PIB – September 5 , 2019


GS- 3rd Paper

Topics Covered- Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

Mobile Science Exhibition (MSE)

Context

The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism flagged off the first ever Mobile Science Exhibition (SCIENCE EXPLORER) for the entire Ladakh Region in Leh.

About

  • Mobile Science Exhibition (MSE) programme,was originally launched as Mobile Science Museum (MSM) in 1965.
  • Its mission was ‘If the people cannot visit the museum, let the museum visit the people at their doorsteps’.
  • It is the largest and the longest running outreach programme of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM).

What is a Mobile Science Exhibition (MSE) Programme?

  • The first MSE on the theme ‘Our Familiar Electricity’ was inaugurated at Ramakrishna Mission Boys’ School, Narendrapur, near Kolkata on 17th November 1965.
  • The first MSE Bus was flagged off in 1966 from Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, Kolkata.
  • Mounted on a specially designed bus, a Mobile Science Exhibition carries a number of interactive exhibits related to everyday science.
  • The MSE or Museo-bus travels from school to school in rural areas and organize exhibitions there throughout the year.
  • Along with the exhibition, some other programmes like Sky Observation Programme through telescope, science films show, Science Demonstration Lectures are also organised.

Why MSE Programme in Leh,Ladakh Region?

  • The Science Explorer MSE programme in the Leh, Ladakh region will be the first of its kind in the region.
  • Mobile Science Exhibition in Ladakh will benefit all the people of Ladakh through its mobility and knowledge.
  • It is supplementing formal education with non-formal mode of science education.
  • Create a scientific awareness in the society and nurturing scientific temper and creative potential of the young people in the areas where MSE programmes are conducted.

Its objectives are-

  • To popularize science and technology among the students and general public.
  • Creating a scientific awareness in the society.
  • Inculcating a spirit of enquiry among the young people.
  • Inspiring youngsters to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
  • Supplementing formal education imparted in schools and colleges with non-formal science education.
  • Promoting a culture of science in the society.

National Council of Science Museums (NCSM)

  • National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India.
  • It is primarily engaged in ‘Communicating Science to Empower People’ through its network of twenty-five Science Centres/Museums spread across India.
  • NCSM, with its Headquarters in Kolkata, has its own network of 25 science museums/centres spread across the country and a Central Research & Training Laboratory (CRTL), in Kolkata.
  • CRTL is the Council’s central hub for professional training, research and development.
  • NCSM forms the largest network of science centres and museums in the world under single administrative umbrella.

Main Objectives of NCSM are-

  • To portray the growth of science and technology and their applications in industry and human welfare, with a view to develop scientific attitude and temper and to create, inculcate and sustain a general awareness amongst the people.
  • To collect, restore and preserve important historical objects, which represent landmarks in the development of science, technology and industry.
  • To design, develop and fabricate science museum exhibits, demonstration equipment and scientific teaching aids for science education and popularization of science.
  • To popularize science and technology in cities, urban and rural areas for the benefit of students and for the common man by organizing exhibitions, seminars, popular lectures, science camps and various other programs.
  • To supplement science education given in schools and colleges and to organize various out-of-school educational activities to foster a spirit of scientific enquiry and creativity among the students.
  • To organize training programs for science teachers/students/young entrepreneurs/technicians/ handicapped/housewives and others on specific subjects of science, technology and industry.
  • To render assistance to universities, technical institutions, museums, schools and colleges or other bodies in planning and organizing science museums and also in training of personnel for museum profession.
  • To establish Centres for development of science exhibits and demonstration aids.

GS- 2nd Paper

Topics Covered- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Institutes of Eminence Scheme

Context

5 public Universities are declared as Institutions of Eminence (IoE).

About

  • The Ministry of Human Resource Development, on the advice of UGC and the Empowered Expert Committee issued orders to 5 public Universities conveying their declaration as Institutions of Eminence (IoE).
  • These are-
  1. IIT Madras,
  2. Banaras Hindu University,
  3. IIT Kharagpur,
  4. University of Delhi
  5. University of Hyderabad.

Letters of Intent were issued to 5 Private Universities for accepting and sending their preparedness for being declared as Institutions of Eminence.

These are-

  1. Amrita Viswavidyapeetham, Tamil Nadu,
  2. Vellore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu,
  3. Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi,
  4. Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology,
  5. Odisha & Bharti Institute,
  6. Satya Bharti Foundation, Mohali.
  • These institutions will need to submit their readiness for commencing academic operations as IoEs.

Institutions of Eminence scheme

  • The institutes of eminence scheme under the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry aims to project Indian institutes to global recognition.
  • The selected institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.
  • The government will run 10 of these and they will receive special funding.
  • The selection shall be made through challenge method mode by the Empowered Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.
  • Only higher education institutions currently placed in the top 500 of global rankings or top 50 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) are eligible to apply for the eminence tag.
  • The private Institutions of Eminence can also come up as greenfield ventures provided the sponsoring organisation submits a convincing perspective plan for 15 years.

