August 12 - 18, 2019

Weekly GK Capsule 12th August to 18th August
Economy…………............................................................06
Finance & Banking...........................................................10
Governance & Polity........................................................11
Social Issues…………......................................................16
International News...........................................................17
National News……...........................................................18
Environment & Ecology…...............................................22
Defence & Security….………………………………………23
Science & Technology…..................................................24
Art & Culture..………..…...................................................25
Facts of the Week ............................................................30
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Economy
Govt looks to reverse economic slowdown with a stimulus package
Recently, many economic indicators have pointed to a sharp slowdown in demand, both in
rural and urban India.
For instance, the automobile sector is facing a prolonged slump in demand, leading to
massive job losses.
In this context, the government looks to reverse economic slowdown with a stimulus
package.
Reasons for the Slowdown
India’s merchandise exports have contracted, signalling the impact of US-China trade war.
Poor sentiment in the equity markets and in the banking sector have led to stalling the
investment in India.
With domestic economic activity remaining weak, while the global slowdown and trade
tensions have intensified, there are further chances of intensification of this slowdown.
In this scenario, the industry has demanded a stimulus package of ₹1 trillion to initiate an
investment cycle amid slowing global and domestic slowdown.
The government realized that the tight fiscal policy is proving to be counterproductive
and that monetary policy alone is not enough to spur economic growth.
Therefore, it has laid down a set of measures including tax cuts and targeted sops, to
reverse an economic downturn.
Proposed Measures
The measures being considered are:
The stimulus package will include Rs 100 trillion infrastructure investment over the next
five years
Goods and services tax (GST) relief to specific sectors, including the automobile sector that
could boost demand.
Reduce Red tape on cross-border trade and improve ease of doing business.
The government also held that, in an effort to boost exports, it is working on a new World
Trade Organization-compliant duty reimbursement scheme.
Final clearance for India’s longest ropeway over sea project to be issued soon
India’s first and longest sea ropeway project that will connect Mumbai with the
Elephanta Caves, is scheduled to start by the end of the year 2019.
The 8-km ropeway will begin from Sewri in Mumbai’s east coast and end at Raigad
district’s Elephanta Island.
The caves see an annual footfall of nearly seven lakh visitors and are one of the must-
visit places around Mumbai. Presently, it takes around an hour for the 10-km cruise from
Mumbai and vice versa.

The 14-minute ride by 30-seater cable cars will give a major boost to tourism.
It is Rs. 700 crore PPP (Public-Private Partnership) project which will be executed by the
Mumbai Port Trust, under the Ministry of Shipping.
Elephanta Caves
The Elephanta caves, located on the Elephanta Islands (in the Arabian Sea), off Mumbai,
was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987.
Known locally as Gharapuri Caves, these were constructed about the mid-5th to 6th
centuries AD.
The seven caves constitute one of the most striking collections of rock-art in India.
State-run oil marketing companies to buy biodiesel made from used cooking oil
On the occasion of World Biofuel Day, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas released
the Expression of Interest (EOI) for procurement of biodiesel made from Used Cooking Oil
(UCO).
The entrepreneurs setting up biodiesel plants (using used cooking oil as their raw material) to
get remunerative price and assurance of complete offtake of production by the oil
companies for the purpose of blending with normal diesel.
The Minister also launched a ‘Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO)’ sticker and a phone
app to enable the collection of used cooking oil.
Restaurants and hotels interested in supplying used cooking oil can affix the sticker to
show availability.
The announcement comes just a day after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) directed Food Safety Commissioners to ensure that Food Business Operators
(FBOs), whose consumption of edible oils for frying is more than 50 litres per day, stop
reusing the oil more than three times.
FSSAI is planning to launch a mobile app for tracing and tracking used cooking oil.
FSSAI is also planning to ask cooking oil manufacturers to come out with colour charts
(either on the product or in a booklet along with the product) that will help people to identify if
the oil is fresh or re-used.
The order is aimed at ensuring that reused cooking oil is neither directly used in food
preparation nor re-enters the food chain i.e. to set in safety standards in the food
industry.
When used multiple times, cooking oil becomes acidic and darkens in colour. This may
alter the fatty acid composition of the oil.
Headgear made mandatory for children above four years

Protective headgear of prescribed standards has been made mandatory for children above
4 years while travelling on a motorcycle.
The safety measures for the children travelling on motorcycles have been included in the
Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 that is passed by Parliament.

With the President of India giving assent to the Act, that has amended the Motor Vehicles
Act, 1988, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice has notified the Act in the Gazette of
India.
Now section 129 of the principal Act reads “Every person, above four years of age, driving
or riding or being carried on a motorcycle of any class or description shall, while in public place
wear protective headgear conforming to standards prescribed by the Central
government”.
Only Sikhs wearing turban have been exempted from the provision of Section 129.
PM may launch farm pension scheme next month, enrolment to start from Aug
1
Recently the central government has started the registration of beneficiaries under the pension
scheme for farmers i.e. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY).
Salient Features
The scheme has been started to provide social security to all landholding Small and
Marginal Farmers (farmers whose land holdings are less than two hectares of land in the
country).
Under this scheme, a fixed pension of Rs.3,000/- will be provided to all eligible small and
marginal farmers.
It is a voluntary and contribution based pension scheme.
Pension will be paid to the farmers from a Pension Fund managed by the Life Insurance
Corporation of India.
Farmers will have to contribute an amount between Rs.55 to Rs.200 per month in the
Pension Fund till they reach the retirement date i.e. the age of 60 years.
The Central Government will also make an equal contribution of the same amount in the
pension fund.
Those farmers who are of the age of 18 years and above and upto 40 years are eligible to
join the scheme.
Spouses of the Small and Marginal farmers are also eligible to join the scheme separately and
they will also get separate pension of Rs.3000 when they reach the age of 60 years.
The eligible farmers can enrol in the scheme at the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC).
It can be noted that, to augment the income of the Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs),
the government has recently launched the new Central Sector Scheme, namely, “Pradhan
Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)’’.
Air India first flight over North Pole from Delhi to San Francisco
On the nation’s Independence Day, Air India will become the 1st Indian airline to fly over
the North Pole while connecting New Delhi and North America. The inaugural flight over
the Polar region will take flight on August 15, 2019 and will fly from New Delhi to San
Francisco.

