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IT Ministry partners Google on 'Build for

Digital India'

The Ministry of Electronics and Information

Technology (MeitY) and Google has signed a

statement of intent to roll-out 'Build for Digital India'.

The programme will give engineering students a

platform to develop market-ready, technology-based

solutions that address key social problems.

As part of the programme, engineering students will

be invited to present their ideas in areas like

healthcare, agriculture, education, smart cities and

infrastructure, women's safety, transportation,

environment, disability and digital literacy.

The Digital India program aims to transform India into a

digitally empowered society and knowledge

economy. Examples of Digital India Initiatives are

Aadhaar, Agrimarket App, BHIM-UPI, Cyber Swachta

Kendra among others

Over 19 lakh excluded from Assam’s final

NRC

The final list of National Register of Citizens

(NRC) has been released in Assam.

The names of 3 crore 11 lakh applicants have

been included in the final NRC while 19 lakh 7

thousand have been excluded.

However, Assam CM has assured that those

excluded from final NRC will not be detained

and they can appeal against their exclusion in

the Foreigners' Tribunals.

The Assam government will establish 400

Foreigners Tribunals in the state to deal with

such appeals.

The National Register of Citizens(NRC) is a

register which contains the name of all

citizens of India residing in Assam. It was

prepared in 1951.

NRC seeks to identify illegal migrants in

Assam who had entered the state on or

after 25th March 1971.The update is being

carried out under the Citizenship Act,1955

and according to rules framed in the Assam

Accord,1985.

The process of updating the NRC is being

carried out by the Registrar General of India

and is being closely monitored by the

Supreme Court.

Foreigners Tribunal(FT) was set up in Assam

in 1964 through the Foreigners Tribunal

Order 1964.The tribunals are mandated with

identifying the legal status of suspected

foreigners in Assam

Chhattisgarh: India’s first garbage cafe to be

opened in Ambikapur

1. India’s first Garbage Café will soon be opened in

the city of Ambikapur in north Chhattisgarh.It is a

step towards making the city plastic-free.

2. This initiative is led by the Ambikapur municipal

corporation of Chhattisgarh.The city has been

hailed as the second cleanest city in the country

in Swachhata rankings.

3. In this unique Cafe', poor people and rag pickers

will get free food in exchange for one kilogram of


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plastic while breakfast will be provided if half a

kilogram of plastic is brought to the cafe.

4. Further,the collected garbage will be sold at Solid

Liquid Resources Management Centre.It would

further be turned into granules and will then be

used in the construction of roads in the city

Ek Bharat, Vijayi Bharat

1. Kanyakumari-based Vivekanand Kendra and its

state units will launch a year-long nation-wide

mass contact programme titled “Ek Bharat Vijayi

Bharat” on September 2,2019.

2. The mass contact programme coincides with the

50th foundation year of Vivekananda Rock

Memorial in Kanyakumari.

3. The programme will involve around 20,000

workers of around 1,005 units of Vivekanand

Kendra across the country.

4. The programme will focus on spreading the

messages of Swami Vivekananda making people

aware of the inspiring story of Vivekananda Rock

Memorial and the activities of Vivekanand Kendra.

Swami Vivekananda was born as Narendra Nath

Datta in 1863.He was a monk and chief disciple of

Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

5. He introduced Indian philosophies of Vedanta and

Yoga to the Western world and is credited with

raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to

the world stage during the late 19th century.

6. He established Ramakrishna Mission in 1987.The

institution did extensive educational and

philanthropic work in India.He also represented

India in the first Parliament of Religion held in

Chicago (U.S.) in 1893

Special Tiger Force for Corbett Reserve set

up

1. Uttarakhand Government has decided to set up

Special Tiger Force for Corbett Tiger

Reserve(CTR).

2. The special tiger force will check illegal human

intrusion into the reserve through villages located

on its fringes and serve as a second layer of

protection for tigers at the CTR.

3. Jim Corbett National Park was established in 1936

as Hailey National Park- the first national park in

India.It is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand.

4. The park was also declared as a Tiger Reserve in

1973.It is the first to come under the Project Tiger

initiative.

5. Corbett is one of the richest bird regions of the

Country and has been declared as an ‘Important

Bird Area’ (IBA) by Birdlife International

7 Star Rainbow scheme

1. The 7-Star Rainbow Scheme was launched by

Haryana state government in 2018. It focuses on

incentivising and encourage the working of

Gram Panchayats in Haryana.

2. Under the scheme, the gram Panchayats are

assessed on seven parameters which are


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recognised with a star. Further, each parameter

is a given a specific colour.

3. The different parameters are: a) Sex Ratio (pink),

b) Education and No dropouts (Sky Blue), c)

Hygiene and Sanitation (White), d) Peace and

Harmony (Saffron), e) Environment preservation

(Green), f) Good Governance (Golden), and g)

Social Participation (Silver)

Samudrayaan

The 'Samudrayaan' is a part of the Ministry of

Earth Sciences' pilot project for deep ocean

mining for rare minerals.

The project proposes to send a submersible

vehicle with three persons to a depth of about

6000 metres to carry out deep underwater

studies

The project is being undertaken by National

Institute of Ocean Technology.

Recently, the Indian government has given

approval to the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). The

mission proposes to explore Deep Ocean similar

to space exploration started by ISRO.

Key areas of the mission are

: a) Deep-sea mining: exploitation of polymetallic

nodules(PMN), b) Ocean climate change

advisory services, c) Underwater vehicles, d)

Underwater robotics related technologies

The mission will be led by the Union Earth

Sciences Ministry. It will be a five-year mission

and is expected to commence from October 31,

2019.

India has been allocated a site of 75,000 sq km

in the Central Indian Ocean Basin by the

International Sea Bed Authority for exploration of

polymetallic nodules from seabed.

The estimated resource of polymetallic nodules

is about 380 million tonnes, containing 4.7 million

tonnes of nickel, 4.29 million tonnes of copper

and 0.55 million tonnes of cobalt and 92.59

million tonnes of manganese

China lodges case at WTO against US import

duties

China has lodged a case against the United

States with the World Trade Organization(WTO)

over U.S. import duties.

The move was taken after the United States

began imposing 15% tariffs on a variety of Chinese

goods, including footwear, smart watches, and

flat-panel televisions.

China has said that the latest tariff actions by US

has violated the consensus reached by the

leaders of China and the United States in a

meeting in Osaka,Japan.

September month to be celebrated as

'Rashtriya Poshan Maah'

Poshan Maah(nutrition month) is an initiative of

the Ministry of Women and Child Development


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and NITI Aayog to give a push to Poshan

Abhiyan.

The initiative aims to ensure a healthier future for

women and children.The theme of this initiative

is Complementary Feeding.

During Poshan Maah,activities like Prabhat Pheri,

Poshan Melas, Nukkad Nataks, School Based

Events will be held to take the message of the

importance of nutrition to every household

POSHAN(National Nutrition mission) stands for

Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic

Nutrition.It was launched in 2018 and is

implemented by the Ministry of Women and

Child development.

The mission aims to ensure holistic development

and adequate nutrition for pregnant women,

mothers and children.

The initiative has the target to reduce the level

of stunting, undernutrition and low birth weight

by 2% each and anaemia by 3%.It also aims to

reduce stunting from 38.4% (NFHS-4) to 25% by

2022.

A key idea of the initiative is to incentivise

Anganwadi Workers(AWs) for using ICT-based

tools,making it easier to implement and monitor

the programme.

NATGRID

The National Intelligence Grid(NATGRID) project

wants to link social media accounts to the huge

database of records related to immigration entry and

exit,banking and telephone details among others.

About National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID):

It is an integrated intelligence grid connecting

databases of core security agencies to collect

comprehensive patterns of intelligence that can be

readily accessed by intelligence agencies.

Functions of NATGRID:

Under NATGRID,21 sets of databases will be

networked to achieve quick, seamless and secure

access to desired information for

intelligence/enforcement agencies.

The database would be accessible to authorised

persons from 11 agencies on a case to case basis

and only for professional investigations into

suspected cases of terrorism.

It will utilize technologies like Big Data and analytics

to study and analyze the huge amounts of data from

various intelligence and enforcement agencies to

help track suspected terrorists and prevent terrorist

attacks.

Importance of NATGRID:

India is a place where many terror networks operate

that carry out attacks from time to time.Despite

prone to such terror attacks,India don’t have a well-

formulated database of these terror networks.

The idea is to collate and analyze vital data to get a

complete view of a situation.Hence,the details that

take one to three months can be had within minutes.

NATGRID will tackle the problem of coordination

mechanism regarding data transfer from one agency

to another agency.

Due to federal nature of government,the

coordination at the center and states level is also

lacking and in the case of any emergency,the

response mechanism is not

effective.Hence,NATGRID will be effective in solving

this problem.

Concerns:

There can be misuse of digital databases against the

citizens, it may compromise individual privacy and

even violate national security.


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The crucial intelligence information, if available to

many agencies can be leaked and used against the

nation.

The data can also be misused by state agencies

itself and surveillance like situation against every

citizen is against the democratic principle

Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS)

Prime Minister has launched Swachhata Hi Seva(SHS)

About Swachhata Hi Seva(SHS):

Swachhta Hi Sewa’ (Cleanliness is service) is a

campaign launched in 2018 as a part of Swachh

Bharat Mission.

The campaign is being coordinated by the Union

Ministry of Drinking Water and

Sanitation,convening Ministry for the Swachh

Bharat Mission.

The objective of the campaign is to mobilise

people and reinforce jan aandolan (mass

movement) for sanitation and to contribute to

Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a Clean India.

The Swachata hi Sewa 2019 theme is ‘plastic

waste awareness and management’.

The campaign will witness mass awareness

generation activities on plastic waste

management between September 11 and October

1,2019.

The SHS campaign 2019 would give a big boost to

subsequent collection, recycling and disposal of

plastic waste.

Water found for first time on potentially

habitable planet

News: data from the Hubble Space Telescope have

revealed water vapour in the atmosphere of an

exoplanet called K2-18b.

Facts:

About K2-18b

It is an exoplanet eight times the mass of Earth.

The planet orbits dwarf star K2-18. K2-18 is

located about 110 light years from Earth in the Leo

constellation in Milky Way.

The planet was first discovered in 2015 by NASA’s

Kepler space telescope.

Additional Information:

Exoplanets: planets outside the solar system are called

exoplanets. The first exoplanet was discovered in 1992,

orbiting a pulsar (a neutron star that emits

electromagnetic radiation)

Dwarf star: A dwarf star is a star of relatively small size

and low luminosity.

