1. Sports News
Tags: Sports News
1. Perfect ten for Ajaz Patel
- New Zealand bowler Ajaz Patel became the third player in the history of test Cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings.
- He took all ten Indian wickets in the first innings of the India In the Second Test Match of the series being played at Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium.
2. BWF World Tour Finals: Sindhu settles for silver
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu lost the final of the BWF World Tour Finals to South Korea's An Seyoung in straight games 21-16 21-12.
- The season-ending HSBC BWF World Tour Finals was held in Bali, Indonesia, from 01-05 December 2021.
3. India win the Test Series against New Zealand
- India defeated New Zealand in the second test by a record 372 runs to win the series 1-0.
- The second test match was held at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.
4. Russia wins Davis Cup
The Russian Tennis Federation defeated Croatia in the final held at Madrid, Spain.
- 18 teams were competing in the tournament which was held from 25 november to 5 December 2021 at Innsbruck, Austria, Madrid, Spain and Turin, Italy.
5. Lewis Hamilton wins Saudi Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes team won the Saudi Arabia Formula 1 racing title at Jeddah. He is from Great Britain.
- Saudi Arabia hosted the Formula 1 race for the first time.
6. Rohit Sharma becomes new white ball-captain
The BCCI, cricket selection committee has appointed Rohit Sharma as the captain of the ODI side till 2023 World Cup to be held in India and was made the Vice-Captain of the Test team removing Ajinkya Rahane as the Test team Vice-Captaincy.
7. India A wins 2021–22 BCCI Senior Women's Challenger Trophy Title
- It was held at the Mulapadu Cricket Complex in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
- It took place from 4 to 9 December 2021.
8. Manipur Claims 26th Senior Women’s National Football Championship title
Manipur defeated Railways 2-1 on penalties in the final of 26th Senior Women's National Football Championship held at EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode, Kerala. The league consisted of 32 teams for the 2021-22 season.
9. FIDE World Chess Championship 2021
Magnus Carlsen of Norway defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and won the World Chess championship 2021.
2. State News
Tags: State News
1. Nagaland Government demands withdrawal of AFSPA form Nagaland
- Nagaland Chief Minister Mr. Neiphiu Rio has demanded the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special powers Act from the state following the death of 14 civilians in the Army operation against the Naga insurgents in the Mon district of Nagaland on 4 December 2021.Nagaland’s Mon district
- Nagaland’s Mon district borders Myanmar from where members of the NSCN (Khaplang-Yung Aung) are said to carry out hit-and-run operations.
- The Konyak Union, the apex body of the Konyak Naga Tribe from the Mon district of Nagaland has also demanded the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or, AFSPA, from the entire Northeast of India and withdrawal of Assam Rifles from the Mon district of Nagaland .
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangama has also demanded the withdrawal of AFSPA from Manipur .
- The Nagaland government has two member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the circumstances leading to the killing of the civilians by the armed forces.
2. KVIC Rolls Out Project RE-HAB in Assam to Prevent Elephant – Human Conflicts Using Tiny Bees
Following the success of its innovative Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees) in Karnataka, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has now replicated the project in Assam.
- Under Project RE-HAB, “Bee-fences” are created by setting up bee boxes in the passageways of elephants to block their entrance to human territories.
- It is a cost-effective way of reducing human-wild conflicts without causing any harm to the animals.
- It is scientifically recorded that elephants are annoyed by the honey bees.
3. Nagaland Government cancel Hornbill festival
Nagaland Government has cancelled the famous annual “Hornbill festival “ as a respect to the 14 villagers mistakenly killed by the army during an anti-insurgent operation in the Mon district of Nagaland on 4 December .
- Chief Minister of Nagaland : Neiphiu Rio
- Governor : Jagdhish Mukhi
4. Bird Flu confirmed in Ducks
The Alappuzha district was put on alert, after an outbreak of bird flu was confirmed at Kunnumma South (ward 10) in Thakazhy grama panchayat.
