Wbcs Interview Material

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WBCS INTERVIEW MATERIAL

Contents

Part-A  West Bengal at a glance…………………………………… 2  Facts File……………………………………………………… 2  State Ministers ……………………………………………… 5  Budget 2018-19…………………………………………….. 6  State Flagship Schemes…………………………………… 7  State Current Affairs……………………………………….. 12

Part-B  Union Ministers…………………………………………….. 31  Centre Flagship Schemes………………………………… 32  National News……………………………………………….. 36

Part-A

West Bengal at a Glance 1. West Bengal is the fourth most populous state in the country. It is widely considered the Melting pot of Cultures. Bordered by five different states, its capital Kolkata is often termed as the cultural capital of India. 2. Darjeeling one of the most magnificent hill stations in the world, often dubbed as the Queen of the Hills. 3. West Bengal is celebrated for having the largest mangrove forest in the world in the Sunder bans. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Sunder bans is universally acclaimed for housing globally endangered species such as the Royal Bengal Tiger. 4. After India gained independence from the British, Bengal played the most important role in emerging renaissance in the field of social, cultural, political and educational reforms. Reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were at the forefront of the freedom movement. 5. West Bengal has also been a home to world famous figures like Mother Teresa who is described as a metaphor for selfless devotion and holiness by the Vatican. Satyajit Ray, the first academy award winner in India and winner of 32 National Film awards, changed the face of cinema around the globe. Rabindranath Tagore who won the Noble prize in 1913 and displayed Bengali Literature to the world.

West Bengal Fact File

Country India

Capital Kolkata

Established 1 November, 1956

Largest Metro Kolkata Latitude 27°13'15"N to 21°25'24"N Location Latitude 85°48'20"E to 89°53'04"E Neighbouring Countries Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan 88,752Km2 Area Total (34,267 sq mi)

Area Rank 14th

Literacy Rate:

Literate (Total) 6,15,38,281 Male 3,38,18,810 Female 2,77,19,471 Literacy Rate 77.08% Male 82.67% Female 71.16%

Forests:

Forest: 11,879 SQ. KM. (13.38%)

Forest Trees - Sundari, Pussur, Rhododendron, Camelia, Magnolia,Goran, Gewa, Keora, Kusum, Hetal, Hogla, Bamboo, Sal, Teak, Mahogany, Shirish, Arjun, Mulberry, Tall grass, Shimul, Palash, Mahua, Jarul, Gamar, Garian, Chaplash, Toon, Pine

Population:

Male 46,809,027 Female 44,467,088 Sex Ratio 947 Rank 4th Urban % 31.87 Rural % 68.13 Density 1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi) Growth 13.84% Highest Density Kolkata (24,306) % of total 1,01,12,599 Boys 51,87,264 Girls 49,25,335 Sex Ratio 950

Geography of state:

The Himalayas in the North Bay of Bengal in the South Broad regions are the Himalayan Region, Teral Region, Rarh Region, Western Plateau and Highlands Ganges Delta in the South having Sundarban Mangrove Forest Coastal Area Climate 1) Dry Summer 2) Monsoon 3) Autumn 4) Winter Rainfall Average normal rainfall is 1830mm, for the State, 2486 mm in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and 1502 mm in Gangetic Region

Main Agriculture Crops:

Boro, Jute, Maize, Wheat, Potato, Mustard, Rice, Jute, Pulses, Sugarcane, Oil-seeds, Cardamom, Ginger, Cinchona, Joar, Maskalai, Gram, Musur, Khesari, Sugarcane,Til, Mung,Ground, Nut, Vegetables and Tea

State Government

Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Chief Minister Smt. Mamta Banerjee

Departments Minister-In-Charge 1. Agriculture Dr. Asish Banerjee 2. Agricultural Marketing Sri Tapan Dasgupta 3. Animal Resources Development Sri Swapan Debnath 4. Backward Classes Welfare Sri Rajib Banerjee 5. Science and Technology and Bio-Technology Sri Bratya Basu 6. Consumer Affairs Sri Sadhan Pande 7. Co-operation Sri Arup Roy 8. Correctional Administration Sri Ujjwal Biswas 9. Disaster Management and Civil Defence Janab Javed Ahmed Khan 10. Environment Dr. Saumen Kumar Mahapatra 11. Finance Sri Amit Mitra 12. Fire and Emergency Services Sri Sujit Bose 13. Fisheries Sri Chandra Nath Sinha 14. Food and Supplies Sri Jyoti Priya Mallick 15. Food Processing Industries and Horticulture Janab Abdur Rezzak Mollah 16. Forest Sri Bratya Basu 17. Health and Family Welfare Smt. Mamata Banerjee 18. Higher Education Dr. Partha Chatterjee 19. Home and Hill Affairs Smt. Mamata Banerjee 20. Housing Smt Chandrima Bhattacharya 21. Information and Cultural Affairs Smt. Mamata Banerjee 22. Information Technology and Sri Amit Mitra Electronics & e-Governance 23. Irrigation and Waterways Sri Suvendu Adhikari 24. Judicial Sri Moloy Ghatak 25. Labour Sri Moloy Ghatak 26. Land and Land Reforms & Refugee Relief Smt. Mamata Banerjee and Rehabilitation 27. Industry Commerce & Enterprises Sri Amit Mitra 27. Law Sri Moloy Ghatak 28. Mass Education Extension and Library Services Janab Siddiquallah Chowdhury 29. Micro Small and Medium Sri Amit Mitra Enterprises and Textiles 30. Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Smt. Mamata Banerjee 31. North Bengal Development Sri Rabindranath Ghosh 32. Panchayat and Rural Development Sri Subrata Mukherjee 33. Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Partha Chatterjee 34. Pashimanchal Unnayan Affairs Sri Subrata Mukherjee 35. Personnel and Administrative Reforms Smt. Mamata Banerjee 36. Planning, Statistics & Programme Monitoring Sri Tapas Roy 37. Power and Non-Conventional Energy Sources Sri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay 38. Public Health Engineering Dr. Saumen Kumar Mahapatra 39. Public Works Sri Aroop Biswas 40. School Education Dr. Partha Chatterjee 41. Self Help Group and Self Employment Sri Sadhan Pande 42. Sundarban Affairs Sri Manturam Pakhira 43. Technical Education, Training & Skill Development Sri Purnendu Basu 44. Tourism Sri Goutam Deb

45. Transport Sri Suvendu Adhikari 46. Tribal Development Sri Rajib Banerjee 47. Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Janab Firhad Hakim 48. Water Resources Investigation and Development Sri Suvendu Adhikari 49. Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Dr. Shashi Panja 50. Youth Services and Sports Sri Aroop Biswas

West Bengal Budget 2019-20 Highlights The Finance Minister, Dr. Amit Mitra, presented the Budget for West Bengal for financial year 2019-20.  Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of West Bengal for 2019-20 (at current prices) is estimated to be Rs 13, 14,529 crores. This is 14% higher than the revised estimate for 2018-19.  Total expenditure for 2019-20 is estimated to be Rs 2, 37,964 crores, a 4.9% increase over the revised estimate of 2018-19. In 2018-19, as per the revised figures, the expenditure is estimated to increase by Rs11, 979 crores (5.6%) over the budgeted estimate.  Total receipts (excluding borrowings) for 2019-20 are estimated to be Rs 1, 64,678 crores, an increase of 7.7percentage as compared to the revised estimate of 2018-19. In 2018-19, total receipts (excluding borrowings) are estimated to exceed the budgeted estimate by Rs 3,352 crores (2.2%).  Revenue receipts for the next financial year are expected to match revenue expenditure resulting in no revenue  Fiscal deficit is targeted at Rs 27,254 crores (2.07% of GSDP).  Sectors such as Irrigation and Flood Control (30%), Education (15%), and Police (13%) saw the highest increase in allocations. Further, the sectors of Social Welfare and Nutrition (12%) and Transport (9%) saw the highest decline in allocations.

Policy Highlights  Krishak Bandhu Scheme has been announced for the benefit of 72 lakh farmers and Bhagchasis owning agriculture land. The scheme will provide an assured grant of up to Rs 5,000 for one acre of land. Further, a minimum grant of Rs 2,000 will be provided to farmers holding less than one acre of land. In the event of death of a farmer, his family will receive one-time assistance of two lakh rupees.  Bangla Fasal Bima Yojana will be entirely funded by the state. Previously the central government paid 20% share of farmers‘ premium.  Kanyashree Prakalpa is a conditional cash transfer scheme, which seeks to improve the status of girl child, and covers 52.5 lakh girls in the state. The income criteria for Kanyashree have been removed to include all girls between the ages of 13 to 19 from all income groups.

West Bengal‘s expenditure on four key sectors as a proportion of its total budget, With 26 other states (using 2018-19 Budget Estimate).1  Education: West Bengal has allocated 18.3% of its expenditure on education in 2019-20. The average expenditure allocated this higher than to education by other states (15.9%).  Health: West Bengal has allocated 5.1% of its total expenditure on health, which is similar to the average expenditure of other states (5.2%).  Agriculture and allied activities: The state has allocated 5.1% of its total budget towards agriculture and allied activities. This is lower than the average allocation by other states (6.4%).  Rural development: West Bengal has allocated 10.1% of its expenditure on rural development. This is significantly higher than the average (6.1%) of the other states.  Police: West Bengal has allocated 4.0% of its total expenditure on police, which is marginally higher than the average expenditure of other states (3.9%).  Roads and bridges: West Bengal has allocated 2.3% of its total expenditure on roads and bridges, which is significantly lower than the average expenditure of other states.

West Bengal Flagship schemes: Akanksha  Targeted group: State Government employees.  Scheme Benefits: House Building Loan to the State Government Employees the Government will provide suitable land free of cost to the Housing Department for construction of flats, which will be identified by the Land and Land Reforms Department of West Bengal.

Amar-Fasal, Amar-Gola (My Crop, My Storehouse)  Target group: Small and Marginal farmers  Benefits: Financial assistance to marginal farmers of the State So, that they can have their own storehouses and vending carts A subsidy varying between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 25,000 will be provided for the warehouses.  In case of Amar Fasal Amar Gari (My crop, my vehicle) project, the rate of subsidy would be Rs. 10,000 flat. This project will facilitate those farmers who wish to directly sell their products to end users. The subsidies would be directly credited to the bank accounts of those farmers who own Kisan Credit Cards.

Anandadhara  The Government of India has launched the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). In West Bengal, NRLM has been launched as ANANDADHARA.  The agenda is to mobilize the rural poor and vulnerable people into self- managed federated institutions and support them for livelihood collectives. In addition, the poor would be facilitated to achieve increased access to their rights, entitlements and public services, diversified risk and better social indicators of empowerment.  To further these objectives, WBSRLM (West Bengal State Rural Livelihoods Mission), a registered society under the Society Registration Act 1860 has been formed by the Government of West Bengal to implement the National Rural Livelihood Mission in the state.

Gatidhara  Target group: The families with a monthly income of Rs 25,000 or less would qualify for financial support under the scheme.  Objective of the scheme is to generate self-employment in the Urban and Rural areas of the state through promotion of transport service.

 Implementing Agency: The transport department will interview applicants and draw up a list of eligible candidates. The labour department would provide the money, but the scheme would be implemented by the transport department.

Geetanjali & Amar Thikana  Aim: To provide proper shelters to the economically weaker section of society as well as to create additional employment opportunities for construction workers, etc.  Implementing Agency: This scheme is being implemented in rural areas by 6 Departments, viz. , a) Minority Affairs & Madrasah Education Department b) Backward Classes Welfare Department c) Fisheries Department d) Forest Department e) Sundarban Affairs Department and f) Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs Department and Non-Municipal urban areas by statutory organizations viz. WBHB, WBHIDCO etc. under the name of 'Geetanjali' and 'Amar Thikana' in rural area is being implemented by P& RD Department.  Initially half of the approved amount is allotted. After receiving the utilization certificate as well as a physical progress report of the earlier allotted amount, the rest amount is allotted. The motto of the Government is to provide "Sabar Mathar Upare Chhad".  Special focus will be given to distressed and deprived people belonging to Minority Community, Fishermen and people belonging to Economically Weaker Section in Sundarban and Paschimanchal areas.

Jal Dharo Jal Bharo  Aim: Preserving precious water resources by large scale harvesting of rainwater as well as arresting runoff of surface water to improve and availability of precious water resources through the construction and management of Minor Irrigation structures. It also aims towards building citizen's awareness for rainwater conservation and efficient water-use in irrigation.  Implementing agency: Water Resources Investigation & Development Department of Government of West Bengal.  Under the programme to re-excavate all kinds of water bodies via, tanks, ponds, reservoirs, canals where water-holding capacities have lower down at present in convergence with P&RD Department, Govt. of West Bengal.  It also emphasized on underground artificial recharge through rooftop rainwater harvesting. Check Dams, Water harvesting Tanks and Surface Flow Minor Irrigation Schemes, which are being constructed by WRI&DD, would help in arresting surface runoff water and at the same time irrigation potential of the state are being increased by utilization of the same.

Kanyashree Scheme  It is a conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at improving status and well-being of girl child by incentivizing schooling of teenage girls and delaying their marriages until the age of 18.  Implementing agency: West Bengal Government‘s Women Development and Social Welfare department.  Objectives:  Improve lives and status of the adolescent girls in State.  Provide financial help to girls from disadvantaged families to pursue higher studies (now it will cover every girl from state).  Increasing educational attainment of girls, prevention of child marriage and financial inclusion.

 Improved outcomes in terms of their health (especially facilitate the prevention of infant and maternal mortality).  Contribute towards empowerment of girls in the state.  Bring immeasurable benefits for the larger society as a whole.  Targeted group: All girl children within age of 13 to 19 in the state. Girls regularly attending institutions for education or vocational or sports training. Girls of Child Care Institutes registered under Juvenile Justice Act (JJ), 2000 within age of 18-19 years.  It has been given international recognition by the United Kingdom‘s Department of International Development and the UNICEF

Karmashree  Implementing Agency: Labour department.  It is a combination of several other schemes under the Labour department. People, who work for 20 days in a project, will be given work for another 20 days in another project.  Aim :The government would train 10 lakh youths for skill development, through 500 Karma Tirtha marketing hubs, where poor people would get shops free of cost, that were being set up in the state.

Karmatirtha  Aim: To promote sustainable entrepreneurship and generate employment.  'Karmatirtha' - a one-stop shop allowing entrepreneurs to market their products directly to buyers. It strikes a synergy between the abundance of natural resources and the availability of a skilled workforce and thereby moves toward sustainable entrepreneurship.  The State government will be providing the requisite infrastructure support including training and finance, allowing individuals, self-help groups, co-operative enterprises, artisans, and weavers to avail of the benefits of the scheme.

Lokprasar Prakalpo  Implementing agency: Department of Information & Cultural Affairs.  Objectives: The main objectives of the project are –  To bestow dignity on folk artistes by issuing them identity cards  To uphold the traditional folk forms of Bengal  To revive nearly-extinct folk-forms of art and culture and  To uplift the socio economic conditions of artists associated with folk culture.  Programmes under 'Lokprasar Prakalpo':  Issuing identity card to each folk-artiste.  Arranging for monthly pension for veteran and distressed folk-artistes.  Granting of retainer fee to artistes.  Arranging for the minimum income by engaging them in the public campaign programme on development projects.

Madhur Sneha Project  Eastern India's first and country's most modernized "Human Milk Bank" in SSKM Hospital in August 2013. It is equipped with pasteurization and most advanced milk collection, screening, processing, and testing and storage facilities.  Babies who are prematurely born, or are of very low birth weight or those babies whose mothers are unable to feed directly can be recipients of banked milk from "Madhur Sneha".

Nijo Griha Nijo Brume  Objective: Providing 5 decimal of land to each identified eligible beneficiary family i.e. to all landless home steadless agricultural laborers, village artisans and fishermen in rural areas.

 Pattas are being distributed either in the name of women who is the head of the family or jointly both in the name of the wife & husband. All the benefitted families receive pattas, record-of-rights and possession of the land on spot.

