08 July 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

17th World Sanskrit Conference

• Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar will inaugurate 17thWorld Sanskrit Conference.
• The conference is scheduled to be held at Vancouver, Canada from 9thJuly to 13th July, 2018.
• Delegates from over 40 countries will be participating in this conference and exchange their knowledge.
• There will be a special panel discussion on over a dozen topics like; History & Education of Women in Vedic Literature; Sanskrit Buddhist Manuscripts; Mimamsa Beyond the Yagasala; The Yuktidipika Forging a Place for Sankhya; Introducing Bhagavata Purana Commentaries; Research on the Gargiyajyotisa.
• The purpose of this conference is to promote, preserve and practice the Sanskrit language all over the world by the people.
• The World Sanskrit Conference is being held in various countries across the globe once in every three years and so far it has been held thrice in India.

NTA to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational Institutions

• The Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar has said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has started its work and will be conducting various entrance examinations for higher educational Institutions from next academic sessions onwards.
• Addressing a press conference, he said that the NTA will bring qualitative difference in the examination process by its focus on research and scientific test design.
• The Minister highlighted that for the first timein the history of competitive examinations, the JEE (Main) and NEET (UG) will be conducted twice before admissions in the next academic session.
• He also informed that the examinations for all candidates will be conducted in computer based mode

Features of exams to be conducted by NTA:

• This will give more chances to studentsthereby giving adequate opportunity to bring out his/her best and reducing stress which develops due to single exam conducted on one single day in the year. 
• All the tests (UGC- NET (December), JEE (Main) & NEET (UG)) will be conducted in multiple sittings and a candidate will have an option of dates to choose from.
• NTA will establish a network of test practice centresfor students of rural areas so that everyone will have an opportunity to practice before the exam.

About NTA

• NTA was approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2017 as an Autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational Institutions.
• NTA will be given a one-time grant of Rs.25 crore from the Government of India to start its operation in the first year. Thereafter, it will be financially self-sustainable.

Constitution of NTA

• NTA will be chaired by an eminent educationist appointed by MHRD.
• The CEO will be the Director General to be appointed by the Government.
• There will be a Board of Governors comprising members from user institutions.
• The Director General will be assisted by 9 verticals headed by academicians/ experts.

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