CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 -...

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

April 2018

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CURRENT AFFAIRS April 2018

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Contents 1.NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES ................................................................................................... 7

1.1 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................ 7

1.1.1 Public Financial Management System (PFMS) ............................................................................. 7

1.1.2 BHIM UPI transactions touch Rs 1 trillion in FY18 ....................................................................... 7

1.1.3 Samridhi - the virtual assistant & ' Bankability Kit' ..................................................................... 8

1.1.4 RBI bars banks from dealing with virtual currencies ................................................................... 8

1.1.5 National Anti-profiteering Authority ........................................................................................... 8

1.1.6 Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework ................................................................................ 9

1.1.7 Relaxation of NPA norms ............................................................................................................. 9

1.1.8 Sovereign gold bond .................................................................................................................. 10

1.1.9 Gender Budget ........................................................................................................................... 11

1.1.10 Meghalaya Community led Landscapes Management Project (MCLLMP) .............................. 11

1.1.11 The India Post Payment Bank .................................................................................................. 12

1.1.12 Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance ................................................................................. 12

1.1.13 Mega SEZs to spur electronics exports .................................................................................... 13

1.1.14 Framework for National Policy on E-Commerce ...................................................................... 13

1.1.15 International SME (Small, Medium Enterprises) Convention .................................................. 13

1.1.16 India highest recipient of remittances ..................................................................................... 14

1.1.17 Long term capital gains ............................................................................................................ 14

1.1.18 Innovate in India for Inclusiveness Project .............................................................................. 14

1.1.19 Monthly Payroll Data ............................................................................................................... 15

1.1.20 SBI plans recast of stressed power assets................................................................................ 15

1.1.21 National Investment Fund (NIF): .............................................................................................. 16

1.2 INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................................. 18

1.2.1 GI tags ........................................................................................................................................ 18

1.2.2 Myoelectric hand with thumb rotation launched ...................................................................... 19

1.2.3 India becomes second largest manufacturer of crude steel ..................................................... 20

1.2.4 UDAN-Pathankot ........................................................................................................................ 20

1.2.5 E-waybills ................................................................................................................................... 21



1.2.6 Prime Minister MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) .................................................................................... 22

1.2.7 FAME-India ................................................................................................................................. 22

1.2.8 India probes dumping of EVA sheets for solar modules ............................................................ 23

1.2.9 CPCL crude oil pipeline ............................................................................................................... 24

1.2.10 CSIR bags National Intellectual Property (IP) Award 2018 ...................................................... 25

1.2.11 Special 301 Report ................................................................................................................... 25

1.2.12 Atal New India Challenges ....................................................................................................... 25

1.3 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ..................................................................................................................... 29

1.3.1 Deficit in primary health centers ............................................................................................... 29

1.3.2 NIRF India Rankings 2018 ........................................................................................................... 30

1.3.3 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ..................................................................... 30

1.3.4 Dilution of SC/ST Atrocities Act .................................................................................................. 31

1.3.5 Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018 .............................................................. 32

1.3.6 Skill India reforms ...................................................................................................................... 32

1.3.7 Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana ........... 33

1.3.8 Mahila Shakti Kendra Scheme ................................................................................................... 33

1.3.9 Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) .................................................................... 35

1.3.10 Swadhar Greh Scheme ............................................................................................................. 35

1.3.11 Minchina Nondani programme ................................................................................................ 35

1.3.12 Drugs Technical Advisory Board............................................................................................... 36

1.3.13 MGNREGA ................................................................................................................................ 36

1.3.14 Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin ................................................................................. 37

1.3.15 Ban on e-cigarettes .................................................................................................................. 39

1.3.16 Safety switches on vehicles ...................................................................................................... 39

1.3.17 Panic button facility on mobile phones ................................................................................... 39

1.3.18 NCMEI has jurisdiction to determine minority status: SC ........................................................ 40

1.3.19 Minorities’ commission to seek constitutional status ............................................................. 40

1.3.20 Kayakalp awards ...................................................................................................................... 40

1.3.21 Restructured Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan ....................................................... 41

1.3.22 Death for rape of girls under 12 years ..................................................................................... 41

1.3.23 Electoral Bond Scheme ............................................................................................................ 42



1.3.24 Declaration of Scheduled Areas in respect of Rajasthan ......................................................... 42

1.3.25 Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 ........................................................................................................ 42

1.3.26 Van Dhan Scheme .................................................................................................................... 43

1.3.27 Adopt a Heritage scheme ......................................................................................................... 44

2. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................. 45

2.1 ENERGY ............................................................................................................................................. 46

2.1.1 Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project .......................................................................................... 46

2.1.2 Blockchain and the world of Energy Technology ....................................................................... 46

2.1.3 Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Vehicles explained ........................................................................ 46

2.1.4 Delhi becomes first city to roll-out Euro VI fuel ......................................................................... 47

2.1.5 Diu: India's first solar-powered island ....................................................................................... 48

2.1.6 Extended Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana ................................................................................. 48

2.1.7 Solar panels on water bodies, dams .......................................................................................... 49

2.1.8 World’s largest greenfield oil refinery ....................................................................................... 50

2.1.9 Petroleum, Finance Ministers can award hydrocarbon blocks .................................................. 50

2.1.10 India’s first filament bulb-free village panchayat .................................................................... 50

2.1.11 Solar Lamp Assembly & Distribution Center ............................................................................ 51

2.1.12 3D conic device to increase solar-thermal conversion ............................................................ 51

2.1.13 India to launch natural gas trading hub ................................................................................... 52

2.1.14 World's first floating nuclear power plan ................................................................................ 52

2.1.15 The draft National Energy Storage Mission ............................................................................. 53

2.2 ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................................. 54

2.2.1 Possible carbon release due to Arctic Permafrost ..................................................................... 55

2.2.2 Formation of State Wetland Authority ...................................................................................... 55

2.2.3 Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 .......................................................... 56

2.2.4 Seaweed to remove lead, chromium and dyes from wastewater ............................................. 56

2.2.5 National Forest Policy (NFP), 2018............................................................................................. 56

2.2.6 World’s first microfactory to help tackle e-waste hazard.......................................................... 57

2.2.7 Olive ridleys start hatching at Rushikulya .................................................................................. 58

2.2.8 Tiny sea creatures affect Earth’s climate ................................................................................... 58

2.2.9 Plastic Waste Management (amendment) rules ....................................................................... 59



2.2.10 The Arctic alarm ....................................................................................................................... 59

2.2.11 Draft National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) ........................................................................... 60

2.2.12 New CRZ, 2018 notification...................................................................................................... 60

2.2.13 Erosion and CO2 ....................................................................................................................... 61

2.2.14 Ramsar tag likely for Sunderbans ............................................................................................ 61

2.2.15 India going green ..................................................................................................................... 62

2.2.16 Restructured National Bamboo Mission .................................................................................. 63

2.2.17 Maharashtra tops in air toxicity ............................................................................................... 63

2.2.18 New plants from Western Ghats ............................................................................................. 64

3. ICT AND APPLICATIONS ........................................................................................................................... 66

3.1 BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) .................................................................................... 66

3.2 Sentinel Earth observation satellite .............................................................................................. 66

3.3 Largest cloud infrastructures in the world .................................................................................... 67

3.4 Digital Initiative for Ease of Export ............................................................................................... 68

3.5 AI makes chemicals ....................................................................................................................... 68

3.6 India third most vulnerable country to cyber threats .................................................................. 69

3.7 UTTAM APP for Coal Quality Monitoring ...................................................................................... 70

3.8 Promotion of e-learning ................................................................................................................ 70

3.9 Humanity’s first flight to sun ......................................................................................................... 71

3.10 UIDAI’s digitally-signed QR code with photo for e-Aadhaar ....................................................... 72

3.11 Massive Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) lab ............................................................... 72

3.12 PSLV-C41 successfully launches IRNSS-1I .................................................................................... 72

3.13 Chip in for viewership data ......................................................................................................... 73

3.14 FIEO GlobalLinker ........................................................................................................................ 74

3.15 DARPAN-PLI App ......................................................................................................................... 74

3.16 The monsoon forecast ................................................................................................................ 75

3.17 National portal to share research facilities ................................................................................. 75

3.18 Enhanced telecom in LWE regions .............................................................................................. 75

3.19 Vehicles to come with high security plates ................................................................................. 77

3.20 MTC app to provide real time data on buses .............................................................................. 78

3.21 e-Vidhan ...................................................................................................................................... 79



3.22 Logic devices for DNA-based computation ................................................................................. 79

3.23 Blockchain technology ................................................................................................................ 79

3.24 PM’s interaction through PRAGATI ............................................................................................. 80

3.25 360° Virtual Reality (VR) video on Incredible India ..................................................................... 81

3.26 Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service (INCOIS) ................................................ 81

4. OTHER TOPICS ......................................................................................................................................... 82

4.1 A new biological ‘switch’ ............................................................................................................... 83

4.2 Icarus- farthest star ....................................................................................................................... 83

4.3 Milky Way Black holes ................................................................................................................... 83

4.4 New type of DNA ........................................................................................................................... 84

4.5 Navigating nanomotors within living cells .................................................................................... 84

4.6 Koreas aim for denuclearization ................................................................................................... 84

4.7 NSCI Safety Awards for the year 2017 .......................................................................................... 84



1. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1.1 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1.1.1 Public Financial Management System (PFMS)

The Public Financial Management System (PFMS), earlier known as Central Plan Schemes Monitoring System (CPSMS), is a web-based online software application developed and implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts (CGA). Objectives

An efficient fund flow system as well as a payment cum accounting network.

Provides a real time, reliable and meaningful management information system and an effective decision support system

Is part of the Digital India initiative of GoI Cover direct payment to beneficiaries under both Plan and non-Plan

Schemes. Digitization of accounts shall be achieved through PFMS

1.1.2 BHIM UPI transactions touch Rs 1 trillion in FY18

According to data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), there were BHIM UPI transactions of approximately 913 million in volume and close to Rs 1 trillion in value in FY18. UPI:

UPI, allows instant money transfer between bank accounts NPCI is planning to open up UPI as a mode of transaction for international

inward settlements that now take place through IMPS or NEFT BHIM

Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) is an initiative to enable fast, secure, reliable cashless payments through your mobile phone.

