Program Approval Exemption Requests Under The Innovative Education Initiatives Act: Fill & Download for Free

You can follow this telegram channel (Prelims Specific Notes for IAS) to follow Both the Hindu and PIB. There they share the Hindu and PIB analysis separately on daily basis. Here I am copy-pasting how they had analysed PIB 2nd August 2019.PIB ANALYSIS 2nd AUG 2019NATIONAL SCHOOL OF DRAMA (NSD)The National School of Drama (NSD) is foremost theatre training institutions in the world which has been recently ranked 14th among the best film schools in the world by CEOWORLD Magazine of the USA.Established in 1959, the National School of Drama is the only one of its kind in India and is an autonomous organization, fully financed by the Ministry of Culture.One of the foremost theatre training institution in the world, NSD was incepted under the aegis of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an independent entity in 1975.National School of Drama had been declared as deemed university by University Grant Commission in 2005.However, National School of Drama has requested the government to declare it as institute of national importance and therefore status of deemed university was not accepted.CITRUS FRUIT "CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE"Mizoram Citrus Fruit "Centre of Excellence" (CoE), located at Lunglei, is availing Israeli technology and has emerged as a unique of its kind institution in India which, though located in Mizoram, caters to the entire North-Eastern region and indeed, to the entire country.INVESTMENT IN GOLDSovereign Gold Bond SchemeFor those eyeing returns on investment in gold, sovereign gold bonds are the best option today. These provide interest at 2.5% per annum on the face value of the bond.This means that when gold prices go up, you get the twin benefits of price gain as well as interest, and when gold prices fall, you are not impacted as much as your peers who invested in physical gold, as you will get the interest on the bond.These bonds are issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Everyone except for non-resident Indians (NRIs) can invest.Investment in these bonds can be made through cash (up to ₹20,000), cheque or demand draft.The bonds are issued in denominations of one gram and in multiples thereof.Maximum investment in a year is capped at 4 kg for individuals. Minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold.The RBI fixes the price of the bond.You can buy these bonds from banks, the Stock Holding Corporation of India, designated post offices and the National Stock Exchange of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange.The investment tenure of the sovereign gold bonds is eight years.Premature exit is allowed from the end of the fifth year.Bonds will be tradable on stock exchanges within a fortnight of the issuance on a date as notified by the RBI.Gold ETFsGold exchange traded funds (ETFs) are another way to invest in gold. These are units of mutual fund schemes.You can buy/sell these units through a share broker, provided you have a demat and trading account.From the time of listing of these ETFs in the bourses, selling/buying happens at the market price between the existing holders of the ETFs and the new subscribers.These ETFs track the domestic price of gold. However, depending on the demand/supply of these units in the market, they can trade at a discount/premium to the market price or net asset value (NAV) of the fund.Also note that though the cost of investment in gold ETFs is cheaper than that of investing in gold in physical form, you will need to pay the fund management charge and service charges of the broker.If you are opening a demat account specifically for investing in gold ETFs, then demat account charges will also have to be factored in your total costs.You also need to be aware that some of these funds have high tracking error because of their cash holdings.Thus, when you sell, you may not be able to exit at close to the market price of gold.ONE TIME PARTIAL CREDIT GUARANTEE TO PSBsConsidering the important role being played by Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) in the economic development, it was announced in the Budget Speech for 2019-20 that the Government would provide a one time six months’ partial credit guarantee to PSBs for the first loss of up to 10 percent to enable them to purchase pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs amounting to Rs. 1 lakh crore.This would ease the liquidity stress in the NBFC sector and increase the access of these NBFCs to bank finance, and, in turn enable them to continue to play their role in meeting the financing requirements of the productive sectors of the economy.PARLIAMENT PASSES THE UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) AMENDMENT BILL, 2019The Bill amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The Act provides special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, among other things.Who may commit terrorism:Under the Act, the central government may designate an organisation as a terrorist organisation if it:(i) commits or participates in acts of terrorism,(ii) prepares for terrorism,(iii) promotes terrorism, or(iv) is otherwise involved in terrorism.The Bill additionally empowers the government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same grounds.Approval for seizure of property by NIA:Under the Act, an investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director General of Police to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism.However, if the investigation is conducted by an officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the approval of the Director General of NIA would be required for seizure of such property.Investigation by NIA:Under the Act, investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.The Bill additionally empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases.Insertion to schedule of treaties:The Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within the scope of any of the treaties listed in a schedule to the Act.The Schedule lists nine treaties, including the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997), and the Convention against Taking of Hostages (1979).The Bill adds another treaty to the list. This is the International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005).'INSTITUTE OF EMINENCE’ STATUSThe Institute of Eminence (IoE) scheme is aimed at developing 20 world-class institutions— 10 private and 10 public — which would put India on the global education map.University Grants Commission chose to use the criterion of the QS-2020 world rankings, with the QS-2019 India rankings and NIRF rankings used as a tie-breaker.Any institution that did not figure in any rankings was excluded completely.Two types of institutions have been considered, those who are already ranked well and those which are potential institutions.Purpose and RegulationThe first purpose of the IoE scheme is to take existing universities to global competitive status, and so their existing rankings are considered.The other purpose is the need to get investment to build up world class institutions, hence the greenfield institutions on the list.Those selected will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees, course durations and governance structures.The public institutions will also receive a government grant of ₹1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.The selected institutes shall be regulated differently from other deemed to be universities so as to evolve into institutions of world class in a reasonable time period.Recommended InstitutesThe institutions which have been recommended for IoE status are IITs Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Kharagpur, Delhi University, University of Hyderabad, Amritha Vishwa Vidyapeetham, VIT, IISc Bangalore, BITS Pilani, Manipal University, and the yet-to-open Jio University (greenfield institutions), Jamia Hamdard, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, OP Jindal University, Shiv Nadar University, Benares Hindu University, Satya Bharti University (greenfield institution), Anna University and Jadavpur University.Savitribai Phule Pune University and Aligarh Muslim University are both in the same 801-1,000 ranking slab in the QS World rankings as the Benares Hindu University; however, BHU squeaked through as it was higher placed than the other two in the India rankings.Anna University and Jadavpur University have been given the IoE tag on a conditional basis as they are state universities, and will be finalised only after the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments issue an official communication allocating their share of funds (up to 50%).The UGC’s recommendations will now be submitted to the Ministry for final grant of the status.QS World University RankingsThe QS World University Rankings rank 1,000 universities in 82 different locations, analyzed through:research impact,academic standing,internationalization,student/staff ratio,graduate employability, andteaching capacity.From India, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IISc Bangalore made it to top 200 of QS World Rankings - 2020.National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)It was launched by Ministry of Human Resource Development in September2015.It ranks all institutions of higher education in India on the basis of certain parameters.The parameters broadly cover “Teaching, Learning and Resources,” “Research and Professional Practices,” “Graduation Outcomes,” “Outreach and Inclusivity,” and “Perception”.The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), implemented in 2016, is India’s first government-supported ranking of colleges and universities.There are separate rankings for different types of institutions depending on their areas of operation like universities and colleges, engineering institutions, management institutions, pharmacy institutions and architecture institutions.