kas-2017 prelims november -2016 current affairs … of india chief ... officer sushil chandra took...

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KAS-2017 Prelims

November -2016 Current Affairs

Current Affairs - NATIONAL

Indira Gandhi International achieved carbon neutral status

The Delhi International Airport Limited announced that the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)

has become the first airport in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve carbon neutral status.

The announcement on the carbon neutral status was made by Airports Council International (ACI)

during the Airport Carbon Accreditation certificate presentation ceremony held in Montreal, Canada.

Arunachal CM flags off all-women Mt Gorichen expedition

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu flagged off an all-women Mt Gorichen expedition

here. This will be the first all women team attempting to summit the second highest peak of the

state, which is considered as a technical peak and only seasoned climbers can make it to the top

(6,488 m).

Anshu Jansempa, who climbed Mt Everest twice, will lead the team of ten members.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis declares Nagpur first digital

district of India

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared Nagpur as the first digital district of India.

At a function in Mumbai, he said all 29,000 gram panchayats across Maharashtra would be digitally

transformed by December 2018.

GSAT-18 launched successfully on board Ariane-5 from Kourou.

India's latest communication satellite GSAT-18 was successfully launched by a heavy duty rocket of

Arianespace from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana.

GSAT-18, built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), aims at providing

telecommunications services for the country by strengthening ISRO's current fleet of 14 operational

telecommunication satellites.

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Rajnath Singh inaugurates 10 days long ‘RashtriyaSanskritiMahotsav

– 2016.

Ministry of Culture has organised 10 days long diversified cultural carnival

‘RashtriyaSanskritiMahotsav - 2016’ at the premises of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts

(IGNCA), Janpath, New Delhi.

The inaugural day witnessed fusion performances from 400 artists, highlighting different dance

forms including folk and tribal, accompanied with glorious aerial acts.

The celebrated festival will continue to connect people with India’s rich culture till 24th October,

2016.

Union Government has launched Mining Surveillance System.

The mines ministry came out with mining surveillance system (MSS), a pan-India surveillance

network using latest satellite technology, to check illegal mining.

MSS is a satellite-based monitoring system, which aims to check illegal mining activity through

automatic remote-sensing detection technology.

The Indian Bureau of Mines, on behalf of the mines ministry, has developed MSS, in co-ordination

with the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG), Gandhinagar,

and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY).

Ashok Leyland launches first India-made electric bus.

Hinduja Group flagship Ashok Leyland today launched - Circuit - the first “Made in India” electric bus.

The bus with a minimum seating capacity of 35 to a maximum of 65 can run up to 120 kilometres on

single recharge under standard test conditions.

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates three mega hydro projects in

Himachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three hydro-electric projects (HEPs) with a generating

capacity of 1,752 MW in Himachal Pradesh.

Koldam HEP: It is 4×200 MW capacity project executed by National Thermal Power Corporation

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(NTPC).

Parbati HEP: It is Stage-III project with a capacity of 540 MW of National Hydropower Corporation

(NHPC).

Rampur HEP: It is 412 MW capacity project of Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN).

Vigilance Awareness Week

Vigilance Awareness Week is being observed across the country to promote probity in public life and

achieve a corruption-free society.

The theme of the week this year is “Public participation in promoting integrity and eradicating

Corruption”.

The Commission will visit schools, colleges and industry bodies and other institutions to seek support

for creating awareness against the corruptions.

PUSA 16

The scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute have developed a new variety of Arhar

PUSA-16 (pigeon-pea) variety that matures in 120 days.

11-day International "Space Science School" to be held in Sang

India's first rural skate park in Bundelkhand (Between UP & MP

Army launches 'School Chalo' operation in South Kashmir to identify teachers and

provide students with free coaching.

Captain Radhika Menon is the first female captain in the Indian Merchant Navy and the

first female to receive the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.

India's first underwater festival to be held in Pune

Sushil Chandra takes charge as CBDT chairman

senior Indian revenue service officer sushil chandra took over as chairman of central

board of direct taxes CBDT.

CBDT is nodal policy making body of income tax department under the union finance ministry

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It is a statutory authority established under the central board of revenue act,1963

composition includes chairman and six members.

India’s HRD Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar Launches the World’s Largest Nation-Building Digital

Initiative .

Union HRD Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar has inaugurated the world’s largest digital national

building initiative “Smart India Hackathon 2017”.

The students will be required to solve during the Hackathon that will take place in early 2017.

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), University Grants Commission (UGC), i4c, MyGov,

NASSCOM, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhiniand Persistent Systems have joined hands to organize this

ambitious ‘Smart India Hackathon 2017’ under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource

Development.

The Smart India Hackathon 2017 will aim to find digital solutions to problems in the areas of power,

education, health, water, finance, agriculture, energy, urban & rural development, aviation &

shipping, transport, sanitation, sports, law & justice, skill development & entrepreneurship, defence,

textiles, tourism, etc

GRAM.

Three day Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet GRAM A three-day international event of ‘Global

Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM)’ for farmers concluded in Jaipur on November 11.

It showcased best global practices and technologies suitable for farmers. Rajasthan Governor Kalyan

Singh inaugurated the event, a platform for farmers, investors

Make in India’ award for Akshit Batra Akshit Batra, founder of I Can.

India, a Dehradunbased company, was awarded the ‘Make in India Award’ by the Bharat Nirman

Foundation in New Delhi Akshit won the award under the entrepreneurship category.

The award was given by the Chief Imam of India, Dr Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, who is the United Nations

Peace Ambassador

TRANSGENDER AWARENESS WEEK.

Google releases films to mark 'Transgender Awareness Week'

Google has released a series of short films '#transvoices' to share stories of transgender people as

"regular people, doing regular things", as part of 'Transgender Awareness Week'.

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One of the films is about Jasmine, who was the first transgender to open a tattoo shop in

Philadelphia. Notably, many of the crew who worked on the films also identified as transgender.

NASA astronaut set to become the oldest woman in space NASA astronaut

Peggy Whitson, at an age of 56 years, will become the oldest woman in space history after she takes

off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday.

Notably, Whitson, who holds the record for most time spent in space by a woman, is also the first

woman to become ISS commander. This will be Whitson's third spaceflight

Made in India:

INS Chennai, one of the largest destroyers built in India, is to be commissioned in the Indian

Navy by Union defence minister Manohar Parrikar After its commissioning, INS Chennai will be

placed under the operational and administrative control of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief,

Western Naval Command. On completion of some additional sea trials of the ship-borne systems,

the destroyer will be assigned to the Western Fleet and would be based in Mumbai

Central India’s Natioal Park in National Geographic 'Best of the World List 2017' .

National Geographic Traveler magazine recently announced its annual 'Best of the World List',

highlighting 21 'must-see places' to visit in 2017.

The list includes Central India's National Parks, Kauai in Hawaii, Banff in Canada, Madrid in Spain,

and Marrakech in Morocco

India's longest expressway from Agra to Lucknow inaugurated Uttar Pradesh .

CM Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated India's longest expressway from Agra to Lucknow on Monday.

The 302-km expressway, completed in a record time of 23 months, would reportedly reduce the

LucknowDelhi journey time by almost half to 5-6 hours.

Bengaluru witnesses 'Pride Parade' to support LGBT community.

On the occasion of International Day of Transgender Remembrance on November 20, several

people took part in the 'Namma Pride Parade,' in support of the LGBT community in Bangalore.

The 'Pride Parade' was organised as a solidarity act across the entire LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual,

transgender, queer, intersex and asexual) community.

Three-day wine festival begins in Mangaluru.

A three-day wine festival, organised by the Karnataka Wine Board and the Horticulture Department

began in Mangaluru .

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The festival aims to showcase 12 wineries and over 150 brands. "The board will showcase the state's

wine heritage at the festival in order to popularise wine culture and create awareness on the health

benefits of drinking wine said an official

DELHI DECLARATION ON AGROBIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT.

The first International Agrobiodiversity Congress (IAC) held in New Delhi has adopted New Delhi

Declaration on Agrobiodiversity Management.

In the declaration, 900 participants from 60 countries have urged researchers and policy-makers to

strengthen and promote complementary conservation strategies to conserve and use

agrobiodiversity.

Major Highlights.

agrobiodiversity for food and nutrition;

agrobiodiversity for adaptation to climate change;

intellectual property rights (IPRs) and access and benefit-sharing (ABS) and farmers’ rights;

quarantine, biosafety and biosecurity issues;

capacity-building and strengthening partnerships.

