Current: Current Shots 365 Yearly Magazine

Volume 3
JUNE 2021 -
August 2021 CURRENT The
Revision
issue
Current Shots 365 Yearly Magazine
MISSION
INNOVATION
CLEAN TECH
EXCHANGE
AGRISTACK IS A
COLLECTION OF
TECHNOLOGIES
AND DIGITAL
DATABASES
PROPOSED BY
THE UNION
GOVERNMENT

PROJECT 75
India’s Defense Ministry Issues
First P-75I Submarine Tender.
Project-75(I) envisages
indigenous construction of six
modern conventional submarines
BLUE-FINNED
MAHSEER
The Blue-Finned Mahseer now
moved from critically endangered
to Least Concerned Status.
NANO UREA LIQUID

FERTILIZER
Indian Farmers Fertiliser
Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has
introduced the world's first Nano
Urea Liquid for farmers.
A Comprehensive Current Affairs Revision Magaziine for Civil

Services - EPFO - RRB - SSC - NDA - CDS and All Other
Competetive Exams.
https://shortnotesias.com CURRENT SHOTS 365 | VOLUME 3
Shortnotesias.com registered this copy to Shourya Gautam , shouryamgautam@gmail.com

POLITY

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POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND IR

KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT [NPP]:
➢ Recently, Russian nuclear major Rosatom began construction of Kudankulam

Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Unit 5 in India in cooperation with Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), a PSU under the Department of
Atomic Energy (DAE).
➢ At present, India has civil nuclear agreements with 14 countries, namely
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Japan, Kazakhstan,
Mongolia, Namibia, Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom, US and Vietnam.
➢ This, is despite India not being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty
and operating outside the ambit of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG):
▪ It was established in 1974 as a result of successful nuclear test conducted by

India (Operation Smiling Buddha or Pokhran-I).
▪ It is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-
proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of guidelines for
nuclear exports and nuclear-related exports.
▪ India is not a member of this group.
STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE [SIPRI] 2021 REPORT:
➢ According to recently released Stockholm International Peace Research

Institute (SIPRI) 2021 report, the overall number of nuclear warheads in
global military stockpiles now appears to be increasing.
➢ Indian nuclear warheads increased from 150 at the start of 2020 to 156 at the
start of 2021. Pakistan and China’s nuclear warheads have also increased.
Russia and the U.S. together possessed over 90% of global nuclear weapons.
➢ These increasing numbers of nuclear warheads highlights a worrisome sign for
Nuclear Disarmament as it indicates that the declining trend of global nuclear
arsenals since the end of the Cold War has stalled.
Nuclear disarmament is the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons. It

aims towards achieving a state where nuclear weapons are eliminated. The term
denuclearization is also used to describe the process leading to complete nuclear
shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 1

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disarmament.
WOMEN IN JUDICIARY:
➢ Recently, in first for Supreme Court, 9 judges including three women took oath in
one go.
➢ With the latest appointments, the working strength of the top court has risen to
33 judges, against the sanctioned strength of 34.
➢ Marking another first, the top court will now have as many as four women
judges.
➢ Until now, right from 1950, of the total 247 judges appointed so far, there have
been only eight women judges. In 1980, Justice M Fathima Beevi became the
first woman judge to be appointed to the apex court.
RULE OF LAW:
➢ Recently, Chief Justice of India delivered a lecture on Rule of Law and he

advocated that, “the story of ‘Rule of Law’ is nothing but the story of
civilization of humans.”.
➢ Only a State that is governed by law imbibing ideals of justice and equity
can be said to have the ‘Rule of Law’. According to Prof. Dicey, Rule of law
contain three principles:
➢ Supremacy of Law - No man is punishable except for a distinct breach of law.
➢ Equality before Law - No man is above the Law.
➢ Predominance of Legal Spirit – Constitution is the result of rights of
Individual as defined and enforced by Courts of Law.
➢ Indian philosophers such as Chanakya stated the rule of law theory by
maintaining the state is governed, not by the ruler or the nominated
representatives of the people but by the law. The expression 'Rule of Law' has
been derived from the French phrase 'la principle de legalite', i.e., a
Government based on the principles of law.
JUSTICE ROHINI C OMMISSION:
➢ Union Cabinet has approved an extension by six months of the term of Justice
Rohini Commission examining the possibility of sub-categorisation within the
Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Central list

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➢ The Union Government constituted a four- member commission headed by

Justice G. Rohini in 2017 under Article 340 with an aim to improve the
equitability of sharing of benefits among OBCs.
➢ The article 340 of the Indian Constitution lays down conditions for the
appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes.
JUVENILE JUSTICE [CARE AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN ] AMENDMENT BILL, 2021:
➢ A juvenile is a person less than 18 years of age. The Juvenile Justice (Care
and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 addresses children in conflict with law
and children in need of care and protection. It provided for the trial of
juveniles in conflict with law in the age group of 16-18 years as adults in
certain cases.
➢ The Act was brought to replace the Juvenile Delinquency Law and the
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children Act) 2000.
➢ It fulfils India's commitment as a signatory to the United Nations Convention
on the rights of the child, the Hague Convention on Protection of
Children and Co-operation in respect of Inter-country Adoption (1993),
and other related international instruments.
➢ The recent amendment has been brought based on a report filed by the
NCPCR in 2018-19 in which the over 7,000 Child Care Institutions (or children’s
homes) were surveyed and several inadequacies prevailing in the system were
highlighted.
➢ Recently,Parliament passed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)
Amendment Bill, 2021, which seeks to amend the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.
COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES:
➢ A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court annulled part of the 97th Amendment
Act and Part IX B of the Constitution which governs the “Cooperative Societies”
in the country
Co-Operatives:
▪ It is a voluntary association of individuals having common needs, who join hands

for attainment of common economic goals and interests.

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▪ It includes, Co-operative societies, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, Co-

operative Banks, etc. They help in enhancing social cohesion, financial inclusion
and elevate the bargaining power of the poor by organizing them into a group.
▪ They also help in reducing income inequalities by facilitating equitable
distribution of wealth and gaining access to formal loans at affordable rates of
interest. Few examples of successful co-operatives in India are- Indian Coffee
House, Self Employed Women’s Association etc.
➢ ‘Cooperatives’ is a ‘State’ subject. However, the 97th Amendment Act was passed
by the Parliament without getting them ratified by State legislatures as required
by the Constitution.
➢ The Court declared that Part IXB of the Constitution is operative only insofar as
it concerns Multi-State cooperative societies both within the various States and
in the Union Territories.
➢ The SC has held that co-operative societies come under the “exclusive legislative
power” of State legislatures.
FIVE PILLARS OF INDIAN DIPLOMACY:
➢ Recently, Foreign Secretary of India listed the five pillars of Indian

diplomacy for strategic autonomy & global good.
The five pillars of Indian Diplomacy are:
➢ Multipolar focus: India places Neighborhood First, Act East and Think West
and has revitalized its approach to these policies.
➢ Diplomacy as an international force multiplier for the Government: The
Ministry of External Affairs is the global arm of the government and has a global
footprint and presence. Indian diplomacy must be able to work with domestic
partners and bridge them with international interests to exploit the
opportunities that will inevitably arise.
➢ Force for global good: This pillar ensures Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
in action. For example, India’s efforts in ensuring global vaccine supply through
Vaccine Diplomacy.
➢ Futuristic Outlook: It promotes efforts at rebalancing including our endeavor
to participate in the search for solutions to common problems. For example,

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despite our development needs, India has shown strong commitment to climate
action.
➢ Indian in thought: Indian diplomacy is guided by bearings that arise from
Indian thinking influenced over centuries by Kautilya’s Arthshastra or ancient
texts such as the Mahabharata and the Bhagvad Gita.
Three strands of Indian diplomacy worth mentioning here are:
▪ Tradition of the Middle Path.

▪ Human-centric globalization.
▪ Need for strategic autonomy.
➢ Strategic autonomy denotes the ability of a state to pursue its national
interests and adopt its preferred foreign policy without being constrained
in any manner by other states.
FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS [FTSC S]:
➢ The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of 1,023 FTSCs, including 389
exclusive POCSO Courts, as a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme (CSS) from
April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023.
➢ Fast Track Special Courts are dedicated courts expected to ensure swift
dispensation of justice, and thus act as a deterrent for sexual offenders.
➢ The Central share is from Nirbhaya Fund, which is disbursed by Union
Ministry of Women and Child Development.
➢ FTSC (set up under the Nirbhaya Fund) were not clear whether all cases of
gender-based violence such as eve-teasing or domestic violence came under their
purview.
➢ Decision of a FTSC is generally challenged in the HCs or SC.
E-PRISONS PROJECT:
➢ The Ministry of Home Affairs has provided financial assistance of Rs.99.49

crores to the States and UTs for e-Prison project. Prison is a state subject.
➢ The e-Prisons, which aims at computerization of the functioning of
prisons in the country, has been operationalised in all States and UTs.
➢ e-Prisons data has been integrated with Police and Court system under the
Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS).

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➢ e-Prisons uses data maintained by the States and Union Territories on the
National Prisons Information Portal.
➢ The system is developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC) network, MeitY
and can be accessed exclusively by the authorized officials of Law Enforcement
Agencies and Prisons, through ICJS.
THE TRIBUNALS REFORMS BILL, 2021:
➢ Recently, The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2021 was passed in Lok Sabha. The
Supreme Court has challenged the government to produce material showing its
reasons for introducing the Tribunal Reforms Bill of 2021. The Bill replaces the
Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance, 2021
which was quashed by the Supreme Court.
➢ The Bill seeks to dissolve certain existing appellate bodies (Film Certification
Appellate Tribunal, Intellectual Property Appellate Tribunal, Custom, Excise And
Service Tax Appellate Tribunal, Airport Appellate Tribunal, National Highway
Tribunal,) and transfer their functions, such as adjudication of appeals, to other
existing judicial bodies.
➢ The Bill states that the Chairpersons and Members of the tribunal being
abolished shall cease to hold office, and they will be entitled to claim
compensation equivalent to three months’ pay and allowances for their
premature termination.
➢ Chairpersons and judicial members of tribunals are former judges of High Courts
and the Supreme Court and they will be appointed on the recommendation of a
Search-cum- Selection Committee. The central government must decide on the
recommendations of selection committees preferably within three months
from date of the recommendation.
➢ The Bill provides for a four-year term of office (subject to the upper age limit
of 70 years for the Chairperson and 67 years for members; and minimum age
limit of 50 years.).
➢ While the Bill provides for uniform pay and rules for the search and
selection committees across tribunals, it also provides for removal of tribunal
members.

