SUNYA NOTES (August)

 COVERAGE(presently) = The Hindu(pg.2-18) + Vision

monthly(19-29) + PIB(30-31) + more to be added….

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exhaustively...for example...1) Pakhui national park,
2) prosopis julifera, 3) Famine striken countries 4) THAAD
in prelims 2018 ..which were in news continuously but
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THE HINDU
 National policy on biofuels = MNRE(Ministry of new and renewable energy) +
Rajasthan first state to implement this policy + seeks to help farmers dispose of
their surplus stock in an economic manner and reduce the country’s oil import
dependence + It has expanded the scope of raw material for ethanol production
by allowing use of sugarcane juice, sugar containing materials, starch containing
materials and damaged foodgrains like wheat, broken rice and rotten potatoes for
ethanol production + The Policy categorises biofuels as "Basic Biofuels" viz.
First Generation (1G) and "Advanced Biofuels" - Second Generation (2G) ,
Third Generation (3G) biofuels
 B.S srikrishna committee = to recommend Data Protection regime + The
recommendation of committee lead to “The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018”
 New southern Policy = of South Korea + to step up engagement with India and
the ASEAN countriesS
 Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award = instituted to “commemorate the lasting
contribution made Rajiv gandhi to promote peace, communal harmony and fight
against violence + given to Gopalkrishna Gandhi + The award carries a citation
and a cash award of ₹10 lakh
 THAAD(ALREADY ASKED THIS YEAR) = Anti ballistic missile of USA
deployed in S. Korea to avoid missile attack from N. Korea
 Petroleum products are mainly exported
 Asia-Africa growth corridor = For economic cooperation + Initiative by India
and Japan + AAGC will essentially be a sea corridor(OBOR is sea and land)
linking Africa with India and other countries of South-East Asia and Oceania by
rediscovering ancient sea-routes and creating new sea corridors that will link
ports in Jamnagar (Gujarat) with Djibouti in the Gulf of Eden and similarly the
ports of Mombasa and Zanzibar will be connected to ports near Madurai; Kolkata
will be linked to Sittwe port in Myanmar + AAGC would consist of four main
components: development and cooperation projects, quality infrastructure and
institutional connectivity, capacity and skill enhancement and people-to-people
partnerships
 Microcephaly = caused by Zika virus + Babies born with the condition have
significantly smaller head size compared with normal babies + envelop protein (E
protein) of the virus, which is responsible for the entry of the virus into brain
stem cells
 Île aux Cochons or Pig Island = Uninhabited + administered by France + It
held the world’s largest king penguin colony + roughly half way between the
tip of Africa and Antarctica + Biggest king penguin(Least concern) colony
shrinks by 90%(Warming and lack of food may be the reason)
 Malampuzha dam = Kerala’s largest irrigation dam
 Section 497 of IPC = related to Adultery
 Polio Outbreak = DRC(Democratic republic of congo) + detection of three
different cVDPV2 outbreaks in the DRC
 Visa amnesty scheme = UAE + programme allows the workers to leave the
country without paying penalty and also gives them six months to find a job.It
will help many Indians staying there
 Monetary Policy Committee(MPC) = Targeting inflation is to be the core
objective + committee was mooted by the Urjit Patel committee + MPC will be a
6 member committee:3 by Govt and 3 by RBI(Governor don’t have a veto power

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 but enjoy a casting vote in case of a tie) + MPC will meet four times in 1 year
 Shaken baby syndrome usually occurs when a parent or caregiver severely shakes
a child in frustration or anger, often because the child won't stop crying.
Permanent brain damage or death may result.
 Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act = passed by the U.S.and
it seeks to de-monopolise control over data from U.S. authorities.(India also
pushing for Data localisation norms)
 A constitutional amendment under Article 368 needs to be passed by both Houses
separately with a special majority(123rd amendment bill on NCBC)
 Dal Lake = Jammu and Kashmir(Wular lake,Tso morori,Pangong Tso also here) +
size of the water body has come down by half due to Encroachments of water
channels and clogging.
 Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) = statutory body
 Mattala project = airport joint venture between India(Airport Authority of India)
and Sri lanka
 Purchasing Managers Index(PMI) = PMI is a market sentiment tracker + PMI
is an indicator of business activity-both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
 Telecom Research and Development Fund (TRDF) = setup by TRAI with
initial corpus of ₹1,000 crore + For promoting research, innovation,
standardisation, design, testing, certification and manufacturing indigenous
telecom equipment + TRAI calls for zero telecom equipment imports by 2022
 IISER Bhopal have found that depleting the production of a specific protein
kinase (p21-activated kinase 2 or PAK2), which is normally produced in excess in
head and neck cancer, affects a chain of events that finally reduces the growth of
head and neck cancer.
 mcr-1 gene = confers multidrug-resistance (has now been reported in Klebsiella
pneumoniae bacteria) + This gene endows resistance against last hope antibiotic
colistin
 A native species can become invasive in the same ecosystem.It need not to be
transported from outside environment
 Black buck/Indian antelope = Least concern+ (SALMAN KHAN CASE) + found
in India , Nepal and Pakistan
 Yerukula/Erukula tribe = Found in Telengana and Andhra pradesh + Hunt bats to
eat + fruit bats remain listed as vermin in Schedule V of the WPA.
 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific
Rim member economies[2] that promotes free trade throughout
the Asia-Pacific region + It was established in 1989 + India is not a member
 Jaankaar Baniye, Satark Rahiye Campaign = by RBI + RBI alerting
customers to frauds in digital transactions
 Portuguese man-of-war = a jelly-like marine organism + The marine organism
is commonly known as ‘bluebottle’ or ‘floating terror’ + Found on goa beach +
Venom possessing
 Kuttanad Package = wetland ecosysytem development package for kerala by
central govt
 Star tortoises = Schedule IV of WPA,1972 + Vulnerable + Prohobited from
export uner the foreign trade policy + Liable for confiscation under Customs
act,1962 + found in dry areas and scrub forest in India and Sri Lanka.
 States’ Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index (SEEPI) = 1st edition + released
by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and NITI Aayog + Ranked Andhra
pradesh as number 1 + The World Bank has already ranked A.P. No. 1 in Energy

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 Efficiency Implementation Readiness
 Energy Efficiency Readiness = By WORLD BANK
 WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) = India was 7th
country to ratify in 2004 + Conference of the Parties (COP) is the Governing
Body of the WHO FCTC + Secretaria is based at the WHO Headquarters in
Geneva + meets once in two years
 GSAT-6A = a military communication satellite + has lost communication with
ISRO
 GSAT-7/ INSAT-4F/Rukmini Satellite = first advanced and full-fledged military
communications satellite + last of ISRO’s seven fourth-generation satellites +
was Launched from the Kourou space port of French Guiana space in South
America
 Fresh outbreak of Ebola = DRC(Democratic republic of congo) +
VSV-EVOV(Vaccine for ebola)
 Havana Charter (formally the "Final Act of the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Employment") = provided for the establishment of the ITO(Intl trade
organisation(NEVER CAME INTO EXISTENCE,FAILED))
 ANTIGUA(Locate on Map) = Between North and south america and east of all
Cuba,Dominion republic,Puerto rico
 123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill(REMEMBER THE BILL NUMBER,IT’S
EASY TO REMEMBER)= to give constitutional status to NCBC + The present
NCBC can only recommend inclusion and exclusion of castes on the OBC list
and the income ceiling to determine the “creamy layer”, which does not get the
benefit of reservation + People belonging to the Other Backward Classes will
soon be able to approach a new National Commission for Backward Classes
(NCBC) with Constitutional status to get their grievances redressed.Till now, it
was the National Commission of Scheduled Castes(CONSTITUTIONAL
BODY Under Article 338) that addressed the grievances of the OBCs +
NCBC would not encroach upon the rights of State governments as they would
have their own backward classes commissions.States will have their own lists of
OBC castes, while the Centre had a separate one+NCBC would make
recommendations only to the Centre(NOT TO STATES)
 REVISE PROVISIONS OF CONSTITUTION NOT APPLICABLE TO J&K
FROM LAXMIKANT(Imp for this year)
 Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems(CCTNS) = Mission Mode
Project under the National e-Governance Plan of Government of India + aims at
creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and
effectiveness of policing through adopting of principle of e-Governance and
creation of a nationwide networking infrastructure for evolution of
IT-enabled-state-of-the-art tracking system around ‘Investigation of crime and
detection of criminals
 Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary = Karnataka + Cauvery river + being destroyed
by Krishnaraja sagar Dam(On cauvery in Karnataka)
 Mahisha dasara festival = Karnataka
 ‘Festival on Democracy’ = organised to mark the diamond jubilee of the kerala
legislative assembly
 Orang national park = Assam
 Anti retroviral therapy(ART) = ART leads to effectively suppressing the virus
and reducing the transmission of HIV from the infected person
 HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) = a biennial study conducted by the National

