• National Education Policy 2020

1. Govt committed to work towards achieving 100 % literacy by complying with reforms within NEP 2020: Ramesh Pokhriyal

Key points:

1. He said, the new education policy is based on the country’s ethos and value system. The Minister mentioned about each one, teach one and reach one and said India has over one thousand universities, 45 thousand degree colleges, 16 lakh schools and one crore teachers. He said, India has vision and power and 100 per literacy can be achieved through collective efforts.
2. The Minister hoped that the new literacy scheme ‘Padhna Likhna Abhiyan’ is going to be a leap forward to achieve the goal of Total Literacy by 2030.  The principal target of the programme is to impart functional literacy and numeracy to 57 lakh non-literate and non-numerate adults in both rural and urban areas across the country in the age group of 15 years and above.

(News On Air, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Gujarat forms Task Force to study & implement NEP-2020 for school education

Key points:

1. In Gujarat, the State Government has formed the Task Force to study and implement the National Education Policy-2020 for school education.
2. According to the State Education Department, the State-level Task Force comprises 15 members from politicians, administrative officials and academicians. This Task Force is expected to study NEP-2020, make changes suggested in the school education format and come up with the best implementation measures.
3. AIR correspondent reports that the Higher Education Department is expected to declare its Task Force in a few days.

(News on Air, 8 September 2020) News Link

• J&K: Lt Guv gives suggestions for effective implementation of NEP in transforming higher education across Country

Key points:

1. AIR correspondent reports that the LG was speaking at the Governors’ Conference on the Role of NEP-2020 in Transforming Higher Education.
2. Emphasizing on the importance of integrated development of children, the LG suggested that extra-curricular activities such as NSS, NCC, Sports and Music need to be made part of the curriculum and students should get credit for these activities.
3. He observed that NEP could be effectively implemented if institutions are given freedom to redefine teaching positions as per need.
4. He stressed the need to lay special emphasis on Students’ feedback on teaching and observed that our priorities guide all policies and our policy decisions guide our destiny.

(News on Air, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Punjab

1. Punjab: Pvt hospitals, clinics, labs to conduct Rapid Antigen Testing for COVID-19 after empanelment

Key points:

1. With a view to strengthen screening of the population for timely detection of corona virus positive patients to contain the spread of pandemic, Punjab Government has decided to allow private hospitals, clinics and labs to conduct Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) for COVID-19 after empanelment with district health authorities.
2. Giving details in a release, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that guidelines have been issued to all the Deputy Commissioners and Civil Surgeons of state regarding allowing RAT for COVID-19 by private health establishments.
3. He said that RAT kits would be provided free of cost by the department. The Civil Surgeons will empanel those private hospitals, clinics and labs who are willing to get empanelled voluntarily for offering testing by RAT kits provided free of cost by the department, he added.

(UNI, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Center

1. eSanjeevani telemedicine service records 3 lakh tele-consultations

Key points:

1. The ‘eSanjeevani’ telemedicine service, the platform of the Health Ministry providing tele-consultations, has completed 3 lakh tele-consultations.
2. While ensuring physical distancing, the telemedicine service connects doctors with patients and provides essential healthcare at a critical time when conventional medicine is perceived to be risky owing to the nature of infectious Covid-19 disease.
3. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had presided over a meet to mark the platform’s completion of 1.5 lakh on August 9.
4. The platform has registered double that number of consultations within a month since then. One lakh of these tele-consultations were held in the past 20 days.
5. The platform had completed the first 1,00,000 consultations on July 23 and the subsequent 1,00,000 on August 18 within a span of 26 days, an official release here said.

(UNI, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Delhi

1. Kejriwal spreads awareness about Covid-19 through communication mediums

Key points:

1. With an objective to contain the spread of Corona in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is directly appealing to the people of the national capital to wear masks and follow social distancing, through calls and other modes of communication.
2. “CM’s calls will be received by one crore people of Delhi. He will also be reaching out to the people on how to avoid Corona and take precautions through mediums such as radio, TV, outdoor hoardings, digital communication mediums,” an official statement said on Tuesday.

