“The student who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.”
Chinese Proverb
“ऐसा छात्र जो प्रश्न पूछता है, वह पांच मिनट के लिए मूर्ख रहता है, लेकिन जो पूछता ही नहीं है वह जिंदगी भर मूर्ख ही रहता है।”
चीनी कहावत
Monday, February 28, 2022
Quote of the Day February 28, 2022
Current Affairs-February 27, 2022
INDIA
– Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launches National Polio Immunization Drive for 2022
– India, Oman conduct 5-day air exercise ‘Eastern Bridge-VI’ in Jodhpur from Feb 21 to 25
– IAF decides not to deploy aircraft in multi-lateral air exercise Cobra Warrior 2022 in UK in March
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Cabinet approves supply of coal through common e-auction window instead of sector-specific auctions
– Govt approves national roll-out of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) with budget of Rs. 1,600 crore for five years
WORLD
– UN Security Council fails to adopt resolution deploring Russian aggression in Ukraine; 11 countries vote in favour while veto wielding Russia votes against, 3 countries (India, China and UAE) abstain from voting
– Russian troops push toward Ukrainian capital Kyiv
– Amin Awad of Sudan to serve as UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine
– Russia suspends space launches from French Guiana in response to the EU sanctions; withdrawing its technical personnel
– Vietnam: 13 tourists found dead after boat capsized off the coast of Hoi An
– Joe Biden nominates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, first Black woman, to US Supreme Court
Current Affairs- February 28, 2022
INDIA
– Govt. continuing ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine
– Over 550 Indian biotechnologists returned to pursue careers in India under the Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship scheme: Govt.
– Marathi Bhasha Gourav Day celebrated on Feb 27; birth anniversary of author Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar alias Kusumagraj
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– States that don’t appoint MGNREGA ombudsperson in at least 80% districts won’t get funds from Centre
– RBI proposes to assess impact of its financial literacy campaigns, invites request for proposal
– Jeep India launches Jeep Compass Trailhawk for Rs 30.72 lakh
WORLD
– Russian troops enter Ukraine’s 2nd largest city of Kharkiv
SPORTS
– India complete 3-0 sweep in T20I series against Sri Lanka by winning 3rd match at Dharamshala
– 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria: India’s Nikhat Zareen (52kg) and Nitu (48kg) win gold medals
– Dabang Delhi defeat Patna Pirates 37-36 in final to clinch ProKabaddi League title in Bengaluru
– Kolkata Thunderbolts won RuPay Prime Volleyball League title in Hyderabad by defeating Ahmedabad Defenders in final
– Pooja Jatyan wins silver in Para World Archery Championships in Dubai
– Rafael Nadal wins men’s singles title at Mexican Open tennis at Acapulco
– International Judo Federation suspends Vladimir Putin as honorary president
– West Indies spinner Sonny Ramadhin passes away at 92; 158 wickets in 43 Tests in 1950-60
– Australian athlete John Landy, former men’s 1500m world record holder, dies at 91
Economic and Political Weekly: Table of Contents
Vol. 57, Issue No. 9, 26 Feb, 2022
While it’s important to critique and take positions in life, it is equally important to have a dialogue with people who have different points of view and bring back hope in our lives.
Avijit Pathak’s article on JNU (‘Healing a campus’, IE, February 18) challenged my assumptions, forced me to do some soul-searching and reflect on my own positioning as a university teacher and researcher. Three reasons compelled me to respond to it. One, the author has been a teacher and a scholar at the university that he talks about — Jawaharlal Nehru University — for 31 years. Two, Pathak should be saluted for boldly presenting his views on multiple issues across different spaces, without taking sides in a politically-volatile environment. The third reason has to do with exploring the realms of possibilities in a world full of cynicism. This is a challenging proposition because it involves taking positions on social issues that are often framed in mutually exclusive binaries.
