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2019
CURRENT AFFAIRS
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 Contents
SCHEMES 3 3. RANGANATHITTU BIRD SANCTUARY 8
1. JAN SHIKSHAN SANSTHAN (JSS) 3 4. POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) 9
2. JAL SHAKTI 3 5. PRACTICAL ROAD MAP FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES 9
3. AYUSHMAN BHARAT 3 6. UN MEETING ON LAND DEGRADATION 10
4. PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA 4 7. LARGE HYDRO POWER PROJECTS 10
5. PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN SAMMAN NIDHI (PM- 8. HEAT WAVES 11
KISAN) 4 9. FOREST RIGHTS ACT 11
6. KISAN CREDIT CARD (KCC) 5 10. AGENDA 21 12
7. MERCHANDISE EXPORTS FROM INDIA SCHEME 11. POLLUTION CAUSED BY FERTILISER INDUSTRY
(MEIS) 5 13
8. TRANSPORT AND MARKETING ASSISTANCE 12. SISHAM 14
(TMA) 6 13. CHILIKA LAKE 15
INITIATIVES 1 14. KHEONI SANCTUARY 16
1. DRAFT NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 2019 1 ORGANISATIONS 17
2. DIGICOP 1 1. COUNCIL OF EUROPE 17
3. WORLD FOOD SAFETY DAY 2 2. FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE (FATF) 17
4. FLOOD HAZARD ATLAS 2 3. REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC
5. SEZ ACT 2 PARTNERSHIP (RCEP) 17
6. GO TRIBAL CAMPAIGN 3 4. UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL (UNSC)18
7. KHELO INDIA PROGRAMME 3 5. KIMBERLEY PROCESS (KP) 19
8. CYBER COORDINATION CENTRE (CYCORD) 6. QUAD 19
PORTAL 3 7. SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION (SCO)
9. SYSTEMATIC VOTERS EDUCATION AND ELECTORAL 19
PARTICIPATION PROGRAM(SVEEP) 3 8. ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE (ED) 20
10. INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE – INDIAN OCEAN 9. GST COUNCIL 20
REGION 4 10. FINANCIAL STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
11. NEFT AND RTGS 4 COUNCIL (FSDC) 21
12. MISSION ON NATURAL LANGUAGE TRANSLATION 11. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT
4 AUTHORITY (NDMA) 22
13. RASHTRIYA SANSKRITI MAHOTSAV 5 12. INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR INTEGRATED
14. MAKE IN INDIA INITIATIVE IN DEFENSE SECTOR MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT (ICIMOD) 22
5 13. FOOD CORPORATION OF INDIA (FCI) 22
15. INDIA NATIONAL PLATFORM ON PRIVATE ON 14. NITI AAYOG RECONSTITUTED 23
SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS 6 15. POPULATION RESEARCH CENTRES 24
16. CORPORATE AVERAGE FUEL FLORA AND FAUNA 25
EFFICIENCY/ECONOMY REGULATIONS 6 1. GOLDEN LANGUR 25
17. KALESHWARAM LIFT IRRIGATION PROJECT 6 2. KARIMEEN 25
18. INDIASTACK 7 3. IMPRESSED TORTOISE 25
ENVIRONMENT 8 AGRICULTURE 26
1. BANGKOK DECLARATION 8 1. SUGAR INDUSTRY 26
2. BHARAT STAGE 8 2. DIFFERENT CROPPING SEASONS 26
3. DOUBLING FARMERS INCOME 27 18. ACUTE ENCEPHALITIS SYNDROME (AES) 47
4. DECONTROLLING UREA PRICES 28 19. ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE 48
5. ONLINE WAREHOUSE-BASED TRADING 28 20. PROTON THERAPY 49
ECONOMY 30 21. COLORED WHEAT 49
1. REPO RATE 30 22. MISSION DRAGONFLY 50
2. LEVERAGE RATIO 30 23. RAAVANA-1 50
3. STRESSED ASSET RESOLUTION NORMS 30 REPORTS AND INDICES 51
4. PARAMETERS TO MEASURE THE HEALTH OF THE 1. HEALTHY STATES, PROGRESSIVE INDIA 51
BANKING SYSTEM 31 2. SDG GENDER INDEX 51
5. CREDIT RATING 32 3. NUTRITION SECURITY ANALYSIS REPORT 51
6. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI) 32 4. TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT 52
7. INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION (IIP) 32 5. STATE OF GLOBAL AIR 2019 REPORT 52
8. WHOLESALE PRICE INDEX (WPI) AND PRODUCER POLITY 54
PRICE INDEX (PPI) 33 1. REMOVAL OF HIGH COURT JUDGE 54
9. FDI IN MULTI-BRAND RETAIL 33 2. ESSENTIAL SERVICES 54
10. ANTI-DUMPING 34 3. ANTI-DEFECTION 54
11. NON-BANKING FINANCIAL COMPANY (NBFC) 4. LEADER OF OPPOSITION 55
34 5. STATE FLAG DAY 55
12. WILFUL DEFAULTER 35 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 56
13. ASSET RECONSTRUCTION COMPANY (ARC) 35 1. INDIA MALDIVES BILATERAL 56
14. GUIDELINES FOR E-COMMERCE FIRMS 35 2. DOKLAM ISSUE 56
15. CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT AND FOREIGN 3. THE JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION
EXCHANGE RESERVE 36 (JCPOA) 56
16. FISCAL DEFICIT 37 4. H1B VISA 57
17. ELEPHANT BONDS 37 5. THE GENERALISED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES
18. FUTURES ON COMMODITY INDICES 37 (GSP) 57
19. NATIONAL INVESTMENT AND MANUFACTURING 6. BREXIT 57
ZONES 38 7. EXERCISE GARUDA 58
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 39 8. TAX INFORMATION EXCHANGE AGREEMENT 58
1. 5G 39 9. STRAIT OF HORMUZ 58
2. DARK WEB 39 ART AND CULTURE 60
3. NIPAH INFECTION 40 1. CHAUKHANDI STUPA 60
4. REMDESIVIR 40 2. AMBUBACHI MELA 60
5. GESTATIONAL DIABETES 40 3. BANKIM CHANDRA’S STATUE 60
6. LONG MARCH-11 41 4. AMARAVATI SCHOOL OF ART 60
7. INDIAN SPACE STATION 41 DEFENSE 62
8. BLOOD TRANSFUSION 42 1. VARUNASTRA 62
9. GENE-EDITED BABIES 43
10. BT COTTON 43
11. BT BRINJAL 44
12. WASTE-TO-ENERGY 44
13. FUEL CELLS 45
14. CARBON QUANTUM DOT 45
15. PARKINSON’S DISEASE 46
16. TRICHOPUS ZEYLANICUS 46
17. CHIKUNGUNYA 47
 SCHEMES
1. Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS)
About the scheme:
• Jan Shikshan Sansthan provide vocational
skills to non-literate, neo-literates as and
school drop-outs by identifying skills that
are useful in their region.
• The Scheme is under the Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship.
Target Group:
• Socio-economically backward and
educationally disadvantaged groups of
rural/urban population.
• Main target include non-literate, neo-
literates, person educated up to 8th
standard, and school drop-outs in the age
group of 15-35 years.
• Priority will be given to women, SC, ST,
OBC and Minorities in rural areas and
urban slums.
Why in news?
• Fee for SC/ST candidates, who join
vocational training under Jan Shikshan
Sansthans has been waived off.
2. Jal Shakti
About the initiative:
• It will look into the progress made in
harvesting, conserving and bore well
recharge activities under the
o Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme of
Ministry of Rural Development
o Integrated Watershed
Management Program of the
Ministry of Rural Development
o Water body Restoration activities
of Jal Shakthi Ministry
o Afforestation program of the
Ministry of Environment, Forests
and Climate Change.
• Progress of all the works will be
monitored real-time through a mobile
application and a web-based dashboard
at indiawater.gov.in.
• Kisan Vigyan Kendras will be roped in
to promote better crop choices for the
farmers and efficient use of water for
irrigation.
Kisan Vigyan Kendras:
• Krishi Vigyan kendras was established by
ICAR (a autonomous body for education
and research under MOAFW)
• It connects farmers and ICAR for the
purpose of training, technology transfer
etc.,
Why in News?
• The Centre has initiated the Jal Shakti
Abhiyan for rainwater harvesting and
conservation efforts in water-stressed
districts.
3. Ayushman Bharat
Ayushman Bharat
• It is an umbrella of two major health
initiatives, namely
o Health and Wellness Centers
o National Health Protection
Scheme.
Health and Wellness Centers:
• Under this 1.5 lakh health and wellness
will be created to deliver primary health
care services.
• These centers will provide
comprehensive health care, including for
non-communicable diseases and maternal
and child health services.
National Health Protection Mission: AB-
PMJAY (Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan
Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana):
• AB-PMJAY provides a insurance cover of
Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.
• This cover will take care of almost all
secondary care and most of tertiary care
procedures.
• To ensure that nobody is left out
(especially women, children and elderly)
there will be no cap on family size and
age in the scheme.
• The benefit cover will also include pre
and post-hospitalization expenses.
• A defined transport allowance per
hospitalization will also be paid to the
beneficiary.
• Benefits of the scheme are portable
across the country and a beneficiary
covered under the scheme will be allowed
to take cashless benefits from any
public/private empanelled hospitals
across the country.
Eligibility criteria:
• Entitlement will be decided on the basis
of deprivation criteria (poor in some
indicators like education, income etc.,) in
the Socio-economic cast census
database.
Implementation:
• National Health Authority has been set
up for this purpose.
• It will be chaired by the Minister of Health
& Family Welfare scheme.
• States/ UTs are advised to create
respective State Health Agency (SHA).
Why in the news?
• Indian government with the help of
expert doctors and consultants is revising
about 1300 insurance packages to be
included under Ayushman Bharat
Pradhan Mantri Jan arogya yojana
(National health protection mission).
4. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima
Yojana
About the scheme:
• The scheme is being administered by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
welfare.
• The crop insurance scheme for farmers
suffering crop damage or loss arising out
of unforeseen events.
• Crops covered : Oilseed crops ; all food
crops ; Annual commercial/horticultural
crops
• Premium : There will be a uniform
premium of 2% to be paid by farmers for
all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi
crops. For annual commercial and
horticultural crops, the premium to be
paid by farmers will be 5%.
Eligibility criteria:
• The scheme is mandatory for the farmers
who have borrowed institutional loans
from banks. and it is optional for the
farmers who have not availed
institutional credit.
• Coverage : It aims at covering the losses
suffered by farmers such as pre- sowing
losses, post-harvest losses due to cyclonic
rains and losses due to unseasonal rainfall
in India. It also covers losses due to
localized calamities such as inundation,
hailstorm and landslide risks.
• Exclusions : The losses arising out of war
and nuclear risks, malicious damage and
other preventable risks are not covered
under this scheme.
Implementation:
• The scheme is implemented by
empanelled general insurance
companies. Selection of Implementing
Agency (IA) is made by the concerned
State Government through bidding.
• The funds for the scheme come from the
Krishi Kalyan Kosh.
Krishi Kalyan Kosh: (farmers’ welfare fund)
will be used as an ‘emergency fund’ to
support farmers when they incur losses due
to low rates of produce, crop damage due to
natural disasters, and to assist them when
there is a delay in payment of minimum
support price (MSP) by the Centre.
Why in news ?
• Under the scheme, crop yield information
is mandatory for insurance estimation.
Currently, crop yield was estimated by
Laborious crop-cutting experiments
(CCE) which consumes more time and
this was the main reason for delay in
insurance settlements.
• Now, the government is planning to
introduce new-age technology in
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to
assess crop yield estimates for reducing
delays in crop insurance claim
settlements.
5. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman
Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
About the scheme:
• It aims to provide assured income of Rs.
6000 per annum to the landholding
farmers at household level (not to each
farming individual).
• The income will be transferred directly
into the bank accounts of beneficiary
farmers, in three equal instalments of Rs.
2,000 each.
Eligibility :
• All landholder farmer’s families in the
country are eligible for the PM-Kisan
Scheme subject to the prevalent exclusion
criteria.
• Farmers who do not own any land are
not eligible for this scheme.
• Excluded from the scheme
o Institutional land holders,
o Farmer families holding
constitutional posts,
o Serving or retired officers and
employees of state/central
government as well as PSUs and
government autonomous bodies.
o Professionals like doctors,
engineers and lawyers as well as
retired pensioners with a monthly
pension of over Rs 10,000 and
those who paid income tax in the
last assessment year.
• Identification of beneficiaries : The
responsibility of identifying the eligible
beneficiary farmers and uploading their
data on PM-KISAN portal lies entirely
with the state governments.
6. Kisan Credit Card (KCC)
About the Scheme
• The beneficiaries under the scheme will
be issued with a Smart card/ Debit card.
• It enables farmers to purchase
agricultural inputs such as seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides, etc. and draw cash
to satisfy their agricultural and
consumption needs.
Eligibility :
• Small farmers, marginal farmers,
sharecroppers, oral lessee and tenant
farmers.
• The Self Help Groups (SHGs) or Joint
Liability Groups (JLGs) are also eligible
for availing benefits under the said
scheme.
• KCC has been extended to farmers who
are involved in activities related to
animal husbandry and fisheries.
• Under the KCC Scheme, a flexible limit of
Rs.10,000 to Rs.50,000 has been provided
to marginal farmers (as Flexi KCC) based
on the land holding and crops grown.
Joint Liability Groups (JLGs):
• To bring small, marginal, tenant farmers,
oral lessees, etc. into the fold of
institutional credit, Joint Liability
Groups (JLGs) have been promoted by
banks.
• Joint Liability Groups consists of an
informal group of 4 – 20 individuals who
are engaged in similar business/
occupation, formed with the purpose of
availing loans through the group
mechanism against mutual guarantee.
• In order to provide institutional loans to
small farmers NABARD came up with the
concept of Joint Liability Groups (JLG).
Why in news ?
• The Centre has directed the concerned
banks to issue Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to
eligible farmers to bring them under the
ambit of institutional credit.
7. Merchandise Exports from
India Scheme (MEIS)
About the scheme:
• Under the scheme the government
provides duty benefits (rewards/duty
credit scripts) to exporters of notified
commodity produced or manufactured in
India.
• Depending on the product and the
country the reward might vary (2%, 3%
or 5%).
• This reward can be used for payment of
various kinds of taxes including customs
and duties.
• The government introduced Merchandise
Exports from India Scheme (MEIS)
 through the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) past five years and to justify how this
2015-20. scheme is consistent with the Nairobi
• It is implemented by the Ministry of WTO Ministerial commitment of 2015 (
Commerce and Industry. a commitment for reducing such
• It makes the exporters competitive in the subsidies which has the potential to
international market including Europe, distort trades)
The United States of America and Africa.
• The incentives under MEIS are also
available to units located in Special
Economic Zones (SEZs).
Why in news ?
• The government has removed MEIS
incentives (made zero from the current
10 per cent) for export of fresh and
chilled onions due to rising prices in the
domestic market.

8. Transport and Marketing

Assistance (TMA)
About the scheme:
• Aim : To provide assistance for the
international component of freight and
marketing of agricultural produce.
• The Scheme would be available for
exports from March 2019 to March 2020.
• Under the scheme, the government will
reimburse a certain portion of freight
charges and provide assistance for
marketing of agricultural produce to
boost exports of certain commodities.
Coverage :
• All exporters, duly registered with
relevant Export Promotion Council as
per Foreign Trade Policy, of eligible
agricultural products shall be covered
under this scheme.
• It is likely to mitigate disadvantage of
higher cost of transportation of export
of specified agricultural products due to
trans-shipment.
Why in news ?
• The US and Australia have raised raised
concern over India’s Transport and
Marketing Assistance (TMA) at the
WTO.
• In addition to this, Australia asked India
to provide information regarding the
average level of export subsidies provided
for products under TMA scheme for the
 INITIATIVES
1. Draft National Education
Policy 2019
Highlights of the draft policy
• The Draft Policy is built on the
foundational pillars on Access, Equity,
Quality, Affordability, and Accountability.
• Subjects: Arts, music, crafts, sports, yoga,
community service, etc will be part of the
curricula.
• Early Childhood Care and Education
(ECCE) as an integral part of school
education(3-6 years).
• The committee recommends amendment
in Right to Education Act 2009 to cover
children of ages 3 to 18 (currently, 6-14).
• Schools will be re-organized into school
complexes.
• Teacher education: A 4-year integrated
stage-specific B.Ed. program will be made
minimum degree qualification for
teachers.
• Higher education Institutions will be
restructured as three types -
o Type 1: Focused on world-
class research and high
quality teaching
o Type 2: Focused on high
quality teaching across
disciplines with significant
contribution to research
o Type 3: High-quality teaching
focused on undergraduate
education
• Rashtriya Shiksha Ayog : A new body is
proposed, which will coordinate efforts
between the Centre and states.
• National Research Foundation, an apex
body, is proposed for creating a strong
research culture.
• Separate and independent institutions for
four functions of Standard Setting,
Funding, Accreditation, and Regulation.
o National Higher Education
Regulatory Authority will be
the only regulator for all
higher education including
professional education.
o UGC is to be transformed into
Higher Education Grants
Commission and would
overlook funding activities.
(HEGC).
• The private and public institutions will be
treated on par, and education will remain
a 'not for profit' activity.
• The policy called for the proper
implementation of the three-language
formula (dating back to 1968) in schools
across the country.
• Language - Promotion of Indian and
classical languages and setting up three
new National Institutes for Pali, Persian
and Prakrit were proposed.
What’s in the news?
• After the national education policy 1986,
the government at the recommendation
of the Dr. Kasturirangan committee
have brought the draft national education
policy 2019.
2. DigiCop
What is it?
• It is an app launched by Chennai city
police.
• The police department is compiling a
database of mobiles reported stolen in
southern States, which will be uploaded
in the app.
What is the current scenario?
• Till now, only sub-inspectors and
inspectors could use the mobile
application launched by the State Crime
Records Bureau (SCRB) to detect stolen
mobile phones using the International
Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
number.
How is the public benefitted?
• With DigiCop, any user can find out the
status of mobile phones using its IMEI
number.
1
• It will also come in handy for prospective
buyers and police to verify if a phone was
stolen.
• The objective is to reduce the demand in
the grey market.
• Mobile sellers can install the app to avoid
buying stolen phones.
3. World Food Safety Day
Why in news?
• Minister of Health and Family Welfare,
inaugurated first-ever World Food Safety
Day.
Initiatives launched:
• State Food safety index: The Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
has developed first State Food Safety
Index (SFSI) to measure the performance
of States on five parameters of food
safety. This is an effort to motivate states
to work towards ensuring safe food for
citizens.
4. Flood hazard atlas
What is it? It is a map with demarcation of
flood prone region.
What’s in the news?
• Odisha has come out with unique flood
hazard Atlas on the basis of historic flood
5. SEZ Act
Amendment:
• An amendment was done to provisions of
the SEZs Act, 2005 to include the
expression "trust or entity" in the
definition of "person" to set up SEZ.
• The amendment will enable trusts to be
considered for grant of permission to set
up units in SEZs.
• The amendments will also provide
flexibility to the central government to
‘include in this definition of a person’ or
any entity that the central government
may notify from time to time (no need of
new amendment to include new definition
of person). This will facilitate investments
in SEZs.
What are SEZs?
• Raman 1.0: It is a hand-held battery
operated device which performs rapid
detection (in less than 1 minute) of
economically driven adulteration in
edible oils, fats and ghee. The equipment
tests more than 250 samples per battery
charge, collects and stores data on the
cloud using a smart device.
• Food Safety Magic Box: It is an
innovative solution to take food safety to
schools. This do-it-yourself food testing
kit comprises a manual and equipment to
check for food adulterants, which school
children can use in their classroom
laboratories.
• Eat Right Awards: FSSAI has instituted
the ‘Eat Right Awards’ to recognize the
contribution of food companies and
individuals to empower citizens to choose
safe and healthy food options, which
would help improve their health and well-
being.
inundation captured through satellite
imagery.
• The Atlas would serve as a useful
resource of information for policy
makers, planners and civil society groups.
• A large number of satellites images
acquired over 18 years were used to
create the flood hazard atlas.
• SEZ is a specifically delineated duty-free
enclave and deemed to be foreign
territory for the purposes of trade
operations and duties and tariffs.