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PREVENTIVE DETENTION:
➢ Supreme Court in a recent judgment held that Preventive detention, the dreaded
power of the State to detain a person without trial, could be used only to
prevent public disorder.
➢ The court must ensure that the facts brought before it directly and inevitably
lead to a harm, danger, alarm or feeling of insecurity among the general public or
any section thereof at large.
➢ The State should not arbitrarily resort to “preventive detention” to deal with all
and sundry “law and order” problems, which could be dealt with by the ordinary
laws of the country.
➢ Preventive detention must fall within Article 21 (due process of law) read with
Article 22 (safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention) and the statute
in question.
➢ Under Section 151 of Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC), preventive
detention is action taken on grounds of suspicion that some wrong actions
may be done by the person concerned.
➢ A police officer can arrest an individual without orders from a Magistrate
and without any warrant if he gets any information that such an individual
can commit any offense.
GOVERNOR’ S POWER TO PARDON:
➢ The Supreme Court held that the Governor’s power to pardon overrides
Section 433A of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
➢ Section 433A states that where a sentence of imprisonment for life is
imposed for an offence for which death is one of the punishments provided by
law, or where a sentence of death has been commuted under section 433 into
imprisonment for life. Then, such person shall not be released from prison
unless he had served at least fourteen years of imprisonment.
➢ SC held that the Governor of a State can pardon prisoners, even before
they have served a minimum 14 years of prison sentence.
➢ Section 433-A of the Code cannot and does not in any way affect the
constitutional power conferred on the President/Governor to grant pardon
under Articles 72 or 161 of the Constitution.

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➢ This sovereign power of a Governor to pardon a prisoner (article 161) is actually

exercised by the State government and not the Governor on his own.
OPERATION DEVI SHAKTI:
➢ Operation Devi Shakti was jointly launched by Ministry of External Affairs

and Indian Air Force.
➢ Under it, the Indians and the foreign nationals are being evacuated from
Afghanistan following Taliban's takeover of the country. So far, India has
evacuated more than 800 people from Kabul under this operation.
➢ India has introduced a new category of e-visa for Afghan nationals. This
category is aimed at fast- tracking applications of those who want to come to
India in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.
➢ Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital on 15th August when the
government collapsed. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
GREATER MALE CONNECTIVITY PROJECT:
➢ India and Maldives will sign a contract on the mega Greater Male
Connectivity project (GMCP), the largest infrastructure project in the
country. The project is funded by an Indian grant of $100 m and a Line of
Credit of $400 m.
➢ GCMP will involve the construction of a 6.74 km long bridge and causeway
link connecting the capital Male with the adjoining islands of Villingli,
Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.
➢ This is a direct result of the ‘India First’ foreign policy of the Maldives and
India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ foreign policy.
TIWB:
➢ Bhutan’s Tax Inspectors without Borders (TIWB) programme was

launched in partnership with India.
➢ It aims to aid Bhutan in strengthening its tax administration and focus of
the programme will be in the area of International Taxation and Transfer
Pricing.
➢ TIWB is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

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(OECD) to enable sharing of tax audit knowledge and skills with tax
administrations in developing countries.

ECONOMY

ECONOMY
ECONOMY
INDIA’S FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES:
➢ Recently, Indian Foreign Exchange reserves hit new lifetime high of around US$
612 billion, making India the fourth largest Forex reserve holder after
China, Japan and Switzerland.
➢ Foreign Exchange Reserves, also known as Forex Reserves, are assets held on
reserve by a central bank in foreign currencies.
➢ Mostly dominated by foreign currency assets, it can also include other
instruments like bonds, treasury bills, Gold Reserves, Special Drawing Rights
at IMF etc.
➢ US dollar, Euro, British pound, Japanese Yen and Chinese Yuan are some of the
common currency assets with US dollar as main currency due to its use in
settlement of all international transactions.
INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY CODE [AMENDMENT] B ILL 2021:
➢ The Parliament recently passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

(Amendment) Bill 2021, allowing the use of “pre-packs” to resolve insolvency
proceedings involving micro, small and medium-scale enterprises
➢ The bill replaces the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance,
2021 that was promulgated by the President in April, 2021.
Key Highlights of the bill:
➢ Inserting a new Chapter to facilitate pre-packaged insolvency resolution process

(PIRP) for corporate persons that are Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
➢ The central government may, by notification, set the minimum threshold of
default to initiate PIRP up to one crore rupees.
➢ Earlier, in April 2021, the government had set the minimum threshold at 10 lakh
rupees.
➢ Disposal of simultaneous applications for initiation of corporate insolvency
resolution process (CIRP) and PIRP, pending against the same corporate debtor.
➢ Penalty for fraudulent or malicious initiation of PIRP or fraudulent management
of corporate debtor during the insolvency resolution process.
➢ Punishment for offences related to pre-packaged insolvency resolution process.

ECONOMY
GOVERNMENT SECURITIES [G-SEC]:
➢ Recently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed small retail investors to invest
in government securities (G-Sec) by opening gilt accounts with the central bank
under ‘RBI Retail Direct’ scheme
G-Sec and Gilt Accounts
➢ A Government Security (G-Sec) is a tradeable instrument issued by the

Central Government or the State Governments. It acknowledges the
Government’s debt obligation.
➢ The RBI, in consultation with the Government of India, issues an indicative half-
yearly auction calendar which contains information about the amount of
borrowing, the range of the tenor of securities and the period during which
auctions will be held
➢ G-Secs are issued through auctions conducted by RBI. Auctions are conducted on
the electronic platform called the E-Kuber, the Core Banking Solution (CBS)
platform of RBI.
➢ The Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) is the clearing agency for
G-Secs. It acts as a Central Counter Party (CCP) for all transactions in G-Secs by
interposing itself between two counterparties. In effect, during settlement, the
CCP becomes the seller to the buyer and buyer to the seller of the actual
transaction.
➢ In India, the Central Government issues both, treasury bills and bonds or
dated securities while the State Governments issue only bonds or dated
securities, which are called the State Development Loans (SDLs).
➢ G-Secs carry practically no risk of default and, hence, are called risk-free gilt-
edged instruments.
➢ A "Gilt Account" means an account opened and maintained for holding
Government securities, by an entity or a person permitted by the Reserve Bank
of India. However, in case of a ‘Person resident outside India, the activities in
the operations/maintenance of Gilt Account shall be governed by the Foreign
Exchange Management Act, 2000 and the regulations framed thereunder.

ECONOMY
NARCL:
➢ Recently, National Asset Reconstruction Company LTD (NARCL)

registered in Mumbai with the aim of cleaning up the bad loans from bank
books.
➢ NARCL will reconstruct only those assets which are 100% provided for by the
lenders and not classified as fraud or amid a liquidation process.
➢ Indian Banking system needs solution to large percentage of stressed assets
(7.5% of advances in March 2021) and high level of provisioning.
➢ First proposed by Indian Bank Association (IBA) in 2020. In Budget 2021-22
government announced the establishment of an Asset Reconstruction
Company (ARC) and Asset Management Company (AMC) to consolidate
and take over the existing stressed debt and to manage and dispose of the assets
to Alternate Investment Fund (AIF) and other potential investors for
eventual value realization.
➢ With set up of NARCL, participating PSBs have identified 22 bad loans worth ₹
89,000 crore to be acquired by it.
NATIONAL URBAN DIGITAL MISSION:
➢ The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) along with the Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched National Urban
Digital Mission (NUDM) to improve urban connectivity that will connect nearly
2,535 cities.
➢ NUDM aims to build the shared digital infrastructure for urban India, working
across the three pillars of people, process, and platform to provide holistic
support to cities and towns.
➢ It will institutionalize a citizen-centric and ecosystem-driven approach to
urban governance and service delivery in cities by 2022 and across all cities and
towns in India by 2024.
FREIGHT SMART CITIES:
➢ The Logistics Division of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has unveiled
plans for the ‘Freight Smart Cities’.

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➢ Starting, 10 cities will be developed as Freight Smart cities. Further, an

institutional mechanism involving the Government, private stakeholders like
logistics services providers, users and citizens will be set up.
➢ To enhance the urban freight system, measures have been divided into four
categories- vehicle use optimization, infrastructure development, demand and
land use planning, and technology adoption.
PRADHAN MANTRI KHANIJ KSHETRA KALYAN Y OJANA [PMKKKY]:
➢ It is meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining
related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations
(DMFs).
➢ The scheme ensures mitigating the adverse impacts, during and after
mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining
districts; and to ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people
in mining areas.
➢ As per this scheme, High priority areas like drinking water, health care,
sanitation, education, skill development, welfare measures, skill development
and environment conservation will get at least 60% share of the funds.
FISCAL DEFICIT:
➢ Fiscal Deficit is the difference between the total income of the government (total
taxes and non-debt capital receipts) and its total expenditure. It occurs when the
government’s expenditure exceeds its income.
➢ Fiscal Deficit = Total expenditure of the government (capital and revenue
expenditure) – Total income of the government (Revenue receipts + recovery of
loans + other receipts)
➢ India has recorded a fiscal deficit of 9.3% of GDP in 2020-21 and for 2021-22, the
deficit has been put at 6.8 per cent of the GDP.
➢ This is mainly due to rise in expenditure to mitigate the fallout of pandemic and
moderation in revenue and low tax collection due to COVID 19 induced economic
slowdown.
➢ Thus, there have been debates on how to finance the growing fiscal deficit given
the need to provide additional stimulus to the Indian economy amid the ongoing
pandemic.

