Note: First few volume of target shots are bigger because we are covering news in detail with static linkages considering fresher's preparation also. Next coming volumes will be more concise.

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Contents Environment...... 13 Peacock Soft-shelled Turtle ...... 13 River pollution ...... 13 What are the Blue tides spotted at beaches?...... 15 ’s PPP project in Leopard rescue and rehabilitation ...... 15 Hornbill Festival ...... 16 Apex committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA) ...... 16 State of the Global Climate provisional report ...... 17 GLOBAL WARMING ...... 18 Malayan Giant Squirrel ...... 19 Zoological Survey of (ZSI) ...... 20 Houbara Bustard ...... 20 Red Sea Turtles ...... 20 Lakshadweep first UT to become 100% organic ...... 21 Action Plan for the promotion of Millets and Millet products ...... 23 Elephant Corridors ...... 23 Eco-ducts or Eco-bridges ...... 24 ...... 25 Narmada Landscape Restoration Project ...... 25 Climate Change Performance Index 2020...... 26 Mount Everest ...... 26 Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms: ...... 27 Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary ...... 28 A zebrafish gene ...... 28 Emissions Gap Report 2020: UNEP...... 29 Paris Climate Accord ...... 30 Report: “Preparing India for Extreme Climate Events” ...... 31 Voluntary Disclosure of Exotic Pets...... 32 Myristica swamp treefrog ...... 32 Tiger translocation ...... 33

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Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve ...... 33 Himalayan serow ...... 34 Indian Gaur ...... 34 12th Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Summit ...... 35 Pink Phenomenon ...... 36 ZERO LIQUID DISCHARGE (ZLD) ...... 36 Himalayan Griffon Vulture ...... 37 Miyawaki Method of Afforestation ...... 37 Sahi Fasal Campaign ...... 38 Great Indian Bustard (GIB) ...... 38 Saguna Rice Technique ...... 38 First rescue and rehabilitation centre for monkeys in Telangana ...... 38 Consortia of medicinal plants ...... 39 Himalayan trillium ...... 39 ‘Catch the Rain’ Awareness Generation Campaign ...... 40 Status of Leopard in India 2018 Report ...... 42 Tso Kar Wetland Complex ...... 42 DigiBoxx ...... 43 Satkosia Tiger Reserve ...... 43 Portulaca laljii ...... 44 Bandhavgarh National Park ...... 44 Giant African Snail ...... 44 Kolar Leaf-Nosed Bat ...... 45 Dibru-Saikhowa National Park ...... 45 Habitat Rights ...... 46 Eco-Sensitive Zones ...... 46

Science & Technology ...... 48 Superinfections, Influenza and Bacterial Infection ...... 48 World AIDS Day 2020: (1st Dec) ...... 49 Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) ...... 51 Hayabusa 2 ...... 51 Hualong One: China’s entry in Nuclear Power Sector ...... 52 Green Charcoal Hackathon ...... 52

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Biological weapons ...... 52 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) test ...... 53 100 Octane Petrol ...... 53 Cryptocurrency Ethereum 2.0 ...... 54 Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder ...... 55 Arecibo telescope ...... 55 Nisarg Gram ...... 55 National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) ...... 55 HSN code ...... 56 Surgery as part of ...... 56 Quantum Supremacy ...... 57 'Damaru' Inspired Lattice ...... 57 HL-2M Tokamak ...... 58 What is Diem? ...... 59 Jupiter Saturn Great Conjunction ...... 59 Havana Syndrome ...... 60 Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR) technique ...... 60 OneWeb Satellites ...... 61 Universal Service Obligation Fund(USOF) ...... 61 PM- WANI ...... 61 Molnupiravir ...... 62 Go for Zero policy ...... 62 5G NR ...... 62 Aurora borealis ...... 62 Anthrax ...... 63 Quantum key distribution (QKD) ...... 63 Organochlorines...... 64 Plasmodium ovale ...... 64 Cryogenic technology:...... 65 Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility(APVAX) ...... 65 Data Sonification ...... 65 3D Printing ...... 66 Geminids meteor shower unique ...... 67

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Black Fungus ...... 67 AI & Robotics Technologies Park ( ARTPARK ) ...... 68 Planet Nine ...... 69 Vigyan Yatra ...... 69 CMS-01 satellite...... 69 Solarwinds Orion Hack ...... 70 Vaccine Hesitancy ...... 70 Green Ammonia Project ...... 70 Shigella infection ...... 70 Intentional Genomic Alteration (IGA) ...... 71 Whistleblowers ...... 71 Natural Gas ...... 71 Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope ( Fast ) ...... 72 ‘BBX11’ gene ...... 72 Scab ...... 73 Antimatter ...... 73 Hypothermia ...... 74 Nanotechnology ...... 74 Pneumosil ...... 75 India’s first-ever driverless train ...... 76 Green Propulsion Technology of ISRO ...... 76 Awards 2020 ...... 77 ‘TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad’ ...... 77 Digital Ocean ...... 78 Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh ...... 79 Ammonia...... 79 Ocular tumours ...... 80

Indian Economy...... 81 Sahakar Pragya Programme ...... 81 National Maritime Domain Awareness Centre ...... 81 1.5-times formula for calculation of crops MSP ...... 82 International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) ...... 83 National Technical Textiles Mission ...... 84

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Municipal Bonds...... 85 Liquidity Adjustment Facility ...... 85 Regulatory Sandbox ...... 86 Vadhavan Port project...... 86 National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) ...... 87 Submarine Day 8th December ...... 88 Better Than Cash Alliance ...... 88 Asset under management ( AUM ) ...... 88 India Water Impact summit ...... 88 Bad Bank ...... 89 Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure ...... 89 National Energy Conservation Day 2020 ( 14 Dec ) ...... 90 Power Generation in India ...... 91 DakPay ...... 92 Brand India Mission ...... 92 National Security Directive ...... 93 National Hydrology Project ...... 93 North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) ...... 93 E20 fuel ...... 94 Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) ...... 95 Second Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project ( DRIP-2 ) ...... 95 Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion ( SANKALP ) ...... 96 Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana ...... 97 Code on Wages Act ...... 98 Development Finance Institution ( DFI ) ...... 98 FRUITS’ portal for land records launched ...... 99 Green National Highways Corridor Project ...... 99 RBI Positive Pay System ...... 100 Retrospective Taxation ...... 100 Electoral Bond ...... 101 National Institute for Public Finance and Policy ( NIPFP ) ...... 102 Mission Sagar ...... 102 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) ...... 103

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Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization ...... 103 National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation ...... 104 Central Investment Clearance Cell ...... 104 What is Input Tax Credit (ITC) under GST? ...... 104 E-Sampada Mobile Application ...... 105 National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) ...... 105 Bank Recapitalisation ...... 105 Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme ...... 106 RBI Trend and Progress Report, 2020 ...... 107

Indian Polity...... 108 Right to reject:NOTA ...... 108 Member of Legislative Council disqualified for state cabinet ...... 109 Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Scheme ...... 110 Consent for Contempt ...... 111 Right to Vote for NRIs ...... 112 Central Waqf Council ...... 113 Vanchit Ikai Samooh Aur Vargon Ki Aarthik Sahayta (VISVAS) Yojana ...... 114 National Register of Citizens (NRC) ...... 114 Urban Governance Index 2020 ...... 115 One Nation One Card ...... 115 International Anti-Corruption Day: 9 Dec ...... 115 Delimitation ...... 116 Review petition ...... 117 Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) ...... 117 Digital Voter ID Card ...... 118 Three capitals for Andhra Pradesh ...... 118 Parliament Session ...... 118 Merger of four of its film media units ...... 120 Good governance day ...... 120 Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana...... 120 Paray Samadhan ...... 121 Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) ...... 121

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International Relation, Organisation & Reports ...... 122 SCO Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage ...... 122 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) ...... 123 India - Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway ...... 123 WHO World Malaria Report 2020 ...... 123 Wolf Brigade 44 ...... 125 Rohingya...... 125 Chabahar port ...... 126 3RF Framework ...... 126 CLMV countries ...... 126 Energy Efficiency Report 2020 ...... 127 Investment Promotion Award 2020 ...... 127 Least Developed Countries Report 2020 ...... 128 State of Food and Agriculture, 2020 ...... 129 Trace Bribery Risk Matrix INdex ...... 129 Countries of Particular Concern ( CPC ) ...... 129 Partners in Population and Development (PPD)...... 130 Singapore’s Hawker culture gets UNESCO recognition ...... 130 Global Health Estimates 2019: WHO ...... 131 Israel-Bhutan Ties ...... 131 UNESCO Award For Creative Economy ...... 132 Asian Development Outlook ...... 132 Red Channel Agreement ...... 133 S-400 deal ...... 133 San Isidro Movement ...... 134 The Sherman Act ...... 134 Human Development Index ...... 134 Indian Diaspora ...... 136 Learning Poverty Report 2020 ...... 137 Report on Freedom of Press ...... 138 Human Freedom Index 2020...... 138 Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU): ...... 139 Young Champions of the Earth: UN ...... 139

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G7 summit 2021...... 140 Gateway Treaty...... 140 Currency Manipulator ...... 141 UNDP’s Accelerator Lab ...... 141 What is PASSEX? ...... 141 China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) ...... 141 Japan to join Five Eyes Network ...... 142 Missions in Estonia, Paraguay and Dominican Republic ...... 142

Social Issues ...... 143 Assistance to Disabled Persons Scheme ...... 143 MahaSharad ...... 144 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd Dec) ...... 144 National Centre for Divyang Empowerment ( NCDE ) ...... 146 Virtual Aadi Mahotsav ...... 146 Technical Education in Mother Tongue ...... 146 ‘The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020’ ...... 148 Tobacco Control in India ...... 148 Child-friendly Police Station ...... 150 ...... 151 SHINE Trial ...... 152 Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) ...... 153 Global Teacher Prize 2020 ...... 154 United Nations approves Epidemic Preparedness Day 27th Dec ...... 156 HelpAge India ...... 156 About UN Population Award...... 156 Human Rights Day 10th Dec ...... 157 India Workplace Equality Index ...... 158 National Family Health Survey- 5 (NFHS-5) ...... 158 ‘Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India’: ...... 158 Migration ...... 159 Pak. approves chemical castration of sex offenders ...... 160 Scheme for Approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies ...... 160

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Maharashtra Shakti Bill ...... 161 State of Education for India report (SER) ...... 161 World Minorities Rights Day 18th Dec ...... 162 Social Entrepreneurship ...... 162 Youth Games 2021 ...... 163 SAMVAD Conference ...... 164 Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Castes: ...... 164 SEHAT Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir ...... 164 National Consumer Rights Day: December 24 ...... 165 Inner-Line Permit ...... 166 Karima Baloch ...... 166 Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan’ Project ...... 166 R P Tiwari Committee ...... 167 India’s First Social Impact Bonds ...... 167

Defence & Security ...... 168 Border Security Force ...... 168 National Security Directive on Telecom Sector ...... 168 Defence Geo Informatics Research Establishment...... 168 MARCOS(Marine Commandos) ...... 169 INS Vikrant ...... 169 Exercises between India and Russia ...... 169 Missiles ...... 170 Himgiri: ...... 170 Saksham ...... 171 India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol ( IND-INDO CORPAT ) ...... 171 Mk-I ...... 171 Border Surveillance System (BOSS) ...... 171 ISRO SSA Control Centre-NETRA ...... 172 Coastal Radar Chain Network ...... 172 Super Hornet Fighter Jet ...... 172 Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) ...... 173 Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) ...... 173

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History Art & Culture ...... 174 Annapurna Idol ...... 174 Theremin...... 174 Hampi Chariot ...... 174 Death anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar 6th December ...... 176 Indian Council for Cultural Relations ...... 177 Tharu tribals ...... 177 World Heritage City ...... 178 Khalistan Movement ...... 179 Cattle, buffalo meat residue found in Indus Valley vessels ...... 180 International Bharati Festival 2020 ...... 180 Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020 ...... 181 Vijay Diwas: 50 Years of Indo-Pak War (16 Dec ) ...... 182 Yogasana is now a sport ...... 182 Khudiram Bose ...... 182 Sentinelese ...... 183 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ...... 183 What is Visva-Bharati? ...... 184 Zomi ethnic group ...... 184 Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya ...... 185 Battle of Panipat...... 186 Monpa handmade paper ...... 186 Namghars ...... 186 Dance Forms in India ...... 187 Zari-Zardozi ...... 188

Geography ...... 189 A Solar Eclipse ...... 189 Punjab’s Monoculture ...... 189 Tibetan Plateau ...... 190 Project Loon ...... 190 River ...... 191 Chillai Kalan ...... 191

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Winter Solstice ...... 192 Kilauea Volcano: Hawaii ...... 193 Anthropocene Epoch ...... 194 Antarctica ...... 194 Calving of Glaciers ...... 195

Places in news ...... 196 Sumdorong Chu ...... 196 Great Barrier Reef ...... 196 Koilwar Bridge Or Abdul Bari Bridge...... 197 Prates islands ...... 197 Haldibari-Chilahati Rail Link ...... 197 Sea of Galilee ...... 197

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Environment.

Peacock Soft-shelled Turtle ● Features: They have a large head, downturned snout with low and oval carapace of dark olive green to nearly black, sometimes with a yellow rim. ● Habitat: ○ This species is confined to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. ○ In india, it is widespread in the northern and central parts of the Indian subcontinent. ● Conservation Status: ○ Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I ○ IUCN Red List: Vulnerable ○ CITES: Appendix I

Yamuna River pollution ● As per the report submitted by the Pollution Control Committee to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on cleaning Yamuna. Key findings of reports: ● The level of faecal coliform (microbes from human and animal excreta) is above the desirable limit at all points tested in Yamuna in Delhi. ○ For bathing in a river, the desirable level of faecal coliform is 500 MPN/100 ml or lesser, as per the Central Pollution Control Board. ● Levels of different pollutants are above permissible limits in ground water samples from different points near the four landfills in Delhi. ○ Desirable limit of hardness of water 300 mg/l. ● The levels of chlorine and calcium were also above the desirable limit in all four samples. ● The level of sulfate was higher than the desirable limit of 200 mg/l in some locations.

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About River Yamuna ● The river Yamuna is a major tributary of river . ● Source: Originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Bandarpoonch peaks in the Mussoorie range of the lower Himalayas in Uttarkashi district of . ● River basin: It meets the Ganges at the Sangam in Prayagraj, after flowing through Uttarakhand, , and Delhi. ● Tributaries: Chambal, Sindh, Betwa and Ken.

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Water Pollution: ● Definition: ○ According to the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, water pollution may be defined as: Water pollution is addition of some substance (organic, inorganic, biological or radiological) or factor (heat) which degrades the quality of water so that it either becomes health hazard for man, animals or plants, or unfit for use. Basic parameters for calculating water pollution: 1. Dissolved Oxygen (DO): It is the amount of oxygen dissolved in water and is usually measured by Oxygen probe (DO electrode) or Winkler Dissolved Oxygen Test. DO below 8 ppm indicates pollution and below 4 ppm indicates heavy pollution. In unpolluted water, DO should be about 14 ppm. 2. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD): The amount of oxygen (in mg) required by microorganisms to stabilize decomposable organic matter in one litre of polluted water for 5 days at 20°C. 3. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD): The amount of oxygen of polluted water is measured- by chemical method using potassium dichromate as the oxidizing agent.

Sources of pollution and pollutants A. Sources of surface (inland) water pollution ● Domestic wastes and sewage ● Industrial Effluents ● Surface Run-off (Farm run-off). It brings fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. ● Oil effluents ● Thermal Pollution ( Increase in temp ) : Power plant discharge hot water into river stream. ● Radioactive waste (dumped into sea in thick resistant containers)

B. Sources of underground water pollution ● Sewage and industrial effluents spilled over ground ● Fertilizers and pesticides used in field percolate. ● Refuse dumps, septic tanks, seepage pits, mining activities etc.

C. Sources of Marine water pollution ● Dumping of industrial wastes directly by coastal industries or indirectly through river by inland industries ● Discharge of fertilizers and pesticides from inland farm run-off through rivers ● Discharge of sewage of coastal cities and distant places via rivers ● Accidents during transport and off-shore extractions-spread oil over many hundred kilometres. Over 10 million tonnes of oil is spilled into the ocean annually.

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Water Pollution Control Measures ● The CPCB, in collaboration with the concerned State Pollution Control Boards, has classified all the water bodies including coastal waters in the country according to their “designated best uses”. ● This classification helps the water quality managers and planners to set water quality targets and identify needs and priority for water quality restoration programmes for various water bodies in the country. ● The famous Ganga Action Plan and subsequently the National River Action Plan are results of such exercise. ● Riparian buffers: A riparian bu er is a vegetated area (a “bu er strip”) near a stream, usually forested, which helps shade and partially protect a stream from the impact of adjacent land uses. It plays a key role in increasing water quality in associated streams, rivers, and lakes, thus providing environmental benefits. ● Treatment of sewage water and the industrial effluents before releasing it into water bodies. Hot water should be cooled before release from the power plants. ● Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides should be avoided. Organic farming and efficient use of animal residues as fertilizers can replace chemical fertilizers. ● Water hyacinth (an aquatic weed, invasive species) can purify water by taking some toxic materials and a number of heavy metals from water. ● Oil spills in water can be cleaned with the help of bregoli — a by-product of the paper industry resembling saw dust, oil zapper, and microorganisms. ● It has been suggested that we should plant eucalyptus trees all along sewage ponds. These trees absorb all surplus wastewater rapidly and release pure water vapor into the atmosphere

What are the Blue tides spotted at Mumbai beaches? ● The phenomenon is due to bioluminescence, which is the emission of light by microscopic marine plants called phytoplanktons. Eg: dinoflagellates. ● The blue light stems from chemical reactions of proteins inside the organism. ● What are Dinoflagellates? ○ It is the marine plankton. The population of Dinoflagellates thrives in water based on the sea temperature ● How is the blue light related to Climate Change? ○ According to the marine experts, the blue light is the sign of climatic changes. It also reveals the low oxygen and high nitrogen content in the sea water. Also, heavy rain causes Bio-Luminescence.

Gujarat’s PPP project in Leopard rescue and rehabilitation ● The Gujarat forest department has transferred 12 leopards from the Sakkar Baug Zoological Park in Junagadh to a private rescue and Rehabilitation centre in Jamnagar. ● The project is first of its kind in the state.

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● Project is implemented under public private partnership between the Reliance Industries Limited and the state government. ● Habitat: It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in small parts of Western and Central Asia, on the Indian subcontinent to Southeast and East Asia. ● Conservation status ○ Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972 : schedule 1 ○ appendix 1 of CITES ○ IUCN red list : Vulnerable ● Threats: Habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching for the illegal trade of skins and body parts, and persecution due to conflict situations ● Nine subspecies of the leopard have been recognized, and they are distributed across Africa and Asia

Hornbill Festival ● Hornbill Festival is celebrated in Nagaland to encourage inter-tribal interaction. ● What is it ?: The festival is celebrated annually in the first week of December in order to preserve, protect and revive the uniqueness and richness of the Naga heritage. ● The festival is considered the “Festival of Festivals” in Nagaland. ● Organized by: Nagaland State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments. ● Aim : To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote culture through colourful performances, crafts, sports, food fairs, games and ceremonies. ● Named after: The festival is named after the Great Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird.

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Great Indian Hornbill ● It is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. ● State Bird : It is the state bird of Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. But it is not a state bird of Nagaland. ● The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity. ● Conservation Status: ○ IUCN Status: Vulnerable ○ CITES: Appendix I ○ Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 ● Threats :Forest clearance for agriculture, susceptible to hunting.

Apex committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA) ● Constituted by The Union Environment Ministry ● Under the chairmanship of Secretary, MoEFCC.

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● Purpose: to ensure that India is “on track” towards meeting its obligations under the Paris Agreement. ● Also act as a national authority for the regulation of carbon markets in India. ● Objective: ○ AIPA has been constituted with the purpose of “ensuring a coordinated response on climate change matters that protects the country’s interests and ensures that India is on track towards meeting its climate change obligations under the Paris Agreement including its submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)”.

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● What are NDCs? ○ NDCs are the accounts of the voluntary efforts to be made by countries that are a part of the Paris Agreement, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic climate change. ○ The NDCs are to be implemented in the post-2020 period. ○ India had submitted its NDCs in 2015. ● The three quantitative goals in the Indian NDCs are: ○ A 33-35 per cent reduction in the gross domestic product emissions intensity by 2030 from 2005 levels. ○ A 40 per cent share of non-fossil fuel based electricity by 2030. ○ Creating a carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide through afforestation programmes.

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Paris Agreement (2015) vs Kyoto Protocol (1997) ● Paris Agreement is the world’s first comprehensive climate agreement. Although developed and developing countries were parties to Kyoto Protocol, developing countries were not mandated to reduce their emissions. ● This means that while Paris Agreement is legally binding to all parties, Kyoto Protocol was not. ● Paris Agreement was reached on the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP).

State of the Global Climate provisional report ● By he World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ● Report is published annually to keep a track of global warming. ● Final report will be published in March 2021 Key Findings ● Rise in Global Temperature: The global mean surface temperature for January-October 2020 was 1.2 degree Celsius higher than the pre-industrial baseline (1850-1900). ● 2020 will be one of the three hottest, just behind 2016 and 2019 17 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● 80% of ocean areas have experienced at least one marine heat wave (MHW) so far in 2020 ○ At the time of MHW, the average temperature of the ocean surface (up to a depth of 300 feet or more) rises by 5-7°C above normal. ○ MHWs can be caused by locally formed heat fluxes between the atmosphere and the ocean or due to large-scale drivers of the Earth’s climate like the ENSO. ● Global sea-level rise was also similar to 2019 value.This was mainly due to the increased melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.

GLOBAL WARMING ● Global warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface and in the troposphere, which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns. ● Global warming can occur from a variety of causes, both natural and human induced. ● In common usage, “global warming” often refers to the warming that can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities.

Causes of Global Warming A. Man-made Causes ● Deforestation ● Use of Vehicles ● Chlorofluorocarbon ● Industrial Development ● Agriculture ● Overpopulation B. Natural Causes ● Volcanoes ● Water Vapour ● Melting Permafrost ● Forest Blazes

Impacts of Global Warming ● Rise in Sea level ● Changes in rainfall patterns ● Increased likelihood of extreme events such as heat wave, flooding, hurricanes, etc ● Melting of the ice caps ● Melting of glaciers ● Widespread vanishing of animal populations due to habitat loss ● Spread of disease (like malaria, etc) ● Bleaching of Coral Reefs ● Loss of Plankton due to warming of seas

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Black Carbon

● It is a component of fine particulate matter of the size2.5 μm. It consists of pure carbon, which originates from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, coal, biofuel, biomass, wood, rubber etc. It is emitted in the form of soot. ● SOOT is an air borne mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It originates from pyrolysis.

Brown Carbon ● Brown carbon is brown smoke released by the combustion of organic matter. It coexists with black carbon when released in the atmosphere. Sources of brown carbon are: ● Breakdown products from biomass burning ● Tar materials from smouldering freres ● Coal combustion ● Combustion of fossil fuels and automobile exhaust ● Mixture of organic compounds emitted from soil ● Formed in the atmosphere from reactions of biogenic organic gases, given off naturally by trees and other organisms, that condenses to form aerosol particles.

Blue Carbon ● It is the carbon captured by the world’s oceans and coastal ecosystems. ● This carbon is captured by living organisms in oceans is stored in the form of aquatic biomass. ● Blue carbon ecosystem act as the major sink for capturing atmospheric carbon and reducing warming effects.

Green Carbon ● It is the carbon captured into terrestrial plant biomass in photosynthesis and stored in the plants and soil of natural ecosystems and is a vital part of the global carbon cycle.

Malayan Giant Squirrel ● One of the world’s largest squirrel species that has a dark upper body, pale under parts, and a long, bushy tail. ● Giant squirrels are diurnal (active during the day), but arboreal (tree-dwelling) and herbivorous like the flying squirrels. ● Conservation Status: ○ IUCN Red List: Near Threatened. ○ CITES: Appendix II. ○ Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I. ● Habitat: Found in the forests of Northeast and is currently found in parts of , Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. 19 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

○ Found mostly in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, from plains to hills at elevations of 50 m to 1,500 m above sea level. ● Considered to be a forest health indicator species ● India is home to three giant squirrel species: Malayan Giant Squirrel , Indian Giant Squirrel and Grizzled Giant Squirrel which are found in peninsular India. ● Why in news?: The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), in a first-of-its-kind study, has projected that numbers of the Malayan Giant Squirrel could decline by 90% in India by 2050, and it could be extinct by then if urgent steps are not taken.

Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) ● Launched in 1916 to promote survey, exploration, and research to enhance the knowledge regarding the flora and fauna of the British Indian Empire. ● Organisation of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change ● Originated as a Zoological Section of the Indian Museum in . ● Headquarters is in Kolkata. ● It has been declared as a designated repository for the National Zoological Collection as per Section 39 of the National Biodiversity Act, 2002. Functions: ● ZSI publishes the Red Data Book on Indian Animals. It was first published in 1983 and is similar to the Red Data Book published by IUCN. ● Publication of results including Fauna of India, Fauna of States, and Fauna of Conservation Areas. ● Training, Capacity Building, and Human Resource Development of the people involved. ● Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing studies on recorded animal diversity as well as on threatened species.

Houbara Bustard ● Bustards are large, terrestrial birds that belong to several species, including some of the largest flying birds. ● IUCN recognises two distinct species found in: North Africa and Asia ● Habitat of Asian Houbara: ○ It lives in arid climates. ○ The population of the Asian houbara bustards extends from northeast ○ Asia, across central Asia, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula to reach the Sinai desert (Egypt). ○ After breeding in the spring, the Asian bustards migrate south to spend the winter in Pakistan, the Arabian Peninsula and nearby Southwest Asia. ● IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Red Sea Turtles ● There are five species of turtle can be found in the Red Sea: the green turtle, the hawksbill turtle, the loggerhead turtle, the olive ridley turtle and the leatherback turtle.

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● In order to maintain a 50:50 ratio of male and female in the population, a temperature of 29.2 degrees Celsius is pivotal. ● The sand temperatures at four of the sites exceeded 29.2 degrees; leading the team to the conclusion that ‘feminization’ of the population could be already happening. ● The Red Sea is home to five out of seven species of sea turtles. They are è ○ Green turtle – Endangered ○ Hawksbill turtle – Critically Endangered ○ Loggerhead turtle – Critically Endangered ○ Olive Ridley turtle – Vulnerable ○ Leatherback turtle – Vulnerable.

Lakshadweep first UT to become 100% organic ● The ministry of agriculture has declared the island as organic. ● In 2016, Sikkim became India’s first “100 percent organic” State. ● Lakshadweep is the first Union Territory to become 100 per cent organic ● Coconut is the only major crop on the islands and remains idle for six months.

About Lakshdweep: ● India’s smallest Union Territory Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km. ● It is a uni-district Union Territory and comprises 12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks and ten inhabited islands. ● The islands comprise 32 sq km. ● The Capital is Kavaratti and it is also the principal town of the UT. ● 8 degree channel forms the boundary between Minicoy & Maldive island. ● Three main group of islands: ○ Amindivi Islands ○ Laccadive Islands ○ Minicoy Island.

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Participatory Guarantee System ● PGS is a process of certifying organic products, which ensures that their production takes place in accordance with laid-down quality standards. ● Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. ● It is only for farmers or communities that can organise and perform as a group within a village or a cluster of contiguous villages, and is applicable only to farm activities such as crop production, processing, and livestock rearing, and off-farm processing “by PGS farmers of their direct products”.

National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) ● Initiated by Ministry of Industries and Commerce ● Implementation agency: The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) ● Purpose: to assist the organic producers to tap the market which is growing steadily in the both in domestic and export segments. Objectives ● To provide the means of evaluation of certification programme for organic agriculture and products as per the approved criteria. ● To accredit certification programmes of Certification Bodies seeking accreditation. ● To facilitate the certification of organic products in conformity with the prescribed standards.

Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) ● APEDA is providing assistance to the exporters of organic products under various components of its export promotion scheme.

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● Established by the under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in December 1985 ● APEDA replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).

Action Plan for the promotion of Millets and Millet products ● APEDA is formulating a strategy with Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) and other stakeholders like National Institute Nutrition, CFTRI and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) ● For increasing export of Millet and Millet Products for a period five years i.e. 2021-2026 to enable all concerned stakeholders for taking necessary action in a time bound manner for achieving the target. ●

About Millet ● Millet is a common term to categorize small-seeded grasses that are often termed nutri- cereals, and includes Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Ragi, Small Millet, Foxtail Millet, Proso Millet, Barnyard Millet, Kodo Millet and other millets. ● Millets are the cereal crops generally small-seeded and known for high nutritive value.

Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER) ● A Central Sector Scheme, ● A sub-mission under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), ● Launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ● Implementation in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and , during the 12th plan period. ● Scheme aims to development of certified organic production in a value chain mode to link growers with consumers and to support the development of entire value chain starting from inputs, seeds, certification, to the creation of facilities for collection, aggregation, processing, marketing and brand building initiative.

Elephant Corridors ● They are narrow strips of land that connect two large habitats of elephants. ● They are crucial to reduce animal fatalities due to accidents and other reasons. ● Fragmentation of forests makes it all the more important to preserve migratory corridors. ● This movement of Elephants helps in enhancing the species survival and birth rate. ● 88 elephant corridors have been identified by the wildlife trust of India under the National elephant Corridor project. ● Concern: The all-round development like human settlements, roads, railway line, electric lines, canal and mining are the main cause of corridor fragmentation. ● Why in news?: the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the government to prepare an action plan for 14 identified elephant corridors.

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Project Elephant ● Launched in 1992 by the Ministry of Environment and Forest. ● Aims to ○ Provide financial and technical support to wild life management. ○ to make sure long-term survival of elephant populations in the natural habitats. ○ To supports research in management of elephants and providing veterinary care ○ conservation among local people. ● August 12: World Elephant Day ● Conservation Status: ○ The African Elephants are listed as Vulnerable and Asian Elephants as Endangered in IUCN ○ Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I ○ CITES: Appendix I ● There are around 32 elephant Reserves in India. ● The very first elephant reserve or elephant sanctuary was the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve of . ● has highest number of elephant in india

Some Key Facts about Elephant: ● World's largest land mammal ● Elephants need up to 150kg of food per day ● very intelligent animal Elephants never forget ● Elephant families are led by females ● elephants are pregnant for 18 to 22 months

International Initiatives: ● Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme: It is mandated by the Conference Of Parties (COP) resolution of CITES. It was started in South Asia in 2003 with the following purpose – ○ To measure levels and trends in illegal hunting of elephants. ○ To determine changes in these trends over time. ○ To determine the factors causing or associated with these changes and to try and assess in particular to what extent observed trends are a result of any decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties to CITES.

Eco-ducts or Eco-bridges ● What is it?: These are areas of wildlife habitat that aim to enhance wildlife connectivity that can be disrupted because of highways. ● Usually these bridges are overlaid with planting from the area to give it a contiguous look with the landscape. ● Types of Eco-bridges: It includes 24 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

1. canopy bridges (usually for monkeys, squirrels and other arboreal species); 2. concrete underpasses or overpass tunnels or viaducts-(usually for larger animals); 3. and amphibian tunnels or culverts ● Significance : Eco-bridges play a very important role in maintaining connections between animal and plant populations that would otherwise be isolated and therefore at greater risk of local extinction.

Narmada River ● Narmada is the largest west flowing river of the peninsular region flowing through a rift valley between the Vindhya Range on the north and the Satpura Range on the south. ● It rises from Maikala range near Amarkantak in . ● It drains a large area in Madhya Pradesh besides some areas in the states of and Gujarat. ● The river near Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) forms the DhuanDhar Falls. ● There are several islands in the estuary of the Narmada of which Aliabet is the largest. ● Major Tributaries: Hiran, Orsang, the Barna and the Kolar. ● The major Hydro Power Projects in the basin are Indira Sagar, Sardar Sarovar etc.

Narmada Landscape Restoration Project ● NLRP is a collaborative project with a participatory approach that demonstrates the interdependence of the upstream sustainably managed forest and farm practices on downstream water resources. ● The four-year project would be implemented in Khargone District of Madhya Pradesh in the catchment area of the tributaries of River Narmada that is flowing between Omkareshwar and Maheshwar dams. ● The Omkareshwar Dam is one of the major downstream dams of Indira Sagar Project, lies along the bank for the Narmada and . ● Maheshwar dam is a planned large dam on the Narmada Valley that would lead to the production of 400 MW electricity ● Funding: The program is in partnership with a grant in aid from NTPC Ltd (under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in equal proportions. ● Implementing Agencies: IIFM, Bhopal, an Autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) will be jointly implementing this project with Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

Global Green Growth Institute ● GGGI was established as an international intergovernmental organization in 2012 at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. ● Its vision is a low-carbon, resilient world of strong, inclusive, and sustainable growth and its mission to support Members in the transformation of their economies into a green growth economic model. ● India is not a member country but a partner country.

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● Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea

Climate Change Performance Index 2020 ● Published by: Environment think tank Germanwatch and CAN (Climate Action Network). ● It is an independent monitoring tool for tracking countries’ climate protection performance. ● Aim: The index aims to enable comparison of mitigation efforts, enhance transparency in international climate politics. ● It compares the climate protection performance of 57 countries and the European Union (EU), which are together responsible for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ● Using standardised criteria, the CCPI looks at four categories, with 14 indicators: ○ 1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40% of the overall score), ○ 2. Renewable Energy (20%), ○ 3. Energy Use (20%), and ○ 4. Climate Policy (20%). ● The CCPI’s unique climate policy section evaluates countries’ progress in implementing policies working towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals. Key Finding ● Top three ranks were empty as no country had met the criteria to get placed high enough on the index. ● The index found that no country was doing enough to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. ● Only two G20 nations, the United Kingdom and India are among the high rankers in CCPI 2021, which covers the year 2020. ● Six G20 countries were ranked among very low performers.USA, Canada, South Korea, Russia, Australia and Saudi Arabia ● The United States, with a rank of 61, was the worst performer. About India: ● India, for the second time in a row ranked among the top 10, along with the EU and the UK. It scored 63.98 points out of 100. ● It received high ratings on all CCPI indicators except ‘renewable energy’, where it was categorised as having a ‘medium’ performance. ● Emissions: Per capita emissions stayed at a comparatively low level. India was ranked 12th ● Climate Policy: India’s performance was rated as medium (13th) ● Energy Use: India was ranked High (10th) under this category

Mount Everest ● Revised height of Mount Everest as 8,848.86 metres. The new height is 86 cm more than the previous measurement. ● Everest is also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Mount Qomolangma in China.

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● The mountain lies on the border between Nepal and Tibet and the summit can be accessed from both sides. ● It gets its English name from Sir George Everest, a colonial-era geographer who served as the Surveyor General of India in the mid-19th century. ● It was first scaled in 1953 by the Indian-Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary. ● Mount K2, at 8,611 metres above sea level, is the second highest mountain in the world. ● First Survey of Everest: ○ The first effort was carried out in 1847 by a team led by Andrew Waugh, Surveyor General of India. ○ The survey was based on trigonometric calculations and is known as the Great Trigonometric Survey of India.

Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms: ● Under the section 3 of Environment Protection Act, 1986 of India, Coastal Regulation Zone notification was issued in February 1991 for the first time. ● Objectives: ○ They restrict certain kinds of activities — like large constructions, setting up of new industries, storage or disposal of hazardous material, mining, reclamation and bunding — within a certain distance from the coastline. ● Classifications of Coastal Zones ● CRZ-I (ecologically sensitive areas like mangroves, coral reefs, biosphere reserves etc.). ○ No new construction shall be permitted in CRZ-I except ○ Projects relating to the Department of Atomic Energy; ○ Construction of trans-harbour sea link and roads without affecting the tidal flow of water, between LTL and HTL. Etc. ● CRZ-II (Areas which are developed up to the shoreline and falling within the municipal limits; includes built-up area – villages and towns are that are already well established), ○ Buildings are permissible on the landward side of the hazardous line. ○ Other activities such as desalination plants are also permissible. ● CRZ-III: Areas that are relatively undisturbed and do not fall under either in Category I or II and also include rural and urban areas that are not substantially developed. ○ Between 0-200 metres from HTL is a No Development Zone where no construction shall be permitted. ○ Only certain activities relating to agriculture, forestry, projects of Department of Atomic Energy, mining of rare minerals, salt manufacture, regasification of petroleum products, non-conventional energy sources and certain public facilities may be permitted in this zone. ○ Between 200-500 metres of HTL, those permitted in 0-200 metres zone, construction of houses for local communities and tourism projects are permissible. ● CRZ-IV: The aquatic area from low tide line up to territorial limits is classified as CRZ-IV including the area of the tidal influenced water body. 27 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

○ There is no restriction on the traditional fishing undertaken by local communities. ○ No untreated sewage or solid waste shall be let off or dumped in these areas.

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Some important terms: ● High Tide Line: HTL means the line on the land up to which the highest water line reaches during the spring tide. ● Low Tide Line: Similarly, it means the line on the land up to which the lowest water line reaches during the spring tide. ● Spring tides: The position of both the sun and the moon in relation to the earth has direct bearing on tide height. When the sun, the moon and the earth are in a straight line, the height of the tide will be higher. These are called spring tides and they occur twice a month, one on full moon period and another during new moon period.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary Assam ● Also known as ‘Mini Kaziranga’. ● Location: On the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in Morigaon district in Assam Significance: ● It has the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world and second highest concentration in Assam after Kaziranga National Park. ● Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary's provided Wetland & grassland vegetation consists of at least 15 grass species ● Other animals are leopard, wild boar, Barking deer, wild buffalo etc. ● also home to more than 2000 migratory birds and various reptiles.

National parks in Assam namely: ○ Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, ○ Kaziranga National Park, ○ Manas National Park, ○ Nameri National Park, ○ Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.