Currently, the route taken by New Delhi to San Francisco flight goes over Bangladesh,
Myanmar, China and Japan before crossing the Pacific Ocean to enter the United States of
America.
High Level Committee on CSR recommends CSR expenditure to be made tax

deductible expenditure
Injeti Srinivas, Secretary (Corporate Affairs), presented the Report of the High Level
Committee on Corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the Union Minister of Corporate
Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman.
The High Level Committee on CSR was constituted in October, 2018 under the
Chairmanship of Injeti Srinivas, Secretary (Corporate Affairs).
It was mandate to review the existing CSR framework and make recommendations on
strengthening the CSR ecosystem, including monitoring implementation and evaluation of
outcomes.
Recommendations of the Committee:
 Making CSR expenditure tax deductible,

 Provision for carry forward of unspent balance for a period of 3 – 5 years,
 Aligning Schedule 7 with the SDGs by adopting a SDG plus framework (which would
additionally include sports promotion, Senior Citizens’ welfare, welfare of differently abled
persons, disaster management and heritage protection),
 Balancing local area preferences with national priorities,
 Introducing impact assessment studies for CSR obligation of 5 crore or more,
 Registration of implementation agencies on MCA portal,
 Developing a CSR exchange portal to connect contributors, beneficiaries and agencies,
 Allowing CSR in social benefit bonds,
 Promoting social impact companies and third party assessment of major CSR projects,
 Companies having CSR prescribed amount below Rs. 50 lakh may be exempted from
constituting a CSR Committee and
 Violation of CSR compliance may be made a civil offence and shifted to the penalty regime.
Banks launch steps to boost KCC loans

Recently, banks have kick started a Kisan Credit Card (KCC) saturation campaign, for
giving Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans to farmers who have not been given such loans.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, currently there are 6.92
crore live KCCs, against 14.5 crore operational landholdings.
The scheme comes with an ATM-enabled RuPay debit card with facilities for one-time
documentation, built-in cost escalation in the limit, and any number of drawals within the limit.
Besides ensuring saturation, banks will also be taking steps to link Aadhaar immediately as
no interest subvention will be given if the Aadhaar numbers are not seeded to KCC
accounts.
Also, the government has taken several initiatives for KCC saturation which include adding
farmers engaged in animal husbandry and fisheries, no processing fee of loan under KCC
and raising limit of collateral free agriculture loan from ₹ 1 lakh to ₹1.6 lakh.

The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme was introduced in 1998 for providing adequate and
timely credit support from the banking system under a single window with flexible and
simplified procedure to the farmers for their cultivation and other needs like purchase of
agriculture inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc. and draw cash for their production
needs.
Plastics industry seeks export schemes, tax benefits for MSMEs

Plastic manufacturers, in a recent meeting with government, have called for export
promotion schemes for Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the plastic industry.
The manufacturers have sought allocation of 25% of the land available at all industrial
corridors for MSMEs at discounted rates.
The industry also sought world-class infrastructure for MSMEs under the Public Private
Partnership model comprising physical infrastructure, knowledge infrastructure, incubation
centres, e-platforms, B2B access and technology and innovation support for MSME.
The industry appealed to the government to make lending to MSMEs more convenient.
It also demanded direct tax exemption on export income and income generated directly or
indirectly from indigenisation as well as import substitution exemption for a period of five years.
It also asked for the removal of anti-dumping duty on plastic processing machines not made
in India.
MCA amends provisions related to Differential Voting Rights under Companies

Act
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the provisions relating to Differential
Voting Rights (DVRs) under the Companies Act.
Promoters or founders who are instrumental in starting up a company often lose control of the
firm when they dilute their stakes to raise multiple rounds of funding.
Differential Voting Rights (DVRs) do not follow the common rule of one share-one vote.
DVRs enable promoters to retain control over the company even after many new investors
come in, by allowing shares with superior voting rights or lower or fractional voting rights
to public investors.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the provisions relating to issue of shares with
Differential Voting Rights (DVRs) provisions under the Companies Act.
This has been done with the objective of enabling promoters of Indian companies to
retain control of their companies, even as they raise equity capital from global investors.
The key changes made are:
Raising the existing cap of 26 % of the total post issue paid up equity share capital to 74 % of
total voting power in respect of shares with DVRs of a company.
Removal of the earlier requirement of distributable profits for 3 years for a company to be
eligible to issue shares with Differential Voting Rights.

Finance & Banking
FinMin plans 16-point ‘KRA’ to push PSBs
The Finance Ministry to closely monitor the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) achievements
on 16 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at the branch, region, state and national level in
order to address the continuing decline of PSBs shares in Indian banking.
PSBs’ market share is declining while that of private banks is rising.
As of end-December 2018 PSBs accounted for 63% of the outstanding credit of scheduled
commercial banks against 67% as of June-end 2017.
The fall comes in the backdrop of these banks facing asset quality issues since 2015.
Further, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) are borrowing from banks and are
able to attract customers in spite of higher interest rates.
The 16 KPIs include- Credit for infrastructure, Farm sector, Blue economy, Housing,
MSMEs, Stand-Up India scheme, Education, Exports, Green economy, Cleanliness
activities, Financial inclusion and women’s empowerment; and others such as direct
benefit transfer, digital economy, ATM usage and performance, ease of living and
corporate social responsibility.
The banks will then be benchmarked against the 18 PSBs’ average. If found lagging, specific
action will be taken after consultation at various levels to improve their performance.
Saudi Aramco to buy 20% in RIL’s petro arm for $15 billion
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries announced that it was selling a 20 % stake in its
flagship oil and chemical business to Saudi Aramco for $15 billion. This will be the second-
largest foreign investment in India.
Saudi Aramco is Saudi Arabia’s national oil company which is responsible for managing
the nation’s petroleum wealth. Currently, the company is said to account for around 87 per
cent of Saudi Arabia’s budget.
Heavily influenced by the Al Saud royal family, Saudi Aramco is controlled by the Supreme
Council for Saudi Aramco (SCSA) led by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the nation’s
de facto ruler.
Saudi Aramco is the world’s most profitable company. With a net profit of $46.9 billion
so far this year, Saudi Aramco has made more money than Apple and Alphabet (the parent
company of Google) combined, this despite having witnessed a 12 per cent fall in half-year
net profit.
Since 2016, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took charge of the company, Saudi
Aramco is on the path of investing in non-oil sectors such as technology, part of the country’s
plan to become less dependent on petroleum.
Significance of recent deal:
This will be the second-largest foreign investment in India. Saudi Aramco’s proposed
investment in RIL is second only to the $16-billion infusion by Walmart in Flipkart in 2018.
The investment, subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals, will help RIL, India’s largest
private sector company, cut its debt of Rs 1.54 lakh crore ($22 billion).
Saudi Aramco has been supplying crude oil to RIL’s Jamnagar refinery — the world’s
largest — for over 25 years.
Government issues guidelines for ₹1 trillion partial credit guarantee for NBFCs
Government of India has issued a scheme to provide a one-time partial credit guarantee
to PSBs for purchase of pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs.
'Partial Credit Guarantee offered by Government of India (GoI) to Public Sector Banks
(PSBs) for purchasing high-rated pooled assets from financially sound Non-Banking
Financial Companies (NBFCs)/Housing Finance Companies (HFCs)’.
The objective of scheme is to address temporary asset liability mismatches of otherwise
solvent NBFCs/HFCs without having to resort to distress sale of their assets for meeting their
commitments.
The window for one-time partial credit guarantee offered by GoI will open from the date of
issuance of the Scheme by the Government for a period of 6 months, or till such date by which
Rs. 1 lakh crore assets get purchased by banks, whichever is earlier.
Eligible NBFCs/HFCs:
The NBFCs registered with RBI under the Reserve Bank of India Act, excluding those
registered as Micro Finance Institutions and Core Investment Companies.
HFCs registered with National Housing Bank (NHB) under the National Housing Bank Act.
Micro Finance Institutions and Core Investment Companies are not covered under the
Scheme.
Enabling Framework for Regulatory Sandbox

