FEBP02 IAS BEEiasbee.com/FEBP02.pdf · CAUVERY WATER DISPUTE VERDICT In a landmark verdict that...

IAS BEE (WEEKLY}

Current affairs {11th -18th Feb ’18}

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FEBP02

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POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL (CAT) 3

2. CAUVERY WATER DISPUTE VERDICT 3

3. CENTRAL GEOLOGICAL PROGRAMMING BOARD (CGPB) 3

4. BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA 4

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND SECURITY

1. MALDIVES 5

2. INDIA GETS ACCESS TO STRATEGIC OMAN PORT DUQM FOR MILITARY USE 6

3. WORLD GOVERNMENT SUMMIT 8

4. UN REFUGEE PROGRAMME 8

5. FIRST HINDU TEMPLE IN ABU DABI 9

6. DEFENSE ACQUISITION COUNCIL 9

7. INDIA’S NEW GATEWAY TO SOUTH-EAST ASIA-JOGIGHOPA 9

8. BHARATMALA PROJECT 11

9. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ 11

10. TRI-SERVICE MARITIME EXERCISE 'PASCHIM LEHAR' 12

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. THE WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2018 13

2. SWADHAR GREH SCHEME 13

3. NATIONAL WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNCIL 13

4. THE MASTERCARD INDEX OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS 2017 13

5. SHe-box 14

6. “HEALTHY STATES, PROGRESSIVE INDIA” REPORT 14

7. “SWACHH BHARAT SANITATION PARK” INAUGURATED IN DELHI 15

8. THE INDIA HEALTH FUND (IHF) 15

9. NATIONAL DEWORMING INITIATIVE 16

10. MANIPUR GETS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF JUSTICE 16

11. LPG PANCHAYAT 16

12. ATAL BHOOJAL YOJANA 17

13. ANTI-NARCOTICS SCHEME 18

14. INDIA’S UMANG APP, AADHAAR WIN AWARDS AT WORLD GOVERNMENT SUMMIT 18

ECONOMY

1. DETERMINATION OF GOLD PRICES 19

2. INDEPENDENT DEBT MANAGEMENT OFFICE 19

3. EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF STRESS AND RESOLUTION WILL PREVENT FUTURE EVER-GREENING 19

4. TRADE DEFICIT 19

5. HARLEY TARIFF CUT ‘NOT ENOUGH’: TRUMP 20


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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. WIDE FIELD INFRARED SURVEY TELESCOPE (WFIRST) 24

2. ESPRESSO INSTRUMENT 24

3. RAMALINGASWAMI RE-ENTRY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME 25

1. MINAMATA CONVENTION 21

2. RHODODENDRON PARK IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH 21

3. FOREST SURVEY OF INDIA 2017 REPORT 22

4. ASH TRACK MOBILE APP FOR BETTER MANAGEMENT OF FLY ASH PRODUCED BY THERMAL POWER PLANTS

23

CULTURE

1. SAHITYA AKADEMI 26

2. First Hindu Temple Project In Abu Dhabi 26

MISCELLANEOUS

1. MANIPUR GETS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF JUSTICE 27

2. THREE NEW EEL SPECIES FOUND IN BAY OF BENGAL 27

3. WORLD RADIO DAY 27

4. MUMBAI 12TH RICHEST CITY IN THE WORLD 27

5. SOYUZ ROCKET LAUNCHES CARGO FREIGHTER TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 27

6. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ 27

7. INDIRA GANDHI CANAL 27

8. INDIA PHARMA 2018 AND INDIA MEDICAL DEVICE 2018 27

9. INDIA’S FIRST RADIO FESTIVAL 28

10. NEW ANTIBIOTIC IN DIRT : MALACIDINS 28

11. FIRST LARGE SCALE CO2-INJECTED PROJECT IN ASIA 28

ENVIRONMENT





POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL (CAT) The Supreme Court has paved the way for appointment of chairpersons, judicial and others members of all 19 tribunals

including CAT and NGT. The Central Administrative Tribunal was established by an Act of Parliament namely Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 as

sequel to the 42nd amendment of the Constitution of India inserting Article 323 A.

The Principal seat of Central Administrative Tribunal is at New Delhi and it has 16 Outlying Benches scattered all over the Country.

The tribunal adjudicates disputes and complaints with respect to Recruitment and Conditions of Service of the persons appointed to the Public Services and Posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or any State or of any other Local Authorities within the territory of India or under the control of the Government of India.

The Tribunal is headed by the Chairman and 65 Members, 33 from Judicial (including Chairman) and 33 from the Administrative stream. The Chairman is normally a retired Chief Justice of a High Court.

2. CAUVERY WATER DISPUTE VERDICT In a landmark verdict that casts a long shadow on southern politics, Tamil Nadu's share of water from the river Cauvery has been reduced by the Supreme Court and Karnataka will receive a bigger share. Karnataka will now release 177.25 TMC or thousand million cubic feet to Tamil Nadu instead of 192. Karnataka's increased share takes care of the drinking water problems of its capital Bengaluru. VERDICT

No state can claim exclusive right to a river passing through different states.

"Drinking water has to be kept on the highest pedestal," said the court, acknowledging Bengaluru's needs as a "global city" and allotting it 4.75 TMC for drinking water out of Karnataka's increased share.

Reducing Tamil Nadu's share, the Supreme Court said the state's irrigation area had not been assessed correctly and its government had not considered the availability of ground water.

In Tamil Nadu's share, 10 TMC of the 20 TMC groundwater beneath the Cauvery basin can be accounted for, the judges said. The Chief Justice said the 2007 tribunal allocation of 30 TMC to Kerala and 7 TMC to Puducherry remains unchanged.

Many disappointed farmers in Tamil Nadu said the cut in the state's share would reduce cultivation by one lakh acre.

In hearings that ended last year, Tamil Nadu had asked the Supreme Court to make a "fundamental change" in the water sharing pact and set up a Cauvery Management Board. "The river is perennial, but the litigation should not be," Tamil Nadu's lawyer Shekhar Naphade had told the court.

Karnataka argued that it was unfair to require the state to release a fixed amount of water irrespective of the availability of water. "It is like the tribunal ordering god to send rain to the State," said Fali Nariman, representing Karnataka. The water tribunal which delivered the 2007 award was set up in 1990 on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The 765-km long Cauvery river, also called the Ganga of the south, is the lifeline for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The river originates in Kodagu district in southern Karnataka and flows into Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

The appeal was filed against the 2007 order of the Cauvery Water Tribunal that allocated, in a normal year, 270 TMC, or thousand million cubic feet, 192 TMC to Tamil Nadu at its Mettur Dam, 30 TMC to Kerala and 6 TMC to Puducherry. Karnataka wanted Tamil Nadu's share to be slashed by half and had made a strong case on drinking water needs of Bengaluru and Mysuru.

The court order is a setback for Tamil Nadu's government at a time it is struggling to consolidate its support, particularly after sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran's success in the RK Nagar assembly by-election.

3. CENTRAL GEOLOGICAL PROGRAMMING BOARD (CGPB) The 57th Meeting of the Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) held recently. Apart from discussion on achievements of

GSI(Geological Survey of India) during the current year, the proposed Annual Programme for ensuing 2018-19 was presented before all Board members. An exhibition was also opened displaying the entire gamut of ongoing activities of Geological Survey of India (GSI). During the occasion, four GSI publications were released. Representatives of State Departments, Central Ministries/ organizations, PSUs, academic institutes and private entrepreneurs attended the 57th CGPB meeting. About CGPB

The Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) is the apex body at the national level to overview the programme of geoscientific activities including mineral exploration in the country.

