Startups to leverage " Deep Tech " to build solutions for local & global markets

The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal today called upon the Indian industry to aim for raising 75 unicorns in the 75 weeks to the 75th anniversary of Independence next year.

“We have added 43 unicorns added in 45 weeks, since the start of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on 12th March, 2021. Let us aim for atleast 75 unicorns in this 75 week period to 75th Anniversary of Independence,” he said, while releasing the NASSCOM Tech Start-up Report 2022.

Shri Goyal said Startup India started a revolution six years ago and today ‘Startup’ has become a common household term. Indian Startups are fast becoming the champions of India Inc’s growth story, he added.

“India has now become the hallmark of a trailblazer & is leaving its mark on global startup landscape. Investments received by Indian startups overshadowed pre-pandemic highs. 2021 will be remembered as the year Indian start-ups delivered on their promise, – fearlessly chasing opportunities across verticals – Edtech, HealthTech & AgriTech amongst others,” he said.

Shri Goyal lauded the ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) industry including the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector for the record Services exports during the last year.

“Services Export for Apr-Dec 2021 reached more than $178 bn despite the Covid19 pandemic when the Travel, Hospitality & Tourism sectors were significantly down,” he said.

Shri Goyal said the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has declared 16th January as the National Startup Day, showing his commitment to take the innovation culture to every nook and corner of the country.

“We all celebrated this innovation spirit through Startup India Innovation Week, during the last week as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. PM’s interaction with Startups a week ago has supercharged the courage of our innovators,” he said.

Shri Goyal said the Government has taken several steps to boost startup ecosystem, –

Removing problems of ‘Angel tax’, simplification of tax procedure & allowing self-certification and self-regulation towards which we are moving
Reducing burden of over 26,500 compliances
Decriminalization of 770 compliances

Shri Goyal said the New India is today being led by new troika of Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship (ITE), which in a way has grown further from the original ICE (Information, Communication & Entertainment).

“I remember when ICE was introduced many years ago, we were excited about the new information age. Today, that same vibrancy & excitement is witnessed in the way our startups are growing in the ITE areas,” he said.

Shri Goyal said India’s unique digital infrastructure – Aadhaar, Digilocker, Fastag, Cowin, UPI etc. have enabled Access & Affordability.

“The Cowin portal showed the world that Indian could run world’s largest vaccination programme efficiently & effectively, with complete mapping & monitoring done digitally. UPI has helped new age technologies in reaching the common man at affordable prices,” said Shri Goyal.

“The next “UPI moment” will be the ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce). The first-of-its-kind globally, ONDC to enable interoperability between eCommerce companies, providing equal opportunity to small & large players, will help control digital monopolies & make industry more inclusive for buyers & sellers alike, empowering MSMEs to unlock innovation & value,” he added.

Shri Goyal unveiled a five-point plan as the way forward for the NASSCOM:

1. Emphasize on basic & core needs of people, – providing better access to financial services, education & healthcare; solutions to problems of farmers, etc.

2. Focus on High growth & Job creating sectors, – Advertising & Marketing, Prof. services, Fitness & Wellness (Yoga becoming popular globally), Gaming, Sports, Audio-Visual services

3. More & more startups should leverage Deep tech to build solutions for local & global markets, – AI, IoT, Big Data, Data Analytics, Blockchain, Virtual Reality, 3D Printing, Drones, etc.

4. We have a lot of potential in Startups from Tier-2 & 3 cities. If we give them more support & proper mentoring, they could also play a much greater in the years to come.

5. India will assume G20 presidency in 2023 – suggest ideas on themes resonating with our vision to solve global issues.

Shri Goyal hoped this momentum of the Indian Startup ecosystem will continue in the current year and the years to come.

“While 2021 was a year in which we defied all odds, 2022 will be the breakthrough year which will unlock country’s exponential value. ‘India at 100’ will be renowned as a Startup nation. But as PM Modi said yesterday in his speech- the “Amrit Kaal,” the coming 25 years – are the period of utmost hard work, sacrifice and tapasya,” he said.

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Netaji lived, lives and will continue to live in the Hearts of Indian People

As part of 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Press Information Bureau and Regional Outreach Bureau, Government of India, Jaipur organized a webinar in connection with “Parakram Diwas”. As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Government of India has declared the birth anniversary day of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on 23rd January to be celebrated as Prakram Diwas every year. Dr. Anita B. Pfaff (Daughter of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose) and Ms. Renuka Malakar (Grandniece of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose) participated in today’s webinar as key note speakers. Sh. Mahesh Chandra Sharma (Senior Journalist) also addressed the webinar as a guest speaker.