“India Rankings 2018” have ranked institutions in the disciplines/categories mentioned above, and have also provided a common overall rank across all disciplines for those institutions which have more than 1000 enrolled students.DRAFT NEW EDUCATION POLICY 2019A 50-year-old controversy got a new lease of life recently when a paragraph in the Draft New Education Policy 2019 referred to the mandatory teaching of Hindi in States where Hindi is not spoken.What is the three-language formula?This was a reiteration of the Central government’s three-language formula (the three languages referred to are Hindi, English and the regional language of the respective States), but it set off a storm in Tamil Nadu, which stoutly opposes any attempt to impose Hindi and adheres to a two-language formula.The origin of the linguistic row, however, goes back to the debate on official language. In the Constituent Assembly, Hindi was voted as the official language by a single vote.Leaders in Tamil Nadu are often at pains to emphasise that they do not oppose the voluntary learning of Hindi and cite the unhindered work of the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, established in Chennai by Mahatma Gandhi in 1918.The institution imparts Hindi teaching at various levels to anyone who enrols for its programme.Article 351 of the Constitution provides that it shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius.Draft New Education Policy 2019The Committee for Draft National Education Policy (Chair: Dr. K. Kasturirangan) submitted its report in May 2019.The Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in June 2017.The report proposes an education policy, which seeks to address the challenges of: (i) access, (ii) equity, (iii) quality, (iv) affordability, and (v) accountability faced by the current education system.Key observations and recommendations of the draft Policy include:School EducationThe draft Policy provides for reforms at all levels of education from school to higher education.The draft Policy recommends developing a two-part curriculum for early childhood care and education. This will consist of:(i) guidelines for up to three-year-old children (for parents and teachers), and(ii) educational framework for three to eight-year-old children.Currently, the RTE Act provides for free and compulsory education to all children from the age of six to 14 years. The draft Policy recommends extending the ambit of the RTE Act to include early childhood education and secondary school education.This would extend the coverage of the Act to all children between the ages of three to 18 years.The draft Policy recommends that there should be no detention of children till class eight.The draft Policy proposes State Census Examinations in classes three, five and eight.Further, it recommends restructuring the board examinations to test only core concepts, skills and higher order capacities.The students can choose their subjects, and the semester when they want to take these board exams.The in-school final examinations may be replaced by these board examinations.The draft Policy recommends that multiple public schools should be brought together to form a school complex.A complex will consist of one secondary school (classes nine to twelve) and all the public schools in its neighbourhood that offer education from pre-primary till class eight.Teachers will not be allowed to participate in any non-teaching activities(such as cooking mid-day meals or participating in vaccination campaigns) during school hours that could affect their teaching capacities.Higher EducationThe Committee identified lack of access as a major reason behind low intake of higher education in the country.It aims to increase GER to 50% by 2035 from the current level of about 25.8%.Gross Enrolment Ratio or GER is the total enrolment in higher education as percentage of the population in 18-23 years age group.It proposes setting up the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA) to replace the existing individual regulators in higher education, including professional and vocational education.Currently, higher educational institutions can only be set up by Parliament or state legislatures. The draft Policy proposes that these institutions could be allowed to be set up through a Higher Education Institution Charter from NHERA.This Charter will be awarded on the basis of transparent assessment of certain specified criteria.Restructuring of higher education institutions: Higher education institutions will be restructured into three types:(i) research universities focusing equally on research and teaching;(ii) teaching universities focusing primarily on teaching; and(iii) colleges focusing only on teaching at undergraduate levels.The draft Policy recommends establishing a National Research Foundation, an autonomous body, for funding, mentoring and building the capacity for quality research in India.Education GovernanceIt recommends creation of a National Education Commission or Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog, as an apex body for education, to be headed by the Prime Minister.This body will be responsible for developing, implementing, evaluating, and revising the vision of education in the country on a continuous and sustained basis.The Ministry of Human Resources and Development must be renamed as the Ministry of Education in order to bring focus back on education.Financing EducationThe Draft Policy reaffirmed the commitment of spending 6% of GDP as public investment in education. In 2017-18, public expenditure on education in India was 2.7% of GDP.The draft Policy seeks to double the public investment in education from the current 10% of total public expenditure to 20% in the next 10 years.Technology in EducationIt recommends focused electrification of all educational institutions as electricity is a pre-requisite for all technology-based interventions. Further, it recommends:National Mission on Education through information and communication technology.The Mission will encompass virtual laboratories that provide remote access to laboratories in various disciplines.A single online digital repository will be created where copyright-free educational resources will be made available in multiple languages.Vocational EducationThe Committee observed that less than 5% of the workforce in the age-group of 19-24 receives vocational education in India. It recommends integrating vocational educational programmes in all educational institutions (schools, colleges and universities) in a phased manner over a period of 10 years.All school students must receive vocational education in at least one vocation in grades nine to 12.The draft Policy targets to offer vocational education to up to 50% of the total enrolment in higher education institutions by 2025, up from the present level of enrolment of well below 10% in these institutions.Education and Indian LanguagesIt recommends that the medium of instruction must either be the home language/mother tongue/local language till grade five, and preferable till grade eight, wherever possible.To promote Indian languages, a National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakritwill be set up.JAL SHAKTI ABHIYANRecently, Jal Shakti Abhiyan has been launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.It is a campaign for water conservation and water security.The campaign will run through citizen participation during the monsoon season, from 1st July, 2019 to 15th September, 2019.An additional Phase 2 will be run from 1st October, 2019 to 30th November, 2019 for States receiving the North East retreating monsoons.The focus of the campaign will be on water stressed districts and blocks.It is a collaborative effort of various Ministries of the Government of India and State Governments, being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.It aims to ensure five important water conservation interventions. These will bewater conservation and rainwater harvesting,renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks,reuse bore well recharge structures,watershed development andintensive afforestation.There is no additional funding or specific targets for the campaign to achieve.CODE ON WAGES BILLThe Parliament passed the Code on Wages Bill, which seeks to subsume existing laws related to workers’ remuneration and enables the Centre to fix minimum wages for the entire country.The Code on Wages is one of the four codes that would subsume 44 labour laws with certain amendments to improve the ease of doing business and attract investmentfor spurring growth.The four codes will deal with:wages,social security,industrial safety and welfare, andindustrial relations.The Code on Wages will replace the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.The bill provides that the Central Government will fix minimum wages for certain sectors, including railways and mines, while the states would be free to set minimum wages for other category of employments.The code also provides for setting up of a national minimum wage.The Central Government can set a separate minimum wage for different regions or states.The draft law also says that the minimum wage would be revised every five years.EXEMPTION FROM BHARAT STAGE (BS) POLLUTION NORMSThe Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has exempting the armoured and other specialised vehicles of Indian armed forces and paramilitary forces from the new stringent vehicular emission norms (BS-VI) which are set to take effect from 1st April, 2020.The Ministry has also granted exemption to these vehicles from BS-IV compliance.The exemption has been granted because these vehicles operate in remote and inhospitable terrains with most challenging operational and environmental conditions.Due to security challenges and requirements of specialized operations, the development of suitable engine compliant with the above norms would require considerable time.Further, it is difficult to maintain ideal transportation and storage conditions of fuel in these conditions.Bharat Stage (BS) Pollution NormsIndia has followed the regulatory pathway for fuel quality and vehicle emissions standards termed as Bharat Stage (BS).The different norms are brought into force in accordance with the timeline and standards set up by the Central Pollution Control Board which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change.Leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VIThe Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has successfully introduced the BS-IV grade transportation fuels across the country w.e.f April 1st 2017.To meet international best practices Government has decided leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VI grade by 1st April, 2020 for various classes of motor vehicles, skipping BS-V altogether.Taking into account the serious pollution levels in Delhi and adjoining areas, Petroleum Ministry in consultation with Public Oil Marketing Companies has decided for preponement of BS-VI grade auto fuels in NCT of Delhi w.e.f 01.04.2018 instead of 01.04.2020.On April 1, 2018, Delhi became the first city in our country to have fuel that is BS VI complaint. India currently operates on Bharat Stage IV emission norms for two-, three- and four-wheelers.While this will lead to better air quality in the short term, it also means higher vehicle prices and costs, both because of better engine technology and higher cost of BS-VI fuel.Bharat Stage norms Vs European regulationsThe Bharat Stage norms are based on European regulations, though with a time-lag of five years.With India moving on to Euro