JUNE 2018 an Open Resource Brought out by NEO IAS

Exhaustive Exclusive Coverage Prelims Focus

Current Indicative Affairs Questions Grandmaster Challenge Prelims Current Affairs Digest Standalone Source to compliment static books

Join Prelims Telegram channel for Daily Newsletters and videos JUNE 2018 An Open resource brought out by NEO IAS

www.neoias.com www.youtube.com/neoias www.fb.com/neoias 0484 -4030104 9446331522

Prelims Telegram Channel

https://t.me/NEOIASPRELIMS

Economy Telegram Channel

https://t.me/NEOIASECONOMYPRELIMS

You Tube Channel

www.youtube.com/neoias

Brief Note on NEO IAS Current Affairs Digest onNoteNEO Brief CurrentIAS Affairs Digest

eam NEO IAS brings you a unique and reliable current affairs digest to streamline your prelims preparation. With its exclusive and exhaustive focus on Prelims, the digest is your trustworthy T companion to score well in UPSC CSE Prelims 2019. The digest is a compiled, organized and improvised version of NEO TPS 2019 daily current affairs series. Under it, detailed videos on daily current affairs are uploaded on a regular basis on our YouTube channel. Hence, it is a tutorial backed current affairs material – the first of its kind.

The document is unique method of content preparation– Locate, Extend, Explore and Explain (L3E) Method.

 Locate accurately the most probable areas  Extend from those areas to cover portions left out by the standard books,  Explore further for precise content  Explain it in a reader friendly format.

One can distinguish the normal current affairs material and NEO IAS Current Affairs Digest as follows:

Neo IAS Current Affairs Normal Current Features Digest Affairs No. of Prelims relevant 180- 230 70-80 topics Prelims specific content Yes No arrangement Revision quiz challenge to Yes No check learning Videos on the same topic Yes No Relevant past years Yes No questions on the topic Wide use of photographs and tables for smart Yes No learning

For promising result, you are required to read the digest three to four times along with your standard textbooks.

NEO IAS monthly digests are prepared by a proficient team. But we are also hungry to improve ourselves in terms of content, style and presentation to suit your study methods. Feel free to contact us with you suggestions at: [email protected]

Happy Learning!

INSIDE THE DIGEST

Brief Note on NEO IAS Current Affairs Digest ...... 2 Inside the digest ...... 3 Current Affairs Grandmaster Challenge ...... 6

1 Economy ...... 8 Inside the Inside digest 1.1 STRATEGIC DISINVESTMENT ...... 8 1.2 INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING (IPO)...... 8

1.3 CROSS BORDER INSOLVENCY AND UNCITRAL ...... 9 1.4 LIBERALISED REMITTANCE SCHEME ...... 10 1.5 GOODS AND SERVICE TAX NETWORK (GSTN) ...... 10 1.6 MARGINAL COST OF FUNDS BASED LENDING RATE (MCLR) ...... 11

1.7 BANK BOARDS BUREAU ...... 12 1.8 REGIONAL RURAL BANKS (RRB) ...... 12 1.9 FUGITIVE ECONOMIC OFFENDERS ORDINANCE ...... 13 1.10 RUPAY CARD AND NATIONAL PAYMENT CORPORATION OF INDIA ...... 14 1.11 WHOLESALE PRICE INDEX (WPI)...... 15 1.12 CABINET COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (CCEA) ...... 16 1.13 PUBLIC CREDIT REGISTRY ...... 16 1.14 MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE ...... 17 1.15 WITHHOLDING TAX ...... 18 1.16 BASEL III NORMS ...... 18 2 World Affairs ...... 18 2.1 INTEREST GROUPS IN WTO ...... 18 2.2 UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY (UNRWA)...... 19 2.3 COUNTERING AMERICA’S ADVERSARIES THROUGH SANCTIONS ACT (CAATSA)...... 20 2.4 GLOBAL SOLAR BANK AND INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE ...... 20 2.5 FEED IN TARIFFS...... 21 2.6 INDIAN TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION (ITEC) PROGRAMME ...... 22 2.7 FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE (FATF) ...... 22 2.8 ASIAN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT BANK (AIIB) ...... 23 2.9 ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES ...... 23 2.10 INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY ...... 25 2.11 UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ...... 25 2.12 INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES (ICD-11)...... 25 2.13 SAARC DEVELOPMENT FUND ...... 26 2.14 ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS (OPCW) ...... 26 2.15 BIMSTEC (BAY OF BENGAL INITIATIVE FOR MULTI-SECTORAL TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION) ...... 27 2.16 UN SECURITY COUNCIL ...... 28 2.17 G7 BLOCK ...... 29 2.18 SHANGHAI CO-OPERATION ORGANISATION ...... 29 3 Geography ...... 30 3.1 SEYCHELLES...... 30 3.2 MONGOLIA ...... 30 3.3 ASSUMPTION ISLAND AND OTHER IMPORTANT ISLANDS IN NEWS ...... 31 3.4 KEN-BETWA RIVER INTERLINKING PROJECT AND OTHER RIVER INTERLINKING PROJECTS ...... 32 3.5 CROPPING SEASONS IN INDIA ...... 33 3.6 BHAVANI RIVER ...... 34 3.7 MAJOR PORTS IN INDIA ...... 34 3.8 WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION ...... 35 3.9 ENSEMBLE FORECASTING ...... 36 4 Environment ...... 36

4.1 HOOLOCK GIBBONS ...... 36 4.2 BELIZE REEF ...... 37 4.3 CHRYSILLA VOLUPES ...... 38 4.4 SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN ...... 38 4.5 E-MAMMAL PROJECT ...... 38 4.6 ANIMAL WELFARE BOARD OF INDIA (AWBI) ...... 39 4.7 VALLARTA MUD TURTLE ...... 39

4.8 BLACK-NECKED STORKS ...... 39 the Inside digest 4.9 ECO SENSITIVE ZONE (ESZ)...... 40

4.10 ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA (ABHY) ...... 41

4.11 BAGASSE ...... 41 4.12 METHANOL...... 42 4.13 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROJECT (ICZMP) ...... 42

4.14 BLUE FLAG STANDARDS ...... 43

5 Science and Technology ...... 44 5.1 HELIUM 3 ...... 44 5.2 HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE ...... 44 5.3 PRL ADVANCE RADIAL-VELOCITY ABU-SKY SEARCH (PARAS) AND SPECTROGRAPH ...... 45 5.4 NATIONAL DATA CENTRE ...... 46 5.5 NATIONAL DIGITAL LIBRARY OF INDIA (NDLI) ...... 46 5.6 INFLUENZA...... 47 5.7 VITAMIN D ...... 48 5.8 SMART INDIA HACKATHON...... 49 5.9 LI-ION BATTERY ...... 49 5.10 GEOSYNCHRONOUS SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE MARK-III ...... 50 5.11 HEPATITIS B ...... 51 6 Polity and Governance...... 51 6.1 ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS PROGRAMME ...... 51 6.2 ISLAND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY ...... 52 6.3 WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS PLATFORM (WEP) ...... 52 6.4 NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN (NCW) ...... 52 6.5 NATIONAL TESTING AGENCY ...... 53 6.6 SPECIAL CATEGORY STATUS ...... 53 6.7 GRAM SWARAJ ABHIYAN ...... 54 6.8 NORTH EASTERN COUNCIL (NEC) ...... 54 6.9 RAIL MADAD (MOBILE APPLICATION FOR DESIRED ASSISTANCE DURING TRAVEL) ...... 54 6.10 CENTRAL VIGILANCE COMMISSION (CVC)...... 55 6.11 PRIME MINISTER’S RURAL DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIP (PMRDF) ...... 55 6.12 NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF CHILD RIGHTS (NCPCR)...... 56 6.13 ARTICLE 35A ...... 56 6.14 CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION (CIC) ...... 57 7 History and Culture ...... 57 7.1 SANT KABIR ...... 57 7.2 WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION ...... 58 7.3 AMBUBACHI MELA ...... 59 7.4 ADOPT A HERITAGE SCHEME ...... 60 7.5 SANCHI STUPA AND PHO MINH PAGODA ...... 60 7.6 SEVA BHOJ YOJNA ...... 62 8 Government Interventions ...... 62 8.1 BENAMI TRANSACTIONS INFORMANTS REWARD SCHEME, 2018 ...... 62 8.2 EXPORT CREDIT GUARANTEE CORPORATION...... 63 8.3 NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT FUND (NIIF)...... 63 8.4 PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHIT MATRITVA ABHIYAN ...... 64 8.5 REUNITE ...... 64 © Neo IAS  0484-4030104 | 9446331522 | 9446334122 | www.neoias.com 4 www.youtube.com/neoias | www.fb.com/neoias | http://bit.do/neo-upscprelims

8.6 VAN DHAN SCHEME ...... 65 8.7 ICDS-CAS (COMMON APPLICATION SOFTWARE) ...... 65 8.8 SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2018 ...... 66 8.9 PARIWARTAN SCHEME...... 67 8.10 KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRAS ...... 67 8.11 AYUSHMAN BHARAT – NATIONAL HEALTH PROTECTION MISSION (AB-NHPM) ...... 68 8.12 CENTRAL ADOPTION RESOURCE AUTHORITY (CARA) ...... 69

8.13 SWACHH ICONIC PLACES (SIP)...... 69 the Inside digest 8.14 PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA ...... 70

8.15 KRISHI KALYAN ABHIYAN ...... 71

8.16 JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA ...... 72 9 Security ...... 72 9.1 RANI RASHMONI ...... 72

9.2 NATIONAL CRIME RECORDS BUREAU (NCRB) ...... 73 9.3 CENTRE FOR UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING (CUNPK)...... 73 9.4 INDO-US DEFENCE FOUNDATIONAL AGREEMENTS ...... 74 9.5 DHANUSH ARTILLERY GUN ...... 75 9.6 PINAKA MULTI BARREL ROCKET LAUNCHER...... 75 9.7 OPERATION NISTAR ...... 75 9.8 KAMOV KA-226T ATTACK HELICOPTERS ...... 76 9.9 EXERCISE MALABAR 2018 ...... 77 10 Reports and Indices ...... 77 10.1 GLOBAL REALTY TRANSPARENCY INDEX ...... 77 10.2 WORLD POVERTY CLOCK STUDY ...... 78 10.3 THOMSON REUTERS POLL ...... 78 10.4 WOMEN IN PRISONS REPORT ...... 79 10.5 UN’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS 2018 REPORT ...... 79 10.6 COMPOSITE WATER MANAGEMENT INDEX ...... 81 10.7 GLOBAL PEACE INDEX 2018...... 82 Grandmaster Challenge - Answers ...... 85 Current Affairs Plus ...... 87

CurrentAffairs GrandmasterChallenge CURRENT AFFAIRS GRANDMASTER CHALLENGE Given below are 50 statements on June 2018 Current Affairs. Shoot down at least 45 correctly and be a Current Affairs Grandmaster for October 2018!!

Statements

1 Island Development Agency is a statutory body. 2 Women Entrepreneurs Platform is a NITI Ayog initiative. 3 Special Status is given for states on account of economic backwardness only. 4 North Eastern Council is a regional planning body. 5 UPSC is established by the constitution. 6 Seychelles is a part of Asia. 7 Mangolia is landlocked. 8 Bhavani river flows through silent valley. 9 Minor ports are handled by State governments. 10 WMO is not a UN agency. 11 Hoolock Gibbons are native to India. 12 World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee. 13 E-mammal is a data management system. 14 Eco sensitive zones are notified by state governments. 15 Methanol is also known as wood alcohol. 16 Helium is abundant on earth. 17 The primary aim of PARAS is to search for extra solar planets. 18 National Digital Library of India is a project of the Ministry of Human Resource. 19 Vitamin E is known as sunshine vitamin. 20 Hepatitis B affects the liver. 21 Global Solar Bank is a new proposal by International Solar Alliance. 22 OPEC is not a permanent intergovernmental organization. 23 Theme of 2018 Yoga Day was 'Yoga for Happiness.' 24 UNHRC is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly. 25 OPCW is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). 26 SCO is solely economic in nature. 27 ECGC comes under the administrative control of Ministry of Commerce. 28 Alternate investment funds (AIFs) are regulated by RBI. 29 FATF aims to combat money laundering. 30 GSTN will manage the entire IT system of the GST portal. 31 Each Regional Rural Bank is sponsored by a Private Sector Bank. 32 RuPay Card is an Indian payment gateway. 33 CCEA is headed by Home minister. 34 ReUnite app was launched to help track missing and abandoned children.

35 VanDhan scheme was launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs along with TRIFED. 36 Pariwartan scheme was launched by ministry of agriculture. 37 Ayushmann Bharat is a health protection scheme. CurrentAffairs GrandmasterChallenge 38 CARA is a non-statutory body. 39 Under PMAY, the cost of unit assistance is to be met by Central Government alone. 40 Krishi kalyan Abhiyaan is a mission launched by Ministry of Agriculture. 41 Suvidha is an Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin.

42 Rani Rashmoni was built by Israel.

43 National Crime Records Bureau is an attached office of Ministry of Home Affairs. 44 LEMOA will give the militaries of both countries access to each other’s facilities for supplies and repairs. 45 Pinaka is developed by ISRO. 46 Kamov Ka-226T is purely a military helicopter. 47 World Poverty Clock is published by WEF. 48 Composite Water Management Index is an index developed by NITI Aayog.

49 Global Peace Index is an index brought down by Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). 50 An Echelle spectrograph disperses the light in two orthogonal directions using two dispersion stages.

(Answers are hidden in the following pages of this digest. For a quick check, turn over to the last page for the answer key.)

1 ECONOMY 1.1 STRATEGIC DISINVESTMENT Why in news? According to the civil aviation ministry, Government is committed to strategic disinvestment of Air India and a plan is being prepared to run the airline efficiently.

What is Strategic disinvestment?  Strategic disinvestment would imply the sale of substantial portion of the Government shareholding Economy

of a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) of upto 50%, or such higher percentage as the competent authority may determine, along with transfer of management control.  On the contrary, in the case of ordinary disinvestment, Management control of PSU will always be retained with Government.  According to the Department of Disinvestment, in the strategic sale of a company, the transaction has two elements: o Transfer of a block of shares to a Strategic Partner and o Transfer of management control to the Strategic Partner.

How and why?  Strategic sale usually takes place when more than 51% of shares go to the private sector strategic partner.  However, it is not necessary that more than 51% of the total equity goes to the Strategic Partner for the transfer of management to take place. Or in other words strategic sale can take place even if the private sector partner gets less than 51% shares.  The necessary condition is that the control of the firms should be with the strategic partner.  Strategic sale in India is an important way of privatization.

Mechanism for Strategic Disinvestment  Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) lay down the procedure and mechanism for strategic disinvestment of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).  Niti Aayog will identify CPSEs for strategic disinvestment and suggest methods for valuation of the CPSE apart from advising the Government on mode and percentage of shares to be sold in a CPSE.

1.2 INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING (IPO) Why in news? SEBI approves changes to IPO norms.

More about IPO  An initial public offering, or IPO, is the very first sale of stock issued by a company to the public  This is usually done when a private company or corporation tries to raise investment capital by offering its stock to the public for the first time.  The company which offers its shares is known as an 'issuer'.  The issuer takes the help of investment banks while going for IPO.  After IPO, the company's shares are traded in an open market.  Those shares can be further sold by investors through secondary market trading.

What are FPOs?  A follow-on public offer (FPO) is the issuance of shares to investors by a public company that is currently listed on a stock market exchange.  An FPO is a stock issue of additional shares made by a company that is already publicly listed and has gone through the IPO process.  FPOs are popular methods for companies to raise additional equity capital in capital markets through an issue of stock.

1.3 CROSS BORDER INSOLVENCY AND UNCITRAL Why in news? The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India, invited comments and views from stakeholders on introductory note and draft on Cross-Border Insolvency.

What is Insolvency?  Insolvency refers to the inability of a person or corporate to pay up his debt or bills as and when they become due.

 Insolvency leads to the state of default. Economy

Cross Border Insolvency  Cross border Insolvency occurs when parties to the transaction are located in different jurisdictions.  Cross-border insolvency broadly covers three aspects: o where foreign creditors have rights/claims over a debtor's assets in another jurisdiction where insolvency proceedings are underway; o where a debtor has branches/assets in several jurisdictions, including a jurisdiction other than where the insolvency proceedings are underway; and, o Where a debtor entity is subject to insolvency proceedings simultaneously in one or more jurisdictions.

Why India should be concerned about Cross Border Insolvency?  Creditors and corporates in India frequently transact business in more than one jurisdiction.  Foreign banks and creditors finance Indian companies and Indian banks have foreign exposure.  As part of its Ease of Doing Business and Make in India policies, India seeks to attract foreign companies to set up manufacturing facilities in India.  So there is a chance of Cross Border Insolvency cases.

Advantages of having Cross border Insolvency Code  Inclusion of cross-border insolvency framework will further enhance ease of doing business, provide a mechanism of cooperation between India and other countries in the area of insolvency resolution, and protect creditors in the global scenario.  Furthermore, it will make India an attractive investment destination for foreign creditors given the increased predictability and certainty of the insolvency framework.

How Indian Law deals with Cross Border Insolvency?  Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code stipulates a two-pronged solution regarding cross-border insolvency: o The government can get into agreements with other countries to enforce the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code; and o The National Company Law Tribunal can issue the authority to write a letter to the courts and authorities of other countries to seek information or request action in relation to the assets of the debtor situated outside India.

Problem with India’s dealing with Cross Border Insolvency?  India’s cross border insolvency section relies on reciprocal arrangement mechanism India has with other countries.  However, reciprocal agreements require individual long-drawn-out negotiations with each country, and such an arrangement may not bring the efficiency that could be achieved by a uniform code of cooperation between various jurisdictions.  Vastly differing reciprocal agreements with different countries may also complicate insolvency proceedings.  Further, the reciprocal agreement mechanism does not address issues relating to coordination/recognition of insolvency proceedings commenced in multiple jurisdictions and involving multiple branches of a single entity.

Global Standard  On the global scale, the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, 1997 has emerged as the most widely accepted legal framework to deal with cross-border insolvency issues.

 Due to the growing prevalence of multinational insolvencies, the Model Law has been adopted by 44 States till date, including Singapore, UK and US.

What is UNCITRAL?  The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law is a UN body established by the United Nations General Assembly to promote the progressive harmonization and unification of international trade law.  It was established in the year 1966.

 UNCITRAL’s major business is the modernization and harmonization of rules on international business. Economy

1.4 LIBERALISED REMITTANCE SCHEME Why in news?

Concerned over funds sent abroad under the ‘maintenance of close relative’ category of the Liberalised

Remittance Scheme (LRS), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has narrowed the definition of relatives to check the flow of funds.

More about LRS scheme  The Liberalized Remittance Scheme (LRS) is a facility provided by the RBI for all resident individuals to freely remit up to a certain amount in terms of US Dollar for current and capital account purposes or a combination of both.  Under LRS, all resident individuals can freely remit $250,000 overseas every financial year for a permissible set of current or capital account transactions.  Remittances are permitted for overseas education, travel, medical treatment and purchase of shares and property, apart from maintenance of relatives living abroad, gifting and donations.  Individuals can also open, maintain and hold foreign currency accounts with overseas banks for carrying out transactions.  The scheme was launched in 2004.  It is updated regularly with increasing or decreasing the limit for remittances as well as the purposes for which remittances is to be made.

Prohibited Areas  The rules do not allow remittances for trading on the foreign exchange markets, margin calls to overseas exchanges and counterparties and the purchase of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds issued by Indian companies abroad.  Sending money to certain countries and entities is also barred.  Under LRS, people can’t send money to countries identified as ‘non cooperative’ by the Financial Action Task Force.  Remittances are also prohibited to entities identified as posing terrorist risks.

New Change  Definition of relative is changed by RBI according to newly released rules.  Hence, funds under the ‘maintenance of close relative’ category can be sent only to immediate relatives such as parents, spouses, children and their spouses.  This has brought about by defining ‘relatives’ under the Companies Act, 2013 instead of the same act of 1956.

1.5 GOODS AND SERVICE TAX NETWORK (GSTN) Why in news? It is reported that the IT functioning of the Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) has been unsatisfactory due to problems or inordinate delays in access because of the volume of traffic.

More about GSTN  The Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) is a non-profit, non-government organization set up to manage the entire IT system of the GST portal.  It is unique as it seeks, for the first time to establish a uniform interface for the tax payer and a common and shared IT infrastructure between the centre and the states.

 This portal will be used by the government to track every financial transaction and will provide tax payers with all service – from registration to filing the taxes and maintaining the tax details.  Private players own 51% share in the network and the rest is owned by the government.  The government of India holds 24.5% share and all the states along with Puducherry and NCT of Delhi and the Empowered committee of state Finance Ministers together hold 24.5%.  The authorized capital of the company is Rs.10 crore.  The GSTN will handle o Invoices o Various Returns o Registrations Economy

o Payments and Refunds

1.6 MARGINAL COST OF FUNDS BASED LENDING RATE (MCLR) Why in news? Millions of customers are paying a higher interest rates on home and auto loans. This is because the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is yet to mandate banks to allow customers who signed up for loans in the erstwhile ‘Base Rate’ regime and who are paying higher rates, to shift to the current ‘MCLR’ structure, which is lower than the base rate.

