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Table of Contents

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

1. Amendments in the Mineral Auction Rules (Relevant for GS Prelims, Mains Paper II

& III) ................................................................................................................................................................. 1

2. National Conference on E-Courts Project held (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains

Paper II).......................................................................................................................................................... 2

3. Shri Rajnath Singh attended Hornbill festival in Nagaland (Relevant for GS Prelims

and Mains Paper II) ................................................................................................................................... 3

4. Violation of Section 126 (1) (b) of The Representation of the People Act, 1951 by

certain TV Channels (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II)..................................... 4

5. National Nutrition Strategy (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS mains Paper II) .................... 4

6. Welfare of Tribal Women Schemes (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II) ....... 5

7. Atal Innovation Mission selects additional 1500 schools for setting up of Atal

Tinkering Labs across India (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS mains Paper II) ...................... 7

8. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains

Paper II).......................................................................................................................................................... 8

International Organizations and Relations ............................................................................................... 9

1. The Second India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Rally Underway (Relevant for GS

Prelims and Mains Paper II) ................................................................................................................. 9

2. Global Hunger Index (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper II) .................................. 10

3. IMF and WB release the Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) and Financial Sector Assessment (FSA) ....................................................................................................... 11

4. New $318 million loan Agreement Signed with World Bank to Support Climate

Resilient Agriculture – over 500,000 Farmers to Benefit in Tamil Nadu (Relevant for

GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ....................................................................................................................... 11

Economics .................................................................................................................................................................... 13

1. Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposes penalty of Rs. 52.24 crore on BCCI

for the Anti-Competitive conduct (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II & III)

......................................................................................................................................................................... 13

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2. 100 million Soil Health Card distributed to farmers in the first phase (2015-2017):

Agriculture Minister (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III) ................................. 13

3. Vision of the Government is 24x7 Power for All – All the States on board to achieve

Target by March 2019: Shri R. K. Singh (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III)

............................................................................................................................................................................................. 14

4. New Policy Initiatives by Railways (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II& III)

......................................................................................................................................................................... 15

5. More than 30 crore Accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

(Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper III) ........................................................................... 16

6. Operation Clean Money (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II & III) ................ 17

7. Rs. 14,500 crores raised through BHARAT 22 ETF (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains

Paper III) ..................................................................................................................................................... 18

8. All you need to know about Inter-Linking of Rivers (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS

Mains Paper III) ....................................................................................................................................... 18

Geography ................................................................................................................................................................... 25

1. Cyclonic Storm OCKHI over south Kerala coast and neighborhood (Relevant for GS

Prelims and Mains Paper I) ................................................................................................................. 25

Internal Security ...................................................................................................................................................... 27

1. Border Protection Grid to be set up in Border States, says Union Home Minister Shri

Rajnath Singh (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ............................................... 27

Science & Technology ........................................................................................................................................... 29

1. Successful Launch of Akash Missile (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper III) .. 29

2. NIC-CERT to prevent & predict cyber-attacks on government utilities (Relevant for

GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ................................................................................................. 29

3. Department of Space Achievements in 2017 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains

paper III) ..................................................................................................................................................... 30

4. All you need to know about Bio-Toilets in Trains (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains

paper III) ..................................................................................................................................................... 31

5. Target of Atomic Energy got revised (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II) 33






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Miscellaneous ............................................................................................................................................................ 35

1. Mirabai Chanu won gold at World Weightlifting Championship (Relevant for GS

Prelims) ...................................................................................................................................................... 35

2. Pankaj Advani wins IBSF World Snooker Championship (Relevant for GS Prelims) . 35

3. Digital MSME Scheme launched (Relevant for GS Prelims) .................................................. 35

4. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................................................ 36

5. SHe-Box portal set up for registering complaints of sexual harassment of women

employees at workplace, of both Government and Private sector (Relevant for GS

Prelims) ....................................................................................................................................................... 36

6. India ranked 60th most innovative country on the Global Innovation Index-2017

(Relevant for GS Prelims) ..................................................................................................................... 37

7. All India Institute of Ayurveda becomes Fully Operational (Relevant for GS Prelims)

......................................................................................................................................................................... 37

8. Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............... 38






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Polity and Governance 1. Amendments in the Mineral Auction Rules (Relevant for GS Prelims, Mains Paper II & III) The Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation Act, 1957 was amended in 2015. Auction of Blocks held: Auction of concessions for major minerals (other than coal, petroleum and natural gas) was done for the first time in the history of mineral administration in the country. 33 blocks were successfully allocated. The value of minerals auctioned out is Rs. 169,000 Crore. The consensus emerged that the Mineral Auction Rules need to be amended to make the process more pragmatic without sacrificing the checks on successful bidders. The Mineral Auction Rules have been amended on 30/11/2017. Revenue details: Revenue to states over lease period are estimated at Rs. 128,000 Crore. The additional revenue on account of auction process is Rs. 99,000 Crore. However, 60 auction attempts failed during this period. Changes and Their Impact: 1. Change: Under the old rules the process of auction was revoked if there are less than 3 bidders and this process used to be carried out for 3 rounds at least. in the 4th round flexibility was allowed. Each round of auction carries on for 3 months at least and this resulted in many blocks getting annulled time and again. Impact: While a minimum of 3 bidders is still stipulated in first attempt to auction, in the amended rules now the states have the flexibility of allocating the block in the 2nd round itself even if there are less than 3 bidders. This will make the auction process less cumbersome and will help states auction mineral blocks quickly. 2. Change: Earlier the state used to prescribe end use conditions on miners and it was very rigid. This resulted in inefficient mining as many mines with low grade ore dumps were saddled with this burden as they could neither use it for captive purpose nor could dispose it off. In the amended rules, such miners will be able to dispose of 25% of such dumps, which are not used for captive purposes. Impact: This will help progress towards zero waste mining and utilization of minerals even in low-grade ore. This provision holds good only for the mines that would be granted through auction after 30/11/2017 i.e. the date of publication of the amendment rules. Bid values are likely to improve and participation will improve further.






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3. Change: The amended rules have also provided adjustment of the upfront premium to be adjusted against the due payments of miner at the earliest. Impact: This would increase the liquidity of the mining entities at the most stressed time i.e. when production begins. This will further ease their capacity to carry out the business. 4. A major amendment in the rules has been that the requirement of net worth for the prospective bidders. In practical terms for an average annual production of up to Rs. 2 Crore, the net worth required was Rs. 4 Crore, which is reduced to Rs.0.5 Crore. For an average annual production, up to Rs. 20 Crore the net worth required was Rs. 40 Crore which has been reduced to Rs. 10 Crore. 5. For small bidders the value of unencumbered immovable property can also be taken in net worth, thus allowing larger participation. 6. Provisions have been made to discourage squatting on bid out leases. Expectation from the changed Rules: In sum, these changes in Auction rules will lead to enhanced participation in the auction process. Further, it is expected that this will also give a fillip to the auction process and will result in more mineral blocks being auctioned successfully. (Adapted from PIB) 2 .National Conference on E-Courts Project held (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II) The Committee of the Supreme Court of India in association with the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the Government of India held a two-day National Conference on National e-Courts Project. About e-Courts Mission Mode Project: The e-Courts Mission Mode Project is a national e-Governance project for ICT enablement of district and subordinate courts of the country. It is being implemented by the Government of India. The major objectives of the Project are to make whole judicial system ICT enabled by putting in place adequate and modern hardware and connectivity; automation of workflow management in all courts; electronic movement of records from taluka/trial to appeal courts; installation of video conferencing (VC) facility and recording of witness through Video Conferencing; connecting all courts in the country to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) through WAN and additional redundant connectivity; citizen centric facilities such






