New Education Policy

Some of India’s key academics in the field of education have expressed concern over experts being left out of consultations for the proposed National Education Policy, which will guide education in India for the next few decades. Weeks ago, a body of India’s elite educationists wrote to T.S.R. Subramanian, the head of a committee set up by the Human Resource Development Ministry to frame the proposed policy, about the absence of academics in the consultations. The signatories include Delhi University professor Poonam Batra, JNU professor Saumen Chattopadhyay, and Professors Nandini Manjrekar and Disha Nawani of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, among others. The absence of serious academic scholars in the current consultations has been glaring. Scholarship on education and the extensive knowledge base of teaching, learning and the socio-economic dimensions of education should necessarily be a part of this process,” the Comparative Education Society of India (CESI) wrote to Mr. Subramanian, who heads the MHRD’s Committee for the Evolution of the New Education Policy. The letter also points out issues that should be deliberated by the panel, like what it sees as a negative trend towards commercialisation of education and control over and contractualisation of teachers. It lays stress on autonomy of academic institutes, particularly in framing their curriculum. The letter also advises the panel to foreground its policy in the legal provisions provided by the Right to Education Act and demands a greater role of the state in strengthening the public education system. Mr. Subramanian said the concerns of the academics were misplaced. For, the panel had met a cross-section of teachers to understand from them what ailed education in the country.

Two space industry enclaves parks

Two space industry enclaves or “parks” that have been conceived — one for launchers at Sriharikota and a smaller one at an existing Bengaluru spacecraft campus — signal increased privatisation of the nation’s space programme over the next five years. For now, the facilities will be “captive” to drive the future missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation.First, ISRO wants to groom and engage domestic industry in the launch vehicles area from integrating sub-systems up to assembling, and even launching the PSLV. This well-established rocket has put Indian and foreign satellites of up to 1,600 kg into space. ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, A.S. Kiran Kumar, told The Hindu: “Internal discussions have just started on the mechanism of forming a (launch vehicle) consortium. A few key industry players working in the space programme have been sounded.” Eventually the future consortium will be fully responsible for building and launching the light-lift PSLV rocket. Currently industries such as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Godrej & Boyce, Larsen & Toubro, MTAR and Walchandnagar Industries produce 80 per cent of the launch vehicle parts and sub-units. These production works are scattered across their respective locations. The launch industry initiative must be close to ISRO’s launch complex, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at the 145-sq km Sriharikota range, on the lines of the launch complex of Europe’s Arianespace in French Guiana.

WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy 2016

Ace Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis have won the 2016 WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy in the women’s doubles category. In the final match played at Brisbane (Australia), the top seeded duo defeated German pair of Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic by 7-5, 6-1 score. Key facts It was sixth title in a row of Indo-Swiss pair after the US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and WTA Finals in the women’s doubles category. With this win, they have recorded 26-match winning streak together. The last doubles team to win more than 25 consecutive matches was Gigi Fernandez (Puerto Rico) and Natasha Zvereva (Belarus) who had notched up 28 straight victories in 1994. Women’s Singles Title Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) has won the 2016 WTA Brisbane International tennis trophy in the Women’s Singles Category. In the final match she defeated Angelique Kerber of Germany by 6–3, 6–1 score.

New UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Senior United Nations (UN) official Filippo Grandi from Italy has taken the charge as new UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He succeeds Antonio Guterres of Portugal who has retired after heading the Refugee Agency for one decade. He will have tenure of five years. About Filippo Grandi He has worked in international affairs for over 30 years as a Italian diplomat, of which 27 years he spent with the United Nations. He started his career in the office of UNHCR in 1988 and had represented UN in refugee and political affairs in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. He also had served as head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). He had worked prior to that for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) as Deputy Special Representative. About United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) UNHCR is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Established: December 14, 1950. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland. Initially it was established to help people displaced by World War II. But later it became the principal agency that has helped displaced persons all over world. Mission: Safeguard the political and human rights as well as well-being of refugees. Seek lasting solutions to the plights of refugees.