More about MCLR  The marginal cost of funds based lending rate (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.  It has modified the base rate system from April 2016 onwards.  Based upon this MCLR, interest rate for different types of customers should be fixed in accordance with their riskiness.  The new methodology uses the marginal cost or latest cost conditions reflected in the interest rate given by the banks for obtaining funds (from deposits and while borrowing from RBI) while setting their lending rate.  This means that the interest rate given by a bank for deposits and the repo rate (for obtaining funds from the RBI) are the decisive factors in the calculation of MCLR.

Components of MCLR  The main components of MCLR are o Marginal cost of funds; o Negative carry on account of CRR; o Operating costs; o Tenor premium.

Negative carry on account of CRR  It is the cost that the banks have to incur while keeping reserves with the RBI.  The RBI is not giving any interest for CRR held by the banks.  The cost of such funds kept idle can be charged from loans given to the people.

Tenor premium  The term denotes that higher interest can be charged from long term loans. i.e. depending upon the tenor of the loan

Marginal Cost:  The marginal cost is the main element of the MCLR.  The marginal cost of funds will comprise of Marginal cost of borrowings and return on net worth.  According to the RBI, the Marginal Cost should be charged on the basis of following factors: o Interest rate given for various types of deposits- savings, current, term deposit, foreign currency deposit o Borrowings – Short term interest rate or the Repo rate etc., Long term rupee borrowing rate o Return on net worth – in accordance with capital adequacy norms. © Neo IAS  0484-4030104 | 9446331522 | 9446334122 | www.neoias.com 11 www.youtube.com/neoias | www.fb.com/neoias | http://bit.do/neo-upscprelims

 The marginal cost of borrowings shall have a weightage of 92% of Marginal Cost of Funds while return on net worth will have the balance weightage of 8%.

More about MCLR  Powerful element of the MCLR system is that banks have to revise their marginal cost on a monthly basis.  It would help the RBI to effectively transmit the policy rate.

1.7 BANK BOARDS BUREAU Why in news? Economy

The Bank Board Bureau (BBB), tasked to improve governance in government-owned banks, has recommended more than a dozen names to don the role of a managing director and chief executive officer

of state-owned banks.

More about BBB  The BBB is an autonomous recommendatory body set up under the government’s Indradanush programme to reform public sector banks (PSBs).  The BBB was conceived by the PJ Nayak committee and was seen as a step taken towards reforming the boards of public sector banks.  The committee, in its report, had recommended that the government should distance itself from the appointment process of top management and board members of PSBs — a function that could be performed by the BBB.  BBB has representatives from government and RBI apart from independent banking professionals.  BBI has three ex-officio members and three expert members in addition to Chairman. All the Members and Chairman are part time members.

Functions of the Banks Board Bureau:  Recommending Board of Directors in PSBs and Financial Institutions (Whole-time Directors and Non- Executive Chairman), the appointment is prerogative of government.  Advising the central government in matters of banking governance at the higher levels and their training and management.  Building a data bank containing data relating to the performance of PSBs/FIs, its senior management and the Board of Directors and share the same with Government;  To help banks in terms of developing business strategies and capital raising plan etc.

1.8 REGIONAL RURAL BANKS (RRB) Why in news? The government has decided to start the consolidation process of Regional Rural Banks (RRB) after a gap of six years and bring down the number of such entities to 38 from 56 now.

More about RRBs  Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are financial institutions which ensure adequate credit for agriculture and other rural sectors.  They were set up as a regional based rural lending institutions under the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976.  They were established based on the recommendations of Narsimhan Committee working group.  The committee was of the view that RRBs would be much better suited than the commercial banks or Co-Operative Banks in meeting the needs of rural areas.  They were configured as hybrid micro banking institutions, combining the local orientation and small scale lending culture of the cooperatives and the business culture of commercial banks  The RRBs were established by three entities with their respective shares as follows: o Central Government → 50% o State government → 15% o Sponsor bank → 35%

Objectives  The objectives of RRB are

o Bridging the credit gaps in rural areas. o To develop such measures which could restrict the outflow of rural deposits to urban areas. o To reduce regional imbalances and increase rural employment generation activities.

Sponsor Bank  Each Regional Rural Bank is sponsored by a Public Sector Bank.  It is duty of a sponsor bank to aid and assist the RRB sponsored by it.

Amendment act in 2015

 An amendment act in 2015 allowed RRBs to raise capital from sources other than the existing Economy

shareholders -central and state governments, and sponsor banks.

 Here, the combined shareholding of the central government and the sponsor bank cannot be less than 51%.

 The Act states that the central government may by notification raise or reduce the limit of shareholding of the central government, state government or the sponsoring bank in the RRB.  For this, the central government may consult the state government and the sponsor bank.

First RRB  Prathama Bank, based in Moradabad, established on 2 October 1975, is the first RRB.

1.9 FUGITIVE ECONOMIC OFFENDERS ORDINANCE Why in news? The Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018 was promulgated. It seeks to confiscate properties of economic offenders who have left the country to avoid facing criminal prosecution.

Who is a Fugitive economic offender?  A fugitive economic offender has been defined as a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued for committing an offence listed in the schedule, and the value of the offence is at least Rs 100 crore.  Further the person has: o left the country to avoid facing prosecution, or o Refuses to return to face prosecution.  Some of the offences listed in the schedule are: o counterfeiting government stamps or currency, o cheque dishonour, o money laundering, and o Transactions defrauding creditors.  The Ordinance allows the central government to amend the schedule through a notification.

Special Court  The ordinance makes provisions for a court (‘Special Court’ under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002) to declare a person as a ‘Fugitive Economic Offender.’  A director or deputy director (appointed under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002) may file an application before a special court (designated under the 2002 Act) to declare a person as a fugitive economic offender.  Upon receiving an application, the special court will issue a notice to the individual: o requiring him to appear at a specified place on a date which is at least six weeks from the issue of the notice, and o Stating that a failure to appear will result in him being declared a fugitive economic offender.  If the person appears at the specified place, the special court will terminate its proceedings under the Ordinance.

Attachment of Property  The director or deputy director may attach any property mentioned in the application with the permission of a special court.  Further, these authorities may provisionally attach any property without the prior permission of the special court, provided that they file an application before the court within 30 days.

Declaration as fugitive economic offender  After hearing the application, the special court may declare an individual as a fugitive economic offender.  It may confiscate properties which: o are proceeds of crime, o are benami properties in India or abroad, and o any other property in India or abroad.

Bar on filing or defending civil claims  The Ordinance allows any civil court or tribunal to disallow a person, who has been declared a fugitive

economic offender, from filing or defending any civil claim. Economy

Appeals

 Appeals against the orders of the special court will lie before the High Court

1.10 RUPAY CARD AND NATIONAL PAYMENT CORPORATION OF INDIA Why in news? Prime Minister purchased a Madhubani painting using a RuPay card during his visit to the Indian Heritage Centre in Singapore.

More about RuPay Card  RuPay Card is an Indian payment gateway.  It is an Indian version of credit/debit card. It is very similar to international cards such as Visa/Master.  National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) initiated the launch of RuPay card in India.  It was done with the intention of integration of payment systems in the country.  NPCI has tied up with Discover Financial Services firm to promoting it.

Advanatages of Rupay card  Lower cost and affordability  Customized product offering  Protection of information related to Indian consumers  Inter-operability between payment channels and products

About NPCI  It is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.  It has presently ten core promoter banks (State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, Union bank of India, Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Citibank and HSBC).  It has been incorporated as a Section 25 company under Companies Act and is aimed to operate for the benefit of all the member banks and their customers.  The vision of NPCI is to provide citizens of our country anytime, anywhere payment services which are simple, easy to use, safe, and secure, fast and also cost effective.

Major initiatives of NPCI  Immediate Payment Service (IMPS)  National Financial Switch (NFS)  Cheque Truncation System (CTS)  Unified Payments Interface (UPI)  Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS)  RuPay Credit Card  National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)  National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC)

1.11 WHOLESALE PRICE INDEX (WPI) Why in news? Inflation based on wholesale prices shot up to a 14-month high of 4.43% in May due to increasing prices of petrol and diesel, prompting industry to demand action from policymakers to keep fuel prices under check.

More about WPI  The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) is an index that measures and tracks the changes in the price of

goods in the stages before the retail level. Economy

 WPI shows the average price change of goods included

in the index and is often expressed as a ratio or percentage, and the change is one indicator of a

country's level of inflation.  Office of Economic Advisor (OEA), Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry calculates the WPI.  The base year for WPI is 2011-12.  The index basket of the present 2011-12 series has a total of 697 items including 117 items for Primary Articles, 16 items for Fuel & Power and 564 items for Manufactured Products.  Under the new series of WPI, weight of manufactured items has decreased to 64.2 per cent from 64.9 per cent in old series.  Similarly, the weight of fuel and power has decreased to 13.1 per cent from 14.9 per cent.  However weight of primary items have increased to 22.6 per cent from 20.1 per cent

Uses of WPI  To provide estimates of inflation at the wholesale transaction level for the economy as a whole.  WPI is used as deflator for many sectors of the economy including for estimating GDP by Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).  Global investors also track WPI as one of the key macro indicators for their investment decisions.

1.12 CABINET COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (CCEA) Why in news? The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a slew of measures that would help improve the liquidity of cash-starved sugar industry.

More about CCEA  CCEA is one of the standing committees constituted by Government of India.  The committee is headed by Prime Minister.

 Cabinet ministers of various ministries are its members Economy

Major Functions  To direct and coordinate the governmental activities in the economic sphere.  To review economic trends and evolve consistent and integrated policy framework in the country.  To review progress of activities related to rural development including those concerning small and marginal farmers  It controls the price of industrial raw material, industrial licensing for Joint Sector Undertakings.  To deal with industrial licensing cases involving proposals from the Ministries for the establishment of Joint Sector Undertakings  To consider issues relating to disinvestment

Other functions which have been allotted to the committee are:  To consider and decide on issues pertaining to the World Trade Organization.  To consider issues relating to the Unique Identification Authority of India  To monitor general prices, assess availability and export of essential and agricultural commodities and to take measures for efficient Public Distribution System  Price fixation of agricultural products along with reviewing the progress made in rural development activities.  All matters related to finalising reports on the achievements of various Ministries, Departments, PSUs etc.  It is responsible for setting up the priorities of PSU and revising the investment proposals from time to time.

1.13 PUBLIC CREDIT REGISTRY Why in news? To provide a single-point and real-time source for financial liabilities of a person or entity, the Reserve Bank of India has decided to set up a public credit registry (PCR) in a modular and phased manner.

More about Public Credit Registry  Public credit registry will be an information repository by RBI that collates all loan information of individuals and corporate borrowers.  A credit repository will help banks distinguish between a bad and a good borrower and accordingly offer attractive interest rates to good borrowers and higher interest rates to bad borrowers.  The move is based on the recommendations of a committee set up last year, headed by Y.M. Deosthalee.  The public credit repository will address information asymmetry, improve access to credit and strengthen the credit culture among consumers.  It can also go a long way in addressing the bad loans problem faced by the banking system, as corporate borrowers will be unable to lend from multiple banks without discloser of their existing debt.  Setting up the public credit registry will help improve India’s rankings in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index.  An Implementation Task Force (ITF) will be constituted to help design and undertake logistics for the next steps in setting up of the PCR.  The PCR will be structured as an independent unit within the RBI so that it may be hived off as a separate non-profit body at an appropriate time.  It will eventually achieve an autonomy and agility to move with the evolving environment and cater to the changing demands.

Current Case  Within the RBI, CRILC is the borrower-level supervisory database, with a threshold in aggregate exposure of Rs 5 crore.  Also, there are four privately-owned credit information companies (CICs) in India.

1.14 MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE Why in news? The six-member monetary policy committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increased the repo rate

by 25 basis points to 6.25%. Economy

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)  The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is a committee of the Reserve Bank of India which is entrusted

with the task of fixing the benchmark policy interest rate to contain inflation within the specified target level.  Monetary Policy Committee is defined in Section 2(iii)(cci) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.  The committee system was brought since a committee-based approach for determining the Monetary Policy will add lot of value and transparency to monetary policy decisions.  The meetings of the Monetary Policy Committee shall be held at least 4 times a year and it shall publish its decisions after each such meeting.

Target of MPC  The Government, in consultation with RBI, has notified the inflation target as o Inflation Target: 4% o Upper tolerance level: 6% o Lower tolerance level: 2%  If MPC failed to reach the specified inflation targets, it have to give reasons for failure, remedial actions as well as estimated time within which the inflation target shall be achieved in the report.  Further, RBI is mandated to publish a Monetary Policy Report every six months, explaining the sources of inflation and the forecasts of inflation for the coming period of six to eighteen months.  Each Member of the Monetary Policy Committee has to write a statement specifying the reasons for voting in favour of, or against the proposed resolution.

Constitution of MPC  The committee will consist of 6 members.  Out of the six Members of Monetary Policy Committee, three Members will be from the RBI and the other three Members of MPC will be appointed by the Central Government.  The RBI Governor will be the ex-officio Chairperson of MPC.

Appointment of Central Government Nominees  These Government of India nominees are appointed by the Central Government based on the recommendations of a search cum selection committee  The Committee consist of the cabinet secretary (Chairperson), the RBI Governor, the secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and three experts in the field of economics or banking as nominated by the central government.  The three central government nominees of the MPC appointed by the search cum selection committee will hold office for a period of four years and will not be eligible for re-appointment.  These three central government nominees in MPC are mandated to be persons of ability, integrity and standing, having knowledge and experience in the field of economics or banking or finance or monetary policy.

Decision Making at MPC  The proceedings of MPC are confidential and the quorum for a meeting shall be four Members, at least one of whom shall be the Governor and in his absence, the Deputy Governor who is the Member of the MPC.  The MPC takes decisions based on majority vote (by those who are present and voting).  In case of a tie, the RBI governor will have the second or casting vote.  The decision of the Committee would be binding on the RBI.

1.15 WITHHOLDING TAX

 A withholding tax is a type of tax deducted at source, especially one levied by some countries on interest or dividends paid to a person residing outside that country.

 It can also be an amount that an employer withholds from World Affairs World employees' wages and pays directly to the government.  The amount withheld is a credit against the income taxes the employee must pay during the year.

1.16 BASEL III NORMS Why in news? With non-performing assets (NPA) increasing and banks’ capital positions not improving despite the additional capital infused by the government in public sector banks, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) told the Standing Committee on Finance that one way forward could be an extension of the deadline by which Indian banks have to comply with the Basel III norms.

More about Basel III Norms  Basel III is an international regulatory accord that introduced a set of reforms designed to improve the regulation, supervision and risk management within the banking sector.  These measures were developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in response to the financial crisis of 2007-09.  It builds on the Basel I and Basel II documents which were published earlier.  BCBS was established by the central bank Governors of the G10 countries at the end of 1974 in the aftermath of serious disturbances in international currency and banking markets.  It is headquartered at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland.  They aim for resilient banking system based on 4 vital banking parameters o Capital: Capital Adequacy Requirement (CAR) = 8% of Risk Weighted Assets; Capital Conservation buffer of 2.5% of risky assets; o Leverage ( Debt the bank can owe) : minimum leverage ratio (Tier 1 capital divided by assets) of 3%; o Funding: common equity ( Tier 1 capital as stocks of bank) requirements of 5..5%; o Liquidity: Liquidity Coverage Ratio (to cover its net cash outflow for 30 days) and Net Stable Funding Ratio (stable funding to over a one-year period of extended stress)

2 WORLD AFFAIRS 2.1 INTEREST GROUPS IN WTO Why in news? India is considering bringing together a group of 8-10 member countries of the WTO to prepare an agenda for creation of a conducive atmosphere in Geneva to ensure smooth functioning of the global trade body.

Interest Groups in WTO  An interest group is an organization of people who share a common interest and work together to protect and promote their interest by influencing the organisation or government.

 Interest groups vary greatly in size, aims, and tactics.

World Affairs World

2.2 UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY (UNRWA) Why in news? India has pledged USD 5 million in assistance to the UN agency working for the welfare of Palestinian refugees to help bolster its "severe funding crisis" following US' cut in its annual aid to UNRWA.

More about UNRWA  United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a relief and human development agency which supports registered Palestinian refugees, and their descendants.  It was established following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict.  It has contributed to the welfare and human development of four generations of Palestine refugees.  The Palestinian refugees are defined as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict”.  UNRWA benefits from the generous support of UN Member States, the European Union and regional governments.  It is the only UN agency dedicated to helping refugees from a specific region or conflict.

2.3 COUNTERING AMERICA’S ADVERSARIES THROUGH SANCTIONS ACT (CAATSA) Why in news? When India and U.S. hold their first 2+2 Dialogue involving the External Affairs and Defence Ministers and their counterparts, one of the key issues would be questions regarding the recent Russia-related sanctions that have now come up as a key impediment for India’s defence modernisation.

More about the act

 CAATSA act was passed to counter the aggression by the America’s adversaries through punitive Affairs World measures.

 The act was enacted on August 2, 2017.

 It mainly targets countries such as Iran, Russia and North Korea.  The act targets Russian interests such as its oil and gas industry, defence and security sector, and financial institutions, in the backdrop of its military intervention in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in

the 2016 US Presidential elections.  The act empowers the US President to impose sanctions on persons engaged in a “significant transaction” with Russian defence and intelligence sectors.  Two of the most stringent of these sanctions are the export licence restriction by which the US President is authorised to suspend export licences related to munitions, dual-use and nuclear related items; and the ban on American investment in equity/debt of the sanctioned person.  No sanctions have yet been imposed on any country; however US officials claim that they have been successful in persuading a few potential buyers from buying Russian arms.  The issue is of particular significance when India is looking to buy Guardian drones from US.  CAATSA, if implemented in its stringent form, is likely to affect India’s arms procurement from Russia in a number of ways.  India’s planned procurement from Russia, particularly the S-400 air defence system, Project 1135.6 frigates and Ka226T helicopters, will come under the immediate scanner of US authorities.  CAATSA is likely to affect all the joint ventures (JVs) and will also affect India’s purchase of spare parts, components, raw materials and other assistance from Russia.

2.4 GLOBAL SOLAR BANK AND INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE Why in news? International Solar Alliance is planning to setup a global solar bank to finance solar projects.

More about Global Solar Bank  Global Solar Bank is a new proposal by International Solar Alliance to finance solar projects exclusively.  The ISA plans to approach multilateral development banks (MDBs) such as Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to specifically finance solar projects.  This SPV aimed at financing $150 billion and would later become a World Solar Bank.  The proposal comes against the backdrop of ISA’s mission to undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology.  They believe that the initiative will help to mobilize more than $1,000 billion of investments needed by 2030 for massive deployment of solar energy, and pave the way for future technologies.

About International Solar Alliance  International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a coalition of solar resource rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn to specifically address energy needs by harnessing solar energy.  The Alliance aims to provide a platform for prospective member countries to collaborate and address the identified gaps through a common agreed approach.  It is a treaty-based alliance of 121 prospective solar-rich Member Nations.  The initiative was launched on the side lines of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties 21 (CoP21) at Paris, France.  Currently 65 countries have already signed the ISA Framework Agreement.

 Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism (CRMM) project - aimed at de-risking investments into solar energy projects in developing countries, and thereby, encouraging flow of funds into the sector.  The headquarter of ISA is at Gurugram.

Structure  The ISA will have a two-tier structure – the Assembly and the Secretariat.  Each member-country is represented on the Assembly, which meets annually at the Ministerial level at

the seat of the ISA. World Affairs World Programs by ISA

 Facilitating affordable finance for solar

 Scaling up solar applications for agriculture  Promoting solar mini-grids in Member Nations  Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism (CRMM) project - aimed at de-risking investments into solar

energy projects in developing countries, and thereby, encouraging flow of funds into the sector.

2.5 FEED IN TARIFFS Why in news? China’s decision to slap deployment caps and reduce feed-in-tariffs for solar projects may lead to a further plunge in module prices, which in turn is likely to result in a further reduction in solar bid tariffs, say experts.

What is feed in Tariffs?  A feed-in tariff is an economic policy created to promote active investment in and production of renewable energy sources.  These typically make use of long-term agreements and pricing tied to costs of production for renewable energy producers.  By offering long-term contracts and guaranteed pricing, producers are sheltered from some of the inherent risks in renewable energy production, thus allowing for more diversity in energy technologies.

Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Specifics  Feed-in tariffs are meant for anyone who produces renewable energy—homeowners, business owners, farmers and private investors.  Generally, FITs have 3 provisions. o They guarantee grid access, meaning energy producers will have access to the grid. o They offer long-term contracts, typically in the range of 15-25 years. o They offer cost-based purchase prices, meaning that energy producers are paid in proportion to the resources and capital expended in order to produce the energy.

