Against the backdrop of the NEET exam leak, there has been ongoing debate about transferring education back to the state list.
International Practices
In the U.S., State and local governments set the overall educational standards, mandate standardised tests and supervise colleges and universities.
The federal education department’s functions primarily include policies for financial aid, focussing on key educational issues and ensuring equal access.
In Canada, education is completely managed by the provinces.
In Germany, the constitution vests legislative powers for education with landers (equivalent to States).
In South Africa, on the other hand, education is governed by two national departments for school and higher education.
The provinces of the country have their own education departments for implementing policies of the national departments and dealing with local issues.
Historical background
The Government of India Act, 1935 during the British rule created a federal structure for the first time in our polity.
The legislative subjects were distributed between the federal legislature (present day Union) and provinces (present day States).
Education, which is an important public good, was kept under the provincial list.
After independence, this continued and education was part of the ‘State list’ under the distribution of powers.
Current Status
In 1976, the 42nd constitutional amendment (1976) shifted ‘education’ from the State list to the concurrent list.
The Janata Party government led by Morarji Desai that came to power after Emergency passed the 44th constitutional amendment (1978) to reverse many of the controversial changes made through the 42nd amendment.
One of these amendments that was passed in the Lok Sabha but not in the Rajya Sabha was to bring back ‘education’ to the State list.
The arguments in favour of ‘education’ in the concurrent list include a uniform education policy, improvement in standards and synergy between Centre and States.
However, considering the vast diversity of the country, a ‘one size fits all’ approach is neither feasible nor desirable.
The arguments against restoring ‘education’ to the State list include corruption coupled with lack of professionalism.
The recent issues surrounding the NEET and NTA have however displayed that centralisation does not necessarily mean that these issues would vanish.
Conclusion
There needs to be a productive discussion towards moving ‘education’ back to the State list. This would enable States to frame tailor-made policies for syllabus, testing and admissions for higher education including professional courses like medicine and engineering.
Regulatory mechanisms for higher education can continue to be governed by central institutions like the National Medical Commission, University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education.
Cabinet Committees
Why in news?
Recently, the Union government constituted eight Cabinet committees.
About Cabinet Committees
Cabinet committees are extra-constitutional in nature. They are not mentioned in the Constitution. However, these are established under the Rules of Business.
Cabinet committees are set up by the Prime Minister according to the exigencies of the time and requirements of the situation
The committees resolve issues and formulate proposals for the consideration of the Cabinet and take decisions on matters assigned to them. The Cabinet is empowered to review such decisions.
Cabinet Committees are basically sub-committees within the Union Cabinet to look at specific remits and deliberate on various issues including security, economy, and even deciding on dates for Parliament sessions.
The membership of each committee varies from three to eight. Usually, only Cabinet ministers are members of these committees. If the Prime Minister himself is a member of any such committee, he acts as the head of that committee.
The eight Cabinet Committees are the CCEA, ACC, CCS, Cabinet Committee on Accommodation, Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth, and Cabinet Committee on Skill, Employment and Livelihood.
Prime Minister heads six committees but is not part of two — Cabinet Committee on Accommodation and Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.Discussion on Education Placement: State List vs. Concurrent List.
Sampoornata Abhiyan
Why in news?
Recently, the NITI Aayog launched Sampoornata Abhiyan.
More about the news
It is a nationwide campaign with a focus to attain saturation in 12 key social sector indicators in 500 aspirational blocks and 112 aspirational districts.
This comprehensive three-month campaign to be focused on themes including health, nutrition, agriculture, social development and education, will continue till September this year.
As part of the campaign, district and block officials along with elected people’s representatives will organise awareness activities including Gram Sabhas, Nukkad Natak, Paushtik Aahar Mela, Health camps, Exhibitions, Poster making and Poem competitions around 12 themes identified in all aspirational blocks and districts.
About Aspirational Districts Programme
The Government of India launched the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ initiative in January 2018 to ensure an inclusive and all-round development across all 112 districts.
A total of 112 Aspirational Districts (ADs) across 27 states have been identified by NITI Aayog based upon composite indicators from Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill development and Basic Infrastructure sectors.
