2nd, February, 2023

Topic: Eklavya schools in the state to get new teachers.

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

Importance for Prelims: Education Sector development of Himachal Pradesh.

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-V: GENERAL STUDIES-II : UNIT II: Topic: Various policies framed by the Government of Himachal Pradesh for the socioeconomic development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of the State.

 

What is the news?

• Four Eklavya model residential schools in Himachal Pradesh’s tribal areas will soon have new teachers.
• It was announced in the Union Budget on Wednesday that 38,800 teachers and support staff would be hired for Eklavya schools across the country.
• In the state, Eklavya model residential schools have been established in Pangi, Bharmour, Nichar, and Lahaul. With the Union Finance Minister’s announcement, the state’s unemployed youth now have the opportunity to become teachers in these schools.

About Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS):

• EMRS started in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education to ST children in remote areas in order to enable them to avail of opportunities in high and professional educational courses and get employment in various sectors. The schools focus not only on academic education but on the all-round development of the students. Each school has a capacity of 480 students, catering to students from Class VI to XII. Hitherto, grants were given for construction of schools and recurring expenses to the State Governments under Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution.
• In order to give further impetus to EMRS, it has been decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an EMRS. Eklavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalaya and will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development. Across the country, as per census 2011 figures, there are 564 such sub-districts out of which there is an EMRS in 102 sub-districts. Thus, 462 new schools have to be opened by the year 2022.

 

Eklavya Model Day Boarding Schools (EMDBS):

• Wherever density of ST population is higher in identified Sub-Districts (90% or more), it is proposed to set up Eklavya Model Day Boarding School (EMDBS) on an experimental basis for providing additional scope for ST Students seeking to avail school education without residential facility.

 

Centre of Excellence for Sports (CoE for Sports):

• Dedicated infrastructure for setting up Centre of Excellence for sports with all related infrastructure (buildings, equipment’s etc.) is supported. This Centre of Excellence will have specialized state-of-the-art facilities for one identified individual sport and one group sport in each State. These CoE for Sports will have the State-of-the-Art facilities, equipment and scientific back up along with specialized training, boarding and lodging facilities, sports kit, sports equipment, competition exposure, insurance, medical expenses etc. as per norms of Sports Authority of India.

(News Source: amarujala)

 

Topic: Himachal gets Rs 42 crore from Centre under PM Gati Shakti scheme

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

Importance for Prelims: Economic and social development – sustainable development poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives, etc.

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-IV: GENERAL STUDIES-I : UNIT II: Topic: Policies: Growth of Industrial areas and types of Industries in Himachal.

 

What is the news?

• Himachal Pradesh has received a Rs 42 crore grant from the PM Gati Shakti scheme, a multi-model connectivity project, according to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
• According to Sukhu, the state received the funding through the ‘Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2022-23.’ He stated that the assistance will go a long way toward stimulating industrial activity in the state.

What is Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2022-23?

The Government of India has launched a Scheme Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment for 2022-23. Under this Scheme, financial assistance is provided to the States Governments in the form of 50-year interest free loan for capital investment projects.

 

• According to an official statement, the state government submitted four projects for central assistance totaling Rs 84 crore, with logistics, connectivity, and industrial development in mind, and the screening committee of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) approved three of them with a grant of Rs 42 crore.
• The CM stated that one of the scheme’s flagship projects is the establishment of an IT Park in Rakh (Nagri), Palampur Tehsil, District Kangra.
• He stated that the area is ideal for the IT industry due to its airport connectivity and climate. The project would cost Rs 35 crore in total.
• Sukhu directed the Industries department to expand the park’s size from 250 kanal to at least 1,000 kanal in order to achieve economies of scale and create more jobs for locals.
• He also urged the department to make Himachal Pradesh the country’s most investor-friendly state.
• Sukhu requested that Rakesh Prajapati, the Director of Industries, visit the sites and begin the process of constructing the IT Park.
• The development of new industrial areas in Bhud and Baddi are the other two approved projects.
• According to an official statement, the state government submitted four projects for central assistance totaling Rs 84 crore, with logistics, connectivity, and industrial development in mind, and the screening committee of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) approved three of them with a grant of Rs 42 crore.

 

About PM Gati Shakti:

• Prime Minister launched PM Gati Shakti – National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, essentially a digital platform to bring 16 Ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.The multi-modal connectivity will provide integrated and seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services from one mode of transport to another. It will facilitate the last mile connectivity of infrastructure and also reduce travel time for people.

 

Vision of PM Gati Shakti:

• PM Gati Shakti will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc. Economic Zones like textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, agri zones will be covered to improve connectivity & make Indian businesses more competitive. It will also leverage technology extensively including spatial planning tools with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) imagery developed by BiSAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics).

 

PM Gati Shakti is based on six pillars:

• Comprehensiveness: It will include all the existing and planned initiatives of various Ministries and Departments with one centralized portal. Each and every Department will now have visibility of each other’s activities providing critical data while planning & execution of projects in a comprehensive manner.
• Prioritization: Through this, different Departments will be able to prioritize their projects through cross-sectoral interactions.
• Optimization: The National Master Plan will assist different ministries in planning for projects after identification of critical gaps. For the transportation of the goods from one place to another, the plan will help in selecting the most optimum route in terms of time and cost.
• Synchronization: Individual Ministries and Departments often work in silos. There is lack of coordination in planning and implementation of the project resulting in delays. PM Gati Shakti will help in synchronizing the activities of each department, as well as of different layers of governance, in a holistic manner by ensuring coordination of work between them.
• Analytical: The plan will provide the entire data at one place with GIS based spatial planning and analytical tools having 200+ layers, enabling better visibility to the executing agency.
• Dynamic: All Ministries and Departments will now be able to visualize, review and monitor the progress of cross-sectoral projects, through the GIS platform, as the satellite imagery will give on-ground progress periodically and progress of the projects will be updated on a regular basis on the portal. It will help in identifying the vital interventions for enhancing and updating the master plan.

(News Source: The Tribune)