CAIIB Rural Banking Module A Unit 4 : Infrastructure

12/12/2023

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CAIIB Rural Banking Module A Unit 4 : Infrastructure (New Syllabus)

IIBF has released the New Syllabus Exam Pattern for CAIIB Exam 2023. Following the format of the current exam, CAIIB 2023 will have now four papers. The CAIIB Rural Banking includes an important topic called “Infrastructure”. Every candidate who are appearing for the CAIIB Certification Examination 2023 must understand each unit included in the syllabus.

In this article, we are going to cover all the necessary details of CAIIB Rural Banking Module A Unit 4 : Infrastructure, Aspirants must go through this article to better understand the topic, Infrastructure and practice using our Online Mock Test Series to strengthen their knowledge of Characteristics Of Infrastructure. Unit 4 : Infrastructure

Infrastructure

Within the scope of infrastructure, roads, railways, air transportation, seaports, electric power, telecommunications and information technology (IT), which are often used as services are essential for the productive processes of the manufacturing, agriculture, and services sectors. Physical infrastructure has a direct bearing on sustainability of growth and overall development.
Physical infrastructure, not only contributes for enhancement of productivity, but also assists in realization of the potential ability of human capital It also directly and indirectly contributes to improving the quality of life of the population.
Government of India, the Central Water Commission (CWC), government representatives from 10 participating states and the World Bank signed a US$ 250 million project, to support the Indian government’s long-term dam safety program and improve safety and performance of existing dams across various states.
Ministry of Road Transport Highways, announced to launch 1,080-km (road construction) projects, worth Rs. 25,370 crore (US$ 3.4 billion), under the Bharatmala Pariyojana—the ambitious road and highways project that aims to build highways from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and then, cover the entire string of Himalayan territories.
The Parliament has passed a bill to set up the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) to fund infrastructure projects.
The government has announced several interventions under the Pradhan Mantri Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana.

Transport

The availability of transport facilities helps in the expansion of market, for goods, movement of raw material and finished goods, and development of remote and backward areas, apart from boosting industrial production.
These rural roads are constructed under various schemes like the Minimum Needs Program (MNP), the Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Program (RLEGP), the National Rural Employment Program (NREP) and the Command Area Development (CAD) Program. The main objective of funding road construction in these projects is to create employment and to link villages with one another and also with the urban centres.
The implementation of programs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREA) facilitated all- weather rural road connectivity to unconnected villages and to connect identified rural production centres to the existing ‘pucca’ road network and construction of ‘pucca’ internal roads.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

The scheme provides for all-weather road connectivity to every rural habitation, with a minimum population of 500 in the plains and 250-plus in hill states, tribal districts and desert areas. PMGSY-II was launched in May, 2013 with the purpose to consolidate the existing rural road network.
The plan covers upgradation of existing selected rural roads, based on a criterion to make the rural road-network vibrant and improve its overall efficiency.
The centrally sponsored scheme fully funded by the Central Government, covered a total of 1.78 lakh habitations, as per the criteria laid down.
Due to laying of these roads, it is now possible for the producers of perishable produce such as milk, fish and vegetables to sell their produce to a wider base of consumers, in nearby towns. It has also enabled companies to distribute their products through rural retail stores.

Rural Road Connectivity Works under the MGNREGS

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, being implemented, since February 2006, as a demand-driven and self-selecting program, marks a paradigm shift in India’s efforts to create employment opportunities in rural areas. Its basic aim is to enhance livelihood security, by guaranteeing rural households not less than 100 days of paid employment per financial year, provided the adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Emphasis is laid on:

Public Works relating to National Resources Management
Tree plantation and horticulture in road margins
Providing all-weather rural road connectivity to unconnected villages and to connect identified rural production centres to the existing pucca road network
Construction of pucca internal roads or streets including side drains and culverts within a village.

Markets

Agriculture sector needs competitive and well-functioning markets for farmers to sell their produce.

Government has evolved programs for developing Agriculture Marketing system in the country. The Marketing Division of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) is concerned with policy and program implementation for Agricultural Marketing Reforms and Schemes of Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM), and National Agricultural Market (NAM) through Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund (ATIF).

Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure

Under the Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure sub-scheme, there are two components

Storage Infrastructure and
Marketing Infrastructure other than Storage.

The main objectives of the AMI schemes are to develop agricultural marketing infrastructure for effectively managing marketable surplus of agriculture, promoting innovative and latest technologies and competitive alternative agricultural marketing infrastructure by encouraging private and cooperative sector investments, direct marketing, creation of scientific storage capacity, Integrated value chains and to provide Infrastructure facilities for grading, standardization and quality certification of agricultural produce.

Marketing Research and Information Network Scheme

This scheme was launched as a Central Sector Scheme, in March, 2000, with the objective of collecting and disseminating information on price, arrival and other market related data, for the benefit of farmers and other market users.
Under the scheme, the information on wholesale prices and arrivals in respect of more than 300 commodities and 2000 varieties are being disseminated, through the portal, on daily basis.
Mandi price information is disseminated through DD Kisan channel and Kisan Call Centres. New innovations have been introduced for dissemination of market data through https//agmarknet gov in
The ‘Agmarknet’ portal and National Agricultural Market Atlas portals have been revamped and hosted with user friendly format. Kisan Suvidha, an omnibus mobile app developed by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has been helping farmers by providing relevant information to them quickly provides information on five critical parameters—weather, input dealers, market price, plant protection and expert advisories.

AGMARK (Agriculture Mark) Grading Facilities Scheme

The Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937 (amended in the year 1986) provides for the grading and marking of agricultural produce. It involves framing of grades, standards and certification of agricultural commodities included in the schedule appended to the Act. This program requires analysis of check samples and research samples in AGMARK Laboratories.
The scheme aims to meet the expenditure for the purchase of equipment, chemicals, glassware and apparatus, AMC of the equipment as well as renovation and repair works in the AGMARK Laboratories/Regional and Sub offices.
Central AGMARK Laboratory, Nagpur are carrying out analysis of check samples and research samples for developing and promoting grading and standardization of agricultural commodities under AGMARK.

Agri-business Development (ABD) through Venture Capital Assistance (VCA)

Financial support in the form of an interest free loan is provided by Small Farmers’ Agri Business Consortium (SFAC). The scheme implemented by the SFAC has the following objectives:

To facilitate setting up of agribusiness ventures, in close association with institutions notified by RBI, where the ownership of the Central/State Government is more than 50 per cent.
To catalyze private investment in setting up of agribusiness projects and thereby providing assured market to producers for increasing rural income & employment.
To strengthen backward linkages of agribusiness projects, with producers.
To assist farmers, producer groups, and agriculture graduates to enhance their participation in value chain, through Project Development Facility.
To arrange training and visits, etc. of agri-preneurs, in setting up identified agribusiness projects.
To augment and strengthen existing set-up of State and Central SFAC.

National Institute of Agricultural Marketing Management

The Chaudhary Charan Singh National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), is a premier National level Institute, set up to offer specialized Training, Research, Consultancy and Education in Agricultural Marketing. The objectives of the Institute are as under:

To conduct research on long term projects, policy formulation, prepare status papers, conduct case studies in specific to marketing problems.
To impart training to various levels of personnel of organizations involved in agricultural marketing activities
To offer consultancy services to state and Central Departments, public-sector undertaking, cooperative, etc., in preparation of Master plans for States.
To develop promising human resources by providing long term structured courses in agricultural marketing.
To cover a wide information network in the country in agricultural marketing to evolve efficient, innovative and competitive marketing process.

National Agriculture Market

e-NAM is a pan India electronic trading portal. Currently, 1000 markets are linked to e-NAM network from 18 states and three union territories. Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is the lead agency for implementing eNAM. Benefits accruing to APMCs from e-NAM can be classified as under:

Free Software for System integration/ Automation of recording transactions
Complete information on trade
Real time arrival recording
Analyze price trends, arrival and trading activities
Automated record of financial information
Reduction in man-power requirement.