BHIM is interoperable with other Unified Payment Interface (UPI) applications & bank accounts for quick money transfers online.

BHIM is developed by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) as a part of the Digital India initiative



1.1.3 Samridhi - the virtual assistant & ' Bankability Kit'

SIDBI launched Samridhhi- the virtual assistant on banks revamped universal loan portal www.udyamimitra.in.

It will answer standard queries of aspirants 24*7, regarding loans. A ‘Bankability Kit’ (in partnership with Bank of Baroda and IDBI Bank) was also launched.

It is to be a trusted guide for aspirants and existing entrepreneurs to know entrepreneurial self, know banker & know banking.

It covers what bankers look at, how to communicate with banks, the care to be taken, do’s and don’ts etc.

SIDBI Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the principal

development financial institution in India headquartered at Lucknow For the promotion, financing and development of the Micro, Small and

Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector and for co-ordination of functions of institutions engaged in similar activities

1.1.4 RBI bars banks from dealing with virtual currencies

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to stop providing service to any entity dealing with virtual currencies, with immediate effect. Highlights

Regulated entities that are already providing such services should exit the relationship within three months.

RBI said it would explore introducing digital currency. RBI recognize that the block chain technology or distributed ledger

technology that lies beneath the virtual currencies has a potential benefit for financial inclusion

Virtual Currency Virtual currency is a type of unregulated, digital money, used and accepted

among the members of a specific virtual community. Unlike regular money, it is relying on a system of trust and not issued by a

central bank or other banking authority.

1.1.5 National Anti-profiteering Authority

The National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) has been constituted under section 171 of the Central Goods and Services Tax to determine whether the



reduction in tax rates or benefit of input tax credit is being passed on to the recipient by way of commensurate reduction in prices. Highlights

NAA will be headed by senior officer of level of a Secretary to Union Government and shall have four technical members from Centre and/or States.

Powers and functions If NAA finds that company has not passed on benefits of tax reduction, it

can direct entity to pass on benefits to consumers along with interest. If the beneficiary cannot be identified, NAA can ask company to transfer

the to the ‘Consumer Welfare Fund’. NAA can impose a penalty on defaulting business entity and even order

cancellation of its registration under GST.

1.1.6 Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework

Eleven public sector banks have been brought under the central bank’s Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework Highlights It aims to check Non Performing Assets

PCA norms allow the regulator to place certain restrictions such as halting branch expansion and stopping dividend payment.

It can even cap a bank’s lending limit to one entity or sector. Other corrective actions that can be imposed on banks include special

audit, restructuring operations and activation of recovery plan. Banks’ promoters can be asked to bring in new management, too. The RBI can also supersede the bank’s board, under PCA.

1.1.7 Relaxation of NPA norms

RBI had issued a circular outlining a new mechanism for stressed asset resolution. RBI had mandated that if the solution plan was not implemented within

180 days, bankruptcy process should be initiated. RBI Norms

If the principal or interest is overdue for one day to 30 days, the account is identified as Special Mention Account - 0 (SMA-0) category.

If it is overdue for 30 to 60 days, it comes under the SMA-1 category



If it is overdue for more than 60 days, till 90 days, it falls under SMA-2 category.

If a loan is not repaid for more than 90 days, it is classified as non-performing asset (NPA).

1.1.8 Sovereign gold bond

The government announced the fiscal’s first tranche of the sovereign gold bond (SGB) scheme. Highlights:

The sovereign gold bond 2018-19, Series-I, will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices and recognised stock exchanges namely the NSE and BSE

About the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme: The sovereign gold bond was introduced by the Government in 2015. The Government introduced these bonds to help reduce India’s over

dependence on gold imports Bonds can be used as collateral for loans.

How does Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme operate?

Under the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme, the Reserve Bank of India will issue the bonds on behalf of the Government of India.

The bonds will be sold at post offices and banks and issued in denomination of gram.

They will issue these bonds on payment of money. Later on, the bonds will be connected to the price of gold.

Investors have to pay the bond price in cash. From one person, the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme would accept a minimum investment of 2 gm gold and a maximum investment of 500 gm in a single fiscal year.

The bonds will pay a yearly interest of 2.75% to investors. Interest would be paid semi-annually based on the initial value of investments issued for the year 2015-16.

Who can avail these bonds?

Indian resident – This scheme is open only to Indian residents. Individuals/groups – Individuals, associations, trusts, HUFs, etc. are all

eligible to invest in this scheme.



Minors – This bond can be purchased by guardians or parents on behalf of minors.

1.1.9 Gender Budget

Tamil Nadu government presented a Gender Budget Statement as part of the annual budget documents. A gender budget is not a separate budget for women. Instead, the gender budgets are an attempt to assess government priorities through the budget and examine how they impact women and men. The gender budget has three parts: a. Part A deals with exclusive women beneficiaries. b. Part B discusses about the general beneficiaries among who will be women. c. Part C sets out gender wise indivisible allocations under various heads.

The government estimates women would benefit from these allocations to the extent of at least 30%.

1.1.10 Meghalaya Community led Landscapes Management Project (MCLLMP)

A Loan Agreement for IBRD loan for the “Meghalaya Community - Led Landscapes Management Project (MCLLMP)” was signed with the World Bank. Highlights:

The Project consists of three components: (i) Strengthening Knowledge and Capacity for Natural Resource Management; (ii) Community-led landscape planning and implementation and (iii) Project Management and Governance.

Restoration of degraded and highly degraded landscapes under the Project will increase water for local communities and improve the soil productivity which will in turn increase incomes and reduce poverty.

About Meghalaya's Landscapes: Meghalaya’s natural resource such as land, water sources and forests is

source of livelihood for majority of state population It supports the state’s unique community-based natural resource

management (NRM) system, which relies primarily on its population – the Khasi, the Garo, and the Jaintia tribes – to manage its forests and natural resources through customary law

The forests are designated as ‘unclassified forests’ in the state records



The forests, land and water – are rapidly degrading and highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

1.1.11 The India Post Payment Bank

The India Post Payment Bank is expected to roll out its operations by this month-end.

It would provide banking services like saving accounts, payment and remittance services, it would not offer loans or credit cards.

The main purpose of the payment banks is to promote cashless transactions and provide efficient banking services to rural areas.

Account holders could have a deposit up to ₹1 lakh and they need not maintain any minimum balance in their savings accounts.

Customers would be able to make QR code-based payments through mobile payment applications.

Besides doorstep services, these payment banks will also allow direct benefit transfer to customers through their bank accounts

Accounts would be linked to Aadhaar

1.1.12 Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance

The Union Cabinet on Saturday approved the promulgation of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018, which would empower the government to seize the domestic assets of those deemed by a court to be fugitive economic offenders. Highlights:

To empower Indian authorities to attach and confiscate proceeds of crime associated with economic offenders and their properties

The fugitive economic offenders would be forced to return to India to face trial

The ordinance has a provision for a ‘Special Court’ under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, to declare a person as a Fugitive Economic Offender

Fugitive Economic Offender: A Fugitive Economic Offender is a person against whom an arrest warrant

has been issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution



A scheduled offence refers to a list of economic offences contained in the Schedule to this ordinance

1.1.13 Mega SEZs to spur electronics exports

In a bid to make India an export hub for electronics, the government plans to set up at least one Special Economic Zone (SEZ) or special economic zone in every State under the proposed electronic policy. New electronic policy:

Emphasis given to coastal economic zones The government also plans to sign free trade agreements (FTAs) with

countries, including those in Africa and Europe, to which India can export smaller electronic products.

Promoting medical and automotive electronics, besides mobile phone and consumer electronics.

1.1.14 Framework for National Policy on E-Commerce

The think tank on the Framework for National Policy on E-commerce has been established recently by the Department of Commerce.

It will provide a credible forum for an inclusive dialogue leading to recommendations for policy making.

Meet the challenges that would arise from advancements in digital economy.

Developments on e-commerce at the WTO and evolving appropriate national position on the underlying issues.

Providing a fillip to entrepreneurship in digital economy. Nurturing domestic firms and create jobs in e-commerce.

1.1.15 International SME (Small, Medium Enterprises) Convention

The first ever International SME Convention was held in New Delhi in April 2018. Highlights:

The Convention will be also hosting over 400 entrepreneurs from India. A Convention like this will act like a bridge across all sectors.



A special session for women entrepreneurs where successful women business persons will discuss creating sustainable livelihoods for women entrepreneurs

1.1.16 India highest recipient of remittances

India retained the top position as a recipient of remittances with its diaspora sending about $69 billion back home last year, the World Bank said. Highlights:

India continued to top in terms of receiving remittance, and was followed by China, the Philippines, Mexico, Nigeria and Egypt.

The rebound in remittances, when valued in U.S. dollars, was helped by higher oil prices and a strengthening of the Euro and the Ruble

Main sources of countries for remittance are UAE, USA, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and United Kingdom

1.1.17 Long term capital gains

Income Tax Act that would give the government the power to specify the applicability of the long-term capital gains tax and the security transaction tax. Highlights:

The long-term capital gains arising from the transfer of a long-term capital asset, if it is an equity share in a company, be taxed at 10% of the value of the gains.

The Central Government may specify, by notification, the nature of acquisitions in respect of which the requirement of payment of STT

Security Transaction Tax (STT) STT is a type of direct tax payable on securities transaction done through a

recognized stock exchange in the country. The securities on which STT is applicable are shares, bonds, debentures,

derivatives, units issued by any collective investment scheme, equity-based government rights or interests in securities and equity mutual funds.

1.1.18 Innovate in India for Inclusiveness Project

A Loan Agreement for IBRD for the “Innovate in India for Inclusiveness Project” was signed with the World.



