Education
"MyNEP2020" platform of NCTE Portal launched

Relevance IN - Prelims (about MyNEP2020" platform + about NCTE) + Mains( GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health , Education, Human Resources.
What's the NEWS

• The platform seeks to invite suggestions/inputs/membership from the stakeholders for preparing draft for development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM).

The "MyNEP2020" platform

• The "MyNEP2020" platform will be operational from 1st April 2021 to 15th May 2021.
• This exercise of digital consultation envisages the participation of teachers, education professionals, academicians, & other stakeholders in preparing the documents on teacher policy for sustainable and positive change in the Teacher's Education Sector.
• For preparing the documents on above two major recommendations of NEP 2020, NCTE will work in close consultation with individuals/organizations.
• Expert committee will extensively review the inputs collected during the consultation period and will finally formulate the Drafts for public review.
• Comments by the reviewers from the stakeholders will then be used to prepare a final Draft for notification.

National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)

• It is a statutory body of Indian government set up under the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 in 1995 is to formally oversee standards, procedures and processes in the Indian education system.
• This council functions for the central as well as state governments on all matter with regard to the Teacher Education and its secretariat is located in the Department of Teacher Education and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
• Despite the successful functioning in terms of educational field, it is facing difficulties in ensuring the maintenance of the standards of teacher education and preventing the increase in the number of substandard teacher education institutions in the country.
• NCTE supports teachers and their students in classrooms, on college campuses, and in online learning environments.
• The National Council of Teachers of English is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. This mission statement was adopted in 1990:

Defence
EXERCISE SHANTIR OGROSHENA-2021

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Exercise SHANTIR OGROSHENA 2021)
What's the NEWS

• Multinational Military Exercise SHANTIR OGROSHENA 2021 (Front Runner of the Peace) will be held at Bangladesh to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh ‘Father of the Nation' Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and mark glorious 50 years of liberation.

Know! more about the exercise

• Indian Army contingent comprising of 30 personnel including Officers, JCOs and Jawans of a Battalion from The DOGRA Regiment will participate in the exercise along with contingent of Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army and Bangladesh Army from 04 Apr to 12 Apr 2021.
• The theme of the exercise is "Robust Peace Keeping Operations". Military observers from USA, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise.

Prelims Factoids
Utkala Dibasa

Know! about Utkala Dibasa

• Odisha Day, also Utkala Dibasa, is celebrated on 1 April in the Indian state of Odisha in memory of the formation of the state as a separate state out of Bihar and Orissa Province with addition of Koraput and Ganjam from the Madras Presidency on 1 April 1936
• After losing its political identity completely in 1568 following the defeat and demise of the last king Mukunda Dev, efforts resulted in the formation of a politically separate state under British rule on a linguistic basis on 1 April 1936.
• The main revolution in this separate state continued for three decades from the very day of formation of Utkal Sammilani that led to the foundation of a separate Odisha Province.
• Odisha Dibasa or Utkala Dibasa is celebrated every year on 1 April all over Odisha.

Indian Diaspora
OCI card holders need not carry old passports
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about OCI card and its benefits and eligibility conditions) + Mains (GS II Indian Diaspora)
What's the NEWS

• People of Indian origin and the Indian diaspora having Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards will not have to carry their old, expired passports for travel to India, as was required earlier, according to a government notification.
• The OCI card issued to people of Indian origin globally gives them almost all the privileges available to an Indian national, except for the right to vote, employment in government service and buying agricultural land.

Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards
A foreign national
(i) who was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after 26th January, 1950; or
(ii) who was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January, 1950; or
(iii) who belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th August, 1947; or
(iv) who is a child or a grandchild or a great grandchild of such a citizen; or
(v) who is a minor child of such persons mentioned above; or
(vi) who is a minor child and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India - is eligible for registration as OCI cardholder.

• Besides, spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application is also eligible for registration as OCI cardholder.
• No person, who or either of whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other country as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, shall be eligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder.
• Foreign nationals cannot apply for OCI in India while on Tourist Visa, Missionary Visa and Mountaineering Visa.
• The foreigner has to be ordinarily resident of India to be eligible to apply for OCI registration in India. ( 'ordinarily resident' will mean a person staying in a particular country or in India for a continuous period of 6 months.)
• OCI status is not citizenship and does not grant the right to vote in Indian elections or hold public office.
• Benefits
• Multiple entry, multi-purpose life long visa to visit India;
• Exemption from reporting to Police authorities for any length of stay in India; and
• Parity with NRIs in financial, economic and educational fields except in the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.