Hubble Space Telescope:

It is world’s first space-based optical telescope

that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990. It

still remains operational.

It has been named after astronomer Edwin

Hubble.

It is one of NASA’s Great Observatories. NASA’s

series of Great Observatories satellites are four

large, powerful space-based astronomical

telescopes. The telescopes other than Hubble

include the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory,

the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer

Space Telescope

Kepler Space Telescope:

It was an observatory in space launched by NASA to

discover Earth-size planets orbiting other stars. It was

launched in 2009 and decommissioned in 2018


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Kerala to set up India’s first trade centre for

women

News:Kerala will be setting up India’s first International

Women’s Trade Centre (iWTC).

Facts:

About International Women’s Trade Centre(iWTC):

This IWTC initiative is in accordance with the

United Nations Sustainable Development

Goals(SDGs).

The first phase of iWTC which is being executed

under the Gender Park’s “Vision 2020” is

scheduled to be completed by 2021.

The trade centre will aim at accelerating women

entrepreneurship and secure gender parity.

The facility will also provide women with a safe

place away from home to start new businesses,

set up or expand and get their products marketed

globally.

The facility will have women’s startup and

incubation centre, retail fashion and technology

outlets, health and wellness centres, business

centres among others.

Additional information:

Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs):

The Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) were

born at the United Nations Conference on

Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in

2012.

The objective was to produce a set of universal

goals that meet the urgent environmental,

political and economic challenges facing the

world.

The SDGs are a bold commitment to finish what

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

started and tackle some of the more pressing

challenges.

DRDO successfully flight-tests indigenously

developed Antitank Guided Missile

News: Defence Research and Development

Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight tested

indigenously developed Man-Portable Anti Tank Guided

Missile (MPATGM).

Facts:

About the missile:

Man-Portable Anti Tank Guided Missile(MPATGM)

is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and

destroy heavily armored military vehicles.

The missile is low weight and fire and forget

missile.It was launched from a man-portable

Tripod launcher.

The missile is incorporated with Infrared Imaging

Seeker along with advanced avionics.

The missile has a strike range of 2.5 km.It weighs

around 14.5 kg to maintain man portability.


Defence Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO):


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DRDO was established in 1958 by the government

of India.It is under the administrative control of

Union Ministry of Defence.

DRDO aims to enhance India’s self-reliance in

Defence Systems.It undertakes design &

development leading to the production of a

world-class weapon system.

Exercise Maitree – 2019

News:India and Thailand are all set to organize Joint

Military Exercise MAITREE-2019 at Foreign Training

Node, Meghalaya from 16-29 Sep 2019.

Facts:

About the exercise:

Exercise Maitree is a joint military exercise

between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army.

The exercise is being conducted alternatively in

Thailand and India since 2006.

The exercise aims to share experience gained

during various counter terrorism operations in

their respective countries.

The joint military exercise will also enhance the

defence co-operation and bilateral relations

between the two countries.

Srivilliputhur palkova bags GI tag

News:Geographical Indication Registry of India has

accorded Geographical Indication(GI) tag to Srivilliputhur

palkova.

Facts:

About Srivilliputhur palkova:

Srivilliputhur palkova is a sweet made from cow

milk and sugar.

The palkova is manufactured in and around the

municipality of Srivilliputtur in Virudhunagar

district,Tamil Nadu.


About the geographical indication(GI) tag:

A geographical indication(GI) is a sign used on

products that have a specific geographical origin

and possess qualities or a reputation that are due

to that origin.

The Geographical Indications of Goods

(Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 provides

registration and also protection of GI goods in

India.

The act is administered by the Controller General

of Patents, Designs and trademarks under the

Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

GI tag secures the quality and authenticity of a

product to a particular geographical origin.It

provides legal protection from duplication.


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Darjeeling Tea is the first good to receive a GI Tag

in India

HimVijay Exercise

News:Indian Army is scheduled to conduct a major

Exercise called ‘HimVijay’.

Facts:

About the Exercise:

The exercise HimVijay will be conducted by 17

Mountain Strike Corps.

The exercise will take place in October,2019 in

Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

The Indian army will join with the integrated battle

groups(IBGs) for this exercise.The Indian Air

force(IAF) will also be part of the exercise for

strategic airlift of personnel and equipment.

The primary aim of carrying out such an exercise

is to test if the Mountain Strike Corps which is

under the Eastern command can carry out

operations in different terrains.


About Mountain strike Corps:

Mountain Strike corps is India’s first dedicated

strike corps for mountain operations.

It focuses on the eastern end of the contested

border to bolster India’s defence.

They can also be used in any mountainous region

which means all the northern borders.

About Integrated Battle groups:

IBGs are brigade-sized, agile, self-sufficient

combat formations which can swiftly launch

strikes against adversary in case of hostilities.

Each IBG would be tailor-made based on Threat,

Terrain and Task and resources will be allotted

based on the three Ts.

The IBGs will also be defensive and

offensive.While the offensive IBGs would quickly

mobilise and make thrust into enemy territory for

strikes,

On the other hand, the defensive IBGs would hold

ground at vulnerable points or where enemy

action is expected.The composition of the IBGs

would also depend on this

Project ‘Bal Basera’

News

:Project Bal Basera or creche has been inaugurated at

AIIMS Rishikesh.

Facts:

About Bal Basera:

Bal Basera or a Crèche is a project for the welfare

of Children of Construction Workers was

deployed at AIIMS Rishikesh site.

The project is supported by Central Public Works

Department (CPWD).

Bal Basera can accommodate about 35 Children

and shall be run by CPWD Officers Wives

Association(OWA).


Crèche:


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A crèche is a facility which enables parents to

leave their children while they are at work and

where children are provided stimulating

environment for their holistic development.

National Crèche scheme:

National Crèche Scheme is a Centrally Sponsored

Scheme.

The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry

of Women and Child Development.

The scheme aims to provide day care facilities to

children from age group of 6 months to 6 years of

working mothers in the community.

The scheme also provides supplementary

nutrition,health care inputs like immunization,

polio drops, basic health monitoring, sleeping

facilities,pre-school education for children aged

between 3-6 yrs

India calls for reforms in peacekeeping at

UNSC debate

News:India has asked the UN Security Council to reform

the UN peacekeeping by adopting reforms based on

incentivisation, innovation and institutionalisation.

Facts:

United Nations Peacekeeping:

United Nations Peacekeeping was created in

1948.United Nations Peacekeeping helps

countries torn by conflict create conditions for

lasting peace.

It maintains three basic principles which are

(a)Consent of the parties (b) impartiality and non-

use of Force except in self-defence and

(c)defence of the mandate.

The UN Peacekeepers are led by the Department

of Peacekeeping Operations(DKPO).

UN Peacekeepers are often referred to as Blue

Berets or Blue Helmets.

The Peacekeeping forces are contributed by the

United Nations(UN) member states on a voluntary

basis.

India,Pakistan and Bangladesh are among the

largest individual contributors.African nations also

contributes nearly half the peacekeeping force

Pradhan mantri Kisan Man Dhan Yojana

News:Prime Minister will launch Pradhan Mantri Shram

Yogi Mandhan (PM-SYM) scheme and 400 Eklavya

Model Residential Schools on September 12,2019.

Facts:

About Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan(PM-SYM)

The scheme aims to provide social security to all

landholding Small and Marginal Farmers.

Aim:Under this scheme,a fixed pension of

Rs.3,000/- will be provided to all eligible small

and marginal farmers.It is a voluntary and

contribution based pension scheme.

Contribution:Farmers will have to contribute an

amount between Rs.55 to Rs.200 per month in the

Pension Fund till they reach the retirement date

i.e. the age of 60 years.

The Central Government will also make an equal

contribution of the same amount in the pension

fund.


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Eligibility:Farmers who are of the age of 18 years

and above and upto 40 years are eligible to join

the scheme.

Further,the Spouses of the Small and Marginal

farmers are also eligible to join the scheme

separately and they will also get separate pension

of Rs.3000 when they reach the age of 60 years.

Tamil Nadu ranks lowest in coverage of

iodised salt

News:The national survey to measure the coverage of

iodized salt has been released.

Facts:

The survey was conducted by Nutrition

International in collaboration with the AIIMS and

the Indian Coalition for the Control of Iodine

Deficiency Disorders(ICCIDD).

The survey tested the iodine content in samples

of cooking salt from households to estimate the

coverage of iodised salt in 29 States and 7 Union

Territories in India.

Findings of the survey:

The survey has found that the national average

for household coverage is 76.3% which means

76.3% of Indian households consumed adequately

iodised salt which is salt with at least 15 parts per

million of iodine.

The five worst performers were Tamil Nadu,

Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and

Jharkhand.

The north-eastern States are doing very well with

respect to iodised salt consumption at the

household level because of the distance they

have from the three salt producing states.

Further, Gujarat produces 71% of salt in the

country followed by Rajasthan at 17% and Tamil

Nadu at 11%.The rest of the country accounts for a

mere 1% of salt produced.

The survey also revealed that 13 out of 36 States

have already achieved Universal Salt Iodisation or

have 90% of households with access to

adequately iodised salt

Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation

Achievements (ARIIA)

News:Union Human Resource Development Minister

has launched the Atal Ranking of Institutions on

Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020.

Facts:

About ARIIA:

Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation

Achievements (ARIIA) is an initiative of Ministry of

Human Resource Development (MHRD),

Government of India.

It aims to systematically rank all major

educational institutions and universities on

indicators related to promotion of Innovation and

Entrepreneurship Development amongst their

students and faculties.

Major Indicators for ranking are:

Budget & Funding Support.

Infrastructure & Facilities.


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Awareness, Promotions & support for Idea

Generation & Innovation.

Promotion & Support for Entrepreneurship

Development.

Innovative Learning Methods & Courses.

Intellectual Property Generation, Technology

Transfer & Commercialization.

Innovation in Governance of the Institution.

Significance of ranking:

It will in setting up the direction for Higher

Education institutions(HEIs) towards streamlining

and establishing a strong startup ecosystem in

campus and region.

It is also aimed at uplifting India’s Position in the

Global Innovation Index from 52nd to top 30 in a

time period of 5 Years.

Pangong Tso lake

News:Indian and Chinese Army soldiers were engaged

in a face-off near the northern bank of Pangong Tso

Lake in Ladakh.

Facts:

About Pangong Tso lake:

Pangong Tso is a long narrow landlocked lake

situated at a height of more than 14,000 ft in the

Ladakh Himalayas.

The brackish water lake freezes over in winter and

becomes ideal for ice skating and polo.

One-third of the lake which is around 45km is in

Indian control while the rest of the 90 km is under

Chinese control.