A zebrafish gene ● Zebrafish is a small (2-3 cm long) freshwater fish found in the tropical and subtropical regions. ● The fish is native to South Asia’s Indo-Gangetic plains, where they are mostly found in the paddy fields and even in stagnant water and streams. ● The ability of Zebrafish to heal their heart after injury makes them an attractive model to investigate mechanisms governing the regenerative process. ● A zebrafish attracts developmental biologists due to its adequate regeneration capacity of almost all its organs, including the brain, heart, eye, spinal cord.

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● This makes it a suitable research model for biomedical scientists

Emissions Gap Report 2020: UNEP ● Published by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) ● Report measures the gap between anticipated emissions and levels consistent with the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming this century to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C. ● It measures the gap between what we need to do and what we are actually doing to tackle climate change.

Key finding of year 2019 ● Global GHG emissions continued to grow for the third consecutive year in 2019, reaching a record high of 52.4 Gigatonne carbon equivalent (GtCO2e) without including land use changes (LUC). ● Record carbon emission: Fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (from fossil fuels and carbonates) dominate total GHG emissions. ● Forest fires increasing GHG emissions ● G20 countries account for bulk of emissions: Over the last decade, the top four emitters (China, the United States of America, EU27+UK and India) have contributed to 55% of the total GHG emissions without LUC. ● There is a general tendency that rich countries have higher consumption-based emissions (emissions allocated to the country where goods are purchased and consumed, rather than where they are produced) than territorial-based emissions,

Impact of the Pandemic: ● Emissions Level: CO2 emissions could decrease by about 7% in 2020 compared with 2019 emission levels, with a smaller drop expected in GHG emissions as non-CO2 is likely to be less affected. ○ The resulting atmospheric concentrations of GHGs such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) continued to increase in both 2019 and 2020. ● Sector reporting the lowest dip in emission due to pandemic: ○ The biggest changes have occurred in transport, as restrictions were targeted to limit mobility, though reductions have also occurred in other sectors.

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United Nations Environment Programme ➢ The UNEP is a leading global environmental authority established on 5th june 1972. ➢ Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya. ➢ The UNEP’s stated mission is to offer leadership and promote partnership in caring for the environment through informing, inspiring and enabling countries and peoples to enhance their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

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➢ Functions: It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for global environment protection. ➢ Major Reports: ○ Emission Gap Report, ○ Global Environment Outlook, ○ Frontiers, ○ Invest into Healthy Planet. ➢ Major Campaigns: Beat Pollution, UN75, World Environment Day, Wild for Life.

Paris Climate Accord ● Five years completed ● Legal status: It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. ● Adoption: It was adopted by 196 countries at Conference of the Parties COP 21 in Paris in December 2015. ● Goal: To limit global warming to well below 2° Celsius, and preferably limit it to 1.5° Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. ● Objective: To achieve the long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century. ● Why in news?: India has reiterated her commitment to the Paris Climate Accord, prior to the Climate Ambition Summit which will start from 12th December 2020 at Glasgow, Scotland.

Current Status of Global Emissions: ● Five years after the Paris agreement, all states have submitted their national contributions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. ● The contributions are radically insufficient to reach the well below 2 degrees Celsius limit and are even further from the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature limit identified in the Paris Agreement. ● Besides India, only Bhutan, the , Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Morocco and Gambia were complying with the accord. ● China has the highest GHG emissions (30%) while the US contributes 13.5% and the EU 8.7%.

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Climate Ambition Summit 2020: ● Objective: To set out new and ambitious commitments under the three pillars of the Paris Agreement that are mitigation, adaptation and finance commitments. ● The summit aims to bring together leaders to make new commitments to tackle climate change and deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement.

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● Hosted By: The United Nations, United Kingdom and France in partnership with Chile and Italy. ● Scope: The Summit will provide a meaningful platform for businesses, cities and other non-state actors who are rallying together and collaborating to support governments and accelerate the systemic change required to reduce emissions and build resilience. ● It has been organized virtually to mark the five years of the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Report: “Preparing India for Extreme Climate Events” ● Released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), ● This is the first time that extreme weather event hotspots in the country have been mapped. ○ CEEW is an independent, non-partisan, one of Asia’s leading not-for-profit policy research institutions, devoted to research on all matters affecting the use, reuse, and misuse of resources. Points Highlighted : ● over 75% of districts in India are hotspots of extreme climate events such as cyclones, floods, droughts, heat waves and cold waves. ● The frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of extreme events have risen in recent decades ○ India witnessed 250 extreme climate events in 35 years between 1970 and 2005, it recorded 310 such weather events in only 15 years since then. ● Extreme weather events resulting from climate change led to 4,95,000 human deaths across the world in 1999-2018. ● More than 12,000 extreme weather events led to losses worth USD 3.54 trillion (measured in terms of purchasing power parity or PPP) during this period.

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Microclimatic zones shifting ● Microclimatic zones, or areas where the weather is different from surrounding areas, are shifting across various districts of India. ● Some reasons identified behind this shift in microclimatic zones is change in land-use patterns, deforestation, encroachments upon mangroves, disappearing wetlands and natural ecosystems by encroachment, and urban heat islands that trap heat locally. ● A shift in microclimate zones may lead to severe disruptions across sectors. ● Every 2 degrees Celsius rise in annual mean temperature will reduce agricultural productivity by 15-20%. ● The urban heat Island occurs when a city or region experiences higher temperatures as compared to its nearby rural areas. These urban heat Island traps heat locally and is a major cause of micro climatic zone shifting.

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Voluntary Disclosure of Exotic Pets ● The MoEFCC has come out with an advisory on a one-time voluntary disclosure amnesty scheme. ● It allows owners of exotic live species that have been acquired illegally, or without documents, to declare their stock to the government between June and December 2020. ● The scheme aims to address the challenge of zoonotic diseases and regulate their import. In its current form, however. ● It shall develop an inventory of exotic live species for better compliance under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). ● However, the amnesty scheme is just an advisory, not a law. ● Exotic wildlife covered under scheme: ○ The advisory has defined exotic live species as animals named under the Appendices I, II and III of the CITES. ○ It does not include species from the Schedules of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972. ○ The advisory excludes exotic birds from the amnesty scheme.

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CITES ● It is an International agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. ● It also restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals, such as food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs- ● It was signed on March 3, 1973 (Hence world wildlife day is celebrated on march 3). ● Administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ● Secretariat — Geneva (Switzerland). ● CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt their own domestic legislation to implement its goals. ● India is a signatory to and has also ratified CITES convention in 1976. ● Appendices I, II and III of CITES list 5,950 species as protected against over- exploitation through international trade.

Myristica swamp treefrog ● It is a rare arboreal species endemic to the Western Ghats. ● Recorded for the first time in Kerala's Thrissur district. ● They are active only for a few weeks during their breeding season. ● Before the end of the breeding season, the female frogs along with their male counterparts descend on the forest floor. ● The female digs the mud and lays eggs in shallow burrows in mud. After breeding and egg-laying, they retreat back to the high canopies of the tree and remain elusive till next breeding season.

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Tiger translocation ● Why in News? : Rajaji Tiger Reserve is set to welcome the first tiger from Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve ● Why translocation is needed ?: The western portion of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, which occupies more than 60 per cent of the total reserve area, has only two tigresses, presumed to be unfit for reproduction as they above 18 years

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Jim Corbett National Park: ● It was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park- the first national park in India.It is located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. The Corbett national park has highest tiger count from single reserve in the recent Tiger census(carried once in 4 years) ● The park was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1973- the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative. ● The tiger reserve is situated in the Shivalik hills of Himalayas while administratively it spreads over Pauri Garhwal, Nainital and Almora districts of Uttarakhand State in India.

Rajaji National Park: ● It is a national park and tiger reserve that encompasses the Shivaliks, near the foothills of the Himalayas. ● It was declared as a tiger reserve in 2015 and is the second tiger reserve in the Uttarakhand and 48th Tiger Reserve of India. ● The park extends over the Shivalik Range in the north-west to the Rawasan River in the southeast with the Ganges dividing it into two parts. ● Some of the basic features of the Shivalik formations are to be seen in the park and is rightly known as a veritable storehouse of Shivalik biodiversity and ecosystems. ● The western part of the Park consists of the Ramgarh, Kansrao, Motichur, Hardwar, Dholkhand and Chillawali Ranges.

Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve ● It is a national park in Assam. ● Formed in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon, the park is located in the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots – Golaghat and Nagaon district. ● It hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses. ● It is a World Heritage Site. ● It is also recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species. ● Much of the focus of conservation efforts in Kaziranga are focused on the ‘big four’ species— Rhino, Elephant, Royal Bengal tiger and Asiatic water buffalo. ● Kaziranga is crisscrossed by four main rivers — Brahmaputra, Diphlu, Mora Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri. ● Other national parks in Assam:

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○ Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, ○ Manas National Park, ○ Nameri National Park, ○ Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.

Himalayan serow ● It is a subspecies of the mainland serow (Capricornis sumatraensis). ● It resembles a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and a pig. ● They are herbivores. ● Conservation status: ○ IUCN Red List: Vulnerable ○ Wildlife Protection Act,1972: Schedule I ● It’s a medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs, long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair.

● ● Distribution: ○ There are several species of serows and all of them are found in Asia. ○ They are found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres(6,500 to 13,000 feet). ○ They are known to be found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas but not in the Trans Himalayan region. ○ sighted ○ first time in the Spiti cold desert region, Himachal Pradesh.

Indian Gaur ● Scientific Name: Bos Gaurus.

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● Physical Characteristics è It is one of the largest extant bovines. It is one of the largest species among the wild cattle, reaching a shoulder height of up to 220 cm. ● Habitat: Gaurs are found on the forested hills and grassy areas of south to south east Asia. ● Status: ○ It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. ○ It is included in the Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972. ○ It is listed in CITES Appendix I. ● ● Distribution: ○ They are found in India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. ○ The Western Ghats in southern India constitute one of the most extensive extant strongholds of gaur, in particular in the Wayanad –Nagarhole – Mudumalai – Bandipur complex. ● The gaur is the State Animal of and .

12th Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Summit ● Purpose: To serve as a platform to deliberate on innovative technologies and solutions which shall help in creating robust mechanisms for developing sustainable and resilient solutions for the benefit of the entire community. ● Theme: Rejuvenating Resilient Habitats. ● Launch Event: The Vice President of India launched the SHASHWAT magazine and the book '30 Stories Beyond Buildings' during the event.

About Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) ● What is it?: It is a rating tool that helps people assesses the performance of their building against certain nationally acceptable benchmarks. ● GRIHA is recognised as India’s own green building rating system in India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). ● Created By: It was conceived by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and developed jointly with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. ● Objective: To help design green buildings and, in turn, help evaluate the 'greenness' of the buildings. ● Mechanism: The system has been developed to help 'design and evaluate' new buildings (buildings that are still at the inception stages). A building is assessed based on its predicted performance over its entire life cycle. ● Parameters used: ○ Site selection and planning ○ Conservation and efficient utilization of resources ○ Building operation and maintenance ○ Innovation points

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● Benefits: This system, along with the activities and processes that lead up to it, benefits the community with the improvement in the environment by reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, reducing energy consumption and the stress on natural resources.

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Other Related Initiatives: ● Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) ○ Organised by: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. ○ Launched: January 2019 ○ Aim: To identify and mainstream best available and proven construction technologies that are sustainable, green and disaster-resilient to enable a paradigm shift in housing construction. ● Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators (ASHA) ○ Under this initiative five Incubation Centers have been set up for identifying innovative materials, processes and technology for resource-efficient, resilient and sustainable construction. ● ○ It is an innovative initiative under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local development and harnessing technology as a means to create smart outcomes for citizens. ○ It is working towards integrated and comprehensive development of cities

Pink Phenomenon ● This plant comes from the family of Red Cabomba (Cabomba furcata). ● Cabomba is a submerged perennial aquatic plant that grows in stagnant to slow-flowing freshwater. ● It is an invasive species that belongs to Central and South America. ● It requires a huge amount of oxygen to grow and that could badly affect freshwater biodiversity. ● Why in news?: In Avalapandi, a village in Kerala, an aquatic plant forked fanwort has painted the water bodies pink, which led to the ‘pink phenomenon’.

ZERO LIQUID DISCHARGE (ZLD) ● ZLD is a water treatment process to recirculate all the water back to the process with zero liquid waste. ● ZLD system involves a range of advanced wastewater treatment technologies for treating water up to the level that can be reused inside the same Company. A typical ZLD system comprises of the following components:

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● Pre-treatment (Physio-chemical & Biological): Wastewater is filtered using membrane technologies such as ultra-filtration. Separated water is reused and a concentrate (polluted stream) is further treated. ● Reverse Osmosis (Membrane Processes): It removes contaminants from unfiltered water, or feed water, when pressure forces it through a semipermeable membrane. ○ Water flows from the more concentrated side (more contaminants) of the RO membrane to the less concentrated side (fewer contaminants) to provide clean drinking water. ● Evaporator & Crystallizer (Thermal Process): ○ Concentrate enters a brine concentrator which is a mechanical evaporator using a combination of heat and vapor compression, resulting in a wet sludge. ○ Crystallization converts the sludge to solid waste using high pressure steam. Any remaining water is clean enough for reuse.

Himalayan Griffon Vulture ● It is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae. It is one of the two largest Old World vultures and true raptors ● Distribution: This species is found along the Himalayas and the adjoining Tibetan Plateau. ● Conservation Status: ○ The IUCN status of the bird is Near threatened. ○ It is listed in Appendix II of the CITES. ● Recently, Himalayan griffon vulture has been sighted for the first time at the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district.

Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary ● The Point Calimere Wildlife & Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu was created as a sanctuary in 1967. ● It was established essentially for the conservation of the endangered blackbuck antelope, endemic to the Indian subcontinent.

Miyawaki Method of Afforestation ● Also called Potted Seedling Method ● Miyawaki forest is a method of afforestation developed in Japan. ● The technique is used to create dense multi-layered forests. It is named after a Japanese botanist who developed the method. ● It involves the planting of saplings in a small area resulting in formation of dense forests in relatively short time periods. ● The method is specifically used in urban areas to increase green cover. ● Some of the advantages of the method include low space requirements and lower chances of weed growth as the dense canopy prevents sunlight from reaching the ground.

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Sahi Fasal Campaign ● Launched by National Water Mission 2019 ● to nudge farmers in the water stressed areas to grow crops which are not water intensive, but use water very efficiently; and are economically remunerative; are healthy and nutritious; suited to the agro-climatic-hydro characteristics of the area; and are environmentally friendly. ● Creating awareness among farmers on appropriate crops, micro-irrigation, soil moisture conservation etc; weaning them away from water intensive crops like paddy, sugarcane etc to crops like corn, maize etc which require less water;etc ultimately leading to increase in the income of farmers are the key elements of “Sahi Fasal”.

Great Indian Bustard (GIB) ● The GIB is one of the heaviest flying bird’s endemics to the Indian subcontinent. ● GIB, a bird native to India and Pakistan, is the State Bird of . ● The largest population is found in Rajasthan. ● The sanctuaries that shelter or conserve: ○ Desert National Park, Rajasthan ○ Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, Gujarat ○ Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary or Bustard Sanctuary, Maharashtra ● Protection status: ○ IUCN Status is Critically Endangered ○ Appendix I of CITES ○ Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972 ● Threats : include agriculture; energy production & mining; transportation; human intrusions, and invasive and other problematic species.

Saguna Rice Technique ● a unique new method of cultivation of rice and related rotation crops without ploughing, puddling and transplanting (rice) on permanent raised beds. ● This is a zerotill, Conservation Agriculture (CA) type of cultivation method evolved at Saguna Baug, Neral, Dist. Raigad, Maharashtra. ● The permanent raised beds used in this method facilitates ample of oxygen supply to root zone area while maintaining optimum moisture condition there. ● For not having to do puddling, transplanting and hand hoeing, saves 30% to 40% cost of production & not requiring transplanting saves 50% treacherous labour.

First rescue and rehabilitation centre for monkeys in Telangana ● The first rescue and rehabilitation centre for monkeys in the State was inaugurated at Gandi Ramanna Haritavanam near Chincholi village in Nirmal district recently. ● It is the second such facility for the primates in the country (first one is in Himachal Pradesh).

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Rhesus Macaque monkeys ● Protected species under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. ● The law allows for it to be hunted by declaring it ‘vermin’ for a specific period if it poses a danger to human life or property.

Vermin Animals ● Vermin are pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases or destroy crops or livestock ● Disease-carrying rodents and insects are the usual case, but the term is also applied to larger animals—especially small predators—typically because they consume resources which humans consider theirs, such as livestock and crops. ● As per Section 62 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, states can send a list of wild animals to the Centre requesting it to declare them vermin for selective slaughter. ● Wildlife laws divide species into ‘schedules’ ranked from I to V. Schedule I members are the best protected, in theory, with severe punishments meted out to those who hunt them. ● Wild boars, nilgai and rhesus monkeys are Schedule II and III members, it is also protected, but can be hunted under specific conditions.

Consortia of medicinal plants ● Launched by National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH ● The NMPB Consortia aims to address/deliberate on the following issues: Quality planting material, Research & Development, Cultivation and Trade of medicinal plants/market linkage. ● To establish the linkage between the farmers and manufacturers, a ‘Seed to Shelf’ approach is being introduced, wherein, aspects related to Quality Planting Materials (QPM), Good Agriculture Practices (GAP’s), Good Post Harvest Practices (GPHP’s) would be addressed. ● Medicinal Plant Species Covered: In the first phase NMPB consortia is proposed for following medicinal plant species: ○ Ashwagandha (Withaniasomnifera) ○ Pippali(Piper longum) ○ Aonla (Phyllanthus Emblica) ○ Guggulu (Commiphorawightii) ○ Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus).

Himalayan trillium ● Why in news ?: The Himalayan trillium (Trillium govanianum), a common herb of the Himalayas was declared ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last week.

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● In recent years, the plant has become one of the most traded commercial plants of the Himalayan region, due to its high medicinal quality. ● Their existence has also been traced across India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. ● In India, it is found in four states only- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand. ● Various applications: ○ It has been used in traditional medicine to cure diseases like dysentery wounds, skin boils , inflammation, sepsis, as well as menstrual and sexual disorders. ● Recent experiments have shown that it can be used as an anti-cancer and anti-ageing agent.

‘Catch the Rain’ Awareness Generation Campaign ● Organised by ○ National Water Mission(NWM) ○ Ministry of Jal Shakti ○ Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) ○ Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports . ● Tag line: Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls. ● Aims: ○ To focus on water conservation and rainwater harvesting with involvement of the youngsters in the revolutionary campaign. ○ To engage people at the grassroots through effective campaigning and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities for implementation of the campaign. ● Activities suggested ○ Drives to make water harvesting pits, rooftop RWHS and check dams. ○ Removal of encroachments and de-silting of tanks to increase their storage capacity. ○ Removal of obstructions in the channels which bring water to them from the catchment areas. ○ Repairs to traditional water harvesting structures like step-wells and using defunct bore-wells and old wells to put the water back to aquifers etc. ○ The NYKS teams will also meet district administration, line departments and water agencies, hold meetings with Pradhans, local influencers. ○ Volunteers will also prepare plans for the water conservation to be taken up in the next phase of the campaign. ○ ● Coordination: To facilitate these activities, states have been requested to open “Rain Centers” in each district– in Collectorates/Municipalities or GP offices.

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Steps Taken by The Government

National Rural Drinking Water Programme: ● It seeks to provide every rural person with adequate safe water for drinking, cooking and other basic domestic needs on a sustainable basis. ● NITI Aayog Composite Water Management Index: ● With the objective of achieving effective utilization of water, NITI Aayog has developed the Composite Water Management Index. ● The index revolves around issues ranging from water scarcity and related morass like deaths due to lack of access to safe water, its projected increase in demand over the years and finding ways for its effective conservation.

MGNREGA for water conservation: ● Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is one of the biggest government-funded employment schemes in the world. ● The huge workforce employed under the MGNREGA has enabled the government to introduce water conservation as a project under the Act. ● The government aims to improve groundwater harvesting and build water conservation and storage mechanisms through MGNREGA.

Jal Shakti Ministry and Jal Jeevan Mission: ● The efforts like the formation of Jal Shakti Ministry (to tackle water issues holistically) and the goal to provide piped water to all rural households by 2024, under the Jal Jeevan mission, are steps in the right direction.

Jal Kranti Abhiyan: ● The government is making active efforts to revolutionise villages and cities through block-level water conservation schemes. For example; the Jal Gram Scheme under the Jal Kranti Abhiyan is aimed at developing two model villages in water-starved areas to lead the other villages towards water conservation and preservation.

National Water Mission: ● The Government of India has launched the National Water Mission with the objective of conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring more equitable distribution both across and within states through integrated water resources development and management. ● One of the objectives of the Mission is to increase the water use efficiency by 20%.

National Aquifer Mapping and Management program (NAQUIM)

● It is being implemented by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).

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● NAQUIM envisages mapping of aquifers (water bearing formations), their characterization and development of Aquifer Management Plans to facilitate sustainable management of groundwater resources. ● NAQUIM was initiated as a part of the Ground Water Management and Regulation Scheme to delineate and characterize the aquifers to develop plans for ground water management.

Status of Leopard in India 2018 Report ● Released by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Key Findings of the Report ● India has 12,852 leopards as compared to 7,910 leopards in 2014. The leopard population has increased by 60% in the country ● The states that recorded highest leopard estimates were Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. ● The Leopard census was also a part of the India’s tiger survey. According to the Tiger Survey, India is home to 12,852 leopards in the tiger ranges.

About Leopard: ● Conservation Status: ○ IUCN Red List: Vulnerable ○ CITES: Appendix I ○ Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I ● They are usually found in widely distributed and adaptable habitats.

Tso Kar Wetland Complex ● The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex. ● It consists of two principal waterbodies,Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake and Tso Kar itself, a hypersaline lake situated in the Changthang region of . ● It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt efflorescence found on the margins due to the evaporation of highly saline water. ● Important Bird Area (IBA): The Tso Kar Basin is an A1 Category Important Bird Area (IBA) as per Bird Life International and a key staging site in the Central Asian Flyway. ○ The site is also one of the most important breeding areas of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in India. ○ This IBA is also the major breeding area for Great Crested Grebe (Podicepscristatus), Bar-headed Geese (Anserindicus), Ruddy Shelduck (Tadornaferruginea), Brown-headed Gull (Larusbrunnicephalus), Lesser Sand- Plover (Charadriusmongolus) and many other species.

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DigiBoxx ● NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant launched DigiBoxx India’s own online service. ● What is it? : It is a Made-in-India digital asset management, file sharing service and cloud storage platform. ● The platform is the first of its kind ‘, Store in India’ digital asset management product that is in line with the country’s national security and data localisation priorities. ● The service is priced competitively, as the company is offering free 20GB cloud storage and 100GB space per month to those who pay just Rs 30. ● Current availability of DigiBoxx: It is currently available for Android users only. However, the company has confirmed that the service will soon be made available to iOS users as well. ● Security features: ○ According to the company, the service has connection encryption and all the files stored on its platform are encrypted at a database level. ○ The company confirmed that all the data is being stored in the country. ○ The service claims to offer support for SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) file encryption.

Satkosia Tiger Reserve ● Satkosia Tiger Reserve, comprises two adjoining sanctuaries of central Odisha named as Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary and Baisipalli Sanctuary. ● Notified as Tiger Reserve in December 2007. ● The area supports moist deciduous forest, dry deciduous forest and moist peninsular Sal forest. ● This area is the home for Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Gaur, Chousingha, Sloth bear, Wild dog, varieties of resident and migratory birds, reptilian species, etc.

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Major Protected Areas in Odisha

● National Parks: ○ Bhitarkanika National Park ○ Simlipal National Park ● Wildlife Sanctuaries: ○ Badrama WLS ○ Chilika (Nalaban) WLS ○ Hadgarh WLS ○ Kotagarh WLS ○ Nandankanan WLS

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○ Lakhari Valley WLS ○ Gahirmatha (Marine) WLS

Portulaca laljii ● It is a new species of the wild sun rose discovered recently from the Eastern Ghats in India. ● Discovered from Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. ● It has unique features such as a tuberous root, no hair in its leaf axils, a reddish-pink flower, prolate-shaped fruits, and copper brown seeds without lustre. ● The succulent nature of tuberous roots allow the plant to survive on rocky crevices.

Bandhavgarh National Park ● Located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. ● Spread at vindhya hills in Madhya Pradesh. ● Declared a national park in 1968 and then became Tiger Reserve in 1993. ● It is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers. ● The density of the Tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. ● Consists of mixed vegetation ranging from tall grasslands to thick Sal forest ● In the 2019 census Madhya Pradesh state recorded the most number of estimated tigers at 526, thus earning the title “Tiger State” ● The project of reintroduction of gaurs dealt with shifting some gaurs from Kanha National Park to Bandhavgarh.

Giant African Snail ● Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica) is one of the worst invasive species declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). ● It is suspected to spread eosinophilic meningitis, septicaemia and peritonitis in humans. ● The Giant African Snail in Asia and Africa has had multiple episodes of invasion. ● New snail populations continue to arrive in India from snail-infested countries across the world. ● Its population found in India had a higher genetic variety than those in the native African continent. ● This genetic variety indicates that the snail continues to have multiple invasions in India, mainly Kerala, from different countries.

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What are invasive species? ● An invasive species is a non-native organism that causes ecological harm after being introduced to a new environment.

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● Once they enter a new ecosystem, they can outcompete native organisms for resources like food, especially if they lack natural predators. ● Some invasive species also carry diseases that kill native organisms and many will consume native plants and animals. ● Invasive species can ultimately cause the decline or extinction of native species, decreasing biodiversity in an ecosystem.

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety ● The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international agreement which aims to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health. ● It was adopted in 2000 and entered into force in 2003. ● CBD recognize that there is an urgent need to address the impact of invasive species. It states that “Each Contracting Party shall, as far as possible and as appropriate, prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species”. ●

Kolar Leaf-Nosed Bat ● Geographic Range: It is endemic to India. It is presently known only from one cave in Hanumanahalli village in Kolar district, Karnataka. ● Protection Status: ○ IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered ○ Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: It has not been accorded legal protection under the Act. ● Conservation Measures: Karnataka Government has notified the 30 acres around the caves as protected area. Hence, any development work including construction of new infrastructure will need the permission of the National Board for Wildlife. ● Bat Conservation India Trust (BCIT) ○ BCIT is a non-profit organization which was conceived for the protection of bat species in India by protecting their habitat. ○ Headquartered : Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park ● Dibru-Saikhowa is a National Park as well as a Biosphere Reserve situated in the south bank of the river Brahmaputra in Assam. ● It is the largest swamp forest in north-eastern India. ● It is an identified Important Bird Area (IBA), notified by the Birdlife International. ● It is most famous for the rare white-winged wood ducks as well as feral horses. ● Flora: The forest type comprises semi-evergreen forests, deciduous forests, littoral and swamp forests and patches of wet evergreen forests. ● Maguri Motapung wetland is a part of the Reserve.

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Habitat Rights ● Habitat rights under the FRA 2006 are granted to the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG). ● Section 3(1)(e) of FRA mentions about rights that include community tenures of habitat and habitation for primitive tribal groups and pre-agricultural communities. ● However, the FRA isn’t clear on the nature of the right. ● Guidelines for habitat rights tries to address this and provide a distinction between habitat rights and CFR. ● CFR are more important for fulfilling the material needs of the communities, such as livelihood generation. ● While Habitat right include the entirety of the spiritual connection or belonging that a community feels with the landscape.

Eco-Sensitive Zones ● Eco-Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas are areas within 10 kms around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. ● ESZs are notified by MoEFCC, Government of India under Environment Protection Act 1986. ● Objectives- ○ To manage and regulate the activities around these areas with the intention of creating some kinds of ‘shock absorbers’ ○ To provide a transition zone between the highly protected and relatively less protected areas. ● In case of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even area beyond 10 km width can also be included in the eco-sensitive zone.

Activities Allowed in ESZs ● Prohibited activities: Commercial mining, saw mills, industries causing pollution (air, water, soil, noise etc), establishment of major hydroelectric projects (HEP), commercial use of wood, Tourism activities like hot-air balloons over the National Park, discharge of effluents or any solid waste or production of hazardous substances. ● Regulated activities: Felling of trees, establishment of hotels and resorts, commercial use of natural water, erection of electrical cables, drastic change of agriculture system, e.g. adoption of heavy technology, pesticides etc, widening of roads. ● Permitted activities: Ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, use of renewable energy sources, adoption of green technology for all activities.

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Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary ● Declared as a protected area in 1982.

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● An area of 150.87 sq. km was called the ‘Dumkhal Sanctuary’, specifically created for the protection of sloth bears. ● In the years 1987 and 1989, more land was attributed to conservation and the area of the sanctuary enlarged to 607.70 sq km. It was then renamed ‘Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary’. ● Flora: It is made up of a mixed forest of teak, riverine forest and deciduous dry jungles. ● Fauna: Sloth bear, Leopard, Rhesus macaque, Four Horned antelope, Barking deer, Pangolin, Herpetofauna, birds including Alexandrine parakeet.

Sloth Bears: ● Habitat: Also called honey bear, bhalu, it is a forest-dwelling member of the family Ursidae (comprises 8 species of bears) that inhabits tropical or subtropical regions of India and Sri Lanka. ● Protection Status: ○ ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List. ○ Appendix I in CITES listing. ○ Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. ● Threats: Habitat loss, poaching for body parts and are sometimes captured for use in performances or hunted because of their aggressive behavior and destruction of crops.

Himalayan Black Bear: ● Also called Asiatic black bear ● Habitat: it inhabits mountainous and heavily forested areas across southern and eastern Asia. ● Protection Status: ○ ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List. ○ Appendix I in CITES listing. ○ Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. ● Threats: Illegal hunting for body parts, specifically the gallbladder, paws and skiing poses the main threat, together with habitat loss caused by logging, expansion of human settlements and roads.

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Science & Technology

Superinfections, Influenza and Bacterial Infection What is Superinfections? ● These are infection occurring after or on top of an earlier infection, especially following treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics. ● It is an overgrowth of an opportunistic pathogen from the bacterial or yeast imbalance of systemic antibiotics. ● Mechanisms: ○ Found that different nutrients and antioxidants leak from the blood. ○ This creates an environment in the lungs that favours growth of bacteria. ○ The bacteria adapt to the inflammatory environment by increasing the production of HtrA enzyme. ○ HtrA weakens the immune system and promotes bacterial growth in the influenza-infected airways. ● For example, influenza is caused by a virus, but the most common cause of death in influenza patients is secondary pneumonia, which is caused by bacteria.

Influenza ● What is it ? : It is a viral infection that attacks the respiratory system i.e. nose, throat and lungs and is commonly called the flu. ● Symptoms: Fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headaches and fatigue. ● Common Treatment: ○ Flu is primarily treated with rest and fluid intake to allow the body to fight the infection on its own. ○ Paracetamol may help cure the symptoms but Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) should be avoided. An annual vaccine can help prevent the flu and limit its complications. ● Vulnerable people: Young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with chronic disease or weak immune systems are at high risk.

Pneumonia ● Affected area: It is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus. ● Cause: Variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. ● Symptoms: Cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills and difficulty breathing. ● Treatment: Antibiotics can treat many forms of pneumonia. Some forms of pneumonia can be prevented by vaccines. ● The infection can be life-threatening to anyone, but particularly to infants, children and people over 65.

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World AIDS Day 2020: (1st Dec) ● Founded by: The World Health Organization (WHO) 1988 ● Theme for 2020: “Global solidarity, resilient HIV services.”

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● “90-90-90” targets for 2020: Which were to ensure that: ○ 90% of people living with HIV are aware of their status, ○ 90% of people diagnosed with HIV are receiving treatment, and ○ 90% of all people receiving treatment have achieved viral suppression.

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About: AIDS ● Caused by: The infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which damages the human immune system. ● HIV interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection and disease. ● Transmitted: The virus can be transmitted through contact with infected blood, semen or vaginal fluids. ● What is Lymphocytes? : The main cells of the immune system i.e. T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. ‘Helper T’ lymphocytes play a great role in regulating the immune system. Damages to or destruction of ‘Helper’ lymphocytes leads to the development of a cellular immune deficiency which makes the patient susceptible to wide variety of infections. ● Incubation period : The average period is 28 months though it may range between 15 to 57 months ● AIDS can be detected by ELISA test. ● HIV is a weak virus and hard to get infected with. It cannot be transmitted through air or water outside the human body

● United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS(UNAIDS): It is an innovative joint venture of the United Nations family which brings together the efforts and resources of 11 UN system organizations to unite the world against AIDS.Secretariat: Geneva, Switzerland. ● Mission SAMPARK: It was launched by Indian Government in 2017 to bring back People Living with HIV who have left treatment after starting Antiretroviral Treatment(ART). ● 'Project Sunrise' ○ Launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016, ○ to tackle the rising HIV prevalence in north-eastern states in India, especially among people injecting drugs. ○ The AIDS prevention special project aims to diagnose 90 per cent of such drug addicts with HIV and put them under treatment by 2020. ○ Project Sunrise aims at bringing the people living with HIV/AIDS into the national mainstream and create more awareness about the disease in these N-E states.. ○ It will be implemented in the North East in addition to the existing projects of the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO). ○ The project has been sponsored by US based Centre for Disease Control and would be implemented by Family Health International 360.

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○ North Eastern States like Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram account for highest adult (15-49 years) HIV prevalence in the country.

Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) ● Why in news ?: GMRT has been selected as a ‘Milestone’ facility by the U.S.-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

About GMRT ● What is it ? : The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) Observatory, is an array of thirty fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes of 45 meter diameter, observing at meter wavelengths. ● Operated by: the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. ● Objective: To investigate a variety of radio astrophysical (the study of stars and other objects in space using physical laws) problems ranging from our nearby Solar system to the edge of the observable Universe. ● Location: located near , Junnar, Narayangaon in India. ● Establishment : It was conceived and built under the direction of Late Prof. Govind Swarup during 1984 to 1996.

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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ● IEEE is the world’s largest technical body publishing research from the fields of engineering and computing. ● Also, it awards standards to institutions and organisations involved in these fields. ● It considers an institution for the milestone on the basis of engineering, science, and computational facilities it offers for not less than 25 years.

Hayabusa 2 ● The Hayabusa2 is spacecraft of Japan ● Objective: A mission to analyse the composition of asteroid 1999 JU3 (Ryugu) and return samples from it to Earth using the MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) lander. ○ Ryugu is a C-type asteroid – a relic (अवशेष) from the early days of the Solar System. ● The mission will shed light on the origins of the solar system. ● Launched by: the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Japanese space agency. ● It carried multiple science payloads for remote sensing, sampling, and four small rovers that will investigate the asteroid surface to inform the environmental and geological context of the samples collected.

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Hayabusa: ● In mid-September 2005, Hayabusa landed on the asteroid Itokawa, and managed to collect samples in the form of grains of asteroidal material. ● It returned to Earth with the samples in June 2010, ● The first spacecraft to return asteroid samples to Earth for analysi

Hualong One: China’s entry in Nuclear Power Sector ● China recently connected its first indigenously developed third generation nuclear power reactor called Hualong one to its national grid. ● The Hualong One nuclear power reactor is first of its kind. ● Features: ○ Hualong one is one of the world’s most advanced nuclear power reactor. ○ The technology of Hualong one has more than 700 patents and 120 software updates. ○ The lifespan of the Hualong one nuclear reactor is 60 years. ○ It is made up of 177 reactor cores. These cores will be replaced every 18 months.

Green Charcoal Hackathon ● Launched by NVVN (NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam), a wholly-owned subsidiary company of NTPC Ltd. ● Aim: It is a technology challenge with an aim to fast-track technology developments conducted by NVVN in partnership with EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Ltd). ● The purpose: of the event is to leverage the innovative Indian mind to bridge the technology gap ● Prime Objective to: ○ Clean the air by eliminating farm fire, producing renewable energy out of the agro residue. ○ Promote local entrepreneurship. ○ Increase the income of the farmers. ● The ultimate goals is to reduce the carbon footprint of the nation.

Biological weapons ● Also called germ weapons, they are any of a number of disease-producing agents— such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, toxins, or other biological agents—that may be utilized as weapons against humans, animals, or plants. ● Biological weapons, like chemical weapons, radiological weapons, and nuclear weapons, are commonly referred to as weapons of mass destruction.

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The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC): ● It is the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production and stockpiling of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, was opened for signature on 10 April 1972. The BWC entered into force on 26 March 1975. The BWC bans: 1. The development, stockpiling, acquisition, retention, and production of: 2. Biological agents and toxins “of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;” 3. Weapons, equipment, and delivery vehicles “designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict.” 4. The transfer of or assistance with acquiring the agents, toxins, weapons, equipment, and delivery vehicles described above.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) test ● NMR spectroscopy is an analytical chemistry technique used in quality control and reserach for determining the content and purity of a sample as well as its molecular structure. ● Indian companies in the business of honey are importing synthetic sugar syrups from China for adulterating with honey. ● Why in News? ○ 10 out of 13 honey brands from India have failed in this ‘purity test’. ○ The NMR test is not required by Indian law for honey that is being marketed locally but is needed for export. ○ Honey samples from brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis Himalaya, all failed the internationally accepted NMR test.

100 Octane Petrol ● Launched by Indian Oil Corporation ● This is the first time 100 Octane fuel is being launched in the country. What are Octane ratings? ● Octane ratings are the measure of fuel stability. ● It is the ability of the fuel to avoid knock. Knock occurs when the fuel is prematurely ignited in the engine cylinder. ● This degrades the efficiency of the engine and damages the engine. ● Higher the Octane number higher is the resistance of the fuel to knock. ● In other words higher the Octane number, the fuel can with stand more compression before detonating.

