WHY IN THE NEWS?

The performance of the World Bank aided project STARS was reviewed recently.

About:

STARS stands for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program (STARS).

STARS project would be implemented as a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.

It is a project to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states.

• Six states are- Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
• Some 250 million students (between the age of 6 and 17) in 1.5 million schools and over 10 million teachers will benefit from the program.

Reform initiatives under the project include:

• Focusing more directly on the delivery of education services at the state, district and sub-district levels by providing customized local-level solutions towards school improvement.
• Addressing demands from stakeholders, especially parents, for greater accountability and inclusion by producing better data to assess the quality of learning; giving special attention to students from vulnerable section.
• Equipping teachers to manage this transformation by recognizing that teachers are central to achieving better learning outcomes.
• Investing more in developing India’s human capital needs by strengthening foundational learning for children in classes 1 to 3 and preparing them with the cognitive, socio-behavioural and language skills to meet future labour market needs.

Unique components of the project:

Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC):

The project includes a Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) under the National Component which would enable it to be more responsive to any natural, man-made and health disasters.

• It will help the government respond to situations leading to loss of learning such as school closures/infrastructure damage, inadequate facilities and use technology for facilitating remote learning etc.
• The CERC component would facilitate the rapid re-categorization of financing and the utilization of streamlined financing request procedures.

PARAKH:

A major component of the project is the establishment of PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) as a National Assessment Centre.

• Included in the National Education Policy 2020, this autonomous institution under the Union Education Ministry will set norms for student assessment and evaluation for all school boards across the country, most of which currently follow norms set by State governments.
• It will also guide standardised testing to monitor learning outcomes at the State and national levels, according to the NEP.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette is participating in the 3rd edition of India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX – 21.

About:

• SITMEX is being conducted annually since 2019 with an aim to enhance mutual inter-operability and imbibing best practices between the Indian Navy (IN), RSN and RTN.
• SITMEX-21 will fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and further enhance the cooperation between the participating navies towards augmenting the overall maritime security in the region.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Navy’s plan for a 170 ship force is underway, and some changes in timelines are also being finalised.

About:

• The Navy shall include a second indigenous aircraft carrier in its Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP).
• The Navy will commission the first Project-15B class stealth-guided missile destroyer Visakhapatnam on November 21, and the fourth Scorpene-class submarine Vela on November 25.
• Current status: The Navy currently has 130 ships and had earlier planned to achieve securing 200, which was revised to 170 ships by 2027.
• Revised timeline: The timeline is now being revised as the Navy is revising its MCPP for the next 15 years, which is expected to be ready by 2022. 
  • It will be in line with the 10-year Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP) being formulated by the Department of Military Affairs to bring in service integration

Navy’s Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP)

• The Navy’s Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP)’ emphasises on capability building rather than numbers.
• The MCPP lays down the plans for force development and modernisation over three plan periods from 2005-22. 
• Aim: To build a three-dimensional force that is able to meet all future challenges

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara Corridor will be reopened on Wednesday. 

• The announcement comes ahead of the birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak on 19th November.

The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara Corridor

• The corridor, inaugurated in 2019, links two important shrines — Dera Baba Nanak in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan. 
• The pilgrims can travel visa-free to the shrine.
• The corridor was built to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.
• The operations at the corridor were suspended due to the pandemic.

Who is Guru Nanak? 

• Guru Nanak Dev is known as the founder of the Sikh religion (1469-1539).
• He advocated the ‘Nirguna’ form of bhakti. 
• He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
• The fifth preceptor, Guru Arjan, compiled Baba Guru Nanak’s hymns in the Adi Granth Sahib.
• Kartarpur gurudwara is the revered shrine about 4km across the border where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Devasahayam Pillai, an 18th-century Hindu convert to Christianity, would be the first Indian layman (a non-ordained member of the Church) to be made a saint.

• Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Devasahayam Pillai, together with six other Blesseds, during a Canonization Mass in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on 15th May 2022.
• Vatican City is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.

About:

• He was born on 23rd April 1712 in the village of Nattalam in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari District.
• Known as Nilakanda Pillai before embracing Christianity, he grew up in an upper-caste family of temple priests.
• He went on to serve in the court of Travancore’s Maharaja Marthanda Varma. It was here that he met a Dutch naval commander, who taught him about the Catholic faith.
• He became a Catholic in 1745. Pillai took the Christian name Lazarus but later came to be known as Devasahayam (God’s help).
• He then faced the wrath of the Travancore state, which was against his conversion.
• On 14th January 1752, just seven years after he became a Catholic, Devasahayam was shot dead in the Aralvaimozhy forest.
  • Since then, he has widely been considered a martyr by the Catholic community in South India.
  • His body is at Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in the Diocese of Kottar (Tamil Nadu).
• The Church is of the view that his preaching of equality of all people despite caste differences eventually led to his martyrdom.
• He was first approved for sainthood in February 2020 for “enduring increasing hardships” after he decided to embrace Christianity.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the Prime Minister of India chaired a meeting regarding the management of the cryptocurrency sector. Citing the unregulated nature of the crypto market, he called for taking progressive and forward-looking steps.