VI/BS VI standards, we will finally be at par with Europe.The aim of BS-VI is to reduce levels of harmful car and van exhaust emissions, both in petrol and diesel cars.This includes nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (THC and NMHC) and particulate matter (PM), which is basically soot from diesel cars.The knock-on effect of reducing these pollutants can also mean improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.The latest BS-VI regulations set different emissions standards for petrol and diesel cars, but that is a reflection of the different kind of pollutants the two fuels produce.Among other things, the new norms make on-board diagnostics (OBD) mandatory for all automobiles.Using BS-VI fuel in the current BS-IV engines or, conversely, running BS-VI engines on the current-grade fuel, may be ineffective in curbing vehicular pollution, and may damage the engine in the long run.What is the difference between BS-IV and BS-VI?The main difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.The BS-VI fuel is estimated to bring around an 80 per cent reduction of sulphur, from 50 parts per million to 10 ppm.This key reduction in sulphur makes it possible to equip vehicles with better catalytic converters that capture pollutants.According to analysts, the emission of NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars is also expected to come down by nearly 70 per cent and 25 per cent from cars with petrol engines.BS-VI confers several other benefits, the most important of which is limits set on Particle Number (PN) for engines, a reference to direct injection engines that emit more particulates but are more efficient and release less carbon dioxide.Why do ultra-low sulphur fuels so important?Fuel sulphur also increases emissions of sulphur dioxide — a harmful ingredient of smog.Moreover, in the oxygen-rich diesel exhaust, several per cent of the sulphur dioxide oxidise to become sulphate particles and contribute to the formation of ultra-fine particles in the exhaust, which are considered especially hazardous because of their ability to penetrate deeply into the lungs.Generally, the lower the sulphur levels, the less the engines wear out.Fuel sulphur can damage and reduce efficiency of the advanced emissions control systems that will be fitted in the BS-VI compliant vehicles to reduce particles and NOx.Advanced and sophisticated emissions control systems that are needed to control particulate emissions in BS-VI diesel vehicles can also be retrofitted in the current on road fleet if 10 ppm sulphur fuel is available. These advanced systems are extremely sensitive to sulphur.Thus, all on-road vehicles benefit from ultra-low sulphur fuels.Recent developmentsHyundai India which exports almost all its models does not face issues with migration and the company is said to be fully ready for BS-VI.Some new manufacturers such as Kia are entering the market with BS-VI vehicles.Maruti Suzuki, the largest car maker in the country, announced plans to discontinue selling all diesel cars here from April 1, 2020, citing uncertainty over demand for such vehicles due to “significant” increase in price once the new BS VI emission norms kick in.SANKALP AND STRIVETo boost Skill India Mission the Government has launched two new World Bank supported schemes - Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE).SANKALP is a Centrally sponsored scheme whereas STRIVE is a central sector scheme.SANKALPIt has a $250 million loan assistance from the World Bank to the Government of India to boost the National Skill Development Mission.The programme provides specific incentives to the States to help skill disadvantaged populations through innovative models, with focus on women and persons with disability.Under SANKALP four key result areas have been identified viz:(i) Institutional Strengthening (at National, State & District level);(ii) Quality Assurance Quality Assurance of skill development programs;(iii) Inclusion of marginalised population in skill development; and(iv) Expanding Skills through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).STRIVEIt is a $425 million Central scheme, with half of the outlay as World Bank loan assistance — incentivises ITIs to improve their performance by involving small and medium firms, business associations and industry clusters.Central SchemesThe central schemes are divided into central sector schemes and centrally sponsored schemes (CSS).What is a Central Sector Scheme?Central sector schemes are schemes with 100% funding by the Central government and implemented by the Central Government machinery.The central sector schemes are formulated on subjects mainly from the Union List.Besides, there are some other programmes that various Central Ministries implement directly in States and UTs which also come under Central Sector Schemes.In these schemes, the financial resources are not shifted to states.What are Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS)?CCS are schemes that are implemented by state governments but are largely funded by the Central Government with a defined State Government share.Historically, CSS is the way through which central government helps states to run its Plans financially.They are basically special purpose grants (or loans) extended by Central Government to states to encourage them to plan and implement programmes that help attain national goals and objectives.CSS are basically extended by the Central Government to States under Article 282 of the Constitution.It mainly cover items listed in states list.PASHMINA PRODUCTS RECEIVE BIS CERTIFICATIONBureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published an Indian Standard for identification, marking and labelling of Pashmina products to certify its purity.The Changthangi or Pashmina goat, is a special breed of goat indigenous to the high altitude regions of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.They are raised for ultra-fine cashmere wool, known as Pashmina once woven.The Textiles are handspun and were first woven in Kashmir.The Changthangi goat grows a thick, warn undercoat which is the source of Kashmir Pashmina wool.These goats are generally domesticated and reared by nomadic communities called the Changpa in the Changthang region of Greater Ladakh.Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.The organisation was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI).WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 1ST – 7TH AUGUSTBreastfeeding is important because:It promotes better health for mothers and children alike;It prevents infections like diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections in early infancy and thus reduce infant mortality;It decreases the risk of mothers developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease; andIt protects infants from obesity-related illnesses, diabetes and increases the IQ.The correct norms of infant and young child feeding are:Initiation of Breastfeeding within an hour of birth;Exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life i.e. only breast Milk ‘NO’ other milk, food, drink or water;Appropriate and adequate complementary feeding from six months of age while continuing breastfeeding;Continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond.Thankyou

You can follow this telegram channel (Prelims Specific Notes for IAS) to follow Both the Hindu and PIB. There they share the Hindu and PIB analysis separately on daily basis. Here I am copy-pasting how they had analysed PIB 2nd August 2019.PIB ANALYSIS 2nd AUG 2019NATIONAL SCHOOL OF DRAMA (NSD)The National School of Drama (NSD) is foremost theatre training institutions in the world which has been recently ranked 14th among the best film schools in the world by CEOWORLD Magazine of the USA.Established in 1959, the National School of Drama is the only one of its kind in India and is an autonomous organization, fully financed by the Ministry of Culture.One of the foremost theatre training institution in the world, NSD was incepted under the aegis of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an independent entity in 1975.National School of Drama had been declared as deemed university by University Grant Commission in 2005.However, National School of Drama has requested the government to declare it as institute of national importance and therefore status of deemed university was not accepted.CITRUS FRUIT "CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE"Mizoram Citrus Fruit "Centre of Excellence" (CoE), located at Lunglei, is availing Israeli technology and has emerged as a unique of its kind institution in India which, though located in Mizoram, caters to the entire North-Eastern region and indeed, to the entire country.INVESTMENT IN GOLDSovereign Gold Bond SchemeFor those eyeing returns on investment in gold, sovereign gold bonds are the best option today. These provide interest at 2.5% per annum on the face value of the bond.This means that when gold prices go up, you get the twin benefits of price gain as well as interest, and when gold prices fall, you are not impacted as much as your peers who invested in physical gold, as you will get the interest on the bond.These bonds are issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Everyone except for non-resident Indians (NRIs) can invest.Investment in these bonds can be made through cash (up to ₹20,000), cheque or demand draft.The bonds are issued in denominations of one gram and in multiples thereof.Maximum investment in a year is capped at 4 kg for individuals. Minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold.The RBI fixes the price of the bond.You can buy these bonds from banks, the Stock Holding Corporation of India, designated post offices and the National Stock Exchange of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange.The investment tenure of the sovereign gold bonds is eight years.Premature exit is allowed from the end of the fifth year.Bonds will be tradable on stock exchanges within a fortnight of the issuance on a date as notified by the RBI.Gold ETFsGold exchange traded funds (ETFs) are another way to invest in gold. These are units of mutual fund schemes.You can buy/sell these units through a share broker, provided you have a demat and trading account.From the time of listing of these ETFs in the bourses, selling/buying happens at the market price between the existing holders of the ETFs and the new subscribers.These ETFs track the domestic price of gold. However, depending on the demand/supply of these units in the market, they can trade at a discount/premium to the market price or net asset value (NAV) of the fund.Also note that though the cost of investment in gold ETFs is cheaper than that of investing in gold in physical form, you will need to pay the fund management