March 2021-Final

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DAILY PRELIMS NOTES

DPN COMPILATION MARCH 2021
DPN - march 2021.docx Page 1

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Contents:
ARTS AND CULTURE .......................................................................................................... 11
Dard Aryan tribe: .............................................................................................................. 11
Art and Craft at display at Dilli Haat: .............................................................................. 11
Dhrupad: ........................................................................................................................... 12
ODISSI DANCE: ................................................................................................................ 12
KAMBALA: ........................................................................................................................ 13
CLASSIC BAGH FESTIVAL: ............................................................................................ 13
NOWRUZ FESTIVAL: ....................................................................................................... 13
KATHAKALI: ..................................................................................................................... 14
KUMBH MELA: ................................................................................................................. 14
HISTORY .............................................................................................................................. 16
Jamsetji Tata: ................................................................................................................... 16
SAVITRIBHAI PHULE:...................................................................................................... 16
SHYAMA PRASAD MUKHERJEE:................................................................................... 17
DANDI MARCH: ................................................................................................................ 18
COMMUNAL GO 1921: ..................................................................................................... 18
TOMAR DYNASTY:........................................................................................................... 19
PERIYAR: .......................................................................................................................... 19
Lachit Borphukan:............................................................................................................ 20
BATTLE OF FEROZESHAH: ............................................................................................ 20
GEOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 21
Kringlerne Rare earth Deposit: ....................................................................................... 21
Pre-monsoon shower: ..................................................................................................... 21
Heat Wave: ........................................................................................................................ 21
Wine country shift:........................................................................................................... 22
KEN BETWA LINK:........................................................................................................... 22
BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER:.................................................................................................. 23
RIVER TEESTA: ................................................................................................................ 24
THUNDERSTORMS: ......................................................................................................... 24
LIGHTENING: .................................................................................................................... 25
RIVER SARASVATI: ......................................................................................................... 26
RULE CURVE:................................................................................................................... 26
COTTON CORPORATION OF INDIA: .............................................................................. 27
GREAT NICOBAR:............................................................................................................ 27

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TSUNAMI:.......................................................................................................................... 27
FAGRADALS VOLCANO: ................................................................................................ 28
DUST STORM: .................................................................................................................. 28
BARALACHA PASS: ........................................................................................................ 29
INDIAN MONSOON:.......................................................................................................... 29
TORNADOES: ................................................................................................................... 30
INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE ............................................................................... 32
Child Welfare Committee (CWCs): ................................................................................. 32
Reservation of seats in Local government:................................................................... 32
Surya Prakash Committee: ............................................................................................. 33
Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2021:........................................ 33
OBC quota in local govt: ................................................................................................. 33
North-East removed from the delimitation commission mandate: ............................. 34
SC Bench proposes fast-track courts to address pendency of cases due to
dishonoured cheques:..................................................................................................... 34
High level national Committee to commemorate 75 years of independence:............ 35
Private members’ bill:...................................................................................................... 35
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI):...................................................................................... 36
NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER: ........................................................................... 36
Temporary/Interim injunction: ........................................................................................ 37
ARTICLE 342 A: ................................................................................................................ 38
Hybrid hearing:................................................................................................................. 38
INDRA SHAWNEY CASE: ................................................................................................ 39
CARE TAKER GOVERNMENT:........................................................................................ 39
PRESEIDENT ASSENT TO STATE BILLS: ..................................................................... 40
NCT BILL:.......................................................................................................................... 41
ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021:................................ 41
PLACES OF WORSHIP ACT:........................................................................................... 42
APPOINTMENT OF CBI DIRECTOR:............................................................................... 43
STATE ELECTION COMMISSIONERS: ........................................................................... 43
SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS:.......................................................................................... 44
ORDINANCE: .................................................................................................................... 44
CENSUS: ........................................................................................................................... 45
MEDICAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020:.................... 45
TENTH SCHEDULE: ......................................................................................................... 46
AMICUS CURIAE: ............................................................................................................. 47

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APPROPRIATION BILL: ................................................................................................... 47

POLLING AGENTS: .......................................................................................................... 47
DAILY MINIMUM WAGES: ............................................................................................... 48
POINT OF ORDER: ........................................................................................................... 49
THE CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED CASTES) ORDER (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021:.. 49
INSURANCE AMENDMENT BILL: ................................................................................... 49
VOLUNTARY VEHICLE FLEET MODERNIZATION POLICY:......................................... 50
RIGHT TO COUNSEL IN CUSTODY: ............................................................................... 50
BREACH OF PRIVILEGE: ................................................................................................ 51
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: ................................................................................................. 51
PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT 1971: ................................ 52
VVPAT: .............................................................................................................................. 53
Finance bill: ...................................................................................................................... 53
Sixth schedule:................................................................................................................. 54
APPOINTMENT OF CJI: ................................................................................................... 55
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR ALLIED AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS BILL,
2021: .................................................................................................................................. 55
PESA: ................................................................................................................................ 56
ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE:.............................................................................................. 57
APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES: .......................................................................................... 57
DEATH PENALTY: ............................................................................................................ 57
NOTA: ................................................................................................................................ 58
RTI REJECTIONS: ............................................................................................................ 59
CONCURRENT LIST:........................................................................................................ 59
NATIONAL JUDICIAL DATA GRID:................................................................................. 60
UNIFORM CIVIL CODE:.................................................................................................... 60
PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES ACT: ............................................................................. 61
JUDICIAL REVIEW: .......................................................................................................... 62
PRESIDENTIAL ASSENT: ................................................................................................ 63
PROROGATION: ............................................................................................................... 63
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE:................................................................................. 64
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.......................................................................................... 66
SUEZ CANAL:................................................................................................................... 66
YEMEN CIVIL WAR: ......................................................................................................... 66
Uighur:............................................................................................................................... 67
Western Container terminal project (WCT) – Sri Lanka: .............................................. 67

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TROIKA PROCESS:.......................................................................................................... 68
LGBTIQ FRREDOM ZONE: .............................................................................................. 68
INDO JAPAN SPACE TIES: ............................................................................................. 68
INDO - BANGLADESH RELATIONS:............................................................................... 69
QUAD VACCINE INITIATIVE:........................................................................................... 70
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RESILENCE INFRASTRUCTURE: . 70
S400 & CAATSA: .............................................................................................................. 70
MOSCOW SUMMIT: .......................................................................................................... 71
ISTANBUL CONVENTION:............................................................................................... 71
INDO ISRAEL VACCINE:.................................................................................................. 72
UNHRC RESOLUTION: .................................................................................................... 72
OIL SUPPLIES TO INDIA: ................................................................................................ 72
AIR BUBBLE ARRANGEMENT: ...................................................................................... 72
CHINA IRAN PACT: ............................................................................................................................. 73
ECONOMICS ........................................................................................................................ 75
Maritime India Summit 2021:........................................................................................... 75
Taper tantrum: .................................................................................................................. 75
Sagar-Manthan: Mercantile Marine Domain Awareness Centre (MMDAC):................ 76
Cost Push inflation: ......................................................................................................... 76
30-Share Index (BSE Sensex): ........................................................................................ 76
NATIONAL MONETISATION PIPELINE: ......................................................................... 77
Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train: ................................................................................... 78
Loan to Value (LTV) ratio:................................................................................................ 78
GVA vs GDP: .................................................................................................................... 79
BOND YIELDS: ................................................................................................................. 80
WALR: ............................................................................................................................... 80
OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS:....................................................................................... 81
BASE EFFECT: ................................................................................................................. 81
DEVELOPMENTAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTION:.............................................................. 81
SOFR: ................................................................................................................................ 82
DIVIDEND POLICY: .......................................................................................................... 82
SEBI FRAMEWORK ON IPO:........................................................................................... 83
INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION: ......................................................................... 83
AT 1 BONDS: .................................................................................................................... 84
FOREIGN PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT: ........................................................................... 84
FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVE: .................................................................................. 85

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY................................................................................................ 86

PSLV-C51: ......................................................................................................................... 86
EXTREME WET BULB TEMPERATURE: ........................................................................ 87
National Science Day:...................................................................................................... 87
Phase 2 of the Covid vaccination: .................................................................................. 88
Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot Covid-19 vaccine (JNJ-78436735 or
Ad26.COV2.S.): ................................................................................................................. 89
Cloud Computing: ............................................................................................................ 89
Gap between Vaccine doses:.......................................................................................... 90
Spectrum: ......................................................................................................................... 91
Blood Thinner:.................................................................................................................. 91
THALLIUM:........................................................................................................................ 92
HELIUM: ............................................................................................................................ 92
Complete blood count (CBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), or Immunoglobulin-E (IgE)
levels: ................................................................................................................................ 93
Epigrap:............................................................................................................................. 93
Covaxin shows 81% efficacy: ......................................................................................... 94
Bridging trial:.................................................................................................................... 94
Vaccination and Immunity:.............................................................................................. 94
CALM 2 MUTATIONS: ...................................................................................................... 95
CLINICAL TRIAL MODE: .................................................................................................. 96
NOVAVAX VACCINE: ....................................................................................................... 96
COVISHIELD vs COVAXIN:.............................................................................................. 96
INTRANASAL VACCINES: ............................................................................................... 97
ENCELADUS:.................................................................................................................... 98
VARIANTS OF CORONA VIRUS:..................................................................................... 98
USD COIN: ........................................................................................................................ 99
UK VARIANT CORONAVIRUS:........................................................................................ 99
VACCINE PASSPORT: ................................................................................................... 100
WiFi 6:.............................................................................................................................. 100
NISAR: ............................................................................................................................. 101
MAPPING INDIAN OCEAN GENOME:........................................................................... 101
2001 FO32: ...................................................................................................................... 102
LIQUEFIED HYDROGEN FROM BROWN CARBON:.................................................... 102
ADENOVIRUS VACCINE:............................................................................................... 103
NON FUNGIBLE TOKENS:............................................................................................. 103

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DOUBLE MUTANT VARIANT CORONAVIRUS:............................................................ 104

SYNTHETIC MEAT:......................................................................................................... 104
ASTEROID APOPHIS: .................................................................................................... 105
MARTIAN BLUEBERRIES:............................................................................................. 105
MOSQUITO PROTEIN AEG12:....................................................................................... 106
ALUMINIUM AIR BATTERY: .......................................................................................... 106
TRISHNA MISSION:........................................................................................................ 107
OUMUAMUA: .................................................................................................................. 107
SARS COV-2 IN ANIMALS: ............................................................................................ 108
VACCINE WASTAGE: .................................................................................................... 109
VOYAGER STATION: ..................................................................................................... 109
DIATOM TEST:................................................................................................................ 109
INSIGHTS MISSION:....................................................................................................... 110
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS:............................................................................................... 111
PANDEMIC TREATY: ..................................................................................................... 111
ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................. 112
National Green Tribunal (NGT):....................................................................................... 112
PM 2.5 & NITROGEN DIOXIDE: ..................................................................................... 112
RANTHAMBORE TIGER RESERVE: ............................................................................. 113
SATKOSIA TIGER RESERVE: ....................................................................................... 113
PALAMU TIGER RESERVE: .......................................................................................... 114
Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mollem National Park (GOA): .......... 114
Coal Bed Methane (CBM): ............................................................................................. 115
Prosopis juliflora or vilayati kikar:................................................................................ 115
World Wildlife Day:......................................................................................................... 116
Bio-refinery: .................................................................................................................... 116
Himalayan serow:........................................................................................................... 117
Gaphaz or the Glacier and Permafrost Hazards in Mountains: ................................. 117
Similipal Biosphere:....................................................................................................... 118
T1C2 tiger:....................................................................................................................... 119
NPCA SCHEME: ............................................................................................................. 119
REGENT HONEYEATER: ............................................................................................... 120
Inert waste: ..................................................................................................................... 120
NATIONAL WILDLIFE BOARD OF INDIA: .................................................................... 121
STOCKHOLM +50:.......................................................................................................... 121
EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY:................................................................ 121

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REDSANDERS:............................................................................................................... 122
WHITSUN REEF:............................................................................................................. 122
CHEETAH:....................................................................................................................... 122
LARGEST TULIP GARDEN:........................................................................................... 123
PROJECT RE – HAB: ..................................................................................................... 123
EARTH HOUR: ................................................................................................................ 124
AFRICAN ELEPHANT: ................................................................................................... 124
DEFENCE AND SECURITY ............................................................................................... 126
National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC):................. 126
CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team): ......................................... 127
Combined Commanders’ Conference (CCC): ............................................................. 127
I4C:................................................................................................................................... 127
PROJECT 75I: ................................................................................................................. 128
INS KARANJ: .................................................................................................................. 128
CYBER VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME ............................................................................ 129
DUSTLIK 2:...................................................................................................................... 129
Z + SECURITY:................................................................................................................ 129
MILAN 2T ATGM: ............................................................................................................ 130
index FRAMEWORK: ..................................................................................................... 130
ARMS IMPORTS: ............................................................................................................ 130
BALLISTIC MISSILE: ...................................................................................................... 131
PERMANENT COMMISSION FOR WOMEN:................................................................. 131
FREE MOVEMENT REGIME: ......................................................................................... 132
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS .............................................................................. 133
WTO gets new Director general:................................................................................... 133
OPEC+:............................................................................................................................ 133
COMMONWEALTH: ........................................................................................................ 134
PERMANENT COURT OF ARBITRATION:.................................................................... 134
CEEW: ............................................................................................................................. 135
PERMANENT INDUS COMMISSION: ............................................................................ 135
IRENA: ............................................................................................................................. 136
EUROPEAN UNION: ....................................................................................................... 136
NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK:........................................................................................ 136
UNPKF:............................................................................................................................ 137
IFAD:................................................................................................................................ 137
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES................................................................................................ 139

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TEQIP (Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme): ............................. 139

Saksham Anganwadis schemes:.................................................................................. 140
National Creche Scheme: .............................................................................................. 140
Poshan Abhiyan 2.0: ...................................................................................................... 141
JANAUSHADHI SCHEME: ............................................................................................. 141
DIGIDHAN MISSION: ...................................................................................................... 142
NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME: ..................................................... 142
PRADHAN MANTRI SWASTHYA SURAKSHA NIDHI (PMSSN): ................................. 143
OPERATION GREEN - TOP TO TOTAL: ....................................................................... 143
RODTEP SCHEME:......................................................................................................... 144
MMDR AMENDMENT BILL: ........................................................................................... 144
DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION: ............................................................................. 145
NIRBHAYA FUND: .......................................................................................................... 146
PLI SCHEME: .................................................................................................................. 146
SAAMAR CAMPAIGN:.................................................................................................... 146
DARPAN:......................................................................................................................... 147
ULPIN SCHEME:............................................................................................................. 147
PMAY – G: ....................................................................................................................... 148
NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT: .............................................................................. 148
REPORTS............................................................................................................................ 150
Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM report): ................................................... 150
WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT:..................................................................................... 150
FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2021:.................................................................................. 150
QS World Ranking by Subject: ..................................................................................... 151
FOOD WASTE INDEX REPORT:.................................................................................... 152
Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020: ................................................................... 153
Ease of Living Index, 2020 (EoLI): ................................................................................ 154
AGRICULTURAL MARKETING AND FARMER FRIENDLY REFORMS INDEX
(AMFFRI): ........................................................................................................................ 154
REPORT BY INDEX MONITORING CELL: .................................................................... 155
WORLD AIR QUALITY REPORT : ................................................................................. 156
GLOBAL WAGES REPORT: .......................................................................................... 156
GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX: ............................................................................................ 157
COMPOSITE WATER MANAGEMENT INDEX: ............................................................. 157
NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS.......................................................................................... 158
APEDA: ........................................................................................................................... 158

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UIDAI: .............................................................................................................................. 158

NATIONAL BANK FOR FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT:........... 159
NCPCR: ........................................................................................................................... 159
INTER PARLIAMENTARY UNION: ................................................................................ 160
CEDAW: .......................................................................................................................... 160
MISCELLANEOUS ............................................................................................................. 162
Women harder hit by job losses due to Pandemic: .................................................... 162
CANNABIS or HEMP CULTIVATION:............................................................................ 162
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY:................................................................................ 163
AMENDMENT TO UNIFIED ACCESS SERVICE AGREEMENT: .................................. 163
IT RULES 2021:............................................................................................................... 164
AMRIT MAHOTSAV: ....................................................................................................... 165
LIGHTS OUT PHILLY INITIATIVE: ................................................................................. 166
ATMA NIRBHAR INCUBATOR: ..................................................................................... 166
SCRAMBLE CROSSING: ............................................................................................... 166
GANDHI PEACE PRIZE:................................................................................................. 167
CHIN COMMUNITY: ........................................................................................................ 167
PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY:......................................................................... 167
INNOVATORS GROWTH PLATFORM FRAMEWORK: ................................................ 168
PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM: ................................................................................ 168
NATIONAL CADET CORPS: .......................................................................................... 170

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ARTS AND CULTURE

Dard Aryan tribe:
Context: At second edition of “Enchanting Ladakh”, the annual art and craft fair organised by the
Union territory’s Department of Industries and Commerce at Dilli Haat saw participation of Dard
Aryan tribe.
Concept:
· They are a Buddhist group living 200 km from Leh are the villages of Dha, Hanu, Garkone
and Darchik (villages together called "Aryan valley") on both sides of the Indus River.
· The word ‘Dard’ is derived from a Sanskrit word, ‘Daradas’, which means people who live on
hillsides.
· They are culturally and linguistically different from other tribes in region.
· There is one view that they are "Aryans of Ladakh” or the “Brokpas” who might have
descended from soldiers in Alexander’s army who had come to the region over 2,000 years
ago.
· They rear goat and sheep for milk and meat, and their festivals are based on the solar
calendar. Their tradition go back 5,000 years. They worship trees, rivers and mountains.
· They wear heavy fur costumes, flower bouquets adorning their heads.
· The community prohibits marriage with outsiders to keep the gene pool intact.
· They are dependent on agriculture.
· The apricots grown here are considered among the best in the world and there are 12 varieties
of grapes in the region and valley is famous for grape-wine.
· Modernisation, migration and religious conversion (many in last decade embraced Islam or
Buddhism) are threat to the community (only around 4000 remaining).
· Some of the areas of the Aryan valley are out of bounds for outsiders, since it borders
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Art and Craft at display at Dilli Haat:

Context: Monks from Hemis monastery and display Madhubani paintings and Lucknowi chikan
kurtas etc. were major attraction at the art and culture festival at Dilli Haat.
Concept:
About Hemis monastery
· It is the largest monastic institution in Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir in north India.
· It was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal.
· The annual Hemis festival honouring Padmasambhava is held there in early June.
· Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche is considered incarnated as a fully
enlightened being.
· Padmasambhava is considered the Second Buddha by the Nyingma school, the oldest
Buddhist school in Tibet known as "the ancient ones".
About Madhubani painting
· It is practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal and called Mithila or Madhubani art.
Often characterized by complex geometrical patterns, these paintings are known for
representing ritual content for particular occasions, including festivals, religious rituals, etc.
· The colors used in Madhubani paintings are usually derived from plants and other natural
sources. These colors are often bright and pigments like lampblack and ochre are used to

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create black and brown respectively. Instead of contemporary brushes, objects like twigs,
matchsticks and even fingers are used to create the paintings.
· Paintings are largely made using powdered rice, colors derived from turmeric, pollen,
pigments, indigo, various flowers, sandalwood, and leaves of various plants and trees, etc.
· Mainly performed by women. It is also done on the occasion of festivities, particularly
marriage.
· Traditionally Plastered mud was the base which has been today replaced with canvas, paper
and cloth.
· Paintings are also known for their simplicity, for the brush and colors used are often derived
from natural sources.
Chikankari of Lucknow
· It is a traditional embroidery style from Lucknow. It is considered Lucknow's best textile
decoration styles.
· It is delicate and subtle embroidery done in white thread on varieties of cloth such as mulmul
(fine cotton), voil or polyester
· It is also known as "Shadow work" for its intricate and complex design and work.
Dhrupad:
Context: One of the notable names in Dhrupad currently Akhilesh Gundecha may be suspended from
Dhrupad sansthan which may also shut for time-being due to a sexual harassment charge.
Concept:
· Dhrupad is ancient and powerful style of Hindustani Classical music.
· It emphasizes on emphasis on maintaining purity of the Raga.
· Its temperament is religious and traces its origin to the ancient text of Samveda.
· The word "Dhrupad" is resultant from the word Dhruva i.e., the persistent evening star
moving throng the galaxy and pada means poetry
· The traditional performance is accompanied with a tanpura and pakhawaj.
· Dhrupad has generally had two parts, Alap and Bandhish.
· It is essentially poetic and it is presented in a style marked with precise and orderly
elaboration of Raga. exposition proceedings composed verses is called Alap.
· In medieval times it thrived under the patronage of Mughal and Rajput kings.
ODISSI DANCE:
Context: Noted odissi dancer Laxmipriya Mohapatra dies at 86 ; Naveen patnaik condoles.
Concept:
• Odissi dance is one of the classical dances of India.
• It is indigenous to Orissa, eastern India, and follows the principles of the Natya-shastra.
Evolution
• The dance has its origin in the temples.
• The carvings found at the Udayagiri Monastery denote that Odissi was patronised as early as
the 2nd Century BCE and the trend continued unabated until about the 16th Century AD.
• After surviving the tumultuous years from 16th century AD till independence, Odissi
underwent a renaissance of sorts which helped it become the global phenomenon it is today.
• The classical music and dance form of Odisha was prefixed with “Odissi” by noted Odia poet
Kabichandra Kalicharan Pattanayak, who was the centre of the cultural revival of Odisha
post-independence, to retain its distinct identity.
Dance Techniques
• Odissi dance form can be broken down to the movement of the head, bust and torso and the
accompanying gestures and expressions.

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• The techniques of movement are built around the two basic postures of the Chowk and the
Tribhanga. The chowk is a position imitating a square - a very masculine stance with the
weight of the body equally balanced. The tribhanga is a very feminine stance where the body
is deflected at the neck, torso and the knees.
• Odissi dance deals largely with the love theme of Radha and Krishna.
KAMBALA:
Context: Srinivasa Gowda sets new record in Kambala racing.
Concept:
• Kambala is a traditional buffalo race in paddy fields filled with slush and mud which
generally takes place in coastal Karnataka (Udupi and Dakshina Kannada) from
November to March.
• Traditionally, it is sponsored by local Tuluva landlords and households in the coastal
districts.Tuluva people are an ethnic group native to Southern India. They are native speakers
of the Tulu language.
• During the race, the racers try to bring the buffaloes under control by holding their reins tight
and whipping them.
• In its traditional form, Kambala was non-competitive and buffalo pairs raced one after
another in paddy fields.
• It was also observed as thanksgiving to gods for protecting the animals from diseases.
CLASSIC BAGH FESTIVAL:

Context : Classic Bagh Festival all set to captivate music and nature lovers in the national capital.
Concept :
• The Classic Bagh Festival, a symbol of UK-India creative collaboration, is all set to captivate
music and nature lovers in the national capital today
• Set within the grounds of Sunder Nursery, Delhi, the Classic Bagh Festival is a unique and
intimate festival.
• Designed as an immersive and environmentally-conscious experience, the free one-day
festival (on from 6 am till 10 pm today) has been developed as a site-conscientious response
to the luscious green setting of Sunder Nursery and its broader location within Nizamuddin,
celebrating Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s vision of pluralism and kindness, and the legacy
and contribution to Hindustani music of his favourite disciple, father of Qawaali and Urdu
literature, Hazrat Ameer Khusrau.
• Open to visitors of Sunder Nursery, it hopes to highlight the importance of community and
celebrate inclusiveness.
• Presented by Jodhpur RIFF and British Council, in association with the Aga Khan Trust for
Culture, the festival supports Indian artistes and festival sector professionals impacted by
Covid-19.
NOWRUZ FESTIVAL:
Concept:
• Nawruz is the new year celebrations for Parsis (Zoroastrians) and Muslims (both Shia and
Sunni).
• It is celebrated on 21st March every year.
• In 1079 AD, a Persian (Iranian) king named Jalaluddin Malekshah introduced this festival to
generate revenue and collect taxes from people.
• It was observed on March 21 to mark the beginning of spring and the day of equinox.

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• The equinoxes are the only time when both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere
experience roughly equal amounts of daytime and nighttime.
• The equinoxes happen in March (about March 21) and September (about September 23).
These are the days when the Sun is exactly above the Equator, which makes day and night of
equal length.
• March equinox is also known as vernal or spring equinox and the September equinox is also
known as autumnal or fall equinox.
• It is inscribed in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of India.
• In India it is known as Jamshed Navroz
KATHAKALI:
Context : Guru Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, a recipient of Padma Shri, died here on
Monday at the age of 104. He was a seasoned Kathakali actor.
Concept :
Kathakali (Kerala)
• Chakiarkoothu, Koodiyattam, Krishnattam and Ramanattam are few of the ritual performing
arts of Kerala which have had a direct influence on Kathakali in its form and technique.
• Kathakali is a blend of dance, music and acting and dramatizes stories, which are mostly
adapted from the Indian epics.
• Heavy make-up and stunning costumes (elaborate masks, huge skirts and big head-dresses)
are used.
• The dancers enact the roles (kings, gods, demons etc.) of the stories with particular make-up
and costume, the vocalists narrate the legend and the percussionists play the musical
instruments.
• Different facial colours indicate different mental stages & character, e.g. green – nobility,
black – wicked, red patches – combining royalty & evil.
• Hand gestures, facial expressions and eye movements are important.
• Weight of the body is on the outer edges of the feet which are slightly bent and curved.
• Ramankutty Nair and Kalamandalam Gopi were the prominent artists.
KUMBH MELA:
Context : COVID-19 casts a shadow over Haridwar Kumbh Mela.
Concept :
• Kumbh Mela comes under UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity.
• Kumbh Mela is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, during which
participants bathe or take a dip in a sacred river.
• It takes place on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik, the Shipra river in Ujjain, the
Ganges in Haridwar, and the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati
river in Prayag. The confluence is referred to as the ‘Sangam‘.
• As it is held in four different cities in India, it involves different social and cultural activities,
making this a culturally diverse festival.
• While technically, it is to be held in each of the aforementioned locations once every 12
years, sometimes, the mela can happen only a year apart at the sites.
• It should also be known that in between, around the sixth year, the Ardh Kumbh Mela (also
known as the half mela) is held. In addition to that, in Allahabad, every year the Maagh Mela

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is celebrated in the month of Maagh (mid-January to February, as per the Hindu calendar) at
the Sangam.
• This Maagh Mela is also referred to as the Ardh Kumbh Mela and Kumbh Mela when it
happens in the sixth and twelfth years, respectively.
• Kumbh Mela in Haridwar is being held after 11 years — not the usual 12 — because of
specific auspicious dates. In fact, this is the first time in 80 years that such a phenomenon has
happened.
• The event encapsulates the science of astronomy, astrology, spirituality, ritualistic traditions,
and social and cultural customs and practices, making it extremely rich in knowledge.
• The teacher-student relationship of the sadhus in the ashrams and akhadas remains the most
important method of imparting and safeguarding knowledge and skills relating to Kumbh
Mela.
UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
• This coveted list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate
diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance.
• The list was established in 2008 when the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage came into effect.
• Intangible Cultural Heritage of India, recognized by UNESCO:

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HISTORY
Jamsetji Tata:
Context: It is the 182nd birth anniversary of Jamsetji Tata, hailed as the original “Make-in-India”
man.
Concept:
· He believed that the strength to defend freedom can itself only come from widespread
industrialisation and the infusion of modern science and technology into the country’s
economic life.
· In spite of challenges, he studied Iron and steel industry for 20 years and laid the foundation
of Iron and steel industry (though didn't live to see it) as Tata Iron and Steel Company (Tata
Steel) rolled out steel in 1912 at Jamshedpur.
· He believed for self-reliance economic empowerment can only be sustained if India acquired
scientific and technological prowess to power its progress: He set aside half his personal
wealth for world-class institute of advanced studies to promote original investigations in all
branches of learning and utilise them for the benefit of India (eventually materialized as the
Indian Institute of Science (IISc))
· Jamsetji launched his Scholarship Scheme for Higher Education for Indians in 1892. By the
1920s, one in five Indians in the Indian Civil Service was a JN Tata Scholar.
SAVITRIBHAI PHULE:
Concept:
• Savitri Bai Phule was the social reformer of the 19th century who worked in the field of
women education.
• At the age of 9, she was married to 13-year-old Jyotirao Phule.
• Jyotirao Phule, better known as Jyotiba, was also a social reformer who worked in the field of
women education. Jyotirao educated Savitribai at home after their marriage.
Contributions
• In the 19th century, public education was limited and there were only a few missionary
schools which were “open to all”. In this period, Jyotiba, at the age of 21, and Savitri, 17,
opened a school for women in 1848.
• It was the country’s first school for women started by Indians.
• She also took teacher’s training course at an institute run by an American missionary in
Ahmednagar and in Pune’s Normal School.
• She then started teaching girls in Pune’s Maharwada.
• Fatima Sheikh along with Savitribai went to the Normal School and they both graduated
together. She was the first Muslim woman teacher of India.
• In the 1850s, the Phule couple initiated two educational trusts—the Native Female School,
Pune and The Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs and Etceteras—
which came to have many schools under them.
• She published Kavya Phule in 1854 and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar in 1892. In her
poem, Go, Get Education, she urges the oppressed communities to get an education and break
free from the chains of oppression.

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• In 1852, Savitribai started the Mahila Seva Mandal to raise awareness about women’s
rights. Savitribai called for a women’s gathering where members from all castes were
welcome and everybody was expected to sit on the same mattress.
• She simultaneously campaigned against child marriage, while supporting widow remarriage.
• In 1863, they started a home for the prevention of infanticide in their own house, for the
safety of pregnant, exploited Brahman widows and to nurture their children.
• In 1890, Jyotirao passed away. Defying all social norms, she lit his funeral pyre.
• After Jyotiba’s death in 1890, Savitribai carried forward the work of the organization Satya
Shodhak Samaj and also chaired the annual session held at Saswad in 1893.
• She initiated the first Satyashodhak marriage—a marriage without a dowry, Brahmin priests
or Brahminical rituals in 1873. Her adopted son, Yashwant, too, had a Satyashodhak inter-
caste marriage.
• Her achievements were diverse and numerous, but they had a singular effect—posing a brave
and pioneering challenge to the caste system and patriarchy.
SHYAMA PRASAD MUKHERJEE:

Context : In a recent election rally in Muchipara, West Bengal, BJP leader spoke about the
contributions of the party’s founding father, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
Concept :
• He was born on July 6, 1901. He was the independent India’s first Minister of Industry
and Supply and founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was born in a Bengali family on 6th July 1901. His father
Ashutosh Mukherjee was a judge of the Calcutta High Court.
• He started his initial education in Bhawanipur’s Mitra Institution in 1906. He passed his
matriculation exam and was admitted to Presidency College.
• He stood seventeenth in the Inter-Arts Examination in 1916 and graduated in English,
securing the first position in first class in 1921.
• At the age of 33, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee became the youngest vice-chancellor of Calcutta
University in 1934.
• During Mukherjee’s term as Vice-Chancellor, Rabindranath Tagore delivered the university
convocation address in Bengali for the first time, and the Indian vernacular was introduced as
a subject for the highest examination.
• Mukherjee demanded the partition of Bengal in 1946 to prevent the inclusion of its Hindu-
majority areas in a Muslim-dominated East Pakistan. A meeting held by the Mahasabha on
April 15, 1947, in Tarakeswar, authorised him to take steps for ensuring partition of Bengal.
• In May 1947, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee wrote a letter to Lord Mountbatten telling him that
Bengal must be partitioned even if India was not.
• He also opposed a failed bid for a united but independent Bengal made in 1947 by Sarat Bose,
the brother of Subhas Chandra Bose, and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a Bengali Muslim
politician.
• After he left the Indian National Congress due to difference of opinion with the then-Prime
Minister Dr Jawaharlal Nehru on Jammu and Kashmir issues, he co- founded Janata Party in
the year 1977-1979, which later on became the Bharatiya Janata Party.
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee died after 40 days of being arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir
State police for entering the state without permit. He passed away in jail under mysterious
circumstances.

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DANDI MARCH:
Context : The aim of the first meeting was to apprise members of the Government’s roadmap to
kick off the celebrations from Sabarmati on March 12, 75 weeks before India turns 75 on August 15,
2022.
The date also marks the 91st anniversary of the Dandi March, with the inaugural event
extending to April 5, which denotes the culmination of the civil disobedience campaign led by
Mahatma Gandhi in 1930.
Concept :
Salt Satyagraha
• On March 12, 1930, Gandhiji set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241-mile march
to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. There, Gandhi and his supporters were to
defy British policy by making salt from seawater.
• At Dandi, thousands more followed his lead, and in the coastal cities of Bombay and Karachi,
Indian nationalists led crowds of citizens in making salt.
• Civil disobedience broke out all across India, soon involving millions of Indians, and British
authorities arrested more than 60,000 people. Gandhiji himself was arrested on May 5, but the
satyagraha continued without him.
• On May 21, the poet Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works, some
150 miles north of Bombay. The incident, recorded by American journalist Webb Miller,
prompted an international outcry against British policy in India.
• In January 1931, Gandhiji was released from prison. He later met with Lord Irwin, the
viceroy of India, and agreed to call off the satyagraha in exchange for an equal negotiating
role at a London conference on India’s future.
• In August 1931, Gandhiji traveled to the conference as the sole representative of the
nationalist Indian National Congress. The meeting was a disappointment, but British leaders
had acknowledged him as a force they could not suppress or ignore.
COMMUNAL GO 1921:
Context : With the Supreme Court readying itself to raise its previously-imposed ceiling of 50 per
cent as the upper limit for reservations, the spiral of history has completed a full cycle in almost
exactly one hundred years.
Concept :
Communal GO
• In September 1921, the so-called “Communal GO” (or Government Order) was passed in the
Madras Presidency by a provincial government led by the Justice Party.
• The Communal GO was essentially a power-sharing agreement that had the blessings of the
colonial government.
• It allocated government jobs and seats in public higher education institutions to different
communities in specific proportions.
• It was designed to check the near-monopoly of Brahmins on these opportunities despite the
fact that they constituted only about three per cent of the population.
• The GO also signalled the arrival of popular politics, and was the culmination of a successful
campaign for electoral power by the so-called non-Brahmin movement spearheaded by the
Justice Party.

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• These government opportunities were to be shared among six communities: Brahmins, non-
Brahmin Hindus, Mohammedans, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians and Europeans, and
others.
• But most important here is the rationale for this policy — it is not based on any form of
backwardness or disadvantage. Rather, it is an explicitly political principle of sharing the
state’s resources and opportunities.
TOMAR DYNASTY:
Context : A government seminar conducted recently in Delhi highlighted the legacy of the long-
forgotten Tomar king — Anangpal II.
Concept :
• Anangpal II, popularly known as Anangpal Tomar, belonged to the Tomar dynasty that ruled
parts of present-day Delhi and Haryana between the 8th and 12th centuries.
• Their rule is attested by multiple inscriptions and coins.
• Anangpal II was instrumental in populating Indraprastha and giving it its present name, Delhi.
• The region was in ruins when he ascended the throne in the 11th century; it was he who built
Lal Kot fort and Anang Tal Baoli.
The Tomars of Delhi
• The Tomars were the feudatories of the Pratiharas.
• They founded the city of Delhi in 736 A.D.
• Mahipala Tomar captured Thaneshwar, Hansi and Nagarkot in 1043 A.D.
• Chauhans captured Delhi in middle of the 12th century and the Tomars became their
feudatories.
PERIYAR:
Concept :
Contributions
• Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy was born in 1879 in Erode, then a part of the Coimbatore
district of the Madras Presidency.
• He later came to be called “Periyar”, which in Tamil means ‘respected one’ or ‘elder’. He was
also popularly referred to as Thanthai Periyar.
• He was a respected Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect
Movement and the political party Dravidar Kazhagam. He is also known as the ‘Father of
modern Tamilnadu’.
• His works against the Bhraminical dominance, oppression of women in Tamil Nadu, caste
prevalence are exemplary.
• Periyar promoted the principles of rationalism, self-respect, women’s rights and eradication of
caste. He opposed the exploitation and marginalisation of the people of South India and the
imposition of what he considered Indo-Aryan India
• In the year 1919, E.V. Ramasamy joined the Indian National Congress (INC) but resigned in
1925 when he started feeling that only the interests of the few elite sections of society were
being catered to by the party.
• In 1924, Periyar participated in a non-violent satyagraha in Vaikom in Kerala.
• From 1929 to 1932, he travelled to British Malaya, Europe, and Russia which had a great
influence on him.

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• In 1939, E.V. Ramasamy became the head of the Justice Party, changed its name to Dravidar
Kazhagam in 1944.
• The party later split with one group led by C. N. Annadurai forming the Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949.
• He advocated for a separate, independent “Land of Dravidians” – Dravida Nadu while
continuing the Self-Respect Movement.
Lachit Borphukan:
Context: Assam polls have seen frequent invocation of Ahom warrior Lachit Borphukan as Hindu
warrior and one who defeated Mughals.
Concept:
· Remembered as the greatest military hero of Assam, Lachit Borphukan was a general of
Ahom kings.
· He is best known for the Battle of Saraighat (1671) on the Brahmaputra, where he beat the
Mughals.
· He is best remembered as high point of Ahom empire when Assamese race was united and
able to fight an alien, formidable force such as the Mughals
· Lachit Divas has been celebrated on November 24 (his birth anniversary) in Assam since the
1930s
BATTLE OF FEROZESHAH:
Concept :
• The Battle of Ferozeshah was fought on 21 December and 22 December 1845 between the
British East India Company and the Sikh Empire, at the village of Ferozeshah in Punjab.
• It was the second battle in first anglo sikh war.
• The British were led by Sir Hugh Gough and Governor-General Sir Henry Hardinge, while
the Sikhs were led by Lal Singh. The British emerged victorious.

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GEOGRAPHY
Kringlerne Rare earth Deposit:
Context: The Greenland, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom o Denmark is witnessing bad side
of green power derived from Rare earth
Concept:
· The world’s biggest island has huge resources of metals known as ‘rare earths,’ used to help
power equipment such as wind turbines and electric vehicles.
· Warming temperatures are melting away ice sheets, making Greenland's riches more
accessible.
· The most important known REE deposits of Greenland are in the world-class Kvanefjeld and
Kringlerne deposits.
Pre-monsoon shower:
Context: IMD projects that the first spell of thundershowers of this year’s pre-monsoon season
(March-May) is expected to break out over parts of Tamil Nadu and most of Kerala this week.
Concept:
· Pre-monsoon showers are the key to plantation crops such as tea, rubber, coffee, pepper and
cardamom in South India. However Coeffee varieties like Arabica coffee needs 90-120 days
stress period and robusta about 60 days to blossom. But the rains every month since
December have left the lands with moisture and vegetative growth preventing reproductive
growth.
· Frequent rains will also help pepper catkins to gain weight, though new ones may not appear
until the plants undergo a stress period.
About Pre-Monsoon shower
· Pre-monsoon shower or summer rain is formed due to the storm over the Bay of Bengal.
· It is a mixture of dry and moist winds. It at times gives rise to local storms, such as the
occurrence of violent winds, heavy rain and hailstorms.
· These showers' effect can be seen in two ways such as in some states of northern India it
reduces the intensity of heat waves, but it also come with the blessing of showers in the
Eastern and Southern India for the farmers.
· Different names of pre-monsoon shower
1. Tea Shower in Assam
2. Kalbaishakh in West Bengal
3. Mango Shower in Kerala and Coastal areas of Karnataka
4. Cherry Blossoms/ Coffee showers in Kerala and some part of Karanataka
Heat Wave:
Context: In spite of rise of above 3-5 degree Celsius the IMD ruled out heat wave conditions over
North-West India due to calming influence of a cooler western disturbance.
Concept:
· A fresh western disturbance as a trough lay over South Afghanistan and adjoining South-west
Pakistan on Thursday evening accompanied by an offspring cyclonic circulation over Central
Pakistan and adjoining West Rajasthan which makes it an active weather system.
About heat wave

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· A Heat Wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum
temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western parts of India.
· Heat Waves typically occur between March and June, and in some rare cases even extend till
July.
· Urban heat island effects, deforestation, global warming leading to higher daily peak
temperature etc. are major causes of heat waves.
· The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living
in these regions as they cause physiological stress, dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion
and/or heat stroke and sometimes resulting in death.
· Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing morbidities are particularly vulnerable.
IMD defines Heat Waves as:
1. Heat Wave need not be considered till maximum temperature of a station reaches at least
40°C for Plains and at least 30°C for Hilly regions
2. When normal maximum temperature of a station is less than or equal to 40°C Heat Wave
Departure from normal is 5°C to 6°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 7°C or
more
3. When normal maximum temperature of a station is more than 40°C Heat Wave Departure
from normal is 4°C to 5°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 6°C or more
4. When actual maximum temperature remains 45°C or more irrespective of normal maximum
temperature, heat waves should be declared.
Wine country shift:

Context:
With climate change affecting produce at the finest vineyards, new wine-producing regions such as
Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar could soon replace the world’s best vineyards.
Concept:
Mediterranean climate:
The warm temperate western margin climate or the Mediterranean climate is found between 30 degree
and 45 degree North and South of the Equator. This climate is witnessed in relatively fewer parts of
the world and is almost entirely confined to the western margins of the continental landmasses. The
basic cause of this climate is the seasonal shift of the wind belts.
The region is important for fruit cultivation, cereal growing, wine-making and agricultural industries
as well as engineering and mining. The region is a net exporter of citrus fruits and the net importer of
dairy products.
Orchard farming:
 These regions are known as the world's orchard lands.
 A wide range of citrus fruits grows in the region. Examples: Sunkist oranges of California, Jaffa
oranges of Israel.
 The fruit trees have long roots to draw water from depths during the long summer months.
 The olive tree is probably the most typical of all Mediterranean cultivated vegetation.
 Besides these, many nut trees like chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds are grown.
 Other important fruits are peaches, apricots, pears, cherries, plums and figs.
KEN BETWA LINK:

Context: Memorandum of Agreement between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief
Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first

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project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers, will take place on 22nd March
2021.
Concept:
• This project involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through the
construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr Project,
Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project.
• It will provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh ha, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh
people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.
• The Project will be of immense benefit to the water starved region of Bundelkhand, especially
to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and
Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.
BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER:
Context: A draft of China’s new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which is set to be formally
approved, has given the green light for the first dams to be built on the lower reaches of Yarlung
Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet before it flows into India.
Concept:
• Brahmaputra river system is one of the largest rivers in the world. In the Tibet region, it is
known by the name of YarlungTsangpo.
• It enters by the names of Siang and Dihang in India. And after it is joined by its two main
tributaries, the Dibang and theLohit, it is known by the name of Brahmaputra. It flows in
Bangladesh by the name of Jumna. Finally, it merges with the Ganga river.
• The world’s largest riverine island, Majuli Island is on the Brahmaputra river in the state of
Assam. Important cities along Brahmaputra are Dibrugarh, Pasighat, Neamati, Tezpur and
Guwahati.
• Source of origin: The Brahmaputra river rises from Chemayundung glacier of the Kailash
range near the Mansarovar Lake to the north of the Himalayas in the southwest Tibet region.

