REGULATIONS ALLOWING FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES IN INDIA

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified regulations allowing foreign universities to establish and operate campuses in India with autonomy.
The regulations require foreign institutions to be in the top 500 in global rankings or have expertise in a specific area.
The move is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
It aims to enhance the international dimension of higher education in India.
The regulations also include provisions for scholarships, tuition fee concessions, and collaborations with Indian universities and industries.
The foreign universities can set up and operate their campuses in India with complete autonomy.
They can decide their admission process and fee structure.
They will be allowed to offer study programmes leading to the award of certificates, diplomas, degrees, research and other programmes at the undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels.
They cannot open learning centres, study centres, or franchises that may act as representative offices of the parent entity to undertake promotional activities for their programmes in their home jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction outside India.
They cannot offer programs in online or in Open and Distance Learning modes under these regulations. Lectures in online mode should not exceed 10 per cent of the programme requirements.
Two or more than two universities can collaborate to set up campuses in India, provided each institution meets the eligibility criteria individually.

QS ASIA UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2024

Quacquarelli Symonds released QS Asia University Rankings 2024.
It is a UK-based company specialised in the analysis of higher education institutions around the world.
11 indicators are used to compile the QS Asia University Rankings.
It includes,

India has outperformed China by having 148 universities on the list.
Peking University of China topped the Asia ranking list by securing Rank 1.
Five Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) namely Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur; IISc Bangalore; and Delhi University have secured positions in the elite top 100 institutes in Asia.

Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) highlighted India’s Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), 2017 as something that sets it apart from other developing economies.
In the World Energy Outlook report 2023 of IEA, it highlighted India’s Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), 2017 for commercial buildings which sets the country apart from other developing economies.

The ECBC was first released by the Ministry of Power’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in 2007.
23 states have notified rules to enforce ECBC compliance.
The code is applicable to commercial buildings like hospitals, hotels, schools, shopping complexes, and multiplexes which have a connected load of 100 kW or more, or contract demand of 120 kVA or more.
It primarily looks at six components of building design including envelope (walls, roofs, windows), lighting systems, HVAC systems, and electrical power system.
ECBC is for both new buildings and retrofitting existing buildings. Compliant buildings are assigned one of three tags in ascending order of efficiency, namely ECBC, ECBC Plus, and Super ECBC.
Compared to ECBC, 2007, the updated 2017 code has additional priorities of renewable energy integration, ease of compliance, inclusion of passive building design strategies, and flexibility for the designers.

Project Cheetah is India’s ambitious attempt to introduce African cats in the wild in the country.
It has claimed to have achieved short-term success on four counts:

The animals are translocated from the forests of South Africa and Namibia to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Cheetahs are the fastest land animals.
Asiatic Cheetahs were once abundant in India but their numbers dwindled over the centuries due to loss of habitat and widespread hunting.
The last cheetah in the country died in 1952.

Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 580 mi (930 km) in length.
It is situated between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
As the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, it is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.
It is the Shortest sea route between the Middle East and East Asia.
It helps to reduce the time and cost of transportation among Asia, the Middle East and Europe.