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CURRENT AFFAIRS (16th – 31st March 2018)

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

Science & Technology 04

Cold fusion 04

India to join Europe’s Copernicus project 05

GSAT-6A launched 06

Brahmos missile with indigenous seeker successfully test fired 07

TESS 08

BeiDou-3 navigation satellites 09

Security 11

Draft Defence policy 11

VARUNA 2018 11

Polity & Governance 12

Separate religion tag for lingayats 12

Supreme Court advance directive on SC/ST Act 13

Economy 15

RBI ban on LOU 15

Falling investment in Indian bonds 16

India, Hong Kong sign double tax avoidance agreement 16

Government imposes anti-dumping duty on ofloxacin import from china 17

Social Policies, Initiatives & Reports 18

Atal Bhujal Yojana 18

Laqshya programme 19

Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi 20

NITI Aayog to release Sath-E programme 21

Krishi Unnati Mela 21

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Adarsh Smarak 22

Government Insurance Schemes 22

Psychographics 22

E-Tribes India 23

High Speed Rail Corridor 24

National Academic Depository 24

Ecology & Environment 26

Plastics in drinking water 26

India ranks 78th on WEF Energy Transition Index 27

Ptilomera Nagalanda 28

Kaziranga National Park : Rhino population rises marginally 29

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Science&Technology:COLDFUSION

Cold fusion or its successor technologies such as Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) remains a dead end and a false hope for many scientists across the world. India, however, is taking tentative steps towards restarting research into it, some 25 years after it was shut down at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) following global criticism heaped on the idea.

At least three research groups have taken up the theme. An effort in IIT-Kanpur is focusing on transmutation of elements at lower temperatures. Another at IIT-Bombay, funded by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), has constructed an apparatus that has produced energy spikes, but researchers are trying to verify that these were not an outcome of quirks in the apparatus that were not accounted for.

Why it has not been possible so far?

There is no guarantee that every time a cold fusion or LENR experiment is done, energy will be released. Cold fusion advocates say much progress has been made in achieving repeatability. Research is underway in the U.S., Japan, China, Russia, Italy, France and Ukraine.

About Cold fusion:

Cold fusion seeks to produce nuclear energy without harmful radiation, complex equipment and the application of very high temperatures and pressures. But it has no conclusive theory explaining it and flies in the face of a well-established physics law that goes against easy fusion of nuclei.

S-Vyasa researchers have been working on triggering fusion in hydrogen on the surface of nickel, which has hydrogen-soaking properties. The ingredients are heated to temperatures above 1,200 degree Celsius.

Q) Which of the following statements is/are correct about ‘cold fusion’?

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1. It seeks to produce nuclear energy without harmful radiation, complex equipment.

2. Interaction of Hydrogen or deuterium gas with metals such as palladium, zirconium and nickel is claimed to set off a nuclear reaction at lower temperature, releasing energy.

a. Only 1 is correct

b. Only 2 is correct

c. Both are correct

d. Neither 1 nor 2 is correct

INDIATOJOINEUROPE’SCOPERNICUSPROJECT

India has joined Europe’s mega global arrangement of sharing data from Earth observation satellites called Copernicus.

About the agreement:

Data from a band of Indian remote sensing satellites will be available to the European Copernicus programme while designated Indian institutional users will in return get to access free data from Europe’s six sentinel satellites and those of other space agencies that are part of the programme at their cost.

Under this agreement, the European Commission intends to provide India with free, full and open access to the data from the Copernicus Sentinel family of satellites using high bandwidth connections.

Reciprocally the Department of Space will provide the Copernicus programme and its participating states with a free, full and open access to the data from ISRO’s land, ocean and atmospheric series of civilian satellites (Oceansat-2, Megha-Tropiques, Scatsat-1, SARAL, INSAT-3D, INSAT-3DR) with the exception of commercial high resolution satellites data.

The arrangement includes technical assistance for setting up high bandwidth connections with ISRO sites, mirror servers, data storage and archival facilities.

About Copernicus project:

The multi-billion-euro Copernicus is Europe’s system for monitoring the Earth using satellite data. It is coordinated and managed by the European Commission.

Benefits of joining Copernicus:

The Space based information will be used for forecasting disasters, providing emergency response and rescue of people during disasters; to glean land, ocean data, and for issues of security,

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agriculture, climate change and atmosphere, according to a statement issued by the European Commission.

The free and open data policy is said to have a wide range of applications that can attract users in Europe and outside. The Copernicus emergency response mapping system was activated on at least two occasions – during the 2014 floods in Andhra Pradesh and after the 2013 storm in Odisha.

