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SCHEMES 3 ORGANISATIONS 21 1. PRADHAN MANTRI MATRU VANDANA 1. CARICOM 21 YOJANA 3 2. UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY 21 2. PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN MAAN-DHAN 3. ASSOCIATION OF WORLD ELECTION BODIES YOJANA 3 (A-WEB) 21 INITIATIVES 5 FLORA & FAUNA 23 1. REAL ESTATE (REGULATION AND 1. CRYODRAKON BOREAS 23 DEVELOPMENT) ACT 5 2. CODE ON WAGES BILL, 2019 5 ECONOMY 24 3. NATIONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FUND 8 4. JEEVAN KAUSHAL INITIATIVE 9 1. MINIMUM EXPORT PRICE 24 5. NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR 2. DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION TAX 24 TECHNOLOGY(NEAT) 9 3. EAC-PM 24 6. DIGITAL PAYMENT ABHIYAN 9 4. SCHEME FOR REMISSION OF DUTIES OR 7. JAN SOOCHNA PORTAL 10 TAXES ON EXPORT PRODUCT 24 8. SARAL INDEX 10 5. MUDRA 25 9. FAKE NEWS 10 6. INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICE 10. UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) CENTRE (IFSC) 25 AMENDMENT ACT, 2019 11 7. MGNREGA 25 11. UMMID 11 8. KERALA IN INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR 26 12. SAHIBGANJ MULTIMODAL TERMINAL: 11 9. CORPORATE TAX CUTS 27 13. TB HAREGA DESH JEETEGA CAMPAIGN 12 10. SUPER RICH TAX 27 14. NATIONAL ANIMAL DISEASE CONTROL 11. HIGHER PROCUREMENT PRICE FOR PROGRAMME 12 ETHANOL 27 12. MARKET INTERVENTION SCHEME (MIS) 28 ENVIRONMENT 13 13. NIRVAK 28 14. CONCURRENT AUDIT 28 1. FOREST PLUS 2.0 13 2. UN 2019 CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT 13 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 30 3. UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION 13 1. ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES 30 4. FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION 15 2. TRANSGENIC MOSQUITOES 30 5. SINGLE USE PLASTIC 15 3. DENISOVAN 31 6. SPECIAL REPORT ON THE OCEAN AND 4. VACCINE HESITANCY 31 CRYOSPHERE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE 16 5. SKYBOT F-850 31 7. BASEL BAN AMENDMENT 16 6. CHANDRAYAAN II 32 8. PARAQUAT DICHLORIDE 16 7. RAKHIGARHI DNA STUDY 33 9. INDIA’S COOLING ACTION PLAN 17 8. K2-18B 34 10. CANNABIS 17 9. MPATGM 34 11. NATIONAL WATER MISSION 17 10. NAVAL VARIANT OF LCA TEJAS 34

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11. NATGRID 35 1. ACT FAR EAST POLICY 41 12. HEPATITIS B 35 2. MOTIHARI-AMLEKHGUNJ PIPELINE 41 13. MEASLES & RUBELLA 36 3. APACHE ATTACK HELICOPTERS 41

REPORTS AND INDICES 37 ART AND CULTURE 42 1. TRAVEL & TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS 1. SANGAM ERA 42 INDEX 37 2. SHONDOL DANCE 42 2. LEADS INDEX 37 3. NUAKHAI JUHAR 42 3. AISHE 2018-19 37 4. INTERNATIONAL MIGRANT STOCK 2019 37 DEFENCE 44 5. GLOBAL LIVEABILITY INDEX 2019 38 1. KAZIND 44 2. ASTRA 44 POLITY 39 3. KHANDERI 44 1. TRANSFER OF HIGH COURT JUDGES 39 4. MAITREE - 2019 44 2. TRIBAL AREA STATUS 39 5. CORPAT 44 3. GOVERNMENT-FUNDED NGOS 40 6. EXERCISE YUDH ABHYAS 45

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 41

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SCHEMES 1. Pradhan Mantri Matru • The eligible beneficiaries also receive Vandana Yojana cash incentive under Janani Suraksha Yojana (delivery in a government About PMMVY: hospital). Thus, on an average, a • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana woman gets Rs. 6,000. (PMMVY) is a Maternity Benefit Why in News? Programme that is implemented in all • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana the districts of the country in has achieved a significant milestone by accordance with the provision of the crossing one crore beneficiaries. National Food Security Act, 2013. Janani Suraksha Yojana: • The scheme is implemented by the • It is implemented by Ministry of health Ministry of Women and Child and family welfare. Development. • Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe • It is a centrally sponsored scheme motherhood intervention under the launched in 2016. National Rural Health Mission • It is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) (NRHM) being implemented with the scheme under which cash benefits are objective of reducing maternal and provided to pregnant women in their neo-natal mortality by promoting bank account directly to meet institutional delivery among the poor enhanced nutritional needs and pregnant women. partially compensate for wage loss. • The Yojana, launched on 12th April 2005, is being implemented in all states and UTs with special focus on low performing states. • JSY is a 100 % centrally sponsored scheme and it integrates cash assistance with delivery and post- delivery care.

2. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan- Dhan Yojana About the Scheme: • Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana is a new pension scheme and it offers a guaranteed income to farmers in their old age. • It is a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. • It is voluntary and contributory in nature • Under the scheme, Pregnant Women and it entitles beneficiary a monthly and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) pension of Rs 3,000 on attaining the age receive a cash benefit of Rs. 5,000 in of 60 years. three instalments on fulfilling the • Eligibility: The scheme is open to small respective conditionality, viz. early and marginal farmers owning less than registration of pregnancy, ante-natal two ha land in the age group of 18-40 check-up and registration of the birth years. of the child and completion of first • Farmers will have to make a monthly cycle of vaccination for the first living contribution between Rs 55 and Rs 200, child of the family. depending on the age of entry. The

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Centre will contribute the same amount three equal instalments of Rs.2000/- that the farmer pays. every four months.

• The pension fund will be managed by the Life Insurance Corporation of India. • Farmers, who are beneficiaries of PM- Kisan Scheme, will have the option to allow their contribution debited from the benefit of that Scheme directly. • Note: PM KISAN scheme is open to all farmers irrespective of land holdings, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY) is for farmers owning less than two ha land. What’s in the news? • The government has launched a farmers’ pension scheme- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY). PM-Kisan: • Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector scheme with 100% funding from Government of India.

• The Scheme is effective from 1.12.2018. • Under the Scheme an income support of Rs.6000/- per year is provided to all farmer families across the country in

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INITIATIVES 1. Real estate (regulation and • The government informed that it is development) Act considering amendments in the real estate law RERA to make it more About Real estate (regulation and effective. development) Act: • The real estate (regulation and development) Act 2016 was enacted 2. Code on Wages Bill, 2019 with the main purpose to establish the Highlights of the Bill: state level regulatory authorities • The Code replaces the following four called Real Estate Regulatory laws: Authority for regulation and (i) the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 promotion of the real estate sector. (ii) the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 • Residential real estate projects, with (iii) the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 some exceptions, need to be (iv) the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 registered with RERAs. Promoters • Coverage: The Code will apply to all cannot book or offer these projects for employees to enforce minimum wage sale without registering them. among both formal and informal • Real estate agents dealing in these sector workers. projects also need to register with • Floor wage: According to the Code, the RERAs. central government will fix a floor • On registration, the promoter must wage, taking into account the living upload details of the project on the standards of workers. Further, it may set website of the RERA. These include the different floor wages for different site and layout plan, and schedule for geographical areas. completion of the real estate project. • The minimum wages decided by the • 70% of the amount collected from central or state governments must be buyers for a project must be higher than the floor wage. In case the maintained in a separate bank account existing minimum wages fixed by the (escrow account) and must only be central or state governments are higher used for construction of that project. than the floor wage, they cannot reduce • It establishes state level tribunals called the minimum wages. Real Estate Appellate Tribunals. • Fixing the minimum wage: The Code Decisions of RERAs can be appealed in prohibits employers from paying wages these tribunals. less than the minimum wages. Minimum wages will be notified by the central or state governments. The minimum wages will be revised and reviewed by the central or state governments at an interval of not more than five years. • Overtime: The central or state government may fix the number of hours that constitute a normal working day. In case employees work in excess of a normal working day, they will be entitled to overtime wage, which must be at least twice the normal rate of wages. • Deductions: Under the Code, an employee’s wages may be deducted on certain grounds including: (i) fines, (ii) Why in news? absence from duty, (iii) accommodation

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given by the employer, or (iv) recovery care and provision of income security of advances given to the employee, to workers. among others. These deductions • Social security schemes: Under the should not exceed 50% of the Code, the central government may employee’s total wage. notify various social security schemes • Gender discrimination: The Code for the benefit of workers. These prohibits gender discrimination in include an Employees’ Provident Fund matters related to wages and (EPF) Scheme, an Employees’ Pension recruitment of employees for the same Scheme (EPS), and an Employees’ work or work of similar nature. Work of Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) similar nature is defined as work for Scheme. which the skill, effort, experience, and • In addition, the central or state responsibility required are the same. government may notify specific • Advisory boards: The central and state schemes for gig workers, platform governments will constitute advisory workers, and unorganised workers boards to advise the respective to provide various benefits, such as life governments on various issues including: and disability cover. Gig workers (i) fixation of minimum wages, and (ii) refer to workers outside of the increasing employment opportunities for traditional employer-employee women. relationship (e.g., freelancers). Platform workers are workers who access other organisations or individuals using online platforms and earn money by providing them with specific services. Unorganised workers include home-based and self-employed workers. • Coverage and registration: The Code specifies different applicability thresholds for the schemes. For What’s in the news? example, the EPF Scheme will apply to • The Parliament has passed the Code on establishments with 20 or more Wages Bill, 2019 which aims to employees. The ESI Scheme will apply transform the old and obsolete labour to certain establishments with 10 or laws into more accountable and more employees. transparent ones. • Contributions: The EPF, EPS and EDLI • The Code on wages is one of the four Schemes will be financed through a codes that would subsume 44 labour combination of contributions from laws with certain amendments to the employer and employee. For improve the ease of doing business and example, in the case of the EPF attract investment for spurring growth. Scheme, the employer and employee • The four codes will deal with: will each make matching o Wages, contributions of 10% of wages, or such o Social security, other rate as notified by the o Industrial safety and welfare, and government. All contributions o Industrial relations. towards payment of gratuity, The Code on Social Security, 2019 maternity benefit, cess for building • It replaces nine laws related to social workers, and employee compensation security, including the Employees’ will be borne by the employer. Provident Fund Act, 1952, the Schemes for gig workers, platform Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and the workers, and unorganised workers Unorganised Workers’ Social Security may be financed through a Act, 2008. Social security refers to combination of contributions from the measures to ensure access to health

