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participation of MGIEP in the Implementation of National Educational Policy -2020

 Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired a meeting on participation of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in the implementation of National Educational Policy -2020. Secretary, Higher Education, Shri Amit Khare; Secretary, School Education & Literacy , Smt Anita Karwal; Director, UNESCO, New Delhi, Mr. Eric Falt ; Chairman, MGIEP, Prof. J.S. Rajput; Director, MGIEP, Dr. Anantha Duraiappah and senior officials of the Ministry attended the meeting.

Speaking on the National Education Policy 2020, Minister said the policy is in line with the SDGs of UNESCO. It will develop Indian citizens on the lines of a global citizen, and help spread the ideas of empathy, compassion and rational thinking among the citizens. Shri Pokhriyal said that both MGIEP and UNESCO will play a major role in the implementation of this New Education policy. He sought their suggestions and cooperation on implementation of New Education Policy 2020 to make India a global knowledge superpower.

Emphasizing that Government of India is fully committed to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Shri Pokhriyal spoke about several initiatives such as NISHTHA- the world’s largest teacher training capacity building program, digital learning through DIKSHA, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan among others that have been taken to improve access, equity and quality of education.  

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A Dialogue on National Education Policy 2020 at Nehru Centre, London

 A dialogue on the “New Education Policy 2020 – NEP Outreach”, was organized by the Nehru Centre, London with National Book Trust, India (under Ministry of Education) on 18 January, 2021.

Speaking on the occasion, Union of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the NEP-2020 has been implemented with a futuristic mindset, thereby turning the challenges into opportunities. It will equip India to hold a position in the global knowledge system while maintaining and developing its traditional knowledge system. “Through the policy, we are hoping to transform education and putting a significant thrust on learning about how to think critically and solve problems, how to be creative and multidisciplinary, and how to innovate, adapt, and absorb new material in the novel and changing fields. Pedagogy is expected to evolve to make education more experiential, holistic, integrated, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner-centred, discussion-based, flexible, and, of course, enjoyable,” the Minister added.

Shri Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, President, ICCR, in his opening remarks said that the NEP-2020 is one of the greatest reforms presented by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Rt. Hon Jo Johnson, Educationist, Former Minister for Universities, Science, Research & Innovation, United Kingdom, lauded India’s NEP-2020 as an event of global significance and as a policy that will turn India into a global knowledge superpower, emphasizing its strong focus on early years, teachers, universal numeracy & literacy, etc. He also mentioned that the exciting fact about NEP-2020 is that it proposes to shift the mode of assessment from summative to formative, testing higher order skills like critical thinking, analysis and conceptual clarity.

Rt. Hon Jo Johnson and Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ also engaged in a dialogue on various provisions of the NEP-2020, such as teacher training, entry of top 100 foreign universities in India, and education in Indian HEIs.

The engaging and enlightening event was moderated by Shri Amish Tripathi, Minister (Culture), High Commission of India, UK and Director, The Nehru Centre.

An Integrated Mobile Service Delivery Van’for Divyangjan and Senior Citizens

 A ‘SamajikAdhikaritaShivir’ for distribution of aids and assistive devices to ‘Divyangjan’ under the ADIP Scheme and Senior citizens under ‘RashtriyaVayoshri Yojana’ (RVY Scheme) of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India will be organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) in association with ALIMCO and District Administration Chhatarpur at 12 Noon on 13.02.2022 at Government Higher Secondary School, No.1, Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh.

A total of 5286 aids and assistive devices valued at Rs. 2.33 crore will be distributed free of cost to 1391 Divyangjan and 553 Senior Citizens at Block/Panchayat levels by following the SOP prepared by the Department in view of  COVID-19 Pandemic.

