Dec

 

SUNYA NOTES (December)

 

l  These are Topic-wise segregated Notes. You can read any one of the ‘Source- wise’ or ‘Topic-wise’ Notes as per your comfort

 

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INDEX
TOPIC	Page Number
1) Environment	2
2) Schemes	10
3) International Relations	15
4) S&T	20
5) Polity and Governance	24
6) Economy	34
7) Defence	36
8) Health	39
9) Indices and Reports	41
10)         Art and Culture	44
11)         Miscellaneous	47

 

 

 

 

 

 

WARNING : This COPY is ENCRYPTED and FOR PERSONAL USE

ONLY. Any unauthorized use will attract legal action

1)   ENVIRONMENT

Ø  Fishing Cat = Fishing Cats (Prionailurusviverrinus) are nocturnal (active at night) + In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats + Despite multiple threats, the Fishing Cat was recently down listed to “Vulnerable” from “Endangered” in the IUCN Red List species assessment + Appendix II of CITES+ In 2012, the West Bengal government officially declared the Fishing Cat as the State Animal + Earlier, Wildlife Institute of India (WII-Dehradun) and the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department are has planned for a maiden exercise of collaring 10 fishing cats in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. The project aims to capture the fishing cats and collaring them with light weight equipment containing the Geographical Information System + Recently, Chilika Development Authority (CDA) designated the Fishing Cat as ambassador of Chilika Lake, Odisha in a step towards conservation of the feline species

Ø  Himalayan Goral = Himalayan gorals or grey gorals (Naemorhedus goral) are medium sized herbivores and are the smallest of the goat-antelopes + Himalayan gorals lack a pre-orbital gland, which is present in closely related Himalayan serows + Himalayan gorals are diurnal but most active during the early morning and evening (crepuscular) + Himalayan gorals are gregarious, but adult males live in solitude until the breeding season + IUCN: Near Threatened + CITES: Appendix I

Ø  Bengal Fox = Bengal fox or Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis) are medium sized omnivorous foxes, which is a species of Asian foxes + They are native to the Indian subcontinent, including India, Nepal and Pakistan + Bengal foxes generally prefer foothills and non- forested regions such as open grassland, thorny scrub, semi-desert and arid environments. They can also be found in agricultural fields + Bengal foxes are diurnal and crepuscular + IUCN: Least Concern + Schedule II of WPA, 1972

Ø  Nilgai = Indian antelope or bluebuck or blue cow is the largest Asian antelope + nilgai is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent + Nilgai antelopes live in dry areas with a variety of land types + In India, they occur in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains southward to Mysore + They graze and browse, with grass as the main source of their diet + IUCN: Least Concern + WPA,1972: Schedule III

Ø  Indian Pangolin = Endangered + Pangolin species are only scaly mammal on the planet + Schedule I category protected animal, under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) + (Chinese pangolin has been listed as “critically endangered”) + hunted for its meat across the north- eastern States and in central India, the demand for its scales in China + pangolin scales – like rhino horns – are made of keratin that produces human hair and nails and has no medicinal value + features(Pangolin tongue is longer than it’s body + have no teeth + can consume 70 million ants a year) + scientists have radio-tagged the Indian pangolin, an endangered animal

+ Radio-tagging involves attaching a transmitter to an animal to monitor its movement + Pangolins are among the most trafficked wildlife species in the world. The projected population declines range from 50% to 80% across the genus + Out of the eight species of

pangolin, the Indian and the Chinese pangolins are found in India. Both these species are listed under Schedule I Part I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

Ø  Albino Indian Flapshell Turtle = Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) is a freshwater species of turtle found in South Asia + "flap-shelled" name stems from the presence of femoral flaps located on the plastron. These flaps of skin cover the limbs when they retract into the shell + IUCN status: Vulnerable + These freshwater turtles are widespread across South Asian countries like Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh + There were only two instances earlier of having ‘recorded’ the presence of albino version of this specie across India— once in Odisha and then in West Bengal. However, recently it was spotted in Telangana

Ø  Finn’s Weaver Bird = Finn’s weaver (Ploceusmegarhynchus) bird, numbering less than 500 in India, which until now was listed as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List has been uplisted to “endangered” category + The bird is primarily found in Terai grasslands in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh, apart from a few pockets in Assam + Please Note: It is also found in other countries like Nepal

Ø  Lesser Florican= Lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus) is a small and slender bird species belonging to the bustard group, found in tall grasslands + The endangered bird is observed in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and some other regions during the monsoon season, when it breeds and later disappears with its chicks to unknown places + IUCN: Critically Endangered + There is a recovery programme launched for this bird by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII)

Ø  Steller’s Sea Eagle = Steller’s sea eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus) are especially revered in Japan, where they are known as O-washi + They are native to Russia, China, Korea and Japan. They are believed to breed only in far eastern Russia, along the coasts and surrounding islands of the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea. They are most common on the Kamchatka Peninsula + Each winter, many Steller's sea eagles migrate from their breeding grounds to Japan and Korea or even farther afield + IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Ø  Western Honey Bee = The western honey bee is one of the first domesticated insects, and is the most common of the 7-12 species of honey bees worldwide + They are native to Africa, Europe and Asia. It is used for crop pollination and honey production throughout most of the world + A new study has shown that the western honey bee species (Apis mellifera) most likely originated in Asia, particularly from Western Asia. Until recently, it was believed that these bees had originated in Africa

Ø  Boesenbergia Albolutea and Boesenbergia Rubrolutea = These two species of plants are extinct now in the wild under IUCN which were discovered around 125 years ago + Boesenbergia Albolutea was endemic to Khasi hills and Boesenbergia Rubrolutea was endemic to Andaman Island + these species belong to ginger family of flowering plants

Ø  Iranian Kiwis = The import of Iranian kiwis from Afghanistan to India has posed a major concern for apple dealers in Kashmir following a contagious quarantine pest threat found in them + The government has informed Iran about the incidence of two quarantine pests,

Aspidiotus nerd and Aonidellaaurantii, in many shipments of kiwis from Iran + Kashmir produces 71% of the country’s apples.

Ø  Manohari Gold Tea = Assam + Many types of antioxidants are found in this tea. Apart from this, they contain bioactive compounds that help in controlling the effects of ageing and obesity + The tea leaves are broken before the sun’s ray’s fall between 4 and 6 in the morning. Its colour is light beige and the leaves are plucked along with the buds. Thereby giving different flavor to the tea

Ø  Pyronema = Like trees, some fungi are adapted to fire. They are known as pyrophilous, or “fire-loving” fungi + After a fire, pyrophilous fungi show up from nowhere, basically, even in areas that haven’t burned for decades. Some sprout in fiery shades of orange and pink. It’s a worldwide phenomenon + The new study found that Pyronema can decompose (eat) charcoal. As Pyronema is breaking down charcoal after a fire, it is capable of becoming an important player in post-fire recovery of the ecosystem

Ø  Tardigrade = also called water bear or moss piglet refer to any of more than 1,100 species of free-living tiny invertebrates belonging to the phylum Tardigrada + They are considered to be close relatives of arthropods (e.g., insects, crustaceans) + Recently, Scientists have identified the first ”quantum entangled” animal in history-frozen tardigrade, in a recent study. Frozen tardigrade are microscopic multicellular organisms known to tolerate extreme physiochemical conditions through a latent state of life known as cryptobiosis + Cryptobiosis: Also known as anabiosis, it is a metabolic state of life entered by an organism in response to adverse environmental conditions such as desiccation, freezing, and oxygen deficiency. In the cryptobiotic state, all measurable metabolic processes stop, preventing reproduction, development, and repair. When environmental conditions return to being hospitable, the organism will return to its metabolic state of life as it was prior to the cryptobiosis

Ø  Propolis = Honeybees use this resin produced from substances they collect from plants and buds, to plug tiny gaps in hive from gases of the volcano + Generally, propolis is used by honey bees to protect it from rainwater and drafts + About 50 days after Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands erupted, tens of thousands of bees were found alive inside hives that had been covered in volcanic ash due to Propolis

Ø  Kyhytysuka Sachicarum = recently discovered new marine reptile + It is a new species of Cretaceous hyper-carnivorous ichthyosaur + It evolved a unique dentition that allowed it to eat large prey; where as other ichthyosaurs had small teeth for feeding on small prey. The dentary is the longest bone of the species + This species was mostly found in shallow waters

+ This species name is derived from indigenous language from the region in central Colombia in order to honour the ancient Muisca culture that existed in that region for millennia.

Ø  Chocolate- bordered flitter = It is a newly discovered butterfly Species from Sikkim + Its closest relatives are in south-eastern China, close to Hong Kong + It also carries the scientific name Zographetusdzonguensis, after Dzongu in north Sikkim, the place where it was discovered

Ø  Polycarpaea Palakkadensis = Plant species named after Palakkad + A team of researchers from Kerala have reported a new plant species which is a close relative of the herb popularly called Acharamkolli +Classified under the genus Polycarpaea of the family caryophyllaceae, the species has been named PolycarpaeaPalakkadensisas surveys in Palakkad district have  led to its discovery +Found on dry land in the Malampuzharegion + it is an annual herb standing 7.5 cm tall.

Ø  Physella Acuta = Highly invasive snail spotted in Kerala +It is host to worms that can cause food-borne diseases, rashes + A tiny snail with a striking, pellucid, golden-yellow shell found in the Edappally canal in Kochi has been flagged as an invasive species that could play havoc with native ecosystems +This is the first time this snail has been reported in Kerala + First described by J.P.R. Draparnaud in 1805, Physella acuta is considered native to North America but is now found in all continents except Antarctica. It was first reported in India in the early 1990s. It is believed to have reached Kerala through the aquarium trade, a major vector for invasive species +Small in size, the snail can grow to 16 mm in height and 9 mm in width+Physella acuta is easily identified by its sinistral (left-opening aperture) shell. Its good looks make this snail a favourite of aquariums

Ø  Cyclone Jawad = formed in the Bay of Bengal + made landfall along Odisha and West Bengal + Saudi Arabia has given the cyclone its name ‘Jawad’. The meaning ‘Jawad’ is liberal or merciful. The carries significance as this cyclonic storm will not be as severe as the previous ones likeFailin, Fani, Hudhud

Ø  Super Typhoon Rai = Typhoon Rai (locally named Odette) + hit parts of the Philippines

Ø  Nigeen Lake = Nigeen Lake is a mildly eutrophic lake located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India + It is sometimes considered a part of the Dal lake and is connected to it via a narrow strait

Ø  Mount Girnar = Located near Junagadh in Junagadh district, Gujarat + Lord Dattatreya performed penance at the top of the hill + Also a kshetra where 22nd TirthankarLord Neminath attained Nirvana

Ø  Umling La Pass = It is one of the highest motorable roads in the world + Located in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir + Stretching to a distance of almost 86km, connects Chisumle and Demchok villages. Both these villages lie in close proximity to the Indo-China border in the eastern sector + Recently,India’s first indigenous Class 70 double-lane modular bridge built at the height of 11,000 feet at Flag Hill Dokala, Sikkim, and Chisumle-Demchok road at Umling La Pass at over 19,000 feet in Ladakh that also held the Guinness World Record of world’s highest motorable road. It is built by Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

Ø  Mitti River = river on Salsette Island, the island of the city of Mumbai, India + It is a confluence of tail-water discharges of the Powai(drinking water lake) and Vihar lakes + The river is seasonal and rises during the monsoons + It drains out in Arabian Sea

Ø  Dahisar, Walbhut, Poisar and Oshiwara Rivers = Rivers in Maharashtra + Dahisar river originates in Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali and meets the Arabian Sea at Manori creek + Walbhut river originates at Aarey Colony Hill and joins Oshiwara river after the Western Express Highway and empties at Malad creek + Poisar River is a river in Mumbai,

India. It begins in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and empties into the Marve Creek and finally into the Arabian Sea

Ø  Peechi-Vazhany Wildlife Sanctuary = Kerala + The sanctuary was established in 1958 consisting of Palappilli- Nelliyampathi forests including the area of Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary and is the second oldest sanctuary in Kerala. Kuthiran Tunnel, first road tunnel in Kerala, runs through the Peechi-Vazhani wildlife sanctuary+ A recent butterfly survey at the Peechi-Vazhani wildlife division has recorded a remarkable increase in the species’ numbers. Southern Birdwing, the largest butterfly in India, and Grass Jewel, the smallest, were found during the survey. Buddha Peacock, the State butterfly of Kerala, was also recorded +Other notable species are Nilgiri Grass Yellow, Travancore Evening Brown, Malabar Flash, Orange Tailed Awl, Southern Spotted Ace and Common Onyx. The report of Common Tinsel at Chulannur was another highlight. Altitudinal migration of Common Albatross was recorded in Chimmony + Please Note: Peechi-Vazhany, Chimmony, and Chulannur Wildlife Sanctuaries are located in Kerala

Ø  Kazhuveli Wetlands Bird Sanctuary = Kazhuveli wetland is located near Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. It lies adjacent to the Bay of Bengal along the east coast + Kazhuveli wetlands is said to be the second largest brackish water lake in South India after Pulicat Lake + Kazhuveli brackish water lake wetlands are of adequate ecological, faunal, floral and geomorphological significance for the purpose of protecting, propagating and developing wildlife and its environment + It is a feeding ground for long-distance migrants from the cold subarctic regions of Central Asia and Siberia including Black-tailed Godwits, Eurasian Curlew, White Stork and Ruff + The Grey-tailed Tattler, a rare migratory wader, has been recorded only here and in Pulicat across the country + Please Note: Kazhuveli falls in the Central Asian migratory path of birds

Ø  Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary = Rajasthan

Ø  Beas Conservation Reserve = located primarily in the north-west of Punjab + In 2019, the Reserve was declared a Ramsar site + Reserve hosts the only known population in India of the endangered Indus river dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) + In 2017, a programme was initiated to re-introduce the critically endangered gharial into the River 30 years after their disappearance

Ø  Haiderpur Wetland = Uttar Pradesh + India has designated the Haiderpur wetland as the country's 47th Ramsar site + It was formed in 1984 by the construction of Madhya Ganga Barrage at the confluence of Solani and Ganga rivers and is a part of Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary

Ø  Konyak Tribes = Konyaks are the largest of Naga tribes. They are traditional hunters and warriors of Nagaland + They inhabit the area extending from Nagaland into Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar as well + Konyaks were animists, worshipping elements of nature, until Christian missionaries arrived in the late 19th Century.The society is mostly Christian now + Aoleng Manyu Festival is the biggest festival of the Konyaks + 'Lao Ong Mo' Festival is the traditional harvest festival

Ø  Apatani Tribes = Arunachal Pradesh + Apatani, or Tanw, also known by Apa and ApaTani, are known for their fish and paddy culture, along with cane and bamboo crafts + Their vibrant traditional village councils are called bulyañ + They speak a local language Tani and worship the sun and the moon + Festivals areMarun, Myako, Dree, and Yapung + The elders in the tribe propagate knowledge through folk stories, songs, couplets in the form of Miji- Migun, Busi-Ayu + They were the first tribe in India to come in contact with the British in the 12th century + The UNESCO has proposed the Apatani valley for inclusion as a World Heritage Site for its “extremely high productivity” and “unique” way of preserving the ecology.