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 AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), is one of the largest regular studies in the
world dealing with HIV in high risk groups of the population.The HSS had
referred that HIV prevalence in the context of ANCs(Ante natal clinics) in the
northeastern States of Mizoram (1.19%), Nagaland (0.82%), Meghalaya (0.73%),
Tripura (0.56%) and Manipur (0.47%) were among the highest.
 New hotspots of HIV = Meghalaya,Mizoram and Tripura
 K. Somaiya Committee = related to ITIs and skill training institutes review
 Sharda prasad Committee = review the functioning of the Sector Skill Councils
 National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development(NILERD)
(Formerly Institute of Applied Manpower Research) = An Autonomous Institute
under NITI Aayog, Government of India
 Gili Islands = Archipalego in Indonesia
 India Science Technology and Innovation portal = Vigyan Prasar
( Communication wing of science ministry) launched it + portal can be queried
for information about the organisations carrying out research, those funding them,
international collaborations, the scientists involved in the research, the states in
which they are being carried out, their achievements and impact.
 Environmental Performance Index 2018 = prepared by Yale and Columbia
Universities along with the WEF + report ranked India 177 out of 180
countries.India slipped 36 points from 141 in the 2016 report
 Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018
= With declaring trafficking as criminal offence it has made provisions to
systematically combat the organised nature of trafficking + 1) approaches of
prevention, rescue and rehabilitation to create a robust policy framework against
trafficking. It places at its core the rights and welfare of victims of human
trafficking + 2) Bill provides protection to witnesses. It also seeks to maintain the
confidentiality of victims by recording their statements through video
conferencing and by in camera proceedings. It states that there will be time-bound
trials and repatriation of victims. + 3) A rehabilitation fund has been introduced
for the first time.
 SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill = seeks to override SC
judgement which stated that the arrest of the accused persons should be approved
by the Senior Superintendent of Police concerned(fundamental right of an
innocent person to be protected from arbitrary arrest should be protected) + The
amendments provide that no preliminary enquiry will be required for registration
of an FIR against any person under the Act; and the investigating officer will not
require approval for arrests, if necessary. The provision of anticipatory bail as
allowed by the Supreme Court has also been done away with.
 According to RBI , UAE top source of inward remittances in 2016-17
 Giant metrowave radio telescope(GMRT) = located in PUNE + GMRT is an
array of thirty fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes of 45-metre diameter+ It
is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics,Pune + recently used
by astronomers to discover the most distant radio galaxy ever known, located
at a distance of 12 billion light-years(The distance to this galaxy was
determined using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii and the Large Binocular
Telescope in Arizona)
 Radio Galaxies = Radio galaxies are very rare objects in the universe. They are
colossal galaxies with a supermassive black hole in their centre.
 Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve = recently enters into UNESCO list +
includes the third highest mountain peak in the world, Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) +

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 11 Indian reserves now listed in World Network of Biosphere Reserves( India has
18 biospheres reserves, of which 11 have been included in the WNBR(World
network of biosphere reserves))+ Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP), which
comprises the core area of the KBR, was inscribed as India’s first “Mixed
World Heritage Site”+ The last biosphere reserve to be included was the
Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in Kerala in 2016 + The Nilgiri Biosphere
Reserve was the first reserve from the country to be included in the WNBR +
decision was taken at the International Coordinating Council of Man and
Biosphere Reserve Programme(MAB Programme),UNESCO +
Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve is one of the world’s 34 biodiversity
hotspots + species of KBR includes the Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Himalayan
Black Beer and herbivores species of Musk deer, Great Tibetan Sheep, Blue
Sheep, Boral and Barking Deer.
 Dzongu Valley = Sikkim
 Giant african land snail = one of the 100 worst invasive species as described by
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) + In India disturbing
Kerala and Andamans + It has now established itself as Agricultural pest
 Indian Bullfrog(Hoplobatrachus tigerinus) = Least concern + Invasive species
in Andamans Islands
 Uicode consortium = Oraganisation that regulates emojis
 Bedaquiline = a drug that can significantly reduce the treatment time of
multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB) + The drug is made available only to
the Centre, which in turn rations it to the States + It is not available for private
purchase
 Ornate narrow-mouthed frog = is seen only in peninsular India and Sri Lanka +
India is home to not just the ornate narrow-mouthed frog but also the Nilphamari,
Mymensingh and Mukhlesur’s narrow-mouthed frogs (seen in other south
Asian countries) + Least concern
 Hepcidin hormone = released by the liver, is a central regulator of iron in the
body.Dysregulation of the hormone leads to anaemia on one hand and excess iron
accumulation in organs such as liver and heart leading to multi-organ failure.
 Shikasta script = persian language
 UIGHURS(Turkish ethnic group) = CHINA | ROHIINGYAS = BANGLADESH
 Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) = Recently
Maharashtra implemented this + help in Crime detection
 Chandrayaan -2 = 2019 + ISRO + The first Indian moon landing spacecraft of
the Chandrayaan-2 mission will be known as ‘Vikram’ + It is ISRO’s first
inter-planetary mission to land rover on any celestial body +
 Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) = Security
pact to be signed between India and USA(LEMOA Already signed)(BECA not
signed and even negotiation not started)(Covered exhaustively in
SEPTEMBER)
 Mauritius remained the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in
2017-18 followed by Singapore
 ‘Shahadat Ko Salam’ (A salute to martyrdom) programme = Human chain
formed on Rajasthan border on 15 August
 Recent Rupee Depreciation = PLEASE NOTE IT IS NOT
DEVALUATION(difference??) + imports costly + exports cheaper + Will reduce
Forex as we import more than we exports + will help inbound tourism to grow
while outbound travel will decrease

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 Ghazni city = Afghanistan
 The bilateral trade between India and Pakistan has been volatile. From a high of
$2.70 billion in 2013-14, it fell to $2.40 billion in 2017-18(i.e,
REDUCED).During this time, while Pakistan’s exports to India were (and have
been) fairly consistent, India’s exports decreased.Overall, India still manages to
have a significant trade surplus with Pakistan
 There is no statutory backing to model code of conduct(MCC) of EC
 New bidding model for greenfield airports = Currently there is a Revenue
sharing model + proposed to switch to a fixed fee per passenger Model
 Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Abhiyan (PMJAA) = also known as Ayushmann
bharat- National Health Protection Mission (announced in Budget) + world’s
largest healthcare scheme, aims to provide a cover of ₹5 lakh per family annually,
benefiting more than 10 crore poor families + for secondary and tertiary care
hospitalization + People in SECC will get automatically enrolled in this scheme
+ only individuals with a valid Aadhar card will be eligible + Maximum of 5
members from a family will get insurance cover + National health agency will
be the implementing agency
 Arogyamitras = meaning friends of health + They will act as interface between
the beneficiaries of the above scheme and the system + NSDC will skill them in
terms of behavior, knowledge and presentation + NSDC will use its network of
PM Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) under PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) + They
will also be certified by Health Care Sector Skill Council (non-statutory body for
health sector under NSDC)
 National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC) = non for profit public private
partnership company(private stake is 51%) + 2008 + Provides funds to companies
and organisations that provide skill training
 National skill development fund(NSDF) = meets objective through NSDC + 2009
+ fund raising from govt and non govt sources + A public trust set up by GoI is
the custodian of the fund
 National skill development Agency(NSDA) = autonomous + under Ministry of
skill + role is to anchor the NSQF(National skill quality framework) + facilitate
the setting up of professional certifying bodies in addition to existing ones
 Ayushman bharat programme = health ministry + two FLAGSHIP programs
under
1)- Health and wellness center(1.5 lakh centres + comprehensive health care +These
centres will also provide free essential drugs and diagnostic services)
2)- National health protection scheme(approximately 50 crore beneficiaries(10 crore
families) + providing coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary
and tertiary care hospitalization + world’s largest government funded health care
programme))
 Human Space Flight Programme (HSP) = ISRO + to send man in space by
2022+ also known as Gaganyaan + Use of GSLV MK III to uplift capsule +
9000 crore + 3 astronauts to orbit the earth for 7 days from a distance of 300-400
km + unmanned Gaganyaan missions will be undertaken prior to sending humans,
with first unmanned flight within 30 months
 ISRO has successfully demonstrated some of the technologies required for the
mission such as Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-2007), Crew module
Atmospheric Reentry Experiment (CARE-2014), GSLV Mk-III (2014), Reusable
Launch Vehicle- Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), Crew Escape System (July
2018) and Pad Abort Test (2018). ISRO also recently unveiled a space capsule

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 (crew module) and Space suit prototype
 TuMera Buddy’ programme = lauched by punjab + to tackle the problem of
drugs in the State
 Pink bollworm = is an insect known for being a pest in cotton farming.
 Polavaram Project = is a multi-purpose irrigation project which has been
accorded national project status by the union government of India + Dam across
Godavari river + Andhra pradesh
 Devarayanadurga reserve forest = Karnataka + ruined by forest fires
 Periyar River = (meaning: big river) is the longest river and the river with the
largest discharge potential in the Indian state of Kerala + It is one of the
few perennial river + mouth at sivagiri hills,Tamil nadu + flows through both
Kerala and Tamil nadu + Mullaperiyar dam located in kerala is on the same
river
 Mullaperiyar Dam = Kerala + is operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu to
meet the drinking water and irrigation requirements of five of its southern
districts + periyar river
 Idduki Dam = kerala + periyar river + (PLEASE LOOK LOCATION OF THESE
DAMS ON MAP I.e, FROM NOTH to SOUTH and From west to East)
 Vaigai Dam = Tamil nadu + vaigai river +
 Mettur Dam = Tamil nadu largest Dam + Cauvery river
 Krishnaraja sagar Dam = Karnataka + Cauvery river
 Insider trading = the illegal practice of trading on the stock exchange to one's
own advantage through having access to confidential information.
 Delhi Special Police Establishment Act has been amended, reinterring the
requirement of prior approval for initiating investigation of corruption cases not
only against Joint Secretaries and above, but all categories of public servants.
 Lira = Turkish currency + recently crashed
 world-class interpretation centre = at Dangamal near Bhitarkanika National
Park(said to house 70% of the country’s estuarine or saltwater crocodiles +
Odisha) + by Odisha govt + to showcase its efforts in protecting crocodiles and
preserving its rich mangrove diversity+ project has been approved under the
Integrated Coastal Zone Management(ICZM) Project
 Kalibhanjdia Island = place in bhitarkanika(Odisha) + possesses 70% of the total
mangrove species of the world.
 Sultangarh waterfalls = Madhya pradesh
 Parvati river = Himachal pradesh + falls into Beas river
 National crisis management committee = headed by Cabinet secy + to handle
disaster and other emergency situations + Home ministry
 Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) = NMML is an autonomous
body with the PM as its President + autonomous institution + under the Ministry
of Culture, Government of India + located at teen murti house,New Delhi
 Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Act, 2017 = The Collection of Statistics
(Amendment) Act of 2017 authorises the Centre to decide the manner in which
statistical information collected can be used. The original Act of 2008 had
restricted the data collected to be used only for statistical purposes + The
Collection of Statistics Act, 2008, was enacted to facilitate the collection of
statistics on economic, demographic, social, scientific and environmental aspects,
among others. The Act had originally extended to the whole of India, except
Jammu and Kashmir
 LIGO Project = The LIGO project operates three gravitational-wave (GW)

