UPDATION Table of Contents 1. POLITY AND CONSTITUTION __________ 3 3.12. Datasmart Cities Strategy __________ 20 1.1. Model Code of Conduct _____________ 3 3.13. Electrification in India _____________ 20 1.2. Electoral Bonds ____________________ 3 3.14. Hydro Power Sector_______________ 20 1.3. Party Symbol Allocation _____________ 4 3.15. Asian Tea Alliance ________________ 21 1.4. Lokpal ___________________________ 5 3.16. News in Shorts ___________________ 22 1.5. Tribunals _________________________ 6 3.16.1. Ease Reforms Index ________________ 22 1.6. Armed Forces Special Powers Act______ 6 3.16.2. Festival of Innovation and 1.7. News in Short _____________________ 7 Entrepreneurship ________________________ 22 3.16.3. Nugen Mobility Summit _____________ 22 1.7.1. Self-Regulation of Social Media in Elections7 3.16.4. 20th Livestock Census ______________ 22 1.7.2. World Press Freedom Index ___________ 7 1.7.3. E-Dharti App and E-Dharti Geo Portal ___ 7 4. ENVIRONMENT ___________________ 24 1.7.4. World Summit on The Information 4.1. International Solar Alliance __________ 24 Society (WSIS) Awards ____________________ 7 4.2. Star Rating _______________________ 25 2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS __________ 8 4.3. UNNATEE (Unlocking National Energy 2.1. Indo-Pacific Regional Cooperation _____ 8 Efficiency Potential) ___________________ 25 2.2. Belt and Road Initiative______________ 8 4.4. National Mission on Transformative 2.3. Organisation of Islamic Countries______ 9 Mobility and Battery Storage ____________ 26 2.4. Rome Statute ______________________ 9 4.5. India Cooling Action Plan ___________ 26 2.5. Golan Heights _____________________ 9 4.6. Renewable Energy Certificates _______ 27 2.6. Arab League ______________________ 10 4.7. Peatland _________________________ 28 2.7. UN Designates Masood Azhar as Global 4.8. Climate Vulnerability Maps for Himalayan Terrorist ____________________________ 10 States ______________________________ 28 2.8. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) ____________ 10 4.9. Hazardous and Other Wastes 2.9. News in Short ____________________ 11 (Management & Trans Boundary Movement) 2.9.1. PM Awarded Russia’s Highest Civilian Amendment Rules, 2019 _______________ 29 Award _________________________________ 11 4.10. Global Environment Outlook _______ 30 2.9.2. Japan-India Space Dialogue __________ 11 4.11. State of The Global Climate Report __ 30 2.9.3. India’s 3rd IT Corridor in China ________ 11 4.12. Global Energy & CO2 Status Report __ 31 2.9.4. Triangular Development Cooperation in 4.13. Financing for Sustainable Development Asia and Africa __________________________ 11 Report 2019 _________________________ 31 2.9.5. Significant Reduction Exceptions ______ 12 4.14. Marine Heat Wave _______________ 32 2.9.6. Kafala System _____________________ 12 2.9.7. Migration and Development Brief 2018 _ 12 4.15. Coalition for Disaster Resilient 2.9.8. Sovereign Internet Law ______________ 12 Infrastructure ________________________ 32 2.9.9. International Day of Multilateralism and 4.16. Animal Cruelty Issues Now Under Farm Diplomacy for Peace _____________________ 12 Ministry _____________________________ 33 2.9.10. Multi-Disciplinary Terror Monitoring 4.17. Summer Ploughing _______________ 33 Group on Terror Financing in J&K ___________ 12 4.18. Cloud Seeding ___________________ 33 3. ECONOMY _______________________ 14 4.19. News in Short ___________________ 34 3.1. Swap Facility _____________________ 14 4.19.1. National Mission for Clean Ganga _____ 34 3.2. Monetary Policy Transmission _______ 14 4.19.2. UN World Wildlife Day ______________ 34 3.3. Limits Set on Ways & Means Advances 15 4.19.3. Energy Transition Index _____________ 34 3.4. Swift Norms ______________________ 16 4.19.4. Ultra-Low Emission Zone ____________ 34 3.5. Small Finance Bank ________________ 16 4.19.5. Israel Unveils World’s Longest Salt Caves35 3.6. White Label Atms _________________ 16 5. SOCIAL ISSUES ____________________ 36 3.7. Capital Gains Tax __________________ 17 5.1. National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey36 3.8. Circular Trading ___________________ 18 5.2. Affordable Housing in India _________ 36 3.9. National Investment and Infrastructure 5.3. Women in Science _________________ 37 Fund _______________________________ 18 5.4. Reports in News ___________________ 38 3.10. Municipal Bonds _________________ 19 5.4.1. Global Report on Food Crises 2019 _____ 38 5.4.2. World Happiness Report 2019 ________ 38 3.11. Ind AS __________________________ 19 1 DELHI | JAIPUR | PUNE | HYDERABAD | AHMEDABAD | LUCKNOW 8468022022 5.4.3. Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) 6.17.1. Priority Watch List _________________ 51 Report ________________________________ 38 6.17.2. Atmospheric Waves Experiment ______ 51 5.4.4. State of World Population Report, 2019 38 6.17.3. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter________ 52 5.5. News in Short ____________________ 39 6.17.4. Baresheet Mission _________________ 52 5.5.1. Nari Shakti Puruskar ________________ 39 6.17.5. Hope Probe Project ________________ 52 5.5.2. Centre for Disability Sports ___________ 39 6.17.6. Honeypot ________________________ 52 6. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY _________ 40 6.17.7. AJIT _____________________________ 52 6.1. 3-Parent Baby ____________________ 40 6.17.8. Artificial Intelligence Summit ________ 52 6.17.9. Abel Prize ________________________ 52 6.2. Malaria Vaccine ___________________ 41 6.17.10. Royal Society of London ___________ 53 6.3. Global Influenza Strategy ___________ 42 6.17.11. Candida Auris ____________________ 53 6.4. National Aids Control Programme-IV 6.17.12. I-STEM Portal ____________________ 53 (NACP-IV) ___________________________ 42 6.17.13. INS Imphal ______________________ 53 6.5. Mission Shakti ____________________ 43 6.17.14. Nirbhay Missile __________________ 53 6.6. Chandrayaan-2 ___________________ 45 6.17.15. Operation Sunrise ________________ 53 6.7. AstroSat _________________________ 45 6.17.16. Military Exercises _________________ 53 6.8. PSLV C-45 ________________________ 46 7. CULTURE ________________________ 55 6.9. Black Hole _______________________ 46 7.1. 100 Years of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 55 6.10. Forward Search Experiment (FASER) _ 47 7.2. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ____________ 56 6.11. GRAPES-3 _______________________ 48 7.3. 75th Anniversary of Battle of Kohima _ 56 6.12. Universe’s First Molecule __________ 48 7.4. Charminar _______________________ 57 6.13. China’s Artificial Sun ______________ 48 7.5. Konyak Dance ____________________ 57 6.14. Nano-Pharmaceuticals ____________ 49 7.6. Navroz Festival ___________________ 58 6.15. Graphene _______________________ 50 7.7. News in Short_____________________ 58 6.16. Cabinet NOD for Joining Nice, Vienna, 7.7.1. Saraswati Samman __________________ 58 Locarno Agreements __________________ 51 7.7.2. Lalit Kala Akademi __________________ 58 6.17. News in Short ___________________ 51 7.7.3. Recent GI Tags _____________________ 58 2 8468022022 DELHI | JAIPUR | PUNE | HYDERABAD | AHMEDABAD | LUCKNOW 1. POLITY AND CONSTITUTION 1.1. MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT o During bye-elections, the code is applicable in the entire district or districts Why in news? in which the constituency falls. Legal Status of Model Code In the run up to the Indian General Election for the • The MCC is not enforceable by law. However, 17th Lok Sabha, various violations of the Model certain provisions of the MCC may be enforced Code of Conduct have been witnessed. through invoking corresponding provisions in other statutes such as the Indian Penal Code, 1860, About Model Code of Conduct (MCC) Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and • The MCC is a set of guidelines laid down by Representation of the People Act, 1951. the Election Commission to govern the • For example: o Any activity aggravating tension between conduct of political parties and candidates in different castes and communities is a corrupt the run-up to an election. This is in line with practice under the Representation of the Article 324 of the Constitution, which gives People Act. the Election Commission the power to o Bribery to voters is both a corrupt practice and supervise elections to the Parliament and an electoral offence under the Act and Section state legislatures. 171B of the Indian Penal Code. • The origins of the MCC lie in the Assembly o Serving or distributing liquor on election day elections of Kerala in 1960, when the State and during the 48 hours preceding it is an administration prepared a ‘Code of Conduct’ electoral offence. for political actors. The leading political parties of the State voluntarily approved the 1.2. ELECTORAL BONDS code, which proved useful during the Why in news? elections. Subsequently, in the Lok Sabha elections in 1962, the ECI circulated the code The Supreme Court of India in its interim order to all recognised political parties and State has asked all political parties to disclose, the governments. details of the donations received by them • It is intended to provide a level playing field through anonymous electoral bonds, in sealed for all political parties, to keep the campaign covers to the Election Commission of India. fair and healthy, avoid clashes and conflicts Background between parties, and ensure peace and order. So, there are guidelines on general conduct, • Electoral bond scheme was announced in meetings, processions, polling booths, Union Budget 2017-18 in an attempt to observers, election manifesto of political “cleanse the system of political funding in parties. the country.” • Its main aim is to ensure that the ruling