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  • Free Live Webinar @ 7PM, Registrations Closing in 3 Hrs|| Unable to Score Geography Questions Correctly in your Prelims Mock Test Series? || Then, Attend This Free Live Webinar By CD Mentor Purnima Ma’am|| How to Change Your Preparation Approach for Geography in the Last 60 Days?|| Limited Slots Available, Register Now

    Free Live Webinar @ 7PM, Registrations Closing in 3 Hrs|| Unable to Score Geography Questions Correctly in your Prelims Mock Test Series? || Then, Attend This Free Live Webinar By CD Mentor Purnima Ma’am|| How to Change Your Preparation Approach for Geography in the Last 60 Days?|| Limited Slots Available, Register Now

    register for prelims free live webinar by purnima ma’am

    Aspirants who generally have no problem with subjects like History, Polity, Art and Culture and Current Affairs, falter when it comes to Geography. This is because, Geography is a technical subject and one gets confused on what to read and what to give a miss.

    It’s quite amusing but the reality is that there are more facts you might have to remember for geography than, maybe history or polity. This could range from water-bodies, ports, straits, important physical features, natural resources etc.

    Barring a year or two, the number of geography questions that appeared in prelims have averaged in the range of 12-25. Scoring well in this area is important for those who are in the 80-90s range in their test series.

    Geography Questions in UPSC Prelims [2013-2021] | Download Solution PDFs

    Free Open to All, Webinar by CD Geography Mentor Purnima Ma’am

    REGISTER FOR PRELIMS FREE LIVE WEBINAR BY PURNIMA MA’AM

    We understood the UPSC aspirants need of preparing for Geography in a less time consuming manner while understanding the relevant information for the exam.

    That’s why on Thursday we are coming up with a free live webinar by Purnima Ma’am who will give all aspirants the right guidance on how to study for this subject for Prelims 2022. The webinar will be truly focused on Geography for Prelims 2022. By the end of the webinar, students will gain confidence and interest to open their atlas and textbooks and study the subject all over again.

    Purnima Ma’am has completed BA in Geography from Miranda House and MA in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is currently pursuing PhD in Geography on Net-JRF scholarship.

    What Will You Learn From This Free Live Webinar?

    1. Which NCERT books to cover? Purnima Ma’am will explain the chapters to read for Geography prelims in NCERT 6-12th books.

    2. Topic wise importance for UPSC Prelims 2022. From Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Fundamentals of Human Geography, India, People and Economy.

    3. What are the online sources to refer for topics not covered in NCERT? Purnima Ma’am will highlight the specific and limited literature which is available online for free.

    4. Live demonstration of Previous Year Question Papers. The direct questions that from NCERT textbooks from Prelims 2016-2021.

    5. How to do weekly revision for maps? Everything from straits, ports, geographic location that will be covered.

    6. Current affair topics of 5 years for Indian and World Geography. How to do a final revision on these topics?

    7. How to allocate time for Geography Revision on a daily basis if that’s the reason you are scoring less?

    8. Certain Mnemonics to remember important facts in Geography. Popular memory techniques used by toppers to ace Geography.

    upsc aspirant preparation moments | Geography lessons, Social studies worksheets, General knowledge book

    Webinar Details

    Start from where you are, use what you have and still score well in Geography prelims for UPSC-CSE 2022! Clear your doubts with Purnima Ma’am in the upcoming session.

    Date: 24th March, 2022

    Time: 7 PM

    REGISTER FOR PRELIMS FREE LIVE WEBINAR BY PURNIMA MA’AM

  • Exports in India

    India’s annual goods exports crossed the $400-billion mark for the first time ever.

    The achievement of $400 billion in merchandise exports represents a growth of over 21 per cent from $330 billion achieved in FY2019 prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Do you know?

    China’s total exports stood at $3.3 trillion ($3300 Billions) in 2021! Almost eight times of what we are celebrating!

    How did India achieve this?

    • The milestone was achieved due to increase in shipments of merchandise, including engineering products, apparel and garments, gems and jewellery and petroleum products.
    • The agriculture sector too had recorded its highest-ever export during 2021-22 with the help of export of rice, marine products, wheat, spices and sugar.

    Reasons behind the surge

    • One of the major reasons for jump in exports is rise in pent up demand, which had fallen as the Covid pandemic forced nations to remain under strict lockdown, thereby impacting global trade.
    • Beside, boost in domestic manufacturing due to production-liked incentive (PLI) schemes and implementation of some interim trade pacts have also led to surge in exports.
    • The Centre implemented a series of steps to promote exports of both goods and services and that includes the introduction of Refund of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) and Rebate of State and Central Levies and Taxes (RoSCTL) Schemes.

