Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INDEX
TOPPER’S TALK 1 5) Why Brazil’s new pesticide rules should worry India 86
6) What is Pashu Aadhaar 87
POLITY 7) What are overseas sovereign bonds 89
1) How is Delimitation conducted 3 8) Lok Sabha passes Companies Amendment Bill 90
2) Article 370 and 35A revoked 5 9) Indian Economy slowdown 91
3) Incresing strength of Supreme Court judges 6 10) RBI cuts repo rate by 35 bps 93
4) Ladakh before and after 370 7 11) Special Economic Zones Amendment Bill 95
5) Demand for Gorakhaland 9 12) Draft Model Tenancy Act 2019 97
6) Benefits of linking Aadhar with voter ID 11 13) What are farm ponds 98
7) What is Article 371 13 14) Important curves in economics 100
8) Fast track courts in India Boon or Bane 15 15) Automobile sector in India 102
9) J & K Public Safety Act 17 16) FAME-II scheme 103
10) Indian Citizenship 18 17) RBI changes ATM transaction rules 104
11) Inter-State River Water Disputes 21 18) What is negative interest rate 105
(Amendment) Bill, 2019 19) SARAL index launched 106
20) RBI to transfer Rs 1.76 lakh crore surplus 107
GOVERNANCE & SOCIAL JUSTICE 21) Ordnance factory workers strike 109
1) POCSO Amendment Bill 2019 23 22) Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, 2019 111
2) Transgender Persons Protection of Rights 25 23) Occupational Safety, Health and Working 112
Bill 2019 Conditions Code, 2019
3) Doping in Indian Athletes 26 24) Kosi-Mechi Interlinking river project 114
4) Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 28 25) Trouble in paper industry 115
5) 5 new Consumer Rights 30 26) Electric Vehicles 116
6) UGC Paramarsh Scheme 32 27) FM announces to measure to revive economy 117
7) Women Empowerment 33
8) What are notifiable diseases 34 SECURITY
9) What is biosimilar drug 35 1) 2019 Model Detention Manual 119
10) Breast milk banks 36 2) Unlawful Activities Prevention Amendment 120
11) E-Commerce Guidelines for Consumer 37 Bill, 2019
Protection 2019 3) CORAS indian railway commando unit 121
12) Marriage age of men VS women 38 4) Why India needs a chief of defence staff 122
13) Is manual scavenging illegal in India 40 5) Rajasthan Assembly Passes Anti-Lynching Bill 124
6) No First Use on nuclear weapons may change 125
INTERNATIONAL RELATION
42 DISASTER MENAGEMENT
1) China’s stand on Ladakh UT
44 1) Rain and flood fury 126
2) India Myanmar submarine deal
46 2) Amazon rainforest fire in Brazil 128
3) Pakistan’s image rebuilding
4) Enf of INF Treaty 47
5) Trade war getting worse 49 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
6) India to sign United Nations Convention on 50 1) Microdots Technology to prevent vehicles theft 130
International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) and fake parts
7) Currency war between America and China 51 2) India test-fires Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air 131
8) Innovation in Israel lessons for India 52 missiles
9) India to sign BECA with USA 54 3) What are Tadigrades 132
10) USA China trade war and global economy 56 4) Russia floating nuclear reactor 133
11) RIL-Saudi Aramco 75 billion dollar deal 57 5) India test fired Israeli SPYDER air defence missile 134
12) China devalues its currency yuan 58 system from Pokhran Test Range.
13) Death penalty back in USA 60 6) Perseid Meteor Shower 135
14) UNSC resolution 47 62 7) Kaveri engine project 136
15) UNSC informal meeting 64 8) Personal data protection Bill 2018 137
16) USA warning on Hong Kong protests 66
17) PM Modi in UAE and Bahrain 67 ENVIRONMENT
18) India-Vietnam patrol vessel project 69 1) MOSAIC mission 138
19) India stops sharing hydrological data 70 2) Are sharks facing extinction in India 140
with Pakistan 3) Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas by WRI 141
20) India invited to G7 Summit 4) Plant based diet can fight climate change 143
71
21) Moscow protests 5) Amazon forest degradation 145
73
22) ITER project 6) Project WASCAL 147
75
23) PM Modi Bhutan visit 7) Methylmercury toxin in fish 149
77
8) Eco-sensitive Zones 151
ECONOMY 9) Mussoorie resolution 153
1) Government bans Unregulated Deposits 79 10) Invasive alien species threat 155
2) Dam Safety Bill, 2019 81 11) Microplastic pollution 157
3) Dholera smart city 82 12) M-sand policy 159
4) U.K. Sinha committee report 84 13) Land degradation neutrality 161
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GEOGRAPHY
1) Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat Narmada 163
Dispute
2) World’s biggest diamond mine closed 165
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TOPPERS’ TALK
AIR 145 Namita Sharma , Motivation for UPSC Aspirants • For back up, I gave SSC CGL exam for in 2014 and
presently working as a Tax Assistant in Central GST
Interviewer: Which thing motivated you to start your (Mumbai ).
preparation for UPSC? • I had my seniors as IRS in Mumbai, they guided me
a lot saying not to give up told me that you are been
Namita: I was working in IBM for two years and there underemployed here as I joined as TA after leaving my
was some chain of events that keep on occurring with me. job.
• I narrated them my whole journey of UPSC uptill now.
• Starting from my friend who suggested me a book • CSE 2017 was my 5th attempt where I cleared
called, a monk who sold his Ferrari and from there I got Prelims for the first time and reached till interview,
the message that one should always work for what his/ missing out the final list by a small margin.
her heart desires for.
• The second thing that happened was, my constant Interviewer: How you kept yourself motivated for your
contact with my dad’s higher officials, I talked to them last attempt?
and got to know about there lifestyle, social interaction
and much other important stuff. Namita: CSE 2018 being my last attempt I filled the form
• After working for two years in IBM, at the end of at the very last moment, cause I thought I will get through
2014 I thought for preparing for civil services. 2016, but I could not.
Interviewer: How you felt after cracking the civil services • Vacancies were very low this time(2018), lowest in the
exam in your last attempt. whole decade.
• But again I started my preparation for prelims.
Namita : In one word if I will like to say, I will say it was • I cut myself off from all social media accounts as I only
a relief for me, because in the end I just wanted to see my had 15 days in my hand.
name in the pdf and that would have been enough for me. • Joined a test series and started revision .
• This time paper was very unusual kind of so I started
When I got 145 ranks, I cannot express my feeling for that. my preparation for UPPSC as it was also approaching,
and went to Lucknow for its prelims exam.
Interviewer: How would you like to describe your journey • Meanwhile, I check the prelims result for UPSC and
of the UPSC preparation . I cleared Prelims for the second time.
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Namita: I will say one should find out his/her reason for
starting this journey , it can be for your parents or you
want it yourself or you want some change in society, find
out that reason.
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POLITY
• The Constitution mandates that its orders are final and
cannot be questioned before any court as it would hold up
an election indefinitely.
Constitutional Provision :
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(Click on the above image to watch the video) • The Bill proposes wide powers to the Lieutenant Gover-
nor of the proposed Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
Relevance and makes it the “duty” of the Chief Minister of the Union
Territory to “communicate” all administrative decisions and
GS2 || Polity || Constitutional framework || Union and
proposals of legislation with the LG.
its territory
• All Central laws and State laws of J&K would apply to
the new Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Why in news? • Assets and liabilities of J&K and Ladakh would be
apportioned on the recommendation of a Central Commit-
• The Centre government revoked Article 370 of the
tee within a year.
Constitution which gives special status to Jammu and
• Employees of State public sector undertakings and
Kashmir and brought in the J&K Reorganisation Bill 2019
autonomous bodies would continue in their posts for
which splits the state into two Union Territories: Jammu
another year until their allocations are determined.
and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one.
• The police and public order is to be with the Centre.
• The notification amends the expression “Constituent
Assembly”, contained in the provison to clause (3) of Article
370, to mean “Legislative Assembly”.
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SC Composition: Constitutional
and Statutory Provisions –
Relevance
Why in news?
Supreme Court from the present 31 to 34 (i.e. by 10%), Parliament as per Article 124 (1) of Constitution of India.
including Chief Justice of India (CJI). • Therefore, the strength can be increased by way of
• In this regard it has approved bill to amend Supreme parliamentary legislation. In pursuance of this Parliament
Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. At present, the full has enacted Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956,
sanctioned strength of SC is 31 (including CJI). Once which originally provided for maximum of 10 judges (exclud-
this bill gets parliamentary nod, the number of judges ing the CJI). The law was last amended in 2009 to increase
would go up to 34, including the CJI. judges’ strength from 25 to 30 (excluding the CJI).
Interesting facts :
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kingdom, The political history of Ladakh dates back to • Kargil to soon get full-fledged airport for commercial
outlying the Western Himalayas were integrated and • The work on the detailed project report for an all-weath-
given a unified polity by Lha-Chen-Palgigon. er railway line between Himachal Pradesh to Leh has
started.
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Relevance
Why in news?
Notes
Way Forward :
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• The General Elections 2019 witnessed discrepan- • In cases where they have contact details, the changes in
cies in voter eligibility and rolls, and the resultant the same are not made by voters unless the Electors Photo
denial of voting rights of many. Identity Card (EPIC) is their de facto ID.
• The disenfranchisement of voters is likely due to four • Besides, the most disturbing factor is the political
factors which are discussed below, calling for Aadhaar adventurism of parties (and politicians) and voters alike.
as a solution to resolve them. • There have been cases reported of voters who are
registered to vote in multiple booths and, thus, can vote
multiple times.
What are the concerns with
registration? • Way out - During registration, Aadhaar holders could
give consent to the ECI to have their contact details shared.
• Issue - Several people are unable to register to vote. • In that case, they could be pre-emptively notified about
• The reasons for this range from not being aware of an impending deletion.
the registration methodology, to the process itself being • The illegality of private and political actors in regards
inconvenient to not even knowing there is one. with voters roll needs to be checked.
