Today in History (January 22^nd, 1905)

In 1905, Bloody Sunday took place in Russia when workers marching on St. Petersburg were fired upon by soldiers of the Imperial Guard. Hundreds of people were killed.

Summary of Today’s News

Ram temple in Ayodhya

• The consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be held today, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the rituals, following which the shrine will be opened for the public a day later.
• The “ Pran Pratishtha” ceremony will begin at 12.20 p.m. and is expected to end by 1 p.m. Mr. Modi will then address a gathering of thousands of people.
• To commemorate the occasion, the Centre has given half-a-day off to all the Government employees which includes Public Sector Banks.
• Several States have also followed suit and declared a public holiday.

Ministry of Education (MoE) directs all education institutions to provide study material in Indian languages digitally

• Schools and higher education institutions are directed to digitize study material in languages listed in the 8th Schedule of Constitution within the next three years

Key points about this Mandate

• National Education Policy 2020 Calls for multilingualism in education at every level.
• Article 350 A of the Constitution says that, Government should ensure children from linguistic minority groups are educated in their mother tongue at the primary stage.
• Right to Education Act 2009 says that as far as possible the medium of instruction in education should be in the mother tongue.

Iniatives for education in regional language

• Anuvadini (AI based App): Translation of Engineering, Medical,  Law, UG, PG and Skill  books.
• e-KUMBH Portal: Launched by the AICTE to provide free access to technical education books in different Indian languages
• DIKSHA Portal: Provides study material for school education in over 30 Indian languages.
• Bhasha Sagar Project: To develop mobile application, and a web-based platform for learning Indian languages.

Prime Minister launched Boeing Sukanya Program

• It is to support girl’s entry into aviation sector
• Program will provide opportunities for girls and women to learn critical skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and train for jobs in aviation sector.
• For young girls, program will create STEM Labs at 150 planned locations to spark interest in STEM careers and provide scholarships to women who are training to be pilots.

Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)

• Gangetic dolphin was captured and rescued from Jalaka River in Odisha.
• Gangetic Dolphin (National Aquatic Animal of India)
• It is also known as Susu.
• Lived in Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu of India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
• Only live in freshwater
• These are essentially blind.
• Hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds waves.
• Females are larger than males.
• Major Threats: Poaching for dolphin oil, used as fish attractant and for medicinal purposes; Habitat fragmentation by dams etc.

Guidelines for Registration and Regulation of Coaching Center 2024

Context: The Ministry of Education’s Department of Higher Education recently introduced the “Guidelines for Registration and Regulation of Coaching Center 2024.”

• According to the guideline, a ‘coaching center’ includes a center established, run, or administered by any person to provide coaching for any study programme, competitive examinations, or academic support to students at the school, college, and university level for more than 50 students.
• Guidelines include:

Registration process, Marketing Standards, Student Enrolment, Fee Structure, Exit Policy, Infrastructure Requirements, Study hours, Mental wellbeing of students etc.

• • There are provisions for Complaint Mechanism:
  • Penalty: If the coaching center breaches any terms or conditions of registration or general requirements, it will face penalties:
    • 25,000 for the first violation,
    •  Rs 1 lakh for a second offense,
    • Registration revocation for subsequent breaches.