fast-tracking IMF quota reforms to enable a larger say
for developing and emerging economies in top global financial institutions of
governance, imparting a push to the ongoing project of recasting the global financial
system. We also backed the intra-BRICS strategic economic partnership which will
upscale trade and investment among emerging economies, and positioned them as the
future hub of economic growth. India made valuable contributions by making a
compelling case for enhancing civil society interaction among BRICS countries as PM
Modi unveiled 10 proposals for bolstering the BRICS, which includes, among others, the
holding of an annual BRICS trade fair, the setting up of a Railway Research Centre,
cooperation among supreme audit institutions, a BRICS digital initiative, the BRICS
Agricultural Research Centre, a BRICS Sports Council, and an annual BRICS Sports Meet.
PM Modi also forcefully advocated urgent reform and expansion of the UNSC, with a
permanent seat for India in the reformed body.

SCO

India’s elevation from an observer to a full-member at the SCO summit in Ufa on July 10
was a milestone that will provide more ballast to its Connect Central Asia policy and
promote an integrated and connected Eurasia to become one the most dynamic regions
in the world. India offered support for buttressing physical and digital connectivity and
backed the International North South Transport Corridor. India also focused on
enhancing security cooperation to combat terrorism and the SCO’s key role in
stabilisation process in Afghanistan.

G20

The Prime Minister’s participation in the G20 summit in Turkey was marked by
important contributions to shape the G20 agenda for restoring global economic growth
and creating an inclusive global financial architecture. India backed the G20’s outcome
on developing ambitious country-specific investment strategies, and its proposals for
alternative financing structures, such as asset-based financing, and simple and
transparent securitization. The PM underlined that his government has zero tolerance
for both corruption and black money. In the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks, PM
also laid out a 10 point plan to combat terrorism, underscoring the need to deepen
cooperation against terrorism financing, including through targeted financial sanctions
and more effective counter-terrorism financing tools, while calling for countries to join
hands to isolate states that support and sponsor terrorism.

COP21

At COP 21 in Paris, India played a key role in the final Agreement ensuring that its own
concerns, as well as those of other developing countries, were suitably addressed. The
Agreement recognized the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities,
expanding the term to include ‘in the light of different national circumstances.’ It has
also specific provisions on climate finance and mitigation actions that indicate
developed country obligations, although much work remains to be done.

Speaking at the Plenary, PM expounded on India’s ambitious INDCs which include

reducing emissions intensity per unit GDP by 33-35% per cent of 2005 levels by 2030,
and ensuring that 40 % of our installed capacity for electricity would be from non- fossil
fuels. PM underlined the needs of the developing world, of lifting billions of people into
prosperity, which would require advanced countries leaving enough carbon space – the
need for climate justice. The PM also launched the International Solar Alliance, co-
chaired by India and France, to promote greater use of solar energy. All countries lying
between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are eligible to be members of the ISA.
India would be hosting the initiative in the National Institute of Solar Energy and
announced US $30 million for the secretariat infrastructure.

Diaspora & Consular, Passport Services

 

The 25-million strong NRI and PIO populations abroad have become a brain trust and
bridge-builders between the mother country and their adopted homelands. With their
potential role in the unfolding of a national renaissance, diaspora outreach has become
the signature diplomatic style of PM Modi and the Indian government’s unstinting
commitment to their welfare.

The diplomatic calendar in 2015 fittingly began with the holding of the 13th Pravasi
Bhartiya Diwas in Gandhinagar, which was attended by over 4,000 delegates.  This year,
it was a special moment as it coincided with the 100th anniversary of the return of
Mahatma Gandhi, the exemplar NRI, from South Africa to India. The celebration of the
Indian community abroad that was staged with pomp and panache last year at MSG in
New York acquired more colour and vibrancy this year, with PM Modi addressing
rapturous crowds across hemispheres, including Paris, Berlin, Toronto, London, San
Francisco, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. In all these places, PM Modi feted their
successes in their adopted countries and encouraged them to contribute to ongoing
programmes for national resurgence, including ‘Swachh Bharat’, ‘Make in India’, Skill
India and ‘Clean Ganga’. To make it easier for diaspora to visit India and feel more
connected, PM announced the merging of NRI/ OCI status, lifelong visas to OCIs, and
doing away with police registration upon their visits to India. The government eased
diaspora investment in India for funding flagship schemes of the government, the
Swachh Bharat Kosh and Clean Ganga Fund. The pilot launch in 5 GCC countries of
MADAD – an online grievance monitoring system for the diaspora which allows for time
bound redressal, tracking monitoring and feedback on issues – also elicited a huge
response.