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employer, employee, and the for a person aggrieved under the Code appropriate government. is to file a writ petition before the • Inspections and appeals: The relevant High Court. appropriate government may appoint STATUS OF THE BILL: Referred to Inspector-cum-facilitators to inspect a parliamentary standing establishments covered by the Code, committee and advise employers and employees The Industrial Relations Code, 2019 on compliance with the Code. • It seeks to replace three labour laws: (i) Administrative authorities may be the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, (ii) appointed under the various schemes the Trade Unions Act, 1926, and (iii) to hear appeals under the Code. the Industrial Employment (Standing STATUS OF THE BILL: Referred to Orders) Act, 1946. a parliamentary standing • Trade unions: Trade unions that have committee a membership of at least 10% of the The Occupational Safety, Health and workers or 100 workers, whichever Working Conditions Code, 2019 is less, will be registered. Further, a • The Code seeks to regulate health and registered trade union must always safety conditions of workers in have at least seven workers who are establishments with 10 or more employed in the establishment or the workers, and in all mines and connected industry, as its members. docks. • Negotiating unions: The Code • It subsumes and replaces 13 labour provides for a negotiation union in an laws relating to safety, health and industrial establishment for working conditions. These laws negotiating with the employer. If include: Factories Act, 1948; Mines there is only one trade union in an Act, 1952; Dock Workers Act, 1986; industrial establishment, then the Contract Labour Act, 1970; and Inter- employer is required to recognise such State Migrant Workers Act, 1979. trade union as the sole negotiating • Establishments covered by the Code are union of the workers. In case of required to register with registering multiple trade unions, the trade union officers, appointed by the central or with support of at least 75% of state governments. workers will be recognised as the • Welfare facilities, working conditions negotiating union by the central or and work hours for different types of state government. establishments and workers will be • Unfair labour practices: The Code prescribed by the central or state prohibits employers, workers, and governments through rules. trade unions from committing any • The Code sets up occupational safety unfair labour practices listed in a boards at the national and state Schedule to the Code. These include: level to advise the central and state (i) restricting workers from forming governments on the standards, rules, trade unions, (ii) establishing and regulations to be framed under employer sponsored trade union of the Code. workers, and (iii) coercing workers to • The Code creates special provisions join trade unions. for certain classes of • Notice of change: Employers who establishments such as factories, propose changes in the conditions of mines, dock workers, and service are required to give a notice to constructions workers. These include the workers. The conditions of service separate provisions on licenses, safety for which a notice is required to be regulations, and duties of employers. given are listed in a Schedule to the • The Code bars civil courts from Code and include wages, contribution, hearing matters under the Code. and leave. Therefore, the only judicial recourse

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• Lay-off and retrenchment: The Code then any party to the dispute can make defines lay-off as the inability of an an application to the Industrial employer, due to shortage of coal, Tribunal. power, or breakdown of machinery, • Industrial Tribunals: The Code from giving employment to a worker. provides for the constitution of It also provides for employers to Industrial Tribunals for the settlement terminate the services of a worker, i.e., of industrial disputes. retrenchment. Employers of STATUS OF THE BILL: Referred to industrial establishments such as a parliamentary standing mines, factories and plantations with committee at least 100 workers are required to take prior permission of the central or state government before lay-off, retrenchment or closure. The central 3. National Skills Development or state government can modify this Fund threshold number of workers by About NSDF: notification. Any person who • The National Skill Development Fund contravenes this provision is (NSDF) was set up in 2009 by the punishable with a fine between one Government for raising funds both from lakh rupees and Rs 10 lakh. Government and Non-Government • Industrial establishments in which 50 sectors for skill development of Indian to 100 workers are employed, are youth by various sector specific required to: (i) pay 50% of basic wages programs. and dearness allowance to a worker • A public trust set up by the Government who has been laid off, and (ii) give one is the custodian of the Fund. month’s notice and wages for such • The Fund meets its objectives through period to a worker who has been the National Skill Development retrenched. Any person who Corporation (NSDC). contravenes this provision is About NSDC: punishable with a fine between Rs • The National Skills Development 50,000 and two lakh rupees. Further, Corporation (NSDC) is a public-private if an employer proposes to re-employ partnership formed under India’s retrenched workers, such workers will Ministry of Finance, with 51 percent have preference over other persons. equity held by private sector and the • Voluntary arbitration: The Code remaining 49 percent by the allows for industrial disputes to be Government of India. voluntarily referred to arbitration by • NSDC acts as a catalyst in skill the employer and workers. The development by providing funding to parties to the dispute must sign a enterprises, companies and written agreement referring the organizations that provide skill training. dispute to an arbitrator. After • It also develops appropriate models to investigating the dispute, the enhance, support and coordinate private arbitrator will submit the arbitration sector initiatives. award to the government. • Resolution of industrial disputes: The central or state governments may appoint conciliation officers to mediate and promote settlement of industrial disputes. These officers will investigate the dispute and hold conciliation proceedings to arrive at a fair and amicable settlement of the dispute. If no settlement is arrived at,

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Course 2: Professional Skills Course 3: Leadership Skills Course 4: Universal Human Values What’s in the news? • The Ministry for Human Resource Development has launched the Curriculum for Life Skills (Jeevan Kaushal) designed by University Grants Commission (UGC).

Why in news? 5. National Educational • The Ministry of Skill Development and Alliance for Technology (NEAT) Entrepreneurship is looking to bring About the scheme: different skilling schemes under one • This is modelled as a public-private umbrella and integrating their funds partnership (PPP) scheme, in which the under the National Skills Development government will collaborate with Fund. companies using artificial intelligence to make learning more 4. Jeevan Kaushal initiative personalised and customised as per the About the initiative learner’s requirements. • It is a new initiative for providing Life • MHRD would create and maintain a Skills (including soft skills) to students National NEAT platform that would enrolled in Institutions of Higher provide one-stop access to adaptive Education especially at under- learning solutions. graduate level. • The All India Council for Technical • Life Skills like communication skill, Education (AICTE) will be the interpersonal skill, time management, government’s implementing agency for problem solving ability, decision the programme. making capacity, leadership ability and • Ed-Tech companies will be integrity play a crucial role in boosting responsible for developing solutions the employability of the students. and managing registration of learners through the NEAT portal. While they are free to charge their own fees, they will have to offer free coupons for 25% of their total registrations on the portal for students from disadvantaged communities. What’s in the news? • The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has announced the National Educational Alliance for Technology for using technology for better learning outcomes in Higher Education.

6. Digital Payment Abhiyan About Digital payment Abhiyan: • A new nationwide awareness campaign 'Digital Payment Abhiyan' has been Courses in the curriculum launched by the Nasscom's Data Course 1: Communication Skills Security Council of India (DSCI) in collaboration with the Ministry of

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electronics and IT (MeitY) and Google • In 2015, India pledged to install 175 India. gigawatts of renewable energy capacity • The campaign will educate end-users by 2022 as part of a commitment under on the benefits of making digital the Paris climate agreement. payments and urge them to adopt • Consequently, MNRE has set a target of security and safety best practices. 175 GW of renewable energy capacity • DSCI is a not-for-profit, industry body by 2022, of which 100 GW solar power working for data protection in India. is to be operational by March 2022, of which 40 GW is targeted through 7. Jan Soochna Portal grid connected solar rooftops. What is it? Related scheme: • The portal, the first of its kind in the • In December 2017, Sustainable Rooftop country, will provide information Implementation for Solar about government authorities and Transfiguration of India (SRISTI) departments suo motu to the public. scheme was by the Ministry of New • It would ensure compliance with and Renewable Energy to accelerate Section 4(2) of the Right to the deployment of rooftop solar power Information Act which mandates in the country. every public authority to provide as • Under the scheme, the central much information suo moto to the government offers financial public, so that the people need not file incentives to the beneficiaries for applications under the law to obtain installing Solar power plant rooftop information. projects within the country. • Initially, the information pertaining to What’s in the news? 13 government departments will be • The government has launched the State available on the portal. Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index- What’s in the news? SARAL. • The Rajasthan government has launched the Jan Soochna Portal, to 9. Fake news increase transparency and What is a fake news? accountability in governance. • Fake news is a news created to deliberately misinform or deceive 8. SARAL Index readers. About the Index: • Usually, this news is created to either • It is a newly launched index. influence people’s views, push a political • The Index evaluates Indian states based agenda or cause confusion and can often on their attractiveness for rooftop be a profitable business for online development and would incentivise publishers. rooftop solar by creating healthy What’s in the news? competition among the States. • Twenty countries including India • SARAL has been designed signed an agreement to stop the collaboratively by the Ministry of New spread of fake news online at the and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in United Nations. collaboration with other partners. • The signatories committed to promote • SARAL currently captures five key independently, diverse and reliable aspects - i. robustness of policy information on the internet under an framework, ii. implementation accord initiated by Reporters without environment, iii. investment climate, iv. Borders (RSF). consumer experience and v. business About Reporters without Borders: ecosystem. • It is an international non-profit, non- Targets: governmental organization based in Paris.

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• It helps to conduct political advocacy on • It is a central agency to investigate and issues relating to freedom of prosecute offences: information and freedom of the press. o affecting the sovereignty, security • Key Publications are, and integrity of India, security of o World Press Freedom Index. State, friendly relations with foreign o Predators of Press Freedom. States. o Press Freedom Barometer. o against atomic and nuclear facilities. o smuggling in High-Quality 10. Unlawful Activities Counterfeit Indian Currency. • It implements international treaties, (Prevention) Amendment Act, agreements, conventions and 2019 resolutions of the United Nations, its UAPA Act, 2019: agencies and other international • The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) organisations. Amendment Act, 2019 was passed by • It acts as the Central Counter-Terrorism the Parliament in August 2019. It Law Enforcement Agency amends the Unlawful Activities Why in News? (Prevention) Act, 1967. • Recently, four persons were designated • The latest Act empowers the central as “terrorists” under the UAPA Act, government to designate an individual 2019. a “terrorist” if they are found committing, preparing for, promoting, or 11. UMMID involved in an act of terror. About UMMID: • The 1967 UAPA law required an • UMMID (unique methods of investigating officer to take prior management and treatment of permission of the Director General of inherited disorders) is a new initiative Police of a state for conducting raids, to create awareness about genetic and seizing properties that are disorders amongst clinicians and suspected to be linked to terrorist establish molecular diagnostics in activities. hospitals. • The amendment act removes this • It was launched by the Department of requirement if the investigation is Biotechnology under the Ministry of conducted by an officer of the National Science and Technology Investigation Agency (NIA). The Strategy: investigating officer only requires • UMMID Initiative involves establishing sanction from the Director General of NIDAN (National Inherited Diseases NIA. Administration) Kendra to provide • The 1967 law specifies that only counselling, prenatal testing and officers of the rank of Deputy diagnosis, management and Superintendent or Assistant multidisciplinary care in government Commissioner of Police of the NIA shall hospitals wherein the influx of patients have the power to investigate offences is more. under the UAPA law. The new act • It also aims to produce skilled clinicians allows NIA officers of Inspector rank in Human Genetics, and to undertake to carry out investigations. screening of pregnant women and About National Investigation Agency new-born babies for inherited genetic (NIA): diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts. • The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is a statutory body constituted under 12. Sahibganj Multimodal the National Investigation Agency Terminal: (NIA) Act, 2008. What is it?

