Daily Current Affairs 9 and 10 September 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) National Statistical Organisation Survey on Digital Education Divide

• A recent report on the latest National Statistical Organisation (NSO) survey shows the stark digital divide across States, cities, and villages, and income groups.
• The survey on household social consumption related to education is part of the NSO’s 75th round of Sample Survey.
• Schools across the country are closed for six months due to Covid-19. This means vastly different things for different people like many who have access to digital resources are getting an online education, those who do not have such resources are devoid of education.

Access to Computers and the Internet:

• Across India, only one in ten households have a computer — whether a desktop, laptop, or tablet.
• Almost 25% of all homes have Internet facilities, accessed via a fixed or mobile network using any device, including smartphones.

Urban-Rural Divide:

• Most of the Internet-enabled homes are located in cities, where 42% have Internet access. In rural India, however, only 15% are connected to the internet.

Access and Utilization Gap:

• Of course, having Internet access is no guarantee that one can use it.
• 20% of Indians above the age of 5 years had basic digital literacy,
• Just 40% in the critical age group of 15 to 29 years, which includes all high school and college students as well as young parents responsible for teaching younger children.

Regional Disparity:

• The national capital has the highest Internet access, with 55% of homes having such facilities.
• Himachal Pradesh and Kerala are the only other states where more than half of all households have Internet.
• Odisha is at the bottom with only one in ten homes having Internet.
• There is less than 20% Internet penetration, even in States with software hubs such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Disparity due to Economic status:

• The biggest divide is by economic status, which the NSO marks by dividing the population into five equal groups, or quintiles, based on their usual monthly per capita expenditure.
• Even in Odisha, almost 63% of homes in the top urban quintile have Internet facilities.
• In the poorest quintile of rural Odisha, however, that figure drops to an abysmal 2.4%.

Intra-state Inequality:

• Kerala shows the least inequality with more than 39% of the poorest rural homes having Internet, in comparison to 67% of the richest urban homes.
• Himachal Pradesh also fares well, with 40% of the lowest rural quintile having Internet.
• Assam shows the starkest inequality, with almost 80% of the richest urban homes having Internet access denied to 94% of those in the poorest rural homes in the State.

Government Initiatives

• The Centre has directed State Education Departments to map the online access available to all their students to adequately plan curriculum and teaching methods that can reach such students.
• New Education Policy: National Education Policy, 2020 aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower” by introducing several changes from the school to college level in the Indian education system with special emphasis on digital education.
• DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) platform- DIKSHA is the national platform for school education available for all states and the central government for grades 1 to 12 and was launched in September 2017.
• As part of PM eVidya announced under the Atmanirbhar Bharat program, DIKSHA is the ‘one nation; one digital platform’ for school education in India.
• Swayam Prabha TV Channel- To support and reach those who do not have access to the internet.
• Online MOOC courses- Online Massive Open Online Course MOOC courses relating to NIOS (grades 9 to 12 of open schooling) are uploaded on the SWAYAM portal; around 92 courses have started and 1.5 crore students are enrolled.
• On Air – Shiksha Vani, DAISY by NIOS for differently-abled, e-PathShala- Radio broadcasting is being used for children in remote areas who are not online (especially for grades 1 to 5).

Solutions

• Online education as a common good: The Centre and the state governments should start making access to technology universal and more feasible in the public education system.
• Also, as part of Corporate Social Responsibility, private players can involve tech-based organizations to make e-resources accessible and available to students, especially in government and low-income private schools.
• Expansion in the scope of Right to Education: The definition of the right to education needs to expand and promote online education so that it addresses the importance of connectivity and access to knowledge and information.
• Valuing teaching profession: Digital innovation provides a remarkable opportunity for the democratization of education.
• However, there is a need to encourage conditions that give frontline educators autonomy and flexibility to act collaboratively.
• e-Skilling: Inclusion of virtual vocational training, virtual labs & skill development courses.
• Vernacular language: Developing quality e-content in local languages.

