All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-2022

POLITY

The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–2022 was just announced by the Ministry of Education of India.

Context:

There are 1,168 universities and university-level institutions registered overall, 45,473 colleges, and 12,002 standalone institutes.

About All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-2022:-

• The Ministry of Education is in charge.
• It began in the years 2010–11.
• The annual All India Survey of Higher Education is conducted online.
• The collecting of data encompasses a range of criteria, such as educators, student enrollment, programs, exam outcomes, funding for education, and infrastructure.
• The information gathered by AISHE will also be used to calculate indicators of educational development such as Institution Density, Gross Enrollment Ratio, Pupil-Teacher Ratio, Gender Parity Index, and Per Student Expenditure.

Significance:-

• These are helpful in doing research and formulating wise policy decisions for the advancement of the education sector.

Key findings from the report:-

• Higher education enrollment rose by 91 lakh students, or 26.5%, between 2014–15 and 2020–21, to 4.33 crore in 2021–22 from 4.14 crore in 2020–21 and 3.42 crore in 2014–15.
• The number of female students enrolled in higher education has increased from 1.57 crore in 2014–15 to 2.07 crore in 2021–22 (a 32% increase of 50 lakh students).
• GER rises from 23.7 in 2014–15 to 28.4 in 2021–22; for females, it rises from 22.9 in 2014–15 to 28.5 in 2021–22.
• Since 2017–18, female GER has outpaced male GER for the seventh year in a row.
• Notable 44% rise in SC student enrollment from 2014–15 (66.23 lakh in 2021–22 compared to 46.07 lakh in 2014–15)
• Significant 51% rise in female SC student enrollment in 2021–2022 (31.71 lakh) over 2014–15 (21.02 lakh)
• Significant rise in ST student enrollment in 2021–2022 (27.1 lakh) over 2014–15 (16.41 lakh), of 65.2%
• Amazing 80% rise in female ST student enrollment in 2021–2022 (13.46 lakh) compared to 2014–2015 (7.47 lakh)
• Enrollment of OBC students increased by 45% from 1.13 crore in 2014–15 to 1.63 crore in 2021–22.
• Notable 3% rise in female OBC students from 2014–15 (52.36 lakh) to 2021–22 (78.19 lakh)
• The total number of Ph.D. enrolled increased by 2% between 2014–15 (1.17 lakh) and 2021–22 (2.13 lakh).
• Female Ph.D. enrollment quadrupled from 0.48 lakh in 2014–15 to 0.99 lakh in 2021–2022.
• Enrollment of Female Minority Students has increased by 3% from 2014–15 (15.2 lakh in 2021–22 compared to 10.7 lakh in 2014–15).
• Since 2014–2015, 341 universities and institutions at the university level have been founded.
• The number of female faculty members and teachers rose from 5.69 lakh in 2014–15 to 6.94 lakh in 2021–22 (an increase of 1.25 lakh, or 22% from 2014–15).

PM Young Achievers’ Scholarship Award Scheme for a Vibrant India (PM YASASVI)

Under the PM YASASVI initiative, a total of ₹32.44 crore has been made available to states and union territories (UTs) for pre-matric scholarships and ₹387.27 crore for post-matric scholarships.

Context:

• The purpose of these scholarships is to support students as they continue their education beyond pre-secondary education.

About PM YASASVI:-

• Ministry: Department of Empowerment and Social Justice.
• Goal: To enable OBC, EBC, and DNT students finish their education by offering financial aid for post-matriculation or post-secondary studies.
• Testing Organization: The National Testing Organization has been given charge of administering the YASASVI ENTRANCE TEST.

Historical Background:-

• Established by the Indian government, MSJ&E is a national testing agency that carries out efficient and transparent standardized examinations for admission to prestigious higher education institutions. It is an independent, self-sufficient premier testing company. As a result, the Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for a Vibrant India (YASASVI) was created by the government.

Salient Features:-

• This is a scholarship program for students who belong to the Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNT), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs).

Components:-

• Pre-Matric Scholarships.
• Post-Matric Scholarships
• Top Class School Education
• Top Class College Education
• Construction of Hostels for OBC

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice declared recently that Israel ought to act to stop the genocide in Gaza.

Context:

• In a broader dispute concerning whether Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the enclave, the International Court of Justice rendered an interim decision.

About the International Court of Justice:-

• June 1945 saw its establishment.
• Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands.
• The main court system inside the United Nations (UN) is the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
• The United Nations Charter established it in June 1945, and it started operations in April 1946.
• The Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, serves as the Court’s seat.
• It is the only one of the six main UN organs that is not based in New York.
• The Court’s responsibilities include providing advisory opinions on legal matters presented to it by specialized agencies and authorized United Nations entities, as well as resolving legal disputes that States submit to it in conformity with international law.
• The Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations elect the Court’s fifteen judges, who serve nine-year terms.
• Its administrative arm, the Registry, supports it.
• It speaks French and English as official languages.

BrahMos

Within the next ten days, India will send supersonic missile systems to the Philippines called BrahMos.

Context:

• In preparation for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which is scheduled to be delivered to the Philippines by March of this year, India is preparing to export ground systems.

About:-

• An alliance between the DRDO and Mashinostroyeniya, a Russian non-profit organization, is BrahMos.
• A supersonic cruise missile is what it is.
• The rivers Moskva and Brahmaputra are the sources of the missile’s name.
• The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was initially tested on June 12, 2001, from a land-based launcher in BrahMos. Since then, it has undergone multiple upgrades and has been tested on land, in the air, and in the sea.
• The missile consists of two stages: a liquid ramjet in the second stage and a solid propellant engine in the first.
• BrahMos has stealth technologies installed to reduce its visibility to radar and other detection techniques.
• It is equipped with an INS/GPS combination for use against land targets and an inertial navigation system (INS) for use against ship targets.
• It is a missile that can go up to 300 kilometers from the air to the surface.
• But with India’s accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the BRAHMOS missile’s range has been increased to 450–600 km.

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)

• International Customs Day-2024 was recently observed by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

Context:

• The theme of this year’s International Customs Day is “Customs engaging traditional and new partners with purpose,” according to the World Customs Organization (WCO).

About :-

• Under the Ministry of Finance, the Department of Revenue includes the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
• It is a legally mandated organization created by the Central Boards of Revenue Act of 1963.
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs were created in 1964 following the division of the Central Board of Revenue.
• 2018 saw the renaming of the Central Board of Excise and Customs as the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

It is the nodal national agency responsible for administering:-

• Customs
• GST
• Central Excise
• Service Tax
• Narcotics in India.
• The Central Revenues Control Laboratory, the Central Excise and GST Commissionerate, the Custom Houses, and the Board itself are under the Board’s administrative jurisdiction. (Indian tax administration)
• The Central Bureau of Internal Control (CBIC) is responsible for formulating policies related to the levy and collection of customs duties, central excise duties, central goods and services tax, and IGST.
• Stopping the smuggling.
• management of issues pertaining to drugs, customs, IGST, central goods and services tax, excise, and customs to the degree that these fall under the jurisdiction of CBIC.