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Two new eel species discovered

1. Two new species of marine eel have been

discovered and documented by Estuarine

Biology Regional Centre (EBRC) of the

Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) at

Gopalpur-on-sea in Odisha.

2. One of them is a short brown un-patterned

moray eel. It has been named

‗Gymnothorax andamanensesis‘.

3. Another species discovered was a white-

spotted moray eel which has been named

‗Gymnothorax smithi‘

4. Marine eels are mostly found in shallow

waters but some of them live offshore in

sandy or clayey bottoms ranging up to

500 metres.

5. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) is the

premier Indian organization, under

Environment Ministry for zoological

research and studies to promote the

survey, exploration and research of the

fauna in India. It was established in 1960.

It is headquartered in Kolkata, West

Bengal.

T.N.‟s Dindigul lock and Kandangi

saree get GI tag

1. Dindigul lock and Kandangi saree from

Tamil Nadu have been given the

Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

2. Dindigul locks are made in an area of 5

km in and around Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.

The lock is world famous for their superior

quality and durability, and the Dindigul

city is often referred to as the ―Lock City‖.

3. The Kandangi sarees are manufactured in

the entire Karaikudi taluk in Sivaganga

district of Tamil Nadu. They are

characterised by large contrast borders.

4. GI is an Intellectual Property Right. It is a

status accorded to a good which is unique

to a particular region or area, and is

originated from there.

5. The GI tag in India is governed by the

Geographical Indications of Goods

(Registration and Protection Act), 1999

and is administered by the Controller

General of Patents, Designs and Trade

Marks, under the Ministry of Commerce

and Industry.

6. Good in the categories of a) Agricultural

products (e.g. Nagpur Orange), b)

foodstuffs (e.g. Joynagar Moa), c)

handicrafts (e.g. Agates of Cambay), d)

textile (e.g. Kullu Shawl), e) natural

products (e.g. Makrana Marble) and f)

manufactured products (e.g. Kannauj

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Perfume) come under the ambit of GI

Tags.

7. Darjeeling Tea is the first good to receive

a GI Tag in India.

Campaign Angikaar

1. Ministry of Housing and urban Affairs

has launched Angikaar Campaign. The

campaign will officially be rolled out in

all cities with PMAY (U) on October 2,

2019

2. It has been launched for social

behaviour change, focusing on issues

such as water & energy conservation,

waste management, health, tree

plantation, sanitation and hygiene

3. The campaign will cover beneficiaries

of completed houses under PMAY (U).

It will be implemented through

community mobilisation and

Information Education Communication

(IEC) activities.

4. For this purpose, the campaign will

converge with schemes and Missions

of other Ministries dealing with these

subjects. The convergence would

especially focus on Ujjwala for gas

connection and Ayushman Bharat for

health insurance to the beneficiaries of

PMAY (U)

5. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Urban (PMAY-U) aims to construct 1.2

crore houses and ensure ―Housing for

All by 2022‖ by providing financial

assistance to the beneficiaries. It has

four components: a) In-situ Slum

Redevelopment (ISSR), b) Affordable

Housing in Partnership (AHP), c)

Beneficiary-led Individual house

construction or Enhancement (BLC),

and d) Credit-Linked Subsidy Scheme

(CLSS)

National Urban Livelihoods Mission

(DAY-NULM), Conferred the

Prestigious SKOCH Governance

Gold Award

1. Deendayan Antyodaya Yojana-National

Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)

has been conferred the prestigious

SKOCH Governance Gold Award. DAY-

NULM has been awarded for its Portal for

Affordable Credit and Interest

Subvention Access (PAiSA)

2. PAiSA was launched in 2018. It is a

centralized IT platform which simplifies

and streamlines release of interest

subvention under the Mission. It offers

end to end online solution for processing,

payment, monitoring and tracking of

interest subvention claims from banks on

a monthly basis.

3. DAY-NULM is a mission under the

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It

aims to reduce poverty and vulnerability

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of the urban poor households by

enabling them to access gainful self-

employment and skilled wage

employment opportunities.

4. SKOCH Award, instituted in 2003, is the

highest civilian honour in the country

conferred by an independent

organisation. It recognises the best of

efforts in the area of digital, financial and

social inclusion

Centre releases ₹47,436 crore to

27 States for afforestation

1. The Union Environment Ministry has

transferred ₹47,436 crore to 27 States for

afforestation. These funds are part of the

Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF).

2. The CAF comprises of the money paid by

developers who have cut down forest for

construction and other activities. The

fund is used for afforestation and

regeneration activities as a way of

compensating for forest land diverted to

non-forest purposes.

3. The amount to be paid depends on the

economic value of the goods and

services that the razed forest would have

provided. These include timber,

bamboo, firewood, carbon sequestration,

soil conservation, water recharge, and

seed dispersal.

4. This is in accordance to the Forest

(Conservation) Act 1980, which says that

whenever a forest land is to be diverted

for non-forestry purposes, the equivalent

non forest land has to be identified for

compensatory afforestation and funds for

raising compensatory afforestation are to

be imposed.

5. The CAF Act 2016 established an

independent authority called the

Compensatory Afforestation Fund

Management and Planning Authority to

execute the fund. Earlier, ad hoc National

Compensatory Afforestation Fund

Management and Planning Authority was

set up to manage the fund.

6. In 2018, Compensatory Afforestation

Fund (CAF) Rules were put forward. The

rule had been criticised on the grounds

that it undermined several aspects of the

Forest Rights Act (FRA) and the

Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled

Areas) Act (PESA).

UN warns of rising seas, storm

surges

1. A draft Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) report has

warned that rising global ocean waterline

could displace 250 million people by

2100.

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2. The report further noted that there could

be a hundred-fold or more increase in

the damages caused by superstorms.

3. It noted that cryosphere has been

damaged by man-made warming, with

ice sheets shedding more than 400 billion

tonnes in mass each year. The

cryosphere is the frozen water part of the

Earth system.

4. Also, at least 30% of the northern

hemisphere‘s surface permafrost could

melt by end of 21stcentury if global

emissions remain unchecked.

5. The IPCC is an intergovernmental body

of the United Nations. It provides

policymakers with regular scientific

assessments on climate change, its

implications and potential future risks. It

also puts forward adaptation and

mitigation options

Safe Cities Index 2019

1. UK based, Economist Intelligence Unit,

has released Safe Cities Index 2019. It

ranks 60 countries worldwide across five

continents.

2. It measures the multi-faceted nature of

urban safety, with indicators categorised

as digital, infrastructure, health and

personal security.

3. Tokyo ranked overall the safest city

followed by Singapore and Osaka.

4. Mumbai has been ranked as the 45th

safest city. Delhi stood at 52nd position.

5. New Delhi and Mumbai have both ranked

47th in terms of Digital Security; Mumbai

ranked 50th, while New Delhi ranked

51st in terms of Health Security; Mumbai

ranked 50th, while New Delhi ranked

57th in terms of Infrastructure Security;

and in Personal Security, Mumbai ranked

37th, while New Delhi ranked 41st

Fit India Movement

1. Prime Minister (PM) has launched the Fit

India Movement on the occasion of

National Sports day.

2. The movement aims to encourage Indians

to include fitness activities and sports in

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their daily lives to pave way for a healthy

and fit lifestyle.

3. During the occasion,the PM said that

many lifestyle diseases such as diabetes

and hypertension are increasing in

India.Hence,small lifestyle changes can

prevent these diseases.

4. He said that sports has a direct relation to

fitness but fit India movement aims to go

beyond fitness. It sees fitness as not just a

word but an essential pillar to a healthy

and prosperous life.

5. National Sports Day is celebrated on 29th

August every year to mark the birth

anniversary of legendary hockey player

Major Dhyan Chand

100% FDI in coal will boost

competitiveness‟.

1. This decision is likely to help the coal-

bearing states to get more revenue and

bring in more players to create an

efficient and competitive coal market.

2. However, experts have said that right

kind of policies are needed to ensure that

global players come to India.

3. The policies would include a (a)single-

window clearance to ensure approvals on

environment clearance (b)mining leases

and (c)land acquisition are processed in

a time bound manner.

4. Further, the foreign investment will be

beneficial for India as it is among the few

remaining markets where coal mining

and demand for the resource is growing.

In most other countries, demand has

peaked

10 years of H1N1 influenza: outbreaks in

India, infection trends in the states

1. Researchers from the National Centre for

Disease Control data(NCDC) has

published a study titled ‗Influenza A

(H1N1) in India – changing epidemiology

and its implications‘.

2. The study has said that the first case of

influenza A H1N1 virus also known as

Swine flu was reported in Mexico in

April,2009.

3. Later the infection spread and a total of

214 countries were affected by the Swine

flu worldwide.Ten years since,Swine flu

has become a seasonal virus.

4. The study has shown that in India,the past

decade (2009-2019) saw as many as 1.58

lakh persons being infected by the virus

and over 10,000 succumbing to it.

5. Maharashtra has reported the highest

number of cases and deaths since

pandemic influenza struck in 2009.

6. H1N1 influenza or swine flu is a highly

contagious acute respiratory disease of

pigs caused by type A influenza virus.It is

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called swine flu because it was known in

the past to occur in people who had been

in the vicinity of pigs.

7. The symptoms of Swine flu include fever,

body aches, loss of appetite, sore throat,

vomiting among others.Most people with

flu including swine flu require only

symptom relief.Medications do not cure

the illness but they may shorten the

duration and make symptoms less severe

GDP growth down to 6-year low in

Q1 of 2019-20 financial year

1. According to data released by the

Central Statistics Office (CSO),India‘s

Gross Domestic Product(GDP) growth

for April-June 2019 has declined to a six

year low of 5%.