• SEZs’ economic laws are more liberal
than a country's typical economic laws.
India’s SEZ policy offers various fiscal and
regulatory incentives to the developers
within the zone like exemption from
customs duties, central excise duties.
• The idea was to create a level playing
field to the domestic enterprises and
manufacturers to be competitive globally.
Objectives of SEZs
• The major objectives of setting up a SEZ
are
• To attract FDI
2
• Earn foreign exchange and contribute to
exchange rate stability
• Boost the export sector especially non
traditional exports
• To create employment opportunities
• Introduce new technology
• Develop backward regions etc.
6. Go Tribal Campaign
What is it?
• It aims to generate awareness and
promote tribal arts and crafts.
• It strives for the socio-economic welfare
of more than 700 Indian tribes, by
promoting and making available tribal
handcrafted textiles, jewelry, and other
accessories via global online market
spaces.
• It has been launched by Minister of State
for Tribal Affairs and TRIFED in
association with Amazon Global.
About TRIFED
• The Tribal Cooperative Marketing
Development Federation of India
(TRIFED) is a national-level apex
organization functioning under the
administrative control of Ministry of
Tribal Affairs.
• TRIFED is engaged in marketing
development of tribal products including
tribal art and craft under the brand name
“TRIBES INDIA”.
7. Khelo India Programme
What is it?
• Under this programme, 2,500 talented
players have been selected and are being
trained.
• Talented players identified in priority
sports disciplines at various levels by the
High-Powered Committee will be
provided annual financial assistance of
INR 5 lakh per annum for 8 years.
• The Khelo India programme has been
introduced to revive the sports culture in
India at the grass-root level by building a
strong framework for all sports played in
our country and establish India as a great
sporting nation.
• It is under the Minister of Youth Affairs
& Sports.
Why in news?
• President Ram Nath Kovind said that the
government has decided to widen the
spectrum of the 'Khelo India Programme'
to cover the entire country.
8. Cyber Coordination Centre
(CyCord) portal
What is it?
• The governmnent launched the CyCord
portal in 2018.
• It is a platform for the Law Enforcement
Agencies and other stakeholders to
collaborate and coordinate their efforts to
resolve cybercrime, and for other cyber
related issues.
Why in news?
• The Minister of state for Home affairs
highlighted the Cyber Coordination Centre
(CyCord) portal as one of the major
initiatives of the government against
cyber related issues.
9. Systematic voters education
and electoral participation
program(SVEEP)
What is it?
• It is the flagship program of the Election
Commission of India for voter
education, spreading voter awareness
and promoting voter literacy in India.
• It works towards preparing India’s
electors and equipping them with basic
knowledge related to the electoral
process.
Why in news?
▪ A two-day National Conference of SVEEP
Nodal Officers was organized by the
Election Commission of India to review
the strategy and implementation of
outreach program during Lok Sabha
Election 2019 and to chalk out the
blueprint for the next 5 years.
3
10. Information Fusion Centre –
Indian Ocean Region
What is it?
• IFC-IOR is an initiative of the Indian Navy,
located in Gurugram, Haryana.
• Through this Centre, information on
“white shipping”, or commercial
shipping, will be exchanged with
countries in the region to improve
maritime domain awareness in the Indian
Ocean.
• It acts as a dedicated center for exchange
of information and understanding the
concerns and threats which are prevalent
in the region.
Why in News?
• The Indian Navy hosted a maritime
information sharing workshop under the
aegis of the Information Fusion Centre —
Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at
Gurugram.
11. NEFT and RTGS
National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT)
• NEFT is a payment system facilitating
funds transfers from one bank account to
another.
• One can access this service either by using
Internet banking or by visiting the bank
branch.
• Once we initiate the transfer, the money
reaches the beneficiary account within
hours.
• There is no limit on the minimum or
maximum amount you can transfer,
however, individual banks may put
restrictions on a per transaction amount.
Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS)
• This is a facility used for transferring high
value amounts.
• In RTGS, the minimum amount that can
be currently transferred is Rs 2 lakh.
• We can only transfer funds using RTGS on
any working day between Monday and
Saturday either via internet banking or
bank branch.
Why in news?
• With an aim to encourage digital transfer
of funds, the RBI has waived off all
charges for transactions using National
Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and
Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS)
systems.
• This move will benefit the small traders
who deal in small value transactions and
operate on small margins.
12. Mission on natural language
translation
What is it?
• The mission tries to make science and
technology accessible to all by facilitating
access to teaching and researching
material bilingually in English and in
one's native Indian language.
• To overcome the language barrier, the
government planned to set up an
ecosystem which involves the Central and
State agencies and start-ups.
• To achieve this, the government plans to
leverage a combination of machine
translation and human translation.
Implementation:
• The IT ministry along with Ministry of
Human Resource Development and
Department of Science and Technology.
What’s in the news?
• Ministry of Electronics and IT is planning
to initiate the Natural Language
Translation mission which is one of the
key missions identified by the Prime
Minister's Science, Technology and
Innovation Advisory Council (PM-
STIAC).
PM-STIAC:
• The PM-STIAC is an overarching body that
identifies challenges in certain areas of
science and technology.
• It then creates a road map to deal with
these challenges and presents the
recommendations to the Prime Minister.
• Besides natural language translation,
other missions identified by the body
includes Quantum Frontier, Artificial
intelligence, National Biodiversity
4
 mission, electric vehicles, BioScience for
Human Health and deep ocean
exploration.
13. Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav
What is it?
• Under the initiative the government
organizes various cultural activities every
year throughout the country to promote
culture.
• The objective is to protect, preserve &
promote various forms of folk art and for
creating awareness among people about
the cultural heritage of our country.
Implementing Agency
• There are seven Zonal Cultural Centers
(ZCCs) to promote cultural development
programmes for which annual grant-in-
aid is given to them by the Government of
India.
Why in News?
• This year Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav
was organized in Kumbh Mela at
Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (January to
March, 2019).
14. Make in India initiative in
Defense Sector
What is Make in India?
• Make in India is a national program
designed to transform India into a global
manufacturing hub.
• It contains lot of proposals designed to
urge companies (both local and foreign) to
invest in India and make the country a
manufacturing powerhouse. For example,
below are some of the initiatives
undertaken
o Investor Facilitation Cell
o Reforms in FDI
o Make in India web portal: It
intends to answer all investor
queries. Apart from a set of
comprehensive FAQs, the website
also has a team of support, that
answers all specific queries within
72 hours
• The focus of Make in India programme is
on creating jobs and skill enhancement in
25 sectors and to create 100 million
additional jobs by 2022 in manufacturing
sector.
• It also aims at increasing the share of
manufacturing in the country's Gross
Domestic Product from 16% to 25% by
2022.
Make in India in defense sector:
• Defense Procurement Procedure (DPP)
has been revised in 2016 wherein specific
provisions have been introduced for
stimulating growth of the domestic
defense industry.
o Buy Indian-IDDM (Indigenously
Designed, Developed and
Manufactured): It has been
introduced to promote indigenous
design and development of
defense equipment. Any
equipment manufactured under
this category will be given a top
priority for procurement for
defense needs.
o Strategic Partnership (SP)
Model: The strategic partnership
model seeks to identify a few
Indian private companies as
Strategic Partners who would
initially tie up with a few
shortlisted foreign Original
Equipment Manufacturers
(OEMs) to manufacture big-ticket
military platforms. In the initial
phase, the selection of SPs would
be confined to four segments:
Fighter Aircraft, Helicopters,
Submarines, and Armoured
Fighting Vehicles (AFV)/Main
Battle Tanks (MBT).
• Innovations for Defence Excellence
(iDEX): An innovation ecosystem for
defence research and development has
been launched.
• Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti: Aims to
provide boost to the IPR culture in
indigenous defence industry.
5
• Defence industrial corridors:
Government has decided to establish two
(in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) to
serve as an engine of economic
development and growth of defence
industrial base in the country.
15. India National Platform on
Private on Sustainability
Standards
What is it?
• It is a platform to facilitate dialogue
between core public and private
stakeholders on how to maximize the
sustainable development benefits.
• It is a platform to resolve issues in the
domain of Private Sustainability
Standards and help increase export
capacity of India.
Why is it needed?
• In the Indian context, there are claims of
PSS’s positive impact on value chain
sustainability, market access benefits and
on livelihoods of people.
• But on the other hand they are perceived
to be non-tariff trade barriers due to the
high cost of compliance.
Stakeholders:
• INPPSS has been launched by the
Ministry of Commerce and the United
Nations Forum on Sustainability
Standards – an initiative of 5 UN
agencies: (UNCTAD, ITC, UNIDO, FAO, &
UN Environment).
• It is under the sectorial oversight of
Quality Council of India (QCI).
About the Quality Council of India (QCI):
• Quality Council of India (QCI) is an
autonomous body.
• It was setup jointly by the Government of
India and the Indian Industry
represented by the three premier industry
associations i.e.
o Associated Chambers of
Commerce and Industry of India
(ASSOCHAM),
o Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) and
o Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
• It aims to establish and operate national
accreditation structure and promote
quality through National Quality
Campaign.
• The Department for promotion of
Industrial & Internal trade, Ministry of
Commerce & Industry, is the nodal
ministry for QCI.
• Chairman of QCI is appointed by the
Prime Minister on recommendation of
the industry to the government.
• QCI has also been identified as the nodal
agency for PSS by the Government of
India.
16. Corporate Average Fuel
Efficiency/Economy
regulations
What is it?
• CAFE or Corporate Average Fuel
Efficiency/Economy regulations aim at
lowering fuel consumption (or
improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles by
lowering CO2 emissions, thus serving the
twin purposes of reducing dependence on
oil for fuel and controlling pollution.
• In India, it was proposed by the Ministry
of Power, in collaboration with the
Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
• From 1 April 2017, India adopted CAFE
norms, which require cars to be 30% or
more fuel efficient from 2022 and 10% or
more between 2017 and 2021.
Why in News?
• The government is looking to target
cleaner air through stricter CAFE norms.
17. Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation
Project
What’s in the news?
• Telangana Chief Minister K
Chandrasekhar Rao inaugurated the
Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project across
the Godavari river.
6
• Touted as the world's largest multi-stage
multi-purpose scheme, the project will
provide irrigation facility to 45 lakh acres
and support Mission Bhagiratha and
Mission Kakatiya schemes of the
Telangana government which aim to
provide drinking water to many villages
and improve the capacities of tanks
respectively.
What is Lift Irrigation?
• Lift irrigation is a method of irrigation in
which water is not transported by natural
flow, (as in gravity-fed canal) but is lifted
with pumps or surge pools etc.
• The advantage of lift irrigation is the
minimal land acquisition problem and low
water losses.
18. IndiaStack
What is it?
• IndiaStack is a set of Application
Programming Interface that allows
governments, businesses, startups and
developers to utilise a unique digital
infrastructure to solve India's hard
problems towards presence-less,
paperless and cashless service delivery.
• The four distinct technology layers
provided are
o Presence less layer : Where a
universal biometric digital identity
allows people to participate in any
service from anywhere in the
country.
o Paperless layer: Where digital
records move with an individual's
digital identity, eliminating the
need for massive amount of paper
collection and storage.
o Cashless layer: Where a single
interface to all the country's bank
accounts and wallets to
democratize payments.
o Consent layer: Which allows data
to move freely and securely to
democratize the market for data.
• The following APIs are considered to be a
core part of the India Stack.
o Aadhaar Authentication
o Aadhaar e-KYC
o eSign
o Digital Locker
o Unified Payment Interface (UPI),
etc
Why in news?
• UN in its ‘The Age of Digital
Interdependence’ report lauded the role
played by India Stack in helping
government agencies achieve economic
inclusion in India.
7
 ENVIRONMENT
emission of air pollutants from motor
vehicles.
1. Bangkok Declaration
• As the stage goes up, the control on
What is it?
emissions become stricter.
• ASEAN countries have signed the
• Thus Bharat Stage VI norms are two
“Bangkok Declaration” on fighting
stages ahead of the present Bharat Stage
maritime waste.
IV norms in regulating emissions.
• It is a first of its kind which promises to
• These norms are based on similar norms
prevent and significantly reduce marine
in Europe called Euro 4 and Euro 6.
debris.
How is BS6 different from BS4?
What is the need?
• A vital difference between BS6 and the
• According to a 2015 report co-authored
outgoing BS4 fuel is that the BS6 fuel
by environmental campaigner Ocean
contains 5 times fewer sulphur traces
Conservancy ASEAN members Indonesia,
(10 parts per million) compared to BS4
Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, along
(50 ppm).
with the worst offender China, throw the
• NOx (Nitrogen Oxide) level will be
most plastic waste into oceans.
brought down by a staggering 70% for
What is ASEAN?
Diesel engine and 25% for Petrol Engines.
• Association of South East Asian Nations
• The BS6 brings along a plethora of
(ASEAN) is a regional &
changes, most significant being the
intergovernmental organisation of 10
mandatory OBD (Onboard Diagnostics)
countries of southeast Asia.
for all vehicles.
• Its members are Thailand, Malaysia, Laos,
• RDE (Real Driving Emission) will be
Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore,
introduced for the first time that will
Myanmar, Philippines, Brunei and
measure the vehicle’s emission in real-
Vietnam. They work towards progress of
world conditions against simulated
the southeast Asia region.
conditions.
Other Conventions related to ocean:
• Introduction of DPF (Diesel Particulate
• Marpol convention: It is the main
Filter) and SCR (Selective Catalytic
international convention covering
Reduction) for Diesel engines.
prevention of pollution of the marine
environment by ships from operational or • So a transition from BS 4 to BS 6 requires
accidental causes. modification both in the fuel and in the
vehicle engine.
• The convention was adopted in 1973 at
What’s in the news?
the International Maritime Organization.
• The government is taking necessary steps
• Solas convention: The International
to implement Bharat Stage (BS)-6
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
emission norms from 2020.
(SOLAS), 1974, is an international
maritime safety treaty. SOLAS requires • The vehicular pollution which is 28 to 30
flag states to ensure that their ships per cent of air pollution will be reduced
comply with minimum safety standards in drastically after implementation of BS-6
construction, equipment, and operation. norms from 2020.
• India has ratified both the convention.
3. Ranganathittu bird sanctuary
About:
2. Bharat stage • Ranganathittu Bird sanctuary is located in
What are Bharat Stage norms? Mandya district of Karnataka. The
• The Bharat Stage are standards instituted
by the government to regulate the

8
 sanctuary comprises of six islets in the
Cauvery river.
• The large cormorant, darter, spoonbill,
open-billed stork, painted stork, egret,
heron, and the lesser whistling teal are
some of the famous birds of this area.
Over 200 different migratory birds visit
this place every year.
• It is also declared as “Important bird
site” by Birdlife International (a non-
profit organisation working for the avian
conversation).
4. Polyethylene terephthalate
(PET)
What are PET plastics?
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a
general-purpose thermoplastic (plastic
which can be reused by heating and
cooling).
• Polyester resins are known for their
excellent combination of properties such
as mechanical, thermal, chemical
resistance as well as dimensional
stability.
• According to the United Nations, around
300 million tonnes of plastic are
produced every year. Of this, eight million
tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the
oceans. PET bottles are the main
contributors to plastic waste globally and
in India.
Why in News?
• The sportswear manufacturer ADIDAS is
establishing unit in Maharashtra which
can upcycle PET bottles to sportswear.
The upcycling process consumes 86% less
water and 75% less energy than
conventional manufacturing.
• India has best PET material collection
rate at nearly 80%, but a good portion of
these bottles are down cycled.
Upcycling vs Down cycling
• There are two common methods of
recycling something: Upcycling and Down
cycling.
• Upcycling, also known as creative reuse,
is reuse of an item that results in
something of greater value than the
Why in News?
• The devastating flood in river Cauvery in
2018 destroyed the bird sanctuary by
uprooting trees and erosion of soil on the
islets.
• The forest department has taken an
initiative to restore the sanctuary by
expanding the islets through soil
stabilization using mud bags, boulders
etc.
original. Down cycling is reuse of an item
that results in something of lesser value
than the original.
5. Practical road map for electric
vehicles
India’s agenda on vehicles
• The government is planning to ban sale of
internal combustion engine (ICE) three-
wheelers by 2023 as well as of less than
150 cc two-wheelers by 2025.
• India is jumping directly from Bharat
Stage IV to Bharat Stage VI. The
gestation period to move is very less for
manufacturers.
• Scheme for Faster Adoption and
Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric
Vehicles in India (FAME India) (under
ministry of heavy industries and public
enterprises) is already in place for the
promotion of electric vehicles.
• The Centre launched the EV@30
campaign to set a collective aspirational
goal for all Electric Vehicles Initiative
(EVI) members to have EVs contribute to
30 percent of all vehicle sales by 2030.
Why in News?
• CII and SIAM have asked government to
step up realistic targets in automobile
sector.
• They have asked for a well laid out
roadmap for an ambitious EV rollout over
a practical time frame along with an
integrated plan for setting up the
necessary infrastructure across the
9
 length and breadth of the country, in
consultation with all stakeholders.
About SIAM
• The Society of Indian Automobile
Manufacturers (SIAM) is a not for profit
apex national body representing all major
vehicle and vehicular engine
manufacturers in India.
About CII
• The Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) is a non-government, not-for-profit,
industry-led and industry-managed
organization, playing a proactive role in
India's development process.
• CII works with the government in policy
making and provides businesses
perspective.
6. UN meeting on land
degradation
What is Desertification?
● Desertification is not the natural
expansion of existing deserts but the
degradation of land in arid, semi-arid,
and dry sub-humid areas.
● It is a gradual process of soil
productivity loss and the thinning out of
the vegetative cover because of human
activities and climatic variations such as
prolonged droughts and floods.
What is UNCCD?
● Established in 1994, the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) is the sole legally binding
international agreement linking
environment and development to
sustainable land management.
● The Convention addresses specifically
the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid
areas, known as the dry lands, where
some of the most vulnerable
ecosystems and peoples can be found.
● The Convention’s 197 parties work
together to improve the living
conditions for people in drylands, to
maintain and restore land and soil
productivity, and to mitigate the effects
of drought.
What is the Bonn Challenge?
● It is an initiative started in 2011 by
Germany and IUCN to bring 150 million
hectares of the world’s deforested and
degraded land into restoration by 2020,
and 350 million hectares by 2030.
● It uses Forest landscape restoration
approach (FLR) aims to restore
ecological integrity at the same time as
improving human well-being through
multifunctional landscapes.
Forest landscape restoration approach
(FLR)
● FLR is defined as a process that aims to
regain ecological functionality and
enhance human well-being in
deforested or degraded landscapes.
● FLR is more than just planting trees – it
is restoring a whole landscape to meet
present and future needs and to offer
multiple benefits and land uses over
time.
Why in News?
● India is hosting the 14th CoP of UNCCD
in September 2019 in Delhi.
● India has launched a flagship program
to integrate with Bonn Challenge and
work towards FLR.
7. Large hydro power projects
What is it?
● Any hydropower projects which
generates more than 25MW is
considered as large HEP
● Previously it was not considered as
renewable energy. Only the hydro power
projects under 25MW potential was in
the renewable energy category.
Inclusion of Large Hydropower in
renewable energy
● The renewable enegr sector accounted
for 20.6 per cent of India’s total energy
production, but the next day, the share
jumped to over 33 per cent.
● This became possible because on March
7 the Union Cabinet brought all hydro
projects of more than 25 MW capacity
under the renewables category.
Reviving the sector
10
● This would help revive the ailing
hydropower sector as the Discoms and
other big users will be forced to buy
hydropower through Hydropower
Purchase Obligations (HPOS)—a tool
to make Discoms and power plants buy
hydropower.
Hydropower Purchase Obligations
(HPOS)
● HPOs have been conceptualised along
the lines of Renewable Purchase
Obligations (RPOs), which were
introduced in 2008 in the form of
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
● All Discoms and power plants are
obligated to buy a certain amount of
renewable power every year (the
percentage varies annually) and if they
do not buy it, they have to purchase
equivalent RECs. HPOs have been
announced as a separate entity within
non-solar RPOs.
8. Heat Waves
Why in news?
● Heat wave has intensified in several parts
of the country like Odisha, Maharashtra,
Telangana, etc.
What is a Heat Wave?
● A Heat Wave is a period of abnormally
high temperatures, more than the
normal maximum temperature that
occurs during the summer season in the
North-Western parts of India.
