Current Affairs for University Assistant

This document covers some of the important 2019 current affairs topics for the upcoming University Assistant examination, 2019, conducted by the Public Service Commission on 15 June 2019. This will also be useful for aspirants appearing for other competitive exams.

Bharath Academy

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www.bharathacademy.org Current Affairs for University Assistant 2019

Index

Sl no Topic Page No 1 Mission Shakthi 1 2 Saraswati Samman 2018 2 3 Jnanapith 2 4 Lokpal 3 5 Surgical Strike 2.0 3 6 49th State Awards 4 7 70th Republic Day 5 8 Padma Awards 2019 6 9 12 10 Statue of Unity 13 11 Swarajya Trophy 14 12 91st Academy Awards 14 13 ICC Awards 15 14 ICC Women’s Award 16 15 Central Budget 2019 16 16 Kerala Budget 2019 17 17 Awards 2017 19 18 Kendra Sahitya Akademi Awards 2018 20 19 Constitution Amendments - 102 & 103 21 20 Kerala Floods 2018 23 21 Nipah Virus 23 22 Gaganyaan 24 23 International Yoga Day 2018 25 24 Parker Solar Probe 26 25 Cyclone Gaja 26 26 Various Summits 26 1

1. Mission Shakthi

Mission Shakti is a joint programme of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Mission Shakti was carried out from DRDO’s testing range A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex in Odisha’s Balasore.

As part of the mission, on 27 March 2019, an anti-satellite (A-SAT) weapon was launched and targeted an Indian satellite which had been decommissioned.

Significance

is the fourth country to acquire such a specialised and modern capability. The former three are the US, Russia and China.  The entire effort is indigenous  A-SAT weapon is likely to be the most potent military tool for the armed forces over the next few decades, notwithstanding a revolutionary technological breakthrough.  Mission Shakti will not have any effect on India’s status in the MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime) or other such treaties. The acquisition of this A-SAT technology is also expected to have spinoffs that India can exploit for domestic and international commercial use. Mission Shakti’s success will help in strengthening India’s defence capabilities.  The test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris. Whatever debris that is generated will decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks  Intend of Mission Shakti is to defend India’s space assets and to start an arm race in space.  It does not violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty of which India is a signatory.

What is the international law on weapons in outer space?

The principal international Treaty on space is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. India is a signatory to this treaty, and ratified it in 1982. The Outer Space Treaty prohibits only weapons of mass destruction in outer space, not ordinary weapons

2. Saraswati Samman 2018 2

Saraswati Samman Awards was instituted by the K K Birla Foundation in the year 1991. It is awarded annually for an outstanding literary work in any official language and published during the preceding 10 years. It carries a cash purse of 15 lakh, a citation and a plaque.

 Telugu poet K Siva Reddy has been selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2018. He has been awarded for his collection of poetry Pakkaki Ottigilite.  Pakkaki Ottigilite was published in 2016. It is an anthology of 104 poems in blank verse.  K. Siva Reddy was born in 1943 in Andra Pradesh’s Guntur.  He is considered as the most renowned poet in Telugu. He has also published critical essays on poetry.

Other popular literary awards constituted by Birla Foundation are Vyas Samman () Bihari Puraskar (for Hindi & Rajasthani writers of ).

3. Jnanpith 2018  The Renowned English Fiction writer Amitav Gosh is honoured with the 54th Jnanpith Award  The announcement was made on 14 December 2018.  The decision was taken during a meeting of Jnanpith Selection Board chaired by eminent novelist, scholar and Jnanpith laureate Pratibha Ray.  Amitav Gosh was born in 1956 in Calcutta. He was awarded in 2007 and was elected as Fellow of Royal Society of Literature in 2009. In 2015, he was also named as Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow.  Some of his works are : - The Circle of Reason, The Shadow Lines, In An Antique Land, Dancing in Cambodia, The Calcutta Chromosome, The Glass Palace, The Hungry Tide, and The Ibis Trilogy, consisting of Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke and Flood of Fire. His most recent book, The Great Derangement; Climate Change and the Unthinkable, a work of non-fiction, appeared in 2016.

About Jnanpith

 The award was instituted in 1961. The Bharatiya Jnanpith recognises litterateurs who write in any one of the 22 languages written Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution.  The winner receives a cash prize, a citation and a bronze replica of goddess Sarswati.  It is not conferred posthumously  Prior to 1982, the award was only conferred for a single work by a writer, however, after 1982 the award recognised writers’ lifetime contribution to Indian literature.  Famous Writer G.S. Kurup was the first winner. He was awarded for his collection of poems “Odakuzhal”. He received the award in 1965.  Bengali writer, Ashapoorna Devi was the first woman novelist to win the award in 1976 for her 1965 novel Pratham Pratisruti. 3

 The 2017 Jnanpith award was awarded to Sobti, renowned Hindi litterateur. 4. Lokpal India  Retired Supreme Court judge Pinaki Chandra Ghose is the country’s first Lokpal, or the anti-corruption ombudsman. His appointment has been cleared by President Ram Nath Kovind.  Justice Ghose’s name was finalised and recommended by the Selection Committee led by Prime Minister .  A person “Who is or has been a Chief Justice of India, is or has been a Judge of the Supreme Court, or an eminent person of impeccable integrity and outstanding ability having special knowledge and expertise of not less than 25 years in the matters relating to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance including insurance and banking, law and management”.