The Objectives: To nurture indigenous innovation, foster local product development and

accelerate commercialization process Bridging critical skill and infrastructure gaps. The project would support consortia of public, private, and the academic

institutions For the development of an innovative biopharmaceutical and medical

devices industry in India.

1.1.19 Monthly Payroll Data

India has, for the first time, introduced monthly payroll reporting for the formal sector to facilitate analysis of new and continuing employment. Highlights:

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and the Pension fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) have released payroll data.

The payroll data, categorized age-wise The payroll data from these three organizations would now be released

every month. Given that till now there was no such system in place, this data would

provide a firmer basis for various analysis and studies of the economy, job creation, as also aid in policy making.

1.1.20 SBI plans recast of stressed power assets

State Bank of India (SBI) is preparing a major debt restructuring and takeover plan for stressed power assets. Highlights:

The bank proposes to get debt of the stressed assets rated by credit rating agencies.

The projects will be offered to the National Investment Fund (NIF). The fund will invite bidders with a base price.

Otherwise, NIF will take over the projects and hand them to companies such as NTPC or private firms for operations on contract basis



1.1.21 National Investment Fund (NIF):

The Purpose of the fund was to receive disinvestment proceeds of central public-sector enterprises and to invest the same to generate earnings without depleting the corpus.

The earnings of the Fund were to be used for selected Central social welfare Schemes.

This fund was kept outside the consolidated fund of India



1.2 INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

1.2.1 GI tags

Kadaknath, a black-feathered chicken Madhya Pradesh has won the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kadaknath, a black-feathered chicken known for its flavorful meat.

It is native tribal districts of Jhabua, Alirajpur and parts of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh.

Kadaknath is in demand not only because of its taste but also due to its low cholesterol and high protein content.

Adilabad Dokra

It is an ancient metal craft that is popular in the Telangana state’s tribal regions.

The uniqueness of this art form is that no two sculptures are the same, as they are not made out of a pre-designed cast.

The craftsmen of this art form belong to the Woj community.



Warangal durries:

Weavers create beautiful patterns and dye them using vegetable colours, which are washed in flowing water after the printing process.

Warangal district became a renowned hub for weaving these rugs due to the availability of cotton, which is grown by farmers in the area.

About GI Tag: A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product

(handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

It also ensures that none can use their name, giving them exclusivity. The registration of a GI is valid for 10 years after which it needs to be

renewed Violation of GI tags is punishable offence under law.

Who accord GI tag?

Chennai based Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property of India accord locally.

At international level, GI is governed by WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

1.2.2 Myoelectric hand with thumb rotation launched

Offering an alternative to branded prosthetic hand with thumb rotation, a private company in India has launched an indigenously-developed myoelectric prosthetic hand. Highlights

Myoelectric controls utilize the electrical signal generated by muscles in the remaining portion of the patient’s limb.

The signal is picked up by electrodes that sit on the surface of the skin. It enables users to perform functions such as turning keys and gripping

objects.



1.2.3 India becomes second largest manufacturer of crude steel

In a major achievement, India has overtaken Japan to become the world’s second largest producer of crude steel. Highlights

The government has taken a host of steps to curb imports, push local demand with initiatives like ‘Make in India’, and implement GST and infrastructure projects, to encourage the domestic market

The quick resolution of various big-ticket steel mills under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the National Company Law Tribunal is expected to further hasten the process of achieving higher capacity utilisation

China is the largest producer of crude steel in the world, accounting for more than 50% of the production.

AIIB Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development

bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia and beyond

It commenced operations in January 2016 and has now grown to 84 approved members from around the world

It is headquartered in Beijing. It aims to connect people, services and markets that over time will impact

the lives of billions and build a better future.

1.2.4 UDAN-Pathankot

The maiden flight from Delhi to Pathankot was inaugurated as the 21st airport under UDAN – RCS.



UDAN-RCS

UDAN-RCS, UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) is a regional airport development and "Regional Connectivity Scheme" (RCS) of Government of India

The objective is "Let the common citizen of the country fly"

1.2.5 E-waybills

The Union government on Tuesday announced that it would be rolling out the e-waybill system for intra-State transport of goods in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh

The countrywide e-waybill system for the inter-State movement of goods was rolled out on April 1



The rules are largely similar for the inter- and intra-State movement of goods, there are relaxations available if the journey is of shorter distances.

Aim is to pave the way for a nation-wide single e-waybill system What is an e-Way Bill?

e-Way Bill is an electronic way bill for movement of goods which can be generated on the e-Way Bill Portal.

Transport of goods of more than Rs. 50,000 (Single Invoice/bill/delivery challan) in value in a vehicle cannot be made by a registered person without an e-way bill.

When an e-way bill is generated a unique e-way bill number (EBN) is allocated and is available to the supplier, recipient, and the transporter.

1.2.6 Prime Minister MUDRA Yojana (PMMY)

On the completion of three years of the launching of the scheme, a record number of 12 crore beneficiaries have received loans under the scheme. Highlights

A majority of those who received loans were from the underprivileged sections like fishermen, toddy tappers, weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths and others

The historic scheme will be beneficial to women as it will make them self-reliant

About MUDRA A scheme launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on April 8, 2015 for

providing loans upto 10 lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises.

These loans are given by Commercial Banks, RRBs, Small Finance Banks, Cooperative Banks, MFIs and NBFCs.

Under the aegis of PMMY, MUDRA has created three products namely 'Shishu', 'Kishore' and 'Tarun' to signify the stage of growth or development and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit or entrepreneur.

1.2.7 FAME-India

The government announced the extension of phase 1 of the FAME-India scheme. FAME India scheme:



The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) India was launched in 2015 under National Electric Mobility Mission (NEMM).

It aims at promoting eco-friendly vehicles in the country. The scheme is being administered by the Heavy Industries Ministry. The four focused areas: Technology development, demand creation, pilot

projects, and charging infrastructure It provides fiscal and monetary incentives for adoption and market creation

of both hybrid and electric technologies vehicles in the country.

1.2.8 India probes dumping of EVA sheets for solar modules

India has initiated a probe into the alleged dumping of EVA sheets used in solar cell industry, imported from China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Thailand. What are ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) films?

The ethylene vinyl acetate sheets play an important role in preventing humidity and dirt penetrating the solar panels.

With the help of the EVA, the solar cells ‘are floating’ between the glass and back sheet, helping to soften shocks and vibrations and therefore protecting the solar cells and its circuits.



National Solar Mission 2022: Has an ambitious target of generating 20,000 megawatt (MW) of solar

power by 2022. Anti-dumping duty:

Anti-dumping duties are levied to provide a level playing field to local industry by guarding against cheap below-cost imports.

Imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organisation(WTO) regime

1.2.9 CPCL crude oil pipeline

The pipeline from Chennai port to the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s (CPCL) refinery in Manali is nearing completion.

Highlights:

It would serve as the backbone for maintaining the operations at the 10.5 million-tonne Manali refinery.

The new pipeline would have a bigger diameter (42 inch) This facility has added safety features, particularly the globally followed

SCADA technology that would prevent leaks. All along the pipeline, an optical fiber cable has been laid so as to provide

connectivity between the port and the refinery.



1.2.10 CSIR bags National Intellectual Property (IP) Award 2018

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is awarded the National Intellectual Property (IP) Award 2018 in the category “Top R&D Institution / Organization for Patents and Commercialization’’. Highlights:

The CSIR S&T domains range from environment to health and drinking water, from food, housing, energy to specialty chemicals & petrochemicals, glass & ceramics to mining, metals & minerals, medicinal plants, leather to machinery, instrumentation and strategic sectors including aerospace.

It is contributing for the Missions such as Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat, Samarth Bharat, Make in India, Innovate for India, Startup India and Skill India.

1.2.11 Special 301 Report

The special 301 report identifies US trading partners that do not adequately or effectively protect and enforce IP rights or otherwise deny market access to its innovators and creators that rely on protection of their IP rights.

India continues to remain on the priority watch list Other countries on the list are Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China,

Colombia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Russia, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

1.2.12 Atal New India Challenges

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of the NITI Aayog announced to launch the Atal New India Challenges. Highlights:

Applicants showing capability, intent, and potential to productize technologies will be awarded grants up to Rs. One crore.

This initiative will focus our efforts towards solving problems in core areas, which would have a direct impact on improving lives of our citizens and will also generate employment.

This grant support will be supplemented by mentoring, handholding, incubating and other support as needed at various stages of commercialization.



Atal Innovation Mission: Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) including Self-Employment and Talent

Utilization (SETU) is Government of India’s endeavour to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Its objective is to serve as a platform for promotion of world-class Innovation Hubs, Grand Challenges, Start-up businesses and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology driven areas.



1.3 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

1.3.1 Deficit in primary health centers

61.2% of primary health centres (PHCs) in the country function with one doctor each. As many as 1,974 (7.69%) PHCs do not have even a single doctor.

PHCs

Primary Health Centre (PHCs), sometimes referred to as public health centres, are state-owned rural health care facilities in India.

A fully functional primary health centre can meet most healthcare needs, and only complicated cases need to be referred to secondary or tertiary facilities.

They are essentially single-physician clinics usually with facilities for minor surgeries, too.

As per to the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) guidelines, each 24/7 PHC should have a minimum of two doctors.



1.3.2 NIRF India Rankings 2018

The third edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework(NIRF) Rankings, released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, included overall rankings across disciplines and as well as category-wise ranking for engineering, pharmacy, medical, management, architecture, law, university and colleges.

Highlights

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, retained its position as India’s top-ranked university for the third year in a row.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was ranked second, followed by Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in the third place.

IIT-Madras was first among the engineering colleges, IIM-Ahmedabad the best management school. AIIMS-Delhi topped among medical institutions.

1.3.3 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)

It was launched in 2015 to rank institutions across the country.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) do the institutional assessment and accreditation, while National Board of Accreditation (NBA) does programmatic accreditation of technical programmes and courses.