Nirmal Bangla Mission  Aim: To eliminate open defecation from the rural landscape of the state. It is the state counterpart of the national Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. The mission aims at constructing latrines in households, especially in the uncovered households in the rural areas to ensure zero defecation in the open.  It ensures a sufficient number of functional toilets in educational institutions, regular intervals on the road, public places, etc. The scheme also aims at spreading awareness and increasing sensitization toward safe hygiene behavior and safe disposal methods.

Pathasathi  "PATHASATHI (consisting of Pay & use toilet, Waiting room, Night shelter and Restaurant under one roof) at every 50 K.m. of National Highway, State Highway and Other important roads throughout the State. 31 (Thirty-one) nos. of such "PATHASATHI" are being constructed by this Department and these are in different stages of construction.  Implementing agency: Housing Department and Public Works Department.

Pran Dhara  During relief works, water pouches produced through Mobile Treatment Units (MTU) are very useful for easy distribution of drinking water to the stranded people, but this type of packaging is not sustainable for a long time and also may be damaged due to leaking/bursting of poly packs.  To overcome these difficulties, the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) introduced bottled water with BIS Specifications named Pran Dhara.

Pratyasha Project  It is a housing project for Police Personnel (from Inspectors to Constables) working in the West Bengal Police to materialize their dreams of owning houses.  The West Bengal State Police Housing Corporation will construct various types of flats with the financial assistance of HUDCO and all Police Personnel would be welcome to fill in forms for their required housing assistance.

"Sarba Griha Deep Prakalpa" (Sabar Ghare Alo)  'Universal Electrification' of households in 11 backward districts of West Bengal namely Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, and South 24-Parganas, Uttar Dinajpur, Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Jalpaiguri, Purba Medinipur and Bankura.  An amount of Rs. 837 Crores has been received for this purpose up to 31st March 2013. This project's execution started in July 2012 and was likely to be completed within two years. Under this project 28214 villages, 21 lakh BPL households and 17 lakh APL households are likely to be electrified.

Sabooj Sathi  Scheme for distribution of bi-cycles to the students of class IX to XII in all Govt. run/ Govt. aided/ Govt. sponsored schools. Students of Class X to XII as covered in the last financial year (2015-16). Students of Class IX will be covered in the present financial year. Target is to cover more or less 40 lakh students in the State.  Objective of the scheme is to encourage students in higher education and to reduce dropouts.  West Bengal SC/ST Development & Finance Corporation is the nodal agency for procurement and distribution of bi-cycles.

Samajik Mukti (Social Freedom)  The government issued 'Social Freedom‘ cards to unorganized sector workers of the State for Provident Fund & Other Social Benefit scheme.  Cards will be distributed to disburse benefits under three schemes of State government namely:  State assisted scheme of Provident Fund for Unorganized Workers (SASPFUW)  Buildings and other Construction workers' welfare scheme  Motor Transport workers' welfare scheme  Objectives of the project:  Bringing maximum number of Workers under the welfare schemes  Smooth and Speedy delivery of Welfare benefits under the three schemes  Effective and Transparent management and utilization of the funds available.

Sech Bandhu Prakalpa  It is a farmer-friendly project offering 46,000 new pump sets with power connectivity to farmers to boost irrigation in the state.  This would help the farmers in a big way and keep them away from illegal power consumption. It would also reduce power theft and improve regularized power supply in rural Bengal.

Shikshashree  Aim: To provide financial assistance to SC students of Classes V to VIII in a smooth, transparent and efficient way.  Assistance to the target group is being formulated in the name of 'Shikshashree'. It provides assistance to SC day-scholars of Class V-VIII, and is evolved by merging the existing schemes of Book Grant and Maintenance Grant.  It is applicable to the day scholars of West Bengal reading in class V-VIII in any Government, Government-aided and all Government recognized schools of West Bengal.  It will improve SC student‘s participation in Pre-metric stages and minimize the incidence of dropout especially in case of girl students.

Shilpa Sathi  In order to address un-necessary delays due to lack of inter-departmental co-ordination West Bengal has launched Shilpa Sathi facility.  It will assist investors to apply for Common Application Form (CAF), to obtain licenses and registration from relevant important State Government departments from a single place.  Single Window Cell is created that will receive the Common Application Form and related documents and will issue relevant Licenses / Registration after observing necessary legal and procedural formalities according to relevant Acts and Rules.  Single Window Facility being developed by Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, which aims to cover all central and State government departments, which issue licenses and registrations, required for setting up an industry in India.

Sishu Sathi  Aim: To provide free treatment to children who need heart surgeries, irrespective of how rich or poor the parents are. It will give major boost to child health care in West Bengal.  Three private hospitals and government hospitals will provide free pediatric cardiac surgery to 3,000 children each year under this initiative.  The Bengal Government had taken the initiative to conduct medical tests under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, in state-run schools, with a logical conclusion to provide treatment. The State also decided to bear all expenses for the treatments of any student needing surgery for cardiac ailments.  Salient features of this scheme includes:

 State Govt. conducts health tests in government schools to detect heart ailments  State Govt. provides free cardiac surgery for children up to 12 years suffering from heart ailments  All children are eligible irrespective of family income  All expenses are borne by the State Government.

Sufal Bangla  Aim: To ensure fresh vegetables at reasonable price at the doorstep.  Sufal Bangla is a competitive retail daily use prime vegetable outlet that will ensure food and nutritional security for the hundreds of millions of people that still live below the poverty line in state.  It will also help in raising rural incomes and generating millions of on-farm and non-farm employment opportunities, eradication poverty and usher in a prosperity movement throughout beautiful rural Bengal.  Basic objectives of this project are:  To help the farmer's get premium price and have rational share in consumer's price  To supply quality produce at less retail price and have rational share in consumer's price and  Make fruit and vegetable producer's retail market competitive.

Yuvasree  This is Financial assistance scheme for the unemployed youth of West Bengal.  This scheme was previously known as Yuva Utsaha Prakolpo (YUP).  This scheme is implemented and maintained by the Labour Department of West Bengal.  The motto of Yuvasree is to provide employment assistance to the unemployed youths of West Bengal for increasing their employment ability and skill.

State Current Affairs: 1. Jadavpur University Violence  Babul Supriyo, the union minister for environment, forest and climate change went to the Jadavpur University to address the seminar by ABVP at an auditorium inside the campus.  Protesting his presence, the Jadavpur University students agitated, raising slogans and holding black flags.The protestors alleged that Babul Supriyo misbehaved with the agitating students, many of whom were women.  As the situation escalated, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, rushed to Jadavpur University along with a large police force to the rescue of Babul Supriyo. The governor, who is the chancellor of the university, too, faced demonstrations by the students belonging to SFI, Left-leaning AFSU and FETSU and AISA, a Naxalite student‘s wing. They blocked his way and thumped the bonnet of his vehicle as the police officers kept requesting them to withdraw.  Dhankhar and Babul Supriyo finally left the campus late in the evening hours after the university teachers stepped in and persuaded the agitating students to lift their blockade. Meanwhile, stick-wielding supporters of ABVP, who had held a seminar in the campus during the day which sparked off the unrest at the university, allegedly vandalized the room of the Arts Faculty Students Union (AFSU).  Shouting 'Jai Shree Ram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', the ABVP supporters were seen setting fire to furniture, computers and ceiling fans of the room and covering the signage outside it with black colour.  A day after the Jadavpur University ruckus, Babul Supriyo alleged that the university students manhandled him.  The Trinamool Congress, in a statement, said that the BJP leader went to the university to attend the programme "without informing the government". The governor also went to the university without taking the state government into confidence. CM also requested him

that the Governor being the constitutional head need not go at this moment. Instead of taking the government into confidence, the Governor went there to help BJP leader.  After this incident, authorities of Jadavpur University are considering strict norms for holding events inside the campus. As part of the planned measures, only registered organisations will be allowed to hold events in the campus and they will have to submit a speakers' list while seeking permission.  Authorities will video graph events and the university will file police complaints in case of vandalism inside the campus.

2. Vidyasagar statue broken in Trinamool-BJP violence  Amit Shah‘s roadshow in Kolkata ended up in violent clashes between Trinamool Congress youth members and BJP workers at College Street in the northern part of the city. The clashes broke out near the iconic Presidency College and Calcutta University after ‗black flags were waved‘ at Shah and stones were allegedly pelted at his convoy from the hostels of Vidyasagar College.  During the violence that followed, the mob vandalized the college hostel and broke the 200-year statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.  TMC leaders claimed that the BJP had ‗outsiders‘ who damaged the college premises and broke the statue.

3. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 199th Birth Anniversary: Memoirs of Bengal's Path-breaking Reformer  Vidyasagar is credited for the reconstruction of Bengali alphabets and simplification of the Bengali typography into 12 vowels and 40 consonants.  Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance, was a Bengali polymath who was born on September 26, 1820. A philosopher, educator, publisher, reformer and philanthropist, his efforts to simplify and modernize Bengali prose is well documented. One of the most prominent campaigner for widow remarriage among Hindus, he also received the moniker 'Vidyasagar', meaning the ocean of knowledge, from Sanskrit College for his knowledge in the language and philosophy.  His contributions to society:  Vidyasagar championed in women causes in India. One of his major characteristics was that unlike his contemporaries, who sought to create alternate societies, he attempted to change society from within and with the help of noted contemporaries like Akshay Kumar Dutta, introduced the practice of widow remarriage to mainstream society.  Vidyasagar was strongly opposed to the then prevailing custom of Kulin Brahmin polygamy, which allowed elderly men, sometimes on their deathbeds, to marry teenage or prepubescent girls, supposedly to spare their parents the shame of having an unmarried girl back home. Many times, these 'brides' would be left behind at their paternal places without a second glance especially if they were subsequently widowed. Subjected to semi-starvation and a hard life many of them would flee and become prostitutes. Vidyasagar sought to change this as well.  Vidyasagar was the fact that he reconstructed the Bengali alphabet and simplified the Bengali typography into 12 vowels and 40 consonants. The Bengali alphabet had remained unchanged since Charles Wilkins and Panchanan Karmakar had cut the first Bengali type in 1780. He made significant contributions to Bengali and Sanskrit literature with works like Borno Porichoy being considered a classic.

4. Mamata launches 'Didi Ko Bolo' campaign to connect with voters  West Bengal Chief Minister launched 'Didi Ko Bolo' campaign was launched to improve the connection with people and to strengthen her party at the grassroots level.

 It is not just a direct communication platform with the West Bengal chief minister, but also intended to have multiple ‗trackers‘ and ‗buckets‘ (software) where problems and suggestions will be listed for prompt action.  Around 1,000 Trinamool Congress leaders will be heading towards 10,000 Bengal villages over the next 100 days as part of the party's first major programme ahead of the assembly elections in 2021. The party leaders would visit the villages and lend their ears to booth workers, influential people in the area, anyone who wishes to voice grievances or raise concerns.  A party helpline number and a website www.didikebolo.com have been launched for people to reach out to Mamata directly.  During these visits, the party functionaries will spend at least three hours interacting with people, to understand their problems and provide appropriate solutions. The unresolved issues will be conveyed to Mamata, who will look into them personally.

5. WB government observes Save Water Day  This initiative was launched to raise awareness on water conservation. CM urged the people to take "precautionary measures" to save the natural resource, as water scarcity has become a major issue in the world. West Bengal government would observe July 12 as 'Save Water Day' every year.  The state government under the water conservation programme of ‗Jal dharo Jal bharo‘ has dug nearly three lakh water bodies so far (Collect water, store water). Many check dams have been constructed and irrigation canals have been rejuvenated to prevent floods and provide water during the period of scarcity.

6. Two schemes of West Bengal government win UN awards  Two schemes of the West Bengal government for skill development and distribution of bi- cycles to students have won the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) awards of the United Nations  The schemes are ―Utkarsh Bangla‖ and ―Sabooj Sathi‖.  The ―Utkarsh Bangla‖ project aims at creating a pool of skilled candidates who are industry ready, while under the ―Sabooj Sathi‖ scheme, bi-cycles are distributed to students between class IX and XII studying in government run and government aided schools and madrashas of the state. ―Out of 1062 nominations in 18 categories, Utkarsh Bangla got the topmost award and emerged a winner in Capacity Building category.  Sabooj Sathi ranked in the first five as a champion project under ICT application: E- Government category‖. The West Bengal government had received another UN award in 2017 for its ‗Kanyashree‘ project, a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at promoting education among girls.  WSIS Prizes is an international contest to create an effective mechanism to evaluate and recognise individuals, governments and private bodies for outstanding success in implementing development-oriented strategies that leverage the power of ICTs as an enabler of the development. The contest, organized by the WSIS in Geneva, was first held in 2012.

7. Chief Minister Srimati Mamata Banerjee has announced a plan (Yuvashree Arpan) to launch a scheme to help youth set-up their own business  Through this scheme, financial support will be provided to 50,000 youths to help them in their own business initiatives. ―This will be Yuvashree Plan II or Yuvashree Arpan,‖ It is an effort to make youths self-sufficient.  50,000 youths will receive financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh each for setting up an enterprise. The Yuvashree I scheme is implemented by the state labour department.  The labour department criteria of beneficiaries are two-fold for the unemployment allowance:  Class VII pass and in the age group of 18-45 years.

 These beneficiaries should be chosen from the state employment bank portal.  State government had already provided cars to 24,000 unemployed youths under the ‗Gatidhara‘ scheme, where the state enables youths to be car-owners and earn through driving it.

8. West Bengal has withdrawn from Centre’s flagship health scheme Ayushman Bharat Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or National Health Protection Scheme  West Bengal has withdrawn from flagship programme PMJAY, joining 3 other states that have stayed out.  The dispute is over branding. The letter sent to beneficiaries has photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi; the West Bengal government feels that given the 60:40 partnership in the scheme, the state government should get similar space on documents.  Then there is the name of the scheme itself. West Bengal government chose to call the scheme Jan Arogya Yojana rather than Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.  Government of West Bengal has said that, since West Bengal already had a well- established scheme Swasthyasathi, the state government would like to retain the name Swasthyasathi in the scheme.  Launched in 2016, West Bengal‘s Swasthyasathi provides a basic health cover for secondary and tertiary care up to Rs 5 lakh per annum per family, the same as PMJAY. So far, around 1 crores people have been enrolled under the central scheme in West Bengal while the state scheme already had 40 lakh beneficiaries. Rs 176.56 crores have been released to the state.  For PMJAY, the pullout is a setback because it affects the national portability of the scheme. Kolkata being the preferred destination for many people from the Northeast and from states such as Bihar, officials fear it could affect more people than just the beneficiaries in West Bengal.

9. Krishak Bandhu: Mamata announces sops for farmers  Dubbed as ‗Krishak Bandhu‘, the scheme bears similarity to the Telengana government‘s flagship ‗Rythu Bandhu‘ in terms of providing financial assistance to farmers and landless laborers. Against the Telegana, government has promised Rs. 8,000 an acre.  The West Bengal government will give an annual financial assistance (cash dole) of Rs.5, 000 per acre in two instalments – one during kharif and another during Rabi – for a single crop. Farmers can take the financial assistance at one go too.  The West Bengal government‘s scheme has gone a step further, and announced a life insurance cover of Rs. 2, 00,000 in case of death, irrespective of the cause, of an earning family member (farmer) aged between 18 and 60 years.  Farmers need not pay any premium for availing this life insurance cover. The ‗Krishak Bandhu‘ scheme may be extended to 72 lakh farmers and sharecropper families in the State.  However, for a State deep in debt, the ‗Krishak Bandhu‘ scheme leads to further burden on the exchequer.

10. West Bengal's official logo, 'conceptualized and designed' by Mamata Banerjee, unveiled

 West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday unveiled the state government's logo, calling it "a gift of the New Year."  The state did not have a logo even after 70 years after Independence; state designed one and sent it to the Centre for approval.  The logo highlights the 'Biswa Bangla' theme with Ashoka Pillars. The new logo would be used in all government documents, as well as the government letterheads. CM said the process of changing the state's name from West Bengal to "Bangla" is also underway.

