IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule IASbaba’s Prelims Current Affairs 25th October to 6th November 2015 Though the weightage of Current Affairs vary from year to year-it becomes imperative for us to strategize our preparation in such a manner that this unpredictability gets tamed at the right time, from our end. Right from the burning issues to the static part of the portion, a Civil Servant is supposed to understand the subjective realities of the country to which he belongs to- very well. Current Events plays a key role in all the three stages of UPSC preparation, especially in the Mains and Interview. It covers a wide range of topics which overlaps with the CORE subjects like Geography, Polity, Economics, History and dynamic subjects like Environment, Science and Technology- making the section of ‘Current Affairs’ unputdownable for a serious aspirant. Hence, the key here is substantiating the Core subjects with regular readings of the events taking place/in news. To make this process an easy one, we will be coming up with capsules of Pre-centric Coverage of the important events. We are sure that this will complement your preparation and push you towards your goals. Best IASbaba Iasbaba.com Page 1 IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule Hurricane Patricia weakens as it moves inland- Tropical Cyclone In Western Hemisphere Think What is the difference between Hurricane & Tornado? What is the difference between Tropical and Extra-Tropical Cyclone? Now a bird’s-eye view of Hampi monuments- The Hindu Hampi- UNESCO World Heritage Site Last Capital of Vijayanagara Empire (14th to 16th CE) On the banks of the Tungabhadra river Think Learn about Vijayanagara Empire- Architecture and Administration! RBI guidelines on gold deposit scheme The Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS), 2015 will offer option to resident Indians to deposit their precious metal and earn an interest of up to 2.5 per cent Under the Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme, investors can earn an interest rate of 2.75 per cent per annum by buying paper bonds. It will aid in India’s Economic growth and reducing Current Account Deficit (CAD) Think How will it reduce CAD? Its effect on Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) Iasbaba.com Page 2 IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule Biodiversity Farming System Model: To conserve indigenous paddy varieties (under threat of extinction) Funded by: NABARD Promoted by: Rural Organisation for Social Education Progress: Cultivation of 18 indigenous paddy varieties: Disease+ Drought-resistant (medicinal properties) Method: Rice Intensification Technique Results: Brought down Input Costs: Seeds + Water Non-application of fertilizer + Enhanced Soil Health + Rejuvenated fertility of the farm Increased Crop Yield + Fodder Yield + Income of the farmer (Works as a model to enhance the income of small and medium farmers) Harmonious presence of earthworm, beehives and birds Lower Price of Basmati Premium variety “basmati” is fetching a lower price than that of regular paddy. Basmati is sown at a large scale? Fetches higher return, Requires less water It is a short-duration variety and can be sown late. Punjab and Haryana accounts for over 70% of India’s output of basmati rice PUSA 1509 -- it has much more yield than other varieties Iasbaba.com Page 3 IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule Madhya Pradesh Government declared 33 percent quota for women in government jobs Women Reservation Bill- This bill seeks to amend the constitution to seek 33% reservation for women in all Central and State Legislative Assemblies This would be the 108th constitutional amendment. The bill has been passed by Upper House but is pending in the Lower House of the Parliament. Think All recent Constitutional Amendments And their themes Link Freedom over the Internet, 2015 Report released Released By: Freedom house, a non-government watchdog Theme: Privatizing Censorship, Eroding Privacy With respect to India- The report found that freedom on the internet is partly free with a total score of 40 on a 0 to 100 scale with 0 representing the best level of freedom on the net progress and 100 the worst. Island ,Estonia,Canada enjoy more freedom where as China,Syria,Iran enjoy least freedom over the internet Iasbaba.com Page 4 IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule Amaravati-Next milestone in India's Urbanization Why- It is the fifth planned city in India and also the first green field smart city Other planned cities- Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Naya Raipur, Gandhinagar Area wise Amravati is the second largest administrative regions after NCR Delhi 191 UNGA-members voted a resolution condemning US embargo on Cuba Who voted against the Resolution- Israel and USA Who voted for the Resolution All 191 members except USA and Israel Why- Cold War History (Cuba’s assertiveness during missile crisis) Iasbaba.com Page 5 IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule India’s stand- Continued existence of the embargo hampered not only multilateralism and