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• This is the second of the three MMTs • It is a newly launched campaign. being constructed on river Ganga • The campaign has three strong pillars: under Jal Marg Vikas Project. Clinical Approach, Public Health • Earlier, in 2018, the first MMT was Component and Active Community inaugurated at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Participation. Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP): • The campaign aims to improve and expand the reach of TB care services across the country by 2022. • The interventions will be accompanied by a comprehensive, mass media and communications campaign to generate awareness about the disease and the free treatment services available under the government program. Related initiatives: • In 2018, the government launched the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme to provide nutritional support to TB patients. • Under the scheme, TB patients receive Rs. 500 per month for the entire • JMVP aims to develop the stretch duration of treatment. between Varanasi to Haldia (National What’s in the news? Waterway-1) for navigation of large • The Ministry of Health and Family vessels weighing up to 1500-2000 Welfare launched the TB Harega Desh tonnes. Jeetega, a Campaign towards achieving • The objective behind the scheme is to the target of a TB-free India by 2025. promote inland waterways, primarily for cargo movement. 14. National Animal Disease • The JMVP is being implemented with the technical assistance and Control Programme investment support of the World About the programme: Bank. • It aims at eradicating the foot and • States that come under this project are: mouth disease and brucellosis in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West livestock, a step closer towards Bengal. realising the mission of doubling farm • JMVP is being implemented by the income by 2022. Inland Waterways Authority of • This 100% centrally funded India, under the Ministry of Shipping. programme aims to control the What’s in the news? livestock diseases by 2025 and • The Prime Minister inaugurated India's eradicate these by 2030. second multi-modal terminal (MMT) What’s in the news? built at Sahibganj in Jharkhand. • The government is set to launch the National Animal Disease Control 13. TB Harega Desh Jeetega Programme.

Campaign About the campaign:

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ENVIRONMENT 1. Forest plus 2.0 • NABARD has been accredited by GCF as What’s in the news? the first Entity for sourcing financial • US Agency for International resources from GCF for India. Development (USAID) and India's Coalition for Disaster Resilient Ministry of Environment, Forest and Infrastructure (CDRI): Climate Change (MoEF&CC) launched • Prime Minister Narendra Modi Forest-PLUS 2.0 announced a global Coalition for About Forest 2.0: Disaster Resilient Infrastructure • It is a five-year programme that focuses (CDRI), at the Climate Action Summit. on developing tools and techniques to About CDRI bolster ecosystem management and • The CDRI is an international harnessing ecosystem services in partnership that will support forest landscape management. countries- developed and • Forest-PLUS 2.0 comprises pilot developing- to build climate and projects in three landscapes—Gaya in disaster resilient infrastructure. Bihar, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala • The Coalition’s secretariat is and Medak in Telangana. supported by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) 2. UN 2019 Climate Action and will be based in Delhi. Summit • CDRI will provide member countries technical support and About the summit: capacity development, research and • Despite commitments by governments knowledge management, and to tackle the climate crisis, global advocacy and partnerships to greenhouse gas emissions continue to facilitate and encourage investment rise year on year. in disaster resilient infrastructure • To galvanise political leadership for systems. ambition at a time when much of the India’s non-fossil fuel target: world is gripped by a surge of • Prime Minister Narendra Modi also nationalism and turning inwards, announced that India’s renewable Guterres (UN secretary general) energy target will be increased to 450 personally convened the summit, GW from the current target of 175 GW backing it with the full force of the UN committed under the Paris Climate machine. agreement. Developments at the summit: What is in the news? • More than 75 leaders pledged to • The UN Climate Action Summit 2019 eliminate their carbon emissions by was held in September in New York. 2050, though mostly from smaller economies. • Several wealthier countries also 3. United Nations Convention to announced more money for programs Combat Desertification like the UN’s Green Climate Fund. What is Desertification? Green Climate Fund (GCF): • Desertification is not the natural • It was set up by the 194 countries who expansion of existing deserts but the are parties to the United Nations degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, Framework Convention on Climate and dry sub-humid areas. It is a gradual Change (UNFCCC) in 2010, as part of process of soil productivity loss and the Convention’s financial mechanism. the thinning out of the vegetative • It was created to support the efforts of cover because of human activities and developing countries to respond to the climatic variations such as prolonged challenge of climate change. droughts and floods.

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Land Degradation Vs Land Environment Programme, said about Desertification 25% of the World's Land area is • Land degradation is caused by multiple degraded. forces, including extreme weather • 40% of the world's population is conditions particularly drought, and impacted negatively because of land human activities that pollute or degrade degradation. the quality of soils and land utility • It said the rate of soil erosion is 100 negatively affecting food production, times faster than the rate of soil livelihoods, and the production and formation. provision of other ecosystem goods and • Annual area of drylands is increasing at service more than 1% every year in the last 50 • Desertification is defined as “a type of years. land degradation in which a relatively Status in India dry land region becomes increasingly • India faces a severe problem of land arid, typically losing its bodies of water degradation, or soil becoming unfit for as well as vegetation and wildlife.” cultivation. Causes for desertification • As per ISRO’s Desertification and • Overgrazing Land Degradation Atlas, nearly 30% • Indiscriminate urbanization of land in the country is degraded. • Overdrafting of groundwater What is UNCCD? • Deforestation • The United Nations has three major • Tillage practices in agriculture Conventions: The United Nations • Insecticide and pesticide overuse Framework Convention on Climate Impacts of desertification Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on • As land is degraded and in some places Biological Diversity (CBD) and the deserts expand, food production is United Nations Convention to Combat reduced Desertification (UNCCD). • As water sources dry up, populations • These conventions were the result of are pressured to move to more the 1992 UN Conference on hospitable areas resulting in large scale Environment and Development in Rio migration to urban centres putting de Janeiro, also called the Earth pressure on limited resources in urban Summit. areas • Established in 1994, the UNCCD is the • Forests, Trees, Vegetation Cover, Soil sole legally binding international Organic Compound are important sink agreement linking environment and of Carbon dioxide – Land degradation development to sustainable land reduces the amount of Carbon management. dioxide absorbed. • The Convention specifically addresses Impacts on Health the arid, semi-arid and dry sub- • Higher threats of malnutrition from humid areas, known as the drylands, reduced food and water supplies where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found. • More water- and food-borne diseases that result from poor hygiene and a lack • The Convention has 197 parties of clean water including India. • Respiratory diseases caused by Why in News? atmospheric dust from wind erosion • India took over the Conference of and other air pollutants Parties (COP) to UNCCD Presidency • The spread of infectious diseases as from China for the next two years and populations migrate. hosted the COP 14 in Greater Noida. More on desertification • The COP, which meets every two years, discusses ways and means forward to • International Resource Panel, a address global land degradation. scientific body hosted by UN Species extinct due to desertification

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• During the COP meeting, wildlife forest and other wastelands by researchers revealed that a minimum of adopting a landscape restoration three to four species endemic to India approach. have gone extinct over the last century. • India also committed to the Sustainable The list includes Indian Cheetah, pink- Development Goal target of achieving headed duck, and the Great Indian land degradation neutrality by Bustard. 2030. • Several more species are on the verge of Measures related to desertification becoming extinct, falling into the • In 2019, India became a part of the category of "critically-endangered" Bonn Challenge, a global effort to species. bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 4. Forest landscape restoration million hectares by 2030. About Forest landscape restoration • It was launched in 2011 by the approach (FLR): Government of Germany and IUCN. • FLR is defined as a process that aims to • Note: Bonn challenge is different from regain ecological functionality and the Bonn Convention, 1979, also enhance human well-being in deforested known as the convention on the or degraded landscapes. conservation of Migratory Species of • FLR is more than just planting trees – it is Wild Animals. restoring a whole landscape to meet • It aims to conserve terrestrial, marine present and future needs and to offer and avian migratory species multiple benefits and land uses over throughout their range. The time. convention has 130 Parties (including Land degradation neutrality: India). • Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) is a state whereby the amount and quality of land resources, necessary to support the 5. Single use plastic ecosystem functions and enhance food Single use plastic: security, remain stable or increase • Single-use plastics, or disposable within specified temporal and spatial plastics, are used only once before they scales and ecosystems. are thrown or recycled. • Neutrality is achieved when the area of • Items like plastic bags, straws, coffee losses equals the area of gains, within stirrers, soda and water bottles, six pack each land type, and across land types, rings, plastic party cups and most food at national scale. packaging falls under the single-use • LDN has three global indicators – plastic category. o Land cover (land cover change); Problems of single use plastic: o Land productivity (net primary • Plastic breaks into smaller pieces and productivity, NPP); once toxic chemicals leach out of them, o Carbon stocks (soil organic they are found in the blood and tissue. carbon, SOC). • Any exposure to such toxicity results in Why in news? cancers, birth defects, impaired • During the COP 14 of UNCCD, Prime immunity, endocrine disruption and Minister Narendera Modi raised India’s other ailments. ambition of the total area that would be Why in news? restored from its land degradation • Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that status from its current 21 million the country should strive to become free hectares to 26 million hectares from single use plastics. between now and 2030. • This target would be achieved with an emphasis on degraded agricultural,

