Accreditation – A Reliable Source of Quality of an Institute in the Country

At present, there are 676 universities and 37204 colleges in the country as per data provided by the UGC. Accreditation is the only reliable source of quality of an institute. As per information provided by UGC, 274 Universities and 7070 Colleges have been accredited by the NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). The UGC has also introduced the Colleges with Potential for Excellence (CPE) Scheme. As on date, 221 colleges are enjoying the CPE status under the Scheme whereas 10 colleges out of them have been awarded the status of ‘College of Excellence’. At present, there are 184 Private Universities and 17803 private colleges in the country. UGC has reported that it has supported 20 private institutions, including private deemed to be universities, with an amount of Rs.5843.45 lakhs during 2011-12 and Rs.6548.39 lakhs during 2012-13. The information regarding mobilization of funds by these institutions is not maintained centrally. As per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2011-12 (provisional), 285 lakh students were enrolled in all higher educational institutions. As per AISHE report, 143.5 lakhs student were enrolled in private higher educational institutions during academic year 2011-12. As per the All India Survey on Higher Education 2011-12 (provisional) the percentage of enrolment (out of the total enrolment) of SC students is 12.2% and that of ST students is 4.5%.

Ensuring Universalization of Elementary and Secondary Education

The updated information provided by the States/UTs reveals that 17.24 lakh children in 6-14 years age group are out of school as in 2014. States having the most out of school children are, Rajasthan (2.98 lakh), Jharkhand (2.44 lakh), Bihar (1.81 lakh), Karnataka (1.81 lakh), Haryana (0.92 lakh) and Assam (0.88 lakh). An amount of Rs.339.97 crore has been sanctioned to States/UTs under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme, for providing special training centres for such children to impart flexible bridge courses, to enable them to mainstream into schools, subsequently. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) are programmes launched by the Central Government for ensuring universalisation of elementary and secondary education respectively. As a result of these schemes, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is 101.36% at primary level, 89.33% at upper primary level and 76.64% at secondary level as per UDISE 2013-14. Under these programmes, there is provision for a biannual Joint Review Mission (JRM), by independent experts from the field of education and education related areas, including external aid partners, to review the programmes. Both the programmes are also audited annually by chartered accountants and also undergo statutory audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). Corrective action on the lacunae pointed out, is undertaken and the compliance report reviewed by the next round of audit.

BHEL signs MoU for setting up an Ultra Mega Solar Power Project at Sambhar in Rajasthan

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), Sambhar Salts Limited (SSL), Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), Sutlej JalVidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) and Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 29th January 2014 for formation of a Joint Venture Company (JVC) for setting up of a Ultra Mega Solar Power Project (UMSPP) with a cumulative capacity of 4,000 MW in phases at Sambhar in Rajasthan on build, own and operate basis. The planned first phase implementation of the UMSPP at Sambhar is of 1,000 MW, and the balance 3,000 MW in subsequent phases. This is an initiative of Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Industries (HI&PE), Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Ministry of Power (MoP).

Eligibility Criteria for Grant of Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna Status to CPSEs ,for IAS PRE

The eligibility criteria laid down by the Government for grant of Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna status to Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) are following: Criteria for grant of Maharatna status :-             The CPSEs fulfilling the following criteria are eligible to be considered for grant of Maharatna status. (i)     Having Navratna status. (ii)   Listed on Indian stock exchange with minimum prescribed public shareholding under SEBI regulations. (iii) Average annual turnover of more than Rs. 25,000 crore, during the last 3 years. (iv) Average annual net worth of more than Rs. 15,000 crore, during the last 3 years. (v)   Average annual net profit after tax of more than Rs. 5,000 crore, during the last 3 years. (vi) Should have significant global presence/international operations. Criteria for grant of Navratna status :-             The Miniratna Category – I and Schedule ‘A’ CPSEs, which have obtained ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ rating under the Memorandum of Understanding system in three of the last five years, and have composite score of 60 or above in the six selected performance parameters, namely,  (i) net profit to net worth, (ii) manpower cost to total cost of production/services, (iii) profit before depreciation, interest and taxes to capital employed, (iv) profit before interest and taxes to turnover, (v) earning per share and  (vi) inter-sectoral performance. Criteria for grant of Miniratna status :-             The CPSEs which have made profits in the last three years continuously and have positive net worth are eligible to be considered for grant of Miniratna status.             Presently, there are 7 Maharatna, 16 Navratna and 71 Miniratna CPSEs.

