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Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS Preparation

03.01.2018

Electoral bonds life 15 days, donor name

secret but KYC must

• The government unveiled key

features of electoral bonds which will

have a shelf-life of 15 days and can

be purchased only from specified

branches of State Bank of India.

• Electoral bonds can be bought for any

value, in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs

10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh or

Rs 1 crore.

• An Indian citizen or body incorporated

in India will be eligible to purchase the

bond.

• Electoral bonds can be used for

making donation only to 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

a Legislative Assembly.

• These bonds will not carry the

name of the payee.

• The bonds will be available for

purchase for 10 days each in the

months of January, April, July and

October.

• The window would be for an additional

30 days in the year of general

election.

Topic- GS-3- Government policies and

interventions for development in various

sectors and issues arising out of their design

and implementation

Source- Indian Express

Haryana to safeguard vegetable growers

• The Haryana government launched a

price deficit compensation scheme,

Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojana, to

ensure that vegetable farmers are

protected against a fall in crop prices.

• Tomato, onion, potato and cauliflower

have been included in the scheme.

• Farmers would be compensated by

the State if rates dropped below the

protected price.

• This would ensure that the farmers

received a fair price for their produce.

Look Further

Sericulture

• Rearing of silkworms for the

production of raw silk

Apiculture

• Maintenance of honey bee colonies,

commonly in hives, by humans

Viticulture

• Science, production and study of

grapes

Floriculture

• Cultivation of flowering and

ornamental plants for gardens

Horticulture

• The science of growing and

management of fruits, vegetables

including tubers, ornamental,

aromatic & medicinal crops, spices,

plantation crops and their processing,

value addition and marketing”.

Topic- GS-3- Agriculture

Source- The Hindu

Nagaland declared as ‘disturbed area’

for 6 more months

• A home ministry official said the

decision to continue the declaration of

Nagaland as “disturbed area” has

been taken.

• The entire Nagaland has been

declared as “disturbed area” for six

more months, under the controversial

AFSPA, which empowers security

forces to conduct operations

anywhere and arrest anyone without

any prior notice.

• In exercise of the powers conferred by

Section 3 of the Armed Forces

(Special Powers) Act, 1958 (No. 28 of

1958), the central government hereby

declares that whole of the said State

to be a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of

six months.

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• The AFSPA has been in force in

Nagaland for several decades.

Look Further

AFSPA

• Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts

(AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of

India that grant special powers to the

Indian Armed Forces in what each act

terms "disturbed areas".

• According to the Armed Forces Special

Powers Act (AFSPA), in an area that is

proclaimed as "disturbed", an officer

of the armed forces has powers to-

(a) After giving such due warning, Fire upon

or use other kinds of force even if it causes

death, against the person who is acting

against law or order in the disturbed area for

the maintenance of public order,

(b) To arrest without a warrant anyone who

has committed cognizable offences or is

reasonably suspected of having done so and

may use force if needed for the arrest.

(c) Army officers have legal immunity for

their actions. There can be no prosecution,

suit or any other legal proceeding against

anyone acting under that law.

(d) The government's judgment on disrupted

area is not subject to judicial review.

(e) On July 8, 2016, in a landmark ruling, The

Supreme Court of India ended the immunity

of the armed forces from prosecution under

AFSPA.

Greater Nagalim

• With the possibility of New Delhi

concluding a final agreement with the

NSCN(IM) have arisen fresh

apprehensions in Assam, Arunachal

Pradesh and Manipur that large

chunks of their territories may be lost

to a “Greater Nagalim”.

• The map of Greater Nagalim on the

NSCN(IM) website comprising “all

Naga-inhabited areas” shows a

1,20,000 sq km sprawl across the

Northeast and Myanmar.

• Greater Nagalism covers a

sizeable portion of Nagaland,

Assam, Arunachal, Manipur and

Myanmar.

NSCN (Nationalist Socialist Council of

Nagaland)

• The Nationalist Socialist Council of

Nagaland (abbreviated NSCN) is a

Greater Naga Revolutionist, Christian

Naga nationalist insurgent group.

• The main goal of the organisation is to

establish a sovereign Naga state,

"Nagalim", which would consist of all

the areas inhabited by the Naga

people in Northeast India and

Northwest Myanmar.

• Two major factions of NSCN include

NSCN (K), led by Khaplang; and NSCN

(I-M), led by Isak Chishi Swu and

Thuingaleng Muviah.

• The NSCN (K) has been designated a

terrorist organisation in India under

the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)

Act, 1967.

Topic-Gs-2 Indian Constitution

GS-1- Social empowerment, communalism,

regionalism & secularism

Source- The Hindu

Parker Solar Probe: Humanity’s First

Visit to a Star

• NASA's historic Parker Solar Probe

mission will revolutionize our

understanding of the sun, where

changing conditions can propagate

out into the solar system, affecting

Earth and other worlds.

• Parker Solar Probe will travel through

the sun’s atmosphere, closer to the

surface than any spacecraft before it,

facing brutal heat and radiation

conditions — and ultimately providing

humanity with the closest-ever

observations of a star.

• The Parker Solar Probe will use Venus’

gravity during seven flybys over

nearly seven years to gradually bring

its orbit closer to the sun.

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- NASA

Why is the fiscal deficit widening?

• The government’s fiscal deficit up to

November came in at 112% of the

amount budgeted for the entire

financial year ending in March.

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What does it mean?

• The government missing its fiscal

deficit target for the year means that

either the revenue it collected fell

short of projections, or that its

expenditure was higher than planned.

• The data from the Controller General

of Accounts shows that the

governmenthas spent 9% of the

amount budgeted for the year, with

four months remaining.

• The data shows that the government’s

non-tax revenue, at only 5% of the

year’s target.

Are there any other factors at play?

• The government announced that it

would be borrowing an additional

₹50,000 crores during the remaining

part of the financial year.

• While it was assumed that this would

lead to a slippage in the fiscal deficit,

the government was quick to explain

that this would not happen.

• Government said that the additional

borrowing would be offset by

trimming down the collections from its

Treasury Bills.

Is a slippage such a bad thing?

• According to experts, even a 5%

slippage in the fiscal deficit would be

okay as long as it is being driven by

an increase in expenditure on

developmental activities such as rural

roads, irrigation, and low-cost

housing.

• Even though ratings agency Moody’s

recently upgraded India, it did say

that it would be tracking the fiscal

situation, so any significant slippages

could result in a downgrade in the

future.

Look Further

Fiscal Deficit-

• A fiscal deficit occurs when a

government's total expenditures

exceed the revenue that it generates,

excluding money from borrowings.

Topic- GS-2- Indian Economy and issues

relating to planning, mobilization of

resources, growth, development and

employment

Source- The Hindu

Two new Ginger species found in the

northeast

• Scientists have discovered two new

species of Ginger in easternmost

districts, Ukhrul in Manipur and

Tuensang in Nagaland, both bordering

Myanmar.

• Hedychium chingmeianum, the

species discovered in Tuensang

district, is an epiphytic plant and

grows on tall trees, while

Caulokaempferia dinabandhuensis

was found growing in rock crevices,

boulders and humus rich soil in the

Shirui Hills.

• Both the plants are from the family of

Zingiberaceae, to which the

commonly found Ginger (Zingiber

officinale) belongs.

Topic- GS-3- Biodiversity

Source- The Hindu

Smt Maneka Gandhi inaugurates online

portal ‘NARI’ for women empowerment

• In a path breaking initiative to

empower women, the Minister of

Women & Child Development, Smt

Maneka Sanjay Gandhi inaugurated

an online portal NARI in New Delhi.

• The portal will provide women citizens

with easy access to information on

government schemes and initiatives

for women.

• Further to provide a platform for

NGOs and Civil Societies to interact

with the Ministry of Women & Child

Development, e-Samvad portal has

also been developed which was

inaugurated by the WCD Minister.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana

(PMMVY)

• Effective from 01.01.2017, the

Maternity Benefit Programme would

be implemented in all the districts of

the country in accordance with the

provision of the National Food

Security Act, 2013.

• The programme is named as ‘Pradhan

Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana’

(PMMVY).

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• Under PMMVY, a cash incentive of

₹ 5000/- would be provided directly in

the account of Pregnant Women and

Lactating Mothers(PW&LM) for first

living child of the family subject to

their fulfilling specific conditions

relating to Maternal and Child Health.

• The eligible beneficiaries would

receive the remaining cash incentives

as per approved norms towards

maternity benefit under Janani

Suraksha Yojana (JSY) after

institutional delivery so that on an

average, a woman will get ₹ 6000/-.

• PMMVY will be implemented using the

platform of Anganwadi Services

scheme of Umbrella ICDS.

Integrated Child Development Services

(ICDS)

• Launched in October 2, 1975.

• Provides food, education, and primary

healthcare to children under 6 years

of age and their mothers.

• Six services are provided under ICDS

which are-

(1) Supplementary nutrition (SNP) (2)

Immunization (3) Health check-up (4)

Referral services (5) Pre-school non-formal

education (6) Nutrition & health education

are provided.

• Anyone can visit to the Aanganwadi

centre and enroll these services.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States and the performance of these

schemes

Source- PIB

04.01.2018

UNESCO enters Turkey's endangered

'bird language' in Intangible Cultural

Heritage list

• UNESCO has accepted the "bird

language" of Black Sea villagers as an

endangered part of world heritage in

need of urgent protection.

Look Further

United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

• It is a specialized agency of the United

Nations (UN) based in Paris.

• Its objective is to contribute to peace

and security by promoting

international collaboration through

educational, scientific, and cultural

reforms.

• It has 195-member states and ten

associate members.

Note: The United States announced its

intention to withdraw from UNESCO on

12 October 2017, accusing it of "anti-Israel

bias”. Later, Israel also announced it would

also be leaving UNESCO.

• UNESCO implements its activities

through the five programme areas:

education, natural sciences, social

and human sciences, culture, and

communication and information.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Lists

• UNESCO established its Lists of

Intangible Cultural Heritage with the

aim of ensuring better protection of

important intangible cultural

heritages worldwide and the

awareness of their significance.

• This list is published by the

Intergovernmental Committee for the

Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural

Heritage and its members are elected

by State parties meeting in UN

General Assembly.

India in UNESCO Intangible Cultural

Heritage Lists

1. Koodiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre, Kerala

2. Mudiyett: a ritual theatre of Kerala

3. The Tradition of Vedic Chanting

4. Ramlila – the Traditional Performance of

the Ramayana

5. Ramman: religious festival and ritual

theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas

6. Kalbelia: folk songs and dances of

Rajasthan

7. Chhau dance: a tradition from eastern

India

8. Buddhist chanting of Ladakh

9. Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and

dancing of Manipur

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10. Traditional brass and copper craft of

utensil making among the Thatheras of

Jandiala Guru, Punjab

11. Yoga

12. Nowruz Navruz

13. Kumbh Mela

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture

Source- Economic Times

Six countries enter UN Security Council

• Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast,

Kuwait, Peru, Poland and the

Netherlands formally joined the ranks

of the non-permanent members of the

United Nations Security Council.

• The UN Security Council has 15

members, including five with

permanent seats who have the power

to veto resolutions - Britain, China,

France, Russia and the United States.

• The six countries who left the UN

Security Council on December 31 are

Egypt, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine

and Uruguay.

Look Further

UNSC (United Nations Security Council)

• UNSC is one of the six principal organs

of the United Nations, charged with

the maintenance of international

peace and security.

• It has 15 Members, and each Member

has one vote. These 15 members

include 5 permanent members and 10

non-permanent members.

• Five permanent members have veto

powers.

• 10 non-permanent members, elected

on a regional basis to serve two-year

terms.

• It is the only UN body with the

authority to issue binding resolutions

to member states.

• The Security Council also

recommends to the General Assembly

the appointment of the Secretary-

General and the admission of new

Members to the United Nations.

• And, together with the General

Assembly, it elects the judges of the

International Court of Justice.

United Nations Security Council "power

of veto"

• The United Nations Security Council

"power of veto" refers to the veto

power wielded solely by the five

permanent members of the UNSC

enabling them to prevent the adoption

of any "substantive" resolution.

• Five permanent members are China,

France, Russia, United Kingdom, and

United States.

• Abstention or absence from the vote

by a permanent member does not

prevent a draft resolution from being

adopted.

G4 Nations

• The G4 nations comprising Brazil,

Germany, India, and Japan are four

countries which support each other’s

bids for permanent seats on the

United Nations Security Council.

Topic- GS-2- Important International

institutions, agencies and fora- their

structure, mandate.

Source- The Hindu Business line + Wiki +

UNSC

India excludes Pakistan from a SAARC

initiative

• India has excluded Pakistan from the

list of SAARC member countries with

which it will be connecting its state-

of-the art National Knowledge

Network (NKN) for sharing scientific

databases and remote access to

advanced research facilities.

• The government has kicked off the

process of appointing a telecom

company that will connect and extend

the NKN to research and education

networks in six South Asian

Association of Regional Cooperation

member states.

• Pakistan is the only SAARC nation that

has been left out of this initiative.

Look Further

National Knowledge Network (NKN)

• NKN is a multi-gigabit pan-India

network which facilitates the

development of India's

communications infrastructure,

stimulates research and creates next

generation applications and services.

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• It enables collaboration among

researchers from different educational

networks such as TEIN4, GARUDA,

CERN and Internet2.

• It also enables sharing of scientific

databases and remote access to

advanced research facilities.

• NKN will be connected from

Afghanistan to Delhi or Mumbai, from

Bangladesh to Kolkata or Delhi, from

Bhutan to Kolkata or Delhi, from

Nepal to Kolkata or Delhi, from

Maldives to Chennai or Mumbai and

from Sri Lanka to Chennai or Mumbai.

SAARC

• The South Asian Association for

Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the

regional intergovernmental

organization and geopolitical union of

nations in South Asia.

• Its member states (8 countries)

include Afghanistan, Bangladesh,

Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives,

Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

• SAARC was founded in Dhaka on 8th

December 1985.

• Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu,

Nepal.

• Amjad Hussain B. Sial is the current

Secretary General of SAARC.

Topic- GS-2- Bilateral, regional and global

groupings and agreements involving India

and/or affecting India’s interests

Source- Economic Times

First Blue Moon in 150 years, a total

eclipse, to occur this month

• A rare total lunar eclipse that involves

the second full moon of the month –

popularly referred to as a Blue Moon

– is set to take place on January 31

for the first time in over 150 years.

• This will be the first eclipse of 2018.

• The Pacific Ocean will be turned

towards the Moon at the time and the

eclipse will take place during the

middle of the night.

Look Further

Eclipse

• An eclipse happens when a planet or

a moon gets in the way of the sun’s

light. we can experience two kinds of

eclipses: solar eclipses and lunar

eclipses.

Solar Eclipse-

• A solar eclipse (as seen from the

planet Earth) is a type of eclipse that

occurs when the Moon passes

between the Sun and Earth, and when

the Moon fully or partially blocks

("occults") the Sun.

• This can happen only at new moon

when the Sun and the Moon are in

conjunction as seen from Earth in an

alignment referred to as syzygy.

• In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun

is fully obscured by the Moon. In

partial and annular eclipses, only part

of the Sun is obscured.

Lunar Eclipse

• During a lunar eclipse, Earth gets in the

way of the sun’s light hitting the moon.

• That means that during the night, a

full moon fades away as Earth’s

shadow covers it up.

• The moon can also look reddish

because Earth’s atmosphere absorbs

the other colours while it bends some

sunlight toward the moon.

• Sunlight bending through the

atmosphere and absorbing other

colours is also why sunsets are orange

and red.

• During a total lunar eclipse, the moon

is shining from all the sunrises and

sunsets occurring on Earth.

Topic- GS-1- Physical Geography

Source- Indian Express + NASA

05.01.2018

‘Panchayat secretary’s certificate is no

proof’

• Certificates issued by the ‘gaon’ or

village panchayat secretary/Executive

Magistrate is no proof of Indian

citizenship.

• It is only a supporting document used

for the limited purpose of establishing

a linkage between the holder of the

certificate and the person(s) from

whom legacy is being claimed, the

Supreme Court has clarified.

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• Such proof (of citizenship) will come

only if the link between the claimant

and the legacy person (who has to be

a citizen) is established.

Look Further

Citizenship Provisions related to

Constitutions

• Articles 5-8 deal with the citizenship

of individuals who became citizens of

India at the commencement of the

Constitution. Also, these articles take

into account migration issues.

• No person shall be a citizen of India or be deemed to be a citizen of India, if he

has voluntarily acquired the citizenship

of any foreign state (Article 9).

• Every person who is or is deemed to

be a citizen of India shall continue to

be such citizen, subject to the

provisions of any law made by

Parliament (Article 10).

• Parliament shall have the power to

make any provision with respect to

the acquisition and termination of

citizenship and all other matters

relating to citizenship (Article 11).

• The Parliament enacted the

Citizenship Act, 1955, which has been

amended in 1986, 1992, 2003, and

2005 and most recently in 2015.

• The five modes of acquisition of

citizenship as per the citizenship act

are

(a) By Birth

(b) By Descent

(c) By Registration

(d) By Naturalization

(e) By acquisition of any other

territory into the Indian Union.

• Loss of Citizenship is by –

Termination, Renunciation and

Deprivation.

Constitutional Rights to the Indian

Citizens

• The Constitution confers the following

rights and privileges on the citizens of

India (and denies the same to aliens):

(a) Article 15, 16, 19, 29 & 30.

(b) Right to vote in elections to the

Lok Sabha and state legislative

assembly.

(c) Right to contest for the

membership of the Parliament and the

state legislature.

(d) Eligibility to hold certain public

offices, that is, President of India,

Vice-President of India, judges of the

Supreme Court and the high courts,

governor of states, attorney general

of India and advocate general of

states.

Topic- GS-2- Indian Constitution

Source- The Hindu + Indian Polity by

Lakshmikant

WHO approves Indian typhoid vaccine

“Bharat Biotech’s Typbar” for global use

• The World Health Organisation (WHO)

pre-qualified the first conjugate

vaccine for typhoid, “Bharat

Biotech’s Typbar”-TCV (Typhoid

conjugate vaccines)- believed to be

the only one safe for infants.

• Typbar TCV is the world's first

clinically proven TCV.

• Typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs)

are innovative products that have

longer-lasting immunity than older

vaccines, require fewer doses, and

can be given to young children

through routine childhood

immunization programs.

• WHO-SAGE (Study on global AGEing

and adult health) recommended the

use of typhoid conjugate vaccines for

use in infants between 6 and 23

months of age and catch up

vaccinations for children between 2

and 15 years of age.

Look Further

Typhoid

• Typhoid fever is caused by the

bacterium Salmonella Typhi (S.

Typhi), which infects humans due to

contaminated food and beverages

from sewage and other infected

humans.

World Health Organization

• The World Health Organization (WHO)

is a specialized agency of the United

Nations that is concerned with

international public health.

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• It was established on 22 July 1946

headquartered in Geneva,

Switzerland.

• The WHO is a member of the United

Nations Development Group.

• The WHO is responsible for the World

Health Report, the worldwide World

Health Survey, and World Health Day.

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- Times now news

The National Bank for Agriculture and

Rural Development (Amendment) Bill,

2017

• The Bill seeks to amend the National

Bank for Agriculture and Rural

Development Act, 1981.

• NABARD is responsible for providing

and regulating facilities like credit for

agricultural and industrial

development in the rural areas.

• Under the 1981 Act, NABARD may

have a capital of Rs 100 crore. This

capital can be further increased to Rs

5,000 crore by the central

government in consultation with the

Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• The New Bill allows the central

government to increase this capital to

Rs 30,000 crore. The capital may be

increased to more than Rs 30,000

crore by the central government in

consultation with the RBI, if

necessary.