charge and service charges of the broker.If you are opening a demat account specifically for investing in gold ETFs, then demat account charges will also have to be factored in your total costs.You also need to be aware that some of these funds have high tracking error because of their cash holdings.Thus, when you sell, you may not be able to exit at close to the market price of gold.ONE TIME PARTIAL CREDIT GUARANTEE TO PSBsConsidering the important role being played by Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) in the economic development, it was announced in the Budget Speech for 2019-20 that the Government would provide a one time six months’ partial credit guarantee to PSBs for the first loss of up to 10 percent to enable them to purchase pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs amounting to Rs. 1 lakh crore.This would ease the liquidity stress in the NBFC sector and increase the access of these NBFCs to bank finance, and, in turn enable them to continue to play their role in meeting the financing requirements of the productive sectors of the economy.PARLIAMENT PASSES THE UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) AMENDMENT BILL, 2019The Bill amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The Act provides special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, among other things.Who may commit terrorism:Under the Act, the central government may designate an organisation as a terrorist organisation if it:(i) commits or participates in acts of terrorism,(ii) prepares for terrorism,(iii) promotes terrorism, or(iv) is otherwise involved in terrorism.The Bill additionally empowers the government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same grounds.Approval for seizure of property by NIA:Under the Act, an investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director General of Police to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism.However, if the investigation is conducted by an officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the approval of the Director General of NIA would be required for seizure of such property.Investigation by NIA:Under the Act, investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.The Bill additionally empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases.Insertion to schedule of treaties:The Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within the scope of any of the treaties listed in a schedule to the Act.The Schedule lists nine treaties, including the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997), and the Convention against Taking of Hostages (1979).The Bill adds another treaty to the list. This is the International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005).'INSTITUTE OF EMINENCE’ STATUSThe Institute of Eminence (IoE) scheme is aimed at developing 20 world-class institutions— 10 private and 10 public — which would put India on the global education map.University Grants Commission chose to use the criterion of the QS-2020 world rankings, with the QS-2019 India rankings and NIRF rankings used as a tie-breaker.Any institution that did not figure in any rankings was excluded completely.Two types of institutions have been considered, those who are already ranked well and those which are potential institutions.Purpose and RegulationThe first purpose of the IoE scheme is to take existing universities to global competitive status, and so their existing rankings are considered.The other purpose is the need to get investment to build up world class institutions, hence the greenfield institutions on the list.Those selected will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees, course durations and governance structures.The public institutions will also receive a government grant of ₹1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.The selected institutes shall be regulated differently from other deemed to be universities so as to evolve into institutions of world class in a reasonable time period.Recommended InstitutesThe institutions which have been recommended for IoE status are IITs Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Kharagpur, Delhi University, University of Hyderabad, Amritha Vishwa Vidyapeetham, VIT, IISc Bangalore, BITS Pilani, Manipal University, and the yet-to-open Jio University (greenfield institutions), Jamia Hamdard, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, OP Jindal University, Shiv Nadar University, Benares Hindu University, Satya Bharti University (greenfield institution), Anna University and Jadavpur University.Savitribai Phule Pune University and Aligarh Muslim University are both in the same 801-1,000 ranking slab in the QS World rankings as the Benares Hindu University; however, BHU squeaked through as it was higher placed than the other two in the India rankings.Anna University and Jadavpur University have been given the IoE tag on a conditional basis as they are state universities, and will be finalised only after the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments issue an official communication allocating their share of funds (up to 50%).The UGC’s recommendations will now be submitted to the Ministry for final grant of the status.QS World University RankingsThe QS World University Rankings rank 1,000 universities in 82 different locations, analyzed through:research impact,academic standing,internationalization,student/staff ratio,graduate employability, andteaching capacity.From India, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IISc Bangalore made it to top 200 of QS World Rankings - 2020.National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)It was launched by Ministry of Human Resource Development in September2015.It ranks all institutions of higher education in India on the basis of certain parameters.The parameters broadly cover “Teaching, Learning and Resources,” “Research and Professional Practices,” “Graduation Outcomes,” “Outreach and Inclusivity,” and “Perception”.The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), implemented in 2016, is India’s first government-supported ranking of colleges and universities.There are separate rankings for different types of institutions depending on their areas of operation like universities and colleges, engineering institutions, management institutions, pharmacy institutions and architecture institutions.“India Rankings 2018” have ranked institutions in the disciplines/categories mentioned above, and have also provided a common overall rank across all disciplines for those institutions which have more than 1000 enrolled students.DRAFT NEW EDUCATION POLICY 2019A 50-year-old controversy got a new lease of life recently when a paragraph in the Draft New Education Policy 2019 referred to the mandatory teaching of Hindi in States where Hindi is not spoken.What is the three-language formula?This was a reiteration of the Central government’s three-language formula (the three languages referred to are Hindi, English and the regional language of the respective States), but it set off a storm in Tamil Nadu, which stoutly opposes any attempt to impose Hindi and adheres to a two-language formula.The origin of the linguistic row, however, goes back to the debate on official language. In the Constituent Assembly, Hindi was voted as the official language by a single vote.Leaders in Tamil Nadu are often at pains to emphasise that they do not oppose the voluntary learning of Hindi and cite the unhindered work of the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, established in Chennai by Mahatma Gandhi in 1918.The institution imparts Hindi teaching at various levels to anyone who enrols for its programme.Article 351 of the Constitution provides that it shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius.Draft New Education Policy 2019The Committee for Draft National Education Policy (Chair: Dr. K. Kasturirangan) submitted its report in May 2019.The Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in June 2017.The report proposes an education policy, which seeks to address the challenges of: (i) access, (ii) equity, (iii) quality, (iv) affordability, and (v) accountability faced by the current education system.Key observations and recommendations of the draft Policy include:School EducationThe draft Policy provides for reforms at all levels of education from school to higher education.The draft Policy recommends developing a two-part curriculum for early childhood care and education. This will consist of:(i) guidelines for up to three-year-old children (for parents and teachers), and(ii) educational framework for three to eight-year-old children.Currently, the RTE Act provides for free and compulsory education to all children from the age of six to 14 years. The draft Policy recommends extending the ambit of the RTE Act to include early childhood education and secondary school education.This would extend the coverage of the Act to all children between the ages of three to 18 years.The draft Policy recommends that there should be no detention of children till class eight.The draft Policy proposes State Census Examinations in classes three, five and eight.Further, it recommends restructuring the board examinations to test only core concepts, skills and higher order capacities.The students can choose their subjects, and the semester when they want to take these board exams.The in-school final examinations may be replaced by these board examinations.The draft Policy recommends that multiple public schools should be brought together to form a school complex.A complex will consist of one secondary school (classes nine to twelve) and all the public schools in its neighbourhood that offer education from pre-primary till class eight.Teachers will not be allowed to participate in any non-teaching activities(such as cooking mid-day meals or participating in vaccination campaigns) during school hours that could affect their teaching capacities.Higher EducationThe Committee identified lack of access as a major reason behind low intake of higher education in the country.It aims to increase GER to 50% by 2035 from the current level of about 25.8%.Gross Enrolment Ratio or GER is the total enrolment in higher education as percentage of the population in 18-23 years age group.It proposes setting up the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA) to replace the existing individual regulators in higher education, including professional and vocational education.Currently, higher educational institutions can only be set up by Parliament or state legislatures. The draft Policy proposes that these institutions could be allowed to be set up through a Higher Education Institution Charter from NHERA.This Charter will be awarded on the basis of transparent assessment of certain specified