SC increases VVPAT verification

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Context :

The Supreme Court on Monday raised the VVPAT physical verification from 1 to 5 EVMs in each assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency.

Background :

21 Opposition parties wanted VVPAT verification in 50% or 125 polling booths in each constituency. The Supreme Court had asked the Election Commission to submit an affidavit on the same issue.

More about the news:

SC in its judgement says that, In case of general elections, VVPAT slips of five EVMs in each Assembly segment of a Parliamentary Constituency would be subject to physical counting.
In State Assembly elections, the VVPAT verification would extend to five random EVMs in each Assembly constituency.
The Supreme Court order would be implemented in the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled to commence from April 11, 2019.
The ruling came in order to ensure the greatest degree of accuracy, satisfaction in election process.
The Court has observed that the move would ensure greater degree of accuracy and increase satisfaction in the election process of not just the political parties but of the entire electorate.
The court said that this change would not be a drain on the ECI’s infrastructural resources and manpower as the Opposition’s idea would have been. Neither would counting VVPAT slips of five EVMs take any substantial amount of time.

Source :-The Hindu

IIT-Madras tops Centre’s higher education rankings

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE- Development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context :

President Ramnath Kovind announced the rankings of higher educational institutions carried out as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

National Institute of ranking Framework - 2019 Ranking :

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras) has topped overall in the National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings, 2019.
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and IIT-Delhi has ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.
In the university category, IISc Bangalore ranked first followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. In the management category, IIM- Bengaluru ranked first followed by IIM Ahmedabad.
Delhi University’s Miranda House College has topped the college’s rankings followed by Hindu College and Presidency College in Chennai. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi and National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, have been adjudged as the best medical college and law school respectively.

National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) :

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has been launched by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India on 29th September, 2015.
This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country.
The methodology draws from the overall recommendations broad understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD, to identify the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions.

Parameters :

Teaching Learning and Resources – the core activities of any place of learning are considered. Emphasis is laid on measuring the number and quality of faculty, lab resources, library and other such facilities needed for the development of the students. These parameters are further classified into the following sub-parameters:
- Student Strength including Doctoral Students
- Faculty-student ratio with emphasis on permanent faculty (FSR)
- Combined metric for Faculty with PhD (or equivalent) and Experience (FQE)
- Total Budget and Its Utilization (CBTU)

Research, consulting and collaborative performance– These parameters measure the research culture in the organization as seen through generation of IPR, international databases and interface with industry and fellow professionals.
Graduation outcomes– It is the test of the level of effectiveness of the core teaching-learning activity in the institution. It measures the rate of students graduating and their success in finding appropriate placement in the industry, government inclusive of the rate of students taking up higher studies.
Outreach & Inclusivity – A special emphasis is laid on the representation of women and socially challenged persons in student and faculty populations. It is also considered as a parameter in the outreach activities of the institution. Example:
- Percent Students from other states/countries (Region Diversity RD)
- Region Diversity
- Percentage of Women
- Economically and Socially Challenged Students (ESCS)
- Facilities for Physically Challenged Students (PCS)
Perception– significant importance is given to the perception of the institutes by its stakeholders. This will be ascertained through Stakeholder Surveys.

Source :- The Hindu ; Business standard

Army gets Dhanush artillery guns

GS PAPER - 03 SECURITY - Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Context :

The Ordnance Factory Board has delivered the first six indigenously built Dhanush artillery guns to the Army.This is the first of the 114 guns ordered by the Indian army.

Dhanush artillery guns :

The indigenously built weapons are the result of collaboration between the Ordnance Factory Board, the Army, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Directorate General Quality Assurance, Bharat Electronics Limited and private firms
Dhanush is the first indigenously built 155 mm x 45 calibre long-range artillery gun with strike range of 38 kilometres.Further,they are improved version of Bofors guns acquired by India between 1987 and 1991.
In army parlance, it is classified as ‘medium artillery’.
It is compatible with all North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 155 mm ammunition system.
The gun is fitted with inertial navigation system with global positioning system- (GPS) based gun recording and auto-laying, an enhanced tactical computer for onboard ballistic computations, an onboard muzzle velocity recording, an automated gun sighting system equipped with camera, thermal imaging and laser range finder.
Dhanush gun has emerged as a reliable and robust gun system at par with the latest in the world and will increase the fire power of the Indian artillery manifold.
It is one of the “Make in India” marvel,".