It was established through Government of India Resolution in 1966, and subsequently revamped in 2009 with the constitution of 12 theme based committees. CGPB meetings are held twice in a year.

The Secretary (Mines) is the chairman of CGPB. Geological Survey of India is the nodal department (Member Secretary) and the State Geology and Mining departments and Central Government institutions, permanent and special invitees are its participating members.





Functions: The revamped CGPB coordinates activities on geological mapping, mineral prospecting, exploration and exploitation in the country. It is responsible for providing the general strategic direction of geosciences activity; effecting programmatic coordination among agencies; enabling better interaction between central agencies and state level organizations; human resource, and research capability; identifying new areas and new technologies for geoscientific activities; advising on geosciences partnerships between GSI, and State and Central – level agencies; actively promoting use of information technology; and approving five-year detailed sub-sectoral targets on a rolling plan basis.

4. BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Natural History Museum (NHM), UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding for

cooperation in the field of genetic/taxonomic studies, research and training, conservation in India, including species and habitat conservation assessments. The MoU was signed by Director, BSI Dr Paramjit Singh and Head of the Algae, Fungi and Plants Division, NHM, Dr Sandra Knapp, in the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan.

The MoU will pave the way for BSI staff to work in Natural History Museum, London and vice-versa and they will share fairly and equitably the benefits that may arise from the collection, study and conservation of the plant materials such as seeds, herbarium specimens and tissue samples and exchange associated data and images. NHM will help BSI in capacity building in areas of systematic botany and long-term conservation of plant genetic resources in India. About BSI

Botanical Survey of India (BSI), founded 13 February 1890, is Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's organization for survey, research and conservation of plant resources, flora and endangered species of India, including by collecting and maintaining germplasm and gene bank of endangerd, patent and vulnerable plant species.

BSI was formally instituted by East India Company (EIC) on 13 February 1890 under the direction of Sir George King who became first ex-officio Director, earlier he had been superintendent of Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta since 1871.

The Calcutta Garden became the headquarters of the Survey and was given regional responsibility for Bengal, Assam, North East, Burma, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In 1954, the Government reorganised the BSI with the objectives of: o Undertaking intensive floristic surveys and collecting accurate and detailed information on the occurrence, distribution,

ecology and economic utility of plants in the country. o Collecting, identifying and distributing materials that may be of use to educational and research institutions. o Acting as the custodian of authentic collections in well planned herbaria and documenting plant resources in the form

of local, district, state and national flora.





INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND SECURITY

1. MALDIVES The Maldives is engulfed in a deepening political crisis, as the introduction of a state of emergency decree across the holiday islands prompted heavily-armed troops to storm the country's top court and arrest a former president. What happened? Recently, the Maldives Supreme Court ordered the release of several imprisoned opposition lawmakers, ruling that

their trials were politically motivated. President Abdulla Yameen refused to comply with the decision and instead imposed a state of emergency for a

period of 15 days. This afforded him sweeping powers to send security forces into the Supreme Court building in the capital city of Male.

Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Judge Ali Hameed were both arrested although charges were not specified. Their detention was soon followed by the arrest of Yameen's estranged half-brother, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — who had ruled the country for more than 30 years until a transition to democracy in 2008.

Background Gayoom, who has sided with the opposition party since leaving office a decade ago, has been a vocal critic of the

current president. He was succeeded by Mohamed Nasheed in 2009, who served during a brief period of multiparty democracy before being controversially ousted five years after taking office.

Nasheed was internationally recognized for his efforts in addressing the impact of climate change on the Maldives. However, he was imprisoned in 2015 on terrorism charges — which his supporters say were contrived.

After being allowed to leave prison a year later on medical grounds, Nasheed was granted asylum in Britain. He was reportedly expected to challenge Yameen in presidential elections later this year, before the current political dispute triggered the ensuing crisis.

Yameen has been in power since 2013, following a disputed election that his opponents claim was rigged. Since then, he has been accused of jailing critics, cracking down on dissent and ultimately eroding the country's democratic process.

Current scenario Both former leaders of the Maldives, Nasheed and Gayoom, have called on India to force Yameen to release the

recently jailed high court judges and political prisoners. While intervention from New Delhi would certainly be unusual, it is not unprecedented. India sent troops to the Maldives in 1988 to foil a coup.

Alongside India, the U.S. and the U.K. have both urged Yameen to honor the rule of law and free the detainees. The United Nations (UN) human rights chief warned Wednesday that Yameen's state of emergency decree, which

had been used to imprison perceived political opponents, was undermining the checks and balances necessary in any functioning democracy.





2. INDIA GETS ACCESS TO STRATEGIC OMAN PORT DUQM FOR MILITARY USE In a strategic move to expand its footprint in the Indian Ocean region, India has secured access to the key Port of Duqm in

Oman for military use and logistical support. This is part of India’s maritime strategy to counter Chinese influence and activities in the region. This was one of the key

takeaways of Prime Minister’s visit to Oman recently. The PM of India met Sultan of Oman and an annexure to the Memorandum of Understanding on Military Cooperation was

signed between the two countries. Following this pact, the services of Duqm port and dry dock will be available for maintenance of Indian military vessels. The Port of Duqm is situated on the southeastern seaboard of Oman, overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is

strategically located, in close proximity to the Chabahar port in Iran. With the Assumption Island being developed in Seychelles and Agalega in Mauritius, Duqm fits into India’s proactive maritime

security roadmap. Recently, Duqm has seen a rise in Indian activities. India gets access to strategic Oman port for military use, reconnaissance aircraft. The naval units were on a month-long

deployment with the aim of enhancing surveillance and cooperation. Following PM’s visit to Oman, the joint statement said the two sides noted that the MoU on Military Cooperation, signed in

2005 and renewed in 2016, has provided the general framework to strengthen bilateral defence ties. India and Oman noted that the MoUs on cooperation in maritime security and between Coast Guards of the two countries,

signed in May 2016, have provided a firm foundation for deepening institutional interactions. In August 2017, Oman signed an MoU with the United Kingdom that allowed the Royal Navy to use the Port of Duqm. The

agreement allows UK access to facilities at Duqm, and among the vessels that will be allowed to dock at the port is the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, the largest ship in the British Navy.

They agreed to provide further impetus to the robust defence relations, including through regular joint exercises by the three

defence forces, training of Navy, Air and Army officials, as also cooperation in the area of coastal defence and through participation in defence exhibitions

The Port of Duqm also has a special economic zone, where about $1.8 billion investments are being made by some Indian companies. The Adani group had signed an MoU with Duqm port authorities last year, but no investments have been made so far.





The Prime Minister expressed his admiration at the ongoing efforts and plans the Sultanate of Oman is making to diversify its economy and welcomed the invitation to Indian companies to invest in various sectors in the special economic zones of Oman, including SEZs in Duqm, Sohar and Salalah.He offered India’s partnership and cooperation in areas of priority, such as minerals and mining, manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure, tourism, agriculture and fisheries, IT and IT enabled-services, skills development, innovation.

In the context of strategic oil reserves near Duqm, Prime Minister reiterated India’s invitation to Oman to participate in building strategic oil reserves in India. “Sultan briefed the Indian Prime Minister on Oman’s own initiative to create its strategic oil reserves in Ras Markaz near Duqm.