ECONOMY
MICROFINANCE :
➢ Micro finance originated in Bangladesh with the institution of Grameen Bank

in 1983. Under this model, women borrowers are organised into Self-Help Groups
(SHGs), which would be entitled to borrow from the lending institution either for
their individual or group requirements.
➢ In several countries across the world, micro finance originated from the
activity of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that were aided
largely or partly by foreign donors for their lending operations.
➢ Microfinance is a form of financial service which provides small loans and other
financial services to poor and low-income households to enable borrowers to work
their way out of poverty by undertaking income generating activities.
➢ Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed a new regulatory regime
for microfinance with uniform set of guidelines for all lenders.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM:
➢ It is the tourism that takes full account of its current and future
economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of
visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.
➢ Aim of sustainable tourism includes economic viability of host destination,
local prosperity, social equity, Employment quality, community wellbeing,
cultural richness, biological diversity and resource efficiency.
➢ Tourism has been included as targets in sustainable development goals
(SDGs) 8, 12 and 14 on inclusive and sustainable economic growth, sustainable
consumption and production (SCP) and the sustainable use of oceans and marine
resources, respectively. Tourism, however, has the potential to contribute,
directly or indirectly, to all of the SDGs.
DISTRIBUTION SECTOR SCHEME:
➢ Scheme: To improve the operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of

all DISCOMs/ Power Departments excluding Private Sector DISCOMs.
➢ The scheme will provide conditional financial assistance to DISCOMs for
strengthening of supply infrastructure.
➢ Eligibility: To be eligible for funding against the Scheme in that year, DISCOMs
have to score a minimum of 60% of marks and clear a minimum bar in respect to

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certain performance parameters like, aggregate technical and commercial

(AT&C) losses, average cost of supply (ACS)-average revenue realised (ARR) gap,
infrastructure upgrade performance, consumer services, hours of supply and
corporate governance, etc
AGRISTACK:
➢ AgriStack is a collection of technologies and digital databases proposed by

the Union government that focuses on farmers and the agricultural sector.
➢ AgriStack may have a Farmers’ Stack, a Farm Stack and a Crop Stack
integrated on a technology platform linking existing digital land records,
cadastral maps of farms and information.
➢ Farmers’ Stack can consist of farmer data with Aadhaar as unique
identifier, Farm Stack can have geospatial information on each farm (with a farm
identity) owned by a farmer with cadastral maps, and Crop Stack can contain
crop data linked to farms.
➢ Data would be interlinked to land registration, cadastral maps and
satellite images from state government departments and public entities.
➢ Government’s schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
(PMFBY), PM-KISAN and Soil Health Card will be integrated through a
common database along with land record details over a period of time.
➢ Recently, many organisations that work for farmers’ rights and digital rights
flagged concern over government’s plan of creating ‘AgriStack’.
HORTICULTURE CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME [HCDP]:
➢ Recently, Union Agriculture Minister launched Horticulture Cluster

Development Programme (CDP) to ensure holistic growth of horticulture.
➢ It is a central sector programme, implemented by National Horticulture
Board, starting with pilot phase in 12 horticulture clusters (out of total 53
clusters) covering nearly 10 lakh farmers from 11 States/UTs.
➢ It will leverage geographical specialisation and promote integrated and
market-led development; making Indian horticulture clusters globally
competitive.

ECONOMY
➢ Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has also provided an enhanced

allocation of Rs. 2250 Crore for the year 2021-22 for ‘Mission for Integrated
Development of Horticulture’ (MIDH).
Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH):
➢ It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the holistic growth of the

horticulture sector.
➢ Under MIDH, Government of India (GOI) contributes 60%, of total outlay for
developmental programmes in all the states except states in North East
and Himalayas. In the case of North Eastern States and Himalayan States,
GOI contributes 90%.
➢ MIDH also provides technical advice and administrative support to State
Governments/ State Horticulture Missions (SHMs) for the Saffron Mission and
other horticulture related activities Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana
(RKVY)/National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
RESEARCH DESIGN AND STANDARDS O RGANISATION [RDSO]:
➢ Recently, Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of Indian

Railways has become the first Institution to be declared Standard
Developing Organization (SDO) under "One Nation One Standard" mission of
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards).
➢ This Partnership will help RDSO, the sole R&D wing of the railway ministry, to
realign its standard formulation procedures as per the code of good
practices mentioned under the WTO-Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO-
TBT).
➢ India is a signatory to WTO-TBT Agreement under which it is to be ensured that
the Central Government, State Government and non-Governmental
Standardisation Bodies operating within India as well as regional
standardisation bodies within India accept and comply to the Code of Good
Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards provided in
the Annex 3 of the WTO-TBT Agreement.
➢ RDSO took the initiative to seek recognition as a SDO under the BIS SDO
Recognition Scheme.

ECONOMY
➢ Under the scheme, BIS envisages the recognition of the other SDOs for
attaining the vision of “One Nation One Standard”.
NATIONAL MONETISATION PIPELINE [NMP]:
➢ Recently, the government of India has launched the National Monetisation

Pipeline (NMP), a roadmap for asset monetisation of various brownfield
infrastructure assets across sectors.
Asset Monetisation:
➢ Also commonly referred to as asset or capital recycling, it refers to the

process of conversion of assets into economic value.
➢ It is a constituent of the government’s non- debt capital receipts.
➢ Asset monetization, as a concept, entails offering public infrastructure to
the private sector or institutional investors through structured vehicles and
mechanisms.
➢ Hence, monetization is distinct shift from ‘privatization’ or ‘structured
partnerships’ with the private sector within defined contractual frameworks.
It serves three critical objectives:
▪ Unlocks value from public investment in infrastructure

▪ Taps private sector efficiencies.
▪ Creation of new sources of revenue by unlocking of value of hitherto
unutilized or underutilized public assets.
NEO-BANK:
➢ Recently, Fintech platforms, which sometimes refer to themselves as neo-banks,

are increasingly making inroads into the Indian market.
➢ A Neo-bank is a term for ‘fintech firms’ with only a digital presence and no
physical branches. They provide banking services use such as savings
accounts, instant loans, credit cards, mutual funds, and fixed deposits.
➢ They do this via tie-ups with Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-licensed banks.
➢ In the case of products such as wealth management, neo-banks generally get
investment adviser licenses. Usually, they tie-ups are with small finance
banks or small scheduled commercial banks.

ECONOMY
➢ Some countries such as the UK have a formal regulatory license for neo-banks,

but that is not the case in India. There is no such category of banks under
the RBI rules.
➢ Neo banks are different from traditional banks in every aspect from business
models to customer care.
➢ They are usually mobile-first, leveraging technology to minimise operating
costs and offer a customer-friendly interface.
➢ Tie-ups of neo-banks with small banks allow them to offer higher interest
rates on savings accounts. Single neo-bank can tie up with multiple regulated
banks. They help to analyze and track the spending.
NMEO-OP:
➢ Recently, Cabinet approved a new centrally sponsored scheme, NMEO-OP, to

promote domestic cultivation of oil palm in the next five years.
➢ It will subsume the current National Food Security Mission-Oil Palm
programme.
➢ Under this scheme, it is proposed to cover an additional area of 6.5 lakh
hectare (ha.) for oil palm till the year 2025-26 and thereby reaching the target
of 10 lakh hectares ultimately.
Features of the scheme:
➢ It will have a special focus on Northeast region and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
➢ Price assurance to the oil palm farmers on the lines of the minimum support
price (MSP) for the Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) from which oil is extracted by
the industry. This will be known as the Viability Price (VP).
➢ The assurance to the farmers will be in the form of the viability gap funding
and the industry will be mandated to pay 14.3% of the CPO price which
will eventually go up to 15.3%.
➢ There is a sunset clause for the scheme which is 1st November 2037.
➢ Palm oil farmers will be paid the price difference via direct benefit
transfer (DBT).
➢ To give impetus to the North-East and Andaman, the Government will
additionally bear a cost of 2% of the CPO price.

ECONOMY
PREPAID SMART METERS:
➢ Recently, State Electricity Regulators decided to mandate deployment of

prepaid smart meters by DISCOMs
➢ Aimed at bringing down electricity losses, the DISCOMs will deploy prepaid
smart meters for below mentioned consumers by December 2023:
➢ All UTs, electrical divisions with above 50% consumers in urban areas with
power losses above 15% in FY19-20 and other electrical division with above 25%
losses in FY19-20.
➢ In all government offices at block and above level and all industrial and
commercial consumers.
➢ In all other areas (except for agriculturalists), the deadline has been set as
March 2025.
➢ Also, all feeders will be provided with meters having Automatic Meter
Reading (AMR) facility by December 2022.
ITAT-E-DWAR:
➢ It is an e-filing portal of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) launched

by Ministry of Law.
➢ It is larger narrative of transformation that the country is undergoing through
digital medium.
➢ Enhance the accessibility, accountability and transparency in the day to
day working of the ITAT.
➢ Result in economization of the use of paper, savings in costs, and
rationalization of the fixation of cases leading to quicker disposal of cases.
E-RUPI:
➢ I“e-RUPI” is an electronic voucher based digital payment system which is

person-specific and purpose-specific payments system. E-RUPI is not a
platform.
➢ These vouchers are like e-gift cards, which are prepaid in nature.
➢ The code of the cards can be shared either via SMS or the OR code can be shared.
➢ e-RUPI is backed by existing Indian rupee as underlying asset and it’s
specificity of purpose makes it different from a virtual currency and puts
it closer to a voucher-based payment system.

ECONOMY
➢ It has been developed by the National Payments Corporation of India on

its UPI platform, in collaboration with the Department of Financial Services,
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and National Health Authority.
FLOATING RATE FUNDS:
➢ Floating rate funds buy bonds whose interest rates change according to
the changing rates in the economy
➢ This feature is thus supposed to insulate them from losses because of rate
hikes and can even increase their returns as rates rise.
➢ According to Securities and Exchange Board of India rules, 65% of the corpus
of floating rate funds must be invested in floating rate instruments.
➢ Floating rate funds have seen huge inflows in recent months as investors expect
interest rates to rise.
E-SHRAM:
➢ The labour ministry has launched the National Database for Unorganised
Workers (NDUW) or e- Shram portal.
➢ According to the Economic Survey (2018-19), 93 per cent of the total
workforce in India is in the unorganised sector.
➢ They are often deprived of any social security benefits like pension,
insurance etc.
Features:
➢ All registered workers shall be issued an e- Shram card with Universal

Account Number (UAN) to avail benefits of various social security schemes of
the government (like PM- Shram Yogi Maan-DhanYojana).
➢ Provision of accidental cover of Rs. 2 lakh in case of death or permanent
disability and Rs. 1 lakh in case of partial disability.
➢ The database will serve as a reference point for the authorities to track
and reach out to unorganised workers and offer them relief in times of crisis.
SWEAT EQUITY:
➢ The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has relaxed the quantum
of sweat equity that can be issued by new-age technology companies
listed on the Innovators Growth Platform (IGP)

ECONOMY
➢ Sweat equity refers to shares issued by a company to its employees for

non-cash consideration. Startups and promoters typically use it to fund their
companies.
➢ By amending the Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements Regulations,
2019, SEBI launched IGP for listing of issuers which are in intensive use
of technology, IT, IPR, data analytics, biotechnology or nano- technology
to provide products, services or business platforms with substantial value
addition.
GLOBAL MANUFACTURING RISK INDEX:
➢ In Cushman & Wakefield’s 2021 Global manufacturing risk index, India has
overtaken the United States (US) to become the second-most sought-after
manufacturing destination globally.
➢ China remains at number one position.
➢ About Global Manufacturing Risk Index
➢ The index assessed the most advantageous locations for global
manufacturing among 47 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia-
Pacific (APAC).
➢ The rankings in the report is based on a range of factors including Risk and
cost factors, Political and economic risk, Market conditions and labor costs.