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as electronic filing, e-payment and use of mobile applications in all courts; touch screen based kiosks in each court complex, full computerisation of State and district level judicial and service academies and centres. Specific targets set under the Project include: Computerization of all the courts (around 20400) and internet connectivity in 3500 court complexes; full Installation and use of Video Conferencing facility at 3000 Court Complexes and 1150 prisons; charting out key identified citizen services like electronic filing, daily orders, delivery of decrees, online case status in all the district courts etc. Highlights of the Conference: 1.E-Filing software was launched for district courts and High Courts. e-Filing software has the facility to e-sign uploaded documents. Through e-Filing software, registered advocates and registered parties or persons will be able to file their cases in the district courts. 2.Further, a demonstration was made by NIC Pune of a new version of Case Information System CIS 3.0. In the new improved version, various tools relating to court management, case management and judicial planning and monitoring will also be shown. 3.Use of National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) for Judicial planning and monitoring, generating various statistical reports for administration and policy decisions, was demonstrated. (Adapted from PIB) 3.Shri Rajnath Singh attended Hornbill festival in Nagaland (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II) Highlights: Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath commended the role of the State Government in raising Nagaland s 15 India Reserve (Mahila) Battalion and setting up of Women s Police Stations in Kohima and Dimapur for empowering women. About Hornbill festival: The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held every year from 1 - 10 December, in Nagaland, Northeast India. It is also called the 'Festival of Festivals'. To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December. The first festival was held in 2000.






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The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state's tribes. (Adapted from PIB) 4.Violation of Section 126 (1) (b) of The Representation of the People Act, 1951 by certain TV Channels (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II) Election Commission received Reports & Complaints to the effect that some of TV channels in Gujarat have displayed interview given by Sh. Rahul Gandhi of Indian National Congress, in which Sh. Rahul Gandhi has been talking about election to Legislative Assembly of Gujarat, which are currently in progress and for which 2nd phase of poll is scheduled to be taken tomorrow i.e. 14th December, 2017. What does the Section 126 (1)(b) states? Such display falls within the definition of election matter under Section 126 (3) of Representation of the People Act, 1951 and display of such election matter within 48 hours ending with hour fixed for conclusion of poll in the poll going arears, amounts to violation of Section 126 (1)(b) of Representation of the People Act, 1951. Steps taken: 1.The Commission after due deliberations has, therefore, directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat to initiate necessary action by filing FIR against those who have violated the above mentioned provisions. 2.Further, those TV channels which are violating the provisions of Section 126 (1)(b) by displaying said election matter have been directed to forthwith stop the display of such matter. (Adapted from PIB) 5.National Nutrition Strategy (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS mains Paper II) National Nutrition Strategy (NNS) has been published by NITI Aayog. The salient features of the National Nutrition Strategy are as follows: Vision 2022: Kuposhan Mukt Bharat . Objectives and targets: • point percentage / year reduction in underweight prevalence in children (0-3 years) by 2022 from NFHS-4 levels • / rd reduction in anaemia in children, adolescent & Women of Reproductive Age WRA •MoHFW under the umbrella of National Health Mission NHM has implemented following schemes and programmes which address the issue of malnutrition:






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•Promotion of appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding IYCF practices that include early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of age through ASHA worker and health care provider at health facilities. In order to promote and support breastfeeding, Government has implemented MAA- Mothers Absolute Affection programme to improve breastfeeding coverage and appropriate breastfeeding practices in the country. A greater emphasis is laid on capacity building of the health workers on lactation management at both community and facility levels and 360 degree IEC campaign to create awareness regarding breastfeeding. •National Iron Plus Initiative has been launched as an effective strategy for supplementation and treatment of anaemia in children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, in programme mode through life cycle approach. Specific program to prevent and treat micronutrient deficiencies through Iron & Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation across life stages are: •Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram RBSK , systematic efforts are undertaken to detect nutrition deficiency among children and adolescents respectively. •Mission Indradhanush: Launched in with the objective to ensure high coverage of children with all vaccines in identified districts with the goal of reaching the unreached to achieve 90% full immunization coverage in India. •Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram RBSK provides child health screening for common health conditions by expanding the reach of mobile health teams at block level and establishment of District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs) at the districts for early interventions services. •Village Health and Nutrition Days and Mother and Child Protection Card are the joint initiative of the Ministry of Health & Family welfare and the Ministry of Woman and Child Development for addressing the nutrition concerns in children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) are monthly days held at village level in Anganwadi centre to increase the awareness and bring about desired changes in the dietary practices including the promotion of breastfeeding. (Adapted from PIB) 6.Welfare of Tribal Women Schemes (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II) Government has adopted Tribal Sub-Plan (now called as Scheduled Tribe Component) strategy for ensuring overall development of tribal areas across the country while ensuring inclusive growth of STs including tribal women. While the major schemes / programmes for providing infrastructural facilities and other amenities like roads, electricity, water, education, health etc. in the tribal areas are implemented by the concerned Central Ministries / Department and State Governments, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements schemes/programmes which are primarily aimed at filling critical gaps in these sectors for tribal population. Ministry of Tribal Affairs while trying to ensure that women benefit






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equally from general schemes also has some special schemes meant for the benefit of ST women and girls as given below: (i)Scheme of Girls & Boys Hostels for STs: Under the scheme, Central assistance is given to States / UTs / Universities for construction of new hostel buildings and / or extension of existing hostels. State Governments are eligible for 100% central share for construction of all Girls hostel and also for construction of Boys hostel in naxal affected areas. The funding pattern for other Boys Hostel to State Governments is on 50:50 basis. (ii)Scheme of Ashram Schools in Tribal Areas: The objective of the scheme is to provide residential schools for STs to increase the literacy rate among the tribal students and to bring them at par with other population of the country. Under the scheme, State Governments are eligible for 100% central share for construction of all Girls Ashram Schools and also for construction of Boys Ashram Schools in naxal affected areas. The funding pattern for the other Boys Ashram Schools is on 50:50 basis. (iii)Scheme for Strengthening Education among ST Girls in Low Literacy Districts: This scheme is being implemented in 54 identified low literacy Districts where the ST population is 25% or more, and ST female literacy rate is below 35%, or its fractions, as per 2001 census. (iv)In addition to above, to maximize retention of ST students within various stages of school education and promoting higher learning, monetary incentives are provided by Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the form of scholarships such as Pre-Matric Scholarship, Post Matric Scholarship, National Overseas Scholarship, Scholarship for Top Class Education and Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for ST students. (v)Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub Scheme (SCA to TSS) (hitherto known as SCA to Tribal Sub Plan (TSP)): It is 100% grant from Government of India. Its objective is to bridge the gap between Scheduled Tribes (ST) population and others by providing support for education, health, sanitation, water supply, livelihood, skill development, minor infrastructure etc. It is a flexible scheme and supplements the efforts of the line Ministries/Departments. (vi)Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution: It is 100% grant from Government of India. Funding under this programme is to enable the State to meet the cost of such schemes of development as may be undertaken by the State for the purpose of promoting the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in that State or raising the level of administration of Scheduled Areas therein to that of the administration of the rest of the areas of that State. Funds are provided to States for various sectoral interventions. The Ministry has insisted upon the States, that in interventions under Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub Scheme, and under Article 275(1) grants, one third beneficiaries should be women / girls.






