Final Lap 2023 Consolidated

ENVIRONMENT
Climate Change
GHG effect short wavelength of visible light from the sun pass through the
atmosphere and are absorbed, but the longer wavelengths of
the infrared radiation from the heated earth are unable to pass
through the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases Water vapor (biggest overall contributor to GHG effect)
CO2 > CH4 > N2O > HFCs > PFCs > SF6 [warming potential]
Short-lived Climate pollutants SCLPs remain in the atmosphere for a much shorter period of
time than carbon dioxide (CO2), yet their potential to warm the
atmosphere can be many times greater.
SCLPs: Black Carbon, Methane, Hydrofluorocarbons,

Tropospheric Ozone
Colors of Carbon 1. Black Carbon: formed by the incomplete combustion of
fuels; Reduces albedo of a surface
2. Brown Carbon: smoke released by the combustion of
organic matter;
3. Blue Carbon: Carbon stored in marine ecosystems ;
Marine ecosystems store more carbon per unit area than
terrestrial forests
4. Green Carbon: captured into terrestrial plant biomass in
photosynthesis and stored in the plants and soil of
natural ecosystems
Ocean Acidification (called ‘evil twin • Decrease in pH of oceans but it is still greater than 7
of global warming’) • Average ocean pH is about 8
Arctic Amplification • Heating up of Arctic 4 times faster than rest of the World.
Ozone Depletion • ozone in stratosphere – good – absorbs UV rays
• ozone in troposphere – bad – pollutant
• sunlight responsible for formation as well as destruction of
ozone
• colder conditions → more polar stratospheric clouds →
more ozone depletion
• ozone depletion → stratosphere cools
• Dobson unit – to measure thickness of ozone layer
Mitigation Strategies • Carbon capture, utilisation & storage
• Emissions Trading
• Carbon Tax
• Geo-engineering – injecting sulfur in atmosphere, mirror in
space, seeding the sea with iron
UNFCCC Est in 1992 Rio Earth Summit as a framework for international
cooperation to combat climate change
Secretariat: Bonn, Germany
Important COPs:
• COP 3 – 1997 - Kyoto Protocol
• COP 8 – 2002 - New Delhi
• COP 19 – 2013 – Warsaw
• COP 21 – 2015 - Paris Agreement
• COP 26 – Glasgow, UK
COP 27 (Held at Sharm El Sheikh, ->Setup of Loss and Damage Fund to assist vulnerable countries
e-mail: contact@atishmathur.com www.atishmathur.com telegram: https://t.me/csepaper2atish

Egypt) Outcomes -> Arrangements for operationalization of Santiago Network
->Sharm EL Sheikh Dialogue for aligning financial flows as per
article 2.1c of Paris Agreement
->Koronivia Joint Work For Agriculture (Agri and food security)
->Call to phasedown coal power and phase out inefficient coal
subsidies
COP26 – Glasgow outcomes Global Methane Pledge
• cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030
• India did not sign
Deforestation Pledge
• End and reverse deforestation by 2030
Clydebank Declaration
• Develop green shipping corridors to speed up
decarbonization of maritime industry
Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS)
• Promote disaster and climate resilience of infrastructure
assets in small island developing states (SIDS)
• Launched by India, Australia, UK, Fiji, Jamaica, Mauritius
• It has been co-created by the Coalition for Disaster
Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) with support from
Member Countries and organizations and Small Island
Developing States (SIDS) representatives
Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG)
• aims to connect energy grids across borders to facilitate
a faster transition to the use of renewable energy.
• Launched by India & UK
India’s Commitments (Panchamrit)
● Increase non-fossil energy capacity to 500GW by 2030
● Meet 50% of energy requirements from renewable
energy by 2030
● Reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one
billion tonnes from now to 2030
● Reduce carbon intensity of economy by 45% (previous
target was 35%) by 2030
● Achieve net-zero by 2070
e-Amrit portal • portal aims to serve as a ‘one-stop site’ to provide all the
information related to the adoption of electric vehicles in
India
• Launched by India at COP26 summit
• joint initiative between NITI Aayog and the UK Government.
Global Methane Initiative (Launched International public-private initiative to achieve reduction in
in 2004) anthropogenic methane emissions and use of methane as a
valuable energy source
Mission LIFE (Lifestyle For Pro Planet approach that mobilises citizens to use environmental
Environment) friendly options such as LED bulbs, Public Transport , reduction
of single use plastic , recycling of old clothes , reduction in e
waste among others
Some Miscellaneous Environmental -> Breakthrough agenda:
Developments Framework for decarbonisation of power , transport , steel ,

hydrogen and agriculture ; India is a member
->First Movers Coalition:
Decarbonise sectors of Aluminium , Aviation , Shipping , Steel ,
Trucking , Cement and Chemicals ; India is a member
->Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP):
To Mobilise Private Sector Capital for decarbonization and
decommissioning of coal fired power plants. Here India argues
that coal cannot be singled out as a fuel and is needed for
development needs
-> Fit for 55 package: 55% emission reduction target which the
European Union (EU) has set for 2030
-> Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) : Indo-USA clean
energy program launched in 2009
-> Leaf (Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest Finance)
Coalition launched by Norway, UK and US to mobilize funds for
tropical forest protection.
50 Years of Stockholm Conference Stockholm +50 held at Stockholm, Sweden in 1972, it was first
UN conference on environment and led to origin UNEP
International Solar Alliance (ISA) • Jointly launched by India and France during COP 21 (Paris)
• HQ: Gurugram
• Countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the
alliance and enjoy all benefits as other members, with the
exception of voting rights.
Carbon Border Adjustment Proposed carbon tariff imposed on goods imported to
Mechanism (CBAM) the European Union from countries with less strict climate
policies
Forest Carbon Credit Stamp They are permits for companies to emit a certain amount of CO2
Issued by China
CRISP-M Tool • Jointly launched by M/o Rural Development and M/o
Panchayati Raj
• integration of climate information in Geographic Information
System (GIS) based watershed planning under MGNREGA
Existing Carbon Trading Mechanisms 1. Renewable Energy Certificates under RPO obligations
In India 2. Energy Saving Certificates under PAT scheme
(Article 6 of Paris Agreement seeks
to establish carbon trading Note: These certificates are tradable on PXIL and IEX;
mechanisms)
Carbon Neutrality Palli Panchayat in J&K is India’s first carbon neutral panchayat
Keeling Curve Longest Uninterrupted instrumental record of atmospheric
carbon dioxide. Located at Hawaii near world’s largest active
volcano – Mauna Loa. Today C02 levels are comparable to those
of 4 million years ago
Climate Financing Green Climate Fund (GCF)
set up in 2010
Global Environment Facility (GEF)

established in 1992 Rio Earth Summit || World Bank administers
the fund || GEF serves as a "financial mechanism" to 5
conventions: UNFCC, CBD, UNCCD, Stockholm - POPs, Minamata
- Mercury

Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF)
established under UNFCCC in 2001 to finance projects in
developing country parties
Adaptation Fund
established in 2001 to finance adaptation projects and
developing country parties
IPCC 6th Assessment Report 1. Part I - scientific basis for climate change average surface
temperature of the Earth will cross 1.5 °C over pre-
industrial levels by 2040 and 2°C by the middle of the
century without sharp reduction of emissions
2. Part II - likely impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation
issues
3. Part III - actions that can be taken to combat climate
change
4. Net Anthropogenic GHG have risen in last decade
5. Sectoral Share of GHG Emissions:
Energy > Industry > Agriculture
Global Methane Assessment Report ->Methane is responsible for more than 25% of global warming ---
(by UNEP and Climate and Clean Air ->India is among top 5 emitters
Coalition) -> Top 3 Sources of Methane:
Wetlands > Fossil Fuel Extraction > Livestock
State of Global Climate Report Average global temperature has increased by 1.2°c above pre-
(WMO) industrial level and Ocean acidification is increasing
Greenhouse Gas Bulletin (WMO) CO2 reached 413 ppm in 2020 – 149% of pre-industrial level
Methane (CH4) – 262% of pre-industrial level
Nitrous dioxide (N2O) – 123% of pre-industrial level
Emissions Gap Report 2022 (UNEP) ->Fossil fuel CO2 account for maximum GHG emissions
->Top 4 emitters: China > US > EU > India
->Current NDCs would lead to temperature increase of 2.7°C by
2100
->To get on track for limiting global warming to below 2.0°C and
1.5°C, global GHG emissions must be reduced by 30% and 45%
respectively
Adaptation Gap Report 2022 (UNEP) While policies and planning are growing for climate change
adaptation, financing and implementation are still far
behind where they need to be.
Climate Change Performance Index Assesses performance in 4 categories: GHG emission, Renewable
2023 energy, Energy use, Climate policy
Published By – • First three ranks – empty
Germanwatch, New Climate • #4 - Denmark
Institute, Climate Action Network • #8 – India (Up 2 positions)
Global Climate Risk Index 2021 India – 7th worst hit country due to extreme weather events in
(Germanwatch) 2019
Mapping India’s Climate Vulnerability Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)
report
analysed 640 districts in India and found that 463 of these are
Climate Vulnerability Index vulnerable to extreme floods, droughts and cyclones

Pollution:
Air pollutants CO, SO2, NO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5, Ammonia
Other air pollutants:
Lead, Arsenic, Nickel, Acrolein, Asbestos, Benzene
National Air Quality Index (AQI) By CPCB, MoEFCC
Launched in 2014 under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
8 pollutants:
SO2, NO2, CO, O3, PM10, PM2.5, NH3, Pb
6 AQI categories - Good, Satisfactory, Moderate, Poor, Very

Poor, Severe
National Ambient Air Quality By CPCB, MoEFCC

Standards (NAAQS) 12 pollutants:
SO2, NO2, CO, O3, PM10, PM2.5, NH3, Pb, As, Ni, Benzene,
Benzopyrene
SAFAR (System of Air Quality and • by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
Weather Forecasting And Research) • to monitor air quality in metropolitan cities of Delhi,
Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune
Radon Emitted naturally by soil || generally found in basements

Fly Ash Fine powder left after combustion of coal
contains several toxic heavy metals like lead (Pb), nickel (Ni),
zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn)

Applications: agriculture – improves water holding capacity,
making cement & bricks, making adsorbent waste water
treatment
Pusa bio-decomposer Developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa,
Delhi
To decompose stubble
Torrefaction Swedish technology to convert rice stubble into bio-coal
Green crackers – SWAS, STAR, SAFAL Don’t contain lithium, arsenic, barium and lead
developed by CSIR-NEERI
Flu Gas Desulphurization To remove SO2 from exhaust flue gases of thermal power plants
Selective Catalytic Reduction To remove NOx from flue gases.
Converts NOx to nitrogen in the presence of a catalyst
Electrostatic Precipitator Removes fine particles like smoke and dust from gases
Ozone pollution • Stratospheric ozone – good
• Tropospheric (ground-level) ozone – bad
• Ground-level ozone is secondary pollutant formed by
chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx),
carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4) and volatile organic
compounds (VOC)
• Ozone is most likely to reach unhealthy levels on hot sunny
days in urban environments
National Clean Air Programme • Launched by MoEFCC in 2019 to cut PM10 and PM2.5
(NCAP) concentration by at least 20% in next 5 years (2017 – base
year)
• To be implemented in 102 non-attainment cities
• Not legally binding, implemented by CPCB
• New target for 2026: 40% reduction in particulate matter
Commission for Air Quality • Statutory body
Management in NCR and Adjoining • Replaced Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA)
Areas (CAQM) • Farmers exempted from penal provisions
• Appeal against CAQM orders → NGT
• Enforces GRAP (Graded response action plan) In Delhi
WHO Air Quality Standards 99% of global population breathes air that exceeds WHO quality
limits
BS 6 Norms Set by CPCB these standards enforce pollution control measures
for automobile manufacturers,
BOD, COD, Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved Oxygen – amount of oxygen present in water (should
be > 8 mg/L)
↑ temperature ➔ ↓ dissolved oxygen
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) – dissolved oxygen needed

by microorganisms to decompose organic waste (only
biodegradable) in water
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) – oxygen needed by chemicals

to decompose organic waste (biodegradable + non-
biodegradable) in water
Bioaccumulation , Biomagnification Bioaccumulation – increase in concentration of a pollutant from
the environment to the first organism in a food chain

Biomagnification – increase in concentration of a pollutant as it
moves from one trophic level to the next
Diseases by pollutants Mercury – Minamata
Cadmium – Itai Itai
Nitrates – Blue Baby syndrome / Methamoglobinemia
Fluoride – Fluorosis
Arsenic – Black Foot Disease
Microplastic, Nanoplastic Plastic particles < 5 mm (microplastics) || < 100 mm
(nanoplastics)
Found in cosmetics, synthetic clothing, plastic bags and bottles
Plasticrust Thin coating of plastic that grows on rocks at sea shore
Composed of polyethylene
Endosulfan Pesticide banned in 2011 under Stockholm convention.
Endosulfan toxicity is a major issue in Kerala
Nonylphenol Used in detergents, it can disrupt human endocrine system if it
contaminates drinking water
Dead zone Dead zones are hypoxic areas in the world's oceans and large
lakes. Hypoxia occurs when dissolved oxygen concentration
falls to or below 2ml of O₂/liter.
Great Pacific Garbage Patch Gyre, sargasso sea weed, plastic litter
GloLitter Partnership Implemented by IMO + FAO
Aims to tackle marine plastic litter
MARPOL Convention, 1973 IMO’s convention for prevention of pollution of the marine
environment by ships
International Maritime Organization (IMO) – specialised UN
agency
London Convention, 1972 control of all sources of marine pollution and to take all
practicable steps to prevent pollution of the sea by dumping of
wastes and other matter
Honolulu strategy Reduce the impact of marine debris worldwide
Bharat Tap Initiative by MoHUA to provide low flow sanitary ware to reduce
water consumption and wastage at source
Composite Water Management Index NITI Aayog
Uses Falkenmark Index – used to measure water scarcity
Arth Ganga Focus on creation of livelihood opportunities to sustain the
activities under Namami Gange Programme.
Aim is to contribute 3% to GDP from Ganga Basin
Groundwater India extracts the most groundwater in the world (25% of global
groundwater extraction)
90% of it used for irrigation
10% - drinking, domestic & industrial use
India WRIS (Water Resources Web portal containing info related to water resources
Information System) Launched in 2019 under National Hydrology Project
Zero Liquid Discharge Water treatment process to recirculate all the water with zero
liquid waste
Components: pre-treatment → Reverse Osmosis (RO) →
Evaporator & Crystalliser
Water Plus city under Swachh • cities with best practices in the safe discharge of sewage
Survekshan 2021 and faecal sludge, safe cleaning of sewer and septic tanks
• Indore declared as the first ‘water plus’ city

• Grey water is the water which can be reused , eg – water
from bath , kitchen etc
• Note : Mission Sujalam by M/o Jalshakti aims to create
awareness on grey water reuse
River Cities Alliance (RCA) • Launched by M/o Jal Shakti

• to provide the member cities with a platform to discuss and
exchange information on aspects that are vital for
sustainable management of urban rivers, sharing best
practices and supporting innovation
• The Alliance is open to all river cities of India. Any river city
can join the Alliance at any time.
Plastic Waste Management • Bans single-use plastic of low utility and high littering
Amendment Rules 2021 potential
• Single-use Plastic items to be completely banned from July 1,
2022: earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic flags, polystyrene,
plastes, cups, glasses, cutlery, straw, trays, wrapping etc
• Thickness of plastic carry bags increased to 75 microns wef
Sept 2021 and 120 microns wef 31 Dec 2022
Global e-Waste Monitor 2020 e-waste generation: US > China > Japan > Germany > India (5th)
Waste to energy Incineration – burning waste in presence of O2
Pyrolysis – burning waste in absence of O2 to produce syngas
(CO + CO2 + H2)
Gasification – burning waste in controlled amount of O2 to
produce syngas
Biomethanation – microbiologically convert waste into biogas
Bioremediation use of microorganisms to convert to degrade environmental
pollutants into less toxic forms
in-situ – bioventing, biosparaging, bioaugmentation

ex-situ – landfarming, biopiles, bioreactors, composting
phytoremediation – use of plants

mycoremediation – use of fungus
Conventions Stockholm Convention – persistent organic pollutants
Basel Convention – transboundary movement of hazardous
waste and their disposal
Rotterdam Convention - hazardous chemicals and pesticides
Minamata Convention – mercury
Washington Convention – CITES

Bonn Convention – CMS
Cartagena Protocol – biosafety to ensure safe handling of living

modified organisms
Nagoya Protocol – access and benefit sharing
COP15 of UNCCD ->To restore 1 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030
-> Abidjan Call : To boost long term environment sustainability

