National Mission for Clean Ganga is not limited to the ‘Nirmalta’ and ‘Aviralta’ of the Ganga, it is also working on Arth Ganga to develop a sustainable socioeconomic zone around the Ganga and its tributaries, which will give a boost to the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ campaign Posted On: 29 JUL 2020 6:43PM by PIB Delhi
This year the Namami Gange project has been included in the prestigious ‘Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2020’. Interacting with the District Magistrates (DMs) of Uttar Pradesh and senior officials associated with the District Ganga Committees through video conferencing, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) asked them to submit their nominations for this year's Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration.
"There is a good opportunity for Uttar Pradesh to present the achievement of Ganga cleanliness, it will encourage the work of river sanitation across the country", said Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra. He went on to say that economic activities are also benefiting from the efforts of the 26 District Ganga Committees of Uttar Pradesh. These Committees work at the district level in collaboration with local residents for the cleanliness and rejuvenation of Ganga. After their constitution, there has been a big change in the cleanliness of the Ganga and in the rejuvenation efforts. Organic farming and development of biological diversity along the banks of the Ganga will increase the means of employment at the local level.
According to Shri Mishra, various units of Namami Gange continued to operate even during the lockdown, which has resulted in better results than expected. After completing a series of meetings with the District Ganga Committees of Uttar Pradesh, he said, "The objective of the National Mission for Clean Ganga is not limited only to the ‘Nirmalta’ and ‘Aviralta’ of the Ganga, we are also working on the contours of Arth Ganga so that a sustainable socioeconomic zone is developed around the Ganga and its tributaries, which will give a boost to the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ campaign.”
In the past, the success of Ganga Yatra and Ganga Aamantran Abhiyan has brought awareness among the people, due to which now public participation is increasing not only in the areas along the Ganga but also in the cleanliness of other rivers. The migrant workers returning home during the lockdown were linked to the renovation of river-ponds through the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), benefiting local economy and preserving natural sources for storing monsoon water.
Apart from this, work is being initiated in Moradabad with IIT Kanpur and WWF to develop the biodiversity of the area. In the districts of Hardoi, Bijnor, Meerut etc., many species of turtles are now being conserved and promoted. The hatching has been successfully done for the first time by improving the tortoise pond in Hardoi. Survey continues for Wetlands in Rae Bareli. The Ganga banks are becoming encroachment free. Plantation drives are also an important component of this plan. Forests along the Ganga will be developed by planting saplings in all districts. In Kasganj, 3.5 lakh saplings have been planted on three hundred hectares of land this year under this scheme.
All the District Collectors involved in the meeting gave details of the activities taking place in their district. It was decided to include Namami Gange in the ‘Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2020’ at the National Ganga Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kanpur on December 14, 2019. District- wise details will be sent to NMCG for nomination. Applications have to be filed before August 15. The awards will be distributed on the occasion of the Civil Services Day.
Now flow in Karnavati will remain throughout the year: The Namami Gange project includes cleanliness and renovation of tributaries of the Ganges. Due to renovation of the river Karnavati, a tributary of Ganga in Mirzapur district, it will now flow throughout the year. The socio-economic model being implemented will greatly benefit areas along the banks of Karnavati. At the same time, the Sai river of Hardoi district which meets Gomti has been revived with the help of migrant workers. On the same lines, the old Ganga has been renovated at Kasganj and Farrukhabad.
Migrant laborers got work and protected water resources: Migrant workers were engaged in conservation of natural water sources during the period of lockdown, especially in the areas of District Ganga Samiti including Varanasi, Kanpur, Bijnor. Small rivers and ponds have benefited from this. Kachla Ghat will be developed at Badaun.
Along with dolphin protection, prosperity of the farmers increases: Under the Namami Gange programme, farmers of Fatehpur district are being given special training in organic farming. The region is also known for the Ganges dolphin so the dolphin conservation work is also progressing through a special project.