To facilitate engagement with the diaspora, and to assist business, educational and
tourist travelers, the Government has taken a slew of initiatives to simplify and improve
passport, visa and consular services.  The passport services became the embodiment of
service excellence, having achieved the unique distinction of becoming the only Mission
Mode Project to receive three ISO certifications (9001:2008, 20000: 2011, 27001: 2013)
together. The facts tell their own story. A strategic reserve of 1 crore passport booklets
has been created to ensure that shortage of booklets never becomes a constraint on
timely issue of passports.   More than 10,00,000 passport-related applications were
processed and over 1,00,000 Common Service Centres across the country co-opted for
filing passport applications online. The average passport issuance time (excluding police
verification process) has been brought down to under 21 days for 96% of the
applications. The government expedited operationalisation of new Passport Seva
Kendras (PSK) in the north-eastern states of India— Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and
Sikkim besides the one already functional in Assam. PSKs in the remaining north-
eastern states viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tripura will be set up in the
coming months. EAM issued special instructions to all Indian Missions abroad to scale
up quality and speed in delivering consular, passport and visa services. Several visa
outsourcing contracts were finalised to better utilise the limited manpower resources of
Missions.
Finally, one of the most pressing concerns of the Government in the last twelve months
has been to ensure the safety and security of Indians entangled in conflict situations
abroad.  India evacuated not just its own citizens from conflict situations in Syria and
Libya but also those of many other neighbouring and other countries.  Operation Rahat
in Yemen was a major operation, involving chartered flights and ships, with the Indian
Navy and Air Force pitching in to rescue 4741 Indians and 1947 foreigners stranded in
the war zone.   Underlining the government’s undying commitment to aiding Indians
abroad in distress, all these operations entailed wide-ranging coordination between
different civilian and military agencies, under the direct leadership of EAM and
Minister of State in MEA.

Conclusion

As we come to the close of 2015, we take special pride in India’s ascending diplomatic
graph, with the world looking at India as a source of hope and renewal to address a host
of cross-cutting challenges. Our relations with countries of the neighbourhood and with
major power centres have been consolidated and we have been successfully able to
remap our ties with the emerging regions of the world, including Africa, Central Asia
and West Asia. With such robust multi-layered achievements in 2015 and India’s global
role becoming more evident in every multilateral fora, India’s foreign policy and
diplomacy are set to cross new milestones and open new vistas for the nation.

*****

January 1, 2016 0

Year End Review 2015: Ministry of Consumer Affairs,

Food & Public Distribution

Major reforms in PDS during 2015, digitisation of

ration cards completed in 29 States, online foodgrains
allocation started in 16 states
Procurement policy modified to provide benefits of
MSP to more farmers for paddy procurement
Sustained efforts bring the cane price arrears down to
Rs. 5406.24 crore from Rs. 66,003 crore
New provisions to promote quality products &
services and to boost consumer protection

The Government achieved significant mile stones in the reforms of PDS by making it
more transparent and leak proof. During 2015, digitisation of ration cards completed in
29 States while it was just touching two- digits in the beginning of the year, 16 states
even  stared online foodgrains allocations and online grievance redressal introduced in
26 states. Direct cash transfer of food subsidy to the beneficiaries started in Chandigarh
and Puducherry in September this year.

Based on the recommendations of high level committee on restructuring of FCI,

procurement policy for paddy modified to ensure reach of MSP operations to more
farmers. Millers levy on rice was abolished. The Government also provided relief to the
farmers during the year by relaxing procurement norms for their crops affected with
the unprecedented rains and hailstorms.

