Philosopher-saint Ramanujacharya, and the Statue of Equality in his honour

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Statue of Equality, a gigantic statue of Ramanujacharya, on February 5 on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Who was Ramanujacharya? Why is it called the Statue of Equality?

Who was Ramanujacharya?

Born in 1017 in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, Ramanujacharya is revered as a Vedic philosopher and social reformer. He travelled across India, advocating equality and social justice.

Ramanuja revived the Bhakti movement, and his preachings inspired other Bhakti schools of thought. He is considered to be the inspiration for poets like Annamacharya, Bhakt Ramdas, Thyagaraja, Kabir, and Meerabai.From the time he was a young budding philosopher, Ramanuja appealed for the protection of nature and its resources like air, water, and soil. He went on to write nine scriptures known as the navaratnas, and composed numerous commentaries on Vedic scriptures.

Ramanuja is also credited with establishing the correct procedures for rituals performed in temples throughout India, the most famous being Tirumala and Srirangam.

Why is it called the Statue of Equality?

Ramanuja was an advocate of social equality among all sections of people centuries ago, and encouraged temples to open their doors to everyone irrespective of caste or position in society at a time when people of many castes were forbidden from entering them.

He took education to those who were deprived of it. His greatest contribution is the propagation of the concept of “vasudhaiva kutumbakam”, which translates as “all the universe is one family”.

He travelled across India for several decades, propagating his ideas of social equality and universal brotherhood from temple podiums. He embraced the socially marginalised and condemned, and asked royal courts to treat them as equals. He spoke of universal salvation through devotion to God, compassion, humility, equality, and mutual respect, which is known as Sri Vaishnavam Sampradaya.

According to Chinna Jeeyar Swami, the Vaishnava seer behind the Statue of Equality, Ramanujacharya’s social philosophy was designed to cross the boundaries of the caste system and to embrace the whole of humanity.

“Ramanujacharya liberated millions from social, cultural, gender, educational, and economic discrimination with the foundational conviction that every human is equal regardless of nationality, gender, race, caste, or creed. We are celebrating his 1,000th birth anniversary as the ‘Festival of Equality’, upholding the view that the world is one family, ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’,” Chinna Jeeyar has said.

Where is the statue located?

The 216-foot-tall statue, which was first proposed in 2018, is located at the 45-acre scenic Jeeyar Integrated Vedic Academy (JIVA) at Muchintal near Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The statue was proposed and designed by Chinna Jeeyar. The rituals for the dedication of the statue started on Wednesday (February 2) with over 5,000 Vedic scholars performing a maha yajna that is said to be the world’s largest of its kind in modern times.

Written by Sreenivas Janyala

Source: Indian Express, 3/02/22

Artificial intelligence technologies have a climate cost

 We often think of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies as a gateway to a future written in chrome, operating on a virtual cloud. This techno-optimism underpinned FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s 2022 budget speech, where AI was described as a sunrise technology that would “assist sustainable development at scale and modernise the country.” While there is an allure to national dreams of economic prosperity and global competitiveness, underwritten by AI, there is an environmental cost and — like any issue at the nexus of technology, development, growth and security — a cost that comes with being locked into rules about said environmental impact set by powerful actors.

The “race” for dominance in AI is far from fair: Not only do a few developed economies possess certain material advantages right from the start, they also set the rules. They have an advantage in research and development, and possess a skilled workforce as well as wealth to invest in AI. North America and East Asia alone account for three-fourths of global private investment in AI, patents and publications.

We can also look at the state of inequity in AI in terms of governance: How “tech fluent” are policymakers in developing and underdeveloped countries? What barriers do they face in crafting regulations and industrial policy? Are they sufficiently represented and empowered at the international bodies that set rules and standards on AI? At the same time, there is an emerging challenge at the nexus of AI and climate change that could deepen this inequity.

The climate impact of AI comes in a few forms: The energy use of training and operating large AI models is one. In 2020, digital technologies accounted for between 1.8 per cent and 6.3 per cent of global emissions. At the same time, AI development and adoption across sectors has skyrocketed, as has the demand for processing power associated with larger and larger AI models. Paired with the fact that governments of developing countries see AI as a silver bullet for solving complex socio-economic problems, we could see a growing share of AI in technology-linked emissions in the coming decades.