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 detectors. Two are at Hanford in the State of Washington, north-western USA,
and one is at Livingston in Louisiana, south-eastern USA
 LIGO-India project = proposed LIGO-India project aims to move one
Advanced LIGO detector from Hanford to India + project, piloted by the
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology
(DST)+ LIGO-India project is an international collaboration between the LIGO
Laboratory and three lead institutions in the LIGO-India consortium: Institute of
Plasma Research, Gandhinagar; IUCAA, Pune; and Raja Ramanna Centre for
Advanced Technology, Indore + The LIGO lab would provide the complete
design and all the key detector components + Indian scientists would provide the
infrastructure to install the detector and it would be operated jointly by
LIGO-India and the LIGO Lab.
 India wing of the ambitious Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory
(LIGO) project = Hingoli district,Maharashtra + project involves constructing
a network of L-shaped arms, each four kilometres long, which can detect even the
faintest ripples from cosmic explosions millions of light years away +
 18th Asian Games = Indonesia(2nd time)
 Uighurs = Turkish ethnic people + living primarily in china
 Mundle committee = back series calculation of GDP
 National registrar of citizen = Assam + updated last in 1951 + lementation of
NRC is done by Statutory Authorities i.e. Local Registrars and District
Magistrates appointed by State Government +
 Oxytocin = Health Ministry to impose a ban on the retail sale and private
manufacture of oxytocin + a life-saving drug for new mothers + Known as a
natural hormone, oxytocin helps in effective uterine contractions during labour
and preventing post partum haemorrhage + The reason for the ban is the misuse
of oxytocin in dairy animals, like buffaloes, to increase milk production +
DTAB(drug technical and advisory board) commended against the ban instead
advocating better surveillance
 Aqua regia = a mixture of nitric acid(HNO3) and hydrochloric acid(HCl) +
dissolves Gold
 Nongkhyllem wildlife sanctuary = Meghalaya
 Helium = discovered 150 years old in 1868 + discoveres at Andhra pradesh + It
is the only element to have been seen in the sun before it was known to exist on
earth.
 CUBE, or Cudor Chambre d’Urgence Biosécurisée =developed by Alliance
for International Medical Action, or ALIMA, in collaboration with Securite +
self-contained treatment unit or a biosecure emergency room it allows for quality
care with minimal contamination risks, having been developed in the aftermath of
the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
 Puthenhalli lake = Karnataka(bengaluru) + pollution affected
 Survivin and STAT3 = recently founded biomarkers by India for gastric cancer
progression
 National Mission for clean Ganga(NMCG) = NMCG is the implementation
wing of National Ganga Council + established in 2011 as a
registered society under Societies Registration Act, 1860 + two tier management
structure and comprises of Governing Council and Executive Committee
 In October 2016, National Ganga Council has replaced National Ganga River
Basin Authority(NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the
Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986

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 Namami gange project/Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission project =
2015 + Aims to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner +
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation +
Central government project (100% centrally funded) + cover 8 states & 12 rivers
+ Setting up Ganga Eco-Task Force
 Operation karuna = IAF + to help kerala flood victims
 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) = MoHA + established in 2006 +
Hq at New Delhi + works under National Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA) which lays down policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management
+ At present there are 12 battalions in NDRF which are deployed strategically
across country to provide immediate response(4 new battalions are sanctioned by
Union Cabinet) + only dedicated disaster response force of the world
 NABARD = Established in 1982 on the recommendations of Shivaraman
Committee to implement the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development Act, 1981 + Reserve Bank holds one per cent of shareholding in
NABARD and the Government of India 99 per cent + chief focus of the
organisation was the advancement of rural India by enhancing the flow of credit
for the upliftment of agriculture as well as the rural non-agricultural sector
 AMCA Project = to make Advanced medium combat aircraft + to make India’s
next indigenous fighter(is expected to make its first flight by 2032) + India’s only
fifth generation aircraft programme
 Stealth technology(in defence equipments) = goal of stealth technology is to
make an airplane invisible to radar + airplane can be shaped so that any radar
signals it reflects are reflected away from the radar equipment(Geometric stealth)
+ The airplane can be covered in materials that absorb radar signals(Material
stealth)
 e-PAN facility is only for resident individuals and not for Hindu Undivided
Family, firms, trusts and companies
 RIMPAC Exercise = Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) maritime exercise + INS
Sahayadri of India participated + 29 countries + 26th + RIMPAC is the world’s
largest international maritime warfare exercise. It is held biennially near
Honolulu, Hawaii (US) during June and July of even numbered years + China not
invited this year for SCS dispute
 Pad abort test or PAT = ISRO + Crew escape system + involves aborting a
space capsule at launch to save the inmates + ISRO aims to prove its technology
that will safely parachute future astronauts down in case their space vehicle
develops snags while taking off
 Mahadayi river dispute = bteween karnataka,maharashtra and goa + 30 years
old + mahadayi is known as lifeline of state of Goa + source of mahadayi is
Bhimgad,Karnataka + Bhandura Dam and Kalasa Dam
 Water aerodrome project = amphibian airport project + proposed on chilika
lake + facing oppositions + cancelled now + Water aerodrome is a defined area
on water, including any buildings, installations and equipment, intended to be
used either wholly or in part for the arrival, departure and movement of aircraft
 National social audit of child care homes = being conducted by the National
Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
 Damanganga - Pinjal link project = under interlinking of rivers scheme +
Maharashtra and Gujarat region
 Schelling point = This refers to the common solution to a problem that is chosen
by individuals in a group when there is an absence of coordination between them.

10
 According to the National Disaster Management Policy, the State governments
have to provide disaster relief from their respective State Disaster Response
Funds (SDRFs), and only for a “calamity of severe nature”, will additional
assistance be provided from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
 There are no legal provisions to designate a disaster a ‘national calamity’
 NDRF is funded through a National Calamity Contingent Duty levied on pan
masala, chewing tobacco and cigarettes, and with budgetary provisions as and
when needed. A provision exists to encourage any person or institution to make a
contribution to the NDRF. However, this source of funding has not been tapped
so far, according to the government.The 14th Finance Commission recommended
changes to this structure once the cess was discontinued or subsumed within the
Goods and Services Tax. However, the government, instead, decided to continue
with the National Calamity Contingent Duty even in the GST regime. The
SDRF corpus is contributed by the Union government and the respective State
governments in a 75:25 ratio for general category States and 90:10 for Special
Category States.
 Public Credit registry = to be set up by RBI + may require amendment in
RBI.Act 1934 + YM Deosthalee Committee + PCR is planned as an extensive
database of credit information for all credit products in the country from point
of origination of credit to its termination + main benefit would be to provide
lenders with a 360 degree view of the borrower’s outstanding credits and past
performance + will help to reduce NPAs
 SC scraps NOTA option for RS polls.SC held that the option is meant only for
universal adult suffrage and direct elections and not elections held by the
system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable
vote as done in the Rajya Sabha(Rationale given is that In a Rajya Sabha
elections, there is a whip and the elector is bound to obey the command of the
party) + NOTA only has a symbolic value in direct elections
 Doyang dam = Nagaland
 Ranganadi Dam = Arunachal pradesh
 Kurichu Dam = Bhutan + responsible for floods in western Assam
 Pobitoro wildlife sanctuary = Assam
 Kasturirangan report = Ecologically sensitive Area zones + suggested declaring
1,576 villages along the Western Ghats as ESA, which would heighten
conservation measures and place restrictions on certain construction
activities.(THERE IS ONE MORE COMMITTEE UNDER HIM RELATED TO
EDUCATION) + to sought balance between development works and environment
concerns sought by Gadgil report(Western Ghats Ecology Expert
Panel (WGEEP))
 Oommen v oommen committee = Related to Western ghats and biodiversity
 Western Ghats(5 state and 1 UT) = Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Goa ,Puducherry and Maharashtra
 Kerala seeks cess on SGST(To deal with kerala floods funding). States can levy
such a cess if and only if it is approved by the GST Council.
 Halocene Epoch/Era = current geological epoch + The International
Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), a body of geological timekeepers, had
divided the Holocene Epoch, which began 11,700 years ago, at the 8,200-year
and 4,200-year points, thereby creating the Greenlandian, the Northgrippian and
the Meghalayan Ages(between 4200 years ago to present)(Named after
meghalaya in India) + divided due to two climatic events. The first, 8,200 years

