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July Monthly Current Affairs 2021

The Hindu and Indian Express in 5 Minutes

JULY 2021

Polity

97th Constitutional Amendment, 2011

• It deals with issues related to effective management of

co-operative societies.

• It amended Article 19(1)(c) to give protection to

cooperatives.

• It also inserted Article 43 B and Part IX B, related to

them.

• News Context: Supreme Court upheld validity of 97th

constitutional amendment.

o But, struck down a part inserted by it which

relates to Constitution and working of

cooperative societies.

Reason of Supreme Court’s Decision:

• Supreme Court held that Parliament cannot enact

laws with regard to cooperative societies as it is State

subject.

• However, Centre says, provision does not denude

states of their power to enact laws of cooperatives.

Dismissal of Government Employees

• News Context:

o Lt Governor Manoj Sinha dismissed 11

J&K Government Employees for alleged

terror links.

o It comes under Article 311(2)(c).

• Article 31: Dismissal, Removal, Reduction in rank of

persons employed under Union or a State.

• Article 311(2): No civil servant can be “Dismissed,

Removed, Reduced in rank except after an inquiry.

o In which he has been informed of charges

and given a reasonable opportunity of being

heard.

• Article 311(2)(a): The safeguard of an inquiry also does

not apply in cases of conviction on a criminal charge.

Governance

Crop Insurance Awareness Campaign

• It is to spread awareness about Fasal Bima Yojana.

o It was done during Crop Insurance Week (1-

7th July).

• PMFBY: Covered in PT 360 and The Hindu.

Freight Smart Cities

• Under this, city-level logistics committees will be

formed.

• These committees will have government departments

and agencies at local, state level and central ministries

and agencies.

• It will include private sector from logistics services.

• News Context: Commerce Ministry plans for ‘Freight

Smart Cities’.

o It is to improve efficiency of urban freight and

create an opportunity for reduction in logistics

costs.

BOLD (Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought)

• It is launched by Khadi and Village Industries

Commission (KVIC).

• It is a part of KVIC’s ‘Khadi Bamboo Festival’.

• Objectives:

o To create bamboo-based green patches in arid

and semi-arid land zones.

o To reduce desertification.

o To provide livelihood and multi-disciplinary

rural industry support.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)

• It is a statutory body established under Khadi and

Village Industries Commission Act, 1956.

• It plans, promotes, Organizes, implements

programmes for development of Khadi.

• It comes under MSME Ministry.

Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation)

Bill, 2021.

• It proposes punishments for offenders, including:

o Fines and seizing of properties.

• It extends beyond protection of women and children

as victims.

o Now, It also include transgenders too.

• Exploitation is defined to include:

o Exploitation of prostitution of others.

o Other forms of sexual exploitation including

pornography.

o Physical exploitation, forced labour or services.

o Slavery or practices similar to it.

o Forced removal of organs etc.

Bharat Net, 2011

• It was launched as National Optical Fibre Network

(NOFN).

• It was renamed as Bharat-Net in 2015.

• It is to provide connectivity to Gram Panchayats through

optical fibre.

• It is to facilitate delivery of:

o e-governance, e-health.

o e-education, e-banking.

• Internet and other services to rural India.

• It is implemented by Bharat Broadband Network Ltd.

(BBNL).

• News Context:

o Cabinet approved revised implementation

strategy of Bharat-Net through PPP mode.

Saral Sanchar Portal (Simplified Application for Registration

and Licenses)

• It is a web-based portal for Issuing various types of

licenses and registration certificates.

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• It is expanded by Department of Telecommunications

(DoT).

Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme

• News Context: Approved by Cabinet.

• It is to improve operational efficiencies and financial

sustainability of all DISCOMs (distribution

Schemes)/Power Departments excluding Private Sector

DISCOMs.

• It is a reforms-based and results-linked scheme.

• It provides conditional financial assistance to

DISCOMs for strengthening supply infrastructure.

• It involves smart metering ecosystem across the

distribution sector.

o Starting from electricity feeders to consumer

level.

• It also focuses on improving electricity supply for

farmers.

Personal Data Protection Bill

• It regulates use of an individual’s data by government

and private companies.

• Entities will have to maintain security safeguards to

protect personal data.

• They will fulfill a set of data protection obligations,

transparency, accountability measures.

• The Bill seeks to give users a set of rights over their

personal data.

• It creates an independent regulator: Data Protection

Authority (DPA).

Reason of bringing Bill:

• Supreme Court held that privacy is a fundamental

right in 2017 under Article 21.

o It includes privacy of personal data.

• Note: Justice B. N. Srikrishna Committee was set up to

examine issues related to data protection in India in

2017.

o It suggested for Draft Personal Data Protection

Bill.

• News Context: WhatsApp told Delhi HC, it will not

compel users to opt for new privacy policy till data

protection bill comes into force.

New population policy for 2021-30, U.P.

Objectives:

• To decrease total fertility rate from 2.7 to 2.1 by 2026

and 1.7 by 2030.

• To increase modern contraceptive prevalence rate.

• To increase male methods of contraception use.

• To decrease maternal mortality rate, infant mortality

rate.

• The couple having 2 or less children, will be beneficial

of:

o Promotions, Increments, Concessions in

housing schemes.

o Maternity or Paternity leave of 12 months etc.

‘Right to Repair’ Movement

• It is right of consumers to be able to repair their own

electronics and other products.

Objectives:

• To get companies to make spare parts, tools,

information on how to repair devices available to

customers.

• To make repair shops to increase lifespan of products.

Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021

• It replaces Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 1950.

• It is to regulate ‘Slaughter, Consumption, Illegal

transportation’ of cattle.

• New bill bans cattle transportation within, to and from

Assam.

• It bans sale and purchase of beef or beef products in

predominantly inhabited areas by Hindu, Jain, Sikh

and other non beef-eating communities.

• It bans it, within a radius of 5 km of any temple or

sattra (Vaishnavite monasteries).

• Earlier Law: It was allowed slaughter of cattle above

age of 14 after approval from local veterinary officers.

Stand Up India Scheme, 2016

• It promotes entrepreneurship at grass-root level of

economic empowerment and job creation.

• Loans under this are available for only Greenfield

project.