The idea of sustainability is rapidly entering mainstream debates on AI ethics and sustainable development. In November 2021, UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, calling on actors to “reduce the environmental impact of AI systems, including but not limited to its carbon footprint.” Similarly, technology giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Facebook have announced “net zero” policies and initiatives. These initiatives are a good sign, but they only scratch the surface. Both global AI governance and climate change policy (historically) are contentious, being rooted in inequitable access to resources.

Developing and underdeveloped countries face a challenge on two fronts: First, AI’s social and economic benefits are accruing to a few countries, and second, most of the current efforts and narratives on the relationship between AI and climate impact are being driven by the developed West.

What then is the way ahead? Like most nexus issues, the relationship between climate change and AI is still a whisper in the wind. It is understudied, not least because the largest companies working in this space are neither transparent nor meaningfully committed to studying, let alone acting, to substantively limit the climate impact of their operations.

Governments of developing countries, India included, should also assess their technology-led growth priorities in the context of AI’s climate costs. It is argued that as developing nations are not plagued by legacy infrastructure it would be easier for them to “build up better”. These countries don’t have to follow the same AI-led growth paradigm as their Western counterparts. It may be worth thinking through what “solutions” would truly work for the unique social and economic contexts of the communities in our global village.

Written by Trisha Ray 

Source: Indian Express, 3/02/22

Quote of the Day February 2, 2022

 

“Some people dream of success; while others wake up and work hard at it.”
Author Unknown

“कुछ लोग सफलता के सपने देखते हैं। जबकि अन्य व्यक्ति जागते हैं और इसके लिए कड़ी मेहनत करते हैं।”
अज्ञात

Current Affairs- February 2, 2022

 Here are Today’s News Headlines by GK Today for February 2, 2022

UNION BUDGET 2022-23

– Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget for 2022-23 in Parliament

– Capital expenditure outlay hiked by 35.4%

– Total expenditure in 2022-23 estimated at Rs. 39.45 lakh crore

– Total receipts other than borrowings in 2022-23 estimated at Rs. 22.84 lakh crore

– Fiscal deficit in current year: 6.9% of GDP (against 6.8% in Budget Estimates)

– Fiscal deficit in 2022-23 estimated at 6.4% of GDP

– Direct Taxes: Provision to file an Updated Return on payment of additional tax. This will enable the assessee to declare income missed out earlier.

– Direct Taxes: No change in income tax slabs

– Scheme for taxation of virtual digital assets: Any income from transfer of any virtual digital asset to be taxed at rate of 30%.

– Gems and Jewellery: Customs duty on cut and polished diamonds and gemstones being reduced to 5%

– Customs duty of at least Rs 400 per Kg to be paid on imitation jewellery import

– Customs duty on umbrellas being raised to 20%. Exemption to parts of umbrellas being withdrawn.

– Tariff measure to encourage blending of fuel: Unblended fuel to attract an additional differential excise duty of Rs 2/ litre from Oct 1, 2022

– National Highways Network to be expanded by 25000 Km in 2022-23.

– Railways: One Station One Product concept to help local businesses & supply chains.

– Ken Betwa project: 1400 crore outlay for implementation of the Ken – Betwa link project.

– MSME: Emergency Credit Linked Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) to be extended up to March 2023.

– Skill Development: Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack e-portal) will be launched

– Startups will be promoted to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ and for Drone-As-A-Service (DrAAS)

– Education: ‘One Class-One TV channel’ programme of PM eVIDYA to be expanded to 200 TV channels.

– Health: An open platform for National Digital Health Ecosystem to be rolled out.

– Har Ghar, Nal Se Jal: Rs. 60,000 crores allocated to cover 3.8 crore households in 2022-23

– Housing for All: Rs. 48,000 crores allocated for completion of 80 lakh houses in 2022-23 under PM Awas Yojana.

– NE: New scheme PM-DevINE (Development Initiative for North-East Region) launched for the North-East.

– Vibrant Villages Programme for development of Border villages on the northern border.

– Banking: Scheduled Commercial Banks to set up 75 Digital Banking Units (DBUs) in 75 districts.

– Accelerated Corporate Exit: Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE) to be established for speedy winding-up of companies.