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6. Special report on the Ocean • The Basel Ban Amendment was and Cryosphere in a changing adopted in 1994 as an article in the Basel Convention. climate • The Ban Amendment prohibits all About the report: export of hazardous wastes, including • The Intergovernmental Panel on electronic wastes and obsolete ships Climate Change (IPCC 51) has released from 29 countries of the Organization of the Special Report on the Ocean and Economic Cooperation and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate Development (OECD) to non-OECD (SROCC). countries. Highlights of the report: • The Ban Amendment had been stalled • The report assesses the impacts of for all these years because it hadn't been climate change on ocean, coastal, polar ratified by a required three-fourths and mountain ecosystems, and the majority. human communities that depend on Basel Convention: them. • The Basel Convention on the Control of • According to the report, the global ocean Trans boundary Movements of has warmed unabated since 1970 and Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal has taken up more than 90% of the is an international treaty adopted in excess heat in the climate system, with 1989 during a conference in Basel, consequences now visible in increased Switzerland. ocean acidification, stratification and • The objective of the Basel Convention is loss of oxygen. to protect human health and the • Global warming has already reached environment against the adverse effects 1°C above pre-industrial levels, with of hazardous wastes. profound consequences for ecosystems • The convention has placed restrictions and people. on trans boundary movements of About IPCC: hazardous wastes except where it is • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate perceived to be in accordance with the Change was created in 1988 by the principles of environmentally sound World Meteorological Organization management. (WMO) and the United Nations • India is a party to the Basel Environment Programme (UNEP). Convention. • The IPCC currently has 195 members Why in News? including India. • The Basel Ban Amendment will finally • The IPCC provides regular assessments become international law following of the scientific basis of climate change, Croatia ratifying the ban. its impacts and future risks, and options • Croatia became the 97th country to for adaptation and mitigation. ratify the ban, surpassing the necessary What is the Cryosphere? three-fourths of the parties. • The cryosphere is the portion of the • However, countries like the US, Canada, Earth's surface where water is in solid Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South form. It thus includes sea ice, lake ice Korea, Russia, India, Brazil, and Mexico and river-ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice are yet to ratify the ban. caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground. • The components of the cryosphere play 8. Paraquat Dichloride an important role in the Earth’s About Paraquat: climate. Snow and ice reflect heat from • Paraquat is a toxic chemical that is the sun, helping to regulate our planet’s widely used as an herbicide, primarily temperature. for weed and grass control. The herbicide is reported to have killed as 7. Basel Ban Amendment many as 170 lives in the last two years. Basel Ban Amendment

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• There is no antidote to this herbicide. o training and certification of • Paraquat has been banned in 32 100,000 servicing sector countries. In India, only Kerala has technicians by 2022-23, banned the herbicide. synergizing with Skill India Why in News? Mission. • Civil society groups in Odisha Why in News? demanded the government to include • The United Nations applauded India’s Paraquat Dichloride in the PIC list of Cooling Action Plan as an important the Rotterdam Convention. policy initiative which has the potential Rotterdam Convention: to provide socio-economic and environmental benefits related to • The Rotterdam Convention is an reduced refrigerant use, climate international treaty signed in 1998 to change mitigation and Sustainable facilitate informed decision-making by Development Goals (SDGs). countries with regard to trade in

hazardous chemicals. • India is also a party to the convention, 10. Cannabis which has 161 parties. What is Cannabis? • The Rotterdam Convention establishes a • Cannabis is a drug that comes from prior informed consent (PIC) Indian hemp plants such as Cannabis procedure. sativa and Cannabis indica. The main • If a chemical figure in the PIC, the active chemical in cannabis is THC exporting country has to take the (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol). importing nation’s prior consent before • Cannabis is a depressant drug. They exporting it. slow down the activity of the central nervous system and the messages going between the brain and the body. 9. India’s Cooling Action Plan When large doses of cannabis are taken What is it? it may also produce hallucinogenic • Ministry of Environment, Forest and effects. Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched What’s in the news? a comprehensive Cooling Action plan • The Manipur government is (ICAP) in March, 2019 to address the considering legalizing Cannabis for its cooling requirement across sectors medicinal properties which will also such as residential and commercial boost the start-up sector of the state. buildings, cold-chain, refrigeration, • Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and transport and industries. Uttarakhand have legalised cultivation • It aims at actions which can help and harvest of cannabis for medicinal reduce the cooling demand, which purposes. will also help in reducing Ozone- Issue: depleting substances (ODS) such as • Manipur is on the edge of the Golden chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Hydro Triangle of drug trade, comprising chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), Methyl Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China. chloride and Bromide, etc. • This move might trigger more Objectives of cooling action plan: substance abuse. • The India Cooling Action seeks to o reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037- 11. National water mission 38, About National Water Mission: o reduce refrigerant demand by • The Government of India formulated 25% to 30% by 2037-38, national plan on water, renewable o reduce cooling energy energy, energy efficiency agriculture requirements by 25% to 40% by etc., into a set of eight missions under 2037-38,

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the National Action Plan on Climate Himalayan ecology for ease of Change. coordination between governmental • The Action Plan was released on 30th and non-governmental agencies. June 2008 to address the future • It is the only area-specific mission policies and programs for the climate under the NAPCC. mitigation and adaptation. 5. National Mission for a Green India • The National Water Mission is one of • It aims at protecting, restoring and the eight missions under the National enhancing India's diminishing forest Action Plan on Climate Change cover and responding to climate (NAPCC) for combating threats of change by a combination of adaptation global warming. and mitigation measures. • The main objective of NWM is • It is driven by the Ministry of conservation of water, minimizing Environment, Forest & Climate wastage and ensuring its more Change (MoEFCC). equitable distribution both across and 6. National Mission for Sustainable within states through integrated water Agriculture resources development and • It has been formulated for enhancing management. agricultural productivity especially in Other missions under the NAPCC: rain-fed areas focusing on integrated 1. National Solar Mission farming, water use efficiency, soil • This initiative was started to promote health management and synergizing the use of solar power. resource conservation. • The Mission has set the ambitious 7. National Mission on Strategic target of deploying 1,00,000 MW of Knowledge for Climate Change grid connected solar power by 2022. It • The mission seeks to build a dynamic is under the Ministry of New and and vibrant knowledge system that Renewable Energy. informs and supports national policy 2. National Mission for Enhanced and action for responding effectively to Energy Efficiency climate change challenges, while not • The initiative was undertaken to compromising on the nation's growth promote the market for energy goals. efficiency by fostering innovative • The Ministry of Science and policies and effective market Technology drives the mission. instruments. 8. National Water Mission • Implementation agencies of the Refer above. Mission- BEE - Bureau of Energy What’s in the news? Efficiency & EESL - Energy Efficiency • National Water Mission under the Services Limited Ministry of Jal Shakti has initiated the 3. National Mission on Sustainable ‘National Water Mission Awards’ to Habitat recognize excellence in water • It aims to make cities sustainable conservation, efficient water use and through improvements in energy sustainable water management efficiency in buildings, management of practices. solid waste and shift to public transport. 12. CAMPA • The Ministry of Housing and Urban What is Compensatory Afforestation? Affairs backs the mission. • 4. National Mission for Sustaining the Compensatory Afforestation (CA) refers to afforestation and Himalayan Ecosystem regeneration activities carried out as a • Aimed at protecting the Himalayas, it way of compensating for forest land has mapped institutes and civil society diverted to non-forest purposes. organisations working on the

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• Here "non-forest purpose" means the 13. Status of Tiger Habitats in breaking up or clearing of any forest high altitude ecosystems land or a portion thereof for- o The cultivation of tea, coffee, report spices, rubber, palms, oil-bearing About Global Tiger Forum plants, horticultural crops or • The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) is medicinal plants; the only inter-governmental o Any purpose other than international body established reafforestation; with members from willing Compensatory Afforestation Fund countries to embark on a global Act, 2016 campaign to protect the Tiger. • The Act establishes the National • GTF, formed in 1993, is focused on Compensatory Afforestation Fund saving the remaining 5 subspecies under the Public Account of India, of Tigers distributed over 13 Tiger and the State Compensatory Fund Range countries of the world. under the Public Account of each • The Secretariat is located in New state. Delhi. • These Funds receive payments for: Integrated Tiger Habitat o compensatory afforestation, Conservation Programme (ITHCP) o net present value of forest (NPV), • It is an initiative of the and International Union for o other project specific payments. Conservation of Nature (IUCN) • The National Fund will receive 10% of launched in 2014. the funds, and the State Funds will be • ITHCP is a strategic funding receiving the remaining 90%. These mechanism that aims to save tigers funds will be utilised for: in the wild, their habitats and to o Compensatory Afforestation to support human populations in key payment for the loss of forest, locations throughout Asia. regeneration of forest • The programme contributes to the ecosystem, wildlife protection Global Tiger Recovery and infrastructure development Programme (GTRP), a global • The act also establishes the National effort to double tiger numbers in and State Compensatory the wild by 2022. Afforestation Fund Management Why in News? and Planning Authorities (CAMPA) • The Ministry of Environment, to manage the National and State Forest and Climate Change Funds. (MoEFCC) has released a report on Why in News? the Status of Tiger Habitats in high • The Union Environment Ministry has altitude ecosystems. transferred ₹47,436 crore to 27 States • The study was led by the Global for afforestation from the Tiger Forum (GTF), with range Compensatory Afforestation Fund country governments of Bhutan, (CAF). India and Nepal. • CAF is a ₹54,000 crore tranche that has • It has been supported by the ITHCP been collected for nearly a decade as of the IUCN. environmental compensation from • This provides the action strategy industry for diverting forest to non- for a high-altitude tiger master plan, with gainful portfolio for local forest purposes. communities and ensuring • The funds will be executed by the centrality of tiger conservation in Compensatory Afforestation Fund development, through an effective Management and Planning Authorities coordination mechanism, involving under the CAF Act, 2016.

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stakeholders and line departments operating within the landscape.

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ORGANISATIONS 1. CARICOM • The annual session is attended by world About CARICOM leaders to discuss and debate the • The Caribbean Community and world’s most important global issues Common Market (CARICOM) is a group and how to address them. of twenty developing countries (15 • Each country has one vote. members-states and five associate • Decisions on important questions, such members) in the Caribbean that have as those on peace and security, come together to form an economic and admission of new members and political community that works budgetary matters, require a two- together to shape policies for the thirds majority. Decisions on other region and encourages economic questions are by simple majority. growth and trade. Why in News? • It was launched in 1973. • The 74th session of the UNGA was • Except for Belize, in Central America conducted in September 2019. and Guyana and Suriname in South America, all Members and Associate 3. Association of World Election Members are island states. Bodies (A-WEB) What is it? • The Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) is the largest association of Election Management Bodies worldwide. • A-WEB was established in 2013 in South Korea. • A-WEB aims at strengthening the processes of election management in member countries. Why in News? • The Election Commission of India hosted the 4th General Assembly of A- WEB in Bengaluru. • India will take over as A-WEB’s Chair Why in News? for the 2019-21 term. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi

attended the first-ever India-CARICOM leaders’ summit in New York. 4. International Solar Alliance About ISA 2. United Nations General • The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 121 countries initiated by Assembly India, most of them being sunshine About UNGA countries, which lie either completely • UNGA is the main deliberative, or partly between the Tropic of policymaking and representative organ Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. of the UN. The alliance is a treaty-based • It is one of the six principal organs intergovernmental organization. which make up the UN. • The ISA was launched by the Prime • All 193 Member States of the UN are Minister of India and the President of represented in the General Assembly, France in 2015 in Paris, France. making it the only UN body with • ISA aims to undertake joint efforts universal representation. required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology, mobilize