The two sides agreed that there is broad scope for mutual cooperation in building their strategic oil reserves





3. WORLD GOVERNMENT SUMMIT The sixth Edition of World Government Summit was held in Dubai, UAE The summit brings together leaders in government for a global dialogue about governmental process and policies

with a focus on the issues of futurism, technology and innovation, as well as other topics. The summit acts as a knowledge exchange hub between government officials, thought leaders, policy makers and

private sector leaders, and as an analysis platform for the future trends, issues and opportunities facing humanity. The summit hosts over 90 speakers from 150 participating countries along with over 4000 attendees. 4. UN REFUGEE PROGRAMME Tanzania has decided to withdraw from UN refugee programme for reasons of security and lack of funds. Tanzania has long been considered a safe haven for refugees, particularly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Significance of the New York Declaration The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (New York Declaration) is a milestone for global solidarity and refugee

protection at a time of unprecedented displacement. The set of commitments agreed by Member States reflect that the protection of those who are forced to flee, and support for

the countries that shelter them, are a shared international responsibility – a responsibility that must be borne more equitably and predictably.





The New York Declaration calls upon UNHCR to develop and initiate the application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) in particular situations, in close coordination with relevant States, other UN agencies and stakeholders.

The CRRF specifies key elements for a comprehensive response to any large movement of refugees. These include rapid and well-supported reception and admissions; support for immediate and on-going needs (e.g. protection, health, education); assistance for local and national institutions and communities receiving refugees; and expanded opportunities for solutions.

The practical application of the CRRF will inform the preparation of a global compact on refugees, to be included in the High Commissioner’s annual report to the General Assembly in 2018.

5. FIRST HINDU TEMPLE IN ABU DABI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a project for the construction of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi,

describing it as a “catalytic agent” of humanity and harmony that would become a medium of India’s identity. He laid the foundation stone for the Swaminarayan temple of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan

Sanstha through videoconferencing from the Dubai Opera House, where he addressed the members of the Indian community. Will be the first traditional Hindu stone temple in West Asia, said a spokesperson of the Sanstha, a socio-spiritual Hindu

organisation set up in 1907. It runs over 1,100 temples and cultural centres around the world. The temple will be a replica of the one in New Delhi and another under construction in New Jersey. 6. DEFENSE ACQUISITION COUNCIL Why it was instituted: To counter corruption and speed up decision-making in military procurements. Head of the Council: Defence Minister Other members:

Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (member secretary) The Minister of State of Defence, The Defence Secretary, The head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), The Chief of Defence Staff (when appointed) and Chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force The Secretary, Defence Production, The Financial Adviser The Vice-Chief of Defence Staff (VCDS) The Special Secretary (acquisition)

How does it counter Corruption: The DAC structure ensures that there are in-built checks and balances in relation to procurements. For instance, the armed forces are well represented, ensuring that the defence bureaucracy does not exercise overwhelming influence on decision- making. The adequate mix of bureaucracy and service officers is also reflected in other bodies involved in acquisition, under the overall supervision of the DAC. Functions of DAC: Will give policy guidelines to acquisitions, based on long-term procurement plans Will also clear all acquisitions, including imported equipment and those produced indigenously or under a foreign licence To monitor the acquisition process The DAC will preside over three wings –

Defence Procurement Board which will deal with purchases Defence Production Board which will supervise procurement from indigenous sources, such as ordnance factories and

equipment manufactured under a foreign licence Defence Research and Development Board

The Defence Secretary will be the key person in the procurement chain as he will be the single point head of the procurement and production boards.

7. INDIA’S NEW GATEWAY TO SOUTH-EAST ASIA-JOGIGHOPA Jogighopa, a small town in Assam, is set to become India’s gateway to South-East Asia as well as the rest of the North-East with

the road ministry gearing up to develop a multimodal logistics park (MMLP) there with road, rail, waterways and air transport facilities.

The development includes railway sidings, container terminals, warehousing, non-cargo processing, a truck terminal, common facilities, support infrastructure and equipment.

A special purpose vehicle, backed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), will be created to execute the project, which will be executed in two phases—Phase I of around Rs155.46 crore and Rs115.88 crore for Phase II.





Recent developments, like the announcement of the Northeast Economic Corridor under the Bharatmala programme of the road ministry and the signing of the MoU (memorandum of understanding) between India and Bangladesh for developing the Dalu-Tura-Goalpara-Gelephu multimodal trade route strengthen Jogighopa’s case for MMLP

Under the project, all four types of transportation—road, rail, air and waterways—will be available. The Road ministry has shortlisted 35 MMLPs across India, of which four are being executed in collaboration with ADB. The current transit corridors from mainland India to the North-East region pass through an area known as the “Chicken’s

Neck”(Siliguri Corridor)—a narrow tract of land in India between the borders with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Since it is close to these borders and cannot be expanded, the North-East region requires an alternative route for providing

connectivity to the rest of India—a route with adequate expansion potential. The Indo-Bangladesh road route, along with the National Waterways-2 , provides such an option.





8. BHARATMALA PROJECT Bharatmala Project is the second largest highways construction project in the country since NHDP, under which almost 50,000

km or highway roads were targeted across the country. Bharatmala will look to improve connectivity particularly on economic corridors, border areas and far flung areas with an aim of

quicker movement of cargo and boosting exports. The project is expected to create nearly 100 million man days of jobs during the road construction and subsequently 22 million

jobs as a result of the increased economic activity across the country. The construction will be billed via several routes including debt funds, budgetary allocation, private investment, toll operator

transfer model etc. Bharatmala includes economic corridors of around 9,000 km, inter-corridor and feeder routes of around 6,000 km, 5,000 km

roads under the National Corridors Efficiency Program, border and international connectivity roads of around 2,000 km, coastal and port connectivity roads of around 2,000 km, expressways of around 800 km and 10,000 km of NHDP roads. The total length in phase 1 comes to around 34,800 km.

Bharatmala project will start in Gujarat and Rajasthan, followed by Punjab and subsequently traversing the Himalayan belt through Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur (next to the Indo-Burmese border) and then to Mizoram. Northeastern states have been given special focus in the project and international trade is a key aspect as well.

The newer roads are expected to increase the speed of vehicles and decrease supply chain costs from the current average 18 per cent to six per cent. The Union Cabinet gave the nod to two big ticket infra projects on Tuesday with an outlay of Rs 6.92 lakh crore out of which Bharatmala Pariyojana shared Rs 5.35 lakh crore. It will also subsume 10,000 km roads under the National Highway Development Project (NHDP) program.

9. International Conference for Reconstruction of Iraq The Kuwaiti capital is hosting International conference aimed at raising funds for reconstructing Iraq. It will bring together a

number of economically powerful countries, as well as regional and international organizations on contributions to rebuild Iraq after many years of war and conflicts.

The World Bank, as a major contributor to the event, will provide the required investment guarantees for private companies and institutions to participate in the development of Iraq.





10. TRI-SERVICE MARITIME EXERCISE 'PASCHIM LEHAR' Around 40 ships, submarines and fighter aircraft participated in 'Paschim Lehar', a tri-service maritime exercise off India's western coast recently The objective of the exercise, which commenced on February 12, is to build interoperability This exercise includes participation of a large number of ships, submarines and aircraft from the Western Naval

Command of the Indian Navy. Units from Eastern Naval Command, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard are also participating to

build interoperability. Over 40 ships and submarines, a similar number of maritime surveillance, fighter aircraft, helicopters and Remotely

Piloted Aircraft of the Indian Navy and the IAF are participating. The Amphibious capabilities of the armed forces, along with the elements of Army Amphibious Brigade will also be

deployed and tested for operational tasking during the exercise. The exercise includes a number of weapon firings, including missile, gun and torpedo firings during the initial phase.