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100 Octane Petrol

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● The 100 Octane petrol is usually used in luxury vehicles that demand high-performance. ● It is available only in six countries in the world namely Germany, United States, Greece, Malaysia, Indonesia and Israel. ● The 100 Octane fuel is usually used in race vehicle

Cryptocurrency Ethereum 2.0 ● The Ethereum is a crypto currency. ● it was launched in a faster, cheaper and more environmentally friendly platform, as the upgraded version called ‘Ethereum 2.0’. ● Ethereum is a decentralised and open source blockchain platform, which is a growing list of cryptographic blocks. ● Ether (ETH) is the cryptocurrency token of the Ethereum platform. ● It is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, only after bitcoin. It is also the world’s most actively used blockchain. ● Ethereum was first proposed in 2013 by a Russian- Canadian cryptocurrency researcher and programmer Vitalik Buterin. ● The largest cryptocurrency ‘Bitcoin’ works on the principle of Mining, which in turn requires solving complex problems leading to large consumption of electricity. ● This updated Ethereum 2.0 changes this system into ‘proof of stake’, which links the quantities of ether with the selection as validators. ● Cryptocurrencies cannot be used as a legal currency in India.

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What are cryptocurrencies? ● It is a specific type of virtual currency that are protected by cryptographic encryption techniques. ● Some of the popular cryptocurrencies are ripple, Bitcoin, ethereum. ● There is no Central authority to record the transactions ● The cryptocurrencies use technologies such as distributed ledger Technology or blockchain technology to store transaction data.

Cryptocurrency regulations in India ● In December 2017, the Government of India clarified that the virtual currencies do not have protection or regulator permission in India. ● In 2018-19 Budget, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Government of India will take all measures to eliminate the use of cryptocurrencies as a part of the payment system in the country. ● In 2018, the Reserve Bank of India notified that the entities operating under it should not deal with cryptocurrency. ● The inter-ministerial committee constituted under the chairmanship of Subhash Chandra Garg has submitted its report suggesting the draft bill, “Banning of Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency bill, 2019”.

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Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder ● Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) is a new type of radio telescope developed by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). ● It creates high-resolution images by combining the signals of 36 smaller dish antennas. ● The antennas work together as a single astronomical Inferometer. Each antenna is 12 metre in diameter. The Antennas are spread over a collecting area of 4000 square metres. ● Recently, this telescope had helped map around 300 million galaxies in approximately 300 hours to create a ‘new atlas of the universe’. ● What is an Astronomical Inferometer? ○ It is an array of separate telescopes that work together as a single telescope to provide higher resolution of images of astronomical objects such as nebulous, stars and galaxies.

Arecibo telescope ● Why in news?: Puerto Rico’s massive Arecibo telescope, famous for its stellar contributions to astronomy, collapsed. ● Built in 1963, it is the second-largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. ● It is owned by the US National Science Foundation. ● It is known for its finding that Mercury rotates in 59 days and not 88 days (original calculation). ● Being the most powerful radar, scientists employed Arecibo to observe planets, asteroids and the ionosphere, making several discoveries over the decades, including finding prebiotic molecules in distant galaxies, the first exoplanets, and the first millisecond pulsar.

Nisarg Gram ● What is it?: “Nisarg Gram” will be the name of the upcoming new campus of National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) at Pune. ● Purpose: This will invoke recollections of Mahatma Gandhi’s Nature Cure campaign of 1946 at the “Nisarg Upchar” Ashram a village near Pune. ● Nisarg Gram will have many innovations and novelties incorporated in the project per se and the curriculum of the Naturopathy course. ● It is a future-orientated institute which has a science-based approach, Gandhian spirit and social relevance.

National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) ● NIN, Pune is an Autonomous Body under the Ministry of AYUSH. ● It is the inheritor of a Gandhian heritage, having been developed out of a Nature Cure institution of which the Mahatma was one of the founders. ● The institution was called All India Nature Cure Foundation.

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● Set up under Gandhi’s leadership in 1945 at the same premises where the NIN presently functions. ● It was subsequently taken over by the Central Government and structured into the present National Institute of Naturopathy.

HSN code ● It was developed by the World Customs Organization. ● It is a multipurpose International product nomenclature. ● The code is called the universal economic language for goods. ● The code comprises of more than 5000 commodity groups. ● The HSN code is mainly used for taxation purpose. It helps to identify the rate of tax applicable to a product in the country. ● HSN is Harmonised System of Nomenclature. ● The HS code is called the HSN code in India. ● HS code is a six-digit identification code. ● The first two digits in the code denote the HS chapter, the next two digits are the HS heading and the last two digits are the HS subheading. ● The HS is “Harmonised System”.

Surgery as part of Ayurveda ● The government has notified compulsory surgical procedures for PG students of Ayurveda. ● Two branches of surgery in Ayurveda: ○ Shalya , which refers to general surgery, and ○ Shalakya Tantra which pertains to surgeries related to the eyes, ears, nose, throat and teeth. ● The notification mentions 58 surgical procedures that postgraduate students must train themselves in and acquire skills to perform independently. ● The surgeries that have been mentioned in the notification are all that are already part of the Ayurveda course. ● Now, the patients will know exactly what an Ayurveda doctor is capable of. The skill sets have been defined. ● This will remove question marks on the ability of an Ayurveda practitioner.

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History of Surgery In Ayurveda ● The is the earliest account of ancient Indian civilization which mentions that Ashwini Kumaras known as Dev Vaidya were the chief surgeons of Vedic periods, who had performed rare legendary surgical operations. ● There are many Granthas and Samhitas dealing with Ayurveda; among them, Charak Samhita, Sushrutaa Samhita, and Ashtanga Sangraha are the three main pillars of Ayurveda.

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● Charak Samhita and Ashtanga Samhita mainly deal with medicine knowledge while Sushrutaa Samhita deals mainly with surgical knowledge. ● Sushruta is the father of surgery, his works are compiled as Sushrutaa Samhita. He described 60 types of upakarma for treatment of wounds, 120 surgical instruments and 300 surgical procedures.

Quantum Supremacy ● It is a term proposed in 2012 by John Preskill, professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology. ● It describes the point where quantum computers can do things that classical computers cannot. ● Superposition and entanglement are what give quantum computers the ability to process so much more information so much faster. Differences between a standard computer and a quantum computer: ● A classical computer performs calculations using bits that is 0 representing off and 1 representing on. It uses transistors to process information in the form of sequences of zeros and ones called computer binary language. More transistors more processing ability. ● A quantum computer uses the laws of quantum mechanics. Here, different states can be achieved in particles due to their internal angular momentum called spin. The two states 0 and 1 can be represented in the spin of the particle. ● Thus, in a classical computer information is expressed through single number either 0 or 1. ● A quantum computer uses qubits which is described as a 0 and 1 at the same time giving us more processing power.

'Damaru' Inspired Lattice ● IIT Kanpur Researchers have developed ‘Damaru’ Inspired Lattice that finds applications in stealth submarines and high speed trains. ● In this application, IIT Kanpur researchers have shown the nature of stiffness of a vibrating medium could be altered drastically by controlling the lattice micro-structure from regular honeycomb to auxtetic honeycomb structure. ● This has wide applications in the field of vibration isolation in high speed trains, stealth submarines and helicopter rotors. ● This work is sponsored by a SPARC project of Ministry of Education.

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Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) ● Launched by : Ministry of Human Resource Development

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● Aims at: improving the research ecosystem of India’s Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world. ● Objective: SPARC aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian institutions and the best institutions in the world from 28 selected nations to jointly solve problems of national and international relevance in the first phase. ● A set of 5 Thrust Areas which are Fundamental Research, Emergent Areas of Impact, Convergence, Action-Oriented Research, and Innovation-Driven and sub-theme areas in each thrust area has been identified.

HL-2M Tokamak ● What is it?: It is China’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device that can potentially unlock a powerful clean energy source. ● Name of the mission: Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). ● Location: Sichuan province ● reactor is often called an “artificial sun” on account of the enormous heat and power it produces. ● Uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures of over 150 million degrees Celsius- approximately ten times hotter than the core of the sun.

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Nuclear Fusion ● It is powers our sun. ● It merges atomic nuclei to create massive amounts of energy — the opposite of the fission process used in atomic weapons and nuclear power plants which splits them into fragments. ● Advantages of Fusion: Unlike fission, fusion emits no greenhouse gases and carries less risk of accidents or the theft of atomic material. But achieving fusion is both extremely difficult and prohibitively expensive.

Nuclear Fission ● Fission occurs when a neutron slams into a larger atom, forcing it to excite and spilt into two smaller atoms—also known as fission products. Additional neutrons are also released that can initiate a chain reaction. ● When each atom splits, a tremendous amount of energy is released. ● Uranium and plutonium are most commonly used for fission reactions in nuclear power reactors because they are easy to initiate and control. ● The energy released by fission in these reactors heats water into steam. The steam is used to spin a turbine to produce carbon-free electricity.

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) ● a collaboration of 35 nations launched in 1985. 58 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● Located in France. ● Aims to build the world's largest tokamak to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large- scale and carbon-free source of energy. ● The project is based on fusion which is also an energy source for the Sun and stars. ● The ITER members include China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States.

What is Diem? ● Facebook-backed cryptocurrency Libra has been rebranded as “Diem” to gain regulatory approval by emphasising that the project has “organisational independence”. ● The independent organisation, Libra Association, which runs the Libra project will also be renamed as the Diem Association. ● Diem is a Latin term meaning “day”. ● Libra received criticism because of the possibility of it threatening the traditional government-run financial systems, which may result in upending of financial stability and threatening of privacy. ● Diem is a stable coin. Unlike other cryptocurrencies, Diem is to use Permissioned blockchain. ● Stable coins are cryptocurrencies. The only difference in stable coins is that these cryptocurrencies are backed by a reserve asset. Their market value is dependent on some external reference. ● Permissioned Blockchains: ○ It is a private blockchain. ○ The only difference between the permissioned and Permissionless blockchain is that the permissioned blockchain has an access control layer. ○ In simple terms, this means that the user of the blockchain, Libra in this case, can govern who has access to the network.

Jupiter Saturn Great Conjunction ● Conjunction: If two celestial bodies visually appear close to each other from Earth, it is called a conjunction. ● Great Conjunction: Astronomers use the term great conjunction to describe meetings of the two biggest worlds in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn. ○ It happens about every 20 years. ○ The conjunction is the result of the orbital paths of Jupiter and Saturn coming into line, as viewed from Earth. ○ Jupiter orbits the sun about every 12 years, and Saturn about every 29 years. ○ The conjunction will be on 21st December, 2020, also the date of the December solstice.

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Jupiter: ● Fifth in line from the Sun, Jupiter is, by far, the largest planet in the solar system – more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined. ● Jovian Planet: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are called Jovian or Gas Giant Planets. These have thick atmosphere, mostly of helium and hydrogen. ● Jupiter rotates once about every 10 hours (a Jovian day), but takes about 12 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun (a Jovian year). ● Jupiter has more than 75 moons. ○ The planet Jupiter's four largest moons are called the Galilean satellites after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who first observed them in 1610. ○ These large moons, named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, are each distinctive worlds. ● In 1979, the Voyager mission discovered Jupiter’s faint ring system. ● Nine spacecraft have visited Jupiter. Seven flew by and two have orbited the gas giant. Juno, the most recent, arrived at Jupiter in 2016.

Saturn: ● Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the solar system. ● Saturn takes about 10.7 hours to rotate on its axis once - a Saturn “day” - and 29 Earth years to orbit the sun. ● Saturn has 53 known moons with an additional 29 moons awaiting confirmation of their discovery - that is a total of 82 moons. It has the giant moon ‘Titan’. ● Saturn has the most spectacular ring system, with seven rings and several gaps and divisions between them. ● Few missions have visited Saturn: Pioneer 11 and Voyagers 1 and 2 flew by; But Cassini orbited Saturn 294 times from 2004 to 2017.

Havana Syndrome ● In late 2016, US diplomats and other employees stationed in Havana reported feeling ill after hearing strange sounds and experiencing odd physical sensations in their hotel rooms or homes. ● The symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, and hearing loss, which have since come to be known as “Havana Syndrome”. What causes the ‘Havana syndrome’? ● Directed pulsed RF energy appears to be the most plausible mechanism in explaining these cases among those that the committee considered. ● The immediate symptoms that patients reported including sensations of pain and buzzing sound apparently emanated from a particular direction, or occurred in a specific spot in a room.

Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR) technique ● What is it?: It is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth.

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● Working: These light pulses—combined with other data recorded by the airborne system— generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics. ● LiDAR follows a simple principle — throw laser light at an object on the earth surface and calculate the time it takes to return to the LiDAR source. Given the speed at which the light travels (approximately 186,000 miles per second), the process of measuring the exact distance through LiDAR appears to be incredibly fast. ● Instrument: A lidar instrument principally consists of a laser, a scanner, and a specialized GPS receiver. ● Applications: LiDAR is used for agriculture, hydrology and water management systems, geology-related applications and also in archaeology. ● Airplanes and helicopters are the most commonly used platforms for acquiring lidar data over broad areas.

OneWeb Satellites ● Bharti Global and U.K. government-led OneWeb announced the launch of 36 communications satellites ● Aims to offer high-speed internet from its constellation of satellites in India by mid-2022. ● The launch puts OneWeb on track to offer global services to customers from late 2021, starting with the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic Seas, and Canada, with global service in 2022. ● OneWeb was formed with a mission to offer high speed, low latency wireless broadband access to billions of people across the globe, especially in rural areas through a constellation of satellites in low earth orbit.

Universal Service Obligation Fund(USOF) ● It was set up in 2002 and was given statutory status under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003. ● Objective: Enabling rural Indians to achieve their fullest potential and participate productively in the development of the nation by virtue of being effectively connected through a reliable and ubiquitous telecommunications network.

PM- WANI ● PM-WANI (Wi-Fi Access Network Interface). ● Aim : To enable easily accessible public Wi-Fi hotspots spread across the country. ● It was first recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2017. Key features of the project: ● This will allow setting up of public WiFi hotspots across the country via public data offices or public data offices (PDOs). ● It will not require the PDOs to get a license or pay a fee. ● This will involve multiple players, including Public Data Office ( PDOs ) , Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOA), app providers, and a central registry.

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Molnupiravir ● A new drug called Molnupiravir has been shown to stop the transmission of SARS-CoV- 2 in 24 hours. ● What is it?: Molnupiravir is an experimental antiviral drug which is orally active and was developed for the treatment of influenza. ● Developed by: The drug is being developed by the biotechnology firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics in collaboration with pharmaceutical firm Merck. ● The research team tested it on ferrets. ● Significance : This is the first demonstration of an orally available drug to rapidly block SARS-CoV-2 transmission and it can be a game-changer ● The research team tested it on ferrets.

Go for Zero policy ● Policy of Australia helped the country to bring down its COVID-19 cases ● Proposed by a non-profit think tank Grattan Institute that advises the government. ● Under the policy besides expanding the testing of covid-19, Australia also increased contact tracing and mandatory isolation

5G NR ● 5G NR is 5G New Radio. ● It is a new radio access technology developed for the fifth-generation mobile network. ● It was designed to be the standard for the interface of 5G networks. ● The 5G New Radio (NR) is a recent development in telecommunication system and has been designed to become the benchmark for the air interface of 5G networks. ● The 5G NR provides significant enhancements in like better operational flexibility, scalability and efficiency, both in terms of power usage and spectrum. ● The new technology can provide high band width communications like streaming very high-quality video as well as low latency communications like remote control vehicle communications, machinery control etc. ● In 2019, South Korea became the first country to roll out 5G network. ● Indian Government had earlier set a target of commercialising 5G network by 2020.

Aurora borealis ● Usually witnessed far up in the polar regions or the high latitude regions of Europe. But, today, they could be visible in parts of Illinois and Pennsylvania in the US. ● An Aurora is a display of light in the sky predominantly seen in the high latitude regions (Arctic and Antarctic). It is also known as a Polar light. ● Types: There are two types- the aurora borealis and aurora australis – often called the northern lights and southern lights. Science behind their occurrence:

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● Auroras are a spectacular sign that our planet is electrically connected to the Sun. These light shows are provoked by energy from the Sun and fueled by electrically charged particles trapped in Earth’s magnetic field. ● The typical aurora is caused by collisions between fast-moving electrons from space with the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere. ● The electrons—which come from the Earth’s magnetosphere, the region of space controlled by Earth’s magnetic field —transfer their energy to the oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules, making them “excited”.

Anthrax ● Anthrax is a disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a spore-forming bacteria. ● Affects animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats more often than people. ● People can get anthrax from contact with infected animals, wool, meat, or hides. ● Spread: It does not spread directly from one infected animal or person to another; it is spread by spores. These spores can be transported by clothing or shoes. Symptoms & Infection: ● Respiratory infection in humans initially presents with cold or flu-like symptoms for several days, followed by pneumonia and severe (and often fatal) respiratory collapse. ● Gastrointestinal (GI) infection in humans is most often caused by consuming anthrax- infected meat and is characterized by serious GI difficulty, vomiting of blood, severe diarrhea, acute inflammation of the intestinal tract, and loss of appetite. ● Cutaneous anthrax, also known as Hide porter’s disease, is the cutaneous (on the skin) manifestation of anthrax infection in humans.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) ● The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully demonstrated communication between its two labs using Quantum Key Distribution technology. ● The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and The Research Centre Imarat (RCI) were the two labs that participated in this demonstration. ● Typical encryption relies on traditional mathematics and while for now it is more or less adequate and safe from hacking, the development of quantum computing threatens that. ● Quantum computing refers to a new era of faster and more powerful computers, and the theory goes that they would be able to break current levels of encryption. ● QKD works by using photons — the particles which transmit light — to transfer data. ○ QKD allows two distant users, who do not share a long secret key initially, to produce a common, random string of secret bits, called a secret key. ● Using the one-time pad encryption this key is proven to be secure to encrypt and decrypt a message, which can then be transmitted over a standard communication channel.

Significance of this technology:

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● The encryption is “unbreakable” and that’s mainly because of the way data is carried via the photon. A photon cannot be perfectly copied and any attempt to measure it will disturb it. This means that a person trying to intercept the data will leave a trace. ● The implications could be huge for cybersecurity, making businesses safer, but also making it more difficult for governments to hack into communication.

Organochlorines ● An organochloride, organochlorine compound, chlorocarbon, or chlorinated hydrocarbon is an organic compound containing at least one covalently bonded atom of chlorine that has an effect on the chemical behavior of the molecule. ● Widely used as pesticides: Organochlorines (OC) are a group of chlorinated compounds that belong to the class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with high persistence in the environment. ● OC insecticides were earlier used to control malaria and typhus, but later banned in most countries.

Plasmodium ovale ● A not very common type of malaria, Plasmodium ovale, has been identified in a jawan in Kerala. ● Plasmodium ovale: ○ Symptoms include fever for 48 hours, headache and nausea, and the treatment modality is the same as it is for a person infected with P vivax. P ovale is no more dangerous than getting a viral infection. ○ Plasmodium ovale is one among the five kinds of malarial parasites — Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones), Plasmodium Malariae, Plasmodium Ovale and Plasmodium Knowlesi. ○ It is termed ovale as about 20% of the parasitised cells are oval in shape. ○ ● Types of malaria: ○ Malaria is caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito, if the mosquito itself is infected with a malarial parasite. ○ There are five kinds of malarial parasites Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones), Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi. ● In India, out of 1.57 lakh malaria cases in the high-burden states of Odisha, , Jharkhand, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh in 2019, 1.1 lakh cases (70%) were cases of falciparum malaria. ● According to the recent World Malaria Report 2020, cases in India dropped from about 20 million in 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019.

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Cryogenic technology: ● Cryogenic technology involves the use of rocket propellants at extremely low temperatures. ● The combination of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen offers the highest energy efficiency for rocket engines that need to produce large amounts of thrust. ● Specific impulse (a measure of the efficiency) achievable with cryogenic propellants (liquid Hydrogen and liquid Oxygen) is much higher compared to earth storable liquid and solid propellants, giving it a substantial payload advantage. ● India is only the 6th country to develop the cryogenic engine after the USA, France, Japan, China and Russia. ● It is important technology for India because India could launch heavy satellites (of weight more than 2500-3000kg) with the help of Cryogenic engines and its critical for the success of GSLV program.

Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility(APVAX) ● What is it?: It is a $9 billion initiative, launched by Asian Development Bank (ADB), that will help its developing member economies to procure and deliver Coronavirus vaccines. ● Parts covered by its facility include cold-chain storage and transport, vehicles, distribution infrastructure, and also processing facilities. ● APVAX will have two components: ○ 1. Rapid Response Component to support critical vaccine diagnostics, procurement of vaccines, and transporting vaccines. ○ 2. Project Investment Component for investments in systems for successful distribution, delivery, and administration of vaccines along with associated investments in building capacity.

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COVAX ● It is an alliance co-led by Gavi (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(CEPI) and WHO. ● It aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.

Data Sonification ● Data sonification is the use of sound to represent data. ● It is the auditory version of data visualisations. ● The project helps the users to hear several astronomical phenomena such as birth of a star, black hole, birth of a cloud or dust. How are the astronomical images translated into sounds? ● The space telescopes of NASA collect huge digital data before converting them into images. This digital data is a representation of light and radiation of different wavelength

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in space. They cannot be seen by human eye. The Chandra project of NASA translated these digital data into sound.

Galactic centre ● The Galactic centre is the rotational centre of Milky Way galaxy. ● It consists of neutron stars, dwarf stars, clouds of dust and gas and a super massive black hole called Sagittarius A. ● The Galactic Centre weighs 4 million times as that of the sun.

3D Printing ● 3D printing or additive manufacturing uses computer-aided designing to make prototypes or working models of objects by laying down successive layers of materials such as plastic, resin, thermoplastic, metal, fibre or ceramic. ● With the help of software, the model to be printed is first developed by the computer, which then gives instructions to the 3D printer. ● 3D printing and a viable industry around it is mostly in the shape of additive manufacturing, wherein companies make specific products for projects where there are very specific demands such as lightweight equipment, etc. ○ One of the key applications for such products is in the medical and allied sector. ● The USA remains the global leader in 3D printing, with more than 35% market share. ○ In Asia, about 50% of its market is cornered by China, followed by Japan at 30%, ○ and South Korea at 10%.

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Policy for 3D Printing ● Encourage market leaders to establish global bases for 3D manufacturing in India, while also discouraging imports of printed material for domestic requirements. ● Objectives: ○ Help develop a conducive ecosystem for design, development and deployment of 3D printing and additive manufacturing. ○ Help domestic companies to overcome technical and economic barriers so that they can build supportive and ancillary facilities for world leaders in the technology, such as the USA and China. ● Key Areas of Focus and Application: ○ Auto and ancillary auto and motor spare part business, such as engines, interior and exterior parts of luxury vehicles, or landing gear, complex brackets, and turbine blades. ○ There can be some application of it in consumer electronics, printed circuit boards, clothing, toys and jewellery as well.

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Geminids meteor shower unique ● Meteors are pieces of rock and ice that are ejected from comets as they manoeuvre around their orbits around the sun. ● Meteor showers are witnessed when Earth passes through the trail of debris left behind by a comet or an asteroid. ● The Geminids meteor showers are unique because their origin does not lie in a comet, but what is believed to be an asteroid or an extinct comet. The Geminids emerge from 3200 Phaethon, which meteor scientists consider to be an asteroid. ● Process: The Orionid meteors occur from comet Halley. When a meteor reaches the earth, it is called meteorite. When a series of meteorites are encountered at once, it is called meteor shower.

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What are Leonid Showers? ● It occurs from Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet takes 33 years to complete one revolution around the sun.

The Differences Between An Asteroid, Comet, Meteoroid, Meteor and Meteorite? ● Asteroid: A relatively small, inactive, rocky body orbiting the Sun. ● Comet: A relatively small, at times active, object whose ices can vaporize in sunlight forming an atmosphere (coma) of dust and gas and, sometimes, a tail of dust and/or gas. ● Meteoroid: A small particle from a comet or asteroid orbiting the Sun. ● Meteor: The light phenomena which results when a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere and vaporizes; a shooting star. ● Meteorite: A meteoroid that survives its passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and lands upon the Earth’s surface.

Black Fungus ● Also called as Mucormycosis or zygomycosis. ● Doctors have witnessed increased cases of Covid-19 triggered Mucormycosis. ● It is a serious but rare fungal infection. ● Caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes which exist in the environment. ● Mucormycosis mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness. ● The symptoms are face numbness, one-side nose obstructions or swelling of eyes, or pain. ● Early detection and treatment can help. Transmission: ● It occurs through inhalation, inoculation, or ingestion of spores from the environment ● Mucormycosis does not spread between people or between people and animals.

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Mucormycetes ● Mucormycetes, the group of fungi that cause mucormycosis, are present throughout the environment, particularly in soil and in association with decaying organic matter, such as leaves, compost piles, and animal dung. ● They are more common in soil than in air, and in summer and fall than in winter or spring. ● These fungi are not harmful to most people but for people who have weakened immune systems, breathing in micromycetes spores can cause an infection.

AI & Robotics Technologies Park ( ARTPARK ) ● ARTPARK, is a unique not-for-profit foundation ● Established by Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru with support from AI Foundry in a public-private model. ● Funded from the Department of Science & Technology(DST), Govt. of India, under the National Mission on Inter-disciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). ● DataSetu: It will develop DataSetu - that will enable confidentiality and privacy- preserving framework to share data and run analytics spurring the data-sharing ecosystem and create a data marketplace, boosting AI applications and solutions. ● BhashaSetu: One such service will be BhashaSetu - that will enable real-time Indic language translation, both of speech to speech and speech to text. ● This will further unlock the economic potential of the country, and enable all Indian citizens to equitably participate in the economic progress, regardless of their language.

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National Mission on Inter-disciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) ● The Mission aims to create a strong foundation and a seamless ecosystem for CPS technologies by coordinating and integrating nationwide efforts encompassing knowledge generation, human resource development, research, technology and product development, innovation and commercialization. ○ Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are a new class of engineered systems that integrate computation and physical processes in a dynamic environment. CPS encompasses technology areas of Cybernetics, Mechatronics, Design and Embedded systems, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and many more. ● Implemented by: the Department of Science & Technology (DST) with a total outlay of Rs. 3660 Crore for a period of five years. ● The mission will be implemented through a network of 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs), 6 Sectoral Application Hubs (SAHs) and 4 Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRPs). ●

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Planet Nine ● Planet Nine is a hypothetical planet that is said to be 10 times the size of the Earth and orbits far beyond Neptune a highly eccentric orbit around the Sun ● It is not a new discovery. ● Planet nine had appeared in the images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2004. ● According to Astronomer, the objects in Kuiper belt are peculiarly designed due to Planet Nine. What is Kuiper Belt?: ● The Kuiper Belt (also known as the Edgeworth–Kuiper belt) is a region of the Solar System that exists beyond the eight major planets, extending from the orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. ● It is similar to the asteroid belt, in that it contains many small bodies, all remnants from the Solar System’s formation.

Vigyan Yatra ● Vigyan yatra is a promotional activity to promote scientific temper. ● It is being carried out as a part of the India International Science Festival. ● The Vigyan Yatra is a promotional activity of the sixth edition of India International Science Festival. ● The festival is organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

CMS-01 satellite ● A communication satellite launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on board the PSLV-C50. ● CMS-01 is a communications satellite envisaged for providing services in extended C Band of the frequency spectrum. ● The Extended-C Band coverage will include Indian mainland, Andaman & Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep Islands. ● The satellite is expected to have a life of more than seven years. ● The CMS-01 will be a replacement for GSAT-12, which weighed 1,410 kg and was launched on July 11, 2011, with a mission life of eight years

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Different orbits ● A Geosynchonous Orbit (GEO) takes a satellite around the Earth at a rate of once per day, keeping it roughly in the same area over the ground. ● A Geostationary Orbit (GSO) is a geosynchronous orbit with an inclination of zero, meaning, it lies on the equator. ○ All geostationary satellites are geosynchronous. Not all geosynchronous satellites are geostationary. ● Geo -synchronous Transfer Orbit

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○ To attain geosynchronous (and also geostationary) Earth orbits, a spacecraft is first launched into an elliptical orbit. This is called a Geo -synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). ○ A GTO is highly elliptic. Its perigee (closest point to Earth) is typically as high as low Earth orbit (LEO), while its apogee (furthest point from Earth) is as high as geostationary (or equally, a geosynchronous) orbit.

Solarwinds Orion Hack ● The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the United States recently issued an emergency directive in response to known compromise involving solarwinds Orion products. ● The IT management tool of the solarwinds Orion had been used to hack several Federal Agencies. ● Solarwinds is a security vendor that helps several federal governments to monitor the health of their IT network. Orion is a software tool of the solarwinds. ● The solarwinds Orion helps to locate, troubleshoot and fix network performance issues. The Orion basically is used to make IT management simpler with a single panel to administer various parts of the network.

Vaccine Hesitancy ● Meaning: It refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccine services. It is complex and context specific varying across time, place and vaccine. It Is influenced by factors such as complacency, convenience and confidence.

Green Ammonia Project ● Green ammonia refers to ammonia, which has been produced through a process that is 100% renewable and carbon-free. ● One way of making Green Ammonia is by using the hydrogen from water electrolysis and nitrogen separated from air. ● These two elements are then fed into the Haber process. ● In the process, nitrogen and hydrogen react together in high pressure and temperature to produce Ammonia. ● Currently, ammonia making is not a green process. It is now made from methane. It is called Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) process. Around 90% of carbon dioxide is produced from SMR process.

Shigella infection ● Shigellosis, or shigella infection, is a contagious intestinal infection caused by a genus of bacteria known as shigella. ● The bacteria is one of the prime pathogens responsible for causing diarrhea, fluctuating between moderate and severe symptoms, especially in children in African and South Asian regions.

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Intentional Genomic Alteration (IGA) ● IGA in animals means making specific changes to the genome of the organism using modern molecular technologies that are popularly referred to as “genome editing” or “genetic engineering”. ● Genome editing is a group of technologies that give scientists the ability to change an organism's Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA). ○ DNA is the chemical name for the molecule that carries genetic instructions in all living things. ○ The DNA molecule consists of two strands that wind around one another to form a shape known as a double helix. ● Each strand has a backbone made of alternating sugar (deoxyribose) and phosphate groups. ● These technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome.

Whistleblowers ● According to the Companies Act, whistleblowing is an action aimed at drawing the attention of stakeholders to instances of unethical practices in an organization. ● A whistleblower can be anyone who chooses to expose wrong practices and has evidence to support the allegations. ● They can be either from within or outside the organization, such as current and former employees, shareholders, external auditors, and lawyers. ● In India, whistleblowers are protected by the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014. ● It provides for the protection of their identity and also has strict norms to prevent their victimization. ● In January 2020, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) came out with a new mechanism to reward whistle-blowers and other informants for sharing information about insider trading cases.

Natural Gas ● Natural Gas is mainly extracted from the petroleum deposits deep beneath the earth. It occurs just above the layer of crude oil, as gases are lighter than oil. ● It is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, ○ High temperatures and pressure leads to the conversion of the remains of plants and animals buried under the earth into naturally occurring gas along with petroleum and coal. ● Resources: In India, Jaisalmer, Krishna Godavari delta, Tripura and some areas offshore in Mumbai have natural gas resources. ● The Gas Authority of India Limited was set up in 1984 as a public sector undertaking to transport and market natural gas.

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● The estimated natural gas reserves in India as of March 2018 was 1,339 billion cubic metres. The largest natural gas reserve in the country is located in the Eastern and the Western offshore.

Advantages: ● Natural Gas is a cleaner fuel. It is less harmful to the environment than coal, petrol or diesel as it has less carbon dioxide emissions. ● It can be easily stored and transferred through pipelines. ● It is relatively more abundant than other fossil fuels i.e. coal and petroleum. ● It is also a safer fuel, as it is lighter than air and dissipates rather than exploding. ● It provides instant energy, which is why it is used in oven cooking, as it does not require pre-heating.

Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope ( Fast ) ● Developed by China ● It is also known as the “Eye of Heaven” or Tianyan. ● The construction of FAST was completed in 2016. ● It is located in the Dawodang depression. The Dawodang depression is a natural basin in Guizhou, southwest China. ● It is the largest filled-aperture Radio Telescope and second largest single dish aperture. The RATA-600 in Russia is the world largest Single-dish aperture telescope. ● The telescope has a reflecting surface of 500-metres in diameter. However, only a circle of 300 metres diameter can be used at one time. ● It is located in a natural sinkhole. A sinkhole is formed due to erosion. ● It has super sensitivity to detect cosmic phenomena. This includes radio bursts and pulsars as well.

‘BBX11’ gene ● It is a gene that facilitates in the greening of plants by playing a crucial role in regulating the levels of protochlorophyllide — an intermediate in the biosynthesis of the green pigment chlorophyll. ● Identified recently by Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER). ● The researchers discovered a mechanism where two proteins oppositely regulate the BBX11 gene to maintain optimum ranges of BBX11. ● BBX11 plays a vital role in regulation of the amount of protochlorophyllide synthesized by the plant. ○ Protochlorophyllide is an intermediate in the synthesis of chlorophyll. ○ If it is less, plants are unable to efficiently green in order to harvest sunlight and if the amount of protochlorophyllide is more, then photobleaching occurs. ○ Photobleaching is loss of colour by a pigment. ○ The quantity of protochlorophyllide synthesised needs to be proportional to the variety of enzymes available to transform them to chlorophyll.

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○ It is very important to regulate the amount of protochlorophyllide synthesized by the plant.

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What is Chlorophyll? ● Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesise carbohydrates from Carbon-di-Oxide (CO2) and water. ● The synthesis of chlorophyll in plants is a lengthy, multi-step process.

Photosynthesis ● Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. ● During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds. ● Factors Affecting Photosynthesis: Photosynthesis is under the influence of several factors, both internal (plant) and external. ○ Internal: Number, size, age and orientation of leaves, mesophyll cells and chloroplasts, internal CO2 concentration and the amount of chlorophyll. ○ External: Availability of sunlight, temperature, CO2 concentration and water. ● For example, despite the presence of a green leaf and optimal light and CO2 conditions, the plant may not photosynthesise if the temperature is very low

Scab ● In botany, any of several bacterial or fungal plant diseases characterized by crustaceous lesions on fruits, tubers, leaves, or stems. ● The term is also used for the symptom of the disease. ● Scab often affects apples, crabapples, cereals, cucumbers, peaches, pecans, and potatoes. Leaves of affected plants may wither and drop early.

Antimatter ● The matter is made up of atoms, which are the basic units of chemical elements such as hydrogen, helium or oxygen. ● The electrical charge of those particles is reversed with same properties . ● Antimatter was created along with matter after the Big Bang, but antimatter is rare in today’s universe result derived in CERN (European Council for Nuclear Research or French acronym "Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire”) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). ● Scientists believe that in the very hot and dense state shortly after the Big Bang, there must have been processes that gave preference to matter over antimatter.

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Hypothermia ● Hypothermia is a severe medical condition where the body loses heat before it can generate it, resulting in a dangerously low body temperature. ● While normal body temperature lies at around 37 degrees Celsius, the body temperature of a person suffering from hypothermia drops to below 35 degrees Celsius. ● Common signs include shivering, slow rate of breathing, slurred speech, cold skin and fatigue.

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Hyperthermia ● Hyperthermia, also known simply as overheating, is a condition where an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. ● The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. ● When extreme temperature elevation occurs, it becomes a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment to prevent disability or death.

Nanotechnology ● Nanotechnology or nanotech in short is the technology that involves the manipulation of matter on atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scales. This includes particles of a scale of 1 to 100 nanometers.

Applications of Nanotechnology Electronics ● Nano-RAM: It is a non-volatile RAM (Random Access Memory) based on carbon nanotubes deposited on a chip-like substrate. Its small size permits very high-density memories. ● Nano optomechanical SRAM (Static RAM): This shows faster read/write time as compared to a MEMS memory. Also, the processes take place without interference which further reduces time when compared to a traditional electrical enabled SRAM.

Healthcare and Medicine ● Nanotech detectors for heart attack ● Nanochips to check plaque in arteries ● Nanocarriers for eye surgery, chemotherapy, etc. ● Diabetic pads for regulating blood sugar levels ● Nanoparticles for drug delivery to the brain – for therapeutic treatment of neurological disorders ● Nanosponges – are polymer nanoparticles coated with a red blood cell membrane, can be used for absorbing toxins and removing them from the bloodstream ● NanoFlares – used for detection of cancer cells in the bloodstream ● Nanopores – use in making DNA sequencing more efficient

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● Nanomicelle that can be used for effective drug delivery to treat various cancers including breast, colon and lung cancer. ● Antiviral nano coating on face masks and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits.

Energy ● Solar paints or photovoltaic paints – can replace solar panels. Applying solar paints to any surface will enable it to capture energy from the sun and transform it into electricity. This can be used in houses and cars. ● Wind power generations – nanogenerators – these are flexible thin sheets which when bent can generate potential power. ● Nanobatteries – these are used to help rechargeable lithium-ion batteries last longer.

Agriculture and Food ● Nano fertilizers ● Hybrid polymers are used in packaging and to reduce spoilage ● Sensors for food-borne pathogens ● Nanoemulsions – to reduce bacteria on produce ● Nanoparticles based on titanium dioxide – used as antimicrobial agents

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Nano Science and Technology Mission – NSTM ● Launched in 2007 ● Under the Department of Science and Technology. ● The Ministry of Science and Technology allocated up to Rs 1000 crores to this mission to fulfil its following objectives: ○ Basic Promotion of Nanotechnology ○ Infrastructure Development ○ Establishment of R&D in Nanoscience Applications ○ Establishment of Development Centre for Nanosciences ○ Human Development in Nanotechnology ○ International Collaborations ● In second phase The Nano mission, in this new phase, will make greater effort to promote application-oriented R&D so that some useful products, processes and technologies also emerge. It will be steered by a ‘Nano Mission Council’ chaired by an eminent scientist.

Pneumosil ● First indigenously developed Pneumococcal Vaccine ● Developed by: the Serum Institute of India Private Limited (SIIPL) in collaboration with partners like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ● It targets the pneumococcal bacterium,which causes pneumonia and other serious life- threatening diseases such as meningitis and sepsis.

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● This pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) will be available in the market at an affordable price in single and multi dose presentations. ● The vaccine also makes SII the world’s third supplier of PCVs under the pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment. ● Need : ○ Pneumococcal disease is a significant contributor under-five mortality rate worldwide. ○ In view of its widespread fatality, the World Health Organization (2018) recommended the inclusion of PCV in routine childhood immunisation programmes in all countries.

