Education
Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Performance Grading Index)
What's the NEWS

• Union Education Minister approved the release of Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for States and Union Territories of India

Know! all about PGI

• The Government has introduced the Performance Grading Index with a set of 70 parameters to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education.
• The PGI for States and Union Territories was first published in 2019 with reference year 2017-18.
• The PGI : States/UTs for 2019-20 is the third publication in this series.
• The PGI exercise envisages that the index would propel States and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes.
• The PGI helps the States/UTs to pinpoint the gaps and accordingly prioritise areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level.

PGI 2019-20 (highlights)

• Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Kerala occupy the highest grade (Grade A++) for 2019-20.
• Most of the States/UTs have improved their grade in PGI 2019-20 compared to the earlier years.
• Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have improved overall PGI score by 10%, i.e., 100 or more points.
• Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Punjab have shown improvement by 10% (8 points) or more in the PGI domain: Access.
• As many as thirteen States and UTs have shown improvement by 10% (15 points) or more in the PGI domain: Infrastructure and Facilities. Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Odisha have shown improvement by 20% or more.
• Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Odisha have shown more than 10% improvement in the PGI domain: Equity.
• Nineteen States and UTs have shown improvement by 10% (36 points) or more in the PGI domain: Governance Process. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have shown improvement by at least 20% (72 points or more).

Science & Technology
Niclosamide
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Niclosamide)
What's the NEWS

• CSIR in collaboration with Laxai Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., has initiated Phase-II clinical trial with anti-helminitic drug Niclosamide for treatment of Covid-19.
• The trial is a multi-centric, phase-II, randomized, open label clinical study to evaluate efficacy, safety and tolerability of NIclosamide for the treatment of hospitalized Covid-19 patients.

Know! about Niclosamide

• Niclosamide has been extensively used in past for treatment of tapeworm's infection in adults as well as children.
• The safety profile of this drug has been tested over time and has been found safe for human consumption at different dose levels.
• CSIR expressed his happiness over the SEC recommendations to conduct this Phase II clinical trial using Niclosamide, which is generic, affordable drug and easily available in India and therefore can be made available to our population.

Niclosamide ( know the experiments done to validate its potential)

• To identify drugs that can inhibit syncytia formation, Niclosamide was identified as a promising repurposed drug by research group from King's College, London, who collaborated in this project.
• The syncytia or fused cells observed in the lungs of patients with COVID-19 probably results from the fusogenic activity of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and Niclosamide can inhibit syncytia formation.
• Niclosamide is also a potential SARS-CoV2 entry inhibitor blocking the viral entry through pH dependent endocytic pathway.
• Given these two independent experimental studies, Niclosamide has now emerged as a promising drug candidate for clinical trial in Covid-19 patients.

Environment
Green Room Air Conditioners launched on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to mark the World Environment Day

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Green Room Air Conditioners and about Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
What's the NEWS

• On the occasion of World Environment Day, a new product category of Green Room Air Conditioners was launched on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
• The launch event was organized in association with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Green Room Air Conditioners

• The addition of Green Room Air Conditioners on GeM is another example of GeM being a futuristic and technology driven platform, focusing on environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainable public procurement
• This innovation can provide financial savings for government buyers and will meet evolving environmental challenges by moving towards a circular economy.
• The GeM portal will enable and encourage all central and state government agencies to buy efficient and environment friendly green ACs, thereby paving a way for Sustainable Public Procurement in India. The purchase of Green RACs shall be a voluntary approach.
• The Government of India is taking proactive steps towards a circular and green economy. In March 2018, the Ministry of Finance constituted a Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement.
• Additionally, the draft National Resource Efficiency Policy (2019) includes the agenda of Sustainable Public Procurement, that suggests establishing green procurement guidelines providing information on resource efficiency criteria to be used in the procurement processes for the prioritized products/service categories.

Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) initiative

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with other partners is supporting the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) initiative of the Government of India with initial focus on three prioritized product categories including paper, disinfectant and Green Room Air Conditioners.
• SPP is a key element in attaining a wide range of goals in strategic spending and implementation as a policy instrument to support programmes in priority areas and formulating national sustainable development strategies.

Government e-Market Place

• GeM is a short form of one stop Government e-Market Place hosted by DGS&D where common user goods and services can be procured. GeM is dynamic, self sustaining and user friendly portal for making procurement by Government officers.
• It aims to transform the way in which procurement of goods and services is done by the Government Ministries and Departments, Public Sector Undertakings and other apex autonomous bodies of the Central Government.
• Government e-Marketplace owes its genesis to the recommendations of two Groups of Secretaries made to the Prime Minister in January 2016.
• They recommended setting up of a dedicated e-market for different goods & services procured or sold by Government/PSUs besides reforming Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D).
• Subsequently, the Finance Minister in his Budget speech for FY 2016-17, announced setting up of a technology driven platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various Ministries and agencies of the Government.
• DGS&D with technical support of National eGovernance Division (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has developed GeM portal for procurement of both Products & Services.
• The portal was launched on 9th August 2016 by the Commerce & Industry Minister. Procurement on GeM has been authorized by General Financial Rules by making necessary changes in government rules.
• Presently more than 7400 products in about 150 product categories and hiring of transport service are available on GeM POC portal. Transactions for more than Rs 140 Crore have already been processed through GeM.
• GeM is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface.

Prelims Factoids
Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Ratle Hydroelectric Project.)
What's the NEWS

• NHPC limited, India's premier hydropower company under Ministry of Power has formed a joint venture company, "Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited" for the implementation of 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Project.
• The JVC has been incorporated on 01.06.2021 with NHPC and Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Ltd (JKSPDC) holding equity share of 51% and 49% respectively.
• A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 0.02.2019 amongst JKSPDC, NHPC and erstwhile Government of Jammu & Kashmir
• Ministry of Power has already conveyed investment sanction for construction of 850 MW Ratle HE Project at an estimated cost of Rs. 5281.94 crore
• Subsequently, the Promoters Agreement was signed on 13.04.2021 leading to the incorporation of Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited.

Know! about Ratle Hydoelectric Project

• The Ratle Hydroelectric Plant is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station currently under construction on the Chenab River, downstream of the village near Drabshalla in Kishtwar district of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The project includes a 133 m (436 ft) tall gravity dam and two power stations adjacent to one another.
• Water from the dam will be diverted through four intake tunnels about 400 m (0.25 mi) southwest to the power stations.
• The main power station will contain four 205 MW Francis turbines and the auxiliary power station will contain one 30 MW Francis turbine.
• The installed capacity of both power stations will be 850 MW.
• On 25 June 2013, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the dam.
• Pakistan has frequently alleged that it violates the Indus Water Treaty.

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