2. The slowdown in growth has been

attributed to (a)sharp deceleration in

the manufacturing sector (b)low

agriculture output (c)low consumption

demand and (d)decreased private

investment.

3. Recently,the annual report of the RBI

has also said that the economic

slowdown could be cyclical in nature

rather than a deep structural one.

4. The report has also said that a broad-

based cyclical downturn is underway in

several sectors such as manufacturing,

trade, hotels, transport, communication

and broadcasting, construction and

agriculture.

5. Besides,the government had also came

out with several measures to tackle the

slowdown which includes (a)reduction

of taxes (b) improvement of liquidity in

the banking sector (c)increased

government spending on auto and

infrastructure and (d)accelerated

refunds of goods and services tax(GST)

Australia downgrades Great Barrier

Reef to very poor status

1. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Authority (GBRMPA) has released

Outlook Report 2019 that examine the

Great Barrier Reef‘s health, pressures,

and likely future.

2. The long-term outlook of the reef has

been downgraded to ―very poor‖ for

the first time.

3. According to the report, the greatest

threat to the Reef is climate change. The

other main threats are associated with

coastal development, land-based run-

off, and direct human use (such as

illegal fishing).

4. The Great Barrier Reef is the world‘s

largest and longest coral reef system.

The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off

the coast of Queensland, Australia. It

stretches for 2,300km from the tip of

Cape York in the north to Bundaberg in

the south in Australia. It is home to 400

types of coral, 1500 species of fish and

4000 types of molluscs. It also holds

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great scientific interest as the habitat of

species such as the dugong and the

large green turtle, which are threatened

with extinction.

5. It is a World Heritage Area since 1981

(the world‘s first reef ecosystem to be

recognised by UNESCO)

6. The Australian government in 2018,

announced its largest-ever investment

in the coral reef: over half a billion

Australian dollars ($378 million). The money is to be used to counter water

pollution, combat coral-eating starfish,

increase public awareness, boost reef

monitoring, and improve

the environmental impact of

surrounding businesses

Govt. plans drive to restrict plastic

use

1. A committee headed by Indian Prime

Minister has decided that a major

initiative on restricting the use of

plastic, eliminating single use plastic

and handling of plastic waste will be

launched on October 2, 2019

2. Between September 11 and October 2,

the government has planned a plastic

use and waste awareness campaign

across 4,000 towns and 6 lakh villages.

3. On October 2, a nationwide

‗shramdaan‘ for plastic waste will be

organised in all gram panchayats,

urban local bodies, schools and

highways.

4. The Committee also decided that a

‗grand function‘ will be held at

Sabarmati riverfront during which a

commemorative coin and postage

stamps will be released.

5. The October 2 campaign will be

followed by a larger campaign till

Diwali (October 27) on the segregation,

transportation and recycling/disposal of

waste

US launches command for space

warfare

1. USA has launched a new command

called Spacecom. It has been

established as the 11th Unified

Combatant Command of the American

armed forces.

2. It is a re-establishment of the US Space

Command, which existed between 1985

and 2002.

3. It is dedicated to warfare in space. The

command will focus on defending

American interests in space. It comes in

the backdrop of increasing

militarization of space by China and

Russia.

4. The United States Space Force as the

sixth branch of the United States Armed

Forces will be established soon

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E-Course on „Vulnerability Atlas of

India‟

1. The Ministry of Housing and Urban

Affairs has launched an e-course on

‗Vulnerability Atlas of India‘.

2. The objective of the course is to create

awareness and understanding about

natural hazards and help in

identification of regions with high

vulnerability such as earthquakes and

landslides.

3. The course would be offered jointly by

the School of Planning and Architecture

and Building Materials and Technology

Promotion Council (BMTPC).

4. The E-course would also be a tool for

effective and efficient disaster

mitigation and management in the field

of architecture, civil engineering, urban

and regional planning, housing and

infrastructure planning, construction

engineering

India emerges second largest scrap

importer

1. India has emerged as the world‘s

second largest scrap importer. Turkey

is still the world‘s largest recycler and

scrap importer of the world.

2. According to the data, the scrap imports

have increased by 35% in the first half

of this year to 3.87 million tonnes.

3. The imports have increased due to

slowdown in the domestic steel industry

and cheap price of imported scrap

metals.

4. However, India‘s internal scrap market

holds huge potential as India will have

22 million obsolete vehicles by 2025

from 8.7 million at present.

5. Experts have said that incentivisation

for scrapping old vehicles can be one of

the solutions. They suggested that

government could waive off registration

charges of a new car provided the

buyer produces a certificate proving

scrapping of his old car.

6. Government has also recently

published its draft steel scrap policy

that aims to promote scrap processing

to supply the scrap towards electric arc

furnace and induction furnace-based

steelmaking.

7. Union road ministry has also come out

with a vehicle scrapping policy, which

has proposed a mandatory cap of 20

years on the life of all commercial

vehicles starting in 2020.However, it

has been delayed as it is going through

a consultative process with the state

governments

ISRO announces Vikram Sarabhai

Journalism Award

1. ISRO has announced its Vikram

Sarabhai Journalism Awards in Space

Science, Technology and Research.

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2. The award aims to recognize and

reward journalists who have actively

contributed towards the field of space

science, applications and research.

3. The nominations are open to all Indians

who have a good experience in

journalism. The articles published from

2019 to 2020 will be considered.

4. Vikram Sarabhai was an Indian scientist

and innovator widely regarded as the

father of India‘s space programme.

5. Indian government had set up the

Indian National Committee for Space

Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962 based on

his recommendation.

6. The INCOSPAR was restructured and

renamed as Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) in 1969.

7. Vikram Sarabhai has also played an

important role in the launch of the first

Indian satellite Aryabhata which was

put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian

cosmodrome

World Biofuel Day to be observed on

10th August 2019

1. World Biofuel Day is observed every

year on the 10th of August. It is

observed by the Ministry of Petroleum

& Natural Gas since 2015.

2. The theme for this year‘s Biofuel Day is

―Production of Biodiesel from Used

Cooking Oil (UCO)‖.

3. The day is observed to create

awareness about the importance of non-

fossil fuels as an alternative to

conventional fossil fuels and highlight

the various efforts made by

Government in the biofuel sector.

4. Biodiesel is a renewable,

biodegradable fuel manufactured

domestically from vegetable oils or

animal fats. Biofuels have the benefits of

reduction of import dependence,

cleaner environment, additional income

to farmers and employment

generation.

5. A number of initiatives have been

undertaken to increase production and

blending of biofuels since 2014.

6. Used Cooking Oil (UCO) is a potential

feedstock for biodiesel. The

consumption of Used Cooking Oil

(UCO) poses adverse health effects.

During frying, several properties of oil

are altered and Total Polar Compounds

(TPC) are formed on repeated frying.

7. The toxicity of these compounds is

associated with several diseases such

as (a) hypertension, (b) atherosclerosis

(c) Alzheimer‘s disease and (d) liver

diseases.

8. The Food Safety and Standards

Authority of India (FSSAI) had launched

RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil).It

is an initiative that will enable collection

and conversion of used cooking oil to

biodiesel.

9. On this day, FSSAI will launch a sticker

on Repurpose Used Cooking Oil(RUCO)

and a mobile app to facilitate the

collection of UCO shall also be released

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Maharashtra to set up task force on

climate change

1. The Maharashtra government has

decided to constitute a task force to

study impact of climate change on

Mumbai. The taskforce will comprise of

local and global experts.

2. The task force will be set up by the

environment department of

Maharashtra in coordination with

Mumbai First, a non-profit think-thank

3. The taskforce will study urban flooding

in cities like Venice, Geneva and

London and measures taken against

flooding and unplanned reclamation in

these cities.

4. It also study patterns of climate change

and flood management measures taken

by leading countries such as the

Netherlands.

5. The taskforce will collaborate with

European Climate Change Programme

of the European Union to prepare a

blueprint

Pranab Mukherjee awarded Bharat

Ratna

1. Former President of India, Pranab

Mukherjee has been conferred the

Bharat Ratna award.

2. The award has also been given

posthumously to social activist Nanaji

Deshmukh and noted Assamese singer

Bhupen Hazarika.

3. Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian

award of India. It is given for

exceptional service towards

advancement of Art, Literature and

Science, and in recognition of Public

Service of the highest order.

4. The provision of Bharat Ratna was

introduced in 1954. The first recipients

of the award were scientists

Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman,

Rajagopalachari and Sarvapalli

Radhakrishnan.

5. The ward had had also been given to

non-Indian – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

and Nelson Mandela

World‟s food supply at risk due to climate

change, window to act rapidly closing: UN

1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC) has recently released a

report titled Climate Change and Land‘.

2. The report explains how land-based

activities such as agriculture, forestry,

cattle-rearing and urbanisation is

causing global warming, and is affected

by the climate change.

3. According to the report, the land sector

had been contributing about 5.2 billion

tonnes of Carbon dioxide every year

between 2007 and 2016.

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4. It further notes that the global food

production system could account for 16

to 27% of GHG emissions — up to 37%,

if factors such as transportation and

food processing are included.

5. It points out that nearly 25% of all food

produced is either lost or wasted. And

even the decomposition of the waste

releases emissions.

6. The report highlights that the global

rise in temperature has been much

faster over land than over the entire

planet. This additional warming over

land could have led to increased

frequency, intensity and duration of

heat-related events such as heat waves.

7. The report suggests that measures such

as a) reduction in food wastage, b)

sustainable agriculture practices and c)

shifting of dietary preferences to

include more plant-based food, could

reduce GHG emissions and strengthen

food security.