    External factors

    • One of the key factors driving the surge in exports is pent up demand that was not met during major waves of the Covid-19 pandemic.
    • Expansionary monetary policy by developed economies in response to the economic impact of the pandemic has also boosted demand for Indian exports.

    Where has been the increase in imports?

    • While exports have grown sharply, merchandise imports have grown even faster reaching $550 billion in the first 11 months of the fiscal.
    • It has seen sharp growth in imports of crude oil, coal, gold, electronics and chemicals.
    • Rising prices of commodities including crude oil and coal have played a significant role in adding to India’s import bill and taking the trade deficit for the first 11 months to a record high of $176 billion.

    Why exports are important?

    • Exports are one of the fundamental drivers of growth for any economy.
    • It can influence a country’s GDP, exchange rate, level of inflation as well as interest rates.
    • A robust export data is beneficial as it leads to increase in job opportunities, enhances foreign currency reserves, boosts manufacturing and also increases government’s revenue collection.
    • It is also a good means by which a country can bring itself out of the recession phase.
    • Besides, it also plays a key role in strengthening the domestic manufacturing units by scaling up their quality to make India made products compete and stand out against global peers.

     

  • What is Article 355 of Indian Constitution?

    Considering the law and order situation in West Bengal, some politicians demanded the invoking of Article 355 to ensure the State is governed as per the provisions of the Constitution.

    What is Article 355?

    • It states that-

    “It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the Government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”

    Cases for its invocation

    • This article thus comes handy when there are communal violence incidents. Over the period, this article has gained a different texture.
    • We know that the “public order” and “police” are state subject and states have exclusive power to legislate on these matters.
    • These subjects were entrusted to states because states would be in better position to handle any law and order problem.
    • Management of Police by states was also seen as administratively convenient and efficient.
    • However, there might be some circumstances where states are unable to maintain public order and protect people.
    • In such situation, centre can invoke article 355 and take measures such as taking law and order of state under its own hand, deployment of military etc.

     

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  • Mid day Meal Scheme

    A parliamentarian has recently asked the government to re-start the mid-day meals in reopening schools and to ensure that the meals provided are cooked and nutritious.

    What is the Mid-Day Meal Scheme?

    • The Midday Meal Scheme is a school meal program designed to better the nutritional standing of school-age children nationwide.
    • It was launched in the year 1995.
    • It supplies free lunches on working days for children in primary and upper primary classes in:
    1. Government, government aided, local body schools
    2. Education Guarantee Scheme, and alternate innovative education centres,
    3. Madarsa and Maqtabs supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and
    4. National Child Labour Project schools run by the ministry of labour
    • The Scheme has a legal backing under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

    Objective: To enhance the enrolment, retention and attendance and simultaneously improve nutritional levels among school going children studying in Classes I to VIII

    History of the scheme

    • In 1925, a Mid Day Meal Programme was introduced for disadvantaged children in Madras Municipal Corporation.
    • By the mid-1980s three States viz. Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the UT of Pondicherry had universalized a same scheme with their own resources for children studying at the primary stage.
    • In 2001, the Supreme Court asked all state governments to begin this programme in their schools within 6 months.

    Features: Calorie approach

    • Primary (1-5) and upper primary (6-8) schoolchildren are currently entitled to 100 grams and 150 grams of food grains per working day each.
    • It also include adequate quantities of micronutrients like iron, folic acid, Vitamin-A, etc.
    • The calorific value of a mid-day meal at various stages has been fixed at a minimum:
    Calories Intake Primary Upper Primary
    Energy 450 calories 700 calories
    Protein 12 grams 20 grams

     

    Why in news?

    • The flagship report of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 estimated that as of April 2020 369 million children globally were losing out on school meals, a bulk of whom were in India.
    • As many as 116 million children — actually, 116 million hungry children — is the number of children impacted due to indefinite school closure during the pandemic.

    Why discuss it now?

    • The recent Global Hunger Index (GHI) report for 2020 ranks India at 94 out of 107 countries and in the category ‘serious’, behind our neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
    • The index is a combination of indicators of undernutrition in the population and wasting (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age), and mortality in children below five years of age.

    What measures were resorted to counter this?

    • In March and April 2020 the GoI had announced that the usual hot-cooked mid-day meal or an equivalent food security allowance/dry ration would be provided to all eligible school-going children even during vacation.
    • Nearly three months into this decision, States were still struggling to implement this.