• News Context: Government extends duration of this

Scheme up to 2025.

Scheme for Promotion of Flagging of Merchant Ships in India

• Under this, Rs.1624 crore over 5 years will be

provided to Indian Shipping companies in global

tenders.

• It includes ships who are involved in importing

Government cargo.

• Ships older than 20 years will not be under this

scheme.

Scene of Crime Officers (SoCs), Karnataka Police

• It will have a rank equivalent to police sub-inspector.






• It will be part of Directorate of Forensic Science

Laboratories.

• It will be specialised in forensic science, identification,

collection, preservation of evidence crime scene.

• News Context: Karnataka to recruit 206 SoC officers.

• Note: 1st SoC officer was posted in London in 1961.

Director of Inquiry

• According to Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013:

• There shall be a director of inquiry, not below rank of

Joint Secretary.

• He shall be appointed by Government for conducting

preliminary inquiries referred to CVC by Lokpal.

• News Context: Centre has appointed it.

Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR) 1989 Amendment

• It is to formalize registration process of vintage motor

vehicles.

• It preserves and promotes heritage of old vehicles in

India.

• Under new rules: Definition of vintage motor

Vehicles:

o All 2 and 4 wheelers over 50 years old,

maintained in their original form, which have

not undergone any substantial overhaul.

o Vintage motor vehicles shall not be driven on

roads for regular/commercial purposes.

Tele- Law Programme, 2017

• It is launched by:

o Law Ministry of Law.

o Electronics and Information Technology

Ministry.

• It is to address cases at pre–litigation stage.

• It is a service that uses video conferencing facilities and

telephone services to connect lawyers to litigants.

• News Context: It has crossed 9 lakh beneficiaries.

Ministry of Cooperation

• It is a new Ministry for strengthening cooperative

movement in country.

• Cooperative Societies:

o It is an autonomous association of persons

united to meet their common economic,

social and cultural needs.

Drink From Tap-Sujal Mission, Odisha

• It is to ensure quality tapped drinking water.

• News Context: Puri becomes 1st city in country to have

safe drinking tap water.

Strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) programme

• SPR are huge stockpiles of crude oil to deal with any

crude oil-related crisis.

• Like risk of supply disruption from natural disasters,

war, other calamities.

• Construction of Strategic Crude Oil Storage facilities

is being managed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves

Limited (ISPRL), a Special Purpose Vehicle.

o Which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil

Industry Development Board (OIDB) under

Petroleum Ministry.

• Under Phase I of SPR programme, Government

established petroleum storage facilities of 5.33 Million

Metric Tonnes (MMT) at 3 locations:

o Vishakhapatnam, Mangaluru, Padur.

• News Context: 2 more commercial-cum-strategic

facilities at Chandikhol and Padur of 6.5 MM storage

capacity to be established under phase-2 of SPR

Programme.

Clean Ganga Fund

• It is setup as a trust under Indian Trust Act, 1882.

• It allows resident Indians, NRIs, Persons of Indian

Origins (PIOs), Corporates (Public and Private sector)

to contribute towards conservation of river Ganga.

• Contributions to CGF falls within Corporate Social

Responsibility (CSR) activity.

o It is defined in Schedule VII to Companies

Act, 2013.

Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952

• Under this act, a Commission set up by Government

shall have powers of a civil court.

o While trying a suit under Code of Civil

Procedure, 1908.

• It means, Commission has powers to summon and

enforce attendance of any person from any part of India

and examine her on oath, and receive evidence.

• It can order requisition of any public record or copy

from any court or office.

• Note: Commissions set up by Central Government can

make an inquiry into any matter relatable to any of

entries in Union, State List, Concurrent List.

o While Commissions set up by State

Governments can look into entries in List II,

III.

News Context:

• West Bengal set up a Commission of Inquiry (Lokur

Commission), under this Act.

• It is to investigate alleged surveillance of phones using

Pegasus spyware developed by Israel.

o Commission will investigate breach of

privacy of individuals.

Assam-Mizoram Border Dispute

• Mizoram was carved out of Assam as a UT in 1972.

o By 1987, it became a full-fledged state.

• These 2 states have disputes over this 164.6 km long

inter-state border.

• Dispute stems from 2 notifications passed under

British era:

o Notification of 1875, that differentiated

Lushai Hills from plains of Cachar.

• Notification of 1933, that demarcates a boundary

between Lushai Hills and Manipur.

Present Claims






• Mizoram claims that land is based on an 1875

notification.

o Which came from Bengal Eastern Frontier

Regulation Act of 1873.

• Assam claims that land is theirs by a 1933 notification.

o That demarcated Lushai Hills, which

Mizoram was formerly known as, from

province of Manipur.

• During colonial times, Mizoram was known as Lushai

Hills, a district of Assam.

• Note: Border between 2 states is an imaginary line.

o That changes with natural obstacles of

rivers, hills, valleys, forests.

• Assam-Mizoram attributed border conflicts to

differences over this not-so-clear boundary.

Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) Amendment

Bill, 2021

• It amends AERA of India Act, 2008.

• 2008 Act designates an airport as a major airport if it

has annual passenger traffic of at least 35 lakhs.

o Now, Government may designate any

airport as a major airport by a notification.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram (PMJVK), 2018

• Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) is

restructured and renamed as PMJVK for effective

implementation.

• It provides better socio-economic infrastructure

facilities to minority communities.

• Funds:

o 80% of resources would be for Education,

Health, Skill development.

o 33-40% of resources would be for women

centric projects.

Beneficiaries:

• Minority communities under Section 2 (c) of National

Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.

• At present, 6 communities: Muslims, Sikhs, Christians,

Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis), Jains.

Essential Defence Services Bill

• It aims at preventing staff of government-owned

ordinance factories from going on a strike.

• It is to Provide for maintenance of essential defence

services.

• It is to secure security of nation, life, property of

public at large.

• It empowers Government to declare services

mentioned in it as essential defence services.

• It prohibits strike and lockouts in any industrial

establishment or unit engaged in essential defence

services.

Elections

• No News.

Judiciary

Speedy Trial is a Fundamental Right: Supreme Court

• News Context: SC said this in context of Bhima

Koregaon caste violence case.

o It includes issue of undertrials.

