• Union Minister for HRD has recently virtually launched the India Report on Digital Education, 2020.
• The report elaborates on the innovative methods adopted by Ministry of HRD, Education Departments of States and Union Territories for ensuring accessible and inclusive education to children at home and reducing learning gaps.
• The report has been prepared by Digital Education Division of MHRD in consultation with Education Departments of States and UTs.

• Union Minister for HRD had recently launched India Report on Digital Education, 2020.
• According to the report, besides the central Initiatives State/ UT Governments have also managed the critical task of providing digital education at the door step of the students.

Some of the major digital initiatives by State Governments are:

• SMILE (Social Media Interface for Learning Engagement) in Rajasthan
• Project Home Classes in Jammu
• Padhai Tunhar duvaar (Education at your doorstep) in Chhattisgarh
• Unnayan Initiatives in Bihar through portal and mobile application
• Mission Buniyaad in NCT of Delhi
• Kerala’s own educational TV channel (Hi-Tech school programme)
• E-scholar portal as well as free online courses for teachers in Meghalaya
• Telangana has online certificate programs for teachers on ‘Management of mental well-being during COVID’.

• Union Ministry of Rural Development has recently released a “Financial Management Index for Rural Development Programmes”.
• This index seeks to rank the performance of the States on the basis of following parameters:

1. Preparation of annual plan, projecting the requirement of funds for the financial year, expeditious release of State’s share, timely utilization of the funds and submission of the Utilization Certificates etc.
2. Optimum implementation of Public Financial Management System (PFMS) & Direct Benefit Transfer
3. Internal Audit
4. Social Audit

• The National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) and Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous institute of Department of Science and Technology (DST) organised two webinars recently on “Popular Science Writing” for capacity building of research scholars under AWSAR Programme to create a brigade of science communicators.

Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR)

• It is an initiative that aims to disseminate Indian research stories among the masses in an easy to understand and interesting format to a common man.
• Under this initiative, PhD Scholars and Post-Doctoral Fellows (PDFs) in Science and Technology (S&T) streams would be encouraged to write at least one popular science article during the tenancy of their fellowship, and to participate in a national competition.
• It is conceptualized & supported by National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) Division, Department of Science and Technology (DST) which is actively engaged in developing various outreach programs for scientific fraternity.
• This program is being coordinated by VigyanPrasar, an autonomous institute of DST.

• Recently, Poland announced that it would withdraw from the Istanbul Convention citing that it requires schools to teach children about gender.
• Also, it says, the treaty tries to construct a “socio-cultural gender against the biological gender” (e.g. like forming homosexual families).

Istanbul Convention

• Istanbul convention (AKA) Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
• The treaty is the world’s first binding instrument to prevent and tackle violence against women.
• It is the most comprehensive legal framework that exists to tackle violence against women and girls, covering domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation (FGM), so-called honour-based violence, and forced marriage.
• The Convention sets minimum standards for governments to meet when tackling violence against women.
• When a government ratifies the Convention, they are legally bound to follow it.

• Recently, Ministry of Consumer Affairs launched a mobile app BIS-Care.
• The consumers can use the app for checking the authenticity of ISI and hallmark quality certified products.
• The BIS is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016.
• BIS is a founder member of International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• It is actively involved in development of International Standards by acting as Participating (P) member or Observer (O) member on various Technical Committees, Working Groups, etc.
• The ISI mark is a standards-compliance mark for industrial products in India.   

• A new research on smallpox provides fresh insight into the origins of the disease caused by the Variola virus (VARV).
• It suggest that the smallpox was in existence as early as during the Viking age in the 8th century CE.
• It is an acute contagious disease caused by the Variola virus.
• It can be spread by humans only. Scientists have no evidence that smallpox can be spread by insects or animals.
• On May 8, 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly officially declared the world free of this disease.  

• A high levels of Ammonia found in Yamuna water.
• The level of ammonia in raw water was 1.8 parts per million (ppm).
• The acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking water, as per the Bureau of Indian Standards, is 0.5 ppm. 
• Ammonia is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilisers, plastics and other products.
• It occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter.
• It may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents or through contamination by sewage.
• If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm it is toxic to fishes.
• In humans, long term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to internal organs.

• The Mangroves and Khazan ecosystem which is sustaining Goa’s promise for fish, curry and rice are in state of decay.
• Khazans are human-managed ecosystems, which are reclaimed from coastal wetlands, salt marshes and mangrove areas.
• Khazans in Goa have always been nature's defence to its own excesses such as high tides, storms or floods.
• They are predominantly rice and fish fields. 

• A recent study shows that Arctic's Mosquito Problem is getting bigger, badder.
• It's mosquito season in Greenland. June and July marks the period when Arctic mosquitoes (Aedes nigripes) are in peak abundance.
• While Arctic mosquitoes serve as an important food source to other animals, they are notorious for their role as pests to humans and wildlife.
• Only female mosquitoes bite, causing those red itchy welts on skin.
• They need the nutrition in human blood to develop their eggs.
• Iceland is one of the few habitable places on the planet that is mosquito-free.