(Dr. Anita Bose Pfaff addressing the webinar)

Dr. Anita Bose Pfaff, daughter of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who joined the webinar from Germany, said that Netaji lived, lives and will continue to live in the hearts of Indian people. Though her father Netaji was a devout Hindu but he had respect for all the religions. Dr. Anita said that her father dreamt of an India where all religions coexist peacefully. She said that Netaji was a champion of gender equality. His vision was to build a nation where men and women not only have the same rights but can also deliver same duties. It is on the women themselves to emancipate, women should win and they can win. Dr. Anita Bose also gave a detailed description on the life and contribution of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the freedom struggle and nation building. She said that Netaji had a vision for financial and economic strength of India and had set up a planning commission even before India got independence.

Ms. Renuka Malakar, the grandniece of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, former Secretary General and currently Trustee of Netaji Subhash Bose INA Trust Delhi-India, said in her address that Netaji had extreme love for his countrymen. Youth of India are its future. She urged that the youth should keep the nation uppermost in their minds and if it happens no one can stop India from progressing.

(Ms. Renu Malakar addressing the webinar)

While elaborating on the life of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Senior journalist and writer Sh. Mahesh Chandra Sharma said that as Netaji gave top most priority to the nation, youth should also strive for the nation which is united, powerful and free from religious and cast based discrimination. He said that the dedication of Netaji Chandra Bose towards the nation remain the inspiration for the youth in India.

Earlier in the webinar, Dr. Pragya Paliwal Gaur, Additional Director General (Region) PIB delivered the inaugural and welcome speech. Dr Paliwal first welcomed and thanked Dr. Anita Bose Pfaff, daughter of Netaji, for giving her precious time and it was an honor to have her and Ms. Renuka Malakar in the webinar of Press Information Bureau. She said that in order to honor and remember Netaji’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation, Govt of India has decided to celebrate his birthday on the 23rd day of January every year as “ParakramDiwas” to inspire people of the country especially the youth.

The webinar was attended by more than 200 participants which included soldiers of BSF, cadets of NCC, young volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and other officials from various part of the country. In the end, a video made by the Ministry of Information &Broadcasting on role of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the freedom struggle of India was also played during the webinar. Sh. Pawan Singh Faujdar, Deputy Director PIB Jaipur, conducted the webinar.

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Simplicity of operations and transparency should be the focus of National Single Window System (NSWS)

The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal has said simplicity of operations and transparency should be the focus of the National Single Window System (NSWS). Chairing a review meeting of the NSWS platform, Shri Goyal said there should be complete end-to-end testing of one set of approvals for each of the integrated Ministries on the NSWS portal.

The digital platform of NSWS facilitates investors to identify and apply for approvals. It supports information across 32 Central Ministries/ Departments and the platform has 14 States onboard namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The process for inclusion of 6 more States is in progress.

Shri Goyal said, in order to ensure faster approvals and save time, better communication strategy should be planned. To spread awareness about the platform, he directed that presentations be made before large corporations and to the Indian Missions abroad.

The Minister said a Chief Information Security Officer should be nominated to work exclusively for the security and risk monitoring of the NSWS portal. There should be no duplication of efforts and no physical interface, he said. “If any physical interface and interaction is needed, then it will be done through video conferencing on NSWS; Video Conferencing should be recorded and remain documentary evidence,” said Shri Goyal during the review meeting held on 19th January.

The minister stressed on the importance of user feedback. “It is critical to meet timelines which can be possible through continuous upgradation of the system,” he said.

Shri Goyal said that a meeting with States and UTs be organised next month to bring more states onboard the NSWS.

The Know Your Approvals (KYA) service is live on the NSWS with 544 approvals across 32 Central Ministries/ Departments. A total of 3,259 approvals are listed. Efforts are under progress to ensure that 13 more Ministries/Departments are onboarded by 31st March 2022 with another 360 approvals/registrations.

The first approval through the NSWS portal has been granted on 11 January 2022 to M/s CMR-Kataria Recycling Private Limited for the Vehicle Scrappage Facility RVSF, Kheda, Gujarat with a capacity of 67,000 vehicles. The approval has been made possible within a timeline of 63 days since RVSF application was submitted online on 08 November 2021.

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Tripura is becoming a land of opportunities

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi paid tribute to the people who have contributed to the establishment and development of Tripura. He acknowledged the dignity and contribution of the state from the period of Manikya Dynasty. He praised the unity and collective efforts of the people of the state. He was speaking on the occasion of the 50th Statehood day of Tripura today.