Highlights:
- The presence of H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus was reported in ducks.
5. NEDFI Announces New Scheme Atmanirbhar Hastshilpkar Scheme for the Artisans under Ministry of Doner
With the objective to develop the petty artisans of the North Eastern Region by providing financial assistance in the form of term loan for income generating activities for setting up / expansion / modernization / working capital requirement and other activities related to the sector NEDFi has introduced Atmanirbhar Hastshilpkar Scheme to the grass root Artisans of the region.
3. Nagaland Government demands withdrawal of AFSPA form Nagaland
Tags: National News
- Nagaland Chief Minister Mr. Neiphiu Rio has demanded the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special powers Act from the state following the death of 14 civilians in the Army operation against the Naga insurgents in the Mon district of Nagaland on 4 December 2021.Nagaland’s Mon district
- Nagaland’s Mon district borders Myanmar from where members of the NSCN (Khaplang-Yung Aung) are said to carry out hit-and-run operations.
- The Konyak Union, the apex body of the Konyak Naga Tribe from the Mon district of Nagaland has also demanded the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or, AFSPA, from the entire Northeast of India and withdrawal of Assam Rifles from the Mon district of Nagaland .
- The Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangama has also demanded the withdrawal of AFSPA from Manipur .
- The Nagaland government has two member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the circumstances leading to the killing of the civilians by the armed forces.
AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act )1958 To deal with the Naga insurgents in the Naga denominated areas of the state of Assam and the Union Territory of Manipur the Government of India parliament passed a law Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958(AFSPA), which was later extended to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Under this act President ,Governor of the has the power to declare the whole or a part of the state as a disturbed area. It confers special powers to certain officers of the armed forces to:
Similar law has been enacted by the Parliament for other regions of India which are facing insurgency . The Armed Forces (Punjab and Chandigarh) Special Powers Act, 1983 was enacted to deal with the terrorism in Punjab. It was withdrawn in 1997.The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 was enacted by the Parliament to give special powers to the armed forces to deal with insurgency and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.The wide power given to the Armed force has also given rise to its abuse. In any counter -insurgency operation there is bound to be civilian casualties . The civilian casualties have inflamed the local public opinion against the armed forces . Committee and Commission report on AFSPA
Why Government is not repealing the act The armed forces operating in the area says that they need the law operate in a very hostile area were the local population is also hostile to the armed forces. Army officials also cite the need to protect the morale and integrity of the army as reason not to scrutinize allegations against army personnel.
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4. Manipur Claims 26th Senior Women’s National Football Championship title
Tags: Sports News
Manipur defeated Railways 2-1 on penalties in the final of 26th Senior Women's National Football Championship held at EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode, Kerala. The league consisted of 32 teams for the 2021-22 season.
The women from the North East claimed the title 21 out of 26 times at the National senior football championship
Roshini was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper and captain Irom Prameshwori Devi the most valuable player
5. Bangladesh will be connected to North-East by 2024
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While virtually addressing the delegates at a function organised by the Indian Chambers of Commerce, Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperations Amit Shah said that the government will connect capitals of all the eight States by air, seven of the eight state capitals will be connected through rail, and a network of roads is operational.
He said the northeast states will be linked by road and railway to Bangladesh in a year or two, creating many opportunities in the region.
Key Points:
- The connectivity problem in the North East is being resolved by signing a land border agreement with Bangladesh. The North East will be connected to the ports of Bangladesh in two years and this will open up a huge avenue for setting up industry in the North East and for connectivity to the rest of the world.
- In a year or two, the North East region will be connected with Bangladesh by rail and road and after that, there will be immense possibilities to go East. The trade with Bangladesh will get a boost with the start of the Agartala-Akhaura railway link.
- Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) signed with Bangladesh in 2014 ensured proper connectivity in the region.
North East States and Capitals:
States Capital
- Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar
- Assam Dispur
- Manipur Imphal
- Meghalaya Shillong
- Mizoram Aizawl
- Nagaland Kohima
- Tripura Agartala
- Sikkim Gangtok
- The capitals of all the eight States will be connected by air.
