IAS NETWORK

SEPTEMBER 2021
PRELIMS CURRENT
AFFAIRS PART 1 ( 1st -
15th SEP )
Features :

● Prepared By Team Of UPSC Toppers Themselves

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

© IAS NETWORK

ORDER PRINTER HARDCOPIES : IMAGERUNNERS 9910923124, 8860450330

Topics Covered : 72 Topics in 22 Pages

1. China Myanmar New Passage

2. China Pakistan Economic Corridor
3. Supply Chain Resilience Initiative
4. Atal Bhujal Yojana
5. Odisha’s Kendrapara District ( All Three Crocodile Species )
6. Salt Water Crocodile In India
7. Gharials
8. Program For International Students Assessment ( PISA )
9. OECD
10. UNCLOS
11. UNSC Temporary Membership
12. Different Shapes Of Economic Recovery
13. Periodic Labour Force Survey
14. IIP
15. GDP Vs GVA
16. Poshan 2.0
17. North Africa Map
18. Vehicle Scrappage Policy
19. Durand Line
20. Grants By Finance Commission
21. ILP System And States
22. EPFS
23. Nagar Van Scheme
24. State Animal And Bird Of Ladakh
25. Eastern Economic Forum
26. Free Trade Agreements
27. IPCC
28. LEAF Coalition
29. Karbi Anglong Agreement
30. El Nino
31. La Nina
32. IUCN
33. Birdlife International
34. Raptor MOU
35. James Webb Telescope
36. Common Service Centers
37. National Innovation Foundation
38. National Ambient Air Quality Standards
39. Manda Buffalo
40. Defence Trade And Technology Initiative
41. National Clean Air Program
42. Eco Sensitive Zones
43. Biological Oxygen Demand
44. Chemical Oxygen Demand
45. Fragile x Syndrome
46. PMGDISHA
47. UAE Green Visa, USA Green Card
48. C 295 Aircraft
49. Department of Military Affairs
50. Project 75
51. 13th BRICS Summit
52. Periodic Labour Force Survey
53. NIRF Ranking
54. Qeqertaq Avannarleq
55. LUPEX
56. Artemis Mission
57. ANTRIX Corp
58. Thamirabarani Civilization
59. Chandrayaan 3
60. Coal Gasification
61. Transport And Marketing Assistance Scheme
62. Battle Of Saragarhi
63. Solar Cycle + Solar Storms
64. Dengue
65. US India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership
66. CRISPR
67. Commission For Agricultural Costs And Prices
68. Climate Action And Finance Mobilization Dialogue
69. India US Climate & Clean Energy Agenda 2030
70. Coal Gasification Mission
71. AMCA
72. Major Ports In India

CHINA MYANMAR NEW PASSAGE

● A rail road transport corridor linking Chengdu in China to a Myanmar sea port.
● It will give China another access to Indian ocean through the Myanmar
● This passage connects the logistics lines of Singapore, Myanmar and China
● It is an extension of the One Belt And One Road Initiative.

CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR

● Bilateral economic corridor between China and Pakistan

● Intended to promote connectivity across Pakistan with a network of highways, railways, and
pipelines accompanied by energy, industrial, and other infrastructure development projects.
● It is an extension of the Belt and Road Initiative of China.
● It ends at the Gwadar sea port on the Pakistani side.

SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE INITIATIVE(SCRI)

● Launched by India, Japan and Australia
● To make supply chain resilient and hence promote trade in the indo pacific region.
● Supply chain resilience is an approach that helps a country to ensure that it has diversified its
supply risk across a clutch of supplying nations instead of being dependent on just one or a few.
● It will also attract investment in the Indo - Pacific region.
● The SCRI will act as counter to Chinese economic imperialism in Asia

ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA

● By the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

● A 6000 crore central sector scheme.
● To promote community led sustainable groundwater management.
● The scheme is being funded by the Government of India and the World Bank on 50:50 basis.
● It envisages people's participation through the formation of ‘Water User Associations’, water
budgeting, preparation & implementation of Gram-panchayat-wise water security plans, etc.

ODISHA’S KENDRAPARA DISTRICT ( ALL THREE CROCODILE

SPECIES )
● All 3 species found
○ Gharial
○ Mugger crocodile
○ Saltwater Crocodile
● Bhitarkanika national Park is in Kendrapara district.
● Bhitarkanika is a ramsar site
● The gharial and saltwater crocodile conservation programme was first implemented in Odisha in
early 1975 and subsequently, the mugger conservation programme was initiated.