The Prime Minister underlined the three years of meaningful development and said that Tripura is becoming a land of opportunities under the aegis of relentless efforts of the double engine government. Highlighting the state’s excellent performance on many of the development parameters, the Prime Minister said that through the construction of the connectivity infrastructure, the state is fast becoming the hub of the trade corridor. Today, along with roads, railways, air and inlay waterways are also connecting Tripura with the rest of the world. The double engine government fulfilled the long pending demand of Tripura and got access to the Chittagong sea port in Bangladesh. The state received the first cargo from Bangladesh through Akhaura Integrated Check Post in 2020. The Prime Minister also mentioned the recent expansion of Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport.

The Prime Minister talked about good work in the state regarding providing pucca houses to the poor and use of new technology in housing construction. These Light House Projects (LHP) are going on in six states and Tripura is one of them. He said that the work of the last three years is just a beginning and Tripura’s real potential is yet to be realized. He said that the measures in the fields ranging from transparency in the administration to infrastructure development will prepare the state for decades to come. Campaigns like saturation of benefits and facilities in all the villages will make the lives of the people of Tripura easier and better, he said.

The Prime Minister said as India will attain 100 years of Azadi, Tripura will also complete 75 years of statehood. “This is a great period for new resolutions and new opportunities”, the Prime Minister added.

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National Council of Teacher Education to strengthen the teacher education system

Following steps were taken by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to strengthen the teacher education system in the country during pandemic:-

Advisory to all Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) was issued to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Open Education Resource (OER) were developed by the Expert Committee and uploaded on NCTE website for making proper use by students/teacher educators and other stake holders free of cost.
The weblink for open Education Resource (OER) developed by other organisation working for teacher education in the country have also been hyper linked so that the beneficiary/target group can avail the teaching/learning resource by visiting the NCTE website www.ncte.gov.in.
To sensitize Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) about the recommendations of New Education Policy (NEP) for teacher education sector, a series of webinars have been conducted.
The teaching/learning material on the content of teacher education has also been digitally made available on the NCTE website www.ncte.gov.in.

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"Working From home"

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today reached out to employees “Working From home” and also officers and staff of Ministry of Personnel DoPT DARPG, Public Grievances and Pensions who are in quarantine or infected by COVID-19.

He inquired about the well -being of each one of them and also asked them to share their experience as well as suggestions.

During the meeting, Dr Jitendra Singh noted with satisfaction that all the eligible employees of the age of 18 years and above got vaccinated with both the doses and made a general appeal to people who are yet to get vaccinated against COVID-19 should do so immediately in the wake of surge because of Omicron spread.

The Minister was apprised that out of 663 officers and staff of DoPT, 46 got infected with mild symptoms and 20 of them already recovered. Similarly, 8 persons out of 158 from DARPG and 6 employees out of 58 from Department of Pensions got infected in the third wave, however not a single case of hospitalisation was reported so far.

Dr Jitendra Singh lauded the efforts, dedication and commitment of the officers and staff toward the office functioning without interruption during the pandemic and noted with appreciation that work output has not suffered and rather in some cases work output increased because of target oriented work culture with flexi timing. He said, the overall output was also better due to near total adoption of e-office mode. Moreover, Work from Home (WFH) also resulted in employees working during weekends and holidays to achieve the given target, the Minister added.

Several officers and staff of the Ministry shared their experiences online with Dr Jitendra Singh and all of them reiterated their commitment for target oriented work culture. The Minister assured those affected and their family members all help and support from the Ministry. Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection has been provided to all the employees to facilitate WFH.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, as per the latest O.M. of DoPT, pregnant women employees and Divyang employees have been exempted from attending office and the physical attendance of government servants below the level of Under Secretary has been restricted to 50% of the actual strength and the remaining 50% shall work from home. However, the Minister said, the officials/staff who are not attending the office and are working from home shall remain available on telephone and other electronic means of communications at all times.

The Minister advised all the officers/staff to ensure strict compliance of COVID-appropriate behaviour i.e. frequent washing of hands/sanitisation, wearing face mask/face cover and observing social distancing all the time. Proper cleaning and sanitisation of the workplace, particularly frequently touched surfaces, may also be ensured.

Secretary, DoPT P.K.Tripathy, Secretary, DARPG and Pensions, V.Srinivas, Additional Secretary, DoPT Rashmi Chowdhary, Additional Secretary and EO, DoPT Deepti Umashankar, Jaya Dubey, Joint Secretary, DARPG and other senior officials joined the meeting.

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&quot;Working From home&quot;

He inquired about the well -being of each one of them and also asked them to share their experience as well as suggestions.

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national level office-bearers of Unorganised Workers’ Unions and Associations

In afirst of its kind unique initiative, the Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Shri Bhupender Yadav today interacted over video Conference with national level office-bearers of Unorganized Workers’ Unions and Associations on the problems and issues of unorganized workers.