GSAT–6ALAUNCHED The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully placed a communication satellite GSAT-6A in a geosynchronous transfer orbit. It was carried on board the GSLV F-08 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

About GSAT-6A:

The GSAT-6A is a communication satellite that incorporates the high thrust Vikas engine. It will complement the GSAT-6, which is already in orbit. The GSAT-6A’s antenna has a diameter of six meters – it can be unfurled and opened like an umbrella once it reaches its prescribed orbit.

The GSAT-6A built by ISRO is intended to provide communication services through multi beam coverage. The satellite is equipped with S, C-band transponders.

The satellite will be placed at a height of 36,000 km in a geostationary orbit, and the antenna will be unfurled in the coming days.

About the launch:

The launch was the 12th satellite launched on board the GSLV rocket and the fifth consecutive success for a GSLV equipped with an indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage engine.

The GSLV F08, a fully operational version of ISRO’s GSLV MK II rocket series, launched the GSAT 6A communication satellite into its orbit.

Stages of GSLV:

The indigenous cryogenic stage on the GSLV is the third stage, and uses liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidiser. The first stage is solid fuel and the second stage is liquid fuel based.

About cryogenic stage:

Cryogenic stage is a highly efficient rocket stage that provides more thrust for every kg of propellant it burns compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant stages. The impulse achievable with cryo fluids is 450 seconds compared with 300 seconds for other fuels.

According to space scientists, cryogenic engines provide unprecedented thrust to GSLV rockets in their final stages while keeping fuel loads relatively low. Nearly 50% of the power for GSLV rockets as they push into space comes from the cryogenic stage.

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Q) Which of the following statements about GSAT-6A is/are wrong?

1. GSAT-6A is a communication satellite that incorporates the high thrust vikas engine.

2. It is similar to GSAT-6, is a high power S-band communication satellite.

3. It is helpful in network management techniques useful in satellite based mobile communication application.

4. It is designed only for the civilian purpose, not useful for defence purpose.

BRAHMOSMISSILEWITHINDIGENOUSSEEKERSUCCESSFULLYTESTFIRED

Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was successfully flight tested for first time with indigenously developed seeker at Pokhran test range, Rajasthan. So far, seeker, a critical technology in missiles was imported from Russia. During the test missile was imported from Russia. During the test missile with India-made seeker flew in its designated trajectory and target with pin-point accuracy.

Seeker:

The seeker technology determines the accuracy of missile and is closely guarded secret. The indigenous seeker was developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO labs. It is considered as significant milestone in indigenous missile technology and would reduce import independence.

BrahMos Missile:

It is supersonic cruise missile developed by joint-venture between Russia’s Mashinostroyenia and India’s DRDO. It has been named after two rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva (river in western Russia). It is two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant. It

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operates on ‘fire and forget principal’. It is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against sea and land targets.

It is capable of carrying warhead of 300 kilogram (both conventional as well as nuclear) and has top supersonic speed of Mach 2.8 to 3 (roughly three times speed of sound). It is hailed as the World’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. Its range was initially capped at 290 km as per obligations of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Since India’s entry into the elite club, its range was extended to 450 km and plan is to increase it to 600 km.

It is self-propellant guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift. It is claimed that the missile has strike accuracy rate of 99.99% and it follows a variety of trajectories like high, high-low, low, surface-skim etc. it has been already inducted in Army and Navy. The air-launched version of missile was test-fired recently for the first time from modified Su-30 MKI aircraft.

Q) Which of the following statements about BrahMos missile is/are correct?

1. It is a supersonic missile named after two rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva.

2. It can be launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against sea and land targets.

a. Only 1

b. Only 2

c. Both

d. None

TESS

NASA has partnered with private space launching company SpaceX to launch Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to search for exoplanets using the transit method.

TESS is designed to carry out first space borne all sky transiting exoplanets survey. It is equipped with four wide angle telescopes and associated charge coupled device (CCD) detectors. It is planned to be

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launched in April 2018 on board of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS):

The primary mission objective of TESS is to survey brightest stars near Earth for transiting exoplanets over two year period. It will use array of wide-field cameras to perform all sky survey. It will create catalog of thousands of exoplanets candidates using transit photometry method.

It will provide prime targets for further characterization by James Webb Space Telescope, as well as other large ground based and space based telescopes of the future. With TESS, it will be possible to study mass, size, density and orbit of large cohort of small planets, including sample of rocky worlds in habitable zones (goidilocks zone) of their host stars. This will reveal whether planets are rocky (like Earth), gas or jovian giants (like jupiter) or something even more unusual.