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• Confluence of Mouth: The Brahmaputra drains into the Bay of Bengal before forming a huge
delta along with the Ganga.
Course of the Brahmaputra river
• In Tibet, it runs parallel to the Himalayas for about 1,200 km. It turns into the south and
creates a deep gorge through the Himalayas near NamchaBarwa and enters India under the
name of the Dihang.
• Near Sadia, it receives the Dibang coming from the north and the Lohit coming from the east
and enters the Assam valley where it is called the Brahmaputra. It flows in the west direction
up to Dhubri and further below, it runs to the south and enters Bangladesh.
• The Brahmaputra receives numerous tributaries in the Assam valley. The number of streams
joining the Brahmaputra on its right-bank is greater than that of those joining it on the left-
bank. Most of the tributaries are large streams and they pour great quantities of water in the
Brahmaputra.
• During the rainy season, it is 8 km broad, slow-moving and heavily laden with silt. Its
channel is braided. It is notorious for floods and erosion of its banks. Recurrent floods not
only hampers the navigation through the river but also the establishment of large towns on its
banks.
RIVER TEESTA:
Context : Dhaka underlines need to conclude water sharing agreement at bilateral talks during
PM’s visit.
Concept :
• Teesta river is a tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh), flowing
through India and Bangladesh.
• It originates in the Himalayas near Chunthang, Sikkim and flows to the south through West
Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
• Originally, the river continued southward to empty directly into the Padma River (main
channel of Ganga in Bangladesh) but around 1787 the river changed its course to flow
eastward to join the Jamuna river.
• The Teesta Barrage dam helps to provide irrigation for the plains between the upper Padma
and the Jamuna.
• Teesta river water conflict is one of the most contentious issues between India and
Bangladesh.
THUNDERSTORMS:
Context : The Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, has said that rainfall occurred at
isolated places over Kerala and Mahe during the 24 hours ending on Monday morning.
Outlook for Monday had hinted at the possibility of thunderstorms with lightning at
isolated places over Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Concept :
• Thunderstorms and tornadoes are severe local storms. They are of short duration, occurring
over a small area but are violent.
• Thunderstorm is a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain or hail.
• Thunderstorms mostly occur on ground where the temperature is high. Thunderstorms are
less frequent on water bodies due to low temperature.

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• Worldwide, there are an estimated 16 million thunderstorms each year, and at any given
moment, there are roughly 2,000 thunderstorms in progress.
Motion of a thunderstorm
• Path of a thunderstorm is erratic. Motion is primarily due to interactions of its updrafts and
downdrafts.
• The speed of isolated storms is typically about 20 km (12 miles) per hour, but some storms
move much faster.
• In extreme circumstances, a supercell storm may move 65 to 80 km (about 40 to 50 miles) per
hour.
Downbursts
• Downdrafts are referred to as macrobursts or microbursts.
• Macroburst is more than 4 km in diameter and can produce winds as high as 60 metres per
second, or 215 km per hour.
• A microburst is smaller in dimension but produces winds as high as 75 metres per second, or
270 km per hour
• They are seriously hazardous to aircrafts, especially during takeoffs and landings.
LIGHTENING:
Context: Gurugram: 1 dead, 3 injured after lightning strikes tree
Concept:
• It is a very rapid and massive discharge of electricity in the atmosphere. It is the process of
occurrence of a natural ‘electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a
cloud and the ground or within a cloud’, accompanied by a bright flash and sound, and
sometimes thunderstorms.
• Inter cloud or intra cloud (IC) lightning are visible and harmless.
• It is cloud to ground (CG) lightning, which is harmful as the ‘high electric voltage and electric
current’ leads to electrocution.
Process:
• It is a result of the difference in electrical charge between the top and bottom of a cloud.
• The lightning-generating clouds are typically about 10-12 km in height, with their base about
1-2 km from the Earth’s surface. The temperatures at the top range from -35°C to -45°C.

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• As water vapour moves upwards in the cloud, it condenses into water due to decreasing
temperatures. A huge amount of heat is generated in the process, pushing the water molecules
further up.
• As they move to temperatures below zero, droplets change into small ice crystals. As they
continue upwards, they gather mass, until they become so heavy that they start descending.
• It leads to a system where smaller ice crystals move upwards while larger ones come down.
The resulting collisions trigger release of electrons, in a process very similar to the generation
of electric sparks. The moving free electrons cause more collisions and more electrons
leading to a chain reaction.
• The process results in a situation in which the top layer of the cloud gets positively charged
while the middle layer is negatively charged.
• In little time, a huge current, of the order of lakhs to millions of amperes, starts to flow
between the layers.
• It produces heat, leading to the heating of the air column between the two layers of cloud.
• It is because of this heat that the air column looks red during lightning.
• The heated air column expands and produces shock waves that result in thunder sounds.
RIVER SARASVATI:
Context :The Centre has reconstituted an advisory committee to chalk out a plan for studying the
mythical Sarasvati river for the next two years, after the earlier panel’s term ended in 2019.
Concept :
• The Sarasvati River is one of the main Rigvedic rivers mentioned in the scripture Rig Veda
and later Vedic and post-Vedic texts.
• The ‘Sapta Sindhu’ in Rig Veda refers to the rivers Saraswati, Satadru (Sutlej), Vipasa (Beas),
Asikni (Chenab), Purushni (Ravi), Vitasta (Jhelum) and Sindhu (Indus).
• Among these, the Saraswati and the Sindhu were major rivers that flowed from the mountains
right up to the sea.
• For 2000 years, between 6000 and 4000 B.C., the Saraswati flowed as a great river.
• The river, which had originated from Kapal tirith in the Himalayas in the west of Kailash, was
flowing southward to Mansarovar and then taking a turn towards west.
RULE CURVE:
Context : The Supreme Court said the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary will be “personally
responsible” and “appropriate action” will be taken on failure to give information on the ‘rule curve’
for the Mullaperiyar dam to the Supreme Court-appointed Supervisory Committee.
Concept :
• The ‘rule curve’ in a dam decides the fluctuating storage levels in a reservoir.
• The gate opening schedule of a dam is based on the ‘rule curve’.
• It is part of the “core safety” mechanism in a dam.
Mullaperiyar Dam
• Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam built at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar
rivers.
• The dam is located in Kerala but is operated and maintained by the neighbouring state of
Tamil Nadu.
• It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick and also reached in an
agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (present-day Tamil Nadu).

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COTTON CORPORATION OF INDIA:

Concept :
• Cotton Corporation of India was established in 1970 under Companies Act 1956.
• It’s a Government of India’s corporate agency, engaged in diverse activities related to trade,
procurement, and export of cotton.
• CCI is governed by Textile Policy 1985 issued by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
• CCI operates in the following states as of now – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Orissa.
GREAT NICOBAR:
Context : NITI Aayog vision for Great Nicobar ignores tribal, ecological concerns.
Concept :
Great Nicobar Group of Islands
• Geography: They are located around 1,300 km southeast of the Indian subcontinent, across
the Bay of Bengal and are home to the two most primitive tribes namely- Nicobarese &
Shompens.
• Species found: It is a habitat for diverse creatures including the giant robber crab, a megapode
bird, the crab-eating macaque, and is also a nesting ground for leatherback sea turtles.
• Ecology: The island harbors a wide spectrum of ecosystems from tropical wet evergreen
forests, mountain ranges, and coastal plains. These islands also host the growth of coral reefs
(the existence of which is threatened by the plastic debris & marine litter).
• The island includes the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (GNBR) which has been declared
as one of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.
• The reserve comprises of the Galathea National Park and the Campbell Bay National Park.
• The Sundalands which is one of the four biodiversity hotspots in India includes the Nicobar
group of Islands.
TSUNAMI:
Context : Japan's meteorological agency lifted a tsunami advisory around an hour after a 6.9-
magnitude earthquake struck off the country's northeastern coast on Saturday, causing no immediate
damage or injuries.
Concept :
Tsunamis
• These are a series of waves usually generated by movement of the sea floor. These
movements are caused by different types of geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes,
landslides and volcanic eruptions.
• The word tsunami is a Japanese word, represented by two characters: tsu, meaning, "harbor",
and nami meaning, "wave".
• The tsunami waves behave very differently in deep water than in shallow water as their speed
is related to the water depth.
• They frequently occur in the Pacific, where dense oceanic plates slide under the lighter
continental plates. When these plates fracture they provide a vertical movement of the
seafloor that allows a quick and efficient transfer of energy from the solid earth to the ocean.
Mechanism of Tsunami Waves
• Megathrust earthquakes cause a sudden displacement in a seabed sufficient to cause the
sudden raising of a large body of water.

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• As the subducting plate plunges beneath the less dense plate, stresses build-up, the locked
zone between the plates give way abruptly, and the parts of the oceanic crust is then upthrust
resulting in the displacement of a large column of water vertically.
• The tsunami on December 26, 2004, was caused after an earthquake displaced the seabed off
the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
• A marine volcanic eruption can generate an impulsive force that displaces the water column
and gives birth to a tsunami.
• During a submarine landslide, the equilibrium sea-level is altered by sediment moving along
the floor of the sea. Gravitational forces then propagate a tsunami.
• Most destructive tsunamis can be caused due to the fall of extra-terrestrial objects on to the
earth.
FAGRADALS VOLCANO:
Context : Long-dormant Iceland volcano erupts for first time in 6,000 years.
Concept :
• A long dormant volcano erupted near Iceland's capital Reykjavik on Friday, shooting lava
high into the night sky after thousands of small earthquakes in recent weeks. This was the
area's first volcanic eruption in nearly 800 years.
• The eruption occurred near Fagradalsfjall, a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula, around 30
km (19 miles) southwest of the capital.
DUST STORM:
Context : Beijing witnesses biggest dust storm in decade.
Concept :
• Sand and dust storms are common meteorological hazards in arid and semi-arid regions. They
are usually caused by thunderstorms – or strong pressure gradients associated with cyclones –
which increase wind speed over a wide area.
• Sand and dust particles are distinguished by their grain size. Storms carrying bigger particles
are known as Sand Storm whereas those carrying smaller are called dust Storms.
• Marginal dry lands are increasingly a source of major dust storms. These areas have fragile,
delicately balanced ecosystems. Their degradation, called desertification, makes the soil less
resilient to wind during prolonged drought.
Formation of Dust Storms
• Sand and dust storms usually occur when strong winds lift large amounts of sand and dust
from bare, dry soils into the atmosphere.
• Once released from the surface, dust particles are raised to higher levels of the troposphere by
turbulent mixing and convective updrafts.
• They are transported by winds for lengths of time, depending on their size and meteorological
conditions, before being pulled back down to the surface again.
• As larger particles sediment more quickly than smaller ones, there is a shift toward smaller
particle sizes during transport.
• Areas which have higher moisture witness thunderstorm and areas relatively devoid of
moisture suffer from dust storms.

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BARALACHA PASS:
Context : For the first time ever, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has started work on
reopening the crucial Baralacha Pass in Himachal Pradesh much before schedule to restore
connectivity to Leh in Ladakh.
Concept :
• Bara-lacha la also known as Bara-lacha Pass is a high mountain pass in Zanskar range,
connecting Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh, situated along the
Leh–Manali Highway.
• The pass also acts as a water-divide between the Bhaga river and the Yunam river.
• The Bhaga river, a tributary of the Chenab river, originates from Surya taal lake, which is
situated a few of kilometers from the pass towards Manali.
Border Roads Organisation
• BRO was conceived and raised in 1960 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for coordinating the
speedy development of a network of roads in the North and the North Eastern border regions
of the country.
• It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.
• It has diversified into a large spectrum of construction and development works comprising
airfields, building projects, defence works and tunneling and has endeared itself to the people.
INDIAN MONSOON:
Context : The evolution of the monsoonal climate in India is still debatable and not fully
understood. Though recent data indicates that the monsoon system we experience now dates back to
about 25 million years, it is still unclear how the climate was during its long voyage.
Concept :
• The climate of India is described as the ‘monsoon’ type. In Asia, this type of climate is found
mainly in the south and the southeast.
• Out of a total of 4 seasonal divisions of India, monsoon occupy 2 divisions, namely.
• The southwest monsoon season - Rainfall received from the southwest monsoons is seasonal
in character, which occurs between June and September.
• The retreating monsoon season - The months of October and November are known for
retreating monsoons.
Onset of the South-West Monsoon
• The location of ITCZ shifts north and south of the equator with the apparent movement of the
Sun.
• During the month of June, the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Cancer and the ITCZ
shifts northwards.
• The southeast trade winds of the southern hemisphere cross the equator and start blowing in
southwest to northeast direction under the influence of Coriolis force.
• These winds collect moisture as they travel over the warm Indian Ocean.
• In the month of July, the ITCZ shifts to 20°-25° N latitude and is located in the Indo-Gangetic
Plain and the south-west monsoons blow from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The
ITCZ in this position is often called the Monsoon Trough.
• The shift in the position of the ITCZ is also related to the phenomenon of the withdrawal of
the westerly jet stream from its position over the north Indian plain, south of the Himalayas.

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• The easterly Jet Stream (Somali Jet) sets in along 15°N latitude only after the western jet
stream has withdrawn itself from the region. This easterly jet stream is held responsible for
the burst of the monsoon in India.
• As these winds approach the land, their southwesterly direction is modified by the relief and
thermal low pressure over northwest India. The monsoon approaches the Indian landmass in
two branches:
• The Arabian Sea branch - The monsoon winds originating over the Arabian Sea.
• The Bay of Bengal branch - The Arakan Hills along the coast of Myanmar deflect a big
portion of this branch towards the Indian subcontinent. The monsoon, therefore, enters West
Bengal and Bangladesh from south and southeast instead of from the south-westerly
direction.
• Another phenomenon associated with the monsoon is its tendency to have ‘breaks’ in rainfall.
The monsoon rains take place only for a few days at a time. They are interspersed with
rainless intervals. These breaks in monsoon are related to the movement of the monsoon
trough.
Inter Tropical Convergence Zone
• The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ,) is a broad trough of low pressure in equatorial
latitudes. This is where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge.
• This convergence zone lies more or less parallel to the equator but moves north or south with
the apparent movement of the sun.
Retreating Monsoon Season
• The retreating southwest monsoon season is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature.
• The land is still moist. Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather
becomes rather oppressive. This is commonly known as the ‘October heat’.
• In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly, particularly in northern
India.
• The weather in the retreating monsoon is dry in north India but it is associated with rain in the
eastern part of the Peninsula. Here, October and November are the rainiest months of the
year.
• The widespread rain in this season is associated with the passage of cyclonic depressions
which originate over the Andaman Sea and manage to cross the eastern coast of the southern
Peninsula. These tropical cyclones are very destructive.
• A bulk of the rainfall of the Coromandel Coast is derived from these depressions and
cyclones.
• Unlike the rest of the country, which receives rain in the southwest monsoon season between
June and September, the northeast monsoon is crucial for farming and water security in the
south.
TORNADOES:
Context : At least six people were killed after severe tornadoes and storms hit the southern parts
of the US, authorities said.
Concept :
• A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to
the ground.
• Because wind is invisible, it is hard to see a tornado unless it forms a condensation funnel
made up of water droplets, dust and debris.

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• Tornadoes can be among the most violent phenomena of all atmospheric storms we
experience.
• Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, and they are often visible in the form of a
condensation funnel originating from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud, with a cloud of
rotating debris and dust beneath it.
• It is generally accompanied by extreme weather such as heavy downpours, hail storms, and
lightning.

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INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Child Welfare Committee (CWCs):
Context: The CWC pulled up police in a gangrape case of minor as CWC was kept in dark regarding
the incident.
Concept:
· It is a quasi-judicial agency and is the final authority on children in need of care and
protection. It is an autonomous body.
· The Child Welfare Committee functions as a bench guided by the powers that are conferred
in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Anyone connected to the child is allowed to file a
petition to the Magistrate of that District, who considers and passes appropriate orders.
· It is mandatory to form one or more Child Welfare Committees in every district for exercising
power and to discharge the duties conferred in relation to children in need of care and
protection.
· This committee consists of a Chairperson and other four members who according to the State
Government are fit to be appointed, at least one of whom should be a woman and the other
should preferably be an expert on matters that are concerning the children.
Power and function as mentioned in Section 27 of the Juvenile Justice, Act 2015:
· The Committee has the full authority of disposing of cases for the care, protection and
treatment of the children.
· The Committee can also dispose of cases that are for the development, rehabilitation and
protection of children that are in need, and also to provide for the basic need and protection
that is needed by the children.
· When a Committee is constituted for any particular area, then it has the power to exclusively
deal with all proceedings that are being held under the provisions of this Act that are related
to children in terms of need of care and protection.
· While exercising the given powers curtailed under this Act, the Committee is barred from
performing any act which would go against anything contained in any other law that is in
force at that time.
· CWCs are designated by law as final district-level authorities for care, protection, treatment,
development and rehabilitation of “children in need of care and protection” – or CNCP
· POCSO Act mandates the police to inform CWC
· In case of sexual abuse, the Juvenile Justice Act defines CNCP as any child “who has been or
is being or is likely to be abused, tortured or exploited for the purpose of sexual abuse or
illegal acts”.
· Rules under POCSO Act make it mandatory that if the police have reasons to believe that the
child is without a home or paternal support, or is in any institution or when a perpetrator is in
the same house, among others, the victim has to be produced before CWC.
Reservation of seats in Local government:

Context: The Goa bench of the Bombay HC directed state to rectify irregularities in reservation of
wards for municipal elections.
Concept:
· 73rd Constitutional amendment act provides for reservation for the SCs, STs in Panchayats (at
three levels) in proportion to their population as mandatory provision.

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· It also provides for reservation of chair persons posts for SCs and the STs by the state
legislature.
· The act provides for not less than 1/3rd of the seats in Panchayat at three levels to be reserved
for women (including SCs and STs seats). Similarly, not less than 1/3rd seats to be reserved
for women for chairpersons at all levels.
· It empowers the state legislature for providing reservation in Panchayats to backward classes.
· Similar provision for reservation exists in 74th amendment act in case of municipalities.
· Art 243 D provides for reservation at the level of Panchayats.
· Art 243 T provides for reservation at the level of municipalities.
Surya Prakash Committee:

Context: The govt had accepted the committee suggestion that Parliament should have only one
channel, which could be called Sansad TV.
Concept:
· A 6-member committee was constituted in November 2019 headed by Prasar Bharati
Chairman Surya Prakash to work out the modalities and prepare the guidelines for pooling
resources, manpower and technology for the merger of the RSTV and LSTV.
· The need was felt as Parliament is in session for close to 100 days in a year and thus for the
remaining period there is really no need for two channels.
· Panel also said that the Sansad TV could have two platforms to telecast live the proceedings
of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha during Sessions though Sansad 1 and Sansad 2 and could
broadcast the same programme, in Hindi and English respectively, during the inter-Session
period.
· However, no decision has been taken on this suggestion yet.
Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2021:

Context: Haryana passed the law giving 75% of reservation in private sector for job seekers from
Haryana.
Concept:
· The law will apply to all the companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms,
partnership firms and any person employing 10 or more persons and an entity as may be
notified by the government from time to time
· Earlier Andhra Pradesh became the first state in the country to introduce local reservation in
private sector in 2019.
· It is to be seen if such laws are constitutionally valid or not as it is seen as violation of Art 16:
"Article 16 specifically states that no citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste,
sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them, be ineligible for, or discriminated
against in respect or, any employment or office under the State".
OBC quota in local govt:

Context: The SC held that the OBC quota in local governance was “statutory”, unlike the
“constitutional” reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and quota for SC, ST and
OBCs must not break 50% ceiling for reservation.
Concept:
· The court decision came on petitions challenging Section 12(2)(c) of the Maharashtra Zilla
Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961, which mandated that the State should provide 27
per cent reservation to OBCs.

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· It also challenged State Election Commission notification providing for reservation exceeding
50 per cent in respect of Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis of Washim, Akola, Nagpur
and Bhandara districts.
· In case, constitutional reservation provided for SCs and STs were to consume the entire 50
per cent of seats in the concerned local bodies and in some cases in scheduled area even
beyond 50 per cent, in respect of such local bodies, the question of providing further
reservation to OBCs would not arise at all.
Reservation in 73rd and 74th Amendment act
· It provides for reservation for SCs and STs at all-levels of panchayats and municipalities in
proportion to their population.
· It also provides for reservation for women (not less than 33% horizontally).
· Above two are mandatory provisions.
· It mentions that state can provide for OBC quota in local governance.
North-East removed from the delimitation commission mandate:

Context: After red flag over legal validity of the Centre’s order of forming Limitation Commission
for J&K as well as 4 North-East states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, the 4
North-Eastern states have been removed from its mandate.
Concept:
· It also extended the Delimitation Commission’s term by a year with delimitation exercise
limited to J&K.
· Section 8A of the Representation of People Act, introduced by Parliament in 2008, states that
delimitation in the four northeastern states, when held, would fall within the Election
Commission’s remit.
· Thus, any delimitation effort by new commission would have created legal challenges and
that’s why it was excluded from mandate.
· Apprehensions expressed in the northeastern states over using the 2001 Census was said to be
another reason for this decision.
About Delimitation Commission
· Delimitation means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial
constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body.
· The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in
collaboration with the Election Commission of India.
· Under Article 82 of the Constitution, the Parliament by law enacts a Delimitation Act after
every census.
· The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in
collaboration with the Election Commission of India
· Composition:
· Retired Supreme Court judge
· Chief Election Commissioner
· Respective State Election Commissioners
· It is a high-power body whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question
before any court.
SC Bench proposes fast-track courts to address pendency of cases due to

dishonoured cheques:
Context: The Constitution bench of the SC has proposed setting up of fast-track courts for a limited
time to clear dishonoured cheque cases.

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Concept:
· Such cases account for almost 30% (35 lakh cheque bounce cases)of the backlogs across the
country.
· The court held that even retired judges could preside over these temporary additional courts to
clear pending cheque case.
· The SC referred to Art 247 of the Constitution: The government had both power and an
obligation under Article 247 of the Constitution to set up additional courts to better the
administration of laws enacted by the Parliament, including the Negotiable Instruments Act,
which deals with cheques.
Recommendations of amici curiae
· The court appointed amici curiae recommended Centre, Reserve Bank of India and the Indian
Banks Association create a nodal service agency for effective service of summons through
electronic process
· Empowering local Magistrates to order attachment of the bank account of an absconding
accused to the extent of the cheque amount.
· Generating a unique number for a dishonour memo, which when fed into a system, would
reveal the details of the account holder.
High level national Committee to commemorate 75 years of independence:

Context: A 259-member committee has been formed to recommend and guide celebration of 75 years
of Indian independence.
Concept:
· The committee will be headed by PM.
· It will see representation from different walks of life like former president (Pratibha Patil),
governors, CMs, Eminent citizens, Chief of defence staff, Chief of three defence wings and
opposition leaders.
· It will provide policy guidelines and direction for the commemoration of 75-year of
independence at the national and international level.
· The celebration will start 75 days before the day and continue up to August 15, 2023 during
which the committee will invite suggestion and recommendations for celebration.
Private members’ bill:

Context: The MP state legislature passed a private bill to change the name of Hoshangabad to
Narmadapuram through voice vote.
Concept:
· Every member of Parliament/legislature, who is not a Minister, is called a Private Member.
· A private member’s Bill is different from a public Bill and is piloted by an MP/MLA who is a
private member.
· Government Bills are backed by the government and also reflect its legislative agenda. The
admissibility of a private Bill is decided by the Chairman in the case of the Rajya Sabha and
the Speaker in the case of the Lok Sabha
· the Member must give at least a month’s notice, for the House Secretariat to examine it for
compliance with constitutional provisions and rules on legislation (Public bill can be
introduced on any day).
· Unlike public bill which can be introduced any day, the private members bill can be
introduced only on Friday.
· Private members bill has lesser chance of being passed.

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· As per PRS Legislative, no private member’s Bill has been passed by Parliament since 1970.
To date, Parliament has passed 14 such Bills, six of them in 1956.
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI):

Context: The government issued a consolidated list of rights that OCI enjoy.
Concept:
The OCI scheme came with the amendment of the Citizenship Act in 2005. Further in 2015 it was
merged with the PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card.
Individuals who do not have citizenship of any other country are not eligible to gain an OCI status.
Individuals whose parents or grandparents hold citizenship of Pakistan and Bangladesh are not
eligible to apply.
The Ministry of Home Affairs defines an OCI as a person who:

· Was a citizen of India on or after 26th January 1950; or
· Was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January 1950; or
· Belong to a territory which became part of India after 15 august 1947; or
· Is a child or grandchild of such a person; or
· Is a minor child of the persons from any of the above category or either or both of the parents
are citizens of India.
· For foreign origin spouse of the Citizen of India or An OCI card holder: 1) Whose marriage is
registered 2) Married for more than two years before the date of application
Benefits of OCI card:
· OCI cardholders can enter India multiple times, get a multipurpose lifelong visa to visit India,
and are exempt from registering with Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
· If an individual is registered as an OCI for a period of five years, he/she is eligible to apply
for Indian citizenship.
· At all Indian international airports, OCI cardholders are provided with special immigration
counters.
· OCI cardholders can open special bank accounts in India, buy the non-farm property and
exercise ownership rights and can also apply for a Permanent Account Number (PAN) card.
· On par with the Indian nationals in the matter of domestic air fares, entry fees to monuments
and public places.
· Parity with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in adoption of children, appearing in competitive
exams, purchase or sale of immovable property barring agricultural land and farmhouses, and
pursuing professions such as doctors, lawyers, architects, and chartered accountants
Limitations
· OCI cardholders do not get voting rights, cannot hold a government job and purchase
agricultural or farmland.
· They cannot travel to restricted areas without government permission.
· Need prior permission for a set of activities that include research, journalism, mountaineering,
missionary or Tablighi work, and visits to restricted areas.
NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER:

Context : Centre likely to allow residents to fill their NPR details online.
Concept :
National Population Register
• It is a list of “usual residents of the country”.

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• A “usual resident of the country” is one who has been residing in a local area for at least the
last six months, or intends to stay in a particular location for the next six months.
Legal Provisions:
• The NPR is being prepared under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship
(Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
• It is mandatory for every “usual resident of India” to register in the NPR.
Background:
• The data for the NPR was first collected in 2010 along with the house listing phase of Census
2011.
• In 2015, this data was further updated by conducting a door-to-door survey.
• However, with the use of Aadhaar as the key vehicle for transfer of government benefits in
the last few years, the NPR has taken a backseat.
Scope:
• The NPR exercise is conducted at the local, sub-district, district, state and national levels.
• The NPR will collect both demographic data and biometric data. Biometric data will be
updated through Aadhar details.
• In the 2010 exercise, the RGI had collected only demographic details.
• In 2015, it updated the data further with the mobile, Aadhaar and ration card numbers of
residents.
• For the 2020 exercise, it has dropped the ration card number but added other categories.
NPR and the NRC:
• Unlike the NRC, the NPR is not a citizenship enumeration drive, as it would record even a
foreigner staying in a locality for more than six months.
• With the government insisting that the NRC would be implemented across the country, the
NPR has raised anxieties around the idea of citizenship in the country.
• All this is happening in the backdrop of the NRC in Assam which has excluded 19 lakh
among the 3.3 crore who had applied.
• NRC countrywide would only happen on the basis of the upcoming NPR.
• After a list of residents is created (i.e. NPR), a nationwide NRC could go about verifying the
citizens from that list.
Temporary/Interim injunction:
Context:
A Bengaluru court Saturday granted a temporary media gag order in favor of six ministers of the
government in Karnataka after they expressed apprehension of being defamed.
Concept:
Injunction is an authoritative warning or order issued by the court of equity.
The statutory meaning of Injunctions can be analyzed in various statutes such as under CrpC, CPC,
and Specific Relief Act,1963 as follows:-
Under Code of Criminal Procedure under section 133,142 and 144.
Under Civil matters, the law relating to grant of Injunction is contained in Chapter VII of Part III of
Specific Relief Act 1963 (sections 36-42).
Under Code of Civil Procedure 1908, Order 39 Rule 125 deals with Injunctions.
It has been termed as a preventive relief which is granted at the discretion of the court by
Injunction which may be temporary or perpetual.

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Section 37(1) of Specific Relief Act, deals with specific Injunctions which are such as are to continue
until a specified time or until further orders of the court, they may be granted at any stage of the suit
or proceedings and are regulated by Civil Procedure Code.
Types of Injunctions in the Indian Law:
Generally speaking, there are two types of injunctions as mentioned below:
 Temporary/ interim Injunction
 Perpetual/Permanent Injunction
Temporary/interim Injunction
Temporary injunctions, as the name suggests, are the injunctions that are given for a specific period of
time or until the court gives further order regarding the matter in concern. They can be obtained
during any stage of the trial and are regulated by the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC), 1908
Permanent Injunction
A permanent injunction can be granted by the court by passing a decree made at the hearing and upon
the merits of the suit. Once such decree is passed, the defendant is permanently prohibited from the
assertion of a right, or from the commission of an act, which would be contrary to the rights of the
plaintiff.
ARTICLE 342 A:
Context : Various petitioners argue (maharastra reservation case )in the Supreme Court that
Maharashtra did not have the legislative competence to add the Maratha community to the list of
Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) after the 102nd Amendment to the Constitution
of India.
Concept :
• Article 342 A was added by 102nd amendment in 2018. It states that,
• The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after
consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the socially and
educationally backward classes which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to
be socially and educationally backward classes in relation to that State or Union territory, as
the case may be.
• Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the Central List of socially and
educationally backward classes specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any socially
and educationally backward class, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said
clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.
Hybrid hearing:
Context:
The top court said that on a pilot basis, the final hearing/regular matters listed on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Thursdays, will be heard through hybrid mode.
Concept:
A hybrid hearing is a mixture of a court hearing, where the people involved (parties, lawyers,
witnesses and the Judge) attend in person, and a remote hearing.
A remote hearing is a hearing whereby all those attending do so via a video link or telephone
conference call.
At a hybrid hearing, the Judge will always be physically present in the court room. Any combination
of the parties, their legal representatives or witnesses can then also be physically present in the court
room too. Everyone else will attend the hearing remotely.

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INDRA SHAWNEY CASE:

Context : The Supreme Court on Monday decided to examine whether its nearly three-decade-old
judgment which fixed reservation for the marginalised and the poor in government jobs and
educational institutions at 50% needs a relook.
Concept :
Maratha Quota Law
• A five-judge Bench, led by Justice Ashok Bhushan, set up to hear the challenge to the
Maratha quota law, decided not to confine the question of reservation spilling over the 50%
limit to just Maharashtra.
• The Bench expanded the ambit of the case by making other States party and inviting them to
make their stand clear on the question of whether reservation should continue to remain
within the 50% boundary or not.
Indira Sawhney Case
• In the famous Mandal case (Indra Sawhney Case, 1992), the scope and extent of Article
16(4), which provides for reservation of jobs in favour of backward classes, has been
examined thoroughly by the Supreme Court.
• Though the Court has rejected the additional reservation of 10% for poorer sections of higher
castes, it upheld the constitutional validity of a 27% reservation for the OBCs with certain
conditions.
• The advanced sections among the OBCs (the creamy layer) should be excluded from the list
of beneficiaries of reservation.
• No reservation in promotions; reservation should be confined to initial appointments only.
Any existing reservation in promotions can continue for five years only (i.e., upto 1997).
• The total reserved quota should not exceed 50% except in some extraordinary situations. This
rule should be applied every year.
• The ‘carry forward rule’ in case of unfilled (backlog) vacancies is valid. But it should not
violate the 50% rule.
• However, over the years, several States, such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, have crossed
the Rubicon and passed laws which allow reservation shooting over 60%.
CARE TAKER GOVERNMENT:

Context : The Governor accepted Rawat’s resignation and asked him to continue on the post until
a successor takes charge.
Concept :

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Caretaker Government
• A caretaker government is a temporary government that performs some governmental duties
and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed.
• Caretaker governments may be put in place when a government in a parliamentary system is
defeated in a motion of no confidence or in the case when the house to which the government
is responsible is dissolved, to be in place for an interim period until an election is held and a
new government is formed.
• In this sense, in some countries which use a Westminster system of government, the caretaker
government is simply the incumbent government, which continues to operate in the interim
period between the normal dissolution of parliament for the purpose of holding an election
and the formation of a new government after the election results are known.
• Unlike in ordinary times, the caretaker government’s activities are limited by custom and
convention.
• In systems where coalition governments are frequent a caretaker government may be installed
temporarily while negotiations to form a new coalition take place.
• This usually occurs either immediately after an election in which there is no clear victory or if
one coalition government collapses and a new one must be negotiated. Discretionary Powers
of President
• Though the President has no constitutional discretion, he has some situational discretion like
in appointment of Prime Minister when no party has a clear majority in the Lok Sabha or
when the Prime Minister in office thes suddenly and there is no obvious successor.
• In such a situation, the President usually appoints the leader of the largest party or coalition in
the Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister and asks him to seek a vote of confidence in the House
within a month.
• This discretion was exercised by the President, for the first time in 1979, when Neelam
Sanjiva Reddy (the then President) appointed Charan Singh (the coalition leader) as the Prime
Minister after the fall of the Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai.
PRESEIDENT ASSENT TO STATE BILLS:

Context : The Union government informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that an inter-ministerial
consultation for the Andhra Pradesh Disha (Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and
Children) Bill, 2020, had been initiated.
Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy informed the House that the Bill
reserved by the Governor had been received in January 2021 for assent of the President
Concept :
• Article 200 of the Indian Constitution provides provisions regarding the powers of the
Governor when a bill is passed by the state legislature.
• The Governor shall declare either that he assents to the Bill or that he withholds assent
therefrom or that he reserves the Bill for the consideration of the President.
• When a bill other than money bill is presented before Governor for his assent, he either gives
assent to the bill, withhold his assent to the bill or return the bill for reconsideration of houses.
• If the bill is passed again by state legislature with or without amendments, he has to give his
assent or reserve the bill for consideration of President.
• The Governor cannot send money bill back for reconsideration because the money bill would
usually be introduced with prior assent of Governor only.
• In case the money bill reserved for Presidents assent, the President has to state whether he is
giving assent or withholding his assent.

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• The Constitution does not furnish any guidance to the Governor that in which matters he
should accord his assent and in which matters he should withhold assent.
Options for President on Bills reserved by Governor
• When a bill passed by a state legislature is reserved by the governor for consideration of the
President, the President can:
• Give his assent to the bill, or
• Withhold his assent to the bill, or
• Direct the governor to return the bill (if it is not a money bill) for reconsideration of the state
legislature.
• It should be noted here that it is not obligatory for the President to give his assent even if the
bill is again passed by the state legislature and sent again to him for his consideration.
NCT BILL:
Context : The Parliament has passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special
Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2021 with Lok Sabha approving it. Rajya Sabha had already
passed the bill last month.
Concept:
• The legislation aims to amend the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special
Provisions) Second Act, 2011. The 2011 Act was valid till 31st December last year. The Bill
seks to extend this deadline to till the end of December 2023.
• The 2011 Act provided for the regularisation of unauthorised colonies in the National Capital
which existed as on 31st March , 2002, and where construction took place till 1st June, 2014.
• The Bill amends this to provide that unauthorised colonies will be identified for regularisation
as per the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in
Unauthorised Colonies) Act, 2019, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition
of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Regulations, 2019.
• The legislation provides that the unauthorised colonies which existed as on 1st June 2014, and
have 50 per cent development as on 1st January, 2015, will be eligible for regularisation.
ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021:

Context: The Parliament gave its nod to the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021
with Rajya Sabha passing it. The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill last month.
Concept:
• The legislation seeks to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The Act contains
provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration and defines the law for
conducting conciliation proceedings.
The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 provides for the following:
• to grant unconditional stay of enforcement of arbitral awards, where the underlying
arbitration agreement, contracts or arbitral award is induced by fraud or corruption;
• to omit eighth Schedule of the act which laid down the qualifications, experience and norms
for accreditation of arbitrators; and
• to specify by regulations the qualifications, experience and norms for accreditation of
arbitrators and the said amendment is consequential in nature.
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION:
Context: The no-confidence motion moved by the Congress against the Bharatiya Janata Party-
Jannayak Janta Party coalition government in Haryana on Wednesday was defeated by 55 votes to 32.

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Concept:
• A no-confidence motion is a parliamentary motion which is moved in the Lok Sabha against
the entire council of ministers, stating that they are no longer deemed fit to hold positions of
responsibility due to their inadequacy in some respect or their failure to carry out their
obligations.
• No prior reason needs to be stated for its adoption in the Lok Sabha.
Procedure to move a “No Confidence Motion”:
• A motion of “No Confidence Motion” against the Government can be introduced only in the
Lok Sabha under rule 198.
• The Constitution of India does not mention about either a Confidence or a No Confidence
Motion. Although, Article 75 does specify that the Council of Ministers shall be collectively
responsible to the Lok Sabha.
• A motion of No Confidence can be admitted when a minimum of 50 members, support the
motion in the house.
• The Speaker then, once satisfied that the motion is in order, will ask the House if the motion
can be adopted.
• If the motion is passed in the house, the Government is bound to vacate the office.
• A no-confidence motion needs a majority vote to pass the House.
• If individuals or parties abstain from voting, those numbers will be removed from the overall
strength of the House and then the majority will be taken into account.
PLACES OF WORSHIP ACT:

Context : The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre sought the Centre's response on a PIL
challenging the constitutional validity of the Places of worship act , 1991.
Concept :
Objective of the Act:
• To freeze the status of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
• To provide for the maintenance of the religious character of such a place of worship as on that
day.
• To pre-empt new claims by any group about the past status of any place of worship and
attempts to reclaim the structures or the land on which they stood.
Main features:
• The Act declares that the religious character of a place of worship shall continue to be the
same as it was on August 15, 1947. It says no person shall convert any place of worship of
any religious denomination into one of a different denomination or section.
Exceptions:
• These provisions will not apply to monuments and sites covered by the Ancient Monuments
and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958; a suit that has been finally settled or
disposed of; and any dispute that has been settled by the parties or conversion of any place
that took place by acquiescence before the Act commenced.
• Section 5 says that the Act does not apply to the place of worship commonly referred to as
Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
• Penal provision in the Act: The Act provides for imprisonment up to three years and a fine for
anyone contravening the prohibition.

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APPOINTMENT OF CBI DIRECTOR:

Context : The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider on Friday a plea by an NGO for a
direction to the Centre to immediately appoint a regular CBI director.
Concept :
• The CBI is headed by a Director.
• The Director of CBI as Inspector General of Police, Delhi Special Police Establishment, is
responsible for the administration of the organisation.
• With the enactment of CVC Act, 2003, the superintendence of Delhi Special Police
Establishment vests with the Central Government to save investigations of offences under the
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in which, the superintendence vests with the Central
Vigilance Commission.
• The Director of CBI has been provided security of two-year tenure in office by the CVC Act,
2003.
Appointment:
• The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (2013) amended the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act
(1946) and made the following changes with respect to appointment of the Director of CBI:
• The Central Government shall appoint the Director of CBI on the recommendation of a three-
member committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of
Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India or Judge of the Supreme Court
nominated by him.
• Later, the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Act, 2014 made a change in the
composition of the committee related to the appointment of the Director of C.B.I.
• It states that where there is no recognized leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, then the
leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha would be a member of that
committee.
STATE ELECTION COMMISSIONERS:

Context : The Supreme Court held that independent persons and not bureaucrats should be
appointed State Election Commissioners.
Concept :
• It said that giving government employees the additional charge of State Election
Commissioners is a “mockery of the Constitution”.
• The top court directed that the States should appoint independent persons as Election
Commissioners all along the length and breadth of the country.
• The judgment criticised the Goa government for giving its Law Secretary the additional
charge of State Election Commissioner.
Article 243K
• Article 243K deals with the Elections to the Panchayats.
• It states that The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls
for, and the conduct of, all elections to the Panchayats shall be vested in a State Election
Commission.
• It shall consist of a State Election Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor.
• Subject to the provisions of any law made by the State Legislature, the conditions of service
and tenure of office of the State Election Commissioner shall be such as the Governor may by
rule determine. However,

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• The State Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner
and on the like ground as a Judge of a High Court.
• The conditions of service of the State Election Commissioner shall not be varied to his
disadvantage after his appointment.
SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS:
Context : The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the supplementary demand for grants (second batch
for 2020-21).
Concept :
• During the year, if the government needs to spend any money which has not been approved
by Parliament or needs to incur additional expenditure, it can introduce Supplementary
Demands for Grants.
• Typically, Supplementary Demands for Grants are passed in every Parliament session.
• Article 115 of the constitution provides for Supplementary, additional or excess grants.
• Note that, unlike the Demands for Grants presented with the budget, these supplementary
demands have never been scrutinised by Standing Committees.
ORDINANCE:
Context: Air quality commission shuts down after ordinance lapses.
Concept:
• An ordinance is any law promulgated by the President in those circumstances when the Indian
parliament is not in session.
• The ordinance making powers of the President are listed in Article 123 of the Constitution.
• The President has certain law-making powers that aid him to promulgate ordinances when
either of both the Houses of Parliament is not in session which makes enacting laws in the
parliament out of question.
• An Ordinance can be issued on any subject that the Parliament has the power to legislate on.
In that way, the president’s powers are limited in the same way as the Parliament is.
Limitations of the President’s Power:
• The ordinance making power of the executive is limited through the following:
• The legislature is not in session: The President can only promulgate an Ordinance when either
of the two Houses of Parliament is not in session.
• Immediate action is required: The President cannot promulgate an Ordinance unless he is
satisfied that there are circumstances that require taking ‘immediate action’.
• Parliamentary approval during the session: Ordinances must be approved by Parliament
within six weeks of reassembling or they shall cease to operate. They would also cease to
operate in case resolutions disapproving the Ordinance are passed by both the Houses.
Features and Properties of the Ordinance:
• An ordinance can be retrospective that is it can be legislated from before the time it is
approved.
• An ordinance promulgated when Parliament is in session is considered null and void.
• The Ordinance in order to stay a law must be approved by the Parliament within six weeks
from its reassembly. Its existence ceases in case the parliament takes no action within six
weeks from its reassembly.
• Acts and laws and happenings that took place under the ordinance remain active till the time
it lapses.