2.6 INDIAN TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION (ITEC) PROGRAMME Why in news? India offered additional 10 slots to Cuba under the ITEC programme, taking the total annual scholarships given to Cuba to 70.

More about ITEC programme  The ITEC programme was launched by Government of India as a programme of bilateral cooperation

and technical assistance. Affairs World  It was launched on 15th September 1964.

 Presently 158 countries are invited to share in the Indian developmental experience in various fields.

 The Programme is fully-funded by the Government of India.  The expenses on training under ITEC Programme, i.e. tuition fees, living allowances, study tours, emergency medical assistance as well as return international air fares are borne by the Government of

India.  The various training fields covered under the programme include information technology, non- conventional energy, banking and finance etc.  The ITEC assistance is granted under the following four categories:- o Training in diverse fields in Indian institutions. o Projects and project-related assistance from India such as supply of equipment, consultancy services and feasibility studies. o Deputation of Indian experts in various fields. o Study visits of senior officials/decision makers from the partner countries to India. o Gifts/Donations of equipment at the request of ITEC partner countries; and o Aid for Disaster Relief.  ITEC is one of the vehicles for the sharing of India’s experience in the field of economic development, manpower skills and technologies with other countries.  There is the Special Commonwealth African Assistance Programme (SCAAP) which is a sister programme of the ITEC.

2.7 FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE (FATF) Why in news? Facing grey-listing by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) during its crucial six-day Paris meeting, Pakistan notified the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Regulations- 2018, which it claims is fully compliant with the global watchdog’s guidelines.

More about FATF  The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body whose purpose is to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.  Its main function is to develop necessary policy to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.  In that sense it is mainly a "policy-making body".

History  It was established by the G-7 Summit that was held in Paris in 1989 to examine and develop measures to combat money laundering.  In October 2001, the FATF expanded its mandate to incorporate efforts to combat terrorist financing, in addition to money laundering.  It has developed a series of Recommendations that are recognised as the international standard for combating of money laundering and the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Objectives  Set standards and take measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.  Monitor the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures.  Reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures.

 In collaboration with other international stakeholders, the FATF works to identify national-level vulnerabilities with the aim of protecting the international financial system from misuse.

Members  The FATF currently comprises 35 member jurisdictions and 2 regional organisations.

Structure  The FATF's decision making body, the FATF Plenary, meets three times per year.

 The FATF President is appointed by the FATF Plenary from among its members for a term of one year. World Affairs World  The President convenes and chairs the meetings of the FATF Plenary and the Steering Group, and he/she

oversees the FATF Secretariat.

 The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris.

Forty Plus Nine recommendations and Black List.

 The FATF's primary policies issued are the Forty Recommendations on money laundering from 1990 and the Nine Special Recommendations (SR) on Terrorism Financing (TF).  These together are called 40+9 recommendations.  Apart from this FATF In 2000 issued a list of "Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories" (NCCTs), commonly called the FATF Blacklist.

2.8 ASIAN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT BANK (AIIB) Why in news? The third Annual meeting of the AIIB was recently held in Mumbai.

About AIIB  Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia and beyond.  It is headquartered in Beijing.  It commenced its operation in January 2016 challenging the western domination in the global economy.  It has now got 86 approved members from around the world.  It has authorized capital of US $100 billion.  China is the largest shareholder of AIIB, followed by India and Russia.  Unlike other Multilateral Development Banks, Voting pattern of AIIB is based on the size of the economy not on the basis of contribution to bank’s authorized capital.  Major non-members include US and Japan.  Bank’s structure includes Board of Governors, Board of Directors, Senior Management Team, and International Advisory Panel.  AIIB will be headed by a president who will be elected by board of governors for a term of 5 year and can hold a maximum of two terms.

About the meeting  The theme for this year’s meeting is “Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure: Innovation and Collaboration”.  The meeting will also see the launch of the inaugural Asian Infrastructure Forum, a forum in which infrastructure practitioners discuss on innovative finance to meet critical infrastructure needs.  Research and Information Systems for Developing Countries (RIS) will be the knowledge partner.  Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is the Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) for the meeting.

2.9 ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES Why in News? The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to increase its daily output to address the problem of rising crude oil prices.

More about OPEC  OPEC is a permanent intergovernmental organization of 14 oil-exporting developing nations that coordinates and unifies the petroleum policies of its Member Countries.  OPEC had its origin at the Baghdad conference in 1960.  At the time of origin there were only five members. These five members are Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia

and Venezuela. Affairs World  Later they were joined by another 10 members.

 Indonesia suspended its membership in 2016 thus making the total members as 14.  The OPEC Statute distinguishes between the Founder Members and Full Members - those countries

whose applications for membership have been accepted by the Conference.

Member Countries Algeria Angola Ecuador Equatorial Gabon Iran Iraq Guinea Kuwait Libya Qatar Nigeria Saudi United Arab Venezuela Arabia Emirates

OPEC Secretariat  The OPEC Secretariat is the executive organ of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).  It is currently located in Vienna.

2.10 INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY Why in news? Prime Minister said that Yoga has become one of the most powerful ‘Unifying Forces’ in the world.

More about IYD 2018  International Yoga Day is celebrated across the whole world on 21st June every year.

 Theme of 2018 Yoga Day was 'Yoga for Peace.' Affairs World  The day came into being when the UN general Assembly adopted India led resolution to celebrate June

21 as ‘International Day of Yoga’ in December, 2014.

 The resolution was adopted under agenda of UN’s Global Health and Foreign Policy.  Dehradun was the host city for 2018.  The day was selected because it represents one of the two solstices and is the longest day in the northern

hemisphere.  The first international yoga day was celebrated on 21st June 2015.

2.11 UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Why in news? The United States announced that it was leaving the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. It was the latest withdrawal by the Trump administration from an international institution.

More about UN Human Rights Council  The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations System inter-governmental body responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world.  It was created by UN General Assembly on March 15, 2006.  The UNHRC is the successor to the UN Commission on Human Rights.  It is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly.  The council works closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).  The Council is mandated to meet for at least three regular sessions per year.  It also can convene in special session when necessary, upon the request of one-third of its members.  It is made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.  The UN General Assembly elects the members who occupy the UNHRC's 47 seats.  The term of each seat is three years, and no member may occupy a seat for more than two consecutive terms.

2.12 INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES (ICD-11) Why in news? The World Health Organization (WHO) released its new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The ICD is the foundation for identifying health trends and statistics worldwide, and contains around 55,000 unique codes for injuries, diseases and causes of death.

More about ICD  International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a classification system by WHO that is used to classify and monitor causes of injury and death and maintains information for health analyses, such as the study of mortality (death) and morbidity (illness) trends.  The ICD is designed to promote international compatibility in health data collecting and reporting.  It is right now the foundation for the identification of health trends and statistics globally, and the international standard for reporting diseases and health conditions.  The ICD contains a description of all known diseases and injuries. © Neo IAS  0484-4030104 | 9446331522 | 9446334122 | www.neoias.com 25 www.youtube.com/neoias | www.fb.com/neoias | http://bit.do/neo-upscprelims

 Each disease is detailed with diagnostic characteristics and given a unique identifier that is used to code mortality data on death certificates and morbidity data from patient and clinical records.

More about ICD-11  ICD-11 is the 11th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).  ICD-11 will be presented at the World Health Assembly in May 2019 for adoption by Member States, and will come into effect on 1 January 2022.

 For the first time, it is completely electronic and has a much more user-friendly format. Affairs World  This release is an advance preview that will allow countries to plan how to use the new version, prepare

translations, and train health professionals all over the country.  The new ICD-11 also reflects progress in medicine and advances in scientific understanding. For example, the codes relating to antimicrobial resistance are more closely in line with the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS).  ICD-11 is also able to better capture data regarding safety in health care, which means that unnecessary events that may harm health – such as unsafe workflows in hospitals can be identified and reduced.

New chapters  The new ICD includes new chapters, one on traditional medicine. Although millions of people use traditional medicine worldwide, it has never been classified in this system.  Another new chapter on sexual health brings together conditions that were previously categorized in other ways (for instance gender incongruence was listed under mental health conditions) or described differently.  Gaming disorder has been added to the section on addictive disorders.

2.13 SAARC DEVELOPMENT FUND Why in news? SAARC Development Fund will soon be launching a social enterprise development programme (SEDP) to fund 80 entities annually across eight-member states, including India.

More about SDF  SDF was established by the heads of the eight SAARC member states during the 16th SAARC summit in April 2010.  Its governing council comprises of finance ministers of these eight countries.  SDF is currently implementing 12 regional projects with more than 70 implementing and lead implementing agencies covering all the member countries under the social window funding.  It is the successor of South Asian Development Fund (SADF) which was found to be inadequate due to its shortage of funds and its limited scope of work.  SADF was launched in 1996 by merging the SAARC Fund for Regional Projects (SFRP) and the SAARC Regional Fund.  SDF have three Windows. They are Social, Economic and Infrastructure Windows.  SDF’s major aims are to promote the welfare of the people of SAARC region, improve their quality of life, and accelerate economic growth, social progress and poverty alleviation in the region.  The Fund is to serve as the umbrella financial institution for SAARC projects and programmes and to contribute to regional cooperation and integration through project collaboration.

2.14 ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS (OPCW) Why in news? The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said that sarin and chlorine were used in two separate attacks in the village of Latamneh in northwestern Syria.

More about OPCW  The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force in 1997.  OPCW has 192 Member States, who are working together to achieve a world free of chemical weapons.  Its headquarter is located in Hague, Netherlands.

 It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013.  The OPCW works to eliminate chemical weapons stockpiles, to ensure the non-proliferation of existing stockpiles, to assist states in protecting themselves against chemical weapons attacks, and to promote international cooperation in the use of chemistry for peaceful purposes.  The OPCW is authorized to perform inspections to verify that signatory states are complying with the convention.  The activities of the OPCW are conducted by three main bodies: o The Executive Council, which administers the daily activities of the OPCW;

o The Technical Secretariat, which is charged with verifying states’ compliance with the convention; Affairs World and

o The Conference of the States Parties, which is the highest decision-making body of the organization.

Chemical Weapons Convention  The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control treaty that outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.  The convention opened for signature on January 13, 1993, and entered into force on April 29, 1997.  The CWC is open to all nations and currently has 192 states-parties.  Israel has signed but has yet to ratify the convention.  Three states have neither signed nor ratified the convention (Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan).

Chemical Weapons  The most well known agents are as follows: choking agents—chlorine and phosgene, blister agents (or vesicants)—mustard and lewisite, blood agents—hydrogen cyanide, nerve agents—tabun, sarin, soman, VX.  Blister agents (or vesicants) work by targeting the eyes, respiratory tract and skin, first as an irritant and then as poison for the body’s cells.

2.15 BIMSTEC (BAY OF BENGAL INITIATIVE FOR MULTI-SECTORAL TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION) Why in news? India will host the first military exercise of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) group focussing on counter-terrorism in September. As part of this, a conclave of the Army chiefs of all seven member-states is being planned.

More about BIMSTEC  BIMSTEC is a regional organisation which comprises of seven member states which lie near the Bay of Bengal.  This sub-regional organisation was started on June 6, in the year 1997 through a Bangkok Declaration.  BIMSTEC consists of seven countries: 5 come from South Asia, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka; and 2 come from Southeast Asia, which includes Myanmar and Thailand.  BIMSTEC headquarters are situated in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  The whole region which constitutes the BIMSTEC is home to over 1.5 billion people.  The population counts for around 22 percent of the total world population.

History  Initially, the economic bloc was formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).  Following the inclusion of Myanmar on 22 December 1997 during a special Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, the Group was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).  With the admission of Nepal and Bhutan at the 6th Ministerial Meeting (February 2004, Thailand), the name of the grouping was changed to ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC).

2.16 UN SECURITY COUNCIL Why in news? The United Nations General Assembly voted to elect Germany, Belgium, South Africa, the Dominican Republic of Indonesia for a two-year term in the Security Council starting on Jan. 1, 2019.

More about UN Security Council  The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations,

charged with the maintenance of international peace and security as well as accepting new members to Affairs World the United Nations and approving any changes to its United Nations Charter.

 It is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.

 It was established in 1945 and headquartered in New York.

Membership

 The Security Council consists of fifteen members – 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members. Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States are the permanent members.  These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General.  The Security Council also has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve two-year terms.  The presidency of the Council is held by each of the members in turn for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the Member States names.  More than 60 United Nations Member States have never been Members of the Security Council.  A State which is a Member of the United Nations but not of the Security Council may participate, without a vote, in its discussions when the Council considers that country's interests are affected.

Right to Veto  All five permanent members have exercised the right of veto at one time or another.  If a permanent member does not fully agree with a proposed resolution but does notwish to cast a veto, it may choose to abstain, thus allowing the resolution to be adopted if it obtains the required number of nine favourable votes.

2.17 G7 BLOCK Why in news? Donald Trump made a shock call for Russia to be readmitted into the G7 in the recent 44th G7 summit in Quebec, Canada.

More about G7  The Group of Seven (G-7) is a forum of the world's seven most industrialized economies viz. Canada,

France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US. Affairs World  The G-6 was formed in 1975 and consisted of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the

United Kingdom.

 Later Canada was invited to join the group in 1976.  Russia made the G-7 into the G-8 from 1998 to 2014.

 In 2014, Russia was suspended from the group after the annexation of Crimea and tensions in Ukraine.

G7 Summits  Each year, the location of the summit rotates among the member countries.  The host country not only sets the agenda for the year but also holds the G7 presidency.  For the first time in the last 44 years, the G7 will have a a Gender Equality Advisory Council.  The aim of the council is to convince private sector companies to set up such council and eradicate the problem of gender inequality from the roots.

2.18 SHANGHAI CO-OPERATION ORGANISATION Why in news? Prime Minister met the Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Rashid Alimov and had meaningful discussions with him on ways through which India’s participation could strengthen the bloc.

More about SCO  SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which was founded in 1996 by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.  Uzbekistan was inducted into the group in 2001 Shanghai Summit.  During the 2017 summit in Astana, full member status was granted to India and Pakistan.

Main Goals  The SCO's main goals are as follows: o Strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states. o Promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, research, technology and culture, as well as in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and other areas. o Making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region. o Moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.

Structure  The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO.  It meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation.  The SCO Heads of Government Council (HGC) meets once a year to discuss the organisation's multilateral cooperation strategy and priority areas, to resolve current important economic and other cooperation issues, and also to approve the organisation's annual budget.  The Council of National Coordinators of SCO Member States (CNC) acts as the SCO coordination mechanism.

Official Languages  The SCO's official languages are Russian and Chinese.

Two Permanent Bodies by SCO  The organisation has two permanent bodies — the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent.  The SCO Secretary-General and the Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO RATS are appointed by the Council of Heads of State for a term of three years.  The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) serves to promote cooperation of member states against terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Observer States Geography

 The SCO has granted observer status to 4 counties: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia.

Dialogue Partners  The SCO has six dialogue partners namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri

Lanka.

3 GEOGRAPHY 3.1 SEYCHELLES Why in news? President of the Republic of Seychelles visited India.

More about Seychelles  Seychelles is an archipelago and sovereign state in the Indian Ocean.  It is part of the African continent.  The capital of the country is Victoria.  It was former British colony and proclaimed its independence in 1976.  Seychelles is among the world's leading countries to protect lands for threatened species, allocating 42% of its territory for conservation.  The Aldabra Giant Tortoise from the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles is said to be one of the largest species of tortoises on the planet.  It is also one of the world’s longest living animals, with one Aldabra Giant Tortoise reaching the age of 255 years.  Seychelles has a mixed developing economy that is heavily dependent upon the service sector in general and the tourism industry in particular.

3.2 MONGOLIA Why in news? During the Mongolia visit of Home Minister, he along with the Prime Minister of Mongolia presided over the ground-breaking ceremony of Mongolia’s first petrochemical refinery project.

More about Mongolia  Mongolia is a landlocked sovereign state in East Asia.  It shares its border with Russia in the north and china in the south.  Its capital is Ulaanbaatar.  The country has a continental climate, with long cold winters and short cool-to-hot summers.  It is also the world's second-largest landlocked country behind Kazakhstan and the largest landlocked country that does not border a closed sea.  It has one of the lowest average population densities of any country in the world.

Geography  Mongolia is a vast mountainous plateau sloping from west to east  It can be divided into three major topographic zones: the mountain chains that dominate the northern and western areas, the basin areas situated between and around them, and the upland plateau belt that lies across the southern

and eastern sectors. Geography  Much of Mongolia consists of the Mongolian-

Manchurian grassland steppe.  A part of Gobi desert, the largest desert in Asia,

lies in Mongolia.

3.3 ASSUMPTION ISLAND AND OTHER IMPORTANT ISLANDS IN NEWS Why in news? There were several Indian Ocean islands which were in news recently.

Assumption Island  Assumption Island is a small island in the Outer Islands of Seychelles north of Madagascar.  The island is very close to the Mozambique Channel where much of the international trade is transiting.  This makes island strategically important not just for India but for other countries as well.

Agalega Island  Agaléga are two Outer islands of Mauritius located in the Indian Ocean, north of Mauritius island.  India is planning to build an airstrip and a docking facility in one of the Agalega Island.

Diego Garcia  Diego Garcia is an atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and is the largest of 60 small islands comprising the Chagos Archipelago.  It is a part of British Indian Ocean Territory.  Diego Garcia currently holds a US military facility.  It is one of two critical US bases in the Asia Pacific region, along with Guam, Pacific Ocean.  The site is a bone of contention between Mauritius and UK over the island’s ownership rights.

Mauritus  Mauritius is a small, multi-cultural island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.  Mauritius also controls Rodrigues Island and the remote, sparsely populated Agalega and Cargados Garayos (Saint Brandon) islands.  Head quarter of World Hindi Secretariat is located in Mauritius’s Port Louis Island.

Reunion  Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and southwest of Mauritius.  It is an offshore territory of France.  Reunion hotspot activity is believed to be the reason behind formation of Deccan Traps.

Socotra Island

 Socotra is located between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea and is the largest of four islands of the Socotra archipelago.  It is officially part of Yemen.  It is called Galapagos of the Indian Ocean –due to high number of endemic species, around 700, it hosts.  Operation Nistar was the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operation (HADR) India conducted to rescue

Indian Nationals off Socotra Islands after the island was Geography

struck with a severe Cyclonic Storm – Mekunu.

Pemba Island

Pemba Island is an island forming part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, lying within the Swahili Coast in the

Indian Ocean.

Maldives  The Maldives is a South Asian sovereign state, located in the Indian Ocean, situated in the Arabian Sea.  It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India.  The country was in news due to political tension which happened recently.

3.4 KEN-BETWA RIVER INTERLINKING PROJECT AND OTHER RIVER INTERLINKING PROJECTS Why in news? Disagreements over water-sharing and difficulty in acquiring non-forest land impede the Rs.18, 000-crore Ken Betwa River interlink project.

About Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project  Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project is India’s first interstate river interlinking project which aims to connect the rivers Ken in Madhya Pradesh and Betwa in Uttar Pradesh.  Through the project the government aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken river in MP to Betwa in UP to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region spread across the two states.  The project will also generate 78 MW of power.  The total construction period of the Project is about 8 years.  The key structures of the project include a 77-metre-high Daudhan dam across the Ken and a long canal to transfer “surplus” water from the Uttar Pradesh section of the Ken to the Betwa in Madhya Pradesh.  Controlling flood, navigation, water supply, fisheries, salinity, drought mitigation and combating pollution are among the other stated objectives.

Environmental Concern  The KBRL project will submerge a part of panna tiger reserve.  However National Board of wildlife has cleared Phase-I of Ken-Betwa river link project.  To compensate for the loss of area in panna tiger reserve the government will integrate Nauradehi, Rani Durgavati and Ranipur wildlife sanctuaries with Panna Tiger Reserve.

River Interlinking Projects  River Inter Linking project is a large-scale civil engineering project that aims to Link Rivers through a network of reservoirs and canals across India.  The mission of this programme is to ensure greater equity in the distribution of water by enhancing its availability in drought-prone and rainfed areas.  It also targets to decrease farmers’ dependency on uncertain monsoon rains and bringing millions of hectares of cultivatable land under irrigation.  The project is being managed by India's National Water Development Agency (NWDA), under the Union Ministry of Water Resources.  The Inter-link project has been split into three parts: o A northern Himalayan rivers inter-link component o A southern Peninsular component

o An intrastate rivers linking component

Important River Linking Projects apart from KBRL Project Damanganga – Pinjal Link Project  The objective of Damanganga-Pinjal Link Project is to divert surplus waters of Damanganga river at Bhugad and Khargihill reservoir to Pinjal reservoir in Vaitarna basin.  From there the combined waters of Damanganga and Pinjal rivers will be further taken to Mumbai city for augmentation of its domestic water supply.

 The project is expected to provide 909 million cubic metres of water to Mumbai for the city’s domestic Geography and industrial requirements.

 The project involves construction of 3 dams: Bhugad, Khargi Hill and Pinjal.

