Jan Byjus

CURRENT AFFAIRS- JANUARY
Byjus Classes
(GIST of THE HINDU, INDIAN EXPRESS, BUSINESS
STANDARD, YOJNA, SCIENCE REPORTER, DOWN TO
EARTH)
POLITY
NDC to be scrapped, NITI Aayog will replace it:
To redefine Centre-state relations & to strengthen
Cooperative federalism the Union government is all set
to scrap the National Development Council (NDC).
How it can be scrapped:
Since NDC is an Extra-constitutional body & derive
authority from an executive order (not from any
legislation), it can be scrapped by a cabinet resolution
only. (No need of any amendment)
About NDC:
NDC was set up on 1952 by an executive order

of the government.
It served as the highest decision-making

authority in the country on development
matters.
Composition of NDC:Centre: The Prime Minister, all the
Union Cabinet Ministers +
States: The Chief Ministers of all States and Union
Territories +
The Members of the Planning Commission.
Powers & Functions:
Giving the final nod to the draft of the Five

Year Plans
Its recommendation (as part of the GadgilMukherjee exercise) of special category of

States, and the criteria for determining whether
a State couldreceive the status and related
financial support from the Centre.
Merger of Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with
Ministry of External Affairs:
The Union Government has merged the Ministry of
Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with the Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA).
Factors behind the merger:
1. To avoid duplication of work as most of the work of
MOIA was done by Indian missions abroad and also to
improve efficiency.
2. However, according to some reports, the merger has
been done as the MEA has been short of staff and
wanted greater number of officials with diplomatic
experience in key positions.
About the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA):
Function: The primary task of the MOIA was to connect
the Indian diaspora with its motherland.
Jallikattu in Tamil NADU, Bullock cart race in
Maharashtra cleared:
The Centre has issued a notification to permit
Jallikattu, Tamil Nadus traditional bull-taming sport,
ahead of the Pongal festival. The order also permits
bullock cart races in Maharashtra, etc.
Background:
The notification overturns a 2011 notification that
prohibited the exhibition or training of bulls, and some
other animals, as performing animals, and also goes
against Supreme Courts 2014 ruling.
The new notification says that bulls may be continued
to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal at
events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart

races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana,
Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by the customs of any
community or practiced traditionally under the customs
or as a part of culture, in any part of the country.
The notification mentions that this exemption is subject
to the condition that bulls are treated properly and
not subjected to cruelty.
Implications:
1. With this notification, the Centre has circumvented
the Supreme Courts judgment in which the Court had
banned jallikattu as plain act of cruelty shown to a
dumb animal.
2. The notification also violates the very essence of
the PCA Act as interpreted in the 2014 verdict of the
Supreme Court. Under Section 3, no right is conferred to
inflict necessary or unnecessary pain or suffering on the
animals.
Ordinance to Amend Enemy Property Act
An ordinance to amend the Enemy Property Act has
been approved by President Pranab Mukherjee to allow
custodians to continue to hold sway over such
properties.
These amendments plug the loopholes of the Enemy
Property Act, 1968.
Amended provisions:
Once an enemy property is vested in the

Custodian, it shall continue to be vested in
him as enemy property.
The law of succession does not apply to enemy

property.
There cannot be transfer of any property

vested in the Custodian by an enemy
A new section has been inserted in the

ordinance to say that the Custodian, may,
after making such inquiry as he deems
necessary declare that the property of the
enemy and issue a certificate to this effect.
Background:
The Enemy Property Act provided for the continuous
vesting of enemy property in the custodian.
Enemy Property:
In the wake of the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971, there
was migration of people from India to Pakistan. Under
the Defence of India Rules framed under the Defence of
India Act, the Government of India took over the
properties and companies of such persons who had
taken Pakistani nationality. These enemy properties
were vested by the Union Government in the
Custodian of Enemy Property for India.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act, 2015:
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)
Act, 2015 has come into force by repealing the Juvenile
Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
Some of the key provisions include:
The Act clearly defines and classifies offences as

petty, serious and heinous, and defines
differentiated processes for each category.
Byjus Classes:9873643487
Keeping in view the increasing number of serious

offences being committed by persons in the age
group of 16-18 years and recognizing the rights
of the victims as being equally important as the
rights
of
juveniles,
special
provisions
are
incorporated in the Act to tackle heinous offences
committed by individuals in this age group.
It establishes a statutory status for the Child

Adoption Resources Authority (CARA). It also
proposes several rehabilitation and social
integration measures for institutional and noninstitutional children.
The new law gives the Juvenile Justice Board the

power to assess whether the perpetrator of a
heinous crime aged between 16 and 18, had acted
as a child or as an adult. The board will be
assisted in this process by psychologists and
social experts.
Conclusion:
It strikes a fine balance between the demands of the
stakeholders asking for continued protection of rights of
juveniles and the popular demand of citizens in the light
of increasing incidence of heinous crimes by young boys
Governors Rule in J&K:
Governors rule has been imposed in Jammu &
Kashmir.
Governors rule in J&K:
1. In the event of failure of constitutional machinery
in Jammu and Kashmir, Governors Rule is imposed by
invoking Section 92 of Jammu & Kashmir State
constitution.
2. Governors rule proclamation is issued by Jammu &
Kashmir State Governor after obtaining consent of the
President of India.
3. Under section 92 of the Jammu and Kashmir
constitution, the governor is empowered to recommend
six months of Governors rule to the Indian president.
Difference between Other states & J&K regarding
Proclamation of Emergency:
1. Based on requisite Provision:
For other states Presidents rule is imposed as per
Article 356 or Article 365 of Indian Constitution.
For J&K Governors rule is imposed by under Section
92(1) of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.
2. Period of Emergency:
For other states it is proclaimed for 1 year at a time,
whereas for J&K it is proclaimed for 6 months at a time.
Presidents rule in Arunachal:
The Union Cabinet has recommended imposition of
Presidents rule on Arunachal Pradesh after it felt the
State was heading for a constitutional breakdown.
Why Presidents Rule?
1. The Centre based its decision on Article 174 of the
Constitution, according to which six months shall not
intervene between the last sitting of the Assembly in
one session and the date appointed for its first
sitting in the next session.
2. The Union government also felt that there was flouting
of Article 167(b) of the Constitution as the government
was not responding to the Governors letters on issues of
public importance.
Existing confusion:
A session was indeed held on December 16, 2014 albeit
outside the Assembly building as access to the building
was denied. But, the session which took place on

December 16, 2015 has been disputed by Chief Minister
NabamTuki and his supporters.
Now, it is up to the Supreme Court to decide the
validity of this session. Even if the Supreme Court
rules in favor of the interpretation that this session was
not valid, there will be a constitutional breakdown
because the requirement of Article 174(1) would have
been breached. On the other hand, if the court holds
that the December 16 session was valid, it is clear the
government is in a minority and is not allowing a vote of
confidence. Therefore, in either case, the State is
heading for a constitutional crisis.
It is also being alleged that the Governor recommended
Presidents rule without consulting the State Cabinet
at a time when several cases on the matter were in the
Supreme Court.
Provisions in the Constitution for Presidents rule:
The article 356 of the constitution which focuses on
the failure of the Constitutional machinery of the
State is often termed as the Presidents rule.
There are various reasons for which Presidents rule can
be imposed on a State. The failure of the State
government to function as per the constitution is the
first step towards this. Other factors include the loss of
majority; break down of law and order, indecisive
outcome of elections, no alternate claimant to form the
government, insurgency, defections and break-up of
coalition. It can be imposed initially for a period of six
months.
What happens to the legislative assembly?
When Presidents rule is imposed, the assembly is either
dissolved or kept in suspended animation.
Shift in role:
The state comes under the direct control of the
Central government. The authority shifts from the
Chief Minister and the council of ministers to the
Governor..
SC judgement or Bommai judgement, a994:
It gave a clear definition as to when the Presidents rule
can be imposed on a state thereby paving the way for
the state governments to challenge the Centre if it
feels that it has been unduly removed.
The Supreme Court held that a state government could
be dismissed only under justifying circumstances
and laid down guidelines for the same. This judgement
is called the Bommai judgement Thereafter further
pronouncements by the Supreme Court helped limit the
number of cases where the Presidents rule is imposed
drastically.
Minority Educational Institutions:
Context: Recent ruling of the Supreme Court on the
status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)
Constitutional rights:
Article 30: Minorities (either linguistic or religious) can
establish and run Educational institutions
Issues:
1. Legal vs judicial clarification of the related laws that
governs AMU
2. Historical debates
GOVERNANCE AND PUBLIC WELFARE
PrdahanMantriFasalBimaYojna:
The Union government has given its approval to the
Pradhan MantriFasalBimaYojana.
Aim: To reduce the premium rates to be paid by the

farmers so as to enable more farmers avail insurance
cover against crop loss on account of natural calamities.
Details:
Under the new scheme, farmers will have to pay a

uniform premium of 2% for all kharif crops and
1.5% for all rabi crops.
The remaining share of the premium, as in previous

schemes, will continue to be borne equally by the
Centre and the respective state governments.
Under PMFBY, there will no upper limit on

government subsidy and even if balance premium
is 90%, it will be borne by the government.
Under the scheme, the use of technology will be

encouraged to a great extent. Smart phones will
be used to capture and upload data of crop
cutting to reduce the delays in claim payment to
farmers. Remote sensing will be used to reduce the
number of crop cutting experiments.
It will also seek to address a long standing demand

of farmers and provide farm level assessment for
localized
calamities
including
hailstorms,
unseasonal rains & landslides.
How is the new scheme different from previous
schemes?
1. Under PMFBY farmers will get a higher claim for the
full sum insured unlike the existing schemes such as
National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and
Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme
(MNAIS).
2. The new scheme will cover yield loss of standing
crops, prevented sowing/ planting risk, post-harvest
losses and localised risks, including inundation.
3. At present, loanee farmers are mandated to take crop
insurance cover. The new scheme is open to all farmers
irrespective of whether they are loanees or not.
4. There will be one insurance company for the entire
state, farm-level assessment of loss for localized risks
and post-harvest loss &private insurance companies,
along with the Agriculture Insurance Company of
India Ltd, will implement the scheme.
Significance of the new scheme:
The rate of subsidy proposed under the new scheme is
in line with international practices.
This scheme can be a game-changer if the following
conditions are satisfied:
1. Crop assessment: It should be done in a transparent
manner and within a specified period of time, and using
high technology such as automatic weather stations
(AWSs), drones, low earth orbits (Leos) and satellites. For
this, suitable infrastructure should be put in place. Also,
the time period within which crop damage assessment
must be done should be clearly spelt out.
2. Direct payment: Compensation must be paid to
farmers accounts directly, say, within a week of
assessment of crop damage. In order to do this, the
financial infrastructure has to be in place. Information
has to be digitised plot wise the plot of the tiller who
has paid the premium has to be synchronised/ seeded
with his/her bank account number, Aadhaar number
and mobile number. This is critical, as the crop-damage
assessment exercise has to be matched with data on
plots and bank account numbers of the tillers.
Challenges before the new scheme:
1. The coverage of crop insurance schemes has been too
low due to lack of awareness among the farmers.
2. Crop insurance sector is bogged down by frauds.