SOCIETY &
SECURITY

SECURITY
SOCIETY AND SECURITY

JAN SHIKSHAN SANSTHAN [JSS]:
➢ The Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), A Union government initiative for skill
development in rural areas, has brought high-speed internet to some of the
remotest tribal hamlets deep inside the Nilambur jungle.
Jan Shikshan Sansthan:
➢ JSS, formerly known as Shramik Vidyapeeth, provides vocational skills by

identifying skills that have a market in the region of their establishment.
➢ It has been transferred from Ministry of Human Resource Development
to Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in July-2018.
Beneficiaries:
➢ Non-literate, neo-literates (Education up to 8th Standard) as well as school

drop-outs (age group of 15- 35 years).
➢ Socio-economically backward and educationally disadvantaged groups of
rural/urban population.
➢ Priority given to women, SC, ST, OBC and Minorities in rural areas and urban
slums.
➢ JSSs are registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It is implemented
through NGOs with 100% grants from the Government of India.
➢ Livelihood cell to be encouraged for self and wage employment and linkages with
national / state portal for promotion of employment and job melas etc.
➢ Courses having NSQF Compliant which has production, service and IT oriented.
➢ Life Enrichment Education part of Skill training programme and Digital Literacy
are also incorporated across the course curriculum.
UNSC DEBATE ON MARITIME SECURITY:
➢ PM Modi chaired a high-level open debate on maritime security held by UNSC.

He became the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a UN Security Council
Open Debate.

SECURITY
➢ India assumed the rotating Presidency of the UNSC for the month of August.
This was India's tenth tenure at the UNSC as President. Last one was in
November 2012.
➢ This was the first time that maritime security was discussed as an exclusive
agenda item in such a high-level open debate.
➢ The debate session highlighted the primacy of the UNCLOS, which sets out the
legal framework applicable to activities in the oceans, including countering illicit
activities at sea.
➢ An outcome document, in this regard, was adopted. Initially, China resisted.
However, under international pressure, it submitted to asserting the primacy of
UNCLOS.
PEGASUS SURVEILLANCE SPYWARE:
➢ Pegasus is a spyware developed by NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance firm, that

helps spies hack into phones.
➢ Pegasus is “perhaps the most powerful piece of spyware ever developed” and can
turn a mobile phone into a “24-hour surveillance device” – harvesting
messages, passwords, photos, internet searches, and other data and seizing
control of the camera and microphone.
➢ This can all be done via “zero-click” technology, meaning that one does not have
to click on a compromised link or do anything else for one’s phone to become
infected.
DRONE RULES 2021:
➢ Recently, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has released the updated Drone
Rules, 2021 for public consultation.
➢ Main Drone is a layman terminology for Unmanned Aircraft (UA), an aircraft,
which is intended to operate with no pilot on board.
➢ An aircraft and its associated elements, which are operated with no pilot on
board is called as Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).
➢ Security agencies in India have for some time been anticipating the possible use
of drones to target sensitive locations.

SECURITY
➢ Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an ‘Anti

Drone System’ and it will be deployed this year.
➢ Indian Air Force has decided to procure Counter Unarmed Aircraft System
(CUAS) that can be armed with laser directed energy weapons to bring down
rogue drones.
INTEGRATED THEATRE COMMANDS:
➢ Recently, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) chaired a meeting with the Vice Chiefs
of the three Services among others, in the backdrop of concerns about the
proposed model of the Integrated Theatre Commands.
➢ An integrated theatre command envisages a unified command of the three
Services, under a single commander, for geographical theatres that are of
security concern.
➢ The commander of such a force will be able to bring to bear all resources at his
disposal from the IAF, the Army and the Navy with seamless efficacy.
➢ The idea of Integrated Theatre commands has been proposed by both the Kargil
review committee as well as D B Shekatkar committee.
➢ Shekatkar committee in 2016 recommended creating 3 integrated theatre
commands: Northern command for the China border, Western command for the
Pakistan border and Southern command for the maritime borders.
NATIONAL AUTOMATED FACIAL RECOGNITION SYSTEM [NAFRS]:
➢ Recently, in order to empower the Indian police with information technology,

Government has approved implementation of the National Automated Facial
Recognition System (NAFRS).
➢ A Facial recognition is a way of identifying or confirming an individual’s
identity using their face. Facial recognition systems can be used to identify
people in photos, videos, or in real-time.
➢ NAFRS is to be used by police pan-India and will be issued by the
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
➢ It would be a mobile and web-based application hosted in Delhi to help in
crime prevention and detection, and fast track document verification.

SECURITY
➢ It is supposed to be interlinked with other existing databases like Crime

and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), Integrated Criminal
Justice System (ICJS), State- specific database systems and the Khoya-paya
portal.
➢ It will use facial recognition technology to facilitate investigation of crime or for
identifying a person of interest (e.g., a criminal) regardless of face mask, makeup,
plastic surgery, beard, or hair extension.
ELDERLY IN INDIA 2021:
➢ The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has

brought out its publication ‘Elderly in India 2021’. This is the 5th series of
this publication that was started in 2001.
➢ Inadequate quality healthcare for elderly, according to the Longitudinal Ageing
Study of India (LASI) 2020 report, 75% of the elderly population of India suffers
from one or more chronic diseases such as arthritis, hypertension, cataract,
diabetes, asthma and heart disease, 40% have a disability, and 20% suffer from
mental health issues.
➢ India’s Public Health Care System is unable to provide the required level of
continuity of care, leading to the poor quality of care for the elderly in the
country. On the other hand, rehabilitative care is essentially non-existent in
India’s public health care system. In certain metropolitan areas where we have
rehabilitative care, it stands unaffordable for the poor and middle-income elderly.
MIGRANT LABOURER:
➢ The Supreme Court of India has delivered its judgment in the ‘migrant
labourer’ case.
➢ The apex court took suo motu cognisance of the plight of the migrant
workers at the height of the exodus last year and continued hearing the case
through the second wave and gave following directions:
➢ All states and Union territories (UT) to implement the ‘One Nation One Ration
Card’ scheme for the benefit of migrant workers by July 31, 2021.

SECURITY
➢ Provide food to non-ration cardholders, increase allocation of subsidised

food and allow a migrant to access dry ration from anywhere under National
Food Security Act.
➢ The work on the portal for the National Data Base for Unorganised Workers
(NDUW Project) has to be completed by July 31, 2021 and the Central
Government and the respective states/UTs must complete the process of
registration of the unorganized labourers/migrant workers by December 31,
2021.
TIP BILL 2021:
➢ The Ministry of Women and Child Development has invited comments/

suggestions from all the stakeholders on the draft ‘Trafficking in Persons
(Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021’ (TIP Bill).
➢ Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of
forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker
or others.
➢ People can be forced into trafficking by many means such as physical force being
used upon them, or false promises made by traffickers.
➢ Currently, the crime of trafficking is covered under Criminal Law Amendment
Act, 2013. Trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation is
covered under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention Act of 1956.
➢ The legislation is aimed at preventing and countering trafficking in persons,
especially women and children, to provide for care, protection, and rehabilitation
to the victims, while respecting their rights, and creating a supportive legal,
economic and social environment for them, and also to ensure prosecution of
offenders.’
NIPUN BHARAT PROGRAMME :
➢ Recently, Ministry of Education (MoE) launched NIPUN Bharat programme, a

National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).
➢ Attaining FLN for all children has been focused on National Education Policy
2020. It accords highest priority to achieve universal FLN in primary school and
beyond by 2026-27.

SECURITY
➢ The Mission will be set up under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of
Samagra Shiksha which is an integrated scheme of school education covering
from Pre-School to Senior Secondary level.
➢ Mission aims to ensure universal acquisition of FLN, so that by 2026-27 every
child achieves the desired learning competencies in reading, writing and
numeracy at the end of Grade III and not later than Grade V.
➢ It aims to cover the learning needs of children in the age group of 3 to 9 years
including pre- school to Grade 3.
➢ The children who are in Class 4 and 5 and have not attained the foundational
skills will be provided individual teacher guidance and support, peer support and
age appropriate and supplementary graded learning materials to acquire the
necessary competencies.
MODEL TENANCY ACT:
➢ To regulate renting of residential and commercial premises and protect and

balance the rights of landlords and tenants.
➢ The Union Cabinet has approved the Model Tenancy Act for circulation to all
States / Union Territories for adaptation by way of enacting fresh legislation or
amending existing rental laws suitably.
➢ Provides clear definition of landlord, local authority, premises, property manager,
rental agent, tenant, sub tenant and so on.Provides three-tier quasi-judicial
dispute adjudication mechanism
➢ No civil court will have jurisdiction over matters pertaining to provisions under
Act.
➢ Rent Authorities and Rent Courts may be established by the District Collector
with the approval of the state government. The state or union territory
government may establish a Rent Tribunal after consulting with the
jurisdictional High Court. Specifies timelines for adjudication of certain
cases.
SDG INDIA INDEX 2021:
➢ Recently, the third edition of the report titled ‘Sustainable Development

Goals (SDG) India Index and

SECURITY
➢ Dashboard 2020–21: Partnerships in the Decade of Action’ was released by

NITI Aayog.
➢ India’s overall score across SDGs improved marginally from 60 in 2019 to 66 in
2021 on accounts of improvement in performance in providing facilities including
clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), affordable and clean energy (Goal 7) among
others.
➢ However, there has been a major decline in the areas of industry, innovation and
infrastructure as well as decent work and economic growth.
➢ Kerala retains top rank followed by Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu while
Bihar is at bottom followed by Jharkhand and Assam.
➢ Chandigarh maintained its top spot among the UTs followed by Delhi.
➢ Mizoram, Haryana, and Uttarakhand are the top gainers in 2020–21 in terms of
improvement in score from 2019.

ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
THE STATE OF CITIES CLIMATE FINANCE:
➢ The report titled ‘The State of Cities Climate Finance’ was recently released by
the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance and the World Bank.
➢ Climate finance refers to local, national or transnational financing—drawn from
public, private and alternative sources of financing—that seeks to support
mitigation (reducing GHG emissions) and adaptation (adapting to the adverse
effects and reduce the impacts of a changing climate) actions that will address
climate change.
➢ Climate financing will essentially help the world to reach the target of limiting
global warming to an increase of 1.5°C above pre-industrial level.
➢ The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the
Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement call for financial assistance from Parties
with more financial resources to those that are less endowed and more
vulnerable.
➢ An average of $384 billion was invested in urban climate finance annually in
2017-2018.
➢ Urban climate finance flows are heavily concentrated in OECD countries and
China.
➢ Vastly insufficient amounts of urban climate finance were invested in many
developing economy regions, including South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
➢ Finance for adaptation projects amounted to $7 billion in 2017-2018,
representing 9 per cent of investments tracked at the project level, against the 91
per cent ($69 billion) for mitigation and dual uses.
NDRC:
➢ India's and Asia's first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) is

coming up in the premises of Patna University, Bihar. It was first time proposed
in 2011.
➢ The centre is being set up on banks of Ganges, as per recommendation of a
steering committee constituted for implementation of Project Dolphin.
➢ As per the committee, Bihar had a natural advantage as it accounted for 50% of
the world’s river dolphin population.

ENVIRONMENT
➢ The Gangetic River dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal (declared in 2009
➢ The species is a reliable indicator of the health of the entire river ecosystem.
➢ It is one of four freshwater dolphin species in the world.
The other three are:
▪ 'Baiji' in Yangtze River in China (Functionally extinct since 2006)

▪ 'Boto' in Amazon River
▪ 'Bhulan' in Indus River in Pakistan
GROSS ENVIRONMENT PRODUCT [GEP]:
➢ On World Environment Day (June 5), Uttarakhand became the first state in
India to take into account Gross Environment Product (GEP) while
calculating its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
➢ GEP is the total value of final ecosystem services supplied to human well-being
in a region annually and can be measured in terms of biophysical value and
monetary value.
➢ GEP indicates the overall health of the environment as GEP measures prime
indicators such as forest cover, soil erosion, air quality and dissolved oxygen in
river water.
➢ Unlike Green GDP which is obtained after deducting the damage to the
environment from the total production of the state, GEP will assess the
improvement in the environment components in a year. Further it will tell how
much work the state has done in reducing the loss of the ecosystem in
environmental protection and resource use.
➢ Four critical natural resources- Air, Water, Forest and Soil- will be assigned
monetary values. The quality and quantity of these natural resources would
determine the GEP of Uttarakhand.
➢ Environmentalists estimate that Uttarakhand through its biodiversity
gives services to the tune of Rs 95,112 crore per year to the nation.
➢ Discussions on having a GEP in the state came after the Kedarnath disaster
(2013) and were further accentuated by the acute water shortage in the state
during summers.

ENVIRONMENT
ETHANOL BLENDING:
➢ Recently, the central government has advanced the target of 20% ethanol
blending in petrol (also called as E20), by five years to 2025, from 2030.
➢ The Government has also released an expert committee report on the ‘Roadmap
for Ethanol Blending in India by 2025’.
➢ It proposes a gradual rollout of ethanol-blended fuel to achieve E10 fuel supply
by April 2022 and phased rollout of E20 from April 2023 to April 2025.
➢ Earlier, National Biofuel Policy 2018 had envisaged an indicative target of
20% blending of ethanol in petrol and 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030.
➢ In 2020, India had set a target of 10% ethanol-blending in petrol by 2022, 20%
ethanol-blending in petrol by 2030 and 10% ethanol-blending in diesel by 2030.
➢ It also recommends introducing vehicles that are compatible by rolling out of E20
material-compliant and E10 engine-tuned vehicles from April 2023 and
production of E20-tuned engine vehicles from April 2025.
ATLAS OF GLACIAL LAKES:
➢ Recently, Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) released an atlas of glacial lakes that are
part of the Ganga River basin.
➢ Atlas is brought out under National Hydrology Project (NHP).
National Hydrology Project (NHP):
▪ NHP, under MoJS, aims to improve the extent, quality and accessibility of water
resources information and to strengthen the capacity of targeted water resources
management institutions in India.
▪ Under NHP, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, is carrying out
hydrological studies using satellite data and geo-spatial techniques. As part of
this, detailed glacial lake inventory, prioritization for GLOF risk, and simulation
of GLOF for selected lakes are taken up for entire catchment of Indian
Himalayan Rivers covering Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra River basin.
➢ In the present study, glacial lakes with water spread area ≥ 0.25 ha have been
mapped using Resourcesat-2 satellite data.
➢ The Ganga River basin extends over Central Himalayas in India, Nepal, Tibet
(China), and Bangladesh.

ENVIRONMENT
➢ It contains 9 of the 14 highest peaks in the world over 8,000 m in height,

including Mt. Everest.
➢ Other peaks over 8,000 m in the basin are Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho
Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Annapurna, and Shishapangma.
LARGE AREA CERTIFICATION [LAC]:
➢ It is a unique quick certification programme to harness the potential areas of

Organic farming in India.
➢ It was launched by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under
its flagship scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY).
➢ Under LAC, each village in the area is considered as one cluster or group
and simple documentations are maintained village-wise.
➢ All farmers with their farmland and livestock need to adhere to the standard
requirements and on being verified get certified en-mass without the need to go
under conversion period.
➢ Certification is renewed on annual basis through annual verification by a
process of peer appraisals as per the process of PGS-India.
➢ About 14,491 hectare area in Andaman and Nicobar has been certified as organic
under the Large Area Certification (LAC) Scheme of the PGS-India
(Participatory Guarantee System) certification programme (the first large
contiguous territory to be certified).
INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON C LIMATE CHANGE REPORT:
➢ The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its

Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).
➢ IPCC Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the objective of the IPCC is to
provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to
develop climate policies.
➢ The IPCC prepares comprehensive Assessment Reports about the state of
scientific, technical and socio-economic knowledge on climate change, its impacts
and future risks, and options for reducing the rate at which climate change is
taking place.

ENVIRONMENT
AMOC:
➢ According to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change, it is very likely that AMOC will decline over the 21st century.
➢ Gulf Stream – also known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning
Circulation (AMOC)- is at its weakest in more than a millennium, and
climate breakdown is the probable cause.
➢ It is a large system of ocean currents carrying warm surface water from the
equator up north, and sending cold, low-salinity deep water back down south.
➢ It works like a giant conveyor belt and is driven by differences in temperature
and salt content – the water’s density.
➢ The ocean conveyor gets its start in the Norwegian Sea, where warm water from
the Gulf Stream heats the atmosphere in the cold northern latitudes.
➢ Low temperature and a high salt content make the water cooler and denser,
causing it to sink to the bottom of the ocean. As more warm water is transported
north, the cooler water sinks and moves south to make room for the incoming
warm water. This cold bottom water flows south of the equator all the way down
to Antarctica.
➢ Eventually, the cold bottom waters return to the surface through mixing and
wind-driven upwelling, continuing the conveyor belt that encircles the globe.
➢ Upwelling is a process in which deep, cold water rises toward the surface.
➢ It plays a vital role in redistributing heat and energy throughout earth as the
warm water it carries releases heat into the atmosphere, and in absorbing and
storing atmospheric carbon. AMOC influences the climate of the east coast of
North America and the west coast of Europe. It brings warm and mild weather to
Europe.
KIGALI AMENDMENT:
➢ Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the ratification to the Kigali Amendment
of the Montreal Protocol.
➢ Ozone (O3) layer is a high ozone concentration region in the stratosphere (15-35
km above earth surface), protecting life on earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet
radiations from the Sun.

ENVIRONMENT
➢ Though produced and destroyed continuously, in the mid-1970s, scientists first

realized the threat to ozone from gases containing halogens (chlorine and
bromine).
➢ Ozone depletion, i.e., thinning of the ozone layer by ozone depleting substances
was confirmed in 1985
➢ through formation of ozone hole over the Antarctic during the Southern
Hemisphere spring.
SINGLE-USE PLASTICS [SUP]:
➢ Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change

(MoEF&CC) has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment
Rules, 2021, which prohibits identified single use plastic items which have
low utility and high littering potential by 2022.
➢ India has defined SUP as “a plastic commodity intended to be used once
for the same purpose before being disposed of or recycled” in its Plastic
Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
➢ These include plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles and
most food packaging.
➢ The assessment of SUP was conducted by comparing two pillars — the utility
index of a particular type of SUP and the environmental impact of the
same.
➢ The product that scores low on utility and high on environmental impact
should be considered for immediate phase out.
TETRAETHYL LEAD:
➢ Recently, UNEP announced the eradication of highly polluting leaded petrol

from the world as Algeria- the last country to use this fuel, exhausted its
supplies.
Tetraethyl Lead:
➢ Tetraethyl lead (TEL), or Organic lead, is a colorless liquid whose antiknock

properties were first found in 1921.
➢ When mixed with petrol, called Leaded Petrol, it improves the octane rating
of fuel as compared to unleaded petrol.