Source: The Hindu

2) EASE 2.0 Banking Reforms Index

• Recently, the EASE (Enhanced Access and Service Excellence) 2.0 Banking Reforms Index on the performance of Public Sector Banks (PSB) from March 2018-2020 was released, and best-performing banks on EASE were felicitated.
• Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs also inaugurated Doorstep Banking Services by PSBs on the occasion.
• In February 2020, EASE 3.0 (2020-21) for smart, tech-enabled banking was also unveiled.
• EASE Reforms Agenda: It was launched in January 2018 jointly by the government and PSBs.
• It was commissioned through Indian Banks’ Association and authored by Boston Consulting Group.
• Indian Banks' Association, formed on 26th September 1946 is an association of Indian banks and financial institutions based in Mumbai.
• EASE Agenda is aimed at institutionalizing CLEAN and SMART banking.
• EASE Reforms Index: The Index measures performance of each PSB on 120+ objective metrics.
• The Index follows a fully transparent scoring methodology, which enables banks to identify their strengths as well as areas for improvement.
• The goal is to continue driving change by encouraging healthy competition among PSBs.
• EASE 1.0: The EASE 1.0 report showed significant improvement in PSB performance in the resolution of Non Performing Assets (NPAs) transparently.
• EASE 2.0: EASE 2.0 builds on the foundation of EASE 1.0 and introduces new reform Action Points across six themes to make reforms journey irreversible, strengthen processes and systems, and drive outcomes.
• The six themes of EASE 2.0 are -
• Responsible Banking;
• Customer Responsiveness;
• Credit Off-take;
• PSBs as UdyamiMitra (SIDBI portal for credit management of MSMEs);
• Financial Inclusion & Digitalisation; and
• Governance and HR

Performance of PSB on EASE 2.0 Index

• Overall Score: Increased by 37% between March-2019 and March-2020, with the average EASE index score improving from 49.2 to 67.4 out of 100.
• Top Performing Banks: Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce
• Major improvements:
• Digital Banking: Nearly 4 crore active customers on mobile and internet banking.
• 50% of financial transactions through digital channels.
• Customer service: Increase in several call centers and inclusion of 13 regional languages in customer service, enhanced doorstep banking support by 75,000+ Bank Mitras, etc.
• Easy loans: Turnaround time for retail loans reduced by nearly 30 days to nearly 10 days.
• NPAs and Frauds: Gross NPAs reduced from Rs. 8.96 lakh crore in March-2018 to Rs. 6.78 lakh crore in March-2020.
• A sharp decline in fraud occurrence from 0.65% of advances during FY10-FY14 to 0.06% in FY19-20
• Record recovery of Rs. 2.27 lakh crore in FY19-FY20
• Banks have taken steps like instituting data-driven risk assessments and introducing Early Warning Signals (EWS) systems.

EASE 3.0

• A comprehensive agenda for smart, tech-enabled banking has been adopted for FY 2020-21, under which PSBs have initiated eShishu Mudra (app-based lending for instant sanction of working capital up to Rs. 50,000) for straight-through processing of loans to micro-enterprises.
• EASE 3.0 seeks to enhance ease of banking in all customer experiences, using technology viz. Dial-a-loan, Partnerships with FinTechs and E-commerce companies, Credit@click, Tech-enabled agriculture lending, EASE Banking Outlets, etc.

Doorstep Banking Services

• As part of the EASE Reforms, Doorstep Banking Services is envisaged to provide the convenience of banking services to the customers at their doorstep through the universal touchpoints of Call Centre, Web Portal, or Mobile App.
• At present, only non-financial services viz. request for account statement, delivery of checkbook, demand draft, pay the order, etc are available to customers. Financial services shall be made available from October 2020.
• The services shall benefit all customers, particularly Senior Citizens and Divyangs who would find it at ease to avail of these services.

