Current Affairs Magazine January 2020

CURRENT AFFAIRS ORGANIC AND ORGANISED DECEMBERJANUARY 20202019

A LETTER FROM MY HEART

Dear IAS Aspirant Friends, It gives me immense pleasure to present to you the 360º Current Affairs Magazine for the month of January 2020. I am pleased and proud to share with you all that the team that compiles and edits Current Affairs at IAS WINNISHERS exemplifies integrity and commitment of highest level. Our mission is to facilitate the current affairs knowledge that is ORGANIC and ORGANISED.

Current Affairs plays a significant role in your success at Civil Services Examination. By fully coming into terms with this need, we make an effort to provide to you relevant news from the point of view of Interview, Mains and Prelims with an integrated approach.

Many students, both freshers and veterans often struggle to find a right way to approach, compile and consolidate Current Affairs. This compilation solves that problem, enhances your knowledge base with an analytical approach and helps you to counter all the current affairs related challenges faced during the preparation.

Wishing You Success Vinay Kumar R Founder & CEO, IAS WINNISHERS

Contents

1. POLITY & CONSTITUTION ...... 6 1.1 10% QUOTA TO EWS ...... 6 1.2 50% CEILING ON RESERVATION ...... 8 1.3 NCRB REPORT DECODED ...... 9 1.4 REVIEW PETITION v/s CURATIVE PETITION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NIRBHAYA CASE ...... 9 1.5 POLL BONDS WORTH Rs 6000 CRORE SOLD IN 2 YEARS ...... 10 1.6 SECTION 144 ...... 12 1.7 THE TRANSGENDER PERSONS (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS) Act, 2019 ...... 14 1.8 WHAT IS OCI? ...... 15 1.9 NET NEUTRALITY ...... 16 1.10 SABARIMALA CASE ...... 17 1.11 CAA Vs ARTICLE 131 ...... 19 1.12 CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX ...... 20 2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ...... 22 2.1 OPEC & OPEC+...... 22 2.2 INDIA-MONGOLIA AGREEMENT ON EXPLORATION OF OUTER SPACE ...... 23 2.3 RAISINA DIALOGUE ...... 24 2.4 SHANGRI LA DIALOGUE ...... 25 2.5 SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION ...... 26 2.6 INDIA, BRAZIL TO SIGN STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN ...... 27 2.7. DUBAI DECLARED ‘RECIPROCATING TERRITORY’ BY INDIA ...... 28 2.8 MYANMAR-CHINA PUSH FOR BELT & ROAD INITIATIVE ...... 28 3. ECONOMY ...... 30 3.1 UJALA & STREET LIGHTING NATIONAL PROGRAMME ...... 31 3.2 SECURITIES APPELLATE TRIBUNAL(SAT) ...... 32 3.3 NORTH EAST NATURAL GAS PIPELINE GRID ...... 32 3.4 COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA(CCI) ...... 33 3.5 RBI ALLOWS VIDEO BASED KYC ...... 34 3.6 STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX 2019 ...... 34

All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd.

3.7 PAPERLESS LICENSING PROCESS ...... 35 3.8 FINANCIAL INCLUSION STRATEGY FOR 2024 ...... 36 3.9 INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING(IPO) ...... 36 3.10 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE MARKET COMMITTEE (APMC)...... 37 3.11 COMPOSITION OF RBI ...... 37 3.12 MONETARY POLICY FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ...... 38 3.13 MANI APP ...... 38 3.14 SWITCH ON/OFF CARD ...... 39 3.15 MSE TO LAUNCH WEEKLY IRF ...... 40 3.16 EPF & MP ACT ...... 40 3.17 PRADHAN MANTRI SHRAM YOGI MANDHAN (PMSYM) ...... 41 3.18 FRBM ACT ...... 41 3.19 BANKING OMBUDSMAN SCHEME ...... 43 3.20 EXTERNAL BENCHMARK RATE...... 43 3.21 SECURITIES APPELLATE TRIBUNAL (SAT) ...... 44 3.22 EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION ACT ...... 45 3.23 PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (PFRDA) ...... 45 3.24 MERCHANDISE EXPORT FROM INDIA SCHEME ...... 46 3.25 BILATERAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT AGREEMENT (BTIA) ...... 46 3.26 TELECOMMUNICATION CONSUMERS EDUCATION AND PROTECTION FUND(TCEPF) ...... 47 3.27 PAPERLESS LICENSING PROCESS ...... 47 3.28 RABI CROPS ...... 48 3.29 NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PIPELINE (NIP) ...... 48 3.30 SAGARMALA PROJECT ...... 49 3.31 EK BHARAT SHRESHTHA BHARAT ...... 50 3.32 INDEX OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM ...... 51 3.33 STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX 2019 ...... 51 3.34 GLOBAL SOCIAL MOBILITY INDEX ...... 52 3.35 SHARES AND DEBENTURES ...... 53 3.36 FDI vs FPI ...... 54 3.37 INVERTED DUTY STRUCTURE ...... 54 3.38 INPUT TAX CREDIT (ITC) ...... 55 4. ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY ...... 55 4.1 INVASIVE ALIEN PLANT SPECIES ...... 55 4.2 LESS THAN 100 TIGER DEATHS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS ...... 57 4.3 HOW HUMANS AFFECT GENETIC CONNECTIVITY OF FOUR MAMMALS ...... 57 4.4 MIYAWAKI METHODOF AFFORESTATION ...... 58 4.5 RAFFLESIA-TUAN-MUNDAE ...... 58 4.6 2019 – 7TH WARMEST YEAR SINCE 1901 ...... 59 4.7 AUSTRALIAN CONTINENT ON FIRE ...... 59

4.8 SCHEME TO TRADE IN FORESTS ...... 60 4.9 SPECIES•RICH FORESTS OFFER STABLE CARBON CAPTURE ...... 61 4.10 KAZIRANGA HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF WETLAND BIRDS ...... 61 4.11 CRZ RULES FOR ‘BLUE FLAG’ BEACHES ...... 62 4.12 SEA LEVEL TO IMPACT MORE POPULATION IN ASIA THAN INDIA- MOODY’S REPORT ...... 65 4.13 ENDEMIC PLANT HABITAT OF EASTERN GHATS UNDER THREAT ...... 66 4.14 STEPPE EAGLE ...... 67 4.15 IRRAWADDY DOLPHINS SIGHTED IN ODISHA'S CHILIKA LAKE ...... 67 4.16 GLOCALIZATION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ...... 68 4.17 NEW SNAKE EEL SPECIES IN ODISHA ...... 69 4.18 CORAL RESTORATION IN GULF OF KACHCHH ...... 70 5. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ...... 71 5.1 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN INDIAN RAILWAYS ...... 71 5.2 GAGANYAAN ...... 72 5.3 IRDSS ...... 72 5.4 ISRO’S ASTRONAUT TRAINING HUB ...... 73 5.5 DRDO YOUNG SCIENTISTS LABS (DYSL) ...... 73 5.6 GSAT-30 ...... 74 5.7 GENOME OF INDIAN COBRA SEQUENCED ...... 74 5.8 INDIAN POMPANO FISH ...... 75 5.9 INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS ...... 76 5.10 DARK MATTER ...... 77 5.11 SODIUM SULPHUR BATTERY ...... 77 5.12 POLIO – A HEALTH EMERGENCY ...... 78 5.13 HOLISTIC APPROACH ON DENGUE ...... 79 5.14 TUBERCULOSIS DIAGNOSIS ...... 80 5.15 SUPERBUGS ...... 81 5.16 CORONAVIRUS ...... 82 5.17 BHARAT STAGE EMISSION NORMS ...... 82 5.18 REMOVAL HEAVY METALS FROM WATER ...... 84 5.19 FIRST ‘INDUSTRIALISED' PSLV IN 2022: ISRO ...... 84 5.20 SREE CHITHIRA THIRUNAL NATIONAL AWARD 2019 ...... 85 5.21 SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE (SSLV) ...... 85 6. SECURITY ...... 86 6.1 MAHA-NAVY CONNECT 2020 ...... 86 6.2 INS SUMEDHA ...... 86 6.3 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY/REMOTE SENSING SURVEY ...... 86 6.4 OPERATION SANKALP ...... 87 6.5 MILAN 2020 ...... 88 6.6 THE CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF ...... 89

6.7 DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS ...... 89 6.8 LCA TEJAS MK 1 ...... 90 6.9 TWO COAST GUARD SHIPS COMMISSIONED ...... 90 6.10 INDIAN AIR FORCE INDUCTS BRAHMOS LADEN SUKHOI-30s ...... 90 6.11 K-4 NUCLEAR CAPABLE MISSILE ...... 91 6.12 MISCELLANEOUS ...... 91 6.13 71ST REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS ...... 92 7. SOCIAL ISSUES ...... 93 7.1 KOCHARI/KACHARIS ...... 93 7.2 MAKING PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SAFER ...... 93 7.3 TRIBAL WOMEN IN ODISHA ATTEMPT MASS SUICIDE ...... 94 7.4 INDIA’S UNDER-5 MORTALITY ...... 94 7.5 ANNUAL STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT ...... 95 7.6 SDG INDEX 2019-20 ...... 97 7.7 COMPENSATION FOR SEWER DEATHS ...... 100 7.8 INFANT DEATHS ...... 101 7.9 WOMEN BUSINESS AND THE LAW (WBL) 2020 INDEX ...... 102 8.SCHEMES ...... 103 8.1 PM KISAN MAAN DHAN YOJANA ...... 103 8.2 PM KISAN SAMMAN NIDHI SCHEME ...... 104 8.3 PM KUSUM SCHEME ...... 105 8.4 PRASAD SCHEME ...... 105 8.5 SWADESH DARSHAN SCHEME...... 106 8.6 SKILL INDIA ...... 107 9. MISCELLANEOUS/FACTS ...... 109 9.1. PINAKA MISSILE SYSTEM ...... 109 9.2. SUKANYA ...... 109 9.3 MADHAVPUR MELA OF GUJARAT ...... 109 9.4 OPERATION SANKALP ...... 109 9.5 CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF ...... 110 9.6 MISSION PURVODAYA ...... 110 9.7 ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX ...... 111 9.8 BOHAG BIHU ...... 111 9.9 WORLD FUTURE ENERGY SUMMIT ...... 112 9.10 CENTRAL ADOPTION RESOURCE AUTHORITY (CARA) ...... 112 9.11 SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE AAPDA PRABANDHAN PURASKAR ...... 112 9.12 WORLD TOURISM DAY ...... 113 9.13 FIND THE INCREDIBLE YOU ...... 113 9.14 TRAVEL & TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS INDEX ...... 113

9.15 ADOPT A HERITAGE: APNIDHAROHAR, APNIPEHCHAAN ...... 114 9.16 INCREDIBLE INDIA TOURIST FACILITATORS CERTIFICATION (IITFC) ...... 114 9.17 KARMAYODDHAGRANTH ...... 114 9.18 CHALLAKERE ...... 114 9.19 NANDYAL YERRAGUNTA ...... 115

1. POLITY & CONSTITUTION

1.1 10% QUOTA TO EWS Why in News?

“Whether or not to provide reservation to the economically weaker section in appointment to State government jobs and admission to State government educational institutions, as per provisions of the newly inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) of Constitution, is to be decided by the State Government concerned.”

Background:

Central Government has introduced 10% reservation quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) among General Category candidates in government jobs and educational institutions by passing the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019.

The Act has brought in amendments to Article 15 and Articles 16 as follows

Article 15: After clause (5), the following clause shall be inserted, namely: —

(6) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making, —

(a) any special provision for the advancement of any economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes mentioned in clauses (4) and (5); and

(b) any special provision for the advancement of any economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes mentioned in clauses (4) and (5) in so far as such special provisions relate to their admission to educational institutions including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the State, other than the minority educational institutions referred to in clause (1) of Article 30, which in the case of reservation would be in addition to the existing reservations and subject to a maximum of ten per cent of the total seats in each category

Article 16:

In article 16 of the Constitution, after clause (5), the following clause shall be inserted, namely: —

"(6) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favor of any economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes mentioned in clause (4), in addition to the existing reservation and subject to a maximum of ten per cent of the posts in each category.".

CRITERIA OF INCOME & ASSETS:

Persons who are not covered under the scheme of reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs and whose family has gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh (Rupees eight lakh only) are to be identified as EWSs for benefit of reservation.

Income shall also include income from all sources i.e. salary, agriculture, business, profession, etc. for the financial year prior to the year of application. Also persons whose family owns or possesses any of the following assets shall be excluded from being identified as EWS, irrespective of the family income: -

• 5 acres of agricultural land and above; • Residential flat of 1000 sq ft. and above; • Residential plot of 100 sq. yards and above in notified municipalities; • Residential plot of 200 sq. yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities.

The property held by a "Family" in different locations or different places/cities would be clubbed while applying the land or property holding test to determine EWS status.

The term "Family" for this purpose will include the person who seeks benefit of reservation, his/her parents and siblings below the age of 18 years as also his/her spouse and children below the age of 18 years.

1.2 50% CEILING ON RESERVATION Why in news?

National Scheduled Tribe Commission Chairman Nand Kumar Sai reviewed implementation of various social programmes meant for the welfare of the STs in the State of Karnataka and asked Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to increase the quota for STs in jobs and educational institutions from the present 3% to 7.5%.

Background:-

The Supreme Court, in a 1992 order, Indra Sawhney vs Union Of India, 1992, capped caste-based reservation, ruled that “no provision of reservation or preference can be so vigorously pursued as to destroy the very concept of equality”. It capped reservations in government jobs and education at 50 per cent. But in an order in July 2010, it allowed states to exceed the 50 per cent limit for reservation, provided they had solid scientific data to justify the increase.

Currently, two states Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are giving more than 50 per cent reservation, while more have these quotas in the pipeline, waiting for nods from the Centre or the judiciary.

The 76th Amendment Act of 1994 has placed the Tamil Nadu Reservation Act of 1994 in the Ninth Schedule to protect it from judicial review.

Do Ninth Schedule laws still enjoy immunity?

The first serious challenge to this came from the Supreme Court in 2007. An eight-judge bench of the court ruled in the case of IR Coelho vs State Of Tamil Nadu that Ninth Schedule laws could be "open to attack on the ground that they destroy or damage the basic structure of the Constitution".

• National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) is an Indian constitutional body was established through Constitution (89th Amendment) Act, 2003. • It was bifurcated form NCSC and formed as a separate commission in 2004 under 89th CAA. • The First commission was constituted on 2004 with Kunwarsingh as the Chairperson. • The Commission comprises a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and three full-time Members (including one lady Member). The term of all the Members of the Commission is three years from the date of assumption of charge.

It said the verdict was applicable to laws passed on or after 24 April, 1973. It was on this date that the Supreme Court had ruled in the case of Keshavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala that the government had no power to tinker with the Constitution's "basic structure". The final word is yet to come from the apex court on Tamil Nadu's reservation policy in another petition that challenged it.

But meanwhile, state after state wants to seek legal sanctuary under the Ninth Schedule to keep their politically motivated, legally perverted, sociologically detrimental reservation laws aimed at wooing vote banks.

1.3 NCRB REPORT DECODED Why in news?

After a delay, the Crime in India Report for the year 2017 was released by the National Crime Records Bureau on October 21, 2019. As per the report, 3,59,849 cases of crime against women were reported in the country. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 56,011 cases. The number of crimes committed against women has increased in 2017 by 6% compared to 2016.

As per the report, 58,880 incidents of rioting were reported. Bihar, with 11,698 incidents, topped this list.

Tamil Nadu topped the country in reporting grave crimes. 188 senior citizens were murdered in Tamil Nadu.

A 77% rise in the number of cyber-crime cases was observed in 2017 compared to 2016. Delhi stood first among road accident cases with 1,317 accidents caused due to negligence.

1.4 REVIEW PETITION v/s CURATIVE PETITION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NIRBHAYA CASE Why in News?

The Supreme Court rejected the review petition of Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case. President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected the mercy petition of Mukesh, another convict in the same Nirbhaya gangrape case.

What is a review petition?

As per Article 137 of the Constitution of India and the rules made under Article 145, the Supreme Court of India has the power to review its judgment pronounced by it. As per Supreme Court rules, 1966 such a petition is to be filed within 30 days of the pronouncement of judgment or order and that petition should be circulated without oral arguments to the same bench that delivered the judgment. Furthermore, if a review petition is dismissed by the Supreme Court, it may consider a curative petition filed by the petitioner so as to prevent abuse of process Ex:-2G Spectrum case

What is the provision relating to a curative petition?

• A second review of the judgment of the Supreme Court is granted through a curative petition. • The Supreme court of India evolved the concept of curative petition in the landmark case of Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra and Anr. (2002) where a question was raised that whether an aggrieved person is entitled to any relief against the final order/judgment of the Supreme Court after dismissal of review petition. • In this case it was held by the Supreme Court that so as to prevent abuse of process as well as to cure miscarriage of justice, it may reconsider its judgments. The court has devised a term ‘curative’ for this purpose. • A curative petition is required to be certified by a senior advocate and then it is circulated to the three senior most judges and the judges who delivered the

impugned judgment. There is no time limit for filing a curative petition and it is guaranteed under Article 137 of the Constitution of India.

Essentials The Supreme Court has laid down specific conditions in order to entertain curative petition which are as follows:

• It has to be established by the petitioner that there was a genuine violation of principles of natural justice. • It shall be specifically stated in the petition that the grounds mentioned had been taken in the petition and that it was dismissed by circulation. • The curative petition shall be certified by a senior advocate. • The curative petition is then circulated to the three senior most judges and also to the judges who passed the impugned judgment. • If majority of the judges agree that the matter needs hearing, then it would be sent to the same bench. • Exemplary costs could be imposed by the court to the petitioner if his plea lacks merit.

1.5 POLL BONDS WORTH Rs 6000 CRORE SOLD IN 2 YEARS

Why in news?

Activists had filed RTI query seeking data from SBI, the number of Electoral bonds their 29 authorized branches had sold since January 2, 2018

They claimed “All the branches denied information on the names of persons who purchased bonds in the denomination of 1 crore stating that ‘The information sought by the applicant cannot be disclosed as it is in fiduciary capacity, disclosure of which is exempted under 8(1)(e) and 8(1)(j) of RTI Act, 2005’.This is a violation of peoples’ right to know,”

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released a report on the sale of electoral bonds since the scheme was launched in 2018

The report, based on a response to a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, said 12,313 electoral bonds worth Rs 6,128.72 crore were sold in 12 phases from March 2018 to October 2019, and political parties redeemed 12,173 of these for Rs 6,108.47 crore. This accounts for 99.67% of the total bond value.

Electoral Bond Scheme

On January 2, 2018, the government had notified the Electoral Bond Scheme 2018. It was touted as an alternative to cash donations and to ensure transparency in political funding

It was introduced as financial bill in 2018 as electoral bond scheme.

What are Electoral bonds?

1. An electoral bond is like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated in India from select branches of State Bank of India. 2. The citizen or corporate can then donate the same to any eligible political party of his/her choice 3. These are similar to bank notes that are payable to bearer in demand and are free of interest. 4. An individual or party can purchase it digitally or in form of check. 5. The electoral accounts are issued by the State Bank of India (SBI). The electoral bonds can be purchased in the months of January, April, July and October. An additional 30 days can be specified by government in the year of LS election. 6. Political parties will be given verified account and transaction will be done to this account only. These can be redeemed only within 15 days 7. The donor has to give his KYC norms and name of donor will be confidential. 8. Bonds will be issued in multiple of Rs 1000, Rupees 10000 Rs 100000 and 1 crore.

Before 2017, the electoral bonds scheme was for donation of over Rs 20,000. In 2017, the government capped the donation limit at Rs 2,000.

Electoral bonds: Conditions

1. Any party that is registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and has secured at least one per cent of the votes polled in the most recent General elections or Assembly elections is eligible to receive electoral bonds. The party will be allotted a verified account by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the electoral bond transactions can be made only through this account. 2. The electoral bonds will not bear the name of the donor. Thus, the political party might not be aware of the donor’s identity.

Electoral bonds are tax deductible, a donor will get a deduction and the recipient, or the political party, will get tax exemption, provided returns are filed by the political party.

Restrictions that were done away with after the introduction of the electoral bond scheme

1. Earlier, no foreign company could donate to any political party under the Companies Act. Now this restriction is removed. 2. A firm could donate a maximum of 7.5 per cent of its average three-year net profit as political donations according to Section 182 of the Companies Act. Now the 7.5% limit is removed. 3. As per the same section of the Act, companies had to disclose details of their political donations in their annual statement of accounts. Now this provision is removed.

1.6 SECTION 144 It is not a tool to suppress opinion: SC

Why in News?

Section 144 CrPC was recently widely invoked by police forces across the country in order to contain the massive public protests against the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act.

What is section 144?

1. In cases where, in the opinion of a District Magistrate, a Sub-divisional Magistrate or any other Executive Magistrate specially empowered by the State Government , there is sufficient ground for proceeding under this section and immediate prevention or speedy direction is likely to prevent, or tends to prevent, obstruction, annoyance or injury to any person lawfully employed, or danger to human life, health or safety, or a disturbance of the public tranquility, or a riot, or an affray, remedy is desirable, such Magistrate may, by a written order stating the material facts of the case and served in the manner provided by section 134, direct any person to abstain from a certain act or to take certain order with respect to certain property in his possession or under his management, 2. An order under this section may be passed ex parte. 3. An order under this section may be directed to a particular individual, or to persons residing in a particular place or area, or to the public generally when frequenting or visiting a particular place or area

Duration of Section 144 order

No order under this section shall remain in force for more than two months from the making thereof

Provided that, if the State Government considers it necessary so to do , it may, by notification, direct that an order made by a Magistrate under this section shall remain in force for such further period not exceeding six months from the date on which the order made by the Magistrate would have.

According to the law, every member of such ‘unlawful assembly’ can be booked for engaging in rioting.

IMPLICATIONS

The orders under this provision will lead to the infringement of fundamental rights to freedom of speech and expression, assembly and movement guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(a),(b) and (c) of the Constitution.

Can internet be shut down under Section 144?

Yes. Section 144 also has provisions for internet shutdown. Section 144 of CrPC generally prohibits public gathering (prohibits assembly of four or more people )and also restricts carrying any sort of weapon in that area where it has been imposed and people can be detained for violating it. The maximum punishment for such an act is three years.