->Abidjan Declaration on achieving gender equality for land
restoration
COP14 was held in India were we pledged to restore 26 million
hectare land by 2030
Biodiversity
Indian Tiger / Royal Bengal Tiger IUCN: EN
India – home to 80% of global tiger population
Population – statewise: MP > Karnataka > Uttarakhand
Population – Tiger reserves: Jim Corbett > Nagarhole > Bandipur
Tiger reserve with highest tiger density: Jim Corbett
Tiger reserves with no tigers: Buxa (WB), Dampa (MZ), Palamu
(JH)
Tigers found in 13 countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh,

Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Russia
Related terms: CA|TS, mSTRIPES, CaTRAT, TX2
New Tiger Reserves : Ramgarh Vishdhari (Rajasthan) ; Ranipur

Tiger Reserve (UP)
KAZI 106F: India’s only golden tiger, found in Kaziranga NP

Leopard IUCN: VU
Population – statewise: MP > Karnataka > Maharashtra
Snow Leopard IUCN: VU
Found in 12 countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal,
Bhutan, China, Russia, Mongolia, Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Kazak
Cheetah African Cheetah: VU || Asiatic Cheetah: CR
African Cheetah
• World’s fastest land mammal; Diurnal = they hunt during day
• They don’t roar ; Bigger in size as compared to Asian
Cheetah ; Gestation period of 93 days
Asiatic Cheetah
• declared extinct in India in 1952
• surviving today only in Iran
Cheetah Reintroduction In India

->5 Male and 3 Female African Cheetahs from Namibia
introduced in Kuno National Park , Madhya Pradesh
->It is worlds first intercontinental large wild carnivore
translocation project
Asiatic Lion IUCN: EN
Surviving today only in India

Its range is restricted to Gir National Park and adjoining (Pania,
Mitiyala, Girnar Sanctuaries)

Asian Elephant IUCN: EN
Species: Indian, Sri Lankan, Sumatran, Borneo (all EN)
Population – statewise: Karnataka > Assam > Kerala
It is India’s National Heritage Animal

Initiatives: MIKE, E8, E50:50
Indian Rhino (Great One-Horned
Rhino) Asian – Indian, Javan, Sumatran
Rhino
African – Black, White
Indian Rhino: VU
• Largest of all Rhino species
• Excellent swimmers
• Found in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan
• Assam is home to the largest population of greater-one
horned rhinos, with more than 90% in Kaziranga National
Park.
• Pobitra WS (Assam) has the highest density of Indian rhinos
in the world.
• Other states: WB, UP
Great Indian Bustard IUCN: CR
Found in arid and semi-arid grasslands: India and Pakistan
states: RJ, MP, GJ, MH, KN, AP
RJ’s state bird (locally known as Godawan)
Supreme court has ordered power companies in Rajasthan And
Gujarat to make high tension cables underground so that the
bird doesn’t get injured
Gangetic Dolphin IUCN: EN
• Found in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnali-Sangphu

river systems
• Functionally blind and finds its prey using echolocation
• Being a mammal, cannot breathe in water, so comes to
surface every 30-120 sec
• Females larger than males
Other freshwater dolphins: Baiji (Yangtze), Boto(Amazon),

Bhulan(Indus, Beas) [all EN]
Brackish water: Irrawady dolphin – Chillika lake [EN]
Vulture Species: long-billed, slender-billed, red-headed, white-backed

Threats: veterinary drug Diclofenac, collision with overhead
wires, electrocution
Indian Pangolin IUCN: EN
found in Pak, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
Gharial IUCN: CR
Live in freshwater systems
Found majorly in Chambal river small population in Girwa river,
Ramganga river

Hoolock gibbon IUCN: EN
India has only western hoolock gibbon
Only apes found in India
Dugong (Sea Cow) IUCN: VU
Only herbivorous marine mammal
Come to the surface to breathe
Others Dhole (Asiatic Dog): found in KN, MH, MP
Caracel: wild cat recently included in Recovery Programme –
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat
Fishing Cat: found in Sunderbans mangroves, around Chillika,
Western Ghats
Butterflies in news Krishna Peacock, Indian Jezebel, Orange Oakleaf, Golden
Birdwing, Striped Hairstreak, Elusive Prince, Tamil Yeoman
Kaiser-i-Hind – state butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh
Himalayan Serow IUCN: VU
Herbivores mammal found in Himalayas (altitude of 2000-
4000m)
Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) IUCN: EN
Non-fragrant variety of sandalwood
Endemic to Andhra Pradesh
Used for – furniture, musical instruments, medicinal purposes,
extraction of santalin (red pigment)
Golden Langur IUCN: EN
Habitat: transvoundary region of Bhutan-India
Turtles vs Tortoise Turtles – live in sea, mainly carnivores
Tortoise – live on land, mainly herbivores
Monotremes Egg laying mammals – Platypus, Echidna – found only in Aus, NZ
World’s first 5-country biosphere Extending through Croatia, Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary
reserve (CASSH) the Mura, Drava and Danube Rivers form one of the
great wetlands of the world – the Amazon of Europe.
COP15 of Convention on Biological • Adoption of Kunming Declaration - calls for urgent and
Diversity (CBD) @ Kunming, China integrated action to reflect biodiversity considerations in all
sectors of the global economy
• Kunming Biodiversity Fund – to support biodiversity projects in
developing countries
• 30 by 30 target – protect 30% of land and sea area by 2030
Wild Life (Protection) Amendment ->New Chapter added for implementation of CITES
Act 2022 -> Rationalization of Schedules – Schedules have been reduced
from 6 to 4
->Schedule 1: Animal species with highest level of protection
->Schedule 2: Animal species with a lesser protection
->Schedule 3: Protected Plant Species
->Schedule 4: Specimen listed in appendix under CITES
-> Wild animals will be declared vermin by Central Govt Notification
-> Transfer or Transport of live elephants allowed with proper
certification
India State of Forests Report 2021 By Forest Survey of India, MoEFCC
Total forest cover: 21.7% of geographical area
Total tree cover: 2.9% of geographical area

Forest cover:
Absolute → MP > Arunachal > Chhattisgarh > Odisha >
Maharashtra
%age → Mizoram (84%) > Arunachal Pradesh (79%) > Meghalaya
(76%) > Manipur (74%) > Nagaland (73%)
Tiger reserve with largest forest cover

Absolute - Nagarjunasagar Srisailam TR
%age terms – Pakke TR
Mangroves:
West Bengal (43% of total mangrove area) > Gujarat > Andaman &
Nicobar
Bamboo cover:
MP > Maharashtra > Arunachal > Odisha
Wetlands area:
Gujarat > West Bengal
Protected Areas ~5% of India’s area is protected area
Biosphere Reserves
National Parks
Wildlife Sanctuaries
Conservation Reserve – owned by govt
Community Reserve – owned by community/private
Biodiversity Heritage Sites ->State Govt in consultation with local bodies can notify then under
Biodiversity Act 2002 ; Total 35 such sites in India
Important Laws, Bodies, Terms Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 → Animal Welfare
Board of India (M/o Fisheries and Animal Husbandry)
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 →

• National Board for Wildlife (chaired by PM) – approves
alteration of boundary of NP, WS
• Central Zoo Authority (chaired by Env Minister)
• Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
Water Act, 1974 → CPCB
Forest (Conservation Act), 1980 → Forest Advisory Committee –

approves diversion of forest land for non-forest use
Forest Conservation Rules (2022) : There has been controversy
regarding these rules as some sections feel the new rules overlook
the role of indigenous communities in management of forests.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 → Central Groundwater

Authority
Provides for Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ) as transition zones between
high protection and no protection areas

National Forest Policy 1988 → provided for Joint Forest
management
Forests Rights Act, 2006 → provides for Community Forest

Resource Management, Critical Wildlife Habitats
NGT Act, 2010 → NGT

CRZ norms, 2018
Ramsar sites 75 Ramsar sites in now in India

Peatlands Cover 3% of global land
Largest natural terrestrial carbon store
Found in: permafrost regions (poles, high altitudes), coastal areas,
beneath tropical rainforests, boreal forests
Blue Flag Beach certification by Denmark-based FEE
10 blue flag beaches in India:
Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri
(Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh),
Golden (Odisha), Radhanagar (Andaman and Nicobar), Kovalam
(TN), Eden (Puducherry)
UN Decade on Ecosystem 2021-30

Restoration
Living Planet Report WWF
Living Planet Index WWF
Global Biodiversity Outlook Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Sustainable Development
Sustainable Development Report ->Published by Sustainable Development Solutions Network
2022 -> India ranked 121 out of 163
-> It ranks countries on performance of SDG-2030 targets
Cloud Forests ->Cloud forests are mountain tropical forests found at river
headstreams and covered with clouds
->They have shorter trees, are coller and wetter than other
forests
Biofuels Considered renewable energy source
Generations: 1G (food crops), 2G (non-food crops), 3G
(engineered algae)
Types:
▪ Bioethanol: used as additive (India targets 20% ethanol-
blending by 2025)
▪ Biodiesel: can be directly used as fuel (target 5% blending of
biodiesel in diesel by 2030)
▪ Biogas
▪ Biojet
National Policy on Biofuels, 2018 Categorization of biofuels, VGF to 2G biorefineries, allows use of
surplus foodgrains

Electricity Rules 2022 ->Consumers are entitled to demand supply of green power
from discoms
->Commercial/Industrial consumers can voluntarily purchse
green power
Methanol Economy India’s first indigenously designed High Ash Coal Gasification
based Methanol Production Plant installed by BHEL @
Hyderabad
Coal coal gasification Syngas (H2, CO, CO2) Methanol
Solar Energy Installed solar capacity: 54 GW (31 mar, 2022)

State with highest installed solar capacity: Karnataka
Wind Energy Installed wind capacity: 40 GW (30 Nov, 2021)
State with highest installed wind capacity: Tamil Nadu
Jaisalmer Wind Park (capacity 1000 MW): largest wind park in

India
Hydrogen Grey H: natural gas split into H2, CO2 | CO2 emitted into
atmosphere
Blue H: natural gas split into H2, CO2 | CO2 is captured and stored
Green H: water split into H2, O2 using solar/wind power | No CO2
emitted
Fugitive emissions unintentional leaks emitted from sealed surfaces, such as
packings and gaskets, or leaks from underground pipelines
resulting from corrosion or faulty connections.
wind and solar don't have fugitive emissions
Methane hydrates molecules of natural gas enclosed within a solid lattice of water
molecules.
Energy Conservation (Amendment) ->Empowers central govt to specify carbon trading schemes
Act 2022 ->New Energy Conservation and sustainable building code
-> Increases members in governing council of BEE (Bureau of
Energy Efficiency)
Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) Platform for trading renewable energy
Geothermal Energy 7 geothermal provinces in India:
• Himalayas - Ladakh, Manikaran, Tapoban;
• Sohana - Haryana, Rajasthan;
• West coast – Maharashtra;
• Cambay – Khambet;
• Son-Narmada-Tapi (SONATA) - Tatapani, Anhoni-Samoni;
• Godavari – Manuguru;
• Mahanadi – Bakreshwar
Fostering Effective Energy Transition WEF
report
Energy Transition Index WEF
World Energy Outlook IEA (International Energy Agency)
Global Energy and CO2 Status report IEA
Global Electric Vehicles Outlook IEA
Geospatial Energy Map of India NITI Aayog + ISRO

Agriculture
Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) Beejamrutham (seed treatment), Jeevamtrutham (no fertilisers,
terms no pesticides), Acchadana (Mulching), Whaapasa (soil moisture)
No vermicomposting done
Benefits: low cost, less water use, less electricity, lower methane
emissions
Participatory Guarantee Systems Certification of organic produce
(PGS) M/o Agriculture
World of Organic Agriculture report India ranked #1 in number of organic farmers
2020 Rank #9 in terms of area under organic farming
Sikkim – fully organic state
Aquaponics, Hydroponics, Hydroponics: growing crops in water w/o soil
Aeroponics Aeroponics: no growing medium
Aquaponics = Hydroponics + Aquaculture
Vertical farming Growing crops in vertically stacked layers
Conservation Agriculture 3 components: permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance,
crop rotation
Green-Ag Project Project of FAO + MoEFCC
Funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF)
To reduce emissions from agriculture
5 states: UK, RJ, MP, OD, Mizoram
Soil Health Card: 12 parameters Macro
Primary: N P K
Secondary: Sulphur
Micro: Iron, Copper, Boron, Manganese, Zinc

Soil Podsol: cold & humid | rich in Silica and Lime
Latosol: hot & humid | rich in Iron, Aluminium
Gleysol: waterlogged peaty soil
Millets ->2023 is the international year of millets
->India produces 20% of World’s Millets
->Major Millets in India : Jowar , Bajra , Ragi
Globally Important Agricultural Initiative of FAO
Heritage Systems (GIAHS) 3 GIAHS in India:
• Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System of Kerala.
• Koraput Traditional Agriculture of Odisha.
• Pampore Saffron Heritage of Kashmir.
Virtual water Water consumed for production of agri and non-agri
commodities throughout their lifecycle
Locusts Omnivorous
Locust Warning Organisation: M/o Agriculture
Bamboo Survives in wide range of conditions
In India, it is found naturally in almost all parts except Kashmir
It in NOT a tree under definition of tree by Indian Forest Act,
1927
Geography
Tropical Cyclone conditions 5-20° North, South (Coriolis force), sea surface temp > 27°C, high
humidity, presence of low pressure, small variation in vertical

wind speed
La Nina, El Nino Normal year/ La Nina
Western Tropical Pacific (warm) – Eastern Tropical Pacific (cool)
El Nino
Western Tropical Pacific (cool) – Eastern Tropical Pacific (warm)
El Nino Modoki
WTP (cool) - Central Tropical Pacific (warm) – ETP(cool)
Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) Low pressure band moving from west to east
MJO over Indian ocean → good rainfall in Indian subcontinent
Indian Ocean Dipole (Indian Nino) Positive phase → good rainfall in Indian subcontinent
Western Indian Ocean (warm) – Eastern Indian Ocean (cool)
Negative phase → scarce rainfall in Indian subcontinent

Western Indian Ocean (cool) – Eastern Indian Ocean (warm)
Atlantic Meridional Overturning • AMOC is a large system of ocean currents driven by
Circulation (AMOC) differences in temperature and salinity (water’s density)
• Weakening due to global warming (as temp difference
between poles and equator decreasing)
Boreal Summer Intra Seasonal Heat transfer from Indian ocean to western Pacific ocean during
Oscillation (BSISO) monsoon (June- Sept)
Causes short-term climate variability in monsoon system
Heat Dome A heat dome is created when an area of high pressure stays over
the same area for days or weeks, trapping very warm air
underneath - like a lid on a pot.
This phenomena was seen in North America in Jun-Jul 2021

South Atlantic Anomaly Weak spot in Earth’s magnetic field
Here, Van Allen radiation belt comes down to 200 km altitude
Van Allen Radiation belt zone of energetic charged particles that are captured by and
held around a planet’s magnetosphere.
Mt Everest 86 cm higher
Highest mountains:
From sea level: Mt Everest
From Earth’s core: Mt Chimborazo
From base of mountain: Mauna Kea
Karakoram anomaly the stability or anomalous growth of glaciers in the central
Karakoram, in contrast to the retreat of glaciers in other nearby
mountainous ranges of Himalayas and other mountainous
ranges of the world.
Miscellaneous
6th mass extinction ongoing extinction event of species during the
present Holocene epoch (with the more recent time sometimes
called Anthropocene) as a result of human activity.
Evil Quartet 4 major causes of biodiversity loss: habitat loss, overexploitation,
invasive alien species, secondary extinction
Carbon Fertilisation phenomena that the increase of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere increases the rate of photosynthesis in plants.

Great Green Wall Project to combat desertification in Africa
Deep Ecology environmental philosophy which promotes the inherent worth of
all living beings regardless of their instrumental utility to human
needs
Joshimath Land Subsidence ->Land subsidence is gradual sinking of ground surface
->Unplanned construction , location of city near tectonic fault –
Vaikrita Thrust, perennial rivers and large hydropower dams ;
These factors are major causes of this incident
Coalition For Disaster Resilient ->HQ: New Delhi , India
Infrastructure ->It was launched in 2019 by India at UN climate action summit
->It has 31 countries and works on intersection areas of Sendai
Framework and Paris Deal
Mawmluh Cave, Meghalaya Listed as a first 100 Geological sites by International Union Of
Geological Sciences
India’s 33rd Elephant Reserve MoEFCC has declared Terai Elephant Reserve (TER) in Dudhwa
Pilibhit region of UP as an elephant reserve

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Biotechnology
Central Dogma of
Molecular Biology
DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid is the carrier of genetic information.