SALTWATER CROCODILE IN INDIA

● Found in coastal areas of Odisha, WB and TN.

● They have the broadest distribution of any modern crocodile, ranging from the eastern coast of
India, throughout most of Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.
● They are apex predators.
● Least Concern in IUCN Red List.
● CITES : Appendix I
● Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

GHARIALS

● It is the longest and rarest Crocodile.

 ● Distinguished by their long, thin snouts which resemble a pot (ghara in Hindi).
● Their major population remains in three tributaries of the Ganges River, the Chambal and the
Girwa Rivers in India, and the Rapti-Narayani River in Nepal.
● Mostly found in fresh waters
● The gharial reserves of India are located in three States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and
Rajasthan.
● National Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary is in Chambal.
● Critically endangered in IUCN Red List.
● CITES : Appendix I
● Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ASSESSMENT ( PISA )

● It is an international assessment that measures 15-year-old students’ reading, mathematics, and

science literacy every three years.
● First conducted in 2000, the major domain of study rotates between reading, mathematics, and
science in each cycle.
● It also includes measures of general or cross-curricular competencies, such as collaborative
problem solving.
● PISA is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
● PISA is the only international education survey to measure the knowledge and skills of
15-year-olds
● India stayed away from PISA in 2012 and 2015 on account of its dismal performance in 2009,
when it was placed 72nd among the 74 participating countries.
● India criticized the method saying that questions were "out of context”.
● But India will be participating in PISA 2021

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND

DEVELOPMENT(OECD)
○ The OECD is an intergovernmental economic organisation, founded to stimulate economic
progress and world trade.
○ Most OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index
(HDI) and are regarded as developed countries.
○ Founded: 1961.
○ Headquarters: Paris, France.
○ Total Members: 36.
○ India is not a member, but a key economic partner.
○ Reports and Indices by OECD
● Government at a Glance 2017 report.
● International Migration Outlook.
 ● OECD Better Life Index.

UNCLOS(UN CONVENTION ON LAWS OF THE SEA)

● UNCLOS is also known as the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty that
defines the rights and responsibilities of nations towards the use of the world’s oceans.
● Adopted and signed in 1982. It became effective in the year 1994.
● It replaced the four Geneva Conventions of April, 195
● It divides marine areas into five main zones namely- Internal Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous
Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the High Seas.
● The Convention has created three new institutions on the international scene:
1. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
2. The International Seabed Authority.
3. The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
● India has ratified UNCLOS

UNSC TEMPORARY MEMBERSHIP

● Also called non permanent members of the UN Security Council.

● The UNSC is composed of 15 Members
○ Five permanent members(Veto power)
○ Ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
● Selection of Non-permanent Members of Security Council

○ Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of ten in total)
for a two-year term. The ten non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis:
■ Five for African and Asian countries.
■ One for Eastern European countries.
■ Two for Latin American and Caribbean countries.
■ Two for Western European and other countries.
● India has been recently elected as non permanent member for 2 year term

DIFFERENT SHAPES OF ECONOMIC RECOVERY

 PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY

● The National Statistical Office (NSO) launched PLFS in April 2017.

● It is India’s first computer-based survey
● Constituted On the recommendation of the Amitabh Kundu committee.
● It maps the state of employment in the country by taking a periodic survey of labour force in
India
● It brings out the level of unemployment in the country
● Before PLFS, NSO used to do a quinquennial socio economic survey to find out the level of
unemployment.
● OBJECTIVE
○ to estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population
Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, Unemployment Rate) in the short time interval of
three months for the urban areas only in the Current Weekly Status (CWS).
○ to estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ and CWS in
both rural and urban areas annually.

