UPSC Key: Economic Survey, NIPUN Bharat Mission, and concept of stewarding institutions

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, improvement and employment; Inclusive maturation and issues arising from it and Government Budgeting.

What’s the ongoing story: The Economic Survey for 2024-25 was tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman successful Parliament connected Friday. The Survey is simply a study of the authorities of the Indian system successful the fiscal twelvemonth that is coming to a close. It is prepared by the Department of Economic Affairs successful the Union Finance Ministry, nether the guidance of the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA).

Key Points to Ponder:

— Why is the Economic Survey presented by the government?

— What is the nonsubjective of the Economic Survey?

— What is stagnation?

— What is deregulation?

— How is China’s dominance arsenic the world’s manufacturing superpower a situation for India?

— Read astir Gross Value Added (GVA), GDP, inflation, unemployment rate, labour unit information rate, and the worker-to-population ratio (WPR).

Key Takeaways:

— The Survey has flagged 2 main concerns. “Global commercialized dynamics person changed importantly successful caller years, shifting from globalisation to rising commercialized protectionism, accompanied by accrued uncertainty,” the Survey says.

— The 2nd large situation concerns the dominance of China arsenic the world’s manufacturing superpower – a 3rd of each planetary accumulation happens successful China, and it unsocial manufactures much planetary output than the adjacent 10 countries enactment together.

— The Survey contends that the home system remains dependable amidst planetary uncertainties.

— REAL GDP: Real Gross Domestic Product, which maps economical enactment from the request broadside of the economy, successful the existent fiscal twelvemonth (FY25) is pegged astatine 6.4%; successful the coming twelvemonth (FY26), the Survey expects it to prevarication betwixt 6.3% and 6.8%.

— GVA: On the proviso side, which is mapped by Gross Value Added (GVA), India’s maturation remains adjacent to the decadal mean (Chart). Aggregate GVA surpassed its pre-pandemic inclination successful the archetypal 4th of FY25, and it present hovers supra the trend, the Survey points out.

— INFLATION: “Headline inflation”, the CEA said, “is moderating due to the fact that of moderating halfway inflation”. Core ostentation refers to ostentation successful goods and services but nutrient and fuel. However, nutrient ostentation accrued from 7.5% successful FY24 to 8.4% successful the existent fiscal year, “driven by factors specified arsenic proviso concatenation disruptions and vagaries successful upwind conditions”.

— EMPLOYMENT: The Survey says “India’s labour marketplace maturation successful caller years has been supported by post-pandemic betterment and accrued formalisation.” It quotes the 2023-24 yearly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) study that shows that each cardinal employment related metrics specified arsenic unemployment rate, labour unit information complaint and the worker-to-population ratio (WPR) person improved.

— Referring to the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) formulated by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Survey states that determination is simply a affirmative correspondence betwixt concern reforms and the level of concern activity, suggesting the request for deregulation and enterprise-friendly reforms successful aspiring and emerging states.

— While the Survey sounds sanguine astir India’s post-pandemic economical recovery, connected the whole, it sounds an alert. “India faces limitations successful producing captious goods astatine the standard and prime required to service the infrastructure and concern needs of an aspiring economy,” says the preface of the Survey.

— ‘“Getting retired of the way” and allowing businesses to absorption connected their halfway ngo is simply a important publication that governments astir the state tin marque to foster innovation and heighten competitiveness,” the CEA has said.

Do You Know:

— Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is an important macroeconomic indicator that measures the economical maturation of a country. It is besides an casual parameter for comparing the maturation of a state with that of different countries successful the world.

— The disadvantage of this measurement is that it is an mean numerical indicator that does not seizure inequalities, unemployment, the rural-urban divide, oregon income percentiles. Despite these drawbacks, GDP remains a often utilized metric due to the fact that of the mode it is measured.

— GDP accounts for the worth of lone recently produced goods – goods produced during the twelvemonth for which GDP is being calculated, usually taken arsenic the fiscal year. For example, the terms obtained from the resale of a location is excluded from GDP, arsenic the location was not constructed successful the twelvemonth of estimation. However, the worth of the services provided by the existent property cause progressive successful the merchantability of the location is included successful GDP, arsenic it is caller income generated during the twelvemonth of estimation.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Why is GDP considered a cardinal measurement of economical growth?

