CURRENT AFFAIRS

DECEMBER 1-30

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 INDEX

NO. NAME OF THE TOPIC PAGE

NO.

IMPORTANT FACTS FROM NEWS PAPERS

GENERAL STUDIES –FIRST PAPER
HISTORY AND CULTURE
1. GWALIOR, ORCHHA IN UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CITIES LIST
2. HORNBILL FESTIVEL-NAGALAND
3. INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION –DIET PATTERN
PLACES IN NEWS
4 BHASHAN CHAR
5. MOUNT ILI LEWOTOLOK
INDIAN GEOGRAPHY
6 DIGITAL OCEAN
7 COASTAL RADAR NETWORK
INDIAN SOCIETY
8 THARU TRIBES
9 INDIA WORKPLACE EQUALITY INDEX
10 SENTINELESE TRIBE-PVTG
11 GLOBAL WAGES REPORT
GENERAL STUDIES –SECOND PAPER
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
12 ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED POSTAL BALLOT SYSTEM
(ETPBS)
13 INNER LINE PERMIT(ILP)
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
14 RED CHANNEL AGREEMENT
15 BETTER THAN CASH ALLIANCE
16 CHABAHAR-ZAHEDAN RAIL LINE PROJECT
17 THE ATHENA SWAN CHARTER
GENERAL STUDIES –THIRD PAPER
INDIAN ECONOMY
18 PRIME MINISTER WI-FI ACCESS NETWORK INTERFACE (PM-
WANI)
19 LUHRI STAGE-I HYDRO ELECTRIC PROJECT
20 WORLD LARGEST HYBRID ENERGY PARK IN KUTCH, GUJARAT
21 CURRENCY MANIPULATOR
22 MULTI-MODAL LOGISTIC PARK AT JOGIGHOPA
23 WORLD TRADE REPORT (WTR) 2020 REPORT
AGRICULTURE

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24 APEDA FORMULATING STRATEGY TO PROMOTE EXPORT OF
MILLETS
25 GREEN CHARCOAL HACKATHON
ENVIRONMENT
26 PERFECT HABITAT FOR THE REINTRODUCTION OF CHEETAH
IN INDIA
27 MYRISTICA SWAMP TREE FROG
28 THE CLIMATE AMBITION SUMMIT 2020
29 CLIMATE CHANGE PERFORMANCE INDEX 2020
30 MALAYAN GIANT SQUIRREL (RATUFA BICOLOR)
31. PILIBHIT TIGER RESERVE (PTR)
32. TX2 CONSERVATION EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR 2020
33 CLIMATE EMERGENCY
34 INDO GANGETIC PLAIN (IGP)- GLOBAL HOTSPOT OF
ATMOSPHERIC AMMONIA (NH3)
35 THE APEX COMMITTEE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PARIS
AGREEMENT (AIPA)
36 PEACOCK SOFT-SHELLED TURTLE
37 HIMALAYAN SEROW
38 TSOKAR WETLAND
39 TROPICAL MONTANE GRASSLANDS (TMG)
40 STATUS OF LEOPARDS IN INDIA 2018’ REPORT
41 FIREFLY BIRD DIVERTER- GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD (GIB)
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
42 QUANTUM SUPREMACY-CHINA
43 ARTIFICIAL SUN-CHINA
44 WORLD MALARIA REPORT-WHO
45 PNEUMOSIL
46 DIGIBOXX
47 COMMUNICATION SATELLITE CMS-01
48 SHIGELLA INFECTION
DEFENCE AND INTERNAL SECURITY
49 S-400 AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM
IMPORTANT FACTS FROM RAJASABHA TV
50 SILVER ECONOMY
51 GREEN BUILDINGS
52 GAOFEN-14
53 E 2O FUEL
54 SAGUNA RICE TECHNIQUE (SRT)
55 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX 2020
KURUKSHETRA
56 DIGITAL INDIA
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57 ELECTRONIC VACCINE INTELLIGENCE NETWORK(E-VIN)
58 PRECISION FARMING
YOJANA
59 UNIQUE ID FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES PROJECT
60 SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2020
IMPORTANT FACTS FROM PIB ANDALL INDIA RADIO
61 INDO-NEPAL LINK CANAL
62 DRAFT OF INDIAN PORTS BILL 2020
63 EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL FOR TECHNICAL TEXTILES
64 DAMARU
65 DAK PAY
66 INDIGENOUS SPORTS IN KHELO INDIA
67 ANAEMIA MUKT BHARAT INDEX
68 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION’S NEW SCHOOL BAG POLICY
69 SWACHHATA ABHIYAN
70 CO-WIN
71 PRODUCTION-LINKED INCENTIVE (PLI) SCHEME
IMPORTANT FACTS FROM DOWN TO EARTH AND
MONGABAY INDIA
72 INDIA’S FIRST POLLINATOR PARK
73 INDIAN GOVERNMENT PLANS A GREEN CITY IN EVERY STATE
74 THE ‘STATE OF THE EDUCATION REPORT FOR INDIA 2020
75 PROJECT LION
FACTS AND EXAMPLES FOR MAINS

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 IMPORTANT FACTS FROM NEWS PAPERS

GENERAL STUDIES –FIRST PAPER

HISTORY AND CULTURE

1. GWALIOR, ORCHHA IN UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CITIES

LIST
The historical fort cities of Gwalior and Orchha in Madhya Pradesh
have been included in the list of UNESCOs world heritage cities
under its urban landscape city programme, according to the state
government.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), an agency of the United Nations, aims at promoting world
peace and security through international cooperation in education, the
sciences, and culture.

Gwalior

Gwalior was established in 9th century and ruled by Gurjar Pratihar

Rajvansh, Tomar, Baghel Kachvaho and Scindias.
The memorabilia left by them is found in abundance in memorials, forts
and palaces in the area.

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 Gwalior is known for its palaces and temples, including the intricately
carved Sas Bahu Ka Mandir temple.
The Gwalior Fort occupies a sandstone plateau overlooking the city and
is accessed via a winding road lined with sacred Jain statues.
Within the forts high walls is the 15th-century Gujari Mahal Palace, now
an archaeological museum.

Orchha

Orchha is is popular for its temples and palaces and was the capital of the
Bundela kingdom in the 16th century.
The famous spots in the town are Raj Mahal, Jehangir Mahal, Ramraja
Temple, Rai Praveen Mahal, and Laxminarayan Mandir.
After inclusion in the World Heritage City list, chemical treatment of
historic spots like Mansingh Palace, Gujri Mahal and Sahastrabahu
Temple will be done so that art inscribed on them will become more
visible.
UNESCO will suggest best measures and resources for the development
of these places.

SOURCE

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/gwalior-orchha-in-
unesco-world-heritage-cities-list-mp-govt/article33269733.ece

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 2. NAGALAND SET TO CELEBRATE POPULAR HORNBILL
FESTIVAL VIRTUALLY THIS YEAR
Hornbill Festival is conducted every year in Nagaland.
It is named after the Indian hornbill; it takes place every year from the 1st
to the 10th of December.
The various tribes that live in Nagaland get the opportunity to interact
with each other and display their rich cultural heritage.
Sixteen tribal communities come together to celebrate their traditions
with colourful dance performances.
The festival is considered the “Festival of Festivals” in Nagaland.

SOURCE:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/travel-news/hornbill-festival-2020-
nagaland-to-host-the-festival-virtually/as78868468.cms

3. INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION HAD MEAT-HEAVY DIETS,

PREFERENCE FOR BEEF, REVEALS STUDY

The people of the Indus Valley Civilisation in northwest India had a

predominantly meat-heavy diet, comprising animals like pigs, cattle,

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 buffalo and sheep, along with dairy products, a study published in Journal
of Archaeological Science has shown.
This study is a systematic investigation into pot lipid residues from
multiple sites, demonstrating the potential of the method for examining
ancient Indus food ways and the need for the development of further
research in ancient organic residues in South Asia.
Despite low lipid concentrations, which highlight challenges with
conducting residue analysis in arid, seasonally-wet and alkaline
environments, 71% of the vessels yielded appreciable quantities of lipid.
Lipid profiles revealed the use of animal fats in vessels, and
contradictory to faunal evidence, a dominance of non-ruminant fats,
with limited evidence of dairy processing.
Lipids are relatively less prone to degradation and have been discovered
in pottery from archaeological contexts around the world.
The research offers insights into the food patterns of ancient South Asia
by using lipid residue analysis to investigate what kinds of food items
were used in ceramic vessels by people of the Indus Valley Civilisation
settlements in northwest India, the present-day states of Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/study-of-lipid-residue-reveals-cattle-
buffalo-meat-in-indus-valley-vessels/article33292289.ece

PLACES IN NEWS

4. BHASHAN CHAR
Bangladesh starts relocation of Rohingyas to the newly developed facility
at Bhashan Char Island
Bhasan Char, also known as Char Piya, is an island in Hatiya Upazila,
Bangladesh. It is located in the Bay of Bengal, about 6 kilometres from
Sandwip island and 37 miles from the mainland.
Bhashan char is a char land of around 13,000 acres, formed by the
accumulation of the silt where the river Meghna meets the Bay of Bengal
carrying rich alluvial deposits.

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 Char- lands are a common feature in Meghna and Padma rivers literally
mean “Shifting Landmass”.
As the name reveals, the char was not part of the permanent land feature
of Bangladesh, but appeared recently.
Bhashan Char is surrounded by a mangrove forest that has given it
geographical stability.
Bhashan char is an uninhabited island where the government of
Bangladesh has made shelter houses for one lakh Rohingya refugees at an
estimated cost of Tk. 2,300 Crore.
The environmentalists say that the Bhashan char falls in an ecologically
fragile area prone to floods, erosion and cyclones.

SOURCE:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2020/dec/29/bangladesh-navy-ships-
take-1700-rohingya-refugees-fromchittagong-to-isolated-island-2242670.html

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 5. MOUNT ILI LEWOTOLOK
It is a volcanic mountain of Indonesia, located on lembatia island,
that has been erupting frequently since 2017.
They are among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia,
which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the
Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines around the
Pacific Ocean.
The 5,423-meter (17,790-foot) mountain is one of the three
currently erupting in Indonesia along with Merapi on Java Island
and Sinabung on Sumatra Island.

SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/volcano-in-eastern-indonesia-erupts-
thousands-evacuated-7073745/

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INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

6. INCOIS LAUNCHES WEB BASED DIGITAL OCEAN APP FOR

INFORMATION SHARING
INCOIS, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences
(MoES), has launched a web based application Digital Ocean to share
information on marine data and forecast services.
Digital Ocean is a first of its kind digital platform for Ocean Data
Management.
The Digital Ocean platform (www.do.incois.gov.in) includes a set of
applications developed to organise and present heterogeneous
oceanographic data by adopting rapid advancements in geospatial
technology.
The platform will serve as a one stop-solution for all the data related
needs of a wide range of users including research institutions, operational
agencies, strategic users, academic community, maritime industry, policy
makers and the public.
It will play a central role in sustainable management of our oceans and
expanding our “Blue Economy” initiatives.
It is a first of its kind platform for ocean data management and
contributes to the Digital India programme and is expected to bring a sea
change in how the oceanographic data is served for a better understanding
of the oceans.
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information provides ocean
information and advisory services to various stakeholders including data
based on oceanographic research, advisory services such as fishing zone
advisories, ocean state forecast, high wave alerts, tsunami early warnings,
storm surge and oil-spill.
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an
autonomous organization of the Government of India, under the Ministry
of Earth Sciences, located in Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad.
ESSO-INCOIS was established as an autonomous body in 2007 under the
Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System
Science Organization (ESSO).
ESSO- INCOIS is mandated to provide the best possible ocean
information and advisory services to society, industry, government
agencies and the scientific community through sustained ocean

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 observations and constant improvements through systematic and
focussed research.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/incois-launches-web-based-digital-
ocean-app-for-information-sharing/article33446802.ece

7. COASTAL RADAR NETWORK

As part of India’s efforts to further expand the coastal radar chain
network meant to enable real-time monitoring of the high seas for
threats.
Efforts are in advanced stages to set up coastal radar stations in the
Indian Ocean littoral states of Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka have already been integrated into the
country’s coastal radar chain network. Similar plans are in the pipeline
with Maldives and Myanmar and discussions are ongoing with
Bangladesh and Thailand.
Under Phase-I of the coastal radar chain network, 46 coastal radar
stations have been set up across the country’s coastline.
Under Phase-II of the project, which is currently under way, 38 static
radar stations and four mobile radar stations are being set up by the Coast
Guard and are in advanced stage of completion.
The Indian Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre
(IMAC) located in Gurugram, which was set up after the 26/11
Mumbai terror attacks, is the nodal agency for maritime data fusion.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-looks-at-integrating-more-
countries-into-coastal-radar-network/article33379243.ece

INDIAN SOCIETY

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 8. THARU TRIBES
The Uttar Pradesh government has recently embarked upon a
scheme to take the unique culture of its ethnic Tharu tribe across the
world.
The government's intention is to put Tharu villages on the tourism
map, and to create jobs and bring economic independence for the
tribal population.
The community of Tharu people belongs to the Terai lowlands, amid the
Shivaliks or lower Himalayas. Most of them are forest dwellers, and
some practice agriculture.
The word tharu is believed to be derived from sthavir, meaning followers
of Theravada Buddhism. Tharus worship Lord Shiva as Mahadev, and
call their supreme being “Narayan”, who they believe is the provider of
sunshine, rain, and harvests.
The Tharus live in both India and Nepal. In the Indian terai, they live
mostly in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
Members of the tribe survive on wheat, corn and vegetables grown close
to their homes. A majority still lives off the forest.
They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language of the Indo-Aryan
subgroup, and variants of Hindi, Urdu, and Awadhi. In central Nepal,
they speak a variant of Bhojpuri, while in eastern Nepal; they speak a
variant of Maithili.
Tharu women have stronger property rights than is allowed to women in
mainstream North Indian Hindu custom.
Most Tharu tribals consume alcoholic beverages, and some eat beef.

