Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 12th April 2022

NEWS

Government of Karnaataka has decided to extend “Raitha Vidyanidhi” scholarship scheme to the wards of weavers and fishermen too from this year

RAITHA  VIDYA NIDHI

What : Scholarship scheme

Beneficiaries : Children of Farmers who discontinued their studies due to financial difficulties

• Students will recieve scholarship according to courses
• This was the first scheme launched by CM Bommai after he assumed office
• Male students of PUC, ITI, Diploma will recieve 2500 and females would get 3000
• BA, BSC - Male ( 5000 ), Female ( 5500 )
• LLB & other paramedical courses - Male ( 7500 )  Female (8000)
• BE, MEDICAL - Male ( 10000 ), Female ( 11000)

NEWS

Recently High Court of Karnataka stayed the implementation of two orders issued by the State Government making Kannada a compulsory language for UG courses.

WHAT WERE THE GOVERNMENT ORDERS?

• The Higher Education Department of Karnataka notified a Government Order issuing guidelines to universities and affiliated colleges for implementing the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020
• As per the guidelines, students joining the undergraduate courses in Karnataka from the academic year 2021-22 were required to study Kannada as a compulsory language among the two languages mandated for the first four semesters
• The government also prescribed preparation of a separate Kannada language syllabus for those who have not studied Kannada in 10+2 level and for those whose mother tongue is not Kannada
• In another Government Order the department modified the guidelines stating that only functional Kannada is to be taught to students from outside Karnataka or from foreign countries or for those who have not studied Kannada in any level up to 10+2.

WHAT WERE THE LITIGATIONS THAT FOLLOWED

• The Samskrita Bharati (Karnataka) Trust, a private institution, on September 23, 2021, moved the High Court questioning the legality of making Kannada a compulsory subject in the guise of implementing NEP 2020
• Later, Shivakumar G.K. and several other students as well as Kshithija S. Shetty and fellow lecturers/professors of the Hindi language across the State joined the legal battle by filling separate petitions
• Apart from contending that making Kannada a compulsory language to be studied in UG courses violates various fundamental rights of the students and the teaching community, the litigants mainly argued before the High Court that making the study of a language mandatory is contrary to the very purpose of NEP-2020, which purports to offer a choice-based system to promote inclusivity
• Stating that NEP 2020 does not specify any mandatory language criteria for higher education courses, the litigants have also pointed out that even the reports submitted by the task force and sub-committees of the Government on Karnataka on implementation of NEP 2020, did not contain any recommendation making Kannada a mandatory language for UG courses.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE - The Central government, in its written statement, clarified to the court that “there is no mention of any compulsory language in NEP-2020.” The Additional Solicitor General of India, in addition to reiterating the averments made in the statement, made it clear to the court that the regional language cannot be made a compulsory subject in implementation of the NEP.

WHAT HAD THE COURT RULED EARLIER

• Initially, the High Court on December 16, 2021, had directed that the students who have already chosen Kannada language should do so, but all such students who do not wish to take the Kannada language shall not be compelled to pursue it till further orders. The court had also directed the government to not insist on Kannada as a compulsory language.

NEWS

NITI Aayog launched the State Energy and Climate Index (SECI)

DETAILS

First index that aims to track the efforts made by states and UTs in the climate and energy sector

WHY THE INDEX

• Ranking the States based on their efforts towards improving energy access, energy consumption, energy efficiency, and safeguarding the environment
• Helping drive the agenda of the affordable, accessible, efficient and clean energy transition at the State level
• Encouraging healthy competition among the states on different dimensions of energy and climate

PARAMETERS OF PERFORMANCE

• Discoms' (Power distribution companies) Performance
• Access Affordability And Reliability Of Energy
• Clean Energy Initiatives
• Energy Efficiency
• Environmental Sustainability
• New Initiatives

RESULTS

• Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab have been ranked as the top three performers in the category of larger States, while Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were the bottom three States.
• Goa emerged as the top performer in the smaller States category followed by Tripura and Manipur.
• Among UTs, Chandigarh, Delhi and Daman & Diu/Dadra & Nagar Haveli are the top performers.
• Punjab was the best performer in discom performance, while Kerala topped in access, affordability and reliability category.
• Haryana was the best performer in clean energy initiative among larger States and Tamil Nadu in the energy efficiency category.

NEWS

The government is pushing infrastructure to bring Barbara forest in Odisha on ecotourism map

BARBARA FOREST

• Dubbed as Asia’s largest teak and sal forest
• Only forest in India guarded by the jawans of Central Reserve Police Force (for protecting forest resources)
• Soon to be open for public from the next tourist season from September
• Spread over 870-sq km, the Barbara forest is located near Chilika lake in coastal Odisha.
• Teak plantation activities were carried out by the British forest officials in 1910, which failed
• Though Barbara was once historically famous for its tigers, it is now not clear if there are any tigers there now. One can find animals like sambar, deer, mouse deer and bison.
• Home to various species of birds. However, the main species are little scaly-bellied green woodpeckers, Himalayan tree pie, lesser golden backed woodpeckers, golden-backed woodpeckers, marahta woodpecker, Rufous woodpeckers, the long-tailed mini vet, the scarlet mini vet, etc.
• Inhabited by Sabara tribes and other ethnic Odia communities.

WHAT IS ECOTOURISM

• Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education
• Small-scale and low impact form of travel that seeks out ways to preserve the natural world by ensuring that biodiversity, ecosystems and local communities remain protected and unspoiled
• Encourages travellers to help protect the environment and contribute to local communities on a much deeper level than the tourists just passing through.

NEWS

As part of the Seema Darshan project an Indo-Pakistan border viewing point in Nadabet in Gujarat (Located in the Rann of Kutch region)  known as the ‘Wagah of Gujarat’ – was recently inaugurated.