Cabinet has approved Submission of India's Second Biennial Update Report (BUR) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- BUR contains five major components - National Circumstances, National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Mitigation Actions, Finance, Technology and Capacity Building Needs and Support Received and Domestic Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) arrangements.
- It will fulfil the obligation of India to furnish information regarding the implementation of the Convention.
- The report is submitted every two years.
Cabinet has approved setting up of the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Bill, 2018
- The bill provides for the constitution of National Commission with three autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of Homoeopathy by Homoeopathy Education Board.
- The Board of assessment and rating to assess and grant permission to educational institutions of Homoeopathy and Board of ethics and registration of practitioners of Homoeopathy to maintain National Register and ethical issues relating to practice are under National Commission for Homoeopathy.
- A common entrance and an exit exam will be conducted for all graduates to get practising licenses.
- It aims at bringing reforms in the medical education of Homoeopathy in lines with the National Medical Commission proposed for setting up for Allopathy system of medicine.
Cabinet has approved setting up of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2018
- It provides for constitution of National Commission with four autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of Ayurveda, under Board of Ayurveda and Unani, Siddha &Sowarigpa under Board of Unani, Siddha and Sowarigpa.
- A common entrance and an exit exam will be conducted for all graduates to get practising licenses.
- NCIM will be promoting the availability of affordable healthcare services in all parts of the country.
Cabinet has apprised of two Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding between India and Cuba, and India and Korea in the area of Biotechnology
- It aims to strengthen the Indo-Cuba and Indo-Republic of Korea bilateral ties.
- It also aims to work out the future agenda for the collaboration for Innovation in Science & Technology Diplomacy to evolve a concrete strategic plan in the area of biotechnology education, training and research.
- It has the proposal of generating employment for more than 50 postgraduates and Ph.s in biological sciences and related areas for a period of up to five years.
Cabinet has approved Amendment in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012
- The modification is made to address the need for stringent measures required to deter the rising trend of children’s sexual abuse in the country.
- It aims to protect children from sexual offences in times of natural calamities and disasters.
- It also aims to provide the option of stringent punishment, including death penalty for committing aggravated penetrative sexual assault crime on a child to protect the children from sexual abuse.
- It is expected to discourage the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent due to strong penal provisions incorporated in the Act.
Cabinet has apprised Framework of Agreement between India and Sao Tome &Principe for Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes
- It will provide impetus to explore newer research activities and application possibilities in the field of remote sensing of the earth, satellite communication, satellite navigation, space science and exploration of outer space.
- It would lead to develop a host of joint activities in the field of application of space technologies.
Cabinet has approved Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2018
- It allowed FSI as per current norms in CRZ areas.
- The densely populated rural areas to be afforded greater opportunity for development.
- The tourism infrastructure for basic amenities to be promoted.
- It streamlined the CRZ Clearances.
- A No Development Zone (NDZ) of 20 meters has been stipulated for all Islands.
- All the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) have been accorded a special importance.
- The abatement of pollution has accorded special focus.
- Defence and strategic projects have been accorded necessary dispensation.
Cabinet has approved Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme Two unmanned & one manned flight planned First manned flight in 40 months Estimates for Phase-I expenditure- Rs 9023 Crores
- A human-rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used to carry the orbital module which will have necessary provisions for sustaining a three-member crew for the duration of the mission.
- ISRO will also collaborate extensively with National agencies, laboratories, academia and industry to accomplish the Gaganyaan Programme objectives.
- The total expenditure Rs.10,000 crore includes cost of technology development, flight hardware realization and essential infrastructure elements.
- Two unmanned flights & one manned flight will be undertaken as part of Gaganyaan Programme.
- It will generate employment and train human resources in advanced technologies.
Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding between India and France in the field of new and renewable energy
- It is signed between the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), India and Commissariat a l energieatomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA), French state-owned research entity and BlueStorage SAS, a French Company.
- The objective of the MoU is to define the modalities of discussions concerning, in particular, the future collaboration regarding in a pilot project to provide SECI an e-vehicle charging station with embedded batteries, powered by solar panels and optimized connection to the grid in order to support the Indian governments ambitious plan for the deployment of electrical vehicles by maximizing solar mobility and minimizing its grid impact.
Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding between India and Afghanistan in the field of human resource development
- The MoU would facilitate students and faculty of Educational Institutions in Afghanistan to register and use the SWAYAM Courses. Also, it would facilitate them to upload on SWAYAM, the courses developed in Afghanistan. The required training to students and faculty from Afghanistan would be imparted by MHRD, Government of India.
