Performance Grading Index 2.0

Source: IE 

Why in News? 

The Ministry of Education released the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 report for the years 2022–23 and 2023–24, assessing the performance of states and Union Territories (UTs) in school education.  

What is the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0? 

• About: The Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 is an evidence-based framework developed by the Ministry of Education, to assess the school education system across all States and UTs through a structured and data-driven approach. 
• Launched in: PGI was originally launched in 2017 and was revamped as PGI 2.0 in 2021 to align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
• Indicators & Grading Mechanism: PGI 2.0 assesses school education through 73 indicators across 2 categories (Outcomes and Governance & Management) which are further divided into 6 domains.  
  • PGI 2.0 scores are graded on a scale of 1,000 points, classified into 10 performance levels, ranging from Daksh (highest) to Akanshi-3 (lowest). 
• Data Sources: Based on data from the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021, Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), and information on the mid-day meal programme (PM-POSHAN). 

What are the Key Findings of Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 for 2023–24? 

• Top Performers:  Chandigarh topped with a score of 703, followed by Punjab (631.1) and Delhi (623.7). 
  • Chandigarh maintained top rank for 3 consecutive years. 
  • Other high performers scoring in the 581–640 range include Kerala, Gujarat, Odisha, Haryana, Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. 
• No State in Top Grade: No State/UT scored in the highest performance band (761–1,000 points). 
• Bottom Performers: Meghalaya ranked lowest with a score of 417.9, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (461.4), Mizoram (464.2), Nagaland (468.6), and Bihar (471.9). 
• Middle Performers: States scoring in the 521–580 range include Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. 
• Improvement Trend: 25 out of 36 States/UTs improved their PGI scores in 2023–24 compared to 2022–23. 
• Widening Inter-State Disparity: A gap of over 300 points between the highest (719) and lowest (417) scores highlights wide disparities in school education performance across States/UTs. 
• Best Improvements in Access: Bihar and Telangana showed the highest improvement in the Access to Education domain (enrolment, retention, transition, out-of-school children). 
• Best Improvements in Infrastructure: Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Telangana registered the highest gains in Infrastructure & Facilities (toilets, clean water, electricity, digital resources, etc.). 

 

Drishti Mains Question: "Quality of education is not merely about access, but also outcomes." Discuss the challenges in improving learning outcomes in India’s school education system. Suggest reforms.

Sahitya Akademi Yuva & Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2025

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

The Sahitya Akademi (India’s National Academy of Letters) announced the Yuva Puraskar for 23 writers and Bal Sahitya Puraskar for 24 authors across 24 Indian languages for 2025. 

What is Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar & Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar? 

Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 

• About: Instituted in 2011, this annual award recognises young Indian writers aged 35 or below for their original literary works in any of the 24 Indian languages, including English, recognised by the Sahitya Akademi. 
• Award Components: Rs 50,000 cash prize, an engraved copper plaque, and a citation. 
• Eligibility Criteria: Work must be original (creative or critical), published within the last 5 years, and at least 49 pages long. 
  • Award is given once per author per language. 
  • Ineligible works include translations, abridgements, theses, e-books, posthumous publications, and works by NRIs, PIOs, or dual citizens. 
• Selection Process: Public call for entries → Preliminary evaluation by referees → Final selection by a three-member language jury → Approval by Executive Board → Winners announced at a special function. 

Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar 

• About: Instituted in 2010, it is awarded annually to honour outstanding children’s literature meant for readers aged 9 to 16 years, in the 24 Indian languages recognised by the Akademi. 
• Award Components: Rs 50,000, an engraved plaque, a shawl, and a citation. 
• Eligibility Criteria: 
  • Work must be original and creative, published within the preceding 5 years. 
  • At least 3 eligible books are required in a language for the award to be considered. 
    • Myth adaptations are allowed. 
    • Posthumous works are eligible if the author passed away within the 5-year window. 
  • Ineligible works include translations, anthologies, abridgements, theses,and works by Board members, Fellows, or Bhasha Samman awardees. 

What is Sahitya Akademi & Its Awards? 

• About Sahitya Akademi: It is an autonomous organisation established in 1952 and formally inaugurated in 1954, dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. It was registered as a society in 1956 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.  
  • It has its head office in Delhi and regional offices in Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, and Agartala. 
• Functions: 
  • Encourage inter-lingual literary dialogue, mutual translations, and publication of literary works. 
  • Produces journals, monographs, anthologies, encyclopedias, bibliographies, and histories of literature. 
• Awards & Honours: The Akademi confers 24 Annual Literary Awards (one in each recognised language) and 24 Translation Awards for works translated from and into Indian languages.  
  • It also presents the Bhasha Samman for contributions to unrecognised languages and classical/medieval literature.  
  • Eminent writers are honoured through Fellowships (such as the Anand Coomaraswamy and Premchand Fellowships) and are elected as Fellows and Honorary Fellows of the Akademi. 
• Sahitya Akademi Awards: Established in 1954, these annual literary honours conferred by the Sahitya Akademi for outstanding books of literary merit in any of the 22 languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, as well as in English and Rajasthani. 
  • It is the second-highest literary honour by the Government of India, after the Jnanpith award.

