20 Feb 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Educational Policy, 2020
2. Divyang Park - Anubhuti Inclusive Park, Nagpur
3. UIC World Security Congress
4. Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC) Pinjore
5. Exercise Dustlik
6. INS Sumedha
7. INS Nireekshak

1. National Educational Policy, 2020

Syllabus – GS2, Education – Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.

Prelims – NEP 2020, Jadui Pitara- for the foundational stage 

Context – Launch of Learning-Teaching Material for the foundational stage.

Details –

• The Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched Learning-Teaching Material for the foundational stage (3-8 years) as envisaged under the National Education Policy 2020.
• The minister launched ‘Jadui Pitara’- a play-based learning-teaching material for children between 3-8 years. Jadui Pitara is a big leap towards enriching the teaching-learning experience and making it more child-centric, interesting and joyful for the Amrit generation.
• ‘Jadui Pitara’ developed under the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) is available in 13 Indian languages. The Jadui Pitara (Magic Collection) is expected to bring NEP and NCF-FS to practice in the hands of teachers and students.
• The resources on ‘Jadui Pitara’ will be digitally available on the DIKSHA platform – portal and mobile app. 
• The ‘Jaadui  Pitara’ contains toys, games, puzzles, puppets, story/poem posters, flashcards, posters, story cards, playbooks, activity books, worksheets for children and handbooks for teachers and trainers. 
• These materials have been developed across the five developmental domains – Physical development, socio-emotional and ethical development, language and literacy development, cognitive development and aesthetics and cultural development. Positive learning habits have been included as another developmental domain at this level.

2. Divyang Park – Anubhuti Inclusive Park, Nagpur

Syllabus – GS2, Inclusive Development.

Prelims – Anubhuti Inclusive Park in Nagpur.

Context – Shri Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone of Anubhuti Inclusive Park in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Details –

• The Union Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways laid the foundation stone of the world’s largest Divyang Park – Anubhuti Inclusive Park in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
• The park will have facilities for all 21 types of disabilities. It will have facilities like a touch-and-smell garden, water therapy, hydrotherapy and a host of amenities for persons with disabilities (PwD).
• The GoI passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in 2016 which gives disabled people the right to live with dignity. Under this initiative, the central government has developed some divyang parks in south India and Madhya Pradesh.
• Anubhuti Inclusive Park is being built in an area of 90 thousand square feet and a provision of about Rs 12 crore has been made by the Ministry of Social Justice and GoI for this park.

Also read – RPWD Act.

3. UIC World Security Congress

Syllabus – GS2, International Relations, Important International institutions

Prelims – 18th World Security Congress (21-23 February).

Context – The Railway Protection Force (RPF) to host the International Union of Railways’ 18th World Security Congress (WSC) to deliberate upon the various aspects of security in Jaipur.

Details –

• Union Internationale des chemins de fer (UIC) or International Union of Railways (UIC) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) are coming together to organise the 18th World Security Congress in Jaipur from 21st to 23rd February.
• Union internationale des chemins de fer (UIC) or International Union of Railways (UIC) represents the railway sector and promotes rail transport worldwide. It is headquartered in Paris.
• The  Railway Protection Force (RPF) is a prime security and law enforcement agency in the field of railway security in India. It was constituted in 1957 for better protection and security of railway property.
• The theme of the 18th UIC World Security Congress is ‘Railway Security Strategy: Responses and Vision for Future’. The 4 sub-themes include – Protecting Critical Assets and Freight, Human Security Approach, Best Railway Security Tools and Practices across the World and Vision 2030.
• The congress will be attended by the Heads of Security of Railway Organisations from across the world, officials from UIC, Indian Railways, RPF, partner international organisations and senior police officials of India.
• In 2006 and 2015, RPF successfully organised the UIC World Security Congress in New Delhi.
• RPF is all set to host deliberations on issues of concern and challenges for railway security across the world and has devised the sessions in a way that focusses on second order problem-solving matrix so as to come up with practical solutions that will result in a transformative metamorphosis of railway security across the globe.

4. Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC) Pinjore

Syllabus – GS3, Biodiversity Conservation 

Prelims – Vulture Conservation.

Context – Shri Bupendra Yadav visited the Jatayu Vulture Breeding Centre, Pinjore.

Details –

• The Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) visited the vulture conservation and breeding centre and said the vultures will be released in the wild after breeding.

About JCBC –

• The Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC) was established to investigate the causes of dramatic declines in the population of three of India’s Gyps species of vultures, the Oriental white-backed, Long-billed and Slender-billed vultures.
•  It is a collaborative initiative between the Haryana Forest Department and the Bombay Natural History Society.
• The main objectives of the centre are to establish a founder population of 25 pairs of each of the 3 species of vultures and to produce a population of at least 200 birds, in 15 years of each species to be reintroduced to the wild.

5. Exercise Dustlik

Syllabus – GS2, Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Prelims – Exercise Dustlik – 4th Edition.

Context – The joint military exercise ‘Dustlik’ between the Indian Army and the Uzbekistan Army commenced at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

Details –

• The 4th edition of Exercise ‘Dustlik’ between the Indian Army and the Uzbekistan Army commenced in Uttarakhand with the aim to strengthen the relationship between the two armies.
• In the 45-day-long joint exercise, 45 soldiers each from the Indian and Uzbekistan armies will participate.
• Its first edition was held in November 2019 in Uzbekistan. 
• The joint exercise would focus on joint counter-terrorist operations in mountainous and semi-urban scenarios under UN mandate and will include field training exercises, combat discussions, lectures, and demonstrations and culminate with a validation exercise.

6. INS Sumedha

Syllabus – GS3, Indigenisation of Technology 

Prelims – INS Sumedha, IDEX, NAVDEX.

Context – INS Sumedha to participate in IDEX & NAVDEX 23.

Details –

• INS Sumedha reached Abu Dhabi (UAE) to participate in NAVDEX 23 (Naval Defence Exhibition) and IDEX 23 (International Defence Exercise).
• The participation of INS Sumedha in two leading naval and defence exhibitions will showcase the strength of India’s indigenous shipbuilding capabilities.
• INS Sumedha was commissioned in the Indian navy in March 2014. It is the third ship of the indigenously built Surya class Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPV).

7. INS Nireekshak

Syllabus – GS3, Indigenisation of Technology 

Prelims – on-the-spot award, INS Nireekshak.

Context – INS Nireekshak awarded ‘on-the-spot’ Chief of the Naval Staff Unit Citation.

About INS Nireekshak –

• INS Nireekshak is a Dive Support and Submarine Rescue Vessel of the Indian Navy. 
• Built by Mazagon Shipbuilders in 1985, the ship has been in service with the Navy since 1989 and was commissioned in the year 1995.
• INS Nireekshak has been part of various diving operations and holds the record for the deepest dive carried out in the country to a depth of 257 metres.

Details –

• In a first for the Indian Navy, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Harikumar awarded ‘on the spot’ Unit Citation to INS Nireekshak in Kochi for deep sea diving and undertaking salvage operations under the most challenging circumstances.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

February 20th, 2023, PIB:- Download PDF Here