Category: News

हिंदी भाषा विश्व की प्राचीन भाषाओं में से एक है जो विश्व में चौथी सर्वाधिक बोले जाने वाली भाषा है। भारत की जनगणना 2011 के अनुसार 57% जनसंख्या हिंदी जानती है। भारत के अलावा हिंदी और उसकी बोलियां विश्व के अन्य देशों में भी बोली पढ़ी व लिखी जाती हैं। मारीशस, नेपाल, गयाना, फिजी और संयुक्त अरब अमीरात आदि देशों में भी हिंदी भाषी लोगों की बड़ी संख्या मौजूद है। हिन्दी की आदि जननी संस्कृत है। संस्कृत पालि, प्राकृत भाषा से होती हुई अपभ्रंश तक पहुंचती है। फिर अपभ्रंश से अवहट्ट से गुजरती हुई प्राचीन/प्रारंभिक हिंदी का रूप ले लेती है।

हिंदी भाषा के प्रचार-प्रसार और इसके बारे में जागरूकता फैलाने के उद्देश्य से हर साल 10 जनवरी को विश्व हिंदी दिवस के रूप में मनाया जाता है। इसका उद्देश्य हिंदी को अंतरराष्ट्रीय स्तर पर एक भाषा के रूप में प्रस्तुत करना तथा वैश्विक स्तर पर हिंदी भाषा को सम्मान और पहचान दिलाने के लिए मंच तैयार करना है। कभी कभी हिन्दी दिवस और विश्व हिंदी दिवस को लेकर बहुत से लोगों में असमंजस कि स्थिति उत्पन्न हो जाती है। दोनों ही दिवसों का उद्देश्य हिंदी भाषा का प्रचार प्रसार करना है लेकिन जानकारी के लिए बता दे कि राष्ट्रीय हिन्दी दिवस जहां 14 सितंबर को मनाया जाता है वहीं, विश्व हिंदी दिवस 10 जनवरी को मनाया जाता है।

अंतरराष्ट्रीय मंच पर हिंदी भाषा को पहचान दिलाने और प्रचार प्रसार के उद्देश्य से 10 जनवरी 1975 को महाराष्ट्र के नागपुर में पहला विश्व हिंदी सम्मेलन आयोजित किया गया जिसका उद्घाटन तत्कालीन प्रधानमंत्री श्रीमती इंदिरा गांधी ने किया था। इस सम्मेलन कि अध्यक्षता मॉरिशस के तत्कालीन राष्ट्रपति शिवसागर रामगुलाम ने किया था। इस सम्मेलन का उद्देश्य दुनियाभर में हिंदी को एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय भाषा के रूप में पहचान दिलाना था। इस सम्मेलन में 30 देशों के 122 प्रतिनिधियों ने हिस्सा लिया, 1975 से विभिन्न देशों जैसे- संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका, यूनाइटेड किंगडम, मॉरीशस, त्रिनिदाद और टोबैगो ने विश्व हिंदी सम्मेलन का आयोजन किया गया।

विश्व में हिन्दी भाषा का विकास करने और एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय भाषा के तौर पर इसे प्रचारित-प्रसारित करने के उद्देश्य से विश्व हिन्दी सम्मेलनों की शुरुआत की गई थी। इसी क्रम में भारत सरकार ने फैसला किया कि 10 जनवरी को विश्व हिंदी दिवस के रूप में मनाना चाहिए और पहली बार 10 जनवरी 2006 को विश्व हिंदी दिवस के रूप में मनाया गया, तब से हर साल इसे इसी तारीख पर मनाया जा रहा है। भारत के विदेश मंत्रालय के तत्वाधान में पहला हिंदी दिवस नॉर्वे के भारतीय दूतावास ने मनाया गया, बाद में दूसरा और तीसरा हिंदी दिवस भारतीय नॉर्वे सूचना एवं सांस्कृतिक फोरम के तत्वाधान में लेखक सुरेश चन्द्र शुक्ल की अध्यक्षता में आयोजित हुआ। तब से हिंदी दिवस को वैश्विक रूप में अंतरराष्ट्रीय हिंदी दिवस के रूप में विश्व के कई देशों में मनाया जाने लगा। सभी देशों में स्थित भारत के दूतावासों में इस दिन 10 जनवरी को विश्व हिंदी दिवस पर कार्यक्रमों का आयोजन किया जाता है और हिंदी भाषी लोगों को आमंत्रित किया जाता है।

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Article by Devesh Kumar

The University Grants Commission (UGC) announced the draft regulations for the Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India for the first time. On Thursday, UGC unveiled the draft norms, under which these varsities can also decide on the admission process, and fee structure and repatriate their funds back home. This is a step with the National Education Policy, 2020, which envisages a legislative framework to allow top global universities to operate in India.
UGC Chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar stated that foreign universities and Higher Education Institutions will need a nod from the UGC to set up their campuses in India. He noted that foreign universities with campuses in the nation can only offer full-time programmes in offline mode and not online or distance learning. He added further that these institutions shall not offer any study programme that jeopardises the national interest of India or the standards of higher education here and clarified that the initial approval will be for 10 years and will be renewed in the ninth year subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. The commission has suggested maintaining the fees fair and transparent, even if these universities will be free to choose their admission standards and price schedule.
The foreign institution will be free to hire faculty and employees from India and other countries in accordance with its hiring standards. But, they have to ensure that the foreign faculty appointed to teach at the Indian campus shall stay at the campus in India for a reasonable period. Interested institutes have to lay out a plan that in the case of a course or programme disruption or discontinuation or closure of the campuses, what will be the alternative arrangements to safeguard the interests of the affected students, including reallocation to the course or programme
There will be two types of foreign institutions that are qualified to apply for opening campuses in India: universities that have achieved a rating in the top 500 globally or by subject, or institutions that are well-regarded in their home country. UGC will constitute a standing committee to examine matters related to the setting up and operation of campuses of foreign institutions in India.
The draft rules for Setting up and operating campuses of foreign higher educational institutions in India were made public by the UGC on Thursday and the final rules would be released by the end of the month after taking into account comments from all interested parties.

As per the latest data collected byUnified District Information System for Education (UDISE) in 2020-21, there is a high dropout rate of school students in India, especially at the higher secondary level, which is about 14.6 percent of the total number of students enrolled.

Why scholarships are needed in developing countries like India?

National Family Health Survey(NFHS)-5 conducted in 2019-21 indicates one of the most cited reasons is the cost of education in our country, with about 16 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls of the total dropouts affirming to relinquish their studies due to financial hindrance.

The demand for skilled and well-educated people in the workforce is increasing significantly, and quality of education has become an essential need of the hour.

Is financial constraint the only reason for school dropouts?

Many other reasons like the early marriage of girls, the compulsion to earn money for a living for boys and declining interest in studies are few to be named. However, the majority of dropouts are due to monetary insufficiency.

Scholarship schemes and their advantages

Scholarship opportunities act as a boon for young talented and meritorious students willing to continue their education despite having financial inadequacy. Many students from stable family backgrounds also try to get scholarships for getting a source of encouragement and easing out the load on their parents.

Types of scholarships: 

Various types can be distinguished based on merit-based scholarship, means-based Scholarship, and merit-cum-means based scholarship. Earlier, the Indian education system was quite dilapidated and had many shortcomings, but with the new education policy and new schemes, the Central Government as well as the state government has initiated various scholarship schemes to provide financial support for deserving students.

Advantages of scholarships:

• Scholarships help in empowering your academic and career growth by overcoming financial barriers.

•It encourages students to perform well for availing more financial assistance in near future.

•Scholarships on a merit basis leave a good impact on your future when employers see your records.

We have compiled the list of top scholarship schemes by the government and private organisations:

1. CSIR innovation award for school children
2. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalamscholarship, Ignite awards
3. NASA Ames Space Settlement Contest
4. Post-matric scholarship for minorities
5. Post-matric scholarship for disabled children
6. Financial assistance for wards of beedi/ Cine/ IOMC/LSDM workers
7. CBSE merit-based scholarship for single girl child
8. EWS scholarship
9. Prime Minister’s special scholarship scheme for 10th and 12th passed students of J&k and Ladakh.
10. NSDL siksha sahyog scholarship
11. Albert Einstein International scholarship for school students
12. RD Birla scholarship exam for school students
13. Swami Dayanand scholarship program for Delhi/NCR students
14. Begum Hazrat Mahal national scholarship for meritorious girl students
15. Vahani scholarship for school students
16. Kishore vaigyanik protsahan yojana
17. SOF SEE(scholarship of excellence in English)
18. Science Olympiad foundation scholarships
19. TATA building India online essay competition
20. Toppr Asha program
21. Ryan merit cum means scholarship
22. Aakash ANTHE program
23. National child award for exceptional achievement
24. National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)

 

There are a lot more scholarships available, we are emphasising the details about the best scholarship programs based on fees reimbursement due to financial and need basis 

Post-matric scholarship for OBC and SC students

The objective of this scheme is to provide financial assistance to students belonging to OBC or SC caste. These scholarships are provided by the government of Delhi and the Ministry of tribal affairs respectively to provide financial assistance at the post-matric and post-secondary levels.

Eligibility :

The candidates must fall under the desired category and should be Indian nationals

The total family income of the candidate must not exceed 1,00,000 rupees 

Reward :

The reward for day scholars is INR 225,and for hostellers, it is INR 750 for 10 months.

Students also get benefitted from various allowances ad study tours.

CBSE merit scholarship for single girl child

 This scheme is aimed to encourage parents having only one girl child to promote their higher education.

 Eligibility :

Single girl child studying in CBSE schools in class 11 or 12.

Must have secured more than 60 percent marks in class 10, in a CBSE board school.

NRI students studying in CBSE schools can also apply if having Indian nationality.

 Reward:

A total amount of INR 500 is given for 2 years.

Students can apply on the CBSE scholarship portal online.

 

Kishore vaigyanik protsahan yojana (KVPY)

This scholarship is provided by IISc Bangalore (Indian institute of science) to students pursuing science in their 10+2 as well as graduate level up to Ph.D.

Eligibility :

Students need to qualify for the aptitude test and interview round conducted for KVPY.

Reward:

A monthly amount of 5000 is provided till graduation level and 7000 for post-graduation level 

 

NSDL siksha sahyog scholarship for class 11 students

The main purpose of this scheme is to provide financial aid to economically poor but meritorious students. 

Eligibility :

Class 10 passed with a minimum of 60% 

Reward :

A total of INR 5000 is provided monthly

 

R. D . Birla scholarship exam for school studies

This exam filters the most talented students in the whole country and ranks them as genius, super genius, and brainiacs according to their performance.

Eligibility :

Students studying in any recognized board in India upto class 10 can apply

Reward:

Genius -50,000

Super genius -75,000

Brainiacs -1,00,000

 

Begum HazratMahal National Scholarship for meritorious girl students

Earlier known as Maulana Azad National scholarship for meritorious girls belonging to minorities was launched by the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the National Conference for the educational and economic development of minorities in 2003at Delhi

Eligibility : 

girl students belonging to minority communities i.e. Muslims, Christians, Jains, Parsis, Sikhs, and Buddhists are eligible

Candidate must be studying in class 9-12 and must have secured at least 50 percent marks in previous exams.

Total family income should be less than 2,00,000.

Reward:

The amount of the scholarship is Rs. 6000 for classes 11 and 12

 

SOF scholarship of excellence in English

It is an exam-based scholarship conducted in many countries.

Eligibility :

Students must have secured at least 90% in English and at least 85% in total for all subjects in the previous class.

Reward:

A scholarship amount of 5000 plus a merit certificate is given to 120 students in India.

 

Financial assistance for wards of beedi/ Cine/ IOMC/LSDM workers- post matric 

This scholarship is provided by the Ministry of Labour & employment under the government of India.

Eligibility :

Wards of iron ore & manganese chrome ore mines(IOMC) workers, limestone & dolomite mines(LSDM) workers, and beedi and cine workers benefitted.

Monthly family income should be less than 10,000.

Reward:

Upto Rs 15,000 is rewarded 

Students can apply online through the National scholarship portal.

 

Post-matric scholarship for students with disabilities

This scholarship aims to provide relief for students of class 11 to post-graduation level.

Eligibility :

Students with more than 40 percent disability and family income less than 2.5 lakhs per annum are eligible.

Reward:

Maintenance allowance, book allowance, disability allowance, and other benefits.

FAQs regarding scholarships?

Who can apply for class 11 and 12 scholarships?

A candidate who is 10th passed is eligible. However, each scholarship program has a different set of eligibility criteria.

 

Is a good academic background necessary for scholarships?

A good academic background is a prerequisite for merit-based scholarship only. Other means-based scholarships don’t ask for very outstanding academic achievements.

 

How to avail of scholarships and which documents are needed?

Nowadays, all the scholarship programs need to be applied online in their web portal, e.g. National scholarship portal has many scholarship schemes funded by government authorities.

 

Documents that are needed mainly include family income certificates, caste certificates, and previous years’ mark sheets.

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Article by Alishka Kushwaha

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released Datesheet for Classes 10th and 12th

Class 10 Datesheet:—

Class 12 Datesheet :–

 

Registrations for 1st session of JEE (Main) 2023 — January are open today (15 December 2022)

In 2019 NTA was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting this exams and has done so till date. JEE main is conducted in 2 sessions — session 1 (January) and session 2 ( April).

Dates for online submissions of Application forms: 15 December, 2022 — 12 January 2023 ( upto 9:00 pm)

Last Date of Successful Transaction of fees: 12 January, 2023 (upto 11:50pm)

Date of Examination: 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 January 2023.

Mode of Examination: ONLINE only.

Students can register at

www.nta.ac.in

And https://jeemain.nta.nic.in/

JEE main has 3 papers.

PAPER 1 for B.E/ B.Tech : Questions from Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Each subject has 2 sections having 20 and 10 questions respectively.

PAPER 2 for B. Arch: Questions from Maths (20, 10), Aptitude (50) and Drawing (02).

PAPER 3 for B.Planning: Questions from Maths (20,10), Aptitude(50) and Planning (25).

 

 

 

 

 

Navy day in India is celebrated on 4th December every year to acknowledge and honour the role and achievements of the Indian Naval Forces to the country. 4th December was chosen as on that day in 1971, during Operation Trident, the Indian Navy sank four Pakistani vessels during the war of 1971. To commemorate the attack and to pay tribute to all the Navy personnel who sacrificed their lives serving the nation, Indian Navy Day is observed. Every year, a different theme is proposed to celebrate Indian Navy Day. The theme for Indian Navy Day 2022 is ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ marking 50 years of India’s victory in the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971.

The Indian Navy is a well-balanced three-dimensional force, capable of operating above, on and under the surface of the oceans and safeguarding our national interests. Its objective is also to improve circumstances in Indian Ocean Zone.

To the young men and women of the country, Indian Navy has a variety of jobs to offer. Now the series of questions arise, how to join Indian Navy? What are the necessary qualifications required to join the Indian Navy? Which organisation conducts the required exam? What is the procedure? Don’t you worry! This article will be answering all the queries.

How to Join the Indian Navy?

There are several exciting answers for how to join the Indian Navy to show leadership skills and also gives you a huge number of responsibilities at a very young age.

RECRUITMENT OF OFFICERS IN THE VARIOUS BRANCHES OF THE INDIAN NAVY IS UNDERTAKEN THROUGH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MODES:

1. UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (UPSC)

• Combined Defense Services Examination (CDS)

• National Defense Academy (NDA)

• National Defense Academy (Naval Academy)

• NCC

2. DIRECT ENTRY: PERMAMNENT COMMISSION FOR UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL

10+2 (B.Tech)

3. DIRECT ENTRY: PERMAMNENT COMMISSION FOR GRADUATE LEVEL ENTRIES

• Sports

• Musician

• Law

4. INDIAN NAVY ENTRANCE TEST (INET): PERMANENT COMMISSION/SHORT SERVICE COMMISSION FOR GRADUATE LEVEL ENTRIES

• Pilot (MR)- for men and women

• Pilot (NMR)- for men only

• Observer – for men and women

• Air traffic control (ATC)- for men and women

• General service – Executive

• Hydro – for men only

• General service (Technical-Electrical and engineering)

• Naval architect – for men and women

• Information technology – for men only

• Logistics – for men and women

• Education – for men and women

• Naval Armament Inspectorate Cadre (NAIC)- for men and women

Union Public Service Commission:-

For NDA and Naval Academy the entry is controlled by UPSC. It consists of written examination which is conducted by UPSC, followed by an interview and a medical test by Indian navy.

For appearing in the test conducted by UPSC, candidate must have done 12th with physics and mathematics and English as main subjects.

Training Centre – All the candidates selected for the post of officers have to undergo Naval Orientation Course at the Indian Naval Academy situated in Ezhimala, Kerala and professional trainings at various training unit.

NOTE:- The vacancies for Naval Wing Senior Div NCC certificate holders with B.E./B.Tech degree are published along with CDSE but no written test is conducted for this entry. The eligible candidates can directly forward their applications and based on merit and qualification they are deputed for SSB interview.

Permanent Commission For Undergraduate Level:-

There is a provision of direct entry as well after class 12, namely 10+2 (B.Tech) direct entry which requires a minimum 70% in 10+2 PCM and JEE(Mains) rank.

The selection procedure also has a SSB interview followed by physical efficiency tests(PET) and medical examination.

Permanent Commission For Graduate Level Entries:-

The post of musicians require 10th/10+2 with any stream and basic knowledge of theory of music and practical knowledge of any instrument. A written test and musical ability test is conducted followed by a PET and medical test.

Indian Navy Entrance Test (INET):-

Indian Navy Entrance Test is the officers entry under the control of IHQ MoD (Navy)/DMPR and caters for both Permanent Commission and Short Service Commission. The INET is conducted twice a year and is a computer based examination.

About INET-

Eligibility Criteria:-

• All applying candidates must be Indian nationals.

• Candidate must be between 18-24 years of age.

INET is a computer based exam which has four sections and candidate has to pass all the four separately with minimum of 40% marks. The exam is of 2 hours duration. It will contain 100 multiple choice questions comprising questions on English, reasoning and numerical ability, general knowledge, general science and mathematical aptitude.

