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Table of Contents

Polity & Governance ..................................................................................... 1

1. Why politicians contest two seats, why EC wants to limit them to one (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) .......................................................................................................... 1

2. e-Vidhan project (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ........................................ 2

3. Cabinet approves the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ..................................................................................................... 3

4. Scheduled Areas declared under Fifth Schedule of the Constitution in Rajasthan (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II: Polity & Governance ........................................................... 4

International Organizations and Relations ......................................... 6

1. Prime Minister visit to UK (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ................................. 6 2. Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff visits Tehran, Iran for Indian Ocean Naval

Symposium (IONS) – 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims) .................................................................. 6

Economics ........................................................................................................ 8

1. Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Act, 2018 brought in force on 29th March, 2018 .......... 8

2. NIRF India Rankings 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III) ............................... 9

3. Long term tax on equity made taxable (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III)........ 12

4. NITI Aayog to Open Applications for Atal New India Challenge (Relevant for GS Prelims, Economics) ................................................................................................................................... 13

5. Human Resource Development Ministry Launches Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III: Economics) ............................................................................. 14

6. India signs loan agreement with World Bank for US$ 125 million for Innovate in India for Inclusiveness Project (Relevant for GS Prelims: Economics) ................................................. 14

7. Van Dhan Scheme (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ..................... 15

8. Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (Relevant for GS Prelims) ........................................................... 16

9. Shodhganga (Relevant for GS Prelims) ..................................................................................... 16

10. Monument Mitras (Relevant for GS prelims) .......................................................................... 16

11. UTTAM APP for Coal Quality Monitoring (Relevant for GS Prelims) ..................................... 17

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12. e-learning initiatives (Relevant for GS Prelims) ....................................................................... 17

13. Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin all set to construct 1 crore pucca rural houses by December 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims) ................................................................................ 18

14. First meeting of National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................................................................................................ 19

15. Restructured Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (Relevant for GS Prelims)............................ 20

16. Mobile App (m-Awas) (Relevant for GS Prelims) ..................................................................... 21

Environment .................................................................................................. 22

1. Environment Ministry notifies Plastic Waste Management (amendment) rules (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III- Environment) ................................................................... 22

Internal Security ......................................................................................... 23

1. Government s new policy paying dividends in containing Left Wing Extremism (Relevant for GS Mains Paper III-Internal Security) .................................................................................... 23

Miscellaneous .............................................................................................. 25

1. Tentative listing of Six monuments / historical sites in North Eastern States under World

Heritage Site (Relevant for GS Prelims) .................................................................................... 25

2. Crops and vegetables developed by BARC (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...................................... 25

3. Agreement Between NPCIL and EDF of France (Relevant for GS Prelims)............................. 25

4. Exercise Gaganshakti-2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims) .............................................................. 26

5. First Meeting of the NITI Forum for North East (Relevant for GS Prelims).......................... 26

6. Defexpo-2018 (Relevant for GS prelims) ....................................................................................... 26

7. Digital platform for MSME Exporters (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................................. 27

8. DARPAN Project (Relevant for GS Prelims) .................................................................................. 27

9. Visit of Prime Minister of India to Sweden (16-17 April 2018)................................................. 28

10. List of MOUs and Agreements signed and exchanged on the occasion of the visit of Prime

Minister to Stockholm (Read only for understanding) ............................................................... 29

11. First Ever International SME Convention-2018 in New Delhi (Relevant for GS Prelims) .... 30

12. Winners of the 1st Print Biennale India 2018 given away awards in New Delhi today .... 30






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Polity and Governance 1. Why politicians contest two seats, why EC wants to limit them to one (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) When BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi contested from Varanasi as well as Vadodara in the last Lok Sabha elections, the obvious objective was to demonstrate his mass appeal across states, besides drumming up support for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. After he won from both constituencies, PM Modi retained Varanasi and gave up Vadodara. Practice of contesting two seats Over the years, several senior leaders have contested two constituencies in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Some contested even three, until 1996, when an amendment to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, restricted to two the number of seats one candidate could contest in one election. And whenever they have won more than one, the candidates have retained only one, forcing bypolls in the rest. View of Election Commission Last week, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court in an affidavit that Section 33(7) of the Act should be amended to restrict any candidate to only one seat in one election. This was after the court had sought the EC s response to a public interest petition challenging the validity of the provision that still allows a candidate to contest two seats simultaneously. Rationale given by Election Commission The affidavit said: When a candidate contests from two seats, it is imperative that he has to vacate one of the two seats if he wins both. This, apart from the consequent unavoidable financial burden on the public exchequer, government manpower and other resources for holding by-election against the resultant vacancy, is also an injustice to the voters of the constituency which the candidate is quitting from. There have been several cases where a person contests election from two constituencies and wins both. It referred to an earlier proposal to end or restrict this practice: The Election Commission proposed amendment of Section 33(7) in the year 2004 to provide that a person cannot contest from more than one constituency at a time. Cost of by-election However, in case the existing provisions are to be retained, a candidate contesting from two seats should bear the cost of the by-election to the seat that contestant decides to vacate in the event of him/her winning both seats. The amount in such an event could be Rs 5 lakh for state assembly and Rs 10 lakh for the general election. That cost would have multiplied many times now. The latter proposal, if put into practice, would have allowed only candidates with resources to contest two seats, and then bear the cost of a resultant by-election in the event of their winning both.