Significance of the lake:

The lake does not have major tactical

significance.But it lies in the path of the Chushul

approach, one of the main approaches that China

can use for an offensive into Indian-held territory.

India-China Dispute:

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) cuts through the

lake but India and China do not agree on its exact

location.

In 1999,when the Army unit from the area was

moved to Kargil for Operation Vijay,China took the

opportunity to build 5 km of road inside Indian

Territory along the lake’s bank.

Hence,most of the clashes between the two

armies occur in the disputed portion of the lake.

Indian Institute of Skills

News:Union Minister for Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has laid the foundation stone

of Indian Institute of Skills(IIS) at Mumbai.

Facts:

The Union Cabinet had given its nod to set up an

Indian Institute of Skills (IISs) in three cities namely

Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kanpur to give boost to

the Skill India Mission.

These institutes will be constructed and operated

on a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model and

on a not-for-profit basis.


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Samudra Laksamana

News:Indian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy will be

participating in the bilateral exercise ‘Samudra

Laksamana’ that will take place from 12th to 15th

September 2019.

Facts:

About the Exercise:

The exercise would include a harbour phase

wherein professional interactions, official calls,

social engagements, visits by the local populace

and various sports events would be conducted.

The Sea Phase of the exercise would enable the

two navies to further hone their skills in order to

enhance interoperability between the navies to

ensure peaceful and secure seas for all.

On the Indian side,Indian Navy ships Sahyadri and

Kiltan will take part in the exercise.

Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research

and Development Hub

News:India has joined the Global Antimicrobial

Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (R&D) Hub

as a new member.

Facts:

About the Hub:

The Global research and development hub on

antimicrobial resistance was launched in May

2018 on the sidelines of the 71st session of the

World Health Assembly.

The hub consists of 16 members nations.It also

has the European Commission, two philanthropic

foundations as members and four international

organisations as observers.

How will India benefit from the Hub?

By partnering with the Global AMR R&D Hub,India

can work with all partners to leverage their

existing capabilities, resources and collectively

focus on new R&D intervention to address drug-

resistant infections.

Uniform Civil Code

News: The Supreme Court has said that the Indian

government had made no attempt to frame a Uniform

Civil Code even though the makers of the Constitution

had expressed hope for such a law.

Facts:

What is uniform civil code?


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The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India proposes to

replace the personal laws based on the scriptures

and customs of each major religious community

in the country with a common set governing every

citizen.

What the constitution says?

Article 44 of the Constitution says that there

should be a Uniform Civil Code.

According to article 44,”The State shall endeavor

to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code

throughout the territory of India”.Since the

Directive Principles are only guidelines, it is not

mandatory to use them.

Why India needs a Uniform Civil Code?

To provide equal status to all citizens

To support the national integration

To bypass the contentious issue of reform of

existing personal laws

Various Courts judgements that the government

should move towards a uniform civil code.

Problems in the implementation of UCC

Practical difficulties due to diversity in India

Perception of UCC as encroachment on religious

freedom

Time is not yet suitable for this reform as there is a

major opposition from several communities.

Law Commission’s stand:

In 2018, Law Commission of India consultation

paper had said that the Uniform Civil Code is

neither necessary nor desirable at this stage in the

country.The Commission said secularism cannot

contradict the plurality prevalent in the country.

312 Sikh foreigners removed from post-

militancy ‘adverse list’

News:Government has removed the names of 312 Sikh

foreign nationals from the local adverse lists commonly

known as ‘Black Lists’.

Facts:

About Black list:

Black list is is maintained by Indian Embassies in

different countries and posts abroad.

It contains a list of Indian-origin people who have

taken asylum i.e right to international protection in

this other country abroad under plea of alleged

persecution in India.

Those who are in the list are denied visa services

by Indian missions and posts in respective

country.

Why were Sikhs blacklisted?

The Operation Blue Star in 1984 involved Army

action at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.

Many Sikhs protested the Army action and were

alleged to be involved in anti-national

activities.Subsequently they sought political

asylum in foreign countries.

Indian intelligence agencies gave a list containing

their names to all Indian embassies and high

commissions.Consequently,these individuals

were blacklisted.


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JALDOOT

News:Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate

Change has launched the ‘Jaldoot’ initiative.

Facts:

About Jaldoot:

Jaldoot is a unique initiative that is designed to

take the message of water conservation to the

masses.

This initiative was launched by the Regional

Outreach Bureau(ROB) in association with MSRTC

(Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation).

Under this initiative,a bus has been designed to

create the Jaldoot: A Travelling Exhibition on

Jalshakti Abhiyan.

The exhibition shall consists of various information

display panels and audio-visual components

among others to create awareness on water

conservation efforts.

India’s Cooling Action Plan(ICAP)

News:India’s Cooling Action Plan(ICAP) has been

appreciated internationally by the United Nations(UN) on

World Ozone Day.

Facts:

About ICAP:

India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) was launched in

2019 the Union Minister for Ministry for

Environment, Forest & Climate Change

The goal of ICAP is to provide sustainable cooling

and thermal comfort for all while securing

environmental & socio-economic benefits for the

society

Objectives:

Provide an integrated approach towards cooling

and related areas including reduction in the

cooling demand, in order to reduce emissions.

Assessment of cooling requirements across the

sectors in the next 20 years and the associated

refrigerant demand and energy use.

Map the technologies available to cater the

cooling requirement including passive

interventions, refrigerant-based technologies and

alternative technologies such as not-in-kind

technologies.

Providing skill training to RAC(Refrigeration and

Air Conditioning) service technicians.

Develop an R&D innovation ecosystem for

indigenous development of alternative

technologies.

UN appoints Indian Army veteran Abhijit Guha as

head of Hodeidah mission

News:United Nations (UN) has appointed India’s

Lieutenant General (Retired) Abhijit Guha as the head

of UN mission in Hodeidah,Yemen.

Facts:


18

About UN Mission in support of Hodeidah Agreement

(UNMHA)

In January 2019,United Nations(UN) had decided

to establish a United Nations Mission to support

the Hodeidah Agreement(UNMHA).

It is a special mission to oversee governorate-

wide ceasefire, mine action operations and

redeployment of forces in Yemen.

Lieutenant General (Retired) Abhijit Guha will lead

the UN Mission in support of Hodeidah

Agreement(UNMHA).

Besides,he will also assume the chair of

Redeployment Coordination Committee(RCC).

RCC is responsible for redeploying forces of

Yemeni warring parties in accordance with their

agreement.


About Hodeidah Agreement:

In December 2018,the Houthis and the

government forces had agreed to withdraw from

Hudaydah port to allow in vital humanitarian aid.

Hudaydah port is the principal lifeline for two-

thirds of Yemen’s population.Its closure had a

devastating impact on the Yemen.

Yemen Civil war:

The Yemeni Civil War is an ongoing conflict that

began in 2015.It is the tussle between two factions

claiming to constitute the Yemeni government.

One is Yemen’s Shia Houthi rebels, loyal to the

former President.They are in clashes with forces

loyal to the current government.

Further,Saudi Arabia had launched military

operations to restore the Yemeni government

which was overthrown by Houthi.The Saudi-led

coalition is backed by the U.S.

Abqaiq oil processing facility

News:Houthi rebels from Yemen has carried out drone

attacks on two major Saudi Aramco oil facilities in

Abqaiq and Hijrat Khurais in Saudi Arabia.

Facts:

About the Abqaiq facility:

Abqaiq is the world’s largest oil processing facility

where about two-thirds of the total Saudi supply

is refined and cleaned of impurities.

The attacks have impacted Saudi Arabia’s oil

production and exports, and in turn the global oil

market.

Since,Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter.It

ships more than 7 million barrels of oil to global

destinations every day.The output cut is expected

to send oil prices up $3-$5 per barrel.

Impact on India:

India is the world’s third largest oil importer.It

imports over 80 percent of oil requirements.


19

Saudi Arabia is a crucial source of energy for India

and the second largest supplier of crude and

cooking gas to India.

Hence,the hike in oil prices will inflate the import

bill and disrupt the country’s current account

deficit.

World Ozone Day

News:World Ozone Day has been celebrated on

September 16,2019.

Facts:

The International Day for the Preservation of the

Ozone layer is observed every year on September

16th.

The theme for the year 2019 is ‘32 Years and

Healing’.

The World Ozone Day 2019 celebrates over three

decades of international cooperation to protect

the ozone layer and the climate under the

Montreal Protocol.

Montreal Protocol:

On September 16,1987,the United Nations and 45

other countries had signed the Montreal Protocol

on substances that deplete the Ozone layer.

The purpose of the Montreal Protocol is to protect

the Ozone layer by reducing the production of

substances that are supposed to be responsible

for Ozone layer depletion.

The protocol was further strengthened with the

ratification of the Kigali Agreement which phases

out the production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

that are potent greenhouse gases by the late

2040s.

Astra Missile

News:Indian Air Force has successfully flight-tested

Astra missile off the coast of Odisha.

Facts:

About Astra missile:

Astra is the indigenously developed Beyond

Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile(BVRAAM).

The BVRAAM technology enables fighter-pilots to

shoot precisely at the enemy targets which are

beyond their visual range.

The missile has been developed by the Defence

Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The missile has a range of over 70 km.It can fly

towards the target at a speed of over 5,555 km

per hour.

The missile has a 15-kilogramme high-explosive

pre-fragmented warhead and the missile is also

capable of engaging targets of different ranges

and altitudes.

Further,Astra missile also has some highly

advanced features like Electronic Counter-

Countermeasures or ECCM.This feature enables


20

Astra missile to overcome defensive measures

put forth for the target by the enemy

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment

Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme

News:Government has planned to link MGNREGA

scheme wages to an updated inflation index.This is

aimed at increasing wages and reviving rural demand.

Facts:

What is MGNREGA?

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment

Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is an employment

guarantee act

It was introduced in 2005 through the National

Rural Employment Guarantee Act,2005.

Objective:

The Act aims to enhance livelihood security in

rural areas by providing at least 100 days of

guaranteed wage employment in a financial year

to every household whose adult members

volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Implementation:

Ministry of Rural Development (MRD),Government

of India in association with state governments

monitors the implementation of the scheme.

Features of the act:

Demand driven scheme:Worker to be hired when

he demands and not when the Government wants

it.

Gram Panchayat is mandated to provide

employment within 15 days of work application

failing which worker is entitled to unemployment

allowance

Concerns with the scheme:

Insufficient budget allocation

Poor wages rate

Delay in wage payments

Fabrication of job cards:Payments to fictitious

workers

Ineffective grievance redressal

Large number of incomplete work

Poor quality of assets created.