Ø  Tai Khamti = One of the major tribe of Arunachal Pradesh + The word ‘Khampti’ means ‘a land full of gold’ + They follow Theravada Buddhism and have their own script which the people call it Tai script (Lik-Tai) + Khampti dance is also known as kapung (ka implies dance and pung means story)

Ø  Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) = statutory body established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to combat organised wildlife crime + Mandated under Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 + it is mandated to collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime activities, establish a centralized wildlife crime data bank;assist foreign authorities and international organization concerned to facilitate co-ordination and universal action for wildlife crime control;advise the Government of India on issues relating to wildlife crimes having national and international ramifications, relevant policy and laws + Some operations led by WCCB are:

·         Operation Save Kurma: Launched by WCCB to focus on the poaching, transportation and illegal trade of live turtles and tortoises

·         Operation Turtshield-II: Operation Turtshield- I and Operation Turtshield-II was taken up to tackle the illegal trade of live turtles + Phase II was undertaken between December 2020 to February 2021

·         Operation Softgold: to tackle Shahtoosh Shawl (made from Chiru wool) illegal trade and to spread awareness among the weavers and traders engaged in this trade

·         Operation Clean Art: to drag attention of enforcement agencies towards illegal wildlife trade in Mongoose hair brushes

·         Operation Birbil: to curb illegal trade in wild cat and wild bird species

·         Operation Wildnet: to draw the attention of the enforcement agencies within the country to focus their attention on the ever increasing illegal wildlife trade over internet using social media platforms

·         Operation Freefly: on illegal trade of live birds

·         Operation Wetmark: to ensure prohibition of sale of meat of wild animals in wet markets across the country

Ø  Biological Diversity Act, 2002 = Aim: To fulfill India's obligations under the Convention of Biological Diversity and Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing + It provides for a decentralised three-tiered mechanism (see infographic) for implementation of the Act + Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) are responsible for preparing People's

Biodiversity Registers which keep a record of all flora and fauna including details of traditional knowledge available in their region

Ø  Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (WPA) = act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants + It empowers the State to declare protected areas, under four categories- National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Community Reserves and Conservation Reserves + Important bodies established under the act include. National Board for Wildlife, National Tiger Conservation Authority and Central Zoo Authority The act has created 6 schedules for specially protected plants (I), specially protected animals (IV), and vermin species (v)

Ø  Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act = Recently, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) under the PPV&FR Act has revoked a plant variety protection certificate granted to PepsiCo India Holding on FC-5 potato variety (also called as FL-2027) on multiple grounds + enacted in 2001 under Article of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) + The act is in conformity with International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), 1978 (an intergovernmental organization, to provide and promote an effective system of plant variety protection, with the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants, for the benefit of society) + The Act introduced intellectual property protection in Indian agriculture and is the world’s only IPR legislation which grants intellectual property rights not only to the plant breeders but also to the farmers

·         Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FR Authority): Established to implement the provisions of the Act by Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture + General Functions of the Authority include: Registration of new plant varieties, Developing DUS (Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability) test guidelines for new plant species, Facilitate development and commercialisation of new varieties, Recognizing and rewarding farmers,Maintenance of National Gene Bank and Preservation of plant genetic resources of economic plants and their wild relatives

·         Plant Varieties Protection Appellate Tribunal (PVPAT): Decisions of the PVPAT can be challenged in High Court + The Tribunal shall dispose of the appeal within one year

·         Rights under the Act

o   Breeders’ Rights: Breeders will have exclusive rights to produce, sell, market, distribute, import or export the protected/ registered variety

o   Researchers’ Rights: Researcher can use any of the registered variety under the Act for conducting experiment or research (repeated use needs prior permission of the registered breeder)

o   Farmers’ Rights: A farmer who has evolved or developed a new variety is entitled for registration and protection in like manner as a breeder of a variety. Section 39(1) of the Act allows all farmers cultivating a registered new variety the right to "save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share or sell farm produce including seeds" except the branded seeds + Farmer shall not be liable to pay any fee in any proceeding before the Authority or Registrar or the Tribunal or the High Court under the Act. It will be paid through National Gene Fund

Ø  Phytosanitary Certificate = Phytosanitary certificates are issued to indicate that consignments of plants, plant products meet specified phytosanitary import requirements under International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), 1951 + Phytosanitary measures are aimed at the protection of human, animal and plant health from diseases, pests, and contaminants + Usually, PSCs are generated by the exporting country + It can only be issued by an authorized officer from a government department that is authorized by a National Plant Protection Agency (NPPO) + NPPO is in force to protect the threat of spreading pests, contamination or diseases into the country of import + International Plant Protection Convention is a 1951 multilateral treaty overseen by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that aims to secure coordinated, effective action to prevent and to control the introduction and spread of pests of plants and plant products

Ø  Arctic Report Card 2021 = released by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA), research body of USA +Arctic region is warning significantly faster than the rest of the world +the autumn (Oct. to dec. 2020) period was the warmest ever for the arctic region since 1900 + In April, the volume of sea ice in the northern hemisphere was the lowest since data are available + since April 2002, the Greenland ice sheet has lost nearly 5,000 gigatonnes (Gt) of mass

Ø  Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) Funds = CAMPA funds are part of long-pending dues of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF), a ₹54,000-crore tranche collected for nearly a decade as environmental compensation from industry, which has razed forest land for its business plans + CAF Act 2016, which came into being more than a decade since it was devised, established an independent authority — the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority — to execute the fund. However, it was not until last August that the rules governing the management of the fund were finalized + Compensatory afforestation means that every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land + As per the rules, 90% of the CAF money is to be given to the states while 10% is to be retained by the Centre + The funds can be used for treatment of catchment areas, assisted natural generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management, relocation of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, training and awareness generation, supply of wood saving devices and allied activities

Ø  Plastic Waste Management PWM (2018-2024) Programme = Launched by UNDP in India + It aims to almost triple its PWM to 100 cities in India by 2024 + UNDP launched this project, in partnership with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited for building on existing systems to reduce the impact of plastic waste on the environment in India + It promotes collection, segregation and recycling of all kinds of plastics to move towards a circular economy + The project has reached out to 5500 SafaiSathis, in an effort to institutionalize workers from the informal sector. “Utthaan”, a social protection programme was launched to help 9000 safaisathsi + UNDP is also working with NITI Aayog and have jointly developed a ‘handbook’ model for local municipalities as well as the private sector

Ø  Global Methane Initiative (GMI) = India recently co-chaired GMI Steering Leadership Meeting + International public-private partnership focused on reducing barriers to the recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source + India joined GMI in 2004 + Hq: Washington DC + It was created in 2004 and has membership from 45 countries + Recently also at the UNFCCC COP26 (Glasgow), the Global Methane Pledge was launched that aims to cut down methane emissions by up to 30% from 2020 levels by the year 2030

Ø  Clean Green Initiative = Launched by UK at CoP26 + Aim to help developing countries take advantage of green technology and grow their economies sustainably

 

2)   SCHEMES

Ø  Hallmarking Unique ID (HUID) = Government of India has made hallmarking of gold jewellery mandatory in the country + It is now being implemented by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in a phased manner. + HUID is a six-digit alphanumeric code, or one that consists of numbers and letters. It is given to every piece of jewellery at the time of hallmarking and is unique for each piece +Jewellery is stamped with the unique number manually at the Assaying & Hallmarking (A&H) centre. The hallmark consists of three symbols which give some information about the jewellery piece. The first symbol is the BIS logo; the second indicates purity and fineness; and the third symbol is the HUID. + Hallmarking & HUID are mandatory for 14-, 18- and 22-carat gold jewellery and artefacts + HUID gives a distinct identity to each piece of jewellery enabling traceability. It is critical to the credibility of hallmarking and to help address complaints against adulteration + In HUID- based hallmarking, registration of jewellers is an automatic process with no human interference + According to the Government, it is a secure system and poses no risk to data privacy and security + The Government has made it mandatory to sell hallmarked jewellery in the first phase in 256 districts of the country, each of which has at least one Assaying & Hallmarking centre. HUID numbers are engraved at these centres. More than one lakh jewellers are registered and daily, more than three lakh pieces of jewellery get hallmarked with the HUID number.

Ø  Beej Gram Yojana = Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, is implementing Beej Gram Yojana (Seed Village Programme) since 2014-15 to upgrade the quality of farmer’s saved seeds + Aim to improve the stock of farm saved seeds for enhancing crop production/productivity + Implementing agencies - State Departments of Agriculture, State Agriculture Universities, KVKs, State Seeds Corporation, National Seeds Corporation, State Farms Corporation of India, State Seeds Certification Agencies, Dept of Seed Certification. One implementing agency will be identified for the area/locality and is to be authorized by the State Government + Financial assistance for distribution of foundation/certified seeds is available for up to one acre per farmer These seeds are distributed at 50% of seed cost for cereal crops and 60% for pulses, oilseeds, fodder and green manure crops + To encourage farmers to develop storage capacity of appropriate quality, assistance will be given to farmers for making/procuring of Pusa Bin/Mud bin/Bin made of paper pulp to store seeds on their farm

Ø  Gram Ujala Programme = Under the Gram Ujala scheme, high quality 7-Watt and 12-Watt LED bulbs with 3 years guarantee is provided at Rs. 10 per bulb in exchange of working 60- Watt and 100-Watt incandescent bulbs + Every household can exchange a maximum of 5 bulbs. The government will also install meters at these houses + Gram Ujala scheme is being implemented in rural households in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana + It is implemented by the Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) + The programme is active till March 31, 2022 + Gram UjalaProgramme is based upon the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) protocols of the United Nations + (Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). EESL is a joint venture of public sector companies under the Ministry of Power)

Ø  Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) = Ministry of Rural Development + Launched in 2016, the programme is designed to deliver catalytic interventions to rural areas on the threshold of growth + It is now a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Funding is shared between the Centre and the State in a ratio of 60:40 for Plain area States and 90:10 for Himalayan and NE States+ Main objective of the scheme is bridging the rural-urban divide- viz: economic, technological and those related to facilities and services + A ‘Rurban cluster’, would be a cluster of geographically contiguous villages with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in plain and coastal areas and with a population of 5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas

Ø  Central Road & Infrastructure Fund(CRIF) = It was given statutory status under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund Act, 2000 amended by the Finance Act, 2019 + Before that the Central Road Fund was governed by the Resolution of Parliament passed in 1988 + + Earlier administrative control of CRIF was under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, but now it is under the control of the Ministry of Finance+ It is earmarked for various infrastructure sectors such as Transport, Energy, Communication, Water & Sanitation, Social & Commercial Infrastructure, etc., as per the provisions of the CRIF Act, 2000 + This Act allows to, Levy and collect a cess for development and maintenance of NHs and improvement of safety at railway crossings, and Levy and collect a duty of excise and duty of customs on motor spirit commonly known as petrol, high speed diesel oil + Fund shall be utilised for Development and maintenance of national highways; other State roads including roads of inter-State and economic importance; Development of the rural roads; Construction of roads either under or over the railways; Erection of safety works at unmanned rail-road crossings, new lines, conversion of existing standard lines into gauge lines and electrification of rail lines; and Undertaking other infrastructure projects

Ø  Shrestha Yojana = To be implemented by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment + Aim is to aid socio-economic upliftment and overall development of the Scheduled Castes students by providing quality residential education in reputed private schools

Ø  SAMPANN Project = System for Accounting and Management of Pension (SAMPANN) project is a Comprehensive pension management system for pensioners of the Department of

Telecommunications + Launched in 2018 + It is being implemented by Controller General of Communication Accounts, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications + It provides direct credit of pension into the bank accounts of pensioners

Ø  Garima Greh Scheme = Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment + The main aim of Garima Greh is to provide shelter to transgender persons with basic amenities like food, medical care and recreational facilities. Besides, it will provide support for the capacity-building/skill development of Transgender persons. The Centre had provided 100% financial assistance for setting up such shelters in 12 States + Recently, Madras High Court has asked the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to extend Garima Greh scheme to entire LGBTQIA+ community, not just transgenders. Currently, the scheme provides a secure living space and care to only those persons who fall under the category of ‘transgender persons’

Ø  POWER Scheme = for women scientists + It is a scheme to mitigate gender disparity in science and engineering research funding in various S&T programs in Indian academic institutions and R&D laboratories + Launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a Statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) + It will have two components namely: (1) SERB-POWER Fellowship; (2) SERB- POWER Research Grants

Ø  Pradhan Mantri Yuva (Young Upcoming and Versatile Authors) Scheme = National Book Trust, under Ministry of Education (MoE), announced selection of 75 authors under PM YUVA + YUVA is a part of India@75 Project (AzadiKaAmritMahotsav) to bring to the fore perspectives of young generation of writers on themes like Unsung Heroes, Freedom Fighters etc + It is aimed at training 75 aspiring writers below 30 years, who are ready to express themselves and project India and its culture and literature globally + A consolidated scholarship of Rs 50,000 per month for a period of six months per author will be paid under the mentorship scheme

Ø  South-South Innovation Platform = South-South Innovation Platform was launched by the AIM, NITI Aayog, UNCDF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rabo Foundation in 2021

+ This Platform was launched to enable cross-border exchange of innovations, insights and investments. Through this platform, cross-border collaborations among emerging markets across India, Indonesia, Malawi, Malaysia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia would be enabled + Recently, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) rolled out their first AgriTech Challenge cohort under the South-South Innovation Platform

Ø  InFinity Forum = a leadership Forum on Financial Technology (FinTech) through video conferencing + It was hosted by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) under the aegis of the Government of India in collaboration with Gujarat International Financial Tec-city (GIFT) City and Bloomberg + It brings together the leading minds of the world in business and technology to come together to discuss how technology and innovation can be leveraged by the FinTech

Ø  ULIP Hackathon = Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched the Unified Logistics Interface Platform’s (ULIP) Hackathon – ‘LogiXtics’ + It is organised by NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission and supported by others to crowdsource ideas which will benefit logistics industry + ULIP is designed to enhance efficiency and reduce logistics cost in India by creating a transparent platform that can provide real time information to all stakeholders and remove all asymmetry information

Ø  Vernacular Innovation Program(VIP) = launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog + It is an initiative to lower the language barrier in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship such that it will systematically decouple creative expressions and languages of transaction + It seeks to enable innovators and entrepreneurs to have access to the innovation ecosystem in 22 scheduled languages + Implementation: AIM has identified and will be training a Vernacular Task Force (VTF) in each of the 22 scheduled languages + It will assist in overcoming linguistic barriers and empowering innovators in the farthest parts of the country

Ø  Shunya Programme = Labelling for Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) + Programme for NZEB and Net Positive Energy Buildings (NPEB) were launched + NZEB are highly efficient buildings with extremely low energy demand + Based on Energy Performance Index (EPI), i.e. total energy consumed in a building over a year divided by total built up area

Ø  Green Hydrogen Microgrid Project = Recently, NTPC awarded India’s first Green Hydrogen-based Microgrid Project at Simhadri, Andhra Pradesh + It would be a precursor to large scale hydrogen energy storage projects + Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrolyzer powered by renewable energy sources such as wind and solar

Ø  Mission Coking Coal (MCC) = set up by Ministry of coal + Coking refers to the coal's ability to be converted into coke, a pure form of carbon that can be used in basic oxygen furnaces + Coking coal is used in manufacturing of steel through blast furnace route + Domestic coking coal is high ash coal (between 18% - 49%) and is not suitable for direct use in blast furnance. Therefore, it is blended with imported coking coal (>9% ash) + objective of MCC is to prepare an action plan to increase production and utilisation of domestic coking coal, adoption of new technologies, allocation of coking coal blocks for private sector development, Setting up of new coking coal washeries etc

Ø  National Oxygen Stewardship Programme = initiative to train health care workers in rational utilisation of medical oxygen to prevent wastage + As part of the programme, at least one oxygen steward will be identified and trained in each district across the country

Ø  Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0 = 3^rd Phase of Mission Indradhanush + It is being conducted in pre-identified 250 districts/urban areas across 29 States/UTs in the country + This is aimed to accelerate the full immunisation of children and pregnant women through a mission mode intervention. Beneficiaries from migration areas and hard to reach areas will be targeted as they may have missed their vaccine doses during the pandemic + Mission Indradhanush was launched by the Government of India in 2014. It was aimed to strengthen and re-energize the programme and achieve full immunization coverage for all children and pregnant women. The ultimate goal of Mission Indradhanush is to ensure full immunization with all available vaccines for children up to two years of age and pregnant women + It

provides vaccination against 12 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD) i.e. diphtheria, Whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, meningitis and pneumonia, Hemophilus influenza type B infections, Japanese encephalitis (JE), rotavirus vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and measles-rubella (MR). However, Vaccination against Japanese Encephalitis and Haemophilus influenzae type B is being provided in selected districts of the country

Ø  Management Information System (MIS) Portal = developed by Department of Land Resources + Developed for rankings of States/UTs in Land Acquisition Projects under Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 + In the first phase, land acquisition undertaken from 01.01.2014 onwards will be covered for ranking purposes.