NASA’S NEW INSTRUMENT- BILI.

NASA has developed a new instrument that could search for signatures of life on Mars.

NASA will be using BILI- Bio Indicator Lidar Instrument, fluorescence based remote sensing

instrument. It is similar to radar in principle and operation but instead of using radio waves, it uses

light to detect and ultimately analyze the composition of particles in the atmosphere.

This instrument is currently in use by the U.S military to remotely monitor the air to detect

potentially life threatening chemicals, toxins and pathogens

EM DRIVE.

The EmDrive (Electro Magnetic Drive) is a microwave thruster developed by British engineer Roger

Shawyer that aims to replace the rocket engines

EmDrive requires no propellant at all. Instead of using heavy, inefficient rocket fuel, it bounces

microwaves back and forth inside a cone-shaped metal cavity to generate thrust.

SAUR SUJALA YOJANA.

The PM on the occasion of 16th Foundation Day of Chhattisgarh had launched the Saur Sujala

Yojana. Also, Chhattisgarh is the first state to implement the scheme.

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Under the scheme, solar powered irrigation pumps of 3HP and 5HP capacity would be distributed to

farmers by March 2019.

The scheme targets areas where there is no reach of electricity.

Around 51,000 farmers would be benefitted in the state with the launch of the scheme.

President Pranab Mukherjee had inaugurated a smart model village pilot project at the Rashtrapati

Bhavan.

The five villages which will be developed into the smart villages under this pilot project are Dhaula,

Alipur, Harichandpur and Taj Nagar from Gurgaon district and Rojka Meo from Mewat district of

Haryana.

Recently there initiatives were inaugurated in these villages by the Chief Minister of Haryana.

A smart gram would have the required basic physical and social infrastructure with a layer of smart

information and communication embedded in the infrastructure to improve governance and

delivery of services, livelihood and economic opportunities.

The focus of Rashtrapati Bhavan is on creating a sustainable and inclusive development model that

can be easily replicated.

Maharashtra tops in 2016 Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index of NITI

Aayog.

Maharashtra has been ranked first state in the country in 2016 Agricultural Marketing and Farmer

Friendly Reforms Index.

The first-ever index based on initiatives taken by the states in implementing farm sector reforms was

issued by the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog

What is purpose of the index?

The index aims at helping states identify and address problems in farm sector, which suffers

from low growth, low incomes and agrarian distress to double farm income.

It also seeks to bring reform in agriculture sector by ease of doing agribusiness as well as

provide opportunities for farmers to benefit from modern trade and commerce

Key Highlights of 2016 Index

Top 5 States are Maharashtra (score 81.7), Gujarat (71.5), Rajasthan (70), Madhya Pradesh (69.5)

and Haryana (63.3).

Maharashtra has implemented most of the marketing reforms and offers the best environment for

doing agribusiness among all states and UTs.

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10th Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran .

The tenth edition of Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran commenced at Army Battle School,

Saljhandi in Nepal. Its emphasis will be on counter terrorism in mountainous terrain.

The Surya Kiran series of military exercises are being conducted annually, alternatively in India and

Nepal.

Surya Kiran series of military exercises with Nepal is largest in terms of troop’s participation in series

of military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries.

India ranks 133rd in 2016 Global Youth Development Index.

India has been ranked 133rd out of 183 countries in the 2016 Global Youth Development Index (YDI)

compiled by the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Global Youth Development Index report measures countries’ prospects for young people in

employment, education, health, civic and political spheres.

NHPC commissions 50 mw Wind project in Rajasthan.

India’s largest hydropower generation company National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC)

has commissioned its 50 MW wind power project (WPP) in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

The project has achieved synchronization with the national grid in October, 2016.

NHPC has signed a power purchase agreement with Inox wind and Rajasthan government to set up

25 turbines of 2 MW for the project.

NHPC is enterprise of Central Government incorporated with an objective to plan, promote and

organise an integrated and efficient development of hydroelectric power in all aspects.

Established: 1975 Headquarters: Faridabad, Haryana.

Union Government appoints Bindheswar Pathak as brand ambassador of Swachh Rail

Mission.

The Union Ministry of Railways has appointed Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak (73), the founder of Sulabh

International as a Brand Ambassador for Swachh Rail Mission of Indian Railway.

Indian Railways had tied up with Sulabh International to clean some important railway stations across

the country as part of the mission with an aim to promote cleanliness at rail premises

Sulabh International: It is a social service organization which works to promote environmental

sanitation, human rights, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms

through education

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PM Narendra Modi inaugurate Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2016 Asian Ministerial Conference on

Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) in New Delhi.

The conference has been organised by Union Government in collaboration with the United

Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)

2016 AMCDRR is the seventh edition of the conference after it was established in 2005 and the first

major inter-governmental event after the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk

Reduction (SFDRR) adopted at 3rd UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan in March, 2015

IISER Researchers develop Gelator to scoop out marine oil spills.

Researchers from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Thiruvananthapuram

have developed a compound named gelator to scoop out marine oil spills.

They had produced gelators using glucose as a starting material and through several other chemical

reactions

Gelator has ability to selectively congeal oil, including crude oil from an oil-water mixture

. It makes the process of recovering marine oil spills simple, efficient and cost-effective. It is in a

powder form and can be easily applied over oil-water mixture. It does not cause any environmental

damage.

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India’s first titanium project starts test production in Odisha.

The first titanium project of India has started its test production Ganjam district of Odisha.

The project has been established by Saraf Group. This is first of its kind titanium plant and the only

one in the country. During the test run, one of its four furnaces became functional.

NASA completes construction of James Webb Space Telescope.

JWST is the largest-ever space telescope is expected to launch in 2018 following the in-depth testing.

It is bigger and more powerful than NASA’s operational Hubble Space Telescope

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope optimized for observations in the

infrared. It is a planned to be launched in 2018 on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana.

It is the formal successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. After its

launch it will be the premier observatory of the next decade. JWST has been named after James E.

Webb, former administrator of NASA.

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It was formerly known as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST).

It is an international collaboration between of about 17 countries including NASA, European Space

Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Maharashtra becomes first state to launch cyber police stations in all districts.

Maharashtra became the first state in the country to have a cyber-police station in each district to take

on cyber criminals.

In this regard, state government is converting 42 state-of-the-art cybercrime labs into cyber police

stations simultaneously.

These cyber police stations will also be set up at police commissionerate and Range IG offices

Any offence related to cybercrime will be registered in these police stations at district level.

GST Council fixes 4-rate structure.

The GST Council has finalised 4 tier Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate structure with a multiple-

slab rates, including the cess for the new indirect tax regime. Thus, GST will be levied at multiple

rates ranging from 0% to 28%

The four bands of tax rates have been fixed at 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. Besides, another category of

tax between 40% and 65% will be imposed on luxury goods like pan masala, tobacco products,

aerated drinks and high-end cars.

Nearly half of the consumer inflation basket goods including food grains, will be zero-rated (i.e. 0%

GST) to insulate people from inflationary pressures.

The lowest slab of 5% will be for items of common consumption. The bulk of the goods and services

including fast-moving consumer goods will be included in two standard rates of 12% and 18%.

The GST will subsume the multitude of cesses currently in place, including the Swachh Bharat Cess,

Krishi Kalyan Cess and the Education Cess.

The GST Council was not able to take a call on the GST rate on gold. It will be finalised after the

fitting to the approved rates structure of all items is completed.

November 5: World Tsunami Awareness Day.

The First World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed across the world on 5 November 2016 to

spread awareness among people across the world about Tsunami.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had constituted the day by adopting a resolution in

December 2015. The proposal was first mooted by Japan after the 3rd UN Conference on Disaster

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Risk Reduction held in Sendai (Japan) in March 2015.

2016 Theme: “Effective Education and Evacuation Drills”.

Significance of the Day

Spread awareness among people across the world in matters related to the dangers of tsunami.

Stress on the importance of early warning systems in order to mitigate damage from the devastating

natural calamity.

India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-2016 .

The seventh edition of India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-2016 has commenced to

practise counter-terrorism and disaster-management operations.

The 14-day (from 05 to 18 November 2016) joint military exercise will be held at Shaheed Salauddin

Cantonment in Tangail, Dhaka (Bangladesh’s Capital).

The SAMPRITI 2016 will simulate a scenario where both nations are working together in a Counter

Insurgency and Counter Terrorism environment under the UN Charter.

The exercise curriculum is progressively planned in which the participants will initially get familiar with

each other’s organizational structure and tactical drills.