8. The IPCC is an intergovernmental body

of the United Nations. It provides

policymakers with regular scientific

assessments on climate change, its

implications and potential future risks. It

also puts forward adaptation and

mitigation options.

9. The land report is the second special

report of IPCC. The IPCC also

published a special report on 1.5C of

warming in October 2018. The aim of

these special reports is to provide an

assessment on a specific issue. These

special reports compliment the main

Assessment Reports that the IPCC

publishes every five or six years

How land relates to climate

1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC) has recently released a

report titled Climate Change and Land‘

which shows how land based activities

affect climate and in turn gets affected

by climate change.

2. Land acts as both the source as well as a

sink of carbon. Activities like

agriculture and livestock rearing

release greenhouse gases such as

methane and nitrous oxide and

contribute to global warming.

3. Further, soil, trees, plantations, and

forests absorb carbon dioxide for the

natural process of photosynthesis, thus

reducing the overall carbon dioxide

content in the atmosphere.

4. Nearly, 50% of all carbon dioxide

generated from the earth is trapped by

land and oceans and the rest is released

into the atmosphere. Through the

process of carbon cycle, CO2 is

continuously exchanged between the

land, ocean and atmosphere.

5. Largescale land use changes, like

deforestation, urbanisation, or change

in cropping pattern, have a direct

impact on the overall emissions of

greenhouse gases.

6. Climate change also impact land in

various ways. Climate change

contributes to land degradation through

gradual changes in temperature and

rainfall patterns. For example, in central

India, there has been a threefold

increase in widespread extreme rain

events during 1950-2015, which has

influenced several land degradation

processes

7. Climate change also affects agriculture

through increased warming, changing

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rainfall patterns and increased

frequency of extreme weather events.

8. Afforestation, halting deforestation are

important aspects for combating

climate change. India as a part of its

Nationally Determined Contribution

under the Paris Agreement has pledged

to create an additional carbon sink of

about 2.5 billion to 3 billion tonnes by

the year 2032 by increasing its forest

cover, and planting more trees

New rules can deny green cards for

immigrants using public benefits

1. United States President has announced

new immigration rules.The rules will

apply to immigrants who enter the

country legally and then apply for

Green Card.

2. Green Card is an identification card

which gives one the status of a

permanent resident along with legal

rights to work in the USA.

3. The rules change a 1999 law which

defines a criteria the U.S. Citizenship

and Immigration Services officials have

been using to decide which immigrants

qualify for green cards.

4. Currently,the rules require those

seeking green cards to prove they will

not be a burden to the United States or

what‘s called a public charge.

5. The criteria will now be expanded to

include restrictions on using public

assistance including food stamps,

Medicaid and subsidized housing.

Other factors are also considered for

the first time including credit

scores,debt and English proficiency

among other things.

6. The rules will be applied from

October,2019.They don‘t apply to U.S.

citizens even if the U.S. citizen is related

to an immigrant who is subject to them.

7. These rules are part of US President

efforts to curb both legal and illegal

immigration and is derived from the

Immigration Act of 1882 that allows the

US government to deny a visa to anyone

likely to become a public charge.

Mapping world‟s soil worms

1. According to the global analysis of

nematodes published in Nature,there

are about 57 billion nematodes for

every human being on Earth.

2. The researchers have said that Sub-

Arctic regions have the highest

abundance of nematodes followed by

temperate regions and tropical regions.

3. Nematodes prefers colder region as soil

organic matter content is the key driver

for nematode abundance.

4. Further,the low temperature and high

moisture in the sub-Arctic regions

reduces the decomposition rate of

organic matter.This leads to

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accumulation of organic matter and the

nematodes happily thrive on them. 5. Nematodes are worm shaped nearly

microscopic animals,many of which are

virtually invisible to the unaided eye

when they are in the soil or within plant

material.

6. These are roundworms and their size

can vary from a tiny 0.2 millimetre to a

few metres.They are responsible for

around 2.2% of the total carbon

emission from soils.

7. The nematodes play a crucial role in the

environment as they are responsible for

production of ammonia of the soil and

also a bioindicator of soil ecosystem‘s

health.

World Elephant Day

1. World Elephant Day is observed every

year on August 12.The goal of Elephant

Day is to create awareness of the urgent

plight of African and Asian elephants.

2. This day also aims to share knowledge

and positive solutions for the better

care and management of captive and

wild elephants.

3. The African elephants are listed as

Vulnerable and Asian elephants as

Endangered on the IUCN Red List of

threatened species.

4. The various threats faced by elephants

are (a)Poaching (b) Human elephant

conflict (c)Mistreatment in captivity and

(d)Habitat loss

5. The solutions for the threats are (b)

work towards better protection for wild

animals (b)improve enforcement

policies to prevent illegal poaching

(c)Conserve the habitats of elephants

and (d)provide better treatment for

captive elephants

Headgear made mandatory for

children above four years

1. The government has made it mandatory

for children above four years to wear

protective headgear of prescribed

standards while travelling on a

motorcycle.

2. The safety measures for the children

travelling on motorcycles have been

included in the Motor Vehicles

(Amendment) Act 2019.

3. The amendment Act has made

protective headgear compulsory for

every persons above the age of four

driving/ riding or being carried in a

motorbike. Only Sikhs wearing turban

have been exempted.

4. Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act, 2019

amends the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

5. It seeks to improve road safety through

multifold increase in penalties for traffic

violations. It also aims to streamline the

licensing and road permit process.

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PM-JAY to include cancer treatment

soon, say health officials

1. The National Health Authority is

planning to include all types of cancer

and its treatments under Ayushman

Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya

Yojana (PM-JAY).

2. According to the WHO, the rate of

mortality due to cancer in India is high.

It is the second-most common disease

in India and is responsible for maximum

mortality (0.3 million deaths per year).

3. The estimated number of people living

with cancer is around 2.25 million.

Further, over 11 lakh new cancer

patients are registered each year

4. Lung cancer is the most common type of

cancer in India, followed by breast

cancer and oral cancers.

5. Ayushman Bharat Yojana- Pradhan

Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is

the Central Government‘s health

insurance scheme. It aims to give

medical cover to over 10 crore poor

and vulnerable families of

approximately 50 crore beneficiaries.

6. It provides a coverage of up to ₹5 lakh

per family per year for secondary and

tertiary care hospitalisation. The benefit

cover includes pre and post

hospitalisation expenses.

7. National Health Authority is the

implementing body of PM-JAY health

insurance scheme

National Youth Awards

1. The Union Minister for Youth Affairs &

Sports(I/C) has conferred the National

Youth Awards.

2. The awards were conferred on

individuals(aged between 15-29 years)

and organizations for excellent work

and contribution in different fields of

development and social services.

3. The objective of the awards is (a)to

motivate young people to achieve

excellence in the field of national

development and social service (b)to

develop a sense of responsibility to the

community and (c)to give recognition to

the outstanding work done by voluntary

organizations working with the youth

for national development including

social service.

4. The individual award comprises of a

medal, a certificate and a cash prize of

Rs.50,000/-.The award to a youth

organisation includes a medal, a

certificate and a cash prize of Rs.2 lakh

Army launches „Mission Reach Out‟

in Jammu

The Indian Army has launched ―Mission

Reach Out‖ in Jammu.

1. The mission aims to ensure basic

necessities and essential services are

available in the region post the

abrogation of the provisions of Article

370 and reorganisation of Jammu and

Kashmir.

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16

2. The numerous initiatives undertaken by

the Army under ‗Mission Reach Out‘ are

(a)mobile medical care units with

essential medicines and lady medical

officers (b)assistance in the

transportation of patients to hospitals

(c)facilitating people to speak to their

near ones through Army exchange and

(d)creating a safe environment for

ATMs, banks and hospitals to function

CBI should have statutory status

like CAG: Ranjan Gogoi

1. Chief Justice of India(CJI) has suggested

a comprehensive legislation to give

Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) a

statutory status equivalent to the

Comptroller and Auditor General

(CAG).

2. He has listed various key concerns with

the CBI such as (a)legal ambiguity

(b)weak human resource (c)lack of

adequate investment (d)accountability

and (e)political and administrative

interference.

3. He has also suggested that public order

must be made part of the Concurrent

List for investigation of interstate

crimes.Currently,Public order is under

the exclusive domain of state

governments.

4. In the context of political and

administrative interference in CBI,he

said that in the Vineet Narain v. Union of

India case,the Supreme Court had

expressed concern over the state of

affairs and laid down explicit guidelines

for protecting the integrity of CBI.

5. However,due to the superintendence

and control of the CBI continues to lie

with the executive by virtue of Section 4

of the Delhi Special Police

Establishment(DSPE)

Act,1946.Hence,the possibility of it

being used as a political instrument

remains.

6. He also pointed out that under the DSPE

Act,the CBI requires consent of the State

concerned for investigation.But due to

vested interests or bureaucratic

lethargy such consent is often either

denied or delayed, severely

compromising the investigation.

7. The Central Bureau of Investigation

(CBI) is the premier investigating police

agency in India.It comes under the

Ministry of Personnel,Pension & Public

Grievances,Government of India.The

CBI is not a statutory body.The CBI

investigative and jurisdiction powers

are governed by the DSPE Act,1946

RBI takes over HFC regulation from

NHB

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has approved

a proposal to shift regulation of Housing

finance companies(HFCs) from the National

Housing Bank(NHB) to the RBI.

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17

1. Hence,HFCs will now be treated as one

of the categories of non-banking

financial companies(NBFCs) for

regulatory purposes.

2. Further,any housing finance institution

which is a company desirous of making

an application for registration under the

NHB Act,1987 must approach the

department of Non-Banking Regulation

at the RBI.