Bank officials, insurance officials and farmers are hand
in gloves to siphon off insurance money. The new
scheme should seriously take care of this.
3. It is not yet clear what will be the yardsticks the
revamped crop insurance scheme will use to assess crop
losses.
Implication: This scheme will act like a safety shield
for the farmers and will protect them against the
vagaries of nature.
Significance of this move:
There has been a long-standing discussion on the need
to bring down these rates. The Centres move to bring
down and cap these interest rates is being viewed as a
major government policy outreach towards the farmers.
Increased financial burden:
With the new scheme, the Centres financial liability is
estimated to go up to Rs 5,700 crore.
Conclusion:
The new scheme is significant as the country is facing
drought for the second straight year due to poor
monsoon rains and the government wants to enhance
insurance coverage to more crop area to protect farmers
from vagaries of monsoon. However, given the alarming
level of agrarian distress and a large number of farmer
suicides, agriculture-dependent rural India requires
multi-level support from Central and state budgets for a
genuine economic lift-off.
Project Anubhav:
Launched by The Department of Pension &

PensionersWelfare
What it is: It is an online software, Anubhav for
showcasing outstanding work by retiring employee and
sharing experience of working with the Government.
Implication: This tool in addition, gives opportunity to
the retiring employee to invest his experience, skill and
time for growth of social capital of the country.
World Banks assistance for Neeranchal National
Watershed Project:
The Government of India and the World Bank have
signed a US$ 178.50 million credit for the Neeranchal
National Watershed Project to improve watershed
management in rural rain fed areas.
The credit will support the watershed activities of the

Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana (PMKSY)
in selected.
The credit is from the International Development

Association (IDA) the World Banks concessionary
lending arm
About Neerachal Project:
The Neeranchal Project will support PMKSY to

improve watershed management practices and
demonstrate measurable results in selected subwatersheds.
It will introduce new hydrological approaches and

innovative tools for community participation
with a more integrated watershed planning process,
pilot new field practices that will improve
conservation
outcomes,
water
availability,
agricultural yields and climate resilience, and scale
up a more effective monitoring and evaluation
system to track performance.
The project will be implemented by the Ministry of

Rural Development
Neeranchal is primarily designed to address the

following concerns:
Bring about institutional changes in watershed and

rain-fed agricultural management practices
Build systems that ensure watershed programs and

rain-fed irrigation management practices are better
focused, and more coordinated, and have
quantifiable results
Devise strategies for the sustainability of

improved
watershed management practices in
programme areas through
the watershed
plus
approach.
20% more villages are electrified:
A recently released data by DeendayalUpadhyaya Gram
JyotiYojana (DDUGJY) has revealed that the government
has electrified 20% of the villages that were without
power at the start of this financial year under this
scheme.
About
DeenDayalUpadhyaya
Gram
JyotiYojana
(DDUGJY):
1. It was launched by the Ministry of Power.
2. The earlier scheme for rural electrification viz. Rajiv
Gandhi GrameenVidyutikaranYojana (RGGVY) has been
subsumed in this new scheme as its rural electrification
component.
Aim: to augment power supply to the rural areas and to
strengthen sub-transmission and distribution systems.
The Yojana also includes the components:
To separate agriculture and non-agriculture

feeders
facilitating supply to agricultural and nonagricultural consumers in rural areas
Strengthening
and
augmentation
of
sub
transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural
areas,
including
metering
of
distribution
transformers/feeders/consumers.
Opportunities:
1. Improvement in hours of power supply in rural areas.
2. Reduction in peak load. Improvement in billed energy
based on metered consumption.
3. Providing access to electricity to rural households.
Stand Up India Scheme:
Aim: to promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST and
Women entrepreneurs.
The Scheme seeks to facilitate at least two such projects
per bank branch, on an average one for each category of
entrepreneur. It is expected to benefit atleast 2.5 lakh
borrowers.
Salientfeatures of the scheme:
The scheme focuses on handholding support for

both SC/ST and Women borrowers.
Facilitating bank loans repayable up to 7 years and

between Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 100 lakh
The Stand up India component is anchored by

Department of Financial Services (DFS) to
encourage greenfield enterprises
For the loan under the scheme: Department of

Financial Services would be the settler and National
Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd. (NCGTC)
would be the operating agency.
The Scheme provides for:
Refinance window through Small Industries

Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with an initial
amount of Rs. 10,000 crore.
Creation of a credit guarantee mechanism through

the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company
(NCGTC).
Handholding support for borrowers both at the pre
loan stage and during operations.
Increasing their familiarity with factoring services,
registration with online platforms and e- market
places as well as sessions on best practices and
problem solving.
Re-interpretation of Forest Rights Act:

The Union tribal affairs ministry has revised its views to
re- interpret the Forest Rights Act (FRA)
About Forest Rights Act (FRA):
The legislation was passed in 2006. It has also been
called the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest
Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 200,, the
Tribal Rights Act, the Tribal Bill, and the Tribal Land
Act.
The law concerns the rights of forest-dwelling
communities to land and other resources, denied to
them over decades as a result of the continuance of
colonial forest laws in India.
Rights under the Act:
Title rights i.e. ownership to land that is being farmed
by tribals or forest dwellers; ownership is only for land
that is actually being cultivated by the concerned family,
meaning that no new lands are granted.
Use rights to minor forest produce
Forest management rights: to protect forests and
wildlife.
Eligibility: Eligibility to get rights under the Act is
confined to those who primarily reside in forests and
who depend on forests and forest land for a livelihood.
Process of recognition of rights:
The Act provides that the gram sabha, or village
assembly, will initially pass a resolution recommending
whose rights to which resources should be recognised.
The screening committees consist of three government
officials
(Forest,
Revenue
and
Tribal
Welfare
departments) and three elected members of the local
body at that level. These committees also hear appeals.
Emerging Issues:
Corporate Skill Excellence Centres:
As part of the Skill India Development Mission, the
union Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
has embarked upon a special industry initiative to
attract leading corporate to set up co-branded
Corporate Skill Excellence Centres in PPP mode..
1. The Government will provide various tax and non-tax
incentives for corporates that set up Corporate Skill
Excellence Centres as part of their core business or
CSR activities. The CSR funds can be routed through
National Skill Development Fund with specific outcomes.
About the National Skill Development Mission:
The National Skill Development Mission aims to provide
a strong institutional framework at the Centre and
States for implementation of skilling activities in the
country.
At its apex, the Missions Governing Council, chaired
by the Prime Minister, will provide overall guidance
and policy direction. The National Skill Development
Agency (NSDA), the National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC) and the Directorate of Training will
function under the overall guidance of the Mission.
World Banks report on Digital Dividend:

The World Bank published its annual World
Development Report (WDR) 2016 Digital Dividends,
Important observations made by the report:
India ranked among the top five nations in terms of

the total number of Internet users
With the advent of big data, which includes the likes

of Indias Aadhaar unique identity project, secret
snooping by governments can be for legitimate law
enforcement reasons, but sometimes violates laws
and rights.
57% of Indians believe private information on the

Internet is very secure.
With nearly 20% of the worlds population unable to

read and write, the spread of digital technologies
alone is unlikely to spell the end of the global
knowledge divide.
Kamelsh Chandra Committee to study wage, service
conditions of rural postal workers
Objective:
The Committee is to examine the wage
structure, service conditions, etc. of the Gramin Dak
Sevaks in the Department of Posts.
This Committee will go into the service conditions of
Gramin Dak Sevaks and suggest changes as considered
necessary.
Who are Gramin Dak Sevaks:
They are extra-departmental agents recruited by the
Department of Posts (DoP) to serve in rural areas.
Child stunting declines, but still remains
NFHS-4 data, the first official data in over a decade,
released recently shows that Indian states have seen
some improvements in child nutrition over the last
decade, but over one in three children is still stunted,
and over one in five underweight.
Key facts from the report:
The new NFHS-4 data for 15 states shows that 37%

of children under the age of five in these states are
stunted. This indicates a fall of just 5% points in a
decade. Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are the worst off,
with 48 and 42% respectively of children stunted.
The proportion of underweight children has reduced

equally slowly, from 39% to 34%, with Bihar and
Madhya Pradesh the worst off again. India has also
failed to make progress on reducing anaemia.
The one success has been in the area of child wasting
(low weight for height). The states for which data is
available have more than halved their proportion of
wasted children in the last decade, from 48% to 22%.
The proportions of adult men and women with below
normal Body Mass Index have also declined.
DSIR received ISO 9001:2008 Certificate
The Department of Scientific & Industrial Research
(DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of
India, has received ISO 9001:2008 Certification for its
functions, activities and services being in total
compliance with the guidelines issued by the
Performance Management Division, Cabinet Secretariat
Government of India.
About ISO 9001:2008:
ISO 9001:2008 specifies requirements for a quality
management system where an organization needs to
demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product
that meets customer and applicable statutory and
regulatory requirements. To get certified the organization

should aim to enhance customer satisfaction through
the effective application of the system, including
processes for continual improvement of the system and
the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable
statutory and regulatory requirements.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
U.S. lifts sanctions on Iran
The U.S. has removed a wide range of sanctions against
Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
confirmed that Iran had met its commitments to roll
back its nuclear programme.
With this, Iran joins US, UK, France, Germany, China,
Russia and EU among peaceful users of nuclear energy.
Significance of this decision:
1. The removal of restrictions on its oil, petrochemicals,
banking, natural gas and port sectors will hugely benefit
Iran and allow it to re-enter the global market.
2. Iran will be able to access the huge amount of cash it
has accumulated overseas from restricted oil sales
during the sanctions.
Various actions undertaken by Iran include:
1. All the excess stockpile and nuclear parts are kept at
an IAEA-monitored location.
2. Iran has reduced its enriched uranium stockpile. It
has reduced the number of installed centrifuges by twothirds.
Benefits for India:
1. The lifting of the sanctions on Iran will benefit India
with lower oil prices and more opportunities for trade.
India reportedly owes Iran $6.5 billion for crude oil
purchases, the payment of which has so far been held
up due to the sanctions.
2. The lifting of sanctions also removes an important
hurdle of U.S. pressure to hold off on the deal in the
proposed India-Iran gas pipeline (IPI pipeline).
3. One of the major construction projects in Iran that
India has taken an interest in is the development of the
Chabahar Port. Now Indian companies will be able to get
contracts for this project.
Indo-France Relation: An introspection & future
ahead:
Areas of Engagement:
1. Military & Nuclear Cooperation:
I. Joint military exercises
II. French Fighter Aircraft Rafale deal
III. Jaitapur Nuclear plant with 8000 MW capacity in
collaboration with France
Significance of the Rafale Deal:
For India, its another step in a quest to modernize its
air force. About one third of the countrys air fleet is
more than 40 years old and set to retire in the next
decade, putting pressure on the incumbent government
to quickly acquire new warplanes to keep pace with
neighbors China and Pakistan. Modi flew to France &
sought to directly buy 36 fighter jets from the French
government in a bid to speed things up. The cost of the
36 jets is expected to exceed 600 billion rupees ($9
billion).
Other important agreements signed:
Space: India and France signed three agreements on
expanding space collaboration. The Indian Space
Research Organisation and its French counterpart CNES