• Under the 1981 Act, the central

government and the RBI together

must hold at least 51% of the share

capital of NABARD.

• The Bill provides that the central

government alone must hold at least

51% of the share capital of NABARD.

• The Bill replaces the terms ‘small-

scale industry’ and ‘industry in the

tiny and decentralised sector’ with the

terms ‘micro enterprise’, ‘small

enterprise’ and ‘medium enterprise’

as defined in the MSME Development

Act, 2006.

Topic- GS-2- Parliament and State

Legislatures

Source- PRS

National Register of Citizens (NRC) of

the Assam

• Recently, Assam government

published the first draft of an updated

National Register of Citizens (NRC) of

the State.

• While the document is meant to

establish the credentials of a bona fide

citizen, there are several questions

surrounding the NRC.

• The publication of the first draft of the

NRC by December 31, 2017 was

ordered by the Supreme Court.

Why was it necessary to bring out an

NRC in Assam?

• The NRC is being updated in Assam to

detect Bangladeshi nationals, who

may have illegally entered the State

after the midnight of March 24, 1971,

the cut-off date.

What will happen to those persons who

don’t find their names in the draft

register?

• The list published is the first draft of

the updated NRC.

• Another list is expected to come soon,

with more names and details.

• However, if a citizen’s name is

missing, he or she can file an

objection and request that the name

be included after submitting the

requisite documents to the NRC.

Should persons of Assam living in other

parts of the country also have their

names in the register?

• NRC is a process by which a bona fide

Indian citizen can be distinguished

from a foreigner.

• If a person from Assam is living or

working in another part of the

country, it is advisable to get oneself

registered and establish one’s legacy

as an “inhabitant” of Assam.

Topic- GS-2- Indian Polity

Source- The Hindu

Zojila tunnel project will be Asia’s

longest 2-lane bi-directional pass

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic

Affairs approved the construction of

the strategic Zojila Pass tunnel in

Jammu and Kashmir at an estimated

cost of Rs 6,089 crore.

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• The project will reduce the travel time

between Srinagar and Leh to 15

minutes from the current 3.5 hours

with providing all-weather

connectivity to the region.

• Zojila Pass tunnel will be Asia’s

longest 2-lane bi-directional pass.

Topic- GS-1- Indian Geography

Source- Indian Express

06.01.2018

India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher

education up by 0.7%

• The country’s Gross Enrolment Ratio

or GER in higher education has

registered an increase from 24.5% in

2015-16 to 25.2% in 2016-17,

according to the latest edition of All

India Higher Education Survey

(AIHES).

• India aims to attain a GER of 30% by

2020.

• According to AIHES of 2016-17, Tamil

Nadu has the highest GER in the

country at 46.9%, which is higher

than the national average.

• Bihar is on the bottom with just

14.9% of its eligible population (in the

age group of 18 to 23 years) pursuing

higher education.

• The college density in the top three

states is 49 in Puducherry, 59 in

Telangana and 53 in Karnataka.

• Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, on

the other hand, are at the bottom of

the pile with seven, eight and 11

colleges, respectively for every one

lakh students in the state.

• There is a marginal improvement in

the number of foreign students —from

45,424 in 2015-16 to 47,575 in 2016-

17 — studying in the country.

Look Further

GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio)

• GER is a statistical measure for

determining the number of students

enrolled in undergraduate,

postgraduate and research level

studies within the country and is

expressed as a percentage of the

population.

Topic- GS-2- Issues relating to development

and management of Social Sector/Services

relating to Health, Education, Human

Resources.

Source- Indian Express

NASA to launch two missions to explore

nearest space

• NASA has announced that it would

launch two missions to explore the

little-understood area of 96 km above

Earth’s surface.

• These two missions are (a) GOLD

Mission and (b) ICON mission

• The Global-scale Observations of

the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission

will be launched in January 2018, and

the Ionospheric Connection

Explorer (ICON) will be launched

later this year.

• GOLD and ICON will team up to

explore the ionosphere, a boundary

area between Earth and the space

where particles have been cooked into

a sea of electrically-charged electrons

and ions by the Sun’s radiation.

• NASA said the two missions were

complementary.

• ICON will be in low-Earth orbit, at 560

km above Earth, like a close-up

camera while GOLD will be in a

geostationary orbit over the Western

Hemisphere, about 35,398 km above

the planet’s surface.

• The two missions can cooperate with

each other when ICON passes through

GOLD’s field of view and each mission

can get a snapshot of the same

region.

• This overlap in their data makes it

easier to identify reasons for changes

in the upper atmosphere at a given

time.

• One of the missions’ goals is to

measure how upper atmosphere

changes in response to hurricanes and

geomagnetic storms.

Look Further

Layers of Earth Atmosphere

• Earth atmosphere can be divided into

five layers. These are-

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11

(1) Troposphere

• Height 18 km on Equator and 8 Km on

the poles

• Temperature decreases with

increasing height in this layer of

atmosphere at the rate of 1 degree

Celsius for every 165 m of height. It

is called Normal Lapse Rate.

(2) Stratosphere

• Height of this layer extends up to 50

Km.

• Upper part of this layer temperature

increase with increasing in height due

to presence of Ozone Particles.

• Weather related phenomenon do not

take place in this layer so this is ideal

for flying of aircraft.

(3) Mesosphere

• Height of this layer extends up to 80-

90 Km.

• Most of the meteors burn up in this

layer of atmosphere.

• Temperature decreases with

increasing height in this layer.

(4) Thermosphere (Ionosphere)

• Height of this layer extends up to 400

Km.

• This layer contains ions.

• Temperature increase with increasing

in height due to Ionizations by solar

radiations.

• Radio waves transmitted from the

earth ground reflected by this layer so

this help in radio transmissions.

(5) Exosphere

• Uppermost layer of the earth

atmosphere

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- The Hindu

Atal Pension Yojana

• The Pension Fund Regulatory and

Development Authority of India

(PFRDA) run Atal Pension Yojana

(APY) has reached a subscriber base

of 80 lakh.

• Launched in 2015

• Focussed on all citizens in the

unorganised sector

• Age- min 18 years, Max- 40 years

• The Union Govt. would also co-

contribute 50% of the subscriber’s

contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum,

whichever is lower.

• Under the scheme, a subscriber will

receive a minimum guaranteed

pension of 1000 to 5000 rupees per

month, depending on his contribution,

from the age of 60 years.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States and the performance of these

schemes

Source- AIR

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana

(PMVVY)

• Government has launched the

‘Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana

(PMVVY)’ to provide social security

during old age and to protect elderly

persons aged 60 and above against

a future fall in their interest income

due to uncertain market conditions.

• The scheme enables old age income

security for senior citizens through

provision of assured pension/return

linked to the subscription amount

based on government guarantee to

Life Insurance Corporation of India

(LIC).

• The scheme provides an assured

return of 8% per annum for 10 years.

• The scheme is open for subscription

till 3rd May 2018.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States and the performance of these

schemes

Source- PIB

Manodhairya scheme: Don’t delay

compensation due to technicalities,

Bombay HC tells govt

• More than 1,300 survivors of serious

crimes, like rape and acid attack, who

were sanctioned compensation under

the Maharashtra state-run

Manodhairya scheme from October

2013 to January 2017, were not paid

the amount.

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12

• The Bombay High Court said that the

Maharashtra government should look

at cutting down red-tapism and

procedural technicalities while

awarding monetary compensation to

victims of rape and acid attacks.

Manodhairya scheme

• The scheme, called 'Manodhairya

Yojana', was launched on October 2,

2013 and envisages providing

between Rs two and three lakh to the

victim of rapes and acid attacks etc.

• The victims would receive not only

medical treatment but also legal aid,

counselling and help for rehabilitation

from the state government as part of

the scheme.

• The Manodhairya scheme came into

being in the aftermath of the brutal

gangrape of a photo-journalist in

Mumbai’s Shakti Mills in August 2013.

• Under the revised Manodhairya

scheme, rape victims, children who

are victims of sexual assault and acid

attack victims have to be

compensated up to Rs 10 lakh, and

their medical expenses have to be

met by the government.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States and the performance of these

schemes

Source- Indian Express

Important schemes for development of

women and children are being

implemented by WCD Ministry

For Women empowerment:

(a) Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)

• Implemented to address the declining

Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related

issues of empowerment of women

over a life-cycle continuum.

(b) Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana

Yojana (PMMVY)

• Maternity Benefit Programme has

been contributing towards better

enabling environment by providing

cash incentives for improved health

and nutrition to pregnant and nursing

mothers.

(c) Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra

scheme

• Promote community participation

through involvement of Student

Volunteers for empowerment of rural

women.

(d) Scheme for Adolescent Girls

• Aims at girls in the age group 11-18,

to empower and improve their social

status through nutrition, life skills,

home skills and vocational training.

(e) National Creche Scheme

• To provide day care facilities to

children of age group of 6 months to

6 years of working women who are

employed.

(f) Rastriya Mahila Kosh (RMK)

• Provide micro-credit to poor women

for various livelihood support and

income generating activities at

concessional terms in a client-friendly

procedure to bring about their socio-

economic development.

(g) Swadhar Greh

• Provide relief and rehabilitation to

destitute women and women in

distress.

(h) Ujjawala

• A Comprehensive Scheme for

prevention of trafficking and for

rescue, rehabilitation, re-integration

and repatriation of victims of

trafficking for commercial sexual

exploitation.

(I) Working Women Hostels

• For ensuring safe accommodation for

women working away from their place

of residence.

(J) Schemes of One Stop Centre (OSC)

and Women Helpline (WH)

• Implemented to facilitate access to an integrated range of services including

medical aid, police assistance, legal aid/

case management, psychosocial

counselling and temporary support

services to women affected by violence.

For Child Development

(a) Integrated Child Development

Services (ICDS)

• Implemented through States/UTs

with the aim of holistic development

of children upto 6 years of age and to

meet nutritional needs of pregnant

women and lactating mothers.

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13

(b) National Nutrition Mission (NNM)

• The NNM, as an apex body, will

monitor, supervise, fix targets and

guide the nutrition related

interventions across the Ministries.

• The programme through the targets

will strive to reduce the level of

stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia

and low birth weight babies.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States and the performance of these

schemes

Source- PIB

08.01.2018

Medaram’s Jatara to get national tag

• Central government is likely to

declare Medaram’s Sammakka-

Sarakka/Saralamma Jatara a national

festival this year.

• Union government had in 2015

declared Vanaj, a tribal dance and

music festival, as national festival.

• Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual

Oram is expected to announce the

Centre’s decision on Jatara’s national

status on January 31 when he visits

Medaram.

Look Further

Sammakka-Sarakka Jatara

• It is held by forest dwelling Koya tribe

of Telangana and surrounding States,

is the biggest Tribal festival in Asia.

• The festival is celebrated to honour

the twin goddesses Sammakka and

her daughter Sarakka.

• Once declared a national festival,

Jatara can be considered for

‘intangible cultural heritage of

humanity’ tag of United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organisation (UNESCO).

• UNESCO had given the tag to Kumbh

Mela, which is world’s biggest festival.

Medaram

• It is a village in Warangal district,

Telangana, India.

• A popular religious congregation or

Jatara called "Samakka sarakka"

jatara takes place for three days

biennially in this village.

Topic- GS-1 Indian Culture

Source- The Hindu

Government proposes rolling out e-

Sansad and e-Vidhan in Parliament and

State Legislatures

• The Government has proposed rolling

out of e-Sansad in Parliament and e-

Vidhan in State Legislatures to

digitize and make their functioning

paperless.

• e-Sansad and e-Vidhan are mission

mode projects of Government of India

under Digital India, to make the

functioning of Parliament and State

Legislatures paperless.

• MoPA is the Nodal Ministry for

implementation of both the projects.

• These projects would make the

functioning of Parliament and State

Legislatures participative, responsive,

transparent, productive and more

accountable to the public and make

the entire Legislative process more

efficient.

• Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth

Kumar inaugurated the 18th All India

Whips’ Conference in Udaipur,

Rajasthan and had considered rolling

out of e-Sansad and e-Vidhan in

Parliament and State Legislatures.

Look Further

Whip

• A whip is a member of a political

party's parliamentary body

responsible for discipline within the

party.

• Their main job is ensuring that their

members in Parliament and

legislature vote in line with the party's

official policy on important issues.

Topic- GS-2- Important aspects of

governance, transparency and

accountability, e-governance- applications,

models, successes, limitations, and potential

etc.

Source- AIR

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SpaceX successfully launches secretive

Zuma Mission for US Government

• Space X successfully launched

secretive Zuma mission — for US

Government took off from Cape

Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida

on a Falcon 9 rocket.

Look Further

Space X

• Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

(SpaceX), is a private American

aerospace manufacturer and space

transport services company

headquartered in Hawthorne,

California.

• It was founded in 2002 by

entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal

of reducing space transportation costs

and enabling the colonization of Mars.

• SpaceX has since developed the

Falcon launch vehicle family and

the Dragon spacecraft family,

which both currently deliver payloads

into Earth orbit.

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- Indian Express

10% gender gap in Jan Dhan accounts

• A World Bank paper has noted a 10%

gender gap in opening accounts under

the country’s flagship financial

inclusion programme — Jan Dhan

Yojana — with 73 % men applying for

accounts against 63 % women.

• Madhya Pradesh recorded the largest

gender gap of 21%.

• The share of wage earners (72%) was

higher than the share of adults who

are out of the workforce and applied

for an account (64%).

PMJDY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan

Yojana)

• Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana

(P.M.J.D.Y) is India's National Mission

for Financial Inclusion to ensure

access to financial services, namely

Banking Savings & Deposit Accounts,

Remittance, Credit, Insurance,

Pension in an affordable manner.

• It was announced by the Prime

Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 15th

August 2014 and Mega launch was

done by him on 28th August 2014

across the country.

Topic- GS-2- Issues relating to development

and management of Social Sector

Source- The Hindu

Iceland has become the first country in

the world to enforce equal pay between

men and women

• The legislation, which took effect on

January 1 2018, means larger firms

will have to prove their male staff are

not paid more than their female

employees of face fines.

• Companies with 25 members of staff

and over are obliged to obtain

government certification of their

equal-pay policies or face being

slapped with financial penalties.

Topic- GS-3- International Relations

Source- Daily Mail

The Negotiable Instruments

(Amendment) Bill, 2017

• The Negotiable Instruments

(Amendment) Bill, 2017 was

introduced in Lok Sabha.

• It seeks to amend the Negotiable

Instruments Act, 1881.

• The Act defines promissory notes, bills

of exchange, and cheques. It also

specifies penalties for bouncing of

cheques, and other violations with

respect to such negotiable instruments.

• Interim compensation: The Bill inserts

a provision allowing a court trying an

offence related to cheque bouncing, to

direct the drawer (person who writes

the cheque) to pay interim

compensation to the complainant.

• Deposit in case of appeal: The Bill

inserts a provision specifying that if a

drawer convicted in a cheque

bouncing case files an appeal, the

appellate court may direct him to

deposit a minimum of 20% of the fine

or compensation awarded by the trial

court during conviction.

• Returning the interim compensation:

In case the drawer is acquitted

(during trial or by the appellate

court), the court will direct the

complainant to return the interim

compensation (or deposit in case of an

appeal case), along with an interest.

Topic- GS-3- Indian Economy

Source- PRS India

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15

75th Golden Globe Awards Winners

• Golden Globe Awards are accolades

bestowed by the 93 members of the

Hollywood Foreign Press Association

beginning in January 1944,

recognizing excellence in film and

television, both domestic and foreign.

• The 75th Golden Globe Awards

winners are-

(a) Best motion picture, drama- Three

Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

(b) Best motion picture, musical or

comedy- Lady Bird

(c) Best motion picture, animated-

Coco

(d) Best motion picture, foreign

language- In the Fade

(e) Best director, motion picture-

‘Guillermo del Toro’ for ‘The Shape of

Water’

Topic-Important for PCS exams

Source- Wiki

09.01.2018

Union Minister of Earth Sciences

dedicates India’s first multi-petaflop

supercomputer 'Pratyush' to nation

• Union Minister of Earth Sciences Dr

Harsh Vardhan dedicated India’s

fastest and first multi-petaflops

supercomputer to the nation in Pune.

• The supercomputer named as

‘Pratyush’ meaning the Sun, will be

a national facility for improving

weather and climate forecasts and

services.

Topic- GS-3-Achievements of Indians in

science & technology; indigenization of

technology and developing new technology

Source- AIR

Three-days Flamingo festival begins at

Pulicat area

• Three days Flamingo festival has

begun at area around Pulicat Lake

area (on the border of Andhra Pradesh

and Tamilnadu).

• Nearly 80 varieties like flamingos,

which arrive from as far off as Siberia

and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat,

were present in the lake.

• It was because of the biodiversity in

the lake that the location of the

proposed Dugarajapatnam port was

shifted to Tupilipalem village so that

there would be no threat to the

habitat of the winged visitors.

Look Further

Pulicat Lake

• Pulicat Lake is the second largest

brackish water lake or lagoon in India,

after Chilika Lake.

• It straddles the border of Andhra

Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states with

over 96% of it in Andhra Pradesh and

4% in Tamil Nadu situated on the

Coromandal Coast in South India.

• The lake encompasses the Pulicat

Lake Bird Sanctuary.

• The barrier island of Sriharikota

separates the lake from the Bay of

Bengal and is home to the Satish

Dhawan Space Centre.

East Coast of India

• Coast along the Orissa= Utkal Coast

• Coast along the Utkal Plain to Andhra

Plain= Andhra Coast

• Coast along the south of Andhra

Plain= Tamil Nadu Coast

• Andhra coast and Tamil Nadu cost

together= Coromandal Coast

West Coast of India

• Konkan Coast= Coast along

Maharashtra and Goa

• Malabar Coast= Coast along

Karnataka and Kerala

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture

GS-1- Indian Geography

Source- The Hindu

Mankidia denied habitat in Simlipal

• Mankidia, one of the 13 Particularly

Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in

Odisha, were denied habitat rights

inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve

(STR).

• Mankidia, a marginalised group that

critically depends on making rope with

siali fibre that’s richly available in

Similipal, would now be deprived of

the non-timber forest produce.

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• Under the historic Scheduled Tribes

and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers

(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,

2006, as the State Forest Department

has objected on grounds that tribals

could be attacked by wild animals,

especially tigers.

• Habitat rights would create barriers

for free movement of tigers and other

animals.

Look Further

PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal

Groups)

• 75 tribal groups have been

categorized by Ministry of Home

Affairs as Particularly Vulnerable

Tribal Groups (PVTG)s.

• PVTGs reside in 18 States and UT of

A&N Islands.

• Mankidia is one of the tribe in PVTG.

• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs

implements the Scheme of

“Development of Particularly

Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)”

exclusively for them.

• Under the scheme, Conservation-

cum-Development (CCD)/Annual

Plans are to be prepared by each

State/UT for their PVTGs based on

their need assessment, which are

then appraised and approved by the

Project Appraisal Committee of the

Ministry.

Simlipal National Park

• It is a national park and a tiger

reserve in the Mayurbhanj district in

the Indian state of Odisha.

• It is part of the Similipal-Kuldiha-

Hadgarh Elephant Reserve popularly

known as Mayurbhanj Elephant

Reserve, which includes three

protected areas — Similipal Tiger

Reserve, Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

and Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Simlipal National Park derives its

name from the abundance of semul

(red silk cotton trees) that bloom

here.

