nirvana ias academy ca: 11 to 20 january 2019

NIRVANA IAS ACADEMY

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NIRVANA IAS ACADEMY – www.nirvanaias.com

CA: 11TH TO 20TH JANUARY 2019

CONTENT

1. NEW PROJECTS UNDER SWADESH DARSHAN &

PRASAD…………………………………………………………2

2. ATAL TINKERING LAB HANDBOOK…………………2

3. BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF GURU GOBIND SINGH

JI……………………………………………………………………3

4. MAJOR PORTS OF INDIA………………………………..4

5. NATIONAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT FESTIVAL

2019……………………………………………………………..4

6. KUMBH: HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE………………5

7. PHILIP KOTLER PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS…………5

8. VOTER AWARENESS FORUMS……………………….6

9. WOMANIYA ON GOVERNMENT E-

MARKETPLACE………………………………………………6

10. END TO END PREDICTION SYSTEM………………..7

11. PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIWAS………………………….7

12. GLOBAL HOUSING TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE-

INDIA…………………………………………………………….8

13. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX………………………………9

14. 9TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MICRO

IRRIGATION…………………………………………………11

15. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC

COOPERATION AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

(NIPCCD)……………………………………………………..12

16. VMNICOM…………………………………………………..12

17. DD SCIENCE & INDIA SCIENCE……………………..12

18. MAYURBHANJ CHHAU…………………………………13

19. WORLD’S OLDEST ROCK ART……………………….13 20. KHIRKI MOSQUE………………………………………….13 21. CLEAN GANGA FUND…………………………………..14 22. KAMSALE DANCE…………………………………………14 23. GANDHI PEACE PRIZE………………………………….14 24. WAGON TRAGEDY PAINTING………………………15

25. “SANJHI-MJHE MEIN KALAKAR”………………….16

26. RTE (AMENDMENT) ACT 2019…………………….16

27. SAKSHAM 2019…………………………………………..17

28. PRADHAN MANTRI RASHTRIYA BAL PURUSKAR

2019……………………………………………………………17

29. UNNATI BY ISRO………………………………………….18

30. SPACE TECHNOLOGY IN BORDER

MANAGEMENT……………………………………………18

31. PRADHAN MANTRI ROZGAR PROTSAHAN

YOJANA……………………………………………………….19

32. PRADHAN MANTRI JAN VIKAS KARKYAKRAM

33. DEENDAYAL DISABLED REHABILITATION

SCHEME………………………………………………………19

34. DIFFO BRIDGE……………………………………….…….20

35. STATUS PAPER……………………………………….……20

36. INDIA’S 1ST LITHIUM ION GIGA FACTORY…….20

37. RENUKA MULTIPURPOSE DAM PROJECT……..21

38. MUDIYETTU…………………………………………………21

39. INDUS FOOD 2019………………………………………21

40. SUPER BLOOD WOLF MOON……………………….21

41. LOIN LOOMS……………………………………………….22

42. LAKE URIMA………………………………………………..22

43. CANADIAN HYDROGEN INTENSITY MAPPING

EXPERIMENT (CHIME)……………………………….23

44. MAGH BIHU………………………………………………23

45. GALELIAN MOON……………………………………...24

46. KYASANUR FOREST DISEASE….…………………..24

47. MAKARAVILAKKU FESTIVAL………………….……24

48. CCHS……………………………………………………….…25

49. ASER 2018……………………………………………….…25

50. SFAC……………………………………………….………….26

51. LOSAR FESTIVAL…………………………….…………..27

52. VULTURE & RAPTOR SURVEY……………………..27

53. CHOWNMAHALLA PALACE………………………...27

54. DEFENCE MANUFACTURING…………….………..27

55. BUDITHI BRASS CRAFT………………………………..28

56. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF INDIAN CINEMA…..28

57. BHAVANTAR SCHEME…………………………………28

58. ETIKOPPAKA BOMMALU…………………………….29

59. YELLOW FEVER……………………………………………29

60. COFFEE SPECIES ARE AT RISK………………………30

61. PMJAY………………………………………………………..30

62. CROCODYLUS PALUSTRIS…………………………….31

63. CAESIUM-137……………………………………………..32

64. CHAKMA & HAJONG……………………………………33

65. ROADEO………………………………………………………33

66. SITA RAM LIFT IRRIGATION PROJECT…………..33

67. HANLEY PASSPORT INDEX…………………………..34

68. DEMOCRACY INDEX 2018……………………………34

69. ECO NIWAS SAMHITA 2018………………………..34

70. MAGNETIC NORTH POLE IS MOVING………….35

71. 25TH PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT……………………….36

72. RIGHT TO DISCONNECT BILL,

2018…………….…36

73. ONE FAMILY ONE JOB SCHEME……………………37

74. TRISHNA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY………………….37

75. AMA GHARE LED SCHEME…………………………..37

76. SARVA BHASHA SAMMELAN……………………….38

77. ASIA WATERBIRD CENSUS……………………………38

78. DEVADASI SYSTEM………………………………………38

79. DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION……………….39

80. 4TH RAISINA DIALOGUE……………………………….39

81. 1ST ODISHA TURTLE FESTIVAL………………………40

82. 6TH CITY MONUMENT INDEX……………………….40

83. NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR DRUG DEMAND

REDUCTION (2018-2023)…………………………….41

84. EXIM BANK………………………………………………….42

85. GLOBAL AVIATION SUMMIT 2019……………….42

86. GLOBAL RISK REPORT 2019…………………………42

87. AGRI VISION 2019……………………………………….42

88. GILGIT BALTISTAN……………………………………….43

89. SCATFORM PROJECT……………………………………43

90. GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD…………………………….44

91. G-77…………………………………………………………….44

92. FACTS………………………………………………………….45

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

11TH TO 20TH JANUARY 2019

NEW PROJECTS UNDER SWADESH DARSHAN & PRASAD

The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned four new projects for Rs. 190.46 Crores under the tourism

infrastructure development schemes, Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD in the states of Meghalaya, Gujarat

and Uttar Pradesh recently.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Under North East Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned the project

‘Development of West Khasi Hills (Nongkhlaw- Krem Tirot - Khudoi & Kohmang Falls – Khri River-

Mawthadraishan, Shillong), Jaintia Hills (Krang Suri Falls- Shyrmang- Iooksi), Garo Hills (Nokrek Reserve,

Katta Beel, Siju Caves)’ in Meghalaya.

2. Development of Gorakhnath Temple (Gorakhpur), Devipattan Temple (Balrampur) and Vatvashni Temple

(Domariyagunj) has also been sanctioned under Spiritual Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme.

3. Under the PRASHAD scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned the project ‘Development of Govardhan’ in

District Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.

4. The Ministry has also sanctioned the project ‘Development of Pilgrimage Amenities at Somnath – Phase

II’ under the PRASHAD scheme.

The Ministry of Tourism has launched the schemes of Swadesh Darshan - Integrated Development of Theme-

Based Tourist Circuits and PRASHAD-Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive in the

year 2014-15 for the development of tourism infrastructure in the country.

ATAL TINKERING LAB HANDBOOK

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) released the “Atal Tinkering Lab Handbook – Nayee Dishayen,

Naye Nirman, Naya Bharat” on the eve of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, also celebrated as

the National Youth Day, to hail and take forward the spirit of Tinkering and Innovation across the country.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ They also announced the 10 Month Student Entrepreneurship Programme, which is a fully-funded

initiative to help the Top Six innovations of the Atal Tinkering Marathon 2017 to transform their

innovative prototypes into functioning, scaled and Go-to-Market products.

▪ These innovations include prototypes across six crucial themes having broader social impact, namely,

Clean Energy, Waste Management, Agri-tech, Healthcare, Smart Mobility and Water Resources.

▪ The Atal Tinkering Lab Handbook captures the experiences of the young innovators of the country with

the Atal Tinkering Lab.

▪ The book is a compendium of guidelines, resources, methodologies, key learning, case studies of the ATL

ecosystem and the outcome and impact that is being created by the Atal Tinkering Labs has been

showcased, including some case examples of celebrating and rewarding innovation, over the last two

years.

▪ The handbook will serve as an action plan that can provide the basis for a smooth scale up approach for

the Atal Tinkering Lab initiative, via the public-private-partnership and Centre-State cooperation.

▪ The document attempts bring together all stakeholders in the school and administrative ecosystem

towards creating a sustainable and scalable approach for tinkering and innovation at the high school level.

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ATAL INNOVATION MISSION BY NITI AYOG

▪ Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) including Self-Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU) is Government of

India’s endeavour to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

▪ AIM is mandated to create an umbrella structure to oversee innovation ecosystem of the country and

revolutionizing the innovation eco-system - touching upon the entire innovation life cycle through various

programs.

▪ Its objective is to serve as a platform for promotion of world-class Innovation Hubs, Grand Challenges,

Start-up businesses and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology driven areas.

The Atal Innovation Mission shall have two core functions:

▪ Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilization, wherein innovators would

be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs.

▪ Innovation promotion: to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.

ATAL TINKERING LABORATORIES

With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’, Atal Innovation Mission is

establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India.

The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds; and inculcate

skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing etc.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ ATL is a work space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself

mode; and learn innovation skills.

▪ Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of STEM

(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

▪ ATL would contain educational and learning ‘do it yourself’ kits and equipment on – science, electronics,

robotics, open source microcontroller boards, sensors and 3D printers and computers. Other desirable

facilities include meeting rooms and video conferencing facility.

▪ In order to foster inventiveness among students, ATL can conduct different activities ranging from regional

and national level competitions, exhibitions, workshops on problem solving, designing and fabrication of

products, lecture series etc. at periodic intervals.

▪ AIM will provide grant-in-aid that includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational

expenses of Rs. 10 lakhs for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.

▪ Schools (minimum Grade VI - X) managed by Government, local body or private trusts/society to set up

ATL.

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF GURU GOBIND SINGH JI

Prime Minister has released a commemorative coin on Guru Gobind Singh ji, on January 13, 2019 in New

Delhi. The event marks the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh ji.

Prime Minister attended 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj in Patna on

January 5, 2017.

▪ Guru Gobind Singh is the 10th and the last Sikh Guru.

▪ Guru Gobind Singh was a spiritual master, warrior, philosopher and poet.

▪ Due to his huge contribution to Sikhism, he is considered as the eternal guru by many of his followers.

▪ Gobind Singh’s father Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth guru of the Sikhs.

▪ Guru Gobind Singh and his Khalsa army inspired Sikh devotees to fight the Mughal rulers for their religious

freedom and political liberty.

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▪ The Var Sri Bhagauti Ji Ki, popularly called Chandi di Var written in 1684, was his first composition and his

only major work in the Punjabi language.

MAJOR PORTS OF INDIA

The major ports in India have recorded a growth of 3.77% and together handled 518.6 Million Tonnes of

cargo during the period April to December, 2018 as against 499.7 Million Tonnes handled during the

corresponding period of previous year.

Sea Port Name Location

Chennai Port or Madras Port Chennai, Madras

Haldia (Kolkata Dock System & Haldia Dock Complex) Kolkata

Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as Nhava Sheva Maharashtra, South Mumbai

Kamarajar Port or Ennore Port Ennore, Chennai

Deendayal Port Trust (Kandla) Gujarat, Gulf of Kutch

Kochi Port or Cochin Port Kochi, Kerala

New Mangalore Port Manglore, Karnataka

Mormugao Port Panaji, Goa

Mumbai Port West Mumbai, Maharashtra

Panaji Panaji Goa

Paradip Jagatsinghpur, Odisha

Tuticorin Port (now called V.O.Chidambaram Port) Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu

Visakhapatnam Port Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

NATIONAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT FESTIVAL 2019

Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) launched the National

Youth Parliament Festival 2019, thereby beginning the celebration of the National Youth Day 2019.

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HIGHLIGHTS

▪ National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 is organised on the theme of “Be the Voice of New India” and

“Find solutions and contribute to policy”.

▪ Youth in the age bracket of 18-25 years are invited to participate in the District Youth Parliaments. This is

done in order to hear the voice of youth in this age bracket who are allowed to vote but cannot contest in

elections.

▪ The National Youth Parliament Festival will also encourage the youth to engage with public issues,

understand the common man’s point of view, form their opinion and express these in an articulate

manner.

The National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 will be conducted at three levels:

1. District Youth Parliament (DYP) at the district level. The participants for DYP would be selected through

two screening processes i.e. Digital and Walk-in screenings in Nodal Institution in each district.

2. State Youth Parliament (SYP) at the State Level.

3. National Youth Parliament (NYP) at the National Level.

▪ The National Service Scheme and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan organizations will remain involved at

different levels in its conduct and management.

▪ The best three speakers at the National Youth Parliament will be awarded Rs. 2 Lakhs, Rs. 1.50 Lakhs and

Rs. 1 Lakh respectively by the Prime Minister.

KUMBH: HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Prayagraj (Allahabad) will host the Ardh Kumbh Mela 2019.

▪ Kumbh Mela, in Hinduism, is a religious pilgrimage that is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years.

▪ The geographical location of Kumbh Mela spans over four locations in India.

▪ The Mela site keeps rotating between one of the four pilgrimages on four sacred rivers as listed below:

a. Haridwar on the Ganges in Uttarakhand.

b. Ujjain on the Shipra in Madhya Pradesh.

c. Nashik on the Godavari in Maharashtra.

d. Prayagraj (Allahabad) at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati in

Uttar Pradesh.