3. RBI will also review the current

regulatory framework applicable to

housing finance companies(HFCs)

following which it will come out with

revised regulations.

4. Until the new guidelines,HFCs shall

continue to comply with the directions

and instructions issued by the NHB

which will continue to carry out

supervision of HFCs.

5. The National Housing Bank(NHB) was

set up in 1988 under the National

Housing Bank Act,1987.NHB is an apex

financial institution for housing.

6. Its objective is to operate as a principal

agency to promote housing finance

institutions both at local and regional

levels and to provide financial and

other support incidental to such

institutions and for matters connected

therewith.

7. Recently,RBI had divested its stake in

National Housing Bank(NHB) and

National Bank for Agriculture & Rural

Development (Nabard) by making them

fully government-owned

IIT Madras registers initial success

with iron ion battery

1. Researchers at Indian Institute of

Technology(IIT) Madras have for the

first time fabricated a rechargeable iron

ion battery using mild steel as the

anode.

2. Currently,lithium-ion batteries are

widely in use.However,the lithium

reserves are limited when compared to

iron reserves and hence the invention

assume significance.

3. Further,this invention comes at a time

when the world is moving towards

adopting electric vehicles which need

cheaper batteries.

4. The iron ion battery are also cost-

effective and the amount of energy that

can be stored in the battery is also high.

5. Researchers have also demonstrated

the performance of iron ions battery for

150 cycles of charging and

discharging.It has displayed good

stability with 54% capacity retention at

the end of 50 cycles.

6. In Iron ion battery,vanadium pentoxide

is used as the cathode.Vanadium

pentoxide was chosen as it has a

layered structure with very large

spacing between the layers.

7. There are various benefits of iron over

Lithium such as (a)Iron has favourable

physico-chemical properties like

lithium (b)The redox potential of iron

ion is higher than lithium ion and (c)Iron

is more stable during the charging

process and therefore prevents short-

circuiting of the batteries

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18

Gogabeel is Bihar‟s first community

reserve

1. Gogabeel is an ox-bow lake in Bihar‘s

Katihar district.It has been declared as

the state‘s first ‗Community Reserve‘.

2. The water body was also been notified

as both Community Reserve and a

conservation reserve.

3. Gogabeel is formed from the flow of the

rivers Mahananda and Kankhar in the

north and the Ganga in the south and

east.It is the fifteenth Protected

Area(PA) in Bihar.

4. Gogabeel is a permanent waterbody

although it shrinks to some extent in the

summer but never dries

completely.More than 90 bird species

have been recorded from this site of

which about 30 are migratory.

5. Conservation reserves and community

reserves in India are terms denoting

protected areas of India which typically

act as buffer zones between established

national parks,wildlife sanctuaries and

reserved and protected forests of India.

6. Such areas are designated as

conservation areas if they are

uninhabited and completely owned by

the Government of India but used for

subsistence by communities and

community areas if part of the lands are

privately owned.

7. The administration of such reserves

would be through local people and

local agencies like the gram panchayat.

8. An oxbow lake is a crescent-shaped

lake lying alongside a winding river.

The oxbow lake is created over time as

erosion and deposits of soil change the

river‘s course

57.3% allopathic practitioners are

not qualified: Health Ministry

1. According to Union Health Ministry‘s

data, 57.3% of personnel currently

practising allopathic medicine do not

have a medical qualification.

2. Section 15 of the Indian Medical Council

Act, 1956 prohibits a person other than

a medical practitioner enrolled on a

State Medical Register to practice

medicine in the State.

3. India has a poor doctor to patient ratio.

The ratio is 1:1456 as compared with the

World Health Organisation standards of

1:1000.

4. Further, the distribution of health

workers is uneven between urban and

rural areas. According to a study based

on NSSO data, rural areas with nearly

71% of India‘s population have only

36% of health workers. Delhi has the

highest concentration of health workers

followed by Kerala, Punjab, and

Haryana.

5. Recently, a WHO database has put India

into the ―critical shortage of healthcare

providers‖ category. India has low

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19

density of health professionals with the

number being lower than those of Sri

Lanka, China, Thailand, United

Kingdom and Brazil

High CO2 emissions reducing

nutrients in rice, wheat

1. According to the IPCC‘s special report

on Climate Change and Land, increased

atmospheric concentrations of CO2 can

reduce the nutritional quality of staple

foods like wheat and rice.

2. The IPCC report has noted that wheat

grown at CO2 levels of 546-586 parts

per million (ppm) has 5.9-12.7% less

protein, 3.7-6.5% less zinc, and 5.2-

7.5% less iron.

3. Under similar levels of CO2, rice grains

has lower protein (7.8%), iron (8%) and

zinc (5%).

4. According to the report, the land sector

had been contributing about 5.2 billion

tonnes of Carbon dioxide every year

between 2007 and 2016.

5. It further notes that the global food

production system could account for 16

to 27% of GHG emissions — up to 37%,

if factors such as transportation and

food processing are included.

6. It points out that nearly 25% of all food

produced is either lost or wasted. And

even the decomposition of the waste

releases emissions

7. The report suggests measures such as

a) reduction in food wastage, b)

sustainable agriculture practices and c)

shifting of dietary preferences to

include more plant-based food, could

reduce GHG emissions and strengthen

food security.

8. The IPCC report has suggested that

insect-based diets could be a more

sustainable and nutritious option.

Edible insects are high in fat, protein

and micronutrients. Further, their

production result in lower levels of

GHG emissions and water consumption.

9. The IPCC is an intergovernmental body

of the United Nations. It provides

policymakers with regular scientific

assessments on climate change, its

implications and potential future risks. It

also puts forward adaptation and

mitigation options.

India has fourth highest number of

measles cases in the world: WHO

1. According to the latest measles

surveillance data released by the WHO,

India stood fourth among 194 countries

in the number of measles cases

registered between July 2018 and June

2019.

2. Madagascar had the highest number of

measles cases registered, followed by

Ukraine and Philippines.

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3. According to WHO, children under the

age of one gets infected the most in

India and have the highest incidence

rate of 76.4 per million population. The

second highest rate of incidence occurs

in children in the age group of 1-4

years.

4. Measles is a highly contagious viral

disease that is spread by contact with

an infected person through coughing

and sneezing. It can be entirely prevent

with a two-dose vaccine.

5. Under the Global Vaccine Action Plan,

WHO has targeted to eliminate measles

by 2020.

6. Eleven member states of World Health

Organization South-East Asia Region

(WHO SEAR) have committed to

eliminate measles by 2020 at the 66th

session of the WHO regional committee.

India is a part of WHO SEAR.

7. India has initiated the world‘s largest

Measles-Rubella (MR) Campaign in

2017. It targets vaccination of 410

million children and adolescents aged

between 9 months and 15 years

Panchamirtham of Palani temple

gets GI tag

1. Palani panchamirtham has been

granted GI Tag. It is served as

prasadam at the Murugan temple,

Palani, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu.

2. The panchamirtham is a combination of

five natural substances — banana,

jaggery, cow ghee, honey and

cardamom. Dates and diamond sugar

candies are added for flavour. It is

served in a semi-solid state.

3. Not even a single drop of water is

added during the preparation of the

panchamirtham. No preservatives or

artificial ingredients are used.

4. Geographical Indications (GI) is an

intellectual property right (IPR). GI is a

status accorded to a good which is

unique to a particular region or area,

and is originated from there.

5. In India, the Geographical Indications of

Goods (Registration and Protection)

Act, 1999, along with the Geographical

Indications of Goods (Registration and

Protection) Rules, 2002 govern GI

registrations and goods. These laws

were introduced after the ratification of

the Agreement on Trade-Related

Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

(TRIPS).

6. Good in the categories of a)

Agricultural products (e.g. Nagpur

Orange), b) foodstuffs (e.g. Joynagar

Moa), c) handicrafts (e.g. Agates of

Cambay), d) textile (e.g. Kullu Shawl),

e) natural products (e.g. Makrana

Marble) and f) manufactured products

(e.g. Kannauj Perfume) come under the

ambit of GI Tags. Darjeeling Tea is the

first good to receive a GI Tag in India.

7. The ‗Controller-General of Patents,

Designs and Trade Marks‘ appointed

under the Trade Marks Act, 1999 is the

Registrar of Geographical Indications. It

directs and supervises the functioning

of the Geographical Indications

Registry (GIR). GIR facilitates the

registration of GIs

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21

July hottest month on record for the

earth

1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) has announced

that July was the hottest month on

record (records date to 1880).

2. The global average surface

temperature in July 2019 was 0.95

degree Celsius warmer than the 20th

century average. The previous hottest

month on record was July 2016.

3. The areas that had the most notable

departures from their normal July

temperatures were Alaska, central

Europe, northern and south-western

parts of Asia, and parts of Africa and

Australia.

4. The NOAA also noted that at the end of

July 2019 both Arctic sea ice and

Antarctic sea ice were at their lowest

levels on record for the month. The

previous historic low was in July 2012.

5. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration is an American scientific

agency within the United States

Department of Commerce. It studies the

conditions of the oceans, major

waterways, and the atmosphere

Microplastics in snow raise pollution worries

1. Scientists have detected microplastic

particles in the Arctic and the Alps. The

microplastics had been carried by the

wind and later washed out in the snow.

The study has been published in the

journal Science Advances.

2. The high microplastic concentrations in

snow has indicated significant

contamination of the atmosphere.

3. This has raised concerns about potential

health risk to people and animals from

inhalation of microplastic contaminated

air. A recent report titled ―New Plastics

Economy Report‖, had noted that an

individual consumes about 250 grams

annually.