According to the order under this section, there shall be no movement of public and all educational institutions shall also remain closed and there will be a complete bar on holding any kind of public meetings or rallies during the period of operation of this order

SC Judgements

1) In the 2012 case of Ramlila Maidan Incident vs Home Secretary of Union of India the court said “the perception of threat to public peace and tranquility should be real and not quandary, imaginary or a mere likely possibility.” 2) The most elucidate take on this was perhaps put forward as Supreme Court ordered the release of five activists arrested in the Elgar Parishad case. “Dissent is the safety valve of democracy. If dissent is not allowed, then the pressure cooker may burst,”

1.7 THE TRANSGENDER PERSONS (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS) Act, 2019 Why in news?

Parliament has made into law the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, which had been framed for the welfare of transgender persons.

Definition of a transgender person:

The Bill defines a transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth. It includes trans-men and trans-women, persons with intersex variations, gender-queers, and persons with socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and hijra.

Intersex variations is defined to mean a person who at birth shows variation in his or her primary sexual characteristics, external genitalia, chromosomes, or hormones from the normative standard of male or female body.

Prohibition against discrimination:

The Bill prohibits the discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment in relation to: (i) education; (ii) employment; (iii) healthcare; (iv) access to, or enjoyment of goods, facilities, opportunities available to the public; (v) right to movement; (vi) right to reside, rent, or otherwise occupy property; (vii) opportunity to hold public or private office; and (viii) access to a government or private establishment in whose care or custody a transgender person is.

National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of India, which declared transgender people to be a 'third gender'

Objections to the Act:

• Rejecting ‘Transgender’ as the nomenclature, they suggested instead that the title should be a comprehensive “Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics (Protection of Rights) Bill”, and in definition, sought to introduce the distinction between transgender and intersex persons upfront • They find the requirement of the court order to decide where a trans-child will live — either with biological family or the community family — as another blatant human right violation • There is no discussion regarding reservations in public jobs, education, etc. Bullying in schools and at the workplace is frequent but there is no discussion about this issue as well. • The Bill says that there will be just one committee at the national level including maximum five representatives from the transgender community. This is unfair representation for the transgender population. • The penalty for rape is just six months to two years when it is life imprisonment for raping a woman.

1.8 WHAT IS OCI? OCI Card is a multiple entry life-long visa which enables the holder to have unlimited travel and stay in India.

A multiple entry, multi-purpose lifelong visa for visiting India.

Exemption from registration with the local police authorities for any length of stay in India.

Citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh cannot apply

The Central Government may, subject to such conditions and restrictions as may be prescribed, on an application made in this behalf, register as an overseas citizen of India

● any person of full age and capacity ● who is citizen of another country, but was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after, the commencement of the Constitution ● who is citizen of another country, but was eligible to become a citizen of India at the time of the commencement of the Constitution ● who is citizen of another country, but belonged to a territory that become part of India after the 15th day of August, 1947 ● who is a child or a grand-child of such a citizen. ● a person, who is a minor child of a person mentioned in clause (a): Provided that no person, who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other country as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, shall be eligible for registration as an overseas citizen of India

Some relaxation given to OCI.

Children and spouse of foreign military officials and police personnel either in service or retired are eligible for being considered for registration

FRO and Indian mission are empowered to decide upon OCI application cases of minor children born out of wedlock, surrogacy and adoption cases this cases were earlier referred by Ministry of home affairs

Other things about OCI

OCI may be cancelled if person does things against constitutional spirit, and unlawfully traded or communicated with enemy countries.

Registration with foreigner’s regional registration office is compulsory in case of acquisition of agricultural properties.

No political and public employment rights are given.

Cannot exercise constitutional rights like hold positions is Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, run for Indian Presidency, and become a judge in High Court or Supreme Court.

Permission required: Special Permit required for Missionary, Research Work, Mountaineering, and areas that require Protected Area Permit and Restricted Area Permit.

Comparison of OCI and PIO (OCI vs PIO)

Initially Indian citizens living out of the country had the option of either applying for a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Card or an Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card.

These acted as a long-term traveling and identifying document in lieu of a visa.

Eventually these were merged and the Indian government advised everyone to apply for an OCI.

Starting September 30, 2019, all PIOs deemed invalid and only OCIs will be acceptable as a valid traveling document for all travelers of Indian origin living abroad.

1.9 NET NEUTRALITY What is net neutrality?

In simple terms, it means that users should have neutral access to all lawful content and applications on the internet, regardless of the source, without the government or ISPs influencing your choices through pricing or selective access.

Without specific net neutrality regulations, ISPs can block or slow down internet speeds for select sites, or provide preferential treatment to certain content providers over others.

For instance, a telecom operator can enter into an agreement with a company and allow faster access to its website compared to others, or bar the entry of new players in that particular area. But laws upholding net neutrality prevent this.

Why is it important?

• Advocates of net neutrality argue that it is the openness of the internet which makes the worldwide web so democratic. With ISPs merely acting as neutral vehicles through which content is ferried, anyone big or small can start a website, distribute content, sell goods or services or offer applications through the internet, even if they don’t have deep pockets or aren’t backed by a big name. • It is this level-playing field, they argue, which has fostered so much innovation on the Web and allowed so many small businesses to flourish. If ISPs were given a free pass to control the content, the fear is that they could enter into cozy deals with big businesses to stifle competition, by accepting fees to prioritize some content over others.

• But opponents to net neutrality say that without these rules, ISPs will be better able to invest in to improving internet speed, infrastructure and optimizing radio spectrum. • In 2015, efforts by Facebook to tie up with telecom companies to offer free basic services in India ran into opposition from net neutrality advocates

1.10 SABARIMALA CASE Why in News?

SC is set to revisit its judgment on Sabarimala Case

9-Judge-Constitution Bench Constituted in Supreme Court to give an authoritative pronouncement on the nature of religious freedom under the Constitution.

CJI has clarified that the Court will not be deciding the petitions seeking a review of the verdict in the Sabarimala Case. Instead, it would limit itself to “larger questions” such as the interplay between freedom of religion and other fundamental rights and the extent to which courts can probe whether a particular practice is essential to that religion or not.

Such as: law on women’s entry into mosques/temples, genital mutilation among Dawoodi Bohras, entry of Parsi women who marry outside the community into the fire temple.

However, it would be unwise if the examination of every discriminatory practice becomes a fresh treatise on Articles 25 and 26, instead of being subjected to a simple test whether the particular practice is protected by the freedom of religion, or can be curbed on the grounds of “public order, morality and health”.

The court should re-evaluate the “essential religious practice test”, a contentious doctrine evolved by the court to protect only such religious practices which were essential and integral to the religion.

September 2018- A five-judge bench of Supreme Court allowed the entry of women of all ages in the revered shrine. What is the Supreme Court’s doctrine of essentiality?

The doctrine of “essentiality” was invented by a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in the ‘Shirur Mutt’ case in 1954. The court held that the term “religion” will cover all rituals and practices “integral” to a religion, and took upon itself the responsibility of determining the essential and non-essential practices of a religion.

A reconsideration of this “essentiality doctrine” will be useful only if it is a means to rid the court of the burden of entering the theological thicket. However, even without revisiting the judgment, courts have often given verdicts that protect individual rights, and uphold equality and dignity over regressive religious practices

1.11 CAA Vs ARTICLE 131 Why in News?

The state of Kerala has filed a suit to challenge the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, stating that it violates Articles 14 (equality before the law), 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) and 25 (freedom of religion) of the Indian constitution as well as against the secular fabric of the nation.

It also challenges the Passport (Entry to India) Amendment Rules 2015, and Foreigners (Amendment) Order 2015, which had regularized the stay of non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who had entered India before December 31, 2014, on the condition that they had fled religious persecution from their home countries.

A day later, the Chhattisgarh government challenged the NIA Act. Both governments have filed their challenges under Article 131 of the Indian constitution.

The constitution of India, under Article 131, confers the Supreme Court original jurisdiction in certain special matters.

What are the matters where the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is provisioned?

Any dispute involving a question of law or fact on which existence of legal right depends comes under original jurisdiction of the SC. The disputes may be:

● between the government of India and one or more states; ● between the government of India and any state/states on one side and one or more states on the other; ● between two or more states

What is the need for original jurisdiction in such matters?

The Indian constitution divides power between the central government and the state governments. However, there may be differences over the interpretation of the federal structure. In order to settle such issues, the Supreme Court of India acts as an arbitrator.

Is such a suit maintainable?

There are two conflicting opinions of the Supreme Court on this point. In 2011, in State of Madhya Pradesh v. Union of India and Another, the court said: “when the Central laws can be challenged in the State High Courts as well and also before this Court under

Article 32, normally, no recourse can be permitted to challenge the validity of a Central law under the exclusive original jurisdiction of this Court provided under Article 131.”

However, in State of Jharkhand vs. State of Bihar and Another (2014), another Bench said it was unable to accept the view that the constitutionality of a law cannot be raised in a suit under Article 131. Therefore, the matter was referred to a larger Bench for an authoritative pronouncement.

One of the issues to be decided is whether such a suit involves a question “on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends”.

Supreme Court may have to constitute a larger Bench to decide the question whether the suits challenging central laws are maintainable

1.12 CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX

India slips two places on global corruption perception index: • India’s ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI-2019) has slipped from 78 to 80 compared to the previous year, said Transparency International, while questioning the “unfair and opaque political financing” in the country. Its score of 41 out of 100 remains the same. • In democracies like India and Australia, unfair and opaque political financing, undue influence in decision-making and lobbying by powerful corporate interest groups, has resulted in stagnation or decline in the control of corruption, observed the report. • The latest CPI report has revealed that a majority of countries are showing little to no improvement in tackling corruption. • China has improved its position from 87 to 80 with a score of 41 out of 100, a two- point jump. • Corruption is more pervasive in countries where big money can flow freely into electoral campaigns and where governments listen only to the voices of wealthy or well-connected individuals, About Transparency international • Transparency International (TI) is an international non-governmental organization which is based in Berlin, Germany, and was founded in 1993. • Its non-profit purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil societal anti-corruption measures and to prevent criminal activities arising from corruption. • It publishes for example the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index. • The organization defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain which eventually hurts everyone who depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority.

About Corruption perceptions index:

• The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index published annually by Transparency International since 1995 which ranks countries “by their perceived levels of public sector., • Corruption as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.” The CPI generally defines corruption as “the misuse of public power for private benefit”. • The CPI currently ranks 176 countries “on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt)”. Denmark, New Zealand, and Finland are perceived as the least corrupt nations in the world, ranking consistently high among international financial transparency, while the most perceived corrupt country in the world is Somalia,

2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 2.1 OPEC & OPEC+ According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) plus might face sharp demand fall due to a recent surge in crude oil production from the countries like USA, Norway, and Guyana.

The non-OPEC countries which export crude oil are termed as OPEC plus countries.

OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.

It aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set the price of oil in the world market, in order to avoid fluctuations that might affect the economies of both producing and purchasing countries.

It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.

Gabon terminated its membership in January 1995. However, it rejoined the Organization in July 2016.

As of 2020, OPEC has a total of 13 Member Countries viz. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates(UAE), Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Angola and Venezuela are members of OPEC.

Qatar left OPEC on 1 January 2019, after joining the organization in 1961, to focus on natural gas production, of which it is the world’s largest exporter in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Ecuador announced that it would leave OPEC on 1 January 2020

India-OPEC

India imports 80% of its petroleum needs from OPEC countries. However, India has been reducing its dependence on the OPEC countries. In October 2019, India imported 4.56 million barrels per day from OPEC. This is 3.3% low as compared to the previous year.

2.2 INDIA-MONGOLIA AGREEMENT ON EXPLORATION OF OUTER SPACE

The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi approved the agreement between India and Mongolia to explore outer space for civilian and peaceful purposes.

The agreement enables the countries to pursue research in planetary exploration, space system, and application of space technology.

The plan is to set a Joint Working Group by drawing members from ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), DOS (Department of Space). Communications and Information Technology Authority (CITA) of Mongolia.

The finances for the project are to be approved in stage-by-stage basis.

India-Mongolia Relations

● The common Buddhist heritage and civilizations link two countries and peoples. ● India established diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1955 as Mongolia declared India as a “spiritual neighbor” and strategic partner. ● India maintains close ties with Mongolia and is interested in developing trade with the country as it is rich in mineral deposits. ● During PM Modi’s visit to the country in 2015, which was the first ever Prime Ministerial visit to Mongolia in the Indian history, PM announced 1 billion USD grant to the country. ● Mongolia has abundant deposits of minerals namely coal, gold, copper, molybdenum, tin, fluorspar, tungsten and tin. The country also holds huge uranium deposits. ● In 2018, India exported 51.6 million USD of goods to Mongolia and imported goods with 1 million USD. This is very little as compared to that of its neighbors China and Russia. ● The Indo–Mongolian joint military training is called Exercise Nomadic Elephant.

2.3 RAISINA DIALOGUE The Raisina Dialogue was held between January 14-16, 2020.

It is a multilateral conference that is held in New Delhi annually since 2016. The dialogue is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and Observer Research Foundation.

It includes ministers from Russia, Iran, Maldives, Morocco, Australia, Bhutan, Denmark, Czech Republic, Uzbekistan and Estonia.

Theme: 21@20: Navigating the Alpha Century

The conference has emerged as India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo- economics. The fourth edition of The Raisina Dialogue was held at the Taj Diplomatic Enclave in New Delhi, India from January 08–10, 2019.

The theme for the 2019 conference was “New Geometrics | Fluid Partnerships | Uncertain Outcomes”.

The conference is named after, “Raisina Hills”, which is the seat of Government of India and Rashtrapatibhavan. The dialogue was designed on the lines of Shangri-La dialogue.

Highlights of Raisina Dialogue The dialogue covered 5 thematic pillars namely: 1) The nationalist impulses challenging global institutions and collective action, 2) The global development agenda, 3) The debate on the global trading architecture, 4) The role of technologies in determining political economic and military power, 5) The state-individual relationship in the age of digital communities and cyberspace.

India-Russia at Raisina Dialogue

The year 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between India and the Russian Federation. Modi also marked 2020 as the year of implementation of key decisions between India and Russia.

Indo-Pacific

Russia at the Raisina Dialogue questioned the idea of “Indo-Pacific”. It said that the concept of Indo-Pacific is divisive. Russia also believes that the concept of Indo-Pacific isolates China and also aims to move away from ASEAN centered building model.

UNSC Membership

Russia at the Raisina Dialogue also announced that it backs India for the latter’s permanent UNSC membership. Along with India, Brazil is also seeking permanent membership from UNSC. Russia extended its support to Brazil as well.

India-Finland

On the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue, India and Finland signed a Defence MoU. The agreement aimed to increase cooperation between the countries in terms of procurement, production, R&D of Defense related equipment.

The agreement was under discussion between the countries since DefExpo 2018. It has now been formalized to run up to DefExpo 2020.

The talks for the agreement was initiated by PM Modi at the first India-Nordic Summit held at Stockholm.

‘Green Strategic Partnership’ explored:

The Minister of External Affairs(MEA) Shri S. Jaishankar met foreign Minister of Denmark Jeppe Sebastian Kofod and held discussions on ‘Green Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries.

2.4 SHANGRI LA DIALOGUE What is it?

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's premier defense summit. It’s a unique meeting where ministers debate the region’s most pressing security challenges, engage in important bilateral talks and come up with fresh solutions together.

It is a “Track One” inter-governmental security forum held annually by an independent think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) which is attended by defense ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states.

● Since its launch in 2002 the Dialogue has built confidence and fostered practical security cooperation, by facilitating easy communication and fruitful contact among the region’s most important defence and security policymakers. ● The forum gets its name from the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore where it has been held since 2002. ● Originally known as the Asia Security Summit was initiated in 2002 in response to the evident need for a forum where Asia-Pacific defence ministers could engage in dialogue aimed at building confidence and fostering practical cooperation. ● The summit serves to cultivate a sense of community among the most important policymakers in the defence and security community in the region. ● While primarily an inter-governmental meeting, the summit is also attended by legislators, academic experts, business delegates, think tank analysts, media and other NGO personnel. ● The participants have included Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, East Timor, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. ● Shangri-La has contributed to the enhancement of defence diplomacy by participating countries, in part by inspiring similar forums in other regions.

Track One Diplomacy:

Official discussions typically involving high-level political and military leaders and focusing on cease-fires, peace talks, and treaties and other agreements. Heads of states meet, have hi-tea, discuss issues and release joint statements etc.

2.5 SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION Why in News? SCO will be hosted by India later this year

India took over the presidency of the heads of government’ meeting last year and it was announced in the 18th meeting of the SCO’s Council of heads of government-held in Tashkent in 2019.

The SCO, which has its headquarters in Beijing, holds summits of heads of states as well as heads of government meetings annually in member countries.

The heads of state meet for 2020 will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001 by six countries, People’s Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The main objectives of the SCO are to (i) strengthen relations among member states; (ii) promote cooperation in political affairs, economics and trade, scientific-technical, cultural, and educational spheres as well as in energy, transportation, tourism, and environmental protection; (iv) safeguard regional peace, security, and stability; and (v) create a democratic, equitable international political and economic order.

2.6 INDIA, BRAZIL TO SIGN STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN • India and Brazil will upgrade their strategic partnership with an “action plan” and sign a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) when Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro visits as the Chief Guest of the Republic Day celebrations from 24-27. • The Strategic Partnership Action Plan will serve as an “umbrella agreement”, for plans between the two countries to increase defence cooperation, technology sharing and a logistics agreement. • The Bilateral Investment treaty will be one of the first that the Modi government will sign since 2015, when it decided to scrap all existing treaties with 83 countries, and brought in a new “Model BIT”. • Since then India has been able to sign BITs with Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, has concluded an agreement with Cambodia, and is negotiating treaties with about a dozen other countries.

• Brazil and India will also exchange a Social Security Agreement (SSA), first signed in March 2017, to allow investments in each other’s pension funds, to help business processes and encourage the flow of investment. • In 2018 Indian investments in Brazil were around U.S.$ 6 billion and Brazilian investments in India are estimated at U.S.$ 1 billion, the MEA said, adding that bilateral trade stands at about $8 billion. • According to the programme, Mr. Bolsonaro will be accompanied by 7-8 ministers, including the Mining Minister and Agriculture Minister who have already arrived in Delhi to negotiate agreements to be signed at the end of bilateral talks on January 25. • Among about 20 agreements set to be exchanged, are the Strategic Partnership Action Plan, along with the BIT, a Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement (MLAT) on crime, agreements on double taxation avoidance, bio-energy or ethanol production, cyber security, health, mining, oil and gas exploration and investment, and animal husbandry.

2.7. DUBAI DECLARED ‘RECIPROCATING TERRITORY’ BY INDIA • The Ministry of Law and Justice issued an Extraordinary Gazette Notification, declaring the United Arab Emirates to be a “reciprocating territory” under Section 44A of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908. • The notification also declared a list of courts in the UAE to be “superior Courts” under the same section. • Apart from Dubai, the other countries declared to be “reciprocating territories” are: United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago, New Zealand, the Cook Islands (including Niue) and the Trust Territories of Western Samoa, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Aden.

What is a ‘reciprocating territory’ and what are superior courts? Essentially, orders passed by certain designated courts from a ‘reciprocating territory’ can be implemented in India, by filing a copy of the decree concerned in a District Court here. The courts so designated are called ‘superior Courts’.

What does Section 44 of the CPC say? • Section 44A, titled “Execution of decrees passed by Courts in reciprocating territory”, provides the law on the subject of execution of decrees of Courts in India by foreign Courts and vice versa. “Reciprocating territory” means any country or territory outside India which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be a reciprocating territory for the purposes of this section; and “superior Courts”, with reference to any such territory, means such Courts as may be specified in the said notification.” • Section 44A (1) provides that a decree passed by “a superior Court” in any “reciprocating territory” can be executed in India by filing a certified copy of the decree in a District Court, which will treat the decree as if it has been passed by itself.

Why is the move significant?

• The decision is believed to help bring down the time required for executing decrees between the two countries. • The notification was the only remaining part of a 1999 agreement between the UAE and India related to cooperation in civil and commercial matters. • Indian expatriates in the UAE would no longer be able to seek safe haven in their home country if they are convicted in a civil case in the UAE.

2.8 MYANMAR-CHINA PUSH FOR BELT & ROAD INITIATIVE Why in News? Myanmar and China signed 33 bilateral deals including agreements, MoUs, exchange letters and protocols on the concluding day of the two-day visit by the Chinese President Xi Jinping to Myanmar. • A large number of these deals relate to the implementation of the China Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by China. • The two countries signed a concession agreement and shareholders’ agreement for the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) deep seaport project. The port will link the land locked Yunnan province of China directly to the Indian Ocean allowing China to bypass the strait of Malacca through which it imports a sizeable amount of oil and gas. • Myanmar and China also signed 13 more agreements to strengthen collaboration in the infrastructure sector including roads, rail connectivity and power interconnection projects. • The two sides did not address a controversial $3.6 billion Beijing-backed Myitsone dam, where work has been stalled since 2011 due to local protests and cost considerations. India’s Concerns • The project allows China to have easy of access to Indian Ocean. This is because this route bypasses Strait of Malacca through which China imports most of its oil requirements. • Strait of Malacca connects Andaman Sea and South China Sea. This route is on the international boundary and is far from India’s territories as compared to the Myanmar route. • With China of Ease of access to Indian Ocean, India has to strengthen its Navy to safeguard its interests in the region. Also, Indian Navy is already witnessing increased Chinese presence in the IOR. This will aid in China’s plans of String of pearls. Background Belt and Road Initiative • The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R) is a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 involving infrastructure development and investments in 152 countries and international organizations in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. • The Chinese government calls the initiative “a bid to enhance regional connectivity and embrace a brighter future”. • Some observers see it as a push for Chinese dominance in global affairs with a China- centered trading network.

• The project has a targeted completion date of 2049, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Myitsone Dam • The project was proposed across Irawaddy river. It was suspended and the Chinese tried to revive it at an estimated cost of 3.6 billion USD. The project is controversial as it is located at a 60-mile distance from the Sagaing fault line. • The Sagaing Fault is a major fault in Burma, a continental transform fault between the Indian plate and Sunda Plate that connects spreading centers in the Andaman Sea and the continental convergence zone along the Himalayan front.

