In News:

Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL) under the ministry of education has recently released the fourth edition of the Performing Grading Index-2021 of States/ UTs.

Beyond News:

• The index uses indicators to evaluate education parameters including learning outcomes to measure progress and graded performance of States/ UTs on a uniform scale.
• Under this, States are graded and not ranked to discourage the practice of one improving only at the cost of others, “thereby casting a stigma of underperformance on the latter”.
• It pinpoints the gaps and helps States/UTs in prioritising the areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level.
• The first PGI was released in 2017-18.

Components and Indicators:

• The PGI structure comprises of total weightage of 1000 points across 70 indicators, which are grouped under 2 Categories viz., Outcome and Governance Management(GM).
• These categories are further divided into 5 domains, viz., Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure& Facilities (IF), Equity (E) & Governance Process (GP).

Key findings

• Improvements over previous years:
• The top-most score in 2017-18 was Level IV which improved to Level II in 2020-21.
• No state has performed below Level VII in 2020-21 whereas in 2017-18 12 States/UTs were below Level VII
• Best Achievers: 7 States and UTs have attained level II.
• Inter-State Disparity: Kerala obtained the maximum score (928) and Arunachal Pradesh minimum (669).
• Status of education: The Indian Education System is one of the largest in the world with about 14.9 lakh schools, 95 lakh teachers, and nearly 26.5 crore students from varied socio-economic backgrounds.

Importance:

• It pinpoints the gaps and helps States/UTs in prioritising the areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level.
• It will propel States & UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged intervention that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes.
• It motivates States and UTs to adopt best practices followed by the top performing States.
• It will help in providing insights and data-driven mechanisms on the performance and achievements of on the success of school education across all States/UTs.

Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1873308

Original report: https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/statistics-new/pgi_20_21.pdf

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

In News:

Scientists have recently analysed artwork and photographs repository of rhinos to assess changes in horn length and human attitudes towards the animal. the horns of the Rhinoceroceros may have become smaller over time due to the selective pressure of hunting.

Beyond News:

• The scientists have used RRC’s repository for two separate research approaches to assess the changes in representations of rhinos and human interactions with the animal over the last 500 years to analyse changes in horn length over time.
• According to the findings, the horns of rhinoceroses may have become smaller over time due to the impact of hunting over many years.
• Rhinos are poached for their prominent horn which is revered for medicinal use in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore besides as ornamental dagger handle in North Africa and the Middle East.

Major findings of the research:

• The five surviving rhino species(White and Black Rhinos in Africa, and the Greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhino species in Asia) are still threatened by habitat loss and hunting.
• The rate of decline in horn length was highest in the critically-endangered Sumatran rhinoand lowest in the white rhino of Africa, which is the most commonly found species both in the wild and in captivity.
• This observation follows patterns seen in other animals, such as tusk size in elephants and horn length in wild sheep,which have been driven down by directional selection due to trophy hunting.
• During the age of European imperialism (between the 16th and 20th centuries), rhinos were commonly portrayed as hunting trophies, but since the mid-20thcentury, they have been increasingly portrayed in a conservation context, reflecting a change in emphasis from a more to less consumptive relationship between humans and rhinos.

Indian Rhino:

• Only the Great One-Horned Rhinois found in India. Also known as the Indian rhino, it is the largest of the rhino species.
• They primarily graze, with a diet consisting almost entirely of grasses as well as leaves, branches of shrubs and trees, fruit, and aquatic plants.
• Habitat: The species is restricted to small habitats in Indo-Nepal terai and northern West Bengal and Assam.
• In India, rhinos are mainly found in Assam (Pabitora Wildlife Reserve, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Kaziranga National Park, and Manas National Park), West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
• Protection Status:
  1. IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  2. CITES: Appendix 1
  3. Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1

Threats: Poaching for the horns, Habitat loss, Population density and Decreasing Genetic diversity.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/curious-collage-shows-rhino-horns-are-shrinking-due-to-the-impact-of-hunting/article66087274.ece

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

In news

The Supreme Court recently asked the governments of NCT of Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to take suo motu action against any hate speech crimes taking place within their jurisdiction.

About Hate Speech

• Hate Speech may be defined as an expression which is likely to cause offence or distress to other individuals on the basis of their association with a particular group and/or incitement.