IIP(INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION)

● It indicates the growth rate of different type of industry

● Compiled monthly
● By CSO( MOSPI)
● Base year 2011-12
● 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.
● 8 core sector of IIP contributes 40.27 % of weight of IIP
● these 8 sectors are
○ Coal
○ Crude Oil
○ Natural Gas
○ Refinery Products
○ Fertilizer
○ Steel
○ Cement
○ Electricity

GDP VS GVA

● Gross domestic product (GDP) is the monetary value of all the finished goods and services
produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period.
● GVA is defined as the value of output minus the value of intermediate consumption and is a
measure of the contribution to growth made by an individual producer, industry or sector.
● Differences
○ Gross value added (GVA) is the value addition done to a product resulting in the
production of the final product whereas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value
of products produced in the country.
○ While GDP gives a picture of the whole economy, GVA gives pictures at enterprises,
government and household levels.
○ In other words, GDP is the GVA of all enterprises, governments and households.
○ Gross Value Added = GDP + subsidies on products - taxes on products

NORTH AFRICA MAP

● North Africa has three main geographic features
○ The Sahara desert in the south
○ The Atlas Mountains in the west
○ And the Nile River and delta in the east

VEHICLE SCRAPPAGE POLICY

● To encourage scrapping of old vehicles in order to reduce pollution.

● The initiative will promote a circular economy and make the process of economic development
more sustainable and environment friendly.
● The policy will also bring in investments of around Rs 10,000 crore and create 35,000 job
opportunities.
● Old vehicles will have to pass a fitness test before re-registration and as per the policy
government commercial vehicles more than 15 years old and private vehicles which are over 20
years old will be scrapped.
● As a disincentive, increased re-registration fees would be applicable for vehicles 15 years or older
from the initial date registration.
● The state governments may be advised to offer a road-tax rebate of up to 25% for personal
vehicles and up to 15% for commercial vehicles to provide incentive to owners of old vehicles to
scrap old and unfit vehicles.

DURAND LINE
● Border separating British India and Afghanistan(Currently Afghanistan and Pakistan)
● Durand Line was signed between the British civil servant Sir Henry Mortimer Durand and Amir
Abdur Rahman, then the Afghan ruler in 1893.
● It is shorter than radcliffe line

ILP SYSTEM AND STATES

● Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the concerned state
government o allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited
period.
● It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering
into the protected state.
● The Inner Line Permit was established by the British government under the Bengal
Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 to safeguard tribals of eastern part of Bengal.
● Under the Regulation of 1873, the ILP was only applicable to the three North Eastern
States such as, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. But recently it was extended
to Manipur,

NAGAR VAN SCHEME

● By Ministry of environment and Climate change.

● Aim to develop 200 urban forestry in next 5 years
● Warje Urban Forest in Pune (Maharashtra) will be considered as a role model for the Scheme.
● These urban forests will primarily be on the existing forest land in the City or any other vacant
land offered by local urban local bodies.
● Community participation and ULBs are main implementation agency.
● Funding by CAMPA fund
 STATE ANIMAL AND BIRD OF LADAKH

● State Animal : Snow Leopard

○ IUCN Endangered
○ CITES Appendix I
○ WPA Schedule I
○ It is also listed in the Convention of Migratory species
○ Acts as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem
○ Their geographical range encompasses:
● Western Himalayas: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh.
● Eastern Himalayas: Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
● State Bird : Black Necked crane
○ The black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis), also known as Tibetan crane, is a large bird
and medium-sized crane.
○ Both the sexes are almost of the same size but male is slightly bigger than female.
○ A conspicuous red crown adorns the head.
○ Habitat: high altitude Ladakh, Arunachal pradesh, Bhutan and Sichuan(China)
○ IUCN NEAR Threatened
○ CITES Appendix I
○ WPA Schedule I

EASTERN ECONOMIC FORUM

● Takes place each year at Vladivostok(Russia)

● It was established by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation in the year 2015.
● It serves as a platform for the discussion of key issues in the world economy, regional integration,
and the development of new industrial and technological sectors, as well as of the global
challenges facing Russia and other nations.
● The Forum’s business programme includes a number of business dialogues with leading partner
countries in the Asia-Pacific region

INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE(IPCC)

■ It is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change
■ It was set up in 1988 by the World meteorological org and UNEP
■ It provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its
impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
■ IPCC assessments provide a scientific basis for governments at all levels to develop climate
related policies, and they underlie negotiations at the UNFCCC
■ Every few years (about 7 years), the IPCC produces assessment reports that are the most
comprehensive scientific evaluations of the state of earth’s climate.
 ■ So far, five assessment reports have been produced, the first one being released in 1990

LEAF COALITION

● Lowering emission by accelerating forest finance(LEAF) Coalition

● Announced at the leaders summit on Climate 2021.
● A public Private effort to bring in finance for preserving tropical forest.
● Performance based finance will be there.
● Performance will be measured against the TREES Standard (The REDD+ Environmental
Excellence Standard).