Due to sustain efforts to facilitate payment of sugarcane arrears to the farmers, arrears
came down to Rs. 5406.24 as on November 15, 2015 from Rs. 66,003 crore in the sugar
season of 2014-15.

Highlights of other initiatives are:

Improving foodgrain management

High level Committee under the chairmanship of Shanta Kumar, MP was constituted
to make recommendations on re-structuring of FCI. Based on the recommendations
of High Level Committee on restructuring of FCI, several measures have been
initiated to improve the functioning of FCI and to bring in cost efficiency in its
operations.
Sustained efforts have resulted in significant reforms in TPDS. As a result by first
week of December 2015,

-Digitisation of ration cards completed in 29 States/UTs, over 32 crore ration cards

have been digitized and over 8.5 crore ration cards have been seeded with Aadhaar,

–Supply chain management implemented in 8 states/UTs.

–Online allocation of foodgrains implemented in 16 states/UTs.

– 56,146 FPS automated by installing ‘Point of Sale’device to swap the ration card.

–Toll free help lines installed in 32 States/UTs.

–Online grievance redressal implemented in 26 States/UTs

– Transparency portal to display all operations of TPDS launched in 27 States/UTs

In the month of September, 2015, online formats for obtaining the information
related to various aspects of implementation of TPDS in the States introduced.  The
information is now available online. This has brought more transparency in
implementation and facilitates quick decision making
In order to check of leakage and diversions and to facilitate direct cash transfer of
food subsidy to the beneficiaries, Government has notified “Cash Transfer of Food
Subsidy Rules, 2015” on 21.08.2015 under the NFSA.  These rules provide that DBT
scheme will be implemented in a State/UT with the consent of the concerned State
Government/UT Administration. Under the scheme, in lieu of foodgrains subsidy
component will be credited to bank accounts of beneficiaries who will be free to buy
foodgrains from anywhere in the market. For taking up this model, pre-requisites for
the States/UTs would be to complete digitization of beneficiary data and seed
Aadhaar and bank account details of beneficiaries. The scheme has been launched
in Chandigarh and Puducherry in September, 2015. Dadra and Nagar Haveli, is
also in full readiness for implementation of this pilot cash transfer/ DBT scheme.