New Policy aims for Universalization of Education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 % GER in school education by 2030
NEP 2020 will bring 2 crore out of school children back into the main stream
New 5+3+3+4 school curriculum with 12 years of schooling and 3 years of Anganwadi/ Pre-schooling Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no rigid separation between academic streams, extracurricular, vocational streams in schools ; Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships
Teaching upto at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/ regional language Assessment reforms with 360 degree Holistic Progress Card, tracking Student Progress for achieving Learning Outcomes
GER in higher education to be raised to 50 % by 2035 ; 3.5 crore seats to be added in higher education Higher Education curriculum to have Flexibility of Subjects Multiple Entry / Exit to be allowed with appropriate certification Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate Transfer of Credits
National Research Foundation to be established to foster a strong research culture Light but Tight Regulation of Higher Education, single regulator with four separate verticals for different functions
Affiliation System to be phased out in 15 years with graded autonomy to colleges NEP 2020 advocates increased use of technology with equity; National Educational Technology Forum to be created
NEP 2020 emphasizes setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund, Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups New Policy promotes Multilingualism in both schools and HEs; National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit , Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the National Education Policy 2020 today, making way for large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors. This is the first education policy of the 21st century and replaces the thirty-four year old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986. Built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability, this policy is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to 21st century needs and aimed at bringing out the unique capabilities of each student.
Important Highlights School Education Ensuring Universal Access at all levels of school education NEP 2020 emphasizes on ensuring universal access to school education at all levels- pre school to secondary. Infrastructure support, innovative education centres to bring back dropouts into the mainstream, tracking of students and their learning levels, facilitating multiple pathways to learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes, association of counselors or well-trained social workers with schools, open learning for classes3,5 and 8 through NIOS and State Open Schools, secondary education programs equivalent to Grades 10 and 12, vocational courses, adult literacy and life-enrichment programs are some of the proposed ways for achieving this. About 2 crore out of school children will be brought back into main stream under NEP 2020.
Early Childhood Care & Education with new Curricular and Pedagogical Structure With emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education, the 10+2 structure of school curricula is to be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively. This will bring the hitherto uncovered age group of 3-6 years under school curriculum, which has been recognized globally as the crucial stage for development of mental faculties of a child. The new system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre schooling.
NCERT will develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 . ECCE will be delivered through a significantly expanded and strengthened system of institutions including Anganwadis and pre-schools that will have teachers and Anganwadi workers trained in the ECCE pedagogy and curriculum. The planning and implementation of ECCE will be carried out jointly by the Ministries of HRD, Women and Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare (HFW), and Tribal Affairs.
Attaining Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Recognizing Foundational Literacy and Numeracy as an urgent and necessary prerequisite to learning, NEP 2020 calls for setting up of a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by MHRD. States will prepare an implementation plan for attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy in all primary schools for all learners by grade 3 by 2025.A National Book Promotion Policy is to be formulated.
Reforms in school curricula and pedagogy The school curricula and pedagogy will aim for holistic development of learners by equipping them with the key 21st century skills, reduction in curricular content to enhance essential learning and critical thinking and greater focus on experiential learning. Students will have increased flexibility and choice of subjects. There will be no rigid separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams.
Vocational education will start in schools from the 6th grade, and will include internships. A new and comprehensive National Curricular Framework for School Education, NCFSE 2020-21, will be developed by the NCERT. Multilingualism and the power of language
The policy has emphasized mother tongue/local language/regional language as the medium of instruction at least till Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond. Sanskrit to be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an option for students, including in the three-language formula. Other classical languages and literatures of India also to be available as options. No language will be imposed on any student. Students to participate in a fun project/activity on ‘The Languages of India’, sometime in Grades 6-8, such as, under the ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ initiative. Several foreign languages will also be offered at the secondary level. Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardized across the country, and National and State curriculum materials developed, for use by students with hearing impairment.
Assessment Reforms NEP 2020 envisages a shift from summative assessment to regular and formative assessment, which is more competency-based, promotes learning and development, and tests higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity. All students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 which will be conducted by the appropriate authority. Board exams for Grades 10 and 12 will be continued, but redesigned with holistic development as the aim. A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), will be set up as a standard-setting body .
Equitable and Inclusive Education NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses any opportunity to learn and excel because of the circumstances of birth or background. Special emphasis will be given on Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups(SEDGs) which include gender, socio-cultural, and geographical identities and disabilities. This includes setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund and also Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups.
Children with disabilities will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education, with support of educators with cross disability training, resource centres, accommodations, assistive devices, appropriate technology-based tools and other support mechanisms tailored to suit their needs. Every state/district will be encouraged to establish “Bal Bhavans” as a special daytime boarding school, to participate in art-related, career-related, and play-related activities. Free school infrastructure can be used as Samajik Chetna Kendras
Robust Teacher Recruitment and Career Path Teachers will be recruited through robust, transparent processes. Promotions will be merit-based, with a mechanism for multi-source periodic performance appraisals and available progression paths to become educational administrators or teacher educators. A common National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by the National Council for Teacher Education by 2022, in consultation with NCERT, SCERTs, teachers and expert organizations from across levels and regions.