In NIRF, to promote Research and Development in Higher Education, ‘Research and Professional Practices’ has been given the highest weightage of 40%, for ranking Universities.



1.3.4 Dilution of SC/ST Atrocities Act

The Supreme Court has banned immediate arrest of a person accused of insulting or injuring a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe member in order to protect innocents from arbitrary arrest and not an affront to Dalit rights.

SC Verdict

Coercive action against public servants, accused of hostility towards the lower caste, can only be taken with written permission from their appointing authority.

For private citizens accused of a similar crime, arrest can be made only after the Senior Superintendent of Police concerned allows it.

Centre stand In its review petition filed before the Supreme Court, the Centre said the

court had no business to dilute the Act Now, a preliminary enquiry would only reduce the rate of registration of

cases, conviction, increase pendency



1.3.5 Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018

The amendment to the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 will make National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) more compliant with the Paris Principle in order to effectively protect and promote human rights. Highlights

It proposes to include “National Commission for Protection of Child Rights” as deemed Member of the Commission

It proposes to add a woman Member in the composition of the Commission It proposes to incorporate a mechanism to look after the cases of human

rights violation in the Union Territories The Paris Principles

defined at the first International Workshop on National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Paris in 1991

relate to the status and functioning of national institutions recommendations on the role, composition, status and also functions of

national human rights institutions (NHRIs)

1.3.6 Skill India reforms

In 2016, the Government of India formed the Sharada Prasad Committee to rationalise the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) The major recommendations

Creating vocational schools and vocational colleges for upward mobility, and having a Central university to award degrees and diplomas

Aligning the courses to international requirements, ensuring a basic foundation lifelong learning

Sector Skill Councils Are employer bodies mostly promoted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry and other industry associations. Skill India

Is a campaign launched in 2015 Aim to train over 40 crore people in India in different skills by 2022 It includes various initiatives of the government like "National Skill

Development Mission", "National Policy for Skill Development and



Entrepreneurship, 2015", "Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)" and the "Skill Loan scheme".

1.3.7 Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti

Bima Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is a government-backed accident insurance scheme

to provide insurance cover to common people especially poor and the underprivileged sections of the society

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana is a government-backed Life insurance scheme in India.

The scheme will be offered by Life Insurance Corporation and all other life

insurers who are willing to join the scheme and tie-up with banks for this purpose.

1.3.8 Mahila Shakti Kendra Scheme

Government of India has approved a new scheme namely Mahila Shakti Kendra for 2017-18 upto 2019-20 to empower rural women through community participation.



Highlights The scheme is envisaged to work at various levels, at the National level (domain based knowledge support) and State level (State Resource Centre for Women) technical support to the respective governments.

It will aim to improve declining child sex ratio, ensure survival and protection of the girl child, ensuring her education and empowering her to fulfill her potential.

It will provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for getting their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.

Student volunteers will play an instrumental role in awareness generation regarding various important government schemes/ programmes as well as social issues

District Level Centre for Women (DLCW) has also been envisaged for 640 districts to be covered in phased manner.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme has been introduced to

address the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).



It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.

1.3.9 Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a maternity benefit rechristened from erstwhile Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY). Highlights

The maternity benefits under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) are available to all Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) except those in regular employment

The scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme

1.3.10 Swadhar Greh Scheme

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing the Swadhar Greh Scheme which targets the women victims of difficult circumstances who are in need of institutional support for rehabilitation so that they could lead their life with dignity. Highlights

The beneficiaries include widows deserted by their families and relatives, women prisoners released from jail and without family support, women survivors of natural disasters, women victims of terrorist/extremist violence etc.

The Scheme envisages providing shelter, food, clothing and health as well as economic and social security for these women.

1.3.11 Minchina Nondani programme

The Minchina Nondani (quick registration) programme organised by the Election Commission on Sunday to register fresh voters Highlights

The commission had organised the programme to include names to make elections more inclusive.

It was especially meant for persons with disabilities, women and primitive tribes.



1.3.12 Drugs Technical Advisory Board

The Union Health Ministry has banned over-the-counter sale of around 14 creams containing steroids and antibiotics under the Schedule H category

The move comes in the wake of dermatologists’ complaints that pharmaceutical companies were selling steroid-based creams and ointments without medical guidance.

Schedule H drugs Schedule H is a class of prescription drugs listed under Drugs and Cosmetics

Rules, 1945. These drugs cannot be purchased over counter without the prescription of

a doctor. DTAB

Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) is the highest decision-making body under the Union health ministry on technical matters.

It is a statutory body under section 5 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

1.3.13 MGNREGA

Ninety-nine per cent of MGNREGA wages have remained unpaid in April 2018, as per the findings of the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha.

Highlights

The Centre introduced the National Electronic Fund Management System in January 2016 to streamline the process of MGNREGA payments



States are no longer able to make payments to workers from their revolving funds

About MGNREGA National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (later renamed as the

"Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act", MGNREGA), is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'.

At least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work

Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds, wells).

Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant's residence, and minimum wages are to be paid.

1.3.14 Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin all set to construct 1 crore pucca rural houses by December, 2018.



Highlights

The erstwhile rural housing programme, Indira AwaasYojana (IAY), was restructured into PMAY-G.

To achieve “Housing for All by 2022” Ministry of Rural Development has developed a Performance Index

incorporating various parameters of progress under PMAY-G. Performance Index

The ranking of State/UTs on Performance Index is done on real time basis and changes every day based on the performance of the State / UT.

The national ranking of districts has also been introduced recently which places the performance of a district in the national perspective.



1.3.15 Ban on e-cigarettes

The Centre is in the process of issuing guidelines to ban the manufacture, import, sale and any kind of trade in e-cigarettes. Highlights

Terming e-cigarettes or Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems “addictive” The chief constituent of e-cigarettes is nicotine. It also has a high level of toxicity and can lead to development of

cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, have adverse effect on the immune and gastrointestinal systems, and raise the risk of miscarriage in pregnant women

1.3.16 Safety switches on vehicles

The Ministry of Electronics and IT in partnership with IIT-Delhi is working on a switch-based device in cars and buses to aid safety of women.

The technology to ensure help in case of distress while travelling in public transport.

It will generate a loud alarm in the vehicle which will attract public attention, and send the coordinates of the person to a server [police control room] to provide necessary help

The system will include features such as authenticating the driver of the vehicles and a camera interface.

Funded by the Nirbhaya Fund

1.3.17 Panic button facility on mobile phones

The Justice Verma Committee constituted after the 2012 Delhi gang rape had recommended setting up of a public emergency response system.

In April 2016, the government directed mobile manufacturers to provide the facility from January 2017

However, the implementation of its order has been delayed for several reasons.

The first round of trial was conducted in U.P. The trial was carried out only on smartphones

The average response time of the U.P. police was under 15 minutes



1.3.18 NCMEI has jurisdiction to determine minority status: SC

The Supreme Court held that the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) has original jurisdiction to determine which institution should be granted minority status. About the judgment:

The Constitution has granted a fundamental right to all minorities, whether based on religion or language, to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice under Article 30.

The NCMEI Act has empowered the Commission to decide all questions relating to the status of an institution as a minority educational institution and to declare its status as such.

1.3.19 Minorities’ commission to seek constitutional status

Till now, only the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes have Constitutional status, giving them powers to act against officials.

In its present form, the NCM has powers to summon officials, including chief secretaries and director generals of police, but has to rely on departments concerned for action against erring officials.

About NCM: The Union Government set up the National Commission for Minorities

(NCM) under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. The religious communities, viz; Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists,

Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been notified as minority communities by the Union Government.

1.3.20 Kayakalp awards

It is to felicitate Public Health Facilities for maintaining high standards of sanitation and hygiene.

Kayakalp - Award to Public Health Facilities” was instituted as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2015 as a National Initiative

The initiative was started with District Hospitals and 10 Central Government Institutes. Later more Institutes also joined the mission of Swachhta.



Under the Central Government Hospitals Acategory, the first prize was given to the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi

ICT based application ‘MeraAspataal (My Hospital)’ captures patients’ feedback about their experience in the health facilities

1.3.21 Restructured Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan

The Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan will strengthen the Panchayati Raj system across the country Highlights:

This scheme will extend to all States and UTs of the Country and will also include institutions of rural local government in non-Part IX areas, where Panchayats do not exist

The scheme will have both Central Component - National Level activities including "National Plan of Technical Assistance", "Mission Mode project on e-Panchayat", "Incentivization of Panchayats" and State component - Capacity Building of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)

RGSA seeks to: Enhance capacities and effectiveness of Panchayats and the Gram Sabhas Enable democratic decision-making and accountability in Panchayats and

promote people's participation; Strengthen the institutional structure for knowledge creation and capacity

building of Panchayats; Promote devolution of powers and responsibilities to Panchayats Strengthen Gram Sabhas to function effectively Create and strengthen democratic local self-government in areas where

Panchayats do not exist

1.3.22 Death for rape of girls under 12 years

Union Cabinet approved the promulgation of an Ordinance to provide death penalty for rapists of girls below 12 years Highlights:

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance provides for stringent punishment of a jail term of minimum 20 years or life imprisonment or death for rape of a girl under 12 years.

It provides for speedy investigation and trial, which must be completed in two months.



There will be no provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of rape or gang rape of a girl less than 16 years.

1.3.23 Electoral Bond Scheme

Government of India has notified the Electoral Bond Scheme 2018. Highlights:

Electoral Bonds may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India, either singly or jointly with other individuals.

Only the Political Parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and which secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last General Election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State, shall be eligible to receive the Electoral Bonds.

The Electoral Bonds shall be encashed by an eligible Political Party only through a Bank account with the Authorized Bank.

