07 AUGUST 2018

  * DISCUSSED YESTERDAY (CLICK HERE)

• There has been a steady decline in the number of HIV cases in India.
• The bad news is that Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura have emerged as the new hotspots for HIV, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• The HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS), a biennial study conducted by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), is one of the largest regular studies in the world dealing with HIV in high risk groups of the population.

Important value addition:

• Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) – leads to effectively suppressing the virus and reducing the transmission of HIV from the infected person.
• National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) target is to bring 90% of the 21 lakh people living with the HIV infection in India under ART.

Introduction:

The report of the Standing Committee on Labour (2017-18) headed by Kirit Somaiya, on the “Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Skill Development Initiative Scheme” presents the grim condition of India’s Vocational Education System (ITIs).

History and some facts about vocational education in India:

• ITIs were initiated in the 1950s.
• In a span of 60 years, approx. 1,896 public and 2,000 private ITIs were set up.
• In a 10-year period from 2007, more than 9,000 additional private ITIs were accredited.
• The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) today has more than 6,000 private training centres.

Concerns and Findings of Somiya Committee:

• Number of ITIs increasing rapidly abut they disregard norms and standards.
• Due to short-term courses, vocational training centres open and close frequently they are more prone to a dilution of standards.
• With the increase in number of institutes, government has been unable to regulate private institutions for quality.
• Placement in NSDC training has been less than 15%.
• Private sector engagement in skill development has been taken up by private training partners and not employers. The employers could have made the system demand-driven.
• The lack of a regulator for skill development has led to poor quality affiliation, assessment and certification.
• There are instances of responsibility outsourcing, no supervision, illegal activities and an ownership tussle between the Central and State governments.
• The QCI did not follow accreditation norms created by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT). The NCVT is just a stamp with no role in actually assessing quality.
• The future of 13.8 lakh students in these substandard ITIs is at risk. If the same exercise were extended to other skill development schemes, the picture would be grimmer.
• Lax provisions of vocational training programs and no scrutiny is a major concern. For example the Standard Training Assessment and Reward scheme spent Rs. 850 crore in 2013-14 with no norms for quality.
• The report also reinforces disturbing findings of a national survey by the research institute (NILERD) of the Planning Commission in 2011 about private ITIs: had fewer classrooms and workshops for practice; and their teachers were very poorly paid.

Way forward:

• Recommendations of the Sharada Prasad Committee to rationalise the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) should be implemented.
• There is a need to establish a national board for all skill development programmes. The core work (accreditation, assessment, certification and course standards) cannot be outsourced. Like every other education board (such as the CBSE), a board is required in vocational training that is accountable.
• We should also have a mandatory rating system for the ITIs, published periodically.
• A ranking of the ITIs on several parameters such as the one done by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in tertiary education.
• Talent from the open market should be encouraged to fill up higher posts in skill development.
• There should be one system, with one law (as recommended in the 12th Five Year Plan) and one national vocational education and training system, so that all the concerned partners of the sector can work seamlessly and can learn from, and work with each other.
• The ITIs have internal issues such as staffing and salaries that need attention. There is also a critical need to reskill ITI teachers and maintain the student-teacher ratio.
• Financial support from NSDC can be used to upgrade the technology.
• Financing from corporate social responsibility, multilateral organisations such as the World Bank and the government can meet the financial needs for skill development.
• As recommended by 12th Plan Reimbursable industry contribution (RIC) — a 1-2% payroll tax that will be reimbursed when employers train using public/private infrastructure and provide data.

Conclusion:

With the rise of 4th Industrial revolution, and on-going debates on Artificial Intelligence and automation, there is an urgent need to reboot the vocational education system of India. Also there is need to establish a system which is based on demand and supply rather than present out dated and archaic syllabus of vocational education.

Parliament has passed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018. The main highlight of the bill is that it seeks to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to introduce a new provision to sentence convicts of such crimes punishment of death.

Highlights of the Bill:

Punishment:

• It provides for stringent punishment including death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years.

• The minimum punishment in case of rape of women has been increased from rigorous imprisonment of seven years to 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment.

• In case of rape of a girl under 16 years, the minimum punishment has been increased from 10 years to 20 years, extendable to imprisonment for rest of life, which means jail term till the convicts’ “natural life”.

• The punishment for gang rape of a girl below 16 years will invariably be imprisonment for the rest of life of the convict.

• Stringent punishment for rape of a girl under 12 years has been provided with the minimum jail term being 20 years which may go up to life in prison or death sentence. Gang rape of a girl under 12 years of age will invite punishment of jail term for the rest of life or death.