National Food Security Act in 24 States, at the end of one year after National Food
Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) came into force, i.e, upto July, 2014, implementation of the
Act had started in 11 States/UTs. Since then, 11 more States/UTs have joined NFSA the
total number of States/UTs now implementing the Act is 23. Sikkim has also notified
the implementation from Jan 2016, the number is going to increase to 24.
To ensure that beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act get entitled foodgrains
positively, rules for payment of food security allowance to the beneficiary in the
case of non-delivery of foodgrains notified in January, 2015.
The Central Government also decided to share 50% (75%  in the case of Hilly and
difficult areas) of the cost of handling & transportation of foodgrains incurred by the
states and the dealers’ margin so that it is not passed on to the beneficiaries and they
get coarse grain Rs1/kg, wheat at Rs2/kg and rice at Rs 3/kg
Department Food & PD’s ‘Group’ namely “Food Security” was opened @ myGov portal
i.e. www.myGov.in for engaging with citizens by inviting their comments/suggestions
on various issues from time to time. Under the said Group ‘Food Security’ a
discussion thread namely ‘Improving the TPDS’ was opened for a period of one
month during February, 2015. Suggestions /comments received from citizens have
been shared with the States/UTs as well as within the Department for action for an
improved TPDS.
To bring all operations of FCI Godowns online and to check reported leakage, “Depot
Online” system initiated and integrated security system is being set up in all sensitive
depots.
The Government of India approved approximately 111 lakh MT of wheat and 20 lakh
MT of Grade-A rice for sale in the year 2015-16 under Open Market Sale Scheme
(OMSS), out of which, 16.93 lakh MT of wheat and 0.40 lakh MT of Grade-A rice was
sold by the end of Oct, 2015.
As a result of progressive procurement policy of the Government, sufficient food
grains are available in Central Pool Stocks of FCI. Stocks as on 01.12.2015 are
504.99 lakh MT, comprising 268.79 lakh MT wheat and 236.20 lakh MT rice.
 Besides 12 States/UTs already under Decentralised Procurement, Telangana became a
new DCP State this year for procurement of rice. Andhra Pradesh & Punjab have also
adopted this system partially during 2014-15 to improve the efficiency of foodgrains
procurement and distribution operations.
Adequate supply of foodgrains made using multi-modal transport in North Eastern
States despite disruption in rail route due to gauge conversion from Lumding to
Badarpur. 80,000MT foodgrains moved through roads every monthbesides
creating additional storage of 20,000 MT in the region. Foodgrains also inducted into
Tripura via riverine route passing through Bangladesh.
1, 03,636 MTs of Rice moved from Andhra Pradesh to Kerala for the first time
through riverine/coastal movement.
The Government revised the buffer norms in January, 2015 for better management of
foodgrain stocks. During 2015-16 both storage and transit losses have been
reduced to (-) 0.03% due to storage gain in wheat and 0.39% against MoU target of
0.15% and 0.42% respectively.
100 MT of rice sent to Myanmar to help the flood affected pocket near Manipur
border.
Storage capacity for central pool stocks of food grains increased to 796.08 lakh MT.
New godowns having capacity of 10 lakh MT under Private Entrepreneur
Guarantee Scheme (PEG) constructed in 20 States. Besides this storage capacity of
62,650 MT in North East under Plan Scheme and 1.78 lakh MT in 12 States added
through CWC.
The FCI has successfully completed the RFQ stage for construction of 6 silos of a
total 2.5 lakh MT capacity at 6 different locations in the country- Changsari, Narela,
Sahnewal, Kotkapura, Katihar and Whitefield on PPP model, for a modernized
system of storage as also for bulk movement of foodgrains through specialized
wagons which will help in maintaining the quality of foodgrains, minimize losses
and ensure rapid movement of foodgrains.
590.41 lakh MT of foodgrains were allocated to States/UTs for distribution under
TPDS and other Welfare Schemes during 2015-16 (upto 28.10.2015).
The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) also achieved all time high turnover of
Rs. 1562 crore in 2014-15 and added a record dividend payment of 54% to the Govt.
A transformation plan for the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority
(WDRA) has been initiated to streamline the warehousing sector. The work on for
creation of IT platform and rewriting of rules and procedures has been initiated.

Relief to the farmers

In order to give relief to the farmers affected by the unprecedented rains &
hailstorms this year, Government relaxed Quality norms for the wheat procurement. 
The Central Government decided to reimburse amount of value cut on such
relaxation to the State Government so that farmers con get full Minimum Support
Price (MSP) even for shrivelled and broken wheat grains or grains having lustre loss.
Such a farmer’s centric step was taken first time by any Central Government.
Govt. agencies procured 280.88 lakh MT wheat during RMS 2015-16, providing a
saviour for the farmers affected by freak rains and hailstorm.

 
Millers levy on rice abolished

To ensure payment of minimum support price to more paddy farmers, millers levy
on rice abolished from October, 2015. This will save farmers from exploitation and
now they will not depend on millers for selling their paddy.

This initiative has improved delivery of MSP to the farmers for paddy even in the
situation of market prices ruling below the MSP, especially in the states of Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where the farmers are
substantially dependent on millers for selling their paddy.

During Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2013-14 only a quantity of 8.52 lakh MT of
paddy had been purchased directly from the farmers by the State Agencies in unified
Andhra Pradesh, but in KMS 2014-15, such direct purchase of paddy has gone upto
36.76 lakh MT in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana together. The reduction of levy in
KMS 2014-15 has not resulted in any substantial reduction of overall procurement of
rice in these two States till date compared to KMS 2013-14.

Similarly in Uttar Pradesh, the procurement of paddy has gone up from 9.07 lakh MT
in previous season to 18.18 lakh MT in current season and overall procurement of
rice has gone up from 11.05 lakh MT of previous season to 16.10 lakh MT till April,
2015.