India’s first-ever driverless train ● What is it : It will be rolled out on the 38-km Line 8 or Magenta Line of the which has a 390-km-long network spread across the national capital and adjoining cities. ● Significance : After this inauguration, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has entered the elite league of 7% of the world’s Metro networks which can operate without drivers. ● How will it benefit the citizens? ○ Operational flexibility & efficiency ○ Inspection/testing to be done remotely ensuring Higher reliability with no human intervention ○ Improved safety and quality of service ○ Save Train Operators’ time & effort and improve the quality of his/her job. ● Driverless technology : Driverless technology does not mean that there will be no driver – at least that is not going to be the case to begin with. It does mean though that slowly the role of the driver will get more and more limited as the technology and its systems expand.

Green Propulsion Technology of ISRO ● The technology is being developed for the Human Space Flight Mission of India, Gaganyaan, that is to be launched in December 2021.

What is Propulsion Technology? ● Propulsion means push forward or drive an object forward. In rockets and airplanes, the propulsion is generated through the application of Newton’s third law, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. A working fluid or a gas accelerates the engine.

Green Propulsion Technology of ISRO ● ISRO began the journey of developing Green Propulsion Technology in 2018. ISRO developed an eco-friendly solid propellant Glycidyl Azide polymer GAP as fuel and Ammonium Di-Nitramide as oxidiser in 2018. ● ISRO had been carrying out technology demonstration projects involving green propellant combinations such as kerosene, Hydrogen Peroxide, Liquid Oxygen, AND- Glycerol-water, AND-Methanol-water.

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● ISRO has begun the testing of Liquid Oxygen, Liquid Hydrogen based propulsion systems for launch vehicles. ● ISRO has already using Green Propulsion Technologies in its mission. However, the technologies are used only in part of the mission. For instance, Liquid Oxygen, Liquid Hydrogen combination of propulsion is used in the Cryogenic upper states of GSLV Mk- III launch vehicle. ● ISRO has developed ISORENE. ISORENE is rocket grade version of kerosene. It is an alternative to conventional Hydrazine rocket fuel.

Digital India Awards 2020 ● The Digital India Awards are presented by President Ram Nath Kovind every year. ● Aims to: honor exemplary initiatives/practices in Digital-Governance. ● The award has been instituted under the aegis of National Portal of India. ● Purpose: The award serve the purpose of bringing to the fore innovative digital solutions & thereby inspiring emulation by all government entities.

The categories in Digital India Awards are as follows: ● Innovation in Pandemic: This category felicitates the Government entity that has developed outstanding and innovative digital solution to enable the citizens to undertake various activities with ease during the time pandemic in areas such as health, education, travel, communication, etc. ● Excellence in Digital Governance: This category is felicitated to the Department of Government that has comprehensive digital presence and has displayed high level of Intra Department Integration. It is awarded to Ministries, States/Union Territories and to Districts separately. ● Open Data Champion: It acknowledges ministries and departments that release data sets in a timely and proactive way. It is also essential that the data released should be in compliance with the National Data sharing and Accessibility Policy. ● Exemplary Product: The Digital India Award honours three products that have made their mark in Digital Governance. The product should have proved its high degree of configurability, replicability, scalability.

‘TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad’ ● It is India’s first Test bed for Autonomous Navigation Systems (Terrestrial and Aerial). ● Special Features of this Facility include Test Tracks, Emulation of Real-World Scenarios, State of the Art Simulation Technologies, Road Infrastructure, V2X Communication, Drone Runways and Landing Area and many more. ● TiHAN Foundation, established at IIT Hyderabad, is a multi-departmental initiative, including researchers from Electrical, Computer Science, Mechanical and Aerospace, Civil, Mathematics, and Design at IIT Hyderabad with collaboration and support from reputed institutions and industry.

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Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) ● They are a new class of engineered systems that integrate computation and physical processes in a dynamic environment. ● CPS encompasses technology areas of Cybernetics, Mechatronics, Design and Embedded systems, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) among others.

National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS):

● To harness the potential of this new wave of technology and make India a leading player in CPS, the Union Cabinet approved NM-ICPS in 2018. ● It had a total outlay of INR 3,660 crores for a period of five years. The mission implementation would develop and bring: ● Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) and associated technologies within reach in the country, ● adoption of CPS technologies to address India specific National / Regional issues, ● produce Next Generation skilled manpower in CPS, ● catalyze Translational Research, ● accelerate entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem development in CPS,

Digital Ocean ● It is the first of its kind digital platform for Ocean Data Management. ● Purpose : It has been developed to share information on marine data and forecast services. ● Developed by Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information Services (INCOIS) of MoES. ● It includes a set of applications developed to organize and present heterogeneous oceanographic data by adopting rapid advancements in geospatial technology. ● It facilitates data visualization, data analysis to assess the evolution of oceanographic features, data fusion. ● It will play a central role in sustainable management of our oceans and expanding our “Blue Economy” initiatives. ● It will contribute to the Digital India programme and is expected to bring a sea change in how the oceanographic data is served for a better understanding of the oceans.

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Deep Ocean Mission ● Launched in 2018. ● The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean. ● The focus of the mission is on deep-sea mining, ocean climate change advisory services, underwater vehicles and underwater robotics related technologies. ● Two key projects planned in the Mission are: 78 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● A desalination plant powered by tidal energy. ● A submersible vehicle that can explore depths of at least 6,000 metres. ● Significance: It will enable India to develop capabilities to exploit resources in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB).

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) ● An autonomous organization of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, located in Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad. ● Established in 1999 ● It is mandated to provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvement through systematic and focused research. ● It has adopted and developed various state-of-the-art technologies and tools that includes Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories, Ocean State Forecast (OSF), High Wave Alerts, Tsunami early warnings, Storm Surge and Oil-Spill advisories, etc. ● It has been serving as the National Argo Data Centre and Regional Argo Data Centre of the International Argo Programme.

Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh ● Union Minister for Science & Technology inaugurates Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh. ● Location: Located at a height of 3500m, MetCenterLeh will be the highest meteorological centre in India. ● Purpose: It will provide forecast for important tourist places like Nubra, Changthang, Pangong Lake, Zanskar, Kargil, Drass, Dha-Baima (Aryan valley), Khalsi among others.

Ammonia ● Its chemical formula is NH3. ● It is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilisers, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyes and other products. ● It occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter, and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents, contamination by sewage or through agricultural runoff. ● Why in news?: High levels of ammonia in Yamuna is resulting in frequent disruption to Delhi’s water supply.

Effects of Rising Ammonia: ● Ammonia reduces the amount of oxygen in water as it is transformed to oxidised forms of nitrogen. Hence, it also increases Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). ● Water pollution by organic wastes is measured in terms of BOD. ● If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm, it is toxic to fishes.

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● In humans, long term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to internal organs.

Ocular tumours ● Ocular tumours are tumours inside the eye. ● They are collections of cells that grow and multiply abnormally and form masses ● Radiation and chemotherapy are two common types of treatment for ocular tumours. Ruthenium 106 ● Ruthenium-106 is a radioactive form of the rare heavy metal ruthenium, which is a “platinum group” metal similar to platinum. ● Ruthenium-106 is produced from the fission or splitting of uranium-235, the type of uranium used in nuclear fission reactors, so it’s found in spent nuclear fuel. ● It’s used in medicine for cancer radiation therapy, especially for eye and skin tumours

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Indian Economy.

Sahakar Pragya Programme ● Launched by: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ● Purpose: The initiative will train the primary cooperative societies in the country. ● Under the Sahakar Pragya initiative, the 45 training modules are to be delivered at LINAC. ○ LINAC is Laxman rao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development operating under NCDC.

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The schemes implemented by NCDC

Ayushman Sahakar ● Objective: ○ It was launched to provide financial assistance to the cooperatives in the field of education, healthcare and hospitals. ○ It will assist the promotion of AYUSH facilities launched by cooperative societies. It will also work to fulfil the objectives of National Health Policy. ● It will help the co-operative societies to participate in the National Digital Health Mission. The activities included under the scheme are creation, expansion, modernisation, repair, renovation of hospital, education and healthcare infrastructure.

Sahakar Mitra Scheme ● Under the scheme, the NCDC will provide short term internship to young professionals in the areas of functioning of NCDC. With this, the manpower of NCDC will be boosted.

Yuva Sahakar ● The scheme will encourage newly formed cooperative societies to come up with new innovative ideas. ● Mainly focuses on programmes such as Stand up India and . ● Basically, it will provide financial assistance to those cooperative societies that are coming up with innovative ideas.

National Maritime Domain Awareness Centre ● The Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) the nodal agency for maritime data fusion will soon become a National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Centre. What is Maritime Domain Awareness ?

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● It is defined by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment. ● Proposed NMDA Centre: It will be a multi-agency centre and provide information to various stakeholders, from the fisheries department to local policing authorities on development or movements across the coast. This will make sure that any risk, especially transnational can be prevented.

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Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) ● It is the main center of the Indian Navy for coastal surveillance and monitoring. ● Located in: Gurugram (Haryana) and became operational in 2014. ● It is a joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Ltd. and functions under the National Security Adviser (NSA). ● It is the nodal center of the National Command Control Communications and Intelligence Network (NC3I Network).

White Shipping Agreement ● The white shipping information refers to an exchange of relevant advance information on the identity and movement of commercial non-military merchant vessels. ● Ships are classified into white (commercial ships), grey (military vessels), and black (illegal vessels).

1.5-times formula for calculation of crops MSP ● What is MSP?: The MSP (minimum support price) assures the farmers of a fixed price for their crops. ● How was the MSP fixed earlier? ○ The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) in the Ministry of Agriculture would recommend MSPs for 23 crops. ○ The CACP considered various factors while recommending the MSP for a commodity, Changes in MSP Calculation ● The Budget for 2018-19 announced that MSPs would henceforth be fixed at 1½ times of the production costs for crops as a “predetermined principle”. ● Simply put, the CACP’s job now was only to estimate production costs for a season and recommend the MSPs by applying the 1.5-times formula. ● The CACP’s ‘Price Policy for Kharif Crops: The Marketing Season 2018-19’ report stated that its MSP recommendation was based on 1.5 times the A2+FL costs. ○ ‘A2’ covers all paid-out costs directly incurred by the farmer in cash and kind on seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, hired labour, leased-in land, fuel, irrigation, etc. ○ ‘A2+FL’ includes A2 plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour. ‘

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● It does not take into account C2 costs.‘C2’ is a more comprehensive cost that factors in rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital assets, on top of A2+FL.

International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) ● The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) obtained membership of International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS). About IAIS: ● Established in 1994, the IAIS headquartered in Switzerlandis ● A voluntary membership organization of insurance supervisors and regulators from more than 200 jurisdictions, constituting 97% of the world’s insurance premiums. ● It is the international standard-setting body responsible for developing and assisting in the implementation of principles, standards and other supporting material for the supervision of the insurance sector. ● The IAIS also provides a forum for Members to share their experiences and understanding of insurance supervision and insurance markets. ● In recognition of its collective expertise, the IAIS is routinely called upon by the G20 leaders and other international standard setting bodies.

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Insurance Sector in India History: ● The Indian Life Insurance Companies Act, 1912 was the first statutory measure to regulate insurance business in India. ● In January 1956, an ordinance was issued nationalising the Life Insurance Corporation and Life Insurance Sector. ● In 1972, the General Insurance Business (Nationlisation) Act was passed. Under the act, around 107 insurers were amalgamated. ● In 1993, Malhotra committee was set up to propose recommendations for reforming the insurance sector. ● The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) was constituted based on the recommendations made by the committee.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India or the IRDAI ● Apex body responsible for regulating and developing the insurance industry in India. ● It is an autonomous body. ● Established by an act of Parliament known as the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999. ● It is a statutory body. ● Headquartered in Hyderabad in Telangana. Prior to 2001, it was headquartered in . IRDA Functions ● Its primary purpose is to protect the rights of the policyholders in India. ● It gives the registration certificate to insurance companies in the country. 83 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● It also engages in the renewal, modification, cancellation, etc. of this registration. ● It also creates regulations to protect policyholders’ interests in India. IRDA Mission ● To protect the interests of the policyholders, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance industry and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

National Technical Textiles Mission ● Aims to position the country as a global leader in technical textiles and increase the use of technical textiles in the domestic market. ● It aims at taking domestic market size to USD 40 billion to USD 50 billion by 2024. ● Approved by The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) ● Approved with a total outlay of Rs. 1480 crore in February 2020. ● Implementation: ○ Under Ministry of Textile ○ Duration four years from 2020-2021 Four components: ● First component: It focuses on research, development and innovation with an outlay of Rs. 1,000 crores. ○ The research will be at both fibre level and application-based in geo, agro, medical, sports and mobile textiles and development of biodegradable technical textiles. ○ Research activities will also focus on the development of indigenous machinery and process equipment. ● Second component: It is for the promotion and development of the market for technical textiles. ● Third component: It focuses on export promotion so that technical textile exports from the country reach from Rs.14,000 crores to Rs. 20,000 crores by 2021-2022 and will ensure 10% average growth every year till the Mission ends. ● Fourth component: It focuses on education, training and skill development.

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What are technical textiles? ● Technical textiles are defined as textile materials and products manufactured primarily for their technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic and decorative characteristics. ● Technical textiles include textiles for automotive applications, medical textiles, geotextiles, agrotextiles, and protective clothing. ● Technical Textiles is a high technology sunrise sector which is steadily gaining ground in India. Why in news: ● The Ministry of Textiles has invited proposals to constitute a dedicated export promotion council for technical textiles. 84 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● The export promotion council for technical textiles is one of the components of the mission.

Municipal Bonds ● Municipal bonds were first issued in India in 1997, five years after the 74th Constitutional Amendment decentralized urban local bodies and gave them autonomy; made them accountable to citizens, and reformed their finances enabling them to access capital markets and financial institutions. ● A municipal bond (muni) is a debt security issued by a state, municipality or county to finance its capital expenditures, including the construction of highways, bridges or schools. ● Between 1997 and 2010, the city corporations of Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Nashik experimented with bond issues but barely managed to raise Rs. 1,400 crore. ● The poor investor response was due to the fact that these bonds were not tradable and lacked regulatory clarity.

Significance of Municipal Bonds Market: ● Municipal Bonds can help the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to garner revenue to complete budgetary projects as property tax is the only major source of municipal revenue. ● Growth of the municipal bond market is critical for India’s large cities and towns to upgrade their creaking infrastructure. ● The ability of municipal bodies to be self-sustaining is also critical to the success of the Centre’s pet projects such as Smart Cities and Amrut.

Liquidity Adjustment Facility ● Why in news?: ○ Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to extend liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) to Regional Rural Banks (RRB) to make liquidity management more efficient. ● The LAF was introduced in RBI in 1998 based on the recommendations of Narasimham Committee on Banking Sector Reforms. ● It is a monetary policy tool that enables banks to resolve temporary cash shortages through repurchase agreements or repos ● It can also make loans to RBI through reverse-repos to raise cash.

Other tools used by RBI to control liquidity ● RBI uses four tools to control the flow of liquidity in the country. ● Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), ● Liquidity Adjustment Facilities (includes repo rate and reverse repo rate), ● Statutory Liquidity Ratio and ● Open Market Operations.

Repo rate

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● the rate at which the banks borrow money from the Reserve Bank of India. ● While borrowing the money, the banks will put the Government Securities as collateral. The Reverse Repo rate ● the rate at which the RBI borrows money from the banks. ● The Reverse Repo helps to absorb the liquidity from the system.

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Narasimham Committee ● The Narasimham Committee basically recommended changes in the working of banking and financial systems. ● Recommendations ○ To reduce the higher proportion of Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio. ○ The committee recommended to reduce the number of public sector banks and develop three to four big banks in the country to international bank. ○ It recommended the establishment of Asset Reconstruction Fund. This is to help banks get rid of their bad debts. ○ To set up new agency to set up supervise financial institutions such as mutual funds, merchant banks, leasing companies, factor companies, etc.

Regulatory Sandbox ● The Regulatory Sandbox refers to live testing of new products and services in a controlled environment. ● The companies can test their product viability without the need for a larger and more expensive rollout with the help of Regulatory Sandbox. ● It provides first and empirical evidence on the benefits and risks of emerging Technologies and their implications. ● Money Transfer services, cybersecurity, financial inclusion and digital Know-Your Customers have been included. ● Other products such as crypto currency, credit registry and credit information have been excluded.

Vadhavan Port project ● The Vadhavan port will be India’s 13th major port. ● It has been planned as an ‘All Weather, All Cargo’ satellite port to enhance capabilities in handling deep draft ships and larger vessels. ● The port project is part of the Centre’s Sagarmala initiative that aims to make Indian ports major contributors to the country’s GDP. ● The Port will have a dedicated road and rail service so as not to interfere with the local traffic, thereby avoiding any clutter within the local transportation. ● It will be developed on a “landlord model”.

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What is landlord model? ● In the landlord port model, the publicly governed port authority acts as a regulatory body and as landlord while private companies carry out port operations—mainly cargo- handling activities. ● Here, the port authority maintains ownership of the port while the infrastructure is leased to private firms that provide and maintain their own superstructure and install own equipment to handle cargo. ● In return, the landlord port gets a share of the revenue from the private entity. ● The role of the landlord port authority would be to carry out all public sector services and operations such as the award of bids for cargo terminals and dredging.

National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) ● Constituted under Companies Act, 2013. ● Functions: It hears appeals against the orders of: ○ NCLT under Section 61 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC). ○ Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India under Section 202 and Section 211 of IBC. ○ The Competition Commission of India (CCI). ● Composition: ○ The President of the Tribunal and the chairperson and Judicial Members of the Appellate Tribunal shall be appointed after consultation with the Chief Justice of India. ○ The Members of the Tribunal and the Technical Members shall be appointed on the recommendation of a Selection Committee consisting of: ○ Chief Justice of India or his nominee—Chairperson. ○ A senior Judge of the Supreme Court or a Chief Justice of High Court— Member. ○ Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs—Member. ○ Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice—Member. ○ Secretary in the Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance— Member. ● Eligibility: ○ Chairperson – Should be/been judge of the Supreme Court or should be/been Chief Justice of the High Court. ○ Judicial Member – Is/has been a judge of a High Court or is a judicial member of a tribunal for 5 years or more. ○ Technical member– Person with proven ability, integrity and standing having special knowledge and experience of 25 years or more (in specified areas). ● Term: ○ Term of office of chairperson and members is 5 years and they can be reappointed for additional 5 years.

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Submarine Day 8th December ● on December 8 that the Indian Naval Ensign was unfurled on INS Kalvari, the first submarine to be inducted in the Indian Navy, at Riga in Latvia, the erstwhile USSR, in 1967. ● Kalvari is the Malayalam name for Tiger Shark, a predator in the Indian Ocean. ● The Kalvari was decommissioned in 1996 after 29 years of service.

Better Than Cash Alliance ● What is it?: It is a partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth, and to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. ● Created in : 2012. ● Launched by: The United Nations Capital Development Fund, the United States Agency for International Development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Citigroup, the Ford Foundation, the Omidyar Network and Visa Inc.. ● Members: The Alliance has 75 members which are committed to digitizing payments. ● Objectives: The Alliance Secretariat works with members on their journey to digitize payments by: ○ Providing advisory services based on their priorities. ○ Sharing action-oriented research and fostering peer learning on responsible practices. ○ Conducting advocacy at national, regional and global level. ● India became a member of the Better Than Cash Alliance in 2015.

Asset under management ( AUM ) ● It measures the total market value of all the financial assets which a financial institution manages on behalf of its clients and themselves. ● AUM is an indicator of the size and success of a given fund house.

India Water Impact summit ● Organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies. ● Theme: Comprehensive analysis and Holistic management of rivers and water bodies with a focus on Arth Ganga. ● The Summit will disseminate and discuss the need for modalities of embracing Ganga. Also, it will act as a common platform for the investors and stakeholders in the water sector.

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● What is Arth Ganga?: The Namami Gange evolves around “Arth Ganga”. In simple terms it implies a development model that focuses on economic activities related to the Ganges.

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Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga): ● It was established at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK) in 2016. ● The Centre is a Centre of Excellence for data collection, the creation and dissemination of knowledge and information for the sustainable development of Ganga River Basin. ● The centre acts in the capacity of a comprehensive think-tank to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), in its stated goals and objectives vis-à-vis the Ganga River Basin.

Bad Bank ● Bank set up to buy the bad loans and other illiquid holdings of another financial institution ● Indian Banking Association (IBA) has submitted a proposal to both the Government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a ‘Bad Bank.’ ● As per IBA estimates the ‘Bad Bank’ would require approximately Rs 10,000 crore of capital initially. ● The exact quantum of capital and amount of bad loans to be housed in the proposed ‘Bad Bank’ would only be finalised after discussions with the Government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure ● Announced by the Ministry of Finance as a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package. ● Background: As part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package, the government had announced that the Centre will offer Rs. 12,000 crore special interest-free 50-year loan to states, exclusively for capital expenditure. ● Aim: To boost capital expenditure by the State governments which are facing a difficult financial environment this year due to the shortfall in tax revenue arising from the Covid- 19 pandemic. ● Three Parts: ○ Part–I of the scheme covers the north-eastern region (Rs. 200 crores). ○ Part-II is for all other States (Rs. 7500 crores). ○ Part-III of the scheme is aimed at pushing various citizen-centric reforms in the States. ● Under this Part, an amount of Rs. 2000 crores is earmarked. ● This amount will be available only to those States which carry out at least three out of the four reforms specified by the Ministry of Finance on the reform-linked additional borrowing permissions.

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● Four Reforms: One nation one , ease of doing business, urban local body/ utility reform and power sector reforms.

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Capital Expenditure ● Capital expenditure is the money spent by the government on the development of machinery, equipment, building, health facilities, education, etc. ● All those expenditures of the government which either result in the creation of physical/financial assets or reduction in financial liabilities ( Repayment of Loan ). ● Classification: ○ Plan capital expenditure, like its revenue equivalent, associates to central plan and central assistance for state and union territory plans. ○ Non-plan capital expenditure covers different general, social and economic services furnished by the government.

Revenue Expenditure: ● An expenditure which neither creates assets nor reduces liability is called Revenue Expenditure, ● e.g., salaries of employees, interest payment on past debt, subsidies, pension, etc. ● These are financed out of revenue receipts. ● Broadly, any expenditure which does not lead to any creation of assets or reduction in liability is treated as revenue expenditure. ● Generally, expenditure incurred on normal running of the government departments and maintenance of services is treated as revenue expenditure. ● It is a short period expenditure and recurring in nature which is incurred every year (as against capital expenditure which is long period expenditure and non•recurring in nature). ● The purpose of such expenditure is not to build up any capital asset, but to ensure normal functioning of government machinery.

National Energy Conservation Day 2020 ( 14 Dec ) ● Organised by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) ● Aim to showcase India’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation. ● The Energy Conservation (EC) Act was enacted in 2001 with the goal of reducing the energy intensity of Indian economy. ○ The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was set up as the statutory body in 2002 at the central level to facilitate the implementation of the EC Act. ● It functions under the Ministry of Power. ● India’s energy demand is expected to double between 2013 and 2030, to approximately 1500 million tons of oil equivalent. ● Energy Conservation Act, 2001: The Act provides regulatory mandates for: ○ Standards & labeling of equipment and appliances; 90 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

○ Energy conservation building codes for commercial buildings; and ○ Energy consumption norms for energy intensive industries.

Power Generation in India ● India mainly uses three types of thermal power plants- Coal, Gas and Liquid-fuel based. ● The electricity generated by these plants adds up to 62.2% of the total power generation in the country. Emissions from coal-based Power Sector: ● India’s coal-based thermal power sector is one of the country’s biggest emitters of CO2. ● It emits 1.1 giga-tonne of CO2 every year; this is 2.5% of global GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions, one-third of India’s GHG emissions, and around 50% of India’s fuel- related CO2 emissions.

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How to reduce emissions ?:

Improving fleet technology and efficiency, renovating and modernising: ● India has one of the youngest coal-based thermal plants in the world, with around 64% of the capacity (132 GW) less than a decade old. ● The government’s renovation and modernisation policies need to play a key role in maintaining the efficiency of this fleet.

Planning for the Old Capacity: ● In 2015, over 34 GW capacity in India was more than 25 years old, and 60% of it was highly inefficient. ● Increasing India’s renewable electricity generation can help further the cause to accelerate the retirement of old and inefficient plants.

Propagating Biomass Co-firing: ● Biomass co-firing stands for adding biomass as a partial substitute fuel in high efficiency coal boilers. ● Coal and biomass are combusted together in boilers that have been designed to burn coal. For this purpose, the existing coal power plant has to be partly reconstructed and retrofitted. ● Co-firing is an option to convert biomass to electricity, in an efficient and clean way, and to reduce GHG emissions of the power plant. ● Biomass co-firing is a globally accepted cost-effective method for decarbonising a coal fleet. ○ Decarbonising means reducing carbon intensity, i.e. reducing the emissions per unit of electricity generated (often given in grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt- hour).

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● India is a country where biomass is usually burnt on the field which reflects apathy towards resolving the problem of clean coal using a very simple solution that is readily available.

Investing in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): ● Globally, carbon capture and storage has struggled to pick up and India’s prospects appear to be dim at least until 2030. ● Businesses should invest in indigenous research and development to bring down the costs of CCS.

Coal Beneficiation: ● Coal Beneficiation is a process by which the quality of raw coal is improved by either reducing the extraneous matter that gets extracted along with the mined coal or reducing the associated ash or both

DakPay ● It is a new digital payment application ● Launched by the Department of Posts and the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB). ● DakPay is a suite of digital financial and assisted banking services provided through the postal network to cater to the financial needs of various sections of society, particularly those living in rural areas. ● The services include free-of-cost money receipts and transfers at doorsteps, and scanned QR codes, to make payments for a range of utility and banking services.

About FSDC: ● The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was constituted in December, 2010. ● The FSDC was set up to strengthen and institutionalise the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development. ● It is not a statutory body. ● The Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister.

Brand India Mission ● Purpose: To promote quality of products that are manufactured in the country. ● Mission is being piloted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. ● The main aim: of the mission is to increase the local production. ● The brand India initiative will offer tag to manufactured goods produced in India. In order to receive the tag, the manufactured goods should comply with the prescribed health and safety standards of the country. Also, such manufactured goods should carry minimum of 20% local content. Also, the companies should hold their headquarters in the country.

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● Under the Brand India Initiative, both Indian and international consumers are to be educated about products that are made in India. ● The mission is to initially focus on tyre and Rubber Industry ecosystem. For this rubber plantations are to be encouraged through support from private investment.

National Security Directive ● It aims to classify telecom products and their sources under the ‘trusted’ and ‘non- trusted’ categories. ● It will make its decision based on approval of the National Security Committee on Telecom. ● It will be headed by the deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) and have members from other departments and ministries, and independent experts as well as two members from the industry. ● The National Cyber Security Coordinator is the designated authority and will devise the methodology to designate trusted products. ● From among the sources declared as trusted sources by the designated authority, those which meet the criteria of the Department of Telecom’s preferential market access policy will be certified as India trusted sources. ● Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) are required to connect new devices which are designated trusted products

National Hydrology Project ● Started in 2016 as a Central Sector Scheme with 100% grant to implementing agencies on pan India basis. ● Initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and is supported by the World Bank. ● Budget outlay of Rs. 3680 crore to be spent over a period of 8 years. ● Aim: ○ To improve the extent, reliability and accessibility of water resources information. ○ To strengthen the capacity of targeted water resource management institutions in India. ○ To facilitate acquisition of reliable information efficiently which would pave the way for an effective water resource development and management.

North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) ● What is it? : The north eastern region power system improvement project (NERPSIP) is a central scheme under the Ministry of Power. It was started in 2014. ● Funded By: The assistance of the World Bank fund and by the Government of India through the Budget support of the Ministry of Power on 50:50 basis except for the capacity building component for Rs. 89 crore, which will be entirely funded by the Government of India. ● Implemented By:

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○ The scheme is being implemented through Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID) ○ POWERGRID is a 'Maharatna' Company operating under Ministry of Power, it is engaged in power transmission business with the responsibility for planning, implementation, operation and maintenance of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS). ● Maintenance: ○ After commissioning, the project will be owned and maintained by the respective North Eastern State Utilities. ● Objective: ○ Government’s commitment for the total economic development of the North Eastern Region and to strengthen the Intra-State Transmission & Distribution Infrastructure in the North East Region.

E20 fuel ● E20 fuel is a blend of 20% of ethanol and gasoline. ● The current permissible level of blending is 10% of ethanol though India reached only 5.6% of blending in 2019. ● Benefits of E20 fuel : ○ To reduce vehicular emissions. ○ To reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, etc. ○ To reduce the oil import bill, thereby saving foreign exchange and boosting energy security. ● What is ethanol? : ○ Ethanol having chemical formula of C2H5OH can be produced from crops like sugarcane, maize, wheat which have high starch content. ○ In India, ethanol is mainly produced from sugarcane molasses by the fermentation process, Hence, since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also considered as green fuel. #Target_shots Addition

Other Green Fuel Or Biofuel ● A type of fuel distilled from plants and animal materials, believed by some to be more environmentally friendly than the widely-used fossil fuels that power most of the world.

Types: 1. Bioethanol ● Source: corn and sugarcane using the fermentation process. ● Quality: A litre of ethanol contains approximately two thirds of the energy provided by a litre of petrol. ● Advantage: When mixed with petrol, it improves the combustion performance and lowers the emissions of carbon monoxide and sulphur oxide.

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● Source: vegetable oils like soybean oil or palm oil, vegetable waste oils, and animal fats by a biochemical process called “Transesterification.” ● Advantage: ○ Very less or no amount of harmful gases as compared to diesel.

3. Biogas ● Source : Anaerobic decomposition of organic matter like sewage from animals and humans. ● Composition: Major proportion of biogas is methane and carbon dioxide, though it also has small proportions of hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and siloxanes. ● It is commonly used for heating, electricity and for automobiles.

4. Biobutanol ● Produced in the same way as bioethanol i.e. through the fermentation of starch. ● The energy content in butanol is the highest among the other gasoline alternatives. ● It can be added to diesel to reduce emissions. ● It serves as a solvent in the textile industry and is also used as a base in perfumes.

5. Biohydrogen ● Biohydrogen, like biogas, can be produced using a number of processes such as pyrolysis, gasification or biological fermentation. ● It can be the perfect alternative for fossil fuel.

Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) ● The US Federal Bank recently joined the Network for Greening the Financial System. ● The Network for Greening the Financial System was created in 2017. ● It is a network of seventy-five central banks and financial supervisors. ● It was established by eight Central Banks to strengthen the Global Response required to meet the goals of Paris Agreement. ● The NGFS system aims to promote Green Finance. ● It recommends the role of Central Banks for Climate Change. ● It supports best practices in development of climate risk management in financial sector.

Second Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project ( DRIP-2 ) ● Why in news?: The World Bank recently approved 250 million USD to improve performance of existing dams in India and to improve their safety.

About DRIP ● Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project. ● It is being implemented with the loan assistance from the World Bank.

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● The project was initially launched in seven states namely Karnataka, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu. It was launched in 2012. ● Three main components as follows ○ Rehabilitation and Improvement of Dams and associated appurtenances ○ Dam Safety Institutional Strengthening ○ Project Management

DRIP-II Project ● Under DRIP-II, the safety of the dams is to be improved. ● Also, operational performance of selected dams is to be enhanced. ● The project is to be implemented for ten years between 2020 and 2030. ● The project is to be supervised by Central Water Commission. ● The total budget outlay of the project is 1.5 billion USD. Of this, the World Bank is to fund one billion USD. ● The other important measures included under DRIP-2 are as follows ○ Flood Forecasting System ○ Integrated Reservoir Operations that will help to build climate resilience ○ Prepare and implement Emergency Action Plans ○ Piloting supplemental revenue generation schemes such as floating solar panels.

Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion ( SANKALP ) ● Centrally sponsored scheme of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). ● It is an outcome focused scheme marking shift in government’s implementation strategy in vocational education and training from inputs to results. ● SANKALP aims to implement the mandate of the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM). ● SANKALP will provide market relevant training to 3.5 crore youth. ● Objective: The Objective of the project is to enhance institutional mechanisms for skills development and increase access to quality and market-relevant training for the work force.

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Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement Scheme ( STRIVE ): ● a World Bank assisted-Government of India project ● a Central Sector Scheme, ● STRIVE scheme aims at developing a powerful mechanism for delivering training for quality skill development by strengthening the institutions like National Skill Development

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Agency (NSDA), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), SSDMs, Sector Skill Councils etc. ● By involving Industrial clusters, business association and Small Scale Industries, the scheme intends to incentivize Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to improve the overall performance.

Central Sector Scheme and Centrally Sponsored Scheme ● India’s developmental plan is comprised of two types of schemes i.e., Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Scheme. ● Under Central sector schemes, it is 100% funded by the Union government and implemented by the Central Government machinery. ● Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) a certain percentage of the funding is borne by the States in the ratio of 50:50, 70:30, 75:25 or 90:10 and the implementation is by the State Governments.

National Skill Development Mission ● Launched in 2015 ● Objective: to provide a strong institutional framework to implement and scale up skill development efforts across the country and to impart training to one crore youth every year. ● The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is responsible for the initiative. This initiative consists of: ○ National Skill Development Mission ○ Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) ○ National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015 ○ Skill Loan Scheme

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana ● Under Ministry of Mines for the welfare of people & affected areas by using the funds accrued under District Mineral Foundation (DMF). Objectives: ● To implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas that complement the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government. ● To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining districts. ● To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas. Implementation: ● At least 60% the fund will be utilized for "High Priority Areas" like Drinking water supply, Environment preservation & pollution control measure, Health care, Education, etc. ● Rest of the fund will be utilized for "Other Priority Areas", such as Physical infrastructure, Irrigation, Energy & watershed development and Measures for enhancing environmental quality.

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#Target_shots Addition

District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) ● Statutory Provision: As per the Mine and Minerals Development Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2015, in every district affected by mining-related operations, the state government shall, by notification, establish a trust as a non-profit body to be called the District Mineral Foundation. ● DMFT Funds: Mining companies contribute 10-30% on the royalty amount that they pay to the government to DMF Trust in the district they are operating in. ● Objective: The idea behind the contribution is that local mining-affected communities, mostly tribal and among the poorest in the country, also have the right to benefit from natural resources extracted from where they live. ● Status: DMFs have been set-up in 572 districts of the country, with a cumulative accrual of more than Rs. 40,000 crore so far as per Ministry of Mines (MoM) data.

Code on Wages Act ● The code will amalgamate the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976. ● The wage code universalises the provisions of minimum wages and timely payment of wages to all employees, irrespective of the sector and wage ceiling. ● It ensures the “right to sustenance” for every worker and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage from existing about 40% to 100% workforce. ● It also introduces the concept of statutory floor wage which will be computed based on minimum living conditions and extended qualitative living conditions across the country for all workers. ● While fixing the minimum rate of wages, the central government shall divide the concerned geographical area into three categories – metropolitan area, non-metropolitan area and the rural area.

Development Finance Institution ( DFI ) ● What is it ?: These are specialized institutions set up primarily to provide development/ Project finance especially in developing countries. ● These DFIs are usually majority-owned by national governments. ● The source of capital of these banks is national or international development funds. ● This ensures their credit worthiness and their ability to provide project finance in a very competitive rate. ● The prime objective of DFI is the economic development of the country ● These banks provide financial as well as the technical support to various sectors

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How is it different from commercial banks?

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● It strikes a balance between commercial operational norms as followed by commercial banks on the one hand, and developmental responsibilities on the other. ● DFIs are not just plain lenders like commercial banks but they act as companions in the development of significant sectors of the economy. ● DFIs do not accept deposits from people ● They raise funds by borrowing funds from governments and by selling their bonds to the general public ● It also provides a guarantee to banks on behalf of companies and subscriptions to shares, debentures, etc. ● Wages include salary, allowance, or any other component expressed in monetary terms. This does not include bonus payable to employees or any travelling allowance, among others. ● The minimum wages decided by the central or state governments must be higher than the floor wage.

Classification of DFI ● Sector specific financial institutions: These financial Institutions focusses on a particular sector to provide project finance. Ex: NHB is solely related to Housing projects, EXIM bank is oriented towards import export operations. ● Investment Institutions: These are specialized in providing services designed to facilitate business operations, such as capital expenditure financing and equity offerings, including initial public offerings (IPOs). Ex: LIC, GIC and UTI.

FRUITS’ portal for land records launched ● The ‘FRUITS’ (Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System) portal, a project of e-governance by Karnataka Government. ● The portal was integrated to the Bhoomi portal of the State for fetching and validating land details. ● It will eliminate visit of farmers to sub-registrar offices.

How it works? ● In this portal, all the farmers will be registered and given a FID Number. ● Using this number, the financial and lending institutions can access the land details of the farmers as well as their borrowings and take a quick decision on lending to the farmers depending on their requirements. ● All financial institutions would be brought on to the portal so that at one place, all the data pertaining to the loans of the farmers would be available.

Green National Highways Corridor Project ● The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had launched a National Green Highways Mission (NGHM) following the promulgation of ‘Green Highways Policy’ in September 2015. ● Projects Supported by the World Bank

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● The Green National Highways Corridor Projects (GNHCP) supports the implementation of the NGHM and the provision of green and safe transport. ● The objective of the Project is to demonstrate safe and green National Highway corridors in selected States and enhance the institutional capacity of the MoRTH in mainstreaming safety and green technologies. ● Three Components of the Project ○ Green Highway Corridor Improvement and Maintenance ○ Institutional Capacity Enhancement ○ Road Safety:

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Other Projects Supported by the World Bank: ● National Hydrology Project ● Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) Project ● National Nutrition Mission ● National Mission for Clean Ganga ● National Biopharma Mission ●

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) ● It is an international financial institution. ● Established in: 1944 ● Headquarter : Washington, D.C., USA ● Functions : It is the lending arm of World Bank Group. ○ It offers loans to middle-income developing countries. ● It is the first of five member institutions that compose the World Bank Group. ○ Other four are IDA (The International Development Association), IFC (The International Finance Corporation) MIGA (The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency) ICSID (The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes) ● The IBRD and its concessional lending arm, the International Development Association (IDA), are collectively known as the World Bank as they share the same leadership and staff.