    What lies ahead?

    • Across the country and the world, innovative learning methods are being adopted to ensure children’s education outcomes.
    • The GHI report calls for effective delivery of social protection programmes.
    • With continuing uncertainty regarding the reopening of schools, innovation is similarly required to ensure that not just food, but nutrition is delivered regularly to millions of children.
    • For many of them, that one hot-cooked meal was probably the best meal of the day.

     

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  • What is NASA’s Artemis I Mission?

    On March 17, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rolled out its Artemis I moon mission to the launchpad for testing at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, United States.

    What is the Artemis I Mission?

    • NASA’s Artemis mission is touted as the next generation of lunar exploration, and is named after the twin sister of Apollo from Greek mythology.
    • Artemis is also the goddess of the moon.
    • Artemis I is the first of NASA’s deep space exploration systems.
    • It is an uncrewed space mission where the spacecraft will launch on SLS — the most powerful rocket in the world — and travel 2,80,000 miles from the earth for over four to six weeks during the course of the mission.
    • The Orion spacecraft is going to remain in space without docking to a space station, longer than any ship for astronauts has ever done before.
    • The SLS rocket has been designed for space missions beyond the low-earth orbit and can carry crew or cargo to the moon and beyond.

    Key objectives of the mission

    • With the Artemis Mission, NASA aims to land humans on the moon by 2024, and it also plans to land the first woman and first person of colour on the moon.
    • With this mission, NASA aims to contribute to scientific discovery and economic benefits and inspire a new generation of explorers.
    • NASA will establish an Artemis Base Camp on the surface and a gateway in the lunar orbit to aid exploration by robots and astronauts.
    • The gateway is a critical component of NASA’s sustainable lunar operations and will serve as a multi-purpose outpost orbiting the moon.

    Other agencies involved

    • Other space agencies are also involved in the Artemis programme.
    • The Canadian Space Agency has committed to providing advanced robotics for the gateway.
    • The European Space Agency will provide the International Habitat and the ESPRIT module, which will deliver additional communications capabilities among other things.
    • The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to contribute habitation components and logistics resupply.

    What is the mission trajectory?

    • SLS and Orion under Artemis I will be launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, U.S. in the summer of 2022.
    • The spacecraft will deploy the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen-based propulsion system that will give Orion the thrust needed to leave the earth’s orbit and travel towards the moon.
    • On its way to the moon, Orion will be propelled by a service module provided by the European Space Agency (ESA).
    • The spacecraft will communicate with the control centre back on Earth through the deep-space network.
    • It will fly around 100 km above the surface of the moon and use its gravitational pull to propel Orion into an opposite deep orbit around 70,000 km from the moon, where it will stay for approximately six days.

    What are the future missions in the Artemis programme?

    • The second flight under the programme will have crew on board and will test Orion’s critical systems with humans onboard.
    • Eventually, the learnings from the Artemis programme will be utilised to send the first astronauts to Mars.
    • NASA plans on using the lunar orbit to gain the necessary experience to extend human exploration of space farther into the solar system.

     

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  • Abel Prize awarded to American Mathematician

    The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has awarded the Abel prize for the year 2022 to American Mathematician Dennis Parnell Sullivan, for his contributions to topology in its broadest sense, and in particular its algebraic, geometric and dynamical aspects.

    Abel Prize

    • The Abel Prize is a prize awarded annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians.
    • It is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802–1829) and directly modeled after the Nobel Prizes.
    • It comes with a monetary award of 7.5 million Norwegian kroner (NOK) (increased from 6 million NOK in 2019).
    • Its establishment was proposed by the Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie when he learned that Alfred Nobel’s plans for annual prizes would not include a prize in mathematics.
    • The laureates are selected by the Abel Committee, the members of which are appointed by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

    Has any Indian won this prestigious prize?

    • R. Srinivasa Varadhan, an Indian-American citizen won the Abel Prize in the year 2007 for his valuable contribution in “probability theory and in particular for creating a unified theory of large deviation”.

     

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  • Prelims Spotlight: Important Policies and Schemes Regarding Education

    Dear Aspirants,

    This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2022.

