ANSWER: D
WHY IN NEWS?
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the continuation of ‘Samagra Shiksha Scheme’ for school education for further five years.
About:
Samagra Shiksha Scheme
Samagra Shiksha is an integrated scheme for school education. It extends from pre-school to class XII and ensures inclusive & equitable quality education at all the levels of school education. This scheme was launched by subsuming three schemes ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’, ‘Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). This scheme provides holistic treatment to school education from Pre-school to Class 12.
Aim of the scheme
This scheme emphasises on improving the quality of school education by focussing on two T’s – Teacher and Technology. Primary aim of the scheme is to support States in implementing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 in accordance with the Article 21A of the constitution of India.
Vision of the scheme
This scheme was launched with the vision of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education from pre-school to senior secondary stage in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)- SDG 4.1 & SDG 4.5- for Education.
Who funds the scheme?
This scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Thus, the funds are shared between Centre and State in the ratio of 90:10 for the North-Eastern States & Himalayan States and 60:40 for other States & Union Territories with Legislature. Centre provides 100% of the fund in Union Territories without Legislature
ANSWER: C
WHY IN NEWS?
India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, conducted its maiden sea trails on August 4, 2021 encouraging making of military equipment within India.
About:
About INS Vikrant
INS Vikrant is a 44000-tonne carrier, built at the cost of Rs 23,000 crore. It has been built at state-owned Cochin Shipyard in Kochi, Kerala. About 550 Indian firms including 100 MSMEs are providing services to construct this warship. It is the largest and most complex warship that has been designed and built in India for the first time. With this aircraft, India now joins a select group of nations having capability to indigenously design, build and integrate such aircraft carrier. Countries like US, UK, Russia, Japan, Italy and France have such capacities. South Korea is also pursuing a carrier programme.
Features of the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier has a top speed of 28 knots or 52 kmph while cruising speed of 18 knots. It has an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles or 13,650 km. Warship comprises of 14 decks with 2300 compartments which can carry about 1700 crew.
Background
Keel for the warship was laid in 2009. It was scheduled to join the fleet in December 2018 but it got delayed due to complexity of making it. Warship was set out at sea in 2013. Cost of making also escalated beyond originally sanctioned amount of Rs 19,341 crore
ANSWER: D
WHY IN NEWS?
Lovlina won the third Olympic medal for India. She won bronze medal after going down 0-5 against Busenaz Surmeneli from Turkey in 69kg welterweight semifinals.
About:
Who is Lovlina Borgohain?
Lovlina Borgohain belongs to Golaghat district of Assam. Her father is a small-scale businessman. She started her career as kickboxer and switched to boxing after getting opportunity from the field. She participated in trials at her high school conducted by Sports Authority of India. She was selected by renowned Coach Padum Boro. He started giving training Lovlina in 2012. She was selected to participate in 2018 Commonwealth Games in welterweight boxing category. However, she could not win medal and lost it in quarterfinals.
ANSWER: A
WHY IN NEWS?
Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) launched an earthquake early warning (EEW) Mobile App for Uttarakhand.
About:
Earthquake early warning system will alert people regarding the onset of calamity on mobile application.
Where it will be set up?
With the support of Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, this initiative was earlier started as a pilot project for Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Later, it was extended by the Uttarakhand government. Under the project, sensors had been installed in high terrains of Garhwal and Kumaon regions of Uttarakhand.
How EEW provides warning?
Early warning system works on the basis of speed of the seismic waves, that propagate after release of stress from faults movement. Strong ground shaking is caused by shear waves. Shear waves travel at half speed as compared to primary waves and much slower than the electromagnetic signals. EEW system uses these waves to generate warning.
Central Server
Seismic data stream in the central server that has been established in EEW System laboratory. For data streaming, a high-speed telecommunication is used and high-performance computers compute scenario projections. Central server processes receive data continuously on 24 × 7 basis. It issues warning to public as and when detects that an earthquake of magnitude greater than 5 has occurred in earthquake prone areas. Warning time differs with the distance of any location from epicenter of the earthquake.