Hon’ble Union Social Justice and Empower Minster Dr. Virendra Kumar will be the chief guest of the function wherein, Union Minister will also launch ‘An Integrated Mobile Service Delivery Van’ whichhas been developed by the ALIMCO to provide “After-Sale Service” and undertakean awareness campaign on the use of Aids and Assistive devices and offering in-situ repairs/ correction /adjustment and fitting of Prosthetics and orthotics devices at the destination for the Aids and Assistive devices being distributed under the ADIP/RVY Scheme of Govt. of India, in Districts where the distribution of aids and assistive devices has been done in recent past to Divyangjans and Senior Citizens. Shri Pradumn Singh Lodhi, Chairman Madhya Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd.,and MLA, Badamalhera, Madhya Pradesh will preside over the function.

SMILE: Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise

 Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar launched the Central Sector scheme “SMILE: Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise” today at BHIM Auditorium, Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, 15, Janpath    Road, New Delhi. This umbrella scheme, designed by Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, is set to provide welfare and rehabilitation to the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging.

 

 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Virendra Kumar said, “As a progressive and developing society it is our duty to respect the identity and dignity of all sections of society. The Ministry has ensured that each and every need of Transgender community and persons engaged in the act of begging are taken care of in most professional way.”

“The provision of National Portal & Helpline will provide necessary information and solutions to the problems of the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging,” the Union Minister added.

 

 

The two sub-schemes of SMILE – ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’ and ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of engaged in the act of Begging’ – provide comprehensive welfare and rehabilitation measures to the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging.

The scheme keeps in mind the social security that is needed through multiple dimensions of identity, medical care, education, occupational opportunities and shelter. The Ministry has allocated Rs. 365 Crore for the scheme from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

 

The Sub-scheme – ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’- includes various components.  It provides Scholarships for Transgender Students studying in IX and till  post-graduation to enable them to complete their education. It has provisions for Skill Development and Livelihood under PM-DAKSH scheme. Through Composite Medical Health it provides a comprehensive package in convergence with PM-JAY supporting Gender-Reaffirmation surgeries through selected hospitals. The Housing facility in the form of ‘Garima Greh’ ensures food, clothing, recreational facilities, skill development opportunities, recreational activities and medical support etc. to the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging. The Provision of Transgender Protection Cell in each state will monitor cases of offences and to ensure timely registration, investigation and prosecution of offences. The National Portal & Helpline will provide necessary information and solutions to the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging when needed.

The sub-scheme – ‘Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’ – will focus on Survey and identification, Mobilisation, Rescue/ Shelter Home and Comprehensive resettlement.

Besides, pilot projects have been initiated on Comprehensive Rehabilitation in ten cities namely Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna and Ahmedabad.

National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: Implementation Plan for School Education

 