11
 ago, was a catastrophic melting of glacial lakes resulting in a global drop in
temperatures. The second, 4,200 years ago, was a massive drought around the
planet’s mid-latitudes, which is thought to have triggered the decline of
civilisations such as the Akkadian and the Indus Valley.
 Athropocene epoch/Era(Not formally accepted) = human influence leading to
the beginning of the new geological epoch + the idea of an Anthropocene is
widely accepted, but their proposed start date is not making consensus among
science lobby
 Geophysical tipping point/Climate tipping point = is a threshold beyond which
a system moves from one stable state to another.
 Great acceleration = mid-20th century + when concrete, aluminium and plastic
were disseminated across the planet.
 Employment and unemployment data = provided by NSSO (NOT BY LABOUR
MINSTRY ETC)
 “UDAN International” scheme = on same lines of UDAN + Ministry of civil
aviation + The key difference between this scheme and the regional connectivity
scheme (RCS) for domestic routes is that there is no capping of fares.
 National disaster management plan,2016 = states that any voluntary offer of
assistance from other countries can be accepted
 Kartarpur corridor = proposed by punjab govt to let pakistani devotees to visit
Gurudwara
 Fields Medal = popularly seen as the equivalent of a Nobel Prize, is awarded
once in four years to two-four mathematicians below the age of 40 + won by
women first time in 2014 + No indian won it yet +
 Post independence, work done in India has not led to a science nobel
 New ODF+ protocol = says that a city, ward or work circle could be declared
ODF+ if, “at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating and/or
urinating in the open, and all community and public toilets are functional and
well-maintained.”
 ODF++ protocol = adds the condition that “faecal sludge/septage and sewage
is safely managed and treated, with no discharging and/or dumping of untreated
faecal sludge/septage and sewage in drains, water bodies or open areas.”
 PLEASE NOTE ODF+ and ODF++ are released bu MoHUPA(Not MoDW&S or
Water ministry)
 Human rights watch = NGO + new york based(USA)
 TAPI Pipeline = (Turkmenistan+Afghanistan+Pakistan+India) + Gas sale
purchase agreement(2013)
 Climate feedbacks are processes that can either amplify or diminish the effects of
climate forcings. A feedback that increases an initial warming is called a "positive
feedback." A feedback that reduces an initial warming is a "negative feedback."
 Kodagu = district in karnataka(REMEMBER FOR MAPPING PURPOSE)
 International Committee of the Red Cross = a humanitarian institution + based
in Geneva, Switzerland + three-time Nobel Prize Laureate
 Article 35A of the Indian Constitution is an article that empowers the Jammu
and Kashmir state's legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and
provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents.Article 35A
was born through a Presidential Order, the Constitution (Application to Jammu
and Kashmir) Order of 1954. Therefore, it was added to the Constitution without
undergoing the procedure for constitutional amendments as laid down in
Article 368. The Presidential Order was issued in exercise of the power conferred

12
 under Article 370 (1) (d) of the Constitution.(Article 35A = special residency
rights to KASHMIR people)
 Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018 = It seeks to amend five Acts. (These
are: (i) the Divorce Act, 1869, (ii) the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939,
(iii) the Special Marriage Act, 1954, (iv) the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and (v)
the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956) + Each of these Acts prescribe
LEPROSY as a ground for seeking divorce or separation from the spouse + The
Bill seeks to remove this as a ground for divorce or separation.
 Worker quitting their job to start their own company, a worker being transferred
to a foreign branch of an Indian company, employees retiring, and employees
quitting once they get married. Of these, only the last two affect employment
levels
 EPFO( Employees' Provident Fund Organisation) = Ministry of labour +
Statutory(1952 act) + EPFO's apex decision making body is the Central Board of
Trustees (CBT) + Universal Account Number(UAN) are provided now a
days for Employees covered by EPFO to enable PF number portability
 National Statistical Commission (NSC) = established in 2005 + on the
recommendation of C. RangarajanEconomic Advisory Council + The objective of
its constitution is to reduce the problems faced by statistical agencies(CSO and
NSSO) in the country in relation to collection of data + NSC has four Members
besides a Chairperson + MoSPI(Ministry of statistics and policy implementation)
 India code portal = Depository of all central and state acts + developed by
NIC(National informatics center) +
 E-Gazette = Gazette of India Notifications + published by Department of
Publication + Ministry of Urban and housing affairs
 CPGRAMS = Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System
(CPGRAMS) is an online web-enabled system over NICNET developed by NIC,
in association with Directorate of Public Grievances (DPG) and Department of
Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). CPGRAMS is the
platform based on web technology which primarily aims to enable submission of
grievances by the aggrieved citizens from anywhere and anytime (24x7) basis to
Ministries/Departments/Organisations who scrutinize and take action for speedy
and favorable redress of these grievances. Tracking grievances is also facilitated
on this portal through the system generated unique registration number +
Ministry of Personnel,Public grievance and Pensions
 India is world 6th largest coffee producer with kerala and karnataka(both
stuggling with floods) produce 90% of country’s total production
 Odisha will be 8th state to get legislative
council(UP,bihar,maha,kar,AP,telengana,J&K)
 ‘The Urban Commute and How it Contributes to Pollution and Energy’ Report =
Center for science and environment + analysis of 14 Indian cities, including six
megacities and eight metropolises + Bhopal leads the list on the lowest overall
emissions. Delhi fares the worst .
 WhatsApp end-to-end encryption ensures only you and the person you're
communicating with can read what's sent, and nobody in between, not even
WhatsApp.
 Telemedicine nodes in critical places across the country to improve emergency
medical support to soldiers = to be set up by ISRO
 PMAY(Urban) = Components are 1) Insitu slum development + 2)Credit linked
based subsidy(Interest subvention For LIG(lower income groups + <3lakhs) and

13
 EWS(economically weaker section(3-6 lakhs))) + 3)Affordable housing in
partnership(35% central assistance to EWS) + subisidy for beneficiary led
individual house construction
 Master of roaster = term used in news for Chief justice of India
 2 + 2 Dialogue = already had with Australia and Japan + now to be held with
USA + BETWEEN External affairs ministry and defence ministry(I.e, two
ministries and two countries) +
 BIS(Bureau of Indian standards) = is the national Standards Body of India +
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution + established by the
Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986(statutory) + BIS is a founder member of
International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) + It represents India in the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the World Standards Service Network
(WSSN)
 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has kicked off the process to set new standards
to measure quality of services offered to consumers across different sectors,
including telecom, aviation, e-commerce and healthcare.
 New Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 2016 = The new Act has
provisions of bringing under compulsory certification regime any goods or article
of any scheduled industry, process, system or service which it considers necessary
in the public interest or for the protection of human, animal or plant health, safety
of the environment, or prevention of unfair trade practices, or national security. It
also provides for notifying multiple types of conformity Assessment Schemes,
including Self declaration of conformity, to facilitate ease of doing business for
the manufacturers. It has provision for making hallmarking of the precious metal
articles mandatory.
 Strategic Partnership (SP) Model = It envisages indigenous manufacturing of
major defence platforms by an Indian Strategic Partner under technology transfer
from a foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) = An Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) is a company that produces parts and equipment that may
be marketed by another manufacturer.
 Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) = CAF is a nationally constituted
authority that presides over a corpus of ₹66,000 crore. This is money paid by
developers who have razed forest land for their construction projects, and the
idea is that such land destroyed needs to be made good by regenerating forest
elsewhere on non-forest land.The amount to be paid depends on the economic
value of the goods and services that the razed forest would have provided. These
include timber, bamboo, firewood, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, water
recharge, and seed dispersal. Industrialists pay this money and this is eventually
transferred to the States concerned to carry out afforestation.Until now, a
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority was
in charge of the funds. However a new Act, the CAF Act 2016, that came into
being after over a decade since it was devised, now establishes an
independent authority to execute the fund.
 Beels = Wetlands in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains
 Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria = Contains a protein (Hfq) + Hfq protein
plays an important role in metabolism, drug resistance, stress tolerance and
virulence and this could be a new drug target for antibiotic resistance
bacteria

14
 Peto’s Paradox = there seems more an inverse correlation between body mass
and cancer probability
 Leukemia inhibitory factor(LIF) gene = Decrease in this leads to cell
differentiation and hence cancer + (The zombie or sleeping gene is called LIF in
the elephant genome)
 Atmiyata project = A community-led intervention in rural India to improve
mental health + supported at WHO
 Anganwadi employees are frontline health workers under the government’s
Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)
 Open a Door Campaign = to curb Islamophobia and communal discrimination in
west bengal
 Operation Euphrates Shield = was a cross-border operation by the Turkish
military and Turkey-aligned Syrian opposition groups in the Syrian Civil War
which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria(2017)
 Rohingyas = Rakhine state of Myanmaar +muslim minority group + persecuted
by ARSA(Arakan rohingyas salvation army )
 African Union = Hq at Addis ababa(ETHOPIA) +
 Currency hedged funds = which invest in stocks abroad but strip out the effect
of a foreign currency’s performance using derivatives.
 S.W.I.F.T = Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication +
EU(european union) based + secure electronic messaging service and common
standards to facilitate cross border payments + generally,a swift message has to
go through a 3 layer security system:a maker,a checker and a verifier + HQ @
Brussels,belgium + group of 15 countries and 239 banks
 UPI 2.0 = launched by NPCI + “one time mandate” + “Signed intent”
 Effective exchange rate = computed by RBI in India and BIS(Bank of
international standards) globally
 Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary = Madhya Pradesh + Cheetah reintroduction
project is proposed by NTCA(National tiger conservation authority + statutory +
under MoEFCC) here + Nauradehi was found to be the most suitable area for the
cheetahs as its forests are not very dense to restrict the fast movement of the
spotted cat + cheetahs were to be translocated to Nauradehi from Namibia in
Africa
 Cheetah — which is the fastest land animal — was declared extinct in India in
1952 + Vulnerable + The only mammal to extinct from India in last 1000 years
 Bombay Natural History Society (BHNS) = NGO + Department of Science and
Technology has designated it as a ‘Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation’ + activein avian research
 Chief drafter of Article 370 = N. gopalaswami Ayyangar
 Male spider = rediscovered after 150 years + Wayanad wildlife sanctuary located
in western ghats region of kerala
 eMammal citizen science project = eMammal India project seeks to promote
scientific understanding among children of age group between 11-14
predominantly from rural and tribal schools+ e-Mammal project will be
implemented under the Museums Connect Programme of AAM(American
Alliance of Museums) + The project, aimed at grassroots conservation through
collection of scientific information by children, is being implemented by the
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), along with the Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra
(SNM)
 Podampeta and Gokharkuda = region of mass nesting + odisha + Rushikulya