KARBI ANGLONG AGREEMENT

● A historic Karbi Anglong Agreement to end the decades-old crisis ensuring Assam’s territorial
integrity was signed.
● Karbi Anglong region lies in central Assam
● A Special Development Package of Rs. 1000 crores over five years will be given for the
development of Karbi areas.
● Ensure greater devolution of autonomy to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council(KAAC)
● ​The Karbi armed groups have agreed to abjure violence and join the peaceful democratic process
as established by law of the land.
● The Agreement also provides for rehabilitation of cadres of the armed groups.
● The Government of Assam shall set up a Karbi Welfare Council for focused development of
Karbi people living outside the KAAC area.
● The Consolidated Fund of the State will be augmented to supplement the resources of KAAC.
● Army, paramilitary forces and police shall organise a special drive for the recruitment of the
Karbi youth.
● Cases filed against the armed groups which are non- heinous in nature shall be withdrawn by the
Assam government .

EL NINO

El Nino and La Nina are complex weather patterns resulting from variations in ocean
temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific Region. They are opposite phases of what is known as the
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.

● A climate pattern in which there is an unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical
Pacific Ocean.
● El Nino events are not a regular cycle, they are not predictable and occur irregularly at two- to
seven-year intervals.
● El Nino occurs simultaneously with the Southern Oscillation.
● Southern Oscillation is a change in air pressure over the tropical Pacific Ocean.
● Impacts
○ Decreased monsoon in India
○ Increased rainfall in south America
○ General increase in ocean surface temperature
○ Reduction in frequency of Hurricanes in the Atlantic

LA NINA

● Unusual cooling of eastern tropical pacific water,

● Hence high pressure over eastern tropical Pacific
● Duration of La Nina is generally longer than El Nino.
● Less rain in Eastern pacific region
● But higher than normal rainfall in monsoon and Eastern Australia
● In Europe, El Nino reduces the number of autumnal hurricanes.

IUCN

● International Union for Conservation Of Nature

● Estd 1948
● HQ Switzerland
● global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard .
● Maintains IUCN Red List of threatened species
● IUCN has representatives from both govt. and civil society
● There are 9 categories in the Red List of Threatened Species: a) Extinct, b) Extinct in the Wild, c)
Critically Endangered, d) Endangered, e) Vulnerable, f) Near Threatened, g) Least Concern, h)
Data Deficient and i) Not Evaluated.

BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL

● A global partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their

habitats.
● It is the world's largest conservation partnership for conservation of birds and their
habitats.
● It was earlier known as the International Committee for Bird Preservation.
● HQ: Cambridge, UK
● It publishes a quarterly magazine, World Birdwatch, which contains recent news and
authoritative articles about birds.
 ● It is the official Red List authority for birds.(IUCN)
● It also published important bird areas (IBA) inventory

RAPTOR MOU

● The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa

and Eurasia is also known as Raptors MoU.
● Aim is to conserve the habitat and biodiversity of Raptor species around the world
● Raptors are birds like Eagle, Falcon , Hawks, vultures etc
● It is an agreement under the Convention in Migratory species
● India signed the MOU
● But not legally binding
● All raptors have a hooked beak, strong feet with sharp talons, keen eyesight, and a carnivorous
diet.

JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE

● It will be largest ever space telescope

● Will replace Hubble space telescope
● Will be launched in later part of 2021
● It is bigger and more powerful than NASA’s operational Hubble Space Telescope
● It is an infrared telescope
● It is an international collaboration between of about 17 countries including NASA, European
Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

COMMON SERVICE CENTERS

● An initiative of Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY)

● It is the cornerstone of the Digital India programme.
● It is a pan-India network catering to regional, geographic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the
country, thus enabling the Government's mandate of a socially, financially and digitally inclusive
society.
● They are mostly ICT enabled front end service delivery points at village level for delivery of
government and private services.
● These CSCs serve as access points for delivery of essential public utility services, social welfare
schemes, financial, healthcare, education and agriculture services, apart from host of B2C
services to citizens in rural and remote areas of the country

NATIONAL INNOVATION FOUNDATION

● It is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
● It is India’s national initiative to strengthen the grassroots technological innovations and
outstanding traditional knowledge
● Its mission is to help India become a creative and knowledge-based society by expanding policy
and institutional space for grassroots technological innovators.
● NIF has also set up an augmented Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab) for product development and
strengthening in-house research
● The INSPIRE Award - MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and
Knowledge) is being revamped and executed by Department of Science & Technology and
National Innovation Foundation-India

NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS

● Ambient air quality refers to the condition or quality of air surrounding us in the outdoors.
● National Ambient Air Quality Standards are the standards for ambient air quality set by the
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that are applicable nationwide.
● The CPCB has been conferred this power by the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
1981.
● The current National Ambient Air Quality Standards were notified on 18 November 2009 by the
Central Pollution Control Board. It consists of 12 pollutants namely- PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2,
CO, O3, NH3, Lead (Pb), Benzene, Benzopyrene, Arsenic and Nickel.

MANDA BUFFALO
● The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has recognised the Manda buffalo
as the 19th unique breed of buffaloes found in India.
● found in the Eastern Ghats and plateau of Koraput region of Odisha
● Small and sturdy buffaloes
● Used for ploughing
● The Manda are resistant to parasitic infections, less prone to diseases and can live, produce and
reproduce at low or nil input systems.
● These buffaloes have ash grey and grey coats with copper-coloured hair.

DEFENCE TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE

● It is a flexible mechanism to make sure that senior leaders from the US and India are engaged
consistently to strengthen the opportunities in the field of defence.
● It is not a treaty or a law
● Launched in 2012
● The whole idea of the DTTI was to cut through bureaucratic mechanisms for defence cooperation.
● DTTI came about to expedite the scope of cooperation on defence technology
 NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAM

● Launched by Ministry of Environment ,forest and climate change

● It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management
with a time-bound reduction target.
● Targets to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2024 keeping
2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration.
● Under NCAP, 122 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country based on the Air
Quality data from 2014-2018.
● The city specific action plans have been prepared which, inter-alia, include measures for
strengthening the monitoring network, reducing vehicular/industrial emissions, increasing public
awareness etc
● Air quality of cities is monitored by State Pollution Control Boards which publishes their results
from time to time

ECO SENSITIVE ZONES

● Notified by the Ministry of Environment , Forest and Climate Change under Environment
Protection Act 1986.
● They are ecologically fragile areas generally within 10 km around protected
areas(National park,Wildlife Sanctuary).
● They can also be extended beyond 10km
● The purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some kind of “shock absorbers” to the
protected areas by regulating and managing the activities around such areas.
● Status of activities
○ Prohibited activities: Commercial mining, saw mills, industries causing pollution
,establishment of major hydroelectric projects (HEP),
○ Regulated activities: Felling of trees, establishment of hotels and resorts,
commercial use of natural water, erection of electrical cables
○ Permitted activities: Ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater
harvesting, organic farming, use of renewable energy sources.

BIOLOGICAL OXYGEN DEMAND

● Also called as biochemical oxygen demand.

● A measure of water pollution
● Water pollution by organic wastes is measured in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand
(BOD).
● BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by bacteria in decomposing the organic
wastes present in water. It is expressed in milligrams of oxygen per litre of water.
● The higher value of BOD indicates low dissolved oxygen content of water.
● Since BOD is limited to biodegradable materials, it is not a reliable method of measuring
water pollution.

CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND

● Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a slightly better mode used to measure pollution load
in the water.
● COD measures the amount of oxygen in parts per million required to oxidise organic
(biodegradable and non-biodegradable) and oxidizable inorganic compounds in the water
sample.
● Higher COD indicates lower level of dissolved oxygen and higher level of water
pollution
● COD is commonly expressed in mass of oxygen consumed over volume of solution

FRAGILE X SYNDROME

● A genetic disorder
● Also known as Martin-Bell syndrome or Marker X syndrome.
● The syndrome is the leading inherited cause of autism in 4% of the population worldwide
● . Boys often have a more serious form of it than girls.
● The syndrome is caused by changes in a gene called FMR1, which makes an important protein
(FMRP).
● This protein is required for brain development.
● Children with Fragile X syndrome make too little or none of it.
● The symptoms are learning difficulty, speech delay, aggressive behaviour, hyperactivity, attention
deficit, problems in motor skills, etc.
● The simplest tool for timely detection of Fragile X Syndrome is a DNA test.
● The disorder cannot be cured, but early therapy can improve the individual’s quality of life.

