Latest News
03rd Aug 2021
NCSM OF CULTURE MINISTRY HAS TAKEN UP 14 PROJECTS FOR SETTING UP NEW SCIENCE CENTRES UNDER SPOCS SCHEME; FOUR MORE SCIENCE CENTRE PROJECTS APPROVED
Recently, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) has developed a chain of science museums and science centers throughout the Country including Science Cities through Scheme for Promotion of Culture of Science (SPoCS).
Scheme for Promotion of Culture of Science (SPoCS)
- The National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is the implementing agency to set up science cities/centres and Innovation Hubs.
- The State Governments/Union Territories and the Societies / Authorities promoted by the State/UT Govts. for the purpose of Science City/Science Centre/Innovation hubs shall be eligible for financial assistance.
- It provides for setting up of Science Cities and Science Centres in all the States of the country subject to availability of funds for the purpose.
- It is aimed to be a popular tourist attraction of the location.
- It provides an experiment based immersive learning ambience to inculcate a spirit of inquiry, foster creative talent and create scientific temper in the community as a whole.
- It is characterised by its two pronged channel of communication - exhibits and activities.
- It provides the scope of doing science' adopting a hands-on approach for which it offers to the visitor a number of experimental options through which they can discover the scientific concept themselves.
- It would be co-located in the existing Science Cities/Science Centres, science museums and non-formal educational institutions that promote creativity & inspire innovations.
- To portray the growth of science and technology and their application in industry and human welfare, with a view to develop scientific attitude and temper and to create, inculcate and sustain a general awareness amongst the people;
- To create awareness & enhance public understanding, appreciation & engagement of public in the process of Science & technology:
- To popularise science and technology for the benefit of students and for the common man of the region by organising exhibitions, seminars, popular lectures, science camps and various other programmes,
- To supplement science education given in schools and colleges and to organise various out-of-school educational activities to foster a spirit of scientific inquiry and creativity among the students;
- To design, develop and fabricate science museum exhibits, demonstration equipment and scientific teaching aids for science education and popularisation of science;
- To organise training programmes for science teachers students/young entrepreneurs/ technicians/physically challenged/housewives and others on specific subjects of science, technology and industry.
- It is an autonomous society under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
- It was established in 1978.
- It administers 25 Science Centres/Museums spread all over India.
- Science City, Kolkata, Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM), Kolkata, Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), Bangalore and National Science Centre, Delhi are National level centres of NCSM.
- It is an orbiting infrared observatory that will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity.
- Webb was formerly known as the "Next Generation Space Telescope" (NGST) and it was renamed in 2002 after a former NASA administrator, James Webb.
- It will be a large infrared telescope with an approximately 6.5 meter primary mirror which will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in 2021.
- It is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
- The longer wavelengths enable Webb to look much closer to the beginning of time and to hunt for the unobserved formation of the first galaxies.
- It will be the premier space observatory for astronomers worldwide, extending the tantalizing discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope.
- It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems.
- Webb will observe primarily in the infrared and will have four science instruments to capture images and spectra of astronomical objects.
- The instruments on Hubble can observe a small portion of the infrared spectrum from 0.8 to 2.5 microns, but its primary capabilities are in the ultra-violet and visible parts of the spectrum from 0.1 to 0.8 microns.
- Webb will have an approximately 6.5 meter diameter primary mirror, which would give it a significantly larger collecting area than the mirrors available on the current generation of space telescopes.
- Hubble's mirror is a much smaller 2.4 meters in diameter and its corresponding collecting area is 4.5 meter square, giving Webb around 6.25 times more collecting area.
- The Hubble Space Telescope orbits around the Earth at an altitude of ~570 km above it.
- Webb will not actually orbit the Earth, instead it will sit at the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange point, 1.5 million km away.
- At the L2 point Webb's solar shield will block the light from the Sun, Earth, and Moon which will help Webb stay cool, which is very important for an infrared telescope.
- The Ministry stated that as per data uploaded by Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) on Mudra portal, as on 31.03.2021, over 29.55 crore loans amounting to Rs. 15.52 lakh crore have been sanctioned under PMMY across the country.
- It is a scheme launched by the Prime Minister in 2015.
- It is aimed at providing loans up to 10 lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises which are classified as MUDRA loans under PMMY.
- Under PMMY, the loans are given by Commercial Banks, RRBs, Small Finance Banks, MFIs and NBFCs.
