HEALTH ISSUES

1. WHAT IS SICKLE CELL ANEMIA?

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE- GS-II-HEALTH ISSUES

THE CONTEXT: Union Finance Minister recently announced the Central Government’s plan to launch a mission to eliminate sickle cell anemia by 2047.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Sickle cell anemia:

• It is an inherited blood disorder.
• It affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body.
• People with this disease have atypical hemoglobin molecules called hemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent, shape.
• These sickle cells also become rigid and sticky, which can slow or block blood flow.

What causes it?

• The cause of Sickle cell disease is a defective gene, called a sickle cell gene.
• A person will be born with sickle cell disease only if two genes are inherited—one from the mother and one from the father.

Symptoms:

• Early stage: Extreme tiredness or fussiness from anemia, painfully swollen hands and feet, and jaundice.
• Later stage: Severe pain, anemia, organ damage, and infections.

Treatments:

• The only cure for this disease is bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.
• However, there are treatments that can help relieve symptoms, lessen complications, and prolong life.

ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY & CLIMATE CHANGE

2. HEIMANG TREE

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE- GS-III-ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Despite recent studies highlighting the Heimang’s remarkable adaptability, it hasn’t yet been used much in commerce.

THE EXPLANATION:

ABOUT HEIMANG

• The Heimang tree grows widely in Manipur and other north-eastern regions
• Its fruit have a citrus-like tartness and, it is packed with nutrients such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants.
• Traditional healers of Manipur called Maibas or maibis, prescribe heimang for common gastrointestinal problems like diarrhoea and dysentery.
• It is also recommended to eat water-soaked fruit for indigestion and stomach ulcer.
• The research found that compounds isolated from the stem of the heimang tree can significantly suppress HIV-1 activity in vitro.
• Local communities in the state also use heimang leaves to prepare a herbal shampoo called chinghi by boiling them with rice water.

3. RED-HEADED VULTURE

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE- GS-III-ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Recently, The Red-headed vulture was spotted in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Red-headed vulture

• This is one of the 9 species of Vulture which are found in India
• It is also called the Asian King vulture or Pondicherry Vulture was extensively found in India but its numbers drastically reduced after diclofenac poisoning.
• Conservation status
• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1

ABOUT THE ASOLA BHATTI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

• It is located on the Southern Delhi Ridge of the Aravalli hill range on the Delhi-Haryana border and in Southern Delhi as well as northern parts of the Faridabad and Gurugram districts of Haryana.
• It is at the end of an important wildlife corridor that starts from Sariska National Park in Alwar, Rajasthan.
• Flora: Wide variety of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses.
• Fauna: A large number of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and dragonflies.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

4. CAESIUM-137

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE- GS-III-SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, a Caesium-137 capsule lost in transit was discovered in Western Australia using specialised detection equipment that detected radiation.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Caesium?

• Caesium is a soft, flexible, silvery-white metal.
• It becomes liquid near room temperature, but easily bonds with chlorides to create a crystalline powder.

About the Caesium-137

• It is the most common radioactive form of caesium.
• It is produced by nuclear fission which is also one of the byproducts of nuclear fission processes in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons testing.
• This radioactive metal has a half-life of 30.05 years – meaning in three decades it will have half of its original activity.
• Caesium-137 can cause serious illness when touched, leading to burns and acute radiation sickness.
• External exposure can increase the risk of cancer because of the presence of high-energy beta-gamma radiation. Prolonged exposure can even cause death.
• Internal exposure to it through ingestion or inhalation allows the radioactive material to be distributed in the soft tissues, especially muscle tissue, which increases cancer risk.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

5. WHAT IS THE ‘MAHILA SAMMAN SAVING CERTIFICATE’ SCHEME?

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE- GS-II—ECONOMY-SCHEMES IN NEWS

THE CONTEXT: Finance Minister recently announced a new saving scheme ‘Mahila Samman Saving Certificate’ for women and girls in the Union Budget.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Mahila Samman Saving Certificate’ Scheme:

• The scheme offers deposit facility up to Rs 2 lakh in the name of women or girls for a tenor of 2 years.
• It offers fixed interest rate of 7.5 per cent.
• There are no tax benefits, but partial withdrawal is allowed in this scheme.
• This is a one-time scheme announced in Budget 2023 and will remain available for a two-year period i.e. up to March 2025.
• Benefit: It will encourage more women to adopt formal financial saving instruments.