▪ The Maha Kumbh occurs after 12 Purna Kumbh Melas i.e. every 144 years.

▪ It has been inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

PHILIP KOTLER PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS

First-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award presented to PM.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The Philip Kotler Award was developed to honour mastery in the field of marketing and management.

▪ It recognises and celebrates achievements of organisations, marketing teams, and individuals in different

industries around the world.

▪ The award also aims to spread examples of individuals and companies who create an innovative culture

for the economic, social and technological advancements of an industry or a country.

▪ Philip Kotler is a world-renowned Professor of Marketing at North-western University, Kellogg School of

Management.

▪ He was the first person to receive the “Leader in Marketing Thought” award from the American Marketing

Association and has received 22 honorary degrees in his illustrious career.

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VOTER AWARENESS FORUMS

Voter Awareness Forums will be set up in Ministries, Government Departments, Non-Government

Departments and other Institutions to promote electoral awareness. Election Commission of India will be

briefing the Nodal Officers of Ministries, Government of India and a representative from Federations on 16th

January 2019 at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, New Delhi.

HIGHLIGHTS

In an endeavour to extend electoral literacy to adult populations in government and non-government offices,

private institutions and organisations, a special category of ELCs known as Voter Awareness Forums (VAFs) are

being established.

▪ Voter Awareness Forums (VAFs) are informal

forums for generating discussions and

awareness around the electoral process, on

the how, what and where of registration &

voting, through the medium of real-time

activities.

▪ Through VAFs in Government Departments,

Government and Non-Government

Organizations as well as in Corporates; the

Election Commission of India aims to spread

voter awareness and facilitate voter

education.

▪ The membership of VAFs is voluntary in nature and will be open to all employees of the concerned office.

▪ In the VAFs, through a calendar of simple and engaging activities, members will gain awareness on the

electoral process and transform into ‘Empowered Voters’ of the nation.

WOMANIYA ON GOVERNMENT E-MARKETPLACE

Government e Marketplace [GeM] has launched “Womaniya on GeM”, an initiative to enable women

entrepreneurs and women self-help groups [WSHGs] to sell handicrafts and handloom, accessories, jute and

coir products, home décor and office furnishings, directly to various Government ministries, departments

and institutions.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The initiative seeks to develop women entrepreneurship on the margins of society to achieve gender-

inclusive economic growth.

▪ Artist Anukta M Ghosh’s artwork “Magan”, an illustration of women empowerment and grace, is the face

of Womaniya on GeM.

▪ Womaniya homepage will inform procurement officers in various government ministries, departments

and CPSEs about the drive to promote procurement of common use goods and services from women

entrepreneurs.

▪ Products like handicrafts and handloom, accessories, jute and coir products, home décor and office

furnishings are categorized for ease-in-procurement.

▪ The initiative aligns with Government’s initiatives for MSMEs, especially to reserve 3 percent in

government procurement from women entrepreneurs.

▪ Womaniya on GeM will spur hyper-local economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs and address

goals and objectives under United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and

empower all women and girls.

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▪ Government e Marketplace is a 100 percent government owned company setup under the aegis of

Ministry of Commerce and Industry for procurement of common use goods and services by Government

ministries, departments and CPSEs.

END TO END PREDICTION SYSTEM

India Meteorological Department will be implementing an end-to-end prediction system for predicting

thunderstorms/lightning by April 2019. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and IMD are

developing prediction tools for thunderstorm/lightning. IITM Pune also developed a Mobile App called

“DAMINI” to give alerts on impending lightning activity over the area.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ These new tools will help IMD to disseminate forecasts and warnings on time and more effectively to the

users and the new website and mobile Apps will be ready for launch by June 2019.

▪ IMD will be installing 100 new Automated Weather Stations including rain-gauges to monitor weather

activities in the state.

▪ IITM Pune with the help of IMD and Mumbai Municipal Corporation is installing a new dense rain-gauge

network over Mumbai City with 200 rain-gauges.

▪ In addition, 4 X-band radars will be also installed so that a merged rainfall data set at 2 km resolution will

be prepared and made available to public on real time.

▪ In another initiative the existing 130 Agro Meteorological Field Units, have an addition of 8 new District

Agro Meteorological Field Units (DAMUs) which have been established and also Block level Agro

Meteorological forecasts have been started in 200 blocks.

AUTOMATED WEATHER STATION

▪ An automatic weather station (AWS) is an

automated version of the traditional weather

station & will typically consist of a weather-

proof enclosure containing the data logger,

rechargeable battery, telemetry (optional) and

the meteorological sensors with an attached

solar panel or wind turbine and mounted

upon a mast.

▪ The specific configuration may vary due to the

purpose of the system.

PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIWAS

The 15TH Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is scheduled to commence at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The theme of PBD Convention 2019 is "Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India".

▪ Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated once in every two years to strengthen the engagement of the

overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their roots.

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▪ During the Convention, selected overseas Indians are also honored with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya

Samman Award to recognize their contributions to various fields both in India and abroad.

BACKGROUND

▪ Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a celebratory day observed (starting in 2015) on 9 January by the Republic of

India to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the development of India.

▪ The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915.

▪ Established in 2000, it is sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India and the

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Confederation of Indian Industries

and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

▪ In 2006, The concept of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) was launched during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

convention at Hyderabad on 9 January.

NRI PIO PIO Card Holder OCI

Definition

A citizen of India, holding an Indian passport, but residing abroad

A foreign national who has Indian origins or Indian ancestors.

A PIO holding a PIO Card, as per the Scheme of The Ministry of Home Affairs, 2002

Overseas Indians who migrated from India after 26th January, 1950, except those from Pakistan and Bangladesh

Apply to

1) Any Indian Mission abroad or, 2) Any of the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices in India or<br> 3) The Joint Secretary (Foreigners), Ministry of Home Affairs

Charges Rs.15,000 or equivalent for adults

Rs.7,500 for minors

USD 275 or equivalent in applicant’s local currency.

PIO card holders pay only USD 25 or equivalent

Privileges At par with resident Indians

a) No extra-ordinary benefits b) Require visa for any trip to India c) Required to register at local FRRO in India upon arrival

Exempt from a) Visa to India for 15 years b) Registration at FRRO if stay in India is within 180 days c) If stay exceeds 180 days, registration at FRRO within 30 days d) At par with NRIs in all spheres of activity except purchase of agricultural property

a) Lifelong multiple entry visa to India b) No registration at FRRO for any length of stay c) At par with NRIs in all spheres of activity, except purchase of agricultural property.

GLOBAL HOUSING TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE-INDIA

“Global Housing Technology Challenge-India” (GHTC- India) launched by MoHUA.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ GHTC- India intends to get best globally available innovative construction technologies through a

challenge process.

▪ It seeks to demonstrate and deliver ready to live-in houses in a shorter time, with lower cost and quality

construction in a sustainable manner.

▪ It also seeks to promote future technologies, to foster an environment of research and development in

the country.

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▪ GHTC-India has been conceptualized to enable the paradigm shift required in the construction sector in

the country.

▪ The challenge has three components viz.

1. Conduct of Grand Expo-cum-Conference.

2. Identifying Proven Demonstrable Technologies from across the world.

3. Promoting Potential Technologies through setting up incubation centres at selected IITs and

organizing accelerator workshops under the Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators- India

(ASHA-India) Program.

BACKGROUND

MoHUA has been implementing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) Mission to provide all weather

“pucca” houses to eligible beneficiaries by the year 2022. Against the validated demand of about one crore

housing units to be constructed by the year 2022.

A concerted effort is required to create mass awareness to accept a technology transition from conventional

to new technologies through lighthouse projects, expositions and other outreach methods that will

mainstream its use. This transition will contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) as laid out by the United Nations (UN), the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Climate Accord to which

India is a signatory and other such international commitments.

The use of alternative, innovative and fast-track technologies aims at:

a. conservation of natural resources.

b. bringing speed in construction.

c. utilization of industrial and construction

demolition waste.

d. reduction in air and noise pollution.

e. optimum use of water.

f. increased labour productivity.

g. cost reduction.

h. safe and disaster resilient houses.

i. all weather site execution etc.

Such a technology transition aligns well with the vision of New India 2022. This will bring the country at par

with the advanced economies of the world and their rigorous standards in the construction sector.

PMAY-U

▪ The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission is being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and

Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA).

▪ The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission seeks to address the housing requirement of urban

poor including slum dwellers through following programme components:

1. In-situ Rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a resource through private participation.

2. Credit Linked Subsidy (Implemented as a Central Sector Scheme).

3. Affordable Housing in Partnership.

4. Subsidy for Beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancement.

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX

Consumer Price Index Numbers on Base 2012=100 for Rural, Urban and Combined for the Month of

December 2018.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has revised the Base

Year of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 2010=100 to 2012=100 with effect from the release of indices for

the month of January 2015.

PRICE INDEX

The purpose of a price index is to quantify the overall increase or decrease in prices of several commodities

through a single number. The price index is measured at fixed intervals and changes in it are an indicator of

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average price movement of a fixed basket of goods and services (that represent the entire economy). Thus,

price index is reflective of the total change in price level paid by a producer or consumer.

WHOLESALE PRICE INDEX

Wholesale Price Index (WPI) represents the price of goods at a wholesale stage i.e. goods that are sold in bulk

and traded between organizations instead of consumers.

WPI is used as an important measure of inflation in India. Fiscal and monetary policy changes are greatly

influenced by changes in WPI.

In India, wholesale price index is divided into three groups:

1. Primary Articles (20.1% of total weight).

▪ Food Articles

▪ Non-Food Articles

▪ Minerals

Food Articles from the Primary Articles Group account for 14.3%of the total weight.

2. Fuel and Power (14.9%).

▪ Fuel, Power, Light & Lubricants

▪ Coal

▪ Mineral oils

▪ Electricity

3. Manufactured Products (65%)

▪ Food products

▪ Beverages, Tobacco and Tobacco Products

▪ Textiles

▪ Leather and leather products

▪ Wood and wood products

▪ Paper and paper products

▪ Rubber and plastic products

▪ Chemicals & chemical products and

▪ Several others.

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX

▪ Consumer Price Indices (CPI) measure changes over time in general level of prices of goods and services

that households acquire for the purpose of consumption.

▪ It is the index of price prevailing in the retail market.

▪ CPI is widely used as a macroeconomic indicator of inflation, as a tool by governments and central banks

for inflation targeting and for monitoring price stability, and as deflators in the national accounts. CPI is

also used for indexing dearness allowance to employees for increase in prices.

▪ CPI is more relevant to the customer, since it measures changes in retail prices. CPI represents basket of

essential commodities purchased by average consumer-food, fuel, clothing etc.

▪ The number of items in CPI basket include 448 in rural and 460 in urban. Thus, it makes it clear that CPI

basket is broader than WPI basket.

▪ Consumer Price Indices (CPI) released at national level are:

1. CPI for Industrial Workers (IW).

2. CPI for Agricultural Labourers (AL)/ Rural Labourers (RL).

3. CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined).

▪ While the first two are compiled and released by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and

Employment, the third by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme

Implementation.

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BACKGROUND

WPI index reflects average price changes of goods that are bought and sold in the wholesale market. WPI in

India is published by the Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Further, the data for

WPI is monitored and updated on a weekly basis taking into account all the 676 items that form the index.

An, important point to take note of is the whole sale price index (WPI) does not includes the cost of services.

Further, as WPI accounts for changes in general price level of goods at wholesale level, it fails to communicate

actual burden borne by the end consumer. WPI is the primary measure that is used by the Indian central

government for ascertaining inflation as WPI in contrast to CPI accounts for changes in price at an early

distribution stage.

In contrast, CPI is computed by executing a weighted average on a particular set of goods and services. The

computation of CPI takes into account price changes and the actual inflation that affects the end consumer.

CPI is thus a reflection of changes in the retail prices of specified goods and services over a time period which

are traded by particular consumer group.

9TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MICRO IRRIGATION

Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India has

organized the 9th International Micro Irrigation Conference on Modern Agriculture at Aurangabad in

Maharashtra from January 16–18, 2019, in association with International Commission on Irrigation and

Drainage (ICID), Indian National Committee on Surface Water (INCSW) and WAPCOS Limited, a CPSE under

the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The event was a multi-disciplinary dialogue in the form of a conference discussing issues related to micro

irrigation for modern agriculture and various related issues like new techniques in micro irrigation for

increased crop productivity, micro irrigation in cluster level farming etc.

▪ The Conference provided a forum for discussions and deliberation through seminars, exhibitions and

sessions and served to build awareness regarding large-scale use of micro irrigation, strategies for water

conservation, advanced crop technology, engineering techniques, etc.

▪ The event aimed to address problems of developing as well as developed nations in the context of

present-day challenges.

MICRO IRRIGATION

Micro-irrigation is the slow application of water as discrete or continuous drips, tiny streams or miniature

spray on, above, or below the soil by surface drip, subsurface drip, bubbler and micro-sprinkler systems. It is

applied through emitters connected to a water delivery line through low-pressure delivery.

NATIONAL MISSION ON MICRO IRRIGATION

Due to recurring droughts in years 2012, 2015 and 2016, micro-irrigation has become a policy priority in India.

The new catch-phrase in one of the central government’s schemes, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana

(PMKSY or Prime Minister’s Agriculture Irrigation Programme), is “Per Drop More Crop”.

BACKGROUND

▪ The Government of India has been implementing Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Micro Irrigation with the

objective to enhance water use efficiency in the agriculture sector by promoting appropriate technological

interventions like drip & sprinkler irrigation technologies and encourage the farmers to use water saving

and conservation technologies.