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Also, if winners were to pay for causing by-elections, what about those caused by the resignations of sitting MPs, like those of the YSR Congress last week? The Law Commission has agreed with the proposal to bar a person from contesting more than one seat at a time but has not endorsed the alternative proposal that winning candidates also shoulder the cost of ensuing by-elections. Original Provision in Representation of people act,1951 In the original 1951 Act, Section 33 permitted a person to contest from more than one seat, while Section 70 of the Act prevented him or her from holding on to more than one seat in state or central legislatures. In the 1957 Lok Sabha election, when a fledgling Bharatiya Jana Sangh was struggling to grow, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then 32, tried his luck from three constituencies in UP — Balrampur, Mathura and Lucknow — after having finished third in Lucknow in the 1952 polls. Vajpayee got elected from Balrampur, finished second in Lucknow and forfeited his deposit in Mathura. The Balrampur victory introduced the young Opposition leader to Lok Sabha, dominated by the Congress then. In 1977, Indira Gandhi suffered a surprise defeat in her well-nursed constituency, Rae Bareli; in 1980, she did not want to risk that again. She filed her nomination from Medak (now in Telangana) and Rae Bareli. It was packaged as an attempt to bridge the divide between the North and the South. She won from both constituencies and chose to forgo Medak. Amendment in Representation of people act,1951 Many leaders continued the trend, both before and after the 1996 amendment that set the limit at two seats — Vajpayee (Vidisha and Lucknow in 1991), L K Advani (New Delhi and Gandhinagar in 1991), Sonia Gandhi (Bellary and Amethi in 1999), Mulayam Singh Yadav (Azamgarh and Mainpuri in 2014) and Lalu Prasad (Saran and Pataliputra in 2009). Regional leaders took this to another level. Telugu Desam Party Founder N T Rama Rao contested three seats — Gudivada, Hindupur and Nalgonda — in the 1985 Assembly polls, won all, retained Hindupur and vacated the other two, forcing by-elections there. In 1991, Haryana deputy chief minister Devi Lal contested three Lok Sabha seats — Sikar, Rohtak and Ferozepur — as well as the Ghirai assembly seat. He lost them all. Had he won everywhere, three by-elections would have been necessitated. Now, the Supreme Court has taken the matter. And the Election Commission has taken a position. (Adapted from PIB) 2. e-Vidhan project (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) e-Vidhan is a mission mode project to digitize and make the functioning of State Legislatures in India paperless. It is a part of the broader Digital India Programme of the






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Government and is likely to contribute to the cleanliness & environment by reducing the use of papers to a great extent. Who is responsible for the project? The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is the Nodal Ministry for the project. It is taking all the necessary steps for rolling out the Project in all the States at an early date. One of the key component of the strategy devised for implementation of the project is to create Project Monitoring Units both at Central as well as State levels. (Adapted from PIB) 3. Cabinet approves the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018 for better protection and promotion of human rights in the country. Salient Features: 1. It proposes to include National Commission for Protection of Child Rights as deemed Member of the Commission; 2. It proposes to add a woman Member in the composition of the Commission; 3. It proposes to enlarge the scope of eligibility and scope of selection of Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission as well as the State Human Rights Commission; and 4. It proposes to incorporate a mechanism to look after the cases of human rights violation in the Union Territories. 5. It proposes to amend the term of office of Chairperson and Members of National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commission to make it in consonance with the terms of Chairperson and Members of other Commissions. Benefits: The Amendment will strengthen the Human Rights Institutions of India further for effective discharge of their mandates, roles and responsibilities. Moreover, the amended Act will be in perfect sync with the agreed global standards and benchmarks towards ensuring the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual in the country. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) It is an autonomous public body constituted in year 1993 under Protection of Human Rights Act. It is responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights, defined by the Act as rights relating to life, liberty, equality, and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitution or embodied in the International Covenants . Composition of NHRC






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The NHRC consists of: • A Chairperson, should be retired Chief Justice of India (though GoI mulling appointment of retired SC Judges as chairperson [4]) • One member who is, or has been, a Judge of the Supreme Court of India • One member who is, or has been, the Chief Justice of a High Court • Two members to be appointed from among persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights • In addition, the Chairpersons of four National Commissions (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Women and Minorities) serve as ex officio members. The sitting Judge of the Supreme Court or sitting Chief Justice of any High Court can be appointed only after the consultation with the Chief Justice of Supreme Court. Functions of Commission 1. Enquire suo moto or on a petition into a complaint of violation of human rights. 2. Intervene in any proceedings involving violation of human rights pending before court but with approval of court. 3. Review the safeguards provided by constitution or any law for the protection of human rights and recommend measures for their effective implementation. 4. Undertake and promote research in the field of human rights. NHRC reports to the President and Governor on matters relating to Union and State, respectively. President and Governor cause presentation of the report to respective legislatures along with ATR (Action Taken Report) by respective Council of Ministers. (Adapted from PIB and Background from PrepMate-Cengage Polity Book, Chapter 30-Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-Judicial Bodies) 4. Scheduled Areas declared under Fifth Schedule of the Constitution in Rajasthan (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II: Polity & Governance) The Union Cabinet has given approval to the declaration of Scheduled Areas in respect of Rajasthan under Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of India. The Rajasthan Government has requested for extension of Scheduled Areas in the State of Rajasthan under Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of India. Beneficiaries:





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The Scheduled Tribes residing in Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, and partial areas of Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittorgarh, Pali and Sirohi districts of Rajasthan will get benefits of protective measures available under the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of India. Provisions of Fifth Schedule Provisions relating to the administration and control of scheduled areas in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram: President is empowered to increase or decrease the size of the scheduled area or create or abolish the scheduled area. President is empowered to give directions to the state for administration of scheduled area. Governor is required to report to the President annually or whenever required by the President regarding the administration of the scheduled area. Governor shall constitute a Tribes Advisory Council to advise him over matters of welfare and advancement of schedule tribes. Governor can make laws for scheduled areas in consultation with the Tribes Advisory Council. Governor also enjoys the power that a law passed by central legislature or state legislature shall not apply to tribal community or apply to the community with such modifications as deemed necessary by the Governor. (Adapted from PIB and Background from PrepMate-Cengage Polity Book, Chapter 28, Page 295)








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International Organizations and Relations