King Cobra

Source: IE 

A king cobra from Karnataka’s Pilikula Biological Park, brought to Bhopal’s Van Vihar National Park under an animal exchange programme (2 tigers for 2 cobras) to introduce the species in Madhya Pradesh, has died. 

• About King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah): It is the world’s longest venomous snake, with neurotoxic venom that causes muscle paralysis by blocking nerve signals. 
  • Biological & Behavioral Traits: It is oviparous, the only snake that builds and guards its nest until eggs are hatched, and its venom is used to produce pain relievers like Cobroxin and Nyloxin. 
    • It is part of the big four responsible for most snakebite deaths in India (with Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper, common krait). 
  • Diet: It primarily preys on other snakes (such as rat snakes, dhamans, and cobras) and is diurnal, meaning it is active during the day. 
  • Habitat: It is found in rainforests, bamboo thickets, mangroves, high-altitude grasslands, and near rivers, with a range spanning India, southern China, and Southeast Asia. 
  • Conservation Status:  
    • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable 
    • CITES: Appendix II 
    • Wildlife Protection Act (1972): Schedule II 
• About Van Vihar National Park: Van Vihar National Park, located in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), lies next to the Upper Lake (Bada Talab), a Ramsar Site and part of the Bhoj Wetland.  
  • It serves as a rescue centre for lions, tigers, sloth bears, and other animals saved from circuses and conflict zones.  
  • The park is also a Conservation Breeding Centre for the Hard Ground Barasingha and Gyps vultures.

Read More: Ophiophagus Kaalinga

India’s First 3nm Chip Design Centres

Source: TH 

The Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology launched India's first 3-nanometre (3nm) chip design centres in Noida and Bengaluru, positioning the country among a select few nations at the forefront of chip technology. 

• In another development, the Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of a display driver chip manufacturing unit in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh (UP). 
  • This is the first semiconductor fabrication unit in UP and the 6th approved under Phase I of the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM), with production set to begin by 2027. 
• The launch of a new semiconductor learning kit designed to strengthen practical hardware skills among engineering students was also announced. 
  • Over 270 academic institutions, which have already received access to advanced Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software tools through the India Semiconductor Mission, will also receive these hands-on kits.  
• Other Initiatives: 
  • Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme 
  • Production Linked Incentive scheme (PLI) 
  • Digital RISC-V (DIR-V) program 
  • Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) for Semiconductors. 
• 3nm Chip Technology: 3nm chip technology incorporates more transistors than 5nm and 7nm chips, offering higher performance, improved energy efficiency, and lower heat generation, making them crucial for advanced computing, AI, and mobile devices. 

Read More: Semiconductor Chip Manufacturing Technology.

Mount Denali

Source: LM 

A mountaineer from Kerala and his team became stranded on Mount Denali, known for its severe weather and steep vertical climbs, during their mission to display a banner honouring the armed forces for Operation Sindoor. 

Mount Denali (Mount McKinley) 

• About: It is the highest peak (6,190 meters) in North America (part of the Alaska Range, US) and is the central feature of Denali National Park and Preserve. 
  • Denali is the 3rd-highest of the Seven Summits (the tallest peaks on all seven continents). 
• Geological Features: It is a massive granite block, formed from the collision of the Wrangellia Composite Terrane (oceanic plate)  with the North American Plate, and uplifted by tectonic activity starting about 60 million years ago. 

 

• Physical Characteristics: It has two major summits, with the southern peak being higher, and its upper half is covered by permanent snowfields, feeding glaciers like Kahiltna, Muldrow, Peters, Ruth, and Traleika. 
• Naming: Formerly called Mount McKinley, it was renamed Denali in 2015 to honor the indigenous Koyukon people, but in 2025, the US President restored the name Mount McKinley.

Read More: Denali Fault

Skin Diseases as Global Public Health Priority

Source: TH

The 78th World Health Assembly (WHA), for the first time, recognised skin health as a global priority by adopting the resolution ‘Skin diseases as a global public health priority’. 

• This resolution was led by countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Togo, redefining skin health as a global public health, equity, and dignity issue, shifting it beyond cosmetic concerns and spotlighting a burden affecting 1.9 billion people, especially in low- and middle-income nations (LMICs). 

Key Highlights of WHA Resolution on Skin Health 

• Global Action Plan: A Global Action Plan will be developed by WHA-80 (2027) with a focus on prevention, early detection, treatment, and enhancing environmental resilience. 
• Surveillance & Diagnostics: Emphasises strengthening disease surveillance, diagnostic capacity, and addressing Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and climate-linked skin conditions. 
• Global Cooperation: WHO resolution urges integration of skin disease care into primary health systems, promotion of inclusive research (especially for skin of colour and neglected diseases), improved access to treatments, and development of national registries and frontline capacity. 
  • India, with its high skin disease burden, can leverage this to strengthen public dermatologic care, boost research, expand primary care training, and advocate for insurance coverage. 

World Health Assembly (WHA) 

• It is the decision-making body of WHO which meets annually in Geneva to set policies, oversee financial administration, and approve the programme budget, playing a vital role in shaping global health priorities and coordinating international health responses. 

Read More: 76th Annual World Health Assembly