Forest Rights Act

• The Scheduled Tribes and Other

Traditional Forest Dwellers

(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,

2006, is a key piece of forest

legislation passed in India on 18

December 2006.

• It has also been called the Forest

Rights Act, the Tribal Rights Act, the

Tribal Bill, and the Tribal Land Act.

• Eligible People-

(a) Those who “primarily reside in

forests” and who depend on forests

and forest land for a livelihood.

(b) Either the claimant must be a member of

the Scheduled Tribes scheduled in that area

or must have been residing in the forest for

75 years.

Rights given under Forest Rights Act

(a) Title rights

• Ownership - to land that is being

farmed by tribal or forest dwellers as

on 13 December 2005, subject to a

maximum of 4 hectares

• ownership is only for land that is

actually being cultivated by the

concerned family as on that date,

meaning that no new lands are

granted.

(b) Use rights

• To minor forest produce (also

including ownership), to grazing

areas, to pastoralist routes, etc.

(c) Relief and development rights

• To rehabilitation in case of illegal

eviction or forced displacement and to

basic amenities, subject to

restrictions for forest protection.

(d) Forest management rights

• To protect forests and wildlife

Topic- GS-1- Social Issues

Source- The Hindu

For carbon sink target, India looks at

catchment area plan

• Indian have committed to a target of

creating an additional carbon sink the

equivalent of 2.5 billion to 3 billion

tonnes carbon dioxide by 2030 under

Paris Agreement.

• India now anticipates that it might not

be able to meet that through forests

alone.

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17

• It is now looking at the soil of

catchment areas as an additional

alternative to bridge the gap.

• Catchment areas, the alternative that

is being planned, can be natural

carbon sinks that, if properly

managed, can sequester substantial

amounts of atmospheric carbon

dioxide in the form of organic carbon

in the soil.

Look Further

Carbon Sink

• A carbon sink is a system that absorbs

carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Carbon Footprint

• Total emission of Greenhouse

emissions over a period of time by any

individual, group, organization etc.

Carbon Offsetting

• Reduction of emission of GHGs to

compensate for the emission of GHGs

made elsewhere or, offset emission of

GHGs.

Carbon Credit

• It is basically a carbon market.

• The countries are given permission to

emit certain tonnes of GHGs.

• They in turn distribute this quota

within their own units.

• Those unit who hasn't utilized the

emission quota can trade it with other

players, privately or in international

market.

Paris Climate Accord-

• The Paris climate accord or Paris

climate agreement, is an agreement

within the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse

gas emissions mitigation, adaptation

and finance starting in the year 2020.

• The agreement was adopted by

consensus on 12 December 2015.

• The contributions that each individual

country should make in order to

achieve the worldwide goal are

determined by all countries

individually and called "nationally

determined contributions" (NDCs).

India’s target in Nationally Determined

Contributions (INDCs)

• India had promised to reduce its

emissions intensity- greenhouse gas

emissions per unit of GDP- by 33

to 35 per cent below 2005 levels

by the year 2030.

• It had also promised to ensure that at

least 40 percent of its energy in

2030 would be generated from

non-fossil fuel sources, like solar,

wind or bio-fuels.

• In addition, it had said it would rapidly

increase its forest cover so that an

additional carbon sink equivalent

to 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon

dioxide is created by the year

2030.

Topic- GS-3- Environment

Source- Indian Express

India’s second FTII to be set up in

Arunachal

• Arunachal Pradesh would get its first

Film and Television Institute, being

set up by the Union Government.

• This would be the second such one in

the country.

• The first Film and Television Institute

of India (FTII) was set up in Pune, an

autonomous institute operating under

the Information and Broadcasting

Ministry.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- The Hindu

11.01.2018

Ancient rock drawing could be oldest

image of a supernova

• The carving was found in the

Burzahama region in Kashmir, India,

in the 1960s and is believed to date

back to between 2100 and 4100 BC.

• The drawing shows a stick figure

underneath two light-emitting objects

that have previously been interpreted

as either the sun and the moon or two

stars in close proximity.

• But a new paper published in the

Indian Journal of the History of

Science makes a case that the carving

depicts the moon next to a supernova.

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18

• They found one, Supernova HB9,

which would have been visible on

Earth in 3600 BC with a brightness

comparable to that of the moon.

Look Further

Supernova

• A supernova is the explosion of a star.

• It is the largest explosion that takes

place in space.

• Supernovas are often seen in other

galaxies.

• But supernovas are difficult to see in

our own Milky Way galaxy because

dust blocks our view.

• A supernova happens where there is a

change in the core, or centre, of a

star.

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- CNET + NASA

H-1B visa extensions to continue: U.S.

• USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and

Immigration Services) clarified that it

is not considering a regulatory change

that would force H-1B visa holders to

leave the United States by changing

our interpretation of section 104(c) of

AC-21, which provides for H-1B

extensions beyond the 6-year limit.”

• AC-21 or the American

Competitiveness in the Twenty First

Century Act is the law passed by the

U.S Congress in 2000, which also

governs the extension of H-1B visas.

• The USCIS is reviewing the H-1B visa

programme, and will come up with

changes later this year.

• The work permit for spouses of H-1B

visa holders and the lottery system

that selects beneficiaries of the

programme every year are governed

by executive decisions.

Look Further

H-1B visa

• The H-1B is a visa in the United States

under the Immigration and

Nationality Act, section 101(a) (15)

(H) which allows U.S. employers to

employ foreign workers in specialty

occupations.

• The duration of stay is three years,

extendable to six years.

Topic- GS-2- Effect of policies and politics of

developed and developing countries on

India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

Source- The Hindu

FDI policy further liberalized in key

sectors

Key Points

• 100% FDI under automatic route for

Single Brand Retail Trading

• 100% FDI under automatic route in

Construction Development

• Foreign airlines allowed to invest up to

49% under approval route in Air India

• FIIs/FPIs allowed to invest in Power

Exchanges through primary market

• Definition of ‘medical devices’

amended in the FDI Policy- amended

in Drugs and Cosmetics Act

Look Further

Primary (New Issue Market)

• In this, securities issued by issuer and

purchased by Public. Purchase of new

or fresh securities are carried in this.

• In primary market if any company

issues share for the first time, it is

called as Initial Public

offering(IPO).

• If any company that has already

issued shares, they again issues

shares to raise additional fund it is

known as Follow on Public Offering

(FPO).

Secondary (Old Issue Market)

• Buying and selling of securities which

are already issued in New issue

(Primary) market.

• There are two platforms for the

trading in this market which are- (1)

Stock Exchanges (Only listed

securities), (2) Over the Counter

Exchanges (Securities which are not

listed in any stock exchange)

FPI (Foreign Portfolio Investment)

Foreign portfolio investment (FPI)-

• Foreign portfolio investment (FPI)

consists of securities and other

financial assets passively held by

foreign investors.

www.gradeup.com

19

• It does not provide the investor

with direct ownership of financial

assets and is relatively liquid

depending on the volatility of the

market.

• Foreign Investors portfolio are

managed by financial professionals.

• FPI is part of a country’s capital

account and shown on its balance of

payments (BOP).

FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)

• A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an

investment in the form of a

controlling ownership in a

business in one country by an

entity based in another country.

• There are two routes by which India

gets FDI.

(1) Automatic route- By this route

FDI is allowed without prior approval

by Government or Reserve Bank of

India.

(2) Government route- Prior

approval by government is needed via

this route. Foreign Investment

Promotion Board (FIPB) which was the

responsible agency to oversee this

route was abolished on May 24, 2017.

Topic- GS-3- Indian Economy and issues

relating to planning, mobilization of

resources, growth, development and

employment.

Source- PIB + Wiki

India misses Kala Azar elimination

deadline

• India has missed the 2017 deadline

that Finance Minister had announced

for elimination of Kala Azar (black

fever) in his Budget speech last year.

• Elimination is defined as reducing the

annual incidence of Kala Azar (KA) to

less than 1 case per 10,000 people at

the sub-district level.

• A little-known skin condition called

Post Kala Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis

(PKDL) — a red flag for transmission

of KA — has been growing steadily

over the past few years.

• Endemic to the Indian subcontinent in

119 districts in four countries

(Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and

Nepal), India itself accounts for half

the global burden of the disease.

Look Further

Kala Azar

• KA is a slow progressing indigenous

disease caused by a single-celled

parasite of the Leishmania family.

Topic- GS-2- Issues relating to development

and management of Social Sector/Services

relating to Health, Education, Human

Resources.

Source- Indian Express + The Hindu

'Rocket Man' K. Sivan appointed as ISRO

chief

• The government appointed eminent

scientist K Sivan as new Chairman of

Indian Space Research Organisation.

• He will replace present chairman A. S.

Kiran Kumar.

• He will serve as chairman for three

years.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- DD News

World Economic Forum hails India ahead

of Davos Summit

• World Economic Forum hails PM

Modi's economic policies; says India

will play a key role in determining

world's destiny.

• The World Bank in its latest Global

Economic Prospects report has said

that –

(a) Indian economy will grow at 7.3%

in 2018

(b) It will further grow at 7.5% for the

next 2 years

• World bank emphasized Indis

landmark reforms undertaken in

recent years such as GST

implementation, increased digital

commerce after demonetisation,

increased investment, labour reforms

and higher govt spending on

education and health.

Look Further

World Economic Forum (WEF)-

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a

Swiss non-profit foundation, based in

Geneva, Switzerland.

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20

• The Forum is best known for its

annual meeting at the end of January

in Davos.

• Important report published by WEF-

(a) Global Competitive Index

(b) Global Gender Gap Report

(c) Global Travel and Tourism Report

(d) Global Risk Report

(e) Global Information Technology

Report

• WEF Summit 2017 will be held on

Davos (Switzerland) on 17-20

January.

• The theme of the WEF Summit 2017

will be “Responsive and Responsible

Leadership”.

Topic- GS-3- Economic Development

GS-2- Important International institutions

Source- DD News + Wiki

BharatNet Phase 1 target to cover one

lakh gram panchayats achieved

• Government has achieved a

significant milestone under the

BharatNet by completing Phase-1 of

the project by connecting over one

lakh Gram Panchayats (GP) across the

country with high speed optical fibre

network.

Look Further

Bharat Net

• Bharat Net Project is the new name of

National Optical Fibre Network

(NOFN) which was launched in

October, 2011 to provide broadband

connectivity to all 2.5 Lakh Gram

Panchayats.

• NOFN was renamed as Bharatnet in

2015.

• It will be implemented in three

phases.

• First phase envisages providing one

lakh gram panchayats with

broadband connectivity by laying

underground optic fibre cable (OFC)

lines by Dec 2017 (previous march

2017).

• The second phase will provide

connectivity to all 2,50,500-gram

panchayats in the country using an

optimal mix of underground fiber,

fiber over power lines, radio and

satellite media. It is to be completed

by December 2018.

• In the third phase from 2018 to

2023, state-of-the-art, future-proof

network, including fiber between

districts and blocks, with ring topology

to provide redundancy would be

created.

Topic- GS-2- Government policies and

interventions for development in various

sectors and issues arising out of their design

and implementation.

Source- PIB

12.01.2018

India a top borrower from China-

sponsored AIIB in 2017

• India has emerged as a top borrower

from the China-sponsored Asian

Infrastructure Investment Bank

(AIIB) with USD 1.5 billion worth of

loans last year and USD three billion

more in the pipeline.

• Next to India, Indonesia has emerged

as the second largest borrower with

about USD 600 million loans.

• China is the largest shareholder with

26.06 per cent voting shares in the

bank.

• India is the second largest

shareholder with 7.5 per cent followed

by Russia 5.93 per cent and Germany

with 4.5 per cent.

Look Further

AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment

Bank)-

• The Asian Infrastructure Investment

Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral

development bank that aims to

support the building of infrastructure

in the Asia-Pacific region.

• The bank currently has 56 members

states.

• It is headquartered in Beijing, China.

• Current President of AIIB is Jin Liqun.

Topic-GS-2- Important International

institutions, agencies and fora- their

structure, mandate.

Source- Economics Times

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21

ISRO successfully launches PSLV,

carrying Cartosat-2F, 30 other satellites

• The ISRO successfully launched the

PSLV-C40, carrying weather

observation satellite Cartosat-2F and

30 other satellites, from the Satish

Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota,

Andhra Pradesh.

• Out of the 31 Satellites, 28 belonging

to 6 other countries which are

Canada, Finland, France, Korea, UK

and US.

• The weather observation Cartosat-2

series satellite will provide high-

resolution scene specific spot

imageries.

• The images will be used for

cartographic applications, urban and

rural applications, coastal land use

and regulation, road network

monitoring, water distribution,

creation of land use maps among

other things.

Look Further

Cartosat

• The Cartosat series of satellites are a

type of earth observation satellites

indigenously built by India.

• Up till now 8 Cartosat satellites have

been launched by ISRO.

• The Cartosat series is a part of the

Indian Remote Sensing Programme.

Till now Cartosat series Launched by

ISRO-

Cartosat satellite series Launch Vehicle

Cartosat-1 PSLV-C6

Cartosat-2 PSLV-C7

Cartosat-2A PSLV-C9

Cartosat-2B PSLV-C15

Cartosat-2C PSLV C-34

Cartosat-2D PSLV-C37

Cartosat-2E PSLV-C38

Cartosat- 2F PSLV-C40

Topic-

Source- Indian Express + Wiki

The report ‘Rajyapal –Vikas Ke Rajdoot:

Catalytic Role of Governors as Agents for

Change in Society’

• The Committee of Governors

submitted a report on best practices

to President Ram Nath Kovind.

• The report focuses on key work areas

of development and the role that

governors can play in taking this

forward.

• The report, titled ‘Rajyapal –Vikas Ke

Rajdoot: Catalytic Role of Governors

as Agents for Change in Society’, was

overseen by the committee that was

constituted in October 2017 during

the 48th conference of governors.

• This Committee was constituted to

examine the role of Governors in

taking forward the developmental

process.

• The report deals with best practices

that offices of governors have been

adopting, issues and an action-

outcome framework to deal with

them.

• All five member of the committee is

E.S.L.Narasimhan (Andhra Pradesh

and Telangana), Banwarilal Purohit

(Tamil Nadu), Ram Naik (Uttar

Pradesh), Tathagata Roy (Tripura)

and Acharya Devvrat (Himachal

Pradesh).

Topic- GS-2- Structure, organization and

functioning of the Executive

Source- Livemint

US reaffirms support to India’s NSG bid

• US Ambassador to India Kenneth

Juster said that Washington was

working closely with partners to

secure New Delhi’s membership in the

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

• India is expected to soon become the

member of Australia group after it

joined the Wassenaar Arrangement, a

global grouping that regulates

transfer and access to conventional

weapons and dual-use technologies.

• India has applied for the membership

to the 48-member group which

controls international nuclear trade.

• However, China has been opposing

India’s bid on the grounds that New

Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

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22

• China’s opposition has made India’s

entry into the group difficult as it is

guided by the consensus principle.

Look Further

NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty)

• The NPT is an international treaty

whose objective is to prevent the

spread of nuclear weapons and

weapons technology, to foster the

peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and

to further the goal of disarmament.

• Opened for signature in 1968, the

treaty entered into force in 1970.

• Four UN member states have never

accepted the NPT, these are India,

Israel, Pakistan and South Sudan.

• Currently there are 190 members

after North Korea acceded in 1985.

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

• It is a group of 48 nuclear supplier

countries that seek to prevent nuclear

proliferation by controlling the export

of materials, equipment and

technology that can be used to

manufacture nuclear weapons.

• The NSG was founded in response to

the Indian nuclear test in May 1974

and first met in November 1975.

Australia Group

• The Group is an informal group of

countries established in 1985 (after

the use of chemical weapons by Iraq

in 1984) to help member countries to

identify those exports which need to

be controlled so as not to contribute

to the spread of chemical and

biological weapons.

• With the incorporation of Mexico on

August 12, 2013, it now has 42

members, including Australia, the

European Commission, all 28-

member states of the European

Union, Ukraine, and Argentina.

• Australia manages the secretariat.

Topic- GS-2- Important International

institutions, agencies and fora- their

structure, mandate.

Source- Indian Express

National Youth Day: Remembering

Swami Vivekananda on his birth

anniversary

• The National Youth Festival is

celebrated on 12 January on the

occasion of birth anniversary of

Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda

• Vivekananda was born as Narendra on

12 January in 1863 in Calcutta.

• He was a chief disciple of the 19th-

century Indian mystic Ramakrishna.

• He was a key figure in the introduction

of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta

and Yoga to the Western world.

• Vivekananda founded the

Ramakrishna Math and the

Ramakrishna Mission.

• He is perhaps best known for his

speech which began, "Sisters and

brothers of America ..," in which he

introduced Hinduism at the

Parliament of the World's Religions in

Chicago in 1893.

Ramakrishna Mission

• It is an Indian socio-religious

organisation which forms the core of

a worldwide spiritual movement

known as the Ramakrishna Movement

or the Vedanta Movement.

• It was founded by Ramakrishna's

chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on

1 May 1897.

• The mission is headquartered near

Kolkata at Belur Math in Howrah, West

Bengal.

• It aims at the harmony of religions

and promoting peace and equality for

all humanity.

Ramakrishna Math

• Ramakrishna Math is a religious

monastic order, considered part of the

Hindu reform movements.

• It was set up by Swami Vivekananda

based.

• The headquarters of Ramakrishna

Math and its twin organisation,

Ramakrishna Mission is at Belur Math

(in West Bengal, India).

Topic- GS-1- Indian History

Source- DD News + Wiki

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23

Ministry of Railway launches SFOORTI

Application

• Ministry of Railways have launched

Smart Freight Operation Optimisation

& Real Time Information (SFOORTI)

App for Freight Managers which

provides features for monitoring and

managing freight business using

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Views and Dashboard.

Topic- GS-2- Important aspects of

governance, transparency and

accountability, e-governance- applications,

models, successes etc.

Source- PIB

World's largest solar thermal plant to be

built in South Australia

• The world's largest solar-thermal

power plant has been given

development approval by the South

Australian government.

• The capacity of the plant will be 150-

megawatt.

• The construction of power plant will

begin in 2018 at an estimated cost of

$509 million.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- Economic Times

All you need to know about

Cryptocurrency

• A cryptocurrency is a digital asset

designed to work as a medium of

exchange using cryptography to

secure the transactions and to control

the creation of additional units of the

currency.

• Cryptocurrencies are classified as a

subset of digital currencies and are

also classified as a subset of

alternative currencies and virtual

currencies.

Bitcoin (BTC)

• Bitcoin became the first decentralized

cryptocurrency in 2009.

• It uses cryptography to ensure the

security of transactions —

authentication and prevention of

duplicate transactions — and to

control the creation of new units of

currency.

• These transactions are verified by

network nodes and recorded in a

public distributed ledger called a

blockchain.

• Bitcoin was invented by Satoshi

Nakamoto.

• It is the first largest cryptocurrency in

terms of market cap.

Litecoin (LTC)

• Founded in 2011 by ex-Google

employee Charlie Lee.

• Litecoin is often referred to as the

silver to Bitcoin’s gold.

• This is one of the go-to currencies

used today for transactions, thanks to

its faster block time of around 2.5

minutes, compared to Bitcoin’s 10

minutes, enabling much faster

exchanges between users.

Ether (ETH)

• Ether is second-largest

cryptocurrency in terms of market

cap.

• It is the cryptocurrency used in the

Ethereum network, which is

essentially a decentralised computing

platform, upon which ‘smart

contracts’ can be built and executed.