11. Home Minister vows to implement NRC in West Bengal, throw out infiltrators  Amit Shah at a seminar in Kolkata said West Bengal's ruling TMC was misleading people about the citizenship roll.  Home Minister said that centre will pass Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Rajya Sabha first and then implement National Register of Citizens in West Bengal. It will give citizenship right to all the refugees, including Matuas, who have been thrown out from different countries.  Refugees from other countries - Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain Christian - will never be forced to leave the country,"  He emphasized that no infiltrators will be allowed to stay in India and no refugees will be thrown out of India.

12. Experts question government's claim of country becoming ODF-free According to the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the country has achieved the dream of an open defection-free India, except in 52 urban local bodies of West Bengal.

13. Amazon invests in West Bengal's largest e-commerce fulfillment centre  World‘s largest e-commerce giant Amazon has launched its fifth and largest fulfillment centre in West Bengal at Kolkata, which will double its storage capacity.  Amazon has 85 delivery stations and service centers in West Bengal, which will be like 1.5 times expansion over the last year. With this capability, it can now directly deliver to towns like Purulia, Dinajpur and Kalimpong either the next day or in two days.  The new infrastructure will enable to serve customers better and will further small and medium businesses in the region to fulfill their customer orders seamlessly.

14. Centre allots world’s second-largest coal block to West Bengal  The centre has entered into an allotment agreement with West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) for Deocha Pachami Dewanganj-Harinsingha coal block. It is the world's second largest block.

 The project is slated to generate both direct and indirect employment in West Bengal considerably and contribute to the socio-economic development of the region.  In accordance with the provisions of Coal Block Allocation Rules, 2017, made under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957, WBPDCL has been allocated the block located in West Bengal spread over 12.28 square km with estimated reserves of 2102 million tonnes for generation of power.  The project envisages addressing immediate as well as the forthcoming coal and power requirements of the region. An upfront refundable deposit of Rs 50 crores has been made to the central government in this regard.  West Bengal‘s chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that her government will precede with the project cautiously, taking care of every aspect from resettlement to environment. There are about 395 families (40 per cent tribal) in Deocha-Pachami. Resettlement would be for another 389 families (784 families) and everyone will be taken into confidence before the project work gets started.  A big project can supply coal for the next 100 years. It would take about five years to start commercial production. A committee has been formed to execute the project.

15. In financial year 2018-19, West Bengal created tree cover of more than 5,000 hectares  The tree cover in the state currently amounts to 15.50% of the total area of the state and the total forest cover is 13.38%.  Saplings of trees like sal, segun, mahogany, mango, jamun, haritaki and others totaling 1, 08, 28,000, have been planted to create the cover.  West Bengal has created tree cover of more than 5,000 hectares in financial year 2018-19. This was revealed by the state forest minister in the assembly recently.  The state government distributes saplings during the week when Van Mahotasav (for seven days from July 14) is celebrated and also and at other times all through the year. Then, as part of the Sabuj shree, Scheme saplings of commercially valuable trees are given to mothers of newborns to plant so that the trees can be sold after 18 years and the money used to fund the child‘s higher education.  The minister also informed the assembly that forest preservation is being done in the Sundarbans using the process of GIS tagging. Mangrove trees are also being planted.

16. Vikram Solar commissions eastern India's largest rooftop solar project in West Bengal  Clean energy solution provider Vikram Solar has commissioned eastern India's largest single-shed rooftop solar project for Keventer Agro at Nilganj, West Bengal. This 2.15 MW project was awarded to Vikram Solar by Keventer Agro Ltd  The shed top solar plant has been built to increase the capacity of Keventer's food processing plant as well as to leave a green footprint by using non-conventional energy at the Barasat plant.  The project is spread across 250m x 70m and 6,240 high efficiency 345 Wp mono- crystalline modules and 18 ABB inverters were used to ensure performance of the energy system. The project is expected to have 2.835 million unit energy yields and will offset 2,647 metric tons CO2 annually.

17. West Bengal starts project for supplementing farmers’ agricultural income with income from fish cultivation  The state agriculture and fisheries departments have jointly taken up this project in Malda district that will subsequently spread to other districts as well.  The project is part of the state‘s Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) Scheme.  For small farmers, the income from agriculture after deducting the cost of raw materials is not lucrative. So, considering the demand for fish in the state fishlings are being released in the flooded fields after planting of paddy and no pesticides are being allowed for the paddy or any chemicals for helping the fish to grow.

 Fish varieties being released include koi, singhi, magur, rohu and catla. The fish would also help the crops, as they would eat away the pests and weeds that can hamper the growth of the paddy.  Canals and small water bodies are being dug beside the plots so that when the water levels come down in the fields, the fish would be able to swim across to them.  For the farmers, for six to seven months the fish would grow alongside the crops. After the crops are cut and the fish are caught, the water in the canals can be used for cultivating vegetables.

18. WB government to install 180 meteorological observatories in agricultural farms  West Bengal government's agriculture department is installing as many as 180 meteorological observatories in the agricultural farms and research stations across the state to study the weather conditions before hand and issue guidelines to the farmers as, what measures have to be taken according to weather conditions.  Weather system is one of the most important factors that determine the production of crops. Farmers often incur huge losses due to damage caused by shortage of rainfall as well as excessive rainfall, hailstorms and hence it would help immensely if the department provides them prior information.  Each meteorological observatory has a rain gauge station. Besides rain, they will record temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction of wind.  The weather data collected from these observatories will not only serve the research and extension wings of the agriculture department but also fulfils the needs of other departments, local administration, universities and research organizations as well.  The feedback given by these observatories will also be utilized for crop insurance, which the state government pays in full for most farmers.

19. Junior doctors called off seven-day long strike after holding a televised meeting with Mamata Banerjee  Junior doctors across the state were protesting against an assault on two of their colleagues, at the NRS Medical College and Hospital, allegedly by the family members of a patient who died last week.  Following two hour long televised meeting with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, junior doctors in West Bengal called off strike. Assuring the doctors of adequate security in all hospitals—city based and in districts—Banerjee instructed senior police officials to appoint nodal officers for the security of doctors in all hospitals. The doctors demanded a ‗zero tolerance‘ policy for the attackers who assaulted the junior doctors, and the state government agreed.  The move came after seven day long ‗cease work‘ by thousands of junior doctors literally crippling the health services in all government hospitals across districts in the state. The strike also left some snowballing effect in health service sectors in other states as Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a nationwide protest against violence in hospitals and went for a shut down on June 17.

20. The long journey from West Bengal to Bangla  Over the years, several demands have been made, for reasons that could be either political or administrative, to change the name of West Bengal.  India gained Independence, but as two countries, the eastern side became East Pakistan while the remaining became part of India as West Bengal. East Pakistan, however, was short-lived and became Bangladesh in 1971 breaking away from Pakistan.  The first such demand can be traced back to 1999, when the then chief minister Jyoti Basu took the initiative. At that time, ―Bangla‖ and ―Paschim Bangla‖ were considered, but the parties concerned could not reach a consensus.

 The renaming demand has more to do with chronology than anything else. The state‘s name ―West Bengal‖ starts with the letter ―W‖, which being the fourth last letter among the English alphabet pushes the state to number 30 in the state roll call.  The implication, as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said, is that during official meetings where all states are present, by the time West Bengal gets a turn to speak, ―either the hall was half-empty or the audience was fast asleep‖. Changing the name to ―Bangla‖, which is Banerjee‘s most recent demand, would give it precedence, pushing it to spot number four.  Since becoming the Chief Minister in 2011, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief has raised this demand multiple times. The first demand was for the state‘s name to be changed to ―Paschim Banga‖ or ―Paschim Bango‖ which in Bengali means West Bengal. This resolution did not get permission to proceed from the Centre. A name starting with ―P‖ would anyway not give it much of an advantage in the state roll calls.  Five years later, another resolution was passed proposing that the new name be ―Bongo‖ or ―Bangla‖. According to the demands of this resolution, the state would be called ―Bengal‖ in English, ―Bangla‖ in Bengali and ―Bangal‖ in Hindi. To counter this demand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised a ―Bangla Bachao Signature Campaign‖. This resolution was sent back by the Centre asking the state to suggest a single name.  In July 2018, the Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to change the name to ―Bangla‖, but with the Centre still not heeding, a delegation of 12 Trinamool Congress lawmakers met Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested him to approve the state‘s request.  Centre rejected the proposal, CM said, ―The name of a state should invoke a strong sense of identity among its people and this identity can be formed if the state‘s name carries the signature of its history and authentic culture.‖

21. West Bengal performed poorly in almost all governance issues: Survey  The survey, which was conducted between October-December 2018, covered 534 parliamentary constituencies and more than 2.37 lakh voters.  The West Bengal government has performed "poorly" in almost all governance issues, mainly on providing better employment opportunities, agriculture loan availability and higher price realization for farm products, according to a survey.  The West Bengal Survey Report 2018 also said the three issues -- providing better employment opportunities (for 39.28 per cent of survey participants), agriculture loan availability (35.86 per cent) and higher price realization for farm products (35.21 per cent) -- which have been neglected by the state government are in the top priority list for voters in the state.  The government has made average performance on matters such as empowerment of women and security and electricity for domestic use," said the report, which is the third part of the survey jointly conducted by the West Bengal Election Watch (WBEW) and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on 'Governance issues and Voting Behavior 2018'.  It found that for the urban voters in West Bengal, the top most issues were providing better employment opportunities (45 per cent), reducing water and air pollution (39 per cent) and traffic congestion (39 per cent). The state government performed poorly in providing better public transport (2.36) and reducing noise pollution in urban regions of the state.

22. What is the Saradha scam and How Trinamool is linked?  The Ponzi scheme: In the early 2000s, businessperson Sudipto Sen set up the Saradha Group, and launched what the securities market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) later categorised as a collective investment scheme.

 The Saradha Group used a consortium of companies to tap small investors, promising them very high returns. Like in a classic Ponzi scheme, money was collected through a wide network of agents, who were paid commissions of over 25%.  In a few years, Saradha has raised about Rs 2,500 crores. It built its brand through film star endorsements, investments in popular football clubs, ownership of multiple media outlets, and sponsorship of cultural events such as Durga Pujas. The scheme expanded to Odisha, Assam, and Tripura, and the number of investors reached close to 17 lakh.  Saradha began by issuing secured debentures and redeemable preferential bonds to the public in violation of SEBI rules that bar companies from raising capital from more than 50 people without issuing a proper prospectus and balance sheet. Companies must also have SEBI permission to operate, and must get their accounts audited.  After SEBI raised a flag in 2009, the Group diversified, opening 239 companies, and building a complex corporate structure. Through schemes involving tourism packages, forward travel and hotel booking, timeshare credit transfer, real estate, infrastructure finance, and motorcycle manufacturing, the Saradha Group continued to raise capital from ordinary people. The bulk of the investors put in around Rs 50,000 each. Many others invested through chit funds under the Chit Fund Act, 1982. Chit funds are regulated by the state government.  By 2009, politicians in West Bengal had begun to discuss Saradha‘s alleged fraudulent ways. In 2012, SEBI, which was already watching the Group, asked it to stop accepting money from investors until it got the regulator‘s permission. Alarm bells started to ring in January 2013, when for the first time, the Group‘s cash inflow was lower than its outflow — another classic event in a Ponzi scheme.  By April 2013, the scheme had collapsed, and investors and agents lodged hundreds of complaints with the Bidhannagar Police. Sudipto Sen fled West Bengal after writing an 18-page letter, in which he accused several politicians of arm-twisting him into making poor investments that led the company to collapse. An FIR was registered, and Sen was arrested along with his associate Debjani Mukherjee in Sonmarg on April 20, 2013.  Investigations found the company had laundered investments in locations such as Dubai, South Africa and Singapore. Mamata Banerjee‘s government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case after clubbing all the FIRs. Around the same time, the CBI began investigations in Assam after the state government handed over the probe to it. Based on state police FIRs, the Enforcement Directorate registered cases of alleged money laundering, and arrested several people.  In May 2014, the Supreme Court transferred all cases to the CBI, given the inter-state nature of the alleged scam. The SIT, which had by now conducted a yearlong probe, had to hand over to the CBI all case papers, evidence, and the accused it had arrested.  The Trinamool connection:  Along with his brand, Sen had worked on building political relations. He had acquired media organisations and invested in the Bengali film industry. Actor and TMC MP Satabdi Roy and former Bollywood hero and Rajya Sabha member Mithun Chakraborty were Saradha‘s brand ambassadors. Then TMC MP Kunal Ghosh was appointed CEO of the media group in which Saradha invested Rs 988 crores and hired close to 1,500 journalists. By 2013, it was running eight newspapers in five languages. Ghosh was said to be drawing a salary of Rs 16 lakh per month.  Another then TMC MP, Srinjoy Bose, was involved in the Group‘s media operations. Then West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra headed the Group‘s employees‘ union. Saradha gifted patrol motorcycles to Kolkata Police. The government deployed and distributed ambulances and motorcycles sponsored by Saradha in Naxalism-hit areas of the state.  Where top cop comes in:  Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar headed the SIT constituted by the Mamata government, which investigated the Saradha case for a year. CBI has claimed that it has been trying to question the members of the SIT, including Kumar, for one and a

half years to get information on some missing evidence, but Kumar and his colleagues have been avoiding the agency.  CBI sources claim communication, notices, and summons to members of the SIT and the West Bengal Police asking for cooperation in the investigation have been sent on 18 occasions since September 2017, but no one has turned up for questioning. The sources say that the Kolkata Police and SIT officials have given ill health or personal engagements as reasons to stay away, and then asked for a mutually agreeable venue to sit and discuss the case.  Rajeev Kumar alone has been sent five notices and summons to appear before CBI since October 2017.  According to CBI, the SIT had not handed over a diary of Sudipta Sen that has details of payments made to prominent people, apart from other evidence. ―Our multiple requests to hand over all documents seized by the SIT have fallen on deaf ears. They have the diary, interrogation reports of several accused — some of them recorded on video — some pen drives, and material recovered from a bank locker owned by Sen. Several of these things were not brought on record by the SIT.  O‘Brien is the latest among several Trinamool leaders whom investigators have sought to link to the chit fund scam and its mastermind, Sudipta Sen. While building the Saradha empire, Sen had worked to build connections among politicians, and acquired media organizations.

23. West Bengal Assembly passes anti-lynching bill; BJP abstains, Congress and CPM back law  The West Bengal Assembly passed the West Bengal (Prevention of Lynching) Bill, 2019 to check incidents of mob assaults and lynching and criminalized such actions  Lynching is a social evil and all of us have to come together to fight against this evil. The Supreme Court has given direction to take action against lynching,"  The bill aims to protect the constitutional rights of vulnerable persons and prevent incidents of lynching. It also proposes action against those involved in perpetrating the crime.  The legislation also pitches for a jail term, which may vary from three years to life for those involved in assaulting and injuring a victim. In case of death of the victim, persons responsible for the incident would be punished with death sentence or rigorous life imprisonment and fine up to Rs 5 lakh, the bill said.

24. Bankura’s terracotta: Can timely measures facilitate socio-economic revival of potters’ community?  Panchmura village near Bishnupur, Bankura District is one of the main hubs of terracotta in West Bengal. The trademark Bankura horse (uniquely styled terracotta horse made in Bankura) came into existence because people would offer them as a mark of devotion to different deities and even on the tombs of Muslim saints.  It is used as the official crest motif of the ―All India Handicrafts Board.‖ Unfinished Bankura Horses at Panchmura village  Terracotta came into existence in Bengal due to the unavailability of stones and large endowments of alluvial soil left by the main rivers in the Bankura district: Damodar, Dwarakeshwar and the Kangsabati. Thus, the soil gets a perfect blend and high density for it to be crafted intricately and fired in order to produce the required terracotta products.  Narratives on terracotta are both sources of information and entertainment for the people, depicting stories from the mythological texts of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Hitopodesha, Jataka and Panchatantra. There has been an emphasis on scenes indicating rural life, farming techniques, male and female dancers, musicians and village gardens.  Bankura District is known for its popular handicrafts in the form of terracotta, Dokra handicrafts of Bigna, the stone craft of Susunia and Baluchari silk of Bishnupur.