4. Microplastics are plastics which are less

than five mm in diameter in size.

Sources of micro plastic include

clothing, cosmetics, industrial

processes etc.

5. Scientists have discovered micro

plastics in a remote area of the

Pyrenees Mountains, which runs

between France and Spain. Other

recent studies have found micro plastics

in farmland soils near Shanghai, China,

in the Galápagos Islands (a UNESCO

world heritage site), and in rivers in the

Czech Republic

Government to launch Jal Jeevan

Mission to bring piped water to

households: PM Modi

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his

Independence Day speech, has said

that Rs 3.5 lakh crore will be spent in

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22

the coming years under the Jal Jeevan

Mission to bring piped water to

households.

2. Jal Jeevan Mission seeks to provide safe

and adequate drinking water through

individual household tap connections

(HarGharJal) to all rural households by

2024. The mission will be implemented

by the Jal Shakti Ministry.

3. The Mission will focus on integrated

demand and supply-side management

of water at the local level. It will

implement source sustainability

measures recharge and reuse through

grey water management, water

conservation, rain water harvesting.

4. The Mission seeks to converge with

other Central and State Government

Schemes to achieve its objectives of

sustainable water supply management

across India.

5. According to the Jal Shakti Ministry,

only 18% of India‘s rural households

have access to piped water

All you need to know about Chief of

Defence Staff

1. Prime Minister has announced the

creation of the post of the Chief of

Defence Staff.

2. The Chief of Defence Staff(CDS) is a

high military office that oversees and

coordinates the working of the three

Services.The role of the CDS becomes

critical in times of conflict.

3. He offers seamless tri-service views and

single-point advice to the Prime

Minister on long-term defence planning

and management including manpower,

equipment and strategy, and above all

jointmanship in operations.

4. Currently,India has had a feeble

equivalent known as the Chairman,

Chiefs of Staff Committee(CoSC) but

this is a toothless office given the

manner in which it is structured.

5. The senior-most among the three

Service Chiefs is appointed to head the

CoSC.But it is an additional role and the

tenures have been very short.

6. The proposal for a CDS has been there

for two decades.It was first made by K.

Subrahmanyam committee appointed

after the Kargil conflict of 1999 to

recommend higher military

reforms.However,lack of consensus and

apprehensions among services meant it

never moved forward.

7. In 2012,the Naresh Chandra committee

recommended the appointment of a

Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff

Committee (COSC) as a midway to allay

apprehensions over the CDS.

8. The CDS was also one of the 99

recommendations made by the Lt

General D.B. Shekatkar (retd)

Committee which submitted its report

in December 2016 which had 34

recommendations pertaining to the tri-

services

More than half of forest wildlife

declined since 1970: WWF

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23

1. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has

released the ―Below the Canopy report‖.

It is the world‘s first-ever global

assessment of forest-living species

populations.

2. The report uses the methodology of

WWF‘s Living Planet Report (Living

Planet Index) and developed a Forest

Specialist Index that tracks wildlife that

lives only in forests. In total, the report

took into account 268 species (455

populations) of birds, mammals,

reptiles and amphibians.

3. According to the report, there has been

a 53% decline in the number of forest

wildlife populations since 1970. Of the

455 monitored populations, more than

half declined at an annual rate of 1.7%,

on average between 1970 and 2014.

4. The report has noted that along with

deforestation there were other major

threats that has led to decline in wildlife

populations. These include: Habitat loss

and habitat degradation/change,

overexploitation and climate change.

5. Loss of habitat due to logging,

agricultural expansion, mining, hunting,

conflicts and spread of diseases

accounted for almost 60% of threats.

Nearly 20% of threats were due to

overexploitation.

6. Climate change threatened to 43% of

amphibian populations, 37% of reptile

populations, 21% of bird populations

but only 3% of mammal populations.

7. In October 2018 WWF published the

Living Planet Report. The report

highlighted that global populations of

fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and

reptiles have decreased by an average

of 60% between 1970 and 2014.

8. In an effort to conserve nature, world

leaders have agreed to launch a New

Deal for Nature and People at 15th

Convention of Biological Diversity

(CBD) COP in 2020 in China

Golden Butterfly Tea

1. The Guwahati Tea Auction

Centre(GTAC) has created international

history by selling 1 kg of the Golden

Butterfly tea at ₹75,000.

2. Golden Butterfly is produced by Dikom

Tea Estate near eastern Assam‘s

Dibrugarh town.The tea is made of tea

buds and not tea leaves.

3. The tea is named because only the soft

golden tips go into making of this

exceptionally rare and special tea.

4. The tea is judged by its aroma,taste and

colour.The Golden Butterfly tea is

extremely mellow and has a sweet

caramel flavor

Forex reserves at a new high of

$430.57 bn

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24

1. According to the latest RBI data,India‘s

foreign exchange reserves has reached

a new high at USD 430 billion due to rise

in foreign currency assets.

2. Foreign exchange reserves are assets

held on reserve by a central bank in

foreign currencies.These reserves are

used to back liabilities and influence

monetary policy.

3. These assets serve many purposes but

are most significantly held to ensure

that a central government agency has

backup funds if their national currency

rapidly devalues or becomes altogether

insolvent.

4. The Foreign exchange reserves of India

consists of four categories which are

(a)Foreign Currency Assets (b)Gold

(c)Special Drawing Rights(SDRs) and

(d)Reserve Tranche Position.

5. A reserve tranche is a portion of the

required quota of currency each

member country must provide to the

International Monetary Fund(IMF) that

can be withdrawn at any time without

any interest during critical situations of

a country.

6. The Special drawing rights(SDR) is an

international reserve asset created by

the IMF in 1969 to supplement its

member countries official reserves.The

SDR is neither a currency nor a claim on

the IMF.

7. The SDR basket Includes five currencies

namely the U.S. dollar, the euro, the

Chinese renminbi, the Japanese yen

and the British pound sterling

Explained: What fertility rate data

show

1. During his Independence Day

speech,Prime Minister has underlined

challenges posed by population growth

in the country.

2. According to the data,the Total fertility

rate(TFR) has dropped to 2.2. This is

only marginally higher than the fertility

rate (2.1) required for replacement of

the existing population.

3. Total fertility rate(TFR) is defined as the

number of children born to a woman

until the end of her child-bearing age.It

is a key indicator for population trends.

4. Even the states that have a higher TFR

such as Uttar Pradesh(3.0), Bihar (3.2),

MP(2.7), Rajasthan(2.6), Assam(2.3),

Chhattisgarh(2.4) and Jharkhand(2.5)

have been witnessing a declining trend

in fertility rates. These seven states

account for about 45 % of the total

population in the 2011 Census.

5. Further,two more states namely Gujarat

and Haryana has recorded a TFR of 2.2

which is above the replacement rate but

is equal to the national average.Taken

together,these nine major states

account for 52 % of the 2011 population.

6. This means that barring these nine

states which accounts for almost half the

population,the replacement level is

either 2.1 or has gone below it.

7. The states with a lower TFR include

states such as Kerala (1.7), Tamil Nadu

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25

(1.6), Karnataka (1.7), Maharashtra

(1.7), Andhra Pradesh (1.6), Telangana

(1.7), West Bengal (1.6), Jammu and

Kashmir (1.6) and Odisha (1.9)

Aadi Mahotsav to kick off in Ladakh

1. Aadi Mahotsav or National Tribal

Festival will be organised in Ladakh.

2. The festival is a joint initiative of Union

Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Tribal

Cooperative Marketing Development

Federation of India(TRIFED).

3. The theme of the festival is ―A

celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft,

Culture and Commerce‖.

4. The objective of the festival is to

celebrate, cherish and promote the

spirit of tribal craft, culture, cuisine and

commerce.

5. The Mahotsav will comprise display and

sale of items of tribal art and craft, tribal

medicine & healers, tribal cuisine in

which tribal artisans from different

States of the country shall participate

and provide a glimpse of their rich

traditional culture.

6. The event will have two reputed local

cultural troupes presenting Ladakhi folk

dances namely (a)Jabro Dance which is

a nomadic dance and song of people

inhabiting eastern Ladakh and

(b)Spawo dance which is a heroic song

and dance associated with a legendary

hero of Himalayan region called K‘sar.

7. The TRIFED was established in 1987.It is

a national-level apex organization

functioning under the administrative

control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs

8. The objective of TRIFED is socio-

economic development of tribal people

in the country by way of marketing

development of the tribal products. It

acts as a facilitator and service provider

Odisha to conserve two of its largest

lakes

The Odisha Wetland Authority has approved

the implementation of an integrated

management plan for two of its largest lakes

namely Chilika and Ansupa lake.

1. The plan is intended at strengthening

livelihood of thousands of fishermen

relying on the two water-

bodies.Besides,tourism promotion and

conservation of ecology will also be

taken up. 2. Chilika Lake is India‘s largest brackish

water lagoon.It lies on the east coast of

India in the state of Odisha and is

located at the mouth of the Daya River

and flowing into the Bay of Bengal.

3. The lake is also the second largest

coastal lagoon in the world after the

New Caledonian barrier reef in New

Caledonia.

4. Chilika lake was also designated as a

wetland of international importance

under the Ramsar Convention in 1981.It

is also home to endangered Irrawaddy

dolphins and migratory birds during

winter.

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26

5. Ansupa lake is Odisha‘s largest

freshwater lake.The lake is shaped like

a horseshoe and is situated on the

banks of River Mahanadi.

6. Ansupa is famous for its sweet water fish

especially labeo bata locally known as

pohala.The lake also acts as a shelter

for migratory birds in the winter

season.