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▪ The Scheme was launched by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture in

January, 2006 as Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Micro Irrigation (CSS). In June, 2010, it was up-scaled to

National Mission on Micro Irrigation (NMMI), which continued till the year 2013-14.

▪ From 1st April, 2014, NMMI was subsumed under National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

and implemented as “On Farm Water Management” (OFWM) during the financial year 2014-15.

▪ From 1st April 2015, Micro Irrigation component of OFWM has been subsumed under Pradhan Mantri

Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC COOPERATION AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (NIPCCD)

The 5th Regional Centre of National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) in

Mohali, Punjab inaugurated.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ NIPCCD is an Indian government agency under the Ministry of Women and Children Development

▪ In April 1985, the Institute received the Maurice Pate Memorial Award from UNICEF in honour of "its work

in developing services for children, training, research and advocacy.

▪ NIPCCD is a premier organisation devoted to promotion of voluntary action, research, training, and

documentation in the overall domain of women and children development.

▪ NIPCCD already has four such Regional Centres one each at Bangalore, Guwahati, Indore and Lucknow

besides the Headquarters at New Delhi.

VAMNICOM

Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) is playing a vital role in the

development of Indian cooperatives.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) was started as a co-

operative training college in 1947.

▪ It was set up with the objective of training senior personnel in the co-operative institutions/departments,

conduct fundamental/applied research and provide consultancy services, organize courses in business

management and train the youth on various facets of management.

▪ VAMNICOM is headquartered in Pune.

▪ It is conceived as an intellectual nerve centre for the co-operative movement and has been functioning as

the apex management training institute for over 50 years, catering to the management development,

training, research and consultancy needs of various co-operative organizations, government departments

and other national bodies

▪ VAMNICOM conducts a nine months diploma programme for the officers working in the co-operative

sector. It is a flagship programme of VAMNICOM and has been funded by Ministry of Agriculture,

Government of India.

DD SCIENCE & INDIA SCIENCE

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) along with Doordarshan (DD), Prasar Bharati launched two

science communication initiatives, DD Science and India Science.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ While DD Science is a one-hour slot on Doordarshan National channel, which will be telecast Monday to

Saturday from 5 pm to 6pm, India Science is an internet-based channel, which is available on any internet-

enabled device, and will offer live, scheduled play and video-on-demand services.

▪ The two science communication platforms are National level initiatives to elevate science into a

celebration and bring it close to everyday life.

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▪ The channels have been conceived and supported by the DST and are being implemented and managed by

Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous organisation of DST.

▪ The two science channels which are milestones in the history of science communication in India, are the

first step in creating a national science channel for the country.

▪ While India Science (www.indiascience.in) is already a 24x7 presence, DD Science may also be scaled up to

a full-fledged channel in the future.

▪ The two channels will have science-based documentaries, studio-based discussions, and virtual

walkthroughs of scientific institutions, interviews and short films and will be completely free to access.

MAYURBHANJ CHHAU

▪ Mayurbhanj Chhau dance form was originally a tribal dance, which originated from the forests of

Mayurbhanj, Odisha in the 18th century, it got the status of a martial art form in the 19th century.

▪ Slowly & steadily Mayurbhanj Chhau left its martial character and mellowed.

▪ Under the Royal Patronage it received proper attention & direction and showed a bright future and

utmost perfection as a dance of excellent style in the field of eastern art and culture of India.

▪ Chhau is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chau of

Bengal, the Seraikella Chau of Jharkhand, and the Mayurbhanj Chau of Odisha

▪ The most prominent difference among the three subgenres is regarding the use of masks. While, the

Seraikela and Purulia subgenres of Chhau use masks during the dance, the Mayurbhanj Chhau uses none.

WORLD’S OLDEST ROCK ART Australian Scientists have recently found the world’s oldest figurative art in a cave in Indonesia. ▪ The cave art on the island of Sulawesi is estimated to be about 40,000 years old. ▪ This discovery challenges the idea that the oldest artwork had originated in Spain and France. ▪ There is a theory that human capacity for abstract thinking originated in Europe, but the new discovery

makes the case that this development was occurring in Asia at the same time.

KHIRKI MOSQUE

The Archaeological Survey of India (Delhi Circle) of Ministry of Culture has discovered a hoard of 254 Copper

Coins in the premises of Khirki Mosque during the course of conservation of the monument.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ This mosque lies on the southern periphery of

the village Khirki in South Delhi.

▪ The mosque was built by Khan-i-Jahan Junan

Shah, the Prime Minister of Firoz Shah

Tughluq (1351-88), and is believed to be one

of the seven mosques built by him.

▪ The Mosque, which is in a quadrangular

shape, with an unusual fusion of Islamic and

traditional Hindu architecture.

▪ It is said to be the only monument style

mosque in North India, which is mostly

covered; the totally covered mosque of the

Sultanate period is, however, in South India at

Gulbarga in North Karnataka.

▪ It is also called "The Mosque of Windows".

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CLEAN GANGA FUND

The officials and partners of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) came together on one platform to

make personal donations to the Clean Ganga Fund on a voluntary basis.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The Clean Ganga Fund was established as a Trust under the Indian Trusts Act, duly approved by the Union

Cabinet and with the Union Finance Minister heading the Board.

▪ DG, NMCG acts as the CEO of the Clean Ganga Fund.

▪ Domestic donors to the CGF are eligible for 100% income tax exemption under Section 80 G (1) (i) of the

Income Tax Act 1961.

▪ Contributions to CGF also fall within the purview of CSR activity as defined in Schedule VII to the

Companies Act, 2013.

▪ The total fund available in CGF as on date is Rs. 269.12 crores. Out of this, projects worth Rs. 203. 91

crores have already been taken up in areas such as afforestation, treatment of nalas through in-situ

bioremediation process, redevelopment of ghats and crematoria and provision of amenities.

KAMSALE DANCE

▪ Kamsale is known as Beesu Kamsale.

▪ It is a unique folk art performed by the devotees of God Mahadeshwara.

▪ Kamsale also refers to a brass made musical instrument.

▪ Its origin is traced to the Mythological period.

▪ The kamsale comprises a cymbal in one hand and a bronze disc in the other and is used to produce a

rhythmic clang.

▪ It is a group dance form performed by the menfolk in villages in the Mysore, Nanjanagudu, Kollegala and

Bangalore areas in Karnataka.

▪ Kamsale is used both as an instrument and also as a prop by the dancers themselves.

▪ The Kamsale nritya is closely connected to a tradition of Male Mahadeshwara, or Lord Shiva worship by

the haalu kuruba community. Most of the dancers are also drawn from this community.

▪ The dance is performed to rhythmic and melodious music that is sung in praise of “Lord Male

Mahadeshwara” or “Shiva”.

▪ The dance is a part of a ‘diiksha’, or oath and is taught by teacher or spiritual leader.

GANDHI PEACE PRIZE

The Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015,2016,2017 and 2018 has been conferred on the following:

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari for the year 2015 for their contribution in Rural Development,

Education, Development of natural resources.

▪ For 2016 jointly to Akshaya Patra Foundation for its contribution in providing mid-day meals to millions of

children across India and Sulabh International for its contribution in improving the condition of sanitation

in India and emancipation of manual scavengers.

▪ Ekal Abhiyan Trust for the year 2017 for their contribution in providing Education for Rural and Tribal

Children in remote areas pan India, Rural Empowerment, Gender and Social Equality

▪ Shri Yohei Sasakawa for the year 2018 for his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the

world.

BACKGROUND

▪ The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mahatma Gandhi, is awarded annually by the

Government of India.

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▪ The award was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 during the commemoration of 125th Birth

anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

▪ This award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and

political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.

▪ The award carries an amount of Rs 1Crore, a Citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as an exquisite traditional

handicraft/handloom item.

WAGON TRAGEDY PAINTING

A controversy that has broken over a painting of the 1921 Wagon Tragedy, which was removed from Tirur

railway station in Malappuram, Kerala, is a throwback to past debates over the character of the Mappilah

Rebellion, which had led to at least 60 prisoners suffocating to death in a windowless freight wagon.

BACKGROUND

▪ The wounds of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 had not yet healed when the Wagon Tragedy took

place on November 21, 1921, evoking widespread condemnation against the British Raj.

▪ About 100 Mapila rebels arrested from different parts of Malappuram were herded into a windowless

goods wagon.

▪ They were being transported from Tirur to Coimbatore.

▪ Seventy of them had died of suffocation by the time the goods wagon reached Podanur.

▪ It was Malabar Police Sergeant Richard Harvard Hitchcock who had ordered transporting of the Mapilas in

the most inhuman manner.

▪ The ghastly incident came to be known as the Jallianwala Bagh of the South, until the State government

called it Wagon Tragedy in 1972.

“SANJHI-MJHE MEIN KALAKAR”

Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama launched the second

phase of the Web Campaign ‘SANJHI –MUJH MEIN KALAKAR’ an initiative to document and promote the

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and diverse cultural traditions of the country by direct public-participation.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ This is a unique talent search where the participant will showcase their talent in the fields of music, dance,

drama, puppetry, folk and tribal arts, culinary skills, painting, sculpture etc.

▪ The literal meaning of the term SANJHI is “to share” and “to partner”, and the cultural traditions of our

country has developed and prospered on the notions of harmony.

▪ The second phase of this campaign, SANJHI –MUJH MEIN KALAKAR, has its main focus area- the folk,

traditional, customary, socially events and ritualistic art forms- woven as a cultural fabric around the

harvest festival season of January.

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▪ It is celebrated all across the country, known as various nomenclatures like Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri,

Bhogali Bihu, Torgya, Uttarayan, Attukkal Pongal etc.

▪ It intends to bring forth such forms that are aligned with the domains of intangible cultural heritage as per

the Convention of Safeguarding the ICH under UNESCO:

a. Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage.

b. Performing arts.

c. Social practices, rituals and festive events.

d. Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe.

e. Traditional craftsmanship.

BACKGROUND

The Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) is the nodal agency of the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India to coordinate

the matters related to Intangible Cultural Heritage and various UNESCO Conventions addressing Cultural

Diversity and promotion and dissemination of multifarious cultural traditions and expressions of the country.

RIGHT OF CHILDREN TO FREE & COMPULSORY EDUCATION (AMENDMEMNT) ACT, 2019

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act, 2019 which was passed by the

Parliament on 3rd January, 2019 received the assent of the President of India on 10th January, 2019.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The Bill seeks to amend the Right to Education (RTE) Act to abolish the “no-detention” policy in schools.

Under the current provisions of the Act, no student can be detained up to class VIII.

▪ As per the amendment, it would be left to the states to decide whether to continue the no-detention

policy. This Bill has been analysed by a Parliamentary standing committee, which also recommended

bringing back the concept of detention in schools.

▪ The policy has been brought back as it was felt that compelling children to repeat a class was

demotivating, often forcing them to abandon school.

▪ The bill provides for regular examination in classes V and VIII, and if a child fails, the amendment bill

grants a provision to give her or him additional opportunity to take a re-examination within two months.

▪ Such children will be provided with two-month remedial teaching to perform better in the re-

examinations.

▪ If the students still do not pass the exam, the state government may decide to detain them.

BACKGROUND

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (the Act) provides for free and compulsory

education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years.

The Section 16 of the Act provides that no child admitted in a school shall be held back in any class or expelled

from school till the completion of elementary education.

SAKSHAM 2019

‘Saksham’, an annual high intensity one-month long people-centric mega campaign of Petroleum

Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas was

launched.

Various interactive programs and activities are being planned by PCRA, Public Sector upstream/downstream

Oil & Gas companies during the month long ‘Saksham-2019’.

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BACKGROUND

▪ Saksham (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav) is a campaign organised by Petroleum Conservation Research

Association (PCRA) to sensitize the masses about conservation and efficient use of petroleum products

which will lead towards better health and environment.

▪ This campaign is aimed at showing the way forward for making a change and enhancing the conservation

capabilities of people.

▪ It helps understand the need for fuel conservation and find solutions thereof.

▪ The campaign seeks to promote effective utilization of petroleum products, something that will lead to

environmental protection.

▪ Aims also to educate the masses on how the efficient, and optimal use of energy can protect the health

and the environment.

PCRA

▪ Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) is a registered society set up under the aegis of

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.

▪ As a non-profit organization, PCRA is a national government agency engaged in promoting energy

efficiency in various sectors of economy.

▪ It helps the government in proposing policies and strategies for petroleum conservation, aimed at

reducing excessive dependence of the country on oil requirement

▪ PCRA aims at making oil conservation a national movement.

▪ As part of its mandate, PCRA is entrusted with the task of creating awareness amongst the masses about

the importance, methods and benefits of conserving petroleum products & emission reduction.

PRADHAN MANTRI RASHTRIYA BAL PURUSKAR 2019

The National Selection Committee under the Chairpersonship of WCD Minister has finalized the names of

awardees for Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2019.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Government of India has been conferring the National Award on Children for their exceptional

achievement in the fields of innovation, scholastic, sports, arts, culture, social service, music or any other field

deserving recognition. Traditionally, these awards have been given away by President of India.

▪ Under this scheme, awards will be given in two categories i.e. Bal Shakti Puruskar to individuals and Bal

Kalyan Puraskar for institutions/individuals working for children.

▪ The Ministry had launched a portal ‘National Children Award’ for receiving online applications from across

country throughout the year.