Measures to be taken:

Proper and timely allocation of funds

Ensuring minimum wages for workers

Effective monitoring of projects

Ensuring employment to rural households as per

demand for work.

Proper job card verification

Ensuring efficient grievance redressal mechanism

Maharashtra govt to set up cleanliness

university

News:The Government of Maharashtra has decided to


21

set up ‘Swachh Bharat World University’.

Facts:

The ‘Swachh Bharat World University’ will be

located in Wardha to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s

150th birth anniversary.

The university will focus on research, education

and finding permanent solutions for cleanliness.

This university is being set up despite the Swachh

Bharat Mission implementation, rapid urbanisation

is generating large amounts of waste which is

affecting the health of residents.

India, Australia to elevate strategic

partnership

News:India and Australia are likely to conclude the

mutual logistics support agreement and a broader

maritime cooperation agreement to elevate the strategic

partnership.

Facts:

About the Logistics agreement:

Logistics agreements are administrative

arrangements facilitating access to military

facilities for exchange of fuel and simplifying

logistical support and increasing operational

turnaround.

Currently, defence cooperation between the two

countries is based on (a)Memorandum on

Defence Cooperation 2006 (b)Joint Declaration on

Security Cooperation 2009 and (c)bilateral

Framework for Security Cooperation 2014.

Maritime Cooperation agreement:

India and Australia have already expanded

cooperation in maritime domain awareness.

The maritime cooperation agreement with a

border mandate is important for better maritime

domain awareness.

The Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy

are also partners in the Indian Ocean Naval

Symposium(IONS).

About Indian Ocean Naval Symposium(IONS):

IONS is an international maritime security initiative

launched in February 2008.

It is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase

maritime cooperation among the navies of the

littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by

providing an open and inclusive forum for

discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.

There are 36 littoral in the Indian Ocean which

have been geographically grouped into the four

sub-regions.

About AUSINDEX:

AUSINDEX is a biennial bilateral maritime exercise

between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy

(RAN).

The first edition of the exercise, AUSINDEX-15

took place in 2015 off the East Coast of India.

The exercise is aimed at strengthening

professional interaction and enhance

interoperability between the two navies. It seeks

to strengthen maritime cooperation between India

and Australia.


22

Mid-Autumn Festival

News:Asian countries and communities around the

world has celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Facts:

About Mid-Autumn Festival:

It is a harvest festival that marks the end of the

autumn harvest and appearance of the fullest

moon of the year.

It is an important celebration across East Asian

and Southeast Asian countries, particularly those

having Chinese communities.

Since the festival is meant to mark a good

harvest,food plays an important role in

celebrations in all countries.

Does India also celebrate autumnal harvest?

The diversity of culture in India has resulted in

unique versions of harvest festivals for the spring

and autumn harvest cycles.

Mizoram:The festival of Mim Kut is celebrated in

the months of August & September after maize

crops are harvested.

Odisha:The festival of Nuakhai is celebrated a day

after Ganesh Chaturthi.The name of the festival

Nuakhai means “new” (Nua) “rice” (Khai) after the

new harvest of rice.

Arunachal Pradesh:Bugun,a scheduled tribe

celebrates Pham Kho Sowai,a harvest festival that

starts around September 10 every year.The

festival involves worship of the mountain and

water sources like rivers, that are the main

sources of livelihood for this tribe.

Kerala:Onam is a harvest festival in Kerala where

food is an integral part of the celebrations.The

festival involves music, dance and other cultural

practices and preparation of other dishes using

seasonal vegetables served on a banana leaf.

India’s mega shopping festivals: What is being

planned and what is the impact?

News:Government has announced that India will be

organising an annual mega shopping festival in four

Indian cities on the lines of massive Dubai Shopping

Festival.

Facts:

About the festival:

The mega shopping festival will be held in four

major cities by March 2020.The festival is aimed to

push more people-to-people contacts and

connections.

The festival is expected to follow the model of

Dubai’s annual shopping festival which is famous

for the heavy discounts offered by retailers in the

city on popular brands across sectors.

However,India’s own mega shopping festival will

have different themes in each of the four cities

and is expected to focus on sectors like gems and

jewellery, yoga, tourism and textiles and leather.

The festival is expected to give a boost to exports

of micro, small and medium enterprises(MSMEs)

as they will be a potential showcase of the

products that India has to offer in the specified

themes.


23

Rustom-2

News:Rustom-2 has crashed during a trial at Karnataka’s

Chitradurga district.

Facts:

About Rustom-2:

Rustom 2 is part of the Rustom line of Unmanned

Aerial Vehicles(UAVs) that includes Rustom-I,

Rustom-H and Rustom-C.

The drone was developed for use by all three

services of the Indian armed forces primarily for

intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance

(ISR) operations.

The drone can fly at over 22,000 ft and is a

medium-altitude long endurance(MALE) UAV that

has an approximate flight time of 20 hours.

Rustom 2 can fly missions on manual as well as

autonomous modes. The onboard way-point

navigation system allows the drone to conduct

missions autonomously.

The drone can carry a variety of payloads like

Medium and long Range Electro Optic , Synthetic

Aperture Radar(SAR), Electronic Intelligence

(ELINT) and Situational Awareness Payloads(SAP)

that helps in performing missions even during the

night.

ISRO, DRDO join hands for Gaganyaan project

News:Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) and

Defence Research Development Organisation(DRDO)

has signed MoUs to jointly develop systems that will aid

and enhance the Gaganyaan project.

Facts:

About Gaganyaan project:

Gaganyaan is India’s first Human Space Flight

Programme to be launched by Indian Space

Research Organisation (ISRO) by 2022.

The programme will make India the fourth nation

in the world to launch a Human Spaceflight

Mission.So far,only the USA, Russia and China

have launched human spaceflight missions.

The spacecraft will consists of a service module

and a crew module, collectively known as the

Orbital Module.

The Orbital Module will have three Indian

astronauts.It will circle Earth at a low-earth-orbit

at an altitude of 300-400 km from earth for 5-7

days.

GSLV Mk III also called the LVM-3 (Launch

Vehicle Mark-3) will be used to launch Gaganyaan

as it has the necessary payload capability.

Further,ISRO will receive assistance from the

French space agency CNES in terms of expertise

in various fields including space medicine,

astronaut health monitoring, radiation protection

and life support.

Dr Kalam Smriti International

Excellence Award

News:Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

has been conferred the Dr Kalam Smriti

International Excellence Award 2019.

Facts:


24

She has been awarded for her vision of a peaceful

and prosperous South Asia and her contribution to

fostering cooperation between India and

Bangladesh.

About the award:

The award has been instituted in the memory of

former Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

The award is given every year to honour

statesmen or leaders who have shown excellence

in their fields to achieve the best for their

countries.

Earlier,the Presidents of the Maldives, Ghana and

Mauritius had received the award since its

introduction in 2015.

The award is presented by Dale View,a non-

governmental organisation registered under the

Charitable Societies Act.It was created in 1978 in

Kerala to bring about socio-economic

development to rural areas through education

Manual Scavenging

News:The Supreme Court of India has pulled up the

Centre on the number of deaths of manual scavengers

and for not providing them with protective gear.

Facts:

About Manual scavenging:

Manual scavenging is the practice of manually

cleaning,carrying, disposing of, or handling human

excreta.

The International Labour Organization(ILO)

distinguishes three forms of manual scavenging:

a) Removal of human excrement from public

streets and dry latrines, b) Cleaning septic tanks,

and c) Cleaning gutters and sewers.

Issues faced by manual scavengers:

Caste-based discrimination

Poor Knowledge of existing laws

Lack of occupational and safety measures

Health issues

Low pay

Government efforts to end Manual Scavenging:

Government of India had enacted the

Employment of Manual Scavengers and

Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act,1993.

The act prohibited the employment of manual

scavengers for manually cleaning dry latrines and

also the construction of dry toilets (that do not

operate with a flush).

In 2013,this was followed by the Prohibition of

Employment as Manual Scavengers and their

Rehabilitation Act, 2013 which was wider in scope.

The act intends to eliminate unsanitary latrines

and prohibit employment as manual scavengers.It

also prohibits hazardous manual cleaning of

sewer and septic tanks.

In 2014,the Supreme Court has also made it

mandatory for the government to identify all

those who died in sewerage work since 1993 and

provide ₹10 lakh each as compensation to their

families.

Poshan Abhiyaan targets are

aspirational: Study


25

News: India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative has

released a report titled Global Burden of Disease Study

1990-2017.

Facts:

About India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative:

It is a joint initiative of the Indian Council of

Medical Research (ICMR), Public Health

Foundation of India, and Institute for Health

Metrics and Evaluation in collaboration with the

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The initiative was launched in 2015.

UNICEF warns of emerging threats that

young people face

News: UNICEF’s Executive director in open letter

outlined eight growing challenges for the world’s

children.

Facts:

Growing Challenges for World’s Children

Prolonged conflicts,

Pollution

Climate crisis,

Decline in mental health,

Mass migration

Population movements,

Statelessness

Online misinformation.

Recommendations put forward:

Treatment and rehabilitation for young people

affected by mental health issues should be

prioritised. Stigma and taboo surrounding mental

illness should be challenged so that treatment

can be sought and support provided.

Equip young people with the ability to understand

who and what they can trust online, so they can

become active, engaged citizens.

Additional Information:

UNICEF

UNICEF, acronym of United Nations Children’s

Fund, formerly United Nations International

Children’s Emergency Fund, was created by the

United Nations General Assembly in 1946. It is

headquartered in New York, USA.

It is a special program of the United Nations (UN)

devoted to aiding national efforts to improve the

health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of

children.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

It sets out the civil, political, economic, social,

health and cultural rights of children. It was signed

in 1989 and came into force in 1990. India is a

party to the convention

Access to the Internet is a basic right, says

Kerala High Court

News:The Kerala High Court has held that the right to

access the internet is a basic fundamental right.

Facts:

Background:


26

The High Court made this observation while

ordering the principal of a college in Kerala to re-

admit a student who had been expelled from the

college hostel for using her mobile phone beyond

the restricted hours.

Highlights of the court judgement:

The court said that right to access Internet is a

part of the fundamental right to education as well

as the right to privacy under Article 21 of the

Constitution.

The Court referred to the Supreme Court

judgement in S. Rengarajan and others v. P.

Jagjivan Ram(1989) case.

The Supreme court had said that the fundamental

freedom under Article 19(1)(a) can be reasonably

restricted only for the purposes mentioned in

Article 19(2) and the restriction must be justified

on the anvil of necessity and not the quicksand of

convenience or expediency.