Lemru Elephant Reserve (LER)

1. Chhattisgarh government has

announced the setting up of Lemru

Elephant Reserve(LER).

2. The reserve is aimed at minimizing

human-elephant conflict and

destruction of property in addition to

providing a permanent habitat for the

elephants.

3. The reserve will be set-up as per the

report and recommendations of Special

High-Power Technical

Committee(SHPTC) which was

constituted by the Government of India.

4. The report stated that LER would

provide a huge protected area for the

conservation of wild elephants where

the elephants will get an abundant

amount of water, food and other

facilities.

5. The Government of India had launched

the project Elephant in the year 1992 as

a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.The

objectives of project include (a)to

protect elephants,their habitat &

corridors (b)to address issues of man-

animal conflict and (c)welfare of captive

elephants

India biggest emitter of sulphur

dioxide: report using NASA data

1. According to a report by

Greenpeace,India is the largest emitter

of Sulphur Dioxide(SO2) in the world.

2. The report provides that India has

emitted more than 15% of all the

anthropogenic sulphur dioxide hotspots

as detected by NASA‘s satellite.

3. The primary reason for India‘s high

emission output is the expansion of

coal-based electricity generation over

the past decade.

4. According to the report,five of the top

ten SO2 emission hotspots from coal

and power generation industry across

the world are in India.

5. The report also says that emission has

increased as majority of coal-based

power plants in India lack flue-gas

desulphurisation(FGD) technology to

reduce air pollution.

6. Further, the report also says that the

largest sulphur dioxide emission

hotspots in the world have been found

in Russia, South Africa, Iran, Saudi

Arabia, India, Mexico, United Arab

Emirates, Turkey and Serbia.

7. Of the world‘s major emitters, China

and the United States have been able to

reduce emissions rapidly by switching

to clean energy sources and

enforcement for sulphur dioxide

control.

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27

8. Sulfur dioxide is a chemical compound

with the formula SO2.It is released

naturally by volcanic activity and is

produced as a by-product of copper

extraction and the burning of fossil fuels

contaminated with sulfur compounds

Explained: What is Tardigrade, the

water bear?

1. Israeli spacecraft called Beresheet had

crashed onto the Moon in April,

2019.The spacecraft was carrying a

cargo of dehydrated microscopic

lifeforms known as tardigrades.

2. However, tardigrades may have

survived a crash landing on the Moon

and they may still be alive. 3. Tardigrade are also known as water

bear. They can only be seen under a

microscope.

4. They derives its name from the fact that

they look like an eight-legged bear with

a mouth that can project out like a

tongue.

5. Tardigrades are among the most

resilient animals which can survive

extreme conditions such as exposure to

outer space.Tardigrade feed on plant

cells,algae and small invertebrates.

6. Although the tardigrades on the

spacecraft were dehydrated,they

are known to come back to life on

rehydration.They can expel water from

their bodies and set off a mechanism to

protect their cells and can still be

revived if placed in water.

7. However,there is no evidence of liquid

water on the Moon,although there is

ice.Hence,without liquid water,it is

possible that the tardigrades will

remain in their current state unless

future astronauts find them and revive

them in water

R K Singh approves proposal to

declare ocean energy as Renewable

Energy

1. Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy(MNRE) has approved a

proposal to declare ocean energy as

renewable energy.

2. This means that energy produced using

various forms of ocean energy such as

tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy

conversion will now be considered as

Renewable Energy.

3. This decision will help the sector to

grow as it will enable states to buy

electricity generated from ocean

energy route to meet their Renewable

Purchase Obligations(RPOs).

4. RPO is a mechanism by which the State

Electricity Regulatory Commissions are

obliged to purchase a certain

percentage of power from renewable

energy sources.

5. The deployment of Ocean energy is

currently limited but the sector has the

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28

potential to grow which may (a)fuel

economic growth (b)reduce carbon

footprint and (c)create jobs not only

along the coasts but also inland along

its supply chains.

6. According to MNRE,Gulf of Cambay

and the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat on the

west coast show potential for tidal

energy production.However,the capital

cost for tidal energy is very high due to

high civil construction and high power

purchase tariffs.

Centre signs pact to digitise all

gram panchayats

1. The Common Service Centre Special

Purpose Vehicle (CSC SPV) has signed

a pact with the Panchayati Raj Ministry

to turn gram panchayats into ‗digital

panchayats‘

2. This move is aimed at providing speedy

delivery of government services to

people in rural areas and promoting

rural BPO across all 2.5 lakh panchayats

in the country.

3. According to the pact,Gram Panchayat

Bhawans will host common service

centres(CSCs) to provide easy access

to government services and social

schemes in rural areas.

4. Common Services Centre (CSC)

programme is an initiative of the

Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY).It

was launched in 2006.CSCs act as

access points for delivery of various

electronic services to villages in India.

5. CSC e-Governance Services India

Limited is a Special Purpose Vehicle

(CSC SPV) incorporated under the

Companies Act,1956 by the Ministry of

Electronics and Information Technology

(MeitY) to monitor the implementation

of the Common Services Centres

Scheme

Russia sends its first humanoid

robot Fedor into space

1. Russia has sent its first life sized

Humanoid robot known as Fedor into

the International Space Station(ISS).

2. Fedor stands for Final Experimental

Demonstration Object Research (Skybot

F-850).It is the first humanoid robot to

be sent to space by Russia.

3. Fedor is the size of an adult and can

emulate movements of the human

body.The main purpose of robot is to be

used in operations that are especially

dangerous for humans on board

spacecraft and in outer space.

4. However,it is not the first robot to visit

the ISS.The US had sent a robot into

space in 2011 with the aim of working in

high-risk environments.It was flown

back to Earth after suffering technical

problems.Further,Japan had also sent a

robot to the ISS in 2013.

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29

5. The International Space Station (ISS) is a

space station or a habitable artificial

satellite in low Earth orbit.The ISS

programme is a joint project among five

participating space agencies namely

NASA(USA), Roscosmos (Russia),

JAXA(Japan), ESA (European Union) and

CSA(Canada)

NISHTHA

1. The Union Human Resource

Development Minister has launched

‗National Initiative for School Heads and

Teachers Holistic Advancement

(NISHTHA)‘.

2. NISHTHA is the world‘s largest

teachers‘ training programme of its

kind in the world.

3. The objective of the programme is to

motivate and equip teachers to

encourage and foster critical thinking in

students.

4. Under it,teachers will develop their

skills on various aspects related to

(a)Learning Outcomes (b)School Safety

and Security (c)ICT in teaching and

learning including Artificial Intelligence

(d)Environmental Concerns and

(e)School Based Assessment in a joyful

learning manner.

5. The programme will aim to build the

capacities of around 42 lakh

participants covering (a)all teachers

and heads of elementary Government

schools (b)faculty members of State

Councils of Educational Research and

Training(SCERTs) and District Institutes

of Education and Training(DIETs) and

(c)Block Resource Coordinators and

Cluster Resource Coordinators in all

States and UTs.

6. The training will be conducted by Key

Resource Persons (KRPs) and State

Resource Persons (SRP) identified by

the State and UTs.KRPs will in turn be

trained by 120 National Resource

Persons identified from National

Council of Educational Research and

Training (NCERT).

SARAL – „State Rooftop Solar

Attractiveness Index‟

1. Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy(MNRE) has launched the State

Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index–

SARAL.

2. It is the first of its kind index to provide

a comprehensive overview of state-

level measures adopted to facilitate

rooftop solar deployment.

3. The index has been designed by MNRE,

Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation,

Associated Chambers of Commerce

and Industry of India and Ernst &

Young.

4. The index evaluates states based on

their attractiveness for rooftop

development.

5. The index captures five key aspects

namely (a)Robustness of policy

framework (b)Implementation

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30

environment (c)Investment climate

(d)Consumer experience and

(e)Business ecosystem.

6. The index has ranked Karnataka at first

followed by Telangana, Gujarat and

Andhra Pradesh.

7. The Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy (MNRE) has set a target of 175

GW of renewable energy capacity by

2022, of which 100 GW solar power is to

be operational by March 2022.Under

which, 40 GW is expected to come from

grid connected solar rooftops

Iceland bids farewell to „Ok

glacier‟, the first glacier lost to

climate change

1. Iceland has honoured the passing of Ok

Jokull glacier.It is the first glacier lost to

climate change in the world.

2. The glacier was officially declared dead

by the Icelandic Meteorological Office

when it was no longer thick enough to

move.What once was glacier has been

reduced to a small patch of ice atop a

volcano.

3. A bronze plaque was also unveiled in a

ceremony to mark Okjokull which

translates to ―Ok glacier‖ in the western

Iceland.

4. The plaque was labelled with ―415 ppm

CO2‖ referring to the record level of

carbon dioxide measured in the

atmosphere.

5. Iceland loses about 11 billion tonnes of

ice per year.Scientists fear that all of the

island country‘s 400-plus glaciers will

be gone by 2200.

6. Since the early 1900s,many glaciers

around the world have been rapidly

melting.Human activities are at the root

of this phenomenon.

7. Further,since the industrial

revolution,carbon dioxide and

greenhouse gas emissions have raised

temperatures even higher in the

poles.This has led to glaciers rapidly

melting by calving off into the sea and

retreating on land

Leprosy

1. Union Minister for Health has asked the

Ministers of Law, Minister of Social

Justice and Chief Ministers for

amending 108 discriminatory laws

against persons affected by Leprosy.

2. He stated that the National Leprosy

Eradication Programme(NLEP) has

achieved enormous success in leprosy

control particularly in the last four

decades.

3. He also stated that India is committed

for justice and equality of all individuals

including persons with disabilities as

per the United Nations Convention on

the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(UNCRPD).