 West Bengal state government has reportedly nominated Bishnupur‘s terracotta temples to the UNESCO‘s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

25. Rose Valley Scam  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a 'Save the Constitution' protest in Kolkata after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) landed in the city to question Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund cases. Kumar was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) Mamta Banerjee's government had set up to investigate the Rose Valley scam back in 2013.  Rose Valley scam is one of the biggest financial frauds, which rocked state of West Bengal in 2013. The scam was even bigger than the Saradha scam and as per Enforcement Directorate estimates Rs 17,520 crores was reportedly raised from investors across India. The all India small depositors association pegged the amount at Rs 40,000 crores. Few reports pegged the amount at over Rs 60,000 crores.  The Rose Valley group had allegedly floated 27 companies for running the alleged chit fund operations of which only half a dozen were active. It is alleged that the company had made "cross investments" in its various sister firms to suppress its liabilities towards investors. The states affected by the scam were West Bengal, Assam and Bihar.  According to ED, a portion of the money was also used to bribe politicians so that the scam could run smoothly. The ED had frozen 2,500 accounts of the Rose Valley group and the agency suspects that there are many more to be tracked and frozen.  In 2015, Rose Valley chairman Gautam Kundu was arrested in money laundering case and probed by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate. In the course of the investigation, the government froze all the 2,600 bank accounts of the Rose Valley Group, which held around Rs 800 to 1,000-crore. The name of TMC MP, Tapas Paul too had surfaced during investigations, as he was the director in the company.

26. West Bengal government announces 10% EWS quota in government jobs, educational institutions; Minister Partha Chatterjee hails 'historic' decision  West Bengal has announced 10 percent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the economically weaker sections in the general category  Opposition raised concern over the process of identification and asks for a foolproof system to ensure that only deserving ones are identified as beneficiaries.

27. India's first underwater train to be launched in Kolkata soon  The phase-one of the 16.6 km project between Salt Lake Sector-5 to Salt Lake Stadium is almost complete and will be operational soon.  India's first underwater train will soon get started in Kolkata under the Hubli River. An example of impeccable engineering, this train is proof of the progress made by Indian Railways. This train will bring ease to the people of Kolkata and pride to the people of India.  The metro line has 520-metre twin tunnels built 30 meters below the riverbed. The tunnel is provided with four-layers of protection to shield it from the water of the mighty Hubli River.  The section between Howrah and Mahakaran metro stations will be under the river for only about a minute when the train passes through the tunnel at a speed of 80 km per hour.  According to Railways estimate, the project will ferry an estimated one million passengers per day by 2035.

30. Kolkata to get world's first museum on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu  The world's first museum dedicated to the life and teachings of 16th-century saint and social reformer, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was inaugurated at the city's Baghbazar Gaudiya Math.

 This technically enabled 'Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Museum' built to preserve information related to the great saint. This museum is the dream project of Gaudiya Mission.  The Gaudiya Mission, a spiritual and philanthropic organisation established in 1935, propagates the teachings of Sri Chaitanya and the Vaishnava faith. It has many centers in India and temples in London and New York.  The museum has been designed by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM). "While the museum seeks to play a key role in creating awareness among the present generations, its primary objective is to preserve all the evidence of Vaishnava heritage, living traditions as well as the intangible heritage which are disappearing very fast.  A rich collection of resources such as the saint's memorabilia, artefacts, manuscripts, rare books, pictures and other valuable exhibits are on display. People can even get a glimpse of his original handwriting. In addition, there is an auditorium, archive, meditation room, Library, space theatre and a canteen.

31. West Bengal launches free crop insurance scheme for farmers  West Bengal government has announced a crop insurance scheme in collaboration with the Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AIC), for the 2019 kharif season.  Bangla Shashya Bima (BSB) is applicable for farmers in 15 districts - Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur, Malda, Hooghly, Nadia, Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Birbhum, Purulia, Dakshin Dinajpur, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.  The crop insurance scheme would be free of cost for the farmers since the government will pay the full premium. The crops that will come under insurance are aman paddy, aus paddy, jute and maize.  All farmers taking loans (granted or applied for) and even those not taking loans can avail of the insurance. The insurance will be paid in four stages - for any losses suffered during planting, during cultivation, during the period post-cutting when crops are lying in the field, and for adverse weather situations. The amount will be decided by the state government and will be calculated per hectare.

32. Kolkata-Khulna train: After 52 years, you can now buy ticket to Bangladesh; all you need to know  After 52 years, the people of India and Bangladesh can now buy train tickets to travel to the other side of the border. The train services were suspended during 1965 India- Pakistan war.  The Maitree Express-II will travel a total distance of about 176 km, 80 km of which is in India while the rest 96 km stretch falls in Bangladesh. The train will pass through Petra pole - the last station on the Indian side of the border - and Benapole - the first station on the Bangladesh side  The two sides of erstwhile-united Bengal were connected through train service before the partition of India in 1947. Train service was available from Sealdah to Khulna and Jessore.  The train service was suspended during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. Bangladesh was then part of Pakistan as East Pakistan. The War of Liberation in 1971 gave birth to Bangladesh. The train service started between India and Bangladesh in 2008 when Maitree Express-I was launched.  Bus services are already operational on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and Kolkata-Dhaka routes. The Kolkata-Dhaka route was launched in 1999. The Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala route was opened in 2015.

33. Cyclone Fani effects in West Bengal: Heavy rain, high-speed winds; no casualty  After wreaking havoc in Odisha, Cyclone Fani entered West Bengal post, lashing its coastal areas with heavy rains. This severe cyclonic storm had relatively weakened and

transformed into ―very severe‖ when it approached Bengal. With wind gusting at over 100 kmph, accompanied by heavy rains, Cyclone Fani effects were felt at Digha, Mandarmani, Tajpur and Contai.  The cyclonic storm also made its presence felt in Kharagpur and Burdwan where several trees were uprooted. Parts of Kolkata and its suburbs received moderate to heavy rainfall.  More than 1800 people in Kolkata were moved to safer places prior to the arrival of the cyclone.

34. Bengal Government Takes Initiative to Replace Diesel Taxis with Electric Cabs  The state government will provide Rs 1 lakh as one-time subsidy to taxi owners to move to electric.  As part of the effort to phase out vehicles emitting noxious smoke, West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) in collaboration with the state government has taken an initiative to replace diesel taxis with electric ones.  Owners of 1,000 yellow taxis, which are more than 15 years of age, will be identified by the transport department and asked to convert their vehicles to electric ones for which the state government will provide Rs 1 lakh as one-time subsidy

35. Sheikh Hasina expects positive response from India over unresolved issues, including Teesta  Sharing the waters of the Teesta River, which originates in the Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal to merge with the Brahmaputra in Assam and (Jamuna in Bangladesh), is perhaps the most contentious issue between two friendly neighbors, India and Bangladesh.  For West Bengal, Teesta is considered as the lifeline of half-a-dozen districts in North Bengal. Bangladesh has sought an ―equitable‖ distribution of Teesta waters from India, on the lines of the Ganga Water Treaty of 1996, but to no avail.  Following a half-hearted deal in 1983, when nearly equal division of water was proposed, the countries hit a roadblock. The transient agreement could not be implemented. Talks resumed after the Awami League returned to power in 2008 and the former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Dhaka in 2011. Officials were directed to conclude the ―agreements‖ on a ―fair and equitable basis,‖ as per the joint statement.  In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s visit to Dhaka generated lines that are more ebullient: ―deliberations were under way involving all the stakeholders to conclude the agreement as soon as possible.‖  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — is yet to endorse the deal. Her objection is connected to ―Global Warming‖. Many of the glaciers on the Teesta basin have retreated, says Strategic Foresight Group, a Mumbai-based think-tank. ―Estimates suggested that the Teesta river has a mean annual flow of approximately 60 billion cubic meters (BCM). A significant amount of this water flows during the wet season, between June and September. The importance of the flow and the seasonal variation of this river are felt during the lean season (from October to April/May) as the average flow is about 500 million cubic meter (MCM) per month. Consequently, there are floods during monsoons and droughts during the dry periods,‖ the 2013 report said.  The West Bengal Chief Minister opposed an arrangement in 2011, by which India would get 42.5% and Bangladesh 37.5% of the water during the lean season, and the plan was shelved.  Ms. Banerjee, cannot be sidestepped as water is a State subject.

36. 1.04 crores hit by arsenic contamination in Bengal  Following a recent report tabled in the Lok Sabha stating that West Bengal has the highest number of arsenic-affected people in the country,

 There are 83 blocks in eight districts — Bardhaman, Malda, Hooghly, Howrah, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South 24 Paraganas — where ground water is affected by arsenic contamination.  The chairman of the State‘s Arsenic Task Force, K.J. Nath, also admitted that progress in setting up water treatment plants has been slow

37. Discovery, WWF tie up to preserve Sundarbans to help save the world’s only mangrove tiger habitat  Discovery India and WWF India have partnered with the Forest Directorate, the government of West Bengal and local communities in the Sundarbans.  With a vision to create climate-smart villages in the Sundarbans, WWF India and Discovery India are working with government agencies, civil society partners and scientific institutions to build the capacity of village panchayats and local communities to incorporate climate resilience into development planning, thereby helping secure livelihoods, biodiversity and ecosystem services.  The project will use technology to solve several of the issues faced in the region. This includes building datasets on impacts of climate change on the estuarine ecosystem. Through this project, in partnership with the West Bengal Forest Directorate and IISER Kolkata, two Sundarbans Ecological Observatories will be set up, each featuring data loggers, monitoring buoys and an onsite laboratory.  Impact of climate change: WWF India has already been working in the region to promote sustainable livelihoods, access to clean energy, and effective human-wildlife conflict management. Through the partnership with WWF India, Discovery‘s new project aims to assist the Forest Directorate for effectively managing populations of tiger, prey and their habitat in Sundarbans, and reduce human-tiger conflict.  It will work with panchayats help build resilient communities in this ecologically fragile and climatically vulnerable region, said Discovery.  The initiative also focuses on enhancing farmland productivity through low-cost measures and adjusting crop calendars to deal with climate change. The initiative will also include work towards securing habitats for tigers and prey species. ―This partnership between WWF India and Discovery India is significant as it brings together different institutions for the benefit of communities and wildlife of Sundarbans. This includes the setting up of ecological observatories, reducing human-wildlife conflict and providing scientific inputs for proper management.  ―The project at Sundarbans is part of a global movement – Project CAT – Conserving Acres for Tigers – aimed at building healthy habitats for Tigers wherein we support conserve nearly six million acres of protected land across four countries. In India, beyond Sundarbans, a detailed intervention is also being implemented at Manas Tiger Reserve.

38. Walling off the sea to save Sunderbans temple in West Bengal  The Kapil Muni temple on Sagar Island in the Sunderbans, where a large number of devotees gather every year during the Gangasagar fair, is facing the threat of rising seas and will be submerged in the next few years. The West Bengal government is taking steps to prevent further erosion of the coast.  ―The Finance Department has given in principle approval for the construction of sea walls using offshore submerged ‗Geotubes‘ (sand-like material filled into geo-textile tube). The cost is Rs.77 crores. The design is being made by IIT-Madras.  The project involves a comprehensive plan for ―beach protection and coastal erosion protection for 2,300 meters along the stretch of the Kapil Muni temple and the Ganga Sagar Mela ground‖.  This is not the first time that the temple is facing the problem of rising seas. It is believed that the existing temple is the seventh at the site, after six structures built earlier went into the sea. According to legend, King Bhagirath, after a long penance, brought the Ganga down from the Himalayas to liberate his ancestors, who were burnt to ashes in

front of the Kapil Muni temple on Sagar Island. It is also believed that the temple is located at the point where the river meets the sea.  Human habitation in Sagar started in 1811, and according to records available, this might be the fourth temple. The existing temple was built in 1973. According to the West Bengal Tourism Department, the deity in the temple, a stone block considered a representation of Sage Kapil, was installed in 1437 by Swami Ramanand.

39. No bonus for Darjeeling tea workers  Workers of the Darjeeling Tea industry will for the first time in recent memory not receive Puja bonus before the festival. The 87 Darjeeling Tea gardens employ 55,000 permanent and 15,000 temporary workers.  The bonus imbroglio could not be resolved even after seven rounds of meetings, garden gate talks, blocks on dispatch of made tea, relay hunger strikes and a 12-hour closure of the hills.  Garden managements had offered bonus at the rate of 15 per cent of a worker‘s annual earning while the tea unions have demanded 20 per cent.  General strike in the hills hit thousands of tourists and forced travel agents to rework itineraries. Seven trade unions in the hills have appealed for a 12-hour ―closure‖ to put pressure on the Darjeeling Tea industry to reach a bonus agreement.  The hills have not witnessed such a protest since the 104-day shutdown in September 2017.  Six rounds of recent bonus meetings — the last was mediated by the state government between the unions and management — have failed. The managements have so far offered a bonus of 15 per cent of a worker‘s annual earnings. The unions, which had earlier asked for 20 per cent but later scaled it down to 19 per cent, have now gone back to their old demand.  Union leaders have announced ―an indefinite hunger strike‖ from October 6 if the bonus issue is not resolved. The next bonus meeting has been called on October 17, by which time Puja will be over.

40. Calcutta High Court rejects quota for service doctors  The order means the health department will have to draw up a fresh merit list based on marks in the entrance examinations. Some government officials said the order meant that the state could reintroduce the benefits for its doctors after issuing a notification  The high court struck down the state government‘s decision to reserve 40 per cent seats in the MD and MS courses for doctors serving in government hospitals.  Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, who delivered the ruling, described the state‘s decision as ―contrary to a ruling by the Supreme Court‖ and cancelled the admission of those government doctors who had gained entry in the postgraduate courses under the quota.  A Supreme Court bench on April 25 of last year dismissed the quota for government doctors in postgraduate medical courses. ―Prescribing a separate source of entry for in- service degree candidates would directly result in a lowering of standards in medical education,‖ the five-judge Constitution Bench of the apex court had observed.  The bench, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, dismissed an application by the Tamil Nadu government seeking a direction allowing it to have a 50 per cent quota for ―in- service doctors‖ in postgraduate medical education.  Justice Bhattacharya also turned down a plea by Bengal‘s ―in-service doctors‖ that the state government be allowed to award extra marks to government doctors working in rural areas in the entrance examination for postgraduate medical courses.  The Mamata Banerjee government had been providing ―grace marks‖ to its doctors serving in rural areas. ―At present there are 1,600-plus seats in postgraduate medical courses, 40 per cent of which have been reserved for government doctors‖.

 The judge held that since the government had not issued any notification in this regard, the system could not be implemented during admission of government doctors in postgraduate medical courses.  According to State Health department sources, there is shortage of at least 6,000 doctors in government-run health-care establishments. ―The government had recently invited applications to appoint 10,000 doctors. Only around 4,000 doctors have applied and joined the service. Around 6,000 posts are lying vacant.‖

41. Tracing the history of Gorkhaland movement: Another crisis triggered by language  Gorkhaland consists of Nepali-speaking people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and other hilly districts. The people belonging to these areas hardly have any connection with the Bengali community and are different in ethnicity, culture and language.  The West Bengal government‘s decision to impose Bengali language in all the schools from Class I-IX had sparked a violent protest in the Gorkha-led Darjeeling. The army has had to be called in to pacify the situation in the region.  The crisis in Gorkhaland has been brewing for many decades and the stems from language.  As per the 1951 census only 19.96 per cent of the population (numbering a total population 88,958) in Darjeeling district spoke Nepali. Based on this data, the Indian government after Independence overlooked Nepali as one of the national languages of India. However, in 1961, the West Bengal government recognised Nepali as an official language, and Nepali was granted as the official language of India in 1992 under the VIIIth scheduled of Indian constitution.