(National Centre for Space Studies) have agreed to work
together in the next Mars mission, as well as a satellite
launch and a thermal infrared observation mission.
Rail: Under the Make in India banner, India and
France signed a deal that will allow French industrial
major Alstom to make 800 high horse power locomotives
in India. The locomotives are expected to be made in the
electric locomotives factory in Madhepura, Bihar.
Road: Both sides also signed an agreement on upgrading
the Delhi-Chandigarh line to 200 kmph, in keeping with
Frances special focus on Chandigarh Smart City
project.
Make in India bid: Many French companies will set up
manufacturing units in India. For example: Air Bus
Smart
City
bid:
France
will
invest
in
Chandigarh&Puducherry.
Indo-French trade: France is one of the largest trade
partner of India in Euro Zone, however both trade value
& volume lies far below the potential
Terrorism: The two countries have said that they would
embark on new ways of cooperation on fighting
terrorism, including intelligence-sharing and joint
exercises along with the annual strategic dialogues and a
joint working group on counterterrorism meetings.
Cultural exchange programme: There was an
agreement on cultural exchange programme for the
period 2016-2018 too.
Both the countries have also signed an agreement on the
declaration of intent for conducting next round of
Namaste France (Indian festival) in 2016 and Bonjour
India (French festival) in 2017.
France has also committed itself to supporting Indias
bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council
and Indias accession to the multilateral (nuclear) export
control regimes in 2016 itself
1. Student exchange program & MOU among universities
2. Promoting tourism: Visa on Arrival & e-Visa have been
extended.
Border Haats: reviving a lost tradition:
(MoU) between India and Bangladesh for Mode of
Operation
of
Border
Haatson
IndiaBangladeshBorder.
What are Border Haats?
These are common marketplaces which aim at
promoting the well-being of the people dwelling in
remote areas across the borders of two countries, by
establishing traditional system of marketing the
local produce through local markets in local
currency and/or barter basis.
These measures help to improve economic wellbeing of marginalized sections of society.
Background: Border Haats shall be established on a
pilot basis at selected areas, including on the Tripura,
Meghalaya border, to allow trade in specified products
and in accordance with the regulations agreed and
notified by both Governments.
India-Australia Social Security Agreement Comes
Into Operation
A new social security agreement signed between India
and Australia has come into operation enabling people of
both nations to avail retirement benefits in each others
country.
This pact is likely to boost bilateral business linkages.
Details:
This agreement will give people more freedom to
move between Australia and India.
Australian residents living in India will be able to
claim the Australian Age Pension without having to
return to Australia, while Indian residents living in
Australia will have access to Indian retirement
pensions.
Short Notes:
MoU between India and Singapore in the field of Civil
Aviation: (not so important)
Objective:To establish mutual cooperation in the field
of civil aviation
NATIONAL
New official data from the 2011 Census:
1. Community-wise sex ratio:
Findings: Some communities do better than others in
sex ratio.
Christians have the highest child sex ratio, whereas
Sikhs have the lowest.
(Remember the highest & lowest in any survey; UPSC
asks that only; no need to remember the middle data.
For example here no need to remember the order from
highest to lowest child sex ratio community)
2. State-wise sex ratios:
Findings: The State-wise data shows that communities
are not monoliths.
In the States with better sex ratios, including the
States with high tribal populations and the southern
States.
3. State-wise literacy:
Muslims have the lowest literacy rates for both

men and women,
Jains have the highest for both.

The child sex ratio is the number of girls aged 0-6 years
for every 1,000 boys in the same age group.
The child sex ratio for the whole country now stands at
918, dipping further from 927 in 2001,
The overall sex ratiothat is the ratio of total female
population and total male population now 943.
All this reflects the persisting gender discrimination
prevailing in various spheres.
World Bank is giving for the education of minorities
The Government of India and the World Bank has
signed a US $50 million credit for the NaiManzil
scheme.
Credit will be facilitated by the World Banks
concessionary lending arm, International Development
Association (IDA), one among the five associates of
World Bank.
About Nai Manzil:
Aims at in improving the employability and

performance of minority youth (Youth belong to
Minority communities) in the labor market.
This Scheme is designed as an integrated education

and training programme
The scheme aims at providing educational

intervention by giving the bridge courses to the
trainees and getting them Certificates for Class XII
and X from distance medium educational system
and at the same time also provide them trade basis
skill training in 4 courses : 1. Manufacturing 2.

Engineering 3. Services 4. Soft skill
The scheme is intended to cover people in between 17 to
35 age group from all minority communities as well as
Madrasa students.
Lodha Panel Report on revamping BCCI
The Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee has
recommended sweeping reforms for the BCCI.
Important recommendations:
1. One state, one cricket body: One association of each
state will be a full member and have right to vote. One
unit should represent one state.
2. CEO-run organisation: Committee also suggested the
restructuring of the BCCIs administrative set-up,
proposing the position of a CEO accountable to a ninemember apex council. An apex council for the BCCI
comprising 9 members, of which 5 should be elected, 2
should be representatives of players association, and one
woman.
3. Under RTI: To ensure transparency in its functioning,
the panel has said that it is important to bring the body
under the purview of the Right to Information Act.
4. Ethics officer: It recommended the institution of the
office of an Ethics Officer, who would be responsible for
resolving issues related to the conflict of interest. Ethics
officer would be a former High Court judge.
5. Electoral officer: It has also suggested the
appointment of an Electoral Officer to conduct the Board
elections. The electoral officer would oversee the entire
election process relating to the office-bearers namely,
preparation of voters list, publication, dispute about
eligibility of the office-bearers
6. Ombudsman: The panel has also proposed an
Ombudsman for dealing with internal conflicts.
Ombudsman can take cognizance of complaints suo
moto, or received complaint or referred complaint by the
apex council.
7. Among the most sensational recommendation by
Lodha panel was the suggestion to legalize betting.
The panel felt that the move would help curb corruption
in the game and recommended that except for players
and officials, people should be allowed to place bets on
registered sites
8. Panel also suggested that the grants given to state
associations be properly monitored. It has also suggested
that a person cannot be a BCCI office-bearer and a
state association office- bearer at the same time.
D K Sikri appointed as CCI chief
Devender Kumar Sikri has been appointed chairman of
the fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of
India (CCI).
About CCI:
Competition Commission of India is a body

responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002.
Function of CCI: To eliminate practices having adverse
effect on competition, promote and sustain competition,
protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom
of trade in the markets of India.
The Competition Act, 2002 prohibits anti-competitive
agreements, abuse of dominant position by enterprises
and regulates combinations (acquisition, acquiring of
control and Merger and acquisition), which causes or
likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on

competition within India.
For example: Merger of Kotak Mahindra & ING Vaishya
was scrutinized by RBI &CCI.
RK Mathur takes oath as new CIC
CIC is appointed by the President on the
recommendation of a 3 member committee consisting of:
1. The Prime Minister, who shall be the Chairperson of
the committee; 2. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok
Sabha; and 3. A Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated
by the Prime Minister.
Powers & Functions of CIC:
Heads the Central Information Commission, the

body that hears appeals from information-seekers
who have not been satisfied by the public authority
Also addresses major issues concerning the RTI

Act.
Padma Awards 2016
On the eve of Republic Day, government has announced
the list for the Padma Awards 2016.. The awardees
include Bollywood actors, media personalities, former
politicians, public officials and sportspersons who have
made the country proud.
The list comprises 10 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma
Bhushan and 83 Padma Shri awardees. 19 winners are
women and the list also includes 10 from the category
of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs who have earned accolades on
a global scale. (So Padma awards are not conferred
exclusively on Indian citizens)
About Padma awards: The awards will be given across
three categories: the Padma Vibhushan, Padma
Bhushan and Padma Shri.
1. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and
distinguished service (It is a second degree honour).
2. Padma Bhushan is awarded for distinguished
service of high order (It is a third degree honour).
STATES
Sikkim becomes the first fully organic state of India
Sikkim is now officially the first fully organic state of
India.
Details:
Over the years around 75000 hectares of land in the
state has been converted into certified organic farms
following the guidelines as prescribed by National
Programme for Organic Production. Within 1.24
million tonnes of organic production in the country
around 80000 million is supplied by Sikkim alone.
Organic Farming:
Organic cultivation doesnt involve the use of
chemical pesticides and fertilizers and thus helps to
maintain a harmonious balance among the various
complex ecosystems. Also it has improved the quality
of the soil which further improves the standards of the
crops produced there. In the long term, organic farming
leads in subsistence of agriculture, bio-diversity
conservation and environmental protection. It will also
help in building the soil health resulting in sustainable
increased crop production.
Telangana becomes first State to make gender

education compulsory
Telangana has become the first State to introduce
compulsory gender education at the graduate level;
without repeating gender stereotypes in its bilingual
textbook titled, Towards a World of Equals.
Kerala becomes the first to achieve 100% literacy
This has been achieved through the primary education
equivalency drive of the state literacy mission
Athulyam.
Punjab bans Tobacco products;
Punjab
government
has
ordered
ban
on
manufacturing of food products containing tobacco
or nicotine like Gutkha and Pan Masala in the state
with immediate effect.
ECONOMY
Start-up India, Stand up India:
PM Modi has unveiled the Start-up India, Stand-up
India action plan to boost start-up ventures in the
country. With this, the government seeks to infuse more
energy into Indias start-up ecosystem.
What is Startup India, Standup India? Organized by
the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
(DIPP), along with other key Indian startup ecosystem
players, the Startup India, Standup India initiative aims
to celebrate the countrys entrepreneurial spirit, and
create a strong ecosystem for fostering innovation
and startups in India.
Salient Features of the Action Plan:
1. A Rs. 10,000 crore fund for startups: The
government will set up a fund with an initial corpus of
Rs. 2,500 crore and a total corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore
over a period of four years, which will be managed by a
board with private professionals drawn from industry
bodies, academia, and successful startups. The fund will
participate in the capital of SEBI registered venture
funds, and invest in sectors such as manufacturing,
agriculture, health, and education.
2. A single point of registration for startups: The
government will launch a mobile app and a portal which
will enable startups to register their company in a day.
The portal will also serve as a single point of contact
for clearances, approvals and registrations, and for
companies to apply for schemes under the Startup India
Action Plan.
3.A simplified regulatory regime based on selfcertification: To reduce the regulatory burden for
startups, the government will allow startups to selfcertify compliance on nine labor and environment
laws through the startup mobile app. No inspections will
be conducted in case of the labor laws for a period of
three years.
4. A fast-track mechanism filing patent applications:
Launched on a pilot basis for a year, the Central
Government shall bear the cost of patents,
trademarks and designs for a startup, with an 80%
rebate to encourage the creation and protection of its
intellectual property.
5. A credit guarantee fund for startups: A credit
guarantee mechanism will help startups raise debt
funding through the formal banking system through
National
Credit
Guarantee
Trust
Company
(NCGTC)/SIDBI, which has an annual corpus of Rs. 500

crore for the next four years.
6. Tax exemption for three years, and capital gains:
Aimed at facilitating growth and help retain capital,
startups will be exempted from income-tax for a period
of three years. However, the exemption shall be available
subject to non-distribution of dividend by the startup.
7. A Startup India Hub for collaboration: The Startup
India Hub will serve as a single point of contact for
startup ecosystem players, and will function in a hub
and spoke model with central and state governments,
Indian and foreign VCs, angel networks, banks,
incubators, legal partners, consultants, universities and
R&D institutions. The hub will assist startups in
obtaining financing, and organize mentorship programs
to encourage knowledge exchange.
8. Relaxed norms of public-procurement: The Central
Government, State Government and PSUs will exempt
startups in the manufacturing sector from the criteria of
prior experience/ turnover as long as they have their
own manufacturing facility in India, and have the
requisite capabilities and are able to fulfil the project
requirements.
9. Faster exits for startups: Startups may be wound up
within a period of 90 days from making of an
application for winding up on a fast track basis, as per
the recently tabled Insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill 2015,
which has provisions for voluntary closure of
businesses.
10.
Atal
Innovation
Mission
to
encourage
entrepreneurship and innovation: The Atal Innovation
Mission will establish sector specific incubators and 500
Tinkering Labs to promote entrepreneurship, provide
pre-incubation training and a seed fund for high-growth
startups. Three innovation awards will be given per state
and union territory, along with three national awards, as
well as a Grand Innovation Challenge Award for finding
ultra-low cost solutions for India.
11. Innovation focused programs for students: An
innovation core program targeted at school kids aims to
source 10 lakh innovations from five lakh schools, out of
which the the best 100 would be shortlisted and
showcased at an Annual Festival of Innovations, to be
held in Rashtrapati Bhavan. A Grand Challenge
program called NIDHI (National Initiative for Developing
and Harnessing Innovations) shall be instituted through
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres
(IEDCs) to support and award INR 10 lakhs to 20
student innovations.
12. An annual incubator grand challenge: The
government will identify and select ten incubators,
evaluated on pre-defined Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) as having the potential to become world class, and
give them Rs.10 crore each as financial assistance to
ramp up their infrastructure.
Opportunities:
1. Mostly these are labor intensive due to low capital
investment => createemployment
2. Boost the Economy by integrating various sectors;
example: the e-commerce sector.
Sub-aspects:Tax on seed funding to be scrapped.
Tax on seed funding is one of the key reasons that 90%
of Indian start-ups are financed by foreign venture
capital and angel funds.
Its scrapping will help domestic financiers bankroll new

