General Awareness

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION - January 2023

Jan 2023

Jun 27, 2024

India's First AI University Appoints Award-Winning American Professor as VC

India's first artificial intelligence university, Universal AI University (UAIU) based in Maharashtra, appointed international strategist and multiple award-winning professor Simon Mak as its vice-chancellor. Mak is the first non-Indian to hold the position of founding vice chancellor of an Indian institution.
Mak's academic background includes an MBA and Ph.D. from the SMU Cox School of Business in addition to a B.Tech from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jun 26, 2024

MoHUA Launches Safai Apnao, Bimaari Bhagao Initiative for Monsoon Preparedness

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Safai Apnao, Bimaari Bhagao (SABB) initiative under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, running from July 1 to August 31, 2024. This initiative aims to bolster Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in tackling heightened cleanliness and health challenges during the monsoon season. It aligns with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's 'STOP Diarrhoea Campaign', emphasizing comprehensive interventions and inter-departmental collaboration.

Govt Rolls Out a Nationwide Campaign on Tobacco Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI)

Tobacco use is one of the major causes of preventable deaths and diseases in India and accounts for nearly 1.35 million deaths every year in the country. India is also the second largest consumer and producer of tobacco. According to Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2019, 8.5 percent of school students in the age group of 13 to 15 consume tobacco in different forms across the country.
Easy access to tobacco products in its different forms around our school buildings and campuses believed to be one of the major contributing factors causing the above situation.
As part of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, issued the Tobacco Free Educational Institution (ToFEI) Guidelines for safeguarding minors and youth from tobacco use.
Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education has developed a "ToFEI Implementation Manual" for schools and launched it on World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) which was observed on 31st May, 2024. The objective is to make educational institutions across the nation comply with the ToFEI guidelines and become #Tobacco Free Area.

IIT Madras, University of Leeds Join Hands to Work on Sustainable Development

The University of Leeds, UK and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a Joint Virtual Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Development (VCoE-SD).
The network will develop a step-change in the depth and breadth of current collaboration between the University of Leeds and IIT Madras as well as consolidate existing links between Leeds academics and other India Universities working in the area of sustainable development.
The MoU facilitates the development of collaborative research projects and the organisation of joint academic activities, including courses, conferences, seminars, symposia, and lectures. Additionally, it promotes the exchange of research and teaching personnel, student placements and exchanges, and the sharing of publications and other materials of mutual interest.

Ladakh Achieves Full Functional Literacy

Ladakh achieved a 97% literacy rate following the implementation of the ULLAS - Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram scheme, making it a fully "functionally literate" administrative unit. At a function conducted at Sindhu Sanskritik Kendra (SSK) in Leh, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, B. D. Mishra, stated that Ladakh is the first administrative unit to achieve full functional literacy under the ULLAS-Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram and the accomplishment is indicative of the administration's dedication to enabling its people via Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN), a term that include fundamental abilities in reading, writing, and maths.
ULLAS - Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram, also known as the New India Literacy Programme (NILP), is a centrally sponsored initiative running from 2022 to 2027. Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, it aims to empower adults aged 15 and above, regardless of background, who missed out on formal schooling, integrating them into society to enhance national development.
The programme comprises five key components: Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, Critical Life Skills, Basic Education, Vocational Skills, and Continuing Education. ULLAS envisions a literate Bharat - Jan Jan Saakshar, fostering a sense of civic duty and driven by volunteerism.

Jun 25, 2024

J. P. Nadda Launches National STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda launched the National STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024 at a function in New Delhi. He launched the campaign by distributing oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc tablets to children in presence of Minister of States for Health Anupriya Patel and Patraprao Jadhav. The two-month campaign will begin from the 1st of July and continue till the 31st of August. The goal behind the STOP Diarrhoea Campaign is to attain zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea. While the existing diarrhoea strategy entailed a two-week campaign, the new strategy involved a two-month long campaign with the pre-positioning of two ORS packets and zinc as a co-packaging for under-5 children. It will also involve extensive IEC through different platforms and collaboration across multiple sectors, including health, water and sanitation, education, and rural development.