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the final ‘enabling framework for regulatory
sandbox,’ taking into account inputs received after a consultation process that began in
April.
Salient features of framework:
The target applicants for entry to the RS, are FinTech companies including startups, banks,
financial institutions and any other company partnering with or providing support to
financial services businesses, subject to the sandbox criteria laid down in these guidelines.
Minimum net worth requirement for applicants relaxed to Rs 25 lakh from Rs 50 lakh
earlier.
Notice period for a fintech to exit the RS increased to one month from one week earlier.
The entity should either be a company incorporated and registered in the country or banks
licensed to operate in India.
Sandbox entities shall be required to take liability or indemnity insurance of an adequate
amount and period to safeguard the interest of the customers.
An indicative negative list of products/services/technology which may not be accepted for
testing is: Credit registry, Credit information, Crypto currency/Crypto assets services,
Trading/investing/settling in crypto assets, Initial Coin Offerings, Chain marketing services
etc.

About Regulatory Sandbox
The Regulatory Sandbox (RS) usually refers to live testing of new products or services in
a controlled/test regulatory environment for which regulators may (or may not) permit
certain regulatory relaxations for the limited purpose of the testing.
Benefits of setting up of an RS:
Regulators obtain first-hand empirical evidence on the benefits and risks of emerging
technologies and their implications.
Users of an RS can test the product’s viability without the need for a larger and more
expensive roll-out
By providing a structured and institutionalized environment for evidence-based regulatory
decision-making, the dependence of the regulator on industry/stakeholder consultations
only is correspondingly reduced.
On-lending by NBFCs to 'needy' segments to be priority sector loans: RBI

The RBI issued a circular under which on-lending by registered NBFCs (other than MFIs)
towards agriculture, MSEs and housing sector up to prescribed limits will be treated as
priority sector loans. It is being done in order to boost credit to the needy segment of
borrowers.
Bank credit to registered NBFCs (other than MFIs) for on-lending will be eligible for
classification as priority sector under respective categories subject to the following conditions:
Agriculture: On-lending by NBFCs for ‘Term lending’ component under Agriculture will be
allowed up to ₹ 10 lakh per borrower.
Micro & Small enterprises: On-lending by NBFC will be allowed up to ₹ 20 lakh per
borrower.
Housing: Enhancement of the existing limits for on-lending by HFCs from ₹ 10 lakh per
borrower to ₹ 20 lakh per borrower.
Under the revised on-lending model, banks can classify only the fresh loans sanctioned
by NBFCs out of bank borrowing.
However, loans given by housing finance companies under the existing on-lending guidelines
will continue to be classified under priority sector by banks.
Bank credit to NBFCs for on-lending will be allowed up to a limit of five per cent of
individual bank's total priority sector lending on an ongoing basis.
These norms will be reviewed after March 31, 2020.
Now, banks can directly buy gold from depositors for monetisation plan
In a move to revive the flagging Gold Monetisation Scheme, the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) has made it easier for depositors to hand over their holdings of Gold.
RBI has liberalised the GMS, 2015, allowing depositors to directly deposit their bullion
with either banks, refiners or Collection and Purity Testing Centres (CPTCs).
Earlier, the Banks, CPTCs and Refineries had to sign a tripartite agreement for this.

Temples, High Networth Individuals (HNIs) and entities like fund houses, trusts and even
government entities would now find it easier to deal directly with banks instead of CPTCs.
Banks may accept the deposit of gold at designated branches, especially from larger
depositors.
The RBI also further relaxed norms under the scheme by which banks, at their discretion, can,
allow the depositors to deposit their gold directly with the refiners.
Gold Monetisation Scheme
The scheme was launched in November 2015 along with sovereign gold bonds and India
gold coins.
It facilitates the depositors of gold to earn interest on their metal accounts. Once the gold
is deposited in metal account, it starts earning interest on the same.
Under the scheme, a depositor gets 2.25% interest annually for a short-term deposit of
one year to three years. Medium- and long-term deposits get 2.5% interest rate.
The objective is to mobilize the gold held by households and institutions in the country
to put this gold into productive use and in the long run to reduce the current account deficit
by reducing the country’s reliance on imports of gold to meet the domestic demand.
Forex reserves at a new high of $430.57 bn

According to the latest Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, India's foreign exchange
reserves surged by $1.620 billion to $430.572 billion due to rise in foreign currency
assets.
The total foreign currencies (of different countries) an economy possesses at a point of
time is its ‘foreign currency assets/reserves’.
The Forex Reserves (‘foreign exchange reserves’) of an economy is its ‘foreign currency
assets’ added with its gold reserves, SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) and Reserve
Tranche in the IMF.

Polity and Governance
Coming, digital push to Gram Panchayats
The central government has decided to launch the People's Plan Campaign, also known as
“Sabki Yojana Sabka Vikas” from September 2019.
It aims to draw up Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) in the country and place
them on a website where anyone can see the status of the various government’s flagship
schemes.
A pilot exercise conducted in 2018 suggests that a majority of the GPs scored between
41% and 50% on a scale of 100, showing glaring deficiencies.
Merely 0.1% and 0.6% GPs fell in the high 91-100 and 81-90 score respectively.
A comparison of the performance among the larger states shows that Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and
Andhra Pradesh, in that order, were the top scorers, while GPs in Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar,
and Madhya Pradesh were at the bottom.
A recent study of 100 randomly chosen GPs by National Institute of Rural Development
has shown that several GP has reported improvements while others have slipped down over
the past year. A fresh survey is, therefore, significant.
Gram Panchayat Development Plans
Gram Panchayats have been mandated for the preparation of GPDP for economic
development and social justice utilizing the resources available to them.
The GPDP planning process will be comprehensive and participatory by involving full
convergence with the schemes of all related Central Ministries / Line Departments.
The People's Plan Campaign initiated under "Sabki Yojana Sabka Vikas" is an intensive
and structured exercise for planning at Gram Sabha through convergence between
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and concerned departments of the State.
PM to be the chairman of the Inter-State Council

The Inter-State Council has been reconstituted with Prime Minister as its chairman and 6
Union ministers and all chief ministers as its members. Home Minister Amit Shah will
chair the standing committee of the Inter-State Council.
The Union ministers who will be members of the reconstituted council are Amit Shah (Home),
Nirmala Sitharaman (Finance), Rajnath Singh (Defence), Narendra Singh Tomar (Minister of
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj).
The Inter-State Council is mandated to investigate and advise on disputes between states.
It is also tasked with giving recommendations on any such dispute and recommendations for
the better coordination of policy and action.