entrepreneurial ventures under its Start Up India
campaign.
Angel investor:
Angel investor is an investor who provides financial
backing for small startups or entrepreneurs. Angel
investors are usually found among an entrepreneurs
family and friends. The capital they provide can be a
one-time injection of seed money or ongoing support to
carry the company through difficult times.
Other Start-Up India schemes on pipeline:
The government is all set to form an overarching
supervisory body to oversee the allocation of funds
under the Self-Employment and Talent Utilization
(SETU) scheme& the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
The government has allocated Rs 1,000 crore to

the SETU scheme and Rs 150 crore for AIM.
1. Self-Employment & Talent Utilization (SETU):
It will be a Techno-Financial, Incubation and
Facilitation Programme to support all aspects of start
up businesses, and other self-employment activities,
particularly in technology-driven areas.
An amount of Rs.1000 crore is being set up initially

in NITI Aayog for SETU.
The SETU schemes resources would be devoted to

strengthening
incubators
and
setting
up
tinkering labs where ideas can be shaped into
prototypes before they are ripe for funding.
2. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
It will be an Innovation Promotion Platform involving
academics, entrepreneurs and researchers and draw
upon national and international experiences to foster a
culture of innovation, R&D and scientific research in
India.
The platform will also promote a network of worldclass innovation hubs and Grand Challenges for
India.
Initially a sum of Rs.150 crore will be earmarked for

this purpose.
The AIM would focus on inviting aspiring

entrepreneurs to solve Indias contemporary
socio- economic problems via grand challenges
that offer substantial awards to incubate and scale
up winning ideas.
Cabinet nod for power tariff policy:
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the
Ministry of Power for amendments in the Tariff Policy.
The amendments are also aimed at achieving the
objectives of Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY)
with the focus on 4 Es: Electricity for all, Efficiency to
ensure affordable tariffs, Environment for a sustainable
future, Ease of doing business to attract investments
and ensure financial viability.
Highlights of Amendments are:
Power companies are allowed to pass costs on to

consumers arising out of any changes in taxes, cesss
and levies levied on them.
Create a win-win between the generator, utilities

and consumers by allowing power generators to sell
their surplus power on the power exchange and
sharing the proceeds with the state government.
It also imposes a renewable energy obligation on

new coal or lignite-based thermal plants, requiring
them to establish or purchase renewable capacity

alongside their own generation units.
It also mandates that no inter-state transmission

charges will be levied until a time to be specified by
the government
To encourage efficiency, the policy allows power

producers to expand up to double their capacity
through the automatic route, at their existing unit
locations.
Further, the tariffs for multi-state power projects

will be determined by the Central Electricity
Regulatory Commission.
The policy enables the creation of micro-grids in

remote villages as yet unconnected to the grid, and
also says that these micro-grids can sell their
surplus power to the grid when it reaches those
areas.
How would these amendments benefit consumers?
These amendments will benefit power consumers in
multiple ways.
1. While reducing the cost of power through
efficiency, they will spur renewable power for a cleaner
environment and protect Indias energy security.
2. These amendments will ensure availability of
electricity to consumers at reasonable & competitive
rates, improve ease of doing business to ensure financial
viability of the sector and attract investments, and
promote transparency, consistency and predictability in
regulatory approaches across jurisdictions.
Cabinet approval of creation of a Credit Guarantee
Fund for MUDRA loans:
Objective: To reduce the credit risk to Banks and other
financial intermediaries
The Fund is expected to guarantee more than Rs

1,00,000 crore worth of loans to micro and small
units in the first instance.
Important features of the Fund:
The Fund will guarantee loans sanctioned under

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
The National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company

Ltd. (NCGTC Ltd.)) to manage and operate various
credit guarantee funds, shall be the Trustee of the
Fund.
The guarantee under the scheme would be

provided on portfolio basis to a maximum extent of
50% of Amount in Default in the portfolio.
Background:
MUDRA Bank and a Credit Guarantee Fund was
proposed to be set up with a refinance corpus of Rs.
20,000 crore and a corpus of Rs.3,000 crore respectively.
National Industrial Corridor Authority (NICA):
With a corpus of around Rs 18,500 crore, the authority
will supervise the implementation and coordination
among the five industrial corridors in the works.
Need for NICA:
Bringing all the corridors under the ambit of an
Authority (NICA) on the lines of the National
Highways Authority of India is aimed at providing
certainty to investors as well as to multilateral
agencies like Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) and JBIC (which are supporting DMIC and CBIC)
and the Asian Development Bank.
DIPP is the nodal agency at the Centre for Industrial
Corridors
Significance of NICA:
1. The authority will effectively monitor the development
of these industrial corridors.
2. The corridors, with smart cities linked to transport
connectivity, will be the cornerstone of the strategy to
drive Indias growth in manufacturing and urbanization.
Way ahead:
The government was earlier considering a proposal to
bring into force a NICA Act on the lines of the NHAI Act.
Since that move would need Parliament approval and
therefore, is more time-consuming than giving a Cabinet
approval to the NICA, NICA Bill has also been deferred
for the time being.
Swiss challenge approach & Indian Prospect:
Swiss challenge method is a process of giving
contracts.
Any person with credentials can submit a

development proposal to the government. That
proposal will be made online and a second person
can give suggestions to improve and beat that
proposal.
It is a method where third parties make offers

(challenges) for a project within a designated period
to avoid exaggerated project costs.
Indias prospect: India wants her ambitious plan to
build new expressways across the country by adopting
the Swiss Challenge method for awarding these
projects
Challenges:
Issue of Transparency: According to the expert panel,
Swiss
Challenge
approaches
bring
information
asymmetries in the procurement process and result in
lack of transparency and in the fair and equal
treatment of potential bidders in the procurement
process
Fostering Make in India in Defence purchases
The government has approved major changes to the
Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP).
This will streamline defence acquisitions and give a big
impetus to indigenization through the Make in India
initiative.
Major Changes:
The DPP 2016 will have a new category,

indigenously
Designed,
Developed
and
Manufactured (IDDM) platforms, which will be the
priority route for procurements.
Within this two sub-categories have been created,

one with mandatory 40% domestic content for a
domestic design and the other mandating 60% local
content if the design is not Indian.
The domestic companies eligible under this will

have majority Indian control and operated by Indian
nationals.
In addition to building a technology base in the

country, the government through the Department of
Defence Production will fund private R&D for which
various norms have been stipulated.
Offset clause has been amended from the current

Rs. 300 crore to Rs. 2000 crore giving flexibility
for foreign companies
It also sets up an empowered committee to solve

disputes or unforeseen issues. About DAC:
10
Background:
The DAC (Defence Acquisition Council) approves the
long-term integrated perspective plan for acquisition
proposals, and has to grant its approval to all major
deals.
The DAC recommends all big purchases for approval of
the Cabinet committee on security.
FIPB clears 13 FDI proposals:
About FIPB:
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), housed
in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of
Finance, is an inter-ministerial body, responsible for
processing
of
FDI
proposals
and
making
recommendations for Government approval.
Powers & Functions:
It considers and recommends foreign direct
investment (FDI) which does not come under the
automatic route. It provides a single window
clearance for proposals on FDI in India
Composition of FIPB:
Secretary to Government, Department of Economic
Affairs, Ministry of Finance Chairperson Secretary to
Government; Department of Industrial Policy &
Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry Secretary
to Government, Department of Commerce, Ministry of
Commerce & Industry Secretary to Government,
Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs
Secretary to Government, Ministry of Overseas Indian
Affairs.
Easwar committee on reforms of direct tax laws
A committee headed by R.V. Easwar has been
constituted to change direct tax laws has suggested
several taxpayer-friendly measures to improve the
ease of doing business, reduce litigation and
accelerate the resolution of tax disputes.
Major recommendations:
Simplification of provisions related to tax deducted

at source (TDS), claims of expenditure for deduction
from taxable income and for tax refunds.
Deferring the contentious Income Computation

and Disclosure Standards (ICDS) provisions and
making the process of refunds faster.
The committee has asked the income-tax

department to desist from the practice of
adjusting tax demand of a taxpayer whose tax
return is under assessment against legitimate
refunds due.
Deletion of a clause that allows the tax department

to delay the refund due to a taxpayer beyond six
months and suggested a higher interest levy for all
delays in refunds.
Stock trading gains of up to Rs.5 lakh will be

treated as capital gains and not business income,
a move that could encourage more retail investments
in the stock market.
It also sought to provide an exemption to nonresidentsnot having a Permanent Account

Number (PAN), but who furnish their Tax
Identification Number (TIN), from the applicability of
TDS at a higher rate.
Most of the processes of the income-tax department

should be conducted electronically to minimize
human interface. To this effect, it suggested that
processes such as filing of tax returns, rectification
of
mistakes,
appeal,
refunds
and
any
communication regarding scrutiny including notices,
questions and documents sought should be done

electronically.
To make it easy for small businesses, the committee

recommended that the eligibility criteria under the
presumptive scheme be increased to Rs.2 crore from
Rs.1 crore.
It also recommended launching a similar scheme for

professionals. The presumptive tax is levied on an
estimated income and makes life (and work) easier
for small businesses.
First River Information System of India
Countrys first River Information System (RIS) System
was recently inaugurated.
Features of RIS:
RIS is being implemented under the overall

responsibility of Inland Waterway Authority of
India, a statutory body administered by the
Ministry of Shipping.
A combination of modern tracking equipment related

hardware and software designed to optimize traffic
and transport processes in inland navigation.
The system enhances swift electronic data transfer

between mobile vessels and shore (Base stations)
through advance and real-time exchange of
information.
Opportunity:
It will facilitate safe and accurate navigation on

National Waterway -1 on the Ganges River.
Enhancement of inland navigation safety in ports

and rivers. Better use of the inland waterways
Environmental protection
RIS enables achievement of safe and efficient inland

water transport by avoiding the following risks: Shipto Ship collisions Ship Bridge collisions
Groundings
Arvind Panagariya committee for Bullet train
projects:
The Prime Ministers Office has constituted a committee
under Arvind Panagariya to hasten the MumbaiAhmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, meant for bullet
trains between the two cities.
The panel will interact with the Japanese counterpart
for taking the next step in implementation. Background:
The Cabinet had recently given its nod to set up Indias
first 500-km-long bullet train project, with the help of
Japanese funds and technology, Connecting Mumbai to
Ahmedabad.
U.S. pumps millions to map drug-resistant infections
in India
The U.S. governments Global Health Security Agenda
(GHSA), launched to contain the spread of new and
emergent infections following the Ebola outbreak, has
pumped millions to map the rising anti-microbial
resistance in India and build capacities to tackle it
better.
Details:
The new project is titled Capacity Building and

strengthening of hospital infection control to
detect and prevent anti-microbial resistance in
India.
The project will be jointly executed by the Indian

Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the All India
11
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the India

office of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
Benefits for India:
Since the rising anti-microbial resistance is a serious
health concern in India it will be beneficial:
Enhanced
infection
prevention.
Strengthened
surveillance.
Uninterrupted
access
to
essential
antibiotics. Regulation and promotion of rational use of
antibiotics. Support to existing initiatives to foster
innovation in Science and Technology.
Overview of Global Economy & Indian Prospects:
China: 2015 witnessed the lowest growth in last three
decades; Yuan also depreciated; Manufacturing has
slowed down; Wage rate has been hiked.
USA: Strong job growth rate, but weak wage growth;
remained turbulent to FED tapering;
Indias Prospect:
1. Showing more resilience than other emerging
countries due to a huge Forex reserve (strong rupee vis-vis dollar) & a diversified economy;
2. Stable policy (both monetary & fiscal) giving stimulus
to the economy
3. Fiscal deficit & current account deficit have been
narrowed.
International factor: Lower oil prices boost economic
growth since it makes transportation & production
cheaper
Challenges:
1. Core inflation still remains above 5.5 throughout
2015.
Financial Sector: Banks
1. SBI starts exclusive advisory services for startups.
The branch, named branch InCube.
2. SBI Exclusif:The wealth management service,
Exclusif, will offer many firsts in wealth banking like the
first e- Wealth Center that can deliver quality
relationship management services remotely for extended
hours.
State Bank of India has also become the first public
sector lender to launch wealth management service for
high net- worth individuals (HNIs) in India.
ENVIRONMENT
India set to implement BS-VI From 2020
To curb vehicular pollution, the government has
decided to implement stricter emission norms of
Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020 by skipping BSV altogether.
Background: At present, BS-IV auto fuels are being
supplied in whole of northern India. The rest of the
country has BS-III grade fuel.
What are BS norms: Bharat Stage emission standards,
introduced in 2000, are emission standards that have
been set up the Central government to regulate the
output of air pollutants from internal combustion
engine equipment, including motor vehicles.
The different norms are brought into force in accordance
with the timeline and standards set up by the Central
Pollution Control Board.
The Bharat Stage norms are based on European
regulations
BS-VI Norms:
1. The particulate matter emission in BS-VI is 80%
less than BS IV.
2. The nitrogen oxide (NOx) level is, however, 70% less
in BS-VI than BS IV.
3. The sulphur content in fuel norms for diesel and
petrol under both BS-VI standards is substantially less
than 50 mandated for both the fuels under BS-IV.
(Point to note: Particulate matter, NOx, Sulphur content)
Why we need these norms?
1. Major pollutants such as fine particulate matter,
sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide
emitted by millions of vehicles on Indias roads are
severely affecting the health of people, particularly
children whose lungs are immature and hence more
vulnerable.
2. Thousands of premature deaths and rising rates of
asthma episodes.
3. Higher sulphur results in high volumes of fine
respirable particulates measuring 2.5 micrometres
(PM2.5) being generated in emissions.
Challenges before the government:
1. There are questions about the ability of oil
marketing companies to quickly upgrade fuel quality
from BS-III and BS-IV standards to BS-VI, which is likely
to cost upwards of Rs 40,000 crore.
2. Automakers have clearly said that going to BS-VI
directly would leave them with not enough time to design
changes in their vehicles, considering that two critical
components diesel particulate filter and selective
catalytic reduction module would have to be adapted
to Indias peculiar conditions, where running speeds are
much lower than in Europe or the US.
Conclusion:
Rolling out the BS VI standard nationally, skipping BS
V, has significant cost implications for fuel producers
and the auto-mobile industry, but its positive impact on
public health would more than compensate for the
investment.
Trying and testing the odd-even Car formula
Background: Its been two weeks since the Delhi
government implemented the Odd-even formula in the
National Capital Region on a trial basis. Yet, there has
not been any credible data to support the Delhi
governments claim that the odd-even trial has reduced
pollution or improved air quality.
What the data suggest?
Data obtained from the National Air Quality Index (NAQI)
portal shows that air has been toxic all through this
winter.
On average, AQI values for Delhi for the first week of
January were 20 to 25% worse than during the
preceding week.
What can we conclude from the findings mentioned
above?
It should be clear that the scheme did not worsen air
quality; meteorological conditions did (Wind, which
disperses pollutants, has fallen consistently in speed
since December). But the scheme was not able to
mitigate this impact.
What else the data suggest?
What is clear from data about sources of air pollution in
Delhi is that cars are not the major polluters.
12
A report by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur,

on the sources of particulate matter finds that vehicles
contribute to 20% of PM2.5 concentration. Among
them, trucks and two-wheelers together contribute to
80% of pollution; cars, 10%. This means that the
contribution of four-wheelers to air pollution in Delhi is
just 2%. Thus, it can be concluded that cars are not the
main cause of Delhis pollution.
How the air quality can be improved?
The odd-even scheme expected to show a positive impact
in the coming weeks. Other measures are:
1. An odd-even trial in the summer months might be
more useful to isolate its impact.
2. The governments proposal to vacuum-clean roads is
promising, given that the IIT Kanpur study attributed
38% of pollution to road dust.
3. The government could also resort on other measures
including temporary controls on industry and
construction, and banning the use of fireworks.
4. In the long run, an essential step would be to draft a
new transportation policy in consultation urban
planners, logisticians, sociologists, environmentalists,
civil society groups including doctors, teachers and
lawyers, the police and the military, apart from
economists would be essential.
5. CSIRs proposal of mid-week work-from-home can be
a game changer too. According to this formula, instead
of commuting to work and school, employees and
students could work and study from home for a day.
Conclusion:
Consensus has it that the solutions like the odd-even
ones are short-term. However, it is wrong to say that the
experiment should not have been conducted. Indias
federalism allows for a vast array of public policy
experiments, and the Delhi experiment is one of the few
related to environmental pollution in India. The initiative
force both a conversation and behavioural change is
truly remarkable. But an experiment must be built
around an open-ended question, which has not been the
case so far.
Cabinet approves policy on Promotion of City
Compost
The policy primarily seeks to promote the use of city
compostby bringing better coordination among
various government departments and agencies.
Salient Features of the new policy:
A provision has been made for market development

assistance of 1500 rupees per tonne of city compost
for scaling up production and consumption of the
product. Market development assistance would
lower MRP of city compost for farmers. Fertilizer
companies and marketing entities will also comarket city compost with chemical fertilizers
through their dealers network.
The companies will also adopt villages for promoting

the use of compost.
Government Departments and Public Sector

undertakings will also use city compost for their
horticulture and related uses.
Eco-Mark standard will be specified for city compost

that would ensure that environment friendly quality
product reaches the farmers.
A joint mechanism will be set up by Department

of Fertilizers, Ministry of Urban Development and
DoAto monitor and facilitate availability of adequate
quantity of city compost at terms mutually agreeable

between compost manufacturers and fertilizer
marketing companies.
Benefits of the new policy:
Compost from city garbage would not only provide

carbon and primary/secondary nutrients to soil
but also help in keeping the city clean.
Composting can reduce the volume of waste to

landfill/dumpsite by converting the waste into useful
by-products.
This also prevents production of harmful

greenhouse gases (especially methane) and toxic
material that pollutes groundwater apart from
polluting the environment. City Waste composting
would also generate employment in urban area
IMD launches a system to monitor aerosols and black
carbon in atmosphere
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has
launched a System of Aerosol Monitoring and
Research (SAMAR).
It will help in studying concentration of black carbon in
atmosphere due to air pollution and its impact on
climate.
Aerosols are a subset of air pollution that contains
gases, fumes and dust in harmful proportion. Aerosols
particles can be both solid and liquid which also affects
environmental visibility.
About SAMAR:
The SAMAR, equipped with many sophisticated
equipment including 12 sky radiometers, will study
aerosols different properties and determine how it
impact the climate over a longer period of time.
Center notifies revised standards for CETPs to
minimise water pollution
The Center has notified revised standards for Common
Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs), operating at
various industrial clusters in the country to minimize
water pollution.
The revised standards, notified by the Union
environment ministry, will help in significantly in
improving the performance of CETPs through
implementation of design inlet quality and addressing
the problems of the coastal pollution due to industrial
discharges.
The new standards also help keep a close watch on the
impact of discharge of industrial effluent on soil and
ground water quality.
New standards announced include:
A provision of soil and groundwater quality monitoring
twice a year (pre and post-monsoon.
Under the new standards, the State Pollution Control
Boards are empowered to prescribe standards for inlet
quality of effluent in respect of Bio-chemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD).
Following are the key terms that have now been
standardized by the IMD:
Heat wave: Temperatures greater than 4.5 degree
Celsius above whats usual for the region.
Cold wave: Temperatures less than 4.5 degree Celsius
above whats usual for the region.
Severe heat wave: greater than or equal to 47 degree
Celsius.
Severe cold wave: Minimum temperature is 2 degree
Celsius or lower.
13
International Solar Alliance set to be operational:

Modi and French President Franois Hollande would lay
the foundation stone of the alliance at the National
Institute of Solar Energy in Gurgaon, Haryana.
About ISA:
The initiative was announced by Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi, at the Conference of Parties in (COP
21) in Paris last November. The headquarters of this
alliance will be located in India.
Members: It comprises of countries with land between
the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer
which typically have 300 or more days of sunshine a
year. It is expected to have 121 members.
Objectives:
To get $1 trillion investments in the solar sector

worldwide by 2030.
To get solar sector-specific human resources

development in all member countries and ensure
that any research and development in a country
becomes available to all.
What about other countries? Countries, other than
tropic countries, can join as partners.
Finance: India has already offered Rs. 100 crore for an
ISA corpus, which is expected to grow to $1 billion when
all the member countries contribute.
Way ahead:
Following the signing of the statute, each member
country will have to send the document to their Cabinets
or Parliaments for ratification within three months. The
International Solar Alliance will become a legal entity
after a minimum of 25 countries ratify it.
Kiran Global Chemicals unveils Green cement:
Kiran Global Chems Ltd. has introduced its
indigenously-developed eco-friendly Geocement.
Constituents:
Geo-cement is made out of industrial wastes. It comes in
two-part packing 35 kg Geocement powder and 15 kg
Geobinder liquid. Both can be mixed at construction
sites like normal cement
Benefits of using this cement:
1. This cement will play a role in cutting carbon
emission levels while being stronger than Portland
cement. For every tonne of cement production, there will
be about 800 kg of CO2 emission.
2. The anti-bacterial properties of the cement can be
used for construction of underground seweage pipes and
toilets as well.
Challenges: However, price of Geo-cement will be
slightly higher than normal cement.
Geo-powder: It is a mineral compound blended with
bye-product materials like fly ash, rice husk ash, slag,
activated clay, alumina in the geo-polymer formation.
Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) amendment raises
hackles
The amendment to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
notification 2011 permitting the use of reclaimed land
for construction of roads in notified areas has
triggered a wave of concern among coastal communities.
Even the scientists have raised their voices against these
amendments.
Reasons behind their protest:

1. Scientists feel that the amendment would spark a
spree of construction activities along the coast,
endangering the marine and coastal ecosystems.
2. Environmentalists are also worried as the amendment
would permit roads to come up in the CRZ1 region
comprising ecologically sensitive areas and classified
as a no development zone.
Background:
As per the notification these amendments permits the
use of reclaimed land for roads, mass rapid or
multimodal transit systems, and the construction
and installation of associated public utilities and
infrastructure to operate such systems within the
CRZ area.
It says such roads should not be taken as authorized for
permitting development on the landward side till the
existing High Tide Line.
It also mandates compensatory afforestation to
replace the mangroves cut or destroyed for road
construction.
Roadmap Ahead:
Local communities have demanded revocation of the
amendment immediately.
They have also asked the government to hold National
level consultation in all the coastal States before making
any amendment in CRZ 2011, as done earlier.
CRZ notification, 2011:
The existing policy envisages ensuring livelihood
security to the coastal communities, to conserve and
protect coastal stretches and marine areas and
promote sustainable development on scientific
principles taking into account the dangers of natural
hazards in the coastal areas and sea level rise.
Environment
Ministry
Holds
First
National
Stakeholder Consultation on the Biodiversity
Finance Initiative:
This National Stakeholder meeting was organized to
understand the BIOFINproject and to seek professional
inputs from experts of various fields in strengthening the
biodiversity conservation efforts.
The meeting also assessed the expenditure being made
by different organizations for activities related to
biodiversity conservation. A global high level panel set
up by the Convention on Biological Diversity has
estimated that USD 150-440 billion need to be invested
annually in biodiversity for effective implementation of
Aichi global biodiversity targets. The Ministry has
partnered with the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) in a global project on Biodiversity
Finance Initiative (BIOFIN).
About BIOFIN project:
The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) is a global
partnership that helps governments cost, plan and pay
for action on biodiversity conservation and its
sustainable use. It was launched in 2012. The BIOFIN
methodology is being used to analyze, calculate and
develop strategies to generate the funds they need to
meet national biodiversity targets.
The initiative is run by the United Nations
DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP).
Largest ever wildlife census:
The Great Elephant Census was conducted across
Africa.
14
Funded by Microsoft founder Paul G Allen.