The candidates are shortlisted strictly on the basis of INET rank.

Then SSB interviews for short listed candidates are scheduled.

Merit list is prepared based on marks of INET and SSB interview.

Candidates recommended by the SSB and declared medically fit will be appointed for training.

How to join Indian Navy after 12th for women?

There is no provision for women in the present for joining Navy after 12th. This dream can be fulfilled only after graduation. Though there are many excellent options for women too.

Women can be inducted in Indian Naval Forces as Short Service Commissioned Officers. They are commissioned as Navy Officers in branches like education, naval architecture, pilot, air traffic control, law etc.

Hence, options for women are limited but there are many prospects available after graduation.

We hope you found this article helpful. Comment and let us know if you have questions or suggestions about future blogs. 

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Article by Avantika Gurjar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

बिहार की सुप्त शिक्षा व्यवस्था की पोल खुलना कोई नई बात नही है, इसका ताजा उदाहरण उच्च शिक्षण संस्थानों में NAAC द्वारा मान्यता प्राप्त संस्थाओं कि संख्या में हुई बड़ी गिरावट के रूप में सामने आया है।

उल्लेखनीय है कि वर्ष 2013 में केंद्र सरकार ने पहली बार राष्ट्रीय उच्च शिक्षा अभियान के तहत वित्त पोषण के लिए NAAC मान्यता को एक अनिवार्य आवश्यकता बना दिया था। इसके बाद देश भर के उच्च शिक्षण संस्थानों में मान्यता प्राप्त करने के लिए होड़ मची हुई थी, लेकिन बिहार की शिक्षा व्यवस्था इस मामले में आराम फरमाती रही, इस तथ्य के बावजूद कि सभी शिक्षण संस्थानों को मान्यता प्राप्त करने के लिए 2022 तक का समय दिया गया था।

राज्य उच्च शिक्षा परिषद (SHEC) के पास उपलब्ध आंकड़ों के अनुसार, राष्ट्रीय प्रत्यायन और मूल्यांकन परिषद (NAAC) द्वारा वर्गीकृत संस्थानों की संख्या में बिहार में भारी गिरावट आई है, राज्य में अब केवल 34 मान्यता प्राप्त कॉलेज और दो विश्वविद्यालय बचे हैं। कुछ साल पहले NAAC से मान्यता प्राप्त संस्थानों की संख्या राज्य में 139 तक पहुंच गई थी, लेकिन अधिकारियों ने कहा कि कोविड-19 महामारी के दौरान और उसके तुरंत बाद खुद को फिर से वैलिडेट कराने और सेल्फ-स्टडी रिपोर्ट (SSR) जमा कराने में कई संस्थानों की उदासीनता की वजह से उनकी मान्यताओं पर असर पड़ा है। अब, अपनी वैधता को नवीनीकृत करने के इच्छुक संस्थाओं द्वारा SSR रिपोर्ट जमा करने की समय सीमा बढ़ा कर 31 दिसंबर 2022 कर दी गई है।

पहले राज्य में A श्रेणी के सात कॉलेज थे जिनमें से केवल दो – पटना वीमेंस कॉलेज और सेंट जेवियर्स कॉलेज – इस श्रेणी में अब रह गए हैं। इनकी वैधता 31 दिसंबर 2023 को समाप्त हो जाएगी।एएन कॉलेज की वैधता हाल ही में 29 अक्टूबर 2022 को समाप्त हो गई। कॉलेज ऑफ कॉमर्स, आर्ट्स एंड साइंस के लिए, वैधता पिछले साल ही समाप्त हो गई थी, लेकिन संस्थान द्वारा आवेदन करने के बाद कोविड-19 महामारी को देखते हुए इसे अक्टूबर 2022 तक फिर से वैध कर दिया गया था। इसके अलावा मिल्लत ट्रेनिंग कॉलेज की मान्यता भी 8 जून 2022 को समाप्त हो गई।

NAAC द्वारा मान्यता प्राप्त विश्वविद्यालयों की बात करे तो उनकी संख्या पहले राज्य में कुल 7 थी जो अब घट के सिर्फ 2 रह गई है। चाणक्य नेशनल लॉ यूनिवर्सिटी (CNLU)और पटना यूनिवर्सिटी (PU) जिसे केवल तीन साल पहले पहली बार ग्रेड दिया गया था के अतिरिक्त कोई भी विश्वविद्यालय राज्य में ऐसा नहीं है जिसे NAAC के तरफ से मान्यता प्राप्त हो। हालाँकि, राज्य के कुछ विश्वविद्यालयों को कभी भी NAAC मान्यता मिली ही नहीं, जबकि कई जो पहले मान्यता प्राप्त कर चुके थे, वे इसे  जारी रख पाने में असफल रहे।

SHEC के अकादमिक सलाहकार एनके अग्रवाल ने कहा कि, “10 नवंबर को बैंगलोर में NAAC की एक बैठक हुई थी और हमने उस बैठक के परिणाम के आलोक में नए और लक्षित प्रयास शुरू करने की योजना बनाई है। आगे की राह पर चर्चा के लिए अतिरिक्त मुख्य सचिव (शिक्षा) दीपक कुमार सिंह ने 22 नवंबर को सभी कुलपतियों की बैठक बुलाई थी. हमें उम्मीद है कि हर जिले में कम से कम एक सबसे उपयुक्त संस्थान को मान्यता मिल जाएगी और बाद में इसे चरणबद्ध तरीके से बढ़ाया जाएगा।”

अतिरिक्त मुख्य सचिव ने कहा कि राज्य सरकार चरणबद्ध तरीके से सभी संस्थानों को मान्यता दिलाने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है, क्योंकि यह कई लाभ प्राप्त करने के लिए एक बुनियादी आवश्यकता थी। उन्होंने कहा, “राज्य के रोड मैप पर चर्चा करने के लिए NAAC बैंगलोर की एक टीम के साथ राज्य के कुलपतियों और कॉलेज प्राचार्यों की एक बैठक भी विचाराधीन है।” ज्ञात हो कि, केंद्र की नई शिक्षा नीति के तहत, NAAC मान्यता एक बुनियादी आवश्यकता है, जो संस्थाओं के फंडिंग से जुड़ी है।

 

SHEC के एक वरिष्ठ अधिकारी ने इस प्रकरण पर कहा कि, “बिहार में इस तरह की नरम गरम प्रतिक्रिया इसलिए है क्योंकि यहाँ के कई संस्थानों को अतीत में शिक्षकों की भारी कमी, छात्रों की खराब प्रतिक्रिया, अपर्याप्त बुनियादी ढाँचे, गैर-पाठ्यक्रम गतिविधियों की कमी, अनुसंधान की कमी, अनियमित कक्षाओं और देर से शैक्षणिक सत्र, नेशनल इंस्टीट्यूशनल फ्रेमवर्क रैंकिंग (NIRF) में अनुपस्थिति और चॉइस-बेस्ड क्रेडिट सिस्टम (CBCS) अभाव के कारण खराब ग्रेड मिले हैं। पटना विश्वविद्यालय किसी तरह इस साल से सीबीसीएस शुरू कर सकता है। अन्य जगहों पर सेमेस्टर प्रणाली भी अभी शुरू होनी बाकी है, जबकि दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय और अन्य विश्वविद्यालय नई शिक्षा नीति के अनुसार स्नातक स्तर पर चार वर्षीय एकीकृत प्रणाली की ओर बढ़ चुके हैं। इस सब कि मुख्य समस्या संस्थानों के स्तर पर पहल की कमी है। 2-3 साल की देरी से शैक्षणिक सत्र के साथ, मान्यता एक कल्पना मात्र है,”

SHEC के वाइस चेयरमैन कामेश्वर झा ने कहा कि पिछले साल मान्यता के मुद्दे को हल करने के लिए गठित एक समिति ने अपनी विस्तृत रिपोर्ट और एक रोड मैप प्रस्तुत किया था, वर्तमान परिस्थिति से निपटने के लिए उसके पालन की आवश्यकता है। उन्होंने कहा, “यह दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है कि संस्थान कोई दिलचस्पी नहीं दिखा रहे हैं और मान्यता प्राप्त संस्थाओं कि संख्या इतनी कम हो गई है। इसका असर भविष्य में उनकी संस्थानों के फंडिंग पर पड़ेगा। इससे भी बुरी बात यह है कि 95% कॉलेजों में नियमित प्राचार्य नहीं हैं और विश्वविद्यालय और कॉलेज दोनों स्तरों पर इस समस्या के समाधान हेतु कोई नेतृत्व नही है। प्रधानाध्यापक और कुलपति, जिनके पास अतिरिक्त प्रभार है, वे अच्छा प्रदर्शन नहीं करते हैं। पूर्व में भी, NAAC निदेशक और वहां से टीमों ने मान्यता के लिए कॉलेजों और विश्वविद्यालयों को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए बिहार का दौरा किया, लेकिन लगातार प्रयास करने के बावजूद कोई खास सुधार देखने को नहीं मिला है।”

The majority of suicide deaths worldwide occur in India. In order to identify the main obstacles and top priorities for suicide prevention, a study on the state of suicides in India was conducted as the Indian government developed a national suicide prevention strategy. The study focused on epidemiology, risk factors, and existing suicide prevention strategies. Indian women and girls continue to commit suicide at a rate that is double the world average. When compared to other causes of death, suicide accounts for the majority of deaths in the 15- to 39-year-old age range. The most popular suicide technique is hanging, which is followed by self-immolation, drug overdose, and pesticide poisoning. The risk of suicide appears to be influenced by a number of social and cultural factors in addition to depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders. Effective suicide prevention is severely hampered by the lack of a national strategy, inappropriate media coverage, ambiguous legal definitions of what constitutes punishable suicide, and insufficient multisectoral engagement. In order to navigate situations where a person might be vulnerable to and at risk of suicide, interventions that are given at the right time, intensity, and duration are helpful in reducing suicide rates. emphasises multilevel action priorities for preventing suicide across various sectors in addition to laying out research and data priorities. In India, there is a call for immediate action to integrate suicide prevention strategies into every aspect of public health, with a particular emphasis on developing and implementing a national suicide prevention strategy.

 

The National Suicide Prevention Strategy, a groundbreaking government initiative to prevent suicides as a top public health priority, was announced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday, November 21. In the upcoming ten years, the ministry’s policy will lay the groundwork for the promotion of mental health and the prevention of suicide.

 

The WHO’s strategy for the South East Asian region served as inspiration for the Strategy, which is etched with evidence-based practises to reduce the number of suicides. The Strategy ties together numerous sectoral collaborations to provide a cohesive strategy and achieve the intended reduction in the number of suicides. The Strategy aims to establish efficient surveillance systems within the next three years, psychiatric outpatient departments in every district over the following five years, and to integrate mental health into the curricula in educational institutions within the following eight years. The Strategy is on the right track to achieving its objectives thanks to its focus on issues that are important to India, such as alcoholism and pesticide access. But the Government must continue in this direction until the goals are reached. Naturally, in a federal nation, any success is only possible if States are enthusiastic participants in the implementation.

 

What exactly does India’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy entail?

The government claims that the strategy will lay the groundwork for promoting mental health and preventing suicides in the ensuing ten years. By 2023, the policy hopes to reduce suicide mortality in the nation by 10%. The strategy offers a framework for numerous stakeholders to carry out initiatives for the nation’s suicide prevention.

 

The strategy’s key goals are as follows.

-First, it aims to set up efficient suicide surveillance systems during the following three years.

-Within the next five years, it aims to establish psychiatric outpatient departments across all districts to offer suicide prevention services under the District Mental Health Programme.

-Third, it aims to integrate a mental well-being curriculum in all educational institutions within the next eight years. In the following eight years, it seeks to implement a mental health curriculum in all educational institutions.

 

-The National Suicide Prevention Strategy’s fourth goal is to increase suicide surveillance and continue evidence generation through evaluation, which will guarantee programme quality improvement.

 

 

Structure for implementing the National Suicide Prevention Strategy that has been proposed:

– Developing community resilience and societal support for suicide prevention and reducing stigma associated with suicidal behaviors.

– Strengthening leadership, partnerships, and institutional capacity in the nation.

– Improving the capacity of health services to provide suicide prevention services.

 

 

According to the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), released in August, 1.64 lakh people died by suicide in 2021 — an increase of 7.2 per cent from 2020. This is 10 per cent higher than the COVID deaths (1.48 lakh) in India in 2020, and 6.8 times the maternal deaths (23,800) in the same year. The NCRB report also stated that more than 1,00,000 people die by suicide in the country every year. A total of 25,891 suicides were reported in the 53 megacities of the country during 2021, with the highest in Delhi. Most suicides in India are by youth and middle-aged adults — with 65 per cent of the suicides in 2020 being reported in the age group of 18-45 years.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

 

It Happens Only in Kota since its inception has held just one very important ideology at its core, the well-being of students who come every year to this city. Students who come far away from their homes surely miss the warmth of festivities in midst of their struggle. It Happens in Kota has and will always try to bridge that distance, a step at a time. To make sure that the lives of students don’t lose their colours, IHOIK organises a few events from time to time. One such initiative bringing this ideology to life is Kota Light Festival (earlier Kota Lantern Festival). KLF is a congregation of blazing lantern show, foot-tapping music by renowned bands and gourmet dining. With it comes a reason of rejoice, with it comes an exuberance beyond measure, with it comes the evening of celebration. KLF is our very own reason of revelry.

Kota Light Festival saw its inception as Kota Lantern Festival in the year 2017 as an initiative to promote a clean and green Diwali. The festival has since evolved and so has its meanings but the core value is still the same. Today KLF celebrates students and acknowledges the much-needed respite in every student’s lives. It is the sole event in Kota that is organised with keeping in mind Students and locals alike.

The event has gain popularity with increasing number of editions and the footfall has always maintained an exponentially upward graph. From 1500 in 2017 to 3500 in 2018 and to a whopping 4500 in 2019, KLF has placed itself well above any other event in the town in terms of attendees.

This year IHOIK in collaboration with Utsav Events is organising Kota Light Festival sponsored by Unacademy and Student Walla on 20^th of November, 2022 from 5pm. The grandest event Kota has ever seen! The event is marked by spell binding performances and enchanting music. This year is even more special as we have 2 most awaited performances by DJ Deepika and NIKK. We don’t have just music; we’ll have a plethora of food stalls awaiting you with splendid and mouth-watering delicacies: Trikona Café, Thapa ji ke momos to name a few.

This year KLF is being organised on the Polytechnic Cricket Grounds. For directions on Google Map, click here. 5 pm onwards.

Book your Tickets today and get an exclusive discount. Scan this QR Code, or click here to get access. Hurry, the offer is valid only till 18^th of November.

KLF is also a great opportunity to update your social media profiles as we have an amazing photobooth and of course our very own Anshu Bhaiyya. Don’t miss this chance to get a selfie with him. Come, party with us and send us your amazing moments and pictures and we will publish the best ones. KLF is a festival of light, music and frolic but is dull and incomplete without you, our IHOIK family. Come, light lamps of joy with us this 20^th. We will be waiting for you, TOODLES!

In Case Titled Janhit Abhiyan v. Union Of India with 32 connected matters | W.P.(C)NO.55/2019 and connected issues, the Supreme Court of India pronounced its verdict today on the validity of the 103rd Constitutional Amendment which introduced the provision for 10% reservation for Economically weaker section (EWS) in Public Employment and Education.

The case was heard by a 5 judge-bench constituted by Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, S Ravindra Bhat, Bela M Trivedi and JB Pardiwala.

The bench in a 3-2 verdict held that the provisions of the ammendment in concern is not in violation of the Constitution.

Chief Justice U U Lalit, at the outset, said there are four different judgements on pleas challenging the EWS quota.

As per Justice Dinesh Maheshwari , Reservation structured singularly on economic criteria does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution and Exclusion of classes covered by 15(4), 16(4) does not violate equality code and does not damage basic structure. Justice Trivedi and Justice Pardiwala concurred with Justice Maheshwari

While Justice Bhatt stated : It is declared that Sec 2 and 3 of the Constitution 103rd Amendment Act are unconstitutional and void on the ground that they’re violative of basic structure, with CJI concurring.

The story of Kota began when V.K Bansal, an engineer by profession quit his job and started teaching students at his home for entrance exams. One of his students cleared the IIT-JEE exam in 1985 and the history of Kota changed its path in a new direction. It was the beginning of Bansal classes, the first coaching of Kota.

Nowadays, around 2 lakh students come to Kota every year for coaching of JEE and NEET in different coaching centers. If you come to Kota, you will see the hoardings of many coaching centers like Allen, Resonance, Motion, Vibrant, Bansal, and so on. A few days ago, just after the covid phase, Ed-tech companies like Unacademy and Physicswallah added their names to the list of offline coaching.  

 

Growth of Ed-tech companies in India:

We all have seen phenomenal growth of Ed-tech companies in the last few years, especially in the covid period. Since march 2020, the number of students studying online increased by a large number because of the lockdown. Schools, Universities, and also coaching centers moved online because no other option was left. According to Economics time during this covid period, ed-tech companies created a $1.7 billion market.

 

The ed-tech companies got the benefit of their technology during the covid period, but the giant coaching centers were unable to get this benefit. So, most of the students enrolled in ed-tech companies for their JEE or NEET preparation.

 

Why Students come to Kota: 

If you watch the famous web series “Kota factory” then you must know this dialogue “Kota mahol deta hai”. It’s true, Kota gives the environment to the students. According to a report by The Print, the coaching industry of Kota impacts the lives of more than 2 lakh people in this city directly or indirectly, including its 3,000 hostels and 20,000 paying guest (PG) accommodation owners, local vendors, shopkeepers, mess staff, auto drivers and security guards.

 

The reasons why students come to Kota:

• Highly Qualified Faculties.

• Comparatively relaxed timing.

• A systematic approach to teaching

• Personalized doubt-solving classes.

• National level competition.

• AIR ranks from Kota coaching.

 

Let’s analyze online and offline classes from different perspectives:

• Interaction: In online classes, students are unable to interact with their teachers and classmates face to face.

 

• Flexibility: Students can gain flexibility in online coaching as they can study as per their schedule but in the case of offline coaching has a strict timetable that has to be followed by students.