the credibility of the Organization, but it also had a negative impact on the Cuban economy which was forced to bear considerable costs in sourcing products, technology and services and by discouraging investment into the country. It has maintained that the international community needs to re-double its efforts to promote an environment free from sanctions and embargoes. Think Learn about Cuba- Cuba is an archipelago of islands located in the Northern Caribbean Sea at the confluence with the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean What is an archipelago? Cuba is ranked very high for human development by the United Nations, and high for health and education. In 2015, it became the first country to eradicate mother- to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, a milestone hailed by the World Health Organization as "one of the greatest public health achievements possible. India-Africa Forum Summit 2015 held in New Delhi Purpose - The meeting was to enable consultations at the highest political level between 54 nations across Africa and the Indian government. It was the third IAFS since its inception. The previous summits were held in 2008 and 2011 in New Delhi and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) respectively. Major take aways 10 billion line of credit at concessional rates 50000 scholarships for African students to pursue higher studies in India. 600 million grant of assistance that will include African-Indian development fund of 100 million and 10 million of India-African health fund. Iasbaba.com Page 6 IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule WCD Ministry launched initiative to spread awareness about ‘BetiBachaoBetiPadhao Scheme’ Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Women and Child Development Implementation: Being implemented jointly with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development In collaboration with: Celltick Mobile Media Pvt Limited. Launched on: 22 January 2015 Why-The country witnessed an alarming decline in the CSR (Child Sex Ratio) and thus, the scheme aims at improving the Child Sex Ratio CSR through multi-sectoral interventions including prevention of gender biased sex selection and promoting girls’ education and her holistic empowerment. Working Mechanism- Mobile services based on its patented Live Screen platform will be available to over 100 million users in India. The users will get interactive messages on their device’s home-screen, which will enable ease of use in accessing information about BBBP. The platform will make sure to reach users based on their location as well as their language of preference. Think There has been a steady decline in the Child Sex Ratio (CSR) across India, with 918 females born per 1000 males as per the Census of 2011 Global Tuberculosis Report 2015 released by WHO The 2015 edition focuses on whether 2015 global TB targets set in the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were achieved worldwide and at regional and country levels Highlights about India India was part of the nine high-burden countries where all three of the 2015 targets for incidence, prevalence and mortality were met. Iasbaba.com Page 7 IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule India accounted for 27% of global TB notifications in 2014. India that followed the introduction of a policy of mandatory notification in May 2012 saw a rise of 29 percent TB notifications. India with 23 percent of TB cases has the largest number of cases in the world. India is among the group of countries wherein more than half of the world’s TB cases occurred. India is one of three countries wherein more than half (54%) TB cases that were notified in 2014 had Multi-Drug Resistance (MDR) – TB. Suggestions – Scale up services and investments in research From 2016, the global goal will shift from controlling TB to ending the global TB epidemic. Ending TB is also now a SDG Think What is MDG? Worldwide, TB incidence has fallen 1.5% per year since 2000, for a total reduction of 18%. RBI allowed NRIs to subscribe to National Pension System RBI took the decision in consultation with the Union Government to enable National Pension System (NPS) as an investment option for NRIs under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999. NRIs may subscribe to the NPS governed and administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) About New Pension System The National Pension System (NPS) was launched on 1 January, 2004 with the objective of providing retirement income to all the citizens. NPS aims to institute pension reforms and to inculcate the habit of saving for retirement amongst the citizens. Initially, NPS was introduced for the new government recruits (except armed forces). With effect from 1 May, 2009, NPS has been provided for all citizens of the country including the unorganised sector workers on voluntary basis. Iasbaba.com Page 8 IASbaba’s Prelims Capsule Think Is NRI part of NPS? Yes- Can be asked in Prelims With effect from May 1, 2009, NPS has been provided for all citizens of the country, including the unorganised sector workers, on voluntary basis.