Friday, April 28, 2023

World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies

he world population has reached eight billion and is expected to grow for decades, but many countries are facing a sharp drop in working-age adults. The competition for workers and talent will intensify globally, and many countries will be reliant on migration to realise their long-term growth potential. A recent report from the World Bank, titled “World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies”, proposes policies for better migration management in destination, transit and origin countries, underscoring its urgency.

Match-Motive Framework

The report introduces the “Match-Motive Framework,” a labour economics-based approach that emphasizes how well migrants’ skills and attributes match the needs of the destination countries. The framework also considers the reasons why migrants move in search of opportunity and determines the extent to which migrants, origin countries and destination countries gain from migration. The framework combines “match” and “motive” to determine policy priorities for countries of origin, transit, destination, and the global community.

Policies for Origin and Destination Countries

The World Bank report suggests that origin countries should make labour migration an explicit part of their development strategy. At the same time, it is suggested that the countries of destination promote migration in sectors where migrant skills are highly sought after, make efforts to integrate them into their society, and tackle social consequences that may worry their citizens. The report also calls for international cooperation and multilateral efforts to strengthen the match of migrants’ skills with the needs of destination societies.

Population Shifts

Many low-income countries are anticipated to experience a surge in population, which will exert pressure on them to generate additional employment opportunities for the youth. However, developing and impoverished nations such as India are observing an increase in the number of young people, while developed countries have already surpassed this stage, as they are experiencing depopulation. Spain, with a population of 47 million, is predicted to reduce by over one-third by 2100, with people aged 65 and above accounting for a greater proportion of the population, escalating from 20 per cent to 39 per cent. As their populations are no longer expanding, countries like Mexico, Thailand, Tunisia, and Türkiye might soon require more foreign workers.

Current Affairs- April 27, 2023

INDIA

Supreme Court modified its judgment to have mandatory eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) of a minimum one kilometre around protected forests, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
PM Modi to attend 20th anniversary of SWAGAT initiative in Gujarat via video conferencing.
NITI Aayog releases report titled Promoting Millets in Diets: Best Practices across States/UTs.
Youth-20 pre-summit under G20 presidency officially begins in Leh.
Centre approves establishment of 157 new govt nursing colleges at cost of Rs 1570 crores in India.
Ten security personnel and a civilian driver were killed in Maoist blast in Dantewada of Chhattisgarh.

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

Union government has approved the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launches IFFCO Nano DAP (Liquid).
NASSCOM Report: Patent filings in India rose by 13.6% in FY22.
Power Ministry warns States against resorting to tax levies on electricity generation, including through imposition of a water cess.

WORLD

Operation Kaveri: Nearly 1100 Indian nationals evacuated from conflict-hit Sudan.
US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol secures a landmark deal.
India Pavilion at Global Education and Training Exhibition Inaugurated at Dubai
Japan has invited applications for the 17th edition International Manga Award.

SPORTS

Dubai Badminton Asia Championship: HS Prannoy and Men’s Doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy -Chirag Shetty advance into pre-quarterfinals.

The Largest National Undergraduate Scholarship Programme To Reward Future Engineering Leaders Is Now Open

Bengaluru– The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is inviting applications for the 7th edition of its prestigious IET India Scholarship Award which carries a combined prize money of Rs 10 Lakh. Open to students of all AICTE, UGC-approved and national institutes, the programme aims to reward and celebrate individual excellence and innovation among undergraduate engineering students in India. This is the largest national scholarship prize for undergraduate engineering students in the country.

The last date to apply is the 3rd of June, 2023.

Previous winners have gone on to join leading global companies like Apple, Boeing, Deloitte and MIT, and some have even become entrepreneurs themselves. Applying for the programme is the first step in a detailed 4-stage process which tests students on academic and technical parameters, as well as creativity, innovation and presentation skills.

Mr. Shekhar Sanyal, Director and Country Head, IET India, said, ” As we embrace a tech-driven future, it is more important than ever to nurture, recognize and inspire young engineering leaders of tomorrow. The IET India Scholarship Award is our commitment to championing individual excellence in engineering and technology. Having seen the tremendous response and high quality levels of applicants last year, I am sure this year will be even better. I wish the applicants all the very best and look forward to new standards of creativity and innovation.”

The IET India Scholarship Award 2023 is led by a highly empowered and respected Advisory Committee, comprising academicians and corporate professionals of national repute who helped build a strong framework for the award. The committee is chaired by Prof. Abhijit Chakrabarti, Former Vice-Chancellor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and Chairman, IET India Scholarship Award Advisory Committee.

Echoing Mr. Sanyal’s views, Prof. Chakrabarti said, “It gives me immense pleasure to announce the opening of the seventh edition of the IET India Scholarship Award. This scholarship provides a platform for undergraduate engineering students to showcase their abilities and innovation in front of industry stalwarts and academicians. We hope that through this program, we can inspire and empower undergraduate students to pursue excellence in engineering, as well as motivate these young minds to think about the role of technology in solving challenges that we face today.”

The award evaluation comprises four stages. The initial stage involves an online application where applicants are evaluated based on their academic, extra-curricular, outreach, and professional performance, with varying weightages assigned to each category. In the second stage, shortlisted candidates are required to take an online test to have their proficiency and technical knowledge gauged in relevant subjects. The highest scoring 10% of students will be invited to take part in the in-person Regional Assessments at 5 regional centres where candidates present their technological solutions to region-specific challenges, to be evaluated by a panel of experts. The Regional winners then proceed to the 4th stage – National Finals – where the national winner will be awarded.