📍Union Budget 2025: Quick look astatine 5 basal presumption each UPSC aspirant indispensable know

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:

(1) Which among the pursuing steps is astir apt to beryllium taken astatine the clip of an economical recession? (2021)

(a) Cut successful taxation rates accompanied by summation successful involvement rate

(b) Increase successful expenditure connected nationalist projects

(c) Increase successful taxation rates accompanied by simplification of involvement rate

(d) Reduction of expenditure connected nationalist projects

FRONT

Imperative to hitch retired spot deficit, ‘get retired of the way’ & deregulate, says CEA

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, improvement and employment

What’s the ongoing story: Asking authorities agencies to acceptable the docket for gathering trust, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said for a Viksit Bharat by 2047, it is imperative to hitch retired the “trust deficit” successful the country.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the relation of deregulation successful economical growth?

— What is the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB)?

— What is economical stagnation?

— What are the main constraints successful the Ease of Doing Business?

— Regulatory prohibitions exclude women from high-paying jobs connected the mill floor. Elaborate.

Key Takeaways:

— THE ECONOMIC survey projected a maturation complaint of 6.3-6.8 per cent for 2025-26 connected the backmost of a “strong outer account, calibrated fiscal consolidation and unchangeable backstage consumption”, and said home maturation levers volition beryllium much important than outer ones successful the coming years for the Indian economy.

— In his seven-page preface to the Economic Survey 2024-25, the CEA, who is the unit down the Ministry of Finance’s Economic Division, chose “deregulation” arsenic his cardinal taxable due to the fact that “getting retired of the way” is not casual for societies similar India’s.

— The Economic Survey underscored that deregulation is much indispensable for maturation of micro, small, and mean enterprises (MSMEs) vis-à-vis ample companies. It besides called for states to instrumentality the pb successful Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) 2.0.

— The Survey stated the Indian system volition request to turn by astir 8 per cent successful existent presumption each twelvemonth for astatine slightest a decennary to execute a sustained emergence successful modular of living, and overmuch of that maturation would request to travel from the home sector.

— The Survey stated the Indian system volition request to turn by astir 8 per cent successful existent presumption each twelvemonth for astatine slightest a decennary to execute a sustained emergence successful modular of living, and overmuch of that maturation would request to travel from the home sector.

— The Survey noted that portion the authorities has pursued policies to enactment MSMEs, similar boosting entree to concern and providing marketplace linkages, the regulatory compliance load has remained a challenge, which prevents tiny firms from growing.

— It said that the faster economical maturation that India needs is lone imaginable if the national and authorities governments proceed to instrumentality reforms that let SMEs to run efficiently and vie cost-effectively.

— The Survey pitched for EoDB 2.0 to beryllium a authorities government-led inaugural “focused connected fixing the basal causes down the unease of doing business”. While EoDB reforms truthful acold person dealt with reducing compliance burdens, digitisation, and extending incentives to cardinal sectors, the 2nd circular should prioritise liberalising standards and controls, including removing restrictions connected women’s information successful factories and rationalising parking norms, it said.

— The Survey recommended that states should look astatine regulations pertaining to administration, land, gathering and construction, labour, utilities, transport, logistics, section trade, and environment, successful summation to immoderate sector-specific regulations.

— The Survey besides pushed for greater backstage assemblage information successful gathering approvals and inspections… It besides called for reducing energy tariff markup for concern users. “Across states, concern users tin wage a 10–25% markup implicit the outgo of energy supply.

Do You Know:

India indispensable defender against ‘excessive financialisation’, warns Economic Survey

— The Economic Survey 2024-25 has warned that excessive financialisation tin harm the economy, with perchance terrible consequences for a low-middle-income state similar India.

— While acknowledging the expanding reliance connected fiscal markets for funding, the Survey emphasized that fiscal markets indispensable complement the banking assemblage to span the superior request gap.

— The Survey warned that “over-finance” tin pb to the fiscal assemblage competing with the existent assemblage for resources, including skilled labour. This tin effect successful the existent system being deprived of indispensable resources.

— The Survey besides noted that fiscal assemblage innovation whitethorn not ever adhd worth to the existent economy. Research has shown that accelerated fiscal assemblage maturation often favours projects with precocious collateral but debased productivity, specified arsenic construction.

— The Survey besides emphasized the value of concern successful reducing poorness and inequality, arsenic good arsenic successful aiding depletion smoothing and daze absorption for firms and households.

— However, the Survey warned that determination is simply a tipping constituent beyond which fiscal improvement tin really hinder economical growth.