Ø  Dam Safety assurance and Rehabilitation Project = World Bank assisted + implemented in four States – namely Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu + As on June 2019, India has 5,745 large dams (includes dams under construction) + After China and USA, India is the 3^rd largest dam-owning nation in the world + Most of the dams in India are constructed and maintained by the states, while some of the bigger dams are managed by autonomous bodies such as Damodar Valley Corporation or Bhakra Beas Management Board of Bhakra-Nangal Project + Over 75% of these dams are more than 20 years old and about 220 dams are more than 100 years old + Most of these large dams are in Maharashtra (2394), Madhya Pradesh (906), and Gujarat (632).

Ø  Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS) Scheme = Pertains to the atmospheric science programs of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) + It aims to ensure last-mile connectivity of the weather based services to the end - user, a large number of agencies like the Krishi VigyanaKendras of ICAR, universities and local municipalities are roped in this + It addresses different aspects of weather and climate services, which includes warnings for cyclone, storm surges, heat waves, thunderstorms etc + ACROSS is an umbrella scheme with eight sub-schemes as follows: Commissioning of Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs); Upgradation of Forecast System; Weather & Climate Services; Atmospheric Observations Network; Numerical Modelling of Weather and Climate; Monsoon Mission III; Monsoon Convection. Clouds and Climate Change (MC4) and High Performance Computing System (HPCS)

Ø  Poshan Tracker = Ministry of Women and Child Development + Poshan Tracker, known as the ICDS-CAS (Integrated Child Development Services-Common Application Software) in its earlier avatar, was set up with the aim of tracking and improving various services delivered at anganwadis and to ensure nutritional management of beneficiaries + This real- time monitoring system is one of the key pillars of Poshan Abhiyan or Nutrition Mission

Ø  Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities (GFC)-Toolkit 2022 = Launched by MoHUA + an important governance tool of waste management + Toolkit is aligned with the priorities of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, with higher weightage being allocated to door-to-door garbage collection, source segregation, waste processing and dumpsite remediation (SBM 2.0 was launched with the overall vision of creating GFC + For achieving this, a key objective under SBM-U 2.0 is to make every Urban Local Body (ULB)

at least 3-star Garbage Free. A Seven Star rating Protocol is defined for GFC, which builds on aspirations of cities to progress towards higher standards of Swachhata)

Ø  Sustainable Urban Development and Service Delivery Program = India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $350 million loan to improve access to urban services + Sustainable Urban Development program will establish essential policies and guidelines for urban reforms at the national level + ADB will provide knowledge and advisory support to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Ø  Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary

= Department of Justice under Ministry of Law and Justice + objective is to assist the state government in construction of court buildings and residential quarters for Judicial Officers (JO) in all the States / UTs + Union government has recently extended the scheme for the period from 2021 to 2026 + Assistance granted under the scheme also includes funds for implementation of the Gram Nyayalayas Scheme as a part of the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms (NMJDLR) + Gram Nyayalayas or village courts are established under Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 for speedy and easy access to the justice system in the rural areas of India + NMJDLR was setup in 2011 to increase access to justice by reducing delays and arrears in the system

 

3)   INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Ø  Observer Status at United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) = UNGA may grant Permanent Observer Status to non-member states, international organisations and other entities + Permanent Observers may participate in the sessions and workings of the General Assembly and maintain missions at the U.N. headquarters + Recently, General Assembly has conferred Observer Status on the International Solar Alliance (ISA) + The granting of Observer Status to the ISA in the General Assembly would help provide for a regular and well defined cooperation between the Alliance and the United Nations that would benefit global energy growth and development+It will also provide a choice to ISA to have permanent office in the UN HQ (New York) + The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilise efforts against climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions. It was presented by the leaders of the two countries at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015 + Observer status of UN was started in 1946 with the Swiss Government as first permanent observer, a number of regional and international organizations are given observer status by UNGA + Other observers include non-member states (e.g. Holy See); Intergovernmental and other organizations (e.g. ISA by resolution 76/123); and Specialized Agencies (e.g. FAO)

Ø  Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) = Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a UN Secretariat department, that promotes and protects for all people all the rights enshrined in the Charter of the UN + 1993 founded + OHCHR is guided in its work by the mandate provided by the General Assembly in resolution 48/141, the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights and subsequent human rights instruments, and the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action

Ø  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) = It is a UN Refugee Agency and a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting the rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people + It was created in 1950 to help millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes + It is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland + Vodafone announced that it is auctioning the world’s first SMS as a non-fungible token (NFT). Vodafone will donate them to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, to support the 82.4 million people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict and persecution + An NFT is a one-of-a-kind digital collectible. This means it is unique and can’t be replaced. These virtual tokens can be songs, movies, artworks, photographs, social media posts, GIFs and anything else that can be stored digitally

Ø  UNSC Resolution 2615 = United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously passed this resolution to permit a carve-out in sanctions against the Taliban to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

Ø  Proposal for UNSC to deliberate on climate-related issues = The draft resolution, piloted by Ireland and Niger, sought to create a formal space in the Security Council for discussions on climate change and its implications on international security. It also asked that the UN Secretary-General provide periodic reports on how risks from climate change can be addressed to prevent conflicts + This proposal was blocked by India and Russia + [Do you know, Why India blocked?]

Ø  Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) = endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2018 + designed to promote responsibility-sharing among host countries and communities to better support refugees + It is a framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility- sharing, recognizing that a sustainable solution to refugee situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation

Ø  Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) 2021 = is collaboration between the UNEP, IEA, the University of California, International Council on Clean Transportation, International Transport Forum and the FIA Foundation + GFEI promotes fuel efficiency in cars and light duty vans. The objective of the GFEI is to help stabilize greenhouse gas emissions from the global light duty vehicle fleet through a 50% improvement of vehicle fuel efficiency worldwide by 2050 + GFEI offers support to governments to develop fuel economy policies

+ Fuel economy measures the distance a vehicle can travel per unit of a particular fuel, such as kilometre per litre. It is a key indicator of greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions from the use of car

Ø  E3 =EU three, also known as EU big three, EU triumvirate, EU trio or simply E3, refers to France, Germany and Italy, a group that consists of the three large founding members of the European Union

Ø  Organisation of Islamic Cooperation(OIC) = 1969 founded + 57 member states including Iran and Pakistan + Hq at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia + Objective is to Raise the collective voice of the Muslim world + OIC has permanent delegations to United Nations and the European Union + In this organisation, India is a blocked country, though it has about 12% of the

world’s Muslim population. India has been blocked by Pakistan from joining the OIC over Kashmir issue + OIC regard parts of Kashmir as “occupied India” + 2nd largest inter- governmental organization after the UN + has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union + Permanent Secretariat is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Ø  G20’s Troika =Recently, India joined the G20 ‘Troika’ and with this India has started the procedure for taking over the G20 presidency next year + Troika refers to the top grouping within the G20 that consists of the current, previous and the incoming presidencies — Indonesia, Italy and India +India will assume the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022 from Indonesia, and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in India in 2023 + Next year’s summit will be organised along the overall theme of “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”

Ø  Troika Plus = It is the meeting led by US, Russia, China and Pakistan on Afghanistan peace process along with Afghanistan representatives + It aims to reduce the level of violence and to end the armed conflict in Afghanistan + India is NOT part of this.

Ø  Asia-Africa Growth Corridor = Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is an economic cooperation agreement between the government of India and Japan launched in May 2017 with a view to building projects in health and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and agro-processing, disaster management and skill development along with enhancing research and development capacities in Africa + It was started with an inherent aim to discover the sea routes and creating new corridors in the sea to link African nations with India and countries of South Asia and South East Asia + It is a robust plan to counter the OBOR initiative of China

Ø  New Development Bank (NDB) = 2014-2015 formed + formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank + is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) + headquartered in Shanghai, China + bank’s primary focus of lending will be infrastructure projects + Unlike the World Bank, which assigns votes based on capital shares, here each participant country will be assigned one vote, and no country will have veto power + Bank shall support public or private projects through loans, guarantees, equity participation and other financial instrument + first regional office of the NDB will be opened in Johannesburg, South Africa + Recently, Egypt is the fourth new member admitted into NDB, after Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uruguay, further expanding the bank's global outreach.

Ø  Trade in Services and General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) = International Trade Rules on Services are governed by GATS, an outcome of Uruguay Round and entering into force in January 1995 + It provides a framework of rules governing services trade on all services (with two exceptions only). The exceptions are: Services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority, and Coverage measures affecting air traffic rights and services directly related to the exercise of Air Transport Services + GATS is applicable to four-modes of supplying services (Mode 1: Cross border supply| Mode 2: Consumption abroad| Mode 3: Commercial presence | Mode 4: Movement of natural person) and establishes a mechanism for all WTO members (to varying degree) to make commitments to liberalize trade in services, and + The agreement provides a mechanism for resolving disputes between countries

Ø  Services Domestic Regulation (SDR) = Launched at the 11^th Ministerial Conference at Buenos Aires (2017), the new plurilateral agreement is the first set of rules on services in 24 years at WTO + 67 agreed members include both developed and developing countries, together accounting for over 90% of world trade such as the USA, China, European Union (EU), Brazil, etc + The signatories have agreed to leave the pact open for other countries to join in and apply it on a “Most-Favored Nation (MFN)” basis, i.e., giving equal treatment to countries that are not parties to the agreement as given to parties to the agreement

Ø  Global anti-base erosion or GLoBE = OECD has released Global Anti-Base Erosion Rules (GloBE) to assist in the implementation of a landmark reform of 15% global minimum tax + GloBE aims to provide a precise template to Governments for taking forward the two-pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from digitalisation agreed in October 2021 by 137 countries and jurisdictions

Ø  Nairobi Declaration = adopted by African ministers and heads of delegations + Declaration underlined the need to deliver commitments on the Programme of Action (PoA) for implementing the Sendai Framework in Africa + Sendai framework provides for a pathway in guiding countries and communities to substantially reduce the effects of shocks caused by natural and humaninduced hazards by 2030 compared to 2005-201

Ø  Blockchain Bill of Rights = World Economic Forum Global Blockchain Council launched Presidio Principles: the foundational values for a decentralized future which is also called as Blockchain Bill of Rights. The principles are intended to serve as a steering document and are not legally binding + Blockchain is a series of data linked together. Every single transaction is linked to the chain using cryptographic principles in batches, making blocks + Blockchain Bill of Rights aims to establish a global baseline for developers, corporates and governments building blockchain applications + It contains sixteen principles which aim to protect users and preserve the values of the technology so that all can benefit

Ø  Bank for International Settlements(BIS) =BIS is an international financial organisation owned by 62 member central banks, representing countries from around the world including India + It fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks + It carries out its work through its meetings, programmes and through the Basel Process – hosting international groups pursuing global financial stability and facilitating their interaction + Its headquarter is in Basel, Switzerland + The BIS was established in 1930 by an intergovernmental agreement between Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, the United States, and Switzerland

Ø  Indian Ocean Dialogue(IOD) = Hosting the 8^th edition of Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD), India highlighted region's importance and need to keep it safe and secure + IOD is a track 1.5 forum (where government officials who participate in unofficial capacity and non-official actors work together) of Indian Ocean Rim Association(IORA)

Ø  Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) = It is an initiative launched by Prime Minister Modi at the East Asia Summit in Thailand in 2019 + The initiative is centred around seven pillars including maritime security; maritime ecology; maritime resources; capacity building and resource sharing; disaster risk reduction and management; science, technology, and academic cooperation; and trade connectivity and maritime transport + This is significant against the backdrop of Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region

Ø  India- Sri Lanka Fisheries Dispute = Though India and Sri Lanka signed four Maritime Boundary Agreements between 1974-76, there is no well defined maritime boundary between the two countries + 1974 agreement between the two nations ceded the resource-rich Katchchativu islet to Sri Lanka, which the Tamil fishermen had traditional fishing rights for centuries + Depletion of marine resources along the Tamil Nadu coast (due to incessant bottom-trawling) has meant that the Indian fishermen are drawn to the relatively resource- rich Sri Lankan waters however, Sri Lanka has banned bottom-trawling in their waters in 2017

Ø  Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) = China + Launched in 2013 as One Belt One Road, BRI is a Chinese infrastructure development project to fund the development of land and sea routes to link Asia, Africa, and Europe + Today, it is the largest and most ambitious global infrastructure financing and development initiative of the world + Estimates suggest that BRI has invested in more than 2,600 projects in over 100 countries with an estimated cost of $3.7 trillion. This includes ports, railways, energy, digital networks etc

Ø  India-Central Asia Dialogue = Recently, the 3^rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in New Delhi + It is a ministerial-level dialogue between India and the Central Asian countries namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Ø  Comprehensive Connectivity Partnership with India = Recently, EU signed + Aims to support ‘resilient and sustainable connectivity projects’ in Africa, Central Asia, and Indo- Pacific for digital, energy, transport and people-to-people connectivity

Ø  Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal = US President announced the establishment of the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal that will provide foreign assistance initiatives + It was announced during the first Democracy summit hosted by USA "to renew democracy at home and confront autocracies abroad" + The initiative will be powered by $424.4 million and will be aimed to support free media, fight corruption, strengthen democratic reforms, for use of technology for democracy and for defence of free and fair elections + first Summit for Democracy brought together leaders from democratic governments, civil society, and private sector

Ø  ‘India Out’ Campaign = led by critics in Maldives + The critics accuse Maldives President government of “allowing Indian boots on the ground”. It comprises the sovereignty of the island nation

Ø  Global Gateway = Launched by European Commission + EU strategy on global infrastructure financing with the aim to mobilize up to €300 billion in investments between 2021-2027

Ø  Nord Stream 2 (NS2) = It is a pipeline running across Russia to Germany + NS2 is a new export gas pipeline running from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea + NS2’s construction began in 2015 and is being implemented by the Nord Stream 2 AG project company + direct supply of natural gas under the Baltic Sea from the Russian city of Ust- Luga to the German city of Lubmin, avoiding transit through Ukraine and other European countries[Mark on Map]

4)   S&T

Ø  Magnetar = A magnetar is a rare compact type of neutron star teeming with energy and magnetism + Only 30 Magnetars have been spotted within the Milky Way so far + During the course of their evolution, massive stars (masses around 10-25 times the mass of the Sun) eventually collapse and shrink to form very compact objects called neutron stars.A subset of these neutron stars is the so-called magnetars + Magnetars are isolated neutron stars with intense magnetic fields much higher than in ordinary pulsars + These are highly dense and have breathtakingly high rotation speeds (rotational periods can be just 0.3 to 12.0 seconds). Further, these magnetars emit violent flares

Ø  Chicxulub Meteorite = This, 66 million years ago, ended the 165-million-year dominion of dinosaurs, wiping out 75% of life on Earth, allowing a new order to emerge + Chicxulub crater is an impact crater buried underneath Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico

Ø  Laser Communications Relay Demonstration(LCRD) = NASA launched its first-ever laser communications system, called Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) as a hosted payload on STPSat-6 spacecraft aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket

+ LCRD will be in a geosynchronous orbit, over 35,000km above Earth + Currently, most NASA spacecraft use radio frequency communications to send data. Optical communications will help increase the bandwidth 10 to 100 times more than radio frequency systems + If this capability is further proven, laser communications can be implemented on more missions, making it a standardised way to send and receive data + LCRD has two optical terminals - one to receive data from a user spacecraft, and the other to transmit data to ground stations. The modems will translate the digital data into laser signals. This will then be transmitted via encoded beams of light + Optical communications systems are smaller in size, weight, and require less power compared with radio instruments. Laser uses infrared light and has a shorter wavelength than radio waves + This will help the transmission of more data in a short time + LCRD will send data to Earth at 1.2 Gbps using infrared lasers + It would take roughly 9 weeks to transmit a completed map of Mars back to Earth with radio systems. With lasers, this can be done in 9 days

Ø  Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) = NASA launched a new mission named Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket + IXPE observatory is a joint effort of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Italian Space Agency + It is the first satellite mission that is dedicated to the measure the polarization of X-Rays from different cosmic sources + IXPE is a space observatory with three identical telescopes designed to measure the polarization of state of light from astrophysical sources to provide insight into our understanding of X-ray production in objects

+ The mission’s primary length is 2 years and the observatory will be at 600 kms altitude, orbiting around Earth’s equator

Ø  James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) vs Herschel Space Observatory = In 2009, the European Space Agency launched an infrared telescope named the Herschel Space Observatory + It also orbits the Sun similar to how Webb would + The primary difference between Webb and Herschel is the wavelength range: Webb goes from 0.6 to 28 microns,

while Herschel covers 60 to 500 microns + Also, Herschel’s mirror is smaller than Webb’s. It is 3.5 metres in diameter, while Webb’s primary mirror has a diameter of 6.5 metres

Ø  Parker Solar Probe (PSP) = NASA + now flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there + Launched in 2018 + the PSP is part of NASA's Living with a Star program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society + It uses a carbon-composite shield, to withstand temperatures nearly 2,500 F (1,377 C), to protect itself from Sun’s heat + It became the first spacecraft in history to touch the Sun + In 2019, Parker discovered that magnetic zig-zag structures in the solar wind, called switchbacks, are plentiful close to the Sun + April, 2021, the PSP crossed the outer edge of the corona termed the Alfvén critical boundary, a point that marks the end of solar atmosphere and beginning of the solar wind + It should eventually get to within 7 million km (4 million miles) of the photosphere in 2025 + Some other solar missions: NASA’s Heliophysics Missions, European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter, India’s Aditya-L1 mission + Instruments in PSP:

·         Solar wind elections alphas and protons investigation (SWEAP): to gather the measurements of the coronal and solar wind plasma

·         Wide field imager for solar probe plus (WISPR): a telescope that take 3-D images of the Sun’s corona and inner heliosphere

·         Integrated science investigation of the sun (ISIS): to take an inventory of elements in the sun’s atmosphere

·         Electromagnetic fields investigation (FIELDS): measures electric and magnetic field and waves, spacecraft floating potential density fluctuations and radio emissions

Ø  ICON mission = NASA + NASA has launched a satellite ICON in 2019 to detect dynamic zones of Earth’s Ionosphere + The ICON satellite will study the Earth’s Ionosphere. It includes various layers of the uppermost atmosphere where free electrons flow freely.

Ø  OSCAR 1 = launched successfully in December, 1961, (60 years ago) + first non- governmental satellite that was built by private citizens + It was the first satellite to reach its own orbit after being ejected as a secondary payload of another primary mission + deployed in low-Earth orbit, just above the atmosphere and its function post deployment was to transmit the letters “HI” in Morse code + Ever since the launch of OSCAR I in 1961, it has been traditional for amateur radio satellites to carry the name OSCAR, and 111 satellites have received the OSCAR designations so far

Ø  Log4Shell Vulnerability = A new vulnerability named Log4Shell is being touted as one of the worst cyber security flaws to have been discovered + officially known as CVE-2021- 44228, is a critical log4j Vulnerability + This vulnerability impacts an open-source logging library Log4j2 version (common logging library used by applications across the world) + Tech companies (like Apple, Microsoft, Google), enterprise applications (from CISCO, CloudFare, Amazon and others) and even government agencies all rely on this open-source logging library + Log4Shell vulnerability could allow a remote hacker to control java-based web servers and launch arbitrary ‘remote code execution’ (RCE) attacks on a system with software using the log4j2 Java library. It could potentially let the users to run malicious software on a device or servers. It allows a hacker to take control of a system. The flaw can

be exploited either over HTTP or HTTPS (the encrypted version of browsing), which adds to the problems.

Ø  0day or Zero-day Vulnerability = refers to a security flaw which has not been publicly disclosed and for which a software patch or remediation technique is not available + Considering that attempts at exploiting Log4Shell were observed at least a week prior to it being publicly disclosed, it could be said that it was a 0day vulnerability, however, only for a very brief period

Ø  Web 3.0 = next stage of the web evolution that would make the internet more intelligent or process information with near-human-like intelligence + Web 1.0, also called the Static Web, which started in the 1990s enabled easy access to information. However, the information was largely disorganised and difficult to navigate + The Social Web, or Web 2.0, made the internet a lot more interactive thanks to advancements in web technologies like Javascript, HTML5, CSS3, etc., which enabled startups to build interactive web platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia and many more

Ø  Beryllium = steel-gray metal + very strong for its weight and is good at holding its shape across a range of temperatures + Beryllium is a good conductor of electricity and heat and is not magnetic + Because it is light and strong, beryllium is often used to build parts for supersonic airplanes and the Space Shuttle

Ø  M-Sand = Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) is artificial sand produced from crushing hard granite stones into sand sized angular shaped particles, washed and finely graded to be used as construction aggregate + M-Sand is the most effective and efficient substitute for river sand as it is the most robust sand. The size of M-Sand is less than 4.75mm + M-Sand is used for the production of concrete for construction purpose. The demand for M-Sand is high due to the depletion of river sand and fast-growing construction industries + (P-Sand = Plastering M Sand (P Sand) is a very fine grade of sand. It is free of silt and clay particles and has denser particle packing than natural sand + It is used for wall plastering and brickwork purpose. It will provide plastering strength to the construction structure + Plastering M Sand is produced from hard granite stone + P Sand is used as a substitute for river sand which is used for preparing concrete, plastering and also other non-concrete constructions like flooring works, etc)

Ø  Xenobots = Living Robots + Xenobots are synthetic life forms that are designed by computers to perform some desired function and built by combining together different biological tissues + Xenobots are named after the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). The world’s first Xenobots were developed in 2020 by assembling African clawed frog cells + Benefits - One day these xenobots could be programmed to perform useful functions such as finding cancer cells in the human body or trapping harmful microplastics in the ocean.

Ø  Black Box = Black Box is a vital electronic device that is installed in aircraft to help investigators in case of unfortunate accidents + It is neither black in colour, nor box in shape, but is a device made in high-visibility orange colour + It records 88 vital parameters about a flight including, airspeed, altitude, cockpit conversations, and air pressure among others + To withstand the harshest crashes, the black box is double wrapped in a corrosion-resistant

stainless-steel container with high-temperature insulation + If underwater, the device sends out a signal on contact with saltwater that can be picked up within a radius of about 2 kilometres

Ø  Hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG) = The blending of hydrogen with CNG provides a blended gas termed as HCNG + It can be used in place of gasoline, diesel fuel and propane (C3H8) / LPG and its combustion produces fewer undesirable gases + HCNG helps in reduction of emissions of various gases like CO, NO etc + Vehicle engines need minimum modification to run on HCNG + It is considered as ideal fuel for heavy load vehicles + Due to higher octane rating of H2, HCNG giver relative better performance + Current cost of H2 is more than the cost of Natural Gas. So, HCNG’s cost is more than CNG

Ø  Serum Ferritin = Ferritin is a blood protein that contains iron + India has decided to mandatorily fortify foods with iron. But there are many risks associated with it + Iron is not safe in excess; it is an oxidant that increases the risk for many non-communicable diseases + Iron Fortification of any one staple (rice, wheat, or salt) will increase serum ferritin without necessarily changing haemoglobin level. This high serum ferritin level increase the risk of high blood sugar, high blood lipids and high blood pressure

Ø  Genomic Sequencing or DNA Sequencing = Genomic Sequencing determines the order of the four chemical building blocks (‘bases’) or nucleotides that make up the DNA molecule - Adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine + These nucleotides pair up together collectively to make up a genome that contains all the genetic information an organism needs to survive. When an organism replicates, it makes a copy of its entire genome to pass on to its offspring. Sometimes errors in the copying process can lead to mutations in which one or more building blocks are swapped, deleted or inserted. This may alter genes, and can affect the physical characteristics of that organism + There are three generations of sequencing technologies:

·         First-generation sequencing (used in the 1970s and 1980s) - Maxam-Gilbert method, and Sanger method (or dideoxy method) + Sanger sequencing involves cutting up DNA into short fragments and adding radioactive or fluorescent tags to identify each nucleotide. The fragments are then put through an electric sieve that sorts them by size + Compared with newer methods, Sanger sequencing is slow and can process only relatively short stretches of DNA. But it provides highly accurate data, and some researchers are still using this method

·         Second-generation sequencing marks each nucleotide with a specific colour. These technologies are able to read DNA directly. After DNA is cut up into fragments, short stretches of genetic material called adapters are added to give each nucleotide a different colour. Finally, these DNA fragments are fed into a computer and reassembled into the entire genomic sequence

·         Third-generation sequencing technologies like the Nanopore MinIon detect changes in an electrical current to identify nucleotides. As each pair of nucleotides disrupts the electrical current in a particular way, the sequencer can read these changes and upload them directly to a computer. This allows clinicians to sequence samples at point-of-

care clinical and treatment facilities. However, Nanopore sequences smaller volumes of DNA compared with other NGS platforms

Ø  Quantum Entanglement = When two objects, say two particles of light, also called photons, are in an entangled state, any changes made to the state of one, for example, its spin, are reflected in the other particle, however far they move from each other without breaking the entanglement. If developed, this property can be used to transmit a message at a very high level of secrecy from one point to another + In 2020, China demonstrated quantum communications technology using the satellite Micius, by conducting a secret conference between two ground stations about 1120 km apart. They used the satellite not to transmit the entire communication, but to simultaneously send a pair of secret keys to the two ground stations. Each secret key is one of two strings of the entangled photons + Albert Einstein dismissed this idea as a ‘spooky action’

 

5)   POLITY & GOVERNANCE

Ø  Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) = a stringent law that allows the armed forces to use maximum force in an area declared as ‘disturbed’ + President promulgated the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Ordinance in May 1958. This was subsequently replaced by an act of Parliament. Initially known as the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act, 1958, it was subsequently adapted appropriately after the creation of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura + Under this law, an area can be declared a ‘disturbed area’, bringing into play the protection it offers to the armed forces for use of force in the notified area. The notification is extended periodically, mostly for six months at a time +As of today, the whole of Assam and Nagaland are ‘disturbed areas’. It is also in force in some parts of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh+The AFSPA was revoked in Tripura in May 2015, after being in force since 1997 +Meghalaya was under AFSPA for 27 years, until it was revoked 2018. The Act was implemented in a 20- km area along the border with Assam + Jammu and Kashmir has a separate J&K Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1990 +The Act empowers the Governor of any State, or the Administrator of a Union Territory, or the Central Government to notify parts of or the whole of a State or a Union Territory as a ‘disturbed area’, if they consider that the condition in such areas is so dangerous or disturbed that the use of the armed forces is necessary in aid of civil power +In 2005, a Government-appointed five-member committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge, B. P. Jeevan Reddy, recommended that AFSPA be repealed + Power to armed forces:

·         Any officer of the armed forces may fire upon or use force, even to the point of causing death, against any person for the maintenance of public orderif they feel a person is in contravention of the law

·         If reasonable suspicion exists, the army can also arrest a person without a warrant; enter or search premises without a warrant; and ban the possession of firearms

·         The armed forces may also destroy any hideout, or arms dump or fortified area or shelter from which armed attacks are being launched, or any arms training is being carried out

Ø  Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955 = enacted to control the production, supply and distribution of, and trade and commerce in, certain goods considered as essential commodities + Act itself does not lay out Rules and Regulations but allows the States to issue Control Orders related to dealer licensing, regulate stock limits, restrict movement of goods and requirements of compulsory purchases under the system of levy + Act also provides for action to confiscate the stock seized; to suspend/ cancel licences, if any and impose punishments like imprisonment + Act also gives the power to fix price limits, and selling the particular commodities above the limit will attract penalties + Most of the powers under the Act have been delegated by the Central Government to the State Governments with the direction that they shall exercise these powers. Food and civil supply authorities in States execute the provisions of the Act. Consequently, all wholesalers, distributors, and retailers dealing in the product must reduce their inventories to comply with the Provisions + According to recent Eco survey, frequent and unpredictable imposition of blanket stock limits on commodities under Essential Commodities Act (ECA) neither brings down prices nor reduces price volatility. However, such intervention does enable opportunities for rent- seeking and harassment + The major commodity groups included in the Act are

·         Petroleum and its products, including petrol, diesel, kerosene, Naphtha, solvents etc

·         Food stuff, including edible oil and seeds, vanaspati, pulses, sugarcane and its products like, khandsari and sugar, rice paddy

·         Raw Jute and jute textiles

·         Drugs- prices of essential drugs are still controlled by the DPCO

·         Fertilisers- the Fertiliser Control Order prescribes restrictions on transfer and stock of fertilizers apart from prices

·         Onion and Potato

·         Seeds of food crops, fruits and vegetables, cattle fodder, Jute seeds and Cotton seeds

Ø  Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 = It will replace the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, promulgated in June 2020 + The Bill seeks to amend the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and empowers the central government in terms of production, supply, distribution, trade, and commerce of certain commodities + It aims to "deregulate" agricultural commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onions and potatoes + The extraordinary circumstances include war, famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamity of grave nature

Ø  Consumer Protection Act (CPA), 2019 = Ministry of Consumer Affairs + CPA, 2019 aims to protect the rights of consumers by establishing authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumer’s dispute + It replaces CPA, 1986 + CPA, 2019 provides a three-tier quasi-judicial mechanism for redressal of disputes-district, state and national commission. It also stipulates the pecuniary jurisdiction of each tier of consumer commission + Mechanism provided under CPA, 2019 for settling consumer disputes:

·         Deciding complaint within three months if complaint does not require analysis or testing of commodities and within 5 months if it requires analysis or testing,

·         Option of filing complaint electronically through E-Daakhil Portal and

·         Option of resolving disputes through mediation

Ø  DAM Safety Act, 2019 = Act proposes to help all states and UTs adopt uniform dam safety procedures + seeks to set up an institutional mechanism to ensure the safe functioning of specific dams in the country + Central Dam Safety Organisation, under the Central Water

Commission (CWC), provides technical assistance to the Dam Owners, and maintains data on Dams + Act applies to all specified dams in the country + There will be four layers of monitoring, two at the central level and two at the state level (National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) will be constituted to help evolve uniform dam safety policies, protocols, and procedures + A National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) as a regulatory body for ensuring the nationwide implementation of dam safety policies and standards + At the State level, the Bill prescribes for the constitution of State Committees on Dam Safety (SCDS) and the establishment of the State Dam Safety Organizations (SDSO)) + Dam owners will be responsible for the safe construction, operation, maintenance and supervision of a dam