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• Indian President is one of the rarest ones among the world leaders to have the power of
making ordinances.
• The power of ordinance promulgation cannot be considered a substitute for the President’s
legislative power.
• President’s power to roll out ordinance is justiciable in case intentions are proved mala fide.
• Ordinances can only be made on the subjects where the Indian Parliament is allowed to make
laws.
• Fundamental Rights of the citizens guaranteed by the Indian Constitution cannot be taken
away through an ordinance.
• The ordinance would also be considered void in case both the houses pass a resolution
disapproving it.
CENSUS:
Context : The provisional data for the latest Census and National Population Register (NPR)
will be available before the Lok Sabha election in 2024, according to information provided by the
Union Home Ministry to a parliamentary committee.
Concept :
• The previous Census was conducted in 2011 and the NPR, which has a database of 119 crore
residents, was last updated in 2015.
• The first phase of Census House-listing and Housing Census that was to be conducted along
with the NPR from April 1, 2020, was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
• Provisional Census results will be released in the financial year 2023-24 and the primary
Census abstracts (PCA) will provide village-level data on important indicators.
• A mobile application has been developed for collecting the Census details and NPR and
residents can also self-enumerate.
• The mobile app through which Census will be conducted will be available in 16 languages.
About Census
• The census provides information on size, distribution and socio-economic, demographic and
other characteristics of the country’s population.
• During the regime of the Mughal king Akbar, the administrative report ‘Ain-e-Akbari’
included comprehensive data pertaining to population, industry, wealth and many other
characteristics.
• A systematic and modern population census, in its present form was conducted non
synchronously between 1865 and 1872 in different parts of the country.
• However, the first synchronous census in India was held in 1881. Since then, censuses have
been undertaken uninterruptedly once every ten years.
MEDICAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020:

passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that increases the time period
within which an abortion may be carried out. The Bill was passed in March last year in the Lok
Sabha.
Concept :
• Currently, abortion requires the opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of
conception, and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks.

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• The Bill allows abortion to be done on the advice of one doctor up to 20 weeks, and two
doctors in the case of certain categories of women, between 20 and 24 weeks.
• For a pregnancy to be terminated after 24 weeks in case of substantial foetal abnormalities,
the opinion of the State-level medical board is essential.
• The Bill proposes a Medical Board in every State and UT. The board will decide on
pregnancies beyond 24 weeks in cases of foetal abnormalities.
• Each board will have one gynaecologist, one radiologist or sonologist, one paediatrician, and
other members prescribed by the State/UT government.
• Opposition MPs said the Bill still did not give women the freedom to decide, since they
would need a nod from a medical board in the case of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks.
• The original Bill was framed in 1971.
TENTH SCHEDULE:
Context : After being declared as BJP candidate in WB Assembly Polls, TMC seeks Swapan
Dasgupta’s disqualification from RS
Concept :
• The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by 52nd amendment.
• It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by
the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House.
Disqualification:
• If a member of a house belonging to a political party voluntarily gives up the membership of
his political party, or Votes, or does not vote in the legislature, contrary to the directions of
his political party.
• However, if the member has taken prior permission, or is condoned by the party within 15
days from such voting or abstention, the member shall not be disqualified.
• If an independent candidate joins a political party after the election.
• If a nominated member joins a party six months after he becomes a member of the legislature.
91st amendment act of 2003
• The total number of ministers including the Prime minister in the central council of ministers
shall not exceed 15% of the total strength of the Loksabha/State legislative assembly. (Article
75,164). However in states number of ministers shall not be less than 12.
• A member disqualified under defection is also disqualified for being a minister in house.
• The member disqualified on the grounds of defection shall also be disqualified for any
remunerative political post, office wholly or partially under the government .
• The provision regarding one third was also deleted by this amendment.
• Exceptions under the law: Legislators may change their party without the risk of
disqualification in certain circumstances.
• The law allows a party to merge with or into another party provided that at least two-thirds of
its legislators are in favour of the merger. In such a scenario, neither the members who decide
to merge, nor the ones who stay with the original party will face disqualification.
• The law initially stated that the decision of the Presiding Officer is not subject to judicial
review. This condition was struck down by the Supreme Court in KihotoHollohan case in
1992, thereby allowing appeals against the Presiding Officer’s decision in the High Court and
Supreme Court.

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AMICUS CURIAE:
Context : Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made a strong appeal to the Supreme Court to frame
guidelines to rein in lawyers appointed as the court’s amici curiae in various cases, especially
sensitive ones.
Concept :
• An amicus curiae (literally, "friend of the court"; plural: amici curiae) is someone who is not a
party to a case who assists a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a
bearing on the issues in the case.
• The decision on whether to consider an amicus brief lies within the discretion of the court.
• The amicus curiae figure originates in Roman law. Starting in the 9th century, it was
incorporated into English law, and it was later extended to most common law systems.
APPROPRIATION BILL:
Context : The Lok Sabha cleared the Appropriation Bill 2021-22, allowing the Central
government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its operational requirements and
implementation of various programmes.
Concept :
• Under Article 114(3) of the Constitution, no amount can be withdrawn from the Consolidated
Fund without the enactment of such a law by Parliament.
• After the Demands for Grants are voted by the Lok Sabha, Parliament's approval to the
withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of the amounts so voted and of the amount required
to meet the expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund is sought through the
Appropriation Bill.
Guillotine
• The Bill was passed after Speaker Om Birla put it through guillotine, a legislative mechanism
to approve the fast-tracking of the passage of outstanding demands for grants without
discussion.
• While guillotine literally is a large, weighted blade used for executing a condemned person, in
legislative parlance, to ''guillotine'' means to bunch together and fast-track the passage of
financial business.
• It is a fairly common procedural exercise in Lok Sabha during the Budget Session.
Finance Bill
• The Lok Sabha will now discuss the Finance Bill, which essentially contains the government's
tax proposals. Once the Finance Bill is passed, the budget exercise is complete.
• Both appropriation and finance bills are classified as money bills which do not require the
explicit consent of the Rajya Sabha. The upper house only discusses them and returns the
bills.
• After passing the Finance Bill, it enters the statute as the Finance Act. Thus, the final Budget
gets approved.
POLLING AGENTS:
Context: The Election Commission’s recent decision to change the rules for appointing polling
agents has sparked off a debate in West Bengal.
Concept:

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• A polling agent is a person appointed as a representative of a political party as it is not

possible for a candidate to be physically present at every polling booth on the day of the
elections.
• Therefore, the Election Commission allows a candidate to appoint a polling agent who keeps
an eye on the voting process.
What is the role of a polling agent?
• As per the Election Commission’s rules, a polling agent should be familiar with the rules and
procedures to conduct elections using EVMs and VVPATs, and with the working of these
machines.
• Towards this end, a polling agent attends the demonstrations arranged by the Returning
Officer, where the functioning and operation of these machines are explained.
New regulations:
• As per the new regulations, a political party can now nominate a polling agent for any booth
within the assembly segment he/she is a voter from.
• Earlier, the polling agent had to be a voter of the booth or an adjoining booth that he/she is
working at.
• The Trinamool has been opposing the change in rules, calling it “arbitrary, motivated and
biased” and has also written to the Election Commission seeking withdrawal of the order.
DAILY MINIMUM WAGES:

Context: Govt must look into scheme for those who lost jobs amid lockdown: Report
Concept:
• The Delhi government should consider launching a scheme guaranteeing jobs at a fixed
minimum daily wage to tackle the alarming surge in the city’s unemployment rate during the
pandemic-induced lockdown, according to an official document.
• The unemployment rate in Delhi rose from 11.1% in January-February 2020 to 28.5% in
October-November, according to a Delhi government-commissioned survey.
• The survey, prepared jointly by the Delhi Directorate of Economics and Statistics and the
Centre for Market Research and Social Development.
• It says the government is planning to launch a scheme to provide guaranteed jobs for a few
months in a year at minimum wages of Rs 569 per day to one adult member of a household in
Delhi.
• Economist Jean Dreze, one of the architects of the National Rural Employment Guarantee
scheme, had last September proposed that an urban jobs guarantee scheme should be
considered to help people tide over the widespread lockdown-induced distress.
National Rural Employment Programme (NREP, 1980)
• The National Rural Employment Programme was launched in 1980 as an anti-poverty and
anti-unemployment program.
• The aim was to develop key assets, such as fisheries, fuel and energy plantations and fodder
and pasture development plantations by mobilizing unemployed and under-employed
laborers.
• It was also hoped that the project would succeed in the development of homestead projects
for the home-less alongside essential economic infrastructures, such as godowns, banks and
workshops for the beneficiaries.

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POINT OF ORDER:
Context: The Congress and other Opposition parties on Thursday forced adjournments of Rajya
Sabha proceedings for four times during the post-lunch sitting as they insisted on referring to a
standing committee a Bill on raising the FDI in the insurance sector to 74% from the current 49% by
raising a point of order.
Concept:
• A Member can raise a point of order when the proceedings of the House do not follow the
normal rules of procedure.
• A point of order should relate to the interpretation or enforcement of the Rules of the House
or such articles of the Constitution that regulate the business of the House and should raise a
question that is within the cognizance of the Speaker.
• It is usually raised by an opposition member in order to control the government. It is an
extraordinary device as it suspends the proceedings before the House. No debate is allowed
on a point of order.
• Speaker/Chairman is the final decision making authority.
THE CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED CASTES) ORDER (AMENDMENT) BILL,

2021:
Context : The Lok Sabha passed The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill,
2021 that seeks to put seven castes under one nomenclature of “Devendrakula Vellalars” with some
exceptions for some of the castes in certain districts of Tamil Nadu.
Concept :
• The castes include Devendrakulathan, Kadaiyan, Kalladi, Kudumban, Pallan, Pannadi and
Vathiriyan.
• The State government had earlier accepted a recommendation of a committee to reclassify the
seven sub sects under the generic name ‘Devendrakula Velalar’ and forwarded it to the
Centre.
• The change in nomenclature was a long pending demand of the community and did not
involve either the deletion or addition of any community in its ambit.
• The reason why a whole new addition was not made to the Scheduled Castes list was to
ensure that old caste certificates issued to these communities under the old name not be
rejected.
INSURANCE AMENDMENT BILL:

Context : The Rajya Sabha passed the Insurance Amendment Bill, 2021 which increases the
maximum foreign investment allowed in an insurance company from 49% to 74%.
Concept :
• The Bill amends the Insurance Act, 1938 to increase the maximum foreign investment
allowed in an Indian insurance company.
• The Act provides the framework for functioning of insurance businesses and regulates the
relationship between an insurer, its policyholders, its shareholders, and the regulator (the
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India).
Foreign investment:
• The Act allows foreign investors to hold up to 49% of the capital in an Indian insurance
company, which must be owned and controlled by an Indian entity.

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• The Bill increases the limit on foreign investment in an Indian insurance company from 49%
to 74%, and removes restrictions on ownership and control.
• However, such foreign investment may be subject to additional conditions as prescribed by
the central government.
Investment of assets:
• The Act requires insurers to hold a minimum investment in assets which would be sufficient
to clear their insurance claim liabilities.
• If the insurer is incorporated or domiciled outside India, such assets must be held in India in a
trust and vested with trustees who must be residents of India.
• The Act specifies in an explanation that this will also apply to an insurer incorporated in
India, in which at least: (i) 33% capital is owned by investors domiciled outside India, or (ii)
33% of the members of the governing body are domiciled outside India.
• The Bill removes this explanation.
VOLUNTARY VEHICLE FLEET MODERNIZATION POLICY:

Context: Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari stated in Parliament that the
Ministry is introducing a voluntary vehicle fleet modernisation programme aimed at creating an
ecosystem to phase out unfit and polluting vehicles
Concept:
• It is proposed that private vehicles be de-registered after 20 years if found unfit or in case of
failure to renew registration certificate.
• As a disincentive measure, increased re-registration fees will be applicable for private
vehicles 15 years onward from the date of initial registration.
• It is being proposed that all government vehicles may be de-registered and scrapped after 15
years from date of registration.
• Road Ministry has also proposed increasing the registration charges for vehicles that are over
15 years, with effect from October 1 this year.
• The criteria, decided on the basis of practices in Germany, the UK, the US and Japan, will
take into account emission tests, braking and safety equipment, among many other tests.
RIGHT TO COUNSEL IN CUSTODY:

Context : National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a special court in Mumbai that the arrested
assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, now suspended from Mumbai Police, was not cooperating in
the probe against him and was insisting on his lawyer being present during interrogation
Concept :
• Right to counsel means a defendant has a right to have the assistance of counsel (i.e., lawyers)
and, if the defendant cannot afford a lawyer, requires that the government appoint one or pay
the defendant's legal expenses.
• The right to counsel is generally regarded as a constituent of the right to a fair trial.
In India
• Article 22 of the Constitution of India states that "No person who is arrested shall be detained
in custody without being informed, as soon as may be, of the grounds for such arrest nor shall
he be denied the right to consult, and to be defended by, a legal practitioner of his choice."
• Section 41D of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) states that an accused is entitled to
“meet an advocate of his choice during interrogation, though not throughout interrogation”
• In 2011, the Supreme Court of India ruled that a court could not decide a case without a
lawyer present for the defendant, and mandated that a court must appoint a lawyer when the
defendant cannot afford one.

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• Public legal assistance is provided through the National Legal Services Authority and state-
level legal services organizations.
• Courts appoint legal aid lawyers in both civil and criminal case
BREACH OF PRIVILEGE:
Context : The Privileges Committee of the Rajya Sabha has found no breach of privilege of
YSRCP MP V Vijayasai Reddy after he complained of being allegedly manhandled at Visakhapatnam
airport.
Concept :
• Parliamentary privilege refers to rights and immunities enjoyed by Parliament as an
institution and MPs in their individual capacity, without which they cannot discharge their
functions as entrusted upon them by the Constitution.
• According to the Constitution, the powers, privileges and immunities of Parliament and MP’s
are to be defined by Parliament(Art 105) & Art 194 - State legisalture. No law has so far
been enacted in this respect.
• In the absence of any such law, it continues to be governed by British Parliamentary
conventions.
• A breach of privilege is a violation of any of the privileges of MPs/Parliament. Among other
things, any action ‘casting reflections’ on MPs, parliament or its committees; could be
considered breach of privilege.
• A notice is moved in the form of a motion by any member of either House against those being
held guilty of breach of privilege
• The Speaker/Chairperson can decide on the privilege motion himself or herself or refer it to
the privileges committee of Parliament.
• If the Speaker/Chair gives consent under Rule 222, the member concerned is given an
opportunity to make a short statement.
Privileges committee
• In the Lok Sabha, the Speaker nominates a committee of privileges consisting of 15 members
as per respective party strengths.
• A report is then presented to the House for its consideration. The Speaker may permit a half-
hour debate while considering the report. The Speaker may then pass final orders or direct
that the report be tabled before the House.
• A resolution may then be moved relating to the breach of privilege that has to be unanimously
passed.
• In the Rajya Sabha, the deputy chairperson heads the committee of privileges, that consists of
10 members.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL:
Context: AIADMK's ally BJP promises legislative council revival in TN.
Concept:
Abolition or Creation - Article 169
• The Parliament can abolish a legislative council (where it already exists) or create it (where it
does not exist) by a simple majority, that is, a majority of the members of each House present
and voting, if the legislative assembly of the concerned state, by a special majority, passes a
resolution to that effect.
Special majority implies:

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• A majority of the total membership of the assembly and

• A majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of the assembly present and voting.
Composition
• Under Article 171 of the Constitution, the Legislative Council of a state shall not have more
than one-third of the total strength of the State Assembly, and not less than 40 members.
• Like the Rajya Sabha, the legislative council is a continuing chamber, that is, it is a
permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. The tenure of a Member of the Legislative
Council (MLC) is six years, with one-third of the members retiring every two years.
Manner of Election
• One-third of the MLCs are elected by the state’s MLAs,
• Another 1/3rd by a special electorate comprising sitting members of local governments such
as municipalities and district boards,
• 1/12th by an electorate of teachers and another 1/12th by registered graduates.
• The remaining members are appointed by the Governor for distinguished services in various
fields namely, literature, science, art, cooperative movement and social service.
LC vis-à-vis Rajya Sabha
• The legislative power of the Councils are limited. Unlike Rajya Sabha which has substantial
powers to shape non-financial legislation, Legislative Councils lack a constitutional mandate
to do so.
• Assemblies can override suggestions/amendments made to legislation by the Council.
• Again, unlike Rajya Sabha MPs, MLCs cannot vote in elections for the President and Vice
President. The Vice President is the Rajya Sabha Chairperson while a member from the
Council itself is chosen as the Council Chairperson.
PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT 1971:

Context : Cutting cake depicting national flag not unpatriotic or an insult , rules Madras High
Court.
Concept :
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971
• Prevent dishonour: The act was legislated to prevent dishonour to National symbols which
shall include the Indian Constitution, National anthem and National Flag.
• Fundamental Duties: The Act is in consonance to Article 51 (A)(a) of the Indian
Constitution which lays down the fundamental duty to respect and abide constitution, national
anthem and national flag.
• It extends to the whole of India.
• Disqualification: President, Vice president, Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, etc are
liable for disqualification upon committing any violation of the constitution under this Act
read with sections 7 & 8k of Representation of the People Act, 1951.
What are some of the punishable offences?
On the matter of National Anthem:
• whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the Indian National Anthem or causes
disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished with imprisonment for
a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
On the matter of national flag:
• Dipping the Indian National Flag in salute to any person or thing
• Using the Indian National Flag as a drapery in any form whatsoever except in state funerals
• Putting any kind of inscription upon the Indian National Flag;

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• Allowing the Indian National Flag to touch the ground or the floor or trail in water
intentionally
• Using the Indian National Flag as a receptacle for receiving, delivering or carrying anything
except flower petals in state funerals
Using the Indian National Flag
• as covering for a statue or a monument or a speaker’s desk or a speaker’s platform
• draping the Indian National Flag over the hood, top, and sides or back or on a vehicle, train,
boat or an aircraft or any other similar object;
• using the Indian National Flag as a covering for a building;
• Intentionally displaying the Indian National Flag with the “saffron” down.
VVPAT:
Context : CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner
Sunil Arora, has urged the panel to carry out a 100% tally of all EVM machines with Voter Verifiable
Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for the coming Assembly elections.
Concept :
• The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is a method of providing feedback to voters
using a ballot less voting system.
• The VVPAT is an independent printer system attached with Electronic Voting Machine
(EVM) that allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended.
• It generates a paper slip every time a voter casts his vote, recording the party to whom the
vote was made. The VVPAT slip is kept in a sealed cover.
• VVPAT slip counting takes place in the VVPAT counting booths under the close monitoring
of the returning officer and direct oversight of the observer.
How does the VVPAT work?
• The voting in India is done using the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) that is designed with
two units: the control unit and the balloting unit.
• The balloting unit of the machine has a list of candidate names and party symbols with a blue
button next to it. The voter can press the button next to the candidate’s name they wish to
vote for.
• When the voter casts the vote on the EVM, printer-like VVPAT apparatus linked to the EVM
generates a slip showing serial number, name and symbol of the candidate to whom the vote
was made.
• With this slip, the voter can verify his casted vote.
• This VVPAT slip is displayed for 7 seconds before it’s automatically cut.
• The slip, once viewed, is cut and dropped into the drop box in the VVPAT machine and a
beep will be heard.
• The VVPAT machines can only be accessed by the election officers in the rarest of rare cases.
Finance bill:
Context: The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill, 2021, which gives effect to the financial proposals
of the central government for the financial year 2021-22.
Concept:
· A Finance Bill concerns the country's finances i.e., it could be about taxes, government
expenditures, government borrowings, revenues, etc.

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· Rule 219 of the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha states: ‘Finance Bill’ means the Bill
ordinarily introduced in each year to give effect to the financial proposals of the Government
of India for the following financial year and includes a Bill to give effect to supplementary
financial proposals for any period.
· It is introduced in Lok Sabha after the presentation of the annual Budget is passed by the
House.
Money Bills and Financial Bills: Constitutional provision
1. Money Bills –Article 110
2. Financial Bills (I)– Article 117 (1)
3. Financial Bills (II)– Article 117 (3)
Money bill vs financial bill
· All Money bills are Financial bills but all Financial bills are not Money bills.
· Only those financial bills are Money bills which contain exclusively those matters which are
mentioned in Article 110 of the Constitution.
Financial Bills (I)
· A financial bill (I) contains not only any or all the matters mentioned in the Money Bill, but
also other matters of general legislation. It is dealt under Article 117 (1) of the Constitution.
Similarity to a money bill:
· Both of them can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha and not in the Rajya Sabha.
· Both of them can be introduced only on the recommendation of the President.
· In all other respects, a financial bill (I) is treated as an ordinary bill.
Financial Bills (II)

· A financial bill (II) contains provisions involving expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of
India, but does not include any of the matters mentioned in Article 110. It is dealt under
Article 117 (3) of the Constitution.
· It is governed by the same legislative procedure which is applicable to an ordinary bill.
· Such Bills can be introduced in either House of Parliament. However, recommendation of the
President is essential for consideration of these Bills by either House and unless such
recommendation is received, neither House can pass the Bill.
Sixth schedule:
Context: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that “presently,
there is no proposal to implement Panchayat system in Sixth Schedule areas of Assam”.
Concept:
· Currently there is no Panchayat system in Sixth Schedule areas of Assam
· protects tribal populations and provides autonomy to the communities through creation of
autonomous development councils that can frame laws on land, public health, agriculture and
others.
· As of now, 10 autonomous councils (North Cachar Hills, Karbi Anglong and the Bodoland
Territorial Area in Assam, Khasi Hills, Jaintiya Hills and Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Tribal
Areas in Tripura, Chakma, Mara and Lai districts in Mizoram.) exist in Assam, Meghalaya,
Tripura and Mizoram, according to Article 244 of the Indian Constitution.
· ADCs are bodies representing a district to which the Constitution has given varying degrees
of autonomy within the state legislature.
· The Governors of these states are empowered to reorganise boundaries of the tribal areas.
· Along with ADCs, the Sixth Schedule also provides for separate Regional Councils for each
area constituted as an autonomous region.

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· Each autonomous district and regional council consists of not more than 30 members, of
which four are nominated by the governor and the rest via elections. All of them remain in
power for a term of five years.
· The Bodoland Territorial Council, however, is an exception as it can constitute up to 46
members.
· 125th Amendment) Bill, 2019 presently in house provides for elected village municipal
councils and increases financial and executive powers of the autonomous councils. The State
Election Commissions will hold elections to the autonomous councils, village and municipal
councils.
APPOINTMENT OF CJI:
Context : Justice NV Ramana (Andhra) to replace CJI S A Bobde as the 48th Chief Justice of
India till for the next 16 months till Aug 2022.
Concept:
Appointment of CJI:
• Article 124 of the Constitution of India provides for the manner of appointing judges to the
Supreme Court (SC). But there is no specific provision in the Constitution for appointing the
Chief Justice.
• CJI should be the senior most judge of the Supreme Court (SC). Law Minister has to seek
recommendation of the outgoing CJI for appointment of new CJI at an appropriate time.
• In case of doubt about the fitness of the senior-most Judge to hold office of CJI consultation
with other Judges under Article 124(2) to be made.
• Law Minister then puts up recommendation to Prime Minister (PM) who will advise the
President on appointment.
• Seniority at the apex court is determined not by age, but by the date a judge was appointed to
the SC.
• If two judges are elevated to the Supreme Court on the same day, (1) the one who was sworn
in first as a judge would trump another; (2) if both were sworn in as judges on the same day,
the one with more years of high court service would ‘win’ in the seniority stakes; (3) an
appointment from the bench would ‘trump’ in seniority an appointee from the bar.
Tenure:
• Once appointed, the Chief Justice remains in office until the age of 65 years.
• Article 124(4) of Constitution of India provides that a SC Judge including CJI can be moved
only through a process of impeachment by Parliament.
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR ALLIED AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

BILL, 2021:
Context : The Lok Sabha cleared the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare
Professionals Bill, 2021. The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha last week.
Concept :
• The Bill seeks to regulate and standardise the education and practice of allied and healthcare
professionals.
• The Bill defines ‘allied health professional’ as an associate, technician, or technologist trained
to support the diagnosis and treatment of any illness, disease, injury, or impairment. Such a
professional should have obtained a diploma or degree under this Bill.
• A ‘healthcare professional’ includes a scientist, therapist, or any other professional who
studies, advises, research, supervises, or provides preventive, curative, rehabilitative,

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therapeutic, or promotional health services. Such a professional should have obtained a

degree under this Bill.
• The Bill specifies certain categories of allied and healthcare professions as recognised
categories. These include life science professionals, trauma and burn care professionals,
surgical and anaesthesia related technology professionals, physiotherapists, and nutrition
science professionals.
• The Bill sets up the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions.
• It will frame policies and standards for regulating education and practice, create and maintain
an online Central Register of all registered professionals, and providing for a uniform
entrance and exit examination, among others.
• The Commission will constitute a Professional Council for every recognised category of
allied and healthcare professions.
• Within six months from the passage of the Bill, state governments will constitute State Allied
and Healthcare Councils.
PESA:
Context : 25 years on, many Indian states haven’t implemented a law that empowers Adivasi
communities.
Concept :
• PESA is a law enacted by Government of India to cover the “Scheduled Areas”, which are
not covered in the 73rd Constitutional amendment.
• This particular act extends the provisions of Part IX to the Scheduled Areas of the country.
PESA brought powers further down to the Gram Sabha level.
• The Gram Sabha in the Panchayat Act were entrusted with wide ranging powers starting from
consultation on land acquisition to that of ownership over minor forest produces and leasing
of minor minerals.
• PESA became operative at a time when Indian economy was opening up all its frontiers to
foreign direct investment.
• The mining sector, which is mostly located in the scheduled areas of the country where PESA
operates, were made open to MNCs and the Indian Corporate sector for exploitation of
mineral resources at a throwaway price.
• One of the highlighting features of PESA is its suggestion that, every Gram Sabha shall be
competent to safeguard and preserve the traditions and customs of the people, their cultural
identity, community resources and the customary mode of dispute resolution.
It has further provided that the Gram Sabha or Panchayats at appropriate level shall have the
following powers:
• To be consulted on matters of land acquisition and resettlement.
• Grant prospecting license for mining lease for minor minerals and concessions for such
activities.
• Planning and management of minor water bodies.
• The power to enforce prohibition or to regulate or restrict the sale and consumption of any
intoxicant.
• The ownership of minor forest produces.
• The power to prevent alienation of land and to restore any unlawfully alienated land of a
scheduled tribe.
• The power to manage village markets.
• The power to exercise control over money lending to scheduled tribes.

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• While giving such wide-ranging powers to Gram Sabhas or Panchayats, PESA has further
given an added responsibility to States that they may endow Panchayats with powers and
authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government.
ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE:

Context : Recently, the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned sine die at the end of the Budget session of
Parliament after the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die which brought the nearly two-month long
Budget session to an end.
Concept :
• The phenomenon of Adjournment Sine Die means terminating a sitting of Parliament for an
indefinite period.
• It implies that when the House is adjourned without naming a day for reassembly, it is called
adjournment sine die.
• The power of adjournment as well as adjournment sine die lies with the presiding officer of
the House.
• The presiding officer can also call a sitting of the House before the date or time to which it
has been adjourned or at any time after the House has been adjourned sine die.
• The presiding officer (Speaker or Chairman) declares the House adjourned sine die, when the
business of a session is completed.
APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES:
Context : The Supreme Court asked the government to clarify on the status of 55
recommendations made by the Collegium for judicial appointments to High Courts six months to
nearly a year-and-a-half ago.
Concept :
Appointment of Judges
• Article 124(2) says that the President of India Shall appoint the judges after consultation with
such number of Judges of the SC/HC as he deems necessary. For appointment of any Judge of
SC (other than CJI), the CJI must be consulted.
• The three Judges case of 1981, 1993 & 1998 has formalised the collegium system for the
purpose of consultation.
• The collegium for appointing SC judge consists of the CJI and 4 senior-most judges of SC.
• Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) was set up after the Third Judge Case of 1998 to provide
the process of how the Collegium would recommend names to the Executive.
• The President of India can either accept the recommendation or send it back for
reconsideration. The reconsidered advice must be accepted by the President.
DEATH PENALTY:
Context : Rarest of rare case': IM terrorist Ariz Khan gets death penalty in Batla House encounter
case.
Concept :
Death Penalty in the Indian Context
• Prior to the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act (Cr PC) of 1955, the death penalty was the
rule and life imprisonment an exception in India.

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• Further, the courts were bound to give an explanation for awarding a lighter penalty than
death for capital offences.
• After the amendment of 1955 courts were at liberty to grant either death or life imprisonment.
• As per Section 354 (3) of the Cr PC, 1973 the courts are required to state reasons in writing
for awarding the maximum penalty.
• The situation has been reversed and a life sentence is the rule and death penalty an exception
in capital offences.
• Moreover, despite a global moratorium against the death penalty by the UN, India retains the
death penalty.
• India is of view that allowing criminals guilty of having committed intentional, cold-blooded,
deliberate and brutal murders to escape with a lesser punishment will deprive the law of its
effectiveness and result in travesty of justice.
• In concurrence of this, a proposal for the scrapping of the death penalty was rejected by the
Law Commission in its 35th report 1967.
The Indian Penal Code prescribes ‘death’ for offences such as
• Waging war against the Government of India. (Sec. 121);
• Abetting mutiny actually committed (Sec. 132);
• Giving or fabricating false evidence upon which an innocent person suffers death. (Sec. 194);
• Murder (Sec. 302);
Other criminal statutes that provide for the death penalty as a form of punishment:
• Direct or indirect abetment of sati is punishable with Death penalty under the Commission of
Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987.
• Under SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 giving false evidence leading to the
execution of an innocent member belonging to the SC or ST would attract the death penalty.
• The POCSO Act was amended with five new clauses, including death sentence for aggravated
penetrative sexual assault by a person in a position of authority--which includes police
officers, members of the armed forces and public servants.
• Financing, producing, manufacturing as well as the sale of certain drugs attracts the death
penalty for repeat offenders under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act,
1985.
• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967; Army, Navy and Air Force Acts also provide the
death penalty for certain specified offences committed by members of the armed forces.
NOTA:
Context : The Supreme Court asked the Centre and the Election Commission of India to respond
to a plea that fresh elections should be conducted in constituencies where the highest number of votes
polled are NOTA (None Of The Above).
Concept :
• The petition said candidates ‘rejected’ by voters should not be fielded again in the fresh polls.
• Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde expressed doubts initially about the feasibility of the
petition to arm the electorate with the “right to reject” and nudge political parties to present
voters with a better choice of candidates to pick from.
• Chief Justice Bobde said if voters kept rejecting candidates, Parliament/Assembly seats would
continue to remain vacant, affecting legislative functioning.
• But the petition argued that “if voters are given the power to reject, political parties will take
care to field worthy candidates in the first place.”
None of the Above (NOTA)

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• Supreme Court, in the PUCL v Union of India (2013) directed the ECI to introduce NOTA in
direct elections to allow voters to register their protest if none of the candidates is acceptable
to them.
• NOTA has only symbolic value in a direct election. Regardless of NOTA numbers, candidate
polling most votes is elected.
• However, it is a step towards encouraging political parties to field candidates with integrity.
RTI REJECTIONS:
Context : The Centre has only rejected 4.3% of all Right to Information (RTI) requests in 2019-
20, the lowest ever rate, according to the Central Information Commission’s annual report.
Concept :
• However, almost 40% of these rejections did not include any valid reason, as they did not
invoke one of the permissible exemption clauses in the RTI Act, according to an analysis of
report data by RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak.
• This includes 90% of rejections by the Prime Minister’s Office.
• The RTI Act allows public authorities to reject RTI requests on a number of grounds, ranging
from information which would endanger life and safety to that which involves irrelevant
personal information, Cabinet papers, foreign governments, copyrights, or sovereignty,
security and intelligence matters.
• Public authorities are expected to cite the relevant clause of the Act to invoke the exemption.
CONCURRENT LIST:
Context : Health should be shifted to the Concurrent list under the Constitution, and a
developmental finance institution (DFI) dedicated to healthcare investments set up, Fifteenth Finance
Commission Chairman N.K. Singh said on Friday.
Concept :
• Article 246 adopts a threefold distribution of legislative power between the Union and the
states.
• The subject-wise distribution of this power is given in the three lists of the Seventh Schedule
of the constitution:
List-I- the Union List
List-II- the State List
List-III- the Concurrent List
Concurrent List:
• Both, the Parliament and state legislature can make laws with respect to any of the matters
enumerated in the Concurrent List.
• It includes the matters on which uniformity of legislation throughout the country is desirable
but not essential.
• However State legislation operates to the extent that it is not in conflict with the Central
legislation. At times, the very presence of a central legislation can negate the state’s ability to
legislate.
• This list has at present 52 subjects (originally 47) like criminal law and procedure, civil
procedure, marriage and divorce, population control and family planning, electricity, labour
welfare,economic and social planning, drugs, newspapers, books and printing press, and
others.

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• The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 transferred five subjects to Concurrent List from State List
i.e education, forests, weights and measures, protection of wild animals and birds, and
administration of justice; constitution and organisation of all courts except the Supreme Court
and the High Courts.
NATIONAL JUDICIAL DATA GRID:

Context : According to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), a government platform
monitoring judicial data, backlog of cases in district courts saw a sharp increase of 18.2 per cent
between December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2020.
Concept :
• The National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) is a part of the e-Courts Integrated Mission
Mode Project. It was launched in 2015. The aim is to track judicial performance across
different courts in the country.
• The NJDG is working as National data warehouse for case data including the
orders/judgments for Courts across the country.
• NJDG works as a monitoring tool to identify, manage & reduce pendency of cases.
• It also helps to provide timely inputs for making policy decisions to reduce delay and arrears
in the system, facilitate better monitoring of court performance and systemic bottlenecks, and,
thus, facilitate better resource management.
• NJDG has specifically helped India improve its ranking in World Bank's Ease of Doing
Business Report.
E-court Integrated Mission Mode Project
• The E-Courts Project was conceptualised on the basis of "National Policy and Action Plan for
Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary
- 2005" submitted by e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India (set up in 2004).
• The main objectives of the e-Court Project are as follows:
• To provide efficient & time-bound citizen centric service delivery.
• To develop, install & implement decision support systems in courts.
• To automate the processes to provide transparency of Information access to its stakeholders.
• To enhance judicial productivity both qualitatively & quantitatively, to make the justice
delivery system affordable, accessible, cost effective & transparent.
• The e-Courts National portal (ecourts.gov.in) was launched in 2013. This provides Case
Status, daily Case-list, Cases Filed and Cases Registered through the Case information
System (CIS) Software.
UNIFORM CIVIL CODE:

Context: Chief Justice of India S A Bobde on Saturday hailed Goa's uniform civil code and said
the state already has what the framers of the Constitution envisaged for the whole of India.
Concept :
What is UCC?
• The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) calls for the formulation of one law for India, which would
be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance,
adoption.
• The code comes under Article 44 of the Constitution, which lays down that the state shall
endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.

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Background of Uniform Civil Code

• The origin of the UCC dates back to colonial India when the British government submitted its
report in 1835 stressing the need for uniformity in the codification of Indian law relating to
crimes, evidence, and contracts, specifically recommending that personal laws of Hindus and
Muslims be kept outside such codification.
• Increase in legislation dealing with personal issues in the far end of the British rule forced the
government to form the B N Rau Committee to codify Hindu law in 1941.
• Based on these recommendations, a bill was then adopted in 1956 as the Hindu Succession
Act to amend and codify the law relating to intestate or unwilled succession, among Hindus,
Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.
• However, there were separate personal laws for muslim, chirstian and Parsis.
• In order to bring uniformity, the courts have often said in their judgements that the
government should move towards a uniform civil code.
• The judgement in the Shah Bano case is well known, but the courts have made the same point
in several other major judgements.
• By arguing that practices such as triple talaq and polygamy impact adversely on the right of
women to a life of dignity, the Centre has raised the question whether constitutional
protection given to religious practices should extend even to those that are not in compliance
with fundamental rights.
UCC and Implications
• Protection to Vulnerable Section of Society: The UCC aims to provide protection to
vulnerable sections as envisaged by Ambedkar including women and religious minorities,
while also promoting nationalistic fervour through unity.
• Simplification of Laws: The code will simplify the complex laws around marriage
ceremonies, inheritance, succession, adoptions making them one for all. The same civil law
will then be applicable to all citizens irrespective of their faith.
• When enacted the code will work to simplify laws that are segregated at present on the basis
of religious beliefs like the Hindu code bill, Sharia law, and others.
• Adhering to Ideal of Secularism: Secularism is the objective enshrined in the Preamble, a
secular republic needs a common law for all citizens rather than differentiated rules based on
religious practices.
• Gender Justice: India has separate sets of personal laws for each religion governing
marriages, divorce, succession, adoption and maintenance.
• However, the rights of women are usually limited under religious law, be it Hindu or Muslim.
The practice of triple talaq is a classic example.
• If a uniform civil code is enacted, all personal laws will cease to exist. It will do away with
gender biases in Muslim law, Hindu law and Christian law that have been often challenged by
women on the ground that they violate the right to equality.
PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES ACT:

Context : 2 waiters die cleaning septic tank: Banquet hall directors among 4 held under SC/ST
Act.
Concept :
• Article 17 seeks to abolish ‘untouchability’. To enforce this , Untouchability (Offences) Act
1955 was enacted.
• The lacuna in the above act lead to the passing of Protection of Civil Rights Act 1976

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• Protection of Civil Rights Act, Indian Penal Code, were inadequate to check many
dimensions of atrocities meted to SC/ST. This lead to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and Rules, 1995.
• The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is known as POA, SC/ST
Act, the Prevention of Atrocities Act, or the Atrocities Act.
Provisions of Prevention of Atrocities Act :
• Creation of new types of offences not in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or in the Protection of
Civil Rights Act 1955 (PCRA).
• Atrocities can be committed only by non-SCs and non-STs on members of the SC or ST
communities. Crimes among SCs and STs or between STs and SCs do not come under the
purview of this Act.
• Defines various types of atrocities against SCs/STs and prescribes stringent punishments for
the same.
• Enhanced minimum punishment for public servants.
• Punishment for neglect of duties by a public servant(Section 4)
• Cancellation of arms licenses in the areas identified where an atrocity may take place or has
taken place and grant arms licenses to SCs and STs
• Denial of anticipatory bail (Section 18) provided in Section 438 of the CrPC
• Denial of probation to convict (Section 19).
• provisions for relief and compensation for victims
• Creation of Special Courts and special public prosecutor
• Mandatory, periodic monitoring system at District, State and National level
• Identification of atrocity prone areas.
JUDICIAL REVIEW:
Context : A PIL in Supreme Court has sought that 26 verses of the Quran be declared
unconstitutional and non-functional. A look at the limitations of judicial review where a holy book is
concerned, various aspects of the petition, the deeper context of the verses flagged by the petitioner,
and a previous plea on the Quran.
Concept :
Judicial Review:
• It is a type of court proceeding in which a judge reviews the lawfulness of a decision or action
made by a public body.
• In other words, judicial reviews are a challenge to the way in which a decision has been
made, rather than the rights and wrongs of the conclusion reached.
Concepts of Law:
• Procedure Established by Law: It means that a law enacted by the legislature or the
concerned body is valid only if the correct procedure has been followed to the letter.
• Due Process of Law: It is a doctrine that not only checks if there is a law to deprive the life
and personal liberty of a person but also ensures that the law is made fair and just.
• India follows Procedure Established by Law.
• It is the power exerted by the courts of a country to examine the actions of the legislatures,
executive and administrative arms of government and to ensure that such actions conform to
the provisions of the nation’s Constitution.
• Judicial review has two important functions, like, of legitimizing government action and the
protection of constitution against any undue encroachment by the gov-ernment.

