Current Affairs August 2017 - Pabulum IAS

Meaningful
Meaningful Education
Education within
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AN INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION PREPARATION
CURRENT AFFAIRS
AUGUST 2017 ISSUE
Sources:
MRP: R 75/-
Meaningful
Education within
within Means
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IAS - 2018
Prelims Test Series
Test Series Comprises 28 Tests (GS: 25 & CSAT: 3)
GENERAL STUDIES CSAT
14 Tests : Individual Topics 03 Tests
05 Tests : Current Affairs
03 Tests : Sectional
03 Tests : Full Length Fee:
Ofine Online Ofine Online
Fee: R 4,000 R 2,000 R 750 R 500
Test shall be conducted every Sunday
Discussion with explanations provided in Ofine mode.
Explanation provided in Online mode.
The questions are framed by senior faculty with full focus and orientation towards the
UPSC pattern.
Every effort is given to decode & follow the trend of questions asked in last few years.
Some of the questions are highly difcult, some moderately difcult and a few questions are
framed to check elementary understanding of the subject.
The purpose of the test-series is not to overload the aspirants with superuously difcult
questions which do not stand any chance of being asked.
Commences : 5th Nov. 2017

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Meaningful Educationwithin
withinMeans
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Faculty
Mr. Rahul Swaroop Mr. Ajit Tiwari

(History, Polity, Art & Culture) (Ecology, Environment & Geography)
Mr. N. Nachiketa Mr. B.K. Singh

(Science & Technology) (Economy)
Mr. Rohit Wazir Mr. Achal Khanna

(Geography & Disaster Management) (Essay & CSAT)
Mr. Abhijeet Dutta Mr. Ankur Aggarwal

(CSAT) (Social Justice & Society)
Mr. Naman Mr. Anurag Pathak

(Current Affairs) (Economic Geography)
&
Team Ethics
CONTENTS
1. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

New training programme COMMIT for State Government officials 1
GST launch: Times when the Parliament convened for a session at midnight 1
President approves ordinance allowing Kambala in Karnataka 1
Selection of Election Commissioners must be transparent, SC tells Centre 2
Supreme Court on status of Rivers 2
Ministries of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty 2
Indias tough Anti-hijacking law comes into force 3
Committee formed to study legalities for separate State Flag 3
SC stays cattle sale rules across nation 3
India needs strong, directly elected Mayors 4
e-Marketplace: 5 States and UT sign pact with Centre 5
CPWD reminded of challenges ahead as it turns 163 5
KK Venugopal appointed as Attorney General of India 5
Parliamentary Secretary 5
Rajasthan fixes minimum education qualification for cooperative body poll 6
Supreme Court puts end to immediate arrests in dowry cases 6
Centre seeks debate in SC on J&K special status 7
CBI probe into Manipur extra-judicial killings 7
mAadhaar app by UIDAI 8
A stronger river referee (Inter State Water Dispute Bill) 8
Admiralty Bill gets Rajya Sabha nod 10
Bill to replace Banking Regulation Ordinance introduced in Lok Sabha 10
Cabinet clears minimum wage code bill 10
Gold Bond Scheme 11
SC rejects abortion plea of 10-year-old 11
LS passes Bill for more autonomy to IIMs 11
2. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES
MERIT app and e-Bidding portal for utilization of domestic coal in IPP Power Stations for reducing the
cost of power generation 12
JIGYASA - Student-Scientist connect programme launched 12
Railways' new 'Give it Up' campaign 13
Govt to push e-education with 4 digital initiatives 13
Housing for all: Theres a lot to be built (Challenges related to PMAY) 14
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Over Rs 57,000 crore savings through DBT: Government 14
Minister of Railways launched various Railway initiatives 15
Elevate 100 Scheme 15
Three Export infra plans 16
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) 16
Ministry of Rural Development to launch Aajeevika Grameen Express 17
Draft Guidelines for implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana 17
National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP) of India 18
Owaisi brings Bill on mob violence 19
Mobile App for Road Maintenance Aarambh launched 19
Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at
work-place 19
India Quake : Disaster Management 20
Sagar Vani - An Integrated Information Dissemination System 20
Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2 in Mumbai 21
3. INTERNATIONAL / INDIA AND WORLD
Why Bhutan is special to India 21
Mission Maccabiah: this year in Israel 21
Indo-Thai joint military exercise Maitree 2017 22
Vietnam for greater Indian role in SE Asia (Delhi Dialogue IX) 22
Beijing Declaration on Education 22
UNESCO puts Old City of Hebron on its heritage in danger list 22
G-20 leaders propose Hamburg Action Plan at summit conclusion 23
122 countries adopt global treaty banning nuclear weapons 23
China sends PLA unit to man overseas base 24
Cabinet approves SASEC Road Connectivity Investment Program - Tranche 2 24
Agreement between India and Bangladesh for Promotion and Protection of Investments 24
EU, India set up fund for investments 25
US House passes bill on defence co-operation with India 25
Malabar 2017 25
India, Bangladesh to construct bridge along Mizoram border 25
World Petroleum Congress 26
US Navy Tests Worlds First Drone-Killing Laser Weapons System 26
Guardian UAV deal with U.S. still a work in progress 26
DGCA braces for ICAO safety audit 27
India, Japan civil nuclear deal comes into force 27
Cabinet approves MOC in respect of tax matters between India and BRICS countries 27
Iran, Iraq sign pact on military cooperation 28
China, Sri Lanka sign $1.1 billion Hambantota Port deal 28
4. ECONOMY
India gives $100,000 to UN Tax Fund; 1st country to contribute 29
Integration of oil & gas majors is best avoided 29
Deregistered firms to face money laundering probe 30
J&K Houses adopt GST Resolution 30
First Maize Based Mega Food Park in Kapurthala, Punjab 31
RBI considering setting up a Public Credit Registry 32
SEBI to move against non-compliant firms 32
Centre eases pre-merger filing norms 33
India to join new global foreign exchange committee 33
Bitcoin trade may come under SEBI 34
2017 sustainable development goals index: India ranked 117 of 157 countries 34
Centre to grant NIIF 20,000 cr. 35
RESIDEX 35
FM launches a new tax payer service module Aaykar Setu 35
Countrys biggest Global Skill Park laid in Bhopal 36
Indias third largest commodity exchange 36
IBBI notifies rules for bankruptcy probe 36
Does a minimum wage kill jobs? 36
E-commerce: RCEP nations talk details 37
Bank consolidation plan 38
5. SOCIAL ISSUES
No-detention policy to go from next academic session 38
India declares itself free from Bird Flu 39
Tamil Nadu reports first case of Zika virus 39
National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22) 39
Plastic Realities 40
6. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Launch of National Biopharma Mission 41
Sharpest laser can help test Einsteins theory 41
NASA developing first asteroid deflection mission 42
Aerosols shrinking' India's monsoon 42
Indigenously developed quick reaction surface-to-air short range missile successfully test-fired 42
U.S. Thermal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) Anti-Missile System 43
Tirupati boy launches Kalam Satellite 43
Rukmini keeps eye on dancing dragon at sea 43
Govt. launches low-cost indigenously developed hearing screening device for newborns 44
Indias first solar-powered DEMU train launched 44
DIPP to set up Indias first TISC in Punjab 44
Indian scientists discover Saraswati, a supercluster of galaxies 45
Scheme for IPR Awareness Creative India; Innovative India 45
Trillion-tonne iceberg breaks off Antarctica 46
TERI ranked second among worlds climate think tanks 46
Nasr 46
SIERRA ODC building in Coimbatore gets worlds second highest green rating 46
Saint Teresas blue-bordered sari an Intellectual Property now 46
Union Cabinet approves establishment of International Rice Research Institute in Varanasi 46
GRSE hands over 2nd LCU Mark IV vessel 47
Govt. panel to study cow derivatives 47
Russia keen on selling MiG-35 jet to India 47
Googles machine-raised mosquitoes to shrink vectors numbers 48
First Two NOPVs Shachi and Shruti Launched by RDEL at Pipavav, Gujarat 48
CAC adopts Codex standards for three spices 49
Muntra, India's first unmanned tank 49
China successfully produces gas from flammable ice under South China Sea 49
7. SECURITY
Cyberattack: Ransomware hits Jawaharlal Nehru port operations in Mumbai 50
Centre plans partial removal of AFSPA in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh 50
MAD Doctrine 51
Indian Army gets free hand to source weaponry for short intense wars 51
8. ENVIRONMENT
Nine more bird, biodiversity areas in Kerala 51
Tribunal prohibits dumping of waste near Ganga banks 52
Gloom at SV Zoo as third animal dies 53
Eco-bridges for the movement of Tigers 54
NGT directs Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh to submit guidelines on forest fire 54
Castor plant can reduce soil pollution 55
A Sunderbans denizen staves off extinction 55
NABARD takes first step to access Green Climate Fund 55
Oriental white ibis nesting in Ganjam 56
Rare sand snake sighted in Seshachalam hills 56
9. INDIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
Padmanabhaswamy Temple 57
Ahmedabad gets world heritage tag 57
A famous yatra has a social face online 57
Japan's men-only island gets UNESCO heritage tag 58
India to celebrate Falun Gong 58
President of India inaugurates the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Paika Rebellion of Odisha 58
Government plans I stand by my country campaign 59
First Kannada classic in English to be out soon 59
10. STATUTORY, REGULATORY AND VARIOUS QUASI-JUDICIAL BODIES
Supreme Court allows Centre to replace MCI oversight committee 59
First meeting of Integrated Monitoring and Advisory Council (IMAC) 60
Government plans new agency to keep check on Chartered Accountants 60
Cabinet nod for IWAI Bond Issue 60
Meet on Island Development 60
The National Anti-Profiteering Authority 61
Nai Roshni Scheme 61
11. PRELIMS BITS/ MISCELLANEOUS/ IN-NEWS
Open Defection Free Cities 62
Traditional water conservation systems around India 62
Benefits of Ragi 62
Gonorrhea 63
Raipur Airport Ranked First in Customer Satisfaction Index Survey 63
India to host 8th Edition of Theatre Olympics 63
Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) 63
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) 63
National Flood Control Programme 64
Operation Muskaan 64
Tata Motors unveils Indias first Bio-CNG Bus 64
Ram Nath Kovind elected as Indias 14th President 64
Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 64
Swayam Portal 65
Haryana to set up vegetable price stability fund 65
Urbanization and sacred groves 65
USS Gerald R Ford: Worlds Largest Aircraft Carrier inducted by US 65
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) 66
Bengaluru Declaration calls for SC/ST quota in judiciary 66
Arab League 66
Bharat Net Project 66
Worlds first wind farm being built off Scotland Coast 66
Kapu Community 67
FAME India Scheme 67
BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers Meet in China 67
Typhoon Noru 67
Delhi Metro becomes worlds first completely Green Metro system 67
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
New training programme COMMIT for State Government officials (Business Standard)
Union Government has launched a new training programme Comprehensive Online Modified Modules on
Induction Training (COMMIT) for State Government officials.
The objective of this training programme is to improve the public service delivery mechanism and provide citizen
centric administration through capacity building of officials who interact with the citizens on day-to-day basis.
Key facts:
COMMIT will be launched in 6 States of Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal
initially on pilot basis during the current financial year 2017-18 and within next year it is expected to cover all
India level.
The COMMIT has been designed in such a way that it allows to translate the content in local/regional languages.
The COMMIT programme, developed by DoPT in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), will supplement the existing 12-Day ITP launched in 2014-15 for newly recruited state Government
officials to develop in them Generic & Domain specific competencies.
The programme will be implemented through State Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs).
GST launch: Times when the Parliament convened for a session at midnight
The midnight session of Parliament to launch the goods and services tax (GST) marked a first in Indias history.
While Parliament was convened for a midnight session several times in the past, all those occasions were
celebratory in nature. Its the first time that a session has been convened to mark the implementation of a
government policy, the GST.
Midnight sessions in the past:
August 14-15, 1947: The Constituent Assembly of India met in the Constitution Hall (now the Central Hall of
Parliament) on the eve of the countrys Independence. It started at 11 p.m. and went on till after midnight.
August 14-15, 1972: To celebrate the silver jubilee of Indias Independence.
August 9, 1992: To mark 50th anniversary of Quit India Movement.
August 14-15, 1997: To celebrate the golden jubilee of Indias Independence
President approves ordinance allowing Kambala in Karnataka (The Hindu)
President has approved the promulgation of The Prevention of

cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 by the
Governor of Karnataka in pursuance of Article 213 of Constitution.
The promulgated ordinance legalises Kambala, bullock cart races
and bull runs as traditional sports involving animals and exempt
them from The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Background:
Kambala was banned last year after PETA approached the Karnataka
High Court, citing animal cruelty in bull taming and buffalo racing.
The high court had earlier stayed this event in view of the apex court's verdict on jallikattu. Kambala committees
have opposed the ban.
About kambala:
Kambala is an annual buffalo race held between November and March by the farming community in Karnataka's
Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, and in areas bordering Kerala.
Kambala is organised on two parallel racing tracks which are ploughed into a muddy field, and made slushy with
water.
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According to belief, Kambala originated in Karnataka's farming community around 800 years ago. The festival is
dedicated to Kadri's Lord Manjunatha, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. It's believed that the recreational sport is
organised to appease the gods for a good harvest.
Another belief holds that it's the sport of the royal (Landlord) family.
Selection of Election Commissioners must be transparent, SC tells Centre (The Hindu)
Why in news?
The supreme court heard a PIL seeking a direction to the
Centre and has asked the Union government to formalise
appointment of election commissioners through law.
Supreme court argument:
The Supreme Court has observed that even though the
Election commissioners have been so far appointed in a
very fair manner, there exists a legitimate expectation in
the Constitution of India that Election Commissioners, who
are charged with the free and fair conduct of elections be
appointed through a most transparent and just process
formalised by a law enacted by the Parliament.
The SC has said that the Election Commissioners selection
must be made in the most transparent manner. The court has even remarked that the Parliament was in
breach of its duty. Thus, norms like the ones on appointing a CBI director are required to meet the
constitutional mandate.
Election Commissioners:
At present, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is a three-member body, with one Chief Election Commissioner
(CEC) and two Election Commissioners (EC). Under Article 324(2) of the Constitution of India, the President of
India is empowered to appoint the CEC and the ECs. Article 324(2) also empowers the President of India to fix
from time to time the number of Election Commissioners other than the CEC.
The chief election commissioner or an election commissioner shall hold office for a term of 6 years or age of 65
years, whichever is earlier.
The chief election commissioner and other commissioners are paid a salary equal to the salary of a judge of the
Supreme Court. On retirement, they are entitled to a pension payable to a judge of the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court on status of Rivers (The Hindu)
The Supreme Court froze the status of legal persons