Topic- GS-3- Economic Development

Source- The Hindu + Wiki

13.01.2018

What Aadhaar’s new 16-digit Virtual

Identity means, how it seeks to add

security

• The Unique Identification Authority of

India (UIDAI), which is facing criticism

in the light of alleged data breaches,

announced a new method of

identification called Virtual Identity

(VID) in short.

• It also introduced what it described as

a system of “Limited KYC” (Know Your

Customer) to reduce the storage of

Aadhaar numbers with the

Authentication User Agencies (AUAs),

while still letting them do paperless

authentications.

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24

• The new VID system will hide the

Aadhaar number from the

authenticating agency, while still

confirming the identity of the user.

What is VID? How will it be different

from the Aadhaar number itself?

• UIDAI has said VID will be a 16-digit

number, which will be temporary in

nature.

• So, unlike the 12-digit Aadhaar

number that is permanent, the VID

will have a certain period of validity,

at the end of which it will expire, and

the user will have to generate a new

one.

• The UIDAI has said that VID will help

confirm your identity to the AUA (for

example, a bank), it will not

necessarily share your Aadhaar

number and other data with the AUA.

How will the public generate the VID?

• The users will be able to generate the

VID from the Aadhaar resident portal,

Aadhaar Enrolment Centres, and the

mAadhaar app on Android.

• The circular says that once the new

system comes into effect, all agencies

will have to provide this as an option,

instead of just relying on the Aadhaar

number.

Limited KYC

• New VID method is complicated and

confusing.

• UIDAI has also introduced a Limited

KYC, which is supposed to allow

“paperless” authentication, while

ensuring at the same time that the

Aadhaar database is not accessed.

• For this AUAs will be divided into two

separate categories: “Global AUAs”

and “Local AUAs”.

• The Global AUAs will have complete

access to the full eKYC (Aadhaar

number), and will also be able to store

Aadhaar numbers in their systems.

• Local AUAs, on the other hand, will

have “Limited KYC”, and will only get

a UID token which they can use to

identify customers.

• This UID will be unique for each

Aadhaar number — a 72-character

alphanumeric string.

• Each Aadhaar will have a unique UID

for each particular AUA entity.

• Till now UIDAI no decided the names

in Global and local AUAs lists.

What happens to an Aadhaar that has

already been shared with several

agencies?

• Local AUAs will have to change their

systems to “replace Aadhaar number

within the databases with this UID

token”.

Topic- GS-2- Indian Polity

Source- Indian Express

Dispute over waters of the Mahadayi

Mahadayi River (Called Mandovi in Goa)

• The river rises in the Bhimgad Wildlife

Sanctuary in the Western Ghats, in

Khanapur taluk of Karnataka’s

Belagavi district, and flows in a

general westerly direction, entering

Goa in the Sattari taluk of North Goa

district.

• It is joined by a number of streams

along the way, growing in volume to

become the Mandovi, one of Goa’s

two major rivers, before emptying

itself into the Arabian Sea at Panaji.

• About two-thirds (76 km) of the

Mahadayi’s (also called Mandovi in

Goa) 111-km length is in Goa.

• The sweet-water Mandovi is crucial to

the state’s water security, ecology,

and as an important source of its

staple diet of fish.

The Dispute

• The dispute started in the 80s- and

tensions between Goa and Karnataka

escalated through the early 90s, as

Karnataka designed a chain of dams

and canals to channel the Mahadayi’s

water to the basin of the Malaprabha,

tributary of the Krishna.

• In 2002, Goa sought the setting up of

a Tribunal to adjudicate the dispute.

• In 2006, it moved the Supreme Court

to press its demand.

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25

• After attempts at negotiation failed,

the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal

was set up on November 16, 2010.

The Ecology

• The non-saline, tidally insulated basin

is home to the extremely fragile,

ancient tropical freshwater Myristica

swamps, considered to be the most

primitive flowering plants on Earth.

• Draining the swamps could lead to

floods and erosion, with catastrophic

consequences for the ecology of the

Western Ghats, say ecologists.

• Dudhsagar waterfall which is in Goa

may disappear.

• On the health of the Mahadayi also

depends that of at least three

protected habitats — the Bhimgad

Wildlife Sanctuary, Mahadayi Wildlife

Sanctuary, and the Salim Ali Bird

Sanctuary.

Look Further

Inter-state Water Dispute Act, 1956-

• Under the Inter State Water Dispute

Act, 1956, which provides legal

framework to address such issues, a

tribunal can be formed after a state

government approaches the Union

government with such a request and

the Centre is convinced of the need to

form the tribunal.

• Only three out of the eight existing

tribunals have given awards accepted

by the states concerned.

• Tribunals like those on the Cauvery

and Ravi-Beas rivers have been in

existence for over 25 years without

any award.

• There is no time-limit for adjudication

by a tribunal.

Topic- GS-2- Indian Polity

Source- Indian Express

EC panel to suggest changes to

Representation of the People Act

• Election Commission has constituted a

14-member committee to suggest

changes to Section 126 of the

Representation of the People Act in

view of social media expansion.

• The Act prohibits poll campaign in the

last 48 hours of voting.

• The Committee chaired by Senior

Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh

Sinha will study the impact of social

media during the silence period and

suggest modifications to the election

law and model code of conduct.

Look Further

Representation of People Act (RPA),

1950

• Representation of People Act (RPA),

1950 is an act of parliament enacted

to provide following provisions-

(a) Qualification of voters

(b) Preparation of electoral rolls

(c) Delimitation of constituencies

(d) Allocation of seats in the

Parliament and state legislatures.

Representation of People Act (RPA),

1951

• The Representation of People Act,

1951 is an act of Parliament of India

to provide

(a) Conduct of elections of the Houses of

Parliament

(b) Conduct of elections of Houses of the

Legislature of each State

(c) The qualifications and disqualifications for

membership

The Act was enacted by the provisional

parliament under Article 327 of Indian

Constitution, before the first general election.

(d) By Elections

(e) Election Disputes

Amendments in RPA, 1952

• The Representation of the People

(Amendment) Act, 1966, which

abolished the election tribunals and

transferred the election petitions to

the high court’s whose orders can be

appealed to Supreme Court.

• However, election disputes regarding

the election of President and Vice-

President are directly heard by the

Supreme Court.

Topic- GS-2- Salient features of the

Representation of People’s Act.

Source- AIR + Wiki

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Supreme Court to review Section 377:

Here’s what you need to know

• Section 377 criminalises sexual acts

“against the order of nature” and has

undergone many twists and turns

ever since the Delhi High Court

decriminalised it in 2009.

• Later, in 2013, the Supreme Court

overturned the decision.

• But, with the apex court deciding to

revisit its decision recently, there is a

renewed hope among the members of

the LGBT community.

What is Section 377?

• Section 377 of IPC – which came into

force in 1862 – defines unnatural

offences.

• It says, “Whoever voluntarily has

carnal intercourse against the order of

nature with any man, woman or

animal, shall be punished with

imprisonment for life, or with

imprisonment of either description for

a term which may extend to 10 years,

and shall also be liable to fine.”

What was the High Court ruling on

Section 377 in 2009?

• Following a PIL by Delhi-based Naz

Foundation, an NGO fighting for gay

rights, the Delhi HC on July 3, 2009,

struck down Section 377 of the IPC,

holding that it violated the

fundamental rights of life and liberty

and the right to equality as

guaranteed in the Constitution.

• The court said Section 377 violates

the Articles 21 (Right to Protection of

Life and Personal Liberty), Article 14

(Right to equality before law) and

Article 15 (Prohibition of

discrimination on grounds of religion,

race, caste, sex or place of birth) of

the Constitution.

Supreme Court reverse the High Court

verdict

• The Supreme Court reversed the HC

verdict in December 2013 and upheld

the constitutional validity of Section

377 of IPC.

What was the Supreme Court verdict on

transgenders?

• In the April 2014 verdict, hailed by

gender rights activists, the apex court

directed the government to declare

transgenders a ‘third gender’ along

with male and female.

• It also asked the Centre to include

them in the OBC quota.

• SC said transgenders should have all

rights under the law, including

marriage, adoption, divorce,

succession, and inheritance.

What happens now?

• Recently Supreme Court decided to

re-examine the constitutional validity

of Section 377 and said the matter

would be referred to a larger bench.

Topic- GS-2- Indian Polity

Source- Indian Express

15.01.2018

Ministry refuses captive breeding of

Chiru antelope

• The Ministry of Environment and

Forests has refused to Parliament

Panel to allow captive breeding of the

Tibetan antelope, whose underfur is

used for making the famous

shahtoosh shawls.

• The shawls’ sale and possession are

banned in India and in many

countries.

• China and Mongolia are breeding

Chiru goats (Tibetan antelope) for its

wool, which is very expensive.

• The Parliament panel was of the view

that the ministry should conserve and

breed the Chiru goat, which can then

be given to shawl makers for

collecting hair.

• This would increase the number of

these goats but would also add to the

sustainable livelihood opportunities of

the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

• The Chiru is assessed as ‘Near

Threatened’ by the International

Union for Conservation of Nature

2017.

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Look Further

Captive Breeding

• Captive breeding is the process of

breeding animals in controlled

environments within well-defined

settings, such as wildlife reserves,

zoos and other commercial and non-

commercial conservation facilities.

• Sometimes the process includes the

release of individual organisms to the

wild, when there is sufficient natural

habitat to support new individuals.

IUCN (International Union for

Conservation of Nature)-

• The International Union for

Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an

international organization working in

the field of nature conservation and

sustainable use of natural resources.

• The organization is best known to the

wider public for compiling and

publishing the IUCN Red List of

Threatened Species.

• IUCN has an observer and

consultative status at the United

Nations.

• Its headquarter is located in Gland,

Switzerland.

• Different Categories in Red List are-

(a) EXTINCT — the last individual in the

species has died.

(b) EXTINCT IN THE WILD — it now lives only

in captivity and not in its natural habitat.

(c) CRITICALLY ENDANGERED — facing an

extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

(d) ENDANGERED — facing a very high risk

of extinction in the wild.

(e) VULNERABLE — facing a high risk of

extinction in the wild.

(f) NEAR THREATENED — likely to qualify for

a threatened category in the near future.

(g) LEAST CONCERN — it is widespread and

abundant in the wild.

(h) DATA DEFICIENT — inadequate

information.

(i) NOT EVALUATED — not yet been

evaluated against the criteria.

CITES

• CITES (the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also

known as the Washington

Convention) is a multilateral treaty

to protect endangered plants and

animals.

• It was drafted as a result of a

resolution adopted in 1963 at a

meeting of members of the

International Union for Conservation

of Nature (IUCN).

• The convention was opened for

signature in 1973 and CITES entered

into force on 1 July 1975.

• Each protected species or population

is included in one of three lists,

called Appendices.

• Currently, 183 countries are the

signatory to the CITES.

Topic- GS-3-Biodiversity

Source- New Indian Express + Wiki

Historians oppose Monuments Bill

• Historians and archaeologists have

expressed concern over amendments

proposed to the Ancient Monuments

and Archaeological Sites and Remains

Act (1958).

• The Act, which originally instituted

conservation measures and banned

construction activities near protected

monuments, is now sought to be

amended so that public works could

be allowed within the 100-m

prohibited zone.

• The Lok Sabha passed the

amendments to the Act, but the Bill is

yet to be cleared by the Rajya Sabha.

• Historians have concerned that due to

the pressures of urban development

more and more historical monuments

are coming under threat due to

development activities around them.

Topic- GS-2- Parliament and State

Legislatures

Source- The Hindu

India ranks 30th on WEF global

manufacturing index

• The World Economic Forum (WEF)

released its Global Manufacturing

Index putting India on the 30th

position.

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28

• Japan topped the rankings on the

back of developing the best structure

of production followed by South

Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China,

Czech Republic, the US, Sweden,

Austria and Ireland in the top 10.

• The report has categorised 100

countries into four major groups for

its ranking which include, Leading,

High Potential, Legacy (strong current

base, at risk for future) etc.

World Economic Forum (WEF)-

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a

Swiss non-profit foundation, based in

Geneva, Switzerland.

• The Forum is best known for its

annual meeting at the end of January

in Davos.

• Important report published by WEF-

(a) Global Competitive Index

(b) Global Gender Gap Report

(c) Global Travel and Tourism Report

(d) Global Risk Report

(e) Global Information Technology Report

(f) Global Manufacturing Index

Topic- GS-3- Economic Development

GS-2- Important International institutions

Source- Indian Express

Farthest known galaxy in the universe

discovered: Nasa

• Nasa scientists have spotted the

farthest known galaxy in the universe,

a primitive cluster of stars just 500

million years old.

• An intensive survey deep into the

universe by Nasa’s Hubble and Spitzer

space telescopes has yielded the

image of the galaxy named

SPT0615-JD, stretched and

amplified by a phenomenon called

gravitational lensing.

• SPT0615-JD was identified in Hubble’s

Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey

(RELICS) and companion S-RELICS

Spitzer programme.

• RELICS was designed to discover

distant galaxies like these that are

magnified brightly enough for detailed

study.

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- Livemint

Saksham (Sanrakshan Kshamta

Mahotsav)-2018

• Saksham is an annual flagship event

for creating focused attention on fuel

conservation through people centric

activities and to sensitize the masses

about the conservation and efficient

use of petroleum products leading to

better health and environment.

• The event is organizing by Petroleum

Conservation Research Association

(PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of

Petroleum & Natural Gas, Govt. of

India.

Topic- GS-2- Government policies and

interventions for development in various

sectors and issues arising out of their design

and implementation

Source- PIB

NASA's cargo spacecraft back down to

earth with heavy payload

• SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft

splashed down in the Pacific Ocean

after nearly four weeks in space.

• Dragon splashed down completing the

second resupply mission to and from

the International Space Station (ISS)

with a commercial spacecraft.

• The spacecraft lifted off from U.S.

state of Florida on Dec. 15 carrying

about 4,800 pounds of supplies and

scientific cargo on the company’s 13th

commercial resupply mission to the

station.

Look Further

International Space Station (ISS)

• It is a space station, or a habitable

artificial satellite, in low Earth orbit.

• The ISS is the largest human-made

body in low Earth orbit and can often be

seen with the naked eye from Earth.

• The ISS serves as a microgravity and

space environment research

laboratory in which crew members

conduct experiments in biology,

human biology, physics, astronomy,

meteorology, and other fields.

• The ISS programme is a joint project

among five participating space

agencies: NASA (US), Roscosmos

(Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA

(European Union), and CSA (Canada).

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29

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- DD News + Wikipedia

Mayon volcano or Mount Mayon

• The Philippines raised the alert at its

restive Mayon volcano, citing signs of

rising magma that could lead to

hazardous eruptions.

• Mayon's most destructive eruption

was in February 1841, when lava

flows buried a town and killed 1,200

people.

• It last erupted in 2014, spewing lava

and forcing thousands of people to

evacuate.

• It is located on the large island of

Luzon in the Philippines.

Topic- GS-1- World Geography

Source- AIR

Haryana logs best child sex ratio in 16

years

• For the first time in past 16 years,

Haryana has logged the highest ever

child sex ratio of 914 girls against

1,000 boys in 2017.

• The sex ratio at birth (SRB) was 900

in 2016 and 876 in 2015.

• In the 2011 Census, the child sex ratio

in the age group of 0-6 years was the

lowest in the country, at 834 girls

against 1,000 boys.

Look Further

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)-

• Launched by the PM on January 22,

2015, at Panipat, Haryana.

• Objective- Improve Child Sex Ratio,

Protection and education of girl child.

• Three ministries are involved which

are -Ministries of Women and Child

Development, Health & Family

Welfare and Human Resource

Development.

• Enforcement of Pre-Conception and

Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques

(PCP&DT) Act, 1994.

Topic-

Source- Indian Express

16.01.2018

Government plans to auction 'enemy'

properties worth Rs 1 lakh crore

• Over 9,400 'enemy' properties, worth

more than Rs 1 lakh crore, are set to

be auctioned with the home ministry

starting the process of identifying all

such estates.

• The properties were left behind by

people who took citizenship of

Pakistan and China.

• The move came after the amendment

of the 49-year-old Enemy Property

(Amendment and Validation) Act.

• The act ensured that the heirs of

those who migrated to Pakistan and

China during Partition and afterwards

will have no claim over the properties

left behind in India.

• Among the 9,280 properties left

behind by Pakistani nationals, the

highest 4,991 properties are located

in Uttar Pradesh followed by West

Bengal which has 2,735 such estates.

• Among the 126 properties left behind

by Chinese nationals, the highest 57

are located in Meghalaya followed by

West Bengal with 29.

Look Further

• After the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965,

the Enemy Property Act was enacted

in 1968, which regulates such

properties and lists the custodian's

powers.

• The government has vested these

properties in the Custodian of Enemy

Property for India, an office instituted

under the central government.

• The government amended the Act in

the wake of a claim laid by the heirs

of Raja of Mahmudabad, on his

properties spread across Uttar

Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Topic- GS 2- Indian Polity

Source- Times of India

Delhi’s Teen Murti Chowk renamed after

Israeli city Haifa

• The iconic Teen Murti Chowk has been

renamed after the Israeli City Haifa.

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30

• The announcement comes after the

scheduled visit of Israel Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu to India.

• The Teen Murti Chowk renamed as

Teen Murti Haifa Chowk, in the

centenary year of the Battle for

Haifa as a symbol of friendship

between the people of India and

Israel.

• The Israeli city was liberated from

Ottoman occupation by Indian

soldiers during World War I.

Topic- GS 2- International relations

Source- Indian Express

BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement Regains

Momentum

• Bangladesh, India and Nepal have

agreed on the text of the operating

procedures for passenger vehicle

movement in the sub-region under

the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal

(BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement

(MVA) signed in June 2015.

• A Bhutanese official delegation also

attended the meeting as observers.

BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement

• Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal

(BBIN) signed a framework Motor

Vehicle Agreement (MVA) in June

2015 to enable movement of

passenger and cargo vehicles across

borders among the four countries.

• Bhutan, being one of the signatories

to the BBIN MVA, has not yet ratified

the Agreement for its entry into force.

• Pending ratification, however, Bhutan

has given its consent for the BBIN

MVA to enter into force amongst the

other 3 countries i.e. Bangladesh,

India and Nepal, who have already

ratified it.

• The agreement will permit the

member states to ply their vehicles in

each other's territory for

transportation of cargo and

passengers, including third country

transport and personal vehicles.

SASEC

• The South Asia Sub Regional

Economic Cooperation (SASEC)

Program, set up in 2001.

• It brings together Bangladesh,

Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar,

Nepal and Sri Lanka in a project-

based partnership to promote regional

prosperity by improving cross-border

connectivity, boosting trade among

member countries, and strengthening

regional economic cooperation.

• The Manila, Philippines-based Asian

Development Bank (ADB) serves as

the Secretariat for the SASEC member

countries.

Topic- GS-2- Bilateral, regional and global

groupings and agreements involving India

and/or affecting India’s interests

Source- PIB + Wiki

CIPAM-DIPP launches IP (Intellectual

Property) competition for college &

university students

• The Cell for IPR Promotion and

Management (CIPAM), Department of

Industrial Policy and Promotion

(DIPP), in collaboration with

ASSOCHAM and ERICSSON India, has

launched Intellectual Property (IP)

Competition ‘IPrism’ for college and

university students.

• This competition invites students to

submit films on piracy &

counterfeiting under two categories of

30 and 60 seconds.

• Another category in the competition is

for a mobile gaming app on IP.

• National IPR Policy was adopted on

12th May, 2016 to create a vibrant IP

ecosystem in the country.

