Centre to bring in mother tongue as medium of instruction.
The
Union Ministry of Education has informed the Supreme Court that it is fully
backing a push for “mother tongue” as medium of instruction in schools. The use
of “home language” for learning will bridge the gap between the intelligentsia
and the masses, it said.
The
Ministry said an order was issued on September 10 to academic authorities,
including the CBSE, the NCERT and the NCTE, to initiate the implementation of
the National Education Policy (NEP), which was approved by the Union Cabinet in
July 2020, to promote “mutlingualism” and use of “home language” as a mode of
instruction.
The
Centre’s affidavit came in response to the Supreme Court’s inclination to
examine whether imposing English on a multitude of schoolchildren, whose
language of instruction is their mother tongue, will amount to depriving them
of an effective education guaranteed to them under Article 21A (fundamental right
to education) of the Constitution.
A
group of Telugu scholars and prominent personalities led by former Deputy
Speaker of Andhra Pradesh, Mandali Buddha Prasad, represented by advocate Vipin
Nair, have opposed the move by the Jagan Reddy government. They said the
government move will see Telugu join the pantheon of 197 regional and ethnic
languages which have become extinct.
According
to the 2011 census, there are 1,369 rationalised ‘mother tongues’ spoken by
more than 10,000 people. While there are 22 national languages in the Eighth
Schedule of the Constitution, there are only six classical languages recognised
in India.
Home
ministry allows re-entry of Tibetans with return visas.
The
Union Home Ministry has allowed Tibetan migrants in foreign countries to return
to India through any of the 107 immigration check posts.
•The
restriction by MHA, prohibiting international travel to and from the
immigration check posts was issued on March 23 in the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic. The restrictions have been gradually relaxed.
•The
MHA, in the latest order, said: “It has been decided to permit Tibetan migrants
who have their residence in India and holding certificate of Identity issued by
the Ministry of External Affairs and Return Visa to enter India.”
•The
MHA order said the return is subject to the condition that such Tibetan
migrants should have been registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration
Office.
India
pushed for reforms in United Nations.
Indian
P.M Modi has said that reforms in the United Nations is the need of the hour.
Addressing the 75th United Nations General Assembly session last evening Modi
said, India is proud of the fact that it is one of the Founding Members of the
United Nations.
He said, people of India have been waiting for a long time for the UN reform process to get completed. He expressed Indian people's concern whether this reform-process will ever reach its logical conclusion.
Modi
asked where the United Nations is in the joint fight against the Corona virus
pandemic. He sought to know where its effective response was. He said, there
were several stellar achievements of UN over the last 75 years, but there were
also several instances that point to the need for a serious introspection of
the work of the United Nations.
He
said, India has lost the maximum number of soldiers in the course of
maintaining peace. He said, every Indian aspires for India’s expanded role in
the United Nations. He stressed that India has always worked for the interests
of humankind and not been driven by its own interests.
India
accords highest priority to Srilanka as part of neighbourhood first policy.
Narendra
Modi announced a grant assistance of 15 million dollars to Sri Lanka for the
promotion of Buddhist ties between India and Sri Lanka. Briefing the media this
afternoon, Joint Secretary (Indian Ocean Region) in the External Affairs
Ministry said the grant will assist in deepening people-to-people linkages
between the two countries in the sphere of Buddhism.
•Modi
and his Sri Lankan counterpart Rajapaksa held the first-ever India-Sri Lanka Virtual
Bilateral Summit today. They agreed that the Indian side would facilitate the
visit of a delegation of Buddhist pilgrims from Sri Lanka in the first
inaugural flight to Sacred City of Kushinagar.
•Kushinagar
Airport was designated as an international airport recently recognizing its
importance as a Buddhist site. Both sides also agreed to explore opportunities
in the areas of Ayurveda and Yoga.
•Both
leaders were unanimous that the ancient cultural links between India and Sri
Lanka are special and must be nurtured further. Mr Rajapaksa made a special
mention of the Jaffna Cultural Centre which is an iconic project built with
Indian assistance. The centre is almost ready and the Sri Lankan Prime Minister
extended an invitation to Indian PM Modi to inaugurate the project.
FM
claims temporary retention of GST cess not diversion.
Indian
Finance Ministry sources have countered CAG’s audit finding of Central
government wrongly retaining ₹47,272 crore of GST compensation cess meant for
States, saying temporary retention cannot be termed as a diversion.
•Days
after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flagged that the Centre, in
first two years of the GST implementation, wrongly retained GST compensation
cess that was meant to be used specifically to compensate States for loss of
revenue, Ministry sources said compensation due for the year 2017-18 and
2018-19 was fully paid to States.
•Time
taken in reconciliation of compensation receipts can’t be termed as diversion
of GST cess fund when the dues to States were fully released by the Central
government, they said.
•Sources
said that in 2017-18, ₹62,611 crore was collected, out of which the government
released full compensation dues of ₹41,146 crore to the States and Union
Territories.
•In
2018-19, an amount of ₹95,081 crore was collected, out of which ₹69,275 crore
was paid as full compensation. They said an amount of ₹47,271 crore collected
in 2017-18 and 2018-19 had remained unutilised for reconciliation post full
payment of GST compensation dues.