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 SOURCE:
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-are-the-tharu-
tribals-of-the-up-terai-7095740/

9. INDIA WORKPLACE EQUALITY INDEX’ (IWEI)

The ‘India Workplace Equality Index’ (IWEI), touted as the

country’s first comprehensive benchmarking tool for employers to
measure their progress on LGBT+ inclusion at the workplace, was
launched.

Hotelier-activist Keshav Suri through his non-profit Keshav Suri

Foundation, partnered with Pride Circle, Stonewall UK and FICCI, to
bring the IWEI to India Inc.

Its first report announced winners from among 65 companies which

shared data on their diversity and inclusion practices. 21 firms won under
the gold category, while 18 were placed under silver and 13 got bronze.

The index measures nine areas: policies and benefits, employee lifecycle,
employee network group, allies and role models, senior leadership,
monitoring, procurement, community engagement and additional work.

SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indias-1st-lgbt-workplace-equality-
index-launched-7100163/

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 10.THE SENTINELESE TRIBE
The anthropological survey of India (AnSI) has said that any exploitation
of the north sentinel island of the Andaman’s for commercial and
strategic gain would spell the death knell for its occupants
The sentinelese, a most secluded, particularly vulnerable tribal group
(PVTG) who reside in complete isolation on the island.
In a policy document, which comes almost two years after American
national John Allen Chau was allegedly killed by the Sentinelese on the
island, the AnSI says the “right of the people to the island is non-
negotiable”.
The Sentinelese, with a population of about 50 to 100 on the North
Sentinel Island, are among the most isolated of nearly 70 PVTGs across
the country,
They are also among the five in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which
include the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa, and the Shompens.
This is the first detailed policy draft for the Sentinelese Island, prepared
at the request of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.

PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TRIBAL GROUPS (PVTGS)

Particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) are the marginalized

section of the Scheduled tribes of India.
PVTG is not a Constitutional category, nor are these constitutionally
recognized communities.
It is a government of India classification created with the purpose of
enabling improvement in the conditions of certain communities with
particularly low development
A separate category of PVTGs was constituted based on the
recommendations of the Dhebar Commission in 1975.
PVTGs are identified by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs based on
the recommendations from the state governments or Union territories.
The highest numbers of PVTGs are found in Odisha.
Criteria for identifying PVTGs
1. A pre-agriculture level of technology
2. A stagnant or declining population;
3. Extremely low literacy;
4. A subsistence level of the economy.
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 After ensuring the criteria is fulfilled, the Central Ministry selects those
groups as PVTGs.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/any-exploitation-of-sentinel-island-
will-wipe-out-tribals/article33374892.ece

11.GLOBAL WAGE REPORT

Global wage report 2020-21 released by International Labour
Organization (ILO)
Report titled "Wages and minimum wages in the time of COVID-19"
presents the emerging empirical evidence of the effects of the crisis on
wages,

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Key findings

Disproportionate impact of COVID-192 workers in lower-skilled

occupations lost more working hours than higher paying managerial and
professional jobs.
Informal workers in India suffered a 22.6% fall in wages, even as formal
sector employees had their salaries cut by 3.6% on an average,
Gender wage gap: Without wage subsidies, women would have lost 8.1%
of their wages in the second quarter of 2020 compared to 5.4% for men.
Between 2016-19, wages increased most rapidly in Asia and the Pacific
and Eastern Europe and slowly in North America and northern, southern
and western Europe.

Recommendations

Adequate and balanced wage policies arrived at through strong and

inclusive social dialogue.
Adequate minimum wages could help to ensure more social justice and
less inequality
ILO is the United Nations agency. It brings together governments,
employers and workers to drive a human-centred approach to the future
of work through employment creation, rights at work, social protection
and social dialogue.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/women-have-borne-brunt-of-
wage-decrease-due-to-covid-19-says-ilo/article33238233.ece

GENERAL STUDIES –SECOND PAPER

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

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 12.ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED POSTAL BALLOT
SYSTEM (ETPB)
Election commissionof India (EC) ready to allow postal ballots for non-
resident indians (NRIs)
EC told Ministry of Law and Justice that it is technically and
administratively ready to extend the Electronically Transmitted Postal
Ballot System (ETPBS) to NRI voters for elections next year in Assam,
West Bengal, Kerala etc
Currently NRIs who holds an Indian passport can vote in his/her
hometown after registering as an Overseas Voter.
There are about 3.1 crore NRIs living in different countries.
Under ETPBS, the postal ballot is dispatched electronically and returned
via ordinary mail and it is currently only available to service voters like
member of the armed Forces, person employed by government outside
India etc.
To extend ETPBS to overseas voters, government only needs to amend
the Conduct of Election Rules 1961. It doesn't require Parliament's nod.
Earlier, Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017 that
proposed to extend proxy voting to overseas Indians lapsed on dissolution
of 16th Lok Sabha.

There are 3 categories of electors in India:

1. General electors: Regular residents who have attained age of 18 years on

the qualifying date.
2. Oversees electors: NRIs with Indian passport.
3. Service Electors: like member of the armed Forces, person employed by
government

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ec-proposes-extending-postal-ballot-
facility-for-eligible-overseas-indians/article33221852.ece

13.INNER LINE PERMIT

Home Minister Sri.Amit Shah heralded the recently granted Inner-Line
Permit (ILP) system as the best gift for the people of Manipur, one that

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 fulfilled their long standing demand and praised the Prime Minister for
his decision.
The ILP is an official travel document issued by the concerned state
government to allow travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a
limited period. It is obligatory for the citizens from outside those states to
obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.
The objective behind this is to prevent settlement of other Indian
nationals in ILP states so as to protect the indigenous population and
their access to land, jobs, and other facilities. Besides Manipur,
Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland also come under the ILP
system.
This concept of ILP has originated from the colonial era. The British
government imposed regulations under the Bengal Eastern Frontier
Regulation Act, 1873 where entry and stay of outsiders in certain areas
were restricted.
The primary motive of this restriction was to guard the commercial
prospects of the British from the British subjects or Indians in the matters
of trade. They wanted to reserve these designated areas for
conducting their trade and eliminate any chance of intrusion.
This was to address concerns about protecting the interests of the
indigenous people from outsiders belonging to other Indian states.
Under Section 2 of the Regulation, the ILP system applied to Nagaland,
Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. Manipur was later added to the ILP
regime, becoming the fourth state to attain this protection. In the year
1950, the Indian government replaced the words “British Subjects”
with the words “Citizens of India” in the Regulation of 1873.
An ILP can be issued either online or physically by the state
government. It mentions the time and the areas in which the ILP holder
can travel.
The government intends to regulate movement near the north-eastern
border of the country and is still issued in order to safeguard the
indigenous communities residing in north-east India.
There are various kinds of ILPs issued that depend upon the purpose
of visit to the protected area such as a tourist ILP, ILP for tenants,
ILP for long-term, etc. The concerned State issued an ILP.

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 SOURCE:
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/dec/27/inner-line-
permitbiggest-gift-given-to-manipur-since-its-statehood-amit-shah-
2241812.html

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND ISSUES

14.RED CHANNEL AGREEMENT

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) called the Red Channel Agreement, a new
collaboration to strengthen the delivery of emergency medical and health
services during humanitarian crises.
The MoU is the culmination of years of collaboration between IFRC and
the WHO Emergency Medical Team Initiative.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant increase in
emergencies around the world, the move will help in providing life-
saving health services to communities affected by humanitarian
emergencies or in times of crisis.

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Key Objectives

To provide quality emergency health services that communities

desperately need.
To cooperate on implementing the Emergency Medical Team (EMT)
initiative for improving the quality of care in emergencies.
To standardize emergency health response work particularly technical
standards, accountability, and coordination and to provide increased
support for National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies which play
such a crucial role in emergency response.
It aligns the IFRC's system with that of the WHO Emergency Medical
Teams global classification system, in doing so recognizing the IFRC's
Emergency

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/world/who-joins-hands-with-ifrc-
to-strengthen-delivery-of-emergency-medical-supplies/article33313672.ece

15.BETTER THAN CASH ALLIANCE

Based at the United Nations, Better Than Cash Alliance is a partnership
of over 75 governments, companies and international organizations that
accelerates the transition from cash to responsible digital payments to
advance the Sustainable Development Goals It is committed to digitizing
payments in order to boost efficiency, transparency, women's economic
participation and financial inclusion
India became a member of this Alliance in 2015.
Recently, India and Better Than Cash Alliance organized a joint Peer
learning exchange on fintech solutions.

SOURCE:

https://orissadiary.com/india-and-un-based-better-than-cash-alliance-organized-
a-joint-peer-learning-exchange-on-fintech-solutions-for-responsible-digital-
payments-at-the-last-mile/

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 16.CHABAHAR-ZAHEDAN RAIL LINE PROJECT

Recently Iran has begun second phase of the 628-km Chabahar-

Zahedan Rail line project, which is expected to be completed by June
2021.
It will connect Chabahar Port through the existing Iranian railway
network to Turkmenistan in the North and also to Afghanistan in two
border points including one in Zabol, which facilitates access to Zaranj –
Delaram Highway and another city in South Khorasan Province, from
Khaf, Iran to Herat.

Strategic Significance
For Iran, it will be an all-rail corridor, connecting Chabahar, Iran's only
oceanic port, to the national railway network, promoting sustainable
development and economic growth in the region and establishing trade
relationships with countries in the region and the world.
Chabahar port, located on the Gulf of Oman i.e. close to the Indian
Ocean, has immense geographical significance in the light of the fact of
Pakistan denying transit access to India.

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 Food grains etc are being transited from Kandla (Gujarat) to Afghanistan
via Chabahar only.

The rail project holds strategic and economic significance for India as it
connects Chabahar port (Iran) that is located 72 kilometers west of
Pakistan's Gwadar port, to Zaranj across the border in Afghanistan.

This strategic transit route will be Afghanistan's first route to the Indian
Ocean independent of Pakistan and an alternate trade route to landlocked
Afghanistan and Central Asia.

The Chabahar port is strategically significant in strengthening trilateral

relationships among - Iran, India & Afghanistan and with other Central
Asian countries.

During the Corona pandemic, India transited humanitarian assistance to

Afghanistan via Chabahar port.

India has contributed in building the 218 km Delaram-Zaranj highway in

Afghanistan, which reduced traveling time between Afghanistan and Iran.

Also, one of the terminals of Chabahar port was operated by a joint

venture between Iran and India that benefitted in increasing the traffic
and transit of goods between the two countries and via Chabahar to
neighbouring countries specifically Afghanistan.

India’s contribution in upcoming projects of Iran like developing the

Makran coast with the Oman Sea will further strengthen the relationship.
SOURCE:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/months-after-starting-chabahar-rail-
project-without-india-iran-requests-help-with-equipment/article33048813.ece

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 17.THE ATHENA SWAN CHARTER
The Athena SWAN Charter is an evaluation and accreditation programme
in the UK enhancing gender equity in science, technology, engineering,
mathematics and medicine (STEMM).
Participating research organisations and academic institutions are required
to analyse data on gender equity and develop action plans for
improvement. The programme recognises such efforts with bronze, silver
or gold accreditation.
They commit to adopting ten principles, which focus on promoting and
supporting gender equality for women.
In particular, the charter aims to address what is known as the “leaky
pipeline” of women progressing to senior roles in science by removing
obstacles to their advancement, ensuring equal pay and mainstreaming
support, through action at all levels across the department or organisation.
SOURCE:
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/gender-equality-women-science-
7071126/

GENERAL STUDIES -THIRD PAPER

INDIAN ECONOMY

18.PRIME MINISTER WI-FI ACCESS NETWORK INTERFACE

(PM-WANI)
The Union Cabinet approved setting up of Public Wi-Fi networks
across the country as part of the Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access
Network Interface (PM-WANI) to improve wireless connectivity.
First recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) in 2017, PM-WANI ecosystem will be operated by different
players, including Public Data Offices (PDOs), Public Data Office
Aggregators (PDOA), App providers, and a Central registry.
Public Wi-Fi will be provided through PDOs as Wi-Fi hotspots, to be set
up along the lines of public calling offices.
PDO s can be a kirana shop or any common services centre present in
small towns, gram panchayats, and villages in the country.

