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RashtriyaUchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
Russia’s Arktika-M satellite
Janaushadhi
RashtriyaUchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)
Context: Union education minister (previously called Ministry of HRD) chaired a review meeting on RUSA
- RashtriyaUchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013.
- It aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions.
- RUSA seeks to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio of the country to 30% by 2020
- It also seeks to increase the spending on higher education by the State Governments
- The scheme is being operated in mission mode for funding state universities and colleges to achieve the aims of equity, access and excellence.
- The project cost in the public funded institutions for all sub-components is shared between the Central Government and State Governments in the ratio of 90:10 for North-Eastern States, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, 60:40 for other States and UTs with Legislature and 100:0 for UTs without Legislature.
The salient objectives of RUSA are to
- Improve the overall quality of state institutions by ensuring conformity to prescribed norms and standards and adopt accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
- Usher transformative reforms in the state higher education system by creating a facilitating institutional structure for planning and monitoring at the state level, promoting autonomy in State Universities and improving governance in institutions.
- Ensure reforms in the affiliation, academic and examination systems.
- Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions and ensure capacity building at all levels of employment.
- Create an enabling atmosphere in the higher educational institutions to devote themselves to research and innovations.
- Expand the institutional base by creating additional capacity in existing institutions and establishing new institutions, in order to achieve enrolment targets.
- Correct regional imbalances in access to higher education by setting up institutions in unserved & underserved areas.
- Improve equity in higher education by providing adequate opportunities of higher education to SC/STs and socially and educationally backward classes; promote inclusion of women, minorities, and differently abled persons.
Russia’s Arktika-M satellite
Context:Recently, Russia launched itsArktika-M satellite
- The Arktika M is a series of planned remote-sensing and emergency communications satellites that Russia plans to operate ina highly elliptical 12-hour orbit.
- It was launched using a Soyuz-2. 1b carrier rocket with the Fregat booster.
- Russia aims to develop a unique satellite network dedicated to monitoring the weatherconditions of the Arctic region.
- The Arktika-M satellites are being designed to monitor high-latitude areas of the Earth. The traditional communications and weather-forecasting satellites are ilI-suited for serving high-latitude areas of the globe.
- Arktika-M satellites payload will comprise MSU-GSMmulti-spectral imager and transmitters for meteorological and rescue systems.
- The launch of the first Arktika M satellite was initially planned for 203 but it got delayed.
- It will help collect meteorological data from thepolar regions of the Earth. The data will help improve weather forecasts and enable scientists to better study climate change.
- The second Arktika-M satellite is also under development and its launch is scheduled for2023.
Janaushadhi
Context:Prime Minister inaugurated the 7,500th Janaushadhi Kendra at North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong as part of his address on Janaushadhi Divas celebrations.
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya JanaushadhiPariyojana (PMBJP)
- Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya JanaushadhiPariyojana is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. Of India, in 2018 to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special kendra’s known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra.
- Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementing agency of PMBJP.
- BPPI (Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India) has been established under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. of India, with the support of all the CPSUs
Salient features of the scheme
- Ensure access to quality medicines.
- Extend coverage of quality generic medicines so as to reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure on medicines and thereby redefine the unit cost of treatment per person.
- Create awareness about generic medicines through education and publicity so that quality is not synonymous with only high price.
- A public programme involving Government, PSUs, Private Sector, NGO, Societies, Co-operative Bodies and other Institutions.
- Create demand for generic medicines by improving access to better healthcare through low treatment cost and easy availability wherever needed in all therapeutic categories