Ministry of Education Launches APAAR in Remote Villages across India
Ministry of Education (MoE) launched APAAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry)through the Common Service Centres (CSCs) in remote villages of India.
APAAR, conceptualized under the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), aims for ‘One Nation, OneStudent ID’.
Points to Note:
- APAAR mandates all college/universitystudents to register on the Academic Bankof Credits (ABC) platform.
- Under the new policy, students must havean ABC ID to be admitted to any college oruniversity.
- The suggestion to bring the ABC intoeducation was given in the NEP 2020.
- APAAR ID allows future creditacquisition without the need for presentingcertificates.
Note: APAAR ID will remain with thechildren for their entire lives.
Digital Integration for School Education:
- All school children should be given provisional APAAR IDs, immediately authenticated with Aadhaar, andlinked to Digi Locker.
- Consideration for a business model involving Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), envisages enhancedtransparency and ease in school and higher education.
About Academic Bank of Credit (ABC):
- ABC is a digital repository or digital storage designed for students and they can easily access it through thenearest CSC.
- ABC has been established on the lines of the National Academic Depository (NAD).
- All credits (the marks) scored by the students and their personal information will be stored in ABC.Universities can retrieve student data with using the unique ABC ID.
About Ministry of Education:
Union Minister– Dharmendra Pradhan (Rajya Sabha- Madhya Pradesh)
Ministers of State– Annapurna Devi (Constituency: Kodarma, Jharkhand); Dr. Subhas Sarkar
(Constituency: Bankura, West Bengal); Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (Constituency: Inner Manipur, Manipur)
World Defense Show 2024 Held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The 2nd edition of the World Defence Show (WDS 2024) was held at Riyadh International Convention &Exhibition Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 4th to 8th February 2024.
WDS 2024 was organised by the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), the regulator, enabler,licensor for the military industry in SaudiArabia.
The Theme of WDS 2024 is “Equippedfor Tomorrow”.
Inauguration: Prince Khalid bin Salmanbin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defence andVice Chairman of the Board of Directorsof GAMI inaugurated the WDS 2024.
Key Points:
- Munitions India Limited (MIL) signed acontract worth USD 225 million for thesupply of artillery ammunition to SaudiArabia.
- Ajay Bhatt, MoS, MoD visited Riyadh to lead the Indian delegation at WDS 2024.
- Tri-Service Women Officers Represented Indian Armed Forces at WDS 2024
About Saudi Arabia:
Capital- Riyadh
Prime Minister- HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Currency- Saudi Riyal
Sanjay Jaju, Secretary MIB, unveiled ‘India Year Book 2024’ & ‘Career Calling’ atWorld Book Fair in New Delhi
On 10th February 2024, Sanjay Jaju, the Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)inaugurated the Publications Division’s stall and unveiled its publications titled “India Year Book 2024” and“Career Calling” at the World Book Fair 2024 inNew Delhi, Delhi
The World Book Fair 2024, organized by theNational Book Trust of India, will take place atPragati Maidan, New Delhi.
The fair is being held from February 10-18,2024 on the theme ‘Multi Lingual India(Bahubhashi Bharat)’. It is the 51st edition ofthe fair.
India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO)under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce isthe co-organiser/venue partner of the fair.
Key Points:
- The India Year Book 2024 is an annualreference book that offers an overview of India’s progress. Career Calling is a guide for informed choices.
- The Publications Division of MIB publishes non-fiction books about India’s heritage and panorama.
World Pulses Day 2024- February 10
The United Nations (UN) World Pulses Day (WPD) is annually observed across the globe on 10 Februaryto recognise the significance of pulse crops like chickpeas, dry beans, and lentils as a global food.The theme of WPD 2024 is:
“Pulses: Nourishing Soils andPeople.”
Background:
- The United Nations GeneralAssembly (UNGA) adopted theresolution A/RES/73/251 on 20thDecember 2018, and proclaimed10 February of every year asWPD.
Burkina Faso, a landlockedcountry in West Africa proposedthe observance of WPD. - The day was established following the successful implementation of International Year of Pulses (IYP) in2016 by FAO.
- The 1st ever WPD was observed on 10 February 2019.
About Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) :
Director-General– Qu Dongyu
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
Founded in 1945
National Deworming Day 2024 – February 10
The National Deworming Day (NDD) is organised biannually in all states and Union Territories (UTs)across India to eradicate intestinal wormsalso referred to as Soil-TransmittedHelminths (STH), among children of age1-19 years. The 1st round is conducted inFebruary and the 2nd round is conductedin August.
In 2024, the first round of NDD is observedon February 10, 2024, with a mop-up day(MUD) followed by the next day of NDDor on which the state government decides.
Background:
- NDD is a flagship program of theMinistry of Health and Family Welfare,which was launched in 2015.
- NDD was first observed on 10th February 2015.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW):
Union Minister – Mansukh Mandaviya (Rajya Sabha – Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS) – Bharati Pravin Pawar (Constituency – Dindori, Maharashtra), S. P. Singh Baghel(Constituency – Agra, Uttar Paresh)
First-Ever UN International Day of the Arabian Leopard 2024- February 10
The first-ever United Nations (UN)’s International Day of the Arabian Leopard was observed across theglobe on 10th February 2024 to raise awareness about the critically endangered status of the ArabianLeopard (Panthera pardus nimr).
The Day also highlights the conservation efforts and the challenges faced by the Arabian Leopard species.The Arabian leopard is listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation ofNature (IUCN) Red List.
Background:
- The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) firstlaunched Arabian Leopard Day in 2022.
- On 12 June 2023, the United Nations GeneralAssembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/77/295, proclaiming 10 February of every year asthe International Day of the Arabian Leopard insupport of RCU and its conservation partners.
About Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU):
Chairman– HRH Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Acting CEO– Abeer Al Akel
Established in– July 2017
Headquarters– Riyadh, Saudi Arabia