1. Prime Minister visit to UK (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) PM Narendra Modi visited the United Kingdom (UK) on 18 April 2018. Prime Minister Modi will also participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London from 19-20 April 2018. Technology Partnership UK-India Tech Hub The fund has been established as part of our growing bilateral Technology Partnership. The Tech Hub will bring together hi-tech companies to create investment and export opportunities and provide a new platform to share the very best technologies and advance policy collaboration including on Future Mobility, Advanced Manufacturing and Healthcare AI under India s Aspirational Districts Programme. Trade, Investment and Finance ISA The United Kingdom welcomed the pro-active steps taken by India in establishing the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The event marked the UK joining the Alliance. (Adapted from PIB) 2. Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff visits Tehran, Iran for Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) – 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims) The 6th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and Conclave of Chiefs is being hosted by Iran at Tehran from 23 to 25 April 2018. The Chief of the Naval Staff is leading a four-member Indian delegation for the event. About IONS The IONS was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008. The forum seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion on regionally relevant maritime issues that would lead to common understanding on the way ahead. The inaugural edition of IONS was held in February 2008 at New Delhi, with Indian Navy as the Chair for two years. This was followed by UAE from 2010 - 2012, South Africa from 2012 - 2014, Australia from 2014 - 2016 and Bangladesh from 2016 - 2018. The IONS Charter of Business was agreed upon by the Conclave of Chiefs and brought into effect in February 2014. A relatively young forum, barely in its 10th year of existence, it has grown into a formidable organisation with 23 members and 09 observers. As the founder






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nation, India will also be conducting commemorative activities in November 2018 at Kochi, for celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. (Adapted from PIB)






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Economics 1. Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Act, 2018 brought in force on 29th March, 2018 The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2018 has been passed by Lok Sabha on 15th March, 2018 and by the Rajya Sabha on 22nd March, 2018, has been brought in force on 29th March, 2018. Background The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 applies to establishments employing 10 or more persons. The main purpose for enacting this Act is to provide social security to workman after retirement, whether retirement is a result of superannuation, or physical disablement or impairment of vital part of the body. Therefore, the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 is an important social security legislation to wage earning population in industries, factories and establishments. Amendments introduced 1. The present upper ceiling on gratuity amount under the Act is Rs. 10 Lakh. The provisions for Central Government employees under Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 with regard to gratuity are also similar. Before implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission, the ceiling under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 was Rs. 10 Lakh. However, with implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission, in case of Government servants, the ceiling has been raised to Rs. 20 Lakhs. Therefore, considering the inflation and wage increase even in case of employees engaged in private sector, this Government decided that the entitlement of gratuity should also be revised in respect of employees who are covered under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. Accordingly, the Government initiated the process for amendment to Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 to increase the maximum limit of gratuity to such amount as may be notified by the Central Government from time to time. Now, the Government has issued the notification specifying the maximum limit to Rs. 20 Lakh. 2. In addition, the Bill also envisages to amend the provisions relating to calculation of continuous service for the purpose of gratuity in case of female employees who are on maternity leave from twelve weeks to such period as may be notified by the Central Government from time to time . This period has also been notified as twenty-six weeks. Impact This will ensure harmony amongst employees in the private sector and in Public Sector Undertakings/ Autonomous Organizations under Government who are not covered under CCS (Pension) Rules. These employees will be entitled to receive higher amount of gratuity at par with their counterparts in Government sector.






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(Adapted from PIB) 2. NIRF India Rankings 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III) The Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar, released the NIRF India Rankings 2018 in various categories on the basis of performance of Higher Educational Institutions What is National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)? It ranks educational institutions based on objective and verifiable criteria. It has been made available separately for Engineering, Management, Pharmaceutical, Architecture, Humanities, Law and for Universities. The first ranks were declared in April 2016. More than 3,500 institutions have participated in the exercise, making it the largest educational institutions ranking exercise in the World. The second Rankings were released in April 2017. About 2018 rankings In this third edition of India Rankings, some total of 2809 institutions have participated in 9 categories. Collectively they have submitted 3954 distinct profiles, some in multiple disciplines/categories. This includes 301 Universities, 906 Engineering Institutions, 487 Management Institutions, 286 Pharmacy Institutions, 71 Law Institutions, 101 Medical Institutions, 59 Architecture Institutions and 1087 General Degree Colleges. India Rankings 2018 have ranked institutions in the disciplines/categories mentioned

above and have also provided a common overall rank across all disciplines for those institutions which have more than 1000 enrolled students. List of top 10 India Rankings 2018 is as follows: Overall:

Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 1

Indian Institute of Technology Madras 2

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay 3

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi 4

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur 5






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Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 6

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur 7

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 8

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 9

Anna University, Chennai 10

Management

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad 1

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore 2

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta 3

University

Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 1

Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 2

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 3

Colleges

Miranda House, Delhi 1

St. Stephens`s College, Delhi 2

Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli 3

Pharmacy






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National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Mohali

1

Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 2

Panjab University, Chandigarh 3

Medical

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 1

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh

2

Christian Medical College, Vellore 3

Architecture

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur 1

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 2

School of Planning & Architecture New Delhi 3

Law

National Law School of India University, Bengaluru

1

National Law University, New Delhi 2

Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad 3

Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Madras 1

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay 2






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Indian Institute of Technology Delhi 3

(Adapted from PIB) 3. Long term tax on equity made taxable (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III) The Finance Act, 2018 has withdrawn the exemption under clause (38) of Section 10 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (the Act) and has introduced a new section 112A in the Act, to provide that long term capital gains arising from transfer of a long-term capital asset being an equity share in a company or a unit of an equity oriented fund or a unit of a business trust shall be taxed at 10 per cent of such capital gains exceeding one lakh rupees. The said section, inter alia, provides that the provisions of the section shall apply to the capital gains arising from a transfer of long-term capital asset being an equity share in a company, only if securities transaction tax (STT) has been paid on acquisition and transfer of such capital asset. What is LTCG? Long-term capital gains (LTCG) refer to the profit made on sale of any asset held for a particular period of time. In case of equity shares, it refers to the profit made on shares held for more than one year. In other words, if the shares are bought and kept for more than a year before selling, then the profit, if any, on the said sale are referred to as long term capital gains (or LTCG). The tax on LTCG is called LTCG tax. Why is LTCG tax in the news? In Budget 2018, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley re-introduced LTCG tax on equity shares. Investors have to pay 10% LTCG tax on gains exceeding Rs. 1 lakh on the sale of shares or equity mutual funds held for more than one year. Gains arising on shares held for less than 1 year are called Short-term capital gains (STCG). STCG are taxed at rate of 15%. In other words, the Centre said that if the gains exceeded Rs. 1 lakh in a year, then 10% LTCG tax had to be paid without the benefit of indexation. Indexation refers to adjusting the profit against inflation to compute the real taxable gains. Was the tax levied on stock market trades earlier? Until October 2004, LTCG tax was levied on stock market trades. It was replaced with the Securities transaction tax (STT). STT is levied at 0.1% of the trade value on all trades made on the stock exchanges. A study published in 2016 revealed that between 2005-06 and 2011-12, the Centre lost about Rs.3.5 lakh crore by replacing LTCG tax with STT. The Centre has brought in LTCG tax while retaining STT as well. So, investors will have to pay both the taxes.






