Education
UGC paves way for IoEs to set up campuses abroad

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the recent amendment + about Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) + Mains ( GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What's the NEWS

• THE UNIVERSITY Grants Commission (UGC) has amended its regulations, allowing Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) to set up campuses abroad after receiving no objection certificates from the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The move is in line with the government's new National Education Policy, which says that high performing universities should be encouraged to set up campuses abroad.
• The amendments also permit the IOEs to start new off campus centres, with a maximum of three in five years and not more than one in an academic year.
• There are 18 Institutions of Eminence, including IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Madras and IIT-Bombay.

Amendments to the UGC (Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2017.

• Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities shall be allowed to start new off-shore campuses with the prior approval of the Ministry after receiving No Objection Certificate from Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs
• The Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities shall ensure that the norms and standards of the off shore campus shall be the same as that maintained on the main campus for similar courses, and the off-shore campus shall also follow similar admission criteria, curriculum, examination system and evaluation system.

Empowered Experts Committee

• The functioning of the off shore campuses shall be reviewed by an Empowered Experts Committee "independently and/or along with the IOE".
• After review of the off shore campus, if the Empowered Experts Committee is not satisfied with the performance of the off shore campus, it may recommend discontinuation of the off shore campus to the Central Government.
• ln such cases, the interest of the students enrolled at the off-shore campus shall be adequately protected by the Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University
• The IOEs have also been permitted to start an off campus centre on an interim campus "subject to the condition that the permanent campus shall be ready within a reasonable time period of not exceeding five years."

Connect to the Past (April 2019)
20 Institution recommended for status of ‘Institutions of Eminence (IoE)
Public institutions (5)

• Union Human Resource Development Ministry, following the recommendation from UGC, decided to grant Institution of Eminence status to five public institutions.
• The public institutions on the list will then be eligible for a Government grant of Rs. 1,000 Cr spread over 5-years.
• They are required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry, laying out their plans to achieve the objective of becoming world class institutions.

Private institutions (5)

• Letter of Intent has also been sent to five private institutions for the IoE status.
• Government do not give any financial support to them.
• Six Institutions that were granted Institutions of Eminence Status in 2018
• Public Institutions - Indian Institute of Science, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi
• Private Institutions - Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Manipal academy of Higher education, Jio Institute

10 Institutions granted Institution of Eminence Status in 2019

• Public Institution - IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, Banaras Hindu University , University of Hyderabad , University of Delhi
• Private Institutions - Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham , Vellore Institute of Technology , Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology , Bharti Institute ( Satya bharti foundation Mohali) - These Private institutes will need to submit their readiness for commencing academic operations as IoEs

4 Institutes have to fulfil certain technical aspects

• Public Institutions - Jadavpur University ( West Bengal) and Anna University (Tamil Nadu) - the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments must commit themselves to contributing half of the funds required for Anna University and Jadavpur University respectively
• Private Institutions - Shiv Nadar University and O.P Jindal global university - letters were issued to the state governments to pass legislation in the state assembly to cease the status of these universities as private Universities so as to enable them to be considered as Deemed University

Institutions of Eminence (IoE) - Salient Features

• Government Institutions to get additional funding up to Rs. 1,000 Cr.
• They will have complete academic and administrative autonomy.
• They will have complete financial autonomy to spend the resources raised and allocated, subject to general conditions and restrictions.
• Academic collaboration with foreign higher educational institutions (in top 500) would be exempt from Government approvals.
• Freedom to hire personnel from industry.
• Freedom to recruit faculty from outside India (with limit of 25% of faculty strength).
• 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 fix the domestic student fees, subject to the condition that no student, who gets 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.
• Freedom to have the flexibility of course structure in terms of number of credit hours.
• 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 programmes should be in online mode.
• Students enrolment capacity to be 10,000 in 15 years.
• Faculty-Student Ratio should be 1:20 at the time of Notification an should increase to 1:10 in five years.
• UGC Inspections shall not apply to Institutions of Eminence.

Disaster Management
India to get UN tag of international disaster response force for NDRF
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Standardisation of NDRF + about INSARAG) + Mains ( GS III disaster management)
What's the NEWS

• India could soon be a part of the United Nations (UN) mandated international disaster rescue operations as the country's federal contingency force, NDRF, is expected to obtain a globally recognised standardisation later this year

International Search and Rescue Advisory Group)

• The authorisation will be done by the Switzerland-headquartered INSARAG (or the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) which is a network of more than 90 countries and organisations under the UN umbrella to deal with urban search and rescue related issues.
• The UN agency INSARAG standardises disaster response teams across the world. It is an international gold standard
• INSARAG committee, comprising Australian and Singaporean experts, has conducted preliminary review of NDRF teams in September, 2019, but the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic put the process on a back burner for a while.