History of Gorkhaland movement: A look back  In 1780, the Gorkhas captured Sikkim and most part of North Eastern states that includes Darjeeling, Siliguri, Simla, Nainital, Garhwal hills, Kumaon and Sutlej, that is, the entire region from Teesta to Sutlej. After 35 years of rule, the Gorkhas surrendered the territory to British in the Treaty of Segoulee in 1816, after they lost the Anglo-Nepal war.  However, though British handed over Darjeeling to Sikkim, it was taken back for political reasons in 1835. Before 1905, when Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon directed the partition of Bengal, Darjeeling was a part of Rajshahi division, which now falls in Bangladesh. For a short period from 1905-1912, it was even a part of Bhagalpur division.  In 1780, the Gorkhas captured Sikkim and most part of North Eastern states that includes Darjeeling, Siliguri, Simla, Nainital, Garhwal hills, Kumaon and Sutlej, that is, the entire region from Teesta to Sutlej.

Here is a timeline of the Gorkhaland crisis  1907- The first demand for Gorkhaland is submitted to Morley-Minto Reforms panel. After that on several occasions, demands were made to the British government and then government of Independent India for separation from Bengal.  1952- The All India Gorkha League submits a memorandum to then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru demanding separation from the state of Bengal.  1955- Daulat Das Bokhim, the President of District Shamik Sangh submits a memorandum to the chairman, State Reorganization Committee demanding the creation of separate state consisting of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar district.  1977- 81: The West Bengal government passes a unanimous resolution supporting the creation of an autonomous district council consisting Darjeeling and related areas. The bill is forwarded to Central Government for consideration of this matter. In 1981, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi receives a memorandum from Pranta Parishad, demanding a separate state.  1980-90: The demand for Gorkhaland was intensified in the 1980s under the leadership of Gorkha National Liberation Front supremo Subhas Ghising. The movement turns

violent during the period of 1986-88, and around 1,200 people are killed. After a two-year long protest, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) is finally formed in 1988.  2007- At the last phase of left front‘s regime, the mass movement for Gorkhaland takes place under the leadership of Gorkha Janmurti Morcha (GJM) supremo Bimal Gurung. The 2007 Gorkha uprising intensifies, following the 2005 Centre and state government initiative for a permanent solution of this region by bringing it to the sixth schedule of the constitution giving some degree of autonomy to a predominantly tribal area. However, the Gorkhas opposed this sixth schedule and demand statehood gains pace. The four-year long movement ends after CM Mamata Banerjee‘s declaration of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and Gurung is made its leader.  With the formation of Telangana on July 20, 2013, the movement for Gorkhaland state again intensifies. Gurung resigns from the head of GTA, says people have lost all faith. However, in a making her stand clear, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said, ―Bengal cannot suffer the pain of yet another partition.‖

42. What is Narada sting operation case?  This case can well affect Mamata Banerjee's political future. The Narada sting operation case, as the name suggests, was a series of sting operations conducted by Narada news in West Bengal to expose the ‗corrupt‘ practices of ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government.  The sting was conducted over a period of two years and was earlier to be published in Tehelka magazine. It was carried out by Matthew Samuel who later quit Tehelka and launched his own TV channel in West Bengal.

When was the Narada sting operation footage released?  The sting operation was released just ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections in West Bengal and it showed 12 TMC ministers and leaders accepting bribes in return of favors. This came as a major setback for the party whose senior ministers were already embroiled in the multi-crores Saradha chit-fund scam.

Who all were involved?  A fictitious company was set up and several ministers were approached by the sting operators asking them for favors in return of money. The ministers or leaders who were allegedly seen taking bribes on camera are Mukul Roy, Subrata Mukherjee, Sultan Ahmed, Sugata Roy, Suvendhu Adhikari, Kakoli Ghosh Dastikar, Prasoon Banerjee, Suvon Chatterjee, Madan Mitra, Iqbal Ahmed and Farhad Hakim. Senior police officer MH Ahmed Mirza, who claimed to be the key person who raised funds for the party, was also seen accepting money.

How did the Narada sting case proceed?  Even though the Trinamool Congress faced stern criticism and outrage from public and opposition parties, it managed to secure a win in Assembly elections. However, another major setback came on March 17 this year when the Calcutta High Court ordered a preliminary probe to be conducted by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the sting operation case. It also directed the CBI to register an FIR against those who were involved in the case, if required.

What is the present status of the Narada sting operation case?  Responding to the Calcutta High Court order, the West Bengal government approached Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the Calcutta High Court order. However, the three- judge bench criticized the state government and ordered the probe to continue. It also gave one-month period for the CBI to conduct preliminary inquiries. If the evidence against the ministers is found to be appropriate and FIR is registered, it may serve as a major setback for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.

43. Tribal’s protest mine deforestation  The plan was given the go-ahead last year to supply coal to the Bakreswar Thermal Power Project in Birbhumwo organisations, including a prominent tribal outfit, held a protest rally in Brigham‘s Khoirasol against the proposed felling of trees on 270 acres of forestland to make way for a coalmine, alleging that such deforestation would affect the livelihood of tribals.  The Birbhum Adivasi Gaonta and the Save Democracy Forum alleged that tribal people, who depend on wood, honey and fruits to earn their livelihood, had not been taken into confidence before launching the drive to clear the forestland for an opencast mine of the Power Development Corporation Ltd (PDCL).  Forest department officials said PDCL had taken permission to cut trees on the 270 acres of land in Khoirasol and promised to carry out a re-plantation drive in Siliguri.  Justice Ganguly said, ―The demand of the tribal people is justified. It is illegal to set up an opencast coalmine by deforesting the area. The government should conduct a public hearing along with the tribal people before undertaking such a project in Khoirasol.‖

44. National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases: Hub of bacteria research  Repository of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains for research will be the first of its kind in the country city institute will become a hub of research on how to prevent strains of bacteria from becoming resistant to antibiotics.  As part of the hub, coming up on the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) campus in Beleghata (West Bengal), there will be a repository of antibiotic- resistant bacteria strains for research. The institute functions under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).  NICED has started storing strains of drug-resistant bacteria in its repository. A scientist at the institute said the bank would grow over the years and they would approach medical establishments to send them resistant strains.  AMR hub had been set up at NICED because it was a star among all ICMR institutes.

45. Operation clears out  Families of Government staffers staying on in quarters after retirement evicted in five- hour drive after court verdict Baisakhi Abasan looked like a refugee camp in the evening on September 6. The housing estate was teeming with police personnel and RAF personnel as furniture, clothes, books, gas cylinders were being heaped in front of buildings with residents standing guard as more of their belongings were brought down the stairs.  An eviction drive was carried out by the urban development department after 18 families, which had moved court against an eviction notice served last year, lost the case. Of the 18, 16 families were from Baisakhi Abasan and two from Banasri Abasan.  With the first round of eviction being a success and another round planned after the Durga puja, the government now has plans to equip the housing estate with amenities like a community centre, a market complex and a guesthouse. Security will also be beefed up.

The back-story  There are five government housing estates in Salt Lake where government employees are given residential quarters during their period of service. However, according to sources, many stay put even after retirement, sometimes even after the death of the original allottee.  ―All the families evicted occupied C type apartments, which have two bedrooms and kitchen space over 450 sq ft. We have about 520 C type apartments in Baisakhi and 700- odd D type ones, which are one-bed room flats. Many employees housed in D type apartments have on promotion become eligible for C type ones but because of such illegal

occupants, we are not being able to accommodate the rightful claimants. Close to 1,200 applications for C Type, apartments have piled up. Estimates say, about 300 of the 2,000- odd flats in the five housing estates are being illegally occupied.  When the eviction notice was served, 18 families went to court. They argued that since they had been paying rent, they could not be called illegal occupants. However, on August 28, the high court single bench of Justice Debangsu Basak ordered the government to ―proceed expeditiously with eviction proceedings.‖

46. Smart lights in New Town  Streetlights that brighten by up to 40 per cent when it detects an approaching vehicle will be installed in all three-action areas of the township.  These lights turn on automatically when it gets dark and can turn off when there is ample daylight. Streetlights all over Calcutta are at present controlled manually from several operating centers.  The results have been quite satisfactory and government is intended to replace all the conventional LED street lights into such units in phases. There are 6,971 streetlights in New Town.  The control unit has infrared sensors and controllers to detect vehicle movement. The lights will operate at 60-80 per cent of their capacity when traffic is thin and become brighter when vehicle movement increases. The units are equipped with photosensitive sensors that can measure the ambient light around it.  The sensor is connected to a circuit that turns the light on when it detects low ambient light. The sensor is able to send a signal to switch off the light when it detects ample daylight. Smart LED lights would help save electricity and ensure the streets light up when it gets cloudy or foggy and even in dusty conditions.  All the control units will be connected to each other through a central data centre, can be monitored, and even operated using an app downloaded on a Smartphone. All the functions can be controlled remotely through a computerized system as well.

47. Bengal skips NITI Aayog rankings  Two sets of rankings have been presented West Bengal has boycotted a first-of-its-kind NITI Aayog initiative to rank the states on the basis of the quality of their government schools, with those placed higher expected to receive extra central funds.  The rankings are based on criteria such as the schoolchildren‘s overall learning levels, the consistency of their performance across classes and schools, the ease of access to schools, the infrastructure available at the schools and the quality of their management.  Bengal refused to participate and will not share the data.  Data for the rankings came under two heads. One, information provided by the states themselves under the United District Information on School Education (UDISE) for 2015- 16 and 2016-17; and two, the findings of the National Achievement Survey, a test conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training to assess schoolchildren‘s learning levels in 2017.  While the UDISE and National Achievement Survey data for all the states were available with the government, these needed to go through third-party verification. Bengal did not agree to this.

48. Calcutta’s toxic waste keeps growing  No order from government against single-use bags: civic body does not have any valid data on how much plastic waste Calcutta produce every day. However, no definite data is available but various studies indicate that the volume may be anything between 500 and 1,200 tonnes. All studies clearly point out that the volume is growing and plastic waste has turned into a big peril for Calcutta is, clogging sewers and drains and triggering water logging across the city.

 ―The municipal solid waste generated daily in the city of Kolkata has been estimated at 5,372 tonnes. Out of this, around 1,900 tonnes is recyclables, of which just 700 tonnes is recycled daily. The rest 1,200 tonnes (mainly plastic) add to the untreated waste.  With increasing consumption of plastic, generation of plastic waste is also growing tremendously in the city. Amongst the variety of things, plastic bags are seen as a big pollutant, reads a report of Toxic Link, which specializes in the waste sector.  State pollution control board official pointed out that the Plastic Waste Act 2016 had provisions of fining users of banned plastic carrier bags as well as vendors dealing in them. The onus is on the civic bodies to enforce the act.

Part-B Union Ministers Portfolios Minister 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space 2. Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh 3. Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah 4. Minister of Finance & Minister of Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman 5. Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar 6. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 7. Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani Minister of Women and Child Development 8. Minister of Railways & Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal 9. Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers D. V. Sadananda Gowda 10. Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda 11. Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal 12. Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan 13. Minister of Law and Justice & Minister of Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad Minister of Electronics and Information Technology 14. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Minister of Steel Dharmendra Pradhan 15. Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar Minister of Rural Development Minister of Panchayati Raj 16. Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot 17. Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal 18. Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan 19. Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javdekar Ministry of Information and Broadcasting 20. Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi 21. Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey 22. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Coal & Mines Pralhad Joshi 23. Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat 24. Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Giriraj Singh 25. Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Arvind Sawant

Government schemes

Ministry of Power Saubhagya – Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana Key Points:  It was launched in September 2017 with the objective to provide access to electricity to all the remaining households in the country. The scheme primarily benefits rural areas, which have vast majority of households without power connections.  It is being funded to extent of 60% by central grants, 30% by bank loans and 10% by states. Under it, free electricity connections are provided to below poverty line (BPL) households, while other households have to pay 500 rupees for the connection.

Implementation-  To identify beneficiaries free electricity connections, the government will use Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data.  The beneficiary household will get five LED lights, one DC fan, one DC power plug. It also includes the Repair and Maintenance (R&M) for 5 years.  To ensure on-the-spot registration, mobile applications will be used.  Gram Panchayat and public institutions in rural areas will be authorized to carry out billing and collection tasks.  There will be no subsidy component for monthly electricity consumption.

8 States have achieved 100% household electrification under Saubhagya namely Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, J&K, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal. Total 15 States now have 100 % household electrification.

Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers 1. Nutrient based Subsidy Scheme  It aims at ensuring balanced use of fertilizers, improving the agricultural productivity, promoting the growth of the indigenous fertilizers industry and reducing the burden of Subsidy. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for the continuation of Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) 12th Five Year plan till 2019-20.  Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) programme for fertilizers was initiated in the year 2010. Under the scheme, a fixed amount of subsidy decided on an annual basis is provided on each grade of subsidized Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers, except for Urea, based on the nutrient content present in them.  It is largely for secondary nutrients like N, P, S, K, and micronutrients that are very important for crop growth and development. The scheme is being implemented by the Department of Fertilizers.

2. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana  This campaign is launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses. PMBJP stores have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.  Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementation agency for PMBJP.  Vision: To bring down the healthcare budget of every citizen of India through providing Quality generic Medicines at Affordable Prices  Create awareness among the public regarding generic medicines.  Create demand for generic medicines through medical practitioners.  Create awareness through education and awareness program that high price need not be synonymous with high quality.

 Provide all the commonly used generic medicines covering all the therapeutic groups.  Provide all the related health care products too under the scheme.

 Objective: Making quality medicines available at affordable prices for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, through exclusive outlets "Jan Aushadhi Medical Store", to reduce out of pocket expenses in healthcare

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)  It was launched in December 1993 by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. It provides a mechanism for the Members of Parliament to recommend works of developmental nature for creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities including community infrastructure, based on locally felt needs.  Salient features:  MPLADS is a centrally sponsored plan scheme fully funded by the government of India under which funds are released in the form of grants in-aid directly to the district authorities.  Works, developmental in nature, based on locally felt needs and always available for the use of the public at large, are eligible under the scheme.  Preference under the scheme is given to works relating to national priorities, such as provision of drinking water, public health, education, sanitation, roads, etc.  The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsable. Funds not released in a particular year are carried forward to the subsequent years, subject to eligibility.  The MPs have a recommendatory role under the scheme. They recommend their choice of works to the concerned district authorities who implement these works by following the established procedures of the concerned state government.  The district authority is empowered to examine the eligibility of works sanction funds and select the implementing agencies, prioritize works, supervise overall execution, and monitor the scheme at the ground level.  The Lok Sabha Members can recommend works in their respective constituencies.  The elected members of the Rajya Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the state from which they are elected.  Nominated members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha may select works for implementation anywhere in the country.

Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

1. Namami Gange Programme  It was launched in 2015 by ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation with an objective to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner. It is also known as Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission Project and is a Central government Project (100% centrally funded). It will cover 8 states & 12 rivers.  Main components include Expanding waste/sewage treatment, River Front Development, River surface cleaning, Biodiversity, Afforestation, Public awareness, Industrial effluent monitoring and Ganga Gram.  Interventions taken under Namami Ganga include-  Sustainable Municipal Sewage Management  Managing Sewage from Rural Areas.  Managing Industrial discharge and pollution abatement  Enforcing River Regulatory Zones on Ganga Banks, Restoration and Conservation of wetlands, Efficient Irrigation methods.  Ensuring Ecological rejuvenation by conservation of aquatic life and biodiversity  Promotion of Tourism and Shipping in a rational and sustainable manner

 Knowledge Management on Ganga through Ganga Knowledge Centre

2. Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY)  Implementing agencyis Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.  It aims at tackling ever-deepening crisis of depleting groundwater level. It is designed as a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs. 6,000 crores and is proposed to be implemented with World Bank assistance. It is to be implemented over a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23, with World Bank assistance.  The objective of scheme is to recharge ground water and create sufficient water storage for agricultural purposes.  It also focuses on revival of surface water bodies so that groundwater level can be increased, especially in the rural areas.  The scheme is launched in 7 water-stressed states: Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.  These States represent about 25% of the total number of over-exploited, critical and semi- critical blocks in terms of ground water in India. They also cover two major types of groundwater systems found in India – alluvial and hard rock aquifers and have varying degrees of institutional readiness and experience in groundwater management.