3. ECONOMY

3.1 UJALA & STREET LIGHTING NATIONAL PROGRAMME

Why in News? • The Government of India’s zero subsidy Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and LED Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), marked its fifth anniversary which was launched on 5th Jan-2015. • SLNP is the world’s largest streetlight replacement programme and UJALA is the world’s largest domestic lighting project. • Both have been spearheaded and implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All(UJALA): The main objective is to promote efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using efficient equipments which reduces electricity bills and help preserve environment.

Features: • According to the scheme, net 3 Crore LED bulbs will be distributed for a period of the next six years. • This scheme will provide energy-efficient 9 Watt LED bulbs to the people at the cost of Rs. 85 per bulb. • The scheme will not only reduce the electricity bill but will also add the security of energy in the Country. • The DISCOM offices and EESL will be responsible for the distribution of LEDs under this Scheme. • Through the UJALA scheme consumers can avail from a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 10 LED bulbs, depending on the region. • Through UJALA initiative by 2019, over 36.13 crore LED bulbs have been distributed across India. This has resulted in estimated energy savings of 46.92 billion kWh per year, avoided peak demand of 9,394 MW, and an estimated GHG

emission reduction of 38 MTof CO2 annually.

Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) • Government aims to replace 3.5 crore conventional street lights with energy efficient LED lights. This would result in annual energy saving of 900 crore units and the total cost savings of municipalities every year will be Rs 5,500 crore. • Under the SLNP programme, over1.03 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed till 2019, enabling an estimated energy savings of 6.97 billion kWh per year with an avoided peak demand of 1,161 MW and an estimated greenhouse

gas (GHG) emission reduction of 4.80 MT CO2 annually.

• LED streetlights have been installed in various states across the country, helping generate approximately 13,000 jobs to support GoI's Make in India initiative.

3.2 SECURITIES APPELLATE TRIBUNAL(SAT)

• Securities Appellate Tribunal is a statutory body established under the provisions of Section 15K of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 • It is to hear and dispose of appeals against orders passed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India or by an adjudicating officer under the Act; and to exercise jurisdiction, powers and authority conferred on the Tribunal by or under this Act or any other law for the time being in force.

It hears appeals from the following: • Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the PFRDA Act, 2013. • In terms of Government Notification, it hears and disposes appeals from Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI) under the Insurance Act, 1938, the General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Act, 1972 and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999 and the Rules and Regulations framed there under.

3.3 NORTH EAST NATURAL GAS PIPELINE GRID

Why in News? • Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), approved Viability Gap Funding/ Capital Grant of 60% of the estimated cost of Rs. 5,559 crores for the project. • To usher in Gas based economy and to increase the share of natural gas in country's primary energy mix, Government is taking focused steps viz. enhancing domestic gas production, expeditious development of gas infrastructure including pipelines, City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks and Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (R-LNG) Terminals as well as development of Gas market by providing open access to gas infrastructure.

What is this? Ministry: Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas(MoPNG) • The North East Gas Grid project is being implemented by Indra Dhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL), a Joint Venture company of five CPSEs (GAIL, IOCL, ONGC, OIL and NRL). It has been incorporated on 10.08.2018 to develop and operate Natural gas pipeline grid in North-East region

• The total length of the pipeline is planned to be 1,656 km and will be built at an estimated cost of Rs. 9,265 crores (Including interest during construction). • It will cover eight states of the North-Eastern region i.e., Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. • For effective monitoring of the project implementation, a Committee comprising of officials from Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Development of North East Region, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and Department of Fertilizer to be formed. • The North East Gas Grid will get the natural gas supply from GAIL’s Barauni - Guwahati pipeline, which is a part of Jagdishpur – Haldia&Bokaro – Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline Project, popularly known as Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga(PMUG). • PMUG is the pipeline of length 2540 km is under construction from the states of Uttar Pradesh to Odisha.

About PMUG

The gas pipeline project aims to provide piped cooking gas to residents of Varanasi and later to millions of people in the states like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.

Significance – According to GAIL with the Urja Ganga Project 20 Lakh households will get PNG Connection.

3.4 COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA(CCI)

Why in news? The Competition Commission of India (CCI) released a Report titled ‘Market Study on E- commerce in India: Key Findings and Observations’. It was initiated by the CCI in April 2019 with a view to better understand the functioning of e-commerce in India and its implications for markets and competition.

CCI: • It is a statutory body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 throughout India and to prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India. • It was established on October 2003. • The Commission comprises a Chairperson and 6 members. • It is the duty of the Commission to eliminate practices having adverse effect on competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.

About the Report: • The study covered the three broad categories of e-commerce in consumer goods, accommodation services and food services. • The report released discusses the issues that have a bearing on the competition. These include the issues of lack of platform neutrality, unfair platform-to-business contract terms, exclusive contracts between online marketplace platforms and sellers/service providers, platform price parity restrictions and deep discounts. • On the basis of the market study findings, the enforcement and advocacy priorities for the CCI in the e-commerce sector in India are, 1. Ensuring competition on the merits to harness efficiencies for consumers. 2. Increasing transparency to create incentive for competition and to reduce information asymmetry. 3. Fostering sustainable business relationships between all stakeholders.

3.5 RBI ALLOWS VIDEO BASED KYC

Why? With a view to leverage the digital channels for Customer Identification Process (CIP) by Regulated Entities (Res), the RBI has decided to permit Video-based Customer Identification Process (VCIP) as a consent-based alternate method of establishing the customer’s identity, for customer onboarding.

How: • The provision allows an officer of the financial institution to remotely vet a customer’s identity through PAN or Aadhaar cards and a series of questions. • The agent will also have to ensure that the customer is physically present within the country by capturing their geo-coordinates. • Further, the origin of the video call must be from the domain of the concerned bank and not from a third-party source such as Google Duo or WhatsApp video call. • Banks will have to integrate their applications and website with a link to initiate the video KYC process.

Benefits: • For banks, non-banking financial companies, wallet service providers and other financial entities regulated by the central bank, • This is expected to come as a huge relief as remote customer authentication, as opposed to physically on boarding customers will help save costs.

3.6 STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX 2019

The ‘State Energy Efficiency Index 2019’, was released by Ministry of Power and New & Renewable Energy.

About: • The index is developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE). • It tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in 36 states and union territories based on 97 significant indicators. • The first such Index, the “State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index 2018”, was launched on August 1, 2018. • It will help states contribute towards national goals on energy security and climate action by helping drive EE policies and program implementation at the state and local level, tracking progress in managing the states’ and India’s energy footprint and institutionalizing the data capture and monitoring of EE activities by states. • Taking forward the State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index 2018, the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 incorporates qualitative, quantitative and outcome-based indicators to assess energy efficiency initiatives, programs and outcomes in five distinct sectors – buildings, industry, municipalities, transport, agriculture, and DISCOMs. • The required data was collected from the concerned state departments such as DISCOMs, Urban Development departments and other departments with the help of State Designated Agencies (SDAs). • For rational comparison, States/UTs are grouped into four groups based on aggregated Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) required to meet the state’s actual energy demand (electricity, coal, oil, gas, etc.) across sectors. TPES grouping shall help states compare performance and share best practices within their peer group. Under four categories based on TPES, Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Puducherry and Chandigarh have been evaluated as progressive states/UTs in the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019.

3.7 PAPERLESS LICENSING PROCESS

In the vision Digital India and Ease of Doing Business, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has launched paperless licensing process through Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) for road tankers for transportation of petroleum under the Petroleum Rules, 2002. • The process will include filing the applications online.

• This will also include online payment of fees which will go directly to the concerned officer’s ID without any manual interface. • Applicants, at each stage of processing of the application, will be intimated via SMS and email, whether discrepancy or grant of license or approval. • An added advantage of this move is that the authenticity of the license can be verified through public domain available on PESO’s website.

3.8 FINANCIAL INCLUSION STRATEGY FOR 2024

Why in news?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has chalked out an ambitious strategy for financial inclusion till 2024, in which it aims to strengthen the ecosystem for various modes of digital financial services in all Tier-II to Tier VI centres to create the necessary infrastructure to move towards a less-cash society by March 2022.

What is NFIS and Why it is necessary? National Financial Inclusion Strategies (NFIS) can be defined as roadmaps of actions, agreed and defined at the national or sub national level, which stakeholders follow to achieve financial inclusion objectives. Financial inclusion increases the economic growth and poverty alleviation the world over.

Objectives of the strategy: • To increase the outreach of banking outlets to provide banking access to every village within a 5-km radius or a hamlet of 500 households in hilly areas by March 2020. • Every adult had access to a financial service provider through a mobile device by March 2024. • Every willing and eligible adult, who has been enrolled under the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana, be enrolled under an insurance scheme and a pension scheme by March 2020.

To make the Public Credit Registry (PCR) fully operational by March 2022 so that authorised financial entities could leverage the same for assessing credit proposals from all citizens.

3.9 INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING(IPO) • An Initial Public Offering (IPO) refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance. • Public share issuance allows a company to raise capital from public investors. • It is in the primary market of capital markets that deals with the issuance of new securities directly by the company to the investors by an IPO.

• If a company has already issued shares before and it is going to market for new issue it is called Follow on Public Offer(FPO). • A company planning an IPO will typically select an underwriter or underwriters. • An underwriter is any party that evaluates and assumes another party's risk for a fee. The fee is often a commission, premium, spread, or interest.

3.10 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE MARKET COMMITTEE (APMC) • Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) is a statutory market committee constituted by a State Government in respect of trade in certain notified agricultural or horticultural or livestock products, under the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act (APMC Act) issued by that state government. • The APMC system was introduced to prevent distress sale by farmers to their creditors, to protect farmers from the exploitation of intermediaries and traders and to ensure better prices and timely payment for their produce through the auctions in the APMC area. • APMCs are intended to be responsible for: o Ensuring transparency in pricing system and transactions taking place in market area. o Providing market-led extension services to farmers. o Ensuring payment for agricultural produce sold by farmers on the same day. o Promoting agricultural processing including activities for value addition in agricultural produce. o Publicizing data on arrivals and rates of agricultural produce brought into the market area for sale. o Setup and promote public private partnership in the management of agricultural markets.

3.11 COMPOSITION OF RBI

Why in News? Appointment of Michael Patra as a deputy governor (DG) has come as a short in the arm for the central bank autonomy, as the government has nominated a third DG from within the RBI by sacrificing its freedom to choose an outsider.

Composition of RBI: ➢ The central board of directors is the main committee of the central bank. ➢ The GoI appoints the directors for a four-year term. The board consists of a governor; and not more than four deputy governors;four directors to represent the regional boards; two - usually theEconomic affairs Secretary and the Financial Services Secretary— from the MoF and ten other directors from various fields. ➢ The bank is headed by the governor, currently Shakthikantha Das. There are four deputy governors along with MichealPatra.

➢ Two of the four deputy governors are traditionally from RBI ranks and are selected from the bank's executive directors. One is nominated from among the chairpersons of public sector banks and the other is an economist. ➢ To be eligible to be the DG (economist), an aspirant must fulfill at least one of the three criteria: They must be “persons who have at least 25 years of work experience in public administration, including experience at the level of secretary or equivalent in the government of India; or from among persons who have at least 25 years of work experience in an Indian or international public financial institution; or from among persons of exceptional merit and track record at the national or international level in the relevant field(s)”.

3.12 MONETARY POLICY FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT

The Reserve Bank of India and Government of India signed the Monetary Policy Framework Agreement on 20 February 2015 which made inflation targeting and achieving price stability the responsibilities of RBI.

About: • The government proposed to amend the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934 for giving a statutory backing to the aforementioned Monetary Policy Framework Agreement and for setting up a Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). • This amendment to RBI Act was carried out through the Finance Bill, 2016 presented along with the Union Budget documents • Under the present Monetary Policy Framework Agreement signed on 20 February 2015, the RBI will be responsible(Functions) for: ✓ Containing inflation targets at 4% (with a standard deviation of 2%) in the medium term. ✓ Under Section 45ZA (1) of the RBI Act, 1934, the Central Government determines the inflation target in terms of the CPI, once in every five years in consultation with the RBI. ✓ RBI has to give explanation in the form of a report to the central government, if it failed to reach the specified inflation targets for 3 consecutive quarters. ✓ RBI has to publish a Monetary Policy Report every six months, explaining the sources of inflation and the forecasts of inflation for the coming period of 6-18 months. ✓ The monetary policy framework aims to set the policy repo rate as per the assessment of the present and developing macroeconomic situation (MPC Committee structure has been discussed in December Current Affairs)

3.13 MANI APP

Why in news?

RBI Governor recently launched “Mobile Aided Note Identifier (MANI)”, a mobile application for aiding and empowering visually impaired persons to identify the denomination of Indian Banknotes. Features: • Indian banknotes contain several features which enable the visually impaired (colour blind, partially sighted and blind people) to identify them, viz., intaglio printing and tactile mark, variable banknote size, large numerals, variable colour, monochromatic hues and patterns. • Capable of identifying the denominations of Mahatma Gandhi Series and Mahatma Gandhi (New) series banknote by checking front or reverse side/part of the note including half folded notes at various holding angles and broad range of light conditions (normal light/day light/low light/ etc.). • Ability to identify the denomination through audio notification in Hindi/English and non-sonic mode such as vibration (suitable for those with vision and hearing impairment). • After installation, the mobile application does not require internet and works in offline mode. • Ability to navigate the mobile application via voice controls for accessing the application features wherever the underlying device & operating system combination supports voice enabled controls. • The application is free and can be downloaded from the Android Play Store and iOS App Store without any charges/payment. • This mobile application does not authenticate a note as being either genuine or counterfeit.

3.14 SWITCH ON/OFF CARD

Why in news? The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked banks and other card-issuing companies to provide a facility to customers to switch on and off their debit or credit cards, a move aimed at enhancing security for digital transactions. These directions will come into effect from March 16, 2020, as per the RBI notification.

About: • Currently, most purchases require two-factor authentication—entering of a CVV followed by an OTP—but, the new rule will mean another level of security as consumers will be able to deactivate their cards when not in use. • With the increase in the volume and value of transactions made through cards, the RBI said that at the time of issue or re-issue, all cards (physical and virtual) should be enabled for use only at contact-based points of usage (ATMs and Point-of-Sale (PoS) devices) within India. • The channels should include a mobile application, internet banking, automated teller machines (ATM), or Interactive Voice Response(IVR). • As per the RBI directive, card holder will have to be given the facility to switch on and off the other facilities on their cards after it is issued to them.

• For existing cards, issuers may take a decision, based on their risk perception, whether to disable the card not present (domestic and international) transactions, card present (international) transactions and contactless transaction rights. Existing cards which have never been used for online (card not present) / international / contactless transactions shall be mandatorily disabled for this purpose. • The provisions of this circular are not mandatory for prepaid gift cards and those used at mass transit systems.

3.15 MSE TO LAUNCH WEEKLY IRF

Why in news? MSE has become the first exchange in India to gain regulator Securities Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) approval to launch weekly Interest Rate Futures (IRFs). The move will help to grow the monthly IRF market by weekly convergences to interest rates.

Metropolitan Stock Exchange (MSE): • It is one of India's eight stock exchanges recognized by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) located at Mumbai. • It offers an electronic platform for trading in capital market, futures and options, currency derivatives, Interest Rate Futures (IRF) and Debt Market segments. • Its current shareholders include Indian public sector banks, private sector banks, investors and domestic financial institutions.

What is Interest Rate Futures (IRF)? Interest rate futures are a type of futures contract that are based on a financial instrument which pays interest. It is a contract between a buyer and a seller which agrees to buy and sell a debt instrument at a future date when the contract expires at a price that is determined today. Interest rate futures in India are offered by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). • Weekly IRFs would have weekly convergences to interest rates. • It provides for short-term speculative spread trading on interest rate futures, especially during periods of rate volatility, should logically commence and create a new, potentially highly profitable avenue of income for market participants.

3.16 EPF & MP ACT

Why in News?

Ministry of Labour and Employment publishes report to clarify the applicability of threshold to the establishment of the Employment Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act.

What is this Act?

• The scheme is managed under the aegis of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) under Ministry of Labor and Employment. • Under EPF scheme, an employee has to pay a certain contribution towards the scheme and an equal contribution is paid by the employer. • The employee gets a lump sum amount including self and employer’s contribution with accrued interest, on retirement. • From January 1, 2020 under the new rules establishments having 10 or more employees will be covered under the act as against 20 or more before. • Employee whose ‘pay’ is more than Rs. 15,000 per month at the time of joining, is not eligible and is called non-eligible employee. Employees drawing less than Rs 15000 per month have to mandatorily become members of the EPF. • However, an employee who is drawing ‘pay’ above prescribed limit (at present Rs 15,000) can become a member with permission of Assistant PF Commissioner, if he and his employer agree. • The contribution paid by the employer is 12% of basic wages plus dearness allowance plus retaining allowance. An equal contribution is payable by the employee also.

3.17 PRADHAN MANTRI SHRAM YOGI MANDHAN (PMSYM)

PMSYM is a social welfare scheme launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment February 2019 for poor laborers in the unorganised0 sector from minimum 18 years of age to maximum 40 years and are earning Rs. 15,000 or less per month.

Features of PM-SYM: • Minimum Assured Pension: Each subscriber under the PM-SYM, shall receive minimum assured pension of Rs 3000/- per month after attaining the age of 60 years. • The subscribers have to pay a monthly amount of Rs. 200 if the subscriber joins at age 40, Rs. 100 if the subscriber joins at age 29 and Rs. 55 if the subscriber joins the scheme at 18. The same amount will be matched by the Government. Above 40 years of age are not eligible for the scheme. • They should not be covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS), Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme or Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). • He/she should not be an income tax payer. • Family Pension: During the receipt of pension, if the subscriber dies, the spouse of the beneficiary shall be entitled to receive 50% of the pension received by the beneficiary as family pension. Family pension is applicable only to spouse. • If a beneficiary has given regular contribution and died due to any cause (before age of 60 years), his/her spouse will be entitled to join and continue the scheme subsequently by payment of regular contribution or exit the scheme as per provisions of exit and withdrawal.

• Contribution by the Subscriber: The subscriber's contributions to PM-SYM shall be made through 'auto-debit' facility from his/ her savings bank account/ Jan- Dhan account.

3.18 FRBM ACT

The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 (FRBMA) is an Act of the Parliament of India to institutionalize financial discipline, reduce India's fiscal deficit, improve macroeconomic management and the overall management of the public funds by moving towards a balanced budget and strengthen fiscal prudence.

About: • The main purpose was to eliminate revenue deficit of the country (building revenue surplus thereafter) and bring down the fiscal deficit to a manageable 3% of the GDP by March 2008. Now it requires the government to limit the fiscal deficit to 3% of the GDP by 31 March 2021 and the debt of the central government to 40% of the GDP by 2024-25 • N. K. Singh is currently the Chairman of the review committee for Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003, under the Ministry of Finance. The committee recommended that the government should target a fiscal deficit of 3 per cent of the GDP in years up to March 31, 2020 cut it to 2.8 per cent in 2020-21 and to 2.5 per cent by 2023. • The Act provides room for deviation from the annual fiscal deficit target under certain conditions. • The main objectives of the act were: o to introduce transparent fiscal management systems in the country o to introduce a more equitable and manageable distribution of the country's debts over the years o to aim for fiscal stability for India in the long run o Additionally, the act was expected to give necessary flexibility to RBI for managing inflation in India. • It provided for certain documents to be tabled in the parliament annually with regards to the country's fiscal policy. This included the following along with the Annual Financial Statement and Demand for Grants. o Medium-term Fiscal Policy Statement – This report was to present a three-year rolling target for the fiscal indicators with any assumptions, if applicable. This statement was to further include an assessment of sustainability with regards to revenue deficit and the use of capital receipts of the Government (including market borrowings) for generating productive assets. o Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement – This was a tactical report enumerating strategies and policies for the upcoming financial year including strategic fiscal priorities, taxation policies, key fiscal measures and an evaluation of how the proposed policies of the Central Government conform to the 'Fiscal Management Principles' of this act.

o Macro-economic Framework Statement – This report was to contain forecasts enumerating the growth prospects of the country. GDP growth, revenue balance, gross fiscal balance and external account balance of the balance of payments were some of the key indicators to be included in this report. o Medium-term Expenditure Framework Statement - This is to set forth a three-year rolling target for prescribed expenditure indicators with specification of underlying assumptions and risk involved (through the Act amended in 2012).

3.19 BANKING OMBUDSMAN SCHEME

Banking ombudsman, a quasi-judicial authority is formed with an intent to resolve the complaints of the customers of the Bank. • Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 deals with Banking Ombudsman Scheme. • It came into effect in 1995 and presently the Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006 (amended in 2017) is in operation. • The Ombudsman is a senior official, who has been appointed by the Reserve Bank of India to address grievances and complaints from customers, pertaining deficiencies in banking services. • The scheme covers not just scheduled Commercial Banks but also Regional Rural Banks and Scheduled Primary Co-operative Banks. Recently, RBI also extended the concept of Banking Ombudsman to NBFC’s as well. • There are 22 regional offices of Banking Ombudsmen in India.

Internal Ombudsman Scheme-2018: • The banking regulator (RBI) has asked all commercial banks having 10 or more banking outlets to have an independent internal ombudsman (IO) to review customer complaints that are either partly or fully rejected by the banks. • The Internal Ombudsman Scheme of 2018 mandates banks to grant a fixed term of three to five years, which cannot be renewed, to the IO. • The IO shall, inter alia, examine customer complaints which are in the nature of deficiency in service on the part of the bank, that are partly or wholly rejected by the bank. • The IO can be removed only with prior approval from RBI. The remuneration would have to be decided by the customer sub-committee of the board and not by any individual. • The Ombudsman Scheme of 2018 covers appointment/tenure, roles and responsibilities, procedural guidelines and oversight mechanism for the IO, among others. • The implementation of IO Scheme 2018 will be monitored by the bank’s internal audit mechanism apart from regulatory oversight by RBI.

3.20 EXTERNAL BENCHMARK RATE

Why in News? SBI, India’s largest lending bank has reduced its external benchmark by 25 basis points

External Benchmark Rate: The Reserve Bank of India has made it mandatory for all banks to link all new floating rate loans (i.e. personal/retail loans, loans to MSMEs) to an external benchmark with effect from 1st October 2019. The move is aimed at faster transmission of monetary policy rates.

