GS 2
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
- The 15th Finance Commission report.
The issue in news
Finance panel submits report with separate section on States’ finances
Main points
- The Fifteenth Finance Commission has finalised its report for fund devolution from the Centre to States for the five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
- The Commission was asked to give its recommendations on many unique and wide-ranging issues in its terms of reference.
- Besides its main recommendation on devolution of funds between the Centre and the States for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26, the Commission addressed all its unique terms of reference, such as:
- Considering a new non-lapsable fund for financing national security and defence spending.
- Offering performance incentives to the States that deliver on reforms.
- Apart from the main report, uniquely titled Finance Commission in Covid Times, the 15th Finance Commission presented two volumes as part of its submissions.
- One focuses on the state of the Centre’s finances, with in-depth scrutiny of the key departments, medium-term challenges facing the Centre and a road map for future.
- The other volume is dedicated to the States, with the finances of each analysed in great depth. It has come up with State-specific considerations to address the key challenges that individual States face.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- India, Maldives sign four MoUs to boost ties
The issue in news
New Delhi and Male have signed four agreements during India’s Foreign Secretary’s visit to the Maldives.
Main points
- It includes a $100 million Indian grant for an ambitious connectivity project.
- This is a part of India’s “$500 million package” for the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP).
- The two governments had earlier inked a deal for a $400 million line of credit from the Exim Bank of India.
- Two MoUs have been signed for high impact community development projects.
- A fourth MoU was signed on cooperation in sports and youth affairs.
Note:
Amid India’s concern over China’s growing influence in the region, the ties with the Maldives have remained under sharp focus.
GS 3
Category: ECONOMY
- Academic credit banks, degree with entry and exit option soon
The issue in news
Changes to be brought about under the first National Agricultural Education Policy.
Details:
The policy is set to bring:
- Academic credit banks.
- Degree programmes with multiple entry and exit options to the 74 universities focussed on crop sciences, fisheries, veterinary and dairy training and research.
- The new policy is drafted to usher in some changes to the academic life of students of agricultural universities in line with the National Education Policy.
Note:
- The Student READY (Rural Entrepreneurship Awareness Development Yojana) programme requires all students to undertake a six-month internship, usually in their fourth year, to gain hands-on training, rural awareness, industry experience, research expertise and entrepreneurship skills.
Challenges:
- A major challenge for agricultural universities could be the push for multi-disciplinarity.
- Another major challenge is to ensure that experiential learning is made available to all students if the multiple entry-exit system is implemented.
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