    You can check the broad timetable of Nikaalo Prelims here

    Session Details

    Morning 12 PM  – Prelims Spotlight Session

    Evening 06:30  PM  – TIKDAM/MCQs Session

    Evening 08 PM  – Tests on Alternate Days

    Join our Official telegram channel for Study material and Daily Sessions Here

    24th Mar 2022

    The National Education Policy, 2020

    • It marks the fourth major policy initiative in education since Independence.
    • The last one has undertaken a good 34 years ago and modified in 1992.
    • Based on two committee reports and extensive nationwide consultations, NEP 2020 is sweeping in its vision and seeks to address the entire gamut of education from preschool to doctoral studies, and from professional degrees to vocational training

      Features of the 2020 policy:

    • The policy raises the importance of mother tongue and regional languages along with that no language will be imposed on the students.
    • The “10 + 2” structure will be replaced with “5+3+3+4”.
    • Board exams will be continued to be held for classes 10 and 12 but will be re-designed. Standards for this will be established by an assessment body PARAKH.
    • The Midday Meal Scheme will be extended to include breakfasts.
    • A Higher Education Council of India (HECI) will be set up to regulate higher education. The Council’s goal will be to increase the gross enrollment ratio.
    • To become a teacher, a 4 year Bachelor of Education will be the minimum requirement needed by 2030.
      Read in detail here

    1. SHREYAS Scheme: Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skill (SHREYAS)

    Launched by- Ministry of Human Resource Development

    Important objectives-

    • Improve employability: The scheme aims to improve the employability of introducing employment relevance to the learning process of higher education.
    • Linking education with industry: Close link between education and industry/service sector.
    • Establishing earn while you learn the system into education

    Operation of the scheme-

    • It will be operated in conjunction with the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme.
    • The scheme will be implemented by the Sector Skill Council.

    2.  NEAT Scheme- National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) 

    Launched by- Ministry of Human Resource Development

    Objective- Objective is to use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more personalised and customised as per the requirements of the learner.

    • It is a PPP based scheme.
    • MHRD would act as a facilitator to ensure that the solutions are freely available to a large number of economically backward students.
    • MHRD would create and maintain a National NEAT platform that would provide one-stop access to these technological solutions.
    • EdTech companies would be responsible for developing solutions and manage the registration of learners through the NEAT portal.

    3. EQUIP- ‘Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP)’

    • It is a Five-year vision plan, finalised and released by HRD Ministry.
    • The ten Expert Groups have suggested more than 50 initiatives that would transform the higher education sector completely.
    • The groups have suggested 10 goals for the higher education sector.
    • Key Goals are-
      • Double the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education and resolve the geographically and socially skewed access to higher education institutions in India.
      • Position at least 50 Indian institutions among the top-1000 global universities.
      • Double the employability of the students passing out of higher education
      • Achieve a quantum increase in investment in higher education.

      Important Initiatives launched in 2019-

    • DHRUV- The Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme –
      • DHRUV has been started by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India to identify and encourage talented children to enrich their skills and knowledge.
      • In centres of excellence across the country, gifted children will be mentored and nurtured by renowned experts in different areas, so that they can reach their full potential.
      • The program aims to cover two areas namely Science and Arts.
      • The program is to be launched from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
    • NISHTHA- National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement.
      • Its aim is to build capacities of 42 Lakh government teachers across the country.
      • The basic objective of this massive training programme ‘NISHTHA’ is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.
    • PARAMARSH- Paramarsh’ for Mentoring NAAC Accreditation Aspirant Institutions to promote Quality Assurance in Higher Education
      • The scheme will be operationalized through a “Hub & Spoke” model wherein the Mentor Institution, called the “Hub” is centralized and will have the responsibility of guiding the Mentee institution through the secondary branches the “Spoke”.
    • SHAGUN– Union HRD Minister launches Integrated Online junction for School Education ‘Shagun’
      • It is one of the world’s largest Integrated Online Junction for – School Education.
      • It is an over-arching initiative to improve the school education system by creating a junction for all online portals and websites relating to various activities of the Department of School Education and Literacy in the Government of India and all States and Union Territories.
    • UDISE+ Unified District Information System for Education Plus – To ensure quality, credibility and timely availability of information from all the schools in the country.

    4. RISE– Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Higher Education (RISE).

    • Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) scope was expanded to meet the rising financial requirements of educational infrastructure in the country
    • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal for expanding the scope of Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) by enhancing its capital base to Rs. 10,000 crore and tasking it to mobilise Rs. 1,00,000 crore for Revitalizing Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022.
    • The CCEA has also approved that the modalities for raising money from the market through Government guaranteed bonds and commercial borrowings.
    • In order to expand this facility to all institutions, especially to the institutions set up after 2014, Central Universities which have very little internal resources, and the school education/health education infrastructure like AllMSs, Kendriya Vidyalayas, the CCEA has approved five windows for financing under HEFA.

