General Studies for Exams: National Education Policy (NEP)

Points to remember:

• The first National Education Policy was framed in 1986 and modified in 1992.
• The draft of National Education Policy (NEP), 2019 was developed by a committee chaired by K. Kasturirangan. 
• The Draft Policy is built on foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability & Accountability.

Aims:

1. Extension of Right to Education Act - RTE, 2009 will cover all Indians between ages 3 and 18 by 2030 (from pre-school to class XII).
2. Age-appropriate foundational literacy and numeracy for every student to be achieved by 2025.
3. It proposes new Curricular and Pedagogical Structure, with 5+3+3+4 design for children in the age group 3-18 years. 
4. MHRD will be called the Ministry of Education (MoE).
5. Protect and promote our culture through the study of classical languages, mother tongues, and regional languages.
6. Promote school education, higher education and professional education (includes agricultural education, legal education, medical education and technical education).
7. Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog or the National Education Commission - apex body - to be constituted. 
• It will be chaired by the Prime Minister.
• Developing, articulating, implementing, evaluating, and revising the vision of education in the country.
• Oversee the implementation and functioning of several bodies including the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the proposed National Higher Education Regulatory Authority, and National Research Foundation.
8. The National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA) will be the only regulator for all higher education including professional education.
9. National Research Foundation: A National Research Foundation (NRF) to grant competitive funding for outstanding research proposals across all disciplines.

Read Full Draft

National Water Policy, 2012

National Water Policy is formulated by the Ministry of Water Resources to govern the planning and development of water resources and their optimum utilization. The first National Water Policy was adopted in September, 1987. It was reviewed and updated in 2002 and later in 2012. The 2012 Policy treats water as economic good which the ministry claims to promote its conservation and efficient use.

Other salient features are:

1. To ensure access to a minimum quantity of potable water for essential health and hygiene to all citizens, available within easy reach of the household.
2. To curtail subsidy to agricultural electricity users.
3. Setting up of Water Regulatory Authority in each State. The Authority, inter-alia, will fix and regulate the water tariff system and charges, in general, according to the principles stated in this Policy in an autonomous manner.
4. To keep aside a portion of the river flow to meet the ecological needs and to ensure that the low and high flow releases correspond in time closely to the natural flow regime.
5. To give statutory powers to Water Users Associations to maintain the distribution system.
6. Project benefited families to bear part of the cost of resettlement & rehabilitation of project affected families.
7. To remove the large disparity between stipulations for water supply in urban areas and in rural areas.
8. To support a National Water Framework Law.