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(vii)Adivasi Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana: National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC), an apex organization under Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing this exclusive scheme for tribal women. Under the scheme, Scheduled Tribes women can undertake any income generation activity. Loans upto 90% for scheme costing upto Rs.1 lakh are provided at a concessional rate of interest of 4% per annum. (Adapted from PIB). 7.Atal Innovation Mission selects additional 1500 schools for setting up of Atal Tinkering Labs across India (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS mains Paper II) Recent leap by Atal Innovation Mission NITI Aayog s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Government of India s flagship program to promote innovation and entrepreneurship nationwide in schools, universities and industry, has selected additional 1500 Schools for establishment of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs). The addition of these schools will give a major boost to realize the vision of the mission to Cultivate One Million children in India as the Innovators of tomorrow. Atal Innovation Mission About ATLs are innovation play workspaces for students between Grade VI to Grade XII, stimulating innovations combining science & technology. These open-ended innovation workspaces equipped with state of the art technologies like 3D printers, Robotics, Sensor Technology Kits, Internet of Things, miniaturized Electronics etc enable the students to learn and solve local community problems using emerging Technologies. Students are encouraged to explore and experience Design Thinking and Innovation, using a do-it-yourself approach, and develop innovative solutions to India s social, community or economic problems The young students who have already got exposure to creative technology platforms to nurture their curiosity, creativity and imagination from ATLs in their schools, have already started designing prototype solutions and started creative projects such as better irrigation management, waste management, and sensor-based solutions using IOT devices and Robotics in their Labs. ATLs will help our country to transform Young students to Young Innovators. This will be big opportunity for students to build the New India of their dreams by 2022. The active participation by Schools and their students in ATL will power the transformations of New India through their creativity and innovation. The labs are designed to spur the spark of creativity and go beyond regular curriculum and text book learning. The labs will also enable students explore skills of future such as design and computational thinking, adaptive learning and artificial intelligence. Present reach of mission The 2441 schools have been selected from over 25000+ applications till date from two round of applications. It will enhance the coverage of ATLs to over 98% Smart cities, 93%+ of the districts (655+ districts). Its spread is evident from the fact that there will now be at least one or more ATLs in 34 States and Union Territories across the country.






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Lauding the newly selected 1500 Schools, the Mission Director of ATL, Mr. R. Ramanan said, As part of our mission to Transform India into an Innovative Country the active engagement of ATLs is extremely important and far reaching in its implications He has also appealed the new schools to comply speedily with the requirements as per ATL Guidelines for getting the funds for establishment and also ensure commencement of regular ATL Operations from the coming new academic sessions. The ATLs will touch upon the all sections of our society to make the vision of the Prime Minister to build a Creative India, an Innovative India. (Adapted from PIB) 8.Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II) About Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana: The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) was announced in 2003 with objectives of correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable/ reliable tertiary healthcare services and also to augment facilities for quality medical education in the country. PMSSY has two components: (i) Setting up new AIIMS. •Six AIIMS are already functional. •AIIMS Rae Bareli is under construction. •Thirteen more AIIMS are announced construction. Out. of which, Five AIIMS are approved by cabinet. (ii) Upgradation of 39 government medical colleges. Details: 1.Approved cost of each of the upgradation project is Rs.150 crore with Central Govt. contribution of Rs.120 crore and State Govt. contribution of Rs.30 crore. 2.Expenditure would be incurred on construction of Super Speciality Blocks and procurement of medical equipments for the Super Speciality Departments along with consultancy charges and contingency etc. 3.Construction work is going on in 38 upgradation projects out of above mentioned 39 upgradation projects and procurement of equipment is also under progress. (Adapted from PIB)






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International Organisations and Relations

1. The Second India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Rally Underway (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II) First leg from Guwahati to Bangkok: The second India-Myanmar-Thailand Friendship Motor Rally–IMT 2 is underway. The rally was flagged off from Guwahati on 25th November, 2017 with a total of 50 participants including five women. The rally is a boost to idea of India, Thailand, Myanmar Highway. Details: The IMT-2 motor rally has been organised by Kalinga Motor Sports Club in collaboration with the team Mahindra Adventure. The Embassies of Myanmar and Thailand in India and the Indian Embassy in Myanmar and Thailand facilitated the event while the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of External Affairs and Land Customs Department, Government of India offered full support. India, Thailand, Myanmar Highway India, Thailand and Myanmar are working on a 1,400-km long highway that will link India with Southeast Asia by land for the first time, giving a boost to trade and cultural exchanges between the three countries. The planned highway starts in the eastern region of India from Moreh (Manipur) to Myanmar s Tamu city. India and Its Neighbours 225 Negotiations are currently underway to conclude a tri-nation motor vehicle agreement for the use of the 1,400-km road that will reach Thailand at Tak, Mae Sot district.






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Significance for India 1.The road will help in transportation of goods and further development in North East India. 2.Myanmar s Dawei deep-sea port, which is undergoing construction, near the Thai border is also expected to help further integrate eastern India with South East Asian countries. The planned port can be linked up with India s Chennai port as well as Thailand s Laem Chabang Port on the other side of the ocean. (Adapted from PIB) 2. Global Hunger Index (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper II) As per 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), India ranks 100 out 119 countries. About Global Hunger Index The Global Hunger Index is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and national levels. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) calculates GHI scores each year to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger.






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To capture the multidimensional nature of hunger, GHI scores are based on four indicators as follows: 1.Undernourishment: the share of the population that is undernourished (that is, whose caloric intake is insufficient); 2.Child wasting: the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute under-nutrition); 3.Child stunting: the share of children under the age of five who are stunted (that is, who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic under-nutrition); and 4.Child mortality: the mortality rate of children under the age of five (in part, a reflection of the mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments). (Adapted from PIB and Background from PrepMate-Cengage International Organisations and Bilateral relations, Chapter 7 Reports and Indexes) 3.IMF and WB release the Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) and Financial Sector Assessment (FSA) IMF and WB today released the Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) and Financial Sector Assessment (FSA) respectively on their websites. India welcomes assessment of the Indian financial system undertaken by the joint IMF-World Bank team conforming to the highest international standards. The Second comprehensive FSAP has now been successfully conducted for India in 2017. About FSAP FSAP, a joint program of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB involved in developing countries and region only), undertakes a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of a country s financial sector. Since September 2010, it is being undertaken in 25 jurisdictions (now 29), with systemically important financial sectors, including India, every five years. Last FSAP for India was conducted in 2011-12 and the report published by IMF on Jan 15, 2013. About India The FSAP assessment acknowledges that India has recorded strong growth in recent years in both economic activity and financial assets with size of the financial system remaining broadly stable in terms of GDP at about 136 per cent. The FSSA released by IMF can be accessed at www.imf.org. The FSA released by World Bank can be accessed at www.worldbank.org (Adapted from PIB)