Ministry of Culture Seva Bhoj Yojana  The Union Ministry of Culture on June 1, 2018 introduced a new scheme called Seva Bhoj Yojana to reimburse the central share of CGST and IGST on items for food/prasad/langar/bhandara offered free of cost by charitable religious institutions.  The scheme seeks to reimburse the central government‘s share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) on purchase of raw items such as ghee, edible oil, atta, maida, rava, flour, rice pulses, sugar and jaggery, which go into preparation of food/prasad/langar/bhandara offered free of cost by religious institutions.  The main objective of the scheme is to lessen the financial burden of such charitable religious institutions, which provide free of cost without any discrimination to the public and devotees.  The institutions/organizations should have been in existence for preceding three years before applying for assistance.

Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises FAME-India Scheme  The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) India was launched in 2015 under National Electric Mobility Mission (NEMM).  It aims at promoting eco-friendly vehicles in the country. The scheme is being administered by the Heavy Industries Ministry.  Objectives  Provide fiscal and monetary incentives for adoption and market creation of both hybrid and electric technologies vehicles in the country and incentivize all vehicle segments, including two-wheelers, three wheeler auto, passenger four-wheeler vehicle, light commercial vehicles and buses.  In order to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth of the same, Department of Heavy Industry is implementing FAME-India Scheme- Phase-I [Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India] from 1 April 2015. The scheme, which was initially up to 31 April 2019 or until Notification of FAME-II, whichever is earlier  The Phase-II of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME-India) Scheme proposes to give a push to electric vehicles (EVs) in public

transport and seeks to encourage adoption of EVs by way of market creation and demand aggregation.

Ministry of Women and Child Development 1. POSHAN Abhiyan  POSHAN Abhiyan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan in March 2018.  It is implemented by Ministry of Women and Child Development and aims at ensuring holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children.  The Union Government has signed $200 million loan agreement with World Bank for National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyan) for 315 districts across all states and union territories. The loan proceeds will be used for reducing stunting in children 0-6 years of age from 38.4% to 25% by 2022 under POSHAN Abhiyan.  It targets to reduce level of under-nutrition and other related problems by ensuring convergence of various nutrition related schemes.  It also targets stunting, under-nutrition, anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and low birth rate.  It will monitor and review implementation of all such schemes and utilize existing structural arrangements of line ministries wherever available.  Its large component involves gradual scaling-up of interventions supported by ongoing World Bank assisted Integrated  Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) to all districts in the country by 2022.

2. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)  The campaign was launched by Prime Minister in January 2015 at Panipat, Haryana as comprehensive programme to address declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of women over life-cycle continuum.  The specific objectives of scheme are preventing gender biased sex selective elimination, ensuring survival and protection of the girl child and ensuring education and participation of the girl child. Its focus is on awareness and advocacy campaign, multi- sect oral action enabling ‟ Girls education and effective enforcement of Pre-Conception & Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act‖.  The scheme is being implemented as a tri-ministerial, convergent effort of Union Ministries of Women and Child Development (WCD), Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Human Resource Development (HRD). The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) is nodal ministry for programme at central level.  The Union Government has expanded Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme from 161 districts to all 640 districts of the country. The initial focus of BBBP was limited to districts, which either were below national average or were worse in their own states in terms of absolute values of Child Sex Ratio.

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare PM-AASHA  Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) is launched to ensure better prices for farm produce.  The three schemes that are part of AASHA are Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) and Pilot of Private Procurement and Stockiest Scheme (PPPS) .These three components will complement the existing schemes of the Department of Food and Public Distribution. They relate to paddy, wheat and other cereals and coarse grains where procurement is at MSP now.  PSS - Under the PSS, physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and copra will be done by Central Nodal Agencies. Besides, NAFED and Food Corporation of India will also take up

procurement of crops under PSS. The expenditure and losses due to procurement will be borne by the Centre.  PDPS- under the PDPS, the Centre proposes to cover all oilseeds. The difference between the MSP and actual selling/modal price will be directly paid into the farmer's bank account. Farmers who sell their crops in recognized mandis within the notified period can benefit from it.  PPSS- In the case of oilseeds, States will have the option to roll out PPSSs in select districts. Under this, a private player can procure crops at MSP when market prices drop below MSP. The private player will then be compensated through a service charge up to a maximum of 15% of the MSP.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Ayushman Bharat Health Scheme  The National Health Protection Mission or Ayushman Bharat Yojana, launched by the Government is the first major step, which aims to create a healthy, capable and content new India. It will also focus on the poor and weaker sections of the society.  It aims to provide insurance of up to 5 lakh rupees to each family. The new scheme also intends to improve secondary and tertiary healthcare services for crores of Indians.  There are two flagship initiatives under Ayushman Bharat:  Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY):Rs. 1200 crores have been allocated for this flagship programme. Under this scheme, 1.5 lakh health sub-centers are being converted into health and wellness centers. The scheme will cover more than 10 crores poor families, which is approximately 50 crores persons. The centers will provide comprehensive healthcare, including treatment for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health services. It will also setup wellness centers, which will give poor people OPD facility near their homes.  National Health Protection Scheme: The National Health Protection Scheme will cover over 10 crores poor and vulnerable families. It will provide coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per family, per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.

National News 1. Article 370  Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution, which provides a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.  Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is a 'temporary provision‘, which grants special autonomous status to Jammu & Kashmir.  Under Part XXI of the Constitution of India, which deals with "Temporary, Transitional and Special provisions", the state of Jammu & Kashmir has been accorded special status under Article370.  Not all the provisions of the Constitution, which are applicable to other states, are applicable to J&K.

Provisions of Article 370:  According to this article, except for defence, foreign affairs, finance and communications. Parliament needs the state government's concurrence for applying all other laws. Thus, the state's residents live under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to other Indians.  Because of this provision, Indian citizens from other states cannot purchase land or property inJammu & Kashmir.  Under Article 370, the Centre has no power to declare financial emergency under Article 360 inthe state. It can declare an emergency in the state only in case of war or external aggression.

 Article 370(3) permits deletion by a Presidential Order. Such an order, however, is to be preceded by the concurrence of J&K‟s Constituent Assembly. Since such an Assembly

was dissolved onJanuary 26, 1957, one view is it cannot be deleted anymore. However, the other view is that it can be done, but only with the concurrence of the State Assembly.

2. The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019  The Act provides for the advancement of ―economically weaker sections of citizens. This reservation of 10% for ―economically weaker sections will be in addition to the existing reservation.  The union government will notify the economically weaker sections based on family in come and other indicators given by it.  The Bill seeks to amend Article 15 to permit the government to provide for the advancement of economically weaker sections. Moreover, up to 10% of seats can be reserved for such sections for admission in educational institutions. It will also amends Article 16 to permit the government to reserve up to 10% of all posts for the economically weaker sections of citizens.  Eligibility criteria for the proposed quota  General category individuals, all members of whose family together  Income less than Rs 8 lakh per annum will qualify  Owns less than five acres of agricultural land will qualify  Own agricultural land, or a residential flat of area 1,000 sqft. or larger, a residential plot of area 100 yards or more in notified municipalities and 200 yards or more in areas other than notified municipalities will not qualify.

3. Mission Shakti  India successfully conducted Mission Shakti by shooting down a live satellite in the LEO.  India has become the 4th country to attain this feat after US, Russia and China.  Anti Satellite Weapons:  They are missile-based systems developed to attack artificial satellites.  Mission Shakti:  India conducted the test from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex. This was carried out by DRDO. The satellite used in the mission was one of India‗s existing satellites operating in Low Earth Orbit.  The DRDO‗s Ballistic Missile Defense interceptor was used for the programme.

 Test conducted in the lower atmosphere ensured minimum space debris. Whatever debris is generated will decay and fall back on to the earth.  The test was done to verify that India has the capability to safeguard its space assets. It is the Government of India‗s responsibility to defend the country‗s interests in outer space.  The principal international Treaty on space is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. India is a signatory to this treaty, and ratified it in 1982. The Outer Space Treaty prohibits only weapons of mass destruction in outer space, not ordinary weapons.

4. Bharat Stage Norms  The Supreme Court of India recently ruled that no Bharat Stage IV vehicle should be sold across the country with effect from April 1, 2020. Instead, the Bharat Stage VI (or BS-VI) emission norm would come into force from April 1, 2020 across the country.  Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) is an emission standard that will bring much-needed changes in the Indian automobile industry in terms of pollutant emissions.  With this emission norm coming into effect, India will come at par with the US, European countries and other advanced automotive markets across the globe.  India is currently following BS IV norms that were adopted this year across the country.  Bharat Stage VI norms include a wide list of technology modifications under the hood, the most significant being making OBD (On-board diagnostics) mandatory for all vehicles.

5. Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan-Dhan Yojana  Labour ministry will be the nodal ministry to implement the scheme.  Three crores self- employed workers are the targeted population for this scheme.  It will provide monthly pension of Rs.3000 after age of 60 with a miniscule investment.  Shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons with GST turnover less than 1.5 crores and aged between 18-40 years can enroll for this scheme.  Life Insurance Corporation has been chosen as fund manager to run this pension scheme.

6. PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)  PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) was launched in budget 2019 to ameliorate farm distress.  The scheme's original objective to  Supplement the financial needs of the small and marginal farmers have been broadened to include all the categories of agricultural landowners.  Features of the Scheme  Annual support of Rs 6,000 to be provided in three Rs 2000 instalments each.  Entirely funded by Union Government  Applicable from retrospective effect from December 2018  Allocation of Rs 20,000 for the current financial year (2018-19) and Rs 75,000 crores in 2019-20

7. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY)  The CSC e-Governance Services India has set a target of enrolling two crores small and marginal farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY) by August 15.  The scheme entitles eligible farmers to receive monthly pension of Rs.3, 000 per month.  CSC, a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics and IT roped as exclusive ―enrolling agency for enrollment of subscribers.  Eligible farmers can enroll using his bank Passbook and Aadhar details through simplified procedure.  A PM-KMY pension card with a unique pension account number will be generated after completion of authentication.

 It is a voluntary and contribution based pension scheme for farmers in the age group of 18 to 40 years.  Farmers can make a monthly contribution of Rs.55 to Rs.200 depending on the age of entry in the pension fund till they reach the retirement age of 60 years.  The central government will make an equal contribution of the same amount in the pension fund.  Farmer‗s spouse is also eligible to get a separate pension of Rs.3, 000 upon making separate contribution to the fund.  In case of death of the farmer before the retirement date, the spouse may continue with the scheme. If the spouse does not wish to contribute, the total contribution made by the farmer along with interest will be paid to the spouse.

8. Bank Mergers  Government announced merging of 10 public sector banks into four larger entities aimed at improving banks financial health and enhancing their lending capacity to support growth.  The government also announced an infusion of INR 55,250 crores to help these newly merged banks extend more loans to their customers and meet crucial regulatory norms.  Bank merger will help in scaling up of funds of the banks. It helps to finance larger projects.  Increased geographic outreach that will improve financial inclusion  Narasimhan Committee on Banking Sector Reforms recommended the bank mergers to form global scale banks.

9. Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act (UAPA), 2019 Objectives  Effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India  To make powers available for dealing with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of India

Background  It amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967  UAPA, 1967 enacted on recommendation of the Committee on National Integration and Regionalism, appointed by the National Integration Council

Key provisions of UAPA, 2019  Empowers the government to designate organizations and individuals as terrorists  Defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within the scope of any of the treaties listed in the schedule to the Act.  Provides for putting travel ban on such individuals once declared as terrorists  Powers to the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to attach properties acquired from proceeds of terrorism.  Officers of Inspector rank are empowered to investigate these cases

Positives of the Act  Give boost to the policy of "zero tolerance" against terrorism  Clamp down on "separatism and extremism propaganda" and rising "urban Maoists"  Inspector-rank officers are empowered to investigate UAPA-related cases it would quicken the delivery of justice  It would give more teeth to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in dealing with terror cases  It would help agencies remain four steps ahead of terrorists in preventing unlawful activities

 Meet commitments made at the Financial Action Task Force (an intergovernmental organization to combat money laundering and terrorism financing).

Concerns against Act  Section 35 of UAPA 2019 does not specify detailed grounds or reasons based on which an individual can be termed as a terrorist  Directly and adversely affects the fundamental right to free speech and expression" as enshrined under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution of India.  Violates the right to reputation-an integral part of the Article 21(Right to life), by terming or tagging an individual as terrorist even before the commencement of trial.  Lifelong stigma gets attached to a person notified as terrorist even after being de-notified  NIA can now get into a state without informing the state police or taking permission from the state government interfering into the federal structure, since law and order is a state subject.  UAPA amendments are unconstitutional as it allows the State to notify a person as a terrorist without a procedure established by law.  Arbitrary power without any limits or bounds make this law more prone to be misused by ruling authorities for self gains  Conferring of such discretionary, unfettered and unbound powers upon the Central government is an antithesis to Article 14 of the Constitution of India.  It does not afford an opportunity to an individual categorized as a terrorist, to present his/her case.  Can lead to human right violation or humanitarian crisis

Way forward  Authorities must use this law with all cautions.  Investigating agencies should be well -trained to deal with such sensitive cases  Government should not use this law to suppress dissent and oppositions  This law must be used only as a drug, not as daily bread.  Civil society and NGOs must come up with ideas to make this law defects free and citizen- friendly.

10. National Register of Citizens of India What is NRC?  NRC is a register maintained by the Government of India, containing names and relevant information for identification of all genuine Indian citizens.  On the directives of the Ministry of Home affairs (MHA), after conducting the Census of 1951, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was prepared by recording particulars of all the persons enumerated during the 1951 Census and since then it has not been updated till recently.

Assam NRC  The North-East Indian state of Assam has become the first state in India where the NRC updation is being taken up.  It includes names of those persons whose names appeared in the NRC, 1951 and their descendants having permanent residence within the state.

Purpose of NRC Updation  Identification of Indian citizens from among all the present residents of the state  Identification of illegal migrants residing in that state, who entered into it after the midnight of 24 March 1971

NRC and Assam Accord  Criteria to identify residents of Assam are based on Assam Accord.  The Assam Accord of 1985 began with the assurance that the ―government has all along been most anxious to find a satisfactory resolution to the problem of foreigners in Assam‖.  It put together a list of resolutions to be implemented in order to solve the immigration issue in Assam.  As per Assam accord, all people who came to Assam prior to January 1, 1966, would be given citizenship.  Those who moved in between January 1, 1966, and March 24, 1971, would be ―detected in accordance with the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order 1964‖. Their names would be deleted from the electoral rolls and they would remain disenfranchised for a period of 10 years.  Lastly, the accord provided a resolution to the case of those who entered Indian borders after March 24, 1971. ―Foreigners who came to Assam on or after March 25, 1971, shall continue to be detected, deleted and practical steps shall be taken to expel such foreigners,‖ said the accord.

Issues with NRC Updation  Exclusion of more than 19 lakh out of the 3.29 crores applicants from the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) caused a Humanitarian crisis by making them stateless.  It caused marginalisation of poor and illiterate.  This Supreme Court-monitored exercise took five years and Rs.1, 220 crores.  The process of NRC update in Assam differs from the rest of the country and is governed by Rule 4A and the corresponding Schedule of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.  There have been several administrative and procedural discrepancies in the final draft of the NRC as the name of some family members and ex-servicemen are excluded.  Assam has a problem of annual floods in the Brahmaputra. Documents are destroyed, geographies shift, addresses change.  Officials have been generally uncooperative.  There have been several cases of transparent injustice whereby families have been divided – some declared Doubtful Voters and foreigners, others as bonafide citizens.  Little has been done to address the issues of economically backward and uneducated people who were unable to download the online forms.