• At the moment, there is no legislature that covers cryptocurrencies in India. In India, owning cryptocurrencies is still not illegal. In 2020, the Supreme Court had struck down a ban on the trading of cryptocurrency in India, which was imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• China has declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal, effectively imposing a complete ban, whereas El Salvador has permitted Bitcoin as legal tender.

Benefits Associated with Cryptocurrency:

• Fast and Cheap Transactions: Cryptocurrencies are way cheaper to use to execute international transactions because the transactions don’t have to be handled by a series of intermediaries before they reach their destinations.
• Investment Destination: There is a limited supply of cryptocurrency – partially like gold. Moreover, the last few years have seen the price of cryptocurrencies rising faster than other financial instruments.
  • Due to this, cryptocurrencies can become a preferred investment destination.
• Anti-Inflationary Currency: Due to the high demand for cryptocurrency its prices have largely remained on a growing trajectory. In this scenario, people tend to hold more cryptocurrency than spend it.
  • This will cause a deflationary effect on the currency.

Associated Concerns with Cryptocurrencies:

• Bombardment of Advertisement: The crypto market is seen as a way to earn quick profits. Due to this, there is a bombardment of advertising, both online and offline, to lure people into speculating in this market.
  • However, there are concerns that these are attempts to mislead the youth through “over-promising” and “non-transparent advertising”.
• Counterproductive Utility: Unregulated crypto markets can become avenues for money laundering and terror financing.
• Cryptocurrencies are Extremely Volatile: Bitcoin skyrocketed from USD 40,000 to reach an all-time high of USD 65,000 (between January to April 2021).
  • Then in May 2021, it plunged and throughout June it remained below USD 30,000.
• Macroeconomic and Financial Stability: According to a Group of Crypto exchanges, crores of Indians have invested over Rs 6, 00,000 crores in crypto assets.
  • The extent of investment exposure of Indian retail investors in this unregulated asset class poses a risk to Macroeconomic and Financial Stability.
• Stock Market Issues: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has flagged the issue that it has no control over the “clearing and settlement” of cryptocurrencies, and it cannot offer counterparty guarantees as is being done for stocks.
  • Further, whether cryptocurrency is a currency, commodity, or security has not been defined.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Ministry of Science & Technology inaugurated “Tech NEEV@75” as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

About:

• On the occasion, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh interacted with successful start-ups including start-ups of tribal communities.
• The minister also informed that Central Government will set up 30 Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs across the country for Scheduled Tribes (STs) by end of 2022.
• These STI hubs will help in promoting scientific talent among tribal communities as well as overall socio-economic development.
• Out of 75 proposed STI Hubs, 20 have already been set up by the Department of Science and Technology. These hubs will extend benefits to 20,000 people directly, by means of several interventions spreading across the farm, non-farm and other allied livelihood sectors.

About Tech NEEV@75

Tech NEEV@ 75” is a year-long celebration, highlighting the impact of Science Technology Innovation (STI) in empowering the community to create equitable inclusive economic growth. It is a 75-hour programme and includes experience sharing of beneficiaries, societal change-makers conclave, community change leaders, and round table discussions by several stakeholders. It also includes a compilation of 75 impactful stories on the progress of India towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

Significance of the programme

Tech NEEV@75” will lead to opportunities for land to lab research and help in building synergies with traditional, local and indigenous knowledge. This in turn will lead to new scientific developments which will contribute to building resilient communities.

Which ministry will look after the initiative?

Tech NEEV@75 is an appropriate and timely initiative launched by the Ministry of Science & Technology and the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The initiative will showcase a strong foundation to adopt STI for better livelihood outcomes across India.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Australia won their maiden T20 World Cup title as they defeated New Zealand in the final by 8 wickets.
• A target of 173 in a global final is never easy but Marsh with his power and reach made it look like a walk in the park in the company of David Warner (53 off 38 balls), who also turned the wheels of fortune for himself and his team during a victory, achieved in 18.5 overs.
• Mitchell Marsh was named as the player of the match.
• David Warner was named as the player of the series.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Meghalaya state observed the 44th edition of ‘Wangala’, the festival of 100 Drums Festival begins. It is a post-harvest festival of the Garos tribe which is being held every year to honour ‘Saljong’, the Sun God of Garos, which also marks the end of the harvest season.
• Celebrated since 1976, it’s the most important festival of the Garo tribe and attracts a lot of tourists. During the Wangala, tribals offer sacrifices to please their deity Saljong, the Sun God.
• The first day of the festival is celebrated with a ceremony called Ragula which is performed in the house of the village’s chief. People dress up in colourful costumes with feathered headgears and dance to the rhythms of long oval-shaped drums on the second day of celebration, Kakkat.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The first matches for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games have been announced. Women’s cricket is making its debut at the Commonwealth Games with the T20 format.
• The last time cricket was played in the multi-sporting showpiece was in the 1998 edition in Kuala Lumpur. The women’s cricket T20 competition will be held at the Edgbaston Stadium from the 29 July, with the bronze and gold medal matches taking place on 7 August. 
• India will face Australia in the opening match when women’s cricket makes its debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games on July 29 while the final will be played on August 7. India in the early session, with Pakistan playing Barbados, who was recently confirmed as the team from the West Indies that will take part in the Commonwealth Games.