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4.New $318 million loan Agreement Signed with World Bank to Support Climate Resilient Agriculture – over 500,000 Farmers to Benefit in Tamil Nadu (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) About the loan agreement The Government of India, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank today signed a $318 million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project to promote climate resilient agriculture technologies, improve water management practices, and increase market opportunities for small and marginal farmers. About 500,000 farmers, of which a majority are small and marginal, are expected to benefit from improved and modernized tank irrigation systems. The project will rehabilitate and modernize about 4,800 irrigation tanks and 477 check dams, spread across 66 sub-basins, in delivering bulk water to irrigation systems. The $318 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 19 years. (Adapted from The Hindu and PIB)






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Economics 1.Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposes penalty of Rs. 52.24 crore on BCCI for the Anti-Competitive conduct (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II & III) What is the cause of imposing penalty on the BCCI? The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has found Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be in contravention of the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 (Act) for its assurance to the broadcasters of Indian Premier League (IPL) that BCCI shall not organize, sanction, recognize, or support another professional domestic Indian T20 competition that is competitive to IPL, for a sustained period of ten years. Findings of the CCI: After a detailed investigation, CCI found that BCCI enjoys a dominant position in the market for organization of professional domestic cricket leagues/ events in India. Based on the nature of activities performed, BCCI has been held as an enterprise and thus, would come under the purview of the Act. While recognizing the role of sports federation in taking measures to serve the integrity or development of the sport, CCI held that the impugned restriction had no nexus to the legitimate interest of cricket in the country. Rather, the restriction was pursued to enhance the commercial interest of the bidders of IPL broadcasting rights and the consideration in turn received by BCCI. About CCI (Competition Commission of India): Competition Commission of India is a statutory body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 throughout India and to prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India. It was established on 14 October 2003. It became fully functional in May 2009 with Dhanendra Kumar as its first Chairman. About BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. It is a consortium of state cricket associations and the state associations select their representatives who in turn elect the BCCI officials. (Adapted from PIB) 2.100 million Soil Health Card distributed to farmers in the first phase (2015-2017): Agriculture Minister (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III)






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What is a Soil Health Card? SHC is a printed report that a farmer will be handed over for each of his holdings. It will contain the status of his soil with respect to 12 parameters, namely N,P,K (Macro-nutrients); S (Secondary- nutrient); Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micro - nutrients); and pH, EC, OC (Physical parameters). Based on this, the SHC will also indicate fertilizer recommendations and soil amendment required for the farm. How can a farmer use a SHC? The card will contain an advisory based on the soil nutrient status of a farmer's holding. It will show recommendations on dosage of different nutrients needed. Further, it will advise the farmer on the fertilizers and their quantities he should apply, and also the soil amendments that he should undertake, so as to realize optimal yields. Who is behind SHC? Soil Health Card (SHC) is a Government of India's scheme promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Co-operation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. It is being implemented through the Department of Agriculture of all the State and Union Territory Governments. What is the benefit of SHC? Soil Health Card Scheme is a very beneficial scheme for farmers. There are many farmers in India. And they do not know which types of crops they should grow to get maximum yield. Basically, they do not know the quality and the type of their soil. They might know by experience what crops grow and what crops fail. But they don't know what they can do to improve the condition of the soil. (Adapted from PIB) 3.Vision of the Government is 24x7 Power for All – All the States on board to achieve Target by March 2019: Shri R. K. Singh (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III) Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh, chaired a Conference of Power and Energy Ministers of States/ Union Territories (UTs). Proposed reforms in power sector 1.The States have arrived at consensus-based roadmap to bring down losses in State Utilities/ DISCOMS to below 15%. There can be no justification to pass on the burden of our inefficiency to the consumer and this shall not be allowed post March 2019. It is for the Power Utilities to devise strategy to reduce their losses, the consumer must not be burdened with high power tariffs irrationally. 2.The Union Government is proposing to do away with human interface in meter reading and billing of consumers for power consumption. This would prevent corruption and increase compliance in bill payments.






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3.Mandatory installation of prepaid meters for small consumers and smart meters for large ones, with every connection in the future in each State. Prepaid meters will give consumers flexibility to recharge through mobile phones, as and when they want, with a small amount at any given point of time. This would also do away with the human element in meter reading, billing and recovery of the amount from consumer and hence the corruption involved at the lowest level. Giving an example of a successful implementation of prepaid meters, the Minister said that Manipur has been able to reduce its losses by over 50% by installing prepaid meter in all its urban areas. 4.Shri Singh emphatically stated that if losses continue, no matter how much funds are injected into the Power Utilities, the Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) would start building up again and the DISCOMs would ultimately become unviable in the near future. 5.The Minister said that it is proposed through an amendment in the electricity act to segregate the carriage from content in the distribution sector. It is planned to introduce multiple supply licensees in the content, based on market principles, and continue with the carriage as a regulated activity. 6.Shri Singh further said that it is also proposed to set in place special police stations and courts to settle cases in the power sector at the earliest. 7.Talking about the reforms in the renewable energy sector, Shri Singh said that India has pledged to achieve 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 and 40% of installed power capacity from renewable energy by 2030 as an action plan to fight climate change. To ensure the achievement of this goal, it is mandatorily ensured by State governments that the Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) are fulfilled. (Adapted from PIB) 4.New Policy Initiatives by Railways (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II& III) A number of new policy initiatives by Railways have been introduced since last few years. The details of these initiatives are as under:- FDI in Railways: The proposal has been cleared by Government for allowing 100 per cent FDI in Railway infrastructure, apart from operations, through automatic route. High-speed bullet trains: Railways has announced a Bullet Train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai with MOU between Railways and Japan. Policy initiatives for freight trains :- •Long term tariff contract LTTC with key freight customers at pre-determined price. •For the first time ever in Indian– Railways, freight rates were reduced. •Railway land leased out for horticulture and plantation of trees






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Discharge free Railways bio-toilets in all coaches.• •SRESTHA - New R&D organisation to serve the future technology needs of Railways. •SUTRA- World class data analytics, simulation softwares, network-optimisation and decision support systems. •RAIL INVESTMENT AND PLANNING ORGANISATION - Develop and own the corporate medium term and long term plan, identify investment opportunities, standardize economic easements of projects and propose optimal modes of financing. (News Adapted From PIB) 5.More than 30 crore Accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper III) Number of Jan Dhan accounts As on 6.12.2017, total 30.71 crore accounts have been opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), including 18.05 crore accounts opened in rural/semi-urban areas. Banks are opening PMJDY accounts for unbanked persons at their branches. In addition for uncovered Sub-Service Areas (SSAs) with 1000-1500 households, Bank Mitras, who can open PMJDY accounts, are deployed. What are Jan dhan accounts? Jan Dhan accounts are opened under Jan dhan yojana. Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is India's National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely Banking Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, etc. The scheme was launched by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 15 August 2014. The scheme provided for: 1.Account holders will be provided bank accounts with no minimum balance. 2.RuPay debit cards will be issued. 3.Accidental insurance cover of Rs.1 lakh. 4.After six months of opening of the bank account, holders will be eligible for Rs.5,000 overdraft from the bank. What is Bank Mitra? Banking Correspondents (BCs)or Bank Mitra are individuals/entities engaged by banks for providing banking services in unbanked / under-banked geographical territories. In other words, a banking correspondent works as an agent of the bank and substitutes for the branch of the bank.