2015 is the hottest year on record:
(Points should come to our minds: Who announced this;
what caused 2015 to be the hottest; does it prove global
warming; so what will be its impact in future)
This finding was announced by the NASA& the National
Oceanic Atmosphere Administrationof USA.
Factors causing global warming: A combination of ElNino &man-made global warming (GHG emission)
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Li-Fi: A green avatar of Wi-Fi
What is Li-Fi?
Li-Fi, or light fidelity, invented by German physicist
and professor Harald Haas, is a wireless technology
that makes use of visible light in place of radio waves
to transmit data at terabits per second speedsmore
than 100 times the speed of Wi-Fi.
How it works?
Li-Fi is a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system.
This means that it accommodates a photo- detector to
receive light signals and a signal processing element
to convert the data into stream-able content. Unlike
Wi-Fi, which uses radio waves, Li-Fi runs on visible
light.
Advantages:
1. Li-Fi could make a huge impact on the internet of
things too, with data transferred at much higher
levels with even more devices able to connect to one
another.
2. Li-Fi offers great promise to overcome the existing
limitations of Wi-Fi by providing for data-heavy
communication in short ranges.
3. Due to its shorter range, Li-Fi is more secure than
Wi-Fi.
4. Since it does not pollute, it can be called a green
technology for device-to-device communication in the
Internet of Things (IoT).
5. Li-Fi systems consume less power.
Limitations of Li-Fi:
1. As visual light cant pass through opaque objects
and needs line of sight for communication, its range will
remain very restricted to start with.
2. In order to enjoy full connectivity, more capable LED
bulbs will need to be placed at various places.
3. Li-Fi requires the lightbulb is on at all times to
provide connectivity, meaning that the lights will need to
be on during the day.
4. Li-Fi is likely to face interference from external light
sources, such as sunlight and bulbs, and obstructions
in the path of transmission, and hence may cause
interruptions in communication.
5. Also, initially, there will be high installation costs of
visual light communication systems.
Challenges:
The main challenge is to create a Li-Fi ecosystem,
which will need the conversion of existing smartphones
into Li-Fi enabled ones by the use of a
converter/adapter.
Potential applications:
1. Li-Fi can be used in street and traffic lights. Traffic
lights can communicate to the vehicles and with each
other.
2. Through the use of Li-Fi, traffic control can be made
intelligent and real-time adaptable.
3. Visible light being safer, they can also be used in
places where radio waves cant be used such as
petrochemical and nuclear plants and hospitals.
4. They can also be used in aircraft, where most of the
control communication is performed through radio
waves. Li-Fi can also easily work underwater, where
Wi-Fi fails completely
Challenges and opportunity in India:
The lack of ubiquitous broadband access, which
thereby restricts data access, and chaotic traffic
management leading to traffic jams and pollution are
just two of the many problems in India. Li-Fi has scope
to help with both.
By converting traffic lights into LED-based access
points, traffic management can be made intelligent,
adaptive and real-time and so, more efficient and
effective. In the same way, street lights can also be
converted into Li-Fi access points, making them
broadband access transmitters to mobile Li-Fi enabled
smartphones, converting areas into seamless hot spots.
Conclusion:
If Li-Fi can be put into practical use, every LED lamp
(indoor as well as outdoor) can be converted into
something like a hot spot to transmit data to every
mobile device to achieve universal broadband
communication between devices.
(Home work: 1.Compare between Wi-Fi & Li-Fi. UPSC
asks these kind of questions.)
Superbug and Quantum Dot:
What are Quantum dots?
A quantum dot is a nanoparticle made of any
semiconductor material such as silicon, cadmium
selenide. They are essentially small crystals of
nanometer-size dimensions theyre about 20,000
times smaller than the width of a human hair. They
have distinctive electrical conduction properties that are
determined by the incredibly small size and
structure.
Properties:
1. These are light-activated nanoparticles.In the dark,
the QDs remain inactive. When bombarded by visible
light, they become energetically excited.
2. These quantum dots are more than 90% effective at
wiping out antibiotic-resistant germs like Salmonella,
E. coli and Staphylococcus.
Why we need them?
Super-bacteria resistant to the latest antibiotics, the last
line of medical defence against various infections, cancer
and HIV, is on the rise. These superbugs use
evolutionary abilities to overwhelm medical advances.
And to contain these bugs has been a challenging task
for the scientists across the world.
What led to their rise?
The rampant, indiscriminate administration of
common antibiotics has allowed these bacteria the
ability to shuffle their genes and defeat these drugs.
Such bacteria include Salmonella, Staphylococcus and
E. coli.
15
Why is this cause for concern?

Antibiotic-resistant
bacteria,
also
known
as
superbugs, infect & kill millions of people.
There is no comparative data for India, but the country
is the worlds largest consumer of antibiotics and has
emerged as a leading hotbed of untreatable bacterial
infections, their threat doubling over five years. These
bugs have also the ability to evolve, adapt and fight
back.
What the latest discovery is all about?
Scientists have developed a light-activated superbugkilling nanoparticle.
The quantum dots were used in tiny concentrations,
about a thousand times smaller than current drugs in a
pill.
How Quantum dots fight Superbugs?
Bacteria rely on redox reactions, those involving the
addition or removal of oxygen (reduction and oxidation,
respectively). And when several Quantum dots are
excited nearby, they produce chemicals that are
able to be reduced or oxidized by reactive
compounds within the bacteria. This effectively
interferes with their intercellular processes, disrupts
their cell growth, and kills them
Significance of the quantum dots:
1. As the superbugs evolve, adapt and fight back, the
quantum dots can be tuned, or customised, with an
atom added or subtracted to create a new material,
property or therapy, while using data from related
clinical trials or drugs.
2. Varying the wavelength of light, or size, composition
and surface of the dots, allows selective killing of
drug-resistant bacteria, without harming host human
cells.
Conclusion:
But more research, including clinical trials, will be
needed to develop quantum dot therapy and prove its
safety and effectiveness in humans. The stage is now set
for the government to intervene and provide some fund
for clinical trials. However, the final and most
challenging proving grounds that take any therapy from
laboratory to marketand determine if the quantum dot
could be the next big thing.
Impact of Caste system on genes:
(Points to look for: Who has conducted the study; what
are the findings; How it will help to study the caste
system and its genesis)
The Study has been conducted by the National Institute
of Bio-Medical Institute of Genomics (NIBMG)
Findings of the study:
For most of the upper castes Endogamy (that is

marrying with in ones caste) began nearly 70
generations ago or almost during the Gupta period.
(Gupta rulers were staunch supporter of
Brahmanism or Caste system)
Endogamy or intra-caste marriage was laid in the

Hindu law books or Dharmasastras, written during
the Gupta rule
It ended Exogamy or mixing of inter-caste genes,

or in other words it shows how social norms has
affected DNA profile
This study apparently calculates the origin of the

caste system in various regions.
(i) For Upper Castes like Brahmins, Kshatriyas,
and Kayastha it began in Gupta era
(ii) For West Bengal Brahminsit began during

the Pala rule(Hint: remember the period of their
rule by looking at the tripartite struggle between
Palas, Rastrakutas & Pratiharas)
(iii) For
Marathasit began during the
Chalukya&Rastrakuta rule(in between 7th& 10th
century)
Thus it gives the scope of rewrite History
books more accurately.
However there were asymmetrical mixing of genes since
most often the male members of upper caste
communities
have
their
offspring
with
other
communities
Artificial Intelligence (AI):
Context:It has been in news since its pioneer Marvin
Minsky died few days back.
What is Artificial Intelligence or AI: The Study of
characterizing Human Psychological processes and
endowing machines (computer) with this intelligence
theories or in simple terms making the computer think
more like a human.
How a human thinks when s/he faces a situation
=> embodying it in the computer
(Not so important: AI was termed by John McCarthy, a
colleague of Marvin Minsky)
Photonics to drive terabit chips
Scientists from the Centre for Nano Science and
Engineering (CeNSE) at the Indian Institute of Science
(IISC) are working on two projects in the area of
photonic integrated circuits.
Photonics: is the science of light (photon) generation,
detection,
and
manipulation
through
emission,
transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching,
amplification, and detection/sensing.
How would it help? The new project, will exploit highspeed Silicon photonics to improve data transfer
between the core and the memory exponentially. It would
exponentially improve the power of microprocessors.
How photonic applications operate? Photonic
applications use the photon in the same way that
electronic applications use the electron.
Advantages:
Devices that run on light have a number of advantages
over those that use electricity:
1 Light travels at about 10 times the speed that
electricity does, which means (among other things) that
data transmitted photonically can travel long distances
in a fraction of the time.
2. Furthermore, visible-light and infrared (IR) beams,
unlike electric currents, pass through each other
without interacting, so they dont cause interference. A
single optical fibre has the capacity to carry three million
telephone calls simultaneously.
Photonic applications are: photonic switching, silicon
photonics, photonic networks, and the photonic
computer.
New NASA programme to protect Earth from
Asteroids, comets:
Objective: To track Near Earth Objects (NEOs) like
comets, asteroids that pass by the Earths orbit, since
these NEOs possess potential impact threats to our
planet.
16
Context: 2013 Chelyabinsk super fire ball & the recent

Halloween asteroids close approach reminds us to
remain vigilant & keep our eyes to the sky.
NASA has set up a Planetary Defence Coordination Office
to look after such NEOs.
Neutrino in our lives:
Context: Knowing some basic properties and application
of neutrino research is very important for exams since
India has established a Neutrino Observatory centre,
INO in Bodi west hills, Tamil Nadu.
Every minute billions of neutrinos pass through our

body but we do not get affected by them
Properties:Neutrino carries no charge => so it does

not get deflected in the Electro-magnetic radiation. It
has a non-zero mass or mass is not zero.
They pass through normal matter unimpeded or

undetected.
They originate after stellar phenomena like big

bang, supernovae. It also originated in nuclear
reactions (fission or fusion)
Synthetic Biology or Bio-Engineering:
(Note- UPSC asks simple questions on the definition
and simple application of emerging scientific &
Technological
disciplines
like
Robotics,
Nanotechnology, Bio-Engineering..etc)
What it is: Its the application of principles of
engineering in Biology where scientists not only read
or decode DNA, but also write new sequences and
build biological components to either imitate nature
or create something totally new.
Examples: Microbes reprogrammed to destroy tumors.
Application:Wide application in Food processing,
pharmaceutical, metal processing & health sector
Bacterial E.Coli is used in Pharmaceutical sector, food
processing.
Indo-American Professor develops method to hunt
dark matter:
What is Dark matter: These are the invisible
particlesthrough which light cant pass. Dark matter
makes up 85 per cent of the mass of the Universe.
Indo- American Professor Sukanya Chakrobarty & her
team has used waves in the galactic disk to map the
interior structure and mass of galaxies.This method
resemble the way seismologists analyses P & S waves to
study about Earths interior.
Future ahead:It may help in detecting dwarf galaxies
dominated by dark matter
Hisar institute becomes second centre to clone
buffalo
Scientists at the Central Institute for Research on
Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar, Haryana claimed to have
successfully produced a cloned buffalo offspring Cirb
Gaurav.
This achievement has been made under the project
entitled- Cloning for conservation and multiplication
of superior buffalo germ-plasm.
What is cloning?
Cloning is the process of creating genetically identical
copies of biological matter. This may include genes,
cells, tissues or entire organisms.
Rise in Space junk or extra-terrestrial debris may

cause armed conflict:
Space junk are the fragments of spent rockets or spent
satellites and other hurtling hardware flying in the outer
space.
There has been a steady rise in space junk due to more
space missions (artificial satellites, telescopes, interplanetary missions)
How it can cause armed conflict: These pieces of debris
revolve in the lower atmosphere orbit & have enough
energy to damage or destroy military satellites.
Thus it may provokepolitical or military conflict
among nations.
ISRO puts fifth Navigation satellite (IRNSS) in orbit:
Status of TB in India:
One of the top 12 high burden country (: of course

due to large population & poor health sector)
Indian Private sector offers one of the cheapest

price for the WHO approvedxpert MTB/RIF
Govt. keeps the price low by (i) waiving off the
customs duty
&
by
(ii)
providing
subsidy
to
the
manufacturers&diagnostics
Endosulfan may induce infertility among males:
Endosulfan:
usually used as a pesticide;
Saw mass protest in Kerala