Difference between Mahila Samman Saving Certificate and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

• The Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme is a small deposit scheme of the government of India meant exclusively for a girl child. The scheme is meant to meet the education and marriage expenses of a girl child.
• The current rate of interest offered by Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is 7.6%, which is compounded annually.
• Account can be opened in the name of a girl child till she attains the age of 10 years.
• The total amount deposited in an account shall not exceed Rs 1,50,000 in a financial year.
• Sukanya Samriddhi scheme has tax benefits under Section 80C.
• The account matures after 21 years from the date of opening or on marriage of the girl child under whose name the account is opened, whichever is earlier.

[WpProQuiz 417]

ECONOMIC SURVEY 2022-23

THE CONTEXT: On National Teachers’ Day 2022, the Prime Minister announced a new initiative – PM SHRI Schools (PM ScHools for Rising India). This article presents the complete picture of the scheme and why such schools are needed to further the goals envisioned under the National Education Policy.

ABOUT PM SHRI SCHEME

PM ScHools for Rising India is a new scheme for the development of more than 14500 schools across the country by strengthening selected existing schools being managed by Central Government/ State/ UT Government/ local bodies. These schools will act as exemplary schools showcasing all components of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) and offering mentorship to other schools in their vicinity. This Scheme will deliver quality teaching for the cognitive development of students and will strive to create and nurture holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with key skills required for the 21st century.

KEY FEATURES OF PM SHRI SCHOOLS

LEADERSHIP

• PM SHRI Schools will provide leadership to other schools in their respective regions by providing mentorship.

SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE

• The PM SHRI Schools will be developed as Green Schools, incorporating environment-friendly aspects like solar panels and LED lights, nutrition gardens with natural farming, waste management, plastic-free, water conservation and harvesting, the study of traditions/practices related to protection of the environment, climate change related hackathon and awareness generation to adopt a sustainable lifestyle.

PEDAGOGY

• The pedagogy adopted in these schools will be more experiential, holistic, integrated, play/toy-based (particularly in the foundational years), inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner-centric, discussion-based, flexible and enjoyable.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• The focus will be on the learning outcomes of every child in every grade. Assessment at all levels will be based on conceptual understanding and application of knowledge to real-life situations and will be competency-based.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

• Linkage with Sector Skill Councils and local industry for enhancing employability and providing better employment opportunities will be explored.

QUALITY ASSESSMENT

• A School Quality Assessment Framework (SQAF) is being developed, specifying the key performance indicators to measure outcomes. Quality evaluation of these schools at regular intervals will be undertaken to ensure the desired standards.

MAJOR INTERVENTIONS IN THE PM SHRI SCHOOLS

QUALITY AND INNOVATION

• Quality and Innovation through Learning Enhancement Programme, Holistic Progress Card, Innovative Pedagogies, Bagless days, Internships with Local artisans, Capacity building etc.

BENEFICIARY-ORIENTED ENTITLEMENTS

• Beneficiary-oriented entitlements under RTE Act. 100% of PM SHRI Schools will receive Science and Math Kits.

ANNUAL SCHOOL GRANTS

• Annual School Grants (Composite School grants, Library grants, Sports grants)

FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY

• Early Childhood Care and Education, including Bal Vatika and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

EQUITY AND INCLUSION

• Equity and Inclusion, including the provision of safe and appropriate infrastructure for girls and Children with Special Needs (CWSN).

FLEXIBILITY

• Encouraging flexibility in the choice of subjects offered to students.

MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

• Encouraging mother tongue/local languages as a medium of instruction using technological interventions to help bridge language barriers.

DIGITAL INITIATIVES

• 100% of the PM SHRI Schools will be covered under Information and Communication Technology (ICT), smart classrooms and digital initiatives.

VOCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS

• Vocational interventions & Enhancing internship/entrepreneurship opportunities, especially with local industry.

SATURATION APPROACH

• A saturation approach will be adopted to develop these schools with all modern facilities. Science labs, Library, ICT facilities, Vocational labs etc. will be provided to all the schools.

Ø  The scheme also envisages convergence with existing schemes /Panchayati Raj Institutions/ Urban Local Bodies and community participation for infrastructure upgradation of the school and creation of facilities.