• The measure also provides for speedy investigations and trial. The time limit for investigation of all cases of rape has been prescribed, which has to be mandatorily completed within two months.

• The deadline for the completion of trial in all rape cases will be two months. A six-month time limit for the disposal of appeals in rape cases has also been prescribed.

Speedy investigation: 

• The measure also provides for speedy investigations and trial. The time limit for investigation of all cases of rape has been prescribed, which has to be mandatorily completed within two months.
• The deadline for the completion of trial in all rape cases will be two months. A six-month time limit for the disposal of appeals in rape cases has also been prescribed.

Bail related provisions:

There will also be no provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of rape or gang rape of a girl under 16 years. It has also been prescribed that a court has to give notice of 15 days to a public prosecutor and the representative of the victim before deciding bail applications in case of rape of a girl under 16 years of age. 

Need for a stringent law:

The number of reported cases of rapes of children increased in India by 82% in 2016 compared to 2015. A climate of violence, social and economic insecurity, alienation, and a progressive undermining of the status of women and children seem to have given an impetus to carry out crimes against women and children.

Therefore, the legal system must give a clear signal that we as a nation consider the rape of children below the age of 12 as among the most heinous of offences. Making such crimes punishable by capital punishment certainly gives such a signal. 

Is it sufficient?

Statistics have not been able to prove or disprove the efficacy of capital punishment as a deterrent. While the U.K. has seen an increase in murders since 1965 when capital punishment for murder was removed from the statute book, Canada has not seen any such impact since it abolished the death penalty in 1976. The underlying socio-economic conditions in a society that cause crimes seem to have as much of an impact on the increase or decrease of crimes as the law does. 

What is needed?

It is not the severity of the punishment but the certainty and uniformity of it which will reduce crime. Even for capital punishment to work as a deterrent, the fairness of the investigation, the certainty of conviction, and the speed of the trial are vital. With the police and judicial independence being under a cloud, especially after the incidents in Kathua and Unnao, the deterrent value of capital punishment seems diminished unless police reforms and fast-track courts are part of it.

ALSO IN NEWS

1. NITI Aayog has identified 117 districts as ‘Aspirational Districts’ for Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

 Selection of the districts:

These districts have been selected on the basis of the composite index which includes published data of deprivation enumerated under Socio-Economic Caste Census, Health & Nutrition, Education and Basic Infrastructure.

 Key facts:

Support by the Centre: Under the scheme, central assistance is provided for opening of new Model Degree Colleges(MDCs) in these districts and in unserved & underserved districts in North Eastern and Himalayan States.

Kind of support: The central support provided under the component of new MDCs is infrastructural in nature in which funds are released for creation of Colleges with requisite infrastructure such as appropriate number of class rooms, library, laboratory, faculty rooms, toilet blocks and other essential requirements for technologically advanced facilities.

States’ role: Under this component, a commitment is given by the State Governments that all recurring expenditure (including salaries) in respect of the MDC being established, will be borne by the respective State Government. Additionally, under a separate component of RUSA viz., Faculty Recruitment Support, central support is provided for creation of additional posts of Assistant Professors.

 About RUSA:

Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013 aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions.

 Funding:

• The central funding (in the ratio of 60:40 for general category States, 90:10 for special category states and 100% for union territories) would be norm based and outcome dependent.
• The funding would flow from the central ministry through the state governments/union territories to the State Higher Education Councils before reaching the identified institutions.
• The funding to states would be made on the basis of critical appraisal of State Higher Education Plans, which would describe each state’s strategy to address issues of equity, access and excellence in higher education.

 Objectives:

The key objectives of RUSA are to improve access, equity and quality in higher education through planned development of higher education at the state level. Objectives include creating new academic institutions, expanding and upgrading the existing ones, developing institutions that are self-reliant in terms of quality education, professionally managed, and characterized by greater inclination towards research and provide students with education that is relevant to them as well the nation as a whole.

 Components:

• RUSA would create new universities through upgradation of existing autonomous colleges and conversion of colleges in a cluster.
• It would create new model degree colleges, new professional colleges and provide infrastructural support to universities and colleges.
• Faculty recruitment support, faculty improvements programmes and leadership development of educational administrators are also an important part of the scheme.
• In order to enhance skill development the existing central scheme of Polytechnics has been subsumed within RUSA. A separate component to synergise vocational education with higher education has also been included in RUSA.
• Besides these, RUSA also supports reforming, restructuring and building capacity of institutions in participating state.

2. Startup India launched the Startup Academia Alliance programme.

The Startup Academia Alliance aims to reduce the gap between scientific research and its industrial applications in order to increase the efficacy of these technologies and widen their impact.