Banks can choose from one of the four external benchmarks — repo rate, three-month treasury bill yield, six-month treasury bill yield or any other benchmark interest rate published by Financial Benchmarks India Private Ltd. • Before, interest rates on loans are linked to a bank’s marginal cost of fund-based interest rate, known as the Marginal Cost of Lending Rate (MCLR). • Existing loans and credit limits linked to the MCLR, base rate or Benchmark Prime Lending Rate, would continue till repayment or renewal. • Those customers wanting to switch to the repo-linked rate can do so on mutually acceptable terms. • Adoption of multiple benchmarks by the same bank is not allowed within a loan category. • The interest rate under the external benchmark shall be reset at least once every three months.

Financial Benchmarks India Private Ltd ▪ It was incorporated on 9th December 2014 under the Companies Act 2013. ▪ It was recognized by the Reserve bank of India as an independent Benchmark administrator on 2nd July 2015. ▪ The main objective of the company is to act as the administrators of the Indian interest rate and foreign exchange benchmarks and to introduce and implement policies and procedures to handle the benchmarks. ▪ It is located in Mumbai.

Marginal Cost of Lending Rate (MCLR): The MCLR refers to the minimum interest rate of a bank below which it cannot lend, except in some cases allowed by the RBI. It is an internal benchmark or reference rate for the bank. MCLR actually describes the method by which the minimum interest rate for loans is determined by a bank - on the basis of marginal cost or the additional or incremental cost of arranging one more rupee to the prospective borrower.

3.21 SECURITIES APPELLATE TRIBUNAL (SAT)

exercise jurisdiction, powers and authority conferred on the Tribunal by or under this Act or any other law for the time being in force.

It hears appeals from the following: - Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the PFRDA Act, 2013. -In terms of Government Notification it hears and disposes appeals from Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI) under the Insurance Act, 1938, the General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Act, 1972 and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999 and the Rules and Regulations framed thereunder.

3.22 EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION ACT

Why in news? The Central government has changed the amount of wages to be considered for calculation of compensation to workers under the Employee’s Compensation Act 1923 which previously considered Rs. 8,000 for the calculation of compensation.

About the Act: • This Act provides for compensation to an employee who dies or suffers partial or total disablement due to an accident arising out of and in course of his/her employment. • Prior to 2010 it was called as Workmen’s Compensation Act-1923 • The compensation has to be paid by the employers. The compensation has been increased from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 15,000 notified by Ministry of Labour and Employment. • An employee cannot claim compensation under the Act if he/she is already entitled to compensation from ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation) • The employer will not be liable to pay compensation when: ▪ An injury does not result in the total or partial disablement of the employee for more than 3 days; ▪ an injury doesn’t result in death or permanent total disablement caused by an accident under the influence of drink or drugs; ▪ In case of accidents caused by willful disobedience of the rules by the employee and willful removal of safety guards, the employer is not liable to pay compensation.

3.23 PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (PFRDA)

It is a statutory body, is the pension regulator of India which was established by Government of India on 23 August, 2003 and was authorized by Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services.

• Upon introduction of the PFRDA Bill by the Government of India in the Parliament of India and the subsequent passage of the PFRDA Act in 2013, the authority became a Central Autonomous Body. • PFRDA is a government regulatory body having executive, legislative and judicial powers. It promotes old age income security by establishing, developing and regulating pension funds and protects the interests of subscribers to schemes of pension funds and related matters. • Currently, PFRDA is regulating and administering the National Pension System (NPS) along with Atal Pension Yojana (APY) which is a defined benefits pension scheme for the unorganized sector, guaranteed by the Government of India. • PFRDA is responsible for appointment of various intermediate agencies such as Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA), Pension Fund Managers, Custodian, NPS Trustee Bank, etc.

3.24 MERCHANDISE EXPORT FROM INDIA SCHEME

Why in News? The Government continues to offer the additional two-percentage point benefit under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) to electronics players for some more time beyond the notified date of December 31, 2019, while scrapping it for the rest.

About MEIS: • Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry. • The GoI has introduced Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) through the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20 on April 1, 2015. • It seeks to promote export of notified goods manufactured/ produced in India. • Under this scheme, over Rs. 22,000 crores per year has been allocated by the Government of India for exports.

Features: • Previously, the FTP had 5 different schemes to reward merchandise exports but now with MEIS, it has been consolidated and simplified into a single scheme. • Under MEIS, a percentage of realized FOB (Free on Board) value (2, 3, or 5%) of the exports are payable as incentives. • The incentives that are available under MEIS are also available to units located in Special Economic Zones (SEZs). • The duty credit scripts issued under MEIS are freely transferable and can be used for payment of excise duty, service tax, and customs duty. • At the moment, a total of 5012 tariff lines are covered under the MEIS. Free On Board (FOB) is a shipment term used to indicate at what point of time the seller or the buyer is liable for goods that are damaged or destroyed during shipping.

3.25 BILATERAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT AGREEMENT (BTIA)

Why in News? India-EU trade cannot increase substantially until the BTIA between the two is negotiated. Indian PM is on visit to Brussels the HQ of EU.

What is BTIA? • On 28th June 2007, India and the EU began negotiations on a broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) in Brussels, Belgium. • These negotiations are pursuant to the commitment made by political leaders at the 7th India-EU Summit held in Helsinki(Finland) on 13th October 2006 to move towards negotiations for a broad-based trade and investment agreement on the basis of the report of India-EU High Level Technical Group. • India and the EU expect to promote bilateral trade by removing barriers to trade in goods and services and investment across all sectors of the economy. • The negotiations cover Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Investment, Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary Measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Trade Remedies, Rules of Origin, Customs and Trade Facilitation, Competition, Trade Defence, Government Procurement, Dispute Settlement, Intellectual Property Rights & Geographical Indications, Sustainable Development. • So far, 15 rounds of negotiations have been held alternately at Brussels and New Delhi. The last meeting was held in the week of 13th May, 2013in New Delhi. • The EU is the India’s largest trading partner with about $108Bn trade in goods in 2018-19, and $42Bn in services. It is even the largest source of FDI.

3.26 TELECOMMUNICATION CONSUMERS EDUCATION AND PROTECTION FUND(TCEPF)

Why in News? The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said telecom service providers will need to deposit all unclaimed money of consumers, including excess charges and security deposit, in the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund(TCEPF).

Issue? Some service providers were depositing money only on account of excess billing revealed in the audit, others were depositing unclaimed money such as security deposits and plan charges of failed activations.

TCEPF: • The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had issued “Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund Regulations, 2007. • As per the regulation any excess amount collected by service providers from the subscribers to be transferred to the said fund in a separate account being maintained in Corporation Bank. Out of this fund a large portion of the amount are kept in Fixed Deposits in the Corporation Bank only.

• It is prudent to deposit any such unclaimed/unrefundable amount belonging to consumers in the TCEP fund as it will be utilized for the welfare measures of the consumers.

3.27 PAPERLESS LICENSING PROCESS

Why in news? In the vision Digital India and Ease of Doing Business, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has launched paperless licensing process through Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) for road tankers for transportation of petroleum under the Petroleum Rules, 2002. • The process will include filing the applications online. • This will also include online payment of fees which will go directly to the concerned officer’s ID without any manual interface. • Applicants, at each stage of processing of the application, will be intimated via SMS and email, whether discrepancy or grant of license or approval. • An added advantage of this move is that the authenticity of the license can be verified through public domain available on PESO’s website.

3.28 RABI CROPS

From the preliminary reports received from the States, the total area sown under Rabi crops as on 27th December, 2019 stands at 571.84 lakh hectares as compared to 536.35 lakh hectare for corresponding period last year.

Various Crops: Wheat -297.02 lakh hectares Rice - 13.90 lakh hect. Pulses - 140.13 lakh hect. Coarse cereals - 46.66 lakh hect. Oilseeds is 74.12 lakh hect.

3.29 NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PIPELINE (NIP)

Why in news? MoF unveiled Rs 102 lakh crore of infrastructure projects, under National Infrastructure Pipeline that will be implemented in the next five years as part of the government's spending push in the infrastructure sector.

About: • It was announced by the PM of India in his Independence Day Speech and a task force was constituted within the Finance Ministry which includesOfficials from the Departments of Economic Affairs and Expenditure in the Finance Ministry and NITI Aayog.

• It is estimated that India would need to spend $4.5 trillion on infrastructure by 2030 to sustain its growth rate. The endeavour of the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), is to make this happen in an efficient manner. • As part of the NIP mechanism, the centre's share will be 39%, states share 39% and private sector will be 22-25%. • During the fiscals 2020 to 2025, sectors such as Energy (24%), Roads (19%), Urban (16%), and Railways (13%) amount to around 70% of the projected capital expenditure in infrastructure in India. The top five sectors have all been set stretch targets along with clearly outlined need for legislative reforms and executive decisions.

1) Energy: India aims to take the current installed power capacity of 356 GW to 619 GW in the NIP period. The share of thermal installations is expected to go down from 66 per cent to 50 per cent. The investments earmarked for nuclear power are interesting – with more than Rs. 1.5 lakh crore investment planned for nuclear power, India can easily add up to 15 GW in this space incrementally. 2) Roads: 19% of the investments will be channelized to this sector. The target is to add 50 per cent total length to the existing National Highways, with 12x more Expressways constructed. 3) Urban and Housing: This is a big focus area for showcase projects, given that urbanization has been identified as the primary driver of NIP. About 16 per cent of the NIP investments will go towards improving urban infrastructure and running housing programmes. The government aims to cover 100 per cent urban and rural households with piped water supply. 4) Railways: The vision for Railways includes healthy private sector participation with targets of 30 per cent net cargo volumes, 500 private passenger trains and 30 per cent of 750 stations privatised. The railways will also source rolling stock from the private sector. Railways also expects to electrify 100 per cent of its network. 14 per cent of the total investments are earmarked for Railways. 5) Irrigation: This sector will get about 8 per cent of the total investment outlay. The target is to bring 61 per cent of India’s cultivable land under irrigation from the current 49 per cent. Higher investments will be earmarked towards drip and sprinkler irrigation.

3.30 SAGARMALA PROJECT

Why in News? The fisherman in Karwar region complained that the project would snatch their livelihood and in reaction High Court has stayed the project.

About the Project: • The concept of Sagarmala was approved in 2015 under the Ministry of Shipping.

• As part of the programme, a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for the comprehensive development of India’s 7,500 km coastline, 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways and maritime sector has been prepared. • The National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) is composed of the Minister of Shipping with Cabinet Ministers from stakeholder ministries and ministers in charge of ports in India's maritime states. The NSAC approved the overall National Perspective Plan (NPP) and regularly reviews the progress of implementation of these plans. • It entails investment to set up new mega ports, modernizing India's existing ports, developingof14 Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs) and Coastal Employment Units, enhancing port connectivity via road, rail, multi-modal logistics parks, pipelines & waterways and promoting coastal community development. • The Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL) has been incorporated under the administrative control of Ministry of Shipping which will provide equity support for the project Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) set up by the Ports/State/Central Ministries and funding window and /or implement only those residual projects which cannot be funded by any other means / mode. • Vision of the Sagarmala Programme is to reduce logistics cost for EXIM and domestic trade with minimal infrastructure investment. This includes: o Reducing cost of transporting domestic cargo through optimizing modal mix o Lowering logistics cost of bulk commodities by locating future industrial capacities near the coast o Improving export competitiveness by developing port proximate discrete manufacturing clusters o Optimizing time/cost of EXIM container movement

Components of Sagarmala Programme are: 1) Port Modernization & New Port Development 2) Port Connectivity Enhancement 3) Port-linked Industrialization 4) Coastal Community Development 5) Coastal Shipping & Inland Waterways

What Are CEZs? Coastal Economic Zones are the spatial economic regions comprising of a group of coastal districts or districts with a strong linkage to the ports in that region. CEZs are also envisaged to tap synergies with the planned industrial corridor projects. For Example: Dakshina Kanara CEZ which has got New Mangalore Port is stretched from Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Mysore Districts of Karnataka.

3.31 EK BHARAT SHRESHTHA BHARAT

Why in News?

As a part of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ activities, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is conducting Quiz Competition from 1st January 2020 to 30th June 2020 on MyGov platform.

About: • The ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ programme, aims to actively enhance interaction between people of diverse cultures living in different States and UTs in India, with the objective of promoting greater mutual understanding amongst them. • As per the programme, each year, every State/UT would be paired with another State/UT in India for reciprocal interaction between the people. • The States and UTs are to embark on a mission to enhance their cultural, academic and economic ties by entering into a wide range of mutual engagements with the paired States/UTs covering the spheres of music, drama, cuisine, language, history, tourism and other forms of exchange between the people.

3.32 INDEX OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM

The Index of Economic Freedom is an annual index and ranking created in 1995 by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal to measure the degree of economic freedom in the world nations.

The index is measured based on 4 categories which has 12 aspects: • Rule of Law: property rights, judicial effectiveness and government integrity • Government Size: Tax burden, fiscal health and government spending • Regulatory efficiency: business, labour and monetary freedom • Market Openness: trade, investment and financial freedom

Facts of the Index: • Hong Kong has once again ranked the highest with the score of 90.2 followed by Singapore, New Zealand. North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba are the least ranked countries • India is ranked 129th with the score of 55.2 with the slight increase of 0.7 from 2017. India is ranked 31st among Asia-Pacific Countries • India is seen in the zone of Mostly Unfree in the index. India score well in terms of tax burden and Government spending with score more than 75, whereas in terms of fiscal health the score is as low as 11.

3.33 STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX 2019

Why in news? The ‘State Energy Efficiency Index 2019’, was released by Ministry of Power and New & Renewable Energy.

About:

• The index is developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE). • It tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in 36 states and union territories based on 97 significant indicators. • The first such Index, the “State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index 2018”, was launched on August 1, 2018. • It will help states contribute towards national goals on energy security and climate action by helping drive EE policies and program implementation at the state and local level, tracking progress in managing the states’ and India’s energy footprint and institutionalizing the data capture and monitoring of EE activities by states. • Taking forward the State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index 2018, the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 incorporates qualitative, quantitative and outcome- based indicators to assess energy efficiency initiatives, programs and outcomes in five distinct sectors – buildings, industry, municipalities, transport, agriculture, and DISCOMs. • The required data was collected from the concerned state departments such as DISCOMs, Urban Development departments and other departments with the help of State Designated Agencies (SDAs). • For rational comparison, States/UTs are grouped into four groups based on aggregated Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) required to meet the state’s actual energy demand (electricity, coal, oil, gas, etc.) across sectors. TPES grouping shall help states compare performance and share best practices within their peer group. Under four categories based on TPES, Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Puducherry and Chandigarh have been evaluated as progressive states/UTs in the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019.

3.34 GLOBAL SOCIAL MOBILITY INDEX

Why in news? World Economic Forum has published Global Social Mobility Index ahead of the 50th Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where global income inequality is a recurring theme.

Global Social Mobility Index: • WEF defines Social mobility as “the movement in personal circumstances either “upwards” or “downwards” of an individual in relation to those of their parents”. In absolute terms, it is the ability of a child to experience a better life than their parents. On the other hand, relative social mobility is an assessment of the impact of socio-economic background on an individual’s outcomes in life. • It is the Measure of countries across five key dimensions distributed over 10 pillars – health; education (access, quality and equity); technology; work (opportunities, wages, conditions); and protections and institutions (social protection and inclusive institutions). • India is ranked 76th out of total 82 economies

• WEF defines Social mobility as “the movement in personal circumstances either “upwards” or “downwards” of an individual in relation to those of their parents”. In absolute terms, it is the ability of a child to experience a better life than their parents. On the other hand, relative social mobility is an assessment of the impact of socio-economic background on an individual’s outcomes in life. • Denmark tops the rankings with a social mobility score of 85.2, closely followed by Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. • Among the G7 economies, Germany is the most socially mobile, ranking 11th with 78 points followed by France (12th), Canada (14th), Japan (15th), the United Kingdom (21st), the United States (27th) and Italy (34th). • Among the world’s large emerging economies, the Russian Federation is the most socially mobile of the BRICS grouping, ranking 39th with a score of 64 points. Next is China (45th), Brazil (60th), India (76th) and South Africa (77th).

SOME TERMINOLOGIES IN ECONOMY

3.35 SHARES AND DEBENTURES

Shares: It refers to the share capital of the company. It describes the right of the holder to the specified amount of the share capital of the company. It is the smallest division of the company’s capital.

Types of Shares: 1) Equity Shares: The shares which carry voting rights on which the rate of dividend is not fixed. They are irredeemable in nature. In the event of winding up of the company equity, shares are repaid after the payment of all the liabilities. 2) Preference Shares: The shares which do not carry voting rights, but the rate of dividend is fixed. They are redeemable in nature. In the event of winding up of the company, preference shares are repaid before equity shares.

Debentures: It implies a long term instrument showing the debt of the company towards the external party. It yields a definite rate of interest, issued by the company, may or may not be secured against assets, i.e. stock. There can be various types of debentures like Secured Debentures, Unsecured Debentures, Convertible Debentures, Non-convertible Debentures, Registered Debentures, Bearer Debentures etc.

Differences Between Shares and Debentures • Share is the capital of the company, but Debenture is the debt of the company. • The shares represent ownership of the shareholders in the company. On the other hand, debentures represent indebtedness of the company. • The income earned on shares is the dividend or profit, but the income earned on debentures is interest.

• In the event of winding up, debentures get priority of repayment over shares. • Shares cannot be converted as opposed to debentures are convertible. • There is no security charge created for payment of shares. Conversely, security charge is created for the payment of debentures. • Unlike debenture holders, shareholders have voting rights. • Shares are issued at a discount subject to some legal compliance. Debentures can be issued at a discount without any legal compliance.

In News 1. Non-convertible debentures (NCDS): These are debentures which cannot be converted into shares or equity. NCDs have a fixed maturity date and the interest can be paid along with the principal amount either monthly, quarterly, or annually depending on the fixed tenure specified.

2. Non- Convertible redeemable preference shares: Non-Convertible Redeemable Preference Share means a preference share which is redeemable (company can buy back the share) in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 and does not include a preference share which is convertible into or exchangeable with equity shares of the issuer at a later date, with or without the option of the holder.

3.36 FDI vs FPI

What is Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)? A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests located in another country.For Example: Ford Motors which is an American MNC set up its business operations in India.

What is Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI)? Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) consists of securities and other financial assets held by investors in another country. Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) instead refers to investments made in securities and other financial assets issued in another country. FPI holdings can include stocks, ADRs, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds. For Example: An Canadian Investor buying 1000 shares from Hindustan Motors.

Difference Between FDI and FPI: • FDI investors typically take controlling positions in domestic firms or joint ventures and are actively involved in their management. FPI investors, on the other hand, are generally passive investors who are not actively involved in the day-to-day operations. • FDI investors perforce have to take a long-term approach to their investments since it can take years from the planning stage to project implementation. On the other hand, FPI investors may profess to be in for the long haul but often have a

much shorter investment horizon, especially when the local economy encounters some turbulence.

3.37 INVERTED DUTY STRUCTURE

Inverted duty structure is a situation where import duty on finished goods is low compared to the import duty on raw materials that are used in the production of such finished goods. For example, suppose the tariff (import tax) on the import of tyres is 10% and the tariff on the imports of natural rubber which is used in the production of tyres is 20%; this is a case of inverted duty structure. ➢ When the import duty on raw materials is high, it will be more difficult to produce the concerned good domestically at a competitive price. Several industries depend on imported raw materials and components. ➢ For India, there are several examples of inverted duty structure especially after the signing of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

3.38 INPUT TAX CREDIT (ITC)

Input Tax Credit or ITC is the tax that a business pays on a purchase and that it can use to reduce its tax liability when it makes a sale. In other words, businesses can reduce their tax liability by claiming credit to the extent of GST paid on purchases.

For Example, say, you are a manufacturer – Tax payable on output (Final Product) is Rs.450 Tax paid on input (Ram material purchase) is Rs.300 You can claim input credit of Rs.300 and you only need to deposit Rs.150 in taxes.

How does it work in GST? • Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an integrated destination based tax system where every purchase by a business should be matched with a sale by another business. This makes flow of credit across an entire supply chain a seamless process. • Conditions for claiming ITC: ➢ It has a GST-compliant invoice ➢ Its supplier has uploaded the invoice to the GSTN (GST Network) ➢ Its supplier has paid GST to the government ➢ Returns have been filed ➢ A business under composition scheme cannot avail of input tax credit. ITC cannot be claimed for personal use or for goods that are exempt.

4. ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY

4.1 INVASIVE ALIEN PLANT SPECIES

Why in news?

The spread of invasive plants especially Sennaspectabilis, poses major threat to forest areas of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve including the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

An "Invasive Species" is defined as a species that is Non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and, whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

It is the second worst threat to the biodiversity (according to the Convention for Biological Diversity).

• The spread of Sennaspectabilis is posing a major threat to the forest areas of the reserve, owing to its quick growth and coppicing character (a dense growth of bushes). • The tree species was found in nearly 10 sq km area of the 344.44 sq km sanctuary around five years ago. Now, it has invaded to more than 50 sq km of the sanctuary. • The plant has started to invade the adjacent Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves in Karnataka and the Mudumalai tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu. • Earlier, the plant species was planted as avenue trees in Wayanad. • Due to mass flowering and drying of bamboo species in Wayanad, lots of open spaces were created which has been occupied by Sennaspectabilis. • An adult tree grows up to 15 to 20 metres in a short period of time and every year distributes thousands of seeds after gregarious flowering. The thick foliage arrests the growth of other indigenous tree and grass species and causes food shortage for the wildlife population, especially herbivores. Moreover, wildlife will not feed on the leaf of the tree as it is not palatable for them. • The Vayal ecosystem (marshy land) of the forest area now has this plant in large numbers. The allelochemicals produced by this plant adversely affects the germination and growth of the native species. • The Kerala Forest Research Institute(KFRI) has developed some physical and chemical measures to tackle the threat of the plant. They are planning to adopt an

integrated method combining physical as well as chemical measures to address the issue as physical measures haven't bore fruit.

Methods of Control

1.Manual Control- This includes digging, flooding, destruction and removal of nests, hand-pulling, burning and general destruction of the invasive species by hand. This is most useful for small infestations and is the most environmentally friendly, yet is the most labour intensive and least effective for larger populations.

2. Mechanical Control- Mowing, hoeing, cutting, tilling, girdling, chopping and constructing barriers to the invasive species using tools and/or machines.