Site Clearance for Dholera Airport Project

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Shri G.M. Siddeshwara informed the Lok Sabha today that the Government has accorded site clearance for the Greenfield international airport project at Dholera at Ahmedabad in Gujarat being developed by the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board in 2014.  Further, the Taj International Greenfield airport project proposed at Hirangoan, Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh is presently under the preliminary scrutiny of the Government.  AAI has recently upgraded Bhopal, Indore and Raipur airports to international standards and the Government has initiated the process of declaring these airports as international airports.  Further, the Government of India has granted in-principle approval for development of the Greenfield airport projects as international airports with estimated project costs (approx.) as under: State                 Airport                  Rs. in Crore) Goa                  Mopa                               3000 Kerala               Kannur                           1800 Maharashtra      Navi Mumbai                14500 Maharashtra      Shirdi                             300 Uttar Pradesh    Kushinagar                    355

PM visits Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

• Prime Minister asks Department of Atomic Energy to draw up a programme of year-long diamond jubilee celebrations. • Focus to be on the human and developmental dimensions of atomic science, with special outreach to the youth: PM

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, paid his first visit to Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in Mumbai today. He was briefed by Dr. R.K. Sinha, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy and other top officials and scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre on India's atomic energy programme; DAE's extensive research and development and education programmes; and DAE's contributions in other areas such as healthcare, especially cancer treatment, food security, solid waste management and water purification. Referring to the Diamond Jubilee of DAE, which falls on August 3, the Prime Minister asked Department of Atomic Energy to draw up a programme of year-long celebrations, with special focus on the various human and developmental dimensions of atomic science, with special outreach to the youth in schools and colleges throughout the country. The Prime Minister exhorted DAE to present the human face of India’s capabilities in nuclear science throughout the world. Prime Minister was apprised of the safety and security measures adopted by the DAE and India's excellent record in this regard. During the visit, which lasted four hours, Prime Minister was also shown some of DAE's most advanced facilities at BARC, including the Dhruva Research Reactor. Prime Minister expressed his strong appreciation for the extraordinary achievements of Indian scientific community in one of the most complex and challenging fields of science and technology. He said their success was especially creditable because it took place in the face of decades of international technology denial regime; India's self-reliance in the nuclear fuel cycle and the commercial success of the indigenous reactors demonstrated that with vision, resolve and hard work, India could be a front ranking country in the most challenging fields. Prime Minister reiterated his belief that energy security, which was increasingly based on clean and reliable sources of energy, was the critical driver of India's rapid and sustained long term development. He saw an essential role for nuclear energy in India's energy strategy, given the scale of demand in India. Prime Minister assured the DAE of his full support in the implementation of DAE's ambitious expansion programme and expressed hope that DAE would meet the target of increasing the capacity by three times from the present level of 5780 MW by 2023-24 within the projected cost. He underlined the importance of ensuring that nuclear energy remained commercially viable and competitive with other sources of clean energy in the long run. He also asked DAE to continually upgrade technology, both with regard to our long term plans and international trends. DAE, he said, must also plan for ensuring adequate availability of skilled human resources in the country. Prime Minister told DAE that nuclear safety and security were of the highest priority for him and asked DAE to ensure that India's standards and practices were the most advanced in the world. He also asked DAE to pay special attention to the local communities in planning and implementing nuclear power projects. He hoped that role of industry in providing equipment and systems for the nuclear programme would continue to grow and recognized that adequate incentive structure should be exist to facilitate that. He noted that we would need to tap additional sources of investments for our ambitious expansion programme. He welcomed India's growing international partnership in the nuclear energy and hoped for timely implementation of the ongoing projects in a manner that they met the requirements of techno-economic viability and safety standards. Technology transfer to India, he observed, was a vital element of his vision for international partnership in India. Prime Minister lauded the contribution of DAE scientists in the critical area of cancer research and treatment through the Tata Memorial Hospital. He hoped that DAE would soon implement the planned projects in Chandigarh and Vishakapatnam and would take one of the most advanced standards of cancer treatment in Asia to other parts of India. He also directed DAE to make special efforts to expand its research and extension on a national scale applications of atomic science in areas like healthcare, waste management, water treatment, agriculture and food preservation. Prime Minister congratulated DAE on the important milestone of Diamond Jubilee and wished the DAE community continued success in the future. The National Security Advisor, Shri Ajit Doval, the Director, BARC and the Secretary AERC, Joint Secretary in the PMO, Shri Javed Ashraf, and Private Secretaries to the PM, Shri Vikram Misri and Shri Sanjiv Singla were also present.

MARKS OF SELECTED CANDIDATE IN IAS-2013

http://upsc.gov.in/exams/marks/2013/csm2013/CS_M_2013_RECOMMENDED.pdf