What is Lokpal?

 A Lokpal is an anti-corruption authority or ombudsman who represents the public interest. The concept of an ombudsman is borrowed from Sweden.  Many repeated demands for such an ombudsman, many attempts were made at legislation, with Lokpal Bills introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2008, but none of these was passed.  It was four decades after the introduction of the first Bill that the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act were enacted in December 2013.  This was the fallout of a public movement for a Jan Lokpal Bill, initiated by activist and others such as Kiran Bedi and .  The term “Lokpal” was coined by Dr. L.M.Singhvi in 1963.  Lokayukts are present in many states while many of the states still do not have the Lokayukts. The powers given to them relating to corruption, etc have not been up to the mark.

5. Surgical Strike 2.0 In retaliation to the deadly Pulwama terror attack, the Indian Air Force fighter jets crossed the line of control in the early hours of February 26, 2019 and attacked Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.  The Indian Air Force used Mirage-2000 jets to drop 1000 kg of laser-guided bombs causing an estimated casualty of 200-300.  In the intelligence led operation, India struck the biggest training camp of Jaish-e- Mohammed in Balakot, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.  The attacked facility at Balakot was headed by Maulana Yousuf Azhar (also known as Ustad Ghouri), the brother-in-law of Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed. In total, it has been reported that more than two camps of the Jaish E Mohammed were destroyed and after the arrival of the Pakistan air force, the Indian jets 4

returned. However, the Indian foreign secretary has confirmed the attack on only one JeM camp.  This is the first time that the Indian Air Force has crossed into Pakistan since 1971

What is surgical strike?

It is a militant attack intended to only damage the intended legitimate military target and no or minimal collateral damage to surrounding structures, general public infrastructure, vehicles, buildings and utilities.

6. 49th State Movie Awards 2018

The 49th , presented by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy were announced by the Minister for Cultural Affairs, A. K. Balan in Thiruvananthapuram on 27 February 2019.

All award recipients receive a cash prize, certificate and statuette.

Name of award Title of film Awardee(s) Best Actor Captain Njan Marykutty Best Actor Best Actress Chola Nimisha Sajayan Oru Kuprasidha Payyan Best Art Director Kammara Sambhavam Vineesh Banglan Best Character Actor Chola Joseph Best Character Actress Sudani from Nigeria Best Character Actress Sudani from Nigeria Sarasa Balusserry Best Child Artist Appuvinte Sathyanweshanam Rithun (Male category) Best Child Artist Panth Abani Adhi (Female category) Best Children's Film Angu Doore Oru Deshathu Producer: Baby Mathew Best Children's Film Angu Doore Oru Deshathu Director: Joshy Mathew Best Choreography Aravindante Athidhikal C. Prasanna Sujit Best Cinematography Carbon K. U. Mohanan Best Costume Designer Kammara Sambhavam Sameera Saneesh Best Debut Director Sudani from Nigeria Zakariya Mohammed Best Director Oru Njayarazhcha Best Dubbing Artist Odiyan (Character: Ravunni) Shammi (Male category) Best Dubbing Artist Lilli (Character: Lilli) Sneha M. (Female category) Best Editor Oru Njayarazhcha Aravind Manmadhan Best Female Singer Aami ("Neermathala Poovinullil") Best Film Kanthan - The Lover of Colour Director: Shareef C. 5

Best Film Kanthan - The Lover of Colour Producer: Shareef C. Best Film with Popular Sudani from Nigeria Producer: Sameer Appeal and Aesthetic Thahir, Shyju Khalid Value Best Film with Popular Sudani from Nigeria Director: Zakariya Appeal and Aesthetic Mohammed Value Best Lyrics Theevandi ("Jeevamshamai") B. K. Harinarayanan Joseph ("Kannethadooram") Best Makeup Artist Njan Marykutty Ronex Xavier Best Male Singer Joseph ("Poomuthole") Best Music Director Aami Bijibal (score) Best Music Director Carbon (All songs) (song) Best Processing Carbon Prime Focus, Lab/Colourist Best Screenplay Sudani from Nigeria Zakariya Mohammed Best Screenplay Sudani from Nigeria Muhsin Parari Best Sound Design Carbon Jayadevan C. Best Sound Mixing Carbon Sinoy Joseph Best Story Uncle Joy Mathew Best Sync Sound Carbon Anil Radhakrishnan Second Best Film Oru Njayarazhcha Director: Shyamaprasad Second Best Film Oru Njayarazhcha Producer: Sarathchandran Nair Special Jury Award Pani Ambat (awarded for And the Oscar Goes To cinematography)

7. 70th Republic Day  Theme is ‘life of Gandhi’ which is a tribute to the father of the nation on his 150th birth anniversary.  Chief guest is President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa. This is the second time a South African leader is Chief Guest at Republic Day — was the chief guest in 1995.