Ø  ART Regulation Act 2021 = Assisted Reproductive Technology(ART ) + Act provides for the safe and ethical practice of ART services + It include all techniques that seek to obtain a pregnancy by handling sperm or oocyte (immature egg cell) outside human body and transferring gamete or embryo into the reproductive system of a woman + Every ART clinic and bank must be registered under the National Registry of Banks and Clinics of India + State governments will appoint registration authorities for facilitating the registration process

+ ART bank is an organisation that is set up to supply sperm or semen, oocytes, or oocyte donors to ART clinics or their patients + National and State Boards: are constituted under the Act to regulate ART services + Act introduced stringent punishment for those practising sex selection, sale of human and organisations violating the law + Conditions for gamete donation and supply, offering ART services have also been prescribed + Types of ARTs(ART is used to treat infertility):

·         In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): It is the most common form of ART that is used by maximum patients. In this, woman’s eggs are combined with man’s sperm in a laboratory. The fertilised egg is then placed inside the woman’s uterus in a procedure called embryo transfer(Mitochondrial Replacement therapy (MRT) with a concept of three parent baby is a form of IVF)

·         Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT): The man’s sperm and a woman’s egg are made to combine in a lab. Then the eggs are implanted into the fallopian tubes and the fertilization occurs inside a woman’s body

·         Intrauterine insemination (IUI): Also known as artificial insemination, it involves insertion of the male partner’s (or a donor’s) sperm into a woman’s uterus at or just before the time of ovulation by long narrow tube

·         Gestational Surrogacy: In this, the embryo is created via IVF, using the eggs and sperm of the intended parents or donors, and is then transferred to the surrogate. The child is thus not biologically related to the surrogate mother, who is often referred to as a gestational carrier

Ø  Representation of People Act (RPA) =

·         RP act, 1950: inter alia, provides for: allocation of seats in and delimitation of constituencies for elections to the house of the people and the legislatures of states, qualification of voter at such elections and preparation of electoral rolls etc

·         RP Act, 1951: inter alia, provides for: conduct of elections of the houses of parliament and to the house or houses of the legislatures of each state, qualifications

and disqualification for membership of those houses, corrupt practices and other offences at or in connection with such elections etc

Ø  Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) = FCRA regulates foreign donations and ensures that such contributions do not adversely affect internal security + First enacted in 1976, it was amended in 2010 when a slew of new measures was adopted to regulate foreign donations + The FCRA is applicable to all associations, groups and NGOs which intend to receive foreign donations + It is mandatory for all such NGOs to register themselves under the FCRA + The registration is initially valid for five years and it can be renewed subsequently if they comply with all norms + Recent amendments(2020) in the FCRA are:

·         Prohibition of fund transfer: An amendment to Section 7 of the Act completely prohibits the transfer of foreign funds received by an organisation to any other individual or association +

·         Single bank account: Another amendment mandates that every person (or association) granted a certificate or prior permission to receive overseas funds must open an FCRA bank account in a designated branch of the SBI in New Delhi + All foreign funds should be received only in this account and none other. However, the recipients are allowed to open another FCRA bank account in any scheduled bank for utilization

·         Aadhaar mandate: In addition, the Government is also authorised to take the Aadhaar numbers of all the key functionaries of any organisation that applies for FCRA registration

·         Cap on administrative expenditure: Another change is that the portion of the receipts allowed as administrative expenditure has been reduced from 50% to 20%

Ø  Roshini Act = Enacted in 2001, Act envisaged the transfer of ownership rights of state land to its occupants, subject to the payment of a cost, as determined by the government + Sue to irregularities in land allocation, In 2020, Union Territory administration cancelled all land transfers that took place under the JK State Land after the act was struck down by the High court

Ø  Statutory Bail =Also known as default bail + this is a right to bail that accrues when the police fail to complete investigation within a specified period in respect of a person in judicial custody + This is enshrined in Code of Criminal Procedure + If it is not possible for the police to complete an investigation in 24 hours, the police produce the suspect in court and seek orders for either police or judicial custody + This section concerns the total period up to which a person may be remanded in custody prior to filing of charge sheet + For most offences, the police have 60 days to complete the investigation and file a final report before the court. However, where the offence attracts death sentence or life imprisonment, or a jail term of not less than 10 years, the period available is 90 days. In other words, a magistrate cannot authorize a person’s judicial remand beyond the 60-or 90-day limit + At the end of this period, if the investigation is not complete, the court shall release the person “if he is prepared to and does furnish bail’’ + The 60- or 90-day limit is only for ordinary penal law. Special enactments allow greater latitude to the police for completing the probe. In the

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the period is 180 days. However, in cases involving substances in commercial quantity, the period may be extended up to one year + This extension beyond 180 days can be granted only on a report by the Public Prosecutor indicating the progress made in the investigation and giving reasons to keep the accused in continued detention + In the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the default limit is 90 days only. The court may grant an extension of another 90 days, if it is satisfied with a report by the Public Prosecutor showing the progress made in the investigation + Default or statutory bail is a right, regardless of the nature of the crime + The stipulated period within which the charge sheet has to be filed begins from the day the accused is remanded for the first time + It includes days undergone in both police and judicial custody, but not days spent in house-arrest + A requirement for the grant of statutory bail is that the right should be claimed by the person in custody. If the charge sheet is not filed within the stipulated period, but there is no application for bail, there is no automatic bail. In general, the right to bail on the investigation agency’s default is considered an ‘indefeasible right’, but it should be availed of at the appropriate time.

Ø  Marriage Laws in India =The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872, prescribe the age of 18 years for the bride and 21 years for the groom + The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, allows marriage if the boy and the girl have attained puberty+Special Marriage Act, 1954, which governs inter-faith marriages also lays down 18 years for women and 21 years for men as the age of marriage +There is also the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, which prohibits marriage below 18 years for women and 21 years for men + (Jaya Jaitly Committee = set up in 2020 by MoWCD to look into the correlation between the age of marriage with issues of women’s nutrition, prevalence of anemia, IMR, MMR and other social indices + The committee has recommended the age of marriage be increased to 21 years)[Important for Prelims 2022]

Ø  Anti-conversion law in India = Currently, there are at least nine states in the country where legislations on unlawful conversions are in force: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh + Anti- Conversion Acts fall within the purview of Entry I of List II of the Seventh Schedule as they are meant to avoid disturbances to the public order + In 2015, the Law Ministry said that matter is “purely a state subject” and legislating such a law by Parliament would not be in accordance with the tenets of the constitution. This means anti-conversion laws are completely in the domain of the states.

Ø  Constituent Assembly (CA) = CA met for the first time in New Delhi on December 9, 1946 in the Central Hall of Parliament House + Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946 (comprising of Frederick Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stanfford Cripps and A.V. Alexander) created the CA of India + Assembly was recognized by Section 8 of the Indian Independence Act, 1947 + Members were chosen by indirect election by the members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies, according to the scheme recommended by the Cabinet Mission + First sitting of the Assembly was presided over by Dr Sachchidananda Sinha + CA took two years, eleven months and seventeen days for drafting the Constitution for Independent India

Ø  Special Category Status(SCS) = first introduced in 1969 + classification given by Centre to assist in the development of those states that face geographical and socio-economic disadvantages like hilly terrains, strategic international borders, economic and infrastructural backwardness, and nonviable state finances + Fourteenth Finance Commission restricted SCS only to the north-eastern and three hilly states + Under SCS, Central government bears 90% of the state expenditure on all centrally-sponsored schemes and external aid while rest 10% is given as loan to state at zero percent rate of interest + Unspent money does not lapse and is carried forward + States with SCS are exempted from customs duty, corporate tax, income tax and other taxes to attract investment + Central government was unable to grant Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and in lieu accorded Special Assistance Measure (SAM) to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh at the request of the state government was accorded. Special Assistance Measure was extended recently. SAM will be provided by way of repayment of loan and interest for the Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) signed and disbursed during 2015-16 to 2019-20 by the State

Ø  Police Commissionerate System (PCS) = It is different that the District Majistrate system or the dual system + In Dual system, The state government exercises control and superintendence over the state police forces. At the district level, the District Magistrate also give directions to the Superintendent of Police and supervise police administration. The powers such as issuing orders for preventive arrests or imposition of Section 144 CrPC are vested in the DM + In some metropolitan cities and urban areas, however, the dual system has been replaced by the commissionerate system to allow for quicker decision-making in response to complex law and order situations, rising population and rapid urbanisation. The police have a greater say in resolving land disputes. However, removal of encroachments and other land-related problems would need the presence of a magistrate to aid the police.

Ø  Rules/legal provisions for Internet shutdown = Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency & Public Safety) Rules, 2017 + Currently, suspension of telecom services (including internet shutdowns) is governed by the 2017 Rules notified under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885. 2017 Rules provide for temporary shutdown of telecom services in a region on grounds of public emergency (up to 15 days at once). 1885 Act empowers the central government to regulate various types of telecom services including internet services and grant licenses for them + Supreme court in its 2020 judgment Directed for publishing of all orders for suspension of telecom services to enable the affected persons to challenge it before the High Court + Suspending internet services indefinitely is impermissible under the Rules, 2017. Order is subject to judicial review

Ø  Greater Tipraland = Several tribal outfits in Tripura are demanding for a separate state of ‘Greater Tipraland’ for indigenous communities in the region + Tripura was a kingdom ruled by the Manikya dynasty from the late 13th century until the signing of the Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on October 15, 1949 + Among the 19 notified Scheduled Tribes in Tripura, Tripuris (aka Tipra and Tiprasas) are the largest, followed by Reangs and Jamatias

Ø  Right to be Forgotten = falls under the purview of an individual’s right to privacy, which is governed by the Personal Data Protection Bill that is yet to be passed by Parliament + In 2017, the Right to Privacy was declared a fundamental right (under Article 21) by the

Supreme Court in its landmark verdict (Puttuswamy case) + Right to be Forgottenallows a person to seek deletion of private information from the Internet. The concept has found recognition in some jurisdictions abroad, particularly the European Union

Ø  Lokur Commission = set up by the West Bengal government to inquire into the alleged interception of mobile phones using military grade spyware Pegasus + Set up under Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 + Under The Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, a Commission set up by the government shall have the powers of a civil court, while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 + While both central and state governments can set up such Commissions of Inquiry, states are restricted by subject matters that they are empowered to legislate upon + If the central government set up the commission first, then states cannot set up a parallel commission on the same subject matter without the approval of the Centre. But if a state has appointed a Commission, then the Centre can appoint another on the same subject if it is of the opinion that the scope of the inquiry should be extended to two or more states + Commissions set up by the central government can make an inquiry into any matter relatable to any of the entries in List I (Union List) or List II (State List) or List III (Concurrent List) in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, while Commissions set up by state governments can look into entries in List II or List III

Ø  Public Accounts Committee (PAC) = oldest Parliamentary Committee and was first constituted in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act of 1919 (in the wake of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms) + consists of 22 Members; 15 Members are elected from LS and 7 Members from the RS + Speaker is empowered to appoint the Chairman of the Committee from amongst its members + W M Hailey was its first president, and Bhupendra Nath Mitra its first Indian president. The last president before Independence was Liaquat Ali Khan + Until 1966 – 67, the chairman of the committee belonged to the ruling party. However, since 1967 a convention has developed whereby the chairman of the committee is selected invariably from the Opposition + It is constituted by Parliament each year for examination of accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament for expenditure of Government of India, the annual Finance Accounts of Government of India, and such other accounts laid before Parliament as the Committee may deem fit + PAC scrutinizes the Appropriation Accounts of the Government of India and the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India + It examines the statement of accounts showing the income and expenditure of State Corporations, trading and manufacturing schemes, projects and autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies

Ø  Estimates Committee = set up in 1950 + to examine the estimates included in the budget and suggest economies in public expenditure + originally, it had 25 members but in 1956 its members and he is invariable from the ruling party + All the 30 members are from Lok Sabha only + Chairman of the committee is appointed by the speaker from amongst its members and he is invariably from the ruling party.

Ø  Committee on Public Undertakings = Established in 1964 on the recommendation of the Krishna Menon committee + In 1974, its membership was raised to 22 (15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha) from 15 members + chairman of the committee is appointed by the speaker from amongst its members who are drawn from the Lok Sabha only

Ø  Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) = independent authority + established under Article 148 + appointed by President + He is the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts

Department + He is the guardian of the public purse and controls the entire financial system of the country at the Centre and state level + The administrative expenses of the office of CAG are charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India + CAG shall not be eligible for further office + CAG is fulfilling the role of an Auditor-General only and not that of a Comptroller + Its main role is to audit and check accounts relating to all Union & state government departments and offices, including Railways, Posts and Telecoms + It also scrutinises the accounts of companies owned or financed by the government + CAG submits three audit reports to the President: Appropriation accounts, Finance accounts and Public undertaking

Ø  National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India (NJIAI) = Recently, Chief Justice of India has proposed creation of NJIAI + NJIAI’s objective will be to take control of the budgeting and infrastructure development of subordinate courts in the country + It will be established on the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) model, where by it would work as a central agency with each State having its own State Judicial Infrastructure Authority + Chief Justice of India would be the patron-in-chief of the NJIAI and it would be placed under Supreme Court of India, unlike NALSA which is under Ministry of Law and Justice + In the NJIAI there would be a few High Court judges as members, and some Central Government officials

Ø  National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) = NDTL has regained the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accreditation + The restoration of accreditation is a boost to India’s efforts to achieve the highest global standards of excellence in sport + NDTL was established with an aim to get permanently accredited by International Olympic Committee (IOC) and WADA to do the testing for the banned drugs in human sports + WADA is an international independent agency composed and funded equally by the sport movement and governments of the world. Scientific Institution By Indians during Modern History period =

·         Indian Association for Cultivation of Science (IACS) = established by Dr Mahendralal Sircar + objective to enable natives of India to cultivate science in all of its departments with a view to its advancement by original research.

