The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has requested the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to direct Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to submit an annual plan of operation incorporating a conservation action plan for Neelakurinji.
Neelakurinji is a purplish-flowering shrub that blooms once every 12 years. It belongs to the Acanthaceae family and was first scientifically described in the nineteenth century by Nees von Esenbeck.
Neelakurinji is semelparous, meaning that it flowers and produces fruits at the end of its life cycle before dying. Its flowering and fruiting occur synchronously at intervals of approximately 12 years, a phenomenon reported since 1832.
Neelakurinji grows in the high-altitude shola-grassland ecosystems of southwestern India, at elevations ranging from 1,340 to 2,600 metres.
Its distribution is restricted to India, where it occurs across five mountain landscapes of the Western and Eastern Ghats. Its population distribution comprises 34 subpopulations across 14 ecoregions, including 33 in the Western Ghats and one in the Eastern Ghats.
Neelakurinji is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List under criterion A2c, owing to approximately 40% habitat loss.
The Nilgiri Hills, whose name literally means Blue Mountains, are associated with the blue appearance created by Neelakurinji flowers during mass blooming.
The Paliyan tribes of Tamil Nadu traditionally use the flowering cycle of Neelakurinji as a reference for calculating their age.
Neelakurinji is threatened by the degradation of its fragile, high-altitude montane grassland habitat. The conversion of these grasslands into tea plantations and softwood plantations, along with urbanisation, places additional pressure on its survival.
According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), a total of 21.86 lakh loans amounting to ₹6,294 crore were disbursed to street vendors under the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme during the last 12 months.
The PM SVANidhi Scheme was launched in June 2020 to support street vendors by providing affordable working capital loans, promoting financial inclusion and extending social protection.
It is a Central Sector Scheme jointly implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS).
The scheme provides collateral-free working capital loans to street vendors in three progressive tranches of ₹15,000, ₹25,000 and ₹50,000. It also provides interest subsidy and credit guarantee support.
The loans are intended to help vendors maintain and expand their small businesses without requiring collateral.
Street vendors who successfully repay their second loan tranche become eligible for UPI-linked RuPay Credit Cards with credit limits of up to ₹30,000.
This facility supports access to formal credit and encourages digital financial transactions.
The scheme provides cashback incentives of up to ₹1,600 to street vendors for eligible retail and wholesale digital transactions. This encourages digital payments and improves digital and financial literacy among beneficiaries.
Under SVANidhi se Samriddhi (SSS), the socio-economic profiles of beneficiaries and their families are assessed to facilitate their linkage with eight selected Central Government welfare schemes.
The initiative aims to create a more comprehensive social security network for street vendors and their families.
The scheme supports the development of entrepreneurial skills among street vendors through training in financial literacy, digital literacy, food safety and hygiene. These activities are undertaken in collaboration with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The PM SVANidhi Scheme helps street vendors access formal and affordable credit, reducing their dependence on informal sources of borrowing. It also promotes digital transactions, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion, while linking eligible beneficiaries with welfare schemes for broader social protection.
Recently, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to finance infrastructure projects with a significant rural impact.
The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) is a specialised Development Finance Institution (DFI) established to support India’s infrastructure sector.
It aims to facilitate infrastructure development by improving credit availability, providing attractive financing instruments and channelising investments towards infrastructure projects.
NaBFID was established in 2021 under the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development Act, 2021, enacted by Parliament.
NaBFID seeks to address gaps in the availability of long-term, non-recourse finance for infrastructure development. This helps meet the substantial financing requirements of infrastructure projects.
The institution aims to strengthen the development of India’s bond and derivatives markets, thereby supporting infrastructure financing through diversified financial instruments.
NaBFID seeks to sustainably boost India’s economy by supporting infrastructure investment and facilitating the flow of credit to the infrastructure sector.
NaBFID is regulated and supervised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as an All-India Financial Institution (AIFI).
Infrastructure projects often require substantial investment over long periods. NaBFID provides a dedicated and specialised institutional framework to address these long-term financing needs.
Its collaboration with NABARD can support infrastructure projects with significant rural impact, helping connect infrastructure financing with rural development.
Recently, the Department of Pharmaceuticals announced the second call for applications under the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma and MedTech (PRIP) Scheme.
The PRIP Scheme was launched in 2023 by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. It aims to transform India into a global powerhouse for research and development (R&D) in the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors.
The scheme has a total financial outlay of ₹5,000 crore.