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Who will be exempt? When such a tax is introduced, prior investments get some kind of relief. The relief given is called the grandfathering benefit. While reintroducing the LTCG tax, the government has exempted all gains made prior to January 31, 2018. In other words, all the gains made before January 31, 2018 would be grandfathered. How will the grandfathering benefit work? Let us consider an example. Suppose a person bought shares in May 2017 at Rs.1000. The value of these shares was Rs.1500 on January 31, 2018. Now, if the person sells the shares at Rs.1800 in June 2018, then his taxable gains would be Rs. 300. (Rs. 1800- Rs. 1500). The gain of Rs. 500 (Rs. 1500- Rs. 1000) will not be taxed. Will all investors be subject to LTCG tax? LTCG tax is applicable to all investors who trade on stock exchanges. Only foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), who invest in India from places such as Mauritius and Singapore, are not subject to LTCG tax. This exemption is due to double taxation avoidance treaties. Consequently, foreign investors prefer to invest from Mauritius or Singapore route. However, Centre is reworking on all such double tax avoidance agreements (DTAA). This benefit would be available only till the time the changes are made into treaty. How did the stock markets react to the introduction of the tax? The benchmark equity indices — Sensex and Nifty — lost significant number of points. The introduction of LTCG tax will increase the cost of stocks trading. (Adapted from PIB) 4. NITI Aayog to Open Applications for Atal New India Challenge (Relevant for GS Prelims, Economics) The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under the NITI Aayog shall be launching the Atal New India Challenge. Under the Atal New India Challenge, which shall be run in collaboration with five ministries, AIM will invite prospective innovators/MSMEs/start-ups to design market-ready products, using cutting edge technologies or prototypes across 17 identified focus areas such as Climate Smart Agriculture, Smart Mobility, Predictive Maintenance of Rolling Stock, Waste Management etc. Applicants showing capability, intent and potential to productize technologies will be awarded grants up to Rs. One crore. This grant will be further supplemented by mentoring, handholding, incubating and other support as needed at various stages of commercialisation, while generating wider deployment for the product. (Adapted from PIB)






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5. Human Resource Development Ministry Launches Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III: Economics) Human Resource Development Ministry today launches Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0. Under this program students from colleges and universities will go to nearby villages to get acquainted with the life of the village people and the problems faced by them in day to day life. About Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Human Resources Development, with the intention to enrich Rural India. The knowledge base and resources of the Premier Institutions of the country are to be leveraged to bring in transformational change in rural developmental process. It also aims to create a vibrant relationship between the society and the higher educational institutes, with the latter providing the knowledge and technology support to improve the livelihoods in rural areas and to upgrade the capabilities of both the public and private organisations in the society. About Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0, the institutions have been selected on a Challenge Mode and the scheme has been extended to 750 reputed Higher Educational Institutes (both public and private) of the country. Also, scope for providing Subject Expert Groups and Regional Coordinating Institutes to handhold and guide the participating institutions has been strengthened. IIT Delhi has been designated to function as the National Coordinating Institute for this programme and the Ministry intends to extend the coverage to all the reputed Higher Educational Institutes, in a phased manner. Each selected institute would adopt a cluster of villages / panchayats and gradually expand the outreach over a period of time. (Adapted from PIB) 6. India signs loan agreement with World Bank for US$ 125 million for Innovate in India for Inclusiveness Project (Relevant for GS Prelims: Economics) A Loan Agreement for IBRD credit of US$ 125 (equivalent) for the Innovate in India for Inclusiveness Project was signed with the World Bank on 24th April, 2018 in New Delhi. The Loan Agreement was signed by Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of Government of India and Mr. Hisham Abdo, Acting Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank. The Objectives of the project is to nurture indigenous innovation, foster local product development and accelerate commercialization process by bridging critical skill and infrastructure gaps to promote affordable and innovative healthcare products generation for inclusive development and increasing competitiveness in India. The project would support consortia of public, private, and the academic institutions to overcome the key market failures currently holding back the development of an innovative biopharmaceutical and medical devices industry in India.






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The project consists of the following parts: (i) Strengthening of pilot-to market innovation ecosystem (ii) Acceleration of the pilot –to-market process for specific products and (iii) Project Management and monitoring & Evaluation. The closing date of Innovate in India for Inclusiveness project is 30 June, 2023. (Adapted from PIB) 7. Van Dhan Scheme (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi launched the Van Dhan Scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED on 14th April, 2018 during the celebrations of Ambedkar Jayanti at Bijapur, Chattisgarh. Emphasizing the important role of value addition in increasing tribal incomes, he stated that Van Dhan, Jan Dhan and Gobar-Dhan Schemes had the potential to change the tribal-rural economic system. All these three schemes in tandem need to be promoted for this purpose by the State Governments. The establishment of Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is for providing skill upgradation and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facility. This first model Van DhanVikas Kendra in Bijapuris being implemented for training of 300 training beneficiaries with a total outlay of Rs.43.38 lakhs for training, providing equipments & tools for primary level processing and infrastructure & building for housing the Kendra. This Kendra to start with will have processing facility for Tamarind brick making, Mahua flower storage facility and chironjee cleaning and packaging. Under Van Dhan, 10 Self Help Groups of 30 Tribal gatherers is constituted. They are then trained and provided with working capital to add value to the products, which they collect from the jungle. Working under the leadership of Collector these groups can then market their products not only within the States but also outside the States. Training and technical support is provided by TRIFED. It is proposed to develop 30,000 such centres in the country. Value addition assumes critical importance in ensuring remunerative prices to the tribals in this approach. Three stage value addition would be the corner stone for enhancing incomes of the tribals under the scheme. The grass root level procurement is proposed to be undertaken through Self Help Groups associated with implementing agencies. Convergence and Networking with other Govt. departments/scheme shall be undertaken to utilise the services of existing SHGs like Ajeevika, etc. These SHGs shall be appropriately trained on sustainable harvesting/collection, primary processing & value addition and be formed into clusters so as to aggregate their stock in tradable quantity and linking them with facility of primary processing in a Van DhanVikas Kendra.