[Note-*1 AU: Astronomical unit; Its the distance
between the sun & the Earth.
Usually the distance of the planets or stars or the
Galaxies from the Earth is expressed either in terms of
AU or Light-year or Parsec.
For example: distance of the nearest star (apart from the
sun) from the Earth: 3.5 light year(ly)
The sun, (not Alpha Centuary) is the nearest star for
the Earth. (UPSC prelim question)]
Short notes:
1. China to send space probe to the Moon (or Lunar
Probe) to study the darker half of the Moon
2. NASAs Juno Mission on the Jupiter: Holds the
record of most distantsolar powered space probe.
However Juno is not the most distant space probe. Since
New Horizon mission of NASA is on Plutowhich is a
nuclear powered space craft.
(Note: Go through all the under-lined, bold words
carefully; UPSC Prelims questions are like this way)
Services provided by IRNSS:

IRNSS would provide two types of services, namely
Standard Positioning Services available to all users
and Restricted Services provided to authorized
users(especially for strategic & military sectors).
IRNSS would provide two types of services, namely
Standard Positioning Services available to all users and
Restricted Services provided to authorized users.
Fossils of Dinosaur found in the Kutch region:
Dinosaur lived in the Jurassic era.
Since India & Madagascar (an island in the Eastern

coast of Africa) were one landmass before the
Indian
landmass
travelled
North-ward,
so
researchers believe finding of more dinosaur fossils
from India.
Zebra stripes are not for camouflage:
Camouflages are basically alternate colorful or colorless
stripes found on the skin of animals, insects.
For example: Strips of Zebra, or military uniforms when
they go to the forest for combing operation
Camouflage helps them protection against predators.
Example: Most of the insects have green patches in their
skin. Thus it becomes easier for the insect to hide in the
grasses or leaves. So Its predator find its difficult to
distinguish between a leaf and an insect.
Zebra strips are not for camouflage, since its predators
like lions and hyenas can easily distinguish the stripes
due to low distance & light.
17
3. Satellite technology to help NHAI monitor highway

projects
NHAI has signed Memorandum of Understanding with
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under Indian
Space Research Organization (ISRO) and North East
Centre for Technology Application and Research
(NECTAR) for use of spatial technology for monitoring
and managing National Highways.
4. Fatal Familial Insomnia or Prion disease:
A genetic disease ( It means it is inherited by the

offspring from their parents)
Sonia & Erik Minikel, an Indo-American research

couple are working on the disease
INTERNAL SECURITY
Post-Pathankot Attack: Revisting the The state of
Police Forces:
The extended time taken by the security forces to
neutralize the recent attack on the airbase in Pathankot
has led to a clamour for the need to have the ability to
respond more swiftly.
The whole incident has also raised several questions
about how to respond to such attacks. Most people are
of the view that the local police should have reacted
faster. However, given the present state of policing in
India, one can easily conclude that our police forces are
not in a position to handle such attacks.
Three greatest problems confronting the country

today are:
1. The challenge of international terrorism. 2. The spread
of Maoist influence over vast areas of Central India. 3.
The cancer of corruption.
If we are to tackle these problems effectively, there is the
need of a professional police force, well trained and
equipped, highly motivated, and committed to
upholding the law of the land and the constitution of
the country. However, this would require a total revamp
of police forces in the states.
Present state of police forces in the country:
Physical tests at the entry levels are deliberately
designed in a manner that does not weed out too many
hopeful candidates.
Even on the job, a daily grind with 14-hour duty
schedules, irregular food timings, consumption of
unhealthy street food, has made them less active.
And the police forces at the state level are primarily
required to maintain law and order, manage traffic, and
prevent and investigate crime. It is also difficult to arm
this civilian force with automatic weapons to respond to
a terrorist attack without any prior training.
Reforms needed:
Such a change in the work profile would require a
paradigm change in the way police officials are
recruited and trained.
1. Firstly the policymakers have to decide is the kind of
police they want, depending on the kind of tasks they
expect the police to perform. This should be followed up
by necessary improvements in the training facilities
available for the police and they should be provided with
suitable ammunition.
2. The police would also have to modernize their work
culture and daily processes. Specialized units are
essential to deal with terror attacks. Several strategic
assets are spread across the country. Hence, we have to
look at the way physical protection measures are taken
at strategic installations.
3. This would have financial implications for
policymakers as these units would have to be suitably
housed, trained, equipped and kept motivated. The
recommendations of committees, set up to review
the security of various assets, and the reports of the
Intelligence Bureau should be seriously taken up.
4. While manpower is essential to provide security,
investments must also be made in technology to
secure assets.
5. There is a need to recruit more officers with
specialization in forensic sciences and also in
different fields like cyber crime, financial accounting
and auditing and psychology.
6. Intelligence gathering is an art. Intelligence records
need to be digitized and made available to authorized
personnel when required. Also, Intelligence analysts
need to be trained and engaged.
7. Finally, concerns about the integrity are some of the
most important issues facing the profession of policing.
Cases of police misconduct can seriously harm years
of work to establish trust and confidence between the
police and members of the community they endeavour to
serve.
Supreme Court on Police reforms:
The Supreme Court judgement in 2006, ordered the
setting up of three institutions at the state level:
18
1. State security commission with a view to insulating

the police from extraneous influences. 2. Police
establishment board to give it functional autonomy. 3.
Police complaints authority to ensure its accountability.
Other recommendations by the apex court:
1. The court also ordered the separation of
investigating police from the law and order police to
ensure speedier investigation, better expertise and
improved rapport with the people.
2. The Union government was also asked to set up a
National Security Commission for the selection and
placement of heads of Central Police Organizations.
Conclusion:
The police are the first responders in the event of any
terrorist attack or Maoist violence, and they are also the
backbone of our intelligence, investigation and anticorruption agencies. Thus, looked at from any angle
the security of the common man, the survival of
democracy, maintaining the trajectory of economic
progress or dealing with the major threats confronting
the country we have to have a reformed, restructured
and revitalized police force.
Revive NATGRID with Safeguards to tackle
Terrorism:
The Central governments recent decision to revive
NATGRID (National Intelligence Grid) is a welcome
move in the fight against terrorism.
What is NATGRID?
NATGRID was among the ambitious slew of intelligence
reforms undertaken in the wake of the Mumbai
attacks of November 2008. NATGRID is a centralised
agency which stores sensitive personal information
on citizens from almost two dozen agencies to be made
available for counter-terror investigations. It will be
an attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Roles & Responsibilities:
NATGRID will become a secure centralised database to
stream sensitive information from 21 sets of data
sources such as banks, credit cards, visa, immigration
and train and air travel details, as well as from various
intelligence agencies.
The database would be accessible to authorized persons
from 11 agencies on a case-to-case basis, and only for
professional investigations into suspected cases of
terrorism.
Why do we need NATGRID?
The danger from not having a sophisticated tool like
the NATGRID is that it forces the police to rely on
harsh and coercive means to extract information in a
crude and degrading fashion. After every terrorist
incident, it goes about rounding up suspectsmany of
who are innocent. If, instead, a pattern search and
recognition system were in place, these violations of
human rights would be much fewer.
Opposition:
NATGRID is being opposed by some on charges of
possible violations of privacy and leakage of
confidential personal information. But, its efficacy in
preventing terror have been questioned given that no
state agency or police force has access to its database
thus reducing chances of immediate, effective action.
Concerns:
Appreciation of the power of digital databases to tackle
terror must be accompanied by deep concern about their
possible misuse.
1. The very digital tools that terrorists use have also
become great weapons to fight the ideologies of violence.
Social media and other platforms have become
recruitment sites and propaganda machines for terrorist
groups, and formal banking channels are used as much
as informal ones to transact terror funding.
2. The Snowden files have already revealed the
widespread misuse in recent years of surveillance
capabilities to compromise individual privacy and even
violate national sovereignty.
3. When so much sensitive information about
individuals is available on a single source, the potential
for its misuse would dramatically go up.
Conclusion:
The NATGRIDs efforts must be placed against the above
mentioned realities before the government rushes into
reviving it. The poor track record of the Indian security
and intelligence agencies on individual privacy and
liberty must also be kept in mind. The overdue initiative
to revive NATGRID should also be accompanied by
action on the need to have effective oversight of
intelligence agencies by Parliament or an eminent group.
Jihadi Terrorism is on the rise:
I. Global Terrorism Database (GTD):
* Maintained by the National Consortium for the study of
Terrorism and Responses (START) at the University of
Maryland in the USA
* Most comprehensive repository of information on
terrorism incidents around the world
Observation:
GTD shows Jihadi terrorism has rose in the recent years
& pose an existential threat not only to other religious
groups, but also to Muslims itself.
Short Notes:
1. INS Kadmatt, thesecond ship of Project 28 (P28)
class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvettes, was
recently
commissionedat
Naval
Dockyard
in
Visakhapatnam.
About INS Kadmatt:
INS Kadmatt is named after one of the large

islands amongst the Lakshadweep group of Islands
off the west coast of India.
The unique feature of this ship is the high level of

indigenisationincorporated in the production,
accentuating our national objective of Make in
India. About 90% of the ship is indigenous and
the ship is equipped to fight in Nuclear, Biological
and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.
MISCELLANEOUS: AWARDS, PIN & EVENTS
DAVA project wins 2015 eASIA Award:
The Department of Commerces DAVA (Drug
Authentication and Verification Application) project has
won the 2015 eASIA Award under Trade Facilitation
category as announced by Asia Pacific Council for
Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (AFACT)
in Tehran, Iran.
19
The award aims to promote trade facilitation and

electronic business activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
About DAVA project:
It is an initiative of Govt of India which aims to

cover all the drugs manufactured in India.
The project has created an integrated platform

for implementation of the Track and Trace
system both for exports and domestic
markets of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals.
Opportunity:
The project will provide simpler means to the
consumer and regulatory agencies for establishing
drug authentication and protect the Indias Brand
image in international trade.
EPFO bags National Award on e-Governance
The Employees Provident Fund Organisation has won
the National Award on e-Governance 2015-16 for
launching the Universal Account Number (UAN).
The EPFO won the gold award in the innovative use of
technology in e-governance category.
About UAN:
The UAN facility enables workers to transfer their

provident fund deposits while switching jobs
anywhere in India easily.
Through UAN, active employees are provided a