4. He has also mentioned about the WHO‘s

Global Leprosy Strategy 2016 –

2020.The strategy aims at (a)zero

children with leprosy-affected

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31

disabilities by 2020 and (b)reduction of

new patients diagnosed with leprosy-

related deformities to >1 per million

population.

5. Leprosy also known as Hansen‘s

disease is a chronic neuro-muscular

disorder.It is caused by several strains

of Mycobacterium leprae.It has a long

incubation period which makes

detection difficult.Leprosy can be cured

with Multi-Drug Therapy(MDT).

6. India had launched the National

Leprosy Eradication Programme in 1983

to eliminate leprosy through early

detection, effective treatment and

increased awareness.

7. In 2005,India achieved the goal of

elimination of leprosy as a public health

problem defined as less than 1 case per

10,000 population.

Tirur Vettila obtains GI tag

1. Geographical Indication Registry of

India has accorded Geographical

Indication(GI) tag to Tirur Vettila.

2. Tirur Vettila is a betel leaf.It is

produced in Tirur and nearby areas of

Malappuram district,Kerala.

3. Tirur Vettila is unique for its

significantly high content of total

chlorophyll and protein in fresh

leaves.The leaf also has several

medicinal properties.

4. Eugenol is the major essential oil in

Tirur betel leaf contributing to its

pungency.It‘s shelf period is also more

compared to other betel leaves.

5. 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.GI tags are given on the

basis of the Geographical Indications of

Goods (Registration and Protection)

Act,1999.

6. GI tag secures the quality and

authenticity of a product to a particular

geographical origin.It provides legal

protection from duplication.The first

product to get GI tag was Darjeeling

Tea

Nepal bans single use plastics on

Everest region

1. Nepal authorities have announced a ban

on single-use plastics in Mount Everest

region.The new rule will come into

effect from January 1, 2020.

2. This decision is aimed at reducing the

vast amounts of waste left by trekkers

and mountaineers.

3. Single-use plastics,often referred to as

disposable plastics are commonly used

for plastic packaging.It includes items

intended to be used only once before

they are thrown away or recycled.

4. The ban covers plastic items fewer than

30 microns thickness.These include

items such as plastic bags, straws, soda

and water bottles and most food

packaging.

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32

5. Recently,Nepal government had also

conducted a clean-up initiative of Mount

Everest.It collected nearly 11 tons of

trash that had piled up for decades.

6. Mount Everest known in Nepal as

Sagarmatha and in Tibetan as

Chomolungma is Earth‘s highest

mountain above sea level.It is located in

the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the

Himalayas.The international border

between Nepal and China(Tibet

Autonomous Region) runs across its

summit point

Russia launches floating nuclear

reactor in Arctic

1. Russia has successfully launched the

world‘s first floating nuclear reactor

called Akademik Lomonosov in the

Arctic region.

2. Akademik Lomonosov is a non-self-

propelled powership.The reactor will

be the northernmost nuclear plant in the

world.

3. The reactor is suited for powering

remote areas and island states that

require stable, green sources of

energy. It will also power the extraction

of natural resources in the Arctic

region.

4. However,environmental groups have

warned the dangers of the project,

dubbing it a potential Chernobyl on ice.

5. Chernobyl incident refers to the 1986

nuclear power plant meltdown which

released large levels of radiation into

the atmosphere forcing thousands to

flee their homes and sparked long-term

fears of health and environmental

repercussions.

6. Floating nuclear power plant is

basically a mobile,low-capacity reactor

unit operable in remote areas isolated

from the main power distribution

system or in places hard to access by

land.They are designed to maintain

both uninterruptible power and

plentiful desalinated water supply in

remote areas

Explained: What is Adratiklit

boulahfa?

1. Scientists from London Natural History

Museum(NHM) have described a

species named Adratiklit boulahfa as a

stegosaurus, a type of dinosaur.

2. They dated the species back to 168

million years ago which makes it the

oldest known member of that group of

dinosaurs ever known.

3. The species is also the first stegosaurus

to be found in North Africa.Its remains

were discovered in the Middle Atlas

mountains of Morocco.

4. The Adratiklit was armoured and

herbivorous species.It lived on the

ancient supercontinent of

Gondwana,which later split into Africa,

South America, Australia and Antarctica

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33

Terror funding watchdog FATF Asia-

Pacific Group „blacklists‟ Pakistan

1. Asia Pacific group(APG) has placed

Pakistan on its Blacklist for its failure in

meeting the required global standards

and combating terrorism and money

laundering.

2. Pakistan was non-compliant in 32 of the

40 Compliance Parameters on Money

Laundering & Terror Financing and was

low in 10 of the 11 Effectiveness

Parameters.

3. In June 2018,Financial Action Task

Force(FATF) had already greylisted

Pakistan for failing to curb anti-terror

financing.

4. However,the two processes are

separate as APG blacklisting status

would impair Pakistan‘s chances at

removing itself from the FATF greylist.

5. The APG is the FATF-style regional

body for the Asia-Pacific region.APG

was founded in Bangkok,Thailand in

1997 as an autonomous regional anti-

money laundering body by unanimous

agreement among 13 original founding

members.

6. The Asia Pacific Group currently

consists of 41 members including

India.It is focused on ensuring that its

members effectively implement the

international standards against money

laundering,terrorist financing and

proliferation financing related to

weapons of mass destruction

PM Modi launches $4.2 mn

redevelopment project of Hindu

temple in Bahrain

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on

Sunday launched the $4.2 million

redevelopment project of the 200-year-

old Sreenathji (Sri Krishna) temple in

Manama, Bahrain‘s capital. PM

Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime

Minister to visit Bahrain.

2. The Sri Krishna temple is estimated to

have been established around 1817 and

was built by Thathai Bhatia Hindu

community. It is considered to be one of

the oldest temple in the Gulf countries.

3. The redevelopment project will be on a

piece of land measuring 16,500 square

feet. As part of the renovated structure,

the temple will have a knowledge

centre and a museum.

4. It will also have special facility to host

Hindu weddings. This comes to light

after the Bahrain Tourism and

Exhibition Authority initiated to make

the Bahrain a hub for wedding

destination and boost tourism

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34

Launch revolution against plastic on

Gandhi Jayanti, says PM Modi

1. In the monthly radio address, ―Man ki

baat‖, Prime Minister Narendra Modi

has urged people to start a new

revolution against plastic from 2

October, 150th birth anniversary of

Mahatma Gandhi.

2. He has also urged municipalities, NGOs

and the corporate sector to take

measures for safe disposal of

accumulated plastic waste before 2019

Diwali.

3. The Prime Minister has further urged

people participate in the annual

―Swachhta Hi Seva‖ campaign, which

will begin on September 11.

4. ‗Swachhata Hi Sewa‘ (Cleanliness is

service) is a campaign launched in 2018

as a part of Swachh Bharat Mission. The

campaign aims at generating greater

public participation towards Swachhta

(cleanliness)

5. Swachh Bharat Mission is a cleanliness

campaign initiated by Govt. of India in

2014. It seeks to achieve a Clean India

by 2019, as a fitting tribute to the 150th

Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

6. Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) aims to

improve the levels of cleanliness in

rural areas through Solid and Liquid

Waste Management activities and

making villages Open Defecation Free

(ODF) and clean.

7. Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) aims at

elimination of open defecation,

conversion of unsanitary toilets to pour

flush toilets, eradication of manual

scavenging, municipal solid waste

management and bringing about a

behavioural change in people

regarding healthy sanitation practices

Young biologist from Andhra

Pradesh recreates a blue whale from

bones

1. Recently, a biologist has recreated a

blue whale from the skeletal remains of

dead blue whales washed ashore on the

Andhra Pradesh coast.

2. The blue whale is the largest animal on

the planet weighing as much as 200

tons.They are also the loudest animals

on Earth and are even louder than a jet

engine.

3. Blue whales are called baleen whales

which means they have fringed plates

of fingernail-like material called baleen

attached to their upper jaws.

4. Blue whales live in all the world‘s

oceans occasionally swimming in small

groups but usually alone or in

pairs.They often spend summers

feeding in polar waters and undertake

lengthy migrations towards the Equator

as winter arrives.

5. However, aggressive hunting in the

1900s by whalers seeking whale oil

drove them to the brink of

extinction.They finally came under

protection with the 1966 International

Whaling Commission but they‘ve

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35

managed only a minor recovery since

then.

6. Blue whales are listed as endangered in

the IUCN Red List.In India,the blue

whale comes under Schedule I of the

Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972

All villages will be linked with Wi-Fi

through GramNet soon

1. During the 36th Foundation Day

celebrations of Centre for Development

of Telematics (C-DOT),the government

has said that it is committed to

providing Wi-Fi in all the villages

through GramNet. 2. GramNet is a part of National

Broadband Mission to secure universal

broadband access.It aims at connecting

all key rural development institutions

with speed of 10 Mbps upgradeable

upto 100 Mbps.

3. C-DOT has also launched three

innovations during Foundation Day

Celebrations which are (1)C-Sat-Fi (C-

DOT Satellite WiFi) (2)XGS PON (10 G

Symmetrical Passive Optical Network)

and (3)C-DOT‘s Interoperable Set Top

Box (CiSTB). 4. C-Sat-Fi is based on the optimal

utilization of wireless and satellite

communication to extend connectivity

to the remote islands and difficult

terrains. 5. XGSPON is an effective solution to fulfil

the rapidly increasing demands of high

network speeds for applications like

IPTV, HD Video Streaming, Online

Gaming and other cloud based

services. 6. CiSTB is based on a portable smart

card like a mobile SIM, this solution will

revolutionize the experience of the

Cable TV operators by offering them a

high degree of choice, ease and

convenience without having to replace

the once installed set up box(STB). 7. C-DOT was established in 1984 as an

autonomous Telecom R&D centre of

DoT,Govt. of India.It is a registered

society under the Societies Registration

Act,1860.

