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- Why in News?
- Starting in 2025, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) will introduce a major change by assigning negative scores to higher education institutions for research papers that were retracted in the past three years, including any citations to these papers. This move aims to uphold academic integrity and promote responsible research practices among institutions.
- Key Provisions:-
- Established by the Ministry of Education in 2015, NIRF ranks institutions across India based on parameters like Teaching & Learning, Research, Graduation Outcomes, Outreach, and Perception. It helps students make informed choices and motivates institutions to enhance quality. Institutions are grouped into Category A (e.g., IITs, state universities) and Category B (affiliated colleges).
- In 2024, participation grew to over 6,500 institutions. IIT Madras, IISc Bengaluru, IIM Ahmedabad, and AIIMS Delhi continued to dominate their respective categories. The rankings also include subjects like Law, Pharmacy, Architecture, Agriculture, and Innovation, with several institutions retaining their top positions over consecutive years.
- Why in News?
- In Khetar Kanyal, a remote village in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district inhabited by the Raji tribe, the lack of a female candidate for the post of village head (pradhan) has drawn attention to deeper socio-cultural challenges within the community.
- About the Raji Tribe:
- The Raji tribe, one of India’s smallest and most isolated tribal groups, primarily lives in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region and parts of western Nepal. Also known as "Banrawats" or "Ben-Manus," they are recognized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). Traditionally forest dwellers, they speak Bat-Kha, a Tibeto-Burman language.
- Historically dependent on hunting, fishing, and gathering honey, many Rajis have gradually taken up agriculture, growing crops like rice, maize, and barley. They are also known for their craftsmanship in weaving and basket-making.
- The community has a clan-based social structure, with elders and local panchayats guiding decisions. Their homes are built with wood, mud, and stone to withstand the region's tough environment.
- Why in News?
- In a significant move toward battlefield modernisation, the Indian Army’s Ram Division recently carried out a high-intensity exercise named ‘Prachand Shakti’.
- About Exercise Prachand Shakti:
- Held at the Kharga Corps Field Training Area in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, the exercise was designed to showcase the operational use of disruptive technologies by infantry units in Strike Corps missions. It emphasized how emerging technologies can enhance the combat effectiveness, agility, and resilience of infantry formations in deep-strike operations.
- The demonstration featured advanced systems such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), artificial intelligence-driven tools, loitering munitions, and autonomous platforms, underlining the Army’s shift toward tech-driven warfare.
‘Prachand Shakti’ was part of the Indian Army’s broader initiative under the 'Year of Tech Absorption', which promotes the integration of cutting-edge, indigenous technologies—many developed by civilian innovators—into mainstream military strategies, reflecting a new era of smart and adaptive combat operations.