Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)
- Context: The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare is set to launch nationwide events in New Delhi to commemorate “10 Years of PMSMA – A Decade of Care.”
- As part of this event, a special commemorative coin worth ₹75 and a postage stamp worth ₹5 will also be released.
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- This campaign marks the completion of ten successful years of the ‘Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan’ (PMSMA) scheme.
- PMSMA, one of the government’s flagship schemes, aims to ensure safe pregnancy and healthy motherhood.
About Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)
- Launch: Launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016.
- Objective: To provide free, assured, comprehensive, and quality antenatal care to all pregnant women.
- Commitment: To provide a minimum package of antenatal care services to women during the second or third trimester of pregnancy.
Key features of PMSMA
- Service providers: Obstetricians and gynecologists, radiologists, and medical officers.
- Free antenatal care services, check-ups, and medicines (Iron and Folic Acid (IFA), Calcium) are provided at government health centers on the 9th of every month.
- Special focus: Attention is directed towards unregistered women, those who have missed care services, dropouts, and women with high-risk pregnancies.
- Identification of high-risk pregnancies: Green sticker – no risk; Red sticker – high risk.
- The PMSMA scheme complements other government programs such as Janani Suraksha Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, and Poshan Abhiyaan.
Gyan Bharatham Scheme
- Context: The Union Minister of Culture announced that the ‘Gyan Bharatham’ National Manuscript Survey Scheme has successfully cataloged over 10 million (1 crore) manuscripts across the country.
About the Gyn Bharatham Scheme
- Year of Launch: Union Budget 2025–26
- Ministry: Ministry of Culture
- Objective: To preserve India’s manuscript heritage and convert them into digital format.
Key Objective
- Digitizing over 10 million manuscripts and creating a national digital repository using AI, OCR, and blockchain technologies.
Key Features
- Surveying and documenting manuscripts
- Preserving and restoring ancient texts
- AI-based digitization and digital storage
- Technological innovation (e.g., handwritten text recognition, AI tools)
Significance
- Preserves and promotes India’s traditional knowledge (philosophy, science, medicine, arts, etc.) for future generations.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
- Context: Amid prevailing pressure on supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) globally against the backdrop of the West Asia conflict, the Centre has reduced the number of subsidised refills available under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) from nine to four cylinders a year.
- Under the scheme, the government provides a targeted subsidy of ₹300 a cylinder for up to nine refills in a year.
About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
Launch:
- Launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) in May 2016.
- Inaugurated on 1 May 2016 at Ballia, Uttar Pradesh by Prime Minister.
Objective:
- Provide clean cooking fuel (LPG) to rural and deprived households that previously relied on traditional fuels such as firewood, coal, and cow-dung cakes.
- Reduce health hazards faced by women and children and improve environmental outcomes.
Initial Target:
- Release 8 crore LPG connections by March 2020.
- The 8th crore connection was handed over on 7 September 2019 at Aurangabad.
Ujjwala 2.0:
- Additional allocation of 1.6 crore LPG connections with special provisions for migrant households.
- Target achieved in December 2022, taking total PMUY connections to 9.6 crore.
Further Expansion:
- Additional allocation of 75 lakh connections for FY 2023–24 to 2025–26.
- Target achieved in July 2024, increasing total connections to 10.35 crore.
Latest Approval:
- Government approved 25 lakh additional LPG connections under PMUY.
- Overall target increased to 10.6 crore connections, and releases are currently underway.