15
 beach
 The CBSE conducts the CTET (in 20 languages) as a requirement for
appointment of teachers in Kendriya Vidyalayas and also private schools
affiliated to the board.
 Sangham radio = India’s first community radio
 India water portal = Initiative of NGO(not Govt)(Arghyam foundation) +
 Nangarhar province = Afghanistan
 "Watermelon Effect" of feedback when managers offer only good feedback and
hide the real feedback from members, i.e., they feel 'red' from inside, but continue
to appear 'green' from outside
 Malnad region = ‘maidan’ region of karnataka
 Share buyback/Buyback = A buyback is a mechanism through which a listed
company buys back shares from the market. A buyback can be done either
through open market purchases or through the tender offer route.A company can
use a maximum of 25% of the aggregate of its free reserves and paid-up capital
for a buyback.A company cannot do a second buyback offer within one year from
the date of the closure of the last buyback.
 Catastrophe bonds (also known as cat bonds) are risk-linked securities that
transfer a specified set of risks from a sponsor to investors. They were created
and first used in 1992 in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew(Florida) and the
Northridge earthquake
 Krishna river water dispute = Maharashtra + karnataka +Andhra pradesh +
 Jatropha = used to generate bio fuel + International standards permit a blend rate
of up to 50% biofuel with ATF(aviation turbine fuel)
 1960 Indus water treaty = brokered by World bank + It covers the water
distribution and sharing rights of six rivers of Indus river system viz, Beas, Ravi,
Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. The treaty specifies that waters from three
western rivers viz. Indus, Jhelum and Chenab are reserved for Pakistan, while
waters from eastern rivers viz. Ravi, Sutlej and Beas are for reserved for India. +
established Permanent Indus Commission(PIC)
 World Happiness report = given by SDSN(Sustainable Development Solutions
Network )
 National clean air programme(NCAP) = MoEFCC + ‘Non atainment cities’
 ‘Non atainment cities’ = Under NCAP non-attainment cities are those that have
fallen short of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) + around
100
 Hirakud dam = mahandai river + Odisha
 Lower manair dam = telengana + manair river
 Bandipur tiger reserve = Karnataka
 Bathukaama festival = Flower festival + Telengana + Bathukaama sarees
 Jaduguda mines = Uranium + Jharkhand
 North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA) = is an agreement signed by
Canada, Mexico, and the United States(ONLY 3 IN NORTH AMERICA)
 TYPE 002 = aircraft carrier + China
 India Energy Efficiency scale-up programme = Programme will help tackle the
financing, awareness, technical and capacity barriers faced by new energy
efficiency programmes and support the UJALA and SLNP [schemes] + Overseen
by EESL + Loan agreement signed between GoI,EESL and World Bank
 Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) Scheme = zero-subsidy
scheme that aims promote efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using

16
 efficient equipment which reduce electricity bills and preserve environment +
implemented by EESL + urrently largest LED distribution programme in the
world.
 Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) = aims to install LED bulbs
street-lighting across different cities in the country + LED will replace inefficient
bulbs + being implemented by EESL +
 EESL(Energy efficiency services limited) = EESL was set up under Union
Ministry of Power to facilitate implementation of energy efficiency projects. It is
a joint venture of different PSUs
 Security transaction tax = like capital gains tax + form of direct tax
 Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the air threaten to sap wheat, rice, and other
staple grains of valuable nutrients, raising the spectre of mass
malnutrition.Higher CO2 concentrations could reduce iron, zinc and protein
levels in the crops.Zinc deficiency affects the immune system and makes children,
particularly, more vulnerable to malaria, lung infections and deadly diarrhoeal
diseases.A lack of iron increases the likelihood of mothers dying during childbirth,
can lower IQ, and causes anaemia, or a drop in red blood cells.
 O-SMART = by Ministry of earth sciences + (Ocean Services, Technology,
Observations, Resources Modelling and Science) + to get more disaster warning
systems along India’s coasts + new systems will keep an eye out for tsunamis and
storm surges + key missions under O-SMART include strengthening of Ocean
Observations and Modelling, strengthening of Ocean Services for fishermen,
setting up marine observatories for monitoring marine pollution, setting up Ocean
Thermal Energy Conversion Plant (OTEC) in Kavaratti, acquiring two coastal
research vessels, continuation of ocean survey and exploration of minerals and
living resources, technology development for Deep Ocean Mining and manned
submersibles and the setting up six desalination plants in Lakshadweep.
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plant (OTEC) = to be setup in
Kavaratti(Lakshadweep)
 Six desalination plants = to be set up in Lakshadweep
 Exercise peace mission 2018 = held in Russia + Joint military exercise of SCO +
Biennial exercise + This is the first time India and Pakistan participated in the
exercise(Read about SCO in June)
 Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement = to be signed at 2+2
dialogue between USA and India
 Sarpa Kavus/Kavus = sacred groves in Kerala(READ OTHER SACRED
GROVES FROM STATIC PORTION)
 BIMSTEC = Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) + involving a group of countries in South
Asia and South East Asia(Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka,
Thailand) + A BIMSTEC free trade agreement is under negotiation + Leadership
is rotated in alphabetical order of country names + The permanent secretariat is
in Dhaka + founded in 1997 with BIST(Bangla,India,srilanka,thailand) +
meeting took place after 4 years in Nepal(Kathmand)(4th Summit)
 BIMSTEC grid interconnection = Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation in
BIMSTEC + Objective is to promote rational and optimal power transmission in
the BIMSTEC region
 Neonicotinoids = most widely used class of insecticides + bee-killing pesticides
 Nilgiri tahr = endangered + endemic
 Mukurthi national park = Famour for niligiri tahr + Tamil nadu

17
 The Ganga and the Brahmaputra meet in Bangladesh after flowing into that
country as the Padma and the Jamuna
 FOCUL Portal = By IWAI(Inland waterways authority of India) + to connect
cargo owners and shippers with real time data on availability of vessels
 Momo challenge and Blue whale challenge = games leading to suicides
 Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill ,2018 = it proposes to amend the Juvenile
Justice Act to empower the District Magistrate, instead of the court, to issue
adoption orders. This would ensure timely processing of adoption cases and
provide orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children with familial care and
protection.
 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction = 1983
 Khelo India scheme = Flagship scheme + Ministry of Youth affairs and sports +
Khelo India is a merger of following schemes:Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Abhiyan(RGKA),Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS), National Sports
Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS) + It includes:Pan Indian Sports Scholarship
Scheme, Sports Universities ,National Physical Fitness Drive
 Section 124A of IPC = related to sedition which curb freedom of speech and
right to expression + Section 124A was introduced by the British colonial
government in 1870 when it felt the need for a specific section to deal with
radical Wahabi movement of the 19th century, led by Syed Ahmed Barelvi and
centred around Patna + It deters people spreading hatred and contempt against
the Govt established by law(But not includes Legislature,Judiciary and the
constitution against which sedition can be tolerated)
 B.S Chauhan Commission = 21st law commission
 Idlib province = Syria

18
VISION MONTHLY
 As UPSC is ‘ditching’ Coaching materials now a days,I
would recommend you to take The Hindu notes(above)
seriously as I personally find them way too different than
coaching materials

 Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) = consists of all persons who are lineally
descended from a common ancestor + concept of HUF comes under the Hindu
Succession Act,1956 + An HUF consists of karta and coparceners. The karta is
generally the eldest person or head of the family whereas all other family
members are consider + Under Income-tax Act, 1961, an HUF is considered as a
‘person’ i.e. as a separate entity for the purpose of tax assessment. An HUF is
taxed with same
 Proxy Voting in India = Voting in India is done by in person,by post or by proxy
+ Under proxy voting, a registered elector can delegate his voting power to a
representative + This was introduced in 2003 for elections to the Lok Sabha and
Assemblies, but on a limited scale + Only a “classified service voter” - a
definition that includes members of the armed forces, BSF, CRPF, CISF, General
Engineering Reserve Force and Border Road Organisation — is allowed to
nominate a proxy to cast vote on his behalf in his absence + A classified service
voter can also vote by postal ballot.
 Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017 = to allow for the proxy
voting by the Non-Residential Indians(NRI) + As of now, overseas Indians are
free to cast their votes in the constituencies where they are registered. The Bill
seeks to give them the option of proxy voting, which till now is only available to
service personnel + The proposal includes a provision that made it mandatory for
NRIs to nominate a new person every time they vote in an election, unlike service
personnel who are allowed to nominate a permanent proxy
 Inner Line permit(ILP system) = The ILP is a British-era system to regulate
entry and exit of outsiders in a protected area + It is operational in Arunachal
Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland(Remember by AMiN) + The system requires
outsiders to obtain a permit from the government to enter the designated territory
+ It can be issued for travel purposes solely + The main objective of the ILP
system is to provide a special protection of the distinct identity and safeguard for
the peaceful existence of the indigenous people of the state.
 Meitei people are the majority ethnic group of Manipur, a northeastern state of
India
 The Varieties of Democracy Report for 2018 (V-Dem) = provides the most
sweeping global examination of democracy + India is indicted as a "backslider"
(quality of democracy has declined over the past ten years and sharply declined
since 2014) + India qualifies as an Electoral Democracy (NOT Liberal
Democracy(Different categories of classification are liberal democracy, Electoral
democracy, Electoral Autocracy, Closed Autocracy))(India retains a system of
free, fair multi-party elections)
 Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project = It is an international research project
which aims to develop new indicators of democracy in all countries all over the