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Banking Correspondent can perform all the functions of a bank branch depending on the functions delegated to them. These include credit, payment and receipt into accounts, insurance, investment services etc. The banks in India may engage the following individuals/entities as Banking correspondent such as 1.Individuals like retired bank employees, retired teachers, individual owners of kirana (small shops) / medical /Fair Price shops, agents of Small Savings schemes of Government of India/Insurance Companies, etc. 2.NGOs 3.Micro Finance Institutions 4.Cooperative Societies, etc. (Adapted from PIB and News background from PrepMate-Cengage economics book, Chapter 7 Government Schemes, Page 114 and Chapter 17 Financial inclusion, Page 244) 6. Operation Clean Money (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II & III) As a part of post-demonetisation exercise, Income Tax Department had to analyze cash deposit data and seek information to identify possible cases of tax evasion. About Operation Clean Money: Operation Clean Money (OCM) was launched on 31st January 2017, with the mission to Create a tax compliant society through a fair, transparent and non-intrusive tax administration where every Indian takes pride in paying taxes . Details of work carried out in the campaign are as under: i. The cash deposit data was analysed to identify persons whose cash transactions did not appear in line with the tax payer s profile. Preliminary assessment was undertaken to analyse distribution of large cash deposits across various taxpayer segments (e.g. Business, Non-business etc.). This analysis resulted in identification of about 17.92 lakh persons for verification process in the first phase. ii. Online verification of cash transactions was enabled and the information in respect of the identified cases was made available in the e filing window of the PAN holder. The taxpayer was able to submit online explanation without any need to visit Income Tax office. Email and SMS were sent to the taxpayers for submitting online response on the e-filing portal. There was an overwhelming response to online verification and nearly 11 Lakh persons submitted online response. iii. High risk cases were made available to the field formation using an internal online portal for effective monitoring and follow-up. The internal and external portals were integrated to enable seamless electronic communication with the taxpayer.






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iv. A dedicated web portal for Operation Clean Money was launched to enable citizen engagement and taxpayer education. v. Data analytics is used to match information in IT return with cash deposit data (including fuzzy matching) and identify high risk cases/groups for necessary verification/investigation. (Adapted from PIB) 7. Rs.14,500 crore raised through BHARAT 22 ETF (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III) What is BHARAT 22 ETF? The Government has launched the Bharat-22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) to benefit long term and retail investors by providing an opportunity of participation in equity stocks of the Government run companies and earn stable returns. The New Fund Offer (NFO) of BHARAT 22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) (scheme) was launched in November, 2017 as a part of Government of India (GOI) disinvestment programme. GOI has offered 3% discount to all investors of the reference market price during New Fund Offer (NFO). What is the objective of BHARAT 22 ETF? The objective of BHARAT 22 ETF is to invest in constituents (22 companies) of S & P BSE Bharat 22 Index and endeavor to provide returns before expenses, which closely correspond to the total returns of S & P BSE Bharat 22 Index, subject to the usual elements of market risk. (Adapted from PIB 8. All you need to know about Inter-Linking of Rivers (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III) Directions of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court in the Writ Petition on Networking of Rivers directed the Union of India and particularly the Ministry of Water Resources to constitute a Committee under the chairmanship of Minister of Water Resources for the implementation of Interlinking of Rivers Programme (ILR). As per the directions of Supreme Court, a committee called Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers was constituted under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation dated 23rd September, 2014. Thirteen meetings of the Special Committee for ILR have been held so far (last meeting held on 27.07.2017 at New Delhi), wherein State Irrigation/ Water Resources Ministers along with the Secretaries of various States attended the meetings.






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The Special Committee on ILR takes into consideration all the suggestions/observations of the stakeholders while planning and formulating the ILR projects. Constitution of Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers (2015) The Union Cabinet while approving the constitution of Special Committee for ILR in its meeting held on 24thJuly, 2014 directed that a committee comprising of experts be constituted to look into the issues relating to inter linking of rivers. In compliance to the direction of Union Cabinet, MoWR, RD & GR vide O.M. dated 13thApril, 2015 constituted a Task Force for ILR under the Chairmanship of Shri B.N. Navalawala, Chief Advisor, MoWR, RD&GR. The Task Force assists the Special Committee for ILR and MoWR, RD & GR regarding the implementation of ILR Programme. Eight meetings of the Task Force have been held so far and the last meeting was held on 15.09.2017. Present Status of Interlinking of Rivers Programme Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for water resources development through inter basin transfer of water prepared by this Ministry in August 1980, National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports (FRs). After survey and investigations, FRs of 14 links under Peninsular Component and 2 links in the Himalayan component have been prepared. Present status, States concerned and States benefited of Inter Basin Water Transfer Links are given in Annexure. Based on the concurrence of concerned states, four priority links for preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have been identified viz; Ken-Betwa link project (KBLP) Phase-I & II, Damanganga-Pinjal link, Par-Tapi-Narmada link and Mahanadi-Godavari link. The DPRs of KBLP Phase I & II, Daman-Ganga-Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada have been prepared and shared with the respective States. Further, various Statutory Clearances have been obtained for KBLP Phase-I. The project will benefit the drought prone areas of Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Further, the techno-economic clearance to the Damanganga-Pinjal link project has also been accorded subject to statutory clearances. The DPR of Par-Tapi-Narmada has been– submitted for technical appraisal in Central Water Commission. The DPR of the Mahanadi Godavari link– could not be taken up as the Government of Odisha was not agreeable– for– Mahanadi– Godavari– link,– a mother– link of –9 link system viz., Mahanadi Godavari Krishna Pennar Palar Cauvery Vaigai Gundar linkage due to large submergence involved in Manibhadra Dam. Based on the suggestions of WRD, Govt. of Odisha, NWDA has prepared a preliminary revised proposal of Mahanadi- Godavari Link Project with reduced submergence and submitted to the State Govt. of Odisha. Present status of Inter Basin Water Transfer Links, the States involved, name of rivers and status of Feasibility Reports/Detailed Project Report






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Sl. Name Rivers States concerned Status

No

Peninsular Component

1 Mahanadi Mahanadi & Godavari Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra FR Completed

(Manibhadra) - Pradesh, Karnataka, &

Godavari Chattisgarh

(Dowlaiswaram) link

2 Godavari Godavari & Krishna -do- FR Completed

(Inchampalli) -

Krishna (Pulichintala)

link

3 Godavari Godavari & Krishna Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya FR Completed

(Inchampalli) - Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh,

Krishna Karnataka & Chattisgarh,

(Nagarjunasagar) link

4 Godavari (Polavaram) Godavari & Krishna Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra FR Completed

- Krishna Pradesh, Karnataka, &

(Vijayawada) link Chattisgarh

5 Krishna (Almatti) – Krishna & Pennar -do- FR Completed






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Pennar link

6 Krishna (Srisailam) – Krishna & Pennar -do- FR Completed

Pennar link

7 Krishna Krishna & Pennar Maharashtra, Andhra FR Completed

(Nagarjunasagar) - Pradesh & Karnataka,

Pennar (Somasila )

link

8 Pennar (Somasila) - Pennar & Cauvery Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, FR Completed

Cauvery (Grand Tamil Nadu, Kerala &

Anicut) link Puducherry

9 Cauvery (Kattalai) - Cauvery, Vaigai & Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, FR Completed

Vaigai -Gundar link Gundar Kerala & Puducherry

10 Ken-Betwa link Ken & Betwa Uttar Pradesh & Madhya FR & DPR (Ph-

Pradesh I&II) Completed

11 Parbati -Kalisindh- Parbati, Kalisindh & Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan & FR Completed

Chambal link Chambal Uttar Pradesh (UP requested

to be consulted during

consensus building)