criteria.Restructuring of higher education institutions: Higher education institutions will be restructured into three types:(i) research universities focusing equally on research and teaching;(ii) teaching universities focusing primarily on teaching; and(iii) colleges focusing only on teaching at undergraduate levels.The draft Policy recommends establishing a National Research Foundation, an autonomous body, for funding, mentoring and building the capacity for quality research in India.Education GovernanceIt recommends creation of a National Education Commission or Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog, as an apex body for education, to be headed by the Prime Minister.This body will be responsible for developing, implementing, evaluating, and revising the vision of education in the country on a continuous and sustained basis.The Ministry of Human Resources and Development must be renamed as the Ministry of Education in order to bring focus back on education.Financing EducationThe Draft Policy reaffirmed the commitment of spending 6% of GDP as public investment in education. In 2017-18, public expenditure on education in India was 2.7% of GDP.The draft Policy seeks to double the public investment in education from the current 10% of total public expenditure to 20% in the next 10 years.Technology in EducationIt recommends focused electrification of all educational institutions as electricity is a pre-requisite for all technology-based interventions. Further, it recommends:National Mission on Education through information and communication technology.The Mission will encompass virtual laboratories that provide remote access to laboratories in various disciplines.A single online digital repository will be created where copyright-free educational resources will be made available in multiple languages.Vocational EducationThe Committee observed that less than 5% of the workforce in the age-group of 19-24 receives vocational education in India. It recommends integrating vocational educational programmes in all educational institutions (schools, colleges and universities) in a phased manner over a period of 10 years.All school students must receive vocational education in at least one vocation in grades nine to 12.The draft Policy targets to offer vocational education to up to 50% of the total enrolment in higher education institutions by 2025, up from the present level of enrolment of well below 10% in these institutions.Education and Indian LanguagesIt recommends that the medium of instruction must either be the home language/mother tongue/local language till grade five, and preferable till grade eight, wherever possible.To promote Indian languages, a National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit will be set up.JAL SHAKTI ABHIYANRecently, Jal Shakti Abhiyan has been launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.It is a campaign for water conservation and water security.The campaign will run through citizen participation during the monsoon season, from 1st July, 2019 to 15th September, 2019.An additional Phase 2 will be run from 1st October, 2019 to 30th November, 2019 for States receiving the North East retreating monsoons.The focus of the campaign will be on water stressed districts and blocks.It is a collaborative effort of various Ministries of the Government of India and State Governments, being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.It aims to ensure five important water conservation interventions. These will bewater conservation and rainwater harvesting,renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks,reuse bore well recharge structures,watershed development andintensive afforestation.There is no additional funding or specific targets for the campaign to achieve.CODE ON WAGES BILLThe Parliament passed the Code on Wages Bill, which seeks to subsume existing laws related to workers’ remuneration and enables the Centre to fix minimum wages for the entire country.The Code on Wages is one of the four codes that would subsume 44 labour laws with certain amendments to improve the ease of doing business and attract investmentfor spurring growth.The four codes will deal with:wages,social security,industrial safety and welfare, andindustrial relations.The Code on Wages will replace the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.The bill provides that the Central Government will fix minimum wages for certain sectors, including railways and mines, while the states would be free to set minimum wages for other category of employments.The code also provides for setting up of a national minimum wage.The Central Government can set a separate minimum wage for different regions or states.The draft law also says that the minimum wage would be revised every five years.EXEMPTION FROM BHARAT STAGE (BS) POLLUTION NORMSThe Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has exempting the armoured and other specialised vehicles of Indian armed forces and paramilitary forces from the new stringent vehicular emission norms (BS-VI) which are set to take effect from 1st April, 2020.The Ministry has also granted exemption to these vehicles from BS-IV compliance.The exemption has been granted because these vehicles operate in remote and inhospitable terrains with most challenging operational and environmental conditions.Due to security challenges and requirements of specialized operations, the development of suitable engine compliant with the above norms would require considerable time.Further, it is difficult to maintain ideal transportation and storage conditions of fuel in these conditions.Bharat Stage (BS) Pollution NormsIndia has followed the regulatory pathway for fuel quality and vehicle emissions standards termed as Bharat Stage (BS).The different norms are brought into force in accordance with the timeline and standards set up by the Central Pollution Control Board which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change.Leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VIThe Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has successfully introduced the BS-IV grade transportation fuels across the country w.e.f April 1st 2017.To meet international best practices Government has decided leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VI grade by 1st April, 2020 for various classes of motor vehicles, skipping BS-V altogether.Taking into account the serious pollution levels in Delhi and adjoining areas, Petroleum Ministry in consultation with Public Oil Marketing Companies has decided for preponement of BS-VI grade auto fuels in NCT of Delhi w.e.f 01.04.2018 instead of 01.04.2020.On April 1, 2018, Delhi became the first city in our country to have fuel that is BS VI complaint. India currently operates on Bharat Stage IV emission norms for two-, three- and four-wheelers.While this will lead to better air quality in the short term, it also means higher vehicle prices and costs, both because of better engine technology and higher cost of BS-VI fuel.Bharat Stage norms Vs European regulationsThe Bharat Stage norms are based on European regulations, though with a time-lag of five years.With India moving on to Euro VI/BS VI standards, we will finally be at par with Europe.The aim of BS-VI is to reduce levels of harmful car and van exhaust emissions, both in petrol and diesel cars.This includes nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (THC and NMHC) and particulate matter (PM), which is basically soot from diesel cars.The knock-on effect of reducing these pollutants can also mean improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.The latest BS-VI regulations set different emissions standards for petrol and diesel cars, but that is a reflection of the different kind of pollutants the two fuels produce.Among other things, the new norms make on-board diagnostics (OBD) mandatory for all automobiles.Using BS-VI fuel in the current BS-IV engines or, conversely, running BS-VI engines on the current-grade fuel, may be ineffective in curbing vehicular pollution, and may damage the engine in the long run.What is the difference between BS-IV and BS-VI?The main difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.The BS-VI fuel is estimated to bring around an 80 per cent reductionof sulphur, from 50 parts per million to 10 ppm.This key reduction in sulphur makes it possible to equip vehicles with better catalytic converters that capture pollutants.According to analysts, the emission of NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars is also expected to come down by nearly 70 per cent and 25 per cent from cars with petrol engines.BS-VI confers several other benefits, the most important of which is limits set on Particle Number (PN) for engines, a reference to direct injection engines that emit more particulates but are more efficient and release less carbon dioxide.Why do ultra-low sulphur fuels so important?Fuel sulphur also increases emissions of sulphur dioxide — a harmful ingredient of smog.Moreover, in the oxygen-rich diesel exhaust, several per cent of the sulphur dioxide oxidise to become sulphate particles and contribute to the formation of ultra-fine particles in the exhaust, which are considered especially hazardous because of their ability to penetrate deeply into the lungs.Generally, the lower the sulphur levels, the less the engines wear out.Fuel sulphur can damage and reduce efficiency of the advanced emissions control systems that will be fitted in the BS-VI compliant vehicles to reduce particles and NOx.Advanced and sophisticated emissions control systems that are needed to control particulate emissions in BS-VI diesel vehicles can also be retrofitted in the current on road fleet if 10 ppm sulphur fuel is available. These advanced systems are extremely sensitive to sulphur.Thus, all on-road vehicles benefit from ultra-low sulphur fuels.Recent developmentsHyundai India which exports almost all its models does not face issues with migration and the company is said to be fully ready for BS-VI.Some new manufacturers such as Kia are entering the market with BS-VI vehicles.Maruti Suzuki, the largest car maker in the country, announced plans to discontinue selling all diesel cars here from April 1, 2020, citing uncertainty over demand for such vehicles due to “significant” increase in price once the new BS VI emission norms kick in.SANKALP AND STRIVETo boost Skill India Mission the Government has launched two new World Bank supported schemes - Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE).SANKALP is a Centrally sponsored scheme whereas STRIVE is a central sector scheme.SANKALPIt has a $250 million loan assistance from the World Bank to the Government of India to boost the National Skill Development Mission.The programme provides specific incentives to