  1. The National Education Policy, 2020 is the third in the series of National Education Policies (1968 and 1986 modified in 1992) in India and is the first education policy of the 21st century. NEP 2020 covers wider spectrum of school education from pre-primary to senior secondary.
  2. The recommendations given have varied timelines as the policy is made for next 20 years. Therefore, the implementation of NEP is being carried out in a phased manner.
  3. ShikshakParv was organised from 8th to 25th September 2020 for discussing various recommendations of NEP 2020 and its implementation strategies. Around 15 lakh suggestions were received from the stakeholders, which are being examined.
  4. To achieve the goals and objectives of NEP 2020, DoSEL has prepared a draft implementation plan with Task lists linking each recommendation with tasks, responsible agencies to carry out the task, timelines and outputs. This task list was shared with the States/UTs/Autonomous Bodies on 10th September, 2020, to provide their feedback/suggestions till 12th October, 2020. Autonomous Bodies of this Department and 31 States and UTs provided 7177 suggestions/ feedback on the task list. These have been analysed by expert groups and important suggestions have been incorporated in the final version of implementation plan. In addition to above, a series of national workshops on Implementation of NEP 2020 and revision of Samagra Shiksha was held under the chairpersonship of Secretary (SE&L) on 10th November, 27th November and 2nd December, 2020 covering all States and UTs. The document is being finalised and will be released shortly.
  5. Appropriate care is being taken to make this implementation plan realistic, flexible and collaborative by inviting suggestions from all corners of the society. It is hoped that this implementation plan so finalised with the inputs of all associates will be able to translate the vision of the policy in the field and will reach to grass root level creating adequate awareness and motivation and competencies among concerned stakeholders, thereby transforming the school education in the country.  
  6. The major portions of NEP will be covered under the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and centrally sponsored schemes. Groundwork for NCF is initiated and it is likely to be developed in the next academic session, that is 2021-22.
  7. The department has initiated implementation of NEP by undertaking following activities in accordance with the recommendations of the policy :
  1. To undertake 50 hours of mandatory Continuous Professional development of teachers, 18 modules of 4-5 hours each comprehensively covering all aspects of elementary education have been launched under NISHTHA on 6.10.20 for in service teacher training (CPD) in the online mode on DIKSHA platform. This has so far seen more than 3.4 cr course wise registrations and 2.8 cr completions from more than 23 lakh teachers.
  2. In-principle approval has been given for setting up the National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission. A Committee has been formed for preparing framework on FL&N, codification of learning outcomes etc.
  3. E-learning has been expanded through DIKSHA. DIKSHA provides access to a large number of curriculum linked e-content through several solutions such as QR coded Energized Textbooks (ETBs), courses for teachers, quizzes etc. Till date DIKSHA houses over 3600 QR coded textbooks (tagged with e-content) from 29 states, 1.44 lakh e Contents and more than 300 courses.
  4. The department has launched an initiative called ‘Manodarpan’ for mental health and wellbeing of students. It aims to provide emotional support and counselling to the students under distress. Issuance of advisory guidelines, web page and national toll-free number, interactive online chat options and, national-level database and directory of counsellorsare part of the initiative. 
  5. MoU has been signed between Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) and NCERT to develop Indian Sign Language dictionary for school education.
  6. CBSE exam reforms have been initiated; CBSE will introduce improvement examination from the year 2021 and will introduce English and Sanskrit in 2 levels from the session 2021-22 (already offers Mathematics and Hindi at two levels). Competency based questions have been introduced in the Board exams for class X and XII in a phased manner, increasing by 10% every year.
  7. Learning Outcomes upto Secondary level have been notified and draft of learning outcomes for senior secondary level have been released for inviting suggestions.
  8. The department is also aligning its existing schemes i.e, Samagra Shiksha, Mid Day Meal and Padhna Likhna Abhiyan with the recommendations of NEP 2020. 86 paras of NEP have been proposed to be covered/integrated under the revised scheme of Samagra Shiksha which includes phased introduction of:  1 year of Balvatika and TLMs to all children, Launch of National Mission of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, upgradation of schools upto senior secondary level including residential schools and KGBVs, Holistic Progress Card (HPC) and tracking of learning outcomes as well as transition of children, appointment of Hindi and Urdu Language Teachers, Capacity building of teachers (50 Hrs CPD), Bagless days and internships, Support for OOSC, Activities of PARAKH, Separate stipend for CWSN girl child; provision for identification of CWSN and Resource Centre at block level, Provision for Hub and Spoke model in vocational education, Provision for Smart classroom and DIKSHA, Support for Assessment Cells in SCERT etc., etc.
  9. States and UTs are also constituting their own Task Force to steer implementation of the NEP provisions in their respective jurisdiction.

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Urban MGNREGA Propgramme to provide employment

 The data on employment/ unemployment is collected through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. As per the latest PLFS report of 2019-20, the unemployment rate for persons of 15 years and above on usual status basis in urban areas was 6.9% which was 7.6% in 2018-19 and 7.7% in 2017-18.

