1. Vernacular Innovation Program (VIP)
Tags: National News
- Launched by - Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog.
- Aim - To enable innovators and entrepreneurs in India to have access to the innovation ecosystem in 22 scheduled languages by the Government of India.
- For this purpose, Vernacular Task Force (VTF) will be created in each of the 22 scheduled languages
- It will also have a Train-the-Trainer program in collaboration with IIT Delhi
- CSR Sponsors will support the program
- It will help India in building a strong local network of design experts and innovation practitioners, by removing the language barrier
What is VIP?
- Vernacular Innovation Program (VIP) is an initiative of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, targeted at separating creative expression from the language of transaction in India’s innovation ecosystem.
- This program is designed to lower the language barrier for vernacular innovators when learning design thinking and entrepreneurship, accessing markets, attracting investments, and influencing innovation policy.
- To accomplish this objective a Vernacular Task Force(VTF) will be created in each of the 22 scheduled languages.
- Industry mentors will also lend design thinking expertise, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) sponsors will generously support the program
- VIP will assist local entrepreneurs, artisans, and innovators to seamlessly assimilate the knowledge cum technical materials that AIM will develop, thus helping India in building a strong local network of design experts and innovation practitioners,
What is VTF?
- Vernacular Task Force(VTF) is an integral part of the Vernacular Innovation Program (VIP) for creating the necessary resources as well as the ecosystem activities.
- Each task force comprises vernacular language teachers, subject experts, technical writers, and the leadership of regional Atal Incubation Centers (AICs).
- The VTF Team will learn, contextualize, implement & translate the Design Thinking and entrepreneurship concept in their respective languages.
- Further, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) will launch a Train-the-Trainer program where it will collaborate with the Design Department of IIT Delhi to coach the VTF in design thinking and entrepreneurship and the adaptation of these subjects in the 22 languages and cultures.
- Post this training from December 2021 to April 2022, the ecosystem will be opened up to vernacular innovators with regular ecosystem services.
Niti Aayog’s Argument
As per the 2011 census, only 10.4% of Indians speak English, out of which only 0.02% as their first language, and the rest as their second, third, or fourth language. Ten years later these numbers are not likely to be very different.
So, there needs to be a platform which creates equal opportunity for the vernacular innovators who represent the staggering 90% of our population. After all, this excluded population, no matter which Indian language they speak, is at least as creative as the rest.
According to Niti Aayog, India may be the first nation in the world to launch such an initiative where an innovation ecosystem catering to 22 languages plus English is being built.
By providing access to learning in one’s language and culture, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) looks forward to enriching the local, regional, national, and global innovation pipelines.
2. Special Package for Andhra instead of Special Category Status
Tags: National News
The central government has extended a special financial package in place of the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh.
The Special Assistance Measure to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh was extended, keeping in mind-
The obligation arising from the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
The recommendations of the Finance Commission
NITI Aayog, report on ‘Developmental support to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014’
The special assistance measure would provide for the additional Central share the State might have received between the 2015-16 and the 2019-20 financial year, if the funding of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) had been shared in the ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and the State.
The Special assistance would be provided by way of repayment of loan and interest for the Externally Aided Projects (EAP) approved during the above period.
Special Category Status (SCS)
It is a classification given by the Centre to assist the development of states that face geographical and socio-economic disadvantages.
SCS was first accorded in 1969 to Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and Nagaland.
There is no provision of SCS in the Constitution.
It was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC)
The 14th Finance Commission has done away with the 'special category status’ for states, except for the Northeastern and three hill states.
National Development Council (NDC)
It is the apex body for decision creating and deliberations on development matters in India, presided over by the Prime Minister. It was set up on 6 August 1952.NDC has been proposed to be abolished. But to date, no resolution has been passed to abolish it. Since the inception of NITI Aayog's Governing Council (which has almost the same composition and roles as NDC), the NDC has had no work assigned to it nor did it have any meetings
3. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s 2-day visit to Myanmar
Tags: International News
- Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla flew for a two day visit to Naypyitaw and Yangon, in Myanmar to meet the State Administration Council (SAC) chaired by General Min Aung Hlaing.