(UNI, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Assam

1. Assam develops self-check kiosk to determine COVID, tally crosses 42 lakh

Key points:

1. With an addition of 75809 new cases across the country, the total number of positive cases of Novel Coronavirus reached 42,80,422 on Tuesday, even as the North-Eastern state of Assam developed a first-of-its-kind self-check kiosk, to determine any viral or bacterial infection in an individual in less than a minute.
2. The small structure helps by streamlining the flow of people through the kiosk and the Kiosk only takes about 30 seconds to check whether the person safe to enter the premises or not.
3. A first-of-its-kind self-check kiosk, which is quick but very accurate to determine if an individual is running a fever, low blood oxygen levels and, therefore, potentially has COVID-19 or any another viral or bacterial infection has been developed by Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT), Guwahati, in collaboration with Workspace Metal Solutions Pvt Ltd, Udaipur.

(UNI, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Andhra Pradesh

1. Andhra Pradesh govt launches Plasma donation campaign

Key points:

1. More than 37000 people are eligible for the donation of plasma in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
2. The campaign is launched with the luring of Rs 5000 to each Plasma donor in order to promote the program and give nutrition to the donors as instructed to the officials by the CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. The state is currently conducting 65000 to 70000 COVID – 19 tests daily.

(ANI, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Tamil Nadu

1. TN plans 2,000 mini clinics

Key points:

1. The proposed mini clinics will come up in areas where there are no Primary Health Centres and due to people not able to get treatment for fever and other issues owing to the ‘apprehension’ of COVID-19 spread, he said.
2. “A mini clinic will have a doctor, nurse and an assistant, besides the required medical equipment and medicines. Medicines will be provided here for easily treatable diseases like fever,” he said.
3. On the virus caseloads, he said the spread was gradually slowing down due to aggressive government intervention, with the state testing around 85,000 samples a day.

(PTI, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Tamil Nadu: Covid Care Centres under Siddha Medical dept in Karur, Perambalur, Ariyalur districts effective amid pandemic; 87.6% patients discharged

Key points:

1. The Covid Care Centres functioning under the Siddha Medical department in Karur, Perambalur and Ariyalur districts near Trichy have been able to function effectively in the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic.
2. Dr Kamaraj, in charge of all the three centres revealed that  87.6% of patients who had been admitted with Covid 19 symptoms had been discharged last month. He pointed out that as against 1315 patients being admitted in these centres, 1152 patients have been discharged after successful treatment.
3. Dr Kamaraj reiterated that the Kabasura and Nilvempu herbal concoctions being prepared by the Siddha department go a long way in strengthening the immunity system of people in general.

(News on Air, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Uttar Pradesh

1. Uttar Pradesh: Sanitization on call service begins in Lucknow

Key points:

1. In Uttar Pradesh, sanitization on call service has been started by Lucknow administration. DM Abhishek Prakash said that any place, work station or apartment, where covid positive patients have been found, can use this service.
2. A team of workers will reach there within a span of 12 to 24 hours and sanitize the place free of cost.
3. DM Abhishek Prakash started the awareness campaign regarding the service by putting posters on the wall of the collectorate.

(News on Air, 8 September 2020) News Link

• Kashmir after removing 370

1. Administration committed to resolve grievances of people through effective public redressal system: J&K Lt Guv

Key points:

1. Later the LG also took a walk through the heritage Raghunath Market, Residency Road and Kamal Mandi area where he interacted with locals, shopkeepers, officer bearers of Traders Associations and enquired about the difficulties being faced by the people and business community due to COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Terming people’s feedback as imperative for accountable and responsive administration, the LG urged the people to come forward with their issues and grievances and play an active role in the developmental process by providing regular feedback on the working of the Administration.
3. The locals and business community appreciated the people-friendly approach of the LG and lauded his initiatives for reaching out to the people of every nook and corner of the UT and taking first hand appraisal of their issues and grievances.
4. The LG observed that the Administration is committed to resolve the grievances of the people through an effective public redressal system and assured them that all their genuine issues and demands will be addressed on merit.

(News on Air, 8 September 2020) News Link