The court also pointed out that the Human Rights

Council of the United Nations had said that the

right of access to Internet is a fundamental

freedom and a tool to ensure right to education.

Bharat Bill Payment System(BBPS)

News:TheReserve Bank of India has expanded the

scope of the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) by

adding other categories of recurring payments through

the portal.

Facts:

About BBPS:

BBPS is an interoperable platform for repetitive

bill payments.It functions under the aegis of

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

It is a one-stop payment platform for all bills

providing an interoperable and accessible

anytime anywhere bill payment service to

customers across the country.

Currently, BBPS covers bills of five segments

namely (a) Direct to Home (DTH), (b) Electricity, (c)

Gas, (d) Telecom and (e) Water.

The RBI has now decided to expand the scope

and coverage of BBPS to include all categories of

billers.

The expansion would increase the user base of

Bharat Bill Pay along with providing an efficient,

cost-effective alternative to existing systems and

enhance consumer confidence and experience.


About NPCI:

National Payments Corporation of India(NPCI) is

an umbrella organisation for operating retail

payments and settlement systems in India.

It is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India(RBI) and

Indian Banks’ Association(IBA) under the

provisions of the Payment and Settlement

Systems Act,2007 for creating a robust Payment &

Settlement Infrastructure in India

SC to get permanent Constitution bench

News:The Supreme Court has decided to create a

permanent five judge Constitution Bench to hear and

decide cases involving Constitutional questions.

Facts:

About Constitution bench:


27

Constitution bench is the name given to the

benches of the Supreme Court of India which

consist of at least five judges of the court.

These judges sit to decide on a case involving a

substantial question of law as to the interpretation

of the Constitution of India or for the purpose of

hearing any reference made by the President of

India under Article 143.

The provision of constitution bench has been

mandated under Article 145 (3) of the Constitution

of India.

The Chief Justice of India has the power to

constitute a Constitution Bench and refer cases to

it.

The Constitution benches have decided most

important Supreme Court cases such as A. K.

Gopalan v. State of Madras, Kesavananda Bharati

v. State of Kerala (basic structure doctrine) and

Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India (OBC

reservations) among others.

MOSAIC MISSION

News:A team of scientists from 19 countries is about to

start the year-long MOSAIC mission in the RV Polarstern

ship to a large piece of Arctic sea ice to study climate

change.

Facts:

About the Mosaic mission:

MOSAiC mission stands for Multidisciplinary

drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic

Climate.

The objective of the mission is to study the impact

of climate change on the Arctic and how it could

affect the rest of the world.

The mission has received funding from U.S.

institutions such as the National Science

Foundation, the Department of Energy, the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

and NASA.

Under the mission,scientists plan to sail the RV

Polarstern ship into the Arctic Ocean, anchor it to

a large piece of sea ice and allow the water to

freeze around them effectively trapping

themselves in the vast sheet of ice that forms

over the North Pole each winter.

As temperatures drop,they’ll build temporary

winter research camps on the ice allowing them

to perform tests that wouldn’t be possible at other

times of the year or by satellite sensing.

Corporate social responsibility(CSR)

News:Government has decided to expand the scope of

corporate spend under Corporate Social

Responsibility(CSR) norms.

Facts:

About CSR:

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) was initiated

through the Companies Act, 2013.

The act mandated companies and government

organisations with (a)turnover of Rs1,000 crore or

more(b)net worth exceeding Rs 500crore or

(c)having more than Rs 5 crore in net profits to


28

spend 2% of average net profit of the preceding

three years on CSR.

Activities that can be undertaken under CSR:

The CSR amount can be spent on initiatives that

would have social, economic and environmental

impact or a way to give back to the society.

These initiatives include (a)promoting gender

equality (b)empowering women (c)promoting

education (d)eradicating hunger (e)poverty,

(f)malnutrition (g)rural development projects

among others.

The companies were also allowed to provide CSR

funds to technology incubators located within

Centre-approved academic institutions.

What has changed?

Government has now widened the scope of CSR

activities and companies can now contribute

towards research across various fields such as

science, technology, medicine.

Besides,CSR funds can also be spent on

incubators funded by the Centre or state or any

state-owned companies.

Ganga Data Collector

News:Wildlife Institute of India(WII) has launched a

mobile application named “Ganga Data Collector”.

Facts:

About Ganga data collector:

The application aims to provide field researchers

with a complete data entry solution to monitor the

aquatic population in the Ganga river.

The application has been launched under the

Biodiversity and Ganga Conservation project

initiated by the National Mission for Clean Ganga

(NMCG) of Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The application will be used by scientists of WII,

Ganga Praharis and staff of the forest department

in the 11 states of the Ganga Basin for faster

collection of more authentic and accurate data

related to water quality and aquatic life in Ganga.

Wildlife Institute of India (WII)

WII is an autonomous institution under the

Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate

Change,Government of India.

It was established in 1982.The institute is based in

Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

It is an internationally acclaimed Institution which

offers training programs, academic courses and

advisory in wildlife research and management.

Quad to meet: Foreign Ministers of India, US,

Japan and Australia

News:The foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral group of

India, US, Australia and Japan are scheduled to meet on

the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.

Facts:

About the Quad group:


29

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue(QSD) is the

strategic dialogue between four countries viz.

India, United States, Japan and Australia.

It was originally initiated in 2007 but later

disbanded with withdrawal of Australia.It has later

revived in 2017.

The Quad is viewed as four democracies with a

shared objective to ensure and support a free,

open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

The concept of quadrilateral cooperation is also

linked to China’s emergence as a great power.The

fear of China’s growing unilateralism drives major

nations to strive to reduce the regional imbalance

by banding together.

Significance for India:

The Quad group provides India a powerful

platform to advance its interests in East Asia.

It will deepen India’s ties with the US, Australia

and Japan with benefits in diplomatic leverage

and sharing of burden in defense.

It will also provide India significant chance in

shaping US policies in Afghanistan-Pakistan to the

benefit of India.

It will provide a powerful platform to advance

Indian interest in region and strengthen Act East

policy.

It will also help India and other three Nations to

counter China’s One Belt One Road(OBOR)

initiative.As India has refused to join OBOR it helps

India to connect with other markets like Central

Asian and South East Asian markets

Happy Seeder

News:Punjab Chief Minister has said that farmers should

use Happy Seeders for direct wheat sowing as it will

lead to increased productivity.

Facts:

About Happy seeder(HS):

Happy Seeder(HS) is a tractor-operated machine

developed by the Punjab Agricultural

University(PAU) in collaboration with Australian

Centre for International Agricultural

Research(ACIAR).

Happy seeder is used for in-situ management of

paddy stubble (straw).

The seeder has the capability to cut and lift the

previous crop and sow a new crop in its place.It

also deposits the straw over the sown area as

mulch.

Advantages of Happy seeder:

The average wheat yield a farmer gets using

traditional sowing method (after burning stubble)

is 19-22 quintal/acre (q/acre).

It has been found that using Happy Seeder also

farmers can get a yield of around 19-22 q/acre.

Concerns with Happy seeder:

Farmers had to burn the stubble because Happy

Seeder doesn’t work on thick bunches of straw

left behind.


30

The wheat yield does not increase or decrease

using Happy Seeder.But it remains at par with

normal average yield.

Initially,farmers are facing problems because after

sowing with HS,fields require proper

management.


Mulch:

A mulch is a layer of material applied to the

surface of the soil.

The reasons for applying mulch include

conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility

and health of the soil, reducing weed growth and

enhancing the visual appeal of the area.

Global Climate Strike movement

News:Students in more than 2,000 cities across the

world are holding demonstrations under the

#FridaysforFuture movement also called Global Climate

Strike movement.

Facts:

About Global Climate Strike movement:

The #FridaysforFuture movement also known as

the ‘Youth Strike for Climate Movement’ was

started in August 2018.

The aim of the Global Climate Strike is to call on

millions of people across the world to disrupt

business as usual by taking part in protests

emphasising the danger of Climate Change.

The movement was started by Swedish student

‘Greta Thunberg’ to protest outside Swedish

parliament for more action against climate

change.

She had called for a strike every Friday until the

Swedish parliament revised its policies towards

climate change.

Gradually, students and adults from across the

world started mobilising and demonstrating in

front of parliaments and local city halls in their

respective countries.

Thousands of events have been planned from

September 20th to 27th, 2019

Healthy life a basic right, Prime Minister Modi

tells UN meet

News:At the 74th session of the United Nations (UN)

General Assembly,Indian Prime minister has addressed

the Universal Health coverage meeting.

Facts:

Key takeaways: The Prime Minister has said that a

healthy life is the basic right of every person.He also

outlined the four main pillars of healthcare that India

focuses on:

Preventive Healthcare:

Prime minister said that India has laid special

emphasis on yoga, ayurveda and fitness which

has helped in controlling lifestyle diseases such

as diabetes, blood pressure and depression.

India has also launched Fit India Movement

recently.


31

The Clean India Campaign has contributed

towards saving millions of lives.

Under immunization,India has not only introduced

new vaccines but has also improved access to

vaccination in far flung areas.

United Nations Climate Action Summit

News:During the 74th session of the United Nations (UN)

General Assembly, the Indian Prime Minister has

addressed the United Nations(UN) Climate Action

Summit.

Facts:

Highlights of the speech:

Prime minister has reiterated India’s commitment

to the creation of 175 GW renewable energy

capacity by 2022 under the Paris Climate

Agreement.

He also said that India’s renewable energy target

will be further increased to 450 GW by 2022.

He said that India would spend approximately $50

billion in the next few years on the Jal Jeevan

Mission to conserve water, harvest rainwater and

develop water resources.

He also said that more than 80 countries have

joined the International Solar Alliance initiated by

India.

New initiatives: The Prime Minister has also announced

two new international initiatives.

Leadership Group for Industry Transition: India

and Sweden together with other countries have

announced a new that will drive transformation in

hard-to-decarbonize and energy-intensive

sectors.

Coalition for Disaster Resilient

Infrastructure(CDRI): It will be an international

partnership that will support countries-

developed and developing- to build climate and

disaster resilient infrastructure.

The Coalition’s secretariat will be based in Delhi.It

will facilitate knowledge exchange, provide

technical support and support capacity building.

Multipurpose National Identity Card (MPNIC)

News:Union Home Minister has said that India could

have a single multi purpose unique card that will serve

as an identity card and double up as a voter card, PAN

and even a passport.

Facts:

About Multipurpose National ID Card (MPNIC)

MPNIC was first suggested by a 2001 report on

“Reforming the National Security System” by the

empowered Group of Ministers(GOM) during the

Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

The Group of Ministers(GOM) report had

recommended MPNIC in relation to the growing

threat from illegal migration.