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investments needed for massive Why in News? deployment of solar energy, and pave the • The Ministry of New and Renewable way for future technologies adapted to Energy is set to host the second the needs. Assembly of ISA in October 2019. • The interim Secretariat of ISA is in the National Institute of Solar Energy Campus, Gurugram, Haryana. • Till now, 85 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement

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FLORA & FAUNA 1. Cryodrakon Boreas of dinosaurs. The reptile lived over 77 What’s in the news? million years ago during the Mesozoic Era (252.2 million to 66 million years ago) in what is western Canada today. • Its remains were discovered 30 years ago from the Dinosaur Park Formation located in Canada. • Despite their large size and wide distribution — across North and South America, Asia, Africa and Europe — only fragmentary remains have been • Scientists have identified a new species- unearthed, making the new find Cryodrakon boreas, and declared that especially important. it could be one of the largest flying animals. • With a wingspan of over 10 metres, it is believed to have flown over the heads

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ECONOMY 1. Minimum Export Price 3. EAC-PM What is it? What is it? • Minimum Export Price (MEP) is the price • Economic Advisory Council to the Prime below which an exporter is not allowed Minister (EAC-PM) is a non- to export the commodity from India. constitutional, non-permanent and • MEP is a kind of quantitative independent body constituted to give restriction to trade. advice on economic and related issues • Government impose/increase MEP to to the Government of India, specifically restrict exports and increase the supply to the Prime Minister. of commodities which will consequently • The Terms of Reference of EAC-PM reduce its price levels. include analyzing any issue, economic Why in News? or otherwise, referred to it by the Prime • The government has imposed a Minister and advising him thereon, minimum export price of $850 per addressing issues of macroeconomic tonne on onions in order to check importance and presenting views exports and bring down spiralling thereon to the Prime Minister. prices in the domestic market. • These could be either suo-motu or on reference from the Prime Minister or 2. Dividend distribution tax anyone else. Why in News? Dividend distribution tax: • The government has reconstituted the • It is a type of direct tax that is levied on Economic Advisory Council to the dividends that a company pays to its Prime Minister for a period of two shareholders out of its profits. years. • DDT is taxable at source and is deducted at the time of the company distributing dividends. 4. Scheme for Remission of • (A dividend is a return given by a Duties or Taxes on Export company to its shareholders out of the Product profits earned by the company in a particular year) What is it?

• In India, dividends paid by a domestic • It is a scheme designed to incentivise company are subject to dividend exports by giving them rewards to distribution tax at 15 per cent of the offset the duties they pay to export aggregate dividend declared, their products. distributed or paid. • It will reimburse all taxes and duties What’s in the news? paid on inputs consumed in exports in sync with the WTO norms. • A government-appointed task force headed by Akhilesh Ranjan submitted What’s in the news? its report on the new Direct Tax Code • The government has planned for (DTC), which seeks to replace the launching the Scheme for Remission existing Income Tax Act 1961. of Duties or Taxes on Export Product Key recommendations: (RoDTEP) to replace the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS). • The task force has recommended Need for new scheme: abolishing dividend distribution tax • Based on a complaint by the US, a World (DDT) with a view to promote Trade Organisation (WTO) panel has investment. determined that India’s export • The task force has also suggested subsidies (MEIS) are inconsistent providing relief to the middle class by with WTO requirements. slashing personal income tax rates. • Though India has appealed against the

decision, the government has come up

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with this new scheme, which consistent • Tarun: covering loans above Rs. 5 lakhs with WTO requirements. to Rs. 10 lakhs About Merchandise export from Why in News? India scheme: • A committee constituted by the RBI has • Merchandise Exports from India recommended revision of loan limit Scheme (MEIS) is one of the two sanctioned under MUDRA to Rs 20 lakh schemes introduced under Foreign from Rs 10 lakh. Trade Policy of India (FTP 2015-20), as a part of Exports from India Scheme. 6. International Financial The other scheme is Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS). Service Centre (IFSC) • The scheme provides incentive in the About IFSC form of duty credit scrip to the • An IFSC is a jurisdiction that provides exporter to compensate for his loss on world class financial services to payment of duties. customers outside the jurisdiction of the domestic economy. Such centres deal with flows of finance, financial 5. MUDRA products and services across borders. About MUDRA (Micro Units • London, New York and Singapore can be Development and Refinance Agency): counted as global financial centres. • MUDRA supports development of the • Services provided by an IFSC: micro enterprise sector in the country. o Fund-raising services for • It provides refinance to micro business individuals, corporations and under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA governments Yojana (PMMY). o Asset management and global • In lending, MUDRA gives priority to portfolio diversification undertaken enterprises set up by the under- by pension funds, insurance privileged sections of the society companies and mutual funds particularly those from the scheduled o Wealth management caste/tribe (SC/ST) groups, first o Merger and acquisition activities generation entrepreneurs and existing among trans-national corporations, small businesses. etc. Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana GIFT City: • PMMY was by the Union Government in • India’s 1st IFSC has been set up at the 2015 for providing loans upto Rs. 10 Gujarat International Finance Tec- lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar in 2011. small/micro enterprises. • It is intended to provide Indian • Under PMMY, all banks viz. Public corporates with easier access to global Sector banks, Private Sector Banks, financial markets, and to complement Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), State Co- and promote the further development of operative Banks, Urban Co-operative financial markets in India. Banks, Foreign Banks and Why in news? NBFCs/Micro Finance Institutions • To promote IFSC as an attractive (MFIs) - are required to lend to non- destination for investment for global re- farm sector income generating insurers, the government has relaxed activities below Rs.10 lakhs. norms for setting up commercial centres Loan offerings under PMMY at Gandhinagar international financial • Shishu: covering loans upto Rs. services centre. 50,000/- provided with no collateral, @1% rate of interest/month repayable 7. MGNREGA over a period of 5 years About MGNREGA • Kishor: covering loans above Rs. • National Rural Employment Guarantee 50,000/- and upto Rs. 5 lakhs Act 2005 (or, NREGA) later renamed as

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the "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural economic groups in the economy. Employment Guarantee Act", These four indices were MGNREGA), is an Indian labour law and o Consumer Price Index for social security measure that aims to Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) guarantee the 'right to work'. o Consumer Price Index for • This act was passed in 2005. Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) • It is the largest social security scheme in o Consumer Price Index for Rural the world — guaranteeing 100 days of Labourers (CPI -RL) work to any rural household willing o Consumer Price Index to do public work-related unskilled Rural/Urban/Combined. manual work at the statutory minimum • Of these the first three are compiled by wage. Labour Bureau in the Ministry if • The act makes it obligatory for the State Labour and Employment. Fourth one to give rural households work on is compiled by Central Statistical demand. In case such employment is Organisation in the Ministry of not provided within 15 days of Statistics and programme registration, the applicant becomes implementation. eligible for an unemployment allowance. 8. Kerala in industrial corridor • The Ministry of Rural Development What’s in the news? (MRD), is monitoring the entire • The Central government has decided implementation of this scheme in to extend the Chennai-Bengaluru association with state governments. industrial corridor to Kochi. • One-third of the stipulated workforce • The decision to extend the corridor must be women. was conveyed to the Kerala • The employment will be provided government by the National within a radius of 5 km: if it is above 5 Industrial Corridor Development and km extra wage will be paid. Implementation Trust (NICDIT). • The wages are revised according to the More about NICDIT Consumer Price Index-Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL). • NICDIT is an apex body under the Why in News? administrative control of the • The Labour Bureau has begun work to Department for Promotion of update the consumer price indices for Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) agricultural labourers (CPI-AL) which for coordinated and unified determines MGNREGA wage revisions. development of the following industrial • The consumption basket of CPI-AL has corridors: not been updated for more than three o Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor decades. (DMIC) • Recently, the Labour Bureau has also o Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial started the exercise of revising the base Corridor (CBIC) year for consumer price index for o Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial agricultural and rural labourers (CPI- Corridor (AKIC) AL/RL) to 2019-20, from 1986-87. o Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Consumer price index: Corridor (BMIC) • It is a method to measure the inflation. o Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor • It measures the price changes at retail (VCIC) level. • NICDIT will also coordinate and monitor • CPI is based on 260 commodities, but all central efforts for the development of includes certain services too. Industrial Corridor projects. • There were four Consumer Price Indices covering different socio-

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• A cess is a tax that is levied by the government to raise funds for a specific purpose. For example: Secondary and Higher Education Cess. • Surcharge is an additional charge or tax. For example: A surcharge of 10% on a tax rate of 30% effectively raises the combined tax burden to 33%. • The main difference between surcharge and cess is that surcharge can be spent like any other taxes, the cess should be spent only for a specific purpose for which it is created. • The Union government does not have to share cesses and surcharges with the states as they are not part of the divisible pool that needs to be shared with states.

9. Corporate tax cuts 10. Super rich tax What’s in the news? Background • The government issued an ordinance • The Finance Act of 2019 had raised the to reduce the corporate tax rate to surcharge on income tax from 15% to 22% from 30% for existing 25% for incomes in the range of Rs 2-5 companies, and to 15% from 25% crore, and from 15% to 37% for those for new manufacturing companies. earning more. • Including a surcharge and cess, the What’s in the news? effective tax rate for existing • The government has promulgated an companies would now come down to ordinance to withdraw the increase 25.17% from 35%, effectively in surcharge on capital gains made bringing India’s tax rates on par with by investors from the sale of listed its competing Asian peers. shares. • The effective tax rate for new • The surcharge increase, often referred companies will be 17.01% inclusive to as the ‘super rich tax’, was rolled of all surcharge and cess. back for all domestic and foreign • The government has also cut the investors as far as income from listed minimum alternate tax rate to 15% equity shares was concerned. from 18.5% for companies that However, for income from salary, continue to avail exemptions and profession or rent above Rs. 2 crores, incentives. the surcharge increase will continue. Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) • The move is aimed at lifting the • MAT was introduced in India to investors sentiment and boosting facilitate the taxation of ‘zero tax capital market investments. companies’ i.e., those companies which show zero or negligible income 11. Higher procurement price to avoid tax. for ethanol • Under MAT, such companies are made What’s in the news? liable to pay to the government, by • The Union Cabinet approved a higher deeming a certain percentage of their procurement price for ethanol book profit as taxable income. purchased by oil marketing companies Cess & Surcharge