accorded to rivers Ganga and Yamuna by the Uttarakhand
High Court in March 2017.
What SC has said:
The rights of the two major rivers shall be equivalent to
the rights of human beings and the injury/harm caused to
these bodies shall be treated as harm/injury caused to the
human beings.
HC verdict:
The High Court had invoked its jurisdiction as the parens
patriae of the rivers while declaring the glaciers including
Gangotri and Yamunotri, rivers, streams, rivulets, lakes, air, meadows, dales, jungles, forests wetlands,
grasslands, springs and waterfalls, legal entity/ legal person/juristic person/juridical person/ moral
person/artificial person having the status of a legal person, with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a
living person, in order to preserve and conserve them.
Ministries of urban development, housing and urban poverty (Business Standard)
The government has merged the ministries of urban development, and housing and urban poverty alleviation -
involved in policy making in urban areas - to form the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Key facts:
The two ministries have a long history of mergers and de-mergers.
In 1952, they were one ministry which was known as the Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply. They were
demerged in 1999, merged the next year and bifurcated again in 2004.
The merger would help ensure cohesiveness in formulating policies related to urban issues and cut the flab in
bureaucracy.
With this merger, the government now has 51 ministries. In 2004, the number was 42. The first government in
independent India had just 17 ministries.
Indias tough anti-hijacking law comes into force (Indian Express)
Why in news?
The countrys new anti-hijacking law, which prescribes capital punishment in the event of death of any person,
has come into force following a government notification.
The 2016 Anti-Hijacking Act replaces a 1982-vintage law, according to which hijackers could be tried for death
penalty only in the event of death of hostages, such as flight crew, passengers and security personnel.
Key Points:
In the new law, the definition has been expanded to include death of security personnel on board or ground
support staff as well.
In other cases of hijacking, guilty will be punished with imprisonment for life and fine, besides confiscation of
movable and immovable property held by him or her.
It includes several acts within the definition of hijacking including making a threat, attempts or abetment to
commit the offence.
Those who organise or direct others to commit such offence will also be considered to have committed the
offence of hijacking.
The new law mandates the central government to confer powers of investigation, arrest and prosecution on any
officer of the central government or National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Committee formed to study legalities for separate State flag (The Hindu)
Why in news?
The Karnataka State has constituted a nine-member committee to study and submit a report to the government
on the possibility of designing a separate flag for Karnataka and providing it a statutory standing.
Recently, some activists had urged the government to design a separate flag for Kannada naadu and accord
statutory standing for that.
Constitutional Provisions related to separate flag for states:
When asked about the Constitutional and legal position of the State having its own flag, former Advocate-
General of Karnataka Ravivarma Kumar cited S.R. Bommai v/s Union of India (Supreme Court 1994) case.
In Bommais case, the Supreme Court has declared that federalism is a basic feature of the Constitution and
States are supreme in their sphere.
This being the Constitutional position, there is no prohibition in the Constitution for the State to have its own
flag. However, the way the State flag is hoisted should not dishonour the national flag. It must be always below
the national flag.
The national flag code specifically authorises use of other flags subject to the regulation by the court.
So, State flag is not unauthorised.
SC stays cattle sale rules across nation (The Hindu)
The Supreme Court stayed the Centre's May 26 notification, banning cattle sale in livestock markets for slaughter
and religious sacrifices.
The order came after the government acquiesced that public outcry and objections from the States about the
law's impact on livelihoods made it realise that the rules need "tweaking".
The centre, on May 26th, notified the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (Regulation of Livestock Market) Rules, 2017. The
notification banned the sale of cattle in livestock market for
slaughter and religious sacrifices.
Challenges:
This had dismayed cattle traders, butchers and beef eaters. Farmers
were also hit as they were also barred from selling non-milch and
ageing cattle thus being deprived of their traditional incomes.
Various states too opposed the notification saying that it would
impact the livelihoods of many.
The validity of the rules was challenged in various high courts and the
SC. The Madurai bench of Madras HC had stayed the rules.
Way ahead:
The centre has acknowledged that the law needs some tweaking
keeping in mind the concerns raised by various stakeholders. It
has also clarified that tweaking does not mean repeal. It would
shortly come out with necessary amendments.
India needs strong, directly elected mayors (Livemint)
Why in news?
Last week, the Maharashtra cabinet approved a proposal for direct election of the village sarpanch, the head of
the gram panchayat. Earlier, the sarpanch was elected indirectly, by elected representatives.
Direct elections for the posts of sarpanch and municipal council president are welcome developments. But this
needs to be extended to municipal corporations that govern larger urban areas.
Office of Mayor:
Currently, the head of the municipal corporation, the mayor, is merely a ceremonial authority and executive
decisions are carried out by the municipal commissioner appointed by the state government.
Short tenure of mayors in many states which is hardly enough to create lasting changes in a large metropolis.
Sometimes, directly elected mayors run into corporations dominated by members of rival political parties
creating difficulty in day to day governance.
Issue related Election of Mayor:
India needs directly elected and empowered mayors for all its big cities.
Most of the roadblocks are well known. The state governments do not want to let go of their powers. The
resources generated from the cities are used to lubricate the political economies in rural areas.
The structures of local government created by the 73rd and 74th amendments did not go far enough; the
resources and the powers continue to be vested with the state governments, which have been reluctant to
delegate them.
Way Forward:
A solution can be founded in a private member Bill that was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Congress
parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor last year.
Tharoors Bill on direct elections for mayors included a provision for a mayor-in-council that would be nominated
by the directly elected mayor.
Such a council, with an executive role, has existed in Kolkata and has performed reasonably well.
Direct elections for Mayor will go a long way in accomplishing the goals of democratic decentralisation.
Conclusion:
The excessive fear of fragmentation in a newly independent India led to a reluctant federation and a dirigiste
economy. While the pace of economic liberalization remains slow, the decentralization of administration has
been slower. It is high time for corrective steps.
e-Marketplace: 5 States and UT sign pact with Centre
In a spirit of cooperative federalism, 5 States and a Union Territory (UT) have formally adopted the Centres e-
Marketplace (GeM) initiatives.
The States and the UT that signed an MoU with the Centre include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Telangana,
Puducherry and Arunachal Pradesh.
What you need to know about GeM?
It aims to ensure that public procurement of goods and services in India worth more than Rs. 5 lakh crore
annually is carried out through the online platform for transparency and to eliminate corruption.
It aims to transform the way in which procurement of goods and services is done by the Government
Ministries/Departments, PSUs, autonomous bodies etc.
A call centre for GeM has also been set up to help both buyers and sellers in conducting their transactions on
GeM.
The Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) has developed the GeM.
Benefits:
It is a completely end to end procurement system for purchase of goods and services of common use by the
government buyers.
GeM is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common
use goods and services with minimal human interface.
It promotes transparency eliminates corruption.
CPWD reminded of challenges ahead as it turns 163 (PIB)
The public sector construction major, Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has turned 163 recently and it
has been reminded of the challenges ahead and the need to innovate to retain its primacy.
About CPWD
CPWD came into existence in July, 1854 when Lord Dalhousie established a central agency for execution of public
works and set up Ajmer Provincial Division. Through the professional expertise in disciplines including
Architecture, Engineering, Project Management coupled with comprehensive experience in building construction
and maintenance CPWD has been serving the nation for last 163 years and has executed priority of works in
difficult and demanding geographical and climatic conditions.
It has now grown into a comprehensive construction management department, which provides services from
project concept to completion, consultancy and maintenance management.
It is headed by DG who is also the Principal Technical Advisor to the Government of India.
CPWD has pan India presence and has ability to undertake construction of complex projects even in difficult
terrain and maintenance in post construction stage.
CPWD had been involved in construction of stadiums and other infrastructure requirements for Asian Games
1982 and Commonwealth Games 2010.
KK Venugopal appointed as Attorney General of India
President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed senior advocate and constitutional expert K K Venugopal (86) as the
new Attorney General of India. He will be 15th Attorney General of India.
Attorney General for India is the Indian governments chief legal advisor, and its primary lawyer in the Supreme
Court of India. He is appointed by the President of India under Article 76(1) of the Constitution and holds office
during the pleasure of the President. He is part of Union Executive.
Parliamentary Secretary
A parliamentary secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior
minister with his or her duties. In several countries the position has been re-designated as assistant minister.
A Parliament Secretary is similar to a Minister of State who assists a Minister in his or her duties.
Constitutional provisions:
Experts argue that the post of parliamentary secretary is in contradiction to Article 164 (1A) of the Constitution
which provides for limiting the number of Ministers in the State Cabinets to 15% of the total number of members
of the State Legislative Assembly.
But, the number of Cabinet Ministers in Delhi cannot exceed 10% of the total 70 seats that is seven as per
Article 239AA of Constitution.
Rajasthan fixes minimum education qualification for cooperative body poll
After making minimum educational qualification mandatory in panchayat polls, Rajasthan has now enforced the
Rajasthan Cooperative Society (Amendment) Act-2016, following which a minimum educational qualification
would be compulsory for election of the cooperative committees in the state.
The Rajasthan Cooperative Society (Amendment) Act-2016 was enforced with effect from October 4.
According to senior officials of the department, the minimum qualifications for the primary committee members
would be class VIII, class X for district-level committees and graduation for the state level committee.
The rules and minimum qualification yet have to be defined and notification on this would be issued soon.
Supreme Court puts end to immediate arrests in dowry cases (The Hindu)
Why in news?
The Supreme Court has put an end to immediate arrest of the husband and his
family members in the dowry harassment cases filed under Section 498A of
Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Supreme Court passed the order keeping in view the fact of suspected
misuse of the anti-dowry harassment law framed in 1983.
Highlights:
Now cases under Section 498A of IPC will be referred to Family Welfare
Committees (FWC) must be constituted at every district and no arrest will be
effected till the committees report is received. Such report may be then
considered by the investigating officer or the magistrate on its own merit.
FWC must comprise 3 members who may be social workers, retired persons, para-legal volunteers, wives of
working officers and other citizens who are found suitable and willing. However, these committee members will
not be considered as witnesses.
There must be adequate material to show that the arrest is necessary to prevent the accused from committing
any further offence. Moreover, designated police officer should be appointed to deal with such complaints.
These directions will not apply to the offences involving tangible physical injuries or death. There will be also no
routine impounding of passports or issuance of Red Corner Notice for the accused NRI. The personal appearance
of all family members and particularly outstation members will be also not be required.
Significance:
This is a shift from the dominant judicial conception of women as victims who would silently suffer injustice
rather than bring disrepute to their family by taking domestic conflict outside the four walls of the home.
Going by the popular portrait, it is only the worst victim of abuse among women who approach the court for
redress.
With its latest observations, the court broke away from the reigning perception to rule that in dowry cases, the
account of the alleged victim need not be taken at face value.
However, the first attempt to dilute Section 498A came from a 2014 judgement of the Supreme Court which
mandated a nine-point checklist before any arrests could be made under Section 498A.
As per the Data Available:
In fact, the statistics cited by the judges lead to a contrary conclusion. They note the earlier observation of Justice C.K.
Prasad that in 2012 two lakh arrests were made under Section 498A, including 47,951 women. Although chargesheets
were filed in 93.6% of the cases, the conviction rate was only 14.4%. Based on this, the judges conclude that the
complaints were frivolous and trivial. The actual fact of the matter is that in 93.6% of the cases, the police notoriously
unsympathetic to women - found the complaints worthy of chargesheets being filed. Further, the low conviction rate
of 14.4% is more an reflection of the agonising judicial process, which is time-consuming and drains women of their
resources and resolve. Many just opt for settlement our of sheer frustration.
Meaningful
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Counter View:
In a just society, a penal provision should be reviewed only after fully protecting the prespective of the victim. A total
of 24,771 dowry deaths have occurred in India from 2012 to 2014, averaging more than 20 dowry deaths every single
day. Thus, Section 498A is not only relevant but also vital for the protection of genuine victims.
Centre seeks debate in SC on J&K special status (The Hindu)
The Centre asked the Supreme Court to debate on the special status granted to the State of Jammu and Kashmir,
saying it was both a sensitive and constitutional matter.
The Bench agreed to schedule the case before a three-judge Bench.
States argument:
The State government argued that its special status was sourced from the 1954 Presidential Order, which gave
special rights to the States permanent residents.
Constitutional provisions:
This is a double-edged sword: no constitutional amendment vis--vis J&K can be carried out through Article 368
(which describes Parliaments power to amend the Constitution); it is possible only through a Presidential Order
issued under Article 370, but with the concurrence of the state government and ratification by the J&K
Constituent Assembly, which has ceased to exist since 1956. (In fact, the legality of every such Order issued after
1956 is questionable because they lack the Constituent Assemblys ratification.)
The Centre has, however, used Presidential Orders under Article 370 repeatedly to erode the autonomy that this
constitutional provision was supposed to provide to J&K.
There is no constitutional way to remove Article 370, especially because Article 1 of the Indian Constitution
(name and territory of the Union) is applicable to J&K only through Article 370.
But if the challenge to the constitutionality of the 1954 Order is successful, all subsequent Presidential Orders will
stand automatically invalidated.
J&K High Court ruling:
Article 370 assumed a place of permanence in the Constitution and the feature was beyond amendment, repeal
or abrogation. The court said Article 35A gave protection to existing laws in force in the State.
It also observed that the President under Article 370 (1) was conferred with power to extend any provision of the
Constitution to the State with such exceptions and modifications as may be deemed fit subject to consultation
or concurrence with the State government. The High Court said J&K, while acceding to the Dominion of India,
retained limited sovereignty and did not merge with it.
CBI probe into Manipur extra-judicial killings (Indian Express)
The Supreme Court has directed a probe by the CBI into the
alleged extra-judicial killings by the Army, the Assam Rifles and
the Manipur Police in the insurgency hit State.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking probe and compensation in
the alleged 1,528 extra-judicial killings in Manipur from 2000 to
2012 by security forces and police.
The Centre has opposed it and argued against the court ordering
an investigation into some specific instances.
He argued that inquiries conducted by the authorities in Manipur
were biased in favour of the citizens owing to local pressure and the
ground situation.
Supreme Courts stand:
Cases involved either suspected fake encounters or the use of
excessive or retaliatory force.
The principle of accountability as an essential part of the rule of
law.
The killing of a person who was possibly innocent cannot be overlooked owing to mere lapse of time.
The state cannot take advantage of its own inaction and ruin a probe by citing the delay as a reason.
The Supreme Court ordered CBI investigation into suspected extra-judicial killings in Manipur.
Background:
Last year, the court had ruled that the armed forces cannot escape investigation for excesses even in places
where they enjoy special powers.
It also reiterated that the legal protection provided by the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, will have
to yield to the principles of human rights.
The courts order is yet another reminder that AFSPA has contributed to the climate of impunity in States where
it is in force, especially in Manipur.
The situation under AFSPA is so hostile to the concept of human rights that in many of these cases there was no
inquiry at all.
mAadhaar app by UIDAI (PIB)
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has just launched the mAadhaar app for syncing Aadhaar
data on the mobile phone.
What does the mAadhaar app do? How can a user rely on it?
Once you setup the mAadhar app, your Aadhaar card profile including your number, address and other details
are stored on the app. The app will let users share their Aadhaar profile and data with third-party applications via
NFC, QR codes, barcodes or even email their details.
The apps terms and conditions put the onus of responsibility on the user for responsibly sharing their Aadhaar
data.
So whats the purpose of this app? Is it safe?
The idea is to make Aadhaar profile sharing simple from the smartphone itself. As a security measure entering
password is necessary every time in order to use it.
However, when mobile is lost, Aadhaar data will be potentially at risk unless SIM card is quickly blocked.
A stronger river referee (Inter State Water Dispute Bill) (Indian Express)
Why in news?
In the last session of Parliament, the government introduced the
long-awaited Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment)
Bill 2017, and called it a revolutionary step towards disputes
resolution.
The bill does have much that will tighten the adjudication of river
water disputes.
Key points:
The Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (IRWD Act) is an
Act of the Parliament of India enacted under Article 262.
IRWD Act is applicable only to interstate rivers / river valleys, the Supreme Court and other courts do not have
jurisdiction over such disputes but they can interpret verdicts of tribunals.
Whenever the riparian states are not able to reach amicable agreements on their own in sharing of an interstate
river waters, section 4 of IRWD Act provides dispute resolution process in the form of Tribunal.
The tribunal responsibility is not limited to adjudication of issues raised by the concerned states and investigation
of other aspects which are in public domain.
When the tribunal final verdict is accepted by the central government and notified in the official gazette, it
becomes law and binding on the states for implementation.
Important amendments:
1. Permanent Body:
The bill proposes a permanent Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal (ISRWDT). In the current arrangement,
tribunals are formed when a river water dispute arises. These are dispute-specific.
The ISRWDT will be an eight-member body comprising serving Supreme Court and high court judges.
It will have a chairperson and a vice-chairperson.
The members will retire when they are 70 there was no such limit earlier. Each dispute will be referred to a
three-member bench and resolution will be time bound.
At least on paper, the entire process is restricted to five-and-half years, considering all extensions. There is
almost no limit on extensions in the current arrangement.
These measures can improve the efficiency of disputes adjudication.
2. Dispute Resolution Committee:
The bill provides for a DRC (Disputes Resolution Committee) to enable ex-ante negotiated settlements, in place
of earlier mediation by the Centre evidently to avoid disputes advancing to the next stage.
But its benefits will depend on the mechanisms efficiency.
The bill says the Centre will set up the DRC with members from such relevant fields, as it deems fit, for
resolving the disputes amicably.
This definition is encouragingly broad-based, but the DRCs functions recording data, noting stands and
claims of states and reporting facts hint at the usual techno-legal procedures followed by tribunals in the
early stages of adjudication.
Unless the DRC is adequately high profile and commands credibility and legitimacy to engage proactively for
negotiated settlement between states, it may be relegated to performing perfunctory procedures.
3. Data Repository:
The other much touted provision for a data bank and information system is not new.
There is a similar provision in the current act as well, but it mandates the Centre to create such a repository.
The new bill allows the Centre to appoint or authorise an agency for the purpose, perhaps to draw on the
existing capacities of the institution.
This arrangement could hit a roadblock given the tenuous centre-state relations over managing river waters.
The experiences in this respect have not been very encouraging.
In any case, the challenge is not about gathering data and information, but more about states agreeing over a
piece of data.
The challenge is also about tapping the data to produce knowledge that can be used for decision-making. Such
knowledge has been a major area of contestation before the tribunals so far.
Short comings of bill:
There is no clear mentioned provisions about speedy resolution of disputes.
The bill doesnt fully recognise the need to plug holes in the interstate river water sharing, development and
governance.
The benefits of the amendments will depend on the mechanisms efficiency.
In any case of data bank, the challenge is not about gathering data and information, but more about states
agreeing over a piece of data.
There are challenges in implementing the tribunals awards.
The ad-hoc mechanisms devised outside this law have not been successful.
Conclusion:
A graver omission is the absence of an effective implementation mechanism. Even though the ISRWDT is a
permanent avenue, there is nothing that prevents the inevitable escalation of disputes.
The Supreme Court, too, has been amenable to Special Leave Petitions which then lead to extended litigation in
the apex court.
All this defeats the basic purpose of the reforms to expedite resolution of river water disputes.
Admiralty Bill gets Rajya Sabha nod (The Hindu)
The Rajya Sabha has passed the Bill on jurisdiction and settlement of maritime claims.
The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims), Bill, 2017, already passed by the Lok Sabha, seeks
to consolidate the laws relating to admiralty jurisdiction, legal proceedings in connection with vessels, their
arrest, detention, sale and other related matters.
Earlier only the High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras could take up maritime cases, the Bill extends the
power to the High Courts of Karnataka, Kerala, Hyderabad, Orissa and Gujarat, besides any other High Courts as
notified by the Centre.
Significance:
India is a leading maritime nation and maritime transportation caters to about ninety-five percent of its
merchandise trade volume.
However, under the present statutory framework, the admiralty jurisdiction of Indian courts flow from laws
enacted in the British era.
Admiralty jurisdiction relates to powers of the High Courts in respect of claims associated with transport by sea
and navigable waterways. The repealing of five admiralty statutes is in line with the Governments commitment
to do away with archaic laws which are hindering efficient governance.
Bill to replace Banking Regulation Ordinance introduced in Lok Sabha (Indian Express)
Bill authorises the RBI to direct banking companies to resolve the problem of stressed assets.
Key points:
The Bill seeks to amend the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and replace the Banking Regulation (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2017, which was promulgated in May this year.
The measure allows the RBI to initiate insolvency resolution process on specific stressed assets.
The RBI would also be empowered to issue other directions for resolution, appoint or approve for appointment,
authorities or committees to advise the banking companies for stressed asset resolution.
Comment:
Stressed assets in the banking system have reached unacceptably high levels and hence, urgent measures were
required for their speedy resolution.
Therefore, the government considered it necessary to make provisions in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 for
authorizing the Reserve Bank of India to issue directions to any banking company or banking companies to
effectively use the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 for timely resolution of stressed
assets.
Cabinet clears minimum wage code bill (Indian Express)
Why in news?
Union cabinet cleared the first of the four labour codes on
wages, paving way for consolidation of more than a dozen
different central labour laws dealing with wages of
labourers.
LABOUR REFORMS
The labour bill, marking the first major initiative of this
government in amalgamating labour laws thereby
significantly improving the ease of doing business as well as
ensuring universal minimum wage to all, will now be laid in
Parliament in the ongoing monsoon session.
The proposed legislation is expected to benefit over 4 crore
employees.
The Code on Wages Bill also seeks to empower the Centre
to set a minimum wage across sectors, and states will have
to maintain that.
However, states will be able to provide higher minimum wage in their jurisdiction than fixed by the central
government since labour is in the concurrent list.
Once approved by Parliament, even workers getting monthly pay of higher than Rs 18,000 would be legally
entitled to a minimum wage.
At present, laws on wages do not cover workers getting monthly wage of more than Rs 18,000. Besides, the
minimum wage will be applicable on all classes of workers.
Gold Bond Scheme:
The cabinet also raised the ceiling for gold deposits under the sovereign gold bonds (SGB) scheme to make it
more attractive.
The limit under the sovereign gold bonds (SGB) scheme to four kg per fiscal for individuals from the existing 500 gm.
The same limit has been extended for Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) and 20 Kg for trusts and similar entities
notified by the government.
The ceiling will be counted on financial year basis and will include the SGBs purchased during the trading in the
secondary market.
SC rejects abortion plea of 10-year-old (The Hindu)
Why in news?
A 10-year-old rape victim has been left with
no choice but to continue with her pregnancy
after a medical panel informed the Supreme
Court that an abortion will endanger both the
girl and her 32-week-old foetus.
But the Bench went on to urge the
government, to consider setting up permanent
medical boards across the States so that
women, especially child rape victims, could
receive expedient access to medical care.
Key points:
The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 bars abortion if the foetus has crossed the 20-week mark.
An exception to the law is made if a registered medical practitioner certifies to a court that the continued
pregnancy is life-threatening for either the mother or the baby.
Present Scenario:
Presently, women are forced to undertake the cumbersome process of approaching different courts, from district
courts to high courts and finally the Supreme Court, for permission to medically terminate their pregnancies
which are over 20 weeks.
The frequent number of such cases which have come to the Supreme Court range from child rape victims to
destitute women to women with substantial foetus abnormalities.
All such cases, have been considered under Article 142 (orders passed by the apex court to do complete justice).
Amendment pending:
An amended Bill of the 1971 law which extends the bar from 20 to 24 weeks has been in the cold storage for the
past three years.
This draft Bill allows women, whose pregnancies are within 24 weeks, reproductive rights in consultation with
their medical practitioners.
The draft Bill also allows abortion beyond 24 weeks in case the foetus suffers from substantial abnormalities.
As of now, women who have crossed the 20-week limit need a judicial order to even get medically examined on
their plea for abortion.
LS passes Bill for more autonomy to IIMs (The Hindu)
The Lok Sabha passed a Bill to grant Indian Institutes of Management the power to grant degrees instead of
postgraduate diplomas.
It also allows students to acquire Ph.D degrees from the IIMs.
Highlighted points:
At present, the Centre has a role in the functioning of the IIMs, including the appointment of the chairpersons to
the Boards of the IIMs, their directors and fixing the pay of the directors.
It is because the fellowships of IIMs were not regarded by many as Ph.Ds that there were less students for Ph.Ds
to become Fellows.
They used to go after doing Diploma here. They used to go to foreign countries and do research. Now research
will be (done) here.
The Bill confers on the 20 IIMs the status of institutions of national importance and also grants them greater
functional autonomy by restricting the role of the government in them.
As per the IIM Bill, 2017, a Board of Governors will appoint the director of each IIM.
A search-cum-selection-committee will recommend the names. And the director will be eligible for variable pay
determined by the Board.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES
MERIT app and e-Bidding portal for utilization of domestic coal in IPP Power Stations for reducing the cost
of power generation launched (PIB)
The Union Government has launched the MERIT app (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of
Income and Transparency) and the e-bidding portal for offering an e-Bidding solution to States.
Key points:
The app and the portal would help the states to select Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for procurement of
power by transferring their domestic coal under the scheme of flexibility in utilisation of domestic coal.
The launch of the app and the portal is aimed at promoting the vision of Minimum Government and Maximum
Governance through Speed, Skill and Scale.
The advantages of MERIT app:
Empowerment of the Consumer and participative governance
Transparent information dissemination pertaining to marginal variable cost and source wise purchase of
electricity
Promotes economy and efficiency in operations
Helps understand the utility portfolio and its complexity
Optimization of the power procurement costs
Facilitates renewable integration and handling of the variability and uncertainty of renewables
Indication of supply side reliability, adequacy, and co
The flexibility in utilization of domestic coal scheme envisages transferring coal to more efficient IPPs generating
stations, leading to lower generation costs and ultimately lesser cost of electricity for the consumers.
JIGYASA - Student-Scientist connect programme launched (PIB)
Jigyasa, a student- scientist connect programme was officially launched. Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR), has joined hands with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to implement this programme.
Key facts:
The focus is on connecting school students and scientists so as to extend students classroom learning with that
of a very well planned research laboratory based learning.
The JIGYASA would inculcate the culture of inquisitiveness on one hand and scientific temper on the other,
amongst the school students and their teachers. The Programme is expected to connect 1151 Kendriya
Vidyalayas with 38 National Laboratories of CSIR targeting 100,000 students and nearly 1000 teachers annually.
The program will also enable the students and teachers to practically live the theoretical concepts taught in
science by visiting CSIR laboratories and by participating in mini-science projects.
Railways' new 'Give it Up' campaign (Business Standard)
Why in news?
Taking a cue from the petroleum ministry, Indian Railways is set to launch a
Give-It-Up campaign to travellers for letting go of the subsidy on train
tickets.
A similar mission launched by the Ministry of Petroleum was a hit, with 10.5
million liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-consuming households opting out of
the subsidy.
Background:
The national transporter recovers only close to 57 per cent of the cost of
travel on each ticket; on suburban tickets, it comes to around 40 per cent.
This has led to an annual subsidy burden of about Rs 30,000 crore for the
railways.
The railways had posted its worst operating ratio in 16 years at 96.9 per
cent in 2016-17. This was attributed to the social burden and the pay
commission impact. It has also appointed an international consultancy
entity to devise a performance index other than the operating ratio.
Key points:
Passengers will have the option to forgo either 100 per cent of the subsidy or 50 per cent or to avail of the
subsidy. It will be a voluntary decision.
This scheme will be available for all passengers.
This is part of a move to run the railways on a more corporate mode, subsequent to the Bibek Debroy committee
report in 2015.
Govt to push e-education with 4 digital initiatives (Business Standard)
They are:
o Swayam an indigenously designed massive open online course (MOOC),
o Swayam Prabha 32 Direct-to-Home channels for transmitting high-quality educational content,
o The National Digital Library containing 6.5 million books, and
o The National Academic Depository for authenticating all certificates issued by institutions.
All these digital initiatives are operational under Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
Swayam:
With the launch of SWAYAM, India has become one of the few countries in the World which has its own online
interactive learning platform that provides, not only video lectures, reading material but also
assignments/quizzes that could end up in securing credits after completing the assessment system. More than
400 Courses are available on SWAYAM covering all the engineering and non-engineering subjects at
undergraduate and post-graduate levels.
The UGC has already issued Regulation that allows transfer of credits earned through the courses done through
SWAYAM into the academic record of the students. It is now possible for the students and others to take courses
of the prestigious IITs or IIMs without formally studying there. The platform has been constructed by Microsoft
with totally indigenous efforts.
Swayam Prabha:
Through Swayam Prabha, the government would air new content of four hours every day. It would be repeated
six times a day. The content would be mainly for students from Class IX to XII and those who are preparing for
admission into IITs.
Other Initiatives:
Programme 17 for 17 :
A 17 point action plan for 2017 for building digital campuses and high quality education. The action plan covers
measures like universal adoption of digital education, digital financial transactions in the campuses from the
current academic year.
Housing for all: Theres a lot to be built (Challenges related to PMAY)
Amidst the governments celebrations on completing three years in office, one flagship scheme remains a
massive and challenging opportunity: Housing for all by 2022.
The ground breaking, affordable housing initiative backing this promise, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY),
plans to provide homes to 18 million households in urban India and nearly 30 million households in rural India.
Issues regarding Housing For All:
The government's housing scheme is far from reaching its goal due to many impeding factors.
The Government has approved only 1.88 million urban houses and roughly 103,000 have been built. The
progress of PMAYs implementation has been disappointing.
About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY):
It is central governments flagship scheme to provide housing for rural poor in India.
A similar scheme for urban poor recently launched is the "Housing For All by 2022"
PMAY plans to provide homes to 18 million households in urban India and nearly 30 million households in rural India.
PMAY provides interest subsidy on a home loan and direct subsidy for individual house construction or
enhancement.
Challenges for implementation:
The technical Groups report highlighted the problem of housing shortage (lack in number of houses to
accommodate the population of an area).
There is widespread scarcity of land in building new housing units.
Property records - People in ancestral homes and slum dwellers are unlikely to have proper title documents
which are required for availing the subsidy.
Moreover, land records are governed by the States revenue department, while housing is a separate agency.
The existence of distorted rental market is another cause of concern.
Reports showed that there were over 10 million vacant houses which are un/ under-utilised.
Owners of these vacant houses prefer to leave their house vacant, rather than offer it on rent in the fear of losing
their property to tenants.
Way Forward?
There are three major policy levers that can help solve these challenges.
First, States need to simplify the process of updating property records. This will allow all citizens to obtain legal
documents to their land and property in order to fully embrace the subsidy features of PMAY and access credit,
which will enable them to upgrade their housing.
Secondly, enable individual households who dont have legal titles to in-situ upgrade their housing by providing
them with security of tenure even a no eviction guarantee. Ahmedabads success with the Slum Networking
Program shows that the security and comfort from such measures can encourage slum residents to invest money
and upgrade their shelter.
Finally, States need to push through the much-needed rental reforms that balance the interests of tenants with
the protection of property owners rights, and dont distort rental markets by artificially controlling rents. This
has the potential to bring vacant housing stock into the rental market and alleviate the housing shortage.
Over Rs 57,000 crore savings through DBT: Government (The Hindu & Economic Times)
Why in news?
The government has saved a whopping Rs 57,000 crore with its Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme under
which subsidies are given directly to beneficiaries.
According to government data, of the Rs 57,029 crore saved under DBT in 2016-17, the LPG subsidy scheme
'Pahal' accounted for Rs 29,769 crore.
Background:
The DBT programme, a major reform initiative to check graft in welfare funds, was launched by the UPA
government on January 1, 2013.
It was aimed at transferring benefits of various central government-run social welfare schemes to the bank
accounts of beneficiaries.
Key points:
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, that guarantees 100 days of employment
for every rural household, saved Rs 11,741 crore, and Rs 399 crore were saved in DBT transfers for the National
Social Assistance Programme, which deals with, among other things, old age and widow pensions, the latest data
from the Cabinet Secretariat showed.
DBT led to a saving of about Rs 36,144 crore in 2015- 16.
A total of 485 schemes have been identified from 60 ministries for the DBT.
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme:
The DBT Scheme, a major reform initiative to check graft in welfare funds was launched by then UPA
Government on 1 January 2013.
It aims at transferring benefits of various central government-run social welfare schemes directly to the bank
accounts of beneficiaries.
Its objective is to reform Government delivery system by re-engineering the existing process in welfare schemes
for simpler and faster flow of funds/information and ensure accurate targeting of the beneficiaries, reduce
duplication and fraud.
DBT functions under the Cabinet Secretariat and its implementation is directly monitored by the Prime Ministers
Office (PMO). JAM Trinity i.e. Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile are DBT enablers.
DBT scheme has been high priority and focus area of the government to bring efficiency, effectiveness,
transparency and accountability in the Government system and infuse confidence of citizen in the governance.
Minister of Railways launched various Railway initiatives (PIB)
Minister of Railways launched the following Initiatives:-
1.RailCloud
Indian Railway has started a strategic IT initiative, christened IR-One ICT, with an aim to improve customer
satisfaction, improve revenue and effective, efficient and safe operations.
To achieve the goal of single digital platform for IR a few foundational projects need to be implemented first,
establishment of Rail Cloud is one such project.
2. NIVARAN-Grievance Portal First IT application on Rail Cloud
NIVARAN-Grievance Portal is the first IT application to be launched on the Rail Cloud.
It is the platform for resolution of service related grievances of serving and former railway employees. The
existing application was hosted on a conventional server; it has been made cloud-ready and being migrated as
the first cloud application of Indian Railways.
It will save significant revenue and at the same time user experience will also improve.
3. Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE)
To provide immediate care to its retired employees in Golden Hour Railway Board has decided to roll out a
Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE), in empanelled hospitals, for retired employees and their
dependent family members.
A web based system of communication between private hospitals and railway authorities has been developed
wherein identity of the beneficiary shall be established using biometrics stored in Aadhar (UIDAI) server,
eligibility shall be determined using Railway Data Base and emergency shall be verified by Railway Medical Officer
based on private hospitals clinical report.
Elevate 100 Scheme:
It is being implemented in the State of Karnataka.
The aim is to identify 100 most innovative start-ups in the state to elevate them to the next level of success.
Through this scheme, start-ups will be given funds and technical and business supports based on their need.
Three Export infra plans (The Hindu)
The Centre Government for the first time under a new scheme
launched to address the infrastructure problem has given its
approval for three proposals including one to establish an
Integrated Cargo Terminal (ICT) at the Imphal International Airport.
These three proposals include Integrated Cargo Terminal (ICT) at
the Imphal International Airport, Modernisation of infrastructure
facility for marine exports in Karnataka and construction of a
new Standard Design Factory building at Cochin Special
Economic Zone (SEZ).
Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES):
The scheme replaces Assistance to States for creating
Infrastructure for the Development and growth of Exports
(ASIDE), a centrally sponsored scheme to address the needs of
the exporters.
Its objective is to enhance export competitiveness by bridging
the gap in export infrastructure, create focused export infrastructure and first-mile and last-mile connectivity.
It is being implemented from FY18 till FY20 with budgetary allocation of Rs. 600 crore.
The beneficiaries of the scheme will be all central and state agencies including Commodities Boards, Export
Promotion Councils, SEZ authorities and Apex Trade Bodies recognised under EXIM policy of Central Government
are eligible for financial support.
Under the scheme, the cost of projects will be equally shared by the Centre and the states in form of grant-in-aid.
In normal cases centre will borne 50% of the total equity in the project.
For projects located in north-eastern and the Himalayan region states, Centre may bear 80% of the cost It will
provide assistance for setting up and up-gradation of infrastructure projects with export linkages like Land
customs stations, quality testing and certification labs, Border Haats, cold chains, trade promotion centres, dry
ports, export warehousing and packaging, SEZs and ports/airports cargo terminuses.
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) (PIB)
Why in news:
PMVVY is a Pension Scheme by the Government of
India exclusively for the senior citizens aged 60 years
and above which is available from 4th May, 2017 to 3rd
May, 2018.
The Scheme can be purchased offline as well as online
through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which
has been given the sole privilege to operate this
Scheme.
Following are the major benefits under the Pradhan
Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY):
Scheme provides an assured return of 8% p.a. payable
monthly (equivalent to 8.30% p.a. effective) for 10 years.
Pension is payable at the end of each period, during the
policy term of 10 years, as per the frequency of
monthly/ quarterly/ half-yearly/ yearly as chosen by
the pensioner at the time of purchase.
The scheme is exempted from Service Tax/ GST.
On survival of the pensioner to the end of the policy term of 10 years, Purchase price along with final pension
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installment shall be payable.
Loan upto 75% of Purchase Price shall be allowed after 3 policy years (to meet the liquidity needs). Loan interest
shall be recovered from the pension installments and loan to be recovered from claim proceeds.
The scheme also allows for premature exit for the treatment of any critical/ terminal illness of self or spouse. On
such premature exit, 98% of the Purchase Price shall be refunded.
On death of the pensioner during the policy term of 10 years, the Purchase Price shall be paid to the beneficiary.
The ceiling of maximum pension is for a family as a whole, the family will comprise of pensioner, his/her spouse
and dependants.
The shortfall owing to the difference between the interest guaranteed and the actual interest earned and the
expenses relating to administration shall be subsidized by the Government of India and reimbursed to the
Corporation.
Ministry of Rural Development to launch Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (PIB)
The Ministry of Rural Development has launched a new sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana
National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), named as Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY).
The main objectives of AGEY are to provide an alternative source of livelihoods to members of Self Help Groups
(SHGs) under DAY-NRLM by facilitating them to operate public transport services in backward rural areas.
Key points of Scheme:
This will provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services like e-rickshaws, 3 and 4-
wheeler motorised transport vehicles to connect remote villages with key services and amenities including access
to markets, education and health for the overall economic development of the area.
The sub-scheme will be implemented in 250 blocks in the country on a pilot basis for a period of 3 years from
2017-18 to 2019-20.
The States have been informed about the number of blocks allocated to them to take up this sub-scheme in the
pilot phases.
One of the options proposed to be given under the sub-scheme is that the Community Based Organisation (CBO)
will provide interest free loan from its own corpus to Self Help Group member for purchase of the vehicle.
The Government is implementing DAY-NRLM across the country in all States and Union Territories (except Delhi
and Chandigarh).
Significance:
The financial support under the programme is mainly in the form of Revolving Fund and Community Investment
Funds, given as grants to the Self Help Groups (SHGs) and their federations.
DAY-NRLM also focuses on bank linkage of the institutions to enable their income The Cumulative Bank Credit
mobilized for women SHGs and their federations since inception is to the tune of Rs 1.19 lakh crores.
The programme has a special focus on women empowerment including a dedicated component for promoting
farm and non-farm based livelihoods for women farmers in rural areas.
In addition, start-up enterprises at village levels are also supported to promote entrepreneurial activities in those
areas.
Draft Guidelines for implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PIB)
Why in news?
Draft guidelines for implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) have been prepared by
the Ministry.
The draft guidelines inter-alia provide Aadhaar linkage, Direct Benefit Transfer of Rs. 5000 in beneficiarys
bank/post office account in three instalments at the stage of early registration of pregnancy, after six months of
pregnancy on at least one antenatal check-up and registration of child birth & first cycle of immunisation of the
child.
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY):
Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), previously Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY), is
a maternity benefit program run by the government of India.
The PMMVY is Centrally Sponsored Scheme under which the cost sharing ratio between the Centre and the
States & UTs with Legislature is 60:40, for North-Eastern States & three Himalayan States, it is 90:10 and 100%
Central assistance for Union Territories without Legislature.
It is a conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years of age or above for first
two live births.
It provides a partial wage compensation to women for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and to provide
conditions for safe delivery and good nutrition and feeding practices.
In 2013, the scheme was brought under the National Food Security Act, 2013 to implement the provision of cash
maternity benefit of 6,000 stated in the Act.
National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP) of India (The Hindu)
Why in news?
NTFAP released by the Centre in July 2017 aims to reduce cargo release time for exports and imports as part of
measures intended to boost trade. It is to be implemented between 2017 and 2020, is part of India's efforts to
improve its ease of doing business ranking in the World Bank's annual report.
It has been described by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) as a best practice' that other nations can adopt.
Key Points:
NTFAP also awards specific responsibilities to all regulatory agencies like Customs, FSSAI, Drug Controller, Plant
Quarantine, DGFT, etc to be completed in a time-bound manner.
This Action Plan gives a time bound map, not only for implementing TFA, but also for Indias initiatives for trade
facilitation and Ease of Doing Business which goes beyond TFA.
Apart from activities under the ambit of TFA, the Action Plan also goes beyond to what has been defined as TFA
Plus category. It covers many activities in the areas of infrastructure augmentation, particularly the roadways and
railways leading to ports and the infrastructure within ports, airports, ICDs, land customs stations that cuts across
all stakeholders for which various ministries like shipping, civil aviation, railways, road transport and highways,
Home Affairs, Finance, Commerce etc have been assigned specified targets.
All actions covered under the plan have been categorized by prioritizing the activities into short term, midterm
and long term. The National Plan would be monitored by the Steering Committee (the operational arm of the
NCTF) chaired by the Revenue Secretary and the Commerce Secretary. The plan would be reviewed by the
Cabinet Secretary.
Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA):
The WTO's (World Trade Organisation) Trade Facilitation Agreement aims at easing customs procedures for the
cross-border movement of goods.
It was outcome of WTO's 9th Bali (Indonesia) ministerial package of 2013.
The implementation of the TFA has the potential to create US 1 trillion dollars' worth of global economic activity
which may add 21 million new jobs and lower the cost of doing international trade by 10 to 15 per cent.
Earlier Indian Government had refused to ratify TFA till its concerns about public stockholding for food security
are resolved. But in order to address India's concerns WTO had agreed to amend the Bali agreement, providing
India an indefinite reprieve on food stockholding.
India ratified the agreement in April 2016.
Bali Package:
It is a trade agreement resulting from the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Bali,
Indonesia on 3-7 December 2013.
It is aimed at lowering global trade barriers and is the first agreement reached through the WTO that is approved
by all its members. The package forms part of the Doha Development Round, which started in 2001.
It includes provisions for:
1. Lowering import tariffs and agricultural subsidies: It will make it easier for developing countries to trade with the
developed world in global markets.
2. Abolish hard import quotas: Developed countries would abolish hard import quotas on agricultural products
from the developing world and instead would only be allowed to charge tariffs on amount of agricultural imports
exceeding specific limits.
3. Reduction in red tape at international borders: It aims to reduce red-tapism to facilitate trade through (TFA) by
reforming customs bureaucracies and formalities. Comment The ratification will supplement India's ongoing
reforms to bring in simplification and enhanced transparency in cross border trade in goods. It will further help
India to boost economic growth by reducing trade costs and supporting its integration into the global economy.
Owaisi brings Bill on mob violence (The Hindu)
Why in news?
Asaduddin Owaisi, an MP has sent notice for a private members Bill in the Lok Sabha to combat mob violence,
with sections to award a minimum 10 years imprisonment to public servants for acts of omission.
The Bill criminalises mob violence as well as acts of omission by public servants.
Key points:
The Bill proposes special courts for trying cases of mob violence, with judges appointed by a collegium of five
senior-most High Court judges. These courts will receive complaints of mob violence, set up special investigation
teams and appoint public prosecutors.
The SIT and public prosecutor will also be under Supreme Court supervision.
Punishment up to life imprisonment, special compensation and witness protection are built into the Bill.
The most significant clause, however, is the award of penalties to public servants when such cases are not
properly investigated, either due to malafide intentions or wilful neglect.
Mob violence include any act in which two or more persons injure, harm, oppress or threaten a person on the
basis of his identity or prevent his enjoyment of a Constitutional right.
Mobile App for Road Maintenance Aarambh launched (PIB)
Why in news?
The Union Ministry of Rural Development launched Aarambh mobile app for performance based maintenance
contracting and community contracting for maintenance of rural roads.
It was launched jointly launched by Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Drinking Water &
Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar and visiting ILO Deputy Director General (Policy) Deborah Greenfield.
Aarambh mobile app:
Aarambh mobile app aims at use of Geographic Information System (GIS) based mapping for making road
inventories, condition surveys and producing cost estimates and other relevant data for preparation and
monitoring of annual road maintenance plans. Its usage will help to enhance the service delivery of the state
level institutions in planning and implementing performance based rural roads maintenance contracts.
Concept and Guidance Note for Mobilizing Funds for Maintenance of Rural Road:
In addition, the Ministry also launched a Concept Note and Guidance Note for Mobilizing Funds for Maintenance
of Rural Road. The note outlines innovative ways, that can be adopted by State Governments for mobilizing
additional funds for road maintenance and also adopt international best practices worldwide. It will help states
to overcome challenge of resource mobilization for rural roads maintenance.
Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at
workplace (PIB)
The Minister of Women & Child Development has launched an online complaint management system titled
Sexual Harassment electronicBox (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at
workplace.
The complaint management system has been developed to ensure the effective implementation of Sexual
Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act (the SH Act), 2013.
Key points:
This portal is an initiative to provide a platform to women working or visiting any office of Central Government
(Central Ministries, Departments, Public Sector Undertakings, Autonomous Bodies and Institutions etc.) to file
complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace under the SH Act.
Those who had already filed a written complaint with the concerned Internal Complaint Committee (ICC)
constituted under the SH Act are also eligible to file their complaint through this portal.
Background:
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 seeks to
protect women from sexual harassment at their place of work.
This statute superseded the Vishakha Guidelines for prevention of sexual harassment introduced by the Supreme
Court of India.
Under the Act, which also covers students in schools and colleges as well as patients in hospitals, employers and
local authorities will have to set up grievance committees to investigate all complaints.
Employers who fail to comply will be punished with a fine of up to 50,000 rupees.
India Quake : Disaster Management (PIB)
To overcome the delay in dissemination of the information during earthquakes, India Quake Mobile App has
been developed by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) for automatic dissemination of earthquake
parameter (location, time and magnitude) after the occurrence of earthquakes.
Key points:
The App will make information dissemination faster with no restrictions on the number of recipients.
Any citizen can download this App and get the real time earthquake location information on his/her mobile.
Other than scientific and administrative benefits of the App, it will help in reducing panic amongst people during
an earthquake.
For example, if an earthquake occurs in Hindukush region, Afghanistan and is strongly felt in Delhi, then people in
Delhi will know in less than 2 minutes that the earthquake has actually occurred in Afghanistan and not in Delhi.
Sagar Vani - An Integrated Information Dissemination System (PIB)
Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment,
Forests & Climate Change launched an app Sagar Vani.
About Sagar Vani:
The Sagar Vani is a software platform where various dissemination
modes will be integrated on a single central server.
The Sagar Vani includes Multi Lingual SMS, Voice Call / Audio
Advisory, Mobile Apps (User / Admin modules), Social Media
(Facebook, Twitter, etc.), Email, GTS, Fax, Digital Display Boards,
Radio / Television broadcast units, IVRS, Cloud Channels, etc.
The system also has facility to provide access to various
stakeholders (NGOs, State Fishery Departments, Disaster
Management Authorities, etc.) so that they too will be able to
further disseminate these ocean information and alerts to the user
community.
This Sagar Vani system compares with the most advanced
countries services in terms of speed of delivery, omni channel
capabilities and diverseness of services.
With this system, the services will be disseminated in local languages using advanced artificial intelligence and
machine learning capabilities.
The Sagar Vani will now serve the coastal community, especially the fishermen community with the advisories
and alerts towards their livelihood as well as their safety at Sea.
Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2 in Mumbai (PIB)
The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has launched Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2 in Mumbai, Maharashtra under
the Jiyo Parsi scheme.
The Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2 aims at containing the declining trend of population of the Parsi community and
reverses it to bring their population above the threshold level.
Jiyo Parsi scheme:
Jiyo Parsi scheme is a Central Sector Scheme for containing population decline of Parsis in India.
Its main objective is to reverse the declining trend of Parsi population by adopting a scientific protocol and
structured interventions.
It aims to stabilize and increase the population of Parsis in India.
It has two components: Medical Assistance and Advocacy (Counselling). The first phase of the scheme was
launched initiated in 2013.
INTERNATIONAL / INDIA AND WORLD
Why Bhutan is special to India (The Hindu)
The present standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in