SAMPRITI Exercise is important bilateral defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh. Earlier

six editions of the exercise were hosted alternately by both countries

Union Government launches Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiya.

The Union Government launched Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) to provide

free health check-ups to pregnant women at government health centres and hospitals.

The Scheme was launched by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda in New Delhi.

It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat in

June 2016.

The national programme aims to provide pregnant ladies free ante-natal services (ANC) and required

treatment for free on 9th of every month.

Objectives of the scheme are

(i) Provide healthy life to the pregnant women.

(ii) Lowering the maternity mortality rate.

(iii) Making pregnant women aware of their health issues and diseases.

(iv) Making sure safe delivery and healthy life of the baby.

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The scheme is applicable only for the pregnant women in their pregnancy period of 3 to 6 months. It

will provide all kinds of medical checkups completely free to pregnant women.

Indian Women’s hockey team wins 2016 Asian Champions Trophy.

Indian Women’s hockey team has won the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy held in Singapore.

It was the maiden win of Indian Women’s hockey team in Asian Champions Trophy

The Asian Hockey Champions Trophy is held annually by the Asian Hockey Federation since 2011.

The tournament features the Asian Games top six field hockey teams competing in a round robin

format.

India’s Aniruddha Rajput elected to UN’s International Law Commission.

Indian lawyer, Aniruddha Rajput (33) has been elected as a member International Law Commission

(ILC), a top body of legal experts of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Rajput is among the 34 individuals elected by the UNGA as members of the ILC.

He is India’s first time candidate to the Commission and youngest among the group.

The members have been elected from five geographical groupings of Asia-Pacific, African, Latin

American and Caribbean, Eastern European and Western European states.

Rajput was elected from the Asia Pacific Group by garnering 160 votes.

They will have five-year term commencing from January 2017.

The ILC was established by the UNGA in 1947 to undertake the mandate of UN to ensure

promotion and progressive development of International law and its codification. It holds an

annual session at the UN Office at Geneva.

Professor Raj Bisaria selected for Kalidas Samman.

Madhya Pradesh Government has selected renowned theatre personality Prof Raj Bisaria for the

prestigious ‘Kalidas Samman’ national award for 2015-16.

He will be bestowed with the prestigious award for achievement in theatre in a ceremony to be held in

Ujjain.

It is an annual award constituted by Madhya Pradesh in 1980. It is bestowed upon personalities in the

four fields of classical music, classical dance, theatre and arts.

India, ADB sign $500 million loan to build longest river bridge across Ganges River.

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The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have inked a $500-million loan

agreement to build a 9.8 km long road bridge across the Ganga River in Bihar. It will be country’s

longest river bridge and shall provide better connectivity between North and South Bihar and also

Patna and its surrounding areas.

About Asian Development Bank (ADB) The ADB is a regional development bank which aims to

promote social and economic development in Asia.

It was established on 19 December 1966.

It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.

ADB now has 67 members, of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.

Maharashtra becomes first state to adopt Fly Ash Utilization Policy.

Maharashtra became the first state in the country to adopt the Fly Ash Utilization Policy.

Key Facts

The policy seeks 100% use of fly ash generated from thermal power plants and biogas plants for

construction activities.

Facilitates use of fly ash to make bricks, blocks, tiles, wall panels, cement and other construction

materials.

The policy extends use of fly ash to 300 kms radius of power plant from earlier 100 kms radius of

power plant.

It will help in environment protection and save soil excavation.

It also will make available raw material for construction at low cost to help ‘Housing for All’ projects

Fly ash is a fine, glass powder by-product recovered from gases of burning coal in thermal power

plants during production of electricity.

They are micron sized earth elements primarily consisting silica, alumina and iron.

Hunar Haat inaugurated at 2016 India International Trade Fair.

The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs for the first time had inaugurated Hunar Haat (Skill Haat) at India

International Trade Fair (2016) at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

It is aimed at promoting and supporting artisans from Minority communities and providing them

domestic as well as international market for display and sell their products.

Key Facts

The Hunar Haat exhibition has been organised by the National Minorities Development & Finance

Corporation (NMDFC) under “USTTAD” scheme In it about 184 master artisans from across the

country are showcasing their traditional art and skills at about 100 stalls at the international platform.

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USTTAD stands for Upgrading the Skills & Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development.

It was launched by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The scheme aims at preserving and promoting the rich heritage of the traditional arts & crafts of the

Minority communities.

National Student Startup Policy.

President Pranab Mukherjee launched the National Student Startup Policy (NSSP) to promote

technology-driven student start-ups.

It was launched during the second Visitor’s Conference held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

The NSSP has been formulated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

It aims to create 1 lakh technology based student start-ups and a million employment opportunities

within the next 10 years.

It also aims to propel Indian youth to contribute to the nation’s socio-economic progress through

promotion of technology-driven student start-ups.

Doctors from Netherlands perform brain implant for the first time in history.

Doctors from Netherlands have performed the first-ever brain implant on a 58-year-old woman

paralysed by Lou Gehrig’s disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-ALS).

First-ever brain implant Doctors in first-ever brain implant directly installed a device called an

electrocorticograph (ECoG) on the women’s brain.

The device has electrodes fitted in the brain. Using these electrodes in brain, the patient can control

the computer using brain signals, spell out messages at two letters per minute.

she became the first patient to use a brain-computer interface. The implant has enabled paralysed

women to communicate in day-to-day life via a speech computer.

Russia withdraws from International Criminal Court.

Russia has officially withdrawn from International Criminal Court (ICC) after President Vladimir Putin

signed an executive order in this regard.

The executive order mentioned that Russia is pulling out of the 2002 Rome Statute, which establishes

the ICC’s status and powers. However, Russia had never ratified the statue meaning it was never

member subject to its jurisdiction

ICC based in The Hague, Netherlands is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal.

It has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against

humanity and war crimes.

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International Conference on Brucellosis 2016 inaugurated in New Delhi.

The International Conference on Brucellosis 2016 and the 69th meeting of the International Society

on Brucellosis was inaugurated in New Delhi.

The three day conference has been organised by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in

collaboration with Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR).

Brucella Free Villages programme was also launched.

Brucellosis is a dreadful disease caused by genus of bacteria known as Brucella. It infects various

species of Brucella cows, buffalos, goats, sheep, pigs, dogs and other animals and also humans.

It will be implemented on pilot scale in 50 villages covering 10 states. This programme will be

supported by guidelines and standard operating practices along with an IT enabled application.

Quami Ekta Week (National Integration Week) 2016

The Qaumi Ekta Week (National Integration Week) will be observed all over the country from 19th to

25th November, 2016.

The week long programmes under it with a view to foster and reinforce the spirit of Communal

Harmony, National Integration and pride in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood

Key Facts

November 19: It will be observed as National Integration Day. Based on themes of secularism, anti-

communalism and non-violence programmes like meetings, symposia and seminars will be

organized.

November 20:

It will be observed as Welfare of Minorities Day. On this day, items of the 15 Point Programme will be

emphasized.

November 21: It will be observed as Linguistic Harmony Day. To enable people of each region to

appreciate the linguistic heritage of other parts of India programmes like Special literary functions and

Kavi Sammelans will be organized.

November 22: It will be observed as Weaker Sections Day. Help SCs/STs and weaker sections with

particular emphasis on the distribution of surplus land to landless labourers.

November 23: It will be observed as Cultural Unity Day. Various cultural functions will be organized

to present the Indian tradition of unity in diversity and for promoting cultural conservation and

integration. November 24: It will be observed as Women’s Day. It will highlight the importance of

Women in Indian Society and their role in development of nation-building.

November 25: It will be observed as Conservation Day. It will give emphasise to the growing need for

awareness and action to conserve the environment.

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Jagdish Singh Khehar appointed executive chairman of NALSA.

The Union government has appointed Jagdish Singh Khehar, a judge of the Supreme Court,

as the new Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).

Tamil Nadu gets world’s first salt-tolerant plant garden.

The world’s first Genetic Garden of Halophytes (naturally occurring salt-tolerant plants) was

inaugurated at the coastal town of Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu.

The first of its kind garden in the world was inaugurated by Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib Fakim

through video-conferencing.

Key Facts

The garden has been set up by M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) founded by

eminent agriculture scientist Prof M S Swaminathan, father of Indian Green Revolution.

It will have over 1,600 species belonging to 550 genera and 117 families of Halophytes plants.

Initially it will comprise halophytes occurring along the coasts of India including the Andaman and

Nicobar Islands.

Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn conferred with first World Sanskrit Award.

Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was presented with the first ‘World Sanskrit Award’ for

her exemplary contribution for the promotion of the language for the year 2015.

Besides, American linguist and Indologist Prof. George Cardona was also presented with this award

for the year 2016.

The award was instituted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). It was announced by the

Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her inaugural address in the 16th World

Sanskrit Conference in Bangkok in June 2015.

India ranks 20th on 2017 Climate Change Performance Index.

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India was placed at the 20th rank among the 58 countries on the 2017 Climate Change Performance

Index (CCPI).

The index was released by Germanwatch, an independent German NGO and Climate Action Network

Europe

India was placed at the 20th rank among the 58 countries on the 2017 Climate Change Performance

Index (CCPI). The index was released by Germanwatch, an independent German NGO and Climate

Action Network Europe.

Scientists have discovered a new ‘super Earth’ type exoplanet named as GJ 536b orbiting a

very bright star near to our Sun.

The planet was jointly detected by Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the

Geneva Observatory

Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa to be Chief Guest of 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

António Costa (54), the Indian origin Prime Minister of Portugal will be the chief guest at the 14th

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention.

The PBD Convention is scheduled to be held from January 7 to 9, 2017 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Mr.

Costa will participate in the inaugural session of the PBD Convention on January 8 and address the

delegates.

About Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)

The PBD is celebrated every year on January 9 to mark the contribution of overseas Indian

community in the development of India.

It is celebrated every year since 2003. It provides a platform to the overseas Indian community to

engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities.

January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa.Sex Ratio at Birth at decline in India: CRS data

According new data from Civil Registration System ( CRS) released by the Office of the Registrar

General of India, Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) continues to worsen in India.

Highest SRB has been reported in Lakshadweep (1043), followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands

(1031) and Arunachal Pradesh (993). Lowest SRB has been reported in Manipur (684), Rajasthan

(799) and Tamil Nadu (834). These states have worst SRB.

The level of registration of births with CRS has been improving. In 2014, it is estimated that 88.8%

births were registered, up from 85.6 % in 2013. 16 States/UTs recorded all births. 14 out of 20 major

States crossed the 90% level of registration of births in 2014.

The new date show that the majority of births in 2014 occurred in an institution i.e. government or

private hospital. Institutional delivery accounted for 72% of all births. Another 14.1% births were

The UPSC Online


attended by physicians/nurse/midwife. However, around 3.8% of the cases were still attended by an

untrained midwife.

Lt General AK Bhatt appointed as new DGMO.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Lt-General A K Bhatt as the new

director-general of military operations (DGMO).

He will succeed Lt-General Ranbir Singh who has been promoted and will take over 1 Corps

(headquarters at Mathura), command of a strike corps on the Western border. Lt-General A K Bhatt

will be in charge of all army operations including on the LoC which has seen heightened tension.

He belongs to the Gorkha Rifles. Earlier he had served in the military operations directorate as a

brigadier. Prior to this appointment he was posted as the additional director general of the complaints

and advisory board at the Army HQ. Earlier he had commanded the 21 Division in Assam.

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu to head CMs Committee on Demonetisation.

The Union Government has decided to constitute a sub-committee of Chief Ministers of five states in

the wake of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes. The committee will be

headed by Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu. It will suggest measures to normalise the

situation.

Since demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes was announced by the Union

Government, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu government has been effectively tackling

the cash crisis in the state. He has come up with several alternatives to encourage mobile and online

transactions besides distributing small change at vegetable markets as an immediate relief to the

people.

The state government is also designing a mechanism that makes ordinary phones do money

transactions. The government will distribute such phones to families which do not have one

Government launches e-Pashuhaat portal to connect farmers and breeders of bovine animals.

The Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare launched e-pashuhaat portal to connect farmers and

breeders of bovine animals. The portal will act as a single online e-trading market platform, including

availability of bovine germplasm. It will enable the farmers to buy bovine animals, frozen semen and

embryo.

Key facts

e-pashuhaat portal will connect farmers with breeders- State, Central, Co-operative, Milk Federations,

and private agencies.

It will provide information related to certification of the animal, breeding, its picture, volume of milk

given by the cow etc.

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It will facilitate farmers to purchase advanced breed of bovine animals at a reasonable price as per

as their requirements.

It will provide, certified picture of animals, its parents information, breeding, volume of milk given by

bovine animal information.

India has the largest bovine population in the world. It accounts for 14% of world cattle population,

while share for buffalo alone is 53% of which 79% of the cattle are indigenous and 21% are crossbred

and exotic varieties. The Indigenous bovine breeds are sturdy and are endowed with quality of heat

tolerance, resistance to diseases.

RBI introduces incremental CRR to manage excess liquidity in banking system.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced an incremental Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of 100%

for fortnight to absorb excess liquidity in the banking system following demonetisation.

CRR is the proportion of deposits that banks have to keep as cash with the RBI (or the central bank).

Banks do not earn any interest on CRR balances kept with the RBI.

After Union Government announced demonization of old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes on November

8, 2016, banks started depositing and exchanging those notes.

The deposits in banks had swelled by Rs.3.24 lakh crore between September 16 and November 11,

2016. The last fortnight of September 2016 saw deposit mobilisation jump by Rs.3.5 lakh crore.

Implications

It is intended to absorb a part of the surplus liquidity arising from the return of specified bank notes to

the banking system.

Thus, it leaves adequate liquidity with banks to meet the credit needs of the productive sectors of the

economy It will only have a marginal impact on bank’s cost of funds since it was a temporary measure

26 November: National Milk Day.

The National Milk Day (NMD) was observed on 26 November is to mark birth anniversary

Dr.Verghese Kurien, father of the White Revolution in India.

The idea of observing National Milk Day was first mooted by Indian Dairy Association (IDA) in 2014

on the lines of World Milk Day (observed every year on June 1) under the aegis of UN Food and

Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The first NMD was observed on 26 November 2014 by all Indian diary sector majors including

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), IDA along with around 22 state level milk federations.

Cuba’s former President Fidel Castro passes away.

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Cuba’s former president and leader of the Communist revolution Fidel Castro passed away due to old

age. He was 90.

He was commander in chief of the 1959 Cuban revolution 1959 and had successfully built a

communist state on the doorstep of the United States during Cold War.

He had ruled Cuba as a one-party state for almost half a century (from 1976 to 2008) before handing

over the powers to his brother Raul Castro in 2008 due to ill health.

Under his leadership, Cuba became a one-party communist state, industry and business were

nationalized and state socialist reforms implemented throughout society. His greatest legacy is free

healthcare and education, which have given Cuba some of the region’s best human development

statistics. In 2008, he stepped down as President of Cuba due to health issues. He was in office from

1976 to 2008. He world’s third longest-serving head of state, after Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and the

King of Thailand.

November 26: Constitution day.

The Samvidhan Diwas or the Constitution Day of India is being observed on 26th November to spread

awareness of Indian Constitution.

On this day in 1949, constitution of India was adopted and came into force on January 26, 1950

marking the beginning of a new era in the history of free India

On this occasion Prime Minister Narendra has released two books on Constitution ‘Making of

Constitution’ and ‘New Version of Constitution of India‘.

Some facts about Indian Constitution.

The Indian Constitution is a core legal document which has nearly 448 articles or provisions in 25

parts, 12 schedules.

It is living fundamental document which makes the government system work effectively

It also defines the powers of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.

The key feature of the Constitution is separation of powers while keeping a check on each arm of the

government.

The Indian Constitution drafters had borrowed concepts and ideas from the Constitutions of UK, US,

Germany, Ireland, Australia, Canada and Japan.

Union Government constitutes Amitabh Kant Committee to push cashless transactions .

The Union Government has constituted a new committee to form a strategy to expedite the process of

transforming India into a cashless economy.

The committee will be headed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. It has been tasked with identifying

various bottlenecks affecting access of digital payments.

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The committee was set up following a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to back up the

demonetisation move. The Union Government is working towards moving all government transactions

to the cashless mode, through a new single window e-payment system that businesses or individuals

can use to make payments to any central or state department

Indian Railways to introduce Tri-Netra to check collisions.

Tri-Netra is an advance system is made up of a high-resolution optical video camera, high-sensitivity

infrared video camera and a radar-based terrain mapping system.

These three components will act as three eyes (Tri-Netra) of the Locomotive Pilot. The requirement

for this advance system gained more pace after 14 bogies of the Patna-bound Indore-Rajendra Nagar

Express went off the tracks near Kanpur Dehat on 20 November 2016.

It was one of the worst railway accidents in recent times in which over 146 passengers and 200

people were injured.