The previous edition of the award drew close to 29,000 entries, with the national and regional winners felicitated by Mrr. Suresh Prabhu, Former Union Minister and 6-time Member of Parliament, at the IET India’s Future Tech Congress 2022. The programme aims to reward innovative thinking from the next crop of engineers entering the workforce and is part of a wide number of IET India initiatives focused on improving the quality of engineering in India.

For more information, please visit – https://scholarships.theietevents.com/#!

Source: indiaeducationdirary, 13/04/23

World Intellectual Property Day 2023: Understanding IP, Significance, How to apply

World Intellectual Property Day is observed on April 26th every year to celebrate the importance of intellectual property rights (IPR) and the contributions that innovation and creativity make towards economic and social development.

The day was established by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 2000 to raise awareness about the role of intellectual property (IP) in encouraging innovation and creativity and to promote a better understanding of the importance of IP rights.

What is Intellectual Property (IP)?

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, symbols, designs, and names used in commerce, for which exclusive rights are recognised.

Intellectual property rights (IPRs) allow creators or owners to have control over the use of their creations for a certain period of time. Examples of IPRs include patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Let’s take a look at some of these:

Patents are exclusive rights granted to inventors for a limited time period, allowing them to prevent others from making, using, or selling their inventions without their permission.
Trademarks are distinctive signs or symbols that identify products or services and their source.

Copyrights are exclusive rights granted to creators of original works of authorship, such as literary, musical, or artistic works.
Trade secrets comprise confidential information that gives businesses a competitive advantage and can include formulas, patterns, or processes that are not generally known.

Intellectual property plays an important role in promoting innovation and creativity by providing incentives for inventors and creators to invest time and resources in their work. However, it can also be a source of controversy and legal disputes, particularly in the digital age where it can be difficult to enforce and protect IP rights.

World Intellectual Property Day 2023: Significance

The significance of World Intellectual Property Day lies in its ability to highlight the crucial role played by IP in promoting innovation, creativity, and economic growth. Intellectual property rights are essential to encourage innovation, investment in research and development, and the creation of new products and services. They provide incentives for individuals and companies to invest in the development of new ideas, technologies, and artistic works.

Furthermore, World Intellectual Property Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of respecting IP rights and to encourage individuals and organisations to protect the IP of others.

It also serves as a platform to showcase the importance of intellectual property in various fields such as medicine, art, music, literature, technology, and business.

How to apply for Intellectual property rights (IPRs) in India

To apply for IPRs in India, here’s what you need to do:

Identify the type of IPR you want to apply for.
Conduct a search to ensure that your creation is unique and does not infringe upon any existing IPR.
Prepare the application in the prescribed format along with the relevant supporting documents.
Submit the application to the relevant authority, such as the Indian Patent Office, the Trademark Registry, or the Copyright Office.
Pay the necessary fees for the application.
Wait for the examination process to be completed, and if there are no objections or oppositions, your IPR will be granted.

It is advisable to seek the help of a qualified and experienced attorney to assist you in the IPR application process to ensure that you do not face any legal issues in the future.

The importance and the very existence of World Intellectual Property Day lies in its ability to raise awareness about the importance of intellectual property rights, promote innovation and creativity, and encourage the respect and protection of IP rights. So, let World Intellectual Property Day 2023 serve as a reminder to you to go file that IP and make the most of what is your own.

Source: The Telegraph, 26/04/23

Back to base: Editorial on assault to basic structure of the Constitution

The government’s attitudes, not always obviously articulated but quietly nurtured, are reflected in daily life, from cow vigilantism to the increase of suicides among Dalit students

Few texts are as dynamic as the Indian Constitution. It represents, through its interpretations, applications and amendments the people’s growing understanding of the gifts of freedom and equality that it symbolises, and the wisdom and independence of the judiciary. Fifty years after the Kesavananda Bharati judgment, which defined the basic structure of the Constitution for the first time, the nobility of the vision it enshrines and the perspicacity of the judges who discerned its foundational values need to be recalled with special emphasis. Although Article 368 of the Constitution allows amendment of its provisions through bills in either House of Parliament, the 1973 judgment declared that no change could be made to its ‘basic structure’, that is, the supremacy of the Constitution, the republican and democratic form of government and it federal dimension, the secular nature of the Constitution and the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and the judiciary. Added to this were the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people listed in it and the building of a welfare state described in Part IV of the document. The basic structure, too, is dynamic, because it allows for inferences appropriate for a changing society; the judiciary’s independence can be immediately inferred while the right to privacy, for example, was a later inference from other enshrined rights of the individual.

The judges defining the basic structure expressed the possibility that, without this doctrine, a party with two-thirds majority in Parliament could mount an assault on the Constitution and change its character. Assaults on constitutional principles and individual freedoms and choices, on the spirit of secularism, equality, and democratic practices have, ironically, become rather familiar in contemporary India. The government’s attitudes, not always obviously articulated but quietly nurtured, are reflected in daily life, from cow vigilantism to the increase of suicides among Dalit students. Occupying one of the highest constitutional positions, the vice-president said that the Kesavananda Bharati judgment was ‘incorrect’, since in a democracy the judiciary cannot fetter Parliament’s right to amend whatsoever it pleases in the Constitution. As the context was the Centre’s desire to overturn the collegium system of judges’ appointments, this was an intriguing use of the concept of ‘democracy’ which assumes an independent judiciary. There is no better time to celebrate and assert the basic structure doctrine judgment.

Source: The Telegraph, 27/04/23

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Quote of the Day April 26, 2023

“There has never been an age that did not applaud the past and lament the present.”
Lillian Eichler Watson

“ऐसा कोई युग कभी नहीं रहा जिसमें अतीत का गुणगान और वर्तमान पर विलाप न किया गया हो।”
लिलियन आइक्लर वॉटसन

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