The second phase is structured to validate and refine the operational plans of the Western Naval Command





SOCIAL ISSUES

1. THE WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2018 TIMES Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking has released the rankings for educational institutes in Asia and only two Indian institutes have made their way to the top 50 Asian institutes. A total of 17 institutes from India have made their way to the top 200 Asian Universities. Though representation of

India has increased in the list, several of the universities have fallen down the rankings in comparison to last year. The ranks as released by the THE World University Ranking are: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) – world rank 29. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay – world rank 44. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur – world rank 60. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee – world rank 65. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur – world rank 81. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi – world rank 86. 2. SWADHAR GREH SCHEME 559 Swadhar Greh presently functional in the country with 17231 beneficiaries The Ministry of Women and Child Development is administering Swadhar Greh Scheme for relief and rehabilitation

of women in difficult circumstances including the victims of sexual harassment. Similarly, a centrally sponsored scheme namely Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) is being implemented

for care, protection, rehabilitation and reintegration of children in difficult circumstances including sexually harassed children.

The Swadhar scheme was launched by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2002 for rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances.

The scheme provides shelter, food, clothing and care to the marginalized women/girls who are in need. 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 implementing agencies are mainly NGOs. An Evaluation Study conducted through Centre for Market Research

and Social Development to assess the performance of the scheme observed that the scheme is successful for which it was formulated/implemented.

3. NATIONAL WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNCIL The Ministry of Women and Child Development is considering to establish National Women Entrepreneurship Council (NWEC). NWEC will promote entrepreneurship as it would be the umbrella organization for socio-economic gender parity,

financial inclusion and economic empowerment of women in India. 4. THE MASTERCARD INDEX OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS 2017 The mastercard index of women entrepreneurs tracks female entrepreneurs’ ability to capitalize on opportunities granted through various supporting conditions within their local environments and is the weighted sum of three components: Women’s Advancement Outcomes (degree of bias against women as workforce participants, political and business

leaders, as well as the financial strength and entrepreneurial inclination of women) Knowledge Assets and Financial Assets (degree of access women have to basic financial services, advanced

knowledge assets, and support for small and medium enterprises), Supporting Entrepreneurial Conditions (overall perceptions on the ease on conducting business locally, quality of

local governance, women’s perception of safety levels and cultural perception of women’s household financial influence).





According to Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs, India scored an overall 41.7 points, ranking 49 among 54 economies globally with comparatively low in Women Business Ownership percentages.

5. SHe-box Ministry of WCD issued advisories to all States/UTs to ensure effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of

Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act. In order to ensure the effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,

Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, the Ministry has launched an online complaint management system titled Sexual Harassment electronic –Box (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace of all women employees in the country, including government and private employees.

107 complaints have been received through portal 'SHe-box'. All concerned authorities have been requested for appropriate resolution.

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 mandates all the workplace which include any department, organisation, undertaking, establishment, enterprise, institution, office, branch or unit which is established, owned, controlled or wholly or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the appropriate Government or the local authority or a Government company or a corporation or a co-operative society having more than 10 workers to constitute Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) for receiving complaints of sexual harassment.

The Act cast an obligation upon all the employers to constitute Internal Complaint Committee. Section 23 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 casts responsibility on the appropriate Government to monitor the implementation of this Act.

Apart from the above, the Ministry has empanelled Institutes/Organizations for imparting training programmes/workshops in different parts of the country under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

6. “HEALTHY STATES, PROGRESSIVE INDIA” REPORT NITI Aayog releases “Healthy States, Progressive India” Report Kerala, Punjab & Tamil Nadu ranked on top in terms of overall performance Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and

Uttar Pradesh ranked top three States in terms of annual incremental performance NITI Aayog released today a comprehensive Health Index report titled, “Healthy States, Progressive India” at a

function in the capital today. The report ranks states and Union territories innovatively on their year-on-year incremental change in health outcomes, as well as, their overall performance with respect to each other. It is the first attempt to establish an annual systematic tool to measure and understand the heterogeneity and complexity of the nation’s performance in Health.

The report has been developed by NITI Aayog, with technical assistance from the World Bank, and in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

States and UTs have been ranked in three categories namely, Larger States, Smaller States, and Union Territories (UTs), to ensure comparison among similar entities. The Health Index is a weighted composite Index, which for the larger States, is based on indicators in three domains: (a) Health Outcomes (70%); (b) Governance and Information (12%); and (c) Key Inputs and Processes (18%), with each domain assigned a weight based on its importance.

Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh showed the maximum gains in improvement of health outcomes from base to reference year in indicators such as Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR), Under-five Mortality Rate (U5MR), full immunization coverage, institutional deliveries, and People Living with HIV (PLHIV) on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART).

Among Smaller States, Mizoram ranked first followed by Manipur on overall performance, while Manipur followed by Goa were the top ranked States in terms of annual incremental performance. Manipur registered maximum incremental progress on indicators such as PLHIV on ART, first trimester antenatal care (ANC) registration, grading quality parameters of Community Health Centres (CHCs), average occupancy of key State-level officers and good reporting on the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).

Among UTs, Lakshadweep showed both the best overall performance as well as the highest annual incremental performance. Lakshadweep showed the highest improvement in indicators such as institutional deliveries,





tuberculosis (TB) treatment success rate, and transfer of National Health Mission (NHM) funds from State Treasury to implementation agency.

The Health Index report notes that while States and UTs that start at lower levels of development are generally at an advantage in notching up incremental progress over States with high Health Index scores, it is a challenge for States with high Index scores to even maintain their performance levels. For example, Kerala ranks on top in terms of overall performance but sees the least incremental change as it had already achieved a low level of Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) and Under-five Mortality Rate (U5MR) and replacement level fertility, leaving limited space for any further improvements.

However, the incremental measurement reveals that about one-third of the States have registered a decline in their performance in 2016 as compared to 2015, stressing the need to pursue domain-specific, targeted interventions. Common challenges for most States and UTs include the need to focus on addressing vacancies in key staff, establishment of functional district Cardiac Care Units (CCUs), quality accreditation of public health facilities and institutionalization of Human Resources Management Information System (HRMIS). Additionally, almost all Larger States need to focus on improving the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB).

Linking this Index to incentives under the National Health Mission by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare underlines the importance of such an exercise.

The report also notes that rich learnings have emerged in the first year and these will guide in refining the Index for the coming year and also address some of the limitations. It notes that there is an urgent need to improve data systems in the health sector, in terms of terms of representativeness of the priority areas, periodic availability for all States and UTs, and completeness for private sector service delivery. This Index is expected to nudge States towards further achieving a rapid transformation of their health systems and population health outcomes.

Health Index has been developed as a tool to leverage co-operative and competitive federalism to accelerate the pace of achieving health outcomes. It would also serve as an instrument for “nudging” States & Union Territories (UTs) and the Central Ministries to a much greater focus on output and outcome based measurement of annual performance than is currently the practice. With the annual publication of the Index and its availability on public domain on a dynamic basis, it is expected to keep every stakeholder alert to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal number 3.