Source: PIB

3) Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenge

• The Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenge (ANIC) Program, launched by the government, is a national initiative to promote research & innovation and increase the competitiveness of Indian startups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Objective:

• To proactively collaborate with Ministries and the associated industries to catalyze research, innovation and facilitate innovative solutions to sectoral problems.
• The objective is also to provide a steady stream of innovative products & solutions where the Central Government Ministries/Departments will become the potential first buyers.

Administration:

• The initiative will be carried under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM - an initiative by the NITI Aayog).
• The program will be driven by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and four ministries:
• Ministry of Defence;
• Ministry of Food Processing Industries;
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; and
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Features:

• The initiative will help promote technopreneurs who deserve to be supported because of their immense potential of taking India forward.
• A total of 15 sector-specific challenges will be selected where three challenges are kept for each ministry.
• A grant-of-aid of up Rs. 50 lakh for a period of 9 to 12 months have been earmarked for startups to develop a minimum usable prototype.
• Innovators would also be attracted by using the Mahatma Gandhi Challenge method.
• On the 150th birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘the Gandhian Challenge’ was launched.
• It provides a platform for every child across India to ideate innovative solutions for a sustainable India of their dreams, using Gandhi’s principles.
• Broad categories in the challenge: Art & Innovation and Science, Technology & Innovation.
• The Program is in line with the mandate of:
• “Make in India”
• “Startup India”
• “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”

Role of the Indian Space Research Organisation :

• ISRO is the leading organization to promote innovations and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of our country.
• ISRO has extensively supported MSMEs and has also set up R&D labs across India to promote innovation and research in space science and technology.
• ISRO is planning to adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs, 3 each in each state and UTs.
• Three thrust areas identified by ISRO:
• Propulsion: Green propellants, electric propulsion, and advanced air-breathing.
• Geo-spatial Information: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for crop monitoring, weather forecasting, and program evaluation.
• AI and Robotics: For supporting space exploration and outer space monitoring.

Importance of MSMEs for Indian Economy

• They are considered as the engine of growth in an economy.
• Employment: It is the second-largest employment generating sector after agriculture. It provides employment to around 120 million persons in India.
• Contribution to GDP: With around 36.1 million units throughout the geographical expanse of the country, MSMEs contribute around 6.11% of the manufacturing GDP and 24.63% of the GDP from service activities.
• MSME ministry has set a target to up its contribution to GDP to 50% by 2025 as India becomes a $5 trillion economy.
• Exports: It contributes around 45% of the overall exports from India.
• Inclusive growth: MSMEs promote inclusive growth by providing employment opportunities in rural areas especially to people belonging to weaker sections of the society.
• Financial inclusion: Small industries and retail businesses in tier-II and tier-III cities create opportunities for people to use banking services and products.
• Promote innovation: It provides an opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to build creative products boosting business competition and fuel growth.

Source: PIB

4) The gap in Vaccination of Children

• According to the ‘Health in India’ report recently published by the National Statistical Organisation (NSO), the full immunization program is not completed among 40% of the children.
• The report is based on the 75th round of the National Sample Survey (July 2017-June 2018) on household social consumption related to health.

Full Immunisation

• It means that a child receives a cocktail of eight vaccine doses in the first year of life. This includes:
• BCG Vaccine: It is injected in a single dose shortly after birth, which protects against a childhood attack of tuberculosis.
• Measles Vaccine: Measles is a viral disease.
• Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV): It is given against poliovirus. Its first dose is given at birth, followed by two more doses at intervals of four weeks.
• DPT/Pentavalent Vaccine: It is injected in three doses, which is meant to protect a child from diphtheria, pertussis or whooping cough, tetanus, Hepatitis B, and meningitis and pneumonia caused by Haemophilus influenza type B.
• Booster doses for OPV and DPT are also given between 16 and 24 months.