Significance:

 Republic day in India is celebrated every year on 26th of January to honour the Constitution of India as it came into force on the same day in the year 1950.  The 70th Republic Day parade have the highest number of women officers participating in the celebrations with Lt. Kasturi leading a contingent of 144 male personnel. This is the first time in the history of Indian Army that a woman lead the Army services corps. 6

 An all-women contingent of Rifles, India’s oldest paramilitary force, participated for the first time. The contingent was opened for women in 2012.  The weapons which were showcased for the first time in a Republic day parade are M777 and K-9 Vajra ultra light howitzers along with the Medium-Range Surface- to-Air Missile (MRSAM) missile of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).  For the first time in the Republic Day parade, An-32 aircraft flew using a mix of traditional and biofuel.  Four former Indian National Army (INA) soldiers participated for the first time in the parade. INA was an armed force formed by Indian nationalist Rash Behari Bose in 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II.  `Sankhnaad’, a martial tune created for the Indian armed forces, was played for the first time on the 70th Republic Day parade. Since Independence, the Indian defence forces have been playing ‘martial tune’ created by the Britishers. `Sankhnaad’ is based on Indian classical music.

Why January 26th?

 The Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950, a date specially chosen to coincide with the anniversary of ‘Purna Swaraj Diwas’. January 26, 1930 was marked as ‘Purna Swaraj Diwas’, or the day the nation would attain complete freedom from its colonisers by the Congress.  The members of the drafting committee felt that the birth of the constitution should be observed on a day that held some significance in their fight for independence. When India was ultimately granted freedom by the British in 1947, but on August 15 and not January 26, the date was instead assigned to celebrating India’s Republic Day.  This was the day the Indian Independence Act was consequently repealed and India was established as a democratic republic, no longer a dominion of the British Crown.

8. Padma Awards 2019  The awards were announced on January 25, 2019 on the occasion of Republic Day eve in in three categories: • : For exceptional and distinguished service.

• : For distinguished service of high order.

• Padma Shri: For distinguished service in any field.  This year, President Ram Nath Kovind approved conferment of 112 Padma Awards including one duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one). 7

 The list comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 14 Padma Bhushan and 94 Padma Shri Awards, of which, 21 of the awardees are women. The list includes 11 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI, 3 posthumous awardees and 1 transgender person.  The awards were conferred on 11 March 2019.

List of Padma Awardees

Padma Vibhushan S.No Name Field State 1. Art-Vocals-Folk 2. Ismail Omar Public Affairs Djibouti Guelleh (Foreigner) 3. Anilkumar Manibhai Naik Trade & Industry- Infrastructure 4. Balwant Moreshwar Art-Acting-Theatre Maharashtra Purandare Padma Bhushan S.No Name Field State 1. John Chambers (Foreigner) Trade & Industry- USA Technology 2. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa Public Affairs Punjab 3. Pravin Gordhan (Foreigner) Public Affairs South Africa 4. Mahashay Dharam Pal Trade & Industry- Delhi Gulati Food Processing 5. Darshan Jain Social Work Haryana 6. Ashok Laxmanrao Kukade Medicine-Affordable Maharashtra Healthcare 7. Kariya Munda Public Affairs Jharkhand 8. Budhaditya Mukherjee Art-Music-Sitar 9. Viswanathan Nair Art-Acting-Film Kerala 10. S Nambi Science & Kerala Engineering-Space 11. Kuldip Nayar (Posthumous) Literature & Delhi Education (Journalism) 8

12. Bachendri Pal Sports- Uttarakhand Mountaineering 13. V K Shunglu Civil Service Delhi 14. Hukumdev Narayan Yadav Public Affairs Padma Shri S.No Name Field State 1. Art-Vocal-Hindustani 2. Bangaru Adigalar Others-Spiritualism 3. Illias Ali Medicine-Surgery Assam 4. Art-Acting-Films Maharashtra 5. Uddhab Kumar Bharali Science & Engineering-Grassroots Assam Innovation 6. Omesh Kumar Bharti Medicine-Rabies Himachal Pradesh 7. Pritam Bhartwan Art-Vocals-Folk Uttarakhand 8. Art-Painting 9. Dilip Chakravarty Others-Archaeology Delhi 10. Medicine-Hematology West Bengal 11. Art-Music-Tabla West Bengal 12. Kanwal Singh Chauhan Others-Agriculture Haryana 13. Sunil Chhetri Sports-Football Telangana 14. Art-Acting-Theatre Maharashtra 15. Muktaben Pankajkumar Social Work-Divyang Welfare Gujarat Dagli 16. Babulal Dahiya Others-Agriculture Madhya Pradesh 17. Art-Music-Flute Tripura 18. Art-Dance Karnataka 19. Rajkumari Devi Others-Agriculture Bihar 20. Bhagirathi Devi Public Affairs Bihar 21. Baldev Singh Dhillon Science & Engineering-Agriculture Punjab 22. Harika Dronavalli Sports-Chess 9