    5. IMPRESS- Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences

    • Under the Scheme, 1500 research projects will be awarded for 2 years to support the social science research in the higher educational institutions and to enable research to guide policymaking.
    • The broad objective is to identify and fund research proposals in social sciences with maximum impact on governance and society.

    6. SPARC- Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration.

    • SPARC scheme aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.
    • At a total cost of Rs.418 Cr for implementation up to 31.3.2020 and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur is the National Coordinating Institute to implement the SPARC programme.
    • Only such Indian institutes can apply which are in top 100 NIRF ranking or top 100 NIRF subject ranking.

     7. LEAP-Leadership for Academicians Programme

    • It is a flagship leadership development training programme.
    • It is a three weeks Flagship leadership development training programme (2 weeks domestic and one-week foreign training) for second level academic functionaries in public-funded higher education institutions.
    • The implementation of LEAP Programme will be through 15 NIRF top-ranked Indian Institutions.

    8. ARPIT- Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT)

    • It is a major and unique initiative of online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty using the MOOCs platform SWAYAM.
    • For implementing ARPIT, 75 discipline-specific institutions have been identified and notified as National Resource Centres (NRCs) in the first phase.

    9. Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram- It is a first of its kind portal for students seeking Education Loan.

    • A fully IT-based Student Financial Aid Authority has been proposed through the ‘Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram.
    • This initiative aims to bring on board all Banks providing Educational Loans.

    10. Institutes of Eminence Scheme-

    • The aim of the scheme is to bring higher educational institutions selected as IoEs in top 500 of the world ranking in the next 10 years and in top 100 eventually overtime.
    • The salient features are available in the UGC Guidelines and the UGC Regulations under which greater autonomy viz.
      • To admit foreign students up to 30% of admitted students.
      • To recruit foreign faculty up to 25% of faculty strength.
      • To offer online courses up to 20% of its programmes; to enter into academic collaboration with top 500 in the world ranking Institutions without permission of UGC.
      • Free to fix and charge fees from foreign students without restriction.
      • The flexibility of course structure in terms of a number of credit hours and years to take a degree; complete flexibility in fixing of curriculum and syllabus, etc. has been provided to IoEs.
    • Each Public Institution selected as IoE will be provided financial assistance up to Rs. 1000 Cr over a period of five years.
    • The private institution will not be given any funds.

    11. Samagra Shiksha Scheme–

    • The scheme is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.
    • It envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels and subsumes the three erstwhile centrally sponsored schemes- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education(TE).
    • Bridging gender and social category gaps at all levels of school education is one of the major objectives of the scheme.
    • The scheme reaches out to girls and children belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), minority communities and transgender.
    • The Samagra Shiksha scheme supports States for a strengthening of school infrastructure including in rural areas.
    • The scheme provides for the infrastructural strengthening of existing government schools based on the gaps determined by Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) and proposals received from respective States/UTs.

    12. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan-

    • Universalizing elementary education across the countryRashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan, Vidhyanjali, PBBB.
    • Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with State Governments for universalizing elementary education across the country. Its overall goals include universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps in education and enhancement of learning levels of children.
    • SSA provides for a variety of interventions, including inter alia, the opening of new schools, construction of schools and additional classrooms, toilets and drinking water, provisioning for teachers, periodic teacher training and academic resource support, textbooks and support for learning achievement. These provisions are made in accordance with norms and standards and free entitlements as mandated by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. 

    13. Rashtriya Madhyamic Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)-

    • It aims to raise the minimum level of education to class X and universalize access to secondary education.
    • To ensure good-quality secondary education with a focus on Science, Mathematics and English; and
    • To reduce the gender, social and regional gaps in enrolments, dropouts and improving retention.
    • To make sure that the secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers, etc. Important physical facilities are provided which include, (i) additional classrooms, (ii) laboratories, (iii) libraries, (iv)art and crafts room, (v) toilet blocks, (vi) drinking water provisions, (vii) electricity / telephone/internet connectivity and (viii) disabled-friendly provisions. Improvement in quality through, (i) appointment of additional teachers to improve PTR (ii) in-service training of teachers, (iii) ICT enabled education, (iv)curriculum reforms and (v) teaching learning reforms. Equity aspects addressed through (i) special focus in micro-planning, (ii) preference to areas with concentration of SC/ST/minority for opening of schools, (iii) special enrolment drive for the weaker section, (iv more female teachers in schools and (v) separate toilet blocks for girls. 

