Enigma Mastercopy - JF19

☆☆☆ ENIGMA MASTERCOPY ☆☆☆
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https://enigmaias.com
" There's no time for regrets. You've just got to keep moving forward.‖
JanFeb-19
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report. The report is a joint product of the
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA), the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the five United Nations regional
commissions (Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Economic Commission for Europe
(ECE), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and Economic and Social Commission
for Western Asia (ESCWA)).
 The U.S. currently offers 1,40,000 green cards every year to employment based immigrants.
The existing law, however, provides that not more than 7% of these green cards can go to
nationals of any one country —even though some countries are more populous than others.
Because of this limit, a Chinese or an Indian post graduate may have to wait half a decade or
more for a Green Card, much longer than a student from a less populated country.
 Developed countries including the US, EU, UK, Japan etc., gives Generalized System of
Preferences (GSPs) to imports from developing countries. GSP involves reduced/zero tariffs of
eligible products exported by beneficiary countries to the markets of GSP providing countries.
Specifically, it is a system of exemptions from the most favored nation principle (MFN) that
obliges WTO member countries to treat the imports of all other WTO member countries no
worse than they treat the imports of their "most favored" trading partner.
 India inks contract for 72,000 Sig Sauer assault rifles from US. The new rifles will replace the
Indian National Small Arms System (INSAS) rifle.
 The Green New Deal is a four part programme for moving America quickly out of crisis into
a secure, sustainable future. It takes its name from U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt‘s famous
New Deal, a series of economic and social measures launched in the 1930s to end the Great
Depression. The Green New Deal audaciously aspires to make sweeping changes to the
environment and economy and meet all of the U.S.‘s power demand from clean, renewable and
zero emission energy sources by 2030, while at the same time addressing racial and economic
justice.
 India, which became a signatory to the UN Convention against Torture in 1997, is still to
ratify the convention.
 India has moved up four places to the 137th rank among 163 countries on the 2018 Global
Peace Index. The report is published by the Sydney-based Institute of Economics and Peace
(IEP).
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 According to the United Nations‘ 2018 World Happiness Index, India ranks low, lower than
the Occupied Palestinian Territories. According to the World Health Organisation, India is
the most depressed country in the world. In 2015, India ranked fourth in a Social Hostilities
Index. And in the 2018 Global Peace Index, it ranked 137 out of 163 countries and territories.
 India ranks 4th on Pew Research Centre‘s index of social hostilities involving religion as per
data from 2015. India is just behind Syria, Nigeria and Iraq.
 There are three giga projects underway in Saudi Arabia — smart city project Neom, Qiddiya
entertainment city and the Red Sea Tourism Project. ―Neom‖ is a Saudi project for a smart and
tourist cross-border city. The project is located in the far north-west of Saudi Arabia. It will be
constructed in Tabuk. It includes marine land located within the Egyptian and Jordanian
borders. It will cover a total area of 26,500 km2 (10,200 sq mi) and will extend 460 km along
the coast of the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia aims to complete the first section of NEOM by 2025.
The project has an estimated cost of $500 billion.
 Saudi Arabia defended a mobile app that allows men in the kingdom to track women relatives
after rights groups and a U.S. lawmaker criticised tech giants for offering it. The Absher app
provides services for ―all members of the society... including women, the elderly, and people
with special needs‖, the Interior Ministry said. The free app is available on Android and Apple
smartphones and allows users to renew passports, visas and eases a variety of other electronic
services.
 The International Court of Justice (abbreviated ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the
United Nations (UN). It settles legal disputes between member states and gives advisory
opinions to authorized UN organs and specialized agencies. It comprises a panel of 15 judges
elected by the General Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms. It is seated in the
Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.
 An Israeli non-profit company said it will launch what it hopes will be the first private
spacecraft to land on the moon this week. Space IL and State owned Israel Aerospace
Industries said that the spacecraft, dubbed Beresheet, or Genesis, will ship from Florida,
where, propelled by a SpaceX rocket, it will commence its voyage to the moon.
 Curaçao is a Lesser Antilles island in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean
region, about 65 km north of the Venezuelan coast. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands.
 Fiji is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean.
 In December 2012, Australia became the first country to introduce plain packaging following
the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) guidelines. It has also been
implemented in France and the United Kingdom (both 2016), Norway and Ireland (both 2017)
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and New Zealand and Hungary (both 2018). It will be implemented in Uruguay (2019) and
Slovenia (2020). The move is under process or being considered in 14 more countries.Plain
packaging standardises the appearance of tobacco products. Other than brand and product
names displayed in a standard colour and font style, it prohibits the use of logos, colours, brand
images or promotional information. Besides increasing the effectiveness of health warnings, the
idea is to reduce the attractiveness of tobacco products, with no scope for using packaging to
advertise and promote consumption.
 United States and Israel have officially quit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) It is the successor of the League of Nations' International
Committee on Intellectual Cooperation. .Three UNESCO member states are not UN member
states: Cook Islands, Niue, and Palestine (Palestine is a non-member observer State of the
United Nations General Assembly since 29 November 2012), while three UN member states
(Israel, Liechtenstein, United States) are not a UNESCO members. The United States and
Israel were members, but left on 31 December 2018 claiming that the organization had an anti-
Israel bias.
 The Declaration of Alma-Ata was adopted at the International Conference on Primary

Health Care (PHC), Almaty (formerly Alma-Ata), Kazakhstan (formerly Kazakh Soviet
Socialist Republic), 6–12 September 1978.It expressed the need for urgent action by all
governments, all health and development workers, and the world community to protect and
promote the health of all people. It was the first international declaration underlining the
importance of primary health care. The primary health care approach has since then been
accepted by member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) as the key to
achieving the goal of "Health For All" but only in developing countries at first.
 Kumhar is a caste or community in India and Pakistan. Kumhar literally means potter in
Indian languages.
 UNHCR was created in 1950, during the aftermaths of World War II. Its headquarters are in
Geneva, Switzerland and it is a member of the United Nations Development Group.
 The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference held annually in New Delhi. Since its
inception in 2016, the conference has emerged as India‘s flagship conference on geopolitics
and geo-economics. The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation, an
independent think tank, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs of India. The
theme for the 2019 edition of the conclave is “A World Reorder: New Geometries, Fluid
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Partnerships, and Uncertain Outcomes”. The theme for the 2018 Conference is ―Managing
Disruptive Transitions: Ideas, Institutions and Idioms‖.
 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization headquartered in

Washington, D.C., consisting of "189 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation,
secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and
sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.
 The four nations Quadrilateral Coordination Group-QCG (China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and
the U.S.).
 U.S. President Donald Trump said he is planning changes to the H1B programme that grants
temporarily visas to highly educated immigrants who work in specialty occupations such as
technology or medicine.
 Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT) is based in London. The CSAT is the
final arbiter of disputes among its 53 member countries of the Commonwealth. The members
are appointed on a four-year term which may be renewed only once. The tribunal determines
applications regarding non observance of contractual obligations involving staff members of
the Common wealth Secretariat or international /intergovernmental Commonwealth
body/organisation, and the Commonwealth Secretariat or Commonwealth international
/intergovernmental bodies. The top court judge, second in seniority after Chief Justice Ranjan
Gogoi, was expected to join the CSAT soon after retirement.
 U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act
(CLOUD Act), which will enable the U.S. government to enter into agreements with like-
minded states for cross-border data sharing. This will allow law enforcement agencies from
these states to directly obtain electronic data, held by communication service providers
headquartered in the U.S., to combat crime. New Delhi, on the back of this development, will
soon push for an India-U.S. data sharing agreement to serve the interests of its law
enforcement and, more importantly, to make headway in the global cyber norms conversation.
With the enactment of the CLOUD Act, an Indian officer for the purposes of an investigation
will no longer have to make a request to the U.S. government but can approach the company
directly.
 India adopts 112 as its national emergency number- India already has a series of existing
emergency numbers such as 100 for police, 101 for fire, 102 for ambulances and 108 for
disaster management. These will continue to operate for at least one year, but will eventually be
replaced with 112, which will integrate all these services. The U.S. and Canada have 911, the
U.K. has 999, New Zealand has 111, Australia has 000.In 2016 the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India suggested a new number 112.
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 India and the United States began a new generation of military and security cooperation by
signing Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA). India and
U.S. will also hold a first-ever tri-service exercise on the east coast of India in 2019,
announces Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. An important element of discussion was
starting the process of closer private defence industry collaboration that would allow Indian
defence manufacturers to join the U.S. military supply chain. The two defence ministers also
announced their readiness to begin the negotiations on an Industrial Security Annex (ISA)
that would support closer defence industry cooperation and collaboration. India and the U.S.
signed the General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) years ago and
it allows the sharing of classified information from the U.S. government and American
companies with the Government of India and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU)
but not with Indian private companies.
The four foundational agreements are –
1) Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA),
2) Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)
3) General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)
4) Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA)
 An Industrial Security Annex ISA- is required to enable private Indian participation in

defence production and is particularly important as India opens up defence manufacturing to
the private sector in a big way. The ISA is particularly essential as the Indian industry looks for
a greater role in defence manufacturing. It allows sharing of classified information from the
U.S. government and American companies with the Indian private sector, which is so far
limited to the Indian government and the defence public sector undertakings. The ISA draft is
currently going through the official process in Washington.
 Macedonia, officially the Republic of Macedonia, is a country in the Balkan Peninsula in

Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it
declared independence in 1991.The country became a member of the United Nations in 1993,
but, as a result of an ongoing dispute with Greece over the use of the name Macedonia, was
admitted under the provisional description the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
(sometimes abbreviated as FYROM and FYR Macedonia) a term that is also used by
international organizations such as the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO.
 The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade
area consisting of "four European states": Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
The organization operates in parallel with the European Union (EU), and all four member states
participate in the European Single Market and are part of the Schengen Area. They are not,
however, party to the European Union Customs Union.To participate in the EU's single market,
Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway are parties to the Agreement on a European Economic
Area (EEA), with compliances regulated by the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA
Court. Switzerland has a set of bilateral agreements with the EU instead.
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 Strait of Tartary or Gulf of Tartary is a strait in the Pacific Ocean dividing the Russian
island of Sakhalin from mainland Asia (South-East Russia), connecting the Sea of Okhotsk
on the north with the Sea of Japan on the south.
 Transparency International, a global anti corruption coalition, ranked India 81 out of 180
countries in its corruption index of 2017. The least corrupt nations were New Zealand,
Denmark, Finland, Norway, Switzerland.
 The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a planned free trade area, outlined in
the African Continental Free Trade Agreement among 49 of the 55 African Union nations. If
the agreement is ratified, the free-trade area will be the largest in the world in terms of
participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organization. The agreement
was brokered by the African Union (AU) and was signed on by 44 of its 55 member states in
Kigali, Rwanda on March 21, 2018. But Nigeria and five other countries did not sign the
agreement. The agreement initially requires members to remove tariffs from 90% of goods,
allowing free access to commodities, goods, and services across the continent. The African
Continental Free Trade Area does not come into effect until 22 of the signing countries ratify
the agreement. As of January 2019, 18 countries had ratified the agreement.
 The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also known as
the UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations programme with the mandate to protect refugees,
forcibly displaced communities and stateless people, and assist in their voluntary repatriation,
local integration or resettlement to a third country. UNHCR was created in 1950, during the
aftermaths of World War II. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland and it is a member
of the United Nations Development Group. The UNHCR has won two Nobel Peace Prize.
 The "Quds Force‖ is a unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) directed to carry out
unconventional warfare and intelligence activities and responsible for extraterritorial
operations. The Quds Force supports non-state actors in many foreign countries that include
Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,
Yemeni Houthis, and Shia militias in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. The United States has
designated the Quds Force a supporter of terrorism since 2007.
 The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Economy Outlook update, said India
would remain the fastest growing major economies of the world. On the fiscal front, the report
noted that most veered off the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM)
line of maintaining their fiscal deficits at 3% of their respective state GDPs.―With little fiscal
legroom for the Centre, States are now the new engines of government spending [over 65% in
total government spending],‖ the Crisil report said.
 African Union Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, in March 2018. The bloc was founded on 26 May
2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa.
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 The Strategic Partnership between India and South Africa, called the Red Fort Declaration,
was signed in March 1997 by the then South African President Nelson Mandela and former PM
H.D. Deve Gowda. India and South Africa will announce a road map for their strategic
partnership when visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa holds talks with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. Ramaphosa is the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations.
Instead of signing more MoUs, the two sides will sign one "catch-all" document. the
agreement will be a three-year road map to implement joint agreements on a host of areas -
defence and security, political relations, trade and investment, blue economy, tourism,
science & technology, IT, agriculture.
 South African Capital: Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative).
 The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional
intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia. Its member
states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka. Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. South Asia Association of Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) Disaster Management Centre (SDMC-IU) has been set up at Gujarat
Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM) Campus, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The 20th
SAARC summit is the 20th meeting of the heads of state or heads of government of the
eight SAARC countries after their previous meeting in Pakistan was boycotted by all SAARC
members. The Summit will take place in 2019.Pakistan is aggressively seeking support from
smaller South Asian nations to host the SAARC summit in Islamabad. Sri Lanka and Nepal
have already shown support, but analysts doubt India will agree as it plans to isolate Pakistan.
 The Organization of American States or the OAS or OEA, is a continental organization that
was founded on 30 April 1948, for the purposes of regional solidarity and cooperation among
its member states. Headquartered in the United States capital Washington, D.C., the OAS's
members are the 35 independent states of the Americas."Cuba" Suspended between 1962–2009
has chosen not to resume their participation in OAS, though technically they remain a member.
Venezuela is a member. On 26 April 2017, Venezuela announced its intention to withdraw
from the OAS. It would take two years for the country to formally leave. During this period,
the country does not plan on participating in the OAS. During the 2019 Venezuelan
presidential crisis, the National Assembly — recognized in January 2019 by the OAS as the
sole leading body in the country — designated a special envoy as representative to the OAS.
 The ―Lima Group‖ is a multilateral body that was established following the Lima
Declaration on 8 August 2017 in the Peruvian capital of Lima, where representatives of 12
countries met in order to establish a peaceful exit to the crisis in Venezuela. Twelve countries
initially signed the declaration: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru. Guyana and Saint Lucia
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joined later. USA and Uruguay are NOT members.
 India also invited South Africa to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and
congratulated it on securing the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for
2019-20.The Council is composed of 15 Members: Five permanent members: China, France,
Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and ten non-permanent
members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term year):
Belgium (2020), Côte d‘Ivoire (2019), Dominican Republic (2020), Equatorial Guinea (2019),
Germany (2020), Indonesia (2020), Kuwait (2019), Peru (2019), Poland (2019), South Africa
(2020).
 The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the
Greek and Anatolian peninsulas i.e. between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the
north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and
Bosphorus.
 The Dardanelles also known from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont ("Sea of Helle"), is
a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey that
forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and separates Asian
Turkey from European Turkey. One of the world's narrowest straits used for international
navigation, the Dardanelles connects the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean and Mediterranean
Seas, while also allowing passage to the Black Sea by extension via the Bosphorus.
 Pakistan has K2, the world‘s second highest mountain.
 The English Channel also called simply the Channel, is the body of water that separates
southern England from northern France and links the southern part of the North Sea to the
Atlantic Ocean. It is the busiest shipping area in the world.
 ―Operation Enduring Freedom‖ (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government
for the Global War on Terrorism. On October 7, 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks,
President George W. Bush announced that air strikes targeting Al Qaeda and the Taliban had
begun in Afghanistan. Operation Enduring Freedom primarily refers to the War in
Afghanistan, but it is also affiliated with counter terrorism operations in other countries, such as
OEF-Philippines and OEF-Trans Sahara. After 13 years, on December 28, 2014, President
Barack Obama announced the end of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Continued
operations in Afghanistan by the United States' military forces, both non-combat and combat,
now occur under the name ―Operation Freedom's Sentinel.‖
 Growing tensions in the Sea of Azov (following Russia‘s seizure of Ukraine‘s ships) could well
lead to a major conflagration between Russia and the West. The Sea of Azov is a sea in
Eastern Europe. To the south it is linked by the narrow (about 4 km or 2.5 mi) Strait of
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Kerch to the Black Sea, and it is sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea.
The sea is bounded in the northwest by Ukraine, in the southeast by Russia. The Don and
Kuban are the major rivers that flow into it. The Sea of Azov is the shallowest sea in the
world, with the depth varying between 0.9 and 14 metres (2 ft 11 in and 45 ft 11 in).There is a
constant outflow of water from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.
 At the annual cultural event of Janadriyah, the Saudi Kingdom choose India as the ‗Guest of
Honour‘ in 2018. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj participated in the festival. The
upcoming visit is note worthy as it will take place in the same month that Prime Minister of
Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, another important partner of India in the volatile West Asia
region,is expected to visit. Al-Jenadriyah is a cultural and heritage festival held in Jenadriyah
(or Janadriyah) near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia each year, lasting for two weeks. "King
Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz was the first to organize this festival. He fostered it and developed it
to become the top Arab festival that showcases the local heritage of all Arabian Peninsula
regions as well as the Saudi Arabian heritage".
 The prime ministers of India and Bangladesh signed the Land Boundary Agreement in 1974
to exchange enclaves and simplify their international border. A revised version of the
agreement was adopted by the two countries on 7 May 2015, when the Parliament of India
passed the 100th Amendment to the Indian Constitution. Under this agreement, which was
ratified on 6 June 2015, India received 51 Bangladeshi enclaves (covering 7,110 acres
(2,880 ha)) in the Indian mainland, while Bangladesh received 111 Indian enclaves (covering
17,160 acres (6,940 ha)) in the Bangladeshi mainland. The enclave residents were allowed to
either continue residing at their present location or move to the country of their choice. The
exchange of enclaves was to be implemented in phases between 31 July 2015 and 30 June
2016. The enclaves stand exchanged on the midnight of 31 July 2015 and the transfer of
enclave residents was completed on 30 November 2015. After the Land Boundary Agreement,
India lost around 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi) to Bangladesh. Since the exchange of
territory took place, the only remaining enclave is Dahagram–Angarpota, an exclave of
Bangladesh. An enclave is a territory, or a part of a territory, that is entirely surrounded by the
territory of one other state. Territorial waters have the same sovereign attributes as land, and
enclaves may therefore exist within territorial waters. An exclave is a portion of a state or
territory geographically separated from the main part by surrounding alien territory (of one or
more states). Many exclaves are also enclaves.
 The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969,

consisting of 57 member states, with a collective population of over 1.8 billion as of 2015 with
40 countries being Muslim Majority countries. The organisation states that it is "the collective
voice of the Muslim world" and works to "safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim
world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony". External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj will address the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers
meet. The first time the body has invited an Indian dignitary to attend. The Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation has 57 members, 56 of which are also member states of the United
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Nations, the exception being Palestine. Some members, especially in West Africa and South
America, are – though with large Muslim populations – not necessarily Muslim majority
countries. It is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
 The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also
known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for the empowerment of women. It
is headquartered in New York City.
 A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft
pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the safety of the
flight.
 The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention,
established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of
the UN charged with coordinating and regulating international air travel. The Convention
establishes rules of airspace, aircraft registration and safety, and details the rights of the
signatories in relation to air travel. The Convention also exempts air fuels in transit from
(double) taxation.
 UN Security Council - The least forceful action that the Council can take is to authorize the
current month‘s President to speak to media representatives about the proceedings of the
Council. There is no official record of these remarks. The second level is when the Council
adopts a presidential statement. Also, the statement could be issued either in the name of the
Council or in the name of ‗members of the Security Council‘. The former is generally regarded
as carrying more weight than the latter. The third level is the resolution, which is the most
authentic voice of the Council, carrying maximum weight. Again, the resolutions can be under
Chapter VI or Chapter VII of the Charter. Resolutions adopted under Chapter VII are
enforceable unlike those under Chapter VI (Resolutions regarding Kashmir are under Chapter
VI).A statement in the name of the members might also suggest that not all them were fully on
board with the entire text. A statement in the name of the Council would suggest that all the 15
members are in agreement with the text. The fact that China went along with the statement does
not signify much of a shift in its position, since the Council had already declared the JeM as a
terrorist organization. The statement does not name Masood Azhar. In 2016, India moved the
sanctions committee to include Azhar‘s name, with the support of three permanent members:
the U.S., the U.K., and France. Again, in 2017, India took a similar initiative, supported by the
same countries. On both occasions, Russia did not actively support the proposal, though it went
along with it. China vetoed it both times.
 Windrush generation- Commonwealth citizens who were invited to Britain between 1948 and
1971 to help rebuild the country after World War II, and were wrongly treated as illegal
immigrants and some even deported.
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 North Korean leader Kim Jongun and U.S. President Donald Trump met in Vietnam for a
second summit that the United States hopes will persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear
weapons in exchange for promises of peace and development.
 The Geneva Conventions are a series of treaties concluded in Geneva between 1864 and 1949
for the purpose of ameliorating the effects of war on soldiers and civilians. The conventions
were established as a result of Red Cross founder Henri Dunant pushing for negotiations to
help the wounded in time of war in 1864.The International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) describes ―PoWs (as) usually members of the armed forces of one of the parties to a
conflict who fall into the hands of the adverse party.‖ ICRC has been mandated under the
Geneva Conventions to ensure the application of international humanitarian law. ICRC visits
prisoners, both military and civilian. Inspired by the wave of humanitarian and pacifistic
enthusiasm following World War II and the outrage towards the war crimes disclosed by the
Nuremberg Trials, a series of conferences were held in 1949 reaffirming, expanding and
updating the prior Geneva and Hague Conventions. It yielded four distinct conventions:
o The First Geneva Convention "for the Amelioration of the Condition of the
Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field" was the fourth update of the
original 1864 convention and replaced the 1929 convention on the same subject
matter.
o The Second Geneva Convention "for the Amelioration of the Condition of
Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea" replaced the
Hague Convention (X) of 1907. It was the first Geneva Convention on the
protection of the victims of maritime warfare and mimicked the structure and
provisions of the First Geneva Convention.
o The Third Geneva Convention "relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War"
replaced the 1929 Geneva Convention that dealt with prisoners of war.
In addition to these three conventions, the conference also added a new

elaborate Fourth Geneva Convention "relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons
in Time of War". It was the first Geneva Convention not to deal with combatants rather
it had the protection of civilians as its subject matter. The 1899 and 1907 Hague
Conventions had already contained some provisions on the protection of civilians and
occupied territory. Article 154 specifically provides that the Fourth Geneva
Convention is supplementary to these provisions in the Hague Conventions. The third
protocol emblem, also known as the ―Red Crystal.‖
The 1949 conventions have been modified with three amendment protocols:
 Protocol I (1977) relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts

 Protocol II(1977) relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts
 Protocol III (2005) relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem.
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Despite the length of these documents, they were found over time to be incomplete. In fact, the
very nature of armed conflicts had changed with the beginning of the Cold War era, leading
many to believe that the 1949 Geneva Conventions were addressing a largely extinct reality: on
the one hand, most armed conflicts had become internal, or civil wars, while on the other, most
wars had become increasingly asymmetric. Moreover, modern armed conflicts were inflicting
an increasingly higher toll on civilians, which brought the need to provide civilian persons and
objects with tangible protections in time of combat, thus bringing a much needed update to the
Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. In light of these developments, two Protocols were
adopted in 1977 that extended the terms of the 1949 Conventions with additional protections. In
2005, a third brief Protocol was added establishing an additional protective sign for medical
services, the Red Crystal, as an alternative to the ubiquitous Red Cross and Red Crescent
emblems, for those countries that find them objectionable.
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POLITY
 The only Fundamental Right which has been added in the history of Indian Constitution
which Right to Education is not extended to the State of J&K.
 The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) announced results of the first
ever States Start-up Ranking 2018. The report says that Gujarat, which claimed the top spot.
 The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or
self-sacrifice away from the field of battle.It may be awarded to civilians as well as military
personnel, including posthumous award. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir
Chakra. It is second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards; it comes after
Ashoka Chakra and before Shaurya Chakra.
 The Ashoka Chakra (alternative spelling: Ashok Chakra) is India's highest peacetime military
decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It
is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra.
 TheParam Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration awarded for displaying
distinguished acts of valour during wartime.
 India has not ratified the Hague Treaty on Child Abduction. Central Adoption Resource
Authority (CARA) has been set up as an autonomous body of the Ministry of Women and Child
Development which functions as a nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated
to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoption. CARA is designated as the
Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the
Hague Conventions on Inter-Country Adoptions, 1993, ratified by Government of India
in 2003.
 Unlike the CBI act (the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act) which mandates States‘
consent, the NIA Act does not place such a restraint on the NIA. However, the NIA would be
no more effective than the CBI when a State refuses to cooperate, whether that refusal is de jure
or de facto. The High Courts and the Supreme Court have the jurisdiction to order a CBI
investigation into an offence alleged to have been committed in a state without the state's
consent, according to a five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.
 Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) - was established under Article 323A of the
Constitution (inserted by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, 1976). It is a multi-member
body consisting of Chairman and members. The Principal seat of Central Administrative
Tribunal is at New Delhi and it has 16 Outlying Benches scattered all over the Country. The
Tribunal is headed by the Chairman and 65 Members, 33 from Judicial (including Chairman)
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and 33 from the Administrative stream. The Chairman is normally a retired Chief Justice of a
High Court.
 Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is an organization under Government of India to recruit