7. “SWACHH BHARAT SANITATION PARK” INAUGURATED IN DELHI The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in collaboration with the Environmental Sanitation Institute and Tata

Trusts, has developed a Sanitation Park in New Delhi. The park is an objective to create awareness on various safe technological options. The Park demonstrates various options pertaining to toilet technologies and solid and liquid waste management

technologies, with a brief description of these technologies. The Park also displays information regarding various interventions undertaken under the Swachh Bharat Mission,

capturing the success stories and impact created under the Mission across the country. 8. THE INDIA HEALTH FUND (IHF) The India Health Fund (IHF) an initiative led by Tata Trusts, in collaboration with The Global Fund– serves as an engine

for social investment to fight the grave public health challenges of tuberculosis (TB) and malaria in India. Tuberculosis & Malaria, together, account for over 4.23 lakh (0.42 million) deaths annually in India alone. The Government of India (GoI) is committed to eradicating TB by 2025 and malaria by 2030. The India Health Fund

is conceptualized to be an able private-sector partner for the GoI. The fund endeavours to supplement and augment the GoI's efforts by optimising resources and expertise to create

comprehensive solutions for the combat against TB and malaria. Objectives IHF aims to accelerate the fight against TB and malaria by supporting causes that are aligned with national strategies. IHF is committed to: 1. Advance the fight against TB and malaria through innovative solutions thereby reducing burden, costs and human suffering.





2. Engage India's creative and innovative minds to create solutions for TB and malaria. 3. Bring together resources and expertise through partnerships to ensure easy access to experiment with innovative solutions. 4. Harness the unique energy of entrepreneurship to take innovations to scale and create impact by tapping private sector expertise and finance. 5. Build an expanding network of programmes and partners to create comprehensive solutions for TB and malaria. 9. NATIONAL DEWORMING INITIATIVE National Deworming initiative to benefit more than 27 crore children Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched the National Deworming Day at a function in Hyderabad,

Recently. The Ministry had first launched National Deworming Day (NDD) in 2015 which was implemented in 11 States/UTs

across all Government and Government-aided schools and Anganwadi centres targeting children aged 1 to 19 years. The deworming initiative was implemented in 277 districts and 9.49 lakh frontline workers were trained for NDD

2015. Against a target of 10.31 crore children between ages of 1 to 19 years, a total of 8.98 crore children received

deworming tablet (Albendazole) through 4.70 lakh schools and 3.67 lakh Anganwadi centres with an unprecedented coverage of 85%.

India is now launching National Deworming Day 2016 to cover the whole country, aiming towards a massive target of 27 crore children in 536 districts of the country.

Apart from the Health Ministry, Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministries of Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation are collaborating to implement the National Deworming Day effectively for heightened impact.

The National Deworming Day will mobilize health personnel, state governments and other stakeholders to prioritize investment in control of Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections—one of the most common infections.

It aims to create mass awareness about the most effective and low-cost STH treatment— administering Albendazole tablets. Along with Albendazole administration, behaviour change practices in terms of cleanliness, hygiene, use of toilets, wearing shoes/chappals, washing hands etc. is also important to reduce incidents of re-infection.

India has the highest burden of parasitic worms in the world. Parasitic worms in children interfere with nutrient uptake, and can contribute to anaemia, malnourishment, and impaired mental and physical development.

According to the 2012 report ‘Children in India’, published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, 48% of children under the age of 5 years are stunted and 19.8% are wasted, indicating that half of the country’s children are malnourished.

School-based mass deworming program is safe, cost-effective, and can reach millions of children quickly.

Deworming has been shown to reduce absenteeism in schools; improve health, nutritional, and learning outcomes; and increase the likelihood of higher-wage jobs later in life.

At the state and local level, community mobilisation and outreach efforts are underway to engage community-based health workers, like ASHAs, Gram Sabhas and others, to spread awareness and encourage participation in the program.

10. MANIPUR GETS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF JUSTICE Justice Abhilasha Kumari, Judge of the High Court of Gujarat was recently sworn in as the Chief Justice of the High

Court of Manipur. She is the first woman Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur. 11. LPG PANCHAYAT The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, hosted an‘LPG Panchayat (February 13, 2018) at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The LPG Panchayat was organised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas with an aim to provide a platform for LPG

consumers to interact with each other, promote mutual learning and share experiences. Each LPG Panchayat has about 100





LPG customers coming together, near their living areas,to discuss safe and sustainable usage of LPG, its benefits and the link between clean fuel for cooking and women’s empowerment.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas intends to conduct 1 lakh such Panchayats across India before March 31, 2019.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna Target beneficiaries 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. BPL is a person/ household who suffers from at least one deprivation under the Socio-Economic Caste census

(SECC) - 2011 (Rural) Database. For identifying urban poor, separate instructions are to be issued. While the selection of beneficiaries would be from the BPL families only, preference would be given to SC/ST and

weaker sections of society. While providing the new connections to BPL households, priority would be given to the States which have lower LPG coverage (compared to the national average) as on 1st Jan, 2016.

Release of LPG connection under this Scheme shall be in the name of the women belonging to the BPL family. Duration of the scheme The Scheme would be implemented over three years, namely, the FY 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 across the

country. Benefits to the citizens Under the scheme, five crore LPG connections are to be provided to BPL households. The Scheme provides a

financial support of Rs 1600 for each LPG connection to the BPL households. The administrative cost of Rs. 1600 per connection, which includes a cylinder, pressure regulator, booklet, safety hose, etc. would be borne by the Government.

12. ATAL BHOOJAL YOJANA The Government of India is working on a Water Conservation scheme- Atal Bhoojal Yojana. The government has the plan to boost conservation of ground water with a fund of Rs.6,000 crores. By the

implementation of this scheme ground water will recharge consequently increasing the level of ground water. Cabinet Minister Nitin Gadkari informed that the fund for this project will be raised by the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank.

Under this scheme, ground water will recharge and hence it will provide sufficient water for the use of agriculture purposes because in the past several years the ground water has decreased to a great extent.

This scheme will also revive the water bodies like rivers so that the level of ground water can be increased especially in the rural areas.The water available in the Ganga River will be used under this scheme "Atal Bhoojal Yojana" to increase the ground.





The Ministry of Water resource is eagerlessly working on it, once done the Ministry of finance will approve the funds for the scheme. The scheme will be implemented all over the India.

The cabinet committee has set a fund of Rs.6,000 crore for this scheme but yet to get the approval from the ministry of Finance. Government of India has not announced any official date for the launch of this scheme.

As we know that our farmers are facing acute shortage of ground water for the past several years this scheme "Atal Bhoojal Yojana" will surely help those who are in the need of pure ground water.

The Government of India will launch the scheme once funds are approved by the Ministry of Finance. 13. ANTI-NARCOTICS SCHEME Government extends anti-narcotics scheme for 3 more yrs The purpose of the scheme is to assist state governments and Union Territories which are contributing in

controlling the inter-state and cross border drug trafficking. Taking into consideration the 40 lakh drug addicts, the Centre has extended for three more years a scheme which

combats illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substance. The 'Assistance to States and UTs for Narcotics Control' scheme has been extended for a further period of 3 years--

from 2017-18 to 2019-20--with an estimated budget of Rs 21 crore, a Home Ministry notification said. The purpose of the scheme is to assist state governments and Union Territories which are contributing in

controlling the inter-state and cross border drug trafficking. Financial assistance will be provided to all the anti- narcotics agencies for strengthening their enforcement

capabilities to combat illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, the notification said. Financial assistance is also proposed to be provided for all capacity building activities, including training of

personnel. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) being the national nodal agency for drug administration will process the

requests from state governments and UTs for financial assistance for improving their enforcement capabilities in dealing with the supply side of the drug menace..

