When schools reopen (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2: National 
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education

Context: 

• Not only adults, but children too are desperately hoping to return to pre-COVID-19 times. Schooling is more than just learning and writing exams. 
• Children are waiting to run in their school playgrounds, hop onto swings, and high-five their peers. They are never happy about being kept away from school for long.

Many Concerns:

• As we debate when schools should be re-opened in India, it is important to also ask how children and teachers are going to respond to the reopening of schools. 
• The debate on the pros and cons of online education must now shift to how school spaces can be made safer and hygienic to counter community infection. 
• There are various kinds of schools in India: rural and urban, government and private, single-sex and co-educational, and so on. 
• Within them, there are multiple categories. 
• For example, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Army Schools are very different from schools managed by the State government or municipal corporations in terms of infrastructure and management. 
• One cannot visualise a pan-Indian response of the school system to reopening. Similarly, children’s response will also vary according to their age. 
• A six-month gap for primary school students may be huge to counter, but may be easier to overcome for older children. 
• We must discuss how these months of disruption and the so-called continuity of learning through online education will affect learning, teaching, the environment and culture in schools once they reopen.

Response:

• David Ingvar, a noted Swedish neurobiologist, talks about “memory of the future”, which refers to “alternative hypothetical behaviour patterns in order to be ready for what may happen.” 
• We as pedagogues must ready ourselves for what may happen once schools reopen. 
• How will children respond to the idea of physical distancing in school? How will they sit apart or adapt to using school washrooms or playgrounds? 
• How are teachers expected to maintain discipline? How are the movements of children in school buses going to be regulated? 
• These are concerns which need to be thought about. These questions will be more complex if schools decide to open in phases.

Dropping out of school:

• Then there is the problem of children being forced to drop out of school. This pandemic has put many schoolgoing children out of school. 
• It has impacted children’s lives far beyond health. 
• India has seen large numbers of people, mostly poor migrant workers, returning to their native places, so classrooms may not be full. 
• Since many people have lost their income, they will be spending less on education. 
• Given the state of the economy, the state too is expected to spend less. 
• As a result, children and their education may be affected for long after a vaccine is found. 
• The pandemic could bring on extreme poverty which will stop children’s access to school. 
• It is known that poor children are pushed into income-generating activities and early marriages. 
• We must discuss how to prevent such a situation.

Episodic memory:

• All of us, and children especially, will have an episodic memory of these times. 
• Episodic memory, or a person’s unique memory of a specific event, diminisheswith age, but children have episodic memories for long and are impacted by it. 
• Children are now confined to their homes, scared of the unknown danger lurkingoutside. 
• The fact that they constantly hear of infections and deaths and are told to maintain physical distancing will affect them and how they respond in the classroom. 
• Moreover, the emphasis on online learning will also affect offline learning. 
• The need for creative fulfillment will be severely impacted too. 
• When schools reopen, teachers will have to be prepared to deal with all these issues which are not part of any teacher preparation programme.

Semantic memory:

• The episodic memory of this pandemic time will affect the learning and memory of children. 
• Semantic memory refers to a portion of long-term memory that processes ideas and concepts that are not drawn from personal experience.
• Tulving’s theory of memory distinguishes semantic memory from episodic memory. 
• Evidence from neuropsychology suggests that these two types of memories don’t operate in isolation but are interdependent. 
• For example, our ideas of family, society, and the nation as matters of general knowledge are influenced by our experiences of them. 
• This pandemic has its own share of vocabulary which will contribute to a newer language.

Conclusion:

• We must be prepared to deal with the many challenges that will come with reopening schools. 
• Our lives, brought to an abrupt halt by this pandemic, must not be abruptly started again. It should be a smooth transition. 
• Otherwise, it won’t just accelerate the spread of the virus but also severely affect our children’s future well-being and learning.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to the TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), consider the following statements:

1. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is an agent with the ability to programme cell death (apoptosis) and has triggered many preclinical studies the world over.
2. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras recently found that the active compound from the common household spice turmeric — curcumin — can enhance cancer cell death.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

The COVID-19 fiscal response and India’s standing(The Hindu)

Mains Paper 3: Economy 
Prelims level: COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Index
Mains level: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.

