06 Feb 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Sainik Schools
2. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

1. Sainik Schools

Syllabus: GS 2; Education

Prelims: Sainik Schools

Context

The Sainik School Society (SSS) is developing an automated system for conducting e-Counselling for admissions into Sainik Schools.

Sainik Schools

• Sainik Schools Society (SSS) is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Defence. The Society administers the Sainik Schools.
• The Sainik Schools were established in 1961 by K. Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister of India.
• Sainik Schools are English medium residential schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) that offer admission at the level of Class VI and Class IX.
• Sainik Schools prepare Cadets to join the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla (Pune), Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala and other Training Academies for officers.
• Admission is based on the performance of candidates in the All India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination (AISSEE).
• Currently there are 33 Sainik Schools and the government aims to set up 100 new schools throughout the country.

Benefits of e-Counselling in admissions

• Ensure complete transparency in the admission process.
• It will be less-expensive and user friendly for all the stakeholders
• Provide access for real-time monitoring of the entire process, and necessary action required at each stage.

2. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

Syllabus: GS 1; Indian Heritage and Culture

Prelims: Facts about Khwaja Moinuddin Chisthi

Context

The Union Minister for Minority Affairs offered “Chadar” on behalf of the Prime Minister at Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan on the occasion of 810th Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

• Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was born in Sijistan in Iran in 1141-42 He arrived in Delhi during the reign of the Iltutmish.
• He settled in the Indian subcontinent in the early 13th-century, where he promulgated the famous Chishtiyya order of Sunni mysticism.
• Later he moved to Ajmer, where he started living and preaching.
• Chishti was soon able to draw the local populace, poor people, peasants, and nobles from far and wide.

Chishtiyya order

• The Chishtiyya Order is a tariqa, (an order or school) within the mystic Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam.
• Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti introduced the Chishti Order to the Indian subcontinent in Ajmer.
• The order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness.
• The four main Sufi orders practiced in India are: Chisti, Qadiriyya, Suhrawardiyya and Naqshbandi.

Read about Sufisim in India

Ajmer Sharif Dargah

• The tomb of Chishti became a site of worship following the preacher’s death in 1236.
• Rulers like Muhammad bin Tughluq and Akbar, have said to made their famous visits to the tomb.
• In the present day, the dargah continues to be one of the most popular sites of religious visitation for Sunnis.
• The Dargah complex of Chishti was built in Indo-Islamic style of architecture.
• A golden crown offered by Nawab Haider Ali Khan of Rampur sits on top of it and a lotus adorns the dome.
• The materials used include marble, brick and sandstone.

Read previous PIB here.

February 6th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here