Data Analysis:

• Across the country, only 59.2% of children under five years are fully immunized.
• About 97% of children across the country received at least one vaccination — mostly BCG or the first dose of OPV at birth.
• Only 67% of children are protected against measles. Only 58% got their polio booster dose, while 54% got their DPT booster dose.

States/UTs Specific Data:

• Best Performance: Manipur (75%), Andhra Pradesh (73.6%), and Mizoram (73.4%) recorded the highest rates of full immunization.
• Poor Performance: Nagaland (12%), followed by Puducherry (34%) and Tripura (39.6%).
• In Delhi, less than half of all children are fully immunized.

Issues Involved:

• The Covid-19 pandemic has already impacted the childhood vaccination program.
• According to the advocacy group, Child Rights and You reports, only half of the Indian families with children under five years were able to access immunization services during the lockdown.

Source: The Hindu

5) New FDI Policy in the Defence Sector

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved a new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in the defense sector which allows the FDI through automatic approval to be increased from 49% to 74%.
• Earlier, the defense industry can bring FDI up to 49% under the automatic route, and above it under the government route.
• However, the new policy has a ‘National Security’ clause as a condition which has been proposed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• National Security Clause: FDI in the defense sector shall be subject to scrutiny on the ground of National Security and the Government reserves the right to review any foreign investment in the defense sector that may affect national security.
• Strengthening Indigenous Manufacturing: Through a more liberalized FDI policy, the government is seeking to attract foreign players to set up manufacturing units in India.
• It has been focusing on the defense sector to act as an engine for boosting manufacturing in the country and is aiming to achieve a turnover of Rs 1.75 lakh crore, including exports worth Rs 35,000 crore, by 2025.
• As of 2019, the defense industry, along with the aerospace and shipbuilding industry, was estimated to be worth Rs. 80,000 crore, of which the share of Public Sector Units (PSUs) was nearly 80%.
• The government has brought a draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 (DPEPP 2020), which aims to provide an overarching guiding document to provide a focused, structured, and significant thrust to defense production capabilities of the country for self-reliance and exports.
• The government has also brought a negative import list for defense equipment and a dedicated budget for capital acquisition from the domestic industry.
• The negative import list contains a list of weapons that will not be imported and can only be purchased from within the country.
• It was done to reduce the defense import bill.
• The government has inaugurated two defense industrial corridors, in Tamil Nadu and in Uttar Pradesh, to boost the flagship 'Make in India' program that in turn would attract investments as well as encourage employment generation.

Source: Indian Express

6) Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana

• Recently, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) has been digitally launched.
• Several other initiatives in the fisheries and animal husbandry sectors have also been launched on the occasion.
• PMMSY is a flagship scheme for the focused and sustainable development of the fisheries sector in the country as a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

It aims to:

• Adopt ‘Cluster or Area-based Approaches’ and create fisheries clusters through backward and forward linkages.
• Focus especially on employment generation activities such as seaweed and ornamental fish cultivation.
• Address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management, modernization and strengthening of the value chain, traceability, establishing a robust fisheries management framework, and fishers’ welfare.
• Consolidate the achievements of the blue revolution and bring new interventions such as fishing vessel insurance, support for new/up-gradation of fishing vessels/boats, integrated aqua parks, e-trading/marketing, etc.

Targets:

• Enhance fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne and increase fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25.
• Double the incomes of fishers and fish farmers.
• Reduce post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10%.
• Generate an additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in the fisheries sector and allied activities.

Budget and Period:

• An estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crore for 5 years from financial year (FY) 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories.
• This investment is the highest ever in the fisheries sector yet.

Implementation: 

• It will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate components namely:
• Central Sector Scheme: The project cost will be borne by the Central government.
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme: All the sub-components/activities will be implemented by the States/UTs and the cost will be shared between Centre and State.