23. Art-Painting Bihar 24. Gautam Gambhir Sports-Cricket Delhi 25. Draupadi Ghimiray Social Work-Divyang Welfare Sikkim 26. Godbole Science & Engineering-Nuclear Karnataka 27. Sandeep Guleria Medicine-Surgery Delhi 28. Pratap Singh Hardia Medicine- Ophthmology Madhya Pradesh 29. Bulu Imam Social Work-Culture Jharkhand 30. Friederike Irina (Foreigner) Social Work-Animal Welfare Germany 31. Art-Dance Folk Gujarat 32. S Jaishankar Civil Service Delhi 33. Narsingh Dev Jamwal Literature & Education Jammu & Kashmir 34. Art-Craft-Papier Mache Jammu & Kashmir 35. K G Jayan Art-Music-Bhakti Kerala 36. Subhash Kak (Foreigner) Science & Engineering-Technology USA 37. Sharath Sports-Table Tennis Tamil Nadu 38. Rajani Kant Social Work Uttar Pradesh 39. Medicine-Sickle Cell Maharashtra 40. Art-Acting-Theatre Maharashtra 41. (Posthumous- Art-Acting-Films Canada Foreigner) 42. Art-Painting Gujarat 43. Ravindra Kolhe (Duo)* Medicine-Affordable Healthcare Maharashtra Smita Kolhe (Duo)* Medicine-Affordable Healthcare Maharashtra 44. Bombayla Devi Laishram Sports-Archery Manipur 45. Venkateswara Rao Yadlapalli Others-Agriculture Andhra Pradesh 46. Kailash Madbaiya Literature & Education Madhya Pradesh 47. Ramesh Babaji Maharaj Social Work-Animal Welfare Uttar Pradesh 48. Vallabhbhai Vasrambhai Others-Agriculture Gujarat 10

Marvaniya 49. Gita Mehta (Foreigner) Literature & Education USA 50. Shadab Mohammad Medicine-Dentistry Uttar Pradesh 51. K K Muhammed Others-Archaeology Kerala 52. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Medicine-Affordable Healthcare Jharkhand 53. Daitari Naik Social Work Odisha 54. Art-Vocals-Films Maharashtra Narayan 55. Shantanu Narayen Trade & Industry-Technology USA (Foreigner) 56. Nartaki Natraj Art-Dance-Bharatnatyam Tamil Nadu 57. Tsering Norboo Medicine-Surgery Jammu & Kashmir 58. Anup Ranjan Pandey Art-Music Chhattisgarh 59. Jagdish Prasad Parikh Others-Agriculture Rajasthan 60. Ganpatbhai Patel (Foreigner) Literature & Education USA 61. Bimal Patel Others-Architecture Gujarat 62. Hukumchand Patidar Others-Agriculture Rajasthan 63. Harvinder Singh Phoolka Public Affairs Punjab 64. Madurai Chinna Pillai Social Work-Microfinance Tamil Nadu 65. Tao Porchon-Lynch Others-Yoga USA (Foreigner) 66. Kamala Pujhari Others-Agriculture Odisha 67. Bajrang Punia Sports-Wrestling Haryana 68. Medicine-Ophthalmology Chandigarh 69. R V Ramani Medicine-Ophthalmology Tamil Nadu 70. Devarapalli Prakash Rao Social Work-Affordable Education Odisha 71. Anup Sah Art-Photography Uttarakhand 72. (Foreigner) Art-Dance-Kathakali France 73. Nagindas Sanghavi Literature & Education-Journalism Maharashtra 74. Sirivennela Seetharama Art-Lyrics Telangana Sastry 11

75. Shabbir Sayyad Social Work-Animal Welfare Maharashtra 76. Mahesh Sharma Social Work-Tribal Welfare Madhya Pradesh 77. Mohammad Hanif Khan Literature & Education Delhi Shastri 78. Brijesh Kumar Shukla Literature & Education Uttar Pradesh 79. Narendra Singh Others-Animal Husbandry Haryana 80. Prashanti Singh Sports-Basketball Uttar Pradesh 81. Sultan Singh Others-Animal Husbandry Haryana 82. Jyoti Kumar Sinha Social Work-Affordable Education Bihar 83. Anandan Sivamani Art-Music Tamil Nadu 84. Srinivasan Others-Archaeology Karnataka 85. Devendra Swarup Literature & Education-Journalism Uttar Pradesh (Posthumous) 86. Ajay Thakur Sports-Kabaddi Himachal Pradesh 87. Rajeev Tharanath Art-Music-Sarod Karnataka 88. Saalumarada Thimmakka Social Work-Environment Karnataka 89. Jamuna Tudu Social Work-Environment Jharkhand 90. Bharat Bhushan Tyagi Others-Agriculture Uttar Pradesh 91. Medicine-Surgery Tamil Nadu 92. Ram Saran Verma Others-Agriculture Uttar Pradesh 93. Swami Vishudhananda Others-Spiritualism Kerala 94. Art-Vocals-Folk Uttar Pradesh About Padma Awards

• Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian Awards of India.