BEIDOU‐3NAVIGATIONSATELLITES China has successfully sent pair of twin Beidou-3 MEO satellites – Beidou-30 and Beidou-31 into space as part of its third and final stage of launching its domestic Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system.

They were launched on board Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang satellite Launch Centre in southwest China’s Sichuan proviance. It was 269th mission for the Long March rocket family.

Key facts:

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The twin satellites are MEO satellites i.e. Medium Earth Orbit component of the third phase of Beidou satellite navigation system. They will work together with six previously launched BeiDou-3 satellites once they pass series of tests. They were developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites at Chinese Academy of Sciences and China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. These satellites are part of fleet of Beidou satellites that will expand the system to global navigation coverage. These satellites are using new bus that features phased array antenna for navigation signals and laser retro reflector.

About BeiDou navigation system:

BeiDou is 2nd generation of Chinese home grown navigation system seen as rival to US’s Global Positioning System (GPS). It was named after Chinese term for plough or Big Dipper constellation. It comprises constellation of total 35 satellites including 27 MEO (21,500 km orbits) satellites, 3 IGSO satellites and 5 GSO satellites.

Currently it is used for civilian services in field of navigation, messaging, transportation and weather forecasting sectors. It also has military applications.

Q) Which of the following country does not have a separate navigation system of their own?

1. U.S.

2. Japan

3. India

4. UK

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SECURITY:DRAFTDEFENCEPOLICY

The policy says the vision is to make “India among the top five countries of the world in the aerospace and defence industries, with the active participation of the public and private sectors, fulfilling the objective of self-reliance as well as the demand of other friendly countries”.

Salient features of the policy:

Turnover Rs. 1.7 lakh crore in defence goods and services Attract investment of Rs. 70,000 crores in defence sector Exports of Rs. 35,000 crore in defence goods and services by 2025 Global leader in cyberspace and AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies

Provisions:

1. Further liberalization of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), by permitting up to 74% FDI under the automatic route. At present, up to 49% FDI is allowed through the automatic route, through no significant investment has come into the sector.

2. Make in India

The policy aims to create an environment that “encourages a dynamic, robust and competitive defence industry as an important part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative”.

VARUNA2018

The Indo-French joint naval exercise Varuna-18 was held in Arabian Sea off Goa coast. It was aimed to explore measures to facilitate operational-level interactions between their armed forces and increase mutual cooperation, considering the common global threats.

Key facts:

Varuna-18 was conducted in three sea areas, including the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and South Western Indian Ocean. The exercise was conducted in three phases and included anti-submarine, air defence and asymmetric engagement exercises.

The first phase of the exercise was held in Arabian Sea. The second phase was held off the Chennai coast in Bay of Bengal in April 2017 and third near France’s Reunion Island in South Western Indian Ocean in May 2018.

Background:

India is major partner of France in Indian Ocean region. Maritime security is priority in India-France’s defence and security policy, along with the fight against terrorism. Indian Navy and the

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French Navy have been conducting naval exercises since 1983. These exercises were christened as Varuna is 2001.

The last edition of this annual bilateral exercise was conducted off French coast April 2017. The Varuna series of exercises now has grown in scope and complexity and provides opportunity to naval forces of both countries to increase interoperability and learn from each other’s best practises.

Q) Which of the following is wrong about India’s joint naval exercises?

1. INDRA NAVY – Between India and Russia.

2. SIMBEX – Between India and Srilanka.

3. Naseem-al-Bahr – Between India and Royal Omani navy.

4. VARUNA – Between India and France.

Polity&Governance:SEPARATERELIGIONTAGFORLINGAYATS

In a key political development ahead of the 2018 state assembly polls in Karnataka, the Congress led state government sought the Central government’s nod for giving Lingayats a separate religion status.

Putting the ball in the centre’s court, the Karnataka Cabinet decided to go ahead with the recommendations made by the Justice Nagamohan Das committee.

Nagamohan Das committee:

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The State government appointed Nagamohan Das committee, which was formed in December 2017 to decide on the matter, had suggested that Lingayats be identified as a separate religion.

It concluded that there is enough evidence to differentiate Lingayat religion from Hindu religion and also added that Veerashaivas – another sect looking to get religious minority status, too can be part of the larger umbrella of ‘Lingayat religion’.

About Lingayats:

Lingayats, a distinct Shaivate religious tradition are followers of the 12th century poet-philosopher-social reformer Basaveshwara who rebelled against established Hindu tradition by defying the caste system and vedic rituals.

In their bid for a separate religion status, the Lingayats wanted to dissociate themselves from Veerashaaivas, also a Shaivate religious tradition, whose followers adhere to the Vedas.

