by Editor | Aug 27, 2024 | News, Politics
Washington: US President Joe Biden spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and commended him for his “message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support” for Ukraine.
The prime minister’s visit to Kyiv on August 23 was seen in many quarters as a diplomatic balancing act as his trip to Russia last month triggered criticism from the Biden administration and anguish in some Western capitals.
During the visit, Modi told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine and Russia should sit together to end the war and that India was ready to play an “active role” in restoring peace.
In a post non ‘X’, Biden said, “I spoke with Prime Minister Modi to discuss his recent trip to Poland and Ukraine, and commended him for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine.”
“We also affirmed our commitment to working together to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” said the US president.
by Editor | Aug 27, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has suggested a new evaluation model, proposing that students’ performance in Classes 9, 10, and 11 should contribute to their Class 12 board results.
The suggestions were made in the report titled ‘Establishing Equivalence across Education Boards’ (released in the month of July).
The report suggested a progressive assessment framework for Classes 10 and 12. The new framework divides the academic year into two terms. The report also recommended that Class 12 board results to now include marks from Classes 9, 10, and 11.
The report mentioned, “The weightage of formative and summative marks will be adjusted progressively from class 9 to class 12, increasing the emphasis on summative assessment as learners advance in grades. Specifically, class 9 features a 7 per cent formative and 30 per cent summative split, class 10 an equal 50% formative and summative division, class 11 a 40 per cent formative and 60 per cent summative distribution, and class 12 a 30 per cent formative and 70 per cent summative ratio.”
“Consequently, the cumulative marks at the end of the secondary stage are 15 percent for class 9, 20 percent for class 10, 25 percent for class 11, and 40 percent for class 12,” the report mentioned. This means that students’ performance over the years will play a significant role in their final scores.
The suggested assessment framework for learners in classes 9 through 12 will employ a comprehensive approach that balances both, formative (ongoing) and summative (end-term) assessment methods to provide a holistic view of learners’ progress.
by Editor | Aug 27, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: The just-announced Unified Pension Scheme for central government employees will be available only for those who are currently subscribers of the New Pension Scheme (NPS), including retirees.
The new scheme guarantees employees 50 percent of their average basic pay over the last 12 months before retirement as a pension for a minimum qualifying service of 25 years against a market returns linked payout under the NPS.
According to the scheme approved by the Union Cabinet, the pension will be proportionate for a lesser service period of up to a minimum of 10 years. Also, an assured pension of Rs 10,000 per month on superannuation after a minimum of 10 years of service.
The scheme has been brought out to address the concerns of government employees over NPS, which came into effect on January 1, 2004.
Under the old pension scheme (OPS), effective before January 2004, employees got 50 percent of their last drawn basic pay as pension.
Unlike the old pension scheme, UPS is contributory, wherein employees will be required to contribute 10 percent of their basic salary and dearness allowance while the employer’s contribution (the central government) will be 18.5 percent.
by Editor | Aug 27, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: Union ministers, chief ministers, and elected representatives from the sarpanch to parliamentarians will spearhead the BJP’s nationwide membership drive starting on September 2, an exercise that will serve as the launch pad of the party’s internal polls leading to the election of its new president.
The start of the drive will be marked by BJP president J P Nadda renewing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s membership in the party before its senior leaders fan out across the country.
BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, who is also the head of the membership drive, appealed to people to join the party in a big way. A strong BJP will lead to the making of a ‘Viksit Bharat’, he said.
The first phase of the membership drive will go on until September 25, and then a review of the exercise will be carried out before the launch of the second phase on October 1. It will continue until October 15, he said.
Active members, a term for party workers who can contest organizational elections after making a certain number of new members, will be enrolled between October 16-31.
Sources said there was no plan to appoint a working president before a full-fledged president is elected.
by Editor | Aug 27, 2024 | Business, Economy, News
San Francisco: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday came out in support of a new California bill that aims to create guardrails around artificial intelligence (AI).
The California “SB 1047 AI safety bill” aims to prevent large AI models from being used to cause “critical harms” against humanity.
In a post on X social media platform, the tech billionaire said that “this is a tough call and will make some people upset, but, all things considered, I think California should probably pass the SB 1047 AI safety bill”.
Musk further said that for over 20 years, “I have been an advocate for AI regulation, just as we regulate any product/technology that is a potential risk to the public”.
Musk, whose own AI company xAI, would be subject to the bill’s requirements despite his pledge to leave California.
The AI bill also requires a safety protocol to prevent misuses of covered AI products, including an “emergency stop” button that shuts down the entire AI model.