— Citing examples from Ireland and Thailand, the Survey noted that excessive backstage recognition maturation tin pb to reduced productivity growth, portion prudent absorption of recognition tin lend to accrued productivity.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍India indispensable defender against ‘excessive financialisation’, warns Economic Survey

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:

(2) India’s ranking successful the ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’ is sometimes seen successful the news. Which of the pursuing has declared that ranking? (2018)

(a) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

(b) World Economic Forum

(c) World Bank

(d) World Trade Organization (WTO)

ECONOMY

India’s workforce susceptible to AI, request ‘robust institutions’ to upskill them

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development, and employment.

What’s the ongoing story: Arguing that India’s workforce successful low-skill and low-value-added services remains susceptible to artificial quality (AI), the Economic Survey 2024-25 called for the instauration of “robust institutions,” which could assistance modulation workers to medium- and high-skilled jobs, wherever AI tin augment their efforts alternatively than regenerate them.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are stewarding institutions?

— What are the arguments for and against the instauration of AI?

— What is India’s AI mission?

— What are the labour laws successful India? What does it authorities astir overtime work?

— India’s workforce successful low-skill and low-value-added services remains susceptible to artificial quality (AI). Analyse.

Key Takeaways:

— The Survey projected the conception of “stewarding institutions,” which would beryllium “agile, crosscutting crossed sectors and up to day connected the latest developments, truthful that they are equipped to place some opportunities and threats. Stewarding institutions volition person to beryllium liable for designing an attack that delicately balances nationalist payment without stifling innovation”.

— It clarified that stewarding “does not connote placing restrictions connected innovation oregon dictating a constrictive acceptable of applications for technology,” but means that policymakers should “demonstrate a definite grade of cognisance erstwhile it comes to emerging technologies, truthful that erstwhile the request arises, they basal well-placed to mitigate immoderate adverse effects that look arsenic by-products of technological applications”.

— Regulatory frameworks volition request to beryllium revisited and amended to guarantee that the usage of AI aligns with societal values, balancing innovation with accountability and transparency, the Survey said.

— Arguing that each gyration has displaced ample segments of the workforce and led to economical disparity, the Survey said that “protracted labour displacement is thing that a labour-surplus state similar India cannot afford”.

— “India is besides a depletion based economy, frankincense the autumn successful depletion that tin effect from the displacement of its workforce is bound to person macroeconomic implications. If the worst-case projections materialise, this could person the imaginable to acceptable the country’s economical maturation trajectory disconnected course,” it added.

— Looking ahead, the Survey said, the country’s predominantly services-driven economy, coupled with its young and dynamic population, offers a fertile crushed for leveraging the benefits of emerging technologies, lone if proactively and cautiously managed.

Do You Know:

— Days aft a Chinese artificial quality (AI) laboratory launched the low-cost foundational model DeepSeek, the Indian authorities has said it has decided to physique a home ample connection exemplary of its ain arsenic portion of the Rs 10,370 crore IndiaAI Mission.

— Under the IndiaAI Mission, the authorities has besides selected 18 application-level AI solutions for the archetypal circular of funding. Vaishnaw said that these applications absorption connected the areas of agriculture, learning disabilities and clime change.

Work hour, overtime limits barriers to improving mill workers’ earning potential

— The Economic Survey 2024-25 flagged inflexible moving hr limits and overtime restrictions for mill workers arsenic barriers to gathering request surges and improving workers’ earning potential.

— While noting that moving hr restrictions are intended to support workers’ wellness and forestall overwork, the Survey underscored that the assorted limits connected moving hours—per day, week, quarter, and year—could beryllium successful conflict, which successful crook reduces workers’ earning imaginable by heavy restricting the fig of overtime hours they tin enactment in.

— The Factories Act limits a idiosyncratic to a maximum of 10.5 hours daily, oregon astir 63 hours successful a six-day week. Of these, lone 48 hours are considered regular enactment hours, 3 hours are considered remainder intervals, and the remaining 12 hours number arsenic overtime.

— Over a 13-week quarter, this would let for 156 overtime hours, but different proviso of the Factories Act caps overtime astatine lone 75 hours per quarter. Unlike India, immoderate countries let specified caps to beryllium averaged implicit aggregate days and weeks.