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The stock after primary processing shall be supplied by these SHGs to the State Implementing Agencies or direct tie up for supply to corporate secondary processor. For creation of secondary level value addition facility at district level and tertiary level value addition facility at State level, Big Corporates shall be involved under PPP model. This PPP model will be based on utilising Private entrepreneur skills in undertaking processing as well as marketing of the produce and Central/ State Govt. support in terms of creating infrastructure and providing enabling environment for undertaking value addition of systematic scientific lines. These will be sophisticated large value addition hubs managed by Private entrepreneur. The Van Dhan Vikas Kendras will be important milestone in economic development of tribals involved in collection of MFPs by helping them in optimum utilization of natural resources and provide sustainable MFP-based livelihood in MFP-rich districts. (Adapted from PIB) 8. Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA). It is an Under RAA, government schools will be mentored by Institutions of Higher Education like IIT's, IISER's and NIT's. This sub-programme aims to motivate and engage children between the age group of 6-18 years, in Science, Mathematics and Technology. RAA is launched under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). (Adapted from PIB) 9. Shodhganga (Relevant for GS Prelims) It is the electronic repository of all M.Phil/Ph.D thesis. The repository is accessible to users in India and abroad. The world-wide access improves visibility of Indian research to other countries. Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) is setting up the repository. It is an inter-university centre under the University Grants Commission (UGC). (Adapted from PIB) 10. Monument Mitras (Relevant for GS prelims) Ministry of Tourism in close collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) launched Adopt a Heritage Project to provide world class tourist facilities at the various natural/cultural heritage sites, monuments and other tourist sites to make them tourist friendly, enhance their tourist potential and cultural importance in a planned and phased manner across the country.






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The project primarily focuses on providing basic amenities that include cleanliness, public convenience, drinking water, ease of access for tourists, signage etc. and advanced amenities like TFC, Souvenir shop, Cafeteria etc. The project envisages that selected public sector companies, private sector companies and individuals will develop tourist amenities at heritage sites. They would become Monument Mitra and adopt the sites essentially under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. They would also look after the operations and maintenance of the adopted site initially for the 5 years subject to review at any time. Categorisation of listed sites The heritage sites/monuments enlisted are categorized as green, blue and orange on the basis of tourist footfall and visibility. As a part of project guidelines, it is mandatory for Monument Mitra, who is opting for a monument from green category to choose at least one site from either orange or blue category. The most competitive and innovative vision would be considered as the successful bidding entity. The interested parties selecting more numbers of monuments from orange and blue category shall be given higher weight age. The Interested parties may also opt for any other heritage site/monument or tourist site not mentioned in the above list, under the project and the unlisted tourist site will automatically considered under blue category. (Adapted from PIB) 11. UTTAM APP for Coal Quality Monitoring (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Union Minister for Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal launched UTTAM App for Coal Quality Monitoring. UTTAM stands for – Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal (uttam.coalindia.in). The Ministry of Coal and Coal India Limited (CIL) developed UTTAM, aims to provide an App for all citizens and coal consumers to monitor the process of Third Party Sampling of coal across CIL subsidiaries. Specific benefits of the UTTAM App would be (i) For Subsidiary structure: The information about subsidiary wise declared GCV will help citizens and coal consumers to compare and assess the coal quality coming from a particular mine. It will provide a proper mapping of declared grade of coal dispatch to the consumers. (ii) For Coal consumer portal: The portal would give detailed information for coal consumers regarding the Third-Party Sampling parameters. The App will give access for monitoring coal quality to individual coal consumers. (Adapted from PIB) 12. e-learning initiatives (Relevant for GS Prelims)






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The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched many schemes for promoting e-learning across students in schools & Universities. The key e-learning initiatives run by MHRD are as follows: - (i) SWAYAM: The Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds' (SWAYAM) an integrated platform for online courses, using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and covering school (9th to 12th) to Post Graduate Level. At present, about 1000+ MOOCs Courses are listed on SWAYAM, wherein about 30 Lakhs students have enrolled to these courses. It also offers online courses for students, teachers and teacher educators (ii) SWAYAM Prabha: SWAYAM Prabha is an initiative to provide 32 High Quality Educational Channels through DTH (Direct to Home) across the length and breadth of the country on 24X7 basis. It has curriculum-based course content covering diverse disciplines. (iii) National Digital Library (NDL): The National Digital Library of India (NDL) is a project to develop a framework of virtual repository of learning resources with a single-window search facility. There are more than 153 Lakhs digital books available through the NDL. (iv) E-pathshala: E-books of the resources developed by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) / State Institutes of Education (SIEs), State boards etc. SIEs in multiple languages and uploaded on e-pathshala website and disseminated through mobile app (android, iOS and Windows). E-pathshala has been listed/made available on the UMANG App of Govt. of India, which was launched by Hon ble Prime Minister of India on 23 November 2017 during GCCS-2017. (v) National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER) : To make digital resources available for teachers and students as free and open source material. To enable the participation of the community in development and sharing of digital resources. To facilitate the adoption and creation of digital resources in different Indian languages. (Adapted from PIB) 13. Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin all set to construct 1 crore pucca rural houses by December 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims) Prime Minister launched Pradhan MantriAwasYojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) on 20th November 2016 from Agra. The erstwhile rural housing programme, Indira AwaasYojana (IAY), was restructured into PMAY-G. To achieve Housing for All by 2022 , a target of completing one crore PMAY-G new pucca houses in rural areas by 31st March 2019 and 2.95 crore pucca houses by 2022 was set. Of these, 51 lakh houses were to be completed by 31st March 2018, which included completion of expected 2 lakh incomplete IAY houses as well.