Context:  

• How does India compare in the quantity and quality of its COVID-19 response to other developing countries? 
• We analyse India’s fiscal response drawing on the International Monetary Fund Policy Tracker, the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Index (CESI) of Ceyhun Elgin at Columbia University, and the World Bank.

MEASURES ANNOUNCED:

• Before the announcement of the Atmanirbhar Bharat package, India lagged significantly behind comparable developing countries that are similar in GDP per capita, state capacity, and structure of the labour force. 
• As of early July, the gap seems to have narrowed.
• However, given the blurring of the distinction between fiscal and monetary components, ensuring comparable and accurate figures for fiscal responses is a challenge. 
• For example, the total Atmanirbhar package is billed at 10% of GDP. 
• The headline number for India’s fiscal response in international databases is around 4% of GDP. 
• The new fiscal outlay, including the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, of March, the direct fiscal aspects of Atmanirbhar Bharat, and the latest extension of free rations under the Public Distribution System, is around 1.7% of GDP. 
• The one significant demand-side intervention in the Atmanirbhar Bharat package was ₹40,000 crore of additional outlay for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). 
• Most other demand-side measures involve the frontloading, consolidation, or rerouting of existing funds. 
• For example, the recently announced ₹50,000 crore Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan, which consolidates projects of 12 ministries/departments.

Stringency:

• On the other hand, India has surpassed almost all others in the stringency of its containment measures. 
• As a result, the extent of relief measures does not seem to be commensuratewith the economic disruption and dislocation caused by the severity of the lockdown. 
• Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Egypt, all while averaging less stringent measures than those in India, have announced stimulus measures that are as large or more substantial, as a share of GDP.

On Cash Transfers:

• Demand-side interventions announced by other developing countries could provide lessons for additional measures in India. 
• Unsurprisingly, cash transfers constitute the largest category of support. 
• The World Bank reports that, on average, such transfers amount to 30% of monthly GDP per capita, reaching 46% for lower-middle-income countries, for an average of three months. 
• Countries have also significantly expanded coverage of their cash transfer programmes from pre-COVID-19 levels; Bangladesh and Indonesia have increased the number of beneficiaries by 163% and 111%, respectively. 
• Indonesia’s cash schemes now cover more than 158 million people (or 60% of the population). 
• It has even created two new unconditional cash schemes to reach 20 million individuals in urban and rural settings excluded from the current social protection measures. 
• India could take these actions into account in decisions about expanding existing transfer programmes or even creating new ones.

Enhance NREGA:

• Of the World Bank’s list of 621 measures across 173 countries, half were cash-based. 
• Most of the rest related to food assistance (23%) or waiver/postponement of financial obligations (25%). 
• Only 2% related to public works, a clear indication of the popularity of cash transfers over public works for income support, perhaps in part due to concerns over physical distancing. 
• One example of the latter is Mexico, which announced an enlargement of its rural permanent employment scheme to 200,000 farmers and beneficiaries. 
• Indonesia has allocated more than $1 billion (more than ₹7,000 crore) to fund public works schemes that will benefit at least 600,000 workers.
• Additionally, the Indonesia central government has directed village authorities to focus their budgets on a cash-for-work programme for day labourers and the unemployed. 
• India has been a leader in employment guarantee policies with its flagship MGNREGA programme. 
• This is the right time to expand entitlements in this programme as well as introduce an urban version of the programme, as many have called for.

Steps in the developing world:

• Developing countries are resorting to drastic means to finance COVID-19 responses. 
• Actions so far include the amendment of legal budget limits and the enhanced issuance of bonds — including a ‘pandemic bond’ by Indonesia. 
• One set of measures has been particularly notable: central banks in many emerging economies are experimenting with purchases of public and private bonds in the secondary market (quantitative easing) or directly purchasing government bonds on the primary market (monetising the deficit). 
• Although the Reserve Bank of India has been buying sovereign bonds on the secondary market in India, the debate continues over whether the Indian government should invoke the “escape cause” in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, to enable the central bank to directly finance the deficit. 
• Indonesia and Brazil have both amended laws to allow their central banks to buy government bonds, which the Indonesian central bank is doing in the primary and secondary markets. 
• At the same time, the Philippine central bank has also bought $6bn (₹42,250 crore) worth of government bonds under a three-month repurchase agreement that is extendable after three months.
• In India, one reason for the subdued fiscal response and the resort to monetary measures is likely a concern with the debt-to-GDP ratio, which is higher than for most countries in our set. 
• However, aggregate demand and confidence in the economy have slumped and may not recover for many months. 