Source: PIB

7) World Solar Technology Summit

Recently, the first-ever World Solar Technology Summit (WSTS) was organised by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Objectives:

• To showcase to member countries the state of the art and next-generation solar technologies worldwide.
• To give an opportunity to decision-makers and stakeholders to meet, and discuss their own priorities and strategic agenda towards a larger integration.
• To discuss the recent highlights of solar technologies, cost-wise, technology-wise, technology transfers, challenges and concerns in the field.

Steps Taken by India:

• In spite of having one of the lowest per-capita carbon emissions in the world, India has pressed ahead with the deployment of renewable energy at a fast pace for lowering carbon footprints.
• India has enhanced its installed renewable capacity by 2.5 times and increased the solar installed capacity by more than 13 times.
• Globally, India ranks 4th in terms of renewable power.
• India has scaled non-fossil fuel-based power generations to 134GW, which is about 35% of the total power generation and it is expected to increase it to 220 GW by 2022.
• India is providing capacity-building support to ISA member countries through its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme.
• Project Preparation Facility has been set up to develop bankable Solar Energy projects in ISA member countries with the help of Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of India.
• In 2018, India announced about USD 1.4 billion worth of lines of credit (LOCs) for covering 27 solar projects across 15 countries. These projects are in various stages of implementation.

Solar Energy related Schemes:

• Solar energy has taken a central place in India's National Action Plan on Climate Change with the National Solar Mission as one of the key Missions.
• National Solar Mission (NSM) was launched on 11th January 2010 and is in line with India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
• Its objective is to establish India as a global leader in solar energy by creating the policy conditions for solar technology diffusion across the country as quickly as possible.
• One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG): India’s ambitious cross-border power grid plan which seeks to transfer solar power generated in one region to feed the electricity demands of others.
• KUSUM Scheme: It aims to replace the use of diesel in the farm sector with solar energy with the target of solarisation of 2.8 million irrigation pumps.
• Solar Charkha Mission: It is an enterprise driven scheme and envisages setting up of ‘Solar Charkha Clusters’ which will have 200 to 2042 beneficiaries. These solar charkhas are operated using solar power, keeping the environment clean and generating sustainable employment for the artisans.
• 750 megawatt (MW) solar project which has been inaugurated in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.

International Solar Alliance

• It is a treaty-based international intergovernmental organisation which was jointly launched by India and France on 30th November 2015 during the 21st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in Paris, France.
• It was conceived as a coalition of solar-resource-rich countries (which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn) to address their special energy needs.
• Aim: To lower the cost of technology and finance and thereby facilitate deployment of over 1,000 GW of solar energy and mobilize more than USD 1,000 billion into solar power by 2030 in member countries.
• Solar energy is a key source of affordable and reliable energy, thus it could play a significant role in achieving the universal energy access goal (SDG 7).
• Headquarter: Gurugram in Haryana, India.
• As of June 2020, the ISA Framework Agreement has been signed by 86 countries, with 68 having also deposited instruments of ratification.

Source: PIB

8) Launch of Bamboo Clusters

• Recently, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has virtually inaugurated 22 bamboo clusters in 9 states viz. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Karnataka.
• A logo for the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) has also been released.

Initiatives to Promote Bamboo:

• Use of bamboo has been an ancient tradition in India and it is now being supported with modern technology and the youth is being provided with training for the bamboo industry.
• The Indian Forest Act 1927 was amended in 2017 to remove bamboo for the category of trees.
• As a result, anyone can undertake cultivation and business in bamboo and its products without the need of a felling and transit permission.
• Import policy has also been modified to ensure the progress of the bamboo industry in the country.
• NBM supports local artisans through locally grown bamboo species, which will actualise the goal of Vocal for Local and help increase the income of farmers, reducing dependency on imports of raw material.
• 10 most important species which are required by industry have been identified and quality planting material is being made available to farmers for plantations.
• Apart from the existing Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), 10,000 new FPOs will be formed in 5 years.
• Well-organized FPOs engage in providing a range of assistance to farmers like imparting better farm practices, collectivisation of input purchases, transportation, linkage with markets, and better price realisation as they do away with the intermediaries.
• Common Facility Centres are being set up close to the plantations which will reduce the cost of transportation and increase local entrepreneurship, moving to a zero-waste approach.