Look Further

Intellectual property

• Intellectual property (IP) refers to

creations of the intellect for which a

monopoly is assigned to designated

owners by law.

Intellectual property rights

• Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are

the rights granted to the creators of

IP, and include trademarks, copyright,

patents, industrial design rights, and

in some jurisdictions trade secrets.

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31

DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy &

Promotion)

• The Department of Industrial Policy &

Promotion was established in 1995

and has been reconstituted in the year

2000 with the merger of the

Department of Industrial

Development.

• Role and Functions-

(a) Formulation and implementation of

industrial policy

(b) Formulation of Foreign Direct Investment

(FDI) Policy and promotion, approval and

facilitation of FDI

(c) Formulation of policies relating to

Intellectual Property Rights etc.

CIPAM (Cell for IPR Promotion and

Management)

• A professional body under the aegis of

Department of Industrial Policy and

Promotion (DIPP) which ensures

focused action on issues related to

IPRs.

• CIPAM assists in simplifying and

streamlining of IP processes, apart

from undertaking steps for furthering

IPR awareness, commercialization

and enforcement.

Topic-GS-3- Intellectual property rights

Source- PIB + DIPP + CIPAM

Indo-US joint military exercise ‘Vajra

Prahar’ to be held in Seattle

• In line with the increasing military

cooperation between India and the

US, yet another edition of the joint

military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ will be

held at Seattle, Washington in US.

• ‘Vajra Prahar’ is an Indo-US Special

Forces joint training exercise

conducted alternately in India and the

US.

• Though the exercise began in 2010,

there was a gap of three years

between 2012 and 2015. The last

edition was held in Jodhpur in March

2017.

• The aim of the exercise is to promote

military relations between the two

countries by enhancing

interoperability and mutual exchange

of tactics between Special Forces.

Topic- GS-3- Defence

Source- Indian Express

Israeli PM Netanyahu to inaugurate 3rd

edition of geo-political conference

Raisina Dialogue

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu will inaugurate the third

edition of the geo-political conference

- Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and

External Affairs Minister Sushma

Swaraj will also be a part of the

inaugural session of the three-day

event.

Raisina Dialogue

• The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral

conference held annually in New

Delhi.

• Since its inception in 2016, the

conference has emerged as India’s

flagship conference on geopolitics and

geo-economics.

• The conference is hosted by the

Observer Research Foundation, an

independent think tank, in

collaboration with the Ministry of

External Affairs of India.

• The theme of the dialogue this year is

'Managing Disruptive Transitions:

Ideas, Institutions and Idioms.'

Topic-GS-3- Economic Development

Source- AIR + Wiki

17.01.2018

India attends its first SCO military

cooperation meeting

• India, for the first time, took part in a

meeting of the international military

cooperation departments of the

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

(SCO) since joining the bloc last year.

Look Further

SCO (Shanghai Cooperation

Organisation)

• The Shanghai Cooperation

Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian

political, economic, and security

organisation.

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32

• The Shanghai Five grouping was

created 26 April 1996 with the signing

of the Treaty on Deepening Military

Trust in Border Regions in Shanghai,

China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,

Russia and Tajikistan.

• In 2001, the annual summit was held

in Shanghai. There the five-member

nations admitted Uzbekistan in the

Shanghai Five mechanism (thus

transforming it into the Shanghai Six).

• India and Pakistan have joined SCO as

full members on 9 June 2017 in

Astana, Kazakhstan.

• Currently, in SCO, there are 8-

member states and 4 observer states

(Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran,

Mongolian).

Topic- GS-2- Bilateral, regional and global

groupings and agreements involving India

and/or affecting India’s interests

Source- Times of India

How the complaint by four Supreme

Court judges goes beyond the judicial

sphere

• This complaint from four senior-most

judges different is that it doesn’t

involve a single judge.

• This is the entire Collegium, minus the

Chief Justice, airing differences.

• These judges are not a group, with

similar ideas on how the judiciary

must function.

• One is the putative successor after the

present Chief Justice demits office.

Collegium System

• The Collegium system is one where

the Chief Justice of India and a forum

of four senior-most judges of the

Supreme Court recommend

appointments and transfers of judges.

• However, it has no place in the Indian

Constitution. The system was evolved

through Supreme Court judgments in

the >Three Judges Cases (October

28, 1998).

Controversial cases in Judiciary

• The appointment of Justice AN Ray, as

Chief Justice in April, 1973,

superseding three senior judges. His

proximity to then-PM Indira Gandhi

raised serious questions over the

judiciary’s role in the Emergency.

• The famous Kesavanand Bharti

judgement in April, 1973, gave India

the ‘basic structure’ or parameters for

the legislature to amend the

Constitution. Nothing that seeks to

change the ‘basic structure’ or spirit of

the Indian Constitution would be

allowed.

• The infamous ‘ADM Jabalpur vs

Shivkant Shukla’ case (April 28,

1976), which essentially upheld the

government’s right to limit the

fundamental rights of Indians in an

Emergency, had a sole dissenter.

• Justice Soumitra Sen is the only judge

to have been impeached by the Rajya

Sabha in 2011 — he resigned before

the Lok Sabha could vote on the

matter.

• NJAC Bill was struck down by the

Supreme Court in 2015 (Justice

Chelameswar being the lone

dissenter), appointments again fall in

the judiciary’s domain.

Look Further

NJAC (National Judicial Appointments

Commission)

• NJAC is a constitutional body

proposed by the government to

replace the present Collegium system

of appointing judges.

• It will consist of six people — the Chief

Justice of India, the two most senior

judges of the Supreme Court, the Law

Minister, and two ‘eminent persons’.

• These eminent persons are to be

nominated for a three-year term by a

committee consisting of the Chief

Justice, the Prime Minister, and the

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok

Sabha, and are not eligible for re-

nomination.

Topic- GS-2- Judiciary

Source- Indian Express + The Hindu

INTACH plan to retrace heritage along

Mahanadi in Odisha

• The Indian National Trust for Art and

Cultural Heritage (INTACH) will

document tangible and intangible

heritage sites along both sides of

Mahanadi river.

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33

• Tangible heritage like temples,

palaces and forts have come up along

Mahanadi while intangible heritage

like folklore, songs and dances, tribal

art and craft have also thrived along

the river.

• The cultural mapping of Mahanadi will

be done under the project.

• It will serve as a road map for those

into conservation, history and

research.

Look Further

INTACH

• The Indian National Trust for Art and

Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-

profit charitable organisation

registered under the Societies'

Registration Act, 1860.

• The Indian National Trust for Art and

Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was

founded in 1984 in New Delhi with the

vision to spearhead heritage

awareness and conservation in India.

• Since 1984, INTACH has pioneered

the conservation and protection of

India's natural and cultural heritage.

Topic-GS-1-Indian Culture

Source- New Indian Express

Odisha government announces Mukhya

Mantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana

• The state government announced an

assistance scheme for artists working

for popularising and spreading art and

culture of Odisha.

• The scheme named as the Mukhya

Mantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana

(MMKSJ) will provide 50,000 artists

from across the state a monthly

assistance of Rs 1,200.

• Under the new scheme, a male artist

will be eligible for the assistance after

50 years instead of the present 60

years while the age criteria for female

artist has been reduced to 40 years

from 50 years.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States

Source- New Indian Express

Government to revisit Malimath report

on criminal justice system

• A 2003 report of a Committee on

reforms in the criminal justice system

that recommended admissibility of

confessions made before a police

officer as evidence in a court of law is

being revisited by the Centre.

• The Committee on Reforms of the

Criminal Justice System, or the

Justice Malimath Committee, was

constituted by the Home Ministry in

2000.

• The Malimath panel had made 158

recommendations but these were

never implemented.

• The Committee also suggested

constituting a National Judicial

Commission and amending Article 124

to make impeachment of judges less

difficult.

• The committee also said that except

constituting benches and assigning

work, Chief Justice of High Court does

not exercise any authority over his

colleagues.

• It had suggested that Section 54 of

Evidence Act be substituted by a

provision to the effect that in criminal

cases, evidence of bad character and

antecedents is relevant.

Topic-GS 2-Indian Polity

Source- The Hindu

18.01.2018

Simplified ‘Make-II’: Major Steps

Towards ‘Make in India’ in Defence

Production

• As a major boost to ‘Make in India’ in

Defence, the Defence Acquisition

Council, chaired by defence minister,

has cleared a simplified ‘Make-II’

procedure which will enable greater

participation of industry in acquisition

of defence equipment.

• This process will greatly help import

substitution and promote innovative

solutions.

• This simplified ‘Make-II’ procedure

will amend the existing ‘Make

Procedure’ in Defence Procurement

Procedure (DPP)-2016.

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• ‘Make-II’ procedure reduces the total

time from in-principle approval to

placing of order by 50 percent. The

estimated time to finish the whole

process has come down to 69 to 103

weeks.

• Projects involving developmental cost

of less than three crores will be

reserved for MSME.

• There is no limit to the number of

industry players who may show

interest and offer prototype.

Look Further

Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)

• The DAC is Defence Ministry’s highest

decision-making body for capital

acquisition proposals forwarded by

the Indian armed forces.

• It was set up in 2001 as part of the

post-Kargil reforms in defence sector.

• It is headed by defence minister.

• It approves the long-term integrated

perspective plan for the forces,

accords acceptance of necessity

(AON) to begin acquisition proposals,

and grant’s its approval to all major

deals through all their important

phases.

Topic- GS-3- Defence

Source- PIB

Megalithic era sarcophagus (stone

coffin) unearthed at Viyur

• A rare sarcophagus (stone coffin),

said to be 2,000-year old from the

Iron Age–Megalithic era, was

discovered from a rock-cut cave at

Viyur village of Kollam, near

Koyilandy, in Kozhikode district,

Kerala.

• The coffin containing bone fragments

was found during an excavation.

• So far, such a rare finding has been

discovered only from two sites in

Kerala.

• Both these sarcophagi were recovered

from Megalithic sites at Chevayur and

Atholi, also in Kozhikode district.

• The bone fragments could be either a

man or a woman.

• The entrance of the cave was on the

eastern side.

• Different types of pottery, mostly

four-legged jars and iron implements,

were found in the cave.

Look Further

Year Event Importance

2 Million BC to 10,00 BC 2 Million BC to 50,000 BC 50,000 BC to 40,000 BC 40,000 BC to 10,000 BC

Palaeolithic Period Lower Palaeolithic Middle Palaeolithic Upper Palaeolithic

Fire was discovered Tools made of limestones were used. They are found in Chotanagpur plateau and Kurnool district

From 10,000 BC

The Mesolithic Age

Hunters and Herders Microlith tools were used

7000 BC The Neolithic age

Food producers Use of polished tools

Pre-Harappan Phase – 3000 BC

Chalcolithic Age

Use of Copper – first metal

2500 BC Harappan Phase

Bronze age civilization, development of Urban culture

Note-

Megalithic age is considered from later

Mesolithic age to pre Harrapan age.

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture

Source- The Hindu

Haj subsidy cancelled: All you need to

know about the 85-year-old policy

• The government abolished the

subsidy being given to Haj pilgrims

every year.

• The government said it will use the

subsidy funds to empower the

minorities.

• The policy to support Muslims in

making the pilgrimage to Mecca in

Saudi Arabia, can be traced back to

1932, when the British enacted the

Port Haj Committees Act.

• In 2012, a Supreme Court order

directed the Haj subsidy to be

gradually phased out in the coming

ten years.

• In 2017, a Central Haj Committee

meeting decided to do away with the

subsidy by the following year.

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35

Look Further

What is the Haj subsidy?

• The Haj subsidy refers to discounted

airfares given by the government-

owned airlines, Air India.

• It also includes assistance to Muslim

pilgrims for domestic travel to reach

specially designed Haj departure

airport terminals, lodging, medical

care and meal.

• Since 1984, all the traffic for Haj from

India to Saudi Arabia has been shared

between Air India and Saudi, both of

which are the government funded

carriers of their respective countries.

What are the criticisms against the Haj

subsidy?

• The Haj subsidy has come under

heavy criticism, particularly because

of the monopoly formed by Air India

in carrying out the pilgrimage.

• Allegedly, the government subsidies

have resulted in major profits for Air

India, benefiting the airlines far more

than the pilgrims.

What are the other religious pilgrimages

that are offered government subsidy in

India?

• A number of other religious tours are

supported by the government.

• These subsidies provided in Kumbh

Melas in Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik and

Allahabad, Kailash Manasarovar yatra

etc.

Topic-

Source- Indian Express

10th Global Forum for Food &

Agriculture, Berlin, Germany

• Union Minister of State for Agriculture

& Farmers Welfare, is leading the

Indian delegation to 10th Global

Forum for Food & Agriculture from 18-

20 January, 2018 which includes the

10th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’

Conference.

• The theme of this year’s event is

“Shaping the future of livestock –

sustainably, responsibly, efficiently”.

• The discussions will focus on

sustainable and productive animal

production among other issues.

Look Further

Global Forum for Food and Agriculture

(GFFA)

• The Global Forum for Food and

Agriculture (GFFA) is an international

conference that focuses on central

questions concerning the future of the

global agri-food industry.

• The forum gives representatives from

the worlds of politics, business,

science and civil society an

opportunity to share ideas and

enhance understanding on a selected

topic of current agricultural policy.

• The GFFA is organised by the Federal

Ministry of Food, Agriculture and

Consumer Protection (BMEL) in

cooperation with GFFA Berlin.

• The main events are the Berlin

Agriculture Ministers’ Conference

hosted by the BMEL, and the

International Business Panel

Discussion hosted by GFFA Berlin.

Topic- GS-3-Agriculture

Source- PIB

International Solar Alliance Forum at

World Future Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi

• On receipt of 15 ratifications, the

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

Framework Agreement entered into

force on the 6th December, 2017

thereby making ISA a de jure treaty

based international

intergovernmental organisation.

• The ISA hosted a two-Day Event

‘International Solar Alliance Forum’

during 17-18th January, 2018 at the

Future World Energy Summit (WFES)

2018.

Look Further

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• The ISA is an Indian initiative, jointly

launched by the Prime Minister of

India, Shri Narendra Modi and the

President of France on 30th November

2015 in Paris, on the side-lines of

COP-21, the UN Climate Conference.

• The ISA, headquartered in India, has

its Secretariat located in the

Gwalpahari, Gurgaon, Haryana.

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36

• India has offered to meet ISA

Secretariat expenses for initial five

years.

• ISA is an alliance of more than 121

countries, most of them being

sunshine countries, which come either

completely or partly between the

Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of

Capricorn.

• The alliance's primary objective is

work for efficient exploitation of solar

energy to reduce dependence on fossil

fuels.

Programmes by ISA

• Current Programme

(1) Scaling Solar Applications for Agriculture

Use

(2) Affordable Finance at Scale

(3) Scaling Solar Mini-grids

• Future Programme

(1) Scaling Solar Rooftops

(2) Scaling Solar E-mobility and Storage.

(3) Common Risk Mitigating Mechanism

(CRMM) for de-risking and reducing the

financial cost of solar projects in the ISA

member countries

(4) Digital Infopedia which will serve as a

platform to enable policy makers, Ministers

and corporate leaders from ISA countries to

interact, connect, communicate and

collaborate with one another.

Topic-GS-2- Important International

institutions, agencies and fora- their

structure, mandate.

Source- PIB

Home Ministry pitches for Budapest

Convention on cyber security

• Making a strong pitch to sign the

Budapest Convention on cyber-crime,

the Ministry of Home Affairs flagged

the need for international cooperation

to check cyber-crime, radicalisation

and boost data security.

Look Further

Budapest Convention

• The Convention on Cybercrime, also

known as the Budapest Convention is

the first international treaty seeking

to address Internet and computer

crime by harmonizing national laws,

improving investigative techniques,

and increasing cooperation among

nations.

• The Convention has 56 members,

including the US and the UK.

Issue

• Intelligence Bureau (IB) is opposing

this on the grounds that sharing data

with foreign law enforcement

agencies infringes on national

sovereignty and may jeopardise the

rights of individuals.

Topic- GS-3- Cyber Security

Source- Indian Express + Wiki

India Japan Coastguards conduct joint

search and rescue exercise

• A joint Search and Rescue exercise

named SAREX-18 was conducted in

the Bay of Bengal off Chennai

between Indian and Japan Coast

Guards.

• The highlights of the exercise

encompassed the scenario of the

hijacking of a cruise vessel and

subsequent mass rescue of the

passengers in a joint Coast Guard

operation of both the countries.

Topic- GS-2- Defence

Source- AIR

19.01.2018

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva

Abhiyan (PMSMA) Crosses One Crore

Mark

• Recently Pradhan Mantri Surakshit

Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) crosses

one crore mark in antenatal check-

ups.

Look Further

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva

Abhiyan (PMSMA)

• The PMSMA programme was launched

in 2016 to fulfil his vision and ensure

comprehensive and quality antenatal

checkups to pregnant women across

India.

• The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit

Matritva Abhiyan has been launched

by the Ministry of Health & Family

Welfare (MoHFW), Government of

India.

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37

• The program aims to provide assured,

comprehensive and quality antenatal

care, free of cost, universally to all

pregnant women on the 9th of every

month.

• The main objective of the program is

to improve the quality and coverage

of Antenatal Care (ANC) including

diagnostics and counselling services

as part of the Reproductive Maternal

Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health

(RMNCH+A) Strategy.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States and the performance of these

schemes

Source- PIB

Secrets of longevity protein revealed

• Scientists have unveiled the 3D

structure of a protein linked to longer

lives, paving the way for new

therapies to treat a wide range of

medical conditions, including

diabetes, obesity and certain cancers.

• Named after the Greek goddess who

spun the thread of life, Klotho

proteins play an important role in the

regulation of longevity and

metabolism.

• The three-dimensional structure of

one of these proteins, beta- Klotho,

illuminating its intricate mechanism

and therapeutic potential.

• The proteins bind to a family of

hormones, designated endocrine

FGFs, that regulate critical metabolic

processes in the liver, kidneys, and

brain, among other organs.

• First, beta-Klotho is the primary

receptor that binds to FGF21, a key

hormone produced upon starvation.

• When bound to beta-Klotho, FGF21

stimulates insulin sensitivity and

glucose metabolism, causing weight

loss.

Topic- GS-3-Science and Technology

Source- The Hindu

Self-healing fungi concrete could help

repair buildings

• Scientists have used fungi to create a

self-healing concrete that could repair

cracks in ageing buildings and save

crumbling infrastructure.

• If micro-cracks of buildings expand

and reach the steel reinforcement, not

only the concrete will be attacked, but

also the reinforcement will be

corroded, as it is exposed to water,

oxygen, possibly CO2 and chlorides,

leading to structural failure.

• This new method was originally

inspired by the miraculous ability of

the human body to heal itself of cuts,

bruises and broken bones.

• For the damaged skins and tissues,

the host will take in nutrients that can

produce new substitutes to heal the

damaged parts.

• Researchers identified a fungus called

Trichoderma reesei which lies

dormant when mixed with concrete -

until the first crack appears.

• The fungal spores, together with

nutrients, will be placed into the

concrete matrix during the mixing

process.

• When cracking occurs, water and

oxygen will find their way in. With

enough water and oxygen, the

dormant fungal spores will germinate,

grow and precipitate calcium

carbonate to heal the cracks.

• When the cracks are completely filled

and ultimately no more water or

oxygen can enter inside, the fungi will

again form spores.

Topic- GS-3-Science and Technology

Source- The Hindu

Electoral bonds will not solve

transparency issues in political funding:

CEC

• Electoral bonds will not solve all

problems pertaining to transparency

in political funding but it will be a step

in the “right direction”, Chief Election

Commissioner A K Joti said.