• It was 1st mentioned in landmark document of Magna

Carta.

• It is covered under Article 21.

• Evolution of Right to Speedy Trial:

o 1978 Babu Singh v. State of UP.

o Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar, 1979.

o Katar Singh v. State of Punjab 1994.

• Speedy Trial, Fundamental rights, Article 21: Follow

Indian Polity (Summary of Laxmikant) by Ankit

Chaudhry.

Right to be Forgotten

• It falls under right to privacy.

• Note: Right to Privacy was included under Article 21

by Supreme Court in Puttuswamy case.

Personal Data Protection Bill:

• Right to privacy is also governed by this Bill (Yet to be

passed).

• It talks about ‘Right to be Forgotten’.

• Under Right to be forgotten:

o Users can de-link, limit, delete, correct

disclosure of their personal information held

by data fiduciaries.

International Relations

EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) (Green Passport)

• It allows ease of intra-European travel for passengers

who have taken one of 4 vaccines ‘recognised’ by the

European Medicines Agency (EMA).






• It excludes Indian-made Covishield and Covaxin.

Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan

• Last US and Nato forces have left this airbase.

US Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA), 2008

• It identifies foreign governments having government-

supported armed groups that recruit or use child

soldiers.

• It requires publication in annual Trafficking in Persons

(TIP) report a list of foreign governments.

o That have recruited or used child soldiers.

• It can result in restrictions on certain security

assistance and commercial licensing of military

equipment.

Child Soldier:

• It means any person under 18 years, who:

o Participates in hostilities.

o Recruited into governmental armed forces,

police, other security forces.

• News Context: US adds Pakistan, along with 14

countries, to list of this act.

Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating

violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul

Convention), 2011-14

• It is a human rights treaty of Council of Europe

against violence against women and domestic violence.

• It was opened for signature in Istanbul, Turkey.

• It is to prevent violence, victim protection.

• Members: 45 countries and EU.

• Note: Turkey became 1st country to ratify convention,

followed by 34 countries.

• News Context: Turkey quits Istanbul Convention.

• Reasons for Turkey to quit:

o It said, convention demeans traditional family

structure.

o It promotes divorces and encourages

acceptance of LGBTQ in society.

WHO’s Emergency Use List (EUL)

• It is for assessing and listing unlicensed vaccines.

• It is necessary for a vaccine company to supply vaccines

to global facilities.

• News Context: 8 vaccines have got an EUL from WHO.

o WHO will take decision on CoVaxin in its list.

• Criteria for Eligibility:

o The disease for which product is intended is

life threatening, or could be, epidemic or

pandemic.

Pegasus

• It is a spyware tool developed by an Israeli firm, NSO

Group.

• It spies on people through their phones.

• It sends an exploit link.

• If target user clicks on link, malware or code allows

surveillance on user’s phone.

• Zero-Click Attack:

o It helps spyware to gain control over a

device without human interaction or human

error.

Honorary Consuls

• It promotes economic and cultural relations with

diplomatic missions.

• They are private individuals taking care of their tasks

on a part-time basis without remuneration.

• Their appointment is done by Foreign Ministry.

• They do not handle passport applications, Visa

matters or residence permits.

• He cannot serve as attorneys in judicial proceedings.

• News Context: Industrialist N.S. Srinivasa Murthy is

appointed as Honorary Consul General of Vietnam for

Karnataka.






Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme

• It comes under World Customs Organization (WCO)

SAFE Framework of Standards to secure and facilitate

Global Trade.

• It enhances international supply chain security and

facilitate movement of legitimate goods.

• News Context: Central Board of Indirect Taxes &

Customs (CBIC) inaugurates online filing of

Authorised Economic Operators (AEO).

India’s Bilateral Pacts to Fight Drug Trafficking

• News Context: India has signed 26 bilateral pacts, 15

MoUs, 2 agreements.

o They are to combat illicit trafficking of

narcotic, drugs and psychotropic substances,

besides chemical precursors.

• International organisations with which Narcotics

Control Bureau (NCB) coordinated include:

o SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk.

o BRICS Colombo Plan, BIMSTEC.

o ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters

(ASOD).

o UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

o International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).

Measures taken by India:

• Narcotics Coordination Centre (NCORD) was set in

2016.

• Joint Coordination Committee with NCB was set up in

2019.

o It is to monitor investigation into cases

involving large seizures.

• ‘SIMS’ (Seizure Information Management System) was

set up in 2019.

o It is to digitise pan-India drug seizure data.

Joint Action to Align Afghanistan Strategies

• News Context: China and Pakistan announced to

cooperate in Afghanistan amid changing situations.

• They outlined 5-point joint plan on working in

Afghanistan. It includes:

o Avoid expansion of war and prevent

Afghanistan from falling into a full-scale civil

war.

o Promote intra-Afghan negotiations between

Kabul and Taliban.

o Combat Terrorist Forces.

o Promote cooperation among Afghanistan’s

neighbours.

o Closely work on international fora on

Afghan issue.

Wolf Warrior Diplomacy or Approach

• It is named after famous Chinese movies.

• It describes offensives Chinese diplomat to defend

China’s national interests, often in confrontational

ways.

• It reinforces a presumed transition of Chinese

diplomacy from conservative, passive, proactive.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), 1978

• It is an international NGO.

• It conducts research and advocacy on human rights.

• HQ: New York City.

• It pressurises: Governments, Policy makers.

o Companies, Individual Human Rights abusers.

• It is to denounce abuse and respect human rights.

• It works on behalf of refugees, children, migrants,

political prisoners.

• News Context: HRW reveals, Israeli forces and

Palestinian armed groups attacked in May 2021 fighting

in Gaza Strip and Israel.

o That violated laws of war and apparently

amount to war crimes.

Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM)

News Context: India participated in 3rd ASM.

Organised by: Iceland and Japan.

It was 1st Ministerial meeting held in Asia.

Theme: Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic.

Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation

• It is released by UN Economic and Social Commission

for Asia Pacific’s (UNESCAP).

• It reviews progress of trade facilitation reforms in

their respective member states.

International Organization of Securities Commissions

(IOSCO), 1983

• It is an association of organizations to regulate world’s

securities and futures markets.

• HQ: Madrid, Spain.