• Challenges - It is the responsibility of the Election • Here, Aadhaar’s anti-fraud and de-duplication features
Commission of India (ECI) to inform the eligible voters can be put to use.
who have not registered yet.
• The ECI does this via mass campaigns since it is not
possible for it to exclusively identify unregistered adult
What could be Way forward ?
citizens.
• Currently, the easiest way to freshly apply to be • As discussed, many of the exclusions discussed above
registered as a voter is to fill out a Form 6 on the NVSP can be remedied with Aadhaar.
(National Voters’ Service Portal) or the ECI’s app. • It uniquely identifies every individual in the country
• However, this is an extremely cumbersome exercise through all of the same details as the EPIC.
and potentially an impediment to comprehensive voter • Also, unlike EPIC, Aadhaar captures biometric data,
registration efforts. which is useful in validating uniqueness.
• Way out - Aadhaar can significantly simplify the • Ironically, the EPIC does not guarantee a vote; if a name
process, once the ECI has ascertained that a resident is does not appear on the voter rolls, she will not be permitted
eligible to vote. to vote.
• This whole process could be replaced with a single • Even if a person’s name does appear on the voter rolls,
step Aadhaar based e-KYC. the EPIC is not the only document that is accepted as proof
of identity.
What went wrong with voter • Therefore, the very existence of the EPIC is worth
rolls? reconsidering today.
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Notes
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• Articles 369 through 392 appear in Part XXI of the Article 371D (32nd Amendment
Constitution, titled ‘Temporary, Transitional and Act, 1973; substituted by The
Special Provisions’. Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation
• Article 371 of the Constitution includes “special
Act, 2014), Andhra Pradesh and
provisions” for 11 states, including six states of the
Telangana:
Northeast.
• President must ensure “equitable opportunities and
• Articles 370 and 371 were part of the Constitution at
facilities” in “public employment and education to people
the time of its commencement on January 26, 1950;
from different parts of the state”. He may require the state
Articles 371A through 371J were incorporated subse-
government to organise “any class or classes of posts in a civil
quently.
service of, or any class or classes of civil posts under, the
State into different local cadres for different parts of the
Article 371, Maharashtra and State”. He has similar powers vis-à-vis admissions in educa-
Gujarat:
tional institutions.
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Article 371I :
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Way Forward:
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Mains Question
Relevance
What is Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act?
GS 2 || Polity || Other Constitutional Dimensions
|| Centre-State Relations
Additional Info
Why in news?
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/ex-
plained-what-is-the-jk-psa-under-which-shah-faesal-has-be
A former IAS officer was recently detained under the
en-detained-5905119/
J&K Public Safety Act (PSA).
public order.
• Detention orders under PSA can be issued by
Divisional Commissioners or District Magistrates.
• Section 22 of the Act provides protection for any
action taken “in good faith” under the Act.
• No suit, prosecution or any other legal proceeding
shall lie against any person for anything done or
intended to be done in good faith in pursuance of the
provisions of this Act.
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GS 2 || Polity || Constitutional Framework || Citizenship Thus Parliament can go against the citizenship provisions
of the Constitution.
• The Citizenship Act, 1955 was passed and has been
Why in news?
amended four times — in 1986, 2003, 2005, and 2015. The
Act empowers the government to determine the citizenship
In the run-up to the publication of the final NRC in
of persons in whose case it is in doubt.
Assam, citizenship has become the most talked about
• However, over the decades, Parliament has narrowed
topic in the country.
down the wider and universal principles of citizenship based
on the fact of birth.
How is citizenship • Moreover, the Foreigners Act places a heavy burden on
determined? the individual to prove that he is not a foreigner.
• Citizenship signifies the relationship between
individual and state. So who is, or is not, a
• It begins and ends with state and law, and is thus citizen of India?
about the state, not people.
• Citizenship is an idea of exclusion as it excludes
non-citizens. Article 5
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Constitutionality of Section 6A
Mains Question
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Why in news? • Under the Bill, a state will put in a request regarding any
water dispute to the central government.
• The central government will then set up a Disputes
• The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment)
Resolution Committee (DRC) to resolve the dispute
Bill, 2019 was recently introduced in the Lok Sabha.
amicably.
• The Bill amends the Inter-State River Water
• Composition - The DRC will comprise of a Chairperson,
Disputes Act, 1956.
and experts with at least 15 years of experience in relevant
sectors.
What did the Act provide for? • These will be nominated by the central government.
• It will also comprise one member from each state (at
Joint Secretary level), which is a party to the dispute.
• The Act provides for the adjudication of disputes
• These members will be nominated by the concerned state
relating to waters of inter-state rivers and river valleys.
government.
• Under the Act, a state government may request the
• Resolution - The DRC will seek to resolve the dispute
central government to refer an inter-state river dispute
through negotiations, within one year (extendable by 6
to a Tribunal for adjudication.
months).
• If the central government is of the opinion that it
• It will then submit its report to the central government.
cannot be settled through negotiations, it sets up a
• If a dispute cannot be settled by the DRC, the central
Water Disputes Tribunal within a year of receiving such a
government will refer it to the Inter-State River Water
complaint.
Disputes Tribunal.
• Such referral must be made within 3 months from the
Effectiveness of the tribunals : receipt of the report from the DRC.
• So, now, the current system of dispute resolution would
give way to a new two-tier approach with DRC and the
• Under the 1956 Act, 9 tribunals have so far been set
tribunal.
up. Only 4 of them have given their awards.
• One of these disputes, over Cauvery waters
between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, took 28 years to
Key provisions on Tribunal :
settle.
• The Ravi and Beas Waters Tribunal was set up in
• The central government will set up an Inter-State River
1986 and it is still to give the final award.
Water Disputes Tribunal, for the adjudication of all water
• The minimum a tribunal has taken to settle a
disputes.
dispute is 7 years (by the first Krishna Water Disputes
• This Tribunal can have multiple benches.
Tribunal in 1976).
• All five existing tribunals under the 1956 Act would be
• The multiplicity of tribunals has led to an increase
dissolved.
in bureaucracy, delays, and possible duplication of
• Also, the water disputes pending adjudication before
work.
such existing Tribunals will be transferred to the new
Tribunal.
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L
POCSO Court :
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Impact:
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Why in news?
Criticisms of Bill:
• Lok Sabha approves The Transgender Persons
(Protection of Rights) Bill 2019. • The Bill is silent on granting reservations to transgender
persons.
Background: • The bill has prescribed punishments for organised
begging. However, the Bill doesn’t provide anything to
• Transgender community is among one of the most better to condition in those areas, it doesn’t provide for
marginalized communities in the country because they reservation.
don’t fit into the stereotypical categories of gender of • The Transgender Bill does not mention any punishments
‘men’ or ‘women’. for rape or sexual assault of transgender persons as accord-
• Consequently, they face problems ranging from ing to Sections 375 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code, rape is
social exclusion to discrimination, lack of education only when a man forcefully enters a woman.
facilities, unemployment, lack of medical facilities and
so on.
• The Bill shall empower the transgender community
socially, educationally and economically.
New definition:
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Way forward :
• We need to raise awareness about WADA guide-
lines.
• Sportsmen need to be made understood about
doping and anti-doping laws.
BCCI must be brought under NADA
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Non Compliance
Additional Info
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g11Ts5R0-Hc
Mains Question
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Relevance
Mains Question
GS 2 || Governance & Social Justice || Human
What is the need for notifying the diseases?
Development || Health
Additional Info
Why in news?
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/notifiable-dis-
A month after Union Health Minister asked the Delhi ease-malaria-who-notifies-a-disease-and-how-does-it-help-
government to make malaria and dengue notifiable 5906376/
diseases, the local authorities has initiated the work to
notify malaria in the capital.
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Biosimilars vs generics
Relevance
On WHO guidelines
GS 2 || Governance & Social Justice || Human
Development || Health • The World Health Organisation has said that breast milk
is “tailor made” for human infants.
• If for some reason, mother is not able to feed the infant,
Why in news?
her milk should be expressed and fed, according to WHO.
• The Neonatology Forum had been following this diktat
• A breast milk bank proposed by the Neonatology
and insists that the newborns are aggressively breastfed in
Forum (NNF), Kerala, is expected to provide solutions to
the first hour.
all such babies who required intensive care at birth or
are not able to be breastfed immediately for various
other reasons. Additional Info
• There are many mothers who are not able to produce
breast milk for various medical reasons.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ker-
ala/breast-milk-banks-to-ensure-all-infants-get-protective-
cover/article29189086.ece
Mains Question
Protection
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Why in news?
L
What necessitated this?
It’s Evolution
Way forward
Mains Question
Additional Info
https://indianexpress.com/article/ex-
plained/why-is-age-of-mar-
riage-different-for-men-and-women-the-law-the-debat
e-5925004/
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GS2 || Governance and social justice || Vulnerable • In the late 1950s, freedom fighter G. S. Lakshman Iyer
sections || Safai Karamcharis banned manual scavenging when he was the chairman of
Gobichettipalayam Municipality (Tamil Nadu).
• It became the first local body to ban it officially.
Why in news?
• Manual scavenging refers to the unsafe and manual The prohibition of employment
removal of raw (fresh and untreated) human excreta. as manual scavengers and
• The practise of manual scavenging is linked to India’s their rehabilitation act 2013 :
caste system where so-called lower castes were
expected to perform this job. • The act of 1993 was amended in 2013 to form the
• Manual scavengers are amongst the poorest and Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their
most disadvantaged communities in India. Rehabilitation Act.
• Frequent deaths occur as manual scavengers don't • It focused on increasing the punishment for manual
even have adequate tools and protective gear to clean scavenging, and on rehabilitation and employment of those
the manhole. It often involves using the most basic of involved in manual scavenging.
tools such as buckets, brooms and baskets.
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Way forward :
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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Why china’s response is
like this?
• China does not want to escalate tensions with India
while it is in the middle of a trade war with U.S.