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• Judicial review is considered a basic structure of the constitution (Indira Gandhi vs Raj
Narain Case 1975).
• Judicial review is also called the interpretational and observer roles of the Indian judiciary.
• Suo Moto cases and the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), with the discontinuation of the
principle of Locus Standi, have allowed the judiciary to intervene in many public issues, even
when there is no complaint from the aggrieved party.
Types of Judicial Review:
• Reviews of Legislative Actions: This review implies the power to ensure that laws passed by
the legislature are in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution.
• Review of Administrative Actions: This is a tool for enforcing constitutional discipline over
administrative agencies while exercising their powers.
• Review of Judicial Decisions: This review is used to correct or make any change in previous
decisions by the judiciary itself.
PRESIDENTIAL ASSENT:
Context : President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Government of National Capital
Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021.
Concept :
• Indian President has three approaches to the bill forwarded to him by the central or state
legislature:
He can either give assent,
He can withhold his assent or
He can return the bill for reconsideration generally (depends on the type of bill).
Assent to Ordinary Bill
• In case of an ordinary bill, there are three courses of action the President can do:
• Give his assent: the bill then becomes an act.
• Withhold his assent: the bill ends there and does not become as act.
• Return the bill for reconsideration: the Houses may make changes or not to the bill and return
it to the President after which he is obliged to give his assent.
Assent to Money Bill
• The President may either give or withhold assent to a Money Bill. Under the Constitution, a
Money Bill cannot be returned to the House by the President for reconsideration.
Assent to Constitutional Amendment Bill
• In the case of such bills, the President must give assent. He cannot return the bill or withhold
it (unlike ordinary bills). After this, the bill becomes a Constitutional Amendment Act and the
Constitution stands amended in accordance with the terms of the Act.
PROROGATION:
Context: President Ram Nath Kovind has prorogued the fifth session of 17th Lok Sabha. The
session had commenced on 29th January. President also prorogued the Rajya Sabha. The House was
adjourned sine die on 25th of this month.
Concept:
• Termination of a session of the House by an order made by the President under article 85(2)
is called ‘prorogation’.
• The President in exercising the power to prorogue the House acts on the advice of the Prime
Minister.

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• Usually, prorogation follows the adjournment of the sitting of the House sine die.
• The time-lag between the adjournment of a House sine die and its prorogation is generally
two to four days, although there are instances when a House was prorogued on the same day
on which it was adjourned sine die.
• It is not necessary that both the Houses should be prorogued simultaneously.
Effects of prorogation on different categories of business pending before the House
• Article 107(3) of the Constitution of India expressly provides that a Bill pending in
Parliament shall not lapse by reason of the prorogation of the House. This also covers Bills
pending before a Select or Joint Committee of the House(s).
• Notices of intention to move for leave to introduce Bills also do not lapse on prorogation and
no fresh notice is necessary in the next session for that purpose except where any sanction or
recommendation granted under the Constitution in respect of a Bill has ceased to be operative.
• On the prorogation, all pending notices of Motions and Resolutions except those relating to
introduction of Bills as mentioned above, lapse and fresh notices must be given for the next
session.
• Any business pending before a committee shall not lapse by reason only of the prorogation of
the House and the committee shall continue to function notwithstanding such prorogation.
• On prorogation of either House of Parliament, the President has the power to issue
Ordinances under article 123.
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE:

Context : Amid the hectic campaigning in West Bengal, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhury made a dash to Delhi on Friday to chair a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee.
Concept :
• The committee was first mentioned in the Montagu and Chelmsford Reforms or the
Government of India Act 1919 but it came into existence only in 1921.
• It examines the annual audit reports and is responsible for mainly taking care of public
expenditure to check for any kind of fraud, mal-functioning, waste, or extravagance in the
funds utilized in the government projects that are being undertaken.
Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)
• The committee comprises 22 members. 15 from the Lok Sabha (or the Lower House) and 7
from the Rajya Sabha (or the Upper House).
• He or She cannot be a minister in the Cabinet.
• The members are elected from the members of the Parliament by conducting an election by
Proportional Representation by means of the Single Transferable Voting System (PRSTV).
• Every member elected by the Parliament holds office for a year after which fresh elections
take place and a new set of committee members are elected.
Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee
• The Speaker of the Lok Sabha elects the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee from
amongst its members.
• Though initially, the Chairperson used to be appointed from the ruling party it was later
decided to appoint the chairperson from the opposition party invariably.
Functions of the Public Accounts Committee
• Examines the financial accounts and the appropriation accounts of the Central Government
which is made by the Lok Sabha.
• Scrutinizes audit reports made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India to
make sure it is justified and no fraud or mistakes have been made. It also ensures that the

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money used is legally available and also conforms to the cause it’s needed for, to avoid
extravagance and wastage.
• Examines accounts of State Corporations, Trading Concerns, and Manufacturing Products.
• Examines the accounts of Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous Bodies.
• It keeps check of any money spent on any service availed or utilized in the year and makes a
thorough report of it.

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
SUEZ CANAL:
Context : Recently, the Suez Canal has been blocked after a large cargo ship ran a ground while
passing through it, bringing traffic on the busy trade route to a halt.
Concept :
About Suez Canal
• It is a critical shipping artery that connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas through
Egypt.
• It is a human-made waterway and as one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes,
carrying over 12% of world trade by volume.
• It was built in 1869 to provide a major shortcut for ships moving between Europe and Asia.
• The 150-year-old canal was controlled by British and French interests in its initial years, but
was nationalised in 1956 by Egypt.
• In 2015, Egypt announced plans to further expand the Suez Canal, aiming to reduce waiting
times and double the number of ships that can use the canal daily by 2023.
Significance of Suez Canal
• The canal is a major source of income for Egypt’s economy, with the African country earning
$5.61 billion in revenues from it in 2020.
• According to reports, nearly 50 ships pass through it every day, and it accounts for 12% of
world trade.
• The majority of oil transported by sea passes through the Suez Canal, which is the fastest
crossing from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, but demands hefty passage tolls.
• The journey between ports in the Gulf and London, for example, is roughly halved by going
through the Suez as compared to the alternate route via the southern tip of Africa.
YEMEN CIVIL WAR:

Context : Riyadh proposes ceasefire plan to Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Concept :
Yemen Conflict:
• Since 2014, Yemen has been facing a multi-sided conflict involving local, regional, and
international actors.
• The Houthis, a group of Zaidi Shia Muslims who ruled a kingdom there for nearly 1,000
years, used widespread anger against President Hadi's decision to postpone long-awaited
elections and his stalled negotiations over a new constitution.
• They marched from their stronghold of Saada province to the capital Sanaa and surrounded
the presidential palace, placing Hadi under house arrest.
Saudi Arabia's Intervention:
• A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen in March 2015, at Hadi's
request, after the Houthis continued to sweep the south and threatened to conquer the last
government stronghold of Aden, prompting one of the world's worst humanitarian crises ever.
Ceasefire:
• Yemen Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia-backed forces loyal to the President of Yemen agreed
to a United Nations-mediated ceasefire agreement in 2018.

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Resurgence of Houthi Attacks:

• In 2019, the Yemen's Shia Houthi rebels, violating the ceasefire, attacked Aramco crude oil
production in Saudi Arabia.
Uighur:
Context: China has launched an unprecedented and aggressive campaign to push back, including
explicit attacks on women who have made claims of abuse for its handling of Uighurs.
Concept:
· The Uighurs are Muslim ethnic community which speak a language close to Turkish, and are
culturally and ethnically closer to Central Asia than the rest of China live in Xinjiang, the
largest and most western of China’s administrative regions.
· Till recently, they were the majority in Xinjiang, but massive registered and unregistered
settlements of Han Chinese and heavy troop deployments have likely changed that situation.
· Besides ethnicity and cultural dissonance, tensions are seen as rooted also in economic factors
— as China’s development has lifted cities like Kashgar and Urumqi, young, qualified Han
Chinese from eastern regions have come to Xinjiang, taking the most lucrative jobs and
triggering resentment among the indigenous population.
· In Beijing’s official narrative, much of the Uighur terrorist violence is carried out by the East
Turkestan Islamic Movement, a group that seeks to establish an independent East Turkestan
state in China.
· China has been criticized at different forums for violation of Human rights of Uighur
population.
Western Container terminal project (WCT) – Sri Lanka:

Context: After walking out of the Eastern Container Terminal, the Sri Lanka has offered West
Container Terminal (WCT) to Indian and Japanese companies with 85% stakes.
Concept:
· The WCT is strategically located next to a $500-million Chinese-run container jetty within
Colombo’s sprawling port.
· The project will be on Build, Operate and Transfer basis for a period of 35 years as a public-
private partnership with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited and its local
representative John Keels Holding PLC, and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
Context: India has proposed inclusion of Chabahar port in the International North South Transport
Corridor (INSTC) route at Chabahar Day’ at the Maritime India Summit.
Concept:
· India’s interest in Chabahar reflects importance it attaches to regional connectivity and
strategic, economic significance it offers.
About INSTC

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· The INSTC is a key trade corridor project, wherein India is partnering with 12 countries to
establish an economic corridor.
· 7,200-km multi-mode transport (Rail, sea, Road) project to move freight among India, Iran,
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
· Aim is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran,
Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, Bandar Anzali, etc.
· Dry runs of two routes were conducted in 2014, the first was Mumbai to Baku via Bandar
Abbas and the second was Mumbai to Astrakhan via Bandar Abbas, Tehran and Bandar
Anzali.
TROIKA PROCESS:
Context: Russia has announced it will hold a conference of special envoys from the U.S., China,
and Pakistan, along with representatives of the Afghanistan government, Taliban and other senior
Afghan leaders next week.
Concept:
• Unlike the UN-led formulation, however, India has not been invited to the Russian
conference, officials confirmed, adding that Moscow has kept New Delhi apprised of the two-
year old “Troika” process involving consultations between U.S., Russia and China.
• Diplomatic sources said the Troika process was an “already established mechanism”, and that
there was no attempt to “leave India out” of the proposed talks.
LGBTIQ FRREDOM ZONE:

Context : The European Parliament has declared whole of the European Union as “LGBTIQ
Freedom Zone” on March 11, 2021.
Concept :
• The European Union resolution declares that the “LGBTIQ persons anywhere in European
Union will enjoy the freedom to live and publicly show their sexual orientation & gender
identity without any fear of intolerance, persecution or discrimination”.
• The resolution further adds that, the authorities at all the levels of the governance across the
European union shall protect and promote the equality and fundamental rights of all including
the LGBTIQ.
• This resolution was supported by 492 MEPs, 141 MEPs voted against it while 46 abstained
from voting.
European Parliament
• It is the only parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU) that is directly elected by
EU citizens aged 18 years or older. Together with the Council of the European Union (also
known as the 'Council'), it exercises the legislative function of the EU.
• European Parliament does not possess as much legislative power as its member countries’
parliaments do.
INDO JAPAN SPACE TIES:

Context: Indian and Japanese space agencies reviewed cooperation in earth observation, lunar
cooperation and satellite navigation, and also agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in
“space situational awareness and professional exchange programme”.
Concept:

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• This was agreed during a bilateral meeting between the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held virtually.
• Both agencies signed an Implementing Arrangement for collaborative activities on rice crop
area and air quality monitoring using satellite data.
• India and Japan are already working on a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission and
the two space agencies have been working on the mission that aims to send a lander and rover
to the Moon’s south pole around 2024.
Space Situational Awareness (SSA)
• Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is the science of tracking objects (man-made and natural)
that are in orbit and also predicting whet they would be at a given point in time.
• So far, only America, Russia and Europe have similar established capabilities in place to track
space objects and share collision warnings.
• ISRO has set up a Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management aiming at
protecting high valued space assets from space debris close approaches and collisions.
• To carryout systematically all activities related to SSAM, a control centre is being
established at Bengaluru.
INDO - BANGLADESH RELATIONS:

Context : India and Bangladesh signed 5 MoUs in the fields of Disaster Management, trade,
NCC, ICT and setting up of sports facilities during the official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to Bangladesh.
Concept :
• Foundation stone was laid for infrastructure development for power evacuation facilities from
the Rooppur Nuclear power plant.
• The Bangladesh leg of the Banagabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition was inaugurated by the
two Prime Ministers. It will be taken to other parts of the world including the UN.
• Both the leaders also unveiled the foundation stone for the construction of a memorial at
Ashuganj honoring the martyrs of Indian armed forces in the 1971 Liberation War of
Bangladesh.
• India gifted 109 life support ambulances to Bangladesh and also 1.2 million doses of the
Covishield vaccine.
• Three border haats were also opened along the India-Bangladesh border.
During the visit a number of announcements were made.
• A direct passenger train named ‘Mitali Express’ will run between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri.
• Prime Minister Modi invited 50 young entrepreneurs from Bangladesh to connect with India’s
start up ecosystem.
• 1000 Subarno Jayanti Scholarships were announced for the Bangladeshi students to study in
India at the Undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• A Bangabandhu Chair will be established at Delhi University to facilitate Bangladesh studies.
• Both countries agreed to start a new area of cooperation in the Civil nuclear and space sectors.
Places visited
• Prime Minister also visited the birthplace of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at
Tungipara and placed a wreath at his mausoleum to pay tribute to the father of the nation of
Bangladesh.
• Prime Minister Modi visited the Jeshoreshwari temple in Satkhira. He announced that a
cyclone shelter cum community hall will be built at the temple for use by the people.

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• He also visited Orakandi where he was given a community reception. He paid respect at
Harimandir in Orakandi and addressed the representatives of the Matua community.
QUAD VACCINE INITIATIVE:

Context : A mega Quad vaccine initiative, with India as the key, will be one of the main outcomes
of the first-ever Quad grouping's leadership summit.
Concept :
• Quad vaccine initiative will basically function as "Vaccines developed in the US,
manufactured in India, financed by Japan and US, and supported by Australia" and will allow
"new manufacturing capacity to be added" in India for exports to the Indo-Pacific region.
• Quad Vaccine Initiative will project and re-inforce India’s credentials as a trusted, reliable
manufacturer and supplier of quality vaccines.
• It will appreciably expand our Vaccine Maitri effort and strengthen India’s standing as a
critical node in global health supply chains, and as a selfless contributor to global health
security.
Background :
• India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines, that has already shipped out more than 48
million doses worldwide, is expected to request Quad investment to scale up its outreach
further.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RESILENCE

INFRASTRUCTURE:
Context : The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the opening ceremony of
International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure through video conference.
Concept :
• The International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI 2021) is an
interactive virtual conference which follows International Workshops on Disaster Resilient
Infrastructure (IWDRI) held in 2018 and 2019.
• ICDRI is the annual international conference of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient
Infrastructure (CDRI) in partnership with member countries, organizations and institutions
to strengthen the global discourse on disaster and climate resilient infrastructure.
About CDRI:
• It was launched by PM Modi in September 2019 at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate
Action Summit in New York, US.
• A platform where knowledge is generated and exchanged on different aspects of disaster and
climate resilience of infrastructure.
• It will create a mechanism to assist countries to upgrade their capacities and practices, with
regard to infrastructure development in accordance with their risk context and economic
needs.
S400 & CAATSA:

Context : US Senator Bob Menendez, has written to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
asking him to raise concerns about democracy and India’s purchase of the S-400 Russian missile
defence system, during his visit to New Delhi.
Concept :

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• The S-400 Triumf, (NATO calls it SA-21 Growler), is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system
(SAM) designed by Russia.
• It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range SAM (MLR SAM) in the
world, considered much ahead of the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
system (THAAD).
• The system can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAV and ballistic and cruise missiles within the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to
30km. The system can track 100 airborne targets and engage six of them simultaneously.
• The S-400 Triumf air defence system integrates a multifunction radar, autonomous detection
and targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and command and control
centre.
• It is capable of firing three types of missiles to create a layered defence.
CAATSA:
• Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) was passed
unanimously by the US Congress and signed reluctantly by US President Donald Trump.
Enacted on August 2, 2017, its core objective is to counter Iran, Russia and North Korea
through punitive measures.
MOSCOW SUMMIT:
Context : Afghan government, Taliban agree to accelerate peace talks after Moscow summit.
Concept :
• Moscow hosted the international conference on Afghanistan on Thursday, at which Russia,
the United States, China and Pakistan released a joint statement calling on the Afghan sides to
reach a peace deal and curb violence, and on the Taliban not to launch any offensives in the
spring and summer.
• The conference aimed to reinvigorate negotiations which have been taking place between the
Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatar’s capital Doha, largely stalled over government
accusations that the insurgents have failed to halt violence.
• The Moscow conference was the first time the United States had sent a senior representative
to talks on Afghanistan under a format launched by Russia in 2017.
• Washington agreed last year with the Taliban to withdraw its troops by May 1 after nearly
two decades, and is looking for support among regional powers for its plans for the peace
process.
ISTANBUL CONVENTION:
Context : Turkey quits landmark Istanbul Convention protecting women from violence.
Concept :
Istanbul Convention
• It is also called as the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence
against women and domestic violence.
• The treaty is the world’s first binding instrument to prevent and tackle violence against
women.
• It is the most comprehensive legal framework that exists to tackle violence against women
and girls, covering domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation (FGM),
so-called honour-based violence, and forced marriage.

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• The Convention sets minimum standards for governments to meet when tackling violence
against women.
• When a government ratifies the Convention, they are legally bound to follow it.
INDO ISRAEL VACCINE:

Context : India’s Premas Biotech, Israel’s Oramed jointly develop oral vaccine for COVID-19.
Concept :
• An Indian-Israeli collaboration has reportedly developed an oral vaccine, one that can be
swallowed like a pill instead of being injected as is the norm, for COVID-19.
• A preliminary test in animals showed that the vaccine produced the expected antibodies that
confer protection.
• However the findings have not been reported in a scientific publication yet and can’t be
independently verified.
• The nascent COVID-19 vaccine candidate is a “protein-based VLP (Virus Like Particle)
vaccine candidate” that generates “triple protection” against the SARS CoV-2 virus, that is,
it is able to target the spike, membrane, and envelope proteins of the coronavirus.
• These three proteins are critical to the structure of the coronavirus and give it form as well as
the ability to replicate inside the body.
UNHRC RESOLUTION:
Context : India abstained from a crucial vote on Sri Lanka’s rights record at the United Nations
Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Concept :
• The resolution on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’
was, however, adopted after 22 states of the 47-member Council voted in its favour.
• Sri Lanka, which had earlier deemed the resolution “politically motivated”, was quick to
reject the UN move to collect and preserve evidence of war crimes in the country, committed
by the armed forces and the LTTE.
• The Sri Lanka resolution was the first to be voted on using the extraordinary e-voting
procedures established for the UNHRC 46th Session, which has been held virtually.
OIL SUPPLIES TO INDIA:

Context : The United States overtook Saudi Arabia as India's second biggest oil supplier.
Concept :
• India’s imports from the United States - the world’s top producer - rose 48% to a record
545,300 barrels per day (bpd) in February from the prior month, accounting for 14% of
overall imports last month, the data obtained by Reuters showed.
• In contrast, February imports from Saudi Arabia fell by 42% from the previous month to a
decade-low of 445,200 bpd, the data showed.
• Saudi Arabia, which has consistently been one of India’s top two suppliers, slipped to No. 4
for first time since 2006
• Iraq continued to be the top oil seller to India despite a 23% decline in purchases to a five-
month low of 867,500 bpd, the data showed.
AIR BUBBLE ARRANGEMENT:

Context : Centre to expand air bubble pact with more countries.

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Concept :
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday told the Rajya Sabha that the government
wanted to expand the “air bubble” arrangement with more countries,
• The priority would be Saudi Arabia, Kuwait in the west and Japan, China and Singapore in
the east.
• Under the air bubble scheme, commercial airlines from specific countries are allowed to
travel to and from India on a limited basis.
• This arrangement was solely reserved for the Air India under the Vande Bharat mission —
as full-scale international commercial air operations are yet to resume after the COVID-19
restrictions were implemented last year.
• The Minister made these remarks while informing both Houses of Parliament about the
government’s efforts in repatriating Indians, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of
Indian Origin (PIO) during the pandemic.
CHINA IRAN PACT:

Context : China and Iran signed what was described as a 25-year “strategic cooperation pact”.
Concept :
• While details of the new 25-year pact were not immediately available, it includes “political,
strategic and economic” components.
• This document can be very effective in deepening relations and would establish a blueprint
for “reciprocal investments in the fields of transport, ports, energy, industry and services”.
Background: Nuclear Deal and Sanctions
• The agreement comes amid a major push from China to back Iran, which counts on Beijing,
its largest trading partner, as it deals with the continuing weight of sanctions re-instated
following then U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear
deal.
• Earlier this week, China and Russia called for the U.S. to “unconditionally return to the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as soon as possible and revoke the unilateral
sanctions against Iran”.
• In this context, they proposed “the establishment of a regional security dialogue platform to
converge a new consensus on resolving the security concerns of countries in the region”.
HEART OF ASIA- ISTANBUL PROCESS
Context: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar reached Dushanbe on a three-day visit to
Tajikistan. He will attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process on
Afghanistan.
Concept:
• The Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) is an initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey,
which was officially launched at a conference hosted by Turkey in Istanbul on 2 November
2011.
• Since then, Afghanistan supported by fourteen Participating Countries of the Heart of Asia
Region and 16 Supporting Countries beyond the region as well as 12 Regional and
International Organizations is leading and coordinating this Process.
• It is a platform for promoting regional security, economic and political cooperation centred on
Afghanistan through dialogue and a set of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).
• The Directorate General for Regional Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Afghanistan is acting as the de facto Secretariat of the Process.
The Heart of Asia Region:

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• The geographical area covering the 15 Participating Countries of the HoA-IP is defined as
the Heart of Asia Region.
• It is one of the biggest regions in the world with a collective geographical area of more than
40 million km2 covering around 27% of the land area of the Earth.
Link: LAQSHYA 2021 OPTIMA

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ECONOMICS
Maritime India Summit 2021:
Context: The PM Modi will inaugurate virtual Maritime India Summit, 2021 today.
Concept:
· The Maritime India Summit 2021 is being organized by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and
Waterways in collaboration with FICCI on a virtual platform www.maritimeindiasummit.in
from 2nd March to 4th March 2021.
· The Summit will visualize a roadmap for India’s Maritime sector for next decade and will
work to propel India to the forefront of the Global Maritime Sector.
· Denmark is the partner country for the three-day summit.
· Various stakeholders in the maritime sector including senior and eminent policy planners,
domestic and international investors, CEOs of Indian and global maritime companies,
industry experts, thought leaders, technology providers, bankers and insurers, representatives
of major ports and shipping lines from across the world.
Taper tantrum:
Context: With the yield on the 10-year US Treasury momentarily surging past 1.6 per cent the
reaction of market across the world revived the memory of "taper tantrum" of 2013 (when the term
originated).
Concept:
· Taper tantrum refers to the 2013 collective reactionary panic that triggered a spike in U.S.
Treasury yields, after investors learned that the Federal Reserve was slowly putting the breaks
on its quantitative easing (QE) (large purchases of bonds and other securities - Increases
liquidity) program.
· Tightening of monetary policy through tapering led to Dollar supply reduction, capital
outflows from emerging economies and exchange rate becoming weak (currency
depreciation).
· Capital outflow is because when yields on the ultra-safe US treasuries rise, investors have
reduced incentive to invest in riskier assets such as equity.
· This led to a surge in inflation to high double digits emerging economies.
· In 2013 it created the fear that the market would crumble, as the result of the cessation of QE
(however nothing of that sort happened).
· Generally, this tapering is short-lived.
Possible implications of current tapering Tantrum
· This time, the markets are overvalued and investors fear that the yield spike can become the
trigger for an extended market correction
· Existing investors may need to brace for a de-rating of stock valuations, new ones can
perhaps look forward to a buying opportunity.
· A rise in bond yields may, however, be good for investors in small savings schemes and the
GOI Floating Rate Bonds, where rates are linked to government bond yields and are reset
periodically.
· those invested in debt mutual funds (especially longer duration ones) and listed bonds may
have to brace themselves for more mark-to-market losses if yields continue to harden.

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Sagar-Manthan: Mercantile Marine Domain Awareness Centre (MMDAC):

Context: On the eve of Maritime India summit 2021 India launched a vessel tracking system.
Concept:
· Announcement was also made on The Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid
for regional connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar will be
strengthened for effective regional trade and cooperation
About MMDAC
· It is a real-time vehicle tracking system which can help seafarers and fishermen and organize
help in case of emergency.
· It will track Indian vessels globally; it can also track foreign vessels within 1,000-km of
India’s coastline.
· It will be operated by DG Shipping. India will share it with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
· The MMDAC facility also has elements of security, for which DG Shipping collaborates with
the Indian Navy
Cost Push inflation:

Context: The Government data shows a 2.7-37 per cent increase in prices of food items within a
month’s time is pushing up the inflation.
Concept:
· It is the situation when overall prices increase due to increases in the cost of wages and raw
materials.
· The current rise in cost of production is driven by surge in diesel prices and higher
temperature affecting crops, rise in commodity price globally (due to dollar depreciation and
is partly driven by expected increase in demand), increase in international freight rates
· Higher costs of production can decrease the aggregate supply (the amount of total production)
in the economy.
· With not much change in demand for goods the price increases from production are passed
onto consumers creating cost-push inflation.
30-Share Index (BSE Sensex):

Context: Led by Reliance Industries (RIL), the 30-share index rallied by another 1,147.76 points to
51,444.65 amidst strong global cues and hopes of stronger economic recovery and earnings growth.
Concept:
· NSE Nifty index also increased by 326.50 points to 15,245.60 on sustained buying support.
About BSE Sensex
· It is the benchmark index of India's BSE, formerly known as the Bombay Stock Exchange.
· It was created in 1986, the Sensex is the oldest stock index in India.
· It comprised of 30 of the largest and most actively-traded stocks on the BSE, providing a
gauge of India's economy.
· Sensex uses weighted average method for price movement calculation. That means each
shares price has a weightage proportional to its market capitalization.
· The index's composition is reviewed in June and December each year.
· Five criteria for being listed in BSE Sensex:
1. It should be listed in India on BSE
2. It should be a large-to mega-cap company
3. The stock should be relatively liquid
4. The company should generate revenue from core activities
5. It should keep the sector balanced broadly in line with the Indian equity market.

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About NSE Nifty Index

Nifty is the stock market index for National Stock Exchange (NSE).
Unlike BSE Sensex it consists of weighted average of 50 of the largest Indian companies.
NATIONAL MONETISATION PIPELINE:

Context: 8 ministries list assets for monetisation: from stations to telecom towers, pipelines to
roads.
Concept:
National Asset Monetization Pipeline
• In Union Budget 2021 ,Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a national
monetisation pipeline will be launched, with a dashboard to track the progress and provide
visibility to investors.
• Asset monetisation is the process of unlocking the value of investment made in public assets
which have not yielded appropriate or potential returns so far.
• The Minister informed that an Asset Monetization dashboard will also be created for tracking
the progress and to provide visibility to investors.
Some important measures in the direction of monetisation are as follows:
• National Highways Authority of India and PGCIL each have sponsored one InvIT that will
attract international and domestic institutional investors. Five operational roads with an
estimated enterprise value of Rs.5,000 crore are being transferred to the NHAIInvIT.
Similarly, transmission assets of a value of Rs. 7,000 crore will be transferred to the
PGCILInvIT.
• Railways will monetize Dedicated Freight Corridor assets for operations and maintenance,
after commissioning.
• The next lot of Airports will be monetised for operations and management concession.
Other core infrastructure assets that will be rolled out under the Asset Monetization Programme
are:
• NHAI Operational Toll Roads
• Transmission Assets of PGCIL
• Oil and Gas Pipelines of GAIL, IOCL and HPCL (iv) AAI Airports in Tier II and III cities,
• Other Railway Infrastructure Assets
• Warehousing Assets of CPSEs such as Central Warehousing Corporation and NAFED among
others
• Sports Stadiums.

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Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train:

Context: The National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) is discussing with its Japanese
partner the possibility of operating the high-speed trains in Gujarat in the first phase and later
extending it to Maharashtra.
Concept:
· 95 per cent land has been acquired in Gujarat and Rs 32,500 crore worth of tenders already
awarded for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project.
· It is under-construction high-speed rail line connecting the cities of Ahmedabad and India's
economic hub Mumbai with the help of Japan.
· It will be built with the help of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA).
· Bullet train or High Speed Rail is an integrated system having overall optimization of various
components, viz. Hardware, Software, Human-ware, and their interface, etc.
· The train, with a capacity of 750 passengers, will travel at speeds between 320 km/hr and
350km/hr and is expected to reduce travel time between Ahmedabad and Mumbai to three-
and-a-half hours or less from the present eight.
· Potential benefit: High-speed connectivity; new job oppurtunities; Urban expansion; make
India favorable destination for high-speed train technologies; Social Benefits (reduced CO2
emission, comparatively less land required than a 6-lane highway for same passenger
capacity).
About NHSRCL
· NHSRCL) was incorporated on 12th February 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013 with an
object to finance, construct, maintain and manage the High Speed Rail Corridor in India.
· The Company has been modelled as ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ in the joint sector with equity
participation by Central Government through Ministry of Railways and two State
Governments viz. Government of Gujarat and Government of Maharashtra.
Loan to Value (LTV) ratio:

Context: Home loan rates are at 15-year low.
Concept:
· The home loan rates are linked to the borrower’ credit score and Loan to Value ratio.
About LTV ratio
· An LTV ratio is calculated by dividing the amount borrowed by the appraised value of the
property, expressed as a percentage.

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· LTV ratio= Mortgage Amount/ Appraised Property Value.

· For ex- For a Rs 100,000 appraised value, and making a 10,000 down payment, if we borrow
90,000. This results in an LTV ratio of 90%.
· It help lender determine the level of exposure to risk they take on when underwriting a
mortgage.
GVA vs GDP:
Context: Report prepared by the Finance Ministry’s Economic Affairs Department has said that using
GVA (Gross Value Added) rather than GDP (Gross Domestic Products) for tracking the economy in a
better way.
Concept:
· India opted to make major changes to its compilation of national accounts and bring the
whole process into conformity with the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA)
of 2008.
· As per the SNA, gross value added, is defined as the value of output minus the value of
intermediate consumption and is a measure of the contribution to GDP made by an
individual producer, industry or sector.
· It gives the rupee value of goods and services produced in the economy after deducting the
cost of inputs and raw materials used.
· GVA can be described as the main entry on the income side of the nation’s accounting
balance sheet, and from an economics perspective represents the supply side.
· It provides the rupee value for the number of goods and services produced in an economy
after deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials that have gone into the production of
those goods and services.
· In the new series, in which the base year was shifted to 2011-12 from the earlier 2004-05,
GVA at basic prices became the primary measure of output across the economy’s
various sectors and when added to net taxes on products amounts to the GDP.
· Earlier, India had been measuring GVA at ‘factor cost’ till the new methodology was adopted
in which GVA at ‘basic prices’ became the primary measure of economic output.
· GVA at basic prices will include production taxes and exclude production subsidies
· As part of the data on GVA, the NSO provides both quarterly and annual estimates of
output — measured by the gross value added — by economic activity. The sectoral
classification provides data on eight broad categories that span the gamut of goods
produced and services provided in the economy. These are:
1. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
2. Mining and Quarrying
3. Manufacturing
4. Electricity, Gas, Water Supply and other Utility Services
5. Construction
6. Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication and Services related to Broadcasting
7. Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services
8. Public Administration, Defence and other Services.
GDP
· It is the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within
a country's borders in a specific time period.
· GDP includes all private and public consumption, government outlays, investments, additions
to private inventories, paid-in construction costs, and the foreign balance of trade. (Exports
are added to the value and imports are subtracted).

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· Nominal GDP is evaluated at current market prices and real GDP is inflation-adjusted
measure that reflects the quantity of goods and services produced by an economy in a given
year, with prices held constant from year to year in order to separate out the impact of
inflation or deflation from the trend in output over time.
· GDP can be calculated in three ways, using expenditures, production, or incomes.
GDP and GVA relationship
· Gross Value Added = GDP + subsidies on products - taxes on products
· GVA represents supply-side perspective of economy, unlike GDP which is a demand side
approach. This makes GVA a good estimate for policymakers.
· GVA as a measure is important for attracting investment as any country which seeks to attract
capital and investment from overseas does need to conform to the global best practices.
· GVA is considered better estimate for economy as sharp increase in the output (as measured
in GDP) can be due to higher tax collections due to factors like better compliance and hardly
reflection of production
BOND YIELDS:
Context: Indian equity benchmarks dropped by more than 1% for the second straight session on
Thursday on concern that rising U.S. bond yields in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s dovish policy
stance could herald foreign fund outflows.
Concept :
• Bond yield is the return an investor gets on that bond or a particular G-sec.
• Factors affecting the yield: Monetary policy of the RBI (interest Rates), fiscal position of the
government and its borrowing programme, global markets, economy, and inflation.
• A fall in interest rates makes bond prices rise, and bond yields fall.
• Rising interest rates cause bond prices to fall, and bond yields to rise.
• So, a rise in bond yields means interest rates in the monetary system have fallen, and the
returns for investors have declined.
WALR:
Context : The weighted average lending rate (WALR) on fresh rupee loans sanctioned by
scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) fell by 183 basis points (bps), of which 112 bps cut was effected
since March 2020, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said.
Concept :
Weighted average lending rate (WALR)
• The Weighted Average Lending Rate (WALR) of scheduled commercial banks, is the interest
rate charged on all the outstanding loans of a bank.
• Unlike, the MCLR, which is lower because it is for the newest borrower, the WALR is
higher.
Marginal Cost of Lending Rate
• It is a benchmark lending rate for floating-rate loans which came into effect in 2016.
• This is the minimum interest rate at which commercial banks can lend.
• This rate is based on four components—the marginal cost of funds, negative carry on account
of cash reserve ratio, operating costs and tenor premium.
• MCLR is linked to the actual deposit rates. Hence, when deposit rates rise, it indicates the
banks are likely to hike MCLR and lending rates are set to go up.
• The transmission of policy rate changes to the lending rate of banks under the current MCLR
framework has not been satisfactory.

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OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS:

Context : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to conduct simultaneous purchase and
sale of government securities under Open Market Operations (OMO) for an amount of ₹10,000 crore
each on March 25.
Concept :
• Open Market Operations (OMOs) are market operations conducted by RBI by way of
sale/purchase of government securities to/from the market with an objective to adjust the
rupee liquidity conditions in the market on a durable basis.
• If there is excess liquidity, RBI resorts to sale of securities and sucks out the rupee liquidity.
• Similarly, when the liquidity conditions are tight, RBI buys securities from the market,
thereby releasing liquidity into the market.
• It is one of the quantitative (to regulate or control the total volume of money) monetary policy
tools which is employed by the central bank of a country to control the money supply in the
economy.
About G-secs
• A Government Security (G-Sec) is a tradable instrument issued by the Central Government or
the State Governments.
• It acknowledges the Government’s debt obligation.
• Such securities are short term (usually called treasury bills, with original maturities of less
than one year- presently issued in three tenors, namely, 91 day, 182 day and 364 day) or long
term (usually called Government bonds or dated securities with original maturity of one year
or more.
BASE EFFECT:
Context : Crisil expects India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth to rebound to 11 per cent in
fiscal 2022 after an estimated 8 per cent contraction this fiscal.The analytics company sees growth
next fi scal (FY22) to be a story of two halves, with baseeff ect lifting the fi rst half and broad-
based growth in the second.
Concept :
• The base effect refers to the impact of the rise in price level (i.e. last year’s inflation) in the
previous year over the corresponding rise in price levels in the current year (i.e., current
inflation).
• If the price index had risen at a high rate in the corresponding period of the previous year
leading to a high inflation rate, some of the potential rise is already factored in, therefore a
similar absolute increase in the Price index in the current year will lead to a relatively lower
inflation rates.
• On the other hand, if the inflation rate was too low in the corresponding period of the
previous year, even a relatively smaller rise in the Price Index will arithmetically give a high
rate of current inflation.
DEVELOPMENTAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTION:

Context : Cabinet clears plan to set up DFI for infra projects. The government will infuse
₹20,000 crore capital in the new financial institution, and gradually reduce its stake to 26% from
100%, said Sitharaman.
Concept :

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• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on February 1, proposed creation of a DFI to

accelerate investment in infra sector as a part Union Budget 2021.
Development Finance Institution
• These are specialized institutions set up primarily to provide development/ Project finance
especially in developing countries.
• These DFIs are usually majority-owned by national governments.
• The source of capital of these banks is national or international development funds.
• This ensures their creditworthiness and their ability to provide project finance in a very
competitive rate.
How is it different from commercial banks?
• It strikes a balance between commercial operational norms as followed by commercial banks
on the one hand, and developmental responsibilities on the other.
• DFIs are not just plain lenders like commercial banks but they act as companions in the
development of significant sectors of the economy.
Evolution of DFIs in India:
• The first DFI was the Industrial Financial Corporation of India (IFC) that was launched in
1948.
• IDBI, UTI, NABARD, EXIM Bank, SIDBI, NHB, IIFCL etc are the other major DFIs.
• Later several of them were converted into banks as industry like ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank etc.
Classification of development Financial Institutions:
• Sector specific financial institutions: These financial Institutions focusses on a particular
sector to provide project finance. Ex: NHB is solely related to Housing projects, EXIM bank
is oriented towards import export operations.
• Investment Institutions: These are specialized in providing services designed to facilitate
business operations, such as capital expenditure financing and equity offerings, including
initial public offerings (IPOs).Ex: LIC, GIC and UTI
SOFR:
Context : SBI and IOCL ink $100 million first SOFR linked deal in the ECB market.
Concept :
• The secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) is a benchmark interest rate for dollar-
denominated derivatives and loans that is replacing the London interbank offered rate
(LIBOR).
• SOFR is based on transactions in the Treasury repurchase market and is seen as preferable to
LIBOR since it is based on data from observable transactions rather than on estimated
borrowing rates.
• While SOFR is becoming the benchmark rate for dollar-denominated derivatives and loans,
other countries have sought their own alternative rates, such as SONIA and EONIA.
DIVIDEND POLICY:
Context : To strengthen corporate governance practices and disclosure requirements, markets
regulator SEBI on Thursday decided that the top 1,000 listed firms listed on the stock exchanges
should formulate a dividend distribution policy.
Concept :

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• Dividend policy is an important element in financial management. This policy is associated

with financial policies about paying cash dividend in the present or paying an increased
dividend at a later stage.
• The term dividend denotes to that portion of profit which is distributed among the
proprietors/shareholders of the firm.
• Whether to issue dividends, and what amount, is determined primarily on the basis of the
company's unappropriated profit (excess cash) and influenced by the company's long-term
generating revenues.
SEBI FRAMEWORK ON IPO:

Context : New SEBI framework to streamline IPO process.
Concept :
• Markets regulator Sebi on Tuesday put in place a uniform policy to streamline the
reconciliation process among intermediaries with regard to initial public offers as well as a
new mechanism to compensate investors.
• The new framework would address issues related to delay in receipt of mandate by investors
for blocking of funds due to systemic issues at intermediaries and failure to unblock the funds
in cases of partial allotment by the next working day from the finalisation of Basis of
Allotment (BOA), Sebi said in a circular.
Initial Public Offering
• IPO is the selling of securities to the public in the primary market.
• Primary market deals with new securities being issued for the first time. It is also known as
the new issues market.
• It is different from secondary market where existing securities are bought and sold. It is also
known as the stock market or stock exchange.
• It is when an unlisted company makes either a fresh issue of securities or an offer for sale of
its existing securities or both for the first time to the public.
• Unlisted companies are companies that are not listed on the stock exchange.
• It is generally used by new and medium-sized firms that are looking for funds to grow and
expand their business.
INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION:

Context :India's IIP contracts to 1.6% in Jan; retail inflation rises to 5.03% in Feb.
Concept :
• The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an index that shows the growth rates in different
industry groups of the economy in a fixed period of time.
• It is compiled and published monthly by the Central Statistical Organization (CSO), Ministry
of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• IIP is a composite indicator that measures the growth rate of industry groups classified under:
• Broad sectors, namely, Mining, Manufacturing, and Electricity.
• Use-based sectors, namely Basic Goods, Capital Goods, and Intermediate Goods.
• Base Year for IIP is 2011-2012.
• The eight core industries of India represent about 40% of the weight of items that are included
in the IIP.
Significance of IIP :
• IIP is the only measure on the physical volume of production.

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• It is used by government agencies including the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of
India, etc, for policy-making purposes.
• IIP remains extremely relevant for the calculation of the quarterly and advance GDP
estimates.
AT 1 BONDS:
Context : The decision of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to slap restrictions
on mutual fund (MF) investments in additional tier-1 (AT1) bonds has raised a storm in the MF and
banking sectors.
Concept :
• AT-1 bonds are a type of unsecured, perpetual bonds that banks issue to shore up their core
capital base to meet the Basel-III norms.
• There are two routes through which these bonds can be acquired:
Initial private placement offers of AT-1 bonds by banks seeking to raise money.
Secondary market buys of already-traded AT-1 bonds.
• AT-1 bonds are like any other bonds issued by banks and companies, but pay a slightly higher
rate of interest compared to other bonds.
• These bonds are also listed and traded on the exchanges. So, if an AT-1 bondholder needs
money, he can sell it in the secondary market.
• Investors cannot return these bonds to the issuing bank and get the money. i.e there is no put
option available to its holders.
• However, the issuing banks have the option to recall AT-1 bonds issued by them (termed call
options that allow banks to redeem them after 5 or 10 years).
• Banks issuing AT-1 bonds can skip interest payouts for a particular year or even reduce the
bonds’ face value.
• AT-1 bonds are regulated by RBI. If the RBI feels that a bank needs a rescue, it can simply
ask the bank to write off its outstanding AT-1 bonds without consulting its investors.
FOREIGN PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT:

Context : India biggest recipient of FPI inflows worth Rs 2.6 lakh crore in FY 2021.
Concept :
Foreign Portfolio Investments
• Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) refers to investing in the financial assets of a foreign
country, such as stocks or bonds available on an exchange.
• This type of investment is at times viewed less favorably than direct investment because
portfolio investments can be sold off quickly and are at times seen as short-term attempts to
make money, rather than a long-term investment in the economy.
• Portfolio investments typically have a shorter time frame for investment return than direct
investments.
• As securities are easily traded, the liquidity of portfolio investments makes them much easier
to sell than direct investments. With any equity investment, foreign portfolio investors usually
expect to quickly realize a profit on their investments.
• Portfolio investments are more accessible for the average investor than direct investments
because they require much less investment capital and research.
• Examples of foreign portfolio investments include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange
traded funds, American depositary receipts (ADRs), and global depositary receipts (GDRs).

