Ministry of Education has said that National Education Policy- (NEP) 2020 covers wider spectrum of school education from pre-primary to senior secondary. The Ministry in a statement said that the recommendations given have varied timelines as the policy is made for next 20 years and therefore, the implementation of NEP is being carried out in a phased manner. It said, a series of National Workshops on Implementation of NEP-2020 and revision of Samagra Shiksha was held under the chairpersonship of Secretary, School Education and Literacy last year. The document is being finalised and will be released shortly.
 
The Ministry said, the major portions of NEP will be covered under the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and centrally sponsored schemes. It said, the groundwork for NCF is initiated and it is likely to be developed in the next academic session, 2021-22. The Ministry said, the Department has initiated implementation of NEP by undertaking various activities in accordance with the recommendations of the policy.
 
The Ministry said, in-principle approval has been given for setting up the National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission and a Committee has been formed. It said, MoU has been signed between Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre and the National Council of Educational Research and Training, NCERT to develop Indian Sign Language dictionary for school education.
 
The Ministry said, Central Board of Secondary Education exam reforms have been initiated and the Board will introduce improvement examination from the year 2021. It will introduce English and Sanskrit in 2 levels from the session 2021-22.
 
The Ministry further said, learning outcomes upto Secondary level have been notified and draft of learning outcomes for senior secondary level have been released for inviting suggestions.

In Cricket, India were 83 for 1 against Australia on the concluding day of the fourth and final Test at The Gabba in Brisbane.
 
Earlier, the visitors resumed their second innings this morning with all wickets intact. Chasing 328 runs for victory, India had scored four for no loss after bowling Australia out for 294 after tea on day four yesterday. Steve Smith with 55 runs was the top scorer for Australia in their second innings.
 
For India, right-arm fast bowler Mohammed Siraj picked up his maiden five-wicket haul. Shardul Thakur also picked four wickets while debutant off-spinner Washington Sundar scalped the remaining one.
 
India had posted 336 in reply to Australia’s first inning score of 369, conceding a 33-run lead.
 
A draw in the game would be sufficient for India to retain the coveted Border-Gavaskar trophy.
 
The four-match series is tied at 1-1 with Australia winning the first Test in Adelaide and India winning the second in Melbourne. The third Test in Sydney had ended in a draw.

North India will continue to reel under the grip of an intense cold wave for few more days. Senior scientist in India Meteorological Department (IMD), RK Jenamani said, the warning for the cold wave in Northern part of the country has been extended till 22nd of this month.

Earlier, the IMD had issued a cold wave warning for between 13th and 15th January and later extended it till 18th of this month.  Mr Jenamani however said, the dense fog spread across northern plains in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand will begin lifting from today.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held pre-budget consultations with the Finance Ministers of States and Union Territories yesterday.

The meeting was held through video conference and was attended by Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers, State Finance Ministers and Senior Officers from the States and Union Territories.

The Finance Minister highlighted the importance of the meeting as a sign of co-operative federalism and indicated the manner in which the Union Government was strongly supportive of States and Union Territories’ fight against the pandemic. The participants thanked Ms. Sitharaman for financially supporting their States and Union Territories during the worst months of pandemic, by enhancing borrowing limits and providing back to back loans to states. The participants also gave numerous suggestions to the Finance Minister for inclusion in the Budget Speech.

The tenth round of talks between the Centre government and the representatives of farmer unions, which was earlier scheduled for today, will now be held tomorrow in New Delhi.
 
In a statement issued late last evening, the Agriculture Ministry confirmed the new schedule and reiterated Centre’s commitment to resolve issues of the farmers.
 
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court-appointed panel to listen in to the grievances of the protesting farmers will hold its first meeting today.  The apex court had on 11th of this month stayed the implementation of the three farm laws, against which the farmer unions are protesting at the borders of the National Capital.  It had also appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse.
 
Anil Ghanwat of Shetkari Sangathan, Agri economists Pramod Kumar Joshi and Ashok Gulati, and Bhartiya Kisan Union President Bhupinder Singh Mann are the four members of the committee appointed by the Supreme Court. Bhupinder Singh Mann of Bhartiya Kisan Union has already recused himself from the committee and will not be attending today’s meeting.