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Relevance
GS2 || International relations || India and its neighbours
|| Pakistan
Why in news?
• 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit Kartarpur Sahib
• Among the key findings of the report issued by the US per day.
Commission on International Religious Freedom
(USCIRF) were, in 2018, religious freedom conditions in
Pakistan generally trended negative despite the govern-
ment taking some positive steps to promote religious
freedom and combat religiously motivated violence and
hate speech.
• During the year, extremist groups and societal actors
continued to discriminate against and attack religious
minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadis,
and Shi'a Muslims, the report said.
Pakistan’s current image : • Pakistan has given its green signal for Sharda Peeth
corridor. The Sharda Peeth corridor, when opened, will be
• It said that the Pakistan government failed to the second religious tract after Kartarpur corridor in
adequately protect these groups, and it perpetrated Pakistan-controlled territory that will connect the two
systematic, ongoing, egregious religious freedom neighbouring nations. The temple is revered by Kashmiri
violations. Pandits among other Hindus across the globe.
• Also forced conversions of non-Muslims continued
despite the passage of the Hindu Marriage Act, which
recognises Hindu family law, and these occurred despite
some optimism about the potential for reform under the
new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the
report said.
Minority in Pakistan :
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About Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces Treaty:
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Impact on India:
Why in news?
About UNISA:
Key features:
Benefit:
• Signing of the Convention will boost the confidence
of the investors and shall provide a positive signal to
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Relevance
GS2 || International Relations || India & Rest of the
World || USA
Background:
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released recently, with India being ranked 52. • It is also endowed with very little natural resources
challenges into competitive advantages, exhibiting its • Its 22,000 square kilometre area is predominantly arid,
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• Israeli universities, today, top in patent applications • This has given birth to a trait they call ‘chutzpah’. Failure
in the US. is accepted in the society and a person is encouraged to try
• Over 250 global companies including the likes of
Facebook, Google, Apple, HP and Microsoft have set up
their R&D labs in Israel. What do these hold for India?
• Israel also has one of the highest concentrations of
Nobel laureates.
• That apart, Israel has the largest number of hi-tech • India too has its share of challenges when it comes to
startups per capita than any other country in the world. food, energy, water and national security.
• Tel Aviv houses the second largest startup eco-sys- • India needs to enhance sustainability and take health-
tem after Silicon Valley. care to every nook and corner of the country; all these at a
• Hi-tech exports accounts for 45% of the country’s low cost.
overall exports. • Like Israel, India needs to invest heavily in education and
• The startups have indeed solved the country’s R&D.
pressing problems. • India’s investment in R&D now is a meager 0.7% of GDP.
• E.g. due to their work in membrane technology, • Also, very little of this goes to universities considering
Israel has efficiently used desalination to transform that a bulk of public R&D goes into space, energy and
itself from world’s driest country to one with surplus defence sectors.
water • The size of the economy and population is not the
• It has become a leader in desert agriculture due to constraint here, but rather the intent.
drip irrigation and precision farming. • Notably, China, another large economy, has managed to
up its R&D investment from 1.3% in 2006 to 2.18% in 2018.
• India’s innovation should be focused not just on getting
How were the security issues
products and services to people at an affordable cost.
dealt with?
• Rather, it should be aimed for global leadership.
• Israel faces security issues that come from being • Solving India’s challenges will eventually open opportuni-
surrounded by enemies and constantly fighting ties for Indian enterprises globally, as had happened with
terrorism. Israel.
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What is COMCASA ?
Relevance
GS2 || International relations || India and rest of the
world || USA
Why in news?
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What is BECA?
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Relevance
GS2 || International Relations || India & Rest of the
World|| USA
Why in news?
economies.
US-China trade :
Why in news?
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Relevance
GS2 || International Relations ||India & Rest of the
World || USA
Why in news?
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• Currently, 25 states, including Florida and Texas Arguments for death penalty :
have the death penalty, while 21 states, including New
York and Illinois, have abolished it.
• For justice- The death penalty is reserved for the most
• At the federal level, the death penalty has been legal
heinous of crimes, such as murder. Why should a murderer
since it was reinstated in 1988, but the government has
be allowed to live out the rest of their lives in relative
rarely applied it.
comfort, paid for by the public?
• Only three defendants were executed between
• For deterrence- The death penalty saves lives.
1988 and 2003
• For saves resources- Executing the criminal require less
resource than keeping him in jail for rest of his life. Murder-
ers are society's predators, and society has no moral reason
to pay for the upkeep of its predators.
• For closure- The execution of a criminal is the best way to
provide closure to the family of their victim. They can finally
put the crime behind them and move on, knowing that there
is no possibility of the person who took away their loved one
ever leaving prison and walking free.
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Relevance
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• In response the UNSC, under Resolution 39 (1948) an equal diplomatic ground was a dismissal of Pakistan’s
stated “with a view to facilitating the restoration of aggression and the fact that the Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari
peace and order and to the holding of a plebiscite, by the Singh had signed the Instrument of Accession.
two Governments, acting in co-operation with one • India also objected to the Resolution’s requirement that
another and with the Commission, and further instructs did not allow India to retain military presence which it
the Commission to keep the Council informed of the believed it needed for defence.
action taken under the resolution.” • The Resolution’s order to form a coalition government,
• It also ordered for the conflict to cease and to would also put Sheikh Abdullah, the Prime Minister of the
create conditions for a “free and impartial plebiscite” Princely State of Jammu & Kashmir, in a difficult position.
to decide whether Jammu and Kashmir would accede • India also believed that the powers conferred on the
Pakistan’s Attempts :
China’s attempt :
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Why in news?
Highlights of PM visit to
Bahrain :
• Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit
Bahrain, and Prince Khalifa after the delegation-level
talks witnessed the exchange of MoUs in the areas of
culture, space, collaboration with International Solar (Scan the QR code to watch video)
Alliance (ISA).
Notes
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Why in news?
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Relevance
Why in news?
Relevance
Why in news?
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What is G7?
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(Click on the above image to watch the video) • Moscow’s municipal elections are very much the focus of
these protests, but it’s hard to divorce it completely from
Relevance larger political and economic issues within Russia, specifical-
ly President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime.
GS2 || International Relations || India & Rest of the
World || Russia
United Russia party :
Why in news? • United Russia is the largest party in Russia and as of
2018 it holds 335 (or 74.44%) of the 450 seats in the State
• Moscow is seeing the biggest protests in years this Duma.
summer - with tens of thousands of Russians hitting the • United Russia members constitute the majority of State
streets. They've been met with mass arrests and a Duma since 2007.
violent crackdown by police.
Reasons of protest :
a political controversy that intensified amid police natural resources at $75 trillion US dollars.
crackdowns against demonstrators and opposition • Hence Russia relies on energy revenues to drive most of
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Importance of Bhutan :
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ECONOMY
Relevance
• Ponzi schemes are named after Charles Ponzi, an
GS3 || Economy || Banking and financial sector || Italian-American who launched an investment scheme in
Money market Boston, US, in 1919, promising to double investors’
money—first in 90 days and then in 45 days.
Why in news? • Ponzi, however, had no business model to double the
money in such a short time. All he did was use money being
• Rajya Sabha has passed the Banning of Unregulated brought in by the new investors to pay off the old investors.
Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019. • The scheme ran until the money being brought in by the
new investors was more than the money being paid to the
It also seeks to amend three old investors.
laws:- • Once this equation reversed, the scheme collapsed.
Way forward :
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Relevance Significance:
GS3 || Economy|| Infrastructure|| Power & Energy
• The Bill will help all the States and Union Territories of
India to adopt uniform dam safety procedures which shall
Why in news? ensure safety of dams and safeguard benefits from such
dams. This shall also help in safeguarding human life,
• Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha have expressed deep livestock and property.
reservations about the Centre’s decision to introduce the • It addresses all issues concerning dam safety including
Dam Safety Bill, 2019, asserting that the legislation, which regular inspection of dams, Emergency Action Plan, compre-
is ostensibly aimed at providing uniform safety measures hensive dam safety review, adequate repair and mainte-
across the country, would undermine the powers of State nance funds for dam safety, Instrumentation and Safety
governments since water is a State subject. Manuals.
• It lays onus of dam safety on the dam owner and
Concerns raised: provides for penal provisions for commission and omission
of certain acts.
• The bill is too focused on structural safety and not
on operational safety. About DRIP:
• There is inadequate compensation to the people
affected by dams. • The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), Government
• There is need for an independent regulator as well as of India, with assistance from the World Bank, is imple-
for a precise definition of stakeholders. menting the DAM REHABILITATION AND IMPROVEMENT
• Many states say it encroaches upon the sovereignty PROJECT (DRIP), which would be a six-year project.
of States to manage their dams, and violates the • The Central Dam Safety Organisation of Central Water
principles of federalism enshrined in the Constitution. Commission, assisted by a Consulting firm, is coordinating
They see it as an attempt by the Centre to consolidate and supervising the Project implementation.
power in the guise of safety concerns. • Goals: The project originally envisaged the rehabilitation
and improvement of about 223 dams within four states
Why Centre is introducing namely, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu
this Bill? and later Karnataka, Uttarakhand (UNVNL) and Jharkhand
(DVC) joined DRIP and total number of dams covered under
• Though the subject does not fall under the purview
DRIP increased to 250. The project will also promote new
of Parliament, the Centre has decided to introduce
technologies and improve Institutional capacities for dam
this bill mainly because dam safety is an issue of
safety evaluation and implementation at the Central and
concern in the country.
State levels and in some identified premier academic and
• And there are no legal and institutional safeguards
research institutes of the country.
in this regard.
• The project development objectives of DRIP are: (i) to
improve the safety and performance of selected existing
Highlights of Dam Safety dams and associated appurtenances in a sustainable manner,
Bill, 2019: and (ii) to strengthen the dam safety institutional setup in
participating states as well as at central level.