● Heat Waves typically occur between
March and June, and in some rare cases
even extend till July.
● The extreme temperatures and resultant
atmospheric conditions adversely affect
people living in these regions as they
cause physiological stress, sometimes
resulting in death.
● There is no universal definition for heat
wave. It is generally defined as a
prolonged period of excessive heat.
9. Forest rights Act
Forest Rights Act (FRA):
● Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, is a people-
centric law for forests, which “recognises”
the rights of forest- dwelling communities
to use and manage forest resources.
● With more than 150 million forest
dwellers, the scope of FRA is immense to
protect their livelihoods, and engage them
in sustainable forest management.
Rights under FRA:
● Title rights – Ownership to land that is
being farmed by tribals or forest dwellers
subject to a maximum of 4 hectares;
ownership is only for land that is actually
being cultivated by the concerned family,
meaning that no new lands are granted.
● Use rights – to minor forest produce
(also including ownership), to grazing
areas, to pastoralist routes, etc.
● Relief and development rights – to
rehabilitation in case of illegal eviction or
forced displacement; and basic amenities,
subject to restrictions for forest
protection.
● Forest management rights – to protect
forests and wildlife.
Eligibility:
● Eligibility to get rights under the Act is
confined to those who “primarily reside
in forests” and who depend on forests
and forest land for a livelihood.
● Further, either the claimant must be a
member of the Scheduled Tribes
scheduled in that area or must have been
residing in the forest for 75 years.
Process of recognition of rights:
● The Act provides that the gram sabha, or
village assembly, will initially pass a
resolution recommending whose rights to
which resources should be recognised.
● This resolution is then screened and
approved at the level of the sub-division
(or taluka) and subsequently at the
district level.
● The screening committees consist of
three government officials (Forest,
Revenue and Tribal Welfare
departments) and three elected members
of the local body at that level. These
committees also hear appeals.
Issue in FRA:
11
● But getting legal right to dwell in the
forest included an official process of
settling the land claim.
● Considering that 13 years is a long time to
complete the official trail, the apex court
inferred that people whose settlement
rights had not been accepted must be
evicted.
● It also ordered states to give a report on
the action taken against the claimants
whose claims had been rejected.
Why in news?
● Ironically, the order for eviction comes
from a case on the validity of the Forest
Rights Act (FRA), which for the first time,
13 years ago, granted tribal communities
the right of settlement in forest areas. Till
then, they were regarded as
“encroachers”.
● In February, the Supreme Court ordered
the eviction of lakhs of people belonging
to the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs)
categories across 16 States, whose claim
as forest-dwellers has been rejected
under the Forest Rights Act.
● The court directed that the eviction be
carried out by July, 2019.
Other rights available to the forest
dwellers:
District mineral foundation(DMF):
● Similarly, in recognition of the rights of
local communities to benefit from mineral
resource extraction, the Mines and
Minerals (Development and
Regulation) Act (MMDR 1957) was
amended in 2015 to institute District
Mineral Foundation(DMF) as a
mechanism of benefit sharing.
● DMFs must work for the interest and
benefit of people in the areas affected by
mining, through an inclusive and
participatory process.
● With mandatory contributions from
mining companies, currently there are
more than 27,000 crores in DMFs across
all mining districts.
● Problem: DMF funds in many top mining
districts in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,
Odisha and Madhya Pradesh are being
used through top-down and heavy-
handed decision making, sidelining
mining-affected people and their most
pressing needs.
PESA:
● In addition, the Panchayats (Extension to
the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) 1996,
emphasises people’s engagement for
governing natural resources through local
level institutions such as gram sabhas.
● Implementation of FRA and DMF is tied to
PESA, requiring gram sabhas’ active
engagement.
Way forward:
● The main reason for passing of such
eviction order is to save the forest
resources from exploitation.
● But it should be noted that these forest
dwellers were able to live in harmony
with nature for a long period of time.
● Thus appropriate action now would be to
strengthen the community rights and to
include them in the governance process.
10. Agenda 21
What is it?
● In 1992, 178 countries adopted Agenda
21 that emerged from the Earth Summit
or United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development
(UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
● Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of
action to be taken globally, nationally and
locally by organizations of the United
Nations System, Governments, and Major
Groups in every area in which human
impacts on the environment.
● It is a global partnership to encourage
countries to make a transition to
sustaining life on Earth.
● It is not a binding resolution.
About the resolution:.
● It pointed at the unsustainable patterns
of production and consumption, and
recognised the need to develop effective
ways to dispose mounting waste.
● It stressed on revisiting the root cause of
changing consumption patterns and
12
 focussed on reducing waste, apart from
environmentally-sound recycling.
Important for India:
● Developed countries started discussing
ways to move from a linear flow of
materials (resource-product-waste) to a
circular flow (resource-product-recycled
resources).
● But the picture is different in India, still
struggling to manage its waste. Poor
implementation of rules is creating a
waste burden which may soon become a
huge liability.
State of India’s Environment 2019:
● 46% of India’s solid waste remains
untreated.
● 22 States have reported protests against
waste dumping in the past three years.
Regulatory framework:
● The country has a near-perfect regulatory
framework on waste.
● Under the Environment Protection Act
(EPA), 1986, seven rules on waste have
been notified.
● But on all the waste issues, lack of
enforcement is the biggest problem.
11. Pollution caused by Fertiliser
Industry
Pollution from fertilizer industry:
● The fertiliser sector is a significant
contributor to India’s GHG emissions.
● Natural gas is the major raw material for
ammonia manufacturing and hence for
urea.
● The urea industry, with 30 per cent, is the
biggest consumer of natural gas in India.
Natural gas is commonly used as
feedstock and fuel, a cleaner fuel
compared to naphtha. But the sector still
has three naphtha based plants.
Fertilizer industry by CPCB:
● It is classified under the “red category”
of polluting sectors by CPCB.
● Wastewater generated at urea plants
contains ammoniacal and Kjeldahl
nitrogen, and cyanides in varying
concentrations, which can lead to
groundwater and surface water pollution,
if not treated properly
Categorization of industrial sectors based
on pollution by CPCB:
Pollution Index Category
60 and above Red
41 to 59 Orange
21 to 40 Green
Upto 20 White
Why in news?
● Centre for Science and Environment’s
innovative Green Rating Project (GRP)
assessed the fertiliser manufacturing
sector in 2018- 19.
● All of India’s 23 operational urea plants
were surveyed for the project. GRP rated
them on six categories comprising 54
indicators covering their entire life
cycle— from environmental impact of
raw material sourcing to the final
product.
● The sector as a whole received an average
score of 43% in energy use and GHG
emissions, but some of the plants are
comparable to the global best.
Green rating project:
● The Green Rating Project (GRP) is an
effort to rate industrial units within a
specific sector on the basis of their
environment friendliness.
● The project aims at encouraging
companies to adopt better environment
management policies.
Green leaves award:
● Also, the Centre for Science and
Environment has been rating industrial
sectors through its Green Leaves Award.
● “5 Leaves”are for best performers.
● The urea sector as a whole received “3
Leaves”—an average performance.
● Of the 23 plants rated, only one managed
to bag “4 Leaves” Award.
● About two-thirds of the plants received “3
Leaves”
13
● Four plants received just “1 Leaf”.
Centre for Science and Environment:
● Centre for Science and Environment
(CSE) is a not-for-profit public interest
research and advocacy organisation
based in New Delhi.
● It works as a think tank on environment-
development issues in India, poor
planning, climate shifts devastating
India's Sundarbans and advocates for
policy changes and better implementation
of the already existing policies.
Central pollution control board:
● The Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) of India is a statutory
organisation under the Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF).
● It was established in 1974 under the
Water (Prevention and Control of
pollution) Act, 1974.
● CPCB is also entrusted with the powers
and functions under the Air (Prevention
and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
● It serves as a field formation and also
provides technical services to the
Ministry of Environment and Forests
under the provisions of the Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986.
● It Coordinates the activities of the State
Pollution Control Boards by providing
technical assistance and guidance and
also resolves disputes among them.
12. Sisham
What is it?
● Shisham is a medium to large deciduous
tree, native to India.
● Shisham is best known internationally as
a premier timber species of the rosewood
genus.
● After teak, it is the most important
cultivated timber tree in India, planted on
roadsides, and as a shade tree for tea
plantations.
● It is also used to make various kinds of
artifacts.
Dip is exports:
● Rosewood artisans in India have been
badly hit by trade regulations introduced
in 2017 by the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or
CITES.
● Data collected from 2017 to 2018 by the
Export Promotion Council for
Handicrafts shows that India’s
international trade in shisham (Dalbergia
sissoo), a type of rosewood, was `617
crore, against the potential of 1,000
crore.
Illegal trade:
● The reason for the dip is the decision to
include the entire Dalbergia genus under
Appendix II of CITES, which has species
where trade must be controlled to avoid
overexploitation.
● The decision was taken at the last CITES
conference of the parties (CoP 17) after
several African and Latin American
countries said illegal international trade
in rosewood, fuelled primarily due to
rising Chinese demand, was decimating
rosewood populations throughout its
range.
● The countries added that because all
types of rosewood look alike, the entire
genus should be included to curb illegal
trade.
Why in news?:
● India has sent a proposal to CITES ahead
of the upcoming CoP 18 that trade of
individual species should be regulated,
and not the entire genus, based on their
conservation status.
● India has two species of Dalbergia, of
which D latifolia (Indian rosewood) is
classified as vulnerable, while shisham
is widely grown by farmers.
● India wants to deregulate the trade of
shisham.
Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES):
● It is an international agreement aimed at
ensuring that international trade in
specimens of wild animals and plants
does not threaten their survival.
● It is also referred to as Washington
Convention(Washington resolution
adopted during IUCN meet).
14
● It is legally binding on the Parties, but it
does not take the place of national laws of
parties. States have to adopt their own
domestic legislation to implement its
goals.
● It is administered through the United
Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), Geneva, Switzerland.
Appendix I:
● Most endangered plants and animals.
● Examples include gorillas, giant pandas
etc.,.
● They are threatened with extinction and
CITES prohibits international trade in
specimens of these species except when
the purpose of the import is not
commercial, for instance for scientific
research.
Appendix II:
● Not necessarily now threatened with
extinction but that may become so unless
trade is closely controlled.
● Most CITES species are listed in this
Appendix.
● It also includes "look-alike species", i.e.
species whose specimens in trade look
like those of species listed for
conservation reasons.
● International trade in specimens of
Appendix-II species may be authorized by
the granting of an export permit or re-
export certificate.
Appendix III
● List of species that are included at the
request of a party.
● Trade is allowed with the presentation of
documents.
13. Chilika lake
About the lake:
● Chilika is the largest brackish water
lake in Asia.
● The salt content or salinity, comes from
seawater that enters the lagoon from a
small inlet that runs parallel to the sea
and opens up at a place known as the
mouth.
● Freshwater comes from 52 small and
large rivers that drain into the lake,
largely from Daya and Bhargavi rivers.
● The lake’s salinity varies—from 0 in the
northern sector, where there is complete
freshwater, to 33 in the mouth, which is
complete saltwater.
● This delicate salinity gradient between
different parts of the lake supports a wide
variety of ecosystems.
● Any disturbance to this salinity gradient
either by incursion of more freshwater,
polluted water or seawater can be
detrimental to the health and survival of
myriad species of plants and animals that
Chilika supports.
Chilika in Montreux record:
● For its wealth of biodiversity, Chilika was
recognised as the first site in India under
the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of
International Importance in 1981.
● But in 1993, it was included in the
Montreux Record as a threatened
ecosystem whose character was changing
due to heavy influx of freshwater from the
rivers upstream. Between 1975 and 2001,
the water level in Chilika had risen by 1
metre to 1.5 metres, which was mostly
due to freshwater ingress.
About Montreux record:
● The Montreux Record is a register of
wetland sites on the List of Ramsar
wetlands of international importance
where changes in ecological character
have occurred, are occurring, or are likely
to occur as a result of technological
developments, pollution or other human
interference.
● It is a voluntary mechanism to highlight
specific wetlands of international
importance that are facing immediate
challenges. It is maintained as part of the
List of Ramsar wetlands of international
importance.
● Currently Keoladeo National Park and
Keibul lamjao national park are being
kept under the record for taking
appropriate steps for ecological
restoration.
Restoration
15
● To counter this, the Chilika Development
Authority (CDA) opened up a new mouth
to the sea in 2001, successfully
restoring its character.
● The dredging of the new inlet and mouth
increased fish production and gave a new
lease of life to almost 0.2 million fisher
folk who are dependent on Chilika for
survival. For example, between the 1950s
and the 1980s, there was no water
hyacinth in Chilika, but after the new
inlet was opened the plant flourished,
creating a positive cascading effect for
aquatic species that live around
hyacinths.
● After a range of interventions, primarily
the successful dredging of lake-mouth, it
was removed from the Montreux Record
in 2002.
Why in news?
● Due to waves of intense energy lashed by
the extreme severe cyclone, Fani, on May
3, four new mouths have opened up in the
Chilika lake, Odisha. Now there are totally
six mouths. This might again change the
ecological character of Chilika.
14. Kheoni sanctuary
About the sanctuary:
● Kheoni Wildlife Sanctuary is located in
Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh.
● It is connected to Ratapani Tiger
Reserve through corridors. Its dry
deciduous forest consists of teak, tendu
and bamboo.
● It has fauna of Nilgai, Palm civet, Striped
Hyena etc.
Why in News?
● For the first time 5 tigers were spotted in
the sanctuary.
● ‘Being breeding ground of herbivores
animals, it provides a suitable
environment for tigers.
16
ORGANISATIONS
1. Council of Europe
About Council of Europe:
• The Council of Europe is a leading human
rights organization whose aim is to
uphold human rights, democracy and the
rule of law in Europe.
• Founded in 1949, it includes 47 member
states, 28 of which are members of the
European Union.
Background:
• Russia was stripped of its voting rights
after Russia's annexation of Crimea in
2014.
• Russia responded by boycotting the
assembly. It had threatened to quit the
body altogether if it is not allowed to take
part in the upcoming election.
Why in News?
• Despite strong opposition from Ukraine,
the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe has voted in favor of
restoring Russia's voting rights, five years
after they were revoked.
2. Financial Action Task Force
(FATF)
About Financial Action Task Force
• It is an intergovernmental organization
that designs and promotes policies and
standards to combat financial crime.
• Recommendations created by the FATF
target
o Money laundering
o Terrorist financing
o Other threats to the global
financial system.
• The FATF has developed a series
of recommendations that are recognised
as the international standard for
combating of money laundering and the
financing of terrorism and proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction.
• The FATF was created in 1989 by the G7
countries and is headquartered in Paris.
• There are 39 members, including India
and two regional organisations- European
Commission and the Gulf Cooperation
Council.
Grey list of FATF:
• Member countries that have deficiencies
in their anti-money laundering and
counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF)
regimes but they commit to an action
plan to address these loopholes
• Now, 12 countries are on the grey list,
including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria and
Yemen.
Black list of FATF:
• Member countries that have deficiencies
in their anti-money laundering and
counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF)
regimes and those that do not end up
doing enough.
• As of now there are only two countries in
the blacklist — Iran and North Korea.
Why in News?
• Pakistan has been under the FATF’s
scanner since last June, when it was put
on the grey list for terror financing and
money laundering risks.
• The FATF President said that Pakistan
could be put on the blacklist if it did not
follow the 27-point check-list on bringing
in stricter laws to curb the access of funds
to terror groups inside the country.
• Pakistan has already missed two
deadlines and decision in this regard
would be taken in October 2019 where
Pakistan will be assessed on the actions
they have taken.
How will it affect Pakistan?
• While grey list includes countries which
are considered as safe havens for
supporting terror funding and money
laundering, blacklisting will mean severe
strictures on the country’s banks and
credit rating, as well as access to loans
and foreign investments.
3. Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RCEP)
What is RCEP?
17
• Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership is an economic grouping of
the ASEAN’s 10 members, plus India,
China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and
New Zealand.
• Once concluded, RCEP will create a zero-
customs duty zone that contributes 34%
of GDP and 40% of world trade. The
region is also home to almost half of the
world’s population.
• Negotiations have been going on since
2013, with one of the major issues being
India’s reluctance to open up its markets.
Concerns of India
• Imbalance in the negotiations between
goods and services is the main concern
for India. Member countries are putting
pressure on India to commit to zero
tariffs on more than 90 percent of
tradable goods with few exemptions.
• However, they remain reluctant to India’s
proposal to allow free movement of
Indian skilled professionals in the RCEP
region. They are not ready to go beyond
60% of services to bring unde;r the pact.
• Indian industries are worried that with
RCEP allowing a wide range of goods to
import at zero tariffs, Chinese goods will
flood India. It will cause serious damage
to the “Make in India” programme.
• Already India’s trade deficit with China
is unsustainable at $63 billion in 2017-18.
India has trade deficits with other RCEP
nations, too, such as South Korea ($11.9
billion) and Australia ($10.2 billion).
Opportunities for India
• Despite these concerns, RCEP will offer
India an opportunity to engage with
China.
• It will give India a chance to stall some of
its unfair practices such as giving
subsidies unethically and stalling Indian
products, such as pharmaceutical, on the
pretext of quality control.
• RCEP will give Indian exporters a window
to be a part of global value chains.
Why in News?
• Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohammed said that Malaysia would
prefer to conclude the RCEP pact with 13
countries that are willing to join
immediately, and allow outliers India,
Australia and New Zealand to join the
pact at a future date.
• Other countries in the grouping have also
been nudging India to show progress on
RCEP negotiations in time for a proposed
final declaration in November this year.
Note: In November 2019, India
announced its decision to exit the RCEP
agreement.
4. United Nations Security
Council (UNSC)
About UNSC
• The United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) was established in 1946 as one of
the six principal organs of the UN. It is
generally viewed as the apex of the UN
system.
• It is responsible for the maintenance of
international peace and security.
• Its powers include the establishment of
peacekeeping operations, the
establishment of international
sanctions, and the authorization of
military action through Security Council
resolutions.
• It is the only UN body with the authority
to issue binding resolutions to member
states.
Membership
• UNSC consists of 15 Members and each
member has one vote.
• The council has five permanent
members (P-5) United States, Russia,
China, United Kingdom and France.
• These permanent members can veto any
substantive Security Council resolutions,
including those on the admission of new
member states.
• The Security Council also has 10 non-
permanent members, elected on a
regional basis. Each year the 193-member
UN General Assembly (UNGA) elects five
non-permanent members for a two-year
term.
18
• The body's presidency rotates monthly
among its members.
Why in News?
• India's candidature for a non-permanent
seat at the UNSC for a two-year term has
been unanimously endorsed by the 55-
member Asia-Pacific grouping at the
United Nations, including China and
Pakistan.
• Elections for five non-permanent
members of the UNSC for the 2021-22
terms will be held around June next year.
• India will need the vote of two-thirds of
the 193 UN General Assembly members
to win a non-permanent seat on the
UNSC.
• India has already held a non-permanent
seat on the UNSC for seven terms.
5. Kimberley Process (KP)
About Kimberley Process
• The Kimberley Process (KP) is a
multilateral trade regime established
in 2003 with the goal of preventing the
flow of conflict diamonds.
• The core of this regime is the Kimberley
Process Certification Scheme (KPCS)
under which States implement
safeguards on shipments of rough
diamonds and certify them as “conflict
free".
What are conflict diamonds?
• “Conflict” or "blood" diamonds are
illegally traded to fund conflict in war-
torn areas, particularly in central and
western Africa.
• Apart from the innocent people caught
up in the conflicts that the trade fuels,
thousands of men, women and children
in countries such as Sierra Leone are
used as slaves to extract diamonds.
Why in News?
• India hosted the Kimberley Process
Inter-sessional Meeting-2019 in Mumbai.
• India is also the KP chair for 2019.
6. QUAD
About QUAD
• Indo-Pacific Quadrilateral is a closed
group consisting of India, Australia, Japan
& USA.
• Japan pioneered the initiative about a
decade ago as a coalition of maritime
democracies.
• Securing a rule-based global order,
liberal trading system and freedom of
navigation are believed to the guiding
principles.
• It is being viewed as response to
increased Chinese economic and military
power.
Why in News?
• Australia’s High Commissioner in India
asserted that there is a need for flexibility,
agility and speed in solving regional
problems and the Quad is one of many
such small groupings in solving them.