Its primary objective is to promote industry–academia collaboration in research and development in priority areas, develop a culture of quality research, and nurture India’s pool of scientists.
Initiatives such as MedTech Mitra, Patent Mitra and the online platform under the scheme are intended to facilitate collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders.
Component A focuses on strengthening research infrastructure through the establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in the seven existing National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs).
These centres are intended to be established in pre-identified research areas, with a financial outlay of ₹700 crore.
Component B promotes research in the pharmaceutical sector across six priority areas. Financial assistance is provided to industries, MSMEs, SMEs and startups working with government institutions, covering both in-house and academic research.
Under this component, assistance varies according to the stage and cost of the project.
Early-stage projects: MSMEs and startups may apply for projects costing up to ₹9 crore, with financial assistance of up to ₹5 crore.
Later-stage projects: Industries, MSMEs and startups may apply for projects costing up to ₹285 crore, with financial assistance of up to ₹100 crore.
The scheme focuses on the following six priority areas.
Research is encouraged into new chemical entities, new biological entities and plant-derived pharmaceutical products.
The scheme supports research in complex generic medicines and biosimilars, which are important areas of pharmaceutical innovation.
It promotes research in precision medicine and targeted innovative therapeutics, which aim to provide treatments targeted to specific conditions or patient groups.
Research in medical devices and medical technology is a priority area for strengthening domestic innovation in the MedTech sector.
The scheme encourages research into orphan drugs, which are developed to address rare diseases.
Research is supported for developing drugs to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR), an important public health challenge.
The PRIP Scheme seeks to strengthen India’s pharmaceutical and MedTech research ecosystem by improving research infrastructure, encouraging industry–academia partnerships, and supporting innovation across different stages of project development.
Its emphasis on new medicines, complex generics, precision medicine, medical devices and antimicrobial resistance aims to expand domestic research capabilities and contribute to India’s role in global pharmaceutical innovation.
Recently, the government stated that approximately 1,500 beneficiaries had been registered under the PARIVARTAN Scheme since its launch.
PARIVARTAN stands for Programme for Accelerated Renewal and Incentivization of Vehicle Assets for Reducing Transport Air Pollution and Network Emissions.
It is a Central Government initiative aimed at replacing older, highly polluting trucks and buses operating in the National Capital Region (NCR) with cleaner Bharat Stage (BS)-VI-compliant or electric vehicles.
The scheme seeks to reduce transport-related air pollution by encouraging the replacement of older commercial vehicles with cleaner alternatives.
The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and funded by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB).
The states and Union Territory covered include Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. These jurisdictions have issued notifications granting Motor Vehicle Tax incentives under the scheme.
Eligible beneficiaries receive Motor Vehicle Tax concessions and waivers of registration fees to reduce the upfront cost of purchasing replacement vehicles.
The scheme provides 5% interest subvention on vehicle loans, helping reduce the financing burden on eligible vehicle owners.
Eligible beneficiaries receive a minimum 8% discount from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) on qualifying new vehicles.
Eligible replacement vehicles using diesel and CNG may receive monthly fuel voucher support under the scheme.
The scheme provides one-time financial assistance for electric replacement vehicles and supports Certificate of Deposit (CoD) trading.
The PARIVARTAN Scheme will be implemented through an integrated digital platform designed to connect with existing government and financial systems.
The platform will interface with VAHAN, V-Scrap, DigiELV, the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) and participating lending institutions. This integration is intended to facilitate the implementation of vehicle replacement incentives and related financial transactions.
The scheme aims to reduce vehicular emissions and transport-related air pollution in the NCR by accelerating the replacement of older commercial vehicles.
Financial incentives can lower the cost of acquiring cleaner vehicles, while digital integration can support coordination among vehicle owners, manufacturers, lenders and government agencies.
We provide offline, online and recorded lectures in the same amount.
Every aspirant is unique and the mentoring is customised according to the strengths and weaknesses of the aspirant.
In every Lecture. Director Sir will provide conceptual understanding with around 800 Mindmaps.
We provide you the best and Comprehensive content which comes directly or indirectly in UPSC Exam.
If you haven’t created your account yet, please Login HERE !
We provide offline, online and recorded lectures in the same amount.
Every aspirant is unique and the mentoring is customised according to the strengths and weaknesses of the aspirant.
In every Lecture. Director Sir will provide conceptual understanding with around 800 Mindmaps.
We provide you the best and Comprehensive content which comes directly or indirectly in UPSC Exam.
Offline/Online Class