The representatives of construction workers, domestic workers, textile workers, municipal workers, transport workers, street vendors, brick-kiln workers and railway malgodam workers participated in the meeting.

The Unorganised Workers’ representatives appreciated the Ministry’s initiative of eShram Portal and stated that not only this has given an identity but also dignity to the workers and will help in alleviating the sufferings of the unorganized workers. The Trade Union leaders put forth their problems and issues very candidly.

While interacting with the Union leaders, Shri Yadav stated that the Government has been working relentlessly and sincerely for the welfare and upliftment of unorganised workers in particular and for the working class in general.

The Minister particularly thanked all the Trade Union leaders for their whole hearted cooperation for motivating and mobilising the workers to register in eShram portal and said that it has already turned into a public movement with full jan-bhagidari. The Minister informed that in just over 200 days nearly 23croreunorganised workers have already registered themselves.

Acknowledging the problems faced by workers employed in brick kiln, forestry, plantations etc. in getting themselves registered on the E-shram portal, the Minister said that special camps will be organized for them.

The Labour Minister stated that the Government is aware of the fact that without ensuring safety, security and welfare of the working class, we cannot not imagine the fruition of concept of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat which is the dream of our Prime Minister, Shri NarendraModi.

“The Government has undertaken several social security schemes for the unorganized workers. Besides, the all India survey of Domestic and Migrant workers is also undertaken with full earnestness and soon the Government will take meaningful and constructive action on the report, keeping in view the aspect of social security and welfare of the working class.”, further stated Shri Yadav.

Union Minister also highlighted on more than 400 occupations and sub occupations, comprising unorganized sector. He also stated that it is the endeavor of the Government to implement the proviso of ESIC all over the country. After survey of migrant and domestic workers, the data shall be linked to e-Shram portal. The NCS portal shall also be linked to eShram.

The Minister informed that In view of the resurgence of COVID-19 and subsequent imposition of certain restrictions by State Governments, the ministry of Labour and Employment has re activated the 21 Monitoring Centres (Click here for Details) from 5th January 2022 in order “to mitigate the problems of migrant workers through co-ordination with various state governments” under the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) across the country.

Shri Yadav furher stated that once the pandemic situation is eased, he and his colleague, Shri Rameshwar Teli, Minister of State would travel extensively, interact with the working class and the labour union members and take their views on implementation of various welfare and social security measures.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Shri Rameshwar Teli gave a brief account of the welfare facilities extended to non-coal mine workers and Bidi workers on health, housing and education.

Shri Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, Labour and Employment while setting the context of the virtual meeting, stated that the Government is very much concerned about providing social security and welfare schemes to all unorganised workers. Government is running various schemes and the meeting is to understand the issues so that the schemes can be implemented more effectively.

SmtPratibha R, President, Garments and Textile Workers Union, Bengaluru; S/Shri Ramendra Kumar, General Secretary, National Platform for Domestic Workers; Ashok Agyani National Chief Convener for Municipal Workers; Arvind Singh, National President of All India Unorganised Workers Congress; Shri S K Mittal, Chairman and Navin Kumar Gupta, President and Secretary-General of All India Motor Transport Congress; Promod Patel of Trade Union Coordination Centre for Construction Workers, Lucknow; Gautam Kumar, General Secretary, Railway MalgodownShramikSangh; and SudhirKatiyar, Brick Kiln Workers Association and Ms Anita for Domestic Workers Union represented the unorganised workers’ unions.

Assam On Track To Become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ State By 2024

The Secretary, Department of Drinking water and Sanitation (DDWS) Smt. Vini Mahajan today reviewed the progress of Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission with Chief Secretary of Assam, Shri Jishnu Barua. Smt. Mahajan appreciated the progress made by Assam in providing tap water supply to rural homes during the review meeting on implementation of the two key missions in the State. She said “the State of Assam is well on track to achieve the target of providing clean tap water supply to every home by 2024 and the Centre is providing full assistance to the State to achieve the goal.” Shri Arun Baroka, Additional Secretary, DDWS, Shri S Abbasi, ACS in-charge SBM and JJM, Assam, Shri Samir Sinha, Finance Secretary, Assam and officers of DDWS were also present during the online review.

Smt. Mahajan in her opening remarks said, “Jal Jeevan Mission is a decentralized, demand-driven, community-managed water supply scheme which aims to improve the lives of rural people by providing clean tap water supply to every home. She appreciated the work carried out by the State in the past six months.”