India-Bangladesh Mode of Operation

The Union cabinet has given its ex-post-facto approval to Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh for Mode of Operation of Border haats on India-Bangladesh Border signed in 2010. The MoU also seeks to establish new Border Haats along the border after identification of suitable locations in consultation with Bangladesh Government and concerned State Governments. What are Border Haats? The Border Haats in Indian Language means Rural Market. It aims at promoting the well-being of the people dwelling in remote areas across the borders of two countries. It seeks to establish traditional system of marketing the local produce thorough local markets in local currency or according to barter basis. Though the trade carried in this informal market is not significant in terms of percentage of bilateral trade, but these local measures help to improve economic well-being of marginalised sections of society. Background Border haats along the border of two countries are established under a MoU signed for Border Trade and Border Haats in October 2010. As per the rules and guidelines of this MoU, traders in communities of both India and Bangladesh can trade their local produce without any duty. It allowed to trade people living in border areas in specified products in accordance with the regulations agreed and notified by both Governments. Presently 4 Border Haats are already operational along India-Bangladesh border. They are (i) Kalaichar (Meghalaya). (ii) Balat (Meghalaya). (iii) Kamlasagar (Tripura) (iv) Srinagar (Tripura). In addition, both Governments also have agreed to further establish 2 Border Haats in Tripura and 4 Border Haats in Meghalaya along the border.

Drug Authentication and Verification Application project

The Drug Authentication and Verification Application (DAVA) project of The Department of Commerce has won the 2015 eASIA Award under Trade Facilitation category. The award was announced by Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation (APCTF) and Tehran based (Iran) Electronic Business. The eASIA award is administered by AFACT which aims to development and promotion of trade facilitation, electronic business policies and activities in the Asia Pacific region. About DAVA project DAVA project was launched by Union Government in June 2015. It seeks to create an integrated platform for implementation of the Track and Trace system for exporters and domestic markets of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals. The project aims to cover all the drugs manufactured in India and contribute considerably in enhancing the brand image of our pharmaceutical exporters. It will also provide simpler platform for the regulatory agencies and consumer for establishing drug authentication. Under this project, the DAVA application has been incorporated with value-added features like availability of stocks for a drug in an area/retailers/ wholesalers at a point of time. Using it drugs can easily be identified and recalled due to traceability of stocks which in turn helps in prevention of black marketing which especially arises during epidemics. Presently it has been launched in pilot stage and after its full scale implementation it will help to completely curb out the export of fake or spurious drug from the country.

India-Australia Civil Nuclear Cooperation deal

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the India-Australia Civil Nuclear Cooperation deal that came into force on November 13, 2015. The deal along with the administrative arrangement for implementing the accord will bolster India’s energy security by supporting the expansion of nuclear power in the country. Background India and Australia had started talks on the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in 2012 after Australia had lifted the long-standing ban on selling uranium to energy-starved India. The cooperation agreement was signed between two countries in September 2014 to sell uranium as a nuclear fuel for peaceful power generation. India-Australia Nuclear Cooperation deal follows similar agreements signed by India with the US and France after western sanctions were lifted in 2008. Currently, India has nuclear energy agreements with 11 countries and imports uranium from France, Russia, Kazakhstan and Canada (since December 2015). Australia has about 40 per cent of the world’s uranium reserves and annually exports nearly 7,000 tonnes of nuclear fuel. It is third largest uranium producing country after Kazakhstan and Canada. Nuclear Energy in India Presently, nuclear energy just contributes 3 per cent of electricity generation in India. The energy starved country has less than two dozen small reactors at six sites with a capacity of 4,780 MW of its total power capacity. India is seeking to diversify its electricity generation and is planning to increase its nuclear capacity to 63,000 MW by 2032 by adding nearly 30 new reactors.