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(Adapted from PIB) 14. First meeting of National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan (Relevant for GS Prelims) The first meeting of National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan was held today in New Delhi. The annual targets set under POSHAN Abhiyaan beginning 2017-18 are as under:

S.No Objective Target

1. Prevent and reduce stunting in children (0-6years) By 6% @ 2% p.a.

2 Prevent and reduce under-nutrition (underweight

prevalence) in children (0-6 years)

By 6% @ 2% p.a.

3 Reduce the prevalence of anemia among young Children (6-

59 months)

By 9% @ 3% p.a.

4 Reduce the prevalence of anemia among Women and

Adolescent Girls in the age group of 15-49 years.

By 9% @ 3% p.a.

5 Reduce Low Birth Weight (LBW). By 6% @ 2% p.a.

Target of Mission is also to bring down stunting of the children in the age group of 0-6 years from 38.4% to 25% by the year 2022. About National Nutrition Mission (Poshan Abhiyaan) National Nutrition Mission was launched with a three-year budget commencing from 2017-18. NNM aims at improving the nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers. The goals of NNM include: 1. preventing and reducing stunting in children 2. preventing and reducing underweight prevalence in children 3. reducing Low Birth Weight (LBW) among Children 4. reducing the prevalence of anaemia among young Children 5. reducing the prevalence of anaemia among Women and Adolescent Girls Implementation - The mission focuses on convergence with various other programmes related to women and children to attain its objectives.






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(Adapted from PIB) 15. Restructured Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today gave its approval for restructured Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA). Expenditure: The Scheme will be implemented during the period from 01.04.2018 to 31.03.2022 at the total cost of Rs. 7255.50 crore with the Central Share of Rs. 4500 crore and that of State Share of Rs. 2755.50 crore as per details given below: Details: (i)This scheme will extend to all States and UTs of the Country and will also include institutions of rural local government in non-Part IX areas, where Panchayats do not exist, (ii)The scheme will have both Central Component - National Level activities including "National Plan of Technical Assistance", "Mission Mode project on e-Panchayat", "Incentivization of Panchayats" and State component - Capacity Building of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), (iii)The Central Component will be fully funded by the Government of India. However, Centre:State funding pattern for State Component will be 60:40 for all States, except North East and Hill States where Centre:State funding pattern will be 90:10. For all Union Territories (UTs) (with and without legislatures), the Central share will be 100%. (iv)The implementation and monitoring of the activities of the scheme will broadly be aligned for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with main thrust on Panchayats identified under Mission Antyodaya and 115 Aspirational districts as identified by NITI Aayog. (v)The Scheme will converge capacity building initiatives of other Ministries with particular focus on those Ministries which will be impacted substantially by this Scheme, (vi)Sunset date for RGSA will be 31.03.2030. Background: The Finance Minister, in his budget speech for 2016-17, announced the launch of new restructured scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), for developing governance capabilities of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A Committee under the Chairmanship of the Vice Chairman-NITI Aayog was constituted to restructure the existing scheme of this Ministry as Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. (Adapted from PIB)






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16. Mobile App (m-Awas) (Relevant for GS Prelims) Government launched a Mobile App (m-Awas) for allotment of Government accommodations in General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) in Delhi. A total number of 61,317 residential accommodations of various types are available in Delhi which are allotted to the eligible Central Government employees through Automated System of Allotment (ASA), by using login Id and password. The app will facilitate the applicants of the Central Government accommodation in Delhi as well as those who are in waiting list, to apply for allotment, view waiting list and the allotment lists. (Adapted from PIB)






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Environment 1. Environment Ministry notifies Plastic Waste Management (amendment) rules (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III- Environment) The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2018. The amended Rules lay down that the phasing out of Plastics is now applicable to Multi-layered Plastic (MLP), which are non-recyclable, or non-energy recoverable, or with no alternate use. Central Registration system The amended Rules also prescribe a central registration system for the registration of the producer/importer/brand owner. The Rules also lay down that any mechanism for the registration should be automated and should take into account ease of doing business for producers, recyclers and manufacturers. The centralized registration system will be evolved by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the registration of the producer/importer/brand owner. While a national registry has been prescribed for producers with presence in more than two states, a state-level registration has been prescribed for smaller producers/brand owners operating within one or two states. Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 Based on several representations received from various stakeholders, MoEF&CC had constituted a committee on issues/challenges faced with regard to the implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The committee deliberated on several issues related to the Rules and its implementation by various stakeholders and submitted its recommendations to the Ministry. What are Multilayered Plastic (MLP)? Multi-layered plastics are made up of a layered composition of various types of plastics. Sometimes, the plastics material is also combined with non-plastics such as aluminium foil. Multi-layered plastics products are difficult to be recycled. Mixed plastics streams are generally separated on the basis of their density for purpose of recycling. (Adapted from PIB)






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Internal Security 1. Government s new policy paying dividends in containing Left Wing Extremism (Relevant for GS Mains Paper III-Internal Security) Policy to contain LWE (Naxalites) The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been implementing the National Policy and Action Plan since 2015 to combat Left Wing Extremism (LWE). This envisages a multi-pronged strategy involving security and development related measures. The significant features of the new policy were zero tolerance towards violence coupled with a big push to developmental activities so that benefits of development reached the poor and vulnerable in the affected areas. Categorization MHA had categorized 106 districts in 10 states as Left-Wing Extremism affected. These districts are covered under the Security Related Expenditure Scheme (SRE) of the MHA for the purpose of reimbursement of security related expenditure like transportation, communication, hiring of vehicles, stipend for surrendered Maoists, temporary infrastructure for forces etc. to the states. Out of 106 districts, 35 districts which accounted for 80-90 % of country-wide LWE violence were categorized as Most Affected Districts . This categorization provided the basis for focused deployment of resources - both security and development related. Over the last few years, a number of districts have been carved into smaller districts. This has resulted in the geographical area of the 106 SRE districts to be spread over 126 districts and that of the 35 most affected districts to be expanded to 36 districts. Reduction in violence Over the last four years, there has been a substantial improvement in the LWE scenario. Incidents of violence have seen a 20% decline with a 34% reduction in related deaths in 2017 as compared to 2013. The geographical spread of LWE violence also shrunk from 76 districts in 2013 to just 58 districts in 2017. Besides, just 30 of these districts account for 90% of the LWE violence in the country. At the same time certain new districts have emerged as the focus of expansion by the Left-Wing Extremists. Revision of affected districts MHA recently undertook a comprehensive exercise in consultation with the States to review the affected districts in order to ensure that the deployment of resources is in sync with the changed ground reality. Accordingly, 44 districts have been excluded and 08 new districts have been added to the list of SRE districts. In order to counter Maoist efforts to expand their influence in the tribal areas at the tri-junction of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, three districts of Kerala have been included