In recent years, JNU has received much flak. The university has been accused of nurturing the “tukde tukde gang” and promoting anti-national ideas. Pathak humanises the institution and describes it as being wounded. The university requires healing, he says. The article has been written in the context of the appointment of the new vice-chancellor of the university, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, who, because of her ideological leanings, has become the object of ridicule and contempt. Pathak bestows faith in her leadership and urges her to start the process of healing JNU.
This appeal might seem naïve, even preposterous, to some. But it is also true that life bereft of hope, optimism and faith is hardly worth living. This reminds me of the work of Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire. Once a woman regarded as illiterate in accordance with the conventional standards of literacy responded to a question posed by the educator: “If all human beings were to die but all other beings like animals, plants, mountains, rivers were to remain alive, then the world would cease to exist because there will be no one to say that this is the world”. In other words, the world does not have an independent existence but defines our social reality depending on the way we look at it.
I am a sociologist of education by training and consider my primary job as that of examining educational problems in their context rather than trying to find solutions. Interestingly, however, most of my students are enthusiastic practitioners who are disillusioned with the existing education system and want to contribute towards improving it. In contrast to the attitude of these students, many of us – perhaps smug with our intellectual prowess — take much pride in presenting multilayered and nuanced analyses. In the process, we probably dampen the spirits and thwart the hopes of our youth, and prevent them from dreaming.
Written by Disha Nawani
Indian Express, 28/02/22
Friday, February 18, 2022
Quote of the Day February 18, 2022
“No pressure, no diamonds.”
Mary Case
“श्रम के बिना सफलता प्राप्त नहीं होती है।”
मैरी केस
LENS Foundation Launches ‘LDexplained’, India’s First Comprehensive Resource Website On Learning Disabilities
The website aims to help families, parents, and guardians of children with learning disabilities to better understand and manage the disabilities and equip themselves for a better future
New Delhi : The LENS (Learning, Empowerment, Nutrition and Skill Development) Foundation has launched LDExplained, India’s first comprehensive resource website on learning disabilities among children and young adults.
According to a report by UNESCO between 10 and12 per cent of the school going children have learning disabilities. This roughly means that in a given Indian classroom there are at least four children with learning disabilities. LDExplained is designed for all stakeholders right from the family of the affected child to the policymaker who needs to work together to help the child cope with learning disabilities. For a parent or a guardian of a child with special needs who wants to help them learn to manage their challenges and deal with the world better; or for an educator keen to upgrade skills to help their students learn better, LDExplained is an excellent repository of knowledge and information on various learning disabilities, mental health wellness & management. The website covers coping and improvement strategies as well as ways to keep abreast with the latest research and methodologies developed nationally and globally.
Some of the key aspects of LDExplained include categorization of concepts of learning disabilities according to age brackets, the explanation of processes involved in identifying different types of learning disabilities, especially understanding early signs in children, discussion on rights of the affected child, policy support from school boards and local governments, networks, forums, support groups of parents of affected children, educators, and therapists. The website will also have a growing database of health professionals, counsellors, therapists, and educators who specialize in learning disabilities across India, etc.
peaking about the website, Ketki Agarwal, Co-Founder & Trustee at LENS Foundation said, “The website has been a labor of love and we are thrilled to finally launch LDExplained. There has been a lot of confusion among parents and families about how to deal with children and young adults with special needs. Only if you are armed with the right amount of knowledge and information, you can handle it optimally for everyone involved.”
She further adds, “We encourage everyone to spread the word so that we can help and support people and families to not only cope with the challenges but also to be able to add value to the child’s life and help them prepare for a positive and strong future.”
The website, helps readers understand concepts of learning disabilities, coping strategies, parents’ role, the contribution of schools, policy support et al. The website is live already but you will see a lot of improvisations with time. One can subscribe to the newsletter for timely updates on information, relevant media articles on day-to-day topics, etc. There is a blog section that has reading material, generic articles from across the globe on learning disabilities.