    14. Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)-

    • It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013. It aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions based on their progress.
    • The key objectives of RUSA are to improve access, equity and quality in higher education through planned development of higher education at the state level.
    • The central funding (in the ratio of 60:40 for general category States, 90:10 for special category states and 100% for union territories) would be norm based and outcome dependent.
    • The funding flows from the central ministry through the state governments/union territories to the State Higher Education Councils before reaching the identified institutions.

     15. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA)-

    • It aims at-
      • Building institutional capacity in Institutes of higher education in research & training relevant to the needs of rural India.
      • As a flagship programme of the Ministry of HRD, it aims to link the Higher Education Institutions with a set of at least (5) villages, so that these institutions can contribute to the economic and social betterment of these village communities using their knowledge base.
      • Provide rural India with professional resource support from institutes of higher education, especially those which have acquired academic excellence in the field of Science, Engineering & Technology and Management.
    • The UBA 2.0 was officially launched on 25th April, 2018

    16. SWAYAM-

    • Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds is an indigenous IT platform for hosting the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
    • SWAYAM is designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality.
    • It targets those students who could not complete their studies and professionals who wish to upgrade their knowledge.
    • This is done through an indigenous developed IT platform that facilitates hosting of all the courses, taught in classrooms from 9th class till post-graduation to be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time.

    17. Saksham Scholarship Scheme-

    • The scheme was launched in 2014-15, with the objective of encouraging economically weaker differently-abled students to pursue technical education at Diploma and Degree levels.
    • The scholarship amount of Rs.30,000 is provided towards tuition fee reimbursement and Rs.20000 as contingency allowance for 1000 persons/annum.

    18. Swayam Prabha-

    • The SWAYAM PRABHA is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting of high-quality educational programmes on a 24X7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite.
    • Every day, there will be new content for at least (4) hours which would be repeated 5 more times in a day, allowing the students to choose the time of their convenience.
    • Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous Inter-University Centre (IUC) of UGC maintains the web portal.
    • The DTH Channels shall cover the following:
      • Higher Education.
      • School education (9-12 levels)
      • Curriculum-based courses that can meet the needs of life-long learners of Indian citizens in India and abroad.
      • Assist students (class 11th & 12th) prepare for competitive exams.

    19.Shala Darpan Portal-

    • It is an E-Governance school automation and management system for Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS).
    • This portal has been developed for information sharing and knowledge dissemination for employees and students across schools and offices of NVS.

    20. All School Monitoring Individual Tracing Analysis (ASMITA)-

    • Shala Asmita Yojana (SAY) aims to track the educational journey of close to 25 crore school students from Class I to Class XII across 15 lakh schools in the country.
    • Students will be tracked through their Aadhaar numbers and incase those not having a unique number will be provided with it.
    • This online database will carry information about student attendance and enrolment, mid-day meal service, learning outcomes and infrastructural facilities, among other things, on one platform for both private and government schools. 

    21. Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN)-

    • It is intended to enlarge and deepen the interface of India’s institutions of higher learning and globally recognised institutions of academic eminence.
    • Under it, faculty from highly rated institutions abroad will visit India, interact and partner with their counterparts and with students, and deliver specialised courses. 

    22. IMPRINT India-

    • It is MHRD supported Pan-IIT + IISc joint initiative to address the major science and engineering challenges that India must address and champion to enable, empower and embolden the nation for inclusive growth and self-reliance.
    • This novel initiative with a twofold mandate is aimed at:
      • Developing new engineering education policy.
      • Creating a road map to pursue engineering challenges
    • IMPRINT provides the overarching vision that guides research into areas that are predominantly socially relevant.

    23. Ishan Uday and Ishan Vikas-

    • Ishan Vikas and Ishan Uday schemes are being implemented for the students of the North-Eastern region.
    • Ishan Vikas is coordinated by IIT, Guwahati.
    • Under it selected school children from the North Eastern States  are  brought in close contact with the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and  National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) during the vacation period
    • Ishan Uday Scholarship Scheme is administered by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Under the scheme, the scholarship is provided to the economically backward students from the North East Region for pursuing general degree courses, technical and professional degree courses.
    • It is envisaged to provide 10000 scholarships annually.

    24. Shodhganga-

    • It is the repository developed to contain an electronic copy of all M.Phil/PhD thesis to make it accessible to all institutions.
    • The task of setting-up of this repository is assigned to Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an interuniversity centre of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
    • It also provides access to Indian theses and dissertations in open access to the worldwide academic community and making visibility of Indian research to other countries.