ANSWER: B
WHY IN NEWS?
NITI Aayog has released a report on Power Distribution Sector that presents reform pathways to transform India’s power distribution sector.
About:
What was the need of report?
In India, Power distribution companies (DISCOMs) incur losses every year. In financial year 2021, total estimated losses are as high as Rs 90,000 crore. Because of these losses, DISCOMs are unable to pay power generators on time, make investments to ensure high-quality power, or to prepare for use of variable renewable energy. Thus, this report becomes significant as it presents review of reform efforts in Indian and global power distribution sector.
About the report
Report extracts learnings and best practices from wealth of policy experience existing in India. It examines several important reforms including role of private sector in distribution, regulatory oversight, power procurement, integration of renewable energy and upgradation of infrastructure. Report is divided into chapters that focuses on structural reforms, operational reforms, regulatory reforms, managerial reforms, and renewable energy integration. It presents policymakers with several reform options in order to put distribution sector on the track of efficiency and profitability
ANSWER: D
WHY IN NEWS?
Lok Sabha passed the “General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill.
About:
Amendments to the bill
Background
This bill was passed in line with government’s privatization drive. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced ambitious privatisation agenda, including two public sector banks and one general insurance company in her budget speech for 2021-2022. Accordingly, among four public sector general insurance companies namely, National Insurance Company Limited, Oriental Insurance Company Limited, New India Assurance Company Limited and United India Insurance Company Limited; government will dilute its shareholding in one company. Name of the company is yet to be finalised.
General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021
This bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 30, 2021. It seeks to amend General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Act, 1972 that was enacted to nationalise all private companies undertaking general insurance business. Bill provides for a greater private sector participation in public sector insurance companies that are regulated under the Act of 1972. Bill has removed the government shareholding threshold of 51% in specified insurers. Bill has also changed the definition of general insurance business and transferred the power of appointing majority of directors of specified insurer & power over its management or policy decision from the government
ANSWER: A
WHY IN NEWS?
Power Grid Corporation of India has commissioned a 40-kilometre transmission line successfully in Aryan Valley (Kargil district) of Ladakh.
About:
Significance of the connection
Rural electrification in difficult terrain will help in bring carbon neutrality by setting diesel generator sets aside across these villages. Reliable power connectivity from grid also will help in economic development in remote villages in Ladakh region.
National Grid in India
National Grid in India is the high-voltage electricity transmission network that connect power stations and major substations. It ensures that electricity generated anywhere across India can be used to meet demand elsewhere. National Grid in India is owned and maintained by state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India. It is operated by state-owned Power System Operation Corporation. With the power generation capacity of 371.054 GW (as of 2020), it is the largest operational synchronous grids worldwide. India’s grid is nominally running at 50 Hz. Permissible range of frequency band is 49.95-50.05 Hz. Grid is also having synchronous interconnections with Bhutan and asynchronous links with Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal.
ANSWER: C
WHY IN NEWS?
National Statistical Office (NSO) has published the eighth periodic labour force survey recently. According to the survey, unemployment rate in India has increased to 13.3 per cent in the period of July-September 2020. Unemployment rate was 8.4 per cent in July-September 2019.
About:
Labour Force
It refers to the part of population that supplies or offers to supply labour to pursue economic activities for production of goods and services. It includes both employed and unemployed persons.
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)
Periodic labour force survey was launched by NSO in April 2017. Based on PLFS, quarterly bulletin is provided by giving estimates of labour force indicators such as UR, Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), distribution of workers by broad status in employment & industry of work in Current Weekly Status (CWS).
Current Weekly Status (CWS)
CWS estimates on unemployed persons provides an average picture of unemployment in short period of 7 days during the survey period. In CWS approach, a person is considered unemployed if he/she did not work even for 1 hour on any day in a week.
ANSWER: C
WHY IN NEWS?
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