Issues raised by CEC

• Changes made in the election laws

after the introduction of the bonds

would compromise transparency in

political funding’s.

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38

• The amendment in section 29 C of the

Representation of the People Act,

1951 making it no longer necessary to

report details of donations received

through electoral bonds is a

retrograde step as transparency of

political funding would be

compromised as a result of the

change.

Look Further

Electoral Bond

• These bonds will have a shelf-life of

15 days.

• It can be purchased only from

specified branches of State Bank of

India.

• Electoral bonds can be bought for any

value, in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs

10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh or Rs 1

crore.

• An Indian citizen or body incorporated

in India will be eligible to purchase the

bond.

• Electoral bonds can be used for

making donation only to 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

a Legislative Assembly.

• These bonds will not carry the

name of the payee.

CEC (Chief Election Commissioner)

• Election Commissioners of India are

members of Election Commission of

India, a body constitutionally

empowered to conduct free and fair

elections to the national and state

legislatures.

• Until 1989, the commission was a

single member body, but later two

additional Election Commissioners

were added.

• Thus, the Election Commission

currently consists of a Chief Election

Commissioner and two Election

Commissioners.

• The appointment of the Chief Election

Commissioner and other Election

Commissioners shall be made by the

President.

• The chief election commissioner or an

election commissioner shall hold office

for a term of 6 years or age of 65

years, whichever is earlier.

• The Chief Election Commissioner of

India can be removed from his office

by the Parliament with a two-thirds

majority in both the Lok Sabha and

the Rajya Sabha on the grounds of

proved misbehaviour or incapacity.

• Other Election Commissioners can be

removed by the President of India on

the recommendation of the Chief

Election Commissioner.

Topic- GS-2-Indian Polity

Source- Indian Express

China Opens 'World's Largest Air

Purifier' to combat air pollution

• China has built a 100-metre-high,

nearly 328 feet tall air purifier, urged

to be world's largest, to combat the

deadly pollution in the country.

• The world's largest air purifier is built

in Xian in Shaanxi province of

northern China.

Topic- Important for PCS Exam

Source- NDTV

20.01.2018

EC recommends disqualification of 20

AAP MLAs over ‘office of profit’ charge

• The Election Commission has

recommended the disqualification of

20 AAP MLAs finding them guilty of

holding an ‘office of profit’.

• The 20 AAP legislators were accused

of being unconstitutionally appointed

as parliamentary secretaries to assist

various ministers of the Delhi

government.

Look Further

What is ‘office of profit’?

• The word ‘office’ has not been defined

in the Constitution or the

Representation of the People Act of

1951.

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39

• But different courts have interpreted

it to mean a position with certain

duties that are more or less of public

character.

What are the basic criteria to disqualify

an MP or MLA?

• Basic disqualification criteria for an MP

are laid down in Article 102 of the

Constitution, and for an MLA in Article

191.

• They can be disqualified for:

(a) Holding an office of profit under

government of India or state

government

(b) Being of unsound mind

(c) Being an undischarged insolvent

(d) Not being an Indian citizen or for

acquiring citizenship of another

country

Did AAP’s parliamentary secretaries

enjoy office of profit?

• According to the Constitution,

Members of Parliament or legislators

are prohibited from accepting

government positions which carry

some financial remuneration or any

other benefit such as office space,

accommodation, or even a car.

• Any violation of this provision attracts

disqualification of the legislator for

holding an office of profit.

• The aim of this provision is to

preserve the independence of the

legislature by keeping its members

away from any temptations from the

executive.

What was the first office of profit case

referred to the EC?

• One of the earliest cases was in 1953.

• The EC had to decide whether MLAs of

the Vindhya Pradesh Assembly should

be disqualified for appointment as

members of the district advisory

council.

• The EC was of the opinion that only

members living in the district

headquarters and receiving allowance

were deemed to hold office of profit,

and 12 of 60 were disqualified.

What are the recent instances of

disqualification of legislators for holding

office of profit?

• In March 2006, President APJ Abdul

Kalam disqualified Jaya Bachchan of

the SP from Rajya Sabha with

retrospective effect from July 14,

2004, for holding an office of profit as

chairperson of the UP Film

Development Council.

• In January 2015, UP MLAs Bajrang

Bahadur Singh (BJP) and Uma

Shankar Singh (BSP) were

disqualified from the assembly after

they were indicted by the Lokayukta

for bagging government construction

contracts by misusing their position.

Topic- GS-2- Indian Polity

Source- Indian Express

Indian became the 43rd member of the

Australia Group

• On 19 January 2018 India formally

became the 43rd member of the

Australia Group), an important non-

proliferation regime which seeks to

ensure that exports do not contribute

to the development of chemical or

biological weapons.

• After the Missile Technology Control

Regime (MTCR) and the Wassenaar

Arrangement (WA), the membership

in another major export control

regimes are expected to give India a

boost in its bid to secure a berth in the

48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group.

• China is not a member of the MTCR,

the WA and the AG.

Look Further

Australia Group

• The Group is an informal group of

countries established in 1985 (after

the use of chemical weapons by Iraq

in 1984) to help member countries to

identify those exports which need to

be controlled so as not to contribute

to the spread of chemical and

biological weapons.

• With the incorporation of India on

January 19, 2018, it now has 43

members, including Australia, the

European Commission, all 28-

member states of the European

Union, Ukraine, and Argentina.

• Australia manages the secretariat.

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40

NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty)

• The NPT is an international treaty

whose objective is to prevent the

spread of nuclear weapons and

weapons technology, to foster the

peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and

to further the goal of disarmament.

• Opened for signature in 1968, the

treaty entered into force in 1970.

• Four UN member states have never

accepted the NPT, these are India,

Israel, Pakistan and South Sudan.

• Currently there are 190 members

after North Korea acceded in 1985.

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

• It is a group of 48 nuclear supplier

countries that seek to prevent nuclear

proliferation by controlling the export

of materials, equipment and

technology that can be used to

manufacture nuclear weapons.

• The NSG was founded in response to

the Indian nuclear test in May 1974

and first met in November 1975.

Topic- GS-2- Important International

institutions, agencies and fora- their

structure, mandate.

Source- Indian Express + Wiki

Mauritius largest source of FDI in India-

RBI

• Mauritius was the largest source of

foreign investment in India with 21.8

percent share at market value,

followed by the US, UK, Singapore

and Japan according to a census by

the Reserve Bank.

• The Census on Foreign Liabilities and

Assets of Indian Direct Investment

Companies 2016-17, released by RBI

recently.

Look Further

Recent changes in FDI policy in India

Key Points

• 100% FDI under automatic route for

Single Brand Retail Trading

• 100% FDI under automatic route in

Construction Development

• Foreign airlines allowed to invest up to

49% under approval route in Air India

• FIIs/FPIs allowed to invest in Power

Exchanges through primary market

• Definition of ‘medical devices’

amended in the FDI Policy- amended

in Drugs and Cosmetics Act

FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)

• A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an

investment in the form of a

controlling ownership in a

business in one country by an

entity based in another country.

• There are two routes by which India

gets FDI.

(1) Automatic route- By this route

FDI is allowed without prior approval

by Government or Reserve Bank of

India.

(2) Government route- Prior

approval by government is needed via

this route. Foreign Investment

Promotion Board (FIPB) which was the

responsible agency to oversee this

route was abolished on May 24, 2017.

Foreign portfolio investment (FPI)-

• Foreign portfolio investment (FPI)

consists of securities and other

financial assets passively held by

foreign investors.

• It does not provide the investor

with direct ownership of financial

assets and is relatively liquid

depending on the volatility of the

market.

• Foreign Investors portfolio are

managed by financial professionals.

• FPI is part of a country’s capital

account and shown on its balance of

payments (BOP).

Topic- GS-3- Indian Economy

Source- Economic Times

India to set up $350 mn fund for solar

projects to meet renewable energy

target

• Power and New and Renewable

Energy Minister RK Singh have

announced around USD 350 million

Solar Development Fund by the

government for Solar Projects

Financing at ISA (International Solar

Alliance) Forum in Abu Dhabi.

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41

• India will set up a $350 million fund to

finance solar projects, as the country

steps up efforts to achieve its

ambitious target of adding 175

gigawatts (GW) in renewable energy

by 2022.

• India expects renewable energy to

make up 40% of installed power

capacity by 2030, compared with

18.2% at the end of 2017.

• Installed renewable power capacity is

currently about 60 GW, and India

plans to complete the bidding process

by the end of 2019/20 to add a further

115 GW of installed renewable energy

capacity by 2022.

Topic- GS-3- Infrastructure: Energy, Ports,

Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Source- The Hindu

MEITY (Ministry of Electronics and

Information Technology) launches

Cyber Surakshit Bharat to strengthen

Cybersecurity

• Recognizing the need to strengthen

the cybersecurity ecosystem in India,

MeitY announced the Cyber

Surakshit Bharat initiative in

association with National e-

Governance Division (NeGD) and

industry partners.

• The mission to spread awareness

about cybercrime and building

capacity for safety measures for Chief

Information Security Officers (CISOs)

and frontline IT staff across all

government departments.

• Cyber Surakshit Bharat will be

operated on the three principles of

Awareness, Education and

Enablement.

• Cyber Surakshit Bharat is the first

public-private partnership of its kind

and will leverage the expertise of the

IT industry in cybersecurity.

Topic- GS-3- Cyber Security

Source- Business Standards

NASA’s small nuclear reactor

‘Kilopower’ to power a habitat on Mars

• To provide safe and plentiful energy

for future robotic and human missions

for Mars and beyond, NASA is

conducting experiments on

Kilopower – a small nuclear reactor

that can generate a reliable power

supply.

• This pioneering space fission power

system could provide up to 10

kilowatts of electrical power – enough

to run two average households –

continuously for at least 10 years.

• When astronauts someday venture to the Moon, Mars and other destinations,

one of the first and most important

resources they will need is power.

• On Mars, the Sun’s power varies

widely throughout the seasons, and

periodic dust storms can last for

months. On the Moon, the cold lunar

night lives for 14 days.

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- Indian Express

22.01.2018

Mercedes-Benz unveils locally made

India's first BS-VI car

• German auto major Mercedes-Benz

unveiled a BS-VI-compliant S-Class

produced at its Pune facility, more

than two years ahead of the

government deadline of April 2020 for

switching to new emission norms.

• The government in a move to fight the

growing pollution, had in October

2016 decided to skip one stage and

migrate to BS-VI directly from BS-IV

from April 2020.

• At present, all new vehicles being

registered are BS- IV-emission

compliant.

Look Further

Bharat stage emission standards

• Bharat stage emission standards

(BSES) are emission standards

instituted by the Government of India

to regulate the output of air pollutants

from internal combustion engines and

Spark-ignition engines equipment,

including motor vehicles.

• The standards and the timeline for

implementation are set by the Central

Pollution Control Board under the

Ministry of Environment & Forests and

climate change.

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42

• The standards, based on European

regulations were first introduced in

2000.

• Bharat Stage IV emission norms have

been enforced for entire country since

April 2017.

• In 2016, the Indian government

announced that the country would

skip the BS-V norms altogether and

adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.

• BS-VI fuel will bring down sulphur

by 5 times from the current BS-IV

levels—a whopping 80 percent

reduction and would make fuel

extremely clean.

Decreasing order of gases in terms of

percentage in greenhouse gas emissions

• CO2> CH4> N2O

Decreasing order of countries in terms of

greenhouse gas emissions

• China> US> EU> India> Russia

Topic- GS-3- Environment

Source- Times of India

Centre to declare 2018 as ‘national year

of millets’

• Nutrient-rich millets have got a boost

with the Union government deciding

to declare 2018 as the ‘national year

of millets’.

• This decision has been taken following

a request by Karnataka, which is the

country’s leader in the millet sector.

Topic- GS-3- Agriculture

Source- The Hindu

Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust wins

prestigious UNWTO Award

• Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust, located

on the banks of Chilika Lake in

Odisha, has won the prestigious

United Nations World Tourism

Organisation Awards.

• The trust was honoured with the

coveted award for "Innovation in

Tourism Enterprise" at the 14th

UNWTO Awards ceremony held in

Madrid.

• Based on the principles of community

ownership and Eco Tourism, UNWTO

award for 'Innovation in Tourism

Enterprise' recognises Mangalajodis

business model that is both

economically viable and

environmentally sustainable.

Look Further

UNWTO

• The World Tourism Organization

(UNWTO) is the United Nations

agency responsible for the promotion

of responsible, sustainable and

universally accessible tourism.

• Currently 156 countries are the

members of UNWTO.

• Its headquarter is located in Madrid.

Topic- GS-2- Important International

institutions, agencies and fora- their

structure, mandate.

Source- Business Standards

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban Launches

Smart Star-Rating for Garbage Free

Cities

• The star-rating initiative, developed

by the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban

will be rating cities on a 7-star rating

system based on multiple cleanliness

indicators for solid waste

management.

• Cities can be rated as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and

7 stars based on their compliance with

the protocol conditions specified for

each of the rating.

• Further city should be ODF (Open

Defecation Free) before it could be

given rating of 3 star or above.

• The SMART rating (Single metric,

Measurable, Achievable, Rigorous

verification, Targeted towards

outcomes) is characterized by Trust

and verify model and sustainability

(progressive and to be recertified

every year).

Look Further

Swachh Bharat Mission-

• The Swachh Bharat Mission was

launched on 2 October 2014 at the

birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

• The mission was divided into two

parts — urban and rural.

• The Swachh Bharat Mission Urban is

managed by the Ministry of Urban

Development, while the Swachh

Bharat Mission Gramin (Rural) is led

by the Ministry of Drinking Water and

Sanitation.

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43

Swachh Survekshan

• It is a ranking exercise taken up by

the Government of India to assess

rural and urban areas for their levels

of cleanliness and active

implementation of Swachhata mission

initiatives in a timely and innovative

manner.

• The Ministry of Urban Development,

Government of India takes up the

Swachh Survekshan in urban areas

and the Ministry of Drinking Water

and Sanitation in rural areas.

• The Quality Council of India (QCI) has

been commissioned the responsibility

of carrying out the assessment.

Swachh Survekshan 2017

• Indore has emerged as the India’s

Cleanest City in the Swachh

Survekshan-2017 conducted in 434

cities and towns.

Topic- GS-2- Government policies and

interventions for development in various

sectors and issues arising out of their design

and implementation.

Source- PIB + Vikaspedia

India’s automated ocean pollution

system to begin this year

• India is all set to have its own

automated ocean pollution

observation system this year.

• It will help in monitoring the pollution

level of the ocean water and the

impact of climate change.

• It will also provide data that will help

scientists to understand how the

marine system is changing.

• According to the INCOIS (Indian

National Centre for Ocean Information

Services), the system will become

functional by April this year and the

cost of the project is estimated to be

at Rs 100 crore.

• The new ocean data acquisition

system, called automated moorings,

will do away with the present practice

of collecting water samples from sea

and studying their pollution levels

thereafter.

Look Further

INCOIS

• Indian National Center for Ocean

Information Services (INCOIS) is an

autonomous organization of the

Government of India, under the

Ministry of Earth Sciences.

• It is located in Pragathi Nagar,

Hyderabad.

• It provides the best possible ocean

information and advisory services to

society, industry, government

agencies and the scientific

community.

Topic- GS-3- Disaster Management

Source- Indian Express

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister

Inaugurates World War II Memorial

Museum at Jairampur

• In Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister

Pema Khandu inaugurated the World

War II Memorial Museum in Jairampur

in Changlang District.

• The war memorial has the collection

of the remnants of world war 2,

personal belongings of the soldiers

and other persons involved.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- AIR

63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018

Category Winner

Best Film Hindi Medium

Best Director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari for

(Bareilly Ki Barfi)

Best Actor

(Female)

Vidya Balan (Tumhari

Sulu)

Best Actor

(Male)

Irrfan Khan (Hindi

Medium)

Best Playback

Singer (Male)

Arijit Singh (Roke na

ruke naina) 'Badrinath

Ki Dulhania'

Best Playback

Singer

(Female)

Meghna Mishra ('Nachdi

phira') - 'Secret

Superstar'

Best Music

Album Pritam (Jagga Jasoos)

Critics' Award

for Best Film Newton

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- Times of India

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44

23.01.2018

Australia, Canada Were Once Connected

as part of Supercontinent Nuna

• Over the past few million years, the

world’s continents have been sliding

around the surface of Earth in various

combinations and collisions.

• A recent study suggests new

information regarding Australia’s

history, indicating that a small area of

the country was once part of Canada

– forming a supercontinent named

• The rocks found in these areas

striking resemblance to those found in

Canada, and it turns out that the two

areas were once combined as part of

a supercontinent known as Nuna.

Look Further

Nuna

• Nuna, also known as Columbia, was

estimated to be around 12900 km

from North to South.

• Nuna was made up of more than just

Canada and parts of Australia,

however, with the eastern coast of

India attached to western North

America as well.

• At this point in our planet’s history,

South America was rotated in such a

way that the western edge of Brazil

ended up lined up with eastern North

America.

• The stitching together of these

combined land masses gave us the

supercontinent known as Nuna.

Continental Drift Theory-

• This theory was suggested by Alfred

Wegener in 1920’s.

• According to Wegener’s Continental

Drift Theory, there existed one big

landmass which he called Pangaea

which was covered by one big ocean

called Panthalassa.

• A sea called Tethys divided the

Pangaea into two huge landmasses:

Laurentia (Laurasia) to the north and

Gondwanaland to the south of Tethys.

• Later, continent Gondwanaland and

Laurasia continued to break into

several smaller continents that exist

today.

Topic- GS-1- Physical Geography

Source- ValueWalk + Wiki

Manipur CM launches health assurance

scheme for poor & disabled people

• Manipur Chief Minister launched the

Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi

Tengbang (CMHT), a pioneering

health assurance scheme for the poor

and disabled people.

• The CMHT will provide cashless

treatment to the poor at government

hospitals, health centres and other

empanelled selected private hospitals.

• The scheme will provide cover up to

Rs 2 lakh per eligible family identified

from the Socio-Economic Caste

Census (SECC) in the treatment of

seven critical identified critical

ailments - cardiovascular diseases.

• The beneficiaries may get themselves

enrolled for the scheme with the help

of ASHA workers at the kiosks opened

in nearby PHCs, CHCs and District

Hospitals.

Look Further

Prime Minister Jana Aushadhi

Programme (PMJAY)

• Objective- To bring down the

healthcare budget of every citizen of

India through providing Quality

Generic Medicines at Affordable

Prices.

• BPPI (Bureau of Pharma PSUs of

India), under Department of

Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of

Chemicals& Fertilizers, Government

of India is the implementation agency

for the PMJAY.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States

Source- Business Standards

WEF ranks India at 62nd place on

Inclusive Development Index

• India ranked at the 62nd place among

emerging economies on an Inclusive

Development Index, much below

China’s 26th position and Pakistan’s

47th.

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45

• Norway remains the world’s most

inclusive advanced economy, while

Lithuania again tops the list of

emerging economies.

• The index was released by the World

Economic Forum (WEF).

• The 2018 index, which measures

progress of 103 economies have been

divided into two parts. The first part

covers 29 advanced economies and

the second 74 emerging economies.

• The index has also classified the

countries into five sub-categories in

terms of the five-year trend of their

overall Inclusive Development Growth

score—receding, slowly receding,

stable, slowly advancing and

advancing.

• Despite its low overall score, India is

among the ten emerging economies

with ‘advancing’ trend.