Speaking on the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission, Smt. Mahajan said, “While the districts have self-declared themselves Open Defecation Free, but this is not a one-time effort. Efforts under the programme are being made to bring about social and behaviour change for sustainability of the ODF status of villages at all times.” She also emphasized on urgent need to prioritize supply of tap water in all schools and anganwadi centres of the State.

At the announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on 15th August, 2019, only 1.11 lakh (1.76%) households out of total 63.35 lakh households in the State had access to tap water supply. In about 28 months, 17.46 lakh households have been provided with clean tap water. In last six months alone, clean tap water supply has been provided to more than 8.5 lakh households.

Shri Jishnu Barua, Chief Secretary, Assam while presenting the state performance said, “good progress has been made if we look at the point from where we started with just 1% tap water coverage in the biggest north-eastern state. We progressed well in the last six months. As the State started on a low base it took time to streamline the procedure for implementation of the programme. Now the remaining work will be carried out expeditiously.”

Working in line with ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’, Jal Jeevan Mission’s motto is ‘no one is left out’ and it aims at universal access to potable tap water supply. At the start of the mission in 2019, out of a total of 19.20 Crore rural households in the country, only 3.23 Crore (17%) had tap water supply. Despite Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns disruptions, Jal Jeevan Mission has been implemented with speed and during the last 28 months, 5.59 Crore rural households have been provided with tap water supply. Presently, 8.83 Crore (45.88%) rural homes across the country have tap water supply. States of Goa, Telangana, Haryana and UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry, D&NH and D&D have ensured 100% household tap connection in rural areas. At present, every household in 90 districts and more than 1.31 lakh villages are receiving tap water supply in their homes.

To ensure transparency and accountability in implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission, all information about Jal Jeevan Mission is in public domain and the JJM dashboard can be accessed at https://ejalshakti.gov.in/jjmreport/JJMIndia.aspx

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Winners of Vande Bhartam, Nritya Utsav competition gearing up to enthrall audiences

The winners ofVande Bhartam, Nritya Utsav Grand Finale are gearing up to enthrall the audiences at the Republic Day 2022 parade at Rajpath, New Delhi on 26th January. The rehearsals for the grand performance have been taking place with full enthusiasm at Rajpath and Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium , New Delhi.

The winners are being trained by the four renowned choreographers. These include Kathak Dancer Ms. Rani Khanam, along with Ms. Maiyetree Pahari, Ms. Tejaswini Sathe, and Mr.Santosh Nair who are giving training to 36 teams who have come from different states.

The 480 performers have been selected by the Ministry of Culture through a four level Vande Bharatam-Nritya Utsav competition. The Grand Finale of the Vande Bharatam-Nritya Utsav, a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was held in New Delhi on 19th December, 2021

The Vande Bharatam competition began at the district level on November 17 and saw the participation of more than 3,870 contestants in 323 groups. Those who cleared the screening at the district level took part in the state-level competition from November 30, 2021. More than 20 virtual events were conducted for the state-level competition over a span of 5 days till 4th December 2021

Over 2,400 participants from 200 plus teams were short-listed for the zonal level competition. The zonal finals took place at Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi from 9th to 12th of December where 104 groups displayed their dance prowess before an august jury and applauding fans. Participating groups performed specially choreographed acts in various dance categories like classical, folk, tribal, and fusion. They will now give a performance on Republic Day where all the groups will merge into a one whole, yet retaining the identity of individual dance forms, in the true spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.

Of these 104 groups,73 groups comprising 949 dancers from all 4 zones made it to the Grand Finale, which was held in Delhi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Auditorium on 19th of December.

Top 480 dancers were declared as winners from the Grand Finale and they will perform on the Republic Day Parade to be held at Rajpath, New Delhi on 26th January 2022.

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This is the first time that teams are selected for Republic Day Performance at Rajpath through an All India dance competition with the aim of enhancing Jan Bhagidari.

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Webinar on ‘Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world’,

Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ addressed the Webinar on Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world, organized today on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The Webinar was conducted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in association with Ministry of Education. Shri Sanjay Dhotre, MoS, Education, Secretary Higher Education Shri Amit Khare, Secretary School Education and Literacy Smt. Anita Karwal, Prof. D P Singh, Chairman, UGC, Prof. Rajnish Jain, Secretary, UGC, senior officials of the Ministry were also present. 43 women Vice-Chancellors and 25 Principals of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) also joined the webinar online.

Shri Pokhriyal highlighted the importance of women leaderships during Covid 19 pandemic by stating that the best role played by anyone in pandemic is none other than the “Mothers”. He further added that women are performing exceedingly well in science, technology, research, literature and social services showcasing highest quality of leadership potential. Speaking on National Education Policy (NEP) -2020, the Minister stated that the Policy has a potential to empower the women in society. He appreciated the fact that women enrolment has increased in IITs and NITs.