School Governance Schools can be organized into complexes or clusters which will be the basic unit of governance and ensure availability of all resources including infrastructure, academic libraries and a strong professional teacher community.
Standard-setting and Accreditation for School Education NEP 2020 envisages clear, separate systems for policy making, regulation, operations and academic matters. States/UTs will set up independent State School Standards Authority (SSSA). Transparent public self-disclosure of all the basic regulatory information, as laid down by the SSSA, will be used extensively for public oversight and accountability. The SCERT will develop a School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAAF) through consultations with all stakeholders.
Higher Education Increase GER to 50 % by 2035 NEP 2020 aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035. 3.5 Crore new seats will be added to Higher education institutions.
Holistic Multidisciplinary Education The policy envisages broad based, multi-disciplinary, holistic Under Graduate education with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education and multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification. UG education can be of 3 or 4 years with multiple exit options and appropriate certification within this period. For example, Certificate after 1 year, Advanced Diploma after 2 years, Bachelor’s Degree after 3 years and Bachelor’s with Research after 4 years.
An Academic Bank of Credit is to be established for digitally storing academic credits earned from different HEIs so that these can be transferred and counted towards final degree earned.
Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs), at par with IITs, IIMs, to be set up as models of best multidisciplinary education of global standards in the country.
The National Research Foundation will be created as an apex body for fostering a strong research culture and building research capacity across higher education.
Regulation Higher Education Commission of India(HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body the for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. HECI to have four independent verticals - National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation, General Education Council (GEC ) for standard setting, Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding, and National Accreditation Council( NAC) for accreditation.
HECI will function through faceless intervention through technology, & will have powers to penalise HEIs not conforming to norms and standards. Public and private higher education institutions will be governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards.
Rationalised Institutional Architecture Higher education institutions will be transformed into large, well resourced, vibrant multidisciplinary institutions providing high quality teaching, research, and community engagement. The definition of university will allow a spectrum of institutions that range from Research-intensive Universities to Teaching-intensive Universities and Autonomous degree-granting Colleges.
Affiliation of colleges is to be phased out in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism is to be established for granting graded autonomy to colleges. Over a period of time, it is envisaged that every college would develop into either an Autonomous degree-granting College, or a constituent college of a university.
Motivated, Energized, and Capable Faculty NEP makes recommendations for motivating, energizing, and building capacity of faculty thorugh clearly defined, independent, transparent recruitment , freedom to design curricula/pedagogy, incentivising excellence, movement into institutional leadership. Faculty not delivering on basic norms will be held accountable
Teacher Education A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT. By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. degree .Stringent action will be taken against substandard stand-alone Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs).
Mentoring Mission A National Mission for Mentoring will be established, with a large pool of outstanding senior/retired faculty – including those with the ability to teach in Indian languages – who would be willing to provide short and long-term mentoring/professional support to university/college teachers.
Financial support for students Efforts will be made to incentivize the merit of students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and other SEDGs. The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to support, foster, and track the progress of students receiving scholarships. Private HEIs will be encouraged to offer larger numbers of free ships and scholarships to their students.
Open and Distance Learning This will be expanded to play a significant role in increasing GER. Measures such as online courses and digital repositories, funding for research, improved student services, credit-based recognition of MOOCs, etc., will be taken to ensure it is at par with the highest quality in-class programmes.
Online Education and Digital Education: A comprehensive set of recommendations for promoting online education consequent to the recent rise in epidemics and pandemics in order to ensure preparedness with alternative modes of quality education whenever and wherever traditional and in-person modes of education are not possible, has been covered. A dedicated unit for the purpose of orchestrating the building of digital infrastructure, digital content and capacity building will be created in the MHRD to look after the e-education needs of both school and higher education.
Technology in education An autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), will be created to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, administration. Appropriate integration of technology into all levels of education will be done to improve classroom processes, support teacher professional development, enhance educational access for disadvantaged groups and streamline educational planning, administration and management
Promotion of Indian languages To ensure the preservation, growth, and vibrancy of all Indian languages, NEP recommends setting an Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI), National Institute (or Institutes) for Pali, Persian and Prakrit, strengthening of Sanskrit and all language departments in HEIs, and use mother tongue/local language as a medium of instruction in more HEI programmes .
Internationalization of education will be facilitated through both institutional collaborations, and student and faculty mobility and allowing entry of top world ranked Universities to open campuses in our country.