The Tri-Netra system uses infrared and radar technology to collect signals up to a distance of 2-3 km

and displays the information on a screen fitted inside the locomotive.

In case of any physical obstruction on railway tracks ahead it will alert the drivers and thus give ample

time for the driver to apply the brakes to prevent train accidents.

It will be very useful during fog, heavy rain and nights, when drivers have to constantly look outside

the locomotive to judge the condition.

Upma Chowdhary named first woman director of LBSNAA.

Upma Chowdhary was appointed as new Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of

Administration (LBSNAA) at Mussoorie.

LBSNAA is India’s premier institution dedicated to training Officers of the country’s higher civil

services.

It was established in 1959 in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand as the National Academy of Administration by

merging the IAS Training School, Delhi and IAS Staff College, Shimla. Mission: Promote good

governance, by providing quality training for building a professional and responsive civil service in a

caring, ethical and transparent framework

India hosts World Robot Olympiad for the first time.

India hosted the 13th edition of the World Robot Olympiad on the sidelines of trade fair in New Delhi.

This is for first time India hosted World Robot Olympiad. It has been organised by National Council of

Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the India STEM Foundation (ISF).

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The three-day international championship aims to find innovative solutions using robotics technology

to reduce, manage and recycle waste.

The theme of the event is ‘Rap the Scrap’ selected in line with Union Government’s Swachh Bharat

Mission. It will see participation of over 2000 students from 54 countries.

About World Robot Olympiad

It is a global robotics competition that seeks to bring together young minds from across the world to

develop their creativity and problem solving skills through challenging and educational robotics

competition. It was formally established in 2003 and was for the first time held in 2004 in Singapore.

Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea are considered the founding countries of the competition.

5th International Tourism Mart begins in Imphal, Manipur.

The fifth International Tourism Mart has begun in Imphal, Manipur. It will be held between

23– 25 November 2016.

The event has been organized by the Union Ministry of Tourism in association with the

North Eastern States and West Bengal

North East region of India has immense tourism potential because its varied topography, rich

flora, fauna and ethnic communities with rich heritage, lifestyles, festivals, arts, and crafts.

The event has been organised with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the

region in the domestic and international markets.

It brings together the tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs together to facilitate

interaction between buyers, sellers, media, Government agencies and other stakeholders.

First Woman to conquer Mount Everest has passed away aged 77.

First Woman to conquer Mount Everest Junko Tabei passed away in Tokyo. The Japanese

mountaineer was 77 years old.

She conquered the Everest in 1975 at an age of 35. By 1992, she'd conquered the Seven Summits.

India lifts Asian Champions Trophy.

India has lifted the Men?s Asian Champions Trophy Hockey at Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium,Kuantan,

Malaysia.

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India has defeated defending champions Pakistan 3-2 to win the tournament.

Earlier, India had won the inaugural edition of the Asian Champions Trophy by defeating Pakistan in

the final in 2011.

Kieren Dsouza becomes the first Indian to complete World's toughest race, Spartathlon.

Bengaluru's Kieren Dsouza has become the first Indian to complete the Spartathlon, widely

described as the "world's toughest race".

The 23-year old completed the 246.6 km distance in the 2016 edition, in 33 hours, one minute and

38 seconds.

The Spartathlon is an annual run between Athens and Sparta in Greece, with a reported success rate

of 50%.

Brazil lifted Inaugural BRICS U–17 Football Tournament Championship.

Brazil has lifted the 1st BRICS U-17 Football Tournament 2016 held at Goa. In the Finals they

defeated South Africa 5-1.

Earlier in the match for the 3 rd place between Russia and China, Russia defeated China 2-1.

Ten-day BRICS tournament was held in Goa.

India becomes first team to play 900 ODIs.

When India walked out to the middle for the first match of the five-match series against New

Zealand, it was the 900th time the team took field in the format. No side has played more ODIs than

India.

India played its first ever ODI in 1974 against England at Leeds which ended in a victory for the

hosts.

FIFA unveils mascot for 2018 World Cup.

Russia have unveiled their mascot for the 2018 World Cup – Zabivaka the wolf.

The wolf’s name, according to FIFA means “the one who scores”.

It received 53 per cent of the more than one million votes cast in a poll, beating a tiger (27 percent)

and a cat (20 percent).

India beat Iran 38-29 to win 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.

A brilliant second half performance saw India stage a memorable comeback as they beat Iran 38-29

in the title clash to lift the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad.

The UPSC Online


India has also beat Iran in last two WC finals and Asian games.

Ajay Thakur was the star performer claiming 12 points in the final.

North Korea won 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

North Korea won the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup after defeating Japan on

penalties in the final of the tournament.

North Korea, who were the champions of the tournament's maiden edition in 2008, became the first

team to win the tournament twice.

Gangtok conferred Cleanest Tourist Destination honour.

The Union Ministry of Tourism has conferred Gangtok, capital of Sikkim, the ‘Cleanest Tourist

Destination’.

Chandigarh and Mysore were awarded as ‘Clean Cities in million plus population category’.

Urban Development and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation responsible for implementing

the flagship programme, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban and Gramin), had organised a workshop at

Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi.

C Radhakrishnan selected for Mathrubhumi Literary award.

Eminent writer C Radhakrishnan has been selected for the Mathrubhumi Literary Award in

recognition of his contribution to the field of literature.

The award carries a cash prize of 2 lakh, a citation and a statuette.

Recipient of several honours, including the Literary Academy of India, Kerala Literary Academy,

Radhakrishnan has proved his mettle in various capacities as novelist, short story writer, cine

director, teacher and media personnel

International Prize in Statistics awarded to Sir David Cox.

Noted British statistician Sir David Cox on 19 October 2016 was named the inaugural recipient of the

International Prize in Statistics.

He is honoured for Survival Analysis Model Applied in Medicine, Science, and Engineering.

The UPSC Online


Chandigarh International Airports limited (CHIAL) won IBC award.

Chandigarh International Airports Limited (CHIAL), a Joint Venture Company of Airports Authority of

India and States of Punjab and Haryana, has been conferred with IBC award and Trophy for

excellence in built environment in infrastructure projects for “New Integrated Terminal Building of

Chandigarh International Airport for the year 2014-15” at 21st Annual Convention Inaugural function

held in New Delhi.

The award was presented by Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Urban Development, in presence of

Shri Shobhit Uppal, President IBC, Shri D. Kamra, General Manager (Engineering-Project), received

the award on behalf of Airports Authority of India

U.S. author Paul Beatty wins Man Booker Prize.

Paul Beatty has became the first US author to win the Man Booker Prize for his novel "The Sellout".

With this, he has become first American to win this prestigious prize.

The jury behind the world's most prestigious English-language literary award said the novel was a

"shocking and unexpectedly funny" portrayal of Beatty's native Los Angeles, using satire to explore

racial equality in a fictional neighbourhood.

The winner of the Man Booker receives £52,500, ($64,100, 59,000 euros).

The Man Booker was launched in 1969 and has awarded writers including Iris Murdoch and Salman

Rushdie.

This Prize is different from Man Booker International Prize, which was awarded this year to Han

Kang of South Korea.

World Bank award for Almatti dam.

Almatti dam, one of the largest reservoirs in Karnataka, was chosen for the World Bank’s Award of

Excellence for best utilisation of funds for renovation to enhance the strength of the dam.

The World Bank had granted Rs.72 crore to the Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited to prevent seepage

which could damage the dam.

Gujarat world heritage site: Rani Ki Vav bags ‘Cleanest Iconic Place’ award.

Gujarat’s 900-year-old World Heritage Site Rani ki Vav bag an award for the “Cleanest Iconic Place”.

The monument was felicitated at the conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Rani ki Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) was built as a memorial to a king in the year 1063 by Queen

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Udaymati and is located in the north Gujarat district of Patan.

It was added as part of the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2014.

'Murga' wins first prize at Swachh Bharat Short Film Festival.

Young filmmaker Katyayan Shivpuri, from Maharashtra, won the first prize at the Swachh Bharat

Short Film Festival for his work "Murga".

Minister of Information and Broadcasting, M Venkaiah Naidu awarded Katyayan with a certificate

and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs.

Vani Tripathi, filmmaker Gitanjali Rao, and Prahlad Kakar served as the jury to select the best 20

short films.

Daughters of Mother India wins at CAM International Film Festival.

Indian National Award winning documentary “Daughters of Mother India” has won the first prize in

the Documentary Film category at the sixth CAM International Film Festival in Cairo, Egypt.