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FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVE:

Context: The country’s foreign exchange reserves declined by $4.255 billion to $580.299 billion
in the week ended March 5, according to RBI data.
Concept:
• Foreign exchange reserves are assets held on reserve by a central bank in foreign currencies,
which can include bonds, treasury bills and other government securities.
• It needs to be noted that most foreign exchange reserves are held in U.S. dollars.
• These assets serve many purposes but are most significantly held to ensure that the central
bank has backup funds if the national currency rapidly devalues or becomes altogether
insolvent.
• India’s Forex Reserves include:
Foreign Currency Assets
Gold
Special Drawing Rights
Reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Foreign Currency Assets
• FCA are assets that are valued based on a currency other than the country's own currency.
• FCA is the largest component of the forex reserve. It is expressed in dollar terms.
• FCA includes the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound
and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.
• Currency appreciation refers to the increase in value of one currency relative to another in the
forex markets.
• Currency depreciation is a fall in the value of a currency in a floating exchange rate system.
• In a floating exchange rate system, market forces (based on demand and supply of a currency)
determine the value of a currency.
Special Drawing Rights
• The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.
• The SDR is neither a currency nor a claim on the IMF. Rather, it is a potential claim on the
freely usable currencies of IMF members. SDRs can be exchanged for these currencies.
• The value of the SDR is calculated from a weighted basket of major currencies, including the
U.S. dollar, the euro, Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, and British pound.
• The interest rate on SDRs or SDRi is the interest paid to members on their SDR holdings.
Reserve Position in the International Monetary Fund
• A reserve tranche position implies a portion of the required quota of currency each member
country must provide to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that can be utilized for its
own purposes.
• The reserve tranche is basically an emergency account that IMF members can access at any
time without agreeing to conditions or paying a service fee.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

PSLV-C51:
Context: ISRO’s workhorse Polar Synchronous Launch Vehicle delivered its 53rd successful
mission on Sunday.
Concept:
· It launched Amazonia-1, a 637-kg commercial remote sensing satellite for the Brazilian
space research agency INPE, and 18 co-passenger satellites (five being Indian satellites and
13 from the US) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
· It was inserted into sun synchronous orbit.
· Amazonia-1 is the first satellite designed, developed and launched by the Brazilian space
research agency and is intended to monitor deforestation and agricultural activities in the
Amazon region in Brazil. It will monitor the country, the Amazon and bio reserves in the
country.
· It is first full-fledged commercial satellite launch (Earlier three launches involving auxiliary
small satellites) for New Space India Limited (NSIL).
· NSIL is a commercial arm of ISRO created in 2019 to commercialise ISRO research and
capabilities.
· 4 of the co-passenger satellites were signed for launch by IN-SPACe, ISRO’s small satellites
facilitation agency, and others by NSIL.
· Among Indian satellites three are UNITYsats built by students from the Jeppiaar Institute of
Technology, Sriperumbudur, G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur, and Sri Shakti
Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, and a fourth one called the Satish
Dhawan Sat (SDSAT) was built by the firm Space Kidz India.
· The UNITYsats will provide radio relay services while the SDSAT, a nano satellite, will
study radiation, space weather and demonstrate long-range communication tech
· The fifth Indian satellite on the launch was the Sindhu Netra, a commercial payload to
demonstrate technology.
· Pixxel India (Start up billed as India’s version of SpaceX) was suppose to send satellite in
this launch (first of its satellite ‘Anand’ was to be on this launch to image whole globe) but
software issues didn’t make it ready for the launch.
About Sun Synchronous orbit
· Sun-synchronous orbit or a heliosynchronous orbit allows a satellite to pass over a section of
the Earth at the same time of day. It lies in a plane that maintains a fixed angle with respect to
the Earth-sun direction
· Since there are 365 days in a year and 360 degrees in a circle, it means that the satellite has to
shift its orbit by approximately one degree per day.
· These satellites orbit at an altitude between 700 to 800 km. These satellites use the fact since
the Earth is not perfectly round (the Earth bulges in the center, the bulge near the equator will
cause additional gravitational forces to act on the satellite. This causes the satellite's orbit to
either proceed or recede.
· These orbits are used for satellites that need a constant amount of sunlight. Satellites that take
pictures of the Earth would work best with bright sunlight, while satellites that measure
longwave radiation would work best in complete darkness.

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EXTREME WET BULB TEMPERATURE:

Context: A new study suggests that large swaths of the tropics will experience dangerous living
and working conditions if global warming isn’t limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Concept:
• A study published Monday suggests that sharply cutting emissions of greenhouse gases to
stay below that limit, which is equivalent to about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit of warming since
1900, will help the tropics avoid episodes of high heat and high humidity — known as
extreme wet-bulb temperature, or TW — that go beyond the limits of human survival.
Extreme Wet Bulb Temperature
• The wet-bulb temperature (WBT) is the temperature read by a thermometer covered in water-
soaked cloth (wet-bulb thermometer) over which air is passed.
• At 100% relative humidity, the wet-bulb temperature is equal to the air temperature (dry-bulb
temperature); at lower humidity the wet-bulb temperature is lower than dry-bulb temperature
because of evaporative cooling.
• The wet-bulb temperature is defined as the temperature of a parcel of air cooled to saturation
(100% relative humidity) by the evaporation of water into it, with the latent heat supplied by
the parcel.
• A wet-bulb thermometer indicates a temperature close to the true (thermodynamic) wet-bulb
temperature. The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached under
current ambient conditions by the evaporation of water only.
• Even heat-adapted people cannot carry out normal outdoor activities past a wet-bulb
temperature of 32 °C (90 °F), equivalent to a heat index of 55 °C (130 °F).
• The theoretical limit to human survival for more than a few hours in the shade, even with
unlimited water, is 35 °C (95 °F) – theoretically equivalent to a heat index of 70 °C (160 °F),
though the heat index doesn't go that high.
National Science Day:

Context: On the occasion of National Science day on 28th February, the Science and Technology
minister said that the fundamental and translatory science is important, but it has to be solution-based
and people-centric.
Concept:
· It is celebrated in India on 28 February each year to mark the discovery of the Raman effect
by Indian physicist Sir C. V. Raman on 28 February 1928.
· the theme of NSD, 2021 was "Future of STI: Impacts on Education, Skills, and Work".
· For this discovery he received Nobel prize in Physics in 1930.
· It was the first Nobel in Physics for a non-white person, and for an Indian scientist.
About Raman Effect:

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· It is the process of scattering of light particles by molecules of a medium. Ex- Scattering of

light by sea and oceans. The scattering occurs due to a change in the wavelength of light as
it enters the medium. When a beam of light travels through a dust-free, transparent
chemical, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than where it should.
· Light consists of particles called photons; whose energy is directly proportional to the
frequency with which they travel. When they strike molecules in a medium at high speeds,
they bounce back and scatter in different directions depending on the angle with which they
hit the molecules.
· Most of these scatterings are elastic — the photons retain their energy and are deflected with
the same speed as they were traveling with.
· However, once in a while, the molecules of the medium, light passes through absorb or give
energy to photons that strike them. The light particles then bounce with decreased or
increased energy, and thus, frequency.
Application
· It laid to Raman Spectroscopy which has extensive applications around the globe, and across
fields.
· It can help in determining chemical bonding structures, characterise materials, determine
temperature, find out crystalline orientation, identify pharmaceutical chemicals, discover
counterfeit drugs, identify pigments in old paintings and historical documents, and detect
explosives using lasers from a distance
Phase 2 of the Covid vaccination:

Context: India will start 2nd Phase of the vaccination of Covid 19 from today
Concept:
· It will cover 10 crore people across the country. So far, more than 1.5 crore people have
received Covid-19 shots in first phase.

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Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot Covid-19 vaccine (JNJ-78436735 or

Ad26.COV2.S.):
Context: The US FDA on Saturday authorised Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot Covid-19 vaccine for
emergency use, third vaccine to reach US citizen.
Concept:
· It has been developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica, a Belgium-based division of the company,
in collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
· Currently two-shot vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are being given in USA.
· Concern over J&J's single shot vaccine have been raised as it had 72% efficacy rate in the US
clinical trial site (other two had 95%).
· It is based on the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s genetic instructions for building the spike protein that
it uses to enter human cells. But unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which
store the instructions in single-stranded RNA, the J&J vaccine uses double-stranded DNA.
Significance:
· It is adenovirus-based, which is a more rugged type than the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and
Moderna. DNA is not as fragile as RNA, and the adenovirus’s tough protein coat helps
protect the genetic material inside. As a result, the J&J vaccine can be refrigerated for up to
three months at 2-8°C.
· Unlike the Pfizer, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield in India), Covaxin which are
double dose, this vaccine is single dose.
Cloud Computing:
Context: According to the LinkedIn Global Skillset Survey, cloud computing is the most sought-after
skill set today.
Concept:
· It is estimated that cloud computing industry is set to grow from $371.4 billion in 2020 to
$832.1 billion by 2025, at a 17.5 per cent CAG.
· The rise in demand is because companies are seeking to build digital presence and remain
alive during Covid-19 and longterm benefits of cloud service is attracting talents as well as
companies.
· It is the delivery of computing services including servers, storage, databases, networking,

software, analytics, and intelligence over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation,
flexible resources, and economies of scale.
Types of cloud
· Public clouds are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider, which deliver
their computing resources like servers and storage over the Internet. Ex- Nicrosoft Azure.
· Private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively by a single business or
organisation. A private cloud can be physically located on the company’s on-site datacenter.
· Hybrid clouds combine public and private clouds, bound together by technology that allows
data and applications to be shared between them giving business greater flexibility, more
deployment options and helps optimise your existing infrastructure, security and compliance
Types of cloud services: IaaS, PaaS, serverless and SaaS
· Infrastructure as a service (IaaS): Renting of IT infrastructure like servers and virtual
machines (VMs), storage, networks, operating systems from a cloud provider on a pay-as-
you-go basis

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· Platform as a service (PaaS): Platform as a service refers to cloud computing services that
supply an on-demand environment for developing, testing, delivering and managing software
applications.
· Software as a service (SaaS): Software as a service is a method for delivering software
applications over the Internet, on demand and typically on a subscription basis. Cloud
providers host and manage the software application and underlying infrastructure and handle
any maintenance
· Serverless computing: building app functionality without spending time continually
managing the servers and infrastructure required to do so. The cloud provider handles the
setup, capacity planning and server management.
Contraindication
Context: Second phase of vaccination with the target group of over 60 years and over 45 years with
comorbidities started from March 1st.
Concept:
The Health Ministry fact sheet says the vaccine cannot be given to three categories:
1. persons with a history of an allergic reaction to a previous dose of Covid-19 vaccine;

2. those with an allergic reaction to vaccines or injectable therapies, pharmaceutical products,
and food items;
3. pregnant and lactating women, and women who are not sure of their pregnancy.
About contraindication
It is a condition that serves as a reason to not take a certain medical treatment due to the harm that it
would cause the patient. For Covid-19 vaccination three category of temporary contraindication has
been issued:
1. persons having active symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection
2. Covid-19 patients who have been given anti-SARS-Cov-2 monoclonal antibodies or
convalescent plasma
3. acutely unwell and hospitalized — with or without intensive care — patients due to “any
illness
Gap between Vaccine doses:

Context: In India’s vaccination programme, the prescribed interval between the two doses of
Covishield is 28 days. Whereas various international findings have put this gap to be of up to 3
months.
Concept:

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· The second dose of Covid vaccine in India started on February 13 for those who had
completed 28 days after the first dose.
· The WHO’s advisory group SAGE on February 10 suggested an 8-12-week interval between
doses.
· The Lancet published results of a study that showed a three-month interval between doses of
the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine results in higher efficacy than with a six-week interval, with
the first dose offering 76% protection in the three months between doses.
· Overall evidence across the world shows there is 20% to 30% greater efficacy by stretching
the interval between two doses
Spectrum:
Context: the Centre garnered ₹77,814.80 crore in revenues in spectrum auction. It exceeded the
expectation as Telcos focused on renewing expiring spectrum and consolidating holdings in select
bands.
Concept:
· It is the invisible radio frequencies (used for communication) that wireless signals travel over.
· The frequencies we use for wireless are only a portion of what is called the electromagnetic
spectrum (encompasses other frequencies we interact with daily).
· VIGBYOR represents colors that make up the visible part of spectrum. Other parts of
spectrum carry broadcast radio and television or serve other everyday functions.
· Spectrum wavelengths are classified into different bands within the electromagnetic spectrum
range:
· The entire electronic spectrum ranges from three Hz (extremely low frequency) to 300 EHz
(gamma rays). The portion used for wireless communication sits within that space and ranges
from about 20 KHz to 300 GHz.
How does spectrum work?
· Different bands have slightly different characteristics. Generally in case of communication
the spectrum is divided in three categories: low, mid, and high-band spectrum.
1. Low-band spectrum (under 3 GHz): Travels longer distances with minimal signal
interruption. Most wireless networks are built primarily on low-band spectrum, and
the wireless industry has used this spectrum to build high-speed wireless networks
2. High-band spectrum (above 24 GHz) travels much shorter distances (I.e., in
meters), but offers high capacity and ultra-fast speeds.
3. Mid-band spectrum (between 3 and 24 GHz) blends the characteristics of both
low- and high-band spectrum—providing a mix of coverage and capacity.
· These frequencies are transmitted between cell sites (cell towers) and our mobile devices.
· Spectrum is a finite resource and hence its efficient management through auction is needed.
The Union government through DoT owns all the publicly available assets within the
geographical boundaries of the country, which also include airwaves.
Blood Thinner:
Context: The ICMR director said that both the vaccines available in India are safe for use for
beneficiaries on blood thinners.

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Concept:
· These are medications taken orally or intravenously (through a vein) to prevent a blood clot
(blood clot stop the flow of blood to the heart, lungs, or brain leading to heart attack or
stroke).
· Medication is sometimes done after international normalized ratio (INR)test i.e., rate at which
blood clots.
Types of Blood thinners:
1. Antiplatelet drug: It thin the blood to keep blood cells (platelets) from sticking together in the
veins and arteries. Ex- aspirin
2. Anticoagulant drugs: It prevent blood clots by increasing the amount of time it takes for blood
clots to form. These are generlly recommended to one with heart disease. Ex- warfarin
· Vitamin K can lessen the effectiveness of some anticoagulants, such as warfarin.
· People who take anticoagulant medications are suggested to use herbal supplements and teas
with caution.
· Natural blood thinners: garlic, ginger, celery seed, aniseed.
· Foods rich in vitamin E are also natural blood thinners. A number of oils contain vitamin E,
such as olive, corn, soybean, and wheat germ are some of these.
· Other sources of Vitamin E are: spinach, tomatoes, mangoes, kiwis, peanut butter, almonds,
sunflower seeds, broccoli
THALLIUM:
Context : Delhi Man Fed Thallium In Fish Curry To In-Laws. 2 Dead, Wife In Hospital.
Concept :
• Thallium (Tl) with an atomic number of 81 is found in the periodic table with the symbol.
• Thallium is not freely found in nature. It is a soft grey post-transition metal. It resembles tin
when isolated but when exposed to air it may discolour.
• There are around eighty-one electrons present in the atom of thallium.
• This element can be generated artificially. It can be obtained by smelting of lead and zinc. It
is generally obtained as a by-product in the production of sulphuric acid.
Uses of Thallium
• In ancient times it was used as a rat poison and as an ant killer.
• Thallium compounds are used in the manufacture of glasses.
• It is used in photocells.
• It is used in the production of infrared optics.
HELIUM:
Context : Every year, India imports helium worth ₹55,000 crore from the U.S.
Concept :
• Helium is a colourless, odourless, insipid and non-toxic gas. It’s less soluble in water than any
other gas.
• It’s the less reactive element and doesn’t essentially form chemical compounds. The density
and viscosity of helium vapour are very low.
• The thermic conductivity and the caloric content are exceptionally high. Helium can be
liquefied, but its condensation temperature is the lowest among all the known substances.
• Helium is one of the noble gases of group O in the periodic table. It’s the second lightest
element. The main helium source in the world is a series of fields of natural gas in the United
States.

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Uses of Helium
• The primary use of Helium goes in altitudes research and meteorological balloons.
• It is utilized as an inert protective gas in autogenous welding.
• It is the only cooler capable of declining temperature lower than 15K (-434ºF).
• Helium is also used in the production of germanium crystals and silicon crystals.
• Since it has the ability to diffuse through solids much faster than air, helium is used
industrially for pipeline leak detection.
• This element is also used in gas chromatography as a carrier gas.
• Owing to its low melting point, liquid helium has numerous applications in cryogenics,
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and superconducting magnets.
Complete blood count (CBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), or Immunoglobulin-E

(IgE) levels:
Context: Amidst vaccination the precautions are being taken before it is given by adhering to these
tests.
Concept:
Complete blood count (CBC)
· It is a group of tests that evaluate the cells (produced and mature primarily in the bone
marrow and, under normal circumstances, are released into the bloodstream as needed) that
circulate in blood, including red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets
(PLTs). overall health and detect a variety of diseases and conditions, such as infections,
anemia and leukemia.
C-reactive protein (CRP)
· It measures he level of c-reactive protein (CRP) in your blood. CRP is a protein made by
liver. It's sent into bloodstream in response to inflammation (body's way of protecting tissues
if one is injured or have an infection)
Immunoglobulin-E (IgE) levels
· This test is a blood test that detects circulating IgE in our blood.
· Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an antibody produced during a type I hypersensitivity reaction to
an allergen.
· Allergen is any substance (antigen), most often eaten or inhaled, that is recognized by the
immune system and causes an allergic reaction.
Epigrap:
Context: A new algorithm can potentially create a reactive influenza vaccine for swine flu, and offers
a path toward a pan-influenza vaccine and possibly a pan-coronavirus vaccine as well.
Concept:
· Epigrap is an algorithm and has already been used to predict therapeutic HIV vaccine
candidates, and it has also shown promising potential as a vaccine against highly diverse
Ebola and Marburg viruses, protecting against disease when tested in an animal model.
· The epigrap designed product led to vaccination impact with a strong cross-reactive antibody
response in mice.
· The tool creates a cocktail of vaccine antigens designed to maximize efficacy across a highly
diverse population.
· It was developed by scientists at the Los Alamos National Lab in the USA.

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Covaxin shows 81% efficacy:

Context: Bharat Biotech reported interim clinical efficacy of 81% in the phase 3 clinical trial of its
vaccine Covaxin.
Concept:
· Covaxin is India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech is developed in
collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
· It is an inactivated vaccine (do not replicate and are therefore unlikely to revert and cause
pathological effects). They contain dead virus, incapable of infecting people but still able to
instruct the immune system to mount a defensive reaction against an infection.
· COVAXIN is included along with immune-potentiators, also known as vaccine adjuvants,
which are added to the vaccine to increase and boost its immunogenicity.
· It is a 2-dose vaccination regimen given 28 days apart.
· It is a vaccine with no sub-zero storage, no reconstitution requirement, and ready to use liquid
presentation in multi-dose vials, stable at 2-8 degree C.
· Earlier the vaccine received DCGI approval for Phase I & II Human Clinical Trials in July,
2020.
· COVAXIN was granted approval for emergency restricted use in India by DCGI-CDSCO on
Jan 03, 2021 with efficacy data for Phase-3 data pending.
More about efficacy data
Bridging trial:
Context: The scientific community is divided in its opinion on the need for such a trial in current
context of pandemic.
Concept:
· A bridging trial performed in the new region to provide clinical data on efficacy, safety,
dosage and dose regimen in the new region that will allow extrapolation of the foreign clinical
data to the population in the new region
· It provides additional pharmacokinetic information (to determine the fate of substances
administered to a living organism.) in the population of the new region.
· Bridging trials are required to understand how a vaccine works on the local population, as
there are issues of ethnicity, genetic variation and so on
· When no bridging study is needed to provide clinical data for efficacy, a pharmacokinetic
study in the new region may be considered as a bridging study.
Vaccination and Immunity:

Context:

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As the vaccination drive gains momentum, questions have emerged about appropriate behaviour after
being vaccinated.
Concept:
To understand how COVID-19 vaccines work, it helps to first look at how our bodies fight illness.
When germs, such as the virus that causes COVID-19, invade our bodies, they attack and multiply.
This invasion, called an infection, is what causes illness. Our immune system uses several tools to
fight infection. Blood contains red cells, which carry oxygen to tissues and organs, and white or
immune cells, which fight infection. Different types of white blood cells fight infection in different
ways:
Macrophages are white blood cells that swallow up and digest germs and dead or dying cells. The
macrophages leave behind parts of the invading germs called antigens. The body identifies antigens as
dangerous and stimulates antibodies to attack them.
B-lymphocytes are defensive white blood cells. They produce antibodies that attack the pieces of the
virus left behind by the macrophages.
T-lymphocytes are another type of defensive white blood cell. They attack cells in the body that have
already been infected.
How COVID 19 vaccines work?

COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us
having to get the illness. Different types of vaccines work in different ways to offer protection, but
with all types of vaccines, the body is left with a supply of “memory” T-lymphocytes as well as B-
lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus in the future.
It typically takes a few weeks for the body to produce T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes after
vaccination. Therefore, it is possible that a person could be infected with the virus that causes
COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and then get sick because the vaccine did not have
enough time to provide protection.
Sometimes after vaccination, the process of building immunity can cause symptoms, such as fever.
These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity.
CALM 2 MUTATIONS:
Context : Folbigg, 53, was arrested in 2003 following a seven-week trial in which she was
convicted of smothering her four children — Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Elizabeth — over a ten-year
period during moments of frustration.
The group of scientists and medical experts pushing for Folbigg to be pardoned have
argued that her children died due to a rare genetic defect.
Concept:
CALM 2 GENETIC DEFECT
• This gene is a member of the calmodulin gene family. There are three distinct calmodulin
genes dispersed throughout the genome that encode the identical protein, but differ at the
nucleotide level.
• Calmodulin is a calcium binding protein that plays a role in signaling pathways, cell cycle
progression and proliferation.
• Several infants with severe forms of long-QT syndrome (LQTS) who displayed life-
threatening ventricular arrhythmias together with delayed neurodevelopment and epilepsy
were found to have mutations in either this gene or another member of the calmodulin gene
family.

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• Mutations in this gene have also been identified in patients with less severe forms of LQTS,
while mutations in another calmodulin gene family member have been associated with
catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), a rare disorder thought to be
the cause of a significant fraction of sudden cardiac deaths in young individuals.
CLINICAL TRIAL MODE:

Context: An expert panel Wednesday recommended the removal of the “clinical trial mode” label
attached to the emergency authorisation of Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin.
Concept:
• Authorisations granted to the Covid-19 vaccines in India so far do not allow for commercial
sale — both Covaxin and Covishield have only been approved for use in India’s
immunisation programme at this time.
• While both vaccines had earlier been granted a restricted use authorisation “in an emergency
situation”, the approval to Covaxin was granted “as an abundant precaution”, but on the
condition that it be administered in “clinical trial mode”.
• The “clinical trial mode” label meant that the Hyderabad vaccine maker had to seek
informed consent prior to administering Covaxin to the healthcare and frontline
workers, senior citizens and those with co-morbidities eligible for the government’s ongoing
vaccination drive.
• It also meant the company had to submit updates on the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy
of the vaccine from its phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials more regularly than SII, which has had
to submit such data every 15 days so far.
• After this approval, the vaccine would be administered to everyone and they would be
monitored closely as if they were in a clinical trial.
NOVAVAX VACCINE:
Context : US-based Novavax on Friday announced a final efficacy figure of 96.4% for its
vaccine against the original strain of the novel coronavirus, with an efficacy as high as 83.4% two
weeks after the first shot itself, boosting the global fight against covid-19.
Concept :
• NVX-CoV2373 is a vaccine candidate engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-
2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease.
• It was created using Novavax' recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen
derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein and contains Novavax' patented saponin-based
Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing
antibodies
• Novavax was awarded $1.6 billion by the US government as part of Operation Warp Speed
(OWS), a program to deliver millions of doses of a safe, effective vaccine for Covid-19 to the
US population.
• The announcement of Novavax’s efficacy is significant in the fight against covid for India,
where the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, will be making 1
billion doses of the shot for domestic supply and export under its brand Covovax.
COVISHIELD vs COVAXIN:
Concept:

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COVISHIELD
• It is the name given to an Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine candidate which is
technically referred to as AZD1222 or ChAdOx 1 nCoV19.
• It is a version of the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with
Swedish-British drugmaker AstraZeneca.
• Serum Institute of India (SII) is the manufacturing partner in India.
Constituents and Action:
• It is based on a weakened version of a common cold virus or the adenovirus that is found in
chimpanzees.
• This viral vector contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (protrusions)
present on the outer surface of the virus that help it bind with the human cell.
• The body’s immune system is supposed to recognise this protein as a threat, and work on
building antibodies against it.
Significance:
• It had triggered an immune response in humans against the novel coronavirus in early trials
and is considered to be one of the global frontrunners for the Covid-19 vaccine.
COVAXIN:
• It is India’s only indigenous Covid-19 vaccine.
• Developed by Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical
Research’s National Institute of Virology, Pune
Constituents and Action:
• It is an inactivated vaccine which is developed by inactivating (killing) the live
microorganisms that cause the disease.
• This destroys the ability of the pathogen to replicate, but keeps it intact so that the immune
system can still recognise it and produce an immune response.
• It is expected to target more than just the spike protein.
• It also aims to develop an immune response to the nucleocapsid protein (the shell of the virus
that encloses its genetic material).
Significance:
• COVAXIN is more likely to work against newer variants of the virus, including the UK
variant, as it contains immunogens (epitopes) from other genes in addition to those from
Spike protein.
• Immunogen is a stimulus that produces a humoral or cell-mediated immune response,
whereas antigens are any substance that binds specifically to an antibody.
• All immunogens are antigens, but all antigens may not be immunogens.
• Approval of COVAXIN ensures India has an additional vaccine shield especially against
potential mutant strains in a dynamic pandemic situation.
INTRANASAL VACCINES:
Context : While all COVID-19 vaccines administered through the intramuscular route have been
found to reduce the chances of symptomatic disease and death, attempts are being made to develop
vaccines that can potentially prevent or at least greatly reduce the chances of being infected and also
stop the spread of the virus.
Concept :
• Intranasal vaccines are vaccines that are administered through the nose to the mucosal layer.
• An intranasal vaccine stimulates a broad immune response – neutralizing IgG, mucosal IgA,
and T cell responses.

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• Immune responses at the site of infection (in the nasal mucosa) – essential for blocking both
infection and transmission of COVID-19.
• So far, intranasal vaccination is being used only for influenza.
• However, it cannot be used on certain groups of people, particularly those who have
compromised immune systems.
Vaccine Advantages
• The nasal route has excellent potential for vaccination due to the organized immune systems
of the nasal mucosa.
• Non-invasive, Needle-free.
• Single dose regimen.
• Ease of administration – does not require trained health care workers.
• Elimination of needle-associated risks (injuries and infections).
• High compliance (Ideally suits for children’s and adults).
• Scalable manufacturing – able to meet global demand.
ENCELADUS:
Context : A novel theory proposed by planetary scientists from Caltech and NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory challenges the current thinking that the saltwater global ocean of Enceladus,
the sixth largest moon of Saturn, is homogenous.
Concept :
• Enceladus is a small, icy moon which has an abundance of hydrogen molecules in water
plumes. 98% of the gas in the plumes was found to be water and 1% is hydrogen and the
remaining is a mixture of molecules of carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia.
• Underwater vents present on Enceladus resemble the vents present on Earth’s ocean floors,
where microbes and other sea life congregate.
• Scientists expect to find the potential for life in those vents as microbes flourish on Earth in
hot cracks on the ocean floors, where sunlight cannot penetrate.
• Microbes are capable of using the process of methanogenesis, in which hydrogen is combined
with carbon dioxide dissolved in the water, to obtain energy. This process creates methane as
a byproduct, which is a critical ingredient for life.
VARIANTS OF CORONA VIRUS:

Concept:
• SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged independently in several countries, and the latest
research indicates that the virus is changing quickly (mutation) and it may continue to
develop towards evading currently available vaccines.
• SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for causing the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
• SARS-CoV-2 variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been particularly
worrisome.
Mutation
• Mutation is an alteration in the genetic material (the genome) of a cell of a living organism or
of a virus that is more or less permanent and that can be transmitted to the cell’s or the virus’s
descendants.
• The genomes of organisms are all composed of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), whereas viral
genomes can be of DNA or Ribo Nucleic Acid (RNA).
RNA Mutation vs DNA Mutation:

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• When cells multiply, the DNA within them replicates as well, to make copies for the new
cells. During replication, random errors are introduced into the new DNA.
• While the errors in DNA virus genomes can be corrected by the error-correcting function of
cells in which they replicate, there are no enzymes in cells to correct RNA errors. Therefore,
RNA viruses accumulate more genetic changes (mutations) than DNA viruses.
Recent RBD Mutations in Coronavirus Variants:
• Three key Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD) mutations K417N/T, E484K, and N501Y are
found in variants that emerged in South Africa and Brazil.
• The UK variant has the N501Y, P681H mutation.
• Viruses with mutations within the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the Spike protein have
the most potential to evade antibodies that develop as a result of natural infection or
vaccination.
• The RBD binds the cellular receptor allowing the virus to infect cells, and anti-RBD
antibodies neutralise the virus.
Vaccine Test against Emerging Variants:
• Indirect tests are done in laboratories to assess if an emerging variant might escape antibodies
developed after a natural infection or vaccination.
• Serum (the blood components that contain antibodies) from recovered patients or vaccinated
people, and antibodies known to neutralise the original virus, are tested to determine whether
the variant viruses evade antibodies.
• The effectiveness of a serum or antibody is expressed as an inhibitory concentration (IC) or
plaque reduction neutralisation titer (PRNT) value.
• The IC50 or PRNT50 value is the reciprocal dilution of serum or antibody that neutralises
50% viruses in the sample.
Efficacy of Vaccine against Emerging Variants:
• Both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have agreed that their vaccines offered reduced
protection against the South African variant. The two companies are reported to be working
on developing fresh vaccines to cover these variants.
• There is also proof of several re-infections with the variant in South Africa, driven by the
ability of new variants to evade immunity developed against the original virus.
USD COIN:
Context: Visa Becomes First Major Payments Network to Settle Transactions in USD Coin
(USDC).
Concept:
• USD Coin (USDC) is a digital stablecoin that is pegged to the United States dollar and runs
on the Ethereum, Stellar and Algorand Blockchain.
• Each USDC is backed by a dollar held in reserve.
• USD Coin is managed by a consortium called Centre,founded by Circle and including
cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and Bitcoin miner company Bitmain, which is an investor
in Circle.
UK VARIANT CORONAVIRUS:
Context: The UK variant of the coronavirus did not appear to be more transmissible than the
variant of the virus most common in India, according to a study by scientists at the National Institute
of Virology, Pune.

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Concept:
• The variant was identified in genomic surveillance by COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK),
a consortium that analyses genome sequencing data from the UK. COG-UK is the largest
contributor to the global Covid-19 database GISAID.
• The variant is the result of multiple mutations in the spike protein of the novel coronavirus
SARS-CoV-2, as well as mutations in other genomic regions of the RNA virus.
• COG-UK identified one of these mutations as “N501Y”, in an area of the spike protein that
binds to a key protein in the human cell, the ACE2 receptor.
• This was an indication that the alterations may, theoretically, result in the virus becoming
more infectious.
VACCINE PASSPORT:
Context: Israel became the first country to introduce a certification system that allows those who
have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to access certain facilities and events.
Israel’s “vaccine passport” is meant for public facilities such as restaurants, gyms, and hotels in the
country — but certification of this kind has a bearing on the full resumption of international air travel
as well.
Concept:
• A vaccination pass or passport is documentation proving that the individual has been
vaccinated against Covid-19.
• Some versions will also allow people to show that they have tested negative for the virus, and
therefore can more easily travel.
• The versions being worked on now by airlines, industry groups, nonprofits and technology
companies will be something people can pull up on their mobile phone as an app or part of
their digital wallet.
• As more people are inoculated, there will likely be aspects of public life in which only people
who have been vaccinated are allowed to participate.
• In order to travel internationally, government and health authorities will need to know if you
have been vaccinated or have tested negative for the virus.
• Many countries are already requiring proof of a negative test for entry.
WiFi 6:
Concept:
Wi-Fi 6 is the next-generation wireless standard that’s faster than 802.11ac. More than speed, it will
provide better performance in congested areas, from stadiums to your own device-packed home. Wi-
Fi 6 officially arrived in late 2019, and Wi-Fi 6-enabled hardware was released throughout 2020.
Wi-Fi 6 accomplishes this through more efficient data encoding, resulting in higher throughout.
Mainly, more data is packed into the same radio waves. The chips that encode and decode these
signals keep getting more powerful and can handle the extra work.

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NISAR:
Context : ISRO has completed development of a Synthetic Aperture Radar capable of
producing high-resolution images for a joint earth observation satellite mission with the U.S. space
agency NASA.
Concept :
• NISAR stands for NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission
• It aims to study the hazards and global environmental changes and slated to launched in 2020-
21.
• NISAR is a dual frequency (L & S Band) Radar Imaging Satellite. It will be the first radar
imaging satellite to use dual frequency.
• Will be launched in a Sun Synchronous Low -Earth
• It is designed to observe and take measurements of some of the planet’s most complex
processes, including ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet collapse, and natural hazards such as
earth quakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.
• The satellite is likely to be launched from India aboard an Indian launch vehicle.
MAPPING INDIAN OCEAN GENOME:

Context: Scientists from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Panaji onboard its
research vessel Sindhu Sadhana will spend the next three months traversing the course of over 10,000
nautical miles in the Indian Ocean on a research project to reveal the internal working of the body of
the ocean at a cellular level.
Concept:
• The first-of-its-kind research project in the country is aimed at understanding the
biochemistry and the response of the ocean to climate change, nutrient stress and increasing
pollution.
• The research project will take three years to complete.

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• Researchers will travel the Indian Ocean from India’s east coast, all the way to Australia, then
onward towards Port Louis in Mauritius and up to the border of Pakistan, off India’s west
coast, gathering samples for genome mapping of microorganisms in the Indian Ocean.
• The researchers will collect samples from various stretches of the ocean at an average depth
of about 5 km.
• Just like gene mapping is carried out on blood samples collected from humans, the scientists
will map these in the bacteria, microbes found in the ocean. This will help scientists
understand the internal working of the ecosystem of the Indian Ocean.
• At various stages and stretches, samples will be collected by lowering a Kevlar cable of up to
8 km with a set of 24 teflon coated bottles to collect samples.
2001 FO32:
Context : On March 21, the largest asteroid predicted to pass by Earth in 2021 will be at its
closest. It is called 2001 FO32.
Concept :
• It is a near-Earth asteroid classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group.
• With an estimated diameter of 440–680 m (1,400–2,200 ft), it was discovered by the Lincoln
Near-Earth Asteroid Research at Socorro, New Mexico on 23 March 2001.
• The asteroid will safely pass by Earth on 21 March 2021.
• It won’t come closer than 2 million km to Earth, but still, that distance is close in
astronomical terms, which is why 2001 FO32 has been designated a “potentially hazardous
asteroid”.
• During this approach, 2001 FO32 will pass by at about 124,000 kph – faster than the speed at
which most asteroids encounter Earth.
• The reason for the asteroid’s unusually speedy close approach is its highly eccentric orbit
around the Sun, an orbit that is tilted 39° to Earth’s orbital plane. This orbit takes the asteroid
closer to the Sun than Mercury, and twice as far from the Sun as Mars.
LIQUEFIED HYDROGEN FROM BROWN CARBON:

Context : A Japanese-Australian venture has begun producing hydrogen from brown coal in a
A$500 million ($390 million) pilot project that aims to show liquefied hydrogen can be produced
commercially and exported safely overseas.
Concept :
• Liquid hydrogen (LH2 or LH2) is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found
naturally in the molecular H2 form.
• Liquefaction of hydrogen requires cooling to a temperature of -253 °C and subsequent storage
in cryogenic containers. Liquefaction is an energy intensive process and can consume up to
35% of the energy in the stored hydrogen.
• The advantage of liquefied hydrogen is its high density compared to compressed gas, which
means that more energy can be contained in a given volume. This is particularly beneficial for
transportation of hydrogen.
• Generally, liquefaction of hydrogen is only appropriate where it is produced in large
quantities and will be transported in bulk (or over long distances).
Brown Carbon
• This class of organic carbon, known for its light brownish color, absorbs strongly in the
ultraviolet wavelengths and less significantly going into the visible.

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• Types of brown carbon include tar materials from smoldering fires or coal combustion,
breakdown products from biomass burning, a mixture of organic compounds emitted from
soil, and volatile organic compounds given off by vegetation.
• Brown carbon contributes +0.25 W m-2 or about 19% of the total atmospheric absorption by
anthropogenic aerosols, while 72% is attributed to black carbon and 9% is due to the coating
effect of sulfate and organic aerosols on black carbon.
ADENOVIRUS VACCINE:
Context: Unlike the mRNA vaccine platform used by Pfizer and Moderna, where vaccine efficacy
reached 94% and 95%, respectively, the vector-based vaccine platform technology used by
AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have shown lower efficacy.
Concept:
Adenovirus Vector Vaccine :
• In this vaccine, adenovirus is used as a tool to deliver genes or vaccine antigens to the target
host tissue.
• Adenovirus: Adenoviruses (ADVs) are DNA viruses ranging from 70-90 nanometre in size,
which induce many illnesses in humans like cold, respiratory infection etc.
• Adenoviruses are preferred for vaccines because their DNA is double stranded which makes
them genetically more stable and the chances of them changing after injection are lower.
• Rabies vaccine is an adenovirus vaccine.
• However, there are drawbacks of adenovirus vector vaccines like pre-existing immunity in
humans, inflammatory responses etc.
• Just as human bodies develop immune responses to most real viral infections, they also
develop immunity to adenoviral vectors.
• Since adenoviral vectors are based on natural viruses that some humans might already have
been exposed to, these vaccines might not work for everyone.
NON FUNGIBLE TOKENS:

Context : Art investors traditionally rely on galleries and auction houses to find new and exciting
art, but emerging NFT technology is bringing about a revolution.
Concept :
What is a NFT?
• It is a class of cryptocurrency that has no standard value but a unique value that is provided
for the commodity exchanged against it.
• NFT can be understood as a digital file whose unique identity and ownership are verified on a
blockchain.
• The blockchain is a kind of a public ledger on which anyone can verify the authenticity of a
NFT and check its ownership.
• These are created by uploading files and are not mutually interchangeable as each one has a
unique value.
• Non-fungible means that something is unique and cannot be replaced with something else.
• NFTs are tokens that we can use to represent ownership of unique items. They let us tokenise
things like art, collectibles, even real estate.
• Powered by smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, NFT can only have one official
owner at a time– no one can modify the record of ownership or copy/paste a new NFT into
existence.

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• As for example, a bitcoin is fungible, that is it trades one for another bitcoin. One has exactly
the same thing for.
• A one-of-a-kind trading card, however, is non-fungible. If you traded it for a different card,
you would have something completely different.
Ethereum Blockchain
• Ethereum is a cryptocurrency platform that uses smart contracts – rules that execute
automatically exactly as written.
• Ethereum advocates that their platform will give users more control over their online data.
With traditional apps and services, the platform owners have control over, what their users do
online.
• For example, Gmail has a copy of all of its users’ emails, and Twitter habitually bans
accounts that don’t follow its rules. Ethereum is a platform for building applications similar to
the apps we use today, but without centralized control.
DOUBLE MUTANT VARIANT CORONAVIRUS:

Context: A unique “double mutant” coronavirus variant — with a combination of mutations not
seen anywhere else in the world — has been found in India, the Union Health Ministry said.
Concept:
• Genome sequencing of a section of virus samples by a consortium of 10 laboratories across
the country, called the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG),
revealed the presence of two mutations, E484Q and L452R together, in at least 200 virus
samples.
• Mutations in the virus per se are not surprising but specific mutations that help the virus
evolve to thwart vaccines or the immune system or are linked to a spike in cases or in disease
severity are causes of concern.
• While the two mutations have been individually identified in other variants of SARS-CoV-2
globally and have been associated with a reduction in vaccine efficacy, their combined effect
and biological implications have not yet been understood.
• In the days ahead, the INSACOG will submit details of this variant to a global repository
called GISAID and, if it merits, classify it as a “variant of concern” (VOC).
• So far, only three global VOCs have been identified: the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7), the South
African (B.1.351) and the Brazilian (P.1) lineage.
• After the new double variant has been submitted to GISAID, it will be categorised under a
formal lineage, and will have its own name.
• However, it is still to be established if this has any role to play in increased infectivity or in
making COVID-19 more severe.
Mutations
• The DNA sequence is specific to each organism. It can sometimes undergo changes in its
base-pairs sequence. It is termed as a mutation.
• A mutation may lead to changes in proteins translated by the DNA. Usually, the cells can
recognize any damage caused by mutation and repair it before it becomes permanent.
SYNTHETIC MEAT:
Context : Microsoft Founder Bill Gates has stirred the internet once again, this time with his
comment on synthetic meat.