19
 world from 1789 to the present + The project is led by the V-Dem Institute at the
University of Gothenburg, Sweden + It covers 178 countries + It is backed by the
European Union and funded by a multitude of different institutions (government
and non-government) and think tanks.
 Motor Vehicle Agreement = between India, Myanmar and Thailand ( under
negotiations) + This agreement is necessary to utilise physical road infrastructure
on IMT Trilateral Highway(IMT Already covered in July)
 Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project = to connect the eastern
Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Rakhine State, Myanmar by sea
+ In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa(town in myanmar) via
the Kaladan river boat route, and then from Paletwa by road to Mizoram state in
Northeast India.(DRAW THE CONNECTING POINTS ON YOUR MAP)
 Indian Ocean Conference = 3rd edition(@ Hanoi,Vietnam) + The Indian Ocean
Conference is initiated by India Foundation along with its partners from
Singapore, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh + theme of the two- day conference will
focus on ‘Building Regional Architectures’, particularly with regards to trade and
commerce, security and governance
 Asian Development Bank (ADB) = ADB was founded in 1966 and India is a
founding member to it + The ADB has 67-member countries, including —48
from the Asian region + ADB has been led conventionally by a Japanese
governor + Top 5 shareholders in ADB are: Japan (15.6%), United States (15.6%),
People's Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%) and Australia (5.8%) + It
provides direct assistance to private enterprises of developing member countries
through equity investments and loans.
 Caspian sea Breakthrough Treaty = five Caspian Sea States – Azerbaijan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan(Remember by TARIK) signed a
breakthrough agreement on Caspian Sea’s legal status + tried to define the
Caspian Sea’s legal status since the collapse of Soviet Union in order to divide up
the waters and its natural resources for new drillings and pipelines + The treaty
declares 15 Nautical Miles from the coastline as Sovereign waters and an
Exclusive Economic Zone, with a further 10 nautical miles to be used for fishing
and beyond this would be open waters
 Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) = India has
recently become the president of AIBD + regional inter-governmental
organisation servicing countries of the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) in the field of electronic
media development + established in 1977 under the auspices of UNESCO +
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) is a founding organisation of the
Institute and is a non-voting member of the General Conference + It is hosted by
Malaysia and its secretariat is located in Kuala Lampur + The International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) and United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), are also founding organisations of the Institute + Its function is to
achieve a vibrant and cohesive electronic media environment in the Asia-Pacific
region
 First country to adopt feminist foreign policy = Sweden + Feminist foreign
policy aims towards course of action outside national boundaries to achieve
gender equality(For example, Sweden deteriorated its foreign relations with Saudi
arabia due to its treatment of women in particular way)
 Concession Financing Scheme = aim to support Indian entities bidding for
strategically important infrastructure projects abroad + Under the scheme

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 government provide counter guarantee and interest equalization of 2 % to EXIM
Bank to offer concessional finance to any foreign Govt. or controlled entity, if
any Indian entity, succeeds in getting contract for the execution of a project + It
will now cover all Indian entities, compared to the earlier stipulation of minimum
75 per cent Indian shareholding + EXIM Bank extends credit at a rate not
exceeding LIBOR (avg. of six months) + 100 bps. The repayment of the loan is
guaranteed by the foreign govt + Under the scheme Ministry of External Affairs
selects the project, keeping in view strategic interest of India and sends the same
to the Department of Economic affairs.
 LIBOR(London Inter bank offered rate) = LIBOR or ICE LIBOR is a
benchmark rate that some of the world’s leading banks charge each other for
short-term loans + It stands for Intercontinental Exchange London Interbank
Offered Rate and serves as the first step to calculating interest rates on various
loans throughout the world
 Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) = These are mutual fund like
institutions that enable investments into the infrastructure sector by pooling small
sums of money from multitude of individual investors for directly investing in
infrastructure + InvITs are regulated by SEBI
 Mukhya Mantri Yuva Nestam scheme = by Andhra Pradesh + to provide
unemployment allowance of Rs 1000 per month to the unemployed youth
(between 22-35 years of age) through DBT using Aadhar(Similar to
UBI(Universal basic income)) + Social security, social insurance, employment
and unemployment comes within concurrent list
 NPCI(National payments corporation of India) = initiative of Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the
Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 + umbrella organization for all retail
payments and settlement systems in the country + also manages the UPI platform
+ It links all the ATMs in India
 Unified payment interface(UPI) = mobile application platform that merges
several banking features + immediate money transfer through mobile device +
single mobile application for accessing different bank accounts + Single click 2
factor authentication + Virtual addresses are used for the transaction(NO card
number, account number etc required) + available 24/7(may be used as
replacement for NEFT,RTGS,IMPS etc) + Customers cannot link a wallet to UPI
and only bank account can be added + Amount more than 1 lakh cannot be
transferred + available only on Android mobile operating system
 Indian GDP is measured by using gross value added (GVA) at market price i.e. all
final finished goods and services produced domestically in volume terms
multiplied by their market prices give the value of total output
 System of National Accounts 2008 (SNA 2008) = is the latest version of the
international statistical standard for the national accounts adopted by the United
Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) + The aim of SNA is to provide an
integrated, complete system of accounts enabling international comparisons of all
significant economic activity + adherence to it is entirely voluntary, and cannot be
rigidly enforced.
 Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) = introduced in 2016
+ four main facets: uniform license for exploration and production of all forms of
hydrocarbon, an open acreage license policy,easy to administer revenue sharing
model(NOT Profit sharing model) and marketing and pricing freedom for the
crude oil and natural gas produced.

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 Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) = OALP enables upstream companies
to bid for any oil and gas block without waiting for the announcement of bidding.
 Discovered Small Field (DSF) Policy/Marginal field policy(MSF) = 2015 +
objective to bring marginal fields, that could not be monetized for years due to
various reasons such as isolated locations, small size, prohibitive development
costs, technological constraints, unfavourable fiscal regime, to the production at
the earliest so as to augment the domestic production of oil and gas
 In the oil exploration and production segments, the DIRECTORATE GENERAL
OF MINES SAFETY (M of Labour and Employment)(NOT Mo Earth Sciences)
and OISD (MoPNG) regulate safety.
 OISD (Oil Industry Safety Directorate) = technical directorate under the MoPNG
+ formulates and coordinates the implementation of a series of self-regulatory
measures aimed at enhancing the safety in the oil & gas industry in India
 Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) = apex department to
control and administer manufacture, storage, transport and handling of explosives,
petroleum, compressed gases and other hazardous substances in India + It
functions under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
(DIPP),Ministry of Commerce and Industry(NOT MoPNG) + HQ at Nagpur
 District Mineral foundation scheme(DMF Scheme) = 2015 + implementing the
PMKKKY + for the welfare of people affected by mining + MMDR (Amendment)
Act,2015 provides for setting up of DMF as a non-profit Trust in every mining
district and stipulates miners to pay a part of their royalty for the well being of
mining affected people so that they too can benefit from natural resources in their
areas
 Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) = 2015 + to
provide for the welfare of areas and people directly or indirectly affected by
mining related operations + PMKKKY is implemented by the District Mineral
Foundations (DMFs) of the respective districts using the funds accruing to the
DMF from miners.
 Kangaroo Bond = World’s first blockchain bond + launched by World Bank + It
is the world’s first public bond created and managed using only blockchain
technology + Project Bondi(project is called ‘BONDI’ (Blockchain Operated
New Debt Instrument), which is also reference to the Bondi Beach in Sydney) +
foreign bonds issued in australia in local currency + Commonwealth Bank of
Australia (CBA) has been mandated by the World Bank to be the sole arranger of
the bond.
 Bidder Information Management System (BIMS) = by MoRTH + It will be a
portal containing data base of information about bidders + BIMS will be used by
all the project implementation agencies of the Ministry + aimed at streamlining
the process of pre-qualification of bidders + bidders would be responsible for
ensuring that their latest details are available on the BIMS portal
 Bhoomi Rashi portal = portal developed by MoRTH and NIC + nstrumental in
reducing the time taken for approval and publication of notifications pertaining to
land acquisition + has been integrated with PFMS + portal has been created for
expediting the process of publication of notifications
 Public financial management system(PFMS) = It is a web-based online
software application + developed and implemented by the Office of Controller
General of Accounts (CGA) + to facilitate sound public financial management
system for Government of India (GoI) + It provides various stakeholders with a
real time, reliable and meaningful management information system and an

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 effective decision support system, as part of the Digital India initiative of GoI + It
would help in tracking and monitoring of flow of funds to the implementing
agencies.
 The Controller General of Accounts is the apex Accounting Authority of the
Central Government and exercises the powers of the President under Article 150
of the constitution for prescribing the forms of Accounts of the Union and State
Governments on the advice of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India(CAG)
 Chilika Lake = Asia's largest brackish water lagoon located in coastal Odisha +
separated from the Bay of Bengal by a 60 km long narrow strip of marshy islands
and sand-flats + Some of the prominent islands like Nalabana, Kalijal, Somolo,
Honeymoon, Break-fast, Birds and Rajahansa inhabited by fishermen families,
are popular tourist destinations + designated as a Ramsar site in 1981 + Nalabana
Bird Sanctuary and Mangalajodi, the two major places where the birds
congregate
 Kalijai Temple = located on an island in the Chilika Lake, where Goddess
Kalijai is worshipped. The celebration of Makar Sankranti here attracts pilgrims
as well as tourists.
 Defence Offset Fund (DOF) = set up to fund promising defence start-ups +
modelled on the successful Electronics Development Fund (EDF) + In this fund,
the 30 per cent contribution would come from a foreign vendor in discharge of an
offset obligation and rest would be raised from market + Contributions to the
DOF will be eligible for a multiplier of three, which means that by contributing
$100 million, a vendor would extinguish offset liabilities worth $300 million +
Offsets are essentially benefits that a buyer gets from a seller technology/
capability that Indian industry gets from a foreign vendor selling equipment to
India.
 EDF (Electronics Development Fund) = It is a “Fund of Funds” contributing 15
per cent of the value of professionally managed “Daughter Funds”, required to
raise the remaining 85 per cent from the market + The funds choose and fund
start-ups for developing technologies in electronics, Nano-electronics and
information technology + The MeitY nominated Canara Bank Venture Capital to
select the Daughter Funds.These must be private- or government-run funds
following SEBI rules.
 National REDD+ Strategy = Released by MoEFCC + It will help to fulfill
India’s NDC commitment under Paris Agreement of climate change + REDD+
will cover all trees within forest areas and tree outside forest (TOF) + As
estimated, REDD+ programme could provide for capture of around 1 billion
tonnes of additional CO2 over the next 3 decades + Was first negotiated: Under
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in
2005, with the objective of mitigating climate change through reducing net
emissions of greenhouse gases through enhanced forest management in
developing countries.
 Pet coke = INDIA recently banned the import of petcoke for use as fuel +
Petroleum coke or pet coke, is a solid carbon rich (90% carbon and 3% to 6%
sulfur) material derived from oil refining + It is categorized as a “bottom of the
barrel” fuel + It is a dirtier alternative to coal(emits more greenhouse gases and
sulphur than coal) + Petcoke is a source of fine dust which can get lodged in the
lungs + Petroleum coke can contain vanadium which is a toxic metal +
Sulphur-heavy petcoke and other polluting fuels such as furnace oil are widely
used by cement factories, dyeing units, paper mills, brick kilns and ceramics