• Causes
  • Negative stereotypes leading one to think of other groups or individuals as inferior, different and less worthy of respect.
  • Perpetrators motivated by thrill, threat, retaliation or mission
• Legal provisions
  • The term “hate speech” does not find mentioned anywhere, but its different forms are identified across the laws that address this kind of speech.
  • Legal provisions associated: IPC, RPA 1951, Protection of Civil Rights Act, Religious Institutions Act etc.

• Thus, hate speech is defined in India in terms of the harm to the community at large rather than one which is focused on the violation of an individual’s right to freedom of speech and expression.

Measures to tackle Hate speech

• The Law Commission of India has recommended tougher norms to discourage hate speech
  • It has suggested adding new provisions to make speech inciting hatred and speech that causes fear, alarm or provocation of violence, a criminal offence under IPC.
  • It also cautioned the government that hate speech is considered outside the realm of protective discourse and has urged for the expansion of the penal law against hate crimes.
  • It has identified criteria that can be used to determine Hate speech based on summarising the different State jurisdictions.

Other suggestive measures include:

• • Television dramas can be circulated to promote religious harmony.
  • Religious heads should involve themselves to build empathy across religions, to reduce social tensions.
  • Strategic interventions by Government, to reduce spread on social media

Source: Hate speech in India

Image source: https://factly.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Hate-Speech_Hate-Speech-Legislations-in-India.jpg

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Context: India has abstained from a UNSC resolution sponsored by Russia alleging US and Ukraine carrying out “military biological activities” violating the Biological Weapon Convention.

• Formally known as “The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction”, the Convention was negotiated by the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It entered into force on 26^thMarch 1975.
• It effectively prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and useof biological and toxin weapons.
• It is a key element in the international community’s efforts to address the proliferation of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). 
• It was the first multilateral disarmament treatybanning an entire category of WMD.
• It supplements the 1925 Geneva Protocol,which prohibited only the use of biological (and chemical) weapons in war.
• The Convention has an almost universal membershipwith 184 States Parties and four Signatory States.
• India is a signatoryof the convention.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-abstains-on-russia-sponsored-draft-resolution-at-unsc-for-probe-on-ukraines-alleged-bio-weapons/article66090297.ece

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

• Context: Recently, a famous actor was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called 'myositis'.

• Myositis, an autoimmune condition, can cause muscles to become weak, tired and painful. It is usually caused by a problem with the immune system, where it mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.
• Myositis can be caused by an infection, most commonly viral infection or bacterial infection.
• The most common symptom of myositis is muscle weakness which often develops slowly.
• In most patients with myositis, the levels of muscle proteins, Creatine kinase or creatine phosphokinase (CK or CPK), aldolase, and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and myoglobin go up when the disease is out of control and improves with treatment.
• There’s no cure for myositis, but in most cases, treatment can put it into remission (when there’s little or no inflammation in the muscles).
• Most people with myositis have it for the rest of their lives. Some cases of myositis can be fatal.

Sources: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/all-you-need-to-know-about-myositis-the-condition-affecting-samantha-prabhu/amp-11667697807135.html

Image source: https://www.slideserve.com/manning/infectious-myositis

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

• Context: From 2022, 3^rdNovember will be celebrated as 'The International Day for Biosphere Reserves'.
• Biosphere Reserve is an international designation by UNESCO for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large areas of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination of both.
• BR tries to balance economic and social developmentand maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.
• They are nominated by national governmentsand remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located.
• These are designated under the intergovernmental Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programmeby the Director-General of UNESCO following the decisions of the MAB International Coordinating Council (MAB ICC).
• The MAB Programmeis an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.
• Their status is internationally recognized.
• Their three main zones include Core Areas, Buffer Zones and Transition Area.
• India at present has 18 notified biosphere reservesspanning 60,000 sq km.

Source:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-chance-to-expand-the-worlds-biosphere-footprint/article66087832.ece

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

• Context: Recently, the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the 103^rdConstitutional Amendment which provides 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) among forward castes in government jobs and colleges across India.
• The 10% EWS quotawas introduced under the 103^rd Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2019 by amending Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution.
• It inserted Article 15 (6) and Article 16 (6).
• It is for economic reservationin jobs and admissions in educational institutes for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
• It was enacted to promote the welfare of the poor not covered by the 50% reservation policy for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled tribes and Socially and educationally Backward classes. 
• It enables both Centre and the states to provide reservation to the EWS of society.
• Significance: Addresses Inequality, Recognition of the Economic Backwardness, and Reduction of Caste-Based Discrimination.
• Demerits: Unavailability of Data, Breaches Reservation Cap, Arbitrary Criteria etc.

