News in Short, 4th July 2024

Jaadui Pitara (Magic Box)

• Union Education Minister recently launched an innovative learning material for foundational years of children called “Pitara”.

Jaadui Pitara:

• About: It consists of playbooks, toys, puzzles, posters, flash cards, story books, worksheets as well as reflecting the local culture, social context and languages is designed to arouse curiosity and accommodate the diverse needs of learners in the foundational stage. 
• Motto: It has been designed on the motto of ”learning through play” under the National Curriculum Framework & available in 13 Indian languages. 
• Objective: Enriching the learning-teaching environment and making it more child-centric, lively and joyful for the Amrit Generation as envisioned in the NEP 2020.
• DIKSHA platform: The resources on ‘Jaadui Pitara’ will be digitally available on DIKSHA platform – portal and mobile app. 

World UFO Day

World UFO Day

• About: It is an annual event that sparks interest and curiosity about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and extraterrestrial life. 
• This day brings together enthusiasts, researchers, and the curious to delve into the mysteries of the universe.
• Roswell incident: The fascination with UFOs began with the famous Roswell incident in New Mexico in July 1947. 
  • The U.S. military said the crashed object was a weather balloon, but many believe it was an alien spacecraft. 
  • This and other events have kept people interested in UFOs for many years.
• Date Changed: World UFO Day was first celebrated on June 24, the date when American pilot Kenneth Arnold reported the first widely known UFO sighting in 1947. 
  • However, the date was later changed to July 2 to match the Roswell incident anniversary.

46th session of the World Heritage Committee

More on News:

• 45th session of the committee: It was held at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
• First Time: This will be the First instance of India hosting the meeting of the World Heritage Committee.
• Significance: The event positions India as the focal point for global discussions on preserving cultural and historical heritage, presenting a momentous opportunity to showcase India’s rich cultural legacy on the world stage.
• Objective: Committee is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. 
  • It allocates financial assistance from the World Heritage Fund and has the final say on whether a site is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
• 42 UNESCO world heritage sites in India: Santiniketan, established by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, became the 41st site to be declared a world heritage site in India in September 2023.
• About The World Heritage Committee
  • Established: It was established  under the Convention for the  Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention) adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO at its seventeenth session 
  • Members:  21 States Parties to the convention Elected by General Assembly comprising: Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon Mexico, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Türkiye, Ukraine, Viet Nam,  and Zambia.
  • According to the World Heritage Convention, a Committee member’s term of office is for six years.

Anusandhan National Research Foundation (NRF)

Anusandhan National Research Foundation

• ANRF replaces the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), established in 2008.
• President of the Governing Board: The Governing Board is chaired by the Prime Minister 
  • Vice Presidents: Union Ministers of Science and Technology, and Education 
• Power to Appoint:  President of the Governing Board is empowered to nominate or appoint up to five members from business organisation or industry
• Concerns
  • Lack of Industry Representation: Current 15-member Governing Board includes only one industrialist, Romesh Wadhwani, an American billionaire of Indian origin.
    • Low Private Sector Investment: Only 36% of India’s research expenditure of roughly ₹1.2 lakh crore came from the private sector in 2019-20,
      • India’s expenditure on R&D hovers around 0.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
    • In China, Japan, South Korea and the U.S., the private sector contributed 70% of the research expenditure.
  • Absence of State Universities:
    • Only academic institutions represented are the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).