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 businesses + India is the world’s largest consumer of petcoke. + India had been
becoming a dumping ground of pet-coke from the US, which has banned its
internal use because of pollution.
 PARIVESH (Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous
and Environmental Single-window Hub) = Integrated environmental
management system + web based, role-based workflow application which has
been developed for online submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted
by the proponents for seeking Environment, Forest, Wildlife and CRZ Clearances
from Central, State and district level authorities + automates the entire tracking of
proposals + It also provides access to previous Environment Impact Assessment
Reports
 Codex Alimentarius = is a collection of internationally recognized standards,
codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations relating to foods, food
production, and food safety + maintained by the Codex Alimentarius Commission,
a body established by FAO and WHO(joined later)
 Anupam verma committee = 2013 + to review the use of 66 pesticides (which
are either banned or restricted in other countries.) recommended a ban on 13
‘extremely hazardous’ pesticides , phasing out of six ‘moderately hazardous’ ones
by 2020, and review of 27 pesticides in 2018 + Criticism(at least 104 pesticides
licenced for use in India have been banned in other parts of the world, whereas
Verma Committee only reviewed 66. For example Glyphosate was not among the
pesticides reviewed by the Verma committee even though it is banned in several
countries + Committee left out certain deadly pesticides like Monocrotophos)
 ‘Grow Safe Food’ campaign = by Ministry of Agriculture + for Sensitizing
Farmers for Safe and Judicious use of Pesticides
 “Strengthening and Modernization of Pest Management Approach in India”
scheme = by Department of Agriculture, Co-Operation & Farmers Welfare
(DAC&FW) + to promote Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
 Regulations for pesticides in India = Insecticide Act 1968(enacted to regulate
imports, manufacture, storage, transport, sale, distribution and use of insecticides
with a view to prevent risk to human beings and animals) + The Central
Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) approves the use of
pesticides in India + The health and family welfare ministry monitors and
regulates pesticide levels in food, and sets limits for residues in food
commodities
 Kaziranga National Park = Kaziranga protected area was established in 1904
and is located on the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. It is a
UNESCO world heritage site + Brahmaputra sides + The park is home to large
breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer other than
the one-horned rhino + Kaziranga is recognized as an ‘Important Bird Area’ by
Birdlife International for the conservation of avifaunal species + Declared a Tiger
Reserve in 2006
 Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary = Nagaland + recently declared as elephant
reserve by Nagaland government after getting approval of central government +
become the 30th Elephant reserve of the country + other protected areas in
Nagaland are Intanki National Park, Puliebadze Wildlife Sanctuary, Fakim
Wildlife Sanctuary and Rangapahar Wildlife Sanctuary.
 Elephant = National heritage animal + Endangered + Schedule I of WPA,1972 +
Appendix 1 od CITES + Singhbhum Elephant Reserve in Jharkhand is the first
Elephant Reserve of the Country + Karnataka has the highest number of

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 elephants followed by Assam and Kerala respectively.
 National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank (NWGRB) = HYDERABAD + by
MoS&T + for collection and preservation of tissues, sperm, eggs and embryos,
genetic material (DNA/RNA) of living beings + established at Laboratory for
Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) and can store 17,000 vials
worth of samples
 Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species(LaCONES) = It is a
dedicated laboratory of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
(CCMB), Hyderabad + It is the only institute in the country working towards
conservation of endangered wildlife using modern biotechnologies to save
endangered wildlife species of India.
 World's largest 3D-printed reef installed in Maldives + reef structure is cast in
ceramic, an inert material similar to the calcium carbonate found in coral reefs +
Live coral was then transplanted within the artificial reef, where it will grow and
colonize the structure
 Vaan Island = Gulf of mannar + In2017 Tamil nadu started its restoration with
the help of IIT Madras by deploying artificial reefs
 Energy Conservation building code(ECBC) 2017 = Code prescribes the energy
performance standards for new commercial buildings to be constructed across
India + has been developed by Ministry of Power and Bureau of Energy
Efficiency (BEE) with technical support from the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) under the U.S.-India bilateral Partnership to
Advance Clean Energy – Deployment Technical Assistance (PACE-D TA)
Program +
 PAT Programme(PAT) = Ministry of power + 2012 + In line with the energy
conservation and efficiency policies of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency
(BEE) under the Ministry of Power, Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT)scheme
under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) + The
scheme provides the option to trade any additional certified energy savings with
other designated consumers to comply with the Specific Energy Consumption
reduction targets + The Energy Savings Certificates (ESCerts) so issued will be
tradable on special trading platforms to be created in the two power exchanges --
Indian Energy Exchange and Power Exchange India.
 Bio Jet fuel = Biofuel which are produced from biomass resources and used in
place of, or blended with ATF(Aviation turbine fuel) + Characteristics required to
be used in Aircraft(oil needs to have a freezing point below -47 degrees so it
doesn’t freeze at altitudes at which planes fly + It should not catch fire on ground
when being transferred into a plane + It must have the same density as ATF, have
a certain calorific value and should not choke the filters + It has lower sulphur
content which causes less wear and tear ) + India’s first ever bio-jet fuel flight
taken off by using the fuel developed by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum
(IIP) + International standards permit a blend rate of up-to 50% bio fuel with
ATF.
 Advanced Astroculture = by NASA + first facility(in 2008) being used to grow
plants on the Space Station + uses ethylene removal system which removes
viruses, bacteria and mould and is now being used to prolong the shelf life of fruit
and vegetables and in winemaking
 SENSAGRI (SENsor based Smart AGRIculture) = Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) through the Indian Agricultural Research Institute
(IARI) has formulated a collaborative research project + It is a drone-based crop

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 and soil health monitoring system using hyperspectral remote sensing (HRS)
sensors
 Digital Sky Platform = It is the first-of-its-kind national unmanned traffic
management (UTM) platform that implements “no permission, no takeoff”
(NPNT) + UTM operates as a traffic regulator in drone airspace to ensure that
drones remained on the approved flight paths + Before every single flight, drone
pilots are required to request permission to fly via a mobile app, which will
automatically process the request and grant or reject it +
 5G is a wireless communication technology using radio waves or radio frequency
(RF) energy to transmit and receive data.It is the next generation mobile networks
technology after 4G LTE networks + The final standard for 5G will be set up by
the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) + Ericsson has installed the
first public access 5G test bed at IIT Delhi +
 ‘Building an End-to-End 5G Test Bed’ Program = envisages close
collaboration between the universities and small technology companies to build
broadly compliant with the 3GPP standards
 Timeline of payment system enhancement in India = the introduction of MICR
clearing in the early 1980s, Electronic Clearing Service and Electronic Funds
Transfer in the 1990s, issuance of credit and debit cards by banks in the 1990s,
the National Financial Switch in 2003 that brought about interconnectivity of
ATMs across the country, the RTGS and NEFT in 2004, the Cheque Truncation
System (CTS) in 2008, the second factor authentication for the ‘card not present’
transaction in 2009 and the new RTGS with enhanced features in 2013
 Ratan watal committee = 2016 + to review existing payment system in India
 'Digital North East: Vision 2022' = aims to leverage digital technologies to
transform lives of people of the northeastern states and enhance the ease of living
+ Launched under the Digital India programme + it will be coordinated by the
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(Miety) and will be
implemented by various central government ministries and governments of north
eastern states
 Hawk-Eye Technology: It helps to take an error-free decision in cricket, lawn
tennis, rugby league, football, and baseball. This technology has reduced the
criticism of the players and spectators about the decision of the match referee.
 Innovation cell = launched by MHRD at AICTE premises + with a purpose to
systematically foster the culture of Innovation in all Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs) across the country + Network on innovation clubs is to be made in Higher
educational Institutions(HEIs) to encourage, inspire and nurture young students
by exposing them to new ideas
 Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) =MHRD
Initiative + to systematically rank education institutions and universities primarily
on innovation related indicators + It will primarily focus on 5 main parameters -
Budget expenses and revenue generated through innovation and entrepreneurship,
Facilitating access to advance centres/facilities and entrepreneurial support
system, Idea to entrepreneurship ,Development of innovation ecosystems
supported through teaching and learning ,Best innovative solutions developed
in-house for improving governance of your institution.
 Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2019 = 3rd edition + to provide students a
platform to solve some of pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus
inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem solving +
innovate on all fronts, MHRD, AICTE, i4c and Persistent Systems have come