Par – Tapi – Narmada Link Project  The project is aimed at diverting "surplus" water from parts of west flowing rivers like Par, Nar, Ambika and Auranga basins in Maharashtra to Narmada basin in Gujarat.  It will save water in Narmada dam, which will be taken to Saurashtra and Kutch.

Mahanadi – Godavari Link Project  Mahanadi Godavari link is the first and critical link of nine link system of Mahanadi-Godavari- Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar under Peninsular Component of NPP.  Water balance studies done by NWDA revealed that Mahanadi and Godavari basins are water surplus basins.  The combined surpluses of these basins after basin uses can be diverted to meet the water requirement of deficit basins in South upto river Gundar.  The Mahanadi-Godavari link off takes from the right flank of the proposed Manibhadra dam on river Mahanadi in Odisha and after traversing 828 Km and outfall in Godavari River at 15 Km upstream of the existing Dowlaiswaram barrage in Andhra Pradesh.

Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga link  MSTG link canal envisages diversion of the surplus waters of Manas and Sankosh rivers with supplementation from the intermediate major streams for the benefit of augmenting the flows of Ganga at Farakka.  The project also envisages the further transfer of the water to water short areas of Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery basins and providing irrigation facilities to the enroute command areas.  The proposed link canal may be passing through the Manas-Tiger Reserve in Manas-Sankosh reach and Buxa Tiger Reserve and other forests in Sankosh-Teesta reaches.

3.5 CROPPING SEASONS IN INDIA Why in news? The total sown area of kharif crops as declines.

More about Cropping Seasons  On the basis of seasons cropping pattern in the country is classified into 3: Kharif, Rabi and Zaid.

Features Kharif Rabi Zaid Meaning Kharif crops are those Rabi crops are the These are cultivated crops which are sown those which are sown for short duration, with the beginning of after the end of the between Rabi and the rainy season. monsoon, i.e. during Kharif season. the winter season. Major Crops Major Kharif crops of The rabi crops It includes India are Millets include wheat, barley, watermelon, (Bajra & Jowar), oats (cereals), muskmelon, bitter Cotton, Soyabean, chickpea/gram gourd, cucumber, etc. Sugarcane, Turmeric, (pulses), linseed, Paddy (Rice), Maize, mustard (oilseeds) Moong (Pulses), etc.

Groundnut, Red Chillies, etc. Requirement It requires huge It requires warm It is grown in summer amount of water and climate for seed season. hot weather to grow germination and cold climate to grow Sowing month June- July October- November March Harvest Month September - October March - April Around May

Geography 3.6 BHAVANI RIVER

Why in news? Flood alert sounded along River Bhavani.

More about Bhavani river  Bhavani River, is a tributary of the River Cauvery originating from the South West Corner of the Nilgiri hills of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu. It is the second longest river in Tamil Nadu.  It later enters the Silent Valley National Park in Kerala and flows back towards Tamil Nadu.  12 major stream join Bhavani river and The Varagar is the largest tributaries.  The Bhavani joins the Kaveri at the Northern part of Erode City near Bhavani.  The Sri Sangameswarar Temple at the confluence of the two rivers is an important pilgrimage spot.  In Tamil Nadu, the river covers two important districts – Coimbatore and Erode.

3.7 MAJOR PORTS IN INDIA Why in news? The Major Ports in India have recorded a growth of 2.41%.

Major Ports in India  Marine transport in India is managed by both the Central and the State governments.  While the ministry of shipping administers the major ports, the minor and intermediate ports are controlled by the respective State government.  The nine Indian states near the coastal lines – Goa, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and West Bengal are home to all major and minor ports of India.  India has a total 13 major ports and 200 notified minor and intermediate ports.

Sl No State/Union Port Features Territory 1 Andaman Port Blair Port  Port Blair is the 13th and youngest major port of India.  The port is of strategic importance to India and is closer to two international shipping lines viz. Saudi Arabia-Singapore and US- Singapore. 2 Kerala Kochi  Situated in the Vembanad lake  Located on the Willington island on the South-West coast of India;  located on the cross roads of the East-West Ocean trade  The port is called natural gateway to the vast industrial and agricultural produce markets of the South-West India.  Exports of spices and salts 3 Tamil Nadu Ennore  India’s First corporatized port  This port is now named as Kamarajar Port Limited. 4 West Bengal Haldia  Riverine ports  Situated on Hugli river  Known as Diamond Harbour

 Known for twin dock systems viz., Kolkata Dock System (KDS) on the eastern bank and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) on the western bank of river Hooghly. 5 Gujarat Kandla .  Kandla port was built after partition as the Karachi port on western coast had gone to Pakistan.  It is known for handling much of the crude oil imports of India.

 Known as Tidal Port Acknowledged as Trade Geography Free Zone

 Largest port by volume of cargo handled

6 Karnataka Mangalore  Located at a site called Panambur in Karnataka at Gurupura river confluence

with Arabian Sea.  Deals with the iron ore exports

7 Goa Marmagoa  Situated on the estuary of the river Juari  leading iron ore exporting port of India. 8 Maharashtra Mumbai  Largest Natural Port and harbour In India  Busiest port in India  One of the oldest modern ports of India. Initially the location was used by navies of Shivaji. 9 Maharashtra Jawaharlal  Largest Artificial Port Nehru Port  It is also known as Nhava Sheva and is the largest container port in India, handling around half of containers of all major ports.  It is located on eastern shore of Mumbai harbour off Elephanta Island and is accessed via Thane creek. 10 Odisha Paradip  Natural Harbour  Located at confluence of river Mahanadi in Bay of Bengal in Odisha.  It was the first major port on East Coast commissioned in independent India.  deals with the export of iron and aluminium

11 Tamil Nadu Tuticorin  Major port in south India  deals with the fertilizers and petrochemical products  This port has been now renamed as V.O.Chidambaranar Port.  It is located in the Gulf of Mannar.  Tuticorin is the only port in South India to provide a direct weekly container service to the United States. 12 Andhra Vishakapatnam  Deepest port of India Pradesh  deals with the export of iron ore to Japan  Amenities of building and fixing of ships are available 13 Tamil Nadu Chennai  Artificial port  largest port in the Bay of Bengal and second largest port of India after JNPT.

3.8 WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION Why in news? World Meteorological Organisation appreciated India Meteorological Department for Tropical Cyclone Advisory Services during cyclones Sagar and Mekunu.

More about WMO

 World Meterological Organisation is a specialized agency of the United Nations whose mandate covers weather, climate and water resources.  This intergovernmental organization has a membership of 185 Member States.  It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873.  Present WMO was established by the ratification of the WMO Convention on 23 March 1950.  The Organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.  The World Meteorological Congress is the supreme body of the Organization which determines every policy of WMO.

 Each member state and territory is represented by a Permanent Representative with WMO when Environment Congress meets every four years.

 The Secretariat of WMO is headed by the Secretary-General, who is appointed by the World Meteorological Congress for a four-year term with a maximum tenure of 8 years

3.9 ENSEMBLE FORECASTING

Why in news? The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has commissioned two very high resolution (12 km grid scale) state- of-the-art global Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS) for generating operational 10-days probabilistic forecasts of weather.

More about Ensemble Forecasting  Ensemble forecasting is a method used in numerical weather prediction.  Instead of making a single forecast of the most likely weather, a set (or ensemble) of forecasts is produced.  This set of forecasts aims to give an indication of the range of possible future states of the atmosphere.  The EPS will enhance the weather information being provided by the current models by quantifying the uncertainties in the weather forecasts and generate probabilistic forecasts.  The advance prediction will provide more preparatory and emergency response time to disaster management authorities in the particular area of extreme weather events.  The new systems have been put together by scientists of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Noida and India Meteorological Department (IMD).

4 ENVIRONMENT 4.1 HOOLOCK GIBBONS Why in news? Two Hoolock Gibbons were seized by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Zonal Unit, near the India-Bangladesh border.

More about the Hoolock Gibbons  The hoolock gibbons are three primate species of genus Hoolock in the gibbon family.  The species is native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India.  It might possibly occur in China.  Hoolock Gibbon is the only ape found in India.  The species inhabits tropical evergreen rainforests, tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, tropical mixed deciduous forests, and subtropical broadleaf hill forests.  Major threats are habitat loss, fragmentation, human interference and hunting.  This species is listed on CITES Appendix I prohibiting trade in this species.  They are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and as an endangered as per the red list of IUCN.

 Enhancing protection for the species, the Government of Assam upgraded the status of the Hoollongapar Reserve Forest in the Jorhat District of Assam to a Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in 1997, making this the first Protected Area ever named after a primate species.

4.2 BELIZE REEF Why in news?

Belize Reef, an underwater natural wonder, may be removed from UNESCO’s list of threatened World Environment Heritage Sites due to its effective recovery.

More about the Reef  Belize reef is an outstanding natural system consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere.

 The reef was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and is comprised of seven protected areas.  It is the largest reef complex in the Atlantic-Caribbean region and the second largest reef system in the world.  The site is one of the most pristine reef ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere and was referred to ‘as the most remarkable reef in the West Indies’ by Charles Darwin.  However because of Belize’s plans to allow oil exploration nearby the reef system was placed on endangered status in 2009.

4.3 CHRYSILLA VOLUPES Why in news? Scientists rediscovered after 150 years a rare species of spider, which was believed have become extinct, from Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) located in the Western Ghats region of Kerala.

More about Chrysilla Volupes  Chrysilla volupe is a species of spider of the genus Chrysilla.  It is found from Sri Lanka, India to Bhutan. Environment  The spider belonged to the family of jumping spiders (Salticidae).

 It was first discovered by renowned arachnologist Ferdinand Anton France

Karsch of Berlin Zoological Museum from Pariej Lake in Gujarat in 1868.  But subsequently it had vanished.  A species that is not seen for more than 100 years is considered extinct.

 So this finding underlines the urgent need to conduct more exploratory survey of faunal diversity in India, a mega-diverse country.

4.4 SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN Why in news? The world’s oldest Sumatran orangutan named Puan, which had 11 children and 54 descendants spread across the globe, has died aged 62.

More about Sumatran Orangutan  The Sumatran orangutan is one of the three species of orangutans.  They are found only in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra  It is rarer than the Bornean orangutan but more common than the recently identified Tapanuli orangutan, also of Sumatra.  Sumatran Orangutans inhabit moist lowland forest, montane forest and peat swamps.  They are diurnal and almost exclusively arboreal; females virtually never travel on the ground and adult males do so only rarely.  Sumatran orangutan tends to be frugivorous and insectivorous.  Preferred fruits include figs and jackfruits. It will also eat bird eggs and small vertebrates  The Sumatran Orangutan's survival is seriously threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation  Due to high levels of habitat conversion and fragmentation, and illegal killing, Sumatran orangutan is estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in recent years.  The relentless destruction of Sumatra’s rainforests has pushed the Sumatran orangutan to the edge of extinction.  With only around 14,600 remaining in the wild, the species is classified as Critically Endangered in IUCN list.  Sumatran Orangutans are also listed on CITES Appendix I.

4.5 E-MAMMAL PROJECT Why in news? School children from rural Maharashtra are studying about wildlife as part of the unique E-mammal Citizen Science Project.

More about E-mammal  eMammal is a data management system and archive for camera trap research projects.  This cyber-tool is designed to be useful to scientists and also to the citizen scientists who aid scientists in photo collection.

 The project is aimed at grassroots conservation through collection of scientific information by children.  The project in india is being implemented by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), along with the Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM).  It started in 2015, with three schools joining their contemporaries in Mexico and the U.S.  In its second phase in 2017, the project included 2,000 children in Class VIII and IX in 20 schools in Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Satara districts.

 Each school was given three camera traps. Environment What is a camera trap?

 A camera trap is a remotely activated camera that is equipped with a motion sensor, an infrared sensor, or a light beam as a trigger.  When an animal or other large object trips the sensor, an image or series of images is collected.  Camera trapping is a method for capturing wild animals on film when researchers are not present, and has been used in ecological research for decades.

4.6 ANIMAL WELFARE BOARD OF INDIA (AWBI) Why in news? The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has come up with the idea of animal hostels in smart cities and has taken up the issue with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA).

More about AWBI  The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country.  It was established in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.  Well-known humanitarian Rukmini Devi Arundale was instrumental in setting up the board and was its first chair.  The Board consists of 28 Members including 6 MPs (4 from Lok Sabhas and 2 from Rajya Sabha).  The term of office of Members is for a period of 3 years.  The Board ensures implementation of the animal welfare laws in the country in a very diligent manner and provides grants to Animal Welfare Organizations and advice the Centre, States and UTs on animal welfare issues.  The Board was initially within the jurisdiction of the Government of India's Ministry of Food and Agriculture.  In 1990, it was transferred to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate change.  It is headquartered at Ballabhgarh in Haryana state.

4.7 VALLARTA MUD TURTLE Why in news? The Vallarta mud turtle (Kinosternon vogti) is a recently identified species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae.

More about the turtle  It is one of the most threatened freshwater turtle species, due to the dramatic urban growth.  It was formerly considered conspecific with the Jalisco mud turtle.  However further studies indicated that it was a separate species.  It is endemic to Mexican state of Jalisco.  It is only known from a few human-created or human-affected habitats (such as small streams and ponds) found around Puerto Vallarta.

4.8 BLACK-NECKED STORKS Why in news? A black-necked stork with a rubber ring stuck around its beak was found near Najagarh jheel at Dhankot village in Haryana and rescued. © Neo IAS  0484-4030104 | 9446331522 | 9446334122 | www.neoias.com 39 www.youtube.com/neoias | www.fb.com/neoias | http://bit.do/neo-upscprelims

More about the stork  The black-necked stork is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family.  These birds are mainly found in wetlands across south and south-east Asia, and in Australia.  They are Carnivores and mainly eat fish, smaller aquatic animals and water birds, and insects.  It is threatened by a variety of factors across its range, including drainage of

wetlands, felling of nest trees, development, and encroachment of agriculture Environment or aquaculture, overfishing, over grazing, hunting and excessive capture for

zoos.  Hence It is listed as near threatened under IUCN redlist  It is included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, giving it full

protection.

 It is also listed under appendix I of CITES.

4.9 ECO SENSITIVE ZONE (ESZ) Why in news? In a bid to conserve wildlife habitats in the State, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has proposed to declare areas around the Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary in Ramanathapuram district and Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary in Ariyalur district in Tamil Nadu as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ).

More about ESZ  Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are areas notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.  These are also called Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFAs).  The purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some kind of “shock absorbers” to the protected areas by regulating and managing the activities around such areas.  They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.  The MoEF (Ministry of Environment & Forests) has approved a comprehensive set of guidelines laying down parameters and criteria for declaring ESAs  The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas.  The guidelines include a broad list of activities that could be allowed, promoted, regulated or promoted.  The activities like commercial mining, setting of saw mills and industries causing pollution, commercial use of firewood and major hydro-power projects, are prohibited in such areas.

Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary  Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary is a Protected area declared in 1989 and a part of Chitrangudi village in Tamil Nadu, India.  It is adjacent to Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary.  It is notable as a nesting site for several migratory heron species that roost in the prominent growth of Babul trees there.  The sanctuary vegetation is mostly tropical dry deciduous forest.  It is dominated by babul (thorn mimosa) along with Prosopis juliflora and the grasses Bermuda grass and Dichanthium foveolatum.  About 11,000 birds belonging to 43 species are known to visit the sanctuary during the peak season.  The sanctuary is also home to pelicans, painted storks, Eurasian spoon bills, white ibis, among others.  The birds flock to the sanctuary from October to February.

Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary  The Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Ariyalur District of Tamil Nadu.  It was established on April 5, 1999.  It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in southern Tamil Nadu.  It is fed by the Pullambadi canal which gets water from Mettur dam.

 This is supplemented by the northeast monsoon from October till January.  The water birds arrive at the tank from September after water is released from the Mettur dam.  The sanctuary is home to a variety of migratory birds that visit the sanctuary during the November.  Important birds here are long migrants including the high flying bar-headed goose, white stork, woolly- necked stork, rosy pelican, spoonbill, open bill stork, and grey heron, night heron, Pond heron, purple heron, egrets and glossy ibis.

4.10 ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA (ABHY) Env

Why in news? ironment The World Bank has approved funding for Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), a Rs.6000 crore Central Sector Scheme.

More about the Yojana  Atal Bhujal Yojana is a central sector scheme launched by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to tackle ever-deepening crisis of depleting groundwater level.  The objective of scheme is to recharge ground water and create sufficient water storage for agricultural purposes.  It also focuses on revival of surface water bodies so that ground water level can be increased, especially in the rural areas.  The scheme will also facilitate convergence of on-going Government schemes in the states by incentivizing their focussed implementation in identified priority areas.  Funds under the scheme will be made available to the participating states as Grants.

Implementation Period  The scheme is to be implemented over a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23, with World Bank assistance.  The scheme will be running with the help of community participation.

Target states  The priority areas identified under the scheme fall in the states of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.  These States represent about 25% of the total number of over-exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks in terms of ground water in India.  They also cover two major types of groundwater systems found in India - alluvial and hard rock aquifers.

Community Participation  The scheme envisages active participation of the communities in various activities such as formation of Water User Associations, monitoring and disseminating ground water data, water budgeting, preparation and implementation of Gram-Panchayat wise water security plans and IEC activities related to sustainable ground water management.  Community participation is also expected to facilitate bottom-up groundwater planning process to align implementation of various government programs on groundwater in the participating states.

4.11 BAGASSE Why in news? IRCTC introduced bagasse based food packaging to commemorate World Environment Day 2018.

Bagasse  Bagasse is the fibrous matter that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract their juice.  Bagasse is burned as fuel in the sugarcane mill or used as a source of cellulose for manufacturing animal feeds.  Paper is produced from bagasse in several countries.  Bagasse is the essential ingredient for the production of pressed building board, acoustical tile, and other construction materials and can be made into a number of biodegradable plastics.

 It is also employed in the production of furfural, a clear colourless liquid used in the synthesis of chemical products such as nylons, solvents, and even medicines.  Bagasse is easily available as a waste product with a high sugar content and has potential as an environmentally friendly alternative to corn as a source of the biofuel ethanol

4.12 METHANOL

Why in news? Environment “Methanol Economy”: NITI Aayog working on road map for India on World Environment Day, 2018.

More about Methanol  Methanol is a colourless, flammable liquid chemical with the formula CH3OH.  It is also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol.

 It acquired the name wood alcohol because it was once produced chiefly by the destructive distillation of wood.  It is used in the manufacture of formaldehyde and acetic acid, in chemical synthesis, antifreeze, and as a solvent.  It is also a clean burning drop in fuel which can replace both petrol & diesel in transportation & LPG, Wood, Kerosene in cooking fuel.  Now it is produced from a variety of feedstock like Natural Gas, Coal (Indian High Ash Coal), Bio- mass, Municipal Solid waste and most importantly from CO2.

Why Methanol?  Methanol burns efficiently in all internal combustion engines, produces no particulate matter, no soot, almost nil SOX and NOX emissions  It has near zero pollution.  The gaseous version of Methanol is known as DME(Dimethyl Ether)  The DME can be blended with LPG and can be excellent substitute for diesel in large buses and trucks.  Methanol 15 % blend (M15) in petrol will reduce pollution by 33% & diesel replacement by methanol will reduce by more than 80%.

CO2 Sequestration  One of the reasons why Methanol has the potential to be an enduring solution to human energy needs is because the emitting out C02 (greenhouse gas emission) both from using Methanol and while producing Methanol can be tapped back to produce Methanol.  C02 from steel plants, Thermal Power plants, Cement Plants etc. can be tapped in large quantities to produce Methanol.

4.13 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROJECT (ICZMP) Why in news? Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has embarked upon a programme for Blue flag certification of one Blue Flag beach in each of the 13 coastal States /UTs under the World Bank-assisted Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP).

More about ICZM  Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a process for the management of the coast using an integrated approach, regarding all aspects of the coastal zone, including geographical and political boundaries.  This concept was borne in 1992 during the Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro.  The policy regarding ICZM is set out in the proceedings of the summit within Agenda 21.  It covers the full cycle of information collection, planning (in its broadest sense), decision making, management and monitoring of implementation.  ICZM uses the informed participation and cooperation of all stakeholders to assess the societal goals in a given coastal area, and to take actions towards meeting these objectives.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP)

 Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) was started by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) based on the recommendations of the expert committee report of the Prof M. S. Swaminathan.  The project was started with the assistance of the World Bank.  The overall objective of the Programme is to support the Government in developing and implementing an improved strategic management approach for India's coastal zones to preserve the long-term productivity of region for continued sustainable development and economic growth.

 The MoEF launched this Project by establishing a Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM). Environment Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM)

 Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) has been established under the aegis of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate change, Government of India to support implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) activities in India.  Under the project, SICOM would be implementing the four components, namely, o National Coastal Management Programme; o ICZM-West Bengal; o ICZM-Orissa; o ICZM-Gujarat.  National component includes o Demarcation of hazard line for mapping the entire coastline of the mainland of the country; o A National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) has been established within the campus of Anna University, Chennai with its regional centres in each of the coastal States/Union territories to promote research and development in the area of coastal management including addressing issues of coastal communities.

