National Current Affairs – UPSC/IAS Exams- 13th December 2019

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan

Topic: Government Policies

In News: Ministry of Human Resource Development is implementing the Scheme of Vocationalisation of School Education.

More on the Topic:

• The Department of School Education and Literacy (MoHRD) has formulated the Samagra Shiksha as an Integrated Scheme for School Education as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and it is being implemented throughout the country with effect from the year 2018-19.
• This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
• It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.

Some of the major features include:

• Holistic Approach: Treat school education holistically as a continuum from Pre-school to Class 12
• Quality Education: Capacity building of teachers in the online and offline mode as well as the strengthening of Teacher Education Institutions SCERT/DIET/BRC/CRC/CTEs/IASEs.
• Digital Education: Support ‘Operation Digital Board’ in all secondary schools over a period of 5 years, which will revolutionize education- easy to understand, technology-based learning classrooms will become flipped classrooms.
• Swachhata Initiatives: Specific provision for Swachhta activities – support ‘Swachh Vidyalaya’
• Girls Education: Upgradation of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBY) from Class 6-8 to Class 6-12. And Stipend for CWSN girls to be provided from Classes I to XII. – earlier only IX to XII.
• Skill Enhancement: Vocational education which was limited to Class 9-12, to be started from class 6 as integrated with the curriculum and to be made more practical and industry oriented.
• Physical Education: Every school will receive sports equipments under the scheme to inculcate and emphasize the relevance of sports in the school curriculum
• Promoting Regional Balances: Preference to Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs), LWEs, Special Focus Districts (SFDs), Border areas and the 115 aspirational districts identified by Niti Aayog.

Source: Hindu

National Financial Reporting Authority

Topic: Economy

In News: The Delhi High Court has issued notice in a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) to investigate professional misconduct by Chartered Accountants and take disciplinary action against them.

More on the Topic:

• The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) was constituted on 1st October, 2018 by the Government of India under section 132 (1) of the Companies Act, 2013.
• In the wake of accounting scams, a need was felt to establish an independent regulator for enforcement of auditing standards and ensuring the quality of audits so as to enhance investor and public confidence in financial disclosures of companies.
• The Companies Act requires the NFRA to have a chairperson who will be appointed by the Central Government and a maximum of 15 members.

Functions and Duties:

• Recommend accounting and auditing policies and standards to be adopted by companies for approval by the Central Government;
• Monitor and enforce compliance with accounting standards and auditing standards;
• Oversee the quality of service of the professions associated with ensuring compliance with such standards and suggest measures for improvement in the quality of service;
• Perform such other functions and duties as may be necessary or incidental to the aforesaid functions and duties.

Powers:

• It can probe listed companies and those unlisted public companies having paid-up capital of no less than Rs 500 crore or annual turnover of no less than Rs 1,000 crore.
• It can investigate professional misconduct committed by members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for prescribed class of body corporate or persons.

Source: Indian Express

Kuchipudi

Topic: Art and Culture

In News: Featured in Hindu

More on the Topic:

• Kuchipudi is one of the 8 classical dance forms of India.
• The dance form has emerged from a popular theatrical art ‘Kuchipudi Yakshagana’ named after the place of its origin, the village Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh.
• In fact, the evolution of Kuchipudi and Yakshagana seems to be common.
• The Kuchipudi style was conceived by Siddhendra Yogi, a talented Vaishnava poet of 17th century. It begins with an invocation to Lord Ganesha followed by nritta (non-narrative and abstract dancing); shabdam (narrative dancing) and natya.
• It is performed as dance drama i.e. performance in groups and also as solo items.
• The dance is accompanied by song which is typically Carnatic music. The singer is accompanied by mridangam, violin, flute and the tambura.

Source: Hindu

IBM GRAF system

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: IMB introduced the Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System (IBM GRAF) for more accurate weather forecasting system.

More on the Topic:

• It will rely on user-generated data to improve the accuracy of forecasts available in India.
• It will generate forecasts at a resolution of 3 kilometres. This is a significantly higher resolution than the 12-kilometre models used by the India Meteorological Department to generate forecasts.
• Weather forecasts will be available to individuals for free download and can be used by farmers. The forecast system will also be used to provide custom forecasts for energy companies, consumer brands, insurance businesses and satellite imagery analysts.
• For its forecasts, IBM will rely on a global network of sensors automatic weather station, data buoys and barometric pressure data from cell phones of users who will download the application.
• It will run on supercomputer and generate forecasts over desired time-frames three days, weekly or fortnightly.

Source: Hindu

India Skills Report

Topic: Reports and Indices

In News:  According to the India Skills Report 2019-20 About 46.21 per cent students were found employable or ready to take up jobs in 2019, compared with 33 per cent in 2014, and 47.38 per cent in 2018.

More on the Topic:

• Female employability witnessed an upward trend at 47 per cent this year from 38 per cent in 2017 and 46 per cent in 2018.
• A decline in employability was seen in BTech, Engineering. MCA graduates, Technical & Computer-related courses.
• India Skills Report is a joint initiative of Wheebox (a global talent-assessment company), Taggd by PeopleStrong and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with UNDP, AICTE and AIU.

State wise Statistics:

• Maharashtra followed by Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh were ranked among the top three in terms of employability. While Mumbai followed by Hyderabad were ranked the top two employable cities.
• Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pune, Lucknow, and Chennai have maintained their presence in the top 10 over the last six years. States that registered a dip in ranking were West Bengal and Haryana, which could not make it to the top ten list.

Significance of Employability:

• India becoming a $5 trillion economy requires increasing the per-capita income of Indians which can happen only when people get employment, which consequently demands the skills and useful talent.
• To achieve that, along with the universities and colleges in India, various emerging start-ups are already using innovative technologies to facilitate skill up-gradation, job creation, internships and workforce management on their platforms.
• Utility of These platforms should be increased further.

Source: Hindu

Atal Bhujal yojana

Topic: Government Policies

In News: The World Bank has approved Atal BhujalYojana (ABHY), a Rs.6,000 Crore Central Sector Scheme, for sustainable management of ground water resources with community participation. The funding pattern is 50:50 between Government of India and World Bank..

More on the Topic:

• The scheme envisages active participation of the communities in various activities such as formation of Water User Associations, monitoring and disseminating ground water data, water budgeting, preparation and implementation of Gram-Panchayat wise water security plans and Information, Education & Communication (IEC) activities related to sustainable ground water management.
• The identified over-exploited and water stressed areas for the implementation of the scheme fall in the States of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• These States represent about 25% of the total number of over-exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks in terms of ground water in India.
• The States have been selected according to a number of criteria, including degree of groundwater exploitation and degradation, established legal and regulatory instruments, institutional readiness, and experience in implementing initiatives related to groundwater management.

Ground Water Statistics:

• As per the assessment of dynamic ground water resources of country carried out jointly by CGWB and State Ground Water Departments, out of the total 6584 numbers of assessment units (Block/ Taluks/ Mandals/ watershed/ Firkka), 1034 units have been categorized as ‘Over-exploited’.
• This may be due to increase in population, rapid urbanization & industrialization and other related factors.

Model Mains Question: India’s over exploitation of groundwater is leading to the worst water crisis in its history. Comment

Source: Hindu