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Concept :
• Cultured meat or Synthetic meat is a meat produced by in vitro cell culture of animal cells,
instead of from slaughtered animals It is a form of cellular agriculture.
• Cultured meat is produced using many of the same tissue engineering techniques traditionally
used in regenerative medicine.
• The concept of cultured meat was popularized by Jason Matheny in the early 2000s after co-
authoring a seminal paper on cultured meat production and creating New Harvest, the world's
first nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting in vitro meat research.
Cellular Agriculture
• Cellular agriculture focuses on the production of agriculture products from cell cultures using
a combination of biotechnology, tissue engineering, molecular biology, and synthetic biology
to create and design new methods of producing proteins, fats, and tissues that would
otherwise come from traditional agriculture.
ASTEROID APOPHIS:
Context : Recently, the USA’s NASA space agency has ruled out the possibility of the dreaded
asteroid Apophis causing any damage to the Earth for the next 100 years.
Concept :
Asteroid Apophis
• It is named after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos and darkness.
• It was discovered in 2004, after which NASA had said that it was one of the asteroids that
posed the greatest threat to Earth.
• It measures 340 metre across which is comparable to the size of the huge ship that has
currently blocked the Suez Canal.
• The astronomers used the 70-metre radio antenna at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone
Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California in order to track Apophis’
motion.
• They also used the 100-metre Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia which showed imaging
of Apophis.
• The two systems were used together in a “bistatic” experiment that doubled the strength of
the received signal.
• Apophis is categorised as a potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs).
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids:
• It means that an asteroid has the potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth.
• Specifically, all asteroids with a Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance (MOID) of 0.05 AU
(which is about 7,480,000 Km) or less and an Absolute Magnitude (H) of 22.0 (about 150 mt
in diameter) or less are considered PHAs.
• MOID is a method for calculating the minimum distance between two almost overlapping
elliptical orbits.
• The absolute magnitude is a measure of the star's luminosity i.e. the total amount of energy
radiated by the star every second.
MARTIAN BLUEBERRIES:
Context: Martian ‘blueberries’ find a parallel on Earth. Similar haematite concretions have been
found in Kutch, Gujarat.
Concept:

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• In 2004, NASA’s Mars exploration rover ‘Opportunity’ found several small spheres on the
planet, informally named Martian blueberries.
• Opportunity’s spectrometers studied the mineralogy and noted they were made of iron oxide
compounds called haematites. This caused excitement, as the presence of haematites suggests
that there was water present on Mars.
• The widely accepted formation mechanism of haematite concretion [hard solid mass] is
precipitation from aqueous fluids.
• Haematite is known to form in oxidising environments, and based on our experience on Earth,
we infer that water must have also played a crucial role in the formation of grey haematite on
Mars.
Opportunity & Spirit Rover Mission
• Opportunity was the second of the twin Mars Exploration Rovers to land on Mars in January
2004.
• It landed 90 days after its twin rover Spirit landed. Spirit landed at Gusev Crater and
Opportunity landed on the opposite side of Mars at Meridiani Planum.
• NASA expected 90-day lifetimes for the rovers. Both Opportunity and Spirit far exceeded
their expected lifetime.
• Spirit’s mission ended in May 2011 after travelling eight kilometres and Opportunity had
logged 45 kilometres before losing contact in June 2018.
MOSQUITO PROTEIN AEG12:

Context : Mosquito protein inhibits number of viruses, raises hope against Covid too.
Concept :
• A mosquito protein, called AEG12, strongly inhibits the family of viruses that cause yellow
fever, dengue, West Nile, and Zika, and also weakly inhibits coronaviruses, according to
scientists at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators.
• The researchers found that AEG12 works by destabilizing the viral envelope, breaking its
protective covering.
• Although the protein does not affect viruses that do not have an envelope, such as those that
cause pink eye and bladder infections, the findings could lead to therapeutics against viruses
that affect millions of people around the world.
• The research was published online in PNAS.
• Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH,
used X-ray crystallography to solve the structure of AEG12.
ALUMINIUM AIR BATTERY:

Context : State-owned Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. has entered into a joint venture with Israel-
based battery technology startup Phinergy to develop aluminium-air technology based battery systems
for electric vehicles and stationary storage, as well as hydrogen storage solutions.
Concept :
• Top automakers, including Maruti Suzuki and Ashok Leyland, have already signed letters of
intent with the newly formed joint venture to commercially deploy the battery solutions
produced by IOC Phinergy.
• Aluminium-air batteries are said to be a lower cost and more energy-dense alternative to
lithium-ion batteries which are currently in widespread use for electric vehicles in India.

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• Aluminium-air batteries utilise oxygen in the air which reacts with an aluminium hydroxide
solution to oxidise the aluminium and produce electricity.
Benefits
• Aluminium-air battery-based electric vehicles are expected to offer much greater range of 400
km or more per battery compared to lithium-ion batteries which currently offer a range of
150-200 kilometres per full charge.
• The aluminium plate in an aluminium-air battery is converted into aluminium trihydroxide
over time and that aluminium can be reclaimed from aluminium trihydroxide or even traded
directly for industrial uses.
• Aluminium-air based batteries are also expected to be significantly cheaper than lithium-ion
batteries, thereby reducing the cost of electric vehicle.
Concerns
• One of the key downsides of aluminium-air batteries is that they cannot be recharged like
lithium-ion batteries.
• Therefore, large scale use of aluminium-air battery based vehicles would require the wide
availability of battery swapping stations.
TRISHNA MISSION:
Context : India, France working on third joint space mission: ISRO Chairman.
Concept :
• Officials said ISRO and CNES have completed the feasibility study to realise the earth
observation satellite mission with thermal infrared imager, TRISHNA (Thermal infraRed
Imaging Satellite for High resolution Natural resource Assessment) and are working towards
finalising an implementing arrangement for the joint development.
• According to ISRO officials, ISRO and French space agency CNES (Centre National dEtudes
Spatiales) have undertaken two joint missions ‘Megha-Tropiques’, which was launched in
2011, and ‘Saral-Altika’ in 2013.
About TRISHNA
• TRISHNA is a future high-resolution space-time mission in the thermal infrared (TIR) led
jointly by the French (CNES) and the Indian (ISRO) space agencies for a launch planned in
2025.
• The scientific objectives guiding the definition of the mission are, in order of priority, the
monitoring of the water status and of the stress of continental ecosystems, the monitoring of
coastal and inland waters, the urban environment, and applications to the solid Earth, the
cryosphere and the atmosphere.
• TRISHNA will be positioned on a polar orbit at an altitude of 761 km, providing a revisit of 3
passages over 8 days with global coverage.
OUMUAMUA:
Context : Interception mission to confirm ‘Oumuamua, other interstellar objects, in the works.
Concept :
• Oumuamua is the first known interstellar object to pass through the Solar System.
• The Interstellar object 1I/2017 U1 has been named by the Pan-STARRS observatory team as
'Oumuamua’.
• The name is of Hawaiian origin and means “a messenger from afar arriving first.”

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• The object was discovered on Oct. 19, 2017 by the NASA-funded Pan-STARRS1 telescope.
Initially assumed to be a comet, it was reclassified as an asteroid a week later, then the first of
a new class of interstellar objects.
• Journey: Scientists don’t know which star system this object came from. 1I/2017 U1’s
trajectory indicates it came from the general direction of the constellation Lyra.
• It is on an outbound trajectory. It will pass above Neptune’s orbit in 2022. As it leaves our
solar system it is headed towards the constellation Pegasus.
• Size and Shape: The object is believed to be at least a quarter-mile (400 meters) long and
cigar-shaped, with a length roughly ten times longer than the width.
• Composition: It is similar to many asteroids found in our solar system – dense, possibly
rocky or even metallic. The object’s surface is somewhat reddish due to effects of irradiation
from cosmic rays over millions of years.
SARS COV-2 IN ANIMALS:

Context : Recently, the first few cases have been reported of cats and dogs being infected with the
so-called “UK variant” of the coronavirus.
Concept :
• It is of great concern that some of the infected animals have also been diagnosed with a heart
condition known as myocarditis.
What is Myocarditis?
• It is an inflammation of the heart muscle.
• It decreases the ability of the heart to pump blood normally.
• The myocardium muscle is responsible for contracting and relaxing to pump blood in and out
of the heart and to the rest of the body.
• It can be caused by a number of factors, including a viral infection.
• The severity of symptoms varies i.e. in extreme cases, the patients of myocarditis can
suddenly lose consciousness or show signs of heart failure.
The potential culprits of causing Myocarditis are:
• Viruses: They are one of the most common causes of infectious myocarditis.
• The most common viruses to cause myocarditis include Coxsackievirus group B (an
enterovirus), Human Herpes Virus 6, and Parvovirus B19 (which causes fifth disease).
• Bacteria: It can also result from infection with Staphylococcus aureus or Corynebacterium
diptheriae.
• Staphylococcus aureus is the bacterium that can cause impetigo and be a methicillin resistant
strain (MRSA).
• Corynebacterium diptheriae is the bacterium that causes diphtheria, an acute infection that
destroys tonsils and throat cells.
• Fungi: Yeast infections, molds, and other fungi can sometimes cause myocarditis.
Connection between Myocarditis and COVID-19
• The UK paper does not establish the coronavirus infection as the cause for myocarditis in the
animals.
• It notes that among people, myocarditis associated with multisystem inflammatory syndrome
is a well-recognised complication of Covid-19.
• The UK animals were diagnosed with myocarditis first, and the virus infection later.

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VACCINE WASTAGE:
Context : A concern flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, vaccine wastage is an expected
part of any large inoculation drive.
Concept :
• Vaccine wastage is directly linked to vaccine usage, which is the proportion of vaccines
administered against vaccines issued to a vaccination site.
• The vaccine wastage rate is defined as 100 minus the vaccine usage rate.
• And the wastage rate directly determines the “wastage factor” that needs to be established for
each vaccine in the immunisation schedule to accurately plan vaccine needs.
• It is broadly divided into two categories: wastage in unopened vials, and in opened vials.
• Wastage in unopened vials can occur due to six broad reasons: if the expiry date has been
reached; if the vaccine is exposed to heat; if the vaccine has been frozen; breakage; missing
inventory and theft; and while discarding unused vials returned from the vaccination site.
• Wastage in opened vials can occur due to five broad reasons: while discarding remaining
doses at the end of the session; not being able to draw the number of doses in a vial;
submergence of opened vials in the water; suspected contamination; and poor vaccine
administration practices.
VOYAGER STATION:
Context : One big discovery this year was the announcement to open the first hotel in space,
named Voyager Station, in 2027.
Concept :
• Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC), the company behind the ambitious project, recently
unveiled new details about the resort, and the images and videos have created a huge buzz
online.
• The one-of-its-kind luxury hotel named Voyager Station will be able to accommodate 400
people and will offer unprecedented views of our planet for tourists and researchers.
• A journey to the outer space will no longer be limited to just astronauts. Moving beyond the
plot of a sci-fi film, people can now plan a vacation outside the Earth as world’s first space
hotel will soon be a reality.
• And by 2027, space enthusiasts can literally have an out-of-the-world experience as the
interstellar resort will be operational. However, it stresses that only a selected few can have
this lifetime experience, and a trip to space “cost up to $25 million”.
• The concept of Voyager Station was ideated in 2012 with the launch of the Gateway
Foundation which established OAC in 2018 to realise the dream of building the first
commercial hotel in space.
DIATOM TEST:
Context : Recently, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has relied on a forensic test
known as diatom tests for leads in the alleged murder case of Mansukh Hiran.
Concept :
• A number of tests have been developed to confirm the cause of such deaths (death by
drowning) with the diatom test emerging as one of the most important tests.
• The test entails findings if there are diatoms in the body being tested.
What are Diatoms?

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• Diatoms are photosynthesizing algae which are found in almost every aquatic environment
including fresh and marine waters, soils and almost anywhere that is moist.
• They are unicellular, photosynthetic, autotrophic organisms that have a characteristic
structure frustules, comprising two thecas i.e. silica cell walls.
• The diatoms are subdivided into two major orders i.e. Centrales and Pennales depending on
the shape of the frustule.
• The Centrales are radially symmetric and the Pennales have bilateral symmetry.
Science behind Diatom Test
• A body recovered from a water body does not necessarily imply that the death was due to
drowning.
• If the person is alive when he enters the water, the diatoms will enter the lungs when the
person inhales water while drowning.
• These diatoms then get carried to various parts of the body, including the brain, kidneys,
lungs and bone marrow by blood circulation.
• If a person is dead when is thrown in the water, then there is no circulation and there is no
transport of diatom cells to various organs.
• The Diatom analysis is considered positive only when the number of diatoms recovered from
the body is more than a minimal established limit.
• The result of a diatom test will be different if a person is thrown in the water after he is dead.
Reliability of Diatom Test
• It is reliable unless and until the deceased person has been drinking water from the same
source of water before his death.
• The diatom test need not be done if classical signs of drowning like froth at mouth and
nostrils, cadaveric spasm, presence of water from drowning medium is seen in stomach and
oedema of lungs are present.
INSIGHTS MISSION:
Context : NASA’s Insight spacecraft which is located on Mars has made an estimate of the size
of the Martian core. It finds that Mars’s core is about half the size of Earth’s core and measures
between 1,810 and 1,860 kilometres.
Concept :
• NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport
(InSight) lander touched down on Mars at the end of 2018.
• It is a two year mission that will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial
bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed.
• The InSight mission is part of NASA’s Discovery Program (1992).
• InSight is the first mission dedicated to looking deep beneath the Martian surface.
• Among its science tools are a seismometer for detecting quakes, sensors for gauging wind and
air pressure, a magnetometer, and a heat flow probe designed to take the planet’s temperature.
• It is being supported by a number of European partners, which include France’s Centre
National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the United
Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA).
CHANDRAYAAN 3:
Context : The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) plans to launch its third mission to the
Moon next year, the government said on Wednesday.
Concept :
Chandrayaan 3 Mission

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• ISRO has announced Chandrayaan-3, a soft-landing mission, after the failure of Vikram
Lander under Chandrayaan 2.
• Its moon Lander will be the first to land in southern hemisphere of moon surface.
• While the Orbiter of Chandrayaan 2 is in the lunar orbit, the Lander and Rover failed after the
lander crash-landed on lunar surface.
• ISRO is planning to land the Chandrayaan 3 lander at the same location as the Chandrayaan 2
– the lunar South Pole, which is a singularly promising part of the moon’s surface.
• It will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 but will only include a lander and rover similar
to that of Chandrayaan-2.
• Unlike its predecessor, Chandrayaan-3 will not have an orbiter.
• The lander for Chandrayaan-3 will have only four throttle-able engines unlike Vikram on
Chandrayaan-2 which had five 800 N engines with a fifth one being centrally mounted and
with fixed thrust.
• The Chandrayaan-3 lander will also be equipped with a Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV).
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS:
Context : As country after country went into lockdown, people ended up buying more computers,
phones, and gaming devices as they stayed at home. And since factories were shut, automakers cut
down on chip purchases.
Concept :
• An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a
microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor
material that is normally silicon.
• ICs are the basis of all modern electronic equipment, and the chip is their brain and nerve
centre.
• The integration of large numbers of tiny MOS transistors into a small chip results in circuits
that are orders of magnitude smaller, faster, and less expensive than those constructed of
discrete electronic components.
• The IC's mass production capability, reliability, and building-block approach to integrated
circuit design has ensured the rapid adoption of standardized ICs in place of designs using
discrete transistors.
• ICs are now used in virtually all electronic equipment and have revolutionized the world of
electronics.
• Computers, mobile phones, and other digital home appliances are now inextricable parts of
the structure of modern societies, made possible by the small size and low cost of ICs.
PANDEMIC TREATY:
Context : World leaders pushed Tuesday for a new international treaty to prepare for the next
global pandemic -- and avoid the unseemly scramble for vaccines hampering the Covid-19 response.
Concept :
• Leaders from 25 countries, the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO)
sought to get the ground rules down in writing to streamline and speed up the reaction to
future global outbreaks.
• The treaty would aim to ensure that information, virus pathogens, technology to tackle the
pandemic and products such as vaccines are shared swiftly and equitably among nations.

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ENVIRONMENT
National Green Tribunal (NGT):
Context: NGT cites delay in filing appeal to dismiss every second plea which has at times effected
implementation of laws even as such appeals falls within outer time limit of 60 days apart from initial
30 days.
Concept:
· Under the NGT Act, 2010, a clearance can be challenged by an affected party within 30 days
while the Tribunal has the authority to condone another 60 days’ delay given “sufficient
cause”.
· This time limit applies from the day of communication as both regulators and developers are
legally required to place every project clearance in the public domain.
Some of the projects according to a report which saw appeal by people against environment
clearances being denied even when sufficient cause existed:
1. Kusmunda opencast coal mine - Chhattisgarh
2. Penganga opencast coal mine - Maharashtra
3. limestone mining - Gujarat’s Gir-Somnath district
4. Ashti Lift Irrigation Scheme III – Maharashtra
About NGT:
NGT - Optimize IAS
PM 2.5 & NITROGEN DIOXIDE:

Context : PM2.5 and NO2 contributing to the spread and virulence of SARS-CoV-2 infections,
says Health Minister.
Concept :
PM 2.5
• PM2.5 refers to particles that have diameter less than 2.5 micrometres (more than 100 times
thinner than a human hair) and remain suspended for longer.
• These particles are formed as a result of burning fuel and chemical reactions that take place in
the atmosphere. Natural processes such as forest fires also contribute to PM2.5 in the air.
These particles are also the primary reason for occurrence of smog.
Nitrogen oxide (NOx)
• NOx is a generic term for the various nitrogen oxides produced during combustion.
• They are produced mainly in internal combustion engines and coal-burning power plants.
• They are also produced naturally by lightning.
• Oxygen and nitrogen do not react at ambient temperatures. But at high temperatures, they
produce various oxides of nitrogen. Such temperatures arise inside an internal combustion
engine or a power station boiler.
• Agricultural fertilisation and the use of nitrogen-fixing plants also contribute to atmospheric
NOx, by promoting nitrogen fixation by microorganisms.
SHETRUNJAY DUNGAR RESERVE FOREST:
Context : Fire engulfs nearly 200 hectares in Shetrunjay, brought under control.

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Concept :
• Shatrunjaya or Shetrunjaya ("place of victory against inner enemies") originally
Pundarikgiri), are hills located by the city of Palitana, in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India.
• They are situated on the banks of the Shetrunji River at an elevation 164 feet (50 m) above
sea level. These hills have similarities to other hills where Jain temples have been built in
Bihar, Gwalior, Mount Abu and Girnar.
• Shetrunjay Hills reserve forest area, a habitat of Asiatic lions, in Bhavnagar territorial forest
division .
• The Shetrunjay Dunagar Reserve Forest, a patch of hilly, dry and deciduous forest, is home to
Asiatic lions and leopards as well as herbivores such as blue bulls.
RANTHAMBORE TIGER RESERVE:

Context : Seven Tigers Are 'Missing' From Rajasthan's Ranthambore Since A Year, Activists
Concerned.
Concept :
• Ranthambore Tiger Reserve lies in the eastern part of Rajasthan state in Karauli and Sawai
Madhopur districts, at the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges.
• Parks and Sanctuaries Included: It comprises of the Ranthambore National Park as well as
Sawai Mansingh and Keladevi Sanctuaries.
• The Ranthambore fort, from which the forests derive their name, is said to have a rich
history of over 1000 years. It is strategically located atop a 700 feet tall hill within the park
and is believed to have been built in 944 AD by a Chauhan ruler.
• The vegetation includes grasslands on plateaus and dense forests along the seasonal streams.
• The forest type is mainly tropical dry deciduous with ‘dhak’ (Butea monsoperma), a species
of tree capable of withstanding long periods of drought, being the commonest.
• This tree is also called as 'Flame of forest' and is one of the many flowering plants that add
colour to the dry summers here.
• Wildlife : The park is rich in wildlife with tiger at the apex of the food chain in mammals.
• Other animals found here are leopards, striped hyenas, common or hanuman langurs, rhesus
macaques, jackals, jungle cats, caracals, blackbuck, Blacknaped hare and chinkara, etc.
• The park is rich in birds with about 272 species recorded so far.
SATKOSIA TIGER RESERVE:

Context: Sundari has left but Satkosia Tiger Reserve management still nurses hope of revival of
the inter-State tiger reintroduction project.
Concept:
• Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Bhubaneswar comprises two adjoining sanctuaries of central Odisha
named as Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary and Baisipalli Sanctuary.
• It is located in the Angul district of Odisha where the Mahanadi River passes through a 22
km long gorge in the Eastern Ghats mountains. The area is also a part of the Mahanadi
elephant reserve.
• These two sanctuaries together covering an area of 963.87 sq km were notified as Tiger
Reserve in December 2007.
• Lying in a transitional zone extending between the Chhota Nagpur Plateau and the Deccan
Plateau, the tiger reserve exhibits endemic life forms of both biotic provinces.
Flora and Fauna:

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• The area supports moist deciduous forest, dry deciduous forest and moist peninsular Sal
forest.
• This area is the home for Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Gaur, Chousingha, Sloth bear, Wild dog,
varieties of resident and migratory birds, reptilian species, etc.
PALAMU TIGER RESERVE:

Context: Don’t lay 3rd broad gauge track in core area of Palamu Tiger Reserve: Jharkhand to
Centre.
Concept:
• The Palamau Tiger Reserve is one of the nine original tiger reserves in Jharkhand, India and
the only one in this state. It forms part of Betla National Park and Palamau Wildlife
Sanctuary.
• The area in Latehar District in Jharkhand was set aside as protected in 1974 under the Indian
Forests Act. Before the formation of the reserve, the area was used for cattle grazing and
camping; it was acutely prone to forest fire.[2] In 1973, the area was set up as the Palamu
Tiger Reserve.
• The tiger population is extremely scarce and counting them has become particularly difficult
due to Naxalite activities that have increased since 1990. As of 2012, the count, using DNA to
prevent over-counting, is one male and five female tigers
• Apart from tigers and elephants, leopards, gaurs, sambars and wild dogs live in the reserve.
Though the North Koel River runs through the reserve, the animals depend on man-made
holes for water, making them easily accessible to humans.
• Over 140 species of birds (including peafowl) have been sighted in the reserve.
North Koel River
• North Koel River rises on Ranchi plateau in Jharkhand.
• It joins the Sone River a few miles north-west of Haidarnagar.
• It meanders through the northern part of Betla National Park.
Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mollem National Park (GOA):
Context: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted clearances for the
diversion of 140 hectares of forest land for the South Western Railway’s double-tracking project in
Goa amidst protests.
Concept:
· Environmentalists and locals have been protesting against the plan to cut through the
Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mollem National Park in south Goa as a
result of the project.
· Approval for double-tracking between Castlerock railway station in north Karnataka to
Kulem railway station in south Goa was given.
· Environmentalists have opposed three linear projects — the double-tracking project, the four-
laning of a national highway and the Goa-Yanmar transmission power project.
· The protest is for the reason that the projects could cause large-scale destruction to forests in
the Western Ghats, give no benefits to local residents and were aimed at accelerating the
transport of coal from the Mormugao Port Trust to Karnataka.
· "Save Mollem" movement led by the Goa Foundation has been protesting against the
diversion of forest land since last year.

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Coal Bed Methane (CBM):

Context: Need for move away from fossil driven energy economy to the cleaner renewable source
along with India's continuing dependence on coal for energy needs necessitate focus on "Clean Coal
Technology". Coal Bed Methane, or CBM is seen as one of the alternatives.
Concept:
· CBM is an unconventional natural gas that occurs in coal beds in adsorbed form during
coalification process (transformation of plant material into coal) and is rich in methane
content.
· It can be used for power generation, running internal combustion engines and as domestic fuel
on commercial lines. Focus on exploration will also push additional scope for increased
employment and state revenues.
· With fifth-largest coal reserves in the world India has huge potential (Gondwana sediments of
eastern India holding the bulk potential; Damodar Koel valley and Son valley are major
regions). Its CBM resources are estimated at 92 trillion cubic feet (TCF).
Challenges
· Methane is 25 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
· It has huge challenges for soil and ecosystem of the region.
· Water discharges from CBM development could pollute downstream water sources
· It also poses safety challenge in underground coal mines (proper ventilations is needed for
workplace and carrying out mining operations).
India’s Policy so far
· In order to harness CBM potential in the country, the Government of India formulated CBM
policy in 1997 wherein CBM being Natural Gas is explored and exploited under the
provisions of OIL Fields (Regulation & Development) Act 1948 (ORD Act 1948) and
Petroleum & Natural Gas Rules 1959 (P&NG Rules 1959) administered by Ministry of
Petroleum & Natural Gas (MOP&NG) and the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH)
was made the nodal agency for development of CBM in the country
· Both Petroleum and Coal Ministries were jointly made responsible for developing the
resource.
· Delineation of CBM blocks was to be done only in consultation with the Coal Ministry.
· The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd (CMPDIL), a subsidiary of Coal India
Ltd (CIL), was made the nodal agency for delineating CBM blocks.
· By 2019 there were only 4 operational blocks with exploration much below potential as only
1.87 mmscmd (million metric standard cubic meter per day) of CBM production (Australia
started at same time with 109 mmscmd production)
· Two major reforms: 1) Public sector coal companies were permitted to explore and extract
CBM from the leasehold areas held by them without seeking separate lease for gas extraction.
2) Freedom to fix the price and sale of gas was extended by the government to all operators of
CBM.
Prosopis juliflora or vilayati kikar:

Context: Expert panel heading the revival project of Central ridge in Delhi said by removing a few
branches of “Kikar” tree will help sunlight to break through and full-grown saplings can be planted in
such places to control pollution effectively.
Concept:
· Panel has been working for proposals for restoring over 400 hectares of the Central Ridge.
· It recommends replacing few branches of “Kikar” (can’t be totally removed as it is a notified
forest) and replace that with full-grown forest having three-layer canopy, and broad-leaved trees,

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and shrubs (polluted air will pass through the bottom layer of the forest and move up, or vice
versa, and that will sieve out fine particles in the air).
· It will also put less stress on groundwater.
About “Vilayati Kikari”:
· It is an invasive tree species introduced under the British Empire in 1930s (native to Mexico,
South America and the Caribbean) as part of development of Delhi.
· Its leaves are small and smooth.
· Concern over the tree is it does not let any other tree or shrubs survive around it. These trees can
dry up underground aquifers through its deep-root system, going as far as 20 metres or more in
search of water, significantly higher than around 5 metres that native shrubs and trees go.
· The tree’s canopy is such that it does not let sunlight reach the ground, which also hinders growth
of other species.
Delhi Ridge:
· The ridge is a reserved forest of about 7,700 hectares and the northern extension of the Aravalli
Range is in National Capital Region of Delhi.
· It lies in the Northern Aravalli leopard wildlife corridor.
· The Delhi Ridge acts as the green lungs for the city and protects Delhi from the hot winds of the
deserts of Rajasthan to the west.
· Delhi ridge acts as water divide between Indus and Brahmaputra drainage system.
· Central ridge is part of Delhi ridge.
World Wildlife Day:

Context: 3rd march is celebrated as World Wildlife day.
Concept:
· The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 March as UN World Wildlife Day in
2013 to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's flora and fauna and celebrating
biodiversity on planet.
· The day was dedicated to keeping people aware and updated about the changing nature of the
world and the flora and fauna that are constantly threatened by human activities.
· CITES Secretariat was designated as the facilitator for the global observance of World
Wildlife Day.
· Theme 2021: "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet".
Bio-refinery:
Context: The Minister of Petroleum and natural gases at an event Global Bio India 2021, organised
by Department of Biotechnology said push for setting up twelve bio refineries or 2G-ethanol
commercial plants from agriculture waste across eleven states is going on.
Concept:
· It will help India in ethanol blending programme for achieving 20 per cent ethanol-blending
in petrol by 2025.
About Bio-refinery
· Bio-refinery integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power,
and value-added chemicals from biomass.
· Thus, it seeks to maximise the value derived from the biomass feedstock.
· It mimics existing petroleum refineries while meeting energy needs and reducing the massive
greenhouse gas emissions from oil production.
· National Policy on Biofuels emphasizes on increasing production using second generation
bio-refineries and developing new feedstock for biofuels. It allowed the production of ethanol

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from damaged food grains like wheat and broken rice, which are unfit for human
consumption.
·
Himalayan serow:
Context: It was spotted recently in Manas tiger reserve, Assam.
Concept:
· It was spotted close to the border with Bhutan in Manas’s Bansbari Mathanguri forest.
· The sightings of rare animals and birds in Manas is an outcome of better access to remote
parts of the protected area where extremists and hunters once ruled
· It has been sighted for the first time in Assam.
· It is a Himalayan mammal, somewhere between a goat and an antelope.
· It is a subspecies of the mainland serow native to the Himalayas.
· It is a high-altitude dweller usually found 2,000-4,000 metres above sea level.
· It is ‘vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
· Other animals/Birds sighted in region recently: black-necked crane; Mandarin duck in the
Maguri-Motapung wetland near DibruSaikhowa National Park
Gaphaz or the Glacier and Permafrost Hazards in Mountains:

Subject: A consortium of international glacier and permafrost scientists have found that mass
movement activities are still occurring in the zone covering Chamoli in Uttarakhand which witnessed
flash floods recently.
Concept:
Other observations
· Based on high resolution satellite imagery indications the group concluded continuing mass
movement in region.
· It also said that another slope failure and avalanche can be critical for people and
infrastructure downstream, close to the riverbed
· possibility of a glacier lake outburst flood as well and also said temporary lakes formed due to
damming are unlikely to have had a direct effect on the flooding

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· The depth of the failure plane is more than 100 m below surface, where no seasonal
temperature variations are expected. The zone is in permafrost conditions, meaning ground
temperatures are perennially below zero.
· It is also important to note that unstable geological configuration and steep topography can,
on its own, be a sufficient driver of large slope failures.
About Gamphaz
· It is a scientific standing group of the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences and
the International Permafrost Association.
Aim of the group
· Improving the international scientific communication on glacier and permafrost hazards
· Compiling of a state of knowledge related to glacier and permafrost hazards in high
mountains
· Working towards a greater transfer of information and improved communication between the
scientific and governmental communities
· Signposting sources of advice to international and national agencies, responsible authorities
and private companies
· Acting as a focal point for information for international media during relevant crises.
About IACS
· IACS is one of eight associations of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
(IUGG). IACS aims to promote the advancement of cryospheric sciences of the Earth and the
solar system.
About IPA
· The International Permafrost Association, founded in 1983, has as its objectives to foster the
dissemination of knowledge concerning permafrost and to promote cooperation among
persons and national or international organizations engaged in scientific investigation and
engineering work on permafrost.
· Membership is through adhering national or multinational organizations or as individuals in
countries where no Adhering Body exists.
· It is an affiliated Organization of the International Union of Geological Sciences in July 1989.
· primary responsibilities are convening International Permafrost Conferences, undertaking
special projects such as preparing databases, maps, bibliographies, and glossaries, and
coordinating international field programs and networks
Similipal Biosphere:
Context: Massive threatening fire in Similipal biosphere has led to the Odisha govt deploying big
contingent of field staff to douse it.
Concept:
· Fire started in isolated places of Similipal in Mayurbhanj district in the first week of February
has spread to eight forest ranges.
· Concern has been rising over possible damage to flora and fauna.
About Similipal Biosphere reserve:
· The biosphere spread over 4,374 sq km has 845 sq km of core forest (tiger reserve), 2,129
sq km buffer area and 1,400 sq km of transition space.
· It lies within two biogeographical regions: the Mahanadian east coastal region of the Oriental
realm and the Chhotanagpur biotic province of the Deccan peninsular zone.
· Volcanic sedimentary rocks are aligned in three concentric rings and accentuate the area’s
geologic formations. The highest peak in the Similipal hill range is Khairiburu.

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· Numerous waterfalls and perennial streams flow into major rivers, such as the Budhabalang,
Baitarani and Subarnarekha.
· It has largest zone of Sal in all of India.
· A distinctive biodiversity, highlighted by 1,076 species of vascular plants is result of tropical
monsoonal climate.
· Two endemic Orchid species are Eria meghasaniensis and Tainia hookeriana. Other
noteworthy flora species include Callicarpa arborea (a species of beautyberry), Bombax ceiba
(Cotton tree) and Madhuca longifolia (Mahua).
· Approximately 52 fauna species here are endangered.
· Paradoxus jorandensis is an example of a valuable and endemic fauna species within the area.
· In addition, Panthera tigris (Royal Bengal Tiger) and Elephas maximus (Asiatic Elephant)
have both been observed within the Similipal Biosphere Reserve.
· Approximately 73% of all inhabitants are Aboriginals. Two tribes, the Erenga Kharias and the
Mankirdias, inhabit the reserve’s forests and practise traditional agricultural activities (the
collection of seeds and timber). Other dominant tribes include the Ho, Gonda and Munda,
· stories and paintings that date back to the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas shows its
cultural significance. Ex- a sacred grove called Shami Vrikhya is said to have been the secret
hiding place of the bow and arrow of the hero Arjuna
T1C2 tiger:
Context: T1C2 was released into wild in Pench Tiger Reserve
Concept:
· T1C2 is a 3-year-old tigress whose mother “Avni”, a maneater tigeress was killed 2 years
ago.
· It was released into wild after National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) cleared its
release into wild.
· It was after radio collaring of the tigress. Radio collaring is primarily used for tracking the
movement and activity patterns of the tagged animal, with the signals being sent to a
handheld device or to a computer via a satellite.
About Pench tiger reserve
· It is one of the premier tiger reserves of India and the first one to straddle across two states -
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
· The part of the reserve in Madhya Pradesh is nestled in the southern slopes of the Satpura
range of Central India.
· It comprises of the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park, the Pench Mowgli Sanctuary
and a buffer.
· It was portrayed in the famous "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling.
· River pench flows into reserve cutting it into two from North to South before going on to join
the Kanhan River, The Pench River which emerges from Mahadeo Hills of Satpura Ranges.
· The Indian Wolf, Sloth Bear, Bengal royal tiger is major attraction of the reserve.
NPCA SCHEME:
Context : Over Rs 1,000 crore has been released for the conservation of 157 wetlands in the
country under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA).
Concept :
• Under the NPCA scheme, the central assistance is based on proposals received from state
governments, in conformity with the guidelines and budget availability.

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• Accordingly, so far, MoEFCC has sanctioned projects for conservation of 157 wetlands in the
country and released an amount of about Rs 1,039 crore as central share.
National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA)
• NPCA is a single conservation programme for both wetlands and lakes.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme, currently being implemented by the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF).
• It was formulated in 2015 by merging of the National Lake Conservation Plan and the
National Wetlands Conservation Programme.
• NPCA seeks to promote better synergy and avoid overlap of administrative functions.
REGENT HONEYEATER:
Context : It has come to light that some specimens of the regent honeyeater (Anthochaera
phrygia), have been singing songs which ecologist Ross Crates — who observed the phenomenon —
described as “weird”.
Concept :
• The regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) is a critically endangered bird endemic to
southeastern Australia.
• It is commonly considered a flagship species within its range, with the efforts going into its
conservation having positive effects on many other species that share its habitat.
• Recent genetic research suggests it is closely related to the wattlebirds.
Flagship Species
• A flagship species is a species selected to act as an ambassador, icon or symbol for a defined
habitat, issue, campaign or environmental cause.
• Flagship species are species that have the ability to capture the imagination of the public and
induce people to support conservation action and/or to donate funds.
• These are popular, charismatic species that serve as symbols and rallying points to stimulate
conservation awareness and action.
Inert waste:
Context: Members of the Ridge Management Board (RMB) Friday decided to form an expert panel
to study a proposal made by the South MCD for dumping “inert material” in Bhatti mines at Asola
Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.
Concept:
· Generally, there are three categories of landfills (place where waste):
1)landfills for hazardous waste
2) landfills for non-hazardous waste
3) landfills for inert waste.
About inert waste
· Those waste which is neither biologically nor chemically and is waste which will not
decompose
· Ex- sand, concrete, Clay, Sub soil, Chalk and Rubble
· Usually, it doesn’t pose a threat to the environment, or the health of animals or other people
and will not endanger the quality of watercourses.
· However, large amount of this type of waste can make it an issue.

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NATIONAL WILDLIFE BOARD OF INDIA:

Context : Recently , Supreme Court stated that national wildlife board has not met for abourt six
years.
Concept :
• The National Board for Wildlife has 47 members with the Prime Minister in the Chair.
• The Minister in charge of the MoEF in GOI is the Vice-Chairperson.
• The Additional Director General of Forests (WL) & Director, Wildlife Preservation is the
Member-Secretary to the Board.
• Other members include
i. three Members of Parliament (two from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha),
ii.five NGOs and
iii. 10 eminent ecologists, conservationists and environmentalists.
• The board is advisory in nature and advises the GOI in conservation and development of
wildlife and forests.
• It has the power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around
national parks and sanctuaries.
• No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without
the approval of the National Board for Wildlife.
STOCKHOLM +50:
Context: As we approach Stockholm+50, we are looking at an increasingly inequitable world;
where poverty and marginalisation are growing and where climate change risks are reaching not just
the homes of the poor but also of the rich.
Concept:
Stockholm+50
• In 2022 it will be fifty years since the first United Nations conference on the human
environment – the 1972 Stockholm Conference.
• The Government of Sweden has offered to host a high-level meeting in conjunction with this
anniversary.
• The aim is to contribute to accelerating a transformation that leads to sustainable and green
economies, more jobs, and a healthy planet for all, where no one is left behind.
The 1972 Stockholm Conference
• The UN Conference on the Human Environment, also known as the Stockholm Conference,
was the first UN conference on the environment and was held between 5 and 16 June 1972 in
Stockholm.
• The meeting’s outcome document – the Stockholm Declaration – included several principles
that are still important for environmental management.
• Another result of the meeting was the establishment of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the World Environment Day, held annually on 5 June.
EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY:

Context : The LG stressed the need to provide for a mechanism to effectively implement the
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) pertaining to the collection of e-waste and its processing.
Concept :

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• Extended Producers Responsibility is essentially the use of financial incentives to encourage

manufacturers to design environmentally friendly products by making producers accountable
for their product management during end-stage consumption.
• It differs from product stewardship as it relieves the government from the burden of managing
certain products by making manufacturers internalize the cost of recycling within the product
price.
• EPR is carried out bearing in mind that brand owners have the greatest control over product
design and hence are in a better position to design their products in such a manner that it will
reduce harmful effects on the environment as a whole.
• Extended Producers Responsibility is done through, reuse, buyback, or recycling. The
producer has also the option of delegating this responsibility to a third-party which can be
paid by the producer for used-product management.
• This shifts the responsibility for waste management from the government to private
industries, making it easy for producers or sellers to internalise waste management and ensure
the safe handling of their products.
REDSANDERS:
Context: The Forest Department has prepared a schedule for the global e-auction of the seized red
sanders logs.
Concept:
About Red Sanders:
• Pterocarpus santalinus or Red Sanders is an endemic tree of South India
• They are found in Tropical Dry Deciduous forest of the Palakonda and Seshachalam hill
ranges of Andhra Pradesh and also found in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• Red Sanders usually grow in the rocky, degraded and fallow lands with Red Soil and hot
and dry climate.
• IUCN has put it under the category of endangered species in the Red List due to the
dwindling population because of illegal felling and smuggling.
• Its export is banned in India in accordance with the CITES and Wildlife Protection Act
1972.
• It is used for various purposes such as immunity medicine, furniture, radiation absorbent,
musical instrument, food dyes and spices, Ayurveda and Siddha medicine, decorative and
ornamental purposes etc.
WHITSUN REEF:
Context: The Philippines government has claimed that around 220 Chinese boats have been
spotted at a reef in the South China Sea waters controlled by Manila.
Concept:
• It urged China to recall the boats saying the presence of the vessels violated Manila's
maritime rights by encroaching into the Philippines' sovereign territory.
• The boats are believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel. The boats were
spotted on March 7 at the Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef.
Whitsun Reef
• Whitsun Reef (also known as Whitsum Reef, Whitson Reef, in Mandarin Chinese) is a reef at
the northeast extreme limit of the Union Banks in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea.
• It is the largest reef of the Union Banks.
CHEETAH:
Context : 70 years after big cat’s extinction, India prepares to welcome cheetahs from Africa.