Q) With reference to the cultural history of medival India, consider the following statements:

1. Siddas (Sittars) of Tamil region were monotheistic and condemned idolatry.

2. Lingayats of Kannada region questioned the theory of rebirth and rejected the caste hierarchy.

Which of the following given above is/are correct?

a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both 1 and 2 d. Neither 1 nor 2

SUPREMECOURTADVANCEDIRECTIVEONSC/STACT

“The anti-atrocities law, which protects Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from casteist slurs and discrimination, has become an instrument to ‘blackmail’ innocent citizens and public servants”, the Supreme Court said.

Guidelines by Supreme Court:

Issuing a new slew of guidelines to protect public servants and private employees from arbitrary arrests under the Atrocities Act, the court directed that public servants can only be arrested with the written permission of their appointing authority. In case of private employee, the Senior Superintendent of Police concerned should allow it.

Besides this precaution, a preliminary inquiry should be conducted before the FIR is registered to check whether the case falls within the parameters of the Atrocities Act and if it is frivolous or motivated.

Rationale given by Supreme Court:

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The court referred to how public administration has been threatened by the abuse of this Act. Public servants find it difficult to give adverse remarks against employees for fear that they may be charged under the Act.

Instead of blurring the caste lines, the Act has been misused to file false complaints to promote caste hatred, the apex court said. The current working of Atrocities Act may even “perpetuate casteism” if it is not brought in line and the court needs to intervene to check the “false implication of innocent citizens on caste lines”.

“The Act cannot be converted into a charter for exploitation or oppression by any unscrupulous person or by the police for extraneous reasons against other citizens. Any harassment of an innocent citizen, irrespective of caste or religion, is against the guarantee of the constitution. This court must enforce such guarantee, law should not result in caste hatred “, the Supreme Court held.

Penal provisions under the act:

The 1989 Act penalizes casteist insults and even denies anticipatory bail to the suspected offenders. The law is therefore used to rob a person of his personal liberty merely on the unilateral word of the complainant. Justice Goel wrote that anticipatory bail should be allowed if the accused is able to prima facie prove that complaint against him is malafide.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Advance Directive of Supreme Court?

1. Article 142 of the Indian Constitution deals with the Advance directive.

2. The SC in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make such order as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it.

a. Only 1

b. Only 2

c. Both

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d. None

Economy:RBIBANONLOU A month after the Rs. 12,800 crore Letter of Undertakings (LOU) frauds at Punjab National Bank came to light, the Reserve Bank of India has decided to ban such instruments as well as letter of comfort issued by bankers to businesses for international transactions.

Extent of import finance:

It is estimated that overall, bank finance for imports into India is around $ 140 billion, of which over 60% is funded through such buyers credit. To rely on more expensive instruments such as bank guarantees and letters of credit. The move naturally, industry is unhappy with the RBI decision as this would raise the cost for importers, who will now need will also impact the competitiveness of exporters who import raw materials for their products.

Impact of ban:

RBI omnibus ban of LoUs will impact the $ 85 billion buyer’s credit market that was mostly conducted in accordance with the law of the land. If an individual or some failed systems of a bank were indeed to blame, why should bona fide transactions suffer? Perhaps the RBI could have tightened the norms for LoUs and introduced safeguards based on the latest learning’s.

Q) Find the correct pairs:

1. Letter of Understanding (LOU): Domestic bank’s guarantee for its customer to raise short term loans in foreign currency from a different bank located in a foreign country.

2. Letter of Comfort (LOC): Domestic bank’s guarantee for its customers to raise short term loans in foreign currency from its subsidiary bank or overseas branch located in a foreign country.

3. Both 1 and 2

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4. Neither 1 nor 2

FALLINGINVESTMENTININDIANBONDS More people are losing interest in Indian bonds. Foreign investors have been net sellers of over $ 1 billion in Indian debt this month, almost cancelling out inflows since the beginning of the year. The deserting of the Indian market by foreign investors comes at a time when the centre is looking at tapping the bond market aggressively to finance its election year spending.

Rise in yield:

The yield on the benchmark 10 year bond has risen by almost 1 percent since late July amid lacklustre investor demand. The rise in yields is due to variety of reasons that have pushed both foreign and domestic investors to re-price Indian sovereign bonds.

The government is expected to step up borrowing ahead of elections; in fact, the fiscal deficit targets for the current as well as the coming fiscal year were revised upwards in the budget. This has fuelled market fears about a rise in inflation.