1.3.24 Declaration of Scheduled Areas in respect of Rajasthan

The Union Cabinet has given approval to the declaration of Scheduled Areas in respect of Rajasthan under Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

The Scheduled Tribes residing in Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, and partial areas of Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittorgarh, Pali and Sirohi districts of Rajasthan will get benefits of protective measures available under the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

Fifth Schedule: The Fifth Schedule deals with the control and administration of the Schedule Areas.:

It deals with provision for the constitution of a Tribes Advisory Council The Governor has the power to adapt laws passed by Parliament and State

legislature in such a way that it suits these areas. It provides Governor with the power to make regulation for good

governance and peace for the area.

1.3.25 Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0

The second stage of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is set to take off with a much wider spread than its first stage. Highlights:



Both technical and non-technical institutions have been invited. The key points include helping villages achieve 100% school results,

creating 25 jobs each in four sectors in each village, increasing rural incomes, providing drinking water and sanitation to villages, disposing village garbage, among other things.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan: Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a Ministry of Human Resource Development,

Government of India programme to uplift rural India.

1.3.26 Van Dhan Scheme

The Prime Minister of India launched the Van Dhan Scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED at Bijapur, Chattisgarh. Highlights:

Under Van Dhan, 10 Self Help Groups of 30 Tribal gatherers is constituted. They are then trained and provided with working capital to add value to the

products, which they collect from the jungle. Training and technical support is provided by Tribal Cooperative Marketing

Development Federation of India Limited TRIFED The establishment of “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” is for providing skill

upgradation and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facility.

Van Dhan Vikas Kendra This first model Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is being implemented for training

of 300 beneficiaries at Bijapur, Chattisgarh. This Kendra to start with will have processing facility for Tamarind brick

making, Mahua flower storage facility and chironjee cleaning and packaging.

The selection of the tribal beneficiaries and formation of the SHGs has been undertaken by The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)

Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is being established in a Panchayat Building so that the primary processing can be commenced by the SHGs



1.3.27 Adopt a Heritage scheme

“Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan” is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and State/UTs Governments. Highlights:

It aims to involve public sector companies, private sector companies and corporate citizens/individuals to take up the responsibility for making our heritage and tourism more sustainable

They would become ‘Monument Mitras’. The aim is enhancement of tourist experience and promotion of the

incredible heritage sites to bring them on tourism map. The project primarily focuses on providing basic amenities that includes

cleanliness, public conveniences, drinking water, ease of access for differently abled and senior citizens, standardized signage, illumination and advanced amenities



2. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

2.1 ENERGY

2.1.1 Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project

Construction works on 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project have begun. Highlights:

Is located on River Tons, a major tributary of River Yamuna in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state.

This is a run-of-the river project type. Run-of-the river project

Run-of-the-river hydroelectric systems harvest the energy from flowing water to generate electricity in the absence of a large dam and reservoir.

The primary difference between this type of hydroelectric generation and others is that run-of-the-river primarily uses the flow rate of water to generate power instead of the power from water falling a large distance

Another main difference between traditional hydropower is that run-of-the-river hydro is used in areas where there is little to no water storage, such as in a river.

2.1.2 Blockchain and the world of Energy Technology

As experienced in virtual currencies, the world of Energy is also getting ready for a taste of Blockchain technology How can be used?

Generators, consumers and storage devices should be able to integrate in this system and provide services for electricity purchase, sale, storage or drawdowns.

Universal access to charging infrastructure for e-vehicles. A meter connected to a plant can measure the amount of electricity

generated and record that as a secured block on the distributed ledger.

2.1.3 Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Vehicles explained

Though the government seems to have dropped its plan to implement a comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) policy, it is still keen on shifting India’s petrol-diesel-based auto industry to electric.



What are the differences between electric and hybrid vehicles? The key difference between hybrid and all-EVs is in the sources of fuel and

locomotion available to them. Hybrid vehicles have two sources available to them— a battery that powers

an electric motor and a fuel tank that powers a normal petrol engine. Typically, the battery can power the electric motor for only about 60-70 km Once the battery is depleted, the hybrid car switches over to the petrol

engine, which then functions like any other normal car engine. An all-EV does not have this advantage. Once its battery is depleted, it has

no backup source of fuel. However, electric cars have the benefit of larger batteries since they do not

have to share space with a petrol engine or fuel tank. How do you refuel e-vehicles?

A normal plug-in vehicle can be refuelled by plugging the car into a wall socket or a charging point.

There are some hybrid variants that can recharge the electric battery through a technology called regenerative braking, where the vehicle converts the force of the car when it brakes into electrical energy.

Charging time depends on the size of the battery and the source of electricity.

A DC charging point can fully charge a car battery in a fraction of the time taken using an AC charging point, which is 6-8 hours.

How does the law differentiate between the two? The main difference is in their tax treatment under the Goods and Services Tax. While EVs are taxed at 12%, hybrid vehicles are taxed on par with the luxury vehicles at 28% plus 15% cess.

2.1.4 Delhi becomes first city to roll-out Euro VI fuel

New Delhi has become the first city in India to deploy Bharat Stage 6 Fuel for both petrol and diesel two years ahead of the rest of the county.



Bharat Stage (BS) VI Contains both emission standards for new vehicles as well as specifications

for reference and commercial gasoline and diesel fuels Sulfur content is limited to a maximum of 10 ppm. By 2023-2025 time frame, India should try to match, or even improve upon,

Euro 6/VI fuel specifications.

2.1.5 Diu: India's first solar-powered island

The district of Diu, part of the Daman & Diu Union territory, is India’s first solar powered island. Highlights

Along with solar, Diu is also exploring wind energy Energy from solar parks is supplemented by rooftop solar

Diu Smart City is 1st in India to run on 100% renewable energy The Diu Smart City has become the first city in India that runs on 100 per cent renewable energy during the daytime.

The city has developed a 9-MW solar park, besides installing solar panels on the rooftops on 79 government buildings.

Diu also offers its residents a subsidy for installing 1-5 KW rooftop solar panels.

2.1.6 Extended Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

The target under the Centre's flagship scheme was to give 5 crore LPG connections across the country which was raised to 8 crore. The extended Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana would now cover all SC/ST households, Most Backward Classes, beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), Antyoday Anna Yojana, forest dwellers, people residing in river and river islands.



Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

Highlights

Under the scheme, five crore LPG connections are to be provided to BPL households.

The identification of eligible BPL families will be made in consultation with the State Governments and the Union Territories.

The Scheme provides a financial support of Rs 1600 for each LPG connection to the BPL households

Preference would be given to SC/ST and weaker sections of society.

2.1.7 Solar panels on water bodies, dams

Maharashtra will allow private players to install panels on water bodies, rivers and dams.



Highlights Due to the shortage of land the government aims to construct solar panels

on water bodies Placing the panels on water bodies will also free up land for agriculture, but

the panels will need waterproofing. The idea is to increase the percentage of solar to 40% of the total

renewable energy generation for Maharashtra

2.1.8 World’s largest greenfield oil refinery

A consortium of India’s three state-run Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) signed an agreement with Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest producer of crude oil, to set up the world’s largest greenfield integrated oil refinery on the west coast of India. Highlights

Indian Oil Corp (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

The project will have Saudi Aramco as a 50 percent equity partner

2.1.9 Petroleum, Finance Ministers can award hydrocarbon blocks

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to delegate the power to award hydrocarbon blocks to successful bidders under the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) to Petroleum and and Finance Ministers. Highlights

Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries can extract coal bed methane (CBM) in their coal bearing areas without applying for a licence or lease.

HELP The uniform licence will enable the contractor to explore conventional as

well as unconventional oil and gas resources including CBM, shale gas/oil, tight gas and gas hydrates under a single license.

The concept of Open Acreage Policy will enable companies to choose the blocks from the designated area.

The policy is also aimed at enhancing transparency and reducing administrative discretion.

2.1.10 India’s first filament bulb-free village panchayat

Pilicode panchayat in Kasaragod, Kerala has become the first village panchayat in the country that has completely abandoned filament bulbs



Highlights By replacing all the filament bulbs by LED bulbs under its unique project

‘Oorjayanam’, Project aims to make the panchayat energy efficient. As part of the project, the panchayat had conducted a survey in all the

households with regards the energy-inefficient gadgets

2.1.11 Solar Lamp Assembly & Distribution Center

Solar Lamps Assembly & Distribution Centre inaugurated at Mahuli village in Arrah in Bihar State. Highlights:

The initiative is part of the Government of India’s scheme of providing 70 lakh Solar Study Lamps in five States where rural household electrification levels are low

In this centre, local women Self Help Group (SHG) will assemble Solar Study Lamps and distribute them to underprivileged students who do not have access to electricity.

What is a solar lamp? A solar lamp also known as solar light or solar lantern, is a lighting system composed of an LED lamp, solar panels, battery, charge controller and there may also be an inverter. The lamp operates on electricity from batteries, charged through the use of solar photovoltaic panel.

2.1.12 3D conic device to increase solar-thermal conversion

Chinese scientists have developed a new device of 3D hollow-cone structure that can greatly increase the solar-thermal conversion efficiency.



Highlights: The device, named 'Artificial Transpiration' is inspired by the transpiration

process of trees It has a special 1D water path within it, which can reduce the energy loss in

conduction The cone structure, based on a graphene film, can collect more sunlight

throughout the day when compared with a flat device The device can enhance the solar-thermal conversion rate to 85 per cent,

which is much higher than the 40 per cent rate of common devices

2.1.13 India to launch natural gas trading hub

The government plans to launch a natural gas trading hub, creating an Indian gas benchmark. Highlights:

To boost the consumption of natural gas in the country, In the Gas Trading Hub / Exchange (GTHE) natural gas can be traded, and

supplied through a market-based mechanism Currently, the government fixes the price of the bulk of domestically

produced natural gas. The thrust is on increasing the availability of natural gas by enhancing the

domestic production, encouraging the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), completion of national pipeline grid and speedier roll out of City Gas Distribution network in the country

2.1.14 World's first floating nuclear power plan

Akademik Lomonosov, the world's first "floating" nuclear power plant (FNPP) for installation in remote areas, has headed out on its first sea voyage from this Baltic shipyard in Russia



Highlights:

Floating nuclear power plants will enable electricity and heat supply to the most remote regions

An FNPP is basically a mobile, low-capacity reactor unit They are designed to maintain both uninterruptible power and plentiful

desalinated water supply. The FNPP has a capacity of 70MW and is equipped with two reactors of 35

MW each

2.1.15 The draft National Energy Storage Mission

The draft National Energy Storage Mission expects to kick-start grid-connected energy storage in India, set up a regulatory framework, and encourage indigenous manufacturing of batteries Highlights:

The draft sets a target of 15-20 gigawatt hours (GWh) of grid-connected storage within the next five years

The mission will focus on seven verticals: o indigenous manufacturing; o an assessment of technology and cost trends; o a policy and regulatory framework; o financing, business models and market creation; o research and development; o standards and testing; and o grid planning for energy storage.