ENVIRONMENT
➢ As a result, it became a popular additive in petrol and jet fuels as knocking in

engine causes loss of power with risks of damage to the engine.
➢ Tetraethyl lead is toxic in nature, and it is absorbed rapidly by the skin, the
lungs, and the gastrointestinal tract.
➢ A serious environmental threat to human health (identified as early as 1924),
it contaminates the air, dust, soil, water, and crops on release through exhaust
fumes, evaporation losses and accidental spills.
➢ Exposure to it can cause Heart disease, Cancer, stroke, and lower IQ (especially
in children) by impacting brain development.
DIHING PATKAI NATIONAL PARK:
➢ Recently The Assam government has notified Dihing Patkai as the 7th
National Park (NP) of the state.
➢ Under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, both the State (section 35) and
Central (section 38) government can declare an area as National Park.
➢ The Dihing Patkai NP forms the “last remaining stretches” of the Assam
Valley tropical wet evergreen forests. It is located across eastern Assam’s
Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.
➢ It encompasses erstwhile Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Jeypore
Reserve Forest and the western block of the Upper Dihing Reserve Forest
including stretches of the Dirak and Buri Dihing rivers.
BLUE-FINNED MAHSEER:
➢ The Blue-Finned Mahseer, which was on the International Union for

Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list as ‘critically endangered’, has now
moved to the ‘least concern’ status.
➢ The Mahseer (roughly translates as mahi – fish and sher – tiger, is also
referred as “tiger among fish”). It is important indicator of freshwater
ecosystems. They are omnivorous.
➢ Out of 47 subspecies of Mahseer 15 are found in India and rest in other range
countries in South Asia.
➢ Mahseer prefers clean, fast flowing and well oxygenated waters for breeding and
migration.

SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

BIOTECH-PRIDE:
➢ “Biotech-PRIDE (Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data

Exchange) Guidelines” developed by Department of Biotechnology (DBT),
Ministry of Science and Technology were released recently.
➢ Biotech-PRIDE guidelines have been formulated in conformity with the
principles of NDSAP (National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy) 2012, for
enabling the sharing, access and storage of biological data.
➢ At present, in India the biological data is deposited in International Repositories
and there are no guidelines for sharing it.
➢ Under the guidelines, it is the responsibility of the data- generator/
producer/submitter to deposit data in an appropriate database in the notified
Data Repository.
➢ Data withdrawal may be granted if the individual or the organization, whose
data have been placed on a publicly accessible database, make a justified request
either directly or through the submitter, with valid claims to the data.
➢ These Guidelines will be implemented through Indian Biological Data Centre
(IBDC) at Regional Center for Biotechnology supported by Department of
Biotechnology
ZYCOV-D:
➢ The Recently, Zydus Cadilla, a pharmaceutical company, has approached Drug

Controller General of India for restricted emergency approval for ZyCov-D,
its plasmid DNA vaccine against COVID-19.
➢ If approved for use, this would be the world’s first DNA vaccine against
COVID-19.
➢ Both DNA and RNA are types of Nucleic acid vaccines (also known as gene-
based vaccines).
➢ Instead of injecting a weakened form of a virus or bacteria into the body, Nucleic
acid vaccines use genetic material from a disease-causing virus or bacterium (a
pathogen) to stimulate an immune response against it.
➢ That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from
getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies.

➢ Depending on the vaccine, the genetic material could be DNA or RNA. DNA and
RNA are the instructions our cells use to make proteins. In our cells, DNA is first
turned into messenger RNA (m RNA), which is then used as the blueprint to
make specific proteins.
➢ mRNA teaches cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response
inside human bodies.
➢ Unlike mRNA vaccines, DNA based vaccines donot require ultra-cold storage
systems and are said to be more cost effective.
CAR-T THERAPY:
➢ Recently, Department of Biotechnology supported First Chimeric Antigen

Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy was conducted.
➢ It is a way to get immune cells called T cells (a type of white blood cell) to fight
cancer by editing them in the lab so they can find and destroy cancer cells.
➢ T cells are taken from the patient's blood and are changed in the lab by adding a
gene for a man- made receptor (called CAR).
➢ This helps them better identify specific cancer cell antigens. The CAR T cells are
then given back to the patient.
➢ It is also sometimes talked about as a type of cell-based gene editing, because it
involves altering the genes inside T cells to help them attack the cancer.
➢ In order to promote and support development of CAR-T cell technology, BIRAC
and DBT have taken initiatives in the last 2 years.
➢ Genome (or gene) editing is a way of making specific changes to the DNA of a cell
or organism. This allows genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at
particular locations in the genome.
➢ It is a three-stage complex mechanism of unwinding, cleaving and rewinding of
DNA to bring desirable changes in the genome of any living beings. Cleaving of
the DNA includes editing of genes (cut paste of the DNA).
➢ By editing the genome, the characteristics of a cell or an organism can be
changed.

LIDAR:
➢ Recently, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released LiDAR

(light detection and ranging) based reports mapping out the water requirement
within forest areas in 10 states.
➢ Project, which was awarded to WAPCOS, a public sector unit under the Ministry
of Jal Shakti ministry, is a first of its kind and a unique experiment using LiDAR
technology.
➢ Surveys were carried out at forest areas in Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Goa,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura.
➢ WAPCOS followed the Ridge to Valley approach of watershed management for
this survey.
➢ WAPCOS and State Forest Departments identified one major ridge inside a
forest block in these states with average area of 10,000 ha selected in each State.
➢ LiDAR technology was used to create 3- D images of the project areas to
recommend soil and water conservation structures.
➢ State forest departments will use Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds towards implementation of
these projects.
➢ CAMPA are meant to promote afforestation and regeneration activities as a way
of compensating for forest land diverted to non-forest uses.
QSIM:
➢ Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently launched

QSim – Quantum Computer Simulator Toolkit.
➢ QSim toolkit allows researchers and students to write and debug Quantum Code
that is essential for developing Quantum Algorithms.
➢ It aims to enable Researchers and Students to carryout research in Quantum
Computing (QC) in a cost-effective manner.
➢ It is an outcome of the project “Design and Development of Quantum Computer
Toolkit (Simulator, Workbench) and Capacity Building”, one of the first
initiatives in the country to address the common challenge of advancing the
Quantum Computing research frontiers in India.

➢ This project is being executed collaboratively by IISc Bangalore, IIT Roorkee and
C-DAC with the support of MeitY.
➢ Quantum computers harness the unique behaviour of quantum mechanics and
apply it to computing. This introduces new concepts to traditional programming
methods. Quantum computing use qubits as its the basic unit of information.
DMCRC:
➢ DMCRC has been created by the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation
(IBDF) as an industry-led Self-Regulatory Body (SRB) for digital OTT
platforms (over-the-top).
➢ It is formed as per the mandate of the Information Technology (Intermediary
Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
➢ It is the second-tier mechanism (refer to the infographics) at the appellate
level and is similar to Broadcast Content Complaint Council (BCCC).
➢ The BCCC, is the independent self-regulatory body for non-news general
entertainment channels set up by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF)
in June 2011.
MISSION INNOVATION CLEANTECH EXCHANGE:
➢ Recently, India launched Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange under

the Innovation Platform of Mission Innovation (MI).
➢ It was launched virtually at the Innovating to Net Zero Summit hosted by
Chile this year.
➢ CleanTech Exchange is a global initiative to create a network of
incubators across member countries to accelerate clean energy innovation.
➢ The network will provide access to the expertise and market insights
needed to support new technologies to access new markets globally.
➢ MI is an action-oriented global initiative to pioneer clean energy solutions
through domestic innovation and international cooperation.
AIM-ILEAP:
➢ Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) concludes first fintech cohort of ‘AIM-iLEAP’ as

major step to accelerate Tech Start-ups across India.

➢ AIM (by NITI Aayog) is a flagship initiative to promote a culture of

innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
➢ Objective of the AIM-iLEAP program is to invite technology start-ups across
a broad range of functions and present their solutions to the corporate
leadership and innovation team for enabling market access and industry
partnerships.
GLOBAL CYBER SECURITY INDEX [GCI]:
➢ India ranked 10th (among 194 countries) in the GCI 2020 ahead of China and
Pakistan. US is ranked first, followed by UK.
➢ In the Asia-Pacific region India secured the 4th spot.
➢ GCI is released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the
United Nations (UN) agency for information and communication technologies
(ICT).
➢ The ranking is based on five pillars: legal measures, technical measures,
capacity building measures, organisational measures and cooperation.
AGNI PRIME:
➢ DRDO will soon test the new missile Agni Prime, advanced version of the
‘Agni-1’ missile.
➢ Agni Prime’ is a short-range (surface to a surface) ballistic missile that will
have a range of 1000 km to 1500 km and will have advanced features in agility
and road mobility.
➢ It can carry a payload of around 1,000 Kg or a nuclear warhead.
➢ The double stage missile will be lighter and much sleeker than its
predecessor ‘Agni-1’. Agni-1 is a short-range (surface to a surface) nuclear
capable ballistic missile. It has a strike range of 700 km 1,200 km.
HELIOSPHERE :
➢ Recently, scientists have mapped the boundary of the heliosphere for the first
time.
➢ Scientists used data from NASA’s Earth-orbiting Interstellar Boundary
Explorer (IBEX) satellite, which detects particles that come from the

Heliosheath - the boundary layer between the solar system and interstellar
space.
➢ As sun’s solar wind goes out in all directions and strikes heliosheath. This
generates energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), which are detected by IBEX.
➢ The developed map shows that the minimum distance from the Sun to the
heliopause is about
➢ 120 Astronomical Units (AU) in the direction facing the interstellar wind,
and in the opposite direction, it extends at least 350 AU. (1 AU = Distance
between Earth and Sun).
➢ The sun sends out a constant flow of charged particles (protons, electrons,
alpha particles etc.) called the solar wind, which ultimately travels past all the
planets to some three times the distance to Pluto before being impeded by the
interstellar medium.
➢ This forms a giant bubble around the Sun and its planets called the
heliosphere.
EUTELSAT:
➢ Eutelsat Quantum, the world's first commercial fully re-programmable

satellite lifted off from French Guiana.
➢ Unlike conventional models that are designed and “hard-wired” on
Earth and cannot be repurposed once in orbit, Eutelsat Quantum allows users to
tailor it almost in real-time.
➢ This means the satellite can be used to provide mobile coverage for
moving objects such as aircraft and oceangoing vessels, or coverage after a
natural disaster or for one-off events.
➢ It has been developed under an ESA (European Space Agency) partnership
project with Airbus
NAUKA RUSSIA MODULE :
➢ Nauka, meaning science in Russian, is a space module launched by Russia to

replace its existing
➢ Pirs module at International Space Station (ISS) to serve as a research facility.

➢ ISS is a low-earth orbit space station, launched in 1998, with five

participating space agencies as- NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia),
JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe) and CSA (Canada)
➢ It helps in carrying long-term research on human health under microgravity
along with physical, material and space science.
GANYMEDE:
➢ Using datasets from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (Collaboration of

NASA and European Space Agency), scientists for the first time have
discovered evidence of water vapour in the atmosphere of Jupiter's
moon Ganymede.
➢ Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, contains more water than
all of Earth's oceans. However, temperatures there are so cold that water on
the surface is frozen solid
➢ Right now, NASA's Juno mission is taking a close look at Ganymede and
Jupiter.