 

• Discipline: Discipline is the most important thing for a student to secure a rank in a competitive exam. And the system of Kota provides that discipline to a serious student.

 

• Study Materials: All offline institutes offr printed study materials while only a few online ones do so.

 

• Motivation: Online Ed-tech coaching centers may make the students a bit less motivated to keep up with their study schedule. But offline coaching centers in Kota will not let the students lose their motivation since they will be physically present in the class and will have to follow a tight schedule.

 

• Rank: We all know this fact very well that offline coaching centers provide us with All India Ranks every year and also during this covid period. But Online classes are one step far from great ranks.

 

Offline Classes after Covid: 

The world has almost recovered from Covid and is prepared to fight against this kind of situation. The whole system is getting its actual form and the Education system is not an exception. Students prefer the ‘mahol’ of Kota better than online classes from home. Ed-tech companies know this fact as well. So, the leading ed-tech companies opened their offline classes in Kota to survive in the business of Competitive coaching centers.

According to a report, a Record number of students came to Kota this year and one big single institute in Kota holds around 1.25 lakh students this year. So, it is clear that students prefer offline education rather than online classes from Ed-tech companies.

The giant Ed-tech company Byju’s acquired Aakash Educational Services in a nearly $1-billion deal after covid because of the potential of offline education. And Ed-tech companies like Unacademy and Physics wallah opened their offline centers in Kota for the large number of students who want to learn offline. 

 

Conclusion:

Educational hub Kota is attracting Ed-Tech companies to open offline institute in Kota for their business growth but the path is not easy for the Ed-tech companies to compete with previously established giant offline institutions. So the new offline coaching companies are facing lot of challenges in Kota.

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Article by Shahriar Alam

If the spirits are strong, even the most difficult destination becomes easy. The promising son of a father selling panipuri has proved this to be true. He himself used to clean the plates at his father’s panipuri shop but now he will fulfill his dream of cleaning the blockage from the heart in the human body.

Alpesh Rathod from Meghraj in Aravalli district of Gujarat, who sells panipuri with his father, has taken a giant leap of success in his life.  Alpesh has cleared the NEET exam, he will soon be able to do MBBS from a government college. He has secured 613 marks out of 700 in the NEET exam and dreaming of becoming a cardiologist.

He says that, ‘After making a career in Cardiology, i also wants to move forward in Neurology.’ The great thing is that after getting his MBBS degree, Alpesh will be the first doctor not only from his family but from the entire Kenthwa village. Along with studies, Alpesh has also been sharing his father’s hand in work.

Regarding his daily routine, he says that till class 10th, he used to wake up every morning at 4 am and help in making pani puri and masala with his father Ram Singh. After this, he used to decorate a paani puri cart for his father. In the evening after finishing school, Alpesh used to sell golgappas to the customers as well as wash the leftover utensils of the customers.

Even with this routine, Alpesh was very smart in studies. Along with working at Golgappa shop, he studied and got 93% in 10th standard. These numbers made him realize that he can achieve big goals in life. According to Alpesh, his teacher Raju Patel and his wife guided him about many career options. In those days, Alpesh’s father was suffering from eye problem, and medicine affected him. In such a situation, Alpesh gave all his hard work in the preparation of MBBS entrance exam.

It was not easy for Alpesh’s father, who earned only 15 thousand rupees a month, to accept this decision of Alpesh. His family can hardly survive with this income. In such a situation, it was very difficult to arrange money for the coaching fees of NEET. His parents said on his decision that there is a lot of risk in it, which can ruin him financially, but Alpesh somehow convinced him. He did not allow his decision to be proved wrong and that is why his family is happy with his success today.

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Report by Devesh Kumar Sharma

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay today released the results of JEE Advanced, 2022.

A total of 155538 students appeared in this exam (both paper 1 and 2), out of which 40712 have qualified.

The institute also released the list of toppers. R. K Shishir of IIT Bombay zone topped the examination, scoring 314 out of 360, while Tanishka Kabra of IIT Delhi zone was the female topper with a common rank list of 16. She scored 277 out of 360.

As per Respective rank list, a total of 10 students have secured AIR 1:

R K Shishir

Vangapalli Sai Siddhartha

Polisetty Karthikeya

Dyyala John Joseph

Lovesh Mahar

Ojas Maheshwari

Gaikoti Vignesh

Omkar Ramesh Shirpure

Prakash S Rathod

Tadar Simi

 

The result can be checked by all candidates on the official website, along with Final answer key. The exam was conducted on August 28^th, 2022. Students can check their results at https://result.jeeadv.ac.in/

Successful Candidates can appear for JoSSA . The process is scheduled to start on 12^th September. Students are advised to check the official website for any further updates.

The Indian government is taking the initiative to merge the two most important entrance examinations. Will this move be revolutionary, or just another failed attempt to modernize the education?

This is not a new examination but just an existing examination, Common University Entrance Test (CUET) that will confine the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET). University Grants Commission (UGC) chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said on Friday that the government was looking at introducing the integrated entrance exam at the earliest, preferably by next year.

CUET being launched this year offers undergraduate admissions to 90 universities including 45 central universities. Responsible personnel mentioned 1.05 million students applied for CUET, making it the second biggest exam after NEET which received 1.8 million applications. Aiming to reduce the students’ burden, Kumar said, ‘one nation, one entrance’.

“NEET requires biology, physics and chemistry, JEE requires mathematics, physics and chemistry. All these subjects are already in CUET. Therefore, it won’t be an issue for medical and engineering colleges to use CUET scores for admission,” the UGC chairperson said.

Kumar showed concern toward the near running exam dates and said that they won’t make sudden changes, “We don’t want to announce anything in a sudden manner just a few months before the exams” (Kumar).

Experts from various fields would formulate a team and work in progress to make the examination much more viable and feasible. “The committee will work on preparing recommendations for an integrated entrance exam. These recommendations will then be shared with the stakeholders for consultation and feedback and based on that the ministry and UGC will decide the modalities of the exam. A lot of planning has to be done,” Kumar said.

There are possibilities of the examination being conducted twice a year, hence, giving students much better opportunities to bring their best performances to the front. Kumar also said, “We are also discussing if the NTA can come up with its own entrance examination centres in educational institutions across the country that can accommodate more than 300 to 400 students at a time. These centres can be used by educational institutions for the rest of the year,”.

In spite of all the similarities that align with his new examination CUET, the only wall that stands is the fact that the NEET examination is till on paper format and not over a computer based platform. Kumar said, “The question papers of all these entrance exams are strictly based on NCERT syllabus and are in multiple-choice format. NTA uses the same criteria for selecting experts for preparing these question papers. The only difference will be in the case of NEET, which is still OMR-based and not computer-based. Therefore, introducing a common entrance exam will be good both from a logistical point of view and the interest of the students.”

One of the involved NTA officials also mentioned, “Once a committee is formed and it submits its recommendations, NTA will start preparing for the integrated exam.”

The only wait now is to actually see how this excellent initiative runs out in future and whether it will prove itself to be amiable to the hardworking students.

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Students can credit an 8-month apprenticeship with companies or research institutes in their final year.

• Course catalogue includes – Data Visualization Design, Reinforcement Learning, Industry 4.0, and Algorithmic Thinking in Bioinformatics.

• The last date to apply is August 19, 2022 for the September 2022 term.

• Students who complete the 4-year BS can appear for GATE and pursue an MTech in India, apply for postgraduate degrees internationally.

• Class 12 students can also apply and secure admission.

 

Ranking number 1 in India, IIT – Madras has introduced a viable degree program for candidates without a JEE score. The course offers multifold of eccentricities with multiple entry-exit options via a BS degree in Data Science and programming, the sexiest job of 21^st century (Erik and McAfee). Encapsulating the Bachelor of Science (BS) level, students can do an 8-month apprenticeship or a project with companies or research institutes.

The exit options include a certification, a diploma, and/or a degree. This enhanced pliancy provides students myriad number of choices where they can pursue a degree in Data Visualization Design, Reinforcement Learning, Industry 4.0, and Algorithmic Thinking in Bioinformatics. The students in class 12^th currently can also enroll for this program. On the quirky side, students from any stream can enroll for this program and the declaration contains no age limit whatsoever. The classes are conducted online and hence there is no geographical obligation. Students who completed English and Mathematics in class 10^th are eligible to apply for the course.

The current enrollment numbers sky up to 13,000 students with majority from Tamil Nadu, followed by Maharashtra. In the lines, “The institute is happy to offer this well-designed, contemporary BS in Data Science and Applications degree, which provides access to IIT quality education in an inclusive manner to learners across the country. Data Science is one of the emerging topics. This is a highly employment-oriented program in a domain where the demand is high for skilled resources.”, Prof V Kamakoti (Director of IIT – Madras) laid down the importance of the program. Furthermore, the professor in charge of the Data Science and Applications at IIT – Madras, Prof Andrew Thangaraj said, “As Data Science is a multidisciplinary domain, this BS degree from IIT Madras is open for students from all backgrounds. Students who are pursuing commerce or humanities can also earn a degree from IIT Madras. As content delivery is online and the in-person exams are conducted on Sundays, this degree can also be pursued while attending an on-campus degree or while working full-time.”

This kind of program allows students to study at one of the best Engineering institutions in India without the compliance of going through a bottle-neck competitive exam such as Joint Entrance Examination. The direct impact of this program lays foundation in the rural areas where students can’t afford the expensive amenity of JEE coaching classes. This program offers up to 100% tuition Scholarship which is both need and academic based.

Further, Dr. Vignesh Muthuvijayan, Professor In-Charge, BS in Data Science and Applications, IIT Madras, said, “Admission to the BS program does not require qualifying JEE. Unlike any other entrance exam, the qualifying process for this program is very inclusive. The state-of-the-art pedagogy enables IIT Madras to admit all qualified candidates without any restriction on the numbers. With generous scholarships, IIT Madras has created one of the most inclusive models in the country.”

IIT Madras BS program is a rejuvenating opportunity which will accelerate the approach towards the higher studies and incite possible change in people’s perspective towards going to their ‘dream’ college. The IIT madras team is confident that this program will be a viable and exhilarating opportunity for anyone who believes that their love of the life is Science!

Deadline for applications for the September 2022 term is 19th August, 2022. You can apply through : https://onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in/

 

Works Cited

Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee and Erik. “Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century.” Harvard Business Review, 11 Mar. 2022, https://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century.

“IIT-Madras Offers 4-Year Degree in BS Programming and Data Science; JEE Score Not Required.” The Indian Express, 2 Aug. 2022, https://indianexpress.com/article/education/iit-madras-offers-4-year-degree-option-in-bsc-programming-and-data-science-jee-score-not-required-8063544/.

Amidst global condemnation and cascading new sanctions Russia unleashed airstrikes on cities and military bases of Ukraine while a three side attack formation commenced ground invasion. In this unprecedented scenario Ukraine has implemented martial law in the nation and thousands of lives are at stake. As the air raid sirens are blaring frequently in Kyiv, several countries have scrambled to
protect their own interests.

India, for all given reasons, has its own vested interests on both sides of the border and is minutely monitoring the situation.
To understand India’s position and the diplomatic dilemma, it’s important to go
through the statements made before and after the attack.

Earlier today, in emergency meeting of UNSC, India’s top diplomat at UN expressed regret and said that the situation is in danger of spiraling into a major crisis. Notably, he didn’t
condemned Russian aggression. Even when Russia recognized the independence of separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, India didn’t condemned the step.
Later on, when the Russian fighter crafts strategically bombed Ukraine’s capital and
nearby areas and reportedly eliminated Ukrainian air defense power, Ukraine’s
ambassador to India released a statement requesting PM Modi to intervene. The statement read “I think in this case your prime minister can address Mr. Putin. He can address our president. Many times in history, India played a peacekeeping role. We are asking for your strong voice to stop this war.”

I don't know how many world leaders Putin may listen to but status of Modi ji makes me hopeful that in case of his strong voice, Putin at least should think over. We are expecting for much more favourable attitude of the Indian govt: Dr Igor Polikha,Ambassador of Ukraine to India pic.twitter.com/YW4Z985eui

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2022

As the day passed by, a build up of India-Russia conversation took the social space
by storm and later in evening the Prime Minister’s office released a statement
summarising the conversation between Modi and Putin. The statement said that
India sensitised it’s concern regarding safety and return of its citizen in Ukraine and appealed for immediate cessation of violence. As per PMO, Russian pres briefed Indian PM on the current situation and India reiterated its long standing conviction that differences between Russia and NATO shall be solved by dialog.

PM Narendra Modi speaks to Russian President Vladimir Putin

Pres Putin briefed PM about the recent developments regarding Ukraine. PM reiterated his long-standing conviction that the differences between Russia & NATO can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue: PMO

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2022

Afterwards, In a press conference, when asked if India will stand by US’ policy on
Russia, President Joe Biden said that the US is in constant communication with India and the outcome is yet to be seen.
Now, after being aware of India’s current stand, digging deep into political, strategic and historical ties with both the nations at war will help us figure out Indian role if the crisis continues.

India & Russia

India has always registered its concerns on expansionist policies. PM Modi has time and again stated that the expansionist ideology is the biggest threat to world’s peace. Having said that, there’s no denial to the fact that Russian ‘special military action’ is nothing but pure expansion approach. An attempt to gain control of strategically important land mass is definitely a bigger driving force to this war than the will of Donetsk and Luhansk. Similarly, current Indian government is very specific about Indian sovereignty and it strictly discourages any foreign intervention in its internal matters. But here, Russian intervention in Donetsk and Luhansk is a
clear breach of Ukrainian sovereignty. Policy wise, both these things push India to take a Pro-Ukrainian stand, but hold on! there’s a lot more to look at. There’s a lot more to balance this ethical dilemma. It’s a proven fact that for all good reasons, emotions come last in diplomatic checklist.
Indo-Russian relationship dates back to Soviet Union days. It’s not hidden that
India’s defence infrastructure has a fair share of Russian firepower. From fighter
jets to tanks, from ammunition to missiles, from submarines to guns; ‘Made in Russia’ is stamped on a big portion of Indian defence hardware. The navy giant ‘INS Vikramaditya’ is of Russian origin, frontline air warrior Su-30 MKI also finds it’s built in Putin’s country. The proposed AK-203 rifles are to be made in association of Russia. Russia has been a long-standing partner in areas ranging from nuclear energy to space expeditions.

Though the Russian share in Indian armament trade has seen a slump in recent past, obviously due to India’s will of diversifying its armory and its growing self-production capacity, it still stands around fifty percent.
Here, the notable point is, even after an evident degradation in geoeconomical
terms and lowering trade volume, Russia has never done any strategic harm to
India. PM Modi is one of only four foreign leaders to have been awarded with ‘the order of St. Andrew’, Russia’s highest decoration and this speaks volumes about the common understanding between these two nations. Also, India will definitely try
to stay relevant amidst the growing China-Russia relationship. Indian approach will directly impact Russian strategy in case of confrontation with China. The strategic, political and economical relationship with Russia is the reason behind India’s highly
balanced approach in the current crisis.

India & Ukraine

India’s biggest concern in Ukraine is it’s 20,000 students and nationals, many of
them live close to the action zone are enrolled in different medical universities of Ukraine. India was one of the first countries to recognise Ukraine as sovereign country and Delhi is home to Ukraine’s first mission in Asia. Ukraine is only second to Russia from USSR group in terms of trade with India. India exports pharmaceuticals, electrical and electronic equipment, plastic, oil seeds, grain, fruits, seeds and chemical products to Ukraine which accounts for 438.3 million Dollars and imports vegetable fats and oils, cleavage products and fertilizers which accounts for 2.1 Billion Dollars. Even though India and Ukraine has maintained healthy relations even since the fall of Soviet Union, there are certain incidents
which raise eyebrows, one to mention is Ukraine’s vote against India after its
nuclear test in Pokhran. All in all, India has no strong reason to go against Ukraine. As of now and with a big number of Indians stuck in parts of Ukraine, India will be last to wish any further escalation in Ukrainian territory.

Other Factors

Now, apart from direct interests, India has multiple reasons to support de-escalation. India’s energy security is a matter of concern as the never before rise in crude oil prices will definitely hamper India’s growth story. In 2021, India imported only 1% of its oil and only 0.2% of its gas from Russia, so the direct supply is not an issue but the uncontrollable growth in prices will kick in. Similarly, if the situation intensifies and the crisis leads to Europe, specifically Germany will curtail gas
imports from Russia and in that case other providers will shift the supply to Europe,
hampering supplies to Asian countries and hence will create a shoot up in gas
prices. If the war like situation prevails and sanctions on Russia intensifies, India will be faced with similar choices on taking defence supplies from Russia. Given all these situations, India’s stand of appealing for de-escalation and regretting the situation without taking names seems justified.

The current crisis has challenged Indian ability to avoid an impact on its economy
and future strategies, without taking sides and this needs careful diplomatic
handling, key to which lies in instant de-escalation.

---

Report by Ashish Ranjan

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2021) exam today from 2 pm to 5 pm in pen and paper-based mode. NEET 2021 question paper contained 200 questions from Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology sections, while candidates have to answer only 180 MCQs.

Now, different coaching institutes Will update answer key of the paper. You can access them all  at one place. Right here.

NEET 2021 Question paper

Click here⬇️⬇️

5_6192756899918644442

NEET 2021 Answer Key

1. Answer Key by Goal Institute

Click here⬇️⬇️

NEET 2021 Answer Key

2. Detailed Answer Key By Aakash Institute(Code P3)

Click here⬇️⬇️

Que&Ans_NEET-2021 (Code-P3

3. Answer Key By Allen Career Institute(Code M2)

4. Answer Key by Resonance (Code N2)

5. Answer Key by Narayana Medical Academy (Code N6)

Complete Answer Key by Allen

Click Here(Touch below to download answer PDF)⬇️⬇️

neet-ug-2021-answerkey (6)

NEET 2021 Video Solution

By: Aakash Institute

Click here⬇️⬇️

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HynvKpAhKaQ&feature=youtu.b

By: Etoos India

Click here⬇️⬇️

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFNxGpFoEOc

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the NIRF Ranking 2021 on Thursday listing the top institutes and universities in India this year. The education minister went live from his Twitter handle with Minister of State Sanjay Dhotre and AICTE Chairman Anil Saharsrabudhe to announce the top universities of India. The live recordings an also be seen on YouTube and Twitter.