• Members: 227

Objectives:

• To develop, implement, promote high standards of

regulation to enhance investor protection and reduce

systemic risk.

• To share information with exchanges and assist them

with technical and operational issues.

• To establish standards for global investment

transactions across borders and markets.

International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), 1994

• It is a non-profit organisation under Swiss Civil Law.

• It is a voluntary membership organization of

insurance supervisors.

• It constitutes 97% of world’s insurance premiums.

• It is hosted by Bank for International Settlements (BIS).

• News Context: Cabinet approves MoU signed between

International Financial Services Centres Authority

(IFSCA), IOSCO, IAIS.

Economy

Financial Stability Report (FSR)

• It is released by RBI.

• It shows collective assessment of Sub-Committee of

Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC),






on risks to financial stability and resilience of financial

system.

• It discusses issues relating to development and

regulation of the financial sector.

Dairy Investment Accelerator

• It is set up by Department of Animal Husbandry &

Dairying (DAHD).

• It promotes, facilitates, invests in Indian dairy sector.

• It creates awareness among investors about Animal

Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF).

Retail Direct Scheme

• It is launched by RBI.

• Under this, retail investors will be allowed to open

retail direct gilt accounts (RDG) directly with RBI.

• An online portal will be provided to registered users.

• It will provide access to primary issuance of G-sec.

• There will be no charge on account opening and its

management.

• Objectives:

o To improve accessibility of G-sec.

• Significance:

o This scheme is a one-stop solution to

facilitate investment in G-secs by individual

investors.

• Types of investments available for users:

o Treasury Bills, GoI dated securities.

o Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB), State

Development Loans (SDLs).

Special Livestock Sector Package

• News Context: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

(CCEA) approves implementation of it.

• It boosts growth in livestock sector and make animal

husbandry more remunerative.

• It includes share of investments by:

o State Governments, State Cooperatives.

o Financial Institutions, External Funding

Agencies etc.

• It comes under department of Animal Husbandry &

Dairying.

• All schemes of Department will be merged into 3

broad categories as:

Development Programmes:

• It includes: Rashtriya Gokul Mission.

o National Programme for Dairy Development

(NPDD).

o National Livestock Mission (NLM).

o Livestock Census and Integrated Sample

Survey (LC & ISS).

Disease Control Programme:

• It is renamed as Livestock Health and Disease Control

(LH & DC).

• It includes present Livestock Health and Disease Control

(LH & DC) scheme.

• National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP).

Infrastructure Development Fund:

• It is merger of:

o Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development

fund (AHIDF).

o Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund

(DIDF)

Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), 2016

• It is India’s Digital Payment Application that works

through UPI.

• It powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile

application.

• It was developed by National Payments Corporation

of India (NPCI).

BHIM app has 3 levels of authentication:

• It binds with a device’s ID and mobile number.

• To sync to bank account to conduct transaction.

• To create a pin need to log into app.

News Context:

• Bhutan is 1st country to adopt India’s Unified Payment

Interface (UPI) standards for its quick response (QR)

code.

• It is 2nd country after Singapore to have BHIM-UPI

acceptance.

• Bhutan will be only country to both issue and accept

RuPay cards and accept BHIM-UPI.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

• It is an instant real-time payment system.

• It allows users to transfer money on a real-time basis.

• It is used across multiple bank accounts without

revealing details of one’s bank account to other party.

Central bank digital currency (CBDC) (National Digital

Currency)

• It is digital form of a country’s fiat currency.

• Instead of printing paper currency or minting coins,

Central Bank issues electronic tokens.

• It is backed by Government.

• News Context: RBI to start pilot projects to assess

viability of using digital currency to make wholesale

and retail payments.

o It plans to start CBDC.

SC Garg Committee recommendations (2019):

• Ban anybody who mines, hold, transact or deal with

cryptocurrencies in any form.

• It recommended prison of 10 years for this.

• It proposed a monetary penalty of upto 3 times loss

caused to exchequer or gains made by cryptocurrency

user.

o Whichever is higher.

• Note: However, Panel said Government should be

open on potential issuance of cryptocurrencies by

RBI.

Pre-Packs

• It is an agreement for resolution of debt of a distressed

company.

• It is through an agreement between secured creditors

and investors instead of a public bidding process.

• In India, this system requires that financial creditors

agree on terms with potential investors and seek






approval of resolution plan from National Company

Law Tribunal (NCLT).

• Need for Pre-Packs

o Slow progress in resolution of distressed

companies is key issue raised by creditors

regarding Corporate Insolvency Resolution

Process (CIRP).

• News Context: Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

(Amendment) Bill, 2021 proposed ‘Pre-Packs’ as an

insolvency resolution mechanism for MSMEs.

General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill,

2021

• It amends General Insurance Business

(Nationalisation) Act, 1972.

• It is to remove requirement for Centre to hold at least

51% of equity in an insurer.

o 1972 Act stops applying to insurers on and

from the date Centre ceases to have control

over them.

• A director will be appointed (Not a whole-time

Director).

Concerns:

• This may lead to total privatisation of general

insurance companies.

o With this, Government will also lose money

by way of dividend in proportion of shares

being offered.

Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ)

• It is oldest export zone in country.

• It has become 1st Green Industrial City in India to

receive a platinum rating under Green Cities Rating.

Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2020

• Factoring is a transaction where an entity (like

MSMEs) ‘sells’ its receivables (dues from a customer)

to a 3rd party (a ‘factor’ like a bank or NBFC) for

immediate funds (partial or full).

• Currently, 7 NBFC factors do majority of factoring

through principal business condition.

Provisions of Bill:

• It has done away with threshold for NBFCs to get into

factoring business.

• It widens scope of financiers and to permit other

NBFC to undertake factoring business.

• To participate on Trade Receivables Discounting

System platform for discounting invoices of MSME.

• It reduces time period for registration of invoice and

satisfaction of charge upon it.

• In order to avoid possibility of dual financing.

• It empowers RBI to make regulations with respect to

factoring business.

Significance:

• Allowing Non-NBFC factors and other entities to

undertake factoring is expected to increase supply of

funds available to small businesses.

o This may bring down cost of funds.

• It enables greater access to credit-starved small

businesses, ensuring timely payments against their

receivables.

Health

• No News

Art & Culture

Bhumi Panduga

• This festival is celebrated by Koya tribes in Andhra

Pradesh in June.

• It marks beginning of farm operations every year.

• For men, hunting is mandatory part of this festival.

Puri Ratha Yatra (Car Festival or Chariot Festival), Odisha

• It is a Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath.

• It is oldest Ratha Yatra in World.

• Its descriptions can be found in:

o Brahma Purana, Padma Purana.

o Skanda Purana, Kapila Samhita.

• It is celebrated on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya

(2nd day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month).

• It is Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha Temple via

Mausi Maa Temple (maternal aunt's home) near

Saradha Bali, Puri.

• News Context: Rath yatra without devotees this year due

to pandemic.

Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Approach, 2011

• It was adopted at UNESCO’s General Conference.

• It is to manage heritage resources found within

environments.

• It acknowledges interconnections within a city, which

occur between:

o Built and Natural Environments.

o Tangible and Intangible Values.

o Within Cultural and Social practices of a

community.

• News Context: M.P. launches this for Gwalior and

Orchha cities of State.

National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual,

Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD), 2014-15

• It is a Central sponsored Scheme.

• It comes under Tourism Ministry.

• Objective: To develop identified pilgrimage and heritage

destinations.

• It includes infrastructure development too:

• Road, Rail, Water Transport, basic tourism facilities.

• News Context: Varanasi (Assi Ghat, Raj Ghat) is

included in this project.

Kanwar Yatra

• It is a pilgrimage organised in Hindu calendar in

Shravana (Saavan).

• Shiva devotees walk with holy Ganga water.

• Ganga water is taken from:






o Haridwar, Gaumukh, Sultanganj (Bihar),

Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Varanasi.

• Note: Similar to Kanwar yatra in North India, called

Kavadi festival is celebrated in Tamil Nadu.

o Here, Lord Muruga is worshipped.

Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City

• UNESCO has voted to remove it from world heritage

list.

•

Ramappa Temple, Palampet (Telangana)

• News Context: This 13th century temple is declared as

World Heritage Site.

• It was built by Racherla Senapati Rudrayya (General

of Kakatiya king Ganapatideva).

• Foundation is built with Sandbox Technique.

• Flooring is granite and pillars are basalt.

• Lower part of temple is red sandstone.

• While white gopuram is built with light bricks that

floats on water.

Sandbox Technique

• It involves filling pit: Dug up for laying foundation

with a mixture of:

o Sand Lime, Jaggery (binding), Karakkaya

(Black Myrobalan Fruit), before buildings were

constructed on these Sandboxes.

• Sandbox in foundation acts as a cushion in case of

Earthquakes.

84 kos Parikrama Marg

• News Context: Government decided to declare it around

Ayodhya a national highway.

• All three parikramas in Ayodhya:

o 5 kos (around 15 km), 14 kos (42 km), 84 kos

(275 km) parikramas are linked to Lord Ram.

• Baal Kand of Valmiki Ramayana mentions that

Ayodhya was earlier known as Koshaldesh.

• It was initially spread over 48 kos and was later

expanded to 84 kos.

• 84 kos parikrama is a circumambulation of

Koshaldesh, touching all important places associated

with kingdom of Ram.

• Note: As per Hindu belief, 84 kos parikrama frees a

person from obligation of completing 84 lakh yoni

(lives).

o Parikrama of Ayodhya started from Treta Yug,

Lord Ram Yug.

o Which was over 1 lakh years ago.






Dholavira (Harappan City)

• Dholavira (Gujarat) became UNESCO World Heritage

Site.

• It is 40th site in India under World Heritage tag.

• It is 1st site of ancient Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC)

in India to get tag.

• Note: Italy, Spain, Germany, China, France have 40 or

more World Heritage Sites.

• It is spread over 100 hectares on Khadir, (An islands

in Rann of Kutch).

• It dates from 3rd- mid 2nd millennium BCE.

• It is one of 5 largest cities of Indus Valley.

• It is located about 250 km from Bhuj.

• It has 2 seasonal streams: Mansar and Manhar.

Raja Mircha (Bhoot Jolokia or Ghost Pepper)

• It is a chilli from Nagaland, received GI Tag in 2008.

• It is regarded as world’s hottest chilli, consistently

ranking in top 5 on lists based on Scoville Heat Units

(SHUs).

Sambandar

• It was one of Nayanmars.

• A group of 63 saints active in South India from 16th-9th

century.

o Who popularized worship of Shiva through

devotional poetry and song.

• Dancing child-saint Sambandar of 12th century

belongs to Chola dynasty.

• News Context: National Gallery of Australia (NGA)

announced that it would return 14 works of art from its

Asian art collection to India including Sambandar.

Society

National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with

Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN)

• It is an initiative of Education Ministry.

• Implemented by: Department of School Education and

Literacy.

• It is to ensure that every child gets foundational

literacy and numeracy.

• A 5-tier implementation mechanism will be set up at:

o National, State, District, Block, School level in

all States and UTs.

• It is under Samagra Shiksha.

Protection Officers

• They are appointed under Domestic Violence Act.

• They act as a facilitator between aggrieved woman and

court.

• It is to focus on role of different stakeholders/service

providers under this Act including:

o Police, Legal Aid Services.

o Health System, Service Providers.

o Shelter Services, One Stop Centres.

• Functions:

• They help woman in filing of complaints, before

Magistrate for necessary relief.

• They assists medical aid, legal aid, counselling, safe

shelter etc.

• Eligibility:

o Members of either government or NGOs.

o Must have 3 years of experience in social

sector.

o They must preferably be women.

• Note: Under this Act, state must appoint at least 1

protection officer in every jurisdiction.

• News Context:

o National Women Commission LBSNAA

launched a Training Programme of Protection

Officers in addressing Domestic Violence.

• Domestic Violence Act: Covered in PT 360.

SPARSH: System for Pension Administration (Raksha)

• It is an integrated system for automation of sanction

and disbursement of defence pension.

• Implemented by: Defence Ministry.

• It credits pension directly into bank accounts.

Adarsh Smarak Scheme, 2014

• It was implemented by Culture Ministry.

• It improves visitor amenities, especially for physically

challenged.

