Uttarakhand State PCS

• 07 Jul 2022

Sports Development Fund

Why in News?

• On July 6, 2022, Sports and Youth Welfare Minister of Uttarakhand Rekha Arya, in a review meeting with the officials of the department, instructed to set up a 'Sports Development Fund'.

Key Points

• She asked the officials to study the policies of Kerala, Haryana and Odisha so that the sports department is financially strong and necessary resources can be made available to the players.
• Under the scheme, funds will be made available from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and other resources.
• She said chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will formally launch the 'Sports Scholarship Scheme' on August 29 (Sports Day).
• Under the 'Mukhyamantri Emerging Khiladi Protsahan Yojana', 150 youth (8-14 years age group) of each district will be given a scholarship of Rs 1500 per month. It will help in developing sportsmanship as well as help in nurturing future sportspersons.

Uttarakhand Ranked 24th in 'State Ranking Index for NFSA'

Why in News?

• In the first edition of 'State Ranking Index for NFSA' released on July 5, 2022, Uttarakhand has been ranked 24th in the entire country. Odisha ranks first and Uttar Pradesh second in this index.

Key Points

• Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal released the first edition of the 'State Ranking Index for NFSA'.
• Among the general category states, Odisha topped the 'State Ranking Index for NFSA' with a score of 0.836, while Uttar Pradesh is second with a score of 0.797 and Andhra Pradesh is third with a score of 0.794.
• Among special category states/UTs, Tripura is at the first position with a score of 0.788, followed by Himachal Pradesh with a score of 0.758 and Sikkim third with a score of 0.710.
• Also in the three Union Territories, where direct benefit transfer (DBT) is cash-driven, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu are at the top spot with a score of 0.802.
• The performance of Uttarakhand in terms of implementation of NFSA not only at the national level, but also in the 14 states of North-East and Himalayas, has lagged far behind. In this list, Tripura is ranked first, Himachal Pradesh second and Sikkim third, while Uttarakhand is at fifth place with a score of 0.637.
• The index seeks to document the status and progress of implementation of NFSA and various reform initiatives across the country after consultation with the States.
• It highlights the reforms undertaken by the States and UTs and creates a cross-learning environment and scale-up reform measures by all the States and UTs.
• The current index is largely focused on NFSA distribution and will include future purchases, PMGKAY distribution.
• The index for ranking of states and UTs is built on three key pillars, covering the end-to-end implementation of nfsa through TPDS. These pillars are- i) NFSA- coverage, targeting and provisions of the Act, ii) delivery platform, and iii) nutritional initiatives.