In West Bengal also, the procurement of paddy has gone up from 5.79 lakh MT in
previous season to 13.29 lakh MT in current season and overall procurement of rice
has gone up from 8.27 lakh MT to 13.31 lakh MT till April, 2015

Outreach of MSP increased in eastern states for paddy farmers:

In a bid to increase reach of minimum support price (MSP) operations to more

farmers and increase procurement of paddy, a policy for engagement of private
players in procurement in Eastern States has been formulated this year. Private
firms have been allowed to procure paddy from farmers in a cluster, indentified by
the respective state government in the states of Assam, Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh,
Jharkhand and West Bengal, where the Food Corporation of India (FCI) does not have
a robust procurement mechanism which often forces farmers to go for distress sale.
Private firms would deliver custom milled rice (CMR) at the FCI or state government-
owned agency godowns.

FCI started procurement pulses from farmers at market price and also working on
procurement plan for oilseeds to ensure MSP for farmers.

In order to have better targeting of “other welfare schemes’ for poor, a committee of
ministers set up under the chairmanship of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution. The Committee not only decided continuation of foodgrain allocation
for other welfare schemes but also nutritional support by providing milk and eggs
etc under the schemes.

The drop in international prices of imported oils was affecting the prices of
 domestically produced edible oils consequent upon which farmers’ interests were
affected. Department of Food and Public Distribution had recommended an increase
in the import duty. Accordingly, the import duty on Crude oils increased from
existing 7.5% to 12.5% and the import duty on refined oils from existing 15% to 20%.
on 17.09.2015

Steps taken to liquidate cane price arrears of farmers

The Government has taken several measures to facilitate payment of cane price
arrears by infusing liquidity into the sector.

To facilitate clearance of cane price arrears of the farmers,  a scheme for extending
soft loans to the extent of Rs. 6000 crore to the sugar industry was notified on
23.6.2015. Rs 4047 crore have been disbursed under the scheme. The government
also extend period by one year for achieving eligibility under the soft loan scheme
and decided to bear the interest subvention cost to the extent of Rs. 600 crore for the
extended period. This will extend benefits to larger number of farmers by enabling
more mills to avail the benefits of the scheme. It has also been decided that after
clearing cane dues of farmers, subsequent balance, if any, will be credited into the
mill accounts. This will benefit about 150 additional sugar mills which had
proactively liquidated more than 90 percent of their cane dues payable. This would
ensure that mills are incentivized for arranging bridge finances for timely clearance
of cane dues to farmers.
Direct Subsidy to farmers, Government decided to pay a production linked subsidy of
Rs 4.50 per quintal in 2015-16 seasons, to sugar mills to offset the cost of cane and
facilitate timely payment of cane price dues of farmers for sugar season 2015-16. A
notification in this regard issued on 2.12.2015. Funds released under the scheme shall
be directly credited into farmers’ accounts.
The export incentive on raw sugar has been increased from Rs 3200/MT to Rs.
4000/MT. Funds have been allocated to support 14 lac MT (LMT) of raw sugar exports
as against 7.5 LMT achieved last year. In September 2015 Government also
announced quotas for mills and co-operatives for mandatory exports of four million
tonne of sugar in 2015-16.
The Government has enhanced import duty on sugar from 25% to 40% to discourage
imports. Also, to prevent leakages of sugar in the domestic markets, the export
obligation period has been reduced from 18 months to 6 months under the Advanced
Authorization Scheme.
Blending targets under Ethanol Blending Programme scaled up from 5% to 10%.
Remunerative prices for Ethanol supplied for blending have been increased to Rs. 49
per liter, a substantial increase over previous years. As a result, the supplies of
ethanol for blending have increased from about 32 crore liters per year to 83 crore
liters per annum. Excise duties on ethanol supplied for blending in the next sugar
season has been waived, to further incentivize ethanol supplies for the blending
program. This would further increase the ex mill price of ethanol and help
improving liquidity in the industry facilitate payment of cane price arrears.
In order to mobilized more funds for various intervention to facilitates liquidation of
cane arrear, such as interest subvention based soft loans, export incentives  and
 production assistance, amendment in the Sugar Cess Act, 1982 introduce in the
parliament.
As a result of sustain efforts, the cane price arrears which were Rs. 66,003 crore in
sugar season of 2014-15 came down to Rs. 5406.24 crore as on December 15, 2015.