• The awards are conferred in three categories namely - Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

• Announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year, the Padma Awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March or April every year. 12

• The Awards are conferred to people belonging to various disciplines or fields including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service.

9. Bharathratna 2019

Bharathratna, highest civilian award of the country, was bestowed upon former president Pranab Mukherji, Nanji Deshmukh and singer . Bhupen Hazarika and Nanji Deshmukh were awarded posthumously.

Pranab Mukherjee is an Indian politician who served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017. He has been a senior leader in the and has occupied several ministerial portfolios in the Government of India. Prior to his election as President, he was Union Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012.

Nanaji Deshmukh was a social activist from India. He worked in the fields of education, health, and rural self-reliance. He was a member of RSS, a leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and also a member of the Rajya Sabha. He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 1999. Indiá's first Saraswati Shishu Mandir was established by him at Gorakhpur in 1950

Bhupen Hazarika, who died in 2011, was the legendary singer-composer from Assam. As put by PM Narendra Modi, “songs and music of Bhupen Hazarika are admired by people across generations. From them radiates the message of justice, harmony and brotherhood.”

Significance

 It was conferred after a gap of 4 years. In 2015, former PM and founder of , Madan Mohan Malviya were awarded.

 48 eminent people have been conferred so far.

About Bharat Ratna Award

• Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of India that was instituted on January 2, 1954 by the order of , the former President of India. • Bharat Ratna recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence, but constitution prohibits using the award name as title. • The award is conferred in recognition of exceptional service or performance of the highest order, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or gender. • The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science and public services but the union government expanded the criteria to include any field of human endeavour in 2011. • Recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President, 13 with a maximum of three nominees being awarded per year.

• Recipients receive a certificate signed by the President and a peepal-leaf–shaped medallion and award does not contain any monetary grant. • The award can also be bestowed posthumously, as per the provision inserted in January 1966. • The former Prime Minister was the first individual to be honoured posthumously in 1966. • The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were C Rajagopalachari, scientist C V Raman and in 1954.

10. The Statue of Unity

 The Statue of Unity dedicated to the 'Iron Man of India', Sardar Vallabhai Patel, has been constructed on a river island 'the Sadhu Bet' on the Narmada river at Kevadia in Gujarat's Narmada dist.

 A bronze statue build by Ram V Sutar

 The PM inaugurated the structure on (date) - 143 birth anniversary of Patel.

 The Statue, with the hight of 183 mtrs, becomes the tallest statue in the world, surpassing the height of Spring Temple Buddha in China, which had previously held the record at 153 mtrs.

 The structure is double the size of the Statue of Liberty in New York City in the United States of America.

 At the height of 135 mtrs a viewing gallery has been set up. It can accommodate 200 visitors at one time. It offers a spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar dam and Satpura and Vindhya Mountain ranges.

 The dedication ceremony comprised a flypast of IAF aircraft and performances of cultural troups.

 The Surya Kiran of the Air force performed aerobatics spreading the colours of indian flag in the sky over the Statue. At the same time, a team of Jaguar fighter aircraft flew and a team of MI-17 choppers showered rose petals on the Statue.

 The Statue, set up under the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust, has been constructed at a cost of ₹2,989 crore in less than four years.

 Build by Larsen and Toubro Ltd.

 The Statue will become a representative and inspiration of Unity, Integrity and Peace across the globe. 14

Wall of Unity

PM also unveiled the 'Wall of Unity' that has been created with the earth samples collected from various states across the country.

11. Swaraj Trophy

 Government of Kerala has decided to grant special awards in the name of Swaraj Trophy and cash prize to Local Bodies for the outstanding performance in administration, revenue collection, planning, people’s participation, distribution of social security pension and so on.

 The practice of distributing a trophy and cash prize for best grama panchayat started from 1995-96 onwards.

 In 1996-97 the trophy renamed as Swaraj trophy and from 1999-2000 onwards, the prize extents for the best district panchayat, block panchayat and municipalities.

 The winner will get Rs 25 lakh and Swaraj Trophy.

Best Gramapanchayat : Pappinisheri (Kannur) - out of 978 Grama Panchayats

Best Block Panchayat : Nedumangad (Thiruvananthapuram) - out of 152 block panchayths

Best District Panchayat : Thriuvananthapuram - out of 14 District Panchayats

(Source : local self government department)

12. 91 Academy Awards (Oscar) 2019

Award Category Winner

Best Film: Green Book

Best Actor in a Leading Role Rami Malek

Best Actress in a Leading Role Olivia Coleman

Best Foreign Film Roma

Best Director: Alfonso Curon (Roma)

Best Supporting Actress Regina King, Film: If Bale Street Could Talk

Best Supporting Actor Marshall Ali, Film: Green Book 15

Best Animated Feature Film Spider-Man: Into the Spyder-versus

Best Animated Short Film Bao (BAO)

Best Documentary Short Subject Period. End Of Sentence

Best Visual Effects First Man

Best Live Action Short Film Skin

Best Original Screenplay Green Book

Best Adapted Screen Play Blacklaysman

Best Original Score Black Panther

Best Original Song Shallow (Lady Gaga)

Costume Design Ruth Carter

About Oscar Awards

It honour artistic and technical merit in film industry.