METHODOLOGY FOR SELECTING PM SHRI SCHOOLS

• Selection of PM SHRI schools will be done through Challenge Mode, wherein Schools compete for support to become exemplary schools. Schools would be required to self-apply on the online portal.
• A maximum of two schools (one Elementary & one Secondary/Senior Secondary) would be selected per block/ULB with an upper limit of the number of total schools across India.
• Geo-tagging of schools for the selection and monitoring of PM SHRI schools. The services of
• Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) will be taken for geo-tagging and other related tasks. An Expert committee would be constituted for the final selection of schools.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY OF PM SHRI SCHOOLS

• PM SHRI Schools would be implemented through the existing administrative structure available for Samagra Shiksha, KVS & NVS. The other autonomous bodies would be involved on a specific project basis as required.
• These schools shall be monitored vigorously to assess progress and understand the challenges faced in implementing the National Education Policy 2020.

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CURRENT EDUCATION SYSTEM – NEED FOR PM SHRI SCHOOLS

TEACHER-STUDENT RATIO

• According to UNESCO’s State of the Education report for India 2021, there are 11.16 lakh teaching positions that are vacant in schools. It clearly shows that there is a shortage of teachers in schools.
• Besides this, teachers are burdened with a lot of non-academic workloads, ultimately resulting in a divergence of their focus from teaching the students.
• According to a study done by the National Institute of Education Planning and Administration (NIEPA), teachers devote only around 19% of their time to teaching, while the rest of their time is spent on non-teaching administrative work.

ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS

• Funds are provided to the schools by the Central Government to the State Government. Every National Education Policy since 1968 has said that India needs to spend 6% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on education.
• The 2019-20 Economic Survey showed that in 2019-20, 52 years since that recommendation, India spent only 3.1% of its GDP on education.
• The requirements of the schools, like libraries, labs, and other infrastructural facilities, cannot be managed appropriately by the schools due to the lack of availability of money.

LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE

• Lack of infrastructural facilities like poor hygiene, lack of toilets, drinking water facilities, electricity, playground, etc., is one of the major loopholes in the education sector.

OLD CURRICULUM OF STUDY AND LACK OF PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

• The old education system in India was mainly based on bookish learning, but nowadays, with the use of the internet and experiential learning methods, a lot has changed.
• The old curriculum of education mainly focuses on cramming up theories and concepts. No exposure is being provided to the students in the practical domain.
• Parents and teachers also focus on guiding the students to obtain high marks in the subjects rather than on practical knowledge and usability of the concepts. As a result, education has become a rat race.

HOW CAN PM SHRI SCHOOLS BE USEFUL?

• PM SHRI schools can become a medium to bring change envisaged by the New Education Policy (NEP). These schools will also need to find the solution to learning losses caused due to pandemic and ensure fruitful outcomes that can help the nation’s economy.
• As every region will have PM SHRI schools that will mentor other schools in their areas, it will also have a range of learning experiences, and good infrastructure, among others. These schools will include a variety of pedagogies and assessment systems along with vocational education, which will help in building the capabilities of young minds and make them future-ready.
• The schools will be energy-efficient with natural farming patches, equipped with rainwater harvesting systems and will enable the study of traditional environment-friendly practices.
• Career guidance and mentoring will be provided by the alumni, and parents will also be trained to become home mentors, which will ensure the holistic development of the child.

THE CONCLUSION: Education is a tool that empowers individuals in all aspects of their life. It widens his knowledge, skills, techniques, and his vision of the world. It also helps in inculcating moral and ethical values. Apart from all this, employment opportunities increase to a great extent along with higher income prospects. There is no doubt that the development of a country depends on the quality of its educational system. Adequate investment in the educational domain will help in increasing the efficiency and productivity of the manpower.  PM SHRI Scheme is a great step in the right direction to improve the quality of education and learning outcomes. However, for the PM SHRI schools to succeed, a teacher training programme must be in place to train the educators in the pedagogical practices proposed by the NEP.

Mains Practice Questions:

• ‘The schools will need to find ways to reverse the learning losses and ensure life outcomes that have a positive bearing on the nation’s economy.’ Discuss the role of the PM SHRI Scheme in light of the given statement.
• Transformation in the pedagogy sector by personalised learning through technology is today’s reality. Discuss how the digital initiatives under the PM SHRI Scheme will help in the holistic development of the students.