EDITORIALS & ARTICLES

2nd April 2021

Exercise Shantir Ogroshena Recently, the Ministry of Defence has announced that the Indian Army will participate in the Exercise Shantir Ogroshena-2021. Exercise Shantir Ogroshena
  • The Exercise Shantir Ogroshena (Front Runner of the Peace) is a multinational military exercise.
  • The 2021 edition of Exercise Shantir Ogroshena will be held in Bangladesh to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh ‘Father of the Nation’ Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
  • The theme of the exercise is “Robust Peace Keeping Operations”.
  • The military observers from USA, UK, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore will also be in attendance throughout the exercise.
  • The participants of Exercise Shantir Ogroshena -2021 will be the DOGRA Regiment of Indian Army along with contingent of Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army and Bangladesh Army.
Significance of Joint Military Exercises
  • It is an indication of the highest level of trust and confidence between the member nations.
  • It is a key confidence building measure (CBM) and an indication of the faith reposed by India on another nation or a group of member nations.
  • The military exercises enable militaries to understand each other’s drills and procedures, overcome language barriers, and facilitate familiarisation with equipment capabilities.
  • It facilitates understanding and familiarisation with new technologies that other countries may be utilising and enables on-the-job training of each other’s crews.
  • A joint exercise with one or more nations serves the purpose of signalling to a third country of the influence India has in the region and a demonstration of India's resolve to further our diplomatic objectives.
  MyNEP2020 Platform Recently, the Union Education Minister has launched the “MyNEP2020” Platform of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Web Portal. MyNEP2020 Platform
  • It seeks to invite suggestions from the stakeholders for preparing draft for development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM).
  • The NCTE will work in close consultation with individuals/organizations for the preparation of documents on NPST and NMM.
  • It envisages the participation of teachers, education professionals, academicians, & other stakeholders in preparing the documents on teacher policy.
  • The platform will help in creating a sustainable and positive change in the teacher’s education sector.
What is National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)?
  • It was set up by Government of India in 1973 as an advisory body to the government at the Center and the State, on matters related to teacher education.
  • In 1995, National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) was conferred the status of statutory body in pursuance to the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993.
  • It sets up norms and standards for teacher's education right from pre-school teacher education to post graduate level teacher education.
  • The main objective of the NCTE is:
    • To achieve planned and coordinated development of the teacher education system throughout the country; and
    • The regulation and proper maintenance of Norms and Standards in the teacher education system and for matters connected therewith.
  Utkala Dibasa or Utkala Divas  Recently, the Prime Minister of India has greeted the people of Odisha on the occasion of Utkala Dibasa or Utkala Divas.
  • On April 1, 1936, Odisha became a separate province, after a long struggle of over three centuries.
  • The formation of Odisha province under the British rule, separated from Bengal and Bihar, marked the beginning of a new journey for the state. 
  • Odisha was once part of Kalinga ruled by emperor Ashok, and later by Kharavela, remembered as a conqueror and the champion of Jainism, before Mughals invaded and wrested it.
Utkala Dibasa or Utkala Divas
  • Odisha Day, also known as Utkala Divas and Utkala Dibasa, is celebrated on April 1 every year in memory of the entire struggle that went into gaining a separate political identity for the state. 
  • Odisha was initially named ‘Utkala’ as it was a land of majestic art and crafts where some of the finest artisans settled down.
  • The land is mentioned in Ramayana and Mahabharata as Kantara which altogether included Kalahandi, Koraput and Bastara.
  Everyone’s Invited Platform  Recently, some of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious private schools have been contending with a recent flurry of allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault shared anonymously on a website called ‘Everyone’s Invited’. What is Everyone’s Invited Platform?
  • It was launched by 22-year-old activist and college student Soma Sara in 2020.
  • It aims to eradicate ‘rape culture’, by providing survivors of sexual abuse with a forum where they can anonymously share their experiences of harassment, abuse, misogny and assault.
  • It provides survivors with resources to deal with trauma, as well as helpline numbers for them to report the incident.
  • The website is not strictly to expose sexual violence in academic settings.
    • It became the platform of choice for thousands of pupils when it invited users to post anonymous testimonies.
Vision of Everyone’s Invited Platform
  • Striving for a world where sexual violence cannot exist and victim blaming is not tolerated;
  • Ending the stigma and shame that surrounds sexual violence;
  • Survivors should feel able to come forward with their stories without judgement knowing that they’re supported and heard;
  • Inclusivity is at the forefront of this movement, we are committed to amplifying the voices of all survivors;
  • Advocates for constant reflection, striving towards a world where we recognise our shortcomings and commit to positive change; and
  • Safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of young people across the globe
What is a Rape Culture?
  • It is a concept that refers to an environment where rape and sexual violence against women is normalised due to pre-existing societal attitudes and beliefs about gender and sexuality.
  • It is often justified further by warped depictions of sexual assault and male-female relations in the media and popular culture.
  • The platform states the rape culture exists when thoughts, behaviours, & attitudes in a society or environment have the effect of normalising and trivialising sexual violence.
  • The behaviours such as misogyny, slut shaming, victim blaming, and sexual harassment create an environment where sexual violence and abuse can exist and thrive.
  Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Recently, the External Affairs has underlined the importance of connectivity between members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which marks its silver jubilee next year.
  • It is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.
  • It came into being in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration and headquartered in Dhaka.
  • It constitutes seven Member States: five deriving from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand.
  • Formally, the economic bloc was formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
Significance of BIMSTEC
  • The regional group constitutes a bridge between South and South East Asia and represents a reinforcement of relations among these countries.
  • The BIMSTEC has also established a platform for intra-regional cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN members.
  • The BIMSTEC region is home to around 1.5 billion people which constitute around 22% of the global population with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of 2.7 trillion economy.
  • Its objective is to harness shared and accelerated growth through mutual cooperation in different areas of common interests by mitigating the onslaught of globalization.
  • The Bay of Bengal has grown in strategic significance within the Indo-Pacific, especially due to the contest between India and China.
Importance of BIMSTEC for India
  • In 2016, India held a joint BRICS-BIMSTEC Summit in Goa for the latter’s regional outreach and after this, the support for BIMSTEC gained further momentum.
  • An India-Myanmar-Thailand highway is one of the key projects that figures in a big way in the government’s Act East (earlier Look East) policy.
  • The groupings such as BIMSTEC can take forward the concept of regional cooperation in a different manner with the India-Pakistan bickering coming in way of a smooth functioning of the SAARC.
Challenges faced by BIMSTEC
  • It has come under scrutiny mainly due to dormancy in initial years and a stalled Free Trade Agreement (FTA) process.
  • The lack of involvement of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in BIMSTEC, even as dialogue partners has also been a point of contention.
  • India aggressively pushed for the conclusion of a long-pending FTA among BIMSTEC nations but differences between India and Thailand over market access for professionals, duty cuts on traded goods and policy relaxation stalled the process.
  • BIMSTEC has been slow on the come-up because unlike bodies like the EU or ASEAN, it is based on consensus-building which takes time.






POSTED ON 02-04-2021 BY ADMIN
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