3. Chemical Control - Includes pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. The least labour-intensive option, chemical control on its own is usually the most effective option, as it can target specific species and will kill them guaranteed. However, this has the potential to be the most environmentally-damaging option, as chemicals could attack other species and stay in the area long after the invasion has been dealt with.

4.2 LESS THAN 100 TIGER DEATHS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS

Why in news? India records less than 100 tiger deaths for the first time in 3 years.

According to data from MoEFCC (Ministry of Forests, Environment & Climate Change), there were 84 cases of tiger deaths in the country & 11 cases of seizures (in which a tiger is presumed dead on the basis of body parts seized by authorities). Thus a total of 95 deaths were recorded in 2019.

• NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) Secretary said the reduced numbers of tiger mortalities are because of surveillance, good management of Tiger Reserves and a lot of awareness and education programmes on tiger conservation • Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers in the country (526 as per latest census) and also has the most number of cases of tiger deaths.

4.3 HOW HUMANS AFFECT GENETIC CONNECTIVITY OF FOUR MAMMALS

A case study by National Center for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru

• Changing landscapes, habitat loss, fragmentation, and global climate change have been listed as the main reasons for biodiversity decline worldwide. • In several mammalian carnivores, juveniles disperse away from their mother's territory to establish their own territory. Males are known to travel longer distances than females. • Isolation of habitat patches (due to habitat destruction and fragmentation) can restrict animal movement among habitat patches and thus reduce genetic exchange and increase the probability of extinction. • Four wide-ranging mammals —Jungle cats, leopards, sloth bears, tigers —were investigated for the genetic differentiation in central India, which is a critical landscape for several species. • The paper notes that tigers were impacted the most by high human footprint. • Jungle cats were found to be the least impacted.

• India has also started paying attention to wildlife corridors and encouraging engineering reforms to promote wildlife movements. • Last year, the Ministry of Environment along with the Wildlife Institute of India released a document that lays out the regulatory requirements for developing roads, railways, power lines while recognizing the impacts on wildlife and people.

4.4 MIYAWAKI METHODOF AFFORESTATION

Why in news? The Miyawaki method of afforestation, which has revolutionised the concept of urban afforestation by turning backyards into mini-forests, is to come up on the government office premises, residential complexes, school premises, and puramboke land in Kerala.

• The government intervention comes in the wake of the highly successful technique, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, executed in the State by individuals to increase the green cover in urban and semi-urban areas. • By promoting natural vegetation on land destroyed by natural calamities and man-induced mistakes along the coastline of Japan, Miyawaki managed to raise mini-forests. The replication of the model across Kerala, which has suffered floods, landslips and soil erosion, assumes significance with the Rebuild Kerala initiative on.

4.5 RAFFLESIA-TUAN-MUNDAE

Why in news? Largest Specimen of World's biggest flower, Rafflesia-tuan-mundae found in Indonesia.

• The giant Rafflesia-tuan-mundae is a fleshy red flower with white spots on its petals and is found in Indonesia. • It was named Rafflesia after British Colonialist Sir Stamford Raffles who spotted one in Indonesia in the early 19th Century.

4.6 2019 – 7TH WARMEST YEAR SINCE 1901

Why is news? It was found by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) that 2019 was the 7th warmest year since 1901.

• During the year, the annual mean surface air temperature, averaged over the country, was +0.36°C above average. • The average is defined as the mean temperature from 1980-2010. • The main contributors to the warming this year were temperatures in the pre- monsoon (March-May) and monsoon seasons (June-September), said the IMD report titled ‘Climate Summary’. • During 2019, eight cyclonic storms formed over the Indian seas, with the Arabian Sea contributing five out of these eight cyclones against the normal of one per year. • This was, meteorologists said, due to a strong Indian Ocean Dipole, which cyclically heats the west Indian Ocean that stimulated cyclone formation over the Arabian Sea. • “In a warming scenario, we see frequent extreme conditions. Parts of Europe, last year, saw heatwaves, and we see extreme monsoon in India,” said D.S. Pai, Chief Meteorologist of IMD.

4.7 AUSTRALIAN CONTINENT ON FIRE

Australian catastrophic fire season that began in August last year is unprecedented, and has caused large scale destruction, mainly in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland.

• It has devastated over 10 million hectares of land, killing at least 25 people and tens of millions of animals, besides forcing evacuation of entire communities. • Shocking images of kangaroos burnt in their tracks as they tried to flee and koalas desperately escaping the fire have been disheartening. • In a world set to warm at least half a degree more in coming decades, Australia’s encounters with devastating fires could become more frequent, perhaps even once in eight years, making large parts of the continent uninhabitable. • Scientists have been pointing out for years, the coal industry,which has a sway over politics in Australia that is disproportionate to its share of economic production.

Bushfires in Australia are a widespread and regular occurrence that have contributed significantly to moulding the nature of the continent over millions of years. Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its predominant eucalyptus forests have evolved to thrive on the phenomenon of bushfire. However, the blazes can cause significant property damage and loss of both human and animal life. Bushfires have killed approximately 800 people in Australia since 1851, and billions of animals.

• The situation is bound to worsen without policy change, as temperatures are predicted to soar to 50°C. • Long-term prosperity for Australians and a future for its charismatic animals can be secured only through policies that foster environmental protection.

4.8 SCHEME TO TRADE IN FORESTS

Why in news? The Forest Advisory Committee has approved a scheme that could allow “forests” to be traded as a commodity.

How was it done till now?

• In the current system, industry needs to make good the loss of forest by finding appropriate non-forest land — equal to that which would be razed. • It is then the Forest Department’s responsibility to grow appropriate vegetation that, over time, would grow into forests. • Industries have often complained that they find it hard to acquire appropriate non-forest land, which has to be contiguous to existing forest.

How is the new scheme different?

• The proposed ‘Green Credit Scheme’, as it is called, allows agencies — they could be private companies, village forest communities — to identify land and begin growing plantations. • After three years, they would be eligible to be considered as compensatory forest land if they met the Forest Department’s criteria. • An industry needing forest land could then approach the agency and pay it for parcels of such forested land, and this would then be transferred to the Forest Department and be recorded as forest land.

4.9 SPECIES•RICH FORESTS OFFER STABLE CARBON CAPTURE

Why in news? Over 6 months of conducting surveys inside Annamalai Tiger Reserve and using satellite from multiple locations, an International team of researchers have shown that carbon storage was highest in species rich evergreen forests. • The paper published in Environmental Research Letter adds that the rate of carbon capture was more stable across years in forests than in plantations, and carbon capture was more resilient to drought. • The study was done in natural evergreen and deciduous forests, and in teak and eucalyptus plantations. • The eucalyptus plantations had comparatively lower carbon storage while teak plantations stored nearly as much carbon as deciduous forests. • The results showed that the species-rich evergreen forests stored carbon at approximately 300 tonnes per hectare. • The storage in teak and eucalyptus plantations was 43% and 55% less.

Implications

• This study can help transform reforestation policies. Over half of compensatory afforestation plantations use five species or less, which is way lower than in natural forests and is inadequate. It has shown that is it not great for the stability of carbon capture too. • Grasslands help in carbon capture too and planting trees there can cause more harm than good. • Protecting and regenerating natural forests comprising a diverse mix of native tree species is more reliable in the long term than raising monoculture or species poor plantations as a strategy for mitigating climate change. • Species-rich forests are also resistant to diseases and a multispecies forest would likely show greater resilience in case of a fire.

4.10 KAZIRANGA HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF WETLAND BIRDS

• Kaziranga recorded 96 species of wetland birds, one of the highest for wildlife reserves in India according to the second wetland bird count conducted. • The first waterfowl census in 2018 had yielded 10,412 birds covering 80 species, belonging to 21 families. • The Bar-Headed Goose led the species count, followed by the Common Teal and Northern Pintail at the 3rd position. All three belong to the family “anatidae”. • 2020 survey registered a total of 19,225 birds belonging to 96 species under 80 families.

1) BAR HEADED GOOSE 2) COMMON TEAL

3) NORTHEN PINTAIL

4.11 CRZ RULES FOR ‘BLUE FLAG’ BEACHES

Why in news?

The Environment Ministry has relaxed Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules that restrict construction near beaches to help states construct infrastructure and enable them to receive ‘Blue Flag’ certification.

Blue Flag Certification

• It is an international recognition conferred on beaches that meet certain criteria of cleanliness and environmental propriety. • A ‘Blue Flag’ beach provides hygienic and clean bathing water, basic infrastructure to tourists and sustainable development in the area. • Chandrabagha beach located on the Konark coast of Odisha is the first beach in the country to receive ‘Blue Flag Certification’. • The certification is accorded by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education, with 33 stringent criteria under four major heads for the beaches, that is 1. Environmental Education and Information 2. Bathing Water Quality 3. Environment Management and Conservation 4. Safety and Services • The 13 earmarked beaches are — Ghoghala beach (Diu), Shivrajpur beach (Gujarat), Bhogave beach (Maharashtra), Padubidri and Kasarkod beaches (Karnataka), Kappad beach (Kerala), Kovalam beach (Tamil Nadu), Eden beach (Puducherry), Rushikonda beach (Andhra Pradesh), Miramar beach (Goa), Golden beach (Odisha), Radhanagar beach (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) and Bangaram beach (Lakshadweep). • The Blue Flag certification, however, requires beaches to create certain infrastructure — portable toilet blocks, grey water treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities, CCTV surveillance and so on. However, India’s CRZ laws don’t allow the construction of such infrastructure on beaches and islands. • Central Government hereby declares that for the purpose of Blue Flag Certification, in such identified beaches, the following activities and facilities shall be permitted in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), including Islands, subject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters from HTL (High Tide Line).

CRZ RULES • In India, the CRZ Rules govern human and industrial activity close to the coastline, in order to protect the fragile ecosystems near the sea. • They restrict certain kinds of activities — like large constructions, setting up of new industries, storage or disposal of hazardous material, mining, reclamation and bunding — within a certain distance from the coastline. • After the passing of the Environment Protection Act in 1986, CRZ Rules were first framed in 1991.After these were found to be restrictive, the Centre notified new Rules in 2011, which also included exemptions for the construction of the Navi Mumbai airport and for projects of the Department of Atomic Energy.

• In 2018, fresh Rules were issued, which aimed to remove certain restrictions on building, streamlined the clearance process, and aimed to encourage tourism in coastal areas. • While the CRZ Rules are made by the Union environment ministry, implementation is to be ensured by state governments through their Coastal Zone

CRZs have been classified into 4 zones for the purpose of regulation:

CRZ-I: includes ecologically sensitive areas, where no construction is allowed except activities for atomic power plants, defense. CRZ-II: includes designated urban areas that are substantially built up. Construction activities are allowed on the landward side only. CRZ-III: includes relatively undisturbed areas, mainly rural areas. No new construction of buildings allowed in this zone except repairing of the existing ones. However, constructions of dwelling units in the plot area lying between 200- 500m of the high tide line is allowed. CRZ-IV: includes the water area covered between Low Tide Line and 12 nautical miles seaward. Except for fishing and related activities, all actions impugning on the sea and tidal water will be regulated in this zone.

• Management Authorities. • CRZ Notification 2018 is based on the recommendations of ShaileshNayak committee. • The notification was released after a series of representations received by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) from various Coastal States/UTs for a comprehensive review of the provisions of the CRZ Notification, 2011.

Salient Features of Notification 2018

• Floor Space Index Norms Eased: In CRZ, 2011 Notification, for CRZ-II (Urban) areas, Floor Space Index (FSI) was frozen as per 1991 Development Control Regulation (DCR) levels. o In the CRZ, 2018 Notification, it has been decided to de-freeze the same and permits FSI for construction projects to enable redevelopment of these areas to meet the emerging needs. • New Categories for densely populated rural areas: • For CRZ-III (Rural) areas, two separate categories have now been stipulated as below: o CRZ-III A - These are densely populated rural areas with a population density of 2161 per square kilometer as per 2011 Census.Such areas will have a No Development Zone (NDZ) of 50 meters from the High Tide Line as against 200 meters from the High Tide Line stipulated in the CRZ Notification, 2011. o CRZ-III B - Rural areas with a population density of below 2161 per square kilometer as per 2011 Census. Such areas shall continue to have an NDZ of 200 meters from the HTL.

• Tourism infrastructure in coastal areas: Temporary tourism facilities such as toilet blocks, change rooms, drinking water facilities etc. have now been permitted in Beaches. However, a minimum distance of 10 m from HTL should be maintained for setting up of such facilities. • CRZ Clearances streamlined: Only such projects/activities, which are located in the CRZ-I (Ecologically Sensitive Areas) and CRZ IV (area covered between Low Tide Line and 12 Nautical Miles seaward) will be required to be cleared by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. For, the CRZ-II (urban) or CRZ III (rural) areas, the CRZ clearance will be considered at the state level by the Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA). • No Development Zone (NDZ) of 20 meters for Islands: For islands close to the mainland coast and for all Backwater Islands in the mainland, NDZ of 20 m has been stipulated. • Ecologically Sensitive Areas have been accorded special importance: Specific guidelines related to their conservation and management plans have been drawn up as a part of the CRZ Notification. • Pollution abatement: In order to address pollution in Coastal areas treatment facilities have been made permissible activities in CRZ-I B area (the area between the Low tide line and High tide line) subject to necessary safeguards. • Defense and strategic projects are exempted from regulations.

4.12 SEA LEVEL TO IMPACT MORE POPULATION IN ASIA THAN INDIA- MOODY’S REPORT

Why in news?

The rise in sea level due to global warming will impact more people in Asian countries than any other region, Moody’s said in a report on the consequences of this inevitability and credit risk to such sovereign nations.

• It said that Sovereigns in Asia, Middle East and North Africa and small islands were most exposed to rising sea levels. • In absolute terms, the largest populations exposed are in Asia, including Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and India. • Sea level rise posed long-term credit threat to the identified countries as the consequence of climate change was a steady increase in sea levels. It said that sea levels rise is gradual, but manifests abruptly, by intensifying the frequency and severity of storm surges, flooding and tropical cyclones, which have credit implications for sovereigns. • According to Moody’s, the credit implications are wide-ranging, including economic and social repercussions of lost income, damage to assets, loss of life, health issues and forced migration from the sudden events related to sea level rise are immediate. • The main credit channels for sovereigns are economic and fiscal strength. Vulnerability to extreme events related to sea level rise can also undermine investment and heighten susceptibility to event risk, by hindering the ability of governments to borrow to rebuild, increasing losses for banks, raising external pressures, and/or amplifying political risk as populations come under stress.

What is Moody’s / Moody’s Corporation?

It is an American credit rating agency that rates the debtor’s ability to pay back debt.

4.13 ENDEMIC PLANT HABITAT OF EASTERN GHATS UNDER THREAT

Why in news? The results of a study team which studied the available plant species, soil, land use and so on on has been published in the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.

• The results show that by 2050 the total human population in the region is expected to reach 2.6 million, raising pressure from anthropogenic activities. • There will be a demand for land for food, road and other activities leading to encroachments and threat to the habitats of endemic and rare, endemic & threatened (RET) species.

The Eastern Ghats has over 450 endemic plant species, yet the region remains one of the most exploited and degraded ecosystems of India.

• The broken hill-ranges of the Eastern Ghats, spread across Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, are home to unique ecosystems. • The endemic species were found to be distributed in the core areas of the forests - Kalahandi, Mahendragiri, Nallamalai-Seshachalam, Kolli and Kalrayan hill forests. • The mains threats to its ecosystem are: intensifying agricultural practices, urbanization and pressures from mining and deforestation. • The highly threatening human activities in the Eastern Ghats area are mining, urbanization/settlements, dam construction, firewood collection and agricultural expansion. • Regional or local climate change (warming) has led to frequent prolonged non- rainy days, increased number of days with maximum and minimum temperatures resulting in loss of soil moisture and soil degradation. These factors have also contributed to the occurrence of frequent forest fires, eliminating regeneration of the less-frequent endemic species in the forest. • Studies from across the globe have shown that the tropics are losing more plant biodiversity than other regions, stressing the need for urgent conservation strategies.

4.14 STEPPE EAGLE

Why in news? A lone endangered migratory bird- Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) has been sighted by a group of birdwatchers in a paddy field at Velagaleru near Vijayawada.

• Steppe eagle is believed to be the second-largest migratory eagle species to India

About • The steppe eagle breeds from Romania east through the south Russian and Central Asian steppes to Mongolia. • The European and Central Asian birds winter in Africa, and the eastern birds in India. • Throughout its range it favours open dry habitats, such as desert, semi- desert, steppes, or savannah. • Cultural significance - The Steppe Eagle appears on the flag of Kazakhstan. It is also the National bird (animal) of Egypt and appears on its flag.

4.15 IRRAWADDY DOLPHINS SIGHTED IN ODISHA'S CHILIKA LAKE

Why in news? Atleastc146 Irrawaddy dolphins were sighted in Odisha’s Chilika lake during annual dolphin census conducted by the state’s Forest Department.

• Chilika Lakeboasts of the highest single lagoon population of Irrawady dolphins in the world. It is home to the only known population of Irrawaddy Dolphins in India. • The Irrawady Dolphin (Orcaellabrevirostris) is the flagship species of the Chilika lake. • The total population of these aquatic mammals in the world is estimated to be less than 7,500. • Of these, more than 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins have been reported from Bangladesh, while dolphin distribution in Chilika is considered to be the highest single lagoon population.

Irrawady Dolphin Conservation status – Endangered • Irrawaddy dolphins are found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, and in three rivers: the Ayeyarwady (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong. • These dolphins have a bulging forehead, short beak, and 12-19 teeth on each side of both jaws. • Irrawaddy dolphins are primarily threatened by bycatch, the accidental capture of aquatic animals in fishing gear. • The protection of the Irrawaddy dolphin is crucial for the overall health of the Mekong River—home to an estimated 1,100 species of fish. • The Irrawaddy dolphin is also regarded as a sacred animal by both Khmer and Lao people, and is an important source of income and jobs for communities involved in dolphin-watching ecotourism.

4.16 GLOCALIZATION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Why in news? Recent Climate Change summit, the annual Conference of the Parties (COP25), held in Madrid in December 2019, was a failure and the multilateral process to address the climate crisis is broken.

• The next COP will be held at Glasgow, U.K. (in late 2020) and there may be little change in the outcomes, as the global political order may not alter much. The fact that we live in an unequal and unjust world is not going to change either. • At several discussions on finance, ambition, transparency of support and pre- 2020 action, wealthy countries have been uncooperative. • Although responsible for using the bulk of the carbon space in the atmosphere, they now deny their obligations, with some even denying anthropogenic climate change.

• In the meantime, even though climate activism is increasing awareness and having some success, the changes are happening at a very slow rate. • There is a need for a parallel action COP at future summits where sub-state actors, civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and academics can share ideas and nudge action. • With India being extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, it needs to develop its climate change action at State and sub-State levels. State Action Plans • With support from bilateral agencies, States initially took different approaches in the first round of State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs). • Some of then set up separate climate change cells while some collaborated with academic institutions, while others developed strategy documents.

Attention to climate change offers co-benefits to India for development. For instance: improving energy efficiency in industry reduces costs and local pollution; improving public transport reduces congestion, pollution and improves access; and using natural farming methods reduces fossil fuel-based fertilizers, improves soil health and biodiversity.

What can be done? • First and foremost, States need to get the signal that climate is an urgent issue. • As the next round of SAPCCs are being drawn up, under recommendations from the Centre, the focus ought to be on integrating the response to climate change with the development plan in different department. • Line departments for government schemes and programmes in key development sectors, such as agriculture, transport and water, should be identified for carefully integrating actions that respond to climate change. • This integration should also take place at district and sub-district levels.

• How funds for implementing SAPCCs will be obtained is not clear. There will not be enough from the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and bilateral agencies to support all States unless new sources are found. The coal cessin India is a good initiative, and as others have pointed out, could be used for environment and climate-related expenses.

• If States are to develop SAPCCs that would ultimately add up to India’s NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions), then the country needs reliable greenhouse gas inventories. • Individual research groups and the civil society initiative, GHG Platform India, have been producing such inventories and would be useful in synchronising and co-ordinating State and Central mitigation programmes.

If the second round of SAPCCs were treated as an entry point to long-term development strategy, the States and the country would be better prepared for climate change. Ultimately, climate should be part and parcel of all thinking on development.

4.17 NEW SNAKE EEL SPECIES IN ODISHA

Why in news? A new snake eel species residing in Bay of Bengal has been discovered and documented by the Estuarine Biology Regional Centre of the Zoological Survey of India at Gopalpur-on-sea in Odisha. • It is a marine species named Ophichthuskailashchandrai, to honour the vast contributions of Dr. Kailash Chandra, Director of ZSI, to Indian animal taxonomy. • It is the 5th new species discovered by the Gopalpur ZSI in last two years. • In 2019, the two new species of marine eel, Gymnothoraxandamanensis and Gymnthoraxsmithi were been discovered by the ZSI centre.

4.18 CORAL RESTORATION IN GULF OF KACHCHH

Why in news? The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with help from Gujarat’s Forest Department, is attempting for the first time a process to restore coral reefs using biorock or mineral accretion technology.

• Biorock is the name given to the substance formed by electro accumulation of minerals dissolved in seawater on steel structures that are lowered onto the sea bed and are connected to a power source. • When a positively charged anode and negatively charged cathode are placed on the sea floor, with an electric current flowing between them, calcium ions combine with carbonate ions and adhere to the structure (cathode). This results in calcium carbonate formation. Coral larvae adhere to the CaCO3 and grow quickly.

o Coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystem on the earth. o India has four major coral reefs areas: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Gulf of Mannar and the Gulf of Kachchh. Ongoing initiative of coral restoration using biorock technology helps corals, including the highly sensitive branching corals, to counter the threats posed by global warming.

5. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

5.1 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN INDIAN RAILWAYS

Why in news? Indian Railways look to AI for security solutions. It plans to use facial recognition software to track criminals. • The National transporter plans to install CCTV across the stations and trains, and use facial recognition system to identify people with criminal records and miscreants. • Also the first railway commando battalion 'CORAS (Commando for Railway Security) to tackle the menace of naxalism and terrorism in railways has been formed. • The budget for the installment of CCTV surveillance system was from Nirbhaya fund and the Railway fund.

By March 2022, all the stations and coaches would be under the CCTV surveillance system.