8. It is also registered public funded

research institution with the Department

of Scientific and Industrial

Research(DSIR),Ministry of Science

&Technology,Government of India

Mobile application-“Janaushadhi

Sugam”

1. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers

has launched a mobile application

called ―Janaushadhi Sugam‖

2. The app would have user-friendly

options like- to locate nearby

Janaushadhi Kendra, direction

guidance for location of the Janaushadhi

Kendra through Google Map, search

Janaushadhi generic medicines, analyse

product comparison of Generic vs.

Branded medicine in form of MRP &

overall Savings, etc.

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36

3. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi

Pariyojana is a campaign launched by

the Department of Pharmaceuticals,

Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, to

provide quality medicines at affordable

prices to the masses. Bureau of Pharma

PSUs of India (BPPI) is the

implementation agency for PMBJP.

4. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers

has also announced that Jan Aushadhi

Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary

Napkins will now be available at Re. 1.

The GoI launched ―Jan Aushadhi

Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary

Napkin‖ at Rs 2.50 per pad in 2018

India pledges to restore 50 lakh

hectares of degraded land by 2030

1. India will be hosting the 14th

Conference of Parties (COP14) to the

UN Convention to Combat

Desertification (UNCCD) from 2-13

September 2019 at Greater Noida, NCR.

India is the president of the CoP for next

two years under UNCCD

2. At its Curtain Raiser Press Conference,

Union Environment Minister has

announced that India pledges to restore

5mn hectares of degraded land by

2030. This target will be a part of India‘s

voluntary commitment to the Bonn

Challenge. Under the challenge, India

has pledged to bring into restoration 13

million hectares of degraded and

deforested land by 2020, and additional

8 million hectares by 2030.

3. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to

bring 150 million hectares of the

world‘s deforested and degraded land

into restoration by 2020, and 350 million

hectares by 2030. It was launched in

2011 by the Government of Germany

and IUCN, and later endorsed and

extended by the New York Declaration

on Forests at the 2014 UN Climate

Summit.

4. The Environment Minister further stated

that there would be a ‗New Delhi

Declaration‘ at the end of CoP14. The

declaration would be a common resolve

of 196 countries on how to stop land

from being degraded and how to

quickly restore existing degraded land.

5. India will also set up a centre of

excellence at the Forest Research

Institute in Dehradun. It will act as a

nodal centre for research on issues

relating to solving problems of land

degradation, drought and

desertification.

6. UNCCD is the sole legally binding

international agreement linking

environment and development to

sustainable land management. It was

established in 1994.

7. The Convention entered into force in

December 1996. It is one of the three

Rio Conventions along with United

Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC) and

Convention on Biological Diversity

(CBD).

8. UNCCD seeks to work towards

combating desertification, maintaining

and restoring land and soil productivity

and mitigating the effects of drought

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37

Russia to select, train 4 of 12 Indians

for manned mission

1. Russia will select and train four Indian

astronauts for the Gaganyaan Mission.

In June, Roscosmos subsidiary

Glavkosmos and ISRO had signed a

contract for the selection and training of

Indian astronauts for the Gaganyaan

Mission.

2. Gaganyaan is India‘s first Human Space

Flight Programme to be launched by

Indian Space Research Organisation

(ISRO) by 2022.

3. 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.

4. According to ISRO, most of the

indigenously developed technologies

required for the mission has already

been tested. These include crew

module re-entry, crew escape

mechanism in case of a glitch during

launch, a deep space network and the

astronaut‘s space suit.

5. Space launch vehicle, GSLV MK III will

be used for the Gaganyaan mission. It

has been modified to fit a crew module

and life support to carry astronauts to

space

Kerala, TN, Himachal top India‟s

child well-being index, says report

1. World Vision India, a child-focused

humanitarian organisations and IFMR

LEAD, a research organisation based in

India, have released India Child Well-

Being Report. It provides insights on

health, nutrition, education, sanitation

and child protection.

2. The report examines how India fairs on

child well-being using a composite

child well-being index. The index is

based on three dimensions viz. a)

healthy individual development, b)

positive relationships and c) protective

contexts. 24 indicators under the 3

dimensions were selected to develop

the computation of the child well-being

index.

3. Kerala (0.76), Tamil Nadu (0.67) and

Himachal Pradesh (0.67) topped the

child-wellbeing index. Puducherry

performed the best among union

territories.

4. Meghalaya (0.53), Jharkhand (0.50) and

Madhya Pradesh (0.44) performed

worst in the overall index

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38

Ind-Ra cuts GDP growth forecast in

FY20 to 6.7%

1. India Ratings and Research has revised

downwards its projection of the

country‘s GDP growth in financial year

2019-20 to 6.7% from an earlier

estimate of 7.3%

2. The reasons cited for lowering the

growth projection are a) a slowdown in

consumption demand; b) delayed and

uneven progress of monsoon so far; c)

decline in manufacturing growth; d)

inability of Insolvency and Bankruptcy

Code to resolve cases in a time-bound

manner, and e) rising global trade

tension adversely impacting exports.

3. Recently, the Moody‘s Investors Service

has also cut the GDP growth forecast for

the current financial year to 6.2% from

the previous estimation of 6.8%

Star tortoise, otters get higher

protection at CITES

1. India‘s proposal to upgrade the

protection of star tortoises, the smooth-

coated otter and small-clawed otters in

CITES (Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species on Wild

Fauna and Flora) have been approved.

These species have been listed under

Appendix I of CITES. There will be a

complete international ban enforced on

their trade.

2. The decision was taken at the ongoing

CoP 18 of CITES being held in Geneva,

Switzerland.

3. CITES (the Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora) is an international

agreement between governments. It

aims to ensure that international trade

in specimens of wild animals and plants

does not threaten their survival.

4. CITES was drafted after a resolution was

adopted at a meeting of the members of

the International Union for Conservation

of Nature (IUCN) in 1963. The text of the

Convention was agreed at a meeting in

Washington, DC in 1973; the

Convention. The Convention is

therefore sometimes referred to as the

Washington Convention. CITES entered

into force in 1975. At present it has 183

countries.

5. Appendix I includes species threatened

with extinction. Trade in specimens of

these species is permitted only in

exceptional circumstances.

6. Appendix II includes species not

necessarily threatened with extinction,

but in which trade must be controlled in

order to avoid utilization incompatible

with their survival.

7. Appendix III contains species that are

protected in at least one country, which

has asked other CITES Parties for

assistance in controlling the trade.

8. Indian Star Tortoise Smooth-coated

Otter and small clawed otter are listed

as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red list

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New Study on Jupiter

1. According to a new study based on

informant sent by JUNO, Jupiter has a

―fuzzy core‖ that includes lighter

elements like helium and hydrogen.

According to scientists, this could be

explained by a head-on collision with a

still-forming planet about 10 times the

size of Earth.

2. Further, scientists have attempted to

explain why Jupiter‘s stripes are only

skin deep. The blue strips captured in

photographs are far zonal winds

(alternating east-west jet streams)

around Jupiter that descend to a depth

about 4 percent of Jupiter‘s radius.

3. Juno is a NASA space mission orbiting

the planet Jupiter. It was launched in

2011. The principal goal of Juno is to

understand the origin and evolution of

Jupiter.

4. The Juno mission is the second

spacecraft designed under NASA‘s New

Frontiers Program. The first is the Pluto

New Horizons mission

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Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)

The Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) is one of the Group ‗A‘ services you can get into

once you clear the UPSC civil services exam. It is

a unique service in that it is the only cadre in

which officers are recruited by all four methods –

civil services exam, engineering services exam,

interviews and promotions. Officers of this

service engage in the management of the Indian

Ordnance factories. These factories engage in

the production of defence equipment and

arms/ammunition. In this service, there are two

types of posts – technical and non-technical. The

technical (engineering) posts are filled by the

ESE whereas the non-technical posts are filled by the CSE. Read on to know more about the IOFS

functions, hierarchy and salaries.

A brief history of IOFS

The history of the Indian ordnance factories dates back to the British Raj. The British East India

Company required military hardware for establishing and maintaining their economic supremacy

in India and for this, in 1775, the British authorities established the Board of Ordnance at Fort

William, Calcutta. The first factory came up at Ishapore in 1787 and it produced gunpowder. The

Indian Ordnance Service was established in 1935 and it had only European officers then. This was

reconstituted as the Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) in the year 1954 with the Defence

Department as its cadre controlling authority.

Training for IOFS officers

After the initial Foundation Course at LBSNAA, the officer trainees are provided training in the

areas of management, public administration and technology at the National Academy of Defence

Production (NADP), Nagpur. This Induction Training Programme is for 64 weeks. After this, they

are sent on a Bharat Darshan wherein they visit defence, space, nuclear, industrial and other

technical installations. Then, the officers are imparted on-the-job training at the Ordnance

Factories.

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Functions of IOFS

The chief functions of IOFS officers at the ordnance factories include product research and

development, production planning and control, quality control, project management, supplies

management, materials management, labour welfare, personnel management, industrial

relations, management, industrial safety maintenance of residential estates, etc.

These officers also serve in managerial positions in various PSUs and SEZs.

They also serve as secretaries and advisors to Union Cabinet ministers, Prime Minister and the

President of India.

They can also become scientists for the DRDO.

IOFS officers can also be asked to serve the armed forces as Commissioned Officers for a

period of four years.