Shri Sanjay Dhotre, MoS for Education stated that the celebration of the contributions made by Women and girls should not be restricted to just one day. He appreciated the role of women in maintaining health, immunity, hygiene, sanitation of their family members during covid-19. He mentioned that the ‘Gender-Inclusion Fund’ in the National Education Policy 2020 will be constituted to build the nation’s capacity to provide equitable quality education for all girls.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. D P Singh, Chairman, UGC observed that the theme of the webinar “Women in Leadership- Achieving an equal future in a covid-19 world” has been announced by UNDP and is also aligned with the priority theme of the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. He also highlighted the flagship Generation Equality campaign of UN which calls for women’s right to decision making in all areas of life, equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end to all forms of violence against women and girls, and health care services that respond to their needs.

Smt Anita Karwal, Secretary emphasized that women need access to resources to be able to progress and play leadership role in different areas. Shri Amit Khare, Secretary , Higher Education highlighted that Gender Parity Index has increased during the last 4-5 years from 1% to 1.01 % at present, which is a commendable achievement also appreciated by UNESCO. He further suggested that Women Deans & Heads of Departments should be imparted training to take up future leadership roles as Vice-Chancellors.

Women of four universities, Prof Najma Akhtar, Vice-Chancellors, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Prof. Sushma Yadav, Vice-Chancellor, Bhagat Phul Singh (BPS)Women’s University , Prof. Balwinder Shukla, Vice-Chancellor Amity University, Noida and Prof. Shalini Bharat, Director, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) also spoke on the webinar theme and shared their experiences during the covid -19 period. The programme was also viewed live by a significant number of VCs, Principals, faculty members and students.

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girl students on the occasion of International Women's Day

Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ today interacted virtually with girl students on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Select Girl students from classes 6th to 12th from various schools across the country participated and shared their views on women empowerment and their role in nation building. Smt. Anita Karwal Secretary School Education and Literacy and Senior officials of the Ministry were present on the occasion.

Gargi from KV dehradun, Aradhana Baruah, from Gurukul Grammar School, Guwahati, Dhruva Patel from JNV Mehsana, Nakia Malak from Holy Hearts Educational Academy, Raipur, Arya Manoj, from KV 2 Naval Base Kochi and Padma Angmo from JNV Leh, shared their aim in life, their vision for the country and the way in which they would contribute to the development of our country.

Addressing the girl students, Shri Pokhriyal said that, “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation. Education is an integral part of every individual’s life & when girls are educated, countries get empowered. He further asserted that students should be the Brand ambassadors of the National Education Policy 2020. NEP will empower the women and enable them to lead from the front, he added.

On the occasion, Shri Pokhriyal also declared Padma Angmo from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Leh as the ‘Khushiyon ki Brand Ambassador’. Appreciating the girl students for expressing their dreams and aspiration of serving the country, the Minister said India’s young minds are ready to take on the world & make it a better place through their hardwork & dedication. He further asserted that the youth of today is the future of tomorrow.

Union Minister acknowledged and appreciated all the young girls for aspiring to become Atmanirbhar. He expressed confidence in them that these young girls will take country to new heights.

On the occasion today, 3 Graphic Novels developed by schools affiliated to CBSE were also released by the Union Minister of Education. These novels are based on the NCERT curriculum from classes 3 to 12 and have been prepared to promote 21st century skills among students.

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Unveiling of QS World University Rankings by Subject

Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ today addressed at the unveiling of QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021. Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog; Chairman, UGC, Prof Dhirendra P Singh; Chairman, NAAC, Dr Virendar S Chauhan, Chairman, AICTE, Dr Anil D Sahasrabudhe; Vice President, QS Rankings, Mr Ben Sowter, Head of Evaluation, QS Rankings, Leigh Kamolins, Head of Institutions being felicitated today and other dignitaries were also virtually present on the occasion.

Addressing on the occasion, the Minister expressed his happiness and congratulated 12 Indian Institutions on securing position in top 100 in the QS Subject Rankings for the year 2021. He said, over the last few years the Government’s continuous focus on improvement and reform in Indian higher education has resulted in significant improvement in the representation of Indian institutions in globally acclaimed and reputed rankings like QS. These rankings and ratings have fostered healthy competition amongst Indian Institutions motivating them towards global excellence, he added.

12 Indian institutions have made it to the top 100 of the world – IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IISC Bangalore, IIT Guwahati,, IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, JNU, Anna University, University of Delhi, and O.P Jindal University .