12 Par-Tapi-Narmada Par, Tapi & Narmada Maharashtra & Gujarat FR & DPR






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link Completed

13 Damanganga - Pinjal Damanganga & Pinjal Maharashtra & Gujarat FR & DPR

link Completed

14 Bedti - Varda link Bedti & Varda Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh PFR Completed

& Karnataka

15 Netravati – Hemavati Netravati & Hemavati Karnataka, Tamil Nadu PFR Completed

link & Kerala

16 Pamba - Achankovil - Pamba, Achankovil & Kerala & Tamil Nadu, FR Completed

Vaippar link Vaippar

Himalayan Component

1. Manas-Sankosh-Tista- Manas-Sankosh-Tista- Assam, West Bengal, Bihar& PFR completed

Ganga (M-S-T-G) link Ganga Bhutan

2. Kosi-Ghaghra link Kosi & Ghaghra Bihar , Uttar Pradesh & Nepal PFR completed

3. Gandak-Ganga link Gandak & Ganga -do- Draft

FR completed

(Indian portion)






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4. Ghaghra-Yamuna link Ghaghra & Yamuna -do- FR completed

(Indian portion)

5. Sarda-Yamuna link Sarda & Yamuna Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, FR completed

Haryana, Rajasthan, (Indian portion)

Uttarakhand & Nepal

6. Yamuna-Rajasthan Yamuna & Sukri Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Draft

link Haryana & Rajasthan FR completed

7. Rajasthan-Sabarmati Sabarmati -do- Draft

link FR completed

8. Chunar-Sone Barrage Ganga & Sone Bihar & Uttar Pradesh Draft

link FR completed

9. Sone Dam – Southern Sone & Badua Bihar & Jharkhand PFR completed

Tributaries of Ganga

link

10. Ganga(Farakka)- Ganga, Damodar & WestBengal,Odisha& Draft FR

Damodar- Subernarekha Jharkhand completed

Subernarekha link

11. Subernarekha- Subernarekha & West Bengal & Odisha Draft FR






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Mahanadi link Mahanadi

Completed

12. Kosi-Mechi link Kosi &Mechi Bihar , West Bengal & Nepal PFR completed

Entirely lies in

Nepal

13. Ganga (Farakka)- Ganga & Ichhamati West Bengal Draft

Sunderbans link FR completed

14. Jogighopa-Tista- Manas, Tista & Ganga -do- (Alternative to M-

Farakka link S-T-G Link)

(Alternative to M-S-T- dropped

G)

(Adapted from PIB)






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Geography 1. Cyclonic Storm OCKHI over south Kerala coast and neighborhood (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper I) Latest observations and satellite imageries indicate that the cyclonic storm OCKHI over Comorin area moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 20 kmph over south Kerala coast and neighbourhood, (Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram &Minicoy). The system is very likely to move west-northwestwards towards Lakshadweep Islands and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm. About Ockhi: The name Ockhi was given by Bangladesh which in Bengali means eye . What are tropical cyclones? A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain. How tropical cyclones are named? The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) started the tropical cyclone naming system in 2000. Tropical cyclones are named to provide ease of communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches, and warnings. The Cyclones worldwide are named by 9 regions------North Atlantic, Eastern North Pacific, Central North Pacific, Western North Pacific, North Indian Ocean, South West Indian Ocean, Australian, Southern Pacific, South Atlantic. Eight north Indian Ocean countries ------Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, gave eight names each which was combined into a list of 64 names. One name from each country is picked in an order to name the cyclones. The previous storm Mora that caused severe —flooding across Northeast India in May was named by Thailand. Mora is the name of one of the healing stones and also means star of the sea. The next cyclone will be named Sagar------- a name given by India.






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(Adapted from PIB)






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Internal Security

1.Border Protection Grid to be set up in Border States, says Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting with the Chief Ministers of the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) States. Need for check on borders with Bangladesh India has friendly relations with Bangladesh and all these measures will facilitate genuine trade and legitimate cross-border movement of people while curbing radicalization, illegal migration, and smuggling of cattle, fake Indian currency notes and drugs etc. He stressed on the need to prevent entry, at International borders, of illegal migrants some of whom have links with extremist groups for furthering anti-national activities with ulterior motives and posing threat to internal security. About Indo-Bangladesh border The Indo-Bangladesh Border covering 5 states of India including Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal is 4096 km long. State of border fencing So far in 3006 km border security infrastructure of fence, roads, floodlights and border out posts (BOPs) are in place and works in the remaining 1090 km are yet to be started. Out of this, 684 km will be secured with fence and the related infrastructure, and the balance 406 km with the non-physical barriers. Although bulk of the infrastructure is in place or under construction, construction in some parts is yet to commence mainly due to land acquisition issues. The Home Minister urged the Chief Ministers to take personal interest to expedite land acquisition in the interest of national security. They assured to make land available at the earliest. Where fencing cannot be done? The areas to be covered by non-physical barriers are those where fencing is not feasible like rivers or nullahs etc. In these areas technological solutions of a networked combination of electronic gadgets like radar, day-night cameras, various types of sensors etc. all integrated in a command and control architecture will be used. What is Border Protection Grid? He highlighted the concept of Border Protection Grid (BPG) for multi-pronged and foolproof mechanism to secure our border. The grid will comprise of various elements namely physical barriers, non-physical barriers, surveillance system, Intelligence agencies,






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State Police, BSF and other State and Central agencies. BPG will be supervised by a State level Standing Committee under the Chairmanship of respective Chief Secretaries. BPG will ensure greater help for the States in the overall border security. For putting in place the BPG, he sought active participation of all stakeholders including State Governments. (Adapted from PIB)






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Science & Technology 1. Successful Launch of Akash Missile (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper III) The Surface to Air Missile AKASH with indigenous radio frequency seeker against target Banshee has been successfully launched from the Launch Complex-III at ITR Chandipur. AKASH consists of group of four missiles and a radar to detect incoming threat. It is mainly for defence purposes. Akash is part of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Relevance of the launch: This missile is being inducted into Army as Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM). This is the first Surface to Air Missile with indigenous seeker that has been test fired. With this success, India has achieved the capability of making any type of Surface to Air Missile. About Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme: The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was an Indian Ministry of Defence programme for the research and development of the comprehensive range of missiles. The IGMDP was conceived by renowned scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalaam to enable India attain sufficiency in field of missile technology. •IGMDP comprises of five projects i.e. • Intermediate range surface to surface Ballistic missile code-named Agni) • Short range surface-to-surface Ballistic missile (code-named Prithvi) • Short range low-level surface-to-air missile (code-named Trishul) • Medium range surface-to-air missile (code-named Akash) and Third-generation anti-tank missile (code-named Nag). (Adapted from PIB) 2. NIC-CERT to prevent & predict cyber attacks on government utilities (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon ble Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology inaugurated the NIC-CERT , a setup of National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. During the inauguration, Hon ble Minister said that as part of its Digital India initiatives, the Government has introduced a lot of its services online. Although this has made services very accessible to the citizens, it has also exposed them to the threats and vulnerabilities which are an inherent part of cyberspace. NIC-CERT has been setup with the objective of creating a comprehensive framework that integrates world class security components and inbuilt threat intelligence for detection, prevention and incident response. Using the tools the team will correlate events that would help in generating a canvas of the attack surface and identify the vulnerabilities and