Further, the public sector banks, typically the biggest lenders to the government, have turned wary of lending. As the losses on their bond portfolios mount, they have turned net sellers of sovereign bonds in 2018.

Another tailwind affecting bonds is the prospect of higher interest rates in the West, which has made Indian bonds look a lot less lucrative in the eyes of foreign investors.

The weakening rupee, probably a reflection of higher domestic inflation ad fund outflows in search of yields, has added to selling pressure.

Way forward:

The bond rout should thus serve as a timely warning as it looks to ramp up spending ahead of elections. Lastly, with the vaccum created by the state-run banks, it may be time for the Reserve Bank of India to re-examine the rule limiting the role of foreign investors in the bond market.

INDIA,HONGKONGSIGNDOUBLETAXAVOIDANCEAGREEMENT

India and Hong Kong have signed agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. Hong Kong is former British colony and is special administrative region of China which enjoys a high degree of autonomy under which it has an independent taxation system. It is an important financial and trading partner of India and the absence of a treaty was seen hindrance in many ways.

Key facts:

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This agreement will stimulate flow of investment, technology and personnel from India to Hong Kong and vice versa, prevent double taxation and provide for exchange of information between two contracting parties. It will also improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance.

It will provide investors advantage of lower withholding tax of 10% on interest or royalties provided they fulfil main purpose test which broadly checks that transaction is not entered specifically to avoid taxes. It will also provide for capital gains taxation of indirect transfers. It provides that gains taxation of indirect transfers. It provides that gains from sale of shares of company deriving more than 50% of its value from property situated in country will be taxed in that country.

Q) Which of the following statements about DTAA are correct?

1. It is to improve transparency in tax matters, help curb tax evasion and remove double taxation.

2. DTAA will also provide capital gains taxation of indirect transfers.

a. Only 1

b. Only 2

c. Both

d. None

GOVERNMENTIMPOSESANTI‐DUMPINGDUTYONOFLOXACINIMPORTFROMCHINA

The Revenue Department in the Finance Ministry has imposed anti-dumping duty on import of ‘Ofloxacin’, a pharma product used in treatment of certain infections, from China. It was imposed for three years following recommendations of Director General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) to protect domestic producers from below cost shipments. In its probe DGAD had found that Ofloxacin exported to India from China was below its normal value, resulting in dumping. It had caused material injury to the domestic industry.

About Ofloxacin:

Ofloxacin is in class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. It is used to treat certain infections including bronchitis, pneumonia and infections of skin, bladder, urinary tract, reproductive organs, and prostate (a male reproductive gland). It works by killing bacteria that causes infections.

Anti-dumping duty:

It is an import duty imposed by government on imported products which have prices less than their normal values or domestic price. It acts as a protectionist and counter import measure used by a country under multilateral World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime to protect its domestic producers and market from below-cost/cheap imports. The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading

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practises and creating level playing field for domestic producers and exporters. It varies from product to product and from country to country.

Q) Which of the following statements is/are correct about Anti-dumping duty?

1. It is an import duty imposed by government on imported products which have prices less than their normal values or domestic price.

2. Anti-dumping duty is approved by the Ministry of Commerce and imposed by the Ministry of Finance.

a. Only 1

b. Only 2

c. Both

d. None

Socialpolicies,Initiatives&Reports:ATALBHUJALYOJANA The Government of India has proposed Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) aimed at sustainable ground water management with community participation in select over-exploited and ground water stressed areas in seven states (Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh). ABHY is designed as a central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs. 6,000 crores and is proposed to be implemented with World Bank assistance.

Administrative structure of the scheme:

Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) is regulating ground water development in 23 States/UTs. For enforcement of the regulatory measures in these areas, concerned Deputy Commissioners/District Magistrates have been directed under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to take necessary action in case of violations of directives of CGWA. No data regarding illegal mineral water/soft drink bottling plants functioning in the country is available with the Ministry of Water Resources, RD&GR.

Need for the scheme:

As per the assessment of dynamic ground water resources of country (As on 31st March 2013) carried out jointly by CGWB and State Ground Water Department, out of the total 6584 number of assessment units (Blocks/Taluks/Mandals/watershed/Firkka), 1034 units have been categorized as ‘over exploited’.

Charges for ground water use:

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CGWA has prepared draft guidelines which stipulate existing & new industries, infrastructure & mining projects etc. to obtain ‘No Objection Certificate (NOC)’. In the draft guidelines framed by CGWA, it is proposed to levy a water conservation fee for issuance of ‘No Objection Certificate’ for ground water abstraction. The rates of water conservation fee have been proposed based on the quantum of ground water abstracted, category of ground water assessment unit and use of ground water. Water conservation fee will be utilized by the respective State Government for implementation of ground water recharge/water conservation measures.