• Australia expressed its willingness to
India in joining the Malabar Naval
Exercise (a trilateral naval exercise
involving the United States, Japan and
India).
• But India has not responded positively to
Australia’s request to join the Malabar
exercises.
• However, the two countries have
expanded bilateral military cooperation
over the last few years.
• The latest edition of the bilateral naval
exercise AUSINDEX in April saw the
largest deployment of Australian military
assets to India in peacetime.
7. Shanghai cooperation
organization (SCO)
About SCO
19
• SCO is a permanent intergovernmental
international organisation established in
2001.
• It’s a Eurasian political, economic and
military organisation aiming to maintain
peace, security and stability in the region.
• Prior to the creation of SCO in 2001,
Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan were members of the
Shanghai Five.
• Following the accession of Uzbekistan to
the organisation in 2001, the Shanghai
Five was renamed the SCO.
• India and Pakistan became members in
2017.
• The SCO Secretariat, based in Beijing, is
the main permanent executive body of the
SCO.
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure
• The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure
(RATS) is a permanent organ of the SCO
which serves to promote cooperation of
member states against the three evils of
terrorism, separatism and extremism.
• It is headquartered in Tashkent.
• The head of RATS is elected for a three-
year term.
Why in News?
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
Chinese President Xi Jinping met in
Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, where
they will participate in the summit of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO). During the meet they decided to
speed up the Boundary negotiation
process.
8. Enforcement Directorate (ED)
What is the Directorate of Enforcement
(ED)?
• Directorate of Enforcement is a non-
statutory, specialized financial
investigation agency under the
Department of Revenue, Ministry of
Finance.
• It enforces,
o Prevention of Money Laundering
Act, 2002 (PMLA)
o Foreign Exchange Management
Act, 1999 (FEMA).
• Apart from investigating and prosecuting
the cases of money laundering and FEMA
act, it also gives the cooperation to
foreign entities in the matter of money
laundering and restoration of assets.
Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002
• The Government enacted PML Act to
prevent money-laundering and to provide
for confiscation of property derived from
or involved in, money-laundering.
• The Directorate of Enforcement in the
Department of Revenue, Ministry of
Finance is responsible for investigating
the offences of money laundering under
the PMLA. The authority has the power to
carry out measures like survey, search,
and seizure and arrest the accused.
Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999
• In India, all transactions that include
foreign exchange are regulated by
the Foreign Exchange Management Act
(FEMA), 1999.
• It repealed the Foreign Exchange
Regulations Act (FERA),1973.
• FEMA has been enacted to facilitate
external trade and payments and to
promote the orderly development and
maintenance of foreign exchange market.
• Enforcement agency: Directorate of
Enforcement
What is Money laundering?
• Money laundering is the process of
making large amounts of money
generated by a criminal activity, such as
drug trafficking or terrorist funding,
appear to have come from a legitimate
source.
• It is the process through which illicit
money (black) is converted into
accounted money (white)
Why in News?
• The Enforcement Directorate has filed a
charge-sheet against Zakir Naik in a
money laundering case.
9. GST Council
20
About GST Council
• It is a constitutional body created by
Article 279A (1)
• It is a joint forum of the Centre and the
States with regards to GST.
Composition of GST
• Chairperson – Union Finance Minister
• Members: Union Minister of State, in-
charge of Revenue or Finance
• Other Members: The Minister in-
charge of finance or taxation/any other
Minister nominated by each State.
Voting
• The state governments have a share of
2/3rd of the total votes and the centre
has the remaining 1/3rd.
• Each state has one vote irrespective of
their size.
• Decisions of GST council are made by
voting with a 3/4th majority.
Why in News?
• The GST Council at its latest meeting has
decided to use Aadhaar as the identity
and address proof required for
registration for GST.
• The GST registration limit threshold is
increased from Rs 20 Lakh to 40 Lakh.
• The Composition scheme is extended
for small service providers (turnover
up to Rs 50 lakh). Till recently, it was
applicable only to manufacturers
whose taxable business turnover is up
to Rs 1.5 crore.
• In addition, the tenure of the National
Anti-Profiteering Authority has been
extended by two years to near the end of
2020. The anti-profiteering authority
deals with complaints by consumers
against companies for not passing on
GST rate cut benefits.
What is Composition scheme under GST?
• The Composition scheme is an easy, low
procedure and compliance friendly tax
scheme for small and medium
enterprises.
• The composition scheme is applicable to
manufacturers or traders whose taxable
business turnover is up to ₹1.5 crore (₹75
lakh in case of North-Eastern States). A
service provider can opt for the scheme if
his taxable turnover is up to ₹50 lakh.
• The applicable tax rates under the
composition scheme are 1 per cent of
turnover in case of manufacturers and
traders, 5 per cent in the case of
restaurants (not serving alcohol) and 6
per cent for other service providers.
• Businesses with inter-State supplies,
manufacturers of ice cream, pan masala
and tobacco, and e-commerce players
cannot opt for the composition scheme.
• Companies opting to file only four tax
returns in a year (a normal taxpayer has
to file 37 returns under GST), thereby
reducing the tax compliance burden and
cost of small firms.
• However, a Composition scheme firm is
not allowed to avail input tax credit of
GST.
10. Financial Stability and
Development Council (FSDC)
What is FSDC?
• Financial Stability and Development
Council (FSDC) is an apex-level body
constituted to strengthen and
institutionalize the mechanism for
maintaining financial stability.
• It is chaired by the Union Finance
Minister of India.
• Its members include the heads of financial
sector regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA,
IRDA), Finance Secretary and/or
Secretary, Department of Economic
Affairs, Secretary, Department of
Financial Services, and Chief Economic
Adviser.
What it does?
• The Council deals with issues relating to
financial stability, financial sector
development, inter–regulatory
coordination, financial literacy, financial
inclusion and macro prudential
supervision of the economy, including the
functioning of large financial
conglomerates.
21
• No funds are separately allocated to the
Council for undertaking its activities.
Why in news?
11. National Disaster
Management Authority
(NDMA)
About NDMA:
• NDMA is the apex authority to look after
the disaster management in the country.
• It is a statutory body under the Disaster
Management Act, 2005.
• It is headed by the Prime Minister.
• Other members: a Vice Chairman with the
status of Cabinet Minister, and eight
members with the status of Ministers of
State.
• It is mandated to lay down the policies,
plans, and guidelines for Disaster
Management to ensure a timely and
effective response to disasters.
National Crisis Management Committee
• It looks after the effective implementation
of the plans formed for mitigation and
management of the disaster.
• It is headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF)
• NDRF is the specialized force for disaster
response created under Disaster
Management Act, 2005.
• It works under the overall supervision
and control of NDMA.
Why in the news?
• The national crisis management
committee reviewed preparatory
measures to deal with cyclone VAYU.
12. International Centre for
Integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD)
About ICIMOD
• The International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a
regional intergovernmental learning and
knowledge sharing center.
• The 20th Meeting of the Financial
Stability and Development Council (FSDC)
was held under the Chairmanship of the
Union Minister of Finance.
• Formed in 1983, it serves eight regional
member countries of the Hindu Kush
Himalayan region—
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China,
India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• It is based in Nepal.
Why in News?
• The International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
recently released the Hindu Kush
Himalaya Assessment report.
Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment report
• More than 1.9 billion people across 8
countries are dependent on the rivers
flowing from the Himalayan region.
• As temperatures soar the Himalayan
region is more vulnerable due to its
higher altitude.
• A global temperature increase of 1.5ºC
could mean at least a 1.8ºC temperature
rise in the Hindu Kush Himalayas.
• The melting of glaciers can make
flooding severe, affect the monsoon,
expose permafrost fields etc.
• This could bring water scarcity as well as
a loss of biodiversity in the region.
• This should be monitored and nations
should put better research on
implications.
13. Food Corporation of India
(FCI)
What is FCI?
• FCI was set up under the Food
Corporation Act 1964 against the
backdrop of major shortage of grains,
especially wheat, in the country.
• FCI was mandated with three basic
objectives:
o To provide effective price
support to farmers
o To procure and supply grains to
PDS for distributing subsidized
22
 staples to economically
vulnerable sections of society
o To keep a strategic reserve to
stabilize markets for basic food
grains.
Why in news?
• The government is planning to revamp
and restructure Food Corporation of India
with few of the Shanta Kumar
committee recommendations.
Shanta Kumar committee:
• It was constituted in 2014 chaired by
Shanta Kumar, who had given several
recommendations as how to make the
entire food grain management system
more efficient by reorienting the role of
FCI in MSP operations, procurement,
storage and distribution of grains under
Targeted Public Distribution System
(TPDS).
Major Recommendations
• FCI should hand over all procurement
operations of wheat, paddy and rice to
states that have gained sufficient
experience in this regard and have
created reasonable infrastructure for
procurement.
• FCI should accept only the surplus (after
deducting the needs of the states under
NFSA) from these state governments (not
millers) to be moved to deficit states.
• FCI should focus on eastern parts of the
country like UP, Bihar, West Bengal and
Assam where second green revolution is
expected.
• FCI needs to be proactive, mobilizing
state and other agencies to provide
benefits of MSP and procurement to
larger number of farmers, especially small
and marginal ones
National Food Security Act, 2013
• It gives legal entitlement to 67% of the
population (75% in rural areas and 50%
in urban areas) to receive highly
subsidized food grains to achieve
Targeted Public Distribution System
(TPDS).
• It is operated under the joint
responsibility of the Central and the
State/Union Territory (UT) Governments.
• The Central Government is responsible
for procurement, allocation and
transportation of food grains up to the
designated depots of the Food
Corporation of India.
• States/UTs hold the operational
responsibilities for allocation and
distribution of food grains.
• Under the NFSA Act, food grain is
allocated @ 5 kg per person per month
for priority households category and @
35 kg per family per month for
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families
at a highly subsidized prices of Rs. 1/-, Rs.
2/- and Rs. 3/- per kg for nutri-cereals,
wheat and rice respectively.
• Coverage under the Act is based on the
population figures of Census, 2011.
14. NITI Aayog reconstituted
NITI Aayog
• The National Institution for Transforming
India (NITI Aayog) was formed via a
resolution of the Union Cabinet in 2015
to replace the Planning Commission
instituted in 1950.
• NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think
Tank’ of the Government of India,
providing both directional and policy
inputs.
• While designing strategic and long term
policies and programmes for the
Government of India, NITI Aayog also
provides relevant technical advice to the
Centre and States.
Composition of NITI Aayog
• Prime Minister of India as the
Chairperson
• Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by the
Prime Minister
• Governing Council comprising the Chief
Ministers of all the States and Lt.
Governors of Union Territories
• Regional Councils to address specific
issues, convened by the Prime Minister.
Chaired by Prime Minister or his
23
 nominee, regional councils include Chief
Ministers of States and Lt. Governors of
Union Territories in the region.
• Experts, specialists and practitioners with
relevant domain knowledge as special
invitees nominated by the Prime Minister
• Part-time members: Maximum of 2 from
leading universities research
organizations and other relevant
institutions in an ex-officio capacity
• Ex Officio members: Maximum of 4
members of the Union Council of
Ministers to be nominated by the Prime
Minister.
• Chief Executive Officer : To be appointed
by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure,
in the rank of Secretary to the
Government of India.
Why in News?
• The Central government has approved the
reconstitution of NITI Aayog
15. Population Research Centres
About PRCs
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
(MoHFW) has established a network of
18 Population Research Centres (PRCs)
spread over 17 major States/UTs, with
the mandate to provide critical research
based inputs related to the Health and
Family Welfare programs and policies at
the national and state levels.
• The PRCs are autonomous in nature and
administratively under the control of
their host University/Institutions.
• PRCs are provided 100 per cent central
assistance in the form of grant-in-aid on
a year-to year basis.
Why in News?
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
organized a workshop for PRCs.
24
 FLORA AND FAUNA
1. Golden Langur
About Golden Langurs
• They are primate species, living in
western Assam and foothills of Bhutan.
• According to IUCN classification it is in
the ‘endangered’ category.
• They play a vital role in the dispersion of
seeds and pollination which helps to
maintain the forest ecosystem.
• They are found in Manas National park
and in nearby forests.
• Communities in Kakoijana reserve
forest, near Chakrashila Wildlife
Sanctuary, Assam, have helped to
conserve the species and maintain their
population.
Manas National Park
• Manas is a national park, UNESCO
Natural World Heritage site, a
Project Tiger reserve, an elephant
reserve and a biosphere reserve
in Assam.
• Located in the Himalayan
foothills, it is contiguous with the
Royal Manas National Park in
Bhutan.
Why in News?
• For the first time in India, Bongaigaon
district authorities in Assam have used
MGNREGA to conserve the golden langur.
• Labour and funds will be used to plant
grow fruit plants to reduce the food
shortage for langurs.
2. karimeen
Karimeen/ Pearl Spot
● It is the brackish fish found in Kerala.
● It is vulnerable as per IUCN
classification.
Why in News?
● The authorities have made reserves in
Vembanad and Ashtamudi Lakes to
save karimeen.
● The population of karimeen is declining
fast. This act will help in retrieval of
other species too.
Ashtamudi Lake
● It is a backwater in Kollam district,
Kerala.
● Kallada River is a major river
discharging into the Ashtamudi Lake.
● Munroe Island is present in this lake.
● It is one of the Ramsar sites of India.
(Wetland of International importance)
Vembanad Lake
● The longest lake in India. Located in
Kerala.
● It is one of the Ramsar sites of India.
(Wetland of International importance)
● The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is
conducted in a portion of the lake.
3. Impressed Tortoise
Impressed tortoise (Manouria Impressa)
● They are small tortoises found in Burma,
Thailand, cambodia etc.
● Their IUCN status is vulnerable.
● Males are smaller than females.
● They are killed for meat and their golden
shells.
Why in the news?
● For the first time impressed tortoise was
discovered in Arunachal Pradesh.
● The discovery has added a great value to
the Indian chelonian (group which
represents reptiles like turtles, terrapins
and tortoises) diversity.
25
 AGRICULTURE
1. Sugar industry
Issues plaguing sugar industry
• The consistent increase in Fair and
Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane
results in over-production of cane and
sugar, which in turn causes sugar prices
to fall below cost levels. The mills incur
losses, leading to defaults in payments of
farmers.
• The estimated sugar production this
sugar season (October 2018 to September
2019) is 32.9 million tonnes as against
the domestic consumption of 26 million
tonnes. The sugar season is expected to
end with a high closing stock of nearly
14.5 million tonnes.
• To mitigate the situation of surplus stock,
the Government has taken several steps
including allocated mill wise Minimum
Indicative Export Quota (MIEQ), fixed
Remunerative Price of ethanol derived
from molasses as well as from sugarcane
juice, etc.
What is Fair and Remunerative Price
(FRP)?
• The FRP is the minimum price at which
sugarcane is to be purchased by sugar
mills from farmers.
• It assures margins to farmers,
irrespective of whether sugar mills
generate a profit or not.
• It is announced each year by the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs, which
is chaired by Prime Minister, on the
advice of Commission for Agricultural
Costs and Prices (CACP) and after
consultation with State Governments.
• This will be uniformly applicable all
over the country.
• Note : There is a term called State
Advised Prices (SAP) which are
announced by key sugarcane producing
states (such as Punjab, Haryana,
Uttarakhand, UP and TN). The SAP is
generally higher than FRP.
Commission of Agricultural Costs & Prices
(CACP):
• It is an attached office of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• It is an advisory body whose
recommendations are not binding on
Government.
What is Minimum Indicative Export
Quotas?
• Government use MIEQ to clear surplus
stocks of sugar and to improve cash flow
to millers for making payment to
sugarcane farmers.
• Under MIEQ, mills are required to export
a fixed quantity of sugar within a
specified period, failing which the mills
shall be deemed to be violating the
directives of the government.
Issues with exports:
• The government had not only fixed mill-
wise export quota, but also linked some
of the subsidy schemes to exports.
• Yet, almost 35% of the industry did not
participate in exports for various reasons
such as low prices in the global sugar
market, stringent conditions to avail the
subsidy, etc.
• There are mills that are unable to meet
the export quota and some mills that
want to export more than the quota.
• Therefore the industry has requested the
government to make the export quota as
an industry-wide quota, rather than mill-
specific.
2. Different cropping seasons
Kharif crops ( Monsoon crops)
• Sown : April and May
• Harvest : September to October
• These are crops which are grown during
the monsoon or rainy season (June to
October).
• Major crops : Paddy, maize, jowar, bajra,
cotton, sugarcane, groundnut, pulses etc.
26
• Major factor : Monsoon - It decides the
output of Kharif crops.
• Variation in sowing : In southern states
like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, the seeds are
usually sown towards the end of May and
in northern states like Punjab, Haryana
the seeds are sown in the month of June.
• Note : Paddy is the key kharif crop in nine
states—Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,
Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Assam.
Rabi crops (Spring/ Winter crops)
• Sown : September and October
• Harvest: March to April
• These are crops that are grown in the
winter season (October or November).
• Major crops : Wheat, gram, oat, barley,
potato, and seeds like mustard, linseed,
sunflower, coriander, cumin, etc.
• Major factor: Irrigation - They are
cultivated in the dry season so timely
irrigation is required to grow these crops.
Zaid crops
• These are summer season crops grown on
the sub-continent on dry lands which do
not have to wait for monsoons.
• They grow in between Rabi and Kharif
crop season, mainly from March to June.
• Major crops : Seasonal fruits and
vegetables (Cucumber, Water melon,
pepper, tomato, etc)
• Requires warm & dry weather for growth
and a longer day-length for flowering
Why in news ?
• Due to delayed and deficient monsoon
kharif sowing was delayed.
3. Doubling farmers income
Measure taken by India for Doubling
Farmers Income
• To raise output and reduce cost:
○ Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai
Yojana: To ensure access to some
means of protective irrigation to
all agricultural farms in the
country.
○ Soil health card: Crop-wise
recommendations of nutrients
and fertilisers required for the
individual farms to help farmers
to improve productivity.
○ Prampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana:
To increase soil fertility and
thereby helps in production of
healthy food through organic
practices without the use of agro-
chemicals.
• Crop Insurance and Income Loss:
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
• Price Volatility: ‘Operation Greens’ to
address price volatility of perishable
commodities like Tomato, Onion and
Potato (TOP).
• Food Processing : PM Kisan SAMPADA
Yojana (Scheme for Agro-Marine
Processing and Development of Agro-
Processing Clusters)
• Unified national market : The National
Agriculture Market (eNAM) is a pan-India
electronic trading portal which networks
the existing APMC mandis to create a
unified national market for agricultural
commodities.
• Technology mission
○ Technology mission on cotton
which aims to increase the income
of the cotton growers by reducing
the cost of cultivation as well as
by increasing the yield per hectare
through proper transfer of
technology to the growers.
○ Mission for Integrated
Development of Horticulture
(MIDH) It is a scheme for the
holistic growth of the horticulture
sector covering fruits, vegetables,
root & tuber crops, mushrooms,
spices, flowers, aromatic plants,
coconut, cashew, cocoa and
bamboo.
○ Sugar Technology Mission : It
aimed at reducing the cost of
production of sugar and
improving sugar quality through
steps for improvements in
productivity, energy conservation
and improvements in capital
output ratio.
27
 ○ National Mission on Sustainable
Agriculture : It aimed at
promoting sustainable agriculture
through a series of adaptation
measures focusing on ten key
dimensions encompassing Indian
agriculture namely; ‘Improved
crop seeds, livestock and fish
cultures’, ‘Water Use Efficiency’,
‘Pest Management’, ‘Improved
Farm Practices’, ‘Nutrient
Management’, ‘Agricultural
insurance’, ‘Credit support’,
‘Markets’, ‘Access to Information’
and ‘Livelihood diversification’.
• Information to farmers
○ The government is providing
information through focused
publicity campaigns, kisan call
centres, agri-clinics and agri-
business centres of
entrepreneurs, agri fairs,
exhibitions and kisan SMS Portal.
○ Kisan Suvidha mobile
application : The information
about critical parameters like
weather, market prices, plant
protection, input dealers, farm
machinery, soil health are known
to farmers by this app.
• Farm support : Krsihi Vigyan Kendra
(KVK) : They are agricultural extension
centres created by ICAR (Indian Council
for Agricultural Research) and its
affiliated institutions at district level to
provide various types of farm support to
the agricultural sector.