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(OMCs) for the ethanol blended petrol procure almost 12 lakh metric tonnes (EBP) programme. of apple in Kashmir region. Ethanol Blending Programme • The EBP seeks to achieve 10% 13. NIRVAK blending of Ethanol with a view to What is it? reducing pollution, conserving foreign • It is a scheme to incentivise exports by exchange and increasing value addition providing insurance cover to the in the sugar industry enabling them to banks that provide credit to the clear cane price arrears of farmers. exports. Related measures • It is also known as Export Credit • National Policy on Biofuels-2018: It Insurance scheme. envisages an indicative target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol and 5% • The scheme was announced by the blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030. Finance Minister on September 2019 as a part of measures to boost exports. • Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana: It provides Viability Gap Funding (VGF) What is in news? to Second Generation bio-ethanol • To increase bank credit to exporters, the manufacturing projects to increase government announced that the Export availability of ethanol for EBP Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) programme. will expand the scope of its Export Viability Gap Funding: Credit Insurance Scheme/NIRVAK to • It means a grant provided to support provide a higher insurance cover to projects that are economically justified banks that are lending working capital and necessary but fall short of financial for exports. viability. • It aims to enhance loan availability and to ease the lending process for export 12. Market Intervention purposes. About Export Credit Guarantee Scheme (MIS) Corporation: What is it? • ECGC is a fully Government of India • MIS is a price support mechanism owned company established in the implemented on the request of State year 1957 to promote exports by Governments for procurement of providing credit insurance services. perishable and horticultural • ECGC provides Export Credit Insurance commodities in the event of a fall in to Banks to protect the Banks from market prices. losses on account of export credit given • The Scheme is implemented when there to exporters due to the risks of is at least 10% increase in insolvency and/or protracted default production or 10% decrease in the of the exporter borrower. ruling rates over the previous normal year. • It works in a similar fashion to 14. Concurrent audit Minimum Support Price based What is it? procurement mechanism for food • Concurrent audit means doing the grains, but is an ad hoc mechanism. examination of the financial • Its objective is to protect the growers of transactions at the time of happening or these horticultural/agricultural parallel with the transaction. commodities from making distress sale • Concurrent audit aims at shortening the in the event of bumper crop. interval between a transaction and its Why in News? independent examination. • The central government has announced • It is part of a bank’s early warning a Market Intervention Scheme to system to ensure timely detection of irregularities and lapses. It helps in

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preventing fraudulent transactions at head of internal audit of banks, with the branches. due prior approval of the Audit Why in News? Committee of the Board of Directors • The RBI has revised the guidelines on (ACB)/Local Management Committee concurrent audit system following the ((LMC) in case of foreign banks) of the recommendations by an expert bank. committee under Y.H. Malegam. • Banks should ensure that the • According to the revised guidelines, concurrent audit covers risk sensitive concurrent auditors will be appointed areas identified by them as per their for a period of not more than three specific business models. years. Earlier the tenure of external • The option to consider whether concurrent auditors was fixed at five concurrent audit should be done by years on a continuous basis. bank's own staff or external auditors Salient features of revised (which may include retired staff of its guidelines: own bank) continues to be left to the • The scope of work for concurrent discretion of individual banks. auditors is left to the discretion of the

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Electronic Cigarettes advertisement, storage, and transport What are e-cigarettes and how do of e-cigarettes as studies indicate that they may attract new users of nicotine. they work? • Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), also known as e-cigarette, is a 2. Transgenic mosquitoes battery-operated device which Background: produces aerosol by heating a solution • Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are containing nicotine among other responsible for transmitting dengue, things. chikungunya and Zika virus. • The device contains nicotine and • The genetic strategy employed to flavors in the form of liquid which is control the Aedes aegypti population is primarily composed of solvents such as known as RIDL (Release of Insects glycerol and/or propylene glycol. carrying Dominant Lethal genes). • The aerosol containing a suspension of • It works on the premise that the fine particles and gases simulates transgenic male mosquitoes released cigarette smoke. Following a puff, the frequently in large numbers would aerosol is delivered to the user’s mouth compete with the naturally occurring and lungs and the rest is exhaled. male mosquitoes to mate with females. What are the effects? • Offspring from the mating of transgenic • E-cigarettes deliver ultrafine particles male mosquito and naturally occurring and nicotine deep into the lungs, which female mosquito do not survive to the is then absorbed by the blood. adult stage. • A 2018 study found the use of e- • This is because tetracycline drug, cigarette daily was associated with a which prevents the dominant lethal 79% increase in heart attack risk after gene from producing the lethal protein other variables were taken into during rearing in labs, is not present in account. sufficient quantity in nature. • According to Indian Council of Medical • In the absence of tetracycline, there is Research (ICMR), depending on the overproduction of the lethal protein battery output voltage used, nicotine causing the larvae to die. solvents can release in varying Experiment: amounts potential carcinogens such • About 4,50,000 transgenic male as acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and mosquitoes were released each week for acetone. 27 months (June 2013 to September • The liquid-vaporizing solutions also 2015) in three areas in Brazil. contain toxic chemicals and metals that Why in News? can cause several adverse health effects including cancers and diseases • Genes from genetically-modified Aedes of the heart, lungs and brain. aegypti mosquitoes were found to have Do they help smokers to kick the been transferred to naturally- occurring A. aegypti mosquito habit? population in three areas in Brazil • At present, there is limited evidence to where transgenic mosquitoes were support the claim that e-cigarettes help released. people to stop smoking. • Researchers found that some • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration transgenic genes were found in 10- (FDA) have not approved e- cigarettes 60% of naturally- occurring as an alternative to reduce smoking. mosquitoes. What’s in the news? Concerns: • The Union Cabinet approved an

ordinance which prohibits the trade, • The RIDL strategy is supposed to only reduce the population of the

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naturally occurring A. aegypti • DNA evidence suggests Denisovans are mosquitoes and not affect or alter related to both Neanderthals and their genetics. modern humans, and may have • Also, offspring are not supposed to interbred with both. grow to adult mosquitoes and • Denisovans share a common ancestor reproduce. with both modern humans and Neanderthals. This common ancestor, 3. Denisovan called Homo heidelbergensis, most likely lived in Africa. Why in News? • Between 300,000 and 400,000 years • Scientists have painted a portrait of a ago, one group of Homo heidelbergensis young female who belonged to a left Africa. mysterious, humanlike population • They expanded into Eurasia and then known as Denisovans around 50,000 split: Those that moved west into years ago. Europe evolved into Neanderthals. The ones that moved east into Asia became Denisovans. • The human ancestors that remained in Africa evolved into our own species— Homo sapiens. • Modern humans and Denisovans likely met for the first time in Eurasia some 40,000 to 60,000 years ago, after Homo sapiens began their own migration out of Africa. • It is not yet known why they • The reconstructions - based on disappeared. complex DNA analysis of Denisovans, Neanderthals, Chimpanzees and 4. Vaccine hesitancy humans - show that the Denisovan What is Vaccine hesitancy? skull was probably wider than that • Vaccine hesitancy refers to delay in of us or Neanderthals. They also acceptance or refusal of vaccines appeared to have no chin. despite availability of vaccination • The experts predict many Denisovan services. traits that are similar to that of • It has been reported in more than Neanderthals (an extinct species or 90% of countries in the world and subspecies of archaic humans who threatens to reverse progress made lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 in tackling vaccine-preventable years ago) including a sloping diseases. forehead, long face and large pelvis, Reasons for vaccine hesitancy and others that are unique among • Low awareness on availability of humans, like a large dental arch. vaccines More about Denisovans • Social media spreading misinformation • Denisovans are an extinct species of leading to apprehension about hominid and a close relative to vaccine’s adverse effects modern humans. Why in News? • They’re a recent addition to the human • The World Health Organization family tree—scientists first identified included ‘vaccine hesitancy’ as one of Denisovan remains from a cave in the 10 threats to global health in 2019. Siberia in 2010.

• Denisovans may have ranged from Siberia to Southeast Asia during the 5. Skybot F-850 last Ice Age. What is it?

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• Fedor, officially Skybot F-850, is a life- Orbiter: size humanoid robot built by Russia to assist space station astronauts. • It was rocketed to the International Space Station (ISS) in August 2019 in an unmanned spacecraft in a 10-day mission learning to assist astronauts on the ISS. Similar Missions • In 2011, NASA sent up Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot developed with General Motors that had a similar aim of working in high-risk environments. • It was flown back to Earth in 2018 after experiencing technical problems. • The Chandrayaan 2 orbiter is a box- • In 2013, Japan sent up a small robot shaped craft with an orbital mass of called Kirobo along with the ISS's first 2379 kg and solar arrays capable of Japanese space commander. Developed generating 1000 W power. with Toyota, it was able to hold • The orbiter communicates with the conversations in Japanese. Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) Why in News? and the lander. • Russia has decided to scrap the Fedor • The orbiter had a scientific payload project. comprising a visible terrain mapping • The developers have admitted that the camera, a neutral mass spectrometer, a robot met some technical issues and synthetic aperture radar, a near infrared could not replace astronauts on space spectrometer, a radio occultation walks. experiment, a soft X-ray spectrometer and solar X-ray monitor. 6. Chandrayaan II • The orbiter portion of the mission was Description planned to last 1 year. Lander - Vikram • Chandrayaan 2 is an Indian lunar mission that attempted to conduct a • The lander, named Vikram, has a soft landing on the Moon’s south polar mass of 1471 kg (including the rover), region. and can generate 650 W of solar power. • Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched Chandrayaan 2, a • The Lander is designed to execute a mission comprising an orbiter and a soft landing on the lunar surface. soft lander carrying a rover, in July • The lander can communicate directly 2019. to the IDSN, the orbiter, and the rover. • The three-stage space launch vehicle • The lander carried a camera, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch seismometer, thermal profiler, Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk -III) was Langmuir probe, and a NASA-supplied used for the launch of Chandrayaan 2. laser retroreflector. • The primary objective of Chandrayaan 2 is to demonstrate the ability to soft- land on the lunar surface and operate a robotic rover on the surface. • Scientific goals include studies of lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, the lunar exosphere, and signatures of hydroxyl and water ice. Spacecraft and Subsystems:

