ð In a setback to higher education in Gujarat, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad has slipped its position to number 2 in the Ministry of Human Resource and Developments annual ranking released. The ministry’s National Institutional Ranking Framework, which is now in its third year, evaluates colleges and universities across the country based on various parameters including teaching and learning resources, research practices, inclusivity and placement records.

ð Only two institutes from Gujarat made it to the top 100 in overall ranking that included Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar at 51 rank and Anand Agricultural University at rank 96. In individual categories, IITGN showed improvement with rank 24 as against 27 last year. Two colleges from Gujarat made it to top 100, improving their positions.

INTERNATIONAL

World Hemophilia Day: 17 April

Every year April 17 is celebrated as World Hemophilia Day to increase awareness about haemophilia and other bleeding disorders.

This year, the theme of World Hemophilia Day is ‘outreach and identification’.

Haemophilia is an inherited genetic disorder that weakens the ability of the body to clot blood.

The deficiency of a clotting protein in the blood leads to haemophilia.

Google opened its first Africa Artificial Intelligence lab in Ghana

has opened an Artificial Intelligence (AI) research lab in Ghana’s capital Accra, reportedly the first of its kind in Africa, to take on challenges across the continent.
The lab would develop solutions in areas including agriculture, like helping in diagnosing certain types of crop disease.
Using Google’s AI machine app ‘TensorFlow’, farmers analyze the issue with their plants and boost their production. TensorFlow was outsourced by the company to help developers generate solutions to real-world problems.
Tech giant Google opened new research centers across the globe such as in Tokyo, Zurich, New York, and Paris, to exhibit itself as AI first company in front of the world.
Google joins Facebook and other tech companies, in launching projects in Africa with a keen eye on the continent’s rising youth population.

Mount Everest get an eco friendly toilet

Mount Everest is to get an “eco-friendly” toilet at a Chinese campsite 7,028 metres (23,058 feet) above sea level in an ongoing campaign to deal with the peak’s waste problem.
Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world’s highest rubbish dump. Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters, and even human excrement pollute the well-trodden route to the summit of the 8,848-metre peak.
The toilet will make it easy to collect the human waste produced by the climbers as there is a barrel with rubbish bags underneath the toilet. The waste will be collected and brought down the mountain. Similar facilities have been installed at lower camps, including at the 5,200-metre north base camp.
The waste from the base camp is taken away daily and is provided to local farmers to use as fertiliser. Thetemporary toilets will be removed at the end of the climbing season. Governments on both sides of the mountain have been battling the human waste and trash left by an increasing number of climbers. In February, China banned non-climbers from accessing its Everest base camp in Tibet in an attempt to clean up its side of the mountain.

NATIONAL

India rebuilds Chhyoiphel Kundeling monastery in Nepal

India has rebuilt Chhyoiphel Kundeling Monastery in Nepal.

The Monastery has been reconstructed with Government of India grant of 18.9 million Nepalese rupees.

The Chhyoiphel Kundeling Monastery was established in 1946 with the active initiation and contribution of Lisankhu villagers.

India and France to hold their largest Naval Exercise VARUNA

India and France are all set to hold their largest-ever naval exercise with aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines and fighters early May as part of their expanding strategic partnership.
The exercise has been christened ‘Varuna’ and will take place off Goa and Karwar from 1 May 2019.
The conduct of Varuna exercise was reiterated in the Joint Statement made by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France, on the 10th of March 2018.
This comes after the successful operationalisation of the logistics support agreement between India and France under which Indian warships can access the French bases like Reunion Islands and in Djibouti.
Under the same pact, French anti-aircraft destroyer FNS Cassard had docked at the Mumbai naval port in January 2019. This was second such logistics support agreement signed by India after the one signed by it with United States (US) in 2016.

INS Kolkata and INS Shakti to arrive in China to participate in IFR

Indian Naval Ships Kolkata and Shakti will arrive at Qingdao in China to participate in the International Fleet Review IFR as part of 70th Anniversary celebrations of People’s Liberation Army (Navy).

International Fleet Review is a parade of naval ships, aircraft and submarines, and is organised by nations to promote goodwill, strengthen cooperation and showcase their organisational capabilities.

IFR also serves as an ideal platform for the world’s navies to showcase their prowess and indigenous ship designing and shipbuilding capabilities in a global and international arena.

Cabinet approved the funds for implementing 10 percent EWS Quota

Union cabinet approved the sanction of Rs 4315.15 crore for the 158 Central Educational Institutions (CEIs) for implementation of reservation in admission to students belonging to Economically Weaker Section (EWS).
With the approval of the Cabinet, over 2 lakh additional seats will be created in 158 Central Educational Institutions (CEIs) across the country to implement 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS).
While 1,19,983 additional seats will be created during 2019-20 academic session, 95,783 seats will be added in 2020-21.
The Rajya Sabha on January 9 approved amending the Constitution to provide 10% reservation to general category poor in jobs and education, with the government terming the landmark move as “slog over sixes”.
The quota will be over and above the existing 50 per cent reservation to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

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