• India was ranked 60th among 79

developing economies last year, as

against China’s 15th and Pakistan’s

52nd position.

Look Further

World Economic Forum (WEF)

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a

Swiss non-profit foundation, based in

Geneva, Switzerland.

• The Forum is best known for its

annual meeting at the end of January

in Davos.

• Important report published by WEF-

(a) Global Competitive Index

(b) Global Gender Gap Report

(c) Global Travel and Tourism Report

(d) Global Risk Report

(e) Global Information Technology Report

(f) Global Manufacturing Index

Topic- GS-3- Indian Economy

GS-2- Important International institutions.

Source- The Hindu

Over 130 babies born in 4 years of 'Jiyo

Parsi' scheme

• Over 130 babies were born since the

government launched the 'Jiyo Parsi'

scheme in 2013 to address the Parsi

community's declining population.

• The population of Parsis plunged from

1.14 lakh in 1941 to 57,264 in 2011.

• Demographically speaking, 31

percent of the Parsis are aged above

60 years and 30 per cent are

unmarried.

• The total fertility rate (TFR) of the

community is 0.8, that is, a Parsi

woman in her total child bearing age

has less than one child on an average.

Look Further

Jiyo Parsi

• Jiyo Parsi is a Government of India

supported scheme to arrest the

decline in population of the Parsi

Zoroastrian Community in India.

• The Government of India through

Ministry of Minority Affairs had

initiated the Jiyo Parsi Scheme in

September 2013.

• The scheme will continue in the

remaining period of the 14th Financial

Commission, i.e., next three years

(2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20).

• Under the scheme government

provide financial assistance for the

Infertility treatment.

• (a) A Parsi family having an annual

income of Rs 15 lakh and below will

get 100 per cent assistance from the

government.

(b) A Parsi family having yearly

income between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 25

lakh will get 75 per cent assistance

(c) A Parsi family members earning

more than Rs 25 lakh and above

annually are entitled to get 50 per

cent assistance for medical treatment

required.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States

Source- Times of India

An app “Roadkills” to report roadkill

• Wildlife Conservation Trust launched a

mobile-based application,

‘Roadkills’, which will help citizens to

report such wildlife deaths by

uploading geo-tagged photographs to

a public forum.

www.gradeup.com

46

• The information generated from the

application can help identify crucial

sections of roads or railway lines

where animal deaths are high to

pinpoint regions that require urgent

mitigation measures.

• The data can also help determine

what species are more at risk on

specific road or rail stretches and plan

the ideal mitigation measures suited

for the location.

Topic- GS-3- Environment

Source- The Hindu

Anandiben Patel sworn in as Madhya

Pradesh Governor

• Anandiben Patel was sworn in as the

Governor of Madhya Pradesh on 23

January 2018.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- The Hindu

24.01.2018

Moss that can remove lead from water

identified

• Scientists have identified a type of

moss that can efficiently absorb a

large amount of lead, providing a

green alternative for decontaminating

polluted water and soil.

• Lead-contaminated water is a serious

environmental concern that has

recently proved to be disastrous when

left untreated.

• Compounding the problem, the typical

way to remove lead or other heavy

metals from water requires fossil fuels

and a tremendous amount of energy.

• As an alternative to these typical

processes, phytoremediation is a

method that uses photosynthesising

organisms to clean up soil or water

contamination.

• Scientist found a moss (Funaria

hygrometrica) that is known to grow

well in sites contaminated with metals

like copper, zinc, and lead.

• This moss absorbs the metals much

higher than any of the other metals.

Look Further

Phytoremediation

• Phytoremediation refers to the

technologies that use living plants to

clean up soil, air, and water

contaminated with hazardous

chemicals.

• Phytoremediation is a cost-effective

plant-based approach of remediation

that takes advantage of the ability of

plants to concentrate elements and

compounds from the environment and

to metabolize various molecules in

their tissues.

• It refers to the natural ability of

certain plants called

hyperaccumulators to bioaccumulate,

degrade, or render harmless

contaminants in soils, water, or air.

Topic- GS-3- Environment

Source- The Hindu + Wiki

India's richest 1% corner 73% of wealth

generation: Survey

• The richest 1 percent in India

cornered 73 percent of the wealth

generated in the country last year-

International rights group Oxfam

survey.

• A new survey, presenting a worrying

picture of rising income inequality.

• Besides, 67 crore Indians comprising

the populations poorest half saw their

wealth rise by just 1 per cent.

• Last year survey had showed that

India's richest 1 per cent held a huge

58 percent of the country’s total

wealth.

Look Further

Oxfam International

• Oxfam is an international

confederation of charitable

organizations focused on the

alleviation of global poverty.

• Oxfam works to find practical,

innovative ways for people to lift

themselves out of poverty and thrive.

• Its headquarter is in Oxfam, United

Kingdom.

Topic- GS-3- Indian Economy and issues

relating to planning, mobilization of

resources, growth, development and

employment.

Source- Business Today

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47

India pushes for concluding balanced

RCEP deal that includes services pact

• India insisted on concluding a

“balanced and collectively

satisfactory” Regional Comprehensive

Economic Partnership (RCEP)

agreement that includes a services

pact.

• To mark 25 years of dialogue

partnership, India has invited leaders

of all 10 ASEAN countries to New Delhi

for a commemorative summit on 25

January.

• On 26 January, all 10 ASEAN leaders

will be chief guests at India’s 69th

Republic Day celebrations.

• India is pushing for greater

liberalization in services sectors,

especially for easier movement of its

professionals to RCEP member

countries.

Look Further

RCEP (Regional Comprehensive

Economic Partnership)-

• RCEP aims at liberalising norms for

trade in goods and services and boost

investment among 16-member

countries.

• The members comprise 10 ASEAN

members and their six FTA partners -

India, China, Japan, South Korea,

Australia and New Zealand.

• RCEP negotiations were formally

launched in November 2012 at the

ASEAN Summit in Cambodia.

• RCEP is viewed as an alternative to

the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

ASEAN

• Established in 1967 in Bangkok via

Bangkok Declaration.

• Currently there are 10-member states

and 2 observer states are part of it.

• The Association of Southeast Asian

Nations (ASEAN) is a regional

intergovernmental organisation

comprising ten Southeast Asian

states which promotes

intergovernmental cooperation and

facilitates economic, political,

military, educational and cultural

integration amongst its members and

Asian states.

• Its headquarter is in Jakarta,

Indonesia.

• India is not member of it.

• The 10-member states of ASEAN are

Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,

Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,

Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

Topic- GS-3- Economic Development

GS-2- Important International institutions,

agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Source- Livemint + Wiki

Supreme Court asks Centre to set up

Mahanadi water tribunal

• The Supreme Court has directed the

Centre to set up a tribunal within a

month to resolve the dispute between

Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the

sharing of water from river Mahanadi.

• The river Mahanadi flows through the

states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

• Odisha has been opposing

Chhattisgarh's plans to build 13

barrages and seven pick up weirs

across Mahanadi, in a plan to extract

more water.

Look Further

CWC (Central Water Commission)-

• Central Water Commission (CWC), an

apex organization in the country in

the field of Water Resources.

• CWC advise the Government of India

in respect of Water Resources

Development, regarding rights and

disputes between different States

which affect any scheme for the

conservation and utilization and any

matter that may be referred to the

Commission in connection with river

valley development.

Inter-state Water Dispute Act, 1956-

• Under the Inter State Water Dispute

Act, 1956, which provides legal

framework to address such issues, a

tribunal can be formed after a state

government approaches the Union

government with such a request and

the Centre is convinced of the need to

form the tribunal.

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48

• Only three out of the eight existing

tribunals have given awards accepted

by the states concerned.

• Tribunals like those on the Cauvery

and Ravi-Beas rivers have been in

existence for over 25 years without

any award.

• There is no time-limit for adjudication

by a tribunal.

Mahadayi River water dispute

• The river rises in the Western Ghats,

in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, and

flows in westerly direction, entering

Goa in the Sattari taluk of North Goa

• The dispute started in the 80s and

escalated through the early 90s, as

Karnataka designed a chain of dams

and canals to channel the Mahadayi’s

water to the basin of the Malaprabha,

tributary of the Krishna.

• In 2002, Goa sought the setting up of

a Tribunal to adjudicate the dispute.

• In 2006, it moved the Supreme Court

to press its demand.

• After attempts at negotiation failed,

the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal

was set up on November 16, 2010.

Kaveri River water dispute

• The sharing of waters of the Kaveri

River has been the source of a serious

conflict between the two states of

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

• Tamil Nadu has been accusing

Karnataka of not releasing its due

share of water.

• Whereas, Karnataka has expressed its

inability to release the stipulated

quantum of water owing to the

drought situation in the state.

• Kerala and Puducherry are the

other two states party to the dispute.

Ravi-Beas River Water Dispute

• Ravi- Beas Waters Tribunal was

constituted in 1986 for verification of

the quantum of usage of water

claimed by Punjab, Haryana and

Rajasthan regarding their shares in

remaining waters.

Topic- GS-2, Inter-state Relations

Source- AIR + Wiki

Raipur organizes nation's first 'Kachra

Mahotsav'

• The Raipur Municipal Corporation has

organized the three-day India's first

garbage festival 'Kachra Mahotsav

2018’ at Raipur in Chhattisgarh.

• The objective of the festival is to

increase awareness of use the waste

generated in the city creatively and to

showcase multiple techniques for

reusing things that are labelled as

garbage.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- New Indian Express

25.01.2018

Govt announces 4 new schemes (TARE,

Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship of

SERB, DIA, AWSAR) to promote young

scientists

• The government has announced four

new schemes to promote young

scientists and researchers in the

country.

Teacher Associateship for Research

Excellence (TARE) Scheme

• It will connect the educators to

leading public funded institutions like

IIT, IISc or national institutions like

CSIR to pursue research.

Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship

• It offers support to 100 PhD scholars

for training in

universities/laboratories abroad up to

12 months during their doctoral

research.

Distinguished Investigator Award (DIA)

• It offers a maximum of 100

fellowships to principal investigators

of Science and Engineering Research

Board and Department of Science and

Technology projects.

Augmenting Writing Skills for

Articulating Research (AWSAR) scheme

• It aims to encourage science writing.

• The schemes focus on youth to

empower, recognise and motivate

them, the Minister said while

announcing the schemes.

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- AIR

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49

World Bank, India ink $120 mn pact for

improved water supply in Uttarakhand

• Multilateral lending agency World

Bank and India inked $ 120 million

loan agreement which will help

increase access to improved water

supply services in peri-urban areas in

Uttarakhand.

• It will help the state increase water

supply coverage as well as ensure

sustainable service delivery, the

statement said.

Look Further

World Bank

• The World Bank is an international

financial institution that provides

loans to countries of the world for

capital programs.

• The World Bank was created at the

1944 Bretton Woods Conference,

along with three other institutions,

including the International Monetary

Fund (IMF).

• It’s headquarter is in Washington,

D.C., United States.

• It comprises two institutions- the

International Bank for Reconstruction

and Development (IBRD), and the

International Development

Association (IDA).

• The World Bank is a component of the

World Bank Group.

World Bank Group

• The World Bank is different from the

World Bank Group, an extended

family of five international

organizations:

(a) International Bank for

Reconstruction and Development

(IBRD)

(b) International Development

Association (IDA)

(c) International Finance Corporation

(IFC)

(d) Multilateral Investment Guarantee

Agency (MIGA)

(e) International Centre for

Settlement of Investment Disputes

(ICSID)

Important reports published by World

Bank

• Ease of doing Business

• World Development Report

• Global Economic Prospect

• Global Financial Development Report

• Commodity Markets Outlook

Topic- GS-3- Economic Development

GS-2- Important International institutions

Source- Business Standard

India to host 16th International Energy

Forum meet

• The 16th International Energy Forum

(IEF) Ministerial meeting will be held

in New Delhi on April 10 to 12.

• India had last hosted the IEF

ministerial conference in 1996.

Look Further

International Energy Forum (IEF)

• It is the world's largest recurring

gathering of energy ministers.

• It is unique in that participants not

only include IEA and OPEC countries,

but also key international actors such

as Brazil, China, India, Mexico,

Russia, and South Africa.

• The IEF is promoted by a permanent

Secretariat based in the Diplomatic

Quarter of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

International Energy Agency

• The International Energy Agency

(IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous

intergovernmental organization

established in the framework of the

Organisation for Economic Co-

operation and Development (OECD) in

1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.

• IEA member countries are required to

maintain total oil stock levels

equivalent to at least 90 days of the

previous year's net imports.

• Currently there are 29 states are part

of it.

• India is not a member of it.

Topic- GS-2- Important International

institutions, agencies and fora- their

structure, mandate.

Source- Business Standards + Wiki

India ranked 177 out of 180 in

Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

• Failure to check air pollution has made

India the fourth worst country in the

world in terms of curbing

environmental pollution, according to

Environmental Performance Index’s

latest rankings.

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50

• India ranked 177 out of 180 countries,

in contrast to the rank of 141 two

years ago.

• Low scores on the EPI are indicative of

the need for national sustainability

efforts on a number of fronts,

especially cleaning up air quality,

protecting biodiversity, and reducing

GHG emissions.

• Switzerland emerged the leading

country in overall environmental

performance with a score of 87.42.

Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

• EPI rankings is a bi-annual report

produced by researchers at Yale and

Columbia Universities in collaboration

with the World Economic Forum.

Topic- GS-3- Environment

Source- Indian Express

73 new airport and helipads to be set up

under regional connectivity scheme

UDAN

• Civil Aviation Minister Ashok

Gajapathi Raju announced the name

of 73 new airports and helipads to be

set-up under the Regional

Connectivity Scheme UDAN.

UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik)

• It is a regional airport development

and "Regional Connectivity Scheme

(RCS)"

• Indian prime minister Narendra Modi

launched the scheme on 27th May

2017.

• The scheme was flagged off the

regional flights between Delhi and

Shimla, and also between Kadapa-

Hyderabad-Nanded.

Look Further

UDAAN

• It provides exposure to the youth of

J&K to the best of corporate India and

corporate India to the rich talent pool

available in the State.

• The scheme not only provides skill

enhancement and job opportunity

but also connects these bright youths

from the J&K with the vibrant

corporate sector of India.

Topic- GS-2- Government policies and

interventions for development in various

sectors

Source- AIR

27.01.2018

Telangana, Tokyo body sign MoU for

municipal waste incineration

• The Telangana government signed a

Memorandum of Understanding with

the Clean Authority of Tokyo in

connection with municipal solid waste

incineration.

Look Further

Methods of treatment and disposal of

solid waste

(a) Open dumps

• It refers to uncovered areas that are

used to dump solid waste of all kinds.

• In this method the waste is untreated,

uncovered, and not segregated.

(b) Landfills

• In this a pit is dug in the ground.

Then, garbage is dumped and the pit

is covered with soil.

• These sites can thereafter be

developed as a parking lot or a park.

(c) Sanitary landfills

• It is built in a methodical manner to

solve the problem of leaching in

landfills.

• The boundaries are made with

materials that are impermeable such

as plastics and clay and are also built

over the impermeable soil.

(d) Incineration plants

• The process burning of waste in large

furnaces at high temperature is

known as incineration.

• Recyclable material is segregated and

the rest of the material is burnt and

ash is produced.

• Mainly used for treating the infectious

waste.

(e) Pyrolysis

• The Process of combustion in absence

of oxygen.

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51

• The gas and liquid thus obtained can

be used as fuels.

• Applicable waste in these categories

are- Carbonaceous wastes like

firewood, coconut, palm waste, corn

combs, cashew shell, rice husk paddy

straw etc.

(f) Composting

• The Biological process in which micro-

organisms, decompose degradable

organic waste into the environment-

friendly product in the presence of

oxygen.

• The finished product is rich in carbon

and nitrogen and is an excellent

medium for growing plants.

Topic- GS-3- Environment

Source- Business Standards + Wiki

Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme

for Adolescent Girls launched by

Ministry of Women and Child

Development

• Ministry of Women and Child

Development launched the Phase -1

i.e. the beneficiary module of the

Rapid Reporting System for the

Scheme for Adolescent Girls - a

web based on line monitoring for the

Scheme for Adolescent Girls in New

Delhi.

• The RRS will facilitate the monitoring

of the scheme and taking corrective

measures by ensuring faster flow of

information, accurate targeting of the

beneficiaries and reduction of

leakages.

Look Further

Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)

• SAG aims at empowering out of school

adolescent girls of 11 to 14 years by

improving their nutritional and health

status, upgrading their skills.

• The scheme is being implemented

using the platform of Integrated Child

Development Services Scheme.

Integrated Child Development Services

(ICDS)

• Launched in October 2, 1975.

• Provides food, education, and primary

healthcare via Anganwadi Centres to

children under 6 years of age and

their mothers.

• Six services are provided under ICDS

which are-

(1) Supplementary nutrition (SNP) (2)

Immunization (3) Health check-up (4)

Referral services (5) Pre-school non-formal

education (6) Nutrition & health education

are provided.

Other schemes for women and Child

development

(a) Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)-

• Launched by the PM on January 22,

2015 at Panipat, Haryana.

• Objective- Improve Child Sex Ratio,

Protection and education of girl child.

• Three ministries are involved which

are -Ministries of Women and Child

Development, Health & Family

Welfare and Human Resource

Development.

(b) Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana

Yojana (PMMVY)

• Maternity Benefit Programme has

been contributing towards better

enabling environment by providing

cash incentives for improved health

and nutrition to pregnant and nursing

mothers.

(c) Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra

scheme

• Promote community participation

through involvement of Student

Volunteers for empowerment of rural

women.

(d) National Creche Scheme

• To provide day care facilities to

children of age group of 6 months to

6 years of working women who are

employed.

(e) Rastriya Mahila Kosh (RMK)

• Provide micro-credit to poor women

for various livelihood support and

income generating activities at

concessional terms in a client-friendly

procedure to bring about their socio-

economic development.

(f) Swadhar Greh

• Provide relief and rehabilitation to

destitute women and women in

distress.

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52

(g) Ujjawala

• A Comprehensive Scheme for

prevention of trafficking and for

rescue, rehabilitation, re-integration

and repatriation of victims of

trafficking for commercial sexual

exploitation.

(h) Working Women Hostels

• For ensuring safe accommodation for

women working away from their place

of residence.

(i) Schemes of One Stop Centre (OSC)

and Women Helpline (WH)

• Implemented to facilitate access to an

integrated range of services including

medical aid, police assistance, legal

aid/ case management, psychosocial

counselling and temporary support

services to women affected by

violence.

(J) Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahayog

Yojana-

• Provide financial aid of Rs 6,000 to

pregnant women who undergo

institutional delivery for hospital

admission.

• Across 650 districts of the country.

• The scheme provided cash transfer to

pregnant women above the age of 18

years for up to two live births.

(k) ‘SABLA’ Scheme-

• Also known as Rajiv Gandhi Scheme

for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls.

• Launched in 2010.

• Development of adolescent girls of

11-18 years by making them ‘self-

reliant’.

• Focus areas- Nutrition, Skill

development and Health.

(l) Tejaswini Project-

• Initially the project has been

implemented in 17 districts in

Jharkhand.

• Tejaswini Socio-Economic

Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and

Young Women (AGYW) Project.

• Project is financed by World Bank.

Topic- GS-2-Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States

Source- PIB

Tamilnadu CM received UNESCO award

for Srirangam temple

• Tamilnadu Chief Minister Edappady K.

Palaniswami received the UNESCO

Award of Merit awarded to the iconic

Ranganathaswamy temple in

Srirangam (Tiruchy), in November

2017.