Source:indiaeducationdiary.in, 16/02/22
Current Affairs- February 18, 2022
INDIA
– Karnataka Government issues circular restricting any religious attire within educational institutions
– Asia’s largest tribal festival, the Medaram Jathara, being celebrated in Telangana from February 16 to 19
– Maharashtra: India’s first water taxi service inaugurated connecting Navi Mumbai to mainland Mumbai
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– SC stays Punjab & Haryana High court order staying 75% quota in private sector jobs for Haryana residents
– Karnataka High Court strikes down state government’s ban on online gaming
– Power Ministry notifies Green Hydrogen/ Green Ammonia Policy to replace fossil fuels
– Nepal to become first country to deploy India’s UPI (Unified Payments Interface) platform for digitalisation of cash transactions
WORLD
– First meeting of G20 Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors under G20 Presidency of Indonesia held
New India Literacy Programme
The Government of India approved the New India Literacy Programme scheme for the fiscal years 2022-2027 that will cover all areas of adult education and match with the national education policy 2020.
Overview:
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced the ‘New India Literacy Programme’ for the next five years, to cover all aspects of adult education. The ministry has decided to use the term ‘Education for All’ instead of ‘Adult Education,’ because the previous term didn’t represent all non-literates who are in the age group of 15 years and above.
This programme is expected to cost Rs 1037.90 crore between 2022 and 2027, with the central government providing Rs 700 crore and the states providing Rs 337.90 crore, respectively.
Implementation of the scheme
Through volunteerism, in an online mode, this newly launched scheme will be implemented. Face-to-face training, workshops and orientation for volunteers will be arranged. All available information and resources will be made available digitally so that registered volunteers can easily access them via digital channels such as radio, television, portals and mobile phone-based free open-source apps.
The Ministry of Education will be the implementing ministry of this scheme.
The objective of the scheme
This scheme’s objectives are to teach not only foundational numeracy and literacy, but also critical life skills such as digital literacy, financial literacy, awareness and health care, commercial skills, education and child care, and family welfare. Vocational skills development will also be focused upon so that obtaining local employment becomes easier and basic education including preparatory, middle, and secondary education.
Education courses in sciences, arts, culture, technology, recreation, and sports as well as various other areas of interest to local learners, such as more advanced material on key life skills, are also to be included under this programme.
The target of this scheme
The target for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy for FY 2022-27 is five crore learners using the Online Teaching, Learning, and Assessment System (OTLAS), which was developed in collaboration with NCERT, the National Informatics Centre, and NIOS and allows a learner to register with essential information such as date of birth, name, Aadhaar number, gender and mobile number.
Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr Virendra Kumar is scheduled to launch the “Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED)” on February 16, 2022.
Highlights
Scheme will be launched for the welfare of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities (DNCs) at Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.
How is this community deprived?
- DNTs are the most neglected, marginalized and economically & socially deprived communities.
- They have been living a life of destitution for generations.
- They have escaped attention of developmental framework and thus are deprived of support unlike SCs and STs.
- They never had access to private land or home ownership, historically.
- These tribes used forests and grazing lands for residential use and their livelihood.
National Commission for De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribe
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment decided to constitute a “National Commission for De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes”. It was constituted under the Chairmanship of Bhiku Ramji Idate, for a period of three years. Commission submitted its report in December, 2017. In the report, commission prepared draft lists and details of number of communities.
Constitution of Development & Welfare Board for DNCs
On the basis of recommendations of National Commission, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment constituted “Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNCs)” in 2019. Board has been tasked to formulate and implement welfare and development programmes for DNCs.
Outlay of the scheme
Under the scheme, approximately Rs 200 crore will be spent over a period of 5 years, starting from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
Components of the scheme
The Scheme comprises of four components:
- To provide coaching of good quality for candidates from these communities, in order to enable them to appear in competitive examinations.
- Free coaching for DNT Students has been envisioned for educational empowerment of these communities. This component was added with the objective of providing good coaching quality for DNT candidates for enabling them to appear in competitive examinations or take admission to professional courses viz., medicine, engineering, MBA, etc.
- To provide health insurance to these Communities.
- To facilitate livelihoods initiative at community level, in a bid to build and strengthen small clusters of DNT/NT/SNT Communities institutions.