- The capitals of Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh are already connected by rail, work to extend similar connectivity in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya are underway.
6. NFHS -5 Data Released by the Union Health Ministry
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- The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has released the National Family Health Survey - 5 data.The NFHS-4 was released in 2015-16 and the latest, which captured population health indicators in 2017-19, was delayed due to the pandemic.
Who Conducts the Survey?
- The NFHS is conducted by the Union Health and Family affairs Ministry.
What is the usefulness of the NFHS data?
- The main objective of successive rounds of the NFHS is to provide reliable and comparable data relating to health and family welfare and other emerging issues.
- It provides information on important indicators which are helpful in tracking the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.
Important Highlights of the NFHS -5 data
- The Total Fertility Rates (TFR), an average number of children per woman, has further declined from 2.2 to 2.0 at the national level. The urban TFR is 1.6 and rural 2.1. All states except Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Manipur and Meghalaya, have attained TFR l of 2.1.
- Overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased substantially from 54% to 67% at all-India level.
- Full immunization drive among children aged 12-23 months has recorded substantial improvement from 62 per cent to 76 per cent at all-India level.
- Institutional births have increased substantially from 79 per cent to 89 percent at all-India Level.
- Child Nutrition indicators show a slight improvement at all-India level as Stunting has declined from 38 per cent to 36 per cent, wasting from 21 per cent to 19 per cent and underweight from 36 per cent to 32 percent at all-India level.
- Exclusive breastfeeding to children under age 6 months has shown an improvement in all-India level from 55 percent in 2015-16 to 64 per cent in 2019-21
Terms :
TFR (Total Fertility Rates)
- It refers to the average number of children which a woman can give birth to during her reproductive life cycle .
- According to the UN Population Division, a TFR of about 2.1 children per woman is called replacement-level fertility. If replacement level fertility is sustained over a sufficiently long period, each generation will exactly replace itself. The population of the country will neither increase nor decline if the fertility rate of the country is 2.1
Malnutrition in Child Nutrition:
- According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilization. It consists of both undernutrition and overweight and obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases.
- Undernutrition manifests in four broad forms: wasting, stunting, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies.
Wasting:
- Wasting is defined as low weight-for-height .It usually occurs when a person has not had food of adequate quality and quantity and/or they have had frequent or prolonged illnesses.
Stunting:
- Stunting is defined as low height-for-age.It is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness and/or inappropriate feeding and care in early life
Underweight
- Underweight is defined as low weight-for-age. A child who is underweight may be stunted, wasted or both.
Micronutrient
- Micronutrient deficiencies are a lack of vitamins and minerals that are essential for body functions such as producing enzymes, hormones and other substances needed for growth and development.
National Family Health Survey (NFHS)
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India.
Institutions involved in Survey
The NFHS is a collaborative project of the International Institute for Population Sciences(IIPS), Mumbai, India; ICF, Calverton, Maryland, USA and the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of India, designated IIPS as the nodal agency, responsible for providing coordination and technical guidance for the NFHS.
Survey and its Phases
The First National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1) was conducted in 1992-93.
The Second National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2) was conducted in 1998-99 in all 26 states of India
The Third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) was carried out in 2005-2006.
The Fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) was carried out in 2015-2016.
The Fifth National Family and Health Survey(NFHS-5)was conducted in two phases, in 2019 and 2021.
7. “Kaiser-i-Hind” butterfly:
Tags:
Why in the news?
Recently, Arunachal Pradesh, govt. approved “Kaiser-i-Hind” as the state butterfly.
Key highlights:
- Kaiser-i-Hind is scientifically known as Teinopalpus imperialis. In literal terms, it means Emperor of India.
- Kaiser-i-Hind' is a large and brightly colored butterfly.
- It is an elusive swallowtail butterfly, which carries 'India' in its name.