Professional Education All professional education will be an integral part of the higher education system. Stand-alone technical universities, health science universities, legal and agricultural universities etc will aim to become multi-disciplinary institutions.
Adult Education Policy aims to achieve 100% youth and adult literacy.
Financing Education The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
Unprecedented Consultations NEP 2020 has been formulated after an unprecedented process of consultation that involved nearly over 2 lakh suggestions from 2.5 lakhs Gram Panchayats, 6600 Blocks, 6000 ULBs, 676 Districts. The MHRD initiated an unprecedented collaborative, inclusive, and highly participatory consultation process from January 2015.
In May 2016, ‘Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy’ under the Chairmanship of Late Shri T.S.R. Subramanian, Former Cabinet Secretary, submitted its report. Based on this, the Ministry prepared ‘Some Inputs for the Draft National Education Policy, 2016’.
In June 2017 a ‘Committee for the Draft National Education Policy’ was constituted under the Chairmanship of eminent scientist Padma Vibhushan, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, which submitted the Draft National Education Policy, 2019 to the Hon’ble Human Resource Development Minister on 31st May, 2019. The Draft National Education Policy 2019 was uploaded on MHRD’s website and at ‘MyGov Innovate’ portal eliciting views/suggestions/comments of stakeholders, including public.
First batch of 560MT Ammonium Sulphate, was flagged off from Eloor A total of 20 containers of Ammonium Sulphate will be dispatched to Haldia Port for distribution to the farmers in West Bengal
Posted On: 29 JUL 2020 3:51PM by PIB Delhi The Fertilizers & Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT), a PSU under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers has started using Coastal Shipping as a new mode of transport for the movement of fertilizers to East and the West Coast of the country.
Shri Kishor Rungta , CMD, FACT and Dr. Beena, IAS, Chairperson, Cochin Port Trust jointly flagged off the movement of the first batch of containers with 560 MT Ammonium Sulphate, in a function held at FACT Udyogamandal Complex, Eloor yesterday. The Ship “SSL Visakhapatnam” is expected to sail with this load on 30th July from Cochin Port.
A total of 20 containers of Ammonium Sulphate will be dispatched to Haldia Port for distribution to the farmers in West Bengal. FACT is getting active support of Cochin Port Trust in this endeavour. Fertilizers moved through costal shipping will be carried out further through Rail to reach the required destination.
Shri A K Mehera, Deputy Chairman, Cochin Port Trust,. Vipin R Menoth, Traffic Manager , Gautam Gupta, Advisor to CPT and Anil Raghavan, Chief General Manager (Marketing) of FACT were also present on this occasion.
They said shipping of fertilizers through sea route shall ease the pressure on movement of fertilizers by rail and road to a great extent, especially during the tough time of COVID- 19 pandemic. Coastal Shipping shall also help to ensure regular supplies to farmers in Coastal states.
First new education policy in 34 years has been brought out. The union Cabinet gave its nod to the new policy recently.
The aim of the National Education Policy 2020 is to create an education system which is deeply rooted in Indian ethos and can rebuild India as a global knowledge superpower, by providing high-quality education to all.
Background: A panel headed by former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan submitted a draft in December 2018, which was made public and opened for feedback after the Lok Sabha election in May 2019.
Highlights of the policy: Public spending on education by states, Centre to be raised to 6% of the GDP. Ministry of Human Resource Development to be renamed Minister of Education.
Digital Education- related: An autonomous body, the national educational technology forum, will be created for the exchange of ideas on use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning and administration. Separate technology unit to develop digital education resources. The new unit will coordinate digital infrastructure, content and capacity building.
Teacher Education- related: By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a four year integrated B.Ed. Teachers will also be given training in online educational methods relevant to the Indian situation in order to help bridge the digital divide.
School Education- related: Universalise the pre-primary education (age range of 3-6 years) by 2025. Universalization of Education from pre-school to secondary level with 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030. A new school curriculum with coding and vocational studies from class 6 will be introduced.
A child’s mother tongue will be used as the medium of instruction till class 5. A new curricular framework is to be introduced, including the preschool and Anganwadi years. A National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy will ensure basic skills at the class 3 level by 2025.
Board exams to be easier, redesigned. Exams will test core competencies rather than memorising facts, with all students allowed to take the exam twice. School governance is set to change, with a new accreditation framework and an independent authority to regulate both public and private schools.
Higher Education- related: Four year undergraduate degrees with multiple entry and exit options will be introduced. The Phil degree will be abolished. New umbrella regulator for all higher education except medical, legal courses.
