KARNATAKA
Government school enrolment rises in rural Karnataka: Report
Karnataka has seen a substantial increase in children joining government schools in the past two years, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2020 (Wave 1).
The number of boys enrolling in rural Karnataka government schools in class 1 increased 15% to reach 74% this year. For girls, the number rose to 73% (7% increase). The overall spike across all classes was from 66.2% to 71.6%.
The trend is visible nationally. According to the report, government schools have seen a 3% increase in girls and 4% in boys. It attributes financial distress in households and permanent shutdowns among private schools for the shift nationally.
Experts say the increase could have happened after the government started the enrolment drive through teachers and also due to Vidyagama, the outreach programme.
Karnataka is among the top five states when it comes to teachers reaching out to children during the pandemic. Around 61% government school children and 56% of their counterparts in private institutions had their teachers calling or visiting them. Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Kerala are the other states with good teacher connect. Around 55% of the parents/students contacted the teachers.
Around 28% students in Karnataka had three or more activities in the reference week; 33% had two and 20% had one. Around 18% students had no activity.
Interestingly, 94% of Karnataka’s government school children have textbooks as opposed to 76% of their counterparts in private schools.
INTERNATIONAL
International Poverty Eradication Day: 17 October
October 17 is marked as the International Poverty Eradication Day.
The main aim of this day is to raise awareness about the people who are struggling and living in poverty. It is necessary to remove poverty mainly in developing countries.
According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, one of the keys to ending child poverty is addressing poverty in the household, from which it often stems. 
Access to quality social services must be a priority.
2020 Theme: Acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all
BepiColombo Spacecraft crossed Venus
The BepiColombo SpaceCraft has crossed the Venus in its journey towards Mercury.
BepiColombo is a joint mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to the smallest planet Mercury.
The mission comprises two satellites launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and MercuryMagnetospheric Orbiter, MMO(MIO)
This mission will perform a comprehensive study of Mercury, including characterisation of its magnetic field, magnetosphere, and both interior and surface structure.
NATIONAL
India designated Vice-Chair of OECD Working Group on GLP
India has been designated the Vice-Chair of Good Laboratory Practice, GLP Working Group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recognising the contribution of the Indian GLP programme.
Good Laboratory Practice is a quality system, which has been evolved by OECD to ensure that safety data generated on various chemicals like industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products and medical devices can be relied upon by regulatory authorities.
The Department of Science and Technology had established the National GLP Compliance Monitoring Authority (NGCMA) with the approval of the Union Cabinet on April, 2002.
The OECD is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 37 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade.
Headquarters: Paris, France
Govt bans imports of air conditioners with refrigerants
The government banned the import of air conditioners in its latest bid to boost domestic production by checking the entry of “non-essential” goods into the country.
They join the list of products such as tyres, TVs sets and agarbattis where import restrictions have been imposed.
ACs have been identified as potential items for focus on domestic manufacturing as components are imported in large quantities.
Govt to launch e-mart for artisans, digital monitoring for ‘Van Dhan start-ups’
With the pandemic leaving many without work, the government is all set to launch an e-marketplace by July end to host around 5000 tribal artisans to begin with. The government sees this e-mart as a way to create an independent online space of artisans to put out their products that have been wasting away in the absence of buyers.
The government commissioned on trial a website that will give all details, statistics and real-time information of the VDVKs and also enable GPS linkages to connect those executing the activities in the villages to those monitoring the scheme in the states and in the central government. After the trial run till June 30, a formal launch is expected.
AIM collaborates with CGI to promote Innovation across schools
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), an initiative of NITI Aayog, has signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) with Client Global Sights (CGI) India in the view of speeding up the innovation across the schools. The partnership aims to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country.
As part of the SOI, CGI has agreed to adopt 100 schools with ATLs across Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai to promote and train students.
CGI India is one of the largest IT and business consulting services organisations. CGI has collaborated for creating a successful and innovative workforce from the ATL schools as it is a part of Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) initiative.
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