•For
2019-20, the Central government released ₹1,65,302crore as GST compensation
against a cess collection of ₹95,444 crore which it could do with the
unutilised cess of ₹47,271 crore
GoI
claims COVID has not affected acreage of Kharif crops.
India
said that there is no impact of COVID-19 on progress of area coverage under
kharif crops. Their Agriculture Ministry said, over one thousand 116 lakh
hectare areas have been sown during Kharif season as compared to around one
thousand 66 lakh hectare area of corresponding period last year.
Sowing
of Rice has been reported on over 407 lakh hectare compared to 385 lakh hectare
during the corresponding period of last year.
New
study adds five species of amphibians to Madhya Pradesh’s inventory.
A
study conducted by researchers from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, on
amphibians in the central Indian Panna Tiger Reserve has come up with a list of
five species hitherto undocumented in this region.
•The
researchers, apart from compiling an entire amphibian inventory of this region,
have recorded a call library of eleven species and also have obtained molecular
confirmation (through DNA) of the cryptic species – a term used to refer to species
that appear the same but show up a difference when their DNA is examined.
•Of
the five species that the group has added to the faunal list of Madhya Pradesh
are the dwarf toad found in peninsular India; Odisha paddy frog, an inhabitant
of eastern India; wrinkled cricket frog, earlier observed in Karnataka;
Pierre’s cricket frog, seen in Nepal, Bhutan and Assam; and western burrowing
frog, earlier seen in western India.
•“We
used to locate breeding aggregation of frogs following their ‘chorus’. Then we
sit quietly at least 1 metre away from the frog with our call recording devices
and make effort to record their complete call,” says Dr Das. Sometimes they had
to repeat the measurements as the frogs were very tricky to identify.
•Among
the achievements of the group is recording the advertisement calls of the
western burrowing frog for the first time. This frog was identified for the
first time in 2017 from populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka. “We
have recorded 30 calls from three males which becomes the first acoustic data
for this species,” says Dr. Das.
•Among
the total of 15 species studied by the group, 12 are frogs and three are toads.
Glacier
retreat in Himalayas.
A
Recent Study by the Observer Research Foundation has found that the retreat of
glaciers in the Himalayan Hindu Kush region is now affecting the surface water
and groundwater availability in the region.
It
has adversely affected springs – a lifeline for the Population in Hill areas.
Highlights:
•
Studies by ISRO show that approximately 75 per cent of the Himalayan glaciers
are retreating at an alarming rate.
•
Climate warming is affecting hydrological regimes in the HKH region because of
factors like changes in seasonal extremes, increased evapotranspiration, and
changes in glacier volume.
•
The study forecasts that in all three basins, there would be a decrease in snow
and a rise in glacier melt by the middle of the century.
•
Initially, there will be an increased amount of meltwater available, but this
quantity will decline abruptly as the glacier storage is reduced.
•
These retreats will increase the variability of water flows to downstream areas
and endanger the sustainability of water use in the earth’s most crowded
basins.
•
The decline in groundwater due to anticipated decline of glacial meltwater is
likely to affect the Ganges basin the most.
•
There are 5 million springs in the Himalayas and they are showing a decline
because of overuse by an increasing population, but also because of retreating
glaciers and depleting ground water levels.
•
The Himalayas is not only the youngest mountain range, but also the Third Pole.
•
The HKH region extends across 3,500 km over eight countries—Afghanistan,
Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
•
They are known as the Water Tower of Asia due to its reserve of frozen water.
•
It has the biggest reserves of water in the form of ice and snow outside the
polar regions, and is the source of 10 of the largest rivers in Asia.
•
According to an estimate Hindu-Kush- Himalaya (HKH) has the maximum snow
storage after the poles.
•
Being a major source of water for the rivers, these glaciers are the lifeline
for one-third of the Population across the Globe.
Concerns:
•
The glaciers are melting and receding at an alarming rate in the Himalayas.
•
As per a study, the Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayas might contain 27
percent less ice than Previously Suggested.
•
If the Himalayan glaciers disappear our rivers will become Bone Dry.
•
With no water for drinking and irrigation, life in any form would be impossible
in the Indian peninsula.
•
The region is expected to lose half of its present-day glacier area by 2060, a
decade earlier than the previously expected deadline of 2070.
International
Coastal Clean-Up Day & BEAMS
On the eve of International Coastal Clean-Up
Day, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
announced that for the first time eight beaches of India are recommended for
the Blue Flag Certification.
•
Also launched India’s own eco-label BEAMS by e-hoisting the flag -
#IAMSAVINGMYBEACH
simultaneously at these eight beaches.
•
International Coastal Clean-Up Day is celebrated across 100 countries since
1986 on the third Saturday in September.
Blue Flag Beaches:
•
Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches of the world.
•
The eight beaches are Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Daman & Diu,
Kasarkod and Padubidri beach in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala,Rushikonda in
Andhra Pradesh, Golden beach of Odisha and Radhanagar beach in Andaman and
Nicobar.
