BIHAR
- Bihar needs some serious thinking on secondary education: ASER
- For the first time, annual status of education report (ASER) – 2017 by Pratham, to be released in New Delhi, has gone beyond the basics to focus on students in the 14-18 age group, i.e. the secondary and higher secondary stage – the Achilles’ heel of Bihar in recent years.
- Those associated with the ground work for survey say, Bihar needs to do some serious thinking for the most vulnerable age group, as mere extension of universal secondary education would not suffice.
- This is significant in view of unprecedented number of students failing in both matriculation and intermediate examinations in 2017 and questions being raised over the quality of education being imparted in schools.
- What emerged during the survey is a clear indication that students are becoming increasingly conscious about their future and want to pursue higher studies to get secure jobs, preferably in government. But, they need good options. Many want to pursue higher education, which will mean well-equipped colleges. Others want to become teachers, or join police, army or other spheres of work.
- Till 2016, ASER focused on elementary schooling and the ability of such students to do basic reading and arithmetic tasks, with a clear message that while enrolments were on rise, learning outcomes commensurate to classes remained a major concern. Up to class 8, students get automatic promotion to the next level under the right to education Act.
- Following the uproar over board results last year, Bihar government had got down to the job of preparing a detailed roadmap for education revamp, as slump at the secondary and higher secondary level would have a direct bearing on the gross enrolment ratio (GER) at the higher education level, which is still very low at just 14% in Bihar.
INTERNATIONAL
- WEF ranks India 30th on global manufacturing index
- The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a global manufacturing index — below China’s 5th place but above other BRICS peers, Brazil, Russia and South Africa.
- Japan topped the Geneva-based WEF’s first ‘Readiness for the future of production report’ and is followed by South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and China.
- India has been placed in the ‘Legacy’ group along with Hungary, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Turkey, among others.
- China figures among ‘leading countries’, while Brazil and South Africa are in ‘nascent’ ones.
Gk bit – World Economic Forum (WEF)
- The World Economic Forum (WEF) was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests.
- Reports generated by WEF-
Global Information Technology Report
Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report
Global Information Technology Report
The Global Gender Gap Report
The Global Competitiveness Report
The Global Human Capital Report
NATIONAL
- 70th Army Day: 15 January 2018
- The Indian Army is all set to celebrate 70th Army Day, with parades and shows at its major locations across the country.
- The celebration marks the day Field Marshal KM Cariappa took over as the first Indian chief of the nation’s Army in 1949.
- The parade will be reviewed by Army chief General Bipin Rawat. He will also present gallantry and other awards to army personnel.
- Delhi and Punjab richest states, Jain wealthiest community
- Jains are the wealthiest religious community in India. Delhi and Punjab are the richest states. Bihar is the poorest.
- These are the findings of the fourth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), recently released by the ministry of health and family welfare.
- Conducted over 6 lakh Indian households in 2015-16, it also reveals poverty as a largely rural phenomenon.
- 7th edition of ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-2018’ to be held in Karnataka
- To celebrate the idea of unity in diversity, the Ministry of Culture is organising the 7th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat matrix in Karnataka beginning January 14, 2018.
- The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme was launched by the Prime Minister on 31st October, 2016 to promote engagement amongst the people of different states/UTs so as to enhance mutual understanding and bonding between people of diverse cultures, thereby securing stronger unity and integrity of India.
- The State paired with Karnataka is Uttarakhand.
- Delhi’s Teen Murti Chowk renamed Teen Murti Haifa Chowk
- As a symbolic gesture of friendship with Israel, India renamed the iconic Teen Murti Chowk, a war memorial, during the visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The new name of the war memorial located in a roundabout near the Teen Murti Bhavan, the official residence of the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru will be, Teen Murti Haifa Chowk.
- Teen Murti War Memorial has three life-size bronze statues representing the Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers who participated in the Battle of Haifa for the 15 Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade.
- Ministry of Petroleum launches Saksham 2018 Campaign
- The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has launched month long Saksham 2018 (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav).
- Saksham is annual flagship event of PCRA with active involvement of Oil & Gas PSUs along with other stakeholders like State Governments.
- During this month long Saksham-2018, various interactive programs and activities are planned with the campaign on fuel conservation, getting a kick-start in a mega inaugural function to be held at Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi on 16th January, 2018.
- Government plans to auction ‘enemy’ properties worth Rs 1 lakh crore
- Over 9,400 ‘enemy’ properties, worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore, are set to be auctioned with the home ministry starting the process of identifying all such estates, officials said.
- The properties were left behind by people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China.
- The move came after the amendment of the 49-year-old Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act which ensured that the heirs of those who migrated to Pakistan and China during Partition and afterwards will have no claim over the properties left behind in India.
· ISRO is set to conduct a bungee jump on Chandrayaan 2
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are set to conduct a breathtaking stunt at Mahendragiri hills in Tamil Nadu.
- A bungee jump is being planned for Chandrayaan-2 craft as part of soft landing tests using a 100-metre tall crane (as tall as a 10-storeyed building) specially built for the purpose.
- Chandrayaan-2 is India’s second Moon mission.
· BSE’s India International Exchange Lists IRFC’s First Green Bond
- TheBombay Stock Exchange (BSE)’s India International Exchange listed the first bond on its Global Securities Market.
- The bonds issued by Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) are one of the highest credit rated bonds issued by an Indian corporate and has been IRFC’s first foray into the Green Bond market.
· Indias first agri-Options unveiled for doubling farmers income
- Finance MinisterArun Jaitley launched country’s first agri-commodity options.
- India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the growth is benefitting people in different sectors.
- But maximum population is dependent on agri-sector and unless the gains are clear and evident, the (economic) growth is not justifiable and equitable.
- The Ensuring the benefits reach the agri-sector and growth is visible this is among the priority areas.
Gk bit- Options
Options are a type of derivative security. They are a derivative because the price of an option is intrinsically linked to the price of something else. Specifically, options are contracts that grant the right, but not the obligation to buy or sell an underlying asset at a set price on or before a certain date. The right to buy is called a call option and the right to sell is a put option.
Call options give the option to buy at certain price, so the buyer would want the stock to go up.
Put options give the option to sell at a certain price, so the buyer would want the stock to go down.