Primary responsibility of State governments:

Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources to ensure sustainability and availability are primarily undertaken by the respective State governments.

LAQSHYAPROGRAMME

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently announced the launch of program ‘LaQshya’, aimed at improving quality of care in labour room and maternity Operation Theatre (OT).

Where is the programme being implemented?

The LaQshya program is being implemented at all Medical College Hospitals, District Hospitals and First Referral Unit (FRU), and community Health Centre (CHCs) and will benefit every pregnant woman and new-born delivering in public health institutions.

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What will be the benefit of the program?

‘LaQshya’ will reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, improve quality of care during delivery and immediate post-partum period.

Ultimate objective:

India has come a long way in improving material survival as Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has reduced from 301 maternal deaths in 2001-03 to 167 in year 2011-13, an impressive decline of 45% in a decade. India is further committed to ensuring safe motherhood to every pregnant woman in the country.

RASHTRIYAAROGYANIDHI

The Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) has been set up under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 as a society. The RAN was set up to provide financial assistance to patients living below poverty line and who are suffering from major life-threatening diseases, to receive medical treatment at any of the super speciality Hospitals/Institutes or other Government hospitals. The financial assistance to such patients is released in the form of ‘one-time grant’, which is released to the Medical Superintendent of the hospital in which the treatment has been/is being received.

Under RAN Revolving Funds have been set up in 13 central Government Hospitals/Institutions located all over India for providing financial assistance for treatment up to Rs. 2 lakh. In addition, financial assistance is provided for individual cases referred by Government hospitals/institutions, which do not have a Revolving Fund and for cases referred by 13 Government hospitals/institutions with Revolving Funds for assistance exceeding Rs. 2 lakh.

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NITIAAYOGTORELEASESATH‐EROADMAPS

NITI Aayog will release comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)’ project.

These roadmaps, which operate between 2018 to 2020, lay out detailed interventions which will be taken by three participating states – Jharkand, Madya Pradesh and Odisha – aiming to become ‘Role Model States’ in school education. These roadmaps present the first of its kind, customized, action oriented programmes, outlining interventions at the individual, district and state level.

The roadmaps were jointly prepared by NITI Aayog, the three states and the knowledge partners of the SATH initiative.

KRISHIUNNATIMELA

Krishi Unnati Mela is a three day event launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19th March 2016 in Pusa campus of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Delhi. The event was launched to provide information on new farm schemes and technologies that will help farmers double their incomes within the next few years.

About Krishi Unnati Mela 2018:

During the event Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also unveil a portal on organic farming and lay the foundation stone of 25 Krishi Vigyan Kendras. A theme pavilion on doubling of farmers income, organic farming, cooperatives, farm inputs will be there to further assist farmers with the latest developments in the farming techniques. He gave away the Krishi Karman Awards and the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Krishi Protsahan Puraskar.

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ADARSHSMARAK

ASI has identified 100 monuments as ‘Adarsh Smarak’ for upgradation of existing tourist facilities/amenities. The scheme requires the following criteria fulfilment at monuments under Adarsh Smarak scheme.

To make monuments visitor friendly. To upgrade/provide wash rooms, drinking water, signages, cafeteria and wi-fi facility. To provide interpretation and audio-video centre. To streamline waste water and garbage disposal and rain water harvesting system. To make monument accessible to differently abled. To implement Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

GOVERNMENTINSURANCESCHEMES

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) were launched on 9th May, 2015. The cover period under these Schemes is 1st June of each year to May of subsequent year. These schemes are offered/administered through both public and private sector insurance companies, in tie up with scheduled commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks.

PMJJBY:

PMJJBY offers a renewable one year term life cover of Rupees Two Lakh to all subscribing bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 50 years, covering death due to any reason, for a premium of Rs.330/- per annum per subscriber, to be auto debited from subscriber’s bank account.

PMSBY:

PMSBY offers a renewable one year accidental death cum disability cover to all subscribing bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 70 years for a premium of Rs. 12/- per annum per subscriber to be auto debited from subscriber’s bank account. The scheme provides a cover of Rs. 2 lakh for accidental death or total permanent disability and Rs. 1 lakh in case of permanent partial disability.

PSYCHOGRAPHICS

Psychographics refers to psychological profiling of target groups that helps to understand them better so corporate can make better sales pitches for their products, and governments can tailor their schemes and customize political campaigns.