• The Award of Merit, 2017, was given

by UNESCO Asia Pacific region for the

cultural heritage conservation

activities taken up at the temple

without altering its original splendour.

Look Further

About Ranganathaswamy Temple

• The ancient Sri Ranganathaswamy

Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu

who is seen in reclining form.

• The temple which is among the 108

Divya Desams, is spread on a

sprawling ground of over 156 acres

and it is one of the largest temples in

worship in the world.

United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

• It is a specialized agency of the United

Nations (UN) based in Paris.

• Its objective is to contribute to peace

and security by promoting

international collaboration through

educational, scientific, and cultural

reforms.

• It has 195-member states and ten

associate members.

• UNESCO implements its activities

through the five programme areas:

education, natural sciences, social

and human sciences, culture, and

communication and information.

UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage awards

• UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards

(since 2000) are given with as the

strategic purpose of UNESCO with in

the region Asia Pacific.

• The objective is to motivate the

protection of Cultural Heritage sites,

which are initiated by any individual

organization under private sector or

institutional organization.

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53

• The awards are classified under four

categories namely

(1) Award of Excellence

(2) Awards of Distinction

(3) Awards of Merit

(3) Award for New Design in Heritage

Context

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture

Source- Deccan chronicle

Six crore toilets in three lakh villages,

300 districts declared ODF: Govt

• A total of 6 crore toilets have been

constructed across 3 lakh villages in

rural India with 300 districts being

declared open defecation free.

• Since the mission’s launch in 2014,

the states and Union Territories of

Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Arunachal

Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Sikkim,

Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana,

Chandigarh and Daman & Diu have

been declared ODF (Open defecation

free) under Swachh Bharat Mission.

• Sikkim was declared first ODF state.

Look Further

Swachh Bharat Mission-

• The Swachh Bharat Mission was

launched on 2 October 2014 at the

birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

• The mission was divided into two

parts — urban and rural.

• The Swachh Bharat Mission Urban is

managed by the Ministry of Urban

Development, while the Swachh

Bharat Mission Gramin (Rural) is led

by the Ministry of Drinking Water and

Sanitation.

Topic- Indian Economy and Social

Development.

Source- Indian Express + Wiki

29.01.2018

Today's Daily Current Affairs for UPSC

IAS - Jan 29th, 2018

1. Rotavac vaccine - First India-designed

vaccine passes WHO test

• For the first time, a vaccine conceived

and developed in India has been “pre-

qualified” by the World Health

Organisation.

• The Rotavac vaccine, developed by

the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech

Limited, was included in India’s

national immunisation programme.

• To be “pre-qualified” means that the

vaccine can be sold internationally to

several countries in Africa and South

America.

Look Further

Rotavac vaccine

• The Rotavac vaccine protects against

childhood diarrhoea caused by the

rotavirus.

• India included the Rotavac in its

national immunisation in 2016.

Rotavirus

• Rotavirus is the most common cause

of diarrhoeal disease among infants

and young children.

• It is a genus of double-stranded RNA

viruses in the family Reoviridae

• Rotavirus is responsible for an

estimated 200,000 deaths in low- and

middle-income countries.

Topic- GS-3- Achievements of Indians in

science & technology

Source- The Hindu

2. Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange

Programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’ concludes

Maitreyi Yatra

• The Student Exchange Programme

organized by Ministry of Human

Resource development provides a

good opportunity for the youth of J&K

to be acquainted with culture,

language and development story of

different parts of the country.

• The objective of this programme was

to integrate the youth of Jammu and

Kashmir to the rest of the country and

to promote brotherhood and

harmony.

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture

Source- PIB

3. India is the leading country in coconut

production and productivity in the world

• The Union Agriculture Minister said

that India is leading in the global

coconut production and productivity.

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54

• He said that the annual coconut

production is 2395 crore from 20.82

lakh hectare and the productivity is

11505 coconuts/hectare.

• Coconut contributes to about

Rs.27900 crore to the country’s Gross

Domestic Product (GDP).

Look Further

• Top states producers of coconuts in

the year 2015-16 are-

Kerala> Tamilnadu> Karnataka

• Top countries producers of coconuts

in the year 2014 are-

Indonesia> Philippines > India

Topic- GS-3- Agriculture

Source- PIB

4. List of MoUs/Agreements signed

between Indian and Cambodia

• Cultural Exchange Programme with

Cambodia for the year 2018-2022.

• Credit Line Agreement between the

EXIM Bank, Government of India and

the Government of Cambodia for a

Line of Credit to finance the Stung Sva

Hab Water Resource Development

Project for US$ 36.92 million.

• Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal

Matters.

• MoU on Cooperation for Prevention of

Human Trafficking.

Topic- GS-2- Bilateral, regional and global

groupings and agreements

Source- PIB

5. India has highest incidents of fraud

globally in IP, stocks, piracy: Report

• Fraud, cyber, and security risks are at

an all-time high with India witnessing

a significant increase in fraud cases in

the last five years, according to a

Global Fraud & Risk Report.

• The study states that 89 percent of

executives have reported that their

companies were victim to at least one

instance of fraud over the past one

year.

• The report pointed out India has also

witnessed the highest incidence of

fraud globally across three categories

–

(a) Theft of physical asset or stock (40

percent)

(b) IP theft, piracy or counterfeiting

(36 percent)

(c) Corruption and bribery (31

percent)

Topic- GS-3- Cyber Security

Source- Indian Express

6. Republic Day parade: Maharashtra’s

Shivaji coronation float gets first prize

• Maharashtra’s tableau at the 69th

Republic Day parade depicting the

grand coronation of Maratha warrior

king Chhatrapati Shivaji was awarded

the first prize.

• The state also emerged the winner in

the cultural category and the inter-

state dance competition held as part

of the parade.

• There were tableaux from 14 states

across India.

• Among the states that participated

were Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab,

Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand,

Assam, Tripura, Manipur,

Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,

Karnataka, Kerala and the Union

Territory of Lakshadweep.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- Indian Express

7. Ashok Chakra and Padma Awards

2018

Ashok Chakra 2018

• President Ram Nath Kovind awarded

India's highest peacetime military

decorationAshok Chakra

posthumously to Indian Air Force

(IAF) Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala

(from Bihar).

• Jyoti Prakash Nirala laid down his life

after gunning down two terrorists in

Jammu and Kashmir.

Note-

Param Vir Chakra- Highest military

award (During wartime)

Padma awards 2018

• President Ram Nath Kovind has

announced the names of recipients

(85 persons) of the year 2018 Padma

awards, Padma Vibhushan (3), Padma

Bhushan (9), and Padma Shri (73).

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55

• Out of these selected 85 persons,

women (14), while 3 are posthumous

awardees.

Padma Vibhushan (Second-highest

civilian award after Bharat Ratna) 2018

awardees

Winner Category

Ilayaraja Art-Music

Ghulam Mustafa Khan Art-Music

P. Parameswaran Literature & Education

Important personalities of Padma

Bhushan (Third highest civilian award)

2018

Winner Category

Pankaj Advani Sport (Billiards/Snooker)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Sports (Cricket)

Ved Prakash Nanda Literature and Education

Alexander Kadakin (Foreigner/Posthumous)

Public Affairs

Laxman Pai Art (Painting)

Arvind Parikh Art (Painting)

Sharda Sinha Art (Painting)

Philipose Mar Chrysostom Others

(Spiritualism)

Ramachandran Nagaswamy

Others (Archaeology)

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- PIB + Indian Express

8. India cheapest country to live in after

South Africa

• India is ranked second only to South

Africa as the cheapest country to live

or retire, according to a recent survey

of 112 countries.

• Nations were ranked on local

purchasing power, rent, groceries,

and consumer price index metrics.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- DD News

9. ‘Aadhaar’ is Oxford dictionary’s Hindi

word of 2017

• Oxford Dictionaries has chosen

‘Aadhaar’ as the Hindi word of 2017.

• The word gained popularity due to

Aadhaar card, which was in news last

year and is likely to remain in

highlight this year as well.

• The announcement was made during

the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- Indian Express

10. WEF launches Global Centre for

Cybersecurity

• In a bid to safeguard the world from

hackers and growing data breaches,

World Economic Forum (WEF),

announced a new Global Centre for

Cybersecurity.

• The centre is headquartered in

Geneva and will become operational

from March.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- The Hindu

11. Kolkata becomes first Indian metro

to get a floating market

• Kolkata is now witnessed to a floating

market, the first of its kind across any

metro city.

Topic- Important for PCS Exams

Source- The Hindu Business Line

30.01.2018

Super Blue blood moon and total lunar

eclipse on January 31

• On January 31, the world will witness

a rare super blue blood moon, which

is called so because it is coinciding

with a total lunar eclipse and a

blue moon.

What is this Super blue blood moon?

• Super moons occur when the full

moon coincides with the Moon’s

closest orbit point (perigee) to the

planet.

• During a super moon, the Moon

appears up to 14 percent larger and

30 percent brighter, according to

NASA.

Note-

The farthest distance between the moon and

the Earth is termed ‘apogee’, while the

perigee is the nearest point between planet

Earth and its satellite moon.

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56

• On January 31, two events are

coinciding-

(a) Total lunar eclipse

(b) Blue moon

Look Further

Eclipse

• An eclipse happens when a planet or

a moon gets in the way of the sun’s

light. we can experience two kinds of

eclipses: solar eclipses and lunar

eclipses.

Solar Eclipse-

• A solar eclipse (as seen from the

planet Earth) is a type of eclipse that

occurs when the Moon passes

between the Sun and Earth, and

when the Moon fully or partially blocks

("occults") the Sun.

• This can happen only at new moon

when the Sun and the Moon are in

conjunction as seen from Earth in an

alignment referred to as syzygy.

• In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun

is fully obscured by the Moon. In

partial and annular eclipses, only part

of the Sun is obscured.

Lunar Eclipse

• During a lunar eclipse, Earth gets in

the way of the sun’s light hitting

the moon.

• That means that during the night, a

full moon fades away as Earth’s

shadow covers it up.

• Blood Moon or Copper Moon-

During a lunar eclipse the moon looks

reddish because Earth’s atmosphere

absorbs the other colours while it

bends some sunlight toward the

moon. It is Known as Blood Moon or

Copper Moon

What is a blue moon

• When a full moon occurs twice in a

month, the second full moon is called

a blue moon.

Super Moon

• The coming lunar eclipse will be more

spectacular because during the

eclipse, the Moon will be near its

perigee and hence it will look larger

than an average full Moon, and is

termed a Super Moon.

Topic- GS-3- Science and Technology

Source- Indian Express

Indian, Vietnamese armies hold first

military exercise “VINBAX”

• For the first time, armies of India and

Vietnam began a six day-long military

exercise in Jabalpur in Madhya

Pradesh.

• India and Vietnam have been

exploring ways to strengthen defence

cooperation.

• India and Vietnam had signed a

protocol on defence cooperation in

1994.

• The partnership was thereafter

elevated to strategic level in 2007 and

a pact on boosting bilateral defence

cooperation was signed in 2009.

• The strategic partnership was

elevated to a comprehensive strategic

partnership in September 2016.

Look Further

Strategic Partnership

• A strategic partnership is where two

entities come together to form an

alliance focused on a strategic gain.

• This is generally restricted to one or

few areas.

Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

• A Comprehensive strategic

partnership is where two entities

come together to form an alliance

focused on multiple areas.

Topic- GS-3- Defence

Source- Economic Times

International Bird Festival at Dudhwa

National Park

• A three-day international bird festival

will be held at the Dudhwa National

Park in February 2018.

• The purpose behind the international

bird festival is to promote eco-tourism

in Dudhwa and to give it a distinct

international identity besides

highlighting its traditional Tharu arts,

culture and heritage.

• During the festival, the bird experts

would visit various parts of Dudhwa to

gather information about the 450-bird

species existing there.

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Dudhwa National Park

• The Dudhwa National Park is a

national park in the Terai of Uttar

Pradesh.

• It is part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

• It is located on the Indo-Nepal border

in the Lakhimpur Kheri District.

Topic-GS-3-Environment

Source- Business Standards

Over Rs 5 lakh crore allocated for

Bharatmala project

• President Ram Nath Kovind said that

Rs 5,35,000 crore have been allocated

for the Bharatmala Project aimed at

boosting road connectivity in the

country.

Bharatmala Project-

• Bharatmala is an umbrella

programme of the Centre that seeks

to improve efficiency of road traffic

movement in the country by bridging

critical infrastructure gaps.

• Bharatmala Project was cleared by the

Union Cabinet on October 25, 2017.

• It is the second largest highways

construction project in the country

since NHDP, under which almost

53,000 km or highway roads were

targeted across the country.

• The ambitious umbrella programme

for roads, Bharatmala, will subsume

all existing highway projects including

the flagship National Highways

Development Project (NHDP),

launched by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee

government in 1998.

• Bharatmala highway project includes

connecting border areas, improving

international, port and coastal

connectivity besides improving

highway corridors connecting key

economic and commercial hubs.

Topic- GS-3- Infrastructure: Energy, Ports,

Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Source- Indian Express + Economic Times

First ever estimate of the number of

‘unwanted’ girls in India

• The Economic Survey presents the

first ever estimate of the number of

‘unwanted’ girls in India (girls whose

parents wanted a boy but had a girl

instead) is at 21 million.

• The number has been arrived at by

looking at the sex ratio of the last

child (SRLC) which is heavily male-

skewed, indicating that parents keep

having children until they get the

desired number of sons.

• The biologically determined natural

sex ratio at birth is 1.05 boy for every

girl.

• The Survey points out that in India,

the sex ratio of the last child is skewed

towards male all throughout — for

first-born, it is 1.82, 1.55 for second

born, 1.65 for third child and so on.

• The report compares India’s heavily-

skewed-in-favour-of-boys SRLC to

that of Indonesia, where the sex ratio

at birth is close to the biological ideal.

• The Survey looks at both SRB (Sex

ratio at birth) and SRLC to state that

in Meghalaya, both indicators are

close to the ideal benchmark.

Topic- GS-2- Issues relating to development

and management of Social Sector/Services

relating to Health, Education, Human

Resources.

Source- Indian Express

31.01.2018

1. Allahabad High Court judge Narayan

Shukla to be impeached

• Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra

recommended the impeachment of

Justice Shri Narayan Shukla, senior

judge of the Allahabad High Court,

following an adverse report about him

by an in-house panel.

• The panel was set up by the CJI and

led by led by Madras High Court Chief

Justice Indira Banerjee.

• The CJI has set the process in motion

with a letter to the Prime Minister for

the impeachment of the judge.

Look Further

Background

• Justice Shukla orders in the cases of

blacklisted private medical colleges in

Lucknow had come under the scanner

of the CJI Bench last year.

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• Allahabad high court bench headed by

Justice Shukla’s in an interim order

restrained the Medical Council of India

from de-listing Prasad Education

Trust’s medical college.

• It was against the Supreme court

judgement to blacklisting some

medical college.

• It led to a scandal that sent shock

waves across the judiciary and

compelled the CJI to re-affirm his

authority as the master of the roster.

Impeachment of Judges

• When the impeachment motion is

moved in Parliament, an investigation

is conducted.

• If the findings of guilt are confirmed,

the impeachment motion will be put

to vote for the removal of the judge

by a special majority in both house of

Parliament.

Note

Special Majority- It is a majority of the total

membership of that House and a majority of

not less than two-thirds of the members of

that House present and voting.

Topic- GS-2- Indian Polity

Source- The Hindu

2. India became the world's third-

largest steel producer

• India's crude steel production grew by

6.2 percent to 101.4 million tonnes

(MT) in 2017, a report by World Steel

Association said.

• China remained the world leader in

producing 831.7 MT in 2017.

• Japan, the second largest global steel

producer, witnessed a negative

growth as steel output declined by 0.1

percent to 104.7 MT in 2017.

• India has overtaken the US to become

the world's third-largest steel

producer and the country is now

looking to bag the second spot from

Japan.

Topic- GS-3- Economic Development

Source- Deccan Chronicle

3. Stree Swabhiman Initiative launched

for Women Health and Hygiene

• ‘Stree Swabhiman’ aims to create a

sustainable model for providing

adolescent girls and women with an

access to affordable sanitary products

by leveraging common services

centres (CSCs).

• Under the ‘Stree Swabhiman’ project,

sanitary napkin micro manufacturing

units are being set up at CSCs across

India, particularly those operated by

women entrepreneurs.

• Besides promoting women’s health

and hygiene, the initiative will also

provide employment opportunities to

women in rural communities.

Topic- GS-2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable

sections of the population by the Centre and

States

Source- Livemint

4. NASA’s interest in India-made

technology for spacecraft

• A new thermal spray coating

technology used for gas turbine

engine in spacecraft developed by a

Rajasthan-based research has caught

the attention of a NASA scientist.

• The controlled segmented Yttria-

Stabilised Zirconia (YSZ)-Plasma

sprayed coating technology is

developed by chief scientist Dr. Tailor

while working at Jodhpur-based

Metallizing Equipment Company

(MEC).

• This Indian technology is cost-

effective and reduces the thermal

spray coating cost by almost 50%.

• Vertical cracks (segmentation) in the

coating are beneficial for gas turbine

engine application used in spacecraft.

Topic- GS-3- Achievements of Indians in

science & technology; indigenization of

technology

Source- The Hindu

5. Tribal festival “Sammakka

Saaralamma Jathara”

• Sammakka Saralamma Jatara or

Medaram Jatara is a tribal Hindu

festival of honouring the goddesses

celebrated at Medaram in the state of

Telangana, India.

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• Medaram is a remote place in the

Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a

part of Dandakaranya, the largest

surviving forest belt in the Deccan.

• During the festival, the tribals worship

'Sammakka', the tribal folk goddess.

Topic- GS-1- Indian Culture

Source- Times of India

6. Himachal governor launches project

for zero-budget farming

• Himachal governor launched project

zero-budget farming from the

Palampur agriculture university.

• Under the project, the university has

dedicated 25-acre land to practice the

zero-budget farming model.

Look Further

Zero Budget Farming

• In this method of natural farming, we

use uses biological pesticides and

fertilizers instead of chemical-based

fertilizers.

• The cost of biological pesticides and

fertilizers is almost negligible

compared to chemical fertilizers. So,

this method of natural farming also

called Zero Budget Farming.

• These biological pesticides and

fertilizers include earthworms, cow

dung, urine, plants, human excreta

etc.

Topic- GS-3- Agriculture

Source- Tribune India

7. India ranks sixth in the list of

wealthiest countries

• According to a report by New World

Wealth, India was the best-

performing wealth market globally in

2017.

• India’s total wealth swelled from

6,584 billion dollars in 2016 to 8,230

billion dollars in 2017, registering a 25

percent growth.

• The report noted that the United

States is the wealthiest country in the

world followed by China at the second

place and Japan at third.

• Total wealth refers to the private

wealth held by all the individuals living

in each country. The report, however,

excludes government funds from its

figures.

Topic- GS-3- Economic Development

Source- AIR

8. Indian Navy launches 3rd Scorpene

class submarine Karanj

• Indian Navy launched the third

Scorpene class submarine Karanj.

Look Further

• The Navy will have six such

submarines by the year 2020.

• These six Scorpene-class stealth

submarines are being built under the

Project 75, in collaboration with

DCNS, France and manufactured

by Mazagon Dock Limited.

o 1st Scorpene Submarine –

Kalvari

o 2nd Scorpene Submarine-

Khanderi

o 3rd Scorpene Submarine-

Karanj

• The six submarines will replace the

Indian Navy's ageing Sindhughosh

and Shishumar class of submarines.

Topic- GS-3- Defence

Source- AIR

***

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