- Shringla is expected to speak to the Tatmadaw (military) about India’s growing security concerns over insurgent groups based along the 1,600km India-Myanmar border which have carried out attacks in recent months
- This visit along with appointment of Mr. Vinay Kumar as the new Ambassador to Myanmar last November is an official acknowledgment of India’s recognition of the coup in Myanmar.
- State Administration Council”, is an 11 member group of military officials and civilians set up by Min Aung Hlaing, who toppled the elected National Unity Government of Aung San Suu Kyi last February and subsequently named himself “Prime Minister”.
Myanmar (Burma)
Capital - Naypyidaw
Currency - Kyat
Legislature - Assembly of the Union
Prime Minister - Min Aung Hlaing
Nobel Laureate - Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League of Democracy (NLD) party, was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.
4. Special Package for Andhra instead of Special Category Status
Tags: National News
- The central government has extended a special financial package in place of the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh.
- The Special Assistance Measure to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh was extended, keeping in mind-
- The obligation arising from the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
- The recommendations of the Finance Commission
- NITI Aayog, report on ‘Developmental support to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014’
- The special assistance measure would provide for the additional Central share the State might have received between the 2015-16 and the 2019-20 financial year, if the funding of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) had been shared in the ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and the State.
- The Special assistance would be provided by way of repayment of loan and interest for the Externally Aided Projects (EAP) approved during the above period.
Special Category Status (SCS)
- It is a classification given by the Centre to assist the development of states that face geographical and socio-economic disadvantages.
- SCS was first accorded in 1969 to Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and Nagaland.
- There is no provision of SCS in the Constitution.
- It was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC)
- The 14th Finance Commission has done away with the 'special category status’ for states, except for the Northeastern and three hill states.
National Development Council (NDC)
- It is the apex body for decision creating and deliberations on development matters in India, presided over by the Prime Minister. It was set up on 6 August 1952.
- NDC has been proposed to be abolished. But to date, no resolution has been passed to abolish it. Since the inception of NITI Aayog's Governing Council (which has almost the same composition and roles as NDC), the NDC has had no work assigned to it nor did it have any meetings.
5. The word “Anti-National” is not defined in Indian law
Tags: National News
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha, that the word ‘antinational’ has not been defined under any legislation or rule or any other legal enactment that is enforced in this country.
- The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 inserted the word ‘antinational activity’ in Article 31D of the Indian Constitution (during Emergency) which was. subsequently, omitted by the 43rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1977.
- According to the Union Home Ministry, ‘Public Order’ and ‘Police’ are State subjects as per the 7th Schedule of the Constitution and so, the “data about the number of people arrested for indulging in anti-national activities is not maintained centrally.
- National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its annual ‘Crime in India’ report for 2017, created a chapter on ‘Crime Committed by Anti National Elements’ in which they listed “North East insurgents, Left Wing Extremists, and Terrorists (including Jihadi terrorists)” as the three antinational elements.
Union Minister of Home Affairs - Amit Shah
Union Home Secretary - Ajay Kumar Bhalla
National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB)
- NCRB is an Indian government agency set up in 1986.
- It acts as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
- It is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.
- Headquarters - New Delhi
- Current Director - Ramphal Pawar (IPS).
6. World Economic Forum (WEF) defers annual Davos meet
Tags: International News
- The World Economic Forum (WEF) has deferred its 2022 annual Davos meet from its original schedule of January 17-21, 2022 owing to rising concerns over the Omicron corona virus Variant.
- The in-person event will be replaced by an online series of “State of the World” sessions.
World Economic Forum (WEF)
- The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organization for Public-Private Cooperation.
- It is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
- It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German economist Klaus Schwab as a not-for-profit foundation.
- Mission - Improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas
- It is known for its annual event in Davos, the annual meeting brings together various Heads of Government, top business leaders of the world, economist executives, and activists from around the world to discuss global economic and business issues.