Conclusion:

• Additional fiscal outlay — in the form of cash and in-kind transfers and expanded public works schemes — would save lives and jobs today and might prevent a protracted slowdown. 
• Not spending more now, therefore, might only worsen the debt-to-GDP ratio if growth remains depressed.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to the Green Railways, consider the following statements:

1. Indian Railways is working to harness the potential of 500 Mega Watt (MW) energy through roof top Solar panels (Developer model).
2. Indian Railways has also acquired Green Certification from CIII to all Production Units (PUs) and Workshops. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A

Mains Questions:

Q.1) Highlights the economic impact of COVID-19. How does India compare in the quantity and quality of its COVID-19 response to other developing countries?

Cautious optimism: On race for vaccines gather pace(The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2: Health 
Prelims level: H1N1 vaccine
Mains level: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health

Context: 

• With the novel coronavirus continuing to spread across continents, the race to find effective drugs and vaccines has been progressing at a blistering pace. 
• Never before have candidate vaccines been developed from scratch, tested on animals and completed early stages of human clinical trials, all under six months. 
• Normally, candidate vaccines take at least a few years to reach the stage of clinical evaluation.
• Some experts are “cautiously optimistic” that by the end of the year or early 2021, the world might know if one or more vaccines are safe and effective, and vaccines might even become “available”. 

Quick development:

• Even in the case of the Ebola vaccine tested during the 2014 outbreak in Guinea, research and animal studies had been conducted prior to the outbreak. 
• In the H1N1 vaccine, the well-developed influenza-based technology enabled quick development, but not before the pandemic peaked. 
• But in the case of the novel coronavirus, 24 candidate vaccines are already in clinical evaluation and another 142 are in the preclinical evaluation stage. 
• With most countries managing to only flatten the curve, the possibility of new surges cannot be dismissed. 
• There is overwhelming evidence that protection and herd immunity can be achieved only through vaccination. 

Candidate vaccines under trials:

• One candidate vaccine developed by China using a recombinant common cold virus (adenovirus) as a vector to ferry the genetic material of the coronavirus was on June 25 approved for use exclusively by the military for one year. 
• The approval was based on limited safety and efficacy results from phase-1 and phase-2 trials; the phase-3 trial for vaccine efficacy and safety is yet to begin. 
• As per preliminary results, the Oxford University vaccine, which too uses an adenovirus, has been found to be safe and immunogenic in a phase 1-2 trial. A phase-3 trial is under way. 
• A U.S.-based company along with NIAID has found its vaccine that uses messenger RNA platform to be safe and immunogenic in a phase-1 trial. 
• A phase-3 trial is to begin later this month. Interim results show that another vaccine candidate using the messenger RNA platform is safe and immunogenic in a phase-1-2 trial. 
• Two Indian companies too have begun human clinical trials. There is thus cause for cheer.

Caution:

• However, a note of caution is also in order. 
• Past experiences with vaccine development for two coronaviruses — SARS and MERS — have shown that vaccines can “exacerbatelung disease, either directly or as a result of antibody-dependent enhancement”. 
• Thus, the compulsion to rigorouslymonitor safety profiles of candidate vaccines cannot be overemphasised. 
• Efforts to accelerate clinical trials should not rely on shortening the follow-up period or by-passing critical steps in testing but put in place protocols that allow the trials to seamlessly graduate from one phase to another. 
• This is an acid test for vaccine science and development and the outcomes will have far-reaching consequences either way.

 Conclusion:

• As the race for vaccines gathers pace, the follow-up period should not be shortened.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF), consider the following statements:

1. The HLPF is the foremost international platform for follow-up and review of progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
2. The HLPF meets annually in July for eight days under the auspices of the UNDP. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A

Mains Questions:

Q.1) What is a vaccine? How it works? Describe the vaccine development process and how rigorously monitor safety profiles of candidate vaccines cannot be overemphasised?