2.2 ENVIRONMENT

2.2.1 Possible carbon release due to Arctic Permafrost

Highlights

By the year 2300, total carbon emissions from this region will be 10 times as much as all human-produced fossil fuel emissions in 2016.

Permafrost is soil that has remained frozen for years or centuries under topsoil. It contains carbon-rich organic material, such as leaves, that froze without decaying.

As rising Arctic air temperatures cause permafrost to thaw, the organic material decomposes and releases its carbon to the atmosphere in the form of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane.

2.2.2 Formation of State Wetland Authority

Tamil Nadu State government set up a ‘Wetland Authority’ for the protection and preservation of wetlands across the State. National committee to replace Central wetland Authority

In the wetland rules, 2010 there was a Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority(CWRA)

Under the new rules of 2017, the CWRA will be replaced by a national committee



The powers have been given to the State governments so that protection and conservation work can be done at the local level.

2.2.3 Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017

The new rules stipulate setting up of a State Wetlands Authority in each State and union territories that will be headed by the State’s environment minister.

They will also include one expert each in the fields of wetland ecology, hydrology, fisheries, landscape planning and socioeconomics.

The State authorities will also need to prepare a list of all wetlands, a list of wetlands to be notified, a comprehensive digital inventory of all wetlands, which will be updated every ten years.

The rules prohibit activities like conversion of wetland for non-wetland uses Wetlands

Wetlands can be defined as lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic eco-systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water.

They support rich biodiversity and provide wide range of ecosystem services such as water storage, water purification, flood mitigation, erosion control, aquifer recharge and others.

2.2.4 Seaweed to remove lead, chromium and dyes from wastewater

CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat have synthesised a graphene–iron sulphide nanocomposite. Highlights

The graphene nanocomposite functionalized with iron sulphide facilitates the adsorption of heavy metals and dyes

Lead adsorption was irreversible even at low pH as the interaction of lead with the composite is very strong

Has potential to be used in combination with other membrane-based processes

2.2.5 National Forest Policy (NFP), 2018

The Central government has come up with a new draft National Forest Policy (NFP), 2018, after 30 years.



It talks about climate change mitigation through sustainable forest management.

Aims to contribute to the forestry-related Nationally Determined Contribution Targets and by integrating, the mechanism of REDD+

How degraded lands can be improved by undertaking afforestation activities using public private partnership models.

Seeks to introduce a community forest management (CFM) mission as an offshoot of participatory forest management such as joint forest management (JFM), Van Suraksha Samitis etc.

CAMPA Act The Compensatory Afforestation Fund 2016 Act provides for setting up

Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) at both central and state level

For utilization of amounts released in lieu of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose.

REDD+ REDD originally referred to "reducing emissions from deforestation in

developing countries" It was superseded in the negotiations by REDD+ that were adopted at COP

19 in Warsaw,2013 REDD+ emphasis the role of conservation, sustainable management of

forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries

2.2.6 World’s first microfactory to help tackle e-waste hazard

A microfactory is one or a series of small machines and devices. The discarded devices are first placed into a module to break them down. The next module may involve a special robot for the identification of useful

parts Another module then involves using a small furnace which transforms

these parts into valuable materials by using a controlled temperature process

E- waste computer circuit boards can be transformed into valuable metal alloys such as copper and tin

Glass and plastic from e-devices can be converted into micro materials used in industrial grade ceramics and plastic filaments for 3D printing.



2.2.7 Olive ridleys start hatching at Rushikulya

Sporadic hatching of olive ridley eggs has started at the mass nesting site at Rushikulya rookery coast in Ganjam district of Odisha.

Highlights

Hatching also begun at four artificial hatcheries in the region. The forest department has begun the process to document the

phenomenon by opening a centre at Gokhakuda. CCTVs have been installed to check human intervention during the hatching

process.

2.2.8 Tiny sea creatures affect Earth’s climate

NASA is conducting a study of the world’s largest phytoplankton bloom in the North Atlantic to see how the tiny sea algae influence the climate every season.



The North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES) mission To study how phytoplanktons give rise to small organic particles that leave

the ocean and end up in the atmosphere, ultimately influencing clouds and climate.

Satellites such as CALIPSO, a joint NASA and CNES mission, also help to study the ocean and the atmosphere

Phytoplankton Are microscopic plants that float in the upper ocean They form the base of marine food webs All microbial populations are not exactly alike, there are ‘core’ species and

some ‘peripheral’ species Core Species: A species whose presence and role within an ecosystem has a disproportionate effect on other organisms within the system. Peripheral species The species which occur irregularly, often in response to annual environmental conditions and resources that natural fluctuate, particularly at the edge (periphery) of geographic (habitat) zones.

2.2.9 Plastic Waste Management (amendment) rules

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2018 The amended Rules

It lay down the phasing out of Multilayered Plastic (MLP) which are non-recyclable, or non-energy recoverable, or with no alternate use.

Prescribes an automated central registration system for the registration of the producer/importer/brand owner.

While a national registry has been prescribed for producers with presence in more than two states, a state-level registration has been prescribed for smaller producers/brand owners operating within one or two states.

2.2.10 The Arctic alarm

The Arctic Ocean is projected to become ice-free in summer. Over the last four decades, minimum sea ice extent has dropped by about

40%



The loss of Arctic sea ice is accelerated when the snow cover reflecting the Sun’s radiation back into space are replaced with dark blue ocean that absorbs it instead.

The dwindling sea ice changes winter weather

2.2.11 Draft National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

The NCAP is conceived as a detailed strategy to ensure that cities across the country meet specified air quality norms..

It envisions setting up 1,000 manual air-quality-monitoring stations (a 45% increase from the present number) and 268 automatic stations (triple the current 84).

It also, for the first time, plans to set up pollution-monitoring stations in rural areas.

The NCAP follows from the Environment Ministry’s submissions to the Supreme Court

But has not specified any pollution-reduction targets

2.2.12 New CRZ, 2018 notification

The Centre has allowed India’s coasts to be made more accessible to tourism and industrial infrastructure and given individual States more power to decide how they should plan such development.



The coastal regulation zone(CRZ) refers to regions in the proximity shoreline where buildings, tourism

facilities, industrial projects, residential facilities, etc. are highly regulated In most cases it begins from the high tide line (HTL) to about 500 m towards

the landward side The zone is subdivided into regions The CRZ-1 includes the most ecologically sensitive areas Tourism activities and infrastructure development are not allowed CRZ-1 in

except for defence, strategic and rare public utilities projects. According to the new CRZ, 2018 notification “nature trails and eco-tourism

activities” may be permitted in CRZ-1 regions rural habitations or relatively undisturbed areas close to the shore are

called CRZ-II CRZ-II had a 200 m ‘no development zone’. This has now been reduced to

50 meters The High Tide Line (HTL) has been demarcated by the National Centre for

Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM).

2.2.13 Erosion and CO2

Rocks could remove some of carbon dioxide from atmosphere, by turning it into stone during erosion. more erosion and weathering means an added reduction of CO2 But studied shows that mountain erosion can add to the Co2 emissions This goes against a long-standing hypothesis that more mountains mean

more erosion and weathering, which means an added reduction of CO2 The source of this extra CO2 is not entirely geological. Instead, it is the byproduct of tiny microbes in mountain soils that "eat"

ancient sources of organic carbon that are trapped in the rock

2.2.14 Ramsar tag likely for Sunderbans

The West Bengal government gave its approval to the State Forest Department to apply for recognition under the Ramsar Convention. Sunderbans:

The Sundarbans is a vast forest in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal and considered one of the natural wonders of the world.



Located in the delta region of Padma, Meghna and Brahmaputra river basins

The Sundarbans contain the world's largest coastal mangrove forest The Indian Sunderbans, comprise almost 43% of the mangrove cover in the

country It is home to about 100 Royal Bengal tigers Other than threats such as climate change, sea level rise, widespread

construction and clearing of mangrove forests for fisheries is posing a danger to the Sunderbans.

About Ramsar site A Ramsar Site is a wetland site designated of international importance

under the Ramsar Convention Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental environmental treaty

established in 1971 by UNESCO, and coming into force in 1975. It provides for national action and international cooperation regarding the

conservation of wetlands, and wise sustainable use of their resources There are currently 26 sites in India recognised as Ramsar wetland sites.

2.2.15 India going green

Forest cover has increased by 6,778 sq km in the country during the last two years, with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala making a significant contribution, according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) Highlights:

The growth in forest cover can be attributed to plantation and conservation activities, both within and outside the recorded forest areas

Improvement in interpretation due to better radiometric resolution of the recent satellite data from Resourcesat-2

The total forest and tree cover in India, is 8,02,088 sq km, which is 24.39 per cent of the country’s geographic area.

The present assessment shows that 15 states/UTs have above 33 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover

Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover (77,414 sq km) in the country, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (66,964 sq km), Chhattisgarh (55,547 sq km), Odisha (51,345 sq km) and Maharashtra (50,682 sq km).

The current assessment shows a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 630 sq km in the north eastern region



Mangrove cover has increased by 181 sq km and the bamboo bearing area grew by 1.73 million hectare

The total carbon stock in forests was estimated at 7,082 million tonnes, showing an increase of 38 million tonnes over the last assessment in 2015.