Awards given by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.

13. ICC Awards 2018

The ICC awards recognise and honour the best international cricket players of the previous 12 months. The ICC awards 2018 list:

Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the year : Virat Kohli

ICC Men’s Test Player of the year : Virat Kohli

ICC ODI Player of the year : Virat Kohli

ICC Emerging Player of the year : Rishabh Pant

ICC Associate player of the year : Calum MacLeod

T20I Performance of the year : Aaron Finch

ICC Spirit of Cricket Award : Williamson 16

Umpire of the year : Kumar Dharmasena

Fans’ Moment of the year : India’s victory in the U-19 World Cup

14. ICC Women’s Awards 2018

India’s left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana has won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

 Smriti Mandhana has become the second Indian woman player to win an ICC award after fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, who was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Year in 2007.

 ICC Women’s T20I Player of the Year : Alyssa Healy

 ICC Women’s Emerging Player of the Year : Sophie Ecclestone

15. Central Budget 2019

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presented the Interim Budget 2019-20 on February 1, 2019

This year, the government presented the Interim Budget, also known as ‘Vote on Account’ as it is close to the end of its term. An interim budget is usually passed by the Lok Sabha without discussion.

As per the Interim Budget or Vote on Account, the government seeks the approval of Parliament to meet its expenditure for the first four months (January-April) of the fiscal year with no changes in the taxation structure, until a new government takes over and presents a full Budget of the year in July 2019.

Highlights 17

16. Kerala Budget 2019

Finance Minister Thomas Issac presented the Kerala Budget 2019-20 in the Legislative Assembly on 31 January 2019

Highlights:

 A study centre on Kerala's reformation will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram. An annual award in the name of Dakshayani Velayudhan, the lone Dalit woman in the Constituent Assembly, will be given for those working for women empowerment. ₹2 crore has been earmarked for this purpose.

 Kudumbashree gets budget allocation of ₹1,000 crore. ₹1,420 crore has been earmarked for women empowerment initiatives. 18

 The Budget announces 25 projects for "New Kerala." This includes an industrial corridor between and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), rice parks in Thrissur and near Thiruvananthapuram, a coconut village project, and Bekal-Kovalam waterway.

 ₹700 crore has been set aside for startup ventures.

 A second Kuttanad Package with ₹1000 crore has been announced. Community centres will be built in Kuttanad that can be used as flood shelters in times of natural calamity. A special package has been announced for the flood-hit Wayanad region.

 Fishermen will benefit from an extended Ockhi package of over ₹1,000 crore. The Budget also envisages plans to conserve Kerala's long coastline and building infrastructure to benefit the people living along the coast.

 The Budget also proposes a 515-km long parallel railway line along the Bekal-Kovalam waterway. The project is expected to be completed within seven years. Muziris Heritage Project will be completed by 2020

 A comprehensive health insurance scheme will be launched for all families in the State. Primary health centres will be augmented with more doctors and facilities. All medical colleges will have oncologists, and cardiologists will be appointed in all district hospitals. Over 4,000 posts will be created in the healthcare sector.

 The RSBY (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana)and Karunya project will be integrated and the State will directly give up to ₹5 lakh by way of insurance care. In all, around 42 lakh families will benefit

 a slew of projects for infrastructure upgradation, academic quality improvement and modernization of government schools was announced.

 ₹325 crore has been allocated for the welfare of senior citizens.

 ‘Mazhavillu’, a scheme for transsexual persons will provide vocational training, self- employment assistance, habitations in all districts, assistance for surgery based on medical advice, and learning assistance among others. ₹5 crore is earmarked for this.

 A centre will be established in Calicut University for minority studies. Considering the increase in the number of women going for Haj in recent years, a special block will be constructed for women in Haj house.

 Government aims to develop Sabarimala on the lines of Tirupati, while protecting the environment and ecosystem.

 The first building in Institute of Advanced Virology having an area of 25000 Sq.ft. at Thonnakkal will be completed this year. The construction of second building having an area of 78000 Sq.ft. will commence soon. 19

 An amount of ₹5.5 crore is set apart for special research promotion centers in College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram.

 Waste treatment facility will be established in any one of the Industrial Estates in all districts.Grama panchayats and Municipalities will be graded in the model of ‘Swachh Bharat Survekshan’.

 A model Global Kerala Centre will be established at Mavelikkara in the five-acre land owned by NORKA.

 One per cent flood cess will be imposed on goods and services in the brackets above 5 per cent GST and for gold. Kerala Flood Cess will be levied only on the value of intra state supply made within the State.

 Local bodies will be permitted to levy 10% entertainment tax on cinema tickets.

 50% concession on tax for five years will be granted to newly registered e-Rickshaws. For other electric vehicles, 25% concession on tax for five years will be granted.

 Electronic records and electronic agreements will also be brought under the ambit of Stamp Duty.

 All charges and fees for services provided by various departments will be increased by 5%

17. Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards 2017

 Nireeswaran by V.J. James has been selected the best novel.