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possible exploits. The gathered intelligence assimilated with the knowledge of the open web would give the CERT the ability prevent and predict attacks. NIC s PAN-India connectivity and reach is one of its key strengths and this coupled with its enhanced ability to detect and prevent attacks would collectively upscale the Government s ability to protect its data. (Adapted from PIB) 3.Department of Space Achievements in 2017 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III) Following are the highlights of the activities of the Department of Space during the year 2017: 1. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched 104 satellites, in a single launch, onboard PSLV-C37 on February 15, 2017. 2. India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-II (GSLV-F09) successfully launched the 2230 kg South Asia Satellite (GSAT-9) into its planned Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) on May 05, 2017. 3. The first developmental flight (GSLV MkIII-D1) of India's heavy lift launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III was successfully conducted on June 05, 2017 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota with the launch of GSAT-19 satellite. This was the first orbital mission of GSLV MkIII which was mainly intended to evaluate the vehicle performance including that of its fully indigenous cryogenic upper stage during the flight. Weighing 3136 kg at lift-off, GSAT-19 became the heaviest satellite launched from the Indian soil. 4. On June 29, 2017, GSAT-17 became India s third communication satellite to successfully reach orbit in two months. GSAT-17 was launched by the European Ariane 5 Launch Vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana. 5. A two-day International Seminar on Indian Space Programme: Trends and Opportunities for Industry was organized in New Delhi on November 20-21, 2017. The seminar was organised by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Antrix Corporation Limited (the commercial arm of ISRO), in coordination with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). 6. ISRO and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/NASA are jointly working on the development of Dual Frequency (L&S band) Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite named as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). The L-band SAR is being developed by JPL/NASA, while ISRO is developing S-band SAR. The L & S band microwave data obtained from this satellite will be useful for variety of applications, which include natural resources mapping and monitoring; estimating agricultural biomass over full duration of crop cycle; assessing soil moisture; monitoring of floods and oil slicks; coastal erosion, coastline changes and






31



variation of winds in coastal waters; assessment of mangroves; surface deformation studies, ice sheet collapses and dynamics. (Adapted from PIB and Prepmate.in) 4. All you need to know about Bio-Toilets in Trains (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains paper III) How is the waste treated? Bio-Digester is a decomposition mechanized toilet system which decomposes Human Excretory Waste in the digester tank using specific high graded bacteria further converting it into methane and water, discharged further to the desired surface. Bio-digester technology treats human waste at the source. A collection of anaerobic bacteria that has been adapted to work at temperatures as low as -5°C and as high as 50°C act as inocula (seed material) to the bio-digesters and convert the organic human waste into water, methane, and carbon-dioxide. The anaerobic process inactivates the pathogens responsible for water-borne diseases and treats the fecal matter without the use of an external energy source. The only by-products of the waste treatment process are pathogen-free water, which is good for gardening, and bio-gas, which can be used for cooking. Bio-toilets do not require sewage connectivity and because the process is self-contained, bio-toilets are also maintenance-free. The bacteria used in the bio-toilet have been collected and analysed by DRDO from Antarctica and the efficiency of this system has been tested in extreme climates and conditions.






32








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Benefits of Bio Toilet 1. Composting toilets use nature's decomposition process to reduce waste by 90% and convert it into nutrient rich compost 2. They do not require water hook ups either which is great for our already stressed water supply. In short, composting toilets are a way to allow waste to decompose safely and without odors. 3. Composting toilets use oxygen loving bacteria that is naturally present in human waste to do all the work. 4. Bugs, worms, and other critters have absolutely no role in BioLet's composting process. 5. You just use a Bio toilet like you would a regular toilet, toilet tissue and all. The main difference is you just toss in compost mix after each fecal use instead of flushing. The air flow inside the toilet pulls all odors up the 'chimney' and out of your home. 6. Composting reduces waste volume by 90%; the majority of the material inside the toilet is mulch and not waste. You do not even have to see it with the way BioLet is designed. Yes, you do have to empty the lower compost tray periodically, depending on how many people are using the toilet, but it is only compost, soil. There is no waste mixed in the tray. Working in Railways perspective The first bio-toilet-fitted train, Gwalior-Varanasi Bundelkhand Express, has been running since January 2011. The bio-toilets in the Gwalior express ensure that the undercarriage is clean and without any faecal depositions. The other advantage is that single bacteria recharge works for nearly a year. The anaerobic bacteria used in the green toilets can withstand extreme climates and common disinfectants. They are resistant to normal cleaning solutions used by the railways. Installation of bio-toilets in trains Railway has set in house target to complete the work of installation of bio-toilets in coaches by March 2019. Approximately 55% of the total passenger carrying coaches over Indian Railways have been installed with bio-toilets. Bio-toilets are an important step towards Swachh Bharat . It keeps tracks clear of human excreta. (Adapted from PIB and Quora) 5. Target of Atomic Energy got revised (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper II)

The target of nuclear energy generation in the XI Five Year Plan (2007-2012) was 163,395 Million Units (MUs), which was revised to 124,608 MUs. The actual generation in the XI Five Year Plan was 109,642 MUs.






34



Why did the shortfall happen? 1. The shortfall in generation was on account of lower generation due to non availability of indigenous uranium in the required quantity, delay in fruition of international cooperation resulting in delay in availability of imported uranium and completion of the Kudankulam (KKNPP-1&2, 2 X 1000 MW) and Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) projects to XII Plan. 2. The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Units 1&2 (KKNPP 1&2) has been completed and these units are currently in commercial operation. The delay in completion of these units was one of the reasons for the shortfall in achievement of generation target of XI five year plan. About Kundankulam Project: Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is the single largest nuclear power station in India, situated in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. Construction on the plant began on 31 March 2002, but faced several delays due to opposition from local fishermen. KKNPP is scheduled to have six VVER-1000 reactors built in collaboration with Atomstroyexport, the Russian state company and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), with an installed capacity of 6,000 MW of electricity. Unit 1 started generating electricity in 2013 and Unit 2 started generating electricity in 2016. The construction for units 3 & 4 is yet to start. Why the Kundankulam project was got delayed? The project completion was delayed on account of local protests in 2011 severely impeding work for about six months and its domino effect, litigations against the project in courts and fulfilling of directions of Supreme Court by Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited (NPCIL) and other agencies. The Government and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited enhanced public outreach manifold to allay the apprehensions and concerns of local people about safety of the project and all related issues. (Adapted from PIB)