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How It Works

6 PDOs like a cybercafe will establish, maintain, and operate Wi-Fi

access points and deliver broadband services to subscribers either on its
own or on lease from other internet service providers.
PDOA s will be aggregators of PDOs and perform functions relating to
Authorisation and Accounting.
The app provider will develop the app to register users and handle PM-
WANI compliant from nearby Wi-Fi hotspots.
The details of all three will be maintained by the Central Registry
working under the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT).
Neither registration nor any license or any other fee will be required for
PDOs.
The PDOAs and app providers will simply register themselves with the
Department of Telecommunications through an online registration portal
without paying any registration fee.
Registration will be granted within seven days of the application, else
they will be deemed registered.

Significance

Public Wi-Fi will accelerate the uptake of broadband Internet services

filling the gap of high speed and reliable broadband connectivity in rural
and remote areas with employment generation and income to small and
medium entrepreneurs, thereby bringing the Wi-Fi revolution in the
country and boosting India's GDP.
COVID-19 pandemic increased the large number of subscribers in the
country demanding internet services at affordable prices; Public Wi-Fi
can be the best solution to address the demands.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/from-a-digital-india-to-a-digital-
bharat/article33339840.ece

19.LUHRI STAGE-I HYDRO ELECTRIC PROJECT

Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the
investment for 210 MW Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project.

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 It is located on River Satluj in Shimla and Kullu districts of Himachal
Pradesh.
The project is being implemented by state-run Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam
(SJVNL) and is scheduled to be commissioned in five years.

Significance:
This project will generate 758.20 million units of electricity annually,
which will help in providing grid stability and improve the power supply
position.
Besides adding valuable renewable energy to the grid, the project would
also lead to a reduction of 6.1 lakh tons of carbon dioxide from the
environment annually, thus contributing to an improvement in air quality
and less air pollution.
The construction activities will result in direct and indirect employment
and will contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the
State.
Himachal Pradesh will benefit with free power worth around Rs. 1140
crore, during the Project Life Cycle of 40 years.
The project affected families will be provided with 100 units of free
electricity per month for ten years.

SOURCE:

https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/cabinet-approves-rs-1811-crore-
for-210-mw-luhri-hydro-plant/2121230/

20.WORLD LARGEST HYBRID ENERGY PARK IN KUTCH,

GUJARAT
The Prime Minister laid the foundation on world largest hybrid energy
park in Kutch, Gujarath with a generation capacity 30 gigawatts.
The renewable energy park will have a dedicated zone for wind and solar
energy storage.

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 With the Government of India committing itself to install 175 GW of
renewable energy capacity by 2022, the Gujarat government identified
1,00,000 hectares of wasteland near Khavda, 72 km north of Bhuj, close
to the international border with Pakistan in Kutch, for an energy park.
Currently, India’s renewable energy capacity is the fourth largest in the
world
The total installed capacity of Indian renewable sector surpassed 90000
thousand megawatts during November 2020
Our solar capacity grew from 2.63 gigawatts in 2014 to 36 gigawatt in
2020
India aims to reach 175 Gigawatt before 2022.

SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/gujarat-kutch-hybrid-renewable-
energy-park-7092444/

21.CURRENCY MANIPULATOR
The U.S. Treasury has labelled Switzerland and Vietnam as currency
manipulators.
The United States has once again included India in its monitoring list of
countries with potentially “questionable foreign exchange policies” and
“currency manipulation”.
It has also added three new names- Taiwan, Thailand and India- to a
watch list of countries it suspects of taking measures to devalue their
currencies against the dollar.
The term ‘currency manipulator’ is a label given by the US government
to countries it feels are engaging in “unfair currency practices” by
deliberately devaluing their currency against the USD.
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 The practice would mean that the country in question is artificially
lowering the value of its currency to gain an unfair advantage over others.
This is because the devaluation would reduce the cost of exports from
that country and artificially show a reduction in trade deficits as a result.
Currency manipulation happens when governments try to artificially
tweak the exchange rate to gain an “unfair” advantage in trade.

SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/currency-manipulation-explained-
india-us-currency-watchlist-7108379/

22.MULTI-MODAL LOGISTIC PARK AT JOGIGHOPA

Union minister for road transport, highways and MSMEs shri nitin
gadkari laid the foundation stone for country’s first multi-modal
logistic park at jogighopa in assam.
Park will provide direct air, road, rail and waterways connectivity to the
people

It will be developed under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana of the

Government of India.

Ministry envisages developing 35 Multi-modal Logistic Parks (MMLPs)

in the country, of which work on preparing DPR and feasibility report is
underway.

With this project, the rustic town of Jogighopa, situated on the banks of
Brahmaputra, would soon become the hub of India’s trade with South-
East Asia and within the North-East region.
Its unique location, along National Waterway 2 and on the Indo-
Bangladesh road route, makes it an ideal candidate for the MMLP.
The Jogighopa MMLP project is the first among 35 such MMLP projects
identified for implementation across the country and the only one that
will be funded completely by the Government of India.

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 Development of a Multi Modal Logistics Park over 190 acres of land at
the Ashok Paper Mill site in Jogighopa. Developing a network of external
roads and create rail connectivity to and from the MMLP and between the
MMLP and the Inland Water Terminal.
It is Developing 40 acres of land of the Inland Water Terminal (IWT).
The total project cost of Phase I is Rs. 693.07 crore. Phase II is in project
preparation stage and the project cost is yet to be finalized

SOURCE:

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/property-/-
cstruction/indias-first-international-multi-modal-logistic-park-to-come-up-in-
assams-jogighopa/articleshow/78751765.cms?from=mdr

23. WORLD TRADE REPORT (WTR) 2020 REPORT RELEASED BY

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO)

WTR is an annual publication that aims to deepen understanding about

trends in trade, trade policy issues and the multilateral trading system.

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 WTR 2020 looks at the role of innovation and technology policies in an
increasingly digitalized world economy, and explains the role of the
WTO in this changing context

Key Highlights of report

In the digital age, a growing number of governments are adopting

policies aimed at boosting growth through innovation and
technological upgrading,
In India, Digital India' initiative aims to vastly expand the digital
infrastructure and digitally empower the citizens.
Report warns the transition towards digital economy can have
positive spill overs & negative spill overs.
Positive spill overs: generating growth, creating new markets and
encouraging technology diffusion.
Negative spill overs: distorting trade, diverting investment, or
promoting unfair competition with the winner-takes-all
characteristics of certain digital industries
COVID-19 pandemic is likely to accelerate the shift to digital
platforms and technologies significantly

Recommendations:

WTR recommends new policies such as collaborative research and

development support, knowledge diffusion through agglomeration,
technological hubs, data policies etc, instead of the more
conventional policies focused on tariffs, investment and tax
incentives.

SOURCE:

https://sdg.iisd.org/news/wto-world-trade-report-examines-policies-on-digital-
innovation/#:~:text=The%20publication%20titled%2C%20'World
%20Trade,transition%20to%20the%20digital%20economy.

AGRICULTURE

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 24.APEDA FORMULATING STRATEGY TO PROMOTE EXPORT
OF MILLETS
APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority) is formulating a five years (2021-2026)
strategy to enable all concerned stakeholders for taking necessary
action in a time bound manner for achieving the target.
Efforts would be made on identification of Millet clusters, creation of
platform to consolidate farmers, FPOs, Exporters, Associations, other
stakeholders etc.
Millets are generally small-seeded cereal crops known for high
nutritive value (iron, zinc and calcium, among other).
These include sorghum, pearl millet, ragi, small millet, foxtail millet,
proso millet,barnyard millet, and kodo millet.
India is the largest producer of millets in the world. States like Rajasthan,
Maharashtra, and Karnataka leading in millet farming.
Their consumption was higher before the onset of the green revolution
Millets are highly climate resilient, less water intensive and can be grown
on dry lands.
It is a potential tool to fight malnutrition and rural poverty. Issues: low
yield of millets, lack of processing facilities at farm gate, poor demand.

SOURCE:

https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/apeda-formulating-strategy-to-
promote-export-of-millets/1986727

25.GREEN CHARCOAL HACKATHON

Recently Green Charcoal Hackathon was launched, by Ministry of
power, with the objective to clean the air by eliminating farm fire,
producing renewable energy out of the agro residue etc. NVVN (NTPC
Vidyut Vyapar Nigam), a wholly-owned subsidiary company of NTPC
Ltd, launched the Green Charcoal Hackathon.
It is a technology challenge with an aim to fast-track technology
developments conducted by NVVN in partnership with EESL (Energy
Efficiency Services Ltd – a 100% govt. owned energy service company).
The purpose of the event is to leverage the innovative Indian mind to
bridge the technology gap, with the prime objective to:
 Clean the air by eliminating farm fire, producing renewable energy out of
the agro residue.
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  Promote local entrepreneurship.
 Increase the income of the farmers.
The ultimate goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of the nation.
Green Charcoal is a type of bio-fuel that can be made locally and
inexpensively.
To make this, agricultural waste materials appropriate to the season and
the region are carbonized (conversion of an organic substance into carbon
or a carbon-containing residue) in a kiln.
It burns cleanly, reducing exposure to the smoke that causes respiratory
infections

SOURCE:

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/vivacity/ntpc-launches-green-charcoal-
hackathon.html

ENVIRONMENT

26.PERFECT HABITAT FOR THE REINTRODUCTION OF

CHEETAH IN INDIA
Experts from the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India have
visited 4 locations in Madhya Pradesh to search for the perfect
habitat for the reintroduction of cheetah within the nation.

Four locations are:

1. The Kuno Palpur sanctuary in MP's Sheopur district.

2. The Nauradehi sanctuary in Sagar district.
3. The Gandhi Sagar sanctuary on the northern boundary of Mandsaur and
Neemuch districts
4. The Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district.

The Supreme Court gave its approval to introduce African cheetahs to a

suitable habitat in India on an experimental basis in January 2020.

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 The Supreme Court set up a three- member committee to guide the
National Tiger Conservation Authority on the cheetah re-introduction
project.
The panel has asked the WII to carry out a technical evaluation of all
possible sites for the re-introduction of cheetah in the country.
The country's last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947.
The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.

Cheetahs

The cheetah is a prominent cat family member that belongs to the

subfamily Felinae and is found across Africa and some parts of Iran.
The cheetah prefers grassland habitats where it has enough space to go
after its prey without any obstacles.
The cheetahs are the world’s fastest land mammal.
Cheetahs are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, but
after a recent study revealed significant population declines, scientists are
calling for cheetahs to be uplisted to Endangered.
In North Africa and Asia, they are considered Critically Endangered

SOURCE:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/it-s-viral/wildlife-institute-of-india-experts-
look-for-best-habitat-for-cheetah-reintroduction-in-madhya-pradesh/story-
f6yfc7D2xZtB1DfATi11CL.html#:~:t

27.MYRISTICA SWAMP TREEFROG

Myristica Swamp Tree frog, an uncommon arboreal species endemic to

the Western Ghats that bears the scientific identify Mercurana
myristicapalustris, has been recorded for the primary time north of the
Shencottah hole in Vazhachal Reserve Forest in Thrissur.

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 The frog was first described in 2013 from the lowland Myristica swamps
of Arippa, close to Kulathupuzha Reserve Forest, within the western
foothills of Agasthyamalai.
These frogs are uncommon and elusive given that they’re arboreal and
energetic just for a couple of weeks throughout their breeding season.
They exhibit distinctive breeding behavior.
The breeding season, not like for different frogs, begins within the
pre-monsoons season (Could) and ends earlier than the monsoon
turns into absolutely energetic in June.
The female digs the mud and lays eggs in shallow burrows in mud.
After breeding and egg laying, they retreat back to the high canopies
of the tree and remain elusive till the next breeding season.

Myristica Swamps

The Myristica swamps are tropical freshwater swamp forests with an

abundance of Myristica trees.
Myristica trees are the most primitive of the flowering plants on
earth.
The evergreen, water-tolerant trees have dense stilt roots helping
them stay erect in the thick, black, wet alluvial soil.
These swamps are considered as living museums of ancient life and
could promote better understanding of the influence of climate
change on the evolution of plants.