The top two institutes remain the same as last year in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). IIT Madras has topped the ‘Overall’ NIRF Rankings and the second spot was taken by IISc Bengaluru. The third spot has changed from last year’s IIT Delhi to IIT Bombay.

The number of Indian institutes registered for the NIRF ranking 2020 increased by 20 percent as compared to 2019. In 2020, 3,800 institutes participated in NIRF Rankings. In 2021, the number was 6000.

The top institutes and universities of India are judged on the basis of certain predetermined factors for the NIRF Rankings. These include — Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), Peer Perception.

Please note that depending on the category for which an institute has been judged, their scores may differ. The categories NIRF has chosen in 2021 to rank colleges in are:

Overall
Research
Universities
Engineering
Management
Pharmacy
Colleges
Medical
Law
Architecture

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 20 institutes in ‘Overall’ category

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 86.76

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 82.67

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 82.52

Rank 4: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 81.75

Rank 5: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur

Location: Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 76.50

Rank 6: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur

Location: Kharagpur, West Bengal

Score: 75.62

Rank 7: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee

Location: Roorkee, Uttarakhand

Score: 71.40

Rank 8: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati

Location: Guwahati, Assam

Score: 69.26

Rank 9: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 66.61

Rank 10: Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 63.10

Rank 11: Calcutta University (CU)

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 61.45

Rank 12: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Location: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Score: 59.87

Rank 13: Jamia Millia Islamia

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 59.54

Rank 14: Jadavpur University (JU)

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 58.93

Rank 15: Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Location: Manipal, Karnataka

Score: 58.91

Rank 16: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 58.53

Rank 17: University of Hyderabad (UoH)

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 57.67

Rank 18: Aligarh Muslim University

Location: Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 57.38

Rank 19: University of Delhi (DU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 56.03

Rank 20: Savitribai Phule Pune University

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

Score: 55.83

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Research’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 86.48

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 86.01

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 80.93

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Universities’ in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 82.67

Rank 2: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 67.99

Rank 3: Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 64.02

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Engineering’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 90.19

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 88.96

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 85.16

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Management’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Score: 83.69

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 83.48

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 80.04

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Pharmacy’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Jamia Hamdard

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 78.52

Rank 2: Panjab University

Location: Chandigarh, Chandigarh

Score: 77.99

Rank 3: Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS)

Location: Pilani, Rajasthan

Score: 75.57

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Colleges’ in India

Rank 1: Miranda House

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 75.42

Rank 2: Lady Shri Ram College For Women

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 69.44

Rank 3: Loyola College

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 69.28

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Medical’ colleges in India

Rank 1: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 92.07

Rank 2: Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER)

Location: Chandigarh, Chandigarh

Score: 82.62

Rank 3: Christian Medical College (CMC)

Location: Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Score: 75.33

NIRF Ranking: Top 3 ‘Law’ colleges in India

Rank 1: National Law School of India University

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 78.06

Rank 2: National Law University (NLU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 74.55

Rank 3: Nalsar University of Law

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 72.39

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Architecture’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee

Location: Roorkee, Uttarakhand

Score: 82.65

Rank 2: National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut

Location: Kozhikode, Kerala

Score: 76.50

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur

Location: Kharagpur, West Bengal

Score: 76.14

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Dental’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Manipal College of Dental Sciences

Location: Udupi Karnataka

Score: 81.30

Rank 2: Dr. DY Patil Vidyapeeth

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

Score: 80.72

Rank 3: Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 78.33

भारत में कोरोना के मामलों में बेतहाशा वृद्धि के साथ-साथ अलग-अलग राज्यों से वैक्सीन की कमी के खबरों से हलकान आम जनता के लिए रविवार को एक राहत की ख़बर आई। कोविशिल्ड और कोवैक्सिन के बाद अब स्पुतनिक V वैक्सीन को भी वैक्सीन मामलों की विशेषज्ञ कमिटी SEC के साथ साथ ड्रग कंट्रोलर जनरल ऑफ इंडीया की भी मंजूरी मिल गई है।

#COVID19 | Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved emergency use authorisation of Russian vaccine, Sputnik V pic.twitter.com/lrUH18I9nP

— ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2021

भारत में हैदराबाद स्थित डॉक्टर रेड्डीज लैब ने इस वैक्सीन के ट्रायल किये थे जिससे प्राप्त आंकड़ों के आधार पर भारत के ड्रग कंट्रोलर जनरल के समक्ष इसके आपातकालीन प्रयोग की मांग रखी गई थी। खबरों के मुताबिक सेंट्रल ड्रग स्टैंडर्ड कंट्रोल ऑर्गनाइजेशन (CDSCO) की सब्जेक्ट एक्सपर्ट कमिटी (SEC) ने इस वैक्सीन के ट्रायल आंकड़ो को तय मानकों के अनुरूप पाया है और इसके इस्तेमाल की अनुमति देने की अनुशंसा की है। इस मामले में आख़िरी फ़ैसला लेते हुए सोमवार के अहले सुबह ड्रग कंट्रोलर जनरल ऑफ इंडिया (DCGI) ने वैक्सीन के आपातकालीन उपयोग की अनुमति दे दी है।

ज्ञात हो कि भारत में भारत बॉयोटेक की कोवैक्सिन और ऑक्सफ़ोर्ड यूनिवर्सिटी एवम एस्ट्राजेन्का के तत्वधान में सीरम इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया द्वारा निर्मित कोविशिल्ड वैक्सीन को पहले हीं आपातकालीन प्रयोग की अनुमति मिली हुई है। प्राप्त आंकड़ो के मुताबिक अब तब भारत में वैक्सीन के 10 करोड़ 45 लाख से भी अधिक डोज लगाए जा चुके हैं।

स्पूतनिक V का निर्माण गामालेया नेशनल सेंटर ऑफ एपीडेमियोलॉजी एन्ड माइक्रोबायोलॉजी तथा रशियन डाईरेक्टरेट इंवेस्टमेंट फंड के संयुक्त तत्वधान में हुआ है। ये कोरोना पर दुनिया का पहला रजिस्टर्ड वैक्सीन है जिसे 2020 के अगस्त महीने में रजिस्टर कराया गया था। निर्माताओं के मुताबिक ये वैक्सीन कोरोना रोकने में 91.6 फीसदी तक कारगर है वहीं कोवैक्सिन और कोविशिल्ड कि सफलता दर 80 प्रतिशत के आस-पास है। कुछ मामलों में स्पूतनिक V वैक्सीन लगाने के उपरांत बुखार, थकान, सरदर्द जैसे साइड इफेक्ट्स भी देखे गए हैं, पर जानकारों के मुताबिक इस वैक्सीन के साइड इफ़ेक्ट अन्य वैक्सीन के मुक़ाबले कम है। भारत से पहले कुल 59 देश स्पुतनिक V के आपातकालीन प्रयोग की अनुमति दे चुके हैं। बाजार में इस वैक्सीन के दो डोज की कीमत 10 अमिरिकी डॉलर यानी तकरीबन 750 रुपये होगी जो कि फाइजर और मोडर्ना क वैक्सीन के मुकाबले काफी कम है। इस वैक्सीन को 2 से 8 डिग्री सेंटीग्रेड के तापमान पर स्टोर किया जाना है और इसके दो डोज के बीच का अंतर 21 दिन का होगा।

स्पूतनिक V के प्रयोग की अनुमति मिलने के बाद भारत में दैनिक वैक्सीन उत्पादन क्षमता में उछाल आने की संभावना है जिससे मांग और आपूर्ति के बीच की खाई को और कम किया जा सकेगा। साथ हीं, इस वैक्सीन के प्रयोग में आने से अन्य दो वैक्सीन निर्माता कम्पनियों (भारत बॉयोटेक और सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया) से भी दबाव घटेगा।

भारत में रूस के राजदूत निकोलय क़ुदशेव ने भी स्पूतनिक V के प्रयोग की संस्तुति पर हर्ष व्यक्त किया और इसको डीसीजीआई अप्रूवल मिलने की उम्मीद जताई।

We note reports that a committee of experts recommended Sputnik V for use in India. This step would definitely contribute to the efforts of Indian govt to counter #COVID19 pandemic. We hope approval by the DCGI will be completed soon: Nikolay Kudashev, Russian Ambassador to India pic.twitter.com/I8POGs5czk

— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2021

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हेल्थ डेस्क के लिए आशीष रंजन की रिपोर्ट।

In an unprecedented move that would have big impact on future of engineers produced in the country, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made mathematics and physics at Class XII-level optional to get admissions to BE and B.Tech courses from 2021-22.

Students who are seeking admission into engineering colleges must have passed 10 + 2 with three of the following subjects:

• Physics
• Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Electronics
• Information Technology
• Biology
• Informatics Practices
• Biotechnology
• Technical Vocational Subject
• Agriculture
• Engineering Graphics
• Business Studies
• Entrepreneurship

In its handbook AICTE said that candidates will have to score 45 per cent marks, and 40 per cent if in reserved category, in the above subjects taken together. “The universities will offer suitable bridge courses such as mathematics, physics, engineering drawing for students coming from diverse backgrounds to achieve learning outcomes of the programme,” it said.

The move has proven to be a controversial one with many experts stating that physics and mathematics are absolute essentials for a course in engineering. Many experts have urged AICTE to reconsider its decision.

AICTE Chairman Anil D Sahasrabudhe told that the choice of three mandatory courses as input to engineering has been expanded. “Hence for different disciplines there could be different three mandatory courses,” he said. He said that this would give a lot of flexibility in line with National Education Policy but acknowledged that physics and math are important to understand engineering otherwise a lot of bridge courses would be required.

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Report Based On Inputs from News Agencies and handbook released by AICTE

The second phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive in India has begun. It aims to cover 10 crore people across the country. So far, more than 1.5 core people have received Covid-19 shots.
States and UTs have been asked to keep a vaccination scale-up plan ready which includes the granular weekly and fortnightly plans for scaling up the vaccination sites both within the government and private facilities and also the number of vaccine doses administered.

Eligibility

People who are above the age of 60 and people within the age bracket of 45 to 59 years with specified co-morbidities are allowed to take the Covid-19 vaccine shots.
The government has released a list of 20 comorbidities that are covered for vaccination.

Here’s the list of 20 comorbidities:

1. Heart failure with hospital admission in past one year
2. Post cardiac transplant/ Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
3. Significant Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVEF < 40%) 4. Moderate or Severe Valvular Heart Disease 5. Congenital heart disease with severe PAH or Idiopathic PAH 6. Coronary Artery Disease with past CABG/ PTCA/ MI and Hypertension/ Diabetes on treatment 7. Angina and Hypertension/ Diabetes treatment 8. CT/MRI documented stroke and Hypertension/Diabetes on treatment 9. Pulmonary artery hypertension and Hypertension/ Diabetes on treatment 10. Diabetes (>10 years or with complication) and Hypertension on treatment
11. Kidney/Liver/Hematopoietic stem cell transplant: Recipient/ On wait-list
12. End stage Kidney Disease on haemodialysis/ CAPD
13. Current prolonged use of oral corticosteroids/ immunosuppressant medications
14. Decompensated cirrhosis
15. Severe respiratory disease with hospitalisations in last two years/ FEVI <50%
16. Lymphoma/ Leukaemia/ Myeloma
17. Diagnosis of any solid cancer on or after July 1, 2020 or currently on any cancer therapy
18. Sickle Cell Disease/ Bone marrow failure/ Aplastic Anemia/ Thalassemia Major
19. Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases/ HIV infection
20. Persons with disabilities due to Intellectual disabilities/ Muscular Dystrophy/ Acid attack with involvement of respiratory system/ Persons with disabilities having high support needs/ Multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness.

Registration Process

Registration will open on 1st March-2021

Please convey below message to your parents and other senior citizen members.

How to register for COVID Vaccine for senior citizen

◐ Use Co-Win app, Aarogya Setu app or log on to cowin.gov.in

◐ Enter your mobile number

◐ Get an OTP to create your account

◐ Fill in your name, age, gender and upload an identity document

◐ If 45+, upload doctor’s certificate as comorbidity proof

◐ Choose centre, date

◐ Up to 4 appointments can be made by one mobile number

Other options are also available for senior citizens who are not tech-savvy.

They can go to common service centres and get themselves registered.

A call centre number – 1507 – can also be availed for the same.

 

JEE Main February 2021 is being conducted on February 23, 24, 25 & 26.
JEE Main Question Papers 2021 with Solutions- The memory-based questions of JEE Main 2021 paper 1 for the February 24 Shift 1 exam are now available.
Kindly click the attached pdf to access the question paper with solution.

click here to download:

24 Feb Shift 1

 

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Monday said that students will be asked questions in the upcoming board exams on the basis of the revised syllabus. Further, the minister said that engineering and medical entrance tests JEE Main 2021 and NEET 2021 will also be held on the basis of reduced syllabus.

“Those preparing for JEE Main and NEET have doubts in their minds as the syllabus for boards have been reduced. I can assure that you can study based on the revised syllabus and not be at a disadvantage as the JEE Main 2021 will have more options than usual and students who have studied the curtailed syllabus will find questions from the parts they have studied in it,” Nishank said during an interaction with teachers and students of Kendriya Vidyalaya.

"शिक्षा संवाद": Interacting with the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya. #EducationMinisterGoesLive @EduMinOfIndia @PIB_India @MIB_India @DDNewslive @KVS_HQ https://t.co/WZY780Kp9C

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) January 18, 2021

The JEE-Advanced test for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology is scheduled for July 3. The relaxation in admission requirement of 75 per cent marks in class 12 which was announced last year in view of COVID-19 pandemic will be offered this year as well.

For admissions to IITs, apart from qualifying the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Advanced, the candidates are required to secure either minimum 75 per cent marks in class 12 board exams or rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examinations.

While JEE-Main is conducted for admission to engineering colleges across the country, it is considered as a qualifying test for JEE-Advanced.

Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct board exams for classes 10 and 12 physically from May 4 to June 10. Practical examinations will be conducted by schools from March 1. The results of the board exams will be announced by July 15.

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With inputs from Times Of India and NDTV India

In a worrying development, 23 elderly people died within a short time of receiving their first coronavirus vaccine shots in Norway. However, there is no confirmation yet if there is direct correlation between the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 jab and these deaths.

Although a direct correlation between the Pfizer jab and these deaths is yet to be established, experts have said that 13 out of 23 people who died showed common side effects of mRNA vaccines such as diarrhea, nausea and fever.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has cautioned against vaccinating elderly people above 80 years of age saying those with a short life span may not benefit much from the jab. The Norwegian regulator further told Bloomberg, “For those with the most severe frailty, even relatively mild vaccine side effects can have serious consequences.”

Pfizer and BioNTech are working with the Norwegian authorities to investigate the deaths in Norway. According to Pfizer, the regulator discovered “the number of incidents so far is not alarming and in line with expectations”.

Experts are of the strong opinion that doctors need to exercise strong caution in vaccinating people in the wake of deaths of 23 elderly people. The Norwegian Medicines Agency said in a recent report that 21 women and 8 men reported side effects. Apart from the 23 deaths, nine people have reported serious side effects without fatal outcomes such as allergic reactions, strong discomfort and severe fever. Seven people reported less serious side effects such as severe pain at the injection site.

Meanwhile, Norway had administered at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccines to approximately 33,000 people by end of December.

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The US Capitol had to be locked down Wednesday with lawmakers inside as violent clashes broke out between supporters of President Donald Trump and the police. The US House of Representatives and Senate had met in a rare joint session to begin considering the certification of Electoral College results, that show Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump.

Trump, who continues to insist he will not concede, had said at a rally of his supports on Wednesday afternoon in Washington, “We will never give up.”

Hours later, according to the Associated Press, protesters tore down metal barricades at the bottom of the Capitol’s steps and were met by officers in riot gear.  Some tried to push past the officers, who held shields, and the police could be seen firing pepper spray into the crowd to keep them back, even as the crowd shouted, “traitors”.  A suspicious package was also reported in the area Capitol Police.

The violence soon moved inside the Capitol building, with reports of firing at the premises.

As the clashes broke out, Trump appealed for peace. “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!” he tweeted.

Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021

President-elect Joe Biden calls protest on Capitol Hill “an assault on the citadel of liberty” and “rule of law”. He further added that at this hour American democracy is under unprecedented assault, unlike anything we have seen in modern times.

WATCH: President-elect @JoeBiden calls protests on #CapitolHill "an assault on the citadel of liberty" and "rule of law"

"At this hour, our democracy's under unprecedented assault, unlike anything we've seen in modern times." pic.twitter.com/1QvdMMWltw

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 6, 2021

LATEST DEVELOPMENT

• The Senate stopped its proceedings with Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) interrupted by an aide who said protesters were in the building. The House doors also were closed. In a notification, U.S. Capitol Police said no entry or exit is permitted in the buildings within the Capitol Complex. “Stay away from exterior windows, doors. If outside, seek cover,” police said.
• A person was shot inside the U.S. Capitol after the mob breached the building, according to two people with knowledge of the incident. The circumstances were not immediately clear. One of those people said the person shot was receiving emergency care.
• The entire D.C. National Guard will be activated within hours. The rapid expansion of military involvement came after D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser requested that guardsmen already on duty be sent to the Capitol, said a defense official and a District official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
• Bowser (D) imposed a citywide curfew as a chaotic scene worsened at the U.S. Capitol building. From 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday, Bowser said no one other than essential personnel would be allowed outdoors in the city.

Videos of the clash from Capitol Hill:

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Report based on inputs from International Press Agencies.

Bird flu, a highly contagious viral disease caused by “influenza type A” virus which generally affects poultry birds such as chicken and turkey. There are different types of strains causing bird flu some are mild and some are severely affecting one which may lead to death of the bird.

Forest department officials said- “the source of bird flu was migratory birds which probably came from Commonwealth of Independent States(CIS) countries and have spread to native species”.