GOVERNMENT
SCHEMES

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
PRADHAN MANTRI KHANIJ KSHETRA KALYAN Y OJANA [PMKKKY]:
➢ It is meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining
related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations
(DMFs).
➢ The scheme ensures mitigating the adverse impacts, during and after
mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining
districts; and to ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people
in mining areas.
➢ As per this scheme, High priority areas like drinking water, health care,
sanitation, education, skill development, welfare measures, skill development
and environment conservation will get at least 60% share of the funds.
DISTRIBUTION SECTOR SCHEME:
➢ Scheme: To improve the operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of

all DISCOMs/ Power Departments excluding Private Sector DISCOMs.
➢ The scheme will provide conditional financial assistance to DISCOMs for
strengthening of supply infrastructure.
➢ Eligibility: To be eligible for funding against the Scheme in that year, DISCOMs
have to score a minimum of 60% of marks and clear a minimum bar in respect to
certain performance parameters like, aggregate technical and commercial
(AT&C) losses, average cost of supply (ACS)-average revenue realised (ARR) gap,
infrastructure upgrade performance, consumer services, hours of supply and
corporate governance, etc.
NMEO-OP:
➢ Recently, Cabinet approved a new centrally sponsored scheme, NMEO-OP, to

promote domestic cultivation of oil palm in the next five years.
Scheme:
➢ It will subsume the current National Food Security Mission-Oil Palm

programme.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
➢ Under this scheme, it is proposed to cover an additional area of 6.5 lakh

hectare (ha.) for oil palm till the year 2025-26 and thereby reaching the target
of 10 lakh hectares ultimately.
Features of the scheme:
➢ It will have a special focus on Northeast region and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
➢ Price assurance to the oil palm farmers on the lines of the minimum support
price (MSP) for the Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) from which oil is extracted by
the industry. This will be known as the Viability Price (VP).
➢ The assurance to the farmers will be in the form of the viability gap funding
and the industry will be mandated to pay 14.3% of the CPO price which
will eventually go up to 15.3%.
➢ There is a sunset clause for the scheme which is 1st November 2037.
➢ Palm oil farmers will be paid the price difference via direct benefit
transfer (DBT).
➢ To give impetus to the North-East and Andaman, the Government will
additionally bear a cost of 2% of the CPO price.
UJJWALA 2.0:
Scheme:
➢ Government has launched Ujjwala 2.0 by handing over LPG connections, at

Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh to achieve universal access to LPG. Procedures
have been simplified with lesser paperwork.
➢ Under the new version, migrants will not be required to submit ration
cards or address proof. A self- declaration for both ‘family declaration’ and
as a ‘proof of address’ will suffice.
Eligibility:
➢ An adult woman belonging to a poor household and not having LPG connection in
her household, will be eligible under UJJWALA 2.0.
Beneficiaries:
➢ Eligible as per SECC 2011 list or Be a beneficiary of Pradhan Mantri Awas

Yojana (PMAY), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Forest dwellers, Most

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
Backward Classes (MBC), Tea and Ex-Tea Garden Tribes, People

residing in riverIslands
➢ If she is not falling in the above 2 categories, then she can stake her claim to be a
beneficiary under Poor household by submitting 14-point declaration.
➢ Ujjawala 2.0 is being launched as the initial target of providing 8 crore LPG
connections under Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has already been achieved.
➢ However, many studies show that PMUY could not ensure sustained usage
of LPG by poor family who turned to alternative solid fuels.
KUSUM SCHEME:
Scheme:
➢ Recently, to sensitize the farmers and the public about the PM-KUSUM scheme,
an awareness camp was organized in different parts of country.
➢ To provide financial and water security to farmers. The goal was to de- dieselise
the farm sector by replacing diesel pumps with solarised ones.
➢ It would also reduce the burden on state-owned discoms that have to supply
subsidised electricity to the agriculture sector.
Features:
➢ The target of the scheme has been enhanced and the component C has been
restructured to shift focus to solarise agricultural feeders instead of
pumps.
➢ Until now farmers were provided with 60% financial assistance (equally
shared between Centre and State) for solarising their agricultural
pumps which meant 40% had to be borne by the farmers themselves.
➢ Centre will now bear 30% of the cost of building a small solar plant to
supply electricity to the feeder and the balance 70% would be borne by
State-owned DISCOMs.
➢ This would obviate need for farmers to replace every existing pump in a
village with a solar pump
➢ Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Farmer Producers Organizations
(FPOs), Agri-entrepreneurs, Startups, Central/State agency or Local Body
sponsored Public-Private Partnership Projects etc.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
JIYO PARSI SCHEME:
➢ Recently, during COVID19, Parsi community saw a record of 61 births assisted

through the Jiyo Parsi Scheme.
Scheme:
➢ To arrest the declining trend of Parsi Population by adopting a scientific protocol

and structured interventions.
▪ The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of the Parsi community has reached below 1,
which means that on an average, a Parsi woman in her total child bearing age
has less than 1 child (0.8).
▪ 31% of Parsis are over the age of 60 years and more than 30% Parsis are “Never
married”.
➢ To stabilize Parsis population and increase the population of Parsis in India..
Features:
➢ It is a Central Sector Scheme under Ministry of Minority Affairs

launched in 2013.
➢ The Scheme will be implemented by the Parzor Foundation with the help of
the Bombay Parsi Panchayat (BPP) and through the organizations/
societies/Anjumans and Panchayat of the community concerned in
existence for not less than three years.
➢ The scheme is meant for only Parsi community. Parsi married couples of
childbearing ages who seek assistance.
➢ Adults/young men/women/adolescent boys/girls for detection of diseases
resulting with consent of parents/legal guardians.
SAMAGRA SHIKSHA SCHEME :
➢ Recently, Union Cabinet approved continuation of Samagra Shiksha Scheme for

School Education from 1st April, 2021 to 31st March, 2026.
Scheme:
➢ Its objective is to provide Quality education and enhancing learning

outcomes of students, Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education
and Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
➢ Strengthening and up-gradation of SCERTs/State Institutes of

Education and DIET as a nodal agency for teacher training.
Features:
➢ Samagra Shiksha or Integrated Scheme for School Education, was launched in

2018 by subsuming the erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)
and Teacher Education (TE).
➢ The Samagra Shiksha scheme is an integrated scheme for school education
covering the entire gamut from pre-school to class XII.
➢ The scheme treats school education as a continuum and is in accordance
with Sustainable Development Goal for Education (SDG-4).
➢ The Scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by the
Department through a single State Implementation Society (SIS) at the
State/UT level.
➢ At the National level, there would be a Governing Council headed by
Minister of Human Resource Development and a Project Approval Board (PAB)
headed by Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy.
➢ The Governing Council will be empowered to modify financial and programmatic
norms and approve the detailed guidelines for implementation within the overall
Framework of the scheme.
SAMRIDH SCHEME:
➢ Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched a new

scheme, namely “Start-up Accelerators of MeitY for product Innovation,
Development and growth (SAMRIDH)”.
Scheme:
➢ Support existing and upcoming Accelerators to select and accelerate IT-

based startups to scale.
➢ Accelerating the startups by providing customer connect, investor connect,
international expansion, and overall business growth in terms of revenue, users,
and valuation parameters.
Features:

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
➢ To be implemented by MeitY Start-up Hub (MSH), the SAMRIDH programme

will develop Startup Accelerator ecosystem in India through its
components as
➢ Providing administrative cost to Accelerators for providing acceleration service to
startups.
➢ Matching equity seed funding provided to startups for scaling the business.
➢ To support around 300 startups through nearly 40 cohorts in next three years,
the accelerators will develop customized acceleration programs to fit startup
needs in the cohort.
UBHARTE SITAARE FUND:
➢ Recently, the finance minister launched ‘Ubharte Sitaare Fund’ at Lucknow,

an Alternative Investment Fund to help future champions among export-
oriented firms & startups.
Scheme:
➢ To identify Indian enterprises with potential advantages by way of technology,

products, or processes, along with export potential, but which are currently
underperforming or unable to tap their latent potential to grow.
➢ To enhance India’s export competitiveness in select sectors through finance
and extensive handholding support to Indian companies with potential to be
future champions in the domestic arena while catering to global demands.
Features:
➢ ₹ 250 crore with a greenshoe option of ₹ 250 crore.

➢ In the context of an initial public offering (IPO), greenshoe option is a
provision that grants the right to sell investors more shares than
initially planned by the issuer if the demand for a security issue proves
higher than expect.
➢ Based on model followed by other nations like Germany, i.e., identifying
champion sector and provide support or handhold them through necessary
technological help or funds to emerge as champion, the fund will help:
▪ Micro, Small and Medium companies with annual turnover of up to ₹ 500
crore with ability to penetrate global market,

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
▪ SEBI and EXIM bank have jointly identified over 100 potential
proposals from diverse sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, auto components,
engineering solutions, agriculture, and software.

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS
MISCELLANEOUS
RAMAPPA TEMPLE AND DHOLAVIRA:
➢ Recently, Kakatiya Rudreswara Temple (also known as the Ramappa Temple)

and Dholavira have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
➢ With the addition of these two sites, India now has 40 sites in the UNESCO's
World Heritage list (32 cultural, seven natural and one mixed).
➢ Dholavira is the first site of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) in India
to get the tag.
GRID 2021:
➢ The Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring

Centre (IDMC) has released Global Report on Internal Displacement
(GRID) 2021. This year’s report discusses the relationship between climate
change and disaster displacement.
Findings of the report:
➢ The total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) across the world
has reached 55 million people, out of which more people were displaced by
conflict and violence, than by disasters.
➢ Role of climate change in disaster displacement: Climate change and
increasing temperatures have proven to make certain hazards more frequent and
intense. Extreme weather events like floods, storms and droughts etc.
were responsible for 98 per cent of all disaster displacement recorded in
2020.
➢ The Covid-19 pandemic has delayed humanitarian assistance and
intensified the financial difficulties of the displaced people
NANO UREA LIQUID:
➢ Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has introduced the

world's first Nano Urea Liquid for farmers across the world.
➢ Nano Urea Liquid is developed to replace conventional Urea. It can curtail
its requirement by at least 50%.