1. Discuss the concept of ‘dowry’ as stated under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. Also suggest necessary changes which are needed in your opinion to be made in the definition of ‘dowry’.  (95/II/4a/30)
2. Critically examine viability of the Dowry Prohibition Act. (00/II/4b/30)
3. “ The evil of dowry system has been a matter of serious concern to every one in view of its ever increasing and disturbing proportion.” Discuss and critically analyse whether the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 can cope with this social menace. (05/II/4b/30)

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1. H files a petition for divorce against W.  The court allows the divorce petition ex- parte. H marries Z after waiting for the  period of appeal and the appeal being not preferred within the time. W, makes an appeal after the stipulated appeal period. The appeal court allows the appeal. Can H be tried for bigamy? Give reasons. (98/II/2a/20)
2. A and B are Hindus and are married under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. During the subsistence of their marriage A, the husband, embraces Islam and goes through a second marriage ceremony with C, his girl-friend. On the complaint of B, wife of the first marriage, A is prosecuted for the offence of bigamy under Section 494 of the Penal Code. Decide, citing relevant case law. (99/II/1b/20)
3. A promises to B, his student, and induced her to cohabit with him. He has given her a false assurance of marriage and also fraudulently gone through certain ceremonies of marriage making B to believe that she was a lawfully wedded wife of A. Later A refused to recognise her as his wife. What is the offence committed by A? Explain its ingredients. (00/II/1c/20)
4. Explain whether any offence is committed in the following instance and under what circumstances? Give  reasons. Do not write more than 100 words. (02/II/2e/10) X has sexual intercourse with his wife without her consent
5. Explain whether any offence is committed in the following instance and under what circumstances? Give reasons. Do not write more than 100 words. (02/II/2a/10) X husband of W, cohabits with Z.
6. When an offence of ‘adultery’ is said to be committed? Whether a wife may be punished for the offence of adultery as an abettor? Distinguish between the offences of ‘rape’ and ‘adultery’.

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Printed Study Material for IAS PRE cum Mains General Studies

1. Examine the criminal liability of a landlord who cuts of the electricity connection of his tenant in order to put pressure on him to pay enhanced rent. (94/II/1b/20)  (Main) Law—Topic Wise Paper 58
2. “A partner has undefined ownership along with other partners over all the assets of partnership, and if he chooses to use any of them for his own purposes, he cannot be held guilty of criminal misappropriation of property.” Examine. (94/II/1a/20)
3. A, in association with B, relieved C of his watch in a running train, and when A and B tried to get down from the train C raised an alarm where upon B slapped him. Discuss the liability of A and B. (95/II/2b/30)
4. “In all robbery there is either theft or extortion.” Cemment (98/II/1b/20)
5. Explain whether any offence is committed in the following instance and under what circumstances? Give reasons. Do not write more than 100 words. (02/II/2g/10) X sells the estate of which he is not the owner and executes a conveyance deed in favour of the purchaser.
6. Explain whether any offence is committed in the following instance and under what circumstances? Give reasons. Do not write more than 100 words. (02/II/2c/10) X burns a share certificate of Z due to which she suffered mental agony in addition to financial loss.
7. Explain whether any offence is committed in the following instance and under what circumstances? Give reasons. Do not write more than 100 words. (02/II/2b/10) A cheque issued by X on his Bank having knowledge about insufficient funds in his account.
8. Explain whether any offence is committed in the following instance and under what circumstances? Give reasons. Do not write more than 100  words. (02/II/2f/10) X finds a valuable ring on the street and immediately sells the same for using the money to buy a computer.
9. Explain whether any offence is committed in the following instance and under what circumstances? Give reasons. Do not write more than 100 words. (02/II/2h/10) X takes Y a girl of 13 years of age without her knowledge to Mumbai to send her to Dubai to handover for marriage to a sekh over there and dispatches her to Dubai for the above purpose.
10. Referring to relevant legal provisions, and decided cases, point out what offence, if any, has been committed in the following case : A cuts down a tree on B’s ground with the intention of dishonestly taking the tree out of B’s possession without B’s consent. (04/II/2d/10)
11. Referring to relevant legal provisions, and decided cases, point out what offence, if any, has been committed in the following case: A finds a ring on the highway not in the possession of any one person. A picks it up.  (04/II/2c/10)
12. Distinguish between criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation of property. (04/II/1b/20)
13. What is meant by ‘extortion’? Explain its ingredients and distinguish between ‘theft’ and ‘extortion’. (07/II/1b/20)
14. “In all robbery there is either theft or extortion.” Explain. A holds Z down, and fraudulently takes Z’s money and jewels from Z’s person without Z’s consent and for this purpose he causes a wrongful restraint to Z. Discuss A’s liability. (08/II/2b/20+10)
15. Explain the ingredients of the offence of  59 (Main) Law—Topic Wise Paper criminal misappropriation of property and distingish this from criminal breach of trust. A sees Z drop his purse with money in it. A picks up the purse with the intention of returning it to Z, but afterwards appropriates it for his own use. Has A committed any offence? Discuss. (09/II/2a/30)