4.14 BLUE FLAG STANDARDS Why in news? The Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast of Odisha will be the first in Asia to get the Blue Flag certification.

More about Blue Flag  Blue Flag is an international award presented to well managed beaches with excellent water quality and environmental education programmes.  The certification is issued by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).  Blue Flag criteria include standards for water quality, safety, environmental education and information, the provision of services and general environmental management criteria.  The Award is given to beaches, marinas and sustainable boating tourism operators as an indication of their high environmental and quality standards.  Awards are issued on an annual basis to FEE member countries.  The awards are announced yearly on 5 June for Europe, Canada, Morocco, Tunisia and other countries in a similar geographic location, and on 1 November for the Caribbean, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries in the southern hemisphere.  The standards were established in the year 1985.

Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)  The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting sustainable development through environmental education.  FEE conducts mainly five programmes such as o Blue Flag,

o Eco-Schools, o Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE), o Learning about Forests (LEAF) and o Green Key  FEE has member organisations in 73 countries worldwide.

 It was established in 198. Science and Technology Scienceand  It’s headquartered in Copenhagen.

5 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 5.1 HELIUM 3 Why in news? India’s space program will travel to the south side of the moon. The ISRO will launch a rover in October to explore virgin territory on the lunar surface and analyse crust samples for signs of water and helium-3.

More about Helium 3  Helium-3 is a light, non-radioactive isotope of helium with two protons and one neutron.  The existence of Helium-3 was first proposed in 1934 by the Australian nuclear physicist Mark Oliphant.  Helium-3 was originally thought to be a radioactive isotope until it was found in samples of natural helium, taken both from the terrestrial atmosphere and from natural gas wells.  Other than 1H, helium-3 is the only stable isotope of any element with more protons than neutrons.  Its presence is rare on Earth  It is sought after for use in nuclear fusion research, and it is abundant in the moon's soil.

5.2 HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE Why in news? A study by researchers at the Department of Genetics, Delhi University, South Campus, has shown that it is possible to restrict the progression of Huntington’s disease by increasing insulin signalling in the brain’s neuronal cells.

More about Huntington Disease  Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.  It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure.  HD is known as the quintessential family disease because every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of carrying the faulty gene.  Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 30 to 50, and worsen over a 10 to 25 year period.  Ultimately, the weakened individual succumbs to pneumonia, heart failure or other complications.  Everyone has the gene that causes HD, but only those that inherit the expansion of the gene will develop HD and perhaps pass it on to each of their children.  Every person who inherits the expanded HD gene will eventually develop the disease.  Over time, HD affects the individual’s ability to reason, walk and speak.

Genes and Human Diseases  A genetic disorder is a disease caused by abnormalities or mutations in the DNA sequence.  When a gene is mutated, its protein product can no longer carry out its normal function, a disorder can result.  According to the degree of gene mutation, diseases are categorised into the following: o by damage to chromosomes: It happens due to the changes in the number or structure of entire chromosomes, although no individual gene on the chromosome is abnormal(Eg: Down Syndrome). o by a single error in a single gene in the human DNA. (such as Sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis) o by mutations in multiple genes compounded by environmental factors(Heart disease, diabetes, and most cancers belongs to this category)

o Mitochondrial disorders: these are very rare disorders caused by mutations in non-chromosomal DNA located within the mitochondria. (The mitochondria are subcellular organelles.)  Genes are also known to play a role in the occurrence of infectious diseases like tuberculosis and AIDS.

Some Major Genetic Disorders

o blood related genetic disorder which involves the absence of or errors in Technology Scienceand Thalassaemia genes responsible for production of haemoglobin o blood related disorder that affects the haemoglobin molecule, and causes Sickle-cell anemia the entire blood cell to change shape(sickle shape) under stressed conditions.

Hemophilia o a bleeding disorder that slows down the blood clotting process. o an extremely rare genetic disease of childhood characterized by dramatic, Progeria premature aging. (It was in news in recent times) o Affects the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems involving the Cystic Fibrosis production of abnormally thick mucus linings in the lungs and can lead to fatal lung infections. o Harmful quantities of a fatty substance accumulate in the nerve cells in Tay-Sachs Disease the brain. o It is a degenerative brain disorder, in which afflicted individuals lose their Huntington’s disease ability to walk, talk, think, and reason. They easily become depressed, and lose their short-term memory capacity. Some other genetic o Wilson Disease, Fragile X Syndrome, Turner Syndrome etc. diseases

5.3 PRL ADVANCE RADIAL-VELOCITY ABU-SKY SEARCH (PARAS) AND SPECTROGRAPH Why in news? A Team of scientists and engineers of Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, discovered a sub-Saturn or super-Neptune size planet around a Sun-like star. The discovery was made by using the indigenously designed “PRL Advance Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search” (PARAS) spectrograph.

About the Discovery  The planet will be known as EPIC 211945201b or K2- 236b.  It has a mass of about 27 Earth Mass and size of 6 Earth Radii.  The planet was found to revolve around the star in about 19.5 days.  The discovery was made by measuring the mass of the planet using the indigenously designed PARAS spectrograph integrated with 1.2m Telescope at PRL's Gurushikhar Observatory in Mount Abu, India.  Only 23 such planetary systems are known to this date with masses between 10 and 70 Earth mass and size of 4 to 8 Earth radii.  This discovery is very important for understanding the formation mechanism of such super-Neptune or sub-Saturn kind of planets, that are too close to the host star and as well as planet formations around Sun-like stars.  With this discovery, India has joined a handful of countries, which have discovered planets around stars beyond our solar system.

About PARAS  It is an echelle spectrograph (with resolution of 60,000) designed and developed by the members of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Division of PRL.  The primary aim of PARAS is to search for extra solar planets  This spectrograph is installed at the Mt. Abu 1.2m telescope in India.  It has wavelength coverage of 400nm to 680nm.

 A spectrograph is an instrument used to separate and measure the wavelengths present in Electromagnetic radiation and to measure the relative amounts of radiation at each wavelength.  The spectrograph splits or disperses the light from an object into its component wavelengths so that it can be recorded and analysed.

Echelle Spectrograph

 An Echelle spectrograph disperses the light in two orthogonal directions using two dispersion stages. Technology Scienceand

5.4 NATIONAL DATA CENTRE

Why in news? The government will be setting up the country’s largest national data centre in Bhopal.

More about Data Centres  It will be set up by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and

Information Technology (MeitY).  This will be the fifth National Data Centre after the ones at Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune.  These National Data Centres host government websites, services and applications.

National Informatics Centre (NIC)  National Informatics Centre is a premier Information Technology organization in India which is committed to providing state-of-the-art, solutions for the IT needs of the Government of India, State governments and UTs at all levels.  It was established in 1976, and has since emerged as a "prime builder" of e-Government / e- Governance applications up to the grassroots level as well as a promoter of digital opportunities for sustainable development.  NIC, through its ICT Network, "NICNET", has institutional linkages with all the Ministries /Departments of the Central Government, State Governments/ Union Territories, and District administrations of India.  Through this it is providing network backbone and e-Governance support to Central Government, State Governments, UT Administrations, Districts and other Government bodies.  NIC assists in implementing Information Technology Projects, in close collaboration with Central and State Governments, in the areas of (a) Centrally sponsored schemes and Central sector schemes, (b) State sector and State sponsored projects, and (c) District Administration sponsored projects.  The following major activities are being undertaken: o Setting up of ICT Infrastructure o Implementation of National and State Level e-Governance Projects/Products o Consultancy to the Government departments o Research & Development and o Capacity Building

5.5 NATIONAL DIGITAL LIBRARY OF INDIA (NDLI) Why in news? The Union Human Resource Development Minister launched the new digital initiative of HRD Ministry ‘National Digital Library of India’ on the occasion of National Reading Day in New Delhi.

More about NDLI  National Digital Library of India is a project of the Ministry of Human Resource Development which was launched to make digital educational resources available to all citizens of the country to empower, inspire and encourage learning.  The NDLI is developed by IIT Kharagpur.  This National Digital Library of India (NDLI) comes under the aegis of National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT).  NDL is the Single Window Platform that collects and collates metadata from premier learning institutions in India and abroad, as well as other relevant sources.  It is a digital repository containing textbooks, articles, videos, audio books, lectures, simulations, fiction and all other kinds of learning media.

 It is available 24x7 and which can be accessed by anyone with internet access.  NDLI Mobile app was also launched to enable access to rich digital content of libraries across the country and even foreign repositories to users even in the remotest of areas.

National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT)  The NMEICT is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to leverage the potential of ICT, in teaching and learning

process for the benefit of all the learners in Higher Education Institutions in any time anywhere mode. Technology Scienceand  This was expected to be a major intervention in enhancing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education by 5 percentage points during the XI Five Year Plan period.  NMEICT encompasses all the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and

quality.  These 3 elements will be served by NMEICT by providing connectivity to all colleges and universities, providing low cost and affordable access-cum-computing devices to students and teachers and providing high quality e-content free of cost to all learners in the country.  The Mission has two major components: o Providing connectivity, along with provision for access devices, to institutions and learners;

o Content generation.  The Mission aims to extend computer infrastructure and connectivity to colleges and Polytechnics in the country including each of the departments of universities/deemed universities and institutions of national importance as a part of its motto to provide connectivity up to last mile.  The Mission would have a three tier committee system to monitor and guide its functioning. The apex National Committee would be chaired by Minister of Human Resource Development.

5.6 INFLUENZA Why in news? Sanofi Pasteur’s injectable influenza vaccine (FluQuadri) containing two A virus strains — H1N1 and H3N2 — and two B virus strains — Victoria and Yamagata — for active immunisation of adults of age 18 to 64 years was approved in May last year by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

More about Influenza  Influenza, or flu, is a respiratory illness caused by a virus.  Flu is highly contagious and is normally spread by the coughs and sneezes of an infected person.  The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.

Types of influenza viruses  There are four types of influenza viruses: types A, B, C and D: o Influenza A viruses: infect humans and many different animals. It can cause an influenza pandemic. o Influenza B viruses: circulates among humans and cause seasonal epidemics. Recent data showed seals also can be infected. o Influenza C viruses: can infect both humans and pigs but infections are generally mild and are rarely reported. o Influenza D viruses: primarily affect cattle and are not known to infect or cause illness in people.

What is H and N that we see in the virus name?  Influenza type A viruses are classified into subtypes according to the combinations of different virus surface proteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). So far there are 18 different hemagglutinin subtypes and 11 different neuraminidase subtypes.  Depending on the origin host, influenza A viruses can be classified as avian influenza, swine influenza, or other types of animal influenza viruses.  Examples include avian influenza "bird flu" virus subtypes A(H5N1) and A(H9N2) or swine influenza "swine flu" virus subtypes A(H1N1) and A(H3N2).

What the WHO recommendation says?  Since the vast majority of influenza vaccines manufactured were trivalent till recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) used to recommend two A subtypes and one B subtype, plus an optional fourth strain (the other B virus strain). © Neo IAS  0484-4030104 | 9446331522 | 9446334122 | www.neoias.com 47 www.youtube.com/neoias | www.fb.com/neoias | http://bit.do/neo-upscprelims

 But this February 2018, for the first time, the WHO issued an official recommendation for a quadrivalent vaccine.  The quadrivalent vaccine will contain four influenza virus strains (two A subtypes and two B subtypes — H1N1 and H3N2, and Victoria and Yamagata respectively).  The WHO recommendation then mentioned which B strain should be removed in the case of a trivalent

flu vaccine. Science and Technology Scienceand  The viruses used in the vaccine are killed and this eliminates the possibility of the virus in the vaccine itself causing infection.  In India, the vaccine will be available as single dose pre-filled syringe, which will eventually available in a vial for public health use.

 In the case of H1N1, there are two strains — California and Michigan — that cause influenza.  In India, the Michigan strain was earlier circulating and has been replaced by the California strain.  For 2018, the WHO has recommended the Michigan strain for the southern hemisphere, including India.

Indian Context  Despite the high number of infections and mortality each year, India does not have in place a national

policy for influenza immunisation.  Pregnant mothers, children aged below five and young people with asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure are at a greater risk of infection and death.  The Ministry of Health issues only H1N1 vaccination guidelines for different vulnerable groups including healthcare workers.

5.7 VITAMIN D Why in news? Higher levels of vitamin D are associated with decreasing risk of breast cancer, says a study led by researchers at University of California, U.S.

More about Vitamin D  Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and multiple other biological effects.  Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is produced by the body in response to skin being exposed to sunlight.  It is also occurs naturally in a few foods -- including some fish, fish liver oils, and egg yolks -- and in fortified dairy and grain products.  Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, because it helps the body use calcium from the diet.  Traditionally, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with rickets, a disease in which the bone tissue doesn't properly mineralize, leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities.  Vitamin D deficiency occurs due to overuse of sunscreen, wearing clothes that cover most of the skin, working all day in an air-conditioned atmosphere, and other factors.  Vitamin D deficiency may also cause several other problems apart from rickets such as: o Osteomalacia o Osteoporosis o Periodontitis

Project Dhoop  The 'Project Dhoop' is an initiative to encourage schools to shift their morning assembly to around noon-time to ensure maximum absorption of Vitamin D in students through natural sunlight.  It is launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) along with National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) as well as North MCD Schools.  The move comes in the backdrop of rising incidence of Vitamin D deficiency in the country.  Over 90 per cent of boys and girls in various Indian cities are deficient in Vitamin D despite most part of India receiving abundant sunshine all the year through.

5.8 SMART INDIA HACKATHON Why in news? The Ministry of HRD along with AICTE, Persistent Systems, i4C and IIT Kharagpur hosted the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 – Hardware edition

Smart India Hackathon 2018 Technology Scienceand  SIH- 2018 was the second massive scale hackathon initiative in India following Smart India Hackathon 2017.  With 27 Union Ministries and Departments and 17 State Governments having joined in this grand

initiative, SIH-2018 is much bigger than its previous edition.

 Smart India Hackathon 2018 had 2 sub-editions – Software and Hardware.  Software Edition was a 36-hour software product development competition, similar in concept to Smart India Hackathon 2017  The new Hardware Edition was a hackathon where teams worked for 5 straight days and built their hardware solutions.

 Winners won a cash prizes and a chance to be part of the NASSCOM’s 10,000 Start-ups program.

More about SIH  It is a unique initiative to identify new and disruptive digital technology innovations for solving the challenges faced by our country.  Through this initiative, govt. departments will directly engage with thousands of technical students and challenge them to build digital solutions to improve their efficiency, plug revenue leakages and corruption.  Some of these problems are solution to predict drought in a protected area (from the ministry of environment, forests and climate change). The ministry of health and family welfare is looking for a solution in the telemedicine system that can work on low bandwidth.  It is organized by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). Inter Institutional Inclusive Innovation Center (i4C) and Persistent Systems is also part of organizing Smart India Hackathon.

5.9 LI-ION BATTERY Why in news? Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu under Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and RAASI Solar Power Pvt Ltd have signed a Memorandum of Agreement for transfer of technology for India’s first Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Battery project.

More about Lithium ion Battery  A lithium-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and back when charging.  Li-ion batteries use an intercalated lithium compound as one electrode material, compared to the metallic lithium used in a non-rechargeable lithium battery.  The electrolyte, which allows for ionic movement, and the two electrodes are the constituent components of a lithium-ion battery cell.  They're generally much lighter than other types of rechargeable batteries of the same size.  It is nearly 100% efficient in both charging and discharging as compared to lead battery which has 70% efficiency.  It has life cycle of 5000 times or more compared to just 400-500 cycles in lead acid.  It is also a low maintenance battery.  It also maintains constant voltage throughout entire discharge cycle.  It is safer for environment as it does not have a negative environmental impact

 However Lithium-ion batteries can pose unique safety hazards since they contain a flammable electrolyte.

Intercalation  Intercalation is the reversible inclusion or insertion of a molecule (or ion) into materials with layered structures.

 Examples are found in graphite and transition metal dichalcogenides. Technology Scienceand

5.10 GEOSYNCHRONOUS SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE MARK-III Why in news? The Union Cabinet has approved funding for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk-III) continuation programme (Phase-I) consisting of ten (10) GSLV (Mk-III) flights, at a total estimated cost of Rs. 4338.20 crores.

More about GSLV  Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV Mk II) is the largest launch vehicle developed by India, which is currently in operation.  This fourth generation launch vehicle is a three stage vehicle with four liquid strap-ons.

GSLV Mk III  GSLV Mk III is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO.  It has an indigenous cryogenic third stage, designated as C25.  The vehicle has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster along with a cryogenic upper stage.  GSLV Mk III is designed to carry 4 ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is about twice the capability of GSLV Mk II.  This is India’s first fully functional rocket to be tested with a cryogenic engine that uses liquid propellants — liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

5.11 HEPATITIS B Why in news? The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken a decision to vaccinate all healthcare workers who are at an increased risk of acquiring Hepatitis-B infection such as those involved in conducting deliveries, giving injections and exposed to blood or blood products.

Governance Polity and More about Hepatitis B  Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that affects the liver.  It can cause both acute and chronic infections.

 Hepatitis B infection is transmitted through sexual contact, contact with contaminated blood (for

example, through shared needles used for illicit, intravenous drugs), and from mother to child.  Hepatitis B is not spread through food, water, or casual contact.  Many people have no symptoms during the initial infection.  Some develop a rapid onset of sickness with vomiting, yellowish skin, tiredness, dark urine and abdominal pain.

 There is no specific treatment for acute Hepatitis B disease.  Clinical management is based on supportive therapy and relief of symptoms.  Prevalence of Hepatitis B among general population in India ranges from 2 to 8%, which places India in an intermediate HBV endemicity zone.  India with 50 million cases is also the second largest global pool of chronic HBV infections.

6 POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 6.1 ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS PROGRAMME Why in news? The NITI Aayog launched the first Delta ranking (incremental progress) for the Aspirational Districts, across five developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure.

About the Programme  Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country.  The Union Government had selected 115 backward (aspirational) districts for rapid transformation by 2022.  The parameters for the selection of the districts included deprivation enumerated under Socio- Economic Caste Census, key health and education performance indicators and state of basic infrastructure.  The broad contours of the aspirational districts programme are o Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), o Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and o Competition among districts driven by a mass Movement.  With States as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each district, identify low- hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.  Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure are this programme’s core areas of focus.  Government will also try to leverage Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) potential, aided by technology to bring radical transformation of these aspirational districts

6.2 ISLAND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY Why in news? The Prime Minister reviewed the progress towards holistic development of islands.

About the Agency

 The IDA was set up on June 01, 2017 for the holistic development of islands. Governance Polity and  Holistic development of islands include key infrastructure projects, digital connectivity, green energy, desalination plants, waste management, promotion of fisheries, and tourism-based projects.  The meetings of the agency are chaired by the Union Home Minister.

 Members of IDA include cabinet secretary, home secretary, secretary (environment, forests and climate

change), secretary (tourism) and secretary (tribal welfare).  As many as 26 islands have been identified for development under the agency.

6.3 WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS PLATFORM (WEP) Why in news? NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurs Platform (WEP) signed five separate Statement of Intent (SoIs) with Shri Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank Limited, Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited, SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited, Sreemanta Sankar Mission and the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).

About WEP  Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is an initiative by NITI Aayog which is aimed at building an ecosystem for women across India so as to realize their entrepreneurial aspirations, scale-up innovative initiatives and chalk-out sustainable, long-term strategies for their businesses.  It was launched on the occasion of International Women’s Day.  It aims to power a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem through an enabling network of industry collaborations, partnerships, mentors and peer-to-peer connect.  These aspirations are manifest in the three pillars on which WEP is built: Ichha Shakti, Gyaan Shakti & Karma Shakti.  Ichha Shakti is about motivating aspiring entrepreneurs to start their enterprise, whereas Gyaan Shakti is about providing knowledge and ecosystem support to women entrepreneurs to help them foster entrepreneurship.  Karma Shakti tries to provide hands-on support to entrepreneurs in setting-up and scaling up businesses.  The WEP intends to undertake this task through its partner organizations, private as well as public organizations; by bringing their existing as well as new women specific initiatives on a single platform.

6.4 NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN (NCW) Why in news? A three-member team of the National Commission for Women (NCW) has been constituted to probe the gang- rape of five women activists.

More about NCW  The National Commission for Women is the apex national level organisation of India with the mandate of protecting and promoting the interests of women.  It was formed in the year 1992.  It has got statutory status under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.  They were established to o review the Constitutional and Legal safeguards for women ; o recommend remedial legislative measures ; o facilitate redressal of grievances and o Advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women.  The Commission consist of :- o A Chairperson, committed to the cause of women, to be nominated by the Central Government.

o Five Members to be nominated by the Central Government and at least one Member each will be from amongst persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively. o A Member-Secretary to be nominated by the Central Government who shall be :- . an expert in the field of management, organisational structure or sociological movement, or . an officer who is a member of a civil service of the Union or of an all-India service or Governance Polity and holds a civil post under the Union with appropriate experience.

6.5 NATIONAL TESTING AGENCY Why in news? The National Testing Agency will also train paper setters to set better question papers and provide better model answers.