Model APMC Act, 2017

The Agriculture Ministry has come up with a new model Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act, proposing single-point levy of market fee across a State and a united single trading licence for cost- effectiveness of transactions.
The Centre has already asked States to modify their APMC Acts, in order to have a single licence and single point of levy of market fee at the State level and then gradually move towards a single licence and single point of levy of market fee, at the national level.
As per NITI Aayog’s index, Maharashtra ranks highest in implementation of various agricultural reforms. The State has implemented most of the marketing reforms and offers the best environment for undertaking agri-business among all the States and UTs. Gujarat ranks second with a score of 71.50 out of 100, closely followed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Rural Electrification

Under the Electricity Act, 2003, the central and state governments have the joint responsibility of providing electricity to rural areas. The 2003 Act, also mandates that the central government should, in consultation with the state governments, provide for a national policy on

Stand-alone power systems, for rural areas
Electrification and local distribution in rural areas

The Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), launched in 2005, was the first scheme on rural electrification. In December 2014, the Ministry of Power launched the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), which subsumed the RGGVY.

Components of DDUGJY include:

Separation of agricultural and non-agricultural electricity feeders to improve supply for consumers in rural areas,
Improving sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural areas, and
Rural electrification by carrying forward targets specified under the RGGVY.
The central government provides 60% of the project cost as grant, the state power distribution companies raise 10% of the funds, and 30% is borrowed from financial institutions and banks.
Web enabled platform to capture near real-time progress-. ‘GARV App’
Leisang of the Manipur state was the last village electrified.

Other Services

Digital India Program

The digital India program can help in bridging the rural-urban digital divide, through rural focused initiatives. Strengthening digital infrastructure in rural areas is a major focus area under the digital India program.
Bharat Net Program is aimed at establishing a high-speed digital highway to connect all 2,50,000-gram panchayats, which will clearly be a major step forward in strengthening the digital infrastructure of the country, especially in the rural areas.
‘Digital India’ program of India envisages that 2,50,000 Indian villages will have broadband connectivity, and universal phone connectivity. The National Digital Literacy mission proposes to provide Information Communication and Technology (ICT) training to 10 lakh persons initially, one in every eligible household in selected blocks in each state/UT of the country. The government target is to make 60 million rural people digitally literate in a period of three years.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)

The major objective of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) launched in July, 2015 is to achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level, expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water, enhance the adoption of precision-irrigation and other water saving technologies (more crop per drop), enhance recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices by exploring the feasibility of reusing treated municipal waste water for pri-urban agriculture and attract greater private investment in precision irrigation system.
The program will be supervised and monitored by an Inter-Ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) which will be constituted under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister with Union Ministers from concerned Ministries. A National Executive Committee (NEC) will be constituted under the Chairmanship of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog to oversee program implementation, allocation of resources, inter-ministerial coordination, monitoring & performance assessment, addressing administrative issues.

Infrastructure Facilities for Education in Rural Areas

Central Board of Secondary Education prescribes the minimum infrastructure required in school.

The school must have about 2 acres land and a building constructed on a part of land and proper playground on the remaining land.
It should provide minimum floor space of 1 sq. mtr. per student in the class.
The school should have a well-equipped and spacious library with minimum of 1500 books and at least 15 magazines.
The school should have at least 1 computer lab with minimum 10 computers or computer student’s ratio of 1:20 and internet connection.
Adequate facilities should be provided for recreational activities and physical education as well as for conduct of various activities and programs for the social, cultural, physical and moral development of students and for safeguarding their health.
Science labs composite for secondary or/separate physics, chemistry, biology labs for senior secondary should be available. minimum size should be 9m × 6m each, approximately 600 sq. ft/ students.
Separate toilet block for boys and for girls to be installed as per norms.
Safe drinking water source inside school premises is mandatory. There should be minimum 500 ltrs. water tank for every 100 children.

India’s New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 states that adequate and safe infrastructure, including working toilets, clean drinking water, clean and attractive spaces, electricity, computing devices, internet access, libraries, and sports and recreational resources will be provided to all schools to ensure that teachers and students, including children of all genders and children with disabilities receive a safe, inclusive, and effective learning environment and are comfortable and inspired to teach and learn in their schools.

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CAIIB Rural Banking Module A Unit 4- Infrastructure ( Ambitious_Baba )