Role of technology:

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There is a huge cache of data waiting to be mined in quick time, leading to improved customization. Online targeting tools can help here – a Google search will throw up results that will include those specific keywords in that search, and Facebook’s algorithm will look at your recent activities and throw up ads that you may find intresting.

Why there is so much noise around Facebook?

At the periphery of the global noise around Facebook lies a study that was published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2013. It showed that if you had enough data, just based on the “Likes”, you could predict sensitive personal attributes, including political views, fairly accurately.

This study had the explicit consent of 58,000 volunteers. Cambridge Analytica, on the other hand, is accused of profiling 50 million users, not just of those who downloaded the particular app, but of their friends as well, to create highly targeted ad campaigns.

E‐TRIBESINDIA

The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is going Digital as per the vision document of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. The “e-Tribes India” would be launched tomorrow by the Union Tribal Affairs Affairs Minister.

What is e-Tribes India?

TRIFED has developed its own e-commerce (electronic commerce) website i.e., tribesindia.com for sale of all its products and to tap m-commerce (mobile commerce) too.

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An Android App is also in place as well on Google store (Tribes India) which can be downloaded on any Android enabled smart phone and sale can happen from this mobile app through android smart phone.

Going Digital will lead to expansion of tribal commerce and the availability of tribal products over large area, reaping greater benefits for tribal artisans. Retail Trade of tribal products would expand all over the country and the world.

TRIFED:

The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Developing Federation of India Limited (TRIFED), a multi-State Cooperative Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is promoting and marketing tribal products, tribal art and crafts within the country and abroad by providing marketing support to tribal products through its network of 31 retail outlets “TRIBAL INDIA”. It also organizes exhibitions like National Tribal Craft Expo called “Aadi Mahotsav” in which it promotes and markets tribal products. It also facilitates the participation of tribal artisans to enable them to interact directly with art lovers to assess the market needs. In the last three years, it has begun providing e-commerce platforms to the tribal artisans to sell their products.

HIGHSPEEDRAILCORRIDOR At present, Mumbai-Ahmedabad Rail corridor is the only sanctioned High Speed Rail Project in the country and implemented with technical and financial assistance of Government of Japan. The estimated cost of the project is RS. 1,08,000 crore. Government of Japan has agreed to provide a soft loan of 81% of total project cost with 0.1% rate of interest per annum. The time period for repayment of loan is 50 years with 15 years period.

Six corridors on Diamond Quadrilateral connecting metropolitan cities and growth centres of the country (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai & Kolkata) have been identified for feasibility study for high speed rail connectivity viz : 1. Delhi-Mumbai, 2. Mumbai-Chennai, 3. Chennai-Kolkata, 4. Kolkata-Delhi and both diagonals i.e. 5. Delhi-Chennai and 6. Mumbai-Kolkata routes.

NATIONALACADEMICDEPOSITORY

Government has setup National Academic Depository (NAD) which is 24X7 online store house of academic awards digitally lodged by various academic institutions/school boards/eligibility assessment bodies. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has been designated as authorized body to operationalise NAD.

What will it cover?

The academic awards to be lodged on NAD cover degrees, diplomas, certificates, mark sheets including awards issued for skill development. The framework of NAD includes various Central Universities, Central Higher Educational Institutions, State Universities, deemed to be Universities,

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CBSE, State School Education Boards etc. located in various States/Union Territories including the State of Maharashtra.

NAD comprise of:

NAD comprises of two interoperable digital depositories viz., NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML) and CDSL Ventures Limited (CVL).

Benefit of NAD:

Maintenance of academic awards in a digital depository not only enables online access, retrieval and verification of these awards but also helps eliminating fraudulent practices such as forging of certificates and mark-sheets etc.

CBSE has introduced “parinam manjusha” which acts as:

Academic Repository Facilitates Online Verification and Students can get digital documents such as Mark Sheet, Pass Certificate and Migration.

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Ecology&Environment:PLASTICSINDRINKINGWATER

Plastics are now widely present in the environment, as visible waste along coastlines, in lakes and rivers, and even in the soil. The recent finding that microplastic particles are found even in ‘safe’ bottled water indicates the magnitude of the crisis. There is little doubt that the global production of plastics, at over 300 million tonnes a year according to the UN Environment Programme, has overwhelmed the capacity of governments to handle what is thrown away as waste.

What are micro plastics?

Microplastics are particles of less than 5 mm that enter the environment either as primary industrial products, such as those used in scrubbers and cosmetics or via urban waste water and broken-down elements of articles discarded by consumers. Washing of clothes releases synthetic microfibers into water bodies and the sea.