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Public Administration Mains 2019 : Solved Paper Question Paper-2 (Question-8)

SECTION-B

Q1.(a) ‘NITI Aayog’ has changed the way India strategized for economic development, but its effectiveness is yet to be seen, especially when its financial powers are far less than its predecessor. Analyze. 20 Marks

ANSWER: The Aayog, unlike its predecessor Planning Commission, does not have financial powers nor any say in preparing annual plans of the states. The Aayog should be given financial powers to help address regional imbalances. The Aayog would be given some role in allocating development expenditure to states, then that would also "promote co-operative and competitive federalism". The Planning Commission used to play a key role in deciding the expenditure plans of central ministries as well as that of states.

NITI Aayog is a government think tank and it works for the government. It helps the government to get new ideas and make policies. It also helps the government with feedback from the ground that it collects. In that sense, NITI Aayog is independent to do all of these things on the basis of objective criteria. But of course, you cannot expect NITI Aayog to be overly critical of the government. Whatever feedback we need to give, we can give without going to the public. NITI Aayog’s autonomy is like that of the Reserve Bank of India, which is also part of the macro team. We all are autonomous and independent, but we do have to maintain dignity and honour. We have never shied away from using or publishing data as we think is right. In the water index that we brought out, we said that India is facing acute water shortage.

(b) Even though the law and order administration is a State subject, it is paradoxical that the Central agencies- NIA or paramilitary forces under the Union Government-have restricted the powers of State Governments. Discuss. 20 Marks

ANSWER: ONLY FOR COURSE MEMBERS

(c) Performance grants devolved by Finance Commission of India have increased the Financial accountability of the local bodies. Elaborate. 10 Marks

ANSWER: ONLY FOR COURSE MEMBERSS

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    (The Gist of PIB) NISHTHA is the world’s largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

NISHTHA is the world’s largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world

• Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister launched NISHTHA to build capacities of 42 Lakh government teachers across the country. 

About: 

• National Mission to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level (NISHTHA). 
• NISHTHA is the world’s largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world. 
• To motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students. 

Key highlights 

• Under it, teachers will develop their skills on various aspects related to Learning Outcomes, School Safety and Security, ICT in teaching-learning including Artificial Intelligence, Environmental Concerns and School Based Assessment in a joyful learning manner. 
• It aims to build the capacities of around 42 lakh participants covering all teachers and Heads of Schools at the elementary level in all Government schools, faculty members of SCERTs, DIETs as well as Block Resource Coordinators and Cluster Resource Coordinators in all States/UTs. 
• Training will be conducted directly by 33120 Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and State Resource Persons (SRP) identified by the State and UTs, who will in turn be trained by 120 National Resource Persons identified from NCERT, NIEPA, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), CBSE and NGO. 

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    (The Gist of PIB) National Sports Awards -2019
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

National Sports Awards -2019

• Government of India has announced National Sports Awards -2019 to be conferred upon the sportspersons, coaches, entities and university. Bajrang Punia and Deepa Malik to get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. 

Key highlights 

• National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports. It comprises the following awards –
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: It is the highest sporting honour of India. It was instituted in 1991–92. The recipient(s) is/are honoured for their outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years at international level.
• Dronacharya Awards: It was instituted in 1985 to honour eminent Coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious International sports events.
• Arjuna awards: It was instituted in 1961. To be eligible for the Award, a sportsperson should have had not only good performance over the previous four years at the International level but also should have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
• Dhyan Chand Award: It was instituted in 2002. It is an award for life-time achievements in sports.
• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award: It is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: It was instituted in 1956-57 to honour the top overall performing university in the Inter-University Tournaments.
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar: It was instituted from 2009 to recognize the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.