Social Issues
In reducing fertility, a little education may be worse than none, shows data
Recently released official data from 2017 on the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), reflects a
complex relationship between literacy level and fertility rate.
According to conventional wisdom: The higher the educational level of a woman, the
lower the fertility rate.
However, there’s a consistent pattern across states of illiterate women and those with no
formal education having lower fertility rates than those with below primary level
education.
Culture of the state is believed to have a greater influence than education.
Pattern from TFR data
The relationship between fertility and education resembles an inverted-J pattern.
Usually, there is an inverse relationship between education or income and fertility, but it
has been observed that fertility could go up with a slight increase in education or income
level.
But eventually, fertility declines with higher levels of education.
Highlights of the Report
In Bihar, the TFR of women who have not completed primary schooling is 4.4 compared to
3.7 for illiterate women.
Similarly, in Odisha with an overall low fertility rate of just 1.9, the TFR of illiterate women
was 2 compared to a TFR of 3.6-3.5 among those with primary level schooling or below.
At the all-India level, the TFR for women with below primary education was 3.1 compared to
2.9 for illiterate women and 2.4 for those without formal education.
However, according to demographers and population experts, it is very early to come up with
some conclusion. Similar pattern has to emerge for three or four years (above mentioned
pattern is only for the year 2017), so that this Inverted J-curve can be approved as a theory.
PM-JAY to include cancer treatment soon, say health officials

Government of India is planning to include all types of cancers and their treatment under
the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. It is because cancer care costs causes massive financial
crisis among people and many had to go without treatment.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the rate of mortality due to cancer in
India is high, with cancer the second-most common disease in India, responsible for
maximum mortality, with about 0.3 million deaths per year.
Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in India, followed by breast cancer and
oral cancers.
The estimated number of people living with the disease stands at around 2.25 million, with
over 11 lakh new cancer patients registered each year.

In India, the risk of developing cancer before the age of 75 years for males stands at 9.81%
and females at 9.42%. The risk of dying from cancer before the age of 75 years stood at
7.34% in males and 6.28% in females.
Ayushman Bharat Yojana- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is the Central
Government’s health insurance scheme that aims to give medical cover to over 10 crore
poor and vulnerable families of approximately 50 crore beneficiaries, providing coverage
of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.
So far, 16,000 hospitals have been empanelled, nearly 34 lakh beneficiaries have been
admitted, and 9 crore e-cards have been issued.
Hardeep Puri launches Swachh Survekshan 2020 – to be conducted in Jan 2020

Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs launched the Swachh Survekshan 2020 (SS
2020), the SBM Water PLUS Protocol and Toolkit, Swachh Nagar – an integrated waste
management app and AI enabled mSBM App.
Swachh Survekshan 2020 (SS 2020): It will be the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness
survey. It will be conducted in January 2020 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
(MoHUA).
SBM Water PLUS Protocol: Moving beyond ODF, ODF+ and ODF++, the Water PLUS
protocol aims to provide a guideline for cities and towns to ensure that no untreated
wastewater is released into the environment thereby enabling sustainability of the sanitation
value chain.
Swachh Nagar Mobile App: It is an integrated waste management app to tackle several
issues that hinder effective waste management such as lack of monitoring, collection of
segregated waste, and tracking the movement of waste vehicles and waste pickers,
amongst others.
AI enabled mSBM App: It has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC)
to facilitate the applicants of Individual Household Toilets (IHHL) under SBM-U know the
status of their application in real-time after uploading the photograph.
Earlier this year, Government of India launched Swachh Survekshan League 2020 (SS
League 2020) with the objective of sustaining the on ground performance of cities along
with continuous monitoring of service level performance on cleanliness.
New cure for deadly strain of tuberculosis

The Food and Drug Administration approved Pretomanid Tablets, when used alongside 2
other antibiotics, to treat an extremely drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis.
The new drug - Pretomanid - cured 89% of 107 patients with extensively drug-resistant
TB after 6 months, when used in combination with antibiotics bedaquiline and linezolid.
The three-drug regimen consists of bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid — collectively
known as the BPaL regimen.
Before the FDA approved this combination therapy, the most common treatment for this type
of tuberculosis required patients to take around 30 pills a day plus sometimes daily
injections for at least 18 months.
This new treatment lowers that dose to 5 pills/day over 6 months for most patients.

What fertility rate data show
During his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined challenges
posed by population growth in the country.
The latest SRS estimates (2017) show the TFR dropping to 2.2. This figure is only
marginally higher than the fertility rate (2.1) required for replacement of the existing population.
Even the states that have a higher TFR — Uttar Pradesh (3.0), Bihar (3.2), MP (2.7),
Rajasthan (2.6), Assam (2.3), Chhattisgarh (2.4) and Jharkhand (2.5) — have been witnessing
a declining trend in fertility rates. These seven states account for about 45 % of the total
population in the 2011 Census.
Two more states, Gujarat and Haryana, recorded a TFR of 2.2, which is above the
replacement rate but is equal to the national average. Taken together, these nine major
states account for 52 % of the 2011 population.
This means that in the states barring these nine, and accounting for almost half the population,
the replacement level is either 2.1 or has gone below it.
These states with a lower TFR include Kerala (1.7), Tamil Nadu (1.6), Karnataka (1.7),
Maharashtra (1.7), Andhra Pradesh (1.6), Telangana (1.7), West Bengal (1.6), Jammu and
Kashmir (1.6) and Odisha (1.9).
Chhattisgarh doubles OBC quota, hikes SC benefit; reservation total 22% over
ceiling
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced an increase in reservations for
OBCs and Scheduled Castes in state government jobs and education.
Chhattisgarh government will increase the quota for Scheduled Castes by 1 % while nearly
doubling reservation for OBCs from 14 % to 27 %. The quota for Scheduled Tribes remains
at 32 %.
Once in effect, it will mean Chhattisgarh will have a total of 72 % reservation (32 % for
STs, 13 % for SCs and 27 % to OBCs), the highest in the country and far above the 50 %
cap on quotas mandated by the Supreme Court.
The state government is still considering the 10% centre mandated EWS quota for the
general category. if implemented, it would take the reservation to 82 %.
57.3% allopathic practitioners are not qualified: Health Ministry

According to the Union Health Ministry’s data, 57.3% of personnel currently practising
allopathic medicine do not have a medical qualification.
There is a huge skew in the distribution of doctors working in the urban and rural areas,
leaving rural and poor population in the clutches of quacks. Urban to rural doctor density
ratio in India is 3.8:1.
India’s doctor-population ratio is 1:1456 as compared with the World Health Organisation
standards of 1:1000.
Provisions to deal with quacks:
Section 15 of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 prohibits a person other than a medical
practitioner enrolled on a State Medical Register to practice medicine in the State.