single universal number which can be linked to
various provident fund account numbers provided to
them while working in different organization.
The Employees Provident Fund Organization, a
statutory body, is one of the largest social security
organizations in India in terms of volume of financial
transactions undertaken and number of covered
beneficiaries. It works under the aegis of the Ministry
of Labor and Employment.
2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award
Carnatic vocalists Sanjay Subrahmanyam has been
conferred with the 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award.
Sangita Kalanidhi award:
It is a prestigious award bestowed annually upon an
expert of Carnatic Music by the Madras Music
Academy. This honour is considered one of the highest
awards in Carnatic music.
(Focus on the bold lettered words. UPSC asks this;
For example: Sangita Kalandhi Award is conferred by
Sangita Nataka Akademy. (True/False).
Ans: False. Not by Sangita Akademy, but by Madras
Academy)
Anuradha Roy wins DSC Prize
Author Anuradha Roy has won the DSC Prize for
South Asian Literature, 2016, for her novel Sleeping
on Jupiter.
About DSC Prize:
The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is a literary
prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or
nationality. It is for an original full-length novel written
in English, or translated into English.
India elected to Board of Directors of China-backed
AIIB
Indias Dinesh Sharma has been elected to the board
of
directors
of
the
China-sponsored
Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). With this,
India will be the first board of directors for the new

bank in which 57 members joined founding members.
Senior Indian Revenue Service official Atulesh Jindal
has been appointed the Chairman of the Central
Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Indias apex tax body.
RaghuramRajan Conferred Central Banker of the
Year Award:
RBI Governor RaghuramRajan has been felicitated with
the Central Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia
Pacific) for 2016 by the Financial Times Groups
monthly publication The Banker.
Mumbai, Delhi got place in Top 30 Super cities
globally:
Super city in terms of Connectivity, Productivity &
Strength of the city.
Tokyo topped the list.
Thomas Piketty, author of the best-selling book
Capital
in
the
Twenty-First
Century,
that
transformed the understanding of the history of
wealth and its distribution, recently visited India.
He stated: Rich must open their wallets more to remove
inequalities
Top Philanthropists in India:
Azim Premji, the founder of WIPRO ranked the most
generous Indian.
MukeshAmbani of Reliance Industries was ranked
sixth in the List.
Sania, Martina create world record, win 29th straight
match
Indias Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina
Hingis have broken a 22-year-old world record by
winning their 29th womens doubles match in a row.
Person in News:
Chief Executive Officer of Micro Units Development&
Refinance Agency Ltd (MUDRA): Jiji Mammen
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Paradigm shift in the Disinvestment Strategy: Need
of the Hour:
Context: One of the biggest disappointments of 2015 has
been the inability of the government to move forward on
even the modest targets of disinvestment of Rs 69,000
crore
($11
billion)especially
of
strategic
disinvestment.
If the government wants, it could move on disinvestment
aggressively without needing any legislative approval and
brinkmanship. Instead, its floundering around, trying to
restructure and improve these companies without a
clear game-plan.
What should the government do now?
The government should have a medium-term plan
which is based on performance, size and sector:
1. Maharatnas:
Maharatnas, whose total assets are around R10 lakh
crore, are performing well. Their return on capital and
return on assets have been higher than those of
comparable corporate firms. Hence, for now, the plan
could leave the Maharatnas in state hands. Maharatnas
20
include BHEL, Coal India, GAIL, Indian Oil, NTPC,

ONGC and SAIL.
However, even in this category the situation has seen a
reversal of trends in the last three years. Few
Maharatnas are showing a continuous decline in
performance. Therefore, among the Maharatnas, SAIL,
BHEL and Indian Oil need serious restructuring and
better leadership.
2. Navratna:
The performance of the 17 Navratnas is consistently
worse than that of comparable private corporates.
This is the group that should be privatizedespecially
Bharat Electronics, MTNL, NMDC and Oil India.
3. Miniratna:
The category of Miniratna is formed by 73 companies,
and these are the ones that are most ripe for strategic
disinvestment. A plan to sell most of these companies
should be developed, with those in manufacturing and
the services sector high on the list for immediate sale as
these are the worst performers.
Significance
of
Strategic
Disinvestment
(Privatization):
Strategic disinvestment improves the efficiency of

capital use. The PSUs which were strategically
disinvested previously have done exceedingly well,
thereby enhancing efficiency and improving the
return on assets.
If these proceeds are used to leverage private

funding of the same magnitude, India could be able
to invest an additional $50 billion per yearroughly
2.5% of GDPin public infrastructure for the next
10 years.
It will unlock funds for building badly-needed social

infrastructureroads, power transmission lines,
sewage systems, irrigation systems, railways and
urban infrastructure. This will also help draw in
private investment, including FDI.
Conclusion:
Such a bold approach to transferring state-owned assets
with generally low return towards public social
infrastructure is a win-win idea. However, for strategic
investment to succeed, the government should make
sure that disinvestment processes are transparent
and take place by competitive bidding. The
government must also make sure that some of the funds
are set aside for worker compensation.
Expanding Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into new
areas
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has been able to tackle two
major issues associated with subsidies in India:
targeting and leakages. This makes the time ripe to
have DBT for all subsidy programs.
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT):
The governments DBT plan involves transferring the
subsidy amount directly to the beneficiaries bank
accounts, usually the Jan Dhan Account.
The government has also linked DBT to Aadhaar.
Efficient targeting, using Aadhaar-linked data,
ensures that the intended beneficiary receives the money
in his account, thus helping him as well as reducing the
governments subsidy burden. This has resulted in
effectively solving the leakage and mis-targeting
problems in some schemes. So this method can
effectively address the issue of leakages and go a long

way in solving the mistargeting problem.
DBT in MGNREGA:
The case of MGNREGA wages is an example where DBT
effectively addressed both issues: targeting and
leakages. Initially, when MGNREGA wages were given in
cash, there were reports across the country of
MGNREGA
wages
being
misappropriated
by
middlemen.
In 2013, the government initiated the DBT scheme in
MGNREGA & eliminated these middlemen to a large
extent.. All the beneficiaries stood to reap benefits from
MGNREGA wages.
DBT in PAHAL:
The
modified
DBT
scheme,
named
PAHAL
[PratyakshHanstantritLabh] for liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG) subsidies was launched by the government in
January 2015.
The idea was that consumers link their Aadhaar
number to a bank account and receive the subsidy
amount for 12 cylinders in a year. Those without an
Aadhaar number could furnish any other bank account
to receive the subsidy. While, on one hand, this ensured
that all LPG consumers could avail of the subsidy, on
the other it also meant that a large proportion of the
subsidies were going to people who could afford LPG
cylinders at the unsubsidized rate.
Thus, the government recently decided that people
earning more than Rs.10 lakh a year would not be
eligible for the LPG subsidy. So, DBT addresses the
leakages issue while the income cap addresses the mistargeting problem. Hence, it is clear that few schemes,
like the one above, though successful, need more finetuning.
DBT in Kerosene:
There are also subsidy schemes where DBT, in its
efficient implementation, could actually result in adverse
outcomes. Take the example of DBT in the Kerosene. The
centre recently proposed to introduce DBT in kerosene.
Under the scheme, the consumer will pay the
unsubsidised price of kerosene and then receive the
subsidy amount in his bank account. The benefits are
immense.
Challenges:
1. With such a transfer system stems from the fact that
if the quantum of subsidy each household is eligible to is
determined on the basis of current kerosene usage, then
this means that the subsidy amount transferred to each
household would be about double its actual usage, since
currently around half is being pilfered. This creates a
situation where kerosene is so highly subsidised that
there will never be an incentive for users to shift to
cleaner forms of lighting such as solar.
2. Experts estimate that around half the kerosene sold
in the country is being misused. Instead of being used
as lighting fuel its most common use kerosene is
being used to adulterate diesel among other things. This
means that the benefit of kerosene being sold at
subsidised rates is also unintentionally going to those
involved in such activities.
Conclusion:
Currently, the government has introduced DBT in food
subsidies & fertilizer subsidies as well. The sweet spot
created by universalising banking via the JanDhanYojana, efficient targeting via Aadhaar, and the
21
increasing ubiquity of smartphones is so attractive

that the government should make full use of it to extend
DBT to all subsidy schemes along with careful
management.
Ensuring Privacy in a Digital Age:
The idea behind Data Protection day is to celebrate our
right to data protection and raise awareness of the law in
this area.
Background:
Popularly known as Convention 108, the Convention
for the Protection of Individuals with regard to
Automatic Processing of Personal Data is the
firstlegally binding international treaty dealing with
privacy and data protection.
Significance of data protection:
Data protection is a bigger part of our lives. But, often
we ignore its importance. We come across data
protection issues at work, when browsing the internet,
when dealing with public authorities, when we shop,
when we book tickets online and in many other
circumstances.
As digitalization increases, more and more of our data is
being captured. How this data is used and held is
becoming increasingly important. However, it is well
known that most citizens all over the world are unaware
their rights in relation to data protection. And some
people are breaching data protection laws unknowingly
on a daily basis.
Indian scenario:
According to an Internet and Mobile Association of India
report, India has around 400 million Internet users. This
number took a decade to reach 100 million from 10
million, three years to reach 200 million.
Concerns:
1. The Internet is essentially a data ecosystem where
every node is engaged in generation, transmission,
consumption and storage of data. Massive amounts of
information and data are being generated every day.
2. Various government schemes like Adhaar, digi
locker and DBT are increasing the availability of largescale sensitive data online. But the situation is such that
while we are generating such high volumes of data, we
do not have in place measures that safeguard the
privacy of this data, nor regulate data retention by
platforms collecting it.
3. The Information Technology Act, with its limited
scope to penalize government agencies for breach of data
privacy, is the only legal instrument available to citizens
against contravention of their privacy in the data
ecosystem.
What should be done now?
1. The need of the hour is a comprehensive legislation
that provides for a right to privacy as a fundamental
entitlement to citizens. The groundwork for such
legislation has already been laid by a Justice A.P. Shah
headed group of experts constituted by the Planning
Commission.
The commission had proposed a set of national
privacy principles that would place an obligation on
data controllers to put in place safeguards and
procedures that would enable and ensure protection of
privacy rights. These include:
1. Notice: to be given to users while collecting data.
2. Choice and consent of users while collecting data
from them
3. Collection limitation to keep user data collected at

the minimum necessary.
4. Purpose limitation to keep the purpose as
adequately defined and narrow as possible.
5. Access and correction for end users to correct or
delete their personal data as may be necessary.
6. Disclosure of information: private data should not
be disclosed without explicit consent of end user.
7. Security: defining responsibility to ensure technical,
administrative and physical safeguards for data
collected.
8. Openness: informing end users of possible collection
and utilization of personal data.
9. Accountability: institutionalize accountability for
adherence to these principles.
Way ahead:
1. An attempt to introduce such legislation in Parliament
failed in 2011 as there could not be a consensus on
which government agencies could seek exclusion from
such provisions and collect citizen data without any
oversight.
Until such provisions are established by law, it will be
necessary to adopt mechanisms that ensure compliance
towards use of privacy enhancing technologies (PET).
What else can the government do?
1. The government needs to start with aligning its
technology laws with the evolving Internet landscape.
User privacy concerns and secure designing should be
integrated in the charters of respective standard-setting
organizations.
2. There needs to be active user education that makes
them aware of their choices.
3. Lengthy and complex privacy policies that practically
hand over control of user data to the platforms collecting
it need to be replaced with ones that are user friendly in
draft and execution.
4. Policy documents that address these concerns need to
be widely discussed and debated in the public domain.
Conclusion:
Theres no doubt that this years Data Protection Day
serves as a timely reminder for organizations about the
importance of correctly handling and safeguarding
individuals personal data. It also highlights the
uncertainty around how these regulations may change
and develop, as decisions are reached to align future
legislation with our modern data footprint. However,
sensing the urgency, the Supreme Court in 2015
referred to a constitutional bench the petition
seeking inclusion of the Right to Privacy under
Article 21 (Right to Life). While the verdict of the
honourable court is still awaited, we can take the first
steps towards safeguarding ourselves by voluntarily
inculcating digital privacy principles.
22

Jan Byjus

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CURRENT AFFAIRS- JANUARY

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Re-interpretation of Forest Rights Act:

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