Portal to implement the scheme
Scheme will be implemented through a portal, that has been developed by Department of Social Justice & Empowerment. Portal comprises of two modules:
- One for registration of applicant with details of his family, income, Aadhar & bank details, occupation, caste certificate, etc.
- Second part comprise of scheme component for which applicant wants to seek benefit with his UID.
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Quote of the Day February 17, 2022
“Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.”
Les Brown
“जीवन की उन सीमाओं को छोड़ कर कोई और सीमाएं नहीं हैं जिन्हें आप तय करते हैं।”
लेस ब्राउन
Current Affairs-February 17, 2022
INDIA
– Government approves ‘New India Literacy Programme, a new scheme of Adult Education for FYs 2022-27”; term “Adult Education” to be replaced with “Education For All”
– Road Transport & Highways Ministry amends safety norms, use of safety harness and crash helmet must for children below four years on motorcycles
– Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar launches Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED); DNTs are De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities
– The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) organising World Sustainable Development Summit on February 16-18 in virtual format
– Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link: Longest tunnel of Indian Railways T-49 of 12.758 km length connected
– New envoys: High Commissioner of Tanzania Anisa K. Mbega, Ambassador of Djibouti Isse Abdillahi Assoweh, Ambassador of Serbia Sinisa Pavic and Ambassador of North Macedonia Slobodan Uzunov
– Bollywood music composer and singer Bappi Lahiri dies in Mumbai at 69
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Govt. estimates record foodgrains production of 316.06 million tonnes for 2021-22
– Enforcement Directorate arrests K. Ramakrishna the President of Bengaluru-based Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank in connection with misappropriation of public deposits to the tune of more than Rs. 1,000 crores
– NITI Aayog in association with PhonePe launches Fintech Open Hackathon
WORLD
– Russian defence ministry announces end of Crimea military drills
– Ukraine: Cyberattacks knocks websites of Ukrainian army, defense ministry and major banks offline
– Air forces of Bangladesh, US to conduct exercise ‘Cope South 22’ on Feb 20-25
SPORTS
– English club Chelsea defeats Brazilian club Palmeiras in final to win FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi
– National senior volleyball championships in Bhubaneswar: Kerala (women’s), Haryana (men’s) win titles
Our gender gap in contraception needs public policy intervention
The recently-released fifth round of our National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-5) highlights that there has been a more than 10 percentage-point increase in the use of contraception among currently married women aged 15-49 years: that is, from 53.5% in 2015-16 to 66.7% in 2019-20. A significant jump has been observed in the use of condoms, which rose from 5.6% to 9.5%. It’s noteworthy that despite the near doubling in the use of condoms, female sterilization continues to be the most popular choice, with an adoption rate of 37.9% (NFHS-5), even many years after the inception of family planning as a concept in India
This brings forth a glaring gender divide in the methods of contraception used in India. The divide could imply two things. First, it may indicate greater bodily autonomy exercised by women today; in charge of their own lives and bodies, women could be making their own contraception choices, thereby determining when and how they want to plan their children and careers. Alternatively, this divide could also indicate the deep-rooted patriarchy that exploits and subjugates women. To evaluate which of the two are at work, we need to take a diligent look at our data
According to the NFHS-4, conducted during 2015-16, only about 8% of women were found to make independent decisions on the use of contraception, while for nearly every tenth woman, it was the husband who decided contraception use. The irony is that while it is husbands who decide the method, the actual burden of it falls on women. Ipso facto, female sterilization is the most wide-spread method, with more than a third of India’s sexually-active population opting for it, despite the lower cost and safer procedure of male vasectomy. Interestingly, based on data from NFHS-3 and NFHS-4, we also observe that a higher proportion of women with college or higher levels of education tend to opt for male or female reversible methods of contraception (33.7%) over female sterilization (17.2%). All these facts give credence to the ‘subjugation’ explanation of the divide over the ‘bodily autonomy’ hypothesis outlined above.
