Quote of the Day
“Don't look for God in the sky; look within your own body.”‐ Osho Rajneesh
“ईश्वर को आसमान में न ढूंढें; अपने भीतर ढूंढें।”‐ ओशो रजनीश
Friday, March 06, 2020
Economic and Political Weekly: Table of Contents
Vol. 55, Issue No. 9, 29 Feb, 2020
Bru resettlement: Tripura identifies 18 locations, leaders feel resettlement formula is violating agreement
All cash assistance would be provided through Direct beneficiary Transfer (DBT), the state government would expedite opening bank accounts, issue biometric Aadhaar cards, permanent residence certificates, ST certificates, EPIC cards and include their names in the electoral rolls of the state.
More than a month after the central government signed a quadripartite agreement to resolve 22-year-old Bru displacement crisis in Tripura and permanently settle them in Tripura, District Magistrates of all eight districts of the state have identified 18 locations for their resettlement.
The resettlement would be done with a package of Rs. 600 crores, which is announced by the centre.
32,000 Bru migrants from Mizoram are currently living in six designated relief camps at North Tripura, 180 km from Agartala. They fled Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram following ethnic clashes in 1997.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath today told reporters that district magistrates of all eight districts of Tripura have identified 18 locations for their permanent resettlement. The government would now verify viability of these lands and decide how to implement the resettlement plan, he added.
“We can settle only 300 families at a location. We shall set up Ekalavya Schools for their children. Besides, these people will also need some land for agricultural purposes. If we settle more people together, it might get too congested,” Nath said.
According to the four-corner resettlement agreement, each resettled family would be given 0.03 acre (1.5 ganda) land for building their houses, Rs. 1.5 lakh as housing assistance, Rs. 4 lakh as one-time cash benefit for sustenance, Rs. 5,000 monthly allowance and free ration for two years from the date of resettlement.
All cash assistance would be provided through Direct beneficiary Transfer (DBT), the state government would expedite opening bank accounts, issue biometric Aadhaar cards, permanent residence certificates, ST certificates, EPIC cards and include their names in the electoral rolls of the state.
The government would, however, follow a plan of settling only 300 migrant families at a particular location.
The decision to rehabilitate not more than 300 families at a location has met severe repercussion among the Bru leaders. “They (government) promised us we would be resettled in clusters in Tripura at the time of agreement. Clusters normally mean 500 families. We have accepted all conditions of resettlement. But if the plan is to resettle 300 families at a place, we feel it will be violation of the agreement. We shall raise this issue at the meeting of Joint Monitoring Group for resettlement,” Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum (MBDPF) secretary Bruno Msha told this publication.
The migrant leaders have been complaining about incomplete identification surveys held by Mizoram authorities in the camps so far. So, in order to keep things clean, the state government has started a new survey which is also mandated by the resettlement agreement.
Source: Indian Express, 5/03/2020
Expert View: Step by step guide to clear competitive exams
Other than the syllabus, you should make a note of the weightage of various subjects so that you can plan your preparations like wise. Looking over previous years’ question papers assists in getting well acquainted with the exam pattern
The initial move towards your groundwork for any competitive exam is to comprehend the pre-requirements of the exam. You should also be well-rehearsed with the syllabus (you get that easily on the Internet). Other than the syllabus, you should make a note of the weightage of various subjects so that you can plan your preparations like wise. Looking over previous years’ question papers assists in getting well acquainted with the exam pattern.
Here are six steps that you can follow to prepare for any competitive exam:
1) Understanding the syllabus: First thing first, you should always put all your mind and heart in understanding the syllabus of the exam and the level of questions asked. It is very important for you to understand “what to prepare”.
2) Preparing a time table: After you have decided on “what to prepare” it is your turn to plan “how to prepare”. Prepare a time table including your short term and long term goals; this in turn will help you in timely preparation for the exam. A good time table is most likely to help you in better preparation and avoids haphazardness.
3) Study Smartly: Working hard is always important but smart study never goes out of fashion. Going through previous years question papers gives you an edge and also you can analyze the kind of questions being asked, including heavy weightage topic. Your major focus should be on qualitative studying rather than quantitative studying.
4) Revise regularly: Every candidate should have a regular revision strategy handy. It takes at least four times of regular revision to actually remember something for long term. Whatever you study should be revised on the third day then on the sixth day then on twelfth day and after than on twenty first day. A good revision cycle is definitely going to help you ace the exam.
5) Take Breaks: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, as rightly emphasized by the proverb, it is equally important to take breaks. Rather than studying for long durations divided your slots and take a break in between, go out for a walk, take a nap or just listen you’re your favorite track.
6) Keep yourself motivated: The last and the most important thing is to keep yourself motivated. Motivation to achieve your goal is the key to success. If you are preparing for any exam and if you lack motivation then even a single failure is going to affect you badly. To qualify any exam we should have a strong desire to clear it and it should be maintained on a regular basis.
Belief’ is a very powerful tool. You must believe in yourself and your preparation. Ensure that you study the same way throughout the year, to avoid last minute rush and stress. Spend 10-15 minutes before going off to sleep to quickly recap all that you learnt throughout the day.
Also,a bit of physical activity and meditation helps to improve concentration. Do not take stress throughout the entire preparation time and stay away from stressful people. Each and every moment you must tell yourself “I Can, I Will” and trust me you will do it!
