What's the NEWS

• The Scheme for Residential Education for Students in Targeted Areas (SHRESHTA) has been formulated with the objective to provide quality education and opportunities for even the poorest Scheduled Caste students , as per the Constitutional mandate .

• The scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (SHRESHTA) has been conceived to provide access to high quality residential education to the meritorious poor students from Scheduled Caste communities, whose parental annual income is up to Rs. 2.5 Lakh per annum, at free of cost from class 9th to class 12th
• Under this, each year a specified number of meritorious SC students (Approx 3000) in States / UTs are selected through a transparent mechanism of a National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS) , conducted by the National Testing Agency ( NTA ) .
• Selected students are admitted in the Best Private Residential Schools, affiliated by CBSE, in classes 9th and 11th for completion of education till 12th standard.
• Thereafter, the students may be connected to Post Metric Scholarship Scheme or Top - Class Education Scheme of the Ministry to continue their further studies with adequate financial aid from the Government of India.
• For selection of Schools , the Ministry through a committee with the representative of Ministry of Education and CBSE and Finance Division of the Department , has selected the best performing private residential schools affiliated with the CBSE , based on certain parameters
• Selected Students under the scheme are offered the best private residential schools across the country to pursue their academic further, as per their choice through e - Counseling process by NIC and NTA.
• The Ministry intends to provide level playing field to the poor and meritorious SC students, by providing facilities for providing High Quality Education in the CBSE based Private Schools having Residential Facility ( Hostel ) from class 9th to 12th .
• Entire cost of school fee and hostel fee including food charges shall be borne by the Government of India.
• The Students under the Scheme may select any school across the country for their academics.

What's the NEWS

• The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is on a three-nation tour, arrived in Senegal
• This is the first ever high level Indian visit to Senegal and is taking place at a time when both countries are celebrating 60 years of their diplomatic relations.
• During these talks, three MoUs were signed by both sides to further deepen their bilateral partnership in various areas.

• The first MoU pertains to visa-free regime for Diplomatic and Official passport holders which would strengthen cooperation between the two countries through seamless travel of officials/diplomats.
• Second agreement relates to renewal of Cultural Exchange Progarmme (CEP) for the period 2022-26.
• Third MoU seeks to enhance bilateral cooperation in youth matters.

• The Vice President thanked Senegal for becoming a member of the International Solar Alliance
• India looks forward to working closely with Senegal within ISA and One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative.
• Phase II of the upgradation of Entrepreneurial Training & Development Centre (CEDT) at Dakar was approved and its implementation would commence soon.
• CEDT was set up in Dakar ( capital city of Senegalese )in 2002 under Indian grant assistance and every year around 1000 youth, though mainly from Senegal, but many also from 19 other African countries, get trained in six different disciplines at the Centre.
• The Vice President offered a Special ITEC Course on the English training for Senegalese public servants for 20 persons at a time.
• The Vice President announced the training to a batch of 15 diplomats from Senegal at Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) and Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in (SSIFS) later this year.
• The Vice President called for enhanced cooperation with Senegal in implementing the E-Vidya Bharati and E-Aarogya Bharati (E-VBAB) initiative (tele-education and tele-medicine) for the larger benefit of Senegalese students who come to India for higher studies
• The Vice President appreciated India's permanent UNSC membership
• The Vice President reiterated India's unwavering support to the Common African Position, enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration
• Shri Naidu called for re-energizing and re-invigorating Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and making it more responsive to contemporary issues of relevance to the developing world.
• The Vice President of India sought Senegalese support for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) under the UN umbrella, terming it vital to combat the menace of cross-border terrorism.
• The Vice President congratulated Senegal on its assumption of the Presidency of African Union.

What's the NEWS

• The Ministry of Coal, in view of cleaner environment in coal transportation has given momentum in rail evacuation and also initiating news efforts to gradually move away from road movement of coal in country.
• Construction of new broad gauge rail lines
• Planned construction of new broad gauge rail lines in Greenfield coal bearing areas, extending the rail links to newer loading points and doubling and tripling the rail lines in some cases will enhance rail capacity considerably.
• PM launched Gati Shakti- Nation Master Plan for Infrastructure development in October 2021 with the objective to bring different Ministries together and for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity Projects.
• It will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments and will also leverage technology extensively including spatial planning tools.
• In line with the goal of PM Gati Shakti, the Ministry of Coal has undertaken 13 Railway Projects to develop multimodal connectivity and identified missing infrastructure gaps for each projects.
• Four Railway projects are successfully mapped in the NMP portal under High Impact projects which will be developed in the States of Jharkhand and Odisha and will facilitate movement of coal with rapid logistics and wider connectivity for all the commercial miners.

What' the NEWS

• The final report of Integrated Landscape Management Plan for Greater Panna Landscape was released by the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
• This integrated landscape management plan has been prepared in respect of Ken-Betwa Link Project by Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• The Integrated Landscape Management Plan provides for better habitat protection, and management of flagship species such as Tigers, Vultures, and Gharial.
• It will help to holistically consolidate the landscape for biodiversity conservation and human well-being, especially forest dependent communities.
• It is expected to enhance tiger carrying capacity in the landscape by strengthening connectivity with Nauradehiwildlife sanctuary and Durgavatiwildlife sanctuary in MP and Ranipurwildlife sanctuary in UP.

• This integrated landscape management plan has been prepared in respect of Ken-Betwa Link Project which has been approved by the Govt. of India in December, 2021 for implementation, following the signing of a historic agreement on 22nd March 2021 between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister
• This project is the first major centrally driven river interlinking project in the country.
• This agreement heralds the beginning of inter- state cooperation to carry water from areas that have surpluses to drought prone and water deficit areas, through the interlinking of rivers.
• The Project will be of immense benefit to the water starved Bundelkhand region, spread across the states of MP and UP.
• This project will provide enormous benefits to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi & Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.