- They are also found in Bhutan, Nepal, Laos, Myanmar, southern China and Vietnam.
- This butterfly with a 90-120 mm wingspan is found in (West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim and Manipur) along the Eastern Himalayas.
- It flies high in the canopy of broad leaved temperate evergreen forests.
- The Kaiser-i-Hind is protected under Schedule II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature has red-listed the Kaiser-i-Hind.
Butterfly:
- Butterflies are insects from the order Lepidoptera of phylum Arthropoda which also includes moths.
Significance:
Rich Biodiversity:
- Abundance of butterflies in any area represents the rich biodiversity.
Indicator Species:
- The butterfly acts as an indicator species.
- An indicator species provides information on the overall condition of the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem. They reflect the quality and changes in environmental conditions as well as aspects of community composition.
Pollinator:
- It acts as a pollinator by helping in pollination and conserving several species of plants.
India's Largest Butterfly:
- A Himalayan butterfly known as Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus) has been discovered as India’s largest butterfly after 88 years.
- The female butterfly was recorded from Didihat in Uttarakhand, the male was from the Wankhar Butterfly Museum in Shillong, Meghalaya.
- With a wingspan of 194 mm, the female of the species is marginally larger than the Southern Birdwing (190 mm).
Other butterflies in news:
- The Malabar Banded Peacock or the Buddha Mayoori which was recently declared the ‘State Butterfly’ of Kerala will have a dedicated butterfly park in Kochi.
Other states to have state butterflies are:
- Maharashtra: Blue Mormon.
- Uttarakhand: Common peacock.
- Karnataka: Southern birdwings.
8. National Achievement Survey 2021
Tags:
Why in the News?
Recently, the Union Government has conducted the National Achievement Survey (NAS) across India, assessing about 38 lakh students from 1.23 lakh schools in 733 districts in 36 States and Union Territories.
- This survey will help in assessing the learning interruptions and new learnings during covid-19 pandemic. After assessment, it will help in taking remedial measures.
Key highlights:
- The survey will cover government, government-aided and private schools that will help to assess the learning interruptions and new learnings during the pandemic and help to take remedial measures.
- The ministry of education surveys with the help of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
- The survey was last conducted in 2017 and was scheduled to take place in 2020. However, due to the Covid situation, it was postponed until this year (2021).
What is National Achievement Survey :
- National Achievement Survey was launched in 2001-02 and is a school-level survey, conducted by the ministry of education, which attempts to assess grade-level competencies of children.
- Grade-level competencies of children are assessed through the testing instruments prepared by the NCERT for each class.
- As per the official website, “NAS gives a system level reflection on the effectiveness of school education.
- It provides a system level reflection on the effectiveness of school education.
About NAS 2021:
- NAS 2021 is set to cover the entire spectrum of schools including Government Schools of Central Government as well as State Government, Government Aided Schools and Private schools across India.
- As per the official statement, “NAS 2021 will help in the systematic understanding of the consequences that prolonged closure of schools have had on students' learning in terms of their socio-emotional and cognitive development.”
NAS 2021 test:
- The questions in NAS 2021 will be focused on family background, involvement of parents, safety and facilities in school, learning during the pandemic, and facilities for children with special needs.
- NAS 2021 will hold separate assessments for Classes 3,5,8 and 10.
- Grade 3 and 5: Language, EVS, and Mathematics
- Grade 8: Language, Science, Mathematics, and Social Science
- Grade 10: Language, Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and English.
- The test will be conducted in 22 mediums of instruction covering Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Mizo, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Garo, Khasi, Konkani, Nepali, Bhutia, and Lepcha
Additional Information:
Govt. Initiatives:
National Education Policy, 2020:
- The Union Cabinet had approved the new National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 with an aim to introduce several changes in the Indian education system - from the school to college level.
- The two earlier education policies were brought in 1968 and 1986.
- The Cabinet has also approved the renaming of the Ministry of Human Resource Development to the Ministry of Education.