According to the latest assessments, there are approximately 40 lakh drug addicts in India but the actual figure may be still higher, a Home Ministry official said.

The most common drugs of abuse are 'ganja', 'hashish', 'opium' and 'heroin'. The abuse of pharmaceutical preparations like 'buprenorphine', codeine based cough syrups and painkillers like 'proxivon' has also assumed serious proportions.

In certain regions of the country, drug abuse has already become a severe social-economic problem affecting the vulnerable age groups.

14. INDIA’S UMANG APP, AADHAAR WIN AWARDS AT WORLD GOVERNMENT SUMMIT India’s Aadhaar won the best emerging technology award at the recently concluded World Government Summit 2018 in Dubai. India was the ‘Guest of Honour’ country at the summit. The summit acknowledged technology pioneers for providing global solutions to global challenges. Significance The Aadhaar project was recognised as the world’s largest biometric enabled identification programme, which

provides access to service income tax, passport services, bank accounts, social services benefits aimed at providing 1.2 billion citizens unique identification card with fingerprint, eye-print and other vital data.

The initiative has been achieved through the role played by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The award recognized the efforts of the Government of India’s invention and innovation in the field of technology and making the country completely digitalized.

Umang App India’s Umang App also won the best M-Government Service Award in the Accessible Government category. The mobile application provides users a unified platform that combines government departments and services,

facilitating transactions for citizens. The award acknowledged Government of India’s efforts to provide convenient services to its citizens.





ECONOMY

1. Determination of Gold Prices The London Gold Fixing (or Gold Fix) is the setting of the price of gold that takes place via a dedicated conference line. It was formerly held on the premises of Nathan Mayer Rothschild & Sons by the members of The London Gold Market Fixing Ltd. The benchmark is determined twice each business day of the London bullion market (the exceptions to this being Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve when there is only one fixing in the morning). It is designed to fix a price for settling contracts between members of the London bullion market, but the gold fixing informally provides a recognized rate that is used as a benchmark for pricing the majority of gold products and derivatives throughout the world's markets. The gold fix is conducted in the United States dollar (USD), the Pound sterling (GBP), and the Euro (EUR) daily at 10:30AM and 3PM, London time. 2. Independent Debt Management office Why in news: NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar made a strong case for setting up an independent debt management office Why we need an independent office: Better servicing of loans could lead to substantial reduction in India’s interest payments. At present, government debt is managed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and there is a conflict in this. Because, if we let more external people come and compete in government debt market, then you get more foreign exchange, therefore exchange rate management gets problematic. So, debt market remains confined to few domestic players. What is the current level of debt: India’s external debt is only 18% of total GDP. 3. Early identification of stress and resolution will prevent future ever-greening The new norm: The RBI said that for accounts where a bank’s exposure exceeds Rs. 2,000 crore, a resolution plan must be implemented within 180 days from the date of first default, and in case a resolution is not implemented, lenders should file an insolvency petition within 15 days of the expiry of the 180 days. The Reserve Bank of India’s new norms directing banks to start insolvency proceedings on accounts, if stress is not resolved in 180 days, could result in an increase in bad loans. The revised framework on resolution of stressed assets issued by RBI is likely to increase the reported non-performing asset (NPA) levels of the banks in coming quarters. This has been the case with most of the NCLT 2 list of borrowers, whereby the resolution plans failed for most of the borrowers and were referred under IBC; this is expected to further spike up the credit provisioning requirements for banks during FY2019. The RBI had sent two lists of firms against which insolvency proceedings could be taken at the National Company Law Tribunal. Banks have to make a 50% provision in respect of accounts that are subject to insolvency proceedings. In comparison, the provisioning norm for sub-standard assets is 15-20%. Proactive resolution

The RBI norms entail proactive resolution of stressed assets with lenders needing to finalise the resolution plan as an account slips into special mention account category. SMA category indicates the time period over which repayment on a loan has not been made. Banks’ gross NPAs and standard restructured advances were estimated at 12.6% as on September 30, 2017. The RBI had estimated SMA 2 advances (where repayment is not made for more than 60 days) to be 3.5% of gross advances.

ICRA said overall stress levels of banks including SMA0 (overdue between 1 and 30 days) and SMA1 (overdue between 31 and 60 days) borrowers was much higher than the reported GNPA level of 10.3% as on September 30.

4. Trade Deficit Trade deficit: The amount by which the cost of a country's imports exceeds the value of its exports. Export growth positive for third straight month; imports climb 26.1%, outpacing exports’ 9% increase The country’s goods trade deficit widened to $16.30 billion in January 2018 from $9.9 billion in the same month a year earlier and $14.88 billion in the previous month owing to imports outpacing exports, data released by the Commerce Ministry on Thursday showed. The January trade deficit is a more than three-year high. It was $16.86 billion in November 2014.





Exports for January went up by 9.07% year-on-year to $24.38 billion. However, goods imports rose 26.1% to $40.68 billion. ‘Positive trajectory’

“Exports have been on a positive trajectory since August 2016 to January 2018 with a dip of 1.1% in the month of October 2017,” the ministry said in a statement.

Export focused initiatives continue to bear fruit:

Though exports in January 2018 witnessed positive growth for third time in a row, the rate of growth is declining on a month-on-month basis. Besides, export growth of about 9%, more than 6% has been contributed by petroleum products alone.

Labour-intensive sectors like garments, carpets, handicrafts, man-made textiles are exhibiting negative growth primarily due to liquidity crunch emanating from blocking of funds in GST, Mr. Gupta said in a statement.

FIEO estimates that the trade deficit in this fiscal will touch about $150 billion.

During the April-January 2017-18 period, trade deficit was $131.15 billion. Exports during April-January 2017-18 increased by 11.75% to $247.89 billion, while imports during the 10-month period of the current fiscal registered a 22.21% growth to $379.05 billion.

5. Harley tariff cut ‘not enough’: Trump US wants India to reduce import duty on motorcycle to zero, or face ‘reciprocal tax’ President Donald Trump cited the level of customs duty levied in India on Harley-Davidson motorcycle imports as an example of unfair trade and threatened to increase the import tariff on “thousands and thousands” of Indian motorcycles shipped to the U.S. Mr. Trump had flagged Harley-Davidson in his maiden address to U.S. Congress in March 2017, and several administration officials have subsequently cited the issue as an example in discussions on the ‘America First’ policy. The Indian government’s recent decision to reduce the tariff on high-end motorcycles from 75% to 50% was not enough, the U.S. president said and sought “zero tax” on the import of motorcycles, since the U.S does not impose any tariff on motorcycles from India. “We have so many countries... we pay a tremendous tax to get into their countries... Harley Davidson it goes into a certain country; I won’t mention the fact that it happens to be India, in this case,” Mr. Trump told members of Congress during a discussion on the steel industry. “If you are Harley Davidson, you have 50 to75% tax, tariff to get your motorcycle, your product in. And yet they sell thousands and thousands of motorcycles, which a lot of people don’t know, from India into the United States. You know what our tax is? Nothing,” he told the lawmakers. After Mr. Trump had mentioned the tariff on high-end motorcycles in March, the Indian government had worked on reducing it. On February 12, India announced a reduction in tariffs on high-end motorcycles, a move that was in contrast with duty increases on several items announced in this month’s Budget.