• The Bill provides for proper surveillance, inspec-
tion, operation and maintenance of all specified dams
in the country to ensure their safe functioning. (Scan the QR code to watch video)
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Relevance
GS3 || Economy || infrastructures || General
Why in news?
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Relevance
Why in news?
• Access to technology.
• IPR related issues.
• Low ICT usage.
• Wasteful usage of resources/manpower.
Importance of MSME’S : • Energy inefficiency and associated high cost.
• Poor competitiveness in the overall MSME sector.
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Challenges so far
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/now-al-
so-an-aadhaar-card-for-cattle-and-buffaloes/
Mains Question
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Why
L are so many cautioning
against this move?
• The volatility in India’s exchange rate is far more than
the volatility in the yields of India’s G-secs (the yields are
the interest rate that the government pays when it borrows
domestically). This means that although the government
would be borrowing at “cheaper” rates than domestically, the
eventual rates (after incorporating the possible weakening of
(Click on the above image to watch the video)
rupee against the dollar) might make the deal costlier.
• Borrowing outside would not necessarily reduce the
Relevance number of government bonds the domestic market will
have to absorb. That’s because if fresh foreign currency
GS3 || Economy || Banking and financial sector || comes into the economy, the RBI would have to “neutralise”
Money market it by sucking the exact amount out of the money supply.
• This, in turn, will require selling more bonds. If the RBI
Why in news? doesn’t do it then the excess money supply will create
inflation and push up the interest rates, thus disincentivis-
• The government has announced its plans to raise a ing private investments.
portion of its gross borrowing from overseas markets. • Based on the unpleasant experience of other emerging
With the help of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the economies, many argue that a small initial borrowing is the
government will finalise the plans for the overseas thin end of the wedge.
issue of sovereign bonds by September. • It is quite likely that the government will be tempted to
dip into the foreign markets for more loans every time it runs
What exactly are sovereign out of money. At some point, especially if India does not take
bonds? care of its fiscal health, the foreign investors will pull the
plug on fresh investments, creating dire consequences for
• A bond is like an IOU. The issuer of a bond promises India.
to pay back a fixed amount of money every year until
the expiry of the term, at which point the issuer
returns the principal amount to the buyer. When a
government issues such a bond it is called a sovereign
bond.
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Relevance
GS3 || Economy || Economic reforms || Liberalisation
and Privatisation
Why in news?
L
Significance of the Bill :
• The amendments aim to ensure more accountability
and better enforcement to strengthen the corporate
governance norms and compliance management in
corporate sector.
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Relevance
Why in news?
the UK’s economy grew to $2.82 trillion and the French non-discretionary items such as food items. Thus far, it was
economy expanded to $2.78 trillion in 2018, against feared to have impacted only discretionary expenditure – in
India’s $2.73 trillion, showed the products such as cars and consumer durables.
• Macro indicators too aren’t presenting any encouraging
signs either. First, eight core segments — steel, cement,
fertilisers, coal, electricity, crude oil, natural gas and refinery
products, which together make up about 40% of industrial
production – grew at 1.8 per cent in January this year,
compared with 2.8 per cent in the previous month.
• The growth in industrial output itself dropped to 1.7% in
January 2019 against a growth of 2.6% in December 2018.
In the corresponding month i.e. January 2018, it had grown
7.5%.
• The GDP growth rate in the first three quarters
(April-June 2018, July-September 2018 and October-Decem-
ber 2018) of the current financial year ending March 2019,
What does it mean? the Central Statistics Office estimates, was 8 per cent, 7 per
cent and 6.6 per cent, respectively. This clearly shows a
• It means that India’s economy grew a mere 3.01 per trend of sequential slowing down and these numbers
cent in dollar terms in 2018 against 15.72 per cent in corroborate the signals that have been visible on the ground.
2017.
• On the other hand, the UK’s economy grew 6.81 per Why is it slowing down?
cent against a contraction of 0.75 per cent in this
period. The French economy expanded by 7.33 per
• The demand for passenger vehicles slowed down during
cent against 4.85 per cent.
the second half (beginning September 2018) of this financial
year because of many reasons — high interest rates, higher
Signs to suggest that the Indian fuel prices and lack of credit. However, many in the industry
economy slowing down: say consumers have only postponed the decision to purchase
• Sales of Maruti Suzuki, the largest carmaker, and vehicles, suggesting that there is no permanent destruction
Tractor sales for Mahindra have declined in December of this demand.
2018. Two-wheeler sales too started crawling since • At a very broad level, demonetisation — a radical policy
December. decision — and introduction of Goods and Services Tax — a
structural reform — naturally had an adverse impact on the
economy.
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SEZ performance :
• Piyush Goyal told the House that the SEZs by the end of
March 2019
• Had generated 20 lakh jobs,
(Click on the above image to watch the video) • Brought investments worth Rs 5 lakh crore,
• Exports worth Rs 7 lakh crore.
Relevance
Salient features of Amendment :
GS 3 || Economy ||Industries ||Industrial Policy
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Way Ahead
• Offering a secure irrigation facility will intensify
competition for extraction of groundwater from the
aquifer.
• In such cases, farmers fill up their farm ponds first
when the canal is in rotation and then take it from the
pond to the field.
• This can obstruct the circulation of water.
• During canal rotation, the aquifer will get recharged
because of the return flow of water coming from the
irrigated fields.
• This return flow benefits all, as most of the farmers
access water though wells in this command.
• But if canals fill up the farm ponds first, it restricts
their benefits only to the pond owners and, in the long
term, reduces the overall return flow at the system
level.
Conclusion
Additional Info
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/transform-
ing-liveli-
hoods-through-farm-ponds/article28775209.ece
Mains Question
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(Click on the above image to watch the video) • Lack of adequate infrastructure
• Dearth of attractive vehicles - At the moment, the EV
options in India are limited to Hyundai Kona, Tata Tigor EV,
Relevance Mahindra eVerito and Mahindra e20 Plus).
• High cost of Electric Vehicles
GS3 || Economy || Infrastructure || Transportation • No charging infrastructure
• Lack of awareness
• Environment is almost never a factor in car purchasing.
Why in news ?
Background :
• An interest rate is the percentage of principal • No, the bank doesn’t pay the interest, instead they
charged by the lender for the use of its money. charge almost 0%.
• Banks pay you an interest rate on deposits. • It is a kind of psychological message by the central bank
• Banks charge borrowers a little higher interest rate to the citizens to spend and invest more in the economy
than they pay depositors so they can profit. rather than saving into the bank.
Relevance Background:
GS3 || Economy || Banking and Financial sector || RBI • RBI had constituted a panel on economic capital frame-
work. It was headed by Ex-RBI governor Bimal Jalan.
• The expert panel on RBI’s economic capital framework
Why in news ? was formed to address the issue of RBI reserves—one of the
sticking points between the central bank and the govern-
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the transfer ment.
of record Rs 1.76 lakh crore dividend and surplus
reserves to the government.
Details :
Why in news ?
Committees recommendation
on this issues :
GS 3 || Economy || Structure of the Indian Economy mines, and building and construction workers.
Relevance
Why in news ?
Solutions
The obsession with electric mobility makes it look as if it • Assure top-notch public transport in India’s top 24
is the only solution for India’s transportation problems. cities. A multi-modal grid of trains, buses, taxis, three-wheel-
ers and two-wheelers could achieve this.
• Incentivize the manufacture and purchase of public
What the government must
transport vehicles through lower GST and cheaper loans.
do instead
• Encourage greater use of public transport among
• Bringing down the fuel import bill citizens through redemption and loyalty programs.
• Bringing down air pollution • Get all organizations with more than 100 employees to
use bus fleets.
• Decongest the 60 top smart cities. They constitute
Reasons almost 90% of our vehicular population and thus vehicular
pollution. We need to focus on smoother traffic flow, better
parking management and pedestrian movement. Close to
• We still cannot ensure a 24×7 electricity supply to
12% of vehicular fuel is wasted on idling and traffic snarls.
hospitals. All our villages still do not have a reliable
• Expand the traffic police strength by four-five times in
electricity supply.
over-jammed cities.
• Close to 80% of the electricity generated is from
• Create and mandate dedicated parking spots for shared
coal and gas. Yet another 50,000MW of coal-fired
mobility services.
power plants are being set up under the National
• Create vast grids of pedestrian skywalks. Operate
Electricity Plan.
multi-level parking lots.
• More than 20% of all the electricity generated goes
• Each of these measures would show an immediate
into “transmission and distribution losses”.
impact on vehicle-caused pollution and the use of fossil
fuels.
Points
Mains Question
• Due to inadequate and irregular last-mile supply,
close to 15 million tonnes of diesel is used by local
Electric Vehicles need to travel a long road before they
generators to produce 80 billion KWh of electricity.
become mainstream mode of mobility in India. Discuss.
• Close to $2 billion worth of battery storage capacity
is imported every year.
• Most independent power plants operate at 12-15%
below their declared capacity as they over-invoice plant
costs.
• There will be immense pressure on the power grid
(Scan the QR code to watch video)
that is not yet fully reliable.
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Auto sector:
Relevance
GS3 || Economy || Banking and financial sectors ||
Banking reforms
Why in news?
Industry:
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Income Tax:
For NBFCs:
SECURITY
• The naming of these centres can be decided by the state
government concerned.
(Click on the above image to watch the video) • The move comes as an effort to address the concerns
over the lack of basic amenities at existing centres.
Relevance • The detention centres are meant to house the illegal
migrants/foreigners for longer periods.
GS3 || Internal security || Tackling security threats || • It restricts the movement of foreigners staying back
Major laws and policies illegally.
• It thereby ensures that they are physically available at
Why in news? all times for expeditious repatriation or deportation when
legally ordered.
• The Centre has asked all states and UTs to set up at • The powers to deport illegally staying foreign nationals
least one detention centre each with modern amenities have been entrusted under Article 258 (1) of the Constitu-
for illegal migrants/foreigners tion to state governments.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) came up with • The move raises some discomfiting questions about the
the ‘2019 Model Detention Manual’. government’s broader social agenda centred on citizenship.