– AVGC Promotion Task Force: An animation, visual effects, gaming, and comic (AVGC) promotion task force to be set-up to realize the potential of this sector.

– Defence: 68% of capital procurement budget earmarked for domestic industry in 2022-23, up from 58% in 2021-22.

– Digital Rupee: Introduction of Digital Rupee by the Reserve Bank of India starting 2022-23.

– States: In 2022-23, States will be allowed a fiscal deficit of 4% of GSDP, of which 0.5% will be tied to power sector reforms

Current Affairs- February 1, 2022

 

INDIA

– 11th meeting of India-Oman Joint Military Cooperation Committee held in Delhi

– AP issues ordinance raising retirement age of govt employees from 60 to 62

– Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Rupinder Singh Suri dies

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents Economic Survey 2021-22 in Parliament; Indian economy estimated to grow by 9.2% in 2021-22 after contracting 7.3% in 2020-21

– Govt. approves sale of PSU Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL) to Tata Steel Long Products Ltd for Rs 12,100 crore

– Core sector grows 12.6% during April-December

– Govt extends term of IPO-bound LIC’s chairman & MD by one year

WORLD

– Portugal election results: Ruling Socialist Party secures absolute majority in Parliament; Antonio Costa to continue as PM

SPORTS

– Magnus Carlsen of Norway wins Tata Steel Chess Tournament held in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands

– Odisha Open badminton tournament held at Cuttack: Unnati Hooda (women’s), Kiran George (men’s) win singles titles

– India hockey goalkeeper PR Srejeesh wins World Games Athlete of the Year for his 2021 performances

British Council announces scholarships for women in STEM

 The British Council has announced the second cohort of British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM. Applications for the scholarships for women in STEM are open until March 31, 2022. For further information candidates shall visit the official website at britishcouncil.org

Over a hundred scholarships will be available to women STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) scholars from Asia and the Americas, out of which sixty-five scholarships are reserved for women STEM scholars from India and other South Asian countries, awarded on a merit basis with no country-specific cap. 

Selected scholars will be eligible to obtain a master’s degree or an Early Academic Fellowship across thirteen UK universities in courses like Data Science, Environmental Science, Engineering, Public Health systems, Information Technology, Renewable Energy & Energy Management and Project Management.

The scholarship will cover tuition fees, monthly stipend, travel costs, visa and health coverage fees, as well as funding for dependents if any scholar wishes to travel with their children. 

The scholarship is also open to women with dependents to apply, with extra support. For subsequent details about the eligibility criteria for the scholarship, or other information including a full list of participating UK universities, available courses and university-specific deadlines, candidates are recommended to visit the official website. 

Source: Indian Express, 1/02/22

Union Budget 2022: Five takeaways for education sector

 While presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 in Parliament today, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the skilling programmes and partnership with the industry will be reoriented to promote continuous skilling avenues, sustainability, and employability. The National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) will be aligned with dynamic industry needs.

1. Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood – the DESH-Stack e-portal – will be launched. The portal aims to empower citizens to skill, reskill or upskill through online training. It aims to provide API-based trusted skill credentials, payment and discovery layers to find relevant jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

2. Startups will be promoted to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ through varied applications and for Drone-As-A-Service (DrAAS). In select ITIs, in all states, the required courses for skilling will be started.

3. A Digital University will be established to provide access to students across the country for quality education with a personalised learning experience. This will be made available in different Indian languages and ICT formats. The university will be built on a networked hub-spoke model, with the hub building cutting edge ICT expertise. Public universities and institutions in the country will collaborate as a n

4. ‘One class-one TV channel’ programme of PM eVIDYA will be expanded from 12 to 200 TV channels, aimed at enabling all states to provide supplementary education in regional languages for classes 1-12. Over 750 virtual labs in science and mathematics and 75 skilling e-labs for a simulated learning environment will be set up in 2022-23.etwork of hub-spokes.

5. For developing India specific knowledge in urban planning and design, and to deliver certified training in these areas, up to five existing academic institutions in different regions will be designated as centres of excellence. These centres will be provided endowment funds of ` 250 crore each. In addition, AICTE will take the lead to improve syllabi, quality and access to urban planning courses in other institutions.

Source: Indian Express, 2/2/22