PMGDISHA

● By the Ministry of Electronics, Ministry for Electronics & IT (MeItY).

● The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) is a program under Digital
India Programme to usher digital literacy in rural India.
● Under the scheme, 6 crore households in rural areas will be covered and will be made digitally
literate by 31.03.2022.
● To ensure equitable geographical reach, each of the 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats across the country
are envisaged to register an average of 200-300 candidates.

Eligibility
 ● The Scheme is applicable only for rural areas of the country.
● All such households where none of the family members are digitally literate will be
considered as eligible households under the Scheme.
● Only one person per eligible household would be considered for training.
● All the members of the family in the age group of 14 – 60 years would be covered.
● Preference would be given to SC, ST, BPL, women, differently-abled persons and
minorities
● The identification of the beneficiaries would be carried out by CSC-SPV (Special
Purpose Vehicle) in active collaboration with DeGS (Delhi e-Government Society), Gram
Panchayats, and Block Development Officers

UAE GREEN VISA, USA GREEN CARD

The UAE has announced a new class of visas intended to ease the restrictions faced by foreigners in
pursuing employment opportunities in the country, referred to as “green visa”.

Key features

● Under the green visa, foreigners will be allowed to work in the UAE without being sponsored by
an employer.
● The green visa will enable visa holders to sponsor their parents.
● It will increase the cap on the age of children who can be sponsored by the holder from 18 to 25.
● The program will also allow the holder a grace period of up to three months to look for a new job
if they lose their old one.

C 295 AIRCRAFT

● The C-295 MW is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology.
● It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo.
● It will be installed with the indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite.
● It will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing fleet of Avro-748 planes.
● Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) will jointly execute the
project to equip the air force with the new transport aircraft under the Make-in-India initiative in
the aerospace sector.

DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS

● The Department of Military Affairs (DMA) has been created in the Defence Ministry.
● Headed by the chief of defence staffs
● The DMA will be the fifth department in the Ministry after the Department of Defence, the
Department of Defence Production, the Department of Defence Research and Development and
the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.
● The DMA’s mandate includes promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the
Services; facilitating restructuring of the military commands for optimal utilisation of resources
by bringing about a jointness in operations, including through the establishment of joint/theatre
commands and promoting use of indigenous equipment

PROJECT 75

● It is a programme by the Indian Navy that entails building six Scorpene-Class attack submarines.
● The programme has been undertaken with transfer of technology from French company Naval
Group
● The submarines in the P75 Scorpene-Class are powered by the conventional diesel-electric
propulsion system.
● The first Scorpene submarine, Kalvari, was commissioned in 2017 and it would go for a normal
refit after six years in 2023, during which time the Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) would be
installed.
● AIP technology will provide long-range and extended endurance capabilities undersea.
● Second Scorpene Khanderi was inducted in September 2019.

13TH BRICS SUMMIT

● Held virtually
● Chaired by Indian Prime Minister
● Theme'BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus'
● Adopted the Delhi Declaration which called for reforms of the principal organs of the United
Nations including that of the UN Security Council (UNSC).
● First time that BRICS has taken a collective position on 'Strengthening and Reforming
Multilateral Systems’.
● It also called for an “inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue” for stability in Afghanistan.
● BRICS
○ Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
○ The chairmanship of the forum is rotated annually among the members, in accordance
with the acronym B-R-I-C-S.
○ HQ : Shanghai

PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY

● Launched by the National Statistics Office in 2017

● India's first computer based survey
● Objective
 ○ to estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population
Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, Unemployment Rate) in the short time interval of
three months for the urban areas only in the Current Weekly Status (CWS).
○ to estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ and CWS in
both rural and urban areas annually.
● It essentially maps the state of employment in the country.

NIRF RANKING

● Launched by the Ministry of Education in 2015.

● To rank higher educational institutions.
● It is the first-ever effort by the government to rank Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the
country.
● Participation for government-run educational institutions is compulsory
● Assessment on Five Parameters:

○ Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR)

○ Research and Professional Practice (RP)
○ Graduation Outcomes (GO)
○ Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)
○ Peer Perception.
● Ranking
○ Engineering: Among engineering institutions, IIT-Madras remained number one.
○ Management: IIM Ahmedabad
● Medical: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

QEQERTAQ AVANNARLEQ

● New Northernmost piece of land on Earth.

