Category Social Sciences

When Vyapam scam was broke out?

The Vyqapam scam broke out in 2013 after the Indore police arrested 20 people for impersonating candidates in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, popularly known as Vyapam (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal). Vyapam held competitive exams for recruitment to government jobs and for admissions to state-run medical colleges. The scam involved recruitment of undeserving candidates who allegedly bribed politicians and officials to get high ranks in the exams. It got murkier when a number of people-whistleblowers, witnesses and alleged beneficiaries-died under mysterious circumstances during the course of the investigations which revealed large-scale fraud committed by multiple rackets for years. In February 2017, the Supreme Court cancelled the degrees of 634 doctors.

 

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What is Nirbhaya case?

In December 2012, Delhi witnessed a horrific crime that sparked anger and outrage across the country. A 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya, was gang-raped on a moving bus and assaulted by six persons before being dumped on the road. Nirbhaya did not survive the attack. Changes in the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013 to lay down stringent punishment for sexual offences against women followed. And that’s how the law came to popularly referred to as ‘The Nirbhaya Act’. Subsequently, the Nirbhaya Fund was created to be utilized for projects meant to improve safety of women in public places.

One of the six accused in the Nirbhaya case, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail. A juvenile accused was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term. A Delhi court issued death warrants all four convicts in the case and ordered they be hanged on Feb 1.

 

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Which institution in India works with the UNESCO to achieve its educational goals?

UNESCO has always strived to refine and redefine education. The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) was set up for the same purpose.

MGIEP is an educational research institute that was established in 2012 in Delhi. The institute works to implement education for building up a peaceful and sustainable society.

Various research programmes are carried out by the institute. For instance, it recently conducted a study to find out the effect of peace education. It also uses the help of the internet to conduct online campaigns.

The work of MGIEP is done in collaboration with the United Nations University in Japan. Dr. Anantha Kumar Duraiapparh, an experienced environmental development economist is the director of the institute.

 

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How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are there in India?

UNESCO has marked the important places with cultural and natural heritage as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 38 World Heritage Sites are located in India. Taj Mahal, the Sun Temple at Konark, Khajuraho monuments, Hampi and Ajanta caves are some of the most famous among them.

India comes sixth in the list of countries with the maximum number of World Heritage Sites. Out of the 38, 30 are cultural sites. India has six natural world heritage sites too.

India has also got one mixed-criteria site which has both natural and cultural elements- the Khangchendzonga National Park. This national park is home to many endemic plants and animals. It also contains an important Buddhist monastery.

 

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Who addressed the UN General Assembly in Hindi?

While most of the Indian leaders chose to deliver speeches at the UN General Assembly in English, Atal Bihari Vajpayee chose to do something else.

Though Vajpayee was fluent in English, he spoke to the General Assembly in Hindi! Imagine delivering a speech in Hindi at the UN General Assembly, where there are representatives from across the world and English is the dominant mode of communication.

It was the first time an Indian leader addressed the UN in Hindi, or any other language other than English. Vajpayee was making clear India’s stand on various issues like nuclear disarmament, state-sponsored terrorism and reforms. Between 1977 and 2003, Vajpayee had addressed the General Assembly seven times.

 

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Why is Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit famous?

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit made her way into the history of the United Nations when she went on to become the first ever female president of the UN General Assembly.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit became the president for a year from September, 1953 after Lester B Pearson, the famous Canadian diplomat. Before representing India in the United Nations, she worked as India’s ambassador to the Soviet Union, the United States, Mexico, Ireland and Spain. She began working for the UN in 1946 and in 1979, she was appointed as the Indian representative of the UN Human Rights Commission.

India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was her brother.

 

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