Around one lakh poultry birds are found dead due to it’s outbreak in Haryana. Meanwhile cases are being reported among wild geese in Himachal Pradesh, crows in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and ducks in Kerala. Around 3,400 migratory birds are found dead in Himachal Pradesh’s Pong Dam lake by the spread of H5N1 strain. The officials said that till now there’s no report of virus infecting humans there. Kangra district is under strict restrictions in the four subdivisions adjoining the wetland. Kangra’s Deputy Commissioner told that  in interest of protecting the health and safety of public at large, sale, purchase and expert of poultry, birds and fish is prohibited in Fatehpur, Dehra, Kawali and Indora subdivisions. “No movement of humans shall be allowed within a kilometer of Pong Dam or the alert zone except those related to managing the outbreak”, Prajapati said. He added that all agriculture or horticulture related activities are prohibited and staff are assigned to keep check on such activities.

Bird flu alert in Rajasthan has come up where 625 crows were found dead in around 16 of 33 districts which includes Kota and Baran districts too. Rajasthan animal husbandry minister said, ”The virus has not affected chicken or eggs but all precautions are taken, looking at the way it spreads among crows. But positive news is there that samples from Jodhpur have tested negative. Those from Jhalawar, Kota and Baran have tested positive ”. He added that the affected areas will be sanitized properly as it was done in the times of Covid-19. In Jhalawar and Pali district the infected area, prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is imposed. The government is also taking account of sealing the Madhya Pradesh border for poultry transportation.

The bird flu virus H5N8 has spread to 10 district (Indore, Mandsaur, Agar-Malwa, Khargone, Neemuch, Dewas, Ujjain, Shajapur, all in Malwa region; Sehore in central region and Guna in Gwalior- Chambal region) of Madhya Pradesh where about 500 crows have died since December 23. The director of the animal husbandry department said,” There is no sign of other birds including poultry having been infected by any sort of virus”. He even said that bird flu in poultry is H1N5. Dr. Shailesh Sakalle said a household survey is being done in the affected areas.

In Kerala about 20,000 ducks have died in the past one week. Animal husbandry department additional secretary Dr. Hari Kumar said 38,000 birds will be culled in Alappuzha and 8,000 in Kottayam. Poultry farmers are restricted for trading birds till further notice. He said that culling and burying birds will take at least three days. Poultry farmers are in stress and in need of at least minimal  compensation from the government.

States such as Uttarakhand, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra have issued advisories and have asked forest department officials to monitor the health of birds in and around water bodies. 

Central government too is in act of precaution, it has issued an alert and advisory for all forest officers to keep an eye on any unusual avian activities.

Dr. AK Kataria told that the virus strain H5N8 is not fatal for humans, only H5N1 is known, which can cause pneumonia. The strains which are considered to be highly affected are N1, N2, N5, N6 and N9. He even said that, ”The situation can be dealt with by opting required precautions such as burying dead birds three feet down and away from water sources”.

Unlike in birds, where it generally infects the gut, the avian influenza attacks the respiratory tract of humans and may cause severe respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Its early symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, and sometimes abdominal pain and diarrhoea. To prevent oneself from its effect we are advised to have no interaction with birds till this virus is sustaining into them.

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A report by Sneha

वर्तमान राजनीतिक परिदृश्य में, जहां किसान सिर्फ और सिर्फ एक चुनावी मुद्दा बन कर रह गया है, वहां किसान दिवस की क्या अहमियत रह जाती है यह बताना तो मुश्किल है लेकिन वर्तमान समय में भी उस व्यक्ति कि एक बार चर्चा करना तो अनिवार्य है जिसने किसान और उससे जुड़े मुद्दों को कागजी फाइलों से निकाल कर संसद से लेकर सड़क तक एक ज्वलंत मुद्दा बना दिया। वह नेता जो किसानों के दिल के इतना करीब था, उनके मुद्दों से इतना जुड़ा हुआ था कि उसके जन्मदिन को देश ने किसान दिवस के रूप में मनाना शुरू कर दिया, हम बात कर रहे है भारत के पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री और देश के खेत खलिहानों से निकल कर संसद तक का सफर करने वाले किसानों के प्रिये नेता, चौधरी चरण सिंह की। चौधरी चरण सिंह ही वह व्यक्ति थे जिन्होंने किसान के जुड़े मुद्दों पर खुल कर बोलना शुरू किया और इसे चंद फाइलों से निकाल कर देश के राजनीतिक पटल पर कुछ इस तरह स्थापित किया कि आज भी देश का राजनीति और चुनाव बिना इस चूल्हे में अपने वादों की रोटी सेके आगे नहीं बढ़ पाता। हालांकि इसी सिक्के का दूसरा पहलू ये भी है कि चरण सिंह ने इस मुद्दे को भले ही इसलिए मुख्य पर्दे पर लाया हो क्युकी वो उस परिवेश से भली भांति परिचित थे और अपने तरफ़ से किसानों के बेहतरी के लिए पूरा प्रयास भी किया हो लेकिन उनको इस बात का तनिक भी अंदाजा नहीं रहा होगा कि किसानों का यह मुद्दा आने वाले दिनों में राजनीतिक दलों के सत्ता के भूख को मिटाने वाली एक रोटी मात्र बन कर रह जाएगी। चरण सिंह एक कांग्रेसी थे लेकिन इसके बावजूद भी पंडित नेहरू से उनके कई मुद्दों पर मतभेद थे और वो खुल कर कहा करते थे कि पंडित जी को किसानों के वास्तविक हालत और जमीनी हकीकत का तनिक भी अंदाजा नहीं है। यही नहीं जब पंडित नेहरू ने देश में सहकारी खेती को बढ़ावा देने का विचार किया तो चरण सिंह उनके विरोध में उतरने वाले सबसे मुखर आवाज थे, पंडित नेहरू को भी उनके कद का अंदाजा था और उन्होंने भी अपने इस विचार को जाने दिया। चरण सिंह कि विचारधारा आरंभ से ही शोषित,गरीब, मजदूरों और किसानों के हित से जुड़ी थी और इसका एक बहुत बड़ा प्रमाण तब मिला जब 1952 में उन्होंने जमींदारी उन्मूलन विधेयक पारित किया, इससे नाराज होकर उस समय करीब 27000 पटवारियों ने इस्तीफा दे दिया, लेकिन चरण सिंह इससे घबराए नहीं, उन्होंने नए तरीके से पटवारियों कि भरती शुरू कि जिन्हें आज लेखपाल कहा जाता है, इसमें उन्होंने 18% सीट हरिजनों के लिए आरक्षित किया। चरण सिंह को देश भले ही एक मजबूत प्रधानमंत्री के रूप में याद न रखे लेकिन एक सशक्त किसान नेता कि उनकी छवि हमेशा बनी रहेगी। आज जब देश में किसान और सरकार आमने सामने खड़ी है ऐसे में किसानों को एक मजबूत नेतृत्व के लिए चरण सिंह कि कमी जरूर खल रही होगी, एक ऐसे नेता कि कमी जो अपने किसी भी व्यक्तिगत स्वार्थ को दरकिनार कर किसानों के मुद्दों और उनके हितों के लिए किसी भी चुनौती से टकराने का माद्दा रखता हो। देश में जब वर्तमान परिस्थिति ऐसी हो कि एक साल में (2019 में) देश ने 10,281 किसान आत्महत्या करता है, अर्थात प्रत्येक घंटे करीब 1 किसान, उनके मसलों को सिर्फ एक चुनावी मुद्दा से आगे बढ़ा कर मुखर रूप से देश के पटल पर रखने के लिए और उसके समाधान के लिए देश एक मजबूत किसान नेता के कमी को निश्चित ही महसूस कर रहा है।
देश कि संसद ने 20 सितंबर 2020 को 3 कृषि विधेयक को पारित किया जो अब कानून बन चुके हैं, देश के कई हिस्सों में इसका विरोध होना शुरू हुआ, इन कानूनों को लेकर दोनो तरफ़ से अपने अपने पक्ष रखे जा रहे हैं, सरकार का कहना है कि देश की तकरीबन 70% आबादी प्रत्यक्ष अथवा परोक्ष रूप से कृषि पर आर्थिक रूप से निर्भर है, इसके बाबजूद भी अर्थवयवस्था में कृषि का योगदान मात्र 16% है, अतः इसके योगदान को बढ़ाने के लिए एक ‘टोटल रिफॉर्म’ कि जरूरत है और ये सारे कानून इस दिशा में एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम है, वहीं किसान संगठन इन कानूनों से अपने लिए पैदा होने वाले संकटों को लेकर आंदोलन कर रहे है। यह आवश्यक है कि दोनों तरफ के बातों को समझा जाए और फिर यह निर्णय लिया जाए की किस पक्ष को किस मुद्दे पर बात करनी चाहिए और किस प्रकार इस गतिरोध को खत्म किया जाए।
(1)कृषि उपज व्यापार और वाणिज्य (संवर्धन और सरलीकरण) कानून, 2020—- यह कानून किसानों और व्यापारियों को अपना फसल APMC के मंडियों के बाहर देश के किसी भी कोने में बेचने को छूट देती है, बिना किसी रोक टोक के वे एक राज्य से दूसरे राज्य में जा कर अपना फसल बेच सकते हैं, किसानों के लाभ को बढ़ाने के लिए मार्केटिंग और ट्रांसपोर्ट खर्च को कम किया जाएगा, अगर किसान मंडी के बाहर फसलों को बेचता है तो उस पर कोई टैक्स नहीं लगेगा, किसान बिना किसी बिचौलिए के अपना फसल बेच सकते हैं, मंडियों के इतर किसान अपना फसल सीधे कोल्ड स्टोरेज, वेयरहाउस अथवा प्रोसेसिंग यूनिट वालों को बेच सकते है तथा इलेक्ट्रॉनिक व्यापार को बढ़ाने के लिए एक सुविधाजनक ढांचा का विकास किया जाएगा।
(2)कृषक (सशक्तिकरण व संरक्षण) कीमत आश्वासन और कृषि सेवा पर करार कानून, 2020—- यह कानून देश में कॉन्ट्रैक्ट फार्मिंग को बढ़ावा देने के लिए एक बेहतर और राष्ट्रीय स्तर कि प्रणाली बनाए जाने कि बात करता है, इसके तहत छोटे किसान भी किसी बड़े निर्यातक, व्यापारी, फार्म अथवा कोल्ड स्टोरेज वालों से कॉन्ट्रैक्ट लेकर कृषि कर सकते है जिसमे उनके फसल कि कीमत पहले से ही निर्धारित होगी, फसल कि कीमत बढ़ने कि परिस्थिति में किसान को भुगतान नए बढ़े हुए कीमतों पर किया जाएगा, इस प्रकार किसान बाजार के अनिश्चितता के खतरो से बाहर रहेगा और उसे बीज कि आपूर्ति, तकनीकी मदद और फसल बीमा इत्यादि आसानी से प्राप्त होगी। इसके अतिरिक्त किसी भी तरह के विवाद को 30 दिनों के भीतर SDM के द्वारा हल किए जाने कि व्यवस्था कि गई है और साथ ही कृषक उत्पाद समूह (FPO) का निर्माण किया जाएगा जो छोटे किसानों के हितों की रक्षा करेगा।
(3) आवश्यक वस्तु (संशोधन) कानून, 2020—- इस कानून के मदद से अनाज, दलहन, तेलहन, खाद्य तेल, आलू और प्याज को युद्ध, प्राकृतिक आपदा, दामों में अत्यधिक वृद्धि जैसी आपातकालीन स्थिति को छोड़ कर कभी भी मनचाही मात्रा में भंडारित किया जा सकेगा अर्थात अब इन सब को आवश्यक वस्तुओं के सूची से बाहर कर दिया गया है। सरकार का कहना है कि इससे कृषि के आधारभूत ढांचे में निवेश बढ़ेगा, एक बेहतर बाजार का विकास होगा जिससे खाद्य वस्तुओं के बर्बादी को कम किया जा सकेगा।
ये तीनों ही कानून अपने आप में बेहतर मालूम पड़ते है और ऐसा लगता है कि कृषि क्षेत्र के आधारभूत संरचनाओं में परिवर्तन के लिए बेहतर साबित होंगे, लेकिन ऐसे में यह सवाल उठता है कि आखिर इन कानूनों का विरोध क्यों किया जा रहा है, ऐसे में तीनों कानूनों को लेकर किसान संगठनों के बीच जो डर है उन्हे समझना भी आवश्यक है, अतः यहां हम एक एक करके तीनों कानून को लेकर किसानों के रोष का कारण जानने का प्रयास करेंगे।

कृषि उपज व्यापार और वाणिज्य (संवर्धन और सरलीकरण) कानून, 2020

वर्तमान में FCI राज्य सरकार के साथ मिल कर बिचौलियों के मदद से मंडिया लगता है जहां किसान न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य पर अपना फसल बेचता है। सरकार फसल कटने से पहले CACP के सिफारिश पर न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य (MSP) कि घोषणा करती है, हालाकि सिर्फ 6% किसान ही अपना फसल MSP पर बेच पाते है। किसानों का कहना है कि नए कानून के आने से APMC कि मंडी बंद हो जाएगी और न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य भी खत्म कर दिया जाएगा। बाजार में निजी कंपनियों के आने से शुरुआत में तो किसानों को फायदा होगा लेकिन कुछ समय बाद बाजार पर निजी कंपनियों का ही एकाधिकार हो जाएगा और वो अपनी मनमानी शर्तों पर बाजार चलाएंगे। किसानों का यह डर वाजिब इस कारण भी प्रतीत होता है क्युकी जब बाजार में निजी कंपनी आएगी तो वो बड़ी कीमतों पर फसल खरीदेगी और ऐसे में कोई भी किसान मंडी में अनाज नहीं बेचेगा जिससे मंडी व्यवस्था धीरे धीरे कमजोर होगी और अंत में उसका हाल वहीं हो जाएगा तो निजी टेलीकॉम कंपनियों के आने से बीएसएनएल का हो गया। वैसी परिस्थिति में बाजार निजी कंपनियों के द्वारा नियंत्रित किया जाएगा और वो मनमानी कीमतों पर फसल खरीद करेंगे। चुकी मंडी में बेचने पर टैक्स लगता है और नए कानून के मुताबिक बाहर बेचने पर टैक्स नहीं लगेगा, इसलिए सब कोई अपना फसल मंडी के बाहर ही बेचेंगे जिससे मंडियों का ढांचा कमजोर होगा और ये बंद होने के कगार पर पहुंच जाएगी। नए कानून में एमएसपी का जिक्र ना होने से किसान घबराए हुए है, हालाकि यह सच है कि एमएसपी कभी भी कानून नहीं था, सरकार स्वामीनाथन आयोग के सिफारिशों के अनुसार हर साल एमएसपी की घोषणा करती है, अब किसान चाहते हैं कि एमएसपी को लेकर कानून बनाया जाए जिससे ये सुनिश्चित हो सके कि निजी कंपनियां अपने मनमानी कीमतों पर फसल ना खरीद पाए।

कृषक (सशक्तिकरण व संरक्षण) कीमत आश्वासन और कृषि सेवा पर करार कानून, 2020

इस कानून को लाकर कॉन्ट्रैक्ट फार्मिंग को बढ़ावा देने कि बात कि गई है लेकिन किसानों का कहना है कि छोटे किसान,जिनकी संख्या भारत के कुल किसानों का लगभग 85% है, ये किसान प्रायोजकों से बात चीत करने में, अपनी राय रखने में तथा फसलों के खरीद बिक्री पर चर्चा करने में कमजोर होंगे, उनका ये भी कहना है कि बड़ी कंपनियां शायद छोटे किसानों को तबज्जों ना दे और चुकी मंडी बंद होने का डर उन्हें है ही, ऐसे में छोटे किसानों के पास अपनी फसल कम कीमत पर या यूं कहे कि कंपनियों के शर्तों पर बेचने के अलावा और कोई रास्ता नहीं होगा, साथ ही किसी भी तरह के विवाद के परिदृश्य में किसानों के मुकाबले प्रायोजक मजबूत स्थिति में होंगे। चुकी विवादों के निपटारे के लिए एसडीएम के पास शिकायत करने का विकल्प दिया गया है लेकिन किसानों को डर है कि ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में बड़ी कंपनियां और अधिकारी आपस में मिली भगत करके किसानों के हक को दवा सकते है ऐसे में विवादों के निपटारे का कोई ठोस विकल्प किसानों के सामने नहीं सूझता है।