    25. Vidya Virta Abhiyan-

    • It is to encourage varsities to display portraits of Param Veer Chakra-decorated soldiers.
    • The objective is to instil a sense of nationalism and patriotism among the students
    • Universities and educational institutions across the country will have a wall of heroes, depicting portraits of soldiers who showed extraordinary courage in defending the nation.

    26. Diksha Portal-

    • HRD ministry has launched Diksha Portal (diksha.gov.in) for providing a digital platform to a teacher to make their lifestyle more digital.
    • It will serve as National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers.
    • Diksha portal will enable, accelerate and amplify solutions in the realm of teacher education. It will aid teachers to learn and train themselves for which assessment resources will be available.

    27. Margadarshan-

    • The scheme aims to provide mentoring to institutes by a well-performing Institute.
    • Institutions of repute will act as a mentor with its existing facilities to serve as the hub to guide and disperse knowledge to 10 technical institutions.
    • It is under the purview of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a national-level apex advisory body under the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
    • Mentor institute also provides services to faculty for self-improvement.
    • Government-owned, aided and self-financed institutes and universities approved by AICTE can participate.

    28. JIGYASA-

    • It is a student- scientist connect programme by the Ministry of HRD and Ministry of S&T.
    • It focuses on connecting school students and scientists so as to extend student‘s classroom learning to research laboratory based learning by visiting CSIR laboratories and by participating in mini-science projects.
    • CSIR and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) are collaborating to implement this programme.

    29. Maitreyi Yatra-

    • It is an exclusive student exchange programme for J&K organized by Ministry of Human Resource development.
    • It provides a good opportunity for the youth of J&K to be acquainted with culture, language and development story of different parts of the country.

    30. Madhyamik and Ucchatar Shiksha Kosh (MUSK)-

    • It is a non-lapsable pool in the Public Account for secondary and higher, education known as “Madhyamik and Uchchtar Shiksha Kosh” (MUSK) into which all proceeds of “Secondary and Higher Education Cess” will be credited.
    • The funds arising from the MUSK would be utilized for schemes in the education sector which would be available for the benefit of students of secondary and higher education, all over the country.
    • The MUSK would be maintained as a Reserve Fund in the non-interest bearing section of the Public Accounts of India.
    • The major benefit will be enhancing access to secondary and higher education through the availability of adequate resources while ensuring that the amount does not lapse at the end of the financial year.

  • [Yojana Archive] Reinventing Teachers’ Education

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    Context

    • The National Education Policy’s stated goal is to reinstate teachers as the most respected members of our society.

    Evolution of Teacher Education

    (a) Colonial Period

    • The current style of schooling and teaching emerged during the British rule in India.
    • This system focused on a behaviourist paradigm where education was concerned with preparing students to be disciplined, English-speaking clerks, to submissively execute the tasks of the British administration.
    • It prepared teachers too as mechanics mainly concerned with classroom teaching.

    (b) Post-independence

    • There has been a slow paradigm shift in the system of teacher education in India, with the successful introduction of National Curriculum Framework (NCF)-2005, National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE) 2009, and Right to Education Act (RTE), 2009.
    • The Justice Verma Commission in 2012 also stressed upon the need to improve the quality of pre-service and in-service teacher education.
    • In 2014, the erstwhile Ministry of Human and Resource Development (MHRD) restructured its B Ed. programme by doubling the duration of the programme to two years.
    • The new teacher education curriculum, designed by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) introduced several changes in the curriculum.

    Need for reinventing Teacher Education

    • In order to develop 21st-century skills like critical thinking – it is important for educators to develop skills like analysis, evaluation skills.
    • There is a need to imbibe skills amongst students like communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration which we value as 21st-century skills.
    • Students now do not rely solely on textbook information for their learning and they are far more aware.
    • So, the educator here needs to go beyond the textbook.
    • Educators need to command more respect by bringing in more professionalism in the way they deal with students and parents, control and manage the classroom environment.

    Challenges to Teachers’ Education

    • Poor training: The present system of training and recruitment is churning ill-equipped and poorly trained teachers.
    • Lack of regulations: Mushrooming of colleges providing B Ed courses with no proper regulatory oversight.
    • Directionlessness: Teacher Education Institutions have been working in isolation from rest of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
    • Non-retention of Youth: There has been no system to ensure only motivated and meritorious individuals select teaching as a profession.