Government has launched All-India Quarterly Establishment Based Employment Survey (AQEES) in April, 2021. As per the result of the second round of Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) for the period July to September 2021, employment increased to 3.10 crore in the nine selected sectors of the economy which was 3.08 crore during the first round of QES (April-June, 2021) against a total of 2.37 crores in these sectors taken collectively, as reported in the sixth Economic Census (2013-14). Of the total employment estimated in the selected nine sectors, Manufacturing accounted for nearly 39%, followed by Education with 22% and Health as well as IT/BPOs sectors both around 10%. Trade and Transport sectors engaged 5.3% and 4.6% of the total estimated workers respectively.

Preservation of Quality of Native Indian Seeds

 There is well established system available for analysis of seed quality of native Indian crop and trees in the Country. 161 State Seed Testing Laboratories and six Central Seed Testing Laboratories are functioning in the Country. These laboratories are analyzing seeds of native Indian crop and trees for various quality parameters.

As per the information there was a call for greater biodiversity in agriculture sector during COP 26, however, no consensus on the proposal of biodiversity in agriculture among the participating Countries and no final decision was taken. Hence, India has not committed anything on the biodiversity during the COP 26. However, the Government has a policy to encourage conservation of the seeds of native Indian varieties of various crops and trees. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) has conserved 94,609 native Indian varieties of different crops and trees in Gene Banks located in different States.

The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Authority (PPV & FRA) has also registered 1896 native Indian varieties of different crops enabling the farmer to commercialize these varieties. PPV & FRA encourages the community and individuals engaged in conservation, improvement and preservation of plant genetic resources of economic plants and their wild relatives particularly in the areas identified as agro-biodiversity hotspots by awarding the community and individuals who have played stellar roles in such activities. 

In order to ensure availability of native seeds and improve their usage by farmers., Indian Council of Agricultural Research is developing high yielding and multi stress tolerant varieties of different crop including cereals, millet, pulses, oilseeds and fruits suited to different agro-climatic condition. In the last seven years, 1956 improved varieties have been developed out of which 924 of cereals, 291 of oilseeds, 304 of pulses, 239 of fiber crops, 118 of forage crops, 64 of sugarcane and 16 of under-utilized crops. In addition, 288 varieties of horticultural crops have been developed.

In order to enhance indigenous species of trees, this Department is implementing Scheme called Sub-Mission on Agro-forestry since 2016-17 to encourage and expand tree plantation. Prominent tree species including indigenous tree species like Indian rosewood, Teak, Eucalyptus, Malabar Neem, ailanthus, Poplar, etc. are promoted for plantation on farm land along with other species. Details of State wise and year wise financial assistance provided under Sub-Mission on Agro-forestry Scheme is at Annexure-I.

In addition, this Department is providing assistance for seed production and distribution under various existing Schemes viz. National Food Security Mission, National Mission on Edible oil-oil palm, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana,  Mission on Integrated Development of Horticulture and Sub- Mission on Seeds and Planting Materials.

ANNEXURE-I

Details of the financial assistance provided to State Governments/UTs for the promotion of agro-forestry under Sub-Mission on Agro-forestry Scheme since inception.

(Amount Rs in Crore)

S.No.