Double Helix, Self-Replicating Structure.
Gene Unit of information that gets passed down from parents to

offspring. It is a specific section of DNA composed of DNA base
pairs.
Genetic Modification Direct Manipulation of DNA of an organism to get desired

(GM) Technology characteristics
Approaches for Gene 1. CRISPR- Cas9

Editing/ Gene 2. Homing Endonuclease
Modification 3. Site Directed Endonuclease (SDN)
● In SDN ‘Nucleases’ are used which are like
molecular scissors which cleave the DNA at
desired position
● SDN 1 and 2 do not introduce any alien gene while
SDN3 does
● In SDN 1 and 2 result is indistinguishable from a
conventionally bred crop
Bioeconomy An economy that sources its energy and material needs from
renewable sources
GM Crops regulators in ● Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Ministry of

India Science is the nodal for GM research and setting of safety
standards
● GEAC - Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee is the
regulator under Ministry of Environment and Forests to
approve GM Crops in India, allow field trials and approve
large scale release in environment
● ICAR - Indian Council For Agricultural Research under
Ministry of Agriculture for R&D on GM crops

Advantages Of GM Crops 1. Better Productivity
2. Increased Food Security
3. Enhanced Nutritional Quality
4. Better Soil Fertility
Challenges of GM Crops 1. Environmental contamination

2. Disturbance in Gene Pool and loss to biodiversity
3. Biosafety - safety of animal and human food systems and
ecosystem health.
4. Genetic contamination - GM crops could create
superweeds which are invasive in nature and can destroy
ecosystems
Guidelines for safety ● Released by Department of Biotechnology (DBT)

assessment of Genome ● Plants modified using SDN 1 and SDN 2 techniques are
Edited Plants 2022 exempt from certain rules under Environment Protection
Act, 1986 to expedite their approval process
DMH 11 (Dhara Mustard ● GEAC has approved its environmental release

Hybrid) ● It is a transgenic hybrid crop developed by researchers at
Delhi University by crossing Indian Mustard Varuna
(Barnase Line) with East European Early Heera 2 Mutant
(Barstar Line)
● Foreign genes come from a soil bacteria called ‘Bacillus
amyloliquefaciens’
CAR (Chimeric Antigen ● T cells are types of WHite Blood Cells (WBC) that attack
Receptor)- T Cell Therapy foreign pathogens
● This therapy aims to EDIT these T cells to form CAR-T cells
which can then be used in rapid recovery of cancer and
save patients from strenuous chemotherapy sessions
● Remember -
○ T cells and B cells are types of WBCs called
lymphocytes
○ B cells produce antibodies to attack the invading
pathogens while T cells destroy body’s own cells
which are taken over by virus/cancer
Genome Sequencing ● A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA.

Sequencing it involves deciphering the order in which
base pairs of the DNA are arranged
● In human DNA, there are 3 billion base pairs
● Genome sequencing helps in understanding human
evolution, identify genetic diseases
● USA in 1990 led the Human Genome Project (HGP) while
in India we have had initiatives like INDIGEN (by CSIR) and
Genome India (by DBT)
● INSACOG ( Indian SARS Cov2 Genomics Consortium) was
an recent programme by CSIR, MoHFW, DBT etc to
sequence the genome of SARS COV2 virus.
Cloning ● China, for the first time in the world has been able to

clone a wild arctic wolf
● Primarily there are 3 types of cloning - DNA cloning,
Reproductive cloning (Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
Technology) and Therapeutic Cloning
Indian Biological Data ● Opened in Faridabad, Haryana, it will be a national

Center (IBDC) repository for all life sciences data in India that is
generated from publicly funded research
● Supported by DBT, data will be stored in a 4 petabyte
supercomputer - ‘Brahm’
● Similar other facilities in India :
○ National Gene Bank, Pusa
○ National Animal Gene Bank, Karnal
○ Indian Seed Vault, Changla, Ladakh
Molecular Motor ● These are type of proteins that drive intracellular

movement by converting chemical energy to mechanical
work - useful in processes like muscular contraction, cell
division etc
Information & Communication Technology
National Geospatial Policy ● Launched by Ministry of Science And Technology

● It aims to provide open data platforms to boost
innovation and startups in this sector
● Geospatial technology is used to identify a location on the
surface of Earth
● It can be used to generate satellite imagery, mapping,
navigation, aerial survey and earth observation
● Survey of India (under MoST) will be the key
implementation body
Draft National Data ● Formulated by Ministry of Electronics and Information

Governance Framework Technology (MeITY) it aims to enhance data led
Policy governance in India
● Standardised data management standards, increase
access to quality data and protect non personal data of
consumers are some of the features of policy
● The policy aims to create IDMO (Indian Data Management
Office) which will store ‘anonymized’ non personal
datasets available with government entities and that are
to be collected in future from citizens
● Access of this data will be given to startups and for R&D
● Policy doesn't apply to private players, but they can
contribute their data voluntarily
● There is no provision to monetize the data
● Related : NDAP (National Data Analytics Platform)
operated by NITI Aayog that hosts variety of public
datasets and provides tools for quick analysis of it
5G • Private captive 5G networks are allowed in India

● Recent 5G Spectrum Auction earned 1.5 lakh crore from
the government. Auctions were for 3 frequency bands -
low, medium and high. Most revenue was earned from
sale of low band spectrum.
Mobile Edge Computing ● Technique to process data, close (location-wise) to the

point where it is generated to get faster analytics with
minimal latency.It provides near real time analytics and
highly efficient system performance.
Virtual Private Network ● Encrypted connection over internet from a device to a

(VPN) network in real time
● Offers anonymity, security as well as confidentiality
Generative AI ● GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) : Large

Language Model, trained on text data on internet
● Lambda - mimic humans in conversation
● Can create new content like music, videos and even write
computer code
4D Printing ● 4D printing is the process through which a 3D printed

object transforms itself into another structure over the
influence of external energy input such as temperature,
light or other environmental stimuli.
● It can have applications in robotics, cancer treatment etc
Quantum Key ● It is a secure cryptographic communication protocol

Distribution ● Here 2 parties (involved in communication) can generate a
(QKD) shared secret key which can be used to encrypt/decrypt a
message. This generated key then can be distributed
between 2 parties using QKD.
● QKD technology underpins Quantum Communication
technology that ensures unconditional data security by
virtue of the principles of quantum mechanics, which is
not possible with the conventional encryption systems.
The conventional cryptosystems used for data-encryption
rely on the complexity of mathematical algorithms,
whereas the security offered by quantum communication
is based on the laws of Physics. Therefore, quantum
cryptography is considered as future-proof Since no
future advancements in the computational power can
break quantum-cryptosystem
● ISRO, IIT Delhi and DRDO are leading QKD development in
India
Proof Of Work And Proof ● Terms related to consensus mechanism in

Of Stake cryptocurrencies that allow mining of new blocks by
making sure valid/authentic work is done
● Blockchain uses Proof of Work while Ethereum uses the
Proof of Stake Mechanism
Digi Yatra ● Mobile Application developed by Ministry Of Civil Aviation

for seamless transit through airports
● With this, a passenger’s face will act as a boarding pass
and there will be no need for carrying multiple documents
India Stack ● A platform of open APIs (Application Programming

Interface) like - Aadhar, UPI, Co-WIN, Digi locker etc
Global Declaration on ● It aims to keep internet open and free

future of Internet ● India is not a party to this declaration
National Internet ● Not for profit organisation, established in 2003

Exchange Of India (NIXI) ● Facilitates exchange of domestic internet traffic between
Internet Service Providers
● Functions as India’s registry for ‘.in’ domain
Digilocker and Ayushman ● Digilocker will be used to store health records under
Bharat Digital Mission ABDM
(ABDM) ● Documents stored/issued on digilocker are to be treated
at par with physical documents as per IT rules, 2016
Global Lighthouse ● Led by McKinsey and WEF, it is a community of

Network manufacturers who showcase leadership in application of
4th Industrial Revolution technologies like AI, Big Data
etc.
Aryabhat 1 ● Analog chipset designed by IISc for AI applications like

Alexa/Siri etc.
Cryptojacking ● A hard to detect cyber-attack, where a computing device

is hacked to illicitly mine cryptocurrency
E- SIM ● Embedded SIM, where SIM card is physically soldered

onto the device PCB and cannot be easily removed
BharOS ● Android based mobile operating system designed by IIT

Madras
Bluebugging ● Hacking a device via its Bluetooth connection
Hermit ● Commercial spyware with ability to infect ios and android

devices. It is used to steal sensitive information from a
device
● Its use has been reported in Syria, Kazakhstan and Italy
PARAM PORUL ● Indigenously built supercomputer at NIT Trichy

● It has direct contact liquid cooling technology to obtain a
high power usage effectiveness
Space Technology
Mars Orbiter Mission ● Recently the orbiter lost communication with ground
station, bringing it to its end of life after 8 years

● The mission was launched in 2013 via PSLV C25
● Achievements of Mission :
○ Photographed the far side of Deimos ( 1 of the
natural satellites of Mars)
○ Gave information about composition of Martian
exosphere
Recent Mars Missions by 1. Perseverance By NASA

Other Nations 2. Hope Mission By UAE
3. Tianwen 1 by China
4. MMX Mission by Japan
Note : Perseverance rover collected rock sample from Jezero

Crater called ‘South Seitah’ and Moxia on board the rover was
able to produce Oxygen at Mars
NaVIC (Navigation with ● Developed by ISRO, it is a regional (not global)

Indian Constellation) navigational system
● Earlier called IRNSS, it functions via a cluster of 7
satellites. (4 in geosynchronous, 3 in geostationary orbit)
● It provides navigational range of around 1500km from
Indian Landmass
Other Global Navigational 1. GPS (USA)

Systems 2. GLONASS (Russia)
3. Galileo (EU)
4. Beidou (China)
Artemis I ● Moon Mission planned by NASA

● It aims for deep space exploration and later to land 1st
woman on moon
● In Greek Mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo
and goddess of moon
James Webb Space ● It is NASA’s largest and most powerful space science
Telescope (JWST) telescope.
● Built by International collaboration between NASA,
European Space Agency (ESA), and Canadian Space
Agency (CSA).
● Webb views the universe in infrared, Its primary mirror is
6.5 metres in diameter.
● It will not be in orbit around Earth but will orbit the Sun,
1.5 million kilometres away from the Earth at the second
Lagrange point or L2.

Private Sector in Space 1. IN- SPACE ( Indian National Space Promotion and
Authorisation centre ; set up at Ahmedabad) has been
conceptualised to promote space activities of private
players in India
2. Hyderabad's Dhruva Space and Bengaluru's Digantara
were authorized by IN-SPACe for launch of payloads
onboard PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) of
PSLV-C53.
3. Mission Prarambh: Involved launch of Vikram-S (VKS),
India’s first privately built rocket by Hyderabad based
Skyroot Aerospace.
4. India’s first private launch pad unveiled at Sriharikota
Designed by Agnikul (a startup) and executed in support
of ISRO and IN-SPACe.
Space Sustainability Space sustainability refers to ensuring that all humanity can
continue to use outer space for peaceful purposes and
socioeconomic benefit now and in the long term.
Threats to space sustainability :

1. Orbital crowding and Space Debris leading to Kessler
Syndrome
2. Militarisation and weaponization of the space
GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO ● Developed by Airports Authority of India And ISRO
Augmentation and ● Possible uses in Air traffic control, crop spraying etc.
Navigation)
Aditya L1 mission by ISRO It will study the Sun’s corona, solar emissions, solar winds and
flares, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and will carry out
round-the-clock imaging of the Sun.
L1 stands for Lagrange Point 1.

Blood Moon Blood Moon, commonly known as total lunar eclipse, occurs
when the moon passes through the darkest part of Earth's
shadow, known as the umbra. It is called blood moon
because of the reddish hue.
Sunspots Sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of the Sun.
They are cooler than other parts of the Sun’s surface. They form
at areas where magnetic fields are particularly strong .Magnetic
field lines near sunspots can cause a sudden explosion of energy
called a solar flare
Health
Traditional Medicine ● Recently, WHO Director-General laid the foundation stone

for world's first and only Global Centre for Traditional
Medicine (GCTM) at Jamnagar in Gujarat
● According to WTO, Traditional medicine (TM) is the sum
of the knowledge, skill, and practices based on the
theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different
cultures, for treatment of physical and mental illness.
Tuberculosis (TB) Caused by bacteria : Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

Vacccine against it : BCG Vaccine
Can impact : Brain , Lungs , Kidney
Initiatives to End TB In India we have the Nikshay portal, Nikshay poshan yojana
and National Plan to End TB by 2025
Moscow Declaration 2017 : To enhance accountability towards
ending TB by 2030
About Antimicrobial ● AMR is the ability of a microorganism (like bacteria,

Resistance (AMR) viruses, and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial
(such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from
working against it.
● WHO has declared AMR as one of the top 10 global public
health threats facing humanity
● Causes of AMR : Over prescription, unregulated use of
antibiotics, adding excessive antibiotics to agricultural
feed, poor hygiene etc
mRNA Vaccines ● Unlike conventional vaccines that inject a weakened form

of a virus or bacteria into the body, RNA vaccines use part
of virus’ own genes to stimulate an immune response
● mRNA vaccines teach cells how to make copies of the
spike protein that triggers an immune response
inside human bodies, when actual infection takes place.
Food Fortification Deliberately increasing the content of essential micronutrients in

food to improve the nutritional quality of to provide public health
benefit with minimal risk to health.

● In India, wheat flour and rice are fortified with Iron,
Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid, Milk and Edible Oil with
Vitamins A and D and Double Fortified Salt with Iodine and
Iron
Concept of ‘One Health’
ORS (Oral Rehydration Dr Dilip Mahalanabis who pioneered the emergency use of oral
Solution) rehydration solution (ORS) in 1971 refugee camps for diarrhoeal
diseases passed away.
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his discovery in 2023
About ORS:
-It is a mixture of electrolytes (salts) and carbohydrates (in the
form of sugar) dissolved in water.
-They are used to replace salts and water that the body loses
during dehydration caused by gastroenteritis, diarrhoea or
vomiting. The main electrolytes are potassium and sodium.
Monkeypox Zoonotic disease caused by the virus belonging to the

Orthopoxvirus genus. Same genus also includes variola virus
which causes smallpox and cowpox virus.
Largely occurring close to tropical rainforests of Africa. Animal-to-
human transmission can occur from direct contact with the blood,
bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected animals.
It is now a public health emergency of international concern
(PHEIC) under the WHO's International Health Regulations
(IHR),2005.
Human Papillomavirus HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that may cause cervical
(HPV) cancer.Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer of
women in India despite being largely preventable.
Cervical cancer can be eliminated if all prepubertal girls are given

HPV vaccination globally.

Cervavac, the country’s first quadrivalent human papillomavirus
vaccine (qHPV) has been Manufactured by Serum Institute of
India.
Zombie Virus Zombie virus is a virus emerged due to thawing of permafrost as

global temperature is rising.
Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) LSD is a vector-borne pox disease that is caused by Capripoxvirus
Lumpi-ProVacInd vaccine has been developed by Indian Council of

Agricultural Research (ICAR).It is a homologous, live attenuated
vaccine specifically targeted to protect cattle against LSD virus.
LSD infects cattle and water buffalo mainly through vectors such
as blood-feeding insects. The disease is not zoonotic, meaning it
does not spread from animals to humans.
Africa's 1st Malaria Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, announced support for the
Vaccine rollout of the first malaria vaccine in Africa (starting with Ghana,
Kenya and Malawi) from 2022-2025.
Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people

through infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.5 parasite species
cause malaria in humans, and 2 of this: P. falciparum (most
prevalent on African continent) and P. vivax (prevalent outside of
sub-Saharan Africa)– pose greatest threat.
Sickle cell anaemia Occurs due to a genetic mutation that causes hemoglobin in red
blood cells (RBCs) to clump together.Affects the shape of RBCs.
RBCs are usually round and flexible, so they move easily through
blood vessels. In sickle cell anaemia, some RBCs are shaped like
sickles or crescent moons. They become rigid and sticky, which
can slow or block blood flow.
Canine Distemper Virus Canine distemper is caused by the paramyxovirus virus and it
(CDV) spreads through body fluids like infected urine, blood and saliva.
The virus attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous
systems of puppies and dogs and can be transmitted to lions,
tigers, leopards and other wild cats as well as seals.
There is no known cure for CDV.
It is considered a threat to Asiatic Lions of Gujarat
Shigella bacteria Shigella is a genus of bacteria that causes an infection called

shigellosis. It is a gastrointestinal infection and second leading
cause of bacterial diarrhoea worldwide and third leading cause of
death in children less than 5 years old.
Transmitted through contaminated food or water, or through
person-to-person contact. It is Endemic in most low- or middle-
income countries (LMICs).No vaccines available for shigellosis.
Recently outbreak was reported in Kerala

Defence
GSAT 7 Series Satellites • GSAT 7 series satellites are advanced satellites developed
by ISRO to meet the communication needs of the defence
services.
• GSAT 7 satellite (launched in 2013) is mainly used by the
Indian Navy for its communication needs.
• GSAT 7A (launched in 2018) helps in radar communication
of Indian Air Force
• GSAT 7B will primarily fulfil the communication needs of
the Army. It will help the Army enhance its surveillance in
border areas
Flight Trajectory of
Various types of Missiles
BrahMos Missile ->Philippines signed a deal to purchase BrahMos

->BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile system
->It can be launched from land, sea and air
->BrahMos is a collaboration between India (DRDO) and Russia
(NPO Mashinostroyenia).
->Name represents Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.
->It is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as
first stage and liquid ramjet as second Stage. It operates at fire
and forget principle.
->Following India’s entry in MTCR in 2016, it was decided to
extend the range to 450 km and to 600 km at a later stage
S400 S-400 is a mobile long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM)

system. Equipped with four different missiles, it can engage
enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles, and Airborne Warning And
Control System (AWACS) planes at 400km, 250km, medium-range
120km and short-range 40km.
It has the capability to engage 80 targets at one time with
response time of 9-10 seconds.
HELINA Indigenously developed (by DRDO) helicopter launched Anti-Tank

Guided Missile (ATGM) ‘HELINA’ was successfully flight tested.
It is third generation fire and forget class ATGM system mounted
on the Advanced Light Helicopter
Scorpene Submarines Fifth Scorpène-class submarine Vagir was delivered to the Indian
Navy.