• Role of technology : The deployment of
technologies like artificial intelligence, big
data analytics, block chain technology and
internet of things (IoT) are important for
the success of schemes.
What’s in the news?
• To double farmers’ income, the
government is also considering giving
status of farmers to landless beekeepers
while recognizing honeybees as inputs to
agriculture and diversifying the basket of
beekeeping products.
4. Decontrolling urea prices
Background:
• In India, the government is giving more
subsidies to urea, which is a Nitrogen
based fertilizer. The government has also
fixed a ceiling on the prices of urea
fertiliser.
• This makes urea cheap for farmers who
use it more than other chemical
fertilisers.
• The current consumption ratio of
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
(NPK) in the country is 6.7:2.4:1 against
their desirable ratio of 4:2:1.
• It creates an imbalance in fertiliser usage
due to which the yield either goes down
or is stagnant.
• Many environmentalists have been urging
the government to promote phosphorus
and potassium based fertilisers to attain
balanced fertilization of soil.
Nutrient based Subsidy scheme:
• To promote balanced fertilization of soil,
Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme has been
implemented.
• It comes under the Ministry of
Chemicals and Fertilizer.
• Under the scheme, a fixed amount of
subsidy decided on an annual basis, is
provided on each grade of subsidized
Phosphatic & Potassic (P&K) fertilizers
depending on its nutrient content.
Why in news ?
• The government has recently refused to
decontrol prices of urea in the market.
• Decontrolling prices may lead to an
increase in the cost of urea and will affect
a large number of farmers.
5. Online warehouse-based
trading
APMC (Agricultural Produce Market
Committee):
• They are established by the state
governments under the Agricultural
Produce Market Committee Act in order
to eliminate the incidences exploitation
of the farmers by the intermediaries.
28
• Under APMC act, the whole geographical
area in the State is divided and declared
as a market area wherein the markets are
managed by the Market Committees
constituted by the State Governments.
• To overcome shortcomings such as
monopoly, cartelization, entry
barriers, etc in APMC, e-NAM is
introduced.
National Agriculture Market (e-NAM):
• It is a pan-India electronic trading
portal which networks the existing APMC
mandis to create a unified national
market for agricultural commodities.
• Implementing Agency : Small Farmers
Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC)
• It comes under the Ministry of Agriculture
and Farmers’ Welfare
• It promotes better marketing
opportunities for farmers to sell their
produce through online competitive and
transparent price discovery system and
online payment facility.
E- NAM and APMC
• E-NAM is an online portal which is having
a physical Mandi at the back end (i.e.,
simply like Amazon or Flipkart). These
physical Mandis are Agricultural Produce
Market Committee (APMC) established by
the state governments.
• Through auction, all food produce will be
brought and sold here. E-NAM portal
enables buyers from all over India to
participate in local trading.
Why in news ?
• The government is planning to start
trading of agricultural produces on
electronic national agriculture market
(eNAM) platform directly from godowns
or warehouses.
• Warehouse trading is an alternative
marketing channel for Agricultural
produce.
• Here, the trading will initially start from
state owned warehouses of Warehousing
Development and Regulatory Authority
(WDRA), which regulates and promotes
orderly growth of the warehousing
business. There are nearly 1,000
warehouses across the country.
• The move is aimed at boosting
profitability of farmers by taking care of
logistics issues.
29
 ECONOMY
1. Repo rate
What is Repo rate?
• Repo rate is the rate of interest which is
applied by RBI to commercial banks when
the latter borrows from RBI.
• Repo rate is used to control inflation.
• In the event of raising inflation, RBI
increase repo rate which will act as a
disincentive for banks to borrow from the
central bank.
• This ultimately reduces the money supply
in the economy and thus helps in
arresting inflation.
• Similarly, if it wants to make it cheaper
for banks to borrow money, it reduces the
repo rate.
Why in News?
• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)
MPC has cut the policy repo rate by 25
bps (100 bps=1%) to 5.75%.
• The stance of the policy has also been
changed from neutral to
“accommodative”.
• The change in stance to “accommodative"
means there is a possibility of further
monetary easing in the months ahead.
About MPC
• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is
a committee of the RBI, headed by its
Governor, which is entrusted with the
task of fixing the benchmark policy
interest rate (repo rate) to contain
inflation within the specified target level.
• The MPC has six members.
• RBI Governor (Chairperson), RBI Deputy
Governor, one official nominated by the
RBI Board and remaining 3 members
would represent the Government.
• The MPC takes decisions based on
majority vote.
• In case of a tie, the RBI governor will have
a second or casting vote.
2. Leverage ratio
What is a ‘leverage ratio’ for banks?
• The Basel Committee on Banking
Supervision (BCBS) introduced a leverage
ratio in the 2010 Basel III package of
reforms(BCBS is an international
committee formed to develop standards for
banking regulation.
• The leverage ratio measures a bank's
core capital to its total assets. The ratio
uses tier 1 capital to judge how leveraged
a bank is in relation to its consolidated
assets. Tier 1 assets are ones that can be
easily liquidated if a bank needs capital in
the event of a financial crisis.
• The higher the tier 1 leverage ratio, the
higher the likelihood of the bank
withstanding negative shocks to its
balance sheet. So, it is basically a ratio to
measure a bank's financial health.
• Basel III established a 3 percent
minimum requirement for the leverage
ratio while it left open the possibility of
making the threshold even higher for
certain systemically important
financial institutions.
What is a domestic systemically important
bank?
• D-SIB means that the bank is too big to
fail. Some banks become systemically
important due to their size, cross-
jurisdictional activities, complexity and
lack of substitute and interconnection.
• Banks whose assets exceed 2% of GDP
are considered part of this group.
• Both public and private sector banks can
be designated as D-SIB.
Why in News?
• The RBI has mandated a leverage ratio of
3.5% for all the banks except for the
domestic systemically important banks
(D-SIBs), which will have a 4% ratio.
3. Stressed asset resolution
norms
Background
30
• On February 12, 2018, the RBI had issued
a circular outlining a stricter framework
for resolution of stressed assets.
• The framework made it mandatory that
Banks have to recognise defaults
immediately and attempt resolution
without any review period.
• It was applicable only to Scheduled
Commercial Banks (excluding RRBs) and
All-India Financial Institutions.
• In April 2019, the Supreme Court struck
down the RBI's controversial February 12
circular, terming it ultra vires.
Why in News?
• The RBI has released revised set of
norms for resolution of stressed assets
which are substantially less stringent
from the previous one.
Key provisions
• The new norms give the lenders 30 days
to start working on a resolution plan from
the day of default, which is termed as
“review period”, unlike previous norms
that compelled lenders to start a
resolution strategy even if there was a
one day default.
• During this review period, lenders may
decide on the resolution strategy,
including the nature of the resolution plan
(RP) and the approach for its
implementation.
• Lenders may also choose to initiate legal
proceedings for insolvency or recovery.
Previously banks had to compulsorily
refer borrower to NCLT if it failed to
resolve the account within 180 days.
• The framework has been extended to
systemically important non-deposit
taking NBFCs and small finance banks.
• In cases where the RP is to be
implemented, all lenders have to enter
into an intercreditor agreement (ICA)
for the resolution of stressed assets
during the review period for borrowers
with credit facilities from more than one
lender.
• Under the ICA, any decision agreed to by
the lenders representing 75% of the
total outstanding credit facilities by
value and 60% by number will be
binding upon all the lenders.
4. Parameters to measure the
health of the banking system
Improving parameters
• There was a significant improvement in
asset quality of scheduled commercial
banks (SCBs) in 2018-19.
• The gross non-performing assets
(NPA) ratio declined to 9.3% as on March
2019. It was 10.8% in September 2018
and 11.5% in March 2018.
• The provision coverage ratio (PCR) of
SCBs improved to 60.9% in March 2019
from 48.3% in March 2018.
• The capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of the
banks, which were at 14.2%, remains well
above the regulatory requirement of 9%.
Capital Adequacy Ratio:
• Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) is the
capital needed for a bank measured in
terms of the assets or loans disbursed by
the banks. It measures capital adequacy in
terms of riskiness of the assets or loans
given.
o CAR = (Tier I + Tier II + Tier III
(Capital funds)) /Risk weighted
assets)
• An appropriate level of capital adequacy
ensures that the bank has sufficient
capital to expand its business, while at the
same time its net worth is enough to
absorb any financial downturns.
• The RBI has prescribed the CAR at 9%.
Provision coverage ratio:
• The PCR gives an indication of the
provision made against bad loans from
the profit generated.
Non-performing asset (NPA):
• A non performing asset (NPA) is a loan or
advance for which the principal or
interest payment remained overdue for a
period of 90 days.
What’s in the news?
• RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said that
the financial health of the banking system
31
 has improved a lot, aided by recent policy
measures.
5. Credit rating
What is credit rating?
• It is a quantified assessment of credit
worthiness of a borrower.
• The assessment is usually carried out by
credit rating agencies.
What are credit rating agencies?
• They are independent companies who
evaluates the financial condition of
issuers of debt instruments and then
assigns a rating that reflects its
assessment of the issuer's ability to make
the debt payments.
• Potential investors, customers, employees
and business partners rely upon the data
and objective analysis of credit rating
agencies in determining the overall
strength and stability of a company.
• In India, credit rating agencies are
regulated by the SEBI.
IL&FS crisis:
• IL&FS (Infrastructure Leasing & Financial
Services Limited) was set up in 1987 to
finance and promote infrastructure
projects in the country.
• The crisis in IL&FS started with a series of
loan defaults in 2018 by the company
and some of its subsidiaries.
• The role of credit rating agencies came
under the scanner in the wake of the
IL&FS defaulting issue. IL&FS and its
subsidiaries were rated AAA for their
debt programmes until just a few months
ago by several leading rating agencies.
• It has raised questions on the
methodology and processes adopted by
the rating agencies in evaluating the
companies and their papers.
Issues with CRA structure in India:
• CRAs in India follow the 'issuer pays
model', under which the payment for the
ratings is provided by the corporate
organisation whose credit service
capability is assessed. It leads to a conflict
of interest scenario and results in
compromising the quality of analysis.
• Another major issue in the credit rating
structure is the phenomenon of ‘rating
shopping’, where the paying issuer can
pressurise a CRA to award favorable
ratings on the threat of denying future
business.
Why in News?
• The Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) has introduced enhanced
disclosure guidelines for credit rating
agencies (CRA).
• As per the new guidelines, CRAs will now
have to disclose the probability of
default for the instruments they rate and
also clearly state the sensitive factors that
could impact the credit worthiness of the
entity.
• Further, the rating agencies will have to
adopt a standardised terminology to
disclose liquidity indicators while rating
an instrument.
6. Consumer Price Index (CPI)
About CPI
• It is an index which measures the
weighted average of prices of a basket of
consumer goods and services such as
transportation, food and medical care.
• It is calculated by measuring price
changes for each item in the
predetermined basket of goods and
services and averaging them.
• It is released by the Central Statistical
Organisation (CSO) under the Ministry of
Statistics and Program Implementation.
• The base year used to calculate CPI in
India is 2011-2012.
Why in news?
• Retail inflation measured by the
consumer price index (CPI) spiked to a
seven-month high of 3.05% in May.
7. Index of Industrial production
(IIP)
About IIP
• It is an index which details out the growth
of various sectors in an economy such as
32
 mineral mining, electricity and
manufacturing.
• Index of Industrial Production is compiled
and published every month by the
Central Statistics Office (CSO) of the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation.
• The current base year is 2011-2012.
• The Eight Core Industries (Electricity,
steel, refinery products, crude oil, coal,
cement, natural gas and fertilizers)
comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of
items included in the Index of Industrial
Production (IIP).
Why in news?
• Growth in the Index of Industrial
Production (IIP) rebounded in April 2019
to grow to a six-month high of 3.4%.
8. Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
and Producer price index
(PPI)
About WPI
• Wholesale Price Index measures and
tracks the changes in the price of goods in
the stages before the retail level.
• It provides estimates of inflation at the
wholesale transaction level for the
economy as a whole.
• It is released by the Office of Economic
Adviser, Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of
Commerce and Industry.
• The base year is 2011-2012.
• The index basket consist of commodities
under 3 main categories in decreasing
order of weightage: Manufactured
products, Primary Articles and Fuel and
Power.
About PPI
• Producer Price Index measures the
average change in the price of goods and
services either as they leave the place of
production, called output PPI or as they
enter the production process, called
input PPI.
• PPI estimates the change in average
prices that a producer receives.
• WPI does not cover services and
whereas PPI includes services.
What is a ‘base year’?
• It is the year used as the beginning or the
reference year for constructing an index.
• For example, suppose the base year is
2012, and the initial value of an index is
100. If the index is 150 in 2019, it means
that the value of the index is 50% higher
in 2019 than it was in 2012. It is also
called the reference year.
Why in News?
• The government has reconstituted the
working group tasked with revising the
current wholesale price index (WPI).
• The working group will review the
commodity basket of the current WPI
series and suggest additions or deletions
of commodities in the light of structural
changes that occurred in the economy
since 2011-12.
9. FDI in multi-brand retail
Single-brand vs Multi-brand retailing:
• Single brand retail trading means
selling different products under one
brand name. For example, Starbucks
sells beverages and food items under the
brand of Starbucks. It also sells cups
under the same brand name. Such stores
can only sell Starbucks products under
the 'single brand' route. Other examples
are Nike, Adidas etc.
• Multi-brand retail trading is selling
products of different brands under one
roof. For example, Walmart, Reliance,
Shopper Stop etc. These establishments
sell products of different brands at one
establishment.
FDI policy in India:
• The foreign direct investment policy
allows 100% foreign investment in
single-brand retail. However, where
FDI is more than 51%, at least 30% of
the value of goods should be sourced
from India. This was in view to promote
domestic sectors in India.
33
• India permits FDI in the multi-brand
retail sector with a cap of 51%
ownership by overseas players.
• Various sections oppose 100% FDI in
multi-brand retail as entry of
international players could mean
significant loss of business for
neighborhood stores.
Why in News?
• Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal
reiterated that the central government
will not allow multi-brand retail by
foreign companies.
• He also asserted that predatory pricing
will not be allowed and necessary action
will be taken against defaulters.
Predatory pricing: Predatory pricing is the
illegal act of setting prices so low that
competitors quit rather than compete,
permitting the predator to raise prices in the
long run.
10. Anti-dumping
What is dumping?
• Dumping is the practice of selling a
product in a foreign market at an
unfairly low price (a price that is lower
than the cost in the home market, or
which is lower than the cost of
production) in order to gain a
competitive advantage over other
suppliers.
Anti-dumping duty:
• An anti-dumping duty is a tariff that a
domestic government imposes on
foreign imports that it believes are
priced below fair market value.
• It was introduced with the objective of
curbing the ill effects caused by
dumping on domestic industries, as
well as to promote and establish fair
trade.
Anti-dumping duty and World Trade
Organization:
• WTO allows governments to act
against dumping where there is
genuine injury to the competing
domestic industry.
• In other cases, the WTO intervenes to
prevent anti-dumping measures.
What’s in the News?
• The plastic industry has urged the
government to impose anti-dumping
duty on imports of cheap plastic finished
goods.
• Industry leaders strongly opposed the
proposal of the Indian Chemical Council
to hike import duty on raw material as it
will affect the cost competitiveness of
plastic processors in India.
11. Non-Banking Financial
Company (NBFC)
What is a Non-Banking Financial Company
(NBFC)?
• An NBFC is a company registered under
the Companies Act, 1956 which provide
banking services without meeting the
legal definition of a bank.
• They engage in the business of loans and
advances, acquisition of shares, bonds,
etc. issued by Government or local
authority.
• They also deal in other marketable
securities of a like nature, leasing, hire-
purchase, insurance business, chit
business.
• The working and operations of NBFCs are
regulated by the RBI.
What is the difference between banks &
NBFCs?
• NBFCs lend and make investments and
hence their activities are similar to that of
banks, however there are a few
differences:
o NBFC cannot accept
demand deposits
o NBFCs cannot issue
cheques drawn on itself
o Deposit insurance facility
of Deposit Insurance and
Credit Guarantee
Corporation is not
available to depositors of
NBFCs, unlike in the case
of banks.
NBFC crisis:
34
• The loan defaults of the Infrastructure
Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), a
leading NBFC, led to widespread panic
over risks in the entire non-banking
financial sector.
• The defaults jeopardized investors, banks
and mutual funds associated with the
sector which created a liquidity
shortage across the NBFC system.
• It also affected the investment in
infrastructure.
Why in News?
• The real estate sector requested the
government to accord high importance to
infrastructure growth and to provide a
solution to the NBFC liquidity crisis.
12. Wilful Defaulter
Who is a wilful defaulter?
• A wilful defaulter is defined as a person
who has the resources to repay the
loan, but does not do so intentionally, and
deploys the money for purposes other
than intended.
• It leads to increase in non performing
asset (NPA).
NPA:
• The loan is considered to be an NPA once
the borrower fails to make interest or
principal payments for 90 days.
Twin balance sheet problem:
• Twin balance sheet problem refers to the
stress on balance sheets of banks due to
NPAs on the one hand, and heavily
indebted corporates on the other hand.
• To address this challenge, Economic
Survey 2016 recommended the four R's:
Recognition, Recapitalization,
Resolution, and Reform.
4Rs Strategy:
• Banks must value their assets as far as
possible close to true value (recognition)
• Once they do so, their financial health
must be strengthened by injection of
capital (re-capitalisation);
• The underlying stressed assets in the
corporate sector must be sold or
rehabilitated (resolution)Future
incentives for the Private Sector and
corporates must be set-right (reform) to
avoid a repetition of the problem.
What’s in the news?
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told
Lok Sabha that the number of wilful
defaulters in public sector banks has
increased by more than 60% till March
2019 from 2014-15.
• The Finance Minister added that as a
result of the government’s ‘4Rs’ strategy
of Recognition, Resolution,
Recapitalisation and Reforms, gross NPAs
of PSBs and Scheduled Commercial Banks
(SCBs) declined to Rs. 8,06,412 crore and
Rs. 9,49,279 crore respectively.
13. Asset Reconstruction
Company (ARC)
What are ARCs?
• An Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC)
is a specialized financial institution that
buys the NPAs or bad assets from
banks and financial institutions so that
the latter can clean up their balance
sheets.
• This helps banks to concentrate in normal
banking activities.
• Banks rather than going after the
defaulters by wasting their time and
effort, can sell the bad assets to the ARCs
at a mutually agreed value.
• They are regulated by RBI.
Why in News?
• The RBI has allowed ARCs to acquire
financial assets from other ARCs in a
bid to accelerate timely resolution of
NPAs.
14. Guidelines for e-commerce
firms
Background
• The Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
issued stricter guidelines that govern FDI
in e-commerce firms. As per the revised
guidelines,
o Vendors that have any stake
owned by an e-commerce
35
 company cannot sell their
products on that e-commerce
company’s portal.
o Any vendor who purchases 25%
or more of its inventory from an
e-commerce group company will
be considered to be controlled by
that e-commerce company, and
thereby barred from selling on its
portal.
o The e-commerce firm will not be
allowed to influence the price of a
product sold on its portal by
giving incentives to particular
vendors.
o All vendors on the e-commerce
platform should be provided
services in a fair and non-
discriminatory manner. Services
include fulfilment, logistics,
warehousing, advertisement,
payments, and financing among
others.
Context for these changes:
• E-commerce companies can operate
under two different models in India.
o Marketplace based model
where the e-commerce firm
simply acts as a platform that
connects buyers and sellers.
100% FDI is allowed in e-
commerce companies in this
model.
o Inventory based model where
the inventory of goods sold on the
portal is owned or controlled by
the e-commerce company and is
sold to the consumers directly.
FDI is not allowed under this
model. Only in the trading of
locally produced food products,
up to 100% FDI is allowed in the
inventory model, that, too, with
prior government approval
• Large e-commerce companies such as
Amazon and Flipkart, while not owning
inventory themselves, have been
providing a platform for their group
companies such as CloudTail and WS
Retail respectively.
• This kind of a relationship with vendors is
the primary reason for price unfairness in
the e-commerce marketplace. It may
seem beneficial for end customers. Yet, it
has managed to destroy the competitive
ecosystem.
Why in News?
• Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told
foreign e-commerce firms such as
Amazon and Flipkart that they must
ensure compliance with new foreign
investment rules.
• He added that while the government was
prepared to listen to concerns about its
new FDI rules, it was committed to
protect small traders.