▪ The individuals could recommend meritorious children or individuals/institutions working for children or

recommend their own case.

UNNATI BY ISRO

UNNATI- (Unispace Nanosatellite Assembly & Training) programme organized by ISRO in Bengaluru.

▪ UNNATI, a capacity building programme on Nanosatellite development, is an initiative by ISRO to

commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first United Nations conference on the exploration and

peaceful uses of outer space (UNISPACE-50).

▪ The programme provides opportunities to the participating developing countries to strengthen in

assembling, integrating and testing of Nanosatellite.

▪ UNNATI programme is planned to be conducted for 3 years by U.R. Rao Satellite Centre of ISRO in 3

batches and will target to benefit officials of 45 countries.

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▪ The primary objective of the programme is to provide theoretical course on Satellite technology,

comprehensive course on Nanosatellite realization and hands-on training to assemble, integrate and test a

low cost, modular Nanosatellite.

SPACE TECHNOLOGY IN BORDER MANAGEMENT

The Union Home Ministry has approved report of Task Force created by MHA to identify areas for use of

Space Technology in improving Border Management.

The Task Force headed by Joint Secretary (Border Management) and having members from BSF, Department

of Space and BM Division, MHA consulted all stakeholders including Border Guarding Forces (BGFs), ISRO,

National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) to finalise the report.

Following areas have been identified for use of space technology:

1. Island development

2. Border Security

3. Communication and Navigation

4. GIS and Operations Planning System

5. Border Infrastructure Development

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ To execute the project in a timebound manner, a short, medium and long-term plan has been proposed

for implementation in five years in close coordination with ISRO and MoD.

▪ Major recommendations of the report are to build capacity in BGFs to use space resources for Security,

operational planning and border infrastructure development.

▪ In short term, immediate needs of BGFs will be met by procurement of high-resolution imagery and hiring

of bandwidth for communications.

▪ In midterm, one satellite is being launched by ISRO for exclusive use of MHA.

▪ Over the long term, MHA will develop ground segment and network infrastructure to share satellite

resources by user agencies, develop a Central Archival Facility for storing various imagery resources and

dissemination of the same to user agencies.

▪ Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in remote areas will be also coordinated by satellite

communications.

▪ Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) -based GPS will provide navigation facilities for

operational parties in high altitude, remote and difficult borders and Naxal areas.

▪ BSF has been designated as lead agency for implementation of ground segment and network

infrastructure including establishment of Archival Facility.

▪ With the assistance of Department of Space, MHA would implement the project. This project will

strengthen island and border security and facilitate development of infrastructure in border/island areas.

PRADHAN MANTRI ROZGAR PROTSAHAN YOJANA

Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY), the flagship scheme of the Central Government for

employment generation has crossed the milestone of one crore beneficiaries as on January 14, 2019.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ PMRPY was announced on August 07, 2016 and is being implemented by Ministry of Labour and

Employment through the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO).

▪ Under the scheme, Government is paying full employers’ contribution of 12% (towards Employees’

Provident Fund and Employees’ Pension Scheme both), for a period of 3 years in respect of new

employees who have been registered with the EPFO on or after 1st April 2016, with salary up to Rs. 15,000

per month.

▪ The entire system is online and AADHAR based with no human interface in the implementation of the

scheme.

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▪ PMRPY has a dual benefit i.e. on the one hand, the employer is incentivised for increasing the employee

base in the establishment through payment of EPF contribution of 12% of wage, which otherwise would

have been borne by the employer and on the other hand, a large number of workers find jobs in such

establishments.

▪ A direct benefit is that these workers have access to social security benefit through Provident Fund,

Pension and Death Linked Insurance.

PRADHAN MANTRI JAN VIKAS KARYKRAM

Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) seeks to provide better socio-economic infrastructure

facilities to the minority communities particularly in the field of education, health & skill development which

would further lead to lessening of the gap between the national average and the minority communities with

regard to backwardness parameters.

BACKGROUND

▪ The erstwhile Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) has been restructured and renamed as

Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram for effective implementation. The restructured scheme is to be

implemented during the remaining period of the 14th Finance Commission ie. March 31, 2020.

▪ MsDP is a special area development scheme designed to address the 'development deficits' seen in

Minority Concentration Districts.

▪ The programme was launched in the year 2008-09 in 90 identified Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs)

having at least 25% minority population and below national average with respect to one or both of the

backwardness parameters with the objective of developing assets for socio-economic and basic amenities.

The MCDs were identified on the basis of census 2001 data. The programme continued during 11th Five

Year Plan.

▪ The projects considered are additional class rooms, laboratories, school buildings, hostels, toilets,

buildings for Polytechnics, ITIs, Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres / Sub-centres,

Anganwadi Centres, Rural Housing etc.

CURRENTLY

▪ As far as PMJVK is concerned, the communities notified as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the

National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 would be taken as Minority Communities. At present 6 (six)

communities namely Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been

notified as Minority Communities under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.

▪ The identification of minority concentration areas has been done on the basis of presence of substantial

population of notified Minority Communities based on Census, 2011.

▪ The inclusion of Minority Concentration District Headquarters along with the Minority Concentration

Towns having population more than 25,000, Minority Concentration Blocks and Cluster of Villages as per

Census, 2011 data, will extend the coverage of population of minority communities.

DEENDAYAL DISABLED REHABILITATION SCHEME

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

implements a scheme titled ‘Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)’.

HIGHLIGHTS

This Regional Conference was organized in order to disseminate the provisions of the revised scheme and

bring the Department closer to implementing agencies.

▪ The umbrella Central Sector Scheme of this Ministry called the "Scheme to Promote Voluntary Action for

Persons with Disabilities" was revised w.e.f. 01.04.2003 and was renamed as the "Deendayal Disabled

Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)".

▪ Under DDRS, Grant-in-Aid is released to about 600 NGOs every year.

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▪ About 10% of total NGOs under DDRS, 10% of total grant and 10% of Special School for Children with

Intellectual Disabilities are from Western Indian States.

▪ DDRS is a Central Sector Scheme of Government of India which is being implemented since 1999 for

providing financial assistance to NGOs working for education and rehabilitation of persons with

disabilities.

▪ This scheme was revised in 2018 and the revised scheme is being implemented since 1st April 2018.

DIFFO BRIDGE

Raksha Mantri inaugurated the 426.60 metres long Pre-Stressed Concrete Box Girder type bridge over Diffo

river on Roing-Koron-Paya road in Arunachal Pradesh.

▪ The work was executed by Project Udayak, Border Roads Organization (BRO) in this region.

▪ It would provide uninterrupted access between Dibang valley and Lohit valley region of Eastern Arunachal

Pradesh.

▪ It serves as an all-weather Road to the troops deployed on the China Border.

STATUS PAPER

The Central Government released the Eighth Edition of the Status Paper on the Government Debt, which

provides a detailed analysis of the Overall Debt Position of the Government of India. The Central

Government has been bringing-out an Annual Status Paper on Government Debt since 2010-11.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ This paper enhances transparency by providing a detailed account of debt operations during the year and

an assessment of the health of the public debt portfolio based on internationally accepted debt

performance indicators.

▪ The paper also covers details of fiscal deficit financing operations of the Central Government during the

year 2017-18.

▪ The overall liabilities of the Central Government are on a medium-term declining trajectory and

Government’s Debt Portfolio is characterised by prudent risk profile.

▪ Government is primarily resorting to market linked borrowings for financing its fiscal deficit.

▪ Conventional indicators of Debt sustainability, i.e., Debt/GDP ratio, interest payment to revenue receipts,

shares of short-term Debt/External Debt/FRBs in total debt indicate that the debt profile of the

Government is comfortably placed in terms of debt sustainability parameters and is consistently

improving.

▪ The Paper also provides Debt Management Strategy of the Central Government for the years 2018-21

which will guide the borrowing plans of the Government.

INDIA’S 1ST LITHIUM ION GIGA FACTORY

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Libcoin are in dialogue to form a world class consortium to

initially build 1GWh lithium ion battery plant in India.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Its capacity will be scaled up to 30GWh in due course. With this, India has finally taken steps into its

energy security and clean energy commitment to the world.

▪ This project will bring energy independence by replacing oil imports with abundant renewable. T

▪ his project also includes “Made by India, for India”, with focus on core-cost components manufactured

domestically.

▪ It will also create integrated manufacturing ecosystem resulting in self-reliance and lower cost.

▪ A holistic view of the supply chain in combination with cutting edge digital technologies to replace high

CAPEX and high OPEX processes will be the highlight of this project in India.

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RENUKA MULTIPURPOSE DAM PROJECT

An agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project is to be signed soon among six states- Uttar Pradesh,

Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Three storage projects are proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and two of its tributaries -

Tons and Giri in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh of Upper Yamuna Basin.

▪ Two of the are Lakhwar project on river Yamuna in Uttarakhand, Kishau on river Tons in Uttarakhand and

Himachal Pradesh.

▪ The other one is Renukaji Dam project has been conceived as a storage project on Giri River (tributary of

river Yamuna) in Sirmour District of Himachal Pradesh.

▪ These three projects were identified as National Projects in 2008 under which 90% funding of the cost will

be provided by the Govt. of India as central assistance and the rest 10% will be borne by the beneficiary

states.

▪ Stored water of Renukaji Dam will be used by UP, Haryana & NCT of Delhi from Hathnikund Barrage, by

NCT of Delhi from Wazirabad Barrage and by UP, Haryana and Rajasthan from Okhla Barrage.

MUDIYETTU

▪ Mudiyettu is a ritualistic dance drama from Kerala.

▪ It is based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika.

▪ It is performed in the Bhadrakali temples of Central Kerala.

▪ It is a community ritual in which the entire village participates.

▪ Mudiyettu found a place in the UNESCO’s intangible heritage list in 2010.

▪ Mudiyettu serves as an important cultural site for transmission of traditional values, ethics, moral codes

and aesthetic norms of the community to the next generation, thereby ensuring its continuity and

relevance in present times.

INDUS FOOD 2019

▪ INDUS FOOD is a platform of its kind exclusively devoted to enhancing Indian exports in F&B sector.

▪ INDUS FOOD-II event is aimed at promoting India as a strong and reliable exporter of food and beverage

products to the world.

▪ INDUS FOOD 2019 will promote value addition to India’s agriculture exports and integrate Indian farmers

and agricultural products with global value chains.

▪ The theme of this event is ‘World Food Supermarket’.

▪ INDUS FOOD is a global platform where top exporters from Food and Beverage Industry of India will be

participating and buyers from across the world have been invited.

▪ The first edition of INDUS FOOD was conducted by Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) in 2018.

▪ It enables B2B engagements of buyers and suppliers.

SUPER BLOOD WOLF MOON

The Super Blood Moon is a phenomenon wherein the Moon appears particularly large and bright with a

reddish glow.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Wolf Moon is the name given by native Americans to a full moon that appears in the middle of winter.

▪ Super Blood Moon happens during a total lunar eclipse when the Earth passes in between the Sun and the

Moon, blocking the Sun’s light from falling directly on the Moon.

▪ However, the little light that manages to pass from the edges of the Earth’s atmosphere lit up the Moon’s

surface and makes it look red.

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▪ During a total lunar eclipse, the Sun, Earth and the Moon are perfectly lined up. Also, a lunar eclipse only

takes place when there is a full Moon.

▪ The Moon appears larger and brighter during a Super Moon given it is closer than usual to the Earth.

LOIN LOOMS

Nagaland’s famed loin looms are being revived.

▪ Weaving with the use of the traditional loin

loom is a skill and occupation that is passed

down generations among women in tribal

communities in the North-East.

▪ Traditionally, the loin loom has an economic

significance as well and forms an important

part of the socio-culture of tribal societies.

▪ The portable Naga loin loom has a back strap

with a continuous horizontal warp.

▪ The kotong (its six sticks) functions as the

warp beam.

▪ It is fastened to the wall of the house by loops that are set at a distance equal to the breadth of the cloth

to be woven.

▪ The woven cloth tends to have a ribbed texture.

LAKE URIMA

Iran is witnessing revival of Lake Urmia which is one of the worst ecological disasters of recent decades.

FACTS

▪ The lake is a saltwater lake.

▪ It is situated in the mountains of northwest Iran and is fed by 13 rivers

▪ In precise the lake is located in the west of the southern portion of the Caspian Sea.

▪ It is designated as a site of international importance under the UN Convention on Wetlands.

▪ According to the UN Environment Program, the lake has been shrinking since 1995, due to a combination

of prolonged drought, over-farming and dams.

▪ The shrinking has threatened the habitat of shrimp, flamingos, deers and wild sheep and caused salt

storms that pollute nearby cities and farms.

▪ Finally, a coordinated effort to save the lake in 2013—with a joint program between Iran and the UN

Development Program funded by the Japanese government was in force.

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CANADIAN HYDROGEN INTENSITY MAPPING EXPERIMENT (CHIME)

Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) has reported the sighting of a repeating fast

radio burst from a distant galaxy.

FAST RADIO BURST

▪ Fast Radio Bursts are brief (few millisecond) bursts of radio waves coming from far beyond our Milky Way

galaxy.

▪ The phenomenon was first reported in 2007 and as of mid-2017, roughly two dozen have been reported

and their origin is unknown.

▪ However, they are ubiquitous: current best estimates suggest these events are arriving at Earth roughly a

thousand times per day over the entire sky.

▪ Of the known detected FRBs, one, FRB 121102, has been observed to repeat and has been shown to come

from a small dwarf galaxy at redshift 0.2.