Weightage has been accorded to each sector as below:
Health & Nutrition (30%)
Education (30%)
Agriculture & Water Resources (20%)
Financial Inclusion & Skill Development (10%)
Basic Infrastructure (10%)
About Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP)
It was launched in January 2023 during the 2nd National Conference of Chief Secretaries.
Under this initiative, 500 blocks have been identified by NITI Aayog for rapid improvement across 27 states and 4 Union territories.
ABP focuses on improving governance to bring about social development in the relatively difficult and underdeveloped blocks of India by converging existing schemes, defining outcomes, and monitoring results on a constant basis using digital tools and approaches.
Along the lines of Aspirational Districts strategy, the Aspirational Blocks strategy also hinges upon three broad contours.
The objective of Aspirational Blocks Programme is to improve socio-economic, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and overall quality of life in the identified Aspirational Blocks.
Bretton Woods Conference
Why in news?
Recently, the IMF and the World Bank Group celebrated the 80th anniversary the “Bretton Woods Conference”
About Bretton Woods Conference
On July 1, 1944, even as the Second World War raged on across Europe and the Pacific, delegates from forty-four nations led by the United States and the United Kingdom met in New Hampshire to begin the Bretton Woods Conference,
officially known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference.
Their purpose was to imagine a post-World War economic system that promoted international coordination as well as reconstruction and growth, resulting in the creation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Reforms needed in Bretton Woods Institutions
About: The world needs a Bretton Woods 2.0 for the twenty-first century. The challenges that led to World War II were inequality, protectionism, and rising nationalism have resurfaced and created the dire need for reform of these institutions.
Challenges of 21st Century: Currently challenges such as climate change, pandemics, global inflation, and supply chain disruptions now threaten the global economy and trade.
Needed reforms:
There is a need to review IMF’s General Reviews of Quotas and the World Bank’s selective capital increases as they have been insufficient in adapting to significant economic and geopolitical shifts.
There has been underrepresentation of certain regions like Southeast Asia and Africa, both in terms of quota shares and on a nominal GDP and per capita basis.
There is a need to emphasize on rules-based, automatic quota reallocation, more diverse representation in leadership, transparency, and a rotational system for Executive Board leadership to ensure more geographic diversity in the BWIs.
Indicators to Measure Extreme Poverty
Why in news?
The central government is developing a national indicator to measure extreme poverty.
More about the news
As per the Sustainable Development Goals National Indicator Framework progress report, there is no indicator to measure the progress achieved in eradicating extreme poverty.
The Sustainable Development Goals National Indicator Framework progress report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
The government classifies anyone living on less than $1.25 per day as living in extreme poverty. The government aims to eradicate the same for the entire population of the country by 2030.
In terms of social security covergae, the report found that the national pension scheme increased its coverage from 17.3 million in the 2022-23 fiscal year to 18 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
At the same time, the ratio of the overall population that is eligible to receive social protection benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) decreased from 80 per cent in FY23 to 46.3 percent in FY24.
In terms of maternal mortality, the country witnessed an improvement as it inched under 100 for 100,000 live births in 2018-20.
Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence
Why in news?
Recently, the 6th meeting of the GPAI Ministerial Council was held in New Delhi.
More about the news
The members of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence reaffirmed their commitment to the future vision of the global initiative and agreed to strengthen synergies to harness the potential of human-centric and trustworthy AI for the good of all.
The members have also agreed to come up with a renewed vision for GPAI through an integrated partnership with the OECD, bringing together all current OECD members and GPAI countries on equal footing under the GPAI brand and on the basis of the OECD recommendation on AI.
The member countries agreed to a shared commitment to a 19-point common agenda.
Some of the key points in the consensus agenda included acknowledging the emerging risks and challenges posed by AI systems, commitment to fostering trustworthy and human-centric AI, collective commitment to the OECD recommendation on AI, the Unesco recommendation on the ethics of AI.
The members welcomed the election of Serbia as the lead chair of GPAI for 2024-25.
About Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence
GPAI is a multi-stakeholder initiative with 29 member countries.
It aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.
The partnership was first proposed by Canada and France at the 2018 44th G7 summit, and officially launched in June 2020. India is the founding member.