New provisions to promote quality of consumer products and services

In order to ensure quality of products and services for common consumer, the
Government introduced Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 in Parliament to
replace 29 years- old BIS Act. The new Bill has been approved by Lok Sabha. In the
new Bill provisions have been made for simpler self-certification mechanism,
mandatory hallmarking, and product recall and product liability for better
compliance to standards.
More items concerning health, safety, environment, prevention of deceptive
practices, security have been brought under the mandatory certification.
Hallmarking of precious metal articles has been made compulsory. To improve “ ease
of doing business”, simplified conformity assessment schemes, including self-
certification and market surveillance instead of inspectors visiting factories
introduced, thereby ending the inspector raj on standards.
New provisions proposed will promote harmonious development of standardisation
activities, enabling GoI to bringmandatory certifications regime for goods or
service considered vital from viewpoint of health, safety, environment, and
prevention of deceptive practices. Provision to prevent import of below par products,
providingmandatory hallmarking of precious metal articles, increased scope of
conformity assessment, and enhancement of penalties and implication of provisions
in the Act. The new Bill has also made increased penal provisions for better and
more effective compliance and compounding of offence for violations
New Bill provides for recall, including product liability of products not conforming
to relevant Indian Standards
Registration for manufacturers of electronic products to safeguard consumer /
industry against sub-standard imports provided.
Under the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, steps taken to formulate/upgrade standards on
potable water, street food and garbage disposal.

Boost to consumer protection 

Consumer Protection Bill 2015 that seeks to simplify and strengthen consumer
grievance redressal procedure introduced in the Parliament this tear. Setting up of a
Central Protection Authority which will have powers to recall products and initiate
class suit against defaulting companies, including e-retailers proposed. E-filing
and time bound admission of complaints in consumer courts is another
important provision made in the Bill.

Joint campaign organised with Heath, Financial Services and other departments for
greater consumer awareness.  During the year the Department of Consumer Affairs
intensified its multimedia campaign under the banner of Jago Grahak Jago.  With
 special emphasis on rural areas, tribal areas and North East, the campaign makes
consumers aware of their rights/obligations.  Joint campaigns were organized with
the Reserve Bank of India, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance to focus
on specific issues of consumer interests.

An inter-ministerial monitoring committee constituted for key sectors that matters to

consumers viz Agriculture, Food, Healthcare, Housing, Financial Services and
Transport, to facilitate policy coherence and coordinated action on consumer.

To tackle the menace of misleading advertisement, a dedicated portal

www.gama.gov launched. It enables consumers to register their grievances against
misleading advertisements in six key sectors viz. food and agriculture, heath,
education, real estate, transport and financial services have included for this
purpose. The complaints lodged are taken up with the relevant authorities or the
sector regulators and the consumer is informed after the action taken.

To provide a host of consumer services under one roof, Grahak Suvidha Kendras
launched in six locations: Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Patna and Delhi
on March 18, 2015. Such centres will be set up in every State in phased manner. 
They will provide guidance to consumers regarding consumer laws, the rights of the
consumers, the procedure of approaching Consumer Courts and various other
consumer related issues including quality assurance and safety of products.

Measures to ensure availability of essential food items at reasonable prices

In order to ensure availability of essential food items at reasonable prices the

Government took flowing decisions recently:

5000 Tur imported, decision taken to import 10000 MT more pulses.

Decision taken to procure 1.50 lakh MT of pulses for creating buffer stock. Export of
edible oil in bulk is prohibited except coconut oil
MSP increased for kharif pulse by Rs 275 per qtl for Tur & Urad, and by Rs 250 per qtl
for Moong.
Ban on export of all pulses, except Kabuli Chana; and Organic Pulses & lentils up to
10,000 MTs
Zero import duty extended till 30th September, 2016.
States/ UT’s empowered to impose stock limits, on Onion and Pulses to check
hoarding and black marketing under EC Act, 1955..
Other edible oil in branded consumer pack of up to 5kgs is permitted with MEP of
USD 900 per MT w.e.f. 6.2.2015.

January 1, 2016 0
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