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in the list of SRE Districts. Despite the fact that there is hardly any violence in the new districts, the move is pre-emptive. As a result of the exercise, 90 districts in 11 States will now be covered by the Scheme, down from 126. The list of Most Affected Districts has been pruned to 30, down from 36. The revised categorization is a more realistic representation of the actual LWE scenario. (Adapted from PIB)






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Miscellaneous

1. Tentative listing of Six monuments / historical sites in North Eastern States under

World Heritage Site (Relevant for GS Prelims)

As many as 6 monuments/historical sites in the North Eastern states have been identified

tentatively for listing under World Heritage Site.

Details of monuments/sites identified/placed under tentative list for listing under

world heritage in the north eastern states are given below:

1. Apatani Cultural Landscape, Arunachal Pradesh

2. Iconic Saree Weaving Clusters of India

3. Moidams – the Mound – Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty, Assam

4. Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh

5. River Island of Majuli in midstream of Brahmaputra River in Assam

6. Thembang Fortified Village, Arunachal Pradesh

(Adapted from PIB)

2. Crops and vegetables developed by BARC (Relevant for GS Prelims) By using radiation induced mutagenesis along with cross breeding, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has developed two mutants of rice {Trombay Raipur Rice-1(TRR-1), Trombay Konkan Kolam (TKKR-13) *} and one mutant of cowpea {Trombay Cowpea 901 (TC901) *} which are identified for release. The major desirable traits in these crops include higher yield, seed size, improved agronomic and quality traits, early maturity and stress tolerance. The BARC developed mutant crop varieties have high patronage from the farming community and are extensively grown in different states of the country. Popularization is done by linkages established with State Agricultural Universities (through kisan mela, frontline demonstrations / exhibitions and awareness programmes). (Adapted from PIB) 3. Agreement Between NPCIL and EDF of France (Relevant for GS Prelims) Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Electricite de France (EDF) of France have on March 10, 2018 signed an Industrial Way Forward Agreement for implementation of six nuclear power reactor units at Jaitapur, Maharashtra with a total capacity of about 10,000 MW. About the reactors






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The Evolutionary Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) are evolutionary reactors, whose design has evolved from KONVOI and N4 reactors which have been in operation in Germany and France respectively for about two decades. Further, the work at Jaitapur will be commenced only on demonstration of full power operation of Flamanville-3 under construction in France, as reference plant, to have an operationally proven technology. There are currently four EPRs under construction viz. Olkiluoto-3 in Finland, Flamanville-3 in France and Taishan 1&2 in China. There have been reports that these reactors are delayed. There is delay in execution of the project and this is not attributable to the technology itself. (Adapted from PIB) 4. Exercise Gaganshakti-2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims)

An all-encompassing coordinated and composite exercise named Gaganshakti is being

conducted by the IAF in Apr 18. The aim of this exercise is real time coordination,

deployment and employment of Air Power in a short & intense battle scenario.

(Adapted from PIB)

5. First Meeting of the NITI Forum for North East (Relevant for GS Prelims)

The first meeting of the newly constituted NITI Forum for North East was held in Agartala,

Tripura. The meeting, organized by the NITI Aayog, Ministry of Development Of North

Eastern Region and the North Eastern Council (NEC).

What is NITI Forum for North East?

The NITI Forum for North East was constituted in February 2018 with an aim to ensure

sustainable economic growth of the North Eastern Region (NER) of the country and

periodically review the development status in NER.

(Adapted from PIB)

6. Defexpo-2018 (Relevant for GS prelims) Defence Exhibition Organisation is an autonomous organisation of the Indian Government established in 1981. The organisation was established to promote export potential of the Indian defence industry. The agency is responsible for organising international exhibitions such as DEFEXPO and Indian participation at overseas exhibitions. Defexpo-2018






27



The 10th edition of Defexpo India, a biennial exhibition on Land, Naval and Internal Homeland Security Systems, held in April 2018 at Thiruvidanthai in Kancheepuram district on the East Coast Road near Chennai. (Adapted from PIB) 7. Digital platform for MSME Exporters (Relevant for GS Prelims) FIEO Global Linker The Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Suresh Prabhu launched the FIEO Global Linker- a digital platform for MSME exporters to digitise their businesses and join a global community of growing businesses today in New Delhi. Role of FIEO The Minister Congratulated Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) for coming out with the interesting idea. He said that this initiative will help in expanding India's multi-focused export strategy and also aid in connecting art and artisans to the market. Benefits of FIEO Global Linker FIEO Global Linker is setup with a view to make the business growth of SMEs simpler, more profitable and enjoyable. It is a growing global network currently comprising over 140,000 SME firms, who are seeking business collaboration and growth opportunities through the use of their electronic business card and digital profiles created on the platform. FIEO is available free of cost and it offers exporters a range of features and benefits like: • Business Opportunities: Exporters will be able to find clients, suppliers and advisors using the search and review facilities. Creating a free e-commerce store for direct sales and improved chain management. • Up-to-date Business Knowledge through business articles, industry news and common interest groups. • Improved Efficiencies: Platform provides services like company intranet, integrating email, a business calendar. • FIEO's Services: Application for new RCMC/endorsement/renewal/participation in FIEO's promotional programme and alerts. (Adapted from PIB) 8. DARPAN Project (Relevant for GS Prelims) Shri Sinha said, with a view to achieve total digitisation of postal operations in the country, under the IT Modernisation Plan, Department of Posts has launched DIGITAL ADVANCEMENT OF RURAL POST OFFICE FOR A NEW INDIA (DARPAN) Project, which aims at connecting all 1.29 lakh Rural Branch Post Offices in the country to enable them to






