06 January 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

1. National Stock Exchange (NSE) Knowledge Hub
2. Ministry of Defence (MoD) No Objection Certificate (NOC) web portal
3. Year End Review 2019 - Department of Higher Education

About the NSE Knowledge Hub:

• It is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered learning ecosystem that will assist the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector.
• It is created by the National Stock Exchange.
  • The NSE is the leading stock exchange in India and the second largest in the world by the number of trades in equity shares from January to June 2018.
  • It launched electronic screen-based trading in 1994, derivatives trading (in the form of index futures) and internet trading in 2000, which were each the first of its kind in India.
  • It is located in Mumbai and was founded in 1992.
  • NSE was the first exchange in the country to provide a modern, fully automated screen-based electronic trading system which offered easy trading facility to the investors spread across the length and breadth of the country.
  • It offers trading and investment in the following segments: equity, derivatives, debt, equity derivatives, interest rate futures and debt market.
• The NSE Knowledge Hub will enhance skills and help academic institutions in preparing future-ready talent for the financial service industry.
• It is also available on mobile and attempts to bring together world-class content and learners through this state-of-the-art and future-ready platform.
• The Hub has been developed by NSE Academy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NSE.

Context:

The Union Commerce and Industry Minister inaugurated NSE Knowledge Hub in New Delhi.

Context:

The Defence Minister launched the Ministry of Defence (MoD) No Objection Certificate (NOC) web portal for undertaking aerial survey with the final permission of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Details:

• The portal will be used by various vendors engaged by State Governments/Public Sector Undertakings/Autonomous bodies in seeking a NOC from the MoD.
• The portal is hosted on the National Informatics Centre platform.
• Through this initiative, the Ministry will be able to considerably reduce the time usually taken in issuing NOC.
• Among other benefits, this initiative will help in speeding up developmental projects undertaken by various agencies.
• Further, this will also ensure expeditious disposal of applications for carrying out an aerial survey, besides bringing in more transparency and accuracy.
• The DGCA has been requested to issue a suitable notification to all concerned so that the applicants/vendors could submit their applications online on the newly developed web portal.
• To facilitate the applicants/vendors, an e-book has also been uploaded on the above web portal.

About the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA):

• The DGCA is the governmental regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• Its vision is to promote safe and efficient air transportation through regulation and proactive safety oversight system.
• The body governs the safety aspects of civil aviation in the country.
• It is headed by the Director-General of Civil Aviation.
• Among other things, the DGCA is engaged in the registration of civil aircraft; licensing of pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, air traffic controllers, etc.; certification of aerodromes; checking the proficiency of flight crew; granting air operator’s certificates to Indian carriers; approving institutes engaged in flying training including simulator training, and any other related training; advising the government on matters pertaining to air transport.

The major initiatives in 2019 of the Department of Higher Education are given below:

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Program (DHRUV).
  • To identify and encourage talented children to enrich their skills and knowledge.
  • To know more about DHRUV, check PIB dated 9^th Oct 2019 under the heading: Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme (PMILP) – ‘DHRUV’.
• The Department of Higher Education of HRD Ministry has finalized and released a five-year vision plan named Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP). Know more about EQUIP at PIB dated June 28, 2019 under the heading: Five-year vision plan ‘Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP)’ finalised and released by HRD Ministry.”
• SWAYAM 2.0
  • SWAYAM is a programme designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality.
  • The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching-learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged.
  • SWAYAM seeks to bridge the digital divide for students who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.
  • This is done through a platform that facilitates hosting of all the courses, taught in classrooms from Class 9 till post-graduation to be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time. All the courses are interactive, prepared by the best teachers in the country and are available, free of cost to any learner.
  • The courses include video lectures, downloadable/printable reading material, tests and quizzes, and an online discussion forum for clearing doubts.
• Deeksharambh Scheme
  • It is a guide to Student Induction Programme which is prepared by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
  • This program is meant for new students to feel comfortable in the new environment, and the induction programmes are held before classes commence.
• PARAMARSH Scheme
  • It is also launched by the UGC.
  • The objective of the scheme is to mentor the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) accreditation aspirant institutions for promoting quality assurance in higher education.
  • It will lead to enhancement of overall quality of the mentee institutions and enhance its profile as a result of improved quality of research, teaching and learning methodologies.
  • It will help the mentee institutions in getting NAAC accreditation.
• Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS)
  • Launched in 2019, this will be implemented and monitored by the IISc in Bangalore.
  • The scheme will provide extra funding to higher education institutions for research projects in basic sciences.
• Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA): Read more on RUSA in EPW Week 5, 2019 edition under the title, “Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)”.
• Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS)
  • This scheme supports social science research in higher educational institutions and aims to enable research to guide policymaking.
• Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC)
  • The programme is implemented by IIT Kharagpur.
  • SPARC aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian institutions and the best institutions in the world to jointly solve problems of national and international relevance.
• Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS)
  • This scheme was launched for providing industry apprenticeship opportunities to the general graduates exiting in April 2019 through the National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS).
  • The program aims to enhance the employability of Indian youth by providing ‘on the job work exposure’ and earning of stipend.
• Study in India Programme: Know more about this in PIB dated Jul 11, 2019, under the heading: ‘Study in India’ Programme.
• National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT):
  • This scheme offers adaptive and personalized learning through Artificial Intelligence (AI) to students, particularly from economically and socially weaker sections.
  • It will function through a PPP model between the Ministry of HRD and EdTech companies.
• Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT):
  • This is an online professional development programme for higher education teachers using the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform SWAYAM.
  • It was launched in 2018.

January 6th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

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