What is Artificial Intelligence? Artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes also called machine intelligence, is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans.

Machines (or computers) that mimic "cognitive" functions that humans associate with the human mind, such as "learning" and "problem solving". • Modern machine capabilities generally classified as AI include successfully understanding human speech, competing at the highest level in strategic game systems (such as chess and Go), autonomously operating cars, intelligent routing in content delivery networks, and military simulations. • Artificial intelligence was founded as an academic discipline in 1956 and in the years since has experienced several waves of optimism, followed by disappointment and the loss of funding (known as an "AI winter"), followed by new approaches, success and renewed funding. • The AI field draws upon computer science, information engineering, mathematics, psychology, linguistics, philosophy and many other fields. • The field was founded on the assumption that human intelligence "can be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it". • Some people also consider AI to be a danger to humanity if it progresses unabated. Others believe that AI, unlike previous technological revolutions, will create a risk of mass unemployment.

5.2 GAGANYAAN

Why in news?

Four pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF) will leave for Russia this month (January) to receive training as astronauts of Gaganyaan, the first Indian crewed flight to space.

Background • Gaganyaan, announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2018, is the ₹10,000-crore Indian human space flight scheduled for 2022. It is designed to have 3-7 crew members spending 3-7 days in space in a 400-km orbit. • They were shortlisted after a series of fitness and endurance tests. The initial tests were conducted in the IAF's Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bengaluru and Russia. • The four will be trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Centre in Moscow, as per an agreement signed between the space agencies of the two countries last year. • The first of the two pre-Gaganyaan flights with a humanoid will be launched this year-end along with some of the six shortlisted micro-gravity experiments.

The Tamil Nadu government has started acquiring 2,300 acres of land in Thoothukudidistrict for ISRO's second launch port. • Currently satellites are launched from the Sriharikota launch centre in Andhra Pradesh. • Thoothukudi offers a locational advantage to launch towards India's South. • When ready, the new port will handle mainly the small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) that is under development. • SSLVs are meant to put a payload of up to 500 kg in space.

5.3 IRDSS

Why in news? Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IRDSS) is a new satellite series being put up to provide space to space tracking and communication of its space assets. • IDRSS is planned to track and be constantly in touch with Indian satellites in particular those in low earth orbit. • The crew members of Gaganyaan is stated to be the first beneficiaries of IDRSS, as they can be fully and continuously in touch with mission control throughout their travel. • The ISRO has planned for two satellites to be launched in 2020 and 2021 respectively, which would provide near total tracking, sending and receiving of information from the crew 24/7. • IDRSS satellites are to be launched to the geostationary orbits around 36000 km away.

• In its absence, ISRO will have to set up a large number of ground stations everywhere or hire them globally and yet the crewed spacecraft would not be visible all the time.

5.4 ISRO’S ASTRONAUT TRAINING HUB

Why in news? India’s world class facility for training astronauts will be established in 3 years at Challekere in Chitradurga district of Karnataka.

• ISRO has proposed a Rs 2700 crore master plan to create the infrastructure that will house its young Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) • It was said that whatever training and activities are now done in Russia can be done here once it is set up. • The centre is tasked with pursuing human space missions, complete mission planning, developing engineering systems for survival and safe return of the crew and selecting and training astronauts.

ISRO also planned to add a Quarantine facility (astronauts are quarantined in crew quarters in the days leading up to the mission, to ensure that nobody gets sick while in space) at the Second Launch Pad in the Sriharikota Space Port. ISRO said that it would ensure that astronauts who were about to enter the spacecraft before the launch stay unexposed.

5.5 DRDO YOUNG SCIENTISTS LABS (DYSL)

Why in news?

Five new Defence laboratories led by under-35 directors and young military scientistswaslaunched on Jan 2nd, to drive the country's war technologies of the future under DRDO. • The DYSLs will operate from 5 cities (Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad) across the country. • Each will pursue a key technology necessary for developing the nation's next generation defence systems. • Each laboratory deals with a focused area of science - artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cognitive technologies, asymmetric technologies and smart materials. • The five labs are – 1. Artificial Intelligence research will be at Bengaluru. 2. The Quantum Technology laboratory will be at IIT Mumbai. 3. Cognitive Technologies research will be done at a lab based in IIT Chennai. 4. Asymmetric Technologies will be based out of the campus of Jadavpur University. 5. Smart Materials research will be based out of Hyderabad. • There would be no fund constraints for the new labs and the new leaders get the same administrative and financial powers as the directors of existing defence labs.

5.6 GSAT-30

GSAT-30 is the India's latest communication satellite launched into space from Guiana Space Centre in Korou in French Guiana. It gives India a Communication Boost. • The new satellite is set to replace INSAT-4A, which was launched in 2005. • The new satellite will provide DTH (Direct to home) television services, connectivity to VSATs (the support Working of Banks) ATMs, stock exchange, television uplinking and teleport services, digital satellite news gathering and e-governance applications. • The satellite will also be used for bulk data transfer. • The satellite was launched a foreign launch vehicle Ariane 5, as the satellite weighed 3357kg, much heavier than the 2000kg lifting capacity of India’s geostationary launch vehicle GSLV-MkII.

5.7 GENOME OF INDIAN COBRA SEQUENCED

Why in news? An International team of researchers have sequenced the genome of the Indian Cobra, in the process identifying the genes that define its venom.

Significance • This genome sequence can provide a blueprint for developing more effective anti- venom. • The cobra genome sequence is of really high quality. • Sequence information of the genes that code for venom proteins is very important for the production of recombinant anti-venoms.

Existing anti-venoms • The efficacy of existing anti-venoms varies, besides producing side effects. • In India, the challenge has been producing anti-venom for the species known collectively as the ‘big four’ – The Indian Cobra (NajaNaja), Common Krait (Bungaruscaeruleus), Russell’s viper (Daboiarusselii), and Saw-Scaled viper (Echiscarinatus). • Common anti-venom is marketed for the treatment of bites from the ‘big four’, but its effectiveness came under question in a recent study. • This anti-venom fell short against some neglected species and also against one of the ‘big four’, the Common Krait.

Accidental contacts with snakes lead to over 100,000 deaths across the world every year. India alone accounts for about 50,000 deaths annually, and these are primarily attributed to the ‘big four’.

Challenging production of anti-venom • Venom is a complex mixture of an estimated 140-odd proteins or peptides. • Only some of these constituents are toxins that cause the physiological symptoms seen after snakebite. • But anti-venom available today does not target these toxins specifically. • Anti-venom is currently produced by a century old process, where a small amount of venom is injected into a horse or sheep, which produces antibodies that are then collected and developed into anti-venom.

Decoding of Genome Advantages Horse technique • In the Indian Cobra genome, the • This is expensive, cumbersome technique researchers have identified 19 and comes with complications. key toxin genes, the only ones that should matter in a snake • Some of the antibodies raised from the bite. horse may be completely irrelevant. • They stress the need to leverage • The horse also has a lot of antibodies this knowledge for creation of floating in its blood that have nothing to safe and effective anti-venom do with the venom toxins. using synthetic human • One more problem with horse antibodies antibodies. is that our immune system recognizes it • The next step would be obtaining as foreign and when anti-venom is given the genomes and the venom our body mounts an antibody response. gland genes from the other three This leads to what is called serum of the ‘big four’ and the deadly sickness. African species.

5.8 INDIAN POMPANO FISH

Why in news?

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI-Visakhapatnam) has registered success in cultivation of Indian pompano in a brackish water pond here, scientifically proving its commercial viability. • This was the first scientific Pompano fish experiment that was successful in the The silver pompano (Trachinotusblochii) – country in the cultivation of the a marine fish with wide environmental Indian pompano species in the pond. tolerance, fast growth, good market • The yield of the Indian pompano was demand and standardized seed production three tons per acre. technology. They are found worldwide in • The profit is estimated between 25- warmer seas, sometimes also 30% against the input cost per acre. entering brackish waters. • The experiment by the CMFRI has The aquaculture of silver pompano has established that the Indian pompano been successfully established in many could be considered as an alternative Asia-Pacific countries like Taiwan and to shrimp. Indonesia. It can be successfully cultured • The Andhra Pradesh State in ponds, tanks and floating sea cages. government will create awareness The species is pelagic, very active and can among farmers to switch to the Indian acclimate and grow well even at salinities pompano cultivation, apart from as low as about 8ppt. ensuring supply of the seed by setting up hatcheries.

5.9 INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS

The 107th edition of the Indian Science Congress will be held in Bengaluru from January 3-7th. It was the 9th time the city is hosting the convention.

Theme for the Congress - "Science and Technology: Rural Development".

• The General President of the ISC 2020 was Professor K.S. Rangappa from the University of Mysore. • For the first time, a Farmer's Science Congress will be part of it, providing the platform for innovative farmers. It will discuss the agrarian distress and strategies to mitigate and navigate the impact of climate change on agriculture, among other pressing issues. • It would also include 'Women's Science Congress', 'Children's Science Congress', 'Science Communicator's Meet', 'Science Exhibition: Pride of India'. • ICAR will set up Farmer's Innovation Fundwhich will be used to scientifically validate, upscale and propagate innovations of progressive farmers. The fund would be operational from next financial year. The main intention was to link farmers and farming with Science and to ensure that their farm practices are Science based. • Farmer from Neralaghatta village near Bengaluru has popularized the concept of turning areca husk into rich compost, instead of the previous practice of burning them during the winter. This particular compost when enriched with

scientific methods like addition of bio-fertilizers helped in the increase of areca nut yield by 30%. This innovation can indeed provide a way forward for the problem of smog in North Indian Cities in winter due to burning of agricultural waste. • Railway plans hydrogen-powered engine for passenger trains by end of 2021 and the issue found a mention in the ISC. The technology is however successfully demonstrated only by Germany. • The ISC 2021 will have Vijay Lakshmi Saxena as the general president, who will be the second woman to lead the ISC after AsimaChatterjee(62nd ISC in 1975 Delhi) in its 107-year history.

5.10 DARK MATTER

Astronomers have found 'cold' dark matter which believed to make up a bulk of the universe's mass- existing in much smaller clumps than was previously known or observed. NASA’s Hubble Space telescope detects smallest known dark matter clumps. • The observations are a big scientific breakthrough because finding dark matter in smaller clumps is considered especially difficult, given that dark matter is invisible.

Dark matter • Dark matter can refer to any substance which interacts predominantly via gravity with visible matter (e.g., stars and planets). • Dark matter is a form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe and about a quarter of its total energy density. • Dark matter is called dark because it is composed of particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light, so they cannot be detected by observing electromagnetic radiation. • While dark matter cannot be seen, its presence is detected indirectly by measuring how its gravity affects stars and galaxies nearby. • Dark matter can be divided into cold, warm, and hot categories.These categories refer to velocity rather than an actual temperature, indicating how far corresponding objects moved due to random motions in the early universe, before they slowed due to cosmic expansion. • According to the theory, all galaxies have clouds of dark matter embedded in them. • Dark Matter is an invisible form of matter, which constitutes a bulk of the universe’s mass and creates the scaffolding upon which galaxies are built. • The term cold when used in context of dark matter refers to speed of the particles, and primarily dark matter is believed to be slow-moving, rather than fast-moving.

5.11 SODIUM SULPHUR BATTERY

Why in news?

Researchers at IIT-Madras have designed room temperature Sodium Sulphur battery, which was able to achieve higher charge storage capacity and nearly zero self-discharge when not in use, while the conventional NaS battery requires very high temperature (300ºC) for operation.

The team replaced the solid electrolyte (Sodium beta alumina) with a glass fibre separator soaked in ether-based electrolyte that allows battery to operate at room temperature.

Sodium Sulphur Battery • A sodium–Sulphur battery is a type of molten-salt battery constructed from liquid sodium (Na) and Sulphur (S). • This type of battery has a high energy density, high efficiency of charge/discharge and long cycle life, and is fabricated from inexpensive materials. • The operating temperatures of 300 to 350 °C and the highly corrosive nature of the sodium polysulphides, primarily make them suitable for stationary energy storage applications. • Applications 1. Grid and standalone systems (Texas built the world's largest sodium–Sulphur battery, which can provide 4 MW of power for up to eight hours when the city's lone line to the Texas power grid goes down). 2. Space (Because of its high energy density, the NaS battery has been proposed for space applications). 3. Transport and heavy machinery (The first large-scale use of sodium–Sulphur batteries was in the Ford "Ecostar" demonstration vehicle, an electric vehicle prototype in 1991. However, the vehicle never went into production).

5.12 POLIO – A HEALTH EMERGENCY

Why in news?

The World Health Organization announced on January 7 that polio will continue to remain a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for three months.

• Poliomyelitis/polio is a viral disease caused by Polio Virus that may cause paralysis and is transmitted through contaminated water or food, or contact with an infected person. • There were 156 cases of wild polio type-1 cases in 2019 compared with 28 in 2018 with most cases being reported in Pakistan, Afghanistan & Iran. • An equally disturbing development is on the outbreak of vaccine-derived poliovirus (type2 strain) cases in 16 countries (ex: DRC, Angola, Nigeria) and in all, there were 249 vaccine-derived poliovirus cases in 2019. • A country is said to have eradicated polio when no new case of wild poliovirus is reported for three successive years. • WHO declared India as a polio free country in month of March 2014.

• Nigeria is all set to be declared as having eradicated polio this year, and in turn, the entire African region will become free of wild poliovirus.

5.13 HOLISTIC APPROACH ON DENGUE

Why in news? A new tetravalent vaccine against the dengue virus has thrown new light into the evidence-based management of dengue.

An article on the vaccine, published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that this vaccine confers about 80% protection to children vaccinated between 4 and 16 years of age without any major side effects.

Apart from promoting the use of vaccine, gaining control over dengue will also require a holistic approach that has to include within its ambit vector control and proper case management.

Dengue • Dengue is essentially a tropical disease that occurs in the countries around the Equator; hot weather and intermittent rainfall favour the sustenance of Aedesaegypti and Aedesalbopictus- the vectors transmitting the dengue virus. • Urbanisation, poor town planning, and improper sanitation are the major risk factors for the multiplication of such mosquitoes. • Aedes mosquitoes cannot fly beyond hundred meters. Hence, keeping the ambience clean can help prevent their breeding. • Further, these mosquitoes bite during the daytime, so keeping the windows shut in the day hours is also useful.

Shortage of skilled manpower in India • Due to the deficiency of manpower, active surveillance is not being done in India, says the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program. • Further, there is a lack of coordination between the local bodies and health departments in the delivery of public health measures. • Moreover, Epidemiological measures are essential in the management of any communicable disease. Singapore uses one successful model of mapping and analysing data on dengue, using Geographical Information System (GIS). This involves mapping the streets with dengue cases for vector densities. • Fluid management is the cornerstone in the management of severe diseases like dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome.

Alternative medicine drugs Also, despite the adequate and well-formed guidelines for the management of dengue cases by the WHO and the Indian government, the usage of complementary medicines like Nilavembukudineer (a Siddha medicine) and papaya leaf extract are rampant among the people. However, in the absence of evidence, the efficacy of such medicines remains in the realm of belief instead of science.

5.14 TUBERCULOSIS DIAGNOSIS

Why in news? The World Health Organization has endorsed Truenat MTB, an indigenous molecular diagnostic test for pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. It has mentioned that the test has high accuracy. • The disease remains a threat to public health and is the top infectious cause of death globally. • In 2018, an estimated 10 million people developed TB and 1.5 million died of it while at least a million children become ill with it every year. • Also about 5,00,000 new cases of multidrug 2 and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) are estimated to emerge annually but only one in three cases was reported by countries to have been diagnosed and treated in 2018.

About Truenat • The Truenat TB test is a new molecular test that can diagnosis TB in one hour as well as testing for resistance to the drug rifampicin. • The test works by the rapid detection of TB bacteria using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. • The machine looks for the DNA specific to the TB bacteria. If the machine detects it, it then uses PCR to copy (amplify) small segments of DNA and this DNA can then be used in many different laboratory procedures. • Any resistance to rifampicin (RR) is detected by doing a second RTPCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) • It takes about 25 minutes to do the DNA extraction. It takes another 35 minutes to diagnose TB. It takes an additional one hour for testing for rifampicin resistance.

GeneXpert versus TrueNat

• The GeneXpert machine and the TrueNat machine are designed to be used in different circumstances. The TrueNat machine is more of a point of care machine, which is not fully automated and which is designed for situations where there may not be electricity and where the need is for one test to be done at a time. • The GeneXpert is designed for larger volumes and needs a reliable electricity supply. The Genexpert test is a molecular test for TB. The GeneXpert diagnoses TB by detecting the presence of TB bacteria, as well as testing for resistance to the drug Rifampicin.

• On January 1, 2020, India’s TB control programme got a change of name. it is no longer known as the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP). And has been rechristened as the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP). • The change in name is in line with the larger goal of eliminating the disease by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals target.

Tuberculosis (TB) • Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs, though it canaffect any organ in the body. It can develop when bacteria spreadthrough droplets in the air. TB can be fatal, but inmany cases, it is preventable and treatable. • A person may develop TB after inhaling Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) bacteria. • When TB affects the lungs, the disease is the most contagious but a person will usually only become sick after close contact with someone who has this type of TB. TB infection (latent TB) • A person can have TB bacteria in their body and never develop symptoms. In most people, the immune system can contain the bacteria so that they do not replicate and cause disease. In this case, a person will have TB infection but not active disease. • Doctors refer to this as latent TB. A person may never experience symptoms and be unaware that they have theinfection. There is also no risk of passing on a latent infection to another person. However, a person with latent TB still requires treatment. TB disease (active TB) • The body may be unable to contain TB bacteria. This is more common when the immune system is weakened due to illness or the use of certain medications. • When this happens, the bacteria can replicate and cause symptoms, resulting in active TB. People with active TB can spread the infection. • Without medical intervention, TB becomes active in 5-10% of people with the infection. In about 50% of these people, the progression occurs within 2–5 years of getting the infection.

5.15 SUPERBUGS

“Superbugs" is a term used to describe strains of bacteria that are resistant to the majority of antibiotics commonly used today.

• Resistant bacteria that cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections and skin infections are just a few of the dangers we now face. • Antibiotic resistance is a naturally occurring phenomenon that can be slowed, but not stopped. • Over time, bacteria adapt to the drugs that are designed to kill them and change to ensure their survival. This makes previously standard treatments for bacterial infections less effective, and in some cases, ineffective. • Certain actions may accelerate the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as: Using or misusing antibiotics, having poor infection prevention and control practices, living or working in unsanitary conditions, mishandling food and so on.

5.16 CORONAVIRUS

Why in news? On December 31, 2019, China informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of an unknown cause in Wuhan City in Hubei province. A few patients in Wuhan had been suffering from respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia since early December.

Chinese researchers have made “preliminary determination” of the virus as a novel coronavirus in a person with pneumonia. They were able to determine the virus by sequencing the genome using an isolate taken from an infected patient.

Coronavirus • Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses with a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome and with a nucleocapsid of helical symmetry. • Coronaviruses are named for the spikes that protrude from their membranes, which resemble the sun’s corona. They can infect both animals and people. • They are a large family of viruses with some causing less severe common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). • While the SARS coronavirus is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet- uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002, the MERS coronavirus was passed on from dromedary camels to humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012. • China shared the whole genome sequence data with WHO and submitted them to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) platform to allow researchers across the world to access the data. Sharing the data with GISAID will help other countries to quickly identify the virus, provide care, and also develop specific diagnostic kits, drugs and even vaccines. • According to WHO, the clinical signs and symptoms of the patients are mainly fever and fatigue, accompanied by dry cough, with a few experiencing difficulty in breathing. Chest radiographs showed fluid in both lungs. • Based on preliminary epidemiological investigation, most of the patients had come in close contact with animals or frequently visited a wholesale seafood market (which authorities in Wuhan said was the centre of the outbreak). Also the possibility of “limited human-to-human transmission cannot be excluded”.

5.17 BHARAT STAGE EMISSION NORMS

Why in news? The Central Pollution Control Board, under the Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, sets the permissible pollution levels and timeline to implement the same by vehicle manufacturers.

• These are emission standards set by the governing body Bharat Stage Emission Standard (BSEB) to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engines and Spark-ignition engines equipment, including motor vehicles plying on the road. • The abbreviation of ‘BS’ is Bharat Stage and is suffixed with the iteration of the particular emission norms. The Indian emissions standards are based on the lines of European norms commonly known as EURO 2, EURO 3, and so on. • The first emission norms were introduced in 2000, with the second and third introduced in 2001 (BSII or BS2) and 2005 (BSIII and BS3), respectively. • The fourth iteration BSIV or BS4 was introduced in 2017 and the delay between the introduction of BS3 and BS4 resulted in fast-tracking the BSVI or BS6 emission instead of BSV or BS5 norms. • Each of these emission norms has stricter emission standards compared to its predecessors.

The table below offers an insight into the implementation timelines of the emission norms: Emission Standard Reference Year of Introduction • India 2000 EURO 1 2000 • Bharat Stage II (BS2) EURO 2 2005 • Bharat Stage III (BS3) EURO 3 2010 • Bharat Stage IV (BS4) EURO 4 2017 • Bharat Stage V (BS5) EURO 5 To be skipped • Bharat Stage VI (BS6) EURO 6 2020

Differences between BS IV and BS VI • Both BSIV and BSVI are emission norms that set the maximum permissible levels for pollutants emitting from a car or a two-wheeler exhaust. • Compared to the BS4, BS6 emission standards are stricter. • While manufacturers use this change to update their vehicles with new features and safety standards, the biggest or the significant change comes in the form of stricter permissible emission norms. The below table offers an insight into the change in the permissible emission levels of BS6 vehicles compared to BS4 vehicles: Fuel Type Pollutant Gases BS6 (BSVI) BS4 (BSIV)

Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Limit <60mg> <80mg> Petrol Passenger Vehicle Particulate Matter (PM) Limit <4.5mg/km -

Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Limit <80mg> <250mg>

Diesel Passenger Vehicle Particulate Matter (PM) Limit <4.5mg/km <25mg>

HC + NOx 170mg/km <300mg>

5.18 REMOVAL HEAVY METALS FROM WATER

Why in news?

A carbon-based nanostructure has been fabricated by a team at IIT-Bombay which has an adsorption efficiency of 80-90% for all the four heavy metals, i.e Arsenic, Chromium, Cadmium and Mercury.