•
The recommendations are done by an independent National Jury composed of
eminent Environmentalists & Scientists.
Blue Flag Certification:
•
‘Blue Flag’ is an international certification of environmental properties and
cleanliness on beaches.
•
A ‘Blue Flag’ beach provides hygienic and clean bathing water, basic
infrastructure to tourists and sustainable development in the area.
•
The ‘Blue Flag’ is a certification that can be obtained by a beach, marina, or
sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as an eco-label.
•
The certification is awarded by the Denmark-based non-profit Foundation for
Environmental Education (FEE), which sets stringent environmental, educational,
safety-related and access-related criteria that applicants must meet and
maintain.
•
It is awarded annually to beaches and marinas in FEE member countries.
•
The Blue Flag Programme started in France in 1985.
•
Spain has the largest number of 566 Blue Flag beaches while Greece and France
have 515 and 395 such blue flag beaches respectively.
•
Chandrabhaga beach located on the Konark coast of Odisha is the first beach in
the country to receive ‘Blue Flag Certification’.
BEAMS Programme:
•
BEAMS is one of the several other projects of ICZM that the central government
is undertaking for sustainable development of coastal regions, striving for the
globally recognised and coveted eco-label” Blue Flag”
•
To plan sustainable tourism and healthy coastal management, MoEF & CC has
conceived an integrated coastal management scheme viz. BEAMS to reduce existing
pollutants on beaches and to aspire & achieve such high International
Standards in India.
•
This program promotes beach recreation in absolute harmony with nature.
•
Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) has initiated the process for
clean beaches in 13 pilot beaches (one pilot beach in every Coastal States/UTs)
under this programme and in line with
Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
Objective:
•
To promote sustainable development in coastal regions of India for the beach
management authorities to strive to achieve high international standards in
four categories of:
•
Environmental Management including cleanliness, solid waste management in
beaches
✓ Safety & Security
of Beachgoers
✓ Bathing Water Quality
Standards
Integrated
Coastal Zone Management (ICZM):
•
Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change launched the Integrated
Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) activities in India to protect and conserve the
coastal and marine ecosystems and environment through a holistic coastal
management.
•
It aimed to promote sustainable development & management of coastal zones
through its own wing SICOM.
•
The concept of ICZM was introduced in 1992 during the Earth Summit at Rio de
Janeiro and most of the coastal countries in the World have been adopting ICZM
principles for managing their coastal zones.
•
Adoption of ICZM principles for managing and sustainably developing our coastal
regions is helping India in keeping with its commitments to international
agreements on ICZM.
Official
Secrets Act
The
Delhi police has arrested a strategic affairs analyst and two others – a 30-
year-old Chinese woman and her Nepalese accomplice under the Official Secrets
Act, 1923.
Official Secrets Act:
•
OSA has its roots in the British colonial era and the original version was The
Indian Official Secrets Act (Act XIV), 1889.
•
Objective: To suppress the voice of a large number of newspapers in several
languages, opposing the Raj’s policies and building political consciousness.
•
The Indian Official Secrets Act was extended in 1923 to all matters of secrecy
and confidentiality in governance in the country.
•
The Act was retained after independence.
•
The Act Deals with:
✓ It broadly Deals with
Two Aspects:
✓ Spying or espionage
covered under Section 3.
•
Disclosure of other secret information of the government under Section 5.
•
Secret information can be any official code, password, sketch, plan, model,
article, note, document, or information.
•
Under Section 5, both the person communicating the information and the person
receiving the information can be punished.
•
If guilty, a person may get up to 14 years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
•
OSA itself does not say what a secret document is. It is the government’s
discretion to decide what falls under the ambit of a secret document to be
charged under OSA.
•
It has often been argued that the law is in direct conflict with the Right to
Information Act, 2005.
Between
the RTI Act and OSA, which has Primacy?
•
Section 22 of the RTI Act provides for its primacy vis-a-vis provisions of
other laws, including OSA.
•
This gives the RTI Act an overriding effect, not with standing anything
inconsistent with the provisions of OSA.
•
However, under Sections 8 and 9 of the RTI Act, the Government can refuse
information.
•
If the government classifies a document as secret under OSA Clause 6, that
document can be kept outside the ambit of the RTI Act, and the Government can
invoke Sections 8 or 9.
Efforts
to Change Provisions of OSA:
Law
Commission, 1971:
✓ In 1971, the Law
Commission became the first official body to make an observation regarding OSA.
✓ It observed that
merely because a circular is marked secret or confidential, it should not
attract the provisions of the Act if the publication thereof is in the interest
of the public and no question of national emergency and interest of the State
as such arises.
✓ The Law Commission,
however, did not recommend any changes to the Act.
2.
Second Administrative Reforms Commission, 2006:
✓ In 2006, the Second
Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) recommended that OSA be repealed.
✓ It needed to be
replaced with a chapter in the National Security Act containing provisions
relating to official secrets.
✓ It was cited that OSA
was incongruous with the regime of transparency in a democratic society.
3.
Recent Efforts:
✓ In 2015, the
government had set up a committee to look into provisions of the OSA in light
of the RTI Act.