National Bamboo Mission:

• The restructured NBM was launched in 2018-19 for the holistic development of the complete value chain of the bamboo sector and is being implemented in a hub (industry) and spoke model.
• Objective:
• Connecting farmers to markets so as to enable farmer producers to get a ready market for the bamboo grown and to increase the supply of appropriate raw material to the domestic industry.
• It also endeavours to upgrade skills of traditional bamboo craftsmen as per the requirement of contemporary markets with a tie-up with enterprises and premier institutes.
• The Sector Skill Councils established under the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) will impart skills and recognition of prior learning to traditional artisans, encouraging the youth to carry forward their family traditions.
• NSDA is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship that anchors the National Skill Qualifications Framework and allied quality assurance mechanisms for synergizing skill initiatives in the country.

New Logo:

• It portrays a bamboo culm in the centre of a circle composed of half an industrial wheel and half farmers, depicting the objectives of NBM appropriately.
• The green and yellow colour of the logo symbolise bamboo often termed as green gold.

Source: PIB

9) NSO Report on Education

• Recently, the National Statistical Organisation (NSO) released a report ‘Household Social Consumption: Education in India’, as part of the 75th round of National Sample Survey (July 2017 to June 2018).
• NSO also had released a Report on Health in India based on the same survey.
• This is the 6th survey on social consumption relating to education. Earlier, 35th, 42nd, 52nd, 64th, and 71st rounds had surveys on this subject. The 71st round pertained to January-June 2014.
• A sample of 64,519 rural households from 8,097 villages and 49,238 urban households from 6,188 blocks was surveyed all over India.
• This survey covered both qualitative and quantitative aspects related to educational attainment of the household members and educational services used by them.

Internet access-

• There is a major digital divide within the country across states, cities and villages, and income groups (National Statistical Organisation Survey on Digital Education Divide).
• Nearly 4% of rural households and 23% of urban households possessed computers and 24% of the households in the country had internet access.
• Among persons of age 15-29 years, nearly 24% in rural areas and 56% in urban areas were able to operate a computer.

Education and Literacy Rates:

• Literacy rate among persons (aged 7 years and above) in India was about 77.7%. In rural areas, the literacy rate was 73.5% compared to 87.7% in urban areas (Report on Literacy Rate).
• Male literacy rate was higher (84.7%) than female literacy rate (70.3%).
• Only 5.7% were graduates or above in rural areas while the percentage was 21.7% in urban areas.

Access to schools, Attendance, Type of education:

• Only 38% of rural households have secondary schools within 1 km of the house as compared to 70% for urban households.
• In rural areas 92.7% of households and in urban areas, 87.2% of households reported availability of primary school within 1 km from the house.
• 96.1% of students were in general education and remaining were in technical/professional education.
• Gross Attendance Ratio (GAR) at primary level was nearly 100% for both males and females in rural and urban areas.
• For each level of education, GAR is the ratio of the number of persons attending in the level of education (For eg. Class I-V) to the number of persons in the corresponding official age-group (For eg. Total Population of age group 6-10).

Free education, Scholarships, Stipends:

• At all-India level nearly 14% students attending formal education received scholarship/stipend/reimbursement.
• 77% of the students studying in Government institutions were receiving free education. Percentage of students studying in private unaided institutions and receiving free education was nearly 2% in rural areas and 1% in urban areas.
• At pre-primary level nearly 33% students were getting free education in India. At primary level, the proportion of students receiving free education was 62%

Private Coachings:

• Nearly 20% of students attending pre-primary and above level were taking private coaching in India.
• Incidence of taking private coaching was maximum at secondary level (31% of male students and 29% of female students).