Amongst these top 100 ranked institutions, IIT Madras has been ranked 30th in the world for Petroleum Engineering, IIT Bombay has been ranked 41st and IIT Kharagpur has been ranked 44th in the world for Minerals and Mining Engineering, and University of Delhi has been ranked 50th in the world for Development Studies.

Union Minister said India’s higher education system plays a vital role in driving the nation’s competitiveness. Today, India is a leading nation with the highest number of higher education institutions across the globe with significant progress in the last few years in terms of enrolment in higher education which now stands at 37.4 million. He also highlighted the achievements of the Government in addressing the gender gap in higher education, wherein now women constitute 48.6% of the total enrolment.

Shri Pokhriyal said new reforms have been brought through NEP 2020 in the Indian Education system under the able leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Speaking on NEP, he said it stresses on transforming Indian Higher Education into a knowledge superpower in the 21st century. It also has a forward-looking vision for holistic and multidisciplinary education, eliminating the rigid separation of streams. It paves the way towards internationalisation of education and encourages top world-ranked universities to open campuses in India. The future roadmap for the implementation of the policy needs active participation of all stakeholders, he added.

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‘Harnessing Education, Research and Skill Development for an Atmanirbhar Bharat’

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Inaugural session of Webinar on ‘Harnessing Education, Research and Skill Development for an Atmanirbhar Bharat’. The webinar was organized jointly by the Ministries/ Departments of Education, Science & Technology, Biotechnology, Earth Sciences, Skill Development, Space, Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals & Petrochemicals, with the department of Higher Education as the nodal Ministry. The objective was to brainstorm and discuss ways for effective implementation of Budget provisions regarding education sector, with experts and industry representatives.

Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri Sadananda Gowda, MoS Education, Communications, Electronics & IT Shri Sanjay Dhotre, MoS Ports, Shipping & Waterways (IC), Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandviya graced the occasion. Principal Scientific Adviser Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, Former Chairman, ISRO and Chairman, drafting committee of NEP Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Chairman ISRO Dr. K Sivan, Chairman AICTE Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe and Secretaries to the Government of India including other dignitaries participated in the Webinar virtually. Secretary, HE Shri Amit Khare and Secretary, DoSEL also attended the meeting.

https://twitter.com/DrRPNishank/status/1366973223695310848?s=20

In the Inaugural address, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi pointed out that to build a self-reliant India, confidence of the youth of the country is equally important. Confidence comes only when the youth has complete faith in their education and knowledge. Confidence comes only when they realize that their studies are giving them the opportunity to do their work and also the necessary skills. He said that the new National Education Policy has been made with this thinking. He stressed the need to implement all the provisions of the National Education Policy from pre-nursery to PhD quickly and said that the Budget will be of immense help in this regard.

The Prime Minister said the second biggest focus after health in this year’s budget is on education, skill, research and innovation. He called for a better synergy between Colleges and Universities of the country. He said the emphasis placed in this budget on skill development, upgradation and apprenticeship is unprecedented. This budget has further expanded the efforts made to link Education with Employability and Entrepreneurial Capabilities over the years. As a result of these efforts, he said, today India has come in the top three countries in terms of scientific publications, number of PhD scholars and start-up ecosystem. He said India has joined the top 50 ranks in Global Innovation Index and is continuously improving. He said new opportunities are growing for the students and young scientists with the constant focus on higher education, research and innovation.

The Prime Minister said for the first time, the focus is on issues ranging from Atal Tinkering Labs in schools to Atal Incubation Centers in higher institutions. A new tradition of Hackathons for start ups has been created in the country, which is becoming a huge force for both the youth and industry of the country. He further informed that through the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovation, more than 3500 start ups are being nurtured. Similarly, under the National Super Computing Mission, three supercomputers: Param Shivay, Param Shakti and Param Bramha have been established in IIT BHU, IIT-Kharagpur and IISER, Pune. He informed that more than a dozen institutes in the country are proposed to get such supercomputers. Three Sophisticated Analytical and Technical Help Institutes (SATHI) are serving from IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi and BHU, he said.

The Prime Minister said with the thinking that restricting knowledge and research is a great injustice to the country’s potential, many avenues in sectors like space, atomic energy, DRDO and agriculture are being opened for talented youth. He said for the first time, the country has met the international standards related to Metrology which leads to R&D and improving our Global Competency a lot. Geo-spatial data has been opened up recently and this would lead to immense opportunity for the space sector and the youth of the country. The entire ecosystem will benefit immensely. He said the National Research Foundation is being built for the first time in the country. 50 thousand crore rupees have been allocated for this. This will strengthen the governance structure of the research related institutions and will improve linkages between R&D, academia and industry. The Prime Minister said, more than 100 per cent increase in Biotechnology research is indicative of the Government’s priorities. He called for increasing the scope of Biotechnology research in the service of food security, nutrition and agriculture.