Source:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-upholds-validity-of-ews-quota/article66106470.ece

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Exam View: Preamble of the Indian Constitution, Directive Principle of State Policy, Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

In News: Recently, an article published in the Hindu is based on Uniform Civil Code.

Uniform Civil Code is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.

• Article 44 of the Directive Principles of the State Policy (DPSP) states that it is the duty of the State to secure Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the citizens throughout the country.
• Article 37 states that the “state shall endeavour by suitable legislation”, while the phrase “by suitable legislation” is absent in Article 44.
• It mainly aims to replace Personal Laws based on the scriptures and customs of each major religious community in India with a common set of rules governing every citizen.
• In Uniform Civil Code, “Uniform” signifies the Uniformity of laws between communities and the Uniformity of laws within communities ensuring equality between the rights of men and women.
• The Indian Constitution also contains articles mandating equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of sex (Articles 14-18). However, several laws exist that apparently violate these principles and continue to be there, especially in personal laws of certain communities which contain provisions that are deemed to be highly discriminatory against women.

Argument in favour of UCC

• Protection of Vulnerable & Women’s Rights: It will protect the vulnerable sections of society. Women have been denied via personal laws in the name of socio-cultural-religious traditions. Therefore, UCC could bring all communities together to ensure Women the Right to a dignified life and control over their life as well as body.
• Aspiration of the young population: As the world transitions into the digital age, the social attitude and aspirations of the young population are shaped by universal and global principles of equality, humanity and modernity.
• National integration: The implementation of the Uniform Civil Code will grant an equal set of personal laws to all, resulting at the end of politicization of issues of discrimination or concessions or on the other hand exceptional benefits appreciated by a specific community on the basis of their specific religious personal laws.
• Ending unjust customs and traditions: The existing personal laws of most religions are based upon the upper-class patriarchal notions of society. Thus, the codification and implementation of the Uniform Civil Code will destroy the sanctity of the patriarchal orthodox. Thus, the Uniform Civil Code will promote gender equality and will bring both men and women to par.
• Eases Administration: UCC would make it easy to administer the huge population base of India. The presence of so many laws leads to confusion, complexity, and inconsistencies in the adjudication of personal matters, sometimes resulting in delayed or incomplete justice. UCC will help the judiciary deliver justice efficiently and within a reasonable timeframe.

India has a unique blend of codified personal laws of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Parsis. There exists no uniform family-related law in a single statute book for all Indians which is acceptable to all religious communities who co-exist in India. However, a majority of them believe that UCC is definitely desirable and would go a long way in strengthening and consolidating Indian nationhood.

The UCC aims to provide protection to vulnerable sections as envisaged by Ambedkar including women and religious minorities, while also promoting nationalistic fervour through unity.

There is a need to consider the social adaptability of UCC while forming a blueprint for a uniform civil code. Whether a single law is framed for all religions or reforms are made to our personal laws, they should be based on gender justice and ensure that the principle of equality enshrined in our Constitution remains intact.

The government and society will have to work hard to build trust, but more importantly, make a common cause with social reformers rather than religious conservatives.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/explained-the-uniform-civil-code/article66105351.ece?homepage=true

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Why in news? Recently, folk artists performed the fusion dance form "Lambadi dance" at the National Tribal Festival in Chattishgarh.

About:

• Lambadi dance is a folk dance of the Banjara tribe.
• It is usually performed by females and only a rare participation by males.

• It is performed to seek blessing from God for a good harvest.
• The dancers wear colourful embroidered costumes embellished with glass beads and mirrors and ornate jewellery.
• The dance involves everyday themes like harvesting, planting and sowing.
• The dancers use words from Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi and Telugu languages.
• Lambadi is generally a group dance which is performed on various festivals such as Holi, Dussehra, Deepawali and other such occasions.
• It is a mix of Rajasthan and Telangana cultures.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/folk-artists-performed-the-lambadi-dance-at-the-national-tribal-festival-101667561251865.html

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Why in news? Recently, the three-day post-harvest festival is being organised by the Hundred Drums Wangala Festival Committee.

About:

• Wangala Festival of Meghalaya is the most popular festival among the Garos of Meghalaya.
• It is a harvest festival held in honour of Saljong, the Sun god of fertility.
• The celebration of the Wangala Festival marks the end of a period of toil, which brings good output to the fields. It also signifies the onset of winter.
• It is also known as a 100 drums festival.
• For the Garo Tribe in Meghalaya, the festival is a way to preserve and promote their cultural identity and they exhibit their tradition in their celebrations.

https://theshillongtimes.com/2022/11/05/100-drums-wangala-festival-na-tarisamsoanirang-matchotangengaha-2/

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Why in news? China plans to further expand the global reach of its home-grown Beidou satellite navigation system, billed as its alternative to America’s Global Positioning System (GPS).

