National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC)

NCERT forms 19-member panel for textbooks revision and the committee will formulate new textbooks for grades 3 to 12, under the NEP.

• In an internal note circulated in the Ministry of Education, the high-powered committee is named, The National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC).
• National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE 2023) was initiated with the constitution of National Steering Committee, as a follow up to the National Education Policy (NEP).
• The NCF-SE is now in the advanced stages of development and shall act as the reference point and guiding roadmap for the syllabus and textbook developers for School Educational over the country.
• The NSTC will be assisted by Curricular Area Groups (CAGs) to develop textbooks and other teaching learning materials for each of the subjects included in the syllabus.
• The Chairperson and Co-chairperson of NSTC will constitute the CAGs with appropriate experts and with the support of NCERT.
• The NSTC will be free to invite other experts for advice, consultation, and support as and when required.
• The NSTC will be assisted by a Programme Office set-up by the NCERT and NCERT shall provide all necessary expertise and support as per the needs of the INSTC.

Nuclear Bombs

• Nuclear Fission – This process of breaking up of a heavier nucleus into 2 smaller nuclei with the release of a large amount of energy and a few neutrons is called 'nuclear fission'.
• Atom bomb – The atom bomb is based on the principle of uncontrolled chain reaction, in which the number of neutrons and the number of fission reactions multiply in a geometrical progression.
• Uranium – Naturally occurring uranium, cannot be used in a weapon, or nuclear power plants.
• Nuclear Fusion – The process in which two lighter nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus is termed as 'nuclear fusion'.
• Nuclear fusion is also called as thermonuclear reaction which is possible only at an extremly high temperature and high pressure to push the hydrogen nuclei closer to fuse with each other.
• Hydrogen Bomb – It is based on the principle of nuclear fusion.
• A hydrogen bomb is always designed to have an inbuilt atom bomb which creates the high temperature and pressure required for fusion when it explodes.

Katchatheevu

• Katchatheevu is an uninhabited islet in the Palk Strait that was formed due to volcanic eruption in the 14th century.
• This 285-acre land was owned by the Raja of Ramanathapuram.
• Later, it became part of the Madras Presidency after the delimitation of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait during British rule between the then governments of Madras and Ceylon.
• During the British rule, it was administered jointly by India and Sri Lanka.
• This island is strategically important for fishing activities.
• In 1921, both Sri Lanka and India claimed this piece of land for fishing and the dispute remained unsettled.
• In 1974, then prime minister Indira Gandhi accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan territory under the Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement.
• The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on 29 July 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene.

Manuscripts

• A manuscript is a handwritten composition on paper, bark, cloth, metal, palm leaf or any other material dating back at least seventy-five years that has significant scientific, historical or aesthetic value.
• Lithographs and printed volumes are not manuscripts.
• Manuscripts are found in hundreds of different languages and scripts.
• Often, one language is written in a number of different scripts.
• For example, Sanskrit is written in Oriya script, Grantha script, Devanagari script and many other scripts.
• Manuscripts are distinct from historical records such as epigraphs on rocks, firmans, revenue records which provide direct information on events or processes in history.
• Manuscripts have knowledge content ranging from history and religion to literature, astrology, and agricultural practice.
• India possesses an estimated 10 million manuscripts in 80 ancient scripts like Brahmi, Kushan, Gaudi, Lepcha, and Maithili.

• National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) – It is an autonomous body under the Culture Ministry, which is mandated with preserving the vast manuscript wealth of India.
• The Bakhshali manuscript – It is an ancient Indian mathematical text written on birch bark, is considered to be the earliest recorded example of the use of zero.
• The seminal text, dating back roughly to the third or fourth century A.D., is in one of the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford.
• Many other Indian manuscripts lie in libraries across the globe or are with private collectors, both in India and abroad.

Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) Scheme

Around 14 States yet to join Centre’s flagship education scheme.

• New name – PM-USHA is the new name for the Ministry of Education’s scheme to improve the quality of higher education in State Universities.
• Aim – To improve quality through curricular & programme changes, teacher training, physical and digital infrastructure, accreditation, and enhancing employability, while ensuring equity, access, and inclusion.
• States are required to sign a MoU with the Centre.
• The MoU mandates the implementation of the National Education Policy in order to avail funds for the next 3 years, under the Centre’s flagship scheme for State-run higher education.
• Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are among 14 States and Union Territories, which are yet to sign a crucial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Education Ministry.
• Nearly 40% of the PM USHA budget must be borne by the States themselves, and no extra funds have been earmarked for NEP reforms.
• The MoU makes it mandatory for States to undertake the administrative, academic, accreditation, and governance reforms detailed in the NEP.
• These include an academic credit bank, entry and exit flexibility, and the Samarth e-governance platform.
• PM-USHA carries forward the vision of the earlier Rashtriya Uchstar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), to improve the access, equity and quality of higher education in States.
• PM-USHA reduces the fragmentation of resources by streamlining the number of (scheme) components to six.