• The reason for such a high adsorption efficiency is its hydrophilic nature (water- loving) that allows for extensive and rapid interaction between heavy metal containing water and the carbon nanostructure. • The surface area of the nanostructure is easily available and accessible for heavy metals. So the adsorption is high. • The majority of the adsorption first takes place in the micro micropores (less than 2 nanometre) and captured by the mesopores (2-50 nanometre) only after the formers' saturation. • The nanostructure doesn’t require electricity to remove heavy metals from water as it allows for gravity-driven purification of the water. • The nanostructure can be recycled and reused multiple times however there is an initial drop of 8-10% efficiency at the first cycle, remaining constant at 75-85% in subsequent cycles. • Since the heavy metals chemically react and bind to the surface of the nanostructure, they do not leach back into the water and can be recovered by treating the nanostructure with mild acid like Hydrochloric acid and Nitric Acid. • The drop of 10% efficiency after the first cycle is because the metals trapped in the micropores do not get leached out when treated with acid. But there is complete recovery of metals trapped in the mesopores. • The Nanostructure is able to absorb the heavy metals in the wide range of pH 2 to 13.

MISCELLANEOUS

5.19 FIRST ‘INDUSTRIALISED' PSLV IN 2022: ISRO

• ISRO and its commercial wing Antrix in 2018 had said, they are willing to outsource manufacturing of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) so that the space agency could focus on the other research areas and missions. • On the PSLV outsourcing, the ISRO chief had said industry partners like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Larsen and Toubro, Godrej were among those who took part in the discussions. • The ISRO Chief in January 2020, said the first Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle fully built by industry will be rolled out in 2022.

5.20 SREE CHITHIRA THIRUNAL NATIONAL AWARD 2019 Sree Chithira Thirunal National Award 2019 was given to ISRO Chief K. Sivan from the Kerala Governor ARIF Mohammad Khan.

5.21 SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE (SSLV)

• The first developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is expected in April 2020. • The SSLV is conceived as a potential low-cost access to space and it would cater to the large number of small launch requirements. • This mission will be carried out from Sriharikota. • The process of acquiring land at Kulasekharapattinam in Southern Tamil Nadu for establishing a launch facility for the SSLV is in progress.

6. SECURITY

6.1 MAHA-NAVY CONNECT 2020

Why in news? • Navy kicks off “MAHA NAVY CONNECT” • It is the first ever 3-dimensional expedition to spread the maritime heritage of India and spread awareness on coastal security among coastal communities in Maharashtra. • The expedition extends from Arnala fort, Northernmost fort of Maharashtra to Sindhudurg fort, the southernmost fort of Maharashtra, covering more than 555 km. Enroute, the teams will touch KanhojiAngre (Khanderi), Revdanda, Korlai, Murud-Janjira, Raigad, Suvarnadurg, Jaigad, Ratnadurg, Purnagad, Vijaydurg and Devgad forts. • The teams will also visit various schools and local establishments to interact with locals and students. • Along these routes, the teams will undertake community interaction, Swachhta Abhiyan and awareness campaigns amongst the locals, especially the fishing communities, school and college students, NCC and NSS cadets.

6.2 INS SUMEDHA

Why in news? INS Sumedha, presently on Anti-Piracy Patrol in Gulf of Aden, came to the rescue of the crew of the stranded vessel, Dhow Al-Hamid near Somalia Coast.

A traditional wooden vessel known as "Dhow", Al-Hamid was detected by an IN Helicopter launched from the deck of INS Sumedha, which confirmed that the vessel was in distress and drifting near the coast of Somalia.

6.3 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY/REMOTE SENSING SURVEY

Why in news? Raksha Mantri launches website on grant of permission for aerial photography/remote sensing survey.

• No Objection Certificate (NOC) web portal www.modnoc.ncog.gov.in for undertaking aerial survey. • The portal will be used by various vendors engaged by State Governments/Public Sector Undertakings/Autonomous bodies in seeking NOC from MoD. • MoD will be able to considerably reduce the time usually taken in issuing NOC. • Among other benefits, this initiative will help in speeding up developmental projects undertaken by various agencies.

• Further, this will also ensure expeditious disposal of applications for carrying out aerial survey, besides bringing in more transparency and accuracy.

Remote Sensing, which includes aerial photographs and satellite images, refers to data collection taken from a significant distance from the subject. • This often refers to photographs and video taken from above at a significant altitude. • Remote sensing produces images of a much larger area of the Earth's surface than a person on the ground can photograph. It also shows the position and relationship between objects and geographic features within the area in the image. • Combining special sensors with remote imaging can help determine the health of forests, movement of camouflaged military vehicles, and study changes in geographic features.

6.4 OPERATION SANKALP

Why in news? In the backdrop of the deteriorating security situation in the Gulf region, post attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman in June 2019, Indian Navy had commenced Maritime Security Operations, code named Op SANKALP, in the Gulf Region to ensure safe passage of Indian Flag Vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. Indian Navy continues to monitor the situation in the Gulf region.

The Persian Gulf Also called the Arabian Gulf, it is a shallow marginal sea of the Indian Ocean that lies between the Arabian Peninsula and the southwestern Iran. • Its length is around 990 km and its width varies from a maximum of around 340 km to a minimum of 55 km in the Strait of Hormuz. • It is bordered on the north, northeast, and east by Iran; on the southeast and south by part of Oman and the United Arab Emirates; on the southwest and west by Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia; and on the northwest by Kuwait and Iraq. • The area has approximately two-thirds of the world’s estimated proven oil reserves and one-third of the world’s estimated proven natural gas reserves. • A considerable amount of sea trade passes through the gulf, leading to heavy traffic in the region. • There remains an incessant traffic of large tankers that carry oil from the large marine terminals situated in Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and other locations to all parts of the world.

The Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman, northwest arm of the Arabian Sea, lies between the eastern portion of the Arabian Peninsula (Oman) and Iran. • It is 560 km long and connects with the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. • It is a shipping route for the oil-producing area around the Persian Gulf. • It offers the only entrance from the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean into the Persian Gulf, thus the world’s major oil exporters and importers have a joint interest in its security.

6.5 MILAN 2020

Why in news?

The City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam is gearing up to host another International Naval event ‘MILAN’ in March 2020. • MILAN 2020 is a multilateral naval exercise aimed to enhance professional interaction between friendly foreign navies and learn from each other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime domain. • It is being conducted for the first time on the mainland at Eastern Naval Command with increased scope and complexity of the exercise. • The theme of the mega event -- Synergy Across the Seas -- would provide an excellent opportunity for operational commanders of friendly foreign navies to interact with each other in areas of mutual interest. • The exercise is aimed to enhance professional interaction between friendly foreign navies and learn from each other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime domain.

6.6 THE CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF

Mr. Bipin Rawat has been appointed as the first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of India. He will remain on the post till the age of 65 years.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will integrate the operations of the three Armed Forces of India i.e. Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy. The Chief of Defence Staff will also play the role of military advisor on important defense and strategic issues for the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the country.

Who is Chief of Defence Staff? • The Chief of Defence Staff is meant to be a single-point military advisor to the Government on important defense and strategic issues for the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. • The Chief of Defence Staff will be assigned the work of coordinating long-term planning, training, procurement and logistics of the three arms of the Indian Armed Forces. • India is a Nuclear Weapons State, the CDS will also act as the military advisor to the Prime Minister on nuclear issues. • CDS will not exercise any military command.

Functions

1. He will serve as the Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister on all tri- Services matters. 2. He will act as the military advisor to the Atomic Command Authority (ACA). 3. CDS will be a member of the Defence Acquisition Council headed by the Minister of Defence. 4. He will be the permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. 5. CDS will also act as the head of the Department of Military Affairs. He will wield control over issues governing promotions, travel, appointment to key posts, and overseas assignments.

So the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is the need of the hour to increase the coordination among all three wings of the Indian army so that the limited resources of the defence can be optimally utilised and good results can be shown during any war-like situation.

6.7 DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS

Why in news? The rules of business for the newly created Department of Military Affairs (DMA) headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), were approved by Ministry of Defence.

• The Department will be headed by the CDS and will have 2 Joint secretaries, 13 Deputy Secretaries, 25 Under Secretaries and 22 Section officers.

• The Department will handle the training, establishments and cadre management of the Services, defence diplomacy of the neighbourhood countries, deputation to the training establishments such as the National Defence Academy, Indian Military Academy. • The DMA’s mandate includes promoting joint procurement and indigenous equipment production.

The DMA is the ﬁfth department added newly to the Ministry of Defence, others being, Department of Defence, Department of Defence Production, Department of Defence Research and Development and the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.

6.8 LCA TEJAS MK 1

Why in news? • The naval variant of the indigenous LightCombat Aircraft (LCA)Tejas•Mk1 successfully completed the first arrested landing on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. • After completing extensive trials on the shore based test facility (SBTF), the naval version of the LCA did a successful arrested landing on the INS Vikramaditya. • The Tejas is the first fighter jet developed by India to land and take-off from an aircraft carrier. • The naval LCA is fitted with stronger landing gears to absorb forces exerted by the ski•jump ramp during take-off and landing within 100m, against the 1,000m required for normal fighter jets.

6.9 TWO COAST GUARD SHIPS COMMISSIONED

Why in news? Two Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) Annie Besant and AmritKaur were commissioned by Defence Secretary. • While Annie Besant will be based in Chennai, AmritKaur will be based at Haldia. • The ships are fitted with state of the art technology and navigation equipment, along with 40/60 Stabilised Remote Control Guns.

6.10 INDIAN AIR FORCE INDUCTS BRAHMOS LADEN SUKHOI-30s

Why in new? SUKHOI-3- MK1 armed with Brahmos supersonic cruise missile was inducted at Tanjavur (Tamilnadu) Air Force station. • At present 5-6 planes will be stationed at the base and later this year18 planes with full capacity will be reached. This is also first squadron with Brahmos missiles.

WHAT DIFFERENCES DOES IT MAKE? • More air power to strike from long stand-off ranges on any target at sea or land both during day and night and in all weather conditions. • Helps increase focus in Indo-Pacific region.Also, closely monitor the Chinese activities in Indian ocean.

6.11 K-4 NUCLEAR CAPABLE MISSILE

Why in news? India successfully test-fired the 3,500-km range submarine-launched ballistic missile, K-4. The missile ejecting from a submerged platform is a “technological breakthrough”.

• The test was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organsiation (DRDO) from a submerged pontoon off the Visakhapatnam coast. • The missile has been tested several times earlier as part of developmental trials to validate different parameters, the source said.The missile ejecting from a submerged platform to the surface [sea] is the toughest part. • Circular Error Probability (CEP) is much more sophisticated than Chinese missiles. The CEP determines the accuracy of a missile. The lower the CEP, the more accurate the missile is. • Once inducted, these missiles will be the mainstay of the Arihant class of indigenous ballistic missile nuclear submarines (SSBN) and will give India the standoff capability to launch nuclear weapons submerged in Indian waters.

• INS Arihant, the first and only operational SSBN, is armed with K-15 Sagarika missiles with a range of 750 km. • This means the submarine has to venture far away from the Indian waters and move closer to the adversary’s coast to launch the missile. The K-4 will do away with that need. • INS Arihant has a displacement of 6,000 tonnes and is powered by an 83 MW pressurized light-water reactor with enriched uranium.

These submarines can stay underwater indefinitely without the adversary detecting it. The other two platforms — land based and air launched are far easier to detect.

6.12 MISCELLANEOUS

1. Indian Navy has taken steps for fuel quality standards revision to keep pace with induction of new technology equipment and meet contemporary emission standards. The launch of the new fuel (High Flash High Speed Diesel), HFHSD –IN 512, with revised technical specifications was undertaken in collaboration with Indian oil corp. This is an evolution from the old MIL DTL 16844M standards.

2. Armed Forces Veterans Day is observed each year on 14th January as a mark of respect and recognition of the services rendered by Field Marshal KM Cariappa -

the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces who retired on 14 Jan 1953. Commemoration of Armed Forces Veterans Day acknowledges and honours the selfless devotion and sacrifice of our veterans in the service of the nation.

3. India and Finland ink MoU to enhance bilateral defence cooperation. The MoU on co-operation in the field of Production, Procurement, Research and Development of Defence related Equipment and Industrial cooperation has been inked on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2020.

4. 51st K9 VAJRA-T Gun from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Armoured System Complex at Hazira in Gujarat. Raksha Mantri called for active participation of the private sector in defence manufacturing, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to make India an arms manufacturing hub and net defence exporter.L&T Defence is currently executing the ‘K9 VAJRA-T’ Tracked, Self-Propelled Howitzer Guns program - the contract awarded to the company by Ministry of Defence through global competitive bidding.

6.13 71ST REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS • India showcases A•SAT missile - DRDO marching contingent displayed the A•SAT missile on 71st republic day. • In March last year, the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) launched 'Mission Shakti', India's first A-SAT mission and demonstrated its anti- satellite technology. A live orbiting satellite in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) was destroyed in a "Hit to Kill" mode with 10 centimetre accuracy, with the satellite and the missile approaching each other at a high speed of nearly 11 km per second. • The covert technology of 'hit to kill', developed for the first time by India for such applications, enables it to destroy an enemy satellite by directly colliding with it with pin-point accuracy. The successful demonstration has placed India at par with the elite club of three nations — US, Russia and China — that possess this capability.

• DRDO also displayed second equipment, the Air Defence Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR). The ADTCR is used for volumetric surveillance, detection, tracking and friend/foe identiﬁcation of aerial targets of diﬀerent and transmission of prioritized target data to multiple command posts and weapon systems.

7. SOCIAL ISSUES

7.1 KOCHARI/KACHARIS

Why in news?

Non-tribal communities living in Assam can never claim to be 'khilonjia' or indigenous, said the All Assam Kochari Samaj that represents the earliest ethnic communities inhabiting the State.

About Kacharis • The Kachari kingdom was called as the state of Hidimba (or Heramba). • Kings called themselves Hidimbesvar or Herambesvar. • The Kachari kingdom was a powerful kingdom ruled by the Dimasa King. • The Dimasakachari kingdom and others (Kamata, Chutiya) that developed in the wake of the Kamarupa kingdom were led by chieftains of indigenous communities of Assam. • The 1881 census recorded 19 groups within the Kochari classification but some got isolated from the parental stock. • Today, it comprises communities such as Bodo, the largest plains tribe in the northeast, Deuri, Dimasa, Rabha, SonowalKachari, Thengal, Kachari and Tiwa. • Large swathes of Assam are under autonomous or development councils specifically for these communities.

7.2 MAKING PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SAFER

Why in news?

Data shows that maternal mortality ratio has dropped 22% in the last five years, and 78% of babies were born under institutional care. • Making pregnancy and childbirth safer for Indian women, especially in non-metro and rural communities is a tremendous task. • Major issues for safe pregnancy and child birth – o It is made exponentially more complex because India's healthcare ecosystem is a mosaic of tiers, models, and regulated and unregulated service providers. o There are primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities, run by state authorities, for-profit private players, and charitable institutions. o While health is a state mandate, it is also covered by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. o As much as 70-75% of households in India incur heavy healthcare costs as out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE). o For pregnancies, complicated deliveries or neonatal complications can drive up healthcare costs unforeseeably.

o High OOPE is a factor that stresses household finances to the extent that it can push households below the poverty line. o The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) provides certification and training for private hospitals, but leaves a vast cadre of urban clinics and centres and a majority of rural facilities out of its scope.

There is a clear need for standardizing clinical practices for maternal care in private facilities, which account for half the babies born under institutional care.

Some remedies offered are • Enabling greater private sector participation for standardizing clinical practices nationwide. • An example of this is the Manyata - a national quality improvement and certification programme that is administered by the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI). • Third-party quality certification that recognizes private maternity providers for meeting national quality standards in maternity care.

7.3 TRIBAL WOMEN IN ODISHA ATTEMPT MASS SUICIDE

Why in news?

Tribal women in Odisha attempt mass suicide over rail track construction. • Police thwarted attempts by 50 tribal women to commit suicide in protest against the construction of the Sukinda-Anugul-Duburi railway line on their lands in Odisha’sJajpur district on January 7, 2020. • The tribal people alleged that the authorities had recently started construction of the railway line on their land without their consent. • The 102-kilometre-long Anugul-Sukinda railway line project will connect coal fields in Talcher to the Banspani-Sukinda line. It will aid the movement of coal and iron ore in two directions.

7.4 INDIA’S UNDER-5 MORTALITY

Why in news?

India’s under-5 mortality of girls exceeds that of boys, unlike global trend, according to the ‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’ report by the United Nations (UN) inter- agency group for child mortality.

UNICEF defines Under-five mortality rate as Probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births.

According to the report, half of all under-5 deaths in 2018 occurred in five countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. India and Nigeria alone account for about a third.

7.5 ANNUAL STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT

Why in news?

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2019 was released by NGO Pratham. The government run pre-school system is losing out to private schools in terms of enrolment, said ASER 2019, which this year focuses on early education.

The report, based on a survey conducted in 26 districts across 24 states by education non-profit Pratham, also highlights a gender gap in schooling.

Key findings • At least 25% of school children in the four-eight age group do not have age- appropriate cognitive and numeracy skills, making for a massive learning deficit at a very early stage. • The share of schools adhering to the mandated classroom-teacher ratio of 1:1 has deteriorated from 76.2 per cent in 2010 to 72.9 percent in 2018. • Only 16% of children in Class 1 in 26 surveyed rural districts can read text at the prescribed level. • Just 37.4% of children below six are able to recognize at least letters and only 25.6% can do additions. • 34.8% of children in Class II can read a text meant for the level below. And at Class III, only 50.8% can read texts meant for their juniors two levels below.

• Only 41% of these children could recognise two digit numbers. • Report argues that a focus on cognitive skills rather than subject learning in the early years can make a big difference to basic literacy and numeracy abilities. • Only half (50.3%) of all students in Class V can read texts meant for Class II.

The study also showed how a better education level among mothers can lead to better outcomes among children in preschools and early schools.

• Numeracy skills among Class III children of illiterate mothers are much lower than those whose mothers had studied till Class XI or above. • Only 29.2% of Class III children of illiterate mothers can do a two-digit addition. • This rises to 64% for the same student cohort of mothers, who have studied at the level of senior secondary or above.

The findings also showed that more girls are enrolled in government institutions and more boys in private institutions. • Among four-five year-old children, 56.8% of girls and 50.4% of boys were enrolled in government schools or preschools, whereas 43.2% of girls and 49.6% of boys were enrolled in private preschools or schools. • The gap in enrolment between boys and girls is larger among 6-8 year olds, with 61.1% of all girls versus 52.1% of all boys in this age group going to a government institution said the survey.

The report underlined the need to focus on the early years to improve the basics of education. A focus on the “breadth of skills" and activities that strengthen cognitive skills rather than formal subject-learning in the early years may generate substantial benefits for later academic performance, it said.

What needs to be done

➢ Most of the young mothers in the next decade will not be very young as the median age of marriage has increased over the years from 18.2 years in 2001 to nearly 21.7 in rural India and 23.4 in urban India by 2016. o There is also the improvement of education among women. Such changes in the profile of young Indian mothers need to be taken into account when thinking of the education inputs to be designed for the young children. ➢ Coherence between central ministries is essential for improving early childhood education policymaking, but it is better to encourage state and district administrations to have a greater say to make early education effective.

Way Forward:-

1. First, there is considerable scope for expanding anganwadi outreach for three and four-year-old children. 2. It is commonly assumed that children enter Standard I at age six and that they proceed year by year from Standard-1 to Standard-8, reaching the end of elementary school by age 14. The Right to Education Act also refers to free and compulsory education for the age group six to 14. However, the practice on the ground is quite different. ASER 2018 data show that 27.6% of all children in Standard-1 are under age six. 3. On the pedagogy side, a reworking of curriculum and activities is urgently needed for the entire age band from four to eight, cutting across all types of preschools and early grades regardless of whether the provision is by government institutions or by private agencies.

7.6 SDG INDEX 2019-20

Why in news?

The NITI Aayog launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index, which comprehensively documents the progress made by India’s States and Union Territories towards implementing the 2030 SDG targets. The report showed that India’s composite score improved from 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019 with major success in water and sanitation, industry and innovation.

About the SDG Index • NITI Aayog has constructed the SDG India Index spanning across 13 out of 17 SDGs (leaving out Goals 12, 13, 14 and 17). • India is the first country in the world with a government-led, sub-national measure of progress on Sustainable Development Goals

• The Index has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), United Nations in India, and Global Green Growth Institute. • The Index tracks the progress of all the States and Union Territories (UTs) on a set of 62 National Indicators, measuring their progress on the outcomes of the interventions and schemes of the Government of India. • The SDG India Index is intended to provide a holistic view on the social, economic and environmental status of the country and its States and UTs.

Methodology followed • A composite score for SDG Index (2019) was computed in the range of 0–100 for each State/UT based on its aggregate performance across 16 SDGs. • The higher the score of a State/UT, the closer it is towards achieving the 2030 national targets. • States /UTs are classified based on the SDG India Index Score as follows: o Aspirant: 0–49 o Performer: 50–64 o Front Runner: 65–99 o Achiever: 100

National Analysis • India's composite score improved from 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019-20 with major success in water and sanitation, power and industry – ie; Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation), Goal 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) and Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy). • However, nutrition and gender equality continue to be problem areas for India, requiring a more focused approach from the government • The ranks of 14 states have dropped in the index compared to 2018. • All states and union territories except for Delhi have scored above 65

Analysis States • Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana were top performers in the race to achieve sustainable development goals (SDG), including the eradication of poverty and inequality, while Bihar, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have a lot to catch up. • Kerala retained its rank as the top state with a score of 70. • Himachal Pradesh took the second spot, while Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana shared the third spot, according to

the report, the second in a series. • Uttar Pradesh has shown maximum improvement followed by Odisha and Sikkim.

• None of the states were below 50—the half-way mark towards achieving the goals—which was a very good sign and that eight states were front runners.

Union Territories • Among Union territories, Chandigarh maintained its top spot with a score of 70followed by Puducherry with 56.

• Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are ranked at the bottom of the index.

SDG-2030

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs,set in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and intended to be achieved by the year 2030.