ATMA 2022: Check syllabus, pattern, preparatory tips
The ATMA 2022 examination is scheduled to take place on February 27, 2022 by the Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS). The ATMA 2022 admit card will be released on February 24, 2022. ATMA is a national level entrance examination for getting admission to postgraduate management courses.
As for ATMA exam pattern 2022, the exam will be held online, in computer-based mode. The question paper will have objective type/multiple choice questions. Candidates will get three hours to complete the examination. There will be a total of 180 questions divided in six sections. So, ideally, candidates should not spend more than 30 minutes on each section. Each correct answer will fetch +1 marks and each incorrect answer will result in a negative marking of ¼ marks.
The question paper of ATMA 2022 will be divided into three sections, with two parts (I and II) for each section — verbal reasoning, analytical reasoning and quantitative aptitude. The preparation strategies for tackling each topic in ATMA 2022 syllabus are given below:
Analytical reasoning: Topics such as analytical reasoning and verbal reasoning require a lot of practice. Also, it is important to work on speed and efficiency in a limited time during such practice sessions. Go through previous year question papers to get familiarised with the type of questions asked and then practice accordingly. There are a number of mock tests available online; attempt them and try to analyse the results. This will greatly enhance your reasoning abilities.
Quantitative aptitude: This section based on calculations. Practice will be the most important tool to sail through this section. Identify the topics which are your strong points and work on improving your weaker topics and devote extra attention to them. Know the basics of the subject well, find out the tricks to solve particular problems and memorise the formulas by writing them repeatedly.
Efficient and personalised strategies are very important for any examination. Plan your study hours well. This examination will require eight to ten hours of dedicated study, everyday. Keep a portion of these hours for practice and revision which is a must for retaining maximum information. Do not study for long hours at a stretch and take frequent short breaks during the study hours. Preparing a daily routine and sticking to it will help you achieve your goals better. At the same time, keep some time for leisure and hobbies as well to freshen up the mind. Social media and other distractions must be avoided as much as possible.
While attempting the question paper, go through the entire length of the paper and choose a section which seems comparatively simpler and attempt it first. Do not waste time on the tough questions and keep them for the last. Since the wrong answers will fetch negative marking, only those answers should be marked which you are completely sure of, otherwise do not attempt that question. Questions which have not been attempted do not affect the final score.
The questions in ATMA or AIMS test for management admissions range from a medium to a tough level of difficulty. With an efficient preparation strategy, ample practice and self-confidence, one can surely crack the examination and get admission in the various management courses in prestigious colleges affiliated with ATMA. The conducting authorities will release the results for this examination on March 4, 2022.
Written by AglaSem
Source: Indian Express, 17/02/22
Assam Governor launches ‘Bodoland super 50 mission’ to train youth for competitive examinations
The Bodoland Super 50 Mission also plans to provide 11 months of high-quality free residential coaching and mentorship programme to students from BTR who aspired for admissions into IITs, NITs and top engineering institutes.
Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Tuesday launched the ‘Bodoland Super 50 Mission’, an initiative of BTR chief Pramod Boro to prepare Bodo youths for competitive examinations.
An official statement said the project of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) administration aims at transforming the lives of engineering aspirants coming from economically weaker sections of five Bodo dominated districts of Assam.
The initiative is similar to some of the well-known examples of enhancing students achievements such as Anand Kumar-Super30 in Bihar, Oil India Super 30, ONGC Super 30 and Telangana Social Welfare ResidentiaAddressing the function, the governor expressed happiness on the launch of the “much-needed” programme.
“If we are to think about the development of Bodoland, we have to be self-dependent,” he said.
Boro thanked the governor for visiting the BTR and launching the programme.l Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS).
The Bodoland Super 50 Mission also plans to provide 11 months of high-quality free residential coaching and mentorship programme to students from BTR who aspired for admissions into IITs, NITs and top engineering institutes.
Fifty candidates (10 from each district of Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Tamulpur and Udalguri) would be shortlisted through an entrance examination to participate in the programme each year, the statement said. The BTR is an elected autonomous body created under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for the Bodo dominated areas of Assam.
Source: Indian Express, 17/02/22
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