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Concept :
• Nearly 70 years after the cheetah was declared locally extinct or extirpated, India will receive
its first batch of the large cats from Africa by the end of this year.
• Within a week’s time, two expert teams — one from Namibia and the other from South
Africa — the two countries with the highest cheetah populations in the world, will arrive to
train Indian forest officers and wildlife experts on handling, breeding, rehabilitation, medical
treatment and conservation of the animals.
• This is the first time in the world that a large carnivore will be relocated from one continent to
another.
African Cheetah
• IUCN status - Vulnerable
• CITES status - Appendix-I of the List. This List comprises of migratory species that have
been assessed as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their
range.
• Habitat - Around 6,500-7,000 African cheetahs present in the wild.
• Physical Characteristics - Bigger in size as compared to Asiatic Cheetah.
Asian Cheetah
• IUCN Status - Critically Endangered.
• CITES - Appendix 1 of the list
• Habitat - 40-50 found only in Iran.
• Physical Characteristics - Smaller and paler than the African cheetah. Has more fur, a smaller
head and a longer neck. Usually have red eyes and they have a more cat-like appearance.
LARGEST TULIP GARDEN:

Context: Asia's largest tulip garden in srinagar gets high tech cold storage facility.
Concept:
• Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden, previously Model Floriculture Center, is a tulip
garden in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the largest tulip garden in Asia
spread over an area of about 30 ha (74 acres).
• It is situated on the foothills of Zabarwan Range with an overview of Dal Lake. The
garden was opened in 2007 with the aim to boost floriculture and tourism in Kashmir
Valley.
• The garden is built on a sloping ground in a terraced fashion consisting of seven terraces.
Apart from tulips, many other species of flowers - hyacinths, daffodils and ranunculus
have been added as well.
• Tulip festival is an annual celebration that aims to showcase the range of flowers in the
garden as a part of tourism efforts by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. It is
organized during the onset of spring season in Kashmir valley.
PROJECT RE – HAB:
Context : A pilot project launched in Kodagu entails installing bee boxes along the periphery of
the forest and the villages with the belief that the elephants will not venture anywhere close to the
bees and thus avoid transgressing into human landscape.
Concept :

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• An initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Project RE-HAB
(Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees) intends to create “bee fences” to thwart
elephant attacks in human habitations using honeybees.
• The pilot project was launched at four locations around Chelur village in Kodagu district by
KVIC. These spots are located on the periphery of the Nagarahole National Park and Tiger
Reserve, known conflict zone.
• Project RE-HAB is a sub-mission of the KVIC’s National Honey Mission.
• Between 2015 and 2020, nearly 2,500 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks across
India, of which 170 human fatalities have been reported in Karnataka alone, says the KVIC.
EARTH HOUR:
Context : The Earth Hour is being observed on 27th March 2021.
Concept :
• Earth Hour is the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)’s annual initiative that began in
2007.
• It is held every year on the last Saturday of March.
• It encourages people from more than 180 countries to switch off the lights from 8.30 pm to
9.30 pm as per their local time.
• The idea is to refrain from the use of non-essential lighting to save energy in a symbolic call
for environmental protection.
World Wildlife Fund for Nature
• It is the world’s leading conservation organization and works in more than 100 countries.
• It was established in 1961 and is headquartered at Gland, Switzerland to conserve nature and
reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
• Other Initiatives of WWF:
TX2 Goal
TRAFFIC
Living Planet Report.
AFRICAN ELEPHANT:
Context : Recently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has found that the
forest elephant and savanna elephant are threatened with extinction.
Concept :
• The report has opted to assess the African mammal as two separate species following genetic
studies of populations.
• The IUCN has found that the forest and savanna elephants split from each other 5–6m years
ago, at about the same time humans separated from chimpanzees.
• The forest elephant has been classified by the IUCN as critically endangered, while the
savanna elephant is listed as endangered.
About Forest and Savanna Elephants
• The majority of critically endangered forest elephants are in the Congo basin in Gabon, West
Africa, while Botswana has the largest population of savanna elephants.
• The forest elephants are generally smaller in size, have oval-shaped ears, straighter tusks and
longer gestation periods.
• The savanna elephants live in larger family groups; have bigger ears and different-shaped
skulls, among other differences.

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• The habitat range of both species rarely crosses over in Africa, with savanna elephants
preferring grasslands and deserts, while the forest elephant is mainly found in tropical
rainforests.
About African Elephant
• African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth.
• They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their larger ears that
look somewhat like the continent of Africa.
• African elephants are a keystone species, meaning they play a critical role in their ecosystem
as they are known as ecosystem engineers.
• African elephants are categorized into savanna elephants and forest elephants.
• The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) banned the global commercial ivory trade in 1989.
NEW BUTTERFLY SPECIES:
Context : A group of lepidopterists have found a new butterfly species in India.
Concept :
• The discovery of the species Nacaduba sinhala ramaswamii Sadasivan, 2021 in the
Agasthyamalais in the Western Ghats a decade ago has now found place in the Journal of
Threatened Taxa.
• The new taxon of Lycaenid butterflies belongs to the Nacaduba genus.
• Line Blues are small butterflies belonging to the subfamily Lycaenidae and their distribution
ranges from India and Sri Lanka to the whole of south-eastern Asia, Australia and Samoa.
• It is the first time that a butterfly species was discovered by an all-Indian research team from
the Western Ghats.
Lepidopterology
• Lepidopterology is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the
three superfamilies of butterflies.
• Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian.

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DEFENCE AND SECURITY

National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC):
Context: A US cyber security firm said there was steep rise in the use of malware by a Chinese group
called Red Echo to target India’s power sector organisations in 2020 when tension between India-
China was high. The Centre confirmed it after NCIIPC informed it and said there was no data loss.
Concept:
· Earlier the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) on November 19, 2020,
informed the govt on the threat of a malware called ShadowPad at some control centres of
POSOCO (Power System Operation Corporation Ltd). T was later confirmed by NCIIPC.
· It is nodal agency to safeguard critical computer resources.
· Under Section 70A(1) of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2008 it has been
designated for taking all measures including associated Research and Development for the
protection of CIIs (Critical Information Infrastructure) in India.
· NCIIPC is driven by its mission to take all necessary measures to facilitate protection of
Critical Information Infrastructure.
· It is a unit of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and is based in New
Delhi.
· NCIIPC protect and deliver advice that aims to reduce the vulnerabilities of critical
information infrastructure, against cyber terrorism, cyber warfare and other threats.
· Identification of all critical information infrastructure elements for approval by the
appropriate Government for notifying the same.
· Provide strategic leadership and coherence across Government to respond to cyber security
threats against the identified critical information infrastructure
Critical information Infrastructure
· Information Infrastructure is the term usually used to describe the totality of inter-connected
computers and networks, and information flowing through them
· Certain part of information infrastructure is dedicated for management / control etc. of
infrastructure providers’ e.g. Power generation, Gas/oil pipelines, or support our economy or
national fabric e.g. Banking / Telecom etc., and its failure or outage on our National well-
being or National Security marks them as being Critical.
· Information infrastructure supporting the operations of Critical Infrastructure (CI) designate
such infrastructure as Critical Information infrastructure (CII).
· IT Act, 2000: “Critical Information Infrastructure means the computer resource, the
incapacitation or destruction of which, shall have debilitating impact on national security,
economy, public health or safety”.
NCIIPC has broadly identified the following as ‘Critical Sectors’:-
1. Power & Energy
2. Banking, Financial Services & Insurance
3. Telecom
4. Transport
5. Government
6. Strategic & Public Enterprises

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CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team):

Context: Cyfirma, a cyber intelligence firms said that the Chinese hacking group has been targeting
Indian vaccine.
Concept:
· CERT-In (the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is a government-mandated
information technology (IT) security organization created in 2004.
· The purpose of CERT-In is to respond to computer security incidents, report on
vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout the country.
· According to the provisions of the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008, CERT-In
is responsible for overseeing administration of the Act.
· CERT-In has been designated to serve as the national agency to perform the following
functions in the area of cyber security:
1. Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents.
2. Forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents
3. Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents
4. Coordination of cyber incident response activities.
5. Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes and whitepapers relating to information
security practices, procedures, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents.
6. Such other functions relating to cyber security as may be prescribed.
Combined Commanders’ Conference (CCC):

Context: A three-day military commander level conference is going on in Kevadia (Gujrat).
Concept:
· It is a premier brain-storming event of the Military Commanders from the three Services.
· Top leadership is reviewing the security situation and defence preparedness of the Armed
Forces, and deliberating pertinent organisational issues for evolving a joint military vision for
the future.
· Unlike past it has expanded to make it a multi-layered, interactive, informal and informed
event with the added participation of about 30 Officers and soldiers of various ranks from the
three Services.
· Defence minister and the PM will also take part in three-day conference. It will also see
attendance of NSA and officers from defence ministry.
I4C:
Context: This year, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA), launched the Cyber Crime Volunteers Program with the aim to allow citizens
to register themselves as “Cyber Crime Volunteers’’ in the role of “Unlawful Content Flaggers”.
Concept:
• The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) was inaugurated by the government
to deal with all types of cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
• It will be set up under the newly created Cyber and Information Security (CIS) division of
the MHA.
It has seven components:
• National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
• National Cyber Crime Training Centre

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• Cyber Crime Ecosystem Management Unit

• National Cyber Crime Research and Innovation Centre
• National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem
• Platform for Joint Cyber Crime Investigation Team.
Functions:
• The I4C will assist in centralising cyber security investigations, prioritise the development of
response tools and bring together private companies to contain the menace.
Objectives:
• To act as a nodal point in the fight against cybercrime
• Identify the research problems/needs of LEAs and take up R&D activities in developing new
technologies and forensic tools in collaboration with academia / research institutes within
India and abroad
• To prevent misuse of cyber space for furthering the cause of extremist and terrorist groups
• Suggest amendments, if required, in cyber laws to keep pace with fast changing technologies
and International cooperation
• To coordinate all activities related to implementation of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties
(MLAT) with other countries related to cybercrimes in consultation with the concerned nodal
authority in MHA.
PROJECT 75I:
Context : Multi-billion deals for 30 armed drones from the U.S. and six advanced submarines
under Project-75I are likely to be taken by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in April for
approval, a government official said.
Concept :
Project 75I-Class Submarine
• The Project 75I-class submarine is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarines 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.
• In October 2014, the project got clearance from Defence Acquisition Council.
• All six submarines are expected to be constructed in Indian shipyards.
Design
• The Project 75I-class submarines will have a vertical launch system (VLS) to enable them to
carry multiple Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, making the submarines fully capable of
anti-surface and anti-ship warfare missions.
INS KARANJ:
Context: Indian Navy’s third stealth Scorpene class Submarine INS Karanj has been
commissioned at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai through a formal commissioning ceremony.
Concept:
• Six Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders
Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
• INS Karanj would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet.
• The Scorpene Submarines are one of the most advanced conventional submarines in the
world.

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• These platforms are equipped with the latest technologies in the world. More deadly and
stealthier than their predecessors, these submarines are equipped with potent weapons and
sensors to neutralise any threat above or below the sea surface.
CYBER VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME

Context : The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that a
“cyber volunteer” programme has been rolled out for “cyber hygiene promotion” and the services of
volunteers would be utilised by the State police as per requirement.
Concept :
Cyber Crime Volunteers Concept:
• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has envisaged the Cyber Crime Volunteers
Program to bring together citizens with passion to serve the nation on a single platform and
contribute in the fight against cybercrime in the country.
• The programme targets to rope in around 500 persons to flag unlawful content on the Internet.
• Good Samaritans are welcomed to register as Cyber Crime Volunteers in the role of unlawful
content flaggers for facilitating law enforcement agencies in identifying, reporting and
removal of illegal/unlawful online content.
• Volunteers have been advised to study Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, which deals with
freedom of expression.
• Further, the volunteer shall “maintain strict confidentiality of tasks assigned/carried out by
him/her”. The State Nodal Officer of States/UTs also reserves the right to take legal action
against the Volunteer, in case of violation of terms and conditions of the Program.
• Unlawful Content, in general means content that violates any law in force in India.
DUSTLIK 2:
Context : At Exercise Dustlik-II between India and Uzbekistan from March 10-19, the Army
will showcase its Counter Insurgency (CI) and Counter Terrorism (CT) skills.
Concept :
• Dustlik-II is a bilateral military exercise between India and Uzbekistan. This exercise would
be held in India between March 10 and 19.
• This 10-day long exercise will seek to enhance military cooperation between the two
countries.
• The focus will be on counter-insurgent and counter-terrorist operations at the urban settings.
The first edition of this exercise was held in 2019 in Uzbekistan, near Tashkent. Dustlik is the
Uzbek term for friendship.
Z + SECURITY:
Context : Centre Offers Z+ Security To CM Mamata Banerjee After Alleged Attack In
Nandigram
Concept :
• Z+ is the highest category security in India.
• It offers a security cover of 55 personnel, including 10+ NSG Commandos + Police
Personnel.
• Each commando is an expert in martial arts and unarmed combat.

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• Z+ security is provided by the NSG commandos equipped with sophisticated MP5 guns, and
modern communication gadgets.
• Only 10-17 VIPs in the country are provided the Z+ security. This includes PM Narendra
Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and few others.
MILAN 2T ATGM:
Context : Defence Ministry Seals Deal To Acquire 4,690 India-Made Anti-Tank Missiles For
Army.
Concept :
About MILAN-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles
• The Milan-2T is a Tandem Warhead ATGM with the range of 1,850 metres.
• The tandem warheads comprise a forward charge and a rear charge separated by a blast
shield.
• It is produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) under license from MBDA Missile
Systems, France.
• It can be fired from ground as well as vehicle-based launchers.
• It can be deployed in anti-tank role for both offensive and defensive tasks.
index FRAMEWORK:
Context: Starting-up for defence: Government plans to fund at least 250 defence start-ups.
Concept:
• iDEX is an initiative taken by the government to contribute towards modernization of the
Defence Industry.
• To reduce India’s reliance on defence imports, the defence ministry launched the Innovations
for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative.It was launched by the Government in April 2018.
• The ministry has earmarked Rs 500 crore to support MSMEs and start-ups through the iDEX.
• iDEX aims to promote innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace by
engaging Industries (which includes MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes
& academia).
• iDEX will provide the engaging industries with funding and other support to carry out
Research & Development.
• iDEX will be funded and managed by Defence Innovation Organization (DIO), and will
function as the executive arm of DIO.
ARMS IMPORTS:
Context : Arms imports decreased by 33% between 2011–15 and 2016–20 while India
continues to remain the second largest arms importer after Saudi Arabia, according to a report from
Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Concept :
• The overall drop in arms imports between 2011–15 and 2016–20 was due to complex and
lengthy procurement processes, combined with attempts to reduce its dependence on Russian
arms by diversifying its network of arms suppliers.
• Russia was the largest arms supplier in both years. However, Russia’s deliveries dropped by
53% between the two periods and its share of Indian arms imports fell from 70 to 49%.

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• France and Israel were the second and third largest arms suppliers in 2016–20. India’s arms
imports from France increased by 709% while those from Israel rose by 82%.
• The U.S. was the fourth largest supplier in 2016–20.
• Combat aircraft and associated missiles made up more than 50% of arms imports.
BALLISTIC MISSILE:
Context : North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday in its first
substantive provocation to the new U.S. administration of Joe Biden.
Concept :
• A ballistic missile follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver one or more warheads on a
predetermined target.
• A ballistic trajectory is the path of an object that is launched but has no active propulsion
during its actual flight (these weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods of
flight).
• Consequently, the trajectory is fully determined by a given initial velocity, effects of gravity,
air resistance, and motion of the earth (Coriolis Force).
• Shorter range ballistic missiles stay within the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Longer-ranged intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), are launched on a sub-orbital flight
trajectory and spend most of their flight out of the atmosphere.
Types of ballistic missiles based on the range
• Short-range (tactical) ballistic missile (SRBM): Range between 300 km and 1,000 km.
• Medium-range (theatre) ballistic missile (MRBM): 1,000 km to 3,500 km.
• Intermediate-range (Long-Range) ballistic missile (IRBM or LRBM): 3,500 km and 5,500
km.
• Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): 5,500 km +.
• Ballistic missiles of India: Agni, K-4 (SLBM), Prahaar, Dhanush, Prithvi and Trishul.
PERMANENT COMMISSION FOR WOMEN:

Context : The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the pleas of several women short service
commission (SSC) officers seeking grant of permanent commission in the Army, while holding that
the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) evaluation process was flawed and discriminatory in nature.
Concept :
Background
• Under the Short Service Commission (SSC) scheme, women were commissioned into the
Army for a period of 10 years, extendable up to 14 years.
• Women were, however, restricted to roles in specified streams such as Army Education
Corps, Corps of Signals, Intelligence Corps, and Corps of Engineers. These specified streams
excluded combat arms such as infantry and armoured corps.
• While male SSC officers could opt for permanent commission at the end of 10 years of
service, this option was not available to women officers. Women officers, were, thus, kept out
of any command appointment, and could not qualify for government pension, which starts
only after 20 years of service as an officer.
• However, in the February 2019 policy statement, the Government endorsed the permanent
commission for SSC women officers in 10 streams of the ‘Combat Support Arms’ and
‘Services’ sections. But it was said that the women officers would not be offered any
command appointments, and would serve only in staff posts.

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Permanent Commission (PC) Vs. Short Service Commission (SSC)

• SSC means an officer’s career will be of a limited period in the Indian Armed Forces whereas
a PC means they shall continue to serve in the Indian Armed Forces, till they retire.
• The officers inducted through the SSC usually serve for a period of 14 years. At the end of 10
years, the officers have three options.
• A PC entitles an officer to serve in the Navy till he/she retires unlike SSC, which is currently
for 10 years and can be extended by four more years, or a total of 14 years.
• They can either select for a PC or opt-out or have the option of a 4-years extension. They can
resign at any time during this period of 4 years extension.
FREE MOVEMENT REGIME:

Context: In halls, safehouses, Myanmar nationals pray India does not send them back: ‘will be
killed’.
Concept:
Free movement regime (FMR)
• The formation of Myanmar as a separate State in 1935 and decolonisation of the sub-
continent in 1947 divided ethnic communities living along the Indo-Myanmar border.
• These communities, particularly Nagas, found the newly created boundary to be inconsistent
with the traditional limits of the region they inhabited. And they felt a deep sense of
insecurity because they became relegated to the status of ethnic minorities on both sides of
the border.
• To address their concerns and enable greater interaction among them, the Indian and
Myanmarese governments established the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed
Nagas to travel 16 kilometres across the border on either side without any visa requirements.
• Both countries are intend to put common system in place to append India’s concerns.
Why FMP is causing issues now?
• Free movement regime is being misused by militants and trans-border criminals who smuggle
weapons, contraband goods and fake Indian currency notes.
• Taking advantage of the free-movement regime, occasionally they enter India, commit crimes
and escape to their relatively safer hideouts.

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INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
WTO gets new Director general:
Context: New DG Ngozi Okonjo-Iwewala, a Nigerian-American economist, took over the charge of
WTO.
Concept:
· She is the first woman chief of the WTO. She is also the first African to hold the office of
WTO as its director-general.
About WTO
· The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing
with the rules of trade between nations.
· The WTO started functioning on 1 January 1995 as the successor body of General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which was in place since 1948.
· WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the world’s trading nations and ratified in their
parliaments are the driver of WTO-based framework.
· All major decisions are made by the WTO's member governments: either by ministers (who
usually meet at least every two years) or by their ambassadors or delegates (who meet
regularly in Geneva).
· The WTO's top decision-making body is the Ministerial Conference (usually takes place
every two years).
· Below this is the General Council (day to day decision making body) and various other
councils and committees.
· The WTO has over 164 members representing 98 per cent of world trade.
· Ordinarily, decisions are made by consensus in the WTO. Most recent member is Afghanistan
(2016).
· Last ministerial conference was in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2017 and is supposed to be
held in Kazakhsthan in 2021.
· WTO also has a Dispute Settlement Framework in place to resolve disputes between nations.
OPEC+:
Context: Crude oil saw a rise of about 5% on Thursday as sources said OPEC and its allies have
agreed to keep production unchanged into April.
Concept:
· OPEC+ is the alliance of crude producers undertaking corrections in supply in the oil markets
since 2017.
· OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico,
Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan. (OPEC, As of 2020, OPEC has a total of 13 Member
Countries viz. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya,
Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Angola and Venezuela are members
of OPEC.)
About OPEC
OPEC - Optimize IAS

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COMMONWEALTH:
Context: Queen Elizabeth calls for unity ahead of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry interview in
Commonwealth Day speech.
Concept :
• Composition: Intergovernmental organization of 53 member states that are mostly former
territories of the British Empire.
• It operates by intergovernmental consensus of the member states.
• Established in 1949 by the London Declaration.
• Structure: Head of the Commonwealth — Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the
Commonwealth. The position is symbolic.
About Commonwealth of Nations:
• The Commonwealth of Nations, at one time known as British Commonwealth, is an
organization of fifty three states that were principally below the colonial rule of British
Government.
• They came into existence with the proclamation of sovereignty of the state from the colonial
rule of British Empire and were later given self-governance.
• It proclaims that the Commonwealth nations are “free and equal.” The insignia of this
Commonwealth Association is Queen Elizabeth II who is considered the Supreme of the
Commonwealth nations.
• The member states of the commonwealth are not legally liable or bound to each other.
They are rather united by language, history, culture, likeness of the democracy, human rights
and the rule of law.
• Their values are listed down within the Commonwealth Charter and the hands of harmony
towards the member states are extended by the Commonwealth Games held every four years.
• Former British mandates that did not become members of the Commonwealth are Egypt,
Transjordan, Iraq, British Palestine, Sudan, British Somaliland, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain,
Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
PERMANENT COURT OF ARBITRATION:

Context: Courts in five countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., have given recognition to an
arbitration award that asked India to return $1.4 billion to Cairn Energy plc.
The company had moved courts in nine countries to enforce the December 21 award
from a three-member tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands.
Concept:
Permanent Court of Arbitration
• Established in: 1899.
• HQ: Hague, Netherlands.
• It is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to serve the international community in the
field of dispute resolution and to facilitate arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution
between States.
• The PCA has a three-part organizational structure consisting of:
• Administrative Council- to oversee its policies and budgets,
• Members of the Court- a panel of independent potential arbitrators, and
• International Bureau- its Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General.

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• It has Financial Assistance Fund which aims at helping developing countries meet part of the
costs involved in international arbitration or other means of dispute settlement offered by the
PCA.
CEEW:
Context: Only about half of the urban slum households exclusively use LPG for cooking, according
to a survey report released on Wednesday by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water
(CEEW).
Concept:
• The Council on Energy, Environment and Water is one of Asia’s leading not-for-profit policy
research institutions.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.
• CEEW uses data, integrated analysis, and strategic outreach to explain – and change – the
use, reuse, and misuse of resources.
• Some of CEEW's research areas include resource efficiency and security; water resources;
renewable energy; sustainability finance; energy-trade-climate linkages; integrated energy,
environment and water plans; and climate geoengineering governance.
• The think-tank advises the Indian government.
PERMANENT INDUS COMMISSION:

Context : The Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan will meet here on March 23 and 24 to
discuss a host of issues, including Islamabad's concerns to the design of Indian hydropower projects
on the Chenab River, a top official said on Sunday.
Concept :
• The Permanent Indus Commission is a bilateral commission of officials from India and
Pakistan, created to implement and manage goals of the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960.
• The Commission according to the treaty must meet regularly at least once a year, alternately
in India and Pakistan.
The functions of the Commission are:
• to study and report to the two Governments on any problem relating to the development on
the waters of the rivers.
• to solve disputes arising over water sharing.
• to arrange technical visits to projects’ sites and critical river head works.
• to undertake, once in every five years, a general tour of inspection of the Rivers for
ascertaining the facts.
• to take necessary steps for the implementation of the provisions of the treaty.
Indus Water Treaty
• It is a treaty brokered by the World Bank and signed by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru and Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan which administers how the waters of the Indus
and its tributaries that flow in both the countries will be utilised.
• According to the treaty, waters of the eastern rivers — Sutlej, Beas and Ravi had been
allocated to India, while the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan.
However, since Indus flows from India, the country is allowed to use 20 percent of its water
for irrigation, power generation and transport purposes.
• A Permanent Indus Commission was set up as a bilateral commission to implement and
manage the Treaty.

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• The Treaty also provides arbitration mechanism to solve disputes amicably.
IRENA:
Context : The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released the World Energy
Transitions Outlook report.
Concept :
• It estimated that by 2050, 90% of total electricity needs would be supplied by renewables,
followed by 6% from natural gas and the remaining from nuclear.
• The agency has identified 30 innovations for the integration of wind and solar PV in power
systems.
About IRENA
• The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation
mandated to facilitate cooperation and promote the adoption and sustainable use of renewable
energy.
• It was founded in 2009 and its statute entered into force in 2010.
• The agency is headquartered in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.
• IRENA is an official United Nations observer.
EUROPEAN UNION:
Context : EU sets out virus pass plan to allow free travel by summer
Concept :
• The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 27 EU countries that
together cover much of the continent.
• 19 of these countries use EURO as their official currency. 8 EU members (Bulgaria, Croatia,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Sweden) do not use the euro.
• The EU grew out of a desire to form a single European political entity to end centuries of
warfare among European countries that culminated with World War II and decimated much
of the continent.
• The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that
apply in all member states in matters, where members have agreed to act as one.
Origin of the European Union:
• Despite not being officially formed until 1993, the European Union’s foundations actually
reach further back to 1957, when the European Economic Community was established.
• The EEC was formed out of a previous group called the European Coal and Steel Community
– which had its own start in 1951.
• In 1993, the EEC morphed into the European Union following the new Maastricht Treaty
(also known as the Treaty on European Union).
• Additionally, the Treaty of Lisbon, enacted in 2009, gave the European Union more broad
powers that included being authorized to sign international treaties, increase border patrol,
and other security and enforcement provisions.
NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK:

Context : Recently, the Union Finance Minister has urged the New Development Bank (NDB) to
consider working closely with India’s new development financing institution for funding
infrastructure.

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Concept :
New Development Bank (NDB)
• It was proposed at the fourth BRICS Summit in New Delhi (2012) by the leaders of Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• It is established to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects
in BRICS and other emerging economies, as well as in developing countries.
• During the sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (2014), the leaders signed the Agreement
establishing the New Development Bank (NDB).
• It also provides technical assistance for projects to be supported by the NDB and engage in
information, cultural and personnel exchanges with the purpose of contributing to the
achievement of environmental and social sustainability.
• In 2018, the New Development Bank received observer status in the UN General
Assembly, establishing a firm basis for active and fruitful cooperation with the United
Nations.
• It was formerly referred to as BRICS Development Bank and is a multi-lateral development
bank.
• Its headquarters is in Shanghai, China and the first regional office of the NDB is in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
• The Bank shall have an initial authorized capital of US$ 100 billion and the initial
subscribed capital shall be US$ 50 billion, equally shared among founding members.
UNPKF:
Context : India delivered on its promise of 2,00,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the United
Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) worldwide, sending a shipment bound for Copenhagen.
Concept :
UN Peacekeeping:
• UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to help
countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.
• UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:
Consent of the parties;
Impartiality;
Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
• Role of Security Council: The United Nations Charter gives the United Nations Security
Council the responsibility to maintain international peace. For this reason, the international
community usually looks to the Security Council to authorize peacekeeping operations
through Chapter VII authorizations.
• There are currently 12 UN peacekeeping operations deployed.
• For its services, UN Peacekeeping has also received the Nobel Peace Prize.
• UN peacekeepers are often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their light
blue berets or helmets.
IFAD:
Context: "For the rural poor, rice and wheat were aspirational foods. An expanded public
distribution system has provided them access to these maheen anaaj (fine grains), which is
distinguished from mota anaaj (coarse grains),” says Meera Mishra, Country Programme Officer for
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

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Concept :
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• It was Set up in 1977.
• It is 13th specialised agency of the United Nations.
• India is a founder member of IFAD and a key contributor among the member countries.
• IFAD works towards removing poverty and hunger in rural areas all over the world,
especially in developing countries.
• Its goal is to empower poor rural men and women in developing countries to achieve higher
incomes and improved food security.
• IFAD is managed by the two main governing bodies i.e. the Governing Council and the
Executive Board.
• The Governing Council is the highest decision-making body of IFAD.

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GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
TEQIP (Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme):
Context: With the project near to its end it may leave more than 1,200 assistant professors out of a
job and some rural colleges bereft of half their faculty.
Concept:
· The government is saying it is planning its own MERITE project to promote scientific,
technical and industrial knowledge post TEQUIP completion. However, even as Tequip is
coming to an end, there is not much clarity regarding the same.
· Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme is a project of Government of India
assisted by World Bank.
· The objective of the Program is to enhance quality and equity in participating Engineering
Education Institutes and improve the efficiency of the Engineering Education System in
Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Rajasthan, 8 North Eastern States and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
· The Project has two main components, (i) Improving quality and equity in engineering
institutes in those states; and (ii) System-level initiatives to strengthen sector governance and
performance.
· It focuses on capacity building of staffs, research fellowships and R&D infrastructure
development.
· The project has been designed as a disbursement linked loan, that is, the World Bank loan
will be disbursed on achievement of specific outcomes.

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· Three phases of the ₹3,600-crore TEQIP project have been completed since it was launched
in December 2002 (third phase will soon end).
· The third phase focused on improving quality and equity (ex- recruit more than 1,500 faculty
from top institutions — four out of five are from the NITs and the IITs) in engineering
institutions in seven low income, eight northeastern and three hilly States.
Saksham Anganwadis schemes:

Context: The budget 2021-22 for Ministry of women and child development saw highest allocation to
the Sakasham Anganwadi Scheme along with the Poshan Abhiyan 2.0.
Concept:
· It is a Ministry of women and Child development scheme.
· The aim of the scheme is to upgrade a total of 2.5 lakh anganwadis in the next five years.
About Anganwadi
· Anganwadis or a type of rural child care centre were started by the Indian government in
1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program to combat child hunger
and malnutrition.
· These are focal point for implementation of all the health, nutrition and early learning
initiatives under ICDS.
· Currently Anganwadis services scheme provide 6 services: Supplementary nutrition,
immunisation, health check-up, pre-school non-formal education, nutrition and health
education, and referral services. These are performed by The Anganwadi worker (AWW).
· AWW is a woman (18- 44 years) from the local village and acceptable in the local
community. They are honorary workers who receive a monthly honorarium
· They are supported by supported by a part-time assistant, called an Anganwadi Helper
(AWH).
· Generally, there is 1 Anganwadi worker for a population of about 1000 people
National Creche Scheme:

Context: Budget 2021-22 has also focused on National Creche Scheme to provide day care facilities
to children (0-6 years) of working mother.
Concept:
· It is a Ministry of Women and Child Development scheme. It is a Central sector scheme.
· A crèche is a facility which enables parents to leave their children while they are at work and
where children are provided stimulating environment for their holistic development.
· It seeks to provide day care facilities to children (0-6 years) of working mother and other
eligible women belonging to families (of working women in rural and urban areas who are
employed for a minimum period of 15 days in a month, or six months in a year.)
· It seeks to improve quality and reach of day care services/crèches for working women
amongst all socio-economic groups both in the organized and unorganized sectors.
· It provides supplementary nutrition, health care (immunization, polio drops, basic health
monitoring), sleeping facilities, early simulations (below 3 years), pre-school education (0-6
years) and emergency medicines.
OBJECTIVES
(i) To provide day-care facilities for children (6 months to 6 years) of working mothers in the
community.
(ii) To improve nutrition and health status of children.
(iii) To promote physical, cognitive, social and emotional development (Holistic Development) of
children.

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(iv) To educate and empower parents /caregivers for better childcare
Poshan Abhiyan 2.0:

Context: Poshan Abhiyan 2.0 was announced in budget 2021-22 as a next step to ongoing Poshan
Abhiyaan to eliminate malnutrition.
Concept:
· The Poshan 2.0 Scheme is to be an umbrella scheme covering the Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS), Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyaan, Scheme for
Adolescent Girls and National Creche Scheme.
· It is an intensified strategy to improve nutritional outcomes will prioritize 112 aspirational
districts with focus on: Heath, wellness & immunity of children and pregnant women to
eradicate malnutrition.
· It will merge Supplementary Nutrition Programme and the Poshan Abhiyan.
· Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 will cover the Integrated Child Development
Services (ICDS) Scheme, national nutrition mission or POSHAN Abhiyaan, scheme for
adolescent girls, national crèche scheme.
· The budget has allocated Rs. 20,105 crores for ‘Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0’
covering the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme.
About Poshan Abhiyan
· It is a flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and
lactating mothers.
· Launched in 2018 it aims at making it a people’s movement (Jan Andolan) around
malnutrition and intended to significantly reduce malnutrition in the next three years.
JANAUSHADHI SCHEME:
Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated the 7500th Janaushadhi Kendra at
North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in
Shillong via video conferencing.
Concept:
• ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a campaign launched by the
Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. Of India, to provide quality medicines at affordable
prices to the masses through special kendra’s known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan
Aushadhi Kendra.
• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMBJK) have been set up to provide
generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as
expensive branded drugs.
• Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementing agency of PMBJP. BPPI
(Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India) has been established under the
Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. of India, with the support of all the CPSUs.
Significance of the Scheme
• Ensure access to quality medicines.
• Extend coverage of quality generic medicines so as to reduce the out of pocket expenditure on
medicines and thereby redefine the unit cost of treatment per person.
• Create awareness about generic medicines through education and publicity so that quality is
not synonymous with only high price.
• A public programme involving Government, PSUs, Private Sector, NGO, Societies, Co-
operative Bodies and other Institutions.

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• Create demand for generic medicines by improving access to better healthcare through low
treatment cost and easy availability wherever needed in all therapeutic categories.
Generic Medicine
• Generic medicines are unbranded medicines which are equally safe and having the same
efficacy as that of branded medicines in terms of their therapeutic value. The prices of generic
medicines are much cheaper than their branded equivalent.
DIGIDHAN MISSION:
Context : According to official data on the DigiDhan Dashboard, the total number of digital
transactions between April 1, 2020, and March 8, 2021,stood at 4,877.51 crore, against the 4,579.94
crore transactions clocked in 2019-20.
Concept :
• Hon’ble Finance Minister in his Budget Speech of FY 2017-18, announced a target of 2,500
crore digital transaction for 2017-18 and had announced that a dedicated Mission shall be set
up for this purpose.
• In pursuance of this vision, “DIGIDHAN Mission” has been set under the Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), with an objective to achieve the target of
2500 crore digital payment transactions in financial year 2017-18 and to enable digital
payment infrastructure throughout the country.
• The Digidhan mission will not only work on spreading literacy about online payments, but
will also undertake promotion of best practices, processes, adoption and on-boarding systems
across the ecosystem for a wide and quick uptake.
Digidhan Dashboard
• To monitor the growth of digital payments, MeitY has developed “Digidhan Dashboard”, a
platform for accurate reporting, monitoring and analysis of all digital payments transactions
occurring in the country and enablement of infrastructure through deployment of
Physical/Mobile/BHIM Aadhaar PoS devices.
• It will help in tracking the growth of digital payment transactions in the country and will
provide inputs for effective planning of digital payment promotional activities.
• The Dashboard includes data of various modes of digital payment transactions. It provides
two levels of access.
• General access provides details of growth of digital payment and related infrastructure.
Privileged access is given to the stakeholders to review their performance for better
implementation and promotion of digital payments.
NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME:

Context : The Centre must increase the “meagre” pensions provided for poor senior citizens,
widows and disabled people, said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development.
Concept :
National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP):
• The NSAP is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development.
It came into effect from 15th August,1995.
• It represents a significant step towards the fulfillment of the DPSP in Article 41 of the
Constitution.

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• In particular, Article 41 of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public
assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in
other cases of undeserved want within the limit of its economic capacity and development.
• It aims to provide financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities in
the form of social pensions.
• Coverage: It currently covers more than three crore people who are below the poverty line
(BPL), including about 80 lakh widows, 10 lakh disabled and 2.2 crore elderly.
Presently NSAP comprises of five schemes, namely:
• Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS).
• Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS).
• Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS).
• National Family Benefit Scheme NFBS).
• Annapurna.
PRADHAN MANTRI SWASTHYA SURAKSHA NIDHI (PMSSN):

Context : The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN)
as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for share of Health from the proceeds of Health and Education
Cess levied under Section 136-b of Finance Act, 2007.
Concept :
Salient features of the PMSSN
• A non-lapsable reserve fund for Health in the Public Account;
• Proceeds of share of health in the Health and Education Cess will be credited into PMSSN;
• Accruals into the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Health
& Family Welfare namely,
Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs)
National Health Mission
Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)
Emergency & disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies
Any future programme/scheme that targets to achieve progress towards SDGs and the
targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.
• Administration and maintenance of the PMSSN is entrusted to Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare; and
• In any financial year, the expenditure on such schemes of the MoHFW would be initially
incurred from the PMSSN and thereafter, from Gross Budgetary Support (GBS).
OPERATION GREEN - TOP TO TOTAL:

Context : The Ministry of Food Processing and Industries (MoFPI) has refused to give assent to
the Railways proposal last month to include seven major items — tea leaves, bamboo, rubber, betel
nut, black pepper, mustard, and soyabean — under “Operation Greens-TOP to Total”, which provides
50 per cent subsidy on transportation of fruits and vegetables.
Concept:
'Operation Green's TOP to TOTAL' Scheme
• Objective: The objective of intervention is to protect the growers of fruits and vegetables
from making distress sale due to lockdown and reduce the post-harvest losses.

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• Eligible Crops: Fruits - Mango, Banana, Guava, Kiwi, Lichi, Papaya, Citrus, Pineapple,
Pomegranate, Jackfruit; Vegetables - French beans, Bitter Gourd, Brinjal, Capsicum, Carrot,
Cauliflower, Chillies (Green), Okra, Onion, Potato and Tomato.
• Any other fruit/vegetable can be added in future on the basis of recommendation by Ministry
of Agriculture or State Government.
• Eligible Entities: Food Processors, FPO/FPC, Co-operative Societies, Individual farmers,
Licensed Commission Agent, Exporters, State Marketing/Co- operative Federation, Retailers
etc. engaged in processing/ marketing of fruits and vegetables.
• Pattern of Assistance: The Ministry of FPI will provide subsidy @ 50 % of the cost of the
following two components, subject to the cost norms:
• Transportation of eligible crops from surplus production cluster to consumption centre; and/or
• Hiring of appropriate storage facilities for eligible crops (for maximum period of 3 months).
RODTEP SCHEME:
Context : As the government prepares to notify refund rates under the Remission of Duties and
Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme, exporters fear the rates may turn out to be lower than
recommended by a technical committee.
Concept :
Remission of Duties or Taxes on Export Product (RoDTEP):
• The scheme was announced in 2020 as a replacement for the Merchandise Export from India
Scheme (MEIS), which was not compliant with the rules of the World Trade Organisation.
• Following a complaint by the US, a dispute settlement panel had ruled against India’s use of
MEIS as it had found the duty credit scrips awarded under the scheme to be inconsistent with
WTO norms.
• The RoDTEP scheme would refund to exporters the embedded central, state and local duties
or taxes that were so far not being rebated or refunded and were, therefore, placing India’s
exports at a disadvantage.
Significance:
• Indian exporters will be able to meet the international standards for exports as affordable
testing and certification will be made available to exporters within the country instead of
relying on international organizations.
• Also under it, tax assessment is set to become fully automatic for exporters. Businesses will
get access to their refunds for GST via an automatic refund-route.
• This would increase the economy for the country and working capital for the enterprise.
Extension of Benefits:
• The government has decided to extend the benefits of the RoDTEP to all export goods
starting 1st january 2021.
• Initially, the scheme was expected to be limited to around three sectors to start with due to
limited resources.
• The rates under this scheme, which are expected to be notified soon, will be applicable from
1st january 2021 to all eligible exports of goods.
MMDR AMENDMENT BILL:

Context : Recently, the Lok Sabha has passed a Bill to amend the Mines and Mineral
(Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) through a voice vote.
Concept :

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Key Changes under MMDR (Amendment) Bill 2021

• It removes the distinction between captive and non-captive mines and seeks to introduce an
index-based mechanism by developing a National Mineral Index (NMI) for statutory
payments.
• The National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) which is entrusted with responsibility of
looking after the functioning of the mining sector will be made an autonomous body.
• Sale of minerals by captive mines: It proposes to allow captive miners of both coal and other
minerals to sell up to 50 per cent of their production after meeting the requirements of the
end-use plant and on paying additional royalty to the state government.
• It proposes to fix additional royalty payments to states for the extension of mining leases for
central public sector enterprises.
• Auction by the central government in certain cases: It proposes to empower the central
government to conduct auctions or re-auction processes for the grant of a mining lease if a
state government fails to complete the auction process.
• Conditions for lapse of mining lease: The Act provides that a mining lease will lapse if the
lessee:
is not able to start mining operations within two years of the grant of a lease, or
has discontinued mining operations for a period of two years.
• The Bill adds that the threshold period for lapse of the lease may be extended by the state
government only once and up to one year.
DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION:

Context : The Centre has inserted a new clause into the Mines and Minerals (Development and
Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021, to take control of the district mineral funds from the state
governments.
Concept :
DMFs:
• DMFs were instituted under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR)
Amendment Act 2015.
• They are non-profit trusts to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by
mining-related operations.
• Objective: To work for the interest of the benefit of the persons and areas affected mining
related operations in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.
• Its manner of operation comes under the jurisdiction of the relevant State Government.
• The fund is collected at the district level(District Mineral Fund) .
• There are certain high-priority areas identified in all states’ DMF rules, where at least 60 per
cent of the fund must be used. These include vital and pressing concerns, including
healthcare.
• The various state DMF rules and the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Khestra Kalyan Yojana
(PMKKKY) guidelines stipulate some “high priority” issues for DMFs
• They are, drinking water, health, women and child welfare,.education, livelihood and skill
development, welfare of aged and disabled, sanitation.
Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY):
• The programme is meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining
related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).
Objectives of the scheme:

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• To implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas

that complement the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government.
• To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment,
health and socio-economics of people in mining districts.
• To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.
NIRBHAYA FUND:
Context : A Bengaluru-based lawyer has alleged that the guidelines issued after the Nirbhaya rape
case have been violated in the sex CD scandal involving former Karnataka Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi.
Concept :
About Nirbhaya fund:
• The Rs 1,000 crore Nirbhaya Fund was announced in Union Budget 2013 by the then Finance
Minister P Chidambaram.
• The corpus was to be utilised for upholding safety and dignity of women.
• Ministry of Women and Child Development apart from several other concerned ministries
were authorised to work out details of structure, scope and application of this fund.
• The Fund is administered by Department of Economic Affairs of the finance ministry.
PLI SCHEME:
Context : The Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) has written letters to the NITI
Aayog to consider declaring 2020-21 as zero year for production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for
manufacturing of mobile phones.
Concept :
• PLI schemes for all sectors that have been announced since April last year envisage
incentives on achievement of a minimum threshold of cumulative incremental investment and
incremental sales of manufactured goods net of taxes.
• Since the government notified the PLI for mobile manufacturing on April 1 last year, FY21
was considered as the base year for the calculation of incremental investments and sales, and
therefore the incentives to be given to companies.
How does 2020-21 being considered as zero year help cellphone makers?
• For the purposes of calculation of incremental investment, incremental sales of manufactured
goods net of taxes and therefore the incentives, cellphone companies have urged the
government that the current financial year be considered as zero year.
• In essence, they say that for the purposes of calculation of the incentives to be given to under
the PLI scheme, the government should consider the incremental investments they will make
and sales of products that they achieve from next financial year.
• The most common claim is that the lockdown in the first three months of this fiscal left them
with very little time to get started with the building of or expansion of old units.
SAAMAR CAMPAIGN:
Context : The Jharkhand government announced the launch of SAAMAR (Strategic Action for
Alleviation of Malnutrition and Anemia Reduction) campaign to tackle malnutrition in the state.
Concept :

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• The campaign aims to identify anaemic women and malnourished children and converge
various departments to effectively deal with the problem in a state where malnutrition has
been a major problem.
• SAAMAR has been launched with a 1000 days target, under which annual surveys will be
conducted to track the progress.
• To tackle severe acute malnutrition children, every Anganwadi Centres will be engaged to
identify these children and subsequently will be treated at the Malnutrition Treatment
Centres.
• In the same process the anaemic women will also be listed and will be referred to health
centres in serious cases.
• All of these will be done through measuring Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) of
women and children through MUAC tapes and Edema levels, swelling in a small area or the
entire body—malnutrition is one of the reasons attributed to this disease.
• Angawadi’s Sahayia and Sevika will take them to the nearest Health Centre where they will
be checked again and then registered on the portal of State Nutrition Mission.
DARPAN:
Context: Apart from a new policy to regulate civil society, Niti Aayog is workin on DARPAN 2.0.
Concept:
· NGO-DARPAN is a platform that provides space for interface between Non-Government
organizations (NGOs)/ Voluntary Organizations (VOs) in the country and key Government
Ministries / Departments / Government Bodies.
· Initially an initiative of PMO, to create and promote a healthy partnership between
NGOs/VOs and the Government of India, Now it is an e-governance application offered by
NITI Aayog to electronically maintain data and transparency regarding NGOs/VOs in the
country.
· The NGO-DARPAN was earlier maintained by erstwhile Planning Commission, which has
been replaced by the NITI Aayog in 2015.
· an NGO has to first sign-up on the NGO-DARPAN portal to obtain a Unique Identity
Number (UIN) by furnishing the required details like registration number of the organization,
PAN of the organization, PAN and Aadhar details of the office bearers/trustees etc. to transact
business with the ministries and departments.
ULPIN SCHEME:
Context : Centre to Launch Unique ID Number for All Plots of Land by 2022: Report
Concept :
• This plan has been laid out in a parliamentary standing committee report submitted to the Lok
Sabha last week, as part of the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme
(DILRMP) which began in 2008 and has been expanded several times.
• The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) scheme, as it is being called, has
already been rolled out in 10 states, the report quotes the Department of Land Resources, and
will be extended across the country by March 2022.
• The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) System will have 14 digits - Alpha-
numeric unique ID for each land parcel.
• The Unique IDs based on Geo reference coordinate of vertices of the parcel would be of
international standard and compliance of the Electronic Commerce Code Management

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Association (ECCMA) standard and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards and it
will provide compatibility so that all states can adopt it easily.
• Proper land statistics and land accounting through ULPIN will help develop land bank and
lead towards Integrated Land Information Management System (ILIMS).
PMAY – G:
Context : Less than 6% of houses sanctioned under the Centre’s flagship rural housing scheme in
2020-21 have reached completion so far this year, with COVID-19 stalling progress, the Rural
Development Ministry told a Parliamentary Standing Committee last month.
Concept:
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin.
• Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.
• The erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira Awaas yojana (IAY) has been restructured into
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana –Gramin (PMAY-G) from 01.04.2016.
• PMAY-G aims at providing a pucca house, with basic amenities, to all houseless householder
and those households living in kutcha and dilapidated house, by 2022.
• Target: Construction of 2.95 crore houses with all basic amenities by the year 2022.
Cost sharing:
• The cost of unit assistance in this scheme is shared between Central and State Governments in
the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90: 10 for North Eastern and Himalayan States.
• The scheme envisages training of Rural Masons with the objective of improving
workmanship and quality of construction of houses while at the same time, increasing
availability of skilled masons and enhancing employability of such masons.
Selection of beneficiaries:
• Based on housing deprivation parameters of Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC),
2011, subject to 13 point exclusion criteria, followed by Gram Sabha verification.
NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT:

Context: House nod needed, Centre builds case for lower food law coverage.
Concept:
About NFSA, 2013
• To provide for food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach through access
to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
• Based on the rural and urban coverage ratio, the erstwhile Planning Commission had
determined the state-wise coverage ratio using the National Sample Survey Household
Consumption Expenditure coverage under food security law Survey data for 2011-12. The
coverage ratio has not been revised since the law came into effect on July 5, 2013.
• National Food Security Act, 2013 covers up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the
urban population under under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority households who
receives subsidized food grains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
Provisions:
• The existing AAY household will continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per
month.
• 5 Kgs of food grains per person per month at Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains.
• Meal and maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000 to pregnant women and lactating
mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth,

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• Meals to children up to 14 years of age.