    Teacher Education Post NEP- 2020

    • Recognising the power of teacher, NEP 2020 has put in place systemic reforms that would help teaching emerge as an attractive profession of choice for bright and talented young minds.
    • It has put in place different interventions like:
    • Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP)
    • National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST)
    • National Mission for Mentoring (NMM)
    • At least 50 hours of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for every teacher in a year
    • Eligibility requirement:  The four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), a dual-major holistic bachelor’s degree programme offering B.A., B.Ed/B. Sc., B. Ed., and B.Com. B.Ed, will be the minimum entry requirement for teachers.

    Key features

    • Multi-disciplinary approach: All stand-alone Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs) will be required to transform to multidisciplinary institutions by 2030.
    • Professional Standards: The roll out of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) is a continuum in teacher education so far as it would cover expectations for the role of teacher at different levels of expertise/experience at different stages of his/her career, and the competencies required for that stage.
    • Mentoring:  National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) for schools will be operationalized by NCTE by creating a large pool of outstanding senior/retired faculty as potential mentors for mentees (school teachers, Principals, teacher educators, etc.)
    • Focus on continuous learning:  NEP, 2020 envisages each teacher to undergo at least 50 hours of CPD per year.
    • NISHHA:  NCERT has initiated the NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement) integrated training programme. It is an online programme for different stages of school education– Teachers, Head Teachers/Principals, and other stakeholders in Educational Management and Administration.

    Conclusion

    • The multipronged approach adopted by NEP, 2020 is likely to revitalise the teacher education, allow bright students to opt for ITEP as a matter of choice rather than by chance.
    • Interventions like NPST, NMM, CPD, etc. contribute to qualitative changes in teachers’ pedagogic transaction.
    • Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had said “Enlightened citizenship has three components: education with value system, religion transforming into spiritual force, and creating economic prosperity through development”.
    • We repose faith in our teachers to become torch-bearers for the young generation and shape India’s development and sustained progress in the right direction.

  • Indian Legislative Service

    Context

    The appointment of Dr. P.P.K. Ramacharyulu as the Secretary-General of the Upper House by M. Venkaiah Naidu, Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, on September 1, 2021, was news that drew much attention. Ramacharyulu was the first-ever Rajya Sabha secretariat staff who rose to become the Secretary-General of the Upper House.

    Responsibilities and role of Secretaries-General of both the Houses

    • Secretaries-General of both the Houses are mandated with many parliamentary and administrative responsibilities.
    • Privileges: The Secretary-General also enjoys certain privileges such as freedom from arrest, immunity from criminal proceedings, and any obstruction and breach of their rights would amount to contempt of the House.

    Principle of secretariate independent of executive government

    • Article 98 of the Constitution provides the scope of separate secretariats for the two Houses of Parliament.
    • The principle, hence, laid in the Article is that the secretariats should be independent of the executive government. 

    Issues with appointing civil servant

    • A separate secretariat marks a feature of a functioning parliamentary democracy.
    • Against the principle of independence: Serving civil servants or those who are retired come with long-held baggage and the clout of their past career.
    • When civil servants are hired to the post of Secretary-General, this not only dishonours the purpose of ensuring the independence of the Secretariat but also leads to a conflict of interests.
    • Against the principle of separation of power: It breaches the principle of separation of power.
    • The officials mandated with exercising one area of power may not expect to exercise the others.
    • Lack of expertise: One of the prerequisites that demand the post of the Secretary-General is unfailing knowledge and vast experience of parliamentary procedures, practices and precedents.
    • Most of the civil servants lack precisely this aspect of expertise.

    Way forward: All-India service

    • There are thousands of legislative bodies in India, ranging from the panchayat, block panchayat, zila parishad, municipal corporations to State legislatures and Union Parliament at the national level.
    • Despite these mammoth law-making bodies, they lack their own common public recruiting and training agency at the national level.
    • Ensuring competent and robust legislative institutions demands having qualified and well-trained staff in place.
    • The growth of modern government and expansion of governmental activities require a matching development and laborious legislative exercise.
    • Creating a common all-India service cadre — an Indian Legislative Service — is a must.
    • The Rajya Sabha can, under Article 312, pass a resolution to this effect.
    • In the United Kingdom, the Clerk of the House of Commons has always been appointed from the legislative staff pool created to serve Parliament.
    • It is high time that India adapts and adopts such democratic institutional practices.

    Conclusion

    A common service can build a combined and experienced legislative staff cadre, enabling them to serve from across local bodies to Union Parliament.

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    Aspirants who generally have no problem with subjects like History, Polity, Art and Culture and Current Affairs, falter when it comes to Geography. This is because, Geography is a technical subject and one gets confused on what to read and what to give a miss.

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