• Archaeological Survey of India identifies 100

monuments as “Adarsh Smarak” for upgradation.

• News Context: Few monuments are identified as

‘Adarsh Smarak’ in Andhra Pradesh for providing

additional facilities.

o Monuments at Nagarjunakonda, Budhhist

remains at Salihundam,

o Veerabhadra Temple at Lepakshi.

Conjugal Rights

• They are rights of husband or wife to society of other

spouse.

• They are rights created by marriage.






• It is dealt by Section 9 of Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

• It recognises rights like:

o Personal laws dealing with marriage, divorce

etc.

o Criminal law requiring payment of

maintenance and alimony to a spouse.

• News Context: Supreme Court to begin hearing a

challenge to provision allowing restitution of conjugal

rights under Hindu personal laws.

Indian Labour Conference (ILC)

• It is apex level committee in Labour Ministry.

• It advises Government on issues of working class of

country.

• Members of ILC:

o All 12 Central Trade Union Organisations.

o Central Organisations of employers.

o All State Governments and UTs, Central

Ministries/Departments concerned.

• Note: 1st meeting of ILC was held in 1942. (Total 46

sessions)

o It was then called Tripartite National Labour

Conference.

• News Context: Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has asked

P.M. to convene ILC.

• International Labour Organization: Covered in PT

360.

Kisan Sarathi

• It is a digital platform launched to facilitate farmers to

get ‘right information at right time’ in their language.

• Farmers can have personalised advisories.

PM CARES for Children Scheme

• It is launched by Women and Child Development

Ministry.

• It is to support & empower of Covid affected children.

• Eligibility: All children who have lost:

o Both parents.

o Or Surviving parent.

o Or Legal guardian/adoptive parents due to

Covid 19.

• Features of Scheme:

o Fixed Deposit in name of child.

o School Education: For children under 10 years,

between 11-18 years.

o Support for Higher Education, Health

Insurance.

Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)

• It is proposed under National Education Policy (NEP)

2020.

• It is set-up by University Grants Commission (UGC).

• Under this, students will be given multiple entry and

exit options.

• It enables students to leave a degree or course.

• To get a corresponding certification.

• To rejoin studies after a certain time and can start from

where they had left.

• It will also provide students with flexibility to move

between institutes while pursuing one degree or leave a

course.

• It will keep records of academic credits of a student.

• It will not accept any credit course document directly

from students for any course they might be pursuing.

o But only from higher education institutes,

who will have to make deposits in students’

accounts.

• It will help in credit verification, credit accumulation,

credit transfer, redemption of students, promotion of

students.

Telangana Dalit Bandhu Scheme

• It enables entrepreneurship among Dalits through a

direct benefit transfer of Rs 10 lakh per family.

• It is biggest cash transfer scheme in country.

• Under this, Telangana to start a system of reservation

for Dalits in sectors where Government issues licences.

• This includes wine shops, medical shops, fertiliser

shops, rice mills, etc.

Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), 2011

• MKSP is a sub-component of Deendayal Antodaya

Yojana.

• It improves present status of women in Agriculture,

enhances opportunities available to empower her.

• It recognizes identity of Mahila as Kisan and strives to

build capacity of women in domain of agro-

ecologically sustainable practices.

Enviornment, Geography & Maps

Heat Dome

• It occurs when atmosphere traps hot ocean air like a

lid or cap.

• The scorching heat is ensnared in what is called a heat

dome.

• High-pressure circulation in atmosphere acts like a

dome or cap.

o It traps heat at surface and favour formation

of a heat wave.

• It happens when strong, high-pressure atmospheric

conditions combine with influences from La Nina.

• It creates vast areas of sweltering heat that gets

trapped under high-pressure ‘dome’.

• The main cause is a strong change (or gradient) in

ocean temperatures from west to east in tropical

Pacific Ocean.

• When gradient causes more warm air, heated by

ocean surface.

o It is known as convection.

• This rises over western Pacific.

o Then, it decreases convection over central

and eastern Pacific.

• As prevailing winds move the hot air east, northern

shifts of the jet stream trap the air.

• Thus, winds move it toward land, where it sinks,

resulting in heat waves.






• News Context: Parts of Canada and USA are reeling

under severe heat wave caused due to a heat dome.

Harit Dhara

• It is made from tannin-rich plant-based sources.

• Tropical plants containing tannins, bitter and

astringent chemical compounds, are known to

suppress or remove protozoa from rumen.

Benefits:

• It decreases population of protozoa microbes in rumen.

o Which is responsible for H2 production and

for reduction of CO2 to methane.

• Fermentation after using this supplement will help

produce more propionic acid.

o Which provides more energy for lactose

(milk sugar) production and body weight gain.

• Feeding Harit Dhara can reduce methane production.

Methane produced in cattle:

• Methane is produced by animals having rumen.

• Rumen is 1st of 4 stomachs.

o Where cattle eat plant material, cellulose, fibre,

starch and sugars.

• These get fermented or broken down by

microorganisms prior to further digestion and nutrient

absorption.

• Carbohydrate fermentation leads to production of

CO2 and H2.

• These are used by microbes (Archaea) present in

rumen to produce methane.

• News Context: ICAR has developed an anti-

Methanogenic feed supplement ‘Harit Dhara’.

Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), Bihar

• News Context: Planning for conservation of vultures.

• It includes: Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture.

o White-rumped vulture, Himalayan griffon.

• Note: There are 9 recorded species of vultures in

India:

o Oriental White-Backed, Long-billed.

o Slender-billed, Himalayan, Red-Headed.

o Egyptian, Bearded, Cinereous, Eurasian

Griffon.

• Vultures: Covered in PT 360.

A Future for All: The Need for Human-Wildlife Coexistence

• This report on Human wildlife conflict released by

WWF and UNEP.

• Note: Nothing new, same common suggestions and

Facts.

Himalayan Yaks

• Protection Status:

o IUCN: Vulnerable.

• Habitation: Ladakh, J&K, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim,

Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand.

• It can survive in very cold temperatures, upto -40

degrees.

• Nomadic communities engaged in yak rearing:

o Changpas and Dokpas in Ladakh, Sikkim,

Himachal Pradesh.

Botanical Survey of India (BSI), 1890

• Headquarter: Kolkata.