Author Akhand Swaroop Pandit is Educationist, CEO and Founder, Catalyst Group, Online Learning Platform. Views expressed here are personal)
Source: 5/03/2020
Overcome Suffering
I am often asked how to end suffering. You are so focused on action that you don’t realise that action born out of ignorance is an extension of ignorance. We have to enlighten our action with understanding. You are the creator of your suffering. This understanding will help you dissolve suffering. An unhappy person in heaven will convert even heaven into hell; a happy person can convert hell into heaven. So, change is not required anywhere except within you. If you have an unhappy mind, even if you are in heaven, you will ‘stink’. So, to overcome suffering, you have to understand that your unhappy mind is the cause. There are two types of sufferings. Legitimate and illegitimate. Legitimate suffering is sorrow that is proportionate to the situation. For example, your loved one dies. This sorrow is valid. But if you continue worrying for more than one or two years, then there is a psychological aspect to it. To handle legitimate sufferings, you should understand that such suffering is the result of your past deeds. Illegitimate suffering is suffering that is not proportionate to the situation. Surrender is real growth. Growth involves no suffering. Resistance to suffering creates suffering. Very often, we suffer because we are not open to the vastness of life. We are bound by our knowledge. We are dead to something that is beyond our knowledge. What we know is finite and what we do not know is infinite. To be alive and limited to what we know, and dead to what we do not know, is a deep cause for suffering.
Source: Economic Times, 6/03/2020
Higher Education Revolution
The following set of reforms would make Indian universities world class
Going by media reports, the government is now actively working on a major overhaul of the regulatory system in higher education. This reform has been long overdue and, after the passage of the landmark National Medical Commission Act, the natural next step. The current context for the reform is set by the draft National Education Policy (NEP). While NEP is to be applauded for its recommendation of full autonomy to higher education institutions (HEIs) in areas such as administration, teaching, research, curriculum setting and foreign collaboration, the regulatory and institutional structures it has proposed are much too complex and unwieldy to yield the desired outcome. The government will do well by considering a simpler, more flexible architecture suitable for the 21st century. A review of systems governing higher education in the United States, United Kingdom and China, which have been most successful in delivering quality education and research, suggests that the new system be designed to promote rather than regulate education. To make this intent explicit, the government must designate the successor institution to the University Grants Commission (UGC) the Higher Education Promotion Commission (HEPC). In turn, HEPC should be designed such that it cannot resurrect the Inspector Raj of the UGC regime. I provide, in my forthcoming book, additional details on the proposals that follow. The chairperson and members of HEPC should be selected from amongst the most eminent persons of unimpeachable integrity. They must come from diverse academic disciplines. The commission should be assisted by three bodies: (i) Advisory Council; (ii) Office of Registration of HEIs; and (iii) Committee for Quality Assessment. The Advisory Council should include as members scholars from different fields and representatives of the states. Its job would be to sensitise the commission to issues relevant to education in different fields and states. The Office of Registration would maintain the Register of HEIs. Guided by the commission, it would develop a classification that categorises HEIs into those that are fully autonomous, partially autonomous, degree granting, non-degree granting, private, public, foreign-owned and of national importance. The commission would formulate transparent criteria for entry of new HEIs of domestic as well as foreign origin into the register. It would take the decision to grant or deny entry to an HEI applicant in a timebound manner. It would also formulate transparent criteria for the existing HEIs to maintain entry into the register. These criteria will be based principally on outcomes and not inputs. Enforcement would be entirely through a clear statement by each HEI on its website that it satisfies the criteria stipulated by HEPC. Any false claims would attract punitive action. Degree granting power would be vested in HEPC and implemented through the Office of Registration. The commission would develop transparent criteria under which an HEI is empowered to grant degrees. It will be free to confer such power on both universities and colleges allowing the more distinguished ones among the latter to develop their own brand names and even transform themselves into universities. The commission would also specify criteria under which an HEI will be granted power to authorise other HEIs to confer degrees on its behalf. This power would be available to both public and private universities. Furthermore, the commission would develop criteria that would qualify an HEI to use ‘university’ in its title. These criteria would offer paths to set up an institution directly as a university as well as to convert an existing HEI into a university. The Committee for Quality Assessment would develop criteria for rating different categories of institutions. With its help, the commission will identify and designate outside agencies to rate different categories of HEIs. It will be important to identify multiple agencies to carry out assessment so that they can rapidly cover all HEIs. HEIs with full autonomy will be entirely free to develop their own curriculums and choose textbooks and readings. HEIs with less than full autonomy would follow the curriculums and textbooks of one or more HEIs with full autonomy. They would be required to identify the source institutions of their curriculums on their websites. A separate, independent committee that is at arm’s length from the government would allocate government funds for education and facilities (but not research except that relating to pedagogy). The criteria for such disbursements would give considerable weight to the quality of institutions as assessed by agencies designated by the commission. The eventual goal should be to allow private and public HEIs to compete for these funds on equal footing based on the quality of education. Finally, it is critical to forge a path to ending the current separation between research at independent councils and teaching in HEIs. India needs to integrate the councils into HEIs and incentivise research at the latter in a major way via funding and reduced teaching. This requires the creation of a National Research and Innovation Foundation with a large sum of funds at its disposal. The foundation would offer project based research grants through a peer review process. It will have to pay particular attention to research in social sciences and arts and humanities, areas in which India has lost much ground to other countries, especially China, in the past two decades.
The writer is Professor of Economics at Columbia University
Source: Times of India, 6/03/2020
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