The Sustainable Development Goals are:

7.7 COMPENSATION FOR SEWER DEATHS

Why in news? Maharashtra and Gujarat lag behind in compensation for sewer deaths. • Meeting of the Central Monitoring Committee under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which is meant to reviews the implementation of the law where states that were found lagging behind in the rehabilitation of manual scavengers were asked to comply soon. • Gujarat has the highest number of cases (48), where the compensation amount was not paid or the payment was unconfirmed. • Maharashtra was yet to pay or confirm payment of compensation in any of its 32 cases. • Tamil Nadu, which had the highest number of such deaths, had paid compensation in all except seven of the 234 cases. • According the theNational Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK), a total of 53,598 people, of which 29,293 were in Uttar Pradesh alone, had been identified as engaged in manual scavenging after surveys in 2013 and 2018.

Background Manual scavenging • Manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, disposing or handling in any manner, human excreta from dry latrines and sewers. • The practice of manual scavenging is linked to India’s caste system where so- called lower castes were expected to perform this job. • Manual scavengers are amongst the poorest and most disadvantaged communities in India. • Frequent deaths occur as manual scavengers don't even have adequate tools and protective gear to clean the manhole. It often involves using the most basic of tools such as buckets, brooms and baskets.

Issues Related to Manual Scavenging • However, while manual scavenging for many may have ended as a form of employment, the stigma and discrimination associated with it lingers on. • This makes it difficult for liberated manual scavengers to secure alternative livelihoods. • People could once again return to manual scavenging in the absence of other opportunities to support their families. • Correctly identifying manual scavengers remains a key challenge.

Government Intervention

In 1993, the Government of India enacted the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act.

• The act prohibited the employment of manual scavengers for manually cleaning dry latrines and also the construction of dry toilets (that do not operate with a flush). • It provided for imprisonment of up to a year and a fine. • In 2013, this was followed by the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which is wider in scope and importance, acknowledging the urgency of rehabilitating manual scavengers. • The act seeks to reinforce this ban by prohibiting manual scavenging in all forms and ensures the rehabilitation of manual scavengers to be identified through a mandatory survey.

Key features of the Act • Prohibits the construction or maintenance of insanitary toilets. • Prohibits the engagement or employment of anyone as a manual scavenger, violations could result in a years’ imprisonment or a fine of INR 50,000 or both. • Prohibits a person from being engaged or employed for hazardous cleaning of a sewer or a septic tank. • Offences under the Act are cognizable and non-bailable. • Calls for a survey of manual scavengers in urban and rural areas within a time- bound framework.

A Supreme Court order in March, 2014, makes it mandatory for the government to identify all those who died in sewerage work since 1993 and provide Rs.10 lakh each as compensation to their families.

The Government of India has adopted a two-pronged strategy of eliminating insanitary latrines through demolition and conversion into sanitary latrines and developing a comprehensive rehabilitation package for manual scavengers through a survey

A comprehensive rehabilitation package has recently been put together that includes livelihoods and skill development, access to education for children of former manual scavengers and alternate livelihoods.

7.8 INFANT DEATHS

Why in news? The death toll of infants at Kota's JK Lon Hospital has risen to 107. All of them died at the state-run hospital in Kota, Rajasthan within a month's period.

Studies show that the government hospital is poorly equipped and understaffed and hence the failure of the primary healthcare system has led to the deaths of more than a hundred children in 40 days.

• With the emphasis on public health and nutrition infrastructure, the issue of infant deaths in Kota should not be seen in isolation. It is a sheer manifestation of the collapse of the public health system at all levels.

• Unless our outreach maternal health services, child health services and primary health care facilities are strengthened, we cannot expect lives to be saved only through treatment at the tertiary level,” • There an urgent need to increase health and nutrition budgets, which are abysmally low, in order to get the mandated outcome from healthcare facilities. • There is a need to reduce the patient load at the tertiary level. • Tertiary health care is catering to a much higher number of patients than what it is meant to cater to, while primary care facilities are grossly underutilized. • It is a matter of revamping the entire public health system from bottom to up.

• National Family Health Survey depict a gradual decline in both infant and maternal mortality, but the pace has not been satisfactory. • The national average of the infant mortality rate is 33 per 1,000 live births. • The National Health Mission budget in the current year is ₹2,101 crore, which is still lower than the ₹2,120 crore sanctioned in 2014-15.

7.9 WOMEN BUSINESS AND THE LAW (WBL) 2020 INDEX

Why in news? India has been placed 117th among 190 countries on the Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index released by the World Bank.

• The Index is based on the countries’ formal laws and regulations that have a bearing on women’s economic participation, covering eight areas 1) Workplace 2) Pay 3) Mobility 4) Marriage 5) Parenthood 6) Pensions 7) Assets 8) Entrepreneurship • Only eight economies scored a perfect 100 — Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden. These countries have ensured equal legal standing to men and women on all the eight indicators of the index. • India scored 74.4 on a par with Benin and Gambia and way below least developed countries like Rwanda and Lesotho. • The global average was 75.2 — a slight increase from 73.9 in the previous index released in 2017.

8.SCHEMES

8.1 PM KISAN MAAN DHAN YOJANA • It is an old age pension scheme for all land holding Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) in the country. The Scheme is effective from the 9thAugust, 2019.

• Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Salient features

1) It is voluntary and contributory for farmers in the entry age group of 18 to 40 years and a monthly pension of Rs. 3000/- will be provided to them on attaining the age of 60 years. 2) The farmers will have to make a monthly contribution of Rs.55 to Rs.200, depending on their age of entry, in the Pension Fund till they reach the retirement date i.e. the age of 60 years. 3) The beneficiaries may also choose an option to pay their contributions on quarterly, 4-monthly or half-yearly basis. 4) The spouse is also eligible to get a separate pension of Rs.3000/- upon making separate contributions to the Fund. 5) The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) shall be the Pension Fund Manager and responsible for Pension pay out. 6) In case of death of the farmer before retirement date, the spouse may continue in the scheme by paying the remaining contributions till the remaining age of the deceased farmer. If the spouse does not wish to continue, the total contribution made by the farmer along with interest will be paid to the spouse. If there is no spouse, then total contribution along with interest will be paid to the nominee. 7) If the farmer dies after the retirement date, the spouse will receive 50% of the pension as Family Pension. After the death of both the farmer and the spouse, the accumulated corpus shall be credited back to the Pension Fund. 8) The beneficiaries may opt voluntarily to exit the Scheme after a minimum period of 5 years of regular contributions. On exit, their entire contribution shall be returned by LIC with an interest equivalent to prevailing saving bank rates. 9) The farmers, who are also beneficiaries of PM-Kisan Scheme, will have the option to allow their contribution debited from the benefit of that Scheme directly.

Eligibility

1. Small and Marginal Farmer (SMF) - a farmer who owns cultivable land upto 2 hectare as per land records of the concerned State/UT. 2. Age of 18- 40 years

Farmers who are not eligible for the scheme The following categories of farmers have been brought under the exclusion criteria:

1) SMFs covered under any other statuary social security schemes such as National Pension Scheme (NPS), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation scheme, Employees’ Fund Organization Scheme etc. 2) Farmers who have opted for Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi MaanDhan Yojana (PM- SYM) administered by the Ministry of Labour& Employment 3) Farmers who have opted for Pradhan Mantri LaghuVyapariMaan-dhan Yojana (PM- LVM) administered by the Ministry of Labour& Employment 4) Further, the following categories of beneficiaries of higher economic status shall not be eligible for benefits under the scheme: 5) All Institutional Land holders;

8.2 PM KISAN SAMMAN NIDHI SCHEME

Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

FEATURES

1) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector scheme with 100% funding from Government of India. 2) The Scheme is effective from 1.12.2018. 3) Under the Scheme an income support of Rs.6000/- per year is provided to all farmer families across the country in three equal installments of Rs. 2000/- every four months. 4) Definition of family for the Scheme is husband, wife and minor children. 5) The entire responsibility of identification of beneficiary farmer families’ rests with the State / UT Governments. 6) The fund is directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. 7) Farmers covered under the Exclusion Criteria of the Operational Guidelines are not eligible for the benefit of the Scheme. 8) For enrollment, the farmer is required to approach the local patwari / revenue officer / Nodal Officer (PM-Kisan) nominated by the State Government. 9) The Common Service Centres (CSCs) have also been authorized to do registration of the farmers for the Scheme upon payment of fees. 10) Farmers can also do their self-registration through the Farmers Corner in the portal. 11) Farmers can also edit their names in PM-Kisan database as per their Aadhaar database / card through the Farmers Corner in the portal. 12) Farmers can also know the status of their payment through the Farmers Corner in the portal.

• Eligibility Criteria for the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana:

1)Farmers belonging to any Indian state are eligible under this scheme. (Earlier, the Income Support was given only to the farmer families having cultivable land up to 2 hectares. But BJP in its election manifesto 2019, promised to extend the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana to all the 14.5 Crore farmers irrespective of their

land sizes. ) 2)Farmers must have a Savings Account or Jan-Dhan Account to avail the benefit. 3)The Installments will be transferred directly into the bank accounts. Multi-tasking staff, Class IV and Group D government employees are eligible.

8.3 PM KUSUM SCHEME

Ministry Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

ABOUT Pradhan Mantri KisanUrja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme for farmers aims for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country. 1) The scheme aims to add solar and other renewable capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022 with total central financial support of Rs. 34,422 Crore including service charges to the implementing agencies. 2) KUSUM scheme aims to provide 1.75 million off-grid agricultural solar pumps by building 10,000 MW solar plants on barren lands. The scheme will help farmers earn extra income, by giving them an alternative to sell additional power to grid through solar power projects set up on their barren lands.

Scheme Components

The Scheme consists of three components: 1. Component A: 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants of individual plant size up to 2 MW. 2. Component B: Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP. 3. Component C: Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP.

BENEFITS 1) The scheme will help in the promotion of decentralized solar power production. 2) It will reduce the transmission losses of discoms and provide support for the improvement of financial health of DISCOMs by the reduction of subsidy which is a burden to agriculture sector. 3) KisanUrja Suraksha evamUtthaanMahaabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme will also promote water conservation, energy efficiency and provide water security to farmers.

8.4 PRASAD SCHEME Ministry - Ministry of Tourism. Recently, Union Government has included Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttrarakhand, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and Parasnath in Jharkhand under Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) to develop pilgrimage and heritage destinations in the country. With the new addition in the country. With the new additions, the number of sites under PRASAD has now reached to 41 in 25 states.

ABOUT 1) Introduced in 2015, the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) is a government scheme that focuses on identifying and developing the pilgrim sites across the country to enrich the religious tourism experience. 2) the Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for development and beautification of the identified pilgrimage destinations. 3) Sites under PRASAD Scheme include Amritsar, Ajmer, Dwarka, Mathura, Varanasi, Gaya, Puri, Amaravati, Kanchipuram, Vellankanni, Kedarnath, Kamakhya and Patna, Gangotri, Yamunotri, ParasnathAmarkantak

8.5 SWADESH DARSHAN SCHEME Swadesh Darshan scheme is envisioned to synergise with other Government of India schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, Make in India etc. with the idea of positioning the tourism sector as a major engine for job creation, driving force for economic growth, building synergy with various sectors to enable tourism to realise its potential.The duration of SwadeshDarshan Scheme is till the 14th Finance Commission Period i.e. March 2020.

OBJECTIVES 1. To position tourism as a major engine of economic growth and job creation; 2. Develop circuits having tourist potential in a planned and prioritized manner; 3. Promote cultural and heritage value of the country to generate livelihoods in the identified regions; 4. Enhancing the tourist attractiveness in a sustainable manner by developing world class infrastructure in the circuit/destinations; 5. Follow community based development and pro-poor tourism approach; 6. Creating awareness among the local communities about the importance of tourism for them in terms of increased sources of income, improved living standards and overall development of the area. 7. To create employment through active involvement of local communities; 8. Harness tourism potential for its effects in employment generation and economic development. 9. To make full use of the potential and advantages in terms of available infrastructure, national culture and characteristic strong points of each and every region throughout the country by development of theme based circuits. 10. Development of tourist facilitation services to enhance visitor experience/satisfaction.

KEY FEATURES

1) The scheme was completely funded by the central government of India. There are 13 cities that are under consideration of development. These 13 cities are all pilgrimage sites. 2) The scheme is a joint venture by the Central Government and Ministry of Tourism. By launching the scheme both the ministry will be able to develop the heritage cities 3) of the nation and conserve them for the tourists from across the globe.

8.6 SKILL INDIA Skill India campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 July 2015 to train over 40 crore people in India in different skills by 2022. Ministry – Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Various initiatives under this campaign are • National Skill Development Mission • National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015 • Pradhan Mantri KaushalVikas Yojana (PMKVY) • Skill Loan scheme • Rural India Skill

1.National Skill Development Mission- The National Skill Development Mission launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship on July 15, 2015, aims to create convergence across sectors and States in terms of skill training activities.

2. National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015- Ministry is an integral part of the government policy on "SabkaSaath, SabkaVikaas" and its commitment to overall human resource development to take advantage of the demographic profile of our country's population in the coming years 3. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)-Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The objective of this Skill Certification Scheme is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood. Individuals with prior learning experience or skills will also be assessed and certified under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Under this Scheme, Training and Assessment fees are completely paid by the Government.

4. Skill Loan scheme The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched this scheme to support youth who wish to go through skill training programmes in the Country.Amount of loan varies from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 150, 000/-

depending on the course having a repayment period of 3 to 7 years. Simple rate of interest @ 11% and 12% per annum is charged during the period of study.

9. MISCELLANEOUS/FACTS

9.1. PINAKA MISSILE SYSTEM Why in News?

DRDO successfully flight-tested Pinaka Missile System from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast.

Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Pinaka MK-II rocket is modified as a missile by integrating the navigation, control and guidance system to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range

The missile system, capable of striking into enemy territory up to a range of 75 kilometres with high precision.

9.2. SUKANYA Sukanya is an initiative of the Kolkata Police’s Community Policing Wing to provide self-defence training to girl students of city-based schools, colleges and universities.

9.3 MADHAVPUR MELA OF GUJARAT The eight States of the Northern Eastern Region will participate in a big way during the MadhavpurMela of Gujarat due to be held in the first week of April this year. The annual fair is held at MadhavpurGhed in Porbandar district.

The MadhavpurMela of Gujarat shares its connect to the Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.The festival celebrates the immortal journey which Rukmini undertook from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat with Lord Krishna.

9.4 OPERATION SANKALP In the backdrop of the deteriorating security situation in the Gulf region, post attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman in Jun 19, Indian Navy had commenced Maritime Security Operations, code named Op SANKALP, in the Gulf Region on 19 Jun 19 to ensure safe passage of Indian Flag Vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.

Indian Navy continues to monitor the situation in the Gulf region and is maintaining presence in the region to ensure security of our sea borne trade and the safety of Indian Flag Merchant Vessels transiting through the region. The Indian Navy stands committed to protection of the nation's maritime interests.

9.5 CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF The CDS is meant to be a single-point military advisor to the government, and to coordinate long-term planning, procurements, training and logistics of the three services.

Is this proposal new?

The proposal for a CDS has been there for two decades. It was first made by the K. Subrahmanyam committee appointed after the Kargil conflict of 1999 to recommend higher military reforms.

In 2012, the Naresh Chandra committee recommended the appointment of a Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) as a midway to allay apprehensions over the CDS.

The CDS is also one of the 99 recommendations made by the Lt General D.B. Shekatkar (retd) Committee which submitted its report in December 2016 which had 34 recommendations pertaining to the tri-services.

The seniormost of the three Chiefs functions as the Chairman COSC.

Bipin Rawat is the first CDS of the country.

He will be the principal military adviser to the Defence minister and the head of Department of Military Affairs (DMA). He will have advisory role in Nuclear command authority.

Role:

The role of CDS will be confined to the acquisition matters exclusive to each service and won’t extend to procurement of warships, fighter aircraft, which will remain under the control of department of Defence.

The CDS has to restructure the military commands into appropriate theatre or joint commands for which a critical prerequisite is ‘jointness’

9.6 MISSION PURVODAYA Purvodaya in steel sector is aimed at driving accelerated development of Eastern India through establishment of integrated steel hub encompassing Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh. It serves as a torch bearer for socio-economic growth of Eastern India. It will script rise of Eastern India by accelerated development of steel sector

Advantages of this region: -

Eastern states of India (Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal) and Northern part of Andhra Pradesh collectively hold ~80% of the country’s iron ore, ~100% of coking coal and significant portion of chromite, bauxite and dolomite reserves

There is presence of major ports such as Paradip, Haldia, Vizag, Kolkata etc., with >30% of India’s major port capacity.

In India’s march towards a $5 trillion economy, the 5 Eastern states can play a major role where steel sector can become the catalyst. This Eastern belt has the potential to add more than 75% of the country’s incremental steel capacity envisioned by the National Steel Policy.

It is expected that out of the 300 MT capacity by 2030-31, over 200 MT can come from this region alone, driven by Industry 4.0.

9.7 ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power today released the ‘State Energy Efficiency Index 2019’, which tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in 36 states and union territories based on 97 significant indicators.

The State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 was developed by Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy, AEEE under the guidance and leadership of (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) BEE, with technical counsel from American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and support from MacArthur Foundation.

States/UTs are grouped into four groups based on aggregated Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) required to meet the state’s actual energy demand (electricity, coal, oil, gas, etc.) across sectors.

TPES grouping shall help states compare performance and share best practices within their peer group. Under four categories based on TPES, Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Puducherry and Chandigarh have been evaluated as progressive states/UTs in the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019.

9.8 BOHAG BIHU Bohag Bihu’ one of the major festivals celebrated in Assam commonly known as Rongali Bihu, during the middle the month of April. This marks the beginning of the new Assamese calendar year started (around April 15).

Assam celebrates major agricultural events as the festival of Bihu.

In Assam, three Bihu festivals are celebrated in a year called as RongaliBihu or BohagBihu, Bhugali (MaghBihu) and Kangali (Kati Bihu) for marking the distinctive phase in the farming calendar.

Different harvest festivals being celebrated in several parts of country:

• Vaisakhi(baisaki) – Celebrated by Sikhs. • Vishu- Kerala. • RongaliBihu- Assam. • NabaBarsha- Bengal. • PuthanduPirappu- Tamil Nadu.

9.9 WORLD FUTURE ENERGY SUMMIT The annual World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi is the leading global industry event and exhibition for future energy, clean tech and sustainability.

World Future Energy Summit will begin in Abu Dhabi.

The theme for this year’s summit is “Rethinking Global Consumption, Production, and Investment.” World Future Energy Summit is the Middle East’s largest future energy and sustainability event. The summit is important as it is held on five main pillars. They are energy, water, solar, waste and smart cities.

9.10 CENTRAL ADOPTION RESOURCE AUTHORITY (CARA) CARA celebrated its 5th Annual Day in New Delhi today.

CARA is an apex body of Government of India for promoting and facilitating In-country Adoption and is the designated Central Authority for regulating Inter-Country Adoption

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a statutory body of Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. CARA is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of The Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003.

CARA primarily deals with adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated /recognized adoption agencies.10. Miscellaneous

9.11 SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE AAPDA PRABANDHAN PURASKAR

• In the aftermath of any disaster, many organisations and individuals work silently but effectively to alleviate suffering of the affected population. Their immense contribution and selfless service to humanity often goes unacknowledged. Keeping

this in view, Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has advised to institute a National Award so as to recognize the efforts of such organisations and individuals. • All Indian Citizens and organizations, who have excelled in areas of Disaster Management; like Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness, Rescue, Response, Relief, Rehabilitation, Research/ Innovations or Early Warning are eligible for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar. • The award is announced every year on January 23, birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. • The Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre in Uttarakhand (institution category) and former IPS officer K.M. Singh(individual category) have been selected this year for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for their contribution in the field of disaster management • Mr. Singh, a founder member of the National Disaster Management Authority in 2005, is known for his work during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

9.12 WORLD TOURISM DAY The World Tourism Day was celebrated on 27th September 2019 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Last year (2019) the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) had designated India as the venue for the celebrations.

Its purpose is to foster awareness among the global community of tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and the contribution of the tourism sector in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2019, in line with UNWTO’s overarching focus on skills, education and jobs throughout the year, the topic of the World Tourism Day was ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all.

9.13 FIND THE INCREDIBLE YOU The Incredible India "Find the Incredible You" campaign released globally by the Ministry of Tourism during 2018-19 has been declared winner of the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Gold Award 2019 in the “Marketing - Primary Government Destination” category. This year’s awards attracted 198 entries from 78 organizations and individuals worldwide.

9.14 TRAVEL & TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS INDEX India’s rank in Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) of World Economic Forum has moved from 65th rank in 2013 to 34thrank in 2019.

PRASHAD Scheme

Integrated development of identified pilgrimage destinations is being undertaken under the ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation

Drive’ (PRASHAD) Scheme. A total number of 28 projects have been sanctioned till date for an amount of Rs.840.02Crore under this Scheme.

9.15 ADOPT A HERITAGE: APNIDHAROHAR, APNIPEHCHAAN The project is a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India,

State/ UTs Government for developing tourist amenities at heritage/tourist sites and making them tourist friendly, in a planned and phased manner.

Ministry of Tourism has signed 27 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU’s) till date under the Adopt a Heritage project.

9.16 INCREDIBLE INDIA TOURIST FACILITATORS CERTIFICATION (IITFC) The certification programme is an Online Learning Management System which aims at creating skilled manpower to work as tourist facilitators.

The programme helps local citizens in harnessing the local experience and traditional knowledge for assisting tourists and to be a potential bread earner for their households.

Reducing GST rates on hotel room booking,

The Government has reduced GST on hotel rooms with tariffs of ₹1,001 to ₹7,500/night to 12%; those above ₹7,501 to 18% to increase India’s competitiveness as a tourism destination vis-à-vis other competing markets in the region.

9.17 KARMAYODDHAGRANTH Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah released a book ‘KarmayoddhaGranth’, on the life of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in New Delhi today.

9.18 CHALLAKERE Challakere is a village in Chitradurga district in the state of Karnataka, India. Challakere is also known as the ‘oil city’ or “second Mumbai” of India because it is the second largest producer/supplier of edible oil after Mumbai. There are as many as 60+ oil industries in Challakere. Challakere is known for the kambali (woven blankets) made by the local Kuruba people

9.19 NANDYAL YERRAGUNTA

Nandyal-Yerragunta section in Guntakal division of Hyderabad became the first ‘Solar section’ where all the stations have been provided with solar panels at a stretch to tap renewable energy