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SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/rare-myristica-swamp-treefrog-
found-in-vazhachal-forest/article33315508.ece

28.THE CLIMATE AMBITION SUMMIT 2020

The Climate Ambition Summit 2020 marks the fifth anniversary of the
Paris Agreement,
It provides a platform for government and non-governmental leaders to
demonstrate their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the
multilateral process.
The summit is positioned as a “sprint to Glasgow,” where the 26th
session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to take place
from 1–12 November 2021.
The United Nations, United Kingdom and France co-hosted the Climate
Ambition Summit 2020, in partnership with Chile and Italy.
The Summit aims to rally momentum and call for much greater climate
action and ambition.

In particular, the co-hosts have called for:

New, more ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

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 Long-term net-zero emissions strategies.
Climate finance commitments to support the most vulnerable.
Ambitious adaptation plans and policies.
At the virtual summit UN Secretary General Mr.Guterres said world
leaders should declare climate emergency in their countries to avoid
catastrophic global warming.
He criticised G20 member countries for spending 50 percent more of
their pandemic recovery cash on fossil fuels compared to low-carbon
energy.

India’s stand:

PM Modi, while addressing the summit said that India is not only on
track to achieve its Paris Agreement targets, but to exceed them beyond
expectations.
India has reduced emission intensity by 21% over 2005 levels. Solar
capacity has grown from 2.63 GigaWatts in 2014 to 36 GigaWatts in
2020.
Renewable energy capacity of our country is the fourth largest in the
world.
It will reach 175 GigaWatts before 2022. India has set an even more
ambitious target now - 450 GigaWatts of renewable energy capacity by
2030.

And, on the world stage, India has pioneered two major initiatives:

1. The International Solar Alliance, and

2. Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/un-chief-urges-global-summit-to-
declare-climate-emergency/article33316154.ece

29.CLIMATE CHANGE PERFORMANCE INDEX 2020

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 German watch along with New Climate Institute and Climate Action
Network International and with financial support from Barthel
Foundation has released Climate Change Performance Index 2020.

The latest list is prepared by assessing performances of 57 countries and

European Union (as a whole) in four categories - GHG emissions (40%),
renewable energy (20%), energy use (20%) and climate policy (20%).
These 57 countries and the EU collectively are responsible for about 90%
of global GHG emissions.
The biggest current emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) China figures at
33rd rank while the largest historical polluter, the USA, appears at the
bottom of the list.
Though India slides one position down from ninth in 2019 to 10th this
year, the country’s journey towards climate protection has been consistent
with it improving its ranking from 31st in 2014.
Globally none of the countries assessed for the annual CCPI report are,
however, on the path to meet their Paris Agreement commitment of
keeping global warming increase below 2 degree Celsius by the end of
the century and actually to make efforts to restrict it to 1.5 degree Celsius
rise.
The CCPI 2021, covering the year 2020, shows that only two G20
countries - the UK and India - are among the high rankers while six
others - the USA, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia, South Korea and
Russia (52nd) – are at the bottom of the index.

CLIMATE CHANGE PERFORMANCE INDEX (CCPI)

 To enhance transparency in international climate politics.

 First published in 2005 and an updated version is presented at the UN
Climate Change Conference annually.
 The CCPI evaluates 57 countries and the European Union, which together
generate 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
 Using standardised criteria, the CCPI looks at four categories, with 14
indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40% of the overall score),
Renewable Energy (20%), Energy Use (20%), and Climate Policy (20%).

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  No country has performed well enough in all CCPI index categories to
achieve an overall very high rating. The first three positions in the overall
ranking therefore remain empty.

SOURCE:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-in-top-10-performers-on-
climate-change-index/articleshow/79612075.cms

30.MALAYAN GIANT SQUIRREL (RATUFA BICOLOR)

A first-of-its-kind study by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change, has projected that numbers of the Malayan Giant Squirrel
(Ratufa bicolor) could decline by 90 per cent in India by 2050.
It is also known as Black Giant Squirrel.
It one of the world’s largest squirrel species, has a dark upper body, pale
underparts and a long, bushy tail.

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 In India, it is found in the northeastern part of the country covering the
States of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya,
and Nagaland.
Mostly found in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests of Northeast India
This species is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species.
There are three species of giant squirrels found in India. The Malayan
species is native to Northeast India.
The other two species: Indian giant squirrel and grizzled giant squirrel is
distributed mostly across peninsular and southern India.
It is considered to be a forest health indicator species.
According to the study, the squirrel and its habitat are under threat from
deforestation, fragmentation of forests, crop cultivation and over-
harvesting of food, illegal trade in wildlife, and hunting for consumption.

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 SOURCE:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/first-ever-study-has-grim-
prognosis-native-squirrel-could-vanish-from-ne-after-2050-7089169/

31.PILIBHIT TIGER RESERVE (PTR)

The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and the Uttar Pradesh Forest
department have bagged the first-ever international award, TX2, for
doubling the number of tigers in four years against a target of 10 years.
Pilibhit Tiger Reserve was the first to receive the award among 13 tiger
range countries.
It achieved this goal in just four years from 2014, when it had 25 tigers
which went up to 65 in 2018.
The award was virtually presented to the principal chief conservator of
forest (wildlife) of the state, Sunil Pandey, by UNDP's (United Nations
Development Program) head of ecosystems and biodiversity, Mindori
Paxton.

TX2

It is the global award which was set up in 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russia by
international organizations working for tiger conservation like WWF, UNDP,
IUCN, Global Tiger Fund (GTF), CATS and The Lion’s Share.

SOURCE:

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https://weather.com/en-IN/india/news/news/2020-11-24-pilibhit-reserve-gets-
global-award-for-doubling-tiger-population

32.TX2 CONSERVATION EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR 2020

Conservation area straddling the india-bhutan border has received the
TX2 conservation excellence award for 2020.
TX2 stands for “Tigers times two”, signalling the goal to double the
population of wild tigers by 2022.
The recognition was for the Trans boundary Manas Conservation Area or
TraMCA comprising the 500 sq. km. Manas National Park in Assam and
the 1,057-sq. km. Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
India and Bhutan are among 13 countries working towards TX2, a goal
that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had set through the Global Tiger
Initiative, Global Tiger Forum and other critical platforms.
The award recognises a site that has achieved excellence in two or more
of five themes:
 Tiger and prey population monitoring and research (tiger
translocation/prey augmentation);
 Effective site management;
 Enhanced law enforcement,
 Protection and ranger welfare improvement;
 Community-based conservation,
 Benefits and human-wildlife conflict mitigation and habitat and
prey management.
The number of the striped cat in the Indian Manas increased from nine in
2010 to 25 in 2018 while that in the Bhutan Manas more than doubled
from 12 in 2008 to 26 in 2018.
The TX2 awards include a financial grant to assist on going conservation.
The reserve is a source site for tigers and important for connectivity
across the vast Terai Arc Landscape of India and Nepal.

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 SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/wildlife-preserve-
straddling-assam-bhutan-gets-tiger-conservation-
award/article33169212.ece#:~:text=km.,TraMCA%20comprising%20the
%20500%20sq.

33.CLIMATE EMERGENCY
 New Zealand Prime Minister Jasinda Ardern’s government is to declare a
climate emergency in a symbolic step to increase pressure for action to
combat global warming.
 If a climate emergency is passed, New Zealand would join countries like
Canada, France and Britain, Portugal, Japan that have taken the same
course to focus efforts on tackling climate change.
 Oxford Dictionaries has declared “climate emergency” the word of the
year for 2019, following a hundred-fold increase in usage that it says
demonstrated a “greater immediacy” in the way we talk about the climate.
 It defines climate emergency as “a situation in which urgent action is
required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially
irreversible environmental damage resulting from it”.
 Recently the Japanese lawmakers declared a climate emergency. Under
the climate emergency they have framed a timetable for net zero
emissions.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/new-zealand-declares-climate-
emergency-promises-carbon-neutral-govt-by-2025/article33227855.ece

34.INDO GANGETIC PLAIN (IGP) GLOBAL HOTSPOT OF

ATMOSPHERIC AMMONIA (NH3)
IGP is the global hot-spot of NH3 due to intense agricultural activities
and fertilizer production
There is a positive correlation of NH3 with total fertilizer consumption
and temperature since high temperature favours volatilization

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 Agricultural emission is negatively correlated with total precipitation as
wet deposition helps removal of NH3.
NH3 plays a key role in the deterioration of air quality by actively
contributing to the formation of secondary aerosols.

Agricultural emissions in India

Agriculture sector is responsible for climate change due to Greenhouse

gas (GHG) emissions.
They are generated through the production and use of agricultural inputs
(mainly water, fertilisers, and pesticides) farm machinery, soil
disturbance, residue management and irrigation.
Agriculture and livestock account for 18% of gross national
emissions of CO2 in India.

Steps to decrease emissions:

Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA), which seek to

optimise the use of locally available resources replacing external inputs.
Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), a low Input, climate-resilient type
of farming that eliminates the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/indo-gangetic-
plain-high-in-atmospheric-ammonia/article33242733.ece

35.THE APEX COMMITTEE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PARIS

AGREEMENT (AIPA)
AIPA is a 17 member inter-ministerial committee constituted to ensure
Coordinated response on climate change matters that protects country's
interests.
India is on track towards meeting its climate change obligations under
Paris Agreement including its submitted Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDC).
AIPA has been constituted under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Secretary, Ministry of Environment. Forest and Climate Change will be
the chairperson of AIPA.

Functions of AIPA

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 Coordinate communication and reporting of NDCS to UNFCCC. Under
Paris Agreement, countries will engage in Global Stocktake every five
years to assess collective progress towards the Agreement's long-term
goals.
Develop policies and programmes, to make India’s domestic climate
actions compliant with international obligations and assign
responsibilities to concerned ministries
Function as a National Authority to regulate carbon markets in India,
under Article 6 of Paris Agreement in post-2020 period (Article 6 deals
with carbon market, non-market and voluntary approaches.)
Take note of private sector's contributions for combating climate change
Seek guidance from and provide inputs to Prime Minister's Council on
Climate Change.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/environment-ministry-forms-body-to-
oversee-indias-paris-climate-goals/article33236094.ece

36.PEACOCK SOFT-SHELLED TURTLE

Peacock soft-shelled turtle (a turtle of a vulnerable species) has been
rescued from a fish market in assam’s silchar.
It’s Scientific name is Nilssonia hurum
This species is confined to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It is
widespread in the northern and central parts of the Indian subcontinent.
According to a report by Guwahati-based conservation NGO, Help Earth,
29 species of turtles have been recorded in India, out of which 20 are
present in Assam
It is Vulnerable according to IUCN Red list.
The species is also listed under Appendix I of CITES.
Protected under the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Major Threats:

The species is heavily exploited for its meat and calipee (the outer
cartilaginous rim of the shell).
Threats in the River Ganga to the species are those generic for all large
river turtles, including reduction of fish stock, as a result of overfishing,
pollution, increase in river traffic, and sand-mining, among others.

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SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/assam/professor-rescues-
vulnerable-turtle-species-from-assam-fish-market-7074419/

37.HIMALAYAN SEROW

Himalayan serow has been sighted for the first time in the himalayan
cold desert region.
A Himalayan serow has been sighted for the first time in the Himalayan
cold desert region. The animal was spotted near Hurling village in Spiti,
Himachal Pradesh.
The Himalayan serow, or Capricornis sumatraensis thar, is a subspecies
of the mainland serow (Capricornis sumatraensis).
Himalayan serows are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres
and 4,000 metres. They are known to be found in eastern, central, and
western Himalayas, but not in the Trans Himalayan region.
Himalayan serow resembles a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and
a pig. It’s a medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short
limbs, long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair.
It’s a medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs,
long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair.

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 According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
Himalayan serows have experienced significant declines in population
size, range size and habitat in the last decade, and this is expected to
continue due to intensive human impact.

Previously assessed as ‘near threatened’, the Himalayan serow is now

been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species.
It is listed under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which
provides absolute protection.

SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/its-a-goat-its-a-pig-its-a-serow-
explaining-an-unusual-sighting-in-the-spiti-cold-desert-7105007/

38.TSOKAR WETLAND
India has added Tsokar wetland complex in ladakh as its 42nd
ramsar site, which is a second one in the union territory (ut) of
ladakh.

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 The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex, consisting of two
principal waterbodies, Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake of about 438
hectares to the south
Tso Kar itself, a hyper saline lake of 1800 hectares to the north, situated
in the Chang thang region of Ladakh, India.

It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt
efflorescence found on the margins due to the evaporation of highly
saline water.

The Tso Kar Basin is an A1 Category Important Bird Area (IBA) as per
Bird Life International and a key staging site in the Central Asian
Flyway.

The site is also one of the most important breeding areas of the Black-
necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in India.