▪ Whether all FRBs repeat and/or are in dwarf galaxies is yet unknown.

CHIME

▪ The CHIME Telescope is located at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO), a national

facility for astronomy operated by the National Research Council of Canada.

▪ The DRAO site is protected against man-made radio-frequency interference by municipal, provincial and

federal regulation.

▪ The CHIME telescope's large collecting area, wide bandwidth and enormous field-of-view make it a superb

detector of FRBs.

▪ The CHIME FRB event rate is predicted to be between 2 and 50 FRBs per day.

▪ So high an event rate promises major progress on this puzzling new astrophysical phenomenon.

▪ Bright CHIME-discovered FRBs will be found in real time and reported immediately to the worldwide

astrophysical community for multi-wavelength follow up.

MAGH BIHU

Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu is celebrated during the month of January in Assam.

▪ It marks the end of the harvest season.

▪ The occasion of Magh Bihu coincides with the celebrations of Pongal and Makar Sankranti in many states.

▪ On Magh Bihu, the granaries of the farmers are full and there is festivity all around.

▪ On the occasion of Magh Bihu, a lot of people worship Lord Indra, who according to the Hindu mythology

is “God of rains and clouds”.

▪ Magh Bihu is the second largest Bihu festival of Assam after Bohag Bihu.

▪ In a year Assamese celebrate three different kinds of Bihu festival that is

a. Bohaag Bihu in the middle of April month

b. Maagh Bihu in the middle of January month

c. Kaati Bihu in the middle of October month

Various harvest festivals being celebrated across the Nations:

▪ Makar Sankranti: The festival of Makar Sankranti is being celebrated today when the Sun enters the

Makar zodiac and the days begin to lengthen compared to nights.

▪ Pongal: In South India and particularly in Tamil Nadu, it’s the festival of Pongal which is being celebrated

over 4 days at harvest time.

▪ Uttarayan: Gujarat celebrates it in the form of the convivial kite festival of Uttarayan.

▪ Maghi: In Punjab, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Maghi. Bathing in a river in the early hours on Maghi is

important.

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▪ Saaji: In Shimla District of Himachal Pradesh, Makara Sankranti is known as Magha Saaji. Saaji is the Pahari

word for Sankranti, start of the new month. Hence this day marks the start of the month of Magha.

▪ Kicheri: The festival is known as Kicheri in Uttar Pradesh and involves ritual bathing.

▪ Shakrain is an annual celebration of winter in Bangladesh, observed with the flying of kites.

▪ Maghe Sankranti is a Nepalese festival observed on the first of Magh in the Bikram Samwat Hindu Solar

Nepali calendar (about 14 January).

GALELIAN MOON

Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – four satellites of Jupiter – are popularly referred to as the Galilean

moons.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ This is because these moons were discovered by the famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in January

1610.

▪ Galelian moons’ discovery aided in our understanding of the solar system.

▪ Io is the innermost of the four Galilean moons and the fourth-largest moon in the solar system.

▪ Io’s surface comprises of various colourful forms of sulphur and it is the most volcanically active body in

the solar system.

▪ Europa is the smallest of these four satellites and is in fact slightly smaller than our moon.

▪ It has a surface mostly made up of water ice, and there is also evidence that it may be covering an ocean

of water or slushy ice beneath.

▪ Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system.

▪ A unique feature of Ganymede is the fact that it is the only known moon to have a magnetosphere, that is,

an internally generated magnetic field.

▪ Callisto is the farthest of the four Galileans.

▪ Callisto’s rocky, icy surface is about four billion years old and it is among the oldest and most heavily

cratered in our solar system.

KYASANUR FOREST DISEASE

Six people have died due to Kyasanur forest disease (KFD), also known as ‘monkey fever’, in Shivamogga

district of Karnakata.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a re-emerging zoonotic disease endemic in Karnataka.

▪ It is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV), a member of the virus

family Flaviviridae.

▪ Hard ticks (Hemaphysalis spinigera) are the reservoir of KFD virus and once infected, remain so for life.

▪ Rodents, shrews, and monkeys are common hosts for KFDV after being bitten by an infected tick.

▪ KFDV can cause epizootics with high fatality in primates.

▪ It was first identified in 1957 from Kyasanur forest area, Shimoga district of Karnataka, India.

▪ The disease derives its name from the forest range where the virus was first isolated.

▪ The disease is also referred to as monkey fever by local people due to its association with monkey deaths.

MAKARAVILAKKU FESTIVAL

Makaravilakku festival is the most important event in the two-month-long annual festival season.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Makara jyothi is a star that appears in the sky on Makara Samkramam on the first day of the Malayalam

month of Makaram.

▪ Makara vilakku is a light lit at Ponnambalamedu, a plateau across the Sabarimala shrine.

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▪ The light, believed to have celestial origins, is shown three times by the chief priest of Pamba temple.

▪ Pamba is the base station of Sabarimala.

▪ The light is dubbed as Makara vilakku.

▪ This ritual is done after the Sirius star appears in the sky.

▪ This ritual had been done by Malaya araya tribals in the past.

▪ When the Travancore Devaswom Board took over the administration of the temple in the early 1950s, the

tribal community lost that right.

CONGENITAL CENTRAL HYPOVENTILATION SYNDROME (CCHS)

▪ CCHS is a disorder of the nervous system in which the cue to breathe is lost when the patient goes to

sleep.

▪ This results in a lack of oxygen and a build-up of carbon dioxide in the body, which can sometimes turn

fatal.

▪ A typical presentation of the lack of breathing is when the lips start turning blue and it is a typical feature

of a carbon dioxide build-up.

▪ It is also seen in babies with congenital heart problems when the extremities of the body are deprived of

oxygen.

▪ The disease is also known as Ondine’s Curse.

▪ Ondine, a nymph in French mythology, had cursed her unfaithful husband that he would forget to breathe

the moment he fell asleep.

▪ The mutation of a gene called PHOX2B, which is crucial for the maturation of nerve cells in the body, can

cause CCHS.

▪ It can also be genetically acquired, which is when it is congenital.

▪ However, sudden mutation is more common than a transmission of the mutated gene from parent to

child.

▪ Symptoms: Apart from the apparent signs of oxygen deficiency, CCHS patients also have problems in

regulation of heart rate and blood pressure, sweat profusely, often have constipation and cannot always

feel pain. Many of them suffer from neural tumours. In some patients, there are ophthalmological

symptoms.

▪ In others, there is a deficiency of the growth hormone and a propensity of the body to produce much

more insulin than is normal.

ASER 2018

Annual Status of Education Report 2018, released recently, finds some improvements in primary education.

BACKGROUND

▪ The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) is being released by a non-governmental organisation

Pratham since 2005.

▪ Each year’s report has been presenting a dismal picture of primary education in India.

▪ The reports focus on children aged between 6 years and 14 years in rural India.

▪ It maps the schooling status of and the impact of primary education on a child’s ability to complete basic

reading and arithmetic tasks.

▪ Despite enacting Right to Education in 2010, which has mandated free and compulsory education for each

child between the age of 6 and 14 years, learning outcomes remained poor.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ For the first time since India adopted RTE, reading abilities of Class V students in government schools have

improved and their basic mathematical abilities have started growing faster.

▪ For instance, the proportion of government school students in Class V, who can read a Class II-level text

has risen from 41.7% in 2016 to 44.2% this year.

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▪ This ratio had been declining from 53.1% in 2008.

▪ Similarly, 27.3% of students in Class III can now read a Class II text, up from 21.6% in 2013.

▪ India has also moved further ahead on gender parity, wherein the proportion of girls in the age group of

11-14 years who stayed out of school declining from 6% in 2010 to 4.1% in 2018.

▪ Moreover, it is the first time that the proportion of children not enrolled in schools has fallen below 3%.

▪ Also, among states, the reading ability among Class V students in Kerala jumped 10 percentage points in

2018 from that in 2016.

▪ In Himachal Pradesh, the growth is nearly 8 percentage points and in Chhattisgarh and Odisha it is around

7 percentage points between 2016 and 2018.

▪ Still, data from states such as Jharkhand, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu shows a

marginal dip in the same criterion for the same cohort.

CONCERNS

▪ The basic reading and mathematics abilities of children in Class VIII continue to slowly decline.

▪ For instance, among Class VIII students attending government schools, the proportion that can read a

Class II text has continued to decline from 83.6% a decade ago to 69% in 2018.

▪ The proportion is similar when it comes to mathematical abilities.

▪ The picture is slightly more encouraging at the Class III level, where there has been gradual improvement

since 2014.

▪ However, even in 2018, less than 30% of students in Class III are actually at their grade level, that is, able

to read a Class II text and do double-digit subtraction.

▪ The performance in private schools is better than government schools.

▪ In fact, in private schools, reading and mathematical abilities for students in both Class V and Class VIII

have shown improvement.

▪ However, the performance difference is not great as learning deficit is present across both government

and private schools.

▪ Traditionally, students in private schools have fared better than their government school counterparts,

but that’s a relative situation.

▪ For example, while 40% of Class VIII students in government schools can do simple division, the figure is

only 54.2% in private schools.

▪ Private school students are believed to have better family background, both in economic and education

front, which serves as a key differentiator.

▪ This means the improvements in educational achievements are not broad-based.

▪ In particular, higher primary (class VI to Class VIII) have not shown enough improvements.

▪ Thus, the report shows the prevalence of learning deficit and the poverty of basic reading and arithmetic

skills among students in Indian schools.

SMALL FARMERS’ AGRI BUSINESS CONSORTIUM

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has said that the role of SFAC is commendable in realizing

the dream of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is an Autonomous Society promoted by Ministry of

Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.

▪ The Government established Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) as a Society in 1994 and it is

celebrating silver jublee this year.

▪ It was established to facilitate agri-business ventures by catalysing private investment through Venture

Capital Assistance (VCA) Scheme in close association with financial institutions.

▪ It is the pioneer in organizing small and marginal farmers as Farmers Interest Groups, Farmers Producers

Organization and Farmers Producers Company for endowing them with bargaining power and economies

of scale.

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▪ It provides a platform for increased accessibility and cheaper availability of agricultural inputs to small and

marginal farmers and in establishing forward and backward linkages in supply chain management.

▪ Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is the lead agency for implementing e-NAM (e National

Agriculture Market) under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.

LOSAR FESTIVAL

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal organized the Losar Festival in its premises.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The Tibetan New Year is referred to as Losar.

▪ The Tibetan Calendar is based on the lunar calendar and consists of twelve (or thirteen) months.

▪ Losar starts on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan Calendar when the new moon is sighted.

▪ Oftentimes, Losar and the Chinese New Year begin on the same date, but sometimes they might have a

difference of a day, or even a lunar month.

▪ To mark the Losar, a three-day festival is celebrated by Tibetans worldwide with prayers, hanging prayer

flags, ceremonies, folk dances, passing fire torches among gatherings, and friends and family reunions.

▪ Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, also known as National Museum of Humankind or Museum

of Man is an anthropology museum located in Bhopal, India.

▪ It represents an integrated story of the evolution of man and culture with special reference to India

VULTURE & RAPTOR SURVEY

The first-ever vulture and raptor survey held in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS)

▪ The survey that was concluded in the Wayanad landscape recently recorded 24 species of raptors and four

species of vultures.

▪ The three-day program was organized by the Forest and Wildlife Department, and two territorial forest

divisions, including the South and North Wayanad Forest Divisions.

▪ Raptors come under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and have apex predator status in an

ecosystem.

▪ Indian vulture, White-rumped vulture, Red headed vultures were spotted.

CHOWNMAHALLA PALACE

Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad is restored to its grandeur by painstaking conservation work.

▪ The place is named chowmahalla, which means four palaces.

▪ The palace is located in the old city in Hyderabad near the Charminar.

▪ The structure dates back to late 18th century when construction began in 1750.

▪ The magnificent Chowmahalla Palace was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty.

▪ This is the palace where the Nizams entertained their official guests and royal visitors.

▪ The highlight of the palace is the Grand Khilwat, the Durbar Hall.

DEFENCE MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing of items of defence aerospace and warships will now be covered by Industries (Development

and Regulation Act).

▪ A government notification also intimated that it will not require any license from the commerce and

industry ministry.

▪ The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has issued a notification clarifying the defence

products' list requiring compulsory license under Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951 (IDRA)

and Arms Act, 1959 in consultation with Ministry of Home Affairs and Department of Defence Production.

▪ The DIPP is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

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▪ In May 2017, the DIPP was allowed to process applications for grant of licence for manufacture of defence

items.

▪ Earlier, the Home ministry was carrying out this exercise.

▪ The DIPP is mainly responsible for formulation of polices with regard to promotion of foreign investment

and manufacturing industries.

BUDITHI BRASS CRAFT

Budithi Brass Craft are the products made out of alloy like brass at Budithi, a village in Srikakulam district of

the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

▪ It was registered as one of the geographical

indication handicrafts from Andhra Pradesh as

per Geographical Indications of Goods

(Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

▪ The art form expresses itself as traditional

cooking utensils and also in forms that suit

contemporary needs - like flower pots and

planters.

▪ Usually made of brass, the objects have

patterns that are geometric, with straight lines

and curves forming simple and striking

presentations.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF INDIAN CINEMA

Prime Minister inaugurated National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai recently.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The “National Museum of Indian Cinema” will provide a store house of information to the laymen about

Indian Cinema.

▪ It will also help film makers, film students, enthusiasts and critics to know and evaluate the development

of cinema as a medium of artistic expression.

▪ Artefacts, equipments like Cameras, Editing, & Recording Machines, Projectors etc., Costumes,

Photographs and other material are proposed to be kept in the Museum.

▪ The Purpose and Objectives of the Museum:

a. To encapsulate the socio-cultural history of India as revealed through the evolution of cinema.

b. To develop as a research centre focusing on the effect of cinema on society.

c. To exhibit the work of the noted directors, producers, Institutions etc. for the benefit of visitors/film

enthusiasts.

d. To arrange seminars, workshops for film makers & film students.

e. To generate interest in the future generation in the field of film movement.

BHAVANTAR SCHEME

Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister announced that the government would scrap a farmer-oriented

scheme introduced by the previous government - The Bhavantar scheme.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY) was launched by the government in October 2017 in the wake of

unrest among farmers over falling prices.

▪ Bhavantar literally means difference in rate.

▪ In its original form, the scheme was meant to provide a cushion to farmers when prices of crops fell below

the minimum support price (MSP) announced by the central government.

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▪ Under it, farmers got the difference between the MSP and the modal price (average market price in a

mandi over a particular period). For example, if the MSP of soybean was Rs 3,050 per quintal and a farmer

sold it for Rs 2,200, he would not get Rs 850 but Rs 550 if the average rate that prevailed in three mandis

was Rs 2500 per quintal.

▪ The farmers had to register themselves at mandis with details such as their landholding, bank accounts,

and likely produce.

▪ They were eligible only if they sold their produce during a particular window in the mandi where they had

registered themselves.

▪ The actual difference in the selling price and the modal rate was deposited directly in their bank accounts.

ETIKOPPAKA BOMMALU

▪ Etikoppaka is a small village located on the banks of the river Varaha in Vishakhapatnam district of AP.

▪ Etikoppaka toys or Etikoppaka Bommalu are made in the Etikoppaka region of Andhra Pradesh.

▪ The village is very famous for its toys made of wood.

▪ The toys are also called as lacquer toys

because of application of lacquer coating.

▪ These are well known for canon toys, lord

Ganesha form and bullock etc.

▪ The toys are made out of wood and are

coloured with natural dyes derived from

seeds, lacquer, bark, roots and leaves.

▪ The wood used to make the toys is soft in

nature and the art of toy making is also known

as Turned wood Lacquer craft.

▪ The lac dye is used for decorating the

Etikoppaka toys, which are exported all over

the world.

YELLOW FEVER

The death of Prof Martin Gore, 67, former medical director of the Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK and a

renowned cancer specialist, on January 10 has shocked the medical fraternity because it came after a routine

yellow fever vaccination. It re-ignited a controversy over vaccines around the world.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Yellow fever spreads through mosquitoes.

▪ It is often associated with jaundice, hence the name yellow.

▪ It leads to death in a significant proportion of patients, which is why the vaccine is often compulsory

before travelling to any of the yellow fever-endemic countries in parts of Africa, and Central and South

America.

How safe is the vaccines?

▪ Known as 17D, the vaccine is generally considered safe.

▪ As per The World Health Organization (WHO), “Yellow fever is prevented by an extremely effective

vaccine, which is safe and affordable. A single dose is sufficient to confer sustained immunity and life-long

protection against yellow fever disease.”

▪ There are, however, reports in medical literature about multisystem organ failure following vaccination.

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HOW VACCINES WORK

Many vaccines introduce a pathogen inside the body. For example, the yellow fever vaccine is a live, weakened

yellow fever virus. Because it is live, the body responds to it the same way as in a full-blown infection. This

ensures that the body knows the vulnerabilities of that virus for the rest of the person’s life. Thus, whenever

an invasion happens, blood cells that retain the memory of that virus immediately work towards defeating the

nascent invasion much before it can go on to become a full-blown infection.

60% ALL COFFEE SPECIES ARE AT RISK OF EXTINCTION

A new study has found that 60% all coffee species are at the risk of extinction from disease, climate change,

and the loss of suitable space to grow coffee.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The species at risk include Arabica, the most widely consumed coffee variety in the world.

▪ There are 124 species of coffee.

▪ Researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK), assessed all of them according to the standards of

the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This resulted in

75 coffee species (60%) being assessed as threatened with extinction — 13 critically endangered, 40

endangered, 22 vulnerable. Another 35 species were assessed as not threatened while the remaining 14

species were data-deficient.

▪ Included among the 60% under threat of extinction are those that could be key to the future of coffee

production.

▪ Arabica alone accounts for 60% of world coffee trade, and Robusta for the remaining 40%.

PM JAN AROGYA YOJANA

West Bengal announced that it is withdrawing from Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

(PMJAY). Delhi, Telangana and Odisha have stayed out of the programme.

ISSUES

The dispute is over branding. The letter sent to beneficiaries has photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi; the

West Bengal government feels that given the 60:40 partnership in the scheme, the state government should

get similar space on documents. Then there is the name of the scheme itself.

PM JAN AROGYA YOJANA

▪ It’s a Rs 5-lakh cashless family floater insurance covering all members of the household for one year.

Members can be added after the government’s approval.

▪ Mission will cover 10 crore families when it is launched nationwide on September 25, 2018. They include

existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana beneficiaries and those part of similar schemes in the

participating states.

▪ It covers 1,354 medical and surgical packages categorised under 25 specialties such as cardiology,

neurosurgery, oncology (chemotherapy for 50 types of cancers), burns, among others. Patients can’t avail

surgical and medical packages at the same time.

Who Will Fix the Rates?

The state health agency in consultation with the selected insurer and empanelled hospitals for three years. The

third year will be contingent to the performance of the insurer in the first two.

1. Seven states, including two union territories, have opted for the insurance model.

2. Twenty states opted to set up trusts or subsidy pools with 60:40 contribution by central and state

governments. Funds will be granted at a flat premium of Rs 500 a family for the first six months.

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3. Under the mixed model—opted by eight states—claims of up to Rs 1.5 lakh will be covered by an

insurer and anything exceeding that will be settled by the trust

Benefits:

1. Hospitalisation expenses such as registration, nursing and boarding charges in general ward.

2. Consultation fees, surgical equipment and procedure charges and cost of implants, medicines, diagnostic

tests and food for patients.

3. Follow-up care along with pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses.

In case of multiple surgeries, the highest package rate will be waived for the first treatment, and 50 percent

and 25 percent of the costs will be provided for the second and third treatment, respectively.

IMPLEMENTATION

▪ Jointly by the central and state governments.

▪ Central Level National Health Agency under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will implement the

scheme and run the web portal.

▪ State Level State health agencies will sign contracts with insurers and empanelled hospitals. They will be

responsible for auditing and monitoring the scheme through spot checks.

CROCODYLUS PALUSTRIS

The mugger crocodile, also called marsh crocodile or broad-snouted crocodile, is a species (Crocodylus

palustris) native to freshwater habitats from southern Iran and Pakistan to the Indian subcontinent and Sri

Lanka. It has come to the centre of renewed attention in Gujarat, where the Forest Department has started

evacuating muggers from two ponds on the Sardar Sarovar Dam premises on the Narmada, to facilitate a

seaplane service at the Statue of Unity.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Already extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar, the mugger has been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List

since 1982.

▪ In India, it is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

▪ Among the six schedules in the Act, Schedule I and part II of Schedule II provide the highest degrees of

protection to listed species, with the most stringent penalties for offenders.

▪ Vadodara, 90 km from the Narmada dam, is the only city in the country where crocodiles live in their

natural habitat amidst human population.

▪ Crocodiles from the Vishwamitri river, where they number around 300, often enter people’s homes, giving

rise to conflict and capture. Most of these crocodiles are thereafter released in the Narmada dam waters,

away from human habitats.

CROCODILE

Crocodiles were listed under Schedule I not because of the fear of extinction but to prevent their trade.

Crocodiles are valued for their skin and flesh. In some cases, they are also worshipped, including in the

Narmada. In idols of the Narmada Goddess, a crocodile is her vehicle; there is an idol on the premises of the

Narmada Dam. Goddess Khodiyar Maa, who is worshipped by a section of Gujaratis, is also seen riding a

crocodile as a symbol of her supremacy over land and water.

There are three species of crocodilians—saltwater, Mugger and Gharial.

MUGGER: The mugger crocodile, also called the Indian crocodile, or marsh crocodile, is found throughout the

Indian subcontinent

▪ It is listed as vulnerable by IUCN.

▪ The mugger is mainly a freshwater species, and found in lakes, rivers and marshes.

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GHARIAL: The Gharial or fish-eating crocodile is native to the Indian subcontinent.

▪ It is listed as a Critically Endangered by IUCN.

▪ Small released populations are present and increasing in the rivers of the National Chambal Sanctuary,

Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Son River Sanctuary and the rainforest biome of Mahanadi in Satkosia

Gorge Sanctuary, Orissa.

SALTWATER CROCODILE: It is the largest of all living reptiles. It listed as least concern by IUCN. It is found

throughout the east coast of India.

CROCODILE CONSERVATION PROGRAMME

▪ The Gharial and Saltwater crocodile conservation programme was first implemented in Odisha in early

1975 and subsequently the Mugger conservation programme was initiated, since Odisha is having

distinction for existence of all the three species of Indian crocodilians.

▪ The funds and technical support for the project came from UNDP/ FAO through the Government of India.

▪ ‘BAULA’ PROJECT AT DANGAMAL: ‘Baula’ is the Oriya term for Saltwater Crocodile. Dangmal is in

Bhitarkanika sanctuary.

▪ MUGGER PROJECT AT RAMATIRTHA: The Ramatirtha center, in Odisha, is meant for Mugger crocodiles.

▪ GHARIAL PROJECT AT TIKARPADA, Odisha.

▪ CAPTIVE BREEDING OF CROCODILES AT NANDANKANAN, Odisha.

CAESIUM-137

A small container of radioactive Caesium-137, which went missing on January 16 from a truck ferrying

machinery and tools from an ONGC exploration site near Machilipatnam to Rajahmundry 120 km away, was

retrieved from a scrap shop at Kalindindi village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Caesium-137 (atomic mass 137) is a heavier, radioactive isotope of Caesium (Cs) whose most stable form

is Cs-133.

▪ Silvery white, soft, and malleable, Cs-137 is one of the very few metals that exist in liquid form at room

temperature.

▪ (A more common example is mercury.) Cs-137 is most commonly produced as a byproduct in fission

reactions of uranium and plutonium in nuclear plants or nuclear explosions.

▪ It is, thus, part of the spent fuel.

▪ One of the biggest contaminations of Cs-137 happened during the Chernobyl accident of 1986, when

about 27 kg of the metal entered the atmosphere. Cs-137 has a half-life of about 30 years.

▪ It decays through the emission of beta particles (a high-energy electron or positron, or positive electron)

and gamma rays (a form of electromagnetic radiation like X-rays).

▪ Any danger from Cs-137 emanates from these natural emissions of beta particles and gamma rays.

Exposure to very small amounts of Cs-137 is not harmful.

▪ Such exposure happens through presence of the metal in very small amounts in the atmosphere and in

the soil.

▪ However, accidents like Chernobyl or Fukushima can contaminate water bodies with Cs-137, and the

metal can then be ingested along with food and water.

▪ Cs-137 is used in a variety of measuring instruments in the construction and other industry.

▪ It is also used, as in ONGC’s case, in well-logging devices in the drilling industry for the characterisation of

rocks.

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CHAKMA & HAJONG

Locals in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram are protesting against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment)

Bill, 2016 because it would serve as a legal basis for legitimising the claims of Chakma and Hajong refugees

as the indigenous people of State.

The Citizenship Bill seeks to grant citizenship to six minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains,

Parsis, and Christians — without valid documents from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of

stay in India. Locals are concerned as this bill seeks to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees.

▪ Chakmas and Hajongs were originally residents of Chittagong Hill Tracts in the erstwhile East Pakistan.

▪ They left their homeland when it was submerged by the Kaptai dam project in the 1960s.

▪ The Chakmas, who are Buddhists, and the Hajongs, who are Hindus, also allegedly faced religious

persecution and entered India through the then Lushai Hills district of Assam (now Mizoram).

▪ The Centre moved the majority of them to the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), which is now Arunachal

Pradesh.

▪ Their numbers have gone up from about 5,000 in 1964-69 to one lakh. At present, they don’t have

citizenship and land rights but are provided basic amenities by the state government.

ROADEO

▪ The traffic police authorities of Pune are planning to introduce a robot named ‘Roadeo’ which would move

around city roads, functioning as a quasi-traffic policeman and cautioning commuters about traffic rules

and offences.

▪ It is a first of its kind initiative in the entire country.

▪ If this pilot project turns out to be successful it would go a long way in easing the traffic management

burden and reducing the workload of overburdened policemen.

SITA RAMA LIFT IRRIGATION PROJECT

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has given its approval for the Sita Rama Lift

Irrigation Project of Telangana.

▪ As per the initial land acquisition cost, the government issued administrative sanction in February 2016 for

construction of Integrated (Rajiv Sagar and Indira Sagar) Dummugudem Lift Irrigation Scheme, now named

Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project.

▪ It aims to divert Godavari river water to irrigate 2.72 lakh hectares in three districts of Telangana.

Lift irrigation is a method of irrigation in which water is not transported by natural flow, (as in gravity-fed

canal) but is lifted with pumps or surge pools etc.

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BENEFITS

1. Lift irrigation made irrigation possible at higher level.

2. Land acquisition problem in L.I.S. is less.

3. Water losses are low.

4. Manpower is less used.

HANELY PASSPORT INDEX

Henley Passport Index 2019 has been released.

BACKGROUND

▪ The Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199

passports and 227 travel destinations.

▪ The Henley Passport Index (HPI) is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom for their

citizens.

▪ It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI) and was modified and renamed in

January 2018.

▪ The HPI consists of a ranking of passports according to how many other territories can be reached ‘visa-

free’.

▪ All distinct destination countries and territories in the IATA database are considered.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ India jumped two positions from 81st in 2018 to 79th this year.

▪ Japan retained its top spot as the world’s most travel-friendly passport due to the document’s access to

190 countries.

▪ Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal ranked further low at 104, 102 and 94 respectively.

▪ South Korea edged up the ranking from October’s index to join Singapore, offering access to 189

jurisdictions.

▪ China jumped almost 20 places in just two years, from 85th in 2017 to 69th this year.

▪ European countries also performed favourably, with European Union member states along with Norway

and the US filling in the places behind the top three nations although the UK continues to drop down the

rankings, along with the US.

DEMOCRACY INDEX 2018

Democracy Index 2018 has been released. It is released annually by The Economist.

▪ The EIU Democracy Index provides a snapshot of the state of world democracy for 165 independent states

and two territories.

▪ The Democracy Index is based on five categories:

1. electoral process and pluralism.

2. civil liberties.

3. The functioning of government.

4. political participation.

5. Political culture.

▪ Based on their scores on 60 indicators within these categories, each country is then itself classified as one

of four types of regime: full democracy; flawed democracy; hybrid regime; and authoritarian regime.

ECO NIWAS SAMHITA 2018

Bureau of Energy Efficiency and CPWD sign MoU on promoting energy efficiency in buildings.

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HIGHLIGHTS

▪ According to the MoU, BEE and CPWD will cooperate on promoting designs and construction of Energy

Conservation Building Code (ECBC) compliant new buildings, star rating of CPWD managed buildings

across the country with no registration or renewal fee, awareness on energy efficiency in building sector

and support for capacity building of CPWD officials in ECBC.

▪ ECO Niwas Samhita 2018 an Energy Conservation Building Code for residential buildings, to push for

energy efficiency in residential sector was launched on December 14, 2018.

▪ It aims to promote design and construction of homes including apartments and townships to give benefits

of energy efficiency to the occupants.

▪ Ministry of Power launched the ECO Niwas Samhita 2018.

▪ AIM: To benefit the occupants and the environment by promoting energy efficiency in design and

construction of homes, apartments and townships.

STAR RATING FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS

▪ It is based on the actual performance of a building in terms of its specific energy usage in kwh/sqm/year.

▪ It rates office buildings on a 1-5 Star scale, with 5 star labelled buildings being the most efficient.

▪ It is on a voluntary basis and label provided under it is applicable for a period of 5 years from the date of

issue.

▪ It provides public recognition to energy efficient buildings, and creates a “demand side” pull.

▪ Various categories of buildings like Day Use Office Buildings, BPOs, Shopping Malls and Hospitals in the

five climatic zones have been identified under the scheme.

BEE

▪ Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is a statutory body, set up by the Government of India on 1st March

2002 under the provision of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

▪ The mission is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market

principles with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy within the overall

framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

▪ This will be achieved with active participation of all stakeholders, resulting into accelerated and sustained

adoption of energy efficiency in all sectors.

CENTRAL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

▪ CPWD came into existence in July, 1854 when Lord Dalhousie established a central agency for execution of

public works and set up Ajmer Provincial Division.

▪ It is headed by DG who is also the Principal Technical Advisor to the Government of India.

▪ It has PAN India presence and has ability to undertake construction of complex projects.

▪ It has been involved construction of stadiums and other infrastructure requirements for Asian Games

1982 and Commonwealth Games 2010.

MAGNETIC NORTH POLE IS MOVING

The problem lies partly with the moving pole and partly with other shifts deep within the planet. Liquid

churning in Earth’s core generates most of the magnetic field, which varies over time as the deep flows

change.

In 2016, for instance, part of the magnetic field temporarily accelerated deep under northern South America

and the eastern Pacific Ocean. Satellites such as the European Space Agency’s Swarm mission tracked the shift.

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WORLD MAGNETIC MODEL

▪ The charts, known as the World Magnetic Model (WMM), are used to convert between compass

measurements of magnetic north and true north and can be found in the navigation systems of ships and

airplanes as well as geological applications (such as drilling and mining).

▪ The WMM is also part of map applications in smartphones, including the Google Maps App.

▪ Researchers from the U.S.’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintain the

WMM.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO EARTH IF ITS POLES FLIPPED

Scientists in recent years have predicted that Earth’s magnetic field could be gearing up to ‘flip’ – a shift in

which the magnetic south pole would become magnetic north, and vice versa.

▪ Such an event could have catastrophic effects, wreaking havoc on the electric grid and leaving life at the

surface exposed to higher amounts of solar radiation.

▪ Electric grid collapse from severe solar storms is a major risk.

▪ As the magnetic field continues to weaken, scientists are highlighting the importance off-the grid energy

systems using renewable energy sources to protect the Earth against a black out.

▪ Very highly charged particles can have a deleterious effect on the satellites and astronauts.

▪ The Earth’s climate could also change.

▪ A recent Danish study has found that the earth’s weather has been significantly affected by the planet’s

magnetic field.

25TH PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT

The 25th edition of the Partnership Summit will be held in Mumbai.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ It is being organized by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce &

Industry, Government of India, State Government of Maharashtra and Confederation of Indian Industry.

▪ The Partnership Summit provides for a global platform to dialogue, debate, deliberate and engage Indian

and global leaders on economic policy and growth trends in India.

▪ It is expected to build new partnerships and explore investment opportunities through high level

exchanges and B2B meetings.

▪ It will showcase India in the present landscape of an emerging “New India”, the “New Global Economic

Address”.

RIGHT TO DISCONNECT BILL, 2018

NCP MP Supriya Sule has introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill 2018, a Private Member’s Bill, in the Lok

Sabha.

HIGHLIGHTS

Aim: The Right to Disconnect Bill aims at “reducing stress and ease tension between an employee’s personal

and professional life.”

▪ The Bill gives employees the right to not respond to calls or any kind of communications from the

employers after office hours.

▪ The Bill requires the setting up of an Employee Welfare Authority, which will publish reports related to the

impact employees have from prolonged use of digital tools beyond office hours and it will also create a

charter defining employee-employer negotiation.

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▪ According to the Bill, “Companies with more than 10 employees would periodically negotiate specific

terms with their workers, publish their own charter, and create an Employee Welfare Committee

consisting of representatives of the company’s workforce.”

BACKGROUND

Countries like France and Germany have already adopted the right to disconnect laws, with the French

government setting the example first in 2004, when it clarified that an employee unreachable on a

smartphone outside of work hours will not be tagged for misconduct.

The European Union had voted in 2015 to regard the time spent in commute (to and from work) as work. In

India, a Kolkata-based firm became the third in the country to sanction menstruation leave (of two days per

month) to its female employees starting New Year’s Day.

PRIVATE MEMBER BILL

▪ According to Parliamentary rules, a private bill has an expectancy of 6 years to be discussed, before lapse.

▪ A Member of the Parliament who is not a Minister (i.e. not a member of the Government) is regarded as a

Private Member.

▪ A Bill introduced in either house of Parliament by any such Member of Parliament is called a Private

Members’ Bill; Bills introduced by Ministers are called Government Bills.

▪ In India, usually, alternate Friday afternoons during session time (generally between 2 pm and 6 pm) are

reserved for discussions on Private Members’ Bills. PMBs are drafted by MPs themselves, or their offices,

and are checked for legal consistency by the Parliament Secretariat.

▪ Only 14 PMBs have become law since India’s independence, the last being passed in 1970. More recently,

The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014 introduced by Mr. Tiruchi Siva was passed in the Rajya Sabha

after a gap of 45 years since the passing of the last PMB.

ONE FAMILY ONE JOB SCHEME

Sikkim has announced the One family one job scheme to provide employment to the youth of Sikkim.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ One family one job scheme entitles one government job for every family in the state.

▪ Only members of those families which do not have a government job at present are eligible for

government employment under the scheme.

▪ The government has announced that the nature of the job is not temporary and would be regularised

after five years.

TRISHNA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

The National Wildlife Board has given its approval for the Trishna Gas project of ONGC which falls in the

Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gomati district of Tripura.

ONGC has discovered 10-12 gas bearing wells in the Trishna Wildlife sanctuary.

▪ The Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1988.

▪ This sanctuary is situated in South Tripura District.

▪ In this sanctuary, there are patches of virgin forests which are rich in rare vegetation.

▪ Indian Gaur (Bison) is an attraction of this sanctuary.

National Board for Wild Life is a statutory organization constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

▪ It is an apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approves projects in and around national parks

and sanctuaries.

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▪ The National Board for Wild Life is chaired by the Prime Minister, Union Minister of Environment, Forest

and Climate Change is the vice-chairman of the Board and the members include 15 non-government

members, 19 ex-officio members and 10 government officials such as secretaries.

“AMA GHARE LED SCHEME”

Odisha has launched the ‘Ama Ghare LED’ scheme, under which about 95 lakh families in the State will each

get four LED bulbs free of cost.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Under the scheme, 9-watt LED bulbs will be distributed to the beneficiaries registered under the National

Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSC).

▪ Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (OPTCL) will implement the scheme and the bulbs will be

distributed through camps and PDS outlets across the State.

▪ The beneficiaries will have to produce biometric authentication to get the benefits of the scheme.

SARVA BHASHA KAVI SAMMELAN

Kavi Sammelan, a National Symposium of Poets, is being held in Chennai.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Sarva Bhasha Kavi Sammelan of All India Radio (AIR) aims to provide a creative platform for national

integration and linguistic harmony through mutual interaction and coordinated presentation of the best in

contemporary poetry of all Indian languages.

▪ The Kavi Sammelan made its beginning in 1956 and is one of its kind program wherein 23 eminent poets

from 22 Indian languages come together on one stage to offer their creative best.

ASIA WATERBIRD CENSUS

The survey, conducted as part of the annual Asian Waterbird Census, has spotted three new species —

Greater flamingo, Grey-headed lapwing, and Blue-cheeked bee-eater.

HIGHLIGHTS

In India, the AWC is annually coordinated by the Bombay Natural history Society (BNHS) and Wetlands

International.

▪ The AWC was initiated in 1987 in the Indian subcontinent and since has grown rapidly to cover major

region of Asia, from Afghanistan eastwards to Japan, Southeast Asia and Australasia.

▪ The census, thus covers the entire East Asian – Australasian Flyway and a large part of the Central Asian

Flyway.

▪ The AWC is an integral part of the global water bird monitoring programme, the International Water bird

Census (IWC), coordinated by Wetlands International. It runs in parallel with other regional programmes

of the International Water bird Census in Africa, Europe, West Asia, the Neotropics and the Caribbean.

▪ According to Wetlands International (WI), water birds are defined as species of birds that are ecologically

dependent on wetlands. These birds are considered to be an important health indicator of wetlands of a

region.

DEVADASI SYSTEM

Few recent studies have found that the practice of Devadasi system of dedicating young girls to temples as

an offering to appease the gods persists not just in Karnataka, but has also spread to neighbouring Goa.

More than thirty-six years after the Karnataka Devadasis (Prohibition of Dedication) Act of 1982 was passed,

the State government is yet to issue the rules for administering the law.

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Laws prohibiting its practice: The practice of Devadasi system in any form is in total contravention of the

provisions of Section 370 and 370A as amended through Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 as well as

Section 372 of Indian Penal Code. It is also against Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

BACKGROUND

▪ Devadasi system is a religious practice in parts of southern India, including Andhra Pradesh, whereby

parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple.

▪ The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty and requires the girl to become a prostitute

for upper-caste community members. Such girls are known as jogini. They are forbidden to enter into a

real marriage.

▪ The beginning could be perhaps mapped out in the inscription found in temples. "The word

Emperumandiyar which was used in the sense of Vaishnavas before 966 A.D. got the meaning of dancing

girls, attached to Vishnu temples, in inscriptions of about 1230-1240 A.D. in the time of Raja Raya III.

▪ In Maharashtra, they are called 'Devadasis' meaning female servants of God'.

▪ It should also be noted that in many quarters the emergence of the "devadasis" has been linked to the

downfall of Buddhism in India.

▪ That the devadasis were Buddhist nuns can be deduced from many evidences. They are unknown to

ancient India. Jaatakas, Kautillya or Vatsayana do not mention them, but later Puranas found them useful.

▪ The system started only after the fall of Buddhism and records of them start appearing around 1000 A.D.

DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATIONS

The Odisha government is planning to move its district mineral foundations (DMF) to its steel and mines

department from the planning and convergence department. The plan to move the DMFs aims to improve

implementation and use of funds.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ DMFs were instituted under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment

Act 2015 as non-profit trusts to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining-

related operations.

▪ The objective of District Mineral Foundation is to work for the interest of the benefit of the persons and

areas affected mining related operations in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.

▪ Its manner of operation comes under the jurisdiction of the relevant State Government.

▪ The various state DMF rules and the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Khestra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) guidelines

stipulate some “high priority” issues for DMFs, including:

1. Drinking water.

2. Health.

3. Women and child welfare.

4. Education.

5. Livelihood and skill development.

6. Welfare of aged and disabled.

7. Sanitation.

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)

The programme is meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations,

using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).