NRC and international relations (Bi- lateral relation with Bangladesh)  The neighbouring country has already made its intention clear by stating that this is an internal issue of Assam and India and it has nothing to do with it.  Bangladesh official said that his country need not respond because the 19-lakh people are not Bangladeshis. These people belonged to Assam's neighbouring states in India.  Bangladesh does not recognise any infiltration-taking place from its territory to India.  The possibility of deportation to Bangladesh is very bleak as the people excluded from the list should be proven citizens of Bangladesh, and that will require cooperation from Bangladesh.  Heavy-handedness on this issue could also harm warm ties between India and Bangladesh, an eventuality both neighbours would like to avoid.

NRC and UNHCR (The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)  UN demands Government of India (GOI) response on ‗Human Rights Crisis', it reminded India of its obligations under international Human Rights conventions.  UNHCR asked GOI to ―arrest the rising tide of bigotry, stigmatization and scapegoating of all those perceived as ―foreigners‖ and ―infiltrators‖, most of whom belong to racial, ethnic, religious or linguistic minority groups in India.‖

 UNHRC has pointed that international laws and conventions are being violated by the Indian government‘s to prevent a crisis in Assam.  These include, Article 27 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by India on 10 April 1979. This establishes that in those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities have the right, in community with the other members of their group, ―to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language‖.  Article 19 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) that guarantees ―the right of ―everyone‖ to seek, receive and impart information of all kinds, through any media and regardless of frontiers.  UNHRC has asked GOI to take all necessary measures to guarantee their right, not to be deprived arbitrarily of liberty and to fair proceedings before an independent and impartial tribunal, in accordance with articles 9 and 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).  The UN Special Rapporteur has raised the issue of possible statelessness of millions of people in Assam in wake of the exclusion of their names from the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Role of Supreme Court in NRC Updation  Supreme Court of India‘s order in the year 2013 in regards to two writ petitions mandated the Union Government and the State Government to complete the updation of NRC, in accordance with Citizenship Act, 1955 and Citizenship Rules, 2003 in all parts of Assam.  Supreme Court of India is closely monitoring the process and has been holding regular hearings on representations made to it by various interested parties & stakeholders.  In its judgement, SC made reference to Article 144 and Art 142 of the Constitution of India.

New emerging challenges  Civil wars, unrest among masses, serious law and order problem involving mob attack not just in Assam but also in other parts of India.  Most of those left out are Muslims; it can give rise to hate crimes and communalism.  Government may fail to strictly implement it due to lax administration.  The government may fail to stop the "illegal immigrants" from voting, as there have been several cases of people having made bogus official identity cards such as Aadhaar, PAN card, ration card and even voter's identity card.  It may prove a Humanitarian disaster in the making, with tens of thousands of genuine citizens being turned stateless, defying all logic of natural justice.  There has been a rise in cases of mass suicides since the publication of the final draft of the NRC last year.

Grievance redressal mechanism  People who have been excluded from the final list of NRC will have to appeal against it at Foreigners' Tribunals (FT) - a quasi-judicial court and subsequently in the high court or Supreme Court.  The government has given 120 days time to those excluded from the NRC to appeal in the court.  FTs have to adjudicate two to three million cases and they have been given just 120 days it denies fair trial and justice.  Someone who loses his or her case in a Foreigners' Tribunal as well as in higher courts, he or she will face a possible arrest and the prospect of being sent to a detention centre.  Assam has six detention camps and the state government has proposed to build a seventh detention camp with a capacity for 3,000 people. However, the list of illegal migrants is in lakhs which these detention centres will not be able to accommodate.

Future of excluded people  If not deported or detained in a camp, such people would officially be entitled as non- citizens. India has no fixed policy for "stateless" persons.  The only aspect that is more or less clear here is that a "stateless" person will not have voting rights. As of now, nothing is clear about their rights to work, housing and government healthcare and education.  In India, being "stateless" is not the same as being a refugee. At present, the country has refugees from Tibet, Sri Lanka (Tamils) and West Pakistan.

Way forward  The porous border between India and Bangladesh hinders effective border management. Tackling infiltration from Bangladesh demands alternative solution, hence there are doubts whether the NRC alone could solve the problem.  Need for robust grievance redressal mechanism to ensure justice for all.  Government and non-government agencies must ensure that no one should use this issue for political gains or to spread communalism.  State must ensure that these Stateless people should get basic amenities in the detention camps.  There is an urgent need of fixed policy for ―Stateless people‖.

11. Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) What is JSA?  It is a time-bound, mission-mode water conservation campaign.  It will run in two Phases  Phase 1 from 1st July to 15th September 2019 for all States and Union Territories; and  Phase 2 from 1st October to 30th November 2019 for States and UTs receiving the retreating monsoon.  It aims at making water conservation a Jan Andolan through asset creation and extensive communication.

Why JSA is need of the hour?  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) currently designates India as water stressed nation.  Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) shows India‘s per capita storage capacity is significantly low where only 8% of annual rainfall is being stored.  India also uses 3-5 times more water for crops than China, US and Israel, which is considered as disproportionate use of water per crop.  Heavy dependence on groundwater  Years of deficient rains  Disproportionate demand for water due to rapid population increase  Urbanization and industrialization have put considerable stress on water management.

JSA Five Major Intervention Areas  Water conservation and rainwater harvesting  Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks  Reuse and recharge structures  Watershed development  Intensive afforestation

Others Special Intervention Areas  Development of Block and District Water Conservation Plans (To be integrated with the District Irrigation Plans)

 Krishi Vigyan Kendra Melas to promote efficient water use for irrigation (Per Drop More Crop), and better choice of crops for water conservation  In urban areas, plans with time bound targets to be developed for wastewater reuse for industrial and agriculture purposes.  Municipalities to pass by-laws for the separation of grey water and blackwater  Scientists and IITs to be mobilized at the national level to support the teams  3D Village Contour Maps may be created and made accessible for efficient planning of interventions

Problems and Issues in JSA implementation  Spatial and temporal variation of rainfall across the district  Encroachment and disuse of existing water conservation structures  Large-scale growth of aquatic weeds displacing natural species and chocking the water bodies leading to eutrophication and evaporation losses.  Lack of enforcement of legal instruments relating to rain water harvesting  Lack of awareness about available technology options for community based harvesting of rain water  Lack of people‘s participation to sustain conservation activities since these are seen more a Government intervention than people‘s participation

Ground Reality Check  Official review report of the first phase showed that of JSAhas lead to 3.5 lakh water conservation initiatives in a month.  It ensured that the conservation benefit reaches the farmers at the ground level.  JSA has led to an increase in groundwater level, surface water storage capacity, soil moisture in farmlands and increased plant cover.

Way Forward:  The government needs to seriously take action in educating the public on proper uses of water.  The government of India must concentrate on managing demand. They must ensure a timely, leak-proof and safe water supply.  Controlling the water consumption at irrigation level is the most important factor as it consumes 85% of groundwater without inflicting food security of the country.  Water literacy at the national level should be the primary focus, which has not been seriously done so far.  Special models on water conservation and proper utilization must be introduced in school.  Needs to adopt nature-based solution like ecological restoration  Need to increase and spread awareness about recycling, reusing and conservation of water.

12. The Babri Masjid Case What is it?  At the core of the nearly 70-year-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is the belief that Lord Ram was born 9, 00,000 years ago in the Treta Yuga, in a room located under what was the central dome of the Babri Masjid. The masjid was built on the orders of Mughal emperor Babur in the 16th century and occupied 1,482.5 square yards before its demolition by karsevaks on December 6, 1992.  On September 30, 2010, a three-judge Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court upheld the Hindu belief, reasoning that the ―world knows‖ where Ram‘s birthplace is. It ordered a partition of the site occupied by the Babri Masjid equally among the U.P. Sunni Central Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla, the deity.

 In May 2011, on appeals by the Sunni Waqf Board and other parties, the Supreme Court stayed the judgment, calling it a ―leap of faith.‖ The stay ensured status quo, which meant that a lone priest would continue to worship in the makeshift temple built at the site — a custom legitimized in the Ayodhya Act of 1993. The ban continued on any mode of activity on the 67 acres acquired by the Centre following the Supreme Court orders of March 13 and 14, 2002.  The Supreme Court on December 5, 2017 fixed February 8, 2018 as the date for hearing the civil appeals in the title dispute. It commenced the final hearing in the dispute on that date, a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the medieval-era structure. The case relies on documents written in languages as varied as Persian and Arabic, dating back to the 16th century.

Timeline: Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute  The idols of Ram Lalla were placed ―surreptitiously‖ under the central dome of the Babri Masjid in 1949. The next year, Gopal Simla Visharad filed the first suit in the Faizabad civil court for rights to perform puja to Ram Lalla. Paramahansa Ramachandra Das filed a suit for continuation of puja and keeping idols in the structure.  In 1959, the NirmohiAkhara filed a third suit, seeking a direction to hand over charge of the disputed site. The U.P. Sunni Central Wakf Board filed the fourth suit in 1961 for declaration and possession and a fifth was filed in 1989 in the name of Ram Lalla Virajman for declaration and possession.  In 1986, the district court ordered the removal of locks and opening of the site for Hindu worshippers. In 1991, the Uttar Pradesh government acquired land around the structure for the convenience of devotees coming for Ram Lalla darshan.  In 1993, the Centre took over 67 acres around the area and sought the Supreme Court‘s opinion on whether there existed a Hindu place of worship before the structure was built. In 1994, the litigation reached the Lucknow Bench. The suits were heard from 1996 until September 2010.

Why does it matter?  The Supreme Court‘s decision will be a deciding factor in the backdrop of the movement for building a Ram temple at the disputed site gaining momentum. The Ram temple was a major promise in the BJP manifesto. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, in April 2017, decided to revive the criminal conspiracy charges against senior BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, in the Babri Masjid demolition cases.

What is next?  Just days before the commencement of the final hearing in the dispute in the Supreme Court, U.P. Central Shia Waqf Board chairperson informed the court about a settlement reached between the Board and ―non-Muslim stakeholders‖ for building a Ram temple at the disputed site. The Board said it would bear the expenses and construct a mosque in Lucknow.  Supreme Court has leaned in favour of an out-of-court settlement; this Sunni-Shia rift may compel it to adjudicate the dispute.  Currently, Supreme Court is hearing this case again as the out-of-court settlement failed to find a solution.

13. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill, 2019  It provides for reorganization of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.  Reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir: The Bill reorganizes the state of Jammu and Kashmir into: (i) The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature, and (ii) The Union Territory of Ladakh without a legislature.

 The Union Territory of Ladakh will comprise Kargil and Leh districts, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will comprise the remaining territories of the existing state of Jammu and Kashmir.  Lieutenant Governor: The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be administered by the President, through an administrator appointed by him known as the Lieutenant Governor. The Union Territory of Ladakh will be administered by the President, through a Lieutenant Governor appointed by him.  Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir: The Bill provides for a Legislative Assembly for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The total number of seats in the Assembly will be 107. Of these, 24 seats will remain vacant because of certain areas of Jammu and Kashmir being under the occupation of Pakistan. Further, seats will be reserved in the Assembly for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in proportion to their population in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In addition, the Lieutenant Governor may nominate two members to the Legislative Assembly to give representation to women, if they are not adequately represented.  The Assembly will have a term of five years, and the Lieutenant Governor must summon the Assembly at least once in six months. The Legislative Assembly may make laws for any part of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir related to: (i) Any matters specified in the State List of the Constitution, except ―Police‖ and ―Public Order‖ (ii) Any matter in the Concurrent List applicable to Union Territories. Further, Parliament has the power to make laws in relation to any matter for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.  Council of Ministers: The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have a Council of Ministers of not more than ten percent of the total number of members in the Assembly. The Council wills aide and advice the Lieutenant Governor on matters that the Assembly has powers to make laws. The Chief Minister will communicate all decisions of the Council to the Lieutenant Governor.  High Court: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir will be the common High Court for the Union Territories of Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Further, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have an Advocate General to provide legal advice to the government of the Union Territory.  Legislative Council: The Legislative Council of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be abolished. Upon dissolution, all Bills pending in the Council will lapse.  Advisory Committees: The central government will appoint Advisory Committees, for various purposes, including: (i) Distribution of assets and liabilities of corporations of the state of Jammu and Kashmir between the two Union Territories, (ii) Issues related to the generation and supply of electricity and water, and (iii) Issues related to the Jammu and Kashmir State Financial Corporation. These Committees must submit their reports within six months to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, who must act on these recommendations within 30 days.  Extent of laws: The Schedule lists 106 central laws that will be made applicable to Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on a date notified by the central government. These include the Aadhaar Act, 2016, the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Right to Education Act, 2009. Further, it repeals 153 state laws of Jammu and Kashmir. In addition, 166 state laws will remain in force, and seven laws will be applicable with amendments. These amendments include lifting of prohibitions on lease of land to persons who are not permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

14. India may have entered ‘Quasi-Recession’ as GDP growth declines  With growth dipping for two consecutive quarters, India is effectively in a quasi-recession. India‘s longest growth slump since 2012 is heightening concern that it may be tough for policy makers to reverse the slowdown.  While the standard macroeconomic definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of shrinking GDP, a significant decline in economic activity spread across months is another often-used description.  In India, which offers only year-on-year calculations of output, automobile sales have plunged the most in two decades.  Official data showed that gross domestic product in Asia‘s No. 3 economy grew 5% in April-June from a year earlier, below the weakest estimate of 39 economists polled by Bloomberg and the slowest pace in six years. The five straight quarters of slowing growth mark, the longest slump since 2012 with investment and consumption both falling.

15. Indian Sedition Law What is Sedition law and what does it say in the Indian Penal Code:  Section 124-A in the Indian Penal Code, named 'Sedition', explains sedition in wide and magnanimous terms  It says 'Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India' shall be punished with life imprisonment  The explanations which the Indian Penal Code gives are that 'the expression 'disaffection' includes disloyalty and all feelings of hate  It also says that comments that express strong disapproval of 'the measures of the Government, with a view to obtain their desired modifications by lawful means, without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offense under this section.'  According to the section 124-A, comments expressing strong disapproval of the 'administrative or other action of the Government without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offense under this section.'

Background:  The law was originally drafted by Thomas Macaulay; it was not a part of IPC in the 1860s and was even dropped from the law. It was re-introduced in the IPC in the year 1870.Many Indian freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, were charged with sedition during freedom struggle  When the first amendment was introduced, which also included detailed limitations on free speech, the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was categorical in his belief that the offence of sedition was fundamentally unconstitutional.

Recently used:  In April 2012, the West Bengal government used Section 66A against a professor of Jadavpur University for circulating emails that mocked chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Ambikesh Mahapatra and his neighbor Subrata Sengupta were arrested for circulating a cartoon lampooning Banerjee that was based on a scene from Satyajit Ray‘s popular children detective movie Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress). The cartoon showed Banerjee pointing to the Indian Railways‘ logo and telling her party man and railway minister Mukul Roy: ‗See Mukul, the Golden Fortress.‘ To which Roy points to his predecessor Dinesh Trivedi and exclaims ‗That‘s an evil man!‘ At which Mamata says: ‗Evil man, vanish!‘  Besides Kanhaiya Kumar, Patidar leader Hardik Patel was slapped with sedition charges.  In the year 2014, some of the Kashmiri students were charged with sedition for supporting Pakistan in a cricket match between India and Pakistan.

16. Motor Vehicles Act 2019  New Motor Vehicles Act 2019 came into effect from September 1.  The going has gotten difficult for those breaking traffic rules. From higher penalties for driving errors to imprisonment up to one month for racing and speeding and up to six months for offences relating to accidents, the new Act is bringing back things in order by instilling fear.