Name of State

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

1

Meghalaya

0.00

1.00

0.00

0.00

0.26

2

Mizoram

0.00

0.50

1.50

1.75

1.00

3

Nagaland

0.00

0.91

1.50

0.73

1.10

4

Andhra Pradesh

3.15

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

5

Bihar

0.00

3.00

0.00

1.00

0.20

6

Chhatishgarh

0.00

2.50

1.50

2.00

1.00

7

Gujarat

4.50

2.70

4.00

4.00

4.00

8

Haryana

1.75

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

9

Himachal Pradesh

1.15

0.487

1.00

0.83

0.75

10

Jharkhand

0.00

4.00

1.00

2.00

0.00

11

Jammu & Kashmir

0.00

0.61

3.00

0.00

0.75

12

Karnataka

3.25

4.50

5.56

7.00

5.36

13

Kerala

0.00

2.06

0.00

0.00

0.00

14

Madhya Pradesh

4.20

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

15

Maharashtra

0.00

4.00

2.00

0.75

1.60

16

Odisha

0.00

4.00

2.00

0.75

1.50

17

Punjab

2.00

0.00

4.48

2.50

1.38

18

Rajasthan

0.00

6.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

19

Tamil Nadu

2.50

0.00

0.00

2.31

3.34

20

Telangana

0.00

0.00

0.80

0.00

0.00

21

Uttar Pradesh

0.00

6.00

0.00

2.00

4.00

22

UT of Ladakh

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.50

Total

22.50

42.27

28.35

27.62

26.73

Converting Rural Haats into Mini Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMCs)

 Physical infrastructure/ facilities under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have been developed in 1351 village haats and is under development in 1632 number of village haats.

As on 31.03.2020, there are 6845 numbers of Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) markets in the country. In order to provide better farmer – market linkages and fair prices to farmers, in addition to regulated markets, there are other markets also like non-regulated wholesale markets, farmer – consumer markets, purchase centers and private wholesale markets. In addition, Government is promoting to declare warehouses and cold storages as deemed market yards to improve the farmer – market linkages.

Further, Government of India had launched reform linked National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) scheme, a virtual platform integrating physical wholesale mandis/ markets of different States/ Union Territories (UTs) to facilitate online trading of agriculture and horticulture commodities to enable farmers to realize better remunerative prices for their produce. All these contribute towards better marketing efficiency and also better prices to farmers.  

So far, based on earlier targets and as per the proposals received from States/ Union Territories (UTs), 1000 mandis of 18 States and 3 UTs have been integrated with e-NAM platform. As on 9th February, 2022, more than 1.72 crore farmers & 2.16 lakh traders have been registered on e-NAM platform. Further agricultural produce trade with a value of Rs. 1.74 lakh crore have so far been recorded on e-NAM platform.

Spreading Awareness on Organic Food

 Organic foods are safe, healthy and free from chemical and pesticides. There has been shift in demand for organic products, especially fruit and vegetables in the cities due to increased awareness about organic food in consumers including younger generation.

Government of India (GOI) has been promoting Organic farming in the country through through dedicated schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region (MOVCDNER) since 2015.  Farmers are provided financial assistance (RS 31000/ ha / 3 years in PKVY and 32500/ ha/ 3years under MOVCDNER) for organic inputs such as seeds, bio/organic fertilisers, bio-pesticides, botanical extracts etc.  Support is also provided for capacity building i.e training of farmers, certification, value addition and marketing of their organic produce. In addition, Organic cultivation on either side of River Ganga, large area certification and support for individual farmers have also been introduced under PKVY. Government have also launched a dedicated web portal- www.Jaivikkheti.in/. online marketing platform for direct sale of organic products to the consumers across the country.

In addition organic farming is also supported under Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), Network Project on Organic Farming under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

60th Convocation of ICAR-IARI, New Delhi

 Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar today handed over awards and degrees to the 284 students, which includes 8 foreign students, of the Post Graduate School of ICAR-Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi. On the occasion, Shri Tomar also dedicated 6 varieties of fruits and vegetables to the nation viz., two varieties of mango Pusa Lalima, Pusa Shresth, brinjal variety Pusa Vaibhav, palak variety PusaVilayati palak, cucumber variety Pusa Gynoecious Cucumber Hybrid-18 and Pusa Alpana variety of rose. The bio-fertilizer ‘PUSA Sampoorn’ developed by the division of Microbiology was also released.

 

Addressing the gathering, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar appealed to all agriculture institutes to focus on producing good farmers. He said Institutes are producing very talented teachers and scientists which is commendable. Because of this knowledge and technology remain limited to the institutes only. If institutes produce farmers then they can bring this knowledge to the grassroots level. He also exhorted the students for entrepreneurship development and appealed for taking up farming as a profession.