This IBA is also the major breeding area for Great Crested Grebe
(Podicepscristatus), Bar-headed Geese (Anserindicus), Ruddy Shelduck
(Tadornaferruginea), Brown-headed Gull (Larusbrunnicephalus), Lesser
Sand-Plover (Charadriusmongolus) and many other species.

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SOURCE:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ladakhs-tso-kar-wetland-complex-
added-to-list-of-ramsar-sites/articleshow/79949608.cms

39.TROPICAL MONTANE GRASSLANDS (TMG)

Tropical montane grasslands (TMG) in the Shola Sky Islands of the
Western Ghats have suffered big reductions due to invasions by exotic
trees such as acacias, pines and eucalyptus, shrinking the range sizes of
endemic species, including plants, birds, amphibians and mammals.
Some populations are being driven to local extinction.
But researchers have now identified areas suitable for grassland
restoration and conservation to reverse the decline.
In the Western Ghats, 23% of montane grasslands were reportedly
converted into invasive exotic tree cover over a period of 44 years.

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Tropical montane grasslands (TMG)

TMG are high elevation grasslands forming only 2% of all grasslands in

the world.
Among their functions is regulating the global carbon cycle and serving
as a source of water to downstream communities.
In India, TMG have even been classified as wastelands in forest
management plans since they are unlikely to generate revenue, contrary
to the timber (even if exotic) found in forests.
Researchers say grasslands do not benefit from conservation and
restoration efforts afforded to tropical montane forests, possibly due to
limited information.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bringing-life-back-to-western-ghats-
grasslands/article33316899.ece

40.STATUS OF LEOPARDS IN INDIA 2018’ REPORT

India now has 12,852 leopards as compared to the previous estimate
of 7910 conducted 2014.
More than 60 per cent increase has been recorded in the leopard
population over the previous estimate which was conducted in 2014.
The States of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra
recorded the highest leopard estimates at 3,421, 1,783 and 1,690
respectively.

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 India's world record tiger survey also estimated the population of
leopards and the tiger range was found home to 12,852 (12,172-13,535)
leopards.
They occur in prey rich protected areas as well as multi-use forests.
A total of 5,240 adult individual leopards were identified in a total of
51,337 leopard photographs using pattern recognition software.
Statistical analysis estimates the leopard population at - 12,800 leopards
within the tiger's range.
The leopard was estimated across forested habitats in tiger range areas of
the country but other leopard occupied areas such as non-forested habitats
(coffee and tea plantations and other land uses from where leopards are
known to occur), higher elevations in the Himalayas, arid landscapes and
majority of North East landscape were not sampled and, therefore, the
population estimation should be considered as minimum number of
leopards in each of the landscapes.
IUCN status :
Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and
included in Appendix I of CITES.
Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List

SOURCE:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/60-rise-in-leopard-numbers-in-4-
yrs/story-qnL8cprKCnPopwclbkHkAJ.html#:~:text=Leopard%20population
%20had%20increased%20in,to%20previous%20estimates%20of
%202014.&text=There%20were%20at%20least%2012%2C852,2018'%20report
%20released%20on%20Monday.

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41.FIREFLY BIRD DIVERTER- GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD (GIB)

The ministry of environment forest and climate change (MOEFCC)

along with the wildlife conservation society (WCS) india has come up
with a unique initiative — a “firefly bird diverter” for overhead
power lines in areas where great indian bustard (GIB) populations
are found in the wild.
The Supreme Court of India, in a recent hearing, directed that power lines
in GIB landscapes should be placed underground.
According to the report by the Ministry submitted to the National Green
Tribunal in 2019, pointed out that power lines, especially high-voltage
transmission lines with multiple overhead wires, are the most important
current threat for GIBs in the Thar region, and are causing unsustainably
high mortality in about 15% of their population.
Firefly bird diverters are flaps installed on power lines. They work as
reflectors for bird species like the GIB. Birds can spot them from a
distance of about 50 meters and change their path of flight to avoid
collision with power lines. Smaller birds can change their direction but
for larger bird species, it is difficult because their body weight and other
factors.
The firefly detectors have been installed along two stretches of
approximately 6.5 km, selected between Chacha to Dholiya villages in
the Pokhran tehsil after ground surveys and due consultations with the
Rajasthan Forest Department.

A total of 1,813 firefly bird diverters are being installed in this stretch —
a model that has been endorsed by experts from the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s
(SSC) Bustard Specialist Group.
The diverters are called fireflies because they look like fireflies from
a distance, shining on power lines in the night.

Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

GIB is one of the most critically threatened species in India, with less
than 150 birds left in the wild.

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 They are one of the heaviest flying birds in India.
Only two districts in Rajasthan — Jaisalmer and Barmer — have a
breeding GIB population in the wild.
The bird can also be found in very small numbers in Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
They are listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972,
in the CMS Convention and in Appendix I of CITES, as Critically
Endangered on the IUCN Red List and the National Wildlife Action Plan
(2002-2016).
It has also been identified as one of the species for the recovery
programme under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the
Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/pokhrans-firefly-
bird-diverters-shine-to-save-the-great-indian-bustard/article33396148.ece

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

42.QUANTUM SUPREMACY

Chinese researchers claim to have achieved quantum supremacy

Researchers have built a quantum computer prototype that is able to
perform certain computations nearly 100 trillion times faster than the
world's most advanced supercomputer.
With this, China become the first country to develop the technology >
Last year, Google had built a computer named Sycamore, that could
perform a computation in 200 seconds that would take the fastest
supercomputers about 10,000 years, hence reaching quantum supremacy.

Quantum computing

A quantum computer harnesses quantum mechanics to deliver huge leaps

forward in processing power.
Rather than storing information using bits represented by O's or 15 as
conventional computers do quantum computers use quantum bits, or
qubits, to encode information as 0 , 1, or both at the same time.
They function according to two key principles of quantum physics:
superposition and entanglement.
Superposition means that each qubit can represent both 1 and Oat the
same time. Entanglement means that qubits in a superposition can be
correlated with each other; ie, state of one (whether it is a 1 or a 0) can
depend on state of another.

Quantum cryptography

Quantum cryptography is the science of exploiting quantum mechanical

properties to perform cryptographic tasks. The best known example of quantum
cryptography is quantum key distribution which offers an information-
theoretically secure solution to the key exchange problem.

SOURCE:

https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/china-claims-quantum-
supremacy-with-computer-faster-than-google-s-prototype-
120120500057_1.html

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 43.ARTIFICAL SUN-CHINA
China successfully powered up its HL-2M Tokamak nuclear fusion
reactor, often called an artificial sun on account of enormous heat
and power it produces
Tokamak is a magnetic fusion device designed to prove feasibility of
fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on same
principle that powers Sun and stars.
It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach
temperatures of over 150 million degrees Celsius which is approximately
ten times hotter than sun's core.

Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion is a process when two or more light atomic nuclei fuse to
produce a heavier nucleus and release tremendous amount of energy in
process. It is the energy source of Sun and stars.
Advantages of fusion: release of abundant energy.
Fuels are widely available and nearly inexhaustible, don't emit harmful
gases like CO2 or other greenhouse gases, produces no long-lived
radioactive waste etc.
China plan to use it in collaboration with International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor (ITER), an experimental tokamak nuclear fusion
reactor.
ITER members include China, European Union, India, Japan, South
Korea, Russia and US.

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SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/china-turns-on-artificial-
sun/article33253082.ece

44.WORLD MALARIA REPORT-WHO

Recently, the world health organisation ( ) has released the world
malaria report (wmr) 2020.
The report provides a comprehensive update on global and regional
malaria data and trends including prevention, diagnosis, treatment,
elimination and surveillance.
It indicates that India has made considerable progress in reducing its
malaria burden.
Report tracks investments in malaria programmes and research, as well as
progress across all intervention areas: prevention, diagnosis, treatment
and surveillance.
Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through
infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

Key findings

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 Malaria case incidence (cases per 1000 population at risk) reduced from
80 in 2000 to 57 in 2019 globally.
WHO African Region accounted for about 94% of cases
India is the only high endemic country which has reported a decline of
17.6% in 2019 as compared to 2018.
Steps to eradicate Malaria:
WHO had initiated the High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) initiative in
11 high malaria burden countries, including India.
Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030 which aimed for a
reduction in malaria case incidence and mortality rate of at least 40% by
2020, 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030 from a 2015 baseline.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/india-records-largest-reductions-in-
malaria-cases-in-south-east-asia-says-who/article33219416.ece

45.PNEUMOSIL
India’s first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine
‘pneumosil’ has been unveiled by the Serum institute of india (SII).
India’s first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine ‘Pneumosil’
has been unveiled by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

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 The Pune-based SII is the largest vaccine manufacturer in terms of doses
in the world.
SII is also the maker of the Indian version of the AstraZeneca-Oxford
coronavirus vaccine- Covishield.
Pneumosil has been developed through collaboration with the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation and health organization PATH.
Pneumosil has been launched by the Union Health Minister virtually.
Pneumosil targets the pneumococcal bacterium, which is the causal agent
for pneumonia and other diseases like sepsis and meningitis.
Around 4 lakh deaths in children less than 5 years of age are caused by
pneumococcal bacterium every year worldwide.
Pneumosil will be available in the market in a single dose (vial and
prefilled syringe) and multidose (vial) presentations at an affordable
price.
Pneumococcal vaccines are very helpful in reducing deaths through
Pneumococcal diseases but people are mostly unable to afford them but
the PCV of SII is affordable for people.
Many trials were conducted for Pneumosil and based on the results; it has
been licensed by the Drugs Controller General of India in July 2020

SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/pneumosil-vaccine-pneumococcal-
disease-7124129/

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 46.DIGIBOXX
DigiBoxx, a Made-in-India digital asset management and storage
platform has launched in India.
Made-in-India DigiBoxx has been launched just a few weeks after
Google announced that it won’t be allowing unlimited free photo uploads
from June 1, 2021.
The platform is the first of its kind ‘Make in India, Store in India’ digital
asset management SaaS product that is in line with the country’s national
security and data localisation priorities,
DigiBoxx has a feature of file-sharing named ‘InstaShare’ that allows
users to share high-resolution images, large-size documents, videos,
PDFs after registering on the app.
If the user deletes the data, the company will not delete it for 60 days and
the user can retrieve the data during this period.
DigiBoxx has various prices and advantages for a free user. All the plans
on the platform support unlimited external collaborators, which mean
people who don’t have DigiBoxx accounts can also access the files sent
to them.
The plans provide features like real-time multi-user file collaboration,
integration with Gmail, web document previews advanced real-time
collaboration and automated account backups.
The free plan provides 20GB of cloud storage space. It supports files of a
maximum size of 2GB.
The service can be availed in yearly as well as monthly plans.
For individuals, there is a monthly plan of Rs 30 per offering 100GB of
storage space. The plan supports files of a maximum size of 10GB.
For small and mid-sized businesses, the company has a plan of Rs 999
providing up to 50TB storage with 10GB maximum file size. This plan
supports up to 500 users.
Digiboxx is presently available on the Android platform and will soon be
available on the iOS platform.

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SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/niti-aayog-
launches-digiboxx-cloud-storage-service-offers-100gb-space-for-rs-30-
7116417/

47.COMMUNICATION SATELLITE CMS-01

INDIA SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED ITS LATEST

COMMUNICATION SATELLITE CMS-01 ON BOARD ITS POLAR
ROCKET FROM THE SPACEPORT IN SRIHARIKOTA.

This is the second and last launch this year amid the COVID-19
pandemic.
ISRO's trusted polar satellite launch vehicle — PSLV-C50 — injected the
satellite into the predefined orbit around 20 minutes after the lift-off from
the second launch pad at the spaceport of Sriharikota.
The solar panels of the payload have been deployed and it has been taken
over by the Satellite Team of the national space agency.
It will be brought to the final orbit by December 21 after a series of the
usual maneuvers to render its telecommunication service in the Extended
C-Band.
The new satellite CMS-01 will take over the mantle from the ageing
telecommunication satellite GSAT-12 that has outlived its planned
operational period by rendering seamless service for 11 years.
It will remain in orbit for over seven years providing connectivity for e-
learning, tele-health, and disaster management services.
A geosynchronous orbit matches the Earth’s rotation and is used by
satellites for weather monitoring, communications, and surveillance.
ISRO is actively involved in launching a series of satellites and probes in
the days to come. They include the PSLV-C51 and the Small Satellites
Launch Vehicle SSLV.
Preparations for the prestigious missions like Chandrayaan-3, the
Gaganyaan and the probe to study the sun called Aditya L-1 are also in
full swing.