OBJECTIVES

▪ To implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas that

complement the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government.

▪ To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-

economics of people in mining districts.

▪ To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.

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4TH EDITION OF RAISINA DIALOGUE

The fourth edition of the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship annual conference on geopolitics and geo-

economics, titled ‘World Reorder’, was recently held in New Delhi.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The United States Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC) launched a new

innovation initiative at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

▪ The initiative, titled “Fair Value for Innovation”, would enable breakthrough innovation, and explore how

policymakers can harness innovation capital in India and around the globe through research, advocacy,

partnerships, and programs.

RAISINA DIALOGUE

▪ The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference held annually in New Delhi.

▪ Since its inception in 2016, the conference has emerged as India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and

geo-economics.

▪ The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation, an independent think tank, in

collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs of India.

▪ The conference is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion, involving a variety of global

policymakers including heads of state, cabinet ministers and local government officials.

▪ The Dialogue also welcomes major private sector executives, as well as members of the media and

academia.

▪ It is designed on the lines of Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue.

1st ODISHA TURTLE FESTIVAL

First Odisha Turtle Festival was held recently in Puri to create awareness and promote ideas on conservation

of olive Ridley turtles.

Cox & Kings Foundation in association with Humane Society International/India and Action for Protection of

Wild Animals (APOWA) has organised it.

HIGHLIGHTS

There are five species in Indian waters:

1. Leatherback (Vulnerable).

2. Loggerhead (Endangered).

3. Hawksbill (Critically Endangered).

4. Green (Endangered).

5. Olive Ridley (Vulnerable).

▪ In India, sea turtles are protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

▪ The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting

warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

▪ The Olive ridley is the most numerous among the sea turtles found in India and is well known for its

arribadas, or annual mass nestings when thousands of turtles migrate to the breeding ground to nest

simultaneously.

▪ Recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list

▪ International trade in these turtles and their products is banned under CITES Appendix I.

‘Operation Kachhapa’: Conservation of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle was launched by the Wildlife Protection

Society of India in collaboration with the Orissa State Forest Department and the Wildlife Society of Orissa and

other local NGOs.

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6TH CITY MONUMENT INDEX

6th City Momentum Index has been released by JLL.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ It measures momentum for 131 of the world’s most commercially active cities.

▪ This is done by tracking a range of socio-economic and commercial real estate indicators over a three-year

period to identify the urban economies and real estate markets undergoing the most rapid expansion.

▪ Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru has emerged as the world’s most dynamic city.

NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR DRUG DEMAND REDUCTION (2018-2023)

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has drafted National Action Plan for Drug Demand

Reduction (2018-2023) for addressing the problem of drug and substance abuse in the country, dumping a

long-pending draft policy on the matter.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Aims to employ a multi-pronged strategy involving education, de-addiction and rehabilitation of affected

individuals and their families to address the issue.

▪ Focus on preventive education, awareness generation, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation of drug-

dependent people, besides training and capacity-building of service providers through the collaborative

efforts of the Centre, state and NGOs.

▪ Coordination with implementing agencies for controlling the sale of sedatives, painkillers and muscle

relaxant drugs, holding awareness generation programmes and checking online sale of drugs by stringent

monitoring by the cyber cell are proposed under the Action Plan.

▪ Awareness generation through social, print, digital and online media, and engagement of celebrities,

besides strengthening the national toll-free helpline for drug prevention. The Action Plan calls for

persuading principals, directors, vice chancellors of educational institutions to ensure that no drugs are

sold within/nearby the campus.

▪ Increase community participation and public cooperation in the reduction of demand by involving

Panchayati Raj institutions, Urban Local Bodies, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and other local groups like

Mahila Mandals, self-help groups etc to tackle the menace of drugs.

▪ A steering committee would be constituted under the chairmanship of the secretary, Social Justice

Ministry, and with representatives from several other Ministries to monitor the implementation of the

Action Plan.

GOVERNMENT MEASURES

▪ The Government has taken several policy and other initiatives to deal with drug trafficking problem.

▪ It constituted Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in November, 2016 and revived the scheme of

“Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control”.

▪ In 2017, the government approved new Reward Guidelines with increased quantum of reward for

interdiction or seizure of different illicit drugs.

▪ For effective coordination with foreign countries, India has signed 37 Bilateral Agreements/Memoranda of

Understanding.

▪ Narcotics Control Bureau has been provided funds for developing a new software i.e. Seizure Information

Management System (SIMS) which will create a complete online database of drug offences and offenders.

▪ The government has constituted a fund called “National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse” to meet the

expenditure incurred in connection with combating illicit traffic in Narcotic Drugs; rehabilitating addicts,

and educating public against drug abuse, etc.

▪ The government is also conducting National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends of drug abuse in India

through Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with the help of National Drug Dependence Treatment

Centre of AIIMS

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EXIM BANK

Cabinet approves ₹6,000 crore capital infusion in Exim Bank and an increase in the Exim Bank authorised

capital from ₹10,000 crore to ₹20,000 crore.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Export–Import Bank of India was established in 1982 under the Export-Import Bank of India Act 1981.

▪ It provides direct financial assistance to exporters of plant, machinery and related service in the form of

medium-term credit.

▪ Underwriting the issue of shares, stocks, bonds, debentures of any company engaged in exports.

▪ It provides rediscount of export bills for a period not exceeding 90 days against short-term usance export

bills discounted by commercial banks.

▪ The bank gives overseas buyers credit to foreign importers for import of Indian capital goods and related

services.

▪ Developing and financing export-oriented industries.

GLOBAL AVIATION SUMMIT 2019

Global Aviation Summit 2019 is being held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The theme of the Global Aviation Summit 2019 is ‘Flying for all-especially the next 6 Billion’.

▪ The summit is being organised by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airport Authority of India (AAI) in

association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

▪ The objective of the Summit is to provide a platform to the aviation industry to discuss the challenges

faced in the newly developing growth spots and understand how technology-driven innovations will

change air travel in the future.

GLOBAL RISK REPORT 2019

The Global Risks Report 2019 has been released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Based on the work of the Global Risk Network, the report describes changes occurring in the global risks

landscape from year to year and identifies global catastrophic risks.

▪ The report explores the interconnectedness of risks, and is intended to raise awareness about the need

for a multi-stakeholder approach to the mitigation of global risk.

▪ Top 10 risks by likelihood as per the latest report:

1. Extreme weather events.

2. Failure of climate change mitigation and

adaption.

3. Major natural disasters.

4. Massive incident of data fraud/theft.

5. Large scale cyberattacks.

6. Man-made environmental damage and

disasters.

7. Large-scale involuntary migration.

8. Major biodiversity loss and ecosystem

collapse.

9. Water crises.

10. Asset bubbles in a major economy.

AGRI-VISION 2019

Agri-Vision 2019, a two-day conference on ‘Envisioning Agro Solutions for Smart and Sustainable

Agriculture’ was held at Hyderabad.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Agriculture sector accounts for 18 per cent of India’s GDP and provides employment to 50 per cent of the

workforce of the country.

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▪ The Gross Value Added by agriculture, forestry and fishing is estimated at Rs 17.67 trillion (US$ 274.23

billion) in FY18.

▪ During 2017-18 crop year, food grain production is estimated at record 284.83 million tonnes.

▪ The introduction of high yielding varieties, irrigation facilities, increased input flow through fertilizers and

pesticides, farm mechanization, credit facilities, price support, and other rural infrastructure facilities

ushered the green revolution over the past few decades.

▪ Growth of Agricultural sector is important for inclusive growth and poverty alleviation.

▪ Need for concerted efforts from all stake holders to find long term solution to various challenges faced by

Agricultural sector, Loan waiver is only a temporary relief but proves futile in long run in addressing

Farmers concerns

▪ India today is not only self-sufficient in respect of demand for food, but is also a net exporter of agri-

products occupying seventh position globally. It is one of the top producers of cereals (wheat & rice),

pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and marine fish. However, we are still facing deficit of pulses and

oilseeds. Although, the availability of fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and fish has increased, the most

important aspect is to ensure access and affordability to a vast majority of Indians, including farmers.

GILGIT-BALTISTAN

Pakistan, in 2017, proposed to declare the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region as its fifth Province, a move that

may raise concerns in India as it borders the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ Located in the northern Pakistan. It borders China in the North, Afghanistan in the west, Tajikistan in the

north west and Kashmir in the south east.

▪ It shares a geographical boundary with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and India considers it as part of the

undivided Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan sees it as a separate from PoK. It has a regional Assembly

and an elected Chief Minister.

▪ The USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) also passes through this region.

▪ Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five of the “eight-thousanders” and to more than fifty peaks above 7,000

metres (23,000 ft). Three of the world’s longest glaciers outside the polar regions are found in Gilgit-

Baltistan.

SUSTAINABLE CATCHMENT FOREST MANAGEMENT (SCATFORM) PROJECT

Tripura has launched the Sustainable Catchment Forest Management (SCATFORM) project which is

undertaken with the assistance of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The SCATFORM project aims to address issues such as forest cover loss and forest degradation have been

mainly caused by shifting cultivation, which increases soil erosion risks on hill slopes especially in upper

catchment areas.

▪ It would be implemented mainly in upper catchments where forest degradation and soil erosion are

severe and livelihood improvement needs are high.

▪ The project aims to the improve quality of forest in the catchment area by sustainable forest

management, soil and moisture conservation and livelihood development.

▪ The activities undertaken under the project involves promotion of bamboo plantation, agro-forestry based

livelihood, eco-tourism development, development of value addition for bamboo and other Non-Timber

Forest Product (NTFP) in order to create alternate livelihood opportunities for local communities.

▪ The 80 per cent of the cost is contributed by JICA and the rest would be funded by the state and central

governments.

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GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD

Wildlife activists have called for enforcement of recovery plan for the country’s most critically endangered

bird- Great Indian Bustard. Once the contender for becoming India’s national bird, the Great Indian Bustard

is now facing extinction.

FACTS

▪ Great Indian Bustard is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in the CMS

Convention and in Appendix I of CITES, as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

▪ It has also been identified as one of the species for the recovery programme under the Integrated

Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

▪ Project Great Indian Bustard — state of Rajasthan — identifying and fencing off bustard breeding grounds

in existing protected areas as well as provide secure breeding enclosures in areas outside protected areas

▪ Once common on the dry plains of the Indian subcontinent, as few as 150 individuals were estimated to

survive in 2018 (reduced from an estimated 250 individuals in 2011).

Protected areas:

▪ Desert National Park Sanctuary — Rajasthan.

▪ Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary – Andhra Pradesh.

▪ Karera Wildlife Sanctuary– Madhya Pradesh.

G-77

Palestine has taken over the chairmanship of G77 from Egypt.

HIGHLIGHTS

▪ The chairmanship of the G77 is based on the system of geographical rotation. 2019 was Asia’s turn and

the Asian group had unanimously endorsed Palestine. Egypt was representing the African Group of

countries.

▪ The Group of 77 (G77) at the United Nations is a coalition of 134 developing nations, designed to promote

its members’ collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the

United Nations.

▪ G77 was formed on 15 June 1964 by the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries” issued at the

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

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▪ Since China participates in the G77 but does not consider itself to be a member, all official statements are

issued in the name of The Group of 77 and China.

FACTS

➢ George, the last known Achatinella apexfulva- a Hawaiian tree snail, died on New Year’s Day 2019, making

his species the first to be declared officially extinct in 2019.

➢ IIT Hyderabad has announced the launch of a full-fledged bachelor’s programme in Artificial Intelligence

(AI) technology. IIT Hyderabad has become the first institute in the country to launch full-fledged

Bachelor’s programme in AI technology. IIT Hyderabad will be the third institute to globally to offer the

B.Tech course in AI.

➢ A volcano- Mt Shindake has erupted on Kuchinoerabu Island of Japan. Kuchinoerabu Island belongs to

Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The entire island lies within the borders of the Kirishima-Yaku National Park.

➢ Shehri Samridhi Utsav: It is an event which aims to expand the outreach of National Urban Livelihoods

Mission (DAY-NULM) to the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable, showcase its initiatives and

facilitate access of SHG members to the other government schemes. This is organized by Ministry of

Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

➢ The world’s first television channel dedicated to human rights has been launched in London by the

International Observatory of Human Rights (IOHR). It would be a web-based channel and would deliver

human rights issues to audiences in over 20 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

➢ Indian Army organised the Army Technology Seminar-2019 (ARTECH 2019) on the theme “Disruptive

Impact of Emerging Technologies on Land Warfare” at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi. The seminar was

aimed to bring together stakeholders in the military, academia and industry to provide perspective on the

available and emerging technologies which could have an impact on warfighting.

➢ Prime Minister of India will inaugurate the project “Development of Spiritual Circuit: Sree Padmanabha

Swamy Temple-Aranmula-Sabarimala” being implemented under the Swadesh Drashan Scheme of

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

➢ The Women of India Organic Festival is conducted by Ministry of Women and Child Development. The aim

is to boost organic culture and promote Women Organic Farmers and Entrepreneurs. The festival has

been held annually in New Delhi since 2015.

➢ IMBEX 2018-19: It is India-Myanmar bilateral army exercise. IMBEX 2018-19, is being held in Haryana. It is

the second edition of the IMBEX.

nirvana ias academy ca: 11 to 20 january 2019

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