the States to help skill disadvantaged populations through innovative models, with focus on women and persons with disability.Under SANKALP four key result areas have been identified viz:(i) Institutional Strengthening (at National, State & District level);(ii) Quality Assurance Quality Assurance of skill development programs;(iii) Inclusion of marginalised population in skill development; and(iv) Expanding Skills through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).STRIVEIt is a $425 million Central scheme, with half of the outlay as World Bank loan assistance — incentivises ITIs to improve their performance by involving small and medium firms, business associations and industry clusters.Central SchemesThe central schemes are divided into central sector schemes and centrally sponsored schemes (CSS).What is a Central Sector Scheme?Central sector schemes are schemes with 100% funding by the Central government and implemented by the Central Government machinery.The central sector schemes are formulated on subjects mainly from the Union List.Besides, there are some other programmes that various Central Ministries implement directly in States and UTs which also come under Central Sector Schemes.In these schemes, the financial resources are not shifted to states.What are Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS)?CCS are schemes that are implemented by state governments but are largely funded by the Central Government with a defined State Government share.Historically, CSS is the way through which central government helps states to run its Plans financially.They are basically special purpose grants (or loans) extended by Central Government to states to encourage them to plan and implement programmes that help attain national goals and objectives.CSS are basically extended by the Central Government to States under Article 282 of the Constitution.It mainly cover items listed in states list.PASHMINA PRODUCTS RECEIVE BIS CERTIFICATIONBureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published an Indian Standard for identification, marking and labelling of Pashmina products to certify its purity.The Changthangi or Pashmina goat, is a special breed of goat indigenous to the high altitude regions of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.They are raised for ultra-fine cashmere wool, known as Pashmina once woven.The Textiles are handspun and were first woven in Kashmir.The Changthangi goat grows a thick, warn undercoat which is the source of Kashmir Pashmina wool.These goats are generally domesticated and reared by nomadic communities called the Changpa in the Changthang region of Greater Ladakh.Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.The organisation was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI).WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 1ST – 7TH AUGUSTBreastfeeding is important because:It promotes better health for mothers and children alike;It prevents infections like diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections in early infancy and thus reduce infant mortality;It decreases the risk of mothers developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease; andIt protects infants from obesity-related illnesses, diabetes and increases the IQ.The correct norms of infant and young child feeding are:Initiation of Breastfeeding within an hour of birth;Exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life i.e. only breast Milk ‘NO’ other milk, food, drink or water;Appropriate and adequate complementary feeding from six months of age while continuing breastfeeding;Continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond.

You can follow this telegram channel (Prelims Specific Notes for IAS) to follow PIB. There they share the PIB analysis separately on daily basis. Here I am copy-pasting how they had analysed PIB 2nd August 2019.PIB ANALYSIS 2nd AUG 2019NATIONAL SCHOOL OF DRAMA (NSD)The National School of Drama (NSD) is foremost theatre training institutions in the world which has been recently ranked 14th among the best film schools in the world by CEOWORLD Magazine of the USA.Established in 1959, the National School of Drama is the only one of its kind in India and is an autonomous organization, fully financed by the Ministry of Culture.One of the foremost theatre training institution in the world, NSD was incepted under the aegis of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an independent entity in 1975.National School of Drama had been declared as deemed university by University Grant Commission in 2005.However, National School of Drama has requested the government to declare it as institute of national importance and therefore status of deemed university was not accepted.CITRUS FRUIT "CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE"Mizoram Citrus Fruit "Centre of Excellence" (CoE), located at Lunglei, is availing Israeli technology and has emerged as a unique of its kind institution in India which, though located in Mizoram, caters to the entire North-Eastern region and indeed, to the entire country.INVESTMENT IN GOLDSovereign Gold Bond SchemeFor those eyeing returns on investment in gold, sovereign gold bonds are the best option today. These provide interest at 2.5% per annum on the face value of the bond.This means that when gold prices go up, you get the twin benefits of price gain as well as interest, and when gold prices fall, you are not impacted as much as your peers who invested in physical gold, as you will get the interest on the bond.These bonds are issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Everyone except for non-resident Indians (NRIs) can invest.Investment in these bonds can be made through cash (up to ₹20,000), cheque or demand draft.The bonds are issued in denominations of one gram and in multiples thereof.Maximum investment in a year is capped at 4 kg for individuals. Minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold.The RBI fixes the price of the bond.You can buy these bonds from banks, the Stock Holding Corporation of India, designated post offices and the National Stock Exchange of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange.The investment tenure of the sovereign gold bonds is eight years.Premature exit is allowed from the end of the fifth year.Bonds will be tradable on stock exchanges within a fortnight of the issuance on a date as notified by the RBI.Gold ETFsGold exchange traded funds (ETFs) are another way to invest in gold. These are units of mutual fund schemes.You can buy/sell these units through a share broker, provided you have a demat and trading account.From the time of listing of these ETFs in the bourses, selling/buying happens at the market price between the existing holders of the ETFs and the new subscribers.These ETFs track the domestic price of gold. However, depending on the demand/supply of these units in the market, they can trade at a discount/premium to the market price or net asset value (NAV) of the fund.Also note that though the cost of investment in gold ETFs is cheaper than that of investing in gold in physical form, you will need to pay the fund management charge and service charges of the broker.If you are opening a demat account specifically for investing in gold ETFs, then demat account charges will also have to be factored in your total costs.You also need to be aware that some of these funds have high tracking error because of their cash holdings.Thus, when you sell, you may not be able to exit at close to the market price of gold.ONE TIME PARTIAL CREDIT GUARANTEE TO PSBsConsidering the important role being played by Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) in the economic development, it was announced in the Budget Speech for 2019-20 that the Government would provide a one time six months’ partial credit guarantee to PSBs for the first loss of up to 10 percent to enable them to purchase pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs amounting to Rs. 1 lakh crore.This would ease the liquidity stress in the NBFC sector and increase the access of these NBFCs to bank finance, and, in turn enable them to continue to play their role in meeting the financing requirements of the productive sectors of the economy.PARLIAMENT PASSES THE UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) AMENDMENT BILL, 2019The Bill amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The Act provides special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, among other things.Who may commit terrorism:Under the Act, the central government may designate an organisation as a terrorist organisation if it:(i) commits or participates in acts of terrorism,(ii) prepares for terrorism,(iii) promotes terrorism, or(iv) is otherwise involved in terrorism.The Bill additionally empowers the government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same grounds.Approval for seizure of property by NIA:Under the Act, an investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director General of Police to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism.However, if the investigation is conducted by an officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the approval of the Director General of NIA would be required for seizure of such property.Investigation by NIA:Under the Act, investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.The Bill additionally empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases.Insertion to schedule of treaties:The Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within the scope of any of the treaties listed in a schedule to the Act.The Schedule lists nine treaties, including the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997), and the Convention against Taking of Hostages (1979).The Bill adds another treaty to the list. This is the International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005).'INSTITUTE OF EMINENCE’ STATUSThe Institute of Eminence (IoE) scheme is aimed at developing 20 world-class institutions— 10 private and 10 public — which would put India on the global education map.University Grants Commission chose to use the criterion of the QS-2020 world rankings, with the QS-2019 India rankings and NIRF rankings used as a tie-breaker.Any institution that did not figure in any rankings was excluded completely.Two types of institutions have been considered, those who are already ranked well and those which are potential institutions.Purpose and RegulationThe first purpose of the IoE scheme is to take existing universities to global competitive status, and so their existing rankings are considered.The other purpose is the need to get investment to build up world class institutions, hence the greenfield institutions on the list.Those selected will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees, course