IIT Madras Offers PG Diploma in Metro Rail Tech and Management, GATE Score Required

The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is inviting applications for a one-year postgraduate diploma in Metro Rail Tech and Management at the Indian Institute of Technology IIT Madras.
Students with a BE or BTech degree in civil, electrical, electronics and communication, electrical and electronics and mechanical engineering with 70 per cent marks and a valid GATE score can register for the programme.

Kozhikode is India's First UNESCO 'City of Literature'

Kozhikode in north Kerala, known for its rich cultural heritage, was officially declared as India's first UNESCO 'City of Literature'. In October 2023, Kozhikode had earned a place in the 'Literature' category of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
The cradle of the freedom movement in Kerala, Kozhikode has also been an important destination for book festivals for many decades. Kozhikode is a city where there are over 500 libraries functioning, and has been the base of literary activities of legendary Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair for several decades.

Jun 24, 2024

BHU Receives Donations under Pratidana Initiative; Starts 3 New Scholarships

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) under its Pratidana initiative received donations through which the University started three new scholarships. The University is instituting new scholarships, one each for the Faculty of Education, Central Hindu Boys School, and Central Hindu Girls School.
The Pratidana initiative of Banaras Hindu University is aimed at mobilizing and garnering support from alumni and well-wishers, to establish scholarships for meritorious students, need-based financial aid, enhance learning opportunities, and promote excellence in teaching.

Pradeep Singh Kharola Assigned the Additional Charge of NTA DG

The Director General of the National Testing Agency, Subodh Kumar Singh, was removed from the post, amid controversy over irregularities in exams. Subodh Kumar Singh's services were put on a 'compulsory wait' in Department of Personnel and Training. India Trade Promotion Organisation Chairman and MD Pradeep Singh Kharola was assigned additional charge of NTA DG till appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders.
Pradeep Singh Kharola is currently the Chairman and Managing Director of India Trade Promotion and was appointed as the Director General of National Testing Agency as an additional charge. Kharola is a 1985 batch IAS officer.
The Union Ministry of Education constituted a high-level committee of experts to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations. K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman, ISRO and Chairman BoG, IIT Kanpur, is the head of the panel of 7 experts. The other constituent members include Dr. Randeep Guleria, Former Director, AIIMS Delhi, Prof. B. J. Rao, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Hyderabad, Prof. Ramamurthy K, Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder, People Strong and Board Member- Karmayogi Bharat, Prof. Aditya Mittal, Dean Student Affairs, IIT Delhi, Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is an autonomous agency under the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education of India. It was established in November 2017 to conduct entrance examination admissions and recruitment. The NTA is responsible for conducting numerous national-level exams for admission and fellowship in higher educational institutions related to engineering, medicine, management and pharmacy.

Jun 23, 2024

Madhya Pradesh Govt Approves the Establishment of One Prime Minister College of Excellence in All...

In Madhya Pradesh, the Prime Minister College of Excellence will be inaugurated ceremonially in all 55 districts of the state on July 1. In a meeting with senior officials on the activities of the Higher Education Department, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that a drone policy will also be made in the state. He directed to ensure better teaching arrangements in view of the increasing employment opportunities in aviation, agriculture, and artificial intelligence (AI).

India 3rd in Growth of Women Researchers; but Globally Equality Still Far Away: Elsevier Report

India ranked third in the growth rate of women researchers, according to a report from scientific information disseminator Elsevier, which also underlined that gender equality in the domain remains 'unacceptably far away' globally.
In the report titled 'Progress Towards Gender Equality in Research and Innovation - 2024 Review', at two per cent, India's yearly growth rate of women's share of active researchers over the last decade was the third highest, behind Egypt and the Netherlands only.

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