Important Reports of WEF-
- Global Competitiveness Report
- Global Information Technology Report
- Global Gender Gap Report
- Global Risks Report
- Global Travel and Tourism Report
- Global Enabling Trade Report
7. Gabriel Boric has been elected as the New President of Chile
Tags: International News
- 35 years old Leftist Lawmaker Gabriel Boric becomes Republic of Chile’s youngest-ever president by winning the majority vote in the recently held Presidential election.
- He defeated his rival José Antonio Kast
- He is from Social Convergence Party
- Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America.
- It occupies a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains (longest continental mountain range in the world) to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
- Chile is the southernmost country in the world, the closest to Antarctica.
- It is the longest country in the world north to south with 4270 Km length.
- Capital - Santiago
- National Language - Spanish
- Currency - Chilean Peso
- It is situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire
- The Atacama Desert, which receives less than 1 millimetres of rain per year, is the driest place on earth located in the northern part of Chile.
- Chile is rich in mineral resources, especially copper, nitrates, and lithium
8. Exercise PANEx-2021
Tags: Defence National News
Exercise PANEx-2021 is a multi-nation Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief exercise
Participants: BIMSTEC Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and India.
Date and Location - December 20 to 22, 2021 in Pune, Maharashtra
Aim: To promote joint planning and building regional cooperation for responding to natural disasters.
Importance:
To bring transformative changes in Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to combat contingencies like the Pandemic in the future.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC):
- It is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the areas of the Bay of Bengal.
- This organization came into being in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
- Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.
- Secretariat - Dhaka Bangladesh
- Current Chair - Sri Lanka
9. Lok Sabha passes the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021
Tags: National News
- The bill will amend various sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and 1951.
- Highlights of the bill-
- The bill will allow voluntary linkage of Voter ID with Aadhaar by amending Section 23 of Representation of the People Act, 1950.
- This is a long-pending electoral reform to remove multiple enrolments in the name of one person.
- It is voluntary, so, people who cannot furnish their Aadhaar numbers will be allowed to present other documents to establish identity.
- From now, there will be four “qualifying” dates for eligible people to register as voters. They are January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 in a calendar year.
- At present the qualifying date for the eligible persons who are 18 years or above to register as voters is January 1 of the Year.
- The bill will also allow the elections to become gender-neutral for service voters by replacing the word ‘wife’ with ‘spouse’.
- At present, an Armyman’s wife is entitled to be enrolled as a service voter, but a woman officer’s husband is not. With ‘wife’ being replaced by the term ‘spouse’, this will change.
Representation of Peoples Act 1950 | Representation of Peoples Act 1951 |
Qualification of voters. Preparation of electoral rolls. Delimitation of constituencies. Allocation of seats in the Parliament and state legislatures. | The actual conduct of elections. Administrative machinery for conducting elections. Poll. Election offenses. Election disputes. By-elections. Registration of political parties. |
10. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Minister meeting
Tags: International News
- The 17th Session of the Emergency Meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was held in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.on 19 December 2021.
- It was focussed on the situation in Afghanistan
- The OIC appointed Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakheet as his Special Envoy on Afghanistan.
- The Special Envoy will coordinate delivery of humanitarian assistance and support, and is mandated to pursue economic and political engagement with Afghanistan.
- The Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also attended the conference
- The OIC appealed to the world to help the people Afghanistan who are facing starvation
- No country in the world recognizes the Taliban government in Afghanistan and humanitarian aid to the country has almost been stopped leading to hunger and starvation in Afghanistan.
- The foreign minister of five muslim Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan skipped this meeting and instead went to India to attend a meeting on Afghnasitan.
- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was founded in 1969 as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
- It is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations, with the membership of 57 states, covering four continents.
- The OIC is the collective voice of the Muslim world to ensure and safeguard their interest in economic socio and political areas in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.
- Its Headquarters is in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- India is not the member of OIC
