PIB 4th September

Contents

1. 5th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meet
2. National Award to Teachers

5TH BRICS CULTURE MINISTERS’ MEET

Focus: GS-II International Relations

Why in news?

• Union Minister of State (I//C) for Culture and Tourism virtually attended 5th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting.
• During the meeting the discussion was held on the impact of the epidemiological situation on the cultural sphere in the BRICS countries and review of the possible implementation of joint cultural online-projects within BRICS.

Suggestions/Events proposed by Indian side:

• To explore possibilities of hosting a Digital Online Exhibition on a Shared theme towards end of 2021 under the auspices of BRICS Alliance of Museums, and to extend full cooperation and content sharing for website envisaged under the BRICS Alliance.
• Opening the BRICS Corner under the auspices of BRICS Alliance of Libraries proposed to be inaugurated during the India’s BRICS Presidency in 2021.
• The Corner will disseminate information related to the history and culture of BRICS countries.
• The corner will display the books, periodicals and other e-resources gifted by the BRICS countries, viz, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.
• The National Gallery of Modern Arts, New Delhi will host the BRICS Joint Exhibition titled ‘Bonding Regions & Imagining Cultural Synergies’ under the auspices of the BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries.
• The exhibition is proposed to be organized in 2021 coinciding with the BRICS event that India would be hosting in 2021.

What is BRICS?

BRICS is the international grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

• This was set up as a move towards greater multi­polarity; hence the spread across three continents and both hemispheres.
• The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on regional affairs and the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits.
• Four out of five members are among world’s ten largest countries by population and by area, except for South Africa.
• Bilateral relations among BRICS nations are conducted mainly on the basis of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.
• Currently, there are two components that make up the financial architecture of BRICS, namely, the New Development Bank (NDB) or sometimes referred to as the BRICS Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).

Achievements of BRICS

• The main achievement of BRICS is the New Development Bank, with each country contributing equally to its equity
• The bank has so far financed over 40 projects at a cost of $12 billion
• The BRICS countries are also developing a joint payments mechanism to reduce foreign trade settlements in U.S. dollars
• An offshoot of the group, dealing with climate change, is BASIC (BRICS without Russia), which met at the Spain conference in December 2019 and reiterated its support to the Paris Agreement.

NATIONAL AWARD TO TEACHERS

Focus: GS-II Social Justice

Why in news?

The President of India will virtually confer National Award to Teachers on Teachers’ Day.

National Award to Teachers

• The National Award to Teachers (instituted in 1958) are given away by the President of India on 5th September (Teacher’s Day) every year to give public recognition to meritorious teachers working in primary, middle and secondary schools.
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development has revised the guidelines for the selection of Teachers for National Awards since 2017.

Eligibility

• Normally retired teachers are not eligible for the award but those teachers who have served a part of the calendar year (at least for four months i.e. upto 30th April in the year to which National Award relates) may be considered if they fulfill all other conditions.
• Teachers whose names were recommended last year or before can be considered again if they are still otherwise eligible and are recommended by the State Government/ Union Territories.

Eligibility Limitations

• Educational Administrators, Inspectors of Education, and the staff of training Institutes are not eligible for these awards.
• Teacher/Headmaster should not have indulged in tuitions.
• Only regular Teachers and Heads of Schools will be eligible.
• Contractual Teachers and Shiksha Mitras will not be eligible.