16 Dec 2021: PIB Summary & Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. The State of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
2. Samajik Adhikarita Shivir
3. WISE - KIRAN
4. Chalcolithic Cultures of Central India:
5. Swarnim Vijay Varsh

1. The State of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

Relevant for Issues related to education, GS II

Prelims: About the report on the state of foundational literacy and numeracy

Mains: Importance of the report

Context: Report on the State of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in India has been released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC – PM).

Key Highlights of the Report:

• The report is prepared by the Institute for Competitiveness and it addresses the importance of early education in the overall development of a child.
• It assesses the role of policy interventions like the National Education Policy 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Programme in the improvement of learning outcomes.
• There were categories for ranking such as large states, small states, Union Territories and North East.
• The index on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy offers a thorough understanding of the learning scenario of children below 10 years across the country as it is considered to be the formative years for every child.

Five pillars of the Index on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy :

• Educational Infrastructure
• Access to Education
• Basic Health
• Learning Outcomes 
• Governance

Important Observations:

• Kerala has performed well in terms of learning outcomes in the small states category. However Andhra Pradesh has outperformed Kerala in terms of accessibility to education. It is recommended that the states can exchange ideas for betterment of education and learn from each other.
• West Bengal topped the list in the category of large states and Lakshadweep topped in the Union Territory category and Mizoram became the top scoring region in the Northeast category.
• Some states exhibited poor performance in terms of Governance and over half of the states have a score below the national average (28.05).
• The North eastern states have performed considerably well.
• Access to education needs a prompt action as the performance of larger states like Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar is significantly poor.

Significance of the Index:

• India is committed to achieve the SDGs 2030 that aims towards zero hunger, good health, well-being and access to education which have been mapped with the index. 
• It carries out a holistic assessment of the states and union territories for their overall performance based on the five pillars of the index and identifies the areas that require more emphasis. 

2. Samajik Adhikarita Shivir

Related to Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population, GS II

Prelims: About the scheme

Mains: Role of the scheme in helping the Divyangjan and Senior Citizens

Context: The Samajik Adhikarita Shivir is a programme that will be organized to distribute the aids and assistive devices to the Physically Disabled persons and Senior Citizens at Kanpur. The event will be organized by ALMICO which is a public sector enterprise under the administrative control of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan).

About the Event:

• The assistive devices and aids will be distributed under ADIP (Assistance to disabled persons for purchase) scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to Divyangjan.
• There will be assessment camps for the Senior Citizens under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana. 

Read more about Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana in PIB dated Aug 10th 2021

3. WISE – KIRAN

Related to Role of Women, GS I 

Prelims: About WISE-KIRAN

Mains: Developmental programmes for participation of women in the field of Science and Technology

Context: The WISE – KIRAN scheme has been discussed in the Parliament highlighting the various gender enabling programmes operating under this scheme.   Important Facts:

• In order to establish suitable grounds for gender equality and to increase the participation of women in the field of science and technology, the Department of Science and Technology implemented a dedicated scheme called WISE( Women in Science and Engineering)- KIRAN. 
• It was informed that the WISE-KIRAN initiative has benefited many women scientists and meritorious girls of class IX – XII and women from the grassroot levels across the country.
• The scheme focuses on employment generation for women through feasible technology and natural resources available in their native areas. 
• About 50 individual projects and 40 women technology parks have been facilitated by the Science and Technology Scheme for Women which is also a part of the WISE – KIRAN initiative.

Read more about Women in Science Research and Development in the linked article

4. Chalcolithic Cultures of Central India:

Related to Indian Culture, GS I

Prelims: About the Excavation Sites

Context: The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has carried out excavations in the state of Madhya Pradesh to investigate the Chalcolithic Culture of central India and has come up with highlights of the status of investigation.

Excavation at Eran :

• Eran (Ancient name: Airikina) is located on the left bank of Bina river which was known as Venva river in the ancient time.
• It is 75 kms from the Sagar district
• Recent excavations have unearthed several antiquities like copper coins,iron arrowhead, terracotta bead, stone beads, stone celts, animal figurines, miniature pots, stone querns, pestles.
• A red slipped terracotta with inscription in Devnagari script was also found
• The existence of few metallic objects confirmed the usage of iron in the chalcolithic period (18th -7th BCE)

Excavation at Tewar :

• Tewar village is located in the Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh
• The ancient site of Tripuri is situated 2kms away from the Tewar village.
• Excavation was carried out at two sites of Tewar namely TWR 1 and TWR 2
• Four fold culture sequences were prevalent in Tewar such as Kushana, Shunga, Satavahana and Kalachuri.
• Brick walls and sandstone column structures were found
• The antiquarian remains included terracotta balls, iron nails, copper coins, red, black wares in ceramics, big jars, and spouted pots. 

Read more about Prehistoric Age in India in the linked article

5. Swarnim Vijay Varsh

Related to Security Challenges and their management in the border areas, GS III

Prelims: About the India – Pakistan War of 1971

Mains: Significance in strengthening India’s relations with Bangladesh

Context: The 16th day of December 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of India’s victory in the Indo- Pakistan war of 1971 and it is celebrated as the Swarnim Vijay Varsh. 

Read more about the Indo – Pak War in the linked article

Read previous PIB here.

December 16th, 2021, PIB:- Download PDF Here