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    (The Gist of PIB) Iron Age Settlement
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

Iron Age Settlement

• The recent excavation carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Maharashtra’s Phupgaon has revealed evidence of an Iron Age settlement in the Vidarbha region. 

Location: 

• The team of ASI took up an intensive survey in the region between Chandur Bazar to Dariyapur of Purna basin at Phupgaon, Amravati district of Maharashtra. 
• The site is situated in the vast meander of the river Purna, a major tributary of Tapi, which used to be a perennial river, but at present is completely dried-up due to the dam construction in the upper stream. 

Findings: 

• A total of 9 trenches were taken for excavations, which brought to light the house remains and other associated features like hearth, post-holes and artefacts.
• The excavation also exposed antiquities like beads of agate-carnelian, jasper, quartz and agate were collected in large quantities. Iron, Copper objects have also been collected from all the trenches. Large quantity of graffiti marks had been observed on the potsherds.
• Chronologically, the site could be placed between 7th C BCE and 4th C BCE.

Significance: 

• The excavation indicates the presence of sedentary (permanent) settlement, belonging to the Iron Age of Vidarbha.
• The finding from Phulgaon indicates its contemporaneity with other Iron Age settlements of Vidarbha like Naikund, Mahurjhari, Bhagimori and Thakalkat.

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    (The Gist of PIB) e-VBAB NETWORK PROJECT
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

e-VBAB NETWORK PROJECT

• The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, received Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the President of Zambia, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on his first state visit to India. 

List of MoU/Agreement exchanged during the State Visit: 

• MoU on E-VBAB Network Project
• MoU on Cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral Resources
• MoU on cooperation in the field of Defence
• MoU on cooperation in the field of Arts & Culture
• MoU between Foreign Service Institute of India and Zambian Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies.
• MoU between Election Commission of India and Electoral Commission of Zambia.

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    (The Gist of PIB) San-Sadhan Hackathon
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

San-Sadhan Hackathon

• The Government of India has invited applications for its latest initiative called the ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon – for Divyangjan accessible toilets. 

About: 

• ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon is an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission to ease lives of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) by making toilets smarter, more accessible, and easier to use. 
• The initiative is being organized jointly by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and 91springboard. 

Strategy: 

• In this hackathon, the government is looking for smart, scalable and innovative solutions for economical toilets for individual and community use in rural and urban contexts.
• Technology enthusiasts have been called to apply by or before August 28th, 2019. 
• The shortlisted applicants will work to develop their prototype during the two-day Hackathon scheduled to be held in the month of September in New Delhi.

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    (The Gist of PIB) San-Sadhan Hackathon
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

San-Sadhan Hackathon

• The Government of India has invited applications for its latest initiative called the ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon – for Divyangjan accessible toilets. 

About: 

• ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon is an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission to ease lives of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) by making toilets smarter, more accessible, and easier to use. 
• The initiative is being organized jointly by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and 91springboard. 

Strategy: 

• In this hackathon, the government is looking for smart, scalable and innovative solutions for economical toilets for individual and community use in rural and urban contexts.
• Technology enthusiasts have been called to apply by or before August 28th, 2019. 
• The shortlisted applicants will work to develop their prototype during the two-day Hackathon scheduled to be held in the month of September in New Delhi.

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(The Gist of PIB) ATL App Development Module

ATL App Development Module

• NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) today launched the ‘ATL App Development Module’ for school children all across the country.

Key highlights:

• The ATL App Development modules have been launched in collaboration with Indian homegrown startup Plezmo with an aim to hone the skills of school students and transforming them from App users to App makers in the times to come under AIM’s flagship Atal Tinkering Labs initiative.
• Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a big disruption, which is being tackled through the use of technology to aid for everyday lives.
• The ATL App Development module is an online course is completely Free.
• Through 6 project-based learning modules and online mentoring sessions, young innovators can learn to build mobile Apps in various Indian languages and showcase their talent.
• Additionally, to build capacities and acumen for App Development within school teachers, periodic Teacher Training sessions will be conducted on the AIM App Development course.