• It has called for setting up of “one detention camp in • The move has some dangers that may come with any
the city or district where major immigration check post selective detention policy.
is located”. • Millions of Indians born before the mid-eighties do not
• It also said that all members of a family should be have birth certificates.
housed in the same detention centre. • They may have other documents such as a passport or
• The states do not need specific approvals from the an Aadhaar card or voter ID.
Union home ministry for setting up a detention or • But none of these can be considered incontrovertible
holding centre. proof of citizenship.
• Every detention centre shall have a cell which will • This leaves considerable discretion in the hands of the
provide help to the detainee foreigners. state police to harass people, and the detention centres
• These may include contacting the concerned would amplify that menace.
mission/embassy/consulate or their family through • The already rampant human rights violations at such
proper procedure. centres in Assam remain a cause for concern.
• A “skill centre” and “creche facilities for children” • It places in the hands of the state security apparatus
may be provided within the detention camp. unwarranted powers over the citizenry.
• The home ministry has directed that detention • It is also uncertain if the recommendations for humane
centres or camps be set up outside jail premises. conditions specified in the order would be followed in
• This comes after the observation that detention letter or spirit.
centres in most states were being run from prison.
• Nonetheless, the ministry has called for proper
security measures so that illegal immigrants do not
escape from the detention centres.
• A proper boundary wall with dense barbed wire
fencing above it should be erected.
(Scan the QR code to watch the video)
• The boundary wall should be minimum 10 feet high
with main gate, wicket gate and strict access control
measures.
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Relevance
GS3 || Security || Tackling security threats ||
Paramilitary forces
Why in news?
• Union Ministry of Railways launched CORAS • Greyhounds (police) - Greyhounds is a police special
(Commando for Railway Security) of Indian Railways. It forces unit operating in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh
is separate Commando Unit of Railway Protection and Telangana and belongs to the Andhra Pradesh and
Force (RPF). It has been carved out from motivated and Telangana Police departments. Greyhounds specialises in
willing young staff of Railway Protection Force (RPF) anti-insurgency operations against Naxalite and Maoist
and Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF). terrorists.
• Black Panther - Chhattisgarh would get a specialised
anti-Naxal combat force called "Black Panther" on the lines
of the Greyhound unit.
• Operation Green Hunt was the name used by the Indian
media to describe the "all-out offensive" by government of
India's paramilitary forces and the state's forces against the
Naxalites. The operation is believed to have begun in
November 2009 along five states in the "Red Corridor.
Relevance
• Pakistan refuses to adopt a "no-first-use" doctrine,
GS3 || Security || Tackling Security Threats || Nuclear indicating that it would launch nuclear weapons even if the
Weapons other side did not use such weapons first.
Why in news?
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
• Even in a rain-shadow region such as Coimbatore in TN,
the collapse of a railway parcel office after a downpour has
led to avoidable deaths.
• All these call for taking preparatory measures for the
rainy season.
the country, with threats of floods in some states. • Granting such permissions is a clear abdication of
• There has to be concerted measures by states to deal responsibility and violation of National Disaster Manage-
with the crippling cycles of drought and flood. ment Authority Guidelines to prevent urban flooding.
Mains Question
Relevance
Why in news?
Uses
Microdots Technology
How it works?
Relevance
GS3 || Science and Technology || Defence || Military
Technology
Why in news?
About QRSAM:
Relevance
Relevance
• Features: It is 144 metres long and 30 metres wide. It has
GS3 || Science and technology || Energy || Nuclear displacement capacity of 21,500 tonnes and can carry crew
energy of total 69 people. It has latest security systems and Russia
claims that it is one of safest nuclear installations in the
world.
Why in news ?
• Purpose : Nuclear agency Rosatom says the reactor is a
simpler alternative to building a conventional plant on
• Russia launched world’s first floating nuclear
ground that is frozen all year round, and it intends to sell
reactor called Akademik Lomonosov, sending it on epic
such reactors abroad.
journey across the Arctic.
Concerns :
• It was launched and loaded with nuclear fuel from • Environmentalists and critics have dubbed Akademik
Arctic port of Murmansk for its 5,000 kilometre voyage Lomonosov’s as ‘nuclear Titanic’ or ‘Chernobyl on ice’ citing
to Pevek in northeastern Siberia. to previous Russian and Soviet nuclear accidents (1986
• On arriving in Pevek, it will replace local nuclear Chernobyl disaster).
plant and closed coal plant. It will go in full operations by • They have warned that Akademik Lomonosov’s mission
end 2019 and it will mainly serve region’s oil platforms increases risk of polluting pristine Arctic – a remote,
in Arctic. One of its targets is also to power Chaun-Bilib- sparsely-populated region with no big clean-up facilities.
in mining complex in Chukotka region, which also
includes gold mine.
• It was constructed by Russian state nuclear power
firm Rosatom. It has been named after Russian Acade-
mician and scientist Mikhail Lomonosov.
• It follow examples of nuclear submarines, aircraft
carriers and icebreakers which have long used nuclear (Scan the QR code to watch video)
Relevance
Why in news ?
(Scan the QR code to watch video)
Details :
(Click on the above image to watch the video) • The Perseids currently visible in the night sky are not due
to the debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle during its
Relevance most recent pass, which happened in 1992.
• This particular comet goes around the Sun once in 133
GS 3 || Science & Technology || Space || Space Orbits years, and the meteors now visible were left behind by the
pass before the last one — or perhaps even earlier.
• Meteors are best seen on a cloudless night, when the (Scan the QR code to watch video)
entire sky is visible, and when the Moon is not extreme-
ly bright.
• Chances of a successful viewing are higher from
locations far away from the lights of cities. Pollution
and monsoon clouds make the Perseids difficult to
view from India.
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Relevance
Why in news ?
Details :
ENVIRONMENT
• It comes about 125 years after Norwegian explorer
Fridtjof Nansen first managed to seal his wooden expedition
ship, Fram, into the ice during a three-year expedition to the
North Pole.
• MOSAiC will contribute to a quantum leap in our
understanding of the coupled Arctic climate system and its
representation in global climate models.
• The focus of MOSAiC lies on direct in-situ observations
(Click on the above image to watch the video) of the climate processes that couple the atmosphere, ocean,
sea ice, bio-geochemistry and ecosystem.
Relevance
Why study Arctic climate?
GS3 || Environment || Climate change || Tackling
climate change
Why in news?
About IndARC :
STUDY IQ
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• Coastal sharks and rays visit the areas near the shore
during the breeding season but current disruption by fishing
and coastal development play a major role in the sharks'
sudden decline.
• Various studies have pointed fingers at improved and
modern fishing gear, use of trawlers and deep-sea fishing for
the loss.
Way Forward
(Click on the above image to watch the video)
• In 2013, The Ministry of Environment & Forests had
brought out a policy called “Fins Naturally Attached” to
Relevance
prevent finning of sharks. But this did not bring about a
major impact as there was still demand for whole sharks.
GS 3 || Environment || Biodiversity || Conservation
• Also, the Indian Wildlife Act of 1972 has proved inade-
Efforts
quate in protecting this species. Due to various efforts by
the Government, only the whale shark numbers have made a
Why in news?
revival.
• More laws need to be framed. The Government should
• Recently there has been a drop in the size of the
identify the nurseries and the congregation areas of sharks
sharks and their numbers. This has affected the fisheries
and protect these areas from harmful fishing techniques.
sector and traders.
Sharks do not lay hundreds of eggs like other fish, there are
• India is one of the world's largest shark fishing nations
usually just seven to eight eggs, or some species directly
and Maharashtra and Gujarat together contribute more
give birth. Considering this small number of young sharks,
than 50% of the harvest.
we should be extra careful in protecting them.
• A new study by researchers from India, Australia and
UAE has tried to identify the local drivers of this decline.
Mains Question
Are sharks facing extinction? What can be the way forward to protect the extinction of
sharks?
• A study done in 2014 by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had pointed out that a
quarter of all the sharks, rays and other cartilaginous
fish have a high risk of extinction.
• Another recent study published last year by
researchers from over 15 countries added that about
50% of chondrichthyan species (sharks, rays and other
cartilaginous fish) in the Arabian Sea were found to be
in the threatened category of the IUCN.
Consequences
Details about the report
• Food Insecurity: Water is key to food security as agricul-
• Twelve of the 17 were from the Middle East and ture requires large quantities of water for irrigation.
North Africa (MENA) region • Water Conflict and Migration: The loss of livelihood due
• The gap between supply and demand will likely to increasing water scarcity and variability could force those
widen due to climate change and drought-like affected to migrate.
situations, coupled with uncontrolled groundwater • Financial Instability: According to the World Bank,
extraction Increasing water scarcity could erode some nations’ gross
• A region is said to be under ‘water stress’ when the domestic product, triggering economic problems and a host
demand for water exceeds the available volume or of other issues.
when poor quality restricts the use
• ‘Extremely high’ levels of water stress means an
Way ahead
average 80% of the available water in a country is used
by irrigated agriculture, industries and municipalities
every year • The government must focus on more sustainable surface
water schemes
• Reusing wastewater could help countries overcome
Global Findings water stress and become water secure
• Using safely-treated wastewater has been included in
the water resources management plans of several Arab
• Baseline Water Stress (BWS): One-quarter of the countries
world’s population faces extremely high levels of • Oman treats 100% of its collected wastewater and
baseline water stress. reuses 78% of it.
• Rising Water Demand : Globally, water withdrawals
have more than doubled since the 1960s due to the
growing demand for water supply.
Mains Question
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/ex-
plained-new-ipcc-report-tells-you-how-land-use-impa
cts-climate-change-5888746/
Mains Question
Mains Question
• Project WASCAL (West Africa Science Service How is training rather than
Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land) is a migration?
regional climate change project.
• It is being sponsored by Germany, to combat • The trained climate experts can bring a wealth of
climate change in West Africa. knowledge and they are highly looked upon.