durations and governance structures.The public institutions will also receive a government grant of ₹1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.The selected institutes shall be regulated differently from other deemed to be universities so as to evolve into institutions of world class in a reasonable time period.Recommended InstitutesThe institutions which have been recommended for IoE status are IITs Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Kharagpur, Delhi University, University of Hyderabad, Amritha Vishwa Vidyapeetham, VIT, IISc Bangalore, BITS Pilani, Manipal University, and the yet-to-open Jio University (greenfield institutions), Jamia Hamdard, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, OP Jindal University, Shiv Nadar University, Benares Hindu University, Satya Bharti University (greenfield institution), Anna University and Jadavpur University.Savitribai Phule Pune University and Aligarh Muslim University are both in the same 801-1,000 ranking slab in the QS World rankings as the Benares Hindu University; however, BHU squeaked through as it was higher placed than the other two in the India rankings.Anna University and Jadavpur University have been given the IoE tag on a conditional basis as they are state universities, and will be finalised only after the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments issue an official communication allocating their share of funds (up to 50%).The UGC’s recommendations will now be submitted to the Ministry for final grant of the status.QS World University RankingsThe QS World University Rankings rank 1,000 universities in 82 different locations, analyzed through:research impact,academic standing,internationalization,student/staff ratio,graduate employability, andteaching capacity.From India, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IISc Bangalore made it to top 200 of QS World Rankings - 2020.National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)It was launched by Ministry of Human Resource Development in September2015.It ranks all institutions of higher education in India on the basis of certain parameters.The parameters broadly cover “Teaching, Learning and Resources,” “Research and Professional Practices,” “Graduation Outcomes,” “Outreach and Inclusivity,” and “Perception”.The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), implemented in 2016, is India’s first government-supported ranking of colleges and universities.There are separate rankings for different types of institutions depending on their areas of operation like universities and colleges, engineering institutions, management institutions, pharmacy institutions and architecture institutions.“India Rankings 2018” have ranked institutions in the disciplines/categories mentioned above, and have also provided a common overall rank across all disciplines for those institutions which have more than 1000 enrolled students.DRAFT NEW EDUCATION POLICY 2019A 50-year-old controversy got a new lease of life recently when a paragraph in the Draft New Education Policy 2019 referred to the mandatory teaching of Hindi in States where Hindi is not spoken.What is the three-language formula?This was a reiteration of the Central government’s three-language formula (the three languages referred to are Hindi, English and the regional language of the respective States), but it set off a storm in Tamil Nadu, which stoutly opposes any attempt to impose Hindi and adheres to a two-language formula.The origin of the linguistic row, however, goes back to the debate on official language. In the Constituent Assembly, Hindi was voted as the official language by a single vote.Leaders in Tamil Nadu are often at pains to emphasise that they do not oppose the voluntary learning of Hindi and cite the unhindered work of the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, established in Chennai by Mahatma Gandhi in 1918.The institution imparts Hindi teaching at various levels to anyone who enrols for its programme.Article 351 of the Constitution provides that it shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius.Draft New Education Policy 2019The Committee for Draft National Education Policy (Chair: Dr. K. Kasturirangan) submitted its report in May 2019.The Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in June 2017.The report proposes an education policy, which seeks to address the challenges of: (i) access, (ii) equity, (iii) quality, (iv) affordability, and (v) accountability faced by the current education system.Key observations and recommendations of the draft Policy include:School EducationThe draft Policy provides for reforms at all levels of education from school to higher education.The draft Policy recommends developing a two-part curriculum for early childhood care and education. This will consist of:(i) guidelines for up to three-year-old children (for parents and teachers), and(ii) educational framework for three to eight-year-old children.Currently, the RTE Act provides for free and compulsory education to all children from the age of six to 14 years. The draft Policy recommends extending the ambit of the RTE Act to include early childhood education and secondary school education.This would extend the coverage of the Act to all children between the ages of three to 18 years.The draft Policy recommends that there should be no detention of children till class eight.The draft Policy proposes State Census Examinations in classes three, five and eight.Further, it recommends restructuring the board examinations to test only core concepts, skills and higher order capacities.The students can choose their subjects, and the semester when they want to take these board exams.The in-school final examinations may be replaced by these board examinations.The draft Policy recommends that multiple public schools should be brought together to form a school complex.A complex will consist of one secondary school (classes nine to twelve) and all the public schools in its neighbourhood that offer education from pre-primary till class eight.Teachers will not be allowed to participate in any non-teaching activities(such as cooking mid-day meals or participating in vaccination campaigns) during school hours that could affect their teaching capacities.Higher EducationThe Committee identified lack of access as a major reason behind low intake of higher education in the country.It aims to increase GER to 50% by 2035 from the current level of about 25.8%.Gross Enrolment Ratio or GER is the total enrolment in higher education as percentage of the population in 18-23 years age group.It proposes setting up the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA) to replace the existing individual regulators in higher education, including professional and vocational education.Currently, higher educational institutions can only be set up by Parliament or state legislatures. The draft Policy proposes that these institutions could be allowed to be set up through a Higher Education Institution Charter from NHERA.This Charter will be awarded on the basis of transparent assessment of certain specified criteria.Restructuring of higher education institutions: Higher education institutions will be restructured into three types:(i) research universities focusing equally on research and teaching;(ii) teaching universities focusing primarily on teaching; and(iii) colleges focusing only on teaching at undergraduate levels.The draft Policy recommends establishing a National Research Foundation, an autonomous body, for funding, mentoring and building the capacity for quality research in India.Education GovernanceIt recommends creation of a National Education Commission or Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog, as an apex body for education, to be headed by the Prime Minister.This body will be responsible for developing, implementing, evaluating, and revising the vision of education in the country on a continuous and sustained basis.The Ministry of Human Resources and Development must be renamed as the Ministry of Education in order to bring focus back on education.Financing EducationThe Draft Policy reaffirmed the commitment of spending 6% of GDP as public investment in education. In 2017-18, public expenditure on education in India was 2.7% of GDP.The draft Policy seeks to double the public investment in education from the current 10% of total public expenditure to 20% in the next 10 years.Technology in EducationIt recommends focused electrification of all educational institutions as electricity is a pre-requisite for all technology-based interventions. Further, it recommends:National Mission on Education through information and communication technology.The Mission will encompass virtual laboratories that provide remote access to laboratories in various disciplines.A single online digital repository will be created where copyright-free educational resources will be made available in multiple languages.Vocational EducationThe Committee observed that less than 5% of the workforce in the age-group of 19-24 receives vocational education in India. It recommends integrating vocational educational programmes in all educational institutions (schools, colleges and universities) in a phased manner over a period of 10 years.All school students must receive vocational education in at least one vocation in grades nine to 12.The draft Policy targets to offer vocational education to up to 50% of the total enrolment in higher education institutions by 2025, up from the present level of enrolment of well below 10% in these institutions.Education and Indian LanguagesIt recommends that the medium of instruction must either be the home language/mother tongue/local language till grade five, and preferable till grade eight, wherever possible.To promote Indian languages, a National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakritwill be set up.JAL SHAKTI ABHIYANRecently, Jal Shakti Abhiyan has been launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.It is a campaign for water conservation and water security.The campaign will run through citizen participation during the monsoon season, from 1st July, 2019 to 15th September, 2019.An additional Phase 2 will be run from 1st October, 2019 to 30th November, 2019 for States receiving the North East retreating monsoons.The focus of the campaign will be on water stressed districts and blocks.It is a collaborative effort of various Ministries of the Government of India and State Governments, being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.It aims to ensure five important water conservation interventions. These will bewater conservation and rainwater harvesting,renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks,reuse bore well recharge structures,watershed