- Through this MoU, Government of India would provide access and share the technology of other major ICT Initiatives in Education such as National Digital Library of India (NDLI), Virtual Labs, Spoken Tutorials.
- It is also proposed to establish Joint Master Degree Programmes between Indian and Afghanistan Universities / Institutions. MHRD would assist the Ministry of Higher Education, Afghanistan in the areas of Curriculum Development and Capacity Development of Teaching Staff.
Cabinet approves establishment of two new AIIMS at Tamil Nadu & Telangana under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana
- The two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will be established at Madurai, Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 1,264 crore and Bibinagar, Telangana at a cost of Rs 1,028 crore. The AIIMS will be set up under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
Cabinet apprised of Joint Issue of Postage Stamps by India and South Africa
- India and South Africa mutually agreed to jointly issue Postage Stamps on India-South Africa: Joint Issue on the theme “125th Year of Mahatma Gandhi’s Pietermaritzburg Station Incident & Birth Centenary of Nelson Mandela”. The Joint Stamps were released on 26th July 2018.
- The Commemorative Postage Stamps on the above theme depict images of “Mahatma Gandhi” of India and “Nelson Mandela” of South Africa.
Cabinet approves signing of MoU between India and Australia for Cooperation in the Disability Sector
- The MoU will facilitate in improving rehabilitation of persons with disabilities especially for persons with intellectual disability and mental illness in both the countries.
Cabinet approves MoC between India and Japan in the field of Environmental Cooperation
- The MoC(co-operation) will enable establishment and promotion of closer and long-term cooperation between India and Japan in the field of environment protection and management of natural resources on the basis of equity, reciprocity and mutual benefits, taking into account the applicable laws and legal provisions in each country, it also entails exchange of information and technology between the two countries.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and the USA concerning Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Earth Sciences
- It will enable sharing of the expertise available with organizations in both countries, and adoption of the latest state-of-the-art technology in the field of Earth Science.
- Specific areas of cooperation include ecosystems, climate variability and land-use changes, energy, minerals, environmental health, natural hazards, risk and resilience of assessments, water resources, and informatics and data integration.
Cabinet approves revised Model MoU between India and foreign Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) for exchange of information
- The core functions of FIU-IND in relation to foreign FIUs include screening and processing requests from foreign Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), disseminating information to foreign FIUs, establishing and maintaining relationship with foreign FIUs, and facilitating, administering and negotiating MoUs with foreign FIUs.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and France in the field of energy efficiency / energy conservation
- The MoU is a Science and Technology agreement, which involves knowledge exchange and cooperation in the nature of technical assistance only.
- It is expected to take forward information exchange on policies, programmes and technologies relating to enhanced energy efficiency and demand side management.
- It will lead to awareness creation on energy efficiency, development of tools for collection, use and analysis of CO2 emissions and GHG data for tracking global emissions for INDC.
Cabinet approves Amendment of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951
- It aims to suitably amend the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951
- The proposed amendment ensures representation of the Opposition Party in the Trust. The proposed Amendment will empower the Government to terminate and replace a Trustee to participate in functioning of the Trust or for any other reason.
Cabinet approves Agriculture Export Policy, 2018
- In order to provide an impetus to agricultural exports, the Government has come out with a comprehensive “Agriculture Export Policy” aimed at doubling the agricultural exports and integrating Indian farmers and agricultural products with the global value chains.
- The vision of the policy is to harness export potential of Indian agriculture, through suitable policy instruments, to make India global power in agriculture and raise farmer’s income.
- Objectives of the Agriculture Export Policy are as follow:
- To double agricultural exports from present US$ 30+ Billion to US$ 60+ Billion by 2022 and reach US$ 100 Billion in the next few years thereafter, with a stable trade policy regime.
- To diversify our export basket, destinations and boost high value and value added agricultural exports including focus on perishables.
- To promote novel, indigenous, organic, ethnic, traditional and non-traditional Agri products exports.
- To provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access, tackling barriers and deal with sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues.
- To strive to double India’s share in world agri exports by integrating with global value chain at the earliest.
- Enable farmers to get benefit of export opportunities in overseas market.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Tajikistan on Cooperation on Peaceful uses of Space Technology for Development
- It will enable pursuing potential interest areas of cooperation such as, remote sensing of the earth, satellite communication and satellite based navigation, Space science and planetary exploration, use of spacecraft and space systems and ground system, and application of space technology.
- The MoU would lead to set up a Joint Working Group, drawing members from DOS/ISRO and the State Committee of Land Management and Geodesy of Republic of Tajikistan, which will further work out the plan of action including the time-frame and the means of implementing this MoU.