ENVIRONMENT

1. Minamata Convention

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for ratification of Minamata Convention on Mercury and depositing the instrument of ratification enabling India to become a Party of the Convention.

The approval entails Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury along with flexibility for continued use of mercury-based products and processes involving mercury compound up to 2025.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury will be implemented in the context of sustainable development with the objective to protect human health and environment from the anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.

The Convention protects the most vulnerable from the harmful effects of mercury and also protects the developmental space of developing countries. Therefore, the interest of the poor and vulnerable groups will be protected.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury will further urge enterprises to move to mercury-free alternatives in products and non-mercury technologies in manufacturing processes. This will drive research & development, and promote innovation.

About Minamata Convention

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.

This Convention was a result of three years of meeting and negotiating, after which the text of the Convention was approved by delegates representing close to 140 countries on 19 January 2013 in Geneva and adopted and signed later that year on 10 October 2013 at a Diplomatic Conference held in Kumamoto, Japan.

The Convention is named after the Japanese city Minamata. This naming is of symbolic importance as the city went through a devastating incident of mercury poisoning.

It is expected that over the next few decades, this international agreement will enhance the reduction of mercury pollution from the targeted activities responsible for the major release of mercury to the immediate environment.

2. Rhododendron Park in Arunachal Pradesh

Where: Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh

What: o The park will be built in a total area of 1.15 ha and will be partly funded under Border Area Development

Program. o Around 30+ species of rhododendrons will be planted and conserved. Also terrace cutting will be done

to raise the beauty and scenic component. o The park will also have modern nursery, information center on rhododendron, resting sheds, vehicle

parking facility, public toilet facility, signage and lightings and iron security gate.

Rhododendron: o Rhododendron is a genus of 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), either

evergreen or deciduous, and found mainly in Asia, although it is also widespread throughout the highlands of the Appalachian Mountains of North America.

o It is the national flower of Nepal. o Most species have brightly coloured flowers which bloom from late winter through to early summer.





3. Forest Survey of India 2017 report

The information given in the report will serve as an important tool to monitor the country’s forest resources and plan suitable scientific and policy interventions for its management.

It will also serve as a useful source of information for the policy makers, planners, State Forest Departments, line agencies involved in various developmental works, academicians, civil society and others interested in natural resource conservation and management.

The India State of Forest Report 2017 is 15th such report in the series. Key take away from the report:

Forest and Tree Cover of the country has increased by 8,021 sq km (1 %) as compared to assessment of 2015. The very dense forest has increased by 1.36 % as compared to last assessment. This is very heartening as VDF absorbs maximum carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The increasing trend of forest and tree cover is largely due to the various national policies aimed at conservation and sustainable management of our forests like Green India Mission, National Agro-Forestry policy (NAP), REDD plus policy, Joint Forest Management (JFM), National Afforestation Programme and funds under Compensatory Afforestation to States.

Successful agro-forestry practices, better conservation of forests, improvement of scrub areas to forest areas, increase in mangrove cover, conservation and protection activities have also led to increase in the forest and tree cover.

Green Highways (Plantations & Maintenance) Policy to develop 1,40,000 km long tree line with plantation along with both sides of national highways will go a long way in enhancing the forest & tree cover.

Top 5 states where maximum forest cover has increased are Andhra Pradesh (2,141 sq kms), Karnataka (1,101 sq kms), Kerala (1,043 sq kms), Odisha (885 sq kms) and Telangana (565 sq kms).

Top 5 states where forest cover has decreased are Mizoram (531 sq km), Nagaland (450 sq km), Arunachal Pradesh (190 sq km), Tripura (164 sq km) and Meghalaya (116 sq km). It is important to mention here that these states are in the North Eastern region of the country where the total forest cover is very high i.e. more than 70% in each state.

The main reasons for the decrease are - shifting cultivation, other biotic pressures, rotational felling, diversion of forest lands for developmental activities, submergence of forest cover, agriculture expansion and natural disasters.

Water bodies inside forests have increased over a decade o Forests play a vital role in water conservation and improve the water regime in the area. o As per the latest assessment, water bodies inside forest cover have increased by 2,647 sq kms during

the last decade.

Mangrove cover of the country has shown a positive change o As per ISFR 2017, mangrove forests have increased by 181 sq kms. Maharashtra (82 sq kms), Andhra

Pradesh (37 sq kms) and Gujarat (33 sq kms) are the top three gainers in terms of mangrove cover. 7 out of the 12 mangrove states have shown an increase in mangrove cover and none of them show any negative change.

o Mangrove eco-systems are rich in biodiversity and provide a number of ecological services. They also play a major role in protecting coastal areas from erosion, tidal storms and tsunamis.





Striving towards achieving NDC goal o India is striving towards achieving its NDC goal of creating additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3.0 billion

tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

As per present assessment total carbon stock in forest is estimated to be 7,082 million tonnes. There is an increase of 38 million tonnes in the carbon stock of country as compared to the last assessment.

4. ASH TRACK Mobile App for better management of fly ash produced by thermal power plants This platform will enable better management of the ash produced by thermal power plants by providing an interface between fly ash producers (Thermal Power Plants) and potential ash users such as – road contractors, cement plants etc. The app shows coal based power plants situated within radius of 100 km and 300 km from a given location. It will allow user to select power station from where he wants to take fly ash. It will also show ash availability, distance from user’s location.





SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. WIDE FIELD INFRARED SURVEY TELESCOPE (WFIRST) The White House budget proposal has called for the cancellation of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a move that could be interpreted as a warning to the mission's leaders to rein in the program's expanding costs. But if the cancellation goes through, some scientists worry it could hurt the international standing of the U.S. astrophysics community. WFIRST was tentatively scheduled to launch in the mid-2020s, to become NASA's next "flagship mission," a classification applied to large-scale missions with broad science objectives. Other NASA flagship missions include the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Telescope, and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope.

About WFIRST

The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is a NASA infrared space observatory that was recommended in 2010 by United States National Research Council Decadal Survey committee as the top priority for the next decade of astronomy.

On February 17, 2016, WFIRST was formally designated as a mission by NASA.

WFIRST is based on an existing 2.4m wide field-of-view telescope and will carry two scientific instruments. The Wide-Field Instrument is a 288-megapixel multi-band near-infrared camera, providing a sharpness of images comparable to that achieved by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) over a 0.28 square degree field of view, 100 times that of the HST.

As the primary instrument, the Wide Field Instrument will measure light from a billion galaxies over the course of the mission lifetime. It will perform a microlensing survey of the inner Milky Way to find ~2,600 exoplanets. The Coronagraph Instrument will perform high contrast imaging and spectroscopy of dozens of individual nearby exoplanets.

2. ESPRESSO INSTRUMENT The search for Earth-like planets just got a major upgrade: The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile successfully integrated the light from all four of its 8.2-meter (27 feet) unit telescopes into a new instrument, making VLT the optical telescope with the largest collecting area in the world. The instrument is called ESPRESSO (Echelle Spectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations). About ESPRESSO

ESPRESSO (Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet- and Stable Spectroscopic Observations) is a third-generation, fiber fed, cross-dispersed, echelle spectrograph mounted on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT). The unit saw its first light on 27 November 2017.

ESPRESSO is designed to exploit the light-gathering power of the individual telescopes. It has the light-collecting power of a 16-meter (52 feet) telescope. Light gathering is important for telescopes because, as they receive more photons of light, fainter objects appear brighter. Bigger telescopes typically see distant objects such as galaxies more easily because they have more light-gathering power.