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SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/pslv-c50-carrying-communication-
satellite-cms-01-lifts-off/article33354704.ece

48.SHIGELLA INFECTION
Health officials in Kozhikode district of Kerala recently convened
emergency meetings and kicked in preventive measures after six cases of
shigella infection.
Shigellosis, or shigella infection, is a contagious intestinal infection
caused by a genus of bacteria known as shigella.
The bacteria is one of the prime pathogens responsible for causing
diarrhoea, fluctuating between moderate and severe symptoms, especially
in children in African and South Asian regions.

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 The bacteria, after entering the body through ingestion, attack the
epithelial lining of the colon resulting in inflammation of the cells and
subsequently the destruction of the cells in severe cases.

The infection is known to spread person-to-person when the bacteria is

swallowed accidentally.

SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/shigella-explained-the-intestinal-
infection-is-not-deadly-in-most-cases-7113751/

DEFENCE AND INTERNAL SECURITY

49.S-400 AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM

The united states has imposed sanctions on turkey on over ankara’s

acquisition of russian s-400 air defence systems.
With India set to get the consignment of the S-400 air defence system
early next year, New Delhi is watching Washington’s moves closely.
The S-400 Triumf, (NATO calls it SA-21 Growler), is a mobile,
surface-to-air missile system (SAM) designed by Russia.
It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range
SAM (MLR SAM) in the world, considered much ahead of the US-
developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD).
The Russian-built S-400 Triumf — identified by NATO as the SA-21
Growler — is the world’s most dangerous operationally deployed modern
long-range surface-to-air missile system.
The system can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft,
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV and ballistic and cruise missiles within
the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to 30km.

The system can track 100 airborne targets and engage six of them
simultaneously.

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 It represents the fourth generation of long-range Russian SAMs, and
the successor to the S-200 and S-300. The S-400’s mission set and
capabilities are roughly comparable to the famed US Patriot system.

The S-400 Triumf air defence system integrates multifunction radar,

autonomous detection and targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile
systems, launchers, and command and control centre. It is capable of
firing three types of missiles to create a layered defence.

The S-400 is two-times more effective than previous Russian air defence
systems and can be deployed within five minutes. It can also be
integrated into the existing and future air defence units of the Air
Force, Army, and the Navy.

SOURCE:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-the-s-400-deal-
why-is-india-cautious-as-us-sanctions-turkey-7106036/

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 IMPORTANT FACTS FROM RAJASABHA TV

50.SILVER ECONOMY

India is well-known for having a demographic dividend because it is

expected that the average age of the country, the population is going to be
29 in 2021-22.The country has the glory of being one of the youngest
country in the terms of young population. However, the country needs to
foresee that this population is soon going to be senior citizens.
The Silver Economy is dedicated to the elderly in our societies. As its
name suggests, the Silver Economy is not a “market” but a cross
“economy”.
The population ageing process is real and impacts every market and
industry, such as: home accommodation, transport, food industry,
insurance, robotics, health and e-health, , communications, Internet,
sports and leisure.
The sectors covered include, among others, structures for the elderly,
personal services, home help, housing, communication, transport, safety,
leisure, hygiene, travel, Mutual insurances, provident institutions and
insurers. All these markets are already adapting to ageing process.
The rapid growth in the senior population is transforming societies across
the globe.
Globally, the proportion of people over 65 years of age was 10 percent in
2012 but it is expected to jump to 22 percent by 2050, according to
estimates by the World Economic Forum.
In OECD countries, the ratio is projected to increase, on average, from 23
percent in 2011 to 35 percent in 2030.
In India, the elderly population is expected to triple from 104 million in
2011 to 300 million in 2050, accounting for 18 percent of the total
population in 2050.

Draft National Policy for Senior Citizens 2020

The Draft National Policy for Senior Citizens 2020which seeks to create a
strong silver economy that caters to the new and evolving needs of seniors in
the country.

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51.GREEN BUILDINGS
The green buildings in India constitute less than 2%. However, there is a
great opportunity to increase that number since about 60% of the
country’s infrastructure is yet to be put in place in the next 20 years.
Moreover, the government is also planning to launch a global green
construction challenge to promote Green buildings in the country.
Green Building is a sustainable building with high efficiency in resource
usage (energy, water, and materials) while reducing impacts on health
and environment during its lifecycle through good building practices.
Benefits of Green Buildings
1. Buildings are one of the primary pollutants that affect urban
air quality and cause climate change.
2. Promoting green buildings is to addressing the challenge of
environmental conservation and climate change.
3. The costs for design and construction of the green building is
high, however, the operational costs are low.
4. It efficiently utilizes energy, water, and other resources.
5. It will reduce the Heat waves (caused by climate change) or
Urban Heat Island Effect.

TERI: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (Non-profit) plays a

very crucial role in developing green building capacities in the country.
GRIHA: Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) is a
rating system evolved by TERI. It was adopted by the government as the
National Green Building Rating System for the Country.
GRIHA aims at ensuring that all types of buildings become green
buildings.
It rates even non-air conditioned buildings as green and puts great
emphasis on local as well as traditional construction knowledge.
IGBC: India Green Building Council (IGBC) is the first rating
programme exclusively for the residential sector. It is a part of the
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
LEED-India: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
India has been developed by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
1. It is the Green Building rating programme licensed by LEED
which is the international certification run by US Green Building
Council (USGBC).
2. It provides a framework for building owners and operators for
identifying and implementing practical green building solutions.

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 Energy Saving Building Code: Developed by Bureau of Energy
Efficiency (BEE) under Ministry of Power.
1. To optimize energy savings with the comfort levels for occupants.
2. It sets minimum energy standards for commercial buildings.
ECO-NIWAS Portal: Energy Conservation-New Indian Way for
Affordable & Sustainable homes) was launched by the government to
increase awareness about sustainable building and energy efficient homes
in the country. It was developed by BEE.

52.GAOFEN-14
China successfully launched a new earth observation satellite, GAOFEN-
14 which can take high-resolution pictures of ground objects across the
globe.

The satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in
southwest China’s Sichuan province.

The satellite was sent into orbit by a Long March-3B carrier rocket.

It is an optical stereo mapping satellite.

It can efficiently obtain high precision stereo images globally, draw large
scale digital topographic map, produce digital elevation models, digital
surface models and digital orthophoto images, and provide basic
geographic information.

53. E 20 FUEL

Government has proposed the adoption of E20 fuel for vehicular use.
E20 is a blend of 20% ethanol with petrol and can be used as an
alternative to the fuels currently available.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has published a draft
notification as it opens up to comments from the public for the adoption
of E20 fuel.
The government is looking at the adoption of mass emission standards for
this fuel for transport application. Additionally, it also wishes to facilitate
the development of E-20 compliant vehicles.
E20 means blending of 20% of Ethanol with gasoline. Currently the
permissible level of blending is 10% of Ethanol in India. In 2019 in spite
of the permissible level India reached only 5.6 % of blending.

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 Ethanol is a common by-product that comes from agricultural feedstock
like corn, hemp, potato, etc. It can be used as a bio-fuel in Flexi-fuel
vehicles. Ethanol is greener than gasoline because the corn and crop
plantations absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow.
While the fuel still releases CO2 when you burn it, the net increase is
comparatively lower.

Benefits of E20

It reduces vehicular emission.

It reduces oil import bill and therefore saves foreign exchange boosting
energy security of the country.
It reduces emissions of Hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide.

Challenges

The major challenge is the compatibility of vehicles with the percentage

of Ethanol in the blend.
However, ethanol is less efficient as a fuel. It has lower energy content
than energy-rich gasoline and diesel. The rule delivers less power when
burned, which in return results in more fuel consumption and lower
mileage. Additionally, blends over E15 (15% ethanol) is highly corrosive
for older vehicles as the alcohol can break down old rubber seals and can
damage engines.

54. SAGUNA RICE TECHNIQUE (SRT)

Saguna Rice Technique is a unique new method of cultivation of rice and

related rotation crops without ploughing, puddling and transplanting
(rice) on permanent raised beds.
This is a zerotill, Conservation Agriculture (CA) type of cultivation
method evolved at Saguna Baug, Neral, Dist. Raigad, Maharashtra.
The permanent raised beds used in this method facilitates ample of
oxygen supply to root zone area while maintaining optimum moisture
condition there.
SRT has made suitable changes in the conventional rice cultivation to
ease farmers’ laborious work and to prevent fertility loss during puddling.
SRT has ability to bring “Vigorous Uniformity” and higher yields in all
soil types even in degraded soils and socio-economic groups
Hand hoeing is strictly avoided in SRT.

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55. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX 2020
India drops two ranks to 131 in un human development index 2020

This year's theme is 'Human development and the Anthropocene'

The HDI is the measure of a country's health, education, and
standard of living and ascertains a nations' average achievement in
three basic scales of human development - education, life expectancy,
and per capita income.

India ranked 131 among 189 countries on the Human Development Index
(HDI) for 2019, slipping two places from the previous year, according to
the Human Development Report (HDR) 2020 released by the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP)

Norway topped the index, followed by Ireland and Switzerland. Hong

Kong and Iceland complete the top five.

Important values with respect to India

1. India’s HDI value for 2019 is 0.645, which put the country in the
medium human development category.

2. Between 1990 and 2019, India’s HDI value increased from 0.429
to 0.645. - a 50% INCREASE.

3. Between 1990 and 2019, India’s life expectancy at birth increased

by 11.8 years, mean years of schooling increased by 3.5 years, and
expected years of schooling increased by 4.5 years.

4. India’s GNI per capita increased by about 273.9% between 1990

and 2019.

5. Life expectancy for Indian’s at birth was 69.7 years in 2019,

slightly lower than the south Asian average of 69.9 years, but
slightly higher than the average of medium human development
index groupings in the world at 69.3 years.

6. According to the report published by UNDP on Tuesday, India's

gross national income per capita fell to $6,681 in 2019 from $6,829
in 2018 on purchasing power parity (PPP) basis.

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 HDI measures average achievement on three basic aspects of
human development, life expectancy, education, and per capita
income.

KURUKSHETRA

56. DIGITAL INDIA

The Indian Government launched the Digital India campaign to
make available government services to citizens electronically by
online infrastructure improvement and also by enhancing
internet connectivity.
It also aims to empower the country digitally in the domain of
technology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the
campaign on 1st July 2015.
Digital India was an initiative taken by the Government of India
for providing high-speed internet networks to rural areas. Digital
India Mission was launched by PM Narendra Modi on 1st July
2015 as a beneficiary to other government schemes including
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 Make in India, Bharatmala, Sagarmala, Startup India,
BharatNet, and Standup India.
There are major nine pillars of Digital India
1. Broadband Highways
2. Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity
3. Public Internet Access Programme
4. e-Governance
5. e-Kranti
6. Information for All
7. Electronics Manufacturing
8. IT for Jobs
9. Early Harvest Programmes

AgroPad is an Al-powered technology helping farmer's check

soil and water health. AgroPad10, developed by IBM, is a paper
device about the size of a business card. The microfluidics chip
inside the card performs on the spot a chemical analysis of the
sample, providing results in less than 10 seconds.
Agri Market APP is a mobile application been developed with
an aim to keep farmers abreast with the crop prices and
discourage them to carry out distress sale.
57.Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network(E-VIN)
It is is an indigenously developed technology that digitises
vaccine stocks and monitors the temperature of the cold chain
through a smartphone application.
The innovative eVIN was first launched across 12 states in
2015 to support better vaccine logistics management at cold
chain points.
eVIN supports the central government’s Universal
Immunization Programme by providing real-time information

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 on vaccine stocks and flows, and storage temperatures across
all cold chain points across states and UTs.

58. PRECISION FARMING

1. Precision agriculture refers to the precise application of
agricultural inputs with respect to soil, weather and crop
need in order to improve productivity, quality, and
profitability in agriculture.
2. It is a modern agriculture practice involving the use of
technology in agriculture like remote sensing, GPS and
Geographical Information System (GIS) for improving
productivity and profitability.
3. It enables farmers to use crop inputs more efficiently
including pesticides, fertilizers, tillage and irrigation water.
4. More effective utilization of inputs will bring in more crop
yield and quality without polluting the environment and
will result in sustainable agriculture and sustainable
development.
5. Hence precision agriculture is about doing the right thing,
in the right place, in the right way, at the right time.

YOJANA
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed on 3rd
December.
The UNESCO will mark the International Day of Persons with
Disabilities with a week-long programme from 25 November to 3
December 2020 under the theme “Building back better: towards an
inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world by, for and
with persons with disabilities“.
The Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human
rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. It is also central

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 to the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals
(SDG) to leave no one behind.