Cabinet approves MoC(Co-operation) between India and Japan for Cooperation in the Postal field
- It seeks to improve postal services and cooperation in the postal field between the two countries.
- The MoC would help improve postal services and cooperation in the postal field between India and Japan by sharing information and exchanging views based on both sides’ experiences regarding the postal policy, promoting discussions to build a cooperative relationship, setting up of Postal Services Dialogue for carrying forward cooperation in specific areas mutually decided by Both Sides.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Russia on Joint Activities under Human Spaceflight Programme
- It would provide impetus to develop the technologies and advanced systems required for the human space flight programme like radiation shielding, life support systems, crew module, rendezvous and docking systems, space suit, training for astronauts etc.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Zimbabwe for cooperation in the field of geology, mining and mineral resources
- The objectives are exchange of information on resources, laws and policy, organization of seminars to exchange views on development strategies, encouragement of transfer of technologies between the Parties, promotion of value addition and opportunities for investment in the mining sector.
Cabinet approves Agreement between India and Uzbekistan on Cooperation in the exploration and uses of Outer Space for peaceful purposes
- It would provide impetus to explore newer research activities and application possibilities in the field of remote sensing of the earth, satellite communication, satellite navigation, space science and exploration of outer space.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Morocco for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
- It would enable potential interest areas of cooperation such as, space science, technology and applications including remote sensing of the earth, satellite communication and satellite based navigation, Space science and planetary exploration, use of spacecraft and space systems and ground system and application of space technology.
Cabinet approves Agreement between India and Algeria on Cooperation in the field of Space Sciences, Technologies and Applications
- It would enable potential interest areas of cooperation such as, space science, technology and applications including remote sensing of the earth, satellite communication and satellite based navigation, Space science and planetary exploration, use of spacecraft and space systems and ground system and application of space technology.
Cabinet approvesMoU between India and Armenia on joint issue of postage stamp
- As per the MoU, Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications and the National Postal Operator of Armenia (“HayPost” CJSC) mutually agreed to jointly issue Postage Stamps on India-Armenia:Joint Issue on the theme “Dence”.
Cabinet approves Memorandum of Cooperation between India and Japan in the field of Healthcare and Wellness
- The MOC covers promoting specific projects, development of infrastructure and human development. Other areas may be decided upon to promote the synergies between AYUSHMAN BHARAT and other initiatives and AHWM.
Cabinet approves implementation of Shahpurkandi Dam (National Project) on river Ravi in Punjab
- Central Assistance of Rs. 485.38 cr (for irrigation component) would be provided over five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
- Implementation of this project would help minimising some of the water of the River Ravi which at present is going waste through the Madhopur Headworks downstream to Pakistan.
- On completion of the project an Irrigation Potential of 5,000 ha in Punjab State and 32,173 ha in J&K State would be created.
- Funding for Central Assistance to Shahpurkandi Dam project shall be made through NABARD under existing system for funding of 99 PMKSY-AIBP projects under LTIF.
Cabinet approves National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems
- The NM-ICPS is a comprehensive Mission which would address technology development, application development, human resource development & skill enhancement, entrepreneurship and start-up development in CPS and associated technologies.
- The Mission aims at establishment of 15 numbers of Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), six numbers of Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and four numbers of Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).
- CPS technologies provide a cutting edge to a Nation's scientific, engineering, and technological innovative capabilities; support other missions of the government, provide industrial and economic competitiveness and have truly became a Strategic Resource.
Cabinet ‘In Principle’ approves strategic sale of the Government of India’s existing 52.63% of total paid up equity shareholding in Rural Electrification Corporation to Power Finance Corporation along with transfer of management control
- The acquisition intends to achieve integration across the Power Chain, obtain better synergies, create economies of scale and have enhanced capability to support energy access and energy efficiency by improved capability to finance power sector.
CCEA Approves extending Ujjwala LPG scheme to all poor households
- It approved expanding the scope of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to cover poor families not having LPG connections and not covered under the existing beneficiary categories.
- Under the scheme, the government provides a subsidy of Rs 1,600 to state-owned fuel retailers for every free LPG gas connection that they install in poor households.
Cabinet gives nod to make Aadhaar voluntary for mobile, bank accounts
- The cabinet approved amendments to communications and money laundering laws to comply with Supreme Court rulings relating to privacy and Aadhaar
- Amendments to the Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) will allow use of the 12-digit biometric ID for obtaining mobile numbers or opening bank accounts if customers opt for its use.
- Amendments to the Telegraph Act will provide legal backing to voluntary Aadhaar-based verification for obtaining a connection. Likewise, amendments to the PMLA will facilitate use of Aadhaar for the knowyour-customer verification process required to open a bank account.