15. Current account deficit and
Foreign Exchange Reserve
What is current account deficit?
• Current account is the systematic record
of trade (Export and Import) in goods
and services.
• The current account also includes net
income (such as interest and dividends)
and transfers from abroad (such as
foreign aid), which are usually a small
fraction of the total.
• A current account deficit means the
country is importing more goods and
services than it is exporting.
What is meant by "Foreign Exchange
Reserve"?
• It indicates the reserves held by RBI in the
form of foreign currency assets, gold, SDR
and reserve tranche. Components of
foreign exchange reserve:
o Foreign Currency Assets-
Currencies of foreign countries
are held in foreign exchange
reserves. Apart from currency it
also includes foreign currency
deposit held by RBI with foreign
central banks and the Bureau of
Indian Standards (BIS).
o Gold Stock of RBI- The RBI has
gold stock as a backup to issue
currency and to meet unexpected
Balance of Payments (BOP)
36
 problems. (BOP problem occurs
when a nation is unable to pay for
essential imports or service its
external debt repayments)
o SDR Holdings-Special Drawing
Rights (also called “paper gold”) is
a reserve created by the IMF to
help countries that have BOP
problems. The member countries
have to contribute to this account
in proportion to their IMF quota.
The SDR basket consists of five
major currencies of the world -
the US dollar, Euro, British Pound,
Chinese Renminbi and Yen
(Japan).
o Reserve Tranche-The reserve
tranche is a portion of the
required quota of currency that
each IMF member country must
provide to the IMF. It can be
accessed by the member country
at any time for its own purposes
without a service fee.
Why in News?
• According to the RBI’s latest data, India’s
current account deficit (CAD) for the
January-March period narrowed to 0.7%
of the GDP, or $4.6 billion. It was at 1.8%,
or $13 billion during the same period of
the previous year.
• Also the country’s foreign exchange
reserves hit a record high of $426.41
billion in June 2019. The previous high
was attained on April 13, 2018 when it
was $426.08 billion.
16. Fiscal deficit
What is Fiscal deficit?
• Fiscal deficit = Total Expenditure of the
government – Total Receipts except
borrowings
Why in News?
• India also reported a fiscal deficit of Rs
3.66 trillion during the first two months
of the current financial year. It is 52% of
the full-year target.
• The government aims to restrict the fiscal
deficit to 3.4% of the GDP during the
current financial year, the same as in
2018-19.
17. Elephant Bonds
Background:
• High Level Advisory Group (HLAG)
headed by Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla has been
constituted by the Department of
Commerce.
• The HLAG has made several
recommendations for boosting India’s
share and importance in global
merchandise and services trade.
• The Committee has recommended
“Elephant Bonds” as a specialised
security product providing funds towards
Long Term Infrastructure.
Committee’s recommendation regarding
Elephant Bonds:
• Elephant Bonds are the 25-year
sovereign bonds (issued by national
government).
• People declaring undisclosed income will
be bound to invest 50 per cent in these
bonds.
• The fund, made from these bonds, will be
solely utilized for infrastructure projects.
• It is an amnesty like scheme which will
help State treasury in raising tax
revenues, adding beneficiaries in tax base
who have not declared their assets
previously.
Other recommendations of Surjit Bhalla
committee:
• HLAG has also made recommendations
for reforms in Financial Services
Framework for making India a Preferred
Destination for financial services.
• Among other things, the Report identifies
tax reforms also to boost export and
investment channels for exports.
18. Futures on Commodity
Indices
What is a Derivative?
• A derivative is a contract between two
parties which derives its value/price from
an underlying asset. Generally stocks,
37
 bonds, currency, commodities and
interest rates form the underlying asset.
• The most common types of derivatives
are futures, options, forwards and
swaps.
What are futures?
• Futures are derivative financial contracts
that obligate the parties to transact an
asset at a predetermined future date
and price.
• Here, the buyer must purchase or the
seller must sell the underlying asset at the
set price, regardless of the current market
price at the expiration date.
Why in the news?
• Capital markets regulator SEBI, permitted
stock exchanges with commodity
derivative segment to introduce futures
on indices.
• Commodity Market is a market where
different commodities such as gold, silver,
soya bean, base metals, etc. are traded on
its derivative contract.
• The recent decision is part of larger
efforts to deepen the participation of
institutions in the derivatives segment.
About SEBI
• SEBI was constituted on 12th April 1988
as an interim administrative body under
the Finance Ministry. Later in 1992 a
notification awarding statutory powers to
SEBI was issued (Securities and Exchange
Board of India Act, 1992).
• The regulatory body is entrusted with the
responsibility to regulate the Indian
capital markets.
• It monitors and regulates the securities
market and protects the interests of the
investors by enforcing certain rules and
regulations.
19. National Investment and
Manufacturing Zones
What’s in the news?
• The Central Government has granted final
approval to three National Investment
and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ)–
o Odisha,
o Andhra Pradesh and
o Telangana.
• In addition to these three NIMZs which
have been accorded final approval, 13
NIMZs have been accorded in-principle
approval. Besides these, eight Investment
Regions along the Delhi Mumbai
Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project have
also been declared as NIMZs.
About NIMZs
• NIMZs are one of the important
instruments of National Manufacturing
Policy, 2011.
• NIMZs are envisaged as large areas of
developed land with the requisite eco-
system for promoting world class
manufacturing activity.
How are they different from SEZs?
• The main objective of Special Economic
Zones (SEZs) is the promotion of exports,
while NIMZs are based on the principle of
industrial growth in partnership with
States and focuses on manufacturing
growth and employment generation.
• NIMZs are different from SEZs in terms of
size, level of infrastructure planning,
governance structures related to
regulatory procedures, and exit policies.
• Ranging from 50 square kilometers to
900 square kilometers, each NIMZ will be
much larger than a traditional SEZ, but
will retain the latter’s characteristics with
flexible rules and regulations.
38
 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. 5G
What is 5G?
• It is the next generation cellular
technology that will provide faster and
more reliable communication with ultra-
low latency. Latency is the amount of
time data takes to travel between its
source and destination.
• With 5G, the peak network data speeds
are expected to be in the range of 2-20
Gigabit per second (Gbps).
Implications of 5G:
• 5G is expected to form the backbone of
emerging technologies such as the
Internet of Things (IoT) and machine to
machine communications, thereby
supporting a much larger range of
applications and services, including
driverless vehicles, tele-surgery and real
time data analytics.
What does this mean for India?
• It is widely accepted that 5G’s value for
India may be even higher than in
advanced countries because of the lower
levels of investments in physical
infrastructure.
• One of the primary applications of 5G will
be implementation of sensor-embedded
network that will allow real time relay of
information across fields such as
manufacturing, consumer durables and
agriculture.
• 5G can also help make transport
infrastructure more efficient by making
it smart. 5G will enable vehicle-to-vehicle
and vehicle-to-infrastructure
communication, making driverless cars,
among other things, a reality.
• The Indian government had set a target
of 2020 for the commercial launch of 5G
services, largely in line with the rest of
the world.
• 5G is expected to create a cumulative
economic impact of $1 trillion in India by
2035.
2. Dark web
What is dark web?
• The dark web is part of the internet that
isn't visible to search engines and
requires the use of an anonymizing
browser (like Tor) to be accessed.
• The dark Web is comprised of websites
that are visible to the public, but their IP
address details are intentionally hidden.
• These websites can be visited by anyone
on the Internet, but it is not easy to find
the server details on which the
corresponding site is running, and it is
difficult to track the one hosting the site.
• Dark web sites look pretty much like any
other site, but there are important
differences. One is the naming structure.
Instead of ending in .com or .co, dark web
sites end in .onion.
Illicit activities
• One can buy credit card numbers, all
manner of drugs, guns, counterfeit
money, stolen subscription credentials,
hacked Netflix accounts and software that
helps you break into other people’s
computers.
Is everything about the dark web illegal?
• Not all parts of it are engaged in illegal
activities.
• The Tor network began as an anonymous
communications channel, and it still
serves a valuable purpose in helping
people communicate in environments
that are hostile to free speech.
• A lot of people use it in countries where
internet access is criminalized.
• There are also links to full-text editions of
hard-to-find books, collections of political
news from mainstream websites, etc.
Why is dark web in the news?
• Amitabh Bachchan’s twitter account was
hacked by a pro-Pakistan Turkish hacker
group. It claimed responsibility for the
hack and bragged about it on the Dark
Web.
39
3. Nipah infection
About Nipah infection
• It is a viral infection caused by the Nipah
virus.
• Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are
the natural host of Nipah virus.
• The disease was first identified in 1998
during an outbreak in Malaysia and it was
named after a village in Malaysia, Sungai
Nipah. Later, Nipah outbreaks have been
reported in Singapore, Bangladesh and
India.
Transmission
• It is a zoonotic virus (transmitted from
animals to humans) which can also be
transmitted through contaminated food
or directly between people.
• Consumption of fruits or fruit products
(such as raw date palm juice)
4. Remdesivir
What is it?
▪ Remdesivir is an antiviral drug that is
used as a treatment for Filovirus
infections such as Ebola virus and
Marburg virus.
Why in news?
▪ Remdesivir was accidentally found to be
effective against Nipah virus among
primates.
▪ African green monkeys survived infection
with the Nipah virus after they received
Remdesivir.
▪ Since Nipah currently does not have any
cure/treatment, it is a welcome discovery.
More about Remdesivir
▪ Ebola and Nipah belong to different viral
families, but remdesivir — made by
Gilead Sciences and also known as GS-
5734 — appears effective against both.
▪ In mice or cells cultivated in the
laboratory, the drug has also shown some
effectiveness against two other pandemic
threats: Lassa fever and MERS
coronavirus.
▪ It is also effective against respiratory
syncytial virus, which infects children all
over the world.
contaminated with urine or saliva from
infected fruit bats is the most likely
source of infection.
Treatment
• There are currently no drugs or vaccines
specific for Nipah virus infection.
• The primary treatment for humans is
supportive care.
Why in news?
• The state of Kerala is facing a Nipah
outbreak once again. Previously it had
faced the outbreak in May 2018.
Ribavirin treatment
• The drug ribavirin has been shown to be
effective against the viruses in vitro, but
human investigations to date have been
inconclusive and the clinical usefulness of
ribavirin remains uncertain.
5. Gestational diabetes
What is gestational diabetes?
• Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar
that develops during pregnancy and
usually disappears after giving birth.
• It can occur at any stage of pregnancy, but
is more common in the second half.
• It occurs if the mother’s body which
cannot produce enough insulin – a
hormone that helps control blood sugar
levels – to meet the extra needs in
pregnancy.
• Gestational diabetes can cause problems
for the mother and the baby during and
after birth.
• But the risk of these problems happening
can be reduced if it's detected and well
managed.
How can gestational diabetes affect
pregnancy?
• Baby growing larger than usual – this
may lead to difficulties during the
delivery and increases the likelihood of
needing induced labour or caesarean
section.
• Premature birth – giving birth before the
37th week of pregnancy.
• The baby developing low blood sugar or
yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
40
 after he or she is born, which may require
treatment in hospital
• Still born babies.
Why in news?
• A recent paper published in the Journal of
the Association of Physicians of India has
posited that it is imperative that every
pregnant woman be screened for high
blood glucose even if no symptoms are
exhibited.
• It argued that primordial prevention or,
in this case, at the earliest stage of
development of the foetus, is essential to
prevent children from becoming
predisposed to diabetes or other non-
communicable diseases (NCD).
Steps taken by the government
• The Ministry of Health has developed
national guidelines for testing, diagnosis
and management of hyperglycaemia
(condition in which an excessive amount
of glucose circulates in the blood) in
pregnancy, and they recommend early
testing during the first trimester.
• Uttar Pradesh has fully implemented the
screening of gestational diabetes.
6. Long March-11
What is it?
• Long March-11, developed by the China
Academy of Launch Vehicle
Technology, is the only rocket using
solid propellants among China's new
generation of carrier rockets.
• It is mainly used to carry small satellites
and can take multiple satellites into orbit
at the same time.
Why in news?
• China has successfully launched the Long
March-11 rocket from a mobile platform
at Yellow Sea.
• This is the first time that China has
launched a mobile rocket from the sea.
Significance
• Launching a carrier rocket from an ocean-
based platform has many advantages over
a land launch.
• The closer to the equator a rocket
launch can get, the greater the speed
boost it will receive.
• It reduces the amount of energy required
to get into space and means that less fuel
is required.
• The launch site is flexible and falling
rocket remains pose less danger. Using
civilian ships to launch rockets at sea
would lower launch costs and give it a
commercial edge.
7. Indian space station
What’s in the news?
• ISRO has announced that India will have
its own space station.
• The project will be constructed once the
'Gaganyaan' human space mission is
completed successfully.
What is a space station?
• A space station is a spacecraft capable of
supporting crew members, designed to
remain in space for an extended period of
time and for other spacecraft to dock.
• Currently, there is only one fully
functional space station in the Earth's
lower orbit, the International Space
Station and astronauts conduct different
experiments in it.
Details on ISRO’s announcement
• India has set its eye on building its own
space station in low earth orbit to conduct
microgravity experiments in space in 5
to 7 years.
• The prospects of setting up such a space
station at an altitude of 400 kilometres
from earth would hinge on successfully
carrying the 'Gaganyaan' human space
mission, in which two to three Indian
astronauts would send to space for a
period of up to seven days before India
celebrates its 75 anniversary of its
independence
Comparison with ISS
• The proposed Indian space station would
be much smaller than the existing
International Space Station (ISS).
41
• While ISS weighs 420 tonnes, Indian
station is expected to have a payload of
20 tonnes.
• The International Space Station is a
partnership between European
countries represented by European Space
Agency, the United States (NASA), Japan
(JAXA), Canada (CSA) and Russia
(Roscosmos). It is the world's largest
international cooperative programme in
science and technology.
Why a space station for ourselves?
• Since 2000, astronauts have periodically
visited the ISS to carry out close to 300
different microgravity science
experiments in diverse fields such as
astrobiology, astronomy, materials
science, space medicine and space
weather.
• Similarly, the idea is to have “our own”
space station where Indian astronauts can
fly regularly to conduct microgravity
experiments.
Open for collaboration
• The Indian station would be available for
other countries to do collaborative
research.
• However, it should be noted that ISRO is
not thinking of “space tourism"
8. Blood transfusion
What is blood transfusion?
• A blood transfusion is the transfer of
blood or blood products from one person
(donor) into another person's
bloodstream (recipient).
Why do people need blood transfusion?
• It is usually done after an illness or an
injury.
What happens during transfusion?
• The blood is made up of several different
parts including red and white cells,
plasma, and platelets.
• “Whole blood” refers to blood that has all
of them.
• In some cases, you may need to have a
transfusion that uses whole blood, but it’s
more likely that you’ll need a specific
component.
What are the different types of blood
transfusions?
• A red blood cell transfusion may be used
if you have anemia or an iron
deficiency.
• Platelets are tiny cells in the blood that
help you stop bleeding. A platelet
transfusion is used if your body doesn’t
have enough of them, possibly because of
cancer or cancer treatments.
• A plasma transfusion helps replace the
proteins in your blood that help it clot. It
may be needed after severe bleeding or if
you have liver disease.
What are the different blood types?
• There are four blood types:
o A
o B
o AB
o O
• Every person has one of the above four
blood types.
• In addition, each person's blood is either:
o Rh-positive, or
o Rh-negative.
Universal donors and recipients
• People with type O negative blood are
referred to as universal donors and type
O negative blood is used for emergencies
in which there is no time to test a
person's blood type.
• Individuals who have type AB positive
blood are referred to as universal
recipients. This means that they can
receive any type of blood.
Restrictions
• People who have Rh-positive blood can
receive Rh-positive or Rh-negative
blood.
• If a person has Rh-negative blood, they
should only receive Rh-negative blood.
Why in news?
• A young woman who had just become a
mother died at the Anantapur
Government General Hospital (Andhra
Pradesh) after being wrongly
administered a wrong blood type.
• The Blood Bank staff administered B+
blood to a recipient, who was O+.
42
9. Gene-edited babies
The shocking announcement
• Chinese researcher Jiankui He shocked
the global medical community in
November 2018 when he announced the
birth of two babies whose DNA he had
edited—the first ever humans born with
heritable changes to their genomes,
made using a technique called Crispr-
Cas9.
• He said he made the changes to lower the
babies' risk of contracting HIV, but the
news instantly sparked ethical and
10. BT Cotton
What is BT Cotton?
• Bt cotton is an insect-resistant transgenic
crop designed to combat the bollworm.
• Bt cotton was created by genetically
altering the cotton genome to express a
microbial protein from the bacterium
Bacillus thuringiensis through the
process of genetic engineering.
What is genetic engineering?
• To put it simply, genetic engineering is
the process of breaking the natural
boundaries that exist between species to
produce new life forms that will produce
a variety of desired traits.
• Genetic modification involves the actual
altering of the organism at the genetic
level.
• Example: Genes from salmon can be
spliced into tomatoes to make them more
resistant to cold weather, thereby
yielding a larger crop when the weather is
less than favourable.
Bt Cotton - Mechanism of action
• The transgene inserted into the plant's
genome produces toxin crystals that the
plant would not normally produce which,
when ingested by a certain population of
organisms, dissolves the gut lining,
leading to the organism's death.
Necessity for Bt Cotton in India
• Even though India's total cotton
production ranks 3rd internationally
behind China and the U.S., the acreage
under cotton cultivation in India is about
medical controversy about his work, and
about the use of gene editing in humans.
Why in news?
• Now, a study finds that the edits may have
actually hurt the babies' lifespans.
• According to an analysis by scientists
from the University of California,
Berkeley, the genetic mutation that a
Chinese scientist attempted to create in
twin babies born last year is associated
with a 21% increase in mortality in later
life.
25% of all agricultural land, the highest of
any country.
• One main reason is that the production of
cotton per hectare is very low, and India
ranks 70th in the world in the kg/hectare
production of cotton.
• The reduced productivity of Indian
cotton is often attributed to intense and
diverse pest pressure and the lack of
irrigation infrastructure.
• The hope was that the introduction of Bt
Cotton would largely take care of the
main pest problems and reduce the use of
pesticides.
Problems with Bt cotton in India:
• The use of BT cotton in India has raised a
lot of controversy even before its official
introduction in India.
• Bt cotton has great promise as it is
resistant to one of the major pests that
decreases crop yield. However, the seeds
come at a much higher price.
• Seeds are purchased with loans from local
money-lenders that charge very high
interest rates, so farmers incur big debts
to obtain the seed.
• Also, the seeds are resistant to the
American bollworm but are not
completely resistant to all pests, a fact
that is not known by all farmers.
• If they do not have additional pest control
strategies, even a Bt crop may be lost to
pests.
• The situation is greatly worsened by
counterfeit seed on the market that does
43
 not contain the Bt gene, so is susceptible
to the bollworm and has no yield benefit.
Why in news?
• Hundreds of farmers joined in, what they
called, a ‘civil disobedience’ movement
to protest the Centre’s indecisiveness in
approving the next generation of
genetically modified (GM) cotton.
• The farmers argue that they should be
getting the newest of technologies
available in the market for agriculture.
11. BT Brinjal
Legislations in India
• GM crops are permitted for
environmental release and cultivation
only after undergoing elaborate food and
environmental safety assessment under
Rules 1989 of Environment Protection
Act-1986.
• Genetic Engineering Appraisal
Committee (GEAC) constituted under
Rules 1989 of (EPA) – 1986 act as the
biotech regulator in India assessing the
safety aspects of GM crops.
What is Bt Brinjal?
• Bt brinjal, is a genetically modified strain
of Brinjal.
• Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a
common soil bacterium that contains a
gene which produces a protein harmful to
Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB).
• They are modified to protect itself from
the pest: Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB)
Background
• Brinjal farmers suffer significant yield
losses at 51-73% annually due to the
Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB).
• Female moths deposit eggs mostly on
brinjal leaves. When the eggs hatch and
turn into larvae, they feed on leaf tissues
and tunnel inside shoots and fruits.
• When Bt protein is ingested by FSB larva,
it is made soluble by the presence of
enzyme and alkaline condition (pH9.5) of
the gut.
• It then binds into another protein
(receptor) present in the midgut resulting
to an active toxin.
• The Bt protein only affects FSB and
does not affect humans, farm animals,
and other non-target organisms.