2.2.16 Restructured National Bamboo Mission

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Bamboo Mission (NBM) under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). The restructured NBM strives to:

To increase the area under bamboo plantation in non-forest Government and private lands.

To improve post-harvest management through establishment of innovative primary processing units, treatment and seasoning plants, primary treatment and seasoning plants, preservation technologies and market infrastructure.

To promote product development at micro, small and medium levels and feed bigger industry.

To promote skill development, capacity building, awareness generation for development of bamboo sector.

The Mission would ensure holistic development of the bamboo sector by addressing complete value chain and establishing effective linkage of producers (farmers) with industry.

The scheme will benefit directly and indirectly the farmers as well as local artisans

2.2.17 Maharashtra tops in air toxicity

It is based on the air quality data generated during 2011-2015, the Central Pollution Control Board has identified 94 towns, for not meeting the prescribed standards Highlights:

The towns are in the Thane district-Badlapur-Ulhasnagar and Pune belts. Seventeen of the State’s cities and towns exceeded Particulate Matter 10

(PM10) during the period. High levels of NO2 and PM10 determine air toxicity, with excess NO2 levels

known to cause severe respiratory infections. Particulates come mainly from construction activity and roadside dust



Kolkata and Delhi reported high levels of NO2 along with PM10. Uttar Pradesh reported 15 of its cities and towns to have exceeded the

PM10 level.

2.2.18 New plants from Western Ghats

Nine new plants have been discovered in the Western Ghats

1. The world’s smallest land fern 2. Two shrubs of the rattlepod family 3. Two balsams 4. Two shrubs belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae) 5. A herb of the coffee family (Rubiaceae) 6. A 10-cm-tall Sonerila, a flowering plant commonly found in the tropics,

have been discovered.



3. ICT AND APPLICATIONS

3.1 BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS)

China has successfully launched two satellites with a single rocket to strengthen its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). BeiDou

Named after the Chinese term for Big Dipper. It has total 22 Operational satellites in orbit and the full constellation is

scheduled to comprise 35 satellites. BeiDou has two separate constellations, BeiDou-1 and BeiDou-2. BeiDou-2,

also known as COMPASS Other Satellite Navigation Systems in the world Global Positioning System (GPS)

The NAVSTAR GPS system is composed of 24 satellites, and was created by the U.S. Department of Defense.

It can be accessed anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line-of-sight to four or more GPS satellites.

Global Satellite Navigation System (GLONASS) GLONASS was developed in the Soviet Union and is operated by the Russian

Aerospace Defense Forces. This is the only other navigational system in operation with global coverage

and of comparable precision. Galileo (In development)

Galileo is a global navigation system currently being developed by the European Union and European Space Agency intended primarily for civilian use.

Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) is a regional

satellite navigation system being developed by the Indian Space Research Organization.

IRNSS will provide standard service for civilian use and an encrypted restricted service for authorized users (military).

3.2 Sentinel Earth observation satellite

Is new, highly-advanced Earth observation satellite by EU. to monitor the Earth’s ocean.



Along with that it will map the vegetation growth on the earth surface and will measure the thinning ice sheets.

The Sentinel-3B was the seventh satellite for the Copernicus mission. Copernicus Mission It will provide accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve

the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.

The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme, was previously known as GMES.

3.3 Largest cloud infrastructures in the world

Technology giant Microsoft is betting big on areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and augmented reality by constructing largest cloud infrastructure. Importance

A whole range of devices from small IoT (Internet of Things) sensors to large screens will be integrated seamlessly with each other.

Connected Vehicle Platform (to connect cars) is built and based on Azure Cloud (Microsoft).

What is Cloud Infrastructure?

Cloud infrastructure is the collection of server hardware, networking gear, storage resources, and software that is needed to build applications that can be accessed by the cloud.

Components of Cloud Infrastructure a) Computing



This provides computing power for the cloud service and is usually provided by racks of servers powered by server chips.

b) Networking Routers and switches are used to move data between the computing

resources, the storage systems, and the outside world. c) Storage

The cloud service usually requires large amounts of storage resources that might use a combination hard disks and flash storage.

3.4 Digital Initiative for Ease of Export

Union Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Minister launched digital initiatives by Export Inspection Council (EIC) for ease of export Highlights

EIC is the official export certification body of Government of India To provide fast, efficient and transparent services for ease of doing

business in all sectors the complete export food chain has been integrated in this digital platform.

Processing units, testing laboratories, official controls and exports have complete traceability.

One lab one assessment portal provides unified approach to all stakeholders like accreditation bodies, regulators and laboratories by bringing them together on a common platform.

The Export Alert Monitoring portal monitors non compliances raised by importing countries.

The portal will enable monitoring of alerts and action taken by multiple organizations involved in initial certification in the food safety & biosecurity and analysing the trend, understanding the trade barriers to reduce the alerts and enhance the export trade.

3.5 AI makes chemicals

AlphaGo software, which uses multiple deep-learning networks, can be used to plan tough and complex chemical syntheses in organic chemistry called retrosynthesis.

Computer-aided retrosynthesis was done using the Monte Carlo tree search heuristic and AI which were trained on all reactions ever published in organic chemistry



In computer science, heuristic is a technique designed for solving a problem more quickly when classic methods are too slow, or for finding an approximate solution when classic methods fail to find any exact solution.

An Artificial Intelligence (AI) entity called “AlphaGo” had defeated humans in a complex Chinese board game called 'GO’

3.6 India third most vulnerable country to cyber threats

India emerged as the third most vulnerable country in terms of risk of cyber threats, according to a report by security solutions provider Symantec. The global threat ranking is based on eight metrics malware, spam, phishing, bots, network attacks, web attacks, ransomware and crypto mining.

Highlights

In 2017, 5.09% of global threats detected were in India India continues to be second most impacted by spam and bots, third most

impacted by network attacks, and fourth most impacted by ransomware. Cryptojacking



Cryptojacking is defined as the secret use of your computing device to mine crypto currency.

Cryptojacking used to be confined to the victim unknowingly installing a program that secretly mines crypto currency.

3.7 UTTAM APP for Coal Quality Monitoring

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal launched UTTAM App for Coal Quality Monitoring. UTTAM stands for–Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal (uttam.coalindia.in). Highlights

Aims to provide an App for all citizens and coal consumers to monitor the process of Third Party Sampling of coal across CIL subsidiaries.

It ensures transparency and efficiency in the coal quality monitoring process

3.8 Promotion of e-learning

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched many schemes for promoting e-learning across students in schools & Universities. SWAYAM

The ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds' (SWAYAM) an integrated platform for online courses, using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and covering school (9th to 12th) to Post Graduate Level.

SWAYAM Prabha SWAYAM Prabha is an initiative to provide 32 High Quality Educational

Channels through DTH (Direct to Home) across the length and breadth of the country on 24X7 basis. It has curriculum based course content covering diverse disciplines.

National Digital Library (NDL) The National Digital Library of India (NDL) is a project to develop a

framework of virtual repository of learning resources with a single-window search facility. There are more than 153 Lakhs digital books available through the NDL.

E-pathshala



E-books of the resources developed by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) / State Institutes of Education (SIEs), State boards etc.

SIEs in multiple languages and uploaded on e-pathshala website and disseminated through mobile app (android, iOS and Windows).

E-pathshala has been listed/made available on the UMANG App of Govt. of India.

National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER) To make digital resources available for teachers and students as free and

open source material. To enable the participation of the community in development and sharing

of digital resources. To facilitate the adoption and creation of digital resources in different

Indian languages.

3.9 Humanity’s first flight to sun

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will be humanity’s first mission to the Sun.

Highlights



After launch, it will orbit directly through the solar atmosphere the corona closer to the surface than any human-made object has ever gone.

The mission will reveal fundamental science behind what drives the solar wind, the constant outpouring of material from the Sun that shapes planetary atmospheres and affects space weather near Earth.

Just prior to being fuelled, one of the most critical elements of the spacecraft, the thermal protection system (TPS), or heat shield, will be installed.

3.10 UIDAI’s digitally-signed QR code with photo for e-Aadhaar

The UIDAI has brought in a digitally-signed QR Code on e-Aadhaar that will now contain photograph of the Aadhaar holder

This is in addition to demographic details To facilitate better offline verification of an individuals.

3.11 Massive Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) lab

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi is opening a Massive Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) lab on the campus. Highlights

The lab will be the first of its kind in the country This 5G base station prototype will be used to test and verify algorithms. It will also be instrumental in generating skilled manpower in this

technology In Massive MIMO, several antennas are deployed at the base station as

compared to only a few antennas in 3G/4G. This large antenna array at the base station allows the network to

communicate reliably with a very large number of mobile terminals simultaneously at the same time and on the same frequency channel.

The large antenna array also improves system power efficiency as mobile terminals will now be required to radiate 10 times lesser power than in 3G/4G systems

3.12 PSLV-C41 successfully launches IRNSS-1I

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C41 successfully launched the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1I Navigation Satellite today from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.



Highlights

IRNSS-1I is the latest member of the ‘Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC)’ system.

NavIC, also known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1,500 km around the Indian mainland.

The eight satellites have a civilian and restricted military/security application to aid security and disaster management and fleet monitoring on land, air and sea.

3.13 Chip in for viewership data

The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has proposed the installation of a chip in new television set-top boxes to collect data on channels watched, with duration. Highlights:

The move is aimed to get “more authentic” viewership figures for every channel.



This would help advertisers and the DAVP to spend their advertising expenditure wisely.

The move is seen to end the monopoly of the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC), which measures the television audience preferences in the country

3.14 FIEO GlobalLinker

The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) GlobalLinker is a digital platform for MSME exporters to digitise their businesses and join a global community of growing businesses. Benefits:

Business Opportunities: Exporters will be able to find clients, suppliers and advisors using the search and review facilities. Creating a free e-commerce store for direct sales and improved chain management.