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do online Postal and Financial Transactions. Hand held devices with SIM connectivity and solar power backup are being installed in all Branch Post Offices in the Country. The total Project cost is more than Rs.1300 crores. 61,941 Branch Post Offices have been rolled out under DARPAN Project as on 11th April 2018. (Adapted from PIB) 9. Visit of Prime Minister of India to Sweden (16-17 April 2018) Prime Minister of India visited Sweden on 16-17 April 2018. This was Prime Minister s first visit to Sweden as well as a visit to Sweden by Indian Prime Minister after Rajiv Gandhi visit in 1988. On arrival in Stockholm on 16 April, Prime Minister was received by PM Lofven. Meeting with Swedish Kind King of Sweden holds ceremonial post. Prime Minister had meeting with His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf. King Carl XVI Gustaf visited India earlier in 1993 and 2005. Meeting with PM Prime Minister had a meeting with PM Lofven. They met earlier when PM Lofven visited India in February 2016 and participated in the Make in India Week in Mumbai with a strong business delegation. In October 2017, PM Lofven participated in Make in India: Sweden 2017 event organized in Stockholm. Prime Minister s discussions with PM Lofven focused on strengthening bilateral ties with special emphasis on building closer economic relations. Economic relations FDI from Sweden into India is USD 1.4 billion. India-Sweden annual bilateral trade stands at around USD 1.8 billion. Indian Diaspora Sweden is home to more than 20000 members of Indian diaspora, including around 2000 Indian students studying in various institutions. India - Nordic Council Summit During the visit, India and Sweden also hosted an India-Nordic Summit, entitled India-Nordic Summit: Shared Values, Mutual Prosperity . It was attended by Prime Minister of India and PM Lofven and all other Nordic Prime Ministers, PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark, PM Juha Sipila of Finland, PM Katrin Jakobsdottir of Iceland and PM Erna Solberg of Norway. India-Nordic economic relations India has substantial economic ties with Nordic countries. Annual India-Nordic trade is about $5.3 billion. The cumulative Nordic FDI into India has been $2.5 billion.






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(Adapted from PIB) 10. List of MOUs and Agreements signed and exchanged on the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister to Stockholm (Read only for understanding) MOUs/Agreements between India and Sweden • Joint Declaration on India-Sweden Innovation Partnership for a Sustainable Future between Ministry of Science and Technology of India and the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation MOUs/Agreements between India and Denmark • MOU on Cooperation in the field of Sustainable and Smart Urban Development between the Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs of India and the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs of Denmark • MOU on Cooperation in the fields of Animal Husbandry and Dairying between Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare of India and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark • MOU on Food Safety Cooperation between the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration • MOU on Cooperation in Agricultural Research and Education between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Science, Denmark MOUs/Agreements between India and Iceland • MOU on the Establishment of the ICCR Chair for Hindi Language between Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the University of Iceland. What is the difference between MOU and Agreement? Memorandum of Understanding: A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is a document between parties to express a convergence of will to indicate an intended common line of action, rather than a legal commitment. It is a formal alternative to a gentlemen s agreement, but generally lacks the binding power of a contract. Agreement: An agreement is a document written between parties to work together on an agreed upon project or meet an agreed-upon objective. Agreement is binding and holds the parties responsible to their commitment. In bilateral or multilateral relations, MOU reflects the common understanding which further leads to discussions and negotiations amongst the parties. These discussions and negotiations may or may not conclude into agreement.






30



(Adapted from PIB and Background from PrepMate-Cengage IOBR Book, Chapter 2 Regional Organisations, Associations and Groupings, Page 62) 11. First Ever International SME Convention-2018 in New Delhi (Relevant for GS Prelims) One hundred and fifty participants from 31 countries and 400 entrepreneurs from India will participate in the four-day International SME convention being held in New Delhi from 22ndto 24th April. The Ministry of MSME has engaged with over 35 International Trade Development organizations to attract and invite able and willing entrepreneurs and encourage people to people contact with select Indian Entrepreneurs from key sectors of the International counterparts. The convention has specific focus on inclusion of MSMEs in the Make in India program & empowering women entrepreneurs. Need was felt to create a platform which could allow Entrepreneur – to – Entrepreneur exchange of ideas, free and fair business discussions, mutual sizing of opportunities and ways to address them. India is home to more than 60 million MSMEs, majority of who are in low-tech areas and serve the local domestic markets. Of these, a small percentage, have the ability and capability to derive access to International Markets, with the vast majority of enterprises working as ancillaries. Together the MSMEs constitute a single largest employer after the Agriculture sector in India. Highly developed economies have banked on their small and medium enterprises for both GDP Growth as well as higher employment resulting in higher per capita incomes. (Adapted from PIB) 12. Winners of the 1st Print Biennale India 2018 given away awards in New Delhi today Lalit Kala Akademi, organised the award ceremony of the 1st Print Biennale India 2018 (PBI)in New Delhi. It was the first-ever International Print Biennale, an International Exhibition of Graphic Prints. About the event The event comprised display of total 200 original prints created by Indian and international artists. Total 988 entries at the national level were received of which 127 were chosen for display. About Lalit Kala Akademi The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India s national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in and outside the country.





https://prepmate.in/product/international-organisations-bilateral-relations-civil-services/

https://prepmate.in/product/international-organisations-bilateral-relations-civil-services/


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LKA provides scholarships and a fellow program, and sponsors and organises exhibitions in India and overseas. It publishes a bilingual journal. It is funded by the Union Ministry of Culture. Its headquarters are at Ravindra Bhawan, Ferozshah Road, New Delhi. In April 2015, Government of India took over management control of Lalit Kala Akademi citing complaints regarding alleged administrative and financial irregularities in its functioning. (Adapted from PIB)





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