RBI Positive Pay System ● It is a process of reconfirming key details of large-value cheques. ● The large value cheques are those where the transactions are above 50,000 INR. ● It basically involves reconfirmation of key details of cheques. It is not mandatory for the banks to implement the system.

Retrospective Taxation ● It allows a country to pass a rule on taxing certain products, items or services and deals and charge companies from a time behind the date on which the law is passed.

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● Countries use this route to correct any anomalies in their taxation policies that have, in the past, allowed companies to take advantage of such loopholes. ● Retrospective Taxation hurts companies that had knowingly or unknowingly interpreted the tax rules differently. ● Apart from India, many countries including the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Australia and Italy have retrospectively taxed companies.

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Permanent Court of Arbitration ● Origin: The Permanent Court of Arbitration was established by the First International Peace Conference held at The Hague, the Netherlands, in 1899. ● Headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. ● Objective is “to facilitate the arbitration of international disputes”.

Structure: ● It consists of an Administrative Council and an International Bureau. ● The Court is not ‘permanent’ in nature; rather it is a Court selected from among a permanent panel of arbitrators. ● Each member is eligible to nominate four persons who have competency in International law and who are of the highest moral reputation and have the ability to accept the duties of an arbitrator. ● There are 225 arbitrators, appointed for a six-year term. ● The Administrative Council is composed of diplomatic representatives of the contracting parties accredited to The Hague. ● The President of the Council is the foreign minister of the Netherlands. ● The administrative organ of the Court is the International Bureau which channels communication regarding meetings of the Court. ● It serves as a registry and maintains archives. ● Funds: It has a Financial Assistance Fund which aims at helping developing countries meet part of the costs involved in international arbitration or other means of dispute settlement offered by the PCA.

Electoral Bond ● Electoral Bond is a financial instrument for making donations to political parties. ● The bonds are issued in multiples of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 10,000, Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore without any maximum limit. ● State Bank of India is authorised to issue and encash these bonds, which are valid for fifteen days from the date of issuance. ● These bonds are redeemable in the designated account of a registered political party. ● The bonds are available for purchase by any person (who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India) for a period of ten days each in the months of January, April, July and October as may be specified by the Central Government. ● A person being an individual can buy bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals. 101 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● Donor’s name is not mentioned on the bond.

National Institute for Public Finance and Policy ( NIPFP ) ● an autonomous body ● Founded in 1976. ● Set up jointly by the Ministry of Finance, the erstwhile Planning Commission, and several state governments. ● Functions: ○ It undertakes research, policy advocacy and capacity building in areas related to public economics. ○ One of the major mandates of the institute is to assist the Central, State and Local governments in formulating and reforming public policies by providing an analytical base. ● Funding: It receives an annual grant from the Ministry of Finance and various State governments. However, it maintains an independent non-government character. Governing Body: ● It includes the Revenue Secretary, Economic Affairs Secretary and the Chief Economic Advisor from the Ministry of Finance and representatives from NITI Aayog, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and three state governments. ● It also includes three distinguished economists, members of sponsoring agencies and other invitees. ● It is involved in appointing the Chairman and the Director. ○ The usual tenure of a chairman is four years, which can be extended. ○ At present, Dr. Urjit Patel, former Governor of the RBI, is the Chairman.

Mission Sagar ● SAGAR: Security and Growth for All in the Region ● Launched in 2015, it is India’s strategic vision for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). ● Through SAGAR, India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building its maritime security capabilities. ● Launched by: the Indian government as a part of India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance to Friendly Foreign Countries during the ongoing pandemic. ● Mission Sagar-I : It was undertaken in May-June 2020, wherein India reached out to Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros,and provided food aid and medicines. ● Mission Sagar-II : As part of Mission Sagar-II, Indian Naval Ship Airavat has delivered food aid to Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea. ● Mission Sagar-III: The mission is a part of HADR ( Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief ) assistance of India to foreign countries. SAGAR is Security and Growth for All in the Region. It reiterates position of India as a dependable partner, first responder and preferred security partner.

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○ As part of Mission Sagar-III, Indian Navy Ship Kiltan delivered 15 Tonnes Of Aid To Vietnam For Flood Relief.

INS Kiltan ● It is a Kamorta-class anti-submarine warfare corvette. ● It is part of the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command, based at Visakhapatnam. ● INS Kiltan, along with the INS Sahyadri, is the latest, indigenously designed and built multi-role ships of the Indian Navy. ● The two ships are equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors and can carry multi-role helicopters representing the ‘coming of age’ of India’s warship building capabilities.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) ● Launched in February 2019, ● It is a Central Sector Scheme, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. ● On its first anniversary, the PM-KISAN Mobile App developed and designed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology was launched. ● Under the scheme, the Centre transfers an amount of Rs. 6,000 per year, in three equal instalments, directly into the bank accounts of the all landholding farmers irrespective of the size of their landholdings. ● The entire responsibility of identification of beneficiary farmer families rests with the State/UT Governments. ● It aims to: ○ Reduce the input cost of the farmers. ○ Ensure a fair price for the crop. ○ Open new markets for the farmers to sell their crop. ○ Supplement the financial needs of the Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs).

Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization ● launched in April 2014 with an aim to have inclusive growth of farm mechanization to boost productivity. ● Agricultural mechanisation helps in increasing production through timely farm operations and cut in operations by ensuring better management of inputs. ● Increase the reach of farm mechanization to small and marginal farmers and to the regions where availability of farm power is low ● Promote ‘Custom Hiring Centres’ to balance the adverse economics of scale arising from small landholding and high cost of individual ownership. ● Create hubs for hi-tech and high-value farm equipment.

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National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation ● It is a Govt. of India Undertaking under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. ● NBCFDC was incorporated under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956 in 1992 (now section 8 of Companies Act 2013) as a Company not for profit. ● Objective: It was incorporated with an objective to promote economic and developmental activities for the benefit of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and to assist the poorer section of these classes in skill development and self-employment ventures. ● Functions: NBCFDC provides financial assistance through State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) nominated by the State Governments/UTs and Banks (RRBs & PSBs). ○ NBCFDC also provides Micro Financing through SCAs/ Self Help Groups (SHGs). ○ It additionally facilitates skill development of poor persons belonging to OBCs, persons of Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), De-notified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribe, Sr. Citizen, Beggars and Transgender.

Central Investment Clearance Cell ● The Centralised Investment Clearance Cell was announced as an integral part of the single window system. ● Purpose: To ensure that an investor gets all the required information and clearances under one platform. ● It will act as One-Stop Digital Platform that will help to obtain all the required clearances and approvals. ● It will also provide free investment advisory. ● The cell will also provide information related to land banks and facilitate investment at central and state level. ● The cell will enable potential investors to interact with all the ministries whose approvals are required in the same place.

What is Input Tax Credit (ITC) under GST? ● One of the positive features of GST is that it helps to avoid the undesirable cost cascading effect (or tax on tax) that existed previously. Now, in the case of GST, there is the mechanism of Input Tax Credit (ITC) which helps to eliminate the cost cascading effect of the pre-GST tax regime. Under GST, there is not cost cascading effect because of two facts. First, most of the taxes are merged under a single tax, and second, the input tax credit. ● The meaning of ITC can be easily understood when we take the words ‘input’ and ‘tax credit’. Inputs are materials or services that a manufacturer purchase in order to manufacture his product or services which is his output. ● Tax credit means the tax a producer was able to reduce while paying his tax on output.

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● Input tax credit means that when a manufacturer pays the tax on his output, he can deduct the tax he previously paid on the input he purchased. Here, while paying the tax on his output, he can deduct or take credit for the tax he paid while purchasing inputs. ● Exceptions: A business under composition scheme cannot avail of input tax credit. ITC cannot be claimed for personal use or for goods that are exempt.

E-Sampada Mobile Application ● The Ministry of Urban Affairs recently launched a new mobile application and a portal called “E-Sampada”. ● The application provides a single window for services such as allotment for more than one lakh Government residential accommodations and office space allotment to Government organisations. ● In order to achieve the objectives of ‘’One Nation, One System”, four websites eawas.nic.in, gpra.nic.in, estates.gov.in and holidayhomes.nic.in and two mobile applications such as m-Ashoka5 and m-Awas have been integrated as one. ● This will pave way for the entities to receive all the services under one platform. ● The application will promote ease of living for government officers and departments. ● The automated processes in the system will lead to greater transparency.

National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) ● Dubbed as ‘One Nation One Card’, the inter-operable transport card would allow the holders to pay for their bus travel, toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping and even withdraw money. ● The idea was floated by the Nandan Nilekani committee set up by the Reserve Bank of India. How it works ? ● The National Common Mobility Card can be used at all transit locations. The card makes all new metro and transit payments interoperable with a single card. ● NCMC is an automatic fare collection system. It will turn smartphones into an inter- operable transport card that commuters can use eventually to pay for Metro, bus and suburban railways services. ● This card runs on RuPay card. ● The stored value on card supports offline transaction across all travel needs with minimal financial risk to involved stakeholders. ● Ministry of housing & urban affairs brought to the fore the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) to enable seamless travel by different metros and other transport systems across the country besides retail shopping and purchases.

Bank Recapitalisation ● It means infusing more capital in state-run banks so that they meet the capital adequacy norms.

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● Indian public sector banks are emphasized to maintain a Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 12%. ● CAR is the ratio of a bank’s capital in relation to its risk weighted assets and current liabilities. ● The government, using different instruments, infuses capital into banks facing shortage of capital. As the government is the biggest shareholder in public sector banks, the responsibility of bolstering banks' capital reserves lies with the government. ● The government infuses capital in banks by either buying new shares or by issuing bonds.

Special Zero Coupon Recapitalisation Bonds ● These are special types of bonds issued by the Central government specifically to a particular institution. ● Only those banks, whosoever is specified, can invest in them, nobody else. ● It is not tradable, it is not transferable. It is limited only to a specific bank, and it is for a specified period. ● There is no coupon, it is zero coupon, it is issued at par and will be paid at the end of the specified period. ● Coupon is the Interest which the Investor gets on a bond. ● It is held at the Held-To-Maturity (HTM) category of the bank as per the RBI guidelines. ● HTM securities are purchased to be owned until maturity. ● These are instruments which are a variation of the recapitalisation bonds but effectively meet the same purpose, and these are issued in conformity with the RBI guidelines. ● Financial Innovation: As the issuance of these special bonds will not affect the fiscal deficit while at the same time provide much needed equity capital to the bank.

Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme ● Launched in 2003 on pilot basis. ● The aim is to promote the use of alternative and environmental friendly fuels. ● Government had set a target of 10% of ethanol per litre of petrol. Ethanol: ● Ethanol can be produced from sugarcane, maize, wheat, etc which are having high starch content. ● In India, ethanol is mainly produced from sugarcane molasses by fermentation process. ● Ethanol can be mixed with gasoline to form different blends. ● As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions and thereby reducing the occurrence of environmental pollution. ● Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also considered as renewable fuel. Why in news?:

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● The Union Cabinet has approved a modified scheme for interest subvention for ethanol production, expanding the scheme to include grain-based distilleries and not just molasses-based ones. ● Implications: ○ The decision would encourage ethanol production from grains like barley, maize, corn and rice. ○ The scheme would boost production and distillation capacity to 1,000 crore litres and help in meeting the goal of 20% ethanol blending with petrol by 2030.

RBI Trend and Progress Report, 2020 ● The Trend and Progress report of Reserve Bank of India provides information about performance of the banking sector. ● This includes non-banking Financial Institutions and cooperative banks. ● The report also offers perspectives on the evolving outlook of financial sector of India. The report is a statutory compliance of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Key Findings of the Report ● The report said that commercial banks gross non-performing assets ratio declined from 9.1% in March 2019 to 7.5% in September 2020. The COVID-19 provisioning and ploughing back of dividends will help shield their balance sheets. ● The capital to risk weighted assets ratio of the scheduled commercial banks strengthened from 14.3% in March 2019 to 15.8% in September 2020. This helped in recapitalisation of public sector banks. ● The net profits of the scheduled commercial banks turned around in the financial year 2019-20 after losses in previous years. Scheduled commercial banks have consolidated the gains achieved after the turnaround in 2018-19. ● The RBI bank has taken series of policy measures to mitigate the effects of covid-19. The major efforts as noted by the report as follows ● The regulatory Ambit of RBI was reinforced by legislative amendments. This provided greater powers to the apex bank over cooperative banks. ● A series of initiatives were also taken to bolster the supervisory Framework.

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Indian Polity.

Right to reject:NOTA ● Why in News?: An advocate has moved the Supreme Court for a direction that fresh elections should be held in a constituency where NOTA (‘None of the above’ option) garnered the maximum number of votes. ● Proposed by: ○ The ‘right to reject’ was first proposed by the Law Commission in 1999. ○ Similarly, the Election Commission endorsed ‘Right to Reject’, first in 2001, under James Lyngdoh [the then CEC], and then in 2004 under S. Krishnamurthy [the then CEC], in its Proposed Electoral Reforms. ● ‘Background Paper on Electoral Reforms’, prepared by the Ministry of Law in 2010, had proposed that if certain percentage of the vote was negative, then election result should be nullified and new election held.

Views of the advocate on Right to reject : ● If the electorate has rejected the candidates by voting for NOTA, the parties should be barred from fielding them again in the fresh polls. The parties should accept that the voters have already made their discontent loud and clear. ● Right to reject and elect new candidate will give power to the people to express their discontent. ● Right to reject will check corruption, criminalisation, casteism, communalism. Parties would be forced to give tickets to honest and patriotic candidates.

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The use of NOTA in elections: ● NOTA: None of the Above ● Why NOTA ? : NOTA gives the right to voters to reject all the candidates of a particular constituency if they feel that there is no deserving candidate in their constituency ● The option of NOTA for Lok Sabha and assembly elections was prescribed by the SC in 2013. ● Introduced by: The option of NOTA in RS polls was introduced by the EC in 2014. ● Thus, India became the 14th country to institute negative voting. How is a NOTA vote cast? ● The EVMs have the NOTA option at the end of the candidates’ list. Earlier, in order to cast a negative ballot, a voter had to inform the presiding officer at the polling booth. A NOTA vote doesn’t require the involvement of the presiding officer. Why have NOTA if there’s ‘no electoral value’? ● NOTA gives people dissatisfied with contesting candidates an opportunity to express their disapproval.

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● This, in turn, increases the chances of more people turning up to cast their votes, even if they do not support any candidate, and decreases the count of bogus votes. ● Also, the Supreme Court has observed that negative voting could bring about “a systemic change in polls and political parties will be forced to project clean candidates”. ● EVMs were first used in India in the North Paravur constituency of Kerala in 1982, and since the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, EVMs are used in all the Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections in India.

Member of Legislative Council disqualified for state cabinet ● Why in news: The High Court held that AH Vishwanath has incurred disqualification under Article 164(1B) and Article 361 B of the Indian Constitution. Article 164(1B): ● It states that a member of Legislative Assembly of a State or either House of the Legislature of a State having Legislative Council, belonging to any political party, if disqualified as a member of the Assembly, shall also be disqualified to be appointed as a Minister for the period of their disqualification. Article 361B- ● Disqualification for appointment on remunerative political post: ● A member of a House belonging to any political party who is disqualified for being a member of the House under paragraph 2 of the Tenth Schedule shall also be disqualified to hold any remunerative political post for duration of the period commencing from the date of his disqualification till the date on which the term of his office as such member would expire or till the date on which he contests an election to a House and is declared elected, whichever is earlier.

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Anti-Defection Law ● The 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution (which talks about the anti-defection law) inserted by the 52nd Amendment (1985) to the Constitution. ● Passed by: Parliament in 1985 and reinforced in 2002. ● Purpose: Designed to prevent political defections prompted by the lure of office or material benefits or other like considerations. ● ‘Defection’ has been defined as: “To abandon a position or association, often to join an opposing group”. ● Why anti-defection law ? : Anacted to ensure that a party member does not violate the mandate of the party and in case he does so, he will lose his membership of the House. The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies. ● The Anti-Defection Law aims to prevent MPs & MLA from switching political parties for any personal motive. ● Deciding Authority: Any question regarding disqualification arising out of defection is to be decided by the presiding officer of the House.

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○ Judicial Review: Originally, the Act provided that the presiding officer’s decision was final and could not be questioned in any court of law. But, in Kihoto Hollohan case (1993), the Supreme Court declared this provision as unconstitutional on the ground that it seeks to take away the jurisdiction of the SC and the high courts. ● Time Limit: There is no time limit as per the law within which the Presiding Officers should decide on a plea for disqualification. The courts also can intervene only after the officer has made a decision, and so the only option for the petitioner is to wait until the decision is made.

Provisions under Anti-Defection Law ● The Tenth Schedule includes the following provisions with regard to the disqualification of MPs and MLAs on the grounds of defection: Grounds for disqualification: 1. If an elected member gives up his membership of a political party voluntarily. 2. If he votes or abstains from voting in the House, contrary to any direction issued by his political party. 3. If any member who is independently elected joins any party. 4. If any nominated member joins any political party after the end of 6 months. 5. The decision on disqualification questions on the ground of defection is referred to the Speaker or the Chairman of the House, and his/her decision is final. 6. All proceedings in relation to disqualification under this Schedule are considered to be proceedings in Parliament or the Legislature of a state as is the case.

Exceptions under the Anti Defection Law ● In the situation where two-thirds of the legislators of a political party decide to merge into another party, neither the members who decide to join nor the ones who stay with the original party will face disqualification. ● Any person elected as chairman or speaker can resign from his party, and rejoin the party if he demits that post. ● Earlier, the law allowed parties to be split, but at present, this has been outlawed.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Scheme ● A flagship program of the Ministry of Education. ● Launched in 2014. ● Aims to: Link the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with a set of at least (5) villages, so that these institutions can contribute to the economic and social betterment of these village communities using their knowledge base. ● Two major domains: for holistic development of villages –1. human development and 2. material (economic) development - in an integrated way. ● National Coordinating Institute (NCI) : The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT, Delhi)

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Main Objectives: ● To engage the faculty and students of HEIs in identifying development issues in rural areas and finding sustainable solutions for the same. ● Identify & select existing innovative technologies, enable customisation of technologies, or devise implementation methods for innovative solutions, as required by the people. ● To allow HEIs to contribute to devising systems for smooth implementation of various Government programmes.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0: ● It is the upgraded version of UBA 1.0. ● Launched in 2018. ● UBA 1.0 or UBA Phase-1 was the Invitation Mode in which Participating Institutions were invited to be a part of UBA. ● Whereas UBA 2.0 is the Challenge Mode of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan programme where all HEIs are required to willingly adopt at least 5 villages. Currently, UBA 2.0 Mode is going on.

Consent for Contempt ● The Contempt of Courts Act 1971 defines civil and criminal contempt, and lays down the powers and procedures by which courts can penalise contempt, as well as the penalties that can be given for the offence of contempt. ● Contempt of court is the offense of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice and dignity of the court. Why is the consent of the Attorney General required to initiate contempt proceedings? ● The objective behind requiring the consent of the Attorney General before taking cognizance of a complaint is to save the time of the court.

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● This is necessary because judicial time is squandered if frivolous petitions are made and the court is the first forum for bringing them in. ● The AG’s consent is meant to be a safeguard against frivolous petitions, as it is deemed that the AG, as an officer of the court, will independently ascertain whether the complaint is indeed valid. Under what circumstances is the AG’s consent not needed? ● The AG’s consent is mandatory when a private citizen wants to initiate a case of contempt of court against a person. ● However, when the court itself initiates a contempt of court case the AG’s consent is not required. ● This is because the court is exercising its inherent powers under the Constitution to punish for contempt and such Constitutional powers cannot be restricted because the AG declined to grant consent. What happens if the AG denies consent? ● If the AG denies consent, the matter all but ends. ● The complainant can, however, separately bring the issue to the notice of the court and urge the court to take suo motu cognizance. ● Article 129 of the Constitution gives the Supreme Court the power to initiate contempt cases on its own, independent of the motion brought before it by the AG or with the consent of the AG

Right to Vote for NRIs Why in news?: The Election Commission (EC) recently approached the Law Ministry to permit NRIs to cast their votes from overseas through postal ballots.

NRI Voters: ● According to a United Nations report of 2015, India’s diaspora population is the largest in the world at 16 million people. ● However, registration of NRI voters has been very low with a little over one lakh overseas Indians registered as voters in India. ● In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, roughly 25,000 of them flew to India to vote.

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Non Resident Indian ● According to India’s Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 (FEMA), NRI is an Indian citizen or Foreign National of Indian Origin residing outside India for purposes of employment, carrying on business or vocation in circumstances as would indicate an intention to stay outside India for an indefinite period. ● Visiting NRIs whose total income (which is defined as taxable income) in India is up to Rs. 15 lakh during the financial year will continue to remain NRIs if the stay does not exceed 181 days. ● The Union Budget 2020 proposed to reduce this period to 120 days for all NRIs. 112 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● Some of the benefits for PIO and OCI cardholders were different until 2015 when the government merged these two categories.

Overseas Citizen of India ● A person with OCI status is not an Indian citizen. The person does not have voting rights in India, nor can contest elections or hold any constitutional office. ● An Overseas Citizen of India is however entitled to some benefits such as a multiple- entry, multi-purpose life-long visa to visit India. ● They are exempted from police reporting for any length of stay in the country. ● They are also granted all rights in parity with NRIs except, the right to acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties. ● The MHA defines an OCI as a person who was a citizen of India on or after January 26, 1950; or was eligible to become a citizen of India on that date; or who is a child or grandchild of such a person, among other eligibility criteria. ● According to Section 7A of the OCI card rules, an applicant is not eligible for the OCI card if he, his parents or grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan or ● Bangladesh.

Fundamental Rights Available Only to Citizens of India ● Article 15 – Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. ● Article 16 – Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment. ● Article 19 – Protection of six rights related to freedom – (a) of speech and expression; (b) to assemble peaceably and without arms; (c) to form associations or unions; (d) to move freely throughout the territory of India; (e) to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; and (f) to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business. ● Article 29 – Protection of language, script and culture of minorities. ● Article 30 – Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions

Central Waqf Council ● Central Waqf Council is a statutory body under the administrative control of the Ministry of Minority Affairs set up in 1964 as per the provision given in the Waqf Act, 1954. ● It is an advisory body to the Central Government on matters concerning the working of the Waqf Boards and the due administration of Auqaf. ● Auqaf (also spelled awkaf,) is an Arabic word meaning assets. ● The Council consists of Chairperson, who is the Union Minister In charge of Waqf, such other members, not exceeding 20 in number, as may be appointed by the Government of India. ● Each state has a Waqf Board headed by a chairperson, one or two nominees from the state government, Muslim legislators and parliamentarians, Muslim members of the state Bar Council, recognised scholars of Islamic theology and mutawalis.

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Vanchit Ikai Samooh Aur Vargon Ki Aarthik Sahayta (VISVAS) Yojana ● What is it ?: It is an Interest subvention Scheme for financial empowerment of economically marginalized OBC/SC Self Help Groups (SHGs) & Individuals. ● Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. ● Financial aid: The scheme will benefit OBC/SC SHGs with loans up to Rs.4 Lakh and OBC/SC individuals with loan up to Rs.2 Lakh with a quick interest subvention benefit of 5% directly into the standard accounts of borrowing beneficiaries.

National Register of Citizens (NRC) ● Created in 1951 ● NRC is an official record of those who are legal Indian citizens. It includes demographic information about all those individuals who qualify as citizens of India as per the Citizenship Act, 1955. ● Purpose: to determine who was born in Assam and is therefore Indian, and who might be a migrant from erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. ● The demand for updating the NRC was first raised in 1980 during the anti-foreigners Assam agitation spearheaded by the All Assam Students’ Union.

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Urban Governance Index 2020 ● Published by: Praja Foundation, a Mumbai-based think tank working since 1997 to enable accountable governance. ● Purpose: The Urban Governance Index ranks states to indicate where they stand in terms of real empowerment of grassroot democracy and local self government. ● 4 Themes: ○ 1. how empowered elected city representatives and legislative structures are; ○ 2. how empowered the state’s city administration is; ○ 3. how empowered the citizens are and ○ 4. the fiscal empowerment and financial autonomy of the state. Key Findings: ● Topped by: Odisha was ranked first in the index followed by Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. ● Worst States : Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland performed the worst in the index. ● None of the states could score 60 out of hundred. This indicates that the municipal bodies are lagging to provide effective governance at the local level

One Nation One Card ● The scheme was launched to make sure all the beneficiaries, especially the migrants can access the Public Distribution System from anywhere in the country. ● This will enhance the freedom of the beneficiaries as they are not tied to one PDS shop. ● The scheme is being implemented under the National Food Security Act. ● It aims to eliminate bogus ration cards, ineligible ration cards and duplicate ration cards ● Around nine states have completed One Nation One Card Reform schemes. They are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Gujarat, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura.

International Anti-Corruption Day: 9 Dec ● The day is marked by United Nations and several other international organizations. ● Theme: Recover with Integrity

United Nations Convention Against Corruption ● It is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. ● It covers five main areas such as international cooperation, criminalisation and law enforcement, preventive measures, asset recovery, technical assistance and information exchange. ● The different forms of corruption covered by the convention are abuse of functions, trading in in fluence and several other acts of corruption in private sector.

Corruption Perceptions Index, 2019

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● The ranking of India in the Corruptions Perceptions Index has slipped from 78 in 2018 to 80 in 2019. ● The Corruption Perception Index is launched by Transparency International. The organization is based in Berlin, Germany.

Delimitation ● Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats to represent changes in population. ● In this process, the number of seats allocated to different states in Lok Sabha and the total number seats in a Legislative Assembly may also change. ● The main objective of delimitation is to provide equal representation to equal segments of a population. ● It also aims at a fair division of geographical areas so that one political party doesn’t have an advantage over others in an election Why in news?: ● A paper released by the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation (PMF) on the eve of the late President’s birth anniversary has suggested that the next delimitation exercise should be a two-step process: ○ A Delimitation Commission should be set up to redraw boundaries of constituencies on the basis of the 2031 Census. ○ A State Reorganisation Act be passed to split States into smaller ones.

Delimitation Commission

● Appointed by: the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India. ● Composition: ○ Retired Supreme Court judge ○ Chief Election Commissioner ○ Respective State Election Commissioners ● Functions: ○ To determine the number and boundaries of constituencies to make the population of all constituencies nearly equal. ○ To identify seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, wherever their population is relatively large. ● Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. ● The Delimitation Commission in India is a high power body whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.

Current Scenario: ● The 84th Amendment to the Constitution in 2002 had put a freeze on the delimitation of Lok Sabha and State Assembly constituencies till the first Census after 2026. 116 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● The current boundaries were drawn on the basis of the 2001 Census, the number of Lok Sabha seats and State Assembly seats remained frozen on the basis of the 1971 Census ● The population according to the last census preceding the freeze was 50 crore, which in 50 years has grown to 130 crore, causing a massive asymmetry in the political representation in the country.

Review petition ● A judgment of the Supreme Court becomes the law of the land, according to the Constitution. It is final because it provides certainty for deciding future cases. ● However, the Constitution itself gives, under Article 137, the Supreme Court the power to review any of its judgments or orders. ● This departure from the Supreme Court’s final authority is entertained under specific, narrow grounds. ● So, when a review takes place, the law is that it is allowed not to take fresh stock of the case but to correct grave errors that have resulted in the miscarriage of justice. When can a review petition be accepted? ● In a 1975 ruling, Justice Krishna Iyer said a review can be accepted “only where a glaring omission or patent mistake or like grave error has crept in earlier by judicial fallibility”. ● A review is by no means an appeal in disguise. That means the Court is allowed not to take fresh stock of the case but to correct grave errors that have resulted in the miscarriage of justice.

Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) ● Government of India launched the ‘Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme’ by making amendments to Citizenship Act, 1955 in 2005. ● On 09 January 2015, the Government of India discontinued the PIO card and merged it with OCI card.

Eligibility: ● Government of India allows the following categories of foreign nationals to apply for OCI Card. ● The Ministry of Home Affairs defines an OCI as a person who: ● Was a citizen of India on or after 26th January 1950; or ● Was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January 1950; or ● Is a child or grandchild of such a person, among other eligibility criteria. ● According to Section 7A of the OCI card rules, an applicant is not eligible for the OCI card if he, his parents or grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh. ● The category was introduced by the government in 2005. The Government of India via Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2015 merged the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) category with OCI category in 2015.

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Exceptions: ● Anyone who is applying for OCI card should hold a valid Passport of another country. ● Individuals who do not have citizenship of any other country are not eligible to gain an OCI status. ● Individuals whose parents or grandparents hold citizenship of Pakistan and Bangladesh are not eligible to apply.

Digital Voter ID Card ● Digital voter ID card is the electronic form of EPIC or Elector’s Photo Identity Card. ● This would make the voter ID card available on people’s phone. ● It can be downloaded through OTP authentication. ● This will help the Election Commission cut costs need for printing and distribution of the hard copies ● Currently, EPIC is available only as a hard copy and has to be produced by the voters on voting day.

Three capitals for Andhra Pradesh ● Three capitals for the state. ○ Amaravati– legislative capital. ○ Visakhapatnam– executive capital. ○ Kurnool– judicial capital. ● Need for three capitals: ○ The government says it is against building one capital while neglecting other parts of the state. Three capitals ensure equal development of different regions of the state.

Which other Indian states have multiple capitals? ● Maharashtra has two capitals– Mumbai and Nagpur (which holds the winter session of the state assembly). ● Himachal Pradesh has capitals at Shimla and Dharamshala (winter). ● The former state of Jammu & Kashmir had Srinagar and Jammu (winter) as capitals.

Parliament Session ● Why in news?: Government has decided to cancel the Winter session of Parliament, citing fears over a surge in cases due to covid-19 pandemic. ● The President of India is empowered to summon each House of Parliament from time to time. ● The maximum gap between two sessions of Parliament cannot be more than six months. That means the Parliament should meet at least twice a year. ● A ‘session’ of Parliament is the period between the first sitting of a House and its prorogation.

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● There are usually three sessions in a year: ○ Budget Session (February to May) ○ Monsoon Session (July to September) ○ Winter Session (November to December)

Terms associated with Sessions of Parliament: ● Recess: The period between the prorogation of a House and its reassembly in a new session is called ‘recess’. ● Adjournment: It suspends the work in a sitting for a specified time, which may be hours, days or weeks. ● Adjournment sine die : Termination of a sitting of the House without any definite date being fixed for the next sitting. ● Prorogation: It means the termination of a Session of the House by an order made by the President under article 85(2)(a) of the Constitution. ○ The Prorogation of the House may take place any time even while the House is sitting. ○ However, prorogation usually follows the adjournment of the sitting of the House sine die. ● Dissolution : Only the Lok Sabha is subject to dissolution. Rajya Sabha, being a permanent House, is not subject to dissolution. ○ A dissolution ends the life of the existing House, and a new House is constituted after general elections are held. ○ The President is empowered to dissolve the Lok Sabha.

Constitutional Provisions Related to Governor’s Role in Calling an Assembly Session

● Article 174: Says that the Governor shall from time to time summon the House or each House of the Legislature of the State to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit. ● The provision also puts on the Governor the responsibility of ensuring that the House is summoned at least once every six months. ● Article 163: Although it is the Governor’s prerogative to summon the House, according to Article 163, the Governor is required to act on the “aid and advice” of the Cabinet. ○ So when the Governor summons the House under Article 174, this is not of his or her own will but on the aid and advice of the Cabinet. ● Exception: ○ When the Chief Minister appears to have lost the majority and the legislative members of the House propose a no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister, then the Governor can decide on his or her own on summoning the House. ○ The actions of the Governor, when using his discretionary powers can be challenged in court.

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Merger of four of its film media units ● Cabinet has approved the merger of four of its film media units with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) Ltd. ● These include: ○ Films Division. ○ Directorate of Film Festivals. ○ National Film Archives of India. ○ Children’s Film Society, India. ● Need for: There was “duplication” between some of these organisations. After coming together, the governance will become better

Good governance day ● Observed annually on December 25. ● The day is also celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. ● The day aims to let the citizens, the students, who are the future of the country know about the government’s responsibilities and duties that it needs to fulfill. ● The aim is to create awareness of accountability in government among the citizens of India.

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana ● Ayushman Bharat, the flagship programme of Government of India recently completely successful two years ● The scheme was launched under the National Health Policy, 2017. ● The scheme aims to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage. ● The scheme was designed to meet Sustainable Development Goals. ● The scheme has two components namely Health and Wellness Centre and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Health and Wellness Centres ● Under the scheme, around 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres are to be created transforming the Primary Health centres and sub centres. ● They will cover both child health services and maternal services, non-communicable diseases. ● They will also provide drugs and diagnostic services.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana ● Launched in September 2018 in Ranchi. ● It is the largest health insurance scheme in the world. ● It provides health cover of Rs 5 lakhs per family per year. ● The beneficiaries of the scheme were identified under the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011.

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● It was earlier known as the National Health Protection Scheme. ● The scheme covers three days of pre-hospitalisation and fifteen days of Post- hospitalisation expenses such as medicines and diagnostics

Paray Samadhan ● It is a new grievance redressal mechanism launched recently by West Bengal. ● Paray Samadhan means redressal in the neighbourhood. ● This will not address major infrastructural gaps but will address municipal, local or service gaps through specific mission mode to reach out to the neighbourhood. ● This will be supplementary of ‘Duare Sarkar’.

Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) ● Established in è 1970. ● Objective: objective of modernisation of police forces. ● It functions under the aegis of Union Home Ministry ● BPR&D replaced Police Research and Advisory Council formed in 1966. ● Purpose: It is a nodal national police organisation to study, research and develop on subjects and issues related to policing. ● In 2008, the Government further decided to create the National Police Mission (NPM) under the administrative control of BPR&D. ● Headquarters: New Delhi.

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International Relation, Organisation & Reports

SCO Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage ● Developed by: The National Museum, New Delhi, in active collaboration with SCO member countries. ( First time ) ● Participants: Museums from India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. ● Significance: ○ Budhhist Connection: Buddhist philosophy and art of Central Asia connects SCO countries to each other and presents an excellent opportunity for visitors to access, appreciate and compare Buddhist art antiquities from SCO countries on a single platform. ○ Knowledge about Different Schools of Buddhism: The visitors can explore the Indian Buddhist treasures from the Gandhara and Mathura Schools, Nalanda, Amaravati, Sarnath, etc. in a 3D virtual format. ○ Artistic Wealth and Excellence: The international exhibition gives a glimpse of the artistic wealth displayed in various museums across Asia and also represents the artistic excellence embedded within an eclectic historical timeline.

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Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO )

➢ What is SCO?: The largest transregional permanent international organization that accounts to 44% of the world population ➢ Coverage: That stretches between Pacific Ocean and Baltic sea and also between Arctic Ocean and Indian Ocean. ➢ Founded in the year 2001 and ➢ Headquartered at Beijing, China. ➢ Aims to maintain stability, peace and security in the region. India and Pakistan became the members of the organization only in 2017. ➢ Five founder members namely Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan,Russia, Tajikistan ➢ New 3 members: Uzbekistan in 2001, India and Pakistan became members in 2017. ➢ Four observer states - Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia. ➢ Dialogue Partners: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka. ➢ Chairmanship: The Chairmanship of SCO is by rotation for a year by Member States. ➢ It has the capacity to counterbalance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. ➢ SCO has two Permanent Bodies ○ SCO Secretariat in Beijing, and ○ Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.

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Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) ● What is it? : It is an international organization with the primary objective of safeguarding the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony. ● Origin: It was established in 1969 after attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. ● Membership : It is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states. Of these, 47 are Muslim Majority countries. ● Observer countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina; Central African Republic; Thailand; Russia and Turkish Cypriot State (Northern Cyprus). ● Headquarters (HQ) : Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. ● The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union. ● Significance of OIC for India: OIC’s growing economic and energy interdependence with India has become important in recent times.

India - Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway ● a highway under construction under India's Look East policy ● It will be linking Moreh (India) -Bagan (Myanmar) -Mae Sot (Thailand) ● Length 3660 ● The project will boost trade and commerce in the ASEAN–India Free Trade Area, as well as with the rest of Southeast Asia.

WHO World Malaria Report 2020 Key findings: Global Scenario ● Malaria cases globally numbered about 229 million, an annual estimate that has remained virtually unchanged over the last four years. ● In 2019, it claimed about 4,09,000 lives, compared to 4,11,000 in 2018. ● The report noted that the 11 highest-burden countries viz. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, India, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania, account for 70% of the global estimated case burden and 71% of global estimated deaths from malaria. ● Countries in South-East Asia made particularly strong progress, with reductions in cases and deaths of 73% and 74%, respectively. About India ● India has made considerable progress in reducing its malaria burden. ● India is the only high endemic country which has reported a decline of 17.6% in 2019 as compared to 2018.

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● The Annual Parasitic Incidence (API) reduced by 27.6% in 2018 compared to 2017 and by 18.4% in 2019 as compared to 2018. India has sustained API less than one since year 2012. ● India has also contributed to the largest drop in cases region-wide, from approximately 20 million to about 6 million. The percentage drop in the malaria cases was 71.8% and deaths was 73.9% between 2000 to 2019. ● States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh (high endemic states) disproportionately accounted for nearly 45.47% of malaria cases in 2019.

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About Malaria: ● Caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. ● Spread: Female Anopheles mosquitoes deposit parasite sporozoites into the skin of a human host. ● Four kinds of malaria parasites infect humans: ○ Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. In addition, P. knowlesi, ○ a type of malaria that naturally infects macaques in Southeast Asia, also infects humans, causing malaria that is transmitted from animal to human (“zoonotic” malaria).