·         Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Workshop = established by Acharya P. C. Ray in 1901 + It was the foundation stone of indigenous industry in our country

·         Indian Institute of Science (IISC) = established by Sir JamsetjiNusserwanji Tata in 1908 on the suggestions of Swami Vivekanada made during their voyage from Japan to Chicago in 1893

·         Bose Research Institute = established by Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 + Bose was an extraordinary physicist, botanist and biologist of the time, demonstrated wireless transmission of electromagnetic radiations + Bose lived his life with the Indian philosophical thoughts of ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam’ by not patenting his research in the interest of humanity

·         Maharashtra Association for Cultivation of Science (MACS) = Inspired by Sircar’s IACS, MACS was established by Prof Shankar PurushottamAgharkar in Pune in 1946 + The institute was named after him in 1992 as the Agharkar Research Institute + He was an Indian morphologist and an expert on the biodiversity of

Western Ghats, where he discovered the freshwater jellyfish, generally found in Africa

·         Private Member Bill = Any MP who is not a Minister is referred to as a private member. The purpose of private member’s bill is to draw the government’s attention to what individual MPs see as issues and gaps in the existing legal framework, which require legislative intervention + The admissibility of Private Member Bill is decided by the Chairman for Rajya Sabha and Speaker in the case of Lok Sabha + The Member must give at least a month’s notice before the Bill can be listed for introduction. The House secretariat examines it for compliance with constitutional provisions and rules on legislation before listing + While government Bills can be introduced and discussed on any day, private member’s Bills can be introduced and discussed only on Fridays + As per PRS Legislative, no private member’s Bill has been passed by Parliament since 1970. To date, Parliament has passed 14 such Bills, six of them in 1956. In the 14th Lok Sabha, of the over 300 private member’s Bills introduced, roughly four per cent were discussed, the remaining 96 per cent lapsed without a single dialogue

Ø  Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) = It is the nodal agency for maritime data fusion + It was set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks + Approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in 2012 + Became operational in 2014 and is located in Gurugram + It is the nodal centre of the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence System (NC3I), which was established to link the operational centres and lower echelons of the Navy and the Coast Guard spread across the country’s coastline, including the island territories

Ø  Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts(IGNCA) = established in 1987 + autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, as a centre for research, academic pursuit and dissemination in the field of the arts + IGNCA has a trust (i.e. Board of Trustees), which meets regularly to give general direction about the Centre’s work. The Executive Committee, drawn from among the Trustees, functions under a Chairman + It is a research unit under Project Mausam. Project ‘Mausam’ is a Ministry of Culture project with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), New Delhi as the nodal agency. The central themes that hold Project ‘Mausam’ together are those of cultural routes and maritime landscapes that not only linked different parts of the Indian Ocean littoral, but also connected the coastal centres to their hinterlands + Important projects under IGNCA

·         Vedic Heritage Portal:A project on design and development of a Vedic Heritage Portal was initiated at IGNCA, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The portal aims to communicate messages enshrined in the Vedas

·         National Mission on Cultural Mapping:National Mission on cultural mapping (NMCM) = 2017 + NMCM has now been handed over to Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA)+ NMCM was set up to compile data of artists, art forms

& geo location with inputs from Central Ministries, State Governments & art and culture bodies + Three important objectives of NMCM are: National Cultural Awareness Abhiyan, Nationwide Artist Talent Hunt/Scouting Programme, National Cultural Workplace + Recently IGNCA conducted cultural mapping of 80 villages associated with noted personalities in history, in particular the freedom movement, unique crafts and festivals has been started as a pilot project.

Ø  National Institute of High Security Animal Disease (NIHSAD) = Located in Bhopal

+Independent Institute under Indian council of Agricultural Research(ICAR) + premier institute of India for research on exotic and emerging pathogens of animals

Ø  Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) = under the Rubber Board (Rubber Board is a statutory body constituted by the Government of India, under the Rubber Act 1947, with head office in Kerala + falls under Ministry of Commerce and Industry) + Recently, Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) has developed a method to dry sheet rubber in 24 hours in place of the traditional method that takes four to five days. The much quicker method of drying is done by replacing the conventional coagulant — diluted formic acid — with a mixture of the acid and alcohol and an improved sheeting process.

Ø  National Medicinal Plants Board = In order to promote medicinal plants sector, the Government of India set up National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) in 2000 + Currently, the board is working under the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homoeopathy) + NMPB’s main objective is the development of medicinal plants sector through developing a strong coordination between various ministries/ departments/ organization for implementation of policies / programs on medicinal plants + The NMPB also promote research & development, capacity building through trainings, raising awareness through promotional activities like creation of Home/School herbal gardens

Ø  National Strategy on Blockchain = has been formulated by the Ministry of Electronics &Information Technology (MeitY) + Blockchain is a distributed or decentralised ledger technology which was first introduced in the design and development of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto + Blockchain is a series of blocks, where each block contains details of transactions executed over the network, hash(address) of the previous block, timestamp etc

Ø  Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Blockchain technology = established by NIC in association with National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI) + Its objectives include accelerating adoption & deployment of Blockchain technology in Government

Ø  Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) Property = RBI has clarified recently that OCI do not require approval for purchase or transfer of immovable property in India other than in the case of agricultural land, farm house or plantation property + Purchase and acquisition of immovable properties in India, by OCIs is Governed by Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 + There is no restriction as to the number of residential or commercial property that can be purchased + They are also allowed to acquire any residential or commercial property by way of gift from any of his NRI, OCI or a resident relative + Though OCIs are not allowed to buy agricultural land farm, house or plantation property in India, they are allowed to inherit the same from any person resident in India

6)   ECONOMICS

Ø  Anti-Dumping Duty = Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) recently imposed anti-dumping duty on five products manufactured in China for 5 years in order to safeguard domestic producers + Dumping is a process where a company exports a product at a price that is significantly lower than the price it normally charges in its domestic market. An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff imposed by a country on foreign imports that it believes as being dumped. WTO trade rules include international regulation of anti-dumping measures + Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) recommends imposition of Anti dumping duty to CBIC

Ø  Benchmark Lending Rate = the rate that is used as a standard or base to pay interest rate for deposits and loans + Also known as base rate, it is the minimum interest rate of a bank, below which it cannot lend, except for DRI allowances, loans to bank's own employees and to bank's depositors against their own deposits + The base rate system has replaced the Benchmark Prime Lending Rate (BPLR) from July 1, 2010. For the loans taken before July 1, 2010, the RBI has allowed to continue with BPLR at which the loans were approved. But, they were given the option of switching to the base rate before the expiry of their loans + In Indian Interbank market, Mumbai Interbank Offer Rate (MIBOR) - Indian equivalent of LIBOR - and Mumbai Interbank Bid Rate (MIBID) are the interest rate benchmarks. The function of both MIBOR and MIBID is to act as financial benchmarks. MIBID/MIBOR rate is used as bench mark rate for majority of deals struck in the derivative market + Recently, State Bank of India (SBI) has increased the benchmark lending rate or base rate by 10 basis points, to 7.55%. The SBI also revised the benchmark prime lending rate to 12.3%

MIBOR	MIBID
MIBOR - Mumbai Interbank Offer Rate	MIBID - Mumbai Interbank Bid Rate
MIBOR is loan interest rate; it is the rate at which a lender would like to charge.	MIBID is the interest rate that a borrower likes to pay while getting a loan.
MIBOR is the offer rate. It is the rate offered by lenders.	MIBID is the bid rate. It is the bid rate quoted by a borrower who seeks a loan.

Ø  Tokenisation = Tokenisation refers to replacement of actual credit and debit card details with an alternate code called the “token”, which will be unique for a combination of card, token requestor and device + A tokenised card transaction is considered safer as the actual card details are not shared with the merchant during transaction processing + Recently, RBI has extended the deadline given to the online merchants and financial payments companies for implementation of the norms for tokenisation of card data by 6 months to June 30, 2022 + As per the new guidelines, the RBI prohibited merchants from storing customer credit and debit card details on their servers with effect from January 01, 2022. Also, the merchants must adopt card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation as an alternative to card storage. It applies to domestic, online purchases

Ø  Challenger banks = Alike Neo banks, Challenger banks also leverage technology to streamline the banking process. However, they also maintain a brick and mortar physical

presence + They are different from traditional banks in the sense that their presence is much smaller. [Read about Neo Banks from previous editions]

Ø  Scheduled Bank Status = Recently, Paytm Payments Bank was accorded scheduled bank status by the Reserve Bank of India + Scheduled banks refer to those banks which have been included in the Second Schedule of Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 + Other payments banks that have been added are Fino Payments Bank and India Post Payments Bank + With the scheduled bank status, Paytm Payments Bank can explore new business opportunities, take part in Request for Proposals issued by the government and other large corporations, primary auctions, fixed-rate and variable rate repos and reverse repos + It can also participate in Marginal Standing Facility and will be eligible to partner in government-run financial inclusion schemes + It is now eligible for refinancing facility from the RBI at the bank rate, acquire membership to clearing house, and get access to currency storage facility

Ø  Payments Bank = created on recommendations of RBI’s Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low Income Households headed by NachiketMor in 2013 + It is registered under Companies Act, 2013 and licensed under Banking Regulation Act, 1949 + It has to maintain Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) with RBI and invest in eligible government securities/ treasury bills under Statutory Liquid Ratio (SLR) + It can access inter-bank uncollateralised call money market and collateralized repo and CBLO market for temporary liquidity management + Minimum paid-up equity capital of the payments bank is INR 100 crores and it is required to maintain a minimum capital adequacy ratio of 15% + Promoters of the payments bank should hold at least 40% of its paid-up equity capital for the first 5 years

Ø  Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIS) = Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) and New India have been identified, like in 2020-21, as D-SIIs for 2021-22 + D-SIIs are identified on an annual basis by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) + D-SIIs refer to insurers of such size, market importance and domestic and global inter connectedness, whose distress or failure would cause a significant dislocation in the domestic financial system + Parameters for identification of D-SIIs Size of operations in terms of total revenue and Global activities across more than one jurisdiction + Similarly, RBI identifies domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs) or banks that are considered as “too big to fail”. SBI, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank are identified as DSIBs for 2020-21

Ø  Algorithmic Trading or Algo Trading = is a computer assisted buying and selling of  stocks + Around 50 per cent of the daily trading volume in Indian stock markets is through an advanced form of algo trading + Algo trading came to India in 2008, but in 2015, it was revealed that NSE gave preferential access to a few algo traders + SEBI is considering a proposal to regulate Algo trading

Ø  NSE Prime = National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched a new corporate governance initiative + It is a framework that prescribes higher standards of corporate governance for listed companies than those required by regulations + All the NSE-listed companies can adopt NSE Prime voluntarily

Ø  Negtaive Yield Bonds = These are debt instruments that offer to pay the investor a maturity amount lower than the purchase price of the bond + Can be issued by central banks or

governments + Here, investors pay interest to the borrower to keep their money with them + Such instruments are usually in demand during times of stress and uncertainty. This is to protect their capital from significant erosion. From currency fluctuations to deflation, there are scenarios in which purchasers of negative-yield bonds can come out ahead + Please Note: A bond’s price moves inversely with its yield or interest rate; the higher the price of a bond, the lower the yield

Ø  Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) = AoA concluded by WTO members came into force in 1995 + It provides a framework for the long-term reform of agricultural trade and domestic policies, with the aim of leading to fairer competition and a less distorted sector + Agreement covers Market access: the use of trade restrictions, such as tariffs on imports, Domestic support: the use of subsidies and other support programmes that directly stimulate production and distort trade and Export competition: the use of export subsidies and other government support programmes that subsidize exports + Under the Agreement, WTO members agree to “schedules” or lists of commitments that set limits on the tariffs they can apply to individual products and on levels of domestic support and export subsidies + AoA was signed by WTO members in Uruguay round + AoA states that Domestic Support shall not exceed De minimis level + De minimis levels are up to 5% of value of production for developed countries and 10% for developing countries like India

 

7)   DEFENCE

Ø  Dhawan-1 = India’s first privately developed Cryogenic Rocket + Skyroot Aerospace successfully tested Dhawan-1 and became the country’s first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine + The indigenous engine was developed using 3D printing with a superalloy. It runs on two high-performance rocket propellants — liquid natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LoX). This was after successfully designing and developing the solid propulsion rocket engine, the first private firm in the country to do so.

Ø  SANT Missile = Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missileis an indigenous stand-off weapon designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad in coordination with other DRDO labs and participation from industries + It is equipped with a state-of-the-art millimetre wave (MMW) seeker which provides high precision strike capability from a safe distance. The weapon can neutralize targets in a range up to 10 kms + It will strengthen the indigenous defence capabilities and the arsenal of IAF

Ø  Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo (SMART) System = DRDO developed Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo (SMART) System gets successfully launched from Wheeler Island in Odisha + SMART system is a next generation long-range missile-based standoff torpedo delivery system + A torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target + SMART system has been designed to enhance anti-submarine warfare capability far beyond the conventional range of the torpedo. This canister-based missile system consists of advanced technologies viz. 2- stage solid propulsion, electro-mechanical actuators and precision inertial navigation

Ø  Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) = India successfully test-fired the missile for the second time from Chandipur off the coast of Odisha + Launches were carried out for demonstration of vertical launch capability + It is meant for neutralising aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets + Sea skimming targets are those assets that fly as close as possible to sea surface to avoid being detected by the radars onboard warships + indigenously designed and developed by DRDO for the Indian Navy

Ø  Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV) = indigenously designed and developed by DRDO and manufactured by the Pune unit of Bharat Electronics Limited + It has more than 90% indigenous content + It is a versatile BMP-IIK amphibious Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) fitted with instruments for water reconnaissance, land reconnaissance, navigation, and data backup + AERV is capable of measuring soil bearing capacity on riverbanks to determine if they are motorable for military vehicles on Go-No-Go basis (critical parameters for bridge laying), dry and wet gaps in day and night conditions, slopes and height of river banks or canals +AERVs can navigate terrain using Military Grid Coordinate System, measure and plot underwater beds and water currents of rivers or canals, store data from various instruments on Control Console for further analysis and decision- making + Recently, first batch of next-generation indigenously designed Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicles (AERV) was inducted by the Indian Army

Ø  INS Khukri = Recently, INS Khukri decommissioned after 32 years of glorious service to the nation + INS Khukri was the first of the indigenously built Missile Corvettes + INS Khukri was built by the Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders in 1989 + It was affiliated with the Gorkha brigade of the India Army. It had the distinction of being part of both the Western and Eastern Fleets + (Missile Corvettes = are agile high-speed ships and have considerable firepower. They are ideal for a littoral environment + Indian Navy has four Missile Corvettes

- INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt, INS Kiltan and INS Kavaratti + These were commissioned in the Indian Navy in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2020 respectively + In 2020, the last of 4 indigenously built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes ‘INS Kavaratti’ was commissioned under Project 28. The ships under Project 28 have been designed locally by the Navy’s in-house Directorate of Naval Design (DND). These were built locally by Kolkata based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers.)

Ø  Controlled Aerial Delivery System-500 (CADS-500) = Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)’s Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra, conducted a flight demonstration of its CADS-500 + CADS-500 can be used for precise delivery of payloads up to 500 kilograms at a predetermined location by making use of manoeuvrable capabilities of Ram Air Parachute (RAP) + It autonomously steers its flight path using waypoint navigation towards target location by operating controls

Ø  Pralay = DRDO successfully conducted maiden flight test of indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha + 'Pralay' is India's first conventional ballistic missile and is an answer to any conventional missile attack from northern or western borders + Pralay is a solid-fuel, surface-

to-surface battlefield missile developed by DRDO based on Prithvi Defence Vehicle from the Indian ballistic missile programme + ‘Pralay’ is a 350-500 km short-range missile with a payload capacity of 500-1,000 kg. It can be launched from a mobile launcher + The missile guidance system includes state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionic.

Ø  Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) = Recently, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) has handed over a Technology for indigenous Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) to five Indian companies+ The ECWCS is required by the Army for operations in glacier and Himalayan peaks. The Army, till recently, had been importing extreme cold weather clothing and several special clothing and mountaineering equipment (SCME) +DRDO-designed ECWCS was an ergonomically designed modular technical clothing with improved thermal insulation and physiological comfort based on the insulation required at various ambient climatic conditions in the Himalayan regions during different levels of physical activity + ECWCS is designed to suitably provide thermal insulation over a temperature range of +15 to -50 degrees Celsius with different combinations of the layers and intensity of physical work

Ø  Army Secure Indigenous Messaging Application (ASIGMA) = Launched by: Indian Army + It is an in-house messaging service to meet real time data transfer and messaging requirements of the Army + It is being deployed on the Army’s internal network as a replacement of Army Wide Area Network (AWAN) messaging application + It has a variety of contemporary features including multi-level security, message prioritisation and tracking, dynamic global address book and various options to meet the Army’s requirements

Ø  Operation Vijay1961 = operation by the Military of India that led to the capture of Goa, Daman and Diu and Anjediva Islands + Portuguese were the first ones to colonize parts of India and were the last to leave. The Portuguese invaded Goa in the year 1510 + Please  Note: Operation Vijay of 1999 was launched by the Indian Army to recapture the Indian territories from Pakistani intruders in the Kargil-Drass sector in 1999

Ø  AK-203 Rifle Deal = signed between India and Russia, worth ₹5,000 crore + The 7.62 x 39 mm calibre AK-203 rifles will replace the INSAS rifles inducted over three decades ago + Having an effective range of 300 m, they are lightweight, robust and easy-to-use + The project will be implemented by Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd (IRRPL) jointly with the erstwhile OFB (now Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited) and Munitions India Limited of India and Rosoboronexport (RoE) and Kalashnikov Concern of Russia + India and Russia had signed an Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) for AK-203 rifles in 2019 following which IRRPL, a joint venture, was set up. The Ministry of Defence already floated a Request For Proposal (RFP) to the joint venture for the supply of 6.71 lakh rifles but the final deal has been held up over the high cost for each rifle. The RFP has now been modified to 6.1 lakh after a recent deal for 70,000 rifles through the emergency route.