Six Scorpene submarines are being built indigenously under
Project-75 by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) under
technology transfer from Naval Group of France.
Other 5 are: Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, Vela, Vagsheer.
Features : anti-warship and anti-submarine operations,
intelligence gathering and surveillance and naval mines laying.
INS Vikrant PM commissioned India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS

(Indian Naval Ship) Vikrant.
INS Vikrant has been designed by Indian Navy’s Directorate of

Naval Design, and built at Cochin Shipyard Limited, a public sector
shipyard under Ministry of Shipping.
India has had aircraft carriers earlier too — but those were built
either by British (INS Vikrant and Viraat) or Russians (INS
Vikramaditya).
About INS Vikrant :Over 76% of material and equipment on board

is indigenous. Uses Short Take Off But Assisted Recovery
(STOBAR) aircraft-operation mode that uses a ski-jump for
launching aircrafts.
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vagsheer, sixth and last submarine of Project 75, has been
Vagsheer launched. Vagsheer is a diesel attack submarine, designed to
perform sea denial as well as access denial warfare.
P 75 is one of two lines of submarines, other being P75I, as part of

a plan for indigenous submarine construction with technology
taken from overseas firms.
Under P75, Kalavari, Khanderi, Karanj and Vela have been

commissioned. Sea trials are on for Vagir.
It is Constructed by Mazagon Dock Ltd
Kamikaze Drones Indian Army to induct kamikaze drones in eastern Ladakh.
Kamikaze Drones are small, unmanned aircraft that are packed

with explosives that can be flown directly at a tank or a group of
troops that are destroyed when it hits the target and explodes.
Also called Switchblade drones as their bladelike wings spring out
on launch.
Note : Drones like Ghatak and Tapas are being developed

indigenously too
Some Aircrafts 1. Dornier Aircraft - Passenger aircraft given by HAL to

Manufactured by Alliance air to operate in North East under UDAN Scheme
Hindustan Aeronautics 2. Tejas Mark 2 : Advanced version of LCA Tejas
Ltd. (HAL)

Pinaka Multi Barrel ● Developed by DRDO, this system will now be exported to
Rocket Launch System Armenia
● In recent times Indian Defence Exports have increased
manifold due to steps like Positive Indigenization list,
SRIJAN Portal and initiatives like IDEX
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Nuclear Fusion Vs Nuclear

Fission
Note :
A fusion device
(Tokamak) is being built
in southern France under
the International
Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor
(ITER). India is part of this
initiative
Lithium • Lithium is the lightest solid metal. It is currently produced

from hard rock or brine mines.
• Australia is the world's biggest supplier. In India first
traces of Lithium ever to be discovered in the ancient
igneous rock of Karnataka’s Mandya district. Recently
Lithium reserves were also discovered in J&K. Currently
India imports all its lithium needs, with China and Hong
Kong biggest suppliers
Lithium Triangle : Argentina, Bolivia And Chile

Fuel Cell
Nobel Prizes 2022 1. Chemistry - Awarded for research on Click Chemistry. It is

a branch of science in which molecular building blocks
snap together quickly and efficiently. Instead of trying to
make carbon atoms react with each other, click chemistry
focuses on using smaller molecules that already have a
complete carbon frame. Use : Development of enzyme
inhibitors, ligands and better pharma products
2. Physics - Awarded for experiments on Quantum Science -
mainly Quantum Entanglement (QE) and Quantum
Teleportation. Entanglement is when multiple objects –
such as a pair of electrons or photons – share a single
quantum state. By measuring the property of one particle
we can immediately determine the result of an equivalent
measurement on the other particle, without any check.
Use: Quantum computing and Cryptography
3. Medicine: Awarded for sequencing the genomes of
extinct Hominins and studies on Human Evolution.
Neanderthal DNA was extracted from ancient remains.
Neanderthals developed outside Africa and populated
Europe and Western Asia from around 400,000
years. They went extinct around 30,000 years ago.
Nobel Awardee analysed and sequenced the
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Neanderthals –
demonstrating that Neanderthals were genetically
distinct. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited via maternal
(mother) line only and has 16,000 base pairs as compared
to Nuclear DNA with 3 billion Base pairs and inherited via
both the parents.

ECONOMY
GDP and GVA Gap • Recently in Indian Economy the gap between
GDP and GVA has increased
• This is because GDP is calculated at Market
Prices and GVA is calculated at Basic Prices
• GDP lags behind GVA if tax collections are low
and subsidies are high in an economy.
• [GDP] = [GVA] +[Net Taxes] - [Net Subsidies]
Green GDP • It is growing faster than traditional GDP after

3 decades
• NCAVES (Natural Capital Accounting and
Valuation of Ecosystem Services) is the
standard used by MoSPI for environmental
accounting
• Uttarakhand became first state to calculate
its GEP - Gross Environment Product
Environmental Kuznets Curve
World Bank’s report- Poverty And Shared • The World Bank has updated its definition of
Prosperity extremely poor. People earning less than 2.15
dollars per day are now considered extremely
poor. (Earlier the criteria was 1.9 dollars)
• Poverty Line is kept at 6.85 dollars per person
per day.
Glass Cliff • A term which relates to the phenomenon of

promoting women/minorities to higher-
leadership positions during times of crisis
with an aim to blame them if things don't
improve
Technical Recession • 2 consecutive quarters (6 months) of decline

in real GDP
Categorization of Countries based on • UN classifies Nations as : Developed

Economic Growth Countries,Economies In Transition,
Developing Countries (India Lies here)
And Least Developed Countries
• World Bank Classifies Nations as (based on
Gross National Income or GNI, per capita) :

o Low Income Countries - where GNI
per capita is less than 1085 dollars
o Lower Middle Income Countries
where GNI is between 1085 to
4255 dollars
o Upper Middle Income Countries
where GNI is between 4255 and
13205 dollars
o High Income Countries where GNI
is above 13205 dollars
• India lies in the lower middle income
category. To become a developed nation we
have to cross the benchmark of 13,000 GNI
per capita by 2047
Balance of Payments for India • For FY22 India had a trade surplus in services
but a deficit in merchandise goods
• For FY23 India’s combined exports have
crossed $ 750 billion
• India remained largest recipient of
Remittances with the figure touching $100
billion
‘5 Pran’ Given by PM Modi on 15th August 1. Become a developed nation by 2047

2022 2. Shed Colonial Mindset
3. Take pride in our roots
4. Work for Unity of Nation
5. Sense of Duty among citizens
Key Taxes Out of GST Ambit • Excise on Alcohol

• Property Tax
• Electricity Duty
• Basic Customs Duty
• Stamp Duty
• Taxes on crude, petrol, diesel, ATF and
Natural Gas
Circular Trading • Fraudulent practice of availing Input Tax

Credit in the GST system by generating fake
invoices
National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) • Was Formed under the GST regime
• Will wind up its operations soon
• Anti-Profiteering complaints under GST will
now be looked at by Competition
Commission of India as per orders from CBIC
De-Dollarization • Term used to denote the efforts put in to

reduce the dominance of US dollar in
international markets by promoting
transactions in other currencies

Digital Tax • OECD showcased how Bigtech MNCs were
evading taxes via the practice of Base Erosion
and Profit Shifting
• It suggested a 2 pillar formula which
comprised of a Global Minimum Tax of 15% on
these entities
• India currently levies an Equalization Levy and
a DIgital Services Tax in this regard
G24 The Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on

International Monetary Affairs and Development,
or (Group of 24 (G-24)) was established in 1971 in
order to help coordinate the positions of
developing countries on international monetary
and development finance issues, as well as and to
ensure that their interests are adequately
represented in negotiations on international
monetary matters. Though originally named after
the number of founding Member States, it now
(Member Nations) has 28 Members
Government Debt Govt debt

1. Public Debt (against Consolidated Fund of
India)
i. Internal – marketable, non-marketable
ii. External
2. Other Liabilites (against Public A/c of India)
Internal debt >>> External debt
Debt to GDP ratio FRBM target (by 2024-25)

Centre – 40% of GDP
States – 20% of GDP
India’s external debt External debt ($613 bn)

Long-term debt >> Short-term debt
Acc to denomination
USD (55%) > INR (30%) > SDR (6%) > Yen (5%)
Windfall Tax • One off tax imposed on entities that have

unexpectedly received large profits
• Recently applied on Mil Marketing Companies
as they profited heavily due to Russia-
Ukraine war and oil crisis

Tax Sources of Central Government
Tax collection: GST > Corporation Tax > Income

Tax > Excise > Customs
Subsidy: Food > Fertiliser > Fuel
Deficits: FD (5.9%) > RD (2.9%) > PD (2.3%)
Financial Services Institutions Bureau • Bank Boards Bureau replaced by FSIB

(FSIB) • It will work under Department of Financial
Services, Ministry Of Finance
• It will recommend appointment, transfers
and termination of top posts in Public sector
banks, insurance companies and other
Financial institutions
Banking System Liquidity • On any given day, if the entire banking

system is a NET borrower from RBI then the
banking system liquidity is said to be in
deficit, else it is in surplus
• In September 2022 the liquidity turned deficit
after months of surplus, resulting in banks
increasing deposit rates to attract consumer
deposits. This also led to hike in loan rates
EASE 5.0 • A reform roadmap for Public Sector Banks to

adopt better practices and new age
technology
Interoperable regulatory sandbox • A framework to regulate new Fintech

companies who offer hybrid products and lie
under domain of multiple finance sector
regulators
• SEBI, RBI, PFRDA, IRDAI are all on board with
IFSCA acting as the principal regulator
CPI (R), CPI(U), CPI (All India) National Statistics Office(NSO), MoSPI
CPI (AI): weights [base year - 2012]

Food & Beverages (45%) > Services (20%) >
Housing (10%) > Fuel & Light (7%) > Clothing,

footwear (6.5%) > Personal care (4%) > Household
goods services (4%) > Pan masala, tobacco (2.4%)
Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) Includes: cereals, meat, fish, egg, milk, oats, fats,
vegetables, pulses, sugar, spices
Does not include: pan, tobacco, intoxicants
CPI (Industrial Workers) Labour Bureau, MoL&E

CPI (Rural Labourer)
CPI (Agri Labourer) CPI (IW) – used for fixing dearness allowance to
central/state govt employees
CPI (AL) – used for fixing MGNREGA wages
WPI Economic Advisor to DPIIT, Min of Commerce
WPI weights: [base year 2011-12]

1. Manufactured products – 64%
Processed food, edible oil, paper products,
chemicals, plastic, cement, metal products
etc
2. Primary articles – 23%
Unprocessed food, eggs , meat, oilseeds etc
Crude petroleum
Minerals
3. Fuel & power – 13%
High speed diesel, petrol, LPG
** no services
IIP NSO, MoSPI
IIP weights (based on type of goods):

Primary goods (34%) > intermediate goods (17%) >
consumer non-durables (15%) > consumer
durables (13%) > capital goods (8%)
IIP weights (based on sector):

Manufacturing (77%) > Mining (14%) > Electricity
(8%)
Index of Eight Core Industries Economic Advisor to DPIIT, Min of Commerce
weights:
Refinery products > Electricity > Steel > Coal >
Crude Oil > Natural Gas > Cement > Fertilizers

Inflation In India in 2022 • It remained more than 6% for 3 consecutive
quarters, mainly due to supply side shocks
like lockdowns and Russia Ukraine War
• There was a divergence observed between
CPI and WPI indicators. This was mainly
because the basket of commodities
measured by both indices are different. (WPI
does not account for services, while CPI does)
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) • Under RBI Act, 1934 – amended by Finance
Act, 2016
• 6 members
• Chaired by RBI Governor
• Monetary policy goal – inflation targeting
• Inflation target decided by Union govt in
consultation with RBI
• MPC fixes the benchmark policy interest rates
(repo rate, reverse repo) to restrain inflation
within the inflation target.
Important rates CRR à 4.5 %

SLR à 18 %
Repo Rate à 6.5 %
SDF à 6.25 %
Reverse repo à 3.35 %
Bank rate, MSF à 6.75 %
SDF (Standing Deposit Facility) SDF allows the RBI to absorb excess cash from
the economy by sucking liquidity from
commercial banks without giving government
securities in return to the lenders.
Banks park their money with RBI but without G-
sec as collateral.
Account Aggregator (AA) System • AA are entities that help individuals digitally
access and share financial information and
services from multiple vendors
• It enables consent based data sharing,
provides all financial services like credit,
insurance etc under one platform.
• It is regulated by RBI under the NBFC-AA
licence
Cost Inflation Index (CII) • It is released by Income Tax Department

• Based on CPI (urban)
• Helps taxpayers compute their long term
capital gains tax

RBI’s Digital Payment Index • Shows Robust Growth in Digital Payments
from 2021 to 2022
• For payment service providers, RBI has
mandated data localization. This mandate will
be audited by empanelled auditors from
CERT-IN
Crypto Asset Reporting Framework • Launched by OECD to report crypto

related transactions and curb tax
evasions due to them.
Digital Banking Units (DBU) • They are specialised service end points with
minimal infrastructure to cater to needs of
last mile consumers.
• They can provide facilities like passbook
printing, cash withdrawal and balance check,
all digitally
• All scheduled commercial banks can set up
DBUs. However, Regional Rural Banks,
Payment Banks and Local Area Banks Are
NOT allowed to setup DBUs

Card Tokenization • As per new RBI rules, online merchants
cannot directly store consumer’s credit/debit
card details on their servers
• Card tokenization is a process to encrypt
those details and then store it
UPI goes International • Now accepted in Singapore, UAE, Nepal And

Bhutan
Green Bonds • World Bank issued the first green bonds in

2008
• They are used to finance projects which are
environment friendly
• Recently RBI issued Sovereign Green Bonds
on behalf of Government of India
• Recently Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam became
first municipality to issue green municipal
bonds
• Projects that are NOT eligible under
Sovereign Green Bonds by government :
o Projects involving extraction of
minerals.
o Nuclear projects, landfill projects and
biomass projects utilising feedstock
that originates from protected areas
o Hydropower projects greater than 25
Megawatt capacity
Investor Education and Protection Fund • Setup under Ministry of Corporate Affairs to
Authority (IEPFA) promote investor education and prevent
frauds
India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX) • Set up at IFSC GIFT CITY to allow trading in
gold and bullion

Poison Pill Strategy • Shareholders rights plan that allows them to
purchase additional shares at discount
Front Running • Illegal Practice in India, where a trader who is

aware of a large upcoming share purchase
order, buys the same share in advance and in
bulk with a motive to get huge profit
Insurance Penetration • Ratio of total insurance premium to the GDP

of a country
• It is 4.2% in India, whereas the global average
is 6.3%
NPS vs OPS
Internationalisation of Rupee • To increase global acceptance and credibility

of INR and to settle cross border transactions
using it.
• Rupee denominated Masala Bonds, Trade
Settlement via VOSTRO accounts and
currency swap agreements are some
measures taken up to increase
internationalisation of rupee
Outcomes of the 12th Ministerial 1. Check on illegal fishing and no subsidy

Conference of WTO towards fishing outside EEZ
2. IP waiver granted for COVID vaccines
3. Extension of Moratorium applied to
electronic commerce transactions
4. No export restrictions on food security
purchases of World Food Programme
Goods Trade Barometer Index published by WTO shows slowing down of trade
growth

Currency War • When countries deliberately weaken their
currencies in order to keep their exports
competitive
• Reverse Currency War - When Countries
ensure that their currency doesn't lose value
against $, to save themselves from costlier
crude imports.
FDI In India • Top Sources of FDI in India : Singapore >

Mauritius > UAE > USA
• Top recipient states:
Karnataka > Maharashtra > Delhi
• India is the 7th topmost recipient of FDI in the
world. Top 3 FDI receivers are: USA, China
and Hong Kong

India’s Forex Reserves
As of 7th April 2023 - India’s Forex reserves

stood at 584 Billion dollars
Global Innovation Index by WIPO • India moves up 6 places to rank 40th in 2022
• Switzerland, USA and Sweden are top 3
rankers
• India has been ranked first in the ICT services
export sub indicator
• NITI Aayog also brought out India Innovation
Index - where Karnataka, Manipur and
Chandigarh topped in their respective
categories.
NIPAM (National Intellectual property • By Ministry of Commerce to impart IP

Awareness Mission) awareness and training
India Skills Report, 2023 • Published by Wheebox, AICTE and

Confederation of Indian Industries
• India's employable workforce has increased
to 50.3%
• Employability of women is greater than that
of men.
• UP, Maharashtra and Delhi are top 3 states
with highest employable workforce
NIPUN ( National Initiative for promotion • Program by MoHUA to upskill 100,000

of upskilling of Nirman Workers) construction workers under DAY-NULM
Unicorns in India • A unicorn is defined as a startup whose

valuation has crossed 1 billion dollars
• India has more than 100 unicorns
• India is 3rd in number of unicorns worldwide
after USA and China
Nano Urea • Developed by IFFCO

• It is an alternative to urea in farmlands

• It has better Nitrogen Use efficiency, higher
yield and productivity
• It is environmentally friendly and has
potential to eliminate urea import in India by
2025
• IFFCO is also on similar lines working on
NANO-DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) which
is a combine of Nitrogen and Phosphate
fertilisers
2023 - International Year of Millets • Millets are super-food, nutri cereals as they
declared by UN General Assembly are rich in iron, iodine and anti-oxidants
• They require less water to grow, are climate
friendly and can help us defeat malnutrition
Rice Crop - Important facts • India is the second largest producer and
largest exporter of rice in the world
• Strategies of Rice Cultivation - Drilling,
Transplantation, Direct Seeding And SRI -
system of rice intensification
• Golden Rice - Rice fortified with vitamin A
• Kalanamak rice or Buddha rice - A GI tagged
rice of Uttar Pradesh with black husk and rich
in iron and zinc
Cotton Crop - Important Facts • Brown Cotton or Kandu - local indigenous

variety of cotton grown in Karnataka, Fabric
made from it has UV protection properties
• BG1, BG2 and BG2 RRF (Protects against
American Bollworm) are GM varieties of BT
Cotton
Asian Palm Oil Alliance • Formed by 5 major oil importing countries -

India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka
• TO get a collective bargaining power and
make imports sustainable
• Indonesia is the largest producer and
exporter of Palm Oil
• India is the world’s largest importer of edible
oil
Codex Alimentarius • International food standards and codes that

contribute to quality, safety and fairness of
international food trade
Organic Aadhar • Likely to be rolled out by APEDA for farmers

engaged in organic farming under NPOP-
National Programme For Organic Production
Gold Mining in India • India is the world’s 2nd largest consumer of

gold after China

• India imports 89% of its gold
• States in India with largest gold resource -
Bihar > Rajasthan> Karnataka
• Agencies are exploring the possibility of
extracting gold from a large reserve in Jamui,
Bihar
Green Steel • It utilises green hydrogen in place of coking

coal to manufacture steel
MSME Sector • Definition -

o Micro = 1 crore investment
o Small = 10 crore investment
o Medium = 50 crore investment
• MSME sector contributes :

o 30% to GDP
o 45% to Manufacturing Output
o 48% to exports
o 11 crore jobs via 6 crore +
enterprises
Digital Competition Law • Parliamentary Committee on Finance has

urged for enactment of such a law to curb
anti- competitive practices by Big Tech
• Currently Competition Commission of India
hears such cases with appeal to NCLAT
Tourism in India • Dharamshala Declaration - adopted by

National Conference on Tourism which sets
the goal to become world leader in tourism
by 2047
• India ranks at 54 out of 117 nations in the
global travel and tourism index released by
WEF
Framework to curb the menace of Fake/ • Unveiled by Department of Consumer Affairs

Deceptive Reviews of Products on E- and Prepared by BIS
commerce sites • Fake Reviews violate consumer’s right under
Consumer Protection Act, 2019
Open Network for Digital Commerce • Initiative of DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce

(ONDC) • It is an open, decentralised and interoperable
platform to enable large scale digital
commerce
• It democratises and decentralises E-
Commerce
• Promotes freedom of choice for the
consumer, better market access for MSME
sellers, ends monopolistic tendencies of Big
Players

Telecom Sector In India • 80 crore + Internet users
• Overall teledensity greater than 90%
• Recent Reforms :
1. Rationalisation of AGR (Adjusted
Gross Revenue) - removal of non
telecom revenue from the definition
of AGR
2. Fixed spectrum auction calendar
3. 100% FDI via automatic route
4. Telecom development fund, launched
by USOF (Universal Service Obligation
Fund) for rural communications.
National Logistics Policy (NLP) • Launched by Ministry of Commerce with aim

to increase efficiency of logistics sector in
India
• Logistics cost in India is around 14% of GDP -
aim is to bring it down and at par with
international standards of 8-9% of GDP
• ULIP = A 3 tier Unified Logistics Interface to
bring all transportation services on a single
platform
• LEADS Report 2022 - Logistics EASE across
States ranks states on basis of logistical
efficiencies
Developments in Rail Sector • National Rail Plan aims to increase freight

share of railways to 45%
• Railways are undergoing electrification and
phasing outing diesel locomotives under
Green Rail Programme
• Traditionally Railways use LHB coaches made
of Stainless steel but recently 1st ever all
aluminium wagon rake (made by BESCO and
HINDALCO) was flagged off
• Aluminium coaches are 100% recyclable, have
a lesser carbon footprint and are faster to
produce.
• Chenab Bridge in J&K as part of link between
Katra and Banihal is now the world's HIGHEST
rail bridge
• Noney Bridge on Jiribam - Imphal Rail Line,
when completed will be world’s tallest rail
bridge
Aircraft Leasing • Indian Airlines is allowed to take wide-body

aircraft on wet lease for up to one year.
• Wet lease refers to renting of the plane along
with operating crew and engineers.

• In technical term, wet leasing is called ACMI,
i.e. Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and
Insurance.
• Dry lease is when the airline leases only the
vehicle.
• Damp Lease is the middle between two
where an airline wet-leases a plane but uses
its own cabin crew.
BHARAT Series Number Plates on Vehicles • To avoid the hassle of re-registration of

vehicles when moving across states, MoRTH
has come up with Bharat series numbers that
will be applicable all across India
• They will be offered at a cost to those with
frequently transferable jobs
Landlord Port Model • JNPT, Mumbai became India’s first 100%

landlord major port
• In a landlord port, port authority is only a
regulator while port operations are done by
private players
Maritime India Vision 2030 • Promote Green Shipping and increase share
of renewable energy at major ports to 60% by
2030
Yotta D1 Name of India’s Biggest Hyperscale Datacenter

located at Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Market Based Economic Dispatch Reform to move towards a centralized ( 1 nation,

Mechanism 1 grid, 1 frequency, 1 price) power model instead
of the currently followed decentralized model
World Energy Outlook, 2022 • Published by IEA (India not a member of IEA)
• Globally, India will see maximum increase in
energy demand
• By 2030, electricity generation via coal will
peak in India ; 35% of India’s electricity mix
will be renewable by 2030
Power Exchanges in India • India Energy Exchange (IEX)

• Power Exchange India Ltd (PXIL_
• New : Hindustan Power Exchange (HPX)
World’s first CNG terminal To be Built at Bhavnagar port in Gujarat
PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety • Arm of DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce

Organisation) • Regulates safety of hazardous and explosive
substances
• ISRO has recently been given exemption and
now it does not need PESO licensing to carry
out its operations

Nobel Prize in Economics • Given to 3 US based economists for research
in Banking and financial crisis
• Their research revealed that bank run leads to
bank failures which can turn an ordinary
recession into a depression
• There is a fundamental conflict in every
society between need to save and need to
invest. Banks offer a solution to this conflict
and are crucial for any economy
Corporate Social Responsibility There have been certain changes in CSR rules.
Companies now need to utilize unspent CSR
funds within 3 years and expenditure marked for
Social impact assessment can only be utilized
upto 2.5% of CSR Quota.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Countries arranged as per Border • Bangladesh (4096 km)

Length with India • China (3488 km)
• Pakistan (3323 km)
• Nepal (1850 km)
• Myanmar (1600 km)
• Bhutan (699 km)
• Afghanistan (106 km)
India-China • Borders: 3488 Km border divided into 3 sectors -

Western, Eastern and Central
• No Mutual Agreement on what constitutes the
LAC (Line of Actual Control, came into existence post
1962 war)
• Western Sector: India considers Johnson line to be the
border while China considers the McDonald Line to be
the border.
• Eastern Sector: dispute over McMahon Line and over
areas of Tawang and Chumbi Valley
• Island Chain Strategy : First Island Chain, Second Island
Chain And Third Island Chains are a group of Islands
with US naval bases in western pacific built by USA to
contain erstwhile USSR and China.
• China Plus One Strategy : Refers to investors/countries
diversifying trade and placing their manufacturing units
outside of China to avoid supply chain disruptions like
those which happened during the COVID pandemic.
India can attract investment by leveraging on this
sentiment.
• Chinese App Ban done under Section 69 A of
Information Technology Act, 2000
India-Pakistan • Indus Water Treaty: Signed in 1960 between India and

Pakistan, brokered by World Bank
• Water sharing arrangement: Waters of eastern rivers
(Ravi, Sutlej and Beas) have been allocated to India and
that of Western Rivers (Indus, Chenab and Jhelum)
have been allocated to Pakistan
• India has asked for revision to the treaty as Pakistan is
not following the 3 tier dispute resolution mechanism
India-Bangladesh • MoU on water sharing of Kushiyara River. Kushiyara is

a distributary of Barak river as it splits into Surma and
Kushiyara on entering Bangladesh.

• Rail links : Agartala (India) to Akhuara (Bangladesh)
and Chilahati (Bangladesh) to Haldibari (India)
expected to open soon.
• Feni Bridge - also known as Maitree Setu will connect
areas of Tripura to Bangladesh over the Feni River
• India is the second biggest trading partner of
Bangladesh after China.
• Recently announced Ganga Vilas Cruise will pass
through Bangladesh to reach India’s Northeast
Places in News (India’s

Neighbourhood)
Key Operations by India over last • Operation Raahat: In 2015 to evacuate foreign and
few years: Indian citizens from conflict hit Yemen
• Operation Devi Shakti: To evacuate people from
Afghanistan after Taliban Takeover
• Operation Ganga: in 2022 to evacuate Indians from
Ukraine
• Operation Dost: to help Turkey and Syria to recover
from Earthquake
Porcupine strategy • Asymmetric warfare focused on fortifying a weak

state’s defences to exploit the enemy's weaknesses
rather than taking on its strengths.
Digital Nomad Visa To deal with the economic impacts of Covid-19, Indonesia
(DNV) has announced DNV for travellers, to attract more foreign
tourists. DNV would allow remote workers to stay tax-free.
Comprehensive Economic India recently signed CEPA with Australia and UAE.
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) With UAE :
• Around 90% of products exported from India to
UAE will attract zero duty.It Provides for a
permanent safeguard mechanism to deal with
sudden surge in imports of any product

• It also has stringent 'rules of origin' reflecting
requirements for substantial processing of up to
40% value addition.
• UAE is India’s third biggest trading partner behind
USA and China
With Australia :
• The agreement is called ECTA - Economic
Cooperation and trade Agreement
• Provide zero-duty access to 96% of India’s exports
to Australia including shipments from key sectors
such as engineering goods, gems and jewellery,
textiles etc.
I2u2 Summit (India, Israel, United I2U2 was first mentioned in October 2021, following the
Arab Emirates, and United Abraham Accords between Israel and UAE, to deal with
States) issues concerning maritime security, infrastructure, and
transport in the region.
It is also referred to as the ‘West Asian QUAD’
Abraham Accords Abraham Accords is a series of peace agreements between

Israel and several Arab countries, UAE being
the first. In 2020, it was mediated by the USA between
UAE, Bahrain and Israel.
• The name “Abraham” refers to the great father of the
faith of the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam.
Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) Established in 2015 to encourage foreign investments in

the Russia’s Far East (RFE) region.
Aimed at connecting the Far East with the Asia Pacific
region.
India offered a $1 billion line of credit to develop
infrastructure in the region.
Geneva Conventions (1949) 4 conventions that relate to protecting sick/wounded

soldiers and prisoners of war. It talks about humane and
fair treatment to them
Ashgabat Agreement Ashgabat Agreement (India joined in 2018): It aims to

establish an international multimodal transport and transit
corridor between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
INSTC It encompasses ship, rail and road routes connecting India

with Russia, Central Asia and Europe via Iran. India is also
planning to include Chabahar port in the INSTC framework.

Important Places In the Russia Transnistria Region –(Moldova) Located On the east bank
Ukraine Region : of Dniester River. Lies between Moldova to its west and
Ukraine towards its east.
Snake Island - Zmiany Island, also known as Snake or

Serpent Island. Located off black sea, it belongs to Ukraine
India- USA Relations • USA became India’s top trading partner in FY22
surpassing China
• NISAR satellite for earth observation is being built
by NASA and ISRO
• Both are members of QUAD, hold 2+2 dialogue and
engage in Malabar Naval Exercises
• They recently signed BECA agreement
2+2 dialogue • It is a ministerial dialogue involving Foreign and

Defence Ministers of 2 countries
• India does it with Russia, USA, Japan and Australia
India - Japan Relations • Japan is the biggest bilateral donor to India in

terms of Official Development Assistance (ODA)
• Japan and India are part of G4 along with Brazil and
Germany - Nations who seek a permanent seat at
UNSC
• ISRO and JAXA are working on LUPEX - a lunar
polar exploration mission
• Recently Former Japan Prime Minister (PM) Shinzo
Abe was Assassinated. India finds a special mention
in his book Utsukushii Kuni E (Toward a Beautiful
Country).
INDO-PACIFIC ECONOMIC • USA led framework of 14 countries to build resilient

FRAMEWORK FOR PROSPERITY supply chains in Indo Pacific
(IPEF) • It is not an FTA. India is a member
• Indo Pacific is an important trade region as it
accounts for 62% of World GDP
Note : In Early 2023 USA signed ICET (Initiative for Critical

and Emerging Technologies) with India for collaboration in
areas of semiconductors , AI etc.
AUKUS Three-way strategic defence alliance between Australia,

the UK and US with objective – to build a class of nuclear-
propelled submarines
Minerals Security Partnership US led international partnership for a stable and diverse
(MSP) mineral supply chain. Alliance will focus on supply chains of
minerals such as Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium and 17 “rare earth”
minerals. India is NOT a member

Partners in the USA - along with Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom
Blue Pacific (PBP) and Japan - announced a new initiative to support Pacific
islands and to boost diplomatic, economic ties in the
region.
Indo-Pacific Trilateral Development • India and France setup this fund, it aims to support India-
Cooperation (TDC) Fund based innovators and start-ups in taking their innovations
to third countries, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
India's Global Innovation Partnership (GIP) launched with
the UK will provide a template to use the TDC Fund.
Friend-shoring Plan Term used to denote countries with shared values

(‘friends’) coming together and securing and diversifying
supply chains to prevent them from external shocks
High Ambition Coalition for Nature Aim is to protect at least 30% of the world's land and ocean
and People by 2030 (Global 30×30 target - which have replaced the
Aichi targets). It was launched by France in 2019 and India
joined it in 2021
India - Germany Energy Deal $10.5 Billion Green Deal to Boost Clean Energy Use.
In 2022, India and the G7 had agreed to work towards a
Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP)
Global Gateway It is European Union (EU’s) €300 billion

infrastructure fund plan to counter China’s Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI)
Other initiatives for Infrastructure Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative: launched byG-7,
development: to help narrow USD 40+ trillion infrastructure needs in the
developing world.
Asia-Africa Growth Corridor: An Indian-Japanese

collaboration regarding connectivity and cooperation
between Asia and Africa.
Nord Stream Underwater gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany

via the Baltic Sea. Leaks were discovered in this pipeline, it
is crucial for gas supplies to Europe
G33 G33 or ‘Friends of Special Products (FoSP)’ a coalition of

developing countries pushing for flexibility at WTO for
limited market opening in agriculture. India is a member.
Amendment in India’s WMD WMD as per the act are Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
(weapons of mass destruction) Act Weapons. Their Manufacture, Delivery and now Financing
2022 have been prohibited by law

INTERPOL ( Estb 1923 with
Headquarters in Lyon, France)
Macolin Convention: It is against

match fixing, enforced by Interpol
From India, CBI participates in it.
Defence Offset Policy for foreign Foreign defence suppliers were mandated to spend at
suppliers of defence equipment to least 30% of the total contract value in India through
India procurement of components, transfer of technologies or
setting up of research and development facilities.
Meant to improve the domestic defence manufacturing.
Valid for all defence contracts upwards of 2000 crore
Scorched Earth Tactics Military strategy which seeks to destroy anything that
could be of use to enemy, including energy supplies,
bridges, agricultural fields, road and railway links, etc.
(Russia is employing them against Ukraine)
Dirty Bomb It contains radioactive material, such as uranium, which is

scattered through the air when it detonates
It uses radioactive materials from hospitals, nuclear power
stations or research laboratories. This makes them much
cheaper and quicker to make than nuclear weapons.
Indian Antarctic Act, 2022 1. Provides measures for protecting the Antarctic
environment and gives effect to the Antarctic
Treaty, the Convention on the Conservation of
India’s Research stations at Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
Antarctica : 2. Prohibits Indian expedition without a permit;
Maitryi , Bharati and Dakshin Eliminating mining or illegal activities. Provisions
Gangotri applicable to any, Indian or foreign Citizens;
3. Establishment of a Committee on Antarctic
Governance and Environmental Protection to be
chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Earth
Sciences (Nodal for the purposes of Act)
4. Constitution of the Antarctic fund for research
Paris Club Paris Club is an informal group of creditors whose role is to

find coordinated and sustainable solutions to the payment
(India is NOT a member but an ad difficulties experienced by debtor countries.
hoc participant)

Lusophone World A term used to denote Portuguese Speaking Countries
Across the World.
India hosted the International Lusophone Festival in Goa.
2Africa Pearls Facebook parent Meta with Bharti Airtel to expand 2 Africa
Pearls to India. 2Africa Pearls is one of world’s longest
subsea cable systems that will interconnect countries in
Africa, Asia, and Europe and provide improved fix line
broadband internet
Institution Headquarter Members Important Information
UN New York 193 Countries India has proposed reforms in United

Nations via NORMS (New Orientation
for Reformed Multilateralism) to
determine a global order that best
reflects contemporary realities
UNGA New York 193 Countries Key Resolutions Adopted Recently:

->Access to clean and healthy
environment as Universal Human
Right.
->Resolution on multilingualism
that mentions Hindi language for
first time.

UNSC New York Permanent 5 ( USA, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique
UK, France, China, and Switzerland were elected to UNSC
Russia) + 10 Non as non-permanent members
Permanent Members for 2023-2024 term.
elected by UNGA for a Other non-permanent members are:
2 year period. Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and
UAE.
UN Habitat Nairobi,Keny 193 Members including Mandate is to promote socially and

a India Environmentally sustainable towns
and cities.
UNESCO Paris, France 195 countries which Mandate is to protect and promote
DO NOT include USA, cultural diversities across the world
Israel and
Liechtenstein
UN ECOSOC 54 Member Countries, India was elected to the UN ECOSOC

elected by General for the term 2022-24, last year, in the
Assembly Asia-Pacific States category along with
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Oman.
UNHRC Geneva, Members are elected UNGA adopted a resolution

Switzerland region wise based on a suspending Russia from the UNHRC
fixed criteria. over its war in Ukraine.
UNGA, by a two-thirds majority of the
In 2021, India was re– members present and voting, may
elected for a 6th term suspend the rights of membership in
that will end in 2024 the Council of a member of the
Council
Angela Merkel, former Chancellor of
Germany, has won 2022 UNHCR
Nansen Refugee Award for protecting
refugees at Syria crisis.
United New York Elected by ECOSOC UN Economic and Social

Nations based on equitable Council (ECOSOC) adopted a
Commission geographical resolution to remove Iran from
on distribution for a CSW.
Status of period of 4 years
Women India was elected from
(CSW) 2021 to 2025
G20 No Argentina, Australia, Key Highlights of the Bali Declaration-

Permanent Brazil, Canada, China, 2022 :
Secretariat France, Germany, ->The motto for this G-20 summit was
India, Indonesia, Italy, Recover Together, Recover Stronger.
Japan, Republic of -> It welcomed the Black Sea Grain
Korea, Mexico, Russia, Initiative brokered by Turkey and the
Saudi Arabia, South UN for securing food exports from
Africa, Türkiye, the Russia and Ukraine
United Kingdom, the ->G20 troika : Indonesia , India ,Brazil

United States, and the ->Motto for 2023 : Vasudhaiva
European Union. Kutumbakam
-> 2 tracks : Sherpa and Finance
QUAD – USA, Australia, Japan, Highlights of 4th

India QUAD Summit, Tokyo :
->Agreement to combat illegal,
unregulated and unprotected (IUU)
fishing
->Launched Quad Climate Change
Adaptation and Mitigation Package
(Q-CHAMP)
SCO - Beijing, China China Key highlights of the meeting in

Shanghai Kazakhstan Kyrgyzsta Samarkand 2022:
Cooperation n ->SCO Presidency handed to
Organizatio Russia India which will host SCO 2023
n Tajikistan Uzbekistan -> Varanasi, declared as the SCO
India, Pakistan Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2022
Iran ->Iran accepted as a permanent
member
SAARC Kathmandu, Afghanistan Recently there were month long

Nepal Pakistan, India protests in SAU (South Asian
Sri Lanka, Bhutan University), Delhi for demand of
Bangladesh, Maldives increased stipends
BIMSTEC Dhaka, Nepal, Bhutan Formed via Bangkok declaration in

Bangladesh Bangladesh 1997, it aims to boost the blue
Myanmar, India economy of Bay of Bengal Region
Sri Lanka, Thailand
BRICS Shanghai, Brazil Russia India Brics summit news :

China China South Africa ->India proposed Online Database for
BRICS documents, BRICS Railways
Research Network, and strengthening
cooperation between MSMEs.
Related :
New Development Bank (NDB) has
announced the launch of its Indian
Regional Office in GIFT City
NDB has admitted four new members

in 2021: Bangladesh, Egypt, the United
Arab Emirates (UAE)
and Uruguay.

NATO Brussels, Members shown in the
Belgium next column
->NATO was formed in 1949 by the

Washington Treaty .It derives its
authority from article 51 of UN charter
->It has a system of collective defence
- where attack against one is
considered as attack against all.
Finland has joined NATO on 4th April
2023
NAM (Non 120 countries Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has

Aligned completed 60 years.
Movement) NAM’s first conference - The Belgrade
Conference held in 1961 under the
leadership of India, Yugoslavia, Egypt,
Ghana, and Indonesia
Origin: Asia-Africa Conference held in
Bandung, Indonesia in 1955.
Arctic Tromso, USA, Russia Formed through the Ottawa

Council Norway Canada, Norway, Declaration by 8 arctic states in 1996
Denmark, In News because of possible opening
Iceland, up of a northern sea route in the
Finland, Sweden Arctic.
Region is important for supply of

critical minerals like LNG

Social Issues
Issues Relating to Vulnerable Sections
Women In STEM (Science, Technology, • Mere 18.7 % women representation among

Engineering and Math) STEM researchers in India
• Vigyan Jyoti, GATI, Kiran, CURIE, WEST
(Women in Engineering, Science and
Technology), BIOCARE are initiatives of
Ministry of Science And Technology to
increase women representation in STEM
Adoption In India ->There are majorly 2 laws which govern

adoption process in India :
1)Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 :
Regulates adoption of a Hindu child by a
Hindu couple
2)Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 : Regulates
adoption of abandoned, orphaned or
surrendered children along with adopting
children of relatives.
Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 (Adoption The Juvenile Justice Act establishes bodies :
Provisions) 1. CARA (Central Adoption Resource
Authority)
2. SARA ( State Adoption Resource
Authority)
3. DPCU (District Child Protection Unit)
4. District Child Welfare Committee
Prospective parents should register

themselves with the Child Adoption Resource
Information and Guidance System (CARINGS)
of CARA
POCSO Act, 2012 ( Protection of Children from • Protects children under age of 18 from
Sexual Offences) offences of sexual nature
• Applies ONLY to child victims and adult
offenders
• In case 2 children (Both under 18) are
involved in a sexual crime, they cannot be
booked under POCSO,the Juvenile Justice
Act will apply.
Surrogacy Regulation Act 2021 • Maximum Surrogacy attempts for a

surrogate capped at 3
• Surrogate Mothers are allowed abortion
• Forms a National Assisted Reproductive under MTP Act, 1971
Technology and Surrogacy board • Intending couple has to: provide health
(NARTSB) chaired by the Minister of insurance to surrogate, give certificate of

Health and Family Welfare. Similar infertility, plus age criteria for wife with
institution also exists at state level - no surviving child
SARTSB • The act bans commercial surrogacy and
allows no monetary reward to surrogate
mother
• Surrogate Mother : at least one child of
her own , between 25 to 35 years of age ,
act as a surrogate only once in her lifetime
and cannot provide her own gametes.
(Gametes have to come from the
intending couple)
Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act,

1971 • Right to safe and legal abortion for all
women (including transgenders) up to 24
weeks of pregnancy irrespective of
marital status.
• Pregnancy of a married woman due to
forcible sex shall be treated as 'rape'
under the act
• A woman doesn’t need family consent for
abortion
• Protects privacy of minor females while
aborting a child
• Up to 20 weeks : One doctor’s advice
needed
• B/w 20-24 weeks : Two doctors to advise
• Beyond 24 weeks : Permitted only on
ground of foetal abnormalities on advice
of a district medical board
Digital Shakti 4.0 • Initiative by National commission of

women, Ministry of Women and Child
Development , Meta and CyberPeace
foundation to digitally skill women and
sensitise them against cyber harm.
Atal New India Challenge (ANIC) • It is a women centric innovation challenge

under Atal Innovation Mission of NITI
Aayog to provide funding to innovative
women startups
Thiruvananthapuram declaration • 1st Women Legislators conference in

Kerala held in 2022, ended with this
declaration. It pushes to get the women
reservation bill (33% seats reserved to
women in central and state legislatures)
passed.
Prohibition Of Employment as Manual • Criminalizes employment of any individual

Scavengers Act, 2013 as a manual scavenger

• Allows a person to step into
latrines/septic tanks only if they have
proper gear and equipment
Transgenders Karnataka Govt has given 1% Horizontal

Reservation to transgenders in all
government services
Persons with Disabilities (PwD) • Ministry of Social Justice And

Empowerment has released a new Draft
National policy for PwD
• As per census 2011, 2.2 % of Indian • The 2016 Act for PwD granted them 5%
population can be categorized under PwD reservation in government educational
• GREAT (Global Report of Assistive institutes and 4% in government jobs
Technology) released by WHO and • Assistive technology : That aids PwD to
UNICEF talks about use of assistive tech lead a better life. Eg : Power Walkers,
to better lives. Wheelchairs etc.
• Government of India’s Accessible India
Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) has
led to awareness in designing disabled
friendly buildings.
Denotified Tribes • Britishers in 1871 came up with an act

‘Criminal Tribes Act’ which labelled certain
• These communities may have tribes which communities as ‘born criminals’
are nomadic/ semi nomadic in nature • This led to stigmatisation and
• BS Renke Commission in 2008 estimated marginalisation of these groups
their population at 15 crore. • Post independence this act was repealed
• In 2019 Govt. set up a welfare board for in favour of Habitual Offenders Act 1952
Nomadic, Semi Nomadic and De Notified • Post repeal, these communities came to
Tribes. be called as ‘De-notified tribes’
• They still suffer from social apathy
GOAL (Going Online as Leaders Programme) • Initiative by Ministry Of Tribal Affairs and
Facebook to digitally skill 10 lakh tribal
youth.
National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI), New • Inaugurated in June 2022, it will serve as a
Delhi centre to promote and preserve Tribal
Heritage
• It will coordinate with existing tribal
research facilities to provide policy inputs
to government for tribal welfare

EDUCATION SECTOR:
Highlights of New Education Policy (NEP), • From a 10+2 system to a 5+3+3+4 system at
2020 school level
• Flexible system - allows a student to choose
subjects as per their wish
• Focus on vocational education, internships
and industry exposure from a young age
• 3 language policy with an emphasis on
mother tongue as mode of instruction for
early schooling
• An Academic Bank Of Credit available on
digilocker that will capture credits for hours
studied, courses taken - right from school to
higher levels of education as per National
Credit Framework.
• 4 year bachelors with multiple entry and exit
options for students
• In Higher education -
o Foreign Universities which are in top
1000 as per QS rankings would be
allowed to set up campus in India
o More autonomy to colleges
• Ending Rote learning and focus on creative
skills, conceptual learning with aid of
technology
• As per UGC guidelines, now students can
pursue 2 full time academic programs
simultaneously in physical mode.
Eg : Doing two bachelors together or two
masters together.
New initiatives under NEP 2020:
• NSQF : National Skills Qualification
framework
• NISHTHA : National Initiative for Schools
Head and Teachers Holistic Advancement
(Teacher training module)
• NIPUN BHARAT mission :
o A campaign under Samagra Shiksha
Scheme to build basic literacy and
numeracy skills at foundational level.
o To enable all children at the end of
Grade 3 to attain foundational skills
by the year 2026-2027
National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for • Released by NCERT in pursuance of NEP 2020
Foundational Stage

• A set of guidelines to impart education at
foundation stage
Key Points in NCF :
1. Students should be taught exclusively in
mother tongue till age of 8
2. Jaadui Pitara - a pedagogy involving toys,
puzzles and flashcards for joyful and
playful learning of a child
3. Develop FLN (Foundational Literacy and
Numeracy) - ability to read with meaning
and perform basic math by end of class 3
4. No text book burden until age 6
5. Follows a Panchakosha system of
Education (Taken from Taittiriya
Upanishad, shown on left image) that
focuses on holistic development of 5
aspects - physical, intellectual, emotional,
spiritual and development of life energy.
Key Term : ‘Learning Poverty’ Defined as inability to read or comprehend age

appropriate text by age 10 ;As per world bank,
learning poverty has increased in India due to
COVID
Key term : ‘Functional Literacy’ Ability to write his/her name along with basic
counting, reading and writing abilities.
1. RAISE
Artificial Intelligence Initiatives by India : 2. GPAI
3. National AI Mission by PM - STIAC
4. Responsible AI for Youth by Ministry of
Education, Ministry of Electronics and IT and
Intel
PM E-vidya Scheme • The PM eVidya scheme was launched under

the One Nation One Digital Platform with the
Central Institute of Educational Technology objective of protecting the education of
(CIET), a constituent unit of National children during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Council of Educational Research and • It unifies all digital initiatives of education -
Training (NCERT) under Ministry of DIKSHA app, SWAYAM Prabha TV channels,
Education (MoE), Government of India has SWAYAM online portal, radio podcasts and
been awarded with the UNESCO’s King mental health programs for students.
Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use • It helped minimise learning losses during
of ICT (under initiative of PM e- Vidya) in COVID 19
Education for the year 2021.
Health, Nutrition and Sanitation :

Integrated Child Development • Nodal : Ministry of Women and Child Development
Scheme (ICDS) • Beneficiaries: children in age of 0 to 6 years and
pregnant/lactating mothers

• The ICDS Scheme offers a package of six services, viz.
(a) Supplementary Nutrition (b) Pre-school non-
formal education (c) Nutrition & health education (d)
Immunization (e) Health check-up and (f) Referral
services.
• Poshan 2.0 : Focus on reducing stunting, wasting and
malnutrition among children. Use of technology to
track service delivery
• Poshan Vatika : Nutri gardens in schools, villages to
provide fruits and vegetables to children
• Saksham Anganwadi : To use technology to improve
Anganwadi centre services.
Key Term : Kangaroo Mother Care Kangaroo mother care is a method of care of preterm
infants. The method involves infants being carried,
usually by the mother, with skin-to-skin contact. WHO
recommends it for the care of low-birth-weight and
preterm infants.
Grassroot Healthcare Workers 1. AWW: Anganwadi workers - paid an honorarium of

3500+500 under ICDS scheme to take care of children
2. ANM: Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife. Take care of
delivery and immunisation.
3. ASHA: Accredited Social Health Activist. First point of
contact in a rural setup
ASHA and ANM workers serve under NRHM (Ministry of
Health)
Drug Regulatory Framework In • Recently deaths were reported in Gambia, due to

India spurious cough syrup exported by Indian
Manufacturer - Maiden pharmaceuticals (Syrup
The current Drug contained DEG - Diethylene Glycol which is poisonous
Regulatory regime is as )
below :
• Drug and Cosmetics Act,1940 is the parent act which
Ministry Of Health controls import, manufacture and distribution of
drugs in India.
• For drug pricing there is a separate authority NPPA
DGHS (Directorate General under Ministry of Chemicals And Fertilizers
Of Health Services )
Central Drugs Standard

Control
Organisation(CDSCO)
Drug Controller General Of

India (DCGI)

Key Term : ‘Notified Disease’ • Any disease which is required by law to be reported
to the government.
• For example it is legally binding for medical
practitioners to report cases of diseases like cholera,
dengue and AIDs to the government database.
• Parliamentary standing committee on health has
recommended to include cancer as a notified disease
to get accurate data and curb its under reporting.
Paalan 1000 and parenting App To educate parents about early childhood care
(MoHFW) And provide advise via mobile application to new parents
for first 1000 days of their child.
SWACHH SARVEKSHAN 2023 ->Swachh Survekshan (urban) has been carried out by
MoHUA with the theme of waste to wealth.
It tries to aim for garbage free, open urination free
(yellow spot) and open spitting free(red spot) cities. It
gives star rating and certification for ODF/ODF+/ODF++
status
->Swachh Survekshan (rural) has been done by Jal Shakti
ministry. It aims to retrofit old toilets into twin pit
toilets.(Retrofit to twin pit Abhiyan)
Universal Social Security • As per latest economic survey, 90% of Indian

Workforce is employed in Informal Jobs
• It is obligatory on the government to provide social
security to safeguard these citizens from
vulnerabilities of old age, sickness and unemployment
• Government Initiatives regarding this :
->E- shram Portal : To create a database for
unorganised and migrant labour
->PM Shram Yogi Mandhan pension
Code on Social Security, 2020
World Population • As per UNFPA, world has touched a population of 8

billion people
• Last 1 billion took 12 years and next 1 billion will take
15 years as world population becomes 9 billion by
2037
National Air Sports Policy, 2022 • Released by ministry of civil aviation, aim to make
india a hub for air sports.
Right to be forgotten • Refers to complete erasure / deletion of personal

data from internet on request of an individual
Right to repair • Refers to Right of Consumers to get their products

repaired either through original manufacturers or via
(Its Policy is being formulated by 3rd party
Ministry Of Consumer Affairs) • This saves E waste and consumer’s money

ART & CULTURE
Temples in News Important Facts For Prelims
Lingaraj Temple, Bhuvaneshwar, Odisha ● Built by kings of Somvanshi Dynasty in

10th - 11th century AD
● Example of Kalinga Architecture, which is
a substyle of Nagara Architecture
● Shivling here is called ‘HariHara’ which
represents a syncretic mix of Vaishnavism
and Shaivism
Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha ● Built by Anantavarman Chodaganga in 12th

Century and is famous for its ‘Rath Yatra’
● Also called ‘Yamanika Tirtha’
Hoysala Temples, Karnataka ● Built by Hoysala Dynasty Kings between

10th-14th Century AD
● 3 Major Temples :
○ Chennakesava Temple at Belur
along Yagachi RIver
○ Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid
○ Kesava Temple at Somanathpura
along River Kaveri
● They follow ‘Vesara’ architecture and a
Star like ‘Stellate’ Floor Plan.
● India’s Official Nomination to Unesco WHS
list for 2022-23
Martund Sun Temple, Jammu And Kashmir ● Built by King Lalitaditya Muktipada of
Karkota Dynasty in around 750 AD
● It was destroyed by Sikander BushtiKhan
in 15th century AD
● Recently after 30 years, Navgrah pooja
was held here.
Mahuli Group Of Temples, Satara, Maharashtra ● Built in Hemadpanthi style of architecture

by Prime Minister Hemadpant in court of
Yadavas of Devagiri in 12th Century CE
● Also called ‘Dakshin Kashi’
○ Remember there are multiple
temples in India which are referred
to as ‘Dakshin Kashi’
Ramappa Temple, Telangana ● Dedicated to Shiva or Rudreshawar

● Built by sculptor Ramappa under Kakatiyas
in 12th century CE
● It is an UNESCO WHS
Archaeological Sites in News Important Facts For Prelims

Asurgarh, Odisha ● Oldest Fortified Settlement in Odisha dating
back to 9th Century BC
Adichannalur, Tamil Nadu ● Remains from Megalithic age and Iron age
have been found
● Situated on Thamirabarani river and close to
Korkai port mentioned in Sangam Literature
● Budget 2020 had allocated funds for onsite
museum here
● Remember : Attirampakkam and Arikamedu
are also 2 distinct archaeological sites
present in Tamil Nadu only.
Megalithic Jars,Dima Hasao District,Assam ● Date back to 2000 BC and have similarities
with those found in Indonesia and Laos
Rock Cave, Kasipeta, Telangana ● Evidences of Mesolithic and Megalithic

period
● Cave paintings depict bison, snake and a
man with weapon
Cyclopean Wall (Rajgir, Bihar) ● 40 km long stone wall built by king

Jarasandha in pre Mauryan era.
● Bihar government has requested ASI to get
it listed as an UNESCO WHS
Rakhigarhi (Hisar, Haryana) ● One of the largest (areawise) sites of

Indus Valley Civilization
● DNA research at 2 women skeletons
named RGR7 has helped bust the myth
of aryan invasion theory as they do not
contain the R1A1 gene characteristic of
aryans
Rock cut Sculptures of Unakoti, Tripura ● Unakoti literally means ‘One less than a
crore’
● Shaiva and Buddhist sculptures dating to
9th century CE
Anang Tal Lake, Delhi ● Built by Anangpala Tomar of Tomar dynasty

in 11th century as part of Lal Kot which was
later subsumed into Qila Rai Pithora by
Prithvi Raj Chauhan
● It is now a monument of national
importance under AMASR Act 1958
Mangarh Hillock (Banaswara, Rajasthan) ● Place of a tribal massacre carried out by

British in 1913
● Also the place where Govind Guru led the
Bhils and Garasiya tribes under Bhagat
Movement to fight for tribal rights

Amendments to Flag Code of India The amendment allows the national flag to be
flown both in day and at night if it is displayed
in the open or on the House of a member of
the public. Earlier, the tricolour could be
hoisted only between sunrise and sunset.
Panini Code § An Indian scholar claims to have solved
Sanskrit’s biggest puzzle - a grammar
problem found in the ‘Ashtadhyayi’.
§ Ashtadhyayi: Written by the scholar
Panini towards the end of the 4th century
BC.
§ It is a linguistic text that set the standard
for how Sanskrit was meant to be
written and spoken.
Awards in News Important Facts For Prelims
UNESCO Asia Pacific Award for Cultural Given to 4 sites in India :

Heritage Conservation 1. Qutub Shahi Architecture (Step Wells)
of Golconda Fort
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu
Sangrahalaya, Mumbai for its Gothic
Art and Deco Ensembles
3. Domakonda Fort, Telangana
4. Byculla Station, Mumbai (Asia’s oldest
Rail station -1853)
International Booker Prize ● Geetanjali Shree for Ret Samadhi

(Tomb of Sand) in 2022
● For 2023 Tamil Work ‘Pyre’ is in
contention

REPORTS/INDICES
UN Agencies
Report/Index Published by Insights
Gender Inequality Index 2022 UNDP India's value is 0.49
and was ranked at 122
in 2021
Human Development Report UNDP
Multidimensional Poverty Index UNDP + Oxford Poverty 3 dimensions, 10
and Human indicators:
Development Initiative Education: Years of
(OPHI) schooling, School
Attendance
Health: Child
mortality, Nutrition
Standard of living:
Electricity, Housing,
Drinking Water,
Sanitation, Cooking
Fuel, Assets
World Migration Report 2022 International
Organization for
Migration (IOM)
World Economic Situation and UNDESA + UNCTAD
Prospects (WESP) Report
World Investment Report 2022 UNCTAD Top Sources of FDI in
India: Singapore >
USA > Mauritius >
Netherlands >
Switzerland
State of World Population Report UNFPA (United Nations Title: Seeing the
2022 Population Fund) Unseen: The case for
action in the
neglected crisis of
unintended
pregnancy
Global Education Monitoring UNESCO
Report
State of Education Report for India UNESCO
2022
Children's Climate Risk Index UNICEF + Fridays for comprehensive
Future overview of exposure
and vulnerability to
the impacts of climate
change from a child's
perspective
www.atishmathur.com email: contact@atishmathur.com telegram: https://t.me/csepaper2atish

World Food Price Index FAO measure of the
monthly change in
international prices of
a basket of food
commodities
State of Food Security and FAO, IFAD, UNICEF,
Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2022 WFP, WHO
Global Wage Report 2022 ILO Global wages declined
in 2022 for the first
time since the 2008
global financial crisis
due to increasing
living expenses.
Global Estimates of Modern ILO In 2021, 50 million
Slavery Report 2021 people were living in
modern slavery, of
which 28 million were
in forced labour and
22 million were
trapped in forced
marriage.
State of the World's Forests FAO
(SOFO) 2022
World Water Development Report UN Water
World Happiness Report 2022 United Nations ● #1 – Finland, #136 –
Sustainable India
Development Solutions
Network
World Economic Forum (WEF)

Report/Index Insights
Global Competitiveness Report/Index
Global Risks Report 2023 Major global risks
• In the next 2 years: Cost of living;
Natural disasters and extreme
weather events; Geoeconomic
confrontation
• In the next 10 years: Failure to mitigate
climate change; Biodiversity loss and
ecosystem collapse
Global Gender Gap Index 2022 ● India’s rank – 135 out of 146
● World will take 132 years to achieve
gender parity at current rate
● India performs worst in the world (last

ranked) on the indicator of health
● 4 dimensions: Economic Participation
and Opportunity, Educational
Attainment, Health and Survival,
Political Empowerment
Global Travel and Tourism Index ● India ranked at 54th out of 117
countries
● Japan secured Rank 1
Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2022 • energy transition not keeping pace
with the growing climate urgency.
• recent disruptions from a post-
pandemic surge in energy demand,
fuel supply bottlenecks, inflationary
pressures and reconfigured energy
supply chains as a result of the war in
Ukraine have made the transition even
more difficult.
Global Social Mobility Index 2020 5 dimensions of social mobility: Health,
Education, Technology, Work, Protection
and Institutions
Environment-related
Ecological Threat Institute of Economics Threats due to population
Report 2022 and Peace (IEP) growth, water stress, food
insecurity, droughts, floods, cyclones,
and rising temperature.
Most vulnerable: Middle East and
North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia
Environment Yale Univ + WEF + India ranked 180th
Performance Index Columbia Univ
State of the Global World Meteorological
Climate Report Organization (WMO)
Adaptation Gap UNEP
Report 2022
Emissions Gap Report UNEP Top GHG emitters: China > US > India
2022 > EU27
Per capita emitters: US > Russia >
China
Living Planet Report World Wide Fund for 69% decline in the wildlife
2022 Nature (WWF) populations of mammals, birds,
amphibians, reptiles and fish, across
the globe in the last 50 years

Climate Change Germanwatch, New 4 parameters: greenhouse gas
Performance Index Climate Institute, emissions, renewable energy, energy
2023 Climate Action use, climate policy
Network
India ranked #8
No country in top 3 positions
Global Climate Risk Germanwatch
Index
Global Biodiversity Convention on
Outlook Biological Diversity
(CBD)
Global Land Outlook UNCCD
Food Waste Index UNEP
Miscellaneous
Global Hunger Index 2022 Concern Worldwide, 4 indicators:
Welthungerhilfe undernourished, child
wasting, child stunting,
child mortality
India's rank => 107 among
121 countries behind Sri
Lanka (64), Nepal (81),
Pakistan (99), Bangladesh
(84)
World Inequality Report World Inequality Lab • richest 10% of the global
2022 population own 76% of
all wealth
• poorest half of the
global population
possesses just 2% of the
total
India Energy Outlook IEA
World Energy Outlook IEA
Global EV Outlook IEA
Global Energy & CO2 Status IEA
report
Democracy Index 2022 Economist Intelligence Unit based on 5 categories:
(EIU) electoral process and
pluralism, civil liberties,
functioning of government,
political participation,
political culture
four regime types: full

democracies, flawed
democracies (INDIA),
hybrid regimes and
authoritarian regimes.
Global Liveability Index EIU
2022
Global Peace Index Institute for Economics and
Peace
Global Terrorism Index Institute for Economics and
Peace
Freedom in the World 2023 Freedom House (USA India has been termed as
based human rights ‘partly free’ country in
watchdog) terms of democracy and
free society
Academic Freedom Index Global Public Policy
Institute
World Press Freedom Reporters without Borders India's rank => 150 out of
Index 2022 180
Corruption Perception Transparency International India's rank => 85th among
Index 2022 180
Democracy Report 2022: Varieties of Democracy (V- 4 regime types: Liberal
Defiance in the Face of Dem) Institute, Sweden Democracy, Electoral
Autocratization Democracy, Electoral
Autocracy, and Closed
Autocracy
India’s rank=> 108

(Electoral Autocracy)
Global State of Democracy International Institute for
Report 2022 Democracy and Electoral
Assistance (International-
IDEA
Global Innovation Index WIPO, INSEAD, Cornell India => #40 out of 132
2022 #46 (in 2021), #81 (in 2015)
World Competitiveness Institute for Management

Report/Index Development (IMD)
Henley Passport Index Henly India – 85th most powerful
2023 passport
visa-free/visa-on-arrival
travel to 59 countries
World Drug Report 2022 UNODC (UN Office on ● India is one of the
Drugs and Crime) largest markets for
opium users
● It is a transit channel
between 2 major
narcotic hubs: Golden

Crescent: Pakistan,
Afghanistan , Iran and
Golden Triangle:
Thailand, Myanmar,
Laos , Vietnam
● Worst affected in India:
Punjab and Manipur
World Mental Health WHO ● Approximately 1 billion

Report people in world suffer
from mental health
issues
Global Status Report on WHO ● Less than 50% of
Physical Activity , 2022 countries have a
national physical
activity policy.
● Less Physical activity
increases the risk of
Cardiovascular and Non
Communicable diseases
like Obesity, Diabetes,
BP etc.
Global Tuberculosis Report WHO ● TB is the second leading
2022 killer after COVID 19
● India has the highest -
28% of global TB
caseload although India
also saw most
reduction in cases in
2020
Domestic
India Innovation Index 2022 NITI Aayog Karnataka, Manipur and
Chandigarh have topped in
their respective categories
Geospatial Energy Map of NITI Aayog + ISRO holistic picture of all
India energy resources of the
country
National Multidimensional NITI Aayog 3 dimensions, 12 indicators
Poverty Index Health: Nutrition, Child &
Adolescent Mortality,
Antenatal Care
Education: Years of
Schooling, School
Attendance

Standard of living: Cooking
Fuel, Sanitation, Drinking
Water, Electricity, Housing,
Assets, Bank Account
State Health Index NITI Aayog Top: Kerala, TN, Telangana
title: Healthy States, Bottom: UP, BH, MP
Progressive India
Good Governance Index Department of Top: GJ, MP, HP, Delhi
2021 Administrative Reforms
and Public Grievances
(DARPG), Ministry of
Personnel, Public
Grievances and Pensions
NFHS-5 MoH&FW Data 2019-21
Sex ratio: 1020 w per 100 m
SR @ birth: 952
TFR: 2
Child nutrition
Underweight: 32%
Wasting: 19%
Stunting: 36%
Anemic women: 53%

Export Preparedness Index NITI Aayog + Institute of 4 parameters: policy,
2021 Competitiveness business ecosystem,
export ecosystem, export
performance
#1 - Gujarat
Public Affairs Index Bangalore-based think tank Based on three pillars of
Public Affairs Center (PAC) governance - growth,
equity and sustainability
#1 Haryana
Financial Stability Report RBI
Financial Inclusion Index RBI 3 dimensions:
• access to financial
services
• usage of financial
services
• quality of the products
and the service delivery
Digital Payments Index RBI to capture the extent of
digitisation of payments
across the country
LEADS Report 2022 DPIIT, M/o Commerce To gauge the logistics
performance of states and
Union Territories (UT) and

identifying areas where
they can improve logistics
performance
Top: #1 MH
Swachh Survekshan 2022 MoHUA Cleanest City: Indore
Best Ganga Town:
Haridwar
Cleanest Cantonment:
Deolali Cantt (MH)
Cleanest State: MP
Ease of Living Index MoHUA Rank #1 Bengaluru
(million+ category), Shimla
(< million category)
Municipal Performance MoHUA Rank #1 Indore (million+),
Index New Delhi MC (< million)
State Food Safety Index FSSAI
Tiger Status Report 2022 National Tiger India’s tiger pop => 3167
Conservation Authority statewise: MP > KN > UK
(NTCA) Tiger reserves: Corbett >
Nagarhole > Bandipur
largest Tiger Reserve:

Nagarjun Srisailam TR
Smallest TR: Orang TR
India State of Forests Forest Survey of India, Forest cover:
report 2021 MoEFCC Absolute à MP >
Arunachal > Chhattisgarh >
Odisha > Maharashtra
%age à Mizoram (84%) >

Arunachal Pradesh (79%) >
Meghalaya (76%) >
Manipur (74%) > Nagaland
(73%)
Sample Registration Office of the Registrar MMR: 103 per 1 lakh live
System (SRS) Bulletin General of India, M/o Home births
Report Affairs Kerala: 30
UP, BH, RJ – showed
improvement
WB, HR, CH, UK - worsened
UDISE+ (Unified District Ministry of Education UDISE+ has a mandate of
Information System for collecting information from
Education) all recognized schools
imparting formal education
from Pre-primary to class
XII. Information collected

through the digital
platform, UDISE+ is utilized
for planning, optimizing
resource allocation and
implementing various
education-related
programs and assessing
progress.
National Achievement Ministry of Education , MCQ based survey every 3
Survey , 2021 India years for students of class
3 , 5 , 8 and 10 to judge
learning outcomes.
National Health Account Ministry of Health and ● 3.2% of GDP is being
Estimates , 2018-19 Family Welfare spent on healthcare (a
decline from 2014)
● Out of pocket
Expenditure of
Healthcare has declined
from 60% to 48.2 % in
2018-19
Crime in India Report, 2021 NCRB under Ministry of ● Overall crime rate per
Home Affairs lakh population has
declined
● Crime against women,
children, elderly, SC and
ST has increased
● Cyber-crime , economic
and environmental
offences too have
increased
Prison Statistics India NCRB ● 67% of prisoners are
Report undertrials (those
whose cases are
pending)
● Prisons in India are
overcrowded , with
130% occupancy rate
● 66% inmates are either
SC,ST or OBC
Accidental Deaths and NCRB ● Deaths and suicides
Suicides Report show an increasing
trend , pandemic seems
to have taken a toll on
emotional well being of
people

Scheme Implementing Agency Facts related to scheme
NAMASTE ( National 1. Ministry of Social ● Aim to eliminate the

Action For Mechanised Justice and unsafe and undignified
Sanitation Ecosystem) Empowerment practice of manual
scavenging.
2. Ministry of Housing ● Target of ZERO FATALITY
and Urban Affair in sanitation work.
● Provide alternate
employment to manual
scavengers
● Manual Scavengers die in
unsanitary conditions in
septic tanks due to toxic
fumes of : Methane ,
Hydrogen Sulphide And
Carbon Monoxide.
● 97% Manual Scavengers
are from SC community
500 AMRUT Cities are targeted in
the first phase while funding is
from National Safai Karamchari
Finance Development Corp.
SMILE (Support for Ministry of Social Justice and This umbrella scheme covers
Marginalized Individuals Empowerment welfare measures for both
for Livelihood and transgender persons and persons
Enterprise”) who are engaged in the act of
begging with focus on
rehabilitation, provision of
medical facilities, counseling,
education, skill development,
economic linkages etc with the
support of State
Governments/UTs/Local Urban
Bodies, Voluntary Organizations,
Community Based Organizations.
Rashtriya Vayoshree Ministry of Social Justice and A Central sector scheme funded
Yojana Empowerment from the Senior Citizens’ Welfare
along with ALIMCO Fund.
All unclaimed amounts from small
savings accounts, PPF and EPF are
transferred to this fund
Provides assistive living devices
like hearing aids , artificial
dentures, walking sticks to BPL
senior citizens

PM Daksh Yojana Ministry of Social Justice and It is a National Action Plan for
Empowerment skilling marginalized persons
covering SCs, OBCs, EBCs, DNTs,
Sanitation workers including
waste pickers.
SEED (Scheme for Ministry of Social Justice and ● SEED scheme aims to give
Economic Empowerment free coaching for
Empowerment of competitive exams ,
Denotified ,Nomadic ,Semi health insurance and
Nomadic communities) financial assistance to
Scheme these communities
MPLADS (Member of Ministry of Statistics And ● Central sector scheme to

Parliament Local Area Programme Implementation enable MPs to
Development Scheme) recommend development
works in their
constituencies
● Total 5 crore rupees are
given per annum in 2
instalments of 2.5 crore
each. These funds are non
lapsable
● District Collector is the
supervising authority and
has to inspect atleast 10%
of the work under
implementation
Government E Ministry of Commerce and ● Online marketplace ,

Marketplace (GeM) Portal Industry technical support has
been provided by National
E governance division
under Ministry of IT and
Electronics.
● Portal for government
procurement. Can be used
by centre , state , PSUs
etc.
● Private players cannot be
buyers but they can sell
here
● For all central ministries
there is a target of 25%
procurement from MSMEs

on GeM and under it 4%
from SC/ST entrepreneurs.
ODOP (One district One 1. Ministry of Commerce ● To realise the potential of

Product) 2. Ministry of Food a district and make them
Processing Industries competitive in production
of a single good
● Now the scheme has been
operationally merged with
Districts as Export
Hub(DEH) scheme.
ONDC (Open Network For Ministry Of Commerce ● ONDC will democratise e-

Digital Commerce) commerce by providing
small kirana shop owners
the facility to digitally
deliver their goods
Nikshay Poshan Yojana Ministry Of Health and Family ● Support Tuberculosis

Welfare patients with a direct
benefit transfer for their
nutritional needs
National Suicide Ministry Of Health and Family To counsel individuals and

Prevention Strategy Welfare alleviate social stigma related to
mental health issues
KIRAN Helpline Ministry of Social Justice and ● To tackle Stress , anxiety

Empowerment etc
Manodarpan Portal Ministry of Education ● Psychological support to

students , teachers and
family
SWAMITVA Scheme Ministry Of Panchayati Raj ● Land assessment survey

by drones and 3D
mapping to grant title
deeds to their owners and
create a reliable , accurate
proof of ownership via
property cards
Jal Jeevan Mission Jal Shakti Ministry ● Provide tapped water

supply to every rural
home by 2024
● Paani Samiti of villagers to
decide amount to be paid
for water consumption
keeping in find the socio-
economic condition of the
user

● 55 liters of water per
person per day
● More than 50% rural
households have been
covered with a piped
connection till now
● It is a centrally sponsored
scheme with 50-50 fund
sharing for most states
and 90-10 sharing for
Himalayan and North
Eastern states
Mission SUJALAM Ministry of Jal Shakti The Ministry of Jal Shakti began
‘SUJALAM’, a ‘100 days campaign’
as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav’ celebrations to create
more and more ODF Plus villages
by undertaking waste water
management at village level
particularly through creation of 1
million Soak-pits and also other
Grey water management
activities.
PM SvaNidhi Scheme Ministry Of Housing and ● PM Street Vendor

Urban Affairs Atmanirbhar Nidhi
● To grant collateral free
loans of upto Rs 10,000 to
street vendors for their
working capital needs
● SIDBI is the implementing
agency and credit
guarantee is provided by
government
Bharat Tap Initiative and Ministry Of Housing And ● To provide low flow taps
Nirmal Jal Prayas Urban Affairs and sanitary ware to
reduce water
consumption
Padhe Bharat Campaign Ministry of Education ● 100 day reading campaign

upto grade 8
NEAT - National Ministry Of Education ● To Provide Technical

Educational Alliance For Books in regional
Technology languages
● To provide best ed tech
solutions to students
across the country
● AICTE: Implenting partner

PM SHRI Schools Ministry Of Education ● Upgrade and develop
more than 14500 schools
across the country
● Modern , environmentally
sustainable infrastructure
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Ministry Of Education ● To engage faculty and

students of higher
education institutes in
finding solutions to
developmental challenges
in Rural Areas
National Means Cum Merit Ministry Of Education ● To award scholarship to

Scholarship Scheme meritorious students of
EWS category.
● Prevent drop out post
class 8
● These are given to
students of class 9 to 12
whose annual parental
income is less than 3.5
lakh rupees
● 12,000 rupees per month
via DBT
SHRESHTHA ( Scheme for 1. Ministry of Education To provide high quality education

Residential Education for 2. Ministry of Social for
Students in High Schools justice and meritorious but poor Scheduled
in Targeted Areas) Empowerment Castes(SC) students in CBSE
affiliated reputed residential
schools across the country.
Students are selected through a

through a National Entrance Test
for SHRESHTA (NETS) conducted
by NTA (National Testing Agency)
for admission in class 9 and 11.
YUVA (Young Upcoming Ministry of Education via ● To train budding authors

and Versatile Authors) National Book Trust below the age of 30
● Develop a stream of world
class authors
RAMP (Raising and Ministry of MSME ● Provide MSME with

Accelerating MSME access to credit , market
performance) and better governance
process
ZED (Zero Defect - Zero Ministry of MSME ● Certification scheme to

Effect) motivate MSME to
produce ZED products
● ZED will reduce wastage ,
save energy and be
sustainable for human and
environmental health.
SFURTI (Scheme of Fund Ministry Of MSME ● To organize traditional

for Regeneration of industries and artisans
Traditional Industries) into clusters to make
them competitive and
increase their income.
● SFURTI clusters are of two
types i.e., Regular Cluster
(500 artisans) with
Government assistance of
up to Rs. 2.5 crore and
Major Cluster (more than
500 artisans) with
Government assistance up
to Rs. 5 crore.
PM Employment Ministry of MSME ● Scheme was launched in

Generation Program (Along with KVIC) 2008
● Credit linked subsidy
scheme which promotes
self employment
● It was in news as India has
reached 100 unicorn start
ups mark with a combined
valuation of more than
300 Billion dollars
PM Shram Yogi Maan Ministry of Labour and ● Implemented by LIC and

Dhan Employment CSC e-governance services
India Ltd.
● 50-50 voluntary and
contributory pension
scheme in which the
beneficiary makes a
stipulated age specific
contribution and the
Central Government
matches it
● Available to unorganised
workers not covered by
NPS, ESIC or EPFO and
earn less than 15,000 per
month

PLI Scheme for Auto Ministry of Heavy Industries Launched in 2021 to propose
Sector financial incentives to boost
domestic manufacturing of
Advanced Automotive
Technology (AAT) products and
attract investments.The scheme
incentivizes only those eligible
AAT products for which a
minimum of 50 Domestic Value
Addition (DVA) is achieved.
1. PM Jeevan Jyoti Ministry of Finance ● Jeevan Jyoti Bima is a

Bima Yojana term life insurance of 2
2. PM Suraksha Bima lakh rupees at annual
Yojana premium of Rs 330/-
3. Atal Pension ● Suraksha Bima Yojana
Yojana provides compensation in
case of an accident.
● Atal Pension Yojana is
managed by PFRDA which
has stated that income tax
payers cannot avail this
scheme
1. PM Vaya Vandana Ministry of Finance PMVVY is implemented via LIC

Yojana (PMVVY) SCSS saw deposit limit increase to
2. Senior Citizen 30 lakhs in Budget 2023
Saving Scheme
(SCSS)
Mission Vatsalya 1. Ministry Of Women To foster a sensitive ecosystem

and Child for the development of children
Development and ensure their happy childhood
2. SARA (State Adoption
Resource Agency) To assist States/UTs in delivering
the mandate of the Juvenile
Justice
Act 2015 and 2030 SDG Goals
Under the mission Vatsalya Portal

will be developed that will cater
to needs of vulnerable (missing ,
orphan , abandoned) children
Mission Vatsalya Scheme is a

roadmap to achieve development
and child protection priorities
aligned with the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). It lays
emphasis on child rights,
advocacy and awareness along

with strengthening of the juvenile
justice care and protection system
with the motto to 'leave no child
behind'.
Mission Vatsalya scheme supports

the children through Non-
Institutional Care under Private
Aided Sponsorship wherein
interested sponsors (individuals/
institutions/ company/ banks/
industrial units/ trusts etc.) can
provide assistance to children in
difficult circumstance
Mission Shakti Ministry of Women and Child It is a mission mode scheme

Development aimed at strengthening
interventions for women’s safety,
security and Empowerment.
It has 2 subschemes :
1. Sambal : For safety and
security of women.
Includes components of
One Stop Center and Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao
scheme. Also has ‘Nari
Adalats’ to facilitate
gender justice and quick
dispute resolution
2. Samarthya : The
components consisting of
erstwhile schemes of
Ujjwala Swadhar Greh and
Working Women Hostel
have been included with
modifications. In addition,
the existing schemes of
National
Creche Scheme for
children of working
mothers and Pradhan
Mantri Matru vandana
Yojana ( under umbrella of
ICDS have also been
included
National Technical Textiles Ministry Of Textiles Technical textiles products are

Mission manufactured for non aesthetic
purposes, where function/utility is
the primary criterion

Technical textiles include textiles
for automotive applications,
medical textiles, geotextiles,
agrotextiles and protective
clothing . Eg : Hazmat suits ,
bullets proof vest etc.
India aims to be a global leader in
technical textiles and reduce its
import dependence
PM MITRA (Mega Ministry of Textiles Aim to integrate the

Integrated Textile Region entire textile value chain from
and Apparel) spinning, weaving, processing
/dyeing, printing to garment
manufacturing at one location
Scheme is Inspired by the 5 F
vision of the Prime Minister Farm
to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to
Foreign
PM Ujjwala Yojana Ministry of Petroleum And ● Provides LPG Connection

Natural Gas to poor households.
Benefits human and
environmental health
● More than 9 crore new
LPG connections have
been rolled out under the
scheme
● 99.8% households in India
now have access to LPG
● The connection is issued in
the name of a woman
who is above 18 in the
household. Family income
should be BPL as
determined by their
respective state
governments
PM Jan Aushadhi Yojana Ministry of Chemicals and ● Provide quality medicines

Fertilizers at affordable prices

PM DEVINE (Development 1. Ministry of ● Scheme will fund projects
Initiative for North East Development of related to infrastructure,
)Scheme North Eastern Region social development and
generation of livelihood
2. North East Council opportunities
● Under the PM DevINE
scheme, projects can be
recommended by Centre
and North East
States as well but priority
will be given to projects
posed by the states
Vigyan Jyoti Scheme 1. Department of ● Launched in 100 rural

Science and schools to encourage girls
Technology , Ministry to pursue STEM
of Science and ● Hand Holding by
Technology government right from
class 9 up to PHD level
2. Navodaya Vidyalaya
Samiti , Ministry of
Education
Operation AAHT Railway Protection Force Deployment of teams on long

distance train routes to curb
human trafficking
Ayushman Bharat Digital National Health Authority Will provide unique 14 digit health
Mission (Attached office of Ministry ID to each patient and a portal to
Of Health and Family Welfare) digitally store all their medical
records
DigiDoctor will make it easy to
find the right doctor,
appointment , payment of fee and
prescription can all be made/done
from a single portal
Telemedicine and E-Pharmacy
services will also be available
PM VIKAS Ministry of Minority Affairs Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Ko Kaam

Karyakram (PMKKK) has now
(caution: similar name been named as Pradhan Mantri
scheme was also Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM
announced in budget 2023 VIKAS) Scheme. The integrated
– but it is different and by scheme converges five erstwhile
MSME Ministry) schemes of the Ministry viz.
Seekho aur Kamao, USTTAD,
Hamari Dharohar, Nai Roshni and
Nai Manzil.

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ENVIRONMENT

SCLPs: Black Carbon, Methane, Hydrofluorocarbons,

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Global Environment Facility (GEF)

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6 AQI categories - Good, Satisfactory, Moderate, Poor, Very

National Ambient Air Quality By CPCB, MoEFCC

Radon Emitted naturally by soil || generally found in basements

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Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) – dissolved oxygen needed

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) – oxygen needed by chemicals

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River Cities Alliance (RCA) • Launched by M/o Jal Shakti

in-situ – bioventing, biosparaging, bioaugmentation

phytoremediation – use of plants

Washington Convention – CITES

Cartagena Protocol – biosafety to ensure safe handling of living

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Tigers found in 13 countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh,

New Tiger Reserves : Ramgarh Vishdhari (Rajasthan) ; Ranipur

KAZI 106F: India’s only golden tiger, found in Kaziranga NP

Cheetah Reintroduction In India

Surviving today only in India

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Population – statewise: Karnataka > Assam > Kerala

It is India’s National Heritage Animal

• Found in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnali-Sangphu

Other freshwater dolphins: Baiji (Yangtze), Boto(Amazon),

Vulture Species: long-billed, slender-billed, red-headed, white-backed

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Tiger reserve with largest forest cover

Protected Areas ~5% of India’s area is protected area

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 →

Water Act, 1974 → CPCB

Forest (Conservation Act), 1980 → Forest Advisory Committee –

Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 → Central Groundwater

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Forests Rights Act, 2006 → provides for Community Forest

NGT Act, 2010 → NGT

Ramsar sites 75 Ramsar sites in now in India

UN Decade on Ecosystem 2021-30

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Coal coal gasification Syngas (H2, CO, CO2) Methanol

Solar Energy Installed solar capacity: 54 GW (31 mar, 2022)

Jaisalmer Wind Park (capacity 1000 MW): largest wind park in

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Micro: Iron, Copper, Boron, Manganese, Zinc

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Negative phase → scarce rainfall in Indian subcontinent

This phenomena was seen in North America in Jun-Jul 2021

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DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid is the carrier of genetic information.

Gene Unit of information that gets passed down from parents to

Genetic Modification Direct Manipulation of DNA of an organism to get desired

Approaches for Gene 1. CRISPR- Cas9

GM Crops regulators in ● Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Ministry of

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Challenges of GM Crops 1. Environmental contamination