World Bank gives $1,006 mn loan for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

1.    World Bank gives $1,006 mn loan for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

i. World Bank has signed an agreement with the government to provide a loan assistance of USD 1,006.20 million for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan III, which is the largest ongoing "Education for All" programme in the world.

ii. "The loan agreement for World Bank (IDA) assistance of USD 1,006.20 million for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan III has been signed between the government of India and the World Bank here today," an official statement said.

iii. The agreement was signed by Nilaya Mitash, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Michael Haney, World Bank's Operation's Advisor in India.

iv. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is the flagship programme for universalising elementary education.

v. The overall goals of the programme include universal access and retention, reducing gender and social category gaps in elementary education and enhancement of learning levels of children.

vi. The World Bank assistance to Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan-III will primarily focus on qualitative improvement in the learning process of the children, said Mitash.

vii. In association with the World Bank, the objective of the project is to improve education outcomes of elementary school children in the country.          

viii. The project would be implemented in three years. Ministry of Human Resource Development is the programme implementing agency.

2.    Indologist and Sanskrit Scholar Sukumari Bhattacharji died

i. Indologist and Sanskrit scholar Sukumari Bhattacharji who had equal grasp over English and Sanskrit language died on 24 May 2014. She was 92. 
ii. Born on 12 July 1921, she began her career as a lecturer in English at Lady Brabourne College in Kolkata. She joined Jadavpur University's Comparative Literature department and later shifted to the Sanskrit department.

iii. She wrote some 34 books such as The Gita — Its Why and How, Human & Society in Ancient India, Fatalism in Ancient India

3.    Raghav Bahl exits Network18

i. Network18 founder-promoter Raghav Bahl and his wife Ritu Kapur have exited their shareholding in Network18 and TV18.

ii. Mr. Bahl ended his role as an entrepreneur in the media companies as Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries has taken control of them.