Other initiatives:

• The launch of Atma Nirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge has been inspiring to the young students uniformly at school, university and industry level.
• AIM, NITI Aayog is now bringing the skills of App Development to the young tinkerers of Atal Tinkering Labs across the country so that they can integrate their Tinkering Lab innovations with mobile apps enhancing the usability and reach of their innovations.
• This would be one of the largest App learning and development initiatives at a school level in any country.
• Till date, more than 5100 ATLs are established in more than 660 districts across the country by Atal Innovation Mission with more than 2 million students having access to the Tinkering Labs.
• The vision is to foster creativity and innovation nationwide through its various integrated initiatives including incubators, Startups, community innovation Centers and Atal New India challenges for product and service innovations enabling socio economic growth of the country.

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    (The Gist of PIB) 24th Meeting of Western Zonal Council
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

24th Meeting of Western Zonal Council

• Union Home Minister, Amit Shah chaired the 24th meeting of the Western Zonal Council at Panaji (Goa). The meeting was also attended by Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Administrator of the UTs of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. 

Five Zonal Councils: 

• The five Zonal Councils – Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Central – were set up under the States Reorganization Act, 1956 to foster Inter-State co-operation and co-ordination among the States.
• The Zonal Councils are mandated to discuss and make recommendations on any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning, border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-State transport etc.

Organisational Structure Of Zonal Councils: 

• Chairman – The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.
• Vice Chairman – The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
• Members- Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.

Committees of Zonal Councils: 

• Each Zonal Council has set up a Standing Committee consisting of Chief Secretaries of the member States of their respective Zonal Councils.
• These Standing Committees meet from time to time to resolve the issues or to do necessary groundwork for further meetings of the Zonal Councils.

The Council among others focused on the following issues: 

• Action on the Master Plan submitted by Maharashtra Government for utilization of surplus Salt Pan Land for rehabilitation of slum dwellers was discussed at length. State Government will send a detailed proposal in two months suggesting broad contours of a transparent financial model for involvement of slum dwellers (and utilization of remaining land as per high FSI in keeping with provisions of a scheme to be formulated as per Slum Rehabilitation Act) on a competitive basis for rehabilitation of slum dwellers and transfer of land/monetization for Government of India. 
• Coverage of all villages which have hitherto remained without any banking facilities within 5 km radial distance by a Bank/India Post Payments Service. This data derived from GIS platform of NIC will be further corroborated by the States using road distance on the ground. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) should also be done through IPPBs also everywhere as these are covered by Core Banking Solution. Shri Shah underlined the need for systemic reforms instead of merely chasing the statistics. 
• Enhancement of DBT Portal to include scheme/village-wise details by collecting real time information from respective portals of beneficiary-oriented schemes to give village level DBT fund transfer and benefits.
• Innovative solution of encrypted QR Code on Aadhaar card for verifying antecedents of marine fishermen. States to get the print-outs taken or cards made within a month at Government initiative, so that everyone has Aadhaar card with latest QR Code and foreign national don’t enter Indian territory unauthorizedly through fishing boats.
• Detailed monitoring mechanism to ensure that investigation and trial of sexual offences/rape against girls below 12 years of age are completed within two months (POCSO Act and Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018] each. Chief Secretary must personally monitor periodically adherence to legal provisions of completing investigation and trial within two months.

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(The Gist of PIB) Mongolian Kanjur

Mongolian Kanjur

• The first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur published under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) was recently presented to the Government of Mongolia.

About:

• Mongolian Kanjur, the Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia. In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha in particular.
• Mongolian Buddhists worship the Kanjur at temples and recite the lines of Kanjur in daily life as a sacred ritual. The language of the Kanjur is Classical Mongolian.
• The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM). It is expected that all the 108 volumes of the Mongolian Kanjur will be published by March, 2022.

National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM):

• The National Mission for Manuscripts was launched in 2003 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, with the mandate of documenting, conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in the manuscripts.
• One of the objectives of the mission is to publish rare and unpublished manuscripts so that the knowledge enshrined in them is spread to researchers, scholars and general public at large.

