11 January 2019: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

Read the daily PIB update and stay up-to-date on current affairs for the UPSC exam

ARTECH

• Indian Army organised the Army Technology Seminar-2019 (ARTECH 2019), in its quest for modernization through optimum use of emerging technologies
• The theme was “Disruptive Impact of Emerging Technologies on Land Warfare”
• The seminar was aimed to bring together stakeholders in the military, academia and industry to provide perspective on the available and emerging technologies which could have an impact on warfighting.

Mobile Apps Launched Ministry Of Health And Family Welfare

• Indradhanush (for immunisation tracker)
• India Fights Dengue (enables a user to check Dengue Symptoms, get nearest Hospital / Blood bank information and also share feedback)
• NHP Swasth Bharat (information dissemination on Disease, Lifestyle, First Aid)
• NHP Directory Services Mobile App. (provides information related to Hospital and Blood banks across India have been hosted.
• No More Tension Mobile App. (information on stress management related aspects)
• Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) Mobile App. (for providing pregnancy care by volunteer doctors across states)

SUGAM

• It is by the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO)
• It enables online submission of applications, their tracking, processing & grant of approvals online mainly for drugs, clinical trials, ethics committee, medical devices, vaccines and cosmetics.
• Provides a single window for multiple stakeholders (Pharma Industry, Regulators, Citizens) involved in the processes of CDSCO.

Performance Grading Index (PGI)

The PGI is for the purpose of grading States and UTs on their performance across 70 indicators on school education.

• The Index will grade States and UTS thus allowing for more than one State/UT to occupy the same grade, and therefore all States and UTS to ultimately reach the highest level.
• The PGI has been conceptualised as a tool to encourage States and UTS to adopt certain practices like online recruitment and transfer of Teachers, electronic attendance of Students & Teachers etc
• The PGI has seventy (70) indicators divided into two categories viz Outcomes and Governance processes.
  • The first category is divided into four domains viz. Learning outcomes, Access outcomes, Infrastructure and Facilities and Equity outcomes;
  • The second category is about Governance processes which covers attendance, teacher adequacy, administrative adequacy, training, accountability and transparency.
• The total weightage under PGI is thousand points. Each indicator has been given either twenty or ten points.

Kala Utsav

• Kala Utsav is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
• It will promote arts in education by nurturing and showcasing the artistic talent of school students of government and government aided schools at the secondary stage (Class IX-XII) of education in the country.
• ‘Kala Utsav’ focuses on both performing and visual arts & crafts (dance, music, theatre, painting, sculpture and heritage crafts) at school, district and State level, to enhance awareness of India’s cultural heritage and its vibrant diversity amongst students, teachers, teacher educators, administrators and other stakeholders and aims to promote networking of artists and artisans with school education.

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