Source :- The Hindu

International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues related to Health

Context :

An international Convention on World Homoeopathic Day will be organized to discuss linking education and clinical practice with research.

World Homeopathy Day :

The World Homoeopathy Day is observed across the world on April 10, 2019 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr. Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann.
With an aim to recognise exemplary work in Homoeopathy, AYUSH awards relating to Homoeopathy for Life Time Achievement, Best Teacher, Young Scientist and Best Research paper will be conferred on this occasion.

Dr. Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann :

Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, a great scholar, linguist and an acclaimed scientist, is known as the Father of Homeopathy, Father of Human Pharmacology, Father of Nano Medicine and the Father of Infinite Dilution concept in Chemistry.

Source :- PIB

Sri Lanka seeks enhanced military training from India

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - India and its neighborhood- relations.

Context :

Sri Lanka has sought enhanced military training from India, according to President Maithripala Sirisena’s office.

More about the news:

India and Sri Lanka has agreed to increase cooperation in security and defence spheres in several areas including regional security, curbing drug smuggling, human trafficking and training of Sri Lankan military personnel.
Earlier,training of Sri Lankan defence personnel in India had been opposed by the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
- She had opposed on the grounds that Sri Lankan army had been accused of killing at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the final months of the island’s 37-year guerrilla war that ended in May 2009.
However,Indian Government does not want to stop the training of the Sri lankan military personnel.It would further push Sri lanka closer to China who have also offered similar training and military collaboration offers.

India - srilanka defence relation :

Currently, over 60% of Sri Lanka’s military personnel pursue their young officers’ course, junior and senior command courses in India, according to defence sources in Colombo.
‘Exercise Mitra Shakti’, the sixth edition of the joint military training exercise between the Indian Army and the Sri Lankan Army, recently concluded in Sri Lanka
- The contingents from the two countries jointly planned and executed a series of well-coordinated tactical operations based on scenarios that are likely to be encountered in rural and urban environment.
- The two-week programme is part of an initiative that began in 2013 as part of military diplomacy between India and Sri Lanka.

Source :- The Hindu

Introducing the world’s first gene-edited lizard, an albino

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

Context :

Four brown anole lizards (a type of tropical lizard) have been genetically modified using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool. This is the world’s first successful attempt at producing a genetically modified reptile.

Highlights :

According to the Science magazine, researchers typically edit with CRISPR by injecting it into a single-celled fertilized egg, creating a DNA change that is present in all subsequent cells.
The researchers from University of Georgia, USA had used CRISPR-Cas9 to fertilize the immature eggs of anole lizards and produce four pink albino offspring.
Scientists are of the opinion that the successful research would help the study of human medicine, particularly the eye.

CRISPR Cas9 :

CRISPR technology is basically a gene-editing technology that can be used for the purpose of altering genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism.
The technology can be used for targeting specific stretches of an entire genetic code or editing the DNA at particular locations.
CRISPR technology is a simple yet powerful tool for editing genomes. It allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.
Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and improving crops. However, its promise also raises ethical concerns.

Working :

CRISPR-Cas9 technology behaves like a cut-and-paste mechanism on DNA strands that contain genetic information.
The specific location of the genetic codes that need to be changed, or “edited”, is identified on the DNA strand, and then, using the Cas9 protein, which acts like a pair of scissors, that location is cut off from the strand. A DNA strand, when broken, has a natural tendency to repair itself.
Scientists intervene during this auto-repair process, supplying the desired sequence of genetic codes that binds itself with the broken DNA strand.

Source :- Times of India

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9th APRIL 2019 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

SC increases VVPAT verification

IIT-Madras tops Centre’s higher education rankings

Army gets Dhanush artillery guns

International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day

Sri Lanka seeks enhanced military training from India

Introducing the world’s first gene-edited lizard, an albino

SC increases VVPAT verification

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Context :

The Supreme Court on Monday raised the VVPAT physical verification from 1 to 5 EVMs in each assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency.

Background :

21 Opposition parties wanted VVPAT verification in 50% or 125 polling booths in each constituency. The Supreme Court had asked the Election Commission to submit an affidavit on the same issue.

More about the news:

SC in its judgement says that, In case of general elections, VVPAT slips of five EVMs in each Assembly segment of a Parliamentary Constituency would be subject to physical counting.

In State Assembly elections, the VVPAT verification would extend to five random EVMs in each Assembly constituency.

The Supreme Court order would be implemented in the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled to commence from April 11, 2019.