Key Highlights:

The first phase of Startup Academia Alliance will be implemented in partnership with Regional Centre for Biotechnology, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Council on Energy, Environment and Water, and TERI School of Advanced Studies.

Renowned scholars from these institutes, from fields including renewable energy, biotechnology, healthcare and life sciences were taken on board to provide mentorship and guidance to the startups working in relevant areas.

3. Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highway (MoRTH) launched two IT initiative Bidder Information Management System (BIMS) and Bhoomi Rashi and PFMS linkage aimed at expediting pre construction processes relating to bidding and land acquisition respectively.

4. The world’s first-ever thermal battery plant owned by Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST) was inaugurated in Amravati, Andhra Pradesh. This plant aims to create new energy storage form that is expected to have commercial applications, while also maintain low carbon footprint and less dependent on external factors like weather.

IN DEPTH

Thirty years after the 8888 uprising

Introduction:

• August 8 marks the 30th anniversary of the people’s uprising in Myanmar.
• The ‘8888’ uprising (or the eighth day of August 1988) is one of Myanmar’s most important historic days in the context of the pro-democracy movement.

About 8888 Uprising:

• ‘8888’ was a people’s movement that challenged the then ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party’s grip on political, economic and social affairs which led the country into extreme poverty.
• The protests and the bloody crackdown gave rise to the National League for Democracy (NLD), a political party which paved the way for the current Myanmar State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi’s entry into politics and for the pro-democracy movement to continue.
• Myanmar’s President Win Myint and Ms. Suu Kyi were political prisoners in the aftermath of the 1988 uprising.
• The objective of ‘8888’ was two-fold: to push for the transfer of power from the military to a civilian leadership and a change in the political system from an authoritarian regime to a multi-party democracy.

Significance of 8888 Uprising:

• The past 30 years have seen a change in leadership — from military dictatorship to a military-backed semi-democracy in 2011 and then to a negotiated hybrid regime with power being shared between unelected military personnel and an elected civilian leadership in 2016.
• It keeps alive the spirit of democracy; underscores the need for equality and federalism; and builds an awareness campaign on the role of military.
• But for the country’s ethnic minorities, their struggle and political demands still continue. The kind of federalism the ethnic minorities want, based on equality of rights to all citizens, has been denied by the military leadership and the government.

Myanmar in Transition:

• The democratic transition in Myanmar so far has been meticulously designed by the military. The primary objective, which is laid out in the country’s 2008 Constitution, is to give the military a dominant role in politics.
• Currently, Myanmar practices ‘Burmese way to democracy’, parallel to ‘Burmese way to socialism’
• Equality and federalism, these issues are today the most discussed in the on-going peace talks between the civilian government, the military and the ethnic armed groups. The success or failure of the peace talks will largely depend on how these two issues are handled and also depends Myanmar’s peace, stability and development.

Way Forward for Mayanmar:

• In political discussions, the ‘8888’ leaders should look at democratic transitions in other countries. They should share their findings to civil as well as military leadership of Myanmar.
• It should be noted that no democracy can succeed when the military holds the reins and is unaccountable to an elected civilian leadership.
• For democracy to strike deep roots in Myanmar, the role of the ‘8888’ leaders remains important. The people of Myanmar as well as members of the international community want a democracy that respects the rights of all its people, including the minorities.

FOCUS (A PRELIMS 2019 PRESPECTIVE)

Xingkong-2:

It is China’s hypersonic “waverider” flight vehicle. It is also called Starry Sky-2.

• It is capable of flying independently and of carrying nuclear warheads.
• It glides at high speeds using shockwaves generated by its own hypersonic flight with the air.

 Uakitite

• It is a new mineral has been discovered in a meteorite in Eastern Russia.
• It is named “uakitite” after the Uakit region of Siberia where the meteorite was discovered.
• 98% of the Uakit meteorite is an iron alloy called kamacite, which so far has only been found in other meteorites. The other two percent is comprised of minerals that form in space.
• Scientists don’t know a lot more about this mysterious space rock as they were unable to obtain all physical and optical properties of the mineral because of its small size.

Maitree 2018:

• It is an annual joint military training exercise between India and Thailand. The 2018 edition of this exercise is being held in Thailand.
• Aim: The aim of this exercise is to build and promote closer relations while exchanging skills and experiences between the two armies.
• Last exercise was held in Himachal Pradesh’s Bakloh in 2017.

MISC.

1. Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC), Pinjore, Haryana

2. One-third of public sector banks remain headless as a Prime Minister-headed panel is yet to clear the CEO appointments.
3. Vigyan Prasar launches Internet-based channel to highlight India’s achievements – under the guidance of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has launched India Science (indiascience.in)