General Awareness

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION - January 2019

Jan 2019

Nov 01, 2020

NMC Notifies New Norms for MBBS Admissions

In a major move, the newly constituted National Medical Commission has removed the provision of requirement of minimum five acres of land for setting up a medical college and its affiliated teaching hospitals while making skills laboratories mandatory.
The National Medical Commission (NMC), since its constitution on September 25, 2020, has come out with a detailed list of requirements applicable for setting a new medical college, and to the established medical colleges proposing to increase their annual MBBS intake from the academic year 2021-22.
According to the new regulations, the requirement for the number of beds in a medical college hospital has been reduced from 530 to 430 for a 100-seat college, and from 930 to 830 for a 200-seat college.
The new standards have been defined keeping the functional requirements of the institution(s). These allow optimisation and flexibility in utilising available resources, and harnessing modern educational technology tools to facilitate moving towards quality education, even when resources are relatively scarce.
According to the new regulations, every medical institution shall have a skills laboratory where students can practice and improve skills pre-specified in the curriculum.

Punjab CM Launches Scholarship Plan for SC Students

Amid an alleged scam in the scholarship scheme, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh formally launched the recently announced state's own Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Post Matric SC Scholarship scheme, and also virtually laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs. 50 crore at Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal (Ram Tirath), Amritsar, to mark the auspicious occasion of the Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti.
Participating in the Valmiki Jayanti celebrations, the CM also virtually inaugurated a new Ram Tirath ITI and gave the go-ahead for the establishment of a Skill Development Centre to prepare Dalit students for competitive exams.
The CM distributed Post Matric SC Scholarship Certificates to SC students and congratulated the Valmiki Samaj on various schemes launched by the Technical Education and other departments for the Dalit community in the state.

Oct 31, 2020

IIT Roorkee Developes World's First Specific Bacterial Biosensor

A five-member team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have developed the world's first specific reliable bacterial biosensor to detect the presence of common environmental pollutant- Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate /Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SDS).
SDS is extensively used in soaps, toothpaste, creams, shampoos, laundry detergents in households, agricultural operations, laboratories, and industries. Its subsequent disposal in waterways causes harmful effects on aquatic organisms, environmental microcosms, and associated living organisms besides deteriorating the quality of drinking water. This objective of the study was to develop a novel biosensor for the detection of a detergent Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate /Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SDS) in environmental samples.
Until now, there were no specific biosensors developed to date for the detection of SDS with high precision. The IIT Roorkee team has developed a whole-cell biosensor using Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 strain as a framework (chassis).
The system involves a highly specific regulator along with a fluorescent protein that is produced only when SDS is present in the sample.
The system can even detect 0.1 ppm of SDS in aquatic samples.

Jamia Millia Islamia Completes 100 Years

Jamia Millia celebrated the Centenary Foundation Day, at the Dr. M.A. Ansari Auditorium forecourt. Principal of the Jamia Middle School Mohd. Mursaleen welcomed the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Najma Akhtar, the Chief Guest Hamid Ahmed, CEO Hamdard Laboratries & Chancellor, Jamia Hamdard University and other dignitaries inside the Ansari Auditorium as Foundation Day Inaugural Function is traditionally organised by Jamia Middle School. Jamia Tarana (Anthem) was sung by senior students of the school. Considering the Covid-19 situation a very limited gathering with strict social distancing was allowed inside the Ansari Auditorium.
A short film on Jamia containing sound bytes of its famous alumni and important personalities were showcased.
Right from its inception, the university has embraced the idea of co-education and healthy mixing and growth of both genders together.
The inaugural function concluded with a vote of thanks presented by Prof. Zubair Meenai, Chief Coordinator, Centenary Celebrations.

OBC Reservation to be Introduced in Sainik Schools

Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar said that 27 per cent seats in Sainik schools will be reserved for other backward classes (OBCs) from the academic session of 2021-22. The Sainik Schools Society, which works under the Ministry of Defence, manages 33 such residential schools in the country.
As per a circular, 67 per cent of the seats in a Sainik school are reserved for candidates from the state or the Union Territory in which the school is located and the remaining 33 per cent is reserved for those who come from outside that state or UT. These two lists will be termed List A and List B.
According to the circular, within each list 15 per cent seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes, 7.5 per cent seats are for Scheduled Tribes and 27 per cent seats are for non-creamy layer OBCs. It stated this reservation policy will come into effect from the academic session of 2021-22.

Oct 30, 2020

OP Jindal University Gets Institution of Eminence Tag

The OP Jindal Global University signed an MoU with the Ministry of Education which officially recognised the varsity as an Institution of Eminence.
The university was selected by the UGC, along with 13 other higher education institutions, for IoE status last year. However, for official confirmation, the institution had to fulfil certain legislative and procedural requirements.
With the conferment of the status of an Institution of Eminence to JGU, we have entered into India's own 'Ivy League' equivalent of top 10 public and top 10 private institutions.

Schemes for Women Scientists, Researchers in Science and Engineering

Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan launched the SERB – POWER schemes that aim to encourage emerging as well as eminent women researchers to undertake research and development activities in frontier areas of science and engineering.
The schemes will promote women researchers in regular service in academic and research institutions to take up research and development at the highest level through two categories of research support: SERB – POWER Fellowship and SERB – POWER Research Grants.
The SERB-Power Fellowship offers a personal fellowship and a research grant to top performing women researchers for a period of three years, while the SERB – Power Research Grants ensure funding to undertake highly impactful research across all disciplines of Science & Technology.

Thailand's First Transgender MP Dismissed from Parliament

Thailand's parliament lost its first transgender MP after the constitutional court revoked her seat in what critics called a political move against supporters of the kingdom's pro-democracy movement.
Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, a former actor and film-maker, was a pioneer for the LGBT community when she won a seat at last year's election for the Future Forward Party.
But the party was dissolved in February 2020, a move that escalated discontent and fuelled pro-democracy activists to demand the government step down.

Oct 29, 2020

UK Universities Lay New Proposal to Attract Foreign Students

Students will need to hold a tier 4 student visa and have successfully completed a degree from a trusted UK university or higher education provider with a proven track record in upholding immigration checks and other rules on studying in the UK.
There will be no limit on the number of students who can apply for the new graduate route. Those on the scheme will be able to switch to the skilled work route if they find a job that meets the skill requirement of the route.
Last year, British universities educated about 460,000 international students, not including those from the EU. The government aims to increase the number to 600,000 over the next 10 years.

Oct 28, 2020

Parthapratim Munshi Becomes Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry

Shiv Nadar University Associate Professor and Head, Department of Chemistry, Dr. Parthapratim Munshi, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), UK, as a Fellow.
Dr. Munshi was invited by the world's leading chemistry community through its 'Leaders in the Field' scheme - which identifies outstanding individuals in the chemical sciences - for his significant contributions in the field, particularly in the area of Organic multifunctional materials and several other notable research.
Shiv Nadar University's Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Rupamanjari Ghosh, said that Parthapratim is the first member of SNU's Chemistry Department to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. It is truly a special recognition of his outstanding work, of which all of us at SNU are extremely proud.
Dr. Parthapratim Munshi is an acclaimed chemical scientist and crystallographer who has published research papers extensively in international journals and presented his work across the world.

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