• Recently, the German Research Minister • The Research Minister also likes to boost vocational
pledged $27.6 million in additional support to this training in the field of climate protection in West Africa in
regional project. the future.
• The Minister also said that the practical side must come
directly from industry, so that the young people are able to
What data does the project connect.
collect? • These things would speed up development in Africa and
• The WASCAL database is the foundation on which pressure is not created for a new wave of migration.
our research can be based upon.
• It helps researchers find out, how high the tempera- What is the fundamental
ture was 5 years ago in a particular region. criticism?
• The intensity of solar radiation, the condition of the
ground and many other parameters can also be • The Germany’s federal government hasn’t understood
measured. the drastic nature of the climate crisis.
• Germany’s CO2 emissions are contributing to sub-Saha-
What conditions are becoming ran Africa’s drought and, the climate change to the slower
extreme? economic growth.
• They have to start cleaning up their own act and phase
• Only with the knowledge of exactly what climatic out coal.
conditions prevail, preparations can be made for • With that, Germany would really help the world in the
extreme weather conditions. fight against climate change.
• Among other things, WASCAL is working on more
precise rain forecasts for farmers.
• It is also working on to find out how much more Additional Info
water will be needed when the climate warms up by two
degrees. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/ex-
• With their relatively weak economies, African plained-how-west-africa-is-using-data-to-prevent-climate-c
countries hardly contribute to climate change. hange-5871397/
Mains Question
Way forward :
• The most recent was the fall armyworm that How is entry regulated?
destroyed almost the entire maize crop in the country
in 2018. • When an agricultural product arrives, customs officials
• India had to import maize in 2019 due to the check if it has a phytosanitary certificate or not.
damage caused by the pest in 2018. • This certificate, showing that the product is without any
pest or weed infestation, is issued by the government of the
exporting country.
• If the product is certified, it is cleared by Quarantine
system after a sample test.
Regulation on Entry
Regulation on Entry
Check on imports
• Import of agricultural products is governed by the
Destructive Insects and Pests Act, 1914.
• The country has, seaports and transborder railway
stations. 108 plant quarantine centres located at major
airports
• The check posts at these quarantine centres are
under the control of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes
and Customs (CBITC), which works in close coordina-
tion with DPPQS.
Way forward
Mains Question
Action by countries
(Click on the above image to watch the video) • In the recent past, several countries have passed laws to
limit the amount of microplastics in the environment.
Relevance • The US passed a law in 2015 to prohibit the manufacture
of rinse-off cosmetic products containing plastic microbe-
• Tiny particles of plastic, known as microplastics, • Drinking water: is one of the largest sources of plastic
have been found in the Arctic region and the Alps, ingestion(with plastic particles found in bottled, tap, surface
carried by the wind, according to a new study that was and groundwater).
widely reported this week. • Shellfish: account for as much as 0.5g a week.
• The study called for an urgent assessment of the risk • Inhalation represented a negligible proportion of
Mains Question
Additional Info
youtube.com/watch?v=ElPujs1EsSM
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/ex-
plained-what-are-microplastics-the-new-pollutant-you-
are-breathing-5913372/
Sand Mining
Way Forward
Mains Question
Benefits of LDN
Relevance
• As land is fixed in quantity, there is ever-increasing
GS 3 || Environment ||Governance: India ||Miscellaneous
competition to control land resources and capitalize on the
flows of goods and services from the land.
Why in news ? • LDN represents a paradigm shift in land management
policies and practices.
• Union Environment Ministry has committed to • It is a unique approach that counterbalances the expect-
rejuvenate 50 lakh hectares (5 million) of degraded land ed loss of productive land with the recovery of degraded
between 2021 and 2030. areas.
• A Centre for Excellence would be set up in Dehradun • This has the potential to cause social and political
for land degradation neutrality. instability, fueling poverty, conflict and migration.
Implementation
Land Degradation Neutrality • India for the first time will be hosting the 14th session of
the Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) from
September 2 to 13.
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https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-envi-
ronment/india-to-restore-50-lakh-hectares-of degrad-
ed-land-by-2030-prakash-javadekar/arti-
cle29269482.ece
Mains Question
GEOGRAPHY
• Between Vindya and Satpura ranges, Narmada extends
over an area of 98,796 km² .
• The basin covers large areas in the states of Madhya
Pradesh (86%), Gujarat (14%) and a comparatively smaller
area (2%) in Maharashtra.
• In the river course of 1,312 km, there are 41 tributaries,
out of which 22 are from the Satpuda range and the rest on
the right bank are from the Vindhya range.
Relevance
• Recently, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have • Madhya Pradesh has threatened to restrict the flow of
engaged in a tussle over the sharing of Narmada river water into the Sardar Sarovar Dam, located in Gujarat.
waters. • The Sardar Sarovar Project includes two powerhouses,
the River Bed Power House (RBPH; 1,200 MW) and the
Canal Head Power House (250 MW).
• Power is shared among Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra
and Gujarat in a 57:27:16 ratio.
• The RBPH has been shut since 2017, Gujarat has sought
that generation should not start until the water reaches the
full reservoir level (FRL).
• Gujarat’s view is that its share of 9 MAF (million-acre
feet) water in a normal monsoon year is insufficient to
generate power as drinking water and irrigation are
priorities.
• Gujarat has also argued that reaching the FRL is neces-
sary for testing whether the increased height of the dam can
withstand the thrust at that level.
• In light of this Narmada Control Authority has granted
the permission not to start generation at a powerhouse
until the dam fills to its full level.
• Madhya Pradesh is discontented by frequent power
outages and has refused to release the surplus share for
About Narmada river : power generation and to allow the dam to be tested at FRL.
Notes
PRELIMS BITS
Polity & Governance :
Meghalaya to have State Water Policy:
• The Meghalaya Cabinet has approved a draft water policy to address water usages, issues of conservation and
protection of water sources in the State.
• With this, Meghalaya will become the 1st state in India to ensure conservation of water and have its own State Water
Policy.
• The policy’s objective is to recognise water resources as a common pool resource, to provide hygienic water for drinking,
domestic needs, sanitation and livelihood development.
Reservation of Limboo and Tamang Communities:
Context: A proposal for reservation of seats for Limboo and Tamang communities in Sikkim Legislative Assembly is
under consideration of the Government of India.
• Article 371F(f) and Article 332 of the Constitution of India govern reservation of seats in the Legislative Assembly of
Sikkim and the issue of seat reservation for Limboo and Tamang communities is being considered under these provisions of
Constitution of India.
Economy :
Silk Samagra
Context:
• Tamil Nadu, which has been ranked among the leading silk producing States in the country, will receive about
Rs 6.22 crore under the Silk Samagra — an Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry (ISDSI).
About Silk Samagra:
• It is initiated by the Central Silk Board.
• The scheme comprises four major components viz. (i) Research & Development, Training, Transfer of Technology and
Information Technology Initiatives, (ii) Seed Organizations, (iii) Coordination and Market Development and (iv) Quality C
ertification Systems (QCS) / Export Brand Promotion and Technology Up-gradation.
• The main objective of the scheme is to maintain Breeders stock, Breed improvement through R&D Projects, Development of
mechanized practices, Technology translation through Sericulture Information Linkages and Knowledge System (SILKS) Portal,
Mobile Application for Stakeholders and for seed quality monitoring etc.
New Code on Wages
Context: The Code on Wages Bill, 2019 Introduced in Lok Sabha.
• The bill will amalgamate the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Bonus Act,
1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
Key highlights:
• Coverage: The Code will apply to all employees. The central government will make wage-related decisions for employments
such as railways, mines, and oil fields, among others. State governments will make decisions for all other employments.
• Wages include salary, allowance, or any other component expressed in monetary terms. This does not include bonus payable
to employees or any travelling allowance, among others.
Floor wage:
• According to the Code, the central government will fix a floor wage, taking into account living standards of workers. Further,
it may set different floor wages for different geographical areas. Before fixing the floor wage, the central government may
obtain the advice of the Central Advisory Board and may consult with state governments.
• The minimum wages decided by the central or state governments must be higher than the floor wage. In case the existing
minimum wages fixed by the central or state governments are higher than the floor wage, they cannot reduce the minimum
wages.
North East Venture Fund (NEVF)
About North East Venture Fund (NEVF):
• Set up by North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited (NEDFi) in association with Ministry of Development
of North Eastern Region (M-DoNER).
• It is the first dedicated venture capital fund for the North Eastern Region.
Objective: to contribute to the entrepreneurship development of the NER and achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns through
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long term capital appreciation by way of investments in privately negotiated equity/ equity related investments.
• The investment under this schemer ranges from Rs. 25 lakh to Rs.10 crore per venture, which is long term in nature with
investment horizon of 4-5 years.
Aadhaar Seva Kendra’ (ASKs):
Context:
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has operationalized 1st ‘Aadhaar Seva Kendra’ (ASKs) in Delhi and
Vijayawada.
• ASKs seek to provide more touch points to public for availing Aadhaar enrolment and updation services.
About UIDAI:
• Established as an attached office of the erstwhile Planning Commission, UIDAI is now a statutory authority under the
provisions of Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 under the aegis of
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
What are Core Investment Companies (CICs)?
Context:
• The Reserve Bank has constituted a working group that will review the regulatory and supervisory framework for core
investment companies.
• The six-member working group is to be headed by Tapan Ray, non-executive chairman, Central Bank of India and former
secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• The terms of reference of the working group include examination of the current regulatory framework for CICs in terms
of adequacy, efficacy and effectiveness of every component thereof and suggest changes therein.
What are Core Investment Companies (CICs)?
• CICs are non-banking financial companies with asset size of ₹100 crore and above which carry on the business of acquisi-
tion of shares and securities, subject to certain conditions.
• CICs, which are allowed to accept public funds, hold not less than 90% of their net assets in the form of investment in equity
shares, preference shares, bonds, debentures, debt or loans in group companies.