 

Highlighting the government priorities in the field of agricultural research, Shri Tomar said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is placed among the top 10 Agri products exporting countries. “We aim to put India among the top 5 countries and I am sure that with the efforts and research of our agriculture institutes, India will achieve it very soon”, the Minister added.

Speaking on implementing the use of drone technology for the benefit of farmers and employment generation for various stakeholders, the Agriculture Minister said that the government is giving 100% as a grant for the purchase of drones to agriculture institutes so that the technology can be taught in the institutes. He also said that Agriculture graduates are also eligible to receive grant support for drone purchases.  The Minister advised the new graduates to see this as a huge opportunity in the field of drone technology.

The Agriculture Minister appreciated the significant contributions made by the institute for ensuring food and nutritional security through the development of superior varieties and technologies in the field of Agriculture. Shri Tomar congratulated all the awardees and appealed to them to contribute to the growth story of Aatmanirbhar Bharat by making Atmanirbhar Krishi. 

Earlier, the Director of the institute, Dr A.K. Singh presented the significant achievements of the institute and informed that wheat varieties developed by this institute contribute nearly 60 million tons of wheat to the nation’s granary worth Rs. 80,000 crores annually. Similarly, the Basmati varieties developed by the institute predominate basmati cultivation in India accounting for 90% of the total foreign exchange (Rs. 29524 crores) earned through the export of Basmati rice amounting to Rs. 32,804 crores. About 48% of the mustard grown area in the country is cultivated with IARI varieties. The total economic surplus generated from Pusa Mustard 25 is estimated at Rs 14323 crores (at 2018 prices) during the last 9 years.

 

 

On this occasion, NABARD-Professor VL Chopra Gold Medal & Best Student of the Year award for MSc and PhD were presented to Ms Debarati Mondal and Dr Siddharood Maragal, respectively. Prof. R.B.Singh; Former Director, IARI, New Delhi was conferred upon D.Sc honoris causa. VIth Dr A.B. Joshi Memorial award was presented to Dr D.K. Yadava, ADG (Seeds), ICAR, New Delhi. The 2nd Best Agricultural Extension Scientist Award was presented to Dr R.N. Padaria, Head & Professor, Division of Agricultural Extension, IARI, New Delhi. XXII Shri Hari Krishna Shastri Memorial Award was given to Dr A.D. Munshi, Principal Scientist, Division of Vegetable Science, IARI, New Delhi. XXII Sukumar Basu Memorial Award was presented to Dr Rajan Sharma, Principal Scientist, Dairy Chemistry Division, ICAR-NDRI, Karnal and IARI Best Teacher award was given to Dr C.M.Parihar, Division of Agronomy, IARI, New Delhi.

 

Sh. Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was the guest of Honour during the event. Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary DARE and Director General, ICAR and Dr Rashmi Aggarwal, Dean and Joint Director (Education) also graced the occasion.

The event was also attended by the other dignitaries including Deputy Director Generals and Additional Director Generals of the Council, former Directors and Deans of the Institute, Project Director (WTC), Head of Divisions and Professors. A large number of Faculty members, Students and staff of the Institute watched the event through virtual mode.

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Students of Kendriya Vidyalaya across the country

 Union Minister for Education and Chairman, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually interacted with the students of KendriyaVidyalayas across the Country. The Minister attended the programme from KV Andrewsganj, New Delhi and answered the queries of the students.

During the interaction program, the students asked questions related to various fields and subjects. Replying to the query by a student of KV Gurugram, Shri Pokhriyal informed that as the curriculum was cut by 30 percent this year due to Covid-19, therefore in the upcoming competitive examinations like JEE and NEET this year the candidates will have more options to answer the questions.

In response to another query asked by a student from Varanasi, Shri Pokhriyal said that the facilities of online education will continue even after the school reopens. For some time, a mixed format of online and offline will be available for the students.