Any person acting in contravention is punishable with imprisonment and fine.
Since health is a State subject, the primary responsibility to deal with such cases lies with the
respective State governments.
Swachh Survekshan looks beyond toilets

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the Swachh Survekshan
Grameen 2019 (SSG 2019) in the capital.
It will be conducted from August 14 to September 30, 2019, SSG 2019.
It will cover 17,450 villages in 698 districts across India and include 87,250 public places
namely schools, anganwadi centers, public health centres, haat/bazaars/religious places,
making it India’s largest rural sanitation survey.
An independent survey agency will conduct the survey in all districts and the results will be
announced based on quantitative and qualitative sanitation parameters.
ODF+ phase:
In an effort to look beyond toilets and kick off its ODF+ phase — that is, Open Defecation
Free Plus — focussing on solid and liquid waste management, the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan (SBA) has included the prevalence of plastic litter and water-logging in villages as
indicators of cleanliness in its 2019 rural survey.
ODF+ will have four main verticals — solid waste management divided into biodegradable
waste and plastic waste, and liquid waste management divided into grey water, or kitchen
waste water, and faecal waste.
India gets its first national essential diagnostics list

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has finalised the country’s first National
Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL).
India has become the first country in the world to compile such a list that would provide
guidance to the government for deciding the kind of diagnostic tests that different
healthcare facilities in villages and remote areas require.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) released the first edition of essential diagnostics
list (EDL) in May 2018. Even though WHO’s EDL acts as a reference point for development
of national EDL, India’s diagnostics list has been customised and prepared as per landscape
of India’s health care priorities.
In India, diagnostics are regulated under the regulatory provisions of the Medical Device
Rules, 2017.
Diagnostics (medical devices and in vitro diagnostics) follow a regulatory framework
based on the drug regulations under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Drugs and
Cosmetics Rules 1945.
NEDL has been developed for all levels of health care – village level, primary, secondary
and tertiary care.
It builds upon the Free Diagnostics Service Initiative (FDI) and other diagnostics initiatives
of the Health Ministry to provide an expanded basket of tests at different levels of the public
health system.

FDI was launched in July 2015. Under this initiative, the National Health Mission (NHM) is
supporting all states to provide essential diagnostics – laboratory and radiology at their public
health facilities, free of cost.

International News
Jaishankar in China: 4 agreements signed to strengthen cultural ties
India and China have signed four agreements to strengthen cultural and people-to-
people ties.
The 4 agreements are on:
Cultural Exchanges: To promote cultural exchanges for the preservation of intangible
cultural heritage, organisation of cultural activities and management of archaeological
heritage sites.
Healthcare: To enhance cooperation in the field of traditional medicine, where both India and
China have a rich knowledge, accumulated over centuries.
Sports: To promote exchanges between national sports associations, sports persons and
youth for strengthening cooperation on international sports events.
Cooperation in Museum Management: To promote collaboration between Hubei Provincial
Museum, Wuhan and the National Museum, New Delhi in exhibitions, protection and
restoration of collections and archaeological excavations.
The Hubei Provincial Museum is one of the best known museums in China, with a large
amount of state-level historic and cultural relics.
The National Museum is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds
a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art.

National News
Vice President launches ‘Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana’ in Jharkhand
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched the Jharkhand government’s ‘Mukhya Mantri
Krishi Ashirwad Yojana’. Under this scheme, money would be directly transferred into the
bank accounts of farmers in the state. Features of the scheme are:
 Rs 5,000 will be given to those farmers having 1 acre or less agricultural land.
 Rs 10,000 will be given to those farmers having 2 acres of agricultural land.

Environment & Ecology
Northeast crowds list of states with most dense tree, forest cover
The Ministry of Environment informed Parliament about the status of forest and tree cover
in India.
Assessment of forest and tree cover are done by the Forest Survey of India, whose
findings are published in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The last report was
published in 2017.
A quarter of India’s geographical area (24.49 %) is under forest and tree cover.
The lowest forest and tree cover in the country is in Haryana, at 6.79 % of its geographical
area. Punjab follows with 6.87 %. Rajasthan’s forest and tree cover is over 7.26 % of its
geographical area while Madhya Pradesh’s is 27.73 %.
Highest forest and tree cover (In terms of %):
At 97 %, the Union Territory of Lakshadweep is on top – its geographical area is only 30
square km.
Among the six states with the highest forest and tree cover, four are in the Northeast –
Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Meghalaya.
Goa and Kerala are two other states with more than 50 % of their geographical area
under forest and tree cover.
In terms of geographical area, the highest tree and forest cover is in Madhya Pradesh,
with 85,487 sq km.
Mapping world’s soil worms

According to the first global analysis of nematodes published in Nature, there are about 57
billion nematodes for every human being on Earth.
Nematodes are roundworms and their size can vary from a tiny 0.2 millimetre to a few
metres.
These nematodes play a crucial role in the environment as they are responsible for
production of about 19% of ammonia of the soil. They are also important bio-indicators of
soil ecosystem health.
In the first global analysis of nematodes, a team of over 50 researchers collected over 6,500
soil samples from all seven continents of the world. The study was done only on the top
15 cm of soil.
There are about 57 billion nematodes for every human being on Earth.
Their total biomass comes to around 300 million tonnes which is about 80% of the combined
weight of Earth’s humans.
These nematodes are responsible for 2.2% of the total carbon emission from soils.
At 38% of the total, sub-Arctic regions have the highest abundance of nematodes. The
temperate region has the next highest abundance followed by the tropical regions.
‘Uber for tractors’: Government to launch app to aid farmers