development andintensive afforestation.There is no additional funding or specific targets for the campaign to achieve.CODE ON WAGES BILLThe Parliament passed the Code on Wages Bill, which seeks to subsume existing laws related to workers’ remuneration and enables the Centre to fix minimum wages for the entire country.The Code on Wages is one of the four codes that would subsume 44 labour laws with certain amendments to improve the ease of doing business and attract investmentfor spurring growth.The four codes will deal with:wages,social security,industrial safety and welfare, andindustrial relations.The Code on Wages will replace the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.The bill provides that the Central Government will fix minimum wages for certain sectors, including railways and mines, while the states would be free to set minimum wages for other category of employments.The code also provides for setting up of a national minimum wage.The Central Government can set a separate minimum wage for different regions or states.The draft law also says that the minimum wage would be revised every five years.EXEMPTION FROM BHARAT STAGE (BS) POLLUTION NORMSThe Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has exempting the armoured and other specialised vehicles of Indian armed forces and paramilitary forces from the new stringent vehicular emission norms (BS-VI) which are set to take effect from 1st April, 2020.The Ministry has also granted exemption to these vehicles from BS-IV compliance.The exemption has been granted because these vehicles operate in remote and inhospitable terrains with most challenging operational and environmental conditions.Due to security challenges and requirements of specialized operations, the development of suitable engine compliant with the above norms would require considerable time.Further, it is difficult to maintain ideal transportation and storage conditions of fuel in these conditions.Bharat Stage (BS) Pollution NormsIndia has followed the regulatory pathway for fuel quality and vehicle emissions standards termed as Bharat Stage (BS).The different norms are brought into force in accordance with the timeline and standards set up by the Central Pollution Control Board which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change.Leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VIThe Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has successfully introduced the BS-IV grade transportation fuels across the country w.e.f April 1st 2017.To meet international best practices Government has decided leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VI grade by 1st April, 2020 for various classes of motor vehicles, skipping BS-V altogether.Taking into account the serious pollution levels in Delhi and adjoining areas, Petroleum Ministry in consultation with Public Oil Marketing Companies has decided for preponement of BS-VI grade auto fuels in NCT of Delhi w.e.f 01.04.2018 instead of 01.04.2020.On April 1, 2018, Delhi became the first city in our country to have fuel that is BS VI complaint. India currently operates on Bharat Stage IV emission norms for two-, three- and four-wheelers.While this will lead to better air quality in the short term, it also means higher vehicle prices and costs, both because of better engine technology and higher cost of BS-VI fuel.Bharat Stage norms Vs European regulationsThe Bharat Stage norms are based on European regulations, though with a time-lag of five years.With India moving on to Euro VI/BS VI standards, we will finally be at par with Europe.The aim of BS-VI is to reduce levels of harmful car and van exhaust emissions, both in petrol and diesel cars.This includes nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (THC and NMHC) and particulate matter (PM), which is basically soot from diesel cars.The knock-on effect of reducing these pollutants can also mean improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.The latest BS-VI regulations set different emissions standards for petrol and diesel cars, but that is a reflection of the different kind of pollutants the two fuels produce.Among other things, the new norms make on-board diagnostics (OBD) mandatory for all automobiles.Using BS-VI fuel in the current BS-IV engines or, conversely, running BS-VI engines on the current-grade fuel, may be ineffective in curbing vehicular pollution, and may damage the engine in the long run.What is the difference between BS-IV and BS-VI?The main difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.The BS-VI fuel is estimated to bring around an 80 per cent reduction of sulphur, from 50 parts per million to 10 ppm.This key reduction in sulphur makes it possible to equip vehicles with better catalytic converters that capture pollutants.According to analysts, the emission of NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars is also expected to come down by nearly 70 per cent and 25 per cent from cars with petrol engines.BS-VI confers several other benefits, the most important of which is limits set on Particle Number (PN) for engines, a reference to direct injection engines that emit more particulates but are more efficient and release less carbon dioxide.Why do ultra-low sulphur fuels so important?Fuel sulphur also increases emissions of sulphur dioxide — a harmful ingredient of smog.Moreover, in the oxygen-rich diesel exhaust, several per cent of the sulphur dioxide oxidise to become sulphate particles and contribute to the formation of ultra-fine particles in the exhaust, which are considered especially hazardous because of their ability to penetrate deeply into the lungs.Generally, the lower the sulphur levels, the less the engines wear out.Fuel sulphur can damage and reduce efficiency of the advanced emissions control systems that will be fitted in the BS-VI compliant vehicles to reduce particles and NOx.Advanced and sophisticated emissions control systems that are needed to control particulate emissions in BS-VI diesel vehicles can also be retrofitted in the current on road fleet if 10 ppm sulphur fuel is available. These advanced systems are extremely sensitive to sulphur.Thus, all on-road vehicles benefit from ultra-low sulphur fuels.Recent developmentsHyundai India which exports almost all its models does not face issues with migration and the company is said to be fully ready for BS-VI.Some new manufacturers such as Kia are entering the market with BS-VI vehicles.Maruti Suzuki, the largest car maker in the country, announced plans to discontinue selling all diesel cars here from April 1, 2020, citing uncertainty over demand for such vehicles due to “significant” increase in price once the new BS VI emission norms kick in.SANKALP AND STRIVETo boost Skill India Mission the Government has launched two new World Bank supported schemes - Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE).SANKALP is a Centrally sponsored scheme whereas STRIVE is a central sector scheme.SANKALPIt has a $250 million loan assistance from the World Bank to the Government of India to boost the National Skill Development Mission.The programme provides specific incentives to the States to help skill disadvantaged populations through innovative models, with focus on women and persons with disability.Under SANKALP four key result areas have been identified viz:(i) Institutional Strengthening (at National, State & District level);(ii) Quality Assurance Quality Assurance of skill development programs;(iii) Inclusion of marginalised population in skill development; and(iv) Expanding Skills through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).STRIVEIt is a $425 million Central scheme, with half of the outlay as World Bank loan assistance — incentivises ITIs to improve their performance by involving small and medium firms, business associations and industry clusters.Central SchemesThe central schemes are divided into central sector schemes and centrally sponsored schemes (CSS).What is a Central Sector Scheme?Central sector schemes are schemes with 100% funding by the Central government and implemented by the Central Government machinery.The central sector schemes are formulated on subjects mainly from the Union List.Besides, there are some other programmes that various Central Ministries implement directly in States and UTs which also come under Central Sector Schemes.In these schemes, the financial resources are not shifted to states.What are Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS)?CCS are schemes that are implemented by state governments but are largely funded by the Central Government with a defined State Government share.Historically, CSS is the way through which central government helps states to run its Plans financially.They are basically special purpose grants (or loans) extended by Central Government to states to encourage them to plan and implement programmes that help attain national goals and objectives.CSS are basically extended by the Central Government to States under Article 282 of the Constitution.It mainly cover items listed in states list.PASHMINA PRODUCTS RECEIVE BIS CERTIFICATIONBureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published an Indian Standard for identification, marking and labelling of Pashmina products to certify its purity.The Changthangi or Pashmina goat, is a special breed of goat indigenous to the high altitude regions of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.They are raised for ultra-fine cashmere wool, known as Pashmina once woven.The Textiles are handspun and were first woven in Kashmir.The Changthangi goat grows a thick, warn undercoat which is the source of Kashmir Pashmina wool.These goats are generally domesticated and reared by nomadic communities called the Changpa in the Changthang region of Greater Ladakh.Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.The organisation was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI).WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 1ST – 7TH AUGUSTBreastfeeding is important because:It promotes better health for mothers and children alike;It prevents infections like diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections in early infancy and thus reduce infant mortality;It decreases the risk of mothers developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease; andIt protects infants from obesity-related illnesses, diabetes and increases the IQ.The correct norms of infant and young child feeding are:Initiation of Breastfeeding within an hour of birth;Exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life i.e. only breast Milk ‘NO’ other milk, food, drink or water;Appropriate and adequate complementary feeding from six months of age while continuing breastfeeding;Continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond.