IAS.

NETWORK
MAY 2021 PRELIMS
CURRENT AFFAIRS
PART 1 ( 1st - 15th MAY )
Features :

● Prepared By Team Of UPSC Toppers Themselves

● Covers All Major Newspapers and Magazines
● Simple Format for Easy Reading and Revision by Students
● Specific To The Points Content, Nothing Irrelevant Added

© IAS.NETWORK

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Topics Covered : 81 Topics in 35 Pages

1. Attorney General of India

2. Solicitor General
3. The Diaoyu archipelago
4. 5G
5. Budapest convention

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6. RECP
7. QUAD
8. IIP
9. NETWORK FOR GREEN FINANCIAL SYSTEM
10. GLOBAL forest Goals report 2021
11. Guru Tegh Bahadur
12. Gst
13. gst council
14. One health
15. Zoonotic disease
16. Coronavirus
17. Coronavirus genome
18. PMI
19. OPEC
20. benchmark crude oil
21. Disinvestment
22. FDI
23. contempt of court
24. The group of seven
25. Micro finance institutions
26. Indra sawhney judgement
27. NCBC
28. WTO
29. TRIPS
30. THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT
31. Credit rating
32. RBI
33. Delhi LG Vs Puducherry LG
34. Pm card fund
35. Rti
36. Iran nuclear deal
37. Kuchipudi
38. Kaziranga national park
39. Scotland referendum
40. Environmental impact index
41. Little Andaman island
42. Gait leatherback turtle
43. The long march 5B
44. International space station
45. Garib Kalyan yojana
46. CDSCO
47. OPERATION SAMUDRA SETU 2
48. FATF
49. Bsf

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50. Asian elephant
51. Deepor beel
52. Ramsar
53. Foreign Portfolio Investment
54. FOREIGN PORTFOLIO INVESTOR
55. DOMESTIC INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS
56. POSITRONS
57. PYTHON 5 missile
58. NATIONAL MISSION ON SUSTAINING HIMALAYAN ECOSYSTEM
59. NFT
60. ETHANOL
61. ETHANOL BLENDING POLICY
62. OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR
63. SPO2
64. CT SCAN ONLY
65. R21 / MATRIX m
66. Operation Samudra Setu 2
67. PURCHASING MANAGER INDEx
68. NARCONDOM ISLAND MAP ONLY
69. AIR QUALITY INDEX
70. Model insurance villages
71. APEDA
72. NATIONAL SMALL SAVINGS FUND
73. STATE DISASTER RESPONSE FUND
74. MUCORMYCOSIS
75. MOUNT SINABUNG
76. B 1 617
77. GREAT NICOBAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN
78. SOVEREIGN GOLD BOND SCHEME
79. IVERMECTIN
80. HOOLOCK GIBBON WITH PICS
81. DEEPSHAKE

Attorney General of India

● The Attorney General of India is the highest law officer in the country.
● He is responsible to assist the government in all its legal matters.
● Attorney General of India is appointed by the President of India under Article 76(1) of
the Constitution.
● The constitution does not provide for fixed tenure to the AG. So, he holds office during
the pleasure of the president.

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 ● He can be removed by the president at any time. There is no procedure or ground
mentioned in the constitution for his removal.

# Rights of the AG

● In the performance of his duties, he has the right of the audience in all courts in the
territory of India.
● He has the right to speak or to take part in the proceedings of both the Houses of
Parliament and their joint sittings but without a right to vote.
● He has the right to speak or take part in the meeting of any committee of the Parliament
of which he is named a member but without a right to vote.
● He enjoys all the privileges and immunities that are available to a member of parliament.

# The AG is not debarred from private legal practice. He is not a government servant as he is not
paid a fixed salary and his remuneration is decided by the president.

# The prior consent of the Attorney General is required for the Supreme Court to initiate criminal
contempt action in a case.

Solicitor General

● Solicitor General is the second-highest law officer in the country.

● He is subordinate to the Attorney General of India, the highest law officer, and works
under him.
● He also advises the government on legal matters.
● The Solicitor general is appointed for three years by the Appointment Committee of
Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister.
● Office and duties of the Attorney General are created by the Constitution under Article
76.
● While, Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor Generals’ office and duties are
governed by Law Officers (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1987 and not by Constitution
(thus they are statutory posts and not constitutional).
● Moreover, attorney generals have the right to participate in the proceedings of Parliament
but cannot vote.
● Whereas, Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor Generals’ do not have these rights
wrt to participate in parliament.

The Diaoyu archipelago

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● The Diaoyu archipelago (known as the Senkakus in Japanese) is an uninhabited chain of
islands in the East China Sea claimed by China, Taiwan, and Japan.
● The Japanese-administered island chain, formed by five islets and three barren rocks,
covers an area of 7 square km. It is located about 200km southwest of Japan’s Okinawa
island and a similar distance northeast of Taiwan.
● Senkaku islands are a part of the Ryukyu chain of islands.

5G

● 5G is the next generation of mobile broadband that will eventually replace or augment the
4G LTE connection.
● 5G offers exponentially faster download and upload speeds.
● 5G will deliver multi-Gbps peak rates, ultra-low latency, massive capacity, and a more
uniform user experience.
● Latency, or the time it takes devices to communicate with wireless networks, will also
drastically decrease.

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● A government panel report points out that with 5G, the peak network data speeds are
expected to be in the range of 2-20 Gigabit per second (Gbps).
● This is in contrast to 4G link speeds in averaging 6-7 Megabit per second (Mbps) in India
as compared to 25 Mbps in advanced countries.
● # 5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE)
mobile broadband networks.
● The first generation of networks allowed only mobile voice calls to be made, while the
second generation allowed mobile voice calls and send short text messages.
● It was the third generation or 3G network which allowed web browsing on mobile
devices, the speed, and latency of which improved with fourth-generation or 4G
networks.
● The 5G networks will have even faster speeds with latency down to between 1-10
milliseconds.

Internet Of Things (IoT)

● Internet Of Things is a computing concept that describes the idea of everyday physical
objects being connected to the internet and being able to identify themselves to other
devices.
● IoT is significant because an object that can represent itself digitally becomes something
greater than the object by itself. No longer does the object relate just to its user, but it is
now connected to surrounding objects and database data.

Budapest Convention

● The Council of Europe’s (CoE) Cybercrime Convention is also known as the Budapest
Convention. It was open for signature in 2001 and came into force in 2004.
● The convention is the sole legally binding international multilateral treaty on cybercrime.
It coordinates cybercrime investigations between nation-states and criminalizes certain
cybercrime conduct.
● The Budapest Convention is supplemented by a Protocol on Xenophobia and Racism
committed through computer systems.
● At present, it is the only treaty of cybercrime under the United Nations.
● Countries like India and Brazil have not adopted the convention because they did not
participate in its drafting.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

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 ● The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a trade deal that was being
negotiated between 16 countries.
● They include the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members (Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand,
and Vietnam) and the six countries with which the bloc has free trade agreements (FTAs)
— India, Australia, China, Korea, Japan, and New Zealand.
● The RCEP is billed to be the “largest” regional trading agreement.
● India decided to opt out of the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RCEP) trade deal. India held that it will not become part of RCEP
until “significant outstanding issues” are resolved.

Quad Group

● Indo-Pacific Quadrilateral knew as the Quad Group is a closed group consisting of India,
Australia, Japan & the USA.
● Japan pioneered the initiative in 2007 as a coalition of maritime democracies.
● First Official quad talks were held in Manila, the Philippines in 2017
● Securing a rules-based global order, liberal trading system, and freedom of navigation are
believed to be the guiding principles.
● It aims to contain a rising China and its “predatory” economic and trade policies.
● The purpose is also to provide alternative debt financing for countries in the Indo-Pacific
region.

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP)

● IIP measures variations in the production volume of a basket of industrial goods during a
month
● It calculates the data of eight core sectors.
● The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the
Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

* Refinery products (28.04%)

* Electricity (19.85%)
* Steel (17.92%)
* Coal (10.33%)
* Crude oil (8.98%)
* Natural gas (6.88%)
* Cement (5.37%)

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* Fertilisers (2.63%)

● Index of Eight Core Industries is released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Network For Greening Financial System

● It is a group of central banks and supervisors willing to share best practices and
contribute to the development of environment and climate risk management in the
financial sector.
● It also seeks to mobilize mainstream finance to support the transition towards a
sustainable economy.
● Composition: Includes central banks and financial supervisors.
● The Secretariat is hosted by è the Banque de France.
● Launched at the Paris One Planet Summit on December 12, 2017.

Global Forest Goals Report 2021

● It is the first evaluation of the global status of implementing the United Nations Strategic
Plan for Forests 2030
● The report provides an overview of progress towards achieving the United Nations
Strategic Plan for Forests 2030. The plan has six Global Forest Goals and 26 associated
targets for forests
● The report draws upon data from 52 voluntary national reports and 19 voluntary national
contributions. Together they represent 75% of forests in the world

Guru Tegh Bahadur

● Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 – 1675) was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion.
● Name: He was born Tyaga Mal. The name Teg Bahadur given to him by Guru Hargobind
after he showed his valor in a battle against the Mughals
● Family: His father was the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind. His son Guru Gobind Singh,
became the tenth Sikh guru.

Life and works :

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● He built the city of Anandpur Sahib (in Rupnagar/Ropar district, on the edge of Shivalik
Hills, near the Sutlej River, in Punjab). Here the last two Sikh Gurus lived and where
Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699.
● He contributed more than 100 poetic hymns to Granth Sahib which cover various topics,
such as the nature of God, human attachments, body, mind, dignity, service, etc.
● He resisted the forced conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and nonMuslims to Islam He was
publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for
himself refusing to convert to Islam. He is remembered for giving up his life for the
freedom of religion.
● His martyrdom is remembered as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur every year
on 24 November, according to the Nanakshahi calendar released by the Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 2003.

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

● The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a value-added tax levied on most goods and
services sold for domestic consumption.
● The GST is paid by consumers, but it is remitted to the government by the businesses
selling the goods and services.
● GST is applicable on ‘supply of goods or services as against the old concept on the
manufacture of goods or sale of goods or on the provision of services.
● GST is based on the principle of destination-based consumption taxation.
● It is a dual GST with the Centre and the States simultaneously levying tax on a common
base. GST to be levied by the Centre is called Central GST (CGST) and that to be levied
by the States is called State GST (SGST).
● Import of goods or services would be treated as inter-state supplies and would be subject
to Integrated Goods & Services Tax (IGST) in addition to the applicable customs duties.
● CGST, SGST & IGST are levied at rates to be mutually agreed upon by the Centre and
the States. The rates are notified on the recommendation of the GST Council.

GST Council

● It is a constitutional body under Article 279A.

● It makes recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to Goods
and Service Tax and was introduced by the Constitution (One Hundred and First
Amendment) Act, 2016.

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● The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the
Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in charge of Finance or
Taxation of all the States.
● It is considered a federal body where both the center and the states get due representation.
● Every decision of the Goods and Services Tax Council shall be taken at a meeting by a
majority of not less than three-fourths of the weighted votes of the members present and
voting, by the following principles, namely:
● The vote of the Central Government shall have a weightage of one-third of the total votes
cast, and
● The votes of all the State Governments taken together shall have a weightage of
two-thirds of the total votes cast in that meeting.

One Health

● One Health is an approach to designing and implementing programs, policies, legislation

and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better
public health outcomes.
● Focus on : food safety, the control of zoonotic diseases (diseases that can spread between
animals and humans, such as flu, rabies, and Rift Valley Fever), and combating antibiotic
resistance (when bacteria change after being exposed to antibiotics and become more
difficult to treat).
● Although OneHealth, as a conceptual entity, emerged relatively recently, a stellar
example of OneHealth being operationalized in the field was seen in India in the late
1950s.

Zoonotic Diseases

● The diseases, which “spillover” from animals to humans are referred to as zoonotic
diseases
● They represent more than 60% of emerging infectious diseases worldwide.
● The destruction of the natural environment, globalized trade and travel, and industrialized
food production systems have created numerous pathways for new pathogens to jump
between animals and humans.

Corona Viruses

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● Coronaviruses belong to a family of viruses called Coronaviridae and order Nidovirales.
Coronaviruses get their name from their crown-like shape (corona is Latin for crown).
● They are found in animals and birds and are zoonotic – as they are transmitted between
animals and people.
● Some types of coronavirus are dangerous for humans and result in severe diseases such as
respiratory syndromes (MERS – Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and SARS – Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

● A new strain of the coronavirus that has not been identified previously is called a novel
coronavirus (nCov).
● The new coronavirus – COVID-19 – was first identified in Wuhan, China in December
2019. The global outbreak of COVID-19 is still ongoing.
● Coronavirus disease 2019 is an infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a virus closely related to the SARS virus.
● The 2019-nCov has been given the official name COVID-19.
● WHO declared COVID-19 infections as a public health emergency of international
concern and later called it a pandemic.

Coronavirus Genome

● Broadly viruses can be classified as DNA viruses and RNA viruses based on the genetic
material within them.
● A DNA virus enters the nucleus of the host cell and using the cell’s enzymes, it’ll
replicate the viral DNA.
● An RNA virus will inject the RNA into the cytoplasm (the material inside a living cell
excluding the nucleus) to synthesize proteins and form replica viruses. Alternately the
RNA can be converted to DNA using a process called reverse transcription. This DNA
will be integrated with that of the host DNA in a process similar to a DNA virus.
● Coronavirus consists of an RNA genome and is one of the largest in the RNA family.
● Coronaviruses are enveloped and contain single-stranded positive-sense RNA. The RNA
attaches to the host cell’s ribosome for translation. Positive sense RNA can function as
messenger RNA, meaning that viral RNA sequence may be directly translated into the
desired viral proteins.

Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)

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● Purchasing Managers Index is an indicator of business activity- in the manufacturing and
services sectors.
● It is a survey-based measure that asks the respondents about changes in their perception
of key business variables as compared with the previous month.
● It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a
composite index is constructed.
● The PMI is a number from 0 to 100.
● PMI above 50 represents an expansion when compared to the previous month;
● PMI under 50 represents a contraction, and
● A reading at 50 indicates no change.
● If the PMI of the previous month is higher than the PMI of the current month it represents
that the economy is contracting.
● The PMI is usually released at the start of every month. It is, therefore, considered a good
leading indicator of economic activity.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

● OPEC was founded in Baghdad, Iraq,September 1960

● This means that, currently, the Organization has a total of 13 Member Countries.
● The OPEC Statute distinguishes between the Founder Members and Full Members -
those countries whose applications for membership have been accepted by the
Conference.
● The Statute stipulates that “any country with a substantial net export of crude petroleum,
which has fundamentally similar interests to those of Member Countries, may become a
Full Member of the Organization, if accepted by a majority of three-fourths of Full
Members, including the concurring votes of all Founder Members.”
● The Statute further provides for Associate Members which are those countries that do not
qualify for full membership, but are nevertheless admitted under such special conditions
as may be prescribed by the Conference.

Benchmark Crude Oil

● West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Brent Blend, and Dubai Crude are the three primary
benchmarks of crude oil.
● They serve as a reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil.
● Since India imports primarily from OPEC countries, Brent is the right benchmark for oil
prices in India.

Difference between Brent and WTI

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● Brent crude oil originates from oil fields in the North Sea between the Shetland Islands
and Norway, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is sourced from US oil fields,
primarily in Texas, Louisiana, and North Dakota.
● WTI with a lower sulphur content (0.24%) than Brent (0.37%), is considered
"sweeter".Both oils are relatively light, but Brent has a slightly higher API gravity,
making WTI the lighter of the two.
● American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity is an indicator of the density of crude oil or
refined products.
● Brent crude price is the international benchmark price used by OPEC while WTI crude
price is a benchmark for US oil prices.
● Since India imports primarily from OPEC countries, Brent is the benchmark for oil prices
in India.
● The cost of shipping for Brent crude is typically lower since it is produced near the sea
and can be put on ships immediately. Shipping of WTI is priced higher since it is
produced in landlocked areas like Cushing, Oklahoma where the storage facilities are
limited.

Disinvestment

● Disinvestment means the dilution of the stake of the Government in a public enterprise.
● Strategic disinvestment is transferring the ownership and control of a public sector entity
to some other entity (mostly to a private sector entity).
● If the government is selling minority shares in a PSE (less than 50%), it will continue to
be the owner of the PSE. This is a normal disinvestment procedure.
● Strategic disinvestment is the sale of a substantial portion of the Government
shareholding of a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) of 50% or more along with
transfer of management control.
● The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) under the
Ministry of Finance has been made the nodal department for the strategic stake sale in the
Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
● DIPAM and NITI Ayog will jointly identify PSUs for strategic sale.
● The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) is mandated to approve strategic
disinvestment of CPSEs.

Foreign Direct Investment(FDI)

● FDI is an investment made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests
located in another country.

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 ● Generally, FDI takes place when an investor establishes foreign business operations or
acquires foreign business assets, including establishing ownership or controlling interest
in a foreign company.
● It is different from Foreign Portfolio Investment where the foreign entity merely buys
equity shares of a company. FPI does not provide the investor with control over the
business.
# Routes through which India gets FDI:

● Automatic Route: In this, the foreign entity does not require the government’s prior
approval or the RBI.
● Government route: In this, the foreign entity has to take the approval of the government.
● The Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal (FIFP) facilitates the single window clearance
of applications that send short is through the approval route.
● This portal is administered by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

5G (Fifth Generation)

● 5G is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
● The 5G networks will operate in the millimeter-wave spectrum (30-300 GHz) which has
the advantage of sending large amounts of data at very high speeds because the frequency
is so high, it experiences little interference from surrounding signals.
● In the high-band spectrum of 5G, internet speeds have been tested to be as high as 20
Gbps (gigabits per second) as compared to the maximum internet data speed in 4G
recorded at 1 Gbps.
● 5G network speeds should have a peak data rate of 20 Gb/s for the downlink and 10 Gb/s
for the uplink.

# Bands in 5G

● 5G mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum — all of
which have their own uses as well as limitations.
● Low band spectrum: It has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of
internet and data exchange however the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps
(Megabits per second).
● Mid-band spectrum: It offers higher speeds compared to the low band, but has limitations
in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
● High-band spectrum: It has the highest speed of all three bands, but has extremely limited
coverage and signal penetration strength.

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 Contempt of court

● The law codifying contempt classifies it as civil and criminal.

● Civil contempt is fairly simple. It is committed when someone willfully disobeys a court
order or wilfully breaches an undertaking given to the court.
● Criminal contempt is more complex. It consists of three forms:
(a) words, written or spoken, signs and actions that “scandalize” or “tend to scandalize”
or “lower” or “tends to lower” the authority of any court
(b) prejudices or interferes with any judicial proceeding and
(c) interferes with or obstructs the administration of justice.

● Article 129 of the Constitution conferred on the Supreme Court the power to punish
contempt of itself.
● Article 215 conferred a corresponding power on the High Courts.
● The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, gives statutory backing to the idea.
● The punishment for contempt of court is simple imprisonment for a term up to six months
and/or a fine of up to ₹. 2,000.

The Group of Seven (G7)

● The Group of Seven (G7) comprises seven leading industrialized nations: the United
States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, and Germany.
● In addition, the European Union sends representatives to all the meetings.
● The G7 countries represent over 46% of the gross domestic product globally based on
nominal values.
● These countries represent over 32% of the GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
● The countries in this group have more than 62% of the global net wealth.

Micro Finance Institutions

● Microfinance Institutions, also known as MFIs, a microfinance institution is an

organization that offers financial services to low-income populations.
● Usually, their area of operations of extending small loans are rural areas and among
low-income people in urban areas.
● MFIs provide the much-needed aid to the economically underprivileged who would have
otherwise been at the mercy of the local moneylender and high-interest rates.

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 ● Some of the MFIs, that qualify certain criteria and are non-deposit-taking entities, come
under RBI wings for Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) Regulation and
supervision. These “Last Mile Financiers” are known as NBFC MFI.
● The objective of covering them under RBI was to make these NBFC MFIs healthy and
accountable.

Salient features of Indra Sawhney judgment

● It recognized socially and economically backward classes as a category and recognized

the validity of the 27 percent reservation.
● The concept of ‘creamy layer’ gained currency through this judgment. Those among the
OBCs who had transcended their social backwardness were to be excluded from the
reservation.
● It laid down a 50 percent limit on reservations and observed that economic, social and
educational criteria were needed to define backward classes.
● Reservation for backward classes (which include OBCs and SCs & STs) should be
confined to initial appointments and not extend to promotions.

National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)

● 102nd Constitution Amendment Act, 2018 provides constitutional status to the National
Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
● It has the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and
educationally backward classes.
● Previously NCBC was a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment.

# Structure of NCBC

● The Commission consists of five members including a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson

and three other Members appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
● The conditions of service and tenure of office of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and
other Members is determined by the President.

# Constitutional Provisions

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● Article 340 deals with the need to, inter alia, identify those "socially and educationally
backward classes", understand the conditions of their backwardness, and make
recommendations to remove the difficulties they face.
● 102nd Constitution Amendment Act inserted new Articles 338 B and 342 A.
● The amendment also brings about changes in Article 366.
● Article 338B provides authority to NCBC to examine complaints and welfare measures
regarding socially and educationally backward classes.
● Article 342 A empowers the President to specify socially and educationally backward
classes in various states and union territories. He can do this in consultation with the
Governor of the concerned State. However, law enacted by Parliament will be required if
the list of backward classes is to be amended.

Constitutional Provisions

● Article 340 deals with the need to, inter alia, identify those "socially and educationally
backward classes", understand the conditions of their backwardness, and make
recommendations to remove the difficulties they face.
● 102nd Constitution Amendment Act inserted new Articles 338 B and 342 A.
● The amendment also brings about changes in Article 366.
● Article 338B provides authority to NCBC to examine complaints and welfare measures
regarding socially and educationally backward classes.
● Article 342 A empowers the President to specify socially and educationally backward
classes in various states and union territories. He can do this in consultation with the
Governor of the concerned State. However, the law enacted by Parliament will be
required if the list of backward classes is to be amended.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

● WTO is an intergovernmental organization that is concerned with the regulation of

international trade between nations.
● The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement,
signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948. It is the largest international economic
organization in the world.
● The WTO deals with regulation of trade in goods, services, and intellectual property
between participating countries by providing a framework for negotiating trade
agreements and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants' adherence to
WTO agreements, which are signed by representatives of member governments.

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 ● The WTO prohibits discrimination between trading partners but provides exceptions for
environmental protection, national security, and other important goals.
● Trade-related disputes are resolved by independent judges at the WTO through a dispute
resolution process.

Trade-Related Aspects of the Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

● TRIPS is an international agreement on intellectual property rights.

● The Agreement covers most forms of intellectual property including
patents,copyright,trademarks,geographical indications,industrial designs,trade secrets, &
exclusionary rights over new plant varieties.
● # It came into force in 1995 & is binding on all members of the World Trade
Organization (WTO).

The Good Friday Agreement or the Belfast Agreement

It was a peace agreement between the British and Irish governments and most of the political
parties in Northern Ireland, on how Northern Ireland should be governed.

Credit Rating

● A credit rating is an assessment of the creditworthiness of a borrower in general terms or

with respect to a particular debt or financial obligation.
● A credit rating can be assigned to any entity that seeks to borrow money — an individual,
corporation, state or provincial authority, or sovereign government.

# Credit Rating Agencies

● A credit rating agency (CRA) is a company that assigns credit ratings, which rate a
debtor's ability to pay back debt by making timely principal and interest payments and
the likelihood of default.
● There are six credit rating agencies registered under SEBI namely, CRISIL, ICRA,
CARE, SMERA, Fitch India and Brickwork Ratings.
● CRAs were set up to provide independent evidence and research-based opinion on the
ability and willingness of the issuer to meet debt service obligations, quintessentially
attaching a probability of default to a specific instrument.
● Evaluating the creditworthiness of an instrument comprises both qualitative and
quantitative assessments, making credit rating far from a straightforward mathematical
calculation.

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 Reserve Bank of India

● The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with the
provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
● The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Calcutta but was
permanently moved to Mumbai in 1937. The Central Office is where the Governor sits
and where policies are formulated.
● Though originally privately owned, since nationalization in 1949, the Reserve Bank is
fully owned by the Government of India.

Comparison with powers of LG of Delhi:

● The powers of the LG of Puducherry are different from the ones of the LG of Delhi, the
other UT that has an elected legislature and government.
● The LG of Delhi has “Executive Functions” that allow him to exercise his powers in
matters connected to public order, police, and land “in consultation with the Chief
Minister if it is so provided under any order issued by the President under Article 239 of
the Constitution”. Simply put, the LG of Delhi enjoys greater powers than the LG of
Puducherry.
● While the LG of Delhi is also guided by the Government of National Capital Territory of
Delhi Act, 1991, and the Transaction of Business of the Government of National Capital
Territory of Delhi Rules, 1993, the LG of Puducherry is guided mostly by the
Government of Union Territories Act, 1963.
● Articles 239 and 239AA of the Constitution, as well as the Government of National
Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, clearly underline that Delhi is a UT, where the
Centre, whose eyes and ears are the LG, has a much more prominent role than in
Puducherry.
● Under the constitutional scheme, the Delhi Assembly has the power to legislate on all
subjects except law and order and land. However, the Puducherry Assembly can legi
slate on any issue under the Concurrent and State Lists. However, if the law is in conflict with a
law passed by Parliament, the law passed by Parliament prevails.

PM - CARES Fund

● The government has set up the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in
Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund) to deal with any kind of emergency or
distress situation like posed by the COVID- 19 pandemic.
● The Fund is a public charitable trust with the Prime Minister as its Chairman. Other
Members include Defence Minister, Home Minister, and Finance Minister.

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● The Fund enables micro-donations as a result of which a large number of people will be
able to contribute with the smallest of denominations.
● The Fund will strengthen disaster management capacities and encourage research on
protecting citizens
● The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has clarified that contributions by companies towards
the PM-CARES Fund will count towards mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility
expenditure.

Right to Information (RTI)

● Right to Information (RTI) is an act of the Parliament of India which sets out the rules
and procedures regarding citizens' right to information.
● Under the provisions of RTI Act, any citizen of India may request information from
a "public authority" (a body of Government or "instrumentality of State") which is
required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days.
● In case of matter involving a petitioner's life and liberty, the information has to be
provided within 48 hours.
● The Act also requires every public authority to computerize their records for wide
dissemination and to proactively publish certain categories of information so that the
citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.

Iran Nuclear Deal:

● Also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

● The JCPOA was the result of prolonged negotiations from 2013 and 2015 between Iran
and P5+1+EU (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States,
and the European Union, or the EU).
● Under the deal, Tehran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges, enriched
uranium and heavy water, all key components for nuclear weapons.

Kuchipudi

● Kuchipudi is one of the 8 classical dances in India.

● Kuchipudi was originally performed by a group of actors going from village to village
known as 'Kusselavas'. Kuchipudi derives its name from the Andhra village called
Kusselavapuri.
● The advent of Bhagavatism made the dance a monopoly of male brahmins and began to
be performed at the temple. The recital is based on Bhagavata Purana but has a secular
theme and dancers came to be known as Bhagathalus.

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● Kuchipudi became prominent under the patronage of Vijayanagara and Golconda rulers.
● Kuchipudi consists of divisions such as Adavus, Jatis, Jatiswara, Tirmanas, and Thillanas.
The dance also expresses through Padas, Varnas, Shabdas, and slokas. These features are
also found in Bharatnatyam also.
● Lasya and tandava elements are important in the Kuchipudi dance form.
● The dance style is a manifestation of earthly elements in the human body.
● The dancer may undertake the role of the singer as well becoming a dance-drama
performance.
● The music of dance is Carnatic.
● Lakshmi Narayana Shastri brought renown to the Kuchipudi dance form. In the present
century, Kuchipudi is changing its character greatly to solo items.

Kaziranga National Park

● Kaziranga National Park is located in Assam

● In the year 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
● It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
● It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.
● The sanctuary hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses.
● NH 37 passes through Kaziranga National Park.

Scotland Referendum

● Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently said she planned to hold a legal
referendum on independence from Britain despite Westminster’s opposition, as an
opinion poll showed a majority would vote yes.
● The last Referendum for Scottish independence was held in 2014. Scotland had voted to
remain in the UK.
● When did Scotland and England unite?
● The Act of Union between Scotland and England was signed on Jan. 16, 1707.
● It came into effect on May 1 of that year, creating the United Kingdom of Britain.
● The Scottish Parliament was dissolved, and a single Parliament was created at
Westminster in London.

Referendums

● Referendums are instruments of direct democracy where citizens get an opportunity to

straightforwardly vote on a particular issue.

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● They are perceived to be a better democratic instrument, especially in modern states
where people have a better say in decision-making.

Giant Leatherback Turtle

● IUCN status: Vulnerable

● The largest of the seven species of sea turtles on the planet and also the most
long-ranging, Leatherbacks are found in all oceans except the Arctic and the Antarctic.
● Within the Indian Ocean, they nest only in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the A&N Islands.
● They are also listed in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, according it
the highest legal protection.
● The population in A&N Islands is among the most important colonies of the Leatherback
globally.

Galathea Bay

● The Galathea Bay is adjacent to Galathea National Park in Great Nicobar Island.
● Galathea Bay is an iconic nesting site in India of the enigmatic Giant Leatherback, the
world’s largest marine turtle
● It was earlier proposed as a wildlife sanctuary in 1997 for the protection of turtles and
was also the site of a long-term monitoring programme.
● The monitoring was stopped after the tsunami devastation of 2004, but it provided the
first systematic evidence of numbers and importance of these beaches.

The Long March-5B

● The Long March-5B Y2 rocket was carrying the Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, module,
which is the first of three key components for the construction of China’s space station,
which will be completed by the end of next year.
● Tianhe will act “the management and control hub of the space station” which is called
Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, Chinese authorities said after the April 29 launch of the
rocket from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the island province of Hainan.
● The space station, which will be only the second after the International Space Station
(ISS), has been designed with a lifespan of 10 years but could last 15 years, or until 2037.

International Space Station

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 ● The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular space station (habitable artificial
satellite) in low Earth orbit.
● The ISS programme is a multi-national collaborative project between five participating
space agencies:
NASA (United States),
Roscosmos (Russia),
JAXA (Japan),
ESA (Europe),
CSA (Canada).

● The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties
and agreements.
● The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which
scientific experiments are conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics,
and other fields.
● The station is suited for testing the spacecraft systems and equipment required for
possible future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
● It is the largest artificial object in space and the largest satellite in low Earth orbit,
regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth's surface.
● The ISS circles the Earth in roughly 93 minutes, completing 15.5 orbits per day.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

● PMGKY is a part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) to help the poor
fight the battle against Covid-19.
● The scheme aimed at providing each person who is covered under the National Food
Security Act with an additional 5 kg grains (wheat or rice) for free, in addition to the 5 kg
of subsidised foodgrain already provided through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
● The beneficiaries are also entitled to 1 kg of pulse for free, according to regional
preferences.

West Bank: The West Bank is sandwiched between Israel and Jordan. One of its major cities is
Ramallah, the de facto administrative capital of Palestine. Israel took control of it in the 1967
war and has over the years established settlements there.

Gaza: The Gaza Strip located between Israel and Egypt. Israel occupied the strip after 1967, but
relinquished control of Gaza City and day-to-day administration in most of the territory during
the Oslo peace process. In 2005, Israel unilaterally removed Jewish settlements from the
territory, though it continues to control international access to it.

23
Golan Heights: The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in the
1967 war. Israel effectively annexed the territory in 1981. Recently, the USA has officially
recognized Jerusalem and Golan Heights as a part of Israel.

Palestinian Authority- Created by the 1993 Olso Accords, it is the official governing body of
the Palestinian people, led by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah faction. Hobbled by
corruption and by political infighting, the PA has failed to become the stable negotiating partner
its creators had hoped.

Fatah- Founded by the late Yasir Arafat in the 1950s, Fatah is the largest Palestinian political
faction. Unlike Hamas, Fatah is a secular movement, has nominally recognized Israel, and has
actively participated in the peace process.

Hamas- Hamas is regarded as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. In 2006, Hamas
won the Palestinian Authority's legislative elections. It ejected Fatah from Gaza in 2007, splitting
the Palestinian movement geographically, as well.

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)

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 ● The CDSCO is the Central Drug Authority for discharging functions assigned to the
Central Government under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Major Functions:

● Regulatory control over the import of drugs, approval of new drugs and clinical trials.
● Approval of certain licences as Central Licence Approving Authority.

# Drug Controller General of India(DCGI)

● DCGI is responsible for approval of licences of specified categories of drugs such as

blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India.
● It comes under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Operation Samudra Setu-II

● Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu-II for shipment of Oxygen-filled
containers to India.
● Operation Samudra Setu was launched in May 2020 as part of the national effort to
repatriate Indian citizens from overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

● It is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris.

● The FATF assesses the strength of a country’s anti-money laundering and anti-terror
financing frameworks, however it does not go by individual cases.

# Objectives

● To set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and

operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other
related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
● Headquarters: Its Secretariat is located at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
● The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organisations — the
European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council. India is a member of the FATF.

# Lists under FATF

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 ● Grey List: Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and
money laundering are put in the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the
country that it may enter the blacklist.
● Black List: Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) are
put in the blacklist. These countries support terror funding and money laundering
activities. The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries. The current
FATF blacklist includes two countries: North Korea and Iran
● Sessions: The FATF Plenary is the decision making body of the FATF. It meets three
times per year.
● Pakistan was put on the grey list by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF),
the global watchdog for money laundering and terror financing in June 2018 and the
country has been struggling to come out of it.

Patents and IP rights

● A patent represents a powerful intellectual property right, and is an exclusive monopoly

granted by a government to an inventor for a limited, pre-specified time. It provides an
enforceable legal right to prevent others from copying the invention.
● Patents can be either process patents or product patents:
● A product patent ensures that the rights to the final product is protected, and anyone other
than the patent holder can be restrained from manufacturing it during a specified period,
even if they were to use a different process.
● A process patent enables any person other than the patent holder to manufacture the
patented product by modifying certain processes in the manufacturing exercise.

#'Patent regime in India:

● India moved from product patenting to process patenting in the 1970s, which enabled
India to become a significant producer of generic drugs at global scale, and allowed
companies like Cipla to provide Africa with anti-HIV drugs in the 1990s.
● But due to obligations arising out of the TRIPS Agreement, India had to amend the
Patents Act in 2005, and switch to a product patents regime across the pharma,
chemicals, and biotech sectors.

Border Security Force (BSF)

● The BSF was raised in 1965 after the India-Pakistan war.

● It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of the Union of India under the
administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

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● Other Central Armed Police Forces are: Assam Rifles (AR), Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF),
National Security Guards (NSG) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
● The 2.65-lakh force is deployed along the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders.
● It is deployed on Indo-Pakistan International Border, Indo-Bangladesh International
Border, Line of Control (LoC) along with Indian Army and in Anti-Naxal Operations.
● It has an air wing, marine wing, an artillery regiment, and commando units.
● BSF has been defending Sir Creak in Arabian Sea and Sundarban delta in the Bay of
Bengal with its state of art fleet of Water Crafts.
● BSF has an instrumental role in helping state administration in maintaining Law and
Order and conducting peaceful elections.
● BSF has been crusading against natural calamity to save precious human lives as and
when warranted.
● It contributes dedicated services to the UN peacekeeping Mission by sending a large
contingent of its trained manpower every year.
● It has been termed as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories.

Asian Elephant

● There are three subspecies of Asian elephant – the Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan.
● The Indian has the widest range and accounts for the majority of the remaining elephants
on the continent.
● Escalation of poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and mistreatment in
captivity are some common threats to both African and Asian elephants.
● African elephants are listed as “vulnerable” and Asian elephants as “endangered” in
IUCN Red List of threatened species.
● The elephant has been accorded the highest possible protection under the Indian wildlife
law through its listing under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
● Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) status- Appendix I.
● Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and
plants.
● Project Elephant launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally
Sponsored Scheme. Elephant census is conducted once in 5 years under the aegis of
Project elephant.
● Establishment of elephant reserves and adoption of the “World Elephant Day” (August
12) to help conserve and protect elephants in India and improve their welfare.
● Gaj Yatra’ a nationwide awareness campaign to celebrate elephants and highlight the
necessity of securing elephant corridors.

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● The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), had come out with a publication on the right of
passage in 101 elephant corridors of the country in 2017, stressed on the need for greater
surveillance and protection of elephant corridors.
● The Monitoring the Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme launched in 2003 is an
international collaboration that tracks trends in information related to the illegal killing of
elephants from across Africa and Asia, to monitor effectiveness of field conservation
efforts.

Deepor Beel

● Deepor Beel is located to the south-west of Guwahati city, in Kamrup district of Assam,
India.
● It is a permanent freshwater lake, in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River, to the
south of the main river.
● It is a wetland under the Ramsar Convention which has been listed since November 2002,
for undertaking conservation measures on the basis of its biological and environmental
importance.
● Considered as one of the largest beels in the Brahmaputra valley of Lower Assam, it is
categorised as a representative of the wetland type under the Burma monsoon forest
biogeographic region.
● It is also an important bird sanctuary habituating many migrant species.
● Freshwater fish is a vital protein and source of income for these communities; the health
of these people is stated to be directly dependent on the health of this wetland ecosystem.

Ramsar Convention

● The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (better known as the Ramsar

Convention) is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of
wetlands.
● It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem.
● The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in
1975.
● Traditionally viewed as a wasteland or breeding ground of disease, wetlands actually
provide fresh water and food and serve as nature’s shock absorber.
● Wetlands, critical for biodiversity, are disappearing rapidly, with recent estimates
showing that 64% or more of the world’s wetlands have vanished since 1900.

28
● Major changes in land use for agriculture and grazing, water diversion for dams and
canals and infrastructure development are considered to be some of the main causes of
loss and degradation of wetlands.

Foreign Portfolio Investment

● financial assets passively held by foreign investors.

● does not provide the investor with direct ownership of financial assets
● is part of a country’s capital account and is shown on its Balance of Payments (BOP)
● The investor does not actively manage the investments
● FPI is often referred to as “hot money”
● more liquid and less risky than Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs)

● those institutional investors who invest in securities and other financial assets of the
country they are currently residing in
● four sets of DIIs - Indian Mutual Funds, Indian Insurance Companies, Local Pension
Funds and Banking & Financial Institutions
● regulated by the government, but lesser than the FPIs

Positron

● subatomic particle whose mass is the same as that of an electron and numerically equal
but positively charged particle. The positron was discovered in 1932
● Positron Excess: The excess number of high energy particles of the antimatter counterpart
of the electrons, called positrons have intrigued scientists for long.
● Over the years astronomers have observed positrons having an energy of more than 10
giga-electron volts, or 10 GeV.
● Cosmic Rays: Cosmic rays are atom fragments that rain down on the Earth from outside
of the solar system. They blaze at the speed of light and have been blamed for electronics
problems in satellites and other machinery. They were Discovered in 1912.
● Light-Year: The light-year is a unit of length used to express astronomical distances and
is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometres.

Python-5 Missile

29
 ● developed by the Israeli defence company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
● fifth generation air-to-air missile
● dual use missile suitable for air-to-air and surface-to-air missions.
● powered by a solid propellant rocket engine.
● speed of Mach 4

National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem

● launched in 2010 but was formally approved by the government in 2014.

● contributes to the sustainable development of the country by enhancing the understanding
of climate change, its likely impacts and adaptation actions required for the Himalayas-

States Covered:
● Eleven states: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland,
Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and West Bengal.
● Two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Non-Fungible Tokens

● transaction records captured on the blockchain

● allow people to trade the ownership of digital entities such as memes, media, tweets, arts,
articles in ‘token’ form
● no two digital entities can have the same token.
● Buying an NFT doesn’t convey copyright or usage rights

ethanol
● alcohol of 99%-plus purity, which can be used for blending with petrol.
● Produced mainly from molasses, a byproduct of sugar manufacture.
● Benefits of ethanol blending:
Reduction in import dependency.
Support for the agricultural sector.
Environmental friendly fuel.
Additional income to farmers.

About Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme:

● Launched in 2003 on pilot basis.

30
● The aim is to promote the use of alternative and environmentally friendly fuels.
● Implemented by the Ministry or Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

● Need:
India is the third largest consumer of energy in the world after China and the US.

India is dependent on imports for about 82.1% of its crude oil requirement and to the
extent of about 44.4% in case of natural gas.

India is expected to need 10 billion litres of ethanol annually to meet the 20% blending
target in 2030 if petrol consumption continues to grow at the current pace. At present, the
capacity stands at 1.55 billion litres a year.

Oxygen Concentrators:

● Oxygen Concentrator is a medical device. It filters oxygen from the atmosphere and helps
individuals inhale it through a mask or cannula.
● Atmospheric air has about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen with other gases making up the
remaining 1%.
● The concentrator takes in this atmospheric air, filters it through a sieve. Further, it
releases the nitrogen back into the air and works on the remaining oxygen.
● This oxygen compressed and dispensed through a cannula, is 90-95% pure.
● A pressure valve in concentrators helps regulate supply, ranging from 1-10 litres of
oxygen per minute.

Ct Value:
● Ct is short for ‘Cycle Threshold’.
● The Ct value refers to the number of cycles after which the virus can be detected.
● If a higher number of cycles is required, it implies that the virus went undetected when
the number of cycles was lower.
● The lower the Ct value, the higher the viral load-because the virus has been spotted after
fewer cycles.
● It has been found that the time since the onset of symptoms has a stronger relationship
with Ct values as compared to the severity of the disease.

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 R21/Matrix M,

● The new vaccine candidate, called R21/Matrix M, is a modified version of RTS-S.

● It has been developed by scientists at University of Oxford, the same location where the
AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was developed.
● It was the first to reach WHO’s goal of at least 75% efficacy.

Narcondam Island

The stratovolcanic Narcondam Island is an oceanic island of volcanic origin situated in the
Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago, India.
The isolated island is one of most remote and uninhabited islands of the Andaman and Nicobar
archipelago.

32
 Air Quality Index

● launched in 2014 with outline ‘One Number – One Color -One Description’
● The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants, namely: Particulate Matter
(PM10), Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2),
Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Ammonia (NH3), and Lead (Pb).
● developed by the CPCB in consultation with IIT-Kanpur

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 Model Insurance Village (MIV)

● idea is to offer comprehensive insurance protection to all the major insurable risks that
villagers are exposed to
● financial support needs to be explored through NABARD, other institutions, CSR
(Corporate Social Responsibility) funds, government support and support from
reinsurance companies.
● implemented in a minimum of 500 villages

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)

● established under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development
Authority Act 1985
● replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).
● under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, promotes export of agricultural and
processed food products from India.
● Chairman – Appointed by the Central Government.
● Director – Appointed by APEDA.
● Secretary – Appointed by the Central Government.
● Other Officers and Staff – Appointed by the Authority.

National Small Savings Fund

● The Public Account of India was established in 1999.

● Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs) under National Small Savings
Fund (Custody and Investment) Rules, 2001, framed by the President under Article
283(1) of the Constitution.
● The objective of NSSF is to de-link small savings transactions from the Consolidated
Fund of India and ensure their operation in a transparent and self-sustaining manner.
● Since NSSF operates in the public account, its transactions do not impact the fiscal deficit
of the Centre directly.

State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)

● constituted by each state under the provisions of Disaster Management act 2005.
● constituted based on the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.

34
● Funding: The government of India contributes 75% and 90% of the total yearly allocation
of SDRF to general states and special category states respectively.
● Heads: The state executive committee headed by the Chief Secretary is authorized to
decide on all matters relating to the financing of the relief expenditure from the SDRF.

MUCORMYCOSIS

● rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes,

● mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s
ability to fight germs
● types of Mucormycosis are: Rhinocerebral (Sinus and Brain), Pulmonary (Lung),
Gastrointestinal, Cutaneous (Skin), and disseminated Mucormycosis.
● Mucormycosis needs to be treated with prescription antifungal medicine.
● In some cases, it can require surgery.

MOUNT SINABUNG
● Recently, Mt. Sinabung, an active volcano on Indonesia’s Sumatra island has erupted
● Mount Sinabung is located in Karo regency, North Sumatra.

35
 B.1.617.

● The ‘double mutant’ virus that is having a bearing on the spread of the pandemic in India,
has been formally classified as B.1.617.
● Mutation is an alteration in the genetic material (the genome) of a cell of a living
organism or of a virus that is more or less permanent and that can be transmitted to the
cell’s or the virus’s descendants.

GREAT NICOBAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN

● NITI Aayog’s Great Nicobar Development plan aims to promote the holistic
development of Greater Nicobar. Based on that, the Standing Committee of the National
Board for Wildlife (NBWL) denotified the entire Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary for
building port and other related infrastructure.
● This would facilitate the realization of NITI Aayog’s master plan for the development of
the great Nicobar island.

the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme:

● The sovereign gold bond in 2015.

● to help reduce India’s over dependence on gold imports.

36
● Eligibility: The bonds will be restricted for sale to resident Indian entities, including
individuals, HUFs, trusts, universities and charitable institutions.
● Denomination and tenor: The bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold
with a basic unit of 1 gram. The tenor will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from
the 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.
● Minimum and Maximum limit: The minimum permissible investment limit will be 1
gram of gold, while the maximum limit will be 4 kg for individuals, 4 kg for HUF and 20
kg for trusts and similar entities per fiscal (April-March) notified by the government from
time to time.
● Joint Holder: In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 4 kg will be applied to the
first applicant only.
● Collateral: Bonds can be used as collateral for loans. The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is to
be set equal to ordinary gold loans mandated by the Reserve Bank from time to time.

Ivermectin

● The World Health Organisation has recommended against the use of ‘Ivermectin’ drug
for COVID-19 except within clinical trials.
● Orally-administered Ivermectin is still listed in India’s revised national COVID-19
● Ivermectin is used for the treatment and eradication of two life-threatening illnesses -
Onchocerciasis and filariasis.

Hoolock gibbons

● Endangered — IUCN
● CITES Appendix I
● schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972
● State Animal of Arunachal Pradesh
● Habitat Primarily forest dweller
inhabits tropical evergreen rainforests, tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests,
tropical mixed deciduous forests, and subtropical broadleaf hill forests
It has also been noted in bamboo “brakes” and hollock (Terminalia myriocarpa) and ajhar
● Range
native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India and Southwest China.
India — found south of Brahmaputra and east of the Dibang Rivers. Its range extends
into seven
north eastern states

37
 DeepShake

● is an earthquake early warning system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict how
the ground will move during a temblor
● uses a deep neural network, a type of AI learning, to identify patterns from past
earthquakes in order to predict how the shaking from a new quake will travel.
● DeepShake was given no information about the earthquake's location or type, it was able
to warn of shaking at other seismic stations in the network between 3-13 seconds before
it happened

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