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Government Initiatives to Curb Malaria

High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) initiative: ● Initiated by WHO in 11 high malaria burden countries, including India in July 2019 ● In India, Implementation has been started in four states i.e. West Bengal and Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. ● It has continued to make impressive gains in India, with 18% reductions in cases and 20% reductions in death, over the last 2 years.

Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN) initiative: ● Among states, Odisha’s Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN)initiative is significant. ● The initiative aims to deliver services to the most inaccessible and hardest hit people of the State. ● The initiative has in-built innovative strategies to combat asymptomatic malaria. ● The programme is jointly implemented by Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR-NIMR), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Odisha and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).

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The National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22) ● launched in July 2017 which laid down strategies for the following five years. ● It gives year wise elimination targets in various parts of the country depending upon the endemicity of malaria.

Wolf Brigade 44 ● The Brigade 44 openly pledged allegiance to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. ● Wolf Brigade 44 wanted a Nazi state. ● It seeks to end the democratic form of governance in Germany while propagating racism and anti-Semitism ● symbols, which includes skull with two grenades marked with the number 44. ● Number 44 here means Division Dirlewanger, named after Oskar Dirlewanger, who is accused of ordering massacres against civilians in Belarus in the 1940s. The number 4 stands for alphabet 44. ● This group was banned by the German government along with its symbols,

Rohingya ● They are an Ethnic group, mostly Muslims. They were not granted full citizenship by Myanmar. ● The Rohingya people are stateless, Indo-Aryan ethnic group who reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar. ● They were classified as “resident foreigners or associate citizens”. ● Ethnically they are much closer to Indo-Aryan people of India and Bangladesh than to the Sino-Tibetans of the Country. ● Described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “one of, if not the, most discriminated people in the world”.

Why in news ? ● The Bangladesh government is moving these refugees to an isolated island known as Bhasan Char which is located 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the mainland.

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Where are they now? ● About 860,000 Rohingya live in the world’s largest and most densely populated refugee camp in southern Bangladesh. ● The Myanmar and Bangladesh governments continue to negotiate terms for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. ● According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are approximately 40,000 Rohingyas living in India.

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Bhasan Char: ● Bhasan Char (Floating Island) also known as Char Piya or Thengar Char Island, is an island in Hatiya, Bangladesh. It surfaced only 20 years ago and was never inhabited. ● It was formed with Himalayan silt from the mouth of river Meghna in 2006 spanning 40 square kilometres. ● The island, which was once regularly submerged by monsoon rains, now has flood protection embankments, houses, hospitals and mosques built at a cost of more than 112 million dollars by the Bangladesh navy. ● It is underwater from June to September because of the monsoon.

Chabahar port ● India has formally taken over operations of Iran’s strategic Chabahar Port. ● In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed the trilateral agreement which entailed the establishment of Transit and Transport Corridor among them using Chabahar port in Iran as one of the regional hubs for sea transportation. ● Located on the Gulf of Oman and is the only oceanic port of the country. ● Construction of a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan as an alternate trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, was also a part of it. ● The port gives access to the energy-rich Persian Gulf nations’ southern coast. ● Why in news ?: Recently, Iran has decided to proceed with the Chabahar rail line construction on its own, citing delays from the Indian side in beginning and funding the project. ○ It is a 628 km Chabahar-Zahedan line, which will be extended to Zaranj across the border in Afghanistan.

3RF Framework ● 3RF stands for Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework. ● Launched by the United Nations to revitalise Beirut. ● The framework was prepared by United Nations, World Bank and European Union. ● Beirut Explosion: On August 4, 2020,The blast was due to ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse, a deadly blast at Beirut, the capital of Lebanon killed more than 200 people. It left a million homeless. This led to protests amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

CLMV countries ● The CLMV countries are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. ● The CLMV countries have a unique position in Southeast Asia region. ● The countries act as a gateway for the market access to European Union and China and also other markets due to various trade agreements. ● The four countries hold rich natural resources such as copper, oil, natural gas, gemstones and teak.

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● Significance of CLMV countries: They are the third largest economy in the world. In the last decade, India’s trade with these countries has grown from 1.5 billion USD to 10 billion USD. ● India’s Interested: India intends to increase its trade and investment in these countries as they hold advantage of free trade agreements with countries such as China. India’s trade to China through this route will be much cheaper. In other words, India will invest in these countries and earn the benefits by exporting the return to China.

Energy Efficiency Report 2020 ● Released by International Energy Agency(IEA) ● The slow pace of global progress on energy efficiency is set to slow further in 2020 as a result of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. ● Global primary energy intensity – a key indicator of how efficiently the world’s economic activity uses energy – is expected to improve by less than 1% in 2020, the weakest rate since 2010. ● Investments in energy-efficient buildings, equipment and vehicles are also expected to decline by 9% in 2020. ● Shifts in urban transport from public transport to cars were also witnessed due to pandemic as people remained fearful of infection risk.

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International Energy Agency ● An autonomous intergovernmental organisation which works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy. ● Established : It was established in the wake of 1973 (set up in 1974) oil crisis after the OPEC cartel had shocked the world with a steep increase in oil prices. ● Headquarters : Paris, France. ● Members: It has 30 member countries and eight association countries. ● India became an associate member in 2017. ● Other Report: World Energy Outlook report is released by IEA annually.

Investment Promotion Award 2020 ● The award recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements and best practices of Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) across the globe. ● UNCTAD is a central agency that monitors performance of IPAs and identifies global best practices. ● Germany, South Korea and Singapore have been some of the past winners of the award. ● Why in news?: The United Nations (UNCTAD) has declared Invest India- the National Investment Promotion Agency of India- as a winner of the 2020 United Nations Investment Promotion Award.

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About Invest India: ● It is the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of India and acts as the first point of reference for investors in India. ● It is a non-profit venture set up in 2009 under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ( UNCTAD ) ● UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964. ● Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland. ● Purpose: It was established to promote development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy. ● It is a central agency that monitors performance of Investment promotion Agencies (IPAs) and identifies global best practices. ● Some of the reports published by it are: ○ Trade and Development Report ○ World Investment Report ○ Global Investment Trend Monitor Report ○ The Least Developed Countries Report ○ Information and Economy Report ○ Technology and Innovation Report ○ Commodities and Development Report

Least Developed Countries Report 2020 ● Released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). ● It found that the Least Developed Countries (LDC) will put in their worst economic performance in three decades this year due to the pandemic. ● Between October 2019 and October 2020, the economic growth forecast for LDCs was revised sharply downwards from 5 to -0.4%. ● This revision was expected to lead to a 2.6% reduction in per capita income in LDCs in 2020. ● The number of people living in extreme poverty (earning less than Rs 150 per day), will increase by 32 million in 2020 because of COVID-19. ● Total remittances to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are also forecast to fall by one-fifth in 2020, with an even sharper contraction in South Asian and sub-Saharan African countries. ● This increase in poverty will roll back some of the progress made towards sustainable development and possibly lead to long-term damage. ● Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially Goal 1 (‘No Poverty’) as well as those related to health and education will stall.

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● The report urged the international community to support LDCs with adequate financial resources.

State of Food and Agriculture, 2020 ● Report released by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ● Theme: ‘overcoming water challenges in agriculture’ Key findings: ● Agricultural irrigation accounts for 90% of India’s freshwater withdrawals ● India’s annual agricultural water withdrawal is the highest in the world ● In Spite of China having larger area under irrigation than India, China withdraws much less water for agricultural purposes.

Trace Bribery Risk Matrix INdex ● The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix is an annual listing that measures the likelihood of bribe demands in 194 countries. ● Released by TRACE International ○ an anti-bribery standard setting organization ○ Aggregates data from the leading international organizations such as World Bank, United Nations and World Economic Forum. ● First published in 2014 to meet the needs of the business communities demanding for a more reliable information regarding the risks of commercial bribery worldwide. ● The scores are calculated based on the four parameters ○ Namely business interactions with the Government, ○ Civil service transparency, ○ Capacity for civil society oversight and ○ anti-bribery deterrents. Key Findings: ● India scored 45 in the Business Bribery Risk, 2020 and stood at rank 77. In 2019, India ranked 78th. ● India in 2020 has performed better than Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and China. Bhutan stood at 48th rank. ● Top three: Denmark , Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand. ● Bottom countries: Turkmenistan, North Korea, Venezuela, South Sudan and Eritrea.

Countries of Particular Concern ( CPC ) ● It is a designation by the United States Secretary of State under the International Religious Freedom Act enacted by USA in 1998. ● Designation of the CPC is the top tier recommendation by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) when it comes to violation of international religious freedom. ● It is followed by Special Watch List Countries for severe violations.

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● Nations on the CPC list for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom are Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Partners in Population and Development (PPD) ● What is it?: It is an intergovernmental organisation for promoting south-south cooperation in the fields of reproductive health, population, and development. ● Its Secretariat is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. ● Members: membership of 27 developing countries, representing more than 59% of the world’s population. India ia a member country. ● Launched at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), when ten developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America formed an intergovernmental alliance to help implement the Cairo Program of Action (POA).

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Nairobi Summit ● In November 2019, the Nairobi Summit, also known as ICPD+25, was held in Nairobi, Kenya, ● to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ICPD (held in Cairo in 1994). ● The UNFPA and the Government of Kenya hosted the Nairobi Summit, which brought together governments, UN agencies, private sector organizations, women's groups and youth networks to discuss and agree on initiatives to further advance the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. ● Three Zeros by 2030: Pledges were announced to achieve zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices by 2030.

Singapore’s Hawker culture gets UNESCO recognition ● The UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has recently recognized “Hawker” culture of Singapore and has included it under the list of intangible cultural heritage. ● The list also includes Chinese Calligraphy, Yoga and Flamenco. ● Singapore’s multiculturalism with stalls selling cheap, delicious food of Chinese, Malay, Indian origins among others.

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Intangible cultural heritage: ● It means the traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed through generations as a way of life.

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● These include oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe and the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. ● Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage : It was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2003 and entered into force in 2006. India ratified it in 2007. ● About India: ○ India has a total of 13 intangible cultural heritages included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: ○ These include: Kutiyattam, the tradition of Vedic chanting, Ramlila, Ramman, Mudiyettu, Kalbelia folk songs and dances, Chauu Dance, Buddhist chanting of Ladakh, Sankritana, Craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Nowruz, Yoga, and Kumbh Mela.

Global Health Estimates 2019: WHO ● Released by World Health Organization’s (WHO) ● The WHO Global Health Estimates provide a comprehensive and comparable assessment of mortality and loss of health due to diseases and injuries for all regions of the world. ● The new data of Global Health Estimates cover the period from 2000 to 2019. ● The Estimates are in consonance with the report Ten Threats to Global Health in 2019 by WHO. Key Findings: ● Top Ten Causes of Death: Ischaemic heart disease, Stroke, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Lower respiratory infections, Neonatal conditions, Trachea, bronchus and lung cancers, Alzheimer disease and other dementias, Diarrhoeal diseases, Diabetes mellitus, Kidney diseases. ● Non-communicable diseases: Make up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death, an increase from 4 of the 10 leading causes in 2000. ● Communicable diseases: They still take in low-income countries: 6 of the top 10 causes of death in low-income countries are still communicable diseases, including malaria (6th), tuberculosis (8th) and Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (9th). ● More non-communicable diseases are now causing deaths worldwide, there has been a global decline in deaths from communicable diseases, which however still remain a major challenge in low- and middle-income countries. ● Longevity: The estimates confirm the growing trend for longevity as in 2019, people were living more than 6 years longer than in 2000.

Israel-Bhutan Ties ● Israel has established diplomatic ties with Bhutan.

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● The development comes two days after Israel and Morocco agreed to normalize ties in a deal brokered with assistance from the USA. ● Morocco became the fourth Arab country, after the UAE, Bahrain (Abraham Accords) and Sudan, to set aside hostilities with Israel in the past four months.

UNESCO Award For Creative Economy ● Why in news? ○ UNESCO has decided to launch an international prize in the field of ‘creative economy’ in the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. ● It shall start from November 2021. ● The $50,000 award will be given away once in two years for global economic initiatives of the youth. ● The award will recognise exceptional initiatives taken by cultural workers and organizations in the development of the creative economy. ● UNESCO has declared 2021 as ‘International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development

Asian Development Outlook ● Released by Asian Development Bank. Key findings: ● Asian Development Bank projected that Indian economy is to contract by – 8% in the fiscal year 2020-21. ○ Earlier it was estimated by the bank that India would contract by – 9%. ● The growth projection has been kept at 8%. ● The developing Asia is to contract by 0.4 % in 2020 and grow by 6.8% in 2021 ● The growth of South Asia in the fiscal year 2020-21 will be at 7.2%. ● In India the supply chain disruption increased the food inflation to 9.1 % in the first seven months of 2020. This pushed the headline inflation to 6.9 percent. ● According to the report agriculture, manufacturing is growing in India and fixed investment is declining.

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About Asian Development Bank (ADB) ● It is a regional development bank ● established on 19 December 1966. ● Headquartered — Manila, Philippines. ● Official United Nations Observer. ● Members: 68 members, 49 from within Asia. ● As of 31 December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).

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● It aims to promote social and economic development in Asia. ● ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.

Red Channel Agreement ● Signed between the World Health Organization and IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) ● Purpose: to implement the Emergency Medical Team Initiative ● Emergency Medical Team Initiative: ○ The initiative will strengthen the delivery of health and emergency medical services during humanitarian crisis. ○ This will enable the organizations to standardize emergency health response and also increase capacity building efforts. ● International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ○ IFRC is a humanitarian aid organization that carries out relief operations assisting victims of disasters. ○ It works to strengthen the capacities of its members. Around 192 countries are members of IFRC. ○ Headquarters of IFRC is located in Geneva, Switzerland. ○ After first world war, representatives from the National Red Cross societies of the allied powers came together to strengthen and unite the existing Red Cross Societies.

S-400 deal ● The S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system (SAM) designed by Russia. ● It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range SAM (MLR SAM) in the world, considered much ahead of the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD). ● It can track 100 airborne targets and engage six of them simultaneously. ● The system can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) and ballistic and cruise missiles within the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to 30km. ● India’s acquisition is crucial to counter attacks in a two-front war, including even high- end F-35 US fighter aircraft. ● Why in news?: The United States has imposed sanctions (Under CAATSA) on Turkey over Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems.

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What is CAATSA? ● Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)‘s core objective is to counter Iran, Russia and North Korea through punitive measures.

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● Enacted in 2017 ● Purpose: The Act empowers the US President to impose sanctions against countries that engage in a significant transaction with Russian defence and intelligence sectors. ● The Act primarily deals with sanctions on 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.

San Isidro Movement ● San Isidro Movement (MSI) is the ongoing protest against the authoritarian regime in Cuba. ● Cuba, a Caribbean country, has been under the communist regime for more than 60 years. ● The San Isidro Movement started in 2018 in response to the state’s censorship of artistic works via the Decree 349. ● The decree enables the culture ministry to censure any cultural activity that it doesn’t approve of. ● The movement in Cuba began in September 2018 against the state censorship of artistic works. ● The censorship was brought in by Decree 349. In order to protest against the decree, poets, artists, journalists gathered in San Isidro.

Why San Isidro? ● San Isidro is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is Havana’s poorest but most culturally active ward.

The Sherman Act ● The Sherman Act is an anti-trust Act of the USA, passed in 1890. ● It was a move to prevent the creation of monopolies in the industries through use of contracts, conspiracies and other business practices that restricted trade. ● Its main purpose was to promote healthy competition in the US economy.

Human Development Index ● Published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ● It is a statistical tool used to measure a country’s overall achievement in its social and economic dimensions. ● Basic Dimensions of Human Development: ○ A long and healthy life, ○ Access to knowledge, and ○ A decent standard of living. ● New metric introduced: ● Planetary pressures-adjusted Human Development Index (PHDI):

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○ About: The PHDI adjusts the standard HDI by a country’s level of carbon dioxide emissions and material footprint, each on a per capita basis. ● The other indices that form the part of the Report are: ○ Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI), ○ Gender Development Index (GDI), ○ Gender Inequality Index (GII) and ○ Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

India’s performance: ● HDI value for 2019 is 0.645. India dropped two ranks, standing at 131 out of 189 countries. ● If the Index were adjusted to assess the planetary pressures caused by each nation’s development, India would move up eight places in the ranking, according to the report. ● Long and Healthy Life: Life expectancy for Indian’s at birth was 69.7 years in 2019, slightly lower than the south Asian average of 69.9 years. ○ Between 1990 and 2019, India’s life expectancy at birth increased by 11.8 years. ● Access to Knowledge: The expected years of schooling in India was 12.2 years, compared with 11.2 years in Bangladesh and 8.3 years in Pakistan. ○ Between 1990 and 2019, mean years of schooling increased by 3.5 years, and expected years of schooling increased by 4.5 years. ● A Decent Standard of Living: In terms of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, India at USD 6,681 fared better than some others in 2019, despite a fall over the previous year. ○ India’s GNI per capita increased by about 273.9% between 1990 and 2019.

Performance of other countries: ● Norway tops the HDI. It, however, falls 15 places if the new metric (The Planetary Pressures-adjusted HDI, or PHDI) is used, leaving Ireland at the top of the table. ● In fact, 50 countries would drop entirely out of the “very high human development group” category, using this new metric. ● Australia falls 72 places in the ranking, while the United States and Canada would fall 45 and 40 places respectively, reflecting their disproportionate impact on natural resources. ● China would drop 16 places from its current ranking of 85.

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Other Indices A. Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index: ○ The IHDI indicates percentage loss in HDI due to inequality. ○ For India, IHDI value for 2019 is 0.537 (16.8% overall loss).

B. Gender Development Index: ○ GDI measures disparities on the HDI by gender. ○ For India, GDI value for 2019 is 0.820 (World: 0.943).

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C. Gender Inequality Index: ○ GII presents a composite measure of gender inequality using three dimensions: ■ Reproductive health, ■ Empowerment and ■ The labour market. ○ In GII, India is at 123rd rank. Last year, it was ranked 122nd out of 162 countries.

D. Multidimensional Poverty Index: ○ MPI captures the multiple deprivations that people in developing countries face in their health, education and standard of living. ○ The most recent survey data publicly available for India’s MPI estimation refer to 2015-2016. In India, 27.9% of the population (3,77,492 thousand people) are multidimensionally poor, while an additional 19.3% are classified under vulnerable to multidimensional poverty (2,60,596 thousand people).

Indian Diaspora ● Indian Diaspora is a generic term used for addressing people who have migrated from the territories that are currently within the borders of India. ● Terms refers to any person/s belonging to a particular country with a common origin or culture, but residing outside their homeland for various reasons. ● According to Global Migration Report 2020, India continues to be the largest country of origin of international migrants with a 17.5 million-strong diaspora across the world, and it received the highest remittance of USD 78.6 billion (this amounts to a whopping 3.4% of India’s GDP) from Indians living abroad. ● It contributes by way of remittances, investment, lobbying for India, promoting Indian culture abroad and for building a good image of India by their intelligence and industry.

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Related Government Initiatives ● Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) ○ It is celebrated once in every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their roots. ○ ● UMANG International App ○ It would help all Indian international students, NRIs, and Indian tourists abroad to avail themselves of the services of the government of India anytime they want. ○ The app would be helpful in creating awareness about India in the world through ‘Indian Culture’ services available on it. ○ ● VAJRA Faculty Scheme ○ VAJRA stands for Visiting Advanced Joint Research 136 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

○ The Scheme enables NRIs and the overseas scientific community to participate and contribute to research and development in India. ○ Implementation by : The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a Statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology ○ Foreign researchers of Indian origin or otherwise can collaborate with faculties in public funded Indian institutions. ○ Endowments: The researchers would receive endowments at par with those in their own countries. They would be given USD 15,000 in the first month of residency and USD 10,000, for the remaining months. ○ The scheme would promote broad areas of research like energy, health, advance material among others. ○ Public funded academic institutions and national laboratories will be eligible for hosting the VAJRA Faculty. ○ The VAJRA faculty can reside in India for a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 3 months a year.

● : ○ It is a three-week orientation programme for diaspora youth conducted with a view to promote awareness on different facets of life in India and the progress made by the country in various fields. ○ Implementing agency: The KIP is a 25-day orientation programme organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the states of India. ○ Objective: To make Indian origin youth (between 18-30 years) aware about India, its cultural heritage, art and to familiarize them with various aspects of contemporary India. ○ Background: The programme has been in existence since 2003.

Learning Poverty Report 2020 ● Released by World bank ● Title: Realizing the Future of Learning: From learning poverty to learning for everyone, everywhere ● This report describes the World Bank’s vision for the future of learning and a strategic approach that lays out the lines of actions needed for education systems to move forward in accelerating learning improvement. ● Learning poverty: is defined as being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10 Key points: ● Too many education systems are not delivering even basic skills for all children, let alone preparing them for the demanding world they will live in as adults. ● The COVID-19 crisis has further exposed the weaknesses of education systems around the world and underlined the urgency to act. Simulations by the World Bank show that the learning poverty rate might increase by 10 points, from 53% to 63% in low- and middle-income countries.

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Report on Freedom of Press ● Report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ○ an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. ○ It defends the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal. Highlights of the Report ● The overall number of jailed journalists in 2020 is at record high of 272. ● Turkey remains the world’s worst offender against press freedom with at least 68 journalists imprisoned for anti-state charges. At least 25 journalists are in prison in Egypt. ● There are dozens of reporters missing or kidnapped in the Middle East and North Africa, including several held by Houthi rebels in Yemen. ● Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, authoritarian leaders tried to control reporting by arresting journalists.

Human Freedom Index 2020 ● Published by American think tank Cato Institute and Fraser Institute in Canada. ● It takes into account 76 indicators of personal, civil, and economic freedoms to rank 162 countries from 2008 to 2018. ● The index presents a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraints. ● The report continues to find a strong, positive relationship between freedom and prosperity, but also finds that here is an unequal distribution of freedom in the world.

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India’s performance: ● It placed India at the 111th spot out of 162 countries. ● India ranked 94 on the index in 2019. ● India is ahead of China and Bangladesh, which ranked 129 and 139 on the 2020 index respectively. Global Performances: ● New Zealand, Switzerland and Hong Kong bagged the first three spots. ● However, Hong Kong’s rank is expected to decline in the future, because of China’s “aggressive interventions” in the region in 2019 and 2020. ● War-torn Syria ranked the last on the list. ● The world has seen a notable decline in personal freedom since 2008.

India’s performances in various other indices ● India has dropped on several global freedom indexes. ● Democracy watchdog Freedom House’s report in October showed that internet freedom in India declined for a third straight year in 2019-’20. ● The Global Economic Freedom Index 2020 released in September showed India drop 26 spots from 79 to 105. ● The World Press Freedom Index, which was released in April, saw India slip two places. India ranked 142 on the index comprising of 180 countries and territories.

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU): ● It is a non-profit, non-governmental, non- political, professional association of broadcasting organisations, which assist development of broadcasting in region. ● Established in 1964 ● Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ● Members: With over 272 member in 76 countries on four continents, ABU is biggest broadcasting union in the world. ● ABU is also member of the World Broadcasters’ Union.

Young Champions of the Earth: UN ● Why in news?: A 29-year-old Indian entrepreneur is among the seven winners of the prestigious “Young Champions of the Earth” 2020 ● Prize given by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) ● to global change-makers using innovative ideas and ambitious action to help solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. ● Introduced in 2017, Young Champions of the Earth aims to celebrate and support individuals aged between 18 and 30 who have outstanding potential to create a positive environmental impact. ● Each winner will receive: ○ USD 10,000 in seed funding, ○ Attendance at a high-level UN meeting,

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○ An introduction to dignitaries at the Champions of the Earth award ceremony,

G7 summit 2021 ● UK-hosted G7 summit to be held in 2021. ● India is one of the three guest nations alongside South Korea and Australia. ● This year, the grouping is expected to become D10 following its expansion to include 10 democracies.

D10 Group of Countries: ● Proposed by United Kingdom. ● Britain has proposed the formation of D10 by including G7 countries along with India, Australia and South Korea. ● D10 stands for ten biggest Democracies of the world ● D10 is being formed as an alternate to 5G equipment and technologies to avoid the reliance on China’s Huawei. ● It aims to create alternative suppliers of 5G equipment and other technologies avoiding reliance on China. ● About G7 ● G7 was formed to discuss the political and economic concerns prompted during oil crisis of 1973. ● It is a group of seven most industrialised countries of the world namely, ○ US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. ● It was earlier called G8. It was renamed as G7 after Russia stepped out of the group in 2014. ● These countries hold the largest gold reserves and are the top contributors of United Nations Funds. ● Every year, the summit is hosted by one of the members. The hosting members shall invite three more guest countries on its will.

Gateway Treaty ● NASA and the Canadian Space Agency recently signed a historic agreement under which Canada is to be a part of the Lunar Gateway Space Station ● Lunar Gateway Space Station: ○ The Lunar Gateway Space Station is about one-sixth of the size of the International Space Station. ○ It is to be built in the lunar orbit. ○ The space station is expected to play a major role in the Artemis Programme of NASA after its launch. ● Artemis Programme ○ The programme will demonstrate new technologies and future explorations (including Mars) on the lunar surface. ○ The astronauts are to be uplifted by NASA’s new Space Launch System.

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○ It will send the astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft. ○ The astronauts will dock Orion at the Gateway and will transfer to a human landing system.

Currency Manipulator ● Why in news?: The United States has again included India in its monitoring list of countries. These countries are with potential of “Currency Manipulation” and “Questionable Foreign Exchange Policies”. ● The US Government names a country as currency manipulator if it believes that the country is engaging in unfair trade practices. ● According to the US, the country is deliberately devaluing its currency against Dollar. ● In simple words, the country is artificially lowering its value to gain unfair advantage over the US.

UNDP’s Accelerator Lab ● The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched its Accelerator Lab in India. ● The project has been launched in collaboration with the government’s Atal Innovation Mission and will look to solve issues through innovative solutions. ● The Accelerator Lab is an innovative new initiative by the UNDP, State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Germany to find 21st century solutions to today's complex new challenges. Objectives ● This lab will seek to address some of the most pressing issues facing India, such as air pollution, sustainable water management and client-resilient livelihoods through innovation. ● The vision is to make faster progress in meeting the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the U.N. by 2030.

What is PASSEX? ● A passing exercise is an exercise done between two navies to ensure that the navies are able to communicate and cooperate in times of war or humanitarian relief. ● Common drills include flashing light drills, semaphore drills, and flaghoist drills. ● In modern times, navies within a very close alliance may include electronic and digital cooperation including using electronic communications and target acquisition.

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) ● The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping, aimed at enhancing Beijing’s influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects. ● The 3,000 km-long China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) consists of highways, railways, and pipelines.

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● CPEC eventually aims at linking the city of Gwadar in South Western Pakistan to China’s North Western region Xinjiang through a vast network of highways and railways. ● The proposed project will be financed by heavily-subsidised loans, that will be disbursed to the Government of Pakistan by Chinese banks.

Japan to join Five Eyes Network ● The Five Eyes network comprises of five nations namely Australia, Canada, Britain, US and New Zealand. ● Japan is now to join the Five Eyes network to become the sixth eye.

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About Five Eyes Network: ● The Five Eyes network collaborated to respond against the increasing threats by China and North Korea. ● The Five Eyes countries are parties to multilateral UK-USA Agreement. It was a treaty of joint cooperation in signals intelligence. ● These countries are signatories to the UKUSA Agreement for their cooperation in signal intelligence. The alliance or network monitors the electronic communications of citizens and foreign governments.

Five Eyes Plus Three Against China and Russia: ● This is an alliance of Five Eyes and France, Germany & Japan that was formed in early 2018. The alliance work monitors the activities of China and Russia.

Five Eyes Plus Three Against North Korea: ● The alliance monitors the military activities of North Korea including its ballistic missiles.

Nine Eyes: ● The Nine Eyes alliance consists of Five Eyes and four other nations Denmark, Norway, France, the Netherlands.

Fourteen Eyes: ● This is an agreement between Nine Eyes' countries and five other nations - Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Sweden.

Missions in Estonia, Paraguay and Dominican Republic ● Government of India to open three missions in Estonia, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic in 2021. ● Objective: This will help expand India’s diplomatic footprint, deepen political relations, enable growth of bilateral trade, investment and economic engagements. ● in these countries will also better assist the Indian community and protect their interests.

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Social Issues

Assistance to Disabled Persons Scheme ● Started in 1981 ● Objective: To assist the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances ● Various implementing agencies: Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India, National Institutes, Composite Regional Centres, District Disability Rehabilitation Centres, State Handicapped Development Corporations, NGOs, etc ● Assistance: ○ Aids/appliances which do not cost more than Rs. 10,000 are covered under the Scheme for single disability. However, in some cases the limit would be raised to Rs.12,000. In the case of multiple disabilities, the limit will apply to individual items separately in case more than one aid/appliance is required. ○ Full cost of aid/appliance is provided if the income is up to Rs. 15,000 per month and 50% of the cost of aid/appliance is provided if the income is between Rs. 15,001 to Rs. 20,000 per month.

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Other related Initiative by Government:

1. Assistance to Disabled Persons (ADIP) Camp ● Inaugurated by: Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment ● Organized by: The Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), Kanpur. ○ What is ALIMCO ? : ALIMCO is a not-for-profit Central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) established in 1972 and it works under the aegis of the Department of Empowerment of Person with Disability (DEPwD) ● Purpose: for free distribution of assistive aids and devices to Divyangjan or Divyang.

2. DeenDayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme: ● Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to NGOs for providing various services to PwDs, like special schools, vocational training centres, community-based rehabilitation, pre-school and early intervention etc.

3. Unique Disability Identification Project: ● It aims to create a national database for PwDs and issuing Unique Disability Identity (UDID) Card along with disability certificate. ● Once the project covers all persons with disabilities, UDID Cards will be made mandatory for availing various government benefits.

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4. International Day of Persons with Disabilities: It is celebrated worldwide on 3rd December and was proclaimed in 1992 by United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

5. Initiatives for Mentral Health:

● National Mental Health Programme, which was launched in 1982 to improve the status of mental health in India. ● KIRAN: Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline for addressing mental health issues, coordinated by the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD), Tamil Nadu and National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR), Madhya Pradesh.

MahaSharad ● To be launched by Maharashtra Social Justice Department. ● It is a digital platform which will provide for free the tools required by differently-abled people. ● MahaSharad stands for Maharashtra System of Health Rehabilitation and Assistance for Divyang.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd Dec) ● The WHO defines disability as “any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform in a manner or within the range considered normal for a human being” ● Theme: “Building Back Better: Towards a disability-inclusive accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World”. ● According to 2011 population census, about 2.2% of India’s population (around 26.8 million ) lives with some kind of physical or mental disability, as per the National Statistics Office report on disability released last year. ● Out of 2.68 crore, 1.5 crore are males and 1.18 crore are females ● Majority (69%) of the disabled population resided in rural areas ● list of disabilities was expanded to 21 when the Rights of People with Disabilities was introduced in 2016. ● Inability to move without assistance was the most common disability. More men experienced locomotor disability than women.

Sustainable Development Goals ● The following goals include disabilities as a major part in their agenda ● Goal 4: Inclusive and Equitable Quality of Education ● Goal 8: To promote inclusive, sustainable economic growth. This is to be achieved by providing productive employment to all men, women and persons with disabilities.

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● Goal 10: To reduce inequality ● Goal 11: To make human settlements, cities safe, inclusive and sustainable. ● Goal 17: To strengthen and revitalise global partnership for sustainable development.

Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 ● Addition in types of disability: The types of disabilities increased from 7 (in 1995 Act) to 21. ○ The act added mental illness, autism, spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, speech and language disability, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities including deaf blindness, acid attack victims and Parkinson’s disease which were largely ignored in earlier act. ○ Further, the Central Government has been empowered to add more types of disabilities. ● Education: Every child with benchmark disability to get free education from 6 to 18 years of the age. ● Reservation: Reservation to the differently-abled person in the education and government jobs has been increased from 3% to 4%. ● Infrastructure: An important distinguishing feature of the 2016 Act is that it provides for time limits within which existing infrastructure and premises should be made disabled friendly. ○ The obligations laid down in the Act are mandatory for both government and private establishments. ● Fund: Creation of National and State Fund will be created to provide financial support to the persons with disabilities. ○ The existing National Fund for Persons with Disabilities and the Trust Fund for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities will be subsumed with the National Fund. ● Grant of guardianship: The Bill provides for grant of guardianship by District Court, under which there will be joint decision, making between the guardian and the persons with disabilities. ● Strict enforcement: Special Courts will be designated in each district to handle cases concerning violation of rights of PwDs. ● Additional Benefits Persons with benchmark disabilities: Additional benefits such as reservation in higher education, government jobs, reservation in allocation of land, poverty alleviation schemes etc. have been provided for persons with benchmark disabilities and those with high support needs.

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Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase / fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP): ● The Scheme aims at helping the disabled persons by bringing suitable, durable, scientifically-manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances within their reach.

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National Fellowship for Students with Disabilities (RGMF) ● The scheme aims to increase opportunities to students with disabilities for pursuing higher education. ● Under the Scheme, 200 Fellowships per year are granted to students with disability. ● Schemes of the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities.

Accessible India Campaign: Creation of Accessible Environment for PwDs ● A nation-wide flagship campaign for achieving universal accessibility that will enable persons with disabilities to gain access for equal opportunity and live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life in an inclusive society. ● The campaign targets at enhancing the accessibility of built environment, transport system and Information & communication ecosystem.

National Centre for Divyang Empowerment ( NCDE ) ● Established by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). ● Objective: To skill, re-skill and rehabilitate Divyang warriors of the force suffering from disability that occurred in line of duty. ● Location: Rangareddy, Telangana. ● In order empower the Divyangs, several market driven expertise such as sports skills and computer skills will be imparted to Divyang Warriors. ● The initiative will enable them to serve the country despite of their disabilities. ● It also reskills them with vocational training and Information Technology course to enable them to contribute to the organisation and safeguard their pride and dignity.

Virtual Aadi Mahotsav ● Launched by The Ministry of Tribal Affairs What is Aadi Mahotsav ? ● It is a national tribal festival ● A joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED). ● It commenced in 2017 and is held annually. ● Aim: It is an attempt to familiarise the people with the rich and diverse craft, culture of the tribal communities across the country, in one place.

Technical Education in Mother Tongue ● a task force setup by Union Education Minister for preparing a roadmap on imparting technical education in the mother tongue of students. ● The Task force: ● Chairmanship: It will be set-up under the chairmanship of the secretary, higher education, Amit Khare.

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● Objective: To achieve the Prime Minister’s vision that students may pursue the professional courses such as medicine, engineering, law, etc in their mother tongue. ● This is part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which suggests teaching in regional language till class 8 and enabling teaching the curriculum in a language which a student is comfortable in. ● Function: It will take into consideration the suggestions made by various stakeholders and will submit a report in a month.

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Shiksha Parv Initiative: ● It was organized by the Ministry of Education to felicitate the teachers and to take New Education Policy 2020 forward. ● Under this, the Ministry has organised a series of webinars on NEP and its implementation.

Constitutional and Legal Provisions Safeguarding Regional Languages ● Article 29 (Protection of interests of minorities) gives all citizens right to conserve their language and prohibits discrimination on the basis of language. ● Article 120 (Language to be used in Parliament) provides for use of Hindi or English for transactions of Parliament but gives the right to members of Parliament to express themselves in their mother tongue. ● Part XVII of the Indian Constitution deals with the official languages in Articles 343 to 351. ● Article 350A (Facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage) provides that it shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups. ● Article 350B (Special Officer for linguistic minorities): The President should appoint a special officer for linguistic minorities to investigate all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities and to report to him. The President should place all such reports before the Parliament and send to the state government concerned. ● Article 351 (Directive for development of the Hindi language) provides that it shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language. ● The Eighth Schedule recognises following 22 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri. ● Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 says that the medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in a child’s mother tongue.

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‘The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020’ ● The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will amend the law for making machine cleaning mandatory, ● Mechanised Cleaning: The Bill proposes to completely mechanise sewer cleaning and provide better protection at work and compensation in case of accidents. ● Penalty: The Bill proposes to make the law banning manual scavenging more stringent by increasing the imprisonment term and the fine amount. ○ Currently, engaging any person for hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks by any person or agency is punishable with imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to Rs. 5 lakh or both. ● Funds: The funds will be provided directly to the sanitation workers and not to the municipalities or contractors to purchase the machinery.

Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge ● Launch: The challenge has been launched among 243 major cities on the World Toilet Day (19th November). ● Aim: To prevent hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and promote their mechanized cleaning. ● The Government launched this “challenge” for all states to make sewer-cleaning mechanised by April 2021 — if any human needs to enter a sewer line in case of unavoidable emergency, proper gear and oxygen tanks, etc., are to be provided. ● Eligibility: The state capitals, urban local bodies and smart cities will be eligible to participate. ● Prize: Cities will be awarded in three sub-categories – with a population of more than 10 lakhs, 3-10 lakhs and upto 3 lakhs, with a total prize money of Rs. 52 crores to be given to winning cities across all categories.

Tobacco Control in India ● India ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004. ○ first international public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO. ○ The objective of FCTC is to provide a framework for supply and demand reduction measures for tobacco control at the national, regional and global levels. ○ envisages elimination of all forms of illicit trade and tobacco products, including smuggling, illicit manufacturing and counterfeiting.

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● Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003:

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○ Replaced the Cigarettes Act of 1975 (largely limited to statutory warnings- ‘Cigarette Smoking is Injurious to Health’ to be displayed on cigarette packs and advertisements. It did not include non-cigarettes). Provision of COTPA ○ to prohibit advertisement of, and to provide for the regulation of trade and commerce in, and production, supply and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products in India. ○ The 2003 Act also included cigars, bidis, cheroots, pipe tobacco, hookah, chewing tobacco, pan masala, and gutka. ○ The Act prohibits smoking of tobacco in public places, except in special smoking zones in hotels, restaurants and airports and open spaces. ○ Advertisement of tobacco products including cigarettes is prohibited. ○ Tobacco products cannot be sold to person below the age of 18 years, and in places within 100 yards radius from the outer boundary of an institution of education, which includes school colleges and institutions of higher learning established or recognized by an appropriate authority. ○ Tobacco products must be sold, supplied or distributed in a package which shall contain an appropriate pictorial warning, its nicotine and tar contents. ○ The owner/manager/in-charge of a public place must display a board containing the warning “No Smoking Area – Smoking here is an offence ” in appropriate manner at the entrance and inside the premises. ● National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), 2008: ○ Objective: To control tobacco consumption and minimize tobacco consumption related deaths. ○ Implementation: NTCP is implemented through a three-tier structure, i.e. (i) National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) at Central level (ii) State Tobacco Control Cell (STCC) at State level & (iii) District Tobacco Control Cell (DTCC) at District level. ● Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2020: ○ These provide for new sets of specified health warnings with enhanced pictorial images to be printed on all tobacco products. ● mCessation Programme: ○ It is an initiative using mobile technology for tobacco cessation. ○ India launched mCessation using text messages in 2016 as part of the government’s Digital India initiative. ○ uses two-way messaging between the individual seeking to quit tobacco use and programme specialists providing them dynamic support. ○ The programme allows people who want to quit tobacco use to register by giving a missed call to a dedicated national number.

● Be He@lthy, Be mobile’ initiative ○ Be He@lthy, Be Mobile initiative harnesses the power and reach of mobile phones to address the noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors by

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educating people to make healthier lifestyle choices to help prevent and manage NCDs via their phones. ○ The initiative uses mobile phone technology to deliver disease prevention and management information directly to mobile phone users, and strengthens health systems by providing training to health workers. ● The Government of India has issued regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 which lay down that tobacco or nicotine cannot be used as ingredients in food products.

State of Education Report 2020 ● Released by UNESCO. ● Report focuses on Technical and Vocational Education and Training ( TVET ) and aims to support India which has already announced skills development as a key national priority under the Skill India Mission. ● It focuses on highlighting progress and achievements, describing the intense on- going activity around TVET provision, and outlining the directions for future growth through the implementation of the new NEP 2020. About TVET ● UNESCO defines TVET ‘as comprising education, training and skills development relating to a wide range of occupational fields, production, services and livelihoods. ● As per Ministry of Education, Technical education generally pertains to higher education while school education up to secondary level is a part of vocational education.

Child-friendly Police Station ● established in Pune as per the guidelines provided by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). ● The child friendly police station will provide preventive approach at rehabilitating children in need. ● It has a room designed for children who can come to the police station to report cases. ● The main objective of the child friendly police station is to create an environment that will enable children to report cases and crimes without fear. ● The initiative also aims to eliminate gratitude eyes against the police among the public. ● It will help the children who have committed offences. This is because child friendly police station will ensure that the repeated offenders in the nearby communities are not engaged in criminal activities. On the other hand, these offenders will help the police in prevention of crime. ● The Hope For Children Foundation is to train the police on child friendly mechanism. ● Child friendly police station has been established complying the Juvenile justice act.

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Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 ● Replaced the 2000 act- the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.

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● Aim: To Comprehensively address children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection. ● Mandates setting up Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees in every district. Both must have at least one woman member each. ● Also, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)was granted the status of a statutory body to enable it to perform its function more effectively. ● The Act included several new offences committed against children (like, illegal adoptions, use of child by militant groups, offences against disabled children, etc) which are not adequately covered under any other law. ● All Child Care Institutions, whether run by State Government or by voluntary or non- governmental organisations are to be mandatorily registered under the Act within 6 months from the date of commencement of the Act.

Recent amendments to Juvenile justice act ● The Act was recently amended to provide an organised system for adoption of an orphan or an abandoned child. ● According to the act, the minors in the age group between 15 and 18 years are to be treated as adults in the case of heinous crimes.

Who is a juvenile? ● A Juvenile in India is an individual below the age of 18 years. ● According to the Indian laws, a child below the age of seven years cannot be convicted under any law for any crime.

Juvenile Justice Board: ● This is a judiciary body before which children detained or accused of a crime are brought. ● This acts as a separate court for juveniles since they are not to be taken to a regular criminal court. ● The Board comprises of a judicial magistrate of the first class and two social workers, one of whom at least should be a woman. ● The Board is meant to be a child-friendly place and not intimidating for the child.

Child Welfare Committee: ● The State Governments set up these committees in districts in accordance with the provisions of the Act. ● The Committees have the power to dispose of cases for the care, protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of the children in need of care and protection, as well as to provide for their basic needs and protection.

Cannabis ● According to the WHO, cannabis is by far the most widely cultivated, trafficked and abused illicit drug in the world. ● The major psychoactive constituent in cannabis is Delta9 (THC). 151 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● According to the NDPS Act “cannabis plant” means any plant of the genus cannabis. ● ‘’ is the separated resin extracted from the cannabis plant. The NDPS Act covers separated raisin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes concentrated preparation and resin known as oil or liquid hashish. ● The Act defines ‘’ as the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant but it clearly excludes the seeds and leaves. ● The Act illegalises any mixture with or without any neutral material, of any of the two forms of cannabis, charas and ganja, or any drink prepared from it. ● The legislature left seeds and leaves of the cannabis plant out of the ambit of the Act, because the serrated leaves of the plant have negligible THC content. ● ‘’, which is commonly consumed during festivals like , is a paste made out of the leaves of the cannabis plant, and is hence not outlawed. ● Similarly, CBD oil, an acronym for derived from the leaves of the cannabis plant, would not come under the NDPS Act. ● The NDPS Act does not permit the recreational use of cannabis in India

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Why in News?:

Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 ● Cannabis removed from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961. the United Nations (UN) ● India is a signatory of the treaty. ● The drugs in Schedule I are allowed to be used only to medicinal and scientific purposes. ● The drugs under Schedule II do not need medical prescriptions and the Governments are not bound to prevent the accumulation of the drugs. ● The drugs under Schedule III are subjected to lesser restrictions. ● The drugs under Schedule IV have dangerous properties. ● Now both cannabis and cannabis resin will remain on Schedule I, which includes the least dangerous category of substances.

SHINE Trial ● What is it?: It stands for Shorter treatment for minimal tuberculosis(TB) in children (SHINE). ● Purpose: It is the first randomised- controlled clinical trial designed specifically to test the efficacy of shortened treatments for children diagnosed with tuberculosis(TB). ● It was conducted in five study sites in South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and India. 1204 children aged under 16 years participated in the trial, including 127 children living with HIV infection.

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● What were the results?: The trial has found no significant differences between children who received the shortened four-month long treatment compared to those who received the standard six-month treatment plan. ● Conducted by: The trial was sponsored by University College London (UCL) and funded by the UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust with additional support from the TB Alliance. ● The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global TB Programme welcomed the results from this study on shortened treatment

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Tuberculosis ● Caused by: bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs. ● Transmission: TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air. ● Symptoms: Cough with sputum-थूक and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. ● Treatment : TB is a treatable and curable disease. It is treated with a standard 6-month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer.

Anti-TB medicines ● used for decades and strains that are resistant to 1 or more of the medicines have been documented in every country surveyed. ● Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful, first-line anti-TB drugs. MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs. ● Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) is a more serious form of MDR- TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs, often leaving patients without any further treatment options.

TB Alliance: ● It is a not-for-profit product development partnership (PDP), uniquely positioned to leverage a global network of public and private partners to most efficiently advance TB drug development. ● Founded : February 2000. ● Headquarters location : New York, United States.

Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) ● It aims to create indigenous, open-source and comprehensive database of molecular profiles of all cancers prevalent in Indian population. ● Diverse molecular mechanisms including genetic and lifestyle factors contribute to cancer, posing significant challenges to treatment.

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● Therefore, it is necessary to better understand the underlying factors patient by patient.

The Cancer Genome Atlas ● It is a landmark cancer genomics program that molecularly characterized over 20,000 primary cancer and matched normal samples spanning 33 cancer types. ● Genomics aims to sequence, assemble, and analyse the structure and function of genomes. ● Genome is all genetic material of an organism. It consists of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). ● TCGA is a joint effort of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which are both part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It was started in 2006. ● TCGA generated a huge amount of genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. ● Transcriptomics technologies are the techniques used to study an organism's transcriptome, the sum of all of its RNA transcripts. ● A Proteome is a set of proteins produced in an organism. ● This data has led to improvements in the ability to diagnose, treat, and prevent cancer.

Global Teacher Prize 2020 ● Ranjitsinh Disale, a primary teacher from Maharashtra's Solapur, has won the Global Teacher Prize 2020. About Prize: ● It is a 1 million dollar award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession. ● Founder: Varkey Foundation, which is a global charitable foundation focused on improving the standards of education. The award is organised in partnership with UNESCO. ● Objective: ○ It serves to underline the importance of educators and the fact that, throughout the world, their efforts deserve to be recognised and celebrated. ○ It seeks to acknowledge the impacts of the very best teachers not only on their students but on the communities around them. ○ An inadequate education is a major factor behind the social, political, economic and health issues faced by the world today. Education has the power to reduce poverty, prejudice and conflict.

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Ranjitsinh Disale’s Contribution: ● He changed a dilapidated school to a school which went on to become the first in Maharashtra to introduce Quick Response (QR) Codes. ● A QR code is a type of barcode that contains a matrix of dots. It can be scanned using a QR scanner or a smartphone with a built-in camera. 154 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● He not only translated the class textbooks into his pupils' mother tongue, but also embedded them with unique QR codes to give students access to audio poems, video lectures, stories and assignments. ● He is also passionate about building peace between young people across conflict zones. His ‘Let’s Cross the Borders’ project connects young people from India and Pakistan, Palestine and Israel, Iraq and Iran and the USA and North Korea.

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Some Indian initiatives to Improve Education Sector

National Education Policy 2020: ● The teacher must be at the centre of the fundamental reforms in the education system. ● The new education policy must help recruit the very best and brightest to enter the teaching profession at all levels, by ensuring livelihood, respect, dignity, and autonomy, while also instilling in the system basic methods of quality control and accountability.

Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022: ● Focuses on qualitatively upgrading the research and academic infrastructure in India to global best standards by 2022. ● Its aim is to make India into an education hub by making available high-quality research infrastructure in Indian higher educational institutions.

UGC’s Learning Outcome-based Curriculum Framework (LOCF) ● LOCF guidelines, issued by UGC in 2018, aim to specify what graduates are expected to know, understand and be able to do at the end of their programme of study. This is to make students an active learner and teacher a good facilitator.

Global Initiative for Academics Network (GIAN): ● The programme seeks to invite distinguished academicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, experts from premier institutions from across the world, to teach in the higher educational institutions in India.

All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE): ● The main objectives of the survey are to identify & capture all the institutions of higher learning in the country; and collect the data from all the higher education institutions on various aspects of higher education. e-Pathshala: ● It was launched in 2015 with an aim to promote self-learning among the school students. ● The portal hosts various school teachers, researchers, experts, parents, and most importantly students who can access the facility of resolving their queries. Global Initiative

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● Global Education Monitoring Report : It is released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which aims to monitor progress towards the education targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-4).

United Nations approves Epidemic Preparedness Day 27th Dec ● The day is to be marked to facilitate exchange of information, transmission of scientific knowledge and best practices locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. ● This will help to prevent and respond to the epidemics. ● The day mainly aims to prevent COVID-19 like situations and to equip the world to fight such scenarios.

HelpAge India ● HelpAge India has been presented the UN Population Award for 2020 (institutional category). ● It is a leading charity in India working with and for disadvantaged elderly for nearly 4 decades. ● Formation: It was set up in 1978 and is registered under the Societies’ Registration Act of 1860. ● For the first time in the history of the UN Population Award, the honour is being conferred on an Indian institution.

About UN Population Award ● Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, the United Nations Population Award recognises contributions in the fields of population and reproductive health. ● Objective: The award honours an individual and/or institution in recognition of outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health questions and to their solutions. ● Committee: The Committee for the United Nations Population Award is composed of 10 UN Member States with United Nations Secretary General and UNFPA Executive Director serving as ex-officio members. ● Award : It consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize. ● The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) serves as its secretariat.

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United Nations Population Fund Award (UNFPA) ● UNFPA: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities ● It is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. ● Aim: It aims to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

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● Headquarters: New York, United States. ● Report : State of World Population Report.

Human Rights Day 10th Dec ● It is celebrated on the 10th December every year to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948. ● The Declaration recognizes that the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of mankind are the foundation of justice, freedom and peace in the world. ● 2020 Theme : Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights.

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National Human Rights Commission ● Background : ○ NHRC was established in 1993. ○ It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, adopted at the first international workshop on national institutions for the protection of human rights held in Paris in 1991. ● Status: It is a statutory organization established under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993. ● Headquartered: New Delhi. ● Functions: The purpose of the NHRC is, suo moto or through the petition of a person, to investigate the violation of human rights or the failures of the state or other to prevent a human rights violation. ● The commissions may also take on research about human rights, create awareness campaigns through various mediums, and encourage the work of NGOs. ● Composition : ○ The Commission consists of a Chairperson, four full-time Members and four deemed Members. ○ A Chairperson, should be retired Chief Justice of India.

Human Rights Council: ● The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights. ● It is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly. ● The most innovative feature of the Human Rights Council is the Universal Periodic Review. ● This unique mechanism involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN member states once every four years. ● The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) serves as the secretariat for the Human Rights Council.

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India Workplace Equality Index ● India’s 1st LGBT+ workplace equality index has been launched. ● It is the country’s first comprehensive benchmarking tool for employers to measure their progress on LGBT+ inclusion at the workplace. ● Launched by: It was launched by non-profit Keshav Suri Foundation, partnered with Pride Circle, Stonewall UK and FICCI. ● Winners: Twenty-one firms won under the gold category while 18 were placed under silver and 13 got bronze.

National Family Health Survey- 5 (NFHS-5) ● NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India. ● Three rounds of the survey have been conducted since the first survey in 1992-93. ● The survey provides state and national information for India on fertility, infant and child mortality, the practice of family planning, maternal and child health, reproductive health, nutrition, etc. ● The Ministry of Health has designated the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai, as the nodal agency, responsible for providing coordination and technical guidance for the survey. ● The NFHS-5 captured data during 2014-19 and its content is similar to NFHS-4 (2015- 16) to allow comparisons over time and also marks a shift from it. ● It provides an indicator for tracking 30 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the country aims to achieve by 2030.

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Basic Terms: ● Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is defined as the ‘number of deaths of children under the age of 1 year per 1000 live births for a given year.’ ● Neonatal Mortality Report is the probability of dying during the first 28 days of life, expressed per 1,000 live births. ● Replacement Rate is the total fertility rate at which women give birth to enough infants in order to maintain the population levels. ● Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) is defined as the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy or termination of pregnancy, regardless of the site or duration of pregnancy.

‘Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India’: ● Released by NITI Aayog ● This white paper is a joint effort of Health Vertical, NITI Aayog, and Institute for Global Public Health, University of Manitoba, Canada with contributions from technical experts from the Government of India, States, and International agencies.

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● It lays out India’s vision 2035 for PHS through the integration of the three-tiered (primary, secondary and tertiary) public health system into Ayushman Bharat.

Vision : ● To make India’s public health surveillance system more responsive and predictive to enhance preparedness for action at all levels. ● Citizen-friendly public health surveillance system will ensure individual privacy and confidentiality, enabled with a client feedback mechanism. ● Improved data-sharing mechanism between Centre and states for better disease detection, prevention, and control. ● India aims to provide regional and global leadership in managing events that constitute a public health emergency of international concern.

Current Scenario in India ● According to the white paper, the following are the current conditions of health sector in India: ○ 75% of re-emerging or emerging diseases are zoonotic. ○ 61% of mortality and 55% of disability were caused by the Non-Communicable diseases. ○ The prevalence and complexity of Anti-Microbial Resistance is growing. Between 2008 and 2019, the anti-microbial resistant gene has been found in more than 100 countries. In April, 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the National Action Plan on Anti-Microbial Resistance.

Migration ● Migration is the movement of people away from their usual place of residence, across either internal (within country) or international (across countries) borders. The latest government data on migration comes from the 2011 Census. ● As per the Census, India had 45.6 crore migrants in 2011 (38% of the population) compared to 31.5 crore migrants in 2001 (31% of the population). Causes of Migration: ● The main reason for migration is unequal development & economic opportunities over a geographical area. There are two factors responsible for migration: ● Pull Factor: ● Peoples are attracted by the pull factor to migrate voluntarily, such as: ○ Better economic opportunities ○ Better job opportunities ○ Better living condition ○ Peace and stability ○ Security of Life and property ○ Pleasant climate ○ Better life ○ Better services such as better opportunities education, communication & health services 159 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● Push Factors: ● The push factors are those factor which compels people to migrate, such as: ○ Drought & flood ○ Calamities ○ Threat of life ○ Poverty ○ No job or high unemployment ○ War, civil war, conflict among people ○ Terrorism ○ Poor living standard ○ Political instability ○ Harsh climate ○ Natural disaster ○ Epidemic ○ Social and economic backwardness

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Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 ● The Act seeks to regulate the employment of inter-State migrants and their conditions of service. ● It is applicable to every establishment that employs five or more migrant workmen from other States; or if it had employed five or more such workmen on any day in the preceding 12 months. ● It is also applicable to contractors who employed a similar number of inter-State workmen. ● It envisages a system of registration of such establishments. The principal employer is prohibited from employing inter-State workmen without a certificate of registration from the relevant authority. ● The law also lays down that every contractor who recruits workmen from one State for deployment in another State should obtain a licence to do so.

Pak. approves chemical castration of sex offenders ● Pakistan has approved the chemical castration of rapists as part of sweeping new legislation sparked. ● New laws will see rape cases expedited through the courts and create the country’s first national sex offenders register.

Scheme for Approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies ● Launched by Quality Council of India (QCI) ● A part of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

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● Objective : To scale up Hygiene Rating by increasing the number of recognised Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies in the country. ● The recognised HRAA will be responsible for verifying the compliance with food hygiene and safety procedures laid by FSSAI and get hygiene rating.

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Food Hygiene Rating Scheme ● Initiated by the FSSAI, ● What is it ?: it is a certification system for food businesses supplying food directly to consumers, either on or off-premise. ● Aims to allow consumers to make informed choices/decisions pertaining to the food outlets where they eat by encouraging food businesses to improve their hygiene and safety standards. ● The hygiene rating will be in the form of smileys (1 up to 5) and the certificate should be displayed prominently in the consumer facing area. ● It is applicable for foodservice establishments (such as hotels, restaurants, cafeteria, dhabhas, etc), sweet shops, bakeries, meat retail stores, etc.

Maharashtra Shakti Bill ● The Maharashtra Shakti Bill has been framed in lines with the Andhra Pradesh Disha Act that was passed in 2019. ● Bill proposes to make changes to the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. ● The changes are proposed in existing sections of rape, sexual harassment, acid attack and child sexual abuse. ● The Bill proposes death penalty in cases of rape, gang rape, rape by persons in authority, aggravated sexual assault of minors and in cases of acid attack when grievous injury is caused. ● The death penalty is proposed in cases which are heinous in nature and where adequate conclusive evidence is available and circumstances warrant exemplary punishment. ● The acid attack victims shall be provided with a compensation of ten lakhs of rupees for plastic surgery and facial reconstruction ● The bill seeks to complete the trial process within 30 days. Currently it is 60 days.

State of Education for India report (SER) ● Launched by UNESCO ● The report highlights the vision of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) included in India’s new national education policy 2020. ● UNESCO has developed a Strategy for TVET (2016-21) About TVET

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● It refers to the study of Technologies, acquisition of practical skills, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations and various sectors. ● The TVET is important to foster youth employment and Entrepreneurship. It promotes equity and gender equality. It facilitates transition towards sustainable societies and green economy.

Recommendations for TVET in India ● To create an appropriate ecosystem for trainers, teachers and assessors ● To focus on reskilling, of the killing and lifelong learning. ● To ensure inclusive access to TVET for differently abled, women and disadvantaged learners. ● To expand the digitalization of training and vocational education. ● To deploy innovative models of Financing TVET

World Minorities Rights Day 18th Dec ● The United Nations on 18th December, 1992 adopted the Statement on the individual's Rights belonging to religious or Linguistic National or Ethnic Minorities. ● The National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 in Section 2(c) of the Act defines a minority as “a community notified as such by the Central government”. ● In India, this applies to Muslim, Christians, , Buddhist, Parsis (Zoroastrian) and Jain religions.

National Commission for Minorities

HIstory : ● In 1992, with the enactment of the NCM Act, 1992, NCM was formed. ● In 1993, the first Statutory National Commission was set up ○ five religious communities viz the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) were notified as minority communities. ● In 2014, Jains were also notified as a minority community.

Composition: ● A Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and five members and all of them shall be from amongst the minority communities. ● Members: Total of 7 persons to be nominated by the Central Government should be from amongst persons of eminence, ability and integrity. ● Tenure: Period of three years from the date of assumption of office.

Social Entrepreneurship ● It is a construct that blends the idea of a commercial enterprise with the tenets of a charitable nonprofit organization. ● It is about creating business models revolving around low-cost products and services to resolve social inequities.

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● It helps to succeed in economic initiatives, and all the investment focuses on the social and environmental mission. ● Social entrepreneurs are also called social innovators. They are the agents of change and create significant change using innovative ideas. They identify the problems and build the difference by their plan.

Khelo India Youth Games 2021 ● Why in news?: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has recently included Gatka, , Thang-Ta and in 2021. ● Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2021, are scheduled to take place in Haryana ○ The 2020 edition of KIYG was held in (Assam). ● KIYG is a part of the revamped national programme for development of sports ‘Khelo India’ which was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2017.

Gatka: ● Origin: in Punjab ● Gatka is believed to have originated when the 6th Sikh Guru Hargobind adopted ‘Kirpan’ for self-defence during the Mughal era. ● Style: This traditional fighting style of the Sikh Warriors is used both as self- defense as well as a sport.

Mallakhamb: ● Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, ● Origin: from the Indian subcontinent, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been the hotspots of this sport. ● Style: A gymnast performs aerial yoga or gymnastic postures and grips with a vertical stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope ● Literally meaning "wrestling pole", the term refers to a traditional training implement used by wrestlers.

Thang Ta: ● is an Indian martial art from Manipur. ● In the Meitei language, huyen means war while langlon or langlong can mean net, knowledge or art. ● Huyen langlon consists of two main components: ○ Thang-ta (armed combat) ○ sarit sarak (unarmed fighting). ● The primary weapons of huyen langlon are the thang (sword) and ta (spear). Other weapons include the shield and the axe.

Kalaripayattu: ● Kalaripayattu, also known simply as Kalari ● Origin : Kerala ● Style: an Indian martial art 163 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● It is also considered to be among the oldest martial arts still in existence, ● Kalari literally means 'threshing floor' or 'battlefield'.

SAMVAD Conference ● It is a series of dialogues between India and Japan. It is held annually. ● The first Samvad Conference was held in New Delhi and at Bodh Gaya in 2015. ● During the conference, the leaders, political personalities, academicians exchanged views on conflict avoidance and environmental consciousness. ● Recently, the Sixth Indo-Japan SAMVAD Conference was held. ● The main objective of the Sixth India-Japan Samwad Conference ○ To discuss the need to build future Asia based on the traditions of non-violence and democracy in Asia. ○ To encourage dialogue and debate, vary forward the ancient tradition of spiritual and scholarly exchanges and to highlights shared values between India and Japan.

Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Castes: ● It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and implemented through State Government and UT administration. ● It provides financial assistance to the SC students studying at post matriculation or post- secondary stage to enable them to complete their education. ● These scholarships are available for studies in India only and are awarded by the government of the State/Union Territory to which the applicant actually belongs i.e. permanently settled. ● The focus of the scheme is on enrolling the poorest students, timely payments, comprehensive accountability, continuous monitoring and total transparency. ● Income Ceiling: Scholarships are paid to the students whose parents/guardians’ income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 2,50,000 per annum.

SEHAT Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir ● SEHAT is Social Endeavour for Health and Telemedicine.

Key Features of the scheme ● The scheme will provide free cashless treatment for the inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir up to Rs 5 lakhs of health cover. ● The beneficiaries of the scheme are to be provided with a card. ● The Common Service Centres are to be effectively used in the implementation of the scheme. ● The scheme will include all the Indoor Patient Department cases of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. ● The scheme will also use the help of Arogya Mitras to cover maximum number of people.

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Telemedicine ● The Telemedicine overcomes major challenge of India. The major challenge is providing in-person health care due to the large geographical distances and limited resources. ● It increases timely and faster access to services. ● There is higher likelihood of maintenance of records. ● It provides patients safety and heath worker safety especially in situations where there are risks of contagious infections.

National Consumer Rights Day: December 24 ● The National Consumer Day is celebrated through out India to protect the interests of the consumers. ● Theme: The Sustainable Consumer ● The National Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on December 24 as the Consumer Protection Act was enacted on this day in 1986.

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Consumer Protection Act ● The act recognises six rights of the consumers. They are Right of Choice, Right of Redressal, Right of Hearing, Right of Education, Right to Protection and Right of Information. ● The right to Protection is the right to be protected against marketing of goods and services that are hazardous to life and property. ● The Right to Information is being informed about quality, quantity, potency, purity, price of goods and standard. ● Right of Hearing is that the consumer should be heard and assured that consumer interests shall receive due consideration at appropriate terms. ● The Right of Redressal is seeking redressal against unfair trade practices and exploitation. According to the act, speedy and simple redressal to consumers is to be set up at district, state and central level. ● Right to Information is the right to learn about competitive prices of goods and services.

Central Consumer Protection Authority ● The Central Consumer Protection Authority was established under the Consumer Protection Act. It was established under Consumer Protection Act, 2019. ● The authority is empowered to investigate on matters that are related to violations of consumer rights. It will mainly ensure if the goods and services being offered are in accordance to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. ● It has powers to withdraw services that are unsafe, dangerous and hazardous to consumer, pass an order to refund prices of goods or services and discontinuation of practices that are unfair. 165 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

Inner-Line Permit ● It is a document required by non- natives to visit or stay in a state that is protected under the ILP system. ● At present, four Northeastern states are covered, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland. ● Both the duration of stay and the areas allowed to be accessed for any non native are determined by the ILP. ● The ILP is issued by the concerned state government and can be availed both by applying online or in person. ● An ILP is only valid for domestic tourists Rationale behind: ● The Inner Line Permit is an extension of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873. ● After the British occupied the Northeast, the colonisers started exploiting the region and its resources for economic benefits. ● They first started tea plantations and oil industries in Brahmaputra Valley. ● The indigenous tribes living in the hill areas would regularly conduct raids into the plains to loot and plunder, marauding the tea gardens, oil rigs and trading posts set up by the British East India Company.

Karima Baloch ● Banuk Karima Baloch was a Baloch Human Rights activist. ● She campaigned for independence of Balochistan from Pakistan. ● Also, she appeared in the BBC list of hundred inspirational and influential women for 2016. ● She was found dead in Toronto, Canada on December 22, 2020.

Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan’ Project ● The Scheme was launched on World Tourism Day i.e. 27th September, 2017. ● This project is a key initiative of Ministry of Tourism in close collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Archeological Survey of India (ASI), ● Purpose: To develop the heritage sites / monuments and making them tourist-friendly to enhance the tourism potential and their cultural importance in a planned and phased manner. ● The project plans to entrust heritage sites/monuments and other tourist sites to private sector companies, public sector companies and individuals for the development of tourist amenities. The project aims to develop synergy among all partners. ● Successful bidders selected for adopting heritage sites / monuments by the Oversight and Vision Committee shall be called as Monument Mitras. The basic and advanced amenities of the tourist destinations would be provided by them.

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R P Tiwari Committee ● The University Grants Commission (UGC) has set up a seven-member committee headed by R P Tiwari. ● Mandate : This committee will consider the issue of holding common entrance test at undergraduate (UG) level only from the next academic year in central universities to provide a single platform for admission. ● The new National Education Policy (NEP) advocates reducing the number of entrance tests to eliminate the need for taking coaching for these exams. ● If the NEP suggestion is implemented, the National Testing Agency will be established. ● This Agency will be tasked to conduct a common aptitude test as well as specialised common exams for different disciplines at least twice a year, for admission to bachelor degrees in central universities.

India’s First Social Impact Bonds ● The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal corporation (PCMC) and United Nations Development Programme, India signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the first Social Impact bond of India.

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What are Social Impact Bonds? ● A Social Impact Bond is also called pay-for-success bond or pay-for-success financing. ● A Social Impact Bond is basically a contract with public sector authority where it pays for better social outcomes. ● It is a form of outcome-based contracting. It aims at improving social outcomes for a specific group of citizens.

Key Features of Social Impact Bonds ● They operate over a fixed period of time. ● They do not provide fixed rate of return. ● The outcome of Social Impact bonds is completely dependent on success of social outcome. ● They are not affected by variables such as reinvestment risk, interest rate risk or market risk. ● They are subjected to inflation risk. ● It is hard to determine the success of Social Impact Bonds as they are based on social impacts.

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Defence & Security

Border Security Force ● What is it?: The Border Security Force (BSF) is the primary Border guarding force of India and has been termed as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories. ● Formation: It was raised in the wake of the 1965 War on 1 December 1965. ● It is a Union Government Agency under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs. ● The BSF is the world’s largest border guarding force securing the 6,386.36 kms long International Borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. ● It is deployed on Indo-Pakistan International Border, Indo-Bangladesh International Border, Line of Control (LoC) along with and in Anti-Naxal Operations. ● It has an air wing, marine wing, an regiment, and commando units. ● It contributes dedicated services to the UN peacekeeping Mission by sending a large contingent of its trained manpower every year. ● The Border Security Force has its headquarters at New Delhi. ● It is also known as Force Headquarters (FHQ) headed by a Director General.

National Security Directive on Telecom Sector ● Aim: to tighten security of communications networks,which will mandate service providers to purchase equipment from trusted sources. ● It aims to classify telecom products and their sources under the ‘trusted’ and ‘non- trusted’ categories. ● It will make its decision based on approval of the National Security Committee on Telecom. ● The National Cyber Security Coordinator is the designated authority and will devise the methodology to designate trusted products.

Defence Geo Informatics Research Establishment. ● A new lab launched by Defence Research Development Organizatio ● established by merging existing labs – the Manali-based Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE) and the Delhi-based Defence Terrain Research Establishment. ● This new lab will focus on researching terrain and avalanches along the borders with China and Pakistan.

Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment: SASE ● The SASE was involved in the study of snow and avalanches. ● Establishment had prepared avalanche atlas for more than 3000 on-road location in different parts of the country, especially in the terrains where the armed forces were deployed.

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Delhi-based Defence Terrain Research Establishment: DTRL ● it was established in 1954. ● The primary function of the laboratory was to evaluate the deadlines and assess mobility potential of inaccessible areas. ● It developed reliable systems that predicted current characteristics various types of triangles based on modern techniques. ● Also the laboratory developed infrastructure with the latest techniques related and Research.

MARCOS(Marine Commandos) ● What is it?: MARCOS also known as Marine Commando Force(MCF) is the special forces unit of the Indian Navy that is responsible for conducting special operations. ● Purpose: It was founded in 1987 and is capable of performing operations such as amphibious warfare, counter terrorism among others in all types of environments; at sea, in air and on land. ● Why in News?: Amid India-China standoff, Indian Navy has deployed Marine Commandos(MARCOS) in the Pangong lake area in eastern Ladakh.

INS Vikrant ● Also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier One. It is under construction at the Cochin Shipyard, Kerala for the Indian Navy. ● The project is significant in light of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative as 75% of its materials and onboard equipment are indigenously developed ● The motto of INS Vikrant is “Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah”. It was taken from Rig Veda. It means ” I defeat those who fight against me”. ● It works on Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery Mechanism (STOBAR). ● INS Vikrant is powered by 4 General Electric gas turbines.

STOBAR ● STOBAR combines elements of vertical landing and short take off. ● It is a system used to launch and recover an aircraft from an aircraft carrier. ● These systems are simpler to build as compared to that of CATOBAR. ● Also, it is less expensive. ● The major limitation of STOBAR is that it works only with fighter aircrafts that have high thrust to weight ratio. ● Some of fighter jets with high thrust to weight ratio are MiG-29K and Su-33.

Exercises between India and Russia ● Passage Exercise Or Passex ○ The exercise aimed to enhance interoperability, imbibing best practices and improving understandabilities between the navies.

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● INDRA ○ INDRA is a joint bi-annual exercise between India and Russia. It was begun in 2003. The exercise involves anti-submarine operations and live firing drills

Akash Missiles ● Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defence system. ● Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Electronics Limited ● Range : The missile has the capability to engage aerial threats upto the maximum range of 25 km and up to an altitude of 18 km operating at a speed range of 1.8 to 2.5 Mach (speed of sound). ● The Missile has capabilities to neutralize aerial targets such as Cruise missiles, air to surface missiles, fighter jets and ballistic missiles. ● The unique features of Akash missile are digitally coded command guidance, all the way powered flight till target in perception, fully automatic operation and multiple target handling capacity.

Rajendra Radar ● Rajendra is a passive electronically scanned array radar. ● Developed by DRDO ● Electronically scanned array is an antenna that can be electronically steered to different directions. ● The Rajendra radar is a ground surveillance radar and has an operating frequency of 20 gigahertz. ● It is mainly used to track enemy installation.

Himgiri: ● Himgiri is the first of the three stealth frigates being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, under Project 17A for the Navy. ● Under the Project 17A program, a total of seven ships, four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three ships at GRSE are being built with enhanced stealth features, advanced indigenous weapon and sensor fit along with several other improvements. ● The ship has taken its name and crest of the second Frigate of the Leander Class of ships, which incidentally was launched 50 years ago in 1970.

Project 17A or Nilgiri-class frigate ● Under the Project 17A program, a total of seven ships, four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three ships at GRSE are being built with enhanced stealth features, advanced indigenous weapon and sensor fit along with several other improvements. ● P17A ships are the first gas turbine propulsion and largest combat platforms ever built at GRSE.

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● P17A ships have been indigenously designed by Directorate of Naval Design (Surface Ship Design Group) - DND(SSG), and are being built at indigenous yards namely MDL and GRSE.

Saksham ● It is the 5th and the last Offshore Patrol Vessel designed and built by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for Indian Coast Guard. ● Launched recently. ● These OPVs will form a formidable part of the Coast Guard Fleet and used for protection of Exclusive Economic Zone of territorial water of the Nation.

India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol ( IND-INDO CORPAT ) ● To reinforce maritime links, the two navies have been carrying out CORPAT along their International Maritime Boundary Line since 2002. ● Ensuring safety and security of shipping and international trade in the region. ● CORPATs build up understanding and interoperability between navies and facilitate institution of measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy. ● Other Military Exercises with Indonesia: ○ Samudra Shakti: A bilateral maritime exercise. ○ Garuda Shakti: A joint military exercise.

ASTRA Mk-I ● Indigenously developed ● Successful development of ASTRA weapon system by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) Hyderabad and production by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad is a major contribution towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. ● Features: ○ First Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile, which can be launched from Sukhoi- 30, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Mig-29 and Mig-29K. ○ Application: Designed to engage and destroy highly manoeuvring supersonic aircraft. The missile has all weather day and night capability.

Border Surveillance System (BOSS) ● It is an all-weather electronic surveillance system successfully designed and developed by Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun. ● The system has been deployed at Ladakh border area for day and night surveillance and facilitates monitoring and surveillance by automatically detecting the intrusions in harsh high-altitude sub-zero temperature areas with remote operation capability.

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ISRO SSA Control Centre-NETRA ● Indian Space Research Organisation has recently set up a dedicated control centre for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) activities in the country, called NETRA. ● NETRA is Network for space object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA). ● The project aims to monitor, track and protect space assets of India. ● Very few countries such as Russia, US have their own Space Situational Awareness Centres. ● Why NETRA ? ○ NETRA will basically track objects both natural and man-made in the satellite orbits. ○ Tracking such objects is called Space Situational Awareness (SSA). ○ It is the science of tracking objects to provide collision warnings. ○ This is highly important as the space is getting over crowded with private and government satellites. ○ They pose serious threats to satellites orbiting the earth.

Coastal Radar Chain Network ● The aim is to create a network of information and maritime domain awareness in the strategic Indian Ocean Region. ● This will also help in expanding India’s assistance for capacity building to Indian Ocean littoral states. ● The primary aim of surveillance radar design is to detect and track small fishing vessels for Coastal surveillance application. ● The assistance to these countries comes under India's programme called SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region. ● Under Phase-I of the coastal radar chain network, 46 coastal radar stations have been set up across the country’s coastline. ● Under Phase-II of the project, which is currently underway, 38 static radar stations and four mobile radar stations are being set up by the Coast Guard and is in an advanced stage of completion.

Super Hornet Fighter Jet ● What is it?: It is the world’s most lethal, advanced, combat-proven, multi-role frontline fighter-jet. ● Developed by: The jet has been developed by US Aerospace Company, Boeing. Key Features: ● Multi-role Superiority : Capable of tactical strikes, air reconnaissance , air defense, and maritime roles ● Cutting-edge Technologies: Enhanced computing and data link, advanced cockpit system. ● The Advanced Cockpit System (ACS) is a 10X19 inch touch screen that pilots can use the same way we use phones and tablets in our daily lives.

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● Lifecycle Affordability: Lowest cost per flight hour among all U.S. tactical fighter in production. High mission capability rates ● Future Ready: Unrivaled growth potential to complement future air wing capabilities.

Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) ● a surface to air missile ● Developed jointly by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel for use by the Indian Army. ● It is a high response, quick reaction, vertically launched supersonic missile, designed to neutralize enemy aerial threats – missiles, aircraft, guided bombs, helicopters. ● It is used by the Army, Navy and Air Force as different variants. ● Purpose: It has been developed to neutralise airborne threats like jets, missiles and rockets. ● Key Features: ○ The Missile consists of a command and control post, multi-function radar and mobile launcher system. ○ It has a strike range of nearly 100 km, weighs around 2.7 tonne and can carry a payload of 60 kg. ○ The missile has a speed of Mach 2 and possesses high degrees of maneuverability at the target interception range. ● It is a land based variant of the Barak Air and Missile Defence System (AMD).