About NTA  National Testing Agency is the new agency which will be setup by Ministry of Human resource development to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.  It would be setup as a Society registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860.  Among the examinations that will be transferred to the NTA are the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission to engineering colleges like the IITs and NITs and the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to all medical colleges in the country, except AIIMS and JIPMER, Puducherry.  It would be setup as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization.  It was announced by union Finance Minister in his Union Budget 2017’s speech.  The creation of NTA was approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister in November 2017.  The entrance examinations will be conducted in online mode at least twice a year, thereby giving adequate opportunity to candidates to bring out their best.  In order to serve the requirements of the rural students, it would locate the centres at sub- district/district level and as far as possible would undertake hands-on training to the students.

6.6 SPECIAL CATEGORY STATUS Why in news? Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister raised several pending issues, including the Special Category Status (SCS), at the fourth NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting in Delhi.

What is Special Category Status (SCS)?  Special Category Status is a status given to certain states on account of their social, economic and geographical backwardness.  The Constitution does not include any provision for categorisation of any State in India as a Special Category Status (SCS) State.  The concept was first introduced in 1969 when the 5th Finance Commission decided to provide certain states with disadvantages some special treatment in the form of central assistance and tax breaks.  Recognizing this, Central plan assistance to SCS States has been granted in the past by the erstwhile Planning Commission body, National Development Council (NDC).  In the past, the NDC considered factors such as o difficult and hilly terrain, o low population density and/or o a sizeable share of tribal population, o strategic location along borders, o economic and infrastructural backwardness, and o non-viable nature of state finances to decide SCS.

What kind of assistance do SCS States receive?  For special category status category states, the Centre pays 90 per cent of the funds required in a centrally-sponsored scheme as against 60 per cent in case of normal category states, while the remaining funds are provided by the state governments.

6.7 GRAM SWARAJ ABHIYAN Polity Governance Polity and Why in news? Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationers are to be associated with the ongoing second phase of the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan in the 115 aspirational districts of the country.

More about the Abhiyan  Gram Swaraj Abhiyan was launched for reaching out to poor households, spreading awareness about government welfare schemes and other people centric initiatives.  The objective of the campaign is to promote social harmony, spread awareness about pro-poor initiatives of government, and reach out to poor households to enroll them as also to obtain their

feedback on various welfare programmes.  The initiative was started from 14th April on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti.  Government has decided to extend it in 115 Aspirational Districts identified by the NITI Aayog.  During this abhiyan, saturation of eligible households/persons would be made under seven flagship pro-poor programmes.  These programmes are Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Saubhagya, Ujala scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Mission Indradhanush.  In addition, 5 priority are related activities under Education, Health, Nutrition, Skills and Agriculture also been identified as per district plan.

6.8 NORTH EASTERN COUNCIL (NEC) Why in news? The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) for the nomination of the Union Home Minister as ex-officio Chairman of North Eastern Council (NEC).

About NEC  NEC was established under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971 as an apex level body for securing balanced and coordinated development and facilitating coordination with the States.  Subsequent to the Amendment of 2002, NEC has been mandated to function as a regional planning body for the North Eastern Area.  The North Eastern Council is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the North Eastern Region which consists of the eight States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.  It is headquartered at Shillong.  Sikkim was added to the council in the year 2002.  NEC implements various projects through the State and Central agencies.  The Council will also review the implementation of the projects/schemes included in the project; recommend effective measures for coordination among the state Governments for these projects etc.

6.9 RAIL MADAD (MOBILE APPLICATION FOR DESIRED ASSISTANCE DURING TRAVEL) Why in news? Indian Railways has for the first time completely digitized the Complaint management system through a new App called “Rail Madad”.

About Rail Madad  Rail Madad is an app launched by railway ministry to expedite & streamline passenger grievance redressal.  Rail Madad is a part of system called RPGRAMS (Railway Passenger Grievance Redressal and Management System), which has been developed by Northern Railway (Delhi Division).  Through this app passenger can register their complaints.

 It relays real time feedback to passengers on the status of redressal of their complaints- the passenger gets an instant ID through SMS on registration of complaint followed by a customized SMS communicating the action taken thereon by Railway.

More about RPGRAMS  RPGRAMS integrates all the passenger complaints received from multiple modes (14 offline/online

modes currently) on a single platform. Governance Polity and  This helps them to analyse the data holistically and generates various types of management reports which enable the top management to continuously monitor the pace of grievance redressal as well as evaluate the performance of field units/ trains/ stations on various parameters viz cleanliness, catering,

amenities etc.  It also identifies weak/deficient areas and laggard trains/stations for undertaking focussed corrective actions.

6.10 CENTRAL VIGILANCE COMMISSION (CVC)

Why in news?

Former NIA chief appointed as vigilance commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission.

More about CVC  Central Vigilance Commission is a body setup to advise and guide Central Government agencies in the field of vigilance.  It was established by the Government in February,1964 on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, headed by Shri K. Santhanam.  CVC is conceived to be the apex vigilance institution, free of control from any executive authority.  It has been made a multi member Commission by an ordinance by the President with effect from 25th August, 1998.  The Commission consist of: o A Central Vigilance Commissioner - Chairperson; o Not more than two Vigilance Commissioners – Members

Appointment  They are appointed by President on recommendations of select committee comprising of Prime Minister as Chairperson, Union Minister of Home Affairs and and Leader of second largest party in Lok Sabha or majority group leader in parliament.

Other Facts  It has given statutory status by Central Vigilance Commission act 2003.

6.11 PRIME MINISTER’S RURAL DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIP (PMRDF)  The Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellowship (PMRDF) is an initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) Government of India (GoI) to reduce poverty and improve the lives of people in rural India.  The initiative is implemented in collaboration with State Governments.  It was formally launched in September 2011.

Objectives of the Program  It was launched with objectives such as o Providing short-term catalytic support to the district administration in IAP districts to improve programme delivery. o Developing a cadre of committed and competent development leaders and facilitators, who are available as a resource for rural development over the long term. o Engaging with many stakeholders such as the government, public sector institutions, and civil society actors in promoting the efficiency of social protection programmes.

Selection  They are selected through a pan-India process through All India Common Entrance Test (AICAT), which is followed by a written exam and personal interviews. © Neo IAS  0484-4030104 | 9446331522 | 9446334122 | www.neoias.com 55 www.youtube.com/neoias | www.fb.com/neoias | http://bit.do/neo-upscprelims

6.12 NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF CHILD RIGHTS (NCPCR) Why in news? National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) launched an awareness campaign on Protection of children in contact with Railways. More about NCPCR

 The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007 under the Governance Polity and Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.  The commission comes under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.

 The Commission’s Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative

Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.  The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group.  It also has responsibilities under POCSO Act,2012 and RTE Act,2009  It is the responsibility of NCPCR to establish Children’s Courts for speedy trial of offences against

children or of violation of child rights and get State governments and UT administrations to appoint a Special Public Prosecutor for every Children’s Court  It can inquire into complaints and take suo‐motu notice of matters relating child right violations.

Convention on the Rights of the Child  The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989 is the widely accepted UN instrument ratified by most of the developed as well as developing countries, including India.  The Convention prescribes standards to be followed by all State parties in securing the best interest of the child and outlines the fundamental rights of children.  Countries that ratify the Convention agree to be legally bound by its provisions.  The UNCRC has 54 Articles each of which entails a different type of right such as: o Survival rights o Developmental rights o Protection rights o Participation rights.

6.13 ARTICLE 35A Why in news? The Centre has decided not to file any “counter-affidavit” on Article 35A, which has been challenged in the Supreme Court through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition.

More about Article 35A  Article 35A is a provision incorporated in the Constitution giving the Jammu and Kashmir Legislature a unrestricted authority to decide who all are ‘permanent residents’ of the State.  The article authorises state legislature right to confer on permanent residents with special rights and privileges in public sector jobs, acquisition of property in the State, scholarships and other public aid and welfare.  The provision mandates that no act of the legislature coming under it can be challenged for violating the Constitution or any other law of the land.  Article 35A was incorporated into the Constitution in 1954 by an order of the then President Rajendra Prasad on the advice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet in order to safeguard the rights and guarantee the unique identity of the people of Jammu-Kashmir..  The Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order of 1954 followed the 1952 Delhi Agreement entered into between Nehru and the then Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah, which extended Indian citizenship to the ‘State subjects’ of Jammu and Kashmir.

Article 370(1) (d)  The Presidential Order was issued under Article 370 (1) (d) of the Constitution.  This provision allows the President to make certain “exceptions and modifications” to the Constitution for the benefit of ‘State subjects’ of Jammu and Kashmir.

6.14 CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION (CIC) Why in news? The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Prime Minister’s Office and the External Affairs Ministry to disclose the efforts made to bring back Indian antiquities More about Central Information Commission  Central Information Commission was established by the RTI act 2005 as a designated authority to

receive and inquire into a complaint from any person related to RTI act. Culture and History

Structure  The Commission includes 1 Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and not more than 10 Information Commissioners (IC) who are appointed by the President of India.  The first Chief Information Commissioner of India was Wajahat Habibullah.

Appointment  CIC and members are appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of a committee consisting of—Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha; a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister.

Eligiblity  The chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.  The Chief Information Commissioner or an Information Commissioner shall not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory as the case may be.  He should not hold any other office of profit or connected with any political party or carrying on any business or pursuing any profession.

Tenure  According to the RTI Act 2005, Chief Information Commissioner / Information Commissioner shall hold office for a term of 5 years or till he attains the age of 65 years.  The Chief Information Commissioner shall not be eligible for reappointment.

Salary and Allowances  The salaries and allowances payable to and other terms and conditions of service of an Information Commissioner shall be the same as that of an Election Commissioner.

7 HISTORY AND CULTURE 7.1 SANT KABIR Why in news? The Prime Minister visited Maghar in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh on the occasion of the 500th death anniversary of the great saint and poet, Kabir.

More about Sant Kabir  Sant Kabir Das is widely acknowledged as one of the great personality of the Bhakti movement in North India.  He is widely acknowledged as born in Year 1398 CE (71 years before Guru Nanak).  His early life was in a Muslim family, but he was strongly influenced by his teacher, the Hindu bhakti leader Ramananda.  He regarded devotion to God with a pure heart as effective mean to attain salvation.  Kabir’s teachings were based on a complete, rejection of the major religious traditions and caste systems. He believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion.  He emphasized oneness of all religions by describing Hindus & Muslims as Pots of same clay. To him Ram & Allah, Mandir & Mosque were the same.  Sant Kabir had criticized all social structures which discriminated among people.  He composed many poetry in his life.

 Kabir's legacy survives and continues through the Kabir panth, a religious community that recognises him as its founder and is one of the Sant Mat sects. Its members are known as Kabir panthis.  Bijak, Sakhi Granth, Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar are compositions of Kabir.  The hallmark of Kabir’s works consists of his two line couplets (Doha), which reflect his deep philosophical thinking.

7.2 WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION History and Culture and History Why in news? India’s nomination of the "Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.

More about world Heritage Conventions  The Convention is an international agreement meant to protect world cultural and natural sites.  It was adopted in 1972 by the Member States of the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural

Organization (UNESCO).

 The aim of the Convention is to ensure the proper identification, protection, conservation and presentation of cultural and natural heritage with 'outstanding universal value to all mankind'.  The full title of the World Heritage Convention is the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Parties to the Convention  As of 31 January 2017 there are 193 parties to the convention.  The Convention sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them.

World Heritage List  The Convention established a World Heritage List, which includes properties exhibiting cultural and/or natural heritage of ‘outstanding universal value’ and meeting at least one of a set of World Heritage criteria.  The International World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee establishes the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  Currently there are 1073 world heritage sites in the world, out of which 832 cultural ,206 natural and 35 mixed.  Mixed sites have both outstanding natural and cultural values.  The convention also contains a "List of World Heritage in Danger" which are sites threatened by serious and specific dangers.

How world Heritage Sites are selected?  Respective national government of a country nominates a site which has an Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).  Out of the ten criteria, the proposed nomination must satisfy at least one.  The Nomination is then evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union which makes recommendations to the World Heritage Committee.  The Committee on its annual meeting determine whether or not to inscribe each nominated property on the World Heritage List.

World Heritage Committee  The Convention is overseen by the World Heritage Committee, which is composed of 21 countries elected by the States Parties.  The Committee is supported by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre in Paris.  The heritage centre in Paris which advises States Parties on the preparation of site nominations, organises technical assistance on request and coordinates reporting on the condition of sites.  It also coordinates emergency action to protect threatened sites and administers the World Heritage Fund.

Advisory Bodies  Three international non-governmental or intergovernmental organizations advise the Committee.  Three advisory bodies are

o For natural sites it is the IUCN-The World Conservation Union, o For cultural sites it is the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and o For the restoration and training of cultural sites it is the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).

World Heritage Sites in India  Currently India host 37 world heritage sites, out of which 29 are cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed.  The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is the nodal agency for the forwarding the request for heritage Culture and History status for a particular site in India.

List of Sites in India

Cultural Agra Fort Ajanta Caves Archaeological Site of Buddhist Monuments at Nalanda Mahavihara Sanchi (Nalanda University) at Nalanda, Bihar Champaner- Chhatrapati Shivaji Churches and Elephanta Caves Pavagadh Terminus (formerly Convents of Goa Archaeological Park Victoria Terminus) Ellora Caves Fatehpur Sikri Great Living Chola Group of Monuments at Temples Hampi Group of Monuments Group of Hill Forts of Historic City of Ahmadabad at Mahabalipuram Monuments at Rajasthan Pattadakal Humayun's Tomb, Khajuraho Group of Mahabodhi Temple Mountain Railways of India Delhi Monuments Complex at Bodh Gaya Qutb Minar and its Rani-ki-Vav (the Red Fort Complex Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka Monuments, Delhi Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat Sun Temple, Taj Mahal The Architectural The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur Konârak Work of Le Corbusier

 Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai has now been induced as the 29th cultural heritage site.

Natural  Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area  Kaziranga National Park  Keoladeo National Park  Manas Wildlife Sanctuary  Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks  Sundarbans National Park  Western Ghats

Mixed :Khangchendzonga National Park

7.3 AMBUBACHI MELA Why in news? Ambubachi Mela is celebrated in Kamakha Temple.

More about the Mela  The Ambubachi Mela is an annual mela held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam, that celebrates the menstruation course of Goddess Kamakhya.  There is no idol in the temple, the goddess is worshipped in the form of a yoni-like stone over which a natural spring flows.  Also known as Siddha Kubjika, the goddess is a Hindu tantric goddess of desire who evolved in the Himalayan hills.  She is also identified as Kali and Maha Tripura.

 The festival is also known as ‘Mahakumbh of the East’ as it draws lakhs of devotees from all over the world.  The four-day festival begins on the fourth days after the goddess undergoes her annual periods.

Other significance of the festival  The ritualistic fair celebrating the goddess’ period is one of the reasons why the taboo associated with menstruation is less in Assam compared to other Culture and History parts of India.  The attainment of womanhood of girls in Assam is

celebrated with a ritual called ‘Tuloni Biya’, meaning small wedding.  The Mela serves as an occasion to promote awareness on menstrual hygiene.

Kamakhya Temple

 The Kamakhya Temple is a temple dedicated to the mother Goddess Kamakhya.  It is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peeths or seat of Shakti followers, each representing a body part of Sati, Lord Shiva’s companion.  It is located in the heart of Nilachala Hill situated in the western part of Guwahati, Assam.  It is the main temple of powerful Tantrik Shaktism cult in India.

7.4 ADOPT A HERITAGE SCHEME Why in news? 3 MoUs signed and 6 at an advanced stage under ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme: Culture Ministry informs the parliament.

More about the scheme  Adopt a Heritage /Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchan is a project entrusting heritage sites to the public sector and private sector companies and Corporate individuals for the development of tourist amenities.  This scheme is a unique endeavour of Ministry of Tourism in close collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).  It focuses on development and maintenance of world-class tourist infrastructure and amenities.  The project primarily focuses on providing basic amenities that includes cleanliness, public conveniences, drinking water, ease of access for differently abled and senior citizens, standardized signage, illumination and advanced amenities such as surveillance system, night viewing facilities, tourism facilitation center and an enhanced tourism experience.  The sites/monuments are selected on the basis of tourist footfall and visibility.  The adopting agencies will be called 'Monument Mitras'. They would also get visibility in the monument premises and in the Incredible India website.  The project would begin with 93 ASI ticketed monuments and would be expanded to other natural and cultural sites across India.  The Monument Mitras are selected by the ‘oversight and vision committee,’ co-chaired by the Tourism Secretary and the Culture Secretary, on the basis of the bidder’s ‘vision’ for development of all amenities at the heritage site.

7.5 SANCHI STUPA AND PHO MINH PAGODA Why in news? The Union Cabinet has been apprised of the joint issue of a postage stamp between Department of Posts and Viet Nam Post. The Commemorative Postage Stamps on India-Viet Nam: Joint Issue depicts Sanchi Stupa of India and Pho Minh Pagoda of Viet Nam.

More about Sanchi Stupa

 Stupa is a buddhist commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics associated with the Buddha or other saintly persons.  The ‘Great Stupa’ at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure of India.

 It was originally commissioned by the History and Culture and History Ashoka of Mauryan Empire in the 3rd century BC.  This hemispherical brick structure is

surrounded by four gateways called Toranas, each representing love, trust, courage and peace.  These gateways are beautifully crafted and sculptured, depicting various events from the life of the Buddha and the Jatakas.

 In 1989 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site  It has upper as well as lower pradakshinapatha or circumambulatory path.

Pho Minh Pagoda of Viet Nam  Pagoda is a towerlike, multistory, solid or hollow structure made of stone, brick, or wood, usually associated with a Buddhist temple complex and usually found in East and Southeast Asia.  The pagoda structure derives from that of the stupa.  Phổ Minh Temple is a Buddhist temple in Tức Mặc village, Vietnam.  The pagoda was originally built during the Ly Dynasty and later expanded in 1262 during the Tran Dynasty.  It was a place for high-ranking mandarins and the aristocracy of the Tran Royal Court to worship and lead their religious life.

7.6 SEVA BHOJ YOJNA Why in news? The Ministry of Culture, Government of India has introduced a new scheme namely ‘Seva Bhoj Yojna’ with

a total outlay of Rs. 325.00 Crores for Financial Years 2018-19 and 2019-20. GovernmentInterventions

More about the Yojana  The Seva Bhoj Yojana was launched to reimburse the Central Government share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) so as to lessen the financial

burden of such Charitable Religious Institutions who provide Food/Prasad/Langar (Community

Kitchen)/Bhandara free of cost without any discrimination to Public/Devotees.

Eligibility  The scheme is applicable to all the Charitable Religious Institutions such as Temples, Gurudwara, Mosque, Church, Dharmik Ashram, Dargah, Matth, Monasteries etc. which meet the following conditions

o Should have been in existence for at least five years before applying for financial assistance/grant o serve free food to at least 5000 people in a month o institutions should be covered under Section 10( 23BBA) of the Income Tax Act or Institutions registered as Society under Societies Registration Act ( XXI of 1860) or as a Public Trust under any law for the time being in force of statuary religious bodies constituted under any Act or institutions registered under Section 12AA of Income Tax Act shall be eligible for grant under the scheme.  The details of registered institutions will be available on an online portal for the viewership of public, GST authorities and entity / institution itself.  The entity / institution will be permitted to submit the reimbursement claim of the GST and Central Government share of IGST to designated authority of GST Department at State level in the prescribed format during the validity of registration.  All the eligible institutions should be registered with Darpan portal.

8 GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS 8.1 BENAMI TRANSACTIONS INFORMANTS REWARD SCHEME, 2018 Why in news? Benami Transactions Informants Reward Scheme, 2018 was launched with the objective of obtaining people’s participation in the Income Tax Department’s efforts to unearth black money and to reduce tax evasion.

More about the scheme  This reward scheme is aimed at encouraging people to give information about benami transactions and properties as well as income earned on such properties by such hidden investors and beneficial owners.  Under the Benami Transactions Informants Reward Scheme, 2018, a person can get reward up to Rs. One crore for giving specific information in prescribed manner.  Foreigners will also be eligible for such reward.  Identity of the persons giving information will not be disclosed and strict confidentiality shall be maintained.

What are Benami Transactions?  Benami essentially means property without a name.  In this kind of transaction the person who pays for the property does not buys it under his/her own name.  The person on whose name the property has been purchased is called the benamdar and the property so purchased is called the benami property.  The person who finances the deal is the real owner.  The property is held for the benefit - direct or indirect - of the person paying the amount.

8.2 EXPORT CREDIT GUARANTEE CORPORATION Why in news? The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the capital infusion of Rs.2000 crore for strengthening of Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC).

GovernmentInterventions More about ECGC  ECGC is a premier export credit agency of the Government of India to provide Export Credit Insurance Services to facilitate exports from the country.  The company is wholly owned by the Government of India.

 It is headquartered in Mumbai.