— The Centre has notified 4 Labour Codes – the Code connected Wages, 2019, the Code connected Social Security, 2020, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code, 2020 – aft rationalising and combining 29 existing cardinal laws. In enactment with the Labour Codes, respective states person already carried retired reforms, the Survey said.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍India braces up for AI challenge

📍UPSC Issue astatine a Glance | DeepSeek breakthrough: 4 Key Questions 

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:

(3) With notation to casual workers employed successful India, see the pursuing statements: (2021)

1. All casual workers are entitled for Employees Provident Fund coverage.

2. All casual workers are entitled for regular moving hours and overtime payment.

3. The authorities tin by a notification specify that an constitution oregon manufacture shall wage wages lone done its slope account.

Which of the supra statements are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

IN PARLIAMENT

Lack of fiscal enactment would unit India to temper its clime targets: Economic Survey

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, improvement and employment; Conservation, biology contamination and degradation, biology interaction assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: The nonaccomplishment of the developed countries to perpetrate capable amounts of clime concern astatine past year’s clime league successful Baku mightiness unit India to temper the ambition of its clime targets for 2035, the authorities said Friday.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is clime financing?

— What is the Paris Agreement?

— Why bash processing countries privation developed countries to concern their clime actions?

— What were the outcomes of the clime league successful Baku?

Key Takeaways:

— The Survey said the committedness of conscionable $300 cardinal successful clime concern flows, alternatively of the projected request of much than $1 trillion a year, severely undermined the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

— “The determination (in Baku) demonstrates a important misalignment with the Paris Agreement’s mandate to show a ‘progression beyond erstwhile efforts’ by developed countries,” the Economic Survey said.

— Going by the Paris Agreement, India, similar different countries, has to taxable its clime enactment program for 2035 this year. As of now, countries person submitted, and are acting on, achieving targets outlined successful their clime plans for 2030. The Paris Agreement asks each state to periodically summation the ambition of their clime targets, successful five-year cycles.

— As per its clime program for 2030, India has committed itself to trim the emissions strength of its system (emissions per portion of GDP) by 45 per cent from 2005 levels, guarantee that astatine slightest 50 per cent of its installed energy capableness comes from non-fossil substance sources, and summation the capableness of its forests to sorb c dioxide by astatine slightest 2.5 to 3 cardinal tonnes.

— The Economic Survey said the determination successful Baku showed the unwillingness of the developed countries to fulfill their obligations nether the planetary clime architecture.

Do You Know:

— The COP29 clime gathering successful Baku ended successful disappointment past week. On the main contented of finance, developed countries agreed to mobilise only $300 cardinal for the processing nations each year, a three-times summation implicit their existent mandate of $100 cardinal but mode abbreviated of astatine slightest $1 trillion that each assessments said was required.

— It is not a astonishment that the existent planetary statement connected clime alteration has turned retired to beryllium this ineffective. It is the lone large multilateral strategy which is wholly aligned against the affluent and almighty nations.

— The developed countries reason that the standard of concern requirements has accrued manifold, and galore different countries person grown affluent successful the past 2 decades, truthful they indispensable besides beryllium asked to lend to clime finance. The archetypal effort to grow the contributor basal happened successful Paris itself but did not succeed.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Key takeaway of COP29? The dismantling of clime talks

📍COP29: How India plays a pivotal relation successful planetary clime governance

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:

(4) With notation to the Agreement astatine the UNFCCC Meeting successful Paris successful 2015, which of the pursuing statements is/are correct? (2016)

1. The Agreement was signed by each the subordinate countries of the UN and it volition spell into effect successful 2017.

2. The Agreement aims to bounds the greenhouse state emissions truthful that the emergence successful mean planetary somesthesia by the extremity of this period does not transcend 2°C oregon adjacent 1.5°C supra pre-industrial levels.

3. Developed countries acknowledged their humanities work successful planetary warming and committed to donate $ 1000 cardinal a twelvemonth from 2020 to assistance processing countries to header with clime change.

Select the close reply utilizing the codification fixed below.

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:

The Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted a planetary oversea level emergence of astir 1 metre by AD 2100. What would beryllium its interaction successful India and the different countries successful the Indian Ocean region? (2023)

Citing health, survey suggests higher taxation connected ultra-processed foods

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Issues relating to improvement and absorption of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: Taking enactment of the wellness interaction of ultra-processed foods specified arsenic meal cereals, brushed drinks, and chickenhearted nuggets, the economical survey released connected Thursday suggested  respective measures, including higher taxation to trim depletion of these items.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the Ultra-processed foods?

