Increasing Australia’s influence in Oceania

Context:

Recently, Australia signed a security and economic treaty with Nauru that gave Australia a significant say in Nauru’s foreign policy.

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Australia has signed a 100 million Australian dollar security deal with Nauru that gives Australia a veto right over a range of pacts the tiny Pacific atoll might want to enter with third countries including China over a five-year period.

Additionally, Australia also signed a deal of AU$40 million ($26 million) to enhance policing and security of Nauru.

This treaty mandates Nauru to consult Australia when entering partnerships or agreements with any other country in vital sectors including telecommunications, banking or cybersecurity. 

The treaty restricts “a third party” (including China – a key influencer of the region) from co-opting Nauru’s critical infrastructure for security purposes. 

It is the second security deal Australia has made in the Pacific Islands that effectively blocks China from forming policing ties after a similar deal with Tuvalu. 

• The Tuvalu deal followed a security agreement struck between China and the Solomon Islands in 2022 that has raised concerns about a Chinese naval base being established in the South Pacific. 

Nauru

• Nauru is an island nation and part of Micronesia in Oceania, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
• In 1968, following a two-year constitutional convention, Nauru became an independent republic.
• Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, larger than only Vatican City and Monaco.
• Nauru is a raised, fossilized coral atoll and is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean. 

National Panchayat Awards 2024

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Recently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized the National Panchayat Awards 2024 Ceremony 2024, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

About the National Panchayat Awards

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj incentivizes top-performing Panchayats through the revamped National Panchayat Awards, aligned with 9 Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) themes, encompassing 17 SDGs.

The primary objective of the competition is to – 

• assess the performance of Panchayats in the attainment of SDGs, 
• promote competitive spirit among them, and 
• catalyze the process of LSDGs through Panchayati Raj Institutions for attaining LSDGs by 2030.

The awards competition structure is now multi-level pyramidical at the Block, District, State/UT and National Level.

All the Gram Panchayats are ranked based on their performance under each of the following 9 LSGD themes:

1. Poverty-Free and Enhanced Livelihoods Panchayat

2. Healthy Panchayat

3. Child-Friendly Panchayat

4. Water-Sufficient Panchayat

5. Clean and Green Panchayat

6. Self-Sufficient Infrastructure in Panchayat

7. Socially Just and Socially Secured Panchayat

8. Panchayat with Good Governance

9. Women-Friendly Panchayat 

Categories of Awards

Awards at the National Level will be given to Gram Panchayats (GPs), Block Panchayats (BPs) and District Panchayats (DPs) under the following categories namely:

Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar: Top 3 GPs under each of 9 LSGD themes

• Poverty-Free and Enhanced Livelihoods Panchayat: Galibeedu, Karnataka
• Healthy Panchayat: Bommasamudrum, Andhra Pradesh
• Child-Friendly Panchayat: Jengrai, Assam
• Water-Sufficient Panchayat: Nayampudi, Andhra Pradesh
• Clean and Green Panchayat: Tagarampudi, Andhra Pradesh
• Self-Sufficient Infrastructure in Panchayat: Keeranatham, Tamil Nadu
• Socially Just and Socially Secured Panchayat: Muppalla, Andhra Pradesh
• Panchayat with Good Governance: Vavkulli Two, Gujarat
• Women-Friendly Panchayat: South Manubankul, Tripura 

Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar: For the top 3 best GPs, BPs and DPs with the highest average score under all themes combined

• Best Gram Panchayats 2024: Manyachiwadi, Maharashtra
• Best Block Panchayats 2024: Chatrapur, Odisha
• Best District Panchayats 2024: Gomati, Tripura

Gram Urja Swaraj Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar: For 3 GPs for their performance regarding the adoption and usage of renewable sources of energy

• Best Gram Panchayats 2024: Manyachiwadi, Maharashtra

Carbon Neutral Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar: For 3 GPs towards achieving Net-Zero carbon emissions

• Best Gram Panchayats 2024: Bela, Maharashtra 

Panchayat Kshamta Nirmaan Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar: For 3 Institutions who has provided institutional support to GPs in achieving LSDGs.

• Best Gram Panchayats 2024: Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Kerala

Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar: One GP which qualifies and gets shortlisted for National Panchayat Awards during the subsequent years

Best Participant (State/District): State/UT with the highest percentage of participation from GPs (>90%)

Online Learning Rankings 2024

Context:

Recently, the Times Higher Education (THE) released its first-ever ‘Online Learning Rankings 2024’. 

Online Learning Rankings 2024 

The Times Higher Education (THE) has grouped institutions into three categories: 

• Gold: 11 universities in the ranking, three from the US, two from the UK, two from India, and one each from Russia, Hungary, New Zealand and Australia.
• India’s Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies ranked 4th
• India’s O.P. Jindal Global University ranked 6^th.

Silver: 14 universities

• Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences is the only Indian university to bag a ‘silver’ place.

Bronze: 31 universities

• A total of four Indian universities have found a place in the bronze category.
• Amity University (Noida), KL University, Lovely Professional University (LPU), and Manipal University (Jaipur). 

Times Higher Education used 17 metrics grouped into four different pillars:

• Resources: It measures the staff and resources devoted to online learning; 
• Engagement: It has six metrics, including student survey responses to compare the level of student engagement.
• Outcomes: It measures student progression and whether they would recommend it to others.
• Environment: It tracks inclusion, diversity and support levels.

The Times Higher Education

• THE is a prominent UK-based publication specializing in higher education and research. It is renowned for producing influential university rankings and insights into global academic trends.
• It began as The Times Higher Education Supplement in 1971 and has since become a leader in university analysis.
• The organization publishes multiple rankings, including the World University Rankings, Impact Rankings, and regional rankings, which assess institutions based on teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income.