Ministry of Education observes Literacy Week under ULLAS (GS Paper 2, Education)
Why in news?
- The Government of India has decided to organise a literacy week from 1st September to 8th September 2023 to celebrate International Literacy Day for generating awareness among all the stakeholders/ beneficiaries/ citizens about the ULLAS- Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram.
Vision:
- The week-long literacy campaign shall enable mass participation to inculcate a sense of Kartavyabodh and Janbhagidari in each and every citizen of the nation.
- This vision would popularise the scheme and help attain the goal of making India fully literate.
- Another main objective will be to increase the number of registrations for learners and volunteers on the ULLAS mobile app.
About ULLAS:
- A Centrally Sponsored Scheme ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) - Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram on Education for All (erstwhile termed as Adult Education), was approved by Government of India for implementation during FYs 2022-27 in alignment with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- It’s aim is to support the States and Union Territories in promoting literacy among non-literates in the age group of 15 and above, across the country covering 5 crore non-literates during the implementation period from 2022-23 to 2026-27.
The Scheme has five components, namely
- Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
- Critical Life Skills
- Basic Education
- Vocational Skills
- Continuing Education.
The salient features:
- involvement of school students, pre-service students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), school teachers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, NYKS, NSS, NCC volunteers,
- school to be unit for implementation of the scheme
- use of ICT and online implementation of the scheme through ‘Online Teaching Learning and Assessment System’ (OTLAS)
- Material and resources through digital modes, viz, TV, radio, cell phone-based free/open-source Apps/portals, etc.
- Assessment tests to be conducted in schools by State/UTs and evaluation of learners by NIOS/SIOS; assessment on demand through OTLAS and generation of e-certificates,
- Sample achievement survey and
- Online MIS.
- The logo, slogan/tagline-Jan Jan Sakshar and popular name- ULLAS of Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram was launched in July 2023 during the celebration of 3rd anniversary of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Centre announces 3 Quality Control Orders for 7 non-ferrous refined metal items
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Ministry of Mines has notified three Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for seven items.
- These QCOs mark the first technical regulations from Ministry of Mines under the BIS Act.
Details:
- The QCO for Aluminium and Aluminium Alloys mandates compulsory certification under the appropriate Indian Standards (IS) for the domestic production and import of aluminium and aluminium alloy (ingots and casting); high purity primary aluminium ingot; aluminium alloy ingots for bearings; primary aluminium ingots for remelting; and aluminium ingots, billets and wire bars (EC grade).
- The remaining two QCOs provide appropriate IS standards for copper and for nickel powder.
Significance:
- The development of mandatory QCOs help curb the import of sub-standard products, prevent unfair trade practices, and ensure supply of quality products to the domestic consumers including industrial users.
- The notified QCOs will ensure the standard and quality of aluminium metal and alloys, copper and nickel to the benefit of the user industry.
- The QCOs will ensure Indian product quality in these items akin to global standards, and enhance the brand value of ‘Make in India’ in the international market.
Children from void marriages entitled to parents’ share in property, says SC
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
Why in news?
- The Supreme Court recently held that a child born of a void or voidable marriage can inherit their parents’ share in a joint Hindu family property governed by the Mitakshara law.
- A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, however, clarified that such a child would not be entitled to rights in or to the property of any other person in the family.
Details:
- A voidable marriage is one that is made invalid by the husband or wife through a decree. A void marriage is invalid at its very inception.
- The Mitakashara law of succession governing Hindu undivided families applies to the whole of India, except West Bengal and Assam.
Notional partition:
- The first step to inheritance for a child from a void or voidable marriage would be to ascertain their parent’s exact share in the ancestral property.
- This could be done by means of conducting a “notional partition” of the ancestral property and calculating how much of the property the parent would have got immediately before their death.
- For the purpose of ascertaining the interest of a deceased Hindu Mitakshara coparcener, the law mandates the assumption of a state of affairs immediately prior to the death of the coparcener, namely, a partition of the coparcenary property between the deceased and the other members of the coparcenary.
- When the share of the deceased in the property that would be allotted to him if a partition had taken place immediately before his death is ascertained, his heirs, including children who have been conferred with legitimacy, will be entitled to their shares in the property which would have been allotted to the deceased on the notional partition.
Legitimacy:
- Section 16 of the Hindu Marriage Act has statutorily conferred legitimacy to children born out of void or voidable marriages.
- Section 16(3) of the Act stipulates that children from void and voidable marriages would have a right to their parents’ property.
- The court said that the intent of granting legitimacy to such children in the Hindu Marriage Act should also be reflected in the Hindu Succession Act, which governs inheritance.
- Children from void or voidable marriages come within the ambit of “legitimate kinship”, and cannot be regarded as illegitimate by the Hindu Succession Act when it comes to inheritance.
Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005:
- After the enactment of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, the share of a deceased person in a joint Hindu family governed by Mitakashara law can be devolved to his heirs by testamentary or intestate succession.
- Prior to the amendment, the devolution was only through survivorship. Besides, the amendment gave equal rights of succession to women as well as men.