 It comes under the administrative control of Ministry of Commerce.  The ECGC offers credit insurance schemes to exporters to protect them against losses due to non- payment of export dues by overseas buyers due to political and / or commercial risks.

8.3 NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT FUND (NIIF)

Why in news? The board of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved $100 million investment in the National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF) which could be followed by a similar tranche later.

More about NIIF  National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is a fund created by the Government of India for enhancing infrastructure financing in the country.  It was proposed in Union Budget 2015.  It is a trust that mobilizes funds so that it can give finance to the major infrastructure financing companies in the country.  It is envisaged as a fund of funds with the ability to make direct investments as required.  It got registered with SEBI as Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) on December 28, 2015.

Corpus of the Fund  Total corpus of the fund is Rs 40000 crore.  Government is supposed to invest around 20000 crore and remaining is expected to come from private establishments.  Government stake in the fund will be 49% and private section will hold a stake of 51%.  The contribution of government will enable it to be seen ‘virtually as a sovereign fund’.  The 49% government holding will make it like a sovereign fund with guarantee of the government and will attract foreign investors besides generating trust among the foreign investors because of sizable government ownership and management.

Governance of NIIF  The activities of NIIF will be overseen by a Governing Council and the council will be headed by Finance Minister.  The mandate of the Council is to approve guidelines for investment of Trust property/Corpus of NIIF and approve parameters for appointment and performance of investment managers.

Functions of NIIF  The functions of NIIF are as follows: o Fund raising through suitable instruments and attracting anchor investors to participate as partners in NIIF; o Servicing of the investors of NIIF. o Considering and approving candidate companies/institutions/ projects for investments and periodic monitoring of investments. o Investing in the corpus created by Asset Management Companies (AMCs) for investing in private equity. o Preparing a shelf of infrastructure projects and providing advisory services.

What is Fund of Funds?  Fund of Funds (FoF) is an investment fund that uses an investment approach of holding a portfolio of other investment funds rather than investing directly in shares, bonds or other securities.  This implies that there would be multiple alternative investment funds underneath the main fund.

Alternative Investment Fund Governmen

 Alternate investment funds (AIFs) are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.  They are classified under three categories – Categories I, II and III.  Since it was set up as Category II AIFs, the NIIF is eligible for a pass through status under the Income

Tax Act. tInterventions  A ‘pass-through’ status means that the income generated by the fund would be taxed in the hands of the ultimate investor, and the fund will be exempted.

What are Sovereign wealth Funds?  Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) are state-owned investment company like the GIC of Singapore which are owned by governments and invests their own money (foreign exchange reserves) in foreign countries.  These funds are known as SWFs and invest in assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities etc.  The NIIF is not such an entity and hence can’t be called as an SWF in the pure sense.

8.4 PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHIT MATRITVA ABHIYAN Why in news? Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare gave away the ‘IPledgefor9' Achievers Awards to the individuals and teams of doctors from the private sector and States for their exemplary services, outstanding support of institutions and commitment from support partners in achieving the mission’s objectives of safe motherhood to every woman in the country.

More about the abhiyan  The abhiyan was launched to provide assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care free of cost universally to all pregnant women on the 9th of every month.  The scheme comes under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW).  PMSMA guarantees a minimum package of antenatal care services to women in their 2nd / 3rd trimesters of pregnancy at designated government health facilities  The programme follows a systematic approach for engagement with private sector which includes motivating private practitioners to volunteer for the campaign.  A minimum package of antenatal care services would be provided to the beneficiaries at identified public health facilities in both urban and rural areas in addition to the routine ANC at the health facility/ outreach.  Pregnant women would be given Mother and Child Protection Cards and safe motherhood booklets.  One of the critical components of the Abhiyan is identification and follow up of high risk pregnancies. A sticker indicating the condition and risk factor of the pregnant women would be added onto MCP card for each visit: o Green Sticker- for women with no risk factor detected o Red Sticker – for women with high risk pregnancy  ‘IPledgeFor9’ Achievers Awards have been devised to celebrate individual and team achievements and acknowledge voluntary contributions for PMSMA in states and districts across India.

8.5 REUNITE Why in news? ReUnite app was launched to help track missing and abandoned children in India.

More about the App  The app was developed by NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan & Capgemini.  The app is multiuser where parents and citizens can upload pictures of children, and provide detailed description like name, birth mark, address, report to the police station, search and identify missing kids.

 The photographs will not be saved in the mobile phone’s physical memory.  AmazonRekognition, web facial recognition service, is being used to identify missing kids.  The app is available for both Android and iOS.

About BachpanBachaoAndolan

 BachpanBachaoAndolan, (BBA) is India’s largest movement for the protection of children and works GovernmentInterventions along with law enforcement agencies and policymakers  It has played a very important role in formulation of several laws for protection of child’s rights.  It began from the Nithari case in 2006 which finally culminated with the Supreme Court passing the landmark judgement in 2013 ordering that FIR has to be lodged in all cases of missing children.

 Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi is the founder of BachpanBachaoAndolan.

8.6 VAN DHAN SCHEME Why in news? The Government proposes to set up 3000 Van Dhan Kendras involving 30,000 SHGs across the country

under the Van Dhan Scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Van Dhan Scheme  Van Dhan Mission is an initiative for targeting livelihood generation for tribals by harnessing non- timber forest produces.  The Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs along with TRIFED.  Under Van Dhan, tribals are organised into various Self Help Groups to promote and leverage the collective strength of tribals.  It also aims at build upon the traditional knowledge & skill sets of tribals by adding technology & IT for value addition.  The tribes will be trained and provided with working capital to add value to the products, which they collect from the jungle.  The grass root level procurement is proposed to be undertaken through SHGs associated with Implementing Agencies.  Convergence and Networking with other Govt. departments/scheme shall be undertaken to utilise the services of existing SHGs like Ajeevika, etc.  Working under the leadership of Collector these groups can then market their products not only within the States but also outside the States.  Training and technical support is provided by TRIFED.

Van Dhan Vikas Kendra  “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” was established for providing skill upgradation and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facility.  A Kendra shall constitute of 10 tribal SHGs, each comprising of upto 30 tribal NTFP gatherers or artisans.

8.7 ICDS-CAS (COMMON APPLICATION SOFTWARE) Why in news? Ministry of Women and Child Development launched specially designed software to help in strengthening service delivery in POSHAN Abhiyaan.

More about ICDS-CAS  ICDS-CAS (Common Application Software) was launched by MoWCD to strengthen the Service Delivery System as well as the mechanism for Real Time Monitoring (RTM) for nutritional outcomes.  The Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS) enables data capture, ensures assigned service delivery and prompts for interventions wherever required.  This data is then available in near real time to the supervisory staff from Sector, Block, District, State to National level through a Dashboard, for monitoring.

POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition)  POSHAN abhiyan was launched to ensure holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children.  It was launched in Rajasthan in March 2018.  The proposed scheme also targets stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia (among young children,

women and adolescent girls) and low birth rate. GovernmentInterventions  The target of the mission is to bring down stunting among children in the age group 0-6 years from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.  Following key Nutrition strategies and interventions will be part of the abhiyan : o IYCF(Infant and Young child feeding)

o Food and Nutrition o Immunization o Institutional Delivery o WASH(Water,Sanitation and Hygiene) o De-worming o ORS-Zinc

o Food Fortification o Dietary Diversification o Adolescent Nutrition o Maternal Health and Nutrition o ECD(Early childhood development)/ECCE(Early Childhood care and Education) o Convergence o ICT-RTM(Information and Communication. Technology enabled Real Time Monitoring) o Capacity Building

8.8 SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2018 Why in news? Under the Swachh Survekshan 2018, Maharashtra takes the lead with 28 cities from the state featuring in the list of top 100 cities.

More about Swachh Survekshan  Swachh Survekshan is a ranking exercise taken up by the Government of India to assess level of cleanliness and active implementation of Swachhata mission initiatives in a timely and innovative manner.  The objective of the survey is to encourage large scale citizen participation and create awareness amongst all sections of society about swachhtha.  The Swachh Survekshan 2018 assessed various Urban Local Bodies and was organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).  Cities having population of one lakh and more and capital cities were ranked at National Level and cities with population of less than one lakh were ranked at Zonal Level – North, south, East, West and North East.

Parameters of the Rankings  Survey was based on six parameters – o Collection and Transportation of Municipal Solid Waste. o Processing and Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste. o Sanitation-related progress (Strategy for Open Defecation Free town (ODF)). o IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) o Capacity Building o Innovation and Best Practices  Based on the rankings, Indore is India’s cleanest city for second year in a row, followed by Bhopal.

8.9 PARIWARTAN SCHEME Why in news? State-run Rural Electrification Corp. Ltd (REC) has launched a new project which is called Power Asset Revival through Warehousing and Rehabilitation or Pariwartan.

GovernmentInterventions More about Pariwartan scheme  Pariwartan scheme was launched by power ministry under a broader plan to revitalize stressed power projects and to stem the rise in bad loans in the power sector.

Why the scheme was launched?  Promoters of several stressed assets are looking to sell some of the projects under Insolvency and Bankruptcy code.  With promoters losing interest, the value of these assets are deteriorating due to lack of operations and maintenance.  The stressed projects have drawn bids for around Rs 1-2 crore per MW under the insolvency and bankruptcy code, a fraction of the Rs 5 crore per MW needed to build them.

 This has caused lot of concerns among the several sections of government.  The goal of this scheme is to run these power assets to service their current debt, and look at breaking even before the lenders decide to takeover or sell the assets.  Issues faced by the stressed projects include paucity of funds, lack of power purchase agreements and fuel shortages.

What the Plan Proposes?  Under the scheme the government plans to transfer the stressed power projects totalling 25,000 megawatts (MW) under an asset management firm to protect the value of the assets and prevent their distress sale till demand for power picks up.  The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has proposed that a special purpose vehicle to be setup as a subsidiary company to securitise assets with PFC and the lending banks, which would be overlooked by the asset management company.  REC has identified projects with a total debt of around Rs 1.8 trillion to be taken as a part of the scheme.  The scheme is inspired by the Troubled Asset Relief Programme, or TARP, which was introduced in the US during the 2008 financial crisis.

How the plan works?  The promoter’s equity in the projects will be reduced to facilitate a transfer of management control to the financial institutions.  In the case of lenders, they will convert their debt into equity.  These projects will then be transferred to the AMRC at net book value, wherein it will own a 51% stake in the projects and the balance 49% will be held by the lenders.  The AMRC will manage the projects and may ask utilities such as NTPC Ltd to operate and maintain them.  The AMRC will charge a fee and help complete projects that are stranded for lack of funds.  Government believes that once demand kicks in, driven by a strong economic growth and schemes such as Saubhagya, these assets will come back in play.

How the issues will be tackled?  The scheme looks to solve the issue of coal supply shortage by providing special coal supply assistance with assistance from the coal ministry.  In the case of lack of power purchase agreements, electricity produced during a 48 month period under the plan will be sold at power exchanges and short term power purchase agreements would be sought from state governments.

8.10 KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRAS Why in news? Prime Minister will be holding a direct dialogue with the farmers across the country and will be discussing various initiatives related to doubling the income of farmers by 2022 with farmers. This would be broadcast

directly by Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s Common Service Centers (CSC), Doordarshan, DD Kissan and Aakashvaani ,all over the country.

More about Krishi Vigyan Kendras  Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) is an agricultural extension centre financed by the Indian Council of

Agricultural Research (ICAR) to provide various types of farm support to the agricultural sector. GovernmentInterventions  The first KVK was established in 1974 at Puducherry.  The KVK scheme is 100% financed by Govt. of India and the KVKs are sanctioned to Agricultural Universities, ICAR institutes, related Government Departments and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working in Agriculture.

 KVKs provide several farm support activities like providing technology dissemination to farmers, training, awareness etc.  It functions as the district level Farm Science Centres with the mandate for technology assessment and demonstration for its application and capacity Development in agriculture.  KVKs undertake following types of activities to achieve the desired objectives: . Farm Advisory Service

. Training programme for different categories of people. . Training programme for the extension functionaries. . Front Line Demonstration (Fill) . On Farm Testing (OFT).  KVK is an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS)  The NARS system aims at assessment of location specific technology modules in agriculture and allied enterprises, through technology assessment, refinement and demonstrations.

Krishi Vigyan Kendras Portal  Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) Portal was launched to monitor the functioning of KVKs at the National level and in providing timely information and advisory to the farmers.

The special programmes which shall be initiated through the KVK Scheme are:  Nutri-sensitive Agricultural Resources and Innovations (NARI);  Knowledge Systems and Homestead Agriculture Management in Tribal Areas (KSHAMTA),  Value Addition and Technology Incubation Centres in Agriculture (VATICA),  Farm Innovation Resource Management (FIRM) and  Establishment of Agricultural Technology Information Centre.

8.11 AYUSHMAN BHARAT – NATIONAL HEALTH PROTECTION MISSION (AB-NHPM) Why in news? Ayushman Bharat is featured as a flagship scheme of Ministry of Health in in its recent press release.

More about the Scheme  AB-NHPM is a Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.  It is a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme having central sector component under Ayushman Bharat Mission anchored in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).  The scheme has the benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.

Benefit cover:  This cover will take care of almost all secondary care and most of tertiary care procedures.  The benefit cover will also include pre and post-hospitalisation expenses.  All pre-existing conditions will be covered from day one of the policy.  A defined transport allowance per hospitalization will also be paid to the beneficiary.

Other Facts  The target beneficiary will be identified based on the SECC database.  AB-NHPM will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes –Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).  There will be no cap on family size and age in the scheme.  This will be the world’s largest government funded health care programme. © Neo IAS  0484-4030104 | 9446331522 | 9446334122 | www.neoias.com 68 www.youtube.com/neoias | www.fb.com/neoias | http://bit.do/neo-upscprelims

 The beneficiaries can avail benefits in both public and empanelled private facilities.

Authority  For giving policy directions and fostering coordination between Centre and States, it is proposed to set up Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-NHPMC) at apex level Chaired by

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister. Gover  States would need to have State Health Agency (SHA) to implement the scheme.  To ensure that the funds reach SHA on time, the transfer of funds from Central Government through

Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission to State Health Agencies may be done through nmentInterventions

an escrow account directly.

8.12 CENTRAL ADOPTION RESOURCE AUTHORITY (CARA) Why in news? The nodal body for adoption in the country has barred partners in live-in relationships from adopting a child on the ground that cohabitation without marriage is not considered a stable family in India.

More about CARA  Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a statutory body of Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.  It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.  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 /recognised adoption agencies.

8.13 SWACHH ICONIC PLACES (SIP) Why in news? Ten new iconic sites have been taken up under Phase III of the flagship project Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

More about Swachh Iconic Places  The Swachh Iconic Places is a special clean-up initiative focused on select iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places in the country.  It is an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission.  The initiative is being coordinated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in association with the Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and the concerned State governments.  It was launched in 2016.  It also involves local administrations in the concerned States and Public Sector and Private Companies as sponsoring partners.

Phase I coverage of iconic places  Under Phase 1 of this initiative, the following iconic places are being covered for an intensive clean up. o Vaishno Devi, Jammu and Kashmir o Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Maharashtra o Taj Mahal, Uttar Pradesh o Tirupati Temple, Andhra Pradesh o Golden Temple, Punjab o Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh o Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Rajasthan o Meenakshi Temple, Tamil Nadu o Kamakhya Temple, Assam o Jagannath Puri, Odisha

Phase II coverage of iconic places  The Phase II of Swachh Iconic Places initiative is to cover the following. o Gangotri o Yamunotri o Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain

o Char Minar, Hyderabad GovernmentInterventions o Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assissi, Goa o Adi Shankaracharya’s abode Kaladi in Ernakulam o Gomateshwar in Shravanbelgola o Baijnath Dham, Devghar

o Gaya Tirth in Bihar o Somnath temple in Gujarat.

Phase III coverage of iconic places  Ten new iconic sites under Phase III are o RaghavendraSwamy Temple (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh);

o Hazardwari Palace (Murshidabad, West Bengal);

o Brahma Sarovar Temple (Kurukshetra, Haryana); o VidurKuti (Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh); o Mana village (Chamoli, Uttarakhand); o Pangong Lake (Leh-Ladakh, J&K); o Nagvasuki Temple (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh); o ImaKeithal/market (Imphal, Manipur); o Sabarimala Temple (Kerala); and o Kanvashram (Uttarakhand)

8.14 PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA Why in news? The Prime Minister interacted with Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana beneficiaries from across the country, through video bridge. More about the PMAY  Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is an initiative by Government of India in which affordable housing will be provided to the poor by 2022.  It has two components: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G).  The initiative comes under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.  Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Government plans to build around three crore houses in rural areas and one crore houses in urban areas.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)  It covers entire urban area consisting of 4041 statutory towns with initial focus on 500 Class I cities.  Beneficiaries include economically weaker section (EWS), low-income groups (LIGs) and Middle Income Groups (MIGs).  The Mission seeks to address the housing requirement of urban poor including slum dwellers through following programme verticals: o Slum rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a resource o Promotion of Affordable Housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy o Affordable Housing in Partnership with Public & Private sectors o Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction /enhancement.  Mission will be implemented as Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) except for the component of credit linked subsidy which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin)  PMAY-G was launched to provide pucca house to all who are houseless and living in dilapidated houses in rural areas by 2022.  Its earlier name was Indira Awaas Yojana(IAY).

 The scheme would be implemented in rural areas throughout India except Delhi and Chandigarh.  Under PMAY, the cost of unit assistance is to be shared between Central and State Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states.  Identification of beneficiaries eligible for assistance will be done using information from Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC).

 The final list will be presented after consultation with Gram Sabha to identify beneficiaries who have GovernmentInterventions been assisted before or who have become ineligible due to other reasons.

8.15 KRISHI KALYAN ABHIYAN Why in news? The Ministry of Agriculture and farmers’ welfare in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 has launched the Krishi kalyan abhiyan.

More about the Abhiyan  Krishi kalyan Abhiyaan is a mission launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ welfare to aid, assist and advice farmers on how to improve their farming techniques and raise their incomes.

 The Krishi kalyan Abhiyaan will be undertaken in 25 Villages with more than 1000 population each in Aspirational Districts identified in consultation with Ministry of Rural Development as per directions of NITI Aayog.  In districts where number of villages (with more than 1000 population) is less than 25, all villages will be covered.  The overall coordination and implementation in the 25 villages of a district is being done by Krishi Vigyan Kendra of that district.

Activities which will be undertaken under this plan are o Distribution of Soil Health Cards to all farmers o 100% coverage of bovine vaccination for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in each village o 100% coverage of Sheep and Goat for eradication of Peste des Petits ruminants (PPR ) o Distribution of Mini Kits of pulses and oilseeds to all. o Distribution of Horticulture/Agro Forestry/Bamboo plant @ 5 per family(location appropriate) o Making 100 NADAP Pits in each village o Artificial insemination saturation o Demonstration programmes on Micro- irrigation o Demonstrations of integrated cropping practice o Demonstration programmes on Micro Irrigation and Integrated Cropping Practice

8.16 JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA Why in news? Union Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, launched the ‘JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA’ under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).

More about Suvidha  Suvidha is an Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin launched under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). Security  The Suvidha sanitary napkin pads will be low cost compared to napkins currently available in the market.

 It will ensure ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’ for underprivileged women.  These napkin has special additive added in it, which makes it biodegradable when it reacts with oxygen after it is used and discarded.  Poor menstrual hygiene can cause final infections, reproductive tract infection, urinary tract infection, cervical cancer and infertility.  According to National Family Health Survey (NHFS) 2015-16, about 58% of women aged between 15 to 24 years use locally prepared napkins, sanitary napkins and tampons.  Further, while about 78 percent women in urban areas use hygienic methods of protection during menstrual period only 48 percent women in rural areas have access to clean sanitary napkins.

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana  Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. Of India, to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special kendras known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra.  The initiative will be operated by BPPI (Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India) which has been established under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. of India.

What are Generic Medicines?  Generic medicines are unbranded medicines which are equally safe and having the same efficacy as that of branded medicines in terms of their therapeutic value.  The prices of generic medicines are much cheaper than their branded equivalent.

Who can open Jan Aushadhi Kendra?  State Governments in Government Hospitals  Any government agencies in Government Buildings  Any NGOs/ Charitable Society/Institution /Self-help Group/Individual Entrepreneurs/Pharmacist/Doctor outside of the hospital premises or any other suitable place

9 SECURITY 9.1 RANI RASHMONI Why in news? The last of the five Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) project of Indian Coast Guard ‘Rani Rashmoni’ was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard.

More about Rani Rashmoni  Rani Rashmoni is the fifth and last vessel to be inducted into Indian Coast Guard under the series Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV).  It was indigenously built at Hindusthan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) Vishakapatnam.  The other four FPVs are ICGS Rani Abbakka, ICGS Rani Avanti Bai, ICGS Rani Durgavati and ICGS Rani Gaidinliu.  The FPVs are equipped with advanced sensors and state-of- the-art equipment and are designed to perform multifarious

tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue, anti-smuggling and anti-poaching, operations.  The patrol vessel is fitted with an advanced Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), to carry out search and rescue operations  Other features include Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Machinery Control System, Infra-red Communication System and the armament includes one CRN 91 Naval Gun along with its fire control system.  It can reach a maximum speed of 63kmph.