• A tiny but powerful section of elites that came to have control over cooperatives of sugar, banks, educational institutions,
factories and politics, called gadhivarcha (topmost strata) Maratha.
• The next section comprising owners of land, distribution agencies, transporters, contracting firms, and those controlling
secondary cooperative societies, is the wadyavarcha (well-off strata) Maratha.
• The rest of the population of Marathas comprising small farmers is the wadivarcha (lower strata) Maratha.
Kaushal Yuva Samwaad:
• Commemorating World Youth Skills Day on July 15, 2019 and celebrating 4th Anniversary of the Skill India Mission, the
Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has announced launch of “Kaushal Yuva Samwaad” (A Youth Dialogue).
• Kaushal Yuva Samwaad is aimed at creating an open dialogue with the youth across all skill training centres to hear their
views, ideas, opportunities and recommendations which could help the Ministry in scaling the existing programs and improve
overall efficiency of its projects.
Operation Milap:
• The operation Milap under which children are rescued was launched in December 2014.
• Under this project, the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Delhi Police develops information, rescues the traffic
ked or kidnapped person and arrests the kidnappers.
• The rescued children are counselled and also given requisite medical attention.
Jan Jagrukta Abhiyaan:
• It is a campaign to be launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Delhi to sensitize and mobilise the comm
unity on measures for prevention and control of Vector Borne Diseases (VBDs) like Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya.
NAM
Context:
• Ministerial meeting of Coordinating Bureau of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held recently in Caracas, capital of
Venezuela.
• Theme for 2019– Promotion and Consolidation of Peace through Respect for International Law.
• Issues raised by India at NAM Meet included- Climate change, Digital Technologies and Terrorism.
Suggestions by India:
• Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) needs to be re-examined and revise its methodology.
• The grouping needs to undertake a new journey.
About NAM:
• Founded in 1961 in Belgrade.
• It was created by the heads of Yugoslavia, India, Egypt, Ghana and Indonesia.
• The Non-Aligned Movement was formed during the Cold War as an organization of States that did not seek to formally
align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to remain independent or neutral.
• The movement represented the interests and priorities of developing countries. The Movement has its origin in the Asia
-Africa Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955
Strum Ataka:
• India has signed a deal with Russia for acquiring Strum Ataka anti-tank missile for its fleet of Mi-35 attack choppers of
Indian Air Force (IAF).
Garuda VI:
What is it?
• It is a bilateral air exercise between Indian Air Force and French air force. The latest edition is being held in France.
• It is aimed at enhancing interoperability level of French and Indian crews in air defence and ground attack missions.
Manghdechhu hydropower project:
• The Mangdechhu hydroelectric project is a 720MW run-of-river power plant built on the Mangdechhu River in Trongsa
Dzongkhag District of central Bhutan.
• Mangdechhu is one of the ten hydroelectric projects planned under the Royal Government of Bhutan’s initiative to generate
10,000MW hydropower by 2020 with support from the Indian Government.
World Food Programme
Context:
• Coffee Table Book commemorating 50 years of partnership with UNWFP towards food and nutrition security in India
has been launched.
• The book showcases key milestones achieved by the Government of India in its efforts to make the nation free from
hunger and malnutrition and WFP’s role in this endeavour.
About WFP:
• The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanit
arian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.
• The WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal in mind of eliminating the need for food
aid itself.
• It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its Executive Committee.
Port integrity campaign
Context:
• Maritime Anti-Corruption Network starts port integrity campaign in India.
What is it?
• The campaign, which aims to reduce and (in the long term) eliminate integrity issues and bottlenecks to trade during
operations in Indian ports, is a collective action of MACN, the Government of India, international organizations, and local
industry stakeholders.
• The main activities of the campaign include implementation of integrity training for port officials and the establishment
of clear escalation and reporting processes.
About MACN:
• Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) is a global business network of over 110 companies working to tackle c
orruption in the maritime industry.
• Established in 2011 by a small group of committed maritime companies.
Operation Thirst:
What is it?
• It is an all- India drive launched by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to curb menace of selling unauthorised packaged
drinking water in railway stations.
Red Corner notices:
Context:
• Based on Red Corner notices, 27 accused persons extradited to India till 1st April 2019.
What is it?
• Red Notice is issued by Interpol and is meant to facilitate quick location and arrest of a person abroad and providing the
information to the national agency / authority on whose request the Notice was issued. The Red Notice is not a pre-requisite
for and may not necessarily lead to the extradition of a fugitive offender for which there is a separate legal process to be
followed.
Nag- Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM):
Context:
• Indian Army has successfully conducted summer user trials of NAG, 3rd Generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM).
Key facts:
• The NAG missile is a third-generation anti-tank guided missile, which has top attack capabilities that can effectively
engage and destroy all known enemy tanks during day and night.
• It uses an imaging infrared seeker in lock-on-before-launch mode.
• It is launched from NAG missile carrier (NAMICA) which is capable of carrying up to 6 combat missiles.
• Range: Minimum-500 metres and Maximum- 4 kilometres.
• Developed by DRDO.
• The male gharial has a distinctive boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot.
• Habitat— foremost flowing rivers with high sand banks that they use for basking and building nests.
• Gharials once inhabited all the major river systems of the Indian Subcontinent, from the Irrawaddy River in the east to
the Indus River in the west. Their distribution is now limited to only 2% of their former range
Coral Rehab Programme
Why in News?
• The National Centre for Coastal Research’s (NCCR) proposal of dropping ‘melted plastic rocks or slabs’ on the seabed for
growing coral reefs and address the problem of disposal of plastic waste has drawn criticism from the Gulf of Mannar (GoM)
Marine National Park, which has been implementing coral rehabilitation programme since 2002.
About the Coral Rehabilitation Programme:
• The GoM Marine National Park has been implementing the corral rehabilitation programme since 2002.
• It has so far covered eight sq km areas in GoM region, where coral reefs suffered bleaching and degradation due to climate
change and high temperature.
• The program employs ‘concrete frame slabs’ method.
• Corals would start growing in 60 days using the concrete frames as sub-state. The acropora coral species grow by 10 to
12 cm per year on these slabs.
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MISC:
JATAN
• Human Centres Design and Computing Group has developed JATAN: Virtual Museum software which is used for creating
the digital collections in various museums and digital archival tools that are used in background for managing the National
Portal and Digital Repository for Indian Museums.
Jagannath Rath Yatra:
• Popularly known as the ‘Festival of Chariots’, Rath Yatra festival in honour of Puri’s Lord Jagannath is grand celebration.
• The festival is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, his sister Goddess Subhadra and elder brother Balabhadra.
• All the three deities of the temple – Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra – travel in three different chariots during this
festival. The chariots are called Nandighosha, Taladhwaja, and Devadalana respectively.
Kerala Champions Boat League:
• The Champions Boat League (CBL) has been conceived by tourism officials in Kerala on the model of the Indian Premier
League (IPL) to transform the state’s legendary and historically-significant ‘vallamkali’ (snake boat races) into a world-class
sporting event.
• The snake boat, or ‘chundam vallam’ is essentially a long canoe that can seat up to 100 rowers and can have a length
between 100 and 138 feet in length. While the front portion of the boat tapers with a pointy end, the rear end can rise up to
a height of 20 feet — the entire wooden structure resembling a snake with its raised hood, hence the name.
Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Awards:
• SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions) celebrates the creativity and
innovation of young technological students by recognising their outstanding projects with Gandhian Young Technological
Innovation (GYTI) Awards.
• These Awards celebrate the spirit of student innovation in all the fields of engineering, science, technology and design
through extremely affordable/frugal solution or the ones pushing the technological edge.
National Translation Mission (NTM):
• It is a scheme launched in 2008 which is being implemented through the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL),
Mysore.
• Objective: to establish translation as an industry in general and to facilitate higher education by making knowledge
texts accessible to students and academics in Indian languages.
• Under the scheme, the books of knowledge texts mostly text books of various subjects prescribed in Universities and
Colleges are being translated in all Languages of the 8thSchedule of the Constitution of India.
Group ‘A’ Status to Indian Railway Protection Force (RPF) Service:
Context:
• Cabinet approves Grant of Organized Group ‘A’ Status to Indian Railway Protection Force (RPF) Service and and conseq-
uential benefits of Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU).
Impact:
• This will end stagnation, improve career progression of the officers and keep up their motivational level. Eligible officers
of RPF will get benefitted.
Kharchi Puja
• The annual “Kharchi Puja” and festival is meant to cleanse the sins of mortal souls.
• Originally a Hindu tribals’ festivity, it is now observed by all communities and religions.
• The festival features 14 deities – Shiva, Durga, Vishnu, Laxmi, Saraswati, Kartik, Ganesha, Brahma, Abadhi (God of water),
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NOTES
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PRELIMS CAPSULE
1) HeliNa & NAMICA, in defence sector are related to
(A) Aircraft Carrier
(B) Submarine
(C) Guided bombs
(D Anti Tank missile
2) Albendazole is a
(A) Antibiotic
(B) Antiviral Medicine
(C) A Magnetic layer around Some planets
(D) None
7) The Economic Survey mentioned Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), What is means
(A) A farming by private players with funding from their own resources
(B)A farming model of totally organic farming by food processing industries
(C) A farming without any budget by forest dwellers
(D)None
9) The International Police Expo 2019 on theme ‘Challenges to strengthen peace and security’ was organized in
(A) China
(B) India
(C) Germany
(D) Japan
10) 1. The share of Public Sector Steel Companies in total crude steel production in the country is about 80%.
2. There are two steel manufacturing Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the administrative control of Ministry of
Steel namely Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
12) 1. Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019 amends the Airports Economic Regulatory
Authority of India Act, 2008.
2. The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amend)Act, 2019 proposes to establish the Airports Economic
Regulatory Authority of India (AERA).
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) none
15) Colistin is a
(A) Cell membrane chemical
(B) A vaccine for Ebola
(C) An antibiotic
(D) Drug for cancer
16) 1. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is a CSIR lab
2. It is located in Bengaluru
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
17) 1. Often dubbed as the “Road to Peace” – will connect Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba
Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district.