26
 together to organise Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2019 + It's a non-stop product
development competition, where problem statements are posed to technology
students for innovative solutions.
 Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council
(PM-STIAC) = chaired by the government’s Principal Scientific Advisor +
replace two scientific advisory committees for the prime minister and the cabinet,
and is aimed to streamline as well as cut down the number of committees and
councils + act as a high level advisory body to several ministries and execute
mission-oriented programmes + and would also monitor the implementation of
the PM's vision
 IMPRINT- II = Impacting Research, Innovation and Technology or IMPRINT is
a national initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) +
aims to address engineering challenges in 10 technology domains relevant to
India through an inclusive and sustainable mode + launched in 2015 + Joint
initiative of IIT and IISc + The round two of IMPRINT – IMPRINT II, will be
jointly funded and steered by MHRD and Department of Science and Technology
 Startup Academia Alliance Program = launched by Start up India + unique
mentorship opportunity between academic scholars and start-ups to promote the
spirit of entrepreneurship in the country + aims to reduce the gap between
scientific research and its industrial application + It strives to implement the third
pillar on which the Startup India Action Plan is based - Industry Academia
Partnerships and Incubation. The other two being Simplification and
Handholding & Funding Support and Incentives
 Repurpose Used cooking Oil (RUCO) initiative = launched by FSSAI + in
order to help companies convert used cooking oils into biofuels(also supported by
National biofuels policy,2018) + Under this around 64 companies at 101 locations
have been identified to enable collection of used cooking oil
 ‘Triple E strategy’ = by FSSAI + Education, Enforcement and Ecosystem + to
divert UCO(Used cooking oil) from the food value chain and curb current illegal
practices.
 UCO Standards(Used cooking oil standards) = According to FSSAI
regulations, the maximum permissible limits for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) in
cooking oil have been set at 25 per cent + TPC is formed due to repeated frying
 World’s first-ever thermal battery plant = inaugurated in Andhra Pradesh + use
thermal energy to operate, i.e., the energy created by temperature differences + A
thermal battery consists of two parts: a cool zone known as sink, and a hot source
called source + Both these sides consist of compounds known as phase-changing
materials (PCMs), which can change their state of matter on the basis of a
physical/chemical reaction + When the sink of a thermal battery receives heat, it
transforms physically or chemically, thereby storing energy, while the source
cools down + During operation, the sink is cooled down, so it releases the stored
energy
 Wolbachia = tiny bacterium that is present in up to 60% of all species of insects,
including several mosquito species + Australia scientists found positive
correlation between presence of Wolbachia bacteria in mosquitoes and reduced
spread of diseases such as Malaria and Dengue + This is usually not present in the
Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary species responsible for transmitting dengue,
chikungunya and Zika
 New influenza research programme = between India and EU to develop next
generation influenza vaccine + programme will get fund of EUR 15 million

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 under EU funding programme for research and innovation called 'Horizon 2020'
 Horizon 2020 = It is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme with
nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) + It is helping
to achieve research and innovation on excellent science, industrial leadership and
tackling societal challenges
 Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and
Redressal) Act, 2013 = An internal complaints committee (ICC) is mandatory in
every private or public organisation that has 10 or more employees + The Internal
Complaints Committee has been given powers of a civil court for summoning,
discovery and production of documents etc + The Act defines sexual harassment
at the workplace and creates a mechanism for redressal of complaints + wider
definition of “aggrieved woman
 #MeToo campaign and #Timesup campaign = to fight sexual harrasment
 The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (second amendment)
Bill, 2017 = to abolish the ‘No- Detention’ policy in schools + Geeta Bhukkal
(2014) and TSR Subramanian (2016)- reviewed the no-detention provision in the
RTE Act and recommended it be removed or be discontinued in a phased manner
 Swami vivekanand = This year is the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s
address at Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893 held in Chicago + Some of
great literary works of Swami Vivekananda are Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti
Yoga, Jnana Yoga, My Master, Lectures from Colombo to Almora + philosophy
was assimilation of ideals prescribed in all religions + Disciple of ramakrishna
(spread advaita vedanta to the west via ramakrishna mission ) + Followed
Vedanta and yoga(READ MORE FROM STATIC)
 Pingali venkayya = also known as Patti (cotton) Venkayya, Japan Venkayya and
Jhanda Venkayya + He was a freedom fighter who was the brain behind designing
of our National Flag – Tiranga
 Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) = The project’s core aim is to move
surplus water from rivers in South Rajasthan (such as the Chambal, Kalisindh,
Gambhiri, Parbati), through a system of canals to areas in South Eastern
Rajasthan which face large water deficits + Rajasthan government had been
trying to get national project status (projects which are funded in the ratio of
90-10 between centre-state) for the project +
 Global Liveability Index 2018 = released by Economic Intelligence Unit, part of
The Economist magazine of United Kingdom + annual index + ranks 140 global
cities + Damascus (Syria) is the least liveable city, Vienna has come at the top of
the 2018 list + Delhi and Mumbai are the only two cities to feature on the Global
Liveability Index
 Vidyalakshmi portal = to provide students a single window electronic platform
for Scholarships and Educational Loans + IT-based mechanism under the Pradhan
Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram + has been developed and being maintained by
NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited (under the guidance of Department
of Financial Services,Department of Higher Education and Indian Banks
Association (IBA)) + aims to enable all poor and middle class students to pursue
higher education of their choice without any constraint of funds + portal also
provides linkages to National Scholarship Portal + Students can view, apply and
track the education loan applications to banks anytime, anywhere by accessing
the portal
 Move Hack = by NITI Aayog + global mobility hackathon to crowd source
solutions aimed at the future of mobility in India + It’s organized in partnership

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 with Government of Singapore and NVIDIA-will be the deep learning technology
partner of Move-Hack
 Deep learning technology is a subset of machine learning (ML) in artificial
intelligence (AI) that has networks capable of learning unsupervised from data
that is unstructured or unlabelled
 Tesla’s BlackHOLE Machines = to be used for waste managemnet in Ladakh +
works without fuel or electricity, and converts all waste, except glass & concrete
material, into ash + (MAP Nubra valley in north-west Ladakh, Pangong-Tso and
Tso-Moriri lakes in the east)
 Rashmi = Indian version of humanoid robot Sophia + Rashmi can speak Hindi,
Bhojpuri and Marathi along with English + claimed to be as world’s first Hindi
speaking realistic humanoid robot and India’s first lip-synching robot

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PIB -AUGUST(Only left over portions are covered(No
repetition))
 National Energy Storage Mission = Ministry of New and Renewable Energy +
objective to strive for leadership in energy storage sector by creating an enabling
policy and regulatory framework that encourages manufacturing, deployment,
innovation and further cost reduction
 Highest tiger density = In Orang National Park, Assam
 ‘Halkaa’= The film that has been made under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat
Mission (Urban)
 Exercise Maitree = Joint military exercise + Indian Army and Royal Thai Army
 Ishan Vikas scheme = For the students of North Eastern region + coordinated by
IIT, Guwahati + under the programme, selected school children from North
Eastern States are brought in close contact with the IITs, Indian Institutes of
Science Education and Research (IISERs) and National Institute of Advanced
Studies (NIAS) during the vacation period to motivate them to pursue science,
technology, engineering and mathematics and to facilitate internship opportunities
for the engineering college students in various institutes of national importance
 Ishan Uday scheme = For the students of North Eastern region + Scholarship
Scheme + scholarship is provided to the economically backward students from
the North East Region for pursuing general degree courses
 Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme for Electronics and Information Technology (IT)
= To enhance the number of PhDs in Electronics System Design &
Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES) sectors in the
country + To give thrust to Research & Development, create an innovative
ecosystem and enhance India’s competitiveness in these knowledge intensive
sectors + To encourage working professionals and non-PhD faculty members to
pursue PhD
 Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA),
2005 = Run by Ministry of Rural Development + Provides at least one hundred
days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household
whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
 Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) =
Implemented by Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises + merged
Prime Minister’s Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) and Rural Employment Generation
Programme (REGP) for generation of employment opportunities through
establishment of micro enterprises in rural as well as urban areas
 Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) = Run
by Ministry of Rural Development + part of the National Rural Livelihood
Mission (NRLM), tasked with the dual objectives of adding diversity to the
incomes of rural poor families and cater to the career aspirations of rural youth
 Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Urban Livelihoods Mission
(DAY-NULM) = Implemented by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs + To
reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households by enabling them
to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities,
resulting in an appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis,
through building strong grassroots level institutions of the poor
 Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana = Initiated by the Ministry of
Labour and Employment for incentivizing employers for promoting employment
generation

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 Government e-Marketplace (GeM) = An online platform for government users
which leverages technology to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in
public procurement + It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and
demand aggregation to facilitate the government users, achieve the best value of
their money + It is paperless, cashless and contactless platform giving end to end
solution
 Swadesh Darshan Scheme = flagship scheme of Ministry of tourism + for
development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised
manner
 NAVIC = Navigation with Indian Constellation + India’s own GPS is all set to be
launched and will place it in the club of select countries which have their own
indigenous navigation systems.((GLONASS = Russia) + (Galileo = EU) +
(Quasi-Zenith Satellite System = Japan) + (Beidou = China))
 Exercise Pitch Black 2018 = A biennial multi-national large force employment
warfare exercise hosted by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
 ‘HELINA’ = Anti-Tank Guided Missile + Guided by an Infrared Imaging Seeker
(IIR) operating in the Lock on Before Launch mode + It is one of the most
advanced Anti-Tank Weapons in the world
 IIT – PAL = Designed for helping students to prepare for JEE Advanced Exam +
will be extended and made available through the SWAYAM portal
 Life events of Gautama Buddha = Kapilvastu (Piprahwa), where he spent his
childhood + Bodhgaya, where he attained Enlightenment + Sarnath, where he
delivered his first sermon + Kushinagar, where he embraced Mahaparinirvana
 ‘Buddha Charita’ = the biography of Buddha and was written by Ashvaghosha
in Sanskrit + It is the first ever biography written in India + Ashwaghosa was a
Buddhist scholar during the reign of Kanishka
 Mudras of Buddha = Bhumisparsha mudra(Buddha gesturing to touch the
ground to call upon mother Goddess to witness his awakening) + Abhay Mudra
(Palm facing the audience. Gesture of reassurance, blessing and protection) +
Dhyana Mudra(This mudra signifies meditation, concentration of the Good Law
and the sa ṅ gha. The two hands are placed on the lap, right hand on left with
fingers fully stretched and palm facing upwards) + Karana Mudrā (This hand
gesture is also called warding off the evil. It expels demons and removes
obstacles such as sickness or negative thoughts. It is made by raising the index
and the little finger, and folding the other fingers)
 Kanheri caves = A famous painting of 10 headed Buddha is found in these caves
+ group of caves located in Salsette Island, Mumbai
 Air Services Agreement = between India and Morocco
 Forest Carbon Partnership Facility = Assists the countries in their ‘REDD+
(Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation+)’ efforts by
providing them with financial and technical assistance + global partnership of
governments, businesses, civil society, and indigenous peoples + FCPF has two
separate but complementary funding mechanisms — the Readiness Fund and the
Carbon Fund
 Krishna Kutir = Home for 1000 widows at Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

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