staff for various posts in the various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India
and in Subordinate Offices. This commission is an attached office of the Department of
Personnel and Training (DoPT) which consists of Chairman, two Members and a Secretary-
cum-Controller of Examinations. His post is equivalent to the level of Additional Secretary to
the Government of India.
 Flores settlement, migrant children may not be held with their parents in immigration
detention for more than 20 days, usually insufficient time for a ruling in the case.
 A nine judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney case of
1992specifically answered the question ―whether backward classes can be identified only and
exclusively with reference to the economic criterion.‖ It categorically held that ―a backward
class cannot be determined only and exclusively with reference to economic criterion.‖ The
Indira Sawhney judgment declared 50% quota as the rule unless extraordinary situations
―inherent in the great diversity of this country and the people.
 The Union Cabinet approved the official amendments to an Act that classifies any deposit
scheme not registered with the government as an offence and bans it, the government
announced. . The Cabinet has given its approval to move official amendments to the Banning of
Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018, pursuant to the recommendations of the Standing
Committee on Finance. ―The principle is that the Bill would ban unregulated deposit taking
activities altogether, by making them an offence exante rather than the existing legislative cum
regulatory frame work that only comes into effect expost with considerable time lags.The Bill
creates three different types of offences:
(i) Running of unregulated deposits chemes,
(ii) Fraudulent default in regulated deposit schemes
(iii) Wrongful inducement in relationto unregulated deposit schemes.
 Besides the National Security Advisor (NSA), The Deputy National Security Advisor
(DNSA), The Ministers of Defence, External Affairs, Home, Finance of the Government of
India, and the Deputy Chairman of the NITI Aayog are members of the National Security
Council. Other members may be invited to attend its monthly meetings, as and when required.
The NSC is the apex body of the three-tiered structure of the national security management
system in India. The other two tiers are the Strategic Policy Group, and the National Security
Advisory Board.The brainchild of the first National Security Advisor(NSA), Brajesh Mishra, a
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former member of Indian Foreign Service, the National Security Advisory Board(NSAB)
consists of a group of eminent national security experts outside of the government. Members
are usually senior retired officials, civilian as well as military, academics and distinguished
members of civil society drawn from and having expertise in Internal and External Security,
Foreign Affairs, Defence, Science & Technology and Economic Affairs. The first NSAB,
constituted in December 1998, headed by the late K. Subrahmanyam produced a draft Nuclear
Doctrine for the country in 2001, a Strategic Defence Review in 2002 and a National Security
Review in 2007.
 The Cabinet has approved the setting up of a unified authority that would regulate all the
financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSC), such as the Gujarat
International Finance TecCity (GIFT) in Gandhinagar. This is to be done through the
International Financial Services Centres Authority Bill, 2019. An IFSC is aimed at
encouraging Indian companies that are conducting business in foreign financial centres such as
London and Singapore, to bring that business to India by providing them with a global standard
regulatory and business environment.―It would provide Indian corporates easier access to
global financial markets, Currently, the banking, capital markets and insurance sectors in IFSCs
are regulated by multiple regulators, i.e. RBI, SEBI and IRDAI.
 According to Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, inserted in 2017, not only is PAN
mandatory for filing income tax returns but it is also mandatory for applying for a PAN card,
which means that going ahead, all new PAN cards issued will automatically be linked to
Aadhaar. The Section also says that ―in case of failure to intimate the Aadhaar number, the
permanent account number allotted to the person shall be deemed to be invalid‖.
 The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the newly
constituted Islands Development Agency (IDA). The IDA was set up on June 01, 2017
following the Prime Minister‘s review meeting for the development of islands. During the
meeting, the progress being made for the formulation of integrated master plans and other
matters concerning the islands development were reviewed. It was also decided that Lt.
Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Administrator of Lakshadweep Islands will be
included as members of IDA. After detailed consultations with key stakeholders, 10 islands
namely Smith, Ross, Aves, Long and Little Andaman in Andaman & Nicobar and Minicoy,
Bangaram, Suheli, Cherium and Tinnakara in Lakshadweep have been identified for holistic
development in the first phase. With this meeting, the efforts for holistic development of
Islands of India received a major boost. Other Members of the IDA including Cabinet
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Secretary, Home Secretary, Secretary (Environment, Forests and Climate Change), Secretary
(Tourism) and Secretary (Tribal Welfare) also participated in the meeting.
 India is a party to neither the 1951 UN Refugee Convention nor the 1967 Protocol. However
India has signed New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, dated October 3, 2016.
 Protests against the new roster system for reservation in universities which has severely cut
down faculty positions for SC/ST and OBC candidates.The Opposition parties raised slogans
against the government calling it ―anti-Dalit‖.The roster system provides that number of
vacancies are considered departmentor wing-wise in a college or university and not the total
number of posts available for recruitment in any institution. This limits the seats available for
recruitment in each departmentor wing under reserved categories.
 The Centre in a notification said that medical devices — all implantable devices, CT Scan, PET
and MRI equipment, defibrillators, dialysis machines and bone marrow separators —will be
treated as drugs for human beings with effect from April 1, 2020.
 The Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Rajya Sabha.The
government quietly introduced a Constitution Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha to increase the
financial and executive powers of the 10 Autonomous Councils in the Sixth Schedule areas of
the north-eastern region.The amendment will impact one crore tribal people in Assam,
Meghalaya,Tripura and Mizoram.
 The Supreme Court declined to stay the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, which
provides a 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the
economically backward in the unreserved category. The law was passed by Parliament and
received the President‘s assent. The Act amends Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution by
adding clauses empowering the government to provide reservation on the basis of economic
backwardness.
 The Election Commission has launched a Voter Verification and Information Programme
(VVIP) for citizens to cross check their names, new registrations, changes in the voter details
and corrections in the voter identity cards for the coming Lok Sabha election.The voter helpline
number is 1950.
 Election Commission of India launches Mobile App ―cVIGIL‖ to enable citizens to report on
violation of election code of conduct. It also launched a ―PwD‖ mobile application for persons
with disabilities to request for new registration, change in address, change in particulars and
mark themselves as PwD.―By simply entering their contact details, the booth level officer is
assigned to provide door step facility. PwDs can also request for a wheelchair during polling,‖
said the EC.
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 The order assumes significance as the National Company Law Tribunal(NCLT) has been
primarily formed as a quasi judicial body to hear appeals against companies under the
Companies Act. Recently, the government created the National Financial Reporting
Authority (NFRA) as an independent regulator for the auditing profession.
 The courts cannot impose less than the minimum sentence prescribed by law makers for an
offence. The Supreme Court Held that ―High Court could not award sentence less than the
minimum sentence contemplated by the statute‖ even if it was done in exercise of its inherent
powers under Article142 of the Constitution.
 The SDG India Index: Baseline Report 2018 is released by NITI Aayog.
 The Article 35A, which was incorporated in the Constitution by a 1954 Presidential order,
accords special rights and privileges to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and bars people
from outside from acquiring any immovable property in theState.
 After the famous 2015 judgment in Shreya Singhal, in which Section 66A of the Information
Technology Act was struck down, the position of law has been clear: speech can be punished
only if it amounts to direct incitement to violence. Everything short of that, including
―advocacy‖ of any kind, is protected by the Constitution.
 The logic is simple: in a pluralist democracy, no one set of ideas canset itself up as the
universal truth, and enforce its position through coercion. Consequently, as the American
judge, Louis Brandeis, memorably observed, ―If there be time to expose through discussion the
falsehood and fallacies... the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence‖. The
Indian Supreme Court‘s “incitement to violence” standard responds to this basic insight about
civil liberties in a democracy.
 Blood is considered to be a ‗drug‘ under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940. Therefore, just like
any other manufacturer or storer of drugs, blood banks need to be licensed by the Drug
Controller General of India (DCGI).
 The inaugural trip of India‘s first semi high speed train, Vande Bharat Express, was flagged
off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the New Delhi railway station. The train, named
‗Train 18‘ at the concept stage, is a plush 16 coach, air conditioned, self propelled train set and
doesn‘t have a locomotive. The express will ply between Delhi and Varanasi, with halts at
Kanpur and Allahabad. This is India‘s fastest train to date, capable of commercial speeds up to
160 km per hour. On the Delhi Varanasi route, however, its top speed would be restricted to
130 km per hour.
 The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is chaired by the Prime Minister of India. The CCS
consists of the following members: Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of
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Home Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Defence.
 Appointments Committee of the Cabinet - chaired by the Prime Minister of India
 Cabinet Committee on Accommodation - chaired by the Home Minister of India
 Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs - chaired by the Prime Minister of India
 Cabinet Committee of Parliamentary Affairs - chaired by the Home Minister of India
 Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs - chaired by the Prime Minister of India
 The Union Government has constituted a National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) on 3
November, 2006 to give focused attention to the problems of rainfed areas of the country. The
Authority is an advisory, policymaking and monitoring body charged with examining
guidelines in various existing schemes and in the formulation of new schemes including all
externally aided projects in this area. Its mandate is wider than mere water conservation and
covers all aspects of sustainable and holistic development of rainfed areas, including
appropriate farming and livelihood systems approaches. The NRAA has a two tier structure.
The first tier is the Governing Board that provides necessary leadership and appropriate
coordination in implementation of programmes. The Governing Board is chaired by Union
Agriculture Minister and co-chaired by Union Minister of Rural Development. The second
tier is the Executive Committee consisting of technical experts and representatives from
stakeholder Ministries. The Executive Committee is headed by a full time Chief Executive
Officer who should be a recognized expert on the subject.
 The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) refers to uniform nomenclature of seven security
forces in India under the authority of Ministry of Home Affairs. They are the Assam Rifles
(AR), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF), National Security Guard (NSG), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP),
and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).The Central Reserve Police Force is the largest of the Central
Armed Police Forces units with 313,678 personnel in 239 battalions. The Central Reserve
Police includes: The Rapid Action Force (RAF), a 10 battalion anti-riot force trained to respond
to sectarian violence. The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA), a 10 battalion
strong anti-Naxalite/COIN force.
 Under the Constitution, the territory belongs to the President, who runs it through the LG as
Administrator. However, under Section 44 of the Union Territories Act, 1963, the
Administrator has to act on the ‗aid and advice‘ of the Council of Ministers. At the same time,
any difference of opinion between them can be referred to the President, and in the meantime
the Administrator‘s action prevails on any urgent matter. This scheme, which gives a clear edge
to the Centre, can work only if there is harmony between the Council and the LG.
 The Delhi based National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the creator of indelible ink, has a new
concoction that, when applied on the finger, doesn‘t leave a trace — it merely glows a bright
orange when a low intensity beam of ultraviolet light is shone on it. The NPL prepared the
‗invisible ink‘ as part of a pilot project mooted by the Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd.
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(MVPL). The MVPL, a Karnataka government company, has a monopoly on the manufacture
of indelible ink since 1962, and is a major supplier to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
It also exports the indelible ink for elections in other countries. The ink works on the well
known principle of fluorescence — certain materials emit a characteristic glow when exposed
to ultraviolet light. The NPL ink, however, glows only when exposed to a narrow band of
frequencies of ultraviolet (UV) light.
 The Assam Rifles has power to detain anyone where Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
(AFSPA) is in place. But it was finding it difficult to operate in Mizoram, which is not covered
by the AFSPA. The entire Assam is under the Act. The Assam Rifles, a Central armed police
force, is under the administrative control of the Home Ministry and the operational control of
the Army. A senior government official said after the Assam Rifles Act was amended in 2006,
the powers under the CrPC earlier available to it under the Assam Rifles Act, 1941, were not
restored. The official said 13 years after the Act was amended, the issue has acquired urgency
for effective enforcement of the Free Movement Regime along the Myanmar border (on the 16
km belt on either side). The Free Movement Regime was streamlined after the bilateral
agreement between India and Myanmar on Land Border Crossing was finalised in 2018. This
will require giving suitable powers to Border Guarding Forces under the Foreigners Act, 1946
and Passport Act, 1967 and Passport Entry into India Act, 1920.
 Inner Line Permit (ILP) will be applicable to entire Nagaland, including Dimapur. Under the
Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act of 1853, non Nagas should have ILP to visit the State,
but Dimapur district was not included under the provision.
 The Dehradun based CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum has successfully finished a pilot test
to convert used cooking oil into bio aviation turbine fuel (BioATF), which can be blended
with conventional ATF and used as aircraft fuel.
 Food Safety and StandardsAuthority of India (FSSAI) has launched the Repurpose
Cooking Oil (RUCO) initiative to collect and convert used cooking oil into biofuel. As many as
64 companies in 101 locations across the country have been identified for the purpose by
FSSAI. The food safety body says that by 2020, it should be possible to recover about 220
crore litres of used cooking oil for conversion into biofuel. Reducing the reuse of cooking oil in
the food industry will have positive public health outcomes and its conversion into Bio ATF
will help the aviation sector reduce its carbon footprint.
 Xaxa Committee (2014) - Virginius Xaxa. To study the socio-economic, health and
educational status of tribals. To suggest policy initiatives and interventions for tribal-
upliftment.
 The Indus system comprises the rivers Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. The
basin is mainly shared between India and Pakistan with a small share for China and
Afghanistan. Under the Indus Water Treaty signed by India and Pakistan in 1960, the waters of
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three rivers — Ravi, Sutlejand Beas (eastern rivers) of about 33 million acre feet (MAF) were
allocated to India for exclusive use. About 2 MAF of water annually from the Ravi is reported
to be still flowing unutilized to Pakistan below Madhopur. Among India‘s various chemes is
the Shahpurk and project that will help in utilising the water from the Thein dam to irrigate
37,000 hectares of land in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and generate 206 MW of power.
Another facility is the Ujh multipurpose project that will create a storage of about 781 million
cubic metre of water on river Ujh , a tributary of Ravi. The third project is the second Ravi
Beas link below Ujh.
 The government will soon roll out a public Domain Name Server, or DNS, for India aimed at
providing a faster and more secure browsing experience for Internet users in the country, while
ensuring that citizens‘ data is stored locally. A DNS is a like a directory for the Internet. It
helps to convert domain names that are easy for people to remember into IP addresses, which
are used by computers/machines to communicate. If the DNS is either slow or fails to work,
users will not be able to locate web addresses. The main aim of bringing our own public DNS is
to ensure availability, particularly for smaller Interest Service Providers (ISPs) who don‘t
have credible DNS. Bigger ones usually have their own DNS, The rollout, which will be
executed by the National Informatics Centre – the technology arm of the government will be
completed in the next four to six months. NIC is already using the public DNS within the
governmentnet work.
 A legacy person is one who figures in the NRC of 1951, which is being updated,the voters lists
published
 BILLS PASSED IN JOINT SESSION:

1) Dowry Prohibition Bill,1961
2) Banking Service Commission (Repeal) Bill,1978
3) Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2002
 Doctors at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) have
come up with a mobile app that helps people reduce mobile usage.The Service for Healthy Use
of Technology (SHUT) clinic has developed a Digital Detox app that has been found to be
effective in bringing about behavioural changes. The app, available on Google Playstore
as‗Digital Detox by ShutClinic,‘ requires you to register. Once you sign up, it tracks your
pattern of mobile usage every week and offers self help strategies.
 Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of India that grant
special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in which each act terms "disturbed areas".
According to the Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976 once declared ‗disturbed‘, the
area has to maintain status quo for a minimum of 3 months. One such Act passed on
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September 11, 1958 was applicable to the Naga Hills, then partofAssam.In the following
decades it spread, one by one, to the other Seven Sister States in India's north east (at present it
is in force in Assam, Nagaland, manipur excluding Imphal municipal council area, Changlang,
Longding and Tirap districts of Arunachal Pradesh). Another one passed in 1983 and applicable
to Punjab and Chandigarh was withdrawn in 1997, roughly 14 years after it came to force. An
Act passed in 1990 was applied to Jammu and Kashmir and has been in force since.
 Armed Forces Special Powers (Assam and Manipur) Act, 1958
 The Armed Forces (Punjab and Chandigarh) Special Powers Act, 1983
 The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990
 According to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, an
―Ancient Monument means any structure,erection or monument, or any tumulus or place of
interment,or any cave, rock sculpture,inscription or monolith which is of
historical,archaeological or artistic interest and which has been inexistence for not less than100
years."
 The Supreme Court decision in the Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community holds
that a Bench of coequal strength on its own cannot overrule a judgment of a Bench of
coordinate number of judges.The Kesavananda Bharati judgment was delivered by a 13
judge Bench – the largest Constitution Bench in the history of the Supreme Court on April 24,
1973. Through a wafer thin majority of 7:6, the 13 judge Bench formulated that the Basic
Structure of the Indian Constitution cannot be altered by Parliament through amendments.
 As per a report titled ―The Future of Jobs 2018‖ by the World Economic Forum (WEF),
technologies such as AI and machine learning will displace around 75 million jobs by 2022 –
and create around 133 million new jobs within the sametime frame.
 Report on the ‗Future of Work‘, released in Geneva to mark the centenary International
Labour Organization (ILO).
 Chairpersons of four National Commissions (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Women

and Minorities) serve as ex officio members of NHRC.It was established in 1993 as per the
statutory provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It is multimember body
consisting of Chairman and four members.
 The Radiotelephony message PAN-PAN is the international standard urgency signal that
someone aboard a boat, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle uses to declare that they have a situation
that is urgent, but for the time being, does not pose an immediate danger to anyone's life or to
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the vessel itself.This is referred to as a state of urgency. This is distinct from a mayday call
(distress signal), which means that there is imminent danger to life or to the continued viability
of the vessel itself. Radioing pan-pan informs potential rescuers (including emergency services
and other craft in the area) that an urgent problem exists, where as mayday calls on them to
drop all other activities and immediately begin a rescue.
 Article 23 of the Indian Constitution explicitly prohibits and criminalises human trafficking
and forced labour.
 106th edition of the Indian Science Congress at Jalandhar, Punjab.
 Article 129 provides that the Supreme Court shall be a court of record and shall have all the
powers of such a court including the power to punish for contempt of itself.
 A woman too had sought the permission of the Attorney General to file a contempt case against
Kandararu Rajeevaru.The AG‘s consent is required under the Rules to Regulate Proceedings
for Contempt of the SupremeCourt, 1975.
 Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) is a company of the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy, Government of India, established to facilitate the implementation of
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. It is the only Central Public Sector Undertaking
dedicated to the solar energy sector. The company's mandate has been broadened to cover the
entire renewable energy domain and the company will be renamed to Renewable Energy
Corporation of India (RECI).
 The Law Ministry said judges were appointed in the Supreme Court and High Courts as per
Articles125 and 217 of the Constitution, which did not provide for reservation for any caste,
class or gender.
 Triple Talaq case was called Shayara Bano v. Union of India&Others. Mohd. Ahmed
Khan v. Shah Bano Begum, commonly referred to as the "Shah Bano case", was a
controversial maintenance lawsuit in India, in which the supreme court delivered a judgment
favoring maintenance given to an aggrieved divorced Muslim woman.
 Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) –

 The Union Government constitutes EPCA as Supreme Court mandated body for the National
Capital Region under the section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
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 The Authority shall have the power suo-moto, or on the basis of complaints made by any
individual, representative body or organization functioning in the field of environment.
 Such complaints may be against any individual, association, company, public undertaking or
local body carrying on any industry, operation or procesIt shall deal with environmental
issues pertaining to the National Capital Region which may be referred to it by the Central
Government.
 It is also mandated to enforce Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR as per the
pollution levels.
 Though passed in 2014, The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act of 2013 was not implemented all
these years because there was no Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the 16th Lok Sabha.
The 2013 statute includes the LoP as a member of the selection committee. The Act intends the
LoP to be part of the selection committee of the PM, the CJI and the Speaker, which has to first
appoint an eminent jurist among their ranks.
 Absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya became the first person to be declared a fugitive
economic offender by the special court hearing cases under the Fugitive Economic Offenders
Act (FEOA). The FEOA, which became a law on July 31, 2018, allows for declaring a person
as an offender after an arrest warrant has been issued against the individual and the value of
offences exceeds ₹100crore. Another condition for declaring a person a fugitive economic
offender (FEO) is when the individual refuses to return to the country to face prosecution.
 The Central Food Technological Research Institute has sent a report to the Department
based on its earlier research findings that both onion and garlic were found to enhance the bio
accessibility of iron and zinc from grain. An official of the State Food Commission said it had
received complaints about students skipping the mid daymeals as they did not like the taste of
the food without onion and garlic, which are an integral part of the food culture among most
communities.Children skipping meals is worrying because malnutrition is a serious
issue.According to the National Family Health Survey 4 (NFHS) data for Karnataka (2015-
2016), 36.2% of the children below the age of five are stunted, while 26.1% are wasted. The
survey also reveals that 10.5% of the children were severely wasted, while 35.2% are
underweight.
 The Lok Sabha passed a Bill allowing 10% quota in employment and education for the general
category candidates who belong to the economically weaker sections. The Constitution
(124thAmendment) Bill, 2019, introduced by Minister ofSocial Justice and Empowerment
Thawar Chand Gehlot, was cleared with a majority of the members (319) voting for it, and four
against. The 10% reservation will be over and above the 50% stipulated by the Supreme Court
and is expected to benefit a huge section of upper castes, including Brahmins, Rajputs
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(Thakurs), Jats, Marathas and Bhumihars and trading castes such as Kapus and Kammas. The
economically deprived among the poor in the other religions will also benefit.
 The Union Cabinet‘s gave nod for granting Scheduled Tribe status to six communities listed
as Other Backward Classes in Assam. These six communities – Chutia, Motok, Moran, Koch
Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom and Tea Tribes/Adivasis – have been agitating for a long time
demanding ST status.
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a five member committee headed by Infosys
Chairman Nandan Nilekanito suggest a strategy for deepening of digital payments in the
country.
 Article 51A: Fundamental duties It shall be the duty of every citizen of India
o (a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and
the National Anthem;
o (b) to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
o (c) to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
(d) to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;
o (e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of
India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce
practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
o (f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
o (g) to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild
life, and to have compassion for living creatures;
o (h) to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;
o (i) to safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
o (j) to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the
nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement.
o (k) to provide opportunities for education by the parent the guardian, to his child, or a ward
between the age of 6-14 years as the case may be.
 The Sapre/Malhotra Bench was not apprised of the later development of Parliament
amending the law in 2009 to effectively include teachers within the ambit of ‗employee‘ under
the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. The amendment had a retrospective effect dating back to
1997.Subsequent High Court judgments had also interpreted the 2009 amendment to include
teachers within the definition of ‗employee‘ under Section 2(e) of the Act irrespective of the
institution in which they work.
 Rajya Sabha possesses an organised system of Committees. Appointments, term of office,

functions and procedure for conducting business in these Committees are regulated under the
provisions of the Rules and directions given by the Chairman from time to time.The
Committees may be classified as Ad hoc Committees and Standing Committees. Ad hoc
Committees are appointed from time to time to enquire into specific subjects. They are not
25
named as such in the Rules of Procedure of Rajya Sabha but come into being on a specific
motion and become functus officio immediately after reporting to the House on matters
assigned to them. Ad hoc Committees are generally Select Committees and Joint Select
Committees on Bills.The second category of Committees, namely, Standing Committees may
be divided in terms of their functions. Business Advisory Committee is a Standing
Committee with its members being nominated. Its tenure is not fixed, may continue in office till
reconstituted.
 The Environment ministry has launched aprogramme to reduce particulate matter (PM)
pollution by 2030% in at least 102 cities by 2024.The National Clean Air Programme
(NCAP), is envisaged as a scheme to provide the States and the Centre with a framework to
combat air pollution.The NCAP will be a midterm,five year action plan,with 2019 as the first
year.This is not a pan India,but acity specific programme,‖ Broadly, the plans include
increasing the number of monitoring stations,providing technology support, conducting source
apportionment studies, and strengthening enforcement.For achieving the NCAP targets,the
cities will have to calculate the reduction in pollution, keeping 2017‘s average annual PM
levels as the base year.
 The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of threeAll India Institutes of Medical Sciences
in Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat. These will be in Samba in Jammu at a cost of ₹1,661
crore, in Pulwama in Kashmir at a cost of ₹1,828crore, and in Rajkot, Gujarat, at a cost of
₹1,195 crore.The institutes will be setup under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha
Yojana.
 The provison to Article 368 (power of Parliament to amend the Constitution and procedure
there of ) holds that an amendment to a fundamental right coming under Part III of the
Constitution need not be ratified by the legislatures of one half of the states.
 Sabarimala elicited a ‗purification ritual‘ from the shrine‘s priests one was reminded of the
purification of the Chavdar Tank at Mahad in 1927.Mahad SatyagrahaorChavdar lake
Satyagraha was a satyagraha led by Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on 20 March 1927 to allow
untouchables to use water in a public tank in Mahad (currently in Raigad district),
Maharashtra, Ambedkar‘s Mahad Satyagraha had two chapters; on March 1920, and on
December 25, 1927.The symbolism of mass drinking of the water, with Ambedkar himself
taking the first sip, was a kin to an act of civil disobedience. Both were carefully planned,
peaceful and disciplined protests, and yet were violently disrupted.At Mahad, Ambedkar
endorsed the Gandhian language of satyagraha.He was inspired by a recent struggle in the
princely state of Travancore, where the reformists T.K. Madhavan and K.P. Kesava Menon
led a movement in 1924 to allow the extremely stigmatized castes of Ezhavas and Pulayas to
worship at a Shiva Temple in Vaikom.In historian Ramachandra Guha‘s telling, it was a rare
moment in modern India‘s history when progressive and dissenting voices, from distinct
political streams and different regional backgrounds, rose together as one.Vaikom saw a
convergence of Kerala‘s Sri Narayana Guru, Tamil leader E.V. Ramasamy ―Periyar‖,and
26
Mahatma Gandhi himself, who asked Namboodiri Brahmins point blank to explain their
refusal to allow devotees from these castes to worship at their temple.
 The airline safety and product ratings for 2018 by global airline safety and product rating
agency Airlineratings.com has Jet Airways topping the ‗product‘ category list with a score of
7/7 in the full service carrier category. Indigo has scored 4 in the low cost airline category.
 The Supreme Court lifted its stay on certain stalled projects under the government‘s ambitious
Chardham development plan, which proposes to provide all weather connectivity to the four
holy towns of Uttarakhand. The four towns of the hilly State to be connected by all weather
roads are Yamnotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.
 According to a government official in the know of the Committee‘s deliberations, relaxing the
three month window provided to victims for filing complaints will require an amendment to the
Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace (PoSH) Act, 2013. Section 9 of the law lays
down that a complaint will have to be filed within three months of an incident taking place.The
Committee is also likely to propose that members of Internal Committees be treated on a par
with ―public servants‖ as defined under Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code so that they have
immunity from prosecution.―It will ensure that the members don‘t get entangled in court
cases,‖
o The Act provided for the establishment of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each
and every office or branches of the organization employing 10 or more employees, in
order to provide a forum for filing complaints to facilitate fast redressal of the grievances
pertaining to sexual harassment.
o It also provided for the establishment of Local complaints committee (LCC) at the
district level by the Government to investigate and redress complaints of sexual
harassment of the unorganized sector or from those establishments where the ICC has not
been constituted for the reason being, it having less than 10 employees.
o This Act defined ‗sexual harassment‘ in line with the Supreme Court‘s definition in the
Vishaka Judgment.
o The Act states the complaint of sexual harassment has to be made ―within three
monthsfrom the date of the incident‖. For a series of incidents, it has to be made within
three months from the date of the last incident. However, this is not rigid. The ICC can
―extend the time limit‖ if ―it is satisfied that the circumstances were such which prevented
the woman from filing a complaint within the said period‖.The ICC is to record these
reasons.
 Clause 6 of the Assam Accord provides for Constitutional,legislative and administrative

safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social and linguistic identity and
heritage of the Assamese people.Protests have erupted across Assam after Lok Sabha passed
the Citizenship Amendment Bill seeking to grant citizenship to Hindus from Bangladesh, who
27
have entered and settled in Assam by December 31, 2014.The Assam Accord, a tripartite
agreement signed in1985 between the Centre,the State government and AASU, had set March
25,1971, as the cutoff date to grant citizenship to migrants.Under directions of the Supreme
Court, the National Register of Citizenship (NRC) is being updated in Assam to identify
people who have entered after the March1971 cutoff date.
 The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is a statutory corporate fraud investigating
agency in India. Initially, it was set up by a resolution adopted by the Government of India on
2nd July 2003. Later, Section 211 of the Companies Act, 2013, accorded the statutory status
to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs. The SFIO is involved in major fraud probes and is the co-ordinating
agency with the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
 One Stop Centre Scheme(OSC)or Sakhi centre, is a scheme sponsored fully by the Central
government under the Nirbhaya fund set up for safety of women after the gang rape of a
paramedical student in December 2012 in New Delhi.The scheme envisages an OSC for
medical, legal, psychological and police help for victims of gender based abuse such as sexual
assault or domestic violence.
 In addition to Section 124A (sedition), they have been accused of entering into a criminal
conspiracy to ―wagewar against the government of India‖ (Section 121) and ―concealing a
design to facilitate‖ such a war (Section123).The action of the police in charging them with
―offences against the state‖ under the Indian Penal Code is quite reprehensible.
 The Bill, passed in the Lok Sabha, seeks to grant citizenship to six minority communities —
Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians —without valid documents from
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of stay in India.
 To make the construction of houses cost-effective and innovative, the Ministry of Housing
and Urban Affairs launched the ―Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)‖.
 The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2018, the results of a yearly survey that
NGO Pratham.
 The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013- was passed by Indian Parliament paving the way for
establishment of a Lokpal (Ombudsman) to fight corruption in public offices and ensure
accountability on the part of public officials, including the Prime Minister, but with some
safeguards. Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which
50% will be judicial members 50% members of Lokpal shall be from SC/ST/OBCs, minorities
and women.Selection of chairperson and members of Lokpal through a selection committee
consisting of PM, Speaker of Lok Sabha, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of
India or a sitting Supreme Court judge nominated by CJI.Eminent jurist to be nominated by
President of India on basis of recommendations of the first four members of the selection
28
committee "through consensus". Lokpal's jurisdiction will cover all categories of public
servants. All entities (NGOs) receiving donations from foreign source in the context of the
Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in excess of Rs 10 lakh per year are under the
jurisdiction of Lokpal. Centre will send Lokpal bill to states as a model bill. States have to set
up Lokayuktas through a state law within 365 days.
 Article 371 (A) article begins with the words ―not with standing anything in this
Constitution,no Act of Parliament in respect of…‖, which itself means that despite what is in
the Constitution,no Act of Parliament shall apply to the State of Nagaland unless the
Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by are solution so decides.‖ Nagaland is also protected by
the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873; where by an Inner Line Permit is issued to
outsiders for safe guarding the citizenship, rights and privileges of the Nagas.
 Under Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code, ―no court shall take cognisance of any
offence punishable under Chapter VI of the IPC.‖ Section 124-A (sedition), under which the
accused persons have also been chargesheeted, is placed under this chapter.Section 196
specifically says that cognisance of the offence cannot be taken without sanction.
 Aadhaar cards are now valid travel documents for Indians under 15 and over 65 travelling to
Nepal and Bhutan, according to a Home Ministry communique.Indians other than those in the
two age brackets will not be able to use Aadhaar to travel to the two neighbouring countries, for
which no visas are needed, clarified the communiqué issued recently.Indian citizens going to
Nepal and Bhutan don‘t need a visa if they have a valid passport, a photo identitycard issued
by the government of India or an election ID card issued by the Election Commission, it
added.Earlier, persons over 65 and under 15 could show their PAN card, driving licence,
Central Government Health Service (CGHS) card or ration card, but not the Aadhaar, to
prove their identity and visit the two countries.
 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an American immigration policy that
allows some individuals who were brought to the United States illegally as children to receive a
renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and become eligible for a work
permit in the U.S. To be eligible for the program, recipients cannot have felonies or serious
misdemeanors on their records. Unlike the proposed DREAM Act, DACA does not provide a
path to citizenship for recipients, known as Dreamers. The policy, an executive branch
memorandum, was announced by President Barack Obama on June 15, 2012. U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting applications for the program on August
15, 2012.
 Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to
allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. It is
obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the
protected state. The document is an effort by the government to regulate movement to certain
areas located near the international border of India. This is an offshoot of the Bengal
29
Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, which protected Crown's interest in the tea, oil and
elephant trade by prohibiting "British subjects" from entering into these "Protected Areas" (to
prevent them from establishing any commercial venture that could rival the Crown's agents).
The word "British subjects" was replaced by Citizen of India in 1950. Despite the fact that the
ILP was originally created by the British to safeguard their commercial interests, it continues to
be used in India, officially to protect tribal cultures in northeastern India.ILP's valid for tourism
purposes are granted as a matter of routine.
The states which require the permit are:
 Arunachal Pradesh — issued by the secretary (political) of the Government of

Arunachal Pradesh. It is required for entering Arunachal Pradesh through any of the
check gates across the interstate border with Assam or Nagaland.An ILP for temporary
visitors is valid for 15 days and can be extended, while one for those taking
employment in the state and their immediate family members is valid for a year.The
Arunachal Pradesh government is planning to implement a permit-on-arrival system.
 Mizoram — Issued by the Government of Mizoram. It is required for entering
Mizoram through any of the check gates across the inter-State borders. Typically, a
"Temporary ILP" is issued to visitors, which is valid for 15 days, and can be
extended another 15 days, with the possibility of extending it to one month in
exceptional circumstances. However, with the sponsorship of a local resident or
government department, a "Regular ILP" can be procured, which is valid for 6
months and can be renewed twice for another 6 months each.If arriving by air, an ILP
can be obtained on arrival at Lengpui Airport in Aizawl.
 Nagaland — Issued by the Government of Nagaland. It is mandatory for Indian
citizens of other states entering Nagaland through any of the check gates across the
interstate borders. Dimapur, Nagaland's largest city and porthead, is the only place in
the state which does not require an ILP, and Indians arriving by air at Dimapur Airport
can arrive and stay in the city without one.
 The Election commission of India (ECI) reiterated that the EVMs used by it are manufactured
by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited
(ECIL), both state-owned, under "very strict" supervisory and security conditions.Electronics
Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) is a Government of India Enterprise under the
Department of Atomic Energy. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is one of nine PSUs under
the Ministry of Defence of India. It has been granted Navratna status by the Government of
India.
 State owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), one of India‘s largest power
generation equipment manufacturers, is in talks with Libcoin consortium to build Indian
government‘s first lithium-ion gigafactory as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s ―Make
in India, for India‖ programme.Libcoin is a consortium comprising Magnis Energy, Duggal
30
Family Trust and Charge CCCVs (C4V) and has plans to build large lithium-ion battery
gigafactories globally.
 The special status was bestowed on Jammu and Kashmir by incorporating Article 35A in the
Constitution.Article 35A was incorporated by an order of President Rajendra Prasad in 1954
on the advice of the Nehru Cabinet.Parliament was not consulted when the President
incorporated Article 35A into the Constitution through a Presidential Order issued under
Article 370. Article368 (i) of the Constitution mandates that only the Parliament can amend the
Constitution by introducing a new article.
 The invitation to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as the chief guest for India‘s
Republic Day celebrations 2019 has put the spotlight on two important pillars of bilateral ties:
Mahatma Gandhi‘s connection to South Africa, and a large Indian diaspora. President
Ramaphosa‘s visit assumes significance as India celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of
Gandhi.
 The Section 124-A deals with the offence of sedition, a term that covers speech or writing, or
any form of visible representation, which brings the government into hatred or contempt, or
excites disaffection towards the government, or attempts to do so. It is punishable with three
years Imprison or a life term. The Law Commission released aconsultation paper last year
calling for a reconsideration of the section. It has pointed out that Britain abolished it more than
adecade ago and raised the question whether a provision introduced by the British to put down
the freedom struggle should continue to be law in India.
 Oral mentioning is a convention by which lawyers circumvent the longwinded filing

procedures and make a direct appeal to the CJI, who is the court's administrative head and
master of the roster, for early hearing.
 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is the nodal drug law enforcement and intelligence
agency of India responsible for fighting drug trafficking and the abuse of illegal substances.
The Director General of NCB is an officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS) or the Indian
Revenue Service (IRS). It is affiliated to Home Ministry.
 The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is India's chief anti-smuggling intelligence,

investigations and operations agency. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence functions under
the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in the Ministry of Finance. The
Directorate is run by officers from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)
who are posted in its various Zonal Units as well as in Indian embassies abroad as part of the
Customs Overseas Intelligence Network. It is headed by a Director General of the rank of
Special Secretary to the Government of India.
 Ten years after the 26/11Mumbai terror attack, India conducted its largest coastal defence
drill, Exercise Sea Vigil, to test its preparedness along the entire 7,516.6 km long coastline and
31
exclusive economic zone of the country.The first of its kind exercise was conducted on January
22 and 23 and coordinated by the Navy.Post 26/11, the Navy was designated as the agency
responsible for over all maritime security, including off shore and coastal security, while the
Coast Guard was designated as the agency responsible for coastal security in territorial
waters.
 The Constitution of India makes special provisions for the administration of the tribal
dominated areas in four states viz. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. As per article 244
and 6th Schedule, these areas are called ―Tribal Areas―, which are technically different from
the Scheduled Areas under fifth schedule.
 The Union Cabinet approved the creation of a National Bench of the Goods and Services Tax
Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), which would serve as the forum of second appeals to do with
the applicability of GST, and will also be the first common forum of dispute resolution between
the Centre and the States.The National Bench of the Appellate Tribunal, to be situated in New
Delhi, will be presided over by its president. It will consist of a technical member from the
Centre and a representative of the States. ChapterXVIII of the CGST Act provides for an
appeal and review mechanism for dispute resolution under the GST regime. Section 109 of this
chapter empowers the Centre to constitute,on the recommendation of the GST Council, an
appellate tribunal for hearing appeals against the orders passed by the Appellate Authority.The
government, it is learnt, was initially planning an appellate tribunal in each State. However, the
idea was discarded in favour of one at the national level following the experience with the
various state level advance ruling authorities, which often gave conflicting judgments.
 New TRAI regulatory framework-the new regulation which makes it mandatory for the
service provider to offer every channel on a la carte basis, for the first time will ensure that
customers pay only for the channels they watch and know the price of the channel.Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)-is a statutory body set up by the Government of India
under section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.It is the regulator of
the telecommunications sector in India. La carte - by ordering items listed individually on a
menu.
 The Supreme Court refused to stay the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018, that nullified a judgment that diluted the
stringent provisions of the law to protect Dalits.The government brought in the amendments,
arguing that the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes still faced social stigma, poverty
and humiliation.The 2018 Act nullified a March 20 judgment of the court, which allowed
anticipatory bail to those booked for committing atrocities against members of these
communities.The original 1989 Act bars anticipatory bail. After the verdict, protests broke
out,in which several died and property worth crores was destroyed. The government filed a
review petition and then amended the 1989 Act.
32
 President Ramnath Kovind conferred the Bharat Ratna, the nation‘s highest civilian honour,
on former President Pranab Mukherjee, along with social activist Nanaji Deshmukh
(posthumous), and Assamese musician Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous).The Bharat Ratna-is
the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted in 1954, the award is conferred
"in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distinction of
race, occupation, position, or sex. The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts,
literature, science, and public services, but the government expanded the criteria to include
"any field of human endeavour" in December 2011.The recommendations for the Bharat
Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President, with a maximum of three nominees
being awarded per year. Recipients receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a
peepal-leaf–shaped medallion; there is no monetary grant associated with the award. Bharat
Ratna recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence. Though usually conferred on
India-born citizens, the Bharat Ratna has been awarded to one naturalised citizen, Mother
Teresa, and to two non-Indians, Pakistan national Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and former
South African PresidentNelson Mandela. In 1992, the government's decision to confer the
award posthumously on Subhas Chandra Bose was opposed by those who had refused to accept
the fact of his death, including some members of his extended family. Following a 1997
Supreme Court decision, the press communiqué announcing Bose's award was cancelled; it is
the only time when the award was announced but not conferred.
 The order of precedence of the Republic of India is the protocol list (hierarchy of important
positions) in which the functionaries, dignitaries and officials are listed according to their rank
and office in the Government of India. The order is established by the President of India,
through the President's Secretariat and is maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs.It is
only used to indicate ceremonial protocol and has no legal standing and does not reflect the
Indian presidential line of succession or the co-equal status of the separation of powers under
the constitution. It is not applicable for the day-to-day functioning of the Government of India.
33
 The Civil Aviation Ministry announced the results for the third round of bidding under its
flagship regional air connectivity scheme UDAN.
 Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (PMEAC) is a non-constitutional, "non-

permanent" and independent body constituted to give economic advice to the Government of
India, specifically the Prime Minister. The council serves to highlight key economic issues
facing the country to the government of India from a neutral view point.It advises the Prime
Minister on economic issues like inflation, microfinance, and industrial output. Currently
PMEAC chairman post is held by Bibek Debroy.The PMEAC is chaired by a Chairperson and
consists of eminent economists as members. It is supported in its functions by a team of
officials and administrators.There is no fixed definition on the exact number of members and
staff of the PMEAC. At one point it was even chaired by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee himself.For administrative, logistic, planning and budgeting purposes, the NITI
Aayog serves as the Nodal Agency for the PMEAC.
 Section 498-A states, that whoever being the husband or relative of the husband of woman,
subjects such woman to cruelty shall be punished with the imprisonment for a term which may
extend to three years and also be liable to fine.
 The empowered expert committee headed by former Chief Election Commissioner N.

Gopalaswami had initially recommended 11 institutions for the tag in July 2018. Of those, the
Centre had actually bestowed the tag on six institutions, three public — IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay
and IISc Bangalore – and three private — BITS Pilani, Manipal University, and the yet-to-
open Jio University. In December, the committee recommended 19 more names, taking the
total list to 30.
34
 QUBRI (quasi universal basic rural income), targeted only at poorer people in the rural
areas.Former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has proposed a quasi-universal
basic rural income (QUBRI) of Rs 18,000 per year to each rural household, except those
which are "demonstrably well-off", at an estimated cost of Rs. 2.64 lakh crore to tackle agrarian
distress.
 The Cabinet gave its consent in principle to the ―Ganga Expressway‖, to connect
Allahabad/Prayagraj to western U.P. Around 600 km long, the proposed link will be the
―world‘s longest expressway,‖
 The Government of India ordered setting up National Statistical Commission on 1 June 2005
on the recommendation of Rangarajan commission. The National Statistical Commission
(NSC) of India is an autonomous body which formed in July 2005.The Commission consists
of a part-time Chairperson, four part-time Members, an ex-officio Member and a secretary. The
Chief Statistician of India who is the Head of the National Statistical Office is the Secretary
of the Commission and the Chief Executive Officer of the NITI Aayog is the ex-officio
Member of the commission.
 The Centre‘s argument is that the Supreme Court, in Ismail Faruqui(1994) had itself said that
once the objectives of the acquisition have been achieved, the superfluous area should revert to
its owners.It has also contended that the status quo was required only till the disposal of the
suits, which ended in 2010 when the Allahabad High Court decided them.
 India has improved its ranking on a global corruption index in 2018, while its neighbour
China lagged far behind, according to the annual index released by an anti-graft watchdog.
India rose by three points to 78 in the list of 180 countries in the world, while China ranked 87
and Pakistan117 in 2018, the Transparency International said in its Corruption
Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2018.
 Operation ‗SAMADHAN‘ is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)‘s answer to the Naxal
problem. The acronym SAMADHAN stands for Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy,
Motivation and training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard Based KPIs (key performance
indicators) and KRAs (key result areas), Harnessing technology, Action plan for each theater,
and No access to financing.
o The MHA has suggested the use of trackers for weapons, and bio-metrics in smart
guns.Unique Identification number (UID) for Gelatin sticks and explosives.
o At least one UAV (Unmanned aerial vehicle) or Mini UAV for each of the Central Armed
Police Forces (CAPF) battalions deployed in the Maoist hotbed.
o More helicopter support for operations. Helicopters to be used to rush in supplies and
reinforcement. Increased number of flying hours.
35
o Resumption of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) – specific schemes such as Security Related
Expenditure (SRE) scheme, Special Infrastructure Scheme, Special Central Assistance etc.
o Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to be reviewed to ensure effective choking
of fund flow to LWE groups.
 The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation came into existence as an

Independent Ministry on 15.10.1999 after the merger of the Department ofStatistics and the
Department of Programme Implementation. The Ministry has two wings, one relating to
Statistics and the other Programme Implementation. The Statistics Wing called the National
Statistical Office (NSO) consists of the Central Statistical Office (CSO), the Computer center
and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). The Programme Implementation Wing has
three Divisions, namely,
i. Twenty Point Programme
ii. Infrastructure Monitoring and Project Monitoring
iii. Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme.
Besides these two wings, there is National Statistical Commission created through a
Resolution of Government of India (MOSPI) and one autonomous Institute, viz., Indian
Statistical Institute declared as an institute of National importance by an Act of
Parliament.
 A committee will be set up under NITI Aayog to complete the task of identifying denotified,
nomadic and semi-nomadic communities, especially as they move from place to place in
search of a livelihood. The committee will follow up on the work of the Renke Commission
and the Idate Commission.The first National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and
Semi-Nomadic Tribes NCDNT was constituted in 2003, reconstituted in 2005 (Renke
Commission), which submitted its report in 2008.
 Electronic voting machines already have the Braille feature.
 Supreme Court order triggering panic among forest dwellers over possible eviction, Odisha‘s
Dongria Kondh tribals have resolved to resist any attempt to force them out. The tribe shot
into the limelight for their successful resistance against the Vedanta Group‘s plan to mine
bauxite in the ecologically and mineral rich Niyamgiri hill range.The Dongria Kondh are
currently holding their annual ‗Niyamraja festival‘ on the picturesque hilltop of Niyamgiri.
 The national registry of sex offenders is maintained by the National Crime Records
Bureau.
 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issued a 10 point advisory to Pakistan if it wants to be
out of the ―grey list‖ of countries posing a ―risk to the international system‖. Pakistan has
been on the grey list since June 2018, and will be required to show compliance or face being
―blacklisted‖ by the session in October 2019. A black list would mean enhanced financial
36
scrutiny of its government, possible sanctions against its central bank, and a downgrade of its
financial and credit institutions. This is something Pakistan, already facing an acute debt crisis,
can ill afford. Amongst the FATF‘s stern observations of what it called Pakistan‘s lack of
―understanding‖ of the terror finance risks posed by groups, such as the Taliban, alQaeda,
Islamic State, Lashkare Taiba and Jaishe Mohammed, was a clear message: Islamabad must
visibly demonstrate that it has taken measures to crack down on and shut down the
infrastructure and finances of these groups.
 On January 4, 2003, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) constituted the Political
Council and the Executive Councilof the NCA. The Executive Council gives its opinion to the
Political Council, which authorises a nuclear attack when deemed necessary. While the
Executive Council is chaired by the National Security Advisor(NSA), the Political Council
is chaired by the Prime Minister. This mechanism was implemented to ensure that Indian
nukes remain firmly in civilian control and that there exists a sophisticated Command and
Control (C2) mechanism to prevent their accidental or unauthorised use.
 The directives of the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) are to be operationalised by the
Strategic Forces Command under the control of a Commander-in-Chief of the rank of Air
Marshal (or its equivalent) in charge of the management and administration of the tactical and
strategic nuclear forces.
 Competition Commission of India is a statutory body of the Government of India

responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 throughout India and to prevent
activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India. It was established on
14 October 2003. As per a recent amendment, the Competition Appellate Tribunal
(COMPAT) has ceased to w.e.f May 26, 2017. The appellate function under the Competition
Act, 2002 (Competition Act) would now confer to the National Company Law Appellate
Tribunal (NCLAT).CCI consists of a Chairperson and 6 Members appointed by the Central
Government. It is the duty of the Commission to eliminate practices having adverse effect on
competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure
freedom of trade in the markets of India. The Commission is also required to give opinion on
competition issues on a reference received from a statutory authority established under any law
and to undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart training on
competition issues.
 The National War Memorial (NWM, Delhi) built at a cost of ₹171 crore has a 15.5 metre tall
main obelisk with an eternal flame at the centre. This is surrounded by four concentric circles
—the Amar Chakraor Circle of Immortality, the Veerta Chakraor Circle of Bravery, the
Tyag Chakraor Circle of Sacrifice and the Rakshak Chakraor Circle of Protection. The
Tyag Chakra has 16 circular walls of honour which bear the names of 25,942 soldiers written
in gold on granite walls. Statues of the 21Param Vir Chakraawardees have also been
installed.
37
 The Drug (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013. The DPCO controls the prices of all
essential medicines by fixing ceiling prices, limiting the highest prices companies can charge.
The National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) is drawn up to include essential medicines
that satisfy the priority health needs of the population. The list is made with considerations of
safety, efficacy, disease prevalence and the comparative cost effectiveness of medicines, and is
updated periodically by an expert panel set up for this purpose under the aegis of the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare. This list forms the basis of price controls under the DPCO.
The NLEM 2015 contains 376 medicines on the basis of which the National Pharmaceutical
Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed prices of over 800 formulations using the provisions of
the DPCO. However, these formulations cover less than10% of the total pharmaceutical
market. The DPCO follows a market based pricing mechanism. The ceiling price is worked out
on the basis of the simple in average price of all brands having at least 1% market share of the
total market turnover of that medicine.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Sports Authority of India‘s (SAI) first-of-its-
kind mobile application, ‗Khelo India App‘ in order to create awareness about sports and
fitness in the country. The application, developed by SAI as part of the Khelo India Scheme,
aims to further the Prime Minister‘s vision to develop the sporting ecosystem in India and turn
it into a global sporting superpower in the years to come.The revamped Khelo India Scheme
was launched during the financial year 2017-18 with a view to achieving the twin objectives of
mass participation and promotion of excellence in sports. The vision of the revamped Khelo
India is to infuse sports culture and achieve sporting excellence in the country.
38
ECONOMY
 The government decided to raise the maximum time limit below which a firm would be deemed
eligible for angel tax exemption to 10 years from the earlier seven, a member of the committee
set up to look into the issue said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Angel tax is imposed on
the excess share capital raised by an unlisted firm, over and above the fairmarket value of its
shares.
 India‘s first ―career portal‖, addressing the needs of secondary and higher secondary students
for information on scholarships and career choices, was launched with the support of United
Nations Children‘s Fund (UNICEF) in Rajasthan. The portal is expected to help the students
take ―informed decisions‖ about their academic and professional pursuits. The portal would
promote employment oriented education in the State and provide information on 200 vocational
and 237 professional careers, 455 employment avenues, 960 scholarships, 955 competitive
examinations and 10,000 institutions of higher education to the students from Classes IX to
XII.
 The Narendra Modi government has set much at store by India‘s improved ranking in terms of
the Ease of doing business (EDB) index. Actually, the improvement is considerable. From a
rank of 134 in 2014, India‘s rank improved to 77 in 2018. As 190countries were ranked in
2018, India was in the top 50%.
 The Human Development Index (HDI), India‘s ranking has not altered since 2014. India was
ranked 130 in 2014, and has remained in the same place out of 185 countries in 2018. It is of
relevance here that India‘s HDI ranking has not improved despite it being the world‘s fastest
growing major economy in recent years, as the government often points out in its assessments
 Monthly measurement of the unemployment rate is one of the requirements of the Special Data
Dissemination Standard (SDDS) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The SDDS —
India was one of the early signatories —was established in 1996 to help countries access the
international capital markets by providing adequate economic and financial information
publicly.
 The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approvedthe
Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). Four main facets of this policy are:
 Uniform license for exploration and production of all forms of hydrocarbon
 An open acreage policy,
 Easy to administer revenue sharing model and
 Marketing and pricing freedom for the crude oil and natural gas produced.
The decision will enhance domestic oil & gas production, bring substantial investment in the
sector and generate sizable employment. The policy is also aimed at enhancing transparency
and reducing administrative discretion.The uniform licence will enable the contractor to
39
explore conventional as well as unconventional oil and gas resources including CBM, shale
gas/oil, tight gas and gas hydrates under a single license. The concept of Open Acreage Policy
will enable E&P companies choose the blocks from the designated area.
 Youth not in employment, education or training (NEET): This indicator presents the share of
young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), as a percentage of the
total number of young people in the corresponding age group, by gender.
 Availability rate is equal to the number of households with electricity connection or electric
pole within 50 m divided by total number of households. Access rate is equal to the households
that use electricity divided by total households.
 The committee under former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan, that is now reviewing the economic
capital framework for the RBI, submits its report. It was constituted to depersonalize and
institutionalize a system for the sharing of the RBI‟s surpluses with the government, and is
expected to come out with its recommendations by the end of the next month.
 The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is a committee of the Central Bank in India
(Reserve Bank of India), headed by its Governor, which is entrusted with the task of fixing the
benchmark policy interest rate (repo rate) to contain inflation within the specified target level.
Monetary Policy Committee is defined in Section 2(iii)(cci) of the Reserve Bank of India Act,
1934. Altogether, the MPC will have six members, - the RBI Governor (Chairperson), the RBI
Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, one official nominated by the RBI Board and
the remaining three members would represent the Government of India. These Government of
India nominees are appointed by the Central Government based on the recommendations of a
search cum selection committee consisting of the cabinet secretary (Chairperson), the RBI
Governor, the secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and three
experts in the field of economics or banking as nominated by the central government. The three
central government nominees of the MPC appointed by the search cum selection committee
will hold office for a period of four years and will not be eligible for re-appointment. The MPC
takes decisions based on majority vote (by those who are present and voting). In case of a tie,
the RBI governor will have the second or casting vote. The decision of the Committee would be
binding on the RBI.
 The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) made some changes in the Gold Monetisation Scheme
(GMS) by including charitable institutions and the Central government, among others.Apart
from individual and joint depositors, the scheme could now beavailed by charitable
institutions, the Central government, the State government or any other entity owned by the
Central government or the State government, the RBI said in a notification.In 2015, the
government launched the GMS to mobilize the gold held by households and institutions.GMS
allows bank customers to deposit idle gold holdings for a fixed period in return for interest.
40
 The Reserve Bank of India‘s (RBI) decision to allow card payment providers to offer
tokenisation services will ensure the safety of digital transactions and reduce chances of
fraud.Tokenisation involves aprocess in which a unique token masks sensitive card details like
card and CVV number. The token is used toper form card transactions in contactless mode at
Point of Sale (POS) terminals, Quick Response (QR) code payments, Etc.
 Small businesses can breathe easy now as the Goods and Services Tax Council has decided to
double the basic threshold limit for goods suppliers.However, the Council, which took a slew
of decisions, could not arrive at a consensus on lowering the levy on under-construction
flats.The 32 meeting of the Council chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley decided to raise
the basic threshold limit for suppliers of goods (for mandatory GST registration) to ₹40 lakh
from the current ₹20 lakh. Also, some of the north-eastern and hilly states will have a new limit
of ₹20 lakh from ₹10 lakh earlier. However, there is no change in the limit for services. The
threshold for registration of service providers would continue to be ₹20 lakh, and in case of
special category States, ₹10 lakh.
 RailWire WiFi at 746 railway stations across the country is only getting stronger.The network,
provided by RailTel, a ‗Mini Ratna‘ central PSU (Public Sector Undertaking)under the
Ministry of Railways, is not only one of the largest but also one of the fastest public WiFi
networks.
 NITI Aayog released the ‗Strategy for NewIndia @ 75‘ document in 2018. This high
sounding and aspirational strategy aims to achieve a ‗New India‘ by 2022, when the country
celebrates its 75th year of Independence.
 India‘s employment generation in the last five years has remained weak. According to the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index Baseline Report by NITI Aayog, 64 per
1,000 persons appear to be unemployed in the working age group of 1559. The problem of
unemployment has become more acute for youth and women.According to the International
Labour Organisation (ILO) report of 2016, youth are three times as likely as adults to be
unemployed.
 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), India‘s largest NGO-run annual survey, has
been conducted by Pratham since 2005 to evaluate the relevance and impact of its programs.
Findings are disseminated at national, state, district and village levels, and influence education
policies at both state and central levels.Pratham is one of the largest non-governmental
organisations in India.It works towards the provision of quality education to the under
privileged children in India.Pratham‘s mission is "Every Child in School and Learning well".
By increasing the literacy levels of India‘s poor which account for about one third of the
world‘s poor, Pratham aims to improve India‘s economic and social equality. This is carried out
through the introduction of low cost education models that are sustainable and reproducible.
41
 The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the
Government of India that provides financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with
disabilities in the form of social pensions. The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)
is a welfare programme being administered by the ―Ministry of Rural Development‖. This
programme is being implemented in rural areas as well as urban areas.The National Assistance
Program consists of five sub-schemes:
1) Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)

2) Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)
3) Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS)
4) National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS)
5) Annapurna Scheme
It currently covers more than three crore people who are below the povertyline (BPL),
including about 80 lakh widows, 10 lakh disabled and 2.2 crore elderly. Those who are older
than 80 years are paid ₹500per month, while the rest are given ₹200 per month.
 In a bid to woo the farming community ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, interim Finance
Minister Piyush Goyal in his Budget speech on Friday announced a Rs 6,000 per annum direct
cash transfer for farmers owning land less than two hectares.Called Pradhan Mantri Kisan
Samman Nidhi, the much-anticipated move will benefit about 12 crore small and marginal
farmers and will come into effect retrospectively from December 1, 2018, and the first
instalment will be disbursed before the elections. He pointed out that each family unit — of a
married couple and their minor children was eligible for the scheme. A household of five adult
brothers jointly owning a 10 hectare piece of land would receive ₹30,000 for the year.Pradhan
Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi(PM-KISAN) is a modification of the Rythu Bandhu scheme of
the Telangana government, which provides assistance on a per-acre basis (Rs 8,000 per acre
per year) without any holding size limit.
 While keeping tax rates unchanged,the Finance Minister announced that those earning up to
₹5lakh a year would be exempt from income tax.This, he said, effectively meant that those
earning ₹6.5 lakh a year would not need to pay tax if they made full use of the ₹1.5 lakh
exemption available under Section 80C of the IncomeTax Act.
 The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers‘ Index (PMI) increased from 53.2 in
December to 53.9 in January, indicating stronger improvement in the health of the goods
producing sector.This is the 18th consecutive month that the manufacturing PMI remained
above the 50 point mark. In PMI parlance, a print above 50 means expansion, while a score
below that denotes contraction.
 India‘s new e-commerce investment rules bar online retailers from selling products via
vendors in which they have an equity interest, and also from making deals with sellers to sell
exclusively on their platforms.
42
 The government‘s commitment for a ‗Clean & Green‘ India through proposals in the interim
budget such as measures to reduce the use of fossil fuel in a phased manner by 2030 is expected
to ensure faster adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and environment friendly mass
transportation in the country.The emphasis laid on electric mobility in the ‗2030 Vision‘ is
aimed at increasing energy security, reducing oil import dependence and reducing vehicular
pollution.
 The Ministry of Human Resource Development‘sAll India Survey on Higher Education

(AISHE) Report2017-18 notes that the Gross Enrolment Ratio across institutions of higher
education has risen to 25.8% from 19.4% in 2010-11.The GER is an index of the proportion of
citizens between 18 and 23 years — in every sample size of 100 — who have structurally
secured entry into tertiary education, while exit figures (dropouts) are left unaccounted for.
 The Labour Bureau will now on take employment data from the Ministry of Statistics and
not conduct the survey of the labour market on its own, Labour and Employment Minister
Santosh Kumar Gangwar said during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.The Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation has launched a Periodic Labour Force Survey that
which will provide quarterly labour and employment data for urban India and annual data for
rural India. NSSO has also launched a new employment-unemployment survey, namely,
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). PLFS is a continuous/regular survey for generating
estimates of various labour force indicators on quarterly basis for urban areas and annual basis
for both rural and urban areas, at State/UT and all-India level.The Periodic Labour Force
Survey will also incorporate a Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) method,
with field operators using tablets to enter the data. This would generate more accurate and
timely information. Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) is an interviewing
technique in which the respondent or interviewer uses an electronic device to answer the
questions. It is similar to computer-assisted telephone interviewing, except that the interview
takes place in person instead of over the telephone.
 Shreeja, arguably the world‘s largest dairy that is exclusively owned by women, was
established under the emerging concept of a ‗producer company‘ in September 2014. Backed
by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Shreeja is considered a miniature of
Amul — every supplier here becomes a shareholder, or conversely, milk is procured only from
shareholders in Andhra Pradesh. Initially, there was substantial resistance from the men, who
demanded payment to them in cash. But the company, as part of its avowed policy of ensuring
women‘s empowerment as well as a commitment to ‗Digital India‘ initiative, stuck to bank
transfers to the women‘s accounts.
 The Centre for Monitoring India Economy (CMIE), a private enterprise, has demonstrated
over the past 3 years that fast frequency measures of unemployment can be made and that
seeking an exception on SDDS compliance is unnecessary.Higher frequency survey The CMIE
decided to fill India‘s gap in generating fast frequency measures of household well being in
43
2014. In its household survey, called the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey (CPHS), the
sample size was 172,365 as compared to that of the official National Sample Survey
Organisation. (NSSO), which was 101,724. In both surveys, the sample selection method has
been broadly the same.The CPHS is comprehensive, surveying its entire sample every four
months. Each survey is awave. The CPHS is also a continuous survey, and so, for example,
three waves are completed in a year. The CMIE‘s CPHS thus has a much larger sample and is
conducted at a much higher frequency than the NSSO‘s.The most important message from the
data is that India‘s labour participation rate is very low by world standards and that even this
low participation rate fell very sharply after demonetisation. The average labour participation
rate was 47% during January-October 2016. The world average is about 66%.
 Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) is a specialized financial institution, wholly owned
by Government of India, set up in 1982, for financing, facilitating and promoting foreign trade
of India.
 Open unemployment rate does not measure disguised unemployment and informal poor
quality jobs that abound in the economy.
 The current base year for the IIP series in India is 2011-12. It is released by the Central
Statistics Office (CSO). It is published every month. The eight Core Industries comprise
nearly 40.27 % of the weight of items included in IIP. The eight Core Industries comprise
nearly 40.27 % of the weight of items included in IIP. They are:
Coal (10.33%)
Crude oil (8.98%)
Natural gas (6.88%)
Refinery products (28.04%)
Fertilisers (2.63%)
Steel (17.92%)
Cement (5.37%)
Electricity (19.85%)
 Velocity of circulation is measured by dividing GDP by the country's total money supply. A
high velocity of circulation in a country indicates a high degree of inflation. It helps in
determining how vigorous a country's economy is.
 Financial Intelligence Unit of India (FIU -IND) was set by the Government of India in 2004
as the central national agency responsible for receiving, processing, analyzing and
disseminating information relating to suspect financial transactions. FIU-IND is an independent
body reporting directly to the Economic Intelligence Council (EIC) headed by the Finance
Minister. The function of FIU-IND is to receive cash/suspicious transaction reports, analyse
them and, as appropriate, disseminate valuable financial information to
intelligence/enforcement agencies and regulatory authorities.
44
 Why do WPI and CPI Inflation diverge: Economists have pointed out the divergence for quite
some time now. The main reason behind it is that the two indices measure different products
and assign each of the categories different weights in the calculation of the overall index. This
divergence has intensified since the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax because
the new tax system affects retail inflation far more than it does wholesale inflation, since it is
included in the final price of the product.
 RBI bundles NBFCs into one category. To provide greater operational flexibility to non
banking lenders, the Reserve Bank created a single category for them by bundling their present
three tier structure. The central bank also decided that exposures to all NBFCs, excluding core
investment companies, would be risk weighted as per credit ratings. Asset finance, loan, and
investment companies have been merged into a new category called NBFC Investmentand
Credit Companies.
 Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) is a macroeconomic concept that dates back to the
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) studies of Simon Kuznets of capital
formation in the 1930s, and standard measures for it were adopted in the 1950s. GFCF is a
component of the expenditure on gross domestic product (GDP). GFCF is called "gross"
because the measure does not make any adjustments to deduct the consumption of fixed capital
(depreciation of fixed assets) from the investment figures. The most important exclusion from
GFCF is land sales and purchases.
 Financial Stability Report- RBI Banks are required to classify NPAs further into Substandard,
Doubtful and Loss assets.
1. Substandard assets: Assets which has remained NPA for a period less than or equal to 12
months.
2. Doubtful assets: An asset would be classified as doubtful if it has remained in the
substandard category for a period of 12 months.
3. Loss assets: As per RBI, ―Loss asset is considered uncollectible and of such little value that
its continuance as a bankable asset is not warranted, although there may be some salvage or
recovery value.‖
 Capital Conservation Buffer (CCB)-The CCB is the capital buffer that banks have to
accumulate in normal times to be used for offsetting losses during periods of stress.
 The whole sale price index (WPI) does not include the cost of services. Further, as WPI
accounts for changes in general price level of goods at wholesale level, it fails to communicate
actual burden borne by the end consumer.In contrast Consumer Price Index (CPI) is
computed by executing a weighted average on a particular set of goods and services that are
acquired by household for general consumption such as food, telecom, transportation, medical
care amongst many others. The computation of CPI takes into account price changes and the
45
actual inflation that affects the end consumer. CPI is thus a reflection of changes in the retail
prices of specified goods and services over a time period which is traded by particular
consumer group.
 In a major boost, the GST Council has reduced GST on Lithium Ion Batteries from 28% to
18%.
 The ‗inflationary gap‘- a concept introduced first by Keynes. This concept may be used to
measure the pressure of inflation. If aggregate demand exceeds the aggregate value of output
at the full employment level, there will exist an inflationary gap in the economy. An
inflationary gap, also known as an expansionary gap, is the difference between the real GDP
and the full-employment real GDP. In fact, the real GDP outweighs the full employment real
GDP because an increase in the real GDP causes the general price level to rise in the long-term.
For instance, the economy‘s total output is $6 trillion and the full-employment real GDP is $4
trillion, the inflationary gap is $2 trillion, which means that the aggregate output has to decrease
by $2 trillion to eliminate the inflationary gap. To fight this gap, governments impose a
contractionary fiscal policy that increases taxation and decreases government spending to lower
disposable income and consumption, thus lowering the aggregate demand and the general price
level.
 The GST officials are working out mechanism to prompt taxmen to initiate profiteering
complaints, which could be taken up for further investigation by the Directorate General of
Anti Profiteering(DGAP).As per the procedure, the DGAP submits its investigation report to
the National Anti Profiteering Authority, which decide on the final quantum of profiteering
and the monetary penalty. The Anti-Profiteering mechanism under GST consists of National
Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA), Directorate General of Anti-Profiteering (DGAP),Standing
Committee at the National level and State level Screening Committees. The NAA had
monitoring meetings at Chandigarh, Chennai and Mumbai for zonal awareness. These
Committees initially examine the complaints alleging profiteering and refer to the DGAP which
investigates and sends its report to the NAA. NAA finally passes adjudication order there on.
 Beveridge curve Economics- This refers to a graphical representation that shows the
relationship between the unemployment rate (on the horizontal axis) and the job vacancy rate
(on the vertical axis) in an economy.It is named after British economist William Beveridge.
The Beveridge curve usually slopes downwards because times when there is high job vacancy
in an economy are also marked by relatively low unemployment since companiesmay actually
be actively looking to hire new people. By the same logic, a low job vacancy rate usually
corresponds with high unemployment as companies may not be looking to hire many people in
new jobs.
 The GST Council, in its 31st meeting, cut rates on almost 20 categories of goods and a number
of services. As a result, only one common use item cement— was left in the highest tax slab of
46
28%. The reason for the creation of the 28% slab was to offset the lower collections from the
items that were made exempt from GST or put in the lowest slab of 5%.
 Falling GST revenues themselves are a worrisome prospect because they put pressure on
government finances, and especially on other sources of revenue.Direct tax collections have
been growing at a robust rate for most of this financial year. But this also means that the
government will be hard pressed to reduce personal income tax rates in the General Budget of
2019-20.
 Following a Constitutional amendment, sub-section (4) (F) of the newly inserted article 279
A prescribes: ―Any special rate or rates for a specified period to raise additional resources
during any natural calamity or disaster.‖Similarly, the schedule of the Goods and Services
Tax (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, provides for the imposition of cess up to the rate of
15 per cent ad valorem on ―any other supplies‖.
 Operating ratiois a company's operating expenses as a percentage of revenue. This financial

ratio is most commonly used for industries which require a large percentage of revenues to
maintain operations, such as railroads. An Operating Ratio of 90% means that Railway is
spending 90 paisa to earn 100 paisa (i.e. one rupee).
 The micro, small and medium enterprises(MSMEs)sector, the corner stone of Indian
economy, has got a boost in the Interim Budget,with the government offering 2% subvention
for loans up to ₹1 crore and extending the Government e-Marketplace(GeM) platform to
support domestic services and trade.With the Budget largely focused on the rural segments of
the country, this will benefit the MSME sector greatly as 51% of all 634 lakh MSMEs are
based in rural areas, consequently being a vital source of rural employment. A 2% interest
subvention for loans up to ₹1crore is certainly a step in the right direction. Most importantly,
the government has opened a new market for the home grown entrepreneurs by allowing
sourcing from MSMEs through government up to 25%, including 3% from women run
organisations. The government has increased the share of its procurements from MSMEs
through GeM to 25%.
 TReDs is an electronic platform for financing trade receivables. It facilitates the discounting of
both invoices as well as bills of exchange. The three direct participants in the system are the
SME (sellers), Corporate Entities (buyers) and the Financiers.
 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) also known as Gramin banks, are Indian scheduled banks
(Government banks) operating at regional level in different States of India. They have been
created with a view of serving primarily the rural areas of India with basic banking and
financial services. However, RRBs may have branches set up for urban operations and their
area of operation may include urban areas too.
47
 The GST Council has reduced the GST rates for under-construction flats and affordable
housing to 5% and 1%, respectively and also increased the carpet area of flats under affordable
housing. The GST rate on cement has not been reduced as was expected, [and] at 28% it
remains among the highest taxed inputs for construction. However, the removal of input tax
credits for the real estate sector could lead to several problems. The Council has also arrived at
a definition of ‗affordable housing‘ in metros as well as non-metro locations. In metros,
affordable housing includes properties that have a carpet area of up to 60 sqm (646 sq feet) and
cost up to ₹45 lakh. Metros include Delhi NCR, Mumbai MMR, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore
and Hyderabad. In non-metros, affordable housing includes properties with a carpet area of up
to 90 sq m(969 sq feet) and that cost up to ₹45 lakh.
 The GST rate payable on affordable homes, with effect from April 2019, will come down from
8% to 1%, and all other residential properties outside the affordable segment will attract 5%
GST instead of the 12% levied at present. The new rate on affordable homes, defined as units
that cost less than ₹45 lakh and have a carpet area of 60 square metres in metro cities and 90
square metres in non-metros, is far lower than the 3% rate mooted by a ministerial panel.
48
STATES AND SCHEMES

 The Himachal State government had launched the ‗Prakartik Kheti Khushal Kisan‘ scheme
to promote natural farming.
 Kerala to get country‘s 2nd longest rail tunnel. A 10.7 km railway line, including a 9.02 km
tunnel, has been proposed to connect the upcoming Vizhinjam International Multipurpose
Deepwater Seaport to the railway network. The 9.02 km tunnel, mooted by Konkan Railway
Corporation Ltd (KRCL) from near the Balaramapuram station on the Kanyakumari
Thiruvananthapuram railway line, will be the second longest railway tunnel in the
country.The 11.26 km Pir Panjal railtunnel, connecting Banihal and Hillar Shahabad, is the
longest. The Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel or Banihal railway tunnel is an 11.215 km railway
tunnel located in Pir Panjal Range of middle Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a part of
the Jammu–Baramulla line. It is India's longest railway tunnel. It takes approximately 9 minutes
and 30 seconds for the train to cross the tunnel.
 The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKISAN) scheme, announced in the Interim
Budget, is the biggest scheme launched by the Government of India till date for providing
structured support to small and marginal farmers.Under the scheme, ₹6,000 per year will be
provided to farmers holding cultivable land of up to two hectares.This is a Central Sector
Scheme and will be funded fully by the Government of India.The Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers‘ Welfare will transfer the benefit directly into the accounts of the beneficiaries. The
amount will be credited into the account of the beneficiary within 48 hours of its release by the
government. Landless labourers are a category in the Census and National Sample Survey
Office, but as the Finance Secretary clarified, they cultivate at least kitchen plots, and so are
marginal farmers for revenue purposes and are eligible for the scheme.Odisha Chief Minister
wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to consider the inclusion of
landless labourers, sharecroppers and vulnerable households under the PM Kisan Samman
Nidhi Scheme.
 Income Tax assessees and sitting or former Members of Parliament or State legislatures are
among those who have been excluded from the scope of the Centre‘s scheme of income
support for farmers, which was announced in the Union Budget last week. In respect of the IT
assessees, those who paid the tax in the last assessment year would be ineligible under the
scheme, which envisages the payment of Rs 6,000 per annum to marginal and small farmers
(each holding cultivable land up to 2 hectares) according to the scheme‘s operational
guidelines. The list of exclusions is pretty long. It includes former and present holders of
constitutional posts such as Governors or Election Commissioners;serving and retired officers
and employees of the Union government or State governments, including those in public sector
enterprises and autonomous institutions, and regular employees of local bodies. Class IV or
Group D employees have been exempted from the exclusion. Likewise pensioners who are
getting Rs 10,000 or more every month will not be covered. As in the case of parliamentarians
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and legislators, former and present heads of municipal corporations and district panchayats
would also not be considered for the income support. Professionals excluded Professionals
including doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants and architects have been excluded
a part from institutional landholders, the guidelines show.
 Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik granted Ladakh a divisional status, thus
creating three administrative units of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in the State. ―The J&K
government has approved the creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for
Ladakh. It will comprise Leh and Kargil districts, with headquarters at Leh.
 Jain monks participating in the Thorana Mahothsava during the Maha Masthakabhishekha
in Dharmasthala,Karnataka.
 Laying the foundation stone of Arunachal‘s first civilian airport (Itanagar airport) at
Hollongi and a tunnel at Sela, a strategic snow capped pass on the way to Tawang, and
inaugurating a retrofitted airport at Tezu that was built 50 years ago but was not operational.
 In January 2016, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) announced the discovery of a
―living history museum‖ at Vangchhia, a village in Mizoram‘s Champhai district bordering
Myanmar.The site, measuring about 45 sq km and located 260km from Aizawl, has yielded
pictographs etched on large stone slabs, menhirs — large standing stones — and a necropolis
— a large cemetery — among other artefacts. The ancient people of Vangchhia carved terraces
on these rocks for their settlement — the main excavated site consists of 15 such terraces. ―It is
remarkable how they trapped rain water flowing down the slopes by making holes to let the
water flow in and be stored in the fissures and veins of the rocks.
 False Point, the British era light house standing tall on the Odisha coast in Kendrapara district,
has actually been guiding ships and vessels through the choppy waters of the Bay of Bengal for
the past 180 years. The oldest functional light house in India, False Point has remained a
familiar symbol for seafarers who would know its location at a distance of 40 km from the
flashing of two white lights every 20 seconds — its navigational code after dark.
 All unorganised sector workers up to 40 years of age can subscribe to the Pradhan Mantri
Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM) scheme, which entails a minimum monthly pension of
₹3,000, a Labour Ministry notification said. The scheme, announced by Finance Minister
Piyush Goyal in the Interim Budget, is targeted at unorganized sector workers with monthly
income of up to ₹15,000. The scheme would provide them with an assured pension of ₹3,000
from the age of 60 years on a monthly contribution of a small amount during their working life.
The scheme would cover unorganised workers who are working or engaged as home based
workers, street vendors, mid day meal workers, head loaders, brickkiln workers, cobblers, rag
pickers, domestic workers, washer men, rickshaw pullers, landless labourers, agricultural
workers amd construction workers, among others.However, informal workers will not be
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eligible for the scheme if they are covered under the National Pension Scheme, the Employees
‘State Insurance Corporation Scheme or Employees‘ Provident Fund Scheme.
 The 22nd Indian Birding Fair, organised on the banks of Man Sagar Lake, Rajasthan, was
dedicated to the conservation of waders, which are tiny birds mostly confined to the edges of
water and are observed feeding across moist surfaces. The Indian subcontinent hosts 84 species
of wading birds, 64 of which are migratory. Wading birds such as little stint, green sandpiper,
small pratincole, pied avocet, Jerdon‘s courser, black winged stilt and many more species were
spotted on the occasion. Man Sagar Lake is an artificial lake named after Man Singh, the then
ruler of Amber and a trusted general of Mughal Emperor Akbar, who had built it in 1610 AD
by damming the Dravyavati river. A palace, Jal Mahal, is situated in the middle of the lake.
 Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of the Subarnarekha port in Balasore district of
Odisha.
 Restoration workers at Sinhagad Fort, 35 km from Pune, have stumbled upon the original
commemorative memorial of Tanaji Malusare, the brave Maratha warrior after whom Shivaji is
said to have named Sinhagad Fort (Lion‘s fort). Malusare died in 1670 after being seriously
wounded in the Sinhagad battle.
 The Mahamastakabhisheka (Grand Consecration/The Great Indian Festival), refers to the

abhiṣheka (anointment) of the Jain images when held on a large scale. The most famous of such
consecrations is the anointment of the Bahubali Gommateshwara Statue located at
Shravanabelagola in Karnataka, India. It is an important Jain festival held once in every 12
years. It is an integral part of the ancient and composite Jain tradition. The festival is held in
veneration of a 17.4 metres (57 ft) high monolithic statue of the Siddha Bahubali. Bhagwan
Bahubali, the son of Bhagwan Rishabhanatha, the first of the twenty four Jain Tirthankaras, is
worshiped for living with exceptional qualities that he displayed during all stages of his life
from conception, birth, renunciation, enlightenment and salvation.
 Dharmasthala is an Indian temple town on the banks of the Nethravathi River in the
Belthangady taluk of the Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, India.
 Bhopal to host Indian History Congress. Bhopal‘s Barkatullah University will be hosting it at
such a short notice. After Savitribai Phule Pune University allegedly backed out, the Congress
government in Madhya Pradesh has decided to host the 79th Indian History Congress. The only
time that the congress session not held was in times of national need like ‗Quit India‘
movement in 1942 and the wars in 1962 and 1971.
 Earlier this year, Kerala became the first State to setup a price monitoring and research unit
(PMRU) to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the Drugs
Price Contro lOrder (DPCO). PMRU is aimed at monitoring the notified prices of medicines,
detection of violation of the provisions of DPCO, pricing compliance and ensuring availability
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of medicines, among other objectives. The units will function under the supervision of State
drug controller. After Kerala, it is now the turn of Punjab and Gujarat to have Price
Monitoring & Research Unit (PMRU), setup by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Authority in collaboration with the Department of Health and State Drug Controller.
 The Asil or Aseel is a breed of chicken originating from South Punjab / Sindh area of Pakistan.
It has also been famous the outskirts of Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil nadu. Fowl
are found throughout Southeast Asia, such as Shamo and Thai Game.
 Shipki La border post in Himachal Pradesh‘s Kinnaur district.
 The Telangana government launched the Rythu Bandhu or farmers‘ investment support
scheme, offering farmers Rs 8,000 per acre in a bid to enhance agricultural productivity and
break the vicious cycle of rural indebtedness. Only land owning farmers are eligible
beneficiaries and there is no cap on the number of acres owned.
 A survey in 2016-17 by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
showed that 79% of agricultural households in Telangana are in debt, the highest rate in the
country. The national rate of indebted farming households is 52.5%.
 PM-KISAN to be of minimal benefit in comparison to Rythu Bandhu. It is meant only for land
owners, not tenants, though it will at least exclude the large landowners.
 The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana was introduced in April 2015 as an effort to extend
affordable credit to micro and small enterprises. Loans up to Rs 10 lakh are extended to these
non-corporate, non-farm enterprises by the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency
(MUDRA) through last mile financial institutions.
 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and
Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme to accelerate agricultural prosperity and to reduce
poverty in Odisha.
 PEETHA: People‘s Empowerment – Enabling Transparency and Accountability is an Odisha

Government initiative aiming at creation of awareness among people of Odisha about various
schemes of the Government and will also improve transparency in distribution of individual
and social benefits.
 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a scheme for farmers in the form of
a crop neutral investmentsupport on the lines of Telangana‘s Rytu Bandhu scheme.Under
the scheme ‗Krishi Krishak Bandhu‘, the State Agriculture Department will offer an
investment support of ₹5,000 to every farmer, per acre of his land in two installments for either
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Rabi or Kharif crops in a year.
 The 125 year old High Court Building in Nagpur, Maharashtra, and two Mughal era
monuments in Agra Haveli of Agha Khan and Hathi Khana are among the six monuments
declared protected and of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in
2018. Heritage sites, the ancient Neemrana Baori in Rajasthan's Alwar district; the Group of
Templesat RanipurJharail in Odisha's Bolangir; and the Vishnu Temple in Kotali,
Pithoragarh district, Uttarkhand, are the three other monuments that have been listed.In 2016
and 2017, no new monument was included in the list of sites of national importance. The last
monument to be included in the list, in 2015, was the Vishnu Temple in Nadavayal in
Kerala's Wayanad district.
 The West Bengal government has announced two welfare initiatives for farmers as a part of the
‗Krishi Krishak Bandhu‘ scheme.If a farmer aged between 18 to 60 years dies a natural or
unnatural death, the state government will pay his family Rs 2 lakh.Farmers would get Rs
2,500 twice a year for growing a single crop on one acre of land.
 In 2016, Kerala had, as part of the Aardram mission to transform health care, attempted to re
design its primary care to address the current and future epidemiological situation. Lessons
learnt from Kerala‘s experience could provide insights into what needs to be done to ensure the
objectives of the Astana Declaration do not remain a statement of pious intentions in India. The
Astana Declaration would ―aim to meet all people‘s health needs across the lifecourse through
comprehensive preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative services and palliative care‖.
 Kullu Nati, a traditional dance, Manali, Himachal Pradesh.
 The Kadaknath or Kali Masi chicken could be a healthy addition to the team‘s diet. The Kali
Masi is a local breed of chicken which is completely black in colour: feathers, flesh and even
bones. The chicken, traditionally reared by Jhabua‘s adivasi Communities in MP, was
granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the government registry last year.Breeders claim
that its cholesterol content is just 0.73-1.05%, in comparison with the 13-25% level in regular
white chickens. ―Not only is the cholesterol and fat low, but it has very high levels of protein,
iron and amino acid.
 Uninhabited island of Hukitola in the Bay of Bengal, off Odisha‘s coast, near River Gobari.
The 150-year-old building with stony, many-arched structure, with an odd triangular facade.
Which has remained untouched by erosion, has recently drawn the curiosity of heritage
conservationists. The British, who chanced upon the island while looking for a place to post a
harbour-master for the area, built the structure in 1865 as a warehouse to store grain. It played
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a critical role in supplying rice during the great 1866 famine, which wiped out a third of
Odisha‘s population.
 Andhra Pradesh‘s second largest petroglyph site, containing about 80 petroglyhs, has been
discovered at Mekala Benchi, near Aspari, in Kurnool district. These petroglyphs, or rock
carvings, under score Kurnool‘s importance as a major site of Neolithic settlements in south
India. Kandanathi, with 200petroglyphs, is also in Kurnool district. While Mekala Benchi has
rock carvings dating back from the Neolithic to the Megalithic period, Kandanathi‘s carvings
range from the prehistoric to the historic period. Two boulders, one known as ‗BoodidaKonda‘
(ash coloured hill) and the other an unnamed granite hillock, mostly have images of bulls or
bull riding,and human figures, an elephant, tiger like animals and cupules. Native bulls of
western Kurnool are known for their ‗long horns‘, as depicted in the petroglyphs.
 Seven cities – all in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh –have been certified ODF++,
according to the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban.The certification, an extension of the ODF or
Open Defecation Free protocol, means that all the faecal sludge and sewage in these cities is
treated scientifically before discharge.
 Sikkim launched the ‗one family, one job‘ scheme that assures a job to one member of every
family.
 e-Choupal, the two decade old initiative from ITC aimed to web enable farmers to overcome
challenges related to information access and procurement, is set for a major makeover this
year.Driven by increasing smartphone penetration in the country, coupled with declining data
costs, the FMCG and hospitality conglomerate plans to launch a mobile version of the
programme by middle of 2019.Working on a new model for expansion of the eChoupal
network following lower band width costs and increasing smartphone penetration. The new
model, which we are calling Choupal 4.0 will be rolled out in the next couple of months. The
desktop based eChoupal will become a mobile assisted service with a very different cost
structure.Under the current system, ITC helps build village internet kiosks.These kiosks
enable farmers access information in their local language on the weather and market prices,
besides knowledge on scientific farm practices and risk management. In its fourth generation,
the eChoupal will assume the role of an ‗Aggregator of Agricultural Services‘ and offer a
bouquet of farm focused services in areas, including crop management, farm mechanisation,
healthcare, banking and insurance.
 Shettihalli Rosary Church is located 2 km from Shettihalli, in Karnataka. Built in the 1860s
by the French missionaries in India, the church is a magnificent structure of Gothic
Architecture.After the construction of the Hemavati Dam and Reservoir in 1960 the church
was abandoned.It has since then become a famous tourist spot where people flock to see the
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half submerged church during monsoon. It is also known as ―The Submerged Church‖ and
―The Floating Church.‖
 Donyi Polo Tea Estate, located in a remote village in Arunachal Pradesh, has been smashing
auction records with its Golden Needle and Purple teas. The process is relatively simple for
such an exotic tea: Bring the water to boil, pour the boiling water into a cup containing some
tea leaves, wait for around two minutes before pouring it into another cup. Transferring the
water from pot to cup to second cup reduces its temperature by some 25°C, and there in lies the
trick that will bring out just the right flavor of Oolong. Donyi Polo produces six varieties of
‗speciality teas‘ (of which Oolong isone) and was in the news last year when its Golden
Needles tea sold for a whopping ₹40,000 a kilo, making it the most expensive tea sold at
any auction in India till date. It is believed that Purple Tea originated in the Northeast, but
was never widely cultivated.Speciality tea is ―made with care,‖ reaching its full potential only
when ―everything, including weather conditions, align‖.Which means that these teas- Oolong,
Yellow, White, Silver Needles, Golden Needles, and Purple- cannot be produced throughout
the year.
 The Korku are an Adivasi ethnic group predominantly found in the Khandwa, Burhanpur,
Betul and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas near the Melghat
Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra.
 Maharashtra launched ―Maha Agritech‖ a project under which are a under cultivation from
sowing to harvesting, climate, and diseases on crops will be monitored digitally using satellite
and drone technology. This will be the first project in the country under which farming will
be digitally tracked.
 The aim of the initiative under the ―Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U)‖ is to
fast-track the construction of affordable housing and meet the target of constructing 1.2 crore
houses by 2022.
 The Chakmas and Hajongs are ethnic people who lived in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, most
of which are located in Bangladesh. The Chakmas and Hajongs living in the Chittagong Hill
Tracts fled erstwhile East Pakistan in 1964-65, since they lost their land to the development of
the Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli River. In addition, they also faced religious persecution as
they were non-Muslims and did not speak Bengali. They eventually sought asylum in India.
The Indian government set up relief camps in Arunachal Pradesh and a majority of them
continue to live there even after five decades. Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists, while
Hajongs are Hindus. According to the 2011 census, 47,471 Chakmas live in Arunachal Pradesh
alone.
 Manipur became the first to pass a remarkable law against lynching.
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 While Hyderabad‘s heritage structures and sites are being seen as prime real estate up for
grabs, the restoration of the Chowmahalla Palace to its age old grandeur, putting it on top of
the city‘s must see bucket list, is a silver lining.
 Maharashtra -Sarangkheda Chetak Festival — named after Maharana Pratap‘s favourite

horse — over the past three years. A tent city pops up, hosting races and tent pegging, show
jumping and horse beauty contests and dance shows, apart from buying and selling.
 "Dhanu jatra" or Dhanu yatra is an annual drama-based open air the atrical performance
celebrated in Bargarh, Odisha. Spread across an 8 km radius area around the Bargarh
municipality, it is world's largest open air theater, one that finds a mention in the Guinness
Book of World Records.
 The excavation branch of the Archaeological survey of India (ASI), Bhubaneswar region
has unearthed signs of an urban civilisation contemporary to Mauryan period (322 -185 BC) at
Asurgarh in Kalahandi district, Odisha.
 Maharashtra is all set to rollout the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended triple
drug therapy for lymphatic filariasis to speed up elimination of the disease.
 The MGNREGA is a demand driven programme, i.e., work must be provided within 15 days
of demanding work failing which the Centre must pay an unemployment allowance (UA).An
UA report is generated but rarely implemented. Numerous ground reports across the country
suggest that because of a funds crunch, field function aries do not even enter the work
demanded by labourers in the MGNREGA Management Information System (MIS).
 A Project was sanctioned by the Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India, under the Research and
Development Scheme to develop Indian size charts based on body measurements of Indian
population for better fitting of ready to wear garments. The project 'India Size' plans to
measure 25000 (Twenty Five Thousand) persons aged from 18 to 65 years in six different
regions of India using 3D body scanners. It is expected that the retail garment industry will be
hugely benefitted from the outcome of the project. The National Institute of Fashion
Technology (NIFT), under the aegis of the ministry of textiles, will soon begin a national
survey that will sample 25,000 people using high-tech 3D whole body scanners.
 At least 64 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the State have been upgraded as Health
and Wellness Centres (HCWs) under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY),
popularly known as Ayushman Bharat.
 In a bid to assist visually impaired people to easily determine denomination of currency notes,
the Indian Institute of Technology at Ropar in Punjab has developed an Android App
―Roshni‖, using image processing and analytics. The App was launched at the IIT
Ropar.‗Roshni‘ is the first Android App that works successfully with new currency notes that
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were released after demonetization and it works well in broad range of light conditions and
holding angles.
 Deemed University, Pune, is on the brink of recreating the faces of a few skeletal remains, dug
up during the excavation of a Harappan site at Haryana‘s Rakhigarhi village in Hisar, in
collaboration with South Korean scientists.
 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik transferred funds to 57,614 share croppers under the
Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme at a rally
held at Rangeilunda in his home district Ganjam. The KALIA scheme, launched on December
31, is named after Lord Jagannath, who is called Kalia by devotees.
 Among the States, Odisha has emerged as an inspiration in the fight against malaria. In recent
years it has dramatically scaled-up efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria through its
Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN) initiative, which has produced
impressive results in a short span of time. In 2017, accredited social health activists (ASHAs)
helped distribute approximately 11 million bed nets, which was enough to protect all the
residents in areas that were at highest risk. This included residential hostels in schools.
 The Sangrai dance is a traditional Indian dance performed by the Mog tribal community on
the occasion of Sangrai festival during the month of Chaitra (in April) of the Bengali calendar
year. It originated in Tripura, India
 Kondaveedu Fort is in Kondaveedu village in the Chilakaluripet constituency of Guntur

district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Efforts are in progress to classify Kondaveedu Fort as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 Lokrang Festival -The city of lakes, Bhopal is all set to host the long-awaited culture festival -
Lokrang Samaroh on its land.
 The Union Cabinet approved Scheduled Tribe status to six Assam communities: Tai Ahom,
Rajbongsi, Kich, Chutia, Tea Tribes, Moran and Matak.
 ‗Project Gaushala‘ would provide relief from stray cattle menace in urban and rural areas.
Inaddition, homeless animals will find shelter. This will also create employment opportunities
in rural areas,‖The Madhya Pradesh government will set up 1,000 ‗gaushalas‘ or cow shelters
in the State in the next four months to accommodate around one lakh stray cows and their
progeny
 The Rajasthan government is considering formation of a separate cadre for the District
Institutes of Education and Training and strengthen them for imparting training to teachers.
57
Gyan Sankalp is an online platform which seeks to systematically address the education
funding gap by linking government initiatives to individual/CSR donors who can directly
support the government in these initiatives.
 Kerala will be the first State to impose calamity cess after the introduction of Goods and
Services Tax (GST). This will mean buying various goods will become costlier and services
such as staying in a hotel will get expensive.The GST Council has approved levy of cess on
intra-State supply of goods and services within the State of Kerala at a rate not exceeding one
per cent for a period not exceeding 2 years.
 The ―Rashtriya Gokul Mission‖ aims to conserve and develop indigenous breeds in a focused
and scientific manner,The Minister said that, the Mission will be implemented with the
objectives to:
a) Development and conservation of indigenous breeds
b) Undertake breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds so as to
improve the genetic makeup and increase the stock;
c) Enhance milk production and productivity;
d) Upgrade nondescript cattle using elite indigenous breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi,
Deoni, Tharparkar, Red Sindhi and
e) Distribute disease free high genetic merit bulls for natural service.
The Rashtriya Gokul Mission will be implemented through the ―State Implementing Agency
(SIA viz Livestock Development Boards). State Gauseva Ayogs will be given the mandate to
sponsor proposals to the SIA‘s (LDB‘s) and monitor implementation of the sponsored
proposal.Minister informed that the Funds under the scheme will be allocated for:
a) Establishment of Integrated Indigenous Cattle Centres viz ―Gokul Gram‖;
b) Strengthening of bull mother farms to conserve high genetic merit Indigenous Breeds;
c) Establishment of Field Performance Recording (FPR) in the breeding tract
d) Assistance to Institutions/Institutes which are repositories of best germplasm;
e) Implementation of Pedigree Selection Programme for the Indigenous Breeds with large
population;
f) Establishment of Breeder‘s Societies: Gopalan Sangh
g) Distribution of disease free high genetic merit bulls for natural service
h) Incentive to farmers maintaining elite animals of indigenous breeds;
i) Heifer rearing programme; award to Farmers (―Gopal Ratna‖ ) and Breeders‘ Societies
(―Kamadhenu‖ );
j) Organization of Milk Yield Competitions for indigenous breeds and
k) Organization of Training Programme for technical and non technical personnel working
at the Institute/Institutions engaged in indigenous cattle development.
 The Taj Trapezium Zone TTZ comprises over 40 protected monuments including three
World Heritage Sites the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. TTZ is so named since it
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is located around the Taj Mahal and is shaped like a trapezoid. The Taj Trapezium Zone is an
area of about 10,400 sq km spread over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and
Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.
 The second phase of FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric
Vehicles) India scheme has been finalised by an inter-ministerial panel. According to PTI,
this will include an investment of about Rs 5,500 crore over five years which will provide
subsidies for all types of electric vehicles.The panel has decided that subsidies will be available
to all categories of electric vehicles – two-, three- and four-wheelers – in order to promote
green vehicles and check pollution. The decision was made by top officials from road
transport and highways, finance and heavy industry ministry, along with government think
tank NITI Aayog.With an aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government had launched
the FAME India scheme in 2015. Currently, incentives are being offered on proper hybrid and
electric cars, two-wheelers and three-wheelers. FAME phase II will ensure incentives are
given to a wider range of EVs. The scheme will provide subsidies to battery-operated scooters
and motorcycles in a range of Rs 1,800 to Rs 29,000, based on their technology. For three-
wheelers, the incentives will range from Rs 3,300 to Rs 61,000.
 Two major schemes implemented by the Ministry of Textiles — the Amended Technology
Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) and the Remission of State Levies —have seen lower
allocation for 2019-20.The ATUFS replaces existing Revised Restructured Technology
Upgradation Fund Scheme (RR-TUFS) to give a boost to textile sector under Make in India
campaign. Employment generation (including women) and global export by encouraging
garment and apparel industry <very labour intensive sector> . Promote Technical Textiles
which is a sunrise sector for export and employment creation.
 The Rythu Bandhu scheme of Telangana offers ₹10,000 per acre a year to all farmers,
excluding tenant farmers, while the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income
Augmentation.
 (KALIA) scheme of Odisha offers direct benefit cash transfer of ₹25,000 for a farm family
over five seasons to small and marginal farmers.
 The Centre has allocated ₹500 crore for a new pension scheme for workers in the unorganised
sector,even while reducing its allocation for an existing pension scheme by ₹775 crore.The new
scheme, to be called the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan, will benefit unorganised
sector workers who have a monthly income up to ₹15,000. It will provide them a monthly
pension of ₹3,000 from the age of 60.Workers will contribute an amount ranging from ₹55 to
₹100 each month, depending on their age, at the time of joining the scheme,while the
government will deposit a matching contribution. The Centre expects 10 crore workers to get
the benefit within the next five years. However, the Budget documents show that an existing
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pension scheme, which already benefits more than 3 crore poor people who are senior citizens,
disabled or widows has had its allocation slashed. The National Social Assistance
Programme (NSAP), a pension scheme administered by the Ministry of Rural Development,
had originally been allocated ₹9,975 crore in the 2018-19 Budget. For 2019-20, the scheme‘s
allocation has been cut to ₹9,200crore, a drop of ₹775 crore.
 Kerala has become the first State to set up a price monitoring and research unit(PMRU) to
track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the Drugs Price Control
Order(DPCO).The move comes morethan five years after the National Pharmaceutical
Pricing Authority(NPPA) proposed such a system for the States and the Union Territories
 Arikamedu is an archaeological site in Southern India, in Puducherry. It is 4 kilometres from

the capital, Pondicherry of the Indian territory of Puducherry. Arikamedu is currently on a list
of ‗Silk Road Sites in India‘. Silk Road sites in India are sites that were important for trade on
the ancient Silk Road. There are 12 such places in India. These are spread across seven states
in India (Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar
Pradesh.These sites are on tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.Sir Mortimer
Wheeler and Jean-Marie Casal conducted archaeological excavations there in 1947–1950. The
site was identified as the port of Podouke, known as an "emporium" in the Periplus of the
Erythraean Sea and Ptolemy.Digs have found Amphorae, Arretine ware, Roman lamps,
glassware, glass and stone beads, and gems at the site. Based on these excavations, Wheeler
concluded that the Arikamedu was a Greek (Yavana) trading postthattraded with Rome,
starting during the reign of Augustus Caesar, and lasted about two hundred years—from the
late first century BCE to the first and second centuries CE.
 Under phase V of ‗Operation Smile‘, the boy was rescued and his details were entered in
DARPAN app, a unique facial recognition tool developed by the Telangana police.
 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi(PMKISAN) Scheme, under which ₹6,000 per year
would be provided to farmers holding cultivable land of up to 2 hectare.Farmers who own <1
hectare of land are "marginal" and those who own between 1 and 2 hectares of land are
"small".
 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a scholarship scheme as a new component
of the recently launched KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income
Augmentation)scheme. Addressing a farmers‘ conclave in Keonjhar district, Mr. Patnaik said
that the children of the beneficiaries of KALIA will be provided scholarship under the KALIA
Chhatra Bruti programme for pursuing higher education. The Chief Minister saidthat under
the scholarship scheme, the State government will bear the educational expenses of the children
of KALIA beneficiaries who are studying in government professional colleges on merit basis.
The State government is implementing the KALIA scheme for the benefit of the small and
marginal farmers, share croppers and landless agricultural households.
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 Under the Millet Village scheme, the department had harvested ragi (finger millet), thina (fox
tail millet), cholam (sorghum) and kuthiravaali (barnyard millet) in 1,200 acres. Additionally,
a pilot scheme for cultivating Chia, a Central American plant, which is gaining popularity in
India as yet another super food. A happy combination of factors such as high protein content,
short growing season, climate change resilience and low water requirement make millets an
ideal crop for the State.It is proposed to implement the second phase of the ―Millet Village‖, a
3 year project which started in the year 2017-18. The Project ―Millet Village‖ is intended for
rejuvenating the traditional tribal agriculture in selected hamlets in Attapady. It will be
implemented jointly by Agriculture Department and Scheduled Tribes Development
Department. Apart from production of Millets, Pulses, Oilseeds, Vegetables and Apiculture, it
is proposed to start Procurement, Processing, Packing, Labelling and Marketing of value added
finished products of millets. Similar projects will be implemented throughout the State in
suitable locations.
 The Borra Caves, also called Borra Guhalu, are located on the East Coast of India, in the
Ananthagiri hills of the Araku Valley (with hill ranges' elevation varying from 800 to
1,300 m (2,600 to 4,300 ft)) of the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh. The caves, one
of the largest in the country, at an elevation of about 705 m (2,313 ft), distinctly exhibit a
variety of speleothems ranging in size and irregularly shaped stalactites and stalagmites.
 Last August, the handloom village of Chendamangalam in Ernakulam district in Kerala was
ready with hundreds of crisp new saris and dhotis for Onam, the State‘s biggest festival. But
nature had other plans. The once in a century floods in the State submerged hundreds of
weavers ‘houses and handloom cooperative societies in the village, destroying livelihoods and
drowning hope. Five societies with 600 weavers lost their finished textile products, traditional
weaving instruments and huge stocks of thread, yarn and dye. Chendamangalam stared
helplessly as a centuries old craft, whose products received the Geographical Indication tag
in 2012, and an entire heritage were on the brink of extinction.
 Telangana‘s fastest growing urban centre, Karimnagar, is looking to the sun to reduce its
carbon footprint. The municipal body has passed a resolution requiring all houses, apartments,
community halls and commercial establishments with a built up area of more than 300 square
yards (2,700 sq.ft) to install solar panels on rooftops. New buildings of more than 300 square
yards must make provision for solar rooftop panels before they can get construction permits.
Older structures will also have to install solar panels.
 Shipki La is a mountain pass and border post with a dozen buildings of significant size on the
India-China border. The river Sutlej, which is called Langqên Zangbo in Tibet, enters India
(from Tibet) near this pass.It is located in Kinnaur district in the state of Himachal Pradesh,
India, and Ngari Prefecture in Tibet, China. The pass is one of India's border posts for trade
with Tibet along with Nathu La in Sikkim, and Lipulekh in Uttarakhand.
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 A memorial for witch hunt victims may sound odd, but the Odisha police have chosen this
innovative way to sensitise people to shun the heinous practice. The witch hunt victims‘
memorial‖ in Odisha is said to be the first of its kind in the country, was opened to the public in
the district headquarter town of Keonjhar.
 The Assam Employees‘ Parental Responsibility Norms for Accountability Monitoring

(PRANAM) Act, obligating the State government employees to look after their aged and
dependant parents. A PRANAM Commission which will be headed by a retired government
official of the rank of Additional Chief Secretary or above. Two social workers will also be
part of the commission. Two Additional Commissioners will also be appointed.
 The Ministry of AYUSH and World Health Organisation (WHO) are jointly organizing a
three day conclave for reviewing the WHO document ―Benchmarks for Training in Yoga‖.
WHO is developing the yoga document as part of its global strategy to strengthen the quality,
safety and efficacy of traditional and complementary medicine.
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SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT
 Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary also known as Tungareshwar National Park is located at

Vasai in Palghar, Maharashtra.
 The goal of the Flemish Gut Flora Project is to investigate the links between the billions of gut
bacteria, health and lifestyle. It is by VIB. VIB is a life sciences research institute in Flanders,
Belgium.
 A herbivorous dinosaur that fended off predators with a row of spines running along its back
and lived 140 million years ago has been found in Argentine Patagonia. The discovery of the
new species of dicraeosauridae, christened Bajadasaurus pronuspinax, was revealed in
scientific journal Nature.
 The Global Carbon Project (GCP) is an organisation that seeks to quantify global greenhouse
gas emissions and their causes. Established in 2001, its projects include global budgets for three
dominant greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide — and
complementary efforts in urban, regional, cumulative, and negative emissions. The main object
of the group has been to fully understand the carbon cycle. The project has brought together
emissions experts, earth scientists, and economists to tackle the problem of rising
concentrations of greenhouse gases. The Global Carbon Project collaborates with many groups
to gather, analyze, and publish data on greenhouse gas emissions in an open and transparent
fashion, making data sets available on its website and through its publications. It was founded
as a partnership among the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme(IGBP), the
World Climate Programme, the International Human Dimensions Programme and
Diversitas, under the umbrella of the Earth System Science Partnership. Many core projects
in this partnership subsequently became part of Future Earth in 2014.
 At a time when a recent survey found "seven" elephant corridors in the country impaired, the
Asian Elephant Alliance, "an umbrella initiative by five NGOs", has come together to secure
96 out of the 101 existing corridors used by elephants across 12 States in India.The joint
venture is aiming at raising £20 million to secure the 96 remaining elephant corridors, old and
new, in the next ten years. NGOs Elephant Family, International Fund for Animal Welfare,
IUCN Netherlands and World Land Trust have teamed up with WTI in the alliance.
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 India‘s recent record on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is produced jointly by
Yale and Columbia Universities in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.The index
ranks countries on 24 performance indicators across several ‗issue categories‘, each of which fit
under one of two over arching objectives, namely, environmental health and ecosystem vitality.
The issue categories are air quality, water and sanitation, water resources, agriculture, forests,
fisheries, biodiversity and habitat, and climate and energy. In 2018 India ranked 177 out of 180
countries, having slipped from an already very low rank of 155 in 2014. The country is today
among the worst performing on the environmental front and its ranking has worsened over the
past five years.
 The illegal coal mine in Meghalaya is located at Ksan in East Jaintia Hills district, about 3.7
km deep inside a forest and can be accessed after crossing three streams. It was flooded when
water from the near by Letein river gushed into it.
 The Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was identified to be the most
suitable for re-introducing the species, according to a Supreme Court appointed technical expert
committee, but there has been no progress on the proposal.The SC in April 2013 had ordered
the trans location of some lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh within six months, but this
hasn‘t happened.This was ordered after several recommendations by expert groups, including
the Wildlife Institute of India. It emphasized that the long term survival of the lion as a species
was best served if they could be present outside Gujarat, too,so that they are protected against,
say, a forest fire, a disease, or calamities. The Gujarat government, on its part, has envisaged a
‗Greater Gir‘ that includes, other than the existing Gir National Park, sanctuaries in Girnar,
Pania and Mitiyala.
 India test fired its helicopter launched version of one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons
from the Odisha coast. Helina, the helicopter launched version of the Nag anti-tank guided
missile with a hit range of 78km.
 Earthquake swarms are events where a local area experiences sequences of many earthquakes
striking in a relatively short period of time. The length of time used to define the swarm itself
varies, but may be of the order of days, weeks, or months. They are differentiated from
earthquakes succeeded by a series of after shocks by the observation that no single earthquake
in the sequence is obviously the main shock. Intensity is a qualitative measure of how people
experience earthquakes, rather than the energy released,which is measured by the magnitude
scale.Intensity 5.5-6.5 on the Medvedev Sponheuer Karnik (MSK) scale.. The Medvedev–
Sponheuer–Karnik scale, also known as the MSKorMSK-64, is a macro seismic intensity scale
used to evaluate the severity of ground shaking on the basis of observed effects in an area of the
earthquake occurrence.
 Fossils and advanced genetic methods to study relationships between species now tell an
intriguing story about a group of tropical centipedes. Continental drift (the moving apart of
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continents) almost 100 million years ago created many species of Ethmostigmus centipedes in
the world's tropics. In the Indian peninsula, these centipedes first originated in the southern and
central Western Ghats, and then spread across the ranges here, India is home to six, fairly large
Ethmostigmus centipedes: four dwell in the Western Ghats, one in the Eastern Ghats and one in
north-east India. The results suggest that a single ancestor gave rise to all Ethmostigmus
centipedes in the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana (continents including Australia, Africa
and peninsular India comprised this single land mass then). The subsequent breakup of
Gondwana and the drifting away of different landmasses shaped the early evolutionary history
of Ethmostigmus and the Ethmostigmus in peninsular India are very unique. They started
evolving at a time when peninsular India was moving towards south Asia. This started around
72 million years ago, in the southern and central Western Ghats. Following this, the
Ethmostigmus here dispersed to the Eastern Ghats (now home to E. tristis).
 The ‗Periodic Table of Elements‘, or simply, ‗The Table‘ for many, was written by Dmitri
Ivanovich Mendeleev on 17th February 1869. Therefore, the United Nations General
Assembly and UNESCO have decided to celebrate 2019 as the ―International Year of the
Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019)‖. Since 2016, the periodic table has 118
confirmed elements, from element 1 (hydrogen) to 118 (oganesson). Elements 113, 115, 117
and 118, the most recent discoveries, were officially confirmed by the International Union of
Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in December 2015. Their proposed names, nihonium
(Nh), moscovium (Mc), tennessine (Ts) and oganesson (Og) respectively, were announced by
the IUPAC in June 2016 and made official in November 2016. Mendeleev was not the first one
to create a table of elements. Earliest of such efforts was due to the father of modern chemistry,
Antoine Lavoisier in 1789 who classified them in terms of their properties.
 John Newlands introduced the concept of octaves in chemistry, where in properties repeat for
every eighth element. There were other attempts too. Mendeleev‘s finding was that ―The
elements, if arranged according to their atomic weights, exhibit an evident stepwise variation of
properties‖. In his Faraday Lecture, delivered in 1889 the statement of the periodic law
appeared in the more familiar form: ―The elements, if arranged according to their atomic
weights, exhibit an evident periodicity of properties‖. While putting together all the 63
elements known at that time, his periodic table placed four slots between the known ones with
question marks. He labeled them with a prefix, eka. All eka elements were discovered
subsequently: eka aluminum (gallium) in 1875; eka boron (scandium) in 1879; eka silicon
(germanium) in 1886 and eka manganese (technitium) in 1937. Periodic table predicted the
properties such as metallicity, density, melting point, etc., of the eka elements.Today; all the
118 elements are put in the periodic table based on the periodic law. Periodicity in properties
made systematization of information. Modern periodic law states that, ―the properties of the
elements are periodic functions of their atomic numbers.‖ This restatement is due to Moseley
who worked on the topic in 1913. Here, we must note that Mendeleev related the properties to
atomic weights at a time when atomic numbers or number of protons in the atomic nucleus was
unknown. Eternity. For that reason, element 101 is aptly named as Mendelevium
(Md).Although narrowly missed the Nobel Prize of 1906, he became one of the 15 scientists to
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be remembered with anelement, a more illustrious recognition considering that 181 have won a
Nobel Prize in chemistry so far.
 When people had a mutation in ―PCSK9gene‖, they ended up with lower levels of low density
lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol. Through this mechanism, the mutation protected people
against heart disease, seemingly without side effects. In 2016, Ms. Hobbs was awarded the
Break through Prize in Life Sciences for her work. Geneticist Helen Hobbs‘ work on coronary
heart disease(CAD) led to the development of PCSK9 inhibitors – the most powerful
cholesterol lowering drugs to hit the market since statins. These drugs fight the PCSK9 protein,
which prevents ―bad‖ low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from being removed from
blood. There is Inclisiran, a small interfering RNA, which is being tested in humans. Because
PCSK9 is made in the liver, you can inhibit it at thelevel of messenger RNA. Inclisiran,which
does this, requires an injection every six months.
 'Pterocarpus santalinus', with the common names red sanders and red sandalwood, is a
species endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats mountain range of South India. This tree is
valued for the rich red color of its wood. The wood is not aromatic. Its IUCN conservation
status is "Near Threatened".
 ―Missense mutations‖ in this gene (missense mutations alter the makeup of a protein coded
for by a gene; in contrast, nonsense mutations stop the production of the protein).
 Dr. Hobbs, who won the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, discovered a mutation in
a gene called PCSK9, which particularly protects African Americans against heart disease. The
Breakthrough Prize is a set of international awards bestowed in three categories by
Breakthrough Prize Board in recognition of scientific advance. The awards are part of several
"Breakthrough" initiatives founded and funded by Yuri Milner, along with Breakthrough
Initiatives and Breakthrough Junior Challenge. Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics,
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. The PCSK9
discoveries led to the development of PCSK9 inhibitors, said to be the most effective drugs to
lower cholesterol or low density lipoprotein (LDL) since statins.
 Gaganyaan was announced on August 15, 2018 as a marquee mission for the 75th year of
Independence. It is slated to take place at a ‗near Earth‘ distance of 400 km. Before that, two
unmanned trial flights with human friendly capsules are to be flown in 2020, carrying a few
micro gravity experiments.
 The recent detection of the antibiotic resistant (AR) gene NDM1, first isolated in India, in the
Arctic region is a further indication of the globalization of antimicrobial resistance. The
research was conducted in the High Arctic zone (Kongsfjorden region of Svalbard) and
scientists were surprised to find a rather robust presence of NDM1. The first finding of NDM1
in the environment, rather than a clinic setting, was in surface waters of Delhi, in 2010. So
finding NDM1 in the High Arctic three years after the first report of its presence in the
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environment was very intriguing. The results show how far reaching and fast resistance can
move around the globe. Additionally, discovered levels of mobile genetic elements (MGEs),
the mechanism by which bacteria ‗trade‘AR, to mirror NDM1. MGEs are noteworthy here
because they are often associated with ‗acquired‘ resistance and are found at higher levels in
human, or animal waste impacted environments. The findings point towards the involvement of
migratory birds, who could carry the resistance in the gut and transfer it to the Arctic soil
through faecal matter.
 Multispectral imaging can capture texts in manuscripts that are affected by pests, fungus,
overwritten, scribbled, blackened or scraped and cannot be seen with bare eyes. It uses infrared
and ultraviolet rays to retrieve texts. Spectral imaging can allow extraction of additional
information the human eye fails to capture with its receptors for red, green and blue. It is used
for Land Mine Detection, Ballistic Missile Detection, Space-based imaging.
 The Indian pangolin, thick-tailed pangolin, or scaly anteater is a pangolin found on the Indian
subcontinent. Its IUCN status is endangered.
 Hornbills are secondary cavity nesters and choose cavities formed in large trees for nesting.
Also they are monogamous. The great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) also known as the great
Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It is
found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Its IUCN status is Vulnerable.
 Mariculture is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine

organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in
tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater.
 ―Aspergillus fumigates‖ is a fungus that occurs virtually everywhere on earth, as a dark grey,
wrinkled cushion on damp walls or in microscopically small spores that blow through the air
and cling to wallpaper, mattresses and floors. Healthy people usually have no problem if the
spores find their way into their body as their immune defence system will put the spores out of
action. However, the fungus can threaten the lives of people with a compromised immune
system such as AIDS patients or people who are immune suppressed following an organ
transplantation.
 Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of your

digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and
malnutrition.
 Blackbuck National Park at Velavadar is situated in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state,
India. The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope
found in India, Nepal and Pakistan. It has the IUCN conservation status "Least Concern".
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 Sexual dimorphism is prominent, as males are heavier and darker than the females.
 A new rainfed agriculture atlas has been released recently. It has been released by Revitalising
Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network. The atlas not only maps the agro biodiversity and socio-
economic conditions prevailing in such areas, but also attempts to document the policy biases
that are making farming unviable for many in these areas.
 Scientists have discovered massive mountains in the Earth‟s mantle, an advance that may
change our understanding of how the planet was formed. Most school children learn that the
Earth has three layers: a crust, mantle and core, which is subdivided into an inner and outer
core.While that is not wrong, it does leave out several other layers that scientists have identified
within the Earth. In a study published in the journal Science, scientists used data from an
enormous earthquake in Bolivia to find mountains and other topography on a layer located 660
km straight down, which separates the upper and lower mantle. Lacking a formal name for this
layer, the researchers simply call it ―the 660 km boundary.‖
 A weakened cleaning system of the brain cells in animals and humans is central to developing
Alzheimer‘s disease, according to a study which may lead to new treatments for the neuro
degenerative disorder. Researchers, including those from the University of Copenhagen in
Denmark, found that improving mitophagy, the cleaning system of the brain cells nearly
removed the symptoms of Alzheimer‘s in the animals.
 Mark I (MkI) Tejas, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) designed and developed in India,
overcame its last hurdle by finally bagging what is called the FOC certification. The FOC or
final operational clearance, coming on the first day of Aero India 2019, certifies that the
world‘s lightest fighter plane is ready for battle.
 U.S. aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin unveiled an F21 fighter, an upgraded variant of
the F16 fighter jet, at Aero India, pitching it for the Air Force tender for 114jets.
 The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is a

research institute created and funded by Government of India. It was established in Nagpur in
1958 with focus on water supply, sewage disposal, communicable diseases and to some extent
on industrial pollution and occupational diseases found common in post-independent India.
NEERI is a pioneer laboratory in the field of environmental science and engineering and part of
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). NEERI has five zonal laboratories at
Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. NEERI falls under the Ministry of Science
and Technology (India) of central government.
 Australia officially declared a Great Barrier Reef rodent "extinct", making it the first mammal
believed to have been killed off by human-induced climate change. The ratlike Bramble Cay
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Melomys — whose only known habitat was a small sandy island in far northern Australia —
has not been spotted in a decade.
 The Low-Frequency Array or LOFAR, is a large radio telescope network located mainly in
the Netherlands, completed in 2012 by ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio
Astronomy and its international partners, and operated by ASTRON's radio observatory, of the
Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. LOFAR consists of a vast array of
omnidirectional antennas using a new concept in which the signals from the separate antennas
are not combined in real time as they are in most array antennas. The electronic signals from
the antennas are digitized, transported to a central digital processor, and combined in software
to emulate a conventional antenna. Forty of these stations are distributed across the Netherlands
and were funded by ASTRON. The five stations in Germany, and one each in Great Britain,
France, Sweden and Ireland, were funded by these countries. Further stations may also be built
in other European countries. The data processing is performed by a Blue Gene/Psupercomputer
situated in the Netherlands at the University of Groningen. LOFAR is also a technology
precursor for the Square Kilometre Array.
 The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a large multi radio telescope project proposed to be
built in Australia and South Africa. If built, it would have a total collecting area of
approximately one square kilometre. It would operate over a wide range of frequencies and its
size would make it 50 times more sensitive than any other radio instrument. It would require
very high performance central computing engines and long-haul links with a capacity greater
than the global Internet traffic as of 2013. It should be able to survey the sky more than ten
thousand times faster than before. With receiving stations extending out to a distance of at least
3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) from a concentrated central core, it would exploit radio
astronomy's ability to provide the highest resolution images in all astronomy. The SKA would
be built in the southern hemisphere, with cores in South Africa and Australia, where the view
of the Milky WayGalaxy is the best and radio interference at its least. The headquarters of the
project are located at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, in the UK.
 BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) is a mini version based on the existing BrahMos, will have
same 290 km range and mach 3.5 speed but it will weigh around 1.5 tons, 5 meters in length
and 50 cm in diameter, making BrahMos-NG 50 percent lighter and three meters shorter than
its predecessor.
 India‘s defence and security partnership with Israel has already proven useful to its security
and military modernization drive. In 1998, Israel provided India with valuable intelligence on
Pakistani positions during the Kargil war. More recently, India and Israel have collaborated on
a $777 million project to develop a maritime version of the Barak 8, a surface to air missile
that India successfully tested in January. India has also reportedly agreed to purchase 54
HAROP attack drones for the Indian Air Force and two airborne warning and control systems
(AWACS) worth over $800 million from Israel. Due to its technological sophistication and
warm relations, Israel has become one of India‘s top suppliers of military technology.
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 ―Hippocamp‖, originally known as S/2004 N 1, is a small moon of Neptune, about 34.8 km in

diameter, which orbits the planet in just under one Earth day. According to their research,
Hippocamp is just 20 miles in diameter and a thousandth of the mass of Proteus, the much-
larger moon next to it. It also zips around Neptune at a speed of about 20,000 miles an hour,
which is 10 times faster than our Moon circles Earth. If Hippocamp was around 4 billion years
ago, Proteus would have likely destroyed the smaller moon while clearing its orbit around
Neptune. This led the researchers to conclude that Hippocamp likely formed when a chunk of
Proteus broke off following a collision with a comet or asteroid.
 The Belle experiment was a particle physics experiment conducted by the Belle Collaboration,
an international collaboration of more than 400 physicists and engineers, at the High Energy
Accelerator Research Organisation (KEK) in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The
experiment ran from 1999 to 2010. The Belle II experiment is an upgrade of Belle that was
approved in June 2010. It is currently being commissioned, and is anticipated to start operation
in 2018.SuperKEKB is a particle collider located at KEK (High Energy Accelerator Research
Organisation) in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. SuperKEKB collides electrons with
positrons for the Belle II experiment.
 Lake Urmia is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is located between the provinces of
East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan in Iran, and west of the southern portion of the Caspian
Sea. At its greatest extent, it was the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth-largest
saltwater lake on Earth, with a surface area of approximately 5,200 km2, a length of 140 km, a
width of 55 km , and a maximum depth of 16 m . The lake has shrunk to 10% of its former size
due to damming of the rivers that flow into it, and the pumping of groundwater from the
surrounding area.
 An endorheic basin is a limited drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no
outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but converges instead into
lakes or swamps, permanent or seasonal, that equilibrate through evaporation. Such a basin
may also be referred to as a closed or terminal basin or as an internal drainage system or
interior drainage basin. Endorheic water bodies include some of the largest lakes in the world,
such as the Caspian Sea, the world's largest saline inland sea.
 Asphalt, also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black, and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid
form of petroleum. The primary use (70%) of asphalt is in road construction, where it is used as
the glue or binder mixed with aggregate particles to create asphalt concrete.
 The Assam government has been urged to take action against the Numaligarh Refinery
Limited (NRL) for non compliance of the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal‘s
orders to demolish a wall erected on a major elephant corridor. The refinery is in Golaghat and
a 2.2 km wall around its extended township is on the Deopahar Reserve Forest, besides
blocking the route of elephants. The reserve forest falls within the No Development Zone
around Kaziranga National Park.
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 The world‘s largest bee — a giant insect roughly the size of a human thumb — has been
rediscovered in a remote part of Indonesia in its first sighting in nearly 40 years. Despite its
conspicuous size, no one had observed Wallace‘s giant bee — discovered in the 19th century
by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and nicknamed the “flying bulldog” — in the wild
since 1981. The bee (Megachile pluto), which lives in the Indonesian island region of North
Moluccas, makes its nest in termite mounds, using its large fang like mandibles to collect sticky
resin to protect its home from the termites.
 The National Tiger Conservation Authority in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India
has developed an app christened as M-STrIPES.
 Fuego is an active Stratovolcano in Guatemala. A Stratovolcano also known as a composite

volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava, tephra, pumice
and ash.
 The Afar Triangle(also called the Afar Depression) is a geological depression caused by the
Afar Triple Junction, which is part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa.The Afar
Depression is the product of a tectonic triple-rifts junction (the Afar Triple Junction), where
the spreading ridges forming the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden emerge on land and meet the
East African Rift. The conjunction of these three plates of Earth's crust is near Lake Abbe.
The Afar Depression is one of two places on Earth where a mid-ocean ridge can be studied
on land, the other being Iceland.A large crack, stretching several kilometres, made a sudden
appearance recently in south-western Kenya. The tear, which continues to grow, caused part of
the Nairobi-Narok highway to collapse. The East African Rift Valley stretches over 3,000km
from the Gulf of Aden in the north towards Zimbabwe in the south, splitting the African plate
into two unequal parts: the Somali and Nubian plates. Activity along the eastern branch of
the rift valley, running along Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, became evident when the large
crack suddenly appeared in south-western Kenya.
 (486958) 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, is a trans-Neptunian object located in the
Kuiper belt. It is a contact binary 31 km long, composed of two joined bodies 19 km and 14
km across that are nicknamed "Ultima" and "Thule‖, respectively. With the New Horizons
space probe's flyby on 1 January 2019, 2014 MU69 became the farthest object in the Solar
System visited by a spacecraft, and is believed to be the most primitive, both bodies being
planetesimal aggregates of much smaller building blocks. The Kuiper belt occasionally called
the Edgeworth–Kuiper belt, is a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending from
the orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the
asteroid belt, but is far larger—20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive. The Kuiper
belt is home to three officially recognized dwarf planets: Pluto, Haumea and Makemake.
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 The Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) is a large raptorial bird that is distributed
through much of Eurasia. It is also known as the black vulture, monk vulture, or Eurasian
black vulture.It is classified as Near Threatened in IUCN Red List. It is usually during the
winter - the Cinereous vulture, with a blacked tipped pink beak – migrates from the
mountainous regions of Europe and Asia to warmer places, including India. While earlier
records of this migratory bird have revealed that it comes to northern parts of India up to
Rajasthan, bird watchers and researchers were baffled to find it in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
 Shola forests are found in the higher altitude hill regions of the Nilgiris,Palni hills, Anamalai
hills, Megamalai, Agasthyamalai, Kerala High Ranges Idukki district, the Western Ghats
and associated ranges in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Most of this loss
occurred on the mountain tops of the Nilgiri, Palani and Anamalai hill ranges, which comprise
more than half of the Ghat‘s shoal grassland ecosystems, primarily due to the expansion of
exotic trees (pine,acacia and eucalyptus).
 The Chang‘e 4 lunar probe of China, which has a lander and a rover, touched down at a
targeted area near the moon‘s South Pole in the Von Karman Crater.
 Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borneviral hemorrhagic fever endemic to South

Asia. The disease is caused by a virus belonging to the familyFlaviviridae, which also includes
yellow fever and dengue fever. The disease was first reported fromKyasanur Forest of
Karnatakain India in March 1957. The disease first manifested as an epizootic outbreak
among monkeys killing several of them in the year 1957. Hence the disease is also locally
known as monkey disease or monkey fever.
 Silicosis (also known as miner's phthisis, grinder's asthma, potter's rot and other occupation-
related names) is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystallinesilica
dust, and is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper
lobes of the lungs. Silicosis (particularly the acute form) is characterized by shortness of breath,
cough, fever, and cyanosis (bluish skin). Silicosis is incurable, clinical management includes
removing the worker from the industry and giving symptomatic treatment,‖ the WHO says.
 China has named the lunar rover, successfully deployed recently to carry out a string of
experiments on the unexplored far side of the moon, as ‗Yutu 2' ("Jade Rabbit 2") rover.
 An Allele is a variant form of a given gene. Each of two or more alternative forms of a gene
that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome. The short answer is
that an allele is a variant form of a gene. Explained in greater detail, each gene resides at a
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specific locus (location on a chromosome) in two copies, one copy of the gene inherited from
each parent. The copies, however, are not necessarily the same. When the copies of a gene
differ from each other, they are known as alleles. A given gene may have multiple different
alleles, though only two alleles are present at the gene‘s locus in any individual.
 The leaf fossil is the first of Dioscorea yams from Asia and hints at a Gondwanan origin to
these plants, leading a dig in the Eocene era (3856 million years ago). Gurha lignite mine in
Bikaner in western Rajasthan, they obtained two well preserved fossils of large leaves.They are
about 16 cm long, The team named their new find Dioscorea eocenicus: the first ever
Dioscorea fossil recorded from Asia. Currently, species of Dioscorea in India are found in the
humid, tropical forests of the country. So what caused such adrastic change in climate?- As the
Indian subcontinent broke away from the supercontinent Gondwanaland many millions of years
ago and drifted towards the Equator, the resulting tropical weather created lush tropical forests
here. As the landmass moved further north and away from the equator, dry vegetation replaced
these forests.
 Mercury is a heavy metal that is predominant in the environment. It mixes with the
environment due to both natural (e.g. volcanic activity) and anthropogenic (e.g. electrical
appliances such as mercury lamps) activity. With allowed levels of mercury in drinking
water and effluents being in the range of 1–10 microgram per litre, it becomes necessary to
develop sensors that can measure mercury levels in water with high sensitivity and
selectivity. Mercury is the only metallic element that is liquid at standard conditions for
temperature and pressure; the only other element that is liquid under these conditions is
bromine, though metals such as caesium, gallium, and rubidium melt just above room
temperature.
 Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic infection spread by Anopheles mosquitoes. The

Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria is neither a virus nor a bacterium – it is a single-celled
parasite that multiplies in red blood cells of humans as well as in the mosquito intestine.
 Agasthyarkoodam is a 1868 m (6129ft) tall peak within Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala in
the Western Ghats of South India. However peak lies in the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
This peak is a part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve which lies on the border between
the Indian states of kerala (in Pathanamthitta, Kollam&Thiruvananthapuram districts) and
Tamil Nadu (in Kanyakumari district, Tirunelveli district). Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve
is among 20 new sites added by UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in
March 2016.
 Messenger RNA, which can induce cells to produce therapeutic Proteins, holds great promise
for treating a variety of diseases. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a large family of RNA
molecules that convey genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where they specify the
amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression. RNA polymerase transcribes
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primary transcript mRNA (known as pre-mRNA) into processed, mature mRNA. This mature
mRNA is then translated into a polymer of amino acids: a protein, as summarized in the central
dogma of molecular biology. As in DNA, mRNA genetic information is in the sequence of
nucleotides, which are arranged into codons consisting of three base pairs each. Each codon
encodes for a specific amino acid, except the stop codons, which terminate protein synthesis.
This process of translation of codons into amino acids requires two other types of RNA:
Transfer RNA (tRNA), that mediates recognition of the codon and provides the corresponding
amino acid, and ribosomal RNA (rRNA), that is the central component of the ribosome's
protein-manufacturing machinery.
 Kani tribals will organise a variation of 'namajapa' protest to oppose the presence of women
near their celibate God at the peak of Agasthyarkoodam hills within the Neyyar Wildlife
Sanctuary.
 An enzyme called Rubisco is key to the process of converting atmospheric carbon into an
organic compound the plant consumes, a process known as ―carbon fixation.‖ But the enzyme
also acts to ―fix‖ atmospheric oxygen, converting it into toxic compounds that the plant
expends considerable energy eliminating — energy that could otherwise be spent in growing.
This competing process is known as 'photorespiration'.
 The Illinois team came up with the idea of implanting bits of algae DNA into the tobacco
plant‘s cells to create a type of biological shortcut that would speed up photorespiration.
When a plant uses less energy on photorespiration, it is able to take that energy and put it into
plant growth and plant productivity, rather than using it to metabolise this toxic compound.
 Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have experimentally shown that
methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) can exist as gas hydrates at temperatures and pressures
seen in interstellar atmosphere. Gas hydrates are formed when a gas such as methane gets
trapped in well defined cages of water molecules forming crystalline solids. In terrestrial
conditions, gas hydrates are formed naturally under the sea bed and glaciers under high
pressure, low temperature conditions.Methane hydrate is a potential source of natural gas.
 Hemis National Park (or Hemis High Altitude National Park) is a high altitude national park
in the eastern Ladakh region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. It is the only
national park in India that is north of the Himalayas, the largest notified protected area in India
(largest National park) and is the second largest contiguous protected area, after the Nanda
Devi Biosphere Reserve and surrounding protected areas.
 The two DNA strands are also known as polynucleotides as they are composed of simpler
monomeric units called nucleotides. Each nucleotide is composed of one of four nitrogen-
containing nucleobases (cytosine [C], guanine [G], adenine [A] or thymine [T]), a sugar called
deoxyribose, and a phosphate group.The complementary nitrogenous bases are divided into
two groups, pyrimidines and purines. In DNA, the pyrimidines are thymine and cytosine; the
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purines are adenine and guanine. Both strands of double-stranded DNA store the same
biological information. A large part of DNA (more than 98% for humans) is non-coding,
meaning that these sections do not serve as patterns for protein sequences. The two strands of
DNA run in opposite directions to each other and are thus antiparallel. Attached to each sugar is
one of four types of nucleo bases (informally, bases). It is the sequence of these four
nucleobases along the backbone that encodes genetic information. RNA strands are created
using DNA strands as a template in a process called transcription. Under the genetic code, these
RNA strands specify the sequence of amino acids within proteins in a process called
translation.
 Sanjay Gubbi of Karnataka and Purnima Barman of Assam have won the prestigious
Whitley Award, 2017 popularly known as Green Oscars, for their efforts in wildlife
conservation.The awards are instituted by the U.K.-registered charity Whitley Fund for
Nature, which supports nature conservationists in their endeavour to conserve wildlife and
nature. While Mr. Gubbi has been awarded for his work to protect tiger corridors in
Karnataka, Ms. Barman has won the award for her work in conservation of Assam‘s Greater
Adjutant Stork and its habitat.
 Earth‘s magnetic field is constantly on the move, but lately its behavior has become
downright erratic magnetic North is veering away from Canada and toward Siberia. Experts
aren‘t sure what‘s going on. According to a report published in Nature, the movement could
have something to do with hydromagnetic waves from deep in the planet‘s core. Or maybe a
fast-moving jet of liquid iron is to blame. The World Magnetic Model (WMM) — a
representation of the global magnetic field is in need of an update. The problem: they can‘t
update it until the government shutdown ends. Researchers from the U.S.‘s National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintain the WMM, and its role in modern
navigation is hard to overstate. The magnitude at the Earth's surface ranges from 25 to 65
microteslas (0.25 to 0.65 gauss).
 SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has unveiled the first pictures of a retro-looking, steely rocket called
Starship that may one day carry people to the Moon and Mars.An orbital prototype is
expected in June. That version will be paired with a massive rocket booster known as the Super
Heavy. SpaceX has said the duo could some day transport people from city to city on Earth, as
well as propel passengers around the Moon, to the lunar surface, and even to Mars and back.
 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) work on ‗Gaganyaan‘, the project to send
a manned mission to space by 2022, would start soon at the newly created Human Space
Flight Centre (HSFC).The Human Space Flight Centre [based in Bengaluru] will carry out all
activities related to the human programme. Under it will function the Gaganyaan Project.
 The Karman line is an attempt to define a boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer
space.This is important for legal and regulatory measures; aircraft and spacecraft fall under
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different jurisdictions and are subject to different treaties. The Kármán Line is located at an
altitude of 100 kilometers above the Earth‘s sea level. The line is named after Theodore von
Kármán (1881-1963), a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist.
He is known as the father of supersonic flight.
 A ketogenic diet, which is bandied as a weight loss technique, is derived from coaxing the
body to make small molecules called―ketones‖. This is an alternative fuel source for the body
and used when blood sugar (glucose) is in short supply. Ketones are made when carbohydrates
(that easily break into glucose) are removed and limited protein becomes the main constituent
of diet. The liver produces ketones from fat. These ketones then serve as a fuel source
throughout the body, especially for the brain.
 The Hayflick limit or the Hayflick phenomenon, this refers to the natural limit that exists on
the number of times a normal human cell population divides before cell division stops. After
each cell division, the telomeres at the ends of the cell decrease in length slightly. This process
continues until the cell becomes so short that it cannot divide further. The phenomenon is
named after American anatomist Leonard Hayflick who first proposed the idea after conducting
a study of human fetal cells in 1961. It was earlier believed that cells can divide forever and are
thus immortal. The Hayflick limit differs across various organisms with the human cell
dividing about 50 to 70 times over its lifespan.
 The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) is an international programme that focuses on

monitoring the status of waterbirds and wetlands. It also aims to increase public awareness on
issues related to wetland and waterbird conservation. The census is carried out each January as
a voluntary activity at national and local level.The AWC is co-coordinated by Wetlands
International- as part of global programme, the ―International Waterbird Census‖.In India,
the AWC is annually coordinated by the Bombay Natural history Society (BNHS) and
Wetlands International. BNHS is a non government Organisation (NGO) founded in the year
1883. It engages itself in the conservation of nature and natural resources and also in the
research and conservation of endangered species. Its mission is to conserve nature, primarily
biological diversity through action based on research, education and public awareness.
 Nobel laureate James Watson,co discoverer of the DNA helix and father of the Human
Genome Project, has been stripped of honorary titles at the laboratory where he worked for
four decades, following ―reprehensible‖ remark.
 The Renuka dam project has been conceived as a storage project on the Giri River (a
tributary of the Yamuna) in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. Water from the Renuka
dam will be used by U.P., Haryana and National Capital Territory of Delhi from Hathnikund
barrage, by the NCT of Delhi from Wazirabad barrage and by U.P., Haryana and Rajasthan
from the Okhla barrage.
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 The Centre signed an agreement with the Chief Ministers of five States — Rajasthan, U.P.,
Uttarakhand, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh- to restart construction of the Renuka multipurpose
dam project in the Upper Yamuna Basin at a cost of ₹4,596.76 crore for supplying water to
Delhi and other basin States.
 Tajewala Barrage is a now decommissioned but existing old barrage across the Yamuna
River, located in Yamuna Nagar District, in the state of Haryana.Completed in 1873, it
regulated the flow of the Yamuna for irrigation in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana through two
canals originating at this place namely Western Yamuna Canal and Eastern Yamuna Canal,
as well as the municipal water supply to Delhi.
 The Okhla barrage (Okhla Weir and Okhla bridge), is 791 meters or roughly 800-yard long
weir across Yamuna River opened in 1874, is today the location of Okhla Bird Sanctuary
10 km to the south of New Delhi and downstream of Nizamuddin bridge at Okhla, where
Agra canal originates from it. The top of barrage also serves as the Delhi-Noida carriage way
of Mahamaya-Kalindi Kunj road. Nearby later-era New Okhla Barrage is 554 meters long.It is
under the management of the government of Uttar Pradesh.
 India won global acclaim for its ―Beat Plastic Pollution‖ resolve declared on World
Environment Day last year, under which it pledged to eliminate single use plastic by 2022.
 The 24th Conference of the Parties (COP 24) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), held at Katowice in Poland, brings little cheer on the climate front for
developing countries.
 The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) is the ratio between the amount of carbon dioxide
(CO2) produced in metabolism and oxygen (O2) used. Respiration is the process that gets
oxygen from the air to the tissues of the body and removes carbon dioxide from the body.
Metabolism refers to all the chemical reactions in the body, including those that use oxygen and
create carbon dioxide.
 17 people were trapped in 'Ksan coal mine' in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills.
 The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is a

research institute created and funded by Government of India. It was established in Nagpur in
1958 with focus on water supply, sewage disposal, communicable diseases and to some extent
on industrial pollution and occupational diseases found common in post-independent India.
NEERI is a pioneer laboratory in the field of environmental science and engineering and part
of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). NEERI has five zonal laboratories
at Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. NEERI falls under the Ministry of
Science and Technology (India).The NEERI is an important partner organisation in India‘s
POPs national implementation plan (NIP).
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 The HAL Rudra, also known as ALH-WSI, is an armed version of HAL Dhruv.Rudra is
equipped with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) and Thermal Imaging Sights Interface, a
20 mm turret gun, 70 mm rocket pods, anti-tank guided missiles and air-to-air missiles.The
HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) is an Indian multirole combat helicopter developed and
manufactured by Indian aerospace manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It has
been ordered for both the Indian Air Forceand the Indian Army. The type is also intended to
be sold upon the export market, since 2015, HAL has been seeking other customers for the
LCH.The LCH is a derivative of the HAL Dhruv, which had been developed during the 1990s
and inducted into the Indian Armed Forces during the 2000s.
 The indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter has crossed a milestone, successfully
firing an air to air missile at a moving target, and it is now ready for induction, Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited, which is developing the helicopter.The LCH is the only attack
helicopter in the world that can operate at altitudes as high as Siachen Glacier.
 Tata Motors has received BS6 Type Approval certificate for its 3.8L NA SGI CNG engine
from ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India.With this it has become the first OEM
in India to achieve BS6 certification for a ‗naturally aspirated‘ CNG engine for
commercial vehicles, it added.
 Southern peninsular India hit by an asteroid larger than the one that wiped out dinosaurs and it
is the land between present day Nilgiris and Kodaikanal located on a crater formed by the
impact- Two earth scientists think so. scientific paper and have named the area ‗Kaveri
Crater‘, possibly the fourth largest in the world. The Kaveri Crater is between Nilgiris and
Kodaikanal. Both the Palghat Gap (a mountain pass) and Dhimbam Ghats are a part of the
Kaveri Crater, with the geological evidence stretching up to Belakavadi and Shivanasamudra in
Karnataka,The study, which was funded by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, suggests
that the crater has a diameter of 120 km.The asteroid hit may have taken place 800 million to
550 million years ago.Unlike the impact event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs about
65 million years ago, this one took place when there were very primitive life forms. Based on
crater size and impact angle, the geologists conclude that the extra terrestrial object was at least
five km in diameter. Unlike smaller craters, Kaveri Crater can be visualised only through
satellite images.
 ―Seasonal influenza (H1N1)‖ is a self limiting viral,air borne diseases spread from person to
person,through large droplets generated by the act of coughing and sneezing, indirect contact
by touching a contaminated object or surface [fomite transmission like telephone, cell phones,
computers, door handles, doorbells, pens, toys etc.]
 Un scientific use of the pesticide mixture, which included Cypermethrin and Quinalphos,
and excessive inhalation of the toxic gas emanating from it might have led to the tragedy.the
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department had not recommended the pesticide with the trade mark ‗Virat‘, a combination of
Cypermethrin and Quinalphos.
 Sensory neurons respond to one particular type of stimulus such as touch, sound, or light and
all other stimuli affecting the cells of the sensory organs, and converts it into an electrical signal
via transduction, which is then sent to the spinal cord or brain. Motor neurons receive signals
from the brain and spinal cord to control everything from muscle contractions to glandular
output. Interneurons connect neurons to other neurons within the same region of the brain or
spinal cord in neural networks.
 Selenium (Se) - This element with atomic number 34 is a non-metal with a peculiar electrical
capability. It conducts electricity only when light shines on it and is an insulator in the dark.
This property makes it useful in devices such as photo cells, light meters for cameras, copiers
and solar cells. Selenium is used in anti-dandruff shampoos.
 The new deposit was found with software known as Full Wave form Inversion (FWI), which
is run on a supercomputer and analyses reverberations of seismic sound waves to produce high
resolution 3D images of ancient layers of rock thousands of metres under the sea bed, helping
geologists locate oil and gas.
 The theme for Earth Hour 2019 is ―Change the Way We Live‖.
 Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease.

According to the WHO, infection occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans
through mosquitoes. The infection is usually acquired in childhood, causing hidden damage to
the lymphatic system.
 The World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending an alternative three drug treatment
(TRIPLE DRUG THERAPY) to accelerate the global elimination of lymphatic filariasis - a
disabling and dis figuring neglected tropical disease. The treatment, known as IDA, involves a
combination of ivermectin, diethyl carbamazine citrate and albendazole. It is being
recommended annually in settings where its use is expected to have the greatest impact.
 Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India and is famous for the phumdis
(heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil and organic matter at various stages of decomposition)
floating over it. The lake is located near Moirang in Manipur state, India.Considering the
ecological status and its biodiversity values, the lake was initially designated as a wetland of
international importance under the Ramsar Convention on 23 March 1990. It was also listed
under the Montreux Record on 16 June 1993, "a record of Ramsar sites where changes in
ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur".Located on this
phumdi, Keibul Lamjao National Park is the only floating national park in the world. The
'sangai' is an endemic and endangered subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in
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Manipur, India. It is also the state animal of Manipur. Its common English name is Manipur
brow-antlered deer or Eld's deer and the scientific name is Rucervus eldii eldii.
 Groundwater is the largest useable source of fresh water on the planet and more than two
billion people rely on it to drink or irrigate crops. It is slowly replenished through rainfall a
process known as recharge and discharges into lakes, rivers or oceans to maintain an overall
balance between water in and water out. Groundwater reserves are already under pressure as
the global population explodes and crop production rises in lockstep.
 Temperature: 21°C to 29°C is ideal for the production of tea. High temperature is required in
summer. The lowest temperature for the growth of tea is 16°C.Rainfall: 150-250 cm of rainfall
is required for tea cultivation. Soil: Tea shrubs require fertile mountain soil mixed with lime
and iron. The soil should be rich in humus.Land: Tea cultivation needs well drained land.
Stagnation of water is not good for tea plants. Heavy rainfall but no stagnancy of water, such
mountain slopes are good for tea cultivation.
 The Arrow is a family of anti-ballistic missiles designed to fulfill an Israeli requirement for a
missile defense system that would be more effective against ballistic missiles than the MIM-
104 Patriot surface-to-air missile. Jointly funded and produced by Israel and the United
States, development of the system began in 1986 and has continued since, drawing some
contested criticism. The Israeli and U.S. Defence Ministries said recently that they had
successfully tested the Arrow 3 interceptor system deployed at Israeli airbases. According to
the chairman of the Israeli Space Agency, Arrow 3 may serve as an anti-satellite weapon,
which would make Israel one of the world's few countries capable of shooting down satellites.
 Yellow rust is a fungal disease which turns crop‘s leaves yellowish It stops photosynthesis
activity.
 The term ―mosaicism‖ describes a situation in which different cells in the same individual have
different numbers or arrangements of chromosomes. It is called ―mosaicism‖ because, in a way,
the cells of the body are similar to the tiles of a mosaic. In a mosaic piece of art, each tile is
different. They have different shapes and colors. The tiles are fitted together to make a whole
picture.Presence of two or more populations of cells with different genotypes in one individual
who has developed from a single fertilized egg. Genetic mosaics may often be confused with
chimerism, in which two or more genotypes arise in one individual similarly to mosaicism.
However, the two genotypes arise from the fusion of more than one fertilized zygote in the
early stages of embryonic development, rather than from a mutation or chromosome loss.
 A wave rider is a hypersonic aircraft design that improves its supersonic lift-to-drag ratio by
using the shock waves being generated by its own flight as a lifting surface, a phenomenon
known as compression lift. A wave rider is a hypersonic aircraft that has a wedge-shaped
fuselage designed to improve its supersonic lift-to-drag ratio by using the shock waves
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generated by its own flight as a lifting force. The hypersonic vehicle was first carried by a
solid-propellant rocket and then separated as its own propulsion system took over. During the
independent flight, the test craft maintained ultrafast speeds above Mach 5.5.The research,
sponsored by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, aims to demonstrate
new aerodynamic technologies. It said the design of Starry Sky 2 (Xingkong-2)took three
years.
 According to information obtained from different sources Microsat-R and its payload come
assembled from a handful of laboratories of the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and is meant for military use. The satellite was ―assembled outside and
ISRO only interfaced it‖ with its own systems and the launch vehicle, just as it treats any
customer satellite.
 PSLV-C44 will be launched from the older First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. For its part, ISRO is experimenting on two aspects of
the vehicle. One is to re use a waste stage, the excitement is about reusing the spent fourth
stage [PS4] of the rocket as an orbiting platform for future experiments. Kalamsat a small
student payload will be the first to use PS4 as an orbital platform. For the third time in ISRO‘s
recent history, the mission team is slated to cut off and restart the PS4 engine twice over a flight
lasting around 100 minutes.
 Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary- is a national park, UNESCO Natural
World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve
in Assam, India. Manas is famous for its population of the wild water buffalo. The name of the
park is originated from the Manas River, which is named after the serpent goddess Manasa.
The Manas River is a major tributary of Brahmaputra River, which passes through the heart
of the national park.
 Kaziranga national Park is home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the
world, and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006 (now the highest tiger density is in Orang
National Park, Assam). The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild
water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Bird
Life International for conservation of avifaunal species.
 Novator 9M729: The Russian Missile that Broke INF Treaty's Back 1987 Intermediate-
range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. Russian artillery Chief Mikhail Matveevsky told a
briefing that the 9M729 missile‘s maximum range is 480km. The Intermediate Range Nuclear
Forces (INF) treaty bans missiles with arange above 500 km.
 INS Kohassa has been named after a White-Bellied Sea Eagle, which is a large bird of prey,
endemic to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
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 ISRO‘s PSLV C44 broke the silence over a brimming Pulicat lake as it lifted off from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre, (SHAR) to successfully place into orbit a military satellite, MicrosatR.
The mission with the modified PSLV with just two strap on motors, dubbed the PSLV DL
(dual strapons), marked another first for ISRO as it provided an alternative to its normal six
strapon motors. This will enable it to carry slightly higher payloads than its Core alone version.
MicrosatR, placed into orbit 13 and a half minutes after lift off ,is a defence application
satellite. It is the first time an Indian satellite was being placed by ISRO in a low orbit at an
altitude of 274km ISRO also used this launch as an opportunity to demonstrate the usability of
the fourth stage of the rocket after the satellites are ejected into orbit.
 India recently successfully launched military satellite Microsat-R for the Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) and students-built nano-satellite "Kalamsat" from
Sriharikota space port. The PSLV C44 is the first launch for the country's space agency in
2019.Kalamsat is said to be the lightest satellite of India. Contributed by college students and
the members of a Chennai-based organization-Space Kidz India -Kalamsat is the first to use
PS4 (the fourth stage of the vehicle) as a platform to orbit around the earth.
 Nitrogen makes up the bulk of earth's atmosphere: 78.1 percent by volume. It is so inert at
standard temperature and pressure that it was termed "azote" (meaning "without life") in
Antoine Lavoisier's Method of Chemical Nomenclature. Nevertheless, nitrogen is a vital part of
food and fertilizer production and a constituent of the DNA of all living things. Nitrogen is
inert, nonmetallic, colorless, odorless and tasteless.
 Meghalaya is a State under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution; national mining laws
should be exempted here.Rat-hole mining, which started with gusto in the 1980s, has poisoned
three rivers in the Jaintia hills: the Myntdu, Lunar and Lukha.
 After coping with successive droughts in the past few years, Sri Lanka‘smaize farmers are
now battling a tiny but powerful enemy – the fall army worm. According to the Agriculture
Department, the fall armyworm from the moth species and known by the scientific name
Spodoptera frugiperda – is said to have come from India, carried by strong winds across the
Palk Strait. First detected in October, it has spread to many districts, threatening tens of
thousands of farmers.
 Oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu, is an antiviral medication used to treat and
prevent influenza A and influenza B.
 Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), a viral haemorrhagic disease endemic to the region. Better
known as ‗Monkey Fever‘, KFD is primarily transmitted through ticks — in short, a tick borne
zoonotic disease. Doctors treat only the symptoms, for KFD has no known cure. Aralagodu is
the epicentre of the outbreak, but infected areas are also being reported in villages across four
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districts of Karnataka (Shivamogga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and Uttara Kannada) and in
Kerala (Wayanad) and Maharashtra (four cases). The virus belongs to the Flaviviridae
family, whose other members are responsible for causing Yellow Fever, Zika and Dengue.
Multiple species of ticks of the genus Haemaphysalis are the principal vectors. Infections peak
between November and March, which coincides with the larvae nymph cycles of ticks. ―KFD
emerged when the forests were cut down for roads, mines and plantations. This brought people
into closer contact with the virus that was cycling naturally between wild animals and ticks in
the forest. Villagers living near highly fragmented forests are more susceptible to the disease.
―Tick densities remain high in these forests, and with the presence of monkeys, peacocks,
rodents and other reservoirs, there is always a chance of the disease spilling over to the village.
The scope of the Monkey Fever Risk project is ambitious: over 15,000 ticks are to be sampled
and tested, data from hundreds of rodents collected, hundreds of pages of social surveys, and
creation of land use maps, micro climate data to be worked on, and so on,with each element
contributing a piece in the complex jigsaw puzzle.
 Bacterial leptospirosis (rat fever).
 The Indo-UK Monkey Fever Risk project. This collaborative initiative of 10 private and
government research institutes and the State Health Department seeks to optimise forest
benefits while minimizing the impact of KFD. Microbiologists, entomologists, epidemiologists,
animal health specialists, and social scientists are working together for a better understanding
of KFD.
 Zearalenone is a fungal toxin infesting cereals such as wheat, maize and barley. It attacks
crops while they are growing, but can also develop when cereals are stored without being dried
fully. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India does not impose maximum limits
for zearalenone, though the European Union (EU) does. Twenty four of the U.P. samples
exceeded the EU regulatory limits of 100-200mcg/kg of cereals. Based on this, the authors say
India should set limits on zearalenone in cereals. Fungal toxins are commonly found in food,
and can be a public health concern; India regulates the levels of some of these, including
aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, ergot and patulin. The first three infest cereals, while patulinis
found in apples. Each of these toxins has been associated with disease outbreaks. For example,
in 1974, a hepatitis outbreak in Rajasthan and Gujarat, which made 398 people sick and
killed 106, was linked to aflatoxinin wheat. Meanwhile, chronic aflatoxin consumption has
been shown to cause liver cancer. Zearalenone behaves like oestrogen, the female sex hormone,
and could cause endocrine disturbances in humans.
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 Epigenetics is the study of heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alterations in the
DNA sequence relating to or arising from non-genetic influences on gene expression.
 The Small Wood brown butterfly — very small, with a wing span of no more than 55 mm —
has been rediscovered in Sikkim a good 120 years after it was first found and classified in
1887.also called Lethe nicetella.
 The demoiselle crane (Grus Virgo) is a species of crane found in central Eurasia, ranging from
the Black Sea to Mongolia and North Eastern China. These cranes are migratory birds.
Least Concern (IUCN).Rajastan - The loud trumpeting comes from winter visitors to the
village thousands of demoiselle cranes that have migrated from eastern and central Asia.
 CMB Bharat, a project to listen to the faintest murmurs of the universe was mooted. CMB
expands into Cosmic Microwave Background. The scientific space project CMB Bharath as
been presented as a proposal to ISRO and is being considered by it.A consortium of Indian
cosmologists have proposed to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that they be
allowed to map the sky in specific cosmic microwave background (CMB) frequencies so as to
find the first signs of quantum gravity in space as part of the space agency's next astronomy
mission. The proposal comes as a response to ISRO's announcement of opportunities for its
next astronomy mission. ISRO, which has already launched one astronomy mission Astrosat
is, vetting the proposal, which has been named "CMB-Bharat". "CMB-Bharat's primary
scientific product will be maps of intensity and polarisation of the sky at CMB frequencies.
 The Planck mission by the European Space Agency has done some work on this but there is a
lot more scope."Planck was a space observatory operated by the European Space Agency
(ESA) from 2009 to 2013, which mapped the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave
background (CMB) at microwave and infra-red frequencies, with high sensitivity and small
angular resolution. The mission substantially improved upon observations made by the NASA
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).
 Fatty liver disease typically has few symptoms, and many people who have it do not know it.
But fatty liver disease raises the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and it can
progress to a more severe condition called Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, which is a
leading cause of liver cancer, cirrhosis and liver transplants.
 A team of researchers in the U.S. has developed a new tool that images blood flow through
blood capillaries. Called spectral contrast optical coherence to mography angiography
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(SCOCTA), the 3D imaging technique can detect subtle changes in capillary organisation for
early diagnosis of disease. More than 40 billion capillaries, which are tiny, hair like blood
vessels, are tasked with carrying oxygen and nutrients to the far reaches of the human body.
 Minimalist Machine Learning- Mathematicians at the Department of Energy‘s Lawrence

Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), U.S., have developed a new approach to
machine learning aimed at experimental imaging data. Rather than relying on the tens or
hundreds of thousands of images used by typical machine learning methods, this new approach
―learns‖ much more quickly and requires far fewer images. The technique is formally called the
―Mixed Scale Dense Convolution Neural Network (MSD)‖. It requires far fewer parameters
than traditional methods, converges quickly, and has the ability to ―learn‖ from a remarkably
small training set. Their approach is already being used to extract biological structure from cell
images, and is poised to provide a major new computational tool to analyse data across a wide
range of research areas.
 Saruscrane-Its numbers pushed to the edge by habitat degradation and human callousness, the
world‘s tallest flying bird now seems to be getting a new lease of life in Uttar Pradesh, where
it enjoys the status of official State bird. The IUCN has marked it as ‗vulnerable‘ in its list of
threatened species.It is not only the tallest flying bird in the world, it is also India‘s only
resident breeding crane. The population of the Saruscrane, a bird distinguishable by its red
upper neckand white collar, has climbed to 15,938 as per the 2018 census (summer). This is a
jump of 5.2% from 2017, when there were 15,138 Saruscranes across U.P., as per the State
Forest and Wildlife department. while in general, wetlands are under tremendous pressure
across U.P.Rice paddies provide a suboptimal habitat to the Sarus despite the threats from
human beings. Change in the cropping pattern from paddy to sugarcane is also a reason for low
Sarus count in such areas.
 The Ludhiana based Punjab Agricultural University has developed a unique pumpkin variety
that doesn't have a hard seed coat.It is the first variety of „soft‟ seeded pumpkin in India and its
cultivation at commercial level will meet the domestic requirement of snackseed and bakery
industryas well as offer opportunities for exports.
 Ornithologists, bird lovers and photographers from all over the country assembled at the scenic
Mangalajodi, on the banks of Chilika Lake in Odisha. The National Chilika Bird Festival
Award was awarded to Mangalajodi Ecotourism Group for their active involvement in bird
protection. Chilika, which lies in the Central Asian Flyway for birds, is a major stopover for
migratory birds from the the Arctic and the Sub Arctic regions in the course of their onward
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and return migration along the east coast.Its importance as a significant global wetland habitat
and declared as Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA).
 The Hirakud Reservoir along with Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary has been accorded status
of an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA). After Nalabana Bird Sanctuary,
Similipal, Satkosia, Bhitarkanika, Chandaka, Sunabeda and Mangalajodi, Hirakud-Debrigarh is
the eighth approved IBA in Odisha. Under IBA Programme of Birdlife International,
world‘s largest wild bird conservation organisation, the reservoir and wildlife sanctuary have
been listed as an important site for holding significant number of globally threatened species
and having a global threshold population of waterfowl.
 High moisture content owing to the rains has triggered "fungal diseases" like quick wilt and
soft wilt that have massively destroyed vines.Quick wilt, also known as Phytophthora foot rot
disease, causes sudden death of black pepper vines. It was reported in black pepper in the
Wynad region of Kerala, India, as early as 1902. Water-soaked lesions with fimbricate margins
appear on leaf tips, bases of laminae, leaf margins, and leaf centers.Slow Wilt - Foliar
yellowing, defoliation and die-back are the aerial symptoms of this disease. The affected vines
exhibit varying degrees of root degeneration due to infestation by plant parasitic nematodes.
 Group of countries who‘ve signed a declaration to double tiger numbers by 2022, organised
by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Barring China, all other tiger-range countries
— Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Myanmar, India and Nepal — were part of the conference in New Delhi .
 In a significant find in the global spread of multi drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, scientists
have found a ―superbug‖ gene-first detected in New Delhi over a decade back- in one of the
last ―pristine‖ places on Earth that is some 12,870 km away.Soil samples taken in Svalbard — a
Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole — have now confirmed
the spread of blaNDM 1 (called New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase1).
 Niue, a tiny speck of land, lies around 2,400 km northeast of New Zealand. One of the world's
biggest coral islands, Niue does not have natural ponds or wetlands, so when Trevor turned up
a year ago he was believed to have blown in from New Zealand with a storm.
 The National Institute of Virology, Pune is an Indian virology research institute, and one of
the Translational science cells part of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It was
previously known as 'Virus Research Center' and was founded in collaboration with the
Rockefeller Foundation. It has been designated as a WHO H5 reference Laboratory for SE
Asia region.The study, led by authors from Pune‘s National Institute of Virology (NIV), is the
first to sequence full Zika virus genomes from India. ―It suggests that people in the region may
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have been previously exposed to the virus, building herd immunity that may limit future
outbreaks. During the latter half of 2018, India recorded its first major Zika outbreaks in
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Publication contradicts the ICMR's previous statements in two
ways. First, it indicates that the Rajasthan Zika strain is not closely related to the Brazilian one.
While this is good news, because it implies that a portion of the population could be immune, it
could also mean that Zika related birth defects such as microcephaly were occurring even
before the virus was first detected in India.
 New Caledonia features the world's largest lagoon and second largest Great Barrier Reef.
Chilika, the second largest lagoon in the world.
 The New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) was launched by the government earlier this
month and is a ₹300 crore initiative to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20-30% in at
least 102 cities by 2024. ―Airpocalypse III‖, as the Green peace report is titled, analyses air
pollution data of 313 cities and towns for the year 2017.
 A team of researchers discovered that cholecystokinin(CCK), a satiety hormone which is

highly expressed in memory formation, could, at higher levels, decrease a person‘s likelihood
of developing Alzheimer‘s disease by 65%, said the study published in the journal Neuro
biology of Aging.CCK is found in both the small intestines and the brain. In the small
intestines, CCK allows for the absorption of fats and proteins. In the brain, CCK is located in
the hippocampus, which is the memory forming region of the brain.
 Assam Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Shuklabaidya announced the success of the
Golden Langur Conservation Breeding Programme in the State. The golden langur
conservation project was undertaken at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati during the 2011-12
fiscal. Natural habitat Funded by the Central Zoo Authority, an isolated and undisturbed site
within the zoo was chosen to provide a natural habitat for the primates with a golden coat
endemic to Assam. In April 2018, the zoo authorities shifted a pair of golden langurs — Bolin
and Lovely — from the display enclosure to the isolated site. Lovely gave birth to a female
infant on December-26.The golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) is currently endangered.
 The Human Space Flight Centre, which will be the hub of ISRO‘s manned missions, was
inaugurated at the ISRO head quarters in Bengaluru. Announced on August 15 2018,
Gaganyaan, the country's first crewed mission, is set to happen by-2022.
 Cow urine a minor fount of research in India for its medicinal benefits may also contribute to
global warming. The urine from the ruminant is a source of nitrous oxide emissions (N2O), a
gas that is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.Most times, when cow urine is used in
degraded pastures, which are also seen invast tracts of land in India, N2O emissions are tripled.
That cattle and livestock area significant source of methane,a greenhouse gas, and therefore a
contributor to global warming, is well known. However, the role of cow urine is less
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understood. Degraded grasslands emitted more N2O than healthy pastures because the
vegetation in the latter took up some of the reactive nitrogen compounds and only the left overs
were emitted.
 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will get its new communication satellite
GSAT-31 aloft in space from French Guiana on a hired European rocket. GSAT-31, weighing
roughly 2,500 kg, will replace the INSAT-4CR. The latter with 12 Ku-band transponders was
put to orbit in September 2007 to drive what was thena new DTH industry.
 Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) gave formal approval to execute the Navy‘s Project75i
for six advanced submarines worth ₹40,000 crore through the Strategic Partnership (SP) model
of the Defence Procurement Procedure.Under the SP route, an Indian private strategic partner
will tie up with a foreign manufacturer to manufacture submarines domestically through
technology transfer The Project 75I-class submarine is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-
classsubmarines for the Indian Navy. Under this project, the Indian Navy intends to acquire
six diesel-electric submarines, which will also feature advanced Air-independent propulsion
(AIP) systems to enable them to stay submerged for longer duration and substantially increase
their operational range.
 A polar vortex is an upper level low-pressure area lying near the Earth's poles. There are
two polar vortices in the Earth's atmosphere, overlying the North and SouthPoles. Each polar
vortex is a persistent, large-scale, low-pressure zone that rotates counter-clockwise at the
North Pole (called a cyclone) and clockwise at the South Pole, i.e., both polar vortices rotate
eastward around the poles. The bases of the two polar vortices are located in the middle and
upper troposphere and extend into the stratosphere. Beneath that lies a large mass of cold, dense
Arctic air.
 A rare species of primitive human roamed the forests of Eurasia 200,000 years ago and may
have made tools and even jewellery, according to new research published.Denisovans-a cousin
of Neanderthals -were discovered in 2010 when scientists working in a cave in southern
Siberia obtained a finger bone of a girl belonging to a previously unidentified group of
humans.
 NASA scientists have discovered a gigantic cavity, almost 300 metres tall, growing at the
bottom of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, indicating rapid decay of the ice sheet
and acceleration in global sea levels due to climate change. The cavity was revealed by ice
penetrating radar inNASA‘s Operation Ice Bridge, an airborne campaign beginning in 2010
that studies connections between the polar regions and the global climate.Thwaites Glacier
(75°30′S106°45′W) is an unusually broad and fast Antarctic glacier flowing into Pine Island
Bay, part of the Amundsen Sea, east of Mount Murphy, on the Walgreen Coast of Marie
Byrd Land.Its surface speeds exceed 2 km/yr near its grounding line, and its fastest flowing
grounded ice is centred between 50 and 100 km east of Mount Murphy. It was named by
ACAN after Fredrik T. Thwaites, a glacial geologist, geomorphologist and professor
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emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.Thwaites Glacier drains into West

