CNA 03 May 2021:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related EDUCATION 1. Education Re-imaging learning 2. Bursting the exam bubble INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. North Korea says Biden has a ‘hostile policy’, warns of response POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 1. Image can’t be better than reality C. GS 3 Related D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials F. Prelims Facts G. Tidbits 1. Happy Hypoxemia H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
1. Education Re-imaging learning
Context:
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically disrupted the overall education system across the globe. Consequently, there was a disproportionate impact on the education of students with disabilities.
The article discusses how Indian higher education can be made more inclusive for students with disabilities.
Issues:
- During the initial phase of the lockdown, there was a lack of guidelines and an absence of tools to facilitate students with visual, hearing or specific learning disabilities.
- The pandemic exposed the stark lack of academic infrastructure for students with disabilities in Indian universities.
- It highlighted the lack of access to technology and assistive devices that could have eased the non-inclusive nature of typical teaching content.
Need for planning:
- While there has been progress in making education accessible to all, the National Education Policy 2020 included proposals on barrier-free access to education and teacher training.
- The magnitude and complexities involved in implementation need exhaustive planning and meticulous execution.
Way Forward:
- Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must contribute towards creating an inclusive society.
- Government authorities must adopt some long-term measures that will help establish a process that addresses the needs of all learners.
- Inter-ministerial coordination would be required for all-encompassing standardised guidelines for digital education infrastructure.
- One of the key tenets of inclusive education is to make provisions that can give the students with specific needs full access to adequate services.
- To ensure this, there is a need for a coordinated approach that makes universal accessibility norms an integral part of pedagogy and teaching methodology in universities.
- On the ground, a learning support system needs to be established in each university — both public and private.
- Awareness and sensitisation towards people with disabilities is paramount.
- While there are visible disabilities that need an accessible physical and academic infrastructure in HEIs, the invisible ones such as Autism Spectrum, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) need to be understood and seen as learning and thinking differences.
The article discusses the need for genuine attempts to develop multiple evaluation designs for different levels of education.
This topic has been covered in the 30th April 2021 Comprehensive News Analysis.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. North Korea says Biden has a ‘hostile policy’, warns of response
Context:
Joe Biden, in his first address to Congress, called North Korea and Iran’s nuclear programs a serious threat to America’s security and world security. North Korea has accused U.S. President Joe Biden of pursuing a hostile policy and has warned of a response.
Background:
Talks aimed at persuading North Korea to surrender its nuclear weapons program have been stalled since a series of summits between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un failed to result in a deal.
Details:
- Under the policy review, Biden has settled on a new approach to pressuring North Korea that will explore using diplomacy to break the stalemate but not seek a grand bargain with Mr. Kim.
- Biden had said that his administration would deal with the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear programme through diplomacy as well as stern deterrence.
- The White House said that its goal remains the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
- It also said that Biden was open to negotiations with North Korea on denuclearisation following the completion of a policy review.
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Image can’t be better than reality
Context:
World Press Freedom Day is observed on the 3rd of May every year.
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) affirms that this day acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom.
- It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
Importance of free press:
- A set of interrelated components of press freedom such as its intrinsic value, its informational role, its protective role and its constructive contributions, become a bedrock for equitable development.
- Amartya Sen has pointed out the reasons why media is important for economic development.
Impact of COVID-19 on Journalists:
- Journalists are paying an unusually high price for doing their job, often reporting from the field, standing outside hospitals, morgues and cremation grounds.
- More than a hundred journalists have lost their lives in India over the past year.
- Both the Centre and the States must extend all the facilities provided to frontline workers to these professionals.
Read more on World Press Freedom Day.
Note:
- The Odisha government has declared working journalists as frontline Covid warriors, recognising the risks they undertake to cover the pandemic.
- Journalists have been covered under Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana. They get health insurance cover of ₹2 lakh each.
C. GS 3 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Nothing here for today!!!
F. Prelims Facts
Nothing here for today!!!
G. Tidbits
- A healthy body is naturally capable of adapting to varying saturation levels.
- For instance, when mountaineers go scaling peaks, their bodies get acclimatised to the low oxygen level at high altitudes.
- The threshold is different for each person. Somebody with SPO2 between 88-94 may not show any breathing problems while somebody with a reading of 93 can be gasping for breath.
- Low oxygen saturation in the blood without any visible manifestation of distress is called happy hypoxemia.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Which of the following is/are not a member of the Group of Seven (G7) countries?
- Russia
- Canada
- Japan
- India
- Australia
Select the correct option from below:
- 1, 2 and 4 only
- 1, 2, 4 and 5 only
- 1, 4 and 5 only
- 4 and 5 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
G-7 countries consist of the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan.
Q2. Karen and Kachin state, recently seen in the news, is related to:
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Iran
- Myanmar
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Karen and Kachin states are both located in Myanmar.
- Kachin is bordered by China to the north and east; India to the west.
Q3. Which of the following is responsible for the administration of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 and the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961?
- Prime Minister’s Office
- Department of Personnel and Training
- Cabinet Secretariat
- Lok Sabha Secretariat
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 and the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961.
- It is responsible for facilitating the smooth transaction of business in Ministries/Departments of the Government.
- It provides secretarial assistance to the Cabinet and its Committees, and also assists in decision-making in Government by ensuring Inter-Ministerial coordination, ironing out differences amongst Ministries/Departments and evolving consensus through the instrumentality of the standing/ad-hoc Committees of Secretaries.
- Through this mechanism, new policy initiatives are also promoted.
Q4. Which of the following statements regarding Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is/are correct?
- It is an independent verification printer machine and is attached to electronic voting machines.
- VVPAT machines can be accessed by voters to point out any malfunction.
- In 2013, the SC had asked the Election Commission to introduce paper trails in EVMs.
Options:
- Only 1
- Only 1 & 2
- Only 1 & 3
- All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is an independent verification printer machine and is attached to electronic voting machines.
- With an intent to have the fullest transparency in the system and to restore the confidence of the voters, the SC had asked the Election Commission to introduce paper trails in EVMs in 2013.
- VVPAT machines cannot be accessed by voters. The VVPAT machines can only be accessed by the polling officials.
Q5. Which of the following diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing? [UPSC 2013]
- Chikungunya
- Hepatitis B
- HIV-AIDS
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
While Hepatitis B and HIV-AIDS can be transmitted from one person to another through exposure to body fluids such as blood, semen or vaginal fluids, Chikungunya is a viral disease that is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. Therefore, Hepatitis B and HIV-AIDS can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- Discuss the importance of the media in delivering ‘Information as a Public Good’ and list out the international efforts in defending media rights. (10 Marks, 150 Words) (GS 2, Governance)
- There is an urgent need to plan for disability-inclusive education, during and after the Covid crisis. Comment. (10 Marks, 150 Words) (GS 2, Education)
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 03 May 2021:- Download PDF Here
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