The national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 96.59 per cent with over 1 crore two lakh 11 thousand cumulative recoveries so far. The rate of new daily infections has further dipped even below 15 thousand with only 13 thousand 788 cases being reported in the past 24 hours. During the same period over 14 thousand 400 people have recovered from the viral contagion. The country has fifty times more recovered cases than the current active cases.

The active caseload in the country is just 1.97 percent of total cases. Out of the nearly two lakh cases, 60 percent are under home isolation and have mild to very mild symptoms.

The Health Ministry said that the fatality rate stands at 1.44 per cent. The number of countrywide fatalities recorded in 24 hours has slipped below the 150 mark with 145 deaths being reported in 24 hour period.

The Health Ministry has said that a total of seven thousand 704 sessions of COVID-19 vaccination was conducted in 25 States and Union Territories in which one lakh 48 thousand and 266 beneficiaries were vaccinated on the third day of the launch of the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination drive on 16th of this month. Addressing the media in New Delhi, Additional Health Secretary Dr Manohar Agnani said, with this, taking all the three days, a total of three lakh 81 thousand and 305 beneficiaries have been vaccinated so far.  

Dr. Agnani also informed that in these three days, a total of 580 Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFIs) have been reported out of which seven required hospitalization. He said, three hospitalizations were reported in Delhi out of which two persons were discharged while the other one is under observation at a private hospital. In Uttarakhand, one person was hospitalized who is stable and under observation at AIIMS, Rishikesh. In Karnataka, two cases of hospitalizations have been reported and are under observations and in Chhatisgarh one case is under observation. Dr. Agnani said, two deaths also reported, one each from Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. But, as per the post mortem report, the death of the resident of Uttar Pradesh is not related to vaccination. He said, post mortem is planned to know the cause of death of the second person. 

Technology has opened a new frontier in mental health support and data collection. Mobile devices like cell phones, smartphones, and tablets are giving the public, doctors, and researchers new ways to access help, monitor progress, and increase understanding of mental wellbeing.

Mobile mental health support can be very simple but effective. For example, anyone with the ability to send a text message can contact a crisis center. New technology can also be packaged into an extremely sophisticated app for smartphones or tablets. Such apps might use the device’s built-in sensors to collect information on a user’s typical behavior patterns. If the app detects a change in behavior, it may provide a signal that help is needed before a crisis occurs. Some apps are stand-alone programs that promise to improve memory or thinking skills. Others help the user connect to a peer counselor or to a health care professional.

Excitement about the huge range of opportunities has led to a burst of app development. There are thousands of mental health apps available in iTunes and Android app stores, and the number is growing every year. However, this new technology frontier includes a lot of uncertainty. There is very little industry regulation and very little information on app effectiveness, which can lead consumers to wonder which apps they should trust.

Before focusing on the state of the science and where it may lead, it’s important to look at the advantages and disadvantages of expanding mental health treatment and research into a mobile world.

The Pros and Cons of Mental Health Apps

Experts believe that technology has a lot of potential for clients and clinicians alike. A few of the advantages of mobile care include:

Convenience: Treatment can take place anytime and anywhere (e.g., at home in the middle of the night or on a bus on the way to work) and may be ideal for those who have trouble with in-person appointments.

Anonymity: Clients can seek treatment options without involving other people.

An introduction to care: Technology may be a good first step for those who have avoided mental health care in the past.

Lower cost: Some apps are free or cost less than traditional care.

Service to more people: Technology can help mental health providers offer treatment to people in remote areas or to many people in times of sudden need (e.g., following a natural disaster or terror attack).

Interest: Some technologies might be more appealing than traditional treatment methods, which may encourage clients to continue therapy.

24-hour service: Technology can provide round-the-clock monitoring or intervention support.

Consistency: Technology can offer the same treatment program to all users.

Support: Technology can complement traditional therapy by extending an in-person session, reinforcing new skills, and providing support and monitoring.

Objective data collection: Technology can quantitatively collect information such as location, movement, phone use, and other information.

This new era of mental health technology offers great opportunities but also raises a number of concerns. Tackling potential problems will be an important part of making sure new apps provide benefits without causing harm. That is why the mental health community and software developers are focusing on:

Effectiveness: The biggest concern with technological interventions is obtaining scientific evidence that they work and that they work as well as traditional methods.