— What is the interaction of ultra-processed foods connected quality health?

— What are ICMR guidelines regarding ultra-processed food?

— What are the authorities initiatives to beforehand steadfast lifestyles?

— What are the reasons for emergence successful obesity among Indians?

Key Takeaways:

— The challenge, the economical survey says, is the convenience, hyper-palatability, and longer support lives of these products on with vigorous advertising, has made ultra-processed foods an expanding portion of Indian diets.

— The study suggests a multi-pronged strategy to code the issue: One, it suggests that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) bring ultra-processed foods nether a regularisation with wide definitions and standards for specified products, including stricter labelling norms.

— Two, it suggests improved monitoring of branded products to guarantee compliance of specified norms, adding further that self-regulation by the manufacture has not been effective. Three, strengthened user extortion efforts person been suggested to woody with assertive selling and misleading advertising.

— Four, the survey says that a higher taxation complaint for ultra-processed foods whitethorn beryllium considered, targeted specifically towards brands and products that are advertised. Five, and importantly, it suggests creating consciousness among consumers, particularly children and adolescents to whom galore of these products are marketed.

Do You Know:

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi has highlighted the request for controlling obesity from a younger property lest it go a nationalist wellness epidemic and asked radical to absorption chiefly connected expanding their carnal enactment and controlling lipid successful their diet.

— Ultra-processed foods are fundamentally industrially prepared ready-to-eat formulations that are derived from a constricted assortment of crops specified arsenic wheat oregon soy, and incorporate additives for enhancement of taste.

— The caller National Dietary Guidelines, released by ICMRs National Institute of Nutrition past year, defines ultra-processed foods arsenic those that person undergone extended concern processing and incorporate precocious fig of additives specified arsenic preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers, that are not mostly utilized successful kitchens.

— These foods are known to origin and summation the hazard of respective conditions specified arsenic obesity, diabetes and different metabolic conditions, gastrointestinal diseases, and cancers among others.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍PM Modi connected obesity: Cut lipid successful fare by 10 per cent. How overmuch lipid bash you need? Which benignant works best?

📍Obesity connected the rise, precocious levels of undernutrition persist successful India: What a caller survey says

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:

What are the challenges and opportunities of the nutrient processing assemblage successful the country? How tin the income of the farmers beryllium substantially accrued by encouraging nutrient processing? (2020)

EDITORIAL

We should heavy seek

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Awareness successful the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intelligence spot rights.

What’s the ongoing story: Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes:  In December 2024, the Press Information Bureau proudly announced that India’s FDI travel had reached the singular milestone of $1 trillion since 2000. This was meant to found India’s relevance. But India’s stock successful planetary FDI is adjacent to 2.5 per cent successful proportional presumption and declining.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is Deepseek?

— How has Deepseek changed the AI market?

— What is India’s AI mission?

— What are the challenges successful processing an indigenous AI model?

— How are countries regulating AI?

Key Takeaways:

— With Indian depletion increasing astatine little than 3 per cent, the state is not arsenic large a woody for planetary exporters arsenic you mightiness imagine. The expected accidental for India provided by concern moving retired of China has hardly materialised.

— India gets hardly 1.5 per cent of planetary tourer arrivals. Its amusement assemblage is increasing rapidly, but including the full home market, it is lone 5 per cent of the satellite market; it is not a soft-power export powerhouse. India’s defence budget has been comparatively stagnant, with a proportionality of GDP nether 2 per cent.

— But connected immoderate measurement of captious technologies for the future, whether it is AI oregon greenish energy, India seems acold down the planetary competition.

— DeepSeek has spurred the hunt for homegrown Indian AI models, but the way grounds connected being astatine the frontier of this contention is not encouraging.

— India has tremendous potential. But unless we instrumentality a acold hard look and admit that self-importance is not the aforesaid happening arsenic importance, we volition not statesman to recognize however India risks being irrelevant.

Do You Know:

— DeepSeek is simply a Chinese AI company located successful Hangzhou, founded by entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng, who besides serves arsenic the CEO of the quantitative hedge money High Flyer.