59.UNIQUE ID FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES PROJECT

The UDID project initiated by Department of Empowerment of

Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) aims at building a holistic end-to-
end integrated system for Issuance of Universal ID & Disability
Certificates for Person with Disabilities with their identification and
disability details.
It includes -
1. Online availability of data of Person with Disabilities across
country through a centralized web application
2. Online filing and submission of registration application form for
disability certificate/ Universal ID card; Offline applications may
also be accepted and subsequently digitized by agencies
3. Quick Assessment process for calculating the percentage of
disability by the hospitals/ Medical Board
4. Non-duplication of PwDs data
5. Online renewal and update of information by Person with
Disabilities/ on their behalf
6. MIS reporting framework
7. Effective management including interoperability of the benefits /
schemes launched by the Government for Person with Disability
(PwD)
8. To take care of additional disabilities in future.
Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities" project is being implemented
with a view of creating a National Database for Persons with Disability
(PwDs) and to issue a Unique Disability Identity Card to each person
with disabilities.
The Objective of this project is to enable the PwDs to obtain the new
UDID card / Disability Certificate to avail schemes and benefits provided
by the Government through its various Ministries and their Departments.
This card will be valid pan-India.

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60.SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2020

Madhya Pradesh’s Indore has been ranked the cleanest city for the fourth
consecutive year under the Swachh Survekshan 2020, the centre’s annual
survey on cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat Mission
Chhattisgarh was ranked the cleanest state of India in the ‘under 100
Urban Local Bodies’ category while Jharkhand was adjudged the leanest
state of India in the ‘above 100 Urban Local Bodies’ category.
The survey, which covered 4,242 cities and saw the participation of 1.87
crore citizens, was completed in 28 days. It was the first-of-its-kind
completely digital survey completed in a record time of 28 days.
When the Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban (SBM-U) was launched in
2014, it was with the objective of making urban India 100% open
defecation free (ODF) along with 100% scientific solid waste
management.
With no concept of ODF in urban areas and solid waste processing
standing at a mere 18%, it was clear that an accelerated approach was
necessary if the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s dream of a Swachh India was
to be achieved within the timeframe of five years
In 2019, Indore was awarded the cleanest city in the country in the
Swachh Survekshan 2019 (SS 2019) awards, while Bhopal was declared
the cleanest capital. Ujjain bagged the award for being the cleanest city in
the population category of 3 lakh to 10 lakh.
Swachh Survekshan was launched by PM Modi in 2016. Mysuru was
chosen as the cleanest city in India in that edition of the survey.

Swachh Survekshan is meant to monitor the performance of Swachh

Bharat Abhiyan, which was launched on October 2, 2014, the 150th birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It aims to make India open-defecation
free by 2019.
The extensive sanitation survey is commissioned by the Ministry of
Urban Development and carried out annually by Quality Council of India.
The survey was introduced by the government with the objective of
generating large-scale participation in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It was
also aimed at inculcating a spirit of healthy competition among cities
towards becoming India’s cleanest cities.

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 IMPORTANT FACTS FROM PIB ANDALL INDIA RADIO

61.INDO-NEPAL LINK CANAL

NHPC lays the foundation stone of head regulator works of Indo-Nepal

Link Canal.
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd (India)(NHPC), a
hydropower company and a PSU under the Ministry of Power, laid
the foundation stone of head regulator works of Indo-Nepal Link Canal at
barrage of 94.2 MW Tanakpur Power Station of NHPC located in
Banbasa, Champawat district of Uttarakhand on 8 December 2020.
The Indo-Nepal Link Canal project comprise of constructing a Head
Regulator on the left bank of existing Tanakpur Barrage and diverting its
water into irrigation canal to Nepal.
The 1.2 km long Indo-Nepal canal is being constructed under ‘Mahakali
Treaty’ signed between India and Nepal.
The proposed Indo Nepal Link canal envisages construction of irrigation
canal originating from Tanakpur barrage and runs on the left bank of the
river at almost perpendicular to Sharda River.
It eventually connects to Nepal Canal after crossing Indian Territory.

Mahakali Treaty:

It is an agreement between the Government of Nepal and the Government

of India regarding the development of watershed of Mahakali River.
The treaty was signed in 1996.
The treaty recognizes the Mahakali River as a boundary river between the
two countries.

SOURCE:

https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1679160

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62. DRAFT OF INDIAN PORTS BILL 2020

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has circulated draft of Indian

Ports Bill 2020 for public consultation which will repeal and replace the
Indian Ports Act, 1908.
The draft Indian Ports Bill, 2020, seeks to, inter alia, enable the structured
growth and sustainable development of ports to attract investments in the
Port sector for optimum utilisation of the Indian Coastline by effective
administration and management of ports.
The proposed Bill will provide measures to facilitate conservation of
ports, taking into account the prevalent situation with respect to the high
number of non-operational ports.
The Bill also seeks to, inter alia, create an enabling environment for the
growth and sustained development of the ports sector in India through the
following broad methods:
1. Constitution of Maritime Port Regulatory Authority
2. Formulation of the National Port policy and National Port plan
in consultation with Coastal State Governments, State Maritime
Boards and other stakeholders.
3. Formulation of specialised Adjudicatory Tribunals namely
Maritime Ports Tribunal and Maritime Ports Appellate
Tribunal to curb any anti-competitive practises in the port sector
and act as a speedy and affordable grievance redressal mechanism.
The up-to-date provisions of the proposed Bill would ensure safety,
security, pollution control, performance standards and sustainability of
Ports.
The Bill ensures that all up-to-date conventions /protocols, to which India
is a party, are also suitably incorporated. This will promote marine safety
and security in the true sense. The Bill will fill up the gaps for achieving
scientific development of Ports and Port Network.
The Bill seeks to provide increased opportunities for public and private
investments in the Indian maritime and ports sector by way of removing
barriers to entry, simplifying processes and establishment of agencies and
bodies to plan and enable growth of the ports sector.
Enhancing “Ease of Doing Business’, it will provide greater impetus to a
self-reliant domestic investment climate in the maritime sector, towards
Atamanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the Government.

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SOURCE:

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1679974

63.EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL FOR TECHNICAL TEXTILES

Ministry of Textiles invites proposals for constitution of a

Dedicated Export Promotion Council for Technical Textiles
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in its meeting held on 26th
February, 2020, gave its approval to set up a National Technical Textiles
Mission with a view to position the country as a global leader in
Technical Textiles.
The Mission would have a four year implementation period from FY
2020-21 to 2023-24.
Constitution of an Export Promotion Council for Technical Textiles is
part of one of the components of the National Technical Textiles
Mission.
Technical Textiles are futuristic and nice segment of textiles, which are
used for various applications ranging from agriculture, roads, railway
tracks, sportswear, health on one end to bullet proof jackets,fire proof
jackets, high altitude combat gear and space applications on other end of
spectrum.
Technical textiles are textiles materials and products manufactured
primarily for technical performance and functional properties rather than
aesthetic characteristics.
India shares nearly 6% of world market size of 250 Billion USD.
However, the annual average growth of the segment is 12%, as compared
to 4% world average growth.
Penetration level of technical textiles is low in India at 5-10%, against 30-
70% in advanced countries.
The Mission aims at improving penetration level of technical textiles
in the country.
The aim of the mission is to position India as a global leader in
Technical Textiles. It also supports the ‘Make in India’ initiative
promoting domestic manufacturing of related machinery and
equipment.
The mission will comprise of the following four components:
1. Research, Innovation and Development
2. Promotion and Market Development
3. Export Promotion
4. Education, Training, Skill Development

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SOURCE:

https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1677979

64.DAMARU

IIT KANPUR researchers develop ‘damaru’ inspired lattice that

finds applications in stealth submarines, high speed trains

IIT Kanpur researchers have demonstrated how with the use of a

micro-structured hour-glass shaped metastructure in the lattice unit,
one can get a wider variation of propagation and stop bands. The
hour-glasses are developed in the Smart
Materials Laboratory of IIT Kanpur using additive manufacturing.
Inspiration of the lattice they developed has come from a two-headed
drum called ‘Dambaru’ or ‘Damaru’ which is used in ancient Hinduism
and Tibetan Buddhism. It is said that Lod Shiva has produced a special
sound through this musical instrument to create and regulate the universe.
Interestingly, in this application, IIT Kanpur researchers have shown the
nature of stiffness of a vibrating medium could be altered drastically by
controlling the lattice micro-structure from regular honeycomb to auxtetic
honeycomb structure.
This has wide applications in the field of vibration isolation in high speed
trains, stealth submarines and helicopter rotors.
This has wide applications in the field of vibration isolation in high speed
trains, stealth submarines and helicopter rotors.
This work is sponsored by a SPARC project of Ministry of Education.

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SOURCE:

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=IIT-Kanpur-Researchers-develop-
%E2%80%98Damaru%E2%80%99-Inspired-Lattice-that-finds-applications-in-
stealth-submarines%2Chigh-speed-trains&id=405410

65.DAKPAY.

Department of posts and india post payments bank unveiled

a new digital payment app dakpay.
DakPay is a suite of digital financial and assisted banking services
provided by India Post and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) through the
trusted Postal (‘Dak’) network across the nation to cater to the financial
needs (‘Pay’) of various sections of the society.
DakPay UPI app allows users to create UPI ID and link multiple accounts
across banks in a single mobile app. The app facilitates instant money
transfers, QR based payments in merchant stores and online shopping on
e-commerce websites.

Apart from this, the app will also provide interoperable banking services
to the customers with any bank in the country.

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SOURCE:

http://www.newsonair.com/News?title=Dept-of-Posts-%26-India-Post-
Payments-Bank-unveil-new-digital-payment-app-%E2%80%98DakPay
%E2%80%99&id=406144

66.INDIGENOUS SPORTS IN KHELO INDIA

Govt approves inclusion of four indigenous sports in khelo india youth

games 2021

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 The Sports Ministry has approved the inclusion of four Indigenous
Games to be a part of Khelo India Youth Games 2021, scheduled to
take place in Haryana. The games include: Gatka, Kalaripayattu,
Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba.
Kalaripayattu has its origin from Kerala and has practitioners all over the
world; Bollywood actor Vidyut Jammwal being one.
Mallakhamba, meanwhile, has been well-known across India and Madhya
Pradesh and Maharashtra have been the hotspots of this sport.
Gatka originates from the State of Punjab and this traditional fighting
style of the Nihang Sikh Warriors is used both as self-defense as well as a
sport.
Thang-Ta, a Manipur marital art has passed into oblivion in the recent
decades, but the sport will get national recognition again with the help of
the Khelo India Youth Games 2021.

SOURCE:

http://newsonair.com/News?title=Govt-approves-inclusion-of-four-indigenous-
sports-in-Khelo-India-Youth-Games-2021&id=406417#:~:text=Govt
%20approves%20inclusion%20of%20four%20indigenous%20sports%20in
%20Khelo%20India%20Youth%20Games%202021,-Tweeted%20by
%20%40AIR&text=The%20Sports%20Ministry%20has%20approved,%2C
%20Thang%2DTa%20and%20Mallakhamba.

67.ANAEMIA MUKT BHARAT INDEX

Haryana State has the best Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) Index among 29
states in the country.
The Anemia Mukt Bharat, an initiative of the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare and UNICEF, has been launched to reduce the
prevalence of Anemia all over India.
Haryana was ranked at the top slot with an AMB Index of 46.7.

SOURCE:
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http://newsonair.com/News?title=Haryana-tops-Anemia-Mukt-Bharat-Index-in-
country&id=402706

68.MINISTRY OF EDUCATION’S NEW SCHOOL BAG POLICY

Ministry of education’s new school bag policy, based on various surveys

and studies conducted by NCERT, was shared with state governments
last month.
It is in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP) released in
July.
It gives guidelines on homework and weight of school bags for classes 1
to 12.
Children up to Class 2 should not be given any homework as they are too
young to sit for long hours and they should carry a bag weighing not
more than 2 kg.
It gave a suggestive class-wise range for the ratio of school bag as 10 per
cent of the body weight.
Children in classes 3, 4 and 5 should be given a maximum of two hours
of homework per week.
For classes 6 to 8, homework should be maximum of one hour a day.
For Secondary and Higher Secondary stages, a maximum of two hours of
homework a day is recommended.
The circular has also asked schools to engage children in vocational
activities such as pottery, gardening, among others.

SOURCE:

https://theprint.in/india/education/govt-suggests-no-homework-upto-class-2-
school-bag-should-weigh-10-of-body-weight/562776/

69.SWACHHATA ABHIYAN

Union minister for social justice and empowerment launched

'swachhata abhiyan', a mobile application to identify and Geo tag
insanitary latrines and manual scavengers.
It helps citizen to provide the authorities concerned details of any
insanitary latrine or manual scavenger they notice.
This would help in rehabilitating all manual scavengers and replace
insanitary latrines with sanitary ones.
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SOURCE:

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1683291#:~:text=Union
%20Minister%20for%20Social%20Justice,Gurjar%20in%20New%20Delhi
%20today.