Infrastructure Development
Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (‘DBOT') scope and Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) scope.
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about DBOT and HAM model) + Mains ( GS III Investment models)
What's the NEWS

• Financing Agreements Signed for Digha & Kankarbagh Sewage Projects in Patna, Bihar
• This is the first of its kind project which comprises of a mix of Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (‘DBOT') scope and Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) scope.
• This is the second project financed by PFS under the HAM model of development. (PTC India Financial Services (PFS), a leading green infrastructure finance company)
• An earlier one was the Prayagraj sewerage scheme under the One City- One Operator concept through HAM.

DBOT model

• The 453 Kms of sewage network in the project is to be laid in DBOT model wherein 100% of the contractual payment will be made during the construction period.

HAM model

• On the contrary, for development of STPs under HAM, 40% of construction cost will be paid during the construction period of 24 months and the balance 60% will be paid as quarterly annuities along with interest and Operation & Maintenance (O &M), cost during the 15-year operation period.
• DKSPPL will be responsible for the entire development and operation of both sewerage network and STPs for 15 years of the concession period.
• The payment during operations period will be subject to achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in terms of treated waste water quality for the STPs.

International
Exercise, La Pérouse
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about La Pérouse joint exercise)
What's the NEWS

• India will join its Quad partners - Australia, Japan, and the United States - in the France-led joint naval exercise, La Pérouse, in the Bay of Bengal from April 5 to 7.

La Pérouse joint exercise

• For the first time, the Indian Navy will be part of a French naval exercise known as ‘La Perouse'
• Two French Navy ships will be joined by ships from India, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. for a concrete demonstration of multilateralism at sea and commitment to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific

Know! more about India's Maritime diplomacy

• This is the first time that the Indian Navy will be part of the France-led war game ‘La Perouse'.
• Until now, India was not invited for the French naval exercise.
• After the Malabar Exercise in November last year, during which the navies of India, the US and Japan got together with Australia as the new addition, India's inclusion in the France-led joint naval drill is a significant step.
• The exercise is scheduled between April 5 and 7 and it will be followed by another important naval exercise ‘Varuna', which takes place annually between India and France.
• This time it will also include the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• It will take place in the last week of April in the Western Indian Ocean

India's maritime diplomacy

• India's maritime diplomacy involves naval exercises with several friendly countries, keeping in mind China's increasing influence in the Indian Ocean region.
• The inclusion of more navies in such exercises is also a response to Chinese aggression in international waters and its increasing foray into the region.
• As part of maritime cooperation, the Indian and Vietnamese navies carried out a passage exercise in the South China Sea in December 2020.
• The Indian Navy also carried out war games with the navies of Singapore and Thailand in the Andaman Sea, soon after the Malabar Exercise.
• As part of the Indian government's ‘Neighbourhood First' vision, the Indian Navy undertook joint exclusive economic zone surveillance with Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius, as well as coordinated patrols (CORPATs) with Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia.
• The Indian Navy has participated in 13 bilateral and multilateral exercises so far this year.
• Besides improving inter-operability between friendly navies, the joint drills are aimed at strengthening mutual confidence, developing standard procedures and enhancing overall maritime security.

Government Schemes
Internet-connected sensors to monitor village water supply
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the role Internet-connected sensors) + Mains ( GS II government policies and interventions)
What's the NEWS

• The Jal Jeevan mission plans to deploy Internet-connected sensors in all villages to remotely monitor the duration, quantity, quality, pressure and sustainability of water supply in real time.

Know! about the project

• A pilot project was recently completed in remote villages in five States in collaboration with Tata Trusts and Tata Community Initiatives Trust, according to a statement from the Jal Shakti Ministry.
• They were given the challenge of developing a solution which would cost less than 15% of the scheme's total capital expenditure budget without compromising on quality or functionality.
• Several types of sensors have been deployed, including flow meters, ground water level sensors, chlorine analysers, pressure sensors, pump controller etc., to measure all the relevant aspects of water service delivery - quantity, duration, quality, pressure, and sustainability - in addition to providing operational efficiencies
• The information gathered by the sensors will feed into a cloud-based analytical platform integrated with a GIS (Geographical Information System) to provide robust decision-making support to officials as well as local villagers.
• One of the pilot projects in Rajasthan's Sirohi district involved a first-of-its kind system to remotely monitor and control water supply from the source to the tap using completely off-grid power sources of solar and battery power.
• The pilots in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Himachal Pradesh went live in September 2020.

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