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• First space mission which attempted a soft landing on the Moon's South Polar Region. (While not technically at the lunar South Pole, Chandrayaan-2’s target site was by far the southernmost ever selected for a soft lunar landing. The next southernmost lander, China’s Chang’e-4, sits at southern latitude of

about 45.5° on the moon’s far side) • After Chandrayaan-1 (2008) and the Mars Orbiter Mission (2013), it is India’s third mission to a celestial body. Rover - Pragyan • The rover, Pragyan, is a 6-wheeled vehicle with a mass of 27 kg that runs 7. Rakhigarhi DNA study on 50 W of solar power and can travel What’s in the news? up to 500 m at a speed of 1 cm per • Researchers have successfully second. sequenced the first genome of skeletal remains excavated from the Harappan cemetery at Rakhigarhi, throwing fresh light on the Indus Valley Civilisation. Major findings • The researchers who conducted the study argue that the hunter-gatherers of South Asia, who then became settled people, have an independent origin. They contend that the theory of the Harappans having Steppe pastoral or • The rover communicates directly with ancient Iranian farmer ancestry thus the lander. stands refuted. • The rover will hold cameras, alpha- • The finding also negates the hypothesis proton X-ray spectrometer, and a about mass migration during Harappan laser-induced ablation spectroscopy times from outside South Asia. experiment. • They do not contain genome from • The rover was planned to be deployed either the Steppe region or ancient using a ramp shortly after landing. Iranian farmers. The genetic • The lander and rover portions of the continuity from hunter gatherer to mission were planned for 14-15 days, modern times is visible in the DNA one period of lunar daylight. results. Mission Profile: • The study finds that the same hunter- • Vikram lander crashed on the lunar gatherer communities developed into surface on September 7, a few minutes agricultural communities and formed before the scheduled soft landing. the Harappan civilisation. Though the lander was located, it DNA sequencing: couldn’t be brought into contact with • DNA sequencing is a technique used to the ground stations failed. determine the nucleotide sequence • The data is being analysed to find out of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). the reasons for the failure of the soft • The nucleotide sequence is the most landing of the mission. fundamental level of knowledge of a • Chandrayaan 2 orbiter has been gene or genome. It is the blueprint circling the moon since August 20. that contains the instructions for What makes Chandrayaan 2 special? building an organism, and no

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understanding of genetic function or generation anti-tank guided missile evolution could be complete without (ATGM), has been under development obtaining this information. by the DRDO. • Armed with a high-explosive anti-tank 8. K2-18b (HEAT) warhead, the MPATGM has a What’s in the news? maximum engagement range of about 2.5 kilometres. • Astronomers have for the first-time • The missile is incorporated with state- discovered water in the atmosphere of of-the-art infrared imaging seeker an exoplanet- K2-18b, with Earth-like along with advanced avionics. temperatures that could support life. • MPATGM is the man-portable variant About K2-18b: of the Nag third-generation ATGM. • K2-18b is now the only exoplanet known to have both water and temperatures that could be potentially habitable. • The planet orbits the cool dwarf star K2- 18, which is about 110 light years from Earth in the Leo constellation. • K2-18b is significantly heavier and has a different atmospheric composition than that of Earth. It is eight times the mass of Earth. Why in News? • Scientists used data from the Hubble • The DRDO successfully conducted the Space Telescope for the study. third successful test firing of MPATGM. • The results revealed the molecular signature of water vapour, also 10. Naval variant of LCA Tejas indicating the presence of hydrogen and About LCA Tejas helium in the planet’s atmosphere. • The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) What is an exoplanet? programme began in the 1980s to • All of the planets in our solar system replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighters. orbit around the Sun. Planets that orbit In 2003, the LCA was officially named around other stars are called "Tejas". exoplanets. • LCA Tejas is an indigenously built • The first exoplanet was discovered in single jet engine, single seat, multi 1992, orbiting a pulsar (a neutron star role light fighter built by Aeronautical that emits electromagnetic radiation). Development Agency (ADA) & • More than 4,000 have been detected to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). date using several techniques. • It is considered to be the world's Hubble Space Telescope smallest and lightest supersonic fighter. • The Hubble Space Telescope is a space Why in News? telescope that was launched into low • The naval version of Tejas LCA has Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in achieved a major milestone with a operation. successful arrested landing at the Goa • It is a collaboration between European Test Facility. Space Agency and NASA. The Significance observations are carried out in visible, • This is seen as a major step forward for infrared and ultraviolet light. the project as it tests modifications that will allow the naval variant of the Tejas 9. MPATGM to eventually operate from an aircraft About MPATGM carrier. • The man portable anti-tank guided • The Navy currently operates Russian missile (MPATGM), a third- MiG-29K fighters from INS

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Vikramaditya which will also fly from infected attachment or divulging the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier sensitive or confidential information. Vikrant once it enters service. • RANSOMWARE- is a type of malicious software designed to deny access to 11. NATGRID files until, or threaten to publish the victim’s data unless, a ransom is paid. What is NATGRID? • A DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) • The National Intelligence Grid attack attempts to disrupt normal web (NATGRID) is an online database for traffic and take a site offline by collating scattered pieces of overwhelming a system, server or information of core security agencies network with more access requests and putting them on one platform. than it can handle. • The 26/11 attacks on Mumbai led to the • A computer virus is a type of malicious exposure of several weaknesses in code or program written to alter the India's intelligence gathering and way a computer operates. Much like a action networks. flu virus, it is designed to spread from • NATGRID is part of the radical overhaul one computer to another, without the of the security and intelligence user’s knowledge. apparatuses of India • NATGRID is being implemented in four 12. Hepatitis B different phases, the first two was What is Hepatitis B? operationalised in 2014. • Hepatitis B is the most common serious • At least 10 central agencies like liver infection in the world. Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and • It is caused by the hepatitis B virus which Analysis Wing (R&AW) and others will belongs to the “Hepadnaviridae” have access to the data on a secured family. platform. • It is transmitted through blood and • The 10 user agencies will be linked infected bodily fluids. It can be independently with certain databases passed to others through direct that would be procured from 21 contact with blood, unprotected sex, providing organisations and include use of illegal drugs, unsterilized or telecom, tax records, bank, immigration, contaminated needles, and from an etc. to enable the generation of infected woman to her new born intelligence inputs. during pregnancy or childbirth. Why in News? Why in News? • The NATGRID project is likely to link • Despite the introduction of hepatitis B social media accounts to the huge vaccine in the Universal database of records related to Immunisation Programme, about immigration entry and exit, banking one million people in India become and telephone details among others. chronically infected with the virus Concerns: every year. • The proposal has received resistance Universal Immunisation from the intelligence agencies, whose officials fear that linking the social Programme media accounts to sensitive government • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data could expose the system to cyber- provides several vaccines to infants, attacks. children and pregnant women through Related information: the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). Types of cyber attack • Under UIP immunization is provided

• PHISHING - Phishing is a form of social free of cost against 12 vaccine engineering where a criminal hacker preventable diseases. tries to trick the user into clicking a malicious link or downloading an

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• Nationally against 9 diseases - defects including heart problems, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, deafness and blindness. Measles, Rubella, Tuberculosis, • Both measles and rubella can be Hepatitis B and Meningitis & prevented with a vaccine. This can Pneumonia. be delivered as a rubella vaccine alone, • Only in endemic districts against 3 or combined with measles vaccine diseases - Rotavirus diarrhoea, (MR) or with measles and mumps Pneumococcal Pneumonia and vaccines (MMR). Japanese Encephalitis. • India has included measles and rubella Mission Indradhanush: in the Universal Immunisation • To strengthen and re-energize the Programme. programme and achieve full Why in News? immunization coverage for all children • During the 72nd session of the WHO and pregnant women at a rapid pace, Regional Committee for South-East the Government of India launched Asia, member-countries have resolved “Mission Indradhanush” in 2014. to eliminate measles and rubella by • Under this drive focus is given on 2023. pockets of low immunization coverage and hard to reach areas where the proportion of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children is highest.

13. Measles & Rubella What is measles? • Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. • It spreads by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing. • Measles is particularly dangerous for the poor, as it attacks malnourished children and those with reduced immunity. • Measles weakens the immune system and opens the door to secondary health problems, such as pneumonia, blindness, diarrhoea, and encephalitis. What is Rubella? • Rubella is a contagious viral infection that occurs most often in children and young adults. Rubella is generally a mild disease but can have serious consequences for pregnant women and their children. • If infected with rubella in the first trimester women have a very high risk of giving birth to a child with Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS). • CRS often results in multiple birth

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REPORTS AND INDICES 1. Travel & Tourism About the survey Competitiveness Index • The Ministry of Human Resource About the Index Development has released the All- India Survey on Higher Education • The Travel and Tourism (AISHE) 2018-19. Competitiveness Index (TTCI) ranks • The survey covers all the Institutions in 140 countries on their relative the country engaged in imparting strengths in global tourism and travel. higher education. Data is being • It is released by the World Economic collected on several parameters such Forum (WEF). as teachers, student enrolment, • The biennial study ranks countries programmes, examination results, based on four sub-indexes: enabling education finance, infrastructure. environment, travel and tourism policy • Indicators of educational development and enabling conditions, such as Institution Density, Gross infrastructure, and natural and cultural Enrolment Ratio, Pupil-teacher ratio, resources. Gender Parity Index, Per Student Why in News? Expenditure are calculated from the • WEF has released its Travel and data collected through AISHE. Tourism Competitiveness Index 2019. • These are useful in making informed • India has moved up six places to rank policy decisions and research for the 34th on the index, driven by rich development of the education sector. natural and cultural resources and Highlights of the report strong price competitiveness. • Gender gap has been narrowing significantly in India in higher 2. LEADS Index education. Female students constitute About the Index: 48.6 per cent of the total enrolment in • The LEADS Index is an effort by the higher education. Ministry of Commerce and Industry • The share of girl students is the lowest to establish the baseline of in Institutions of National Importance. performance in the logistics sector • The gross enrolment ratio (GER) has based on the perception of users and increased marginally – from 25.8 in stakeholders at the State level. 2017-18 to 26.3 in 2018-19. • The index is based on the analysis of perception with regard to nine 4. International Migrant Stock parameters, including infrastructure, quality of logistics, services, timeliness 2019 of cargo delivery, regulatory process What’s in the news? and safety of cargo. • The Union Nations Department of Why in News? Economic and Social Affairs (UN • Ministry of Commerce and Industry DESA) has released the International has released LEADS 2019. Migrant Stock 2019. • The top-ranking state in the logistics Highlights of the report sector is Gujarat followed by Punjab • The number of international migrants and Andhra Pradesh. in the world had reached an estimated • LEADS 2019 has expanded its focus to 272 million 2019 — 51 million more look at both domestic and than in 2010. international trade. • The percentage of international migrants of the total global population 3. AISHE 2018-19 has increased to 3.5% from 2.8% in 2000.