Doka La (Doklam) is a rare insight into New Delhis very special
relationship with Bhutan, which includes military
responsibilities towards it.
Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) recently attempted to
construct a road in the disputed Doklam region unilaterally.
However, Bhutan had strongly opposed this.
Coordinated actions between India and Bhutan:
India- Bhutan friendship treaty 2007 has been guiding the
bilateral relations between the two countries.
Under the 2007 India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty, the two sides
have agreed to cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests. Neither
Government shall allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the
other.
Under the previous treaty, India was to guide Bhutan on foreign and defence policies. The language of the 2007
treaty is meant to respect the sensitivities of Bhutan regarding its sovereignty. But the reality is that the Indian
military is virtually responsible for protecting Bhutan from the kind of external threat that the Chinese military
poses.
The Eastern Army Command and the Eastern Air Command both have integrated protection of Bhutan into their
role.
Mission Maccabiah: this year in Israel (The Hindu)
For 60 years, octogenarian Sam Marshall's mission has been to ensure that the Indian team gets to the
Maccabiah Games in Israel - also known as the Jewish Olympics' - and brings home medals.
This year, the games are in Jerusalem, and by coincidence, will be inaugurated during Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's visit to Israel.
Most of the team come from Maharashtra's Bene-Israel community, from families that barely eke out a living.
Maccabiah Games:
It is an international Jewish multi-sport event now held quadrennially in Israel.
It is the third-largest sporting event in the world, (after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup) with 10,000
athletes competing.
The Maccabiah Games are often referred to as the "Jewish Olympics. It was first held in 1932.
The Maccabiah Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, as well as to all Israeli athletes
regardless of religion. Arab Israelis have also competed in it.
Indo-Thai joint military exercise Maitree 2017
A joint military training exercise Maitree 2017 between Indian Army and Royal Thailand Army commenced at
Bakloh in Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.
The aim of exercise is to build and promote closer relations while exchanging skills and experiences between the
two armies.
It is an annual event. The previous edition of the exercise was held at Krabi in Thailand in 2016.
Vietnam for greater Indian role in SE Asia (Delhi Dialogue IX) (The Hindu)
Why in news?
The 9th edition of the Delhi Dialogue which is an annual event to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-
cultural engagement between ASEAN and India. It has been held annually since 2009.
Speaking at the Delhi Dialogue IX, a platform for discussion between ASEAN and India, Vietnamese Deputy Prime
Minister Pham Binh Minh said that India should support freedom of navigation in the South China Sea on the
basis of international law and conventions.
Key points:
The theme for Delhi Dialogue 9 is ASEAN-India Relations: Charting the Course for the Next 25 Years.
Delhi Dialogue is a conference in which policymakers converge to discuss a range of issues relating to India-
ASEAN relations.
The Delhi Dialogue is being organised by the MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF),
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and other bodies of the ASEAN countries.
Beijing Declaration on Education (PIB)
BRICS ministers of education and assigned representatives have adopted Beijing Declaration on Education in a
recently held 5th meeting of BRICS Ministers of education at Beijing.
Committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4)-Education 2030 which aims to Ensure inclusive
and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all that was set within the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development.
About Declarations taken at Beijing:
Reiterate support for the BRICS Network University (NU) to collaborate in the fields of education, research and
innovation. Encourage universities to participate in the BRICS University League.
Increase cultural cooperation through language education and multilingualism to promote mutual understanding
of the history and culture of BRICS Member States.
Strengthen cooperation in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), share ideas and
experiences in the development of vocational educators, and develop projects that are of common interests to
BRICS Member States.
Recognize the importance of BRICS Think Tanks Council (BTTC), BRICS Network University as well as other BRICS
initiatives, and encourage the streamlining of mechanisms for their closer cooperation to ensure the alignment of
their work.
Emphasize the importance of streamlining the cooperation among educational think tanks and education
researchers, and welcome Chinas invitation to host a conference to explore possible cooperation among the
various entities in BRICS Member States.
Encourage Member States to expand the number of scholarship opportunities to students across BRICS Member
States.
Encourage the participation in the 3rd BRICS NU Annual Conference to be held in 2018, in Cape Town, South
Africa and in the BRICS Global Business and Innovation Conference to be held in September 2017, in St.
Petersburg, Russia.
UNESCO puts Old City of Hebron on its heritage in danger list:
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee acting on a proposal brought by Palestine has put the West Bank city of
Hebron on its list of world heritage in danger.
Hebron City:
Hebron is cited as one of the oldest cities in the world. The city is
very old dating from the Chalcolithic period or more than 3,000
years BC.
The Old City of Hebron has sites that are holy to both Jews and
Muslims, known as either the Tomb of the Patriarchs or the al-
Ibrahimi mosque.
The city which is the largest city in the West Bank is home to
more than 200,000 Palestinians and a few hundred Israeli settlers.
The religious site at the Hebron was originally built by the Jewish
King Herod, which was later added to by the Muslim caliphs.
G-20 leaders propose Hamburg Action Plan at summit conclusion (Business Standard)
The two-day G-20 summit that took place in Germany's Hamburg city ended with the leaders proposing the
Hamburg Action Plan to address major global challenges, including climate change, harnessing digitalisation, and
to contribute to prosperity and well-being.
Key facts:
Mastering the challenges of our age and shaping an interconnected world is the common goal of the G-20 as our
premier forum for international economic cooperation.
The leaders pledged to progress towards their joint objective in the G20, which is strong, sustainable, balanced
and inclusive growth.
Highlights of Hamburg Action Plan:
The G-20 nations are resolved to tackle common challenges to the global community, including terrorism,
displacement, poverty, hunger and health threats, job creation, climate change, energy security, and inequality
including gender inequality, as a basis for sustainable development and stability.
In order to improving sustainable livelihoods, the G-20 leaders collectively committed to mitigate greenhouse gas
emissions through, among others, increased innovation on sustainable and clean energies and energy efficiency,
and work towards low greenhouse-gas emission energy systems.
The Leaders of the other G-20 members also agreed that the Paris Agreement is irreversible reiterated the
importance of fulfilling the UNFCCC commitment by developed countries in providing means of implementation
including financial resources to assist developing countries with respect to both mitigation and adaptation
actions in line with Paris outcomes.
The leaders called on the United Nations to keep global health high on the political agenda and strive for
cooperative action to strengthen health systems worldwide, including through developing the health workforce.
The leaders also stressed on combating Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), which is a growing threat to public
health and economic growth.
The leader in the G-20 Summit also remained committed to fighting corruption, including through practical
international cooperation and technical assistance, and will continue to fully implement the G-20 Anti-
Corruption Action Plan 2017-18.
122 countries adopt global treaty banning nuclear weapons
A global treaty banning nuclear weapons was adopted at the United Nations despite opposition from the United
States, Britain, France and other nuclear powers that boycotted negotiations.
The treaty was adopted by a vote of 122 in favour with one country NATO member The Netherlands voting
against while Singapore abstained.
Key facts:
Led by Austria, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and New Zealand, 141 countries joined in drafting the treaty that they
hope will increase pressure on nuclear states to take disarmament more seriously.
None of the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France,
India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel took part in the negotiations or the vote.
Even Japan the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, in 1945 boycotted the talks as did most NATO
countries.
Nuclear powers argue their arsenals serve as a deterrent against a nuclear attack and say they remain committed
to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Disarmament campaigners say the treaty will go a long way in increasing the stigma associated with nuclear
weapons and will have an impact on public opinion.
China sends PLA unit to man overseas base (The Hindu)
China has dispatched Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) personnel to man its first overseas military base at Djibouti
in the strategic Indian Ocean region, a move likely to spark concerns in the U.S.
Key facts:
The establishment of the PLA Djibouti base was a decision made by
the two countries after friendly negotiations, and accords with the
common interest of the people from both sides.
The base will ensure Chinas performance of missions, such as
escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West
Asia.
The base will also conduct overseas tasks, including military
cooperation, joint exercises, evacuating and protecting overseas
Chinese and emergency rescue, as well as jointly maintaining
security of international strategic seaways.
Djibouti base, which China says is more of a logistical and resting
centre than a military base, was under construction since 2011.
It is the first such base being set up by China. The second base is coming up in Gwadar, Pakistan, which links up
with China through the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Cabinet approves SASEC Road Connectivity Investment Program - Tranche 2
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for upgradation and widening of 65 kms of
Imphal-Moreh Section of NH-39 in Manipur.
Key facts:
The project is being developed with ADB's loan assistance under the South Asian Sub-Regional Economic
Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connectivity Investment Program which aims at upgradation of road infrastructure in
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India (BBIN) in order to improve the regional connectivity among BBIN nations.
The project corridor is also a part of the Asian Highway No. 01 (AH01) and acts as India's Gateway to the East.
Thus trade, commerce and tourism in the region will get a boost.
About SASEC:
The SASEC program was formed in 2001 in response to the request of the four countries of South Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal from ADB to assist in facilitating economic cooperation among them.
These four countries comprise the South Asia Growth Quadrangle (SAGQ), formed in 1996, as a vehicle for
accelerating sustainable economic development through regional cooperation.
As a project-based partnership, the SASEC program has been helping realize regional prosperity by enhancing
cross-border connectivity, facilitating faster and more efficient trade and promoting cross-border power trade.
Maldives and Sri Lanka joined SASEC in 2014, further expanding opportunities for enhancing economic linkages in
the sub-region. Myanmar has joined the group recently as its seventh member.
Agreement between India and Bangladesh for Promotion and Protection of Investments (PIB)
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Joint Interpretative Notes (JIN) on the Agreement between India
and Bangladesh for the Promotion and Protection of Investments.
The JIN includes interpretative notes to be jointly adopted for many clauses, including, the definition of investor,
definition of investment, exclusion of taxation measures, Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET), National Treatment
(NT) and Most Favoured Nation (MFN) treatment, expropriation, essential security interests and Settlement of
Disputes between an Investor-and a Contracting Party.
Significance:
The JIN would impart clarity to the interpretation of the existing Agreement between India and Bangladesh for
the Promotion and Protection of Investments (BIPA).
Joint Interpretative Statements in general play an important supplementary role in strengthening the investment
treaty regime.
With increasing Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) disputes, issuance of such statements is likely to have strong
persuasive value before tribunals. Such pro-active approach by States can foster a more predictable and coherent
reading of treaty terms by arbitration tribunals.
EU, India set up fund for investments
European Union (EU) and India announced the establishment of an Investment Facilitation Mechanism (IFM) for
EU investments in India.
Key facts:
The mechanism will allow for a close coordination between the European Union and the Government of India
with an aim to promote and facilitate EU investment in India.
The IFM has been established with the key objectives of paving the way for identifying and solving problems
faced by EU companies and investors with regard to their operations in India.
The IFM is also going to serve as a platform for discussing general suggestions from the point of view of EU
companies and investors with regard to ease of doing business in India, which I am sure, would boost and
encourage the EU investors to avail the investment opportunities available in India.
Background:
The IFM builds on the Joint Statement of the 13th EU-India Summit held in Brussels in March 2016, where the EU
had welcomed India's readiness to establish such a mechanism and leaders from both sides had reaffirmed their
shared commitment to oppose protectionism and to work in favour of a fair, transparent and rule-based trade
and investment environment.
US House passes bill on defence co-operation with India (The Hindu)
The US House of Representatives has passed a defence expenditure Bill that proposes to advance defence
cooperation with India.
An amendment in this regard was adopted by a voice vote by the House as part of the National Defence
Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2018, beginning October 1 this year. NDAA-2018 was passed by the House 344-81.
National Defence Authorisation Act
Following the passage of the National Defence Authorisation Act, the Secretary of Defence and Secretary of State
have 180 days to develop a strategy for advancing defence cooperation between the United States and India.
As passed by the House, NDAA-2018 asks the State Department and the Pentagon to develop a strategy that
addresses common security challenges, the role of American partners and allies in India-US defence relationship,
and role of the defence technology and trade initiative.
It also asks them to address how to advance the communications interoperability and security memorandum of
agreement and the basic exchange and cooperation agreement for geospatial cooperation.
The previous NDAA-2017 had designated India as a major defence partner which brings India at par with closest
American partners in terms of defence trade and technology transfer.
Malabar 2017:
Navies of India, US and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force have begun Malabar naval exercise 2017, aimed at
achieving deeper military ties between the three nations. It is the 21st edition of the Malabar exercise.
It is the fourth consecutive year Japans Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) has taken part in the Malabar
Exercise, conducted annually by the US and India in the Bay of Bengal since 1992.
India, Bangladesh to construct bridge along Mizoram border
India and Bangladesh have decided to construct a bridge over Mizorams Khawthlangtuipui river (also known as
Karnaphuli river) to facilitate trade and to improve communication between the two countries.
The Mamit district is situated adjacent to Khagrachari district of Southeast Bangladesh.
The proposed bridge is expected to be constructed as closer as possible to the nearest custom station located in
the Bangladesh side.
World Petroleum Congress
World Petroleum Congress is widely recognized as the `Olympics` of the oil and gas industry.
It is conducted tri-annually and various countries in World Petroleum Council bid to host the session in their
country.
Turkey has won the bid to host 22nd World Petroleum Congress 2017.
It attracts Ministers, CEOs of Oil and Gas MNCs, experts and academics from the hydrocarbon sectors and
provides an ideal forum to showcase potential of hydrocarbon sector in various countries.
World Petroleum council It is a non-advocacy, non-political organisation with charitable status in the U.K. and
has accreditation as a Non-Governmental Organization from the United Nations.
The WPC is dedicated to the promotion of sustainable management and use of the worlds petroleum resources
for the benefit of all.
US Navy Tests Worlds First Drone-Killing Laser Weapons System (The Hindu)
The U.S. Navy recently test fired the worlds first operational
and deployed laser weapons from a warship in the Persian
Gulf.
The worlds first active laser weapons system was fired from
the Austin-class amphibious transport dock USS Ponce.
How it works?
The new weapon releases photonselementary particles
which transmit lightat the speed of light silently hitting their
target and burning it to a temperature of thousands of
degrees. Unlike depicted in movies such as Star Wars, the
laser beam, essentially a narrow beam of focused light, is entirely invisible.
It operates in an invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum so you dont see the beam, it doesnt make any
sound, its completely silent and its incredibly effective at what it does.
Lasers are primarily intended for short-range defence (one to five miles) against aircraft, drones, and small boats.
Second-generation laser weapons systems are currently under development intended to take on faster targets
such as incoming ballistic missiles.
The downside of laser weapons systems is that they consume a lot of energy on the one hand, and that they have
difficulties penetrating dust, haze, and smoke on the other hand, which makes it difficult to effectively operate
them under adverse weather conditions.
Counter measures:
Possible counter-measure against laser weapons include fitting aircraft, boats and drones, with anti-laser coating
or laser-deflecting mirrors.
Threats to humans:
It should also be noted that an international agreement prohibits the targeting of human beings with laser
weapons of any type.
Guardian UAV deal with U.S. still a work in progress (The Hindu)
An American approval for the sale of 22 Guardian maritime surveillance has come India's way.
Given the Sea Guardian's capabilities, such a U.S. response to the Indian Navy's request demonstrates a major
change in U.S. policy as this type of aircraft capability is only exported to a very select few of America's closest
defence partners.
This represents tangible implementation of U.S. Congress' designation of India as a Major Defence Partner.
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The Navy currently operates Israeli Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs and is keen on acquiring High
Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) to augment its maritime surveillance capabilities.
DGCA braces for ICAO safety audit (Indian Express)
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is bracing for a safety oversight audit by the U.N. body,
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in November this year.
The aviation regulator is taking a series of steps to save it from the embarrassment of the 2012 audit in which the
ICAO had raised safety concerns about Indias aviation system.
Key facts:
The measures include hiring flight operation inspectors, aligning its rules with ICAO norms, certifying flight
examiners, among others.
The DGCA will be furnishing its response to the detailed protocol questionnaire posed by ICAO for its Universal
Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).
To make the posts of flight operation inspectors attractive for experienced pilots, the DGCA offered them
market-linked salary.
The DGCA has also aligned most of its rules, known as civil aviation requirements (CAR), with the ICAO norms.
The aviation regulator has been holding review meetings with airlines and airports every month for safety
compliance.
The ICAO conducts audit in areas related to legislation, organisation, licensing, operation, airworthiness, accident
investigation, air navigation and aerodromes.
India, Japan civil nuclear deal comes into force (The Hindu)
The India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy entered into force.
Significance of Deal:
This Agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between India and Japan and will pave the way for
enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy.
It seeks to promote full cooperation between the two countries in the development and uses of nuclear energy
for peaceful purposes on a stable, reliable and predictable basis.
The deal is essential for bringing a network of nuclear energy cooperation for India, especially with the U.S. as
prominent American nuclear companies are owned by the Japanese nuclear majors like Toshiba.
Background:
The India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was signed in Tokyo during
the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan in November 2016.
Till now, India has also signed civil nuclear deal with 10 other countries viz. Russia, United States, France, South
Korea, Mongolia, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia.
Cabinet approves MOC in respect of tax matters between India and BRICS countries (PIB)
The Union Cabinet has given the approval for the signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in respect of tax
matters between India and the Revenue administrations of BRICS countries namely, Brazil, Russian Federation,
China and South Africa.
Key Points:
The MoC aims to further promote cooperation amongst the BRICS Revenue administrations in international
forum on common areas of interest in tax matters and in the area of capacity building and knowledge sharing.
It envisages regular interaction amongst the heads of Revenue administration of BRICS countries to continue
discussion on common areas of interest and strive towards convergence of views and meeting of the Experts on
tax matters to discuss the contemporary issues in areas of international tax.
In addition, the MoC accords confidentiality and protection to information exchanged under this MoC.
Significance:
The MoC will stimulate effective cooperation in tax matters.
The collective stand of BRICS countries can prove to be beneficial not only to these countries but also to other
developing countries in the long run in tax matters being steered by the G20.
Iran, Iraq sign pact on military cooperation (The Hindu)
Why in news?
Iran and Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to step up military cooperation and the fight
against terrorism and extremism.
The MoU encourages promotion of interaction and share of experiences in the fight against terrorism and
extremism, border security, training and logistical, technical and military support between both countries.
Key Points:
Iran and Iraq are hoping that the agreement would result in deeper and more serious military cooperation
between the two countries.
Moreover, Iran is going to continue to provide full support to establish sustainable security and stability.
However, this military deal likely to trigger concerns in the United States as it has voiced concern over growing
Iranian influence in conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, where it is aligned with rebel Shia fighters.
Background:
Iran and Iraq had fought a bloody war for eight years from 1980 to 88 during the reign of Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein. But bilateral ties both countries have improved after Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003 and a
government led by Shia Muslims took power in Baghdad.
Iran is a predominately Shia nation.
After the US withdrew its troops from Iraq in 2011, it became increasingly dependent on Iran on various avenues,
from trade to security.
Iran also is providing military advisory assistance to Iraq in its counter-terrorism campaign against Islamic State
(IS), an anti-Shia Sunni terrorist group.
China, Sri Lanka sign $1.1 billion Hambantota Port deal
Why in news?
Sri Lanka has signed a $1.1 billion deal with China to sell a 70% stake
in the strategic Hambantota Port to a state-run Chinese firm, a move
that could raise security concerns in India.
As part of the deal, the stake in the loss-making port has been sold
to Chinas state-run conglomerate China Merchant Port Holdings
(CMPort).
The deal was signed between Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and
China Merchants Port Holding Co. (CMPort).
Under the 99-year lease agreement, CMPort will invest up to US $1.1
billion in the port and marine-related activities.
CMPort will be only responsible for commercial operations, while
the SLPA will handle ports operations, security and services.
Significance for China:
The port is expected to play a key role in Chinas Belt and Road initiative (BRI), which will link ports and roads
between China and Europe. It is also considered that, this deal gives an advantage to China in the bunkering
business, which provides fuel to ships.
Indias Concern
India is apprehensive that the port is part of Chinese string of pearls with an objective to surround India and
dock its military vessels. The String of pearls is a geopolitical theory on potential Chinese intentions in the Indian
Ocean region.
It refers to the network of Chinese military and commercial facilities and relationships along its sea lines of
communication extending from the Chinese mainland to Port Sudan.
These sea lines run through several major maritime choke points such as the Strait of Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz,
Strait of Malacca and the Lombok Strait as well as other strategic maritime centres in Pakistan, Maldives, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, and Somalia.
ECONOMY
India gives $100,000 to UN Tax Fund; 1st country to contribute (The Hindu)
India has contributed $100,000 to a UN fund to help developing countries actively participate in the discussion of
tax issues, becoming the first country to make the contribution.
UN Tax Trust Fund:
The Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (the UN Tax Fund) as a subsidiary body of
the Economic and Social Council is responsible for keeping under review and update, as necessary, the United
Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries and the Manual for
the Negotiation of Bilateral Tax Treaties between Developed and Developing Countries.
The UN Tax Trust Fund aims to support the work of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax
Matters (the UN Tax Committee).
Voluntary contributions for the fund have been called for by the UN and the committee since its establishment in
2006.
The call for contributions was also emphasised in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda adopted at the third
International Conference on Financing for Development in 2015.
India became the first country to respond to the call with an initial contribution of $100,000 that will be
dedicated towards ensuring greater support for developing countries' participation in the sub-committee
meetings of the UN Tax Committee, which are currently unfunded.
Addis Ababa Action Agenda:
The Addis Agenda provides a global framework for financing sustainable development and is an integral part of
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the historic and transformational agenda that countries
unanimously adopted in 2015.
Integration of oil & gas majors is best avoided (The Hindu)
In his fourth budget speech, Finance minister revisited the idea of an integrated oil and gas sector.
The idea first made its appearance during 1998. The proposal was then rejected for encouraging a monopolistic
scenario in distribution of essential goods like LPG, petrol, kerosene etc.
In 2005, the Krishnamurthy committee formed by the UPA government debunked the idea as it would reduce
competition and manpower in the oil and gas sector.
Reasons behind the idea of an integrated oil and gas sector :
Better capacity to bear higher risks,
Avail economies of scale,
Create more shareholder value,
Make better investment decisions and
Be more competent globally.
Reasons of rejection:
Indian firms are much smaller in size compared with top international oil companies.
The Governments track record of consolidating state run firms has not borne good results.
The aviation sector suffered a major setback following the merger of Air India and India Airlines in 2007 and has
not yet fully recovered.
In oil and gas, minimum political interference and liberalisation have proven better in creating more shareholder
value compared with integration.
ONGCs decision to bail out debt-ridden Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation has been said to be the result of
political interference. With oil firms facing such allegations and inefficiencies, giving complete autonomy to one
entity can risk the nations energy security.
The Krishnamurthy Committee had earlier deduced that such integration will result in manpower reduction. At a
time when the government is struggling with job creation, it will be difficult to justify job losses due to
restructuring.
Way forward:
So, any decision that creates a monopoly in the oil and gas sector must be carefully thought through. An
important question here is whether a bigger oil company will help achieve the aims stated. Or, will it create new
problems for the Indian people at large?
Deregistered firms to face money laundering probe (The Hindu)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will be roped in to probe if