• It comes under Environment Ministry.






• It surveys plant wealth, flora, endangered species,

patent and vulnerable plant species.

• News Context: BSI Report published.

o Sikkim is home to 27% of all flowering

plants found in India i.e. highest in Nation.

Lemru Elephant Reserve, Chattisgarh.

• It is to prevent human-animal conflict in region.

• While elephants move into Chhattisgarh from Odisha,

Jharkhand.

• News Context: Government to decrease area of this

reserve.

Bryum Bharatiensis

• It is a plant species discovered in Antarctica.

India’s 1st Green Hydrogen Mobility Project

• It will be set up by NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd

(NTPC REL) in Ladakh.

• Green Hydrogen: Covered in The Hindu.

Swiss Alps

• It is the Alpine region of Switzerland.

• News Context: Melting glaciers in Swiss Alps have

created more than 1,000 new lakes across mountains.

• Majority of new lakes are formed since end of Little

Ice Age around 1850.

• Little Ice Age (LIA): It is climate interval that occurred

from early 14th century through 19th century.

• Possible causes of Little Ice Age: Orbital Cycles,

Decreased Solar Activity.

o Increased Volcanic Activity, Altered Ocean

Current Flows.

o Human Population.

Cryptograms and Phanerogams

• Plant kingdom can be divided into 2 sub-kingdoms:

o Cryptogams and phanerogams.

• Cryptogams: It consists of seedless plants and plant-like

organisms.

o It reproduces with help of spores.

• Phanerogams: It consists of seed-bearing plants.

• They are divided into 2 classes:

o Gymnosperms and Angiosperms.

• News Context: India’s 1st Cryptogamic garden is

inaugurated recently in Dehradun.

o It will have 50 species of lichens and fungi

(collectively known as Cryptogamae).

Carbon Market

• It is where greenhouse gas emitters can buy and sell

greenhouse gas emissions permits or allowances.

• Companies that over-performed and have surplus

targets in hand will sell them in this market.

• Those polluting will have to buy surplus to submit

their compliance statement.

• News Context: China has launched its national carbon

emissions trading market.






o China’s Emissions Trading Scheme replaces

EU’s as world’s largest emissions trading

system.

Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and

Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021

• News Context: It will be introduced by Environment

Ministry.

• It will establish commission and replace an ordinance.

Under this Bill:

• Government has decriminalised act of burning and

withdrawn clause for possible jail time.

• However, environmental compensation fees are levied

on burning activities.

o It includes farmers too.

Composition:

• Chairperson: Official of rank of Secretary or Chief

Secretary.

• Tenure: 3 years or till age of 70 years.

• Members: Several Ministries, Central Pollution Control

Board (CPCB).

o ISRO, Civil Society.

Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR), Maharashtra

• News Context: Rare Melanistic Leopard (Black Panther)

was spotted here.

• Black Panther (Black Leopard): Asia and Africa.

• Black Jaguar: USA.

• Habitation: Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh,

Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Arunachal,

Odisha.

Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP)

• It is a sub scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas

Yojana (PKVY) to promote traditional indigenous

practices.

• It emphasizes on exclusion of all synthetic chemical

inputs.

• It promotes on-farm biomass recycling with stress on:

o Biomass Mulching, Use of cow dung-urine

Formulations.

o Plant-based preparations, Time to Time

working of soil for aeration.

Baboon

• Status: Not Extinct.

• Habitat: Savanna and Semi-arid region.

• Gut bacteria in baboons are heritable.

o Heritability is not a constant but changes

over time, seasons, age.

• News Context: Gut microbiome profiles collected over a

period of 14 years from baboons in Kenya’s Amboseli

National Park.

• Gut Microbiota (Gut Flora, Microbiome):

o They are microorganisms including bacteria,

archaea, fungi.

o That live in digestive tracts of humans and

other animals including insects.

Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana

(PDDUUKSY), 2016

• It is to develop human resource in organic farming,

natural farming, cow-based economy for

environmental sustenance and soil health.

• It is implemented by Indian Council of Agricultural

Research (ICAR).

Objectives:

• To build skilled Human Resource at village level to

development organic farming and sustainable

agriculture.

• To provide rural India with technical support in field

of:

o Organic Farming, Rural Economy, Sustainable

Agriculture.

Earth Overshoot Day

• It marks date when we have used all biological

resources that Earth can renew during entire year.

• Date is announced annually by Global Footprint

Network.

• It is calculated by dividing planet’s Bio Capacity

(Amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate

that year).

o By Humanity’s Ecological Footprint

(humanity’s demand for that year), and






multiplying by 365, number of days in a

year.

• Ecological Footprint: It compares human demand on

nature against nature’s capacity to regenerate.

• News Context: Earth Overshoot Day 2021 happened on

July 29.

Agarwood (Aquilaria Malaccensis)

• Agarwood tree oil is also known as liquid gold.

• A litre of agar oil costs Rs 5 lakh in global market.

• Protection Status: Critically Endangered.

• Regions: Northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, parts of

Southeast Asia.

• It is an evergreen tree that can grow to 40 metres.

• News Context: Tripura Agarwood Policy is drafted.

o It promotes state’s agarwood business.

Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and

Adjoining Areas Bill 2021

It provides constitution of:

• Commission for air quality management in NCR and

adjoining areas.

• 3 sub-committees will assist Commission:

o Including sub-committee on monitoring and

identification.

o Sub-committee on safeguarding and

enforcement.

o Sub-committee on research and development.

• Sources of air pollution in NCR consist of a variety of

factors.

o Which are beyond local limits.

• Therefore, special focus is required on all sources of air

pollution.

o Which are associated with different economic

sectors, including power, agriculture, transport,

industry, residential, construction.

• Commission will supersede bodies such as:

• Central and State pollution control boards of Delhi,

Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan.

• Chairperson: Government official (Rank of

Secretary or Chief Secretary).

o Tenure: 3 years or till the age of 70.

• Members: Experts from Ministries, CPCB, ISRO,

Civil Society

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), 2020

• Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control)

Authority (EPCA) was dissolved to establish this

Commission.

Food & Nutrition

• No News.

Science & Technology

Kappa And Lambda

• It is newest Sars-CoV-2 Variant.