An Academic Bank of Credit will be set up to make it easier to transfer between institutions. College affiliation system to be phased out in 15 years, so that every college develops into either an autonomous degree-granting institution, or a constituent college of a university.
It also aims to double the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education, including vocational education, from 26.3% in 2018 to 50% by 2035, with an additional 3.5 crore new seats.
Traditional knowledge- related: Indian knowledge systems, including tribal and indigenous knowledge, will be incorporated into the curriculum in an accurate and scientific manner.
Special focus: Regions such as aspirational districts, which have large number of students facing economic, social or caste barriers will be designated as ‘Special Educational Zones’.
The Centre will also set up a Gender Inclusion Fund to build the country’s capacity to provide equitable quality education to all girls and transgender students.
Financial support: Meritorious students belonging to SC, ST, OBC and other socially and economically disadvantaged groups will be given incentives.
New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure: The NEP proposes changing the existing 10+2 Curricular and Pedagogical Structure with 5+3+3+4 design covering the children in the age group 3-18 years. Under this — Five years of the Foundational Stage: 3 years of pre-primary school and Grades 1, 2;
Three years of the Preparatory (or Latter Primary) Stage: Grades 3, 4, 5; Three years of the Middle (or Upper Primary) Stage: Grades 6, 7, 8; Four years of the High (or Secondary) Stage: Grades 9, 10, 11, 12.
Challenges ahead: Since education is a concurrent subject most states have their own school boards. Therefore, state governments would have to be brought on board for actual implementation of this decision.
Context: A trust has been set up to build a mosque in Ayodhya, in line with the November 2019 order of the Supreme Court in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case.
The trust has been named the ‘Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation’. There will be 15 members on the trust.
What is this trust? Why has it been setup? On November 9, the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in the Babri Masjid case. It allowed the construction of a Ram temple at the site of the demolished Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, and ordered handing over another 5-acre plot to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board for the mosque. According, the Waqf Board has setup this trust.
About the trust: There will be 15 members on the trust. The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board will be the founder trustee of the trust, while the secretary of the trust will also function as the official spokesperson.
Functions of the trust: The trust will build the Mosque and other facilities for the benefit of general public.
It will provide community service to the local population, including medical and health facilities, community kitchen. It will act as a centre to promote and highlight the Indo-Islamic cultural influences in the Indian society through a research facility, a museum, a library and a publishing house.
Context: The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) recently published a survey report on antibiotic use in the dairy sector.
Concerns expressed: Antibiotics are extensively misused in the dairy sector and its residues remain largely untested in milk, which is an integral part of Indian diets, particularly of children.
Another pandemic-like situation — Antibiotic resistance fuelled by the way we are producing our food, which has become chemical-intensive, could become another pandemic- like situation.
Farmers often sell milk while the animal is under treatment, which increases the chances of antibiotic residues. While milk sold directly to consumers is not tested, contrary to what one would expect, processed milk sold in packets is also largely unchecked for antibiotic residues.
Why there is increased use of antibiotics? Farmers indiscriminately use antibiotics for diseases such as mastitis (infection/inflammation of the udder), a common ailment in dairy animals.
Often, these include critically important antibiotics (CIAs) for humans — the WHO has warned that they should be preserved in view of the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance.
The abused antibiotics — despite a law against it — are easily available without the prescription of a registered veterinarian and stocked at farms.
Background: India is the world’s largest milk producer — it produced a massive 188 million tonnes in 2018-19.
Urban areas consume 52% of it, and the unorganised sector, comprising milkmen and contractors, caters to 60% of this consumer base; The remaining demand is met by dairy cooperatives and private dairies which represent the organised sector.
What is Antimicrobial resistance? It is the ability of a microorganism (like bacteria, viruses, and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from working against it. As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.
Context: The independent experts on the Human Rights Committee have published a fresh interpretation of the right of peaceful assembly, offering comprehensive legal guidance about where and how it applies and also outlining governments’ obligations.
Background: The committee is tasked with monitoring how countries implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which under Article 21 guarantees the right to peaceful assembly.
What’s the issue? Authorities worldwide are grappling with swelling demonstrations over issues like political rights and racial justice. At some places, coercive forces are being used to suppress the voices of protesters.
Therefore, right to peaceful assembly has come into the spotlight. Supporters believe that protesting peacefully, online or in person, is a fundamental human right.
Important observations made by the Human Rights Committee: It is a “fundamental human right” for people to gather to celebrate or to air grievances, “in public and in private spaces, outdoors, indoors and online.”