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Miscellaneous 1. Mirabai Chanu won gold at World Weightlifting Championship (Relevant for GS Prelims) Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is an Indian female weightlifter who won Gold medal in the 48 kg category at 2017 World Weightlifting Championships held in Anaheim, United States. Earlier she had won medals in Commonwealth games and silver medal in the women's 48 kg weight class at the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow. Mirabai qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics in the women's 48 kg category. However, she failed to finish the event as she failed to lift the weight in any of her three attempts in clean & jerk section. In 2017, she won the Gold medal in the Women's 48 kg category by lifting a world record 194 Kgs in total (85 Kg snatch and 109 Kg clean & jerk) in the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships held at Anaheim, CA, United States. She hails from Manipur. (Adapted from PIB) 2. Pankaj Advani wins IBSF World Snooker Championship (Relevant for GS Prelims) Pankaj Advani won his 18th world title in the recently concluded IBSF World Snooker Championship. Pankaj Arjan Advani is an Indian English billiards and snooker player. In recognition of his achievements, the Government of India has bestowed several awards upon Advani: the Arjuna Award in 2004, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2006, and Padma Shri in 2009. He has achieved a hat-trick of hat-tricks in English billiards, holding the World, Asian, and Indian National Championship titles simultaneously, in three different years: 2005, 2008 and 2012 and recently in 2017. Advani won the 2014 IBSF World 6-Red Snooker Championship. He is the only player ever to win world titles in both the long and short formats of snooker (15-red standard, and 6-red) and both formats of English billiards (time and point). Advani is also India's first world champion in 6-red snooker. In 2014, Advani helped win the first ever World Team Billiards Championship held in Glasgow, Scotland, along with Rupesh Shan, Devendra Joshi and Ashok Shandilya. In 2017, Pankaj Advani won his 29th National Championship Title at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana in Pune, India. This gave him a 39 match-winning streak. Overall, Pankaj Advani has won 58 gold: World Titles = 18; Asian Titles = 8; Asian Games = 2; Australian Open = 1; National Titles = 29. (Adapted from PIB) 3. Digital MSME Scheme launched (Relevant for GS Prelims) Digital MSME Scheme was launched by Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ministry. The Digital MSME Scheme is revolving around Cloud Computing which is






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emerging as a cost effective and viable alternative in comparison to in-house IT infrastructure installed by MSMEs. In Cloud Computing, MSMEs use the internet to access common as well as tailor-made IT infrastructure including software for managing their business processes. Cloud Computing is free from the burden of investment on hardware/software and infrastructural facilities. This Scheme would encourage MSMEs towards this new approach i.e. Cloud Computing for ICT adoption. (Adapted from PIB) 4. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (Relevant for GS Prelims) The National launch of Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana was held at Nellore (A.P.) on 1stApril, 2017. Rashtrya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) is a Central Sector Scheme. Under this Scheme, aids and assistive living devices are provided to senior citizens belonging to BPL category who suffer from age related disabilities such as low vision, hearing impairment, loss of teeth and loco-moto disabilities. The aids and assistive devices viz. walking-sticks, elbow-crutches, walkers, tripods/quad-pods, hearing aids, wheelchairs, artificial dentures and spectacles are provided to eligible beneficiaries. Nodal Ministry Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India is the nodal Ministry to oversee the implementation of the Scheme. The Scheme is being implemented by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO) , a Public Sector Undertaking under this Ministry. About Role of State government The State Governments/ UT Administrations identifies the Beneficiaries in each district through the Committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner/District Collector. The State Government/UT Administration/District Level Committee utilises the data of BPL beneficiaries receiving Old Age Pension under the NSAP or any other Scheme of the State/UT for identification of senior citizens belonging to BPL category. The devices are distributed in the camp mode to the identified beneficiaries. A total of 187 districts from all

States/UTs have been selected for Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana distribution camps. As on date, 16 distribution camps have been organized at district level. (Adapted from PIB) 5. SHe-Box portal set up for registering complaints of sexual harassment of women employees at workplace, of both Government and Private sector (Relevant for GS Prelims) What is SHe-Box portal? In order to ensure the effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, the Ministry of Women & Child Development has–launched an online complaint management system titled Sexual Harassment electronic Box (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual






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harassment at workplace of all women employees in the country, including government and private employees. (Adapted from PIB) 6.India ranked 60th most innovative country on the Global Innovation Index-2017 (Relevant for GS Prelims) India currently ranks 60th out of 127 countries on the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2017 as compared to 66th rank on GII 2016. Efforts by government to drive innovation in India 1. NITI Aayog, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) together launched a mega initiative India Innovation Index that will rank states on Innovations through country s first online innovation index portal that will capture data on innovation from all Indian states on innovation and regularly update it in real time. 2. Further, the Smart India Hackathon and Smart India Hardware Hackathon have been launched to improve the innovative abilities of the students in the Higher Education Institutions. The Smart India Hackathon has received huge response when it was launched in 2017 and this would be continued as annual event. 3. The Government is also promoting research parks (RPs) and technology business incubators (TBIs) which would nurture and promote the innovative ideas till they become commercial ventures. 4. The projects for promoting research and innovation like the IMPRINT and Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY) have brought focused attention of the scientific community on the need for promoting innovation. (Adapted from PIB) 7.All India Institute of Ayurveda becomes Fully Operational (Relevant for GS Prelims) All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has been established at New Delhi as an Autonomous Body under Ministry of AYUSH on All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) pattern with all the infrastructure including doctors/staff. AIIA is a 200 bedded referral hospital and shall impart Post Graduate (PG) and Ph.D degree courses in Ayurveda. First batch of Post Graduate course has been started in 2016. Institute has also started Out-Patient Department (OPD) and In-Patient Department (IPD) facility with major specialties in Ayurveda. Government Set Up Educational Institutions Under the National AYUSH Mission






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Government of India is implementing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) for development and promotion of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in the country. The Mission inter-alia makes the following provisions which include upgradation and strengthening of infrastructure of AYUSH: (i) Co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centers (PHCs), Community Health Centers (CHCs) and Districts Hospitals (DHs). (ii) Up gradation of exclusive State Government AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries. (iii) Setting up of upto 50 bedded integrated AYUSH Hospital. (iv) Upgradation of State Government Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Educational Institutions. (v) Setting up of new State Government AYUSH Educational Institutions in the States where it is not available in Government Sector. (vi) Strengthening of State Government/State Government Co-operatives/Public Sector Undertakings Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) Pharmacies (vii) Strengthening of State Drug Testing Laboratories for ASU &H Drugs (viii) Support for cultivation of Medicinal Plant including processing and post-harvest management As per the provision of NAM, the Government has provided grant-in-aid for setting up of AYUSH educational institutions in States/UTs where such educational institutions are not available in Government sector as per the proposals received through State Annual Action Plan (SAAP). (Adapted from PIB) 8. Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) (Relevant for GS Prelims) Objective of the scheme Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) to provide social security during old age and to protect elderly persons aged 60 and above against a future fall in their interest income due to uncertain market conditions. What does the scheme include?






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The scheme enables old age income security for senior citizens through provision of assured pension/return linked to the subscription amount based on government guarantee to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). The scheme provides an assured return of 8% per annum for 10 years. The differential return, i.e. the difference between return generated by LIC and the assured return of 8% per annum would be borne by Government of India as subsidy on an annual basis. Pension is payable at the end of each period during the policy tenure of 10 years as per the frequency of monthly/quarterly/ half-yearly/yearly as chosen by the subscriber at the time of purchase. Minimum purchase price under the scheme is Rs.1,50,000/- for a minimum pension of Rs. 1,000/- per month and the maximum purchase price is Rs.7,50,000/- for a maximum pension of Rs.5,000/- per month. The scheme is exempted from Goods and Services Tax. The scheme is open for subscription till 3rd May 2018. This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. (Adapted from PIB)





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