MISCELLANEOUS
➢ Its use will boost balanced nutrition program by reducing the excess use of
Urea application in the soil and will make the crops stronger, healthier
and protect them from lodging effect
SERB FIRE:
➢ It is a research initiative launched by SERB (statutory body of Department

of Science and Technology) in collaboration with Intel India.
➢ FIRE is a joint government-and-industry initiative with a co-funding mechanism
to promote innovative technology solutions and strengthen academic
research through collaboration with key research and development (R&D)
organisations in India.
➢ The new initiative aims to utilize the expertise available in academic institutions
and national laboratories to solve industry-specific problems for the larger
benefit of society.
NATRAX:
➢ NATRAX is Asia’s longest and world’s fifth longest HST for automobiles.
➢ HST is used for measuring the maximum speed capability of high-end
cars like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Tesla and so forth.
➢ NATRAX centre (at Indore) has multiple test capabilities like measurements of
maximum speed, acceleration, constant speed fuel consumption,
emission tests etc.
➢ Being centrally located in Madhya Pradesh, it is accessible to most of the
major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
TOYCATHON:
➢ Toycathon focuses on conceptualizing new and innovative toys using local

materials which are economical, affordable, safe, environment friendly,
with exceptional high quality for both Indian and global markets.
➢ o Toycathon 2021 is being organized by Ministry of Education in
coordination with five other Ministries.
➢ Need to promote local toy industry
➢ Toys can help connect the young minds with India’s history and culture
which is helpful in social mental development and cultivation of Indian outlook.

MISCELLANEOUS
➢ India imported around $1.5 billion worth toys in 2020, with China and
Taiwan accounting for around 90% of domestic toy market.
➢ Study by Quality Council of India (QCI) had revealed that 67% of imported
toys failed a testing survey, prompting an aggressive effort to produce safe
toys locally.
BHIM UPI:
➢ Bhutan has become the first country to adopt India’s UPI standards for
its quick response (QR) code.
➢ It is also the second country after Singapore to have BHIM-UPI
acceptance at merchant locations.
➢ BHIM-UPI is India’s real-time digital payment system for safe, easy &
instant digital payments
➢ Developed in 2016 and operated by NPCI, BHIM application (app) powers
multiple bank accounts into a single Virtual Payment Address (UPI ID) with
services like- instant bank-to-bank payments, bill payment, Scan and Pay,
Request Money etc. via mobile number or UPI ID only.
PROJECT 75:
➢ India’s Defense Ministry Issues First P-75I Submarine Tender.

➢ Project-75(I) envisages indigenous construction of six modern
conventional submarines with contemporary equipment, weapons &sensors
including Fuel-Cell based AIP (Air Independent Propulsion Plant) etc.
➢ AIP technology allows conventional diesel- electric submarines to
remain underwater for longer, enhancing its lethality.
➢ Other countries to have an AIP system include China, Germany, Sweden,
France, Spain and Russia.
➢ P-75I submarine project – estimated at over $5.5 billion – is the first
acquisition India has undertaken through its Strategic Partnership
procurement model.

MISCELLANEOUS
MPATGM:
➢ Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) tested two missile

systems- MPATGM and a new variant of the Akash Surface-to-Air Missile
called Akash-NG.
➢ MPATGM is an indigenously developed low- weight, fire-and-forget missile
incorporated with state-of-the-art miniaturized infrared seeker with advanced
avionics. Akash-NG has a range of 60 km and speed of 2.5 Mach.
➢ Formed in 1958, DRDO is the R&D wing of the Ministry of Defence with a vision
to empower India with cutting-edge defence technologies and a mission to
achieve self-reliance in critical defence technologies and systems.
CBAM:
➢ As part of the European Union (EU) ambitious target of reducing 55% of

carbon emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2030 (Fit for 55 Initiative), it is
pushing for the world’s first carbon border tax on imported goods-
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) from 2026.
➢ It seeks to address carbon leakages i,e. companies decamp to places with
cheaper pollution costs and looser climate regulations.
➢ A carbon border tax is a tax on carbon emissions imposed on imported
goods from countries with less strict climate policies. It aims to create a
level playing field between imports and domestic production.
➢ Developing countries, including India, have opposed CBAM calling it
‘discriminatory’ as it will ramp up prices of their goods in Europe and
shrink demand. EU is the third largest trading partner of India.
➢ Also, it goes against the UN principle of Common but Differentiated
Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR–RC).
➢ The principle acknowledges that richer countries have a responsibility of
providing financial and technological assistance to developing and
vulnerable countries to fight climate change.
RYUGU:
➢ Recently, NASA received its first sample of asteroid Ryugu, which was
returned to Earth last December by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s
(JAXA) Hayabusa2 spacecraft.

MISCELLANEOUS
➢ Ryugu, diamond-shaped space rock, is orbiting the sun between Earth and
Mars and occasionally crosses Earth's orbit (therefore classified as potentially
hazardous).
➢ Ryugu is classified as a carbonaceous, or C-type asteroid, which means it
contains a lot of carbon and water.
➢ Studying asteroids like Ryugu could help in answering questions about
origins of tolar system and where molecules like water came from.
SPACE RICE:
➢ China harvested its first batch of “space rice” from seeds that returned from a
lunar voyage (Chang’e-5 lunar probe) last year.
➢ The country has been taking seeds of rice and other crops to space since 1987.
➢ After being exposed to cosmic radiation and zero gravity, some seeds can
mutate and produce higher yields when planted back on Earth.
➢ contribute to China's hybrid rice breeding by providing more and better
genetic sources to expand the seed bank.
NANO UREA LIQUID [NUL]:
➢ National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd
(RCF) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Farmers
Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for ‘transfer of technology’ of NUL
fertiliser.
➢ NUL contains nano-scale nitrogen particles which have more surface area
and number of particles making it more impactful.
➢ It Reduces the requirement of conventional Urea by 50% or more,
Improves Soil, Air & Water quality and It is Cheaper than conventional
urea.
➢ India has become the first country globally to start commercial production of
NUL.
GI TAGS:
➢ Geographical Indication (GI) certified Madurai malli (a variety of jasmine

flower) and other traditional flowers such as button rose, lily, chamanthi and
marigold.

MISCELLANEOUS
➢ Fazil mango variety sourced from Malda district of West Bengal exported
to Bahrain.
➢ Bhalia variety of wheat has been exported to Kenya and Sri Lanka from
Gujarat
AROGYA DHARA 2.0:
➢ Centre Event was conducted by National Health Authority (NHA) to mark the
milestone of 2 crore hospital treatments under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan
Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
➢ Objective is to increase the reach and create more awareness about AB
PM-JAY.
NHA also launched three initiatives
▪ Ayushman Mitra: To encourage citizens to participate in motivating eligible

beneficiaries to get verified under the scheme and to help them get Ayushman
Cards issued.
▪ Adhikaar Patra: A welcome note containing information about the rights of AB
PM-JAY beneficiaries.
▪ Abhinandan Patra: A thank you note to the beneficiary.
INDIGAU:
➢ It is India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure

varieties of indigenous cattle breeds and helps towards doubling farmers'
income by 2022.
➢ It is the largest cattle chip in the world with 11,496 markers.
➢ Till now India’s dairy development program has been referring to chips which are
developed for foreign western breeds of cattle.
➢ This indigenous chip was developed by the National Institute of Animal
Biotechnology (Hyderabad), an autonomous institution under the aegis of the
Department of Biotechnology.


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Volume 3

Current Shots 365 Yearly Magazine

NANO UREA LIQUID

A Comprehensive Current Affairs Revision Magaziine for Civil

Shortnotesias.com registered this copy to Shourya Gautam , shouryamgautam@gmail.com

Shortnotesias.com registered this copy to Shourya Gautam , shouryamgautam@gmail.com

POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND IR

➢ Recently, Russian nuclear major Rosatom began construction of Kudankulam

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG):

▪ It was established in 1974 as a result of successful nuclear test conducted by

STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE [SIPRI] 2021 REPORT:

➢ According to recently released Stockholm International Peace Research

Nuclear disarmament is the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons. It

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 1

➢ Recently, Chief Justice of India delivered a lecture on Rule of Law and he

JUSTICE ROHINI C OMMISSION:

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 2

➢ The Union Government constituted a four- member commission headed by

JUVENILE JUSTICE [CARE AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN ] AMENDMENT BILL, 2021:

▪ It is a voluntary association of individuals having common needs, who join hands

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 3

▪ It includes, Co-operative societies, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, Co-

FIVE PILLARS OF INDIAN DIPLOMACY:

➢ Recently, Foreign Secretary of India listed the five pillars of Indian

The five pillars of Indian Diplomacy are:

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 4

Three strands of Indian diplomacy worth mentioning here are:

▪ Tradition of the Middle Path.

FAST TRACK SPECIAL COURTS [FTSC S]:

➢ The Ministry of Home Affairs has provided financial assistance of Rs.99.49

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 5

THE TRIBUNALS REFORMS BILL, 2021:

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GOVERNOR’ S POWER TO PARDON:

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➢ This sovereign power of a Governor to pardon a prisoner (article 161) is actually

OPERATION DEVI SHAKTI:

➢ Operation Devi Shakti was jointly launched by Ministry of External Affairs

GREATER MALE CONNECTIVITY PROJECT:

➢ Bhutan’s Tax Inspectors without Borders (TIWB) programme was

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 8

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 9

Shortnotesias.com registered this copy to Shourya Gautam , shouryamgautam@gmail.com

INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY CODE [AMENDMENT] B ILL 2021:

➢ The Parliament recently passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

Key Highlights of the bill:

➢ Inserting a new Chapter to facilitate pre-packaged insolvency resolution process

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 10

GOVERNMENT SECURITIES [G-SEC]:

G-Sec and Gilt Accounts

➢ A Government Security (G-Sec) is a tradeable instrument issued by the

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 11

➢ Recently, National Asset Reconstruction Company LTD (NARCL)

NATIONAL URBAN DIGITAL MISSION:

FREIGHT SMART CITIES:

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➢ Starting, 10 cities will be developed as Freight Smart cities. Further, an

PRADHAN MANTRI KHANIJ KSHETRA KALYAN Y OJANA [PMKKKY]:

shortnotesias.com Current Shots 365 l Page | 13

➢ Micro finance originated in Bangladesh with the institution of Grameen Bank

DISTRIBUTION SECTOR SCHEME:

➢ Scheme: To improve the operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of