70.CO-WIN

The government of India has introduced a new digital platform

called 'CO-WIN' for covid-19 vaccine delivery.
The CO-WIN app is yet to be available for smartphone users and it is
expected that it will be publicly available soon.
There will be a new mobile app as well with the same name that will
allow people to register for the vaccine.
The platform will be used for recording vaccine data and will form a
database of healthcare workers too.
All COVID-19 related data necessary for the delivery of the vaccine is
presently being uploaded on the CO-WIN platform.
The app will have separate modules for administrator, registration,
vaccination, beneficiary acknowledgement and reports.
Once people start to register for the app, the platform will upload bulk
data on co-morbidity provided by local authorities.

SOURCE:

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1683001

71.PRODUCTION-LINKED INCENTIVE (PLI) SCHEME

The Union Cabinet has given its approval to introduce the Production-
Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Enhancing India’s Manufacturing
Capabilities and Enhancing Exports.
The PLI scheme will be implemented by the concerned
ministries/departments and will be within the overall financial limits
prescribed.
The final proposals of PLI for individual sectors will be appraised by the
Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) and approved by the Cabinet.
The PLI scheme across 10 key specific sectors will make Indian
manufacturers globally competitive, attract investment in the areas of

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 core competency and cutting-edge technology; ensure efficiencies; create
economies of scale; enhance exports and make India an integral part of
the global supply chain

It is being implemented in 10 key sectors.

1. Advance Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery

2. Electronic/Technology Products

3. Automobiles & Auto Components

4. Pharmaceuticals drugs

5. Telecom & Networking Products

6. Textile Products: MMF segment and technical textiles

7. Food Products

8. High Efficiency Solar PV Modules

9. White Goods (AC& LED)

10. Speciality Steel

SOURCE:

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1671912

IMPORTANT FACTS FROM DOWN TO EARTH AND MONGABAY

INDIA

72. INDIA’S FIRST POLLINATOR PARK

India’s first pollinator park opens in uttarakhand’s haldwani

The park aims to conserve various pollinator species, create
awareness among general public about their importance and to
promote further research on various aspects of pollination.
The park has more than 40 pollinator species with displays on the
mechanism of pollination of plant species by various species of

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 butterflies, honeybees, birds, insects, moths, beetles, wasps, and small
mammals.
The park also has small water bodies for mud puddling of butterflies
through which they take certain nutrients like salt and arrangement
of ultraviolet light to attract night pollinators like moths.

The pollinator’s park, which took nearly a year to build, was

inaugurated by noted lepidopterist Peter Smetacek, from Butterfly
Research Centre Bhimtal. Smetacek helped the forest department in
setting up the park.

The objective of setting up the park is to conserve various pollinator

species, to create awareness among general public about their
importance and to promote further research on various aspects of
pollination, including a threat to their habitat and impact of
pollution, use of pesticides and relation between various pollinators
and plant species

At present, between 75-95 per cent of all flowering plants on earth

depend on pollinators to provide pollination services to over 180,000
different plant species.

Without them, existing populations of plants would decline, even if

soil, air, nutrients, and other life-sustaining elements were available.

Pollinators affect nearly 35% of global agricultural land, supporting

the production of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, and thus
forming the basis of our life.

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SOURCE:

https://india.mongabay.com/2020/12/as-butterfly-parks-come-up-for-awareness-
butterflies-continue-to-lose-habitat-overall/

73. INDIAN GOVERNMENT PLANS A GREEN CITY IN EVERY

STATE

Indian government wants to develop a ‘green city’ in every state of

the country, powered by renewable energy. The ‘green city’ will
mainstream environment-friendly power through solar rooftop
systems on all its houses, solar parks on the city’s outskirts, waste to
energy plants and electric mobility enabled public transport systems.
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on
December 3 unveiled a concept note stating that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi desires one city in each state to be developed as a
green city that will meet all its energy requirements from renewable
sources of energy.
The idea is to have either the state’s capital city or a renowned
tourist area for this programme.

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SOURCE:

https://india.mongabay.com/2020/12/indian-government-plans-a-green-city-in-
every-state/

74. THE ‘STATE OF THE EDUCATION REPORT FOR INDIA 2020

The ‘State of the Education Report for India 2020: Technical and
Vocational Education and Training (TVET), was launched virtually by
UNESCO.
With an in-depth analysis of the current state of TVET in India
highlighting next practices and recommendations, the Report aims to
serve as a reference tool for enhancing and influencing the policies and
programs related to skills development in India.
Report outlines a set of ten recommendations that should be adopted to
help achieve the stated vision for TVET in the country.

The ten recommendations are:

1. Place learners and their aspirations at the centre of vocational education

and training programmes.
2. Create an appropriate ecosystem for teachers, trainers and assessors.
3. Focus on up skilling, re-skilling and lifelong learning.
4. Ensure inclusive access to TVET for women, differently abled and
disadvantaged learners.
5. Massively expand the digitalization of vocational education and training.
6. Support local communities to generate livelihoods by engaging in the
preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
7. Align better with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
8. Deploy innovative models of financing TVET.
9. Expand evidence-based research for better planning and monitoring.
10.Establish a robust coordinating mechanism for inter-ministerial
cooperation.
The substance of the Report has been developed by an experienced
team of researchers from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Mumbai, under the guidance of UNESCO New Delhi.

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SOURCE:

https://www.livemint.com/education/news/how-rural-schooling-is-going-into-
the-dark-11608044666364.html

74. PROJECT LION

Project Lion could displace Maldharis within Gir to create ‘inviolate

space’
Maldharis, a traditional pastoral people found in and around the Gir
National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, might end up being uprooted from
their homes, if the Project Lion proposal takes shape.
The proposal, created by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the
Gujarat forest department, talks of creating ‘an inviolate space of 1,000
square kilometres’ (sq km).
Inviolate spaces are areas free from anthropomorphic pressures. Resource
extraction of forest produce like fuel wood, fodder and minor forest
produce as well as human habitation are not allowed in such places.

Project Lion was launched by Narendra Modi August 15, 2020.

The project will involve habitat development by engaging modern

technologies in management as well as in addressing the issue of
diseases in lion and its associated species through veterinary care and
advanced world-class research.
Six new sites apart from the Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary were
identified under Project Lion that was announced by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on August 15, 2020.

The six new sites include:

1. Madhav National Park, Madhya Pradesh.

2. Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan.
3. Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan.
4. Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh.
5. Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan.
6. Jessore-Balaram Ambaji WLS and adjoining landscape, Gujarat.

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About Maldharis

These people are the Maldharis, who have resided in the area for several
generations. They live in settlements called ness and make their living by
selling milk from their water buffaloes.

SOURCE:

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/project-lion-could-
displace-maldharis-within-gir-to-create-inviolate-space--
73992#:~:text=Inviolate%20spaces%20are%20areas%20free,has%20accessed
%20the%20proposal%20document.

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 FACTS AND EXAMPLES FOR MAINS
China has started importing Indian rice for the first time in at least three
decades due to tightening supplies and an offer from India of sharply
discounted prices, Indian industry officials told Reuters. India is the
world’s biggest exporter of rice and China is the biggest importer. Beijing
imports around 4 million tonnes of rice annually but has avoided
purchases from India, citing quality issues.
According to the Reserve Bank of India's, “nowcasting”, India’s economy
will contract by 8.6% in the second consecutive quarter (July, August,
September) of the current financial year which means the economy is in a
‘technical recession’. In simpler words, a technical recession is two
quarters in a row of economic contraction. In the case of a nation’s
economy, the term usually refers to back-to-back contractions in the real
GDP.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation's first
"State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity” report was launched on the
occasion of World Soil Day, on December 5. The first ever report
highlighting the threats and the solutions that soil biodiversity can
provide to current global challenges.
States with critically low groundwater reserves were responsible for 41%,
or about 38.6 million tonnes of India's domestic cereal trade. This worked
out to nearly 39% of India's total groundwater being used up in producing
and trading cereal among States.
Green' and 'blue water' refer to the volume of precipitation water
that is consumed during crop production, either from
evapotranspiration, transpiration, or incorporated into the final crop
product. The blue water is that withdrawn from ground- and surface-
water sources and consumed during crop production, or incorporated into
the final crop product.

Recently, Indian Oil has launched world-class premium grade Petrol

(Octane 100) in the country. Branded as XP100, the premium grade
petrol was launched across ten cities. Octane number is a measure of
the resistance of fuels to knock or to ignite prematurely. The higher an
octane number, more stable the fuel.

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 “Wolf-warrior diplomacy,” named after Chinese action blockbuster
movies, describes offensives by Chinese diplomat to defend China’s
national interests, often in confrontational ways.

Tropical Montane Grasslands are high elevation grasslands which are rich
with shrublands and herbs etc. It covers only 2% of the grasslands around
the world.

The J&K State Lands Act 2001 popularly known as the Roshni Act
enables the transfer of ownership rights of state land to its residents by
paying a certain amount fixed by the government. The name "Roshni"
signifying light was given to the act as it was mentioned that the revenue
generated would be used for powering hydroelectric projects in the state.
The act was recently repealed by the J&K High Court declaring it as
unconstitutional and unstable.
Data scraping, or web scraping, is the process of extracting data from a
website. Scraper bots are designed to derive information from these
websites. A user designing a bot to extract data is called a scraper.
What are holographic storage devices?
It is a method of recording data in the form of holograms or three-
dimensional images inside an object using light. Holographic storage uses
green lasers to write data pages. These pages have hundreds of kilobytes
of data in the form of hologram.
A goldmine of Iron Age finds at Muthalamada burial site. An iron chisel
that lay underneath soil for over 2,000 years was recovered in good
situation from an urn burial site at Nagampadam, close to Muthalamada
Railway Station, in Palakkad district recently.The chisel, believed to be
from the Iron Age, is anticipated to throw mild on the early Iron Age
historic burials within the area. It remained intact for over 2,000 years as
a result of of its steel high quality. The Iron Age or megalithic interval is
estimated to be from the fifth century BC to the third century AD.
A custodian or custodian bank is a financial institution that holds
customers' securities for safekeeping to prevent them from being stolen or
lost. The custodian may hold stocks or other assets in electronic or
physical form.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants, usually crops, without soil.
In this method, the crops/plants are grown on water, rich in essential

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 nutrients. According to studies, plants grown hydroponically grow faster
and healthier than plants in the soil since they are being provided with
required nutrients directly to their roots through the water.it is also known
as soil-less farming.
In People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India (2003), the
Supreme Court held that freedom of speech and expression also contained
the fundamental right of a voter to secure information about the
candidates who are contesting the election.
The indigenous people of the Western Ghats, including the Particularly
Vulnerable Tribal Groups, constitute 44.2% of the tribal population of
6.95% of Karnataka. The Western Ghats are also home to a sizeable
population of communities like Gowlis, Kunbis, Ha lakki Vakkala, Kare
Vakkala, Kunbi, and Kulvadi Marathi. In the context of the Forest Rights
Act, they are treated as other traditional forest dwellers' since they have
been living there for at least three generations prior to December 13, 2005
and depend on the forest or forest land for their livelihood needs. They
eke out their living by collecting 'minor forest produce such as cinnamon
and kokum from the forest.
CEO Niti aayog Amitabh Kant said India needs to focus on boosting its
manufacturing capabilities in sunrise sectors. A sunrise industry is one
that is new or relatively new, is growing fast and is expected to
become important in the future. Examples of sunrise industries
include hydrogen fuel production, petrochemical industry, food
processing industry, space tourism, and online encyclopedias.
The UNESCO has decided to launch an international prize in the field of
‘creative economy’ in the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman. Starting November 2021, the dollar 50 thousand award will be
given away once in two years for global economic initiatives of the
youth.According to UNESCO, the international award will create a
knowledge-sharing mechanism by capturing, celebrating and
communicating best practice in the development of creative
entrepreneurship. UNESCO has declared 2021 as ‘International Year
of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development’.
‘Water delivery’ in their home through tap connections is an
aspiration for women. It brings dignity to them. It empowers them. It
brings safety and security to women and girls. It improves ‘ease of
living’ and ensures better ‘quality of life’. With these aspirational

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 goals in mind, Prime Minister launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) on
73rd Independence Day i.e. 15 August, 2019 from the ramparts of
Red Fort.
The mission is under implementation in partnership with States. The
goal is to have ‘Har Ghar Jal’- every house in the village is to be
provided with tap connection. During 2019-20, in 7 months, more
than 84 lakh households were provided with tap connections.
THE HUMAN FREEDOM INDEX 2020, a worldwide ranking of
civil, economic and personal freedom, released recently placed india
at the 111th spot out of 162 countries. India ranked 94 on the index in
2019. India’s scored 6.30 out of 10 in personal freedom and 6.56 in
economic freedom. The country’s overall human freedom score was
6.43.New Zealand, Switzerland and Hong Kong bagged the first
three spots. The index was published by American think tank Cato
Institute and Fraser Institute in Canada. Fred McMahon and Ian
Vásquez are the authors of the report.

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