In response to a question asked by the student of Kendriya Vidyalaya Andrewsganj about the New Education Policy- 2020, the Minister said “New Education Policy has been prepared keeping in mind the India of future. A lot of emphasis has been laid on practical knowledge rather than just bookish knowledge. Vocational training facility will be provided for students from class 6 onwards, in which internship is also associated. Artificial intelligence will also be taught from the school level itself. At the same time, Indian values ​​and culture will also be promoted. This policy is capable of realizing the dream of AatmaNirbhar Bharat”.

Minister also recited his favourite poems on a question related to his literary skills.

Earlier, Shri Pokhriyal also planted a sapling in KV Andrewsganj premises. Giving momentum to the Fit India campaign, he also inaugurated an ‘Open Gym’ in the KV. Apart from this, a Musical Garden was also inaugurated by the Minister in the school premises.

Commissioner, KVS Ms. Nidhi Pandey gave the Welcome Address, while Addl Commissioner, KVS Ms. V. Vijayalakshmi presented the vote of thanks. Senior officials of the Ministry were present on the occasion

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Challenges of Flood Forecasting

 Flood Forecasting on International & Inter-state Rivers is formulated and issued by Central Water Commission (CWC) using statistical methods for short range forecasting and mathematical modelling for fiveday’s advance flood advisory. The main challenge being faced in flood forecasting is to accurately forecast the impending flood sufficiently in advance with high level of accuracy. Mathematical modelling based flood advisory although provide sufficient lead time, its accuracy is dependent on accuracy of weather(rainfall) forecasts. The growing incidents of high intensity rainfall in shorter duration due to likely impact of climate change poses another challenge for flood forecasting.

There is a continuous effort for improvement of Flood Forecasting using all the latest technology including space technology tools, Geographical Information System (GIS), web based applications, etc. Following steps have been taken to improve the Flood forecasting system in the country.

  • Expansion of Flood Forecasting Network: CWC flood forecasting network has been expanded to 331 Flood Forecast Stations(199 Level Forecast for Villages/Town on the bank of the rivers and 132Inflow Forecast Stations for Dams and Barrages) covering 23 States &2 UTs in 20 river basins for taking proper mitigation measures by respective State Governments. In the State of Andhra Pradesh, there are 13 level forecasting stations and 10 in flow forecasting stations.
  • Modernization of Flood Forecast Formulation: Flood forecasting is issued up to 5 days in advance for major river basins across the country including the State of Andhra Pradesh. The same is updated every three hours and is available online (https://120.57.99.138/index.php).
  • Modernization in dissemination of flood forecasts: Dissemination of flood forecasts has also been modernized through a dedicated website. Daily Flood Situation Report cum Advisory is shared with all stakeholders aswell as general public using social media platforms.

 Bilateral agreements with upper riparian countries Nepal, Bhutan &China have been made for data sharing.

 Common data platform, Water Information Management System(WIMS), under National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC), has been created to ensure seamless data flow from States and CWC formodelling work. In addition, arrangements for seamless data flow from agencies like INCOIS, NASA, JAXA, etc. have also been made.

Valedictory Function of 2nd National Youth Parliament Festival

 The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival today via video conferencing. The Event took place in the Central Hall and the Prime Minister also heard the views of the three young national winners of the Festival. Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’and MoS (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju were present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister addressing the young parliamentarians urged them and the youth of the country to take advantage of the flexibility and innovative learning format provided by the National Education Policy- 2020. An attempt is being made to create an ecosystem in the country, the absence of which often compels the youth to look towards foreign shores, which offered them better enterprise, opportunities, recognition and respect- the Prime Minister said.

Remembering Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary, the Prime Minister remarked that even with the passage of time, impact and influence of Swami Vivekananda remains intact in our lives. Swami ji’s views on nationalism and nation-building and his teachings regarding serving the people and serving the world continue to inspire us. Individuals who came into contact of Swami Vivekananda Ji were influenced to create institutions and they in turn created new institution-builders. This started a virtuous cycle of individual development to institution-building and vice versa.