About:

• It is a Chinese Satellite Navigation System.
• The system uses a network of satellites and can provide positional accuracies of under ten metres (GPS provides positioning accuracies of under 2.2 metres).
• China's BeiDou navigation project was launched in the early 1990s. The system then became operational within China in 2000 and in the Asia-Pacific region in 2012.
• It offers accurate positioning, navigation signals of multiple frequencies and timing, as well as short messaging communication, international search and rescue, satellite-based augmentation, ground augmentation and precise point positioning, etc.
• The services are used in various fields by China including defence, transportation, agriculture, fishing, and disaster relief.
• It will be the fourth global satellite navigation system after the USA GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and European Union’s Galileo.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/chinas-home-grown-beidou-satellite-system-eyes-global-footprint/article66096031.ece#:~:text=China%20on%20November%204%2C%202022,Global%20Positioning%20System%20(GPS)

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Why in news? Recently, the 5th meeting of the High-Powered Monitoring Committee (HPMC) under the National SC-ST Hub scheme was chaired by Union Minister of MSME in New Delhi.

About:

• The National SC/ST Hub has been set up to provide professional support to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Entrepreneurs to fulfil the obligations under the Central Government Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises Order 2012, adopt applicable business practices and leverage the Stand-Up India initiative.
• The Hub would be implemented by the Ministry of MSME through National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC).
• Its objective is to develop a supportive ecosystem for SC/ST entrepreneurs to achieve the mandated 4% procurement by the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) from the SC/ST entrepreneurs.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1873653#:~:text=The%205th%20meeting%20of%20High,November%2C%202022%20in%20New%20Delhi

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Why in news? Recently, the Indian Army approved 5 Make II projects including a drone kill system.

About:

• The ‘Make’ category of capital acquisition is the cornerstone of the Make in India initiative that seeks to build indigenous capabilities through the involvement of both public and private sector.
• ‘Make-I’ refers to government-funded projects while ‘Make-II’ covers industry-funded programmes.
• The make-II category involves prototype development of military hardware or its upgrade for import substitution for which no government funding is provided.
• The five projects approved under the industry-funded Make-II procedure are simulators for Apache attacks helicopters and Chinook multi-mission choppers, wearable robotic equipment for aircraft maintenance, autonomous combat vehicle and integrated surveillance and targeting system for mechanised forces.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indian-army-approves-5-make-ii-projects-including-drone-kill-system-report-101667632404855.html

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Why in news? Recently, consumer price-based inflation (CPI), or retail inflation, has been above the target range of 2-6 per cent for three consecutive quarters, or nine straight months — January to September 2022.

About:

• Inflation Targeting is a central banking policy that revolves around adjusting monetary policy to achieve a specified annual rate of inflation.
• Its principle is based on the belief that long-term economic growth is best achieved by maintaining price stability, which is achieved by controlling inflation.
• Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most goods and services of daily or common use, such as food, clothing, housing etc.
• The Centre has decided to retain the inflation target of 4%, with a tolerance band of +/- 2 percentage points for the Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India for five years (2021-26).

https://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/mpc-holds-special-meet-to-draft-report-on-inflation-target-miss-8248262/

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.

Background

The Centre has issued guidelines for rolling out its waste-to-energy programme, paving the way for companies to produce biogas and bio-CNG, and electricity from urban, industrial and agricultural waste and residues.

About the program

• Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity or heat, from the primary treatment of waste, or the processing of waste into a fuel source.
• The programme is part of an umbrella scheme, the National Bioenergy Programme.
• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) will be the implementing agency for the programme, under which government will offer financial assistance to project developers, while implementing agencies, including inspection firms, will be paid service charges for commissioning the waste-to-energy plants.
• The Centre will provide financial assistance of ₹75 lakh per MW for new biogas plants and  ₹50 lakh per MW for existing units.
• If the waste-to-energy plants are set up in special category states, the eligible CFA will be 20% higher.

Source:

Govt issues rules for waste-to-energy plan

Image source:

https://reurasia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/How-Waste-to-Energy-Works.jpg

Click the link below to attempt the daily MCQs and the Mains based questions.