Bt Brinjal in India
• Bt- Brinjal is a hybrid genetically modified
variety developed by Maharashtra
Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco).
• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal
Committee (GEAC) cleared deck for Bt-
Brinjal in 2006 after satisfaction from the
field and recommended the Ministry of
Environment to clear Bt-Brinjal for
commercial cultivation in 2009.
• But the government of that time withheld
it and said that it needs independent
studies to prove that it doesn’t affect the
nature and pollinators like bees.
• When rejected in India, the company
offered the technology to Bangladesh
Agricultural Research Institute (BARI)
and now presently almost 50,000 farmers
are growing Bt-Brinjal with high yields.
Why in news?
• The various scientific lacunae around the
promised benefits of Bt Brinjal, was
criticised:
o There are still unresolved
biosafety issues,
o Its impact on the environment is
yet to be studied and analysed,
o In terms of nutrition, there seem
to be some significant differences
between Bt and ordinary brinjal
o Lack of long-term toxicity studies
o Lack of scientific consensus on its
safety and efficacy.
o Lack of clarity on how the farmers
can benefit from Bt Brinjal in a
quantifiable manner
12. Waste-to-energy
What’s in the news?
• Researchers from the Department of
Biotechnology and Medical Engineering at
the National Institute of Technology (NIT)
Rourkela, Odisha, have discovered a
marine bacterial strain (Citrobacter
species) that can produce ethanol
directly from fruit waste.
Why fruit waste?
• Due to the high sugar content, fruit waste
was found to be the most favourable,
whereas paper waste was the least
favourable due to the presence of
cellulosic substances.
44

13. Fuel cells
What are fuel cells?
• A fuel cell produces electricity through a
chemical reaction, but without
combustion.
• It converts hydrogen and oxygen into
water, and in the process also creates
electricity.
• It’s an electro-chemical energy
conversion device that produces
electricity, water, and heat.
How does it work?
• The reactions that produce electricity
happen at the electrodes.
• Every fuel cell has two electrodes, one
positive, called the anode, and one
negative, called the cathode.
• These are separated by an electrolyte
barrier. Fuel goes to the anode side, while
oxygen (or just air) goes to the cathode
side.
• When both of these chemicals hit the
electrolyte barrier, they react, split off
their electrons, and create an electric
current.
• A chemical catalyst speeds up the
reactions here.
How is it different from a conventional
battery?
• Fuel cells operates much like a battery,
except they don’t require electrical
recharging.
• A battery stores all of its chemicals inside
and converts the chemicals into
electricity.
14. Carbon Quantum Dot
What is a Carbon Quantum Dot?
• Carbon quantum dots (CQDs), carbon
nano dots (CNDs), and carbon dots (CDs)
are a class of carbon-based nanomaterials
whose dimensions are all less than 10 nm.
• CQDs were first discovered by Xu et al. in
2004 accidentally during the purification
of single-walled carbon nanotubes.
• This discovery triggered extensive studies
to exploit the fluorescence properties of
CQDs
Properties of CQDs
• Once those chemicals run out, the battery
dies.
• A fuel cell, on the other hand, receives
the chemicals it uses from the outside;
therefore, it won’t run out.
• Fuel cells can generate power almost
indefinitely, as long as they have fuel to
use
Why in news?
• A group of Indian scientists have
developed a selenium-graphene–based
fuel cell catalyst which is more efficient,
costs less and also remains stable for
longer than the conventional platinum
based catalysts.
Elaboration
• Modern energy technology, for example
fuel cells which are used commercially in
hydrogen fuel–based cars, require good
catalysts that are efficient as well as cost-
effective.
• Normally, fuel cells use expensive
platinum-like elements.
• These expensive metal-based
technologies perform excellently for
initial few cycles, but then get degraded in
performance due to many reasons.
• As a result, there is a need to change this
part of the fuel cell routinely.
• Graphene modified with selenium atoms
in very low amounts can perform like
platinum in a demonstrated reaction.
• While neither selenium nor graphene can
do the trick by themselves, the
combination works efficiently.
• Carbon quantum dots have been
extensively investigated, especially due to
their strong and tunable fluorescence
emission properties, which enable their
applications in biomedicine, optronics,
catalysis, and sensing.
• CQDs possess the attractive properties of
high stability, good conductivity, low
toxicity, environmental friendliness,
simple synthetic routes as well as
comparable optical properties to
quantum dots
45
• Carbon quantum dots present several
attractive biological, physical, and
chemical properties
Importance in Biomedical applications
• CDs are also excellent in vitro and in vivo
probes for bio-imaging without any
functionalization.
• They are also useful in delivery of drugs
and genes.
• They have a wide range of utilizations in
different fields such as bio-imaging,
cancer therapy, drug/gene delivery,
sensing, bio-sensing, energy conversion
and storage, and electro catalytic and
photo catalytic applications.
Why in news?
• A team of Indian scientists in Assam has
developed a chemical process that turns
cheap, abundant, low-quality and high
Sulfur ‘dirty’ coal into a biomedical
Carbon Quantum Dot (CDQ) to help detect
cancer cells.
15. Parkinson’s Disease
What is Parkinson’s disease?
• Parkinson's disease is an illness that
affects the part of your brain that controls
how you move your body like speech
changes, writing changes, walking and
balance problems.
• It comes under the group of
neurodegenerative diseases and is
characterized by the loss of cells of the
brain or spinal cord, which over time
leads to dysfunction and disability.
• Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease
and Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) are all
examples.
• The ones who are 60 years or older are
more likely to get it.
Causes
• The cause of Parkinson's disease is
unknown, but several factors appear to
play a role, including:
• Genes
• Environmental triggers (exposure to
herbicides and pesticides increase the
risk of Parkinson's disease)
• The presence of Lewy bodies (abnormal
clumps of proteins that form in the brain
cells)
Cure
• There is no cure for Parkinson’s, it's all
about managing symptoms.
Treatment
• Drugs for Parkinson's can often help with
tremors, stiff muscles, and slow
movements.
• Physical therapy, occupational therapy,
and speech therapy.
• Surgery in some cases.
Why in news?
• Scientists from the UK have found the
earliest signs of Parkinson's disease in
the brain years before patients show any
symptoms, a discovery that could
eventually lead to better screening for at-
risk people.
Elaboration
• Serotonin function in the brain was an
excellent marker for quantifying how
advanced Parkinson's disease has
become.
• They found that changes in the serotonin
system in the brains of Parkinson's
sufferers started to malfunction well
before other symptoms occurred.
• Therefore, this can be used as a method to
detect Parkinson’s much earlier than the
conventional symptoms appear
Significance
• Brain imaging of the serotonin system
could become a valuable tool to detect
individuals at risk of Parkinson's diseases,
monitor their progression and help with
the development of new treatments.
16. Trichopus zeylanicus
What is it?
• ‘Arogyapacha’ (Trichopus zeylanicus)
found endemic to Agastyar hills of Kerala
is used by the local ‘kani’ tribe as a health
food for getting instant stamina,
evergreen health and vitality.
About the herb
46
• The plant is known for its traditional use
by the Kani tribal community to combat
fatigue.
• Studies have also proved its varied
spectrum of pharmacological properties
such as anti-oxidant, aphrodisiac, anti-
microbial, anti-inflammatory,
immunomodulatory, anti-tumour, anti-
ulcer, anti-hyperlipidemic,
hepatoprotective and anti-diabetic.
• The lack of a reference genome that
hindered extensive research on
Arogyapacha.
What is a reference genome?
• A reference genome (also known as a
reference assembly) is a digital nucleic
acid sequence database, assembled by
scientists as a representative example of a
species' set of genes.
Why in news?
• Scientists from the University of Kerala
have decoded the genetic make-up of
Arogyapacha (Trichopus zeylanicus)
Arogyapacha genome sequencing
• The lack of a reference genome that
hindered extensive research on
Arogyapacha prompted the researchers
to sequence the whole genome.
Significance of the whole genome
sequencing
• The genome data will be a valuable
resource to expedite research on
Arogyapacha, particularly its secondary
metabolism, genetic breeding, and
comparative studies.
17. Chikungunya
What is it?
• Chikungunya is a viral disease caused by
chikungunya virus (CHIKV) which is
transmitted to humans by infected
mosquitoes – including Aedes aegypti
and Aedes albopictus.
Symptoms
• Symptoms appear between 4 and 7 days
after the patient has been bitten by the
infected mosquito.
• High fever (40°C/ 104°F), Joint pain
(lower back, ankle, knees, wrists or
phalanges), Joint swelling, Rash,
Headache, Muscle pain, Nausea, Fatigue
• Chikungunya shares some clinical signs
with dengue and can be misdiagnosed in
areas where dengue is common.
Diagnosis
• Chikungunya can be detected using
serological tests.
Treatment
• There is no particular drug to treat
Chikungunya.
• Plenty of rest, drinking fluids, taking
medicines such as acetaminophen or
paracetamol to reduce fever and pain.
Prevention
• There is no vaccine to prevent
Chikungunya
• Recovery from an infection will confer
life-long immunity.
• Preventing mosquito bites is a way.
Why in news?
• The Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) has
successfully developed antibodies
against the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV)
infection.
Significance
• With no prior antibodies reported against
CHIKV so far, this is an attempt at
developing and characterizing the novel
highly sensitive and specific antibodies
against the virus.
18. Acute Encephalitis Syndrome
(AES)
What is AES?
• AES affects central nervous system,
mostly in children and young adults. It
starts with a high fever, then hampers
neurological functions causing mental
disorientation, seizure, confusion,
delirium, coma.
What causes AES?
• Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)
including Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a
group of clinically similar neurologic
manifestation caused by several different
viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites,
spirochetes, chemical/ toxins etc.
47
• Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is the
most common cause of AES in India, with
union health ministry estimate attributing
5-35 per cent cases due to JE.
• But the syndrome is also caused by scrub
typhus, dengue, mumps, measles, even
Nipah or Zika virus. In several cases
though the cause of AES remains clinically
unidentified.
Who is affected?
• It predominantly affects population below
15 years.
• There is seasonal and geographical
variation in the causative organism.
• JEV has its endemic zones running along
the Gangetic plain including states of UP
(east), Bihar, West Bengal and Assam, and
parts of Tamil Nadu.
Prevention
• Increase access to safe drinking water
and proper sanitation facilities
• Improve nutritional status of children at
risk of JE/AES
• Vector control (Reducing mosquito
density)
• Vaccination - 2 doses of JE vaccine has
been approved to be included in UIP to be
given one along with measles at the age of
9 months and the second with DPT
booster at the age of 16-24 months.
National Programme for Prevention and
Control of Japanese Encephalitis/Acute
Encephalitis Syndrome
• Several government initiatives have been
undertaken to educate and improve the
hygiene of people living in the JE endemic
zones.
• Government and non-government
organizations have been instrumental in
providing proper nutrition to the AES-
affected population as most of the
affected people belong to the lower
economic strata of the society.
Why in news?
• Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) has
taken over 130 lives in June 2019. As per
the reports, the syndrome has claimed
over 105 lives of children below 10.
• The encephalitis syndrome is affecting the
nervous system of children and adults
due to which the death toll is rising
everyday in Bihar. The disease is also
known as 'Chamki fever'.
• According to the National Centre for
Disease Control officials, Acute
Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) outbreaks
in Bihar have been reported since 1995.
This year the main cause of death in most
cases has been alleged to hypoglycemia
(low blood sugar level).
Relation between hypoglycaemia, children
and AES
• Bihar government officials claim AES is a
syndrome not disease, and cause of death
in these children was found to be
prolonged hypoglycaemia that witnessed
delayed treatment.
• Government data shows, at least 98 per
cent of children with AES getting
hospitalised also suffer from
hypoglycaemia.
• In 2014 research paper titled
‘Epidemiology of Acute Encephalitis
Syndrome in India: Changing Paradigm
and Implication for Control’, coauthored
by six researchers, a parallel was drawn
between Muzaffarpur and Vietnam’s Bac
Giang province where undernourished
children were suffering from AES and
hypoglycaemia that coincided with litchi
orchards in the neighborhood.
19. Antibiotic resistance
What is antibiotic resistance?
• Antibiotic resistance is when bacteria
develop the ability to survive exposure
to antibiotics designed to kill them or
stop their growth.
Why are they dangerous?
• These bacteria may infect humans and
animals, and the infections they cause are
harder to treat than those caused by non-
resistant bacteria.
• Antibiotic resistance leads to higher
medical costs, prolonged hospital stays,
and increased mortality.
Scope of the problem
48
• Antibiotic resistance is rising to
dangerously high levels in all parts of the
world. New resistance mechanisms are
emerging and spreading globally,
threatening our ability to treat common
infectious diseases.
• A growing list of infections – such as
pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood
poisoning, gonorrhoea, and foodborne
diseases – are becoming harder, and
sometimes impossible, to treat as
antibiotics become less effective.
Main reasons
• Antibiotic resistance is accelerated by the
misuse and overuse of antibiotics, as
well as poor infection prevention and
control.
• Also, wherever antibiotics can be bought
for human or animal use without a
prescription, the emergence and spread
of resistance is almost certain.
• Similarly, in countries without standard
treatment guidelines, antibiotics are often
over-prescribed by health workers and
veterinarians and over-used by the public.
Why in news?
• The World Health Organization (WHO)
has launched a global campaign that
urges countries to adopt its new online
tool aimed at guiding policy-makers and
health workers to use antibiotics safely
and more effectively. Another objective of
the campaign is to limit drugs that are at
risk of resistance.
• The tool, known as ‘AWaRe’, classifies
antibiotics into three groups:
o Access — antibiotics used to
treat the most common and
serious infections
o Watch — antibiotics
available at all times in the
healthcare system
o Reserve — antibiotics to be
used sparingly or preserved
and used only as a last resort
Other initiatives
• WHO has developed the Global
Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance
System (GLASS) to foster standardized
Antimicrobial resistance surveillance
globally. Currently GLASS collects and
reports data on Antimicrobial resistance
rates aggregated at national level.
• Red Line Campaign: The Union Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare has made it
mandatory to display a 5mm-thick red
vertical band (line) on packaging of
prescription-only drugs (which
compulsorily require Doctors’
Prescription). It aims at sensitising people
and make them cautious while buying
these Antibiotic medicines that are widely
sold without prescriptions.
20. Proton Therapy
What is Proton Therapy?
• Proton therapy is a type of Radiation
therapy which is also called proton beam
therapy.
• It uses protons rather than x-rays to treat
cancer.
• At high energy, protons can destroy
cancer cells.
• It can also be combined with x-ray
radiation therapy, surgery,
chemotherapy, and/or immunotherapy.
• Like x-ray radiation, proton therapy is a
type of external-beam radiation therapy.
Research in India
• In India, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), a
grant-in-aid Institution under
Department of Atomic Energy, has
initiated collaboration with Bhabha
Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)
for research in proton therapy.
Why in News?
• The Minister of State (Health and Family
Welfare) informed Rajya Sabha about the
present status of Research on Proton
Therapy in India.
21. Colored Wheat
Background:
• National Agri-Food Biotechnology
Institute (NABI) has introduced three
coloured varieties of wheat- purple,
49
 black and blue which are ready for
human consumption after the Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
gave its nod last year.
• The wheat gets its colour from
anthocyanin.
• Coloured wheat has a lower yield than
normal wheat, and hence will have to be
sold at a premium price.
Anthocyanin:
• Anthocyanin is a good antioxidant that
makes us healthier. It helps in the
prevention of lifestyle disorders such as
obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
• It is a pigment that gives colour to fruits
such as blueberries and jamun.
Benefits of coloured wheat
• Consuming large quantities of blueberries
can lead to high sugar intake which poses
danger. But, the antioxidant-rich wheat,
can reduce the chances of cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes and obesity.
What are antioxidants?
• Antioxidants are substances that can
prevent or slow damage to cells caused by
free radicals, unstable molecules that the
body produces as a reaction to
environmental and other pressures.
22. Mission Dragonfly
NASA’s new mission
• NASA announced its Mission Dragonfly, in
which the space body will send a drone-
style quadcopter to Titan, Saturn’s largest
moon.
• The quadcopter will take scientific
measurements, study the world’s
mysterious atmosphere and topography
while searching for hints of life on the
only world other than Earth in our solar
system with standing liquid on its surface.
The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in
2026.
Earlier missions
• NASA’s last visit to Titan was back in
2005, when the Huygens probe, part of
the Cassini mission. The Dragonfly
mission will use the data collected from
the Cassini mission at Saturn, which
ended in 2017.
About Titan
• Because of the nature of its atmosphere,
Titan is a very Earthlike place. Chemically,
it is very much like our world’s
primordial past. The surface pressure of
Titan is one-and-a-half times the surface
pressure of Earth, and the same sorts of
interactions between air, land and sea
take place.
• Rather than water, Titan’s seas are filled
with liquid methane. Methane on Titan
plays the role that water plays here. Its
methane cycle is analogous to Earth’s
water cycle. It has methane clouds,
methane rain and methane lakes and seas
on the surface.
23. Raavana-1
What’s in the news?
• Sri Lanka launched its first satellite
‘Raavana-1’ from NASA’s Flight Facility on
Virginia’s east shore. The launch marks
Sri Lanka’s entry into the global space
age.
• The satellite was designed and built at the
Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan
by two Sri Lankan research engineers.
• Its camera mission is to capture images of
Sri Lanka and its neighbouring countries.
50
 REPORTS AND INDICES
1. Healthy States, Progressive
India
What’s in the news?
• NITI Aayog released the second edition
of “Healthy States, Progressive India”
report.
• The report was developed by NITI Aayog
with technical assistance from the World
Bank.
• The objective of the report was to
measure the annual performance of
States and Union Territories (UTs),
and rank States on the basis of
incremental change, while also providing
an overall status of State’s performance
and helping to identify specific areas of
improvement.
How are they ranked?
• States and UTs have been ranked on a
composite Health Index in three
categories -Larger States, Smaller States
and UTs, to ensure comparison among
similar entities.
• The Index is a weighted composite Index
based on indicators in three domains:
o Health Outcomes;
o Governance and Information; and
o Key Inputs/Processes
Highlights of the Report:
• Among Larger States: Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh & Maharashtra ranked on top
in terms of overall performance. Haryana,
Rajasthan and Jharkhand are the top
three ranking States in terms of annual
incremental performance.
• Among Smaller States: Mizoram ranked
first followed by Manipur on overall
performance, while Tripura followed by
Manipur were the top ranked States in
terms of annual incremental
performance.
• Among UTs: Chandigarh and Dadra and
Nagar Haveli were ranked on top in terms
of overall performance as well as annual
incremental performance.
2. SDG Gender Index
What’s in the news?
• India ranked 95th out of 129 countries in
the first-ever SDG Gender Index.
About SDG Gender Index
• It measures strides made in achieving
gender commitments against
internationally set targets.
• The index has been developed by Equal
Measures 2030, which is a partnership
among global and regional organisations
from the civil society and the
development and private sectors.
• The SDG Gender Index includes 51
indicators across 14 of the 17 official
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The indicators include those that are
gender specific, as well as those that are
not but have an effect on girls and
women.
Key findings
• The index finds that no country has fully
achieved the promise of gender equality
and that the global average score of 65.7
out of 100 is “poor”.
• India’s score of 56.2 means that it is
among 43 countries that fall in the ‘very
poor’ category.
3. Nutrition security analysis
report
What’s in the news?
• The UN World Food Programme and
Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation has released a report
which is a baseline analysis of the
country’s progress in achieving the
second Sustainable Development Goal
to end hunger.
Key findings of the report:
• The average per capita consumption of
energy among the 30% poor people of the
population is just 1811 kilo calories,
much lower than the norm of 2155
kilocalories per day.
51
• Over the last decade, child stunting has
reduced at a rate of just 1% per year, the
slowest decline among emerging
economies.
• At this rate it is predicted that by 2022
about 31.4% of children will be
stunted.
UN world food programme:
• The World Food Programme is the UN
agency focused on hunger alleviation and
food security. Globally, it responds to
emergencies, making sure food reaches
where it is needed, especially in times of
civil wars and natural disasters.
• In India, WFP provides technical
assistance and capacity building services
to the Government of India.
• Ministry of Agriculture is the nodal
agency for WFP in India.
About malnutrition:
• Malnutrition is a group of conditions in
children and adults generally related to
poor quality or insufficient quantity of
nutrient intake, absorption, or utilization.