 Mindaprani, written by Veerankutty, is the best poetry.

 Aymanam John’s Ethara Characharangalude Charitra Pusthakam has secured the award for the best short story.

Overall contributions

Pazhavila Rameshan, M.P. Parameswaran, Kunjappa Pattannur, K.G. Paulose, K. Ajitha, and C.L. Jose have been selected for awards for their overall contributions.

The awards carry a purse of ₹30,000.

K.N. Panikker and Attur Ravivarma will be presented with akademi’s fellowships worth ₹50,000.

The other award winners are

 S .V. Venugopalan Nair (drama - Swadeshabhimani) 20

 Kalpatta Narayanan (Literary criticism - Kavithayude Jeeva Charithram)

 N.J.K. Nair (Scholarly literature - Nadhee Vignaneeyam)

 Jayachandran Mokeri (Biography - Ente Jail Jeevitham)

 V. Balakrishnan (Travelogue - Ethetho Saranikalil)

Memon (Translation - Parvathangalum Mattoli Kollunnu)

 R. Sudheesh (Children’s literature - Kurukkan Mashinte School)

 Chovvallur Krishnan Kutty (Humour - Ezhuthanukaranam Anuranangalum).

Endowment Awards

P. Pavithran (Mathrubhashakku Vendiyulla Samaram); Thummarukudi (Kazhchapadukal ); P.K. Sreedharan (Adaida Shikharam Thedi); S. Kalesh (Sabda Mahasamudram); Abin Joseph (Kalyasseri Thesis); P. Soman (Marxism Laingikatha Sthree Paksham ) and Sheethal Rajagopal (Essay Competition) have got endowment awards.

About Kerala Sahitya Academy Awards:

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

18. Kendra Sahitya Akademi Awards 2018

India’s national academy of letters Sahitya Academy has announced names of 24 poets and authors who will be conferred the prestigious 2018 Sahitya Akademi Award in 24 different Indian languages.

Awardees are : 21

About Sahitya Akademi Awards

• Sahitya Akademi award is a literary honour that is conferred annually on Indian writers for their outstanding works of literary merit.

• The award, established in 1954, is given on books of literary merit written in any of the major languages of India.

• The award is presented in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh.

• Indian film-maker is the designer of the plaque awarded by the Sahitya Akademi

19. Constitution Amendments - 102 & 103

 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act

President Ram Nath Kovind on August 11, 2018 gave his assent to the Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2018. The Constitution (123rd amendment) Bill provides for granting of constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) on par with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.

The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on August 6 with an absolute majority and over two- third majority of the members present and voting. All 156 members present in the house voted in favour of the bill.

The Lok Sabha had passed the crucial bill on August 2 with over two-third majority, with all 406 members present voting in favour after an almost five-hour long debate. The House had passed the bill superseding the amendments by the Rajya Sabha.

Key Provisions of the Bill

• The bill provides for granting of constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) on par with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.

• It states that the President may specify the socially and educationally backward classes in the various states and union territories in consultation with the Governor of the concerned state. 22

• Under the bill’s provisions, all benefits given to the SCs and STs like scholarship will also be extended to the backward classes.

• The bill will provide the NCBC with the powers of a civil court while probing any complaint.

• The duties of the NCBC include investigating and monitoring how safeguards provided to the backward classes under the Constitution and other laws are being implemented and probe specific complaints regarding violation of rights.

 The Union Cabinet has decided to amend the SC/ST Act to further strengthen the law to protect their rights.

 A committee has been set up under Justice G Rohini to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes.

 Further, the states will be given their own list of OBCs and they would be able to incorporate any caste into the OBC list.

 However, they will have to approach the union government for inclusion in the central list.

 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act

President Ramnath Kovind has given the assent to the 124th constitutional Amendment Bill (which is now Constitution 103rd amendment Act) providing 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections of the society.

High lights 23

Criteria for Reservation

20. Kerala Floods 2018

Operations :

Kerala Police : Operation Jala Reksha

Indian Airforce : Operation Karuna

Indian Army: Operation Sahyog

Indian Navy: Operation Madad

Some facts about Idukki Dam:

 Double curvature arch dam constructed across Periyar river

 Constructed and owned by KSEB

 Constructed along with 2 other dams - Cheruthoni & Kulamavu

 The three together creates an artificial lake of 60 km2 in area.

 Capacity : 2403 feet

 Water from the reservoir is used to power 6 generators with a total capacity of 780 MW

21. Nipah Virus 24

 In Kerala, in 2018, the first case of Nipah Virus was reported from Perambra (Kozhikode)

 In India, It was first reported in Siliguri, West Bengal.