Noting the demand for Indian talent, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for mapping of skill sets and preparing the youth accordingly through adoption of best practices, inviting international campuses and industry ready skill upgradation. Ease of Doing Apprenticeship Program envisaged in this Budget will be of great benefit for the youth of the country, The Prime Minister said.

Shri Modi said Future Fuel and Green Energy are essential for our self reliance on Energy. For this Hydrogen Mission announced in the Budget is a serious pledge. He informed that India has tested Hydrogen vehicle and called for concerted efforts for making hydrogen as a fuel for transport and to make ourselves industry ready for this.

The Prime Minister said the new National Education Policy has encouraged the use of more and more local language. He added now it is the responsibility of all the academics, experts of every language, how the best content of the country and the world should be prepared in Indian languages. This is completely possible in this era of technology. National Language Translation Mission proposed in the Budget will go a long way in this regard, he asserted.

The Webinar included following 6 parallel Break away sessions:

Promoting Research & Innovation in a multidisciplinary Environment
Using Glue Grant to Develop Education Hubs
Deep Ocean Mission
Making India Skill Capital of The World
Reinvigorating Human Capital Through Excellence In Education And Multilingualism
Augmenting Learning Through Digital Education

Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired the Valedictory Session of webinar on ‘Harnessing Education, Research and Skill Development for an Atmanirbhar Bharat’ Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, MoS Education, Communications, Electronics & IT Shri Sanjay Dhotre, including other dignitaries participated in the Webinar virtually.

Addressing the Valedictory Session Shri Pokhriyal said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has laid the foundation of AtmaNirbhar Bharat. As envisioned by the Prime Minister the idea of “Jai Anusandhan” will lead to a Shresth, Swasth and Saksham Bharat. The Minister stressed on the need to encourage the initiatives of ‘vocal for local’ and ‘local to global’. The idea behind these initiatives is to promote local culture, languages and nurture skills of people at a local level and to take it the global platform. He called for concerted and collaborative effort of all the ministries, universities, faculty and students for the smooth implementation of New Education Policy.

Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey said that strengthening Skill development will empower the youth of the country. Skilling, reskilling and upskilling will help in realizing the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. The Minister informed that Skill Development Centres are actively working in 69 districts. This network of skill development centres will be further extended nationwide, he added. He further stated that Skill Development Ministry and Ministry of Education will collaborate for successful implementation of NEP 2020.

Shri Sanjay Dhotre expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for sharing his vision on holistic transformation of education sector. He said that the NEP 2020 encourages use of local languages on a larger scale. It is the responsibility of educationists and language experts to ensure that the best educational content is available for our students and technology can make this happen, he added.

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Kendriya Vidyalayas displaying educational toys in the India Toy Fair

Students of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan are participating enthusiastically in the India Toy Fair 2021. The total number of registrations from KVS is approx. 3.5 lakhs.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the India Toy Fair on 27th February 2021. While inaugurating the Fair Prime Minister Said, there is so much strength hidden in the toy industry of our country. Increasing this strength and increasing its identity is a big part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign.

Three KendriyaVidyalayas from all over the country have been selected to display their Stalls in the Fair. KV JNU from Delhi Region, KV No. 1 AFS Gurugram and KV IIT Kanpur are displaying their unique toys in this fair.

KVs are present in Hall No. 9, where Learning and Educational Toys are being displayed. KV JNU can be visited at stall no i347, while KV IIT Kanpur is displaying its toys at stall No. i1550 and KV No. 1 AFS Gurugram is present at stall no. i361.

KV JNU is showing 25 toys including animal puppets used to narrate various stories, dancing acrobat skeleton, lungs balloon, nose bug etc.

KV IIT Kanpur is displaying 33 toys on its stall having board games, digital games, mechanical games and Science Activitygames including Rolling Joker, Paper Puppets, Dynamic Doll, Knowledge Express, Way Maker, Touching Slate, COVID Rakshak, Toy Parachute etc.

KV No. 1 AFS Gurugram has incorporated 14 toys on its stall having Addition Machine, Word Housie, Hydraulic Brake System, JodGadi, NalTarang, Probino etc.

In the first-of-its-kind initiative where all types of Traditional and Modern Toys are being displayed taking children into a unique world of Indian Toys, the Students of KendriyaVidyalayas are actively participating.

The India Toy Fair is being held from February 27 to March 2, 2021. It is an opportunity for children to participate in various activities, including craft demonstrations on traditional toy-making and virtual visits to toy museums and factories.

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