companies recently deregistered were involved in money
laundering.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) is preparing to send
show cause notice to over three lakh more firms for striking
off their names from the register of companies.
Measures proposed by the government:
The scrutiny against shell companies was stepped up in the
wake of demonetisation and as part of the action against
black money.
The action is focused against companies that failed to start
business within one year of incorporation or were not
carrying on any business for two immediately preceding
financial years or not applied for dormant status. Actions are
initiated under the Companies Act.
In April, Registrar of Companies (RoC) issued show cause notices to over two lakh companies for striking off their
names. The firms are given 30 days to submit their response.
If the reply is found unsatisfactory, the corporate entitys name will be removed.
Shell Company:
A shell corporation is a corporation without active business operations or significant assets.
These types of corporations are not all necessarily illegal, but they are sometimes used illegitimately, such as to
disguise business ownership from law enforcement or the public.
Enforcement Directorate (ED):
The Directorate of Enforcement is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for
enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India.
It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
It comprises officers of the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Police Service and the Indian Administrative Service.
J&K Houses adopt GST Resolution (The Hindu)
Both the Houses of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature passed a resolution adopting the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) through a presidential order.
Finance Minister said GST would be implemented under the ambit of Article 370, ensuring adequate safeguards
for special status.
According to central government Article 370, which gives special status to the State, should be used for
development and empowerment. Instead, the issue is being used as a tool to whip up passions and draw
political mileage.
Concern of J&K:
The government of India wants one tax, one nation but according to Jammu and Kashmir Traders and
Manufacturers Association, J&K is disputed area and Implementing GST will remove their economic
independence.
Taxation is a state subject. If the power of taxation moves to the Centre, it is a dilution of autonomy. The form of
taxation is not a problem, the power of taxation remaining with the state is a core issue.
Fiscal Autonomy of J&K:
Article 370, laid down in 1949, limited the jurisdiction of the Centre in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
First, so far as the state was concerned, the Centre could only pass laws that dealt with defence, external affairs
and communications.
Second, laws by the Centre would only be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir if the state assembly passed a
resolution approving them. Most of the laws in the state flowed from a separate Jammu and Kashmir
Constitution.
Issue related GST:
The Central GST and Integrated GST laws passed by the Centre do not apply to Jammu and Kashmir as of now.
The state assembly will have to pass a bill saying both the Central and Integrated GST will apply in the state.
Then, it will have to pass its own GST bill, like other states. Service taxes imposed by the Centre across the
country since 1994 do not apply to Jammu and Kashmir either.
The GST regime, which will usher in a single indirect tax for the supply of goods and service, from the consumer
to the manufacturer, is to make the country one unified common market. It merges several Central and state
levies into a single tax.
First Maize Based Mega Food Park in Kapurthala, Punjab (PIB)
Union Minister of Food Processing Industry laid the foundation stone for First Maize based Mega Food Park in
Kapurthala, Punjab.
Significance:
Maize is an amazing cereal and is an alternate to Jhona (paddy) and Kanak (wheat). Maize is rich in protein,
provides nutritional requirements that India needs and Maize consumes much lesser water and could contain the
problem of further water depletion. Establishment of this Mega Food Park will result in the development of this
Dark Zone which includes Job opportunities, Environmental Conservation.
Background:
Maize Based Mega Food Park is the first major and serious step in the history of India for containing the
desertification problem of Punjab and would make farmers turn to maize cultivation which need less water for
more production. Maize is being used by different industries for seed, starch, brewery, food additives,
sweeteners etc and it is also a basic raw material to thousands of industrial products like oil, proteins,
pharmaceutical, cosmetics, beverages, film, textile, gum, value added foods, paper industries, bio-ethanol etc.
RBI considering setting up a Public Credit Registry (The Hindu)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may consider setting up a Public Credit Registry (PCR), which will be an extensive
database of credit information for India that is accessible to all stakeholders.
What is a PCR?
Generally, a PCR is managed by a public authority like the central bank or the banking supervisor, and reporting
of loan details to the PCR by lenders and/or borrowers is mandated by law.
The contractual terms and outcomes covered and the threshold above which the contracts are to be reported
vary in different jurisdictions, but the idea is to capture all relevant information in one large database on the
borrower, in particular, the borrowers entire set of borrowing contracts and outcomes.
Benefits:
A PCR, if put in place will help in credit assessment and pricing by banks; risk-based, dynamic and countercyclical
provisioning at banks; supervision and early intervention by regulators; understanding if transmission of
monetary policy is working, and if not, where are the bottlenecks; and, how to restructure stressed bank credits
effectively.
How exactly a public credit registry can help in India:
Firstly, it is required to improve the credit culture in our country. A transparent public credit registry would help
the bankers to rely on objective data for making credit decisions and also enable them to defend their actions
with market evidence when subjected to scrutiny, said the Deputy Governor.
Secondly, large borrowers get a preference in credit markets. They have established credit history, brand value,
and supply of collateral. In contrast, small and marginal aspirants, start-ups, new entrepreneurs, and small
businesses in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector are disadvantaged as they lack many of those
desired qualifications for credit. Transparency of credit information would serve as a reputational collateral for
such borrowers. This would not only help promote financial inclusion, but also reward the good borrowers
thereby imparting credit discipline.
Thirdly, public credit registers in many countries have gone beyond the credit relationship of borrowing entities
with financial institutions. They tap other transactional data of borrowers including payments to utilities like
power and telecom for retail customers and trade credit data for businesses.
Finally, the Deputy Governor said, public credit registry can have a profound impact for regulatory purposes. In its
absence, only fragmented images are available of credit behaviour and indebtedness. PCR will help in getting to a
complete picture that is necessary for supervisors and policy makers to assess credit risk of the entire system.
SEBI to move against non-compliant firms (The Hindu)
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has initiated action against non-compliant Exclusively Listed
Companies (ELCs) on Dissemination Board (DB), and its directors and promoters.
Key facts:
These are companies which were earlier listed on regional stock exchanges (RSEs) that have been de-recognised
by the regulator. Such companies were allowed to be part of the national exchanges through a dissemination
board but were directed to submit a plan of action for listing or providing an exit option to shareholders.
SEBI can bar such promoters and companies from accessing the securities market for a period of 10 years apart
from freezing the shares held by promoters and directors. The regulator can even attach the bank accounts and
other assets of promoters and directors to compensate the investors.
Centre eases pre-merger filing norms (The Hindu)
The Centre has done away with the thirty-day time period to submit before the Competition Commission of India
(CCI) an application for pre-merger clearance.
Key facts:
The Central government has now exempted every person or enterprise who is a party to a combination, from
giving notice within thirty days. This new provision (exemption from the 30-day time period) will be valid for five
years starting June 29, 2017.
The notification means that parties can make a CCI application at any time in course of an acquisition but cannot
effect or close an acquisition before obtaining the CCIs approval.
Background:
The earlier norms had specified that an application to obtain the CCIs prior approval for an acquisition, merger
or amalgamation had to be filed within thirty days of: board approval of the proposed merger or amalgamation
by each of the respective parties; execution of any agreement or other document of a binding nature conveying a
decision to acquire shares, control, voting rights or assets; execution of any document by the acquiring enterprise
conveying a decision to acquire shares, control, voting rights or assets, in case the acquisition is without the
consent of the enterprise being acquired; or date of the public announcement under Indias takeover regulations
applicable to acquisitions of listed entities.
India to join new global foreign exchange committee (Business Line)
India will soon get a seat on the Global Financial Stability Board:
Foreign Exchange Committee (GFXC), a
newly-constituted forum of central bankers The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is an international body
and experts working towards promotion of that monitors and makes recommendations about the
a robust and transparent forex market. global financial system.
It was established after the 2009 G20 London summit as a
Key facts:
successor to the Financial Stability Forum (FSF).
The committee has been set up under the The Board includes all G20 major economies, FSF
guidance of the Bank for International members, and the European Commission.
Settlements (BIS), an international financial
It is based in Basel, Switzerland.
organisation owned by 60 member central
banks, representing countries from around the world.
In a progress report on reducing misconduct risks in the financial sector, the Financial Stability Board (FSB)
informed the G20 Summit that actions to enhance conduct standards and adherence in markets include a Global
Code of Conduct for the Foreign Exchange Markets.
FSB is an international body for global financial system. This Code will be maintained and updated by the new
GFXC, comprising public and private sector representatives from the foreign exchange committees of 16
international forex trading centres.
The newly expanded and formalised GFXC, which will meet regularly, replaces a similar but more informal
organisation of eight foreign exchange committees namely those from Australia, Canada, Euro area, Hong
Kong, Japan, Singapore, UK and the US.
The GFXC will also now include representatives from existing, or soon to be established, foreign exchange
committees or similar structures in Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland.
It will seek to promote collaboration and communication among local foreign exchange committees and other
jurisdictions with significant forex markets. It will also provide a forum for the exchange of views on market
trends and developments.
The committee was set up in London during a meeting in May of public and private sector representatives from
the foreign exchange committees of 16 international forex trading centres.
Bitcoin trade may come under SEBI
The government is considering the introduction of a regulatory regime for virtual or crypto currencies, such as
Bitcoin, that would enable the levy of the Goods and Services Tax on their sale.
The new regime may possibly bring their trading under the oversight of the stock market regulator, Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
Bitcoins were in the news recently when during the two global cyber ransomware attacks WannaCry and
Petya attackers sought about $300 in bitcoin as ransom.
Objectives of the move:
The idea is to treat such currency in a manner similar to gold sold digitally, so that it can be traded on registered
exchanges in a bid to promote a formal tax base, while keeping a tab on their use for illegal activities such as
money laundering, terror funding and drug trafficking.
What is crypto-currency?
Crypto-currency that is planned to be brought under the regulatory regime is a digital currency which allows
transacting parties to remain anonymous while confirming that the transaction is a valid one. It is not owned or
controlled by any institution governments or private.
Crypto-currency can also be used for a lot of legal activities such as booking tickets, buying coffee or fast food,
depending of which retailers accept such currency.
Current status:
There are multiple such currencies bitcoin, ethereum, ripple are some of the popular ones. Currently, they are
neither illegal nor legal in India. One bitcoin today is worth as much as 60 grams of gold.
Why bitcoins are a bit risky
Banning will give a clear message that all related activities are illegal and will disincetivise those interested in
taking speculative risks, but it was pointed out it will impede tax collection on gains made in such activities and
that regulating the currency instead would signal a boost to blockchain technology, encourage the development
of a supervision ecosystem (that tracks legal activities and may also assist in tracking illegal activities) and
promote a formal tax base.
What is Blockchain Technology?
Blockchain is basically a digital public ledger that records every transaction. However, the involved parties can
remain anonymous and they transact under an id. Bitcoin is just one of the applications for the technology,
whose use in being tested across industries, particularly those that rely on intermediaries such as land record
registry.
Limited Regulation
It was also suggested that government maintain limited regulation. This means reiterating that crypto currencies
are not recognised and those who deal in them do so at there own risk, while focusing on curbing illegal
activities. Blockchain technology can be separately encouraged.
If a decision is taken to regulate such currency, these would be treated as digital asset, similar to gold, which
means that crypto currency owners will be able to trade them on registered exchanges.
2017 sustainable development goals index: India ranked 117 of 157 countries (Business Standard)
India is ranked 116 out of 157 nations on a global index that assesses the
performance of countries towards achieving the ambitious sustainable
development goals (SDGs).
The SDG Index and Dashboards Report produced by the Sustainable
Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung
shows that world leaders need to strengthen their joint efforts to realise
the 17 global goals.
Key facts:
India is ranked 116th on the index with a score of 58.1, behind countries
such as Nepal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and China. Pakistan is ranked 122.
Sweden leads the list, followed by Denmark and Finland.
Among the G7 countries, only Germany and France can be found among the top ten performers.
The United States ranks 42nd on the Index, while Russia and China rank 62nd and 71st respectively.
The SDG Index ranks countries based on their performance across the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Centre to grant NIIF 20,000 cr. (The Hindu)
Finance Minister reviewed the performance of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) on during
the third meeting of its governing council where he was informed that the Department of Economic Affairs had
signed an agreement with the NIIF for a 20,000 crore contribution to the Fund.
NIIF is considering investments in third-party managed funds focused on clean energy, affordable housing and
medium-sized infrastructure companies.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF):
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is a fund created by the Government of India for enhancing
infrastructure financing in the country.
This is different from the National Investment Fund.
NIIF was proposed to be set up as a Trust, to raise debt to invest in the equity of infrastructure finance
companies such as Indian Rail Finance Corporation (IRFC) and National Housing Bank (NHB). The idea is that
these infrastructure finance companies can then leverage this extra equity, manifold.
NIIF is envisaged as a fund of funds with the ability to make direct investments as required.
NIIF got registered with SEBI as Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF).
Financial Times (London) had adjudged NIIF as the Most Innovative structure in Asia Pacific under Finance
category.
The corpus of the Fund is proposed to be of the order of Rs. 40,000 Cr wherein the Government of India would
invest 49%, Rs. 20,000 Cr (US$3 billion).
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Trustee Ltd. ("NIIF Trustee Ltd."), a 100% Government of India
owned company is the trustee to NIIF.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Ltd. ("NIIF Ltd.") is the investment manager to NIIF, in which 51%
stake shall be offered to investors other than the Government of India, and balance 49% stake shall remain with
Government of India.
NIIF
o Provides equity / quasi-equity support to those Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)/Financial
Institutions (FIs) that are engaged mainly in infrastructure financing. These institutions will be able to leverage
this equity support and provide debt to the projects selected.
o Invest in funds engaged mainly in infrastructure sectors and managed by Asset Management Companies
(AMCs) for equity / quasi-equity funding of listed / unlisted companies.
o provides Equity/ quasi-equity support / debt to projects, to commercially viable projects, both greenfield and
brownfield, including stalled projects.
RESIDEX:
RESIDEX is Indias first official Housing Price Index (HPI) that captures the price changes of residential housing.
It was launched by National Housing Bank in 2007 covering 26 cities.
It helps buyers and sellers to check and compare prices before entering a transaction.
They can also analyse the price trends across different cities both at composite level and product category level.
Components of RESIDEX include HPI @ market price and HPI @ Assessment Prices.
Recently, RESIDEX was revamped and the new RESIDEX has been expanded to 50 cities which includes smart
cities and state capitals.
FM launches a new tax payer service module Aaykar Setu (PIB)
A new tax payer service module Aaykar Setu, was launched. To enhance mobile access experience, a mobile
responsive android version was also released along with the desktop version.
Key facts:
The new step is an effort by the Income Tax Department (ITD) to directly communicate with the taxpayers, on a
range of multiple informative and useful tax services aimed at providing tax information at their fingertips.
The module compiles various tax tools, live chat facility, dynamic updates, and important links to various
processes within the Income Tax Department in a single module.
The tax payers will also be able to receive regular updates regarding important tax dates, forms and notifications
on mobile numbers registered with the ITD.
Countrys biggest Global Skill Park laid in Bhopal:
The foundation stone of the countrys biggest Global Skill Park was laid in Bhopal jointly by Union Minister of
State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Pratap Rudi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan.
The objective of the Global Skill Park is to prepare skilled youths who could get jobs in private companies as per
their requirements. Besides, the youths will be able to get employment opportunities in foreign countries. Thus,
the skill park will function on the spirit of With Industry -For Industry.
The park will have capacity to impart skill training to 1000 students every year by trainers of international
standard.
The courses conducted for skill training at the park will also have provision of international joint certification.
Indias third largest commodity exchange:
National Multi-Commodity Exchange (NMCE), Indias first demutualized multi-commodities exchange, will merge
with Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX).
The proposed merger will create Indias third largest commodities exchange, offering a range of contracts
including bullion, oil, rubber and other agri-commodities.
The exchange will also offer the worlds first diamond futures contract, which has already received in-principle
approval from the regulator.
IBBI notifies rules for bankruptcy probe (The Hindu)
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has powers to start probe against service providers
registered with it without intimating them, according to new regulations.
IBBI, which is implementing the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), has notified the regulations for inspection
and investigation of service providers registered with it.
New Regulation:
As per the regulations, the investigation authority has to serve a notice intimating the entity concerned about the
probe at least ten days in advance. However, the requirement could be done away with on grounds such as
apprehensions that the records of the particular service provider might be destroyed before the probe starts.
About Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI):
IBBI is the regulator for overseeing insolvency proceedings of service providers like Insolvency Professional
Agencies (IPA), Insolvency Professionals (IP) and Information Utilities (IU) in India.
It was given statutory powers through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. It functions under Ministry of
Commerce.
The Code provides for a market-determined and time-bound resolution of insolvency proceedings.
It became operational in December 2016. It covers Individuals, Companies, Limited Liability Partnerships and
Partnership firms.
It attempts to simplify the process of insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings and speed up the resolution
process for stressed assets in the country.
Does a minimum wage kill jobs? (Indian Express)
The Union Cabinet is expected to approve a bill that, among other things, mandates a universal minimum wage.
The code empowers the Centre to set a minimum wage to help poor, unskilled workers earn more.
Concern:
Economists, however, have warned for long that price floors prevent the available supply of goods from being
fully sold. So, the minimum wage would logically hurt workers by increasing unemployment.
A paper, Do Lower Minimum Wages for Young Workers Raise their Employment?, by Claus Thustrup Kreiner,
Daniel Reck, and Peer Ebbesen Skov, found that employment among the youth in Denmark decreased by one-
third when they attained the age at which their minimum wage increases by 40%. Other economists have found
similar evidence suggesting that a minimum wage increases unemployment.
Positive response from other parts of the world:
But such logic has been questioned since a famous 1993 study by David Card and Alan B. Krueger that made the
case that a rise in the minimum wage in New Jersey actually decreased unemployment.
Since then, a flurry of studies has concluded that a minimum wage has either no, or very little, negative effect on
employment. For instance, Seattles Minimum Wage Experience 2015-16, a 2017 study by researchers at the
University of California Berkeley, found that since the city raised its minimum wage in 2015, unemployment
dropped from 4.3% to 3.3%.
Other effects:
Consider that even when it looks like the minimum wage has no negative effect on employment, it can have
other unintended effects.
Companies, for example, instead of firing workers, may employ them for fewer hours, which in turn will affect
the quality of their services.
In fact, Minimum Wage and Restaurant Hygiene Violation, a 2017 paper by Subir K. Chakrabarti, Srikant
Devaraj, and Pankaj C. Patel, found that hygiene violations by restaurants increased significantly after a rise in the
minimum wage as the restaurants tried to cut down on cleaning-staff expenses.
Way forward:
Given such contradictory empirical findings, some say it may be wise to trust age-old economic wisdom. The
minimum wage increases unemployment, except when it is set below the market price for labour; or only
marginally higher, in which case the minimum wage enhances the bargaining power of workers. But figuring out,
and also periodically adjusting, the wage rate at which the worker benefits is often impractical.
E-commerce: RCEP nations talk details (The Hindu)
Sixteen Asia Pacific nations, including India, are understood to be discussing in detail norms on e-commerce as
part of negotiations on the proposed mega Free Trade Agreement known as the Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Key facts:
India has been opposing binding norms on opening up the e-commerce sector at the level of RCEP as well as the
global level (WTO) talks on grounds including that it (India) is yet to have a comprehensive national policy on the
topic.
However, it is understood that many RCEP nations including Australia, Japan and China, are pushing for inclusion
of a host of elements for Terms Of Reference for RCEP negotiations concerning e-commerce. This is with a view
to have some binding commitments from the RCEP members on liberalising e-commerce and ensure that the
final pact has a separate chapter on e-commerce.
RCEP:
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten
member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has
existing free trade agreements (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).
RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia. The agreement
is scheduled to be finalized by the end of 2017.
RCEP is viewed as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed trade agreement which
includes several Asian and American nations but excludes China and India.
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Bank consolidation plan (Livemint)
The government is working on a consolidation plan for public sector banks, in order to create a three-tier
structure. While the earlier objective of mergers was strengthening the risk-taking ability of banks, the demand
now is created with increasing bad assets.
Experts are however emphasizing the need for more small finance banks, regional and local banks despite
mergers.
How do mergers happen?
Bank consolidation procedures are laid out in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Any two public sector banking entities can initiate merger talks, but the scheme of the merger must be finalized
by the government in consultation with the central bank and it must be placed in Parliament.
Parliament reserves the right to modify or reject the scheme. In case of a merger between a public sector bank
and a private bank too, parliamentary approval is a must.
What are the grounds for mergers?
Most bank mergers have been an offshoot of the central banks efforts to protect the financial system and
depositors money. A few of them are also driven by the need for consolidation and growth.
Mergers expect weak banks to sell assets, reduce overheads and shut loss-making branches.
What are the implications of mergers?
Recently, five SBI associate banks have been merged with their parent, catapulting the entity in the league of top
50 global banks in terms of assets.
However even SBI has not been able to escape the pain of merging its associates with itself. Its gross NPAs have
gone up, and the merger entity has also reported a loss. The key to success of any merger will be large-scale
shutting of branches in urban centres, reduction in staff strength and exploring the right business synergy and
work culture.
Government should be ready to make massive fund infusion. Given the mounting bad assets and the increased
need for capital infusion, it is ideal to start the consolidation process after the banks bounce back to healthy
status.
SOCIAL ISSUES
No-detention policy to go from next academic session (Business Standards)
Why in news?
Union Ministry of State for Human Resource Development
decided to remove detention policy from next academic session
as almost all states are opposed to this policy.
Under the Right to Education Act, no child will be detained or
held back in any class or expelled till the completion of
elementary education covering classes 1 to 8.
No Detention Policy:
Under this policy, the students up to class VIII are automatically
promoted to the next class without being held back even if they do not get a passing grade.
The policy was implemented as part of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) under the RTE Act to
ensure all-round development of students.
Background:
The concept of CCE which was imported from the West lays emphasis on evaluating a child through the year, and
not just based on performance in one or two term exams.
The basic objective behind the no-detention policy was to prevent dropouts. The no detention policy in the RTE
does not mean the abolition of assessment rather it calls for a replacement of the traditional system of
evaluation with a continuous and comprehensive assessment that is not threatening.
The policy also intends to free the students from the pressure and fear of examination and give them a stress-
free academic environment and childhood.
Committees related to Detention Policy:
The TSR Subramanian committee on Education had observed that the no detention policy in schools should be
applicable till Class V and exams be held from Class VI onwards. Prior to this, the Vasudev Devnani committee
had also recommended for the revocation of No-Detention Policy.
India declares itself free from Bird Flu (The Hindu)
India has declared itself free from Bird Flu (highly pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 and H5N8) and notified it to
the World Organisation for Animal Health.
The move will help it resume export of poultry products to the countries which had banned trade in such items
early this year.
Avian Influenza:
Influenza is an acute viral infection of the respiratory tract and is caused by three types of RNA viruses called
influenza types A, B and C.
Influenza type A viruses are known to infect people, birds, pigs, horses, whales, seals and other animals, but wild
birds represent the natural hosts for these viruses. Thus, it is called as bird flu virus.
H5N8 and H5N1 are subtype of the Influenza A virus and it is considered as highly pathogenic.
H5N1 virus is transmitted from infected birds to animal species including mammals through their saliva, blood,
feces etc.
Tamil Nadu reports first case of Zika virus (The Hindu)
Tamil Nadu has reported its first case of Zika virus in a

