Current affairs 14th jan

• Kerala becomes first state to achieve 100% primary education

Kerala has become the first Indian state to achieve 100 per cent primary education. Declaration to this effect was made by the Vice President Hamid Ansari during his speech at special ceremony organised at Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala state was able to achieve 100 per cent primary education through its flagship primary education equivalency drive Athulyam Scheme. About Athulyam Scheme The programme was meant to provide primary school education to people aged between 15 and 50. It was launched in March 2013 and was carried out in two phases. The state level literacy mission aimed at educating those who had been unable to complete their primary education up to fourth standard. The mission mainly focused on deprived sections viz. the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, physically, financially weak and mentally disabled among others. The second stage of the scheme was Mission 676 that also aimed at targeting those who had dropped out of the formal education process.

• Union Cabinet approves MoU between India and Maldives for Health

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Maldives on cooperation in the field of Health. The MoU was signed in January, 2014 for facilitating greater cooperation between both the nations and to develop human resources in healthcare.

   MoU covers cooperation in

•  Development of human resources in healthcare and setting up of health care facilities.
•  Exchange and training of medical doctors, health professionals, officials and experts.
•  Medical and health research development along with management of healthcare sector and public health services. 
• Procurement of essential and generic drugs and assistance in sourcing of drug supplies.

• WHO declares end of Ebola outbreak in West Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of  Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa after all known chains of transmission have been stopped. Guinea was birthplace of deadliest Ebola outbreak in history and was initially centered on country’s remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore in 2013 .
Later it had spread to ts neighboring countries Liberia and Sierra Leone and also seven other countries. After it began in 2013 it has killed more than 11,300 people in these three worst hit western African nations.