What is it?  The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is based on the recommendations of the Group of Transport Ministers of States.  Given that the Act wanted to deter individuals from violating traffic rules, it has introduced heavy fines for drunken driving, driving without license, dangerous driving, over-speeding, etc. These penalties will be increasing by 10 per cent every year on April 1, as notified by the Central government.  The new Act has also extended the period for renewal of driving licenses from one month to one year after the date of expiry. Only if the renewal delayed more than a year, will the driver have to undergo a test of competence.  The Act also promises to protect those people who render emergency medical or non- medical assistance to a victim of an accident, from any civil or criminal liability. The minimum compensation for death or grievous injury due to hit and run has been moved up substantially.

Why is it important?  In 2017, as per data by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, there had occurred 4.64 lakh accidents that claimed lives of 1.47 lakh people Two-wheelers accounted for over a third of all road accidents. Slowly, as all States begin implementing the provisions of the Act with heftier fines and imprisonment for drunken driving, driving without license and insurance and juvenile offences, people may start to follow rules and road accidents may actually reduce.  It is only a model Act; State governments are free to make their own laws and rules. Success depends on how far states enforce the provisions of the Act.

West Bengal refuses to implement new Motor Vehicles Act  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act were ‗too harsh‘ and the State would not implement it.  The Motor Vehicles Act 2019 that came into effect from September 1 imposes hefty fines for traffic violations. The amendment imposes higher penalties for driving errors  WB opposed the amendments in Parliament, as it will hurt general people.  WB CM said money cannot be the solution to the problem and things have to be looked at from the ―humanitarian point of view‖.

17. INX Media case against P Chidambaram and a timeline of events  Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI in connection with its probe into alleged charges of corruption in the INX Media case.  CBI had registered an FIR in May 2017, alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to the INX group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crores in 2007. Chidambaram was Union Finance Minister at the time.  Last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a case of money laundering, and the CBI called Chidambaram for questioning. Earlier this year, Chidambaram moved Delhi High Court to seek anticipatory bail in both the cases.

First red flags  In January 2008, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) of the Finance Ministry flagged Foreign Direct Investment of over Rs 305 crores by three Mauritius-based companies in INX Media Pvt Ltd., then owned by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.  The Income Tax (I-T) Department in Mumbai forwarded the case to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). In 2010, ED registered a case against INX Media for alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations.

Karti Chidambaram  Several years later, while investigating a company associated with Chidambaram‘s son Karti Chidambaram, ED found documents linked to INX Media in the computer of Karti‘s CA Bhaskarraman. The documents indicated payments made to Karti‘s alleged company by INX Media at the time the Finance Ministry granted it FIPB approval.  On ED‘s reference in this regard, CBI registered a case of corruption in May 2017, and searched premises connected with both Karti and his father P Chidambaram. Following this, ED lodged a case of money laundering against Karti.  Karti was arrested by CBI in February last year. He was later granted bail by Delhi High Court, and is now the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga.

The CBI‘s case  In its FIR, CBI said that INX Media had approached FIPB on March 13, 2007 for permission to issue 14.98 lakh equity shares and 31.22 lakh convertible non-cumulative redeemable preference shares of Rs 10 a piece to three non-resident investors under the FDI route.  According to the CBI, in its application to FIPB in 2007, the media company also mentioned its intention to ―make a down stream financial investment to the extent of 26 per cent of the issued and outstanding equity share capital of INX News Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of INX Media‖.  The CBI has alleged that INX Media flouted the conditional approval of FIPB, and brought in over Rs 305 crores of FDI in the firm against the approved inflow of Rs 4.62 crores.  CBI sources had said at the time that the foreign entities bought shares of INX at Rs 862.31 a piece, which was 86.2 times more than their face value. The media organisation also made a downstream investment of 26% in its subsidiary, INX News.

Link to Chidambaram  CBI has alleged that on May 26, 2008, when FIPB sought clarification from INX Media after the I-T Department began its investigation, the media firm engaged Karti Chidambaram, the promoter director of Chess Management Service (P) Ltd, to ―amicably‖ resolve the issue by ―influencing the public servants of the FIPB unit of Ministry of Finance by virtue of his relationship with the then Finance Minister, P Chidambaram‖  CBI has alleged that FIPB, instead of investigating the case, extended undue favors to the media firm by asking INX News to apply for fresh FIPB approval on the downstream investment that it had already received.

18. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019  It makes all declaration of talaq, including in written or electronic form, to be void (i.e. not enforceable in law) and illegal.  It defines talaq as talaq-e-biddat or any other similar form of talaq pronounced by a Muslim man resulting in instant and irrevocable divorce. Talaq-e-biddat refers to the practice under Muslim personal laws where pronouncement of the word ‗talaq‘ thrice in one sitting by a Muslim man to his wife results in an instant and irrevocable divorce.  Offence and penalty: The Bill makes declaration of talaq a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years‘ imprisonment with a fine. (A cognizable offence is one for which a police officer may arrest an accused person without warrant.)

 The offence will be cognizable only if information relating to the offence is given by: (i) The married woman (against whom talaq has been declared), or (ii) Any person related to her by blood or marriage.  The Bill provides that the Magistrate may grant bail to the accused. The bail may be granted only after hearing the woman (against whom talaq has been pronounced), and if the Magistrate is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for granting bail.  The offence may be compounded by the Magistrate upon the request of the woman (against whom talaq has been declared). Compounding refers to the procedure where the two sides agree to stop legal proceedings, and settle the dispute. The terms and conditions of the compounding of the offence will be determined by the Magistrate.  Allowance: A Muslim woman, against whom talaq has been declared, is entitled to seek subsistence allowance from her husband for herself and for her dependent children. The amount of the allowance will be determined by the Magistrate.  Custody: A Muslim woman, against whom such talaq has been declared, is entitled to seek custody of her minor children. The manner of custody will be determined by the Magistrate.

19. Naxalism in India  Naxalism have its origin from Naxalbari village in West Bengal where the movement originated in 1967 under the leadership of Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal.  It refers to the use of violence to destabilize the state through various communist guerrilla groups.  Naxalites are far-left radical communists who derive their political ideology from the teachings of Mao Zedong, a Chinese revolutionary leader.  In India, it is prevalent in Red Corridor, which spread from Andhra Pradesh to Nepal Border.  In 2006 the then PM Dr. Manmohan Singh said ―it is worst and most serious internal security threat which our country  In West Bengal only one district, Jhargram is affected by Naxalism.

The objective of Naxalism:  The core objective of the Naxalism movement is the establishment of People‘s Revolutionary State, which is supposed to be achieved by establishing a ‗Red Corridor‘, stretching from the Nepal border through Central India until Karnataka in the South.  It laid emphasis on the advancement of people‘s social and economic life by establishing classless society through armed revolution.  This objective is to be achieved by using armed struggle as the prime tool to garner the support of the oppressed and the exploited.  Naxal leaders support various issues like protecting people‘s rights of Jal (water), Jungle (Forest) and Jamin (Land) (JJJ).

Causes of Naxalism: Displacement and Forced Evictions of tribal:  Tribal life revolves around Jal (water), Jamin (land) and Jungle (forest) – they have been evicted from all three.  Large-scale land acquisition for ‗public purposes‘ without appropriate compensation or rehabilitation. Lack of Economic Development:  Unemployment- development activities cost them hugely but they did not get fruits of development. Social Exclusion  Lack of better educational opportunities and health facilities.

 Poor implementation of special laws on prevention of atrocities, protection of civil rights and abolition of bonded labor etc. Governance Related Factors  Corruption and poor provision/non-provision of essential public services.  Incompetent, ill-trained and poorly motivated public personnel who are mostly absent from their place of posting.  Perversion of electoral politics and unsatisfactory working of local government institutions Lack of political representation

Government‘s four pronged strategy to deal with Naxalism: Security Front related intervention:  Due to misuse of ceasefire strategy by Naxals, government changed the strategy. Instead of offering ceasefire, it focused on (surgical) strikes based on hard intelligence. It is more effective in arresting or eliminating key leader of Naxals.  Centre has deployed COBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) a specialized unit of the Central Reserve Police Force of India proficient in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare.  Greyhound of Andhra Pradesh to fight against Naxalism  Recruitment of surrendered extremists in the CRPF to fight against Naxalism Development related intervention:  Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana: launched by Ministry of Tribal Affairs for holistic development of the tribal people by targeting their education, employment, healthcare, infrastructure and connectivity.  Training to state officials: for better implementation of Forest Rights act and PESA Act  Integrated Action Plan: for 82 Naxal affected tribal and backward districts to provide public infrastructure and services.  Special infrastructure scheme for Naxal affected region.  Schemes like UDAAN, Nai Manzil.  Rights and entitlements of forest dwellers: recognized their rights for example Forest Right Act, 2006 was enacted. Civic action programme Each CAPF Company is given Rs.3 lakh for holding medical camps, sanitation drives, sports meets, distribution of study material to children, minor repairs of school building, road, and bridges to build confidence among the locals. Media management: to display government effort to provide them development

Declining Naxalism:  Decrease in deaths and attacks over the years.  Now they are confined to only 5 states from earlier 10 states  Decrease in mass base and recruitment.  Increasing Maoist surrender and rehabilitation  Greater electoral turn out

Present presence of Naxalism:  Few states like Chhattisgarh still have half of their state under Naxalism.  Focused, targeted striking on security forces instilling heavy causalities (& boosting their morale).  Managed to penetrate into NE & South East India as well as few urban areas where they were not traditionally present.  Increased use of technology by them

Way forward:  Government needs innovative solutions for locating armed groups in the thick forests of the Naxalism-affected regions.

 Local Police knows the language and topography of a region; it can fight Naxalism better than the armed forces.  Government needs to ensure two things, security of the peace-loving people and the development of the Naxalism-affected regions.  State governments need to understand that Naxalism is their problem also and only they can tackle it effectively. They can take help from central government if required.

Conclusion: We need to hasten the social and economic changes in an all-inclusive growth, may be even sacrifice growth for equitability. A line from the Tupamaro Manifesto, ―If the country does not belong to everyone, it will belong to no one‖, can be aptly quoted here.

20. India's population to surpass that of China's around 2024: UN  In its 24th round of estimates released in 2015, it was projected that the population of India will surpass that of China's by 2022.  India's population could surpass that of China's around 2024, two years later than previously estimated, and is projected to touch 1.5 billion in 2030, according to a new UN forecast.  The World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said that currently China with 1.41 billion inhabitants and India with 1.34 billion remains the two most populous countries, comprising 19 and 18 per cent of the total global population.  The new estimates found that in 2024, India and China are expected to have roughly a population of 1.44 billion each. After that, India's population is projected to continue growing for several decades to around 1.5 billion in 2030 and approaching 1.66 billion in 2050, while the population of China is projected to remain stable until the 2030s, after which it may begin a slow decline.  India's population may eventually see a decline in the half century after 2050 to 1.51 billion by 2100 but it will still be the most populous country in the world.  In India, life expectancy at birth will be 71 years in 2025-2030, growing to 74.2 years in 2045-2050. The under-five mortality rate will decline from 32.3 deaths under age five per 1,000 live births in 2025-2030 to 18.6 in 2045-2050.  The countries projected to be net senders of more than 100,000 migrants annually include India, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Indonesia.  Intermediate-fertility countries are found in many regions, with the largest being India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico and the Philippines.

21. Population Control Bill: Will India is able to handle its overpopulation crisis?  Few Members of Parliament tabled a draft before President Ram Nath Kovind, demanding a population control bill. If the bill is passed in Indian Parliament, the two-child policy will be introduced in the country.

What is a two-child policy?  Two-child policy, famously known as 'hum do humare do' is a term, which has been frequently used in public via advertisements on trucks or on public walls.  The term is not new to Indians; a two-child policy is a government-imposed limit of two children allowed per family, with the benefits of government subsidies given only to the first two children. It has previously been used in Vietnam  Since 2016, it has been implemented in China, replacing its previous one-child policy

Two sides of the population in India  With inflation on an all-time-high in India, families nowadays are getting smaller as they are not even able to feed a single child.

 However, there are still families in rural areas in India where a woman is treated as a machine for producing children. A machine, which has to produce a number of girls until the time a boy, is not born, resulting in no family planning whatsoever.

What does POPULATION CONTROL BILL say?  The Act may be called as Population Control Act and can extend to the whole of India. According to the act, no person shall procreate more than two living children after a period of one year from the commencement of this Act.  If population explosion is not managed on time, there will be no resources left, and the growing population's demand will increase to the next level, resulting in increasing death rates in the country.

22. Uniform Civil code — the debate, the status  Supreme Court described Goa as a ―shining example‖ with a Uniform Civil Code, observed that the founders of the Constitution had ―hoped and expected‖ a Uniform Civil Code for India but there has been no attempt at framing one.

What is a Uniform Civil Code?  A Uniform Civil Code is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.  Article 44 of the Constitution lies down that the state shall endeavor to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.  Article 44 is one of the directive principles. These, as defined in Article 37, are not justifiable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.  Fundamental rights are enforceable in a court of law. While Article 44 uses the words ―state shall endeavor‖, other Articles in the ‗Directive Principles‘ chapter use words such as ―in particular strive‖; ―shall in particular direct its policy‖; ―shall be obligation of the state‖ etc.  Article 43 mentions ―state shall endeavor by suitable legislation‖ while the phrase ―by suitable legislation‖ is absent in Article 44. All this implies that the duty of the state is greater in other directive principles than in Article 44.

What are more important — fundamental rights or directive principles?  There is no doubt that fundamental rights are more important. The Supreme Court held in Minerva Mills (1980): ―Indian Constitution is founded on the bed-rock of the balance between Parts III (Fundamental Rights) and IV (Directive Principles). To give absolute primacy to one over the other is to disturb the harmony of the Constitution‖.  Article 31C inserted by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, however, lays down that if a law is made to implement any directive principle, it cannot be challenged on the ground of being violative of the fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 19.

Does India not already have a uniform code in civil matters?  Indian laws do follow a uniform code in most civil matters – Indian Contract Act, Civil Procedure Code, Sale of Goods Act, Transfer of Property Act, Partnership Act, Evidence Act etc. States, however, have made hundreds of amendments and therefore in certain matters, there is diversity even under these secular civil laws. Recently, several states refused to be governed by the uniform Motor Vehicles Act, 2019.  If the framers of the Constitution had intended to have a Uniform Civil Code, they would have given exclusive jurisdiction to Parliament in respect of personal laws, by including this subject in the Union List. However, ―personal laws‖ are mentioned in the Concurrent List. Last year, the Law Commission concluded that a Uniform Civil Code is neither feasible nor desirable.

Is there one common personal law for any religious community governing all its members?  All Hindus of the country are not governed by one law, nor are all Muslims or all Christians. Not only British legal traditions, even those of the Portuguese and the French remain operative in some parts.  In the Northeast, there are more than 200 tribes with their own varied customary laws. The Constitution itself protects local customs in Nagaland. Similar protections are enjoyed by Meghalaya and Mizoram. Even reformed Hindu law, in spite of codification, protects customary practices.

How does the idea of a Uniform Civil Code relate to the fundamental right to religion?  Article 25 lays down an individual‘s fundamental right to religion  Article 26(b) upholds the right of each religious denomination or any section thereof to ―manage its own affairs in matters of religion‖  Article 29 defines the right to conserve distinctive culture.  An individual‘s freedom of religion under Article 25 is subject to ―public order, health, morality‖ and other provisions relating to fundamental rights, but a group‘s freedom under Article 26 has not been subjected to other fundamental rights In the Constituent Assembly, there was division on the issue of putting Uniform Civil Code in the fundamental rights chapter. The matter was settled by a vote. By a 5:4 majority, the fundamental rights sub-committee headed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel held that the provision was outside the scope of fundamental rights and therefore the Uniform Civil Code was made less important than freedom of religion.

23. Chandrayaan-2

 India‘s first attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon has not been successful. The lander of Chandrayaan-2, called Vikram, did not slow down at the expected rate towards the latter part of its descent, and most likely hit the lunar surface at a speed greater than required for safe landing. The ground control station had lost contact with the lander when it was about 2.1 km above the Moon.