27-year-old man from a village in Krishnagiri district. RT-
PCR test conducted on patients blood, urine and throat
samples were found to be positive for Zika.
Zika virus :
Zika virus is vector borne disease transmitted primarily
by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the same mosquito that
transmits dengue.
It is also found that, sexual transmission of Zika virus
disease is possible.
The virus is capable of causing serious birth defects i.e. neurological disorders and foetal deformation known as
Microcephaly in which infants are born with abnormally smaller heads.
Besides a possible link between the virus and Guillain-Barr syndrome (a condition in which the bodys immune
system attacks part of the nervous system) is also suspected.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available to treat Zika.
The best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites and clearing stagnant water where mosquitoes
breed.
National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22) (The Hindu)
Key facts:
The Strategic Plan gives year wise
elimination targets in various parts of the
country depending upon the endemicity of
malaria in the next 5 years.
The government would like to eliminate
malaria by 2027. The programme has to be
owned by the states.
The strategies involve strengthening
malaria surveillance, establishing a mechanism for early detection and prevention of outbreaks of malaria,
promoting the prevention of malaria by the use of Long Lasting Impregnated Nets (LLINs), effective indoor
residual spray and augmenting the manpower and capacities for effective implementation for the next five years.
India has the third highest malaria burden in the world.
What is this plan to eradicate malaria?
The NSP divides the country into four categories, from 0 to 3.
Category Zero has 75 districts that have not reported any case of malaria for the last three years.
Category 1 has 448 districts, in which the annual parasite incidence (API, or the number of positive slides for the
parasite in a year) is less than one per 1,000 population. In
Category 2, which has 48 districts, the API is one and above, but less than two per 1,000 population.
Category 3 has 107 districts, reporting an API of two and above per 1,000 population.
The plan is to eliminate malaria (zero indigenous cases) by 2022 in all Category 1 and 2 districts. The remaining
districts are to be brought under a pre-elimination and elimination programme.
The NSP also aims to maintain a malaria-free status for areas where transmission has been interrupted. It seeks
to achieve universal case detection and treatment services in endemic districts to ensure 100% diagnosis of all
suspected cases, and full treatment of all confirmed cases.
The plan has four components, based on WHO recommendations: diagnosis and case management; surveillance
and epidemic response; prevention integrated vector management; cross-cutting interventions, which
include advocacy, communication, research and development, and other initiatives.
Which states have the highest incidence of malaria?
In India, malaria is caused by the parasites Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and Plasmodium Vivax (Pv). Pf is found
more in the forest areas, whereas Pv is more common in the plains.
The disease is mainly concentrated in the tribal and remote areas of the country. The majority of reporting
districts are in the countrys eastern and central parts the largest number of cases are found in Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and the Northeastern states of Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya.
Plastic Realities (The Hindu)
Origin of Plastics:
Plastics had their origin in cellulose
derivatives.
The first synthetic plastic was called bakelite
and was derived from fossil fuels. During the
Second World War, large-scale production of
plastic was directed towards the war effort.
However, with the declaration of peace,
there was a need to do something about the
installed capacity. And so, in 1946,
Tupperware company came into being.
Threats:
Environmental threats:
These bags pollute the environment,
especially soil and water, as they take about
200 years to decompose naturally.
Food chain:
At present, the use of plastic has become so
ubiquitous that even birds, animals and fish
have unwittingly made it part of their diet.
Disposed plastic degrades slowly, its
chemicals getting leached into surroundings.
Further, it breaks down into smaller
components over time, entering our food
chain and landing up on our plates.
Microbeads:
However, plastic bottles are not the only problem. There are smaller forms of plastic, no greater in size than 5
mm, called microbeads, first patented in 1972 for use in cleansers.
Many cosmetics and toiletry products ranging from facewashes to toothpastes use it today.
Their abrasive nature lends itself to use in industries such as petroleum, textiles, printing and automobile.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recently classified the non-biodegradable microbeads as unsafe for use
in consumer products through a draft notification titled, Classification for cosmetic raw materials and adjuncts,
Part 2: List of raw materials generally not recognised as safe for use in cosmetics.
Countries such as the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands have already put in place regulations to stop the use of
microbeads in personal-care products. The sooner India adopts such regulations, the better.
Conclusion:
The use of plastic in our daily life should be reduced even as their recycling is increased.
This has to involve everyone, from the manufacturer to the user to the waste collector and the recycling authority.
We as a society need to create an ecosystem that reduces the use of plastic and prevents its escape into the
external environment.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Launch of National Biopharma Mission (PIB)
The first ever Industry-Academia mission to accelerate biopharmaceutical development in India was launched.
The program named Innovate in India (i3) will witness an investment from World Bank and is anticipated to be a
game changer for the Indian Biopharmaceutical industry. It aspires to create an enabling ecosystem to promote
entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the sector.
Key facts:
Innovate in India (i3) is committed to addressing these gaps with a Mission to make India a hub for design and
development of novel, affordable and effective biopharmaceutical products and solutions.
The aim of the Mission is to Enable and nurture an ecosystem for preparing Indias technological and product
development capabilities in biopharmaceuticals to a level that will be globally competitive over the next decade,
and transform the health standards of Indias population through affordable product development
As a flagship program of the Government of India in collaboration with World Bank, it promises to boost the
growth curve for domestic biopharma in India by accelerating the translation of research concepts into viable
products, supporting clinical validation, enabling sustainable networks for collaboration between industry and
academia, and supporting entrepreneurial ecosystem amongst many others.
Currently India has only 2.8% share in the global biopharmaceutical market, the program would elevate this to
5% resulting in an additional business opportunity of 16 Billion USD.
The Mission to be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
Sharpest laser can help test Einsteins theory
Scientists have developed the worlds sharpest laser with record-breaking precision that can help make optical
atomic clocks more precise as well as test Einsteins theory of relativity.
Key facts:
Theoretically, laser light has only one colour, frequency or wavelength. In reality, however, there is always a
certain line width.
Researchers have now developed a laser with a line width of only 10 miliHertz (mHz) closer to the ideal laser
than ever before.
This precision is useful for various applications such as optical atomic clocks, precision spectroscopy, radio-
astronomy and for testing the theory of relativity.
Numerous applications
Laser light is used in numerous applications in industry, medicine and information technologies. Lasers have
brought about a real revolution in fields of research and in metrology or have even made some new fields
possible in the first place.
One of lasers outstanding properties is the excellent coherence of the emitted light. Ideally, laser light has only
one fixed wavelength or frequency. In practice, the spectrum of most types of lasers can, however, reach from a
few kHz to a few MHz in width, which is not good enough for numerous experiments requiring high precision.
NASA developing first asteroid deflection mission (The Hindu)
Why in news?
NASA is developing the first-ever mission the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) that will deflect a near-
Earth asteroid, and help test the systems that will allow mankind to protect the planet from potential cosmic
body impacts in the future.
DART would be NASAs first mission to demonstrate whats known as the kinetic impactor technique striking
the asteroid to shift its orbit to defend against a potential future asteroid impact, said Lindley Johnson,
planetary defense officer at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Key Points:
The target for DART is an asteroid called Didymos that will have a distant approach to Earth in October 2022 and
then again in 2024.
The asteroid Didymos (Greek word for twin) is an asteroid binary system that consists of two bodies: Didymos A
(about 780 metres in size), and Didymos B (about 160 metres in size), smaller asteroid orbiting Didymos A. DART
will impact only the smaller of the two bodies, Didymos B.
Kinetic impact technique:
This technique involves sending one or more large, high-speed spacecraft into the path of an approaching near-
earth object to shift its orbit to defend against future impact.
The kinetic impact technique works by changing the speed of a threatening asteroid by a small fraction of its total
velocity, but by doing it well before the predicted impact so that this small nudge will add up over time to a big
shift of the asteroids path away from Earth.
Aerosols shrinking' India's monsoon (The Hindu)
According to Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, team