The ruling came in order to ensure the greatest degree of accuracy, satisfaction in election process.

The Court has observed that the move would ensure greater degree of accuracy and increase satisfaction in the election process of not just the political parties but of the entire electorate.

The court said that this change would not be a drain on the ECI’s infrastructural resources and manpower as the Opposition’s idea would have been. Neither would counting VVPAT slips of five EVMs take any substantial amount of time.

Source :-The Hindu

IIT-Madras tops Centre’s higher education rankings

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE- Development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context :

President Ramnath Kovind announced the rankings of higher educational institutions carried out as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

National Institute of ranking Framework - 2019 Ranking :

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras) has topped overall in the National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings, 2019.

Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and IIT-Delhi has ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.

In the university category, IISc Bangalore ranked first followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. In the management category, IIM- Bengaluru ranked first followed by IIM Ahmedabad.

National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) :

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has been launched by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India on 29th September, 2015.

This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country.

The methodology draws from the overall recommendations broad understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD, to identify the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions.

Parameters :

Student Strength including Doctoral Students

Faculty-student ratio with emphasis on permanent faculty (FSR)

Combined metric for Faculty with PhD (or equivalent) and Experience (FQE)

Total Budget and Its Utilization (CBTU)

Research, consulting and collaborative performance– These parameters measure the research culture in the organization as seen through generation of IPR, international databases and interface with industry and fellow professionals.

Outreach & Inclusivity – A special emphasis is laid on the representation of women and socially challenged persons in student and faculty populations. It is also considered as a parameter in the outreach activities of the institution. Example:

Percent Students from other states/countries (Region Diversity RD)

Region Diversity

Percentage of Women

Economically and Socially Challenged Students (ESCS)

Facilities for Physically Challenged Students (PCS)

Perception– significant importance is given to the perception of the institutes by its stakeholders. This will be ascertained through Stakeholder Surveys.

Source :- The Hindu ; Business standard

Army gets Dhanush artillery guns

GS PAPER - 03 SECURITY - Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Context :

The Ordnance Factory Board has delivered the first six indigenously built Dhanush artillery guns to the Army.This is the first of the 114 guns ordered by the Indian army.

Dhanush artillery guns :

The indigenously built weapons are the result of collaboration between the Ordnance Factory Board, the Army, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Directorate General Quality Assurance, Bharat Electronics Limited and private firms

Dhanush is the first indigenously built 155 mm x 45 calibre long-range artillery gun with strike range of 38 kilometres.Further,they are improved version of Bofors guns acquired by India between 1987 and 1991.

In army parlance, it is classified as ‘medium artillery’.

It is compatible with all North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 155 mm ammunition system.

Dhanush gun has emerged as a reliable and robust gun system at par with the latest in the world and will increase the fire power of the Indian artillery manifold.

It is one of the “Make in India” marvel,".

Source :- The Hindu

International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues related to Health

Context :

An international Convention on World Homoeopathic Day will be organized to discuss linking education and clinical practice with research.

World Homeopathy Day :

The World Homoeopathy Day is observed across the world on April 10, 2019 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr. Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann.

With an aim to recognise exemplary work in Homoeopathy, AYUSH awards relating to Homoeopathy for Life Time Achievement, Best Teacher, Young Scientist and Best Research paper will be conferred on this occasion.

Dr. Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann :

Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, a great scholar, linguist and an acclaimed scientist, is known as the Father of Homeopathy, Father of Human Pharmacology, Father of Nano Medicine and the Father of Infinite Dilution concept in Chemistry.

Source :- PIB

Sri Lanka seeks enhanced military training from India

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - India and its neighborhood- relations.

Context :

Sri Lanka has sought enhanced military training from India, according to President Maithripala Sirisena’s office.

More about the news:

India and Sri Lanka has agreed to increase cooperation in security and defence spheres in several areas including regional security, curbing drug smuggling, human trafficking and training of Sri Lankan military personnel.

Earlier,training of Sri Lankan defence personnel in India had been opposed by the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

She had opposed on the grounds that Sri Lankan army had been accused of killing at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the final months of the island’s 37-year guerrilla war that ended in May 2009.

However,Indian Government does not want to stop the training of the Sri lankan military personnel.It would further push Sri lanka closer to China who have also offered similar training and military collaboration offers.

India - srilanka defence relation :

Currently, over 60% of Sri Lanka’s military personnel pursue their young officers’ course, junior and senior command courses in India, according to defence sources in Colombo.