Government to launch a new mobile application, “Uber for tractors”, which will help in
hiring of expensive agricultural equipment.
Customer Hiring Centres (CHCs) will be connected with the help of this app, just like the
Uber connects an individual with cabs.
There are now more than 38000 custom hiring centres (CHCs) across the country, which
rent out 2.5 lakh pieces of farm equipment every year.
The app will show the CHCs which have the equipment available within 5, 20 and 50 km of
location, with their rates.
Benefits
Informed Decisions: Feedback from both the CHC and the farmers will allow customers to
make informed decisions.
Database: The app will also create an invaluable database for policy-makers, who can track
the use and cost of equipment.
Promotion of New Technology: The system would also help to track the usage of new
technology that the government wants to promote, such as the Happy Seeder that aims to
prevent stubble burning that causes air pollution, or solar dryers that can help farmers
process and preserve their produce.
India’s water scarcity challenge

According to the latest Ground water year book - India 2017-18, India is seeing levels
declining across the country.
Groundwater, the source of 40% of India’s water needs, is depleting at an unsustainable
rate, according to NITI Aayog.
India, the world’s largest groundwater user, is seeing levels declining across the country. India
accounts for 12% of global groundwater extraction, pumping some 230 billion cubic
metres each year. At this rate, by 2030, nearly 60% of the aquifers will be in a critical state.
Farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are facing the prospect of having no groundwater
left for irrigation by 2025.
A study using data from NASA’s “Grace” mission found that India’s Indus Basin aquifer
to be one of the most overstressed aquifers in the world.
Consecutive years of weak monsoons, massive deforestation, poor rainwater harvesting
and pollution of rivers and lakes have led the country to depend on groundwater.
More than 90% of the rice-wheat areas in north-west India are irrigated using
groundwater.
Wildlife sanctuary set to have new contours

Recently, the Forest Department identified around 300 hectares of revenue land for
inclusion in the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS).
The land is being diverted as compensation, for setting up a new Missile Test Launch
Facility by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
The move has also been recommended by the National Board for Wildlife.

About Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary
Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Andhra Pradesh, India.
The sanctuary is a part of the mangrove wetland in Andhra Pradesh and is located in
the coastal plain of Krishna delta, spread across Krishna and Guntur districts of Andhra
Pradesh.
The estuary of the Krishna River passes through the sanctuary.
It is believed that this region potentially holds one of the most significant populations of fishing
cats in the world.
Paddy stubble burning declines 41% in Punjab, Haryana

According to Director General, ICAR, India achieved considerable reduction in crop
residue burning incidents in 2018.
Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the
State of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh & NCT of Delhi:
It is a Central Sector Scheme launched by Government of India for the period from 2018-
19 to 2019-20.
The objective is to tackle air pollution and to subsidize machinery required for in-situ
management of crop residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of
Delhi.
It involves distribution of in-situ crop residue management machinery to the farmers on
subsidy, establishment of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of in-situ crop residue
management machinery and undertaking Information, Education and Communication
(IEC) activities for creating awareness among farmers.
ICAR is implementing the scheme through 60 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of Punjab
(22), Haryana (14), Delhi (1) and UP (23).
The paddy residue burning events have reduced by 15% and 41% in 2018 as compared to
that in 2017 and 2016, respectively in all these States.
More than 4500 villages in Punjab and Haryana were declared as Zero Stubble Burning
Villages during 2018 as not a single crop burning incident was reported from these villages
during the year.
Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization:
In addition to the above Scheme, separate funds are being allocated to the States for crop
residue management under Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization by the Department of
Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare.
Assam tea at Rs 75,000/kg: How is it valued, how is it sold?

A kilogram of a speciality Assam tea called “Golden Butterfly” was sold for Rs 75,000 at
the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC), setting a new record.
Golden Butterfly is produced by Dikom Tea Estate near eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh town.
This hand-crafted tea is made from tender leaves and buds available only around June-
July.

The tea is named such because only “the soft golden tips go into making this
exceptionally rare and special tea”.
The tea has an “extremely mellow and sweet caramel flavour.
Recent records:
Assam tea has, in fact, been repeatedly setting price records at auctions.
On July 31, an Assam tea variety known as “Maijan Golden Tips” sold for Rs 70,501 per
kilogram at the GTAC.
A day earlier, Manohari Gold Special tea was auctioned for Rs 50,000 per kg at the Centre.
NASA scientists fly over Greenland to track melting ice

NASA scientists are crisscrossing Greenland on a mission to track melting ice. Greenland
has been melting faster in the last decade and this summer, it has seen two of the biggest
melts on record since 2012.
NASA is now closely studying the phenomenon in hopes of figuring out precisely how
global warming is eating away at Greenland's ice, specifically, whether the melting is being
caused more by –
 warm air or
 warm, salty seawater, some of it from North America's Gulf Stream.
If much of the damage is from the water, there's a lot higher potential for Greenland to melt
more quickly than thought.
 Water brings more heat to something frozen faster than air does. That's because 90% of
the heat energy from climate change goes into the oceans.
 And that means seas rising faster and coastal communities being inundated more.
Microplastics in Arctic snow point to widespread air contamination

According to a new study published in Science Advances, Microplastic particles have been
detected in the Arctic and the Alps, carried by the wind and later washed out in the snow.
The new study was conducted by scientists at Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute and
Switzerland’s Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.
Key findings:
Microplastic particles have been detected in the Arctic and the Alps, carried by the wind
and later washed out in the snow.
Microplastic particles can be transported tremendous distances through the atmosphere.
These particles are later washed out of the air by precipitation, particularly snow.
Tiny plants and animals, called plankton, also get trapped in the ice. Some plankton ingest
the plastic bits, which then work their way up the ocean food chain.
Microplastic particles are defined as shreds less than five millimetres in length.
Every year, several million tonnes of plastic litter course through rivers and out to the oceans,
where they are gradually broken down into smaller fragments through the motion of
waves and the ultraviolet light of the sun.

Defence & Security
RPF Launches “Operation Number Plate” across Indian Railways
Railway Protection Force (RPF) launched a Special Drive with a Code Named Operation
“Number Plate” across Indian Railways, a Drive against unattended/unclaimed vehicles
in all Railway Premises.
The objective is to identify and verify all vehicles parked in Railway premises, circulating
area, and parking and even in the ‘No Parking’ areas for longer duration.
It has been launched by Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways with active
cooperation of the Local Police and Commercial Department of Railways.
The unidentified vehicles are considered as a serious threat to security and safety of
passengers and other stake holders of railways.
Understanding post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)

In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of
the post of Chief of Defence Staff to provide “effective leadership at the top level” to the
three wings of the armed forces, and to help improve coordination among them.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is a high military office that oversees and coordinates the
working of the three Services. The role of the CDS becomes critical in times of conflict.
He offers seamless tri-service views and single-point advice to the Executive (in India’s
case, to the Prime Minister) on long-term defence planning and management, including
manpower, equipment and strategy, and above all, “jointsmanship” in operations.
Existing scenario in India:
India has had a feeble equivalent known as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
(CoSC); but this is a toothless office, given the manner in which it is structured.
The senior-most among the three Service Chiefs is appointed to head the CoSC, an office that
lapses with the incumbent’s retirement.
The current Chairman CoSC is Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa. When ACM
Dhanoa retires at the end of September 2019, he would have served as Chairman CoSC for
a mere four months.

