Monday, January 11, 2021

The COVID-19 vaccination drive in India will begin on January 16, with priority being given to an estimated three crore healthcare workers and frontline workers, the Health Ministry said on January 9, 2021. This would be followed by the voluntary vaccination of people above 50 and those below 50 with co-morbidities, numbering around 27 crores. The announcement followed a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the status of the pandemic in the country along with the preparedness of the States and the Union Territories for the vaccination programme. The Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) had granted Emergency Use Authorisation to two vaccines — Covishield and Covaxin.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention held in virtual format

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention was organised on January 9, 2021. It was by inaugurated Prime Minister Narendra Modi through virtual mode. President of Suriname Chandrika Persad Santokhi was the Chief Guest of the convention. The theme of PBD 2021 is “Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

Suriname President among 30 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardees

Suriname President Chandrika Persad Santokhi, Curacao Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath and New Zealand minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan were among 30 NRIs, and Indian-origin people and organisations who were conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award on January 9, 2021. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the awards at a virtual event on the third and final day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations.

High Level Committee for 125^th birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose set up

A High-Level Committee, headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been constituted to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It will decide on the activities for a one-year long commemoration, beginning 23rd January 2021. The Members of the Committee include distinguished citizens, historians, authors, experts, family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, as well as eminent persons associated with Azad Hind Fauj.

India’s ‘Institutions of Eminence’ can now set up campuses in foreign countries

Indian universities and colleges with the Institutions of Eminence (IOEs) tag, which include several IITs, will now be able to set up campuses in foreign countries with the University Grants Commission (UGC) issuing fresh guidelines on the same. They will, however, require approval from as many as three ministries — education, home and external affairs — before they can venture out. The Education Ministry had launched the IoE scheme in 2018 as per which 20 institutions were to be selected — 10 public and 10 private ones — that would enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.

MP’s anti-conversion ordinance gets governor’s nod, becomes law

Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on January 9, 2021 gave assent to an ordinance which penalizes religious conversions through fraudulent means including those for the sake of marriage. The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance, 2020, provides for ten years in jail in some cases.

Madhavsinh Solanki, former External Affairs Minister and Gujarat CM, dies

Congress veteran Madhavsinh Solanki, who served as chief minister of Gujarat in 1976-77, 1980-85 and 1989-90, died in Gandhinagar on January 9, 2021 at the age of 93. He had also served as External Affairs Minister from June 1991 to March 1992.

Jose K. Mani of Kerala Congress (M) resigns from Rajya Sabha

Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K. Mani has resigned from the Rajya Sabha. His party is a constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala.

Economy & Corporate

Japan extends fresh loan to India to combat socio-economic impacts of Covid

Japan on January 8, 2021 decided to assist India by providing a loan of up to 30 billion yen (appx. INR 2,129 Crore) for its efforts to mitigate socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 in India. The Exchange of Notes for the COVID-19 Crisis Response Support Loan for Social Protection were signed by Suzuki Satoshi, Ambassador of Japan to India and Dr C. S. Mohapatra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs.

DGCA issues guidelines for safe carriage of COVID-19 vaccines by air

The DGCA on January 8, 2021 issued guidelines for safe carriage of COVID-19 vaccines, allowing airlines to pack them in dry ice in order to maintain temperatures ranging from -7 degree Celsius and -70 degree Celsius. The aviation safety regulator has allowed airlines to carry dry ice as a refrigerant material in aircraft belly and the passenger cabin. The special permission was necessary as dry ice is classified among dangerous goods as it turns into carbon dioxide under low pressure situations.

Indian Railways enhances its maximum speed to 130 kmph

Indian Railways has started the New Year by achieving a landmark achievement by drastically enhancing the maximum speed to 130 kilometres per hour for 1,280 km length out of 1,612 Km in Golden Quadrilateral – Golden Diagonal route. This covers the entire GQ-GD route over South Central Railway, except Vijayawada – Duvvada section, where signalling up-gradation work is in progress.

World

Indian sailors stuck at Chinese port since June 2020 to return

23 Indian sailors onboard Indian ship M. V. Jag Anand which has been stuck at Chinese port of Jingtang since June 2020, have finally got respite as the ship is all set to sail to Chiba, Japan for a crew change. This was announced by Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on January 9, 2021.

Boeing 737-500 plane of Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air crashes

A passenger plane of Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air carrying 62 people on board crashed into waters off Jakarta on January 9, 2021. The Boeing 737-500 was on an estimated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, capital of West Kalimantan province on Indonesia’s Borneo island.

Twitter permanently suspends account of outgoing President Donald Trump

Twitter has announced that it had permanently suspended the account of outgoing President Donald Trump due to “risk of further incitement of violence”, three days after his supporters stormed the US Capitol and five people died in the violence. The unprecedented move by the social media platform comes after Trump tweeted that he would not attend the inauguration of his successor Joe Biden on January 20.

Sports

Agnes Keleti, the oldest living Olympic champion, turns 100

Agnes Keleti, the oldest living Olympic champion, turned 100 on January 9, 2021. She won 10 medals for Hungary in gymnastics at the Olympic Games including 5 golds — 1 at Helsinki in 1952 and 4 at Melbourne in 1956.

World Hindi Day 2021: Here are the top universities across the world that offer Hindi courses

World Hindi Day 2021: World Hindi Day 2021: World Hindi Day is celebrated every year on January 10. Hindi is not only the country’s most-spoken language, but it is the third most-spoken language in the world with 615 million speakers after English, Mandarin, according to the UN.

Being one of the most popular languages in the world, there is a huge interest among students from across the world to pursue a career in Hindi language

Here’s the list of foreign varsities which offers courses in Hindi

University of Washington: The Department of Asian Languages and Literature of the University of Washington offers both graduate and undergraduate programmes in Hindi. The department offers BA, MA, and PhD degrees in South Asian languages, which covers Hindi, Sanskrit, Chinese, Korean and Japanese as well.

The BA programme in South Asian Language comprises intermediate, advanced Hindi, and Sanskrit courses. According to the varsity, the course will broadly cover topics on derivational morphology of Hindi, a survey of modern Hindi literature – short stories, poetry, novels, drama, advanced conversational Hindi, advanced Hindi readings, studies in medieval Braj literature, studies in medieval avadhi literature, studies in medieval sant literature, studies in medieval Rajasthani literature, the structure of Hindi. The courses have a total of 15 credits.The university offers programmes in Hindi- BA in South Asian languages, BA in Asian languages and cultures, minor in South Asian languages, minor in Asian languages and cultures, MA and Ph.D. with specialisation in South Asian languages. The varsity is yet to open the admission process this year.

University of Chicago: The Department of South Asian Languages and Civilisations of the varsity offers first, second, third/fourth-year programmes on Hindi. Apart from it, its BA programme in Humanities Collegiate Division will offer a student to study any of the South Asian languages- Bangla (Bengali), Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Pali, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Tibetan, or Urdu for a year.

The varsity also offers content courses on aspects of Hindi literary culture for advanced students. The varsity is now inviting applications for various postgraduate programmes- Visual Arts, Classics, English, Germanic Studies, others. For further details, candidates can check the varsity website — salc.uchicago.edu.

University of London: The School of Languages, Cultures, and Linguistics of the varsity offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Hindi. The varsity’s UG programme covers chapters on Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu languages. The postgraduate (MA) programme on South Asian studies and intensive language covers Hindi, Urdu, and Sanskrit languages.

According to the varsity, “In their first year, students take 30 credits of intensive language instruction in Hindi, Sanskrit or Urdu, and 60 credits in the disciplines and 15 credits open option.” The course fee is £20,930 for overseas students, Rs 20,85,191 for Indian students. The application process is open till June 30, 2021 at soas.ac.uk.

Cornell University: The Department of Asian Studies, Cornell University offers three levels of instruction in Hindi language. The first level is for beginners, while others are for experienced. There is also a placement cell for Hindi learners where students with prior exposure to the Hindi language can take the placement exam.

Besides, the varsity’s undergraduate programme in Asian Studies covers topics on South Asian Poetry and Narrative: From Ghazals to Film. The varsity also offers a fellowship programme in Hindi, Bengali and Tamil. For further details on courses, the candidates can check- asianstudies.cornell.edu.

Source: Indian Express, 10/01/21

India's 'Institutions of Eminence' can now set up campuses in foreign countries

The Education Ministry had launched the IoE scheme in 2018 as per which 20 institutions were to be selected -- 10 public and 10 private ones -- that would enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.

The new guidelines have been issued in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP) as per which foreign universities will be allowed to set up campuses in India and top Indian institutes in foreign countries.

