07 th & 08 th MAR, 2021 NEWS TODAY VISIONIAS Recently, 2 reports were released highlighting the need for Financial Empowerment and Women’s Livelihood security: In India, Ministry of Finance, in the past seven years has also launched various Schemes which have special provisions for empowerment of women (refer to the infographics). COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker by UNDP and UN Women, ‘Protecting Women's Livelihoods in Times of Pandemic: Temporary Basic Income and the Road to Gender Equality’ by UNDP WOMEN'S DAY: WOMEN’S LIVELIHOOD SECURITY AND FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with Central Silk Board (CSB) under Ministry of Textiles on a convergence model for implementation of Agroforestry in silk sector under ongoing Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme. India is the second largest producer of silk in the World. (China being the largest). Government measures to promote sericulture Expected Benefits CSB is a statutory body under Ministry of Textiles, for development of silk industry in India. Incentivize farmers to take up sericulture-based Agroforestry models. Support production of range of silks that India is famous for. India has unique distinction of being the only country producing all the five kinds of silk namely, Mulberry, Eri, Muga, Tropical Tasar and Temperate Tasar. Sericulture is mostly a village-based industry providing employment opportunities to a large section of the population. Except for mulberry, other non-mulberry varieties of silks are wild silks, known as vanya silks. India has the unique distinction of producing all these commercial varieties of silk. Integrated Scheme for the Development of Silk Industry North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme Silk Samagra Scheme Augmentation of sericulture host plants e.g. Mulberry, Asan, Arjuna, BadaKesseru, Phanat, etc. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE SIGNS MoU FOR PROMOTION OF AGROFORESTRY IN SILK SECTOR Being Impemented under National Agroforestry Policy 2014. Aims to encourage farmers to plant multi-purpose trees together with agriculture crops for climate resilience and an additional source of income to the farmers, and enhanced feedstock for wood-based and herbal industry. Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Agroforestry is defined as a land use system which integrate trees and shrubs on farmlands and rural landscapes to enhance productivity, profitability, diversity and ecosystem sustainability. Draft of China’s new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), has given permission for first dams to be built on the lower reaches of Brahmaputra river (called as Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet). Earlier, in 2015 China operationalised its first hydropower project at Zangmu in Tibet, while three other dams at Dagu, Jiexu and Jiacha were being developed, all on the upper and middle reaches of the river. Issues associated with Dam Diplomacy of China Dams on the lower reaches would raise fresh concerns because of the location across the border from Arunachal Pradesh and the potential impact downstream. India has expressed concerns to China over four planned dams on the upper and middle reaches. China has not been forthright about its construction of dams and hardly gives information on projects or long-term plans, which has ecological impact. China can manipulate water resources and can potentially deprive India (as a lower riparian country) of water during dry seasons. Release of water during monsoons can inundate the already flooded Brahmaputra. CHINA GIVES GREEN LIGHT FOR FIRST DOWNSTREAM DAMS ON BRAHMAPUTRA Currently, there is no water cooperation treaty between India and China. However, they signed a MoU in 2002 for the sharing of hydrological data and it was extended in 2013. Women are 25% more likely than men to live in extreme poverty. Only 10% countries and territories have policies addressing women’s economic security needs. Unpaid work by women amounts to almost US$11 trillion a year. Women spend an average of 4 hours more per day than men on paid and unpaid work combined. There is an urgency to act immediately to ensure women can access social protection schemes, as the crisis has affected women differently than men. A temporary basic income (TBI) for poor women in developing countries can help millions of them cope with Pandemic. Dagu Jiexu Zangmu Jiacha Schemes under Ministry of Finance STAND-UP INDIA PMJDY which have benefitted the women in India promotes entrepreneurship at grass root level for economic empowerment and job creation MUDRA providing loans up to 10 lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises MUDRA has created three products namely 'Shishu', "Kishore and Tarun' to signify the stage of growth / development and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit / entrepreneur and also provide a reference point for the next phase of graduation /growth About 68% i.e., 19.04 crore accounts with an amount of Rs. 6.36 lakh crore have been sanctioned to women entrepreneurs under MUDRA scheme since inception (As on 26.02.2021 facilitate bank loans between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs.1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch of SCBs for setting up a Greenfield enterprise. more than 81% account holders are women (As on 25.02.2021) lt envisages universal access to banking facilities with at least one basic banking account for every household, financial literacy, access to credit, insurance and pension. 23.21 cr accounts out of the total 41.93 crore accounts opened under the scheme belong to women account holders. (As on 24.02.2021)