Household expenditure on education:

• Average expenditure per student incurred during the current academic session (2017-18) for basic courses was nearly Rs. 8,331 for general courses, Rs. 50,307 for technical/professional courses.
• The average annual expenditure on education for secondary school students is Rs. 9,013, of which Rs. 4,078 goes towards regular school fees.
• About Rs. 1,632, or just over 18%, goes towards private coaching. In higher secondary school, students spend more than Rs. 2,500, also about 18% of the total expenditure, on private coaching.

Persons currently not attending education:

• In India, percentages of persons in the age group of 3-35 years dropping out of studies were nearly 14% in rural areas and 10% in urban areas.
• For the males of age 3-35 years engagement in economic activities was the most common major reason for currently not attending education, whereas for the females it was engagement in domestic activities.

Key Concerns

• Digital Divide: Online education is yet to develop as a common good and too-much reliance of this mode will only lead to selective reach of education.
• Difference in literacy rate between men and women: This not only leads to increased gender divide but also leads to low participation of women in the workforce and research and development activities. Also, as the reason for women dropping out of schools remains domestic, the deep-ingrained patriarchy in the society is still the major factor behind the gender divide.
• Dependence on private coaching centres for education: This leads to the affluent having more access to education thus increasing the disparities between different social groups. It also comprises the quality of education as the emphasis often shifts to employability only, while the real motive of education should be to enhance critical thinking along with developing skills of the students.
• Heavy Household expenditure: In spite of many government initiatives to promote and improve education in governmental institutions, the cost of education is still very high for a large population to afford. The percentage of students who are receiving free education is still not enough and many needy students are outside its coverage.
• Rural and Urban Divide: The huge differences in some parameters like internet access, ability to use the internet or physical access to schools show that the Urban and rural India have very different conditions. Accordingly, there is a need for separate policies which cater to the separate needs of both, based on local input and community-led approaches.

Source: NSO

10) Real Mango: An Illegal Software

• In a nationwide investigation, Railway Protection Force (RPF) has disrupted the operation of illegal software called “Real Mango” - used for cornering confirmed Railway reservation.
• About: Real Mango software is an illegal software developed for booking Tatkal tickets.
• Working:
• Real mango software bypasses captcha.
• It synchronises bank OTP with help of a mobile app and feeds it to the requisite form automatically.
• The software auto-fills the passenger details and payment details in the forms.
• The software logs in to the IRCTC website through multiple IRCTC Ids.
• Following these steps multiple tickets can be booked. And it leads to swift online tickets booking by agents whereas common people may not get the tickets booked on their own. This creates the possibility of ticket hoarding and black marketing of tickets.
• Significance: The information supplied by RPF will help the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) to strengthen security features in the Passenger Reservation System (PRS).

Centre for Railway Information Systems

• The Ministry of Railways set up CRIS as a Society in July 1986. It is the Information Technology (IT) wing of Indian Railways.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.
• It performs the functions of Indian Railways such as passenger ticketing, freight operations, train dispatching and control, crew management, e-procurement, etc.

Railway Protection Force

• Railway Protection Force (RPF) is a security force, established by the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957.
• Objective of the force is "the better protection and security of railway property and passenger area".
• It has the power to search, arrest, investigate, and prosecute offenses committed under Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act 1966, the Railways Act, 1989.
• However, the power of arrests under other penal laws rests in the hands of the Government Railway Police (GRP).
• GRP is part of the state police.
• Law and order and policing on railways, including on trains, is the responsibility of the GRP.
• GRP enquire into accidents on railway,
• GRP renders assistance to railway officers.

CAPTCHA

• CAPTCHA stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.
• CAPTCHA determines whether the user is real or a spam robot.
• CAPTCHA uses several human validation methods including math or general knowledge questions, visual puzzles and even chess puzzles.

Source: PIB