The CAM International Film Festival has been organised by Arabic Egyptian Society for Culture,

Media and Arts (CMA).

The fest is organised annually to promote cinema as a means of combating ignorance, poverty and

terrorism.

The 2016 edition featured around 92 films from 33 countries in three categories(Short Fiction,

Documentary and Animation).

Sunil Bharti Mittal elected as GSMA Chairman.

Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman Sunil Mittal has been elected as GSMA (Global System

Mobile

Association) Chairman for a two-year period from January 2017 through December 2018.

Current GSMA Chairman Jon Fredrik Baksaas will step down from the Board at the end of 2016.

Mittal, who is the first Indian to be elected as Chairman of global telecom industry board, will

oversee the strategic direction of the organisation, which represents nearly 800 of the world’s

mobile operators, as well as more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem

Gavaskar appointed ‘Stroke Ambassador’.

The UPSC Online


Former Indian Cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has been named as ‘Stroke Ambassador of India’.

The Indian Stroke Association which is hosting the World Stroke Congress (WSC) along with World

Stroke Organization (WSO) made this announcement.

Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide.

Gavaskar is happy to be “The Stroke Ambassador for India” to create awareness that strokes are

treatable

S Sivakumar appointed as full time member of 21st Law Commission of India

The Union Government has appointed S. Sivakumar as a full-time Member of the 21st Law

Commission of India (LCI). He is the professor at the Indian Law Institute (ILI) in New Delhi.

He hails from Kerala and has authored several books on law.

Former Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan is Chairman of the commission.

The first commission was constituted in 1955 and since then various commissions were re-

constituted every three years

Amandeep Singh appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the UN Conference.

Former IAS officer Amandeep Singh Gill was appointed as the next Ambassador/PR of India to the

UN

Conference on Disarmament, Geneva.

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) is a forum established in 1979 by the international

community to negotiate multilateral arms control and disarmament agreements.

Yesudas to be brand ambassador of ‘Haritha Keralam’ project.

CPI(M)-led LDF government has roped in eminent Carnatic vocalist and playback singer K J Yesudas

as the brand ambassador of its ambitious ‘Haritha Keralam’ (Green Kerala) project.

It is a massive initiative envisaged for a garbage-free and clean state.

Google to set up data centre in India by 2017.

Google will set up its first India data centre in Mumbai by 2017, hoping to take on global incumbents

such as Microsoft and Amazon, who have a presence in the country, and allow local customers to

host their applications on the internet.

The UPSC Online


Google controls a majority market share in India in search, email and on smartphones through

isAndroid operating system.

It also has a significant presence in offering enterprise applications such as mail and other services,

but lags behind Microsoft and Amazon in its cloud business

India-Russia sign agreement to produce Ka-226T helicopters jointly.

India and Russia formally inked the agreement to create a joint venture to produce Ka-226T

helicopters in India.

Under the agreement, the joint Russian-Indian enterprise created by Russian Helicopters, JSC

Rosoboronexport and India's HAL must arrange for the localization of production and supply of 200

light multi role Ka-226T helicopters for nine years.

Switzerland Tourism names Ranveer Singhas Indian ambassador ,

The actor will bepromoting Switzerland Tourism's campaignfor 2017 named 'Nature wants you

back.

World Bank appoints Kristalina Georgieva as chief executive.

The Former head of EU humanitarian affairs and vicepresident of the European commission

Kristalina Georgieva has been appointed the chief executive of the World Bank. Recently, she lost

out in the race to become United Nations (UN) secretary general. Georgieva is currently European

commission vicepresident for budget and human resource.

Scientists develop new Arhar variety .

The scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute have developed a new variety of Arhar

PUSA- 16 (pigeon-pea) variety that matures in 120 days. It gives the same yields of normal plants and

is amenable to mechanical combine harvesting. The new high-yielding variety of the new arhar seeds

will be made available to farmers from next Kharif season so that these are brought into the

production chain at the earliest

11-day International Space Science School to be held in Sangli .

In a bid to bolster enthusuaism for the study of heavens among the rural young, a 11-day

international ‘Space Science School’ will be organised in Sangli district in Western Maharashtra from

November 7. This school is part of a series of schools conducted jointly by the Canada-based

The UPSC Online


Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP) and the International Space Weather

Initiative (ISWI)

The International Conference on Robotics, Automation and Communication Engineering .

The International Conference on Robotics, Automation and Communication Engineering, organized

by the SciencePlus will take place on 05 November 2016 at the Hotel grand sarovar in Mumbai,

India. The conference will cover areas like bring together leading researchers, engineers and

scientists in the domain of interest from around the world.

India's first rural skate park in Bundelkhand .

The Janwaar Skating Park, India's first rural skate park, is a not-for-profit project that teaches village

children skateboarding for free. It exists in Janwaar village in Bundelkhand and has been built by

German community activist Ulrike Reinhard

Army launches 'School Chalo' operation in South Kashmir.

The Indian Army has launched Operation School Chalo in South Kashmir, to identify teachers and

provide students with free coaching. The army also started 'Naujawan Club' where youth are given a

chance to display their talent in sports..

Dravid made brand ambassador for Blind T20 WC 2017.

Former cricketer Rahul Dravid was announced as the brand ambassador for the 2nd T20 World Cup

Cricket for the Blind, to be held in January and February 2017. Dravid also launched the 'Support

Blind Cricket by buying a Cricket Ball' campaign.

India's first LNG-powered bus flagged off in Kerala.

India's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bus was flagged off for its pilot run by Union Petroleum

Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram. The Centre

plans to use LNG, considered a cleaner fuel that emits less carbon, for mass transportation.

Kamala Harris becomes 1st IndianAmerican to enter US Senate.

The 52-year-old Kamala Harris has become the first Indian-American elected to the US Senate.

Contesting for the Democratic party from California, Harris defeated Republican rival Loretta

Sanchez. is also the first black senator from California, and the second black woman to serve in the

US Senate

Pramila Jayapal 1st Indian-American woman to enter US House.

The UPSC Online


India-born Pramila Jayapal won the Washington State Senate seat. She becomes the first Indian-

American woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives. 52-year-old Jayapal secured

57% votes to defeat her opponent, Brady Walkinshaw.

Second BRICS Communication Ministers meeting to begin in Bengaluru .

The two -day second BRICS Communication Ministers meeting chaired by Minister of State for

Communication Manoj Sinha will began in Bengaluru on 10th November. The high-level delegation

from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa deliberate for greater cooperation in

Telecommunication and ICT sectors. This meeting is hosted for the first time by India, the

Communication Ministers Conference will draw course of action on creating new frameworks of

cooperation and collaboration among BRICS countries

International summit on tobacco-control.

India Hosted Seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) in New Delhi from 7th

November to 12th November The meetings, jointly organised by the Government of India and the

Convention Secretariat, took place at the India Expo Centre & Mart. Government of India to increase

international cooperation and awareness of the WHO FCTC globally and especially in the WHO

South-East Asia Region

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Indian women's team wins gold at World Carrom Championship

India's women's carrom team defeated Sri Lanka to win the gold at the 7th World Carrom

Championship in UK on Friday. India's S Apoorwa and Kajol Kumari also won gold in the women's

doubles event.

India, Myanmar and Thailand Friendship Motor Car Rally, 2016.

India, Myanmar and Thailand Friendship Motor Car Rally, 2016 to Be Flagged-off on 13th November,

A Friendship Motor Car Rally from Delhi to Bangkok is being organized from 13th November to 3rd

December, 2016 to sensitize the stakeholders of India Myanmar and Thailand Motor Vehicle

Agreement.

'The Guest' won short film award at MAMI Film Fest Short film.

'The Guest', which emerged as the winner in the 'Large Short Films' category at the Mumbai

Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) Film Festival has been released online. The short film has been

directed by Ayappa KM and stars Avinash Tiwari and Yana Mistry. The film is about a young man,

who unknowingly ends up in a strange place.

Mark Zuckerberg named Fortune's Business Person of the Year.

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Facebook Co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been named by Fortune magazine as the

'Business Person of the Year' for 2016.

According to Fortune, the 32-year-old's "ability to look into the future, his otherworldly consistency

and business discipline" make him an effective businessperson.

Zuckerberg is currently the world's fifth richest person,

Akufo-Addo To Receive Mother Teresa International Award For Social Justice.

The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is set

to receive the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice at an event in

Mumbai, India, on Sunday, November 20, 2016.