2. The construction of the corridor will allow visa-free access to pilgrims from India.
3. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the banks of the beas river
Choose correct
(A) 1 & 2
(B) 2 & 3
(C) All
(D) None
22) 1. Commercial paper (CP) is a short-term debt instrument issued by RBI to companies.
2. It is generally to raise funds for a time period up to one year.
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B)Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
23) 1. Article 157 and Article 158 of the Constitution of India specify eligibility requirements for the post of governor.
2. A governor has more discretionary powers than the president of India 3. Governor is appointed by Govt of India
Choose correct
(A) 1 & 2
(B) 2 & 3
(C) 1 & 3
(D) All
24) 1. In March 2017, Parliament passed the Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017, enhancing paid maternity leave from
a period of 26 weeks to 52 weeks
2. It also makes it mandatory for every organization with 10 or more employees to have a crèche.
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D)None
27) 1. Blue Flag certification is given to beaches by France based World beach international
2. Its based on 33 criterias which must be maintained otherwise flag certification can be taken back
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
Choose correct
(A) 1 & 2
(B) 2 & 3
(C) All
(D) None
30) 1. Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world, located in Indonesian island
2. It’s a dormant volcano
3. Mauna Kea’s summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation
Choose correct
(A) 1 & 2
(B)2 & 3
(C) 1 & 3
(D) All
33) 1. In March 2017, Parliament passed the Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017, enhancing paid maternity leave from
a period of 26 weeks to 52 weeks
2. It also makes it mandatory for every organization with 10 or more employees to have a crèche.
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D)None
37) 1. Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd (KRAS) is 1st private missile production facility in India.
2. It will build Barak-8 Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAM) of America for IAF.
Choose correct
1. Only 1
2. Only 2
3. Both
4. None
39) 1. Anshula Kant, Managing Director of State Bank of India (SBI) has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief
Financial Officer (CFO) of World Bank.
2. She will be the 1st woman CFO of World Bank.
Choose correct
1. Only 1
2. Only 2
3. Both
4. None
41) 1. Chandrayaan-1 failed In its rover’s landing but Chandrayaan-2 will have a soft landing on the moon’s surface
2. According to ISRO, there is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around south pole.
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
42) 1. Merchant Discount Rate is charged by shopkeepers or business owners on customers during digital payment
2. MDR is recently made zero for companies with over Rs 50 cr turnover accepting payments digitally
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
45) 1. A nominated MP has introduced a private member’s BillPopulation Regulation Bill, 2019- in the Rajya Sabha
2. There is a provision of 10 years imprisonment for couples giving birth to more than 2 kids
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
46) 1. Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) is a scheme for promotion of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in the
age group of 12-19 year in rural areas
2. It comes under Ministry of WCD.
3. MHS is a part of Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, which is to ensure holistic development of adolescent population.
Choose correct
(A) 1 & 2
(B) 2 & 3
(C) 1 & 3
(D) Only 3
48) 1. According to the Section 9 of the Foreigners Act 1946, the complainant now has to prove he or she is an Indian.
2. After detention they can appeal only in supreme court
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
50) 1. Dutee Chand, the Indian sprinter won gold medal in women’s 200m in World Universiade, 30th Summer University
Games held in Naples, Italy.
2. She hails from Kerala
Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
NOTES
SOLUTIONS
1) Solution: (D)
NAG missile
• Indian Army has successfully carried out trials of third Generation NAG Missile.
• It is a fire-and-forget, Anti-tank guided missile developed by DRDO.
• It is designed to destroy tanks and other heavily armoured targets.
2) Solution: (D)
• Albendazole, also known as albendazolum, is a medication used for the treatment of a variety of parasitic worm infestations.
It is useful for giardiasis, trichuriasis, filariasis, neurocysticercosis, hydatid disease, pinworm disease, and ascariasis, among
others.
• It is taken by mouth.
Source: Study IQ daily current Affairs
3) Solution: (B)
Solar Charkha Mission
• It is the employment generating venture of Ministry of MSME to train rural people in weaving.
• The looms and spindles will be completely powered by Solar energy.
• It is being implemented by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
4) Solution: (C)
• It is a programme for restoring all the minor irrigation tanks and lakes in Telangana State, India. The programme helps in
rejuvenating 46,531 tanks and lakes, storing 265 TMC water across the state in five years.
• This is the first program to be taken up by the Government of Telangana after coming into power in June 2014.
• The tanks and lakes are dug to remove silt for increasing water storage capacity. The household agricultural income has also
increased 78.50% in the tank ayacut area
5) Solution: (D)
As a part of its ease of doing business initiative, the government will be subsuming a total of 44 labour laws into four
codes — on wages, social security, industrial safety and welfare and industrial relations. The Four codes of Labour laws are:
1. Code on Wages Bill
2. Code of Occupational, Safety, Health and Working Conditions Bill, 2019
3. Code on Industrial Relations
4. Code on Social Security
6) Solution: (D)
• Neither ‘crimes against humanity’ nor ‘genocide’ has been made part of India’s criminal law, a lacuna that needs to be
addressed urgently.
• This was the lament of Justice S. Muralidhar of the Delhi High Court, while pronouncing the judgment in State v. Sajjan
Kumar (2018).
• The case concerned the mass killing of Sikhs during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 in Delhi and throughout the country.
• The court categorically stated that these kind of mass crimes “engineered by political actors with the assistance of the
law enforcement agencies” fit into the category of crimes against humanity (CAH).
7) Solution: (D)
• Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a set of farming methods, and also a grassroots peasant movement, which has spread
to various states in India.
• It has attained wide success in southern India, especially the southern Indian state of Karnataka where it first evolved.
The movement in Karnataka state was born out of collaboration between Mr Subhash Palekar, who put together the ZBNF
practices, and the state farmers association Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS).
8) Solution: (D)
• The 2019 Hand-in-Hand exercise will be 8th edition of India and China military drill that was resumed in 2018 following a
freeze over Doklam stand-off.
• The 2018 exercise, which was 7th edition, was held in Chengdu in December 2018.
• In Umroi, Meghalaya the India and China military exercise will be at company level, it means that around 100-120 infantry
troops from both sides will be participating.
9) Solution: (B)
At the Expo, more than 25 countries are showcasing combat/armoured vehicles, advanced firearms and a plethora of
disruptive technologies in cyber security, homeland security, drones and safety and rescue. Over 100 leading manufacturers
and technology players from Israel, Singapore, China, South Korea, Taiwan, UK, US, Malaysia, Germany, Australia, Poland and
other nations are displaying best and advanced technologies.
12)Solution: (A)
• Rajya Sabha recently passed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
• The Bill amends the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008.
Background:
• The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008 established the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of
India (AERA).
• Functions: AERA regulates tariffs and other charges for aeronautical services provided at civilian airports with annual traffic
above 15 lakh passengers. It also monitors the performance standard of services across these airports.
23)Solution: (A)
• Qualifications for appointment as Governor No person shall be eligible for appointment as Governor unless he is a citizen
of India and has completed the age of thirty five years
• Article 158 in The Constitution Of India 1949
• 158. Conditions of Governor office(1) The Governor shall not be a member of either House of Parliament or of a House of
the Legislature of any State specified in the First Schedule, and if a member of either House of Parliament or of a House of the
Legislature of any such State be appointed Governor, he shall be deemed to have vacated his seat in that House on the date
on which he enters upon his office as Governo
• The Astronomy Precinct was established in 1967 and is located on land protected by the Historical Preservation Act for its
significance to Hawaiian culture.
34) Solution: (D
Source: Study IQ daily current Affairs
37)Solution: (A)
Source: Study IQ daily current Affairs
38)Solution: (D)
• On 12 July 2019, West Bengal government observed Save Water Day across the state to spread the message of water
conservation. This is the 1st time the day was observed. From now onwards it will be observed in state each year to create
awareness among people to check misuse of water.
• The Jal Dharo Jal Bharo Abhiyan was launched in 2011 with the objective of conserving precious water resources through
all kinds of water bodies, viz. tanks, ponds, reservoirs, canals, etc., and through artificial recharging of underground water via
rooftop rainwater harvesting. These conservation measures, in turn, provide wage security for rural people through
labourintensive jobs.
40)Solution: (C)
• Global MPI 2019 Report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and
Human Development Initiative.
• In the 101 countries assessed– 31 low income, 68 middle income and 2 high income –about 1.3 billion people are
“multi-dimensionally poor“.
• The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)was developed in 2010 by the Oxford Poverty & Human Development
Initiative and the United Nations Development Programme, and uses different factors to determine poverty beyond income-
based lists. It replaced the previous Human Poverty Index. The global MPI is released annually by OPHI and the results
published on its website
44)Solution: (D)
• “LaQshya” (Labour room Quality improvement Initiative) is to improve quality of care in labour room and maternity
operation theatres in public health facilities.
• It’s under the ‘Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’.
• It aims to give qualitative care to the pregnant mother in the Labour Room to minimize the risks associated with childbirth
45)Solution: (A)
• A nominated MP has introduced a private member’s Bill- Population Regulation Bill, 2019- in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to
enforce a two-child norm by giving incentives for those adopting the small family practice and penalties for those contravening
it.
• Highlights of the Bill:
• It suggests that people with more than two living children should be “disqualified” from being chosen as an MP, MLA or a
member of any body of the local self government after the commencement of the Act.
• Similarly, it suggests that government employees should give an undertaking that she or he will not procreate more than
two children.
• It says those government employees who have more than two children on or before the commencement of the Act should
be exempted.
• Other penalties include reduction in subsidies on loans and interest rates on savings instruments, reduction in benefits
under the public distribution system, and higher than normal interest rates for availing loans from banks and financial
institutions.
• The provisions of the Bill also list out several benefits for Central and public sector enterprise employees who adopt the
two-child norm “by undergoing sterilization operation himself or of the spouse”.
NOTES
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