Solution (b)

Jan Shikshan Sansthan (formerly known as Shramik Vidyapeeth) aims to provide vocational skills to non-literate, neo-literates as well as school drop-outs by identifying skills that have a market in the region of their establishment.

The Scheme of Jan Shikshan Sansthan has been transferred from Ministry of Education (erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development) to Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship in July, 2018.

Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) scheme is implemented through NGOs with 100% grants from the Government of India. 

Jan Shikshan Sansthans are registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The affairs of Jan Shikshan Sansthan are managed by respective Board of Management approved by the Government of India.

The mandate of the scheme is to provide vocational skills in non-formal mode to non-literate, neo-literates, persons with rudimentary level of education upto 8th and school drop-outs upto 12th standard in the age group of 15-45 years. The priority groups are women, SC, ST, minorities and other backward sections of the society. JSSs are reaching to the unreached areas to cater the needs of the poorest of the poor. They work at the door step of the beneficiaries with a minimum infrastructure and resources.

At present, 233 JSSs in 25 States and 3 Union Territories are functional. The annual coverage of the beneficiaries is around 4 lakh, out of which 85% are women.

Article Link: High-speed Net comes to a deep jungle

Solution (c)

Burzahom:

• The Burzahom archaeological site is a prehistoric site belonging to the Neolithis and Megalithic era.
• It is located in Kashmir.
• The Burzahom site revealed the transition from the subterranean and ground level housing features of the Neolithic people to the mudbrick structures of the Megalithic people. 
• The large cache of tools and implements made of bone and stone found at the site shows that the inhabitants were hunting and farming.

Pabumath:

• Pabumath is an Indus Valley Civilisation archaeological site near Suvai village in Rapar Taluka of Kutch district, Gujarat.
• Important findings from this site include: A large building complex, unicorn seal, shell bangles, beads, copper bangles, needles, antimony rods, steatite micro beads; pottery include large and medium size jars, beaker, dishes, dish-on-stand, perforated jars etc.; fine red pottery with black painted designs etc. were found during 1980-81 excavations.
• Animal remains of cattle, buffalo, fish, sheep, wild pig and rabbit were also found.

Khirasara:

• Khirasara is an archaeological site belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization.
• The site is located in Gujarat.
• Specimens of fine perforated pottery were discovered from the site during the excavation.
• A “warehouse” found at the site had 14 parallel walls. The warehouse measured 28 metres by 12 metres while the walls had an average length of 10.8 metres and 1.55 metres breadth. Its structure above the walls was made of wood.
• Bone pots (used to preserve ash and bones after death) and pieces of shells have been recovered from the rooms of the houses.

Article Link: An ancient Dravidian language link with the Indus Valley civilisation

Solution (d)

The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index’ (CCRI) is UNICEF’s first focussed on children. 

It ranks countries based on children’s exposure to climate and environmental shocks such as cyclones and heatwaves, as well as their vulnerability to those shocks based on their access to essential services.

Key Findings of the report:

• India is among four South Asian countries where children are most at risk of the impacts of climate change threatening their health, education, and protection
• Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India are among four South Asian countries where children are at extremely high risk of the impacts of the climate crisis, with a ranking of 14th, 15th, 25th and 26th respectively.
• CCRI has placed India as one of the 33 extremely high-risk countries with flooding and air pollution being the repeated environmental shocks leading to socio-economic adverse consequences for women and children.
• Approximately 1 billion children live in one of the 33 countries classified as “extremely high-risk”, including the four South Asian countries.
• It is estimated that more than 600 million Indians will face ‘acute water shortages’ in the coming years, while at the same time flash flooding is to increase significantly in the majority of India’s urban areas once the global temperature increase rises above 2° Celsius. Twenty-one of the world’s 30 cities with the most polluted air in 2020 were in India.

Article Link: Children in India, 3 other South Asian nations at extremely high risk of climate crisis impacts

Solution (c)

The Ministry of Finance has launched ‘Ubharte Sitaare’ Alternative Investment Fund to facilitate debt and equity funding to export-oriented MSMEs (Micro Small and medium Enterprises).

The fund, which has a corpus of Rs 250 crore, is aimed at identifying export-oriented units with technological, product or process advantages in their sectors and supporting them with funding and advisory services to accelerate their growth.

The scheme diagnoses such challenges and provides support through a mix of structured support covering equity, debt and technical assistance. It will also have a Greenshoe Option of Rs 250 crore.

The fund has been set up jointly by Exim Bank and SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) which will invest in the fund by way of equity and equity-like products in export-oriented units, in both manufacturing and services sectors.

Article Link: FM launches Ubharte Sitaare Fund; says MSMEs are the backbone of the economy

Solution (d)

The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has commissioned the largest floating solar photovoltaic (PV) project of 25 MW on the reservoir of its Simhadri thermal station in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).

This project has the potential to generate electricity for around 7,000 households from more than 1 lakh solar PV modules.

This is also the first solar project to be set up under the Flexibilisation Scheme, notified by the Government of India which allows power generation companies to meet their supply obligations via renewable power instead of only thermal power.

Article Link: NTPC commissions 25 MW floating solar PV project at Simhadri