What did the GOM report said?

The report has said that there should be

compulsory registration of citizens and non-

citizens living in India.This will facilitate the

preparation of a national register of citizens.

All citizens should be given a Multi-Purpose

National Identity Card (MPNIC) and non-citizens

should be issued identity cards of a different

colour and design.

This should be introduced initially in the border

districts or maybe in a 20 Kms border belt and

extended to the hinterland progressively.


32

Is Government planning to introduce multi purpose

identity card?

The government has clarified that there is no

specific scheme that they are planning to

introduce.

But the government would want to link various

databases if it intends to create a card that works

as a single point of access to various accounts

held by an individual.

Further,the government is also expected to

launch the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)

by the start of 2020.


About NATGRID:

NATGRID is an integrated intelligence grid

connecting databases of core security agencies

to collect comprehensive patterns of intelligence

that can be readily accessed by intelligence

agencies.

Under NATGRID,21 sets of databases will be

networked to achieve quick, seamless and secure

access to desired information for

intelligence/enforcement agencies.

The database would be accessible to authorised

persons from 11 agencies on a case to case basis

and only for professional investigations into

suspected cases of terrorism.

It will utilize technologies like Big Data and

analytics to study and analyze the huge amounts

of data from various intelligence and enforcement

agencies to help track suspected terrorists and

prevent terrorist attacks

Mochi Swabhimaan Initiative

News: Union Minister of Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship announced the launch of Mochi

Swabhimaan Initiative.

Facts:

About the initiative:

Mochi Swabhimaan Initiative is a nationwide effort

in which Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) will

support the cobbler community who provide

leather-based services, with CSR funds.

This will ensure that they work in a dignified

manner by bringing respect to their skills by

giving them better working environment in the

form of kiosks/umbrellas.

About Leather Sector Skill Council(LSSC):

The Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) is a non-

profit organisation dedicated to meet the demand

for skilled workforce in the leather industry in

India.

LSSC was set up in 2012 as one of the key sector

skill councils approved by National Skill

Development Corporation(NSDC).

It aims to facilitate a skilled ecosystem in the

leather industry through capacity building for high

productivity and compliance with global

standards.


Statistics on Leather industry:


33

India accounts for about 13% of the world’s leather

production.

The leather industry contribute less than 1% to

India’s GDP and Footwear industry contributes

about 2% to India’s GDP.

Indian leather industry has huge potential for

exports.It can reach USD 9.0 billion by 2020, from

the present level of USD 5.85 billion.

UMMID initiative

News:The Union Minister for Science & Technology has

launched the UMMID initiative.

Facts:

About UMMID:

UMMID stands for Unique Methods of

Management and treatment of Inherited

Disorders.

The initiative aims at creating awareness about

genetic disorders amongst clinicians and

establish molecular diagnostics in hospitals so

that the benefits of developments in medical

genetics could reach patients.

The initiative will be implemented by the

Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the

Ministry of Science and Technology.

Features of UMMID:

Establish NIDAN (National Inherited Diseases

Administration) Kendras to provide counselling,

prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and

multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals

wherein the influx of patients is more.

The initiative aims to produce skilled clinicians in

Human Genetics.

It also aims to undertake screening of pregnant

women and newborn babies for inherited genetic

diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts

National Population Register

News: Union Home Minister has said that the National

Population register(NPR) is being prepared for the first

time in the Census 2021.

Facts:

About National population register:

The National Population Register or NPR is a

Register of the residents of the nation.

NPR is prepared at the local, District, State and

National level under provisions of the Citizenship

Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of

Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards)

Rules, 2003.

The exercise is different from the Census 2021

and is not linked to the National Register of

Citizens(NRC).

Objective:

The objective of the NPR is to create a

comprehensive identity database of every usual

resident in the country.The database would

contain demographic as well as biometric

particulars.

It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to

register in the NPR.


34

Definition of resident under NPR:

A usual resident is defined for the purposes of

NPR as a person who has resided in a local area

for the past 6 months or more or a person who

intends to reside in that area for the next 6

months or more.

The NPR database would also contain

demographic as well as biometric details.

Under NPR,a resident identity card (RIC) will be

issued to individuals over the age of 18.This will

be a chip-embedded smart card containing the

demographic and biometric attributes of each

individual.The UID number will also be printed on

the card.

Emissions Trading Scheme(ETS)

News:Gujarat government has launched the world’s first

Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for trading in

Particulate Matter(PM) emissions.

Facts:

Features of the scheme:

The programme aims to reduce particulate air

pollution and facilitate robust economic growth.

Under the programme, the government sets a

cap on emissions and allow industries to buy and

sell permits to stay below the cap.

The Gujarat state pollution control board (GPCB)

will define the total mass of pollution that can be

released into the air over a certain fixed period by

all industrial units together. This will be equivalent

to the cap.

The programme is the first market-based

approach to regulate pollution emissions in India.

Further,it is also the first in the world to regulate

particulate air pollution.

At present,the programme is being launched in

Surat to understand its impact on emissions,

industry costs and regulatory costs.


Emission trading system(ETS):

Emission trading systems(ETS) is also referred to

as the cap-and-trade system.

Under ETS, the government caps the total level of

greenhouse gas emissions provided to the

companies and allows those industries with low

emissions to sell their extra allowances to larger

emitters.

Particulate matter:

Particulate Matter (PM) is small liquid droplets and

solid particles whose hazardous nature increases

with a decrease in their size as they become

respirable.

It includes both organic and inorganic particles,

such as dust, pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid

droplets.

Census 2021


35

News: Union Minister for Home Affairs has said that the

2021 census exercise would be carried out digitally.

Facts:

About Census:

The census provides information on size,

distribution demographic, socio-economic and

other characteristics of the country’s population.

A systematic and modern population census in its

present form was conducted non synchronously

between 1865 and 1872 in different parts of the

country.

However,the first synchronous census in India

was held in 1881.Since then,censuses have been

undertaken uninterruptedly once every ten years.

Since 1949 the census has been conducted by the

Registrar General and Census Commissioner of

India under the Ministry of Home Affairs,

Government of India.

India’s last census was carried out in 2011 when

the country’s population stood at 121 crore. The

Indian Census is one of the largest administrative

exercises undertaken in the world.

Census 2021:

The data collected by the Registrar General and

Census Commissioner of India during the 2021

Census will be stored electronically.

The Census 2021 will be conducted in 18

languages out of the 22 scheduled languages

(under 8th schedule) and English.

The Census data would be available by the year

2024-25 as the entire process would be

conducted digitally and data crunching would be

quicker.


About Registrar General of India:

Registrar General and Census Commissioner of

India was founded in 1961 by Government of India

Ministry of Home Affairs.

It was formed for arranging, conducting and

analysing the results of the demographic surveys

of India including Census of India and Linguistic

Survey of India

Special Expenditure Observers

News: Election commission of India has appointed

former IRS officers as special expenditure observers for

Maharashtra polls.

Facts:

About Special Expenditure observers:

The Special Expenditure Observers are appointed

by the EC under the powers conferred under

Article 324 of the Constitution and the

Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The special observers will be supervising and

monitoring the work being done by the electoral

machinery.

The observers will also watch the conduct of

Elections with special emphasis on controlling the

abuse of money power, in consultation with the

Chief Electoral Officer at respective

constituencies.

They will also ensure stringent and effective

enforcement action is undertaken based on

intelligence inputs and complaints received

through C-VIGIL and Voter Helpline.


About RPA Act,1951:


36

The Representation of the People Act,1951 is an

act of Parliament of India.

The act provides (a)the conduct of elections of the

Houses of Parliament and the House of the

Legislature of each State (b)the qualifications and

disqualifications for membership of those Houses

and (c)the corrupt practices,decisions,doubts and

disputes arising in connection with such elections.

Election commission:

The Election Commission of India is an

autonomous constitutional authority responsible

for administering election processes in India.

The Election Commission operates under the

authority of Constitution under Article 324 and

subsequently enacted Representation of the

People Act,1951.

The EC administers elections to the (a)Lok Sabha

(b)Rajya Sabha (c)state Legislative Assemblies

(d)state legislative Councils and the (e)offices of

the President and Vice President of the country.

C-VIGIL:

Election Commission of India had launched a

mobile application named ‘C-vigil.

The app allows citizens to report on violation of

Model code of conduct.It is operational only

where elections are announced.

Election observers will also be able to see all the

complaints by citizens through C-vigil and take

action in real time in their area of jurisdiction

Kerala police

gear up to

scan

underworld

of Internet

News:Kerala

police has

launched a

programme called Cyberdome.

Facts:

About Cyberdome:

Cyberdome is Kerala police department’s premier

facility dedicated to prevent cybercrime and

mitigate security threats to the State’s critical

information infrastructure.

The facility has state-of-the-art lab complete with

enabling software to intervene and crack down on

the rising criminal activities over the Darknet also

known as the underworld of the Internet.


Darknet:

The darknet refers to networks that are not

accessible by search engines such as Google,

Yahoo or Bing.

These are networks that are only available to a

select group of people and not to the general

Internet public.It is only accessible via

authorization, specific software and

configurations.

The two typical types of darknet are friend-to-

friend networks (usually used for file sharing with

a peer-to-peer connection) and privacy networks

such as Tor (The Onion Router).

It is a major source to buy anything for drug

dealers, arms traffickers, child pornography

collectors and other criminals involved in financial

and physical crimes.

Global Goalkeepers


37

Award

News:Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the

‘Global Goalkeeper Award’.

Facts:

About the award:

The award is conferred by the Bill and Melinda

Gates Foundation.The annual awards are

presented in five categories.

They are presented to leaders and individuals for

their efforts in achieving the Sustainable

Development Goals(SDGs).

The categories are Progress, Changemaker,

Campaign, Goalkeepers Voice and the Global

Goalkeeper.

Indian Prime minister has received the award for

his leadership and commitment to the Swachh

Bharat mission.


About Swachh Bharat mission:

Swachh Bharat mission is a cleanliness campaign

initiated by Govt. of India in 2014.

The mission seeks to achieve a Clean India by

2019 as a tribute to the 150th Birth Anniversary of

Mahatma Gandhi.

It has two sub-missions (a) Swachh Bharat Mission

(Gramin) which is implemented by Department of

Drinking Water and Sanitation,Jal Shakti Ministry

and (b) Swachh Bharat Mission(Urban) which is

implemented by the Ministry of Housing and

Urban Affairs.