• Food security allowance to beneficiaries in case of non-supply of entitled food grains or
meals.
• Setting up of grievance redressal mechanisms at the district and state level.

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REPORTS
Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM report):
Context: A World Bank report. Compiled in collaboration with UNESCO’s Global Education
Monitoring Report, it said current levels of government spending in low and lower-middle income
nations fall short of those needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
Concept:
· 65% of low- and middle-income countries and 33% of others have cut their education budget
due to Covid-19 stress on finances.
About GEM report:
· It was released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).
· GEM 2020 said that during the height of school closures in April 2020, almost 91% of
students around the world were out of school.
· Poorer countries opted for radio and television (TV) lessons, 55% of low-income, 73% of
lower-middle-income and 93% of upper-middle-income countries adopted for online learning
platforms for primary and secondary education.
· India has used a mix of all three systems (radio, TV and online platforms) for educational
continuity.
· GEM, 2021 will focus on role of non-state actor in education.
WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT:

Context : World Happiness Report 2021: Finland ranks first, India 139th.
Concept :
• Finland has been declared the world’s happiest country for the fourth year running, according
to the World Happiness Report 2021 published.
• Meanwhile, India ranked 139th out of the 149 countries in the list — a slight improvement
since last year, when it was ranked 140th.
• Of the 10 top countries in the list, nine were in Europe. Finland was followed by Denmark,
Switzerland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, New Zealand and
Austria.
• The report evaluated levels of happiness by taking into account factors such as GDP, social
support, personal freedom, and levels of corruption in each nation.
• But this year, the authors had a unique new challenge to address in the report — the ongoing
Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on nations around the world.
About World Happiness Report:
• It is released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations by
the UN General Assembly.
• It is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks countries by how happy
their citizens perceive themselves to be.
FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2021:

Context: The report demoted India’s freedom score from “free” to “partly free”, saying rights and
civil liberties “have been eroding

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Concept:
· The report is brought by the Washington-based noted think tank Freedom House. It
assesses countries on 25 different indicators.
· It is published since 1973 and assesses the condition of political rights and civil liberties
around the world.
· The report deported India based on attacks on Muslims, use of the sedition law, and the
government’s coronavirus response including the lockdown.
· India’s score decreased from 71 to 67 (100 being the ranking for the most free country), and
its rank fell from 83 to 88 out of 211 countries. It places India with Ecuador and Dominican
Republic.
· India’s Internet Freedom Score has stayed at 51.
Significance of report
· Now less than 20 per cent of the world’s people live in a Free country — the smallest
proportion since 1995.
· The most free countries in the world, with a score of 100, are Finland, Norway and Sweden,
while the least free with a score of 1 are Tibet and Syria
· India’s ranking had risen twice between 2013 to 2015, then stayed steady till 2018 and since
then declining.
· Amendments to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act and the freezing of Amnesty
International’s assets reflects decline in freedom of NGOs.
· Score on independence of judiciary also decline with nomination of Ex-CJI in Rajya Sabha,
alleged pro-govt decisions, the high-profile transfer of a judge after he ruled against the
government’s political interests
· Individual's freedom of movement declined due to migrant crisis and “violent and
discriminatory enforcement by police and civilian vigilantes
· Again listed “Indian Kashmir” separately as "not free"
QS World Ranking by Subject:

Context: The number of Indian universities/ institutes in the top 100 subject rankings has increased
from eight to 12 this year.
Concept:
Findings of the report w.r.t India:
· 25 subjects mostly in engineering (17) offered by higher education institutions in India rank
among the top 100 in the world in their respective subject categories (last edition it was 26
subjects).
· The O P Jindal Global University is the only private university to have entered the top-100
club with its law programme ranked 76th globally.

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· IIT-Madras’s Petroleum Engineering programme registered the best performance among

Indian institutes — 30th in the world.
· IIT-Guwahati (for petroleum engineering), Jawaharlal Nehru University (anthropology),
Anna University (petroleum engineering), and O P Jindal Global University (law) were 4 new
entrants in top-100.
· IIT-Bombay has got more top 100 positions (total 7) than any other Indian institution.
About the report

· It is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
· Earlier it was known as the Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings
· In partnership with Elsevier, the QS system now comprises the global overall and subject
rankings
· QS World University Rankings by subject calculate performance based on four parameters
1. Academic reputation
2. Employer reputation
3. Research impact (citations per paper)
4. The productivity of an institution’s research faculty.
FOOD WASTE INDEX REPORT:

Context : Recently, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released the Food
Waste Index Report 2021.
Concept :

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• It has revealed that 17% of all food available at consumer level (11% in households, 5% in
food service and 2% in retail) was wasted in 2019 and around 690 million people had to go
hungry.
• This report estimates that around 931 million tonnes of food waste was generated in 2019.
• 61% of which came from households, 26% from food service and 13% from retail.
• Food waste generation is found to be equally relevant across all income countries such as
high, upper-middle and lower-middle income countries.
• Developed Countries like Austria produce very low amounts of waste at 39 kg/capita/year.
On the other hand, countries like Nigeria are producing waste at 189 kg/capita/year. For India,
the waste in kg/capita/year was 50.
About the Report:
• It presents the most comprehensive food waste data collection, analysis and modelling to
date, generating a new estimate of global food waste.
• It also publishes a methodology for countries to measure food waste, at household, food
service and retail level, to track national progress towards 2030.
• In contrast to the Food Loss Index, the Food Waste Index measures total food waste (rather
than loss or waste associated with specific commodities).
Food Loss Index
• The Food Loss Index (FLI) focuses on food losses that occur from production up to (and not
including) the retail level.
• It measures the changes in percentage losses for a basket of 10 main commodities by country
in comparison with a base period.
• The FLI contributes to measure progress towards SDG Target 12.3.
Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020:

Context: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has emerged as the best municipality among
cities and union territories with a population of less than a million in the country as part of MPI,2020
from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Concept:
· NDMC took a quantum jump from 65th in 2019.
· Several IT-based initiatives for strengthening e-governance and m-governance to improve
under services and governance verticals were major driver of this makeover.
· In the Million+ category, Indore has emerged as the highest ranked municipality, followed by
Surat and Bhopal.
· It is released by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
About MPI
· The Municipal Performance Index (MPI) was launched as an accompaniment to the Ease of
Living Index. It was launched to expand scope for the EoLI (Ease of Living Index)
framework in order to make it more robust
· The Municipal Performance Index captures the enabling input parameters
· It seeks to give insight into granular understanding of a municipalities' functionalities and the
extent of their development and capabilities. It seeks to simplify and evaluate the
complexities in local governance practice and promote the ethos of transparency and
accountability
· It is a framework to assess and analyse the performance of Indian Municipalities based on
their defined set of functions.
· This assesses the performance of 114 cities across 5 pillars, 20 categories and 99 indicators.
These 5 pillars are: Services, Finance, Policy, Technology and Governance

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· Generate information to guide evidence-based policy making

· Catalyze action to achieve broader developmental outcomes including the Sustainable
Development Goals
· Assess and compare the outcomes achieved by municipal bodies with given set of resources
· Give citizens an insight into the functioning of local bodies and build a dialogue between the
stakeholders
Ease of Living Index, 2020 (EoLI):

Context: The rankings under Ease of Living Index 2020 by MoHUA were announced for cities
(along with the MPI, 2020) with a population of more than a million.
Concept:
· The Ease of Living Index encapsulates the outcome indicators by a Citizen Perception Survey
(Bhubaneshwar had the highest CPS score) in the index, holding a weightage of 30%. It also
includes SDGs in its framework.
· The methodology and approach for the revised edition of EoLI and MPI were released by
MoHUA in February 2019. Essentially, the EoLI report aims to measure the well-being of
Indian citizens in 111 cities, across the pillars of Quality of Life, Economic-ability, and
Sustainability, with 49 indicators under 13 categories.
· Bengaluru (1st) was declared most livable followed by Pune, Ahmedabad best cities in EoLI
(Ease of Living Index) 2020
· Shimla ranked first in EoLI 2020.
AGRICULTURAL MARKETING AND FARMER FRIENDLY REFORMS INDEX

(AMFFRI):
Context : It requires a diversified approach that takes into account peculiarities and constraints of
states, investment in infrastructure and linking farmer producer groups with markets.
Concept :
• This Index was launched by NITI Aayog.
• NITI Aayog has developed the first ever ‘Agriculture Marketing and Farmer Friendly
Reforms Index’ to sensitise states about the need to undertake reforms in the three key areas
of Agriculture Market Reforms, Land Lease Reforms and Forestry on Private Land (Felling
and Transit of Trees).
• This indicator reveal ease of doing agribusiness as well as opportunities for farmers to benefit
from modern trade and commerce and have wider option for sale of her/his produce.
• The index carries a score with a minimum value “0” implying no reforms and maximum
value “100” implying complete reforms in the selected areas.

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REPORT BY INDEX MONITORING CELL:

Context : Veteran journalist strikes a dissenting note in Index Monitoring Cell report.
Concept :
• Pointing out that the right to dissent should be the central focus of press freedom, independent
journalist P. Sainath struck a dissenting note in the report submitted by the Index Monitoring
Cell (IMC)
• It is set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry with stakeholders to improve
India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index and to evolve an objective yardstick to
gauge media freedom.
• The 15-member committee, has four journalists and government functionaries. Chaired by
Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia, Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau, the
committee has 10 government employees.
• Among the key recommendations is the decriminalising of defamation. India is one of the few
countries in the world to criminalise defamation.
• The panel has also recommended that consent of the Press Council of India is a prerequisite
before filing an FIR against the media or a publication.
• The meeting of the panel comes in the backdrop of a steady decline in India’s ranking in press
freedom.
World Press Freedom Index
• It has been published every year since 2002 by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) or
Reporters Without Borders.
• Based in Paris, RSF is an independent NGO with consultative status with the United Nations,
UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the International Organization of the Francophonie
(OIF).
• OIF is a 54 french speaking nations collective.
• The Index ranks 180 countries and regions according to the level of freedom available to
journalists.

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• The parameters include pluralism, media independence, media environment and self-
censorship, legislative framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure that
supports the production of news and information.
WORLD AIR QUALITY REPORT :

Context : 22 Of World’s 30 Most Polluted Cities Are In India: World Air Quality Report, 2020.
Concept :
• Twenty-two of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India, with Delhi being ranked as the
most polluted capital city globally, a new report said .
• The report shows that Delhi’s air quality improved by approximately 15 per cent from 2019
to 2020
• It said that despite the improvement, Delhi ranked as the 10th most polluted city and the top
polluted capital city in the world.
• The report is prepared by Swiss organisation, IQAir, in the form of the ‘World Air Quality
Report, 2020’, which has released globally.
• It is to be noted that the World Air Quality Report is different from the State Of Global Air
Report which is produced by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute (HEI).
GLOBAL WAGES REPORT:

Context : The ILO report titled ‘Global Wage Report 2020-21: Wages and minimum wages in the
time of COVID-19’ is available at ILO’s official website.
Concept :
Key Highlights of Global Wage Report 2020-21
• It comments on various issues including on Indian workers having low average wages, longer
hours as well as that the workers in Asia and the Pacific.
• The 2020-21 edition analyses the relationship of minimum wages and inequality, as well as
the wage impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
• The global wage growth fluctuated between 1.6 and 2.2 per cent in the four years preceding
the COVID-19 pandemic (2016–19).
• In advanced G20 economies, the real wage growth fluctuated between 0.4 and 0.9 per cent.
• Among advanced G20 economies, wage growth accelerated the most (by 22 per cent) in the
Republic of Korea, followed by Germany (15 per cent).
• The impacts of the crisis on total wages have fallen differently on men and women, the latter
being disproportionately affected.
• The COVID-19 crisis disproportionately affected lower-paid workers, thereby increasing
wage inequalities.
• The report highlighted that minimum wages, statutory or negotiated, exist in 90 per cent of
the 187 ILO Member States.
Global Wage Report
• It is a flagship report of ILO which examines the evolution of real wages around the world,
giving a unique picture of wage trends globally and by region.
• It is central to the analysis of wage trends and labour market developments as well as to the
theoretical debate about the role of labour in the economy.
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
• It is the only tripartite United Nations agency established in 1919.
• It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States.

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• It aims to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent
work for all women and men.
GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX:

Context : Union Minister for Agriculture questioned in the Rajya Sabha the methodology and data
accuracy of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report, which has placed India at 94th among 107
countries in 2020.
Concept :
• The Minister said the government had written to the NGO, Welthungerhilfe, which compiles
the report, expressing concerns about their methodology, data accuracy and sample size.
• India’s ranking had improved from 102 in 2019 to 94 in 2020. But still, India was ranked
below countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Global Hunger Index
• Annual Report: Jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.
• It was first produced in 2006. It is published every October. The 2020 edition marks the 15th
edition of the GHI.
• Aim: To comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country
levels.
• Calculation: The GHI scores are calculated each year to assess progress and setbacks in
combating hunger. It is calculated on the basis of four indicators:
Undernourishment: Share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
Child Wasting: Share of children under age five who have low weight for their height,
reflecting acute undernutrition.
Child Stunting: Share of children under age five who have low height for their age,
reflecting chronic undernutrition.
Child Mortality: The mortality rate of children under the age of five.
• Based on the values of the four indicators, the GHI determines hunger on a 100-point scale
where 0 is the best possible score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst.
• Each country’s GHI score is classified by severity, from low to extremely alarming.
COMPOSITE WATER MANAGEMENT INDEX:

Context : As per the Composite Water Management Index of Niti Aayog (2019), 75% households
in India do not have access to drinking water on their premises, and India ranks 120th amongst 122
countries in the water quality index.
Concept:
CWMI:
• The Composite Water Management Index report is a step in a direction that aims to create
awareness among people and governments about the realities of water crisis in the country.
• CWMI aims to enable effective water management in Indian states in the face of this growing
crisis.
• The index would provide useful information for the states and concerned Central ministries
and departments enabling them to formulate and implement suitable strategies for better
management of water resources.
• NITI Aayog has ranked all states in the index on the composite water management,
comprising 9 broad sectors with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of ground

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water, restoration of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and
governance.
NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
APEDA:
Context:
Non-basmati exports to countries in West Asia and some in the African continent have risen over the
past few months as they have been building a reserve stock of the cereal, in view of the Covid-19
pandemic, anticipating a global food scarcity.
Concept:
Basmati Rice:
· It is one of the best known varieties of rice all across the globe.
· It is a long grain rice which has its origin from India and some parts of Pakistan.
· It has a unique position in the rice world due to its price, fragrance, grain morphology as well as
quality.
· Basmati rice has a unique fragrance and flavour caused due to the presence of a chemical called
2-acetyl-1-pyrroline.
· This chemical is found in basmati rice at about 90 parts per million (ppm) which is 12 times more
than non-basmati rice varieties.
· Basmati rice needs specific climatic conditions to grow which is why it is cultivated in selected
regions of India.
· It is cultivated in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Jammu and kashmir and western Uttar Pradesh.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry expects a “major boost” in India’s rice exports potential,
with APEDA’s promotion of these cereal grain through collaborations with various stakeholders in
the value chain.
Non-basmati and basmati rice form a major portion of APEDA’s export basket, with non-basmati
accounting for 22.52 per cent and basmati around 20.99 per cent of the authority’s total exports.
India recorded $2.62 billion in exports of the livestock product between April-January 2020-21, down
5.62 per cent from the $2.78 billion it had shipped during the same period in 2019-20.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA):
It was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority Act, passed by the Parliament in December, 1985.
It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is the apex organization
engaged in work related to the development of export of agricultural products and processed food
from India.
It is responsible for putting in place a system for administration of GI and authentication of the
product in India and abroad.
UIDAI:
Context: Senior bureaucrat Saurbah Garg has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as part of a bureaucratic reshuffle effected
by the Centre.
Concept:

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• The Unique Identification Authority of India or UIDAI is an agency under the central
government of India mandated to collect demographic and biometric information of the
country’s residents, store the data in a central database.
• The UIDAI is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number (Aadhaar) to
all the residents of India
• UIDAI was established as per the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other
Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. The act is also called the Aadhaar Act 2016 in
short.
• It comes under the Electronics & IT ministry.
• As per the 2016 Act, UIDAI is accountable for the authentication and enrolment of Aadhaar,
and also to safeguard the data protection of identity information of individuals.
NATIONAL BANK FOR FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT:

Context : Parliament passes bill to set up National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and
Development.
Concept :
• The NaBFID Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 22, 2021.
• The Bill seeks to establish the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development
(NBFID) as the principal development financial institution (DFIs) for infrastructure financing.
What are DFIs?
• DFIs are set up for providing long-term finance for such segments of the economy where the
risks involved are beyond the acceptable limits of commercial banks and other ordinary
financial institutions.
• Unlike banks, DFIs do not accept deposits from people.
• They source funds from the market, government, as well as multi-lateral institutions, and are
often supported through government guarantees.
NCPCR:
Context : In its notice to Netflix, NCPCR directed the streaming platform to furnish an action
taken report within the next 24 hours.
Concept :
About NCPCR:
• Set up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.
• It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
• The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group.
• The Commission’s Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and
Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined
in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Under the RTE Act, 2009, the NCPCR can:
• inquire into complaints about violation of the law.
• summon an individual and demand evidence.
• seek a magisterial enquiry.
• file a writ petition in the High Court or Supreme Court.
• approach the government concerned for prosecution of the offender.
• recommend interim relief to those affected.

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Composition:
• This commission has a chairperson and six members of which at least two should be women.
• All of them are appointed by Central Government for three years.
• The maximum age to serve in commission is 65 years for Chairman and 60 years for
members.
INTER PARLIAMENTARY UNION:

Context : The Indian economy under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is 'amazing',
said Duarte Pacheco, President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Concept :
• IPU is global inter-parliamentary institution.
• It was established in 1889 and was the first permanent forum for political multilateral
negotiations.
• It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Its initial objective was arbitration of conflicts.
• It played important role in setting up Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
• Over time, its mission has evolved towards promotion of democracy and inter-parliamentary
dialogue.
• It has worked for establishment of institutions at inter-governmental level, including UN.
• Initially, IPU was for individual parliamentarians, but has since transformed into international
organization of parliaments of sovereign states.
• As of 2020, the national parliaments of 179 countries are members of the IPU, while 13
regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members.
• The IPU has permanent observer status at UNGA.
CEDAW:
Context : Pune RS MP demands criminalisation of marital rape.
Concept :
• The Convention on the Elimination of ALL Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General
Assembly.
• Described as an international bill of rights for women, consisting of a preamble and 30
articles.
• It defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national
action to end such discrimination.
• It was instituted on 3 September 1981 and has been ratified by 189 states.
• India signed CEDAW on July 39, 1980 and ratified it on July 9, 1993, with certain
reservations. India has not yet ratified the Optional Protocol to CEDAW.
• By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to
end discrimination against women in all forms, including:
• to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all
discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
• to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women
against discrimination; and
• to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or
enterprises.

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• The treaty is monitored by a 23-member expert committee called the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
• The members are elected by state parties with the tenure of membership lasting four years.
Optional Protocol to CEDAW
• The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (OP-CEDAW) is an international treaty which establishes complaint and
inquiry mechanisms for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW).
• Parties to the Protocol allow the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women to hear complaints from individuals or inquire into "grave or systematic violations"
of the Convention.

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MISCELLANEOUS
Women harder hit by job losses due to Pandemic:
Context: According to the recently released PLFS and CMIE data the women has been hit harder by
the pandemic w.r.t participation in workforce.
Concept:
· From 16.4% in May-August of 2016, the female labour participation rate (employed women
as a proportion of all women of working age) fell consistently after the demonetisation shock
to stabilise at around 11% between mid-2018 and early 2020, according to estimates of
Mumbai-based Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE)
· The pandemic, by most accounts, dealt this a hammer blow, pushing this number to around 9
per cent.
· Women, according to the CMIE, accounted for 10.7% of the workforce in 2019-20, but they
accounted for 13.9% of the job losses in April 2020 — the first month of the lockdown shock.
By November 2020, while men recovered most of their lost jobs, women were less fortunate.
CMIE estimates that 49% of the total job losses by November 2020 were of women.
Factors for higher impact on women:
· Textiles and contact service providers employing more women were hardest hit
· schools were shut down and the family unit was under pressure, many women workers, once
they lost their jobs, quickly slid back to their full-time role as home-makers and care-givers
· lack of transport
· Retail has been affected, resulting in an impact to sectors such as garment manufacturing
which employs women more
CANNABIS or HEMP CULTIVATION:

Context : In a significant announcement in his annual budget speech last week, Himachal Chief
Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced that the state government is coming up with a policy to allow
controlled cultivation of hemp or cannabis in the state.
Concept :
• Marijuana (or hemp), part of the cannabis super-family, is illegal for commercial cultivation
though it grows as weed in several parts of the country. Uttarakhand, Jammu and — recently
Uttar Pradesh — have allowed restricted cultivation of the plant for medical research.
• The Marijuana has two components CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol ).
• CBD does not cause intoxication or euphoria and has been successfully proven to provide
relief to chronic pain without causing psychoactive side effects.
• It is THC which is the primary psychoactive components of Marijuana.
Isn’t cannabis cultivation illegal in India?
• In 1985, India banned the cultivation of cannabis plant under the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. But this Act allows state governments to allow
controlled and regulated cultivation of hemp for obtaining its fibre and seed for industrial or
horticultural purposes.
• In 2018, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to do so, allowing the cultivation of
only those strains of cannabis plant which have a low concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) — the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis that produces a high sensation.

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• Uttar Pradesh followed a similar policy, while Madhya Pradesh and Manipur are reportedly
considering it as well.
1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs
• The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 is an international treaty to prohibit
production and supply of specific (nominally narcotic) drugs and of drugs with similar effects
except under licence for specific purposes, such as medical treatment and research.
• The Single Convention refers to drug addiction as “a serious evil for the individual [that] is
fraught with social and economic danger to mankind”.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY:

Concept :
• The concept of International Women’s Day emerged in the early 1900s at a time of great
unrest and debates among women against oppression and inequality.
• In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay
and voting rights. The next year, the Socialist Party of America observed the first National
Woman’s Day across the United States on February 28, 1909.
• Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of February until 1913.
• Simultaneously, in 1910, the second International Conference of Working Women was held
in Denmark’s Copenhagen, where Clara Zetkin, who led the Women’s Office for the Social
Democratic Party in Germany tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day.
• She proposed that every year, every country should celebrate on the same day to press for
their demands.
• On March 9, 1911, International Women’s Day was honoured for the first time in Austria,
Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
• More than one million women and men attended the rallies campaigning for women’s rights
to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.
• Meanwhile in Russia, on the eve of World War I, women observed their first International
Women’s Day on February 23, the last Sunday in February, with a strike for “bread and
peace” to protest the death of over two million Russian soldiers.
• In the United Nations, it was celebrated for the first time in 1975, and in December 1977,
the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s
Rights and International Peace.
• In 1996, the UN announced their first annual theme — “Celebrating the Past, Planning for
the Future”, followed by “Women at the Peace table” in 1997. In 1998 “Women and Human
Rights”, in 1999 “World Free of Violence Against Women”, each year had a new theme.
AMENDMENT TO UNIFIED ACCESS SERVICE AGREEMENT:

Context: The government on Wednesday amended the unified licence for procurement of telecom
equipment.
Concept:
• According to the amendments to come into effect from June 15, the licensee (operator) will
only use ‘trusted products’ in its network and seek permission from ‘designated authority’ for
upgrading the existing network.

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• The designated authority for this purpose will be the National Cyber Security Coordinator
and, in this regard, the licensee will have to provide any information as and when sought by
the designated authority, it said.
• However, these directions will not affect ongoing annual maintenance contracts (AMC) or
updates to the existing equipment already inducted in the network as on date of effect,
according to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said in the ‘Amendment to the
Unified Access Services (UAS) License Agreement (UASL) for procurement of
telecommunication equipment.
National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC)
• The NCCC was developed in 2017.
• It is an operational cybersecurity and e-surveillance agency in India.
• It is intended to screen communication metadata (little snippets of information hidden inside
each communication) and co-ordinate the intelligence gathering activities of other agencies.
• Some have expressed concern that the body could encroach on Indian citizens’ privacy and
civil-liberties, given the lack of explicit privacy laws in the country.
• Components of the NCCC include:
A cybercrime prevention strategy,
Cybercrime investigation training and
Review of outdated laws.
• Indian and U.S. intelligence agencies are also working together to curb misuse of social
media platforms in the virtual world by terror groups
IT RULES 2021:
Context: The Kerala High Court restrained the Centre from taking coercive action against Live
Law Media Private Ltd., which owns a legal news portal, for not complying with Part III of the new
IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Concept:
• The court issued notice to the Centre on a petition filed by the firm challenging the rules
regulating digital news media, curated content (OTT platforms), and social media
intermediaries.
• The petition said Part III of the rules imposed an unconstitutional three-tier complaints and
adjudication structure on publishers.
• The creation of a grievance redressal mechanism, through a governmental oversight body (an
inter-departmental committee constituted under Rule 14) amounted to excessive regulation.
• Rule 4(2), which makes it mandatory for every social media intermediary to enable tracing of
originators of information on its platform, purportedly in furtherance of Section 69 of the IT
Act, violated Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression).
• It also deprived the intermediaries of their “safe-harbour protections” under Section 79 of the
IT Act.
• The rules obligating messaging intermediaries to alter their infrastructure to “fingerprint”
each message on a mass scale for every user to trace the first originator was violative of the
fundamental right to privacy of Internet users.

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AMRIT MAHOTSAV:
Context : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday requested MPs and all public
representatives to take part in 'Amrit Mahotsav' to mark India's 75 years of Independence.
Concept :
• The Amrit Mahotsav will start from March 12, 2021 to mark the 75 years of India’s
Independence from the British rule. It will start at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. This
festival will be organised at the 75 locations for 75 weeks across the country.
Logo of Amrit Mahotsav
• The MyGov recently launched a logo design contest for the Amrit Mahotsav so as to
commemorate the monumental occasion.
• To participate in the contest, the artists were required to design a logo on the themes ranging
from Governance, Development, Technology, Reform, Progress and Policy over the years.
Who are eligible for the contest?
• This logo contest was open only for the citizens of India. The entry for the contest was free
and no qualifications have been prescribed by the government. The entry was closed on
February 28, 2021.
How the logo was selected?
• The entries received by February 28 will be evaluated by the Selection Committee which was
constituted for this purpose. Committee will shortlist the entries and decide the winner if any
entry is found suitable.
• The committee will decide one winner, two runners-up regarding which the decision of the
committee will be final. The winner will get the prize of Rs 1 lakh, while the two runners-up
will get the price of Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively.

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LIGHTS OUT PHILLY INITIATIVE:

Context : Bird Safe Philly announced the Lights Out Philly initiative, a voluntary program in
which as many external and internal lights in buildings are turned off or dimmed at night during the
spring and fall.
Concept :
• Lights Out Philly is the result of a collaborative effort led by the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Drexel University, Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, Audubon Mid-Atlantic,
and two local Audubon Society chapters — Valley Forge and Wyncote.
• In addition to the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability, the Bird Safe Philly
initiative is endorsed by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
Philadelphia and the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia.
• The first season of Lights Out Philly launches April 1, at the start of peak spring migration
and runs through May 31, when most winged migrants will have passed through Philadelphia.
In the fall, Lights Out Philly and peak migration will occur between Aug. 15 and Nov. 15 as
birds travel south.
• Each year tens of millions of birds pass through Philadelphia during spring and fall while
migrating between their breeding and wintering grounds.
• Many never complete their epic journey because they are killed when they fly into buildings
and windows, confused by the bright artificial lights and glass.
ATMA NIRBHAR INCUBATOR:

Context : As part of Atmanirbhar initiative of the central government, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Friday launched ‘Atmanirbhar Incubator’ to train artisans, especially in the cotton value
chain.
Concept :
• The Atmanirbhar Incubator is aimed at supporting artisans facing extinction due to lack of
market linkage and funds and enhances their economic empowerment.
• The initiative would benefit nearly 40,000 families in the cotton value chain in Gujarat,
Tamil Nadu, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
SCRAMBLE CROSSING:
Context: A scramble crossing or X-crossing is going to come up in front of the Red Fort under the
Chandni Chowk Redevelopment project.
Concept:
• A pedestrian scramble, also known as scramble intersection and scramble corner (Canada), 'X'
Crossing (UK), diagonal crossing (US), exclusive pedestrian interval, or Barnes Dance, is a
type of traffic signal movement that temporarily stops all vehicular traffic, thereby allowing
pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally, at the same time.
• It was first used in Canada and the United States in the late 1940s, but it later fell out of favor
with traffic engineers there, as it was seen as prioritizing flow of pedestrians over flow of car
traffic.
• Its benefits for pedestrian amenity and safety have led to new examples being installed in
many countries in recent years.

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GANDHI PEACE PRIZE:

Context: 'Hero to Indians as well' Bangabandhu Mujib gets Gandhi Peace Prize.
Concept:
About Gandhi Peace Prize
• The annual award was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 during the
commemoration of the 125th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi for those involved in
social, economic and political transformation through non-violence.
• The jury for Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprises
of two ex-officio members, namely the chief justice of India and leader of the single largest
opposition party in the Lok Sabha.
• The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a Citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as an
exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.
• The prize can be given to individuals, associations, institutions or organizations.
• It can be divided between two persons/institutions who are considered by the Jury to be
equally deserving of recognition in a given year
• It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, creed, race or sex.
• The prize is not awarded posthumously.
• The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 is being conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman, the culture ministry said .
• The prestigious prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al
Said of Oman in recognition of his vision to strengthen relations with India, and his efforts to
promote peace and non-violence in the Gulf region, the ministry said.
CHIN COMMUNITY:
Context : No request received for asylum from Chin community, says Mizoram government.
Concept :
• The State government has said that asylum would be considered if there was a formal request
cleared by the Centre.
• People belonging to Myanmar’s Chin community were seeking to migrate to Mizoram to
escape a military crackdown, primarily because of the Chin National Army (CNA), an
extremist group seeking self-determination in Chin State across the border.
• The Chin community and the Mizos in India belong to the Zo ethnic group, which share
the same ancestry.
• Asylum, in international law, means the protection granted by a state to a foreign citizen
against his own state.
PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY:

Context : Only 2.4% of India’s workforce is formally trained as per the Periodic Labour Force
Survey of 2018-19.
Concept :
• Ministry cites contractors’ preference to employ informal workers on lower wages in contrast
to government’s push to train and certify skilled workers
• All workers executing government contracts must have official certification for their skills,
the government has decided.
What is PLFS?

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• PLFS is India’s first computer-based survey which gives estimates of key employment and
unemployment indicators like the labour force participation rate, worker population ratio,
proportion unemployed and unemployment rate in rural households annually and on a
quarterly basis for the urban households.
• The PLFS also gives the distribution of educated and unemployed people, which in turn can
be used as a basis for skilling of youth to make them more employable by industry.
• The survey was launched in 2017 and the first annual report was released (July 2017-June
2018), covering both rural and urban areas, in May 2019.
Definitions:
• Labour Force Participation Rate: It is the percentage of people in the labour force (those who
are working or seeking or available for work) in the population.
• Worker Population Ratio is the percentage of employed people.
• Unemployment rate shows the percentage of people unemployed among the labour force.
• Unemployed: A person who is unable to get work for even an hour in the last seven days
despite seeking employment is considered unemployed.
INNOVATORS GROWTH PLATFORM FRAMEWORK:

Context : Sebi makes it easier for startups to list on Innovators Growth Platform. It has reduced
the requirement for issuers to have 25% of pre-issue capital held by eligible investors to one year
from two years.
Concept :
• Securities and Exchange Board of India launched ‘Innovators Growth Platform’ erstwhile
known as ‘Institutional Trading Platform’ for listing of issuers which are in intensive use of
technology, information technology, intellectual property, data analytics, bio-technology or
nano-technology to provide products, services or business platforms with substantial value
addition.
• It is a platform on stock exchanges where start-ups can list and trade on their shares.
• It is a platform where listing norms such as IPO norms, pre-issue capital etc are eased for start
up.
PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM:

Context: Inspection finds PDS food grains being supplied in Delhi unfit to consume.
Concept:
• The Public distribution system (PDS) is an Indian food Security System established under the
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution.
• PDS evolved as a system of management of scarcity through distribution of food grains at
affordable prices.
• PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments.
• The Central Government, through Food Corporation of India (FCI), has assumed the
responsibility for procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food grains to
the State Governments.
• The operational responsibilities including allocation within the State, identification of eligible
families, issue of Ration Cards and supervision of the functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs)
etc., rest with the State Governments.
• Under the PDS, presently the commodities namely wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene are being
allocated to the States/UTs for distribution. Some States/UTs also distribute additional items

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of mass consumption through the PDS outlets such as pulses, edible oils, iodized salt, spices,
etc.
• The Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) was launched in June, 1992 with a
view to strengthen and streamline the PDS as well as to improve its reach in the far-flung,
hilly, remote and inaccessible areas where a substantial section of the underprivileged classes
lives.
• In June, 1997, the Government of India launched the Targeted Public Distribution System
(TPDS) with a focus on the poor.
• Under TPDS, beneficiaries were divided into two categories: Households below the poverty
line or BPL; and Households above the poverty line or APL.
• Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): AAY was a step in the direction of making TPDS aim at
reducing hunger among the poorest segments of the BPL population.
• In September 2013, Parliament enacted the National Food Security Act, 2013. The Act
relies largely on the existing TPDS to deliver food grains as legal entitlements to poor
households. This marks a shift by making the right to food a justiciable right.
How PDS system functions?
• The Central and State Governments share responsibilities in order to provide food grains to
the identified beneficiaries.
• The centre procures food grains from farmers at a minimum support price (MSP) and sells it
to states at central issue prices. It is responsible for transporting the grains to godowns in each
state.
• States bear the responsibility of transporting food grains from these godowns to each fair
price shop (ration shop), where the beneficiary buys the food grains at the lower central issue
price. Many states further subsidise the price of food grains before selling it to beneficiaries.
DGCA:
Context : DGCA asks airports to impose fine on those flouting mask rule.
Concept :
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the statutory body formed under the
Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
• This directorate investigates aviation accidents and incidents, maintains all regulations related
to aviation and is responsible for issuance of licenses pertaining to aviation like PPL's, SPL's
and CPL's in India.
• It is headquartered along Sri Aurobindo Marg, opposite Safdarjung Airport, in New Delhi.

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• The Government of India is planning to replace the organisation with a Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA), modelled on the lines of the American Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA).
NATIONAL CADET CORPS:

Context : In a landmark judgment, the Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Centre and
the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to amend the enrolment criteria under Section 6 of the National
Cadet Corps Act and include transgender persons for enrolment.
Concept :
• The NCC was formed in 1948 (on the recommendation of H. N. Kunzru Committee-
1946), and has its roots to British era uniformed youth entities like University Corps or
University Officer Training Corps.
• Currently it has a strength of around 14 lakh cadets from Army, Navy and Air Force wings.
• The NCC falls under the purview of the Ministry of Defence and is headed by a Director
General of three-star military rank.
• It enrolls cadets at high school and college level and also awards certificates on completion of
various phases.
• The NCC cadets receive basic military training at various levels and also have academic
curriculum basics related to Armed forces and their functioning.
• Various training camps, adventure activities and military training camps are an important
aspect of NCC training.
Significance
• NCC cadets have played an important role over the years in relief efforts during various
emergency situations.
• During the ongoing pandemic, over 60,000 NCC cadets have been deployed for voluntary
relief work in coordination with district and state authorities across the country.

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DAILY PRELIMS NOTES

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APPROPRIATION BILL: ................................................................................................... 47

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY................................................................................................ 86

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DOUBLE MUTANT VARIANT CORONAVIRUS:............................................................ 104

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TEQIP (Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme): ............................. 139

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UIDAI: .............................................................................................................................. 158

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ARTS AND CULTURE

Art and Craft at display at Dilli Haat:

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CLASSIC BAGH FESTIVAL:

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SHYAMA PRASAD MUKHERJEE:

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Wine country shift:

KEN BETWA LINK:

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COTTON CORPORATION OF INDIA:

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INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Reservation of seats in Local government:

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Surya Prakash Committee:

Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2021:

OBC quota in local govt:

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North-East removed from the delimitation commission mandate:

SC Bench proposes fast-track courts to address pendency of cases due to

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High level national Committee to commemorate 75 years of independence:

Private members’ bill:

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Overseas Citizen of India (OCI):