22. Gaganyaan

India’s maiden human spaceflight programme, scheduled for 2022

The launch of Gaganyaan was announced by PM Narendra Modi during his address in 2018. 25

The mission is carried out by ISRO in association with Russia’s federal space agency- Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (ROSCOSMOS)

Prior to the actual launch of this manned mission by 2022, the ISRO will launch two unmanned Gaganyaan missions. • GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle, having the necessary payload capability for this mission, will be used to launch Gaganyaan. • The spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km. • The spacecraft will comprise of a crew module and service module that constitute an orbital module. • It weighs approximately 7 tonnes, and will be carried by a rocket. • The crew module’s size will be 3.7 meters and 7 meters. • The mission will send a three-member crew to space for a period of five to seven days. • After the take off, the manned flight will reach the orbit in 16 minutes. • The crew will do microgravity experiment during the mission. • The crew will be selected by Indian Air Force (IAF) and ISRO jointly after which they will undergo training for two-three years. • The crew, while coming back to the Earth, could land in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast or in the Bay of Bengal or even on land.

23. International Yoga Day 2018

June 21 is observed as International Yoga Day. The 4th International Yoga Day was celebrated across the world. Celebrations in India were led by P M Narendra Modi in Dehradu. The Prime Minister joined thousands of volunteers, performing Yoga asanas in the lawns of Forest Research Institute in Dehradun.

Theme: The theme for the 2018 celebrations of the International Day is 'Yoga for Peace’.

Objective: The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.

About Yoga

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India.

The word ‘yoga’ is derived from Sanskrit and it means to join or to unite, symbolising the union of body and consciousness.

Why June 21?

June 21 is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special significance in many parts of the world. 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed the date for Yoga day in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly in 2014.

First International Day of Yoga

The first International Day of Yoga was observed all over the world on June 21, 2015. On the occasion, the Prime Minister performed 21 yoga asanas with thousands of people and a large number of dignitaries for 35 minutes at Rajpath in New Delhi.

The event at Rajpath established two Guinness world records - one for the largest yoga class, featuring 35,985 people and second for the largest number of participating nationalities (84 nations).

24. Parker Solar Probe

NASA on August 12, 2018 launched Parker Solar Probe, a historic mission to touch the sun. The main aim of the mission is to send a satellite closer to the Sun than any before.

The rocket carrying the solar probe lifted off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. (Kennedy Space Center)

The mission is named after astrophysicist Eugene Parker, 91, the physicist who first theorised the existence of the solar wind in 1958. It is the first space craft to be named after a living person.

A plaque dedicating the mission to Parker was attached to the spacecraft in May. It includes a quote from the renowned physicist – “Let’s see what lies ahead.”

The solar probe was launched aboard United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket.

2019 is observed as International year of Periodic Table and Chemical elements

25. Cyclone Gaja

The cyclone Gaja hit Tamil Nadu coast on 16 November 2018. The sixth named cyclone of the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, after Cyclones Sagar, Mekunu, Daye, Luban, and Titli.

The cyclone Gaja means elephant in Sanskrit language and has been named by Sri Lanka. It will be the second cyclone to hit the coastal area in a month after Cyclone Titli wreaked havoc in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Titli was named by Pakistan.

The tropical cyclones passing over the northern part of the Indian Ocean are named by 8 countries in the region, namely India, Pakistan, , Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman and Thailand.

26. Summits

 ASEAN

Singapore, the current chair of ASEAN hosted the 2018 summit.

Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967 with signing ASEAN Declaration or Bangkok Declaration) 27

Members: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei & Laos.

 13th East Asia Summit

Held on November 15,2018 in Singapore

EAS, established in 2005 is a forum of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security, and prosperity.

Members: 10 ASEAN countries + 8 other countries ( Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US.

 4th BIMSTEC Summit

The 4th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Summit, 2018 was held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Theme: Towards a Peaceful, Prosperous and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region.

BIMSTEC acts as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia.

Members: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan

Permanent Secretariat : Dhaka, Bangladesh

Formed as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India,Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) in 1997 on the basis of Bangkok Declaration. It becomes BIMSTEC when Myanmar joined.

 115th Meeting of Permanent Indus Commission

Meeting held in Lahore, Pakistan in August 2018. This is based on the Indus Water Treaty brokered by World Bank and signed PM and Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan. Under the provisions of the treaty, waters of eastern rivers- Sutlej, Beas and had been allocated to India and western rivers- Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan, except for certain non-consumptie uses for India.

 2+1 Dialogue

Nepal has welcomed China’s proposal of a 2+1 mechanism, where Beijing and New Delhi can jointly hold a dialogue with a third country in South Asia.

China and India will comprise the two and plus one would be Nepal.

 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

Qingdao, coastal city in east China’s Shandong Province, hosted the 18th summit of SCO.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Headquartered at Beijing China. 28

India and Pakistan were admitted as full members in 2017.

 10th BRICS Summit

10th BRICS Summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Theme: BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

India proposed a 10 point initiative, calling it ‘Das Kadam: Ten Steps for the Future’

BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

 25th CHOGM Summit

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, 2018 was held in London, UK.

Theme: Towards a Common Future.

It is an International Intergovernmental organisation of countries that were mostly former territories of the British Empire and dependencies.

 13th G20 Summit

The Summit was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 1 December 2018. (First meeting in South America)

India, for the first time, will host the G20 Summit in 2022 while Japan is scheduled to host the summit in 2019, followed by Saudi Arabia in 2020.