GPAI is hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The initiative facilitates international cooperation on artificial technology by bringing together on a single platform, experts from fields such as science, industry, civil society, governments, international bodies, and academia.
GPAI has a rotating presidency, India is the lead chair of GPAI in 2024.
Geographical Indication Tag
Why in news?
Recently, New Zealand has rejected India's application for certification of trademark, which is equivalent to a geographical indication (GI) tag.
About Geographical Indication Tag
A geographical indication or GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
Geographical Indications are part of the intellectual property rights that comes under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.
Geographical indications are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.
Benefits of GI Tags
Legal protection to the products
Prevents unauthorised use of GI tag products by others
It helps consumers to get quality products of desired traits and is assured of authenticity
Promotes the economic prosperity of producers of GI tag goods by enhancing their demand in national and international markets.
Aditya-L1
Why in news?
Recently, India’s first solar mission, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft completed its first halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point.
About Aditya-L1
Aditya L1 is the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun. The Aditya-L1 spacecraft was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) in Sept 2023.
Aditya in Sanskrit means the Sun. L1 here refers to Lagrange Point 1 of the Sun-Earth system.
The ISRO placed the Aditya-L1 spacecraft in its designated "halo orbit" around the Lagrange point L1.
For common understanding, L1 is a location in space where the gravitational forces of two celestial bodies, such as the Sun and Earth, are in equilibrium.
This allows an object placed there to remain relatively stable with respect to both celestial bodies.
A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the sun without any occultation/eclipses.
It provides a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time
The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors.
Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1,
thus, providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium,”
The suits of Aditya L1’s payloads are expected to provide crucial information for understanding the phenomenon of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, the dynamics of space weather, propagation of particles and fields etc.
Zika Virus
Why in news?
In response to recent Zika virus cases in Maharashtra, the Union Health Ministry issued an advisory, urging states to maintain constant vigilance.
About Zika Virus
It was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey followed by evidence of infection and disease in humans in other African countries in the 1950s.
Zika virus is primarily transmitted by infected mosquitoes of the Aedes (Stegomyia) genus, mainly Aedes aegypti, in tropical and subtropical regions. Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day. These mosquitoes also transmit dengue, chikungunya and urban yellow fever.
There is no specific treatment available for Zika virus infection or disease.
No vaccine is yet available for the prevention or treatment of Zika virus infection.
Tobacco Cessation Guideline
Why in news?
Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released the first-ever clinical treatment guidelines.
More about the news
In its tobacco cessation guideline, WHO proposes a comprehensive range of measures, including behavioural support provided by health-care providers, digital cessation interventions and pharmacological treatments.
The guidelines, aimed at helping more than 750 million tobacco users around the world to quit the deadly habit.
The World Health Organisation recommends varenicline, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion and cytisine as effective treatments to quit smoking.
Varenicline is a nicotine-free pill. It works in a different way than other smoking cessation drugs. It can be a great drug for those who have not been able to kick the habit of using other drugs before.
Bupropion is an FDA-approved antidepressant. It is a non-nicotine treatment method.
Cytisine has the same molecular structure as nicotine and varenicline, it is a partial agonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
Tale Wildlife Sanctuary
Why in news?
A new species of forest-dwelling horned frog has been discovered at the Tale Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.
More about the news
The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
The new frog species is named after the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, which predominantly resides in the Lower Subansiri Valley of Arunachal Pradesh
This discovery marks a significant addition to India's herpeto-faunal diversity.
About Tale Wildlife Sanctuary
Tale Wildlife sanctuary is located in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh.
The sanctuary lies roughly in between the Subansiri, Sipu and Pange rivers surrounded by densely forested mountains ranging for 2,000 to 4,000 mtr. altitude.
Tale is a plateau with dense forest of silver fir trees, pine clad plateau of beautiful grandeur, and a vast wasteland.
Forest type of this sanctuary is East Himalayan Subtropical Forest, East Himalaya Wet temperate forest, Lauraceae forest, Oak forest, High-level Oak forest and East Himalaya mixed coniferous forest.
The area has some of the most important endangered species including the clouded leopard, Red Panda.
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