- Under the aegis of PMMY, MUDRA has created three products namely 'Shishu', 'Kishore' and 'Tarun'.
- It aims to signify the stage of growth / development and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit / entrepreneur and also provide a reference point for the next phase of graduation / growth.
- The loans under Mudra scheme are collateral/security free offered by financial institutions with the repayment tenure from 12 months to 5 years with flexible EMIs.
- Shishu (Covering loans upto Rs. 50,000/-): This stage would cater to entrepreneurs who are either in their primitive stage or require lesser funds in order to get their businesses started.
- Kishor (Covering loans upto Rs. 5 lakh): This section of entrepreneurs would belong to either those who have already started their business and want additional funds to mobilize their business.
- Tarun (Covering loans upto Rs. 10 lakh): If an entrepreneur meets the required eligibility conditions, he/she could apply loan for upto Rs.10 lakhs.
- It would be the highest level of amount that an entrepreneur could apply for a startup loan.
- Any Indian Citizen who has a business plan for a non-farm income generating activity such as manufacturing, processing, trading or service sector whose credit need is up to Rs 10 lakh
- The usual terms and conditions of the lending agency may have to be followed for availing of loans under PMMY.
- Mudra loans are majorly offered to individuals, retailers, shopkeepers, traders, vendors, and MSMEs engaged in the manufacturing, trading and service sectors, only
- Mudra scheme is covered under Credit Guarantee Schemes from Govt. of India
- Borrowed amount can also be used as term loans, working capital loans and overdraft facilities
- All Non-farm enterprises, i.e. small or micro firms engaged in the income generating activities can avail Mudra loans
- Mudra loans can also be availed by people belonging to SC/ST category at concessional interest rates
- Mudra card is a type of debit card that is offered to borrowers that can be used to withdraw loan amount, as per the business requirements. The loan amount can be withdrawn in portions via Mudra card from the total sanctioned amount
- It is launched by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
- It aims to ensure safe and healthy digital habits among students.
- It covers topics in cyber safety, such as cyber bullying, including social exclusion, intimidation, defamation, and emotional harassment, online sexual abuse, cyber radicalisation, online attack and frauds, and online enticement.
- It will introduce students to the nine elements of digital citizenship i.e. digital access, literacy, communication, etiquette, health and wellbeing, rights, freedom and responsibility, security and law.
- It has been prepared by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
- CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents.
- The guidelines include eight steps of online/ digital learning i.e. Plan-Review-Arrange-Guide-Yak (talk)-Assign-Track-Appreciate.
- The guidelines outlines suggestions for administrators, school heads, teachers, parents and students on the following areas:
- Need assessment
- Concerns while planning online and digital education like duration, screen time, inclusiveness, balanced online and offline activities etc.
- Modalities of intervention including resource curation, level wise delivery etc.
- Physical, mental health and wellbeing during digital education
- Cyber safety and ethical practices including precautions and measures for maintaining cyber safety
- Collaboration and convergence with various initiatives
- These guidelines for school heads and teachers describe the need assessment, planning and steps to implement digital education while ensuring cyber safety and privacy measures.
- Its main emphasis is on balanced online and offline activities keeping the screen time as an essential parameter in accordance with the level of students.
- The initiative includes DIKSHA, SWAYAM Prabha, SWAYAM MOOCS, Radio Vahini, Shiksha Vaani, Special content for children with special needs and ITPAL.
- They alleged that the government was misusing the police to place the leaders under illegal house arrest with the ulterior motive of suppressing their voice against the ruling party leaders’ corrupt activities.
- The Kondapalli Reserve Forest (KRF) is one of the last remaining pristine forests of the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh (AP) state and forms a part of the western flange of Eastern Ghats.
- It is spread over an area of 30,000 acres and is under the protection of Andhra Pradesh Forest Department.
- Kondapalli — also known as the Toy Village of Andhra Pradesh is known for its Kondapalli Bommalu.
- Fauna: Several carnivorous animals like, leopards, wild dogs and a few others like, jackals, wolves, civet cats as well.
- The herbivorous animals in the forest include, wild boars, sambar deer, chital, barking deer, rhesus monkey and four-horned antelopes.
- Birds such as peacocks and jungle fowl are also found in the forests.
- Flora: Tella poniki softwood is found in the forest which is useful in making the Kondapalli Toys.
- There might be more than 100 waterfalls and streams in the forest reserve.
POSTED ON 03-08-2021 BY ADMIN
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