Standardisation of NDRF ( will get the tag of international response force)

• If there is a call from the UN to respond to some disaster you will be called upon...you will be an international response force
• In past India's NDRF went for international rescue operations) but when NDRF went to Japan and Nepal in the past it was a bilateral decision between two countries but with this standardisation it will be a UN mandated task

Know! about NDRF

• The National Disaster Response Force was raised in 2006 to undertake specific tasks of relief and rescue during natural and manmade disasters or life threatening situations.
• It has 12 operational battalions comprising more than 15,000 personnel based across the country at present while four more battalions are taking shape.
• UN standardisation could "trigger a long-term process where more and more of its teams can be certified".
• It (INSARAG standardisation) will be a good thing as NDRF is second to none. This could lead to a cascading effect where NDRF can become a national accreditation agency for state disaster response forces and that also could be UN supported.
• In Chile and China, the UN has certified their provincial teams so that state teams can also travel across the world for disaster response operations
• Standardisation of NDRF can add to the profile of India being a great disaster response oriented country where the protocols and standard operating procedures are of world standard

Prelims Factoids
National Youth Parliament Festival

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about National Youth Parliament Festival)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister will address the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival on 12^th January 2021

National Youth Parliament Festival

• The objective of National Youth Parliament Festival is to hear the voice of youth between 18 and less than 25 years of age, who will join various careers in coming years, including public services.
• National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) is based on the idea given by Prime Minister in his Mann Ki Baat Address on 31st December 2017.
• Taking inspiration from the idea of Prime Minister, the first NYPF 2019 was organised from 12 January to 27 February 2019 at District, State & National level with the theme "Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy".

2^nd National Youth Parliament Festival 2021

• In order to continue with the same spirit and objective, with enhanced enthusiasm, the 2nd National Youth Parliament Festival 2021 was launched on 23rd December 2020 through virtual mode which was witnessed by more than 23 Lac youth and stakeholders across the country at district, state and national level.
• The Finals of National Youth Parliament Festival, 2021 will be held in the Central Hall of the Parliament on 11th January, 2021. 84 winners from States/ Union Territories will get an opportunity to be present in the Central Hall of Parliament before the Lok Sabha Speaker; Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha along with Minister (IC), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and other dignitaries.

National Youth Festival

• National Youth Festival is celebrated every year from 12th to 16th January. 12th January being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, is observed as National Youth Day.
• This year, NYPF is also being organized along with the National Youth Festival.
• The objective of the National Youth Festival is to bring youth of the country together to showcase their talents; provide them an arena, by creating a mini-India, where youth interact in formal and informal settings and exchange their social and cultural uniqueness.
• It is also to promote national integration, spirit of communal harmony, brotherhood, courage and adventure.
• The basic aim is to propagate the spirit, essence and concept of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
• ‘YUVAAH - Utsah Naye Bharat Ka' is the theme of this year's festival, which suggests, the youth bring alive the celebration of New India.
• The opening ceremony of the 24th National Youth Festival and the closing ceremony of 2nd National Youth Parliament Festival will both take place on 12th January, 2021 in the Central Hall of Parliament.

Youth Parliaments will be conducted at three levels:

• District Youth Parliament (DYP) will be conducted at the district level. Preliminary rounds of screening will be conducted to select youth for participation in the DYP. The youth will be selected through two screening processes i.e. digital & walk-in
• State Youth Parliament (SYP): The youth selected by a Jury from the District Youth Parliament will participate at the State level in SYP.
• National Youth Parliament (NYP): The youth selected by a Jury from the State Youth Parliament will participate at the National level in NYP.

Know! about NYKS

• Nehru Yuva Kendras were established in the year 1972 with the objective of providing rural youth avenues to take part in the process of nation building as well providing opportunities for the development of their personality and skills.
• In the year 1987-88, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan(NYKS) was set up as an autonomous organization under the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, to oversee working of these Kendras.
• NYKS is the largest grassroots level youth organization; one of its kind in the world. It channelizes the power of youth on the principles of voluntarism, self-help and community participation.
• Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan has established a network of youth clubs in villages, where Nehru Yuva Kendras have been set up.
• NYKS has targeted to identify areas of harnessing youth power for development by forming Youth Clubs, which are village level voluntary action groups of youth at the grassroots level to involve them in nation building activities.
• The core strength of NYKS lies in its network of youth clubs. Youth Clubs are village based organizations working for community development and youth empowerment.

Prelims Factoids
A High Level Committee constituted to commemorate the 125^th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the High Level Committee and its role)
What's the NEWS

• A High Level Committee, headed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has been constituted to commemorate the 125^th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a befitting manner.

Know! about the committee

• The High Level Committee will decide on the activities for a one year long commemoration, beginning 23^rd January 2021.
• The Members of the Committee include distinguished citizens, historians, authors, experts, family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, as well as eminent persons associated with Azad Hind Fauj (INA).
• The Committee will lend guidance to the commemoration activities in Delhi, Kolkata and other places associated with Netaji and Azad Hind Fauj, both in India as well as overseas.

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