Union Education Minister Shri Pokhriyal recalled Swami Vivekananda’s message that youth are the greatest strength of any country and the future of that country is shaped by the efforts of its youth. Emphasizing that the Youth plays an important role in the democratic system, he urged everyone to become responsible citizens and to contribute in the nation building by adopting Swami Vivekananda’s ideals and values in their lives.

Shri Pokhriyal said India, the largest democracy in the world, derives strength from our constitution, paving the way for the empowerment of the person at the bottom of the society. He said Preamble is the most important part of our constitution. The first word of the preamble is ‘WE’ ie “we the people of India”. This sentence is embedded in Indian society and keeps the society tied together to a national spirit, he added.

He appealed youth to use their tremendous energy, aspirations, dreams and will power to shape the future of the country. “I hope that under the able leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the young generation of the 21st century would form the strong foundation of Swarnim Bharat”, he said.

Kindly access below the education related excerpts from PM’s address on National Youth Parliament Festival today:

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1687901

 

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Process of Planning and Designing a New Town

 Planning is the process of thinking about and organizing the activities required to achieve a desired goal. The process of planning includes the determination of objectives and outlining the future actions that are needed to achieve these objectives. Various steps that are followed in the process of planning are:

1) Identifying the problem 

It involves the identification of the aim for the fulfillment of which the plan is being formulated. If a new plan is require or the modification of an existing plan could help in achieving these aims. 

2) Gathering information about the activities involved 

An effective plan needs complete knowledge of the activities involved and their effect on other external and internal activities. 

3) Analysis of information 

This information is then analyzed minutely and the information related with similar subjects is classified so that similar type of data can be kept together. 

4) Determining alternate plans 

There are alternate plans available for the achievement of the objectives and ingenuity and creativeness are required as some plans are also developed at this stage. 

5) Selecting the plan 

At this stage the plan which is acceptable to the operating personnel is proposed. The adaptability and the cost of the plan are also taken into consideration. 

6) Detailed sequence and timing 

Detailed like who will perform which activity under the plan and the time within which the plan should be carried out is determining in this step. 

7) Progress check of the plan 

The provisions are made for the follow up of the plan as the success of any plan can be measured by the results only. 

8) Implementation 

Implementation is the carrying out, execution, or practice of a plan, a method or any design, idea, model, specification, standard or policy for doing something. As such, implementation is the action that must follow any preliminary thinking in order for something to actually happen. 

9) Monitor and Control 

Managers must continually monitor the actual performance of their work units against the unit’s goals and plans. Manager’s also need to develop control systems to measure that performance and allow them to take corrective action when the plans are implemented improperly or when the situation changes.

Implementation of National Education Policy-2020

 The Governor of Uttar Pradesh Smt. Anandiben Patel called on Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ here today. Implementation of National Education Policy-2020 and other issues relating to Education sector were discussed during the meeting. Senior officials of the Ministry also attended the meeting.

 

During the meeting Smt. Anandiben Patel highlighted the initiatives taken by the State Education Department, Uttar Pradesh such as providing training to Anganwadi workers, teachers training, etc to ensure the academic welfare of the students. She also presented a copy of the book ‘Teacher’s guide’ for students of Pre-primary level and Primary level, to the Union Minister. The guide will help teachers to develop a better understanding of student centric teaching practices covering various subjects of environment, value education, etc in a joyful manner.

Shri Pokhriyal informed that as outlined in New Education policy, the foundation literacy and numeracy mission will be extended to Early Childhood Care Education for which a framework will be prepared on learning outcomes, teachers training, etc. He also informed that NCERT is developing a new National Curriculum Framework (NCF). He added that the suggestions given in the Teacher’s Guide will be examined and suitably incorporated in the NCF.

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