According to the norms, IoEs shall be permitted to start a maximum of three off-campus centres in five years, but not more than one in an academic year.

They will, however, require approval from as many as three ministries -- education, home and external affairs -- before they can venture out.

“Institutions of Eminence...shall be permitted to set up new off-campus centres-maximum of three in five years and not more than one in one academic year by following the procedures,” according to the new guidelines.

“An institution willing to establish an off-campus centre shall have to submit an application to the Ministry of Education containing its 10-year ‘strategic vision plan’ and a five-year ‘rolling implementation plan’ which would include the plans for academics, faculty recruitment, student admissions, research, infrastructure development, finance and administration, etc,” it added.

The IoEs shall be permitted to start an off-campus centre in an interim campus, subject to the condition that the permanent campus shall be ready “within a reasonable time period not exceeding five years”.

“The institutes shall be allowed to start new off campuses with the prior approval of the education ministry after receiving no objection certificate from the ministry of external affairs and ministry of home affairs.“IoEs shall ensure that the norms and standards of offshore campus shall be the same as that maintained in the main campus for similar courses, and shall follow similar admission criteria, curriculum, exam and evaluation system," the guidelines said.

In the first lot, Indian Institutes of Delhi, IIT Bombay and the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) were awarded the IoE status in the public sector, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education and BITS Pilani in the private sector, while the Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation was given the tag in Greenfield category.

In 2019, five public institutions including Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, University of Hyderabad, IIT-Madras and IIT-Kharagpur were granted the status.

A Letter of Intent for granting the IoE status was also issued to five private universities -- Amrita Vidyapeetham and Vellore Institute of Technology in Tamil Nadu, Odisha’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Jamia Hamdard University in Delhi and Satya Bharti Foundation's Bharti Instiute in Mohali.

While the government will provide funding upto ₹1,000 crore to public institutions with IoE tag, in case of the private institutions proposed as Institutions of Eminence, there will be no financial support. But they will be entitled to more autonomy as a special category Deemed University.

A proposed off-campus centre is expected to achieve a teacher-student ratio of 1:20 initially, and 1:10 by the end of five years.

“The faculty for this purpose shall include the regular faculty, adjunct faculty, overseas faculty, visiting faculty, contractual faculty, industry faculty and tenure track faculty or faculty as otherwise permitted by the Statutory Council concerned,” the guidelines said.

It adds that at least 60 per cent of the appointed faculty members should be on permanent basis. The institute should also have enrolled a minimum of 500 students on its rolls under regular classroom mode with one third PG/research students. PTI GJS TIR TIR.

Source: Hindustan Times, 9/01/21

Pay attention to the needs of the elderly

About 45 million have cardiovascular diseases and hypertension; about 20 million suffer from diabetes; and 24% of the elderly have difficulty in performing daily functions

About 75 million elderly people in India suffer from chronic diseases, shows the first part of The Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), released last Wednesday. About 45 million have cardiovascular diseases and hypertension; about 20 million suffer from diabetes; and 24% of the elderly have difficulty in performing daily functions. With the demographic transition underway, from 9% in 2011, the 60-plus population is likely to go up to 20% in 2050.

The LASI study is a pressing reminder that India needs to invest substantial financial and human resources in geriatric care. Traditional support systems have weakened over the years due to fewer children in each family, increased employment opportunities for women, and the rise of nuclear families. According to another study by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, there is no specialised training in geriatrics in most medical schools. And whatever little geriatric care is available, it is restricted to tertiary hospitals in urban areas and is prohibitively expensive.

The Centre’s National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly in 2011 promises preventive, curative and rehabilitative care, specialised training of health professionals, and aims to ensure full participation of the elderly in society. To meet this objective, geriatric health care services must be made part of the primary health care services. Importantly, as the PGIMER report says, the Centre must come up with a comprehensive preventive package, which provides awareness regarding common geriatric problems with a focus on nutrition, exercise, and the promotion of mental well-being.

Source: Hindustan Times, 10/01/21

Friday, January 08, 2021

Quote of the Day January 8, 2021

“Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do. Because then they will act.”
Jack Welch

“लोगों को आत्मविश्वास दिलाना ही सबसे ज़रूरी काम है जो मैं कर सकता हूं। क्योंकि तब वे स्वयं कर्म करेंगे।”
जैक वेल्च

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