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) ● BARC is India’s chief nuclear research facility founded in 1954. ● Headquartered in Mumbai, ● What it is?: a multi-disciplinary research centre with extensive infrastructure for advanced research and development covering the entire spectrum of nuclear science, engineering and related areas. ● It comes under the Department of Atomic Energy. ● BARC’s core mandate is to sustain peaceful applications of nuclear energy, primarily for power generation. ● It manages all facets of nuclear power generation, from the theoretical design of reactors to, computerized modeling and simulation, risk analysis, development and testing of new reactor fuel materials, etc. ● It also researches spent fuel processing and safe disposal of nuclear waste.

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History Art & Culture

Annapurna Idol ● Annapurna, also spelt Annapoorna, is the goddess of food. ● This 18th-century idol, carved in the Benares was stolen from a temple of Varanasi and smuggled out around 100 years ago somewhere around 1913. ● Now is part of the University of Regina, Canada’s collection at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. ● The idol holds a bowl of kheer in one hand and a spoon in the other.

Theremin ● Theremin is a musical instrument. ● It is considered as the world’s first electronic instrument and it turned 100 years old in 2020. ● Developed by Leon Theremin. ● It generates sound by modulation of electromagnetic waves and this is done without the player having to even touch the instrument. ● It has a vertical antenna for controlling the tone and a looped antenna for controlling the volume.

Hampi Chariot ● It is among three famous stone chariots in India, the other two being in Konark (Odisha) and Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu). ● Built in the 16th century by the orders of King Krishnadevaraya, a Vijayanagara ruler. ● Vijayanagara rulers reigned from 14th to 17th century CE. ● It is a shrine dedicated to Garuda, the official vehicle of Lord Vishnu. ● Described by UNESCO as an “austere, grandiose site” of more than 1,600 surviving remains of the last great Hindu kingdom in South India.

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About Hampi: ● It was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. ● It was a part of the Mauryan Empire back in the third century BC. ● It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. ● Its name is derived from Pampa which is the old name of the Tungabhadra River on whose banks the city is built. ● The site used to be multi-religious and multi-ethnic; it included Hindu and Jain monuments next to each other. ●

Vittala Temple:

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● Built in the 15th century during the rule of Devaraya II, one of the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire. ● Dedicated to Vittala and is also called Vijaya Vittala Temple. ● Vittala is said to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. ● Dravidian style adorns the built of the complex, which is further enhanced with elaborate carvings.

Hampi: ● It comprises mainly the remnants of the Capital City of Vijayanagara Empire. ● It is located in the Tungabhadra basin in central Karnataka. ● Founded by Harihara and Bukka in 1336. ● Classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1986), ● it is also the “World’s Largest Open-air Museum”. ● Famous places include Krishna temple complex, Narasimha, Ganesa, Hemakuta group of temples, Achyutaraya temple complex, Vitthala temple complex, Pattabhirama temple complex, Lotus Mahal complex, etc. ● The Battle of Talikota (1565 CE) led to a massive destruction of its physical fabric. ○ Battle of Talikota, confrontation in the Deccan region of southern India between the forces of the Hindu King of Vijayanagar and the four allied Muslim sultans of Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmadnagar, and Golconda.

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VIjayanagar Empire: ● The Vijayanagar Empire was established by Harihar and Bukka in 1336 AD. When they set up this principality, Muhammad bin Tughlaq was the Sultan in Delhi. ● The Vijayanagar period is divided into four different dynasties- Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu. ● It extended from Krishna river to extreme south. ● There were many foreign travelers who visited the Vijayanagar empire and left much valuable accounts, these were – Ibn Batuta(Moroccan), Nicolo de Conti(Venetian), Abdur Razzak(Persian), and Domingo Paes(Portuguese).

Sangam Dynasty (1336-1485) – longest reign ● Harihar and Bukka were sons of Sangama, feaudatories of Kakatiyas of Warangal. ● The Hoysala kingdom was conquered and hence, the Vijayanagara empire was extended under Harihara. ● Bukka, then succeeded his brother and became the master of Raichur doab after dealing with Bahmani Sultan. He destroyed the Madurai Sultans and extended the Empire to the whole of South India. ● The conflict between Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms was a long lasting one. The bone of contention was the Raichur Doab, between river Krishna and Tungabhadra and Krishna-Godavari delta.

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● The greatest ruler of Sangama dynasty was Deva Raya II. During his reign, Abdur Razzak, the envoy of Shah Rukh visited the Vijaynagara kingdom.

Saluva Dynasty (1486-1505 AD) – smallest reign ● Saluva Narsimhan was the founder of Saluva dynasty. He silenced the rebellions of feaudatories and kept the kingdom intact. ● Immadi Narsimha succeeded him. He was a weak ruler and hence the control of state fell into the hands of Narsa Nayaka. Vasco da Gama landed in Calicut during his time in 1498.

Tuluva Dynasty (1505-1570 AD) ● The son of Narsa Nayaka, Vira Narsimha was the founder of Tuluva dynasty. He was succeeded by his half brother, Krishnadeva Raya in 1509 AD.

Krishnadevaraya (ruled 1509-29) ● Tuluva dynasty was the most famous ruler of Vijayanagar. His rule was characterised by expansion and consolidation. ● Krishna Deva Raya was a contemporary of Babur. So, when the First Battle of Panipat(1526) was fought, Krishnadeva Raya was was the ruler of Vijayanagar in the southern India. ● He is also known as ‘Andhra Bhoja’, for his patronage of art and literature. ● Also known as Abhinava Bhoja, he himself was also a scholar, he wrote the Telugu work Amuktamalyada and a Sanskrit play, Jambavati Kalyana. ● In his court, eight eminent scholars known as ‘Astadiggajas’ were patronized, like – Allasani Peddana (Andhra-kavita-pitamaha) and Nandi Thimmanna. ● He built Vijaya Mahal, Hazara Ramaswamy temple and Vithal Swami temple at Vijayanagar ● He also built ‘Rayagopurams’. A new city was built called ‘Nagalapuram’ in memory of his queen Nagaladevi. Also a reservoir across river Tungabhadra called Vallabapuram and a channel called Basavanna were constructed

Aravidu Dynasty(1570-1650 AD) ● Tirumala Raya ruled in name of Sadashiva Raya. They failed to repopulate Vijayanagar and shifted to new capital at Penugonda and then to Chandragiri. ● The last ruler of Vijayanagar was Sri Ranga III.

Death anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar 6th December ● Mahaparinirvan Diwas ● Parinirvana, regarded as one of the major principles as well as goals of Buddhism, is a Sanskrit term which means release or freedom after death. ● As per the Buddhist text Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the death of Lord Buddha at the age of 80 is considered as the original Mahaparinirvana. About B.R.Ambedkar

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● Known as the Father of the Indian Constitution and was an independent India’s first law minister. ● A social reformer, jurist, economist, author, polyglot orator and a scholar of comparative religions. ● Established a fortnightly newspaper “Mooknayak” in 1920 ● Founded Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (1923), devoted to spreading education and culture amongst the downtrodden. ● Participated in all three round-table conferences. ● In 1932, he signed the Poona pact with Mahatma Gandhi, which abandoned the idea of separate electorates for the depressed classes (Communal Award). ● However, the seats reserved for the depressed classes were increased from 71 to 147 in provincial legislatures and to 18% of the total in the Central Legislature. ● In 1936, he was elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly as a legislator (MLA). ● On 29th August, 1947, he was appointed Chairman of the Drafting Committee for the new Constitution. ● He accepted Prime Minister Nehru's invitation to become Minister of Law in the first Cabinet of independent India. ● He resigned from the Cabinet in 1951, over differences on the Hindu Code Bill (aimed at reforming Hindu society). ● In 1956, he converted to Buddhism. ● He passed away on 6th December 1956. ● He was conferred Bharat Ratna in 1990. ● Chaitya Bhoomi is a memorial to B.R. Ambedkar which is located in Dadar, Mumbai. ● Important Works: Newspaper Mooknayak (1920); The Annihilation of Caste (1936); The Untouchables (1948); Buddha Or Karl Marx (1956), The Buddha and His Dhamma (1956), etc.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations ● An autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's external cultural relations (cultural diplomacy), through cultural exchange with other countries and their peoples. ● Founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India’s first Education Minister. ● Aims to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding & to promote cultural exchanges with other countries ● Headquarters are situated in Azad Bhavan, I.P. Estate, New Delhi.

Tharu tribals ● The Uttar Pradesh government has recently embarked upon a scheme to take the unique culture of its ethnic Tharu tribe across the world. ● The scheme involves creating homestays. The idea is to offer tourists an experience of living in the natural Tharu habitat, in traditional huts made of grass collected mainly from the forests.

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Schools of Buddhism

Mahayana: ● It is one of the two main schools of Buddhism. ● The term Mahayana is a Sanskrit word which literally means "Great Vehicle". ● It believes in the heavenliness of Buddha and Idol worship of Buddha and Bodhisattvas embodying Buddha Nature. ● It originated in northern India and Kashmir and then spread east into Central Asia, East Asia and some areas of Southeast Asia. ● Buddhist schools embedded in China, Korea, Tibet and Japan belong to the Mahayana tradition.

Hinayana ● Literally Lesser vehicle, also known as Abandoned Vehicle or Defective vehicle. It believes in the original teaching of Buddha or Doctrine of elders. ● It does not believe in Idol worship and tries to attain individual salvation through self discipline and meditation. ● Theravada is a Hinayana sect. Theravada ● It is the most ancient branch of extant Buddhism today. ● It remains closest to the original teachings of the Buddha. ● Theravada Buddhism developed in Sri Lanka and subsequently spread to the rest of Southeast Asia. It is the dominant form of religion in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Vajrayana ● Vajrayana means “The Vehicle of the Thunderbolt”, also known as tantric Buddhism. ● This Buddhist school developed in India around 900 CE. ● It is grounded on esoteric elements and very complex set of rituals compared with the rest of the Buddhist schools.

Zen ● It is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty as the Chan school of Chinese Buddhism in and later developed into various schools. ● It spread to Japan in 7th century C.E. ● Meditation is the most distinctive feature of this Buddhist tradition.

World Heritage City ● Gwalior and Orchha of Madhya Pradesh have been included in the list of World Heritage City by UNESCO. About Gwalior: 178 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● It was established in the 9th century and ruled by Gurjar Pratihar Rajvansh, Tomar, Baghel Kachvaho and Scindias. ● The city is known for its palaces and temples, including the intricately Carved Sas Bahu Ka Mandir temple. ● The Gwalior Fort occupies a sandstone plateau overlooking the city and is accessed via a winding road lined with sacred Jain statues. ● Within the fort’s high walls is the 15th-century Gujari Mahal Palace, now an archaeological museum. Orchha: ● Orchha located in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh was the 16th century capital of the erstwhile Bundela dynasty. ● Orchha Raj Mahal, Jahangir Mahal, Ramaraja Mandir, Rai Praveen Mahal, Laxminarayan Mandir and many other famous temples and palaces are famous for a unique confluence of Rajput and Mughal architectural influences.

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UNESCO World Heritage Cities Programme ● It is one of six thematic programmes formally approved and monitored by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. ● The programme was begun by the UNESCO in 1972 and so far, 193 countries have ratified the convention. ● Aim: To assist States Parties in the challenges of protecting and managing their urban heritage. ● Conditions: In order to get included in the list, the place should have a unique landmark. They should be historically and geographically identifiable. ● The tags are provided for natural heritages and cultural heritages spread all over the world. ● These heritages are considered to be outstanding in adding value to the humanity.

UNESCO ● The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture. ● Headquarters: Paris, France. ● Founded: 16 November 1945.

Khalistan Movement ● 1947 Partition of India –Independence of India was not a joyful event for Sikhs, partition left Sikhs in a lot of discontentment with regard to their traditional lands being lost to Pakistan.

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● The fight for a separate Sikh state owes its origins to the Punjabi Suba Movement. The Akali Dal – a Sikh-dominated political party – sought to create a separate Sikh Suba or Province. ● When the States Reorganization Commission, constituted to assess the demand for separate states by linguistic groups, made its recommendations, it rejected the Akali Dal’s demand. ● The state was trifurcated into Punjabi-majority Punjab, Hindi-majority Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Some hilly regions of the state were merged into Himachal Pradesh. ● However, the Anadpur Sahib resolution reignited the passion of Sikhs and sowed the seeds of Khalistan movement

ANANDPUR SAHIB RESOLUTION ● Shiromani Akali Dal adopted this resolution. This would serve as a blueprint for the party’s future agenda. The resolution demanded autonomy for the state of Punjab, identified regions that would be part of a separate state, and sought the right to frame its own internal constitution.

Cattle, buffalo meat residue found in Indus Valley vessels ● A new study has found the presence of animal products, including cattle and buffalo meat, in ceramic vessels dating back about 4,600 years at seven Indus Valley Civilisation sites in present-day Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. ● Sites Alamgirpur (Meerut), Uttar Pradesh, Masudpur, LohariRagho, Rakhigarhi city (Hisar) Khanak (Bhiwani), Farmana town(Rohtak) from Haryana ● Key findings: ● About 50-60% of domestic animal bones found at Indus Valley sites come from cattle/ buffalo. ● The high proportions of cattle bones may suggest a cultural preference for beef consumption across Indus populations, supplemented by the consumption of mutton/ lamb. ● Lipid residues in Indus pottery show a dominance of animal products in vessels, such as the meat of non-ruminant animals like pigs, ruminant animals like cattle or buffalo and sheep or goat, as well as dairy products.

International Bharati Festival 2020 ● Organised by the Vanavil Cultural Centre (Tamil Nadu). ● Celebrates the 138th birth anniversary (11th December 2020) of Tamil poet and writer Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati.

About Subramanya Bharati:

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● Indian writer of the nationalist period (1885-1920) who is regarded as the father of the modern Tamil style. ● He is also known as ‘Mahakavi Bharathiyar’. ● In order to proclaim its revolutionary ardour, Bharathi had the weekly newspaper named ‘India’ printed in red paper. ● It was the first paper in Tamil Nadu to publish political cartoons. ● He also published and edited a few other journals like “Vijaya”. ● Important Works: Bharati’s best-known works include Kaṇṇan pāṭṭu (1917; Songs to Krishna), Panchali sapatham (1912; Panchali’s Vow), Kuyil pāṭṭu (1912; Kuyil’s Song), Pudiya Russia and Gnanaratham (Chariot of Wisdom).

Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020 ● Awarded to Dr. Carolina Araujo, Mathematician from the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ● The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from developing countries has been awarded annually since 2005. ● Originally instituted by: the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the Niels Henrik Abel Memorial Fund, and the International Mathematical Union (IMU). ● Currently The Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India (DST) has agreed to fund the Prize, starting with the 2014 Prize. ● It has been supported by DST in the memory of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a genius in pure mathematics who was essentially self-taught and made spectacular contributions to elliptic functions, continued fractions, infinite series, and analytical theory of numbers. ● It is awarded to a researcher from a developing country who is less than 45 years of age on 31st December of the year of the award, and who has conducted outstanding research in a developing country. ● Researchers working in any branch of the mathematical sciences are eligible. ● The Prize carries a USD 15,000 cash award

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National Mathematics Day 22 Dec ● It is observed to honor the birth anniversary of the famous mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan who greatly contributed towards mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series and continued fractions.

Highlights of Srinivasa Ramanujan’s life: ● In 1911, Ramanujan published the first of his papers in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society. ● Ramanujan traveled to England in 1914, where Hardy tutored him and collaborated with him in some research. ● He worked out the Riemann series, the elliptic integrals, hypergeometric series, the functional equations of the zeta function, and his own theory of divergent series.

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● The number 1729 is known as the Hardy-Ramanujan number after a famous visit by Hardy to see Ramanujan at a hospital. ● Hardy observed Ramanujan’s work primarily involved fields less known even amongst other pure mathematicians. ● Ramanujan’s home state of Tamil Nadu celebrates 22 December as ‘State IT Day’, memorialising both the man and his achievements, as a native of Tamil Nadu.

Vijay Diwas: 50 Years of Indo-Pak War (16 Dec ) ● Also called Swarnim Vijay Varsh ● Celebrate to mark India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. ● The Government of India decided on 3rd December 1971, that India would go for war with Pakistan to save Bengali Muslims and . ● This war was fought between India and Pakistan for 13 days. ● On 16th December 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces with 93,000 soldiers had surrendered unconditionally to the allied forces consisting of Indian Army and Mukti Bahini in Dhaka. ● Mukti Bahini refers to the armed organizations that fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was a guerrilla resistance movement. ● Bangladesh was born on this day. Hence, Bangladesh celebrates its independence day (Bijoy Dibos) on 16th December every year. ● Recent initiative: ● Four Victory Mashaals were lit from the Eternal Flame of National War Memorial. These Mashaals will be carried to various parts of the country including to villages of Param Vir Chakra and MahaVir Chakra Awardees of 1971 War. ● Soil from the villages of these Awardees and from areas where major battles were fought in 1971 are being brought to the memorial in New Delhi.

Yogasana is now a sport ● The Central government has decided to promote yogasana as a competitive sport. ● The National Board of Promotion and Development of Yoga and Naturopathy in 2019 recommended that yogasana be recognised as a competitive sport. ● An exhaustive document containing rules, regulations and syllabus for yogasana competitions had been prepared. ● Implications: State and national and world championships in yogasana are proposed in 2021. A pilot national individual yogasana sports championship (virtual mode) is proposed for February 2021.

Khudiram Bose ● Born in 1889, Bose is highly regarded in Bengal for his fearless spirit. ● Unlike other leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose, however, Khudiram’s legacy has been largely limited to Bengal.

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● In 1905, when Bengal was partitioned, he actively participated in protests against the British. ● At the age of 15, Bose joined the Anushilan Samiti, an early 20th century organisation that propounded revolutionary activities in Bengal. ● The deciding moment of Bose’s life came in 1908 when he along with another revolutionary, Prafulla Chaki were assigned the task of assassinating the district magistrate of Muzaffarpur

Sentinelese ● Who are the Sentinelese?: Sentinelese also known as the Sentineli are a negrito tribe who live on the North Sentinel Island of the Andaman. ● Occupation : Sentinelese are hunter-gatherers, likely using bows and arrows to hunt and more rudimentary methods to catch local seafood. ● Sentinelese, with a population of about 50 to 100 on the North Sentinel Island, are not only among the most isolated of the 75 PVTGs across the country, but also among the five in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which include Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Shompens. ● Population : Currently, their numbers are believed to be less than 150 and as low as 40.

Steps taken to ensure the protection of Sentinelese: ● The entire North Sentinel Island along with 5 km coastal sea from high water mark is notified as tribal reserve. ● The Government respects their way of life style, therefore, has adopted an ‘eyes-on and hands-off’ practice to protect and safeguard the Sentinelese tribe. ● A protocol of circumnavigation of the North Sentinel Island has been notified. The ships and aircrafts of Coast Guard and boats of Marine Police make sorties around North Sentinel to keep surveillance.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ● He was born on January 23, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa. ● He was strongly influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and was known for his patriotic zeal as a student. ● He joined the noncooperation movement started by Mohandas K. Gandhi. ● He was advised by Gandhi to work under Chitta Ranjan Das, a politician in Bengal. ● He became a youth educator, journalist, and commandant of the Bengal Congress volunteers. ● He was elected president of the Indian National Congress in 1938 and formed a national planning committee, which formulated a policy of broad industrialization. ● He founded the Forward Bloc, hoping to rally radical elements, but was again incarcerated (बंद() in July 1940. ● In 1943, he proclaimed the establishment of a provisional independent Indian government, and Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj).

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● He is reported to have died in a plane crash, mystery shrouds his death. ● Most famous quote, ‘Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!

What is Visva-Bharati? ● Visva-Bharati is a public research central university and an Institution of National Importance located in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. ● Founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva-Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India. ● Visva-Bharati was declared to be a central university and an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament in 1951.

Zomi ethnic group ● The Zou people or Zomi are an indigenous community living along the frontier of India and Burma.

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● In India, they live with and are similar in language and habits to the Paite and the Simte peoples. ● In India, the Zou are officially recognized as one of the thirty-three indigenous peoples within the state of Manipur, and are one of the Scheduled tribes. ● According to the 2001 Census, the Zou/Jou population in Manipur is around 20,000, less than 3% of the population. ● The community is concentrated in Churachandpur and Chandel districts of Manipur.

Sixth Schedule ● As per the Sixth Schedule, the four states viz. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram contain the Tribal Areas which are technically different from the Scheduled Areas. ● Though these areas fall within the executive authority of the state, provision has been made for the creation of the District Councils and regional councils for the exercise of the certain legislative and judicial powers. ● Each district is an autonomous district and Governor can modify / divide the boundaries of the said Tribal areas by notification.

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya ● 159th birth anniversary on 25th December, 2020 ● He was a great educationist, pioneer, an eloquent rhetorician, a national leader. ● In the freedom struggle, he was midway between the Liberals and the Nationalists, the Moderates and the Extremists, as the followers of Gokhale and Tilak were respectively called. ● In 1930, when Mahatma Gandhi launched the Salt Satyagraha and the Civil Disobedience Movement, he participated in it and courted arrest. ● Four times elected as the President of the Congress committee in 1909, 1918, 1932 and 1933. ● Apprehensive of the possibility of the British completely damming the flow of Ganga at Bhimgoda in , he set up the Ganga Mahasabha in 1905. ● He was a social reformer and a successful legislator, serving as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council for 11 years (1909–20). ● He popularized the term ‘Satyamev Jayate’. However, the phrase originally belongs to the Mundaka Upanishad. The term now is the national motto of India. ● Devnagri was introduced in the British-Indian courts because of Malviya’s efforts with the British government. ● He worked immensely for Hindu-Muslim unity. He is known to have given famous speeches on communal harmony. ● He was expelled from the Brahmin community for expressing his views on caste discrimination and Brahmanical patriarchy. ● He helped establish the Hindu Mahasabha (“Great Society of Hindus”) in 1915. ● He founded the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1916. ● He started a Hindi weekly, Abhyudaya in 1907 and made it a daily in 1915 and also Hindi monthly, Maryada in 1910. ● He started an English daily- Leader in 1909. 185 JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

● Malaviya was the editor of Hindi weekly, the Hindustan and Indian Union. ● He was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hindustan Times for many years. ● In 2014, he was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award.

Battle of Panipat ● The First Battle of Panipat, in 1526, laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India after its first ruler, Babur, ended the Delhi Sultanate, which at the time was led by the Lodi dynasty. ● The Second Battle of Panipat, in 1556, cemented Mughal rule when Akbar fought off a threat from the king Hemu ‘Vikramaditya’. ● The Third Battle of Panipat, fought in 1761: ○ Fought between Maratha forces and invading armies of Afghan general Ahmed Shah Abdali of Durrani Empire in 1761. ○ Abdali was supported by two Indian allies— the Rohillas Najib-ud-daulah, Afghans of the Doab region and Shuja-ud-Daula- the Nawab of Awadh.

Monpa handmade paper ● It is a 1000-year-old heritage art of Arunachal Pradesh. ● The art of making handmade paper originated among the Monpas over 1000 years ago. ● Gradually this art became an integral part of local custom and culture of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. ● The fine-textured handmade paper, which is called ‘Mon Shugu’ in the local dialect, is integral to the vibrant culture of the local tribes in Tawang. ● The Monpa handmade paper is made from the bark of a local tree called ‘Shugu Sheng’, which has medicinal values too.

Namghars ● Namghars are traditional Vaisnavite monasteries of Assam. ● Namghars (literally meaning Prayer House) are places for congregational worship associated with the entire Assamese community and the Ekasarana sect of Hinduism, in particular, that is native to Assam. ● The Namghar, also called the kirtanghar, is also the central structure in the Sattras (monasteries of the Ekasarana religion) where the other buildings are positioned around it. ● Namghars were introduced in Assam by the Vaishnavite saints Damodaradeva, Madhavadeva and Sankaradeva for Assamese people where they can culture and practice naam (devotional songs) and Bhakti of God (devotion).

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Dance Forms in India ● The 2 major dance form in India are classical and folk dance ● Classical dance has a deep-rooted relationship with the Natya Shastra where the specific features of each of the Classical dance forms have been mentioned. ● Folk dance, on the other hand, emerged from the local tradition of the respective state, ethnic or geographic regions.

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Classical Dance in India ● The classical dance form originated from the Natya Shastra. There are 8 classical dance forms in India as per the source and scholar. ● The Cultural Ministry of India has included Chhau into the list of classical dances that makes a total of 9 classical dance form. ● The 8 basic technicalities that are expressed in the classical dance are given below: ○ Shringar: Love ○ Hasya: Humorous ○ Karuna: Sorrow ○ Raudra: Anger ○ Veer: Heroism ○ Bhayanak: Fear ○ Bibhats: Disgust ○ Adbhoot: Wonder

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Sangeet Natak Akademi

● It is India's national academy for music, dance and drama. ● Created by a resolution of the Ministry of Education (formerly the Ministry of Human Resource Development), Government of India, in 1952 with Dr P V Rajamannar as its first Chairman. ● It is presently an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture and is fully funded by the Government for implementation of its schemes and programmes. ● The Akademi establishes and looks after institutions and projects of national importance in the field of the performing arts. Few important ones are: ○ National School of Drama, New Delhi (set up in 1959). ○ Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal (set up in 1954). ○ Kathak Kendra (National Institute of Kathak Dance), New Delhi (set up in 1964). ○ National Projects of Support to Kutiyattam (Sanskrit theatre of Kerala), Chhau dances of eastern India, Sattriya traditions of Assam, etc.

Zari-Zardozi ● Madhya Pradesh Government is organizing ‘Raag-Bhopali’ exhibition to promote Zari- Zardozi crafts of Bhopal. ● Embroidery done with metallic threads is called kalabattu and forms the zari. ● The main zari production centres are Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

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Different kinds of zari work ● Zardozi : This is a heavy and more elaborate embroidery work which uses varieties of gold threads, spangles, beads and gota. ○ It is used to embellish wedding outfits, heavy coats, cushions, curtains etc. ● Kamdani: This is a lighter needlework which is done on lighter material like scarves, veils, and caps. ● Mina Work: This is thus called owing to its resemblance with enamel work. The embroidery is done in gold.

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Geography .

A Solar Eclipse ● It is a natural event that takes place on Earth when the Moon moves in its orbit between Earth and the Sun (this is also known as an occultation). ● It happens at New Moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction with each other. ● During an eclipse, the Moon’s shadow (which is divided into two parts: the dark umbra and the lighter penumbra) moves across Earth’s surface. ● The total solar eclipse on December 14, Monday will be the last eclipse of the year. ● Type of Solar Eclips: Depending on the distance of the moon from the earth during the event, different types of solar concealment can be observed. ● They can be categorized as: ➢ Partial: When the moon does not align completely with the sun and so only a portion of the sunlight is blocked from reaching the earth. ➢ Annular: When the moon covers the sun but the sun can be seen around the edges of the moon giving an impression of the sun is a bright ring surrounding the dark disc of the moon. ➢ Total: When the sun is completely covered by the moon. The sky becomes so dark that it appears to be night. Only a small area on the earth can witness it.

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Lunar Eclipse ● Also known as the eclipse of the moon, it occurs when the earth comes in between the sun and the moon. ● As a result, the earth blocks the light of the sun from reaching the moon’s surface and casts its shadow on the moon. ● It occurs on a full moon day. We can observe up to 3 lunar eclipses per year. ● Depending on how the sun, the moon, and the earth line up, lunar eclipse too can be categorized as: ○ Partial: When only a part of the moon moves into the shadow of the earth. ○ Total: When the earth passes directly in front of the moon and casts its shadow on the full moon.

Punjab’s Monoculture ● Monoculture is the agricultural practice of growing a single crop, plant, or livestock species, variety, or breed in a field or farming system at a time. Problem of Monoculture: ● Increases vulnerability to pest and disease attacks. ● The more the crop and genetic diversity, the more difficult it is for insects and pathogens to devise a way to pierce through plant resistance.

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● Leads to depletion of soil nutrients and growing dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Tibetan Plateau ● Also known in China as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau ● The Tibetan Plateau contains the headwaters of the drainage basins of most of the streams in surrounding regions ● Source of seven of the South Asia’s largest rivers- the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Yangtze and Mekong ● Termed the Third Pole because its ice fields contain the largest reserve of fresh water outside the polar regions

Project Loon ● Project Loon has set a new record for the longest stratospheric flight by staying in air for 312 days. ● It is a project under a subsidiary. ● It consists of a network of stratospheric balloons designed to bring Internet connectivity to rural and remote communities worldwide. ● The project involves helium-filled balloons that remain in the stratosphere and create aerial wireless networks. ● The project has collaborated with several countries and their technology partners to provide internet connectivity.

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Layers of earth atmosphere

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Mahanadi River ● The Mahanadi River system is the third largest of peninsular India after Godavari and Krishna, and the largest river of Odisha state. ● Source of origin of the Mahanadi river: It rises from a place near Sihawa in Bastar hills in the state of Chhattisgarh to the south of Amarkantak. ● Major Tributaries of the Mahanadi river: Seonath River, , Mand River, , Jonking River , ● The Basin of the Mahanadi river: ○ The catchment area of the river extends to Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. ○ Its basin is bounded by the Central India hills on the north, by the Eastern Ghats on the south and east and by the Maikala range on the west.

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What is Floodplain?: ● A floodplain (or floodplain) is a generally flat area of land next to a river or stream. It stretches from the banks of the river to the outer edges of the valley. ● Formed mainly of flooding of rivers and deposition of sand sediments on the riverbanks. ● These sandy floodplains are exceptional aquifers where any withdrawal is compensated by gravity flow from a large surrounding area.

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Chillai Kalan ● The 40-day intense winter period “chillai kalan” started in Kashmir valley on 21st December with sub-zero night temperatures across the region. ● What is it?: Chillai Kalan is the coldest 40-day period of harsh winter of winter in the Jammu and Kashmir region. ● It is traditionally defined as a seasonal period of harsh winter accompanied by a change in increase in both frequency and quantity of precipitation usually snow. ● It begins from December 21 and ends on January 31 next year. ● Chillai Kalan is followed by Chillai-Khurd and Chillai-Bachha. ○ Chillai Khurd (small cold) is a 20-day long period which starts from January 31 to February 19.

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○ Chillai-Bachha (baby cold), a 10-day long period which occurs between February 20 and March 2.

● Considered to be the core of winter, Chillai Kalan usually brings snowfall, sub-zero temperatures causing freezing of water bodies including the Dal lake, closure of highways, etc.

Winter Solstice ● 21st December or the Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The same day marks the Summer Solstice, the year's longest day, in the Southern Hemisphere. ● It is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and is also known as the ‘first day of winter’ in the Northern Hemisphere as well as ‘Hiemal solstice or Hibernal solstice’. ● The Sun is directly overhead of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere during the December solstice and is closer to the horizon than at any other time in the year. ● The day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.

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Kilauea Volcano: Hawaii ● Recently, Kilauea volcano in Hawaii’s Big Island erupted which was followed by an earthquake of magnitude 4.4. ● Kilauea, also called Mount Kilauea (“Much Spreading” in Hawaiian), is located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the southeastern part of the island of Hawaii, U.S.A. ● It ranks among the world's most active volcanoes. It is an elongated dome built of lava eruptions from a central crater and from lines of craters extending along east and southwest rifts, or fissures.

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Magma vs Lava: The difference ● Magma is the term used to denote the molten rocks and related materials seen inside earth. A weaker zone of the mantle called asthenosphere, usually is the source of magma. ● Once this magma came out to the earth surface through the vent of a volcano, it is called as the Lava. Therefore, Lava is nothing but the magma on earth surface. ● The process by which solid, liquid and gaseous material escape from the earth’s interior to the surface of the earth is called as Volcanism.

Major types of volcanoes Volcanoes are classified based on the nature of eruption and the form developed at the surface.

A. Shield Volcanoes ● The Shield volcanoes are the largest of all the volcanoes on the earth, which are not steep. ● These volcanoes are mostly made up of basalt. ● They become explosive if in some way water gets into the vent, otherwise, they are characterized by low-explosivity. ● The lava that is moving upwards does so in a fountain-form and emanates the cone at the vent’s top and then develops into a cinder cone. ● Eg: Hawaiian shield volcanoes

B. Composite Volcanoes ● Composite Volcanoes are characterized by outbreaks of cooler and more viscous lavas than basalt. ● They are constructed from numerous explosive eruptions. ● Large quantities of pyroclastic material and ashes find their way to the ground along with lava. ● This material gathers near the vent openings resulting in the creation of layers. ● Mayon Volcano in the Philippines, Mount Fuji in Japan, and Mount Rainier in Washington are the major composite volcanoes in the world. ● The major composite volcano chains are Pacific Rim which is known as the “Rim of Fire”.

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C. Caldera ● Calderas are known as the most explosive volcanoes of Earth. ● They are generally explosive. ● When they erupt, they incline to collapse on themselves rather than constructing any structure. ● The collapsed depressions are known as calderas.

D. Flood Basalt Provinces ● Flood Basalt Province volcanoes discharge highly fluid lava that flows for long distances. ● Many parts of the world are covered by thick basalt lava flows.

E. Mid-Ocean Ridge Volcanoes ● These volcanoes are found in the oceanic areas. ● There exists a system of mid-ocean ridges stretching for over 70000 km all through the ocean basins. ● The central region of this ridge gets frequent eruptions.

Volcanoes in India: ● Barren Island, Andaman Islands (India's only active volcano) ● Narcondam, Andaman Islands ● Baratang, Andaman Islands ● Deccan Traps, Maharashtra ● Dhinodhar Hills, Gujarat ● Dhosi Hill, Haryana

Anthropocene Epoch ● Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) voted in favour of designating a new geological epoch i.e, the Anthropocene. ● The word combines the root "anthro", meaning "human" with the root "cene", the standard suffix for "epoch" in geologic time ● Anthropocene Epoch, unofficial interval of geologic time, making up the third worldwide division of the Quaternary Period (2.6 million years ago to the present), characterized as the time in which the collective activities of human beings (Homo sapiens) began to substantially alter Earth’s surface, atmosphere, oceans, and systems of nutrient cycling.

Antarctica ● Antarctica is uninhabited except for those manning the nearly 60 permanent stations established by several countries, including India, for carrying out scientific research. ● Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent. It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere.

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● The Indian Antarctic Programme is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional programme under the control of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences. ● India officially acceded- to the Antarctic Treaty System in August 1983.

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Research Stations in the Antarctic ● Dakshin Gangotri: ○ Dakshin Gangotri was the first Indian scientific research base station established in Antarctica, as a part of the Indian Antarctic Program. ○ It has weakened and become just a supply base. ● : ○ Maitri is India’s second permanent research station in Antarctica. It was built and finished in 1989. ○ Maitri is situated on the rocky mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis. India also built a freshwater lake around Maitri known as Lake Priyadarshini. ● Bharti : ○ Bharti, India’s latest research station operation since 2012. It has been constructed to help researchers work in safety despite the harsh weather. ○ It is India’s first committed research facility and is located about 3000 km east of Maitri. ● Sagar Nidhi: ○ In 2008, India commissioned the Sagar Nidhi, for research. ○ An ice-class vessel, it can cut through the thin ice of 40 cm depth and is the first Indian vessel to navigate Antarctic waters.

Calving of Glaciers ● Calving is the glaciological term for the mechanical loss (or simply, breaking off) of ice from a glacier margin. ● Calving is most common when a glacier flows into water (i.e. lakes or the ocean) but can also occur on dry land, where it is known as dry calving. ● Glacier Snout: It is the lowest end of a glacier, also called glacier terminus or toe. ● Global warming has increased the frequency of this process.

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Places in news .

Sumdorong Chu ● In 1986–87, a military standoff took place between India and China in the Sumdorong Chu Valley bordering the Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh and Cona County, Tibet. ● The standoff was the first military confrontation along the disputed McMahon Line after the 1962 war and gave rise to fears of escalation.

Great Barrier Reef ● The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has highlighted that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is in a critical state and deteriorating as climate change warms up the waters in which it lies. Great Barrier Reef: ● It is the world’s most extensive and spectacular coral reef ecosystem composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. ● Location: The reef is located in the Coral Sea (North-East Coast), off the coast of Queensland, Australia. ● It can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. ● This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. ● They are made up of genetically identical organisms called polyps, which are tiny, soft- bodied organisms. At their base is a hard, protective limestone skeleton called a calicle, which forms the structure of coral reefs. ● These polyps have microscopic algae called zooxanthellae living within their tissues. The corals and algae have a mutualistic (symbiotic) relationship. ● It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.

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International Union for Conservation of Nature

● It is a membership union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. ● Created in 1948, it is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. ● It is headquartered in Switzerland. ● The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.

Koilwar Bridge Or Abdul Bari Bridge. ● Gadkari inaugurates three-lane Koilwar bridge on Sone river in Bihar. ● It is all major link between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Sone River ● It is also called the . ● The Sone river is one of the major tributaries of river Ganges. ● It originates near Amarkantak of Madhya Pradesh.

Prates islands ● Prates islands also known as Dongsha Islands have emerged as a new flashpoint in South China See . ● Islands are located in the northern part of South China See under jurisdiction of Taiwan. ● Concern: if China controlled the Prates Islands, the islands could function as a gatekeeper to monitor U.S. and other countries’ ships and aircraft entering the South Chine See from the Pacific Ocean.

Haldibari-Chilahati Rail Link ● It is the 5th rail link between India and Bangladesh. ● Presently, there are four operational rail links between India and Bangladesh. They are ○ (India)- (Bangladesh), ○ Gede (India)-Darshana (Bangladesh), ○ Singhabad (India)-Rohanpur (Bangladesh), ○ Radhikapur (India)-Birol (Bangladesh).”

Sea of Galilee ● Location : The lake lies in northern Israel, between the occupied Golan Heights and the Galilee region. ● It is fed by underground springs but its major source is the Jordan River. ● The lake, also known as Lake Tiberias or Kinneret, is Israel’s largest freshwater body. ● The Jordan flows into the lake and then exits it before ending in the Dead Sea

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