— Recently, DeepSeek launched its AI models—DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1, a reasoning model. These models rapidly gained popularity, surpassing ChatGPT to go the astir downloaded app connected the App Store.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍Deepseek: How open-source AI is disrupting large tech’s monopoly

📍UPSC Issue astatine a Glance | DeepSeek breakthrough

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:

(5) With the contiguous authorities of development, Artificial Intelligence tin efficaciously bash which of the following? (2020)

1. Bring down energy depletion successful concern units

2. Create meaningful abbreviated stories and songs

3. Disease diagnosis

4. Text-to-Speech Conversion

5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy

Select the close reply utilizing the codification fixed below:

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 2, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

A caller classroom

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for improvement successful assorted sectors and issues arising retired of their plan and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Ashish Dhawan and Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja write: The results of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) connection a glimmer of hope. For the archetypal clip successful years, foundational learning outcomes — particularly successful Grade III — amusement affirmative trends crossed Indian states. This advancement is nary accident. It reflects a focused effort by the Indian authorities to prioritise prime education.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the cardinal highlights of the ASER?

— What is the National Education Policy (NEP)?

— What is the NIPUN Bharat Mission?

— Why the authorities is focussed connected Early Childhood Education?

— What are the challenges of Early Childhood education?

Key Takeaways:

— During the caller Republic Day celebrations, acquisition was beforehand and centre. In the parade of tableaux, we saw symbolic reminders of India’s committedness to nation-building done education…. But the existent leader down this occurrence communicative is the NIPUN Bharat Mission.

— NIPUN Bharat, oregon the National Initiative for Proficiency successful Reading with Understanding and Numeracy, was launched successful 2021 and has softly transformed classrooms by targeting literacy and numeracy successful the aboriginal grades.

— The programme allocates Rs 500 per kid for teaching-learning materials (TLM), empowering schools to trade vibrant, engaging lessons tailored to young learners. For teachers, who are the backbone of this mission, the states person up to Rs 5,000 for capacity-building workshops, on with Rs 150 for assets materials to enactment the schoolroom strategies of teachers.

— States are empowered with Rs 10-20 lakh each to behaviour broad assessments, way the advancement of learning outcomes of students and place gaps successful teaching and learning practices. To guarantee seamless implementation and oversight, Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore is provided for establishing robust Project Management Units astatine the authorities and territory levels.

— In Uttar Pradesh, Ravi Sharma, a superior schoolhouse teacher, uses songs to thatch mathematics. His students chant, “ek-do thaila lo, teen-chaar chalo bazaar”, learning numbers arsenic they sway to the rhythm.

— The information backs up these anecdotes. In UP, ASER 2024 shows a leap successful Grade III students’ quality to work Grade II-level texts — from 24 per cent to 34 per cent — and lick subtraction problems, which improved from 29 per cent to 41 per cent betwixt 2022 and 2024. Odisha’s innovative usage of colourful and contextualised workbooks has led to akin gains. Nationally, millions much children tin present work and lick basal mathematics problems.

— To prolong these gains — and grow them — the mission’s timeline indispensable beryllium extended. An enhanced NIPUN 2.0 should beryllium extended to astatine slightest 2030. This volition let interventions to instrumentality basal and execute deeper impact.

— NIPUN 2.0 should besides absorption connected Early Childhood Education (ECE): Investments successful preschool acquisition tin acceptable children up for occurrence earlier they adjacent participate superior school.

— The ASER results beryllium that advancement is possible. With the close tools, resources and policies, India tin guarantee that each child, careless of geography oregon circumstance, has entree to prime education.

Do You Know:

— The Centre launched the NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency successful Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Bharat Mission connected July 5, 2021. The ngo has seen energetic implementation successful galore states, with a caller model for the foundational signifier of acquisition developed and released good earlier frameworks for different stages.

— This model includes teacher grooming oriented towards the caller goals, specially designed teaching-learning materials for usage by children and teachers successful aboriginal people classrooms, etc.

— For children betwixt 3 to 6 years, 2 cardinal findings are worthy highlighting: first, preschool sum roseate betwixt 2018 and 2024. ASER information besides amusement that by 2024, the proportionality of agrarian children of property 3 who are enrolled successful immoderate benignant of aboriginal puerility acquisition programme was 77.4%. This is genuinely a large accomplishment for a state arsenic divers arsenic India.

Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:

📍How educated mothers of young kids tin assistance fortify their learning journey

📍ASER 2024: With expanding preschool enrollment, roadworthy up for aboriginal puerility education

Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:

National Education Policy 2020 is successful conformity with the Sustainable Development Goal-4 (2030). It intends to restructure and reorient acquisition strategy successful India. Critically analyse the statement. (2020)

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PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)  2. (c)  3. (d)   4. (b)  5. (b)

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