 It will be based at Vishakapatnam. Security

9.2 NATIONAL CRIME RECORDS BUREAU (NCRB)

Why in news? National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Director requested the government to provide limited access to the Aadhaar database, which would help the investigating agencies in conducting a probe into inter-State criminals more effectively with the help of fingerprints.

More about NCRB  National Crime Records Bureau is an attached office of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India

History  It was established in 1986 with a mandate to empower Indian Police with information technology solutions and criminal intelligence to enable them to enforce the law effectively.  It was set up based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Task force (1985).  This was done by merging the Directorate of Coordination and Police Computer (DCPC), Inter State Criminals Data Branch of CBI, Central Finger Print Bureau of CBI, and Statistical Branch of BPR&D.

Other Facts  It is responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC).  It facilitates Investigating Officers with updated IT tools and information in Investigation of Crimes.  The MHA has entrusted NCRB with a renewed mandate for the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) Project.  Various applications developed by NCRB include Crime & Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), Finger Prints Science, ‘Vahan Samanvay’, ‘TALASH’, Mobile Apps Citizen Complaint, View FIR, Locater, Automated License Plate Reader.  NCRB Publications include ‘Crime in India’, ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India’ and ‘Prison Statistics India’.

Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)  AFIS is the current fingerprint identification system employed in India.  It was developed in 1992 and has only 11.5 lakh fingerprint database.  NCRB is demanding for a new National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) that can be linked to 850-odd police district headquarters and commissionerates from where a search query could be sent to the National Database.  All the States currently have about 50 lakh finger print database. Integrating the system would generate more efficiency.  In the second phase, the NCRB would stretch their arms to all the 15,600-odd police stations across the country so that a police constable on patrolling duty can send the query and check the incidents of any suspect.

9.3 CENTRE FOR UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING (CUNPK) Why in news? The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK), India and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect has jointly started the pilot “Training of Trainers (ToT) Course on Civilian Protection and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)”, at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, India.

More about CUNPK  The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK) has been set up in New Delhi to provide specific training and techniques for peace keeping operations.  The Centre conducts International Training Capsules for Military Contingent Officers, Military Observers, and Staff and Logistics Officers.  It is also the repository of information on India’s involvement in UN Peacekeeping missions.

About UN peace Keeping Missions  UN Peacekeeping is a role held by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) as a unique and

dynamic instrument to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace. Security

 United Nations Peacekeeping began in 1948 when the Security Council authorized the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East.  The mission's role was to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours – an operation which became known as the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).  Since then, 71 peacekeeping operations have been deployed by the UN, 57 of them since 1988.  All missions maintain three basic principles such as Consent of the parties, impartiality and non-use of Force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.  Currently 14 peace keeping missions are going on.

9.4 INDO-US DEFENCE FOUNDATIONAL AGREEMENTS  Foundational agreements are those agreements through which US enters into alliance with its partner countries.  These agreements are foundational but are not the prerequisites for holding bilateral cooperation with US.  The three main foundation agreements are o Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), o Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), o Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for Geospatial Intelligence.  General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) was an initial agreement which was signed in the year 2002.  GSOMIA facilitated opportunities for greater intelligence sharing between India and the United States.  So far India has signed only 1 out of main 3 agreements i.e. LEMOA in 2016.

LEMOA  LEMOA will give the militaries of both countries access to each other’s facilities for supplies and repairs.  It is an enabling agreement; LEMOA does not make logistical support automatic or obligatory for either party.  Dependending on each case,the respective government will look into the request and will give permit or decline.

COMCASA  COMCASA is one of three foundational agreements that guide US high technology cooperation in defence sector with other countries.  It was earlier called Communication and Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA).  COMCASA is meant to facilitate the use of high-end secured communication equipment to be installed on military platforms being sold to India and fully exploit their potential.  The COMCASA will facilitate transfer of encrypted communications systems.  The agreements are a key requirement by Washington for sharing h-tech military hardware, especially armed drones which the U.S. is willing to supply to India.

BECA  BECA agreement would enable exchange of geospatial information between India and United States for both military and civilian use.  The agreement makes sure all kinds of information whether intelligence reports or satellite data inputs regarding the landscape of the battle field or any forms of information gathering methods are shared unconditionally between the 2 military forces.

9.5 DHANUSH ARTILLERY GUN Why in news? The indigenously upgraded artillery gun Dhanush has successfully completed final user trials and is ready for induction into the Army.

More about Dhanush  The Dhanush is a 155 mm towed howitzer used by the Indian Army.

 It is also called the "desi Bofors". Security

 It has a strike range of 36 kilometres and 81% of its components are indigenously sourced.

 The gun has passed tests under both severe cold and hot and humid weather conditions.  The gun has been developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kolkata, after going through design documents obtained from Swedish Bofors Company via technology transfer.

9.6 PINAKA MULTI BARREL ROCKET LAUNCHER Why in news? The indigenous Pinaka rocket system of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), known for firing a salvo of 12 rockets in just 44 seconds, is being evolved into a precision-guided missile, with enhanced range and accuracy to hit its targets.

About Pinaka Rocket System  Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher produced in India and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army  Development of Pinaka commenced in 1986.  Pinaka is originally a 30 to 40 km range rocket and in subsequent developments, the range was increased.  Pinaka Mark II has an enhanced range of 70 to 80 km compared to Mark I, with a range of 40 km.  DRDO is working with Israel’s IMI to develop Pinaka Mark-III which will use IMI’s Trajectory Correction System (TCS) that will enhance the accuracy of the attack.

Characteristics  The Pinaka system is based on the 8×8 vehicle. Each battery is composed of six launcher vehicles, six loader-cum replenishment vehicles and two command post vehicles.  Each launcher vehicle carries two pods, housing a total of 12 rockets.  Each Pinaka rocket is capable of carrying a 100kg payload for a range of 40km.  A single Pinaka battery can neutralise a surface area of 700m x 500m.  The system can engage targets with a circular error probability (CEP) of one to two percent of range.

 The launch system can fire a salvo of 12 rockets within 40 seconds.  The launcher traverses 90° left / right from the centreline and can elevate up to 55°.  The launcher is capable of operating in autonomous mode, stand-alone mode, remote mode and manual mode.  The Pinaka launcher system is mounted on the indigenously built TATRA/BEML 8×8 vehicle.

9.7 OPERATION NISTAR Why in news? Indian Naval Ship Sunayana entered Porbandar harbour after successfully evacuating 38 Indian Nationals through Operation codenamed NISTAR.

More about Operation NISTAR  Operation Nistar is a Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operation (HADR) to rescue Indian Nationals off Socotra Islands.

 The Indian Nationals were stranded for nearly ten days after severe Cyclonic Storm – Mekunu devastated the area around Socotra Island.  INS Sunayna was diverted from Gulf of Aden deployment to Socotra Island for search and rescue operations after Indian Navy received a distress call from Directorate General of Shipping and Indian Sailing Vessels Association.

9.8 KAMOV KA-226T ATTACK HELICOPTERS Why in news? The government is all set to conclude a multibillion-dollar deal to procure 200 Kamov Ka-226T attack helicopters through a joint venture between Russian Helicopters and state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Security (HAL).

More about the Kamov Ka-226T attack Helicopter  The Kamov 226T is a twin-engine light but multi-role Russian chopper.  Can be used for both military and civilian purposes.  The helicopters will replace India's ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak.  The said helicopter meets all high safety standards, boasts incredibly precise hovering ability, excellent manoeuvrability and is very easy to fly.  Improved performance characteristics of the Ka-226T include eco-friendly features, efficiency, modern avionics and additional flight safety solutions.  It can be used effectively for reconnaissance, targeting and monitoring of transportation (up to 1,500 kg).  The helicopter has a maximum speed of 250 km/hour and a cruise speed of 220 km/hour.  The passenger model can comfortably set up to seven people.  It can operate day and night, in regular and adverse weather conditions, over land or expanses of water, and also in high winds.  It is operable in temperatures ranging from -50°С до +50°С with a relative humidity of 100%, and does not need to be kept in a hangar.

9.9 EXERCISE MALABAR 2018 Why in news? The Indian Naval Ships INS Sahyadri, INS Shakti and INS Kamorta is currently on an overseas deployment to South East Asia and the Western Pacific, and will be participating in the Exercise Malabar.

More about Exercise Malabar

 Exercise Malabar is a trilateral naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India as and Reports Indices permanent partners.  It was originally a bilateral exercise between India and the United States.

 Later Japan became a permanent partner in 2015.

 The series began in 1992 and includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercises.  The primary aim of this multilateral exercise is to increase interoperability amongst navies of three countries and develop common understanding of procedures for Maritime Security Operations and

deepen defence relations between them.  In 2007, the exercise also saw participation of Australia and Singapore.

About Exercise 2018  Malabar 2018 naval exercise will be held off the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea from June 6 to June 15.  It is for the first time that the Malabar Exercise is being conducted at Guam, a US territory.  This will be 22nd edition of the naval exercise.  The Indian Navy will be represented by the two indigenously designed and built ships, the multi-purpose stealth frigate INS Sahyadri and Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette, INS Kamorta, Fleet Tanker INS Shakti and Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I.  The exercise will feature both ashore and at-sea training.  Training will focus on high-end war fighting skillsets, subject matter expert and professional exchanges, combined carrier strike group operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations, surface and anti-submarine warfare, damage control, helicopter operations and visit, board, and search and seizure (VBSS) operations.

10 REPORTS AND INDICES 10.1 GLOBAL REALTY TRANSPARENCY INDEX Why in news? India has improved its ranking by one notch to 35th in the global real estate transparency index driven by policy reforms and liberalisation of FDI rules in property as well as retail sectors, realty consultant JLL said.

More about the Index  Global Real Estate Transparency Index is a biannual index brought out by realty consultant JLL tracking the transparency in the realty sector.  The 2018 Global Real Estate Transparency Index covers 100 markets and is based on 186 indicators.  These variables are divided into six areas –performance measurement, market fundamentals, and governance of listed vehicles, regulatory & legal frameworks, transaction process and environmental sustainability.  Depending on their overall performance, markets are assigned to one of five transparency tiers viz. highly transparent, transparent, semi-transparent, low transparency and opaque.

2018 Rankings  India was ranked 36th in the index during the last bi-annual survey conducted in 2016 and 40th in 2014.  The country’s real estate market is currently placed in the ‘semi-transparent’ zone.  According to the survey, UK is at the top position followed by Australia and the US.

10.2 WORLD POVERTY CLOCK STUDY Why in news? India is likely to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030, and less than 3 percent Indians will be poor by 2020, according to a recent study published in a Brookings blog.

World Poverty Clock

 World Poverty Clock is a tool which is brought out by World Data Lab in Vienna, Austria and its global and Reports Indices network.  It is based on a global standardized database on income which provides real-time projections on income

levels for every individual in the world.

 It takes into account household surveys and projections of economic growth from the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook.

World Poverty Clock Study

 The study based on World Poverty Clock is compiled by Brookings Institute and looks into poverty level

in various countries.  The study, published in the ‘Future Development’ blog of Brookings, says: "India is moving down in global poverty rankings.”  It says that India is no longer the home to the largest number of people living in extreme poverty.  India, which used to be home to the largest number of poor people in the world, was overtaken by Nigeria in May 2018.  According to the report about 44 Indians come out of extreme poverty every minute, one of the fastest rates of poverty reduction in the world, and India's rank could come down to number three if this continues.  The study suggests that based on the (the UN's) Sustainable Development Goals, India needs to set new targets and get 1.6 people per second out of the ambit of extreme poverty in order to completely eliminate extreme poverty.  The Brookings study also makes a grim forecast for Africa, which may be on the brink of becoming more poverty-stricken with time.  According to the report, every minute 70 people escape poverty (or 1.2 people per second). This is close to the SDG-target (92 people per minute, or 1.5 per second) and allows us to estimate that around 36 million people have escaped extreme poverty in the year 2016.

What is extreme poverty?  Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $1.9 a day.

10.3 THOMSON REUTERS POLL Why in news? India has been ranked as the most dangerous country out of the world’s 10 worst countries for women, behind Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia, according to a poll conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

More about the Poll  The poll was conducted by Thomson Reuters Foundation on various women issues.  The organisation surveyed nearly 550 experts focused on women's issues, asking them to rank countries based on a number of key issues, including access to healthcare, prevalence of sexual abuse and discrimination.  The survey finds India as the world's most dangerous country for women due to the high risk of sexual violence and being forced into slave labour.  War-torn Afghanistan and Syria ranked second and third, followed by Somalia and Saudi Arabia.

10.4 WOMEN IN PRISONS REPORT Why in news? The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has come up with its report titled ‘Women in Prisons’ which aims to build an understanding of the various entitlements of women in prisons, the various issues faced by them and possible methods for resolution of the same.

More about the report and Reports Indices  The report was launched to address the issue faced by women prisoners in the country.  The report contains a comprehensive list of 134 recommendations for improving the lives of women

under incarceration.

 The report covers a wide range of issues that women face in prisons, and is inclusive of the needs of the elderly and the disabled.

Present Condition

 As per recent data available from 2015, about 4.3% of prisoners are women.

 Of these 66.8% are under trial prisoners.  An increasing trend was observed in the number of women prisoners – from 3.3% of all prisoners in 2000 to 4.3% in 2015.  A majority of female inmates are in the age group of 30-50 years (50.5%), followed by 18-30 years (31.3%).  Of the total 1,401 prisons in India, only 18 are exclusive for women, housing 2,985 female prisoners.  Majority of women inmates are housed in women’s enclosures of general prisons.

10.5 UN’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS 2018 REPORT Why in news? The number of hungry people in the world has risen for the first time in more than a decade, according to a recently released United Nations report.

More about the Report  Sustainable development Goals 2018 report is a report brought down by UN which examines the performance of various regions in meeting the 17 SDGs.  The report highlights both gains and challenges various regions faces in achieving the 2030 Agenda.

What are Sustainable Development Goals?  The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations in 2015.  The goals were developed to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which ended in 2015.  It is also called 2030 agenda, since the goals should be achieved by 2030.

2018 Report  A fast-changing climate, conflict, inequality, persistent pockets of poverty and hunger and rapid urbanization are challenging countries’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), According to the report.  The report depicts the number of hungry people in the world has risen for the first time in more than a decade.  The report says that conflict and climate change were major contributing factors leading to growing numbers of people facing hunger and forced displacement.  According to the report, conflict is now one of the main drivers of food insecurity in 18 countries.  Economic losses due to disaster were highest owing to the major hurricanes affecting the United States of America and several countries across the Caribbean.

South Asia  South Asia, which includes India, has seen child marriage rates plunge, with a girl’s risk of getting married in childhood dropping by 40% from 2000 to 2017.

 Water stress levels for many countries in the region are above 70%, indicating fast-approaching water scarcity.  More than nine out of 10 people living in urban areas around the world are breathing polluted air, with southern Asia scoring the worst in this area.  The report noted that efforts are being made to close the gap in the case of electricity and sanitation

deficits in south Asia.

Reports and Reports Indices

10.6 COMPOSITE WATER MANAGEMENT INDEX Why in news? The NITI Aayog released the results of a study warning that India is facing its ‘worst’ water crisis in history and that demand for potable water will outstrip supply by 2030 if steps are not taken.

About the Index

 Composite Water Management Index is an index developed by NITI Aayog which would work as a useful and Reports Indices tool to assess and further improve the performance in efficient management of water resources.  It is an important tool to assess and improve the performance of States/ Union Territories in

efficient management of water resources.

 CWMI comprises 9 broad sectors with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of ground water, restoration of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water,

policy and governance  Critical areas such as source augmentation; major and medium irrigation; watershed development; participatory irrigation practices; sustainable on-farm water use practices; rural drinking water; urban water supply and sanitation; and policy & governance have been accorded high priority.  For the purposes of analysis, the reporting states were divided into two special groups – ‘North Eastern and Himalayan states’ and ‘Other States’, to account for the different hydrological conditions across these groups.  This has been done through a first of its kind water data collection exercise in partnership with Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation and all the States/ Union Territories.  The index would provide useful information for the States and also for the concerned Central Ministries/Departments enabling them to formulate and implement suitable strategies for better management of water resources.

About this year’s Report  Gujarat has emerged the top state in composite water management in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.  Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been the worst performers in the ranking.  In North Eastern and Himalayan States, Tripura has been adjudged number 1 in 2016-17 followed by Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Assam.  In terms of incremental change in index (over 2015-16 level), Rajasthan holds number one position in general States and Tripura ranks at first position amongst North Eastern and Himalayan States.  About 60% of the States were marked as low performers.  Many of the States that performed badly — Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh— accounted for 20-30% of India’s agricultural output.  Twenty-one cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, will run out of groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million people, the study noted.  If matters are to continue, there will be a 6% loss in the country’s Gross Domestic Product by 2050.  Critical groundwater resources, which account for 40% of the water supply, are being depleted at “unsustainable” rates and up to 70% of the supply is “contaminated.  The report notes that lack of water was not necessary grounds for the States not initiating action on conservation.  Most of the gains registered by the States were due to their restoration of surface water bodies, watershed development activities and rural water supply provision.

10.7 GLOBAL PEACE INDEX 2018 Why in news? India has moved up four places to the 137th rank among 163 countries on the 2018 Global Peace Index, due to a reduction in the level of violent crime driven by increased law enforcement, according to a report by an Australian think tank.

More about the Index and Reports Indices  Global Peace Index is an index brought down by Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) which measures the relative position of nations' and regions' peacefulness.

 The GPI ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their levels of peacefulness.

 Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008.  New Zealand, Austria, Portugal and Denmark also sit in the top five most peaceful rankings.  Syria remains the least peaceful country in the world, a position it has held for the past five years.  Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq and Somalia comprise the remaining least peaceful countries.

 India has improved by four positions in the overall ranking from 141st to 137th.  India was also among the countries with the biggest decreases in the number of deaths, along with Sri Lanka, Chad, Colombia, and Uganda.  Overall, the global level of peace has deteriorated by 0.27% in the last year, marking the fourth successive year of deteriorations.  Ninety-two countries situation deteriorated, while 71 countries improved.

Repo

rts andIndices rts

Reports and Reports Indices

GRANDMASTER CHALLENGE - ANSWERS

GrandmasterChallenge

Statements

1 Island Development Agency is a statutory body. 2 Women Entrepreneurs Platform is a NITI Ayog initiative. 3

Special Status is given for states on account of economic backwardness only. -

Answers 4 North Eastern Council is a regional planning body. 5 UPSC is established by the constitution.

6 Seychelles is a part of Asia.

7 Mangolia is landlocked. 8 Bhavani river flows through silent valley. 9 Minor ports are handled by State governments. 10 WMO is not a UN agency. 11 Hoolock Gibbons are native to India. 12 World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee. 13 E-mammal is a data management system. 14 Eco sensitive zones are notified by state governments. 15 Methanol is also known as wood alcohol. 16 Helium is abundant on earth. 17 The primary aim of PARAS is to search for extra solar planets. 18 National Digital Library of India is a project of the Ministry of Human Resource. 19 Vitamin E is known as sunshine vitamin. 20 Hepatitis B affects the liver. 21 Global Solar Bank is a new proposal by International Solar Alliance. 22 OPEC is not a permanent intergovernmental organization. 23 Theme of 2018 Yoga Day was 'Yoga for Happiness.' 24 UNHRC is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly. 25 OPCW is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). 26 SCO is solely economic in nature. 27 ECGC comes under the administrative control of Ministry of Commerce. 28 Alternate investment funds (AIFs) are regulated by RBI. 29 FATF aims to combat money laundering. 30 GSTN will manage the entire IT system of the GST portal. 31 Each Regional Rural Bank is sponsored by a Private Sector Bank. 32 RuPay Card is an Indian payment gateway. 33 CCEA is headed by Home minister. 34 ReUnite app was launched to help track missing and abandoned children. 35 VanDhan scheme was launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs along with TRIFED.

36 Pariwartan scheme was launched by ministry of agriculture. 37 Ayushmann Bharat is a health protection scheme.

38 CARA is a non-statutory body. GrandmasterChallenge 39 Under PMAY, the cost of unit assistance is to be met by Central Government alone. 40 Krishi kalyan Abhiyaan is a mission launched by Ministry of Agriculture. 41 Suvidha is an Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin. 42 Rani Rashmoni was built by Israel.

43 National Crime Records Bureau is an attached office of Ministry of Home Affairs.

44 LEMOA will give the militaries of both countries access to each other’s facilities for supplies and repairs. 45 Pinaka is developed by ISRO.

46 Kamov Ka-226T is purely a military helicopter. -

Answers 47 World Poverty Clock is published by WEF. 48 Composite Water Management Index is an index developed by NITI Aayog. 49 Global Peace Index is an index brought down by Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). 50 An Echelle spectrograph disperses the light in two orthogonal directions using two dispersion stages.

CURRENT AFFAIRS PLUS

CurrentAffairs Plus