Science & Technology
New scheme will fund cutting-edge research
The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has proposed a new scheme,
Scientific and Useful Profound Research Advancement (SUPRA) with the objective of
funding exploration of new scientific and engineering breakthroughs with global
impact.
The scheme will fund disruptive ideas that can lead to new areas of study, new scientific
concepts, new products and technologies.
The focus is not on incremental or short-term advances in understanding, but new science
or truly disruptive technologies.
The scheme is designed to attract high quality research proposals consisting of new
hypotheses or challenge existing ones and provide 'out-of-box' solutions.
Science and Engineering Research Board: It was set up as a statutory body in 2009 under
the Department of Science and Technology to promote and fund research in different
scientific disciplines.

Art and Culture

Four New Products get GI Tag
The Geographical Indication (GI) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade has recenly registered 4 new GIs.
The 4 latest additions to the list of registered GIs are:
 Palani Panchamirtham: from Palani Town in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu.

 Tawlhlohpuan: from Mizoram.
 Mizo Puanchei: from Mizoram.
 Tirur Betel leaf: from Kerala.
Vice President calls on the government and civil society to work hand-in-hand
to preserve India’s rich cultural heritage
The Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu applauded Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI) for restoring ‘Shyamoli’.
‘Shyamoli’ is the heritage house of late Rabindranath Tagore.
Shyamoli is an experimental mud-house built at Santiniketan in 1935.
The house has been recently renovated by the Archaeological Survey of India as a deposit
work and is a property of Visva-Bharati at present.
No more joy for those who make Andhra's famous Kondapalli toys
While Kondapalli toys - cultural icons of Andhra Pradesh - are growing in popularity, its
creators are being neglected.
Kondapalli Toys are the toys made of wood in Kondapalli village of Krishna district,
Andhra Pradesh. Bommala Colony translates to Toys Colony in Kondapalli is the place
where the art of crafting takes place.
It was registered as one of the geographical indication handicraft from Andhra Pradesh
as per Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
The artisans mainly work on producing figures of mythology, animals, birds, bullock
carts, rural life etc., and the most notable one is Dasavataram, dancing dolls etc.
The artisans who make the toys are referred as Aryakhastriyas (also known as Nakarshalu),
who have their mention in the Brahmanda Purana.

Facts of the Week
Persons
Google Doodle celebrates Vikram Sarabhai’s 100th birth anniversary
Google celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of scientist and innovator Vikram
Sarabhai, with a doodle.
Born in Ahmedabad in 1919, Dr. Sarabhai earned his doctorate at Cambridge.
He founded the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad in 1947.
He is considered as the father of India's space program.
After Russia's Sputnik launch, he managed to convince the Indian government on the need
for India, a developing country, to have its own space program.
He established the Indian National Committee for Space Research in 1962, which was
later renamed the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
He helped set up the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in
Thiruvananthapuram, with its inaugural flight in 1963.
He had worked on India's first satellite, Aryabhata, but he never lived to see its launch in
1975, which happened four years after his death.
Other institutions founded: Apart from ISRO and PRL, he pioneered the setting up of several
institutions, such as the –
Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, Community Science Centre, and Darpan
Academy for Performing Arts (which he set up with his wife Mrinalini, a renowned dancer).
Awards and honours:
He received the Padma Bhushan in 1966 and was conferred the Padma Vibhushan
posthumously in 1972.
In 1973, a crater on the moon was named after him.
“Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar” a book on the life of Sridevi

The book, titled ‘Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar’ will be launched on Sridevi’s 56th birth
anniversary. The book is written by author-screenwriter Satyarth Nayak. The book will be
published under the Ebury Press imprint of Penguin Random House in October 2019.
Vice President’s book titled “Listening, Learning & Leading” released

Home Minister Amit Shah released a Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’s book titled
“Listening, Learning & Leading”. The book captures the glimpses of the Vice President’s
330 public engagements across the country in the last 2 years. The book also showcases
the Vice President’s feat as the Rajya Sabha Chairman in enhancing its effectiveness and
promoting its efficiency.
Awards
Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation

The “Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation” for the year 2019 has
been awarded to 96 Police personnel.
It was constituted in 2018.
The objective is to promote high professional standards of investigation of crime and to
recognize such excellence in investigation by investigating officers.
This medal will be awarded to officers in Central investigation agencies, State/UT police
force investigating agencies in recognition of their outstanding service in investigation.
The names will be finalized by the Ministry of Home Affairs based on recommendations
made by States/UTs and Central police organizations.
A scroll signed by the Union Home Minister will be awarded to each awardee along with
the medal.
Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman to be honoured with Vir Chakra

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be honoured with the Vir Chakra on
Independence Day. Wg Cdr Abhinandan became the face of a tense military confrontation
between India and Pakistan when his MiG-21 was shot down during the aerial combat
between Indian and Pakistani air forces on February 27 after the February 26 Balakot airstrike.
Before his jet was hit, he downed an F-16 fighter of Pakistan.
Priyam Chatterjee becomes 1st Indian chef to win French honour

Priyam Chatterjee became the 1st Indian chef to be awarded the ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre
du Mérite Agricoleto’ by the government of France to recognise his contribution towards
reinventing the gastronomic scene in India.
Chatterjee is best known for revisiting the traditional dishes from his native state of West
Bengal and giving it a French twist.
‘Ordre du Mérite Agricole’ (Order of Agricultural Merit) is a distinction bestowed by the French
Republic for outstanding contributions, to agriculture, agro-food industry and gastronomy.
President Awards the Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas

Samman for the Year 2019
President of India awarded the Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas
Samman for the Year 2019.
The awards were instituted in 1958 by Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
These are annually conferred on the Independence Day.
It is conferred to recognise contribution of scholars the field of 9 languages (Sanskrit,
Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Oriya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu and
Classical Malayalam).
These awards are not given posthumously. Also, these awards are not given to scholars
 who have received this award earlier, or

 who are convicted in a criminal case/against whom a criminal case is pending in a court.
ISRO Chairman K. Sivan honoured with A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award