• Two types of malnutrition are ACUTE
nutrition and CHRONIC malnutrition
o Acute Malnutrition causes
wasting /thinness which
happens due to weight loss
due to inadequate nutrition.
Wasting results from an acute
shortage of food, is reversible
with re-feeding, and has a
relatively high mortality rate.
o Chronic malnutrition causes
stunting/shortness which
happens due to inadequate
nutrition over a long period of
time leading to failure of
linear growth. Stunting is
chronic and its causative
factors are poorly understood.
o Acute and Chronic
malnutrition is the condition
when both occur.
4. Trafficking in Persons Report
About the report:
● It is released by the US State
Department, annually to combat
trafficking as well to rank countries on
their preparedness and actions against
trafficking.
● It should not be confused with Global
report on trafficking in persons
which is released by the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC)
● Some of the key points of this report are
:
o The report classifies countries
into 3 tiers. Tier 1 countries
have up to the mark and doing
well to stop trafficking. Tier 2
countries are working but
their actions aren’t enough.
India is termed as Tier 2
country. Tier 3 countries have
the least of the regulations
and are watchlist countries.
o The report has given
suggestions to all countries to
develop their actions. For
India, the report asks to
establish Anti-Trafficking
Units, make amendments in
IPC section 370 (which
deals with trafficking of
persons).
Measures related to trafficking
• Palermo Protocol: It was adopted by
the UN on Transnational Organised
Crimes in 2000. There are 3 protocols
i.e., one to stop trafficking in persons,
especially women and children, second is
on smuggling of migrants by land, sea,
and air and last against the Illicit
Manufacturing and Trafficking in
Firearms, Their Parts and Components
and Ammunition.
• It is being monitored by the UN Office
on Drugs and Crime.
5. State of Global Air 2019 Report
What is it?
• The State of Global Air report brings into
one place the latest information on air
52
 quality and health for countries around
the globe.
Who is releasing the report?
• It is released by the Health Effects
Institute in cooperation with the
Institute of Health Metrics and
Evaluation (IHME).
Key findings of the report:
• Air pollution ranks fifth among global
risk factors for mortality globally,
exceeded only by behavioral and
metabolic factors like poor diet, high
blood pressure, tobacco exposure, and
high blood sugar.
• India (1st) and China have the highest
health burden from air pollution.
Report about India:
• Air pollution is the third-highest cause of
death among all health risks, ranking just
above smoking, in India.
• According to the report 1.2 million people
are dying prematurely due to toxic air.
• Entire Indian population lives in areas
with PM2.5 concentrations above the
WHO Air Quality Guideline of 10 µg/m3.
Health Effects Institute:
• It is a nonprofit corporation.
• It works as an independent organization
to provide high-quality, impartial and
relevant research on the health effects of
air pollution.
• It is headquartered in Boston,
Massachusetts, USA.
Institute of Health Metrics and
Evaluation(IHME):
• The Institute for Health Metrics and
Evaluation (IHME) is an independent
global health research center at the
University of Washington.
• IHME was launched based on a core grant
of $105 million primarily funded by the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
• It also releases Global burden of
diseases report.
• It provides measurement of the world's
most important health problems and
evaluates the strategies used to address
them.
53
 POLITY
1. Removal of High Court judge
Procedure for removal of Judges
• The procedure for removal of judges is
elaborated in the Judges Inquiry Act,
1968.
• A motion has to be moved by either 100
Lok Sabha members or 50 Rajya Sabha
members.
• If the motion is admitted, the Speaker of
Lok Sabha or Chairman of Rajya Sabha
constitutes an inquiry committee. The
committee has three members: a
Supreme Court judge, a High Court
Chief Justice, and an eminent jurist.
• If the Committee finds the judge guilty of
‘misbehaviour or incapacity’, the
motion along with the report of the
committee is taken up for consideration
in the House where motion was moved.
• The motion for removal is required to be
adopted by each House of Parliament by a
majority of the total membership of
that House and a majority of at least
two-thirds of the members of the
House present and voting.
• Once the motion is adopted in both
Houses, it is sent to the President, who
will issue an order for the removal of the
judge.
Why in News?
• Months after an in-house panel found an
Allahabad High Court judge, Justice S.N.
Shukla, guilty of misconduct.
• Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has
written to Prime Minister to initiate a
motion for his removal.
2. Essential Services
What are essential services?
● According to the Essential Services
Maintenance Act (ESMA), 1968,
essential services are those services
which are important for the normalcy of
state and citizen life.
● It was established to ensure the
delivery of certain services, which if
obstructed would affect the normal life
of the people. These include services
like public transport (bus services),
health services (doctors and hospitals).
● Essential Services are in Concurrent
List of the Schedule 7.
● Although it is a very powerful law, its
execution rests entirely on the
discretion of the State government.
● Each state in the union of India, hence
has a separate state Essential Services
Maintenance Act with slight variations
from the central law in its provisions.
This freedom is accorded by the central
law itself.
● There is a restriction on the staff of
essential services on going to strike.
They must get prior permission.
Why in news?
● The doctors’ strike all over the country
due to attack on a West Bengal doctor
brought in the debate of essential
services.
3. Anti-Defection
What is anti-defection?
● It is disqualification when a member of
parliament or legislature chooses to join
another party after being elected as
some party.
● This was introduced by the 52nd
Amendment in 1985.
Disqualification is done when:
● Member voluntarily gives up party
membership
● If he abstains from the direction given
by the party’s whip (an official of a
political party appointed to maintain
parliamentary discipline)
● If an independent candidate joins any
political party.
● If a nominated member joins a party
after 6 months of his/her nomination.
Exception:
● When a merger between two parties
with the consent of 2/3rd of members
54
 takes place and some member quits the
merging party, he is not disqualified.
● If the speaker or any presiding officer
after being elected, give up party for
impartiality then he is not disqualified.
He can rejoin the party after getting
down from the post.
● The speaker/presiding officer will be
the final authority to decide the
disqualification on the ground of anti-
defection. The decision can be
challenged in court.
Why in News?
● 4 out of 6 TDP Rajya Sabha members
have merged with BJP.
● This doesn’t become a matter of
disqualification under Anti-defection as
2/3rd members have consented to
merger the party.
4. Leader of opposition
Opposition Leader:
● Opposition plays a vital role in
parliamentary democracy.
● It keeps the government on track with
constructive criticism using different
parliamentary instruments (like
question hour, no-confidence motion,
etc).
● The leader of any party sitting in
opposition, whose strength is not less
than 1/10th of the total membership of
the house gets to become opposition
leader.
● This post in India was recognized in
1969 and was given statutory
recognition in 1977.
● He/she is given rank equivalent to a
cabinet minister.
● The Leader of the Opposition has a
crucial role in deciding key
appointments such as the CBI Director,
the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC)
and the anti-corruption ombudsman,
Lokpal.
Why in news?
● The contention once again came on the
opposition leader as Congress didn't get
1/10th in the recent Lok Sabha election.
● They got 53 seats. 1/10th is 55 seats.
5. State flag day
Legislation regarding flag
● Parliament has framed legislation
regulating the hoisting of the national
flag.
● The Emblems and Names (Prevention
of Improper Use) Act, 1950 and The
Prevention of Insults to National
Honour Act, 1971, prohibit insulting the
national flag by burning it, mutilating it,
defacing it, etc.
● These acts do not impose prohibitions on
a state flag.
State Flags
● Two states in India have their own state
flags i.e., Jammu and Kashmir and
Karnataka.
● Under the Flag Code of India, 2002,
conditions followed while hoisting state
flag are.
o 1) it is not hoisted from the
same masthead as of National
flag and
o 2) it is not hoisted higher
than the national flag,
Why in the news?
● A local party in Jammu & Kashmir was not
allowed to celebrate state flag day on June
7.
● J&K lost its state flag post the scrapping of
Article 370.
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 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. India Maldives bilateral
What’s in the news?
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit
to the Maldives, his first state visit abroad
since being re-elected to office, signed six
key agreements.
● The Memorandums of Understanding
(MoU) covered areas such as
hydrography, health, passenger and cargo
services by sea, capacity building in
customs and civil service training.
● A technical agreement on sharing “White
Shipping Information” between the
Indian Navy and the Maldives National
Defence Force was also signed.
● Mr Modi was also conferred with the
Maldives’ highest honour — the Rule of
Nishan Izzuddeen by President Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih.
White Shipping Information:
● White shipping information refers to
exchange of relevant advance information
on the identity and movement of
commercial non-military merchant
vessels.
2. Doklam issue
What is it?
● The Doklam is a plateau, near the
India-Bhutan-China tri-junction.
● In June 2017, a military standoff
occurred between China and India as
China attempted to extend a road on the
Doklam plateau southwards near the
Doka La pass and Indian troops moved
in to prevent the Chinese.
● India claimed to have acted on behalf of
Bhutan. Bhutan formally objected to
China's road construction in the
disputed area.
● Under the 2007 India-Bhutan
Friendship Treaty, the two sides have
agreed to cooperate closely with each
other on issues relating to their national
interests.
● In August 2017, both India and China
announced that they had withdrawn all
their troops from the face-off site.
● The location holds strategic importance
as it would bring China within striking
distance of India’s vulnerable ‘Chicken
Neck’, the Siliguri Corridor, the life-
line to India’s Northeast.
Why in News?
● Reacting sharply to recent reports of an
unprecedented build-up of military
infrastructure on the Chinese side of the
Doklam plateau, Bhutan’s Prime
Minister Lotay Tshering said that no
side should do anything near the tri
junction point unilaterally.
3. The Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action (JCPOA)
What is the Iran nuclear deal?
● The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA), more commonly known as the
Iran nuclear deal was reached between
Iran and six world powers known as the
P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia,
the United Kingdom, and the United
States) in July 2015.
What did Iran have to do to meet the
requirements of the deal?
● According to this framework, Iran would
redesign, convert, and reduce its
nuclear facilities in order to lift all
nuclear-related economic sanctions.
56
● The deal also allowed for the tracking of
nuclear activities with robust
transparency and inspections.
● International inspectors from the
International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) monitor every element of Iran's
declared nuclear programme.
U.S. withdrawal from JCPOA
● The US President Donald Trump
abandoned the Iran nuclear deal in May
2018, claiming it did not address Iran's
ballistic missile programme or its roles
in Middle Eastern conflicts.
● The US is the only country to have
withdrawn from the agreement. Iran,
China, France, Russia, the UK and
Germany are still parties.
● Mr. Trump re-imposed tough economic
sanctions against Iran in August 2018,
deeply cutting its sale of crude oil
abroad. Europe has so far been unable to
offer Iran a way around the U.S.
sanctions.
Why in News?
● Iranian officials announced that the
country’s production of low-enriched
uranium had increased fourfold and its
stockpile would pass a 300kg limit by
June 27.
● Under the terms of the deal, Iran can
stockpile no more than 300 kilograms of
low-enriched uranium.
4. H1B Visa
What is H1B visa?
● The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that
allows US companies to employ foreign
workers in speciality occupations that
require theoretical or technical expertise.
● The technology companies depend on it
to hire tens of thousands of employees
each year from countries like India.
● An estimated 70% of H1B visas go to
Indians.
Why in News?
● The U.S. State Department has clarified
that it has no plans to cap H-1B work
visas for countries that adopt laws that
restrict data being taken out of their
borders (data localisation).
● The clarification holds significance as
there were reports that the U.S. had told
India it was considering to cap the
number of H-1B visas given annually to
Indians at between 10% and 15% of the
total number issued.
5. The Generalised System of
Preferences (GSP)
What is the GSP?
● The Generalised System of Preferences
(GSP) is one of the oldest trade
preference programmes in the world,
under which developed countries offer
preferential treatment (such as zero or
low duties on imports) to products
originating in developing countries.
● India, as a developing country, enjoyed
special trade benefits from the GSP
programme of U.S which allowed duty-
free entry of Indian goods worth $5.6
billion into the U.S.
Termination of eligibility
● In June 2019, the U.S. decided to
terminate India’s eligibility for the GSP
based on complaints from US’ dairy and
medical device industries alleging that
India has implemented a wide array of
trade barriers that are affecting the US
exports in those sectors.
Why in News?
● Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal
told that the government was negotiating
with the U.S. the issue of withdrawing the
GSP status to India.
6. Brexit
What is Brexit?
• Brexit ("British exit") refers to the
United Kingdom's decision in a June 23,
2016 referendum to leave the European
Union (EU), which is a group of 28
countries that operates as a cohesive
economic and political block.
• The process of leaving the EU formally
began on March 29, 2017, when the
former British Prime Minister Therasa
May triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon
Treaty.
• The UK had two years from that date to
negotiate a new relationship with the EU.
Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty
• It gives any EU member state the right to
quit unilaterally, and outlines the
57
 procedure for doing so. It gives the
leaving country two years to negotiate
an exit deal and once it is set in motion it
cannot be stopped except by unanimous
consent of all member states.
Withdrawal Agreement
• The “Brexit deal” is a legally-binding text
agreed to by the EU and UK government
on November, 14 2018. The deal sets the
terms of the UK’s divorce from the EU
and can only enter into force once
ratified by the UK parliament.
• But, the deal Therasa May negotiated
with the EU was rejected by Britain's
House of Commons three times.
• May announced that she will step down
as the Prime Minister after facing severe
pressure to resign. Britain has to ratify a
withdrawal agreement with the EU
before leaving if it wants to avoid a "no-
deal" exit.
When is the UK due to leave the EU?
• The UK had been due to leave on 29
March 2019, two years after it started
the exit process. But as the UK MPs
rejected the withdrawal agreement, EU
leaders have now backed a six-month
extension until 31 October 2019.
• However, the UK will leave before this
date if the withdrawal agreement is
ratified by the UK and the EU before
then.
Why do people oppose the deal?
• There are a broad range of complaints,
many of which claim the deal fails to give
back to the UK control of its own affairs
from the EU.
• One of the biggest sticking points has
been over what happens at the Irish
border.
What is the ‘backstop’ plan?
• Northern Ireland is part of the UK while
the Republic of Ireland, which is not, will
remain part of the EU after Brexit.
• Under EU arrangements, it is currently
easy for people and goods to cross the
border between the Republic of Ireland
and Northern Ireland, and there are
fears that it will not remain so after
Britain leaves.
• Many also fear that barriers between the
north and south could revive the
tensions that prevailed during the 30-
year conflict that ended in 1998.
• To address this, the withdrawal
agreement includes a “backstop” plan to
ensure the border remains as smooth
as possible until a trade deal between
the UK and the EU is struck.
• On the other hand, opponents believe
that the backstop plan would leave the
UK subject to EU regulation even after
Brexit.
Why in News?
• The EU’s top leaders have made it clear
that the existing divorce deal with the
UK could not be changed.
7. Exercise Garuda
What’s in the news?
• Exercise Garuda 2019, a bilateral Indo-
French warfare exercise, was conducted
in France.
• The objectives for the exercise were to
foster closer relationship between India
and France so as to promote
interoperability through exchange of
knowledge and experience.
8. Tax Information Exchange
Agreement
What’s in the news?
• India has notified a tax information
exchange agreement (TIEA) with the
Marshall Islands, which was signed in
2016.
• The agreement enables bilateral sharing
of banking information and allowing
officials of one country to undertake tax
examinations in the other.
• TIEA will enhance mutual cooperation
between India and the Marshall Islands
by providing an effective framework for
exchange of information on tax matters
which will help curb tax evasion and tax
avoidance.
9. Strait of Hormuz
What’s in the News?
● The mysterious attack on two oil tankers
in the Gulf of Oman, close to the Strait
of Hormuz, raised tensions between
the U.S. and Iran.
58
● The U.S. has blamed Iran for the incident. Strait, which makes it the world’s most
Iran has denied any role. important oil artery.
Why is Strait of Hormuz important? ● If the Strait is closed or if the flow of oil
and gas is disrupted, it would have a
serious impact on global energy
stability and thereby on the world
economy.
Operation Sankalp:
• Amidst growing tensions in the Middle
East, Indian Navy launched Operation
Sankalp to safeguard its vessels transiting
through the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of
Oman.
• The Information Fusion Centre - Indian
Ocean Region (Refer ‘Initiatives’ section)
is also keeping a close watch on the
movement of ships in the Gulf region.

• Strait of Hormuz is a choke-point

between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf
of Oman. A third of crude oil exports
transported via ships pass through the

59
 ART & CULTURE
1. Chaukhandi Stupa
About the stupa:
• Chaukhandi Stupa is a Buddhist site and
has served as a place of relics of Buddha.
• It is called Chaukhandi because of four
armed plan.
• This site finds mention in Hiuen Tsang,
traveler during Harsha’s period.
• This site was renovated during Mughal
period by Raja Todarmal to
commemorate Humayun visit.
Why in News?
• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has
declared Chaukhandi stupa located in
Sarnath, UP as protected area of
national importance.
• This notification will allow ASI to
undertake restoration and preservation
works at the site.
Site of National Importance
• Archeological Survey of India declares
specific sites as ‘national importance’ if
the Site has remains of ancient artifacts if
it has a monument, or the site is
important for the access to the
monuments.
• Under the Ancient Monuments and
Archaeological Sites and Remains
(AMASR) Act, 1958, ancient monuments
or archaeological sites which are of
historical, archaeological or artistic
interest and which have been in existence
for not less than 100 years may be
declared as of national importance.
• The protection and maintenance of
monuments declared as of national
importance is taken up by the ASI by way
of structural repairs, chemical
preservation and environmental
development around the monument
which is a regular and on-going process.
2. Ambubachi Mela
What is it?
• Ambubachi Mela is a 4 day fair which
marks the annual menstruation of the
goddess at Kamakhya temple, centre for
Tantra worship.
• Kamakhya near Guwahati, Assam is one of
51 shakti peethas or seat of Shakti
followers, each representing a body part
of Sati, Lord Shiva’s companion.
Why in the news?
• Recently Assam celebrated Ambubachi
Mela at kamakhya.
3. Bankim Chandra’s statue
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
• He was an Indian writer, poet and
journalist.
• He is widely regarded as a key figure in
literary renaissance of Bengal as well as
the broader Indian subcontinent.
• Chattopadhyay’s earliest publications
were in Ishwar Chandra Gupta’s weekly
newspaper Sambad Prabhakar;
• His first fiction to appear in print was
Rajmohan’s Wife. It was written in
English and is regarded as the first Indian
novel to be written in English.
• After he felt the pulse of nationalism,
started writing in Bengali.
• He wrote 13 novels- Kapalkundala,
Mrinalini, Devi chaudrani, Chandrasekhar
etc.,
• His Anandamath was the story of a
group of monks (Sanyasi Rebellion) who
fought the British.
• This was the source for our national song
Vande mataram.
• He published magazines like Vande
Mataram, Bangadarshan, etc.
Why in news?
• Members of parliament of Trinamool
Congress demanded a statue of Bankim
Chandra Chattopadhayay in parliament
premises.
4. Amaravati school of art
What is it?
• Ancient Indian architecture contains 3
major schools - Gandhara, Mathura and
Amravati schools.
• Amravati school of art has evolved and
flourished for nearly six centuries
commencing from 200-100 BC.
60
• It was patronized first by the
Satavahanas and later by the Ikshvakus
and also by other groups.
• It is completely indigenous art style
and have mainly Buddhist artifacts.
• To make artifacts white marble was
widely used.
• The sculptures of Amravati art are
mainly narrative and are inspired by
jataka tales.
• Human forms are shown in tribhanga
style (3 bends). What is in the news?
• Amravati had a huge stupa whose • A limestone pillar of 3rd century,
remains are kept in Chennai museum belonging to Amravati school was
now. founded in Parkasm district of Andhra
Various schools of art: Pradesh.
• It is said to be a part of Buddhist
monastery during Ikshvaku period.

61
 DEFENSE
1. Varunastra
What is varunastra?
• It is an indigenously-built heavyweight
anti-submarine torpedo.
• Varunastra is a ship-launched,
electrically-propelled underwater
weapon equipped with one of the most
advanced automatic and remote-
controlled guidance systems.
• The weapon system uses its own
intelligence in tracing the target. It can hit
stealth submarines underwater.
• The weapon has been jointly developed
by the Naval Science and Technology
Laboratory (NTSL), Visakhapatnam and
the Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.
What is in the news?
• Varunastra has been successfully
inducted in the navy, making India one of
the eight countries to have the capability
to design and build such a system.
62