“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”
Plato
“बुद्धिमान व्यक्ति बोलते हैं क्योंकि उनके पास बोलने के लिए कुछ होता है, मूर्ख व्यक्ति बोलते हैं क्योंकि उन्हें कुछ कहना होता है।”
प्लैटो
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Quote of the Day: September 20, 2022
Current Affairs-September 20, 2022
INDIA
– PM Modi meets Deputy PM and Finance Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong in New Delhi
– Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calls on President of Egypt Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo
– Kazakhstan to host Conference on Confidence Building Measures and Interaction in Asia (CICA) Summit in capital Astana on October 12-13; invites PM Modi
– President Droupadi Murmu meets King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London
– Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DONER G. Kishan Reddy addresses the Tourism Ministers’ meeting of the BRICS member countries virtually
– Odisha BJP leader Bishnu Charan Sethi dies at 61 in Bhubaneswar
– Shri Panchkhand Peethadheeshwar Acharya Swami Dharmendra Maharaj dies in Jaipur at 80
– Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh joins BJP, merges Punjab Lok Congress with BJP
– Manipur CM Biren Singh launches portal ‘CM da Haisi’ (Let’s inform the CM) to address public grievances
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) amends regulations to boost value of stressed companies
– 9th Session of Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture being held in New Delhi from September 19 to 24
WORLD
– Ukraine says Russia strikes Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in Mykolaiv region, reactors undamaged
– 94 people killed in border clashes between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
– Nigeria: Death toll from Lassa fever rises to 171 this year
– International World Snakebite Awareness Day observed on September 19
SPORTS
– WTA Chennai Open tennis: Linda Fruhvirtova (Czech Republic) wins singles; Luisa Stefani (Brazil) & Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) win doubles
Current Affairs- September 19, 2022
INDIA
– National conference of tourism ministers of States & UTs being held in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh on Sept 18-20
– Over 100,000 donate blood on Sept 17, creating world record as part of the fortnight-long ‘Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav’
– 9 District Disability Rehabilitation centres (DDRCs) inaugurated across the country by Dr. Virendra Kumar, Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment
– Karnataka CM Basavraj Bommai launches diagnostic service Xpress Clinic
– Rajasthan to give 2% reservation to sportspersons in govt jobs: CM Ashok Gehlot
– Japan India Maritime Exercise 2022 (JIMEX 22) concludes in the Bay of Bengal
– Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh will lead the Joint Indian Ministerial Delegation of Power, New and Renewable Energy and Science and Technology to America to take part in Global Clean Energy Action Forum.
– President Droupadi Murmu offers tributes to Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– ICAR signs tech transfer pact with Biovet for lumpy skin disease vaccine
WORLD
– Toronto International Film Festival: ‘The Fabelmans’, directed by Steven Spielberg, wins People’s Choice Award
– Tsunami warnings issued after 6.8-magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan
– Typhoon Nanmadol bears down on Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu
– Tropical storm Fiona becomes a hurricane, aims at Puerto Rico
– International Equal Pay Day celebrated on Sept 18; aims to bridge gender pay gap
SPORTS
– Football: Bengaluru FC win Durand Cup by defeating Mumbai City FC 2-1 in final at Kolkata
– World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade: India’s Bajrang Punia wins bronze in men’s 65 kg
– Davis Cup tennis: Norway beat India 3-0 in World Group I tie at Lillehammer
– India’s Pranav Anand (Under-16) & A. R. Ilamparthi (Under-14) win titles at World Youth Chess Championship in Romania
Study in France: Opportunities, Courses, Scholarships and more
Sitting near the Eiffel Tower working on your college assignments and eating a croissant. Sounds dreamy? Well, it doesn't need to be a dream! French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, on her recent visit to India, said that the government in France was looking to increase the number of Indian students studying in France to 20,000 by the year 2025.
France is one of the most sought-after destinations for Indians to pursue higher education whether in fashion, business or art. If you are aspiring to become the next Marie Curie or Jean Luc Godard or Vera Wang then France is definitely the place for you!
But before you study in France and live your dreams, it is important to have an in-depth knowledge of the education system, cost of living, scholarships, etc. Read on to find more information…
French Education System
In France, there are more than 3,500 private and state institutions offering degrees and certifications. Comparatively speaking, public universities are cheaper than private ones. International students can enrol in undergraduate, postgraduate, doctorate, diploma, and applied science programmes at French universities and colleges. Additionally, there are numerous diploma, applied science, and certification programmes available. These programmes typically last one to two years.
Typically, sessions start in September or October. Both English and French are used during instruction, which means that it is imperative that you learn basic French before you join the courses to get the best out of the course. International students who choose to enrol in English language courses must demonstrate their language skills through exams like the IELTS and TOEFL. With some of the world’s highly esteemed colleges, France has one of the best-rated educational systems in the world. Many of them also offer distance learning and online courses to international students, though the experience is definitely not the same.
Study in France: Cost of Education
When it comes to studying abroad, France is a low-cost and highly sought-after place for Indian students. In fact, with the aid of fully-financed scholarship programmes, deserving Indian students can also receive a 100% tuition fee remission. The fee, however, varies according to the programme, university, and specialisation type, with public universities charging a fraction of what a private university would charge. The living costs also vary, based on which city you are living in. The college you apply to will be able to help you with ballpark figures that help you chalk out a budget and financial plan.
Study in France: Scholarships for Indian students
There are numerous scholarships available in France, making higher education more affordable. France is well regarded for its quality education and academic infrastructure in addition to being a popular tourism destination. And these scholarships supporting bright foreign students' gives you an opportunity to experience it. Here are some of the popular scholarships available for Indian students.
- Charpak Scholarship
- The Erasmus Scholarship
- Ministry of Higher Education Scholarships for doctoral students
- Eiffel Scholarship Excellence Programme
- Foreign Ministry Scholarships
Also Read: 6 Essential Tips to make the best of your study abroad experience
Study in France: Popular Courses
Due to its top-notch educational system, France is a favourite study abroad destination for international students. There are suitable undergraduate & postgraduate courses available for students with various backgrounds and expertise. Check out some of the most popular courses that students apply for, both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Study in France: Top Institutes to Study
France has a wide variety of educational institutions where you can study, including universities, major Ecoles (schools) and business schools. Many of these rank among the top universities in Europe and the world. Check out the top 5 institutions to study in France.
- Sorbonne Universitè
- University of Paris
- University of Bordeaux
- Strasbourgh University
- ENS Lyon
If you are willing to enrol in an undergraduate or postgraduate programme that offers - a chance to study under a better pedagogical system, a chance to learn a new language and explore a new place, and a chance to land a job overseas, and of course, a stint abroad - France might be just the option for you. And of course, with the government encouraging the intake of foreign students, your chances are only going to get better!
Source: Telegraph, 16/09/22
Engineer’s Day 2022: The Engineer who received the Bharat Ratna and British Knighthood
To commemorate the birth anniversary of Sir Moksha Gundam Visvesvaraya, India celebrates 15 September as Engineer’s Day. Known as the father of Indian engineering, he is regarded as one of the nation's greatest engineers. His remarkable contribution to the world of engineering has changed the way we perceive the field today. Along with India, other countries such as Sri Lanka and Tanzania have also honoured him by marking 15 September as Engineer’s day.
Significance:
National Engineering day serves as a day for thanking engineers for their immense support and contribution made to the nation’s development. In 1968, the Government of India decided to observe 15 September as National Engineering day with the intention that aspiring engineers would look get inspired by Visvesvaraya’s consider him to be their role model and guiding light.
India has often been referred to as a country of engineers. This is no surprise, considering engineering is still one of the most earnest and popular career choices in India.
About Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya:
Born on 15 September 1861 in Karnataka, Visvesvaray initially attended the University of Madras to become a Bachelor of Arts. However, he soon made a career transition and instead pursued a Diploma in Civil Engineering from the College of Science in Pune. His remarkable innovation of creating ‘block systems’, where he installed an irrigation system with water floodgates at a reservoir near Pune, became a feather in the cap for him. The system helped in increasing the water supply level as well as storage. This irrigation system was initially installed at the Khadakvasla Reservoir, along with Tigra Dam at Gwalior and Krishnaraja Sagara Reservoir, KRS Dam in Mysuru, Karnataka.
In the year 1955, he was conferred the ‘Bharat Ratna’ by the President of India for his exceptional contribution to the development of India. He has also been awarded the British knighthood and served as Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918.
India and Engineering in 2022:
The advancement in technology, ease of access and growth in the IT industry would not have been actualised without engineering. It is the link which holds every industry together. India in particular is making significant investments in IT. Our country also currently has the highest number of engineers graduating, as well as several top-level engineering colleges and institutions. Engineering, in particular, is an ever-expanding field where new development keeps on happening with every passing year. This in-demand and highly skilled profession is one to stay.
Source: Telegraph, 15/09/22
An Indian paradox: India’s voluminous media is without bite
The news media in this country is a paradox. It is voluminous in numbers but, increasingly, without bite. We are on track to becoming the world’s fifth biggest newspaper market in terms of revenue by 2026 and have the largest newspaper readership, overtaking China by 2025. The size of our population, low internet penetration compared to other newspaper markets, growing literacy, and low pricing will ensure this. Even as India also continues to be a strongly mobile-focused market, with 72 per cent people already accessing news through smartphones.
But it will not be our journalism or reporting that takes us to any international heights. The New York Times currently has 1,700 journalists reporting from 160 countries. But the past two or three decades have seen India’s television news channels withdrawing feet on the ground and replacing news with debates. Our biggest newspapers have shrunk their foreign correspondent deployment to three or four major countries, at best, and state bureaus within India have shrunk to a single correspondent. The eight states in the Northeast are likely to be covered by one or two people for national newspapers. When the Hindi heartland newspapers expanded in the late 1990s and early 2000s to reach villages, they pioneered the extensive use of citizen stringers — it was cheaper than deploying journalists.
The closest one can get to the number of journalists reporting for different newspapers is the total figure of media and publishing employees from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s monthly employment data and the figures big media companies give on LinkedIn regarding their employees on the network. Take a closer look at The Times of India and Hindustan Times, for instance,and you would find management personnel figuring generously in the lists, which are around 1,400 and 2,600 employees respectively.
This government figured out in its first tenure that you can ignore the media and still win elections handsomely. It could have left it at that but there were scores to settle, going back to the reporting of the Gujarat riots of 2002. Hence the periodic efforts to regulate and harass the media via regulatory agencies. Today you can be bullied regularly by the government and let it set the news agenda on a daily basis with few questions asked. You can thus be one of the biggest media markets in the world and still have dismal freedom of press ranking. Since the last edition of this column was written, the system and its allies have not been idle.
To begin with the allies, on August 23, the Adani Group launched a hostile takeover bid of NDTV. It acquired convertible warrants through the acquisition of a company originally owned by the Ambanis. This group company had entered into a loan agreement with a promoter company, RRPR Holdings, owned by Prannoy and Radhika Roy, in 2009 and 2010. It has since changed hands before being acquired by Adani. This move to convert the warrants into shares triggered an open offer to acquire another 26 per cent of NDTV. Given the closeness of the Adani Group with the ruling establishment, this was widely seen as an attempt to tame a channel that the ruling party finds particularly galling. Considerable coverage of this takeover attempt ensued both here and abroad.
Later that month, The Washington Post reported a whistleblower complaint in which a former security chief of Twitter alleged that the Indian government may have forced Twitter to “put one of its agents on the payroll, with access to user data”. This was allegedly done at a time of intense protests in the country even though the protests were not specified. This is being cited as an example of efforts to police social media.
Earlier this month, there were income tax ‘surveys’ on three establishments— the Delhi-based think tank, Centre for Policy Research, the Bangalore-based Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation, which funds a number of digital web entities, and the funding agency, Oxfam India. The exercise involved confiscating and cloning of telephones and computers of personnel at these establishments and photocopying of records and papers to take away. No reasons were given for the surveys. In September last year, there were similar ‘surveys’ (the term, ‘raid’, is not used) at the offices of the news sites, Newslaundry and NewsClick.
Meanwhile, the much-reported case of the Kerala journalist, Siddique Kappan, who was apprehended and jailed in Uttar Pradesh while on his way to report on the Hathras rape in October 2020, continues to simmer. The Supreme Court granted him conditional bail earlier this month in the UAPA case even as the NIA court in Lucknow stymied his release with bail conditions demanding two local sureties of one lakh rupees each. His lawyers and family struggle to find UP residents who will oblige and bail in a PMLA case brought by the Enforcement Directorate is yet to be granted.
A confident government whose leader is constantly striding on the world stage should not need to be quite so hyperactive in its efforts to control the public narrative and harass journalists to boot, particularly when much of the media is happy to let the government and Narendra Modi set the agenda for coverage. A sanguine example for this government came with the reporting, earlier this month, of the September 8 agreement reached to disengage by Indian and Chinese troops in the area of Gogra-Hot Springs (PP-15). Most reports stuck to what the ministry of external affairs spokesperson said.But a few looked closer.
Deccan Herald reported that India has ended up conceding to the creation of yet another ‘buffer zone’ in its own territory. A Karan Thapar interview on The Wire reinforced this by suggesting that grazing lands used by shepherds in the area have been given away. As much as a full kilometre of Indian territory has been lost, he suggested. NDTV, according to Thapar, had also reported the loss of some 30 km of grazing territory in length. All reports were based on local sources such as councillors and graziers in the area.
Both Thapar and NDTV are already in the doghouse as far as this government is concerned for past reporting/interviewing sins. But some dogs, thankfully, continue to bark.
Sevanti Ninan
Source: the Telegraph, 19/09/22
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