● It is an island in the Arctic
● Near Greenland Coast
● Before this, Oodaaq was marked as the Earth’s northernmost terrain.
● Found inside the Arctic Circle.
● The new island is made up of seabed mud and moraine

LUPEX
● Lunar Polar Exploration Mission
● By ISRO and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
● Mission is to send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the Moon in 2024.
● JAXA is likely to provide the under-development H3 launch vehicle and the rover, while ISRO
would be responsible for the lander.
● The Lunar Polar Exploration mission would demonstrate new surface exploration technologies
related to vehicular transport and lunar night survival for sustainable lunar exploration in Polar
Regions.

ARTEMIS MISSION

● Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the
Sun.(ARTEMIS)
● By NASA
● To send next Man and First Woman to the Moon,
● The main objective of the mission is to measure what happens when the Sun’s radiation hits our
rocky moon, where there is no magnetic field to protect it.

The program is divided into three parts:

● Artemis I is most likely to be launched 2021 and involves an uncrewed flight to test the
Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft.
● Artemis II will be the first crewed flight test and is targeted for 2023.
● Artemis III will land astronauts on the Moon’s South Pole in 2024.

ANTRIX CORP

● A corporation under Department of space

● It was incorporated as a private limited company owned by Government of India in September
1992
● It is a Marketing arm of ISRO for promotion and commercial exploitation of space products,
technical consultancy services and transfer of technologies developed by ISRO.
● Another major objective is to facilitate development of space related industrial capabilities in
India.
● It is a Miniratna category PSU
● HQ: Bengaluru

THAMIRABARANI CIVILIZATION

● An ancient civilization of Tamil Nadu

● 3200 year old
● Along Thamirabarani river.
● Thamirabarani(Porunai river) river is the shortest river in Tamil nadu
● It starts in Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats , flows through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi
districts and empties at Korkai (Tirunelveli district) into the Gulf Of Mannar (Bay of Bengal).

CHANDRAYAAN 3

● Chandrayaan-3 s a planned third lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
● Following Chandrayaan-2, where a snag in communication led to the failure of the lander’s soft
landing attempt after a successful orbital insertion, another lunar mission for demonstrating soft
landing was proposed.
● Chandrayaan-3 will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 but will only include a lander and
rover similar to that of Chandrayaan-2. It will not have an orbiter.
● Rover will land at the same spot at the south part of the Moon.

COAL GASIFICATION

● The process of Coal Gasification chemically transforms the fossil fuel into Synthetic Natural Gas
(SNG), instead of burning fossil fuel.
● Syngas is a mixture of
○ Methane(CH4)
○ carbon monoxide (CO)
○ hydrogen (H2)
○ carbon dioxide (CO2)
○ water vapour (H2O).
● It is primarily used for electricity generation, for the production of chemical feedstocks.
● The hydrogen obtained from coal gasification can be used for various purposes such as making
ammonia, powering a hydrogen economy.

TRANSPORT AND MARKETING ASSISTANCE SCHEME(TMA)

● launched in 2019
● For providing financial assistance for the transport and marketing of agricultural products
● To boost exports of such commodities to certain countries in Europe and North America.
● All exporters, duly registered with relevant Export Promotion Council as per Foreign Trade
Policy, of eligible agriculture products shall be covered under this scheme.
● Under the TMA, the government reimburses a certain portion of freight charges and provides
assistance for the marketing of agricultural produce.
● Objective:
 ○ To provide assistance for the international component of freight and marketing of
agricultural produce.
○ To mitigate the disadvantage of higher cost of transportation of export of specified
agriculture products due to trans-shipment.
○ To promote brand recognition for Indian agricultural products in the specified overseas
markets.

BATTLE OF SARAGARHI

● Saragarhi was the communication tower between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan in the NWFP
Pakistan during British India
● The Battle of Saragarhi is considered one of the finest last stands in the military history of the
world.
● Twenty-one soldiers were pitted against over 8,000 Afridi and Orakzai tribals but they managed
to hold the fort for seven hours.
● Though heavily outnumbered, the soldiers of 36th Sikhs (now 4 Sikhs), led by Havildar Ishar
Singh, fought till their last breath, killing 200 tribals and injuring 600.
● Queen Victoria awarded the 21 dead soldiers the Indian Order of Merit

SOLAR CYCLE + SOLAR STORMS

● Solar storms are a variety of eruptions of mass and energy from the solar surface.
● Solar Storms happen when a Sun emits large bursts of energy in the form of solar flares and
coronal mass ejections.
● These phenomena send a stream of electrical charges and magnetic fields toward the Earth at
high speed.
● Effects on Earth: Northern Lights or Auroras in the poles.
● SOLAR CYCLE
○ The Sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas. This charged gas moves,
generating a powerful magnetic field. This magnetic field goes through a cycle, called the
solar cycle.
○ Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field completely flips. This means that the Sun’s
north and south poles switch places. Then it takes about another 11 years for the Sun’s
north and south poles to flip back again.
○ So far, astronomers have documented 24 such cycles, the last one ended in 2019.
● Frequency of solar storms depend on the stage of solar cycle and sunspots

DENGUE

● A mosquito borne tropical disease

● Caused by a virus
● Transmitted by several species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally Aedes aegypti.
● This mosquito also transmits Chikungunya, Zika and Yellow fever
● There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection.
● There is a vaccine called Dengvaxia for preventing Dengue
● Cases of dengue has dramatically increased throughout the world in last few years

US INDIA STRATEGIC CLEAN ENERGY PARTNERSHIP

● The SCEP was launched in accordance with the US - India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda
2030 Partnership
● The SCEP organizes inter-governmental engagement across five pillars of cooperation
○ (1) Power and Energy Efficiency
○ (2); Responsible Oil and Gas
○ (3) Renewable Energy
○ (4) Sustainable Growth
○ (5) Emerging Fuels.
● The revamped clean energy partnership will intensify the efforts from both sides to take
advantage of the complementarities that exist between US and India - advanced US technologies
and rapidly growing India’s energy market.

CRISPR( CRISPR- CAS9)

● CRISPR technology is basically a gene-editing technology that can be used for the purpose of
altering genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism.
● The Nobel prize in 2018 was given to the scientist for CRISPR technology.
● Using components of the CRISPR system, researchers can add, remove, or even alter specific
DNA. This has led to a significant impact in biology, medicine, and agriculture.
● Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the
spread of diseases and improving crops. However, its promise also raises ethical concerns.

COMMISSION FOR AGRICULTURAL COSTS AND PRICES

● It is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
● Currently, the Commission comprises a Chairman, Member Secretary, one Member (Official) and
two Members (Non-Official)
● It is mandated to recommend minimum support prices (MSPs) to incentivize the cultivators to
adopt modern technology, and raise productivity.
● MSP for major agricultural products are fixed by the government, each year, after taking into
account the recommendations of the Commission.
● As of now, CACP recommends MSPs of 23 commodities
 CLIMATE ACTION AND FINANCE MOBILIZATION DIALOGUE

● Launched as joint effort of India and the USA

● It is one of the two tracks of the India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership ,
the other being SCEP
● It will provide both countries an opportunity to renew collaborations on climate change while
addressing financing aspects and deliver climate finances
● It will also help to demonstrate how the world can align swift climate action with inclusive and
resilient economic development
● Pillars to the CAFM:
○ Climate Action Pillar:
○ Finance pillar
○ Adaptation and resilience

INDIA US CLIMATE & CLEAN ENERGY AGENDA 2030

● a high-level India-US Partnership which envisages bilateral cooperation on strong actions in the
current decade to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
● The Partnership will aim to mobilize finance and speed clean energy deployment; demonstrate
and scale innovative clean technologies needed to decarbonize sectors including industry,
transportation, power, and buildings; and build capacity to measure, manage, and adapt to the
risks of climate-related impacts.
● The Partnership will proceed along two main tracks: the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership and
the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue

AMCA

● India is expected to launch its indigenous fighter Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)
by 2032.
● It will be a 5th generation fighter aircraft
● Progression from LCA Tejas
● The aircraft will incorporate advanced technologies like super maneuverability, supercruise,
stealth, state of the art sensor suite with fusion.
● The AMCA is being designed as a stealth, medium weight, twin-engine, fifth generation
multi-mission aircraft with the capability to swing roles.
● The stealth mission features the Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD), precision strike and
maritime operations.

MAJOR PORTS IN INDIA

● Major Ports are owned and managed by the Central Government and Minor ports are
owned and managed by the State Governments.
● Major Ports are under the Union list of the Indian Constitution and are administered
under the Indian Ports Act 1908 and the Major Port Trust Act, 1963.
● Each major port is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Government of
India
● India has 12 major ports.
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