Prime minister inaugurates Solar Park, Peace

Garden at UN

News:Indian Prime Minister inaugurated the Gandhi

Solar Park and Gandhi Peace Garden at the

headquarters of the United Nations on the occasion of

150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Facts:

About Solar Park:

Solar park is a first of its kind Indian effort at the

U.N that highlights India’s willingness to go

beyond the talk on climate change and climate

action.

It is a 50 kWh roof-top solar park which has 193

solar panels each representing a member of the

multilateral body.

The energy generated in the park is equivalent to

energy that would have been created through the

use of 30,000 kg of coal.

The park also has a carbon sequestration of 1,000

seedlings which will grow into trees over 10 years.

About Gandhi Peace Garden:

Gandhi Peace Garden is an initiative under which

Consulate General of India in New York, Shanti

Fund NGO and the State University of New York-

Old Westbury have entered into an agreement to

plant 150 trees.


38

It is a crowdsourced project with people adopting

trees in memory of their loved ones at the State

University of New York-Old Westbury campus.

The garden is dedicated in memory of Mahatma

Gandhi and seeks to underline that his principles

act as a moral compass as world grapples with

challenges of climate change, terrorism and

corruption

Higher Education Commission of India bill

News:Government is likely to introduce the Higher

Education Commission of India(HECI) Bill in the winter

session of Parliament.

Facts:

Key features of the bill:

The bill aims to create a Higher Education

Commission of India (HECI) replacing the

University Grants Commission(UGC) and the All

India Council for Technical Education(AICTE).

The bill proposes to bring almost all areas of

higher education including technical, architectural

and legal courses except medical education

under the ambit of a HECI.

The HECI will maintain academic standards in

higher education by (a)specifying learning

outcomes for courses (b)specifying eligibility

criteria for Vice Chancellors and (c)ordering

closure of higher educational institutions which

fail to adhere to minimum standards.

The bill says that person appointed as

Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Members shall

hold office for a term of five years from the date

on which he enters upon his office or upto 70

years of age.

Further, the bill provides for a new autonomous

body which will be created to supervise the

doling out of funds to higher education

institutions.

SIDHIEE Portal

News:Union Minister for Micro Small and Medium

Enterprises has launched Knowledge Management

Portal “SIDHIEE”.

Facts:

The portal was launched at the National Conclave

on Enhancing Energy Efficiency.

This Conclave was organized by the Bureau of

Energy Efficiency(BEE).

SIDHIEE Portal

The portal was launched under the Bureau of

Energy Efficiency Micro Small and Medium

Enterprises(BEE’s MSME) Programme.

The portal will host useful information including

fifty videos of multimedia tutorials for MSMEs for

early adoption of energy-efficient technologies.

About BEE:

The BEE is a statutory body under the Ministry of

Power,Government of India.

It was set up under the provisions of Energy

Conservation Act,2001.


39

Its mission is to assist in developing policies with

the primary objective of reducing energy intensity

of the Indian Economy.

BEE coordinates with designated consumers,

designated agencies and other organizations.

It recognizes,identifies and utilizes the existing

resources and infrastructure in performing the

functions assigned to it under the Energy

Conservation Act.

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

News:Indian Prime Minister has made a pitch for India’s

membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG) in

New York.

Facts:

About Nuclear suppliers group:

NSG is a group of nuclear supplier countries that

frames and implements agreed rules for

exporting nuclear equipment with a view to

controlling the spread of nuclear weapons

The NSG was set up as a response to India’s

nuclear tests conducted in 1974.

The aim of the NSG is to ensure that nuclear trade

for peaceful purposes does not contribute to the

proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The NSG has 48 member states and the European

Commission acts as an Observer.

India and NSG:

Since 2008,India has sought membership in the

NSG.The NSG had granted India a clean waiver

from its existing rules, which forbid nuclear trade

with a country which has not signed the Nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT).

India had also submitted its membership

application to the NSG in May 2016, a month

before the Seoul plenary of the Group.However at

the Seoul plenary group,India’s membership was

blocked by China.

Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism

(GIFCT)

News:The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism

(GIFCT) will now become an independent organization

led by an Executive Director.

Facts:

About GIFCT:

Global Internet Forum to Counter

Terrorism(GIFCT) was formally established in July

2017.

The forum was led by a rotating chair drawn from

the founding four companies—Facebook,

Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube.

The main aim of the forum is to prevent terrorists

and violent extremists from exploiting digital

platforms.

Objectives:

Improve the capacity of a broad range of

technology companies, independently and

collectively, to prevent and respond to abuse of

their digital platforms by terrorists and violent

extremists


40

Enable multi-stakeholder engagement around

terrorist and violent extremist misuse of the

internet and encourage stakeholders to meet key

commitments consistent with the GIFCT mission

Encourage those dedicated to online civil

dialogue and empower efforts to direct positive

alternatives to the messages of terrorists and

violent extremists

Advance broad understanding of terrorist and

violent extremist operations and their evolution,

including the intersection of online and offline

activities.

Structure:

The GIFCT will be restructured as an independent

membership organization led by an Executive

Director and supported by dedicated staff.

The funding for the core operations of the forum

will be drawn from industry contributions.

Right Livelihood Award

News:Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has won

the Right Livelihood Award.

Facts:

About the Right Livelihood Award:

The Right Livelihood Award was created in 1980

by Swedish-German philatelist Jakob von

Uexkull.The award is also known as the

alternative Nobel Prize.

The award was created after Nobel Foundation

behind the Nobel Prizes refused to create awards

honouring efforts in the fields of the environment

and international development.

The award consists of a cash prize of one million

Swedish kronor ($103,000 or 94,000 euro) for

each laureate meant to support the recipient's

work.

Pacific Islands Developing States (PSIDS)

News:Indian Prime Minister has met leaders of the

Pacific small Islands Developing States (PSIDS) on the

sidelines of the UNGA session in New York,USA.

Facts:

Prime Minister has announced a USD 150 million

line of credit to the group of Pacific island nations

for undertaking solar, renewable energy and

climate related projects based on their

requirement.

What are Small Island Developing States(SIDS)?

Small Island Developing States(SIDS) are a distinct

group of developing countries facing specific

social, economic and environmental

vulnerabilities.

SIDS were recognized as a special case both for

their environment and development at the United

Nations Conference on Environment and

Development (UNCED) also known as the Earth

Summit.

The United Nations Office of the High

Representative for the Least Developed

Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and


41

Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS)

represents this group of states.

How many are SIDS states?

The UN has never established any criteria to

determine an official list of SIDS" but it maintains a

shorter, unofficial list for analytical purposes.The

United Nations Department of Economic and

Social Affairs lists 57 small island developing

states.

What is the Barbados Programme of Action?

The United Nations has been assisting and

extending cooperation to SIDS in their sustainable

development efforts through the Programme of

Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS

finalized at the Global Conference held in

Barbados in 1994 known also as the Barbados

Programme of Action (BPOA).

Zero budget natural farming

News:Noted agriculturist Subhash Palekar has said that

the zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) can act as an

alternative method of agriculture to resolve the plight of

farmers.

Facts:

About Zero budget natural farming(ZBNF):

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a farming

practice that believes in natural growth of crops

without adding any fertilizers and pesticides or

any other foriegn elements.

The word Zero Budget refers to the zero net cost

of production of all crops.Natural farming’ means

farming with Nature and without the use of

fertilisers.

Four wheels of ZBNF:

Jeevamrutha: It is a fermented microbial culture

that uses urine and dung from an indigenous cow

breed and paste of green gram to rejuvenate the

soil to provide micro-nutrients to crops.

Bijamrita: It is a treatment used for seeds,

seedlings or any planting material.

Acchadana: It promotes mulching and soil

aeration for favourable soil conditions.

Whapasa: It means providing water to maintain

the required moisture-air balance.

Benefits of ZBNF:

The yields of various crops have been found to be

significantly higher in the ZBNF.

The Input costs are near zero as no fertilizers and

pesticides are used in this method.

There will be no toxic chemical residues released

in the environment.

This method also reduces the use of water and

electricity.

This method may also end reliance on loans and

cut the production costs ending the debt cycle.

Concerns of ZBNF:

Experts have said that the term ‘zero budget’ is

misleading as modern agriculture requires a


42

whole set of expensive external inputs apart from

sizeable capital investments initially.

Recently, Maharashtra have reverted back to

conventional farming after seeing their ZBNF

returns drop after a few years.

Project NETRA

News:The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

has initiated the ‘Project NETRA.

Facts:

About Project NETRA:

NETRA stands for Network for Space Object

Tracking and Analysis.

It is an early warning system in space to detect

space debris and to safeguard India’s functional

satellites in low-earth orbits.

Under NETRA,ISRO plans to put up many

observational facilities such as (a)connected

radars (b)telescopes (c)data processing units and

a (d)Space Situational Awareness Control Centre.

These facilities can spot, track and catalogue

objects as small as 10 cm, up to a range of 3,400

km and equal to a space orbit of around 2,000 km.

Significance of NETRA:

This will improve India’s space situational

awareness and allow it to become self-

dependent.

This will ensure that India will no longer have to

depend on data from the North America

Aerospace Defence Command(NORAD).

NORAD is an initiative of the U.S. and Canada that

shares selective space debris data with many

countries.

‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega’ Campaign

News:Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has

launched the ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign’ along

with the National TB Prevalence Survey.

Facts:

About Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign:

The campaign aims to improve and expand the

reach of Tuberculosis care services across the

country by 2022.

The three strong pillars of the campaign include

(a)clinical approach, (b)public health component

and (c)active community participation.

There are some other supporting aspects of the

campaign including patient support, private


43

sector engagement, political and administrative

commitment at all levels.

The government will also ensure that all patients

at private or public hospitals receive free-of-cost

and high-quality TB care.

Sardar Patel National Unity Award

News:The government has instituted a new civilian

award in the name of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Facts:

About the award:

The award has been instituted in the name of

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

It will be the highest civilian award in India in the

field of contribution to the unity and integrity of

India.

The award seeks to recognise notable and

inspiring contributions to promote the cause of

national unity and integrity and to reinforce the

value of a strong and united India

The award will be announced annually on the

occasion of the National Unity Day which is the

birth anniversary of Sardar Patel on 31st October.

An award committee would be constituted by the

Prime Minister which would include the Cabinet

Secretary, Principal Secretary to the PM, Secretary

to the President, Home Secretary as Members

and three-four eminent persons.

The Award would consist of a medal and a

citation.No monetary grant or cash award would

be attached to this Award.

Further, not more than three Awards would be

given in a year.It would also not be conferred

posthumously except in very rare and highly

deserving cases.

NATIONAL WATER MISSION AWARDS- 2019

News: Union Minister for Jal Shakti has presented the

National Water Mission Awards- 2019.