Health impact of microplastics:

The health impact of the presence of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and other chemicals in drinking water, food and even inhaled air may not yet be clear, but indisputably these are contaminants. Research evidence from complementary fields indicates that accumulation of these chemicals can induce or aggravate immune responses in the body.

More studies, as a globally coordinated effort are necessary to assess the impact on health. It is heartening that the WHO has come forward to commission a review of the health impact of plastics in water.

Plastic waste in oceans:

Last December in Nairobi, UN member countries resolved to produce a binding agreement in 18 months to deal with the release of plastics into the marine environment. The problem is staggering: eight million tonnes of waste, including bottles and packaging, make their way into the each year. There is now even the Great pacific Garbage patch of plastic debris.

Plastic waste in India:

India has a major problem dealing with plastics, particularly single use shopping bags that reach dumping sites, rivers and wetlands along with other waste. The most efficient way to deal with the pollution is to control the production and distribution of plastics. Banning single use bags and making consumers pay a significant amount for the more durable ones is a feasible solution.

Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016:

Enforcing the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, which require segregation of waste from April 8 this year, will retrieve materials and greatly reduce the burden on the environment. Waste

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separation can be achieved in partnership with the community, and presents a major employment opportunity.

Q) Consider the following statements about micro plastics:

1. Microplastics are small plastic particles in the environment, they come from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing and industrial processes.

2. Microplastics often become embedded in animals tissue through ingestion or respiration, which has serious impact on health.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both d. None

INDIARANKS78THONWEFENERGYTRANSITIONINDEX

India has been ranked at 78th, lower than its emerging market peers like Brazil and China, among 114 countries on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) energy transition index that was topped by Sweden.

The report titled Fostering Effective Energy Transition, ranks countries on how well they are able to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability and affordability. According to the report India has taken “bold measures” to improve energy access, energy efficiency, and to improve the deployment of renewable sources of energy.

However, energy in the country will require “large investments, and an enabling environment and robust regulatory frameworks to support the transition”. “India is at the crossroads in its energy transition journey, ranking 78th on the Energy Transition Index”, according to the report.

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Comparison with other countries:

Among its emerging market peers Brazil stood at the 38th place, Russia at 70th and China at 76th place. The overall list was topped by Sweden, followed by Norway at the 2nd position and Switzerland at the 3rd place.

On India, the report said, energy needs in the country are primarily met by fossil fuels with implications for environmental sustainability and increasing energy import costs.

Q) Consider the following:

1. Global Competitiveness Report

2. Global Risks Report

3. Global Gender Gap Report

4. Fostering Effective Energy Transition Report

Which of the above reports is/are given by World Economic Forum?

a. Only 1,2 and 3 b. Only 2 c. Only 2 and 3 d. All

PTILOMERANAGALANDA Scientists from Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered new species of water strider named Ptilomera nagalanda . it was found in the river Intaki in Peren district of Nagaland.

This newly discovered species belong to Ptilomera agriodes genus. It measures about 11.79 mm and has long slender legs. It has orange with black stripes on dorsal side and pale yellowish brown ventral part of the body. The presence of black stripes on dorsal side differentiates this species of subgenus Ptilomera. It is only found in rocky, fast flowing streams and rivers that are not exposed to lot of sunlight. It has hair on middle legs that help insect resist strong current of streams.

About water strider:

Water striders are group of insects adapted to life on surface of water, using surface tension to their advantage. Their presence serves as indicator of water quality and also play important role in food chain in river ecosystem as they feed on mosquito larvae.

Water striders have three pairs of legs. The front legs are relatively shorter than mid and hind legs and used to catch and hold prey. They possess needle like mouth parts that are used for sucking the juice of prey. There are nearly 100 species of water striders found in India.

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KAZIRANGANATIONALPARK:RHINOPOPULATIONRISESMARGINALLY The recent census carried out in Kaziranga National Park, Assam has revealed that there was a marginal increase in the population of the one-horned rhinoceros.

As per census report, currently there are 2,413 rhinos in Kaziranga National Park registered a marginal increase of 12 rhinos compared to last census. Out of the rhinos spotted, 642 are adult males and 793 are adult females while sex of 206 adult rhinos could not be determined, during the census operation.

About Kaziranga National Park:

Kaziranga national park is located in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam. The park is home to two thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, which are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species. It was designated with National Park status in 1968 and was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 for its unique natural environment. Kaziranga is also recognized as an important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species.

Q) Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Kaziranga National Park?

1. It is located in Assam and home to one-horned rhinoceroses, which are Vulnerable in the IUCN red list.

2. It is also declared UNESCO world heritage site for its unique natural environment.

a. Only 1

b. Only 2

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c. Both

d. None