 आवश्यक वस्तु (संशोधन) कानून, 2020

इस कानून के मदद से अनाज, दलहन, तेलहन, खाद्य तेल, आलू और प्याज जैसी वस्तुओं को आवश्यक वस्तुओं के सूची से बाहर रखा गया है और सामान्य दिनों में इनका अब किसी भी हद तक भंडारण किया जा सकता है, अब ऐसे में कंपनियां, कोल्ड स्टोरेज या वेयरहाउस वाले लोग बाजार को अपने हिसाब से नियंत्रित करेंगे, साधारण सी बात है जो बाजार पर नियंत्रण रखेगा वो दाम पर नियंत्रण करेगा, मनचाही भंडारण के सूरत में किसानों को कम कीमत पर फसल बेचने पर मजबूर किया जा सकता है साथ है बाजार में उन्ही सामानों को मनचाही कीमतों पर बेचा जा सकता है।
कई जगहों पर ऐसा कहा जा रहा है कि इन कानूनों का विरोध कुछ चुनिद्दा राज्यों में ही क्यों हो रहा है, उसका कारण यह है कि पंजाब, हरियाणा, राजस्थान ये अब वैसे राज्य है जहां ज्यादातर किसान एमएसपी की कीमतों पर सरकारी मंडी में जा कर अनाज बेचते है, अतः उन्हें एमएसपी और मंडी का डर सबसे ज्यादा है और वे मुखर रूप से इसका विरोध कर रहे हैं। बिहार में इन मंडियो को खत्म करने से उत्पन्न दुष्परिणाम देश के सामने है, दूसरे राज्य के किसानों को भी ऐसा ही डर सता रहा है और इसी कारण से ये लोग तीनों कृषि कानूनों को वापस लेने, एमएसपी के ऊपर कानून बनाए जाने, स्वामीनाथन आयोग के सिफारिश को पूरी तरह से लागू करने, एनसीआर और उससे जुड़े क्षेत्रों में एयर क्वालिटी मैनेजमेंट से जुड़े अध्यादेश को रद्द करने, कृषि कार्यों में उपयोग होने वाले डीजल के दाम में 50% कि कटौती करने आदि मांगो को लेकर देश भर में और विशेष कर दिल्ली से सटे सिंघू बॉर्डर पर आंदोलन कर रहे हैं।
किसानों के आंदोलन के जवाब में सरकार के तरफ से कई तरह कि सफाई दी गई और बातचीत भी कि गई लेकिन अभी तक सभी कोशिश नाकाम ही साबित हुई है। सरकार का कहना है कि एमएसपी जारी रहेगी और इसके उपर वो लिखित में देने को भी तैयार है साथ कि एपीएमसी कि मंडी भी लगती रहती और किसान अगर चाहे तो एमएसपी पर अपनी फसल मंडी में भी बेच सकते है, नए कानून सिर्फ किसानों को अपना फसल बेचने के लिए नए रास्ते प्रदान करता है, इससे मंडिया बंद नहीं होगी। इसके साथ ही सरकार का कहना है कि कॉन्ट्रैक्ट फार्मिंग के सूरत में किसान फसल कि कीमत अपने अनुसार बिना किसी दवाब के तय करेगा और पैसों का भुगतान उसे 3 दिन के भीतर हो जाएगा, साथ ही छोटे किसानों के हितों के रक्षा के लिए किसान संगठनों का निर्माण भी किया जाएगा, इसके अतिरिक्त फसल खरीदने वाली कंपनियां खुद खेतों से फसल ले जाएगी किसानों को किसी भी प्रकार का का खर्च यातायात के साधनों में नहीं करना पड़ेगा और किसी भी प्रकार के विवाद के निपटारे के लिए स्थानीय स्तर पर पारदर्शी ढांचा का विकास किया जाएगा। हालांकि सरकार के इन वादों के बावजूद किसान संगठन अपनी मांग छोड़ने को राजी नहीं है और मजबूती से अपने मांगो को लेकर आंदोलन में डटे हुए हैं।
ऐसा नहीं है कि इस प्रकार के कृषि कानून देश में पहली बार लाए गए है, इससे पहले साल 2017 में भी एक इसी तरह का कृषि कानून लाया गया था जिसमें साल 2022 तक किसानों कि आय दो गुनी करने के लक्ष्य से कई तरह के प्रावधान किए गए थे। लेकिन ऐसे में बड़ा सवाल यह है कि आखिर इन नए कृषि कानूनों में ऐसा क्या हो गया कि अन्नदाता आज अपनी मांग को दिन रात एक कर के सड़क पर बैठा है। वह किसान जो चुनावी मौसम में एक ऐसा घोड़ा होता है जिस पर सवार हो कर हर कोई अपनी राजनीतिक महतवाकांक्षा कि रेस को जितना चाहता है, आज उसकी आवाज को दिल्ली के कानों तक पहुंच क्यों नहीं रही है? आखिर क्यों उसका भरोसा अपनी ही चुनी हुई सरकार और उसी सरकार द्वारा किसानों के हित कि बात कहकर लाए गए कानून पर नहीं है? यह निश्चित तौर पर सरकार और किसानों के बीच संचार कि कमी का परिणाम है। यह तय करने का वक्त नहीं है कि कौन अपने जगह कितना सही और कितना गलत है, यह समय है जल्द से जल्द किसानों और सरकार के बीच टूट चुकी भरोसे के बांध को फिर से खड़ा करने कि जो कि लगातार बातचीत से ही संभव है। यह बेहद आवश्यक है कि अन्नदाता और सरकार के बीच विश्वास कि डोर बंधी रहे। किसान अपने खेत में हल पकड़े ही अच्छा लगता है, दिल्ली कि सड़कों पर अपनी मांग के लिए हाथ उठाया हुआ बिल्कुल भी नहीं। सरकार जितनी जल्दी इनका विश्वास, भरोसा,यकीन जीत कर और आवश्यक कदम उठा कर इन्हे इनकी खेतों के तरफ भेज दे, देश के लिए उतना ही अच्छा होगा, बाकी चुनाव आते ही किसान हितों के बात कि चूल्हा तो फिर से गर्म होगी ही और आज किसानों के बिरयानी खाने से जिनको दिक्कत है वो भी और जिनको नहीं है वो भी, दोनों अपनी भूख मिटाने के लिए राजनीति कि रोटी इसी चूल्हे में सेकेंगे। बाकी हमारे और आपके लिए ये बेहद आवश्यक है कि हम अपनी भूमिका तय करे और इस पूरे प्रकरण में अपने आप को कहां खरा पाते है ये सुनिश्चित करे, इसलिए नहीं कि आज किसान दिवस है, इसलिए कि हमारे और आपके शरीर का एक एक बूंद खून इन किसानों के पसीनों से बना है। यह आवश्यक नहीं है कि सभी मुद्दों पर हम किसान के साथ खड़े हो या फिर सभी मुद्दों पर सरकार के साथ खड़े हो, आवश्यक ये है कि हम हितों के रक्षा में और सच के साथ हमेशा खड़े रहे।
जय जवान ! जय किसान !

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Report By: Devesh Kumar

National Mathematics Day is celebrated on December 22 to commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. For the budding mathematicians of the country, who want to pursue the field but are unable to continue their higher education due to lack of funds, here is a list of institutes and organisations which offer scholarships and fellowships for students aspiring to make a career in mathematics.

Institute of Mathematical Sciences

It provides doctoral, postdoctoral fellowships for undergraduate, and postgraduate students. The junior research fellowships are awarded to PhD students. The fellowships include a month-long stipend ranging from Rs 25,000 to 28,000. While, for post-doctoral fellowships, the stipend varies between Rs 30,000 to 40,000 a month.

For both junior research, postdoctoral fellowships, applicants need to have a PhD. The fellowships are awarded for up to five years, the duration can be extended based on the candidate’s performance. The candidates are selected through a written test and interview.

Chennai Mathematical Institute

It offers a scholarship programme for its undergraduate programme. The candidates’ eligibility will be reviewed every semester and renewal of scholarship will depend on their academic performance.

The students eligible for a full scholarship will get a waiver on tuition fees and a monthly allowance of Rs 4000, while a half scholarship will consist of tuition fees being waived. Meanwhile, all students will receive an additional monthly scholarship of Rs 1000.

Indian Statistical Institute

It offers six months research fellowships at the postgraduate and postdoctoral levels. The candidates in their first and second year will get a stipend of Rs 16,000 while Rs 18,000 in the subsequent years. The candidates with a postgraduate degree in statistics, mathematics, electronics, computer science can apply for the programme. The interested candidates can mail their applications at scc@isical.ac.in.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bangalore)

It offers an integral PhD programme in mathematical sciences. The fellowship amount offered varied between Rs 16,000 to 35,000 as per the merit of the students. Apart from it, the institute offered fellowships of Rs 31,000 to 35,000 to PhD students, Rs 12,400 to MTech, MTech (residential), MDes programme students. The institute also provides government scholarships, fellowships for selected students who are GATE/JEST/JAM and ME/MTech/MSc (Engg) qualified.

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)

The Centre For Applicable Mathematics, TIFR has an integrated PhD programme in mathematics, among other doctoral programme. For the integrated PhD programme, the eligible students receive a monthly fellowship of Rs 21,000, while fellowships between Rs 31,000 to 35,000 for other PhD students. The fellowship students also get accommodation facilities. The admission process usually commences in August every year.

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With inputs from The Indian Express

 

Is it real?

According to the general theory of relativity by Albert Einstein, gravity is nothing more than an imagination or illusion defined by us. Let’s debunk the theories or prove ourselves wrong in this piece of writing. Albert Einstein once said that one of his most satisfying works was his thought of the man falling off of a roof (he was not a sadist though). His observations were quirky and appealing. He observed that when a man is falling from the roof, he wouldn’t feel his own weight and that while falling if he drops something that he was holding or observed something that was falling along with him, the items would be stationary with respect to him and that they will fall with same the speed as the man.

Seeing it the way Einstein saw it

Try imagining that you were in a space shuttle in the outer space. Since there is no noticeable gravity there, you will feel weightless ,and anything that you exert force on will continue to move with a uniform with velocity in a straight line indefinitely.

The fun fact is that you will perfectly suffice the soul boundaries of inertial observer, i.e.

• No acceleration
• No gravitational field
• All the laws of physics are applicable

Hence, no way to distinguish your inertial frame from any other. Here comes the climax. Einstein saw these two scenarios to be exactly the same, not only equivalent on papers, but also in physical terms. Stating this, he said that man falling from roof is under no gravitational field and that there is no gravitational field! He said that the man is not accelerating and that he is an inertial observer like the man in outer space.

Woah, what?

Wait, hold up! Are you crazy boy? The man is clearly falling from roof under the influence of gravity and that he is accelerating with 9.8 m/s². With every second passing by, the man would crash harder into the ground, making him realize that things like gravity are real!

I know that these two scenarios might seem way different, but Einstein’ Equivalence Principle points out the portion we need to look out for- The Experience Of The Observer. It is the restatement of the fact that if they feel weightless, then they surely are in the inertial frame of reference.

Now, let’s say that the space shuttle (which we talked about earlier) comes near a planet or any such planetary mass (with appropriate mass). The straight path of the rocket would be disturbed and it will change its course slightly towards the planet. The fun fact is that for the man inside there is no force experienced by him even though the shuttle would be moving with an increasing velocity as it moves closer to the planet. The man in it would be unconscious of this fact. The man still feels ‘weightless’ and for him there is nothing erratic about the journey. Even the accelerometer wouldn’t budge a bar and that the man wouldn’t notice until he crashes onto the planet (his frame is inertial up to the point he crashes). So, can you tell when the switch of frame from inertial to non-inertial happened.

But wait… So

How do you explain the deviation of path in first place?

Are you out of your brain cells? The rocket obviously swayed from its path due the gravitational field of the planet. (or not… maybe… let’s see.)

Here comes the fun, Einstein once explained the phenomena of ‘curved space-time’.  Initially, let’s concentrate on what the man in space shuttle felt – movement with constant velocity in a straight line. As he went nearer to the planet, the path curved, or did it? The crux lies in the fact that he was still in a straight line of the space-time plot, and that near such masses, the space-time graph is curved.

This is the sole reason his path appeared curved to a distant observer.

As Quirky as it could get

You can imagine it in an easier way. The plane tries to accomplish the journey with the shortest route possible, moving in straight line on the globe, but since our planet is a sphere (I know it’s geoid, but let’s keep it simple here), the path appears to be curved when seen on a 2-D representation of earth (basically on world map, written in a complex way to make the article seem nicer.)

These curved paths are called ‘Geodesics’, and the same notation is used to name the curved path followed by the shuttle in the inertial frame of reference. Imagine another scenario. You and your friends, who are 1000km apart in equator travel to north pole in a straight line.

You both will eventually bump into each other at north pole, coming closer as if there was a force acting on you, but you didn’t feel it at all. Gravity is analogous to that force. It doesn’t actually exist!

People think that the bent sheet experiment can explain the special theory of relativity, but it is pretty much misleading instead. It makes us resemble a lighter body falling in the space-time well created by a heavier body, but what we should be thinking is a bit different. It is due to the fact that the space-time is curved around heavy masses that the body starts moving circularly, and not because it is falling into the well.

The quotes by John Wheeler best define the situation, “Matter tells Space-Time how to curve, and the Space-Time tells matter how to move.”

Going Shallow:

Imagine the space shuttle once again. Let’s say that the shuttle starts acceleration with an acceleration of 10m/s². To a distant observer it would seem as if the floor of the shuttle is accelerating into the objects inside it which would presumably be stationary to the observer. Different is the case with the one inside, the observer inside the shuttle would feel a force against that accelerating floor. Isn’t it similar to what we feel on earth? Let me tell you the answer… it is.

As a reader, do you believe that you are an inertial observer, or that you are in an inertial frame of reference? No. The situation you face, or I face is pretty much like the one faced by an observer on that accelerating shuttle, and by pretty much alike, I mean exactly the same, gravity doesn’t exist and you are or we are accelerating! Wrap your head around as it is going to get even crazier.

What The Force!

According to the Newtonian Physics, each body faces an equal and opposite normal force in reaction to the one applied by the gravitational acceleration. The theory of special relativity defies it. According to theory of relativity, there is no such force by the gravity and that there is only a normal, which accelerate you upwards. But I am not moving up or going anywhere around? So, let’s say for a moment that you were moving around due to this acceleration, but relative to what? Everything else around you, say table, fan, floor etc. are in the same frame of reference and that is not inertial. (Relative to everything in the train, you are not accelerating while sitting in it.) So who can see this acceleration? Remember that guy who was falling from the roof, he was in the inertial frame of reference and he could see you moving up with an acceleration of 10 m/s².

So if everything is moving up with us, am I implying that the earth is expanding? No, absolutely not. Here comes the theory of relativity to fill the loop-holes, according to which, it is possible that you can accelerate without changing your spatial co-ordinates. According to the double derivative equation of position for space-time, you need to accelerate, just to stand still in curved space-time.

All of this must be mind boggling, and yes Newtonian physics is easier, but this theory of relativity can explain one of the most basic questions that why all objects fall with the same rate. The way of understanding this was that the gravitational force equals the external force (force = mass*acceleration).

This way we cancel out the mass of the body from both sides of the equation as you can see and the accelerations remains the same. The twisting thing here is that the mass on the left side of the equation, is the gravitational mass (mass that leads to the experience of a gravitational field), while on the right is the inertial mass, then why these two conceptually different properties are numerically equal.

With years of experimenting, scientists have proven that these two types of mass are really the same. Here is the thing about the general relativity theory, there are no such mysteries, all the things fall the same way because they are just following a straight line in the space time and not accelerating.

Einstein really had something wrong in his head. This was as much shocking in 1915 as it is to you guys now. Being a super-human as he was, he came up with a measurable prediction to prove his works. He claimed that if we shone a lit ray from one end of the shuttle to the another (while shuttle was accelerating), the light must bend (the photon leaving at this instant would reach after a certain time to the other end, making up to only the lower point on the other side, hence not a straight line). Although this observation was really microscopic, but it baffled scientists. This showed that an accelerating frame of reference will bend light! Pretty cool, isn’t it ?

So, Einstein reasoned that light must also bend while it passes a large mass. Does it ring any bell? (supposedly with the name ‘black hole’ it might) Well we can talk about it in the next article.

What’s Next with theory of relativity?

The theory of relativity has answered almost all the virtually asked questions, but there are some which haven’t been answered, which aren’t yet logistically feasible to carry out. Let’s talk about one, and let others know in the comments what you think (who knows, maybe you are the one to crack this later). We know that accelerating charges radiate electromagnetic radiation. So here is one conceptually simpler test – comparing the behavior of a stationary in a gravitational field to a free-falling one. According to the theory of relativity, the free-falling charge is moving in a straight line and hence, no acceleration is there; while the one that is stationary must be acceleration to be standing still, and hence it must radiate radiation. So, what do you think will radiate electromagnetic radiation, the stationary one or the free falling one?

So, what do you think? Is gravity an illusion?

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Report By: Sashit Vijay

The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday made 10 years of medical service mandatory for post-graduation medical students in the state health department. Anyone failing to complete the mandatory service period and leaving the service would be fined Rs 1 crore.

The announcement was made by Principal Secretary (Health), UP, Amit Mohan Prasad on Saturday. Declaring that if PG medical students in the state drop out of the government job before completing 10 years, they will be fined Rs 1 crore, Amit Mohan Prasad also said that such students will be debarred from the course for the next three years.

UP Government mandates 10 years of service in the department for medical students undergoing Post graduation course in the state. Anyone failing to do so has to pay a fine amount of Rs 1 crore: Amit Mohan Prasad, Principal Health Secretary

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 12, 2020

According to reports, this decision by the Uttar Pradesh government was taken to deal with the shortage of specialist doctors in state-run hospitals and medical establishments.

Moreover, with the present order, those MBBS doctors who have been serving in rural areas for a year would be given a weightage of 10 marks in NEET for PG courses. Similarly, those who are serving for two years in rural areas would get a weightage of 20 marks and those who have completed three years of service in rural areas would get a benefit of 30 marks. These doctors would also be allowed to take admission in any diploma along with a PG course.

In 2018, the Uttar Pradesh government had introduced two years Compulsory Rural Service Bond also in medical courses.

As per the guidelines, MBBS/BDS students must fill a designated bond of Rs 10 lakh, MD/MS students Rs 40 lakh, PG Diploma/MDS students Rs 20 Lakh, and DM/MCh students Rs 1 crore, in case any medical student acts contrary to the bond.

This rule was passed in compliance with the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill which was passed to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body.

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Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. (CDEL) on 7th December, 2020 said Malvika Hegde, wife of late founder V G Siddhartha, has been appointed as the company’s CEO and will be in effect from December 31, 2020.

Siddhartha was found dead in August 19 and since then the group has been facing pressure to repay the debts of Rs 3,535 crore. Siddhartha was one of the biggest names in the coffee industry and his Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Co. Ltd and Coffee Day Global Ltd had provided jobs for over 100,000 people directly and indirectly. But rising debt and alleged harassment by income tax officials forced the 59-year old to take his own life last July that sent the company he founded into a downward spiral.

Malvika Hegde was a non executive director of the company before being appointed Chief Executive Officer. She joined the board of company in July and in a letter to the company she wrote that she will be preserving the future of company. She further addressed “We will work to reduce the debt to a manageable level by selling a few more investments as I am committed to the company’s future”. She is a graduate from university of Bengaluru in engineering and will now be incharge for at least five years. How can we miss the appreciation she deserves here? She has managed to reduce the debt even during lockdown and the CDEL group with full trust and confidence is now relying on Mrs Malvika Hegde to further reduce the debts and bring back the company on track.
In the regulatory filing Company said C. H. Vasudhara Devi, Giri Devanur and Mohan Raghavendra Kondi have been appointed as additional directors in the capacity of Non-Executive Independent Directors from 31 December 2020 up till 30 December 2025 subject to the approval of shareholders.