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(The Gist of PIB) Ujjwala Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

Ujjwala Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

• Union Cabinet has approved the extension of time limit by three months w.e.f. 01.07.2020 for availing the benefits of “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana” for Ujjwala beneficiaries.
• Union Cabinet has approved further extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as part of Economic Response to COVID-19, for another Five months from July to November, 2020.

Ujjwala Scheme:

• The Government had announced a relief package ” Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana” which also included relief for poor families who had availed of an LPG connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
• Under the PMGKY-Ujjwala, it was decided to provide free of cost refills for PMUY consumers for a period of 3 months w.e.f. 01.04.2020.
• Under the Scheme, Rs. 9709.86 Cr was transferred directly into the bank accounts of Ujjwala beneficiaries during April- June 2020 and 11.97 Crore cylinders were delivered to the PMUY beneficiaries.
• Now, the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas to extend the time-limit for availing the advance by three months.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana:

• Under the Scheme it is proposed to distribute 9.7 Lakh MT cleaned whole Chana to States/UTs for distribution to all beneficiary households under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) @ 1kg per month free of cost under for next five months -July to November, 2020 at a total estimated cost of Rs.6,849.24 crore.
• About 19.4 crore households would be covered under the Scheme.
• All expenses on the extended PMGKAY are to be borne by the Central Government.
• The distribution of pulses for the package emanated from robust availability of stock in the buffer which was set up in 2015-2016.

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    (The Gist of PIB) Integrated NOAPS single window clearing system
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

Integrated NOAPS single window clearing system

• The Union Minister for Culture launched an integrated NOAPS for National Monuments Authority (NMA) for 517 local bodies in six new states. 

Background: 

• National Monuments Authority (NMA) under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India has been setup as per provisions of “The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains AMASR (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010”.
• In order to automate the process of grant of NO Objection Certificate(NOC) for construction related work in the prohibited and regulated areas, NMA has designed a web enabled application named NOC online Application Processing System (NOAPS).

Key highlights 

• Six new States – Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Jharkhand and Telangana – will be part of this Integrated Online Application Portal with Urban Local Bodies Count.
• Earlier this system was available only for five urban local bodies of Delhi and one urban local body of Mumbai.
• This will help in online processing of applications requesting NOC for construction related work in prohibited and regulated area of ASI protected monuments.
• In terms of incremental change in index (over 2016-17 level), Haryana holds number one position in general States and Uttarakhand ranks at first position amongst North Eastern and Himalayan States.
• On an average, 80% of the states assessed on the Index over the last three years have improved their water management scores, with an average improvement of +5.2 points.

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    (The Gist of PIB) NITI Aayog releases Report on the Composite Water Management Index 2.0
[SEPTEMBER-2019]

NITI Aayog releases Report on the Composite Water Management Index 2.0

• NITI Aayog has released the second Round of Composite Water Management Index (CWMI 2.0). 

About: 

• NITI Aayog first launched the Composite Water Management Index in 2018 as a tool to assess and improve the performance of States/ UTs in efficient management of water resources.
• This has been done by NITI Aayog in partnership with Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Rural Development and all the States/ Union Territories.
• CWMI 2.0 ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18 as against the base year 2016-17.

Rankings: 

• Gujarat hold on to its rank one in the reference year (2017-18), followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• In North Eastern and Himalayan States, Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged number 1 in 2017-18 followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam.
• The Union Territories have first time submitted their data and Puducherry has been declared as the top ranker.

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(The Gist of PIB) World’s first ever online B.Sc. degree in Programming and Data Science

World’s first ever online B.Sc. degree in Programming and Data Science
 

• Union HRD Minister launched World’s first ever online B.Sc. degree in Programming and Data Science.

About:

• The programme has been prepared and offered by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), which is ranked No.1 in India Rankings 2020 by NIRF.
• The program will have videos from the faculty, weekly assignments and in-person invigilated exams just like any other regular course.
• This programme is open to anyone who has passed Class 12th, with English and Maths at the Class 10th level, and enrolled in any on-campus UG course. The current batch of students who are completing their Class 12th in 2020 are eligible to apply.
• Graduates and working professionals can also take up this programme.
• Data Science is one of the fastest growing sectors that is predicted to create 11.5 million jobs by 2026.

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