For whom and for what: Another concern is understanding if apps work for all people and for all mental health conditions.

Privacy: Apps deal with very sensitive personal information so app makers need to be able to guarantee privacy for app users.

Guidance: There are no industry-wide standards to help consumers know if an app or other mobile technology is proven effective.

Regulation: The question of who will or should regulate mental health technology and the data it generates needs to be answered.

Overselling: There is some concern that if an app or program promises more than it delivers, consumers may turn away from other, more effective therapies.

Current Trends in App Development

Creative research and engineering teams are combining their skills to address a wide range of mental health concerns. Some popular areas of app development include:

Self-Management Apps

“Self-management” means that the user puts information into the app so that the app can provide feedback. For example, the user might set up medication reminders, or use the app to develop tools for managing stress, anxiety, or sleep problems. Some software can use additional equipment to track heart rate, breathing patterns, blood pressure, etc. and may help the user track progress and receive feedback.

Apps for Improving Thinking Skills

Apps that help the user with cognitive remediation (improved thinking skills) are promising. These apps are often targeted toward people with serious mental illnesses.

Skill-Training Apps

Skill-training apps may feel more like games than other mental health apps as they help users learn new coping or thinking skills. The user might watch an educational video about anxiety management or the importance of social support. Next, the user might pick some new strategies to try and then use the app to track how often those new skills are practiced.

Illness Management, Supported Care

This type of app technology adds additional support by allowing the user to interact with another human being. The app may help the user connect with peer support or may send information to a trained health care provider who can offer guidance and therapy options. Researchers are working to learn how much human interaction people need for app-based treatments to be effective.

Passive Symptom Tracking

A lot of effort is going into developing apps that can collect data using the sensors built into smartphones. These sensors can record movement patterns, social interactions (such as the number of texts and phone calls), behavior at different times of the day, vocal tone and speed, and more. In the future, apps may be able to analyze these data to determine the user’s real-time state of mind. Such apps may be able to recognize changes in behavior patterns that signal a mood episode such as mania, depression, or psychosis before it occurs. An app may not replace a mental health professional, but it may be able to alert caregivers when a client needs additional attention. The goal is to create apps that support a range of users, including those with serious mental illnesses.

Data Collection

Data collection apps can gather data without any help from the user. Receiving information from a large number of individuals at the same time can increase researchers’ understanding of mental health and help them develop better interventions.

So, we can only expect the fact that there will be some boom for mental health because of technology.

Chess in itself is a complicated game. Even with all the strategy, sometimes one can go only that much far. Also known as the game of kings, chess has evolved through the passage of time. It is said to have derived its roots from the indian game chaturanga. The standardized rules of chess that are followed unanimously now were discussed and fixed in the 19th century.

In this game, each player is alloted 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks and lastly, eight pawns. Each piece follows a different movement pattern, and the main objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king. Checkmate refers to the position where the opponent’s king is in threat of capture, with no option to safeguard the piece. 

It is a fact that change is the only thing that is constant. Same applies to chess too. Many variants of chess, on the basis of different criterias, are popular amongst the population. If anyone is keeping up with the chess developments, then they will surely know about three and four player variants of chess. So what are these variants? Let’s see…

Triple Trouble

Three player chess, also known as three way chess, or three handed chess is specially designed for three players. Usually a non-standardized board is used, and many variations of this form exist. The pieces of three players are usually separated on the basis of colours. Three way chess variants are more tough to design as for disbalance caused by teaming up of two players will be a great disadvantage for the third one, and also not easily lovercomable. Hence, some variants declare the first player to checkmate any of the other two players as the winner. The third player might be declared to have lost, alongside the checkmated player, or, might be rewarded a half point.

The strategy in three way chess differs greatly from the traditional chess variant, as for the face against two opponents, the usual opening and defenses might not hold strong. Also, the third player is given the most advantage when the other two players exchange their pieces. This point opens a plethora of new tactics in the game. Also, in the games where the first one to checkmate wins, the players not only have to build on their attack and defense, but also have to make sure that no other player checksmates before them. Also, checkmate from both the opposing players simultaneously is a tricky situation. As for if the checkmated piece is captured by the second player, which in turn, is captured by the third player, then it is considered that the ultimate checkmate is given by the third player. But with all these complications, three way chess pushes the mind to evaluate the game even with more concentration and critical thinking.

