Source: The Hindu What is the ‘nine-dash’ line? The ‘nine-dash line’ stretches hundreds of kilometers south and east of its southerly Hainan Island, covering the strategic Paracel and Spratly island chains. China lays its claims on these islands by citing 2,000 years of history when the two island chains were regarded as its integral parts. … Continue reading The Nine-dash Line

Author: TCA Sharad Raghavan Source: The Hindu The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris on November 30, 2015. The idea was to form a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to collaborate on addressing the identified gaps … Continue reading What is International Solar Alliance?

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is an scheme by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India to provide best quality e-learning resources to students across country. An Indian platform called Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) is being developed for hosting of MOOCs. SWAYAM-MOOCs project is intended to address the … Continue reading Massive Open Online Courses 

Key initiatives by Ministry of Human Resource Development to promote Digital Education: 1. SWAYAM:  SWAYAM will provide one integrated platform and portal for online courses, using information and communication technology (ICT) and covering all higher education subjects and skill sector courses. As on date, more than 28 Lakhs learners have been enrolled in 1000+ MOOCs courses that … Continue reading Digital Education and Literacy

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The methodology draws from the overall recommendations broad understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD, to identify … Continue reading National Institutional Ranking Framework

Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) is an initiative of the Government of India in Higher Education aimed at tapping the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs, internationally to encourage their engagement with the institutes of Higher Education in India so as to augment the country's existing academic resources, accelerate the pace of quality reform, … Continue reading Global Initiative for Academic Networks

IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology or IMPRINT is a first-of-its-kind Pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative to develop: (a) New Education Policy, and (b) Roadmap for Research to solve major engineering and technology challenges in selected domains needed by the country. The IMPRINT scheme has been initiated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. Source: Press Information Bureau & Ministry … Continue reading IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology or IMPRINT

Source: The Hindu Business Line Author: Rajalakshmi Nirmal The Center's moves to stop domestic market prices of agricultural commodities from falling, be it by increasing the minimum support price (MSP), hiking import duty or levying a minimum import price (as in the case of pepper), have not been effective. While market prices do go up … Continue reading Why crop prices are falling despite higher MSP, stiffer import tariffs

The Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation (BCIM) is a sub-regional organisation of Asian nations aimed at greater integration of trade and investment between the four countries. BCIM Economic Corridor The BCIM Economic Corridor is an initiative conceptualized for significant gains through sub-regional economic cooperation within the BCIM. The multi-modal corridor will be the first expressway between India and China and will pass through Myanmar and Bangladesh. … Continue reading BCIM Forum and BCIM Corridor