• These variants are labelled as Variants of Interest (VoI)

by WHO.

Variant of Interest:

• It means, genetic changes involved are predicted or

known to affect transmissibility, disease severity, or

immune escape.

• It means, it also has caused significant community

transmission in multiple countries and population

groups.

Cassini Mission, 1997

• It is a cooperation between NASA, ESA, Italian Space

Agency.

• This was 1st ever accomplished landing in outer Solar

System.

• It is 4th space probe to visit Saturn and 1st to enter

orbit.

• Its design includes a Saturn orbiter and a lander for

moon Titan.

• The lander (Huygens), landed on Titan in 2005.

• News Context:

o It has discovered that Titan has methane in

its atmosphere.

VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover)

Mission, NASA

• News Context: NASA will launch VIPER in 2023.

o NASA tries to understand if it is possible for

human life to sustain on moon, by using

locally available resources.

• VIPER is a mobile robot.

• It is 1st resource mapping mission on any other

celestial body.

• Objectives:

o To explore Moon’s South Pole region.

o To create lunar resource maps.

o To evaluate concentration of water and other

potential resources on its surface.

Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs)

• It is a modified vehicle version that could run both on

gasoline and doped petrol with different levels of

ethanol blends.

• It allows vehicles to use all blend fuels (more than

84%).

• It aims to reduce polluting fossil fuels and emissions.

• It comes under Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) program.

• News Context: Government issues new guidelines for

this.

o It specifies engine configuration and changes

required.

Monkey B Virus

• News Context: China reported 1st human infection case

with Monkey B virus.

• It was 1st identified in 1932.

• It is an alpha herpes virus enzootic in macaques of

genus Macaca.






• B virus is only identified old-world-monkey

herpesvirus that displays severe pathogenicity in

humans.

• Currently, there are no vaccines against B virus.

• Infection can be transmitted via direct contact with

monkeys.

• Symptoms: Fever, chills, muscle ache, fatigue and

headache.

o Shortness of breath, Vomiting, Abdominal

pain, hiccups.

• Alpha Herpes Viruses: They are pathogens that

invade nervous systems of their mammalian hosts.

Mercury, Iron Ore

• Mercury has a big-sized core relative to its mantle

(Layer between its core and crust).

• Reason: sun’s Magnetism.

NBDriver (Neighbourhood Driver)

• It is an AI tool to analyse cancer-causing mutations in

cells.

• It explains nature of mutation depends on

neighbourhood.

• This tool may be used to draw line between driver and

passenger mutations.

• Driver mutations: It enables cancer cells to grow.

• Passenger mutations: It does not have any effect on

progression of disease.

Ultraviolet-C (UV-C Disinfection) Technology

• News Context: It will soon be installed in Parliament

for mitigation of airborne transmission of SARS-

COV-2.

UV-C Air Duct Disinfection System:

• It is developed by CSIR-CSIO (Central Scientific

Instruments Organisation).

• It fits into any existing air-ducts.

• Virus is deactivated in any aerosol particles by

calibrated levels of UV-C light.

• It is used in auditoriums, AC buses, Railways etc.

Khadi Prakritik

• It is India’s 1st paint made from Cow Dung.

Nauka

• It means ‘Science’ in Russian.

• It is biggest space laboratory Russia has launched to

date.

• It replaces Pirs.

• News Context: It was launched from Baikonur

Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan using a Proton rocket.

Security

Indrajaal

• It is India’s 1st indigenous drone defence dome.

• It is developed by R&D firm Grene Robotics

(Hyderabad).

• It autonomously protects an area of 1000-2000 sq km

against aerial threats such as:

o Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

o Loitering munitions.

o Low- Radar Cross Section (RCS) targets.

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), 2008

• It is a series of biennial meetings between littoral states

of Indian Ocean region.

• IONS is a significant international maritime security

initiative.

• It provides a forum:

o To increase maritime security cooperation.

o To discuss regional maritime issues.

o To promote friendly relationships among

members.

• News Context: 7th edition of IONS was hosted by

French Navy.

• Members: 24.

o Observer: 08.

Kaman Aman Setu

• India and Pakistan Armies held Flag meeting here.

• Location: Uri in North Kashmir.

• It is last point of India-Pak border in Uri district.






Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM)

• It is 3rd generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)

developed by DRDO.

• Strike Range: 2.5 km.

• It can be fired from shoulder, fire and forget principle.

Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and

Enterprise (SMILE) Scheme

• It is formulated by Social Justice Ministry.

• It is to Support Marginalized Individuals.

• It focuses on:

o Rehabilitation, Provision of Medical Facilities.

o Counseling, Basic Documentation.

o Education, Skill Development, Economic

Linkages etc.

Drone Rules 2021

• It replaces UAS Rules 2021.

• It is built on a premise of trust, self-certification, non-

intrusive monitoring.

Key Changes:

• No flight permission required upto 400 feet in green

zones and upto 200 feet in area between 8-12 km from

airport.

• No pilot licence required for micro drones (for non-

commercial use).

• No restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned

companies registered in India.

INDRA 2021

• It is an Indo-Russia joint military Exercise.

• News Context: 12th edition will be held at Volgograd,

Russia.

Miscellaneous

Kongu Nadu, Tamil Nadu

• It is informally used to refer Tamil Nadu region

including:

o Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tirupur.

o Erode, Karur, Namakkal, Salem etc.

• The name derives from Kongu Vellala Gounder.

o Its an OBC communities’ presence

in these districts.

• In Tamil literature, it was referred to as one of 5

regions of Ancient Tamil Nadu.

• Kongu Nadu was mentioned in Sangam

literature as a separate territory.

World Youth Skills Day, July 15

• UNGA declared it in 2014.

• 2021 Theme: Reimagining Youth Skills Post-Pandemic.

Cyber Security Index (GCI) 2020

• It is released by UN specialised agency for

International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

• It measures commitment of countries to cybersecurity

at a global level.

• Countries are measured along 5 pillars:

o Legal measures, Technical measures.

o Organisational measures, Capacity

Development, Cooperation.

• Top 5 Ranks:

o USA.

o UK and Saudi Arabia.

o Estonia.

o South Korea, Singapore, Spain.

o Russia, UAE, Malaysia.

• Note: India ranked 10th.

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