Ø  Negative Import Lists = It has the items which Defence Ministry will stop importing + Recently renamed as ‘positive indigenisation list’ + It essentially means that the Armed Forces—Army, Navy and Air Force—will only procure all of these 101 items from domestic manufacturers + The manufacturers could be private sector players or defence Public Sector

Undertakings (DPSUs) + Defence Ministry notified the second negative import list, in May 2021, of 108 items that can now be only purchased from indigenous sources. The new list takes the total number on the list to 209 + The list comprises complex systems, sensors, simulator, weapons and ammunitions like helicopters, next generation corvettes, Air Borne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems, tank engines.

 

8)   HEALTH

Ø  S-gene = S-gene refers to the gene that codes for the spike protein, or the most distinctive part of the coronavirus + SARS-CoV-2, like many other coronaviruses, has key protein- regions that define its structure: The envelope protein (E), the nucleocapsid protein(N), the membrane protein (M) and the spike protein (S) + World Health Organization has said the S gene is not present in the Omicron variant + Union health ministry said that Omicrondoes not escape RT-PCR or rapid antigen test. While these tests will confirm the presence of Covid, the variant will be identified only through genome sequencing and through S-gene target failure + RT-PCR tests in India, as of now, only focus on the E, N and Rd Rp genes and the S test was not required

Ø  Chaperones = Chaperone proteins or Molecular chaperones are group of proteins that is present in all organisms and are essential for cell survival + One of the major functions of molecular chaperones is to facilitate protein folding i.e. amino acid folding. Although the amino acid sequence of a protein contains the information required to adopt the native conformation, not all proteins can fold spontaneously. Here, chaperones help + Unfolded polypeptides are generated during normal growth as the product of protein synthesis. But misfolded proteins arise as a consequence of cellular stresses, such as heat shock, oxidative stress, as well as pathological conditions + Major chaperones in humans include HSP70, HSC70 and HSP90 + Misfolding of these chaperone leads to major diseases like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Autosomal Dominant Congenital Cataract

Ø  Bird Flu = Also called avian influenza + It is a disease caused by avian influenza Type A viruses found naturally in wild birds worldwide + Symptoms have ranged from mild to severe influenza-like illness + Avian Influenza type A viruses are classified based on two proteins on their surfaces – Hemagglutinin(HA) and Neuraminidase(NA). There are about 18 HA subtypes and 11 NA subtypes. Several combinations of these two proteins are possible e.g., H5N1, H7N2, H9N6, H17N10, etc

Ø  Parvovirus = Canine Parvovirus (CPV) is a highly contagious viral disease that has reported a 90% mortality rate in puppies and dogs. It affects the intestinal tract of canines with puppies being more susceptible + The highly contagious virus spreads through direct contact with an infected dog or by indirect contact with a contaminated object + Parvovirus has no cure and inoculating a puppy or a dog gives them a fighting chance against the infection + Currently, there is no specific drug available to kill the Canine Parvovirus.

Ø  Cervical Cancer = Cervical cancer develops in a woman's cervix (the entrance to the uterus from the vagina) + It is preventable and curable, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. Yet it is the fourth most common cancer in women + Almost all cervical cancer

cases (99%) are caused due to high-risk HPV, a highly common virus transmitted through sexual contact + On Day of Action for Cervical Cancer Elimination, the WHO said that 9 out of 10 women who die of cervical cancer live in low- & middle-income countries. These countries also have low rates of vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes the cancer + In 2020, the WHO adopted Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination in order to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. To eliminate cervical cancer, all countries must reach and maintain an incidence rate of below 4 per 100000 women + 90:70:90 Targets: Each country should meet the 90-70-90 targets by 2030 to get on the path to eliminate cervical cancer within the next century (90% Vaccination to HPV; Screen 70% of women and Treat 90% of Women)

Ø  Streptomycin and Tetracycline = are important medicines used in the treatment of tuberculosis in human beings + It was also observed that the overutilization of the TB antibodies on crops is not healthy for human beings, plants, and the soil + Recently, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare notified the draft order on ‘Prohibition of Streptomycin and Tetracycline in Agriculture’ under the provisions of Insecticides Act, 1968 + The Insecticides Act, 1968 aims to regulate the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of insecticide with a view to prevent risk to human beings or animals and for matters connected therewith

Ø  Covid Delta Diagnostic Kit = Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved + oviDelta kit has been indigenously developed by GenePath Diagnostics, Pune + The kit detects all current variants of COVID-19 and flag presumptive Delta and Omicaran variants in a resources single test

Ø  Covovax = WHO issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for NVX-CoV2373 as 9^th such vaccine, expanding the basket of WHO-validated vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus + Covovax is the Indian version of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax Inc and manufactured under licence by the Serum Institute of India (SII) + It is a recombinant protein vaccine that uses spike proteins to teach the body how to develop immunity against the novel coronavirus + Covovax has greater efficacy as a booster dose than Covishield + Covovax requires two doses and is stable at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius refrigerated temperatures

Ø  Paxlovid = Recently, US Pharma Giant Pfizer has received USFDA emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid + The drug, Paxlovid, is a faster way to treat early COVID-19 infections + It is an antiviral Covid-19 treatment candidate, which is administered in combination with low dose HIV medicine ritonavir + It consists of nirmatrelvir, which inhibits a SARS-CoV-2 protein to stop the virus from replicating, and ritonavir, which slows down nirmatrelvir’s breakdown to help it remain in the body for a longer period.

Ø  Corbevax, Covovax shots and Molnupiravir = India has approved two more COVID-19 vaccines and the antiviral drug Molnupiravir under emergency use authorisation +

·         Corbevax: to be made by Hyderabad-based Biological E, is a protein subunit vaccine

+ Corbevax has been co-developed by Biological E, the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, U.S., and the U.S. company Dynavax Technologies.

·         Covovax: to be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, Pune, is a nanoparticle- based vaccine + Covovax is produced by the Serum Institute of India under licence from Novavax, a U.S.-based biotechnology company + The vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) under its Emergency Use Listing and, therefore, will be available globally as part of the COVAX initiative to ensure that at least 40% of world is vaccinated on priority

·         Molnupiravir, which was approved this month by the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA), close on the heels of Paxlovid by Pfizer Inc, is said to be a promising drug for those with mild and moderate disease and also easily administered as a pill

 

9)   INDICES & REPORTS

Ø  World Migration Report 2022 = Since 2000,prepared every second year, was published by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) + The recent report highlights that more people are being displaced by changing climate related disasters than conflicts and violence. Historically, conflicts and violence have been the biggest trigger for new displacement. But in recent years, this trend has changed + Total internal displacement due to disaster, conflict and violence has increaseddespite containment due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 + Asia reported the largest displacement due to disasters + Philippines experienced the highest absolute numbers of new disaster displacements in 2020 + Top destination for Indians: UAE + The amount of international migrants has grown steadily since 1970, currently representing 3.6% of the whole population on the planet + Work is the major reason that people migrate internationally + In 2020, India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, and Egypt were the top five remittance receiving countries

Ø  World Malaria Report 2021 = released by the World Health Organization (WHO) + report is based on information received from malaria-endemic countries in all WHO regions + The report highlighted that the milestones of the WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 have been missed in 2020. The 2030 targets won’t be met without immediate attention + India accounted for 83% of cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region + Globally, 40 countries and territories have now been granted a malaria-free certification from WHO – including, most recently, China, El Salvador, Argentina and Uzbekistan

Ø  World Inequality Report 2022 = presents complete data on global wealth, income, gender and ecological inequality + Released by: Paris-based World Inequality Lab + Objective: To promote research on global inequality dynamics + ncome and wealth inequalities have been on the rise nearly everywhere since the 1980s + Inequalities within countries are greater than inequalities observed between countries + Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are the most unequal regions in the world, whereas Europe has the lowest inequality levels + India stands out as the most unequal countriesin the world, with the top 10 percent holds 57% of the total national income

Ø  Global Health Security Index 2021 = jointly released by non-profits Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security + GHS Index 2021 is the

first comprehensive assessment and benchmarking of health security and related capacities of 195 countries to prepare for epidemics and pandemics + By assessing these capacities every 2-3 years, the GHS Index stimulates political will and action to prioritize addressing these gaps + The world’s overall performance on the GHS Index score slipped to 38.9 (out of 100) in 2021, from a score of 40.2 in 2019. In 2021, no country scored in the top tier of rankings and no country scored above 75.9. The report showed that India has slipped by 0.8 points since 2019.

Ø  World Press Freedom Index = Published annually by Reporters Without Borders since 2002, the World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries

+India being placed 142 out of 180 countries +The World Press Freedom Index is published by a foreign non-government-organisation, Reporters Without Borders (Headquarters: Paris, France) + Norway topped the index for the fifth year in a row + India was ranked in the “bad” category, along with Brazil, Mexico and Russia + Recently, Indian government showed disagreement with the report and said it was based on a small sample size and gave little or no importance to the “fundamentals of democracy”

Ø  State of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture = released by FAO + As per this, water and land resources are being pushed to limits due to human actions

+ Due to population increase, agricultural land available per capita for crops and animal husbandry declined by 20 per cent between 2000 and 2017

Ø  Global Trans-Fat Elimination 2021 Report = titled ‘Countdown to 2023 + World Health Organisation (WHO) released the third progress report + Since May 2020, there has been significant progress in TFA elimination around the world

Ø  Global Pension Index 2021 = It is an annual survey by Mercer Consulting, which aims to benchmark the retirement income system+ According to the survey, India had an overall index value of 43.3 among the countries analysed, lower than the index value of 45.7 for 2020. Globally, Iceland was ranked highest with an overall index value of 84.2 while Thailand had the lowest overall index value at 40.6 + India ranked 40 out of 43 countries for its pension system.

Ø  Worldwide Cost of Living Report = compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

+2021 edition of the report explores the cost of living in 173 cities, measured against impactful global events + On average, prices for goods and services have risen by 3.5% year- on-year, the highest inflation rate seen in the last five years + Tel Aviv tops the rankings, making it the most expensive city in the world to live in

Ø  Good Governance Index 2021 = Good Governance Index (GGI) is a nation-wide comparative study of States on governance which is carried out by the Government of India

+ GGI is prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions + Gujarat has topped the composite ranking, followed by Maharashtra and Goa + The GGI 2020-21 categorizes states and union territories into four categories: Other states – Group A; other states – group B; North-East and hill states and union territories

Ø  Wholesale Price Index = It measures average change in the prices of commodities for bulk sale at the level of early stage of transactions + The index basket of the WPI covers

commodities falling under the 3 Major Groups namely Primary Articles, Fuel and Power and Manufactured products + The prices tracked are ex- factory price for manufactured products, agri-market (mandi) price for agricultural commodities and ex-mines prices for minerals + Weights given to each commodity covered in the WPI basket is based on the value of production adjusted for net imports. WPI basket does not cover services + It is released by Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade + The base year of All-India WPI has been revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12 + A significant change in the new series of WPI has been the exclusion of indirect taxes while compiling indices of manufactured products + Wholesale Price Index, jumped to 14.23% in 2021 from 12.54% in 2020 (on a year-on-year basis). This is the highest WPI rate in the 2011-12 series and has remained in double digits for the 8^th consecutive month

Ø  Northeastern Region (NER) District SDG Index and Dashboard 2021-22 = Released by NITI Aayog + It is a collaborative effort by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M/DoNER) with technical support from UNDP to measures the performance of the District of the eight NE States + It is a step toward Localisation of SDG in India This SDG Index will be used as a base for planning of development and welfare activities, education, health care

Ø  Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report 2021 = In 2021, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced the Business Responsibility & Sustainability Report (BRSR). BRSR will replace Business Responsibility Reporting (BRR) + BRSR is a standardised reporting format that will give a baseline to draw comparison between Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals across companies and sectors + BRSR seeks disclosures from listed entities on their performance against the 9 principles of the ‘National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct (NGBRCs) + Filing of BRSR is voluntary for the financial year 2021-22 for the top 1000 listed companies. But filing of BRSR shall be mandatory from the FY 2022-2023.

Ø  State Health Index 2021 = NITI Aayog releases the 4^thedition of the State Health Index Report for 2019-2020, titled “Healthy States, Progressive India” + State Health Index has been developed by NITI Aayog, with technical assistance from the World Bank, and in close consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) + This annual report, compiled and published since 2017, ranks the states and UTs on their year-on-year incremental performance in health outcomes and their overall status + The State Health Index is a weighted composite index based on 24 indicators grouped under the domains of Health Outcomes, Governance and Information, and Key Inputs/Processes. Health outcomes, for instance, include parameters such as neonatal mortality rate, under-5 mortality rate and sex ratio at birth

Ø  Financial Stability Report (FSR) = 24^th Issue released by RBI + bi-annual report + Report reflects risks to financial stability and the resilience of financial system

Ø  Afghanistan Socio-Economic Outlook 2021-2022: Averting a Basic Needs Crisis = released by United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) + Afghanistan is the poorest country in the world and its GDP is likely to contract in coming years.

Ø  Asian Power Index for 2021 = It is released by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute + Asian Power Index ranks 26 nations and territories + India ranks fourth most powerful country in Asia + The annual Asia Power Index measures resources and influence to assess the relative power of states in Asia

Ø  Atal Ranking Of Institutions On Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) = initiative of Ministry of Education (MoE) to systematically rank all major higher educational institutions in India on indicators related toinnovation, start-up and entrepreneurship development amongst students and faculties + IIT Madras ranked at top, followed by IIT Bombay, whereas IISc Bengaluru spot on sixth rank for 2021

Ø  UV Index = UV index is produced at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) + UV index tells you how much UV radiation of different wavelengths is around at ground level on a given day, and the potential of these wavelengths to harm your skin + In 2002, the WHO devised the UV index in an effort to make people around the world more aware of the risks + The index tends to be higher closer to the Equator and at high altitudes, as the sunlight has to pass through less air before it reaches the ground

 

10)   ART & CULTURE

Ø  Raja Chait Singh = By the late 18th century, Benaras had declared independence from the Nawab of Awadh + In 1771, Maharaja Chait Singh succeeded to the throne of Banaras with the help of British authorities + Two years later, the Maharaja transferred the domain to the East India Company under the control of Hastings. When faced with the need for resources to fight the Mysore War against Hyder Ali, Hastings pressed Maharaja Chait Singh to make additional revenue payments and supply troops in 1778 and 1779 + When Singh failed to comply, Hastings marched to Benaras with his troops to confront the king. Several of Hastings’ men were killed in the conflict and, left with no other option, the governor-general was forced to retreat.