Benefits of Institutions of Eminence

  • Government Institutions to get additional funding upto 1000 Cr.
  • The selected Institutions under IoE shall have complete academic and administrative autonomy.
  • The Institutions of Eminence will have complete financial autonomy to spend the resources raised and allocated, subject to general conditions & restrictions of the Statutes and GFR.
  • Academic collaborations with foreign higher educational institutions (in top 500) would be exempt from government approvals.
  • Freedom to hire personnel from industry, etc, as faculty who are experts in their areas but may not have the requisite higher academic qualifications.
  • Freedom to recruit faculty from outside India (limit of 25% of its faculty strength for public institution).
  • Freedom to enter into academic collaborations with other Institutions within the country.
  • Freedom to have own transparent merit based system for admission of students.
  • Freedom to admit additionally foreign students on merit subject to a maximum of 30% of the strength of admitted domestic students.
  • Freedom to fix and charge fees from foreign students without restriction.
  • Freedom to determine the domestic student fees, subject to the condition that no student who gets selected admission is turned away for lack of finance. Every Institute to encourage scholarships and extension of loans facility.
  • Freedom to offer courses within a program as well as to offer degrees in newer areas, including inter-disciplinary ones, after approval of its Governing Council and conforming to the minimum prevailing standards.
  • Freedom to have the flexibility of course structure in terms of number of credit hours and years to take a degree, after approval of their Governing Council and conforming to the minimum prevailing standards.
  • Flexibility in fixing of curriculum and syllabus, with no UGC mandated curriculum structure.
  • Freedom to offer online courses as part of their programmes with a restriction that not more than 20% of the programme should be in online mode. Certificate courses can entirely be through online mode.
  • Students enrolment capacity to be 10,000 in 15 years. (Lower figure permitted with justification)
  • Faculty Student Ratio should be 1:20 at the time of Notification and should increase to 1:10 in five years.
  • UGC Inspection shall not apply to Institutions of Eminence.

GS- 3 Paper

Topics Covered- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.

Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs)

Context

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 26 Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) in the first 5 months of the financial year (April to August, 2019).

About APAs

  • The Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) program allows the taxpayer and the tax authority to avoid future transfer pricing disputes by entering into a prospective agreement.
  • APA is an agreement between a taxpayer and the tax authority determining the Transfer Pricing methodology for pricing the tax payer’s international transactions for future years.
  • An APA provides certainty with respect to the tax outcome of the tax payer’s international transactions.
  • It is designed to help taxpayers voluntarily resolve actual or potential transfer pricing disputes in a proactive, cooperative manner, as an alternative to the traditional examination process.
  • These agreements would be binding both on the taxpayer as well as the government.

Types of APA

The Advance Pricing Agreement can be one of the three types. Which are-

  • Unilateral APA is an APA that involves only the taxpayer and the tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located.
  • Bilateral APA (BAPA) is an APA that involves the tax payer, associated enterprise (AE) of the taxpayer in the foreign country, tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located and the foreign tax authority.
  • Multilateral APA (MAPA) is an APA that involves the taxpayer, two or more AEs of the tax payer in different foreign countries, tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located and the tax authorities of AEs.

Significance

  • The progress of the APA scheme strengthens the government’s resolve of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime.
  • The Indian APA programme has been appreciated nationally and internationally for being able to address complex transfer pricing issues in a fair and transparent manner.

For Prelims-

Maritime Route between Chennai and Vladivostok

Context

India, Russia ink proposal on developing Chennai-Vladivostok sea route during the India Russia meet.

Highlights

  • Prime Minister Modi said a proposal had been made to have a full-fledged maritime route between Chennai and Vladivostok. A Memorandum of Intent was signed in this regard.
  • Due to the increasing localisation of nuclear plants being formed with the cooperation of Russia in India, India is developing a true partnership in this field.
  • This assumes significance because it ensures there will be connectivity between the two major ports which will give impetus to the cooperation between India and the Russian Far East.

Source- Economic times

Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month)

Context

The Government is celebrating the month of September as the National Nutrition Month under the Poshan Abhiyan.

Highlights

  • The programme is an initiative of WCD Ministry and NITI Aayog.
  • The primary objective of this programme is to take the messages of POSHAN to the grass root level.
  • It seeks to synergise all efforts by leveraging technology and intends to take nutrition awareness to the level of Jan Andolan or People’s Movement.

The programme focuses on following themes

  1. Antenatal Care,
  2. Optimal Breastfeeding (Early & Exclusive),
  3. Complementary Feeding,
  4. Anemia,
  5. Growth Monitoring,
  6. Girls-education,
  7. diet,
  8. right age of Marriage,
  9. Hygiene & Sanitation,
  10. Food Fortification.

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