aerosols from vehicular exhaust, half-burnt crop residue, dust
and chemical effluents may be weakening the life-giving rainy
season even more than GHGs.
Greenhouse gases cause concern, but scientists are more worried
about particulates
In 2015, Mr. Krishnan reported in the journal Climate Dynamics
that a mix of GHGs, aerosols and changes in forest and
agricultural cover was affecting the strength of the monsoon,
which was known to be weakening over the last 50 years.
New modelling:
The scientist and his team used an upgraded forecasting model
that was used this year by the India Meteorological Department
for forecasts.
The model will help prepare India's first home-grown forecast of climate change from global warming, and be
part of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.
Dust clouds shield the earth from the sun's rays, depressing land and sea temperatures. The monsoon, which is
produced by the difference in temperature between the two, is thus weakened.
Indigenously developed quick reaction surface-to-air short range missile successfully test-fired
(Indian Express)
The indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air (QRSAM) short range missile was successfully test-
fired from a test range along the Odisha coast.
Key Features:
The QR-SAM has been developed by DRDO and other establishments.
It has been designed to be a quick reaction missile. It is an all-weather weapon
system capable of tracking and firing.
The missile has a strike range of 25 to 30 km and can engage multiple targets.
QR-SAM will complement the existing Akash short range SAM (surface-to-air
missile) with a range of 25 kilometres which has already been inducted into the
services.
U.S. Thermal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system (The Hindu)
Why in news?
China has repeatedly stated its
opposition to the U.S. Thermal
High-Altitude Area Defence
(THAAD) anti-missile system and
has called for its deployment to
stopped, and the missiles already
installed to be removed.
China says the system's powerful
radar can probe deep into its
territory, undermining its security
and a regional balance while doing nothing to stop North Korea in its relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons and
the missiles to deliver them.
About THAAD:
THAAD, is a missile defence system that is designed to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic
missiles in their final flight phase.
It cannot be used as a form of attack against an enemy.
Its role, by use of a powerful radar, is to simply track and destroy missiles before they are launched.
Tirupati boy launches Kalam satellite:
A six-member team from Chennai-based Space Kidz India designed KALAMsat, which was launched by NASA at
Wallops, Virginia, on June 22.
The satellite is termed as world's lightest (weighing a mere 64 gm) and the first 3D-printed.
Key points:
KALAM Sat', a femto category satellite named after former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, was one of the 86,000
entries received from across the globe, and the only one from India, for a contest conducted by IDOODLE and
Colorado Space Grand Consortium, in partnership with NASA.
The satellite contained a temperature and humidity sensor, a barometric pressure sensor and a Nano Geiger
Muller counter' to measure radiation in the outer space.
This was the only satellite among the 70 cubes sent by the NASA rocket, while the other entries were
experimental samples to study their behaviour in space.
Rukmini keeps eye on dancing dragon at sea (Indian Express)
With China increasing its naval presence in the Indian Ocean Region amid the ongoing Sikkim stand-off, the
Indian Navy is keeping an eye on the 'dragon' with the help of its 'eye in the sky', Gsat-7, the Navy's own
dedicated military satellite that was launched on September 29, 2013.
Key points:
The 2,625-kg satellite, named 'Rukmini', has helped the Navy monitor the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as it has a
nearly 2,000 nautical mile 'footprint'.
The multi-band communication-cum surveillance satellite, which is operating from the geo-stationary orbit (at
36,000km altitude), provides real-time inputs to
naval warships, submarines and maritime aircraft
and networking capabilities to its naval assets on
the high seas.
With the help of the shore-based operational
centres, 'Rukmini' (also called INSAT-4F) has not
only helped the Navy keep an eye on both
Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal but also helped the
force increase its communication and surveillance
capabilities from Persian Gulf to Malacca Strait,
which together is equivalent to almost 70% of the
IOR.
Govt launches low-cost indigenously developed hearing screening device for newborns (Indian Express)
The science & technology ministry has launched a low-cost indigenously developed hearing screening device -
called Sohum.
SOHUM is for newborns with an aim to make this battery-operated non-invasive device available across the
country to cater nearly 26 million babies born every year in India.
The device is developed by the School of International Biodesign (SIB) startup Sohum Innovation Labs India Pvt Ltd.
Early screening will help in minimising or reversing the damage.
Key Features of SOHUM:
The Sohum aims to make this battery-operated non-invasive screening device available across the country to
minimise or reverse the hearing loss damage.
It is a low cost portable device which uses brain-stem auditory evoked response, a best screening choice
recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics and National Health Services of UK.
It measures auditory brain waves via three electrodes placed on the babys head. When stimulated, electrodes
detect electrical responses generated by the brains auditory system. If there is no response, it indicates child
cannot hear.
Once it is detected at quite an early age, measures can be taken to prevent other problems such as impaired
communication skills and even possible mental illness.
It is battery operated device and is non-invasive, it doesnt require babies to be sedated, which is risky, testing in
process at present.
It has in-built algorithm that filters out ambient noise from the test signal. This is important because health clinics
can be crowded and noisy.
Indias first solar-powered DEMU train launched
The Railways has launched the countrys first solar-powered local train here with a battery bank facility that
ensures sufficient power even in the absence of sunlight.
The entire electrical need of the coaches, which includes lights, fans and information display system, will be met
by the energy produced by solar panels fitted atop the coaches of the DEMU (diesel electric multiple unit) train.
The carrier is taking on several other environment-friendly measures like using bio-toilets, water-recycling, waste
disposal, CNG and LNG, and harnessing wind energy.
Normally, DEMU trains a multiple-unit train powered by on-board engines without a separate locomotive
provide power for its passenger comfort system, i.e. lights and fans, from a diesel-driven generator.
The 1,600 horsepower train has been manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, its solar
system and panels have been developed and fitted by the Indian Railways Organization of Alternative Fuel
(IROAF).
DIPP to set up Indias first TISC in Punjab (PIB)
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of
India, signed an Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology to establish
Indias first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab, under the
World Intellectual Property Organizations (WIPO) TISC program.
Key facts:
The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)
system in India to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing social,
economic and cultural development by establishing a network of TISCs in India.
WIPOs Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) program provides innovators in developing countries
with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services, helping them to exploit
their innovative potential and to create, protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).
Services offered by TISCs include:
Access to online patent and non-patent (scientific and technical) resources and IP-related publications;
Assistance in searching and retrieving technology information;
Training in database search;
On-demand searches (novelty, state-of-the-art and infringement);
Monitoring technology and competitors;
Basic information on industrial property laws, management and strategy, and technology commercialization
and marketing.
The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) is designated as the National Focal Point for the TISC
national network.
As the national focal point, CIPAM shall identify potential host institutions, assess their capacities and support
them in joining the TISC program.
CIPAM will also act as the main intermediary between WIPO and TISC host institutions and coordinate all the
activities of the national TISC network.
Indian scientists discover Saraswati, a supercluster of galaxies
Indian scientists have discovered Saraswati, a large supercluster of galaxies located in the direction of the
constellation Pisces, and at a distance of 4,000 million (400 crore) light years away from Earth.
A team of astronomers from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, and members of two other Indian universities, have
discovered this supercluster of galaxies.
Key facts:
Supercluster is a chain of galaxies and galaxy clusters, bound by gravity, often stretching to several hundred times
the size of clusters of galaxies, consisting of tens of thousands of galaxies. This newly-discovered Saraswati
supercluster, extends over a scale of 600 million light years and may contain the mass equivalent of over 20
million billion suns.
Scheme for IPR Awareness Creative India; Innovative India (PIB)
Taking forward the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy 2016, a Scheme for IPR Awareness
Creative India; Innovative India has been launched by Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) under
the aegis of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
Key facts:
The Scheme aims at raising IPR awareness amongst students, youth, authors, artists, budding inventors and
professionals to inspire them to create, innovate and protect their creations and inventions across India including
Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 cities as well as rural areas in the next 3 years.
The Scheme for IPR Awareness aims to conduct over 4000 IPR awareness workshops/seminars in academic
institutions (schools and colleges) and the industry, including MSMEs and Startups, as also IP training and
sensitization programmes for enforcement agencies and the judiciary.
Workshops will cover all vital IP topics including international filing procedures, promotion of Geographical
Indications and highlighting the ill effects of piracy and counterfeiting.
Trillion-tonne iceberg breaks off Antarctica
A trillion-tonne iceberg, one of the largest ever recorded, has snapped off the West Antarctic ice shelf.
The massive ice cube, larger than the U.S. state of Delaware, has a volume twice that of Lake Erie, one of the
Great Lakes. It is about 350 metres (1,100 feet) thick.
With the calving, the Larsen C ice shelf lost more than 12% of its total surface area.
About Ice shelves:
Ice shelves float on the sea, extending from the coast, and are fed by slow-flowing glaciers from the land.
They act as giant brakes, preventing glaciers from flowing directly into the ocean.
Reasons:
The calving of ice shelves occurs naturally, though global warming is believed to have accelerated the process.
Warmer ocean water erodes the underbelly of the ice shelves, while rising air temperatures weaken them from
above.
Background:
The nearby Larsen ice shelf collapsed in 1995, and Larsen B dramatically broke up seven years later.
TERI ranked second among worlds climate think tanks
International Centre for Climate Governance (ICCG), an international body which focuses on climate policies, has
ranked The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) among the top think tanks in the world.
TERI was ranked under the category 2016 Top Climate Think Tanks in the Rest of the WorldAbsolute Global
Rankings during ICCGs 23rd annual conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource
Economists (EAERE) in Athens in Greece.
Nasr
It is a solid fuelled tactical ballistic missile system developed by of Pakistan.
Pakistan has successfully test-fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Nasr.
Nasr is a high-precision weapon system with the ability to be deployed quickly.
It has a range of 60-70 Km.
SIERRA ODC building in Coimbatore gets worlds second highest green rating (Business Line)
The SIERRA ODC building incidentally has been recognised as the worlds second highest ranking Green Building,
with a score of 103 out of 110 under LEED certification.
This is a carbon-neutral building. In this building for the first time in South India, implemented a technology
Amorphous Silicon Thin Building Vortec wherein photovoltaic modules produce power at low cost per watt.
Saint Teresas blue-bordered sari an Intellectual Property now (The Hindu)
The famous blue-bordered sari of Mother Teresa, who has been canonised as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by the
Vatican, has been recognised as an Intellectual Property of the Missionaries of Charity.
The Trade Marks Registry, Government of India, has granted the registration of the trade mark for that pattern of
blue border of sari.
It is the first time ever that a uniform has been protected under the Intellectual Property rights.
Union Cabinet approves establishment of International Rice Research Institute in Varanasi:
The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) set up a regional
centre International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a global rice research institute.
It will be named as IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) and will be set up at campus of National Seed
Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
For setting up of the Centre, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) will be signed between Department of
Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DACFW) and IRRI, Philippines.
The ISARC will help in utilizing the rich biodiversity of India to develop special rice varieties. It will help India to
achieve higher per hectare yields and improved nutritional contents.
GRSE hands over 2nd LCU Mark IV vessel (The Hindu, Indian Express)
The second of the eight Mark IV LCU vessels, built

by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited
(GRSE), Kolkata, was formally handed over to the
Indian Navy.
The LCU Mark-IV vessels are designed for
multipurpose amphibious operations jointly carried
out Indian Navy and Indian Army to ensure maritime
security of Andamans and Lakshadweep islands.
Key points:
LCU L52 ship is the second in series of the eight
Mark IV LCU vessels built by GRSE for Navy. The first ship of the series was commissioned in 2016.
LCU L52 ship is 62.8 meters long and 11 metres wide. It has 90% indigenous content. It has endurance of around
1,500 nautical miles at 12 knots. It is fitted with 2 x CRN-91 indigenous 30mm Guns.
It is capable of carrying two tanks or four special vehicles and 160 troops for landing at remote beach heads. It
can be deployed for multiple activities like operations for landing troops ashore, humanitarian aid and disaster
relief operations and evacuation of personnel from distant islands.
Govt. panel to study cow derivatives (The Hindu)
The government has set up a 19-member panel,

including three members linked to the RSS and VHP, to
carry out what it says will be scientifically validated
research on cow derivatives including its urine, and their
benefits.
The committee will select projects that can help
scientifically validate the benefits of panchgavya - the
concoction of cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd and ghee -
in various spheres such as nutrition, health and
agriculture.
Key points:
The project SVAROP, which stands for Scientific
Validation and Research on Panchagavya, and says it is a
national programme thats being conducted by the
Department of Science and Technology, Department of
Biotechnology, and the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) of the Ministry of Science and
Technology in collaboration with IIT-Delhi.
This multi-disciplinary programme will involve participation of other related ministries, government departments,
academic institutions, research laboratories, voluntary organisations and others to carry out research and
development and also build capacities, and cover five thematic areas including scientific validation of uniqueness
of indigenous cows.
It will cover scientific validation of panchagavya for medicines and health, scientific validation of panchagavya
and its products for agriculture applications, scientific validation of panchagavya for food and nutrition.
Russia keen on selling MiG-35 jet to India (The Hindu)
Why in news?
Russia is keen on selling its new fighter jet MiG-35 to India with the MiG corporation's chief saying the country
has evinced interest in the aircraft and talks were on to understand its requirements.
Director General of Russian Company claimed that MiG-35 was "the best" and better than Lockheed Martin's
fifth-generation combat aircraft F-35.
MiG aircraft have been used by India for almost 50 years.
Around 30 countries are using various
modifications of MiG-35's predecessor, the MiG-
29, and that "talks are already ongoing with
potential buyers."
MIG-35:
The Mikoyan MiG-35 is a Russian multirole
fighter that is a further development of the MiG-
29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB fighters.
It is classified as a 4++ generation jet fighter by
Mikoyan.
The first prototype was a modification of the
aircraft that previously served as a MiG-29M2
model demonstrator.
The single-seat version is designated MiG-35 and
the two-seat version MiG-35D.
Googles machine-raised mosquitoes to shrink vectors numbers (The Hindu, Hindustan Times)
Why in news?
The project, called Debug Fresno, is being undertaken by Verily, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Googles holding
company.
For 20 weeks, the company plans to release a million of the sterile, non-biting male mosquitoes in two
neighbourhoods in Fresno county, which will then mate with wild female mosquitoes.
The eggs the females lay wont hatch.
About the Project:
Scientists said that the goal is to cut the numbers of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes -- the species responsible for
spreading zika, dengue and chikungunya.
The male mosquitoes are bred and infected with Wolbachia, a bacterium that is naturally found in at least 40 per
cent of all insect species.
In a phenomenon called cytoplasmic incompatibility, matings between Wolbachia-infected males and
uninfected females result in embryo lethality or low hatch rates.
The bacterium used to sterilise mosquitoes is not known to infect humans.
First Two NOPVs Shachi and Shruti Launched by RDEL at Pipavav, Gujarat (PIB)
Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) launched