The event will also posthumously honour Faaraz Ayaaz Hossain, the brave Bangladeshi youth who

was killed in the Dhaka terror attack on July 1st, 2016 for refusing to leave behind his friends who

were from other countries.

International Children’s Peace Prize Kehkashan Basu.

A 16-year-old Indian girl in the UAE, is one of the three finalists for the International Children’s

Peace Prize instituted by the KidsRights Foundation.

World's first Bollywood theme park opens in Dubai Bollywood Parks Dubai.

which is the world's first Bollywood-themed park, recently opened to the public.

A part of Middle East's largest integrated theme park, Dubai Parks and Resorts, it features five

zones, including 'Bollywood Boulevard' and 'Mumbai Chowk'

Ariana wins Artist of the Year at American Music Awards Singer Ariana Grande was named 'Artist

of the Year' at the 2016 American Music Awards (AMAs).

While Selena Gomez won the AMA for 'Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock', Justin Bieber won the

award in the male category.

Miami named world's most inspiring city.

Miami has been named the world's most inspiring city, in a survey by travel company TravelBird.

It has been followed by Bruges and San Francisco.

TravelBird ranked a total of 85 cities, placing Jodhpur at 76th and Mumbai at 83rd place.

The cities were ranked based on the number of performing arts companies, art schools, galleries

and museums present there.

The UPSC Online


CHINA’S OBOR INITIATIVE.

Latvia became the first country in the Baltic Sea area to sign a MoU to link up with China’s Belt and

Road Initiative, during the visit by Premier Li Keqiang to the country

Pros of India joining OBOR .

The technical know-how the project will bring back could be used to develop or iron out issues facing

technical bottlenecks.

The OBOR initiative could be icing on the cake for India’s flagship programs like Digital India.

The “Information Silk Route” has the telecom connectivity between the countries through fiber,

trunk line and under-sea cables. This will expand the bandwidth capabilities for India significantly,

without which offering e-Governance and delivering public services in an efficient manner will

remain a pipe dream and a good marketing campaign.

About OBOR

The initiative comprises of the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21 Century Maritime Silk Road.

The initiative was proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013.

It aims to boost connectivity and trade across Asia, Africa and Europe. Three main goals of China

are:

Economic diversification political stability and the development of a multipolar global order

INDIA-THAILAND-MYANMAR FRIENDSHIP MOTOR CAR RALLY

India flagged off a Friendship Motor Car Rally from India Gate lawns in Delhi to Bangkok.

Significance of the rally

It will play an important role in developing the economic, transport and cultural relations between

the three countries and will improve our relationship with our neighbouring countries.

It will give a boost to the PM Modi’s ‘ Act East Policy’.

It will highlight the potential benefits of connectivity and integration in the region.

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The India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway is an ambitious project of 1990 miles (3200 km)

that will connect India with the ASEAN region.

The highway will link Moreh in Manipur state (India), via Mandalay city (Myanmar) and to Mae Sot

district (Thailand).

It is a part of India’s upgraded “Act East” policy, which seeks to strategically build India’s link with

the Southeast Asian region.

ROHINGYA ISSUE.

The Rohingya are an ethnic Muslim minority group living primarily in Myanmar’s western Rakhine

state; they practice a Sufi-inflected variation of Sunni Islam.

The Rohingya differ from Myanmar’s dominant Buddhist groups ethnically, linguistically, and

religiously

Bangladesh, which shares a 168-km border with Myanmar, has refused to accept more Rohingya

refugees. The issue of migration happened due to a military crackdown in the Rakhine State of

Myanmar.

The Myanmar government refuses to grant the Rohingya citizenship status, and as a result the vast

majority of the group’s members have no legal documentation, effectively making them stateless.

India’s perspective At a time when refugee crisis is spreading over Europe, we may also suffer

similar crisis involving the Rohingyas.

India is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and does not have a national

refugee protection framework

The Government of India’s approach to refugee issues results in different standards of protection

and assistance among refugee groups..

UNCITRAL.

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) recently completed 50 years

of establishment.

It’s celebration was hosted by India.

It is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law.

UNCITRAL was established in 1966 with a recognition that “international trade cooperation among

States is an important factor in the promotion of friendly relations and, consequently, in the

maintenance of peace and security”.

Its business is the modernization and harmonization of rules on international business

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India is a founding member of UNCITRAL.

India is only one of eight countries that has been a member of UNCITRAL from its inception, and has

recently been re-elected for a term of six years UNCITRAL’s conventions and its model legal texts

have formed the basis of new enactments in India and amendments to a wide array of our

commercial legislation ranging from the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996,

the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets

and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 etc.

UNCITRAL’s seminal model law on international commercial arbitration 1985 has formed the

bedrock of India’s Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

The Centre has decided to extend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in three districts

of Arunachal Pradesh.

The main reason as per the Centre is violence and intimidation resorted to by the National Socialist

Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), to dominate areas under the NSCN (Khaplang).

This comes after the NDA government had signed a ‘framework agreement’ with NSCN-IM in

September 2015 to find a final solution to the six-decade-old Naga issue.

AFSPA was being extended in the districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding, all bordering Assam, as

these districts were being declared as “disturbed area” under Section 3 of the AFSPA.

INS CHENNAI.

The 3rd Ship in the Kolkata class guided missile destroyers INS Chennai was handed over to the navy

recently.

It has been built by Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai.

It is among the largest destroyers constructed in India, displacing 7,500 tonnes and with a length of

164m, it can sail at a top speed of over 30 knots (around 55km) per hour.

It is armed with supersonic surface-to-surface BrahMos, Long Rang Surface-to-Air Barak-8 missiles,

heavyweight torpedo tube launchers, rocket.

Nearly 60% of the ship has been built at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai. The weapons and sensors were

brought from Israel and Russia.

US-2I.

The UPSC Online


India is likely to purchase Japanese amphibious airplanes, the ShinMaywa US 2i.

The primary reasons for this purchase seem to be the strengthening bilateral relations between New

Delhi and Tokyo, and the Chinese announcement of having built the world’s largest flying boat,

known as AG-600.

Japan wants to make progress in defence exports which was banned in Japan since 1964, to be

overturned only recently in 2014.

Some experts believe that the deal could help in creating a future roadmap for more such deals with

Japan, especially in naval warships and equipment

Coradia iLint: World’s first zero-emissions hydrogen train unveiled in Germany.

World first hydrogen-powered and zero-emission passenger train named as Coradia iLint was

unveiled in Germany.

The first of its kind ecofriendly train has been developed by French rail company Alstom.

The Coradia iLint only emits excess steam and condensed water into the atmosphere

Coradia iLint is powered by a hydrogen fuel tank fitted on its roof.

The fuel cell is supplied with hydrogen and oxygen from the air.

The fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into electric power. Excess electric is stored with onboard

lithium batteries.

The train is totally carbon-neutral and carbon-free which makes it a much more sustainable alternative

conventional diesel trains.

Donald Trump elected as 45th President of United States.

Republican Party candidate Donald Trump (70) was elected as 45th President of United States of

America (USA).

He will be the first President of USA without political experience since Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th

President).

Besides, he will oldest first term President of USA. He will succeed Barack Obama and is scheduled

to take office as the President of the USA on 20 January 2017.

In the 2016 Presidential elections, Donald Trump gained 48% of the votes and 279 votes in the

Electoral College to defeat Democrat Party opponent Hillary Clinton who gained 47% votes.

Hillary Clinton had created history in this election by becoming the first woman to top the presidential

ticket of a major US political party.

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He is the chairman and president of Trump Organisation, a principal holding company for his real

estate ventures and other business interests.

He had joined his father’s company in 1968 after graduating in economics from University of

Pennsylvania. In 1971, he took control of company and renamed it Trump Organisation.

As of 2016, Forbes Magazine had listed him as the 324th wealthiest person in the world and 156th in

the US.

Peru to host 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.

The 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum’s Leaders Summit will be held in Lima,

Peru from November 19 to 20, 2016.

The theme of the summit is “Quality Growth and Human Development” and the official logo is the

architecture of the ancient city of Caral

Four priority areas were laid out as topics to be discussed. These are Human Capital Development,

Regional Food Market, Upgrading SMEs and Regional Economic Integration Agenda. These subjects

were chosen to build upon on the discussions from the 2015 APEC summit held in the Philippines.

Meng Hongwei.

Elected as new INTERPOL President Meng Hongwei, high-level police official from China has

been elected as the new President of International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

Interpol is global police co-operation agency and a non-governmental organization (NGO). Its work

focuses on public safety and battling terrorism, crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes,

environmental crime etc. It was established as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) in

1923. Its headquartered is located at Lyon, France

ECONOMY

SBI opens branch in Yangon after 53 years.

