General Awareness

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION - December 2018

Dec 2018

Sep 27, 2020

Odisha To Hold Radio Classes For School Students

With schools remaining closed since March 17 due to COVID-19 pandemic, students from classes one to eight of government-run institutes in Odisha will be taught via radio from Monday.
The "Radio Pathsala" programme will be held every day from Monday to Friday between 10 am to 10:15 am from September 28.
Lessons to be conducted for two classes in each day will be aired through all radio stations in the state, he said. The audio programme will also be uploaded in the central government's DIKSHA online platform.
Students are also being imparted online classes through smart phones, the minister said. Earlier, the state government had decided to reduce the syllabus by 30 per cent for the 2020-21 academic year.

NPPA Caps Price of Liquid Medical Oxygen and Medical Oxygen Cylinders

To ensure availability of medical oxygen in the country at a reasonable price amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the national drug pricing regulator NPPA has capped the price of medical oxygen cylinders and liquid medical oxygen for six months, the government said on Saturday. The present situation of COVID-19 has resulted in increased demand of medical oxygen up to almost four times from 750 MT per day to around 2,800 MT per day.
The issue related to availability, including pricing of oxygen, has been under the continued consideration of Empowered Group 2, Government of India.
It recommended the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to consider capping the ex-factory price of liquid medical oxygen in order to ensure its supply to fillers at reasonable prices.
The Empowered Group 2 also requested NPPA to consider a cap for ex-factory price of oxygen in cylinders in order to ensure supply of oxygen cylinders from fillers at reasonable prices.
NPPA decided "to cap the ex-factory price of LMO at manufacturers end at Rs 15.22/cubic metre (CUM) exclusive of GST; and to further cap the ex-factory cost of medical oxygen cylinder at filler end at Rs 25.71/CUM exclusive of GST in suppression of the existing ceiling price of Rs 17.49/CUM, subject to transportation cost fixation at state level, for six months.

Sep 26, 2020

Jamia Hamdard Introduces MSc in Biomedical Sciences

Jamia Hamdard has launched full-time Master of Science (MSc) course in Biomedical Sciences in an effort to cater to the post COVID-19 healthcare needs. The two-year programme designed by the university's Institute of Molecular Medicine (JH-IMM) will focus on healthcare areas relate to combat future pandemics in the country. There are around 20 seats on offer. The candidates can apply through the website-' jamiahamdard.edu' till September 30,.
This programme is aimed to equip human resources in areas relevant to drug/ vaccine development, analyse medical data to investigate pathogens and chronic diseases and help develop programmes that can improve outcomes in population health of our country. Programme coordinator Surajit Ganguly said that this course will be appropriate for prospects who aspire to develop their careers in academia, regulatory bodies and healthcare Industry to combat emerging diseases.
The candidates need to possess Bachelor's degree in subjects related to Biological Sciences- Biomedical Sciences/ Life Sciences/ Zoology/Microbiology/ Chemistry/ Biochemistry etc with at least 50 per cent marks in aggregate.
The semester would consist of five papers, and one practical through semester 1, 2 and 3. Semester IV would comprise of the optional research area, from which each student has to select one dissertation work.

Sep 25, 2020

Tamil Nadu CM Writes to Gujarat CM, Urges to Continue Tamil Medium School

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy wrote to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani raising concern about the closing of a school which was imparting Tamil medium education to migrant workers' children.
CM EPS has now sort CM Vijay Rupani's intervention in this matter. Pass-suitable orders for the continuance of the Tami medium school. Tamil Nadu Government is willing to undertake the entire expenditure for the continuance of this Tamil medium school at Ahmedabad.

MCI Dissolved, National Medical Commission Takes Charge

The National Medical Commission (NMC), in place of the Medical Council of India (MCI), as the country's apex regulator of medical education and profession has come into existence from 25th Sepetember. With the NMC coming into being, the Board of Governors (BoG) which superseded the MCI on September 26, 2018, to perform its functions, has been dissolved and the nearly 64-year-old Indian Medical Council Act abolished.
Former head of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences ENT department here, Dr Suresh Chandra Sharma has been appointed as chairman for a period of three years with effect from Friday, while Rakesh Kumar Vats, who was Secretary General in the Board of Governors of the MCI, is the secretary of the commission.
The NMC Act, which seeks to usher in mega reforms in the medical education sector, received the assent of the president on August 8, 2019 and was published the same day. The Act provided for setting up of an NMC in place of the scam-tainted Medical Council of India.

Assam Board Omits Topics Like Nehru, 2002 Gujarat Riots, Caste

After CBSE reduced the syllabus of classes 9 to 12 for the academic year 2020-21 due to the loss of classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several states followed suit and reduced the state board syllabi as well. As per the Class 12 syllabus reduction done by the Assam government, lessons on Jawaharlal Nehru, the 2002 Gujarat riots, and writings on caste and marginalisation have been dropped.
The list of the omitted syllabus was uploaded online on The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) posted the list of topics omitted from the syllabus on the official website.
The main objective is to reduce the exam stress of the students of the session 2020-21, due to this pandemic situation and to prevent learning gaps.

Sep 24, 2020

AICTE Approves Inclusion of Geospatial as Subject in GATE, NET Exam

The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has approved the inclusion of Geospatial subject in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and National Eligibility Test (NET) examination. This was approved on the recommendation of the National Geospatial Task Force Report 2013 under the Chairmanship of former ISRO Chairman, K. Kasturirangan.
Students competing for the popular NET for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and lectureship in Indian universities and colleges, including IITs and NITs and GATE for JRF in CSIR laboratories, can now opt for Geospatial as a subject.
Department of Science and Technology (DST) as an organisation and many professionals have highlighted the need for Geospatial subject especially in GATE and NET examination at different forums.
The step will benefit the increasing number of students who are taking up geospatial as a subject at different levels and help in the evolution of Geospatial Ecosystem in the country.

Bharat Biotech Inks Deal with Washington University School of Medicine

Bharat Biotech signed a licensing agreement with Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US for a novel "chimp-adenovirus", single dose intranasal vaccine for COVID-19.
The city-based vaccine maker, Bharat Biotech owns the rights to distribute the vaccine in all markets except the US, Japan and Europe.
While the Phase I trial will take place in St. Louis University's Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit, Bharat Biotech, upon obtaining the required regulatory approval, will pursue further stages of clinical trials in India and undertake large-scale manufacture of the vaccine at its GMP facility in Genome Valley.
Adenoviruses are the basis for many investigational vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, such as Ebola virus and tuberculosis. They have good safety and efficacy records, but not much research has been done with nasal delivery of these vaccines.

Sep 23, 2020

Policy-makers Discuss Ways to Address Gender Gap in New Science Tech and Innovation Policy

Low percentage of Indian women in science and gender gap, especially in terms of women leaders in the subject, and ways to address them in the new Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP), 2020, were discussed at a webinar.
Vijay Bhatkar, the president of Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), who presided over the discussion, emphasised that sustainability and self-reliance is possible only when women are given their due importance.
Several issues in terms of the low institutional mechanism to nurture women innovators, age-barrier issues, leaky pipeline, funding for women-led start-ups, leadership, gender bias and the need for women entrepreneurs, inclusive and diverse science technology and innovation ecosystem while addressing stereotypes with regard to family and parenting were deliberated upon.
At the discussion, Akhilesh Gupta, the head of STIP, 2020, presented some major interventions suggested during the track-two expert consultations, like mandatory positions in academics, 30 per cent representation of women, leadership role to senior women scientists in research and administration.

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