National
Vitasta Program 2023
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi lauded the Ministry of Culture’s Vitasta programme 2023 showcasing rich culture, arts and crafts of Kashmir.
Key Points:
- Culture Ministry organised Vitasta program from 27th-30th January 2023 to showcase the rich culture, arts and crafts of Kashmir.
- The program conveyed the historical identity of Kashmir to other states and symbolized the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.
All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-2021
⇒ The Ministry of Education, Government of India has released All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-2021.
About Survey:
- The Ministry has been conducting All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) since 2011, covering all higher educational institutions located in Indian Territory and imparting higher education in the country.
- The survey collects detailed information on different parameters such as student enrollment, teacher’s data, infrastructural information, financial information etc.
- For the first time, in AISHE 2020-21, HEIs have filled data using entirely online data collection platform through the Web Data Capture Format (DCF) developed by Department of Higher Education through the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
Key Highlights of the Survey:
Student Enrollment:
- The total enrollment in higher education has increased to nearly 4.14 crore in 2020-21 from 3.85 crore in 2019-20.
- The Female enrolment has increased to 2.01 crore from 1.88 crore in 2019-20.
- The percentage of female enrolment to total enrolment has increased from 45% in 2014-15 to around 49% in 2020-21.
- As per 2011 population projections for 18-23 years age group, GER has increased to 27.3 from 25.6 in 2019-20.
- Notable increase of 1.9 points is observed in GER of ST students in 2020-21, as compared to 2019-20.
- Female GER has overtaken Male GER since 2017-18. Gender Parity Index (GPI), the ratio of female GER to male GER, has increased from 1 in 2017-18 to 1.05 in 2020-21.
- The total Student Enrolment in North East States is 12.06 Lakh in 2020-21 as compared to 9.36 Lakh in 2014-15.
- The female enrolment in North East States is 6.14 lakh in 2020-21, higher than the male enrolment of 5.92 lakh [For every 100 male students, there are 104 female students in NER].
- The enrolment in Distance Education is 45.71 Lakh (with 20.9 Lakh Female), an increase of around 7% since 2019-20 and 20% since 2014-15.
- Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan are the top 6 States in terms of number of student enrolled.
- As per response in AISHE 2020-21, about 79.06% of the total students are enrolled in undergraduate level courses and 11.5% are enrolled in postgraduate level courses.
- The total number of pass-outs has increased to 95.4 Lakh in 2020-21 as against 94 Lakh in 2019-20.
Number of Institutions:
- The total number of Universities / University like institutions registered is 1,113, Colleges 43,796 and Standalone Institutions 11,296.
- During 2020-21, the number of Universities has increased by 70, and the number of Colleges has increased by 1,453.
- Since 2014-15, there has been increase of 353 Universities (46.4%).
- The Institutes of National Importance (INIs) have almost doubled from 75 in 2014-15 to 149 in 2020-21.
- 191 new Higher Education Institutions have been established in North Eastern States since 2014-15.
- Highest number of Universities is in Rajasthan (92), Uttar Pradesh (84) and Gujarat (83).
- During 2014-15 to 2020-21, on average, 59 Universities have been added annually. This was about 50 during 2007-08 to 2014-15.
- The College Density, the number of colleges per lakh eligible population (population in the age-group 18-23 years) has been 31. This was 27 in 2014-15.
- States with Highest college density: Karnataka (62), Telangana (53), Kerala (50), Himachal Pradesh (50), Andhra Pradesh (49), Uttarakhand (40), Rajasthan (40), Tamil Nadu (40).
- Top 8 Districts with Highest number of Colleges: Bangalore Urban (1058), Jaipur (671), Hyderabad (488), Pune (466), Prayagraj (374), Rangareddy (345), Bhopal (327) and Nagpur (318).
- Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat are top 8 States in terms of number of colleges.
- 43% universities and 61.4% colleges are located in Rural Areas.
Faculty:
- The total number of faculty/teachers are 15,51,070 of which about 57.1% are male and 42.9% are female.
- The female per 100 male faculty has improved to 75 in 2020-21 from 74 in 2019-20 and 63 in 2014-15.
Sports
Special mobile application for the Khelo India Youth Games 2022
⇒ The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had launched a special mobile application ‘Khelo India Games’ for the Khelo India Youth Games 2022.
Key Points:
- The App ensures that participating athletes, coaches, support staff, parents of athletes and officials from all states participating in the Games have access to all information about the Games.
- This was the first time that a dedicated App was launched for the Khelo India Youth Games.
- The App has a dedicated athlete login and supports the athlete right from the time of his or her registration into the games, through the entire course of the Games.
- The app gives the athlete a chance to check if his or her verified documents have been uploaded, before the start of the Games. This ensures greater transparency for athletes in the registration process.
‘Maitri Cup 2023’ T20 Cricket Tournament
⇒ ‘Maitri Cup 2023’ T20 Cricket tournament was held at Vijay Yadav Residential Cricket Academy, Faridabad from 27th to 28th January 2023.
A total of three teams including NHPC, NHDC (A Joint Venture of NHPC & Govt. of Madhya Pradesh) and CVPPPL (Joint Venture Company of NHPC & JKSPDC) had participated in the tournament.
Winner:
NHPC won the ‘Maitri Cup 2023’ T20 Cricket tournament. In the final match of the tournament NHPC defeated CVPPPL by 5 wickets.
Important Day
World Leprosy Day 2023
⇒ World Leprosy Day (WLD) is celebrated on the last Sunday of January. In 2023, World Leprosy Day was celebrated on 29 January.
In India, it is observed on 30th January every year, coinciding with the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
This international day is an opportunity to celebrate people who have experienced leprosy, raise awareness of the disease, and call for an end to leprosy-related stigma and discrimination.
Theme:
The theme of World Leprosy Day 2023 was “Act Now. End Leprosy.”
This year’s theme calls attention to three key messages:
- Elimination is possible: We have the power and tools to stop transmission and defeat this disease.
- Act now: We need the resources and commitment to end leprosy. Prioritize leprosy elimination.
- Reach the unreached: Leprosy is preventable and treatable. Suffering from leprosy is needless.
History:
World Leprosy Day was established by the French journalist Raoul Follereau in 1954 to advocate for those affected by the disease. On January 29, 2023, it was celebrated for the 70th time.
About Leprosy:
- Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae.
- The disease affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes.
- Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) which still occurs in more than 120 countries, with more than 200 000 new cases reported every year.
- Leprosy is curable with a combination of antibiotics known as Multi Drug Therapy (MDT). This treatment is available for free across the world.