ESPRESSO has a second major scientific goal besides looking for Earth-like worlds: to seek variability in fundamental physics constants. ESPRESSO will observe faint and faraway quasars to uncover more about basic physics, and the combined light of the four telescopes will greatly benefit it in its observations.





Each of the VLT units sends its light to the instrument using mirrors, prisms and lenses. ESPRESSO can use the light from either all four telescopes at once or just one individual telescope. That design is intended to provide more flexibility in observing time.

3. RAMALINGASWAMI RE-ENTRY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME

Department of Biotechnology had recently organized a conclave meeting to celebrate the achievements and revisit the journey of the Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship Programme over the years. The 8th Conclave was organized by National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR).

The Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship was conceived in the year 2006-07 with the idea of encouraging scientists (Indian Nationals) working outside the country and would like to return to the home country to pursue their research interests in Modern Biology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences and other related areas. The principal aim of the scheme is to improve the country’s human resource capacity in life sciences, modern biology and biotechnology research – both in terms of development, translation and diffusion by means of attracting young scientists settled abroad.





CULTURE

1. SAHITYA AKADEMI Eminent Kannada writer and Jnanpith award winner Chandrashekhara Kambar was elected president of Sahitya Akademi on Friday. Kambar, the third Kannadiga to head the Indian Academy of Letters since its inception, defeated his closest opponent and Odia writer Pratibha Ray in a secret ballot. Prof. Kambar is the third Kannada writer to head the country’s premier literary institution, after Vinayak Krishna Gokak (1983) and U.R. Ananthamurthy (1993).

About SAHITYA AKADEMI

The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India.

Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. It is in Rabindra Bhavan near Mandi House in Delhi.

The Government of India Resolution, which set forth the constitution of the Akademi, described it as a national organisation to work actively for the development of Indian letters and to set high literary standards, to foster and co-ordinate literary activities in all the Indian languages and to promote through them all the cultural unity of the country.

Akademi gives 24 awards annually to literary works in the languages it has recognized and an equal number of awards to literary translations from and into the languages of India. It also gives special awards called Bhasha Samman to significant contribution to the languages not formally recognized by the Akademi as also for contribution to classical and medieval literature.

2. First Hindu Temple Project In Abu Dhabi Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently officially launched the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the first Hindu temple in the capital of the UAE, home to over three million people of Indian origin.

Swaminarayan temple of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi will come up on 55,000 square metres of land. The temple will be hand-carved by Indian temple artisans and assembled in the UAE. It will be completed by 2020, and open to people of all religious backgrounds. It will be the first traditional Hindu stone temple in the Middle East.





MISCELLANEOUS

1. MANIPUR GETS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF JUSTICE Justice Abhilasha Kumari, Judge of the High Court of Gujarat was recently sworn in as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur. She is the first woman Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur.

2. THREE NEW EEL SPECIES FOUND IN BAY OF BENGAL Scientists have discovered three new species of eel along the northern Bay of Bengal coast in the past few months. Eels are

found mostly at the bottom of rivers and seas. Across the world about 1,000 species of eels have been identified. In India, the number is around 125.

Dark brown with white dots on the dorsal side, Gymnothorax pseudotile was discovered at the Digha coast of the Bay of Bengal. The other two species, Gymnothorax visakhaensis (uniformly brown) and Enchelycore propinqua (reddish brown body mottled with irregular creamy white spots), were discovered from the Visakhapatnam coast of the Bay of Bengal. Enchelycore propinqua is the smallest of them measuring less than a foot.

3. WORLD RADIO DAY World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13th.

Theme of World Radio Day 2018 Under the ambit of theme “Radio and Sports” are three sub-themes for World Radio Day 2018. They are: Diversity in Sports Coverage, Gender Equality in Sports Coverage and Peace and Development through Sports Coverage.

The idea of World Radio Day was first proposed by Spain’s Radio Academy in 2010. The following year, in 2011, UNESCO declared the first World Radio Day. February 13 was chosen to mark World Radio Day, coinciding with the anniversary of the United Nations Radio, the United Nation’s international broadcasting service which was established on February 13, 1946. World Radio Day was first celebrated in 2012, following its declaration by the UNESCO General Conference. It was subsequently adopted as an International Day by the United Nations General Assembly.

4. MUMBAI 12TH RICHEST CITY IN THE WORLD Mumbai is placed at 12th position in New World Wealth’s list of top 15 wealthiest cities globally. Mumbai, also features among the top 10 cities in terms of billionaire population. The city is home to 28 billionaires, individuals with $1 billion or more in net assets. The list of 15 wealthiest cities was topped by New York with a total wealth of $3 trillion. London ranked second in the list with $2.7 trillion, followed by Tokyo ($2.5 trillion), and San Francisco Bay area ($2.3 trillion).

5. SOYUZ ROCKET LAUNCHES CARGO FREIGHTER TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION A Russian Soyuz rocket has launched the cargo ship Progress 69 toward the International Space Station. Progress 69 is packed with food, science gear and other vital supplies for the six-person Expedition 54 crew on the International Space Station.

6. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ The Kuwaiti capital is hosting the second day of an international conference aimed at raising funds for reconstructing Iraq. It will bring together a number of economically powerful countries, as well as regional and international organizations on contributions to rebuild Iraq after many years of war and conflicts. The conference will also touch on several developments and vital aspects pertaining to Iraq, including the participation of the private sector in the reconstruction process. The World Bank, as a major contributor to the event, will provide the required investment guarantees for private companies and institutions to participate in the development of Iraq.

7. INDIRA GANDHI CANAL

Rajasthan Government has signed a new loan agreement with the New Development Bank for restructuring of Indira Gandhi Canal. The restructuring and repairing of Indira Gandhi Canal and its distributaries will help solve the problems of loss of water and water-locking in the agricultural fields. It will also ensure the supply of irrigation water to the farmers at the tail-ends of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project.

The Indira Gandhi Canal is one of the largest canal projects in India. It starts from the Harike Barrage at Harike, a few kilometers below the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers in the Indian state of Punjab and terminates in irrigation facilities in the Thar Desert in the north west of Rajasthan state. Previously known as the Rajasthan Canal.

8. INDIA PHARMA 2018 AND INDIA MEDICAL DEVICE 2018 Theme of the event: Themed around ‘Affordable, Quality Healthcare’.

India’s biggest Annual Conference on Pharma Industry and Medical Devices – India Pharma 2018 and India Medical Device 2018 – has begun at Bengaluru. The event is being organized by Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).





9. INDIA’S FIRST RADIO FESTIVAL The festival was organised by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television, in collaboration with UNESCO. The event touched on the 2018’s theme of World Radio Day – sports and radio – and traced the journey of creativity, music and social changes on the radio.

10. NEW ANTIBIOTIC IN DIRT : MALACIDINS Researchers have discovered a new class of antibiotics, which they have named malacidins, which can be extracted from soil bacteria that are notoriously difficult to culture in labs and study.

11. FIRST LARGE SCALE CO2-INJECTED PROJECT IN ASIA Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plans to introduce carbon dioxide injection in its Gandhar field to recover an extra 20 million barrels of crude oil under the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) programme which is being undertaken to improve India’s energy security. While the technology is a proven concept in the West specially the US and Canada, ONGC’s project would be the first large scale CO2-injected project in Asia.



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