Tamil Nadu government has awarded K. Sivan with its Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award. K.
Sivan is currently serving as the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation.
Appointments
Guatemala’s new president
Alejandro Giammattei has been elected as new president of Guatemala. He defeated
former first lady Sandra Torres for the president’s seat. Giammattei will succeed corruption
tainted outgoing President Jimmy Morales.
Chandrima Shaha to be the first woman president of INSA

Chandrima Shaha is set to be the 1st woman president of the Indian National Science
Academy. Her tenure will begin from January 2020. Chandrima Shaha was formerly the
Director of the National Institute of Immunology, Delhi.
Harshad Pandurang Thakur appointed as NIHFW’s director

Harshad Pandurang Thakur has been appointed as the director of National Institute of
Health and Family Welfare. The proposal of appointment was approved by the
appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister.
The NIHFW is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare. It acts as an apex technical institute as well as a think tank for the promotion of
health and family welfare programmes in the country.
Events
9-Day National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” ready for A Colourful Start at
Leh-Ladakh on 17th August, 2019
The 9-Day National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” will began on 17th August, 2019 at
Polo Ground, Leh-Ladakh.
Aadi Mahotsav (National Tribal Festival) is a joint initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs,
Government of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India
(TRIFED).
The 9 day event will be held from 17th August till 25th August, 2019.
The theme of the festival is: “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and
Commerce”.
The event will see around 160 Tribal artisans from more than 20 states across the
country, actively participating and showcasing their masterpieces.
The event will have two reputed local cultural troupes presenting Ladakhi folk dances. The
troupes will perform:
Jabro Dance: a nomadic dance and song of people inhabiting eastern Ladakh and
Spawo dance: a heroic song and dance associated with a legendary hero of Himalayan
region called K’sar.
Important Days

International Youth Day: 12 August
The International Youth Day 2019 is observed across the world on 12 August with the
theme “Transforming education”.
International Youth Day 2019 will examine how Governments, young people and youth-led
and youth-focused organizations, as well as other stakeholders, are transforming education
so that it becomes a powerful tool to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
Killer instinct: Second dragonfly census to keep count of predators

Recently, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-India), in collaboration with the Bombay
Natural History Society (BNHS) conducted dragonfly census and celebrated Dragonfly Day
on August 18, in New Delhi and its neighbouring regions.
It is the second such event dedicated to dragonflies and damselflies and aims to carry out
a census and raise awareness about their importance.
Dragonfly act as important bio-indicators of the ecological health of an area.
They feed on mosquitoes and other insects that are vectors to life-threatening diseases
like Malaria and Dengue.
The first of this census was carried out in 2018, which revealed a total of 51 different
species of these insects in New Delhi and NCR.
Sports
Nehru Trophy Boat Race and Champions Boat League called off
Like 2018, the Kerala government has put off 2019 edition of Nehru Trophy Boat Race
(NTBR) scheduled for 17th August 2018 following heavy rains and wind.
Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a popular Vallam Kali (boat race) held in the Punnamada Lake
near Alappuzha, Kerala on the second Saturday of August every year.
The most popular event of the race is the competition of Chundan Vallams (snake boats).
Hence the race is also known as Snake Boat Race in English.
Other categories of boats such as Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi Vallam etc.
also participates in the competition.
It is organized by the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society under the guidance of the district
administration.
Vembanad is the longest lake in India, which spans several districts in Kerala. It is known
as Punnamada Lake in Kuttanad, Kochi Lake in Kochi.
Sourabh Verma wins Hyderabad Open

Indian Badminton star Sourabh Verma clinched the Men’s Singles title in the Hyderabad
Open. He beat Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in a 52-minute final clash. Sourabh Verma belongs
to Madhya Pradesh.
Simone Biles makes history with a “triple-double” twist

Simone Biles makes history with a never-before-seen “triple-double” floor exercise
landing. She performed the landing featuring “two flips and three twists” in U.S.
Gymnastics Championships held in Kansas City.
Deepak Punia wins Junior World Championship title

Deepak Punia won the gold medal at the Junior World Championships held in Talinn,
Estonia. He defeated Russia’s Alik Shebzukov to win the 86 kg junior freestyle title. With
the victory, he has become the 1st Indian in 18 years to win a Junior World Championship
title.
Another Indian wrestler Vicky Chahar also won the bronze medal in the 92 kg category
after beating Mongolia’s Batmagnai Enkhtuvshin.
Ravi Shastri appointed as Head Coach of Indian Cricket Team

Former all-rounder Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the head coach of Indian cricket
team for another two years. Cricket Advisory Committee led by former Indian Cricket captain
Kapil Dev along with Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy conducted interviews
of shortlisted candidates for Indian cricket team’s head coach.
Shastri has also played the role of the Team Director earlier and is currently the head coach
of the Indian team after given a 45-day extension following the World Cup. Shastri has
represented India in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs.
Indian cyclists win gold at World Junior Track Cycling Championships

Indian cyclists’ team have won the gold medal in the Team Sprint event at World Junior Track
Cycling Championships held in Frankfurt, Germany. Indian team comprised of Esow
Alben, Ronaldo Singh and Rojit Singh.
This is India’s first ever gold medal in a global cycling competition. The Indian team defeated
Australian team in the finals to won the gold medal.


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Weekly GK Capsule 12th August to 18th August

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Banks launch steps to boost KCC loans

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Plastics industry seeks export schemes, tax benefits for MSMEs

MCA amends provisions related to Differential Voting Rights under Companies

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Enabling Framework for Regulatory Sandbox

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On-lending by NBFCs to 'needy' segments to be priority sector loans: RBI

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Forex reserves at a new high of $430.57 bn

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PM to be the chairman of the Inter-State Council

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PM-JAY to include cancer treatment soon, say health officials

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Hardeep Puri launches Swachh Survekshan 2020 – to be conducted in Jan 2020

New cure for deadly strain of tuberculosis

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57.3% allopathic practitioners are not qualified: Health Ministry

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Swachh Survekshan looks beyond toilets

India gets its first national essential diagnostics list

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Mapping world’s soil worms

‘Uber for tractors’: Government to launch app to aid farmers

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India’s water scarcity challenge

Wildlife sanctuary set to have new contours

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Paddy stubble burning declines 41% in Punjab, Haryana

Assam tea at Rs 75,000/kg: How is it valued, how is it sold?

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NASA scientists fly over Greenland to track melting ice

Microplastics in Arctic snow point to widespread air contamination

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Understanding post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)

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Art and Culture

 Palani Panchamirtham: from Palani Town in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu.

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“Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar” a book on the life of Sridevi

Vice President’s book titled “Listening, Learning & Leading” released

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Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman to be honoured with Vir Chakra

Priyam Chatterjee becomes 1st Indian chef to win French honour

President Awards the Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas