Daily PIB Analysis For UPSC/IAS | 29th Jan 19

Table of Contents

Ministry of Culture

Shri Prakash Javadekar to inaugurate New Campus for National Museum Institute at Noida tomorrow
Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Human Resource Development, Government of India in the presence of Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture & Chancellor of the National Museum Institute (NMI) will inaugurate the new Campus of the National Museum Institute tomorrow, Wednesday at 11.00 a.m. at A-19, Sector 62, NOIDA (Institutional Area).
Since its inception, the Institute has been one of the leading centers in the country for training and research in the field of art and cultural heritage.
It imparts higher education leading to Master of Arts and Ph.D in the field of History of Art, Conservation and Museology.
The National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology (NMI) is a registered Society (Deemed to be University) under the Societies Registration Act 1860, fully funded by the Govt. of India, Ministry of Culture which was formed and registered on January 27, 1989 and was accorded the status of ‘Deemed to be University’ on April 28, 1989 under the UGC Act 3 of 1956. MA, Ph.D as well as short-term courses were commenced in 1990.
As approved by the Academic Council and its highest body i.e. Society of which the Chairman is the Minister of Culture, Government of India, four new courses i.e.

Archaeology;
Palaeography, Epigraphy and Numismatics;
Structural Conservation and
Cultural & Heritage Management, are expected to commence.

In addition to these regular courses, short-term courses of five-months duration i.e. Art Appreciation and Bhartiya Kalanidhi (Hindi), which are very popular, are also conducted by the Institute to disseminate the knowledge about the country’s tangible and intangible heritage.

Ministry of Finance

Banks to step up credit support to economy while consolidating 4R’s gains New Delhi Finance Minister Shri Piyush Goyal today reviewed the performance of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) with Secretary, Department of Financial Services Shri Rajiv Kumar and bank CEOs. The review was against the backdrop of visible signs of strengthening of the financial of PSBs as a result of Government’s comprehensive 4R’s approach of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms, which has positioned PSBs to step up their support to meet the lending needs of a growing economy

Ministry of Human Resource Development

India and OECD sign agreement to enable India’s participation in Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) to be held in 2021
Participation in PISA will improve learning levels of children and enhance quality of education in the country: Shri Prakash Javadekar
Held in New Delhi today. The Agreement was signed by Shri Maneesh Garg, Joint Secretary, MHRD and Mr Andreas Schleicher, Director (PISA) in OECD.
Following are some of the important features of India’s participation in PISA:
Schools run by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and schools in the UT of Chandigarh will participate.
Within the country (or specific geography to be covered in case of large countries), PISA covers a sample of 15-year-old students representing all forms of schooling i.e. public, private, private aided etc.
PISA is a competency based assessment which unlike content-based assessment, measures the extent to which students have acquired key competencies that are essential for full participation in modern societies. It would lead to recognition and acceptability of Indian students and prepare them for the global economy in the 21st century.
Learnings from participation in PISA will help to introduce competency based examination reforms in the school system and help move away from rote learning. The CBSE and NCERT will be part of the process and activities leading to the actual test.
More than 80 countries, including 44 middle-income countries, have participated in the assessment since the first round of testing in 2000.
Next round of PISA is going to be held in 2021. The list of registered countries includes Brazil, China (certain areas like Shanghai and Beijing) and countries from South-East Asia like Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Prime Minister’s Office

PM dedicates to the nation Integrated Refinery Expansion Complex and Mounded Storage Vessel at LPG Bottling Plant in Kochi
Foundation stone for Petrochemical complex at BPCL Kochi Refinery laid by PM IREP will be a modern expansion complex and transform Kochi refinery into the largest PSU Refinery in India with world class standards. It will be equipped for production of cleaner Fuels for India. It will double the production of LPG & diesel and commence production of feedstock for petrochemical projects in this plant.

Prime Minister’s Office

PM lays foundation stone for AIIMS Medical College and Hospital at Madurai
Upgradation of Government Medical Colleges in Madurai, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli inaugurated by PM
12 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras Inaugurated
The new AIIMS will come up at Thoppur in Madurai. It will provide leadership in advanced healthcare, medical education and research in the region. This location will primarily benefit people residing in the Southern backward districts of Tamil Nadu.
The AIIMS will be set up under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

Minister of Railways & Coal

Shri Piyush Goyal Announces ‘Vande Bharat Express’ Acknowledging its made-in-India status, Indian Railways has named the indigenously manufactured Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express Indian Railways is entering a new era of mobility since the launch of Rajdhani trains It is India’s first semi-high speed train equipped with world class passenger amenities Vande Bharat Express is set to run between Delhi and Varanasi at a maximum speed of 160 kmph Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been requested to flag off the train
He called it a ‘vandaniya’ step towards realisation of New India vision. This train set has been manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in the period of 18 months under ‘Make in India’ program.
It can achieve high speeds (max speed of 160 kmph) due to faster acceleration & deceleration and will reduced journey time by 25% to 45%. Scheduled commute between New Delhi & Varanasi will take approximately 8 hours making it 40-50% faster than the fastest train currently connecting these two cities.
Vande Bharat Express incorporates many modern features which debut for the very first time on Indian Railways.
It has been provided with ‘State of the Art’ passenger amenities like On-board wifi entertainment, GPS based passenger information system, CCTVs, bio-vacuum toilets, rotating chairs in executive class, etc. at par with global standards. It also has provision of Divyang-friendly facilities. It will have 16 coaches with Chair Car type configuration with 2 Executive Class Chair Cars and 14 Chair Cars.
Further, it has intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it cost, energy and environment efficient.