Everyone, including children, foreign nationals, women, migrant workers, asylum seekers and refugees, can exercise the right of peaceful assembly. Governments could not prohibit protests by making “generalised references to public order or public safety, or an unspecified risk of potential violence”.
In addition, Governments “cannot block internet networks or close down any website because of their roles in organising or soliciting a peaceful assembly”. It also stressed the right of journalists and human rights observers to monitor and document any assembly, including violent and unlawful ones.
Implications: The Committee’s interpretation will be important guidance for judges in national and regional courts around the world, as it now forms part of what is known as ‘soft law’.
About ICCPR: It is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
The covenant commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.
The ICCPR is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It became effective in 1976.
Context: The truly massive International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) has entered its years-long assembly phase. After 35 years of brainstorming, planning, and preproduction, ITER says assembly will take five years, starting now.
What is ITER? It is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject, which will be the world’s largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment.
It is an experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor that is being built in southern France. The goal of ITER is to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energyfor peaceful use.
Significance of ITER: ITER will be the first fusion device to produce net energy. ITER will be the first fusion device to maintain fusion for long periods of time.
ITER will be the first fusion device to test the integrated technologies, materials, and physics regimes necessary for the commercial production of fusion-based electricity.
The project is funded and run by seven member entities: The European Union, China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
What will ITER do? Produce 500 MW of fusion power Demonstrate the integrated operation of technologies for a fusion power plant
Achieve a deuterium-tritium plasma in which the reaction is sustained through internal heating Test tritium breeding Demonstrate the safety characteristics of a fusion device.
What is Fusion? Fusion is the energy source of the Sun and stars. In the tremendous heat and gravity at the core of these stellar bodies, hydrogen nuclei collide, fuse into heavier helium atoms and release tremendous amounts of energy in the process.
How is it achieved in the laboratory? Most efficient fusion reaction in the laboratory setting is the reaction between two hydrogen isotopes, deuterium (D) and tritium (T). The DT fusion reaction produces the highest energy gain at the “lowest” temperatures.
Three conditions must be fulfilled to achieve fusion in a laboratory: Very high temperature (on the order of 150,000,000° Celsius). Sufficient plasma particle density (to increase the likelihood that collisions do occur). Sufficient confinement time (to hold the plasma, which has a propensity to expand, within a defined volume).
What is a Tokamak? The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel. Just like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant will use this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators.
First developed by Soviet research in the late 1960s, the tokamak has been adopted around the world as the most promising configuration of magnetic fusion device. ITER will be the world’s largest tokamak—twice the size of the largest machine currently in operation, with ten times the plasma chamber volume.
Context: Turkey’s parliament has approved a new social media law that gives authorities greater power to regulate social media despite concerns of growing censorship.
Key provisions: The law requires major social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to keep representative offices in Turkey to deal with complaints against content on their platforms.
If a social media company refuses to designate an official representative, the legislation mandates steep fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reductions.
With a court ruling, bandwidth would be halved, and then cut further. Bandwidth reductions mean social media networks would be too slow to use.
The representative will be tasked with responding to individual requests to take down content violating privacy and personal rights within 48 hours or to provide grounds for rejection.
The company would be held liable for damages if the content is not removed or blocked within 24 hours. It also would require social media providers to store user data in Turkey.
Need for this law- govt’s arguments: The government says the legislation was needed to combat cybercrime and protect users. The law was necessary to contain cyberbullying and insults against women.
Concerns: The new law is being called the “censorship law.” It is because the law would further limit freedom of expression in a country where the media is already under tight government control and dozens of journalists are in jail.
The law would be used to remove content critical of the government rather than to protect users. This is a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression online and contravenes international human rights law and standards.
Background: In recent times, hundreds of people have been investigated and some arrested over social media posts on the COVID-19 pandemic, opposition to Turkish military offensives abroad or insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials.
Turkey leads the world in removal requests to Twitter, with more than 6,000 demands in the first half of 2019.
More than 408,000 websites are blocked in Turkey. Online encyclopedia Wikipedia was blocked for nearly three years before Turkey’s top court ruled that the ban violated the right to freedom of expression.
More than 38,000 Indians became Australian citizens in 2019-2020, a 60 per cent increase from the previous year and the largest diaspora group to be granted the country’s citizenship.
India was followed by 25,011 Britishers, 14,764 Chinese and 8821 Pakistanis.
It is the capital city of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. It’s known for its French colonial architecture
Why in News? Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated the new Supreme Court built in Port Louis with Indian grant assistance.