the first two Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) Shachi
and Shruti at their shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat.
These two NOPVs are the first warships to be launched by a
private sector shipyard in India.
These ships are part of a five-ships being constructed for the
Indian Navy under the P-21 project.
About NOPVs:
The NOPVs are primarily patrol ships to undertake surveillance
of the countrys vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
They also undertake operational tasks such as anti-piracy
patrols, maritime security of offshore assets, fleet support
operations, coastal security operations, and protection of shipping lanes.
The five NOPVs constructed by RDEL are armed with a 76 mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) system along with
two 30 mm AK-630 guns, which provide medium range and short-range offensive and defensive capabilities.
The armaments of these vessels are remotely controlled through an electronic fire control system. They are also
fitted with 20,000 KW diesel engine-driven propulsion systems and can deliver speeds up to 25 knots.
CAC adopts Codex standards for three spices (PIB)
Why in news?
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has adopted three Codex standards for black, white and green
pepper, cumin and thyme.
It is for first time pepper, cumin and thyme, spices will have such universal standards.
Significance:
The adoption of Codex standards paves the way for universal agreement on identifying quality spices in various
countries.
It also set reference points and benchmarks for member-nations to align their national standards for spices with
Codex.
The adoption of Codex standards for the three spices will help evolve a common standardisation process for their
global trade and availability.
It will bring harmony to the global spice trade and ensure availability of high quality, clean and safe spices to the
world. It is also considered as major recognition of Indias efforts to benchmark global spices trade.
Codex Alimentarius Commission:
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an intergovernmental body with over 180 members, within the
framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme.
It was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO), with the purpose of protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the
food trade.
The Commission also promotes coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international
governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Muntra, India's first unmanned tank (Indian Express)
Why in news?
The defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has
developed a new unmanned tank for surveillance missions, mine
detection and reconnaissance in areas with nuclear and bio threats.
Key points:
The tank called Muntra has three variants. While Muntra-S is India's
first tracked ground vehicle developed for unmanned surveillance
missions Muntra-M is for detecting mines. Muntra-N is for operation in
areas where there is a nuclear radiation or bio weapon risk.
The Muntra has surveillance radar, an integrated camera along with laser range finder which can be used to spy
on ground target 15km away - may be a crawling men or heavy vehicles.
China successfully produces gas from flammable ice under South China Sea (The Hindu)
China has successfully produced natural gas from methane hydrate, also known as flammable ice, in an
experimental project in the South China Sea (SCS).
Methane hydrate has been identified as a potential new gas source for China, with the South China Sea
thought to contain some of the worlds most promising flammable ice deposits.
India, Canada and US are also believed to be looking at hydrates as an alternative energy source.
Flammable ice:
Flammable ice (also known as methane hydrate or methane clathrates) consists of methane trapped within
water crystals.
It is the worlds largest natural gas resource is trapped beneath permafrost and ocean sediment where low
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temperature and moderate pressure
combine to trap methane in this specific
way.
The methane hydrate is highly flammable
and energy-intensive fuel as one cubic metre
of the compound can releases about 160
cubic metres of gas. It can break down into
water and methane after temperature is
raised or pressure is lowered.
It is likely to be the worlds last great source
of carbon-based fuel and has potential to be
a revolutionary energy source that could
cater future energy needs. Its vast deposits
exist underneath all oceans around the
globe, especially on the edge of continental
shelves.
SECURITY
Cyberattack: Ransomware hits Jawaharlal Nehru port operations in Mumbai
Operations at one of the three terminals of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Indias largest container port,
came to a standstill following the global ransomware attack that crippled Russias biggest oil company, Ukrainian
banks and multinational companies in Europe.
What is ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to a computer or its data and demands money to release it.
How does it work?
When a computer is infected, the ransomware encrypts important documents and files and then demands a
ransom, typically in Bitcoin, for a digital key needed to unlock the files. If victims dont have a recent back-up of
the files they must either pay the ransom or face losing all of their files.
How does the Petya ransomware work?
The ransomware takes over computers and demands $300, paid in Bitcoin. The malicious software spreads
rapidly across an organization once a computer is infected using the Eternal Blue vulnerability in Microsoft
Windows (Microsoft has released a patch, but not everyone will have installed it) or through two Windows
administrative tools. The malware tries one option and if it doesnt work, it tries the next one. It has a better
mechanism for spreading itself than Wanna Cry.
Centre plans partial removal of AFSPA in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (The Hindu)
Why in news?
The Union government is
considering a partial removal of
the Armed Forces Special
Powers Act (AFSPA) from Assam
and Arunachal Pradesh.
AFSPA gives powers to the Army
and central forces deployed in
"disturbed areas" to shoot to kill
and arrest any suspect without a
warrant.
"Earlier, the notification for
extending AFSPA used to be issued for six months or more. Government trying to reduce the duration to three
months and will see if it could be withdrawn completely from certain areas. For the time being, proposal is only
for Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
How a region is declared disturbed?
Section (3) of the Afspa empowers the governor of the state or Union territory to issue an official notification in
The Gazette of India, following which the Centre has the authority to send in armed forces for civilian aid. Once
declared disturbed, the region has to maintain status quo for a minimum of three months, according to The
Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976.
AFSPA in force:
Currently, it is effective in the whole of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding the seven Assembly constituencies
of Imphal). In Arunachal Pradesh, it is in force in 16 police stations and in Tirap, Longding and Changlang districts
bordering Assam. Tripura withdrew AFSPA in 2015. It is not in force in Meghalaya (except 20 kilometre area along
Assam border) and Mizoram.
MAD Doctrine:
Mutually Assured Destruction is a military doctrine, which states that when two adversaries possess nuclear
weapons, neither of them is likely to use them.
This doctrine is considered an application of Nash equilibrium, wherein the threat of a strong retaliatory attack
prevents both sides from initiating a conflict.
And also both sides are likely to suffer severe losses from a nuclear attack, irrespective of who attacks first. Thus
the result is lasting prevention of a nuclear attack.
Indian Army gets free hand to source weaponry for short intense wars (Business Standard)
The government has empowered the Army directly to procure critical weapons systems and military platforms to
maintain combat readiness for short duration "intense wars.
The move, aimed at filling the "voids" in the Army's combat readiness, comes amid nearly a month-long standoff
between the armies of India and China in the Dokalam area as well as heightened Indo-Pak tension along the Line
of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
ENVIRONMENT
Nine more bird, biodiversity areas in Kerala (The Hindu)
The bird and biodiversity-rich areas in Kerala are drawing global attention with nine more locations being
identified as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs).
Key facts:
The newly identified IBAs of Kerala are Achencoil Forest Division; Anamudi Shola National Park; Camels Hump
Mountain, Wayanad; Kurinjimala Wildlife Sanctuary; Malayattoor Reserve Forest; Mankulam Forest Division;
Mathikettan Shola National Park; Muthikulam-Siruvani; and Pampadum Shola National Park.
With the latest addition, Kerala now has 33 IBAs.
The new list was released by the Bombay Natural History Society, a partner of Bird Life International, in its recent
publication, Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas in India Priority sites for conservation.
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs)
The IBAs are places of international significance for the conservation of birds and other biodiversity and are
distinct areas amenable to practical conservation action.
Declaring a site as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area does not ensure that the site gets legal protection or
becomes inaccessible to people. Instead Bird Life International encourages national and State governments to
recognise the areas as sites of vital importance for conservation of wildlife and to empower local community-
based conservation initiatives.
Three species
Kerala IBAs are home to three critically endangered species White rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, and Red-
headed Vulture.
BirdLife International:
BirdLife International (formerly the International Council for Bird Preservation) is a global partnership of
conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with
people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. It is the world's largest partnership of conservation
organisations, with over 120 partner organisations.
BirdLife International publishes a quarterly magazine, World Birdwatch, which contains recent news and
authoritative articles about birds, their habitats, and their conservation around the world.
BirdLife International is the official Red List authority for birds, for the International Union for Conservation of
Nature.
Tribunal prohibits dumping of waste near Ganga banks (The Hindu)
An area of 100 metres from the edge of the Ganga between Haridwar and Unnao has been declared a No
Development Zone, with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) prohibiting dumping of waste within 500 metres of
the river.
What did the order say?
Till the demarcation of floodplains and identification of permissible and non-permissible activities by the State
government, the court directed that 100 metres from the edge of the river would be treated as no
development/construction zone between Haridwar to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
An environment compensation of Rs. 50,000 will be imposed on anyone dumping waste in the river.
The NGT also directed the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments to formulate guidelines for religious
activities on the ghats of the Ganga and its tributaries.
The Bench further noted that all industrial units in the catchment areas of the Ganga should be stopped from
indiscriminate groundwater extraction.
Order on PIL petition
Giving its verdict on a 1985 PIL petition of environment activist and lawyer M.C. Mehta which was transferred
to the NGT from the Supreme Court in 2014 a Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said
the authorities concerned should complete projects, including a sewage treatment plant and cleaning of drains,
within two years.
Supervisory panel
The court also appointed a supervisory committee, headed by the Secretary of the Water Resources Ministry and
comprising IIT professors and officials of the Uttar Pradesh government, to oversee implementation of the
directions passed in its verdict. The committee is to submit reports at regular intervals.
About NGT:
The NGT was established on October 18, 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010, passed by the Central
Government.
The stated objective of the Central Government was to provide a specialized forum for effective and speedy
disposal of cases pertaining to environment protection, conservation of forests and for seeking compensation for
damages caused to people or property due to violation of environmental laws or conditions specified while
granting permissions.
Structure:
Sanctioned strength: currently, 10 expert members and 10 judicial members (although the act allows for up to 20
of each).
The Chairperson of the NGT is a retired Judge of the Supreme Court, Head Quartered in Delhi.
Other Judicial members are retired Judges of High Courts. Each bench of the NGT will comprise of at least one
Judicial Member and one Expert Member.
Expert members should have a professional qualification and a minimum of 15 years experience in the field of
environment/forest conservation and related subjects.
Powers
The NGT has the power to hear all civil cases relating to environmental issues and questions that are linked to
the implementation of laws listed in Schedule I of the NGT Act. These include the following:
o The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974;
o The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977;
o The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980;
o The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981;
o The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986;
o The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991;
o The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Importantly, the NGT has not been vested with powers to hear any matter relating to the Wildlife (Protection)
Act, 1972, the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and various laws enacted by States relating to forests, tree preservation
etc.
Principles of Justice adopted by NGT
The NGT is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by
principles of natural justice.
Further, NGT is also not bound by the rules of evidence as enshrined in the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
Review and Appeal
There is a provision for seeking a Review of a decision or Order of the NGT. If this fails, an NGT Order can be
challenged before the Supreme Court within ninety days.
What is the difference between a Court and a Tribunal?
The Supreme Court has answered this question by holding that Every Court may be a tribunal but every tribunal
necessarily may not be a court. A High court for instance, where a PIL would be filed, may have wide ranging
powers covering all enacted laws (including the power of contempt) but the NGT has only been vested with
powers under the seven laws related to the Environment.
Gloom at SV zoo as third animal dies (The Hindu)
Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park (SVZP),

Andhra Pradesh has been gloomy as
three animals died in succession, all
within a span of a week.
A nine-month-old white tiger cub
succumbed to kidney failure, linked to
its pre-existing genetic condition.
Earlier, the lone giraffe Suboo and a
rescued lioness Champa died due to
traumatic shock and old age
respectively.
The cub was an offshoot of the
menagerie's Captive Breeding'
programme.
Key Points:
The Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park
not only exhibits animals, but is also a
centre for Captive Breeding'
programme and houses two Animal
Rescue Centres (ARCs). ARC is a facility
to provide improved upkeep and
healthcare to rescued animals.
The zoo park, plans to open a White Tiger Safari', tentatively in August.
This would be an added attraction to the Lion Safari and Deer Safari.
Sri Venkateshwara Zoo Park:
Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park was started in 1987 and is one of the three zoological parks maintained by the
Andhra Pradesh Forest Department.
This park is spread in an area of 5500 acres and is one of such themed parks in the entire nation whose theme is
based on the Mythology and the Indian epics.
The globally threatened yellow-throated bulbul is seen here. grey-fronted green pigeon, a bird of the Himalayas
and the Western Ghats is quite common in these forests.
The critically endangered Oriental white-backed vulture is found in the national park. Some of the other birds
found here are large hawk-cuckoo, blue-faced malkoha, yellow-browed bulbul, Indian scimitar-babbler and
Loten's sunbird.
Among predators the leopard is quite common, along with the wild dog.
Eco-bridges for the movement of tigers:
In a first of its kind, Telangana State will have eco-friendly bridges over a canal cutting across the tiger corridor
linking the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra with the forests in
Telangana's Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.
Key facts:
The intervention requires the laying of fertile soil to grow grass and plants over the structure, so that
fragmentation of the reserve forest is camouflaged.
The eco-bridges will be constructed at key spots along the 72 km-long, and at some places over a kilometre
wide, right flank canal of the Pranahita barrage in the Bejjur and Dahegaon mandals.
One of the locations tentatively earmarked for the eco-bridge is a spot close to Sulgupalli in the Bejjur forest
range. Here, the canal is over a kilometre wide and the need to facilitate the movement of wild animals is quite
necessary.
NGT directs Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh to submit guidelines on forest fire (Indian Express)
Why in news?
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh governments to submit the
national forest fire prevention and control guidelines.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also asked both the state governments to inform it
about the total number of forest fires till date starting from 2016.
The tribunal, which has already reserved its verdict in the matter, has fixed the case for hearing.
Background:
In Himachal Pradesh during 2016-17, there were 1,545 forest fires which affected 13,069 hectare causing loss of
Rs 1.53 crore, whereas, in 2015-16, there were 672 fire incidents which caused harm in 5,749.95 hectare area
causing loss of Rs 1.34 crore.
The tribunal had earlier directed the states to submit crisis management plan for prevention and control of forest
fires to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
National Green Tribunal (NGT):
The National Green Tribunal has been established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and
expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural
resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation
for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-
disciplinary issues.
The Tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be
guided by principles of natural justice.
The Tribunals dedicated jurisdiction in environmental matters shall provide speedy environmental justice and
help reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts.
The Tribunal is mandated to make and endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months
of filing of the same.
The powers of tribunal related to an award are equivalent to Civil court and tribunal may transmit any
order/award to civil court have local jurisdiction.
Any person aggrieved by an award, decision, or order of the Tribunal may appeal to the Supreme Court within 90
days of commencement of award but Supreme Court can entertain appeal even after 90 days if appellant
satisfied SC by giving sufficient reasons.
Castor plant can reduce soil pollution (The Hindu)
According to study conducted by researchers from University of

Hyderabad, Castor bean plants can prove useful in fighting soil
pollution.
It was found that these plants can absorb toxic heavy metals
from soil from these polluted areas due to industrial pollution.
Key points:
The roots, leaves and stem of these plants from the polluted
areas contain heavy metals such as lead. It was also observed
that these plants accelerate the remediation of polluted soils due
to presence of some chemicals in them known as chelators which
enhances the capability of the plant to accumulate heavy metals.
Castor seed plants are generally known to be one of the sturdiest plants that can grow in areas where the soil is
highly polluted, including in areas where mining is carried out.
Traditionally, Castor oil has been an age old home remedy for a variety of ailments in India.
A Sunderbans denizen staves off extinction (The Hindu)
Why in news:
A critically endangered resident of the Sunderbans,
more threatened than the Bengal tiger, is set to get a
new home, beginning a slow journey to recovery from
a disastrous decline in the wild.
Before winter this year, three fresh water ponds in the
Sunderbans Tiger Reserve will house the rare Northern
river terrapin (Batagur baska), whose presence in the
wild in West Bengal and Odisha had declined to
undetectable levels a decade ago.
Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska):
The northern river terrapin (Batagur baska) is a species
of riverine turtle native to Southeast Asia. It is classified
Critically Endangered by the IUCN and considered extinct in much of its former range.
It is one of Asia's largest freshwater and brackwater turtles, reaching a carapace length of up to 60 cm and a
maximum weight of 18 kg.
Males in breeding coloration have a black head and neck with a crimson or orange dorsal surface and red or
orange forelegs.
The species is currently found in Bangladesh (in the Sundarbans), Cambodia, India (parts- West Bengal & Odisha),
Indonesia and Malaysia.
It is regionally extinct in Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It is strongly aquatic but uses terrestrial
nesting sites, frequenting the tidal areas of estuaries, large rivers, and mangrove forests.
NABARD takes first step to access Green Climate Fund (Hindustan Times)
Indias National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed an Accreditation Master
Agreement (AMA) with the Green Climate Fund.
With the signing of the AMA, NABARD becomes the first Indian organisation to get Direct Access Entity status and
is the first step for the body to access GCF resources.
Green Climate Fund:
The GCF was set up in 2010 under the UNFCCCs financial mechanism to channel funding from developed
countries to developing countries to allow them to mitigate climate change and adapt to disruptions arising from
a changing climate.
It was central to the Paris climate agreement signed in 2015, that the worlds largest historical emitter, U.S,
announced it would leave.
It supports projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing country Parties using thematic
funding windows.
Who will govern the Fund?
The Fund is governed and supervised by a Board that will have full responsibility for funding decisions and that
receives the guidance of the COP. The Fund is accountable to, and functions under the guidance of, the COP.
Oriental white ibis nesting in Ganjam (The Hindu)
A group of Oriental white ibis birds have nested at Beguniapada in

Ganjam district of Odisha.
According to ornithologist, this indicates that these birds feel secure at
Beguniapada and that the environment was conducive for breeding.
Usually Oriental white ibis are seen in large number in the Chilika lake
during winter months.
Locals of Beguniapada said since the past few years they were finding
Oriental white ibis in their agricultural fields during rainy season.
These birds had started building nests on a few coconut trees.
Ample availability of food material for these birds in Beguniapada is
also one of the major reasons behind their nesting.
About Oriental white ibis:
The black-headed ibis or Oriental white ibis is a species of wading bird of the ibis family which breeds in the
Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia from northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka east up to Japan. It
builds a stick nest in a tree and lays 24 eggs.
Rare sand snake sighted in Seshachalam hills (The Hindu)
Wildlife biologists have sighted an Indian Sand Snake (psammophis

condanarus) in the Seshachalam forests, the first in South India in the last
70 years.
The snake is widely distributed in the eastern, northern and central India
including parts of the Himalayan foothills, Bengal, Indo-Gangetic plains,
north-western arid desert zones including Pakistan and northern parts of
Deccan plateau, but not seen in the south.
The snake is a smooth and glossy-bodied species with a fairly large head
and protruding snout. It was about 53 cm in length, of which its tail alone
measured 8 cm.
The sighting of the Nagarjunasagar Racer, Gooty Trantula, Yellow collared wild snake, Brown vine snake, Slender
coral snake, Shield tail snake etc. bears testimony to the biodiversity richness of the Seshachalam habitat.
Background:
In 1943, Salim Ali reported a similar species from Bandipur near the Western Ghats abutting Mysore plateau on
the basis of a single specimen recovered from the stomach of a short toed eagle. After that, this is by far the
strongest sighting of sand snake in south India.
INDIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Padmanabhaswamy Temple is in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the indigenous Kerala style and the Dravidian style of architecture
associated with the temples located in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, featuring high walls, and a 16th-
century Gopuram.
It is the richest Hindu temple in the world.
The principal deity Vishnu is enshrined in the "Anantha Shayanam" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the
serpent Adisheshan.
The name of the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta", referring to
the deity of Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Ahmedabad gets world heritage tag (The Hindu)
The Walled City of Ahmedabad, founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah in the 15th century, has been declared Indias
first World Heritage City.
Key facts:
The 5.5 km walled city area with an approximate population of four lakh, living in century-old wooden residences
in around 600 pols or neighbourhoods, is regarded as a living heritage. The UNESCO had preferred Ahmedabad
over Delhi and Mumbai.
It has now joined the privileged club of heritage cities like Paris, Cairo, Edinburgh and two cities in the
subcontinent, Bhaktpur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka. The walled city of Ahmedabad on the eastern banks of
Sabarmati river presents a rich architectural heritage from the sultanate period, notably the Bhadra citadel, the
walls and gates of the Fort city and numerous mosques and tombs, as well as important Hindu and Jain temples
of later periods.
There are 2,600 heritage sites and over two dozen ASI protected monuments and sites in the walled city. The city
had figured in UNESCOs tentative list in 2011.
A famous yatra has a social face online (The Hindu)
Groups of young people working to create a virtual version of Wari,

the colourful annual padayatra to the Vithoba temple in
Pandharpur in Maharashtra's Solapur district, have woven social
causes into their effort.
Among their creations is Facebook Dindi. Facebook Dindi helped
the Environmental Forum of India raise about Rs. 10 lakh for
drinking water schemes in Baramati in 2016.
Similarly, Niramal Wari's campaign against open defecation resulted
in nearly 1,000 makeshift toilets being built for pilgrims.
This year, Facebook Dindi's focus is on the girl child. For its Wari Tichi (It is her journey) project, the members
drew heavily from the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (Save the girl child, educate the girl child) campaign.
Pandharpur Wari:
It is an annual pilgrimage (yatra) to Pandharpur - the seat of the Hindu god Vithoba, on the banks of river Bhima
in Solapur district, Maharashtra.
Dindi or Palakhis (palanquin processions) carrying the paduka (foot prints) of various saints - most notably
Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram - from the Warkari, (one who performs the Wari) sect (which venerates Vithoba), are
taken from their respective shrines to Pandharpur.
The tradition is more than 700 to 800 years old.
Dnyaneshwar's palakhi leaves from Alandi, while Tukaram's begins at Dehu, both in Pune district of Maharashtra.
The wari culminates at the Vithoba temple on Ashadhi Ekadashi (11th day of Ashadh month of Hindu calendar)
and the devotees then take a holy dip in the sacred Chandrabhaga River/Bhima River before proceeding to take
Darshan (see) Vithoba's central icon in the main temple.
Japan's men-only island gets UNESCO heritage tag (The Hindu)
A men-only island, Okinoshima, in Japan where women are banned and male
visitors must bathe naked in the sea before visiting its shrine, has been
declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Key points about Okinoshima Island:
Okinoshima Island is an ancient religious site in Japan that is considered
sacred by the local Munakata Taisha.
The tiny landmass of Okinoshima is permanently manned by a Shinto priest
who prays to the island's goddess, in a tradition that has been kept up for
centuries.
Limited numbers are permitted to land on the island in the Sea of Japan (East
Sea).
It is considered dangerous for women to travel by sea to get to the island and the shrine will not change the
centuries-old rule.
Since ancient times, it was an important window for foreign trade in Japan, forming part of a trade route that
linked the archipelago to the Korean peninsula and China.
India to celebrate Falun Gong (The Hindu)
Falun Gong, the ancient Chinese holistic system that is banned in