State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, expanded its overseas footprint by entering

Myanmar, opening a branch Yangon after 53 years, the former capital and the largest city of that

country.

With the opening of this branch, SBI has extended (its) global presence to 37 countries through 198

offices

Ease of doing business: India ranks 130 out of 190 countries.

India is ranked 130 out of 190 countries in World Bank Group’s annual report on the ease of doing

business, ‘Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All’.

New Zealand topped the World Bank ranking for ease of doing business, followed by Singapore,

The UPSC Online


Denmark, Hong Kong, South Korea, Norway, UK, US, Sweden, and former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia.

ICICI Bank first Indian lender to execute Blockchain transaction.

ICICI Bank has become the first Indian lender to complete a banking transaction using Blockchain

technology.

This remittance transaction has been completed in partnership with Emirates NBD, a lender from

the West Asia.

Blockchain technology simplifies the process and drastically reduces duration of the transaction to

few minutes.

India ranks 2nd on global business optimism index.

India has ranked second on the global business optimism index during the September quarter. India

has improved its ranking by one spot, according to accounting firm Grant Thornton's report.

DEMONETISATION OF RS 500 AND RS 1000 NOTES

The PM of India announced that the 500 and 1000 Rs notes will no longer be a legal tender.

What is Demonetization?

It is a financial step where in a currency unit’s status as a legal tender is declared invalid.

Demonitisation was earlier done in 1978 .

When the government demonitised Rs. 1000, Rs. 5000 and Rs. 10000 notes. This was done under

the High Denomination Bank Note (Demonitisation) Act, 1978.

The difference between 1978 and 2016

Demonitisation is that the currency in circulation (of the higher denomination) is higher in 2016 than

was in 1978

Black Money and Imposition of Tax Act 2015, came into force, where the disclosure of foreign black

money within three months by paying 60% tax was passed.

Also under the Income Deceleration Scheme implemented earlier, citizens were allowed to declare

their undisclosed income and pay the tax, surcharge and penalty amounting to 45% of the declared

income.

The UPSC Online


Roll out of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, whereby access to bank was made feasible.

Need of demonetization .

To help eradicate circulation of fake currency, black money, terrorism and smuggling.

Lax tax-compliance and low tax to GDP ratio – In assessment year 2012-13, 39 lakh people bought a

threewheeler or a four-wheeler but only 4 lakh paid income tax above 5 lakh.

The primary reason for demonetisation was the massive rise in currency in circulation over the past

one year. While the real gross domestic product rose by 7.56 per cent and inflation rose at 6 per

cent, the currency in circulation rose by 15 per cent.

Lack of transparency in financial dealings.

Challenges/ Criticism

Unorthodox methods being used and undeniable hardship borne by ordinary citizens are harshly

criticised.

Lack of Proper Planning and implementation of public policy; and lack of required capacity of the

government.

Population that does not have access to banking facility will face major inconvenience.

Replacing all the Rs.500 and Rs.1000 denomination notes, as ordered by the government, could cost

the RBI at least Rs. 12000 crore.

PRADHAN MANTRI GARIB KALYAN YOJANA.

Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016 proposes to introduce a scheme named the 'Pradhan

Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016

Features

Its aim is to use black-money collected post-demonetization in welfare schemes for the poor.

The government wants to give people an opportunity to pay taxes with penalties and declare

undisclosed income through the proposed Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).

PMGKY will allow people to deposit previously untaxed money by paying 50% of the total amount:

30% as tax and 10% as penalty on the undisclosed income, as well as 33% of the taxed amount as

cess

“HOUSING FOR ALL” IN RURAL AREA.

The Prime Minister has formally launched the “Housing for All” in rural areas scheme.

The UPSC Online


Under the scheme the Government proposes to provide an environmentally safe and secure pucca

house to every rural household by 2022.

About the “Housing for All “in Rural Areas

It is named as the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin)- PMAY-G.

PMAY-G is a major step forward in bringing together Skill India, Digital India, Make In India,

IT/DBTAadhaar platform and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY).

The implementation of housing developments in the rural areas of the nation will be done under

the name of Gramin – Awaas Yojana.

Objectives

In its first phase the target is to complete one crore houses by March 2019.

The programme targets the poor households and uses ICT and space technology to further confirm

correct selection of beneficiaries and progress of work.

Provisions .

There is a provision of Bank loan upto Rs. 70,000/-, if the beneficiary so desires.

Selection of beneficiaries -completely transparent process using the Socio Economic Census 2011

data and validating it through the Gram Sabha.

The programme provides for skilling 5 lakh Rural Masons by 2019 and allows over 200 different

housing designs across the country based on a detailed study of housing typologies, environmental

hazards and the households’ requirements.

Local materials will be used largely - along with a complete home with cooking space, electricity

provision, LPG, toilet and bathing area, drinking water etc through convergence.

EASE OF DOING BUSINESS RANKING AMONG STATES

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry had

given out a 340-point Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) for States/UTs earlier this year

The BRAP included recommendations for reforms on 58 regulatory processes, policies, practices or

procedures spread across 10 reform areas spanning the lifecycle of a typical business

This study was recently released in its Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms

2015-16.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have jointly topped the rankings.

The UPSC Online


Major progress was made by states like Telangana, Haryana, and Uttarakhand .While 12 states were

ranked as leaders with 90-100% implementation record, 17 states and union territories, including

Kerala, Goa and most north-eastern states, were ranked as laggards that need “jump - start” with 0-

40% implementation record

The reordering of the ranking signals that competitive federalism is rapidly taking root as states

move swiftly to showcase themselves as ideal investment destinations.

The rankings show greater acceptance of reform measures and seriousness about it among the

states. For example, previously, only 7 states implemented more than 50% of the reforms proposed

as against 17 this year. Further, last year, not a single state implemented more than 75% of reforms.

But 16 states implemented more than 75% this year.

World Bank is all set to rank cities globally on a “ease of living” index.

This news comes at a time when the World Bank is planning to tweak the “ease of doing business”

index.

The index is being launched keeping in mind that as cities grow and expand, the ease of living

becomes an important parameter.

The index could include categories on social inclusion, cost of living, public transport, housing,

education, health, environment-friendliness, crime/safety, governance and corruption.

India was ranked a lowly 130 on the “ease of doing business” index 2016.

India has recommended the World Bank that reforms undertaken in the entire country and not just

in Delhi and Mumbai be considered for the “Ease of Doing Business” Index.

POLITY

REGULATION OF MEDIA.

Inter-ministerial committee instituted by the Information and Broadcasting ministry ordered that the

Hindi channel NDTV India be shut down for a day for revealing “strategically sensitive” details during

its coverage of the Pathankot attacks in January.

This action has come under severe criticism for impinging the Freedom of the Press

Criticism of decision.

Editor’s Guild strongly condemned the unprecedented decision of the committee and demanded

that the order be immediately rescinded.

The government’s decision was a violation of freedom of media and therefore the citizens of India

The UPSC Online


Press Council of India.

Created by Press Council Act of 1978.

It is the apex body for the regulation of the Press in India.

It enjoys independence from the government.

It acts as the regulator that prescribes and enforces professional standards for the print

media in India.

News Broadcasting Standards Authority.

It is an independent body set up by the News Broadcasters Association. It is headed by eminent

jurist

Way forward

Live coverage of terror events and the compromise of ongoing operations is now a global point of

debate to create a balance between the right to allow dissemination of information in real time and

aiding and abetting the enemy by providing helpful data on what’s going on to winkle them out.

It’s time to establish an independent television media watchdog on the lines of the Press Council of

India to ensure the freedom of the televised press. The UK has an independent media watchdog

Office of Communications (Ofcom) that is recognised by statute and has enforcement powers.

CONTEMPT OF COURT.

The Supreme Court recently created history by issuing a contempt notice against one of its own

former judges, Justice Markandey Katju.

Issue Former judge, Justice Katju wrote a blog criticising the judgment in the Soumya rape and

death case and calling it "grave miscarriage of justice".

Although there is a right to free speech in India, no person can say anything which “scandalizes the

court”, i.e., which lowers a court’s dignity or shakes public confidence in the judiciary.

Situation in India When the Constitution was enacted in independent India, contempt of court was

made an exception to the right to free speech.

The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 defines 'contempt' as Disobeying court orders, Interfering with

judicial proceedings,

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Obstructing the administration of justice Scandalising or lowering the authority of the court.

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