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Report by Avantika Gurjar

Siddhant Batra, an 18-year-old student who is from Agra had scored an all India rank of 270 at JEE. He lost his seat for a B.Tech Electrical Engineering course at IIT Bombay by inadvertently clicking on a wrong link which was meant for withdrawing the application. SC came to the rescue of the student on Wednesday by permitting him to join and pursue his classes.

A bench headed by Justice S.K. Kaul took note of the submissions of lawyer Pralhad Paranjpe on behalf of the student and asked the IIT Bombay to grant provisional admission to him.

The bench of judges comprising of Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Hrishikesh Roy, said, “There is something known as common sense too, why would a meritorious student who had already got admission want to cancel it?” Justice Kaul also said, “All three of us have discussed. We are all in ad idem (meeting of minds)”.

They issued a notice to the institution and fixed the plea of Siddhant for hearing after winter break. Paranjpe said the admission would be subject to the final decision of the apex court on the plea of the student.

The plea was filed in the apex court after the Bombay High Court consisting of a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni on 23 November dismissed it. It cited the submissions of the IIT to restore his seat saying it cannot intervene at this stage as all the seats for the course were full and they had to follow admission rules. It also said that Siddhant could apply again next year for JEE (Advanced).

In his petition to the SC, Batra had sought a direction to the IIT to consider his case on humanitarian grounds. He mentioned how he had lost his father and his mother too, and he worked hard to eliminate all the obstacles to earn this seat only to lose it to a wrong click!

He requested the creation of an additional seat to undo his loss.

According to the plea filed by him through advocate Pralhad Paranjpe, to the top court focused, while filling out the admission process online, he came upon a page with ‘freeze’ option, which he thought meant confirming the seat and the completion of his admission process. The petition said, “On October 31, 2020, when he was surfing the IIT portal to check for further updates, he came upon a link which carried a declaration that read ‘I would like to withdraw from the seat allocation process of JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority)’.”

When the final list of students was uploaded on the IIT portal, in November 2020, his name was excluded. The IIT, in its order, however, said the withdrawal option was a “conscious” two-step process. Sonal Jain, the IIT counsel said, Batra had frozen his seat which as per rules alone indicated that he didn’t want to proceed for further rounds. He quoted rules of business for the admission process which said candidates who want to withdraw before the final round can do so and the ‘seat acceptance fee’ gets refunded, adding that once a candidate has withdrawn then his or her seat stands cancelled.

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A blog by Ruqayya Asif

1971 का साल था।
बांग्लादेश यानी तब के पूर्वी पाकिस्तान में पश्चिमी पाकिस्तान के हुक्मरानों के आदेश पर भीषण नरसंहार जारी था, मुक्ति वाहिनी भारतीय सेनाओं के अप्रत्यक्ष सहयोग के साथ पाकिस्तान के रक्तरंजित इरादों का जवाब देने में लगी हुई थी। बांग्लादेश को पाकिस्तान के चंगुल से आजाद कराने को कृतसंकल्पित तब की इंदिरा गांधी सरकार ने भारतीय सेनाओं को युद्ध के लिए तैयार रहने के निर्देश दे दिए थे। युद्ध का ऐलान किसी भी वक़्त हो सकता था। इसी बीच पाकिस्तान सेना के नियंत्रकों को इनपुट मिली कि भारत ने अपने पूर्वी सीमा पर फौजी ताकत बढ़ा रखी है, ऐसे में पश्चिमी सीमा पर कम सैन्य शक्ति होने का अनुमान था। और इसी अनुमान के दम पर पाकिस्तान ने 3 दिसम्बर 1971 के दोपहर भारत के कई एयरबेसों पर हवाई हमला कर दिया। पाकिस्तानी एयरफोर्स ने इसे ‘ऑपरेशन चंगेज खां’ नाम दिया और तीन अलग-अलग फॉर्मेशन में पाकिस्तान के कुल 51 बमवर्षक विमानों ने भारतीय वायु सीमा में प्रवेश किया। अमृतसर, अंबाला, आगरा, अवंतिपुर, बीकानेर, हलवारा, जोधपुर, जैसलमेर, पठानकोट, भुज, उतरलाई और श्रीनगर के एयरबेसों के साथ-साथ अमृतसर और फ़रीदकोट के डिफेंस रडार इंस्टालेशन्स को भी निशाना बनाया गया। हालांकि बिना प्लानिंग और सटीकता के किये गए इस हमले में भारत के कुछ एयरफील्डस को ही नुकसान पहुंचा, जिसे उसी रात ठीक कर लिया गया।

इस कायराना हमले को भारत की सरकार ने ‘एक्ट ऑफ वॉर’ माना और उसी शाम प्रधानमंत्री इंदिरा गांधी ने रेडियो पर देश के नाम अपने संदेश में युद्ध के ऐलान
पर मुहर लगा दी। 3 दिसम्बर की देर रात ही भारतीय एयरफोर्स ने इस हमले का मुंहतोड़ जवाब दिया।

भारतीय नौसेना (Indian Navy) का हमला

तीन दिसंबर की दोपहर हुए हवाई हमले के बाद भारत ने बेहद आक्रमक रुख अख्तियार कर लिया। इसी कड़ी में दिल्ली स्थित भारतीय नौसेना मुख्यालय और पश्चिमी नेवल कमांड ने मिलकर पाकिस्तान के करांची बंदरगाह पर हमले की योजना बनाई। और इसी के साथ शुरू हुआ ऑपरेशन ट्राइडेंट।

ऑपरेशन ट्राइडेंट (Operation Trident)

भारत की ओर से हमले का नेतृत्व कर रहे थे कमांडर बबरु भान यादव और नेवी के इस ’25वीं मिसाइल बोट स्क्वाडरन’ के मारक दस्ते में शामिल थीं तीन विद्युत-क्लास मिसाइल बोट। सोवियत में बने SS-N-2B स्टिक्स सतह से सतह पर मार करने वाली मिसाइलों से लैश आईएनएस निपात, आईएनएस निर्घट और आईएनएस वीर नाम की इन तीन मिसाइल बोटों को एस्कोर्ट करने की जिम्मेदारी थी आईएएनएस किल्टन और आईएनएस कत्चल नाम की दो अर्नाला-क्लास एंटी-पनडुब्बी जंगी जहाजो पर। इस बेड़े में आखिरी जहाज था फ्लीट टैंकर आईएनएस पोषक। 4 दिसम्बर को दिन में ही ये जंगी बेड़ा कराची एयरपोर्ट से 250 नॉटिकल मिल यानी 460 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर पहुंच चुका था। पाकिस्तानी के सर्विलांस रेंज से दूर और पाकिस्तानी एयरफोर्स के बमवर्षकों के रात में हमला करने में सक्षम न होने की जानकारी से लैश भारतीय खेमा दिन ढ़लने का इंतजार कर रहा था।

शाम होते ही भारतीय विध्वंसकों ने अपनी पोजिशन ले ली और पाकिस्तानी समयानुसार रात ठीक 10 बजकर 45 मिनट पर आईएनएस निर्घट ने पाकिस्तानी बैटल क्लास डिस्ट्रॉयर जहाज पीएनएस खैबर पर पहली स्टिक्स मिसाइल दाग दी। पाकिस्तानी जहाज के सिस्टम ने इसे हवाई हमला समझ कर अपना एंटी एयरक्राफ्ट डिफेंस सिस्टम डिप्लॉय किया पर तब तक देर हो चुकी थी। थोड़ी ही देर में निर्घट ने इस जहाज पर दूसरी मिसाइल दागी जिसके इंपैक्ट के कुछ देर बाद ही ख़ैबर समंदर के गहराइयों में समा गया।

उधर आईएनएस निपात ने पाकिस्तानी सेना के लिए विस्फोटक ले जा रही कार्गो शिप एमवी वीनस चैलेंजर और उसकी एस्कॉर्ट सी-क्लास डिस्ट्रॉयर पीएनएस शाह जहां को निशाना बनाया। आईएनएस वीर ने पाकिस्तानी नौसेना के माइनस्वीपर पीएनएस मुहाफ़िज़ पर इतना सटीक हमला किया कि वो नेवल हेडक्वार्टर को आपातकालीन सिग्नल भेजने के पहले ही डूब गया।

भारतीय नौसेना यहीं नही रुकी, आईएनएस निपात करांची हार्बर की तरफ आगे बढ़ा और वहां मौजूद केमारी ऑयल स्टोरेज फील्ड पर दो मिसाइल दागे। इस हमले के बाद पूरा ऑयल डिपो कई दिनों तक जलता रहा और पाकिस्तान में ईंधन की भारी कमी हो गई। पाकिस्तान की कमर तोड़ने के बाद भारतीय नौसेना के रण-बांकुरे नजदीकी भारतीय बंदरगाहों पर लौट गए।

इसी शौर्य की अमिट कहानी की याद में भारतीय नौसेना हर साल 4 दिसंबर को भारतीय नौसेना दिवस मनाती है।

रक्षा मामलों के विशेषज्ञ बताते हैं कि ये हमला इतना भयानक था कि पाकिस्तानी नेवी के बचे हुए जहाज़ और सैनिक अपनी जान बचा कर ग्वादर बन्दरगाह की तरफ भाग खड़े हुए। इस हमले से पैदा हुए खौफ़ के स्तर का अंदाजा इससे लगाइए की 6 दिसंबर को पाकिस्तानी वायुसेना ने भारतीय जहाज़ समझ कर अपने ही युद्धपोत पीएनएस जुल्फिकार पर मिसाइल दाग दिए।

इस हमले के बाद 8 और 9 दिसम्बर को भारतीय नौसेना ने पाकिस्तान के पोर्ट्स पर पुनः हमला किया और बाद में आईएनएस विक्रांत को डुबाने के इरादे से निकले सबमरीन पीएनएस गाजी को भी समंदर में दफना दिया।

4 और 5 दिसंबर की दरम्यानी रात ओखा पोर्ट से करांची के लिए गए भारतीय दल को ऑपरेशन के उपरांत कई इनामों से नवाजा गया। ऑपरेशन के नेतृत्वकर्ता कमांडर बबरु भान यादव को महावीर चक्र और आईएनएस निपात, निर्घट और वीर के कमांडर्स को वीर चक्र प्रदान किया गया। बिनी किसी क्षति के किया गया ये ऑपरेशन आधुनिक दौर में भी विश्व की नौसेनाओं के लिए एक मिसाल है।

आज भारतीय नेवी विश्व के अग्रणी नौसेनाओं में सुमार होती है। भारतीय नौसेना दिवस पर हमारे नौसैनिकों को नमन। अरब सागर में 4 दिसम्बर की रात भारतीय जहाजों के पराक्रम का इतिहास हर भारतीय को सदियों तक गौरवान्वित करता रहेगा।

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ihoik.com के लिए आशीष रंजन की रिपोर्ट

भारत के प्रधानमंत्री ने शनिवार को हैदराबद, पुणे और अहमदाबाद में कोविड-19 के वैक्सीन निर्माण के प्रक्रिया का जायज़ा लिया। अहमदाबाद स्थित जाइडूश बॉयोटेक पार्क, हैदराबाद स्थित भारत बॉयोटेक लैब और पुणे स्थित सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया में रिव्यू विजिट के दौरान प्रधानमंत्री ने विशेषज्ञों से टीकाकरण से जुड़े बारीक़ पहलुओं पर चर्चा की।

Had a good interaction with the team at Serum Institute of India. They shared details about their progress so far on how they plan to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Also took a look at their manufacturing facility. pic.twitter.com/PvL22uq0nl

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 28, 2020

भारत समेत पूरा विश्व कोविड-19 की समस्या से जूझ रहा है और अब राहत की इकलौती उम्मीद वैक्सीन से ही है। अलग-अलग देशों में वैक्सीन के अलग-अलग चरणों का ट्रायल चल रहा है और एक्सपर्ट्स के मुताबिक जल्द हीं सफलता मिलने की उम्मीद है। संक्रमण के लगातार बढ़ते मामलों से त्रस्त आम जन के मन में सबसे बड़ा सवाल है कि आखिर उन्हें कोरोना से निजात दिलाने वाली वैक्सीन कब मिलेगी?

अंडर ट्रायल वैक्सीनों की फेहरिस्त में जो पाँच वैक्सीन सफलता के सबसे करीब है, हमने इस रिपोर्ट में उनपर तफ़सील से जानकारी देने का प्रयास किया है।

MODERNA mRNA 1273

सूची में सबसे पहला नाम है MODERNA-mRNA 1273 का जिसका अमेरिका की ‘नेशनल इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ एलर्जी एन्ड इन्फेक्शस डिजीज’ के सहयोग से ट्रायल चल रहा है। ह्यूमन ट्रायल के फेज में पहुंचने वाली ये कोरोना की पहली वैक्सीन है। तकरीबन 30 हज़ार अमेरिकी नागरिकों ने इसके ट्रायल के लिए अपना नाम दिया और कई स्टेज की ट्रायल्स के बाद आये आंकड़े उत्साहवर्धक है। बिना किसी साइड इफेक्ट वाली ये वैक्सीन ह्यूमन ट्रायल के दौरान 94.5 फीसदी तक कारगर रही। एक्सपर्ट्स के मुताबिक़ इस वैक्सीन के एक डोज की कीमत 35 अमेरिकी डॉलर यानी कि लगभग 2600 रुपये होगी। इस वैक्सीन के अमेरिकी बाज़ार में उतारे जाने के तारीखों का ऐलान होना अभी बाकी है।

Pfizer

इस सूची में दूसरी वैक्सीन है फ़ाइजर (Pfizer)। अमेरिकी फार्मा कम्पनी फ़ाइजर और जर्मन फार्मा कम्पनी बायो एन्ड टेक ने मिल कर इस वैक्सीन को तैयार किया है। स्वास्थ्य मामलों के जानकारों के मुताबिक इस वैक्सीन के सबसे पहले प्रयोग में आने की संभावना है। निर्माता कम्पनियों के मुताबिक ये वैक्सीन 95 फीसदी तक कारगर है और दिसंबर 2020 तक इसके 5 करोड़ डोज तैयार हो जाएंगे, वहीं अगले साल तक एक अरब तीस करोड़ डोज तैयार करने की योजना है। इस वैक्सीन के भारत पहुंचने को लेकर फिलहाल कोई स्पष्ट जानकारी नहीं है साथ हीं इसके भंडारण के लिए आवश्यक बेहद कम तापमान को हासिल कर इसके सुचारू वितरण को सुनिश्चित करने की प्रक्रिया का सामने आना भी अभी बाकी है।

Sputnik V

इस फेहरिस्त में तीसरे स्थान पर है रूस की गामालेया नेशनल सेंटर ऑफ एपीडेमियोलॉजी एन्ड माइक्रोबायोलॉजी तथा रशियन डाईरेक्टरेट इंवेस्टमेंट फंड के संयुक्त तत्वधान में बन रही स्पुतनिक-V का। ये कोरोना पर दुनिया का पहला रजिस्टर्ड वैक्सीन है जिसे इसी साल अगस्त के महीने में रजिस्टर कराया गया था। निर्माताओं के मुताबिक ये वैक्सीन कोरोना रोकने में 92 फीसदी तक कारगर है। कुछ मामलों में वैक्सीन लगाने के उपरांत बुखार, थकान, सरदर्द जैसे साइड इफेक्ट्स भी देखे गए। हैदराबाद के डॉक्टर रेड्डीज लैब को भारत में इस वैक्सीन के ट्रायल की अनुमती मिली हुई है और भारत तथा रूस की सरकारें पूरी प्रक्रिया पर नजदीकी से नजर रख रहीं है। स्वास्थ्य मामले के जानकारों के मुताबिक इस वैक्सीन की कीमत अमेरिका के मोडर्ना वैक्सीन से कम होगी।

COVISHIELD

अब जानते हैं ऑक्सफ़ोर्ड यूनिवर्सिटी और स्वीडिश ब्रिटिश कम्पनी एस्ट्रॉजेन्का द्वारा बनाई जा रही वैक्सीन AZD1222 की। भारत में इस वैक्सीन को ‘कोविशिल्ड‘ नाम दिया गया है। इस वैक्सीन के निर्माण और ट्रायल की प्रक्रिया में पुणे स्थित ‘सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया’ भी सहयोगी है। भारत में इस वैक्सीन के आख़िरी फेज़ का ट्रायल चल रहा है। भारत के साथ ही यूके, साउथ अफ्रीका, अमेरिका और ब्राज़ील में भी इस वैक्सीन का ट्रायल किया गया। ट्रायल से प्राप्त आंकड़ो के अनुसार ये कोरोना को अधिकतम 90 प्रतिशत तक रोकने में कारगर साबित हुई है, हालांकि इस वैक्सीन की औसत सफलता दर 70 फीसदी के करीब है। कई देशों में कई तरीके से हुए ट्रायल के वजह से औसत और अधिकतम सफलता दर के आंकड़ो में बड़ा अंतर नजर आ रहा है। जिन लोगों को वैक्सीन का पहला डोज आधा और एक महीने बाद दूसरा पूरा डोज दिया गया, उनमें वैक्सीन की सफलता का प्रतिशत 90 के करीब रहा पर जिन्हें एक महीने के अंतराल में दो पूरे डोज दिए गए उनमें वैक्सीन की सफलता का प्रतिशत गिर कर 62 रह गया। एस्ट्राजेन्का ने ब्रिटेन के ड्रग रेगुलेटर से 29 नवम्बर को वैक्सीन के आपातकालीन प्रयोग की इजाज़त मांगी है जिसपर आधिकारिक जवाब आना बाकी है। भारत में उपलब्धता की कतार में ये वैक्सीन सबसे आगे खड़ी हैं। सीरम इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ इंडिया ने इसके चार करोड़ से अधिक डोज तैयार कर लिए हैं। सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट के मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी आधार पूनावाला के मुताबिक इस वैक्सीन के एक डोज की कीमत सरकार को तकरीबन सवा दो सौ रुपये (3 अमेरिकी डॉलर) और आम जनता को तकरीबन 600 रुपये पड़ेगी। सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट पहले भारत के वैक्सीन जरूरतों को पूरा करेगा फिर इसे अन्य देशों को निर्यात किया जाएगा।

COVAXIN

पूरी तरह से भारत में बन रही अगली वैक्सीन है कोवैक्सीन(COVAXIN). इसका निर्माण हैदराबाद स्थित भारत बॉयोटेक और ICMR की नेशनल इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ वायरोलॉजी द्वारा किया जा रहा है। इसके पहले और दूसरे फेज के ट्रायल पूरे हो चुके हैं और तीसरे फेज के ट्रायल जारी हैं। इसके सभी स्टेज के ट्रायल्स अगले साल तक पूरे होंगे। भारत बॉयोटेक के एमडी डॉक्टर कृष्ण एला ने कहा है कि इस वैक्सीन के एक डोज की कीमत एक पानी के बोतल से भी कम होगी।

रेस में सबसे आगे चल रही इन पाँच वैक्सीन का भारत समेत तमाम देश बेसब्री से इंतजार कर रहे हैं। वैक्सीन के लांच की कोई तय तारीख नहीं है और यही बात प्रधानमंत्री ने मुख्यमंत्रियों के साथ हुई बैठक में दुहराई पर सीरम इंस्टिट्यूट के सीईओ आधार पूनावाला के अनुसार दिसम्बर में भारत के ड्रग कंट्रोलर जनरल से वैक्सीन के आपातकालीन इस्तेमाल की इजाजत मांगी जाएगी। इजाजत मिलने की स्थिति में सबसे पहले कोरोना से जंग में कार्यरत फ्रंट लाइन वर्कर्स, जो कोरोना मरीजों के सीधे संपर्क में आते हैं, को वैक्सीन लगाई जाएगी, उसके बाद सीनियर सिटीजन्स की बारी आएगी। पूनावाला आगे बताते हैं कि आम लोगों के लिए वैक्सीन के अप्रैल में उपलब्ध होने की उम्मीद की जा सकती है।

अलग-अलग प्रयोगशालाओं में अलग-अलग वैक्सीनों के पूर्णतः तैयार होने के बेहद करीब पहुंचने को मद्देनजर रखते हुए प्रधानमंत्री ने सभी राज्यों के मुख्यमंत्रियों को वैक्सीन वितरण का खाका तैयार करने के निर्देश दिए हैं। कुल-जमा लब्बोलुआब ये की अप्रैल के पहले आमलोगों को वैक्सीन मिलना सम्भव नहीं है इसलिए कोरोना से जंग में सावधानी ही हमारा हथियार है। मास्क और हैंड सैनिटाइजर के प्रयोग से कोरोना को हराना सम्भव है और जब तक वैक्सीन आ नहीं जाती हमें इनके प्रयोग को लेकर कृतसंकल्पित होना होगा।

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ihoik.com के लिए आशीष रंजन की रिपोर्ट

The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the result of the premier medical undergraduate entrance NEET-UG on 16.10.2020. Ever since the announcement, a new controversy has taken the internet with a buzz. Many students who appeared in NEET-UG have reached the National Testing Agency with claims of variation in score cards released on the result day and the one which are currently available. Some students are also claiming that their OMR answer sheet is changed/tempered. The rising number of cases claiming discrepancy has brought the scrutiny process of NTA under the radar of doubt.

The matter got more fuel when media reports claiming that a student who has 650 marks has been awarded only 329 marks surfaced in local news portals. In wake of this, The National Testing Agency issued a press release and denied any such incident. The NTA also cleared that it will entertain all genuine grievances but on the other hand it strictly warned the candidates to refrain from making any false accusation in the media. The press note from the apex examination body further adds that suitable legal action will be taken as per the laws of the land in case of manipulated and fabricated claims.

In order to get to the crux of this controversy, our team reached the concerned student. Mridul Rawat, a resident of Gangapur City in Rajasthan is making headlines. Mridul claims to score 650 marks as per the official answer key released by the National Testing Agency, but his initial and current scorecard reads only 329 marks.

Here’s what Mridul has to say on the chronology of events which occurred:

When the first official answer key was released, I was scoring 655. When the answer key was re-released, I was scoring  650. But, when the results were announced, my scorecard reflected only 329 marks. Baffled and shocked by this huge difference, I wrote a mail to NTA stating my problems, I also attached my admit card, OMR and the answer key with the mail. Going further, I also tweeted the matter, tagging the authorities. After this I got an email from neet@nta.ac.in stating that they are looking into the matter and an updated scorecard will be uploaded soon. After this, a change in scorecard was made but the marks in figures and marks in words were still showing discrepancy. After a few hours, a final updated result was published in which everything was correct. But when I rechecked the scorecard on the next day, it was again showing 329.

This is the claim being made by Mridul Rawat, he adds that he received a call claiming to be from NTA on the evening of 20th October and he was warned about legal repercussions he will have to face.  The concerned student further added that:

I got a call from NTA, they were saying that they will charge me with an FIR as I have made fake claims against them. I am looking forward to move to the court as there’s no stepping back from this point.

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Another student, Vasundhara Bhojane, from Amarawati has moved to the Nagpur Bench of Maharashtra High Court after getting zero out of 720 in her final results. She claims that she was expecting 600/720 marks. Bhojane, in her petition has deamnded original OMR sheet to be produced before the court and an interim stay on medical admission process.

Issuing notice to the respondents, a division bench of Justice Atul Chandurkar and Nitin Suryavanshi listed the petition for next and final hearing on October 26. Now, the National Testing Agency is bound to file a response before the aforementioned date.

Note: IHOIK don’t affirm or deny any of the claims made above. This is reported as claimed by the concerned students. ihoik.com posses a copy of the claimed e-mail conversation between two parties, but due to privacy infringement laws, we can’t attach that here. Our correspondents tried to converse with NTA authorities to know their side of the story, but the helpline number didn’t work.

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A report by IHOIK education desk based on inputs from concerned students.

The Medical Counselling committee has announced the counselling schedule of NEET qualified students for various medicine related courses. The national eligibility cum entrance test(NEET) for the admission in Private & Government medical colleges across  India was conducted in two phases, on 13th September and 14th October. The 2nd phase was conducted only for those students who missed the phase-1 examination on account of being Covid positive or for those who were in containment zone.

The result was declared by NTA on 16th October, following which the process of counselling will start.

The counselling process is mandatory for every qualified student to get admitted in MBBS, BDS & AYUSH courses.

Here’s a step by step guide of the counselling process.

The counselling of NEET is divided into two phases, i.e. All India Quota (AIQ) counselling and the State counselling. 85% of the total seats are filled up through the state counselling whereas the remaining 15% is filled up by the AIQ counselling. The counselling for All India Quota will be conducted by the MCC while the state counselling will be looked after by the counselling body of respective states.

Counselling procedure for AIQ:

Soon after the release of NEET 2020 results, the medical counselling committee (MCC) will release an official notification and the dates for the counselling for NEET 2020 soon after the release of the results on the NEET website.

1. Registering on MCC website:

The candidates can register for this counselling on the official MCC website. This registration is applicable for admission in both MBBS and BDS college for private and government colleges across the country. After visiting the official website select the option that shows ‘UG medical counselling’ and register yourself. The registration portal will ask for the following details:

• Application No.
• Roll No.
• Name of candidate
• Date of birth

2. Take printout of the registration slip and keep it safe for future references.
3. Visit the website and login on the website with your ‘login credentials’
4. Choice filling:

After logging in to the website, start the process of choice filling. Select all the colleges you want to get yourself enrolled in according to the priority order. Once the choice filling is completed and you submit the form, you can’t make any changes in the priority list.

One has to submit a refundable tuition fee and a non refundable registration fee after completing the choice filling.

5. Release of mock list:

Once the process of registration is completed, MCC releases the mock seat allotment according to the counselling schedule. This mock list will help to determine whether a candidate got a seat in the college of his/her preference.

6. Choice locking:

Once the candidate is sure about the choices filled and mock allotment… They have to lock their choices before the deadline. Failing to do so would result in inability to be a part of the counselling process.

The AIQ counselling takes place in 3 steps… The first round, the second round and the mop up round of counselling. After the list for counselling and allotted seats are released, the candidate has to revisit the website, login with the created id and password and look up for the remaining available choices. The process continues till the mop up round.

The seats allotted to students through AIQ counselling, if not joined, get reverted to the State quota. That’s the reason why there are less than 15% students from AIQ in every college.

Counselling procedure for State counselling:

The process of state counselling is the same as AIQ counselling. The schedule for counselling will be released by the state and registration will begin on the state’s website.

Documents required while appearing for counselling:

1. Class 10th and 12th marksheet.
2. Class 10th and 12th passing certificate.
3. ID proof
4. Birth certificate
5. Domicile certificate (for State counselling)
6. EWS certificate (if applicable)
7. Category certificate (if applicable)
8. 6 passport size photographs
9. NEET admit card
10. NEET rank card

The University Grant Commission (UGC) has announced a list of 24 “self-styled unrecognized institutions” in the country, declaring them as “fake”. The list contains 8 universities from Uttar Pradesh, 7 from the national Capital Delhi, 2 each from West Bengal and Odisha and 1 each from Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

“Students and public are informed that currently 24 self-styled, unrecognized institutions are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act, which have been declared as fake universities and these are not empowered to confer any degree,” the notice issued by UGC reads.

Section 22(I) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 provides that a degree can be awarded only by a university central, state/provincial Act or an institution deemed to be University under section 3 of the UGC Act or an institution specially empowered by an act of Parliament to confer the degree. Any institution except those fulfilling at least one of the above criteria can not claim to confer a degree.

UGC is releasing this list since 1994 and surprisingly 12 out of these 24 Universities are repeatedly appearing in the list. 6 institutions named in the list released on October 7, 2020 were also in the fake universities list of year 2015.

List of institutions declared as “Fake Universities”

Delhi

• Commercial University Ltd. Daryaganj, Delhi
• United Nations University, Delhi
• Vocational University, Delhi
• ADR-Centric Juridical University, ADR House, 8J, Gopala Tower, 25, Rajendra Place, New Delhi — 110 008
• Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, New Delhi
• Vishwakarma Open University for Self-employment, India, Rozgar Sewa sadan, 672, Sanjay Enclave, Opp. GTK Depot, New Delhi — 110 033
• Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University), 351-352, Phase-1, Block-A, Vijay Vihar, Rithala, Rohini, Delhi — 110 085

Karnataka

• Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society, Gokak, Belgaum

Kerala

• St. John’s University, Kishanattam, Kerala

Maharashtra

• Raja Arabic University, Nagpur

West Bengal

•  Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, 80, Chowringhee Road, Kolkata — 20
• Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research, 8-A, Diamond Harbor Road Builtech inn, 24 Floor, Thakurpukur, Kolkata — 700 063

Uttar Pradesh

• Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyala, Varanasi, U.P./Jagatpuri, Delhi
• Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya, (Women’s University) Prayag, Allahabad (U.P.)
• Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag, Allahabad (U.P.)
• National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur
• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Achaltal, Aligarh (U.P.)
• Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Kosi Kalan, Mathura (U.P.)
• Maharana Partap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya, Pratapgarh (U.P.)
• Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad, Institutional Area, Khoda, Makanpur, Noida Phase-2, (U.P.)

Odisha

• Nababharat Shiksha Parishad, Anupoorna Bhawan, Plot No. 242, Pani Tanki Road, Shakti Nagar, Rourkela — 769 014
• North Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, University Road Baripada, Distt. Mayurbhanj, Odisha — 757 003

Puducherry

•  Sree Bodhi academy of Higher Education, No. 186, Thilaspet, Vazhuthavoor Road, Puducheey — 605 009

Andhra Pradesh

• Christ New Testament Deemed University, # 32-23-2003, 7″ Lane, Kakumanuvarithota, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh — 522 002 or # fit No. 301, Grace Villa Apts., 7/5, Srinagar, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh — 522 002

Note: The case of Bhartiya Siksha Parishad, Lucknow is subjudice in Lucknow District Court

MCI has demanded the dismissal of the petition that asked for the setting up of exam centres abroad, stating that the students can return back to India under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’. They also stated that delaying the exams further would result in disturbed academic schedule and would disrupt the upcoming academic session. As per the affidavit filed by MCI in Hon’ble Supreme Court, it is not possible to set up examination centres outside India, as it needs meticulous planning and arrangement of infrastructure amidst this pandemic is not feasible. However, MCI maintained the fact that as per the existing laws admission to medical courses can only be granted on the base of uniform entrance test.

This petition was filed by the parents of applicants residing in Doha, Qatar.
. This affidavit is filed in response to that petition. The decision of the Kerala high court has been challenged in this matter which had previously dismissed the plea demanding the setting up of exam centres in gulf countries. Justice L. Nageshwar Rao, Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice S Ravindra Bhatt had issued a notice regarding the same. Further hearing on this matter will take place on the 24th August.

In the affidavit filed by advocate Gaurav Sharma, MCI has stated that the current petition does not require the interference of the honorable Supreme court as the government of India has permitted the people living abroad to travel and reach India under the Vande Bharat Mission. Markedly, Supreme Court had also clearly mentioned about the availability of flights to return to India under the Vande Bharat mission in their last hearing.

The applicants have also mentioned all the difficulties that will be faced while trying to conduct the examination abroad. They quoted that NEET is a pen and paper exam and hence should be uniform and fair for all the applicants.

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As the exam dates are approaching and number of Covid-19 cases are on constant rise, students’ campaign to get the engineering and medical entrance examinations postponed is gaining momentum. The students, worried about their safety, turned to twitter in huge numbers. Multiple hashtag demanding the postponement on the ground of flood, pandemic and transportation problems, made to the trending list.

The campaign has got it’s fuel as many celebrities, leaders from ruling and opposition parties, YouTubers and journalists have supported the demand in last few days.

Though the Education Ministry and the National Testing agency are seemingly rigid to conduct the exam, students are in no mood to step out amidst this pandemic.

Youtubers/celebrities are appealing the government via twitter and politicians are writing letters to the Prime Minister but at the same time future of lakhs of students is on stake.

We have handpicked some of the tweets for you, have a look:

Famous Yotubers Like Bhuvan Bam(BB Ki Vines), Ashish Chanchalani, Ajey Nagar(Carryminati) and Amit Bhadana requested the central government to prioritize the health of students.

After the entry of ruling party MP Subramanian Swami into the campaign, a number of politicians jumped into the scene. Chirag Paswan, MP from Bihar wrote a letter to the education minister stating the double trouble being faced by students of Bihar, as the state is badly hit by flood as well as Corona. Another Rajyasabha MP Sanjay Singh wrote a letter to Mr. Nishank, stating similar problems.

Leaders of different parties also turned up to twitter and asked the government to ensure safety of more than 25 Lakh students appearing for JEE and NEET. Manish Sisodiya, Education Minister of Delhi, blamed the central government for playing with the lives of students and asked the government to look for the alternative options for admission. Akhilesh yadav, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh questioned the feasibility of transportation for such big number of students amidst this pandemic.

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Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has released the results of the fifth annual edition of nationwide cleanliness survey, Swachh Survekshan 2020. This was World’s largest cleanliness survey, which covered 4242 cities, 62 cantonment boards and 92 towns along with Ganga river, across the nation. Bounded by time, the survey was completed in the duration of 28 days. Swachh Survekshan is based on over more than five lakh documents captured along with more than twenty-four lakhs geotagged photos captured from the field. Survey witnessed the feedback of about 1.9 crores citizens, over 11 crore impressions on social media, more than 5.5 lakh sanitary workers linked to social welfare schemes and over 84,000 informal waste-pickers integrated into the mainstream. This survey was completely digitized and paperless.
Swachh Survekshan was introduced by the government with the objective of generating large scale citizen participation in the Mission, alongwith inculcating a spirit of healthy competition among cities towards becoming India’s cleanest city.
The announcement of results was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday at the Swachh Mohotsav event organised by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

Top 10 Cleanest cities – More than 10 Lakh Population

Top 10 cleanest cities with population between 1-10 Lakhs

Some other categories which draw your attention are :

⦁ Cleanest state with more than 100 cities – Chhattisgarh
⦁ Cleanest state with less than 100 cities – Jharkhand
⦁ Cleanest Ganga town – Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)
⦁ Maximum citizen participation in keeping city areas clean – Shahjahanpur
⦁ Cleanest megacity with more than 40 lac population – Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
⦁ Fastest-moving city in terms of cleanliness – Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
⦁ Self-sustainable city in terms of cleanliness (more than 10 lakh population) – Rajkot (Gujarat)
⦁ Self-sustainable city in terms of cleanliness (less than 10 lakh population) – Mysuru (Karnataka)

Apart from the cleanest city ranking, eyes were also on the cities which landed on the bottommost part of the list.

Top 10 dirtiest cities – More than 10 Lakh Population

Top 10 dirtiest cities with a population between 1-10 Lakhs

What makes Indore the cleanest city in the country?

Indore stands clean on the top of all cleanest cities of India. Indore bagged the cleanest city title again for the fourth time in the row. Let us try to understand all the measures and efforts put in by Indore which helped it outshine the rest.

⦁ Indore’s Municipal Corporation maintains direct communication with the citizens for awareness and to build the habit of cleanliness among the masses. Corporation also includes some NGOs to enhance this task.
⦁ District administration has set up a command centre for tracking garbage collection of the city. Also, garbage collection vehicles are constantly tracked by the GPS system.
⦁ The large public dustbins have been removed and the garbage is collected from door to door.
⦁ Support of school children are taken for creating awareness about cleanliness and some are made brand ambassadors for the same.
⦁ Cleaning the roads at night rather than in the morning has helped in creating a sense of cleanliness among the public when they come for a walk in the morning.

⦁ Imposing fines on people disobeying the ecosystem is also taken in account by the Indore Administration.

Indore has set an example for the entire municipal bodies and the public to follow and sustain cleanliness in their respective cities and surroundings. The cities which ended at the bottom must look to Indore for improving their rankings in the future survey bound to held in 2021. This survey is the end result of the seriousness of both Municipal Corporations and the people. Everyone should come up and work for ensuring cleanliness in the country.

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A report by Sumit Yadav