Up-to-date Business Knowledge through business articles, industry news and common interest groups.

Improved Efficiencies: Platform provides services like company intranet, integrating email, a business calendar.

Federation of Indian Export Organisations: It is a trade promotion organisation in India, jointly established in 1965 by

the Ministry of Commerce of the Government of India and private trade and industry.

The organisation is responsible for representing and assisting Indian entrepreneurs and exporters in foreign markets

3.15 DARPAN-PLI App

DARPAN-PLI App, will help in collection of premium for Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) policies at Branch Post Offices anywhere in India DARPAN:

To achieve total digitisation of postal operations in the country, under the IT Modernisation Plan, Department of Posts has launched DIGITAL ADVANCEMENT OF RURAL POST OFFICE FOR A NEW INDIA (DARPAN) Project

It aims at connecting all 1.29 lakh Rural Branch Post Offices in the country



The devices with SIM connectivity and solar power backup are being installed in all Branch Post Offices in the Country

3.16 The monsoon forecast

The IMD has decided to provide a more fine-grained forecast on the monsoon’s progress, particularly in the central and northern regions.

Typically, the IMD only forecasts the monsoon’s arrival over Kerala — around mid-May.

This year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is likely to issue fortnightly forecasts of the monsoon arrival in States, by tweaking one of its models to generate a 15-day lead time.

The IMD(India Meteorological Department) is an organisation under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)

3.17 National portal to share research facilities

Soon researchers in any college or institution and research organisations can check, reserve and have easy access to even expensive research equipment and facilities anywhere in India, thanks to the efforts by the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. The portal is Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM). I-STEM

It will provide access to researchers to any equipment or facility that has been procured using public funds.

Sharing expensive equipment can bring down the cost of doing research in India

3.18 Enhanced telecom in LWE regions

To enhance mobile communication in regions affected by left wing extremism (LWE), the government plans to install more than 4,000 mobile towers across 10 States.



Features

funded through the Universal Obligation Fund aims to provide calling as well as internet facility to security forces and

citizens only 2G connectivity was provided in the first phase, the second phase will

have 3G and 4G connectivity Phase 1 of the project was implemented by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

(BSNL) BSNL currently does not have 4G spectrum

Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) raised through a 'Universal Access Levy (UAL)', which would be a

percentage of the revenue earned by the operators under various licenses



The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003 gave statutory status to the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)

Used for providing telecom services in rural and remote areas

3.19 Vehicles to come with high security plates

From January 1, 2019 onward, all classes of motor vehicles hitting the roads will come fitted with tamper-proof high security registration plates (HSRP) that have a host of in-built security features.

The HSRP

HSRPs will have in-built security features, such as a self-destructive sticker with the engine and chassis numbers.

The plates will be fitted on the front and the rear of the vehicles, and windscreens will have a number plate tag with hologram



A chromium-based hologram will be applied by hot stamping on the top left corner of the plates

A permanent identification number with a minimum of 10 digits will be laser-branded

3.20 MTC app to provide real time data on buses

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) Chennai has completed the process of collating geographic location-specific data for bus stops and route systems in the city. This is the first time an attempt has been made by the MTC to put real time bus movements in the palms of the commuters through an app.

Geo-coding

is the process of converting addresses into geographic coordinates of latitude and longitude.

passengers can search for the nearest bus stop and look for travel options from these locations through an app or a website



3.21 e-Vidhan

e-Vidhan is a mission mode project to digitize and make the functioning of State Legislatures in India paperless.

It is a part of the broader Digital India Programme. One of the key component of the strategy devised for implementation of

the project is to create Project Monitoring Units both at Central as well as State levels.

3.22 Logic devices for DNA-based computation

Scientists at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata, have been successful in designing DNA-based logic devices that would find application in DNA-based computation Highlights:

They have designed reusable YES and INHIBIT logic systems by using a small molecule that serves as a fluorescent probe and binds to both a four-stranded DNA structure (G-quadruplex) present in human telomeres and nucleic acid cleaving enzymes (nucleases).

The DNA logic gates will provide the ability to not only create more complicated, sequential DNA computations but also create interfaces between silicon and DNA-based computers.

The DNA-based nanodevice could be useful for diagnostic sensors and other biomolecular machines

3.23 Blockchain technology

Blockchain technology has the power to transform business processes and applications across sectors from financial services to agriculture, from healthcare to education, among others. Application of blockchain technology would bring revolutionary changes through in-built transparency, traceability and efficiency in the system. Highlights:

State governments are exploring use of this technology to bring order and efficiency to property transactions.

Financial services have been a pioneer in blockchain-based use cases that are driving significant improvements in operations and client experience.

Blockchain could play a crucial part in health insurance claims management by reducing the risk of insurance claim frauds.



The technology can also be used to prevent the sale of spurious drugs in the country by tracking every step of the supply chain network at every level.

The education sector can benefit from a blockchain-powered, time-stamped repository of pass-outs and job records of students

In agriculture too, seasonal data related to crop and climatic cycles and soil testing data can be protected and used by multi-nodal blockchain application for the benefit of insurance companies, researchers, market agencies and even to predict stock prices.

Government as enabler: The NITI Aayog is exploring the use of blockchain and AI technologies in

diverse areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture, electricity distribution and land records, among others

Building a platform called 'IndiaChain' , a shared, India-specific blockchain infrastructure that would leverage the trinity of Jan-Dhan-Yojana, Aadhaar and the mobile trinity.

3.24 PM’s interaction through PRAGATI

The Prime Minister chaired twenty-fifth interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation(PRAGATI) About PRAGATI:

PRAGATI is a unique integrating and interactive platform. The platform is aimed at addressing common man’s grievances, and

simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments.

The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies: Digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology.

It also offers a unique combination in the direction of cooperative federalism since it brings on one stage the Secretaries of Government of India and the Chief Secretaries of the States



3.25 360° Virtual Reality (VR) video on Incredible India

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in collaboration with Google India today launched a 360° Virtual Reality (VR) experience video on Incredible India

About Virtual Reality: Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated scenario that simulates

experience. The immersive environment can be similar to the real world or it can be

fantastical, creating an experience not possible in our physical reality.

3.26 Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service (INCOIS)

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is planning to provide real-time information on the market price of fishes and allied news through the GPS-enabled GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN).

GAGAN:

GAGAN was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI)

GAGAN will provide augmentation service for the GPS over the country, the Bay of Bengal, South East Asia and Middle East and up to Africa.

Gagan works by augmenting and relaying data from GPS satellites with the help of two augmentation satellites and 15 earth-based reference stations.

The system would be available for the member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

INCOIS:

Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an autonomous organization of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

INCOIS is mandated to provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies and the scientific community



4. OTHER TOPICS

4.1 A new biological ‘switch’

Scientists have discovered a new metabolic process in the body that can switch off inflammation.

Itaconate - a molecule derived from glucose - acts as a powerful off-switch for macrophages.

A macrophage is a type of phagocyte, which is a cell responsible for detecting, engulfing and destroying pathogens and dead cells.

4.2 Icarus- farthest star

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has discovered the farthest individual star ever seen .It is an enormous blue stellar body nicknamed Icarus located over halfway across the universe. Its light has taken nine billion years to reach Earth. Hubble Space Telescope

NASA launched Hubble in 1990 It was built by the United States space agency NASA, with contributions

from the European Space Agency. Hubble is the only telescope designed to be serviced in space by astronauts. The Hubble Space Telescope looks deep into space with cameras that can

see across the entire optical spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet. The Hubble Space Telescope is a large telescope in space.

4.3 Milky Way Black holes

Astrophysicists have detected a dozen black holes at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy.

The find provides the first evidence for a long-held theory that the massive black hole at the core of every large galaxy should be surrounded by thousands of smaller ones

Milky Way galaxy The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System. The descriptive "milky" is derived from the appearance from Earth of the

galaxy – a band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye.



4.4 New type of DNA

Scientists have identified an entirely new kind of DNA inside humans. Highlights:

A twisted “knot” of DNA known as i-motif has been seen inside the nucleus of a living cell for the first time.

The i-motif is a four-stranded ‘knot’. In the knot structure, C *cytosine+ letters on the same strand of DNA bind to each other – so this is very different from a double helix, where ‘letters’ on opposite strands recognize each other and where Cs bind to Gs [guanines].

4.5 Navigating nanomotors within living cells

The magnetic-material-coated silica nanomotors are less than 3 microns in length, they can be used for targeted drug delivery, nanosensing and in therapeutics.

The nanomotors could move inside the cells when a rotating magnetic field of less than eighty Gauss is applied

The nanomotors can be used as a new imaging tool to study the organelles of the cell up-close

4.6 Koreas aim for denuclearization

The leaders of North and South Korea embraced to work for the “complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” at the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade. Highlights:

They would work with the U.S. and China this year to declare an official end to the 1950s Korean War and seek an agreement on “permanent” and “solid” peace.

The Panmunjom Declaration, named after the truce village that hosted the talks, included promises to pursue phased arms reduction, cease hostile acts, transform their fortified border into a peace zone and seek multilateral talks with other countries, including the U.S.

4.7 NSCI Safety Awards for the year 2017

The NSCI Safety Awards are much coveted national level Awards in the field of occupational safety, health and environment and are given in recognition for effective Safety Management System and excellent safety & health performance



by the organizations in Manufacturing, Construction and MSME Sectors during the relevant assessment periods.

These Awards are adjudged and declared every year by the National Safety Council.

National Safety Council:

It is an autonomous body, which was set up by the Government of India, Ministry of Labour and Employment in 1966 to generate, develop and sustain a voluntary movement on Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) at the national level.

To fulfill its objective NSC carries out various activities. These include organising and conducting specialised training courses,

conferences, seminars & workshops Conducting consultancy studies such as safety audits, hazard evaluation

& risk assessment Designing and developing HSE promotional materials & publications.

CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 -...

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