China, will be celebrated in India on July 15 with a parade and Human
Word Formation in the capital.
It aims to spread the message of Truth, Compassion and Tolerance
which are the basic principles of Falun Dafa.
The organisation also claimed that despite years of "brutal torture" in
China, Falun Dafa practitioners are not surrendering to Beijing's strict
rules.
It claimed that the government in Beijing has been trying to
"eradicate" the group as it is "extremely popular".
President of India inaugurates the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Paika Rebellion of Odisha (PIB)
The President of India recently inaugurated the Bicentenary celebration of the heroic Paika Rebellion of Odisha,
a valiant uprising of Paikas against the British rule organised by the Ministry of Culture.
He stated that 40 years before the revolt of 1857, which was later termed as 1st War of Indian Independence
against British Colonialism, a battle was fought under the leadership of Baxi Jagabandhu of Odisha.
Many scholars, researchers and historians have opined that the Paika Rebellion of 1817 was Indias first
organized armed rebellion against British Raj.
He said that completion of two hundred years of this popular uprising was a special event.
The legend of the heroics of Buxi Jagabandhu continues to inspire the people of Odisha.
Paika Rebellion:
When the British started tinkering with the revenue system in 1803, the farming community of Odisha rose in
rebellion.
At that critical juncture, Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar the military chief of the King of Khurda led his
motley army of Paikas forcing the British East India Company forces to retreat.
The rebellion came to be known as Paika Bidroh (Paika rebellion).
When did it take place?
The rebellion, by the landed militia of Khurda called Paiks, predates the first war of independence in 1857 but did
not get similar recognition.
It took place when the British East India company wrested the rent-free land that had been given to the Paiks for
their military service to the Kingdom of Khurda.
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Government plans I stand by my country campaign (Economic Times)
Why in news?
The government hopes to trigger a citizen movement around the theme I stand by my country as part of a twin
celebration to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Quit India movement and the 70th Independence Day.
It plans a multimedia campaign that will focus on inspiring the young generation and instilling in them a sense of
pride and responsibility, according to a brief the ministry of information and broadcasting has prepared for the
campaign.
Key Points:
It is a great opportunity to not only celebrate, but also reiterate our patriotic feelings, reinvigorate our resolve to
make India an economic superpower, and revitalise our minds to make India the worlds intellectual capital.
The government feels that with half of the countrys population below the age of 25, such a campaign will help
youngsters inherit the patriotic legacy and relate to major events that took place seven decades ago.
The government will also focus on itself, saying that under it a new and resilient India is on the rise.
The celebrations will stress that in the next five years in an era of determination, will and struggle a New
India will be built which is rid of corruption and black money and fulfils the aspirations of its teeming millions.
The aim of the campaign, hence is to portray an India which is bold and decisive, can secure its future, is on the
path of reforms, and that cares.
Separate taglines will be formed for the Quit India anniversary and the 70th Independence Day along with logos
as well as concepts for both radio and TV to create a befitting aura around the two events.
Twitter polls and quizzes on MyGov platform are also planned to educate people about unsung heroes of Indias
Independence, ET had reported.
First Kannada classic in English to be out soon
Kavirajamargam (The Way of the King of Poets), authored by Srivijaya, the earliest available work in Kannada
dating back to the 9th century, has been translated in English.
Though the work is sometimes attributed to Rashtrakuta King Nrupatunga Amoghavarsha, it is argued that it is
the work of poet Srivijaya who was in his court.
It is more than a work of poetics and touches upon issues relating to grammar, prosody, history and geography
Key points:
Kaviarajamargam is intimately related to Sanskrit works Kavyadarsa by early 8th century poet and scholar
Dandin, and Kavyalankara by Bhamaha of 7th century.
Also, there are plans to translate Vaddaradhane (890 CE) by Shivakotia charya. It is also the earliest extant prose
work in Kannada and a collection of 19 stories written in old Kannada, replete with Prakrit words.
Vaddaradhane throws light on the contemporary lifestyles as well as the nature of Kannada during the period of
its composition, besides being an important source of historical details.
STATUTORY, REGULATORY AND VARIOUS QUASI-JUDICIAL BODIES
Supreme Court allows Centre to replace MCI oversight committee
The Supreme Court allowed the Centre to replace the oversight committee set up to supervise the functioning of
the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a fresh panel of five eminent doctors.
MCI:
The MCI was established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933, as an elected body for maintaining
the medical register and providing ethical oversight, with no specific role in medical education.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) is a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical
education in India. The Council grants recognition of medical qualifications, gives accreditation to medical
schools, grants registration to medical practitioners, and monitors medical practice in India.
The NITI Aayog has recommended the replacement of Medical Council of India (MCI) with National Medical
Commission (NMC).
First meeting of Integrated Monitoring and Advisory Council (IMAC) (PIB)
Why in news?
Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan chaired the first meeting of apex
body for policy formulation and implementation of Roadmap to achieve target of 10 % reduction in import
dependency in oil and gas by 2021-22.
IMAC was envisaged to facilitate better coordination and comprehensive strategy for all energy resources by
focusing on supply and demand side management.
IMAC is consisted of Secretary, Petroleum & Natural Gas and other Senior Officers from various Ministries such
as Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Urban Development, Road and Transport, Agriculture, Power/Bureau
of Energy Efficiency, Rural Development, Finance, Petroleum Planning Analysis Cell, PCRA, DGH etc.
Government plans new agency to keep check on Chartered Accountants (The Hindu)
Why in news?
The government is reviewing plans to put in place the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) as it seeks to
rein in the Institute of Chartered Accounts for India (ICAI) for its perceived failure in enforcing discipline.
Key Points:
The new agency -which can have up to 15 members, including the chairman - is mandated to advise on issues
related to audit and accounting standards and be the regulator for the profession.
The law provides for NFRA to consider matters of professional or other misconduct and suspend CAs and firms
from practising for six months to 10 years.
Background:
While Companies Act 2013 had provided for NFRA as a regulatory agency for audit, accounts and financial
reporting, Section 132 of the law has remained on paper as the rules are yet to be notified.
The issue had been on the backburner for the last few years but is now simmering again after Prime Minister
publicly aired his criticism over ICAI's disciplinary record -a charge that the institute is now trying to cope with.
At the CA Day event on July 1, Modi had said that just around 25 auditors had faced action in over a decade and
around 1,400 cases were pending. ICAI is expected to fix the issue shortly, but that has not stopped the
government from reopening the case for NFRA.
Need for the new agency:
ICAIs disciplinary record is often criticised-a charge that the institute is now trying to cope with. Just around 25
auditors have faced action in over a decade and around 1,400 cases were pending.
Cabinet nod for IWAI bond issue (The Hindu)
Why in news?
The Union Cabinet has given its nod to Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for raising 660 crores in
bonds for extra budgetary resources in 2017-18.
The proceeds from the bonds will be utilised by IWAI for development and maintenance of National Waterways
(NWs) under National Waterways Act, 2016.
Funds received through issue of bonds will be used exclusively for capital expenditure to improve infrastructure
funding.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI):
IWAI is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India.
Its headquarters is located in Noida, UP. It does the function of building the necessary infrastructure in these
waterways, surveying the economic feasibility of new projects and also administration.
Meet on island development (Indian Express)
Union Home Ministry has chaired the first meeting of the Island Development Agency (IDA) that was set up on June.
Ten islands Smith, Ross, Aves, Long and Little Andaman in Andaman & Nicobar and Minicoy, Bangaram, Suheli,
Cherium and Tinnakara in Lakshadweep have been identified for development in the first phase.
Island Development Agency (IDA):
The IDA was conceived for the development of islands by PM Narendra Modi.
The meetings of the agency are chaired by the Union Home Minister.
Members of the IDA include cabinet secretary, home secretary, secretary (environment, forests and climate
change), secretary (tourism) and secretary (tribal welfare).
The National Anti-Profiteering Authority (PIB)
Why in news?
The GST Council has formed a Selection Committee under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary to identify and
recommend eligible persons for appointment as the Chairman and Members of the National Anti-Profiteering
Authority under GST.
Key points about NAPA:
The National Anti-Profiteering Authority is tasked with ensuring the full benefits of a reduction in tax on supply of
goods or services flow to the consumers.
The NAPA shall be responsible for applying anti-profiteering measures in the event of a reduction in rate of GST
on supply of goods or services or, if the benefit of input tax credit is not passed on to the recipients by way of
commensurate reduction in prices.
The NAPA shall be headed by a senior officer of the level of a Secretary to the Government of India and shall have
four technical members from the Centre and/or the States.
The already notified Rules on Anti-profiteering measures provide that applications seeking to invoke anti-
profiteering measures shall be examined by a Standing Committee.
Functions:
In the event the National Anti-Profiteering Authority confirms the necessity of applying anti-profiteering
measures, it has the power to order the business concerned to reduce its prices or return the undue benefit
availed along with interest to the recipient of the goods or services.
If the undue benefit cannot be passed on to the recipient, it can be ordered to be deposited in the Consumer
Welfare Fund.
In extreme cases, the National Anti-Profiteering Authority can impose a penalty on the defaulting business entity
and even order the cancellation of its registration under GST.
Nai Roshni Scheme (PIB)
Why in news?
NITI Aayog has conducted an evaluation study on Nai Roshni-
the scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women in
2015-16 and prepared a report in June 2016.
The main objective of the study was to assess the impact of the
scheme on minority women and to identify policy/ programme
impediments in implementation of the scheme.
Key points:
According to NITI Aayog, majority of the findings of the study
indicate that the programme has been appreciated by most of
the segments of the population of the society and it has
assisted in creating confidence among minority women and
developing leadership spirit in them.
Moreover, the trained women are also utilizing their enriched knowledge within their surroundings and thereby
helping their families as well as neighbours in raising their essential demands and claims from various
Government authorities.
About Nai Roshni Scheme:
The Ministry of Minority Affairs has started implementation of a scheme Nai Roshni for Leadership
Development of Minority Women from 2012-13.
The scheme aims to empower and instil confidence among minority women by providing knowledge, tools and
techniques for interacting with Government systems, Banks and other institutions at all levels.
As per the existing guidelines, the scheme is implemented with the involvement of the Gram Panchayat at village
level and Local Urban bodies at the District level.
The scheme is implemented through Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
PRELIMS BITS/ MISCELLANEOUS/ ALSO IN NEWS
Open Defection Free cities:
All cities of MP, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Telangana is set to become ODF by October 2 this
year, marking the completion of three years of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh had already declared all cities and towns ODF.
Chandigarh is the only UT to have become ODF.
Traditional water conservation systems around India:
Phad It is a community-managed irrigation system in the tapi river basin in Maharashtra. It starts with check
dam built across a river and canals to carry water to agricultural blocks with outlets to ensure excess water is
removed from the canals.
Zing It is found in Ladakh, are small tanks that collect melting glacier water. A network of guiding channels
brings water from the glacier to the tank.
Kuhls They are surface water channels found in the mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh. The channels
carry glacial waters from rivers and streams into the fields.
Zabo or Ruza System It is practised in Nagaland. Rainwater that falls on forested hilltops is collected by channels
that deposit the run-off water in pond-like structures created on the terraced hillsides.
Jackwells - The Shompen tribe of the Great Nicobar Islands uses this system, in which bamboos are placed under
trees to collect runoff water from leaves and carries it to jackwells which are pits encircled by bunds made from
logs of hard wood.
Pat system It is developed in Madhya Pradesh, in which the water is diverted from hill streams into irrigation
channels by diversion bunds. They are made across the stream by piling up stones and teak leaves and mud.
Eri It is tank system, widely used in Tamil Nadu which acts as flood-control systems, prevent soil erosion and
wastage of runoff during periods of heavy rainfall, and also recharge the groundwater.
Johads They are small earthern check dams used to conserve and recharge ground water, mainly constructed in
an area with naturally high elevation.
Panam keni The Kuruma tribe (a native tribe of Wayanad) uses wooden cylinders as a special type of well,
which are made by soaking the stems of toddy palms and immersed in groundwater springs.
Ahar Pynes They are traditional floodwater harvesting systems indigenous to South Bihar. Ahars are reservoirs
with embankments on three sides and Pynes are artificial rivulets led off from rivers to collect water in the ahars
for irrigation in the dry months.
Jhalara - Jhalaras are typically rectangular-shaped stepwells that have tiered steps on three or four sides in the
city of Jodhpur.
Bawari - Bawaris are unique stepwells that were once a part of the ancient networks of water storage in the
cities of Rajasthan.
Taanka - It is a cylindrical paved underground pit into which rainwater from rooftops, courtyards or artificially
prepared catchments flows. It is indigenous to the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan.
Khadin Also called dhora, is a long earthen embankment that is built across the hill slopes of gravelly uplands. It
is indigenous to Jaisalmer region and similar to the irrigation methods of Ur region (Present Iraq).
Kund It is a saucer-shaped catchment area that gently slopes towards the central circular underground well. It
is found in the sandier tracts of western Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Benefits of Ragi:
The glycemic index or glycaemic index (GI) is a number associated with a particular type of food that indicates
the food's effect on a person's blood glucose (also called blood sugar) level. A value of 100 represents the
standard, an equivalent amount of pure glucose.
With a low glycemic index, ragi is no longer the poor man's staple, and is preferred by diabetics.
Recently Karnatakas agricultural scientists have sequenced the genetic code of ragi, or finger millet, throwing
light on the exact building blocks that make it drought-resistant and nutrition-rich.
Gonorrhea:
Antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhea harder and sometimes even impossible to treat, according to a new
warning from the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, a new drug may be urgently needed to treat the
disease.
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted disease, sometimes referred to as "the clap."
Gonorrhea is easily treated but can cause serious and sometimes permanent complications. Pelvic inflammatory
disease occurs in women when the gonorrhea infection affects their uterus or fallopian tubes. The most serious
complication associated with pelvic inflammatory disease is infertility.
Complications in men with gonorrhea include epididymitis (an inflammation of the tube which carries sperm) and
infertility.
Raipur Airport Ranked First in Customer Satisfaction Index Survey: (PIB)
Raipurs Swami Vivekananda Airport was once again ranked first in Customer Satisfaction among 49 airports in
the country. Raipur Airport achieved 4.84 score on a five point scale index in the latest CSI survey conducted by
an independent agency for the period of January-June 2017, followed by Udaipur, Amritsar and Dehradun
airports.
High level maintenance of infrastructure and passenger facilities, the green ambience, state-of -the- art
technology and courteous staff ensuring passenger satisfaction has resulted in Raipur getting this recognition for
the third consecutive time in the past two years.
India to host 8th Edition of Theatre Olympics: (PIB)
The 8th edition of the greatest carnival of Theatre in the World will take place in India.
The Theatre Olympics, being held in India for the first time, is being organised by National School of Drama,
under the aegis of Ministry of Culture
Theatre Olympics:
The Theatre Olympics was established in 1993 in Delphi, Greece, as the first international theatre festival. With
the tagline Crossing Millennia, this is an initiative to connect the cultural past with the present and future,
bringing the richness and diversity of theatre heritage to the experiments and research of contemporary theatre.
The first country to host the Theatre Olympics was Greece in 1995. The 7th Theatre Olympics were held in
Wroclaw, Poland.
Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP):
12 countries that border the Pacific Ocean signed up to the TPP in February 2016, representing roughly 40% of
the world's economic output.
The pact aimed to deepen economic ties between these nations, slashing tariffs and fostering trade to boost
growth.
Members had also hoped to foster a closer relationship on economic policies and regulation.
All 12 nations needed to ratify it, before it could come into effect.
But, with the US, the largest economy in the TPP, withdrawing from the agreement, the future of TPP is
uncertain.
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC):
It was a semi-autonomous body that looked after the administration of the hills of Darjeeling District in the state
of West Bengal, India.
It was operational from 1988-2012, also once known for a short period of time as Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous
Hill Council (DGAHC).
DGHC had three subdivisions under its authority: Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong and some areas of Siliguri
subdivision.
National Flood Control Programme:
The National Flood Control Programme was launched in 1954 for the first time, in the country.
During the period of two decades, considerable experience had also been gained in planning, implementation
and performance of the flood protection and control measures.
It then required detailed study of various problems concerned with flood control measures and aspects like soil
conservation and afforestation.
Government, therefore, decided to set up the Rashtriya Barh Ayog (National Flood Commission of India) in 1976
to evolve a coordinated, integrated and scientific approach to the flood control problems.
And to draw out a national plan fixing priority for implementation in the future.
Operation Muskaan:
It was launched by Union ministry of Home Affairs.
The railway police started implementing Operation Muskaan from to trace missing and destitute children and
reunite them with their parents.
The main aim of the programme was to prevent child trafficking and rescue children from persons who tried to
engage them in begging, sexual trade and other antisocial activities.
Under this programme, specially trained police teams would screen all children residing in shelter homes, railway
platforms, bus stands, roads and religious places.
Tata Motors unveils Indias first Bio-CNG bus:
Indias largest Commercial Vehicles manufacturer Tata Motors has unveiled countrys first Bio-CNG (bio-
methane) bus.
The bus was rolled out at the Urja Utsav, bio-energy programme, organised by the Union Ministry of Petroleum
and Natural Gas.
Ram Nath Kovind elected as Indias 14th President:
Former governor Ram Nath Kovind was elected as Indias 14th President.
He will be only the second Dalit leader after K R Narayanan since Independence to occupy Indias highest
ceremonial post.
President of India:
President of India is top constitutional post as he is head of the Indian state, first citizen of India and supreme
commander of the Indian armed forces.
He is elected indirectly for a term of 5 years by an electoral college consisting of elected members of parliament
(MPs from Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha) and elected members of State legislative members, including that if
NCT of Delhi and Pondicherry.
He is eligible to re-elect for the same office for unlimited times.
Oath or affirmation by the President:
According to Article 60 of the Constitution of India, every President and every person acting as President or
discharging the functions of the President before entering upon office shall make and subscribe oath to the
office.
The oath inter alia includes the oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution. In this sense, President
takes oath as guardian of Indian Constitution.
The oath is administered by Chief Justice of India or in his absence by the senior-most Judge of the Supreme
Court available.
Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS):
India will host Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017, the worlds largest conference on cyber space and
related issues in New Delhi in November 2017.
The GCCS is a prestigious international conference that aims at encouraging dialogue among stakeholders of
cyberspace. It was incepted in 2011 in London.
It brings together governments, private sector and civil society gathers to discuss and promote practical
cooperation in cyberspace, to discuss norms for responsible behaviour in cyberspace and to enhance cyber
capacity building.
The conference is built on the themes such as economic growth and development, social and cultural benefits, a
safe and secure cyberspace, cybercrime and international security. It has helped in setting up rules and guidelines
for the editions to follow.
Swayam portal:
SWAYAM or Study Webs of Active -Learning for Young Aspiring Minds programme of Ministry of Human
Resource Development, Government of India, provides for professors of centrally funded institutions like IITs,
IIMs, central universities offering online courses to citizens of India.
SWAYAM is an instrument for self-actualisation providing opportunities for a life-long learning.
Here learner can choose from hundreds of courses, virtually every course that is taught at the university / college
/ school level and these shall be offered by best of the teachers in India and elsewhere.
If a student is studying in any college, he/she can transfer the credits earned by taking these courses into their
academic record.
If you are, working or not working, in school or out of school, SWAYAM presents a unique educational
opportunity to expand the horizons of knowledge.
All courses would be offered free of cost under this programme however fees would be levied in case learner
requires certificate.
SWAYAM Prabha is the 32 DTH channels operationalised for telecasting high quality educational content free of
charge using the GSAT-15 satellite transponders.
Haryana to set up vegetable price stability fund:
With an aim to address the problem of seasonal fluctuation of vegetables prices, the Haryana government will
soon set up a vegetable price stability fund.
"Perishable vegetables like potato and tomato cannot be stored for long and farmers have no solution to this
problem.
The fund will be set up to provide assistance to farmers in the event of price fluctuation.
Urbanization and sacred groves:
Sacred groves are fragments of forests protected by local communities.
They are also known as Devaru kadu in Kannada and Kavu in Malayalam.
Sacred groves are usually dedicated to local folk deities and protected by communities because of their religious
beliefs.
It helps in biodiversity conservation, recharge of aquifers and soil conservation.
Hunting and logging are not permitted in the sacred groves. As a result, many sacred groves still exists in urban
areas.
With increasing urbanization, urban sacred groves are becoming home to large number of invasive ants. It is a
clear indicator of human disturbances in the habitat.
USS Gerald R Ford: Worlds largest aircraft carrier inducted by US:
The United States (US) Navy officially inducted USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), the worlds largest nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
It is the most advanced aircraft carrier in the world.
USS Gerald Ford is first in the series of three of the futuristic ships of the Ford-class carriers ordered by US Navy.
Its operational deployment will be in 2021 after undergoing final outfitting and testing.
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC):
The six-member MPC was constituted in September 2016. It has been deciding on policy rates since October last
year.
The committee will have six members. Of the six members, the government will nominate three. No government
official will be nominated to the MPC.
The other three members would be from the RBI with the governor being the ex-officio chairperson. Deputy
governor of RBI in charge of the monetary policy will be a member, as also an executive director of the central
bank.
Decisions will be taken by majority vote with each member having a vote.
The RBI Governor will chair the committee. The governor, however, will not enjoy a veto power to overrule the
other panel members, but will have a casting vote in case of a tie.
The government nominees to the MPC will be selected by a Search-cum-Selection Committee under Cabinet
Secretary with RBI Governor and Economic Affairs Secretary and three experts in the field of economics or
banking or finance or monetary policy as its members.
Members of the MPC will be appointed for a period of four years and shall not be eligible for reappointment
Bengaluru Declaration calls for SC/ST quota in judiciary:
The Bengaluru Declaration was recently adopted by the Karnataka State government sponsored Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar International Conference 2017.
The declaration recommends a slew of affirmative action measures in private sector, judiciary, educational
institutions, government contracts and promotions for Dalits.
The declaration has 40 recommendations under six broad categories safeguarding the people, strengthening
democratic institutions, deepening social justice, enhancing human development, ensuring responsive
governance, and promoting social security.
Similar Declaration was adopted by Madhya Pradesh in 2002. The Bhopal Declaration that called for
liberalisation of capital for Dalits was adopted in 2002 during the tenure of Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in
Madhya Pradesh.
Arab League:
The Arab League is a regional organization of Arab countries in and around North Africa, the Horn of Africa and
Arabia.
It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, Jordan,
Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
Currently, the League has 22 members, but Syrias participation has been suspended since November 2011,
because of government repression during the Syrian Civil War.
The Leagues main goal is to draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration
between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs
and interests of the Arab countries.
Bharat Net project:
Bharat Net sought to connect all of Indias households, particularly in rural areas, through broadband by 2017,
forming the backbone of the governments ambitious Digital India programme.
It proposes broadband connectivity to households under village panchayats and even to government
institutions at district level. The project is being funded through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
Worlds first wind farm being built off Scotland coast:
The worlds first fullscale floating wind farm is being built off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea.
The wind farm, known as Hywind is a trial project which aims to bring power to 20,000 homes.
The floating wind farm technology will allow wind power to be harvested in waters that are too deep for the
existing bottomstanding turbines particularly installed in shallow waters.
Kapu Community:
It refers to a social grouping of agriculturists found primarily in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana (the Telugu-speaking states).
Kapus are primarily an agrarian community, forming a heterogeneous peasant caste.
They are classified as a Forward Caste in Andhra Pradesh, where they are the dominant community in the
districts of East Godavari and West Godavari.
The Kapu community in the Telugu states is predominantly concentrated in the coastal districts, North Telangana
and Rayalaseema regions.
FAME India Scheme:
The FAME-India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (hybrid &) Electric vehicles in India) scheme is proposed
to be implemented over a period of 6 years, till 2020, wherein it is intended to support the hybrid/electric
vehicles market development and its manufacturing eco-system to achieve self-sustenance at the end of the
stipulated period.
The scheme has four focus areas, technology development, demand creation, pilot projects and charging
infrastructure.
FAME India Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India is a part of the
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.
The scheme envisages Rs 795 crore support in the first two fiscals starting with the current year.
It is being administered by the Heavy Industries Ministry.
BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers Meet in China:
China is the chair for the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers Meet for the year 2017. This years meeting was
held in Chongqing, China.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministerial Declaration by the
BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers.
The Declaration covered a variety of areas that are of critical importance to all BRICS countries including India
and called upon strengthening collaboration and cooperation on these through appropriate institutionalisation.
Typhoon Noru:
The typhoon Noru, originated in south-east of Japan had marked the beginning of the Monsoon season in the
North-West Pacific.
This is only the second time since 1950 that the first typhoon of the season materialised in the North-West
Pacific.
It is predicted that the typhoon may usurp the Indian monsoon during this period.
The Indian monsoon flows will be pulled across the peninsular tip into the Bay of Bengal to feed the Pacific
storms.
Delhi Metro becomes worlds first completely green Metro system:
The Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) has become the worlds first completely green Metro system for
adhering to green building norms for its residential colonies.
In this regard, Delhi Metro has secured the platinum rating for adherence to green building norms for its 10
residential colonies from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
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AN INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION PREPARATION

AN INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION PREPARATION

Commences : 5th Nov. 2017

Mr. Rahul Swaroop Mr. Ajit Tiwari

Mr. N. Nachiketa Mr. B.K. Singh

Mr. Rohit Wazir Mr. Achal Khanna

Mr. Abhijeet Dutta Mr. Ankur Aggarwal

Mr. Naman Mr. Anurag Pathak

1. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

President has approved the promulgation of The Prevention of

The Supreme Court froze the status of legal persons

AN INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION PREPARATION

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AN INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION PREPARATION

Commences : 5th Nov. 2017

The present standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will be roped in to probe if

First Maize Based Mega Food Park in Kapurthala, Punjab (PIB)

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Tamil Nadu has reported its first case of Zika virus in a

According to Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, team

The second of the eight Mark IV LCU vessels, built

The government has set up a 19-member panel,

Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) launched

AN INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION PREPARATION

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Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park (SVZP),

According to study conducted by researchers from University of

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Falun Gong, the ancient Chinese holistic system that is banned in

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AN INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION PREPARATION

Commences : 5th Nov. 2017

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