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• India remained as the top source of • It is released by the Economist international migrants, with 17.5 Intelligence Unit (EIU), an million international migrants in 2019 organization that provides forecasting coming from India. Bangladesh was and advisory services. the leading country of origin for • The survey ranks countries across migrants in India. indicators including stability, • The European region hosted the healthcare, education, infrastructure, highest number of immigrants culture and environment. followed by North America. Among • The index assesses which locations countries, the U.S. hosts the highest around the world provide the best or number of international migrants. the worst living conditions. • Forced displacements continue to rise, Why in News? with the number of refugees and • EIU has released the Global Liveability asylum seekers increased by about 13 Index 2019. million from 2010 to 2017. • In India, New Delhi and Mumbai rank 118th and 119th out of 140 cities in the 5. Global Liveability Index 2019 latest index. Global liveability index

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POLITY 1. Transfer of High court judges possibility on the various legislative Constitutional provisions for transfer subjects, receiving grants-in-aid from of judges the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the costs of schemes for development, • The transfer of Judges from one High health care, education, roads and Court to another High Court is made by regulatory powers to state control. the President after consultations with the Chief Justice of India under Article Why in News? 222 (1) of the Constitution. • The National Commission for • Art 217 (1) provides that the President Scheduled Tribes has sent a formal shall hold consultation with the Chief recommendation to the Ministry of Justice of India, the Governor of the Home Affairs to declare Ladakh a State, and in case of appointment of a “tribal area” in the Sixth Schedule of Judge other than the Chief Justice, the the Constitution. Chief Justice of the High Court. • According to the NCST, this will help Supreme court judgement democratic devolution of powers, preserve and promote distinct culture • Although the consent of the judge being of the region, protect agrarian rights transferred is not strictly necessary, including rights on land and enhance the second Judges case 1993 transfer of funds for speedy judgment makes it clear that consent development of the region. should be taken unless there exist • The Home Ministry is the central pressing circumstances making it authority for declaring an area as a unavoidable. “tribal area”. • Further, transfers are not justiciable, • If included, Ladakh will be the only which means that a judge who is Union Territory in the Sixth Schedule. transferred cannot challenge the order Bestowing the status to Ladakh would in the Supreme Court except if the require a constitutional amendment. transfer was made without the collegium’s approval. National Commission for Scheduled Why in News? Tribes (NCST) • Former Chief Justice of Madras High • NCST is a constitutional body Court K Tahilramani resigned after the established by amending Article 338 Supreme Court Collegium declined her and inserting a new Article 338A in request for reconsideration of transfer the Constitution through the to Meghalaya High Court. Constitution 89th Amendment Act, 2003. • By this amendment, the erstwhile 2. Tribal area status National Commission for Scheduled Sixth Schedule of the constitution Castes and Scheduled Tribes was • The 6TH schedule of the constitution replaced by two separate Commissions provides for a special administrative namely- mechanism for the tribal regions of o The National Commission for specific states such as Meghalaya, Scheduled Castes (NCSC), and Assam, Tripura and Mizoram. o The National Commission for • It creates for Autonomous districts Scheduled Tribes (NCST) and regions for their representation • It functions to safeguard the interests and governance. It also provides for and protect their tribal rights. district council and regional council • Composition: NCST consists of a whose members will be nominated to Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and the legislative body of the state. three other Members. At least one • The District Council and the Regional other Member shall be appointed from Council have real power to make laws, amongst women. They are appointed

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by the President. • Public authorities are the repository of Ladakh: information which the citizens have the • The Ladakh region is a predominantly right to have under the RTI Act. tribal area with tribals making up to 98 • The RTI Act defines “public authorities” per cent of its population. in Section 2(h). • The primary STs in Ladakh are Balti • A “public authority” means any Beda, Bot (or Boto), Brokpa (or authority or body or institution of self- Drokpa, Dard, Shin), Changpa, Garra, government established or constituted Mon and Purigpa. o by or under the Constitution; o by any other law made by 3. Government-funded NGOs Parliament; What’s in the news? o by any other law made by State Legislature; • The Supreme Court held in a judgment o by notification issued or order that Non-governmental organisations made by the appropriate (NGOs) “substantially” financed by the Government, and includes any – government fall under the category of o body owned, controlled or “public authority” defined in Section substantially financed; 2(h) of the RTI Act. o Non-Government organization • This means that they have to disclose substantially financed, directly or vital information, ranging from finances indirectly by funds provided by to hierarchy to decisions to functioning, the appropriate Government. to citizens who apply under RTI.

What is a public authority?

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Act Far East policy project will also ensure reduction in East Economic Forum: fuel prices. • The Eastern Economic Forum was What’s in the news? established by Decree of the President • Prime Minister Narendra Modi and of the Russian Federation Vladimir Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli Putin in 2015. jointly inaugurated Motihari- Amlekhgunj cross border petroleum • The objective is to support the products pipeline. economic development of Russia’s Far East and to expand international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. 3. Apache attack helicopters The Far East: Why in News? • The Far East is the easternmost part of • The Indian Air Force (IAF) formally Russia. The macro-region borders two inducted eight AH-64E Apache attack oceans, the Pacific and the Arctic, and helicopters into service. five countries (China, Japan, Mongolia, the United States and North Korea). • The Far East is rich in natural resources like diamonds, borax materials, 50 gold, tungsten, and fish and seafood. Why in News? • Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the plenary session of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum held About Apache helicopters in Vladivostok, Russia. • Apache attack helicopters are being • India announced a $1 billion line of purchased to replace the Mi-35 fleet credit for the development of the Far that is on the verge of retirement. East region of Russia. • Apache is the most advanced multi-role • The Indian Prime Minister also heavy attack helicopter in the world. It unveiled the "Act Far East" policy to is being made in the US by Boeing. boost India's engagement with Russia's • Alongside the capability to shoot fire Far East region. and forget anti-tank guided missiles,

rockets and other ammunitions, it also 2. Motihari-Amlekhgunj has modern Electronic Warfare (EW) pipeline capabilities to provide versatility to About the pipeline helicopters in a network-centric aerial • The 69 kms long pipeline running from warfare. Motihari in Bihar to Amlekhgunj in • The helicopter is capable of delivering a Nepal, is the first-ever cross-border variety of weapons which include air- petroleum product pipeline in South to- ground Hellfire missiles, 70 mm Asia. Hydra rockets and air-to-air Stinger • Along with reducing the huge missiles. transportation cost for the landlocked country, the strategically important

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ART AND CULTURE 1. Sangam era • The Archaeological Survey of India has What’s in the news? approved Tamil Nadu archaeological department’s request to continue • In a major turning point in the excavations at four locations- Keeladi cultural historiography of the ancient in Sivaganga, Kodumanal in Erode, Sangam Age, the Tamil Nadu Sivagalai in Tirunelveli and Archaeology Department (TNAD) Adichanallur in Thoothukudi district. has published a report titled ‘Keeladi-An Urban Settlement of Sangam Age on the Banks of River 2. Shondol dance Vaigai’, based on the recent About Ladakhi Shondol dance excavations at Keeladi in Sivaganga • Also known as the royal dance of district, Tamil Nadu. Ladakh, Shondol is a famous dance, Significance of the report which artists used to perform for the • The results from the latest king of Ladakh. excavations at Keeladi suggest that the second urbanisation [the first being Indus] of Vaigai plains happened in Tamil Nadu around 6th century BCE as it happened in Gangetic plains- about 300 years earlier than previously believed — 3rd century BCE. • The cultural deposits unearthed has been dated to a period between 6th century BCE and 1st century CE. Naropa Festival • The recent scientific dates obtained for • The Naropa Festival, also known as Keeladi findings push back the date of Himalayan Kumbh, is celebrated in Tamil-Brahmi script to another Ladakh at the famous Hemis Buddhist Monastery. century, i.e., 6th century BCE. Major findings of the report • It takes place every 12 years in the Tibetan calendar to celebrate the life of • The society in Keeladi had used animals Buddhist philosopher and scholar predominantly for agricultural Naropa. purposes as suggested by the skeletal Why in news? remains of species such as cow/ox (Bos • Ladakhi Shondol dance has created indicus), buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), history by breaking into the Guinness sheep (Ovis aries), goat (Capra hircus), Book of World Records as the largest nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), Ladakhi dance. blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), wild • It was performed by about 408 women boar (Sus scrofa) and peacock (Pavo artists in traditional dresses on the cristatus). occasion of the annual Naropa Festival. • Recovery of 10 spindle whorls, 20 sharply pinpointed bone tip tools used for design creations, hanging stones of 3. Nuakhai Juhar the yarn, terracotta spheres, copper What’s in the news? needle and earthen vessels to hold liquid • Recently, people in Western Odisha clearly attest to the various stages of districts celebrated the agrarian weaving industry from spinning, festival 'Nuakhai'. yarning, looming and weaving and later • Nuakhai Juhar is one of the most for dyeing. ancient festivals celebrated in Odisha Related information: to welcome the new crop of the season.

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• The agricultural festival is mainly observed by the people of western Odisha. The festival is a 40-day celebration spread in four phases.

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DEFENCE 1. KAZIND • The first one, Kalvari, is completing sea What’s in the news? trials and will be commissioned shortly • The annual military exercise called into the Navy. KAZIND between India and • Khanderi is named after the Island fort Kazakhstan army commenced in of Maratha forces, which played a vital Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. role in ensuring their supremacy at sea • It is the fourth edition of an annual in the late 17th century. event which is conducted alternatively in Kazakhstan and India.

2. ASTRA What’s in the news? • ASTRA, the first indigenously developed Air to Air Missile, was successfully flight tested from Su-30 MKI. About ASTRA: About Khanderi • The Astra missile is developed by Defence Research and Development • Khanderi uses precision-guided Organization (DRDO). weapons including torpedoes as well as tube- launched anti-ship missiles, • It works on the Beyond Visual which can be launched underwater Range Air-to-Air Missile or on surface. (BVRAAM) technology that enables the fighter-pilots to shoot precisely • It features diesel propulsion and at the enemy targets which are additional air-independent beyond their visual range. propulsion (AIP). • Astra is capable of engaging targets at • The submarine is designed to operate in varying ranges and altitudes all theatres, including the tropics. All means and communications are allowing for engagement of both provided to ensure interoperability short-range targets (up to 20 km) with other components of a naval task and long-range targets (up to 80 km) force. using alternative propulsion modes. • It can undertake multifarious types of • It has advanced on-board electronic missions, i.e anti-surface warfare, anti- counter measures that jam radar submarine warfare, intelligence signals from enemy radar, making gathering, mine laying, area tracking of the missile difficult. surveillance, etc.

3. KHANDERI 4. MAITREE - 2019 What’s in the news? What’s in the news? • INS Khanderi, the second indigenously • Indian Army and Royal Thailand built Scorpene submarine, was Army (RTA) conducted their joint launched at the Mazagon Dock Military Exercise MAITREE-2019 at Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Meghalaya. Mumbai. • Exercise MAITREE is an annual training • Khanderi is the second of the six event that has been conducted in India submarines being built at the MDL in and Thailand alternatively, since 2006. collaboration with DCNS of France, as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy. 5. CORPAT

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What’s in the news? • The 28th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) was conducted in September 2019. • It is conducted twice a year.

6. Exercise Yudh Abhyas What’s in the news? • The joint military training, Exercise Yudh Abhyas was conducted in Washington DC as part of the Indo-US defence cooperation. • Yudh Abhyas is one of the largest running joint military training and defence corporation endeavours between India and the US.

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