Facts:

National water mission award:

The water mission awards is an initiative of

National Water Mission (NWM), Department of

Water Resources, River Development & Ganga

Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The award seeks to recognize excellence in water

conservation, efficient water use and sustainable

water management practices.

The awards are given in ten categories defined

under five goals of National water mission(NWM).

Right to be Forgotten

News: European Union’s(EU) top court has ruled that the

right to be forgotten online does not extend beyond the

borders of the European Union.

Facts:

Background:

The ruling came on a dispute between Google

and the French privacy regulator CNIL which in


44

2015 had asked Google to globally remove links

to pages containing damaging or false information

about a person.

However,the court has now ruled that the Google

only needs to remove links from its search results

in Europe and not elsewhere after receiving an

appropriate request.

About Right to be forgotten:

The right to be forgotten has been in practice in

Argentina and the European Union since 2006.

The rule allows for the lawful removal of personal

information of an individual if such request is

made.

The right is seen as significant in these

jurisdictions as it can determine the development

of their life in an autonomous way without being

stigmatized as a consequence of a specific action

performed in the past.

World Digital Competitiveness Rankings

News: The World Digital Competitiveness

Ranking(WDCR) 2019 report has been released.

Facts:

About World Digital Competitiveness report:

The report has been prepared by the International

Institute for Management Development (IMD)

World Competitiveness Center.

It measures the capacity and readiness of 63

nations to adopt and explore digital technologies

as a key driver for economic transformation in

business, government and wider society.

National Launch of 10 Year Rural Sanitation

Strategy (2019-2029)

News: The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation

(DDWS),Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched the 10 Year

Rural Sanitation Strategy (2019-2029).

Facts:

About the Rural Sanitation Strategy:

The strategy has been prepared by the

Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation in

consultation with the State Governments and

other stakeholders.

The strategy lays down the roadmap for Open

defecation free (ODF) Plus which is the

government’s next step in dealing with open

defecation and sanitation issues in the country.

The aim of the strategy is to take a step further

from the construction and maintenance of toilets

for rural households by focusing on waste water

and solid waste treatment at the village and

panchayat level.

Quantum Supremacy

News: A scientific paper by Google has claimed that

quantum processors have reached the regime of

quantum supremacy

Facts:

The research has found that quantum processor

took 200 seconds to perform a calculation that

would have been accomplished in 10,000 years


45

by the world’s fastest supercomputer named

Summit.

What is Quantum Supremacy :

The phrase quantum supremacy was coined in

2011 by John Preskill, Professor of Theoretical

Physics at the California Institute of Technology.

It refers to a quantum computer solving a

problem that cannot be expected of a classical

computer in a normal lifetime .This relates to the

speed at which a quantum computer performs.

Difference between Traditional computers and

Quantum computers:

The thing that differentiates a quantum computer

from a traditional computer is the way the two

store information.

The traditional computer stores information in the

form of bits that can take only two values, zero or

one.

On the other hand, quantum computer stores it in

the form of quantum bits (qubits) that can take on

various combinations of zero and one.

Fake News

News: Recently, twenty countries including France,

Britain and India has signed an agreement at the UN to

stop the spread of fake news online.

Facts:

The agreement was initiated by the Reporters

Without Borders (RSF), a press freedom

watchdog.

The signatory countries committed to promoting

independently reported, diverse and reliable

information.

The agreement also underlined the responsibility

of internet providers to promote trustworthy

content and pluralism to escape the current

information chaos.


Fake news:

Fake news is the deliberate creation of factually

incorrect content to mislead people for some

gain.

Fake news is becoming an increasingly serious

problem. It is viewed as a serious threat to the

democratic process.

About Reporters Without Borders(RSF):

Reporters Sans Frontieres(RSF) or Reporters

Without Borders is a non-profit organization that

works to document and combat attacks on

journalists around the world.

It is headquartered in Paris, France .It also has a

consultant status at the United Nations.


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The key documents published by the organisation

are: (a) World Press Freedom Index (b) Predators

of Press Freedom and (c) Press Freedom

Barometer.

Note: In the World Press Freedom Index, 2019 India has

been ranked at 140th out of 180 countries. Norway has

topped the list for the third year in a row followed by

Finland.

Bharat-22 ETF

News: Government has decided to launch the fourth

tranche of Bharat-22 Exchange traded fund (ETF) on

October 3,2019.

Facts:

What are Exchange traded fund (ETF)?

Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) are index funds

that are listed and traded on stock exchanges just

like regular shares.

They are a basket of stocks with assigned weights

that reflect the composition of an index.

The ETFs trading value is based on the net asset

value of the underlying stocks that it represents.

The ETF is aimed at helping speed up the

government’s disinvestment programme.

About Bharat-22 ETF:

Bharat 22 is an ETF that will track the performance

of 22 stocks of Central Public Sector Enterprises

(CPSE), Public Sector Banks (PSB’s) and strategic

holding of SUUTI(Specified Undertaking of Unit

Trust of India).

The 22 stocks are diversified across six sectors

such as(a) basic materials (b) energy (c)finance (d)

FMCG (e) industrials and (f) utilities.

Bharat-22 ETF is managed by the ICICI Prudential

AMC while Asia Index is the index provider.

G-4 for UNSC reform, enhanced role of

developing countries

News:The foreign ministers of G-4 grouping held a

meeting on the sidelines of the 74th session of the

United Nations General Assembly(UNGA).

Facts:

About G-4:

The G4 nations comprises of Brazil, Germany,

India, and Japan.

These four countries support each other’s bids for

permanent seats on the United Nations Security

Council.

Unlike the G7, where the common denominator is

the economy and long-term political motives, the

G4’s primary aim is the permanent member seats

on the UN Security Council.

Highlights of the meeting:

The G-4 countries have decided to prepare for a

fresh plan for reforms at the UNGA in 2020 when

the UN celebrates its 75th anniversary.


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The G-4 countries highlighted that there is a clear

need for an enhanced role of developing

countries and of major contributors to the United

Nations to make the UNSC more legitimate,

effective and representative.

The countries also put a focus on the role of the

African continent in the Council.

The G-4 countries also said that the reforms-

related decisions should be by a two-thirds

majority in the UN General Assembly which was

enshrined in the 1998 resolution of the UNGA.

This is contrary to the position taken by China

which has always said that the decisions should

be taken through comprehensive consensus.

First Indigenous Fuel Cell System

News: President of India has unveiled the first

Indigenous High Temperature Fuel Cell System on the

occasion of CSIR Foundation Day.

Facts:

About the Indigenous fuel system:

The system has been developed by the Council

of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in

partnership with Indian industries.

It has been developed under India’s flagship

program named New Millennium Indian

Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI).

Working of the system:

The 5.0 kW fuel cell system generates power in a

green manner using methanol / bio-methane

with heat and water as bi-products for further use.

The system provides greater than 70% efficiency

which otherwise may not be possible by other

energy sources.

The Fuel Cells developed under this system are

based on High Temperature Proton Exchange

Membrane (HTPEM) Technology.

Applications of the system:

This development would replace Diesel

Generating (DG) sets and help reduce India’s

dependence on crude oil.

This system will also meet the requirement of

efficient, clean and reliable backup power

generators that are demanded by telecom

towers, remote locations, and strategic

applications.

National Nutrition Survey

News: The first-ever comprehensive National Nutrition

Survey has been conducted by the Government of India.

Facts:

About the National Nutrition Survey:

The survey has been conducted by the Ministry of

Health and Family Welfare and the United

Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to measure

malnutrition.


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The survey recorded not only micronutrient

deficiencies but also details of non-

communicable diseases such as diabetes,

hypertension, cholesterol and kidney function in

Mont Blanc

News: Experts have warned that a section of the

Planpincieux glacier on the iconic Mont Blanc in Italy is

at the risk of collapsing.

Facts:

About Mont Blanc:

The Mont Blanc glacier is Western Europe’s

highest mountain range.

It has 11 peaks above 4,000m in France and Italy

and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists

every year.

The border between Italy and France passes

through the summit of Mont Blanc making it both

French and Italian.

The rising global temperatures are causing the

melting of mountain glaciers and the retreat of

polar ice sheets.

Industry 4.0

News: A Pilot Project for ushering in ‘Industry 4.0’ in the

railways has been launched at the Modern Coach

Factory (MCF), Raebareli.

Facts:

About the project:

The pilot project would be undertaken under the

aegis of “Technology Mission for Indian Railways

(TMIR).

It would be implemented by a consortium of

Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Human Resource

Development and Ministry of Science &

Technology.

The project would be implemented on an

investment sharing model for taking up identified

railway projects for applied research and use on

Indian Railways for advancement and

modernization.

International Astronomical Union names

asteroid after Pandit Jasraj


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News: The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has

named an asteroid, discovered in 2006 after Indian

classical singer Pandit Jasraj.

Facts:

About Asteroid:

Asteroid are relatively small, inactive, rocky body

orbiting the Sun.They can be as small as

1kilometer(km) across or as large as 940

kilometers (about 583 miles) across.

There are thousands of asteroids in our Solar

System. Most of them can be found in an asteroid

belt between Mars and Jupiter.

What are asteroids composed of?

NASA has classified asteroids based on their

composition. Here is the classification:

C-type (chondrite): such asteroids are made up of

clay and silicate rocks

S-types (stony): these are composed of silicate

materials and nickel-iron

M-types: such asteroids have a metallic

composition.


About International Astronomical Union (IAU):

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) was

founded in 1919.

Its mission is to promote and safeguard the

science of astronomy in all its aspects through

international cooperation.

About Pandit Jasraj:

Pandit Jasraj (b. 1930) is an exponent of Indian

classical vocal music.

Jasraj is the recipient of numerous awards,

honours and titles including the prestigious

Padma Vibhushan and the Sangeet Natak

Akademi Award.


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Indian P&T Accounts & Finance Service (IP&TAFS)

The Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) is a Group ‘A’ service which was

constituted in 1973. This service provides accounting and financial services to the Indian posts and

telecommunications departments. This is one of the services that a candidate who clears the upsc civil services

can be recruited into. This article talks about the functions, training and career prospects/hierarchy of the

IP&TAFS officers.

Functions

1. Assessing and collecting the License Fee and the Spectrum usage charges from the telecom licensors.

2. Conducting spectrum auction.

3. Making of policies in the departments of telecom and posts.

4. Managing finances in the departments of telecom and posts.

5. Conducting internal audits in the departments of telecom and posts.

6. Accounting in the departments of telecom and posts.

7. Managing pensions in the departments of telecom and posts, MTNL and BSNL


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