Ø  Rani Bhabani = Bhabani was married to Raja Ramkanta Ray, the zamindar of the Natore estate in Rajshahi (present day Bangladesh) + Bhabani is remembered most for her philanthropic efforts. Built several schools across Rajshahi district and offered a number of scholarships. Built more than 350 temples and guesthouses across different parts of the country, and invested heavily in roadways and water tanks. Built the Durga Kund Mandir in Varanasi. In 1755 she built a complex consisting of a dozen temples in Baronagar in Murshidabad

Ø  Sri Aurobindo = He scored 11^th rank in the ICS examination but didn’t clear the probation + He joined a secret society working for India’s freedom, sometimes known as Lotus and Dagger + He joined the Indian freedom struggle in 1902 in indirect manner by inspiring revolutionaries through committees such as AnushilanSamiti + After the ‘Partition of Bengal’ in 1905, he became active in the Indian political movement. He joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1906 and worked as principal of Bengal National College + New Lamps for Old’, articles written by him in Indu Prakash from 1893-94, criticizing moderate politics of Congress + Started Bande Mataram (English Daily), Karmayogin (English newspaper) and Dharma (Bengali Weekly) + Wrote articles in JugantarPatrika (Bengali revolutionary newspaper) to inspire revolutionaries and the Bhawani Mandir, a pamphlet published by the Anushilan Samiti + During the Surat session of INC in 1907, known for the

Surat Split, he joined the extremist group led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak against the moderates

+ In 1908, he was arrested in relation to Alipore Bomb Case, acquitted later + Other Books compiled as poems, letters and essays such as Essays on the Gita (1922), Collected Poems and Plays (1942), The Synthesis of Yoga (1948), The Human Cycle (1949), The Ideal of Human Unity (1949), Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol (1950), etc + In 1926 he established Sri Aurobindo Ashram with MirraAlfassa. MirraAlfassa founded the Auroville, i.e. the city of dawn, a universal town for a peaceful, progressive and harmonious existence

Ø  Veer Savarkar/Vinayak Damodar Savarkar = He was the president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943 + Went to the United Kingdom and was involved with organizations such as India House and the Free India Society + Savarkar wrote a book titled ‘The History of the War of Indian Independence’ in which he wrote about the guerilla warfare tricks used in 1857 Sepoy Mutiny + He also wrote the book ‘Hindutva: who is hindu? + He was Arrested in 1909 on charges of plotting an armed revolt against the Morley-Minto reform (Indian Councils Act 1909) + Abhinav Bharat Society (Young India Society) was a secret society founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in 1904

Ø  P.N. Panicker (1909-1995) = known as the Father of the Library Movement of Kerala + his death anniversary, has been observed in Kerala as Vayanadinam (Reading Day) since 1996 + In 2017, PM declared June 19, Kerala’s Reading Day, as National Reading Day in India. The following month is also observed as National Reading Month in India + Panicker led the formation of ThiruvithaamkoorGranthasalaSangham (Travancore Library Association) in 1945 with 47 rural libraries. The slogan of the organization was ‘Read and Grow’ + The association – GrandhasalaSangham won the prestigious ‘Krupsakaya Award’ from UNESCO in 1975

Ø  Rampa Rebellion = Rampa Rebellion of 1922, also known as the Manyam Rebellion, was a tribal uprising, led by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Godavari Agency of Madras Presidency, British India. It began in August 1922 and lasted until the capture and killing of Raju in May 1924 + Rampa Rebellion was against the British raj for their imposition of the 1882 Madras Forest Act, which severely restricted the free movement of the tribal community within their own forests + The armed struggle came to a violent end in 1924, when Raju was captured by police forces, tied to a tree, and shot by a firing squad. His heroics resulted in him being titled manyamveerudu, or ‘the hero of the jungle’ + KinaramBheem was born in Telangana and was a member of the Gond community and grew up in the populated forests of the Chanda and Ballalpur kingdoms. KomaramBheem had escaped from prison to a tea plantation in Assam. Here, he heard about the rebellion being led by Alluri, and found a new sense of inspiration to protect the Gond tribe to which he belonged + Director SS Rajamouli is all set for the release of his upcoming period drama titled RoudramRanamRudhiram which is officially titled RRR. Set in the 1920s, RRR is said to be a fictional story based on the lives of tribal freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju and KomaramBheem

Ø  Salar Masud-Raja Suhaldev Battle = SalarMasud was also known as Ghazi Mian. He acquired popularity as a warrior in the 12th century. He was the nephew of the 11th century Turkik invader, Mahmud of Ghazni + Suhaldev is believed to have been the eldest son of the king of the Bhar community, from which emerged the Pasi community, a Dalit caste group of

the region + SalarMasud and Raja Suhaldev: It is a mix of history and myth. As per the records, at Bahraich, in the course of a battle in 1034 CE Masud and a local king by the name Suhaldev came face to face. During the battle, Masud was wounded by an arrow and succumbed

Ø  Raigad Fort = Maharashtra + Raigad was the name given by Chhatrapati Shivaji to the fort

+ British Gazette states the fort was known to early Europeans as the Gibraltar of the East + The fort was the seat of the Maratha clan Shirke in the 12^thcentury + In 1656, Shivaji captured it from the More’s of Javli who were under the suzerainty of the Adilshahi Sultanate. The fort helped Shivaji challenge the supremacy of the Adilshahi dynasty.

Ø  Sun Temple of Konark = Dedicated to the Sun God, the temple is located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal + It was built by King Narasimha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty from 1238-1250 CE (as per Kenduli Copper plate inscription). The Old Legend links it to Samba, son of Lord Krishna, who built it + It is a Kalinga architectural style temple, a sub- style of Nagara Temple Architecture, with a: Rekha Deula or Vimana (principal sanctuary) with a Shikhara (Crowning cap); Jagamohana or assembly hall;Natamandir or Dance hall; and a number of other substructure + Stones used in the temple: Chlorite, Laterite and the greenish Khondalite. Because of the color of its stone, it is also known as Black Pagoda + most of the structure collapsed in 1837 with only Jagamoahan remaining fully intact

Ø  Kalibari Temple = This Hindu temple is located in Bangladesh + It was recently  inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind + It was destroyed by Pakistani forces in 1971 + The original RamnaKalibari was built during the medieval era and was famous for its tall structure. In 1929, the temple complex acquired an additional building for the devotees of the famous saint Anandamayee, who later became Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s spiritual advisor + Please Note: UNESCO declared 21 Feb as international mother language day in 1999 in tribute to language movement to Bangladesh

Ø  Durga Puja = recently inscribed on UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ list + The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has inscribed ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity + In total, 14 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements from India have now been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List + This inscription will offer encouragement to the local communities that celebrate Durga Puja, including all the traditional craftspeople, designers, artists, and organizers of large-scale cultural events, as well as tourists and visitors who partake in the inclusive festivity that is Durga Puja + Durga Puja is a five-day festival which begins on the fifth night of the nine-day Navratri festival and ends on the tenth day, which is Dashami. During this time, people collectively worship and invoke Goddess Durga, who is regarded as the feminine energy of the cosmos, also known as ‘Shakti’

Ø  Hornbill Festival = Nagas celebrate this festival to revive, protect, sustain and promote the richness of the Naga heritage and traditions + It is also called the “Festival of Festivals” + The festival pays tribute to Hornbill, the most admired and revered bird for the Nagas for its qualities of alertness and grandeur + It is organized by State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments and also supported by Union Government

Ø  Apatani Textiles = An application seeking Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Arunachal Pradesh Apatani textile product has been filed by a firm + The Apatani weave comes from the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh living at Ziro, the headquarters of lower Subansiri district. + The woven fabric of this tribe is known for its geometric and zigzag patterns and also for its angular designs + Tribe predominantly weaves shawls known as jig- jiro and jilan or jackets called supuntarii + They use different plant resources for organic dying the cotton yarns in their traditional ways + Only women folk are engaged in weaving + Their traditional handloom is a type of loin loom called Chichin, and is similar to the traditional handloom of the Nyishi tribe

Ø  Kathputli = Kathputli is a string puppet theatre, native to Rajasthan, India, and is the most popular form of Indian puppetry

Ø  Tamil Thai Vaazhthu = Tamil Nadu Government declared the Tamil Thai Vaazhthu, penned by ‘Manonmaniam’ Sundaranar, the State song of Tamil Nadu + Everyone except the differently abled and pregnant women should rise when the song is sung at educational institutions, government offices and public functions + According to an official release, the song should compulsorily be sung at the beginning of events organised by all educational institutions, government offices and public sector undertakings, among other public organisations. +The song should be sung in 55 seconds in MullaipaaniRagam (Mohana Raagam)

Ø  Kaavi Art = a form of wall art introduced by Portuguese + done in bright red and white shades + It is done on wet plaster in a manner similar to frescoes + It gets its name from kaav, a red pigment found in laterite soil that is used to create images on white background of plaster + Red is the only colour used in kaavi art + It is found in the Konkan region, especially in temples of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka

 

11)   MISCELLANEOUS

Ø  North Atlantic Faroe Islands = In the North Atlantic, halfway between Norway and Iceland, the Faroe Islands are home to more than 50,000 people + The rugged, treeless archipelago is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and has been inhabited by humans (and sheep) since the early 8th century+ Recently, New evidence indicates that an unknown band of humans settled there around 500 AD — some 350 years before the Vikings, who up until recently have been thought to have been the first human inhabitants. The settlers may have been Celts who crossed seas from what are now Scotland or Ireland.

Ø  Golan Heights = rocky plateau located on the border between Israel and Syria + It is under the control of Israel [Mark on Map, Also mark West Bank and Gaza Strip]

Ø  Chillai Kalan = ‘Chillai Kalan’ is a Persian term which means ‘major cold’ + Chillai Kalan is the 40-day harshest spell of winter of the Kashmir Valley

Ø  Latakia Port = Syria + located on the Mediterranean sea + Please Note: Alawite community is related to region near Syria

Ø  Island of Lantau = Lantau Island is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula [Mark on MAP]

Ø  Donbas Region = small region in eastern Ukraine adjoining the Russian border [Mark on Map]

Ø  Rift Valley Lakes = Rift Valley Lakes are a series of lakes in the East African Rift valley that runs through eastern Africa from Ethiopia in the north to Malawi in the south + These include the African Great Lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi) as well as Turkana, Albert, Edward, Kivu and other lakes + Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior in the US While Lake Taganayika is the longest lake in the world + Rift Valley lakes are well known for the evolution of at least 800 cichlid fish species that live in their waters

Ø  Mount Semeru = East Java, Indonesia + Semeru, an active volcano in East Java, is located in a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Eurasia plate + It is the highest volcano on Java that lies at the southern end of a volcanic massif extending north to the Tengger caldera + This stratovolcano is also known as Mahameru (The Great Mountain) + Semeru has been in almost continuous eruption since 1967. It is known for its regular ash explosions that occur at intervals of 10-30 minutes

Ø  Beijjing Winter Olympics = Winter Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practised on snow and ice + The first Winter Olympic Games was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France + USA recently formally announced a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in response to China’s human rights record, especially the ongoing Uighur abuse + (Uighurs = are a minority Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. China rejects the idea of them being an indigenous group Since 2016, it is estimated that over a million Uyghurs have been detained in Xinjiang re-education camps)

Ø  National Mathematics Day Context = Celebrated every year on December 22 + It is observed to honor the birth anniversary of the famous mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan who greatly contributed towards mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series and continued fractions. 2021 marks 134th birth anniversary of Dr Ramanujan

Ø  Ciprian Foias Prize = Recently inaugrated for the first time by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) +Eminent Indian-American mathematician Nikhil Srivastava has been jointly

selected and was awarded $5,000 CiprianFoias Prize this year for his work in Operation Theory

Ø  Order of The Druk Gyalpo = Bhutan highest civilian award + award was honoured upon the Indian Prime Minister on the occasion of the Bhutan’s National Day + It was awarded in recognition of a lifetime of service to the people and Kingdom of Bhutan

Ø  Jnanpith Award = India’s highest literary award, the annual Jnanpith is bestowed on writers for “their outstanding contribution towards literature” + English along with other Indian languages is considered for the Award + The Award is open for only Indian citizens and is given annually. The prize carries a cash award of Rs. 11 lakhs, a citation, and a bronze replica of Vagdevi (Saraswati), the goddess of learning + It is sponsored by the cultural organization Bharatiya Jnanpith + Assamese poet NilmaniPhookan Jr has won the 56th Jnanpith Award, and Konkani novelist DamodarMauzo has won the 57th Jnanpith Award.

Ø  Sahitya Akademi Awards (SAA) = literary honour, conferred annually on writers of most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the major Indian languages + Besides

22 languages enumerated in Constitution, English and Rajasthani language are also recognised + Award includes a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and an amount of Rs. 1,00,000/- + Sahitya Akademi functions as an autonomous organisation. It is registered as a society under Societies Registration Act, 1860

Ø  Archbishop Desmond Tutu = South African anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu, described as the country’s moral compass, died recently + The Archbishop won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for combating white minority rule in South Africa + He coined the term “Rainbow Nation” to describe South Africa when Nelson Mandela became the country’s first black President in 1994 + Former U.S. President Barack Obama, the country’s first black leader, hailed Tutu as a “moral compass”.

Ø  Royal Gold Medal, 2022 = It is the highest honor for architecture in the United Kingdom + It is awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) + Recently, Architect Balkrishna Doshi received the award

Ø  Golden Visa = Golden Visa system essentially offers long-term residency (5 and 10 years) to people belonging to the following groups: investors, entrepreneurs, individuals with outstanding talents the likes of researchers, medical professionals and those within the scientific and knowledge fields, and remarkable students

Ø  Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) = It is a not-for-profit international arbitration organisation based in Singapore, which administers arbitrations under its own rules of arbitration and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Arbitration Rules.

Ø  Missionaries of Charity = which is registered in Kolkata + Catholic religious congregation set up by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa + Recently, Union Home Ministry has refused to renew the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration

Ø  Soybean meal = is the most important protein source used to feed farm animals. It is also used for human consumption in some countries. Soybean meal is the by-product of the extraction of soybean oil + Recently, In a bid to cool down the domestic prices of Soya Meal, Government has notified order under the Essential Commodities Act to declare ‘Soya Meal’ as Essential Commodities under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955

Ø  Crumb Rubber = Crumb rubber is recycled rubber produced by reducing scrap tires or other rubber into uniform granules + Crumb rubber is manufactured from 2 primary feedstocks: Tire buffings, a by-product of tire retreading and Scrap tire rubber + During the recycling process, the inherent reinforcing materials such as steel and fiber are removed along with any other type of inert contaminants such as dust, glass, or rock + Recently, Government has decided to use Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen in bituminous pavement courses during road construction. Normal bitumen modified with crumb rubber & other additives has improved performance compared to normal bitumen.

Ø  Tablighi Jamaat = Tablighi Jamaat is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement + The movement focuses on encouraging the Muslims to practice Islam as per Prophet Muhammad. They stress only on matters of personal behaviour, dress and rituals + It was established by Sufi Muhammad Ilyas al – Kandhlawi in the Mewat region of India + Recently Saudi Arabia banned Tablighi jamaat

Ø  Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) = It was formed as a volunteer group in 1920, to free gurdwaras from the control of mahants + It launched a peaceful struggle that lasted four  years and resulted in the death of 4,000 protesters, who were attacked both by mahants and by the British administration. The morcha finally led to the enactment of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925, which brought gurdwaras under the control of the SGPC. It also pitched the party against the colonial government, paving the way for its alliance with Congress party

Ø  All India Mayors Conference = 120 mayors from various states are participating in the conference whose theme is 'New Urban India' + Mayors/Chairpersons of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are the political and executive head of the municipal body + At present, mayors are elected by city councillors who themselves are directly elected by urban voters

Ø  Agriculture Photovoltaic (AGRI-PV) = Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has developed large-scale agri-voltaic farming + Agri-voltaic farming- is a mixed system of solar energy production associating solar panels and crop at the same time on the same land area.