Important Facts For Prelims
Important Facts for Prelims (22nd December 2018)
- 22 Dec 2018
- 3 min read
District Mineral Fund
- District Mineral Funds under Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojna (PMKKKY) has accrued Rs. 22,859 crore till November 2018. But only Rs. 5,529 crore of the amount collected is utilized.
- The slow pace of District Mineral Fund (DMF) utilization has fed fears of these funds being diverted by State governments for being spent in other regions or for other purposes too.
Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)
- Objective: To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economic conditions of people in mining districts and also to ensure a sustainable livelihood for the affected people.
- It is implemented by the District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) of the respective districts that use the funds collected by the DMF from the miners.
- District Mineral Foundation (DMF) is a trust set up under Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Act (MMDRA) 2015 as a non-profit body in those districts affected by the mining operations.
- 60% of the funds will be utilized for high priority areas such as drinking water supply, health care, sanitation, education, skill development, women and child care, the welfare of aged and disabled people and environment conservation.
- 40% of the fund will be utilized for physical infrastructure, irrigation, energy, and watershed development.
National Consumer Day
- Every Year 24th December is observed as National Consumer Day with a specific theme in India. This year the National Consumer Day is celebrated with the theme “Timely Disposal of Consumer Complaints”.
- It is celebrated on this day as the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the President.
- The Consumer Protection Act aims to provide consumers with effective safeguards against different types of exploitation such as defective goods, deficiency in services and unfair trade practices.
- However, recently the Lok Sabha passed the Consumer Protection Bill 2018 which seeks to replace the three-decade-old Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