Some variants of three way chess are:

• Boards with triangular cells: Patented by Russian Ilshat Tagiev in 2008, this variant uses a hexagonal board with triangular cells. The cells which are not adjacent to the perimeter have three cells adjacent in an oblique fashion.
• Boards with quadrilateral cells: Under this, variants can be sub classified on the basis of the geometry of the boards.

• Hexagonal board: Some variants under this category are Three Man Chess (96 cell board), Self’s Three Handed Chess (144 cell board), Waidder’s Three Handed Chess (126 cell board), etc.
• Other Boards: Megachess (roughly triangular board with 130 cells), Mad Threeparty Chess (10X10 board) etc.

• Boards with hexagonal cells: In this type of board, usually three bishops are alloted to each player, in order to include all the cells of the hex- playing field. Some variants with this type of cells are- Chesh, HEXChess etc.
• Circular boards: Usually has three or four sided cells. One such variant is Three Man Chess.

From all the directions

Four player chess, also known as four way chess and four man chess, is relatively simpler to understand. It follows some basic rules of traditional chess. The board itself, though, is different. The common board format is the standard 8X8 squares, with an extension of three rows, each of eight cells, on each side. The pieces are again differentiated on the basis of colours. Played in both team and single format, the objective is to mate the opponent kings (two in case of team game and three in case of singles). In a team game, check mating only one king successfully leads to a draw. A fun fact: If two or more players team up during a game, then also it is considered legal.

Four player chess, incidentally, has a set of common rules. Those are:

• Pieces of a certain colour can only be moved at their own turns.
• Pawn can move diagonally forward only in an attacking case, otherwise it has to move forward in a straight line.
• A pawn, on successfully reaching the King’s row of any of the other three opponents, has the option to upgrade to a queen, rook, knight or bishop.
• In most of the variations, if the move of one opponent directly places another opponent in a mate position due to the presence of a piece of third opponent, the third opponent is forbidden to capture the mated King, until the mated opponent gets the opportunity to play something in order to defend their king.

A man cannot simply feel contended by earning bread alone. The mind must be fed with literature, knowledge & ethics for functioning in the right path. One can simply do it by reading books of their favourite genre. And if you are a beginner grab a book that can hold down your interest & a comparatively thinner book. This is the common psychology that every significant reader holds in their initial days. 

  So after the invention of printing by Caxton, different kinds of books in different linguals have flooded bookstalls in every country. But in recent years, as everything is being sought for its alternatives & so are reading books, journals, magazines & newspapers. One can access all of the above-mentioned through different pages on the internet in blog forms or applications. A good book is defined to be the one that makes readers feel good about it. Reading one may feel the urge to make a difference in their life. Again some books in the market compel readers to hold a different viewpoint to each different reader. Good books are like those of Tagore, Bankim, Shakespeare & Tolstoy that can be the constant companions in their loneliness & even in their weals & woes.

  Books of Bibhutibhushan Banerjee or Rabindranath are the kinds that free our minds from depressions & sorrows. While the poetry books of Keats & Wordsworth generate a sense of sweet feelings, pleasant moments & philosophical thoughts. Such books can help one to strengthen their mental power & imparts a calming effect at the time of catastrophes. Again a book on criticism gives us a balanced judgment & appreciation.

On the contrary, a thriller tends to take away all the dullness & boredom from one’s mind. A science book helps one to widen their knowledge of the physical world & makes them keep abreast of the latest phase of human progress. An illustrated book on travel creates a hypnotic influence on one’s mind.  

 A visit to paradise for a book lover would be a book fair. Moreover, it’s a bonus if it is of a wholesale kind. Such an event provides enough scope for bibliophiles to quench their thirst for knowledge. A swarm of readers from all over throng the place. Even book launch events of certain authors are quite an enthusiastic event for book lovers. This gives them a chance to listen & interact with their favourite authors, totally a fanboying moment.