Antarctica‘s Amundsen Sea and is closely watched for its potential to raise sea levels. Along
with Pine Island Glacier, Thwaites Glacier has been described as part of the "weak
underbelly" of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, due to its apparent vulnerability to significant
retreat.
 Humanity Star was a passive satellite designed to produce flares visible from Earth.Its shape
was a geodesic sphere about 1 metre (3 ft) in diameter, similar to a large disco ball. It was
launched into polar orbit on an Electron rocket by Rocket Lab in January 2018 and reentered
the atmosphere on 22 March 2018.According to Rocket Lab, it was meant to be "a bright
symbol and reminder to all on Earth about our fragile place in the universe".
 The South Asian river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is an endangered freshwater or river
dolphin found in the region of South Asia which is split into two subspecies, the Ganges river
dolphin (P. g. gangetica)(≈3,500 individuals) and the Indus river dolphin (P. g.
minor)(≈1,500 individuals). The subspecies is endangered and is placed in Schedule I of
India‘s Wildlife Protection Act. This subspecies of the South Asian River Dolphin was once
found in the major tributaries of the Indus that flow through India, but is now found only in
Beas. The Ganges river dolphin has been recognized by the government of India as its
National Aquatic Animal and is the official animal of the Indian city of Guwahati. The
Indus river dolphin has been named as the National Mammal of Pakistan and State aquatic
animal of Punjab, India.
 Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal‘s announcement of a ‗National Programme on

Artificial Intelligence‘ ties in to an existing programme led by the Union Science Ministry
called the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NMICPS).The
latter was cleared by the Union Cabinet last December at a total outlay of ₹3,660 crore for five
years.―Artificial Intelligence is an important component of cyber physical systems, Cyber
physical systems deal with training youth for new kinds of jobs that would be created due to the
destruction of conventional jobs and the mechanisation of jobs. The mission aims to establish
of 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), 6 Application Innovation Hubs (AIH), four
Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).The hubs and TTRPs would connect to
academics, industry, Central Ministries and State government in developing solutions at
reputed academic, R&D and other organisations across the country in a hub and spoke model,
according to a note from the Union Science Ministry. About 40,000 jobs would be created in
the short term and about 2,00,000 in long term, the note adds.CPS and its associated
technologies, include Artificial Intelligence(Al), Internet of Things(loT), Machine
Learning(ML), Deep Learning(DP), Big Data Analytics, robotics, quantum computing,
quantum communication, quantum encryption (quantum key distribution), Data Science and
Predictive Analytics.
 Deepfake, a port manteau of "deep learning" and "fake", is an artificial intelligence-based

human image synthesis technique. It is used to combine and super impose existing images and
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videos onto source images or videos using a machine learning technique called a "generative
adversarial network".
 Cryptojacking is the unauthorized use of your computer and devices by cybercriminals in

order to mine for cryptocurrency.
 Man-animal conflicts have recenlty claimed two lives around the Nagarahole National Park
and Tiger Reserve has brought to the fore the prevailing divide among the local people over
relocation and rehabilitation schemes of the government. The forest land was leased out for an
annual sum and this was called "Ek Saali Lease system" and the tenants are even today known
as Ek Saali Lease holders. Originally, 405 acres of forest land was distributed to 56 families
under the Ek Saali Lease contract system. But over decades forest land has been encroached
and converted to agricultural land and there are nearly 2,500 families subsisting on it now
which is the root of the current problem of man-animal conflict.
 Thrissur Kole Wetlands is a Ramsar site lying in Thrissur District in Kerala, India. It gives
40 per cent of the Kerala‘s rice requirement and acts as a natural drainage system for Thrissur
city and Thrissur District. The Kole Wetlands is one of largest, highly productive and
threatened wetlands in Kerala and has been declared in Ramsar Convention for protection and
it comes in Central Asian Flyway of migratory birds.
 Varahi River originates and flows through Western Ghats in the Indian state of Karnataka.
It is also known as Halady or Haladi river in downstream areas. It joins the Arabian Sea. A
hydroelectric dam, called Mani Dam (as it is constructed near Manibail village), across the
Varahi river. Varahi lift irrigation project, using the waters of Varahi River is being constructed
since 1979.
 A novel inkjet processing method for ―perovskites‖ —a new generation of cheaper solar cells
— that makes it possible to produce solar panels under lower temperatures, thus sharply
reducing costs. Perovskite solar cells have the potential to address the world energy poverty,‖
Solar panels coated with the mineral are light, flexible, efficient, inexpensive and come in
varying hues and degrees of transparency. They can easily be fixed to almost any surface — be
it laptop, car, drone, space craftor building — to produce electricity, including in the shade or
indoors. Though the excitement is new, perovskite has been known to science since at least the
1830s, when it was first identified by German mineralogist Gustav Rose while prospecting in
the Ural mountains and named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski. perovskites can be
used to form photovoltaic solar cells. Initially the process was complicated and required ultra
high temperatures, soonly materials that could with stand extreme heat —like glass — could be
coated with perovskite cells.
 Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have identified a gene that makes a person sleepy
when they are sick. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that a single
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gene,called nemuri, fights germs with its inherent antimicrobial activity and drives prolonged,
deep sleep after an infection.
 The Ganga river basin could see crop failures rise three fold and drinking water shortage go up
by as much as 39% in some States between now and 2040, says an assessment commissioned
by the World Bank and submitted to the Central Water Commission. The basin provides over
a third of India‘s available surface water and contributes more than half the national water use,
of which 90% is for irrigation.
 Durgam Cheruvu also known as Raidurgam Cheruvu is a freshwater lake located in

Rangareddy district, Telangana, India. The lake, which is spread over 83 acres (34 ha), is
located near the city of Hyderabad. The lake is also known as Secret Lake because it is
hidden between the localities of Jubilee Hills and Madhapur. Under the rule of the Qutub
Shahi dynasty (ca. 1518–1687), this lake served as the drinking water source for the residents
of Golkonda fort.
 Opposition to the government‘s decision to allow the removal of mineral rich sand from the
Thottappally pozhi (estuary) is growing. It is one of the prime nesting sites in Kerala for
Olive Ridley turtles. The Kerala government decided to extract sand from the estuary and
dredge the leading channel to ensure smooth flow of water from the Kuttanad region through
the Thottappally spillway.
 Viral hepatitis is a global public health problem that kills nearly 2.72 lakh people annually. It
is an inflammatory condition of the liver caused by five known hepatitis viruses — A, B, C,
D and E. Of these, B and C are known to cause 96% mortality.
 Aero India is a biennial air showandaviation exhibition held in Bengaluru, India at the
Yelahanka Air Force Station. It is organized by the Defence Exhibition Organization, Ministry
of Defence.12th edition (2019).
 Bandipur National Park established in 1974 as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger, is a
national park located in the south Indian state of Karnataka, which is the state with the
highest tiger population in India. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The National
Highway (NH-181) &( NH-766 ) passes through Bandipur national park. This road has
been a major concern as speeding vehicles have killed many wild animals in spite of frequent
warnings to travelers from the forest department officials and restriction on movement of
vehicles in some stretches between 6 P.M to 6 A.M. This has raised fears of extinction of
habitat of wild animals exclusively found in this national park.
 The U.S. based National Aeronautics and Space Administration‘s Fire Information for
Resource Management System (NASAFIRMS) alert indicated that 32 fire incidents were
detected at Bandipur, based on information processed during a satellite overpass. The numbers
were made available after assessment of images captured by NASA‘s Lance Firms and
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Europe Copernicus Sentinel satellites. One of the methods to contain forest fires is counter
fire, a technique in which wild fire is do used by deliberately setting fire in the opposite
direction of the raging flames. The inward movement of the counter fire consumes all
vegetation and leaves a bare strip of land with no fuel to burn and the wild fire gets
extinguished naturally.
 The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is a pangolin found in northern India, Nepal,
Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, northern Indo-china, through most of Taiwan, and southern
China (including the islands of Hainan).The Chinese pangolin is one of eight species of
pangolins. Its IUCN status is ―Crirically Endangered‖. The Chinese Pangolin whose habitat is
restricted to five states in northeast India including parts of north Bengal.
 Limi is a valley in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western Nepal. Limi has a cold
semi-arid climate according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. Summers are short
and rainfall very sparse. Winter is marked with regular snowfall.
 NASA‘s New Horizons spacecraft has beamed back the sharpest images of Ultima Thule —
the most distant object ever explored by mankind. Just before its closest approach, the
spacecraft pointed the cameras to snap the sharpest possible pictures of the Kuiper Belt object
officially named 2014 MU69.
 2019 will witness some crucial preparations to hold the first unmanned (without astronaut)
mission of Gaganyaan, slated to be held in December 2020 and the second unmanned mission
in July 2021, which will be followed by the first Gaganyaan mission with astronauts in
December 2021.
 Further, the year marks the 100th birth anniversary of its visionary leader Dr Vikram
Sarabhai and the 50th year of its first successful test flight of an Indigenous Sounding Rocket
RH-75 from Thumba, using in-house developed composite solid propellant.The composite
solid propellant for the sounding rocket was named ‗Mrinal‘, reportedly after Mrinalini
Sarabhai, the classical dancer and wife of Vikram Sarabhai.
 Already, the TORCH (Toxoplasmosis, Other, Rubella, Cytomegalo virus, and Herpes)
infections are known to cause foetal abnormalities, including microcephaly, among new borns.
Wherever women are screened for TORCH, they must also be screened for Zika.
 India is fortunate to have the monsoon, but it is also uniquely vulnerable to rising temperatures,
with the country ranked 14th on the Global Climate Risk Index 2019.The ranking was
released here by the German watch, an independent Berlin-based development and
environmental organization. The Global Climate Risk Index 2019 analyses to what extent
countries and regions have been affected by impacts of weather-related loss events (storms,
floods, heat waves etc.). The most recent data available — for 2017 and from 1998 to 2017 —
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were taken into account. As per the report, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka and Dominica were at the
top of the list of the most affected countries in 2017.
 An El Nino refers to a halftone degree rise in temperatures in the Central equatorial Pacific and
is linked to a reduction in rains over key monsoon belts.
 Nagarhole National Park (also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park), is a national park
located in Kodagu district and Mysore district in Karnataka, India. It is one of India's
premier Tiger Reserves along with the adjoining Bandipur Tiger Reserve. It is part of the
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
 Glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) could be ―a means to possibly reawaken and
restore‖ brain cells that are gradually destroyed in Parkinson‘s. GDNF is a protein that, in
humans, is encoded by the GDNFgene. GDNF is a small protein that potently promotes the
survival of many types of neurons.
 Twelve Mirage 2000 jets from Gwalior were involved in the strike and they carried SPICE
2000 and Crystal Maze Mk2, also called AGM 142 PopeyePGMs,‖ an IAF source confirmed.
SPICE stands for ‗Smart, Precise Impact and Cost Effective,‘ a kit which converts a
conventional bomb into a smart munition. It is manufactured by Rafael of Israel. The ‗2000‘
refers to a bomb of 2,000 pounds (about1000 kg). The precision guided munitions (PGMs)
enable the aircraft to release them from stand-off distances while staying away from harm‘s
way and the munitions glide to the target once launched. The IAF also deployed the Israeli
Phalcon and indigenous Netra early warning aircraft to monitor the mission— to direct the
aircraft as well as to keep an eye out for Pakistani F16s that might be deployed to counter
them — and a Heron Medium altitude long range UAV (Isreal) that was used for monitoring
and assessment. Sukhoi Su30MKIs Fighter jets were also airborne. The Mirage planes used
the Israeli Litening targeting pods to mark the targets and the PGMs were launched from a safe
distance.The use of air power is significant as it is the first time since the 1971 war that the IAF
crossed over and struck inside Pakistani territory. Even during the Kargil conflict, the IAF was
under strict instructions to not cross the LoC.
 Gynander or gynandromorphs are the organisms in which the body consists of both male and
female parts. Such organisms showing both female and male characteristics are called
gynanders or gynandromorphs. The term is derived from the Greek words (gyne = woman; aner
= man and morphe = form). Mammals have X and Y chromosomes, birds and in sects have Z
and W, and some reptiles can change their sex depending on temperature, or a combination of
temperature and sex chromosomes.
 Marine clouds that protect us from hothouse Earth conditions by reflecting sunlight back into
space could breakup and vanish if CO2 in the atmosphere triples. So called stratocumulus
clouds cover about 20% of subtropical oceans, mostly near western sea boards such as the
coasts of California, Mexico and Peru. When they disappear, Earth warms dramatically, by
93
about eight degrees Celsius— in addition to the global warming that comes from enhanced
greenhouse concentrations alone.
94
MISCELLANEOUS
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given the Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for his contribution
to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth. The Prime Minister
dedicated the $200,000 (Rs 1.42crore) prize money to the Namami Gange programme that
seeks to stop pollution in the Ganga and rejuvenate the river.
 Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata has put on display one of its oldest manuscripts, a hand
written 18th century copy of Gita Govinda, to mark the International Mother Language Day
on February 21st. The manuscripts composed by poet Jayadeva. The poem, an important text of
the Bhakti Movement, depicts the relationship between Lord Krishna and his consort Radha,
and can be performed and rendered simultaneously.
 The recent accident during the Aero India show occurred while performing a mirror or
"Calypso pass." The manoeuvre involves one plane flying inverted above the other, with a gap
of four to five metres between them.
 India is the world‘s largest producer of raw jute and West Bengal accounts for the majority of
the country‘s production, accordingto the National Jute Board.
 800 year old Sarvamoola Grantha, authored by Saint Madhvacharya, sometimes anglicised as
Madhva Acharya, and also known as Pūrna Prajña and Ānanda Tīrtha, was a Hindu philosopher
and the chief proponent of the Dvaita (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva's work is
classically placed in contrast with monist ideas of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta and Ramanuja's
Vishishtadvaita Vedanta.
 Hunter or Hurler Syndrome, diseases caused by a missing gene that makes an enzyme to
break down certain sugar compounds. Without it, sugars build up and damage organs, often
killing people in their teens.
 Padmasambhava also known as Guru Rinpoche was an 8th-century Buddhist master from
the Indian subcontinent. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled a 19 foot high statue
of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, at Jirang in Gajapati district.
This 29 tonne stone statue is placed in the middle of ‗Padma Sarovar‘, a large tank near
Padmasambhava Mahavihara, the largest Buddhist monastery in eastern India. Historians claim
that Guru Padmasambhava, also known as second Buddha,was born and brought up in Odisha
before he left for Tibet. Terma ("hidden treasure") are various forms of hidden teachings that
are key to Vajrayana or Tibetan Buddhist and Bon religious traditions. The belief is that
these teachings were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava
and dakini such as Yeshe Tsogyal (consorts) during the 8th century, for future discovery at
auspicious times by other adepts, who are known as tertöns. As such, terma represent a
95
tradition of continuous revelation in Vajrayana or Tibetan Buddhism. Termas are a part of

tantric literature.
 Guernsey is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. Footballer Sala‘s
plane went missing here.
 The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-
sum games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American
physics professor.
 The National War Memorial (NWM) which pays homage to soldiers who laid down their
lives for the country post Independence is all set to be inaugurated by PrimeMinister Narendra
Modi.The NWM is being constructed at the ‗C‘ Hexagon near India Gate and the National War
Museum at Princes Park Complex Gate in memory of about 22,500 Indian soldiers who laid
down their lives for the country in the post Independence period. India Gate was built to honour
the soldiers who lost their lives during the First World War.The British had constructed India
Gate in memory of the 84,000 Indian soldiers killed while fighting for the Empire in World
War I and the Afghan campaign. The Amar Jawan Jyoti, consisting of the eternal flame,
was later built under its arch to honour the soldiers who died in the 1971 war.
 Retinoblastoma is a child hood tumour, affecting single or both the eye.
 Coastal Length of Indian States & Union Territories (in decreasing order of coastline)
 Gujarat – 1214.7 Km
 Andhra Pradesh – 973.7 Km
 Tamil Nadu – 906.9 Km
 Maharashtra – 652.6 Km
 Kerala – 569.7 KmOdisha – 476.4 Km
 Karnataka – 280 Km
 Goa (with Daman & Diu) – 160.5 Km
 West Bengal – 157.5 Km
 Puducherry – 30.6 Km (Union Territory)
 Andaman & Nicobar Islands – 1962 Km (Union Territory)
 Lakshadweep Islands – 132 Km (Union Territory)
 Superfood is a marketing term for food with supposed health benefits as a result of some part
of its nutritional analysis or its overall nutrient density. The term is not commonly used by
experts, dietitians and nutrition scientists, many of whom dispute that particular foods have the
health benefits claimed by their advocates.In 2007, the marketing of products as superfoods
was prohibited in the European Union unless accompanied by a specific authorized health
96
claim supported by credible scientific research.
 National Salt Satyagraha Memorial (NSSM) that was thrown open by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at Dandi in Gujarat.
 The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 as a biennial recognition with monetary award
to commemorate the success of the 24th Summer Olympic Games held in Seoul, Korea, an
event in which 160 nations from across the world took part, creating harmony and friendship.
The Seoul Peace Prize was established to reflect the wishes of the Korean people and to
crystallize their desire for everlasting peace on earth. The nominating group consists of 300
Korean nationals, and 800 internationals. The awardee receives a diploma, a plaque and
honorarium of US$200,000.2018, the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation announced that it
would award Mr. Modi with its annual Peace Prize.
 Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France

located in South America. In addition to being an administrative district in French Guiana, it is
also the main town in that district.Within the Kourou district lies the Guiana Space Centre,
France and the European Space Agency's main spaceport.
 Talking about first indigenously developed and manufactured semi high speed ‗Vande Bharat
Express,‘ (Train 18) was a major leap in technology wholly developed by Indian engineers.
 Mun pin theriyatha vanin vaazhkai, the Tamil translation of the French novel Lavie d'un
homme inconnu (The Life of an Unknown Man) by Andreï Makine has won the prestigious
Romain Rolland Prize by the French Embassy at Jaipur Literary Festival.
 City & Country - Kirkuk –Iraq; Homs – Syria; Latakia – Syria
 GOODS & GST rates

o Rakhi (other than that of precious or semi-precious material – Nil
o Sanitary Napkins- Nil
o Circulation and commemorative coins - Nil
o Raw material for broom- Nil
o Stone/Marble/Wood Deities- Nil
o Sal leaves and its products- Nil
o Khali dona- Nil
o Coir pith Compost– Nil
o Handloom dari - 5%
 The Department of Archaeology and Museums has recently found Buddhist remains under
the ‗garbhagriha‘ (sanctum sanctorum) of Sivalayam at Kondaveedu fort. The remains date
back to later Satavahana period — 1st to 2nd century A.D.
97
 The Baltic Dry Index, measure of ship transport costs for materials like iron ore and coal. The
Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is issued daily by the London-based Baltic Exchange.
 The Indian Railways has named the indigenously manufactured superfast Train18 as ‗Vande
Bharat Express‘, which will ply from the national capital to Varanasi.
 The World Health Organisation‘s - World Malaria Report of 2018.
 Renamed Ports-Deendayal Port – Kandla Port &Kamarajar Port - Ennore Port.
 Festivals- Bhogali Bihu -Assam, Pongal - Tamil Nadu,Lohri -Punjab.
 Devdasi are also known by various other local terms, such as jogini. Further more, the devdasi
practice is known as basivi in Karnataka, matangi in Maharashtra and Bhavin and
Kalavantin in Goa.
 Kayotsarga is a yogic posture which is an important part of the Jain meditation. It literally
means "dismissing the body". A tirthankara is represented either seated in yoga posture or
standing in the kayotsarga posture. Kayotsarga means "to give up one's physical comfort and
body movements", thus staying steady, either in a standing or other posture, and concentrating
upon the true nature of the soul. It is one of the six essentials (avasyaka) of a Jain ascetic and
one of the 28 primary attributes of a Digambara monk. Twenty-one of the tīrthankaras of
Jainism are said to have attained moksha in the kayotsarga ―standing meditation‖ posture. An
example of unflinching standing meditation is that of Arihant Bahubali who is said to have
stood in kayotsarga for a year.
 The Khardung La or Khardung Pass in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir until very recently was
the world‘s highest motorable road at nearly 17,600 ft.This title recently was usurped by an 86
kilometre road constructed in the same region, going via Umlingta Top, by the Border Roads
Organisation (BRO). This trail is at the height of over 19,300 feet.
 Harappa, the first of its sites to be excavated in the 1920s by British archaeologist Sir
Mortimer Wheeler.T
 ‗Ashok Chakra‘, India‘s highest peace time gallantry award.
 The centuries-old Katora Houz is inside the Golconda Fort. Sultan Quli built a masjid at the
foothills of the fortress and called himself malikul mulk on the inscription stone of Jama
Masjid in 1518. The Katora Houz (Persian: well) is part of a network to store and transport
water inside the massive fortress. It was one of the water bodies that helped the last Qutb Shahi
98
king, Abul Hasan, survive an eight-month siege enforced by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in
1687.
 The time capsule largely contains lab equipment —rheostats (used to control electric current
by varying resistance).
 American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson‘s first electric motorcycle ―Live Wire‖
equipped with a Samsung battery pack is on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las
Vegas.
 Hyundai showed off its Elevate project on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show gadget
extra vaganza, billing it an unprecedented ―Ultimate Mobility Vehicle‖ that combines
technology from electric cars with robotics. ―What if a car designed with robotics could save
lives in disasters,‖ said Hyundai executive John Suh. ―The need for search and rescue, and
humanitarian aid, is growing around the world. Elevate is designed with four mechanical legs
with wheels for feet, according to a small scale model shown at the press event. Elevate
vehicles can roll along on extended legs or retract them to be driven like a car.Extended legs
could also be used to climb or crawl while keeping the passenger compartment level.
 The Golden temple complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its
application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCO.
 Guru Arjan – the 5th Guru of Sikhism, requested Sai Mian Mir – a Muslim Pir of Lahore to
lay its foundation stone in 1589.
 Chhaupadi is a tradition associated with the menstrual taboo in the western part of Nepal
which prohibits Hindu women and girls from participating in normal family activities while
menstruating, as they are considered "impure".The women are banned from the house and are
required to live in a cattle shed, or a menstruation hut, a makeshift dwelling, for the duration of
their period. Child birth also results in confinement. During this time, women and girls are
restricted from participating in everyday life events, and from interacting with their
communities.
 Chinese telecoms giant Huawei unveiled a phone with a folding screen, just four days after
rival Samsung became the first major handset maker to offer the feature. The phone, Mate-X,
will be compatible with the new fifth generation wireless networks.
 Samsung might have grabbed all the headlines when it showed its bendable smart phone on
stage for the first time late last year, but a small Chinese startup has beaten the South Korean
tech giant to market. Meet Flex Pai from Royole, the world's first truly foldable smartphone.
99
 ―Period End of Sentence‖ (Director: Rayka Zehtabchi) to have got a loud shout-out from its
filmmakers Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton on winning the award for best documentary
(short) at the OSCAR 91st Academy Awards.
 The elements of kin selection lead directly to the concept now known as Hamilton‘s rule,
which states that aid-giving behavior can evolve when the indirect fitness benefits of helping
relatives compensate the aid giver for any losses in personal reproduction incurred by helping.
Hamilton‘s theory of kin selection is now considered one of the foundations of the modern
study of social behavior.
 Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire (Cambodia), appears to have suffered a
gradual decline rather than a catastrophic collapse, according to a study.
100
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☆☆☆ ENIGMA MASTERCOPY ☆☆☆

☆☆☆ ENIGMA MASTERCOPY☆☆☆

 The Declaration of Alma-Ata was adopted at the International Conference on Primary

 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization headquartered in

 An Industrial Security Annex ISA- is required to enable private Indian participation in

 Macedonia, officially the Republic of Macedonia, is a country in the Balkan Peninsula in

joined later. USA and Uruguay are NOT members.

 Pakistan has K2, the world‘s second highest mountain.

 The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969,

In addition to these three conventions, the conference also added a new

 Protocol I (1977) relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts

 Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is an organization under Government of India to recruit

 BILLS PASSED IN JOINT SESSION:

 Chairpersons of four National Commissions (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Women

 106th edition of the Indian Science Congress at Jalandhar, Punjab.

 Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) –

 Rajya Sabha possesses an organised system of Committees. Appointments, term of office,

 Clause 6 of the Assam Accord provides for Constitutional,legislative and administrative

The states which require the permit are:

 Arunachal Pradesh — issued by the secretary (political) of the Government of

 Oral mentioning is a convention by which lawyers circumvent the longwinded filing

 The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is India's chief anti-smuggling intelligence,

 Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (PMEAC) is a non-constitutional, "non-

 The empowered expert committee headed by former Chief Election Commissioner N.

 The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation came into existence as an

 Electronic voting machines already have the Braille feature.

 Competition Commission of India is a statutory body of the Government of India

1) Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)

 The Ministry of Human Resource Development‘sAll India Survey on Higher Education

 Operating ratiois a company's operating expenses as a percentage of revenue. This financial

STATES AND SCHEMES

 The Mahamastakabhisheka (Grand Consecration/The Great Indian Festival), refers to the

 Shipki La border post in Himachal Pradesh‘s Kinnaur district.

 PEETHA: People‘s Empowerment – Enabling Transparency and Accountability is an Odisha

Rabi or Kharif crops in a year.

 Manipur became the first to pass a remarkable law against lynching.

 Maharashtra -Sarangkheda Chetak Festival — named after Maharana Pratap‘s favourite

 Kondaveedu Fort is in Kondaveedu village in the Chilakaluripet constituency of Guntur

 Arikamedu is an archaeological site in Southern India, in Puducherry. It is 4 kilometres from

 The Assam Employees‘ Parental Responsibility Norms for Accountability Monitoring

SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT

 Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary also known as Tungareshwar National Park is located at

 Mariculture is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine

 Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of your

 The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is a

 ―Hippocamp‖, originally known as S/2004 N 1, is a small moon of Neptune, about 34.8 km in

 Fuego is an active Stratovolcano in Guatemala. A Stratovolcano also known as a composite

 Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borneviral hemorrhagic fever endemic to South

 Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic infection spread by Anopheles mosquitoes. The

 The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) is an international programme that focuses on

 The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is a

 Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease.

 Bacterial leptospirosis (rat fever).

 Minimalist Machine Learning- Mathematicians at the Department of Energy‘s Lawrence

 A team of researchers discovered that cholecystokinin(CCK), a satiety hormone which is

emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.Thwaites Glacier drains into West

 Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal‘s announcement of a ‗National Programme on