Union Government Launched ‘ShaGun’ A Web-portal for Sarva Shikaha Abhiyan
- To put an innovative progress in elementary education sector of the country by continuous monitoring of the flagship scheme—Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Union government launched a dedicated web portal ‘ShaGun’, on January 18, 2017.
- It is prepared by World Bank in collaboration with Ministry of Human Resource Development.
- The learning outcomes would help teachers to understand the learning levels of children in their respective classes individually as well as collectively.
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Graded Response Action Plan on Delhi Air Pollution Notified
- The Union Ministry of Environment notified the Graded Response Action Plan to combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR, on January 17, 2017.
- Another measure is introducing differential rates to encourage off-peak-travel and public transport.
- The government had proposed slashing of bus fares by 70% in January.
Timothy Gonsalves Committee Recommended Reservations for Female Students in IITs
- A panel recommended reservation for girl students in Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) to address the issue of slump in the number of female students entering the prestigious institutes on January 17, 2017.
- The recommendation of the Committee will be taken-up in the meeting of the Joint Admission Board (JAB) for a final decision, which will decide whether the reservation will come in effect from this year or from 2018.
- Concerned by the slump in number of girl students entering IITs, the JAB has $et-up a panel under the chairmanship of professor Timothy Gonsalves to find ways to rectify the situation in the institutes.
Third National Conference ‘Jal Manthan-IIF Organised
- The River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation ministry organised the third National conference called ‘Jal Manthan-Iir on January 13, 2017 in New Delhi.
- The focus will be on refining policies of the Ministry to make them more people friendly and responsive to the needs of the States.
- It emphasised the need to hold wider consultations amongst various stakeholders engaged in water resource development and management to achieve synergy of water resource development with environment, wild-life and various social and cultural practices.
Union Government Released New Draft Rules to Prevent Dogs from Cruelty
- The Ministry issued a draft of rules which makes mandatory for dog breeders and marketers to register themselves with State Animal Welfare Board and maintain proper records regarding purchase, sale and rehabilitation of the canines, among others, to make them accountable on January 11,’ 2017.
- So far, there were no rules in the country on the breeding, sale and purchase of dogs which is why the Ministry felt for framing the rules.
- The objective of the proposed rules is to make dog breeders and their marketers accountable and to prevent infliction of any cruelty in this process.
- Dog breeding and their marketing trade has also mushroomed all around the country and at times, some cruelty has been caused in breeding and marketing of canines, with little or no accountability.
Manohar Parrikar Inaugurated International Conference & Exhibition on Reinforced Plastics
- Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announced the government of India’s ambitious ‘Design in India’ policy on Januafy 10, 2017.
- International conference & exhibition on ‘Reinforced Plastics 2017’ (ICERP 2017) organised by FRP Institute, an association of Indian Reinforced Plastics or Composites sector.
- The policy will aim at building, enhancing and promoting designing capabilities of Indian manufacturers and entrepreneurs so that they can design products of world-class standards to compete with global counterparts and take advantage of ‘Make in India’ programme.
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